A Return to Normalcy

[Dmitri]

Geist Weiss had taken care of Cane Es Cade. Now he needed to deal with the empress, Cake Es Cade. She had proven illusive. However, not even she could escape the Sith's watchful eye. She was spotted down near the foyer with some Jedi. Unfortunately, the men sent to retriever had been killed. Still, there were reports of some Jedi heading outside.

The alchemist had sent Lain on ahead to find any stragglers of the Cinnagaran Royal Guard. He decided after a little while to join the search personally. Accompanied by a Sechzehnzwei and some Sinners, he left the comfort of the throne room. To his surprise, he found his target, but not the one for this operation. Rather, he found Della Frey instead. Or so the Sinners reported.

Geist ordered the Sinners to subdue Frey while he ventured to where they reported finding her. As he arrived, he spotted Della desperately fighting off the Sinners. She was doing decently considering the circumstances, but it was obvious that she wouldn't win. Three Sinners pinned Della to the ground with the Force as the illusionist came into view.

"Welcome to my home, Della Frey," greeted Geist Weiss.

 

[TweedPawn]

She was held against the ground. Her legs were powerful enough to make the effort of immobilizing her a considerable challenge. She dug her nails into the ground and gritted her teeth. She yelped as a sinner finally grabbed her by the nape of her neck and painfully held her. It took three of them to hold her down. Della at that moment couldn't even appreciate how far along she had come. Even under the pain she was in, she struggled against her captors.

"Some way to return home. ARGH!"She yelped as her arm was pulled uncomfortably behind her back. She snorted aggressively. Then fear began to sink in. Her heart pounded. The reality of her situation dawned on her and she had to fight her panic. The sith were on Teta, and Della had been unable to reach Daiyu and Erica except with a telepathic warning. She had to make sure they were safe. She had to see for herself that they left Teta safely. Suddenly, Sacul didn't seem as important as their lives. Her own life wasn't as important as theirs.

But she wouldn't give up. She still had incredible will to live and escape. She looked up at Geist. Her eyes burned with defiance just like when they were in the Chiss, just like when she was first taken and had yet to face suffering from Eber and Reich.

"Is this Order, Geist? People are dying here! You think your sith share your opinions on peace and order? They're going to murder children Geist!" she gave another cry of pain as she attempted to push back against the sinners using the Force. They loosen their own grip, but quickly repinned Della again. This time they were more forceful.

"You're as misguided as you were when we first communicated. You do not seek peace, but profit. Be it for your personal wealth or your art. So I hope you're happy. Your order and stability is leading to the murder of the innocent. What good have you brought? You ruined the lives of these people, you ruined the lives of my people and you have nearly destroyed my life."

 

[Dmitri]

Few people could genuinely tick Geist off. There were those who could make him fearful. Or irritated. Or annoyed. But few managed to get under his skin like Della could. Originally, he had planned to let Della live a free live. However, some conditioning was in order.

"I see you have the same rebellious tongue as your mother," said Geist. "We had a lovely conversation after I saw you in Chiss Space. Shame about her face." It was a lie, but one he hoped to invoke anger from Della.

"You say the innocent die? People die everyday. Criminals kill. Soldiers kill. The unorderly kill. Boundaries cause conflict, which nurture conditions for death. It's only with single unified order can peace be established. Sometimes a few need to be sacrificed for the many. Not ideal, but sometimes a necessity. You say I'm for personal gain? I guess it could appear that way. After all, I now control Empress Teta. House Es Cade is no longer in power. However, emperorship of Empress Teta is not my goals, but a means to help my goal.

"Your people are not exempt from the ways of the universe, Della Frey. Order must be established. I thought you could understand that, to repent for removing you from your home by being able to experience the new order that shall arrive in this galaxy. However, you leave me with no other option. You would rather be defiant, a thorn to stability. Congratulations, Della Frey. You're going home." With a snap of his fingers, the Sinners pulled Della up on legs, practically dragging her a little closer to Geist. He addressed the nearest Sinner. "#62, please escort Della Frey to Black Noise." The Black Noise that Geist Weiss had gained authority over when he had assigned it to join the attack on HOMEFRONT at Seoul V. His authority over the starship had never been revoked. Originally he had planned to use it to transport prisoners to Pharos, but he decided plans would change. He could always house prisoners here until Black Noise returned. "And contact Eber. Have him prep my laboratory. When I get there, I'll be working on changing her mind." It wasn't too hard to figure out who he was referring too.

Geist then turned to Della Frey. "When you wake up, you'll be on Sacul again. You'll feel good as new, because you will be. You'll be an entirely new person." With his last comment, he touched Della's mind, persuading it to shut down into sleep. If left alone, it would be half a day before she woke up. The only way to remove the trance was to use the Force to break it. Not like anyone would be able to do so.

Geist called in for a shuttle to escort Della Frey to Black Noise. He waited until the ship arrived and the Snamreg was loaded on before leaving. During his wait he radioed Laine to see if there was any progress in locating Empress Cake Es Cade. There had been none.

You managed to smite me one more time, Della, thought Geist. You managed to make me lose Cake's trail.

 

[TweedPawn]

Della's panic finally kicked in.

"Stay away from her!" Della screamed. She struggled to get loose again, this time biting and clawing at the Sinners as well as trying to push them away from her using the Force. The Force was being used, but it didn't seem to work as the Sinners dragged her to Geist.

She was savage in her panic, a feral animal. She had to escape, her desperation told her. Something painful erupted from her fingertips, but she was too blinded by her fear to understand that she had sparked electricity.

She wouldn't have time to realize she did. She was suddenly in a terrifying, black slumber.

-----

Erica felt many things. One was that the man she now encountered with Daiyu was peaceful. She blinked. Could it be?

"Are you Fyston? Della said she'd meet us here. She said you would be here." She seemed more frightened now. Painfully aware that Della was not where she was supposed to be. The young imperial scooted closer to Daiyu, standing behind him as if he was a wall that could protect her.

The other thing she felt was dread. Something happened to Della. She was certain of it. Erica feared the worst.

"She was supposed to meet us here." she said, hoping that somehow repeating herself would make her feel better. This was bad. Della had never been late. She was the fastest. But what could possibly stop the fastest Jedi?

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Whoa, whoa, slow down pal." Daiyu slightly lowered his rifle and offered the man a thin smile. "My Huttese is a little rusty. I hope basic is alright by you." If his voice reminded Fyston of Delun, it was for good reason - the soft depth of the feline's tone was nearly identical to the other Kushari, and so too were Daiyu's facial features. Stripe for stripe and claw for claw he was identical to Delun. Perhaps the only significant difference was his youth, which had left him an inch shorter than the older Kushari.

He bent his knee and set his pulse rifle in the grass. "My name is Daiyu Alda." He tilted his ears towards Fyston as he set down his bag and tugged it open. Daiyu dug out his armor and began to don it rather quickly. He was running around with a rifle, the new guy was running around with a rifle, gunfire was in the distance; he didn't want to be caught in his fur and a button-down when he could put Kushari steel and ceramic between himself and whoever or whatever was out there.

Erica had piped up while he was donning his 'Templar' armor. Boots and legs first; the feline was glad the designers had seen the need to rapidly don the suit and had designed the internal vacuum suit to separate into individual sections! He'd just gotten his greaves and boots on when the girl dropped the fellow's name - Fyston. She mumbled something about Della, which Daiyu missed as he was busily stuffing his torso armor on over himself. He finished donning his armor in a matter of seconds and sealed his helmet.

"Fyston huh?" The cat's voice was distorted slightly by the helmet's speakers - necessary to overcome the suit's environmental seals. "We were told to meet Della here," he paused to glance around, and to gently pat Erica's shoulder to reassure her, "But I haven't seen hide nor hair of her since she caused the refresher to self-destruct this morning. Have you run into her at all, mate?"

He rose back to his full height and scooped up his rifle. The cat began lining his armor's magazine pouches with ammunition for his rifle, and stuffed his sidearm - an M88 automag - into a chest holster. After placing several magazines for his pistol on his chest, he sealed the duffel back up and slung it over his shoulder. The feline breathed a little easier now that he was armed and protected; at least the gear would make up for his military experience. Or, rather, what he perceived to be inexperience - he simply hadn't unlocked his potential. Not yet, at least.

 

[Fyston]

As soon as he realized that the girl was Erica and the feline was a Kushari, he breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his rifle, returning the Kushari's smile with a simple nod. "Basic's great, Del... Daiyu." Fyston felt slightly awkward at slipping up with the name and wondered if it was a result of the similarities between Delun and Daiyu or if his memory was failing him. He hadn't had any blank spots, so it was most likely the first one, though he'd have to do some tests later. Regardless, he was about to introduce himself when Erica spoke up. He allowed her to finish, softening his face and giving her a reassuring smile and waited for the now-armored Daiyu to finish. While he waited, Sam padded up beside him, his orange scales covered with mud and muck. The Akk pup's happy demeanor meant only one thing: that he had evaded and succeeded against anyone who had been trailing them.

"Aye, my name's Fyston Sutsgy and this is Sam. Jedi Knight, doctor, soldier, pilot, the list goes on. To answer your question, I was just with her. I sent her to the Temple when the Sith fleet arrived, hoping to get everyone out before things went wrong. I was on my way to find her because she's late. That you two are here and she is not is a bad omen, indeed." It was then that he heard a scream from the palace grounds. His head instantly turned to the sound of the noise, though something, maybe the Force or maybe fear, told him that it was Della. "Let's go," he said quickly, sliding down the rock and shouldering his rifle as he half-walked, half-ran, his feet silently making the transition from grass and dirt to marble. He moved toward a nearby building and pushed his back against the wall as he neared the door, Sam dutifully watching their rear and preventing anyone from flanking them.

Waiting for the Kushari to get into position, he opened the door with one hand, aiming his rifle with the other. In typical MOUT fashion, he quickly cleared the first segments of the room, making sure not to open the door too quickly. As he entered the room, making sure to cover himself with his rifle. Who was inside the room was not what he imagined, however. They were not Sith troopers or Sith, but rather an elegantly clad woman and a few others that Fyston didn't recognize. The Es Cade palace! This must be the Empress, he thought, lowering his rifle for what seemed to be the tenth time. "Empress," he said lowly, hoping not to give their position away. "The way from which we came is clear. The forests are iffy but your escorts should be more than enough. May the Force be with you," he finished with a nod, respectfully moving past them and ducking under a window. He motioned to Daiyu and Erica to get down and peered up for just a second as he heard the ever-familiar noise of a ship landing.

What he saw surprised him. Della scooped up by two unknowns and watched by a man with a silver helmet encompassing his entire head. He didn't know who it was, but he could feel the darkness emanating from the area. He knew that they would have to get into the courtyard, though without knowing how many were inside the ship and without knowing how strong the beings in the courtyard were, he would have to wait until they left. We will wait until they leave, he said mentally, telepathically communicating with both Daiyu and Erica.

Using the Force to keep an eye on the courtyard, the group didn't have long to wait as the silver-helmeted man left right after Della was taken aboard. Now they had to infiltrate that ship, though it brought the question as to how many were aboard. Della was taken aboard, he said to Daiyu, trying to prevent Erica from freaking out. We have to go aboard and I doubt the ship will be onworld for long. Let's go.

Without warning, he stood and leapt out of the window, bending his knees as he landed to help disperse the impact. Considering it was only the first floor, it wasn't painful at all. He kept his rifle aimed but did the same tactical run that he had done earlier, sweeping it forward to each side to make sure that nobody could surprise him. When he got to the ramp of the shuttle, he didn't hesitate before walking aboard, only hoping that Daiyu would help him free Della before the ship took off.

 

[TweedPawn]

62 said nothing and dragged the unconscious Della by her arms with another Sinner in tow. The ship known as Black Noise had been used for prisoner transport many times. It could easily hold more test subjects, but Geist was clear in his directions. Whatever this female was to the Sith, she warranted the ire of one who wanted swift action.

62 couldn't blame Geist. This girl shattered bones just from a kick and seemed to know the Illusionist a little too well. Power and information was a dangerous combination. The best way to deal with it was to remove either part of the combination. It was inferred that Geist was removing the information part.

The girl was bleeding from her fingertips, but the damage was minor. Worst case scenario was scarring. Little effort was made to stop the bleeding; it would heal on its own. However, extra care was made to insure that when the girl woke up during transit that she would be little threat. The prison ship had transported Force sensitives. There was the usual observation cell. It often served as an improvised experimentation room. There was also chemicals that could be released into the cell's oxygen to subdue a rowdy prisoner, and a electrical discharge that was used to dissuade a clever force user from trying to manipulate the cell to escape. It was good enough to use against the Imperial Knights.

The girl was brought into one such room. 62 went ahead and cuffed her hands together. No need to take chances. Several objects were removed and placed into a box for later use. The girl's lightsaber, which seemed to attempt to burn 62's hands. It had seemed like a living creature trying to defend itself against the darkside. Interesting. Geist would have fun trying to solve that mystery. There was also a silver box with a padawan braid. There were also strange feathers, bracelets, other trinkets. They seemed worthless to 62, but he was willing to bet that they would serve as a test for the girl's memory later on.

62 then started the procedures to ready the ship for take off. His turned on his comlink.
"16. We're taking off. Are you ready?"

 

[Jiang Winters]

The Kushari hesitated for a brief moment after Fyston burst out through the window. "Erica," he said hurriedly, "I'm going to get Della. Keep your head down."

He could only hope that she'd respect his words and stay out of danger, but he had no way of guaranteeing that she would. Rather than wait around for her to argue with him, he took several steps away from the window, then ran headlong at it. Daiyu flung himself out of the structure at a dead run, and he hurtled on a good little ways before falling to terra firma. He tilted forward to land on his shoulder, and transformed his fall into a roll that allowed him to kick off and sprint towards the vessel. It was almost easy. Kushari had developed on a two-G world, and he spent as much time as he could in similarly 'heavy' environments. A dash on a world with half that gravity wouldn't even steal a fraction of his breath.

Daiyu's fingers tightened around the pulse cannon fitted to the underside of the weapon. The pressure activated the underslung cannon's melee mode, causing a paper-thin blade of crackling blue energy to project a good sixteen and a half centimeters from the weapon's muzzle. It was similar in appearance to conventional bayonets, and did not obstruct the firing of the rifle or the cannon - a pull on the cannon's trigger would simply cause the bayonet to flicker out of existence just long enough for a bolt to be fired. Most importantly, though, the plasma bayonet would give its wielder a fighting chance in close-quarters.

He caught up to Fyston shortly before they reached the ship, and stood at the ramp alongside the male. He instinctively swept their rear at gunpoint as Fy boarded - why he did so he didn't know. It felt right. It was instinctive. The feline felt his entire body loosen and relax, his heart rate slowing as he calmed. Something wasn't right. He felt as if he were in his element, as if he knew exactly what to do and when to do it, yet he had no formal combat training. It was instinctive, hard-wired, unnatural.

Daiyu gritted his teeth and shoved the thought from his mind. There'd be time to decipher his feelings and find out why he'd been built to fight. For now, he had to save Della.

The young Kushari turned and followed Fyston up into the belly of the ship. He murmured a command, which activated his helmet's built-in infrared optics and toggled them to display heat sources as white. Once satisfied that the system was functioning, he deactivated it and settled into step behind Fy. His finger never left the trigger, even though his head was on a swivel; he checked every corner, every divot in the ceiling; if something so much as twitched and it wasn't Della Frey, he was going to make it real dead real quick.

 

[Fyston]

He could feel Della's presence. It was subdued, and he guessed that she was unconscious. Otherwise, she'd have tried to escape already. She was in the rear of the ship and Fyston made one last sweep of what was about to become their rear before turning towards Della's presence, his rifle raised and his finger prepped to fire three rounds into anything that dared threaten them. When it came to Della, Fyston took no chances and gave no quarter. While he didn't want to start a fight, particularly not with a Sith fleet in orbit and an unknown number of Sith in the nearby area, Fyston had no qualms with putting a 12.7mm bullet into anybody that stood in his way. All he wanted to do was get in and out, hopefully before Erica got into any trouble.

He came up to an intersection, though his senses gave him the all clear. He felt only Della in this portion of the ship, though that didn't stop him from moving cautiously and checking his corners before he moved, as well as covering Daiyu at corners, intersections, and the like. It took them little time to get to the brig area and Fyston made note of his surroundings, such as the observation room and the number of cells. They were bare, with some boxes and a chair inside but little else. He identified a large access panel at the end of the hallway as he began his way down, the type that was barely large enough for a guy Fyston's size to fit. As he swept the room, however, he spotted Della in one of the first cells on the left and a storage closet right beside her cell. He didn't know the door code but was going to cut through it when he felt the ever-familiar shudder of a ship taking off. He looked at Daiyu briefly, as if confirming what had just happened, and noticed a small form just behind him. Erica followed very closely by Sam.

The Knight swore mentally and shook his head lightly. What had been a simple, if high-risk, rescue mission was now something that rhymed with dusterbuck. Who knew where the shuttle was going? They couldn't exactly take it over, either, as there was a Sith fleet above the planet and they could, and would, blow them out of the sky if they felt something was wrong. They would be in it for the long haul. The only good thing was that Erica was with them rather than stranded on Empress Teta.

It wasn't long before Fyston felt a dark cloud beginning to head their way. They had two minutes at most. He looked down at the access panel and frowned, his mind rushing to make some form of decision. He focused on the panel and, tapping into the rushing river of Force energy flowing through him, began causing it to rattle. The screws and bolts attaching it to the wall began to shake, coming apart from the wall after a few seconds. "Get in, get in," he whispered hurriedly. "Erica, you go and make sure to hold the panel. Sam will go first."

As he finished, the Akk dog pranced over to the new hole in the wall and squeezed inside the opening. Meanwhile, Fyston motioned to Daiyu and rushed over to the storage closet, opening it as he arrived. What was inside shocked him: there were torture supplies simply sitting out and Fyston knew what'd happen if they decided to take Della for torturing while they were hiding. Without a thought, however, Fyston ducked inside and waited for Daiyu before closing it. "We'll have to wait it out here," he whispered, secretly wishing he had found a more suitable place for them to hide.

___________________________________________________________​

When Geist said he needed his help, he didn't say that 16 would be there for 'encouragement' and not actual action. They were on Tython, the home of the Jedi Order. That he did not get to kill and consume Jedi angered and frustrated him deeply. Nor did he say that he would be working with those... imposters. They looked like him but they weren't him. They were cheap copies and, as such, they couldn't perform as well as he in any situation. He couldn't remedy the situation by terminating the fakes, however, due to Geist's strict orders not to touch them. He remembered the torture he went through for 23 years and, now that he was free, 16 hoped to avoid further "corrective action."

While 62 loaded the girl, 16 was busy thinking of ways in which to dispose of the imposters without alerting Geist. There could always be an accident or an airlock malfunction or, for that matter, a training incident. It didn't matter to 16 so long as the copies ended up dead. To make it harder on him, one walked in and began looking for something, though for what, 16 didn't know. You are not me, he thought angrily. You do not deserve the opportunity to wield power as I do, nor the opportunity to exist. Your days are numbered. 16 felt rage grow inside him and knew that it was palpable in the air, able to be sensed by all with an affinity to the Force.

The only thing that broke his concentration on rage was when 62 commed him. Yes, I'm ready, he said directly into the being's mind. Let us get out of here. Send someone to make sure the girl hasn't escaped. I've heard many stories of her escaping; all from Geist.

 

[TweedPawn]

"confirmed." said 62. He motioned for the other crewmember to check up on the prisoner. The Sinner, known as 27, merely stood and walked to the observation area. 27 looked at the still unconscious girl. She seemed incapable of waking anytime soon. He suddenly turned his attention towards the walls around him. Something was amiss. He sensed the presence of others. 27 drew the darkness into him, seeking out anything in the room that simply didn't belong.

"16. 62. Girl confirmed to be restrained." 27 said into his comlink. He began to walk through the room, however. His steps were soft, like a predator.

"Understood. Exiting the atmosphere. Entering hyperspace." 62 replied.

---

Erica pressed herself against Sam. The hound stared intently at the wall that separated Erica and itself from the sith's line of sight. Erica felt a familiar shudder of hyperspace. She gulped as her eyes darted to the dog, who started to growl lowly. Erica remembered the technique Della taught her for calming others.

"It'll be ok." Erica whispered. She suddenly felt a surge of darkside energy. She grasped the amulet that kept her presence a void. One of the Sinners had returned to hunt.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Daiyu gritted his teeth as Fyston stepped into a closet filled with torture supplies, of all things. The feline reluctantly deactivated his bayonet and stepped. He helped ensure that the door was securely latched behind him, then ditched his duffel on the floor. He couldn't risk it getting hung up on anything if he had to leap out on short notice.

Once he was locked away in the little box of goodies, he took a moment to close himself off within the Force. While not formally trained, he'd dabbled with hiding his own presence in the past. If they were to hide, it seemed like a good idea to mask his physical and his spirit from their 'hosts'. It was done within a moment; the cat's eyes opened, and he 'cleared' his visor so that Fyston could see his face. (As ordinarily, the Templar helmet prevented the wearer's face from being seen.)

He picked up a wicked-looking torture implement; a baton-like device, which narrowed to a needle end that crackled with electricity and glowed hot when the activation stud was pressed. He thumbed the button once and, startled by what he'd seen, looked up to Fyston. "What kind of twisted psychos are we dealing with?" he whispered lowly.

 

[Black Noise]

A fist smashed angrily into a wall as the small dark Jedi finished her conversation with Geist Weiss. The Empress had escaped, Laine's sensing abilities were still not up to par with what she expected of herself. The young Acolyte was alone in her hunt, yet for good reason. Her rank was deceptive. Stepping over the bodies of two Cinnagaran Royal Guard, Laine made her way to a window and watched as Geist's shuttle arrived.

Through glazed, half-interested eyes, Laine observed a girl as she was dragged into the dark alchemist's shuttle. The girl had an air of vague familiarity about her, but Laine could not see her well enough to discern whether or not she knew, or had known, the unconscious girl. That girl was of great importance to Weiss, ever since he mentioned her, though not by name around Laine, she could tell there was something off about her and Geist. But the Sith alchemist had caught her, as he did of all whom he preyed upon.

Watching for a few more moments, the Sithspawn was about to turn away when she observed a human, a massive armored soldier, a great cat, and a small girl follow into the ship. It was almost comical if the current situation around them weren't so dire.

Laine turned and reached for her comlink to contact Geist, then stopped herself. With a wicked grin, she decided to let allow the intruders their victory. Screw Geist, they're his problems, if he's such a great Sith he'll find a way to deal with them, Laine thought.

Exiting the room and leaping over the balcony, Laine landed in the main foyer and made her way out. A separate shuttle awaited the young Acolyte, for while Laine's destination was the same as the unconscious girl, Geist, and the stowaways, Laine was not yet trusted enough to accompany Geist in person. Knowing there was a reason behind this, yet not caring to try and find out what it was, Laine accepted it as the hand the Force dealt her. At the moment, it was a good hand. While the human did not appear to be too difficult a being to fight, the massive, armored soldier was someone Laine wanted to avoid engaging.

A short, uneventful walk later, Laine entered Geist's separate, hidden shuttle and engaged the auto-pilot. Leaning back, she assumed Geist would brief her on the girl once they reached their final destination. Grinning, the Sith closed her eyes and gave into a dreaming sleep of the torture she would be assigned once they arrived. The torture instruments on Geist's other shuttle, while belonging to Geist Weiss, were to be Laine's to wield on the prisoner as Geist saw fit.

 

[TweedPawn]

Erica felt another shudder of a hyperspace jump. Two jumps? Where are they going that required more than one jump? she thought to herself. She dreaded Korriban. Bastion would be worse. Erica saw many outcomes. They were all not good. They would be deep within the heart of Imperial space. Erica could possibly fare well; all she had to do was mention she was a Xaden and she would be brought back to Jason and Anya.

But what would happen to Della? At this point it was anyone's guess. Jason expressed interest in using Della to produce an heir to continue the Xaden bloodline. But that was before Della had escaped. If Della was going to be brought back to Xaden, they would fill her so full of sedatives. Della wouldn't ever be able to stand until the hope of ever leaving was finally extinguished. That was the best outcome.

The rest involved Della being tortured and killed. Erica felt fearful for Della. She wrapped her arms tightly around Sam and buried her face into his scales. One of the Sinners was prowling the ship, it seemed to be aware that there were additional passengers on the ship. Erica didn't like the looks of them. They were the sort of thing she had nightmares about.

Erica suddenly saw the wall paneling that kept her hidden tear away and reveal her hiding spot. She screamed in terror as 27 grabbed for her throat. Sam lunged at the Sinner, biting it firmly on the arm. 27 tore the animal off of itself and flung it against the wall using the Force. It then stared silently at the child. as it grabbed its lightsaber and ignited it.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Erica screamed.

Daiyu's teeth gritted and his body tensed as the sound echoed inside his helm. She'd been discovered, and so was in great danger. The feline was still hidden for the moment, but he knew it was only a matter of time until he was found out. He had to help her. The cat gripped the door and gently opened it as he heard the snap-hiss of a lightsaber. He moved out of his hiding place as the metallic covering quietly swung open, and raised his rifle. The Kushari's movements were near-silent; only the faintest rustle of fabric and the gentle brushing of armor plates against armored cloth.

What followed, however, was not silent. He had the abomination clearly in sight; the demon held a lightsaber in hand and seemed to be staring someone down - Erica. Instincts kicked in. Not his own instincts, but someone else's. Someone with a lifetime of combat training. The sights of his rifle fell over the abomination's side and he fired. A quick burst of three rounds, so tightly grouped that all three would've fit on the

The whine-crack of the Lawbreaker shook the hallway as narrow bolts of sapphire energy rippled from the muzzle. Only a fraction of a fraction of a second would separate the bolt's firing from its impact; for all intents and purposes, the rounds would hit instantaneously, appearing only as a brilliant blur connecting Daiyu's rifle to the creature's flank.

Daiyu's finger rested on the trigger and he kept the sights on the abomination. The energy bayonet snapped to life again. If it so much as twitched, the young Kushari would shoot it. If it still twitched after that, he'd shoot it again, and again, and again; if it closed to attack, he'd bayonet it and show it just how deadly a blade could be in the hands of a creature as strong as a Kushari.

 

[TweedPawn]

27 had little time to react. His slow pace was his undoing. The ammunition hit him and he was dead quickly after, a lump of flesh bleeding out on the floor.

Erica cried and ran to Daiyu to hug him, desperate for comfort after her close brush with death. She buried her face into his armor and tightly dug her fingers into her savior. Sam whined and limped dutifully to the child's side, nudging her with its reptilian muzzle. The child sobbed for a minute before looking up at Daiyu.

"He was gonna kill me...Sith aren't supposed to kill children...They...That was not what I learned when I was on Xaden." The child was unable to comprehend her new paradigm. In spite, of her snobbery and bull-headedness, she was still a child. Now she was a child that had witness a new understanding in her young life. A new understanding that brought fear.

Sam barked towards the cell that Della was in.

"We need to get out of here. They'll hurt all of us." Erica whimpered. There were suddenly red flashes of light. An alarm had sounded.

---

62 heard the screams and gunfire. He understood right away that there had been stowaways. An alarm quickly sounded as the ship exited its second hyperspace jump. Travelers to Sacul had been warned about is asteroid belt. Now, they had landed in the middle of it. The ship shuddered as one of the rocks struck its wing.

"You were right, 16. It seems that the subject has a knack for good fortune. It will end today. Pilot the vessel. I will deal with the new visitors myself." 62 summoned its dark aura, similar to the illusions Geist Weiss used. It filled the ship with a black void, impossible to see through. It was perfect for cloaking 62 as it approached the stowaways and and extended his hand to drain their energy.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Daiyu released a low huff. He was surprised. He didn't remember enemies dying so quickly - but his memories were of fighting heavily armored foes and other Kushari. They weren't so fragile as the other races crowding the galaxy.

He gently wrapped an arm around Erica but said nothing. The cat's eyes - and the muzzle of his rifle - still swept the area for hostiles. He was on edge. Even his aura in the force revealed his tension. Daiyu was on a hair trigger, ready to snap and kill the next thing to so much as look at him funny. Erica's words were only half-heard by the cat; he was distracted by Sam's barking, and turned to look at Della's cell as the alarm sounded. "Erica, get back in the closet," he ordered quietly, "Close the door, keep Sam quiet, and no matter what you see - don't scream."

The Kushari quickly ushered her back inside. Just in time, too. Inky blackness welled up inside the ship and began to obscure his vision. His natural eyesight wasn't adequate to penetrate the swirling blackness, but he had something a touch better than his own eyes - his helmet's infrared sensors. They flickered to life and his HUD displayed his field of vision as seen through the sensors studding his helm. The world was much different when viewed in terms of heat, but illusions that deceived organic eyes could not trick mechanical ones like those of Dai's helm. He could see and fight again, but target recognition would be hard. If Fyston stumbled into his way, he'd be just as likely to shoot him as he would be to shoot one of the ship's abominations.

"Your party tricks aren't gonna work on me, jerkoff," Daiyu growled. Whoever was conjuring the illusions was close, or was getting close. They had to be bent on attacking. He checked the corridor to his front, then spun to ensure his rear was still free of hostiles. It was not - another abomination had surfaced, with barely any distance separating young Daiyu and the monster. Its hand was outstretched, and through the Force he could perceive utter darkness enveloping it. There could be no doubt that it was evil, and that nothing good would come of engaging it in hand to hand combat.

He sorely wanted to put his pulse cannon to good use, but the creature was too close and using an explosive plasma weapon aboard a starship was practically suicide. He gritted his teeth and depressed the rifle's trigger. Much like it had with the abomination's brother, the staccato whine-crack of pulse rifle fire rattled the corridor. Bolt after bolt ripped through the air; a few would inevitably miss their mark and leave sizzling white-hot pockmarks in hull paneling and components. Those that struck would be as fatal as ever, with the plasma projectile burrowing inside its target before destabilizing into an explosive puff of superheated matter.

Regardless of what effect the quick burst of gunfire had, Daiyu began to backpedal - he wanted distance between the creature and himself, especially if he needed to put follow-up shots downrange.

 

[TweedPawn]

Erica could sense the darkness in the Force, inky blackness entered the closet that Daiyu had ushered her and Sam back into a closeted space. Sam growled again, ready to pounce. Erica held on tightly to Sam, trying to keep the Akk dog silent. Her heart pounded. Fear gripped her. If Daiyu and Fyston lost, she would be alone.

She could feel her energy draining from herself and Sam. The other Sith was attempting some form of energy drain. It wasn't strong enough to instantly kill, but it would certainly charge the Horror.

She heard gunfire; her heart leaped in panic.
----

62 was stronger and more alert than 27. He managed to use the use the energy he drained to force push the majority of the bullets from hitting him. The rest simply missed. He growled to himself. One stowaway was accounted for, and was able to see past his black void illusion. He was dealing with a mercenary type, one that was incredibly skilled and heavily armed. No matter, 62 would rip it apart. Then, he would allow 16 to devour it.

But where was the source of that childish scream? It sounded like a girl, but the captive was still deep in her slumber. 62 would hunt for the source later. Instead, he gathered the darkness into his hands to Force Push his new prey off balance. He would be quick and without mercy as he charged at Daiyu with a fist full of electricity.

 

[Jiang Winters]

The projectiles were hardly bullets - they were plasma projectiles, magnetically shaped and accelerated until they travelled at nearly a kilometer per second. The travel time between rifle and target was a fraction of a fraction of a second. Even assisted by the Force, no sentient could dodge such a round at point-blank range. It was a miracle that 62 was able to wade through the first volley unscathed. A miracle that Daiyu would ensure he did not repeat.

A wave of telekinetic energy surged towards him as he squeezed the trigger. Another crisp burst of blue-white energy bolts lanced out from the rifle and snapped towards the abomination. Daiyu let the force push carry him back. He was tremendously heavy in his armor, and so did not fly back but merely fell. The world seemed to move a little slower as he toppled. He watched the bolts ripple towards 62, though whether they hit was a mystery. The decking rose up to greet him, and he landed with a harsh thud.

He leaned up slightly and tucked his rifle into his shoulder. There were 15 charges left in his energy cell. He'd have to make each one count. The targeting reticule in his heads-up display settled over the charging abomination, and he fired. One time, three times, five; five lances of energy cracked out, each one carefully aimed, each one adjusting for 62's movement. Each one potentially fatal.

 

[TweedPawn]

62 felt his insides rip apart as the second round of fire hit their target. It had been sudden, darkness followed. But there were flickers of a dream just before hand. He saw flashes of great open fields that he had never visited. Memories of a face he once knew. He...He was once someone else. He, belonged to a place that was open and wild. The girl in the cell...he knew her once. It came to him. Her name. He once knew her name when they were children together. What was it? What was that name?

But Della would never have the chance to recognize what was once a childhood friend. 62 died, with barely a flicker of the memories he once held as a Snamreg. Della did not know what happened to the other children that had been kidnapped with her. She always assumed she was the only survivor. The truth was that she was one of two that were able to keep their memories completely intact. The rest were turned into the faceless abominations to serve under Geist.

----
Erica wait in the closet. There had been another round of gunfire, and then the darkness vanished. Did Daiyu win? It was quiet except for the rattling of the ship hitting asteroids and the red alarms that were flashing. Her eyes remained forcused for the tiniest hint of what to do next.

 

[Jiang Winters]

The abomination slumped over, dead.

Daiyu climbed to his feet. He stood over it briefly, then fired into it. Two rounds, right to the head. If it had been toeing the line between life and death, it was most certainly dead now. He slapped the nearly-spent power cell out of his rifle and replaced it. The Kushari made for the closet Erica had hidden away inside, and he briefly opened it. "Stay here a little longer. I'm going to try to get control of the ship. Whatever you do, don't leave this closet. I'll come for you, I promise. I will come for you."

He resealed it and took his rifle up again. The Kushari began to stalk his way to the bridge. His movements were quick but cautious. Every action was calculated, and carried out with the experience and skill of a veteran soldier, not a teenage boy. The skills weren't his though - they belonged to Delun Aldatan, not to Daiyu. He didn't understand it though. He couldn't comprehend why his mind was swelling with new information and memories. It was terrifying. His only saving grace was that he had something to focus on, and that was saving Della.

Once that was done, he didn't know what he'd do to avoid falling apart.

He made for the bridge, checking every corner and hole he passed by on the way. As he was both drawing off the force to search for anything hidden and using infrared vision, it would be difficult for an ambush or trap to go unnoticed. Provided he didn't meet any resistance, his plan was simple - storm the bridge, shoot whoever he found, and take control. Shooting an automatic plasma rifle in a cabin full of delicate electronics couldn't be a bad idea, right? Riiiiight!