Riders on the Sand Storm [SSC Dominion of Tash-Taral]

[Darth Libertas]

(12)
Location: Ancient Tomb, away from everyone else
[member="Darth Shadow"]


Sumiko made no response to the in her opinion rather lame pun. The Force returned to her once she had made her way out of the chamber. As usual, the sensation of having the power in her grasp was accompanied by a feeling of pain as her senses were magically expanded, but she could deal.


For change no monsters assailed her, which was quite welcome. Now she entered a wide, low chamber lit with faint crystals on the wall. At the end of the room were an altar and a sarcophagus, firmly closed. The door abruptly slammed shut as soon as she'd entered. A deep cold descended upon the room; a chill that sank into her bones, almost stronger than tapas could compensate for.


There was a slight movement in the chilling air, then a ghostly figure dressed in Jedi robes hung before her. "The seeker arrives. Following the commandment of a dead order. I would've thought you, of all of them, would've emancipated yourself from that queen Valdier."


Despite her usual practice, Sumiko decided to talk to the spirit. "I have, as a matter of fact. I just do not suffer traitors. Though I expected better from you, Hikari, than ghosting around in a forsaken tomb. Or trying to be a 'Jedi'. I don't know which is more of a comedown, but clearly I rated you too highly. I imagine the Inquisitors who died because of your treason don't trouble me."


It suddenly became very, very cold in the room. To a point where Sumiko was shivering, though she stood her ground. "No more than your betrayals and victims trouble you. The Inquisition was corrupt and deserved its fate, as did the pathetic natives who did not recognise the light I brought them." Abruptly she made a gesture with her ethereal hand and abruptly shadowy tendrils manifested, rising up from the ground.


Such was the buildup of Force energy that it was almost smothering. Sumiko gripped Souldrinker tightly as the snake-like tendrils of pure, unadulterated dark energy leapt towards. The power of the Dark Side was channelled through the blade as she focused, chanting an incantation.


Souldrinker clashed with the tendrils, pitting its dark power against theirs as both were locked in a battle of wills. Sweat dripped down Sumiko's forehead and back as she exerted herself, drawing more and more upon the tangled web of power that was the Force. The tendrils sought to seize her and sap her power, psychic talons tried to slice through her mind and play havoc with her concentration. Her flesh felt like it was freezing when the tendrils assailed her, as if she were naked on Hoth, drownign in ice cold waters. The kind of horrible cold that was the slow death. Tapas sprung into action as she tried to reduce it from unbearable to oppressive, increasingly chilled fingers clinging to her blade.


The power of Souldrinker struck them, the dark side swelled inside her and then she discharged a tremendous blast of Force energy created by the dark side. Such was the intensity of the blast that it was almost blinding. The tendrils were annihilated and ripped apart, Sumiko was hurled back by the force the psychic explosion generated, landing painfully and rolling as she hit solid stone ground.


Her eyes were wells of nothingness when she looked up. Presumably accidentally, a mundane looking crystal had tumbled out of her backpack. Rallying herself, she gripped the sword tight and...then suddenly doubled over, coughing badly as the spirit sunk her psychic claws into her. The Atrisian felt dizzy, nauseous and tremendously sick, spitting blood into her palm as she was overcome by a coughing fit. The ethereal lips of the spirit smiled sadly. "Purification is painful," she said, as if speaking to a child.


It was all in her mind. The ghost could not warp reality, only a perception of it. If she did not allow it to feel real...it would not be. These thoughts ran through her mind as she spasmed. Breathing was becoming more and more difficult as the spirit applied pressure to her lungs, terrible pain spread through her stomach.


Dark side energy coalesced across her hand, then was unleashed towards the spirit. The malevolent spirit was a construct of the Force, without it, it would be nothing. So the effect she sought to engender was a vampiric one, leeching away at the power that brought this being into existence and anchored it to the physical realm. Unlike with the zombies, she tried not to draw the energy into herself, just siphon it away from the spirit into nothingness.

 

[Anna Song]

Gold of the Desert
Part 2

The path to new water, awake.

Awake. Into the slumbering tomb they ventured. Five figures of dust. Their sandy shoes traipsing across the shadowed stone. Down down, into the abyss. Echoes came from the walls all around them. High walls and tall caverns gaping. Wide holes into a giant shadowy realm. With endless stairways that descended slowly into the crust of the planet. Slowly slowly and ever onward they trudged. Making swift speed on lighter toes. Dusting their sandy shoes against rock and jagged stone. Down down, into the deep.

Shadows and dark which soon gave way to light and profound splendor. Five figures breached the inner chamber's threshold and stood upon the sweet precipice. A jutting ledge that overlooked the Greatest Hall. Fires and blue braziers burning. An endless expanse filled with glistening water. Reaching as far as black to black. Water without end. Hope without heaven. This was what they had come for. What they had all, come for.

"We did it Master!"

Anna leapt for joy as the three other tribesmen fell humbly to their knees. Worshipping and praising the new blessing ahead. However. Mas was not so sure. The Jedi Knight removed her hood and peered deeper into the glittering caverns ahead. Her eyes filled with the ripples of the sparkling water and with the pooling of the Force's magicks instead. She saw without eyes and heard without sound. Down down, into the Force.

And into the dark forces beyond.

"...no. Wait! Kolbrek, NO!"

She called out as the first tribesman dashed to the water's edge. Too late to save him. Too late to hear his friends cry out for help. Too late to see that something in the water was stirring. Stirring stirring. Like drums in the deep.

 

[Anna Song]

Gold of the Desert
Part 3

Drums in the deep.

When it rose it rose like fire. A worm of great breath and terrible sound. Formed like the black caverns and skinned like deep stone. It's jaws opened wide and yet wider still. Open to scream and to take full in it's pleasure. It's small tiny prey was still frozen on the water's edge below. A worm of terrible cunning which drew forth from the dark waters of the Greatest Hall. It's nest invaded. It's slumber now disturbed. It's old wraith moving to feed it's desperate hunger and defend the endless treasure it called home. And when it fell, it feel like lightning, and like the howls of an ocean storm. Crashing madly into the ground below. Jaws open. Mouth gone wide. It's endless rows of black teeth churning. Churning churning, crunching, breaking. Like drums. Drums sharpened sleek.

The waters rose and the creature fell. With a massive force to shake the earth and to cause the heroes stumble. Kolbrek was not so lucky as to trip or fall. Because he was to be swallowed whole into the terrible maw. Disappearing with a trace. Only a crash and a breathtaking rush, as the worm descended to take it's fill.

"Run! Run!"

"Malok! Kreev!"

The two women shouted from their perch on the upper threshold. Gesturing for all to follow and to leave the greatest room with the greatest haste. Because where there was one Great Worm? ...More were sure to follow.

The waves crashed and their predator wriggled. Digesting his food with somber delight. Watching without eyes as two more meals ran towards the only doorway. So sure of their flight and of their exit confirmed. It let them flee and let their adrenaline climb. Writhing itself free from it's rushing rest. Jaws thrusting open to scream and roar again. Calling to all that had ears to hear and bellies to fill. Mighty in victory and terrible as the storm. Two women shouted from the doorway for the pair of villagers to follow. Waving their hands for the two men to hurry. Yet, covering their eyes and their eyes when the beast began roaring. Terrible terrible. Terrible as the storm.

Lightning crashed and thunder fell. The cavern walls bursting. Worms of great size and collar-less strength drew forth from the holes. Jaws gasping. Mouths frothing awake. Called by their near Master to do battle and speeding forth like the wind. Invaders running and rock now bursting. So near and dear to their home. Anna's eyes went wide as Mas stood only with new terror. Their whole world shaking. So desperate to be free.

"Malok!"

"No! Run Anna! Run! ...Run!"

Desperate indeed. The worms reached the doorway before the twin scavengers could manage. Tall worms smashing headlong into the foundations and leaving naught but long smears behind. For where once there had been the swift feet of man, now there were none.

Boom. Boom. The stairs shook and cracks crumbled. Doorways buckled and stairways swayed. Shifting new hazards underneath four slender skipping feet. Two Jedi Knights fleeing up up, up from the deep. Up and up and desperately so. Walls breathing, caverns creeping. Worms worms.

Worms naught asleep.

...

 

[Rasu Gan]

Objective: Investigate Sith ruins
3/20

As the boy issued his warning, Rasu locked eyes with the reptile staff wrapped around Boo Chiyo's arm. Gripping her lightsaber as the creature let out a hiss, the Shi'ido's mind raced back to Lujo where she had first come to face the favoured Yuuzhan Vong weaponry. While she had once been scared to death of the force-resistant snake, she now knew how to correctly defeat one, her own features mirroring her confidence in the face of the hissing weapon.

"You need not worry about me, I no longer fear Vong bio-tech." she replied to the Pantoran, letting her body relax as she turned her focus to the boy. The child was strong in the ways of the Force yet his presence reeked of the dark side, an aspect that Rasu was surprised to find she had looked over in her initial scan of the stranger. Despite his dark presence, the Jedi Master did not sense any hostility within him, no doubt having been rid of it during his outburst that had alerted his location. Rasu felt she had nothing to fear from the child. As a result, she was relieved when he offered her his spare canteen. Returning his offer with a smile, the woman took a few gulps out of the bottle, before throwing it back his way.

In response to his second remark, Rasu had no time to reply before the valley was filled with the screaming echos of another individual. Catching sight of [member="Leina Snowfire"], the Jedi Master offered a wave in response. While she was too nice to chastise her fellow Jedi, Rasu was concerned of the unseen dangers of the valley and their tombs, not wanting to continue alerting these unknown hostiles to their location.

"It's great seeing you Leina," she said as the woman made her way to the pair. "Just keep your voice down. We can't be certain that we are alone in this valley." Casting a hasty look around, the Shi'ido returned her gaze to the pair, offering them both a smile of relief. "Anyway I was just making myself acquainted with this you...." Rasu was unable to finish her sentence as a massive hand closed around her legs.

The ground erupted beneath her as she was flung into the air along with her captor. Feeling herself lose consciousness. Rasu slipped into the void, succumbing to the great pressure as her body recuperated from the stressful event. An immense Terentatek landed meters away from [member="Boo Chiyo"] and Leina, issuing a large roar at the pair as Rasu lay limp, clenched between the creatures huge hand. Several scars lined the creatures left side, memoirs from a previous confrontation, however these seemed to glow an eerie purple light as the creature roared again, this time charging at the pair, it's spiked horns tilted as it intended to impale both Force-sensitives.

 

[Anna Song]

Gold of the Desert
Part 4

Sleep.

"Run Anna! Run!"

They ran. Legs beating, lung bursting. World shaking. Walls falling. Worms worms. Worms naught asleep.

"The door! There!"

The seal appeared at the top of the stairs. The door still raised and the passage way still open. The two women gasped in the dust and pressed on. Stairs shaking. Pillars falling. Screams and shatterings from only nearer below.

"We're almost there Petra! We can make it!"

Anna called as she slipped and skidded towards the door. Vaulting over stone and through falling debris. World shaking. Tomb breaking. Her Master hot on her heels. The red woman casting off her brown robe and moving faster still. Her robe flew through the air and back over the precipice behind. Smashing and crashing into the tremoring mass of worms rising up from the hole below. Stairs breaking. Predators waking. Up, up. Up from the vaults below.

Anna and Petra ran. As the whole of their view behind them was swallowed up by the worms ascent. The room struggling, ceiling crumbling, to keep them all inside it's brick-filled bowels. Shaking, shrugging, breaking, and bashing. The worms crashed like waves and rose like mountains. Storming the gates and breathing down down upon the stone. Crashing right for the doorway and for our heroes who had ran out from it and into the far beyond.

"The edge! Jump Anna! ...Jump!"

Free of the tomb with the hot glare on their face, they thrust forward into the sun.

The light guiding them over the edge of the temple's high crests and into the hot dusts below. Roaring, smashing, breaking. World still shaking. Their pursuers crashed into the gate. Boom. Boom. Boom. While some heads found freedom still others were thrown aside. Forms thrusting out from the gate with mouths wide open. Almost to the surface. Almost almost there. Yet they had long tails that lingered behind and could not escape. Long fat bodies that could not squeeze or push through. Too many fingers in the desert's stone jar. Full fiddly fat forms that became trapped between the door. Screaming, writhing, aching. Desperate to claim their hiding meal.

Mas watched from her perch in the shaking sands. Seeing the fell beasts roar and wiggle and scream with all haste. She looked with red eyes and beating heart. Gauging their angry plight. Watching them trapped upon the door and broken by the seal. She took to hope and reached out through the sand. Her Apprentice scrambled free of the earth beside her. Both women nodding. Both women looking. Both women knowing just what they had to do. Their roars could not save them now.

Thin hands reached out against the sun and took hold of the invisible realm beyond. Pulling, grasping, shaking. Two Jedi Knights wrestled against the sky. Their long shaking fingers like lances. Their eyes bladed like sharpening swords. All with power far beyond our knowing. Pointing, grasping, tugging. Concentrating just above the creatures that had entrenched themselves within the door. Igniting a switch to close the way. The roars became a baffling scream and the worms pale struggle turned into a flight. The seal above the door began to shake and it's powers began to move again. The Force was calling to it. Beckoning it close. Down down. Down upon the creeps. So the whole temple yard began to shake. As the dust and sand began to shift. Smash! And crash! And kaboom! The doorway fell shut and fell hard. Smashing right through the mass of tendrils that shouted and churned. Cutting them all in half.

With a happy merry squish.

Squiggly masses slithered and slowed as a steep silence feel upon the yard. Eyes widened with wonder and all with fingers still skyward bound. Two dared to stand. With sand and door and broken creatures bowed. They stood upright and survived. Breathing, hoping, embracing. Two lances against the sun.

"We did it Mas. We're free."

"Yes. Yes Anna. We did it. We're free."

The clung to each other and embraced. Releasing only to smile and look back at the tomb. Seeing. Remembering. Forgetting. That not all adventures end the way you want them too. Not all adventures are crafted from smiles and from stone. Some adventures are sorrow. Some adventures are torn.

Torn like riders. Riders on the Storm.

___

/end

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Post 5 of 20
Objective: 2 - Investigate Old Sith Tombs
Location: The Great Valley
Arms & Equipment: Go! Mobile Comlink, Amphistaff, Vibroknuckles, Hold-out blaster, "Triple Z"

The amphistaff closed its eyes and seemed to purr, as the boy slipped a hand beneath it's viper-shaped head and gently scratched the underside of it's chin.

"Oh, hssiss aren't Vong," the young Pantoran noted, as the Jedi took a drink from the canteen. He could understand the confusion. There was a lot of Vong-formed biots on a lot of the planets out here. Tash-Taral? Not so much. He wasn't even sure the Yuuzhan Vong knew about this world. "Most everything on this world is Sithspawn."

That was also bad. Just an entirely different kind of bad.

Speaking of bad? Offering muffins and not bringing some to share. As appeared to be the case of the curious entrance of yet-another-random-Jedi-type-person to the Great Valley of Little Korriban. Were the Jedi having some kind of convention or something?

Hey, where should we have the next conclave of the Light Side of the Force?

I dunno, what about that Sith valley in Wild Space? I hear conference venues are mega-cheap there.

Wait a second. Not one Jedi, but two. And neither was really doing much of anything to conceal their presence. Quite the opposite, really. The Pantoran wouldn't be surprised if any moment now...

As the ground erupted, suddenly everything went into motion. The swoop bike went careening across the sands. The amphistaff jumped out of the boy's lap, coiling around his torso. And the boy? He was going for the gold in the 12 & Under category of the Tash-Taral Youth Gymnastics competition. With choreography from the Dark Lord of the Sith, the tweenage assassin nimbly leapt back. A handspring into a backflip, his small frame dodged the flying rocks and debris dislodged by the Terentatek's violent arrival with a practiced ease that belied his training as an assassin.

"-tt-"

Grabbing onto the amphistaff that was clinging to him, a sliding motion with both hands extended the living weapon out into a snake-tipped spear. "I could say 'I told you so,'" the youth noted dryly, rearing back his arm as the creature began to charge.

Sliding one foot back, the boy braced himself as he let down his guard and opened himself to the Dark Side of the Force. Fear was a reasonable response to the Terentatek's appearance, even if the child's cynical and jaded demeanor didn't betray the volatile emotions he routinely kept bottled up inside. Channeling that fear together with the power of the Dark Side, the child unleashed the amphi-javelin in an empowered throw aimed toward the creature's right eye.

[member="Rasu Gan"] | [member="Leina Snowfire"]​

 

[Leina Snowfire]

[member="Rasu Gan"] [member="Boo Chiyo"]

Leina was looking at the two of them as Rasu said don't yell and Boo seemed strange... that was funny when she felt something and then there was a beast of a beast. Spines and thick skin everywhere while she was moving back and listening to it with her attention on a few of the things. The boy had something cool on his arm she had never seen before while moving off to the side and listening to the creature. Her Lekku twitched a little and she was hearing the sounds he made before running away and screaming with mimicry. The sounds came out of her mouth as she turned to look at the beast and he stood there confused for a moment while she grabbed the saber from her belt just in case. "Rawr roar rawr" She raised her hands up making the sound while focusing the force and letting the beast remain with her as she pushed at it. Direct force powers might not work on its body but she had tamed krayt dragons while moving off t the side and keeping her voice coming out in growls that could match him. She was motioning with her hands for them to go and work on things as she stood on a large rock and roared to attract him to her.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Post: 3/20
Location: Near Sith Ruins
Objective: Save [member="Ryn'Dhal"]
Allies: [member="James Justice"] [member="Ultimatum"]

Kay nearly jumped as James took her arm and the image of the ruins came into her mind. It made her see things strangely and she half wondered if her mind was being read. That would be an invasion of her privacy that she wouldn't quite know how to handle.

And then [member="Ultimatum"] gave her a light. It shone red, but it was a light. "Thank you." She took it in hand and followed James, sliding her arm out of his grip. She could hear shooting, but couldn't quite make out where it was coming from due to the echoes in the ruins. "I don't think that we're alone in here...Don't you guys hear that?"

 

[James Justice]

Post: 3/20
Objective: JAMES SMASSSSSSSHHHHHHH
Allies: [member="Ryn'Dhal"], [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ultimatum"]

The auras of the enemies lit before James' closed eyes. He could see them, not too far away and Ryn too, he was locked on that feline like a homing rocket. He would save his little brother, damn it, no matter what the gods decreed. He heard the shots too, and then he heard Lady Kay's question. His head bobbed as he gave out a guttural grunt, "I will kill them. All of them." He could foresee Kay's objection before it came. She was a good woman, a kind woman. Even to those whom didn't deserve it. Like himself. "The time for mercy be over."

With cold rage boiling off his body he stormed ahead. It was a round a corner and across three hall-like tunnels before he came on them. How many where there? He couldn't tell. He didn't care. Their attention was so focused on Ryn, they didn't see or hear him coming. That is until it was too late.

James didn't even have to think. Yes, he had a blaster, but a clean and good death was more than what they deserved. No, these he would kill with his bare hands. These he would slaughter. Mercilessly.

His fist came down with a heavy blow on the closest one's shoulder. As the body began to fall, James grabbed its jacket and twisted, hurling it the other way. Its body hit the rock wall and snapped the collar bone in two places with a sickening crunch. Waves of the darkside had consumed the spacer, augmenting his strength through Force Rage. The other hunters turned in time to see the leather clad figure twist an out stretched arm, the shoulder was pulled from socket and ligaments were shredded in the process. A howl of agony reverberated from the victim.

As if on cue, their spell-like stillness was broken, and the other hunters opened fire. James' reflexes had been hardened through years of fighter pilot training, it was nothing for him to twist out of the way into a low crouch.

"M-mer-meercccyyyy," begged the battered hunter, blood pouring from his lips in superficial wounds.

As the next volley came, the spacer decided with disgust that it was not a bad idea. His hands wrapped around the dying man's ankles and tossed him head first towards the other hunters. Their shots tore deep into his body, ripping holes and spraying blood across the cavern floor. The others dodged unhurt, but it bought James enough time to rise and let out a barbaric roar, "Ye think ye can hurt Ryn? Ye will die like dogs!"

 

[Rasu Gan]

The beast continued its charge, letting out a deafening roar as it attempted to ram itself into the being of dark side energy. It was angry, it had sensed the intruders in its territory and had attacked. It would crush the defilers before they could reach his masters tomb. Now only meters away from the young boy, the terentatek stopped in its tracks, sensing the calling of one more than hated than the dark child. Switching its course, the beast howled as it charged towards the being of light, tilting its head to impale the Twi;lek with its horns.

The beast slowed as it felt great pain imbue itself in his thick skull. A spike fell to the ground, severed from his head. Looking at the amphistaff, the beast howled in pain and anger, clouding its vision with a thick red haze. Had the beast not changed its course towards the Jedi, the reptile would have indeed made contact with the eye however the pair had avoided a dire outcome, however there would still be many an opportunity for the two force-users to cause more strife.

His charge towards the Twi'lek continued, his spikes glistening in the harsh sunlight as they inched closer to the Jedi Knight. Anger and pain drove the beast on, a beast born of the dark side.

[member="Boo Chiyo"] [member="Leina Snowfire"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Post: 3/20
Objective: Contain potential dangers, Find and rescue Ryn
Allies: [member="James Justice"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ryn'Dhal"]

Well this just got more difficult. Drawing attention to themselves would make the rescue a little more interesting. What was worse, Ultimatum was unsure whether Ryn or James was the greater danger at the moment. His calculations, and common sense said that James had to be incapacitated at least temporarily, the anger and frustration were apparently too great for him to contain and refine. The added dimension of being a Force user made this a very delicate problem, too much in either way and this could become even more ugly for either side. The only safe person, Ultimatum guessed, was Ryn himself.

The droid wondered if he could tranquilize his ally, the darts were heavy sedatives though, normally knocking people out for hours. That was not something he could risk, even with the potential of James pushing through it with his Jedi capabilities. However, the immediate danger towards Kay and himself was not yet apparent, though it could easily be inflamed. He decided not to test the Force sensitive yet, instead firing two shots at the standing hunters. One shot hit its mark while the other went wide and struck a wall.

He took a moment to check on the other two, the last hunter was probably frightened enough to not cause damage to anyone. Or if he did, it would likely be aimed at James, who in turn was more than likely ready for that.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

[8/20]
Objective: Survive

The beast was found itself cornered, several hunters using various formed of cover, keeping just a steady enough rain of fire upon the beasts own cover to keep it pinned down. The intelligent beast calculated it's odds of escape, and realized, much to it's horror, with it's hind leg inhibited as it was, escape was unlikely. Fighting it out, while greatly increasing his risk of loss of life and/or limb, was quite simply his only sure-fire chance at freedom. Dying free is still free.

Then, in the distance, it's head amid the staccato of fire, a voice. Rage burned thick in the words. "Ye think ye can hurt Ryn? Ye will die like dogs!" The voice bellowed. There was no denying the truth. The deadman lived! James! The beast felt a glimmer of hope. The spacer did live! There was no fething way the beast going to allow itself to fall this day. Summoning it's will, it's strength, and it's desire for freedom and it's pack, the Force churned within the beast. Sweeping one massive paw out wide at the same time as it lumbered around from it's cover, a rippled burst through the air, unwieldy telekinesis launching broken stone tables, benches, and other such large debris flying towards the hunters. A yelp of terror from one was swiftly muted as a few hundred kilo slab of stone made high speed impact with his skull. The hunters, caught off guard by the sudden rush, were momentarily distracted by the horror of the innards of their formerly living compatriots brain-housing group was now a future grease-spot on the wall.

But the momentary distraction was all the beast needed. Launching itself swiftly onto the nearest hunter, a terror-inducing snarl was loosed, as fangs and claws, fully capable of rending even durasteel, made swift work of the much more delicate soft-tissue of the hunters body. Had they truly knew what it was they were hunting, their employer would have sought Mandalorean's, as their Beskar would have stood up significantly better against the rampaging beast. The victim screamed in mortal pain, his entrails swiftly converting into 'extrails', his lifeblood swiftly pooling at his feet. The beast was fully prepared to deliver a killing bow, ending the mans pain mercifully, when a slug tore into the beasts shoulder.

Whipping that massive head about, golden hues narrowed murderously at the hunter who fired the shot. The hunter was working the bolt of his rifle, swearing in a tongue not known to the beast. But, even had it been recognizable, it would not have mattered one bit. This hunter bore the mark of a slaver organization. That only stirred the beasts rage all the stronger. Launching towards the terrified hunter, leaving the dying man clutching his thoroughly eviscerated abdomen, the beast's immense weight bore the much smaller hunter to the ground. Races meant little right now to the beast. A hunter, was a hunter, was a hunter. They were threats, not only to the beast itself, but to it's pack. This particular hunter, met as swift of a end as the first one, as the force of the impact of a monster more than five times ones own mass, against a solid surface, yield multiple shattered vertebrae, the mass shock of the pain, coupled with the utter terror, caused the body to systematically shut down in rapid progression starting with the brain.

Satisfied this one was no longer a threat, the beast turned back to the only remaining living being in the room. The man trembled, panting, the pain now numbed from loss of blood. His eyes, unfocused, gazed upon the nightmarish monster before him. Panting, he breathed one word, broken into multiple syllables. "M.....Mer......er......cy....." The beast blinked once. Twice. And then a third time, processing this request. Mercy.... Mercy.... Would they have shown me, mercy? Shown us, mercy? Our pack, mercy? No..... No mercy.... None for slavers.... For pillagers.... For filth likes these, corruptors.... The beast brought it's massive head towards the man, those large, golden eyes narrowed dangerously towards the man, as he seemed to almost smile at the thought of the beast slaying him, ending his misery. Inches from the mans face, the beast licked it's chops, tasting the coppery blood. "No.... No mercy..... for swine...." The massive beast snarled, what almost would seem like a smile upon the felines face, before turning and lumbering, a heavy limp on the right side, due to a partially paralyzed hindquarter, and a large caliber slug embedded in the shoulder of the same side. The may wheezed, 'yelling' his plea, as loud as his severely weakened state would allow.... not much more than a whisper.... as the small scavenger creatures residing in these crypts started scurrying from hiding in the massive predators wake to investigate their bounties, one of which was still living.

The beast did not care. That threat was behind it. The beast now only cared on finding James. It's James. His James. Ryn's James.

But that was still many twists and turns away, and a few more hunters in the way....

[member=James Justice] | [member=Thurion Heavenshield] | [Member=Lady Kay] | [member=Ultimatum] | [member=Abaigeal E'ron]​

 

[Rayliav'enci]

Objective: Sith Ruins
1/20

As the rest of the team ventured deeper into the ruins, Raylia found herself lagging behind, caught in the examination of a carved set of panels that surrounded a pillar in the main open room. She would see the desert light filtering through the massive doorway behind her and it was almost enough to read the glyphs, but not quite. Her pack was quickly shed, the pouches opened, and her flashlight and brushes retrieved. She set the light up so that she could properly see, and very gently she went about brushing the fine powdery dust and sand away from the carvings.

Her strokes were meticulous, cautious not to erode the sandstone with the blewn in sand and pressure from her hand too much. A couple puffs of air and she could begin to make out the gist of the carving. Her tools were set aside, and her datapad was loaded with her scanning program so that she could get measurements and impressions of the glyphs. The carvings of the Sith were frequent in these old temples. Lost knowledge to some, only Palpatine's obsession with the ancients allowed some of the academic texts to survive to this point. The lost knowledge of the Jedi though, pained even the patient blue Twi'lek.

Occasionally, an echo of the team clearing the temple reached her and she would pause, but as she was about to move to another column, she heard a thunderous raucous from deeper in the structure. Her hand drifted to her hip where the hilt of her saber hung. There was a strong team going in to rid the ruins of beasties, but that didn't mean they couldn't use another hand. She followed the sounds, and the outlines of sandy tracks through the temple, the walls reflecting both the cerulean wash of color and the low hum of her saber.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Post: 4/20
Location: Near Sith Ruins
Objective: Save [member="Ryn'Dhal"] and [member="James Justice"]
Allies: [member="Ultimatum"]

Of course Kay would object to killing everyone! Killing just wasn't her thing. Neither was watching her friend go berserk and go on a murderous rampage. The red light that Ultimatum gave her hid some of the blood now spilling all over the floors and walls. Kay had cover her ears, the massacre itself reminding her of Thraxis killing innocents in front of her and throwing their bodyparts at her. The sounds, the sights, the smells were overwhelming. Covering just her ears were no longer enough. She closed her eyes tightly and shouted, "STOP IT!!!! THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!" DON'T BE LIKE THRAXIS!!!"

Her voice echoed through the temple. Would it stop the carnage? Probably not. She just couldn't go in any further. It wasn't as though she was scared, she just didn't want to see any more torture. There was a reason that her late husband kept her from battle, made her stay behind and help with the wounded or the negotiations. She just didn't know how to handle the violence. She kept putting herself into the place of those getting hurt.

While James continued to meet up with Ryn and Ultimatum took out those that slipped out of James' path, Kay remained frozen in her place, waiting for the silence that would mean that it was over and that she could reopen her eyes and uncover her ears.

 

[James Justice]

Post: 4/20
Objective: Have a believable emotional breakthrough
Allies: [member="Ryn'Dhal"], [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ultimatum"]

Thraxis. The devil had taken away the last shred of dignity and kindness the spacer had. Like the rising of the veil it was almost as if it had revealed--as if it had revealed--

"I am Thraxis," he muttered looking down at his blood stained hands.

Only a barbarian could do what he had done. He looked down at the shattered body like a man waking up from a coma into a worse nightmare. His legs buckled and he fell against the wall, leaning for support. James didn't want to be a monster. He had never meant to crush bones or make the world believe he was a monster. Was that who he was the whole time? Was he really just a villain in disguise, another mad man seeking to burn the galaxy and bathe it in blood? Or was he something more?

"I--have become--what I hate," James managed to say, the emotions of it all overwhelming. He had never felt such freedom, such release before, such power and he was ashamed to admit that it felt so good. But he was different, wasn't he? He wasn't like Rose Blade who had slaughtered the innocent, was he? And he wasn't like Thraxis either, was he? But part of him spoke out with with a quiet assurance, It is no different.

The voice, he had heard it when he was about to slaughter the soldiers during the Republic fiasco, bidding him to show mercy. And here it was again, telling him to change. There was no doubt, he knew who it was. Who she was. And she was speaking to him from the grave. But that meant--that meant--

A dart whizzed by the spacer's head and bounced off the stone, breaking him form the reverie. Another hunter stood at the end of the corridor looking to end the life of the monster on the other end of the barrel. Mercy. James drew his DeathHammer and fired--this time the shot blasted the opponent's weapon, shattering it into a million pieces and ending the fight before it began.

James looked back to Kay and gave a sad smile as he lowered the smoking blaster pistol, "I be sorry. I--" he wasn't good at apologies, the words that followed were clumsy, and flimsy at once, but heartfelt, "I dun't mean to do that."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Post 5 of 20
Objective: 2 - Investigate Old Sith Tombs Deal with Rasu Gan's latest blind date
Location: The Great Valley
Arms & Equipment: Go! Mobile Comlink, Amphistaff, Vibroknuckles, Hold-out blaster, "Triple Z"

The Pantoran had no idea how the Teretantek would handle the neurotoxins from the amphistaff.

The creature had the body mass index of a star destroyer for one. And there was no telling what kind of mutations were involved in the Sith alchemy. The terentatek was venemous as well, but true to its Sith origins the venom tended to be a Dark Side poison. Which of more concern to the Jedi than to the young Darksider. Not that he was keen on the idea. In general, injections were something that the youngling avoided.

Jumping back, the boy ducked and weaved to avoid swipes of the creature's claws and talons. As the red-skinned Twi'lek muffin warrior go tthe terentatek's attention, the youth took advantage of the momentary distraction to renew his offensive.

Grabbing the vibroknucklers from off his belt, the boy readied his fists before propelling himself up into the air with a Force Jump. Somersaulting, the boy allowed gravity to add force as he spun out of the aerial spin -- leg kicked out with the intent of driving the amphistaff that was embedded in the terentatek's eye further back into the skull cavity. That would hopefully force the biot back into the brain pan and end this.

[member="Rasu Gan"] | [member="Leina Snowfire"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

(13)


"They're both safe? You're sure? Good! Tell Tempest good work and to get her arse back to Tygara with them. What? She's chasing a cat? Whatever. Just get it fething done." Many, many light years away from Tash-Taral, Siobhan ended the call to the Firemane minion and switched off her comm device.


Sinking down into her couch, she breathed in deeply. "I'm sooo grounding them after this," she muttered to herself. Her little girls were...way too much like her in her younger days. At this point in time suddenly an adorable little furball came running towards her, then jumped onto her lap. The little Jester looked at her with his big beady eyes and licked her hand.


<< So hungry! Need food >> Grrbyrr declared as politely as he could.


[member="Tempest"], [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Noriko Ike]

Traders

The deals were getting good and coming to a close as Noriko worked with them finishing up the drinks and signing papers before leaning back in her seat and overlooking a great piece of land. That was about all it was but it served for giving the reclamation teams a place they would be able to begin to set up shop for exploring and artifact hunting. Or give the miners a place to lodge after unloading the droids collected materials into the ships for processing. Or a number of the other ones as the idea of a spa with mud baths and secluded on the outer rim wasn't far from her mind. Needed to find some way to fund the more open exploration missions.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]
9/20

“Ma’am, message from command. Lady Kerrigan has asked you to return as soon as possible,” the minion said tactfully.
“I’m sure she put it just like that too,” Tempest said with a laugh. “Alright, we’ll head back to Tygara as soon as Aba is aboard.”
She looked at Elpsis. “I think you’re in trouble, missy,” she said in amusement.

 

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
10/20

“Oh, you know each other then, do you? This is rich! Maybe we can have an episode of happy families?” the sword asked.

Soon though Souldrinker was put to the test defending its owner from a series of dark attacks.

“Don’t give up now! Fight, foolish child! Don’t let this spirit crush the life from you! We will cleave its ectoplasmic head off yet!”