Red Rocks and Spice

[Gerwald Lechner]

“Our species is not a science experiment,” he said with disappointed sigh.

The woman man didn’t seem to get it at all, and rather than attempt to fight she simply sent some kind of force energy his way. Gerwald was unsure if he could block it with a shield or not, he’d never seen this skill. There was only one option for him. Rolling out of the path of the force web, Gerwald connected his energy to a large boulder and sent it careening toward her body.

As the stone moved to take her head off, Gerwald followed behind the stone with his blade ready to strike at her if she dodged. He was determined to keep his word. If she did not tell him where Alwine was, he was going to kill her.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor | "Executor" Boots Exclusive
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword | WindWhisper
Tags: [member="Gerwald Lechner"]

"You know so little of your species," the woman responded and laughed. How lovely those wolves all were, thinking they knew so much when not even a fraction of the easier obtained information was within their grasp.

If she was ever disappointed by him moving out of the web's way, she said or showed nothing of it. Instead the boulder came her way and the woman laughed, pressing a laser gate just in time for the thing to come on and the boulder smash into it. The strength of the boulder was strong enough to shatter the gate, considering its size was small due to the low ceiling of the hall, but it was sufficient to protect her.

As the male came for her with his sword, the woman let a Force Blast escape her body, hurling it towards his center. As soon as the blast exited her, she pulled her own lightsaber out; the beam was as dark as night, and rather than glow in normal lightsaber fashion, it seemed to absorb the light around it.

---

Alwine felt lost. From the outside, the building had looked like almost any, and she had expected it would mostly be a giant entrance hall with a few side rooms. On the inside though, it looked and felt almost like a maze, with endless halls going in so many directions, and more doors than she could count that led absolutely nowhere.

More than once, she thought she heard noise from the distance and had run towards it, leaving footprints of blood behind her, but not once did she find the source, and it often vanished moments later.

It was maddening. Even her Lupine senses did not aid her. There was something incredibly wrong and it tickled the wolf inside, calling it to come out, demanding that she would shift. Was it her agitated state that caused this, or was there something in the air? Alwine was unsure.

It felt as though she had been walking for a forever when she turned another corner, her skin still leaving marks, when she saw them – her brother, fighting a woman with dark hair who had her back turned to her. The entire hall showed signs of battle, and it was only after seeing her brother that she could suddenly scent him again.

Wasting no time, Alwine launched forward, her little hands wrapping around the woman's neck.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

The force blast took Gerwald by surprise. His body flew back and he frantically searched his own skill to use the force to catch himself and land on his feet. His guard had been down because he was getting a bit cocky. As she came toward him, his blade lifted to intercept hers in time. The battle continued for several moments, the wall bearing the evidence of where their blades had cut through the tunnel walls. Anyone within the tunnel would likely hear the sound of their blades clashing, and the echo of their grunts as the two fought for their lives.

Suddenly Gerwald smelled something. A smirk tugged at his lips as the woman came close to lock her blade with his. He simply held her there long enough for Alwine to grab her by the neck. He waited as Awline began to squeeze, and with his own brute strength used the surprise to wrestle the woman's balde away from her. His own was ready to thrust straight into her left eye if alwine was inclined to give the word.

"What do you want me to do sister?"

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor | "Executor" Boots Exclusive
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword | WindWhisper
Tags: [member="Gerwald Lechner"]

Alwine's hands might have been little, but they squeezed with the force of a thousand men as they continued to remain wrapped around the woman's throat. The Lupine did not know who this woman was, nor did she know of any of the words that had passed between her and her brother, but she had walked into the hallway and saw her threaten her brother's life, and that was more than enough for Alwine to sign the woman's death warrant.

She could feel the life slipping away from the woman. Had Gerwald not been there, the youngest of the Lechner siblings would have finished the job faster, with more brutality. And yet Gerwald had posed a question.

As if broken from her focus of death, Alwine stared… Well, not exactly up, for she was much shorter than the woman, but straight into her back. If looks could set people on fire, the woman would be nothing but ashes now.

Releasing a single hand from her neck, Alwine lowered her hand and let it turn into a fist, sending a shattering punch into the woman's lower back, to the side. She could feel the kidney pop. Not enough to kill her instantly, but enough so that when she let her go, the woman dropped to the ground, her body convulsing in pain.

"Elgg ilta, dalninuk," she said to Gerwald with a nod.

* Elgg ilta, dalninuk: Kill her, brother

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald did not need to ask, but he did. Death was the only option, but there were also questions this woman's activity brought about. This facility was much more larger than what it appeared from the surface, and the pair had uncovered a massive operation that seemed to have nothing to do with the spice trade. Rather it seemed the place was about sentient experimentation.

Alwine wanted her dead. Gerwald nodded.

As the woman fell to the floor, the large wolf wasted no time in slicing her head off with his lightsaber. The kill brought much satisfaction, and even in her death he would refuse to change for her, even if he would have rather ripped her face off with his claws and teeth.

Without any hesitation, Ger stepped over the crumpled body and hugged his sister as his blade went silent. He just held her silently for a while, saying nothing for a time because she would already know.

"I rushed, and that put you in danger. I am sorry. What say you to figuring out how to blow this place sky high. I am sure the Confederacy won't want this place around at all. Forget observe and report."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

double post

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor | "Executor" Boots Exclusive
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword | WindWhisper
Tags: [member="Gerwald Lechner"]

The woman's head was removed from the rest of her body, her brother's lightsaber cutting through it like a hot knife through butter. As she was already on the ground, the Lechner siblings were cheated out of the option to watch her head fall and roll away, did not receive the satisfying sound of skull cracking as it hit the floor, did not receive the sight of blood spraying out because how lightsabers operated. Alwine said nothing.

Moments later, she blinked in surprise as her brother's arms wrapped around her, and he held her there for a while. The pain in her wrists and ankles was still present, yet she hugged Gerwald back. In their months together with the Confederacy, Gerwald and Alwine had killed multiple people, multiple enemies. Yet before now, not a single one of them had felt so personal. Or perhaps, was it just personal to her? Not since Stewjon had Alwine been locked up due to the biology of her being a Lupine. What had occurred between the woman and her brother before their fight broke out?

And yet…

Alwine looked up as Gerwald began to speak. "You rushed," she agreed and nodded. And then sighed, breaking their embrace, "we have both made mistakes in tackling the guards of this place. Yet with what I know now, that I did not know before we entered this place, is that it would not have mattered. Alone or together, they had the means to capture us. It is very possible that had we not split, we would both have been where I was, and you would not have been able to provide the distraction I required in order to escape that room."

She nodded again, mostly to herself. While her delivery was on point and a matter of fact, Alwine… Felt nothing. Her eyes traveled to the corpse again, squinting as she saw it had already begun its decomposition; so quickly? At the current rate, there would be nothing but ashes remaining in a matter of minutes.

"If we wish to blow this building up, we require the proper equipment. I do not have any explosives on me," she said, and then gave her brother a little wolfish smile, "I suppose this means we need to find whatever loot they may be storing in the building."

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

“Perhaps they did, but that doesn’t mean I should have rushed. For all we know they wouldn’t have gotten you outside had we stayed together. There was no way they knew we were coming was there?”

Of course there was no way they knew. Alwine and Gerwald had not submitted their itinerary to anyone outside the Knights Obsidian. Their objective had been clear enough, and yet somehow that woman knew they were there and knew what they were. That fact bothered Gerwald the most. How was it that others outside the CIS knew of their existence, knew of the Lupines, and knew that they were? It was imperative the lab and the building was destroyed to protect them and their species. Gerwald was adamant they were not science projects. He’d told Alwine and Scherezade the same thing. Maybe now his sister would listen.

A wolfish grin spread across the face of the giant as Alwine agreed to blow the place up. They didn’t have explosives, but there were many ways to accomplish the same thing, starting with raiding the armory. If there was nothing there, Gerwald was certain they could find some kind of heavy equipment to overload. After all, the lab had to have been full of things that could be used to cause a massive explosion.

“You didn’t see an armory on your way here did you, a terminal where we could access vital information?”

There was nothing like that where Gerwald had been. They could figure it out as they walked. Gerwald wasn’t going to go back where he had come from. The way forward was the out, and the way they needed to go. His long stride kept them moving until they reached another massive door.

“I wonder what is behind this?”

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword | WindWhisper
Tags: [member="Gerwald Lechner"]

No way they knew they were coming. Her brother seemed to be so certain of it, but Alwine wasn't entirely sure. There was something about the calmness with which the strange lady had handled her captivity that made her think that perhaps that statement wasn't as true as Gerwald thought it was. It would not be the first time that Confederate intelligence was compromised, not the first time things went awry.

And then there was that entire… Matter of knowing. To Alwine, it was simply more proof – they were not the last Lupines, they had never actually been the last Lupines. There were more of the, and the ply for secrecy regarding their species was only hurting them instead of giving them what they required to flourish. If there was any more information that could be find in this place, Alwine wanted to find it, even if it would take her years before she found someone she could take it to and ask for an explanation.

To his question regarding an armory or terminal, she shook her head. The building had so many doors, and so many of them locked… It could take them hours if not days to explore it all. Following her brother, Alwine remained quiet as she stared at the doors they passed. So many of them… Who had built a place like this, and for what purpose? Was it designed from the start to serve the needs of those who had used it today, or had whoever was behind today simply taken it over? The lack of available answers infuriated the diminutive female.

But then Gerwald found a massive door, and asked out loud what there was behind it. It was Alwine's turn to give him a wolfish smirk. Despite the pain in her wrists and ankles, and the stains of blood she left every few steps, she wanted to smash into that door.

"Step aside, dalninuk," she almost purred as she walked back to the end of the wall. She might have been fast, she might have been exceptionally strong for her size, but Alwine knew the limitations that could come from her size. How had a certain someone verbalized it though? Limitations merely meant that she had to be smarter about choosing when they applied… And when they did not. And Alwine was nothing without her mind and the infinite knowledge she insisted on shoveling into it almost by the day.

Jumping once, twice in her place, the Lupine farted forward now; the first steps were slow, yet with each one that she added, quicker did her movements become, and before she reached half way through the hall, she was already fast enough to be a moving blur. It was with that massive speed that she slammed into the door. While not taking it down, the center of it did burst at impact, and Alwine rolled into the room, rising to her feet as the rush of speed ended. A few splinters managed to harm her face and hands ever so slightly, yet it was nothing worth wasting time on.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald notived alwine shake her head to his question. The man was slightly disappointed neither of them had seen anything, but he did not blame her for it. The bruises and blood had spoken to why she had no answer for him, and there was no need to press any further. Naturally Alwine once again was determined to prove the brother, which towered a good 19 inches above her, just how strong and resilient she truly was.

He watched her back up to the wall and shot her a look.

"What the hell, Alwine," he said as she blasted through the door. It was impressive, but also stupid. With how much she had been hurt, this display could only make it worse.

"Alwine are you okay," he said as he walked through the opening which the small wolf had created.

His eyes scanned her face, and the rest of her, to be sure she did not look any worse than she already did. Gerwald nodded when he was satisfied and looked around the room. He could smell something. Sulfer? Blue eyes landed on large cylindrical vats which seemed to be where the smell came from.

"You think we can use those?"

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword | WindWhisper
Tags: [member="Gerwald Lechner"]

"Of course I am," the petite blonde answered with a smile as her brother asked if she were okay. Why should she not be? Her movements had been calculated, and the desired result had been achieved. She felt like those children she sometimes caught on the holonet, little ones who'd been trained their entire lives to do something physical such as dance on bars or bend their bodies in weird shapes. It was, apparently, considered an intergalactic sport to be proud of. At that instant, she understood why.

It was one of those rare instances in which she gave Gerwald a big proud smile.

Turning to look around, the youngest Lechner eyed the vats as well. She knew the stickers on them meant that there was something toxic or poisonous in them, but beyond that… Beyond that, she realized, she had never learned anything about explosives. One time she had been given a grenade and told how to use it, but it was a far cry between that and constructing something that would give the same effect. She did know how to poison a man by giving him bad food that smelled and tasted great, but that was not quite the same thing.

"Do you know how?" she asked, walking over to one of the vats and very carefully poking the screw on top of it. "How much do we even need? And should we not find a terminal first?"

Alwine's face soured. Even with the vats still closed, the smell was foul.

"At least we do not require to find a way of burning them," she beamed again, "I know the element of fire through the Force. If we do this wisely, a small spark is all it shall require."

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald shrugged at the question. He did not know how much they were going to need of the chemicals in order to destroy the facility, but his best guess was what come out of his mouth.

"A lot? We might as well just use all of it?"

He really had no concern if they blew a hole into the ground, nor whether the explosion had gotten the attention of the authorities on the planet. Any explosion would eliminate any trace of their presence, so the two Lupines only had to get themselves out of the building before it blew.

"All we need to do is make it seem like it was accident or some kind of malfunction. Then we need to haul are butts out of here and fast.

Ger pointed to the vats, and then back to a terminal. Maybe if they "spilled" one of the vats over then it would work better. The smell was going to be horrendous, but he motioned for Alwine to follow him anyway.

"So as soon as I spill the vat you light the damn thing on fire?"

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword | WindWhisper
Tags: [member="Gerwald Lechner"]

It was as she had feared. Her brother did not know either. He suggested that they use all of it, but Alwine could not help but wonder whether that would be enough. She had a general idea, enough to know that there were things for which the vats would be more than sufficient, and that there were things for which they would not be enough, yet neither of the Lechner siblings present had the knowledge required to know which side the substance in the vats would swing to at that moment.

And whereas Gerwald had no concern, Alwine did. Time was also of the essence. For if the fluids contained within were sufficient, how would they know if they would give them enough time to make an escape?

He pointed at a terminal that Alwine had not noticed before, and she held a hand up.

"Wait," she instructed him as she walked towards it. This was something she knew how to do. Patting her body, she found what she was looking for; a small data chip that at present was mostly empty save for that al..m algo… algorithm on it, designed to empty information out. She rarely left home without one, not since the events she and and Gerwald had witnessed on Rishi. It was a crude and basic design, but it would do.

Looking around the terminal, it took her but moments to find the proper port to plug it into. "I know a few people that can be trusted to look at whatever information this pulls and ensure it remains discreet," she said a she turned to look at her brother, "At least in terms of anything Lupine-related. If there is any Confederate information found within, they would know the proper channels to forward it through."

The little device gave a sort chirp, indicating that it was done. Alwine nodded to herself and removed the device, clicking another button before storing it back within her suit. "It will send it forward as soon as it finds a signal. So that even if it is destroyed, there is a chance that the information stored within will not be lost."

The young female grinned. For the first time in a while, she felt like she was contributing to the mission; more than by simply punching someone in the face or killing a foe. Anyone could do that. Alwine wanted more.

"Dump the vats," she nodded to him with a wolfish smile as she rubbed her hands against each other, preparing herself mentally. It had been a while since Alwine had last used the pyrokinesis taught to her. But she could do it. Sometimes, all one needed was but a spark.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald was eager to dump the vats, but once again, Alwine was thinking straighter than he was. This was why they made a good team. Gerwald still rushed into things without thinking about the potential consequences. Today that had meant Alwine paid for it. Perhaps she was right in that it may have happened regardless, but Gerwald knew it was because he had jumped into action without thinking about it. That was ultimately what happened with Stewjon. Gerwald had made a decision to leave without thinking of how it was impact anyone. He had chosen Kat without thinking about how it would truly impact anyone. Gerwald had allowed himself to get involved with Scherezade without thinking about any of the implications. Gerald was still paying for the choices he had made, but at least he could try to do better going forward.

Alwine worked her magic with the terminal promising she knew people they could trust.

"Our kind is not a science experiment," he reaffirmed a thing which had been a issue for them in the past. "Make sure they know that if they find anything along the lines of research on Lupines, we have to know."

Gerwald had no idea why he was saying that, but one thing he knew was essential was the survival of their kind. Yes, they had been learning more existed than anyone knew, and Gerwald had to admit all of original assumptions were far from correct. Still, Gerwald felt the need to preserve them all still. Perhaps it was his calling, perhaps it was not, but Gerwald was going to find out. Just because any future he thought he had with Katrine seemed as though it would be nothing now, did not mean he was not tied into the future of his kind.

When Alwin finished, he gave a curt nod before dumping the vats. The sound of metal creaking as the gears worked to spill the sulfuric liquid on the ground as Alwine prepared to use the skill she had learned from one of her many instructors. Gerwald was intrigued and perhaps would ask to learn the skill, but for now, there was only one question on his mind.

"Are we going to be able to get out of here in time?"

Gerwald looked to Alwine ready to pick her up and make a force speed run for it if that was what he had to do. All he needed was one word from his sister, and Gerwald was ready.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword | WindWhisper
Tags: [member="Gerwald Lechner"]

"We will know," Alwine assured him with a gentle smile. While she agreed with Gerwald that the Lupines were not a science experiment, the precise definition of what science experiment meant was something the two did not agree on. On the matter of being informed with whatever information could be gleamed from the terminal though, there would be disagreements of any sort. Alwine yearned to know as much as Gerwald did.

As her brother began to dump the vats, Alwine took a few steps back, making sure that not a drop accidently landed on herself. More than once she waved a few dangerous drops away with the Force as they threatened to land on her brother as well. Neither of the Lechner siblings knew just how combustible the liquid was, and she had every intention of keeping Gerwald as safe as she was keeping herself. More so.

Would they be able to get out of there on time?

"That would depend on quick you are, dalninuk," she answered, eying the liquid that was now beginning to spread from the terminal around them, forming shallow pools on the floor. They were losing potential precious time. Perhaps they should have figured out where the nearest staircase was before they did this, and then spill the vats in a trail. Now was too late though.

Closing her eyes, Alwine raised her hands as though she was holding a big ball between them. While fire was her element, she was far from being proficient at it. More training was needed. Training that she had neglected with everything else that had been going on in recent weeks and months. It was for that reason that she would require time and concentration for to get a simple flame going. Controlling existing fire was easier – creating it… That was where the true challenge lay.

The seconds ticked by silently as she continued to concentrate, building the heat up between her hands. A small layer of perspiration was building on her forehead, a sign to how much effort she was putting into the thing and why it was Gerwald's speed that they would be relying on soon enough unless the vat substance would not come alive.

As the heat between Alwine's hands continued to grow, small sounds began to make their way from their throat. The wolf was scratching, attempting to break free. Fire was unnatural to the wolf, who saw in the flames a sign of pain and death. But Alwine was not a wolf, just as Alwine was not a human. More than once had she told her brother precisely that – they were Lupines, and both ends of their shifting spectrum belonged to them and them alone. The wolf wanted to balk from the lick lf flames, but Alwine would not let it. She was the one who was in control, even if she required time to enforce it.

The wolf's whimpers slowly made way to growls, the very growls that all Lechner siblings were known to make, the kind that no human vocal chords could ever produce. And with every growl, light began to form. Small, at first, just barely noticeable, akin to the brightening of the skies before the dawn.

Alwine's eyes snapped open at the same time as that light of dawn turned into a big, bright, and burning flame. The expression on her face said it all. She had created fire, and she had not let the wolf take over. She had, for the first time, succeeded in producing the flame outside of training settings.

"Draeval ulu z'haan," she whispered, knowing her brother's Lupine ears were sensitive enough to hear, and to understand. And with that, Alwine released the ball of fire within her hands, sending it hurling directly into the terminal.

Draeval ulu z'haan - time to run