Lucidae…you took from me that which I cherished most.
Now, I will do the same to you.
-Malleus
"No..." said Revan slowly. "I don't believe you."
The Jedi stared at the former Master who sat impassively as he revealed the stunning news. Malleus and Victus…to think that there were still traitors that existed in the Hundred Years Darkness. It was unthinkable.
"I didn't believe it either at first," replied Lucidae quietly. "But reality cares little for what you and I believe I'm afraid."
He turned on his mighty dais towards his computer and pressed a few keys. The monitor changed views to show an image of a decrepit looking humanoid, leering down on them.
"This is a Malleus," said Lucidae "By all accounts, one of Ajunta Pall's closest consorts during the great schism."
The Jedi stared at the image with fascination. The thing Lucidae called Malleus was completely bald, with patches of skin and flesh rotting away to show the pale glistening tendons underneath. Malleus' grin was permanently stitched onto his face, promising torments untold.
"How?" said Revan eventually. "How is it possible that a warrior from three thousand years past could still be among the living?"
"Because he was one of Ajunta Pall's creations."
"Creations?"
"Yes." Said Lucidae matter-of-factly. "One of his greatest achievements apparently. I am almost tempted to believe the Force refuses to take him and his kind back, so unnatural they've become."
The former Master turned his attention back to the Jedi who continued to stare at the screen.
"As you know, the Jedi had once been a unified, cohesive brotherhood, dedicated to protecting the galaxy. Some would say a shining example to the rest of the Republic. But that unity showed weaknesses three millennia ago. Back then, the Jedi had gradually been divided along loyalties and philosophies. Some Jedi like Ajunta Pall felt that the Order was being held back by dogma and frivolous ritual. They wanted to further their knowledge of the Force, not simply regurgitate what was already known. Ajunta Pall himself was fascinated with the concept of evolution and immortality. He thought the Force was a tool that could push the boundaries of the living genome, to 'improve' the Jedi beyond its current capabilities. Needless to say, such ideas were frowned upon by traditionalists. But such was his charisma that he persuaded elements of the Council of to lend 'volunteers' for his studies."
Lucidae's face darkened.
"Unfortunately these desires took a darker turn within the first few trials. Ajunta Pall ostensibly wanted to help his volunteers increase their sensitivity to the Force through neural reconfiguration. Yet somehow, those he experimented on became obsessed with self flagellation and hedonistic acts. They reveled in violence, the stimuli triggering extremely pleasurable emotions within their psyche. What was at first sanctioned testing soon devolved into pleasure cults dedicated to pain, torture and much worse. I discovered that shortly after their inception, Ajunta Pall's Cults partook in acts of excesses that would make a Twi'lek blush in shame."
"How do you know all this?" asked Revan unable to tear himself away from the horrid figure in the screen. To look upon Malleus was to know the deepest depths of darkness and depravity a Jedi could possibly fall into. There had been many traitors to the Jedi throughout the millennia but Malleus deserved special recognition for being one of the first.
"From the holocron. It was Ajunta Pall's log of sorts. A personal history that catalogued his experimental procedures, but also his desires and goals. He discussed at length about his discoveries on the blighted world of Korriban and the experiments he conducted upon the dominant population."
"You mean the Sith." said Revan flatly. "The real Sith that the traitors of the current age take their namesake from,"
"Precisely. The Sith were a blessed species, or so Ajunta Pall would have us believe because they retained universal affinity with the Force. That is something unheard of in any race during the present age. Yet for all their genetic greatness, they were a relatively primitive civilization when the traitor discovered them. Prone to superstitious rituals and worship of pagan deities,"
"It doesn't sound like they would be fond of outsiders then," Revan remarked as he finally gave his full attention back to the other man.
"On the contrary, their tribal and ritualistic ways was exactly what Ajunta Pall used to help him gain control of the local populace. When he and his cohorts descended from the skies onto Korriban, the Sith thought they were 'Sky Gods', riding down on their metal chariots. Then as the exiled Jedi emerged from their black ships, the Sith abased themselves in front of the traitors and welcomed them as living avatars for their worship."
"The Sith venerated the traitors as gods?" echoed Revan in disbelief. To be punished with Exile only to be worshipped in return…
"Truly there was no justice in this galaxy."
Lucidae gave a humorless laugh. "Truly. Never let it be said that the Force doesn't have a sense of humor. I have little doubt that if the Sith were a little more knowledgeable about the outside galaxy, Ajunta Pall's legacy would never have come to fruition."
Revan made a disgusted noise. "The more I hear about Korriban's history, the more I wish that blighted planet never existed."
"Very true." Agreed Lucidae as he leaned back on his chair. "But their arrival was only the tip of the iceberg for the Jedi's wayward children . In his logs, Ajunta Pall spoke at length about his observations after first contact. It appeared the native Sith were structured into a caste system. While each Sith has the same genetic baseline, Ajunta Pall discovered that members of each caste differed in significant ways from members of the others."
"What kind of ways?"
In response, Lucidae pressed another sequence of buttons on his console. The image flickered from Malleus to groups of red hued humanoids with a forked mustaches. Revan noticed they only had three digits. Despite these obvious characteristics, the Jedi did see that each specimen varied greatly in appearance. Some wore robes of elaborate design, while others were in urchin rags. Others went bare chested to show the impressive girth of their chests, while others looked emancipated and frail.
"Here are the Sith of Korriban." Lucidae said quietly. He pointed at the frail looking specimens.
"At the very bottom of the Sith hierarchy were the slaves, little better than vermin in the eyes of the rest of the race. Slightly higher were the engineers who designed their structures."
He clicked another button and the image focused on one of the more august looking figures, dressed in long flowing robes.
"Then there were the Kissai, the priest caste. These were the most feverent of the Sith, who guided the spiritual wellbeing of their race. Ajunta Pall discovered they had the ability to exert a form of hypnotic control over their followers, that enabled them to rally the masses into a frenzy during their worships."
Revan's eyes narrowed when the image shifted to a burly looking Sith. This one was obviously a warrior, based on the savage ritual scars and muscled torso.
"And pre-eminent among all the Sith were the Missassi, the warrior nobility. They were the most warlike and bloodthirsty of their race, taking every opportunity to wage war on other tribes."
Lucidae swiveled back to look at the Jedi after his lecture, giving him a hard stare.
"Four castes. Four different genetic baselines that Ajunta Pall used for his own twisted designs. Desiring to unlock the secret to the Sith's universal Force affinity, he cultivated specimens from each caste and tampered extensively with their DNA. After years of arduous and unethical testing, he succeeded in creating something horrible. The first Reborn."
Before Revan could reply, the other man stretched out a hand to the endless rows of canisters that lined the side of the walls.
"What you see before you is the legacy Ajunta Pall left for his followers. The result of intensive genetic manipulation of the different castes. I myself have studied the results in great detail. They are truly a wonder of biological engineering...and a blight on reality."
Revan followed the other man's hand to the pulsating organs, each a black cancer that Lucidae said offended simply through its existence. As he looked on, the import of Lucidae's words struck him.
"Are you saying" he said slowly. "That these things…are derived from a genetic cocktail of the different Sith sub-species?"
"Precisely." Nodded Lucidae "Through gene splicing and accelerated mitosis, Ajunta Pall managed to engineer…enhancements to his subject's internal metabolism. These organs bestow upon the host various characteristics traceable to the caste's original genome."
Lucidae tapped a new series of keys and the image of one of the organs appeared. It was the eel like creature Revan had seen writhing in fluid cage earlier on.
"This is what Ajunta Pall called the Mallephagea, type A. It is an organ bioengineered from the slave caste. After analysis, I've discovered it is essentially a highly evolved parasite that gradually subverts the hosts' DNA after ingenstion."
"It changes the hosts DNA?" echoed Revan feeling suddenly uneasy. "How?"
"The most obvious characteristic is that it limits independent will," said Lucidae. "My hypothesis is that since it was cultivated from slave DNA, the parasite re-aligns their thought processes to become submissive to another. But the change does not end there. The parasite also enhances overall aggression and physical attributes, such as claws, teeth muscle mass…"
"Abominations," interrupted Revan suddenly as the link became clear. "are you saying this parasite creates Abominations?"
Lucidae nodded. "Very astute. This implant is indeed unique to the Abomination strain. Malleus uses them much like the Sith of ancient times did. As fodder and mindless workers. But unlike the slaves, Abominations are more than capable of ripping a Manadalorian to shreds in hand to hand combat,"
Revan didn't know what to say. Ajunta Pall must have had one sick mind to conjure up something like these monsters. Taking his silence for acceptance, Lucidae changed the image to an organ that looked like a squished kidney with tentacles leeching out from all sides. The thing was even more repulsive than the parasite if it was possible.
"The Mallepagea, Type B. Derived from the brain matter of the Engineer caste. They were the intellectuals of their race and the traitor sought to exploit their unique neural chemistry. Unfortunately, he suceeded."
The image magnified, showing the millions of ugly black pores and distended veins on the surface.
"In this case, Type B is attached to the brain stem to act as an external bioprocess or of sorts. According to the holocron, Ajunta Pall designed this to help filter information in the host's brain." The Master tapped his head.
"Imagine the amount of information you and I experience through a second then multiply it by a thousand. A warrior with this implant experiences everything with such intensity, he becomes addicted to the extremes. The brain signals are warped, changing pain stimuli to pleasure. As a side effect, it also gives quicker reaction time, making everything seem like it is coming at them in slow motion"
Revan nodded at this piece of news, thinking back to the fight with Victus. This organ was probably what allowed him to fight through his grievous wounds, also bequeathing him with such freakish speed. He was beginning to appreciate just how far removed Victus was from the rest of his race. The Jedi really didn't want to think what other…enhancements Ajunta Pall had made.
The image changed again to something that resembled a worm with a yawning mouth.
"Type C. This genetic material was extracted from the Kissai, the Sith's priest caste. The function of this organ is somewhat of a mystery to me still. But I know the Kissai were motivational speakers who were able to sway their followers into passionate worship. And as far as I can tell, this organ mimics the effect, helping the host exert some sort of control among others."
"I've seen this implant work," remarked Revan suddenly. "During the auction. I saw Victus trying some sort of trick to...overrule his underlings."
"Most likely it was with the use of this implant," agreed Lucidae. "What's remarkable about type C is that it allows the host to filter the thoughts and desires of it subjects, namely those that have the type A parasite implanted within them. Reborn like Victus and Malleus can literally syphon their thought process and control the Abominations like automatons, similar to how a computer would control a droid."
"All these…enhancements." Revan said softly, a note of wonder in his voice. "How did Ajunta Pall do all this..."
He trailed off before looking back at Lucidae.
"It doesn't end here does it? I'm assuming Ajunta Pall created something from every caste."
"You would assume correctly," said Lucidae, echoing Revan's previous words. He pressed another coded key to show a fourth image, this one resembling a beating heart.
"And finally we have Type D. This organ was derived from the Missassi and was the crowning achievement of all of Ajunta Pall's creations. Massassi are known for their adaptability. Specifically adaptability in combat situation and the traitor sought to exploit that. Type D is a hyperadapter of sorts, surgically connected to the gastro intestinal tract. When functional, it helps break down the enzymes and DNA structure of ingested genetic material. Through some incalculable process, it then subverts desirable genetic traits and merges them into the host's own."
Revan's eyes widened. "You're saying the host takes on the traits of their victims."
"Precisely. Physically advantageous traits such as infrared vision, fangs, or extended muscle mass can be absorbed through this process. Ajunta Pall claims theoretically, it is even possible for the Reborn to glean certain Force abilities from ingesting the genetic material of their victims."
The Jedi stared at the seemingly benign lump of flesh, finding it hard to believe that it functioned as such a technological marvel.
"Maybe that's why the Cult are cannibals. They literally become stronger with everyone they eat."
Lucidae nodded.
"That is partly true I suspect, but I believe they also derive a certain amount of pleasure from desecrating their victims."
There was a long silence as Revan struggled to absorb the legacy Ajunta Pall and his Jedi had left behind.
"I never knew…" the Jedi started before catching himself.
"Knew what?"
"…That Ajunta Pall had such vision. I thought he was merely a exiled Jedi, someone that flaunted the Jedi code for personal gain. Never for a moment did I think that he did so much more…"
"You sound like you admire him," said Lucidae. There was a hint of warning in his tone.
"No," said Revan firmly. "What Ajunta Pall did, what he created…it is all corrupt. A mockery of sentient life. I only lament that his vast intellect could not have been used for better things."
"Sometimes I wonder it too." Said Lucidae "But there is no point in thinking what could have been."
"How many of these...Reborn are there? Besides Malleus I mean,"
"Uncertain. Ajunta Pall never said how many of the traitors survived to become Reborn. Creating one is an extremely complicated and secret process. I doubt anybody in the present age knows how to duplicate the effect. The demise of Victus is a telling blow though. Each death diminishes the Cult that much more."
He shut off the images and looked at Revan appraisingly.
"I think we can agree though that Malleus is a blight on this very galaxy. Our need right now is to undo the damage this madman created. And it is not just Malleus' existence, but what he represents."
"Represents?"
"Yes," said Lucidae "Malleus is a traitor, but more than that, he knows why the Jedi were sundered so many years ago. Historians believe it was only a civil war where ideologies clashed. But they do not know the full scope of the betrayal. If the Republic at large or even the Jedi today were to understand that the Order were complicit in creating such horrors like Malleus…"
Revan shook his head at the Master's implications.
"The Order may suffer more taint to its name but the Republic has a short memory. I doubt the Senate would dissolve them over something that happened thousands of years ago. They are above all, pragmatic."
"You do not see the big picture Revan," said Lucidae. "Unlike any other of the Jedi's enemies, Malleus is a threat from within. He is literally older and more experienced than all the Masters in the council combined. And after millennia of avoiding confrontation, this ancient enemy has chosen to strike at the Republic, when the Jedi are at their weakest. Simply revealing his existence would be a psychological blow that the Order could never recover from."
Revan's opened his mouth to argue the point but Lucidae held up a hand.
"It is no secret that the last uprising has lessened the Order greatly, and they are teetering on the brink of annihilation. The Cult has become emboldened by their recent losses. I have tracked their migration patterns, and I know for a fact that elements of the Reborn are gradually moving deeper into the core worlds."
Lucidae steepled his fingers
"I do not know what Malleus' endgame is. Perhaps he plans to eliminate the Order, or perhaps he wants to claim more territory. But I do know he plans to strike soon and that is something the Jedi cannot deal with right now. With Mandalorians, Sith and other enemies encroaching on Republic space, the Jedi will need every member they can spare for the coming trials, and not lose them fighting a madman. Which is why I have told you all this. I wish you to agree to help me freely in dismantling the Cult, without any burden to your conscience."
Lucidae looked at Revan expectantly, as if the Master was hoping he would simply agree. But Revan simply folded his arms and looked at him skeptically.
"You have a flair for the dramatic, Lucidae," he said evenly. "But you also have a way of avoiding topics that you do not want to discuss. What you have shown me is... insightful to say the least. But I find your motives less than altruistic since you haven't told me why you left the Order"
He pointed an accusing finger at the Master.
"Why would you choose to embark on this solo crusade without the help of your peers? Surely the council would mobilize all their resources to deal with Malleus if he is as grave a threat as you purport him to be. Did you even divulge what you told me to them?"
Lucidae suddenly looked conflicted as if he couldn't quite bring himself to say the truth. He seemed to shrink a little as he sighed, a lifetime of burden impressed on his chest. Eventually he said quietly.
"I...I can't tell you Revan. Not yet at least."
"Why?" the Jedi demanded.
"My relationship with the Order is...complicated. There are many things I have done for them which I am not proud of, but I always thought I did it for the right reasons...until recently"
Lucidae stood up then and looked at the Jedi, face to face.
"Without any obfuscation let me say here and now that I am not an enemy to the Order. I want them to survive. And that means they need all the help they can get. By killing Malleus, we cut off the head of the cancer before it can properly entrench itself within the body. Whatever he is doing, the Reborn must not succeed."
He held up out a hand.
"Are you with me?"
Revan stared at the hand for a long moment before reaching out and clasping it.
"I am with you,"
"There she is," said Mysteel cheerfully as she finally spotted their quarry. The Twi'lek had been dragging T'shere around the base for the better part of an hour so the Arkanian could apologize to her victims for her latest outburst. They eventually found their sister skipping down a long hallway with Arctet in tow, desperately calling for her to come back.
The child was laughing as she ran down the isle. But when the Twi'lek spotted T'shere, she squeaked and turned back the other way…only to be scooped up by the black haired youth. Arctet blew a sigh of relief until he saw the new arrivals.
"Why is she with you?" Inquired T'shere as they came face to face. The young man's face twitched, a common reaction when he was around the commander.
"Ah, I was doing inventory in the vault." Said Arctet nervously. "Thalia dropped by and said I looked like I needed a break...so she volunteered to finish it while I went to feed her daughter."
The girls chuckled. It was somewhat of a running gag among them to get Arctet to help take care of the youngest daughter since he did such an abysmal job of it. It was almost like a game for them. No matter how hard Arctet tried, the blue scamp always managed to elude him.
"Well, it looks like you're two for three on this mission." said Mysteel brightly. "You're improving!"
She then gave her buxom companion a meaningful look
"Now. Isn't there something you want to say to our little sister?"
T'shere nodded, suddenly nervous. Apologizing wasn't something that came naturally to her. Given a choice between this and cleaning duty, she would have chosen the latter almost every time. When she approached the child, the Twi'lek buried her head into Arctet's shoulder and gave a whine. T'shere took a deep breath, thinking how not to screw this up. Eventually she decided on the honest approach.
"I'm sorry I scared you little one," the Arkanian said softly.
"You know how I can get sometimes."
She stroked the top of the Rutian's forehead, eliciting a giggle.
"Forgive me?"
The Rutian peeked out from her hiding spot. She gave the Arkanian a mischievous grin and said.
"Only if you take me on your next mission,"
T'shere made a show of considering her offer. She glanced back at Mysteel with a smile and asked.
"Hmmm, I don't know. Tails what do you think?"
"Oh I think it's fine," replied the ever boisterous Twi'lek, playing along. She leaned in conspirationly with her other siblings and said.
"But you know the golden rule, don't you?"
The three sisters chuckled and said it at the same time.
"Don't. Tell. Mother!"
They laughed while Arctet shuffled his feet uncomfortably, not liking where this was heading. Whenever their sister got swept up in their operations, he always ended up being responsible for her. It has never gone well.
Mysteel caught his discomfort and giggled.
"Oh don't worry, we wont leave you holding the bag again."
She slapped him playfully on the rump, making him jump in surprise.
"Come on stud, let's go and see how long we can keep our little sister entertained without losing her,"
Without waiting for a response, she began skipping to the mess hall followed by T'shere. Arctet had no choice but to trudge along after them.
"It is time," said Malleus suddenly.
The Rutian saw that the Sith Lord had cocked his head to the side, as if listening to something only he could hear. Matarl couldn't see any communications device on him but didn't doubt Malleus had all sorts of ways to commune with his followers.
The former spy nodded and turned his attention to his trigger. The beauty of the thing was that it wasn't just a detonator but functioned as a multiple purpose remote control. Matarl had rigged the device to send a cascading signal along the security's network. Once he pressed the button the entire defence and communication's grid would come undone. And when that happened...
Smiling, Matarl lifted his tool and was just about to trigger the device when Malleus grabbed his hand in a frightening grip. The Reborn forced him to stare into his milky eyes.
"Remember. Follow the path, always the path. Never lose sight of me. Obey, and you will find your revenge."
"Y-yes my Lord." Stuttered Matarl.
"Proceed" said Malleus and he loosened his grip.
Exhaling his anticipation, Matarl punched the trigger. The first explosion echoed for hundreds of meters, blasting fistfuls of rocks out the wall like tiny meteors.
At the signal, several things happened at once.
Klaxons blared immediately on all levels of the station as the security sensors detected the disturbance.
The soldiers on guard were suddenly alert, speaking rapidly through their comms systems to assess the situation. Many were greeted with the sound of static, their secure channels clogged with interference or no longer functioning at all. Others noticed that despite the alarms, none of the self defense systems had come online. The turrets and shield walls remained inactive.
One soldier had barely registered this worrying fact when the wall behind him came apart with concussive force, spraying a viscera of concrete and knocking everyone within two meters off their feet. Dazed, the first victim struggled to get back on his feet when he noticed somebody standing in front of his line of sight. A leering face dotted with black pits of death looked down on him, claws slashing the air in anticipation.
"Abdomen-mmmmaAaarrrh!"
His shouts of warning were replaced with a hideous scream as the monster descended upon him and shredded his face into ribbons with steel hard talons.
"What the hell?" snarled T'shere
One moment the four had been bantering, then the next thing they knew the corridors had become crimson, warning sirens blaring from all directions. Every living soul within Aethon Cell knew what that meant.
They were under attack. Without a single warning, an enemy had managed to encroach on their territory and breach the Army grade security network. The notion was so ludicrously absurd, T'shere would have laughed if she wasn't so pissed.
She and Mysteel had instinctively drawn their lightsabers, golden blades flashing in the sudden darkness. Arctet pressed himself against the wall, clutching the younger child to his chest. Both of them had looked decidedly worried.
"This isn't a drill is it?" he asked nervously.
T'shere shook her head grimly. Seeing no immediate threat, the commander gave Mysteel a look.
"Find out what's going on,"
Mysteel nodded and connected to the general channel. She listened for a few seconds before looking up worried.
"This...this isn't good. Comm's messed up. But far as I can tell, every level of the subway system had been breached. The defence turrets aren't working and worst of all, the intruders are identified as..."
She trailed off as the color drained from her face.
"As-?" echoed the Arkanian impatiently.
"…Abominations,"
"Abominations? Are you sure?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth when the ceiling exploded. Arctet shouted in alarm and scattered as a trio of hulking, figures dropped on top of their position.
T'shere managed to leap out of the way before a set of scything claws slashed down at where her head had just been. Mysteel was caught off guard the most, one brute landing directly on top of her, eliciting a curse and yelp at the same time.
T'shere saw her sister go down just as flashing red arc came screaming at the side of her head. She whipped her lightsaber up instinctively, deflecting the first second and third strike with her lightsaber. Then the Arkanian's hands moved in a blur, frantically keeping pace with the storm of slashes raining down upon her. The attacks were so fast, she couldn't see anything of her assailants beyond a red and black haze.
Growling, T'shere executed a 360 degree sweep with her two handed weapon, forcing her attackers to leap back. Having brought a split second's respite she put distance from them as well. Steadying her breath, she looked up. Her opponent was an Aspirant, his fleshless face locked into a sickening leer. Snapping at his knees was one of his bastard kin, an Abomination. T'shere and the Apsirant's eyes met for a brief second. The fiend blew her a mocking kiss.
Snarling at the insult, T'shere twirled her weapon in the air and charged.
This Abomination was definitely no ordinary specimen. It dwarfed the Twi'lek by a good two feet, four hundred pounds of malice bundled into its muscled frame. The hideous head had a cyclops eye that burned with hate. As Mysteel recoiled in disgust, the monster brought its huge snapping maw down, eager to snap the smaller female's head off with its drill like teeth.
For the next few seconds, Mysteel thrashed her head from side to side desperately, miraculously staving off dismemberment. During her struggle, she had managed to extricate her left hand from beneath the monster's grip and tried to push the vile face away. She couldn't risk going for her lightsaber which had clattered a few meters away, for even a split second of inattention would leave her a head and two tentacles shorter.
Despite Mysteel's slippery tactics, Malleus' slave was gradually getting the advantage. With dreadful certainty, its ugly forest of teeth inched closer to her face, acidic drool leaving scorch marks on her clear golden skin. Mysteel gasped in frustration. She knew that unless something happened immediately, she was going to meet a horrible demise in the monster's gullet.
Her desperation gave way to a split second's inspiration.
Forcing herself to remain calm, she used an ability none of her race had mastered yet. Her tentacles leaped up and jabbed the thing's eyes sharply with their tips.
The monster roared in pain, bringing both of its massive hands to cover the bleeding slits. Mysteel managed to slither a few feet out, just enough to get a foot under her. As she rose, she stiffened her left hand, letting the sharp stiletto blade hiss to life from under her gauntlet. Then quick as a cat, Mysteel plunged the nasty weapon into the side of the monster's skull.
The monster shrieked as its brain was punctured, not once but several times in rapid succession. By the fifth stab, it was probably already dead but Mysteel's revulsion demanded excessive force. She finished her onslaught with a brutal swing that slid through the monster's throat. A fountain of tar spurted from the gaping wound before cauterizing and her opponent collapsed onto its back, a fresh corpse.
A liberal amount ichorous substance had drenched the Twi'lek from head to toe. Shivering in disgust, Mysteel staggered away to retrieve her weapon.
T'shere's battle was an endless ballet of strikes, parries and dodges. The Arkanian was in another disadvantageous situation, fighting in a narrow corridor with two opponents. While she could deflect the attacks well enough, she had no space to maneuver herself for an attack.
The Arkanian was getting frustrated with the impasse when she heard a piercing scream. Glancing across her enemy's shoulder, she saw Mysteel goring her opponent with swift savage strikes and grinned. The odds had just turned in their favor.
Seeing the sudden change of fortunes, the Aspirant growled a command at his remaining asset.
In response, the Abomination lunged towards the Arkanian in a bullrush, intent on bringing her down with its superior size. T'shere sidestepped the clumsy attack, the raking talons whistling harmlessly by her face. With a snarl, she pivoted on her backfoot and lunged out with a murderous thrust at the Abomination. The Arkanian scored a savage hit on the shoulder, tearing through cloth, flesh and sinew.
The monster ignored the savage strike with the typical disregard of its kind to pain. It swung around sharply and lunged back at the Arkanian. T'shere hesitated for a nanosecond too long and was punished for her indecision when the monster clamped onto her body and bit deep into her neck with bloody fangs.
T'shere screamed in agony and rage.
"Arrgggh! Filthy bastard!"
She tried to shake free but the Abomination clung on with the tenacity of a parasite. It brought its weight to bear, forcing the Arkanian onto the floor with a splintering crack and her lightsaber deactivated. The attack was debilitating. T'shere felt her strength being sapped through her neck as the Abomination sucked her lifeforce away with disgusting slurps. Waves of nausea engulfed her, the sheer revulsion of the abuse bringing bile into the back of her throat.
As her struggles diminished and the Abomination tightened its deadly embrace, blackness started to creep into her peripheral vision. T'shere's breath was reduced to wheezing gasps and she was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. Soon, she was going to pass out from blood loss, brought down by a monster in a dark hallway with no one witness her death or to hear her dying screams. She was going to die alone like she has always been…
Her eyes snapped open at the thought.
No! I won't die alone like this. I won't!
The primal fear in her psyche gave renewed strength to her limbs. Fighting through the pain, T'shere managed to fumble claw her weapon back into her grip and position it against the fiend's chest. Then with a surge of adrenaline, she ignited the weapon.
A yellow fountain of light blossomed out from under the monster's back, ripping out the thing's spinal chord. The Abomination didn't even manage to scream. It just spasmed uncontrollably before collapsing into a ruined heap beneath the Arkanian's feet. T'shere rose unsteadily against the wall, breathing a sigh of relief and pain.
As she looked up, she saw that Mysteel was crossing blades with the remaining Aspirant. Despite their dire predicament, the Arkanian took a moment to admire the fight. Mysteel's style of fighting was something best described as swashbuckling, relying on free form and instinct more than any style of swordplay. She dipped and weaved around the Aspirant's strikes like a fish, always darting out of her opponent's reach. In one exchange, Mysteel's swung out at the Aspirant's face with her left fist. Her opponent didn't flinch, thinking a punch from the lithe female would be pathetically ineffectual. But with the customary sneakiness bred into her training, Mysteel ignited her hidden stiletto blade just as her fist connected, a thin spark of energy punching into one of the Aspirant's eyes. Her opponent staggered back in surprise, partially blinded.
Taking advantage of his wound, Mysteel pressed her opponent relentlessly. The two blades kissed in a staccato of endless rhythm, a pattern of thrusts, strikes and parries too fast for the normal eye to see. The Aspirant defended as best as he could but Mysteel was the faster. She swung her lightsaber with surgical precision, the blade lashing out in violent arcs at every part of her enemy's body. Her lethally quick strikes were rewarded with several glancing hits, each bringing grunts of pain and frustration from her beleaguered opponent. Sensing his imminent defeat, the Aspirant dove into a suicide charge, hoping to bring his opponent down with him.
The Arkanian blew a silent whistle as the Aspirant lunged forward only for Mysteel to somersault over him with a front flip. She even managed to land a solid kick with a free boot as she sailed over the rampaging form. The Aspirant stumbled from the stunning blow, floundering like a drunkard...and straight onto the Arkanian's waiting lightsaber. As the Aspirant impaled himself on the glowing blade, T'shere twisted the hilt up so she could stare at the wretched creature,
"Send Victus my regards,"
The monster had a moment to look indignant before the light died from his eyes and he grew still.
With a growl of disgust, T'shere shoved the fresh corpse onto the ground.
Mysteel jogged forward with a worried look at her face, obviously concerned with the profuse bleeding for T'shere's neck. She seemed oblivious to the fact that she was coated with the insides of her first victim.
"Are you-?"
"Better than them," replied T'shere curtly, waiving her sibling away as she took stock of the situation. It was worse than she thought. Abominations...which meant that the Cult had found them. Which meant they were in for a shit storm. T'shere didn't know how this catastrophe managed to happen but she was certain that Revan was somehow responsible for it.
When I find that Jedi, I'm going to gut him myself.
She twisted her head around the hallway worriedly, realizing that Arctet and her sister were nowhere to be seen.
Mysteel pointed to a nearby pile of crates. "They're okay. I saw Arctet dive for cover the moment they got the drop on us,"
Sure enough, the dark haired youth raised his head from the pile of debris timidly, searching for signs of trouble. When he realized that their assailants were dead, he climbed out of the crate with a very grumpy looking child. At T'shere's adomishing glare he shrugged sheepishly.
"Survival instinct," he said simply.
Before anyone could reply, their channel came alive with chatter once more,
++Commander? This is sergeant… we are in the …mess.++ The voice disappeared in a fizzle of static. T'shere adjusted her headpiece until the voice returned. ++I repeat-, are you there?++
"This is the commander," said the Arkanian crisply.
++Glad to see you're alive ma'am,++ came her subordinate's voice.
"Status report,"
In the background she could hear a monstrous screech followed by a trio of blaster fire. It was complimented by the incessant growling of Abominations as they advanced, followed by confused shouts and more gunfire. From time to time, they also heard the telltale swoosh of a lightsaber.
++Multiple hostiles converging within the mess hall. We- are,++ the speaker was momentarily cut off as he shot something and was rewarded by a pitched shriek.
"Say again!" snapped T 'shere.
++Sorry commander. I said we are holding at the present. Heavy weapons are providing suppressive fire but there are more coming every moment. All junctures leading into the central wing have been cut off. We are entrenching ourselves for the moment.++
Despite the dire situation, the soldier's voice was remarkably calm. All of Kyne's underlings were veterans of hundreds of campaigns. They had seen horrors that would make a normal soldier retch. Getting disembodied by mutated freaks was just another day at the job for them.
"Dammit," muttered T'shere. Her eyes darted rapidly on her wrist mounted map display, trying to assess the best situation. Eventually she came to a decision.
"All units in combat, disengage and fall back to defensive positions Alpha and Gamma. Do not engage the enemy unless absolutely necessary. Use flamers if you have them,"
++Understood, I'll have auxiliaries converge on those locations as well,++
"No! Divert all available squads to the third floor. Make sure the children and noncombatants are all accounted for!" The Arkanian had to shout to make herself heard through the din.
++Yes commander,++ came the level reply.
"I'll try and link up with Lucidae, and provide intelligence. Hold out until then."
T'shere never got confirmation as the channel fizzled back into static. As she cursed silently, Mysteel grabbed her by the shoulder. T'shere could see that she looked extremely worried.
"What about mother?" Mysteel asked. "We can't just leave her alone,"
T'shere hesitated. Their mother could take care of herself in a firefight, and she was probably in the safest place right now. The Vault was a chamber reinforced with triple layers of adamanite metal gates and were gene coded only to open for Aethon's most trusted personnel. And as commander, she was duty bound to help her men.
But Thalia was family and the only mother she ever knew. Weighing the two responsibilities, the Arkanian knew what she must do
"You're right. We should find her. Make sure she is secure."
Mysteel looked relieved at her decision. T'shere gave Arctet a sideways glance.
"Follow me and stay close. And make sure our sister doesn't leave your sight."
The young scout nodded grimly. He looked afraid but the twitchy nervousness was gone from his face. In place of it was determination. For once, it looked like Arctet was going to buck up. With Mysteel and T'shere leading at the forefront, the group jogged cautiously through the hall, towards the unknown.
Revan turned his head sharply as the lights changed from blue to crimson red. The huge monitor's data feeds were suddenly replaced by a 3D floorplan. Red warning icons blossomed into existence every few seconds at different locations with alarming frequency.
"Is that-?"
"Yes," said Lucidae, confirming his suspicions. The Master's normally stoic face was replaced with something approaching surprise.
"We are under attack," He pressed one of the console controls.
"T'shere,"
Dead static filled the channel. Lucidae frowned before switching frequencies.
"Kynes,"
A few tense seconds passed before a garbled voice filled with background fire answered.
++Sir,++
"Status report,"
For a moment there was only the distant sound of concussive blasts before the sniper's voice replied.
"Wall breaches reported on levels 1, 2 and 3. Primary defence systems are offline. Multiple hostiles identified as-"
Kynes voice was suddenly cut off as a scream echoed in the background. There was a plethora of grunts and savage noises, followed by gunshots. Revan heard a lot of cursing then a gurgling noise before the cacophony dimmed somewhat.
++Force take these bastards!++ a soldier voice's shouted in the background. ++They're Abominations! Abominations have breached our defences,++
++What he said,++ said Kynes with the same measured timbre.
"Damnation," whispered Revan. Apparently the hunted had turned the tables sooner than anyone expected. He looked at Lucidae who seemed just as concerned as he did.
"How did they find us?"
"I'm not sure," admitted the Master. "Our sanctums are kept with the utmost secrecy. Only members know where we are at any given time."
His lips twisted. "The irony of Malleus finding me before I did is not lost upon me though."
He turned his attention back to the console.
"Kynes, your marker indicates you are in the Armory. Is T'shere with you?"
++Negative sir. There was a brief transmission before she got cut off. However she did leave instructions for the men to set up heavy weapon's emplacements in vulnerable checkpoints and the rest to entrench themselves in defensible positions.++
She hesitated for a moment before adding.
++Sir, I... they breached the perimeter without triggering the proximity alarms. Compromised our defences and communications without our notice. None of Malleus' lackeys could have done this.++
She left the disturbing revelation unsaid. That someone with technical skills that rivalled her own was working with the Cult.
"Priorities Kynes," said Lucidae. "We'll worry about that later. Right now we need to secure the critical sub sectors still in our control."
The Master took a few seconds to observe the dispersal of his troops as well as the enemy's through the monitor's projection.
"Fighting is intense in sectors A2 through A9 and will be overrun soon. Tell the men to collapses the ceilings and initiate a tactical withdrawal to the next fallback point. Have the men in sector-"
While the battle played out in a series of data feeds winking icons, Revan stared at the view screen, eyes narrowed in scrutiny. So far it seemed like Aethon was at an impasse with the enemy, the number of red and green icons remaining immobile and unchanged. He listened to the myriad of status reports coming in, letting his mind absorb the data with unbiased alacrity.
++This is Squad Alpha. We are holding position...++
++The bastards are shooting at us! Didn't even know they knew how to press a trigger++
++Maintain firing discipline men...don't let them through this gate,++
++Enemy has been pinned down. They're not going anywhere...++
++That's right you pussies, hide behind the walls.++
All the voices sounded remarkably calm which meant the situation seemed contained for the time being. Yet despite the reassuring transmissions, the more Revan listened the more he realized that something was wrong.
He focused his attention back onto the 3D schematic. Based on the pattern of hostiles seen around complex, the enemy's tactics were scattershot. While there were a lot of hostiles listed, there were no cohesive pattern in their movements. All they were doing was roaming from one room to the next, causing as much damage as possible and letting Lucidae's forces fall back relatively unharrassed.
"This is a distraction," he said suddenly. Lucidae turned back to look at him curiously.
"These attacks. They're designed to keep you occupied."
Kynes voice cut in.
++If by distraction you mean they are trying to kill us all then yes. I agree with you,++
Even through the firefighting, Revan could hear the annoyance in the sniper's voice.
++In case you haven't noticed men are scattered like rats and fighting for their lives. Communications are shot to hell. If it wasn't for the fallback positions, we would be overrun. Our tactics are-++
"First rule of war," interrupted Revan. "is to know your enemy's rules. Everything they have done suggests their knowledge of the cell's infrastructure, how you think. They hacked into your security grid and breached every level of your defence but are not pressing the attack,"
++Because we're entrenched,++ insisted Kynes. Another series of sharp bangs echoed in the background, the trademark sound of her Executioner. After a moment, she said.
++They might have breached our outer perimeter, but every room is a deathtrap. Even without the auto turrets we have enough proximity mines, murder holes and redoubts to give any enemy pause. Even the Abominations++
++Exactly, because they know that a direct spearhead attack would be suicidal. The Cult has dispersed their attacks, keeping multiple fronts occupied so a central command cannot be established. They have little hope of breaching, therefore they are deliberately prolonging this engagement. And that could only mean one thing,++
He turned to Lucidae who finished his line of reasoning.
"Keeping us occupied…while they steal from under our noses."
"Welcome to the end of the thought process," said Revan grimly. He gestured to the projection screen.
"Enough secrets. You need to tell me where you kept the weapon"
Lucidae nodded reluctantly before a look of worry came onto his face. "If they know where it is hidden…then that means they likely know about..."
The Master's eyes widened. "No. It cannot be,"
"What is it?"
The Master didn't respond immediately, brows furrowed in deep thought. Eventually he said.
"There is a secret chamber in this base, where I keep my most potent items and relics."
"Relics? You mean artifacts, valuable items?"
The Master nodded.
"Of a sorts. The weapon is among them. That must be their target." He rubbed his chin "But how would they even know..."
He broke of suddenly and pressed a button on the computer.
"Kynes,"
++Sir,++ came the dispassionate reply.
"I need you to go down to the Vault and make sure it hasn't been breached. Disengage from your current position and exfiltrate to the lowest level,"
++Understood,++
"I'm sending Revan along with you. Link up with him at level 3, then proceed down."
There was a momentary hesitation at this latest piece of news. It seemed like the spy wanted to protest but the chain of command was ingrained deep into her psyche. ++Confirmed,++ she said eventually.
Lucidae turned back to the Jedi.
"It seems I will need your aid sooner then I thought. Will you do help me protect the vault?"
Revan nodded, flexing his aching joints. He still felt weak from the fight, but massive blood loss never stopped him from a fight. Especially not when something so important was on the line.
"And you?"
"With Kynes gone and T'shere MIA, the chain of command falls to me. And I can't risk the Abominations taking over the control room. I will need to coordinate the forces from here. Go up a level then straight down the hall. The passage to the vault lies there. Wait for Kynes before proceeding."
Revan nodded grimly and turned to leave. Before he left though Lucidae gave him a parting remark.
"Whatever happens Revan...know that you will be tested,"
The Jedi turned his head briefly and said, "Of that, I have never been in doubt,"
With that, he walked swiftly out of the chamber and into the heart of the storm.