A Time for Harvest

[Vidalu Na'an]

Those words had been all that the warrior needed to act, this one wasn't like the others. She held power, whether she knew how to use it or not would be put to the test in the coming moments. Rounding the corner Na'an would see an individual that stood at six foot even, his body rippling with muscles. Sable-skin shining in the light as Dantooine's primary began to retreat. Braided hair messed he began to approach. "Those who stand within the path of destiny are naught but obstacles." The golden glow that both the shoot saber and regular shined did nothing but illuminate and show more visibly the blood that enveloped Uthixo. The Darkside radiated off his body the remnants of the powerful spell. There was no option of surrender given, instead, Uthixo's body began to shift, left leg forward, his right in line with it. Both feet pointing to the right offering his left side to Na'an. "You will make an excellent trophy to give to my Master... You may even make a fitting apprentice. I'll have to be sure to not kill you."

"Well, knowing I'm not going to die sure makes my job here easier."

Na'an stepped back as he stepped forward, keeping the distance between them even. Her thumb flickered across the activation stud of her shoto, ready to activate it in an instant should he attack. And there was no question, this man would attack her. As she took him in, sizing him up, she thanked the gods she'd thought to take off her patch in the woods.
He was tall--not the tallest person she'd ever fought, but pretty far up there--and built like he spent every day since birth at the gym. With a. bulk like that, she was probably faster, but one good solid hit would send her spinning. The darkness seemed to lay so thick across the surface of his skin that it rippled, like the water-trail left in the path of some great seabird. He was watching her from across the clearing with the dead eyes of a man who'd done more than his fair share of senseless killing, and saw no reason to stop. If he was lying about keeping her alive, she'd have a devil of a time knocking him back.

But...Na'an blinked her good eye, then her fake, unable to shake the vaguest sense of wrong. This wasn't right. The person she saw...he'd smelled like this, like smoke and blood, but this couldn't be him. This dark-skinned stranger bearing down on her...his voice was wrong. Not deep enough, not gravelly enough. His stature was different. He hunched too readily, too fluidly. The ripple across his flesh Felt...foreign. More like he was bathed in it, rather than having it come from him.

And his face. As she took it in, she felt something awful twisting at her stomach.

He was young--so young. Still just a boy, for all his size.

"...You're him, aren't you," she said. "The brave son. That's what your Master calls you."

She bent her knees, holding the tension in her legs just in case.

 

[Darth Ledgermayne]

"You bore me..." he said lowly.

" I refuse to take tone from the likes of your kind. Move out of the way, bring me to your organic owners and return back to your duties. Otherwise I will show you the true logistics and probability of what you face." Ledgermayne snapped at the [member="LE-03 (Leigh)"] taking several steps forward before halting again. It was a threat, a masked threat but never the less still the same. His attention was split. Controlling another was not without its subtle challenges. The strain was minimal and did not hinder him to engage in combat with further force power. But it did cause him to focus a tad harder on things than normal. He was handicapped but there was no need to shout it out. What was a mere droid going to do? Ledgermayne begged a rhetorical question within his mind to be answered at best but alas nothing could be found. The truth was this piece of scrap metal was powerless to stop the Sith Lords experiments from running along and infecting the masses.

Flashes of red light flashed around the Sith Lords hands crackling and dancing with electrical charges. Lightning? Why was it red? Placing his hands down by his abdominal area the red energy began to surged back back and forth intill a mass of red flashing power cycled into shape. At first its red color was dim but it slowly began to brighten intill its hue was matching the Sith lords own complexion of red crystalline skin. Both hands shook lightly holding the ball in place, it was the size of a Hutt ball now and slowly growing. A monster ready to be unleashed on a foe. It hungered and sung out with a static. The Gutretee sith lord remained still continuing to charge the attack in hand. He would do so in till he could no longer hold it...which meant the Droid still had time to act.

" I will not warn you again.." He said grimly.

[member="Vidalu Na'an"]
[member="Uthixo Nazim"]

 

[Uthixo Nazim]

"...You're him, aren't you," she said. "The brave son. That's what your Master calls you."

The question came from Na’an and in that instant, it stunned the Sandali, the body unmoving as he simply stared into her, past her, to something else far in the distance. This gave Uthixo’s consciousness time to break free for a singular second, the color and vibrance returning to his eyes. A pleading look shot in Na’an’s direction. “Stop-” That was all he could say before being shunted once more within the cage of his own mind. The darkness drowning him out once more, filling his being, if he could’ve Uthixo would have screamed.

The possessed Sandali returning, eyes dulling, muscles tightening, jaw clenching he focused on Na’an. “I am the chosen of the Lord Ledgermayne, I am who shall lay claim to all he is and owns. I am his son!” No more words were spent, the Sandali Warrior kicked into action, moving towards Na’an both the golden sabers bathing the area in their glow. The song they sung a
Lethal staccato.

“Accept your fate as a servant of Ledgermayne!” Closing the distance between himself and Na’an, still offering her his left side, standing on the balls of his feet, the shoto within his left hand came out in an angled swing towards her left shoulder and would go down, an attempt to scrape the tip of the saber against her flesh instead of outright bisect her. Ledgermayne would still need her after all. Around them the smoke and flames from the damage to the village became wilder, the pillars of dark clouds billowing up into the sky. Off to their left, a homestead stood lit like a bonfire. This was only the beginning.

[member="Ledgermayne"]
[member="Vidalu Na'an"]

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

" I will not warn you again.." He said grimly.

"That will not be necessary."

One of the benefits of a digital mind was that it could decide on a course of action quickly. With her cannon already raised, it was nothing for Leigh to activate the switch from Concussion Fire to Laserfire, even as she aimed at the slowly growing ball of crackling red light in the Sith's hands. It took even less time for her to fire.

The resulting explosion nearly knocked the droid off her feet.

She staggered back, momentarily focusing her optical receptors on the makeshift barriers behind her rather than on the blinding light now ahead. The wood and straw would not conduct electricity, meaning the farmers would be safe from any residual arcs of static, but the probability that the show of force would terrify them was rapidly approaching 100%.

"Stand your ground!" she yelled amidst the chaos. "He is only one man, stand your ground!"

[member="Ledgermayne"], [member="Uthixo Nazim"], [member="Vidalu Na'an"]

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

“Accept your fate as a servant of Ledgermayne!” Closing the distance between himself and Na’an, still offering her his left side, standing on the balls of his feet, the shoto within his left hand came out in an angled swing towards her left shoulder and would go down, an attempt to scrape the tip of the saber against her flesh instead of outright bisect her. Ledgermayne would still need her after all. Around them the smoke and flames from the damage to the village became wilder, the pillars of dark clouds billowing up into the sky. Off to their left, a homestead stood lit like a bonfire. This was only the beginning.

"No--"

The brave son moved fast as a snake--but, at least for the moment, Na'an was faster. As his arm arced down towards her shoulder, she flicked the activation stud on her shoto and flung her arm upwards to meet his. The golden blade was blocked mid-stroke by a bright red one, their intersection humming only inches from her flesh. Then she flexed, pushing their arms away as she swung around and inwards to aim for his middle.

"I--"

He blocked her, parried, went for her feet with the other saber.

"will not--"

The Force led her arcing over the blade, jabbing at his side and shoulders, but he countered that too--

"go down--"

She had to dodge three blows in quick succession--had to switch from Ataru to Soresu, constantly parrying, if only until he left an opening--

"to another karking--"

One of his blows was powerful enough to send vibrations down her hilt and into her arms--she abandoned Soresu, abandoned herself again to the dizzying aerial footwork of Ataru--

"fake--"

She was over his head again--and there was an opening, a chance to send a flurry of blows at his neck--

"Family--"

His last block was powerful enough to push her flying back, her heels skidding against the earth as she landed. She stutter-stepped, stabilized, found herself breathing hard against the pressure the brave son wore on his skin like an oily coat. He--or whatever was pupating him--was fast, and powerful. She had to take advantage of the space while she still had it, find any advantage she could. She took a deep, shuddering breath, already swallowing against the bubble of Force swelling at the bottom of her throat. If he took so much as a step towards her, it was all the provocation she'd need to Bellow him into the back of beyond.

[member="Uthixo Nazim"], [member="Ledgermayne"], [member="LE-03 (Leigh)"]

 

[Darth Ledgermayne]

Ledgermayne observed as the energy of [member="LE-03 (Leigh)"] hand cannon charged progressively. What could a weapon like that do to a Sith Lord? His mind boggled at the rhetorical question. Blasters did not effect Gutretee as a species, their crystalline structure was immune to its effects in all ways. The bolt would simpley bounce off, like a bullet hitting Beskar. This was the Gutretee's primary thought about his current situation, what came second was the though of what if the bolt was not meant for him? In milliseconds that acknowledgement was given life as the charged blaster shot burst forth making contact with first the Sith lords own ball of red lightning, next the energy made contact with Ledgermayne himself. With a surge the bolt of energy ricocheted off a red crystalline exposed torso to fly back off course back to its giver. The droid.

The entire process happened in a flash as lightning exploded right infront of Ledgermaynes face only to be absorbed by his crystalline structure. Minerals, specifically crystals made for terrible conductors. The explosion of static and rebellious arcs of energy did little more than cause him to stumble back a foot and piss him off.

" You impudent fools. You dare attack me here? He who comes offering a gift not easily constructed or earned! I will no longer idly sit by and listen to the babble of ignorant children and lesser automatons." He exclaimed as the darkside grew in strength around him. Spanning across the distances the mental link that tied the Master to unwilling apprentice was severed entirely. The mental scarring and actions done by [member="Uthixo Nazim"] would be enough for now. With the connection now severed the remaining Oblitus minions would turn against the Sandali boy and his faced opponent. It would hold them long enough.

For Uthixo's sake he hoped he was skilled enough to survive.

As for Ledgermayne himself he appeared to be standing began to grow shorter in stature. The very earth below him came to life as it was commanded to swallow him whole. Soon nothing remained except fresh upturned dirt and soil. He remained below as a form of protection and better concentration against his foes. The skies above plains and fields of Dantooine turned gray in color as if a unexpected storm was to come. Thunder in the close distance, followed by lightning. It was all approaching and would soon be apon everyone within several minutes.

With each passing moment the storm grew with intensity.

[member="Vidalu Na'an"]

 

[Uthixo Nazim]

Uthixo was forced to watch as his body moved with great precision beyond any that he even realized he himself possessed. Each blow was savage and with each collision of his and the woman's blades the clashes could be heard echoing across the farmland. Na'an was more than capable of holding her own against Uthixo though.

Each of her attacks were met with the Sandali dancing away, sidestepping or using his secondary saber to deflect followed immediately by a counter attack. The flurry of blows aimed at his neck each blocked away though one scorched the side of the sable-skinned warrior's neck. The real Sandali that was trapped within his own mind felt the pain, despite not being the one in combat himself. Unable to do anything to save the one that fought him.

Then as the two warriors broke apart Uthixo's consciousness flowed back into his body. His eyes returning to normal, the warrior fell to a knee gulping air down as quickly as his body would let him. His body ached, the burn on his neck from Na'an's saber stinging. The Sandali's chest rose and fell unevenly as he looked up to Na'an. "I'm so-" The warrior started before the howls of the Oblitus legion could be heard piercing the air. The once men and women of Dantooine nothing more than crystalline creatures under Ledgermayne's control. Leaping off a nearby roof one plunged at the Sandali, raising his hand Uthixo summoned the force. His will forming into an invisible strike that reached out and pushed against the creature flinging it back and over the roof. More of the creatures beginning to move in.

Looking to the woman he'd been fighting Uthixo yelled as the wind around them began to whip up into a wild frenzy snatching at his clothes and kicking dirt into the sky. "Run!"

[member="Darth Ledgermayne"], [member="Vidalu Na'an"], [member="LE-03 (Leigh)"]

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

"I'm so-" The warrior started before the howls of the Oblitus legion could be heard piercing the air. The once men and women of Dantooine nothing more than crystalline creatures under Ledgermayne's control. Leaping off a nearby roof one plunged at the Sandali, raising his hand Uthixo summoned the force. His will forming into an invisible strike that reached out and pushed against the creature flinging it back and over the roof. More of the creatures beginning to move in. Looking to the woman he'd been fighting Uthixo yelled as the wind around them began to whip up into a wild frenzy snatching at his clothes and kicking dirt into the sky. "Run!"

Na'an was only a breath away from a Force Bellow when the Sandali changed his tone. She only had a moment to register the change in his eyes, the words coming from his mouth...when something crashed down from a nearby roof to attack him. Na'an staggered momentarily as the brave son pivoted to fling the creature away, only to turn herself when she heard rustling behind her. Two, three, five of those things were shambling into the clearing behind her--human-sized, studded with reddish crystals that seemed to be growing out of their flesh. She flipped her shoto to face them, keeping the Force bubble in her chest tightly reined in and calculating their odds.

"You're going to tell me what the kriff is going on," she said harshly, raising her saber to slice through an attacking arm. "What are these thi--"

The words died on her lips as she saw the face of the creature she'd just cut down. It was an old, craggy face, thick-jawed and heavy-browed, with a scar running down the nose deep enough to split one nostril. She knew that scar well--one of the villagers had told her the story behind it during the last sowing, about how he'd taken a thresher to the face as a child.

Now that scar was puckered and pulled apart by crystals. And the face that it belonged to--thick-jawed and heavy browed and dead-eyed--he'd just--

Oh, gods.

"What did you do."

[member="Uthixo Nazim"] [member="Darth Ledgermayne"] [member="LE-03 (Leigh)"]

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

Leigh's processors could adjust rapidly to quick changes in light; even so, there was a split moment where the explosion of lightning left her visual array dazzled. As she took the two seconds to reboot, she braced herself against the nearest barrier, focusing on the audio around her. The men around her were recovering from the explosion, righting themselves and shaking off the residual arcs of static.

"Damn Forcies. Where's he goin'?"

"Wha's he mean, calling us children? We fightin' an old man?"

"What in blazes is he--"

"Did he just fall in a hole?"

...A hole? Leigh immediately dedicated more processing power to recovery; her visual array cleared just in time to see the top of the creature's head vanish into the earth. Checking her map, she verified that there had been no long-standing faults this close to the Noba facility, and the well the workers were digging was behind the barn, rather than before it. However, the probability that a creature with the kind of ego this threat displayed would just fall in a hole was miniscule. Whoever this was, he was Force Sensitive, and he was now underground. Even more worrying, the sky was darkening rapidly, with the percentage of ozone in the local atmosphere indicating rapidly approaching lightning.

"Hold your ground," she said, her voice cutting through the chatter. "Keep alert. You saw his initial attempt. An attack from a Force-Sensitive opponent can come from anywhere."

Now, rather than focusing on the land outside the barn, she broadened her range to sweep through the barn itself. Any minor disturbance--the tiniest movement of earth--


[member="Uthixo Nazim"] [member="Darth Ledgermayne"]

 

[Uthixo Nazim]

All around the crystalline dead began to arrive attracted by perhaps the sound of the two yelling above the harsh wind. Maybe by their scents, or perhaps they could even feel them through the force. However, they had found them they began to press in more and more beginning to rise from the nearby crops charging towards the two. Turning his back to the woman, both his sabers singing Uthixo braced himself for the oncoming charge, wincing slightly at the chorus of howls and terrifying screeches that filled the air.

“I know not what these creatures truly are… I’ve never seen anything like them.” Even with portions of his memory renewed Uthixo could not place his finger on what the creatures truly were. He had been trained by Ledgermayne in the past, and he remembered that but never seeing beings such as the dead that surrounded them.

As the first few reached the Sandali he brought his shoto up cleaving it from between its legs up to the tip of its skull, meaty chunks falling in two separate directions to the ground below. The insides of the individual no longer even appearing to be fully human, bits of crystal protruding and dominating the innards. The other blade came around in a full slash bisecting another, their bodies tumbling to the ground unceremoniously.

“I know as much as you! I just remember seeing him… He trapped me within my own mind. Took my body, I woke here.” The sable-skinned man said as a crystal shot by his head nearly cutting into his cheek. Eyes widening slightly Ador pushed out an invisible pressure flooring a group of the monstrosities. “I told you to run, this is my sin to atone for.”

[member="LE-03 (Leigh)"], [member="Vidalu Na'an"]

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Na'an sent another of the creatures spinning with a glancing blow from her shoto, grimacing as it hit the ground with a meaty thud. She couldn't look at the thing once it was down--better to not see its face and risk knowing which of her neighbors she'd just sliced open--but spun again into another rapid attack. But there was no shortage of them; every creature she sent to the earth, every creature the Sandali at her back sent to the earth, just seemed to summon another in its place. With every one that rose, the question hammered itself into the back of her mind like a spike.

How many farms? How many villages? How many people--how much of her home--had been harvested to make these crystal monsters?

How many were left?

She had to get back to the complex. Leigh would be there, hopefully having mounted a defense, and they could find a way to get their own people to safety. Karre Noba and Alain would be approaching the barn by now, they'd be able to activate the Hawk and make an escape. The storm was whipping up pretty quickly, but the lack of wind would make for an easy takeoff. Na'an turned to the Sandali, to motion over her shoulder and tell him to move--

And in that moment the sky seemed to split in two. Lightning arced over their heads, tracing purple-white lines against the clouds towards where Na'an knew the barn lay. In the split second before the thunder boomed overheard, Na'an could see the edges of where the purple turned to red and orange and yellow on the horizon, and the sight seemed to turn her blood into ice.

"The fields've caught," she said breathlessly. "It's going to spread."

It had been a long, hot summer. Perfect triticale weather, meaning the fields were as dry as kindling. There was no time to explain to the Sandali anymore. She had to get to Leigh and the others before the fire reached the barn, and from that distance it wouldn't take any time at all. Monsters or no monsters, fathers or no fathers, Sandali or no Sandali, she was not letting anyone living burn tonight. Without bothering deactivate her blade, she whipped around the dark-skinned warrior and vanished back into the wheat, following the path Karre and Alain had taken.

"Karre? Alain?! Leigh!"

[member="Uthixo Nazim"], [member="Darth Ledgermayne"], [member="LE-03 (Leigh)"]