Earth, Wind and Fire

[Ara Zambrano]

Ara turned to look at the younger of the two sith as she settled into the chair, hands clinched in fists in her lap.

”Ara is fine.”

She was hardly a Lady and it wouldn’t be wise to cast the name of the Ren around for undue attention. The two troopers took up stations on the perimeter of the room, content to be silent sentinels unless the men posed a threat to the Order’s representatives with them.

A sharp intake of breath heralded their jump to light speed, her eyes flashing closed for an instant, hands gripping the edges of her seat. Opening them as soon as she had regained her equilibrium, she listened as a simple but effective plan was laid out before them. As [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] stated, trust would serve them better in this instance than fear or coercion. The knight nodded in approval of the plan and her partner’s easy acceptance.

The craft dropped out of hyperspace sooner than she anticipated, the pounding of her heart calming as the crew of the small craft prepared themselves for landing.

”Should he prove difficult, force will of course be applied. Although you may find we can be very persuasive if given a chance.”

The glint in her eyes and purr in her voice left little to the imagination of her choice of persuasive techniques. Mildly irritated by [member="Krest"] ‘s assertion that he would take point if force was needed, her eyebrows narrowed. Choosing to swallow her pride in preference of cooperation, she stayed quiet as the ship approached the drop point.

Using the anxiety and fear swirling in her gut to connect with the blanket of power around her, she sent her mind outward, seeking the spark of fire that would herald the Master Shaper’s presence. Instead of one burning aura, she found another.

”It seems we may have unexpected company."

[member="Antherion"] | [member="Raph Thule"] | [member="Nick Imura"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

As a group, the ploy to move directly through the debris field proved to be a beneficial one. The major hyperlane exit points were guarded, but there was little expectation for lighter, frailer craft to take a route ridden with danger and debris. However, Antherion shared [member="Ara Ren"]'s sentiment that the extraction would be a touch more eventful than the infiltration.

It was a blessing then, at least, that to get out they only needed to make one, short hyperspace jump. He had a feeling that a quick exit was going to be very necessary, and not too far down the line.

"I sense it too... a second fire, burning not unlike the other." His eyes gleamed as he wrapped his hand around his hoverchair's armrest. "Yet if anything, this one burns brighter."

He closed his eyes, extending one hand forwards towards the viewport, as though trying to feel for something in the air. He focused his perceptions outwards, reaching, clarifying.


"I see..." He inhaled. "Conflict. Darkness. If we act swiftly, we can take advantage of this. If we do not, we will surely fail. Lady Ren -- bring us in. I was hoping to move with a degree of subtlety, but our hand is forced. We strike swiftly and leave as few survivors as possible."

| [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Raph Thule"] | [member="Nick Imura"] |

 

[Sal Katarn]

A wall of earth rises from the volcanic crust at the hostile's gesture in a shower of black silica. My shot meets the earth and obliterates the wall, turning the defense into high speed shrapnel. He does something different to the second shot with another gesture. Almost like he altered the air current itself.
Stang.

The others keep retreating behind me, trying to get the package into the shuttle.

The saber jockey makes a third gesture, holding his hand out as if he's grabbing something, which he then throws in my direction. Even with all my enhanced sensory nodes, I don't have the first clue what is coming my way. It just looks like empty air.

So in the split second I have, I dive out of the way of whatever he threw, throwing myself sideways. My forearms meet the ground first and I turn the dive into a roll that carries me to my feet.

I come up at a run.

Rybcoarse muscles pump my legs tirelessly. Synthetic lungs draw in air and expel it out. I don't get winded. Humans get winded. I am no human.

I close the distance between us with a dead sprint that would make professional athletes jealous. Blink and I'm there. I drive my fist toward his chest, striking at him with a strength triple that of most humanoids. My body is the weapon. Tireless. Unforgiving. I expect the reprisal with the saber. I'm ready, but I'm not waiting.


[member="Nick Imura"] | [member="Antherion"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Ara Ren"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Garza]

I could sense the force of others. They lay dormant as they drew closer rapidly. Almost as though they were far away, and were getting closer by way of Ship. However, taking that single second to feel what was there, The man had avoided my thrown force power, and sprinted at me. Closing the distance much faster than any human I have seen. I knew what was taking place now. I had seen it multiple times with various people. Either he was augmented by the force and wore force resistant armor, or the more likely alternative, is cybernetics with some kind of force nullify cage.

Having faced others who once wore packs that would prevent the force, I had to make sure to keep the man at a distance if I wanted to keep my powers, but my powers would do nothing to him at a range directly. I would have to act indirectly towards him with the force. Even the couple of steps he took within the blink of an eye to close the gap, I could feel the force drain from me.

Closing this distance, this fast, there was only one purpose he had. To strike at me with some form of a melee weapon. Displaying this much force, He may have tried to prevent my knowledge expanding on him, and closed the door for me to try and keep him away. Smart boy. However, he will have to do more than that.

Pivoting on my left foot, the man's fist flew past me. The lightsaber in my hand shut off at the same time. Considering I was wearing almost no armor, and he was decked out for war, I would rather avoid hits, than try and dish them out for now. If he really was enhanced as I believed him to be, there might be ways they prevent fatigue, or even just increase his stamina to be comparable to force users. With us being so close to each other, there was no way I would be able to swing my saber without possibly injuring myself in the process. And Shi-cho was not meant to be used in extremely close quarters with the wide arcing swings.

I didn't attack. Instead, I took steps past him, and ran towards the group that was walking away with the man. If he was never going to give up, then there was no point in fighting him. It would be like trying to punch through a brick wall, when there was an open door right next to you. Either the man could follow me and keep up with my own speed and strength. Preventing me use of the force, or he could hang back and use the rifle and fire on me, though, I am sure he would likely do something else.

I had a feeling that this situation would get a whole lot worse considering I just had felt the presence of many Dark siders glowing closer before I was cut off. I had to get this man out of here as fast as I could. If that meant fighting while he ran, then so be it.

[member="Raph Thule"], [member="Krest"], [member="Kaalia Voldaren"], [member="Antherion"], [member="Ara Ren"],

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia stood up before the craft even landed, getting ready to exit as quickly as possible. She sensed the 2 auras too, they would be their guides. Conflict was in the air already, and if the quartet acted quickly they could use it to their advantage. The original plan was out of the window, they would have to strike hard and fast. "In and out."

The shuttle landed, and as soon as the boarding ramp spat out the redhead dashed out of the craft. She moved quickly while letting the darkness around the conflict be the marker of their destination. It was close to where they had touched down, and when the redhead laid eyes on the unfolding battle she glanced over to a large boulder that acted as cover for a GA soldier. Using the fact he was distracted, Kaalia dashed up behind him and before he could react he found himself looking down towards his chest. A beam of blue light sticking out of him was the last thing he saw before he slumped to the ground lifelessly. The woman looked over to who had followed her, giving them a nod. She whispered, making her just audible enough to her companions over the sounds of the battle that was unfolding. "They haven't noticed us yet, we have the jump on them."

[member="Ara Ren"] [member="Krest"] [member="Antherion"] [member="Raph Thule"] [member="Nick Imura"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"No reason to wait then." A grin formed on the Zabrak's lips at the feeling of conflict. Deep down he stirred, that primal urge beaten into him to thirst for bloodshed. He cast a glance over to [member="Antherion"] , nodding once. "You ready then?" It was the only question Krest would ask before hitting the release button to open the doors. With a quick salute to [member="Ara Ren"] and [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] he jumped out. He would land outside of the group, away from where the intended target was. No, he wasn't going to help the other three take the prisoner. Instead, he was going to help a one time friend, and perhaps gain an ally. It was always better to make a friend than an enemy after all.

He would rush up to [member="Raph Thule"] from behind, sprinting at high speeds just as [member="Nick Imura"] would try to rush by. The snap hiss of a lightsaber would be the loudest indication of the Lord's approach, and mercilessly slash for the soldier to cover Imura's charge.

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Antherion had remained in the craft, ready to nudge the minds of the pilots should a getaway become quickly necessary -- be it just for himself, or with his allies, depending on the urgency of the situation. Moreover, this was simply how he preferred things to be. His place was not on any battlefield, muddying himself in the fray and signing his death warrant by stepping in reach of a lightsaber. As, one by one, his allies had leapt down, he settled on the landing ramp, reversing the repulsor to lock his seat to the flat, metal surface.

"Bring me in." From a mundane soldier, the command would have seemed witless and reckless. But the soldiers knew that this strange man held the same power that uplifted the mighty Ren and the Supreme Leader. "Keep the craft steady."

Watched from above, the battle had a chaotic sort of charm. The man-machine amalgamation clashed with brutal, focused strength against the Dark's disciples... presumably another Shaper Adept, while the fire-haired Knight lanced a soldier like a boil in her covert approach. He decided that the best contribution he could make would be to provide cover and prevent the transport from escaping.

Extending both palms, Antherion unleashed the power of the Dark Side on the shuttle in its fullness. The pilot in the driver's seat was the first to die, vomiting his runny, pulped organs over the dashboard while thrashing like attached to a live wire. Bathed in the rain of malevolent power, the copilot shrieked in horror. Not at his compatriot's death, but at the insects crawling over and around him, eating him, the ones that wriggled into his mouth and down his throat with every breath he took.

"They're inside me! Get them off me!" His screams would gradually fade into silence as the higher functions of his mind shut down, his senses crumpling inwards, his memories evaporating like blood on the surface of the sun. The last things he would perceive were two beautiful, golden eyes, shining in the darkness that devoured his past, present, and future.

| [member="Ara Ren"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Raph Thule"] |

 

[Sal Katarn]

The Kro Var is fast and floats past my punch like a leaf on the wind. I expect a counter-attack, instead he runs. I turn to follow, when suddenly I hear a gurgling on the comms. My eyes flick to the upper right corner of the HUD. Daev's vital signs are flat-lining.

Screaming fills my ears.

"They're inside! Get them off me!"

The pilot?

My head swivels in the direction of our shuttle. No.

Rapid footsteps come from behind, accompanied by a snap-hiss. I whirl around in time to see another saber wielder bearing down on me, blade already swinging for me with violent intent. The RiMPack kicks in and my synthetic nervous system hits the throttle. Time seems to slow down as I process everything, down to the expression of the man swinging his lightsaber toward my body. There's no time to completely avoid the blow, so I don't. I know my armor can take at least a glancing hit. It will have to be enough. The voidstone in the mechamiri pack is probably inhibiting his abilities right now, if he has any. Without the Force, he loses his edge. He's just an ordinary guy.

I am not.

They flash-trained me with Teras Kasi. I am no master, but with my cybernetics, I don't need to be. My mind plans out a chain of attack, as if second nature.

Pivot right foot and open the door, let saber hit chest. Retaliate with immediate snap-kick to his right knee, shatter the patella and cripple his movement. Follow with the sonic carbine blast to the torso. Outcome: ruptured gastrointestinal tract, broken ribs. Lethality low. Incapacitation high.

My body follows through with cold precision. I pivot, opening my stance, and the blade carves a deep furrow through the armor over my chest. If we were in a vacuum I would be concerned about compromised integrity. My counter-strike comes immediately, reactions exponentially faster than his. My right foot comes out in a brutal kick toward his knee cap, and if it lands it will do so at three times the strength of a human.

I follow through by squeezing off a shot from my sonic carbine. The cone of sound ripples outward and toward his torso.

Before that grenade that blew me to bits I was just another grunt. I would have died like Daev, in the blink of an eye. Now? I can do more than just hold my own. I'm starting to realize why they spent so much money on me. I can fight Force users... and I can win. This is what I was made to do. This is my purpose now.

[member="Krest"] | [member="Antherion"] | [member="Nick Imura"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

There were the whispers.

Whispers? The Zabrak stared at [member="Raph Thule"] as the red blade burned across his chest, and a curious brow was raised. The Force, which screamed dangers to Krest, only whispered them. Something was off, even his strength seemed lessened. Yet, he still had his strength, his speed. Voidstone? At least it wasn't a damn ysalamiri. Otherwise he would have lost all connection.

Still, this wasn't going to be as easy as he had expected. Though, it certainly would be no picnic for the soldier. First, the kick. It came faster than the Zabrak had expected, yet all he had to do was step to the side. Such a brutal kick was easy to avoid for a man who also had cybernetics. Next, the gun. At such close range the sonic rifle would be a problem. Another snap hiss erupted as the cybernetic arm of the Sith opened, and the hidden saber within activated. As the gun would be swung around so too would the saber, aiming to cut apart the blaster before the cyborg could get off a shot.

Yet all of this was simply meant to weaken his foe, and push his concentration to the max. He was fast, he was strong, but so was the Sith. Even weakened by the voidstone the Zabrak had his training and his cybernetics to keep up with foes such as these. With a glare his real arm would bring the saber that had just burned through this cyborgs chest for his head.

 

[Garza]

It seemed I had allies? I took my steps forward sprinting as fast as I humanly could, when I could feel the force flowing back into me. I felt like I had been underwater and now resurfaced for air. It was when I took a second to turn around, I saw one man who I had been friendly towards in my past. However, he looked slightly different? Just something about him. I didn't linger as I rushed on. Reaching with my left hand out, and gripping onto the transport with the force. I came to a standstill as I could hear screaming that was muffled. I could not make out the words, but I was close enough to the ship that I could hear the yelling.

I didn't care as I reached with the force. It took a lot of strength to hold it there as sand began to lift into the air. Swirling around the residing men, as well as the vehicle transport. I focused on moving the sand in and around the vehicle. Putting dirt, sand, and debris everywhere it wasn't supposed to be. Pounds, and pounds of sand and dirt flew in through the exhaust pipes. In a few seconds the engine was screaming to stop and to clean it out. It was after I could hear this, I stopped.

I knew that Krest would be able to hold off the Cybernetic soldier. He too was enhanced with cybernetics, and the force. He might be able to keep up with him, or even surpass the soldier who was trained to kill us. Force users. I focused on the group. As far as I am aware, they were normal soldiers. People who were trained to be fodder for their government. They were only doing their job honestly, but to be fair, I was only protecting my people from being taken away one more time.

Activating my lightsaber once more, I threw it with the force in a wide circle trying to influence it to cut through and slice at the other soldiers. Running forward myself, I came to the closest man as he raised his rifle to fire, only to see it jammed up, and tried to use it against me as a melee weapon. Too bad for him, I swatted the rifle away with the palm of my hand, and used my right fist to slam into his helmet. It won't break skin, but hitting it hard enough was like hitting a bell. Make their head ring, and they can't move.

To be honest, it was a dumb move to do that. My hands felt pain that they hadn't felt in a long time. But I didn't hate it. I liked it. I wanted that pain. It fueled me. I called my lightsaber back to me. And instead of catching it, I let the man's body do that for me. The saber impaling through him, and his helmet lowered to his chest, and then back up to me for a moment.

I pushed him aside as I headed to the vehicle to maybe try and remove the man from his cage.

[member="Raph Thule"], [member="Krest"], [member="Kaalia Voldaren"], [member="Antherion"], [member="Ara Ren"],

 

[Sal Katarn]

The saber wielder steps to the side, creating space, smoothly avoiding my kick. Almost as if the effects of the voidstone were nonexistent. When I level my carbine he does something with his off-arm and a second lightsaber explodes into existence, crackling with a hungry energy. My brain has no room to waste on registering surprise.

He swings. I step backward. He already created distance between us with the side-step, I simply expand on it.

His surprise carves through the air, mere centimeters away from the muzzle of the carbine.

The other blade comes in for my head. I squeeze the trigger before it reaches me.

BWHAAAAAA

Hard sound sprays out in a cone.

Some small corner of my mind separate from the anxiety of combat is hyper analyzing him. Breaking down every move he made with a millisecond play-by-play. He has a single cybernetic arm. If it is strength enhancing, I do not recognize the model. From the way he stands, his leg might be too.

My heart, my lungs, hell my entire nervous system is synthetic. But an arm and a leg and he thinks he can keep up with me. That small part of my mind wants to laugh. I feel sanity slipping. Do I want to be more human or less? Less? More.

The trigger is still held down. I wonder if he knows what it is like to drown in your own blood.

I do.

[member="Nick Imura"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Antherion"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Ara Ren"]