Contruum: The Nihilus Holocron

[Sal Katarn]

Anaudius stared at those gathered for a moment. They seemed more absorbed in quarreling than in actually finding the holocron. He would capitalize on their failing.

Though he wore a spell of concealment that hid his presence in the Force, Anaudius could still utilize his senses. He stretched out, attempting to garner some sensation of where the holocron of Nihilus was located. An artifact so old would resonate with power. It also contained part of Nihilus' aura, left behind in the holocron. Anaudius could not recognize such a presence, but he bore with him a sentient blade that might.

While absorbed in his spell of concealment and questing senses, Anaudius wandered past the little group, moving deeper into the charred remains of the Auction house. If the lot had escaped the Jedi then it had either been a mistake on their part, or had been extremely well hidden. Finding it would be challenging. Obtaining it would be nigh impossible with the unbelievers present. Yet, as Liad commanded so would he do.

He brushed passed them wordlessly, as if not even aware of their presence. For his part, he looked and felt harmless. Were it not for the location he would seem like nothing more than an enigmatic beggar... in a mask.

[member="Anaya Fen"] @Emberli Rekali [member="Vorhi Alestrani"] [member="Project X-2"] [member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Vorhi Alestrani"] [member="Moira Skaldi"] [member="Maya Whitelight"] [member="Ember Rekali"] [member="Anaya Fen"] [member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Zius Tal'Verda"] [member="Project X-2"]

Lews was no fool despite his current situation he was Not here to fight rediculous odds. He moved along the wall oblivious to the fact he had been spotted. He crept along silently as he could be and entered a small area at the edge of the auction house.

His footing was unsteady and suddely a flash back to Ossus and Master Je'gan Olra'en falling away as he walked through a door way crossed his mind. Sure enough the Jedi bad luck magnet's eyes went wide as the floor gave away and he fell 7 feet to a sote floor below!

He collapsed in a heap and looked about wildly knowing full well if he hadn't been seen before he had been noticed by someone now.

He was in a dark room or series of rooms that appeared to be an underground srorage cellar. He quickly gained his feet and winced as he felt the long piece of timber that had pierced his side. Pulling out the 5 inch piece of wood he muffled a yell with his hand over his veiled face.

Suddenly his eyes were drawn to a small shap on the floor in the corner as a whispering voice in an unknown language began calling him by name.

His mind unable to resist as the pyramid bax called him he rushed over to quickly grab it and move toward the darkness of the underground storage.

((Uh oh I got it first come take it.))

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

After moments of wandering through the smog, Zius found himself standing in front of the ruins of what the auction house had been reduced to. It hadn't, nor would it be the very last time the Ex-Jedi Hunter walked through broken streets and lands of where war had pillaged and burned through the lives of others, leaving nothing sacred or once cherished behind to mourn. And those who did mourn were quick to lose their life, war had no place for the emotional.

Emotions weren't necessary. Only the objective.

It would appear that many others had made their way to these ruins, all conversing about something unknown since the armour clad dark sider hadn't been present at first. His gaze would bounce back and forth between all of them as he scanned to better understand the fresh faces. Anything about these lot was completely foreign and unknown aside from their racial profile-- what's this? A Templar? The CIS had a bounty out for those who were deemed traitors, and Zius was now in the midst of a man who may still loyally serve the Confederacy. Things could get rough... especially since the Dark Jedi himself had once believed in the same cause as the said Templar; but no more.

Fighting and bloodshed is what you were made for... a creation purposed with the instincts of a hunter, a predatory warrior. A Jedi Hunter.

There was no intention to start a fight just yet for the unidentified Dark Jedi, but he could hold his own, and he would prove it if absolutely necessary. His cause was for that of the Liberty Concord; a grouping of men and women devoted to the true freedoms and peace without being tenacious of warmongering qualities. But even there Zius fell short and still held close his teachings as former Sith.

A dog of the Empire no more. Fighting for a greater cause rather than domination was worth dying for. This holocron -must- be destroyed.

Vorhi Alestrani Moira Skaldi Maya Whitelight Ember Rekali Anaya Fen Preliat Mantis Project X-2

 

[KH-5675]

There was a crash. It was muffled, but still audible. Something had given away to the weight of the search party. Had someone stumbled upon a storage area previously unknown to those here? 37 couldn't take that chance. "Cease your bickering, lest you lose what you seek." With that said the woman returned her helm to her head and walked away. Following her gut she looked for what had made the noise. Not to far away from the main chamber was a side path. There a hole in the walkway could be found. Someone had fallen through, there was no doubt of that. Scowling the warrior cautiously jumped down. That's when the whispering started. A voice calling for her... begging her to release it, to learn the dark secrets that his inside it... It was the holocron.

But someone else now held it. A man wearing no apparent armor, walking through the tunnel with a gleeful expression. This would not do. "Stop. Put down the 'cron, now." 37's voice was oddly low, projected easily by her helm's speaker. Her blaster was raised at the unknown figure, pointed at his back. The voice urged her to shoot- to kill. Somehow she fought back. Staying calm was always easier for her than it was for others.
[member="Lews Therin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

'Harmless old beggar' would have worked pretty well if it wasn't the oldest trick in the book -- and that looked just like a Rhandite mask, and Ember had spent most of his life in the Unknown Regions. But he had bigger fish to fry.

Getting a precise telekinetic grip on something a Master was wearing wasn't quite as impossible as crushing their heart or their lightsabre, but it didn't work too well either. He felt telekinetic fingers scrabble for the trigger, and angled his leg just so. The semi-automatic scattergun belched one round, kicking it up as [member="Ori'Alor Tal'Verda"] -- the woman he'd known as Alliera Nakamura -- ripped it out of his holster. The edges of the scattershot cone, almost parallel with his leg armor, rattled off the beskar. With a growl, he snatched the weapon back from his daughter-in-law. That idiot move had almost taken his leg off; the holster would have let it discharge harmlessly, but taking it out of the holster had pulled its muzzle in somewhat. "Get off," he bit out, whipping the scattergun over to point at [member="Anaya Fen"]. Alliera might be family, but he knew she was going to get him killed if she didn't mind her business.

The scattergun fired its remaining four rounds -- BAMBAMBAMBAM, as fast as he could pull the trigger. Telekinesis brought in a stream of fresh shells; a Vornskr had fourteen extra rounds strapped to the outside, or racked on.

 

[Sal Katarn]

The crack of slug rounds sounded behind Anaudius, bringing back memories of a time in the Royal Guard when others had looked upon him and thought him noble and fair. His gut twisted and writhed with pain at the thought, like a serpent eating its own tail.

"Now, now! Kill them, kill them all!" the voice of the Soulsaber whispered inside his head.

Anaudius inclined his head slightly, "I am but the servant."

He could feel the holocron. Someone had found it. Anaudius came from behind [member="Project X-2"]. His eyes went from the hole in the ground, then back up to the soldier. He could not feel a presence of power from the figure standing over the hole, though the one who had fallen beamed with a small light. Behind the mask, Anaudius' face twisted.

The Leper of Liad dropped his spell of concealment and worked another, moving his fingers in an intricate pattern different from the first. He cast Summon Fear on the soldier and imbued it with enough Force energy that the spell was self-sustaining on a small scale. If it worked, she would begin to hallucinate as her worst nightmares came out to torment her. She would become hysteric, but not catatonic.

Further, there was no way for her to tell that the spell came from Anaudius - if she recognized it as a spell at all. For all she knew it could be any of those here.

Whilst working the spell, Anaudius spoke to [member="Lews Therin"]'s mind directly. "I have your assailant distracted. Flee while you can. Come and we shall escape this place." He spoke insistently, but not forcefully. Commanding, but yet not evil. That is, not evil as Anaudius saw it.

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Family were such wonderful distractions, Anaya clasped her hands together as Ember growled at yet another forcer joined the party. She didn't linger as Ember snatched his gun back, she swung her legs over the wall, she was sat on and disappeared behind it, as he opened fire. Duracrete and dust showered her head and shoulders but she ignored it, opening herself to the force, it danced in her hands, three kinetite balls forming. As the fourth shot rattled above her head she rose from her hiding place, launching the energy at Ember and then darting away to her left, not lingering in the open to see what damage it would do.

Blasters she could deflect, slugs and scatter rounds she could not, but slugthrowers and scatterguns were limited in their ammunition. She need only outlast Ember's supply and given their surrounding's there was ample cover to help her just do that. Something went off in the back of her mind, the woman had called her father, Anaya recognised her voice from somewhere. Had she been Mandalore once? There was a link here and she was missing it. That annoyed her greatly.

[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[KH-5675]

37 did indeed have a worst fear. That was seeing her family, her brothers, her sisters, die in front of her. But the thing was, she had already seen that. A Jedi had killed her father in self defense. Her siblings died in training... and her mother was killed trying to save her. So instead of seeing her loved ones die in front of her, she merely saw their corpses lying on the ground. It wasn't anything new. They plagued her dreams during the day and night. The ex-soldier flinched before putting her gun away. "Nice trick, nerf herder. What's gonna happen next? They gonna attack me? Zombies aren't exactly scary." Her voice betrayed the uneasiness she felt. These didn't feel like her average daydreams. Somehow they felt more real. Though it didn't leave her distraught or motionless, it lessened her ability to think straight. Closing her eyes she reached out with the force. For now it would be enough for her to get a sense of her whereabouts. Using her normal vision would only worsen the visions, that much was clear. "Put the holocron down. It's only going to mess with you. Those things can make you do crazy stuff. Trust me." This time her voice shook slightly. It's official, I'm going to punch the bastard who did this.
[member="Lews Therin"] [member="Anaudius"]
OOC: Edited for accidental misspelling of someone's name. Wanted to make sure they got tagged.

 

[Darth Odium]

Wrong Alt!

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Project X-2"] [member="Ember Rekali"] [member="Anaudius"] [member="Anaya Fen"]

Lews did not have to be told twice. He knew his chances were slim and he was by far the most untrained among the searchers.

He gathered the force and used force speed to race away and deeper into the maze of rooms pulling a short spear as he moved out of sight.

He kept his black veil over his face as he began moving by sensing his surroundings rather than ignite a light source. His only needed to find a way out now.

 

[Ori'Alor Tal'Verda]

[member="Ember Rekali"]
"Excuse me for wanting to see my father-in-Law again." Ori'Alor said, iritably "and trying to help...." Ori'Alor didn't try to catch the energy ball, if mister big bad Man-Witch wanted to fight a dime-a-dozen Sith, she'd let him. Ori'Alor had only come because she had been in the area, galacticly speaking, and had sensed her father in law. Ori'Alor walked over to [member="Anaudius"], clearly feeling that he was doing something @Project X-2 to the soldier, and raising her pistols. "Hey, Back off Wierdo!" Ori'Alor called, firring at the Dark Jedi, more hoping to draw him away from the soldier than anything else.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anaya Fen"]

Considering Darth Vader himself had only summoned one kinetite ball with difficulty, Ember wasn't exactly facing the kind of thing that'd blow his armor concave and shatter his bones. Physical enhancement -- speed, strength -- was his specialty. A quick sidestep right took him out of their line of fire, and his left elbow came up and around as if meeting a jawbone. Kinetite met beskar and Force-enhanced resilience with a concussive WHAM that twisted Ember's boots on the gritty floor and sent tension all up and down his spine. His scattergun went off once more, but his aim was off. Another shell slotted itself into place, and he jumped up to the top of one of the walls. Keetael Force tracking narrowed him in on the running Sith Lord, though he also caught a scent of the holocron now that it was on the move, underground. His nostrils flared beneath his helmet.

For a moment, he went down to one knee on the walltop, and bowed his head. His jetpack's rocket fired, a looping course that rose and fell into another part of the destroyed building, attempting to home in on Anaya.

That was a distraction; a Sith Lord had any number of ways to handle a rocket. The jetpack took him high up, visible to everyone, doubtless about to draw fire from all and sundry, he gathered his full strength for something that might begin to tire him-

And a ray of Force Light slashed down at her from the sky.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

[member="Anaya Fen"] found herself messing with the wrong group of Mandalorians. Preliat didn't move, until the shooting started. There was a wall, in his way, where his HUD had tracked the girl, before she disappeared behind a wall after launching some foul forcery at his comrade. Preliat growled in response, and ran towards the wall where he presumed the Sith was hiding. And then, Preliat didn't jump over it. He didn't use his jetpack to go over it. First, went his right fist, and then his left fist came crashing through the crumbling drywall and rebar. He shoved his considerable amount of muscle mass through it, showering the other side with a flurry of dust and debris. And then, he saw the Sith. Red skinned and black marked, she was a hideous deformity of beauty, a twisted image of what was once could be considered majestic and elegant, now violently elegant, and beautiful in a terrible way.

But Preliat was not here to admire the Sith, no, he was here to crush her. Here to destroy her. His body went lower, and came at her like a rapid wolf. A Beskad, flew out of it's sheath with the same tenacity of a wolf leaping for it's kill. One leg rose higher than the other, and the Mandalorian launched in the air, and went to stab diagonally and downward at the Sith, straight into her shoulder blade.

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

That bastard has the holocron. Of all the beings that roamed the stars, this freakish abomination held a key to destruction. No way.

Zius charged towards the soldier and all the others involved, using his TK to slap the curved hilt of his lightsaber into his right hand, activating it and revealing a crimson blade that could be recognized as a Sith's weapon, but no longer for the cause of destroying the Republic. There was a purpose for the weapon, one of greater benefit but with the same tenacity and vigor of a brutal warrior. While charging, the man's speed picked up considerably with the Force along with his cybernetic implants and internal enhancements. The adrenaline coursed like lightning through his veins as he attempted to make contact with the foul wretch whom toyed with the soldier, trying to bash into him with enough kinetic brutality to send the robed creature into a nearby wall that still stood despite its battle-worn state.

Any who bear this holocron will not make it out alive, it mustn't be reality.


[member="Anaudius"] [member="Project X-2"] [member="Ori'Alor Tal'Verda"]

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

The rocket blew another hole in the already ruined building. Anaya's hand flashed up raising a force barrier to deflect the worst of the debris that came her way. She'd lost sight of Ember now and that was of great concern. She kept moving, reaching out in the force to find him. Passing into another ruined room without a roof she heard the roar of the jet pack engine, her eyes drawn upwards as the force light slammed into her. There was a Jedi, who once believed Anaya was capable of light, that there was more to her than the darkness that consumed her soul. She was wrong, Anaya was born into darkness and raised in hate. So when the force light connected with Anaya, agony ripped through her driving her to her knees, mouth open in a silent scream as it burnt away her connections with the darkside.

There was movement to her side. The mandalorian? The soldier? She couldn't tell. Bad. That was enough to make her move. With great effort she rolled out of the beam of force light, hands fumbling for her lightsabers. She came up on one knee and ignited her blades, seconds too late. Beskad dug deep into her shoulder, missing the bone, but only just. She looked up, at the mandalorian, his t-visor now clearly visible, hate glowing in her eyes. But she could not draw on it for strength when she reached out it wasn't there. Body still tingling she pushed with all her might to drive the mandalorian blade out of her shoulder and come to her feet. Twin sabers humming. "Pick another fight." she spat at him, an attempted to shove him with the force, back out of the hole in the wall from which he'd come.

[member="Ember Rekali"] [member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Sal Katarn]

Anaudius' head snapped toward [member="Ori'Alor Tal'Verda"] as she spoke. His eyes widened at the sight of her pistols, pointed toward him. Muzzle flash. Impact. Crack. The sound of the gun being fired, a half-second later than the actual round from the pistol, which passed through the left sleeve of his voluminous robes harmlessly. It did, however, serve to draw his attention away from [member="Project X-2"]. Anaudius waved a hand and dissipated the spell of Summon Fear.

Suddenly, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber activation sounded to Anaudius' left. He whirled in time to witness the full-force charge of [member="Zius Tal'Verda"]. Anaudius stood completely still and stared as the warrior thundered down upon him. The robed man was frail. Frail and burnt and pained beyond imagining. A kinetic impact from Tal'Verda would likely snap-him in half if it connected.

Anaudius, however had an amulet upon his neck that hummed with power. The Sergeti Amulet was one that he had manufactured himself, with Sigh Magic and Alchemy. It had been made to mirror the effects of Ludo Kressh's gauntlet. Verda's strike never reached the robed man. The amulet, imbued with a terrifying amount of Dark Side energy, let loose a shriek as it stopped the blow cold and unleashed a series of crimson bolts that were composed of the Dark Side itself, more akin to Bolts of Hatred than Force Lightning. They would no doubt sear through the unsuspecting Verda's body. If they did not kill him, then perhaps they would incapacitate him.

Spoiler

Either way, Anaudius was not staying around to find out. He gestured and utilized Tund Illusion Sorcery to conceal himself from the images of computer sensors, such as helmet and droid eyes as well as the naked eye. On top of this he placed a spell of concealment. The Leper promptly vanished from both sight and sense.

Then he fled after [member="Lews Therin"].

"Come, together we shall present a more formidable quarry."

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The force push was weak, and barely made the Mandalorian stumble backwards into the wall. He didn't smile, he was above such tom foolery whilst in combat. The heavy beskad was bathed in her blood. He glanced upwards, smiling at the prospect of what the Sith was about to face. The Mandalorian simply peeled off the wall, dusting off his heavy Beskar'gam, before moving through the hole he created. [member="Anaya Fen"] would remember him, where he showed mercy. He did, at least. He didn't know what Ember would be doing. Preliat turned, and watched as Lews began to take off. The young Jedi, would not be escaping with that Holocron in tow. His jetpack roared to life, screaming past the quarreling and fighting Sith and soldiers, down to face [member="Lews Therin"]. He curled his crushgaunted hand around the hilt of his beskad, screaming past the young Jedi, deeper into the maze of hallways. He wasn't in the dark, his helmet switched to a black and white night vision mode, a crystal-clear vision of night. For a moment, there was a flicker or Red from the T-shape on his visor. It was simply there to intimidate the enemy.

Further down the hallway, came the voice of the Mandalorian who meant what he said.

"Drop the holocron, and you can escape with your life."

 

[Sal Katarn]

"Pass the holocron to me. I will cast an illusion with it that will allow us to escape."

Anaudius' voice whispered in [member="Lews Therin"]'s mind. The illusion and spell of concealment did not extend to Lews Therin. The man would be able to both see and feel him, but none of the others would.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

As Anaya shoved Preliat, Ember Rekali turned off his jetpack.

Falling from ten metres up was a good way to break one's legs. Falling from ten metres up took one point four three seconds and accelerated Ember to fifty point four kilometres per hour. Over ten thousand joules of energy concentrated themselves in his Mandalorian iron bootheels.

Silent as the grave, he dropped straight for Anaya Fen.

[member="Anaya Fen"]

 

[KH-5675]

As quickly as the illusions had come, they left. Which gave 37 enough time to recalibrate her senses. What she had seen were lies, nothing more, nothing less. She could move on. She would. But before she could go after the mysterious assailant he disappeared. More magic, no doubt. However the other man was still in sight. So she ran after [member="Lews Therin"]. When [member="Preliat Mantis"] did his thing, she couldn't help but grin. Mandalorians had always made her smile. They were quite strong, very admirable. "Watch out for the hidden one," 37 said, pulling out her blasters again. Aiming in the general direction of Lews (but mostly around him) she fired, hoping at least a few stray bolts would hit [member="Anaudius"], wherever the bastard was. Just in case that didn't work she pulled a handy-dandy Force Breaker Grenade (a lovely Mando creation) out, armed it, and lobbed it down the hallway. Sure, she herself was force sensitive, but she was far enough away that it wouldn't do much, especially through her armor's air filter.
This was getting interesting.