Private A Reunion of Man and Wife

[Darth Morrow]

Unknown Region
On Route - Alteria
--

The transport drifted through space in the unknown region, its engines cut and the lights of interior dimmed in its offline state. Travel had consumed day after day of the small group of inhabitants, Aveline Pentagast, her daughter Cara and their guard Alexi. After all, they were running from the horrific acts that had occurred on Iridonia, acts that not even the public knew. What only made their state worse was that Aveline knew he would catch up, her thoughts crowded with that of the Emperor sending hunters in chase, it was her ship after all; Morrows ship.

When grounded on Hapes, she found assistance in disguising the modest transport gifted to her by her husband, though that felt like years ago, even if it was only months. Wearing paint detailed the side of the vehicle, the chipping edges giving way to the hiding insignia of red and black. On inspection the craft seemed to barely hold itself together, its repair from their first crash makeshift at best; enough to get them flying and to their destination but nothing more.

Though she sought to abandon all memory of that life her mind was haunted by a small desire, a horror at the small idea of parting with the craft her husband gifted her when she was still nothing but an apprentice. Though that was not who she was now, it was not who she wished to be. Eyes watched the space around them, her legs crossed up onto the pilots chair as she waited anxiously, sleep no longer even registering as a need.

"Kieran, if only you could see me now... How different our life could have been." A quiet word escaped, her tone melancholic as she once more pulled the tomb from Karliah into her lap. "I should have joined you long ago... But I'm sure you'd never accept who I've become. I'm trying to make it right..."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Unknown Regions
Aboard the Behemoth II

The Emperor of the Sith sat in meditation, his legs crossed over one another with both hands tightly gripping his knees in concentration. Around him were a total of twelve individuals, each one concealed by large and flowing teal robes, likewise in a deep meditative trance. The Dark Side of the Force flowed freely between them, a turbulent storm of emotions and insidious energy that manifested as infrequent discharges of electricity in the air around them. Suspended just above them was a piece of ancient technology enshrined in a sarcophagus of machinery, which served as the fulcrum by which they levied their combined energies as they peered through the intricate and labyrinthine webways of the Cosmic Force.​

​

Searching...​

​

Searching for someone who had eluded their grasp.​

​

They had picked up the trail near the Hapes Cluster and had followed it out into the Unknown Regions, and now they were again attempting to hone in on the faint signature through the Force. Beads of sweat had developed on the Emperor's brow, a rare moment of exertion from the otherwise stoic and seemingly inhuman Dark Lord. Then, without warning, his eyes shot open and he shouted a single command.​

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"Bring the ship out of hyperspace!"​

​

The Behemoth II reverted back to realspace above a verdant green world orbited by two moons. Several minutes passed before the Sith Emperor emerged onto the dreadnought's bridge, all signs of his former exertion now wiped clean from his visage. He stared out the viewport at the world for a moment before casting a glance to the deck officer at his side. ​

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"Begin scanning the system for ion signatures, and issue a broadcast to the planet to submit all of their women for inspection. Resistance will be met with destruction."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

The broadcast chipped over the radio of the quiet ship, the woman resting in the small transport sitting upright as the orders rang in her ears.

He was already here.

Engines ignited in an instant as the power flashed to life, interior lighting of the transport brightened and Aveline began making her haphazard checks of mechanical status. Within moments Alexi was up and though the door, sitting in the seat besides the frantic doctor. Power was transferred to the engines as hyperdrive began to engage, the ill repair of the ship beginning to spark at open seams.

"Alexi we need to leave now!"

Hyperdrive disengaging.

A hand pounded on the dash of the ship, the power flickering in the lights above. Standing to her feet Aveline walked back towards the open space near where the ramp would engage, sitting on the floor and closing her eyes. At her command her presence in the force began to shrivel to nothing to the untrained eye, even to those with considerable talent in the force would no longer be able to feel her connection. It was her last hope, the prying pain in the torso growing as the anxiety built in her chest.

"Steer us towards the planet slowly, we cannot raise suspicion."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Multiple probes had been launched from the dreadnought, soaring down into the planet's atmosphere like incandescent comets. Several platoons of soldiers had also been dispatched, the dark armor of the Blackblade Guard a most ominous sight among those living on the backwater. Each probe was programmed with highly advanced facial recognition technology and was outfitted with a myriad of other sensors that could detect other information such as sounds, air composition, and even an extendable syringe-arm to test blood samples.​

​

The natives did not acquiesce willingly, and that made them targets for the Emperor's thugs. Though vastly outnumbered, the Blackblades made up for it with superior armor and armament. The sight of the Emperor's warship just beyond the clouds was also exceptionally intimidating. Carnifex watched the proceedings from the bridge of his star destroyer, drumming his fingers along the arm of the throne he was perched upon. He was clearly losing his patience, a dark gleam in his eyes burning bright as he watched the dozens of broadcasted feeds from the army of probes now scouring the planet below. He almost swore he could've felt her before the feeling had suddenly vanished, and that frustrated him greatly.​

​

"Inform the populace that for every hour that I do not have in my possession what is mine I will destroy one of their cities until the entire planet is molten slag."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

The ship landed on the surface of Alteria, the chaos and suffering of its inhabitants almost palatable from even such a distance as the outskirts of their capital. The sound of screams echoed across the city as people dropped like flies when showing any sign of resistance, and this was all for her; she was causing this pain, this death and destruction. Glassy eyes glanced to the ground for a moment before passing back over to the crudely landed transport, Alexi and Cara stepping into the fading light of sunset. The look exchanged between the two woman told it all, they knew what was happening, and what would happen if this continued on.

"You know whatever happens I want her safe Alexi." A hand reached up to press against Aveline's torso, the rotting wound aching and causing her to lurch forward slightly on contact. "If I use the force he will find us, and if I don't... well, she needs to be protected."

Aveline turned to watch the city with a careful eye, the probes flying in the distance holding her attention for but a moment before walking towards the other two, kneeling down and hugging her daughter close. Sparing but a whisper in her ear she stood to place a hand on Alexi's shoulder.

"I'll find you in a few days, if I don't; move on with her, and I will find you eventually. Thank you, friend."

With that moment passed she walked towards the city, her signature flaring to life once more as she drew closer to the reigning havoc. These people didn't deserve to die for her.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"There you are." growled the Dark Lord of the Sith in triumph.​

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He leaped down from his throne, startling several of the adjutants who stood around it. Carnifex stalked towards the viewport and placed his right hand upon it, his blazing eyes staring down at the worthless planet below. After a moment he whirled around, "Prepare my shuttle for immediate departure, and deploy patrols to monitor the system!" The Emperor stalked away from the bridge before even waiting for an acknowledgment by his subordinates, his mind now bent to the one singular task that stood at the forefront of his thoughts.​

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Reclaiming what was his.​

​

It did not take long for the Emperor to reach his shuttle, and once he was inside it he impatiently prowled the cabin as it took off and made its way down towards the planet's surface. It would make an immediate beeline towards the source of the Force presence that the Emperor had sensed, guided by his own hand just as much as his pilots. It would come down in the middle of the street, knocking aside small structures and churning up the ground as it landed. The landing ramp descended down to the ground, and the Emperor himself emerged.​

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"Show yourself," He bellowed, "Do not make this difficult."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

The city was crumbling under the chaos of their unwanted visitors. Those who refused to cooperate were left as nothing more than a pile of wastes to be cleaned up by some other unfortunate soul. Once clean roads were reduced to rivers of scarlet blood. Beside the clearing of where the shuttle landed was a small building crumbled to the ground, a vehicle crashed into its side. As seconds passed the ruins began to lift in pieces and were cast aside towards the wilds, underneath a few surviving souls crept out.

Preforming this act was the woman the Emperor saught over, her hands held aloft and shaking under the tremendous weight she carried.

"Get out of here, now." The quiet order made way to the unfortunate beings, though foryunate enough to have their lives.

Letting the building crash down behind them she turned her focus to the screaming behemoth before her. Yellow eyes set on Kaine's as she watched calmly, taking deep breaths from the strain of the last few moments.

"I presume you're looking for me."

Looking upon her the woman seemed well built, though small. Aveline's stature barely over half of the giant in her path. She radiated calm and confidence though underneath the guise it all began to crumble.

Did he know it was her, or was he looking for Katherine.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Molten eyes glared out from under a darkened brow, the wind grasping at the titan's unbound hair as it swept down the wide boulevard. With a shrug of his shoulders, the Emperor cast aside the cloak that hung from his gargantuan frame down to the ground. Beneath it, he wore the typical garment associated with the Sith Order, dark zeyd-cloth fabric accented by more harder, yet flexible, pieces of leather. On his hip was one of his lightsabers, glinting villainously as it caught the light of distant fires.​

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"Perhaps I am," spoke the Emperor coyly, his nostrils flaring as he breathed in deeply of the air around them. "You smell like her, but there is something different..."​

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The lightsaber at the Emperor's side flung into his hand through the Force, the scarlet blade igniting as his thumb compressed the trigger activator. He held the blade wide and away from his body as if inviting her to make the first move against him.​

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"Such mysteries can be unraveled later, for now, let us see what you have to offer."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Taking one last deep breath the woman calmed herself, her neutral expression resting on the saber, then to Kaine. Altering her stance one foot shifted wide as the other remained in place its tip pointed towards her assailant; the building collapsed to the side shifted, crumbling and rolling behind her as the rock itself that held its structure broke down to small boulders.

The eyes staring at him looked at him as if he were a stranger, nothing more than a crazed man displaying anger, and power through size and intimidation. It was only when she took another calming breath that she closed her eyes to break contact from him, head tilting down slightly to take in the smell of smoke and soot.

"I will not attack you, no matter how much your rage boils and your hatred seethes." The pale yellow eyes opened once more to watch him, the contrast between them violently colliding to take superiority.

"I have nothing to offer you, of that I can assure you. It is just me here, and the poor people of this crumbling city. Cease your violence and leave this place."

The tension gripped her chest, the wound festering at her core cracking and blood dripping from its scabs staining her shirt; though she did not look away. There was a familiarity in the man she did not like, something prying at her mind, he was the one chasing her, but why had he come all this way; why was he full of such anger. The strain in her torso was quiet visible to Kaine, pain, weakness; it may have been masked in expression though the body always showed signs. An old wound untreated, infected, clinging to the clothing she wore.

"I will not tell you again." The footing shifted to a wide defensive stance, hands outstretched and at the ready. Rocks tumbled forward slightly though still behind her form. It might have been that moment the familiarity would catch in the man before her, pale skin, the same fighting stance, the talent of earth; yet the way she looked at him, he was completely unknown to her, even by his titles.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"We shall see."​

​

He spotted both the familiarity of her body language and the unfamiliarity in her eyes as she looked at him, the warring contradictions that comprised her person. For a time he said nothing more, holding his stance as the sounds of distant conflict gradually filled the growing silence between them. Above, the formidable sight of the Emperor's warship could be seen moving into position somewhere in high orbit, its blackened sihoulette poking through the white clouds. Seemingly unbidden, a single beam of emerald energy erupted from the prow of the mighty warship, streaking down towards a destination somewhere in the far horizon behind her.​

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That was when the Emperor struck.​

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The ground beneath his feet buckled as he launched himself forward, the power of the Force lending speed to his gargantuan form as he was propelled. His weapon lashed out like a viper's kiss, aimed at the woman's limbs in an effort to debilitate and maim; not kill.​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Bolders launched forward to block his path in several layers, stone lifted up to ground her in place as she reached forward in an attempt to halt his progress with the force.

Feet ground against the concrete as she was pushed back with the repulsion between them.

"What do you want, why are you doing this?" The voice screamed out as Aveline held the tension, pain creeping though her as her body strained to conduit the force.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Emperor did not answer her, his face was set into a stoic facade of concentration.​

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His blade lashed out, slicing apart the boulders as they neared him and sending the pieces flying away with the Force. Some of them careened into the nearby buildings, causing enough damage to collapse them entirely.​

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Boot firmly planted on the ground, the Dark Lord swung his fist out in a wide arc intent on catching the smaller woman directly in her center of mass. The power behind the punch contained enough strength to send her flying away if connected and had the potential to break many of her ribs. ​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

The stone holding her legs in place shifted back quickly, aiding as a means of staying put though altering her position if need be while keeping her upright. As she fist swung by she watched the frustration on the mans face, dark eyes set in a cold expression as he chased after her. Blood stained the stomach of her shirt as her injuries continued to creep open. Glancing away for but a moment she watched one of the buildings begin to collapse, earth raising to meet it in attempt to hold up the structure with enough stability for those inside to escape.

People ran for their lives as the fighting had begun, the distant explosions of destruction causing equally as much chaos as the two force users. When she returned attention to the fight, it could only be presumed the gap between them had been closed once more in inhumane speed.

Should the woman have time, a barrier would weave its way around her. Not that it would be strong enough to hold him for long either, the withering focus of Aveline straining to hold onto control of her calm demeanor and defensive stance.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The distance between them grew, her powers clashing against his in a brilliant display of light and sound. He could have continued his assault, ground her into dust like he had so many others, but the Emperor's curiosity had been satisfied.​

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His weapon listed down to his side as he straightened up, "I have seen what I have needed to see." The lightsaber deactivated and he returned it to its resting place at his side, the only fiery illumination now coming from the conflagration which consumed the city around them.​

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"What do you call yourself," inquired the Emperor, "And do you know who I am?"​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Aveline watched with careful infent as he placed away the saber, her own body still waiting cautiously at the ready should Carnifex make any other move.

Visions unfamiliar clouded her mind, of the future? No they couldn't have been. They weren't even of her. They couldn't have been the past either. The gaze clouded her for but a moment before she was one more staring into the cold eyes of the killer before her.

The man so intent on ending her life changing mind in half of a milisecond. All of these thoughts coursed through her head in about as much time as he took to alter stance, the daze visible before snapping back to reality.

"Aveline." When she came around she answered his question. Only with pause did she answer the other "A Sith, clearly, which one? There is too many to count."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."​

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The Ruler of All Sith, the Supreme Autocrat of Autocrats, and the Harbinger of Death and Destruction. A man who had spread so much violence throughout the galaxy had appeared before her, flaunting the power of the Dark Side on a benign backwater world in search of something that once belonged to him. "And I am searching for a woman who went by the name of Valeska Daeranthe, she is someone I consider very near and... dear to my heart. I would prefer to see her returned to my company, and you..."​

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Again the Dark Lord sniffed the air, taking one step closer to Aveline. "Smell like her."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

The woman took one step back as he took another towards her, eyes set on him as he observed her. A twinkle of recognition flickered at the name, yet it disappeared quickly into nothing but the same stare she had given him.

Visions flashed though her mind, a pounding pain crashing through the back of her skull as she blinked a few times while trying to retain focus, she wouldn't acknowledge them this time, they didn't matter; not now. Pale yellow eyes stared at the gold resting on her with viscous intent.

"Near and dear to your heart, you're a Sith. I wouldn't believe you had one."

Aveline stared through him as the pain continued to build, chest tightening and shoulders squaring in an attempt to hide her internal struggle, perhaps Alexi was right, she should have been more careful, and stayed hidden somewhere and stopped running.

"If she was so near and dear to you, why do you have to search for her, why isn't she by your side now."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Oh, but she will be soon enough."​

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Dark energy crackled around the Sith Emperor, strands of scarlet lightning bouncing off of his skin and armor before terminating in the open air. He reached out with one hand, lightning dancing across his fingertips as if he were to unleash his fearsome power against her once more. But, before the blow could even be levied against Aveline, the Emperor's form shimmered and disappeared entirely. The vacuum of where he once stood was quickly filled in by the surrounding air, giving out a deep reverberating woosh as it happened.​

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Then, the Sith Emperor suddenly appeared behind Aveline as quickly as he had disappeared; hand still outstretched. That hand now moved to wrap around the back of Aveline's neck, squeezing and lifting her up into the air. Electricity coursed through his arm and out from his hand, seeking to run rampant through Aveline's body like an open conduit.​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Pain reached through her, every nerve alight like a fire ripping through her veins. Aveline's back arched as he held her aloft like nothing but a ragdoll in his grasp.

This was it, she was going to die. At least thats all she could think.

Aveline's wounds felt like they tore open a chasm right though her form, the deep hole in her chest burning with every secind the torture continued. Only, she had one last effort to make.

A rock pillar jutted out of the ground aimed at the Emperors stomach as he held her high, the amount of force sound as if the earthen soil split in two under his feet. She was not going down without a fight.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Emperor let out a surprised grunt as the air was forced from his lungs, the pillar of stone firmly rammed into his midsection.​

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Fortunately, the armor he wore protected him from suffering any significant injury.​

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In retaliation, the Dark Lord increased the power of the electricity flowing from his body into Aveline's. His aim was to overload the woman's pain receptors enough to force her into unconsciousness, so he could capture her and take her back with him to the Empire.​

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Darth Morrow ​