Ask Invasion Denon A Macrebre Honoring

[Darth Tiamat]

​

It was almost like sorting through a memory holo, the images and emotions that continued to flood through the woman as she took a step through the hypergate. She had first come to this planet years ago in the Sith Empire's first invasion here through the hypergate, debuting the technological milestone to only be shrugged away; it was regretful, but Tiamat saw her opportunities elsewhere. It was the hypergate that allowed the Sith to once more return to Denon with little resistance; Kaldar had unleased a horde of abominations that cleared any living creature from their existence here. Her boots splashed as she strolled down the street as though she were enjoying a mid-summer's evening, though she was certain it was mid-summer here seasonally and not entirely figuratively. Downside was she was going to have to clean all this matter later off her armor, but she was relieved to have brought her helmet to keep from having to wash out any of the return splash out of her hair.

There were bodies and pieces and other organic matter that painted the streets, the creatures were thorough, completing a job with a singular purpose. She breathed in, expecting the bitterness of polluted air from the city world, but instead, she could smell the blood that saturated her path as she glanced around. The bled crystals in her sabers reveled in the sith glory and it brought a strange and twisted comfort to Tiamat. It had not been long since the dark woman was physically present on this world, working on other projects that would assist them in forcing the galaxy to submit. Surprisingly to the woman, she found it easy to adjust back into the life she had forgone years ago, the dark side as patient as it ever has been welcomed her in full embrace as she returned to work that carried more meaning.

Here in Denon's major city centers, there was a specific area she wished to visit; it was where countless citizens and solider alike were consumed by the Darths of the past. A memorial, a sweet reminder to the Denon people of their history and what would continue to come- not for anything related on destiny, no...

It was simply because...she and the others willed it.

The dark woman stood in silence, listening, feeling, the cries from the restless dead were ever closer as the darkness weakened the walls between reality and the Force. It would be here that she would begin, a twisting and torment of the very lifeforce itself.

 

[Tycho Denarii]

Tycho grit his teeth and wiped the soot from his face with his sleeve as he extinguished his lightsaber and stepped over the body of the Sith abomination that had crashed through before the security doors of the hangar could close all the way, the Ossein Knight's eyes sweeping over toward his ship where a group of panicking civilians were trying to shove their way up the boarding ramp into the battered looking YZ-775. Reaching out with the Force he projected a brief impression of calm toward the newly-made refugees and called out, "One at a time, please, I promise we have room for everyone. You're all going to be fine."

His tone was calming but authoritative, the headless body of the abomination behind him adding some weight to his words, and after a few moments everyone was inside and joining the crowd of other evacuees sitting in rows on the floor of the cargo bay. It was not the first time Tycho had taken part in a mass evacuation and the cargo bay had been modified accordingly; straps ran up and down the floor giving the refugees a stable handhold while some seats with restraints could fold off the wall for those too young or too old to safely hold on.

Turning away Tycho climbed the stairs up into the second deck and the cockpit where L4-R1 was waiting in the copilot seat, engines already primed and ready to go. Taking a moment to catch his breath and re-center himself, the Ossein Knight pulled back on the controls and flicked the ship intercom on as they lifted out of the bloodstained charnel house the spaceport had become and looped around to the west.

"We're gonna take one last circle of this sector to check for any more survivors and then make for a safe port, everybody just hold on tight."

He flicked the intercom off and let L4 take the controls, his breath slowing as he entered a light trance, and reached out with the Force trying to feel for pockets of life hiding among all the pain and horror suffusing the city. The planet had become like a scene out of a horror holofilm and the Force cried out as the abominations ran wild slaughtering all in their path. They were just passing the city center when Tycho let out an agonized gasp, eyes snapping open as he ordered L4 to pull away.

Tycho had taken part in more than a few battles in the course of the conflicts plaguing the galaxy - he'd earned a battlefield knighting on Denon years previous on the same day he lost his Master - and he'd only sensed this kind kind of concentrated malice and darkness once before, as he and his fellow Jedi fled Ajan Kloss. A Sith Lord. Steeling himself the Ossein Knight reached out with the Force again, his senses seeping through the miasma spinning outward from the city center to reach the streets below and suddenly he could feel it. Anger... hatred.... and an overwhelming dread.

A monster wandered the streets of Denon, and the Force itself quaked at its passage.

Grabbing unconsciously for the stuffed tooka sitting on his console, Tycho brushed the fabric with his bare fingers and took a fortifying breath as the echo of another's courage chased away the cold. Tucking the stuffed toy into his bandolier near the junction with his utility belt, Tycho grabbed for his Jedi robes and swung it around his shoulders to drape over his flight suit, fingers brushing the lightsaber hanging at his hip and the grip of the DL-44 at his thigh before checking the strap of the Blastsword and his helmet.

"L4, bring us to a hover over that speeder garage and drop the ramp. Once I'm out, head away from the Sith forces and keep these people safe... if you don't hear from me after an hour, break atmo and head for the rally point." "Captain Tycho, you can't jus-" "Ping all Jedi channels, tell them - tell them that a Sith Lord is approaching the city center, that something dark is rising in the Force and that Knight Denarii is going to try and delay them. Ping my location through the phone and if someone is on the way route their comm to mine." "Your grandfather would string me up by my circuits if I just let you walk off this ship to di-" "Lari Noy," and finally L4 fell silent, photoreceptors blinking slowly as the old protocol droid grappled with the title he'd suddenly been granted. "Pilot's Orders; you keep your passengers safe."

Tycho clapped the droid on the shoulder and made his way back down the stairs and into the cargo bay where the dull caccophony of voices fell silent as all eyes turned to face the Jedi Knight. Bowing his head, he pulled the release on the ramp and walked to the end; robes billowing in the wind, silhouetted by the oily smoke and fires burning below, Tycho gave them one last reassuring smile and then leapt into hell.

-------

If the feeling of dread had been overwhelming from the air it was even worse on the ground, the Force keening with pain and warning as the Darkside wove its poisonous tendrils through the city and began pulling all of the suffering and horror to a single point; like a black hole, absorbing everything - even the Light. Donning his helmet on to try and keep the worst of the smell and smoke away, Tycho unclipped his lightsaber and started drawing the Force to himself, making himself small and beneath notice to the eyes or other senses. After a moment to make sure he could hold that feeling of smallness, the Ossein Knight took off running toward the city center, using the rooftops and walkways to avoid the abominations rampaging below.

'Step one, figure out what I'm facing and what they are up too. Step two... pray. Force be with me.'

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The air was more than a chill, something colder than the simple unmoving of death and lifelessness. Numbing, but knowing, trapping those too weak to even know they just needed to submit. The darkside was life, one free from order, it does at it wills, takes what it needs and the Darth respected every wisp that wrapped around her limbs. She heard the battle all those years ago and could feel herself, the pain that tortured her as she could feel the wounds Emyrc...or at least Raze experienced. She could hear the voices of the Eternal, playing as though it were a reel for a show, the confusion and frustration as she watched Morgan go to his side, and then to Emryc dismissing her at the hospital.

The pain for most would be unbearable, her suffering was her freedom though, an old comfort that was always there, always promised, and Denon would be a part of it.

Tiamat was a conduit for the corrupted power, everyone would know its pain as it threaded itself through the dark woman and into the ground. In the same, the woman pulled from the lifeforce of the planet itself, a creation of a malicious weave, a tapestry forged from power. Her robes whipped around her as she focused, the abominations seeming drawn but also repelled by awe and fear of the dark side that pooled in her presence. Any life that existed wilted, decayed, if any still resided, most souls were quickly devoured, the lucky ones would forever bear mark of Denon's demise. Ships no doubt would have gotten through the fleet, an escape physically for now until the horrors they experience force them to find another way to escape.

However, as the dark ritual continued, there had been a flicker, a small light not too far away that shown and then dimmed. Not in the way of a dying star though, just quieter, unseeming. Her focus shifted, the ritual for the dark nexus slowed in response as she listened, twisting and contorting the tendrils that stretched from her to better understand this feeling. Tiamat's palm rested beside her saber hilt, frozen, just for a moment until she took it in her grasp and stepped forward.

She hated the idea of having further delays.

@Rom

 

[Tycho Denarii]

The keening of the Force grew louder in the back of Tycho's mind the closer he got to the city center; corrosive tendrils of power spinning outward from a central point like a spider's web, weaving through metal, stone, the dead and the damned. All around him Tycho could feel the starbursts of light he'd come to associate with living beings winking out as whatever dark ritual the Sith was conjuring began to feed on the life force of those who'd thought to hide and wait out the storm only to become fuel for the storm itself. His hand squeezed tightly around the hilt of his lightsaber as he moved stealthily along the rooftops and service lifts, using his grappling hook to swing across where the gap was too wide - all of his focus in the Force was on keeping himself hidden and he didn't dare split his attention by calling on it's power for anything else.

He was being hunted.

Moments earlier he'd felt a shift in the Force as the attention of something vast and dark swept over him, the unnatural chill that had settled over the district growing colder and colder as the Sith Lord turned their focus from the ritual to his approach. The Ossein Knight could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up and a durasteel pit settle in his stomach as the eerie silence of the blood-drenched streets broken by the distant sound of un-hurried steps on shattered duracrete. Dropping down to the street below Tycho wound up his grapple line and placed it back on his utility belt as he dropped the attempt at concealment, his bright presence in the Force surging against the darkness pressing in all around him.

He felt it the moment the monster sensed him, the weight of its' malice-filled gaze crashing down ontop of him like an avalanche. Activating the commline between his EZPhone and his ship - at least if he died L4 would be able to get the information of what happened here back to the Council - the Ossein tucked the phone into his outer pocket and took a slow, centering breath before setting off down the street to confront the Sith Lord.

Their paths converged in a small square created by residential apartment towers, the space turned into a community park with benches, a ball court, and a simple fountain; it would have been a little bastion of peace and greenery in the city had it not been for the ravaged corpses and broken duracrete walkways scattered around from the Abominations bloody work. He felt a pang of fear as he looked up at the towers where he could still sense a few starbursts of life concealed within, residents who had locked themselves into their apartments rather than brave the burning streets. Brushing his fingertips against the stuffed tooka again, Tycho flared his presence in the Force just a bit brighter and raised his free hand in a warding gesture as a masked woman in red and black robes entered the square, her slight build a dizzying contrast to the towering presence she possessed in the Force.

The cold turned even more bitter, his breath misting as the dark power she was weaving in the Force began to affect and alter the Material... and in the back of his mind he could hear the wailing of a thousand thousand tortured souls. Lightsaber held unlit but at the ready, Tycho swallowed his fear and called out to her in a voice that was strong, clear... and filled with quite a bit more bravado than he truly felt.

"Hello there! I am Jedi Knight Tycho Denarii... I don't suppose asking you to stop whatever ritual it is you're doing and to turn yourself in would do me any good, would it?"

If nothing else it would be nice to scratch 'Sass a Sith Lord' off of his bucket list before he died.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The sith lord was uncertain if this Jedi were that smart, he was at least a smartass, but she had expected any help, jedi or non-jedi, they would have flee this world. Denon was ready to accept its fate, to be a world that represented death and suffering after all these years. And here was just this one jedi, no others to help him, throwing away his life for what? She would guess clout, it was difficult for her to believe that Jedi were selfless, she had met plenty who were selfish.

She remained unmoving even after he spoke, the ticking of seconds that passed seemed to move even slower as the shadows seemed to twist around them. The darkside pulled itself back to the dark woman, readying itself for the woman's command as she just for a second longer considered letting him flee. However, his opportunity was long gone as a low rumble pulsed beneath their feet. Without further words, Tiamat extended her palm, the energies of the shadow tore through the ground straight toward the Jedi Knight. Concrete and stone cracked and separated as the very ground appeared to opening attempting to swallow the Jedi whole.

The red saber screamed as she ignited it, the hue was a stark contrast to the greys and blacks that filled their surroundings. Her hunt was clearly not over as she continued on to the jedi, saber ready for any counter-offensive he could possibly try.

@Rom

 

[Tycho Denarii]

Tycho cursed under his breath as the duracrete began to rumble beneath his feet as the Sith Lord (Lady?) exerted her power over the world, tendrils of dark energy racing through the ground as she regarded him with the same unnerving silence she'd maintained since entering the blood-soaked square. He skipped to the right and kept going,the pale blue blade of his saber igniting with a muted snap-hiss as he put more space between himself and the small chasm she'd just ripped open trying to send him into the depths of the lower levels.

"You don't have to do this! These people are innocent of whatever pain you cling too, Darth - let them go. Take your abominations and leave Denon in peace," the Ossein Knight made one last plea, adjusting his grip and fell into the opening stance of Niman, saber raised in one hand and the other held open as he breathed through the darkness and called on the Force, ready to react if she should strike out at him with blade or darkness or stone.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat was never certain why Jedi always went for the 'you don't have to do this' speech, they certainly liked to talk a lot, their arguments in convincing her even from a young age never held any weight. For this, she could understand why the Jedi continued to fall flat on their faces. It was to the point to where she wondered if they only said it because they were trying to convince themselves about fighting, an apprehension that gave the dark woman delight, but even if it were the case, the desperate pleas from the Jedi Knight blew over the woman.

She remained silent though, never responding to the Knight as he nimbly avoided being swallowed by Denon itself. His blade finally ignited, the bled crystals in her own blades seemed to acknowledge their distant brethren in the Force, screaming against the flickers of light that pulsed from the life force of the Jedi Knight. Her own steps had paused as though she were considering what he said, but her answer would return, the ground rumbled again like it did earlier, rock, stone and debris shifted under the woman's power. However instead of the ground splitting apart, the Jedi Knight would fell the chill of the dark side hook him suddenly as he would be propelled toward the dark woman and his saber.

Whether or not if he were able to stop himself or free himself of her grasp, the Jedi Knight would still have to contend with the dark woman who continued her hunt, her own saber poised at her hip for an adaptable change in maneuver if needed. If he was pulled close enough, Tiamat lashed out, a violent backhanded swing diagonally from his hip to shoulder in an attempt to bisect him. There was something about a possible Jedi's death that feed into a hunger, a satisfaction of power, perhaps, but the craving was unyielding.

@Rom

 

[Tycho Denarii]

Tycho grit his teeth as the Sith once again regarded him without words, her silence a stark contrast to the keening in the Force as all across the city-world the Sith and their abominations continued to wreak havoc. He made to skip to the side again as the duracrete and metal beneath him started to shudder before the colossal dark power she wielded grabbed and yanked him forward.

He'd known coming into this confrontation that he couldnt hope to beat the Sith Lord in a contest of strength, so like any good spacer he'd decided to cheat; instead of fighting the pull propelling him toward the woman he leapt into it, his left hand punching forward as he twisted and the power he'd been gathering burst forward in a wave of telekinetic power that preceded him, catching the rubble littering the ground and pelting the Sith Lord with chunks of duracrete and viscera; aiming to break the Sith's concentration and distract her from the real attack; his right arm swinging around as he twisted and at the last moment flicking the switch on his saber causing the blade to extend a full three meters of burning blue plasma as he brought the much longer blade around and downward to slash through her torso diagonally from left shoulder to right hip before he would be in range of her own weapon.

Whether his saber attack hit or not he would take advantage of the lapse in concentration it and the flood of rubble would cause to try to escape her pull and skip to the side, keeping space between them as he brushed his thumb over the switch to return his blade to its standard length.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

At least he had stopped talking at this point... Tiamat was not interested in listening to his pleas, though she would give him partial credit for being a crafty Jedi. Instead of resisting the dark woman's pull, he went along with it, propelling himself in her direction as he shoveled any obstacles he could gather to project at the sith lord. It was enough to get the woman to refocus her attention on the new danger and eliminating her earlier chances of bisecting the Jedi in what she hoped to do rather quickly. However, Tiamat did enjoy playing with her food at times.

She extended her palms, the energies of the darkside shimmered in a cushion that would protect her from being rained on by the debris. The glint of the blue plasma was a deep contrast to what came toward her, and uncertain of what the Jedi had planned, the woman needed quick distance as she relied on her instincts. With a yell, the shield she created expanded and accelerated outward, a pulse (along with the debris) would send the jedi backwards as he attempted his own bisect of the sith woman. Even if he was able to get close enough, the power from the dark woman's projection would have shielded her from him. She watched as the extra-extended blade retracted, the jedi giving up his trick so early in the game or perhaps he knew he didn't have too much longer. Regardless, the woman went back to battle ready, her saber poised once more in any advancing efforts to further interrupt her work.

As he hopped away (or ejected really), he would feel the cold grasp of the woman around his body wherever he managed to land. In his best efforts to avoid her grasp, his own concentration would be challenged as he would feel the chill of shadows seeping into his mind. A double pronged offense to either turn his entire physical body into mush or just his brains. Regardless, the pain was beyond ordinary pain as it carried through his mind as she looked to scoop out the memories contained in the deepest recesses of his mind. An agonizing ordeal if left ignored and one that Tiamat would no doubt enjoy greatly.

@Rom

 

[Tycho Denarii]

Tycho bit back a curse as he was flung away, the shield she'd created detonating like a small bomb and sent him skidding across the ground. Rolling with the impact he righted himself and stabbed his lightsaber into the ground beneath him to arrest his momentum and rose back up onto his feet only to feel tendrils of her dark power lashing out like a whip to ensnare his body and mind. It felt like a cold shard of glass was digging into his brain, her dark will pouring into him and trying to root through his darkest fears and memories.

She would catch glimpses of the wars he'd fought, the death of his master on these very streets, and an overwhelming sense of doubt; about himself, his role as a Jedi... and even the Will of the Force itself. Gritting his teeth the Ossein Knight struggled against the ironclad grip she had on his mind, his mind casting about for any escape against the oppressive hate and fear the Sith's mind was bringing to bear... and then he realized the mental probe could flow both ways.

Gripping the stuffed tooka tucked into his belt with his bare hand, Tycho gasped as the psychometric echoes of generations of children's joy and light and happiness and love - emotions anathema to the Dark power she wielded - crashed over him and with a grunt of effort were shunted down the tendrils she'd tried to burrow into his mind like a tidal wave, crashing into her mind and overwhelming her with powerful echoes and memories. The Jedi pushed out around him with the Force, taking advantage of the lapse in concentration to break free from her telekinetic hold, and sprinted forward with his lightsaber thrusting forward as he hit the switch to try and spear through the woman's chest with the extended blade.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The memories that had surfaced in his mind were tainted by the corruption the dark woman held in her power; emotional pain would have manifested into physical pain, a suffering in which he held no power, a suffering of his own will, only exacerbated by her alignment with something darker. She did have to give him credit for effort, a Jedi who was relentless in a way that he didn't crumble to his feet on the first slap. Honorable, foolish perhaps, or maybe she should just slap him harder, though come after his push back.

Even with decades of mental reinforcement and shielding and even the protection and mastery of Force of Will, there was a sudden Light that flowed with the memories that he held, joyous, loving, care and safety that burned and forcing the dark woman to immediately withdraw from his mind as she contended with the ringing and burning, as her physical vision mildly doubled before her as she gritted her teeth, pulling on the darkside's hunger for her own pain. The grasp would falter just enough to allow him to break free and the Knight snapped to another sprint to get in close with his ignited lightsaber. Though she would only allow him to touch her if she permitted it and that saber for now would not touch her, ever.

As a jedi knight, he would certainly feel the unyielding gut feeling before it was answered with the sudden pain of her next attack. Tycho's sprint would put him in an precarious situation, he was committed to his attack, and now he had to face a terribly unhappy Sith Lord. With a yell from the woman, the power behind her telekinetic pulse would collide with Tycho as though he just ran full-force, head-on into a moving speeder. If he was unable to defend effectively, he would begin to feel bones crack, possibly even break as he was thrown into the debris and decay quite some distance from the dark woman. Though if he were somehow able to maneuver around it, Tiamat was prepared, her saber ready to defend his recovery and offensive, she could feel something hot drip from her nose beneath her mask.

However, she prayed that he understood her response, she was not leaving, and Denon was going to fulfill its fate. Perhaps he would take his own advice, and leave while he still can.

@Rom

 

[Tycho Denarii]

Tycho felt a moment of elation as he broke free from the Sith Lord's grasp, the pain in his body dulled beneath the surge of adrenaline as he saw her falter for the briefest moment. His hand squeezed tightly around the hilt of his saber, eyes narrowed and teeth grit against the creaking pain in his bones with every step as he rushed to capitalize on her distraction; gaze fixed on the blazing blue point of his extended saber as he thrust it forward to bury in the monster's vulnerable chest.

'I can do this! I can save this world, these people; the Force is with me!'

Too quickly to stop himself or adjust his course he saw her stance straighten, felt the venomous hate of her gaze pin him in place like an insect behind glass as the Force screamed a warning through his battered mind. The pulse of telekinetic power hit him like an airspeeder, and he had the briefest sensation of something in his chest snapping like a twig as his body cannoned backwards through the silent fountain and skipped like a stone across the cracked duracrete until he slammed into the wall of the apartment complex. His vision went black on impact, pain overwhelming everything as he gasped for air and tried to breath through the weight pressing down on his chest while his right arm hung limp and useless at his side. His lightsaber sparked beside him, the emitter crushed like a tin and the mask of his helmet was shattered, allowing her to see his face creased in pain as he coughed, blood running down his chin and from the cut where his visor had cut across his forehead.

"L4," he wheezed, his left hand groping blindly for his DL-44 as he slumped to the ground with his back pressed into the crater his body made in the wall to keep him upright. "I'm in trouble, pal... tell them I failed. Get out of here... take those people to safety." His fingers closed around the grip of his pistol and pulled it into his lap hidden from sight by his battered robes as he set his gaze on the Sith Lord standing across the square and flicked the safety from stun to lethal, waiting to see if she would get close. "May the Force be with you."

-------------------

Across the district perched on a rooftop landing platform a battered looking YZ-775's engines flared to life and came about, flying toward the residential district following the ping on its Pilot's comm.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It was a little too close for comfort, but her pulse made impact, throwing back the Jedi like a projectile. She was certain upon impact she heard and audible crack from no doubt something breaking within the troublesome Knight. All was silent except for the debris resettling from the blast and Tiamat stood as silently as she was permitted as she gritted her teeth, breaths short and shallow as she slowed the beats of her heart that pounded all the way through her head. The woman slowly stood up straight, extinguishing her saber, but keeping it at the ready in case the Jedi wanted death. Her eyes narrowed behind her mask, thoughts turning as she weighed her options.

The heavy breaths of the exalted grew louder as they crawled back to their mistress, the woman could feel their hunger, a jedi would be more than satisfactory to satiate them. "Go, find him." she permitted, watching as several took off for the direction of the Jedi Knight. Tiamat stepped backwards, a path clearing for her to return to the ritual. She was determined to see this world submit, to finally give it an eternal peace that it has so longed for all this time.

The darkness flowed through the woman as she recentered her focus on Denon, the ground cracking beneath her feet and veined outward. The Force twisted and bent under her will; it pleaded along with the thousands of souls who perished for her to stop. But Tiamat saw herself as merciful, and a slumber would engulf this world into eternity.

@Rom

 

[Tycho Denarii]

The howling of the Sith abominations filled the air as the Sith Lord walked away from the square, looking as unruffled as she had before his desperate and futile defense. Breathing through clenched teeth Tycho blinked away the blood and tears of pain and frustration streaming down his face and lifted the DL-44, hand steady despite the agony wracking his body. The first abomination crested the pile of rubble and let out an excited screech before a blaster bolt caught it full in the mouth, the body flying back without even a whimper like a puppet with cut strings. Still, the sound of the shot alerted the rest and the Ossein knight could hear the slathering monsters surging closer.

His arm swept back and forth; some shots flying wide but making the creatures duck at the bright flash and sharp crack while other's landed center-mass or in the head, slowing their progress as the pack moved in for the kill. Despite the gnawing sense of failure at his approaching death, the Jedi felt a measure of calm acceptance. While he couldn't claim that his doubts about living as a true Jedi had been resolved... he felt some measure of peace at being able to die like one. He coughed, tasting copper on his tongue, and spoke the words he'd tried to live by softly under his breath as the screeching of the Exalted reached a fever-pitch and the whine of his blaster grew louder as the pistol began to near the end of it's power pack.

"Emotion... yet Peace." A shot caught one of the Exalted mid-leap, the body crashing down with jaws still snapping just out of reach of his boots.

"Ignorance... yet Knowledge." One of the abominations came from the side, it's claws wracking across his broken right arm and making his vision go white for a second even as he swung the pistol across his body and pulled the trigger twice, sending the creature pitching backwards.

"Passion... yet Serenity." The blaster whined as it overheated, the barrel venting heat enough to scald his fingers as Tycho put a final shot into one of the creatures before dropping the spent pistol at his side.

"Chaos... yet Harmony." He grinned at a pair of creature rushing toward him, teeth stained red with blood as he lifted his empty hand and sent chunks of duracrete crashing into their side, pinning them beneath the rubble.

"Death..." His hand fell to his side, his energy utterly spent, and Tycho let out a slow breath as he lifted his eyes toward the shrouded stars above and waited for the end. "Yet, the For-"

The sound of familiar engines roaring through the air cut through the howls of the abominations as lances of red fire impacted in a sweeping arc in front of the wounded Jedi, killing those hit and driving the rest back as The Lucky Convor wheeled overhead with it's underslung repeater firing. The ramp opened with a hiss and a warbling cry of Droidspeak as Bato floated out of the ship with his heavy-lifting mag-crane and a harness swinging beneath him. The BA-10 chirped reproachfully as it circled Tycho, scooping his damaged lightsaber up in one manipulator arm as Tycho struggled into the harness with his shattered clavicle. The repeater whined beneath the front of the ship as it hovered in place, the stream of laserfire forcing the Sith abominations back and with a loud pop and a whine Bato lifted off, it's repulsorlift straining to carry Tycho up to the waiting arms of some of the refugees he had rescued earlier.

The ship shuddered beneath him as he collapsed in the hallway, his shoulder and arm throbbing as his vision swam from the pain and the sudden surge of darkness below as the Sith Lord renewed her unholy ritual. Patting Bato atop his domed head, Tycho slumped againsts the wall as the engines roared and the ship made for orbit; chased by dark tendrils that sought to claim the living before they could escape. The Force screamed as the Darkside sunk it's roots deep into the planet, and Tycho's last thought as he fell unconscious rang with a hint of warning and prophecy.

'Death, yet the Force... but there are so very many things worse than Death lurking where the shadows sleep.'

/exit @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The Force wailed around her, a power that felt greater than old, it was ancient and she could hear the echoes of the chants made by sith of the past. She could hear the ancient languages of those who once resided in the mask of the eternal, their spirits still connected with her, and yet so far they felt. The despair and regret that crippled the jedi only fed into her dark spell, even as the ship that came to save him would struggle against the old power of the darkside. The dark woman didn't stop him from his escape, there was something more satisfying to know his failure here today.

And so the ritual continued, her palms ran up her chest and neck, fingers fanned out as she spoke her verse. Beneath her gloves and mask, the decaying and corrupting power of the darkside siphoned energy from the woman, blackened viens, eyes crimson and gold as she continued the ritual. She could hear the tormented souls, the ones that pleaded, the threats they made before giving in to the eternal suffering they had been gifted. The Force twisted and frayed like a worn cord as she grasped tighter, her own willfulness demanded obedience, and just like the rest of the galaxy, even worlds and stars will either submit or suffer annihilation.

The beasts that surrounded her even cowered and bowed to the power she held, she took on their pain, their anguish, it was her's to use as she willed. Denon protested, it used what it could, the natural order of the tenderness and caring, acceptance and willingness; it fought against the dark woman and though the tactics were all too familiar, it would be a battle of wills. Time could not be measured as she went against the natural order of the galaxy, chaos was no doubt one of her greatest strengths, chaos was here before order, before celestial laws to give rise to their galaxy today. However, Tiamat believed this be the balance the galaxy needed, and with a long inhale, she let out a bellow, the ground trembled and she nearly lost balance herself as she quickly regained footing.

Her fingers closed and she withdrew her palms to her sides, she had given pulse to a nexus, a quiet and yet sinister heartbeat of the shadow. It was a start, nearly infantile in its existence, but she had no doubt that it would quickly become stronger, more sinister before the return of their dark father.

/END THREAD