[T͇̻̀he̶͖̤ D̜̗͜a̼̤͕̗̥r̥̲̜͎͚ḱ̗̭͖̳̫̻̦ ̦̖̞ͅT͕̥̼͓͔̠͚͞i̴m̧̺̹e̷̥͓̤͇̼̟]
̦[̯̻̜̟̲͍͕H́e̦̝̣̟̦̠̰h̸͙̦͚̜̰͇ ̢͉̦͙̮h̼̰̯e̶͇̫h̠̭̫̺̯̤̠ ̯͚̮̤ḩ͎͉̥̩̟e͙̜̱̘͡h̯̣̫̼ ̯̼̱͉͓͚͇h̥͕̜̫̩ḙ̻h̨̠̳ ̰̞͕͚̭̜̬͝h̰̤eh̝̼̖̀ ̙̬h̺̭̳̪͎̰̟e̶̙̝͔͙̬ͅḥ̹̞̫̮̪̤̕ ̮̺̮̫h͏̫̳̪e̡h̡ ̤h͝eh̨͕̝͖.̛̤̞̝.̢̝̖̬̱.̡̞͓͙̬̣.̤͖̟̳̱̼͎.͏̙͖̞̟̩.̤͙̦͚͘]̤̘̞
I was unnerved...largely because I had no idea what in the name of the heavens was going on right now as I found myself standing in a bright and very much alive valley-town. People were here, the feeling of life as the Force thrummed and burbled around me...two steps backwards did not change that, nor did the sensors on my HUD say anything different. That raised many, many, concerns in my mind as I watched the milling crowd in the 'town' ahead of us, and further behind us...and why in the hells were the pyramids looking new, and were those actual pureblood Sith?
"Aaron, Abigail..." I ordered desperately trying to figure out what was going on, just as Ventress was, the 'crowd' of us noticing us, but seemingly preoccupied with something else as several fled away from us, or grabbing weapons "...actually, all units...confirm visual observations"
"Commander. Multiple unknown organics detected. Threat Level Unknown, Allegiance Unknown. Energy Spikes Detected, source unknown, Threat Level unknown. Current Location: Error. Visual and Energy Spectra do not match mission profile. Error. Elevating Threat Level: Speculation - Potential Reality Warper- MADWORLD Protocols in Effect"
"Un-huh one possibility..." I muttered to myself weapon at the ready, reaching out my with Force senses, trying to detected with my suits basic systems. Whatever was happening it was fooling not only my physical senses, but also my electronics and that of the droids "...best...ugh I hate this"
"Arrrragggg" I growled out in pain as dropped to one knee, spiking energy through my body, and brain, to disrupt any potential mind control effect. Snarled at myself as...whatever it was...continued and the shimmering skies did not blur, nor the grass vanish along with the *strange wrongness* feeling of life around me. Ventress stepped back, crimson lightsabers at the ready as she regarded me warily as I panted a moment, listening to B-1R's give similar feed back; they saw what we say.
"What the kriff did you just do to yourself?"
"Pain can disrupt a lot of mental compulsions, electricity through the brain..." I growled carefully drawing on the Force to strengthen myself "...and yet it continues. Kriffing hells, the power to do this level of...whatever is happening to us...full spectra simulacrum?...dimensional travel?...time-travel?"
"Do I look like I know?" she snapped back, just something flashed and blurred, the skies rippling like a painting splashed with water as the Force screamed around us in *strange wrongness* threat. And just like that the Dark Side was strong again, fear and panic rippling out around us from the people, along with feelings of anger, hatred, and defiance. A ship was descending, of a design I did not recognise, towards the 'town' and the 'tomb' and more importantly towards us "...but I do believe this is our enemy come for us"
The feelings of bloodlust, rage, desire and contempt simply bled off the ship, and then another, and another, as they landed 'around' us at one end of the valley and then the other as if too wedge us in. Power too, whoever they were they strong in the Dark Side. A *strange wrongness* vileness emanating from some of them as myself and Ventress waited in a 'sheltered' area of the valley in case they brought aerial weapons to bear, or perhaps in some flawed thought reality might reset itself somehow. Something of a foolish hope, as the *Dark Things* jumped from their LAAT like ships, holds opening behind them.
"Slavers" Ventress hissed as she recognised the familiar tactics along with the response from the 'town' the feelings in the Force, the Power coming to focus upon us with contemptuous amusement. What was *more* concerning other than the oddness *strange wrongness* in the patterns of the Force was part of my mind identified these things. Barely, from hologram Vids in the library thanks to Master Jocasta Nu, memories from a different time, perhaps a better time as my heavy slug-thrower came up.
"Rakata. All units designate hostiles. Engage Defensive Plan Captain Two" I ordered as my weapon spoke in reply to the first blaster shot, the odd hammerhead shark-like head of one of the aliens exploding in a flurry of gore as the *strange wrongness* Dark Side sang out in joy as battle was joined, as blood was spilled. Weapons, like a dual lightsabers, or a lightsaber pike, engaged amongst the cruel and vicious auras across from us...charging towards us.
Died before us as my two droidekas deployed, shields activating , heavy blasters turning and starting to spit out bolts of destructive energy alongside the lighter fire of the B-1Rs. The valley funnelled them, working against them, as they charged forward, but the strongest...the strongest deflected fire with contemptuous ease. Hateful amusement around them, joy and pleasure at the death, even of their own, as they came forward and I secured my slug-thrower and drew my own energy weapon, embracing the Force, my own power. Moving with Ventress, with my two bodyguards, to meet the strongest, the charging trio of Rakata...worrying about the logic of this could be done later.
Block. Parry. Block...
My armour absorbed the worst of the blow as I was slammed backwards into the rock wall behind me thanks to the sheer power of the Force push directed against me. Wincing in pain but a second...I moved, a spike of power, a surge of speed, as I was back at the creature as Ventress blocked its strike, Aaron and Abigail moving together to hold up the shrieking, cursing, aliens as the grinned and gloried even as the droidekas and droids held off their allies. My blade flashed...
Attack. Block. Parry. Block. Block. Deflect blade...
...and reached out with my gauntleted hand with unnatural swiftness. Reached out, then gripped down as I felt the pain, the shock, as my gauntlet closed around the eye stalk and crushed into a fist. Ignored the screams, the confusion and pain on its part, as I granted myself strength and pulled hard...ripping the socket from its head, eye with it, as blood poured forth and the Rakatan reeled backwards...
...and Ventress took its head as the two others were pressed by my bodyguard droids. My free hand grabbed for a blaster, drawing it out as I lashed out with my lightsaber only to be blocked. Which was fine as I lowered my blaster, even as my blade danced on the weird dual-wield whatever weapon, and shot out the creatures kneecap from the front.
Down he/she went, pain howling through the Force as I pushed away the weapon as I slammed he/she down, and then smashed my armoured boot down on its face, once, twice, thrice, till it was a sickly paste on the ground. Ventress grunted, almost in triumph, as her twin crimson blades danced and the last of the Dark Trio fell.
"Weak!" she spat at the decapitated body smoking before her as the ructions continued through *strange wrongness* the Force. I paused, then shaking my head, as I motioned that we best advance down the valley, to where we needed to go as I pressed out with my power. To where smoke was rising, and death and hatred sang on the winds of the supposedly dead world.
"We need to keep going forward..." I stated taking one step after another, securing my lightsaber after deactivating it, but retaining my blaster at the ready "...all units form up, watch for anything threats flanks and rear"
"Roger-Roger/Roger-Roger" echoed back around me as Ventress came up near me, my bodyguards damaged but still fully functional falling in on either side of me, her emotions a swirl of triumph, rage, hatred, and faint fear before she masked it somewhat again to simply burning anger to match her tone "Rakata?"
"I have no idea. Time travel is an actual concern of mine..." I replied as we strode towards the burning town, the smoke and screams filling the air, the Force ripping "...though that doesn't make sense as backwards...probably isn't possible. Right now, we push forward and try getting answers, killing everything that tries to kill us while we do so"
"Good enough for me..." she growled back, stalking forward as an ash cloud seemed to surge out from the town, up the valley, as we moved forward to meet it. The Dark Side was growing now, exultant, and pressing at my mental defences as I pushed it away, strengthened my own power "...another cloud?"
"Maybe, Sith Magic, actual ash cloud, whatever...onwards we go..." I growled, bracing myself for whatever may come as the Ash Storm roared up the valley "...hold to your words if you must, but we are getting off this gods-forsaken rock alive as soon as we grab these idiots"
That Darkness took us, the ash cloud sweeping over us as the winds howled, the Force screaming, one of my droids, an B-1R being swept upwards and dashed into the rocks despite my bracing and shielding our advance as best I could...
...and then it was gone, over, the cloud passed over us and out into the light again. Yet it was a gloomy light, the skies still shimmering reds and blues, but lands alive but *strange wrongness* weakened yet stronger, more predatory, filled with undertones rage and despair. The town was different now, bigger, but still burning, smoking rising as we were suddenly nearer to it compared to the distance we'd walked through the brief encounter in the cloud. Death was there, fear, and power, and rage, but also the Light, powerful Force signatures along with what seemed to be soldiers.
Soldiers in strangely old fashioned armour, moving, killing, with sentients wielding odd-shaped lightsabers moving about, also killing, fighting, but all were being slain; males, females, younglings, babes...
"Jedi" Ventress hissed as the nearest turned towards us, a squad of soldiers behind the hooded and robed figures, as the nearest pointed a blade at us. Emotions under control, a pillar of calm serenity amidst the horror and pain and Darkness, they were...in a manner familiar to me. I didn't recognise the species, a green lizard like Jedi, with three more humans coming from nearby as the, she apparently, spoke.
"More Sith Warriors! Slay the servants of the Dark Side and their minions!"
I frowned behind my helmet, but kept my voice calm, my Force signature similar to theirs, ignoring the dead babies and children I could see "Would you believe I'm a, possibly time displaced, General in the Army of the Galactic Republic?"
"Such feeble lies will not save you Sith!" another of the Jedi, ancient Jedi apparently, replied in a calm, almost amused tone despite what they'd done as the human female shook her head "...though one must give you points for creativity I suppose. Please, lower your weapons and accept your fate, we shall make it swift and painless I promise"
"How about...No" I answered once again drawing my lightsaber, activating it as I shot my blaster off in rapid succession, aiming to kill the soldiers armed with ranged weapons as Ventress moved, Aaron and Abigail too, at the same time as blondie McHuman and Greeny Lizardface. Me though I drew upon the Power, knees bending, blaster moving and killing, as I JUMPED, drawing more power to me as I soared over the closed group and aimed amidst the cluster coming up behind.
My droidekas were back deployed and firing as I shifted, ready to start the People Killing Dance as I released the blast of telekinetic power as slammed into the ground. Soldiers scattered, flung backwards into buildings or into flames as I saw, FELT, the fighting all around, the desperate rage of those being slaughtered, the sudden fear of the Republic soldiers as my blade danced and blaster pistol spat. Only for moments though as a pillar of power and light came upon me, blade flashing and a Force blast driving the blaster from my hand to be crushed mid-air as smashed through a thin wall.
I ignored the small pains, the minor damage to the armour, as I rolled, still gripping my lightsaber, and coming up into a block just in time as Blondie McHuman Force jumped over the wall into the rubble, blade slashing down to kill me. *Strange wrongness* surrounded me, her power pressing me despite coming up just in time to block the blow, a flash, a flurry of blows between us, as I was pushed back by the experience warrior, the superior killer. At least in immediate situation of warrior to warrior, so I...cheated as I was forced back with each exchange of blows; triggering my a burst of poison dust into her face from the wrist gauntlet as I blocked...
...staggered her just enough, her control better than any I'd seen before and still fighting despite the neuro-toxin burning eyes and lungs, weaken the mind. She was burning through it, the Force strong within her...
So I gave her no time, stepping in and trusting in my cortosis weave armour to absorb a glancing blow off my shoulder from her weapon. Dropping my lightsaber, but telekinetic using it to block hers even as my gauntleted hands grasped her head, armour covered thumbs thrusting into her eyes causing her to scream...for a moment, till I twist, wrenched, her head savagely to the side. Breaking it, silencing her in the Force as in voice, and allowing the body to drop to the ground as I ripped her lightsaber from her dead hand and into my free hand as I charged back into battle...
...to fight, to kill, my armour denting and breaking as I found myself in the fight of my life, pain and anger swirling about. Time seemed to blur, others were aiding us now, Ventress's weaker armour looking as battered as mine as she and my bodyguard droids fought and killed amidst the burning ruin. Forward ever forward, lightning coming to my hands and incinerating a screaming padawan and two soldiers in odd armour, armed with spears of all things. There was only the Power and Killing, drawing deep into one's self as the Dark Side sang around us, the fear of those being massacred turning to righteous wrath, to faint hope...
...Block. Parry, Counter, Attack, Summon Fire to their Face...
...dance and kill, Force push into the wall, slam rock into stunned face...
...I am the Eye of the Storm...
...then I was standing, breath rasping through my helmet as the fighting ceased, the enemies slain as Ventress dragged herself towards me, groaning in pain, only Aaron and Abigail surviving of my droid troopers and droideka force. Cheers, filled with joy and bloodlust, with anger and hope, filled the air as I noticed the Sith, a smattering around me, red-skinned old and young, kissai and massassi, bloodied and dying, armed and victorius...
I looked to the skies as the Dark Side surged and spiked, the Despair washing over everything from a point I could not see. Looked and saw as the night sky was filled with stars, and engine plumes of starships. Silence in the night, impotent rage, as my mind reeled. Horror filled me as the blazing spears of light descended, as the Force rippled, the Despair, and Death, and Helpless Rage washing over me. Over everyone before the flames did, before I was driven to me knees as the world around me was turned to ash, burning, shirieking, as my captured lightsaber turned to dust as the Darkness of Death was over me as a World Died.
The World Screamed.
Ventress Screamed.
The Darkness Screamed.
I Screamed.
And the dead and empty world around me was filled with dark laughter as I stood before the tomb amidst the howling storm...
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