A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away...
Star Wars: The Harbinger Quest
Rhelg
Flanked by his company of troopers, Lord Tadras descended the boarding ramp onto the planet's surface. His nose wrinkled in irritation at the residing dust cloud that had resulted from their shuttle's landing as he beheld the structure before them.
"In there. Most likely the innermost chamber. Follow my lead precisely, and you may leave here alive. Otherwise…" He chuckled at the unspoken threat as he proceeded through the massive entryway, whose doors had long since fallen from their hinges. His stride confident, certain…
Oblivious to the gaze of another watching him.
. . .
Sure enough, it was Tadras's senses that allowed their party to sense any remaining traps or deceptions, allowing them to proceed in relative safety, barring the delayed toxic dart that fell one soldier, and another soldier's curiosity overriding his commonsense to lead him to a rigged chest which detonated as he approached, killing him instantly.
"Anyone else falls out of line, you'd best pray a trap ends you, because I won't be so quick with you," Tadras snarled, as he gestured them to continue on.
It took them about another twenty minutes for them to finally reach their goal: a massive, darkened circular room that once upon a time must have served as a laboratory or a ritual chamber, or perhaps both, judging from the various tables and stone slabs, many of which were stained brown from the blood of various beings that were once placed on them.
Tadras ignited his lightsaber, allowing its red glow to illuminate the area in front of him.
"Activate your night vision and spread out," ordered Tadras, "Remember, anything that looks like it could be a holo device."
The remaining eight soldiers spread out to the edges of the room as Tadras investigated the center. The tables were littered mostly with scrolls, books, and various tools and implements which easily could lend themselves to either dissections or operations, or to sacrifices, further cementing his impression of the area.
Finally, his saber's glow fell on a table with more scrolls, one of which had been weighed down by a small box. He opened it and gasped triumphantly.
"This must be it," he mused, It's the closest thing I've seen so far."
He took out the small palm-sized disc and held it up. A small map of the Inner Rim was displayed, with a particular planet highlighted.
"Found you," Tadras said with a smile. "Mission comp—"
His thoughts were cut off by a scream from one of the troopers, along with a sudden blue flash that went out just as quickly. Tadras turned to the direction it had happened.
"Find him!"
The trooper closest to where the flash had been jogged over to where it had happened and looked down to see one of his own, a deep cauterized gash across his chest.
"What the…"
The trooper never got to finish his thought before he was suddenly jerked straight up into the air with a scream, just as another blue flash went off in the ceiling above them.
The second trooper's body dropped unceremoniously to the ground seconds later, and the flash was gone again. Tadras raised his lightsaber toward the ceiling, but it was too high, beyond his blade's ability to illuminate.
But he didn't need a light to guide him. He began reaching out with his senses…
Only to be forced to jump out of the way of a table flying in his direction, the blue flash going off again (accompanied by yet another trooper's scream) in his peripheral, accompanied by the red flash of two soldier's blasters followed by their cries and the clacking of their armored bodies crumpling to the floor. Blast! He'd have to center himself again.
"Form up around me! I'll find him."
The surviving three soldiers surrounded Tadras, two in front and one behind, as the Sith Lord centered himself again.
Got you.
"Three o'clock!" he called.
The troopers all turned to their right and opened fire. In the illumination of their blaster shots, they could glimpse a lone robed figure as it leapt high in the air. The soldiers tried following him with their shots, not realizing the danger from the opposite wall.
But Tadras did.
"No!" He leapt as well, just as the blue flash travelled from his left, sweeping below him, but felling the last three soldiers, before taking its place in the enemy's hand.
A lightsaber.
Lowering the hood of his robe, Uriel Baylan stood facing Tadras.
"Jedi," Tadras growled.
"Oh good, you can see. Congratulations," Uriel said, "So you know why I'm here. The map, now, and maybe I'll consider advocating for you to the Republic as a defector."
"We both know this can only end one way," the Sith Lord replied.
Uriel shrugged. "Don't say I didn't try."
They leapt at each other, their blades clashing repeatedly, strikes increasing in speed before their sabers locked.
Uriel pressed forward. "You're not getting your hands on the relic, scum," he declared straining as he continued pushing.
"It's too late!" Tadras retorted, "I know where to go! You're just the last obstacle!"
"Damn straight I'm your last."
Suddenly Uriel disengaged and leapt back, onto one of the surgical tables/sacrifice altars. He stood straight with a smirk, as in his other hand he held the holomap.
"Lose something?" he jeered.
The shock passed Tadras's face in an instant before being replaced by fury. "You little…"
Uriel leapt back again, deactivating his lightsaber.
"This trick again?" Tadras called out, putting as much boredom into his voice as he could. "How much of a fool must you think I a—"
Just then, Tadras's own blade went out.
"I don't know, how much sand is there in the Tatooine deserts?"
Uriel's blade ignited behind Tadras a couple seconds later, but it was more than enough time for him to reactivate his blade and turn to block the Jedi's strike. As their blade's locked, Tadras could feel Uriel's attempt to manipulate his saber switch once more. An attempt he easily blocked.
This coward is so inept he leans on elementary tricks to look stronger than he actually is! Tadras thought, fighting back a laugh.
Giving up on switching off Tadras's saber again, Uriel leapt back once more and switched off his blade.
Anticipating his foe's next action, Tadras held his blade in front of his face and centered himself. The next time this foolish Jedi tries to use the Force on his saber again, he'll pinpoint his presence in the dark.
He waited.
Then he felt it.
Immediately Tadras hurled his saber in the direction where he had felt the shift in the Force. He heard a clipped cry, but before he could do anything, he felt the air almost completely forced out of him, followed by a sharp pain between his shoulder blades. He slumped forward, falling on all fours. He reached behind him and felt the hilt of the dagger; that damned Jedi hadn't used the Force on his lightsaber. He mentally chided himself for such a foolish assumption as he heard Uriel's footsteps coming near him. The Jedi ignited his blade. His free hand was holding the upper part of his sword arm, where Tadras's lightsaber had grazed him.
"Bastard…" Uriel muttered, "Didn't even occur to me that he'd throw his saber. Stupid…"
Tadras summoned his lightsaber back, igniting it in midair, only for Uriel to cleave the hilt in two, as Tadras yanked the dagger from his back and lunged toward him. But Uriel brought his blade around and slashed across the Sith Lord.
Tadras collapsed to his side. Uriel waited for him to move again. He didn't.
"Rot down here forever. The least you deserve." Uriel brought out the holomap and activated it. "Hmm. Obroa-skai. Pretty neutral world, though I guess that's the point." Putting it back in his robe, he activated his comlink. "Reena, I got what I came for. Get the ship ready."
. . .
Back outside, Uriel strode up the boarding ramp of the ship.
Shy'reena glanced behind her from the cockpit. "Welcome back. What about the Imperials?"
"All taken care of. Stealth wasn't an option for this one."
Reena shrugged. "Eh, like they'll be missed."
The ship took off, making a run by the now abandoned Sith shuttle and disposing of it with several well-placed shots, before leaving the planet and making the jump to hyperspace.
"So…" Reena skipped over to Uriel, who was applying bacta to his arm wound. "Ooh, nasty. Do I want to know what the other guy looks like?"
"Trust me, the sight of him would make your stomach turn," Uriel answered, "Also he got stabbed in the back and slashed across the chest and head."
"Hah!" Reena sat down next to him. "So, you got it? What now?"
Uriel brought out the holomap and placed it on the table in front of them. It turned on.
"First I report back to Orrickos, then, next stop… Obroa-skai."
Rhelg
His comlink destroyed by Uriel's last saber strike, Tadras had no choice but to crawl to the corpse of the nearest trooper, take his helmet, and input the appropriate codes.
"Hi-high priority m-message…" he began. "Lord Phagos… mission… mission was a failure… But, we have… location… relic… is on… Obroa… skai…"
With that, Lord Tadras breathed his last.
