His vigil at Kitana's cell had lasted through the night, but Baraka hardly felt sleepy. Tired, yes, but his mind was racing. The Tarkatan warrior had ventured out onto one of the outer walls of Shao Kahn's palace, hoping for some solitude in the pre-dawn hours of the morning. He, much to his frustration, only had a few minutes of this.
"I do not wish to be disturbed," he growled, not knowing who approached.
"Baraka, please," came a familiar voice. Jade was wrapped in a brown robe, a contrast to the revealing green outfits she usually wore. "You are troubled as deeply as I am."
"Do not try to judge what I am feeling," Barak responded. He continued to stare into the distance.
"You were her bodyguard for years," Jade said. "You must be a little bit concerned about her execution."
"Being Kitana's bodyguard was not a difficult assignment," Baraka said. "She is one of the best fighters I've ever met. Frankly, I think I got the role as a reward for any number of assassinations I carried out."
Baraka took a moment to smile as he thought of some of the jobs he carried out as one of Shao Kahn's top assassins. He had never been the sneaky, subtle type of killer, but he had never needed to be.
Jade joined him at the ledge, looking out over the lands surrounding the palace. On this side, the land was barren and dead. There were mountains in the distance, and clouds on the horizon. The two stood in silence for a moment, before Jade felt the need to speak again.
"He expects us to watch."
"What?" For the first time, Baraka actually turned his head to look at her.
"The Emperor has ordered us to join the party bringing Kitana to the site of her execution. He wants us, the people closest to her, to watch her die," Jade said. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the stone precipice in front of her.
"And yet Mileena doesn't get to come," Baraka smirked. "I guarantee that if you describe the details to her, she'll do anything you want for a decade."
"How can you joke about this?" Jade glared at him.
"What would you have me do?" Baraka asked. "Shao Kahn is executing a rebel. You've seen what happens to those who try to stop his executions."
"You cut their heads off?"
"Granted, but there are others who can do the killing. Besides, I am a servant of the Emperor before anything else." Baraka stretched, yawned, and turned. "Hm, it seems we have more company."
Had he not given the warning, Jade would have heard the landing seconds later. The vigil on the wall was joined by Kintaro, one of Shao Kahn's personal guards, and a Shokan. He was covered in orange hair, and had yellow eyes, identifying him as belonging to one of the smaller Shokan tribes in the southern regions of Outworld.
"Sharing secrets?" he asked, mockingly. "I hate missing the good gossip."
"Nothing you'd care about, Kintaro," Jade said. "We're using big words."
"Everyone having trouble sleeping because you're excited to tear that little brat apart on the shores of the Lost Sea?" Kintaro asked, cracking the knuckles on his top pair of arms. "That's the rumor, at least. Why else would Goro and I be at the head of the procession?"
"You won't be at the head," Baraka groaned. "The Emperor himself will be. As he always is."
Kintaro's brow furled. Jade tried to leave, and he grabbed her shoulder.
"Once the Princess is gone," he started, "you're going to need a new friend, am I right? Think I can help you there, eh?"
Jade glared, and started to leave again.
"Come on!" Kintaro called.
"Kintaro, enough," Baraka said.
"Oh piss off, ugly! I've got something to offer the little fox. She'll need all the company she can get once her little girlfriend is dead."
And with that, Jade turned around again, and kicked Kintaro in the gut. While his reaction wasn't pronounced, it gave her enough time to uppercut him in the chin, then drop to the ground and sweep his legs out from under him. When he fell, Baraka put his foot on his chest. Jade stepped up to attack again, but Baraka stopped her, extending his arm, and from that, a long metal blade from his forearm.
"Jade, go rest," he barked. "Kintaro, that's why I tried to warn you."
Kung Lao leaned over the water, and cupped his hands. He brought a small amount up to his face, and splashed it over his eyes.
"Waking up?"
"Mmm."
"You could have told us you'd found the stream." Sonya Blade leaned down over the creak Kung Lao had discovered. "Johnny drained his cantine already."
Sonya refilled Johnny's cantine, and twisted the top on. Kung Lao laid on the ground, his wide, circular hat, pulled over his face.
"If we're playing the waiting game," he said, "I'm going to be comfortable while we do it."
Sonya smirked, and walked away. Kung Lao enjoyed his spot by the water, with the sun beating down on him.
"How long have you been here?"
"Nobody in this band says "hello"," Kung Lao said. He didn't bother to remove his hat from his eyes. There was no response. "Jax?"
"I don't know the name."
Kung Lao grabbed his hat from his face, and popped up, startled. The voice had been similar to his comrade's, and looking at this stranger, they could have been related. He was tall, dark-skinned and bald. It was obvious from his dress that he was not from Earth. His clothes were a mix of black and orange, leaving his arms exposed, save for bladed gauntlets. After a quick assessment, Kung Lao placed his hat on his head and assumed a fighting stance.
"Oh, we get a workout?" said the stranger, who also took stance. The two circled, and the stranger attacked first, lunging with his gauntlets. Kung Lao hopped back.
"You pulled that," he said. "Who are you?"
The stranger leaned back, and reached out his right arm. A swirling rope of blue light emanated from the hand, and struck Kung Lao in the chest.
"Did I pull that?" The stranger asked.
Kung Lao recovered, and crouched. As the stranger held up his gauntlets to block a potential attack, Kung Lao sprung up, and then disappeared.
"The hell?" The stranger muttered, before absorbing a hard kick to the back of his head. He slumped, and hit the ground hard. Kung Lao knelt down, and pinned his elbow to his attacker's neck with one arm. The other restrained the attacker's left arm.
"Now then, who are you?" He asked. As he began his interrogation, Liu Kang and Nightwolf arrived.
"Who is this?" Liu Kang asked.
"I was just trying to find out," Kung Lao said. He pressed his elbow harder into the stranger's neck. "Good job on getting here after the fight was over, by the way."
"Let me go, idiot!" the stranger shouted. He moaned, and tried to swing his right arm up. Kung Lao dodged it easily, costing him the hold he had. The stranger shoved him, and sprung up. Liu Kang tackled him from behind, and grabbed him in a full nelson.
"Hold him!" Kung Lao snapped.
"I didn't come here to fight, believe it or not," the stranger said. "You wanted to go, I went along with it."
"Then who are you?" Nightwolf asked, getting in front of Kung Lao.
"My name is Darrius," the stranger said. "Sindel sent me to find you, and make sure you were okay."
"And you did this by attacking one of us?" Nightwolf asked.
"I told you," Darrius said. "He started it. So I take it this means you're alright here?"
"For the moment," Nightwolf said. "How long does Sindel expect us to wait?"
"Oh, not much longer," Darrius answered. "Can this one let me go?"
Nightwolf glanced at Liu Kang, who released Darrius and stepped back.
"We have questions for you, Darrius," Nightwolf said. "But we ask them as a group. Follow us." Nightwolf walked past the stranger and Liu Kang, then quickly turned around. "And lose the wrist-blades. They're… uninviting."