The Cross Fox(Arcanix)

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Taeli could feel herself bristling, the slight against her family and how she was trying to look out for a sister full of hate and anger might have been one step too far.

"Let me tell you something, sir," Taeli said, her purple eyes blazing. "You have absolutely no right to berate me for the choices I made. You disappeared from the Jedi, boo-fething-who, they lose half their Order time and again, but they don't really care if their one of their number goes missing in a mysterious way. The Sith would have hunted me down, I'd be constantly on the run with a sister, constantly looking over my shoulder for the knife in the dark, so YOU have no right to tell me how to look after MY family, the ONLY FAMILY I HAVE LEFT!!! MY SISTER MELORI IS SO CONSUMED BY HATRED FOR MY OTHER SISTER CORVUS, it's taken everything I've got to slow down her descent into full darkness."

Taeli had tears in her eyes, born from both anger at Vulpesen and just sheer exhaustion from his need to blame her for all his current woes. "But no, you wouldn't understand the stress I'm under, safe and hidden away on your own little world, with your friends. I serve the Sith because they took me in after I murdered, by accident and completely out of control, the boys who tried to rape and murder me! I don't hold loyalty to any individual Sith, only to the ideal of the Sith. You might rush out and save Alex again and again, good for fething you. I have to save Melori from herself EVERY KARKING DAY!" I DIDN'T SURRENDER TO ANYTHING! But again, you wouldn't truly understand the position I'm in, would you? NO! YOU DON'T AND DON'T EVEN TRY TO SYMPATHIZE BECAUSE I'M AT LEAST LOOKING AFTER MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHILE YOU ATTACK AND BELITTLE THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS TRYING TO SAVE ALEX! BECAUSE THAT"S WHAT SHE AND I AGREED UPON!"

Taking a shaky breath, she wiped the tears form her eyes and stopped her mount. She needed a minute, or else she might lash out.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen pulled back on the reigns, causing his fox to stop in his tracks. "Life is sacrifice. i sacrificed my friends, family, and all I held dear to help the Republic. Only too late did I learn it was in vain to them. I sacrificed peace by pursuing Alex. I sacrificed nights and sanity to the nightmares of the innocent men I struck down because they were obstacles. I sacrificed even my standing among the enemy to keep those nightmares at bay. I sacrificed my good name by becoming a member of the galaxy's butchers. I sacrificed what could have been the best years of my life to a sense of duty. I sacrificed my freedom in the seclusion of Veradune. It may be beautiful, but it often feels like a prison. And I have sacrificed my life to others. I will fight for strangers until I fall in battle. I live not with the pain of those I lost, but those who I betrayed and left. Grieving ends, but no matter how long I live, whether it be my full fifty-thousand years, or a few fifty days, I will always remember that I betrayed those who trusted me most." He turned to face her. The anger was gone, only a sadness stood in its place. "Sacrifice is the way of the strong and the good. I forgot myself. Life, freedom, unity. [member="Darth Arcanix"], I wish you well in defense of your sister, for the sake of all you have sacrificed." With that, he resumed his ride.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

"I've never really betrayed anyone," Taeli whispered, urging her mount on. "Even with Alex, it was arranged and a show. I know it's hard to believe, for a Sith, but I don't like to betray others. I don't even feel betrayed by my fellow Sith, they got information from a sleezemo of a CEO and they had to act or look weak. Sacrifice is all well and good, Vulpesen, but sacrificing too much will lead you right to where Darth Caedus ended up. Alone, with everyone hating you, even your own children. You can't be completely selfless in this universe, and you can't be completely selfish or you end up like most every other Sith."

"Life, Freedom, and Unity is a nice motto, but unless you truly live by your own words, they're just that words," she said. "I always think the most important gift we have is choice, to choose how we live our lives. Sacrifice is all well and good, but it is ultimately your choice to do so. You can't hide out on this world forever, as much as you want it to remain secret. Eventually . . . secrets get out. I noticed, when we arrived, a constellation in the viewport that can only be seen from the Outer Rim near Alzoc III. I might not know the exact coordinates of Veradune, but if I can figure out a rough location, so can others."

Looking at the steadily approaching medical facility she sighed and whispered, "You have to fight and grow, or you stagnate and become weak. Your Vitae Alliance and your people can't stay hidden any longer . . . or you'll be but dust in the wind when you're finally discovered."

 

[Vulpesen]

"Even still. I cannot trust you. Not until I hold Alex an see for myself that she is fine. If it was your sister, and I stood where you are, do you think you would find this trust any easier? As for sacrificing too much, sometimes I fear I already have Alexandra is my assurance that the galaxy holds good. I live in a nightmare. I'm waiting, depending on that day when I can wake up. I want to open my eyes and see light, not these visions of horror. I suppose that's why we're hidden. Other than Alexandra and our children, two out of three of whom, by the way are gone, the Vitae are the only light I have left. I will not risk them in a fit of rashness. After all, does a father bring his child onto the battlefield?" He slowed his mount as they finally reached the medical center, hopping off soon after that. "The Vitae will grow. We will become strong. And when the time is right, we will strike. I have no intention of hiding forever. Simply long enough to stay alive."

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

"You're definitely wiser than other groups are," she replied, dismounting as well. "I'm not asking you to trust me, but maybe I can win a little of that. You're worried about your daughter, Daella right? She's safe on Widek, which is currently outside of Sith space, and in the care of Balaya and our friend Carliah. She's even under an alias to protect her identity if someone sees her. I promised Alex I would make sure Daella was safe and she's looking forward to seeing you again. At least Alani and Daella are, can't say the same about Zana."

Stopping for a moment as they went to wherever the body for Alex was being checked over, she added, "If my sister was in the same position . . . I would burn the galaxy to get her back, starting with that bloody CEO. But, we shouldn't let ourselves get distracted anymore from what we came to do. Time is of the essence, and we need this body to be working."

 

[Vulpesen]

Both his ears and tail flicked the moment he heard his daughter's name and he turned to face Arcanix. "Then once we're done here, I fully intend to take Daella back home." He made his way through the door of the building while they continued talking. "And if you remembered, I almost burned you for Alex. Once that was done, I'd have captured Balaya, found what she did with Alex, then killed her. Then I'd have burned through the netherworld til I found her." Once he was done, he made his way though the hospital until they reached the clone's room, where a few Zorrens stood by, their scanners already going over the body.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

"So I'm no expert in your species, having just encountered you Zorrens, but I would say the body looks healthy," Taeli said, peering at the scanners and readings. She knew she was intruding on the doctors' space, but she knew what she was doing. She ran enough experiments and medical procedures on Sposia to have a rather solid understanding.

"I think it might have been a specific problem with this clone," she continued, tapping the screen that showed the health of the brain. "Brain looks fine, but is totally empty. Not unheard of for clones, you get one or two in a batch sometimes that just don't develop souls. Something about a disruption to their connection with the Force. Not surprising considering recent events, this clone might have been affected by an early side-effect of Akala and the Netherworld."

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen took a seat next to the body, looking over it. To be honest, it felt strange. Knowing that after they revived Alexandra, this was the body he would hold, and love. And yet, this wasn't Alex. At least not yet. He felt a small tea start to trace down his face, though he quickly dashed it away with his tail. He might never see his old Alex again, but at least she'd be with him, even if in another body. "Is she right?" He looked up to the medical officer who gave an assuring nod.

"The body simply didn't develop a mind. If one were to be placed inside, then then it is likely that it would live as any other." Her words brought a sense of satisfaction and happiness to the leader who slowly stood from his seat. Then get it onto the Vixen, as well as five royal guards. he turned and started to the door while they unhooked the body from the monitors. "I'm coming Alex."


[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

"Next stop would be Csilla then, which is luckily not within Sith controlled territory yet," Taeli said, over the comlink though as she had gone back to her own ship while the fox leader had loaded the body into his ship. She needed to prepare the specific ritual to bring Alex through the portal, and just Alex. "I'm slaving my nav-computer to yours so I won't gain any sort of information on the world's coordinates beyond what I can gather from seeing the stars."

It was going to be interesting, she thought, as she waited for the jump to hyperspace. Going over the runes of the spell, she jotted down the alterations she would need to summon her friend. Time to mount a rescue, oh Corvus would be proud of her for this, she hoped.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen nodded and followed the men to his ship, jumping in as they placed the clone's pod into the cargo hold, however, just before he could reach the cockpit, he felt a familiar weight on his shoulder. "Ace, don't you ever leave me." He took a seat in the cockpit and smileda t his old friend as the ashlan wolf took a seat by the controls. Only a few minutes later,t he group would be on their way to Csilla.
[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Leaning back in her seat, letting soft music cascade over her, Taeli continued to work on the specific runes that would be needed for this particular instance for essence transfer. It was going to be interesting experience, as she had never done this sort of thing exactly. Moving a soul from an object was one thing . . . but bringing a soul back from the Netherworld and into a body, that was something new. True, the soul would be easier to retrieve because of the way Alex had been sent there.

Scratching out a mistake and drawing the rune again, she stopped for a moment to conduct a crescendo with her pen before going back to work. The trip would hopefully not be too long now.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen would spend the rest of the ride, speaking with Ace, the one companion he had at the moment who could, and did openly berate him for his treatment of the sith. Though, such a discussion would be held in the ashlan bond, thereby creating a lack of any verbal words between the two. Once their arguments had ended, the two simply finished the short wait of the hyperspace jump, finding their desired planet under them. Csilla. Here, Vulpesen would be reunited with his fiance. All he had to do was go down there and allow [member="Darth Arcanix"] to use her ritual. He clicked int the comm center. "We're there."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Stretching, Taeli uncoiled herself from her chair, the blanket on her lap sliding onto the floor of her ship and a book falling on top of it. She had finished ritual and had been reading about other examples of what they were about to attempt. She had also written something up to send through the Rift for Alex, to make sure it was her that would be waiting on the other side.

"Okay, to the rift to the Netherworld then, I'll follow you in," she said, moving into her cockpit and settling herself at the controls. This was going to be interesting, she thought, transmitting the clearance codes to land and saying they were a research and observation team for the University of Coruscant. Following his ship down, she could see the small spill over effect from the Rift, but otherwise the area was clear. Perfect.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen nodded and landed the ship to the closest port he could to the rift, and once they were out with the clone's body, he quickly made his way to it, needing absolutely no guidance. For him, every rift burned in his mind, and he could find them even with his eyes closed. "I'll take it that you've made all the necessary preparations?" He clicked a button on the body's tube, causing the screen to glaze over, preventing any prying eyes from seeing what was inside.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"]

"One last thing needs to be done," Taeli said, taking a small knife from her satchel, along with a small brush and bowl. "As with any Sith spell or alchemy, blood is required to achieve the effect we want. I need to paint the runes I memorized with the blood of a Force user, maybe two, so the containment and call fields are able to bring the soul to the body. It's not as simple as the other method, but it's more controllable."

Slicing her hand, wincing a little in pain, she gripped her hand into a fist and allowed droplets of her blood to drip into the bowl, slowly filling it. Passing the knife over to Vulpesen, she began pouring Force energy into the blood as she went, mumbling under her breath the spell to start energizing the blood.

If he added to the blood or not, it didn't matter to her as she dabbed the brush into the liquid and began painting the runes around the clone's tube. It wouldn't take long for her to finish the first circle, but she needed to get inside and place some of the runes on the body itself.

"I need to paint the personal runes for Alex on the body itself," she said, gesturing at the tube. "If you wouldn't mind?"

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen nodded to [member="Darth Arcanix"] as they reached the rift, hitting a button to open the stasis tube. "Go ahead." He took the knife and quickly cut himself with it. Once that was done, he allowed the sith to use his blood however she needed. "Do whatever you must. Just makes sure that she comes back to me."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

"I'll do my best," she said quietly, painting the runes on the body that would draw Alex's soul into her new body. Taking a step back, she placed the brush back in the bowl, all the runes complete. It was time. Taking the small note she had written to Alex, she picked up a rock, tied the note it and threw it through the rift.

"Here we go," she mumbled, unleashing her full power in the dark side into the runes, adding power from her concentration amulet. The runes glowed a brilliant red as their power was unleashed, red tendrils twirling together to form a barrier around the body except for the way top. From there, a large energy stream, powered by the runes painted on the clone body, erupted forth and went into the Rift. Fueling the spell was taking a ton of her energy, but she would not stop until either it worked or failed. She just hoped Alex was on the other side. If the stream caught her soul, it should happen almost instantly that she would be drawn into the body.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen let out a growl and instinctively stepped back from the darkness. He didn't fear it anymore, he'd been too close for that. But even when the pain of fire was not feared, it was still avoided. Work. Bring her back. Let me hold her. In truth, Vulpesen knew that now would come the test. If [member="Darth Arcanix"] failed, he would likely end her. He had promised such. But since their first meeting, he now desperately hoped that she would do as she promised. "Alexandra, come back..."

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"] [member="Vulpesen"]

A moment later, the red energy stream ended and the ritual dissipated. Taeli sagged from exhaustion, but now . . . now was the true test. She hoped it had worked, if not she didn't have the energy to fight the Zorren next to her.

"Come on, wake up," she mumbled, knowing this could take a minute from when she had helped bring Yusan Fenn back from the dead by moving his soul into a . . . very similar body. Weird how that could happen sometimes. "Come on, Alex, wake up."

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Darth Arcanix"] [member="Vulpesen"]

For several long moments the body laid there, nothing happening and its muscles remaining still. For all purposes it looked like it failed until the woman twitched and stirred. Her eyes shifted around the inside of their lids while her body spasmed and tried to understand its limits before it started moving erratically. Its arms twitching, its head lulling back, its body shaking on a heavy level until all movement ceased again and the body groaned, its arms pushing it up into a sitting position as it spoke.

"God that hurt... definitely going to have to repay that schutta a visit once i can..." She looked up as the first thing she saw was Taeli, then Vulpesen, and she blinked. "Well... must say im impressed... you actually did it..." She blinked, nothing really clear in who it was that spoke. Up until her eyes focused on a small white Ashlan wolf that came out from behind Vulpesen that caught the woman's eye. "Ahh, there is the fluffball, good to see that everything turned out ok right..." In a moment, with no hesitation too, Daeda shot forward and while normally he was no thread to something so many times larger than him, alex still didn't understand the new body and Daeda actually knocked her off the table before yelping at her as she hit the ground. "Ok ok, stop it."