:: Chapter Eight ::
"Praven get down!" Timmns shouted over their comms when bright colored plasma bolts fired from all directions after destroying their sanctuary next to the Shrine of Healing.
Further down the golden-grass fields, Praven tucked into a roll and in the nick of time found cover behind a large pile of rocks. "Get Darius and take the padawans to safety inside the shrine!"
"We can't! There are three Eternal Walkers headed our way!"
"And we've got Knights approaching on our left!" Darius added while he batted one shot after the other away. "How did they even find us?!"
"Imbalance in the Force!" Praven yelled and ran from cover, drawing his weapons on a two-some of Knights, "With this many Jedi, Sith, and the Voss it was only a matter of time."
Darius gritted his teeth and lunged forward over a set of barricades, attacking one of the Zakuul Knights headed his way. "Why do they care?!"
"A sudden rise of three different schools of Force users all gathered in the same location? Use your head Darius! Arcann is probably anticipating a rebellion!"
"Well he's got that right!" His red and roaring blade slid through the Knight's armor like butter and with a single spin and swing, he beheaded another. Blood seeped down his sleeve and he took a mere second to observe the cut across his upper-arm before he attacked the third man coming his way.
"Seven Sith hells!" he cursed when even more Knights appeared on the scene, "Does Arcann breed these bastards in one of his precious factories?! If it wasn't for their Force powers and the delightful way in which they bleed, you'd think they're non-sentient!
"They all move the same, fight the same! Hell, look the same!"
"Cut the chatter Darius and go help Timmns!" Praven barked and came to his aid, "I've got this."
The young Pureblood growled, his thirst for blood begging him to stay and he struck down one more Knight before he ran off. Master Timmns' group sat sheltered behind a barricade comprised of various pieces of rubble but they wouldn't hold out much longer. Eternal Walkers closed in on them from both sides and Timmns strained himself levitating another piece of debris over to bolster their blockade.
"We have to take those Walkers out somehow," he panted when Darius rejoined them.
"Master you're hurt," said one of the padawans and it was only then that Timmns noticed the blood coloring his creme-white robes red—the result of a blaster shot to his shoulder.
"I'll live, we all will," he assured the young girl but when he looked to Darius, the concern in his eyes betrayed him. "I tried to get a call out to Voss-Ka but there was no response."
"I can handle one of them and draw the attention of the second one long enough for you to get them out of here." Darius had already risen back to his feet but Timmns pulled him down.
"You'll die!"
"Yeah, well, what is it you Jedi types preach? There's no death, only the Force?" Darius smirked with arrogance, callous about the very real danger he'd be putting himself in.
"Save the sermons boys, ain't nobody dyin' today." A husky female voice joined their comm-frequency. "At least not on my watch."
"Captain Haloson, is that you?" Timmns adjusted his earpiece and looked around for the source.
"The one and only but I told you, call me Jenna." They could almost hear her smile. "Did ya miss me, handsome?"
"I know I did," Darius grinned.
Timmns elbowed him in the ribs. "It's good to hear you Captain, any chance for some cover fire?"
"Oh I'm going to do ya one better." Jenna brought her shuttle down lower and they could hear her relay orders to her crew, "Prime the cannons Vette.
"Timms, about thirty meters behind you there's some trees and a clearing—get your people and go! Praven, find cover," she instructed and waited for everyone to get out of her intended line of fire, "I'm gonna give ya a fly-by and take out those walking pieces of scrap metal."
The engines sputtered some protest at the sharp turn but Jenna kept the shuttle steady and brought it in lowest she could take it. She signaled Vette and seconds later, heavy fire lay waste to the Eternal Walkers marching for Timmns and the shrine. She circled around and made another pass, taking out any remaining Zakuul Knights, then prepped for landing right by the clearing she'd mentioned.
"Risha, get the medkit and join me," Jenna shouted and rushed down the boarding ramp, "Vette, get in touch with Lana and find out where she wants us to go, we can't stay here now."
"We owe you, Captain." Timmns feigned a smile and kept his act of bravery up for the padawan's sake.
"You can buy me a drink once we get clear of this place." Jenna winked and sat him down in the field.
With Risha's help, they took care of his shoulder injury and the cut across Darius' arm. Fortunately, save for some scrapes and bruises, no one else had gotten hurt in the sudden attack though their sanctuary was in ruins.
"At least it wasn't the shrine, that'd be a damned pity." Risha took in the majestic sight of the Voss' healing sanctum.
"We thank you for your assistance," one of the Voss who'd been posted outside the shrine, and who'd hidden during the attack, said.
"Yeah and we thank you for your lack of assistance. Typical," Darius scoffed at the man.
"Darius." Praven gave him a stern look.
Darius threw his hands up in defense and waved the oncoming lecture off before it even began. He roundup a group of padawans and began escorting them to the shuttles while Jenna helped Timmns back onto his feet. Supplies and personal belongings that had survived the attack were scavenged from the ruins and loaded onto the shuttles as well. An hour later, everyone was packed at the orbital station above Voss and ready to leave the planet behind.
"So, where's home?" Timmns asked when he boarded Jenna's freighter.
"Odessen."
"Don't worry," Lana added quickly when she briefed those on Rishi about the situation, "everyone got out alive. Master Timmns suffered a blaster shot to the shoulder and that's really the worst of it. All in all, they got lucky.
"Jenna's crew had just touched down on Voss-Ka when the attack began and they were able to assist the others. They're on their way to Odessen now."
"Thank the stars," Lord Cytharat sighed and he still felt his heartbeat racing in his chest—he couldn't bear it if something had happened to Praven.
"That's fortunate," Eliza agreed, "Now, Odessen?"
"Yes—it's a planet about five thousand parsecs out from Zakuul in Wild Space. It feels as though the Force wanted me to find this place. It has a unique balance making it well suited for Jedi and Sith alike, without the risk of disturbances in the Force.
"The planet itself is covered in lush green forests. There are waterfalls, several fresh-water streams running through the landscape, some wildlife and a gentle climate. At its center there's a wide open space I intend to use for our base. It's rather impressive I must say."
"Sounds almost too good to be true," Ravage said sardonically, his skin crawling at the idyllic description.
"Yeah I'm normally not one to agree with him but, are you certain the planet is safe? What are Zakuul patrols in the area like?" Theron raised his own concerns.
"We've been scouting the planet for weeks now and there's been no sign of Arcann's forces. They're either not aware of its existence or, they simply feel the planet's not worth their time. Most likely the latter given its uninhabited state," Lana assured them both.
Eliza sipped her caf while considering a potential move to Odessen. If the planet was indeed everything Lana claimed it to be, it would be an ideal location from which to further their fight against the Eternal Empire but she had other factors to consider. For one, it would be no place to bring children.
"Theron, Nyssa and Lord Cytharat, would you three fly out there to assist Lana in establishing a base and inform us of your own findings?" She asked, taking advantage of the opportunity to create some distance between herself and Theron, while allowing Lord Cytharat to reunite with Praven sooner than expected.
"I'm okay with that." Nyssa smiled.
"What will you be doing?" Theron hid the disappointment in his voice best he could.
"Finish up here and," Eliza said and looked to Malavai and Me'ghan, "we need to figure out what to do about our little girls. If any of us will be staying here and with them or if we're taking them elsewhere."
Me'ghan nodded. "Malavai's parents have offered to take them in… but, oh I don't know if I'm ready to leave my baby girl behind."
"No," Eliza sighed, "neither am I but it is something we need to discuss between the three of us."
"So I can expect Theron, Nyssa and Lord Cytharat to join us here soon?" Lana asked.
"Yes." Lord Cytharat confirmed and he mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Eliza.
"Good, good…" Lana appeared to make some notes on her datapad. "Now, there is one other thing I need to share with all of you—something I would have mentioned sooner if it weren't for the attack on Voss."
A solemn expression fell over Lana's face and her voice took on a far more serious tone. Despite the blue translucent appearance of her holo-image, she suddenly eyed paler than she normally did, and troubled. She barely made eye contact with Eliza now and mostly averted her gaze to a neutral point.
"What is it?" Me'ghan frowned.
"A couple of days ago I was approached by a woman, Regina Feldran, who once served as a Knight of Zakuul."
"The Knight you've been trying to establish contact with?" Theron recalled from a previous meeting but Lana shook her head.
"No, a different one, someone who's been among the refugees we took in."
"Okay, did she tell you anything useful?"
"She did." Lana glanced Eliza's way but just barely. "Regina was present when Darth Marr and Lord Scourge were brought before Valkorion."
Immediately Eliza spun around and leaned forward with both her hands on the holo-terminal. "What?! And you're only mentioning this now?! Does she know what happened?"
"Yes, she does."
"Well then spit it out!" She demanded.
Me'ghan looked uneasy and grabbed Malavai's hand while Nyssa hugged into Theron's side and now everyone fell quiet—they'd never before received a first witness account of the events in Wild Space, and feared what Lana had to share.
"Regina told me they were both captured by Arcann after they rammed Darth Marr's flagship into the fleet—it was their last stand I suppose but they survived."
Lana clasped her nervous hands behind her back. "Upon confrontation with Valkorion, he confirmed to be the Sith Emperor and demanded they both kneel to him. He released them from their restraints. Darth Marr refused, choosing death over kneeling and he attacked. Lord Scourge came to his aid but…"
"Eliza, I am terribly sorry but, neither of them survived. Lord Scourge met his death at the exact moment Darth Marr did."
All eyes turned to Eliza and Me'ghan's breath wavered, she fought off a sob and Malavai pulled her closer. Lord Cytharat slid in next to Eliza, ready to comfort and support her but she ignored them all.
"No," she stated firmly and with an eerie calm, dismissing all Lana told her, "I don't buy it. That Regina woman is lying, making it up in hopes of breaking our spirit. I suggest you end her life and move on from this."
"It's the truth…" Came a timid voice and Regina, who'd been waiting out of sight, now stepped forward to join Lana. "I saw everything and I was tasked with the disposal of their bodies afterwards.
Eliza balled a fist and slammed it down against the terminal. "Prove it. Give me details!"
"Details?"
"Describe him, my husband! What did he look like, how are you certain it was him, what was said?!"
Theron cast a hopeful glance at the two women on the holo praying Regina had identified the wrong Sith, the wrong Pureblood, somehow. In an instant, he forgot all about his personal dilemma and his only concern now lay with not seeing all of Eliza's hopes shattered—with not having to watch this break her.
"He was about 6 ft 2, large and muscled built. Red skin, bald, fierce red eyes and he had several tendrils running down his jaw and chin. On both sides, on the largest of tendrils, he wore long, silver tubes and one of his brows was pierced."
The face she still saw so often whether awake or asleep appeared again in her mind, Lord Scourge, and her balled fist now trembled but Eliza refused to give in. "And?"
"Valkorion made a comment of his former Wrath who'd betrayed him now finally getting his due. He appeared gleeful to have the man captured and mocked he should not have accepted the cure," Regina continued, "I never quite understood what they spoke of."
Now Eliza's arm trembled too and the shaking began to pull through her entire body though she fought it still. "Lies, nothing but lies build on clever research. You're a monster!"
Behind her, the first tears began to run down Me'ghan's face and she silenced them against Malavai's shoulder. Nyssa gripped Theron tighter and could feel her heart breaking for their friend though he held her only lightly and his focus was still on Eliza. A somber expression fell over Ravage and he took to staring down at the ground while Lord Cytharat prepared to catch Eliza should reality sink in.
"There was a ring on his finger…" Regina stepped out of view for a second and then returned holding up a small piece of jewelry. "I removed it before we… It's two silver and black interwoven bands with a ruby sat on top of it…"
Eliza's eyes glossed over as she stared at the ring and her voice broke. "What does it say, the engraving inside?"
"It reads... 'nuyak nulis Eliza'."
"Nooooo!" a piercing, agonizing scream came from Eliza as though she'd just experienced a thousand deaths and her knees broke under the devastating news. She collapsed to the ground, a fist pounding against the floor and burning, heavy tears streamed down her face.
His ring was the one piece of evidence, of definitive proof she could not ignore or wave off as fabrication. An item so personal and only she and Lord Scourge knew of the engraving—they'd had it done just hours before leaving for Wild Space.
Heartbreak filled the room and no one knew what to say, their silence only interrupted by the continuous, choked up sobs of Eliza. Lord Cytharat kneeled down next to her and without having the strength to support herself, she fell into his arms.
"I'm… I'm so very sorry…" Regina spoke, almost in a whisper and sorrow and regret lingered in her eyes but Eliza wouldn't have it.
As if triggered, she suddenly rose up again while the room filled with dark energy. Anger, hatred and seething rage surged within her. Several cabinets and archives shook and her irises turned a deep shade of red. Eliza extended her arm forward, her eyes narrowed upon Regina and she reached out through the distance between them by using her powers to grip the woman's throat.
"Sorry? You! Are sorry?!" her fingers curled up tighter and she hissed through gritted teeth, "You stood and watched as two innocent men were killed and you helped dispose of their bodies… and now you're sorry?!"
With each word she spoke, furnishings and objects within the room shook once more. The ground trembled and dust came trickling down from the ceiling.
"Eliza stop!" Ravage rushed forward but with a simple wave of her free hand she threw him back and he collided with one of the support beams.
"I want her dead!" Eliza screamed out and began choking Regina. "I want her to know what it feels like to be dying, to feel your life force slip away while those around you just stand by and watch as she did!"
"Eliza please, stop this!" Lana begged in panic but there was nothing she could do.
"Eliza!" Lord Cytharat grabbed her arm but she took no notice of his presence.
The dark energy surrounding them caused everyone else in the room to struggle but Theron broke through it all. Doing the only thing he could think to do, he pushed his way towards the holo-terminal and reached for the control panel. He shut it off, severing their connection with Lana and Regina and as soon as they were gone, Eliza's powers let up and the darkness pulled away.
"NO!" Eliza yelled and turned on him with fury in her eyes. "No bring them back! Bring them back Theron now!"
"It won't change anything." he stood his ground and even took a step closer to her. "Killing her will not bring him back."
"Shut up! I want her dead!"
"No, you don't." Theron persisted and put his hands upon her shoulders.
Furiously she shoved him once and then a second time but he kept coming back. When she tried once more he wrapped his arms around her instead and Eliza began pounding her fists against his chest.
"No! No, no no! No! No… please, please no… no," she begged and her tears returned. She broke down again and while holding her still, they sank to the floor where Eliza curled up in Theron's lap and continued to cry, showing no sign of stopping this time.
