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Post by surfersquid on Jan 20, 2010 1:09:43 GMT -5
Kyla tried to force her dry mouth to form words, to call for help, anything, but her muscles refused to cooperate--they only knew fear and panic at the moment, and her breath caught in her throat whenever she tried to scream. Instead, all she could do was slowly back away from the beast and try not to lose her footing.
That failed spectacularly, though, as in her anxiety she fumbled with her footing, and suddenly her legs gave out from under her and she landed on her back with a yelp, trying to drag herself away from this vicious creature that had somehow manifested out of nowhere, and hoping desperately that Master Skywalker and whoever else he was with would find a way up to the alcove soon. Within the next two seconds would be preferable.
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Post by Cy Skywalker on Jan 20, 2010 11:09:50 GMT -5
Ka shrugged. "Sorry, I..." It had been foolish, not thining to bring a commlink --or nearly anything-- with her because she'd just been going to school, what could possibly happen? She didn't want to admit that to Astrin, who looked tall and imposing with her eyes glowing in the dim light.
But she mentally shook herself and began to look around, her keen eyes noting two passageways around, one ahead and one behind them.
"Well, let's pick a way and go," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "It'll have to get us somewhere."
Somewhere preferably without anything likely to kill them.
***
Luke sensed Kyla's panic--it reminded him of his own in the encounter with the Tusken Raiders where Ben had had to rescue him. But Ben had had a lot more room to move then...
He could sense a creature, like a construct of the dark side, in there with her.
He had little choice. He tossed his ceremonnial cloak to the ground and Force-jumped to the ledge, landing crouched like a black-clad spider. He closed his eyes and reached out a hand, and sensed a labyrinth of paths--the girl had been forced off the path to the rooftop, something that would never had happened if the lesson had gone smoothly. He shouldn't have let them go alone.
But all this thought took mere seconds. He reached out with the Force and pushed the creature back up the tunnel the way it had come.
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Post by Morndakiél on Jan 20, 2010 11:14:34 GMT -5
Ruen's masked face remained impassive. "Test--another word you throw around with such carelessness, creature. Your story, though, is careful--obscuring some and revealing some. Why this particular student? There are many. I cannot begrudge you taking one from my clutches...but what then? Do you plan to leave this planet?"
***
Tranner flicked his gaze from Kon's eyes to the jungle from whence they had come, where he could sense another being talking to Darth Ruen...a strange being. "Because someone else is here, throwing a wrench into my plans. If Ruen gains allies...we need to also. I'm going to scout back and see what I can hear of their conversation."
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Post by Jedi Master Sar Sha on Jan 20, 2010 15:39:24 GMT -5
Epsilon's voice remained patient but the words themselves were coated in mock humility. "You could say she is of great...sentimental value to us." His voice darken and his stance became rigid. " The Jedi have gotten into the habit of getting their noses into business they shouldn't."
Circling the Sith master, Epsilon continued once more in his pleasant tone. "We merely wish to take back what is rightfully ours and be on our way." He stopped when his shoulder lined up with hers. "Isn't that what you Sith believe? Fight for what is yours as only the strong survive. As for us leaving once we get what we want, yes. We have no desire to remain here."
He flicked his gaze back to the temple feeling his one of his brother's frustration flare in the Force. After scanning to pick up on what the cause was, Epsilon sighed. "It would appear our robed friends are already causing trouble."
*** The illusion stepped ever closer. Its snarling scream high and sharp in the air. Just as it raised it paw to strike out at Kyla, a Force push stuck it hard from behind. The image scattered like mist in a strong wind, sweeping harmlessly over the frighted girl and vanished.
*** Haidric cursed as his illusion shattered and crumbled to nothing. Someone was going to pay for that interruption! "What do we do now? With Skywalker..." Phax began, but stopped short when Haidric grabbed him by the throat. "Shut it. If it can't be helped, it can't be helped. Where is Astrin?"
"Still in the lower levels. She knows we're here too." Phax managed to choke out over his brother's tight grip. Haidric released his hold with a jolting shove that landed Phax on his back and made his way through the remaining cover of jungle growth. "Than that's exactly where we're going. Hurry up and get moving!" He snapped not trying to hide his anger. Wheezing through his aching throat, Phax pushed himself up off the ground to follow.
Astrin had better not be too difficult around Haidric. In his current mood, everything was in danger of injury.
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Post by Demarion on Jan 20, 2010 19:10:05 GMT -5
Kon nodded in understanding, ready to follow Tranner. He could somewhat sense the strange beings, now that he had an idea what to look for. "Won't they know we're here?" He asked.
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Post by surfersquid on Jan 20, 2010 23:25:55 GMT -5
Kyla watched in amazement as Master Skywalker somehow leapt, effortlessly it seemed, onto the ledge, and with a wave of his hand neatly dispelled the creature into nothingness. "Th-thank you, Master Skywalker," she stammered, picking herself up off the floor of the tunnel and bowing gratefully to him. She felt rather ashamed and disappointed in herself--she felt she should have been able to fend off the beast, should have had more strength and courage. After all, Master Skywalker had sent the three girls on this mission, which meant he had confidence in their ability to handle the situation. And she had merely quailed like a scared nerf. "I'm sorry," she muttered apologetically, her head hung low. "Did I fail?"
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Post by Morndakiél on Jan 21, 2010 0:23:19 GMT -5
Tranner thought for a moment, then replied with a plan he hoped would go over well. "They will if we travel together. But if I sneak around and hide myself in the Force and you stroll in like you own the place, they should be caught off guard."
Ruen will keep you from being killed in the worse case. Probably."
He was too eager to get going to be polite.
***
Darth Ruen sighed behind her mask, feeling her own warm breath plash against her face. So these beings wanted nothing of her, and would do no good. Perhaps they had some resource she could use. She didn't care one way or another about their sentimental student.
"Go about your business," she intoned. "But be careful...the Jedi are numerous. They may attack any incoming ships."
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Post by Demarion on Jan 21, 2010 0:47:50 GMT -5
"Heh." Kon cocked a smile. "Works for me. What if the Lady calls my bluff?" Finally, adventure. Kon was thrilled, this is what he ultimately lived for, after all.
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Post by Morndakiél on Jan 21, 2010 1:41:45 GMT -5
"I doubt she will mind," Tranner replied. "Tell her it's your first mission; for us to work together."
He looked around, preparing to ease into the foliage where his striped skin would most help him be concealed.
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Post by Demarion on Jan 21, 2010 8:29:15 GMT -5
"That works." The Twi'lek nodded. "You go, I'll wait a bit before crashing the gates." He took his blaster from his holster, making sure all was okay and taking the safety off.
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Post by Cy Skywalker on Jan 21, 2010 13:29:06 GMT -5
Luke put a hand on Kyla's shoulder. "You're alright. We've gone out of the realm of pass or failure now..." but he wasn't fully paying attention to her, peering up the passageway. He hadn't known there was a fork in the tunnel, a branching path that might have been where the enemy was trying to drive Kyla.
Who was this enemy?
He needed to get to them quickly. And right now, the quickest way was up. The tunnel was low for him; he needed to stoop if he wasn't going to outright crawl, and knew that his knees would burn by the time he got to the top. But there, he could find them--and perhaps drop on them like a predatory bird.
And he had sensed that something important was going to happen to Kyla and the others on the rooftop. Corran should be headed to the lower levels now, to take care of Astrin and Ka.
He looked at Kyla. "Neither of us have failed yet. Follow me; we'll find out what was chasing you." He began to make his way up the passage.
***
Corran Horn dimly remembered the hot springs where he had had one of his first meditation sessions with the Jedi. Through the secret passageway he came to the dark, steamy cavern where he had to walk slowly and sense his footing with the Force, or else plunge into the depths. It was tempting to think of just disrobing and sitting in the water for a while, relaxing.
But this was a mission, and he of all people wasn't going to let something as intangible as the ambiance of a cave mess it up.
Nothing had been disturbed down here, which meant that the attackers were getting in another way. He found a passage dimly lit after a few turns by phosphorescing yellow lichen and moved down it, mentally calling out to the students so that no one he didn't want to hear would hear.
***
Ka followed Astrin through the tunnels, growing jumpier by the second. No matter how rugged her species had once been, she had lived a comfortable life--and was wanting to get back to it. She jumped at shadows.
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Post by Morndakiél on Jan 21, 2010 13:37:25 GMT -5
Tranner crept around back toward the Sith Temple, dampening his Force presence the way he had been taught in the Inquisitorius so that only the strongest Force users--and ones who were looking for him--would be able to sense he was anywhere in the area. He found a purple-barked tree with a trunk thicker than his arms could reach around and climbed it, keeping close to the trunk to blend with the shadows. He peered out from between leafy branches, his striped face and the lekku that had shifted forward over his shoulders during the climb matching the pattern of the mottled leaves, if not their color. He saw Darth Ruen speaking to an armored man and focused on his hearing to find out what they were saying.
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Post by Jedi Master Sar Sha on Jan 23, 2010 20:53:59 GMT -5
Astrin had grown used to the darkness by now. It had been a realm of security and comfort most her life. The lack of sound, however, was making her tense and Ka’s jumpiness only made her more suspicious of their surroundings. Was one of their Seekers an HHMI class or was it simply the flicking shadows the other student didn’t trust? Either way Astrin followed the curving path between pools, hoping to see stairs or an exit out of the cavern.
Her sudden stop took Ka by surprise, causing the girl to bump into Astrin’s back. “Did you hear that?” Astrin whispered. The call hadn’t been heard by her physical ears, but she knew she had heard someone calling through the Force. But who was it and did she dare send out a message when she didn’t know what class of Seekers were out hunting for her? “Ka, do you know who that is? And if so, do you know a question that only the two of you would know the answer?”
**** Epsilon turned back to Ruen. “Thank you for the warning. We’ll be careful on our way out. Now if you excuse me, I have to join my brothers.” He paused a moment, sensing someone else’s thoughts nearby. Ah, Tranner had returned to spy on their conversation. So be it. “If your companions do not find the opened into the temple, we’ll find one of our own. As I said, we don’t have a fondness for Jedi, but attacking them head on was not our mission. If we come across any in our path, we’ll do what damage we can. I hope your colleagues can do better.” Not waiting for a reply, Epsilon lept over the nearby foliage and sprinted to catch up with Phax and Haidric. The later was being unprofessionally reckless. His current mood could blow the whole mission and that was not going to happen.
Cool and calculated, Epsilon unlocked the safety on his blaster. One way or another, he was going to make sure his team kept its reputation of reliability. They were the best or they didn’t exist. That’s the way it had been and that was how it would always be.
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Post by Cy Skywalker on Jan 25, 2010 17:28:45 GMT -5
Ka almost growled under her breath. Astrin obviously knew so much more than she was telling, and she was asking <i>Ka</i> about a question only two of them would know the answer to, as if they were spies on a mission? She would talk to the mysterious girl later...who was fast becoming less frightening (although her enemies weren't) and more irritating. Ka didn't want to have these thoughts; she thought of herself as a kind person.
But she had never met anyone who seemed so unwilling to talk before. The silence was frightening.
But she paused beside another column of slick stone and listened to the voice. "That's...I think it's Master Horn." Before Astrin could make an comment back Ka yelled a reply. "Master Horn!"
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Post by Demarion on Jan 25, 2010 19:42:47 GMT -5
After a few minutes of waiting, Kon started his way back. Tranner was probably already there, since he was very quick on his feet.
The Twi'lek could hear voices now, and before he could be sensed he ran from the trees, shooting his blaster above his head. He had a vague idea where Tranner was, but it was muffled by the unusual Force auras coming from the others.
He cocked his head and grinned with his sharp teeth. "Now, what do we have here?" Judging from the stunned expressions from the others, he hoped his Togruta companion would act shortly.
[[That work? D: ]]
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Post by Morndakiél on Jan 25, 2010 19:58:41 GMT -5
The visitor had done something very unexpected; simply walked away. He had brushed Tranner's Force presence, the Togruta could tell. So why did he do nothing? That wasn't usual practice. The man was powerful; he must be to sense Tranner. So it was a sign of arrogance that he would just zip away under the watching eyes. It angered Tranner--and it seemed his apprentice, falling nicely into his role, felt the same way, moving to intercept. Tranner gave a cruel smile and launched himself from the tree into the stranger's path, intercepting his headlong flight with his solid bulk. He looked at the other over his shoulder, lightsabers activating at his hands, nodding slightly to Kon in appreciation. His was the joy of the bully in the schoolroom, but it was effective. He glared at the stranger. "Arrogant one," was all he could think to say, but he was ready to fight.
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Post by Jedi Master Sar Sha on Jan 27, 2010 1:58:12 GMT -5
Epsilon came to a sliding stop, irritated by the interruption. So much for these two being of use as a distraction…or perhaps it did work in his favor. The Jedi knew by now that someone was within the temple premises. If they sensed a disturbance out here in the jungle, they might come looking for him rather than his brothers.
Reading the thoughts of his new opponent, he picked up on Tranner’s desire for a fight. The blaster wouldn’t be much use in such close proximity. It would be best to switch to a melee weapon. His modified short sword would do nicely; the secret ingredient laced into its reinforced metals would temporarily kill any lightsaber it came in contact with. Ah, the advantage of surprise.
“Ah, Tranner. Kon. So good to see you two in person.” He flicked the safety back on his blaster before holstering it. “What brings the two of you conspirators out here at this time of day?” He asked, unsheathed his short sword and letting its tip rest against his thigh. There was tension in the air between the three. It was like waiting for a lightning strike while standing in a bucket of water. “I don’t take kindly to interferences.” He stated menacingly, before lunging at Tranner, bringing his sword’s lethal edge up in a low to high strike…
*** Astrin cringed at the loud call as it echoed throughout the cavern. She understood Ka’s frustration with her. Perhaps it was best that she enlightened her friend of the severity of the situation. “Ka please don’t yell.” She whispered, glancing around for signs of movement in the veil of darkness surrounding them. “The reason I asked if there was a question only you and the other Force-user knew was because there are Seekers who purposely mimic target’s friends or family to draw them out of hiding. They can mimic just about everything about a person, even forge a Force signature if they’re advanced enough. They’re limited though in their deceptions when it comes to personal details.”
She glanced over at her companion before continuing. “Seekers usually hunt in groups of two or three, each armed with a different skill set. There are many skill sets, but those that can be shaped into weapons are the most common.” She dropped her voice apologetically. “I didn’t mean to frustrate you or with hold information from you, but I don’t yet know which skill sets are here and be cause of that I’m being very cautious. I’d still can’t get a read on what their thinking, but I can feel them getting closer to the temple, which worries me.”
The lantern she’d been using, flickered softly in her hand. Its energy cell must be wearing down. The thought of being lost in the dark was unpleasant in itself, much less when Seekers were about. “I think you’re right and that it really was Master Horn who was calling for us, but if we’re going to stay off our pursuers radar we need to keep contact through Force link.”
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Post by Cy Skywalker on Jan 27, 2010 13:10:26 GMT -5
Ka's surprise showed itself in her mouth dropping open, something she wasn't entirely sure translated to the same emotion in humans (probably not, what with those flat teeth). Sometimes species barriers helped to dull Ka's propensity to say what she felt...sometimes. She stammered a little before saying sincerely, "Thanks for explaining." Skill sets, eh....so basically, they had no idea what they were up against. Great. (Exciting though, said part of her mind.)
"Okay, ah, Force link....I'm not quite sure how to do that, but..." Tentatively she reached out, and surprisingly strongly felt what she could only describe as Master Horn's presence close by, reaching out to them. "He's close by."
***
In fact, Corran was moving closer, and had just seen a few thin figures in the distance that he thought must be the apprentices when the light flickered. He hurried toward the two. He felt Ka's Force presence and reciprocated.
He climbed over a spur of rock and came closer to the two apprentices. The dark presences were still far away, but he took this as seriously as he would have a mission with CorSec. "Keep quiet", he said first. "We don't know what's lurking down here. Follow me to the way out."
"Sorry," Ka said, her head bowed.
"Don't dwell on it," Corran replied, "but remember that stealth is important. The environment itself can be dangerous, can bring in factors you weren't expecting. Keep your missions as close to you as possible, like sabacc cards you don't want an opponent to see."
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Post by Morndakiél on Jan 29, 2010 22:06:35 GMT -5
{[I'm going to use names because I am tired of saying "him" despite the fact that I don't think Tranner and Epsilon should know one another's names.]]
Tranner's lightsabers flashed to life, four short blades meeting the razor edge of Epsilon's blade before glancing off again. He kept one hand up to block in front of his face and slashed at Epsilon's face like a nexu at it's prey--only to see the lightsabers crackle and fade out, taking their smell of ozone with it.
Immediatly he dropped to one knee, ducking under the sword-strike, his hands fisted to still be somewhat effective, and swept one leg out to knock Epsilon on his back while Tranner stood up again and aimed a Force-assisted punch at the other's head, designed to crumble Jedi or clone armor.
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Post by Jedi Master Sar Sha on Feb 1, 2010 1:55:37 GMT -5
[[Note: Its nearly one in the morning when I post this. If there are spelling errors, please forgive me. I will fix them after I get back from school/work. Thanks.]]
Astrin was relieved to see the Jedi master and began to follow after him, when an unexpected pain raced up her legs, back and spread behind her eyes. Her legs gave out and she was soon kneeling against cool, wet stone. She yelped as she tore off her mask to rub off whatever was burning her eyes. The lantern she been holding had blinked into darkness when it struck the stone floor, but not before showing the figures of Horn and Ka also in some sort of distress. They too seemed to be in pain.
Astrin opened her Force ability to suppress pain, but when she tried to apply it to herself and the others, it did nothing to ease the growing burn. The pain seemed to be increasing the longer time pasted. Why?
An intense spotlight gleamed in her face, blinding her to the two newly arrived figures but she gasped in recognition at their Force signatures. “HHMI-39? HHFT-7?” “Been a long time since I’ve been called by my class and number. Its Haidric and Phax now.” Came a male voice, one far too mature to match the voice Astrin remembered. Far too…harsh. The light having dimmed to a tolerable level, Astrin saw Master Horn stirred as if to reach of his lightsaber. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by Haidric who’s lips curled until the Jedi screamed in agony. “Stop it! You’ll kill him if you keep that up Haidric! You were sent here to fetch me. Fine, you found me. Now leave Horn and Ka alone. Stop hurting them!”
Corran’s screams fell silent and he looked to be unconscious. Haidric turned his attention back to her, temper still high. “The Tiss'shar is coming with us.” He pulled out his blaster and clicked the safety off menacingly. “Quietly. I officially only have to bring you back Astrin. If your little lizard friend caused trouble, she’s going to get a blaster bolt to the head. Are we clear?”
Still in pain but perfectly lucid, Astrin swallowed hard. She read Haidric’s thoughts like words on a page. He was dead serious about killing to make his point. “Perfectly.” She replied weakly, before turning to Ka. “Ka don’t try anything with these two, okay? Just do what they tell you and everything will be find.” “It feels like Epsilon has company.” Phax informed absently. “If he hasn’t call us in, he’s taking care of himself. Let’s get these two back to the ship.” Haidric’s stated before kicking Corran’s lightsaber into a near by pool. “I’m getting edgy with all these Jedi around.”
*** Epsilon saw the attack coming and managed to roll away from the lethal blow, but not before the attack clipped the check guard of his helmet. The material shattered from the force of the strike, revealing one of his deep crimson eyes. Evening had set in so the threat of being burned had passed. He discarded the damaged helmet and shook out his ruffled white hair before dropping into a low guard, holding his short sword’s tip pointed at Tranner’s throat. He made several quick slashes for the man’s wrists, chest, and throat but landed only a light grazing cut on the Togruta’s shoulder.
“Not bad. Not bad at all.” Epsilon said, resetting his distance. In his off hand he pulled out a slender spike of black metal from a compartment on his thigh; its tip appeared to be dipped in some purple blue liquid. Rolling the spike between his fingers, he began to circle Tranner again. “It would be interesting to see how you'd do in the pits. You too Kon.” Epsilon stated confidently as he waited for either to strike.
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