Chapter Sixteen
At the same time that Clyde Rev was preparing to make his move against Hyperion, Inoy had done some research into the specter that wasn't good. Apparently, when she was alive, she was an enchantress who had by the side of the couple known as Arden Lyn and Xendor in the First Great Schism. Some said she had lived for centuries before she even met them and had helped forge the infamous Kashi Mer Talisman. But when the Jedi had routed the Legions of Lettow, they did something worse to the enchantress than they had done to Arden or Xendor.
While Xendor was killed in the waning days of the great war and Arden was placed in a morichro trance by Awdrysta Pina, the enchantress had been pinned down at Ando Prime. There, her spirit was ripped from her body in a rare and barbaric ritual that tied her conscious essence to something that naturally occurred in nature like a rock or salt. The specter had been tied to every icicle in the cave so that when one broke, she was put through constant pain. Then her sentience was disbursed to the elements of the Force, cursed to never reunite until innocent blood had been spilled by a Republic soldier and a Jedi's tortured cries had echoed across the cave. Worse still, the Jedi proceeded to wipe out her family in similar or crueler fashion, assuming they hadn't already killed its members on the field of battle against the Legions as some believed.
When the Republic operative called Claudia Elesion, Dantius' in-law by his cousin Christopher, killed several defecting scientists in the cave it had completed the first part. But when Hyperion had brought Dantius and Coventry to the cave to torture them, sensing the dark essence in the place, he'd completed the other half. Therefore, the fact the specter had lost everything to the Jedi including her freedom to cross over to the land of the dead meant she would naturally despise the spiritual descendants of the ones who did it. It would also mean she'd be much obliged to Hyperion for taking her in the Prison Ring, the only thing that could free her from her containment according to the information about her curse. What he wasn't sure Hyperion would know, however, was that the way to free her for certain was to disburse the ashes of someone who'd passed away and as one did so bestow a name upon her.
Even if he did, it was unlikely that the boy's mother had known about the ring or the specter and with good reason according to research he did on the last battles of the Sith. Apparently, there had been a refugee ship filled with fleeing citizens of the Sith Empire, looking for a better life in the Republic. Among them were the former concubines of Dark Lords or their non Force-sensitive children and the records indicated only one Iridonian Zabrak with an infant. The refugee ship had unfortunately been bombarded by an Imperial Dreadnaught, determined to either bring them back to the fold by force or bring down the ship.
A Republic battlecruiser had intercepted with three hammerheads in its company to bring the battle to the Dreadnaught. Unfortunately for the refugee ship, the Sith had already hit its stabilizers and destroyed its core engine, sending it plummeting to the surface of Ando Prime. A Jedi Knight named Ashlynn Thorin, a former lover of Dantius at the Vornu temple, had been there and led the mission. When it failed to save the ship, she asked a rescue crew to head down as soon as the Dreadnaught was taken care of, fearing its Sith crew would fire on them otherwise. By the time they arrived however, almost everyone was dead or dying and the Zabrak woman's infant was nowhere to be found.
The mission was a failure and it had been assumed that the infant was picked up by predators when its crying had lured them to the crash along with the scent of meat. But could it be that Hyperion had found this infant, found out his name was Menelaus, and raised him? If so, what became of the mother's body after the crash? More important, how had Ashlynn not recognized or sensed Hyperion's presence, having fought against him on her homeworld of Lorrd? Perhaps she had not been paying attention when she was extracting valuables such as the ship manifesto and the detailed description of each passenger that had come with?
At any rate, Inoy had his information that he needed and was able to fill in the blanks. Hyperion had cremated the body of the boy's mother, raised him as his own for eleven years, and had felt the time had come to fulfill her will and disburse her ashes on Dathomir. The Havoc Squad's Twi'lek soldier and the arrival of their Jedi leaders (then, himself and Polydeuces) had merely forced his hand in that opinion. And odds were that Hyperion was probably on the lookout for the boy's real father in case he could leave him with the man who helped produce him.
After all, whether Inoy was right that Hyperion had some good left in him or not, he was still a Republic fugitive while the kid wasn't. Menelaus would've probably been cleared off as a captive and given a slap on the wrist at the most. Stockholm Syndrome had been a legitimate thing in many a captive of the Sith and the Eternal Alliance alike. Therefore, Menelaus' case would be just another case of shock and trauma, however young he started. And reports were coming in that a man matching Hyperion's description was seen leaving Mon Gazza with a young Zabrak child, consistent with the path he'd expected the Sith to take.
His only regret was that he'd overshot his old ally on his way back to Dantooine in a manner that could look deliberate. Still, Inoy needed the information so that he could better understand Hyperion's position and felt confident that he did. Now, it was just a simple matter of informing the Jedi Sentinels stationed at Denon to be on the lookout for him and hold him down until Inoy could get there. That and giving the slip to Polydeuces before he was ever the wiser on the matter of the mission, lest he never hear the end of it from the Council. Granted, he was already in a bit of an entanglement with the Council for even considering leaving Polydeuces or ordering him to stand down and would be in a worse one even if he gave the Human the slip.
But it was more strategically sound to leave him behind until Inoy could get to the bottom of what Hyperion was doing out and about in the galaxy again then arrest him diplomatically. So he had no choice but to call in the Echani twins, the "Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas". Aptly named for the fact that they had each killed more Sith lords, warriors, apprentices, and other saber wielders on Dromund Kaas than any other Jedi Knight, Padawan, or Master present. One was slightly bigger than the other and the bigger one preferred to wield the traditional blue blade of the Order's Guardian class (of which Inoy could proclaim membership) while the smaller but bulkier brother preferred the yellow-bladed saberstaff more typical of the Sentinel class. Plus, something told them that they were itching to fight another Dark Side user no matter the appearance of retirement that Hyperion seemed to put on.
Armed with this new knowledge, Inoy was ready to reinvigorate his search for his old ally and bring about his capture. Unfortunately, it meant he had to conceal his signature when he was about to approach an otherwise oblivious Polydeuces who was talking with Dantius. The older Human saw Inoy with a mere movement of his eyes and understood at once the situation when he caught his friend's wearied look. "Polydeuces, when Inoy gives you a command, act like it is me doing it! He's the most impartial of us all and will be able to render the most tactically sound decision when dealing with my brother," Dantius told his former Padawan.
"If he's so tactical, why did Hyperion give us the slip back on Ando Prime then let us overshoot him on Mon Gazza? Doesn't seem like strategic brilliance to me there, Master Octavian!" Polydeuces snapped.
"Because he felt it wise to sit it out until he could attain the necessary information to perform the mission more successfully. You were a hindrance to that success when he made the decision and until you learn to control yourself, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with him," Dantius told him.
"Who's he going to get to help him then if not me?" Polydeuces countered.
"Whoever he can across the stars, whether or not that means bumping into the more unsavory members of our Order. There are plenty of other Sentinels in the galaxy who can perform our operations just as well or better than us," Dantius calmly said. And I already regret deciding on the two I've got in mind Inoy silently admitted. He was just barely about to be out of earshot when he heard Polydeuces call to him, demanding he slow down. But he pretended not to hear even as he boarded the Havoc Squad's gunship and told them to proceed without Polydeuces.
"I've already called ahead to two Sentinel brothers on Denon. Force willing, they'll keep Hyperion pinned until we can capture or bring him in, whether or not that means sacrificing their lives to the endeavor. Polydeuces is still too raw and these guys are the Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas, which should give you an idea of why we're leaving him," Inoy told Jorgen.
"The Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas, huh? I've heard about them, legendary Jedi twins who were said to have single-handedly taken the battle to more of the remaining Sith than any other Jedi or Republic soldier on the field that day. They're legendary heroes for the Republic whether Eternal Alliance survivors would agree with that or not," Arc Jorgen agreed. Both knew that their skills with a lightsaber would be more handy in this situation than Polydeuces' would be.
Plus, their experience with subduing and killing Darksiders was nigh unprecedented for the war era that Inoy had been raised into. They were also not as impulsive, despite being in their early thirties, nor as prone to making youthful mistakes as Polydeuces. It was Inoy's singular hope that they spared Hyperion until the Nautolan could question him, even if they fought him beforehand.
Chapter Seventeen
Hyperion and Menelaus arrived within the next two standard weeks or so of leaving Mon Gazza. Arriving in Denon, Hyperion wasn't surprised to see that it hadn't changed much in the years since he last went through. When corruption was rampant, change was slow to come and the longer people were accustomed to corruption, the longer it'd take to extinguish it. It was deep in Republic Space but it didn't mean that customs officials couldn't be bought off for the right price or police officers made to look the other way.
Police droids were particularly vulnerable to EMPs though they usually had a sentient companion who told them to steer clear of matters where they'd been bribed into ignoring conflict. Still, Hyperion sensed there was something different about this place... more comforting, more virtuous than the Denon he remembered. Was it possible that there was a Jedi foothold at long last in this place? If so, it explained the presence of the Light Side of the Force here and why Hyperion felt a little more at ease here than in previous trips to Denon. But he had to remind himself and his son that they were only here for fuel and supplies, nothing more.
But for good measure, Hyperion brought his ax, shield, blaster pistol, and knuckleduster for his left hand. This way, he could give off the impression to any Jedi who fought them that if he could destroy one without his lightsaber, he could easily take the fight to them with it. He and his son were looking for supplies when the older Human sensed two unfamiliar but very dangerous presences stalking them. "You alright?" Menelaus asked, likely reading the expression on his face that he learned was a sign of danger.
Specter, can you grant invisibility to the holder of the ring? I need to hide my son from the Jedi in case I don't manage to escape Hyperion asked telepathically.
I can grant him invisibility from ordinary people until the Jedi spot you and challenge you. Once that happens, you two are your own unless you were willing to let me bring my full power to bear on them the specter said.
If I said yes, what would that look like? As long as you are in the ring, you are sworn to honesty by he who holds it Hyperion replied.
Nothing much, just consuming the souls of the Jedi for my luncheon and taking possession of the ordinaries long enough to draw off the psychic energy of their violence. Until I'm satiated enough to be completely resurrected and allowed to bring about the destruction of this world the specter explained.
Then I'm not using you like that unless I have no other choice. Make my son invisible if I give this ring over to him and nothing else Hyperion ordered.
You're no fun she mocked.
And you are too destructive he snapped. Then he took off the ring, knowing he was going to be having enough problems with the Jedi on their tail. Menelaus obeyed his father's request and put on the Prison Ring, the specter delivering on her end to make him invisible to all (hopefully including the Jedi) except for Hyperion. They weaved through the crowd as best they could with someone still bumping into Menelaus on occasion. Unfortunately, paying for the supplies to be delivered to their ship turned out to be the easy part: getting back to the ship was going to be even more difficult as the Echani twins Hyperion noticed had finally caught up.
"You," said one who was taller but noticeably lankier than the other. As he spoke, he unclipped a lightsaber of traditional design and prepared to use it, showing off the blaster pistol at his side as per his Sentinel training. This meant that if Hyperion did well enough against him, he might be persuaded to use a blaster pistol where Inoy would've at least possessed the honor to face his defeat. Hyperion would have to avoid giving him the kind of time necessary to use it
"Menelaus, get out of here," Hyperion ordered promptly. But before Menelaus could escape, the invisibility cloak came undone which revealed his presence to the other Jedi. This stockier but shorter Echani had jumped in front of where Menelaus might have been able to escape, igniting both ends of a saberstaff whose blades were also yellow in nature.
"Well, well, what have we here? A Zabrak boy with a blaster fighting beside an old man with an ax and the stink of the Dark Side. Whatever are we to do, brother?" asked the second one. Brothers... their movements are going to be more harmonious than if they were mere friends, something to watch for Hyperion thought, preparing for the confrontation.
"I'll only ask you this once: surrender in the name of the Republic. You can be sure the courts will want you executed quickly and quietly if you come," said the first one. Hyperion merely stared them both down, Menelaus rallying behind him as the Echani with the saberstaff rallied to his brother. The Zabrak child quickly gave him the ring back and he quietly put it on his left hand even as he snarled at the two disgraces for Jedi and made his reply.
"No, a man never surrenders to dogs," he said simply. The first brother chuckled slightly and ignited his yellow blade, a fighter's glee visible in the shine of his eyes.
"Good, we like fighters," he said as he assumed a stance where his hilt was in line with his stomach. The blade was pointed up, revealing that he wielded a combination of strength and dexterity, already betraying a predominant presence of forms IV and V in one sitting. His guess was that the brother with the traditional blade would rely on somersaults and flips fused with power strikes and the one with the saberstaff would rely on straightforward charges with rapid twirls and arcs of his weapon. Therefore, the best way to defeat them would be to neutralize the saberstaff advantage of reach with close power chops and wide sweeping arcs whilst keeping the one with the traditional blade at bay with the shield and the occasional pistol shots.
Menelaus, shoot at the one with the single blade when I give the word. Your shots won't make home but they'll trip him up long enough for us to divide and conquer them Hyperion whispered telepathically. Menelaus looked at him when he spoke in his mind and nodded the affirmation that he understood what needed to be done even as the Jedi implied their suspicion as to that plan in what they said next. "We haven't had a good fight since we earned our name at Dromund Kaas. Want to take the little one, Agni?" asked the one with the saberstaff.
"No Rudra, we'll take him when we've killed this human. Then we'll let him pay the price for his father's crimes in accordance with Republic law," said the one called Rudra. Hyperion knew in that moment that the Republic wasn't short on corrupt officials or corrupt Jedi in those words. Then they fought, Hyperion implementing his strategy though being careful not to let the brothers understand what was going on even as Hyperion gave signals for Menelaus to shoot Agni. This continued for the better portion of about ten minutes of continuous exchange, the three Force-sensitives being nigh imperceptible even with Hyperion's eleven-year hiatus from fighting Jedi.
Then Hyperion surprised the brother called Agni by unholstering his pistol fast enough to actually land a shot into his shoulder. As he completed this move, he landed a one-handed overhead strike on the shaft of Rudra's saberstaff hilt. Slicing it in half and neutralizing the advantage of reach the blade had had in permanence, Hyperion sensed a waft of fear from Agni himself. Jar'Kai was a style he knew but it wasn't one he had as much training in which made it apparent that his brother was the one who tended to deal with traditional single blades. So while Agni nursed his shoulder wound, and took a thigh shot from Menelaus, Hyperion charged down the helpless brother.
He used the smaller blade to disarm him of his left hand's half of his former saberstaff then raised the ax to strike overhead when he got closer. Rudra attempted to slice him in half at the waist with what Hyperion supposed might have passed for a Makashi sweeping strike if he had any skill but this was easily counter by raising the shield. Defenseless and unable to save himself, Rudra waited for the head blow that came with enough force to send shards of skull into his brain and flatten his nose, killing him instantly by nearly completely slicing his head in two. "Rudra!" his brother called, "No!"
Hyperion made for him next, speckles of the dead Echani's blood staining his face, hand, and chest from killing Rudra. "You have no idea what you..." Agni made to say. But Hyperion was now moving toward him with a blood lust that they both knew would only be quenched with the death of Agnit.
"Please try your best, Agni. My ax is still thirsty from the blood of your brother," Hyperion growled. But Agni only retreated, having only managed to successfully mend the blaster shot to his thigh and his shoulder still recovering. Then Menelaus unloaded shots into him from his own blaster though these were easily deflected by the veteran Jedi. He retreated before Hyperion even had a chance to chop him to pieces but both of them soon found themselves under blaster fire from an unidentified source.
Menelaus wisely rallied to his foster father while Agni began to retreat to another angle, hoping to return to finish the healing then resume the fight against Hyperion. But with so many hired guns pointed their way, Hyperion finding out by the casualty with which he was being hampered with blaster fire, it was unlikely the duel would be allowed to continue. Not when Hyperion recognized the banner of Clyde Rev, someone he hoped never to hear from again, on one of the mercenary leaders who was coordinating the attack on the older Human and the Echani Jedi. "Let the Jedi go," he said after a moment, "it's the Zabrak we want!"
