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Author Topic: Brothers  (Read 60680 times)
Karmack
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Knight Commander
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Light side points please.


« Reply #90 on: February 12, 2018, 03:20:17 PM »

Great beginning to book 2!  I love the Templars!  Having that "wish I'd thought of that" moment.  :-)

Hedditt sounds like he's been very off the grid...  Usually when someone turns up after that long in the dark they have a compelling reason.  And its never a good thing...
Looking forward to the next installments!
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Master Singer of the Mak'Tor

TheDrunkenConsular
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Force Alignment: 44
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« Reply #91 on: February 23, 2018, 09:42:25 AM »

It's that time!  I'm still stuck on my phone writing, so forgive my screw-ups, please.

CHAPTER 14

Friends, Foes, and Other Equally Dangerous Individuals

PART 1
     Heditt Cresentfall was looking much better as he stood before the gathering Templars.  He'd washed, and his hair had been trimmed to shoulder length.  His wild grey beard was replaced by a neat goatee.  The blue light behind his cybernetic eye flashed as he turned his attention to the last two Templars to arrive; Tasrii and Nadia.  He smiled wryly at them both as they took seats at the table.
     Rakham and Dala had recalled most of the Knights they'd only just dispatched to hear his story.  A human male, a Wookiee male, a Hapan female, a Duros male and two human females, none of whom were familiar to Heditt, sat around the table in various states of disarray.  In addition, Rakham, Dala, Anton, Nadia and Tasrii were there.  All in all, it looked to Heditt like a strong strike team.  Rakham addressed the crowd first, not bothering to stand.
     "Boys and girls, I'd like you to meet my brother, Heditt.  I'm sorry to have pulled you all off of the hunt, but this is serious, and I'd like you to hear what he has to say.  Afterwards, if you wish, you may return to the search, but I don't imagine any of you will.  Heditt, when you're ready."
      "Thank you, Rak." Heditt said, quickly gathering his thoughts.  "I've spent the last decade wandering.  I was a Jedi once, and I've been putting those skills to use throughout the galaxy.  Recently, I came across one of your group.  A Barabel named Sahka Tekk."  Heditt paused as a murmur ran through the group, and the human man spoke up.
     "Sahka has been dead for six months."
     "She may very well be dead now, but she didn't die when you think."  Heditt replied, and continued with his story.  "I met Sahka when I was... pursuing a dark sider.  She was hunting the same man, and we briefly worked together to defeat him.  She never told me that she belonged to your organization.  A few weeks after we parted ways, I was attacked.  Two Dark Jedi, both of them with a tattoo on their faces identical to one that the Dark Jedi I had killed with Sahka wore."  Heditt paused, drinking from a glass of water on the table in front of him, and continued. 
     "My initial guess was that they were all part of a small coven, and I seriously doubted that there were any more where these came from, but to be safe, I immediately attempted to contact Sahka and warn her of the potential danger.  I could not reach her.  Upon searching the corpses, I found this."  He reached into his pocket, and pulled a Templar pendant from it, holding it up for everyone to see.
     "Sahka's.  She had mentioned to me that her next stop was in the Rilv system, so that's where I went.  When I got there, I found her ship on one of the planets, and what looked like the signs of a fight.  Evidence had been placed to make it look as though wild animals had attacked at her ship, killed her, and dragged off most of the body.  It didn't feel right to me.  The tracks around the scene did not belong to animals strong enough to kill the Barabel I'd fought alongside, and I found a set of very faint humanoid bootprints much too small to belong to Sahka."
     "We didn't find any bootprints."  Tasrii spoke up.  "When Sahka went missing, I led the team that searched for her.  We found the crash site, and we found a leg and part of a tail that DNA confirmed belonged to Sahka."
     "I agree, it isn't much to go on, but I didn't like it.  So, I began searching.  It isn't hard to find Force adept communities if you know where to look.  I had to dig deep, very deep, just to find the name Jedi Templar and associate it with Sahka's pendant.  The rabbit hole went much, much deeper by the time I heard another name; Revenant.  The Revenant is a deeply powerful and almost impossibly reclusive group of dark siders, with a hidden base on an uncharted desert world deep in the Outer Rim.  I never would have found that out, but they sent another of their little kill squads after me.  I spared one of them that time, and managed to pry some information out of him.  He told me that they had indeed captured Sahka, and led me to their hidden planet.  That's where I've been for the last three months, spying on them and trying to find a way inside to get to  Sahka.  I was monitoring their communications, which was much easier than one would think, when I finally figured out what they wanted with Sahka."  He paused again.
    "The Revenant knows about you.  They've heard whispers of this place, and they want it for their own.  They're willing to kill and torture to find it, and when they get here, it's going to be a bloodbath."
 
     For half a moment, you could have heard a pin drop in the room, before suddenly, the Templars burst into argument.  Only Berra, the Miraluka, and the masters remained silent. 
     "Enough!" Dala finally shouted, putting the Force behind her words and raising her voice to a deafening level.  The room fell silent once more.
    "Thank you.  We must decide on a course of action, and we need to do it quickly.  First, believe that all members of the council are willing to vouch for Heditt's honesty.  Am I correct?"  She stopped, and waited for each of the other three masters to nod a confirmation.  "Alright.  Is the trust of the Council adequate for all of you?"  Again, she stopped, and none of the Templars showed any sign of dispute.
     "So, if this Revenant has one of our own, there's no question what we must do; we have to bring her back.  We only need to decide on a course of action that will accomplish that goal.  There are three options that I can see.  The first one is a direct attack on the compound Heditt saw.  This is risky.  We don't know how strong their defenses are.  The second is to attempt to negotiate with them.  I don't see it being very likely that this will work, if what Heditt says is true.  Option three is to send a stealth rescue party, but even if we had enough people who knew how to hide their presence in the Force, it's not likely that they'd be able to show Sahka how to do it and make it out."
     "If I may, Dala, Anton and I have experience with such things.  Heditt, you mentioned that it was easy to monitor their communications.  Why is that?  Would you say that their technology is weak?" Nadia spoke up.
     "Everything I saw was horribly outdated.  I didn't see a thing on that planet that was younger than I am." Heditt replied.
     "Was there any indication of long range scanners?"
    "None."
    "In that case, my recommendation is that the Masters approach the Revenant openly, and attempt to establish negotiations.  Meanwhile, the rest of the Order waits just out of orbit in a stealth capable ship filled with mercenaries.  If the negotiations go poorly, the ship will land and we'll storm the compound."
     "Any objections?"  Rakham asked.  There were none, but Tasrii raised her hand.
     "May I make a recommendation, Master?"  Rakham nodded.  "I've been working on a project, give me just a moment..." she dug around in a leather pack she'd carried in with her, and finally found a holoprojector.
     "I've been speaking with a black market armorer on Nar Shadaa, and we devised this.  Initially, I had planned on it being mine alone, but if we're going into something heavy, it might be a good idea for everyone to consider wearing it."  She flipped on the projector, and a shimmering, six foot tall figure with it's arms spread wide loomed over the table.  It was an armor blueprint.  The body pieces bore a passing resemblance to Mandalorian armor, but were heavily streamlined.  The helmet could also be compared to it's Mandalorian origin, but was less bulky to facilitate the user's cloak, and rather than a T-shaped visor, it bore two rectangular slits placed within an embossed cross over the face of the mask.
     "We based the design on my old Mandalorian armor, with some updates to make it more efficient.  There are no bulky hidden weapons, sensor equipment or storage compartments, making it lighter and more compact.  The armor itself is the strongest on the market, it'll take some effort to get through.  Finally, the design of the mask was changed to differentiate it from the Mandalorians'."
    "How long will it take to get a set of this made for everyone?"  Rakham asked.
    "A week, a week and a half maximum.  These guys work very, very fast for the kind of money we're talking about."
    "Do it.  Everyone, give Tasrii whatever information she needs.  Nadia, Anton, find us some mercenaries.  Berra, I want this place locked down tight.  Dala and I will look for a ship.  Everyone else, get ready.  We're moving out as soon as possible."
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TheDrunkenConsular
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« Reply #92 on: February 23, 2018, 09:43:08 AM »

PART 2

The entire Order was on Nar Shadaa two weeks later.  Fifty Mandalorian mercenaries were assembled in the Templar's hangar, along with the Templar Masters and four others of their Order.  They were all wearing the armor Tasrii had designed, and looking murderous in it.  The two human light siders, a man and woman who went by the names Nova and Stikes, had chosen gold on silver color schemes.  The other human, Teks, wore all black armor.  Rakham wore blue and yellow, painted the same as his old clone-pattern armor had been.  Dala also chose blue, but hers bore white accents.  Tasrii's was red and black, and the twins wore identical steel grey and red.  All of them also wore black or brown cloaks.  There were Jedi in the hangar who didn't wear armor, Ran Joks, the Duros man, who simply wouldn't fit in the humanoid armor, Heditt, who had declined the Masters' offer to join the Order, and Sam, the grizzled old Jedi who'd mysteriously come out of the woodwork shortly after they'd reached the moon.

     There were two ships in the hangar, a small stealth transport and a shuttle.  All of the mercenaries and most of the Jedi were boarding the transport, until only the four masters remained, and they went aboard the shuttle.
     "Where did you say you found those mercs again?"  Rakham asked Nadia as they stepped up the ramp.
     "They did some work for me a long, long time ago.  The man in charge now is the son of their leader from back then.  He was killed a while ago, apparently by a Zabrak pit slave.  I asked Tas not to take off her helmet in front of them, just in case."  She replied.
     "You know, I thought that armor of her's looked familiar."  Anton chuckled from ahead of them.

     Soon, they were off.  The trip was, thankfully, uneventful, as they cut through unexplored deep space.  The planet that Heditt's coordinates finally brought them to was almost surprisingly typical.  It was a small, dry, sandy world, with scanners picking up almost nothing other than very, very faint signals from the Revenant compound.  The transport stopped far from the planet as the shuttle carried on.
     "Is everyone ready?"  Dala asked as the shuttle came into orbit.  Everyone nodded, and she flipped a switch, opening a hailing channel to the compound.  If this didn't work, they would land and do it in person.
     A chime from the console indicated that a connection had been established, but there was no answer for several long minutes.  Finally, a shimmering blue image appeared above the console.
     "You are not welcome here."  The figure was human, and his head was covered by a hood.  Over his left eye, he had a tattooed pattern of interlocking circles.
     "Is that so?"  Nadia said maliciously, her thick accent working in her favor.  "We heard you were looking for us.  We also heard that you're holding, and may have murdered, one of our associates.  So tell us, which is it?"
     The image cut out for a long moment, before returning abruptly.
     "Forgive our surprise, madam.  We may have underestimated your order.  It won't happen again."  Again, the image went out, and the connection was lost.  An alarm began beeping, and Dala laughed.
     "They locked onto us with a rocket.  They'd need to hit us with forty of them just to dent the shields."
     "I thought they weren't going to underestimate us again?"  Nadia said mirthfully.  "Shall we call the others?"
     "May as well, if there's any chance Sahka's still kicking, we have to get in there."  Rakham replied, reaching the comms panel and giving the signal.  The transport shot forward like an arrow, cutting into the atmosphere of the planet before the masters' shuttle could even catch up. 

     The compound was huge, and built from black stone.  The architecture looked incredibly ancient.  A great ziggurat made up the main structure, with several smaller outlying buildings.  As the shuttle landed, Mandalorians were already swarming the smaller buildings, kicking in doors and using jet packs to take positions on top of them.  The Jedi were waiting on the shuttle to land.
     The masters were down the ramp as soon as it hit the dirt, lightsabers in hand.  Tasrii was carrying two; the one she'd constructed as an apprentice on Oros was in it's loop on her bandolier, and in her hand was a saber of a similar, but more sophisticated design.
    "Let's go."  Rakham said, holding his blue saber in his right hand and his green one in the left.  He activated both, and all of the other Templars followed suit, falling into a wedge formation.  The Mandalorians were wrapping up, and their leader jogged up to the Jedi line.
    "Sir!  There was no one in these buildings, but there's evidence that the place is lived in."
    "Thank you, have your men fall in behind us."
    "Yes, sir!"

     It was an impressive sight.  A wedge of cloaked Templars with sabers burning, followed by a legion of the finest Mandalorian warriors with two veteran Jedi bringing up the rear.  They marched up the steps of the ziggurat, intent on either recovering their lost comrade, or exacting justice for her loss.  At the top of the steps, there was a set of enormous wooden doors, at least twenty feet tall.  With a flick of Nadia's wrist, they were turned to kindling, the shattered splinters flying inward.

     Dozens and dozens of black cloaked figures kneeled in the great hall before them.   In front of them, the man from the holo stood, a red lightsaber activated in one hand, and his other hand was clamped around the neck of a very defeated looking Barabel.  Sahka was alive, but she appeared to be barely so.  A filthy bandage was wrapped around the stump of her right leg, and her tattered robes were covered in black bloodstains.  Her face looked as though she'd been beaten savagely, and she leaned awkwardly on a crutch, her hands bound before her by electrified shackles.  The Templar's anger at the state of their comrade flooded the Force, but when she made eye contact with Rakham, there was a savage glint there. 
     The cloaked man raised his saber to her neck and spoke.
     "If you stay here, we will kill this... beast, and then we'll kill the rest of you. You can leave right now, and you'll be allowed to survive, for now."  His voice was imperious and cocky.
    "Massterss,"  Sahka spoke, feigning a struggle to breathe.  "You musst..."  Her eyes flashed, and with a motion, she snapped the shackles apart and brought up her hand, grabbing her captors bicep and sinking her long claws into it, forcing his saber arm away from her neck.  She attempted to sink her teeth into his neck and tear out his throat, but she lost balance and instead found his shoulder.
     As they fell to the ground in a roaring heap, each of the kneeling figures behind them sprang to their feet, all of them activating lightsabers.  The Templars scattered, making room for the Mandalorians to open fire.  Their blasters were not optimally effective against the Revenant, but it's hard to deflect rockets with a lightsaber.

    As chaos erupted, Tasrii noticed that after the first row of opponents, none of them bore face tattoos, and many looked rather young, but that wasn't important for the moment, as she made a beeline for Sahka and the cloaked man.  Before she could get there, a savage Force push from the man flung the Barabel off of him, sending her flying across the room.  He body slammed into the wall, crutch gripped in her hand, and she slid to the floor, spitting out a chunk of flesh and fabric, hissing madly with Barabel laughter.  Tasrii changed course, instead sprinting to Sahka's side.
     "I don't ssuppoze you found thiss oness leg, Masster?"  She shouted, dragging herself to a standing position and holding the crutch up in the air, testing her balance.  "Thiss one thought sshe waz going to have to break hersself out of here, old friend!"
     "We looked for you, Sahka.  I looked for you.  They made it look like you were dead." 
     "Thiss one never doubted the Order, or you, Masster."  She said, and reached over, plucking Tasrii's second lightsaber off of her bandolier.  "We'll sspeak more later, Masster."  The arctic blue blade screamed to life, and the Barabel flew into action with astonishing agility, using her crutch as a weapon as much as the lightsaber.

     Rakham and Heditt were back-to-back in the carnage, fighting like wildcats.  Most of their adversaries seemed poorly trained, but they made up for it in sheer numbers, and it seemed like every time Rakham parried, another blade was humming towards him.  He gave control over to the Force, letting his sabers blur into a web of motion.  As Heditt found his groove behind him, they were soon standing in an empty ten-foot wide circle, six or seven bodies lying in it with them.

     The story was the same throughout.  Teks, Nadia and Anton poured lightning into their foes, and Nova and Stikes were juggernauts, tearing into the Revenant with brute Force.  Even the barbarically wounded Sahka was exacting revenge, and the Mandalorians, though taking losses, were making a dent. 

     The battle was going very, very well, when the Templars felt a dark presence swelling somewhere in the Ziggurat.  Suddenly, the Revenant seemed to gain renewed vigor, their attacks coming faster and stronger as the presence grew closer.  They began to organize, splitting into groups and attempting to isolate and overwhelm the Templars.  Their resolve began to flag.  There was a cry in the Force as a blade pierced Nova's breastplate, and another as Stikes beheaded the one who'd struck her.  A light strike bounced off of Teks' armor, and fingers of lightning flowed through her body.  Anton and Nadia were cornered, fighting as hard as they could, and Rakham, Heditt, Tasrii and Sahka had been herded into the middle of the room.  The Mandalorians had pulled back, gathering outside the door and reloading their ordinance as a firing line formed in the door, pouring suppressive fire inside.
 
     Still, the dark presence grew closer.  Rakham's group formed a circle, and the Revenant prowled around them, just out of reach.  He spoke into his communicator, addressing his gathered allies.

     "Pull out the stops now, or we aren't gonna make it out of her!"
     "Don't worry, sir, we've got a surprise for these bastards."  The Mandalorian captain replied.  "Buy us just another second, if you can."
     "You heard the man, give it everything!"

     They did.  Lightsabers became spinning cages of destruction around the Templars, and the Force flowed from their hands, punishing the Revenant.  Suddenly, with a thunderous sound, the Mandalorians revealed their wildcard; two tripod mounted turbolasers.  They turned Revenant fighters to paste, and came uncomfortably close to doing the same to Templars several times.  Then, as suddenly as it had began, it was over.
     All of the Templars were exhausted, but Nova was dying, quickly, and Stikes knelt over her.   Three Mandalorians rushed over to them, and after one of them quickly examined her, he nodded to the other two, who lifted her and took her outside where their combat medic could attempt to stabilize her.  Stikes made as though he wanted to follow, but as the dark presence loomed, he thought better of it and made toward the center of the room where his comrades gathered.  A Mandalorian seemed to be arguing gently with Sahka, tugging on her arm, until Dala ordered the Barabel to go with him and see the medic.
     As Sam approached the group, they realized that they hadn't seen him the whole fight, but the metal top piece of his staff had been removed and was now in his right hand.
     "Their leader tried to escape." He said as explanation.  "It's time for you to leave.  This is just one branch of a much larger organization, and they're going to be very, very angry when they find out what happened here.  I would consider recruiting."
     "We're not leaving you here to deal with our mess alone, Sam.  We'll face him with you."
     "You're not leaving me to deal with your problem, you're going to regroup so that later you can help me to deal with the Galaxy's problem, now get out of here, and leave me that shuttle!"

     Rakham knew better than to argue with the old man any further, and the Templars and their mercenary companions hurriedly boarded the transport.
     "I don't like this, Rak."  Nadia protested as the two of them walked up the ramp.
     "None of us do, but Sam knows what he's talking about.  He might be the greatest Jedi who ever lived, and I trust his judgment."

     As the transport lifted off the ground, a door flew open at the end of the body-strewn great hall. 
     "You sent my toys away, didn't you?"  The silky voice almost sounded like it came from within Sam's head. 
     Sam placed a thumb on his lightsabers chrome switch, and a purple blade flared to life.

...

     The entrance to the Archive was sealed, and Berra sat on the ground, her hood up, a cup of steaming tea in one hand, and the hilt of her saberstaff in the other.  Strung across the stone pad in front of her, six vivisected bodies with tattooed faces.

...

     Nova and Sahka were strapped to beds in the transports small infirmary before it even left the ground.  Sahka had fallen unconscious before reaching the ship, and her body was going into shock.  Nova was in no better shape, and the combat medic was joined by Rakham and Dala, all three working as hard as they could as Anton staggered into the infirmary.
     "I think this is worse than I thought it was, friends."  He gasped, and collapsed to the floor, his hand falling from his stomach to reveal a charred puncture in his armor.

CHAPTER END
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Who says red is only for the bad guys?

Illyiss
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« Reply #93 on: February 23, 2018, 10:26:14 AM »

An open abduction, clumsy assassination attempts, and poorly hidden bases, all of which seem to point, at first to an overconfident, under powered opponent, and yet...  The feeling screams, trap, deception, planned, sacrifices...  Too few it seems, the Templars need more, but will they have time?  How long has this new order been preparing, lurking in the strong dark places long forgotten in the self blinding light...

I love the tie ins, the way the chain of connections and causality feels more and more like a linear plan, and less like a coincidental web...  Bravo!
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Darth Pandæmis

Peace is a lie...

Jedi Council of Ohio

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TheDrunkenConsular
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« Reply #94 on: February 23, 2018, 10:32:35 AM »

An open abduction, clumsy assassination attempts, and poorly hidden bases, all of which seem to point, at first to an overconfident, under powered opponent, and yet...  The feeling screams, trap, deception, planned, sacrifices...  Too few it seems, the Templars need more, but will they have time?  How long has this new order been preparing, lurking in the strong dark places long forgotten in the self blinding light...

I love the tie ins, the way the chain of connections and causality feels more and more like a linear plan, and less like a coincidental web...  Bravo!

Whether or not we're dealing with a blundering group of wannabe Sith or a dark organization capable of tearing down everything our heroes and anti-heroes have built remains to be seen, but I can assure you, it's gonna be good!

And stay tuned, there'll be a War Journal entry sometime within the next hour or two!
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Illyiss
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WWW
« Reply #95 on: February 23, 2018, 10:49:33 AM »

I'll look forward to that after I get up.  I need sleep, finally.  Keep it up, doing great things over there.
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Darth Pandæmis

Peace is a lie...

Jedi Council of Ohio

Dominix LE V4 Tri-Cree FO, Sentinel LE V4 BR, Sentinel V4 BR, Dark Initiate LE V3 CG

TheDutchman
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« Reply #96 on: February 23, 2018, 01:04:05 PM »

Ah a seemingly easy (relatively) victory but looks are often deceiving... But this looks to be the precursor to a larger, more potent threat.  Great set up TDC!

One bit that I absolutely LOVE: armor!  I'm an armor but so anytime I come across some awesome sounding armor, I can't help but focus on that  Wink

Really enjoying the expansion of your world building TDC.  Can't wait for more!
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Karmack
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Light side points please.


« Reply #97 on: February 23, 2018, 03:34:10 PM »

Awesome entry!

Sam...   Purple lightsaber...   Hmm....   I've often wondered if Mace Windu didn't actually survive after all...  ;-)
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Lord_S_Gray
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« Reply #98 on: February 24, 2018, 12:23:18 AM »

Sounds like they only caught an outpost rather than the main base...stay sharp or else...
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Lord_S_Gray

Surik: "Kreia, what are you—are you a Jedi, a Sith?"
Kreia: "Does it matter? Of course it does, such titles allow you to break the galaxy into light and dark, categorize it. Perhaps I am neither, and I hold both as what they are, pieces of a whole."

TheDrunkenConsular
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« Reply #99 on: February 27, 2018, 10:26:00 AM »

This one took me forever to get to paper for some reason.  I hope it's up to standards!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Remembrance and Conflict

    "...all that matters is one more step, one more shot, one more action."  Berra's reader droid intoned it's deep, pleasant voice.
     "Thank you, R4.  What was the title of that one, again?"  The blind Templar asked, taking a sip of her tea.
     "Insights for a Broken Man, from the Collected Poems of Illyiss."  The droid replied.  "Would you like for me to continue with the next passage?"
     "Please do."
   As the droid continued, Berra enjoyed the cool morning air on her face.  She'd spent most of her time sitting here outside the sealed Archive since the Revenant had attacked the Archives, waiting for an attack that fortunately had yet to materialize.

     As she sat and listened to Reader-4's rendition of Illyiss' classic work, she ruefully pondered the fact that she could "see" into the stars with enough concentration, but couldn't read the words on the holopad.  She could sense the Masters' ship right now, having just come out of hyperspace when she sat down.  She watched as it burned through the atmosphere and drew ever closer.  After only a moment, she could hear the roar it made as it cut through their little moon's foggy skies, and she could feel that something had gone wrong; someone didn't make it back.

...

     The Funeral for Anton was, by tradition, brief.  Afterwards, the Masters discussed with Berra how to move forward.  She told them about the Revenant attack, and noted the advanced abilities of the attackers.  The immediate fear was that Sahka had broken under interrogation, and a guard was placed on the room where she slumbered, her body attempting to recover from it's injuries.  The Archive's defenses were unbreakable without tearing down the entire mountain when the entrance was sealed, so they weren't particularly concerned about another attack yet, and all they had to do now was recall the rest of the Order and wait for them to arrive.

...

     It took Dala a moment to recognize where she was.  It was their quarters on the Fugitive, which had been docked at the Archive.  She had her arms wrapped tightly around her husband, and an agonizing headache.  Her memory came back in flashes.

     They'd arrived, held Anton's funeral and plotted their next moves with Berra.  Afterwards, everyone who'd known him personally had, in Templar tradition, retreated to a lounge within the Archive and broken out Rakham's stash of liquor.  It had only been the four of them, Rakham, Dala, Tasrii and Nadia, until the Mandalorian commander wandered into the room by mistake.  She struggled to remember what had happened for a moment.
     "Deepest apologies folks, I didn't mean to intrude."  The merc had immediately understood what was going on, but Rakham stopped him.
     "Wait.  You lost comrades as well.  Join us."  He poured another glass of golden liquid for the Mandalorian, but asked a question before handing it to the Mandalorian.  "What's your name?"
     "Marz, sir."  The Mandalorian replied, removing his red helmet.  Under it, he was surprisingly fresh-faced, with olive complexion, twinkling brown eyes and neatly trimmed dark hair.  He accepted the glass.
    "Call me Rakham, Marz."  He said, and began his toast.  
     "For our brothers and sisters..."
...
     A different flash of memory, later.
     "No, no, no, there's no way you three've been around that long!" Marz exclaimed jovially, pounding a hand on the table for emphasis.
     "It's true!  We were already adults by the time the Empire took over.  There are a lot of little Force tricks hidden in these halls."  Nadia said with a laugh, taking a swig directly from a bottle of Merenzane Gold.  "All except for her.  She's younger."  She gestured towards Tasrii, who was quietly nursing a glass of Corellian whiskey.  The memory faded out.
...
     "I'll never forget it.  I've tried, and I've tried, and I've tried.  Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces.  On the ground in front of me looking up, nothing left in their eyes but raw, animalistic fear.  I killed all of them."  Tasrii slurred.  "I killed all of them.  I'm sick to godsdamned death of killing."
...
     A pocket sized holoprojector was in Marz' hands, displaying the face of a beautiful Mandalorian woman holding a baby.  "This is my Kata, and little Joli.  When I retire, we're gonna buy a plot of land on some quiet little world far away from all this, and raise him in peace.  I keep telling her, one more job.  Just one more job.  Maybe this time, I meant it."
...
     "Our father was hard on us as children, but my brother, my Anton, he took the most of it.  Shielded me from our father when he went into his rages, took the punishment so I wouldn't have to.  He was the only person in the world who I..."
..
    "The first time I met Anton, I thought he might actually kill me."  Rakham said, with a laugh, but his eyes were filled with tears.  "Kadmaur had told me the password for the cantina, so the guard let me right in, and this was before it was a busy place.  He's sitting at the bar, enjoying a drink, and..."

The flashes got briefer.  The party breaking up.  Rakham showing her... something in a dusty glass case deep within the Archive.  The two of them crying together in a hallway, locked together in a hug.  Then, sitting on top of the Fugitive, using the Force to clear an enormous gap in the fog so they could see the stars and talking about the old days.  Stumbling down the ship's hallways and falling into their old bed.  Clumsily making love.  Then, blackness as sleep took them both.

     "Masters?"  Berra's voice reverberated throughout the ship, her heavy boots clomping on the decks, both noises sending spears of pain through Dala's head.  She tried to shout, but a dry croak was all that escaped her mouth.  Suddenly, the door snapped open, and Berra stood there.
     "We're receiving a transmission from Sam.  He says wants to speak with Rakham."
     "Goddess, Berra!  We aren't clothed, you can't just invade our privacy like this!"
     "Master, I'm blind."

...

     The Masters, along with Tasrii and Berra, were assembled around the table.  Nadia appeared to be in even worse shape than Dala, leaning on her elbows and holding her head in her hands.  Tasrii lovingly rubbed her back, a concerned expression on her face.  She and Rakham looked as bright and rested as any other morning.
     "Did I catch you at a bad time?"  Sam's voice came from the holoprojector in the middle of the table.  Nadia groaned in response, and Rakham answered.
     "Not at all, Sam.  It's good to see you whole.  What happened?"
     "What happened is you kicked a hornet's nest.  This was a training facility for the Revenant.  Most of the  Dark Jedi you fought here were students.  I would say that it looks like you made a serious dent in their organizations recruitment, but I've been looking into their records, and it appears that only one out of every ten or eleven recruits survives training anyway.  I haven't been able to figure out how they track their targets, but it does say here that Sahka Tekk never told them anything.  What they did to her was brutal, it's incredible that she survived at all, much less resisted their interrogation."
     "Sahka is strong."  Tas said.
     "Are you planning to return the Archive, Sam?  I can transmit the coordinates."
     "Not yet, I still have work to do.  I'll transmit the information I've dug up here.  Good luck, and watch your backs.  I don't know what's next, but it won't be good."

     With that, the feed cut out.  
     "Berra, where are we on the returning Templars?  Has anyone checked in yet?
     "Well, since, in the infinite and unchecked wisdom of the Masters, they all got foolishly drunk and slept until 15:00 hours, almost everyone is here."  The Miraluka replied with playful snark.
     "Watch it, Tarun.  I seem to recall you coming perilously close to wandering off of the landing pad and falling to your death when we held Sahka's memorial."
     "Point taken, Master.  How is Sahka, Tasrii?"
     "She's doing surprisingly well.  Edda and Porin really helped her, she's awake now and ready to get out of bed.  Nova is going to be okay as well."
     "Sahka gets her wish.  Track down everyone, and have them assemble here.  Including my brother.  Berra, would you give the three of us the room for a moment?"  Rakham spoke up.
     "Could you turn down the lights on the way out?"  Nadia groaned.
     "And that's enough of that, I suppose.  Come here, both of you."  Rakham stood, and placing a hand on Nadia and Dala's shoulders, poured healing energy into them. "Alright, here's what I want to do..."

...

     Sixteen Templars plus Heditt had gathered.  Sahka was in a wheelchair but very much conscious, and Nova was already back on her feet.
     "As you all already know, my brother Heditt came to us with information about a rival order, who he suspected of abducting Sahka Tekk.  He, obviously, was correct, and we are eternally grateful to him for the information.  We launched a rescue operation, storming their compound with the help of a company of Mandalorian mercenaries and rescued Sahka.  In the process, Master Anton Stark lost his life."  Rakham paused for a moment as the Templars saluted, pressing their left fists to their chests and bowing their heads.  
     "Unfortunately, we underestimated the Revenant.  What we assumed to be their base of operations was merely a training outpost.  They have also managed to track down the Archive, and we don't know how.  We aren't sure what's coming next, but we imagine it isn't going to be easy.  Edda and Gra'porin have been preparing the Archive backup, and it will be ready to move within the next few days.  Unfortunately, we don't have any idea where to take it.  Our hope was that the temple exploration would lead us to a good place, but given the circumstances, that project is being put on hold.  As it stands, we have to gather more manpower, and we must prepare for the eventuality of a war against the Revenant.  That brings us to our next subject, which I'll let Dala handle."  He finished, and took a seat as Dala stood.
     "The council has discussed the matter, and we've decided that Berra Tarun is to take Anton's seat on the council, and she is given the rank of Master and position of Knight-Commander of the Templar Order.  It will be her responsibility to prepare the Order for battle, a task we believe she is well suited to."  Dala said, pausing as Rakham had as the Templars saluted again.  "Furthermore, we are inviting Heditt Crescentfall to join our Order.  He is an experienced and wise Jedi, and should he accept, he'll make a fine addition to our ranks."
     Heditt considered for a moment, before shaking his head.
     "I apologize, deeply, but I swore I'd never join another Jedi Order.  I would be honored if you'll allow me to stay by your side and fight with you, but I will not take your oath."
     "We understand.  We're happy to have you around anyway."  Dala replied.  They'd expected that response.  "The next  order of business is something we've historically avoided.  We need allies.  We need fresh blood.  We need to recruit.  We few cannot stand against the Revenant alone.  Nadia, if you will."
    "There are other Force-adept organizations in the galaxy, and many free agents.  I want to see a concerted effort to contact as many of them as possible.  About half of us will be seeing to that task, and the other half will be directly under the command of Master Berra.  Those of you chosen to work with the Knight-Commander will be the start of our defense force.  Tasrii, Sahka, Rawbacca, Nova, Stikes, Teks, and Faradi, you're with Berra.  I recommend acquainting yourselves with the Mandalorians, you'll be working closely with them.  I want all of our healers to assist Nova and Sahka, get them into fighting form as soon as possible.  Everyone else, start making contact with anyone you know who could be of use to the Order.  You've all heard the sales pitch, so go out and make it.  Have any interested party report back here, to me.  I'll be handling the new recruits.  You're all dismissed."

...

     Rakham stood in front of the glass case again, his hand hovering over the latch.  The artifacts inside it buzzed with a power, and he had a healthy respect for that sort of power.  Finally, he flipped the catch and let the glass swing open.  As his hands came to rest on the mask, visions flashed before his eyes, and he fell to his knees, gripping the mask tightly.  He saw images of war, on a dozen different planets at a dozen different times, and power surged into his hands.

     It's good that you know war, he thought as the visions faded.  because I have one more for you.

CHAPTER END
    


I have an offer for all you other writers.  If anybody has characters in the 4-8 ABY range and would like to see them throw their lot in with the Templars, shoot me a message and we can talk about a collaboration.  If nobody does, that's cool too!
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Karmack
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« Reply #100 on: February 27, 2018, 02:09:00 PM »

Whoa...   And the Order seeks allies, in a bid to avoid loss and extermination.  And this mask...  It sounds like the Tax Utat.  :-)

PM on the way...
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« Reply #101 on: February 27, 2018, 04:31:11 PM »

...Wow, I did NOT expect poor Anton to get killed.  That was an unexpected surprise (not to mention: good storytelling, creating even more pathos).  And the Revenant sound like a MAJOR power player in Palpy's Post-Empire galaxy.  And as powerful as the Templars are I can see why they'll want help...

I THINK I might know of an organization or two that would be interested Wink


On a more serious note: how about it, my friends and fellow authors?  I'm game  Grin  I mean, ANY excuse to be able to work with you fine gentlemen is reason enough for me  Cheesy
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« Reply #102 on: February 27, 2018, 10:41:33 PM »

As predicted, the Revenant, dark, brooding order of pain and death, proves to be much more expansive than first thought.  As well, the truth behind the reasons the raid went as well as it did come to light, and one has to wonder, "If those were mostly trainees and recruits..."  Then there is Sam, clearly not the kind heart companion of ring bearing friends, who seems to have more answers than he should, in addition to seeming far less worse for wear than he should have, facing down such a looming, powerful darkness.  Is he a part of the plot, or really just that good at what he does?  Recruiting, alliances, perhaps hind sight will show that this should have started earlier, though the question now looms, will there be enough time, enough help, or will darkness flow powerful in the ebb of the Empire's collapse...

Hrmmm... collaboration you say...  I might have a character or two that would be active around then...
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« Reply #103 on: February 27, 2018, 11:56:52 PM »

Sorrowful little scenes with a powerful and brooding finish...They better be careful who they recruit...lots of people have an interest in the kind of objects they collect...
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« Reply #104 on: March 05, 2018, 07:42:14 AM »

Great chapters. Like TD, I was not expecting Anton to die, but with a battle of that magnitude, even against relatively untrained people, there will be casualties. Another great use of the "Collected Poems of Illyiss".
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