[CLOSED] A Watch in the Darkness

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk lent his power to hers, and almost laughed at what the sight would be to an outsider. Such a small woman trying to drag his bulk to safety. While he appreciated the sentiment, and admired her tenacity, it was unneeded. To assist in the ascent, Sisk fired a quick burst from his jetpack, and as they cleared the lip, he freed his arm from hers, and landed in a crouch, his weapons ready, his eyes scanning the hangar for targets. It was a completely different place from the scene he had left, with bodies of both Alliance and Imperials scattered in various positions of death around the area. 4 meters away from the opening stood 8 armored Mandalorians, their rifle barrels still smoking as they aimed at the new arrivals. Sisk stood, and let them see who he was.

"Motir daab, vode. Motir daab." The Mandos lowered the rifle barrels, and Sisk walked forward several steps to talk to Markus, his armor and stance instantly recognizable, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well met, Markus. But didn't you think I'd have to use the lift to get back up here?" Markus shook his head, a disconcerting gesture in the buy'ce.

"We knew you'd make it back, and that a broken lift wouldn't stop you. Also, the kriffin' dar'jetii wasn't willing to stand down, and was demanding the young ones. We weren't about to let that happen." Sisk nodded, and made a vague gesture to the docked gunships, 6 in total.

"How many?"

"37 brothers dead. Another 22 wounded, 6 of them to a point where they probably won't survive. But the enemy body count was worth it. 49 Jetii killed, another 18 captured. 27 Sith down, 185 Alliance troops, 247 Imperial troops. 85 younglings taken into custody. They've already been loaded into the gunships, and we're ready to leave when you are." Markus rattled the numbers off, and Sisk nodded. In any other society, Markus would be a general somewhere, but among the Mandalorians, he was more than content in his role. He was invaluable to Sisk, both as a logistics officer, and as a friend.

"That's lower than I expected for us. The verde are to be commended. And those who have fallen are to be remembered." Sisk stepped back, opening his body language, and gripped Xotomi's hand. "You remember Xotomi?"

Markus chuckled, the sound bleating out as a harsh blat through his helmet. "Who could forget the little Rancor? Good to see you again, ma'am." Then Markus turned back to Sisk. "Alor, chatter's been increasing across all bands. Something big is coming. We have to go."

 

[Mistress]

Sisk hadn't honored her by answering her question. It was alright, for there would be plenty of time for discussions. It was funny perhaps, because this Sith didn't see any need for such a thing as a jetpack with her utilization of the Force to assist. She relied heavily upon the Force, impulsively. It has ever been her way of life.

Sensing the tumultuous exchange just outside the lift shaft, Xotomi ignited her Lightsaber once again, a moment just before they touched onto the landing. And seeing Sisk crouch, she too took a defensive stance. But shortly Sisk greeted his own men and rose, whereas Xotomi could not stand at ease. Her senses held her high strung. She could feel something, something overpowering, something utterly sinister upon approach. It began suffocating her. Something inside of her loved the feeling for the utter control of glorious power which it alone represented, and yet she knew it wasn't right to. It clashed with Sisk, with the Jedi, with Lutomi. Lutomi's calling out inside of her mind practically sealed Xotomi's fate. Her thoughts were captive to spinning in so many directions, that she had to fight to keep any sense about her. Her eyes changed to exhibit her inherent wildness. What it felt like, was that the actual Force Itself was on approach to clash with the planet, as well as with the life forms and the souls departed alike.

She held her gaze past the boundary held by these Mandalorians. The planet was alight with blaster fire, Lightsabers, and phaser fire from clash of Fighters overhead. And there was the heavy artillery and lead assuring death. It isn't an easy thing for a Force sensitive to deflect lead.

Sisk found her hand, and she was spoken to next. Xotomi started at the man. She had been concentrating, feeling out the life around them. She didn't understand why she had been spoken to in the casual manner she had been. She studied the others who stood around her, and Markus who had addressed her, but didn't speak in return to his statement.

It didn't matter to Xotomi who sent phaser blasts their way next, but she jumped into motion instinctively to deflect the firepower back in the direction which they came. She looked up towards the sky, frozen in her tracks. She couldn't see anything. But she could feel something out there. Xotomi marveled at the sensation. It felt like God was coming down out of the sky to claim her.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk shook his head slowly. She was just being rude. He understood her state of mind, and the pounding that had been present at the back of his skull for hours was becoming harsher, but even so, that was no way to treat the ones who had risked their all to find her. With a shrug meant to convey 'what are you gonna do?' to his fellows, he started to lead the way to the gunships.

The pounding at the base of his brain was reaching a full blown crescendo, and with horror, Sisk realized exactly what it meant. Andraste. She was here. If they didn't leave in the next few minutes, they would all end up as mindless hulks, their vitality and strength sapped to feed the ever hungry Sith Empress. He raised his voice, and pointed towards the ships. "Triple time verde! We are leaving!" He had lost enough brothers today, and he would not lose any more. His eyes darted around inside his helmet, working furiously to open a link to every Mandalorian on Coruscant. A small beep finally sounded, and the link from the Tor showed him that he was now priority one communication for every Mando in the system.

//This is the Sol'yc Cabur. All Mandalorian forces, this is a general retreat! Repeat, this is a general retreat! Fall back and regroup at Centax! That's an order verde, get your shebs off of this planet and fall back!// A cacophony of voices came back, and Sisk firmly repeated his order. //This is not a negotiation! Fall back! I Repeat, fall back!// The Mandalorians had reached the gunships by now, and Sisk swung off to the the side, hurrying his men and Xotomi into the belly of the durasteel beast, scanning the room for any signs of life. Seeing none, he stepped onto the ramp, only to hesitate. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his skull, and he couldn't shake it off. Turning to face the burning wreckage, even as the gunship began to lift, he strained to see anything he could.

There... A small movement caught his eye, and he peered into the smoke and shadows. It was moving, all right. By the size, it had to be a child. "Osik." Sisk turned back to the bay, and shouted to be heard over the winds that were starting to howl through the interior. "Take it back up to the Tor! If I don't make it back, Markus has my blessing to lead! You're all witnesses to that fact!" Without another word, Sisk slammed his armored fist onto the closing panel, and as the bay doors began to sigh shut, he took two steps, and leapt out of the gap. The gunship had already reached a decent distance from the doors, and as he tumbled through the cold Coruscant air, Sisk activated his jet pack, becoming an armored meteor across the sky, aimed towards the broken gap of the hangar doors. He braked as he cleared the lip, and landed heavily on the floor. The pounding was growing worse, causing him to have to squeeze his eyes shut to regain his focus and clear his vision. He stood, and moved at a near sprint across the hangar, skidding to a stop where he had seen the movement.

With a frantic speed, he began to search, going so far as to open the Visor on his helmet, to let his true voice be heard. "It's alright! I'm here to save you! Yell out so I can find you!" There was nothing, just the crackling of flames and the harsh pounding in his brain. He squeezed his eyes shut again, and focused. For several seconds, there was nothing, and then, a small whimper. Sisk almost cried out in relief as he dove towards the sound, and then stopped as he was confronted with a terrifying sight. A Youngling, no more than 6, was pinned underneath a destroyed engine block. Sisk could tell the girl's arm was crushed, the several thousand pounds that lay on the limb having destroyed it. With great force of will, he dropped to his knees next to her, and gently ran his hand along her cheek. Hey, hey, it's ok. I'm here to save you. My name's Sisk, what's yours?" The girl whimpered again, before answering in a halting and pained voice.

"P..P...Parja." She was so small, her blond hair pulled back in a small ponytail, and the robes she wore used to be the color of cream. Her blue eyes looked up at him in fear, and Sisk smiled at her through the gap in his helmet.

"It's gonna be ok, Parja. Just let me get this off you, ok?" She nodded, sniffling, and Sisk stood, and took a step back. He reached deep into himself, and touched power like he hadn't felt in a very long time. Every single source that lay around him, he drew from. The Force filled his body, and his eyes slowly began to glow, an otherwordly gold. He had never felt like this before, completely full and completely powerful. His hands stretched out in front of him, and Sisk focused on the block, wrapping the energy that he become a conduit for around the metallic surface, and with a supreme force of effort, began to lift.

With metallic groans and dings, the block began to move, the metric tons of metal slowly lifting off the floor. When it had reached a height of two meters, Sisk split his concentration, and grasped Parja, dragging her out from underneath. She cleared the block just as Sisk lost his grip, and the block slammed back down into its resting place. Sisk leaned down, and scooped the young girl into his arms, already looking for another escape route. There had to be a fighter or small freighter around here somewhere. Parja was scrabbling almost frantically, at him, and Sisk wrapped her tightly in his arms. "I know it hurts, Parj'ika, but we're gonna get you out of here and get you patched up. I promise." She nodded fearfully, and Sisk let her hold onto him. "Ok, lets go find a ride."

 

[Mistress]

Sisk started to lead the way to the gunships but Xotomi was enraptured in awe. Her feet hadn't moved, because her mind didn't bother to tell them too. She just stared at the sky. As she came to realize that she was in fact ushered along with the group, she was in fact following along as she was pulled. And Xotomi did eventually perk up enough to voice her observation aloud to the others. To her, God is actually coming. And why not God? The power of a potentially omnipotent being was snuffing out all other life in its wake. Isn't the most powerful entity a God? Well, this is the closest Xotomi ever got to a Supreme Being, and she sure wanted to witness more!

Drug into a Gunship, Xotomi still hadn't actually heard a word anyone spoke, even when Sisk shouted his orders. She wasn't being rude as Sisk had perceived, for she wasn't truly coherent at the moment. There was a pounding which evolved into words chanting inside her head, not of those people around her, not of Lutomi, but of this greater being. But God doesn't need a voice to do what ever is needed. The words were of the Living Force. And they are ancient Sith! Having studied spoken words of magic herself, she understood them. The words echoed within her mind, pressing to be spoken upon her lips. Her lips moved with them like a familiar song. Hearing them now though, comprehending their meaning, brought Xotomi to thinking, which brought her to conclude that frighteningly enough, what the words revealed isn't anything Xotomi would wish to actually occur. But the Being demanded whatever was about to happen. Xotomi paled all the more at the thought of such inescapability. She forced the words of the ritual out of her thoughts. She wasn't certain if it was safe to lend her concentration to it. A great part of her mental clarity returned at that.

She snapped back into animation just in time to see Sisk jump from the ascending ship. "No!" she shrieked in haste, clambering for the door controls. It was Markus who not only grabbed hold of her with both his arms, but struggled to give her hope by expressing his confidence in their leader. She slumped in the spot where he caught her, and trembled at the thought of Sisk being left behind even for a few minutes more, what a terrible fate he could face upon the planet. Why did he jump from the ship? Why did he hurt her so?

The other men wanted assurance that Markus had her under control before a few rushed out to the ship's gun turrets. They had the idea to relieve the rookies who were left guarding the ship. There are going to be a mass of ships up there in exodus, that will require a bit of an experienced gunner or two to deter.

But in all the mental traffic she sensed around her, lifting off the planet did not ease her overstimulated senses. She found Sisk in it all, felt what he was hunting and concentrated on guiding him to the small child. But she didn't understand his valor. She didn't do it for the innocent life. She did it because she knew he could not resist his instinct. She knew he would die trying to obtain his goal. She only did it because she wanted him returned safely. And she wholly recognized that it was incredibly evil of her.

Xotomi did not take her more than a short moment to stand upon her feet again, then Markus left her for the pilot. Xotomi concentrated, feeling out around Sisk. 'Just beyond. Three ships. Do you sense the life scrambling for them?' Even if it turned out that he couldn't concentrate enough to hear her, she would assure that he can feel the meaning of her guidance.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

The pounding was growing even worse. It caused Sisk to stumble as he made his way towards the only area of the hangars not decimated by the Mandalorian's attack. He squeezed his eyes shut, and fought back the pounding, and the lurching feeling it caused within his gut. Parja was sobbing in his arms, and Sisk did everything he could to help her, letting his strength flow into her as much as he dared. If he gave away to much, they both would die. With a slight sensation, he felt someone trying to point him in a certain direction. It had to be Xotomi. Even from her safe perch, she was trying to help. 'Thank you Xot'ika.' The thought came unbidden to his mind, and he used the thought of her to push himself up, and continue moving.

As he cleared a corner, he laid eyes on three light corvettes, all prepped and rumbling. But then there were survivors moving as quick as they could towards the open ramps, and Sisk knew that if he was last, he'd never make it off the planet. He forced his feet forward, and moved as quickly as he could across the open space. No one was even paying attention to the armored warrior, many of them collapsing in mid stride as the influence and drain that was approaching the temple overpowered them. They fell, screaming and gibbering as their minds collapsed upon themselves, thrusting them into madness before the power sucked their life from them, turning them into nothing but husks on the floor. It was terrifying, watching the life drain, even to Sisk, and he forced his eyes away as he focused on the closest corvette. Just another 20 meters.

 

[Mistress]

Xotomi had to push through so much Darkness which folded in upon itself, to identify any sign of Light not yet snuffed out. Tears came to her eyes at the reality of him being thrust into it, as if his life held no value at all to the angry God. She thought desperately for some sort of Sorcery that would keep him safe, but could think of nothing so great. And in all of its omnipotent destructive power strewn about the planet, somehow she felt Sisk's reply in turn. Xotomi let out a little cry of joy. She realized then that all of her dreams were also amazingly real. Sisk and she were strong in unity, much like the bond she held with her twin. 'Jetpack!' she called out to him through the mayhem below; but her thoughts were divided, as she found herself grasping to gain stabilization as the Gunship tremored violently while breaching the atmosphere. She experienced weightlessness.

Then like most of Xotomi's greatest feats, her one unique quality is to be able to discover her internal strength when most needed. She found her innate ability to perform what rather only before seemed to occur to her, in that Xotomi reached out in the Force and she made her consciousness to stand on the planet with Sisk. She saw the inside of the ship where she was, the faces of all the others who stayed in the transport, and she saw Sisk on planet, in a Hanger racing directly towards her. Xotomi looked at the hands of her ethereal being, their Light streamed from her an Aura she had never before seen. She stared at him with intent, and when he neared she touched him. The Light she bore passed from her into him. She hoped to give to him of her strength. And at that moment she touched upon him, she lost sight of him there. The familiar depressing feeling of singularity returned to her. But Xotomi quickly lost sight of this physical reality too, as her physical form was wrought unconscious by her loss of strength which she had given up to him.

The Gunship crew was so busy struggling to clamor to safety, they took a minute to instill Artificial Gravity within. And once it was initiated, Xotomi's unconscious form collapsed upon the metal floor of the hull.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

The pain was becoming unbearable, the full ache in the back of his skull having become a roaring crescendo as it made its way forward. And taste was coming, and if Sisk didn't make it to the freighter soon, he wouldn't be leaving. The subconscious suggestion of his her pack made itself known, but Sisk's mind was so fractured he didn't know if it was his own or Xotomi's suggestion. With a concentrated effort, he forced his eyes to his HUD and blinked, activating his pack, and darting across the remaining distance. The young girl in his arms was unconscious, and he held her tighter as he made his way onboard, slamming his fist into the ramp panel as he stumbled towards the cockpit.

The corridors were confusing, an unknown layout to the Mandalorian. He made his way towards the bow of the freighter, holding himself up with a hand against the wall, supporting Parja's unconscious form in his other arm. He was growing lightheaded, and it was growing difficult to think.

Without conscious thought, he stumbled over the doorway into the cockpit, almost falling into the pilots chair. He placed Parja into the copilot a chair, taking care to not hurt her further, and then spun his attention back to the console.

Fighting the pain in his head, his hands danced over the controls, and the freighter lifted off, slowly, much to slowly. Sisk fed more power to the engines, and with ponderous movements, guided the freighter out of the wrecked hangar, and pointed the nose to the atmosphere, shoving the throttle all the way forward.

The freighter broke forward, like a nek dog let off its leash in pursuit of prey, and Sisk almost collapsed into the seat. The pain was lessening slowly, but the strain it had put on his mind was numbing. He needed to recover his faculties.

 

[Mistress]

Mandos always seem to have at their availability, everything needed for survival. A little smelling-salts and Xotomi soon regained awareness. She took just a moment to marvel at the intensity of the Darkness that surrounded the planet. She never saw such a sight. She wondered if she will live to see it again. She replenished the needed energy she required to keep moving, more adept at the skill now than months ago.

An alarm began to blare set off from the Bridge. She sensed a great urgency from there and raced for the exit of the hull. The moment she passed the threshold she was startled by the blast of a firearm behind her. The blast caused her to experience temporary deafness. Xotomi leaned against the wall, slowly turned to view the scene inside the hull. One man lay dead, shot to death for no reason, another standing very still over his body. Others screaming curses, but not towards anyone in particular around them. Xotomi reached out and drew away the pistol from the Mando who fired the shot and he lunged for her. She sealed the doors and he raved at her through the window. Horror stole over her visage as she realized while peering back at the warrior that she could no longer see the planet from the viewer. "Only stars?! No! We've turned!" Xotomi panicked, left them, and raced towards the Bridge.

Markus was at the helm. Warning bells of impending disaster rang repetitively as the ship began to pitch as it hurled for the planet. "Markus!" she yelled, hoping to gain his attention. He pointed frantically at the radar screen. She didn't see anything there. The crew was experiencing a hysteria. It could have been related to whatever the hell was happening to the planet, or some distant Dark Lord's game. Xotomi threw an arm around Markus' neck and held tight to him, resting her head atop his. "Markus. Listen to me." Xotomi knew removing him from his seat would not be the most pleasant option. She reached around with her other hand and set it upon his, as he gripped the manifold. "There's nothing there." He whispered what she told him to believe. "See what I see. Peace is the other way. Turn us around now." She moved his hand to retake control. "Life is the other way." It wasn't but seconds longer that Markus seemed to come back to his senses enough to steer the ship into the right direction, that of the Thor. Xotomi relaxed her grip on him, but she did not release him. She upheld her mental link however, and reached out to the life on the vessel sending them a sense of passiveness. It's been a long time since Xotomi experienced peace. She could not recreate such a thing inside her mind. Passiveness would have to do.

"Markus? Sisk... Did he make contact?" Markus seemed to dread his true reply. Xotomi saw so many ships on the radar. Markus could finally see them too.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Pain. Deep and endless pain. It was as if his entire body had been dipped in acid, one designed to slowly strip away his resistance layer by layer. Neurons fired endlessly in his brain, carrying the pain signals through his brain at a lightning pace, setting the nerve centers on fire, giving him the feeling that he was burning alive from the inside out. Andraste was coming.

If he had been at ground zero, he would be dead. There was no doubt in his mind. Rumors had swirled for years around the galaxy about the Empress of the empire, but true information was almost impossible to glean. But now he could see that the rumors were true. Power, so much power radiated from the destroyer coming into place above the temple. More than Sisk had ever felt.

His eyes were glued to his altimeter and range reader, and as he passed the 1000 kilometer mark from the temple, the pain in his head lessened suddenly, and he gasped in surprise as the pressure he had been feeling released. He could think and move again. He was approaching the edge of the atmosphere, and was about to enter the airspace that the Darasuum Tor occupied, with orders to shoot down or capture any GA ships that came through. With the alliance evacuating, he was sure that the brig and hangars were stuffed full of prisoners. Potential recruits really, as Sisk was a firm believer in second chances. For some the change might come quickly, for others it might take months, or even years. The Tor would not be taking any more prisoners.

His right hand moved up and pulled a small chip from the back of his buy'ce, and swapped it out with the Alliance chip in the control system. Now the IFF tag attached to this ship would show it as the personal vessel of the Sol'yc Cabur, saving him and Parja from certain death.

 

[Mistress]

The temporary turn-around set Xotomi's transport back a ways from safety. The console was still flashing maniacally, buzzing all manner of alarms. In all the mayhem equally sensed by the other ships around them, the little transport actually took a hit to one of her engines and was still pitching. But the gunners finally began reacting accordingly and firing back with a vengeance. Xotomi assisted them mentally as best she could muster. Markus attempted to hail the Tor, but all communication channels were garbled into one big unidentifiable mess. The Tor made its presence known by assisting them in their plight by firing on anything that made an aggressive move. The Tor created the transport a clear path of approach, and they weren't alone.

All Xotomi had to draw upon through the Force was the Darkness that surrounded the planet. She felt smothered by it. She could not admit though, that she did not respectfully honor it. Its very existence was utterly phenomenal, even though it was devastating to all manner of life including her own. It was the attainment and utilization of a Sith's ultimate dream. She manipulated it to serve her desire in order to keep up the sense of passiveness which she utilized to settle the very armed and extremely dangerous soldiers on board. She feared more letting the Mandalorians fall into whatever darkness they would discover, should she leave them unprotected to thoughts of their own. She feared that if she stopped pushing her persuasion, the crew would fall helplessly into the purest of Darkness. That reality had already proven to be more devastating. Xotomi almost could not tolerate to continue on. But she knew that for the sake of everyone on board, that she had to, regardless of what it would do to her mental state. Like she was taught to do as a Sith, Xotomi struggled to control her empowering emotions and not let them take control of her. The amulet Xanthus had once set upon her to assist her in settling her inherent wildness, had on Coruscant burned its markings into her flesh; and she felt it become utilized again now.

The Tor had to assist in leading in her transport ship by tractor beam. But she came in hard and unsteady, on her belly, scraping metal against metal. Sparks flew out behind her before she screeched to a halt, caught in the netting strung up as a safety precaution for just this purpose. She burnt up the landing of the bay of the Tor.

The passengers were strewn towards the leading end of the vessel, helpless victims. It was just minutes that everyone righted and flew into motion again. During the impact Xotomi had released the soldiers from her persuasion. As she rushed from the transport, from behind her in the bay, a loud argument arose. The soldier who had earlier slain the other was being judged by his comrades. And it wasn't but a second that passed before she heard a blaster fire behind her back, and a loud thud as his armored body hit the floor of the bay. She stopped in her tracks momentarily, not looking back. She knew the soldier was only under the influence of whatever God had made its presence known. She looked around quickly, paranoid would be the best term, she did not wish for her current state of mind to be discovered. Her senses were on fire, and she refrained from reaching out to those around her, even to locate Sisk. She saw another ship had just been drawn in, it's doors opening up to the awaiting team who would enter. It looked like it was of GA designation. Xotomi's eyes could not hide the reality of the abundant Darkness generated within her. She turned away from everyone and swiftly made her way across the hanger bay, toward the voice calling from inside her head. This voice understood and wouldn't judge her, a voice that she would permit to assist her in shedding her Darkness. Xotomi sought her sister for aid, before she should explode into an outright uncontrollable fit of rage, or worse, release the Force that she harbored which would then be utilized by God to assist whatever evil was taking place on the planet below.

The sense of loss from those all around her, she found to be immensely overwhelming. One's only logical relief from it would be to crawl into an airlock and open the hatch or any other means of suicide. The youngling Padawans just brought aboard stared at her in fear for the look upon her face, before they parted granting her passage. They thought her to be Lutomi whom they knew from the Temple, who played with them and nurtured them. But Xotomi looked them over coldly, their presence a stark contrast to her own current ferocity. It was only by her utilizing stealth that she got past any of the Mandalorian soldiers without a blaze of bullets aimed at her back.

Xotomi traversed the corridors until she felt Lutomi's presence pounding inside her head. Upon reaching the location of her twin, Xotomi barked, "Unlock the entry!" she demanded of the guards. "If it is a prisoner she is, then I volunteer myself also." Xotomi knew her sister would have died trying to get to her people, that Sisk saved her life by locking her up.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk still had enough presence of mind to use the flight controls to bring his stolen ship in for a decent landing. As they touched down, he shook his head, and stood slowly, using the Force to push the pain at the back of his mind away. He scooped up Parja, still unconscious after the ordeal, and checked the tourniquet he had applied to her arm. The bleeding had stopped, but she was going to lose it. Sisk would make sure she got the best replacement the Mandalorians could muster. With an uncharacteristic slowness, he moved stiffly through the corridors, until he finally reached the extended ramp. There was a medicae team at the bottom, and Sisk laid the young girl on the gurney they had brought. "Take good care of her. I'll be by soon." They nodded, and wheeled her towards the turbolifts, towards the infirmary.

Then he saw it, the clustered Protectors around a clearly dead form. Anger rose up in his heart, and he stalked across the bay, his heavy boots ringing over all sounds. The clustered group turned at his approach, and several of the ones who had doffed their helmets turn pale. When Sisk spoke, it was filled with rage. "Who did this? Who turned on their brother?" With nervous glances, the warriors faced their leader. From the side, one of the older warriors, a former member of Skirata stepped forward, and bowed his head.

"I fired the shot, Cabur. I took his life." Sisk darted towards the older warrior, and grasped him by the throat, squeezing tightly.

"The whole planet is in chaos. Andraste comes. Darkness descends. And you want to play executioner?" The man couldn't speak, but only nod tightly, his movement arrested by the large hand wrapped around his throat. Sisk hadn't even noticed that he had lifted the man off the floor, and that his boots now dangled at least 6 inches off the deck. With a sigh of disgust, Sisk threw the man away, making him crumple onto the deck, gasping for air as the skin on his throat turned a nasty purple. "He is to be stripped of his armor and sent back to Skirata. Lyon will judge him. And as for the rest of you. He unsealed his helmet, and turned his hard, hazel eyes on the other warriors. "All of you are to perform penance for this action. You will all meet me in the muster hall at 1715 for judgement." They nodded slowly, the fear evident in their eyes as Sisk spun away, and moved towards the feeling of Xotomi.

***

When he reached her, she was in an argument with one of the guards he had posted at Lutomi's quarters. Sisk stepped forward, and asthe guard noticed him, he gave a respectful nod, then went right back to arguing with the woman, barely missing a beat. With a slow shake of his head, Sisk moved forward several more steps,and raised his hand at his side into a flat palm down. "Let her through. She's waited a long time for this."

 

[Mistress]

Xotomi was about to battle the guard, when she sensed Sisk's interception. She couldn't see the logic in not permitting her entrance. Out, now she can understand! She knew her anger was not her own. That was the only thing perhaps, that kept her from crawling up the guard and persuading him to listen to reason! But she didn't want Sisk's assistance in this matter, she welcomed the confrontation.

Xotomi turned to Sisk, fighting to control her seething which showed in her voice. "You have much more important things to do. Your men did not attack one another on their own volition. It is possible the more minds that are within range of one another, the more wilder their reaction to the amused God. Please! Get this ship as far away from here as fast as you can!" She thought she could just die if she must tolerate it any longer! "Or am I the only one who can feel it?" Everyone's reaction to the outside influence happened to be different.

The very instant the door was opened up to Xotomi, Lutomi grabbed hold of her from inside and drug her sister into the room. Xotomi found herself immediately pinned against the wall with Lutomi's hand pressed hard against her forehead. Lutomi looked deep into Xoromi. Xotomi was profusely bombarded with a burst of a calming sensation generated by Light, meant to overtake her by storm. Xotomi wholeheartedly welcomed the serenity. It brought tears to her eyes. Lutomi ripped Xotomi's collar and saw the flesh burn of the Sith Amulet. The Ancient Runes made their mark. The sight of its permanence troubled Lutomi deeply.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

As the door slid shut behind the sisters, Sisk stood there in shock for a moment. Did she really think he was so blind? Even with his dulled senses, he knew exactly what was going on. Anger overtook him, and he thought seriously about using his override codes to force open the door. But as his hand drifted closer to the pad, he stopped, and pulled it back, almost as if it was burning him through his gauntlets. He spun on his heel, and turned to the guard. "No one leaves this room. Call in backup if you need it." The guard nodded, and his helmet bobbed slightly, an external sign of communication. Sisk stalked away, and took the turbolift to the bridge.

Stepping through the blast doors, Sisk was greeted with the familiar sounds of a Mandalorian bridge, with status reports, firing solutions, and messengers hurrying to and fro. Although his entrance was noted by the crew, they didn't even pause in their work. Sisk nodded, and moved to his command console. His fingers danced across the controls, but he paused as he came across a missive, coded for command eyes only from the forces that had been on the ground. His eyes became hooded, and he bowed his head. Mand'alor was dead. Fallen in combat with a Jedi.

It was time to go home.

His hands were heavy as they moved across the board, typing in his access codes and opening a link to the Mandalorian fleet. //To all Mandalorian vessels, this is the Sol'yc Cabur. Mand'alor is dead. As of this time, I am taking command of the fleet, and we are initiating a full ba'slan shev'la. All ships are to fall back to the Mandalore sector immediately. We're going home.//

The bridge had fallen silent, every Mandalorian there in shock at the news. Corden Vencu had been a driving force in the Mandalorians, and with his passing it was as if the central link for all of them was gone. Sisk knew in his heart that was wrong, but the Mandalorians had been following him for so long, many of them didn;t even know how to think independently anymore. Sisk shook his head, and turned his eyes to the comm logs. Messages were coming in from every ship in the fleet, requesting confirmation, panic evident in the transmissions and their wording.

He tapped out confirmation, and sent it, then turned his eyes to the sensors, and noted with satisfaction that the Mandalorian ships were recalling their fighters and dropships still away, and as they finished loading, began the ponderous turns to set course away from Coruscant. Away from Coruscant, and home.

"Set course for Mando'yaim. Finish loading procedures, and take us home. I'll be in the Medbays." The crew answered in the affirmative, and then began the long procedures needed to move the huge ship.

Sisk left the bridge, and began the trek to the medbay. He had a little girl to visit.

They were going home.

/End Thread