[20 BBY]
[Valley of the Dark Lords, Moraband-that-was-Korriban, Horuset System, Esstran Sector, Stygian Caldera, Outer Rim Territories]
Aaron was...intact...sorta, I found as I forced myself to stand, pain shooting through left leg along with a crushing weariness only offset by infusing energy into myself. Abigail was in better condition, actually combat worthy, mostly, as the two droids came back into my sight as I summon my lightsaber to me, deactivating it and securing it to my side. Groaned as I forced myself stand up straight, noting my armour's seals were breached, the shoulder area broken on my right, and the helmet badly battered, the lightning apparently ripping a rent into it somehow.
Thankfully the magical murder ghost was gone, I was alive, Ventress was alive if currently struggling to stand, and...again, I was still alive. Which was good, if mildly unexpected my confused mined considered as I rest my back against the wall behind me, breathing rasping breaths and stopping the shaking threatening to rise up. It had certainly got the blood pumping, the adrenaline too, and controlling my emotions...was somewhat vital right, considering the times, considering the place. Energy surged as I healed myself, a controlled manner as I removed the battered helmet as the shattered display hurt my vision, then turning to where the Dathomiri witch had risen to sit on a rock, cradling her right arm.
"Do you need healing?"
Gods above I sounded hoarse as I waved over the heavily damaged Aaron; the arms were melted and fused, combat systems crippled, but the legs were okay, and that meant usage as a pack mule at the very least. I was stowing my helmet, and checking for damage, when Ventress gave a short, sharp, nod "Yes, my arm is not...hss...broken, but the lightning"
I nodded, stretching my muscles and feeling the weight of the armour with the primary systems down and the damage to the arcane enchantments underlying it "Give me a moment, I'm a healer...at least enough till we can get back to the ship"
"What...who...was that?" she hissed, and I shook my head as I approached as her, surviving, lightsaber extinguished and she picked up the remains of the other, broken, one. One had to be careful approaching the darksider, weary yet filled with flickers of raging emotions around her form, even when there was self-interest at work; drinking the Dark Side Kool-aid tended to make Sith irrational at best. Actually being self-destructive in many historical cases; funny thing about drinking crazy juice, it made you crazy.
"Not now, not where names might have power..." I muttered, throat dry, as I studied the once again dead land all around us, dark clouds beginning to break allowing me to sense flicking bonfires of Light slowly approaching. Noticeable now the storm of power had died down, but it could be another 'simulacrum' or ancient murder Jedi. So I healed her, driving healing energy into the flesh through the armour, then stepping away quickly "...we've company approaching, best be ready"
What's worse I *needed* to get back in touch with the Stormcrow, or to be accurate, with Shesagora aboard the Shieldmaiden of Chandrilla and get the hell of out the system. Apparently I'd underestimated Palpatine's ability to track Anakin through the Force...and I'd been so sure the background 'noise' of worlds like Malachor, the Drift, and Korriban would blank out Darth Sidious. Arrogant of me perhaps, and it meant we desperately needed to get going, back to Republic territory, and the trio of Jedi off my Fleet where the Chosen One wasn't apparently serving as a locator beacon in the dark void of space to our foes.
'At least if we can trust Lord Ghost Sith, which isn't a good idea after attempted body snatching eh?' I thought to myself juggling several thoughts on the matter in my mind as I took out a hooded cloak from Aaron's somewhat intact storage area and placed around my shoulders. Damn but I hated losing my helmet, and blasted dusty ash now in my face, but beggars couldn't be choosers and we were where we were and the cloak had some protections woven into it at least. Ventress was still weak, though she tried to hide such, so I really, really, hoped the approaching muffled Force signatures, the shadowy storm around us all, were who I thought they were...
--
[20 BBY[Plus Fiften Minutes]
[Valley of the Dark Lords, Moraband-that-was-Korriban, Horuset System, Esstran Sector, Stygian Caldera, Outer Rim Territories]
...was up there as one of the worst missions, Anakin caused worst missions, Obi-wan Kenobi found as he struggled not to limp as he walked, so as not to further demoralise the four surviving clones and Ahsoka after their merry little nightmare. Anakin too, but he'd managed to get himself knock unconscious on his little adventure...and there would be words, many, many, words, about that later...so he was being carried by two of the clones, Dakka and Yeti their nicknames, as his feet dragged along the ground between them. Not that the other part of their 'rescue effort' looked in any better condition as Obi-wan let out a weary breath, lightsaber at the ready.
"Ah, General, I must say it is good to see you..." he greeted the battered duo, with equally battered looking Magna-guards, one missing arms, nearby that indicated there side-adventure had been as bad as his had been getting back his former Padawan "...and Ventress, don't think I'll say this often, but you have no idea how glad I am to see you"
"Anakin?" came the question from...oh, he'd lose his helmet it appeared, and the voice was not sounding very well perhaps understandably "Tano?"
"I'm okay" Ahsoka whispered back, very much not okay, but getting out of here did not leave much time to deal with whatever she'd faced after been separated from her Master. Considering the very real, yet not real, visions that had killed his Clone Troopers, and nearly killed he himself, Obi-wan was going to have a very long sit down with both, followed by a long talk with the Council once they returned. Moraband safe? This place was very much not safe...
'Of course, that doesn't get helped by what state these two might be in' he admitted to himself studying the flickers of the Force around Daron and the Ventress. Daron Stormcrow seemed untouched by the Dark Side thank the Force, and Ventress...wasn't screaming at him with yellow eyes while waving her lightsabers threateningly. Always a positive that, but he shook his head to clear his mind "Ah...my former Padawan took a bad blow during one of the...events, he is healing through the Force, but waking him would difficult...and perhaps inadvisable after fighting the ghost of a Sith Lord"
The two winced, Ahsoka shivering after her own encounter with the supposed ghost of Xoxann till Obi-wan had managed to drag her free. Daron Stormcrow shook his head, folds of the hood fluttering as the wind howled through the valley of the dead once again "Yes...yes, had that joyous experience, now unless there are any stragglers from your party we. Need. To. Leave. Here. NOW"
"Oh, I cannot disagree with that line of thinking..."
"No, you don't understand..." the green skinned alien who'd left the Order grumbled hoarsely "...it could be lies, it could be truth, but evil ghost Sith claims the very much not dead Sith knows we are here. That would be bad, so need to move the fleet, so we need to get back, now"
Obi-wan frowned at that "And why would they tell you this?"
"Gloating"
"Ah, yes..." he admitted back to the harsh one word reply, nodding "...they do that, along with calling us foolish Jedi and showing, terrible, terrible"
"Yeah, yeah, nightmares later, evac now...it's a long walk..." General Stormcrow croaked out gesturing forward through the ruins "...and zombies and other things, so let's move, and then we can all go into quarantine after this over to ensure none of are infected, or have some weird Dark side whatever..."
'Yes, for the best...' Obi-wan thought as they began to move '...and when we're done its best to try find out which ghostly Sith Lord gloated at you two, and research this spectral Darth Vader that almost killed Anakin before the ghost of the original Sith stepped in according to Ahsoka...'
--
[20 BBY]
[Confederate Naval Vessel Pride of Serreno, Flagship, Confederate 2nd Home Fleet, Exiting Hyperspace, Moraband-that-was-Korriban, Horuset System, Esstran Sector, Stygian Caldera, Outer Rim Territories]
Count Dooku, Darth Tyrannus, kept control of his rage as the Fleet emerged into what had been a world, the most important world, of the ancient Sith Empire. Save it was empty, only a dead world with a dead ship his quarry had scuttled as he reached out in the Force and found nothing, except imagined laughter from the darkness cloaked world. The railing beneath his hand buckled, crumpled, as he took a breath and steadied himself; this was unacceptable, but he still out the droids to scout, just in case. Perhaps hints of where they would flee to next, the route they would attempt to take back to the Republic's territory.
His Master was angered, concerned perhaps, as something he would not explain to him, His Apprentice, had occurred upon this cursed world. Something involving Skywalker and Ventress, Ventress who Dooku would ensure had to die, and the Stormcrow whom he would wrench answers from before dead would be considered, and sudden association of the two. His Master assured many things...but this Maul had resurfaced, the Failed Apprentice, and now this supposed failed Padawan turned General spouted the Sith words, moved as Grievous would have. Ventress...would not serve a weakling, and yet she surely did so as his spies had seen at Zygerria.
'And to come here...to what was once Korriban...' Dooku considered glaring at the view-screen as the droid-fighters spread out to scan for any signs '...there is more going on in the shadows beyond my eyes than there should be'
Worse if he could have taken this fleet while the enemy's Jedi had been trapped upon the planet...well, he could have at least taken Obi-wan Kenobi alive, perhaps persuade him at long last of the righteousness of his cause, or the corruption of the Republic. A Worthy Apprentice for when Dooku himself became the Master, for when Justice had been brought to the galaxy, the corruption and hypocrisy of the Republic finally swept away. He sighed, calming and centering himself, thinking through the next move; if the Republic fleet could not be caught...well, then he and his Master could perhaps trap Toth, Fett, and the Trade Federation with next round of Republic counter-offensives?
'Or assassination of my former apprentice and this upstart General...' he considered watching the tactical display and sensor scans "...Hmmm, they destroyed the base-camp? Now what had they wished to hide from us I wonder?"
He turned to the Super Tactical Droid to his side "Prepare my guards and shuttle, there is something I wish to investigate. Inform my Dark Acolytes to be ready"
Yoda had known of this place, and perhaps this was where he had learned of the Dark side enough to deflect...control...Dooku's own lightning. His old Master would claim otherwise, but Dooku knew, as his new Master also suspected, and there were potential reasons to the enemy's stop here. Then...then Talzin would be dealt with, this 'Darth' Maul and Ventress, the false Sith General playing hero...none would stand in the way of a better galaxy, one ruled by worthy overlords such as Darth Sidious, and then Darth Tyrannus...
--