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Chapter 14: Clashing Tides

Darth Malak glared coldly at the twenty Sith Interdictor-class vessels before him. It had taken far, far longer than the projected six hours and as a result a pile of dead officers were currently being incinerated for their incompetence. Four more Sith vessels had managed to actually catch up with the initial twenty and as a result twenty four Sith Capitol ships would be returning to Revan's position. Measures had been taken in the extra seven hours it had taken to fill the holds of the ships with fighters, droids and all the supplies Revan would need to take and hold Halo from the Covenant and UNSC alike and Malak's brown eyes tinged with yellow as he thought of Linda-058. His instincts told him to kill her but he wanted her alive, wanted her to see what the Sith were capable of and he wanted to, more than anything understand the coldness he saw in the woman that was reflected in Revan, himself and many of the veterans of the Mandalorian wars from both sides. It was something the Jedi Masters had never taught and it had, on some level intrigued Malak. It was all the better to study the actions in another rather than himself and Malak paced the bridge of the Interceptor impatiently as he waited for the only Sith capable of holding the shattering Empire together aside from himself or Revan. All three of them in fact.
"Why did you bother bringing us into this?"

Former Jedi Master Kreia's voice held such disdain, some superstitious part of Malak's mind thought it would strike him dead where he stood. Turning, Darth Malak resisted the urge to shudder as he looked upon Darth Revan's personal assassins, the Lords and Lady of Malachor. They'd finally deigned to answer, likely having gone silent for some ploy to assassinate scores of Jedi or Senators and Malak had no wish to know. Beside Darth Traya, Revan's once Master stood her new Padawan, a horribly disfigured human that was short than Malak but similar in appearance. The similarity caused Malak's stomach to turn slightly as he knew the woman's choice for an apprentice and her subsequent brutality of Darth Sion's training was in no small part to her personal dislike of him. She blamed him for making Revan weak but wouldn't dare to kill him without Revan's orders. The last of the Sith Lords that Malak knew were the most powerful beyond himself and Revan was clad completely in black, his face obscured and painted ebon while a skull-shaped white mask with red tribal-like marks drawn in and fitted over the top of his face.
"Traya, Nihilus, Sion."

Malak nodded to each in turn, sensing the insanity boiling beneath Nihilus' mask. The man had tried once, only once to drain Revan after a battle and Revan had spared the man, only for his unique power. Nihilus was able to manipulate the Darkside so well it would draw the very life out of a being, something he found useless against Revan, Malak and Traya, at least to the point that would guaranteed victory. The man was dangerous but then, Malak had seen the corruption that had spread amongst their numbers since the close of the Mandalorian wars and knew these were the only Sith that could hold the Empire together. If they didn't kill each other first.

"In Revan's and my absence there will be a council of Sith Lords and Ladies to decide the fate of this galaxy. Nihilus, you will continue to operate on Malachor V, feel free to feed off of anything there outside of your students but be mindful not to feed too much."

The tall, faceless Sith tilted his head once, his vocal cords so ravaged by his use of the darkside his words were incomprehensible. He hadn't quite gone off the edge from hunger and was only killing here or there to stave off his hunger. There were only ten dead Sith on Malak's ship to attest to that fact and Nihilus had learned not to face Revan, or Traya or Malak alone. Glancing sidelong at Sion, Nihilus considered draining his companion before he controlled himself. Malak would kill him on sight if he tried that and he wasn't ready to die. Maybe he never would if he drained just enough life force... enough to keep the hunger away for good. Nihilus didn't know the more he fed off life energy, the more his hunger grew.

"Sion you'll be going to Korriban to maintain order. Kill all you like but keep that old fool of an academy master working. We'll never get any new students if they all die during the training."

Sion said nothing, made no motion of acknowledgment and Malak narrowed his eyes. Slowly, Sion tilted his head to Malak, acknowledging Malak's superior strength.

"Leave."

Malak ordered and both turned, leaving the bridge while Malak turned to Traya.

"So how bad has Revan mucked his foolish quest up?"

Traya asked, her solid black eyes giving Malak pause before he spoke.

"We lost the Revenge with all hands. The Deltas, the Cathar, Aven and a few soldiers are left on the surface of the object Revan found but they won't last long... There was hardly twenty the last time I checked."

Traya did not look bothered by the information as she moved past Malak, staring at the Star Forge through sightless eyes.

"And I suppose Revan wants me to oversee this monstrosity until he returns?"

Malak nodded, choosing his next words carefully.

"You're the only one he trusts to watch the Star Forge. You're the only one who hates it as much as him."

Traya nodded absently, knowing the line of logic she had drilled into Revan's head. You can't expect a machine to do everything for you. Still, with Revan's presence in the Force all but gone with his departure, the Lords and Lady of Malachor were plotting to separate themselves from the other Sith, eliminate their foes from the shadows before taking over where Revan and Malak left off. That was until Malak ruined their plans and came back. Now they were once again slaves to Darth Revan's will. Revan was indeed powerful to have such a long grasp over his subjects. That and Malak made a fairly effective weapon of terror when he put his mind to it.

Deep beneath the decks of the Interceptor, Spartan Linda 058 had been surprised at the sudden lack of measures taken against her imprisonment. The droid had stopped drugging her and the food was actually being delivered via the mouth and not an injection. Lying on the floor of the cell, Linda did a series of painful but necessary crunches, situps, pushups and other exercises her enclosed space allowed as she kept her mind sharp, going over the layout of the Sith vessel that she had seen when she'd been able to roam it under escort and later under guard. The Spartan, like all Spartans was highly intelligent and knew she wouldn't stand a chance of escape unless in her own galaxy. Continuing her work-out, Linda spotted Malak entering the cell-block with a black-cloaked elderly woman at his side.

"You were right... she is interesting..."

Darth Traya stated, studying the aura of the Spartan. Having trained her senses to make up for her loss of vision, Traya was able to discern the Spartan's presence more clearly than Malak or Revan or the other Dark Jedi and Sith and she was surprised at the seemingly built-in stealth ability the being had within the Force. They could be dangerous and she thought briefly of her Force-blind assassin army on Malachor and how effective the small army was against Jedi who could not sense the danger until it was already upon them. Smirking slightly, Kreia's sightless obsidian eyes flickered as if actually seeing the Spartan as she studied the red-haired human.

"I suppose Malak has mistreated you?"

Kreia asked. Linda said nothing, continuing her exercise and merely listening.

"Conditioned for war, Malak. This one is more stubborn than a Mandalorian."

Malak nodded absently with Kreia, finding it comforting that the woman had forgotten her disdain of him for a time.
"You should kill her, immediately."

Malak knew Revan had ordered it and had been serious, not joking. Still, he wanted a chance to study the woman, see her reactions to just how outclassed her people, even the Covenant was when compared to them.

"It would be wise... but I feel I can learn something from this one."

Kreia snorted, answering with no small amount of disdain in her voice.

"Likely she will teach you new and painful ways to die. Don't go soft on us, Malak. I'm sure Revan ordered you to kill her and he likely meant it. Your friendship with Revan may give you certain... advantages over the other Lords but know his patience is not infinite."

With that final, grudging warning, Darth Traya removed herself from Darth Malak's presence, taking a transport to the Star Forge where she would continue building up the Sith forces and holding together what little remained of their Empire thanks to Revan's obsession with ancient doomsday weapons. Malak lingered outside of Linda's cell, his brown eyes following the woman as she moved up and down with each push-up. Shaking himself out of his trance, Malak made to leave, stopping as he glanced down at the Spartan.

"We're going back to your galaxy in a few hours. The escape I know you are planning will fail. For your own sake, wait at least until we know if your people and mine are at war."

The Spartan paused, halfway up and glanced briefly at Malak before looking back down to the floor and continuing her routine. Malak rubbed his eyes as he left, wondering if Kreia was right and he was too soft. Still, something about the woman intrigued him, the distant look in her eyes that he saw in his own and Revan's from time to time and he wondered absently if it was his own mind playing tricks on him.

Bastila Shan was being held literally at gunpoint by Delta Four, a young red-haired former Mandalorian slave known as Mira. McKay had been moved to Mira's former vehicle and was likewise being held at gunpoint by Delta One, Atton. Aven had gone back to their former position with everyone save the two Deltas and McKay and Bastila reached out through the Force, finding only a screaming pain that echoed in the walls around her rather than Revan's presence in the Force. Not wanting to say anything for fear of losing her head, her lightsaber which was in reality Revan's lightsaber was in Mira's free hand and Bastila glanced briefly at the young woman, who had taken off her helmet and was staring back towards where the others had gone, a small headset attached to her head.

"It wasn't my fault!"

Bastila said, hearing the unmistakable sound of Mira's gloves tightening on the blaster pistol's grip.

"If Rev's dead. You're dead."

Mira stated coldly, never moving her eyes from behind them. Revan had, in his own way saved her and she wasn't the type to make friends or respect people easily but Revan, Revan was something else. Two light brown eyes closed slowly and snapped open when her headset crackled and Aven's voice could be heard.

"He's not here and I don't sense him. Kill the prisoners."

The order was loud enough for Bastila to hear and the Padawan's eyes widened as Mira pointed the blaster pistol right between her eyes and frowned at the fear in the young woman's face.

"Confirm."

Mira stated, listening as Atton did the same. No sense killing prisoners Revan held a specific interest in without actually confirming the orders.
"Damn..."

Sergeant Avery J. Johnson stated, smoke rising from the end of his MA5B. Years of training and combat kicked in and Johnson reloaded the weapon, the bolt clicking into place as he cautiously scanned the debris the dead Flood had left behind. Johnson calmly kicked a deceased combat form over the ledge of the walkway before he looked down at where Darth Revan had been moments before.

"Well, shit."

Revan blinked through his mask, his lightsaber discarded but still active as he squeezed the Flood pod burrowing into his neck. The pincer had pierced his neck, causing him to begin bleeding out but he had managed to stop it from injecting him completely. The result was a significant drop in strength, coordination and consciousness and Revan felt like he'd just had his head knocked around by a Terantek. The broken or cracked ribs he felt burning at his sides didn't help much. A light had flared, blinding him temporarily and he could barely make out his surroundings as the tentacles of the Flood pod flailed. Collecting the Force, Revan concentrated on the Flood pod, pushing the Force around the creature until its struggles paused and it compressed to a ball of yellow-gray flesh and blood roughly an inch in diameter. The sound of flesh and bones grinding together ceased as the remains of the Flood pod dropped lifelessly to the ground and Revan sat up slowly, his hand closing around his still active lightsaber as the crimson blade cast an eerie blood-red glow on his surroundings. A large corridor surrounded the Dark Lord of the Sith and Revan stood slowly, his hand absently holding the side of his armor as he used the Force to clear the poison from his body along with his injuries and pain.

"Greetings Reclaimer, I am 343 Guilty Spark, the monitor of Installation 04. Your display with the Flood was most impressive and we must hurry if we are to activate containment protocol and stop the spread of the Flood."
Revan stared blankly at the orb-shaped droid, its glowing blue eyes shadowing its silver-metal frame. Swallowing back a cough, Revan cleared his throat, ignoring the urge to groan as he took stock of his surroundings. The area was poorly lit but he supposed there was little need for a droid to have good lighting. Walls rose high on either side of him in a symmetrical and uniform design as dimly lit light fixtures cast a blue and yellow glow of his surroundings. Keeping his saber active and in hand, Revan saw that the droid, 343 Guilty Spark was moving away, rising as its voice sounded over some ancient comm device. Another orb appeared before him as the Monitor left a Sentinel to guide Revan through the scattered Flood and protect him and the Dark Lord rose a brow in both suspicion and annoyance.
"You're an AI the Forerunners left behind to contain the Flood... which I am assuming is that parasite that attacked me and my men?"
The Sentinel that led him through the complex didn't seem to hold the same personality matrix as its predecessor and merely waited for him to follow. With a sigh, Revan dug into his belt pouch, pulling out a syringe of kolto and painkillers and injecting himself before following slowly, his body strengthening with each minute that passed. The Flood was clear of his immediate area but Revan could hear them scuttling and scratching about behind the walls, almost as if they would burst through and flood the area with their rotting and decayed presence. The air was thick and smelled of death and Revan had closed off his Force-senses to his surroundings, relying on his mask's motion sensors as the very presence of the Flood in his senses made him feel ill. The communications lines on his mask were dead, likely jammed by the superstructure of Halo and the mask's limited sensors could not get a firm fix on his location.

Spartan John-117 climbed atop a ramp leading to an access shaft in the depths of Halo, his MA-5B spitting out a steady burst of automatic fire. The Spartan's rifle clicked and he immediately reloaded, his hands a blur to normal human eyes as genetic engineering, a lifetime of training and a powered exoskeleton suit of armor worked together in a way only the Spartans could harness. Flood poured from every gap and shaft and passageway around the Master Chief and the Spartan primed a frag grenade, letting it fly before leaping over the Flood gathered around the ramp. The grenade detonated, sending shrapnel and gore every direction and the Chief kept moving, Sentinels flying around him and firing a type of laser beam he'd never seen before at the Flood forms around him. Moving onward, the Chief wished silently that he'd had time to bring Cortana with him from Halo's control room before he collected himself and pushed onward, pausing momentarily to stare at a UNSC Marine's corpse. He felt fatigue and exhaustion and the adrenaline high he was coming down from ripping his body apart from the inside and the Chief knelt to collect the Marine's tags, pocketing them and moving on as he ignored 343 Guilty Spark's rambling. The Marine had to be one tough bastard to get that far and the Spartan separated his mind from his exhaustion, going onward as he fought towards the Library of Halo where the Monitor said was an Index that could help contain the Flood.

Tens of thousands of kilometers from Halo's structure, twenty-five flashes of white against the backdrop of space heralded the arrival of Darth Malak and the Sith's counterstrike force. The Covenant ships gathered, numbering only thirteen immediately began launching fighters and landing craft to reinforce their forces on Halo's holy surface as they fought to cleanse it of the humans, the Sith and the parasite. Two Sith Interdictor cruisers moved ahead of the advancing Sith fleet, launching dozens of Sith fighters to counter the incoming Covenant ships. Superheated plasma torpedoes from the Covenant ships tracked and struck the fast but relatively un-maneuverable Sith capitol ships, their superheated charges losing most of their lethality when met by the Sith ship's shields. The Sith fighters were not so lucky and those that couldn't outmaneuver the plasma tracking them from the Covenant fighters were destroyed, their armor melting like paper as they exploded or spun out of control.

"Fighters are taking heavy losses as was expected. The Interdictor ship's shields are holding off most of the damage from the plasma but the armor on those ships can't take a direct hit without the shielding."
Malak nodded absently as the Interceptor's tactical officer gave him an update. The Covenant ships were slower than the Sith vessels and more maneuverable than all of them except for the Interceptor and her unique design. The Covenant ship's shields held fairly admirably against the turboblaster fire of the Sith Interdictor ships but Malak could see the strain through the Force before the shields collapsed and powerful blaster cannon emplacements from the Sith capitol ships tore holes into the Covenant ship's armor. Interdictor gravity well generators, much less advanced than those of the Interceptor's were turned on the Covenant ships preventing microjumps and escape and Malak watched as several Covenant ships moved back, using the cover of the massive gas giant to block their sensor sweeps.

"The Covenant ships are pulling back."
Malak watched as one of the Interdictor cruisers fired a blast from its forward facing Ion cannon. The white energy bolt struck a fleeing Covenant ship, immediately destroying its shield and white laces of energy crawled along the Covenant ship's hull. The massive electromagnetic energy pulse fired from the Interdictor took most of its energy and only its reserve generators, a cannibalized version of a Mandalorian battlecruiser's massive generator kept it from being destroyed by return fire from the Covenant ship.
"It seems the Interdictors are a match to their cruisers..."
Malak muttered, his brow furrowing in concern. Traya was using the Star Forge to construct more Interceptor-class ships but it would take time and while they could literally pour hundreds of Interdictor ships into the battle, Malak knew they were needed to keep the rest of the Sith at bay should the Star Forge fall under the interest of another Sith Lord. Traya was the only one Revan trusted with the Infinite Empire's greatest achievement aside from Malak or himself and the apprentice of the Dark Lord knew it would be better to wait and bring more Interceptor-class cruisers than the Interdictors. While Interdictors were the workhorse of the Sith Navy, Malak had no doubt that his own ship, while half the size of an Interdictor was at least five times as effective in combat. Superior numbers were all that had won the skirmish and while no capitol ships were lost from either side, Malak knew the Covenant were gaining reinforcements and that time would inevitably be on the Covenant's side.

"Have the Reliant and the Fury move landing craft to Halo's surface. I want two fully mobile and operational armored Legions down there as soon as possible."
Malak's orders were sent and the Sith fleet began locking tractor beams onto disabled Sith and Covenant craft, their crews prepared to treat their own injured and imprison the enemy's while scientists and technicians prepared to study the Covenant craft and see how their weapons and systems could be used to advance the Sith's. Malak crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes studying the distant structure of Halo before he turned to the holo-display in the center of his bridge which displayed most of the star system.

A galaxy away, Darth Traya, former Jedi Master Kreia of the Jedi Order and member of the Sith Triumvate of the Lords of Malachor watched the massive expanse within the Star Forge's superstructure fill with parts of Interceptor-class cruisers. The ships were powerful, based on the technology and design of the Rakatan's ancient designs and a number of other systems taken from Mandalorian, Republic and various other sources. At the center of the vast expanse sat the only Revenge-class ship in the universe with the destruction of her sister ship. Staring at the ship through solid black eyes, Traya sighed, turning her attention to a Sith technician.

"Have all of the Interceptor's records been analyzed?"
The technician nodded, keeping her attention on the console in front of her as she studied the information from the Sith's encounter with the Covenant and the UNSC.

"The safeguards against the AI that infected the Revenge have been taken into account for the new ships and are already being added to the Devastator. It took much longer to add the defensive hardware to the Interdictors Malak took with him but I am confident it should pose no further threat."
Traya nodded, satisfied. Her worry over the information she'd reviewed over the Covenant and Sith encounter had been of the Covenant's artificial intelligence that had infiltrated and all but destroyed the Revenge. It was the will of the Force that had spared the Interceptor the same fate and it had taken hours to find the countermeasures needed to keep Malak's little expeditionary force in the air so to say.

"What of the Star Forge's droid Legions?"
Crab-like assault droids and humanoid-shaped battle droids lined the platforms of the Star Forge's interior, loading themselves into dropships before being ferried to the partially constructed warships.

"We've managed to make enough for forty Interceptor-class cruisers and for the Devastator to have a full compliment. Skeleton crews are being pulled from the main fleet and are being brief on how to use the new ships and the maintenance droids are being constructed as we speak. I estimate a week before the ships and crew are ready for combat but barring any unforseen consequences, there should be an adequate strike force ready for Revan and Malak by the end of this week."
Traya nodded absently, wondering when she'd been reduced to a caretaker for Revan's toys before she curled her lip in distaste and moved away, letting the Star Forge's chief technician and her crew work in peace. The Sith's massive losses to traitors and the Republic in the last week could not be replaced and while the largest portion of allied Sith forces were gathered at the Forge, the others could stand a good chance of overthrowing them if they were clever enough to band together. The Republic fleet, while weakened and spread out from the war could be a threat as well if they ever came in force and Traya, while relishing the idea of the Star Forge's demise knew it would be needed in the coming battle with the True Sith. A thousand years of preparation on the True Sith's part for revenge could not be overturned by what remained of their forces and Traya highly doubted the Republic or other Sith were as well informed as what remained of Revan's Sith Empire.

"At the end of this week we will concentrate on refitting the vessels we already have."
Traya's voice carried to the Star Forge's chief technician and she nodded in reply to the former Jedi Master, burying herself in her work while Kreia's black-clad form disappeared into a lift and the Dark Lady of the Sith entered the Star Forge's observation platform, kneeling and allowing herself to fall into a meditation, searching the expanses of the galaxy and beyond for her wayward master and former student. Traya's lips curved in an ironic smile as she thought of Revan teaching her as she once taught him before she closed her eyes, losing herself in the Force while the Sith prepared for a war with the Covenant, the Republic and the splintering factions of their own Empire. The True Sith would have to wait until things were more under their control but Traya knew it was only a matter of time before the chaos the galaxy had fallen in at the close of the Mandalorian wars was exploited by the instigators of its bloody conclusion. Her student, her master Revan had been lucky, if one believed such things by overcoming his Sith foes on Malachor's surface and while Nihilus and Sion were unstable and dangerous, they were also necessary as the Sith would eventually come to investigate if Malachor V's Trayus Core ceased its purpose.