Interludes

[Lord_S_Gray]

As promised in my Teaser, this is the first of some weekly interludes in the lead up to Legacy of the Aether, Children's more direct Sequel.  To position it these occur after Children of the Aether and both before, after and during Orphan which also crosses the bridge between Children and Leagcy. 

Again using this Interludes thread as an opportunity to try some new things, so tell me what works and what doesn't and as I mentioned before each one is a character you know and love (or hate...) from Children, so try and guess who it is!!

Again thanks for reading everyone!

Path to the Legacy - Interlude 1

The Jedi

“Return with the knowledge within” was the only instruction he had been given for his final trial. 

It was so obvious it had nothing to do with searching the caverns beneath the temple, but rather within himself, it was embarrassing they had even said it…perhaps it would’ve been more impressive had he not already obtained the memories and experiences of three Jedi knights.

The caverns were like a labyrinth, corridors of rock and old metal curving off into the darkness, some passage blocked up very deliberately.  The history of it interested him…and the future. 

He came across a stone door with old runes, the force around it had a strange feel…a will bound to a place…some kind of protection mechanism…like the curse upon some ancient tomb.  On anyone else it might work, but he had long since learned he was…different…from the other Jedi…somehow off to the side and above if he had to describe it visually. 

He tried to make out the runes but their meaning was lost to him…the curse like imperative in the force pushed into his mind, but he could ignore it.

Curious he sent his senses into the future…figures approached the door, then inexplicably killed themselves and each other…until two figures, vague at this distance in the future, but one recognisably male the other female approached.  The Female seemed to open it, the male stood behind her poised to cut her down…but something stopped him, some connection, some thread of…sound…not music...between them…very strange.

He contemplated entering himself, yet he realised this wasn’t his place.  He proceeded deeper into the quagmire of forgotten shrines, caverns and cult sites. 

There was no time in the force, past, present, future were all just a single infinity in which it existed, with sufficient power one could theoretically move between them freely…the problem was the physical body which was chained into a particular stream of space time…it anchored you…in some ways it was protective, in others restrictive, it was what kept you from moving too far forward or too far back...like a leash that could only stretch so far.

He used this power to see what had and would happen in dozens of shrines and alcoves, Sith, Jedi, Gray, monks, cultists all met, argued, loved, killed over centuries either side of him.  Some were amusing…most boring…

It was the same battle, repeated over and over again, the names and faces changed but the story stayed the same…the fight between those who wanted power to serve their individual desires, and the deluded who thought that stopping their excesses was noble and power should be used to serve the ‘many’.

Delusional for they didn’t realise that their belief that they were acting for some ‘greater good’ was in itself a selfish desire.  Good and evil were truths completely dependent on your certain point of view…no one was a self-conscious villain - only his enemy was. 

Deeper he plunged, the phantoms became more vague as he stepped further from his own time, but the cycle was the same…as pointless as ever...they fought over ideas like justice, honour, peace…concepts that did not exist beyond the minds of those who believed in them…it was truly the height of vanity to believe in something ephemeral so much you would give your life for it. 

Where in the galaxy could you find one atom of justice, a particle of peace, a wavelength of love?  He shook his head at the folly of it all…and the greatest folly still was they seemed trapped in their cycle, their cultures were enmeshed in this, from their very birth they were raised to believe in things that had no true meaning and value them beyond their own life…folly…it was all vanity…utter vanity….
*******************************************************************
After what may have been days, possibly weeks – when one shifted back and forth in time one lost track of ones anchor time – he came to a small shrine with a glowing red hand sized pyramid upon it.  He could see the recentness of visits in the phantoms…this was what the Jedi were testing some of their apprentices with, a Sith holocron…

He approached and from the top a face appeared, old and gnarled with short facial tentacles on its cheeks.  It spoke with a resonant voice “Welcome Jedi,”

He didn’t reply  merely stalked in a circle around the shrine for a long time

“Have you come to discover my secrets, or test yourself against me like the others,”

He said nothing

“Ah,” it said after a time, “A clever one, there have been other clever ones, they too failed…You know the Jedi cast out every one who they send here…this isn’t a test for the ones they want to become knights….this is the test they know you will fail…your fate is already decided,” 

He said nothing

“But you’re more clever than that.  So they fail you, you don’t need the Jedi you can become more powerful than them, with my guidance you can exceed them all!”

The holorcon entity tried to send a vision into his mind of power, glory, pleasure, it fizzled against his mind, the Holorcorn shuddered at its failure, the voice became distressed.

“you’re not a Jedi apprentice are you…you’re not a Sith either…not one of those foolish fence sitting Grays….”

He said nothing

“There is something familiar…did your sect kill the Jedi?” he laughed maniacally at that thought

He still said nothing

“Oh come now, give a lonely old man something….it’s so boring down here…even playing with the forclings they send every few years is getting boring…..”

He said nothing and turned to walk away,

“What too scared of what I might show you, running back to your masters?”

He paused, he could feel the phantom smile behind him…it didn’t last long…with shatter point technique he could see every crack, every little micro fracture in the holorcon, he dripped a little force in the cracks widening them ever so slightly

“what are you doing, would you destroy the knowledge I possess!” it cried

He kept cracking it

“Stop you fool! Even the Jedi would never destroy me much though they may fear me…Stop!”

He paused, the holocron was a knife edge away from fracturing,

“What have you done! You’re insane”

The Sith echo didn’t understand either, couldn’t see beyond the system in which it was born, he was still enmeshed in the cycle, and trying to gain power through another’s body…
He would take its knowledge, then finish it off.
*******************************************************************
“Our lives are circular, we face the same battles and make the same choices, over the span of thousands of lives lived at once the pattern repeats as history.   The challenge to break that cycle, to face the same battle but make a different choice, one that does not keep us locked in to the cycle…that knowledge cannot come from within, for if we only rely on what we already know…our repetition is inevitable. “

Of the masters he knelt before only three mattered, each took the words differently, it was not the answer they had anticipated, the far left looked inspired, amazed even, the middle cautious, concerned, the right serious and contemplative.  He had two out of three at least.

After some short looks and nods between them they ignited their sabres beside his head, the one in the centre said with little enthusiasm

“By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Jedi, Knight of the Republic”

[Taegin Roan]

This, I think, is one of my absolute favorite entries of yours. You successfully did something similar to what I am trying to do in my next chapter of SotO, and you did it well. I think I might know who it is, but still, I'm not positive. I absolutely loved your reference to Hide and Seek, it really went well with the rest of the interlude. The holocron also was great addition. I can't think of just a single thing that I liked about this entry. It was really just the whole thing. How it all went together naturally, and seemed very true to both Star Wars and your Aethan universe. Very well done.

[Karmack]

LGS, I loved the cross-over nod.  :-)  Thanks!

OK, 'nuff about my stuff...

Valens.  This feels like Valens.  The stolen knowledge from three other Jedi, the deception but also almost brutal honesty of his interview at the end...  And the three Jedi are Yoda, Soryu and Kimar.  Or, in the order you had them: Soryu on the left, Yoda on the right, Kimar in the middle.  :-)

Very nice.  I loved the way you have him walking through the past and future.  Shatter point...  And I am also still amazed at the raw power of the Aethans. 

[Lord_S_Gray]

Thanks guys it was a fun one to write too...Karmacks right of course fairly obvious...but yeah I think the anonymity lends a weight to the story...but also glad my characterisation is still strong enough to get through especially for the three Jedi!

[TheDutchman]

"I loved the way you have him walking through the past and future"

I wanted to focus on this since it reminded me of what I was learning about with Particle- and Quantum-Physics.  Just as Valens was able to glimpse future and past, not as a linear function but rather as cyclic, there are theories concerning the multiverse that each and every single choice is played out in an infinite number of realities.  That, once a choice is made, it collapses the wavefunction.  Once this happens, it is then impossible to experience "alternate" realities that play out the other options (the wavefunction having been collapsed).  Now: what IF having such...STRONG tethers to the Aether/Force allowed one to see/witness/perceive these different realities WITHOUT collapsing said wavefunction?  AND would that mean that one was STILL in a SINGLE reality without having the wavefunction collapsed?  Yes, it is just theoretical...but you REALLY touched on a point that I find INCREDIBLY interesting, LSG!

...Perhaps another way of looking at it is best exemplified by Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle which states "that the more precisely the position of some particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice versa."  So you can know one WITH CERTAINTY but NOT the other one WITH CERTAINTY.  So, AGAIN, maybe an Aethan's strong attachment to the Aether/Force allows them to do just that.  Anyhow, just a thought 

And--again--I would love to see a Children/Mak'Tor crossover event 

[Taegin Roan]

"I loved the way you have him walking through the past and future"

I wanted to focus on this since it reminded me of what I was learning about with Particle- and Quantum-Physics.  Just as Valens was able to glimpse future and past, not as a linear function but rather as cyclic, there are theories concerning the multiverse that each and every single choice is played out in an infinite number of realities.  That, once a choice is made, it collapses the wavefunction.  Once this happens, it is then impossible to experience "alternate" realities that play out the other options (the wavefunction having been collapsed).  Now: what IF having such...STRONG tethers to the Aether/Force allowed one to see/witness/perceive these different realities WITHOUT collapsing said wavefunction?  AND would that mean that one was STILL in a SINGLE reality without having the wavefunction collapsed?  Yes, it is just theoretical...but you REALLY touched on a point that I find INCREDIBLY interesting, LSG!

...Perhaps another way of looking at it is best exemplified by Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle which states "that the more precisely the position of some particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice versa."  So you can know one WITH CERTAINTY but NOT the other one WITH CERTAINTY.  So, AGAIN, maybe an Aethan's strong attachment to the Aether/Force allows them to do just that.  Anyhow, just a thought 

And--again--I would love to see a Children/Mak'Tor crossover event 

Up until this year, I didn't really know what the theory of the multiverse was. I'd heard of it (being a Marvel and DC fan), but I didn't (and still don't) understand the whole "every choice" thing. But it has interested me since I heard about it. I know it is just theoretical (at best), but it is still interesting to think about. I hadn't made the connection until I read what you wrote here, but I can see it now. And the thought that an Aethan could potentially be powerful enough to see these different dimensions is. . . strange.

Yeah, and Children/Mak'Tor even would be neat to see.

[TheDutchman]

Interlude-
Sith Savior

Silently, the Rygillian freighter sped through the hyperspace tunnel en route to M’Tzingon. 

The exposed pipes, circuitry, and stanchion followed the corridor around the freighter’s inner hull, leading to one of the lounge areas in the interior of the ship.  Light laughter filled the air as the current tenants joked and relaxed during the hyperspace journey.  Within the empty cockpit, the hyperspace tunnel filled the canopy, the blue-shift of the light casting a cool, yet comforting hue about the interior.  Just past the lounge area was a series of double-capacity bunk rooms, necessary given the distance between Zonama Sekot and M’Tzingon and the freighter’s middling Class 4 Hyperdrive.

However, just down the hall from the crew quarters was a hidden brig, currently boarding a single occupant.  Given how dangerous the occupant was, she had been securely restrained, confined to a sleeper table, and gagged.  And as an extra measure, she was currently in a chemically induced coma.  The crew had been warned concerning her abilities and had prepared accordingly.  And now that they’d reached the mid-transit point, they began to relax their constant vigil.

Again, laughter filled the air of the lounge area.

“No, seriously!  I was there during Zearic’s first test for Water Warrior.” Koawan Maison’s voice followed.  “Nexu Master Torsin was personally overseeing the Trials and decided to question him at the conclusion of the usual combat test.  I didn’t know why at the time but it was extremely unorthodox.  Anyway, Master Torsin calls Zearic up,” Maison’s voice became lighter in imitation, “‘Maenowan Zearic, a Water Warrior must be courageous at all times.  How would you define courage?’  Zearic looks straight at him and says,” this time, Maison’s voice dropped a couple of octaves, “‘This is.’  And he walks away from the Nexu Council!”

Appreciative laughter followed Maison’s pitch-perfect impressions.  Sitting across from him, his apprentice Teidowan Viri’s head-tentacles dangled freely, the Twi’Lek reclining on one of the water-couches.  Between laughing and drinking, she made another move on the holochess board.  “Check.”  She smiled at her opponent.

Across from her, a small human man scowled at the board.  “Damn.”  Even his expletive was said in an almost monotone voice.  Next to him, a large, blond woman with closely cropped hair slapped his shoulder.

“Told you Parek!  You should have seen that Knight-sac that Viri pulled but you were too focused on your Queen.”  Arilia’s jovial attitude made everyone feel at ease, her intimidating physique a strict contrast to her partner’s small, delicate frame.  Still, both of the Mak’Tor jedi had about them their three lightsabers, even now.

Smiling broadly, Arilia looked at Maison.  “So…do you know Maenowan Zearic and Lady D’Aylanna well?  They were nice enough to have us over for dinner at their home on Sekot.”  Seeing that her cup was empty, Arilia went to refill it.  “And their…daughter(?), Jorya was it?  Nice girl, if a bit impetuous.”  She sat down next to Maison.

He shook his head.  “No, Ari, not at all.  They’re more…acquaintances than friends.  Still: nice people.”  Maison coughed.  “I actually wanted to ask you about Master Karmack.  Is it true that he’s one of the first Master Singers in a generation?  We of the Vhal’Dan Order have never produced a Singer, much less a Sage.”  Leaning back in his chair, Maison drank deeply, never taking his eyes from Arilia.

The big woman was silent for a moment, thoughtful.  “Not only that but he is actually able to hear one of the Mak’Tor’s ancient crystals.  Before him…I think it was Kage Odjina that had claimed that he could hear the Ancient One (that’s what we call it).  But that was…almost half a millennium ago.”  Arilia sighed.  “And our records from that time are…fragmented.”

“Checkmate!” Viri smiled at Parek.  The Silver Knight looked from one end of the board to the next.  But when he looked at the Twi’lek, a small smile played on his lips.

“Nicely done.  Next time I won’t fall for your Knight’s gambit.  Again?”  His eyes shone with held interest, interest that Arilia hadn’t witnessed in her partner since she’d been apprenticed to him.  Good, she thought, Parek deserves happiness after losing his family on Alderaan. 

“…You were saying?  Master Karmack?” Maison’s genial voice prodded.  Arilia smiled at Parek and turned her head to answer.  But she was interrupted before she could talk.

A sudden lurch to the ship caused all four jedi to fall to the floor.  Even stunned, they recovered quickly.  Running to the cockpit, they all strapped into their respective seats.  Realspace greeted them as they searched the cockpit canopy for any clue as to what had caused them to drop out of hyperspace.

“Arilia.  Get on the scanners.  Anything in the vicinity?” Parek’s voice had returned to his usual monotone.  As Arilia checked the various instrumentation, Maison and Viri tried to get any visuals that might help.

“…By the Maker…” Arilia’s tone was tight.  “Parek, it’s an Imperial Interdictor cruiser.”

All four jedi exchanged knowing looks.  Much smaller than a Star Destroyer, the Inderdictor was still fifteen times larger than their freighter, to say nothing of being outclassed offensively.  And, with the four gravity-well projectors, escaping to hyperspace was impossible.

“Arilia, power up the quads.  Viri, Maison: head to the polar gun ports.  We need to knock out the projectors.”

But even before the Vhal’Dan jedi had unbuckled their belts, their freighter faltered again, harder this time.

“Tractor beam has a lock on us.” Arilia’s voice was quiet, terse.  “They’re drawing us in.”

None of the jedi wasted time.  They all withdrew from the cockpit, the Vhal’Dan jedi grabbing their lightsabers.  Heading to the brig, they opened the door.  The Night Sister was awake, her eyes glaring hate and amusement.  After checking Jennira’s restraints, Arilia filled both of her hands with her lightsabers.

By that time, their freighter had been drawn into the Interdictor’s primary launch bay.  As the sound of docking clamps reverberated through the hull, the four Gray jedi had taken up defensible positions.  Collectively, they were ready.

As anticipation began to build, the sounds from the Imperial boarding party came from the main hatch as they attempted to breach the ship.  Suddenly, a loud report vibrated throughout the ship, indicative that the Imperials had gained entry. 

One and all, the Gray jedi had surrounded themselves in the Force.  They sensed almost two-dozen life forms as they fanned out within the interior of the ship.  And while they could detect the concise intent from the Imperials, there was something…unusual about them.  Then, the boarders were upon them.

Even prepared, the barrage of blaster fire had each of the jedi working hard in their defense/deflect patterns.  Arilia noticed first that their opponents were not stormtroopers.  They had the red splint armor of Sith-Shadows.  But even as she noticed, she was too busy defending herself.

The jedi were good; they worked collectively defending themselves and each other.  Even as two-dozen Sith-Shadows converged upon their position, their blaster fire was funneled through the corridor, effectively limiting the range of incoming fire.  However, the sheer volume of blaster fire had the jedi too occupied to do much else.

And it was because of this that none of the jedi noticed the subtle Song that began to fill the ship.  At first, it seemed that the Sith-Shadows had reduced their blaster fire.  But as fewer blaster bolts were coming from the Sith-Shadows, the strength of the Song increased exponentially.

All of the Gray jedi were now aware of a Dark Singer and were attempting to fight against the incoming Song…but something was wrong.  The Song was…too potent…to powerful.  Trying to stave off the effects, all four of the Gray jedi were nevertheless becoming lethargic.  Shaking their heads in an attempt to clear them, they were succumbing even as they fought.

Coming into view, a tall Zabrak appeared around the corridor bend.  In his left hand, he carried a saberstaff.  Arilia noticed immediately that his right arm was a cybernetic replacement.  And, looking closer, she noticed that his saberstaff’s blades were an almost…pulsating crimson, the red seemed to beat in harmony with the Song’s cadence.

!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!

Arilia felt as if she were looking through water…her lightsabers began to sink… Slowly turning her head, she saw that her comrades were doing likewise, although Parek kept shaking his head… It was then that she saw that Viri lay on the floor, a circular burn in the middle of her forehead where one of the Sith-Shadows had shot her.

!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!


Parek… Parek!  Arilia felt as if she were crawling through mud, that her head was at a different altitude.  Maison had completely dropped his lightsabers, his hands gripping his head as blood began to drip from his mouth.  PAREK! 

!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!


Raising her lightsabers she confronted the Zabrak.  Still Singing, he flung his palm up towards her.  Too slow to react, his Force push hit her squarely, knocking the air from her lungs as she simultaneously hit the bulkhead.  All her defenses dropped as her mental faculties were assaulted and thwarted by the Zabrak’s Song.  Feeling firm pressure on her entire body as if held in place by a wall, a very small part of her could record her surroundings even as she was unable to do anything about it.

!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!....!

Parek had managed to hold off against the Song.  A Jar’Kai practitioner, he held both of his lightsabers at the ready, green and teal blades casting pallor on his sickly face.  The Zabrak approached Parek, saberstaff spinning while he Sang.  And, as he struck, his voice hit a crescendo, the blades of his staff strobing in time as each chord he Sang flowed over, around, and through.  Parek’s defense was solid enough to deflect several of the Zabrak’s lightning-quick attacks but each time seemed to drain him a little more.  And each time the Zabrak struck, his voice was a little stronger, his movements a little faster.

Still unable to act, Arilia saw as the Zabrak did a flourish of spins incorporating ever-faster attacks.  Determined, Parek kept his blades between him and his opponent.  But the Zabrak was too quick, too powerful.  One of the blades of his saberstaff arched through its spin and up, bisecting Parek’s right arm first then his left at the wrist on his return spin.  Upon recovery, the Zabrak stabbed down through Parek’s leg, dropping him to the deck.  When Arilia was sure that he would kill him, the Zabrak slowly lowered his staff, although he did not extinguish the blades.

Singing softly, he approached Maison first.  The young koawan still had his hands to his head, a grimace of pain was etched upon his entire face.  The Zabrak put his left hand to Maison’s head, index and middle fingers touching him.  Closing his eyes, the Zabrak’s Song grew…more intense, his saberstaff’s blades pulsed in time.  After a moment, the Zabrak’s face relaxed and he shook his head.

Without warning, he swung his saberstaff in a vicious arc, instantly killing Maison.  Arilia tried to turn her head away but her body wouldn’t respond.  Instead, her eyes followed as he approached her.  The pressure upon her body lessened but did not completely relent: she still could not raise her arms nor move her legs.  As the Zabrak stood in front of her, he made the same finger gesture to her forehead.

Immediately, she felt as if her thoughts were being…dragged to the forefront, specifically the scene concerning her time around the witch.  …The Night Sister’s prison and bonds are keyed to open with only Knight Arilia’s or my genetic code.  No other person may touch them, otherwise a lockdown is initiated instantly…

Smiling, the Zabrak stood and walked into the brig.  “Come.”  His voice, like bones being ground under foot, Commanded.  Arilia’s body moved, seemingly of its own accord.  A small part of her attempted to stop but it was as if she were a child attempting to lift a building.  The Song had penetrated her defenses and it flowed through and around her.  Standing by the Night Sister’s sleeper table, he looked directly at Arilia.  “Remove her gag.”  His saberstaff’s blades steadily pulsated, each time in tune with the cadence of the Zabrak’s Singing.

Arilia felt her body move, mechanically releasing the strap that held the gag in place once it recognized her DNA.  Once free, the Night Sister worked her jaw silently, smiling to the Zabrak.  “Mellichae.”  Her voice croaked.  She coughed a few times and the next time she spoke her voice was much clearer.  “Release my bonds.”  Echoing through Arilia’s head, Jennira’s voice pervaded every cell of her brain, the Zabrak’s blades strobing in time as she heard the Night Sister Sing.  Arilia was once again a passenger in her own body while she saw her hands work the restraints binding the witch to the sleeper table.

Once free, the Zabrak offered his hand to the Night Sister, helping her stand from the table.  Holding her steadily, Jennira looked over at Parek.  The small koawan was sweating profusely while he desperately tried to fight as his body went into shock.  Smiling ferally, she grabbed Mellichae’s saberstaff and sauntered over to Parek.  “You have some skill with Singing.  I offer you a chance and only once.  Join me.”

Parek looked directly into the witch’s eyes.  “Go to hell.”  Jennira smiled and, in a flurry of movement, brought down the red blade in a savage cut.  Again, Arilia would have looked away…if she could.

“What should we do about her, Domina?” Mellichae’s bass voice echoed in the corridor as he gestured towards Arilia.

“I have an idea, Coniux.  But first...I have a score to settle against that Togruta pfassk.” Jennira’s face grimaced.  “She deserves death and more.”

“No.”  Mellichae’s voice boomed.

Completely shocked, the Night Sister almost screamed in outrage.  “NO?!  How...dare you defy me, your Domina!”  She moved as if to brush past the large Zabrak but he grabbed her upper arm.

“No.  You cannot have the Togruta.  My Master has commanded it.”  His icy blue eyes were unblinking.

Incensed, the Night Sister attempted to pull away.  But it was an exercise in futility.  “I am your Domina...!”  But even as she protested, Mellichae’s voice was quadranium.

“Yes.  You are my Domina.  But Darth Mendax is my Master.  And yours.” His tone broached no arguement, his hand a vice upon her arm.  Slowly, as she stared into his eyes, she saw the absolute truth to his words.  And, as silent witness, Arilia stood unable even to speak.

“...But...how...?” The Night Sister’s voice was soft, tentative.

“Darth Mendax is powerful.  I was able to find you because my Master knew where you would be.  Domina.”  Mellichae’s gaze never wavered.

“How did...our Master...find me?” Jennira had regained some of her poise.

“My Master told me it was no secret.  The ancient Sith art of Qâzoi Kyantuska.”

Jennira’s pale face blanched.  Qâzoi Kyantuska.  Sith mind control.  To the uninitiated, it was a cudgel; to a Sith Master, it was a tool with surgical precision.  It was said that the masters could use it to not only read minds but even locate a specific mind throughout the galaxy.  “But…how could…our Master have done this?  I would know…”

Mellichae shook his head.  “No, Domina.  You would not.  Just as I did not.  Until our Master called upon me.  Any mind you’ve touched, our Master has access to.  So I—like you—am tethered to Darth Mendax.”

Jennira was silent for a moment but she knew that her Coniux—her consort—would not lie to her.  “What is our Master’s will?”

Mellichae gave a small nod.  “We must work on the Pontite we’ve mined.  And—” he held up his saberstaff, “—we must make more of these: Vitreous sabers.  I was able to collect what was left of the crystalline-lattice from the Canticum Lowlands for this weapon.”

The Night Sister looked at the Zabrak’s saberstaff.  Still ignited, she noticed the slow, almost imperceptible pulse of the blades.  “...You mean...”

Mellichae smiled.  “Yes.  To any normal Force-sensitive, this is merely a sword.  For a Singer...it is an amplifier.  Not as powerful as the crystalline-lattice but still potent.”  Looking past Jennira, the Zabrak’s eyes fell upon Arilia.  “That is how my Song was able to penetrate your defenses so thoroughly.  And that is how my Domina will exact her revenge upon you.”  And, handing Jennira his saberstaff, he walked out of the brig.

The Night Sister’s face exulted as she stared at Arilia.  “Oh yes...I will have my revenge upon you...since I cannot—yet—seek reprisal upon that Togruta.  And her father.”  Slowly, the witch’s face became morose.  “But, for now, you’ll do.”

[Lord_S_Gray]

OUCH that's gonna leave a mark!.  Don't mess with Darth Mendax...strong powers to detect not just where someone is but where they are going to be through hyperspace to know where to interdict them...Seems to be a lot of messing with peoples minds going on...Mellichae must be a mess internally with Mendax and presumably Jennira both in his head in different ways...sort of represents with his sheer brutality and single minded ness...or at least that's the impression I get. Zearic is going to regret his mercy...

[TheDutchman]

OUCH that's gonna leave a mark!.  Don't mess with Darth Mendax...strong powers to detect not just where someone is but where they are going to be through hyperspace to know where to interdict them...Seems to be a lot of messing with peoples minds going on...Mellichae must be a mess internally with Mendax and presumably Jennira both in his head in different ways...sort of represents with his sheer brutality and single minded ness...or at least that's the impression I get. Zearic is going to regret his mercy...

LSG you hit upon a pont that I wanted to make: mercy to the wrong people can have...consequences  . Good catch!

And you are implicitly correct: between the two, Mellichae's a man driven...just not always by what he thinks 

[Karmack]

Mercy can be hard that way.  There has to be wisdom driving when and where to show it.  In this case...

Well.  I guess we'll see.  :-)

Overall I like this interlude!  This new Darth is ... scary.  Very scary.

[Karmack]

Sunlight

The sky was brilliant blue, the clouds sparse and puffy.  Green and brown trees were everywhere, hemming in the horizon.  Large ferns and other plants were also in evidence, cutting down local visibility as well.  You'd barely be able to tell there'd ever been a battle here at all...

Except for the Scar...

The burned-out wreck of the Imperial shield generator and attached support base was becoming overgrown now.  The forest labored mightily to hide and overcome the black wreckage and bare earth of the crater.  Still, it was early in the process and the open wound remained.  Karl bumped his cybernetic eye up to zoom, studying the ground carefully.  Something had caught his eye.  Some movement...

There...  He spotted it again, a tawny gold head virtually glowing in the sun.  Seems tall for an Ewok...

He nearly gasped in surprise when the figure turned, revealing a human face.

A female human face.

A gorgeous female human face.

"Well, aren't you the pretty one..." Karl muttered under his breath.  He zoomed in further, taking in every curve and feature.  Oh yes, definitely a beauty.  Dressed in black and red, with a cruel pout on her face, but still extremely attractive.

Karl dialed the magnification back and grinned.  Maybe this trip would yield something a bit more profitable than scrap metal and half-fried electronics after all....

************

Julwynn shuddered slightly as the feeling overcame her again.  I am being watched...   She stopped and scanned the area.  Nothing.  She intensified her song, pushed harder with the Force, and widened the area she was covering with the Siren.  Within minutes a half-dozen more of the damnable Ewoks stumbled out of the brush, eyes glazed over, answering the call.  A skittish Yuzzum joined them.  With a wave of her hand she put them to sleep, letting them roll down the hill to lay next to the Gorax and half-dozen other Ewoks the earlier Siren had called in.

There, you see?  Just more Ewoks.  Nothing to fear...  
Sunlight

The sky was brilliant blue, the clouds sparse and puffy.  Green and brown trees were everywhere, hemming in the horizon.  Large ferns and other plants were also in evidence, cutting down local visibility as well.  You'd barely be able to tell there'd ever been a battle here at all...

Except for the Scar...

The burned-out wreck of the Imperial shield generator and attached support base was becoming overgrown now.  The forest labored mightily to hide and overcome the black wreckage and bare earth of the crater.  Still, it was early in the process and the open wound remained.  Karl bumped his cybernetic eye up to zoom, studying the ground carefully.  Something had caught his eye.  Some movement...

There...  He spotted it again, a tawny gold head virtually glowing in the sun.  Seems tall for an Ewok...

He nearly gasped in surprise when the figure turned, revealing a human face.

A female human face.

A gorgeous female human face.

"Well, aren't you the pretty one..." Karl muttered under his breath.  He zoomed in further, taking in every curve and feature.  Oh yes, definitely a beauty.  Dressed in black and red, with a cruel pout on her face, but still extremely attractive.

Karl dialed the magnification back and grinned.  Maybe this trip would yield something a bit more profitable than scrap metal and half-fried electronics after all....

************

Julwynn shuddered slightly as the feeling overcame her again.  I am being watched...   She stopped and scanned the area.  Nothing.  She intensified her song, pushed harder with the Force, and widened the area she was covering with the Siren.  Within minutes a half-dozen more of the damnable Ewoks stumbled out of the brush, eyes glazed over, answering the call.  A skittish Yuzzum joined them.  With a wave of her hand she put them to sleep, letting them roll down the hill to lay next to the Gorax and half-dozen other Ewoks the earlier Siren had called in.

There, you see?  Just more Ewoks.  Nothing to fear...  

But the feeling remained.

************

Kohl moved carefully down the slope into the crater.  He wasn't sure why this woman was here, apparently alone, but something about her demeanor and carriage just read "dangerous" to him.  Perversely, it only made her more attractive - and valuable - to him.  The hard part would be capturing her alive and undamaged.  

With the good ones, that was always the trick.

Kohl was nearly in place when additional movement registered in the underbrush.  He'd been amazed to see Ewoks tromping down the slope earlier.  One had passed within feet of him.  He'd never even known the little guy was there, until he'd suddenly just stood up and started walking down the hill.  Where he'd ended up Kohl had not seen, but it had struck him as strange.

Another point in the golden-haired lass' favor...

Kohl hunkered down and waited.  He was a long-time hunter and patience was an old friend.  Better to remain undetected and let a prize - even one this ... interesting - escape than to be detected and perhaps damaged.  Waiting was never a problem, and had saved his skin more times than he could tell.

As it was, he didn't need to wait long.  Two more black-clad figures emerged from the greenery and approached the woman.  Something ... odd ... stirred within him.  She was a prize, a potential payday.  Nothing more.  Right.

Watch yourself, lass...

************

Julwynn rose slowly, flexing her hands.  The two Zabrak males - twins, if she was correct - pulsed with the drumbeat of Sith.  Drums suddenly so powerful that their beat flooded through her, overpowering her connection to the song.  With a gasp she sank to her knees, hands moving instinctively to her ears, trying to cover them, drown out the sound...  "What....   What are you?"

"Our Master Lord Mendax sends his greetings.  Your services are ... required."  The leader, on the right, growled.  "You will come with us.  Now."

With a snap and hiss a pair of red blades were ignited.  Julwynn reached out, trying to find her allies, her mates...  Nothing.  Everything was blanked out.  She tried to send the Siren, draw everyone back to herself...  Laughing.  They're laughing....

"Your ... songs ... will not help you, witch!  Lord Mendax has blinded us to their power.  And he gave us these."  He held up an odd-shaped, orange ball.  "Through this our Lord has focused his power and is dampening your powers.  You are helpless to stop us."  The grin turned cruel, lecherous.  "He demands you be returned to him alive.  How ... uncomfortable ... the trip is, however, is entirely up to you."

Julwynn felt a stab of fear.  Real fear.  Desperately she reached out with the force, attempting to draw her staff to her hand.  Nothing.  With a scream she reached again for the song, for Siren or Sleep or Obey.  Nothing.

Nothing....

The grins widened.  "So, witch.  What is your cho...URK!"

Julwynn gasped in shock and surprise as the Zabrak's head exploded.  A second heavy blaster bolt took the second Zabrak at the base of the neck, blowing his chest open and sending the severed head high into the air in a fountain of blood.  Desperately she scrabbled forward, reaching for the orb they had carried...

"Drop it, lass."

Her hand was almost touching it...  Julwynn cursed under her breath.  The heavy blaster rifle was only a couple of feet from her face.  The man behind it was ... impressive.  She wiped blood from her face and calmed herself, regarding her earst-while savior.  He was wearing Mandalorian armor, out of date, but still effective.  In place of the full helmet, however, he wore an odd head-band which provided him with sensor inputs and a strange monacle...

No.  It was a prosthesis.  The sensors fed it, but it was integrated into this eye socket.  Enhanced imaging, then.  I was being watched...  "Thank you, Mr...?"

*********************

Kohl suppressed a grin.  "Kohl.  Balnad Kohl.  I've been hunting these two for a while.  What's their interest in you?"  

It was a lie, but sometimes the oddest things shook loose with a little ... idle chatter.

"I have no idea...  Apparently they felt I'd be ... valuable." The blonde responded.  

Predictable, but smooth.  Kohl had to give her marks for keeping her cool.  "And what's this?"  He indicated the small, oddly-glowing sphere.

"I... have no idea."

Something in her hesitation triggered Kohl's survival instinct.  Almost without thought he dropped the muzzle of his blaster and fired.

Orange lightning erupted from the sphere as the blaster bolt tore it apart.  Kohl found himself tossed backwards into the brush, dazed.  Laughter rang in his ears.

Now what could she find do dingle funny in this?

*******************

Julwynn cackled with glee even as she catapulted through the air.  She reached out with the force and somersaulted, bringing herself down gently several meters away from Kohl.  "Now you're mine...."  Nothing fancy to start: She gathered the force and gave a push.  Start with a good solid punch....

Kohl rocked slightly as the force energy tugged at his gear, but the energy just passed right through him.  "C'mon Lass, lets be reasonable now...."

With a shreak Julwynn began hurling rocks and sticks and even dust at him.  His armor threw a breather mask over his nose and mouth and a clear shield slid out in front of his eyes, but Kohl otherwise ignored it.  He appeared ... stunned.  Enraptured.

It only made her more furious.

With a low, dangerous growl Julwynn reached for a song. Pain.  Panic.  Fear.  Terror.  One by one she threw them at Kohl, all while maintaining a whirlwind barrage of particles.  Other than an occasional dodge, the man didn't move.  He just kept looking at her.

Dark brown eyes.  Staring...  Looking...  Studying...  Appreciating...

Enraptured...

Nothing worked.  Julwynn was again feeling panic.  Nothing was working!  Nothing in the force, no song, nothing!

The pain came as a complete surprise, as did the roar.  Gorax...it woke up...  Julwynn went down, the gorax, awakened and infuriated by the songs she had hurled at Kohl, towering over her.  The gorax roarded, reared...  

A fury of red filled her vision

- BLACK -

**************

Kohl watched as the woman's eyes fluttered open.  "Welcome back, lass."

He watched as a first wave of panic flickered over her face.  The drugs were still heavy in her system, and it took time for her strange surroundings to register.  Next should be...  Wait for it...

Again his patience was rewarded as, after nearly thirty seconds, it registered that she wasn't just in a strange medical bay.  She was also, beneath a very soft and warm blanket, completely nude.

This time her eyes grew very wide.  She seemed to snarl and her hand came up, making a throwing motion...  And again, an odd tugging passed over him, but nothing else happened.  She must think she's a Jedi or something...  The thought made him chuckle.  "You might want to give it up, lass.  The force doesn't work on me.  Ever.  At all.  Don't know why, just know I've been this way since..."  Kohl broke off.  Memories of Kamino and the War were to painful to revisit.  

Especially those memories...

He saw her relax, a strange look on her face.  Again, he felt a strange brush, like a slight breeze passing over his skin as his shirt rippled.  The force, apparently.  But like before it did nothing to him.  Her look changed from panic to wonder.  He grinned down at her.  "You see lass?  Nothing.  So...   What are we to be calling you?"

Her eyes, pale and beautiful, darted to his.  There was still anger, defiance, fury, fear...  But now also something else.  Wonder.  Kindness.  Even ... respect?  "What has become of my Clansmen?"

"That brood?  Ach..."  He grinned wider.  "They're huntin' for ya.  We can go get them soon, those wounds just need a bit more bacta treatement before we let you up.  But its getting awkward calling you 'lass'.  You have my name.  What am I to be calling you?"

Kohl let his grin widen as she made her decision and spoke.  "Julwynn."

"Well, now.  Its nice to be meeting you, Julwynn."  He said, and offered her his hand.

With a sudden smile like the rising sun, Julwynn placed her delicate hand into the massive paw.  "So it is, Balnad.  So it is."

[TheDutchman]

So...the other Night Sister is a fugitive!  And Lord Mendax is actively looking for her.  I would NOT wan to be in her shoes (although, technically, after Kohl rescued her, she's not wearing shoes...or much else  ).  I really like that we got more of a glimpse from a Singer's perspective: the various Song elements.  Brilliant 

A man that is UNaffected by the Force?!  I LIKE this development!  Julwynn's Song will have no effect whatsoever... Perfect Karm.

Just wondering: where is Julwynn's chattel-brood?  Those Zabrak twins were too close at capturing her...

Great Interlude!  Can't wait for more!

[Karmack]

So...the other Night Sister is a fugitive!  And Lord Mendax is actively looking for her.  I would NOT wan to be in her shoes (although, technically, after Kohl rescued her, she's not wearing shoes...or much else  ).  I really like that we got more of a glimpse from a Singer's perspective: the various Song elements.  Brilliant 

A man that is UNaffected by the Force?!  I LIKE this development!  Julwynn's Song will have no effect whatsoever... Perfect Karm.

Just wondering: where is Julwynn's chattel-brood?  Those Zabrak twins were too close at capturing her...

Great Interlude!  Can't wait for more!

These questions ... might be answered soon.  ;-)

LOL  Seriously, because I MEANT to include it in the interlude and forgot along the way...  This happens in the past, before they abandon their lair on the planet.  The rest of her Warren-Clan were scattered out recovering crystals from the planet.  Specifically, some of them are the very crystals that were recovered from the lunar base hideout.

More coming.  Endor will be ...

:-)

[Lord_S_Gray]

Good to see a 'villain' character get more humanised, clearly a lot is going on and obviously not much love between former allies.
Also loved the idea of force drunk ewoks roaming about! Elicits some sympathy for Julwyyn, not only is her erstwhile ally(?) after her, but she's encountered someone all her powers are useless against, perhaps she's not the bad guy Karmack and co. think she is?

PS I think auto correct turned Kohl into Karl at the start of the chapter!

[Lord_S_Gray]

Path to Legacy - Interlude 2

The Warrior

Every Warrior Dies Alone

He contemplated that as he moved from cover to cover, splashing in the swampy mud dodging red blasts.

He slammed his side into a ferrocrete partition beside another member of his squad.  His armour was scuffed, dented and dirty.  He flipped his blaster over top and used his powers to guide his blind shots, he fired and felt the death follow.  The soldier beside him peeked over and wasn’t so lucky, he took a blaster bolt to the face and flopped down dead, sinking slowly into the mud.

Every warrior dies alone. 

Even that one right beside him…when you get hit by a blaster, or run through with a sword…doesn’t matter how big your squad is, no one else can take that hit, you can’t share the trauma…you’re alone on the battlefield, no one can take your death for you.

He pushed out and in a crouch run pushed forward firing to cover himself.  Grenades landed behind him, detonating to send churned dirt and broken plants into the air and onto his head.   

An enemy peeked out from behind a wall, he pivoted his rifle, still firing and clipped his arm before diving forward into the muck behind a wrecked rusting speeder.  It had been overturned and was slowly sinking, the prone form of the pilot was an arm’s length from him, the face a pallid white, death and the water draining the heat from it rapidly.  He had been a good pilot, they’d flown together before, but just that one shot, and he died alone.

He could sense the flow of the battle through the muddy waters…every one of them was alone, each fighting for their own survival…that was what it came down to… not the credits, not the cause…in the heat of battle you were fighting for next second of life and nothing else…and if you died, you died alone.

He peeked out to the side and put a round through a crouching enemy…he felt his squad slowly moving up behind him…there were no allies really, just enemies who for the moment weren’t shooting at you, or perhaps they were just moving pieces of terrain.

A click in his helmet comm, he turned and gestured two fingers to the left, there to the right, they signalled back and move as instructed.  Like a school of aquatic animals, they might move as one for protection of the group, but each was caught by a predator individually and died alone.

He leapt out from cover and unleashed a hail of covering fire to his left as his squad moved into position.  There were not many opponents lefts now. 

He charged forward again each boot sinking into the mud, it should’ve slowed him more but the power he could draw upon kept him balanced and quick. 

It was the dying moments now as he picked off another enemy between the bulbous eyes.  This was the most dangerous part, the defeated might let loose with random acts of deadly fury, or turn and run.

The troops on the right were in position, they were caught in overlapping fields of fire, a grenade sailed straight for him, he sent it straight back inverting its velocity with a thought.

The explosion rippled into front of him, dirt, blood and limbs dropped around its centre.

They broke, tried to flee, all except one who yelled in a guttural tongue, pinned by fire behind a makeshift barricade he kept firing off pistol shots.  The last enemy saw him coming and fired, but he dodged then leapt up over the barricade, slamming down hard into the mud, he was a tough one and had dodged well…driven by the desire to live his enemy was granted speed and strength in these last moments.

He recovered from his landing and grappled with the large enemy, he was a brute, but surprisingly quick for his size.  Blogs of watery mud splashed up as they threw heavy punches weighed down by the mud and gore caked on their armour.  He took a blow to the chest, one to the right shoulder, a headbutt and an elbow to the ribs.  He returned a palm to the face, two jabs to the sternum, and a knee to the gut.  His opponent was weary and threw a stretched mid punch, he pivoted and caught the arm in one had, with the other he pushed into the outstretched elbow and snapped it. 

His enemy crumpled. But didn’t surrender, he kept throwing desperate punches with his other arm, in return he cracked down on his spine, ripped off his helmet and pushed him into the mud. The gurgling and thrashing seemed to last an hour before he finally suffocated in the blood tinged swamp.  He was the last enemy there, the others had been killed or fled…he had fought well but died alone.
*******************************************************************************************************
He walked around the battlefield collecting the bodies as the transport ships ferried the liberated slaves away, some came and dropped to their knees in the mud to thank him - the nominal cause for the fighting…forgotten completely while the battle was actually being fought.

He finally came to the last enemy, his drowned form no longer made any ripples in the muddy water.  One day…he knew that would be him…on some planet, for some forgotten cause he too would die alone.