Private The Winter God

[Alicio Organa]

And with that, the duel began in earnest.

The Count jumped to his feet, his blade whirling to bat away Rhiannon's half-attempted slashes and jabs, not yet willing to fully commit to the attack. But he didn't give ground, meeting her blade wherever she thrust it, trusting his defenses, his training with Amani, over the footwork he'd relied on in their last duel.

"I mourned you," he said, glancing one of her strikes to the side, finding an appropriate time to counter-attack, and passing it up. "As I mourned you after Tython." Alicio had a deep well of patience. But it was beginning to dry. "But I won't mourn you again. One way or another."

"It isn't too late to put this behind us," the Count offered, even as he sidestepped Dev's heavy swing, which still managed to cut a long thin line down his back, causing him to grunt in pain. He spun around the Sith, to put Ishani between them- he had to take advantage of the Shaal's large form and Rhiannon's wide wings, if he wanted any chance at success.

"Final warning." His stare was freezing, yet serene. A biting, hyperborean winter given physical form.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Rhi watched as Alicio parried her strike, leaving an opening in her defenses—one that he didn’t take. “You’re getting pretty good at this,” she said. Sincere praise, even if it was uttered in a less than friendly tone. “But not good enough.”

"I mourned you. As I mourned you after Tython. But I won't mourn you again. One way or another."

“You won’t kill me again,” she replied, green eyes narrowed. “And I won’t kill you, either. You’re going home, Alicio Organa, even if I have to send you back armless, legless, and on life support. Because I won’t leave two children without a father.” Not his children, at least.

Dev laughed at the Count’s attempt to block him with Rhi's body. “What’s the matter? Is all this not fair, pretty boy?” he taunted, reaching over her head to stab downward at Alicio with his lightsaber. “Too bad your friend can’t come out to play! You look like you could use the help!”

Rhi didn't exactly appreciate him taking advantage of their difference in height, and she was quick to move out of Dev's way. Alicio seemed to be stalling, trying to delay the inevitable. The odds were stacked against him, two to one—he had to know he didn’t stand a chance against them both. Rhi kept fighting with that certainty in mind, her green blade slashing faster and faster as she began to tap into the dark power of the nexus.

Dev and Rhi were like the jaws of a trap, attacking from left and right, above and below, trying to force Alicio into a corner where he would have to choose which attack he blocked at the expense of taking the other hit. The Count could see the future, after all. So would it be better for him to lose this arm, or that hand?

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio had been thinking about this moment since he'd stepped onto the elevator.

The path there, and the path beyond, had been vague, choppy waters that he couldn't navigate, stirred by the Dark Side that clogged the volcano, but this moment had been clear as day. Rhiannon, her speed a near-even match to his foresight. The Shaal, tipping their battle to the favor of the Sith. Twin blades, coming down in unison.

Their betrayal stung, but a sting never hurt as much the second time.

His former friend's words unbalanced him far more than Dev's. Petty, poorly-aimed insults were water off his back, but Ishani's insistence that he would live hurt him in a way he couldn't describe. It proved that there was something still there, some glimmer of friendship, as twisted and unrecognizable as it had become.

It didn't matter, now that their weapons were bearing down upon him. There was no time to dodge. He had to make a choice.

The Count threw his cloak towards the Shaal, obscuring his view and allowing him to sidestep, as Ishani took his hand at the wrist. Introspect clattered to the ground.

It was a momentary flash of pain, but it hadn't hurt as much as Alicio had feared. One might expect him to writhe in pain, but instead, Alicio stood his ground. He attempted to reach past their guards with the Force, now that Dev was blinded, and Rhiannon was likely expecting him to retreat.

They all found their spots within the elevator, and Alicio closed his eyes for a minute, immersing himself in his visions, the tastes of the Force swirling around him.

As each second passed, the seer's face grew darker and darker. He sighed sadly, and opened his eyes.

He'd known it was coming, so he'd had time to prepare. All of a sudden, the room grew dark and frigid, the magma immediately hardening to cold rock.

Alicio gave Ishani that same, sad look from the elevator, before shaking his head. "It's too hot!"

Rime crawled up his clothes, crystalizing across his skin, spiderwebbing where his feet touched the earth, as he made the power he'd been building known. He used the pain of his severed hand to fuel him, his passion for his family, for the people who had saved his life on Zaathru. His remaining hand reached out, clawing the space between them, as he attempted to steal the heat from their bodies.

He wouldn't be able to kill Dev and Ishani without touching them, not that he wanted to. But he could certainly leave them drained and cold.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

The stench of burned flesh hit Rhi’s nose, pungent even in the stifling atmosphere of the volcano. She did expect more of a reaction from Alicio, but she was also prepared for just about anything. After all, it had been years since their last meeting on Empress Teta. She didn’t know what he had learned since then, what he was capable of now that so much had clearly changed.

Dev irritably swept his blade through the fabric of Alicio’s cloak, or if it turned out to be lightsaber-proof, pushed it away with his free hand. Just in time to see the lava freeze over, filling the cavern with clouds of steam.

Alicio, in a bid for victory, was trying to fight the forces of nature itself. The mighty volcano would not be subdued—at least, not for long. Rhi raised a barrier to protect herself, while Dev, laughing maniacally at this strange turn of events, seized Alicio’s severed hand and lightsaber, placing the former in his mouth.

Even Rhi couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at him. Eating parts of your enemy right in front of them? Now, that was cold.

Her attention was drawn away from Dev’s cruelty by a sudden precognition of danger. Behind her, the pile of fallen rocks trembled, then exploded outward as a monstrous figure finally freed itself from the stone.

It was Kai—it had to be Kai, for he felt the same in the Force—but he was virtually unrecognizable to the eyes. The heat had melted him, the rocks had mangled him, the cold had frozen him, and he had further twisted and warped his body into new and grotesque shapes in order to escape from beneath the weight of the fallen debris. The creature which stood before them had utterly shed the trappings of the humanoid form, yet she could still tell that he was absolutely fething furious. The power of the Dark Nexus coursed through him, keeping his body intact and filling him with primordial rage.

Spitting out what was left of Alicio’s chewed hand, Dev turned to face Kai. “Well, well,” he said, activating Introspect. “Look who’s come out to play.”

He pounced on the Sithspawn, but Kai leaped out of the way, landing on all fours between Dev and Rhi. His lightsaber igniting, he fought the Shaal with supernatural skill and ferocity. Within seconds he had shorn Dev’s left horn off with his blade. Kai caught it as it fell and then gored the Shaal through the chest with the horn’s sharpened tip. Dev roared with pain and anger.

It happened so quickly, there was little time for Rhi to react. She faced Alicio, as if to finish their duel, but then looked back at the howling Dev. Watching the Sithspawn pull back his arm to bring the horn down in another savage stab, she rushed to stop him from killing her henchman.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

His preparations hadn't done anything.

Brushing off his attack as if he were nothing more than a slight draft, the Shaal began eating his hand. Alicio didn't quite understand what was happening at first, but once the shock wore off, he nearly retched. He didn't understand why, but it felt deeply perverted. Disrespectful in a way he hadn't thought possible.

He felt a surge of hope when the rocks finally exploded outward, and Kai joined the battle, though his joy quickly turned to something darker as he tasted the flavors of the Force in the air. But he didn't stop the shapeshifter from doing what he had to.

Nor would Alicio stop himself from doing what he had to.

Upon seeing Rhiannon turn away from him, Alicio took the opportunity to call Introspect back to his hand from the grasp of an impaled Dev. He rushed behind Ishani, slashing at her with a newfound rage and desperation, trying to keep her attention as best he could. He wasn't as skilled a duelist with his left hand, but he wasn't holding back anymore, either. He'd meant what he said.

It had been her last chance.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Kai Bamarri]

Rhi managed to grab hold of Kai, prying the rabid Sithspawn off of Dev. But no sooner had she done so, she felt a stab of warning from the Force—too late to defend herself from the blade which slashed through her back.

She fell to the ground, not dead yet but perhaps mortally wounded. Introspect had cut into her spine, paralyzing her.

Freed from her grasp, Kai lunged toward his prey, determined not to be denied the kill. But his claws struck stone, not flesh. Dev had disappeared, fleeing the scene and abandoning Rhi to her fate.

The Sithspawn turned to Alicio. The nexus had inflamed him, but he wasn’t so far gone that he would attack his friend in his rage. Slowly, Kai registered the loss of the Count’s hand, before he glanced over at Rhi’s fallen form.

<There goes our ride off this rock.> It was a bitter observation, practically spat from his mind into Alicio's. But then he beckoned to the Count with a clawed hand, the gesture oddly gentle, even tender. <Come, Your Excellency. Let's get you someplace safe.>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio's reckless slash found purchase, striking down his enemy, and leaving his other to reassess the situation, and flee into the cavern. With the immediate danger pacified, knowing that Kai was finally safe, Alicio felt the adrenaline slowly drain from his body, and the burn of pain in his right arm set in. He grit his teeth through it, grasping his forearm, and turned to his bodyguard.

<Come, Your Excellency. Let's get you someplace safe.>

Alicio stayed still a moment, shaking his head. <We overload the reactors. Then we can talk about safety.> He took a step towards Kai, then paused.

The Count glared down at the rock beneath him, his lips drawing into a severe frown. He'd promised her that it was her last chance. She'd tried to kill Kai, sacrifice innocent people, had betrayed him twice now...

"Shit," the Count swore, turning back around, and lifting the wounded Ishani, draping one of her arms around his shoulder, and supporting her waist with his wounded arm, to carry her. He expected a disapproving glare from the Shapeshifter, perhaps even a word of admonishment, or a knowing, defeated look. To any of them, Alicio would simply set his jaw.

"I won't leave two children without a mother."

- Kai Bamarri -

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<We overload the reactors. Then we can talk about safety.>

Kai looked up and around at the machinery along the rock walls. Some of it appeared to have been damaged during their battle against the hellion, but much of it was still in working order. They’d have to change that.

Built to withstand the intense heat of the volcano, he doubted his lightsaber would be able to cut through it. Instead, he stretched out his hand, electricity arcing from his fingertips as he overloaded the reactors.

The lights flickered and went out. Only the molten glow of the lava, which was rapidly melting the ice, was there to light their way. Kai watched as Alicio picked up Rhi and slung her over his shoulder. There were plenty of things he could’ve said—namely “why are you saving the life of a mass murderer?” but he kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself. Whatever his liege wanted, his liege got.

He was, however, worried about Alicio and the pain he was in. <You can barely stand. Hand her over, I’m carrying both of you out.>

The elevator wasn’t working anymore, after all. The only way out was up.

Kai took Rhi’s unconscious body in one arm, then grabbed hold of Alicio with the other. Using his grappling hook, he lifted them both out of the mouth of the volcano and into the snowy white world of the northern wastes.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Amani Serys]

The Force had led her here.

It had been weeks since her husband and his bodyguard had disappeared. Amani was given nothing but weeks of panic and heartache. Until like a beacon, that sixth sense suddenly switched on, calling to her through lightyears of separation. She wasted no time; Leaving the fatherless twins in the care of the Jedi Temple, and assembling a small response force to join her.

They came in on Amani's ship. The Corellian 1500 broke through the Zaathru atmosphere, engines flaring as it swerved into a hover over the volcano. Then, the exit ramp opened up, revealing the Jedi herself standing over it. She looked tired, and angry. Amani leapt down from her perch, hitting the volcano top with surprisingly soft impact. As the ship then lowered, a team of Senate Commandos and Alderaanian royal guards joined her, ensuring the surrounding area was clear. Slowly, Amani approached the three strandees, her gaze inevitably locking onto Alicio… and his missing hand. Her fist clenched in response, as she then looked to Rhiannon. Then Kai.

She had only one thing she could ask, "...What. Happened." There was no relief in her tone. Only cold, building ire.

Alicio Organa - Kai Bamarri​

 

[Alicio Organa]

It was easy to forget that Kai was, poetically-speaking, lightning trapped in a Sithspawn-shaped bottle.

The shapeshifter efficiently overloaded the machinery in the walls, as Alicio propped his former friend's body against his, as if he were going to carry her all the way out himself. Kai quickly, and correctly, surmised that the Count had no hope of carrying her out- not with the missing hand and slash down his back. "You have to be in more pain than I am," Alicio said, frowning. At least his wounds had been clean, cauterized. Kai's were burns and freezes and blunt-force trauma.

Still, with a slow nod, Alicio relented, letting his bodyguard support both his, and their enemy's, weight, as he slung them out of the volcano. Alicio got to his feet at the top, helping pull Kai up as much as his one hand would let him, before grasping his forearm, a barely-repressed grimace marring his face.

But then, something made him forget his discomfort. A sudden taste of a song in the Force, one Alicio had been longing for, for weeks. He stared up at the sky, spotting a familiar ship. his arms hanging to his sides. "A... Amani," he breathed, not the first time he'd prayed that name into Zaathru's frozen air.

Then, there she was, the answer to his constant prayers, dropping down into the snow. Alicio took a few joyous steps forward, before having to halt, rocking on his heels, the light-headedness of the day, of his injuries, overtaking his need to see her.

"...What. Happened."

Alicio paused, alarmed by Amani's anger, before feeling the weight of guilt. Of course she was mad at him. He'd left her, the kids, alone, with no warning. "I... K-Kai and I were shot down..." The Count passed his sleeve over his eyes, taking a tentative step forward. "I tried calling, but it didn't work, and the locals are isolated from the galaxy, an-..." His breath hitched. "And they were being attacked by Sithspawn, so we stayed, and helped..."

"...And it's so good to see you." Much of his words were a jumbled mess, as his thoughts crowded out of his lips. But those words rang true. "And I'm s-so sorry."

- Kai Bamarri - Amani Serys -

 

[Kai Bamarri]

"You have to be in more pain than I am."

Kai just looked at him. He could have pointed out that he would heal faster and regenerate any lost tissue, whereas Alicio's hand would not be growing back any time soon, but he didn't want to rub salt in the Count's wounds. Nor did he want to draw attention to the fact that much of his miraculous recovery was due to his having fed off the power of the Dark Side Nexus. Instead, he said, <It's my job to look after you.> So let me do my job.

At any rate, Kai hauled them both out of there. Once they were all out in the open, he looked around, trying to get his bearings. They needed to get back to their toteru, if the creatures were even still alive. If not, Kai wouldn't mind carrying them all the way back to the Shaal village. They had to get the hell out of this cold weather before nightfall...

The familiar and yet startling sounds of an approaching starship drew his eyes to the skies. A freighter appeared, first as a tiny bug-sized silhouette on the horizon, before growing until it filled his vision. The ship came to a halt hovering just above them, then landed; its loading ramp extended, and at the top stood none other than the Countess, along with a battalion of soldiers.

It was a truly wonderful sight.

"...What. Happened."

Kai, who had been grinning giddily, raised an eyebrow at the frostiness in her tone, wondering who or what exactly she was mad at. Alicio seemed to think she was angry with him, explaining their misadventure in brief and then slurring an apology. Kai instinctively hooked an arm around him, afraid he would collapse, and propelled the Count up the ramp.

<Do you have somewhere we can lock this homicidal Sith up?> Kai asked, holding up Rhiannon's unconscious body. <Also, could you see to Alicio's wounds, doctor? And get us the hell out of here, please.> He'd had quite enough of Zaathru.

Alicio Organa Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani seemed to hold on to her intensity a little longer, staring at the true culprit behind her pain: Rhiannon Dinn, "There's a brig on board," She answered Kai. This woman had threatened her husband once before. She was quite done with her schemes. And now that Rhiannon was captured— Between threatening the life of an Alliance Senator and Alderaanian royal, on top of everything else she had done— She'd be in a cell the rest of her days.

One of the royal guards approached from behind, "Extraction zone is clear, Your Excellency." Amani acknowledged him with a firm nod, but said nothing else. The ship touched down behind them, then the commandos and guards posted up at the perimeter, as if another threat might just spring out of the ground around them.

Alicio's pleas swept Amani's attention from everything else. It felt like forever since she'd heard his voice, after weeks of silence. There was a part of her that almost wanted to be mad at Alicio. To somehow blame him for getting shot down and leaving her and the kids without him. It was an easy target for her ambivalent storm of emotions. But she felt much more than anger under the surface. Fear and worry, but also longing. And now, even relief. That her husband, the father of her children, was found.

"...And it's so good to see you. And I'm s-so sorry."

Amani stepped forward silently. Stared at Alicio for a few agonizingly long seconds. Then, her lip trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. She suddenly embraced him, nuzzling her head against his shoulder. The tears spilled over her cheeks, and she sniffled. Her voice weak, strained by emotion, "…Please come home..."

Alicio Organa - Kai Bamarri​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Members of the Senate Guard were quick to converge upon an unconscious Rhiannon, swiftly dragging her into the ship. Alicio barely looked at them as they passed, his attention entirely absorbed by the woman staring at him with a stoic, angry expression. But he'd known her long enough to glimpse the emotions storming beneath the surface. The heart-piercing longing that had been wounding him for weeks, he saw in her too.

She stepped forward. He was as still as a statue, save for a quick catch of his breath. Then, she surprised him with a desperate hug. Grunting in pain as Amani's hands passed over the slash on his back, Alicio wrapped his arms around her, his chest heaving from the effort to keep from sobbing.

For the first time, he lamented the loss of his hand; he couldn't hold his wife as close as he needed to.

"…Please come home..."

"Okay," he returned quietly, sagging into her, the fatigue of weeks of hard living, of a two-versus-one battle, hitting him all at once. "...Okay."

- Kai Bamarri - Amani Serys -