AN: Really sorry for the long space between posting. Been busy and having trouble focusing. And then summing up this section just seemed to drag on and on. Anyway, yes, I am still here.
It wasn't one of the more heavily armed planets. Calisa could tell that many of the fortifications were recent, stone still rough from where it had been chiseled from the ground. She imagined many of the jaffa there were also new additions. Young and inexperienced, she guessed, if the already damaged ha'taks in orbit were any indication.
This world was not a priority for Ba'al.
Calisa almost sighed. It would be a slaughter. And despite everything screaming in her head, Ry'ac's continued pleas for her to just stop, she'd have to go through with it.
"Yes," Saunak said, reading her face almost too well, "there will be little challenge here. And little glory."
Nodding, she pretended that was her conflict. Calisa was grateful to have Saunak there, without that grounding fanatacism and assuredness, she wasn't sure she could go through with it. The mask went back on.
"Attack!"
She watched the warriors charge forward and the cannons begin to fire. Walking forward behind them, she did her best to delay the inevitable, her own participation. Saunak remained at her side.
An explosion in the distance made Calisa turn. From one of the other formations of Yuuzhan Vong. All she could see from there was a rising cloud of smoke.
Calisa activated her villip. "What's going on?"
Any reply was cut off by more explosions, one set directly in front of them. Centered along the line of charging warriors, the blast wave knocked her and Saunak back like rag dolls. Calisa stopped rolling on her back. Stunned, she looked up at their own rising cloud of smoke.
A death glider streaked high overhead, charging a group of coralskippers. She watched it explode almost on top of the formation, the energy overwhelming the dovin basals' attempts at defense. Two splintered apart, a third looked to have taken significant damage.
Saunak's face suddenly appeared, bringing Calisa back to the moment. It was only at that moment she realized her ears were ringing.
"Are you injured?"
Calisa took the hand offered and stood up. She felt the ache and pull of fresh bruises. "Nothing serious. You?"
"Ready to taste blood," Saunak said with a snarl. Taking the attack personally.
Looking at the decimation, it was clearly visible where the explosives had been buried. A deep rut of dirt and loosed rock. Bodies laid scattered in all directions. She doubted many had survived, and doubted more that they would last long even if they got help.
Shouting, a handful of jaffa jumped over their wall and charged forward.
"Good." Saunak smiled, stepping forward as she snapped her amphistaff out to full extension.
Calisa was barely able to grab Saunak before she could take off in a run. "No."
"Why do you hesitate?" Saunak frowned at her. Calisa had no doubt that the woman could take the small group on single-handed and still come out the victor. Under normal circumstances. The explosives, the death glider... this was far from normal.
"An inordinate amount of things seem to be blowing up, don't you think?"
Saunak stared at her a moment before her eyes widened in understanding. "You believe they have explosives?"
"I believe we shouldn't let them get close."
Saunak took one final look at the approaching group, then nodded. They retreated back towards the cover of the nearby woods.
Calisa activated her villip once more. Idly she wondered how many were left to receive her warning. "Don't let the jaffa get close. Keep your distance."
She heard another far off explosion, much less violent than the previous ones. What she imagined a single jaffa going up might sound like. They couldn't simply run around forever, somehow they needed to circle around and find another intact unit.
The jaffa were approaching, close enough now to attempt wild shots with their staff weapons. Calisa knew the danger of actually getting hit at that range was almost nonexistent, but it served to remind that they were indeed closing the gap. Glancing over her shoulder, she almost thought she could see something attached to the chest of the nearest jaffa. Had they accepted their duty as easily as she imagined Ba'al had ordered it?
As they ran, Saunak twisted and threw her thud bug. She barely heard the heavy thud as it collided with a tree, sinking heavily into the wood. Even as it still worked to free itself, Saunak loosed another. Trying to keep them off balance, slow them down somehow. Her attempts seemed no more useful than the jaffa's own. Calisa gave an attempt of her own for good measure. She also missed.
"All ground forces converge on southern quadrant, reinforcements are arriving." The subcommander's voice issued from her villip.
"Subcommander, we're in the north and cut off. We need assistance here."
Calisa looked behind her as she waited for an answer. Her only true goal was to get out alive. These jaffa put a huge damper on that thought.
"The southern contingent must be fortified, no units can be spared."
Damn it.
Saunak spoke. "The Yuuzhan'ntoth. Blind them. I will get a better angle."
"Don't get too close," Calisa said.
Saunak didn't dignify the words with a response, merely peeling off as Calisa sent a shock wave into the ground. The detritus did indeed blind them. Calisa as well. She couldn't make out the jaffa or Saunak, so she just continued to run and fire.
There were several explosions in quick succession. The force slapped her to the ground once more. Calisa couldn't be sure what had set off the first explosion, whether Saunak's aim had been that good or maybe some sort of dead man's switch. Really, it didn't matter the specific reason. Whatever the cause, it was plain enough that the primary explosion had set off the others.
Calisa spat out the dirt that clogged up her mask. She had to wipe off the grime so she could see. Dirt and leaves continued to rain down, making it impossible to see much.
"Saunak?" She staggered back into the cloud to find some sign of her.
"Did you doubt my skill, tol'vi?"
Calisa whirled around, drawing her coufee. Saunak stood leaning against her staff, caked with dirt. Smiling, her teeth shone brightly against the grime.
"I was being prudent," Calisa said as she sheathed her blade. Saunak had already begun to walk again, Calisa following, when the words finally sunk in. She stopped in her tracks. "Tol'vi?"
Saunak kept moving, merely giving an amused laugh. Tol'vi. Blood sister. A bond forged in battle, it was not a light declaration. And Saunak took such things very seriously, that much Calisa knew.
Calisa's chest tightened with guilt as she jogged to catch up. Why did Saunak have to do that now? Now, when it could only bring her guilt and sorrow instead of the pride and fellowship it intended. If Saunak only knew.
They stuck to the woods, staying clear of any jaffa positions. Few ships passed overhead, that fight seemed to have moved elsewhere. But then if the death gliders were doing the same suicide runs that the jaffa soldiers seemed to be doing, then maybe they had finally run out.
Darkness was descending when they finally neared the lines of battle again. Now that their ploy was known, the jaffa were back to traditional fire fights. Yuuzhan Vong ranks kept their distance, employing ranged tactics. Scattered formations of coralskippers made strafing runs on the jaffa positions, forcing them into deeper and deeper cover. The molten projectiles caused their rock walls to superheat and explode. Force fields were also employed, but it was obvious they wouldn't hold against the siege for long.
A subaltern waved them over. Calisa could tell by the red armor that it was Dyrn Kel'ta. His mask hid the surprise that his words revealed. "I did not think there were more survivors left from the first assault."
Calisa's villip had been silent for some time, and she had gotten no responses when she tried to use it.
"How many?" Saunak said.
His eyes narrowed behind the mask. "A hundred. Perhaps a handful more."
Each group had been over a hundred strong on their own, and there had been five of those. The jaffa's timing had been almost perfect. But now the tide was turning back to the Yuuzhan Vong. They simply had the advantage of numbers, something the jaffa couldn't hope to compete with. Calisa frowned, knowing it only hesitance and luck that saved her from being just another casualty.
One of the force field generators gave in a shower of sparks. Several jaffa were seared instantly by the projectiles that broke through. Their bombs detonated. The entire flank of jaffa was decimated. She saw it now, the grim reality, the devices couldn't be removed. Now they seemed to be more a hindrance than an advantage. If the remaining jaffa remained grouped, one shot could take all of them out. If they spread out, there was no way they could generate the firepower necessary to keep the Yuuzhan Vong at bay.
At that point it was best to mostly stand back and let the coralskippers chip down their remaining defenses. But there were only a handful making passes. It would take some time.
"Where are the other coralskippers?" Calisa said.
Dyrn shook his head. "I do not know. I have heard nothing since the last transport landed."
Calisa frowned up at the sky. What was going on? She started to worry, had something happened to the world ship? Ry'ac?
She had to focus. There was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was tell herself that everything was fine and continue the mission they had been given. Still, it gnawed at her gut.
Calisa clenched her fists tightly as she watched the assault continue.
Lost
Triage. For every battle in which Thor interceded, there were a half dozen more that raged on without him. He kept to key theaters. To fights that could be swayed. Occasionally it freed up resources to aid other planets. A stopgap, doing little more than buying time. For now it was all they had. The top minds of his people were busy holding the Replicators at bay, they simply had nothing more to spare without severely compromising their position. But if they fell in their own galaxy, then there would be nothing more they could do here.
"I beg you to reconsider, Thor."
Heimdall stared at him intently on the view screen. The scientist was always very passionate with his beliefs. A great advantage that had helped the Asgard on countless occasions.
"I cannot. What you propose is too dangerous."
Heimdall's head tilted. "I believe the potential gains outweigh the risk. And I am fully prepared to accept..."
"No," Thor cut him off. "My decision is final. The Asgard need your knowledge and skill now more than ever."
There was a lingering silence. Heimdall blinked. "Supreme Commander, I withdraw my request."
The thorough adherence to protocol only highlighted Heimdall's dissatisfaction. Thor was simply glad that he would see reason.
"Your withdrawal is accepted. Please return to your research."
The channel closed, and the Biliskner dropped from hyperspace once more.
Lost
It took too long to secure the planet. To post the security details. To return to the transport ships to find out what was going on. There still had been no responses to any of their signals, and everyone was wondering what it meant. As the ship ascended the atmosphere, Calisa remained poised at the transparent membrane. She watched as the sky darkened and was slowly replaced by the inky blot of space.
A shocked murmur ran through the group behind her. Calisa barely noticed, caught up in the sight herself. The world ship, while the clear victor, was heavily damaged. One of the arms that jutted from the main body had been broken off and now drifted through space. There were deep gouges in the hull. Scoring from extreme heat.
What remained of the ha'taks was nothing more than charred wreckage.
"Can we go faster?" Calisa said. She tried to trace the inner corridors by memory, estimate how the damage lined up with the areas within. The majority of the damage appeared to be on the side that contained her quarters, but maybe it was deep enough within to remain intact.
The pilot nodded, focusing the dovin basals pull more intently on the world ship.
As they approached, the hangar opened to accept them. When the hatch resealed and pressure was restored their own hatch opened. Calisa was among the first to disembark. She ignored the intendant who entered the hangar.
"You are all to report to the fen grotto!" the intendant said. She repeated her call as warriors continued to pour around her.
Calisa took off into the corridor. She heard Saunak racing behind her.
"Where are you going? This is not the way to the grotto."
She didn't answer, only ran faster. She had to find Ry'ac, ensure that he was still safe. He had to be. Calisa's heart raced.
When she approached the level of her room, a security hatch was spiraled shut. Calisa reached to open it, but Saunak grabbed her hand and pulled her away sharply.
"The level beyond is compromised." Saunak appraised her with a deep frown. She stared back with determination. Saunak's head cocked before she continued. "If you wish to go through, I would suggest a gnullith at the very least."
The gnullith was a starfish shaped creature. An appendage inserted through the mouth drew up water from the lungs and converted it into breathable air. Calisa didn't like the idea of stalling, but it would be prudent. She didn't know what condition the corridor on the other side was in.
"Ok."
Calisa opened a nearby compartment. They were scattered throughout the ship for just such occasions. There were even a few ooglith cloakers pooled inside. A heartier version of their masquer cousins, they were able to protect the wearer from extremes of pressure or temperature. The face of them was nothing more than a clear membrane.
She pointedly ignored the suits, not wanting to waste the time to properly don the garment. She just took a gnullith, pocketing a second in case. Calisa frowned at it briefly before she closed her eyes and placed the creature over her mouth. A couple taps on its fleshy body signaled the creature, and Calisa inhaled sharply as the breathing appendage sought entry, guiding it down.
She coughed violently as the tube worked its way down her throat, her body instinctively trying to repel the foreign object. When it finally seated, she felt raw. Saunak watched her from behind the points of her own gnullith, having accomplished the task with much more grace and ease.
"I know better than to ask." Saunak's words were distorted around the obstruction, but intelligible. She indicated the cloakers as she spoke.
"Then don't."
They returned to the seal, and Calisa opened the hatch. There was no depressurization, the area was still intact. That it was sealed off meant it was precariously close to other breaches, and perhaps may become compromised at any time.
"The area would have been evacuated," Saunak said as they moved. Still she didn't understand Calisa's insistence, her need to be sure. How could she? And Calisa was certainly in no mood to even pretend to explain her actions.
Upon reaching her room, Calisa opened the door. Inside, what few possessions she had were strewn about wildly, tossed with the force that had assailed the ship. But no sign of Ry'ac.
She still wasn't certain if that was good or bad.
When she hesitated Saunak grabbed her shoulder, pushing her against the wall. The severe look on her face kept Calisa from protesting.
"You have your duty. Tend to it."
She wanted to argue, desperately. But she also knew that Saunak had given her an unprecedented amount of leeway. While clearly objecting to Calisa's excursion, she had let her go about it. Had even helped. Tol'vi, she remembered the moment sharply.
Ry'ac was still alive, evacuated to another section of the ship. She told herself that, forced herself to believe it was the only possible outcome. Now she owed it to both Ry'ac and Saunak to do what she was supposed to do.
Calisa looked at Saunak and nodded. She would have apologized, but realized that the gesture would not be well received. "You're right. Let's go."
Lost
Heimdall sat aboard the tel'tak. The Goa'uld ship had been constructed from specs maintained by the Asgard, with notable modifications to the communications system, and also a pilot chair constructed to Asgard dimensions. His use of Goa'uld technology was two-fold. To preserve Asgard resources, and to keep their secrets away from the Yuuzhan Vong.
There was no need to give them a ship or other device that they might choose to study.
No one would ever have accused Heimdall of disobedience. Unlike Loki and a few other notable exceptions, he was like most of the Asgard people and followed the directions of the High Council. It was a rational, well-reasoned governing system, he knew. He understood Thor's reluctance, and that of the others, but knew that the risk had to be taken.
He would present himself to the Yuuzhan Vong, under a flag of truce. Heimdall's mission was one of understanding. Perhaps if they would accept him, would open a dialog, he could learn about their hierarchy, their governing codes. Find a way to stay the bloodshed through peaceable means. He knew that on his own, Thor could do little about the conflict in a military capacity. Not in the long term, at least. Understanding was everything, as a scientist he believed completely in the philosophy. And was fully willing to put his very life at risk for it.
And if he did indeed survive the attempt, Heimdall would immediately present himself for whatever punitive action the High Council decided upon.
The communications array had been modified to transmit on a band of frequencies he had found the Yuuzhan Vong orbs to function. Too narrow and multitudinous to try to listen in, though they did try. By their very nature the orbs spent most of their time dormant, making it almost impossible to know which bands were in use and which were empty. He had studied the specimens Thor had brought back from the dead warriors from Cimmeria, decoded the biology of the plants. Some of the principles they operated on could be used to boost the efficiency of Asgard communications.
There was no way to know what orbs may respond to his signal, who would hear it.
"This is Heimdall of the Asgard, to any Yuuzhan Vong who may hear this message. I request an audience with your people, an opportunity for our two cultures to come to understand one another. I present myself, unarmed, for your consideration."
Heimdall broadcasted the audio message, as well as his coordinates, on a repeating loop. Patiently, he waited.
Lost
Now donning a cloaker as well as her gnullith, Calisa forced her way through debris in the more damaged areas of the ship. She and the group she had been given command of were there to guide and assist the shapers as they conducted critical repairs. This corridor had a multitude of small breaches. She could see the fractures along the walls, vital fluids freezing as the heat and most of the air was leeched out into space. Without the gnulliths and cloakers they would have passed out almost instantly, and probably succumbed to hypothermia before they had a chance to suffocate.
The small holes were sealing as the world ship regenerated, the fluids clotting like blood. It was the larger breaches they had to tend to, so that normal functions could be resumed as quickly as possible. From there the shapers could start grafting new hull to the ship, rebuilding what had been completely obliterated.
Calisa inspected the walls as she traveled down the twisting corridor. Around a bend she found an obstruction, large pieces of the inner wall had broken off and blocked the way further in. Coming closer, she saw that the outer wall had mostly held up, though she couldn't say if it would remain that way.
Looking back over her shoulder she saw Saunak and two warriors approaching, eying the mess with the same wariness she just had.
"Go get the others," Calisa said to one of the warriors. "We need to move this."
They started shifting the smaller pieces as others of her group approached. Amphistaffs were used as levers to pry apart the hunks of yorik coral. This section of corridor was relatively narrow, only allowing for four Yuuzhan Vong to walk side-by-side. The tight quarters hampered their progress.
Only a few could work on the debris at a time. The rest gathered the bits that had been removed from the pile and got them out of the way. Some of the broken pieces were massive, requiring several warriors to roll them away awkwardly.
Calisa stood with the shaper, just an adept, and watched the progress. Having less muscle to offer than those around her, she decided it best to just stay out of the way. Without the headdress standing on prominent display, smothered down by the protective cloaker, a shaper seemed far less imposing. And indeed with his modified hand rendered similarly useless, he was forced to use a special creature to take environmental readings and further inspect the integrity of the walls around them. It was the only way they had to anticipate what they might come across in areas they couldn't directly see.
"I believe there is a much larger breach beyond this barrier," he said.
How much of that was based on his findings, she wondered? Even without any data, Calisa could have assumed as much, the damage had only been getting worse the further they progressed. She only gave a small nod.
And then quickly realized her irritation with him was coming from impatience. She simply didn't want to be there.
They pulled another hunk from the cluster, and there was a heavy groan that echoed through the walls, more vibration than sound. Everyone stopped, staring intently.
"It seems this debris may be keeping the corridor from collapse." Saunak frowned at their progress. Only a small hole had been opened to the other side.
The shaper came forward, studying his readings. "It would be unwise to shift any more of this wreckage."
One of the warriors turned to regard the shaper, incredulous. "The hole is too small. We cannot access the other side."
"You cannot," he replied. "But the subaltern may be able to navigate the opening."
"What?" Calisa's brow shot as high as her voice. Was he really suggesting that she would squeeze herself through that hole? And what if it decided to give way while she was in the middle of it? What if she got stuck?
She had to think of an alternative.
"Send coralskippers to seal the breach from outside."
The shaper frowned at her. "All coralskippers are spoken for, dealing with hull damage far more significant than this."
Calisa turned to Saunak, looking for some support. Surely they had to realize just how ridiculous this was. But all she saw was the hint of an amused smirk around Saunak's gnullith, her eyes questioning. No, she was thinking about this in the wrong way. Of course Saunak wouldn't help her out of this, and certainly she would not approve if Calisa tried. This was just the sort of duty that Yuuzhan Vong, warriors especially, were indoctrinated to take seriously. Even if she did find a way out of going through with it, the repercussion of doing so would be very, very bad.
Potentially as bad as her dying inside that heap of yorik coral.
She took a steadying breath and stepped forward. "Let's get it over with, then."
The nearest warrior, Hallae, gave her a salute, his frayed lips curved slightly. "I hope you dined lightly today."
Calisa glared at him, and the group stopped their laughter almost before it had begun. She appraised the opening for several moments. And when she could delay it no further, she started to wriggle her way through, hands first. The coral surrounded her, threatening to claim her at any moment. There was barely enough room to fit, and she could do nothing with her arms. Without the others pushing her through, she wouldn't have a chance.
Shoulders and back scraping along, Calisa prayed that the cloaker didn't rupture. Seconds stretched towards eternity. Then her hands broke through to the free space beyond. Clutching the craggy surface, she attempted to pull herself out even as they continued to push. When her waist was nearly free, she was left to her own devices, too far in for further assistance. Fortunately at that point the worst was over, and she pulled herself free with relative ease.
Once she got to the floor, she stood up. The rest of the corridor to the next bend was a mess, pieces of collapsed inner wall littered the floor. Without even moving she could see several areas that would have to be patched. Calisa was going to be there a long time.
Something bounced against her calf, bringing Calisa back from her visual inspection. She regarded the pouch of resin, the material she was supposed to seal the holes with, and the retreating amphistaff that had prodded it through the winding hole. Even behind the gnullith, she could imagine Saunak's toothy smile.
"This will take forever," Calisa said.
"Longer still if you just stand there, Tol'vi."
Then another pouch was shoved into the hole. Calisa sighed to herself. She couldn't even reach the ceiling, and she was supposed to smear the thick goop all the way up there? So her first order of business was trying to stack pieces of yorik coral against the wall to climb on. With just her own limited brawn she had to make clever use of her amphistaff to lever the awkward pieces. And then to bend in almost unnatural positions to reach the furthest bits of damage. Glops of the resin were smeared on with a large scapula bone not unlike a trowel.
This process was repeated, with painstaking slowness, for each small section of wall.
By the time she had reached the bend Calisa was panting, cramped, and several hours had passed. At this rate, she'd be there for days. That simply would not do. She let the bag and tool fall to the ground.
Maybe the other end of the corridor was less damaged, and she could get help from the other side. Climbing over and around debris, Calisa made her way towards the other end.
She didn't see the figure until she almost stumbled on top of him. The Yuuzhan Vong was trapped under several hunks of coral. Eyes snapped open, and a coufee quickly brought to bear. Backing up, Calisa nearly tripped over the piece she had just cleared.
"Hey, I'm not your enemy!" She raised her hands as she spoke.
The Yuuzhan Vong stared at her intently, and then slowly replaced his weapon. He almost seemed disappointed.
"The battle is over." More disappointment.
"Yes," Calisa said. She began to work him free. Though his face contorted, and he hissed, the Yuuzhan Vong barely reacted to what she knew must be excruciating pain. He even helped to lift the last bit from his clearly broken foot.
His cloaker had been compromised, and she wondered just how much damage had been caused before the creature had been able to seal its wound.
He stood, tall and proud, heedless of the injury. Calisa stared in awe.
"Where is the rest of your group?" he said.
"The corridor was blocked off, they're stuck behind it until the area can be shored up. I'm trying to find a way through on the other side."
"Likely a fruitless endeavor." He scowled at the damaged hallway. "I was coming from the far side when this section collapsed. It fared no better."
She didn't like that news, but it didn't change anything. "We still need to try."
He gave something like a snort, and nodded slightly. They continued through the sporadic debris. Calisa was slightly distracted, he continued on with barely a limp and scaled the yorik coral with far more ease than she could manage.
"What is your name?" she said. Calisa already knew from his scar that he was from the domain Shai. Which went far to explaining his composure in the face of his wounds. Those of domain Shai went beyond accepting pain as a part of life. They often actively sought it out, suffering for its own sake. Even among the Yuuzhan Vong their acts of devotion were considered extreme.
"Lyngra."
He didn't slow down, or so much as turn back.
The damage in the passageway didn't seem to be lessening. If anything it grew worse, and Calisa was almost certain they'd come upon another block soon. Before that, though, they approached a room that was blocked in. None of the others had been barred like this one. There was nothing that could be seen through the debris, but she still stopped in her tracks.
"Why do you pause?" Lyngra said with no small amount of disdain.
"Someone might be in there." Alive, possibly, and if the way was blocked ahead as she feared, their help could be invaluable.
"They are of no consequence."
Calisa looked at him with shock. "You know people are trapped in there, and you did nothing?"
"No consequence," he said, waving away her complaint. "Those within are shamed."
Shamed ones. His attitude made sense, even if it was incredibly stupid. No one liked to acknowledge the shamed ones any more than absolutely necessary. And most would rather face death than actually work side-by-side with one.
Calisa didn't share his hangup. An able body was an able body.
But she wasn't certain if Lyngra would go along with her, and wasn't sure if she could win in a fight. He was better armed, the Yuuzhan'ntoth was under her cloaker and the damage she would cause to the protective garment with its use could possibly kill her. So she offered a compromise.
"If we can't get through, we let them out."
Lyngra eyed her dangerously. Calisa met the stare, knowing better than to back down. Slowly, he nodded.
"As you wish, subaltern."
So, he knew who she was. Calisa still didn't know where she stood with him. So she accepted his words and continued on.
It wasn't long before they came upon anther cave-in. Calisa couldn't see through it, and many of the pieces were huge, far too big for the pair to move.
She turned back to Lyngra, who snarled behind his gnullith.
"Come on," Calisa said. She didn't give him another look and started back towards the room. The knot of fear in her gut started to uncoil when she finally heard him start to follow. For a moment she had worried he wouldn't go along with her.
As soon as she got back to the blocked room Calisa leaned in against the rubble.
"Is anyone in there? Can you hear me?" She knocked heavily against the coral to punctuate her call.
"Perhaps they are dead already. Maybe in passing they have finally redeemed themselves."
Calisa didn't even bother to glare. "Maybe they can't hear."
She pulled the amphistaff from her arm. Setting the creature rigid with a quick flick, she began prying away pieces from the collapsed doorway.
Lyngra simply watched.
"Help me," Calisa said sharply.
He pulled on the end of the amphistaff, hard and without warning. The piece gave way and Calisa pitched forward. She had to stagger to maintain balance. Glaring at Lyngra, he merely placed the staff under the next piece. Without another word, she gripped the staff once more and helped him pull. The going was slow, and her contribution seemed almost inconsequential.
The door itself had been destroyed, and eventually a small hole was cleared to see within. Calisa motioned for Lyngra to stop and peered inside. There was little angle allowed through the small hole, and little to be seen.
"Hello?" Calisa said. "Is anyone alive in there?"
A face suddenly appeared before her. Beneath the cloaker and gnullith she could make out a male with one eye. The other socket was heavily scarred, and had clearly been eaten away by disease.
"Be not concerned for our lives, warrior. Their value is beneath your consideration."
"We need your help with the repairs. How many are inside?"
His eye widened, and even Lyngra gave a low growl. She realized only after that shamed ones were never spoken to with such basic respect. But she didn't have the time or inclination to adhere to archaic codes.
"We are three, warrior."
Calisa nodded. "We'll have you out as soon as we can."
"You honor us."
She ignored Lyngra as they worked. Though silent, his mental protest resonated through each motion. It was only her rank that kept him obedient. Calisa knew that if they were equals, he would have challenged her long before then. And wiped the floor with her.
Eventually they opened a hole large enough to free the shamed ones confined within. The male was accompanied by another male and a female. Each was careful to supplicate, offering litanies of gratitude and praise.
Calisa cut them off and put them to work.
Lost
The warrior training hall had been turned into space for the wounded. Ry'ac walked the numerous rows, carrying a thick skin of water. He had been ordered to tend to those here, along with several shamed ones, and at least for now he could do nothing but comply.
It was awkward walking along the ranks of suffering. Those kept here were unable to move on their own. No self-respecting Yuuzhan Vong would be seen languishing in their own misery if they were able to avoid it. Some were bandaged where appropriate. Shapers stalked the ranks, amputating limbs that were too damaged to be saved, and excising shrapnel from the unfortunate.
There was no anesthesia, just the stifled cries of agony. Some less stifled than others.
Ry'ac frowned at it all. It seemed to him that they could be doing so much more for their injured. Largely they were left to their own devices. Minimal intervention that left it to the individual to heal on their own. How many preventable deaths would there be here? How many lingered in entirely unnecessary pain?
After what he witnessed when his fellow jaffa had been strung up as sacrifice, he thought it was a fitting end to many of these. The screams, the moans, the labored breaths, so much like what he had heard from his friends and peers made it hard for him to feel good about it like he wished he would.
He crouched down at each conscious Yuuzhan Vong, bringing the water skin to their lips. Those that weren't too weak or delirious seemed to give him a look akin to gratitude. Ry'ac quickly stopped making eye contact, uncomfortable with the feeling of empathy it evoked. He continued on his appointed rounds.
Ry'ac wondered what had happened to Sam. If Ba'al's forces were able to cause such damage to the world ship, then who knew what had happened to those on the planet. Casualties were high, he knew that even without the obvious hint sprawled out before him. But when it came to information, no one was inclined to give him any. He had heard nothing of her fate, and those who deigned to respond to him could tell him nothing.
Their fates were linked, his to hers, she had explained to him. If she died, he wouldn't make it long after. The method she had never shared, and Ry'ac didn't really want to find out. While he couldn't agree with her methods, he did want to get out alive if he could.
Now he couldn't help but ponder the possibilities.
Ry'ac was pulled from his musing as he watched the shapers. They barely stopped at one of the wounded, passing him by with little more than a brief glance. Frowning, Ry'ac stood and went over to the Yuuzhan Vong. At a glance there seemed to be little wrong. Some bruising on the chest and various cuts that were superficial. And yet, here he lay.
Eyes snapped open at the sound of Ry'ac's approach. He was surprised by the Yuuzhan Vong's alertness, as well as the hand that gripped the coufee still attached to his belt.
"Come to watch me pass? To mock the dishonor of my death?" Blood dribbled from the Yuuzhan Vong's lips, and Ry'ac could now see the misshapen chest where ribs had been crushed.
Ry'ac frowned, helping the warrior to some water. "I thought that death was a blessing. To be looked forward to."
The warrior coughed up a bloody mess, pushing the skin aside. When the fit subsided, he responded.
"A warrior's death, yes. In the glory of battle. At the hands of a worthy foe. Not the lingering death from a stray piece of yorik coral. Your people are warriors, yes? You must agree with the indignity of this death."
Ry'ac wasn't sure how to respond. "As you say."
"Your eyes betray your words, jaffa. There is a warrior spirit in you, yet."
"My father is a great warrior. I only hope to be worthy of him."
The Yuuzhan Vong gave a frayed smile, caked in blood. "Truly? I should have liked to challenge him, to see if he is as great as you claim."
"You would lose."
With a mighty laugh, cut off by further coughing, the warrior slapped Ry'ac's shoulder with surprising strength. "A glorious death, then, that would have honored Yun-Yammka."
Despite himself, Ry'ac cracked a smile.
Lost
Khalee frowned at the spec through the transparent membrane. The tel'tak was still too far away for her to see any detail, so all she could do was watch the small ship hang in the emptiness of space. Curiosity tantalized her. What creature was this that would supplicate itself before her people? Did it see their strength and would now beg to be spared from their heel?
She wondered if this individual was more worthy than the last she had indoctrinated. Khalee hoped so.
Khalee turned to the warrior standing beside her. "Inspect the ship thoroughly before bringing it within. When you are satisfied, bring the occupants to me."
He snapped a salute. "It will be done."
Khalee waited, eagerly, in her quarters. Unable to contain herself, she toyed with her slender blade, testing the edge. It was keen, as always. A weapon of finesse, it took a strike of true precision to cause damage. In that she was a master.
The warrior entered her chamber, looking bewildered. Khalee frowned.
"What is it?"
He stammered slightly. "There was one occupant, he is unarmed."
She still didn't understand his discomfort. "Bring him in."
The warrior gave a quick command, and two of his contingent came in. She nearly didn't see the creature dwarfed between the pair.
Cavernous black eyes turned to her, and blinked once.
Like the warriors, Khalee also didn't know what to make of this being. So small, so frail she wondered how bones didn't shatter under its own weight. Was this truly the thing she was sent to meet.
"You are this Heimdall? This Asgard?"
"That is correct. It is my hope that a dialog may allow us to stave this conflict that we find ourselves in."
Khalee's eyes widened slightly in understanding. They had been able to piece together some information since the incident. "Cimmeria."
The pale creature gave the slightest of nods. "It is a protected planet that our people have watched over for centuries. When its inhabitants were threatened we had no choice but to intervene."
An entire contingent, simply gone. And this mystery ship that had suddenly showed up to the aid of the System Lords. Khalee stared at Heimdall and could not reconcile such an awesome act with the creature before her. How could this thing possibly pose a threat to hardened warriors of the Yuuzhan Vong?
Even if she couldn't possibly believe it, it appeared to somehow be true.
"You think to end war with words?" She was incredulous.
"No," Heimdall said, unphased. "I think to end war with knowledge."
Lost
"This Master Bra'tak of yours sounds like a formidable opponent," Prua said, Ry'ac having learned the Yuuzhan Vong's name during their talk. Talk of glory, battle, and honor.
"He has taught me how to be strong in both mind and body. And I have barely scratched the surface of his wisdom."
"I should have enjoyed the challenge. A true supplicant of the Slayer and the Trickster, rare indeed."
Prua's skin grew more pale as time went on, each word a greater and greater exertion. Ry'ac frowned to himself. He felt almost as though he were trading stories with a fellow jaffa. How easily this creature could have been an ally. A friend, even. The revelation gave him pause. How could he ever sympathize with a Yuuzhan Vong? And so readily?
"Child."
Ry'ac pulled his shoulder back as the shaking hand made contact. He snapped, the anger at himself coming out in his words. "I am not a child."
The warrior was unphased. "You are young still, and untested. You are a child. For now, at least."
Prua unsheathed his coufee, pressing the hilt into Ry'ac's open hand. Confused, Ry'ac tried to hand the weapon back to the warrior, but Prua took hold of his wrist. The trembling limb was hardly an obstacle, but it still stopped him short.
"I don't understand."
"A duty for you, young jaffa. Your master would surely approve."
Ry'ac almost commented that he wouldn't be so sure, but quickly stopped himself. He thought from their conversation that he could guess this duty, and hoped that he was mistaken. "What?"
Prua eyed him seriously, his gaze unwavering. The words, little more than air, chilled Ry'ac. "A warrior's death."
The hand kept him from rising up, from backing away. From escaping in any number of ways he wished he could. Ry'ac looked about them, the wounded nearby, some dead already, paid them no mind. No one seemed particularly interested in their exchange. He hoped for someone to take notice, to tell him that he couldn't perform Prua's request.
No one did.
"I don't know if this is right," Ry'ac said. He was starting to tremble almost as badly as the warrior before him.
Prua's brow cocked slightly, not fully understanding the hesitation. "You would help a warrior reach an honorable death. A noble act."
Ry'ac bit his lip. He knew how much this meant to Prua, could see the plea in his gaze. A growing part of him wanted to help this warrior, to allow him the sort of death that was so very important to him. But to kill him, with his own weapon, it seemed wrong.
Prua was already condemned to death, nothing Ry'ac could do would stop that.
It would end his suffering.
Hadn't he wanted nothing more than to tear these creatures apart for the atrocity that he had survived? Shouldn't he welcome this excuse?
"Perhaps," somehow Prua's gasping made the insult all the more potent, "you are weak, after all."
Ry'ac's brow knotted as he finally reached his decision. With a snarl he raised the blade, sinking the weapon through Prua's chest, through the straining heart within. Death was almost instant.
Glassy eyes stared at the ceiling above. The barest of smiles curved the frayed lips.
The one simple motion left Ry'ac panting. He was surprised by the blood, coating his hands and streaked across his clothes, wondering how the dying warrior could still have had so much pumping in his body. He lost track of time, simply staring at the fresh corpse. At the peaceful smile, at odds with the violent end. Ry'ac wished he could feel as assured as Prua's face now looked.
He returned the coufee to Prua's hand and closed the fingers around it. Ry'ac remained still, thoughtful, until a gruff command returned him to his previous duty of dispersing water.
Lost
Nom Anor stared at the Warmaster's villip. The hooded eyes appraised him as he spoke, delivering the report that Khalee had only just finished giving him. Tsavong Lah wanted to know all they had learned about this mysterious caller, and what the Asgard's true intentions were.
"He continues to profess a desire to... parley." Nom Anor said the word with obvious discomfort. It was not a word often used by their kind.
Tsavong Lah's head tilted ever so slightly. "And you are certain that these Asgard are the ones we now face? The ones responsible for your failure."
He fought back a snarl at the sharp reminder that he had been played back on Cimmeria. Nom Anor was not used to being made a fool. Gathering himself, he merely bowed his head slightly in assertion.
"What I have been able to glean about these Asgard since the attack would seem to verify his claims. Their technology does appear formidable, but our logs only have records of this one ship."
In every fight that it had been sighted, the size, the profile, the composition was identical.
The Warmaster contemplated his words for a moment. "I would see this creature that would turn its fate over to the might of the Yuuzhan Vong."
Nom Anor's eyes widened. "I must object, Fearsome One. Perhaps this is its true intention."
"You believe this creature to be a threat?" Tsavong Lah was clearly unimpressed. He was already aware of the physical attributes of this Asgard, as well as the thorough screening for any hidden weapons or devices.
"Apologies, Warmaster." Nom Anor backtracked quickly. Trying to diffuse his inadvertant insult. "My only intention is to serve."
"Then heed my command, Executor. Without delay."
Nom Anor schooled his face carefully. "As you will."
Lost
Ry'ac continued his ministrations in a haze. Events had given him a lot to think about, and pretty much all of it was uncomfortable. Not least of all was his position on the Yuuzhan Vong as a species. Where he had assumed them heartless monsters incapable of anything approaching humanity, now he wondered if they were really all that different when stripped to their core. It didn't change his opinion on the need to stop them, only the methods.
An exclamation caught Ry'ac's attention. Ry'ac watched the tall Yuuzhan Vong standing over Prua's corpse. He kneeled for several moments, studying the body before standing again to speak.
"Who is the one that laid my brother to rest? That I may express my gratitude."
Ry'ac remained still, taken off guard. A nearby shamed one, though, with his head lowered, pointed in Ry'ac's direction. The Yuuzhan Vong's eyes followed the line, locking on Ry'ac. Ry'ac stood up.
"You?" the warrior said, eyes suddenly going wide.
Ry'ac struggled not to step back. The Yuuzhan Vong's demeanor had changed entirely. "Yes. He asked me."
There was no longer gratitude in the warror's expression. Only growing outrage.
"You?" he repeated, even more incredulous. "An... infidel?"
"I did what he asked of me." Now Ry'ac did step back, but the warrior also began to move forward.
"I will kill you for your mockery!"
Ry'ac broke into a run, angling for the exit. He streaked through the rows of injured, navigating the narrow aisles. But the warrior was faster than he anticipated. With a mighty heave, he shoved Ry'ac off balance. The young jaffa crashed into the wall and spun to the ground.
"I was only trying to obey his wishes," Ry'ac said. Desperate to make this warrior understand.
Even as he was pulling himself back up to his knees, a fist crashed down against the side of his head. The force of the blow ruptured the tizo worm in Ry'ac's ear. A plaintive cry from the creature, akin to mental static, made Ry'ac scream and clutch his head. Though the death throes were brief, it left him disoriented.
Guts trickled lewdly from his ear.
The warrior continued to scream, vile, sharp words that Ry'ac could no longer decypher. The anger was evident, needing no translation. Strong hands shoved him back up against the wall.
"Vra'sa taal no!" The warrior eyed him seriously, clearly expecting some sort of reply.
"I can't understand," Ry'ac said. With his arms pinned, he tilted his head to try to indicate to his ear. "The tizo worm..."
The warrior snarled, either not understanding or not caring, perhaps both. He threw Ry'ac back to the floor. On hands and knees, he looked up to see the warrior drawing his coufee. Desperate, Ry'ac tried to scrabble away, but a rough hand gripped his arm, holding him in place.
"Please listen to me!" Ry'ac pulled with all his strength. He raised his other arm defensively.
Lost
The relief Calisa had felt at finally learning of Ry'ac's location was quickly washed away when she heard raised voices. She couldn't quite make out words, but she could clearly hear the outrage and instinctively knew that Ry'ac was involved. Her gut clenched. She rushed the remaining distance down the corridor.
"Please listen to me!" Ry'ac's plea issued as she rounded the doorway.
Calisa didn't so much as slow down, barrelling through. She saw Ry'ac kneeling on the ground, covered in blood with the large warrior looming over. The coufee in his free hand was poised to strike. Full bore, she tackled him, driving her shoulder into his midsection.
The contact jarred through her entire body as they both slammed to the ground. Calisa shook herself from the shock of the blow and quickly kicked away his weapon. She spared a glance to Ry'ac, to ascertain his condition. For all the blood, he seemed virtually unhurt.
In that moment of inattention, she found herself tossed aside with a furious howl. She crashed into a nearby body, eliciting a weak moan. Calisa pulled herself up, crouching defensively.
"What is this about?" she said sharply.
The warrior didn't reply. Instead he gave a furious shout. He picked up an abandoned water skin, hurling it at Calisa as he charged. She reached for her own knife as she batted the object aside. He twisted away from the blade, but continued forward. The slight alteration of angle saved her from being bowled over and Calisa was merely knocked aside.
She rolled with the momentum, spinning out of it while keeping her balance. The warrior staggered to a halt. While Calisa maneuvered around the bodies, the warrior was more than happy to step on the dead and injured.
"Stop," she said sharply. "I order you."
Her command didn't even phase him. There wasn't time to wonder whether he didn't realize who she was or was simply too far gone in his bloodlust. She swiped with her blade as he approached. He batted aside the blow, forearm against forearm. His other hand shot towards her neck, but Calisa dodged it. The blow meant to crush her larynx glanced off of her already protesting shoulder, making her wince sharply.
Calisa readied her knife for another attack, trying to open the distance between them. This time he grabbed her wrist, and then the other as she swung for his temple in an attempt to stun him. Even as he pulled her arms apart she saw his intention. Her knee came up sharply between his legs before he could strike with a vicious headbutt.
The warrior gave a piercing howl as he doubled over. Calisa brought her elbow down on his skull before retreating to a safer distance. While it dropped the warrior to his knees, he was only momentarily stunned.
She raised her hand, only just remembering the Yuuzhan'ntoth that she had never taken off. The crystal glowed ominously.
"Enough!"
The warrior glared sharply as he slowly stood. She watched him, waiting for him to stand down. Instead, he charged once more. The release of energy shot him back over several Yuuzhan Vong.
Calisa spoke again, trying to keep her voice level but sharp. "I said enough."
He rose to his knees, and then stopped. She dared to hope that this insanity was finally over. Dared enough to slowly lower her hand. In one motion he pilfered a blade from one of the fallen and threw it. The knife sang through the air with incredible speed. She thought the throw wild, coming nowhere near her. Ry'ac's hiss made her quickly turn her head.
Ry'ac grabbed at his arm where he had been grazed, the knife embedded into the wall behind him.
There wasn't any real thought after that. Calisa ran at the warrior, the completely irrational behavior taking him off guard. He rose quickly. Standing tall merely offered an easier target. She fired another blast of energy as she ran, driving him to the floor once more. WIthout slowing down, Calisa was on top of him before he could even think to recover. She held the crystal inches from his head.
At first she didn't realize what she was doing. While the move was meant to threaten, it was quickly apparent that much more was happening. He tensed immediately, in pain. The surprise was drowned out by her own fury. This lone warrior had almost killed Ry'ac. Almost made everything she had done to protect him be for nothing! All of the horrible things she had done, that haunted her at night. There would be no reason, no excuse, no justification for any of it if she failed this one self-appointed task.
Calisa's own self-loathing only served to compound her rage. The raw emotions tearing through her gut translated through the organic device, searing with lethal energy. An angry burn mark grew on the warrior's forehead, the scars and tattoos beneath it a paltry comparison to the damage she now wrought. All that existed was anger, for herself.
She came to her senses slowly. Poised over a body that was long dead, panting heavily. Her face was slick with tears she hadn't known she was shedding. Stunned, and more than a little confused, she slowly lowered her hand and got off of the corpse she was now straddling. On her knees still, she continued to stare at him.
Calisa had never done that before, never even knew the device was capable of such insidious destruction. Completely different from the waves of force she was used to. An intimate kill, practically nose-to-nose, with nothing more than the power of her own thoughts. She felt shaky and ill.
That she knew absolutely nothing about him only made it all worse.
"Samantha?" Ry'ac's voice was low, and she didn't even notice his slip up. "Are you ok?"
She looked at him and frowned. The words didn't even feel like her own, everything had an air of the surreal. "The blood?"
"It's not mine," Ry'ac said. Calisa turned his head slightly with her hand, eyeing the mess that leaked from his ear. He gave a tight smile. "The tizo worm."
"Oh," she said, though the words didn't fully register with her. The exhaustion had come on heavily, the fatigue and shock reaching a head. When she noticed her hand trembling, she quickly made a fist to quell it. It didn't work.
"You should rest," Ry'ac said. She only nodded, allowing him to guide her to her feet. Calisa was oblivious to the multitude of eyes trained on her, and the near perfect silence that descended in the room. She just followed Ry'ac, not really sure where he was leading her.
