Chapter 07 The Mission
From
high above orbit around the once peaceful planet of Arbra, a star
ship exits hyperspace. The ship itself was aged, showing its years
through carbon scoring, scratches, and other hull deformities.
From
the ship, supply codes began to be sent. Although the contents were
unknown, something dangerous was held with in the ship....
Malvagio
– the Talker - noted the approaching ship and the codes issued by
it. 'Another supply ship...' After retracing the
transmission, and sending out a different comm concerning other
affairs, he replied to the message.
To
the incoming Supply Vessel:
"I
was unaware that the Imperials had any more mining equipment to
deliver to us. Will you confirm this?"
Ben'a
nodded curtly to Tares. The elder man returned to his controls,
allowing him to take over the comms array. Tapping out a higher-level
authentication code, he sent another message, text only.
"Captain
Phillip of the Galactic Empire sends his regards. Rumours of sabotage
have been received, he assigned us here as bomb-techs just in case.
Don't worry, we know where to go."
Cutting
off the transmission, Ben'a once again nodded to Tares, motioning for
him to take the ship down. On the monitors, he indicated a suitable
landing spot just off of a secondary entrance, partially obscured by
rubble and tailings from digging the mine.
Feeling
some slight turbulence, Nahstaa went and looked out of a port hole...
they were slowly coming down... without any further ado, he moved
quickly to where his sister was sleeping... quietly, he bent over
her, and kissed her forehead, shaking her gently...
"We're
almost there sis, rise and shine."
Skye woke up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Sitting up she gave her brother a quick hug before swinging her legs around and standing up. She made her way to the refresher to freshen up before making her way into the galley, quickly making enough caffa for everyone. She would get her Master his cup once they were on the ground.
Along with Nahstaa, she moved to the view port and looked out at the planet below, quickly taking in some of the details of the terrain below. Moving back to her seat, she strapped in ready for landing. Her sleep had been restful and she now felt able to face whatever lie ahead of them. She knew they were in for a difficult time but would face it along with her brother and their masters.
---To
the incoming Supply Vessel:
"Very
well, you have permission to land."
---
End comm.
As
the three Jedi ships touched down on the planet, Tares and Ben'a
worked quickly to put the Rector into powered standby; if anything
went wrong, the ship would be able to lift off immediately upon
sealing the hull. Extracting himself from his seat in the cockpit,
Jedi Knight Ben'a Solo made his way back into the main passenger
compartment. Several of the Jedi on board were gathered there, and he
spoke to them, his words also carrying through the Force to the other
Jedi who had landed in separate ships. He was, however, careful to
keep his thoughts unknown to any other force-adepts that might be
nearby on Arbra.
"Everyone,
it is time to do what we came here for. Follow me into the caves, and
be sure to stick together."
His
thoughts well-formed, and his feelings firmly where they belonged,
Ben'a opened the door. Just before he stepped out of the ship,
however, Ayevit trundled up and began to beep and whistle. Ben'a
smiled at the mechanical, indicating for him to come as well.
Stepping resolutely down the loading ramp and onto the surface, he
looked about him, and took in his surroundings. Several meters away,
his former master Keiran, and Master Gantoris, leader of the Order,
were emerging from their own smaller craft. But before he lead the
group into the cave, Ben'a hesitated, he could feel a flicker of
darkness deep within the mine. He held up a halting hand.
"The
Dark Lord is in there, we must wait..."
Doing
his best to keep his awareness, Ben'a lessened his connection to the
Force as best he could; if any Sith were nearby, it would be that
much harder for them to feel the Jedi here.
Keiran
pressed a button on the sith infiltrator and allowed the ramp to
extend. The dark ship blended in with the surrounding forest and when
the ramp emerged it appeared as a light popped out of nowhere as the
ship's interior lighting showed. Keiran walked down the ramp
gracefully, wearing his signature red robe, he looked around and saw
the Rector with all it's passenger's disembarked. As Ben'a spoke
Keiran smiled.
"From
my padawan to a leader of a mission... he's truly progressed"
Keiran
simply kept quiet and listened as he looked around at the forest
around him, keeping his hand on his lightsaber, ready to use it at a
moment's notice.
Skye followed the other Jedi off the ship, staying close to her Master. She looked around the area warily, taking in the details that she missed from looking out the view port. Glancing at her brother she gave him a quick smile before looking back to Ben'a and Master Tares for instructions.
Quietly,
Nahstaa moved with his sister, staying close... he didn't hold his
lightsaber, he held his sisters hand, squeezing it gently... He had
almost completely separated himself from the force, but left a tiny
connection, allowing himself access to the force should he need it...
No
matter what happened, he would be strong for his sister... he feared
the worse, and felt the worst would be a pleasant dream, should he
fall captive to the sith... he got the feeling his old master would
be very happy to see him again... the torrent of freezing cold water
was flushing through his mind again, but this time he faced it, let
it pass through him, and became strong where it had passed... he no
longer was afraid, what would be, would be...
Tares joined the rest of his kind outside the ship. He knew the time to strike wasn't right just yet. First, a couple more pieces of the puzzle had to fall in place....
Through her brother holding her hand and the sibling's bond, it was easier to follow what Nahstaa did when he reduced his connection to the force. She followed suit as not to be a 'beacon' to the enemy.
Skye stepped closer to her Master as her eyes caught sight of the broken bodies piled up along side the rubble from the mine's secondary entrance. She assumed that they were natives of the planet that the Sith had run into the ground in exhaustion or killed for the sake of killing them. It saddened her and her compassion went out to the native people of this planet. She felt very controlled, refusing to give in to anger or the want for revenge over this, but at the same time she wanted the Sith to pay for what they had done. They were here to right a wrong.
"Even though I still have doubts about this mission Master, I feel strongly that we should help free the natives of this planet. The Sith need to pay for what they have done..."
Ben'a
spoke once again to the gathered Jedi, keeping his voice low, but
loud enough for all gathered to hear.
"We've
got to take the mining explosives from this crate and place them at
certain points. Ayevit will point them out to you. Once the charges
are set, we're going to have to book it back to the ship..."
Grabbing
two bundles of charges, Ben'a moved to another part of the tunnel,
placing one of the packs and setting the detonator. Once everything
was set, Ayevit would set everything off...
Skye, along with the other members of their team, Nom Anor's Avenger, Ryoo Jaxxon, Nahstaa, Keiran Valoria and Masters Tares and Blckclone laid their charges where Ayevit indicated.
"This
is it, my friends...." Ben'a said quietly, so that the others
could hear, "The charges are set, let's move to the second
shaft..."
Again,
with Ayevit and the other Jedi close behind him, Ben'a led the group
down and into the second mineshaft amidst a stream of native
creatures making for the exits. It was another half-hour trek through
the caverns before the group arrived at the new area.
"Brace
yourselves!" he hissed.
Knowing
that the others knew what to do, Ben'a signalled to Ayevit.
"Let'er
rip!"
The sound of the explosion shook the ground around them as well, showering them all with dust, dirt and debris. Skye took cover and braced herself in a reasonably sheltered location with her brother until the explosions had subsided, then got up from her crouched position and shook off the dust and debris that had covered her. She had a few minor cuts but nothing serious. Briefly concentrating, she healed the cuts and looked around the group to see if anyone else required healing. Noticing Keiran getting out the gauze she moved quickly over to him to check on his wound.
"I know you said you're good to go but let me check it over first"
Giving him a smile she removed his field dressing and rechecked the wound, removing the debris that he had missed and concentrating on closing the wounds. By the time she had finished, there were no signs of the original damage. Quickly she moved around the rest of the team to make sure everyone is ok before awaiting further instructions.
Keiran
nodded as Skye walked over to check the rest of the team
"Thank
You"
Keiran
then picked up his rifle and gripped it in his left hand, he then
reached down and grabbed his lightsaber in his right hand and held it
as well.
"The
sith are sure to have heard the blast, better get ready for a fight
here people"
Keiran
kept his eyes open and guard up as he prepared himself.
Tares
shook his head, "It's not time to fight yet. We still must make
it to the secondary tunnel."
With
that the group moved on to the secondary tunnel....
Skye followed closely behind Master Vortex, her hand hovering over her lightsaber hilt. In the back of her mind something didn't feel quite right and her bad feeling returned... she really couldn't help feeling that they were heading into a trap. Tapping into the Force lightly she scanned the area looking for possible hazards as she headed deeper into the tunnel with her Master and the other members of their team.
An
apparition of Ahriman appeared infront of the jedi, emanating rays of
multicoloured lights.
'Sleep.'
He commanded...
The
sound of hissing of gas filled the shaft, and the Jedi collapse into
darkness. Their unconscious bodies were gathered and restrained,
using special manacles designed by Ahriman. The Jedi were then loaded
on Ahriman's ship for transport to the ceremonial grounds on Mimban,
along with the material that needed crafting.
With
his companions now outfitted as they once were, Ahriman gathered them
to go to the ceremonial grounds. Ahriman himself was in his full
ceremonial armor, carrying his new glaive as a symbol of the
advancements he had made in the alchemical arts. A silver orb adorned
his belt, it would enhance his powers during the ceremony, for silver
was the metal most attuned to him.
The
Jedi trailed behind him, floating limply in the air through his will,
still manacled by Ahriman's strange devices.
The Sorcerer stepped towards Malvagio and levitated an amulet to him, "This amulet will aid you in the ceremony, if you wish to use it."
Slowly the Jedi came to, one by one... Skye felt strange, she felt like she was floating... dreaming... but having trouble waking up. She remembered being in the second mine shaft and seeing an apparition appear before them... telling them to sleep... that's right, we were gassed! She struggled to regain consciousness but felt she should be wary... she focused inwards, trying to rid herself of the toxins within the gas, she wanted to be alert. Stretching out carefully through her bonds she felt the presence of her Master and her brother close by and assumed the other Jedi were there also, amidst the dark ones.
Keiran
fluttered his eyes half open, however they felt too heavy to open
entirely...
"Gotta
keep strong..."
Keiran
closed his eyes again and tried to recover himself from the gas
attack suffered on Arbra.
As
the amulet passed over to Malvagio, no gesture was issued in return
to Ahriman. It was not a sign of disrespect, but the two had no
purpose for such a gesture.
Malvagio's
eyes observed those around him. The Jedi came to the ground,
awakening but still very confused as to where they were. It must have
been something like a horrible nightmare to them, one that would only
get worse. With the amulet clenched in his left hand, and the board
in the other, Malvagio began to speak.
"The
Dark Lord and I have been met with some trouble since our
undertaking. Ironically, this trouble has come only from the hands of
Sith. We do not blame you, but now is the time to explain what it is
that is transpiring."
He
bent down and set the amulet upon the ground directly before him.
Though the wind was brushing roughly across the ground, it shifted
not. Nor did any of the other artefacts forged by Ahriman. The prime
material used was that derived from the mines of Arbra, radiating now
with an unmistakable dark side aura. Though the artefacts seemed of
the most random form, somehow they all appeared balanced together in
their placements along the edges of the ancient shrine.
"Many
things I cannot explain to you where explanation is due. Suffice to
say, let there be no more distain about me being a non-force user,
for I once was. The ability was sacrificed, along with many other
things a man would pride, to formulate this."
His
other land lifted, revealing the curious board he carried always
beside him. The glow of flame danced lightly upon it, mixing tones of
deep red with black. It appeared more detailed than it actually was.
"This
is what led me to the Bishop, and what led Bishop to become the Dark
Lord of the Sith. It is a tool for tapping the foundries of reality,
and deciphering the patterns of fate and time. He has foreseen many
ill things, which we have come to rectify."
Malvagio
looked dully about, meeting both the eyes of Sith and Jedi alike. The
Dark Lord stood beside him, gazing into nothing with his blind eyes.
"Finally,
something else must be addressed, however the one person who needs to
hear it the most is in the control tower. It has been said I am the
Talker for the Bishop. It has not been clarified that we share a
bond, and that he himself must remain distant to reality in order to
maintain his link with the instrument. This is a difficult endeavour,
one only he could attain. This leaves the Bishop with a tremendous
burden on his concentration. I, knowing his will, have become his
voice, for as time wears he will not be able to speak at all."
His
eyes fell to Tarrian briefly, and then finally to the Jedi, who stood
entwined within the twisted bonds forged by Ahriman. Their
consciousness was beginning to stabilize.
"Events
must be redirected. These Jedi fell flawlessly into a trap, one whose
outcome has been known before Bishop even attained the status of Dark
Lord. They are here to sacrifice for a greater reasoning, one never
dreamed of in the minds of the Jedi. Though they are your enemies,
those who shall fall today should be honoured."
The
corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Unfortunately
this great sacrifice involves the destruction of their
souls."
Raynuk
had returned from the control tower by that point in time, and now
stood about ten meters behind Malvagio. His arms were crossed over
his chest as they always seemed to be now a days.
Bishop's
left fingers twitched slightly while standing next to Malvagio during
the address. When it ceased, he popped his head to one side, as
though loosening a muscle in that one motion. The stroke became a
turn that carried him around to face the Jedi and Ahriman lined with
those who had chosen to become his pupils.
Eight
Jedi stood there, recovering each at varying speeds from the effects
of the trap. The two noble Jedi Masters, BlckClone and Tares. The
five who had followed them to Arbra, Goodwood, Ryoo, Skye, Nom, and
Keiran. The once Sith who now believed he could cleanse the darkness
that tainted him, Nahstaa. Their bonds kept each, and their powers,
in check.
He
came before the Wookie master, raising his cold right hand alongside
the BlackClone's face. The metal finger tips pressed through the
thick fur and onto the side of his head while Bishop tipped his blind
eyes to the other side. His fingers caressed along the woozy wookie's
cheek bone and the ear buried within the fur. The entire palm came to
lay on his face before sliding around behind his head and taking a
full handful of the wookie's fur and flesh and forcibly pulling him
out of line and dragging him out to the centre of the ceremonial
grounds.
His
hand still held tightly, and he pulled back on BlackClone's head so
that, no matter what state the Jedi might still be in after the gas
attack, everyone in the surrounding area could see his face clearly.
Bishop turned his face away from the wookie, looking back to where
both Ahriman and Malvagio stood at the head of the ceremonial
grounds.
Looking deeply into the Sith's eyes BC shifted. His eyes exploded with a clear white discharge, they looked like two moons peering deeply into Bishop. BC began murmuring words, words that tore into Bishop's very being.
Bishop
turned up to the Jedi masters eyes, but those white moons illuminated
nothing in Bishop's soul. The eyes that stared back in neither fear
of his chants or disdain of his mutterings held nothing. The
emptiness the wookie saw at that moment was nearly as disturbing as
the jolt of nausea and pain that Ahriman's cuffs instilled in him
when the Jedi drew upon the Force for his display.
Mighty
though the wookie's body was, even it was no match for the strength
afforded by unrestricted access to the Force and the technological
might captured in Bishop's right arm. Steadily, he pulled back and
down on Blckclone's head until the Jedi had the choice of either
falling backwards off his feet or kneeling.
Releasing
his grasp, Bishop tenderly dragged his fingers around the wookie's
skull until they reached the dark leathery lips. The light pressure
muddling their movement.
"The
light cannot reach me down here."
With
the same slow and subtle movement, Bishop's fingers pressed through
Blckclone's lips, applying the same pressure to his tongue. The metal
fingers tasted sharply of steel, dirt, and rusted blood. The fingers
stroked down gently over Blckclone's tongue, allowing the taste to
soak through, his thumb resting on the bottom of the wookie's jaw.
Bishop's head shifted slightly to the other side, still looking upon
the wookie when his grip, for the first time caused pain.
The
Dark Lord of the Sith's features did not twist or alter. They did not
frown and show sadness at the pain reeked. Nor did they twist in a
grin of malicious delight. They stayed. Blckclone's lower jaw
separated from his face in a semi fluid motion. Hiccuping first when
the joint was forced to disconnect from the skull and second when the
flesh finished stretching and began to tear.
Bishop
held the jaw up by his chest, the blood that remained dribbling
slightly onto the stones at his feet. Several of the teeth cracked
under his mechanical grip. He held it a moment longer, then flicked
his arm to the side to discard it. The lower mandible bounced once on
the ground, rolled twice, and settled on the toe of Jaina's boot
where she stood with Raynuk.
Bishop's
twin voids finally turned away from BlckClone, leaving him alive and
alone in the centre of the ceremonial grounds next to the Dark Lord.
Tzeentch
stepped into the middle of the ceremonial circle, looked down at the
Jedi master, and began to speak.
"There
are many qualities that are required to become a Sith. Ambition,
desire, drive, cunning, conviction. But there is one thing that a
Sith requires above all else. - Vengeance."
Tzeentch
walked towards the other Sith assembled, away from Bishop and
Malvagio.
"It
is what gives us our drive, our desire, it forces us to be cunning,
it makes us follow its path with conviction, and only through
ambition can we attain the power to achieve it. It is our pursuit of
vengeance, whether against people, or powers, or the things from our
past, that define us as Sith.
Now
the tools for vengeance are before us, in the form of a handful of
captured Jedi. At last we can avenge the past wrongs committed.
Millennia ago, we were cast out, feared and coveted by others for our
power. Now is the time for us to retake that power, and our rightful
place in this galaxy."
A
man hooded under a black cowled cloak stepped forward from the
shadows, like a dark omen and Tzeentch handed him an ornate hammer,
engraved with scenes of the plague of death.
"Prepare
for our vengeance Nhagathul!"
The
fragmentation grenade directly in front of Malvagio received it's
detonation code, sending the voice of Bishop to hell in small pieces.
The manacles on the Jedi fell off with a gesture, and the battle for
the salvation of the galaxy began.
"For
Abaddon." Tzeentch stated.
BC's
power could be felt by all the Jedi with him. He commanded his orders
through the force.
"Begin
now, my jedi the time has come push the evil out. Use the lightside
and together we can win. Tares, Keiran, and the others, start the
lightside exorcism now!"
Using
every piece of force energy in his body BC begin to push the dark
spirit out of Bishop. Slowly Tares and Keiran began as well. Bishop
could do nothing to stop it now.
On his feet, finally totally collected, Tares drew up the power of the force. Like a pressure tank filling up, his powers compressed into him. Finally, the power was released into the exorcism....
Skye stood silently to the side recovering from the remaining effects of the gas. She had focused inwards and had removed the taint of toxins and was now working on regaining her strength. Opening her eyes she looked around the grounds. Shocked at what was happening to Master Blckclone she silently recited the jedi code, gaining inner strength from the words and refusing to feel anything apart from determination. Her gaze shifted around the circle, resting on her Master, the man she respected and admired most from their order. She had a lot of respect for their leader, Master BC as well but hadn't had a lot to do with him.
Feeling the manacles drop at her feet Skye's head snapped around in the direction of Tzeentch, gasping as she also caught sight of a familiar figure now running from the grounds, along with another before disappearing from her view... in her mind she called out a name.
"Ashley!"
Skye didn't move, didn't want to bring undue attention to herself, feeling that there was something bigger going on around her. Feeling the conflict between light and darkness surrounding them. Her eyes tracked back again to Tares, Blckclone and Keiran, watching and waiting.
Now
even more free to use the force, BC kept applying lightside energy
onto BoB's body. He could feel the dark energy being pushed out.
Tares, Keiran, and BC were almost done, he spoke out through the
force.
"All
jedi move in and defend the three of us. When we are done we can
fight together."
With
that BC went back to concentrating on removing the evil within BoB.
As Master Blckclone's voice came into her mind, Skye moved slowly closer to the three, willing to defend them any way she could. Reaching Master Tares she turned to face away from him, watchful and noticed a female Twi'lek approach her, she also noticed two other women heading from the grounds, one clearly in control of the other and she wondered who they were.
Sirvani
walked briskly up to Skye and raised her blade.
"You
can't hide from the Sith," she said darkly, raising her blade.
"Turn to the Dark Side or die."
Skye's attention was brought back to the red Twi'lek and she regarded her carefully before quietly replying peacefully.
"I don't want to fight you... and I won't turn to the Darkside... no-one needs to die... You could come across to the light ..."
Her voice trailed off as she saw one of the Sith Master's – Raynuk - move to stand infront of BoB, regarding them but not interfering with the exorcism and saw him eye the other sith, including the one in front of her... seeing a slight change of expression crossed her face Skye gathered that the sith had just received silent orders as well. She then heard him as he spoke aloud to the Master of the Jedi.
"You have no hope of doing much besides curing Bishop BlackClone... afterwards, what do you plan on trying to do?"
Skye remained silent and watchful, waiting to see what would happen next.
Bishop's
eyes narrowed as Blckclone's shackles fell to the ground between
them. Their ensuing antics washed over him. He twitched his head away
from the group, twisting it around the long way to face them with a
single step to facilitate the body movement. He brought his gaze up
to the largest mass of the assembled Jedi, dipping his head to one
side a bit.
"An
exorcism, how interesting."
His
attention didn't divert when Raynuk placed himself between Bishop and
the Jedi. Even the Sith Master did not speak of things he fully
understood. None of them understood the position they had themselves
in now. Bishop shrugged and rolled his shoulders, as though passing
off a particularly tough muscle cramp.
Khorn
began the act of sucking away the energy that had gathered in this
place. The act in itself was not important. It could always be
drained from him again after the fact. The diverging flow of the
Force, though, caught all of the Jedi and Sith off guard, feeling
much the same as though they were loosing their powers for the
moment. Bishop's stoicism did not falter.
"You
cannot cast the soul of a body out as you would a demon. It is too
inexplicably bound."
The
dark shell the Jedi pushed so heavily upon surged back against their
will, fighting the whole of their attempts. Bishop's gaze finally
fell down to Blckclone, who in all the chaos had not moved from his
position. Too intent on fighting Bishop in other ways.
Bishop's
face remained the same as he reached up sharply, grabbing the wookie
skull in his mechanical hand. His steel thumb found hold in the
burned right eye socket. His back straightened and his face raised up
towards the clouding skies as he twisted down, straining the neck of
the Jedi who focused most on the gambit they were taking. The popping
vertebrae marked the end as the spinal chord was shredded by breaking
bones.
Bishop
pulled his hand back to his side, his fingers dragging the shattered
remains a moment before Blckclone's corpse fell to the ground. The
face of the Dark Lord twisted on itself at the new death, his focus
turning inward for a moment. His mouth dropped open, slack jawed, as
he brought his wide eyes up to regard the seven Jedi that remained.
His left hand lifted to his cheek, pressing at first lightly then
with increasing intensity as his elbow raised slowly to extend fully
over his head. His fingers grasped through his matted and greying
hairs and against his pale and leathery skin.
"The
Sith who brings me the most worthy collection of Jedi heads will
become the heir to my throne."
His
left hand pulled away from his face, which was left in much the same
expression, and a charge of Force lightning sparkled from his finger
tips. The tendrils of energy lunged hungrily for Jedi padawan and
master alike.
As
the lightning spread, and the nothingness attacked, Nahstaa didn't
have a chance to move... He saw it happen, at a snails pace.
Ever
so slowly, the lightning arced out towards him, twisting, writhing
like it was being tortured itself... His body refused to respond. His
mind could work, at this speed, but not his body... He felt the
singeing in his side, the burning as the lightning hit him full on in
the gut, searing deeply, cauterising the wound as it went...
That
was only the beginning... Just as the lightning stopped, the thing
that wasn't smashed him aside, and he flew to one side, cast away
like a rag doll... all he could do was push away the bond with his
sister, so she wouldn't feel it... before he did, he sent the
briefest flicker of love out to her, possibly his last goodbye...
As
he landed to the side of the grounds, his body struck the hard earth,
and he found himself looking up at the sky... Full circle... isn't
that funny... he found himself looking at the same tortured
atmosphere he had looked at, only weeks ago, when he had first set
eyes on Mimban's Sky... and then it all went black...
The
cold rushed through Nahstaa, pouring through him like a river,
stripping him bare, tumbling him against the bottom... It poured
through his mind, and tore pieces away with it...
Drawing
in the destructive energies of the force lightning into his body,
Tares began to channel the energies around him. With in mere seconds
the attack was converted into his own source of power. In time a
swirl of white force energy swarmed around the Jedi Master.
"Perhaps
a soul can't be caste away Dark One, but you are no soul. You are a
demon." Tares stated.
As
the worlds left his mouth, the energies were released towards Bishop.
The summoning of such power was only possible for Tares during times
of chaos. With in a split second the white cloud smashed into the
Dark One, bombarding the demon with in. At the end of the attack,
when the dust had settled all those present could feel something
lacking in Bishop. The demon was no more....
Darla
stood with her new master watching the chaos unfold. She had slowly
been regaining her grip on reality as her master had not injected her
for a while. Masking this with the facade of being in a child like
state, Darla had kept her thoughts guarded and refrained from
touching upon the force.
Tares!
My real master!
The
face of Tares Vortex was enough to snap Darla out of her confusion
and bring a torrent of past life memories flooding back into her
consciousness.
I
remember everything....
Darla
realised that this woman was not her mother or her master and any
compassion she had felt was an illusion to lure her here, for what
reasons she did not know.
She
wants to make me a sith! That's the only explanation...
Darla
looked down at the long black dress that adorned her body. It was
part gown and part death shroud and not Darla at all. There was a
dark beauty to it but she preferred a flight suit, something she
could fight and move in.
Without
a word Darla began to run away from the sith woman. She grabbed the
dress and tore the side of it open so that she could run easily. She
still dared not touch the force and was still a little woozy from the
drugs but her athletic body hurtled her forward towards the jedi....
A
strange dark man had slain BlckClone, who Darla remembered to be the
current leader of the jedi. Now he lashed out at her comrades with
dark force lightning. There was nothing she could do but be by their
sides. She kept running, head on into the onslaught.
"TARES!!!!"
She shouted out at the top of her lungs.
As
Darla ran towards the battle some of the force lightning hit her
knocking her to the ground. She lay there in a world of pain, spacing
from the destructive energies coursing through her body. Every nerve
felt like it was on fire but the pain made her mind seen clear and
focused. The energy dissipated into the ground. She had only caught a
glancing blow and not a full on attack, for that she was glad.
You're
a glutton for punishment.....
As
she lay on the ground, her black robe in tatters, she saw her former
master do something amazing. She felt it more than saw...
Tares
had drawn the dark mans' energy into him self and somehow in a flash
of blinding white it was all over.
What
happened?!
Darla's
robe was torn and her skin was blistered and burnt in several places,
blood oozing form the worst parts...But she was alive. Willing
herself to her feet she made her way over to her old Master.
Her
eyes filled with joy at finally finding him again.
"Master,
its me I'm alive.....I've been searching for you for so long."
Her eyes became glassy and tears threatened to erupt.
Too
many things were happening at once, too many twists, too many
turns...Too many backstabs. Raynuk watched Bishop crush BlackClone's
skull within his own metallic fingers, and felt the smallest of pity
for the Jedi Master, no...not pity, more of respect. There were too
many sides in this fight, and Raynuk was stuck in the middle with
little to no clue of what was happening.
The
whole situation really messed with Raynuk's mind as the chains of
devotion and feeling pulled him in separate directions. But Raynuk
had to ignore the chains, and trust the only thing and the only
person he had ever fully trusted.
Himself.
Looking
around, he realized that very few people actually were taking note of
him...No one was here to try to take him out. The battle was
confusing, and Raynuk would rather not make a wrong choice.
Disengaging
his lightsabers, he put them back on his belt, keeping an eye out for
anything sudden. His eyes scanned the Jedi, watching them all as his
mind decided what to do.
They
will regret this move in the end...
Raynuk
had made his mind up...he would leave this battle, let it settle
itself and return when the dust cleared. But he wasn't planning on
leaving this battle empty handed.
Raynuk
walked forward, stepping over the corpse of BlackClone, and watched
silently as Nahstaa fell to the ground, a direct hit by force
lightning. The Jedi were still feeling the ill effects of the gas,
and Raynuk capitalized on this.
Reaching
down, he grabbed Skye by her hair, and dragged her to her feet
"Hello
my dear... Come, walk with me a while won't you?"
Raynuk
turned, and dragged Skye across the ceremonial fields by her hair,
leaving the battle, and taking his insurance.
Keiran
stood in awe, ignoring the pain from the lightning burst made by BoB,
the retaliatory attack by Tares was awe-inspiring enough to ignore
pain for a while.
"He
did it... the lord of the sith is gone..."
Keiran
fell to his knees, jaw opened as he brought himself back to the real
world and suffered the pain from the lightning attack. After a few
seconds of writhing on the ground, Keiran found his composure, pushed
aside the pain and stood once more.
He
saw as Raynuk grabbed Skye and began marching her off, trying to make
his escape.
"Skye...
she's Tares' apprentice... he must recover from his last attack, only
one thing to do I guess"
Keiran
sprinted off away from the battle, chasing after Raynuk unarmed, as
he slowly gained on them, he stopped about 100m away and screamed
out.
"RAYNUK!!!
Don't tell me you've dipped to the level of kidnapping padawans!
Leave the girl, you will not be pursued, I assure you of that."
Tarrian
watched out of the corner of her eye for her ward, and let her get
just so far and fall on the ground from the force lightning...she
grabbed her with the force and hauled her back. Once again at her
side, she quickly injected her and guided her to her old rooms.
Placing the now sleeping girl in Kaylynn's old quarters, she locked
the door tight and told the girl to rest...
Returning
to the place where Bishop was, she was torn she stood a moment and
then bumped into Raynuk.
BC's
jawless mouth grinned as he fell. It hit hard and as it did the
ground shook. Time seemed to stall as the Jedi Master fell, he gave
his last orders as he lay dieing.
"Do
not interfere my Jedi. The sith will let us pass if you do not attack
these Sith. We will have our time, and I thank you, we have saved the
galaxy from a true tyrant this day. You are all so brave."
Every
Jedi felt the message and felt a large void in the force as BC lay
dead. He had breathed his last breathe, but he would return. Upon his
return he would be the most powerful force user to grace the galaxy.
Darla
was just within reach of her old master, mere meters away when some
powerful force yanked her back. It was the sith Woman, she was a
powerful presence that Darla was unable to resist. Through the force
she was yanked back.
She
screamed out but it was to no avail, within seconds she was within
the sith's grasp. She struggled but soon felt the cold steel of a
syringe in her neck then everything went away. She tried to the
resist the toxins coursing through her veins but she was too weak.
She
mumbled incoherently as she was quickly led away by her Sith master.
"...no....not
here....no....Tares...Tares....." she could not say much and it
made little sense.
She
felt herself being lifted and then the softness of a mattress beneath
her. As soon as she hit the bed sleep took her in its warm dark
embrace. The battle was gone and so was the pain. Once again she knew
not who she was, once again she drifted away from herself......
On the ground, the nearly lifeless body of Tares lay weak. His skin was burnt, his body failing him. The great energy he released had done more damage to him that what was apparent. On the ground, the semi-aware jedi only thought about his apprentices that were now taken... both of them....
As the force lightning hit her Skye fell to the ground, her skin smoking and blistering before her eyes... and the pain... she smothered a scream by biting on her hand, tasting blood but not giving the sith satisfaction of hearing her crying out in pain.
"Focus Skye... focus dammit! Let the force heal me, please let the force heal me"
Skye drew her focus inwards trying to concentrate the Force into a healing power. She would not give in to the pain, nor give in to the blackness that threatened to take her consciousness from her. It was a difficult task but she was determined to succeed. Slowly... ever so slowly did she begin to feel the warmth of the force flowing through her veins, healing the burning sensations, soothing her wounds. Opening her eyes she looked at her Master, her eyes widening as she saw what he was doing. The oppressive darkness was lifting and it was due to what her Master was doing. A fresh burst of pain ripped through her then and a scream ripped from her throat...
"Nahstaa!!! Nooooo!!!"
She felt her brother's pain and a brief wave of affection for her come through the sibling's bond before he closed her off. Forgetting her own pain she redirected her focus towards him... forcing open their bond and sending the healing lifeline through to him. She replaced the cold with warmth and returned the affection he'd sent to her.
A fresh burst of pain hit her again, breaking her concentration from her brother. This time the pain came from a different source as she felt someone grasp her by her hair and begin to drag her off. With so much pain still raking through her body she had no choice but to follow, to try and keep up with him as to pull back increased the pain in her head.
"Hello my dear... Come, walk with me a while wont you?"
This sith looked familiar to her somehow and she cast her memories back to where she might know him from. It came to her suddenly... Darex... racing towards a sith on Hoth with his blue lightsaber blade flashing... him being hit with force lightning by this sith... Raynuk Montar.
"I know you... you were at Hoth. What do you want with me?" Skye was calm until she caught a glimpse behind them of Master Tares lying on the ground, her eyes widening as she struggled and screamed out, " Let me go!! Master Tares!!!"
His grip on her hair was tight and painful, bringing tears to her eyes. She would have to get him to release her somehow. Instead she tried to focus again on healing herself, reducing the pain in her nerve endings as they moved along, trying to prepare herself incase she got the chance to escape so that she could return to her Master. She needed to get back to her Master. They came to a sudden halt infront of another sith, the woman who took the other away from the ceremony. "Oh great, this just gets better with every passing moment..."
"RAYNUK!!! Don't tell me you've dipped to the level of kidnapping padawans! Leave the girl, you will not be pursued, I assure you of that."
"Keiran!!" Skye cried out to him and at the same moment felt Master Blckclone become one with the Force.
Raynuk
looked silently at Tarrian, answering her silent questions with
silent answers. He looked over at Bishop as well, and Kakuto standing
over him.
He's
gone Tarrian...
He
looked back at her and shook his head. He had let his grasp of Skye
go, and now grabbed her again by the arm to drag her off again when
Keiran yelled.
As
he yelled, Raynuk spun on his heels, staring back at him. The Jedi
was standing, and looked as determined as BlackClone had been just
moments earlier. Raynuk looked down at Skye, who was still feeling
the rigors of pain coursing through her. She seemed genuinely scared,
and for a second, Raynuk allowed himself pity.
"Take
her then Keiran...apparently she means more to you than me"
He
threw Skye at Keiran, knocking them both to the ground, just incase
Keiran got any delusions of grandeur. As Raynuk turned to continue
running back to the temple, he gave Tarrian one last look of sorrow.
Tarrian
Skywalker stood alone for a moment then began to move toward Kakuto
Ryu. She stopped a moment by Keiran and Skye and looked a moment but
continued on to where Tares was still laying...Kneeling down, she
spoke softly to him..."Your apprentice is safe, but I sense you
are in need. I will see you soon Jedi Master. Go now and take the
wookie. Make sure you care for him...He must be cloned." She
knelt there for a moment longer and smiled as she used the force to
take on some of his pain so that he could do the tasks that she
required. "you and I will meet again, very soon I think."
Standing
up, she went to KR and touched his shoulder..."Kakuto, he is
gone, leave him to me...whether you like him or not...you don't
disgrace the dead."
Keiran
lay on the ground, covered in mud, as he looked up at the raining sky
of Mimban.
"I
can't believe I don't get paid for this... I liked this robe"
Keiran
got to his feet and tried to brush the mud off his crimson robe to no
avail
"Damn"
Keiran
then helped Skye onto her feet and checked for injuries. Finding
none, Keiran then led her back to Tares' ground-ridden form. Keiran
crouched beside his friend and touched his shoulder, inducing the
force into his body to help heal the injuries and calm the jedi
master.
"Tares...
Skye is safe... I brought her back from Raynuk's clutches
unfortunately I cannot say the same for Darla, I do not know what
happened to her."
Letting Keiran help her up, she brushed off some of the mud, walking with him back to Master Tares. She watched as the female sith master knelt by Master Tares for a moment before getting up and moving on to the dark lord Bishop. Reaching her master's side Skye knelt beside him and along with Keiran began to heal her Master while listening as Keiran spoke to him. Hearing a name, she placed a hand on Keiran's arm and spoke up...
"Darla? Was she the one that got led back towards the temple by that Sith there?" Skye answered softly as she pointed in Tarrian's direction. "I saw her lead someone away just before the 'main event' got underway... I also saw Ashley and another girl run towards the temple"
Seeing her Master regaining his strength slightly and that Keiran was concentrating on him still. Methodically she made her way around the rest of the Jedi, checking on their various wounds and ignoring her own for the time being, she moved over to her brother again, checking his vital signs and was relieved that he was still with her. She focused on him again, helping to pull him out of the coldness that still gripped him.
Slowly,
Nahstaa twisted in his river of darkness, being battered along... and
then it hit him...
'Wouldn't
it just be so much easier, to give in... to let it take you... just
think, it could all be over... all over, once and for all... you
wouldn't feel it anymore... gone, forever...'
In
his mind, he reeled, hit by the command of a presence so dark, and so
powerful... All that kept him sane was his sister... what would
become of her, if he let go like this... let his soul be taken...
'IGNORE
HER!!! she matters not, all of you will turn! TURN!!! 'over the
battle, one voice was heard, for a brief second... "NO!" It
was short, sharp, and refusing... in his mind, he spoke to the
beast...
As soon as he had managed to get this out, he opened the bond to his sister, letting her share what he felt... it was good...
Though he twisted in pain, he was whole... He had let go of the dark, and he radiated the warmth of the light...
Without any further ado, he rose to his feet, faced the beast, and awaited his death, one with the force, one with the light...
Both
Malvagio and the Bishop, great beings in their time, had long been
expired. Their mere shells were played up to this point, now finally
brought to an end. The foreign power would have allowed no other
outcome, as the labour behind the show now resided its concentration
on the audience it had gathered. It was time to collect.
Nahstaa
was throne to the side of the grounds, his body deeply ridden by the
Bishop's final attack. As his brain lost awareness with its senses,
a short manipulation took place. The Nothing touched his fading
awareness, coxing it into a calm stupor. In the short dream, Nahstaa
found himself with the light, all the elements of his eventful but
ultimately trivial life congregating into a final moment's piece.
The power caressed his will, subtly suggesting it until it was
finally at rest, and shined with radiance difficult to attain for
even a Jedi. Then, just as it was content with all things, it was
torn apart like tissue paper. Only the dust of what decorated the
core of his soul remained, the rest consumed by the grounds, joining
with its will.
Its
power growing, the influence that raged about them threw forth
allusion to suit its ends. Nurgle was easily directed to an
apparition of the Nhagathul, assuming immediately that she commanded
the corpse of the fallen Sith from within his body. Of course it
would make sense for her to generate nearby after its power was
shaken from the Bishop. Tzeentch was more difficult to fool, his mind
being that of a great schemer. Yet, even in their ability, they were
young in the universe, and the enemy they sought to battle was one
who had survived countless ages. In the great chaos of the events,
even subtle suggestions of location were easy to impound. John found
himself addressed by Nurgle's insults, followed by the coming of
his scythe. Just as well, Tzeentch concentration bent into a flare of
palpable energy, thrown at the allusion apparition standing in the
place of John. To them, at the moment of action, John seemed the
source of their hate. To John, the two warriors had attacked him
without warning or cause. To the Nothing, the resonance of their
draining powers only served to fuel its own.
Skye had made her way back over to Keiran and her Master helping once again with his healing process, when she felt the bond with her brother open once more. She could feel him in conflict, he was having an internal battle against something... something dark.
"NO!"
His determined voice reverberated around her mind before the bond opened fully and she felt a warmth radiating through like nothing she'd known before in her brother's presence. Skye could feel how good Nahstaa was feeling, at peace with the lightside of the force. She saw him stand then, facing something that she couldn't see.
"Nahstaa... NOOOO!!" An anguished cry tore from Skye's throat, her hands flew to either side of her head, clutching it as their bond was abruptly severed. Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed at her Master's side sobbing uncontrollably.
Rapidly
blacking out from reality, Tares continued to lay on the ground. With
his last ounce of strength, he reached out through the force to Skye.
We
need transportation....... out of......... here.
With
that reality was lost....
Skye clutched her head in her hands, bereft of the link she had shared with her brother... he was gone and there was nothing, nothing she could do about it. The emptiness where she had felt her sibling's connection left an ache that she was not sure how to deal with. When she had felt the passing of Ben'a & Keiran on Hoth, she had not felt this same intense feeling of emptiness, nor when BC became one with the force a few short hours before Nahstaa. No, this was something different entirely.
She was struggling to deal with her grief, even though she knew she had to. He will be back... Ben'a and Keiran got cloned and they are here now... so he will be back... Logic began to circle within her mind before she heard her Master's voice...
"We need transportation....... out of......... here"
"Master!" Skye snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Master Tares speaking to her in her mind through their force bond. He sounded very weak and her concern for him brought her out of her misery and back to the reality of their situation, there would be time for her grief later, but not now. She sat up and looked at her Master's pale face, taking in his wounds and working out what needed to be treated first, he was fading on her . She could see where Keiran had healed him alittle and had kept her Master calm. She focused totally on him then, evaluating his injuries.
Glancing around she saw that the Sith had disappeared from view leaving behind the few remaining Jedi. She noticed then, that they had lost another of their number – Nom Anorus – while she had been out of it and that fact shocked her again. She mentally shook her head and looked at her remaining companions.
"Keiran, Ben'a, Ryoo... we need to get out of here. One of you find a ship that will get us off this rock. This is a mining planet isn't it? A mining shuttle will do if you can find one ... I need reinforcement to help heal Master Tares. He's in a bad way and I suspect that he has internal injuries as well."
Her gaze went back to her Master then, he needed her full attention. To do so though, she would have to heal some of her own injuries first. Focusing inwards she felt the Force flowing through her, soothing the burning sensations and healing the worst of her blistering. She had been lucky in one respect that Raynuk had kidnapped her when he did, as she missed the worst of the force lightning. Not so with regards to her Master. Feeling that she had healed herself enough to get by, she focused again on Master Tares.
She placed her hand briefly upon his brow, soothing him as she returned her whole attention to his injuries. Moving to his chest she could see where his clothing had been melted against his skin by the intense heat of the force lightning. Ever so gently, she began to remove the muddy, blood soaked material from him. Using the Force to dull the pain in his nerve endings as she went. She felt someone else join their force powers with her, letting her be the healing focus.
"Someone see if you can find me some clean water and a cloth... if you can find a med pack that would be a bonus"
She heard a ripping sound and was handed a piece of cloth that looked like it was part of someone's robe. She was also handed what looked to be a ceremonial bowl of some kind, she didn't take the time to discover. It didn't matter, all that did was that the water was clean. Dampening the cloth she used it to clean her Master's worst wounds. She went back to cleaning the deep wound on his chest, channelling the Force from herself to her Master. She would not let her Master be taken from her like her brother had been.
Keiran
stood as he watched Tares close his eyes, Keiran then reached into
his utility belt and pulled out a small emergency syringe. Keiran
pushed the syringe into Tares and extracted a sample of blood,
promising to resurrect the great master if Skye's attempts failed.
Keiran placed the syringe safely into his utility belt and patted
Skye on the shoulder.
"Good
luck"
Keiran
then stood and looked around at the remaining jedi, noting the tragic
losses that the group had suffered.
"A
ship eh..."
Keiran
reached out with the force, trying to find the telltale signs of a
mining outpost where the natural ground had been disturbed. However
Keiran sensed something completely different... the resurrected
presence of BC.
"He's
back... I'm sure he'll get us off this rock in no time"
Keiran
sat back down and tried to relax, knowing BC would be coming to the
group's rescue.
His
ship screeched out of hyperspace over Mimban. As it prepared to enter
the atmosphere BC readied the extra ship protection chips. Slowly
taking it through the dangerous Mimban atmosphere. He landed in an
open area close to where he felt his fellow Jedi. They all knew he
was there as he sent a once message.
'Come
quickly I am here to bring you all home.' Blckclone's voice
come into Skye's mind and filled her with a renewed hope as she
watched his ship land.
She noticed another Jedi padawan come up to them from across the ceremonial grounds and wondered briefly how he got there, his face wasn't familiar to her. She moved back from her Master and observed the newcomer take his cloak off to cover Master Tares.
"What
did you tell me of persistence," Andon Colos thought to
himself, "never give up until the end and even in that final
moment beg to fight just a little bit longer."
His
hallowed walk through the woods towards the presences of the other
Jedi he felt was a difficult one, but not physically...rather
mentally. He was still unsure why he risked breaking through the
atmosphere in a regular ship, the act was pure suicide yet in the
moment he didn't care. Turns out his Master was right, during the
tide of battle emotions need to be kept in control , for his
judgement had been clouded. He landed only to say good-bye to a
friend and help his Order in any way he could, and much to his
surprise the former gave him the cold shoulder. Darkness tainted us
all to a certain extent, but it could never truly consume a being nor
could the light inside ever be vanquished entirely.
Though
he was only an apprentice he felt beyond his years somehow, like his
natural calling had finally found him and he was revelling in its
glory...but this place was no glory. All around him the rancid
feeling of death and sorrow reached outward to his mind in an attempt
to corrupt it, but as he walked with his black hood covering his eyes
no outside interference could touch him. He'd tracked her presence
across the slaughtering grounds and into a looming tower where
another dark being met her, strangely feelings of compassion emanated
from both towards each other. His eyes focused as another presence
peaked through the Force, that of Ashley Jade and already her aura
was being tainted as well; this was truly a day of failure.
As
his walk led him to the point of interest, three presences appeared
from nothingness and the apprentice instinctively reached for his
lightsaber, but to his delight they were three Jedi. The ceremonial
grounds were drenched in impurity and in return all within its grasp
gave off a slight notion of darkness and malice. On the ground lay a
Jedi Andon had never seen before and tending to his wounds was a
female Jedi who's face was unfamiliar as well. Turning his head
slightly he caught sight of a Jedi Knight he had seen at the briefing
before the Battle of Coruscant...Keiran was it, Andon wasn't sure;
the day had played quite a toll on his mind.
Upon
further inspection of the man's wounds he had received quite a jolt
of electricity, Force Lightning no doubt, and he was in pretty bad
shape. Approaching the three he quickly removed his black cloak and
placed it over the fallen man's body from the neck down. Adjusting
his hazel gaze he caught the eyes of the female attending too him.
"He's
in shock, it'd be best to try to keep him as warm as possible"
Andon softly told her. Now clad in only his black tunic, dark silver
undershirt and black pants he made his way over to the Jedi Knight
sitting down a few feet from the pair and knelt crouched beside him,
his eyes ever trained on a Sith Apprentice not far from them. Still
keeping his eyes locked he spoke to the Knight.
"Any bright ideas how to get off this planet? We could take my ship," he said pointing off towards the crash site, "but it's that flaming pile of wreckage over there in the distance."
"I agree with you but I was in the process of cleaning his wounds..." Skye's eyes flashing with annoyance, she looked him in the eye and as he moved to pick her master up she added protectively, "Be careful with how you move him, you don't want to add to his injuries!"
With
a roar in the skies above, the apprentice's head snapped to the
attention as his eyes caught that of a ship breaking through the
atmosphere. It moved quite fast for its size and as volleys of
turbolaser fire filled the horizon, all of them missing, he instantly
knew it was a vessel here to rescue them. As the repulser lifts of
the ship scorched the ground underneath it's reach the landing ramp
lowered and instantly a familiar face emerged, that of Master
Gantoris. As he gave word for them to evacuate the planet Andon's
spirits raised, but at the same time his heart sank...he wanted to
leave and yet he didn't.
In
the end the Jedi in Andon won the struggle and he rose to his feet
and moved over to the injured Jedi Master laying on the ground. It
wouldn't be good to move him, but to leave him still would only make
his condition worse...either way he wouldn't be walking away from
this under his own power. Kneeling beside the female Jedi he further
wrapped his cloak around him and placing his arms underneath of him,
Andon hoisted him over his shoulder as gently as he could and began
walking towards the ship. Going up the landing ramp he quickly looked
for a place to put him down and noticing a cluster of three seats
together that could serve as a bed, he easily lowered him onto it.
The
apprentice wished he could help further, but he didn't know anything
about healing...Master Akturus had trained him purely as a warrior
and a survivor. The one thing he did know how to do was energy
manipulation, the transferring of the Force from one thing to
another. Placing his hand over the man's faintly breathing chest the
Padawan summoned every resolve of Force knowledge he had, his mind
reaching outward around him drawing the mystic energy field into his
body and channelling it into the weakened Jedi's body. Though he had
no knowledge of healing he hoped that the Jedi Master's sub-conscious
being could use the newfound body to heal his wounds or at least slow
the bleeding until medical attention could be administered.
Keiran
followed Andon as the apprentice carried Master Tares onto the ship.
As Keiran approached the ramp he locked eyes with Master BC and
nodded. Without a word Keiran entered the ship and came back out with
a blaster carbine he had found in the ship's armoury.
"Master
BC, I'll protect the rest of the jedi as they board, please prepare
the ship for takeoff. You're death, Nom's death and Master Tares'
injury are heavy on everyone's mind, so heading home is what we all
want."
Keiran
dropped to one knee and brought up his blaster carbine to eye level,
keeping it there as he swept the area around the ship, making sure
only jedi boarded.
Skye followed close behind as Andon carried Master Tares into Master Blckclone's ship and nodded to Keiran as she passed him, quickly moving to her Master's side again to make him as comfortable as she could. She didn't like how pale he looked. Glancing back at the other padawan she spoke with an apologetic tone.
"I'm sorry I snapped out there, it's just that I'm so worried about my Master. Can you find me a first aid kit while I clean up his wounds so I can dress them." Then as an after thought added "I'm Skye – Master Tares padawan."
'We
leave now all Jedi without a ship get to mine I leave in 2 hours.'
Master BC's voice echoed throughout the ship and beyond...
All
the Jedi in the area heard this call and rushed to his ship.
Keiran
took one step back and entered BC's ship.
"Damn,
I hate taking the bus... I really need to get my ship back..."
Having
made Master Tares as comfortable as she is able to on the make shift
bed, Skye sank down into a sitting position on the floor, leaning her
back up against the 'bed' to conserve her energy. She took hold
of her Masters hand and opened the force bond between them, allowing
her Master to draw on her energy reserves ...
Leonardo
stood up and walked from the room heading to the room filled with
Jedi. He could sense one great bond between two of the Jedi, one who
was hurt and the other, trying to help. Leo knelt down next to her
and spoke.
"I
can help him a little. I have practiced the Jedi healing arts on my
own, but I do not know how efficient I will be. Is it ok if I help
him? It is the least I can do."
Skye
looked up at the man who spoke to her, a grateful look on her face at
his offer, even if she didn't know who he was.
"I
wish there was something you could do but I'm afraid nothing more can
be done for my Master until we reach some proper Medical Facilities.
The only thing is that I'd like to get Master Tares somewhere where
he'd be more comfortable."
With
worry etched on her face, she turned to look at her Master again,
picking up a clean damp cloth and soothing his pale brow.
With all Jedi accounted fro BC's ship took off back to Manaan.