Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

[Dax Perl]

Location: Kalabesh III

The sand and dust kicked into the air, the Dawn's atmospheric thrusters throwing the desert landscape into a flurry. The ship's hydraulic landing gear hissed under the ship's massive weight, hidden behind the clouds of dust like a hidden beast. As the clouds of dust settled back onto the ground, the cargo hold ramp of the Dawn opened and lowered itself to the ground. Just within stood Dax, his usual garb augmented by a black shemagh wrapped around his neck and the rebreather hooked onto his belt.

Kalabesh III, a planet which took Corellia's deserts to the extreme, had a Type II atmosphere. Breathable. But potentially, it could cause problems in the not too distant future. The rebreather was a precaution. Something else that Kalabesh had, other than endless tracks of desert and a deceptive atmosphere, was the tomb of a Sith. Somehow, the violence that Sith created had never stopped them from gathering knowledge, and recording it, either for themselves or as teachings to be passed down, all within holocrons. Here, Dax and his two companions, [member="James Mathison"] and [member="Atheus"], hoped to perhaps find these ancient pyramids and unlock their secrets...

[member="Darth Manah"], [member="Darth Abyss"], [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"]

 

[James Mathison]

James had made a recent friend in [member="Dax Fyre"], and in their talks, they'd found the search for knowledge was a mutual interest. Dax had a line on a Holocron, but it was on an unexplored planet. The Dawn had dropped out of hyperspace as it entered the star system of the planet Kalabesh III. A desert planet, harsh sunlight and a potentially dangerous atmosphere, but Dax had knowledge of some old ruins, a Sith temple, long abandoned.

Dressed in his Shadow Robes and mask, James shouldered a pack full of supplies. Including a few days rations, water, a rebreather, a small med kit and a comm system. The robes were of dark brown and gold, while the mask featured white with golden outlines. His twin sabers hung at his sides.

There was a third party, a man James had not yet really met, all he knew was that Dax had called him [member="Atheus"] . Another Master by his presence, but little else could be determined. Down below, the desert planet awaited their arrival and hopefully their journey would be fortuitous.



[member="Darth Manah"], [member="Darth Abyss"], [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

It had been a while since Abyss had last hunted the tombs of old, but the call of the darkness never truly died down, his obsession always lived under the surface to remind him that his collection could still be advanced. And so he had traveled to Kalabesh, another desert word where the ancient lords had hidden away a fracture of their knowledge, so he could rip it out of their cold corpses for himself.

Going into sith tombs always was an dangerous endeavour, and so Abyss was travelling with his whole load out, his many weapons concealed by the old, black robe that shrouded his body. His face was hidden behind his trademark mask, only his mouth visible under the piece of wood. He could feel the dark artifacts whisper already, their echo resounding in the force, waiting for a new dark power to claim it in the name of the sith.

Thanks to Korriban Abyss felt pretty comfortable walking through the hostile desert, it was all part of the test that each new artifact inherited. Soon they would be in his hands, adding another few pieces into his collection of relics and artifacts that he had collected over thr years.

[member="James Mathison"] [member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Atheus"] [member="Darth Manah"] [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"]

 

[Manah]

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/thundercats/images/0/09/Mum33.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140311054229

Sith tombs. funny if she thought back she could remember construction being near completed on this specific tomb.
What was the name? lord??? it had a L lord.. L. L L.. Lord Letstat that was it.
a pompous arrogant fool of a man Iradonian he.. sorry she. ( still had to get used to that. blasted servants.) recalled.
still the sniveling coward was one for the " Taking it with you." he had been entombed with a decent amount of riches. not the least of witch were Holocrons.
she settled her craft and exited the thing was inactive but if a fool who never knew Lestat tried to enter..

 

[Jhiaga Shiwr]

Intruders upon her home! Vile looters, seeking to defile the greatness of Stugria's tomb!
A wave of anger rolled up in her mind. Wolves were at the door of her ancestry, and she would protect the temple with her life. Slinging her blaster onto her back, she kneeled before the many statues of the lords around her, judging her under their cold stares. Her mother's lightsaber was ready, and so was her will to protect what little this planet had. Calling in reinforcements from Blood Hunter's Iron Works was unacceptable - this duty was her's to bear. Jhiaga Shiwr was temporarily out of the picture, for only Sadoda, the Zabrak girl, remained. She stood back up, staring at the statue of her mother. She had been a loving one, despite her nature - and, while she was no Sith herself, she would defend this place in her honor.
Turning back, she faced the door leading to the inner mausoleum. The temple had many paths and traps that would slow down the intruders, but it would eventually fall onto her to stop them from defiling this place.
"I am outnumbered, 'tis true, but a Zabrak never surrenders!"

[member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Darth Manah"] [member="James Mathison"] [member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Atheus"]

 

[Garza]

I hated working with others.

Even more so with new hires. A rogue user of the force and what could only be described as his buddy were working together to get some kind of holocron from a planet I hardly even knew. Very little knowledge of the place was floating in my mind other than it being a dust ball, and I would have to take sand out of my boots and clean it out of my arm for the next month. Reaching up over my head, I leaned back and rested my head in my cupped hands. Waiting as we would be descending onto the planet soon.

Why would I be helping these two men to find such items when I should just take it for myself? Because each man had to survive somehow. Strength, money, contacts, or knowledge. I already had strength. Contacts with my company and the Iron Empire filled that, money wasn't a problem now that i owned a company that was building gear for various people, and the Empire. Knowledge is what I seek the most now. Knowledge of my enemy, my friends, allies, or even knowledge of the unknowns could give me an edge over what would come.

Shaking my head with a sly smile behind my mask, I reached over to my left side, and the sword leaning up against the wall slapped into my hand. Still in its sheath to prevent everyone onboard from having to wear a coat or seven, I stood up and walked out of the room and towards the cockpit as I could feel the ships gravity turn off, and normal planetary gravity set in from reaching the atmosphere. My ears popped a little from the difference in pressure as I walked out from the room.

"You sure you know where this place is Dax? I don't like wasting my time."

Rude, and narcissistic? Arrogant even. Sure. You name me a bad word, I am like the the root cause. But did I care what he thought of me? Nope. I just wish I had more time to spend working on something else than standing on a planet I didn't need to be, even more so because we were going to a party, we were not invited for.

[member="Jhiaga Shiwr"], [member="Darth Manah"] [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="James Mathison"] [member="Dax Fyre"],

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax ignored the arrogant tone from the man behind him as he turned to look at him, taking his gaze from the barren, dusty land before him. "Scans showed a mass collection of crystalline. Some sort of structure. I've got the co-ordinates on me. Ain't no way we gonna miss it. Relax man." The Rogue Master turned to look at his other companion on this venture, [member="James Mathison"]. "You boys ready?"

[member="Atheus"], [member="Darth Abyss"], [member="Darth Manah"], [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"]

 

[James Mathison]

James paid no mind to [member="Atheus"], he seemed to be somewhere else in his mind, James couldn't blame him, he'd been dragged along really. Dax guided them in and James pulled his cloak tight to prevent the sand from getting into the crevices as much as possible.

"I'm ready, let us see if that temple is fruitful. Either way, it'll be a learning experience for all of us."


James got up and moved to where the ramp would be, anxious to get out and explore. The promise of knowledge was all the motivation James needed to get him excited.

[member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"] [member="Darth Manah"] [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax nodded and pulled the shemagh up and over his mouth and nose, then stepping onto the hard, cracked ground. He lifted a data pad up to his face and squinted, the light from the planet's binary stars glinting off the screen. Alright, roughly a klick and a half to the northeast. Best get moving. And with no words he began the trek to the mysterious, crystalline temple.

[member="James Mathison"], [member="Atheus"], [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"], [member="Darth Manah"], [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Garza]

I rolled my eyes as I could almost feel the annoyance fuming off of the two. Both of them moved past me as they walked down the ramp and onto the planets surface. I stayed standing where I was for a moment. Looking down the ramp at the two men as they walked on. James here seemed to be saying what I was thinking. We would be learning something new from this. Would it be from the holocron, or would it be from someone else who would cross our path?

I breathed in through the mask. Letting the hot air enter my mouth and nose. Holding the scabbard of my sword in my left hand, I looked down at the metallic arm grasping the weapon. I will need use of this later on. Considering that, I used my thumb to push on the guard to pop the blade out just a tad. In the instant, I could feel a cold chill wash over me as I walked down the steps after the two. Even catching up with my much longer strides. Reaching close enough to even reach out to the two with my hand, I spoke up.

"What should we expect when there? Have you already scouted this place out, or are we going in blind?"

If I was going to aid these people to find a holocron of some importance, then I needed to know what we were getting into.

[member="Dax Fyre"], [member="James Mathison"] [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"] [member="Darth Manah"] [member="Darth Abyss"],

 

[Dax Perl]

"Well this is what I know." Dax began, "but let me tell you, its not that much." His voice came out slightly muffled by the cloth around his face, and he brought his hand up to shield his eyes from the blinding suns. "The temple is actually a tomb. Some Sith Lord. There is definitely a holocron and other artifacts in there. But, just like any other Sith tomb, there are likely curses and traps. On the plus side, bio-scanners picked up no readings inside the tomb. So, as long as we can deal with the ancient curses, we're in the clear." The man's voice was thick with sarcasm, so much so that he almost sounded ironically cheery about the prospect of dying some horrible death. In truth, he was about as excited as he was about jumping from a shuttle from orbit with no jetpack...

[member="Atheus"], [member="James Mathison"], [member="Darth Manah"], [member="Darth Abyss"], [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"]

 

[Jhiaga Shiwr]

"Bio-signatures detected", said one of the battle droids in the outpost kilometers away, as it observed the unwanted guests approaching the tomb. It turned toward his heavy weapons counterpart, pointing in the direction he had seen them. "Grid 1-9-3-4."
"Roger roger", answered the other droid as it went up onto the controls, and activated the defenses. Their commander had warned them of an intrusion; and so they obeyed her, staying out of both range and sight, but preparing the remote defenses. "Systems nominal!"

Far, far away from the outpost, into the desert beetween [member="Atheus"] , [member="James Mathison"] and [member="Dax Fyre"] , the mines sprung to life, "jumping" out of the sand, their small insectoid limbs allowing them to rush toward their targets, swarming by dozens upon dozens, emerging from the sand like a tide of highly-explosive spiders. They were perhaps a hundred meters away, but their sheer mass started to take route toward the explorers, which would pin them down for what was to follow.
"Prepare the artillery piece!" Said the droid using the long-range scanners.
"Roger roger!" came the reply from the center of the observatory, slowly bringing to life the systems of the cannon. It was old, unreliable, and inaccurate; but they would hopefully be able to pin the ennemies down, at the very least, or even destroy their transport.
"More bioforms approaching, apart from this group!"
The droid commander, who sat onto his throne in the back of the observatory, tapped its fingers onto its head. This was not part of the intel he had been given, and needed some time to reassess the situation.
"Put that cannon on hold! If anyone approaches the temple too much, fire!"

 

[James Mathison]

James assumed the second position in line behind Dax, following him into the harsh light and rough sand. Pulling his mask down over his face, James struck out.

"At least we'll have some time to ourselves to find where we are going to look first. Although I can't help the feeling we are being watched by something."

James kept a watchful eye on the horizon. It would be a large annoyance to come into a combat situation this early, what with the heat and sand, it would be quite uncomfortable.

[member="Jhiaga Shiwr"] [member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Atheus"]

 

[Dax Perl]

No sooner had [member="James Mathison"] said it, Dax squinted into the distance, where it appeared that the horizon tossed and roiled as it were some earthen ocean. "What the hell..." he muttered. Then his eyes widened as some sort of realization and surprise dawned on him. Droids. What kind, the man had no clue, but there were a lot of them, and they were steadily growing closer. "You just had to junx us man..." he said as he pointed ahead towards the waves of metal, "Droids."

[member="Atheus"], [member="Darth Manah"], [member="Darth Abyss"], [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"]

 

[Manah]

( i'll drop out sorry)

 

[Garza]

Dax seemed confident that we wouldn't have any problems. I smiled a little under the mask I wore. No. There would always be problems. I always had chaos and anarchy follow me. I was either a warning for what would come, or I was the bringer of such fates. Either way, I prepared myself when James here spoke of being watched. I was half tempted to tell him, Welcome to my world, where my entire life was spent looking over my shoulder and running from authorities. I wasn't allowed to go to some planets because of my face as a mercenary that would do anything.

Now, it seemed even more so when droids were on the horizon. Shaking my head, I moved the sword to my back. A second let a magnetic strip attach the sheath to me. Drawing the weapon from its enclosure, the bright silver blade reflected light all around me as the entire area around me grew frigid. I breathed in as the ground around me grew from a bright reds and browns to almost a white color. The thermal shock to the surrounding air caused small portions of vaper in the air to freeze.

Holding it in my right hand, I could feel the grip within my grasp. The weapon willing, and able to be used at a moment's notice. I still watched as more seemed to just spring up from the ground.

"Eyes do not have to be natural to be felt James."

I was in my element. War is what I was bred for. I had bathed in the blood of many. Some droid oil in the mix won't be any different.

"Unless anyone feels like they are up to it, I'll grab their attention."

I smiled like the devil himself as I fed upon James and Dax. Using their surprise or even the slightest hints of fear or doubt within themselves to surge my own strength. They would not lose anything. Only I would be gaining the strength of two men, and adding it to my own. Forcefully winding my left arm around once, Any of us could hear the high pitched whine sound as I activated the systems within. I could feel pain in my shoulder as it started to quite literally shock my nerves within my arm. Drawing from every pulse of electricity within my body. Preparing for it's use.

"Not one for battle speeches, but may the force be with you."

Walking towards the looming group, I started in a simple saunter. To a brisk pace, a light jog, a steady run, and into a dead sprint at the droids. Fully intending to hit them head on. The ground at my feet freezing as I ran. Each step sounded less and less like sand, and more like snow. May the Gods keep my blade sharp, and my mind strong.

[member="Jhiaga Shiwr"], [member="Darth Manah"] [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="James Mathison"] [member="Dax Fyre"],

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax watched as [member="Atheus"] strode into battle, leaving [member="James Mathison"] and himself behind. Looking towards James, then back to Atheus, then the droids Dax drew his own sabers, the orange and yellow blades screaming and roar to being. The Rogue may not have known Atheus well, let alone enough to call him a friend, but there was a snowball's chance that he'd let the man go fight on his own.

[member="Jhiaga Shiwr"], [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[James Mathison]

With those famous last words that most Jedi of all kinds threw about so aimlessly, the Force was always with them...

As the other two sprinted forwards, James walked. His plan was not to face the robots dead on, not without seeing their abilities first. These spiders seemed to have no higher processing functions otherwise they'd have taken the advantage of surprise. They seemed like drones, pawns in this game... James intended to find their king or queen.

as the battle between the many droids and the three Jedi began, James would initiate an ability that would multiply himself ten fold. As well as the other two Jedi. When three became thirty, the odds were now in the favor of the Scholar. He could use the Dopplegangers to find what these droids could do...

[member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Atheus"] [member="Jhiaga Shiwr"]