Enemy of our Enemy

[Rosa Gunn]

@[member="Tirdarius"] @[member="Mikhail Shorn"] @[member="Selena Halcyon"] @Seroth Ur-Rahn

Lehon.​

Once the home world of the greatest empire the galaxy had ever seen. Vast oceans crash against the shores of islands clustered together as if there is some strength to be had against the power of the ocean in greater numbers. Here remains the only signs of what once was, but even so it is nothing but a shadow. A great graveyard.

Nature and the force will always win against technology, and nowhere shows this better than here. Here, where great trees have forced their way through duracrete pathways and thick powerful vines have long ago reduced impressive skyscrapers to rubble. It was impossible to tell where the jungle ended and the city began.

Rosa brought her transport low over the jungle, its belly brushing the treetops as she searched for a clearing, to her dismay there was none but the beach itself, a good hours hike for the city centre through rancor infested jungles, and that was only what they knew about. Unwilling to give up she encircled the city once more before bringing the transport down on the beach and began to shut the ships engines down. If that wasn’t enough to alert Selena and Seroth of their arrival then nothing would.

Moving to the communicator she sent out an encrypted message to for the sith to pick up, detailing her coordinates. Rising from the pilot seat she moved to the communal area of the small transport, and offered a warm smile to her new padawan and their companion for the mission. “I figure we’ve got about 10 minutes before our assistance joins us. Make sure you have everything.” As she spoke she moved to her own pack checking its contents before slinging it on her back. And closing her eyes for a moment and taking several deep breaths to bring herself to a steady and calm centre.

Despite her confidence that this was the right thing to do, it felt strange not having Darron’s comforting presence nearby, especially when they were about to team up with their enemies. A sonic boom alerted her of the entrance of another ship into the atmosphere and Rosa moved, with confidence to the boarding ramp and lowered it, somewhat apprehensive about who was joining them.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

As their ship sailed through the atmosphere of a world long lost to civilisation, Tirdarius stared dispassionately out the viewports to the front of the cockpit, gazing at this planet that had nearly all but been forgotten by most, a planet of considerable history consigned to a small handful of ancient texts as little more than a footnote, this world that had once been the centre of an Empire. He considered that suitably ironic - a reflection of the state of a Galaxy all but preparing to unravel in the face of an unsought conflict between man and machine. Perhaps their Empire ended in a similar manner.

Sensors having concluded something similar to that of the Jedi, the Sith Lord set his vessel down upon the firm sands of a beach set on what passed for the main continent on this waste of a planet, far enough up the seafront so as to protect the ship from the damaging effects of salt water, but sufficiently away from the treeline that the jungle might not provide any unexpected surprises. As if there were any other kind, he thought with a soft sigh. Spending a moment or two shutting down the ship, deactivating the engines and cutting off the repulsorlifts, locking out the main computer with a Sith encryption key, then lowered the vessel's boarding ramp remotely. Now to join those that see us as enemy.

The very idea of any sort of alliance with the Jedi would no doubt have disgusted many among the Sith, but they had long possessed a level of naivete with regards to their adversaries: the sense that mere allegiance was all that was required for battle to be joined between the two. The notion of finding a use for the Jedi probably doesn't cross more than one mind in a thousand, he thought with a sigh. The human turned to his sole Sith companion on this trip, a young man who ultimately differed in ideology to Tirdarius as much as either of them contrasting with the Jedi.

"Do not provoke the Jedi unless they first seek to harm you," the Sith Lord projected telepathically, narrowing his deep grey eyes at his companion. Although Mikhail likely wouldn't just strike out because he could, Tirdarius felt it appropriate to remind him of the fragility of their alliance, and the consequences of being the first to break it. This is an opportunity we dare not waste, not with enemies knocking at our door. The risk might be immense in that respect. "If it comes to that, allow them to make the first move. We have a job to do here that transcends any minor quarrel you have with them," he observed via a simple conveyed thought.

Striding away from the cockpit with a rustle of his dark robes, the Sith Lord headed for the boarding ramp and descended from the belly of the Sith with a firm tread, his dark grey eyes looking around the landing site dispassionately. Not something easy to maintain here - this place reeks of the Dark Side. The very air was filled with it, a spine-chilling sense of malice, torment, agony, whispers of ancient atrocity and horror, undefineable but there nonetheless. To be here was to be tested, he sensed. Perhaps even moreso for the Jedi than for us: they have never sought to embrace the passions that this world may yet provoke. That was another thing that the Sith would have to watch for.

His boots crushed softly against packed sand as he stepped onto the beach, feeling the heat of the local sun against the skin of his face and neck, the bright daylight dazzling eyes more accustomed to darkness than to light, forcing the Sith to raise the hood of his long outer robe to provide some shadow. Wonderful choice of a vacation spot, he thought dryly. So this is the centre of a great empire long brought low. I can see why, he reflected.

"Shall we dispense with the preliminary threats, reminders of the consequences of betrayal and the usual fiery rhetoric reminding each other that our ideals stand opposed?", he projected telepathically towards the Jedi, the 'voice' no doubt sounding different to his usual tones, since he could only convey it the way he heard it, and he was well aware that such a thing wasn't the same as others might hear it. "We come at your summons, Jedi," he observed silently, his lips not moving. "Consider us at your service," the Sith Lord noted via a thought, offering the gathered Jedi on the beach an ironic bow.

 

[Selena Halcyon]

Selena viewed this entire mission as a waste of effort. Planets fell and they were off going to Lehon to look for information she doubted existed. Nothing really pointed towards the Rakatans being behind the threat known as Omni. This rebellion seemed certainly the cause of something more recent, with its roots around the 400 years of darkness. Regardless, the council saw it as a wise thing to send a group out to look into it. The thing that troubled her the most was the fact that it was a joint effort with the Sith. She viewed it as nothing more than a folly. Yes, ending hostilities to deal with this tragedy was prudent, but actually cooperating with them? It was pure madness. She tried to dodge the mission, get out of it by any means. Selena had no desire to work alongside a Sith ever, yet there was nothing she could do to get out of it. The trip over had been spent in complete meditation to get her mind completely focused and at peace. Every fiber of her body wanted justice and to see the Sith pay for their crimes. The Council forbid it in this instance though, and it killed her on the inside. How could she stand with murderers and consider herself a protector.

The planet that they landed on was clearly out of balance. It was kind of saddening to think about what kind of people had lived her to make it just so unbalanced. To bring it to the point where it actually felt of the darkside. Some thought this limited a Jedi, but in reality it did not. It could cause potential problems of focus. However, when was at peace, balanced, or even fully wrapped in the light it could not truly limit. This is what she reminded herself of as she walked down the ramp to the shore. The dark garb of the Sith stood in stark contrast to the very white robes she wore.

The Knight cared not for the pleasantries of the Sith. They were hollow and dry. She did not need to hear them, because she knew they were lies. Sith lived in deception and farce. Even if there was a shred of truth, which she might even acknowledge, it was as a part of a front for the deeper deceptions. So she ignored the words and turned her eyes to the forest before them. She remained ever so mindful of the Sith though. She was ready to turn on a moments notice with her silver lightsaber to end them as they deserved. She just wanted to move so the mission could end.

 

[Seydon of Arda]

The air was thick with pungent odours that slowly reeked down the sand hills until it met with the sea air of the shore. Seroth, bound in his customary tunic and work-pants, hands bound in leather-hide gloves with a uni-belt clasped firmly across the hard flatness of his belly, shielded his eyes from the blue-sky glare of the local system star. Local time placed the planetary rotation as having peaked just past morning and into the first hour of noon. With little else to draw his attention during the voyage from Tython in the Deep Core to ancient Lehon snug deep in the Tempered Wastes, the youth had filled his hours with physical drilling, bouts of study and always a few long moments of meditation before rest. Master Mazhar warned him against over-work at his age, but the boy felt certain in his rather stern regiment. He'd watched Coruscant, Queen of the Core, fall to desolation as the faceless Omni gutted its belly and began its inexorable storm of the surrounding Inner Rim. His occassional exhaustion-dreams were filled with eyeless, burnt husks screaming with yawning jaws at a burning sky; and the constant march of steel and poly-plastic feet that smashed their ashen bones and scattered their corpses off into the bottomless speeder canyons.

The preperatory work amidst the quiet voyage hours were his best way of quieting his nerves. He'd been grateful for Master Mazhar's graciousness in tugging this untested lad along. The Jedi and the Republic as a whole was dangerously thinned across the line of Machine invasion. Sparing any battle-hardened warriors amongst their more martial ranks was a luxury Grandmaster Wraith could ill afford. The Padawan felt a brief tug of worry; the loss of Master Teferi at Junction had been a hard blow, at a time when his wizened centuries of pragmatic wisdom were in such demand. Little could be said for it now. Omni was on the war path, worlds were burning and millions dying in slaughtered droves. The Padawan would make stock of things when the Machines were smelted and this grand AI deleted.

A responsive flex in his demeanor showed as he, Master Mazhar and Master Halcyon observed their beach-head grow crouded as a second vessel fell from the heavens. Seroth regarded it like a dark comet, some black spear of smoothed plating and rippling weaponry, surrounded by a rippling air of raised shields. The downwash of the vessels landing thrusters stung his eyes with acrid heat and a cloy smell of oil. Master Mazhar had warned him to watch his emotional state and be so very wary of whatever impression their 'allies' were about to make. Eventually, at their leisure, Seroth observed a pair of jet forms gilded in black lines disembark from their spaceship and cruise up the dried sandbar to stand before them. The man taking up the lead, with a stern demeanor and eyes faceted with cool tints of flinty grey, 'spoke.'

"Shall we dispense with the preliminary threats, reminders of the consequences of betrayal and the usual fiery rhetoric reminding each other that our ideals stand opposed?" The controlled timbre echoed inside his skull. The Padawan watched the venerable Lord flourish a curt bow. We come at your summons, Jedi,"

Seroth looked from the elder 'gentleman', to his off-setting companion with a far sharper face etched in aggressive lines and hard, blue eyes. Perhaps it was just his inexperience speaking to his instincts, but he wondered if he was alone in feeling that tingle of palpable violence roiling up like tension-wire between them. Certainly Master Halcyon held no patience for their ancestral foes, but Master Mazhar was holding her composure perfectly. Seroth held his tongue, and a portion of his breath, palms feeling itchy.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa could not help but smile at Tirdarius words. Her eyes flicked to Selena, whose intense dislike of the sith was clearly evident, she reach out to her in the force. I know you don't like it, but we have to cooperate with them. She looked away from her, studying Tirdarius and the Mikhail. "You were not summoned, we requested your assistance, there is a distinct difference." she replied calmly clasping her hands behind her back.

She was aware of her padawans itchy hands and reached out in the force to calm him. "This is Knight Selena Halcyon." she said gesturing to the Jedi staring into the jungle, doing her utmost to avoid this as much as possible "And this is Padawan Seroth Ur-Rahn," she said before gesturing at Mikhail and Tirdarius in turn "This is Mikhail, a sith Knight if I'm correct and Master Tirdarius. We are here to work together, Omni threatens us all and I strongly believe the ratakan's may have something we could use against it. We here to gather intelligence, not make each others lives difficult." Her voice was calm but commanding. There was no threat of the consequences if they did not work together, they all knew the cost.

That, she said directing the telepathic message to Tirdarius is how you're supposed to start a conversation when there is animosity. Stay out of my padawans head and keep Mikhail in check. If there is anything that will make this difficult it will be his tongue.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

The subtleties of the telepathic contact between the Jedi wasn't lost on Tirdarius, but he had always been adept at sensing those tendrils of thought that existed between Force Users when establishing communication in that way - in truth, it was the only way he had been able to survive his Master's rigorous training, given as she was to never speaking aloud in the presence of others of her kind. His grey eyes flicked between Rosa and her other female companion, unable to discern what passed between them, only knowing that it had. With any other Jedi, I might have assumed an order to attack, but she's had that opportunity before and did not take it. He would take that as a fair indication of her behaviour.

His lips twitched slightly as though he were restraining a smile, both amused and a little surprised by her telepathic contact - and not simply the fact that she could use such an ability. I wonder if she, too, suffered from the headaches?, he wondered silently, remembering very well those nights when the pounding of his temples had felt as though his skull might explode from the pressure of it. Still, she's remarkably candid, he noticed. Gave away much and asked for nothing in return. He would never have imagined that he might even have the reluctant trust of one his Order called an enemy.

It seemed that the woman had seen elevation to the middle rank among the Jedi, and now taking on a student of her own. How quickly they push responsibility upon those they deem ready for it, he mused. Interesting that she had seen promotion after the Sith's infiltration upon their Coruscant Temple. Perhaps more interesting was the student she had chosen to learn from her. Seems he at least understands the value of silence, unless this is timidity. Tirdarius didn't think so, though. He's not afraid of us, merely wary. Perhaps the Padawan had already learned the caution his Master had herself demonstrated in their previous meeting.

"Making each other's lives difficult is something we can probably achieve even while working together," Tirdarius observed with a wryly-amused smile, taking a few steps towards the Jedi, bridging some of the gap between them. "No doubt Master Halcyon anticipates as much - I imagine you were opposed to involving us in this?", he asked, addressing himself to the woman he had not met before, watching her calmly with those dispassionate grey eyes. "You need not concern yourself," he reassured her, wondering why he bothered even as he did so. She won't trust us regardless. "I don't make a habit of making people's lives a misery over some philosophical differences," Tirdarius noted, waving a hand in an impatient gesture.

Of course, it was more than a mere philosophical difference that divided them - anyone with eyes would be able to see that, but Tirdarius had always believed in the bigger picture, and Rosa had been succinct enough to see the issue: none of their political or philosophical ideals would mean a bent deci-cred to either side if the threat of the machines was not swiftly neutralised. You'd think the Yuuzhan Vong would find this all truly hilarious, he mused with a smile.

As for keeping Mikhail in check...the Jedi obviously didn't understand what she was asking. Among the Sith, keeping our brethren in line means crushing all the resistance out of them, or killing them, if they prove difficult. Tirdarius wasn't the type to waste time and resources in such a display of violence, but nor did he imagine that the Jedi would allow it even if Mikhail stepped out of line. Keep him in check? I'll hold him down, you open his throat with your lightsaber, he thought wryly. Beyond that, the boy would simply do as he wanted - and the Jedi would have little choice but to tolerate it, unless they were willing to deal with the issue themselves.

"I trust you know how to guard yourselves against the Dark Side," the Sith Lord continued conversationally, pushing his previous thoughts aside to focus on the practicalities. "This world is heavily under it's influence, and will no doubt assail you in all manner of subtle ways." Even Sith weren't immune from that: the constant psychological barrage of uncontrolled emotion threatening always to spill over the barriers imposed by a disciplined mind... "Should you feel your calm faltering, your composure wavering, I advise you to find an outlet for what you feel," Tirdarius added. "Leave it pent up, and you'll not walk away uncorrupted when your resistance finally crumbles," he finished, his eyes moving over to watch the young male apprentice that Rosa had introduced as Seroth. He will be the most vulnerable here. That bears watching.

It wouldn't be the ancient Rakata nor their tricks, traps and follies that would be the real danger on this planet.

 

[Lord Ghoul]

Mikhail snorted at Tirdarius' words. The effects of actually following his advice would result in falling to the dark side quite quickly. Venting emotions was Sith. Jedi didn't find outlets. They let their emotions disperse in the "peace of the Force." He doubted the Jedi would have a problem, unless they actually chose to follow Tirdarius' advice. Not that Mikhail wouldn't be helping to corrupt them. It was too much fun not to.

Unlike possibly any other Sith, Mikhail was not irate at the concept of cooperating with Jedi. In fact, it would be a nice change. Mikhail hated Sith. Tirdarius was a strange one, but he still had no understanding of what motivated Mikhail. He assumed and acted upon assumptions wrongly. Typical Sith. But then, typical of many Force users. Arrogant. Yes, even Mikhail was arrogant. And proud of it. However, the difference was that Sith's actions usually ended with somebody dying. They weren't bound by a code. Tirdarius was, but it was self-imposed and not one that Mikhail trusted to be... unflexible. People's beliefs tended to change when their lives became endangered.

Yes, Mikhail was quite alright working with Jedi. They were honorable, upstanding, gentlebeings. And Mikhail could screw with them to his heart's content. As long as he didn't outright attack them, they would have to restrain themselves. That was the beauty of being a Dark Sider amidst Jedi. Get them to attack you, and you'd already won. Shorn could be as spiteful as he wanted to be, without checking for a dagger in his back. Wonderful.

Mikhail didn't give a damn about the usual "We can't work with them because they're Jedi!" mantra. It was whiny and pathetic. Shorn didn't toe party lines. He did whatever the hell he wanted to do, the Order be damned. The squabbling about working with each other basically because their lightsabers were a different color ticked Mikhail off. He wanted to snap some necks. Sith necks. The Jedi had nothing to fear. They were too much fun to kill. Yet.

"Hello, Rosa. Nice for an official introduction. Didn't I almost kill you once?" Mikhail's pale blues glanced casually across the three Jedi with a slightly bored expression. He smiled dangerously and nodded acknowledgement toward the other two, "Peasants."

"Woah, can someone say tension? I think I hear our time-before-we-kill-each-other clock counting down. Let's go do some actual intelligence gathering before it hits big, bad zero."

 

[Valik]

Valik was jettisoned out of an escape pod and on to the planet of Lehon. As Valik has previously been a prisoner of the Jedi he was not given his own vessel, and his interrogation lasted just long enough for him to miss out on the Jedi ride over. A benefit in his mind as he didn't have to listen to their insolent prattle about the powers of peace, serenity, calmness, and the rest of their self-deprecating code. As Valik was coming into the atmosphere he picked up an encrypted signal. He figured there was probably nobody on Lehon except for his targets and his team, and he nanites wouldn't have needed to give out a signal this strong to each other, so by process of elimination this was the code he needed to find. After Valik landed he began launching a decryption algorithm and then began systematically testing his lightsaber, his Imp blaster, the rest of his equipment, as well as searched the pod for any supplies the Republic might have been gracious or stupid enough to give him.

Ping! His datapad rang, having decrypted the signal. Jedi used such primitive encryptions, it was a wonder they had survived this long. If the war against the machines was left to them, the Galaxy would be doomed, but thankfully for them their were more powerful and cunning organizations at work. In truth, Valik didn't really need to decrypt the signal to find the meeting, all he needed to do was follow the gathering of Force signatures. Heaven help us if Omni gains his sixth sense. Valik thought to himself. Then again, if Valik was Omni he would have begun biological-technological integration long ago for the sole purpose of tapping Force Sensitivity. Then again, if I was Omni the Galaxy would have been mine months ago. Valik thought to himself. There were so many more horrifically efficiently designs he would have used for the droids, so many different methods he would have used to begin the assault.

As Valik got closer, he began to sense a familiar presence. If he was correct, it would be one of the few men he respected in the Sith Empire, his Master. With him he sensed another Sith Knight, a couple of Jedi and a padawan. It seemed the Jedi, unable to cope with the Sith's power had relied on numbers to give them an advantage. Valik cut through another vine and de-activated his saber. He was with the five, and his suspicions were indeed correct, his Master was here.

"As always it seems the Sith are providing the brawn and the brains." Valik said as he entered, and then took a place between his Master and the other Sith Knight. "Has the usual discussion of threats and promises already finished or do I have to listen to that inefficient nonsense?"

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa rolled her eyes at Tirdarius advice and caught Seroth's eye giving a very small shake of the head, a signal. Ignore his advice I will guide you. This was a great test for all of them, but most of all for her apprentice. If there was any time for him to learn more about subtlety and the finer arts of the force it was now. Mikhail's greeting brought a chuckle from her lips and she met those bright blue eyes of his. "Yes, you did. With the aid of an ancient sith artefact and some phrik armour." It won't happen again. she though to herself.

"We have about an hours trek north," she said gesturing towards the jungle "From what I can tell there a few archives in the city. We'll start there and play it by ear by what we find..." she trailed of her eyes turning from her companions as she sensed another sith approaching, her hand moved to her lightsaber cautiously as she watched Valik approach.

Rosa's calm aura shimmered as a flash of irritation came from her at Valik's words, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. She shot a look at Tirdarius, a question on the tip of her tongue. She had not asked Valik to come perhaps Tirdarius had. His presence was perhaps a little more worrying than Mikhail's he had shown his capability of getting under a Jedi Knights skin at the summit, and for a brief moment Rosa was regretting bringing Seroth along.

Every thing in life was a test. Today he would be tested and she would be at his side every step of the way guiding him. "I don't threaten." she replied simply, regarding him coldly, her hand moving from her lightsaber. "You were not invited, but as your here, you might as well make yourself useful." She moved away towards the jungle, beckoning Seroth to come with her. Be mindful of your thoughts today Seroth, Tirdarius is right this place is dark, but it will only corrupt if there is darkness in you to start with. Valik and Mikhail have silver tongues and they will seek to toy with you. You must not rise to it. Her advice given she extended her empathy, brushing the minds of those she was with and then pushing forward into the jungle as they moved through it.

There were echoes of despair and hatred everywhere, trapped ion the occasional stone that had not ye fully succumbed to the jungle. After about half an hour the came across a clearing in the centre of which lay an old starfighter, or at least what was left of it. She hovered at the edge of the forest, cautious and hesitant for a moment before moving out into the open.

OOC: Feel free to spawn what ever you want to spawn in the jungle. I'm too lazy to control all that comes at us

 

[Seydon of Arda]

'Conversation' with the Dark Lords seemed like a brief practice in veiled taunting and back-handed compliments. The youth had been unsure of what to expect in his first encounter with these fearsome individuals, but their cloaks of black Force ability did little to hide the almost enormous variances in personality. Tirdarius; calm, professorial, calculating. Shorn; biting, sarcastic, narcissistic. Valik; cunning, intelligent, maybe even maddened. Though, each exuded a cold, corroding air, their life-force like dry, stifled icicles amidst what was already a half-alive, half-petrified world. Seroth did as he felt was most prudent; shut up and kept his eyes peeled to the tree line and his ears cocked to the north-eastern winds.

They ventured on into the mossy forest interior, the Padawan at times running interference a few acres on. Temperature was parching and the overhang of near constant broad-leafed canopy acted like a mossy oven. Every inch of air was rife with scents of wet loam and aging mulch. Seroth pressed the flat of his palm against the smoothed, ocre trunking of nearby fang-beech groves, drawing out their sense of sleepy age. Yet, though this world shared a close variance with his home, Tython, the forestry was biting. Whether through actual observance or a byproduct of hampering paranoia, Seroth reckoned there was an extremely primitive but instinctively malignant 'intelligence' interconnected through the buttressed roots showing through patches of eroded soil. He pursed his lips, wiped a few errant beads of sweat from his eyebrows and pressed on in his Master's company.

As with flora, the entirety of the arboreal biome was rife with animal life. Six-legged, mottle furred beasts perhaps the size of domesticated canoids, watched them with bright, three-eyed clusters centered upon basin-crowns of spiked skulls. A reptilian 'thing' crossed their path at one point, show-casing a pearlescent coat of almost translucent scaling. Very clearly, as it snaked its lengthy belly along by padded rows of four feet, they could make out a digestive sludge hanging in its belly-sac; the remains of some unfortunate prey. The reptile paused a moment, caught Seroth's quiet stare and blinked back. Some sort of... empathy... informed him of the things passing curiosity. And then, as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone, venturing on to its own little burrow clawed out of a great soft-wood giant.

Then came the relic. He paused alongside Master Rosa, trading curious glances with Tirdarius as he tried to figure its make. Only a sharp, box-nosed prow remained sticking defiantly out of the arboreal undergrowth. Seroth kept up his watch on the tree line across the clearing, wary of what felt like a score of unseen eyes blinking back sharp, unnatural hunger. As Rosa approached, her Padawan's gumption began to rise. His long strides outpaced his Master's, strolling through the high grass blades. The youth ran his gloved hand along the rust-rotted prow, nodding in dim recognition. "An old Aurek..." He said.

...A pin-prick in the back of his neck caused his eyes to snap about. A squall of sound issued from the east, started by a bright crowd of florid feathered, long-beaked pelicans winging up high overhead. He held his hand for just a brief moment's silence. ...A low, barely audible but heavily throaty groan. The earth stammered gently beneath their feet, and a rough scent began to assail them as the wind switched over.

"Master, by your leave..." He bowed courteously to Master Rosa, lightly sprinting off in the direction of the disturbance and fast disappearing into the torrid undergrowth.

 

[Selena Halcyon]

Sith, she mentally sighed. She barely looked over her shoulder at them as they addressed the Jedi. It was enough for her to take their faces in. Once this mission was done she would review their profiles and information on them. It would help her review the foolishness of this mission and the peace with the Sith. Then she would know just what evils she had cooperated with. She already had a feeling though. One is of the pompous variety with a mind that the Sith were the true agents of peace in the galaxy and thus not that different from the Jedi. Foolishness, but some ventured down that brand of arrogance. The other two were younger, more cocky. Self-righteous but less caring about the galaxy and more their own personal pleasures and powers. They disgusted her. Their crimes needed justice, but they would avoid it today.

As they ventured into the jungle she was pleased. Pleased to be at work, and work could distract her from the lingering presence of those that deserved death. And despite the presence of a prevalent darkside, she was at peace. The darkside could only tempt those that let it in. She was a walled off beacon against it. Nothing could break in. The Darkness could only surround the light, but it could not overcome it. In a world coated in darkness, she was a candle untouched by the otherwise overwhelming presence.

As she drifted through the flora and fauna. It was so untouched and in a strange way beautiful. Those that looked at the Aurek did not gain her attention really. Her mind drifted to the coming lifeform. She sensed it well before the ground began to tremble at its coming presence. She did not ask for permission to begin to look into this potential coming threat. She just walked on, lightsaber hilt in hand.

 

[Valik]

Valik walked with the group as they explored the old forgotten planet. It radiated with the Darkside, the ripples faint, weaker than Korriban or Dromund Kaas, but still echoed clearly amongst the senses. The planet hadn't been populated by external forces in years, whatever had happened here must have been big. As he continued he focused his mind to send a mental message to his Master @[member="Tirdarius"], not bother with verbal communication. He had stressed telepathy over speaking to help strengthen the mind, and Valik agreed with the notion, but mostly he did it because he did not wish the Jedi, or the other Sith, to know the connection between the two of them. He wondered if he would play along. With some it was a matter of whether or not they were clever enough to pick up on it, but with his Master it was a matter of whether or he wanted to go along with it.

Has news reached the Empire of Darth Apparatuses infection? He asked, hoping they had received word and changed com signals, passcodes, docking codes, and any other infiltration that could have been used to infiltrate the Empire. It was a strange time with Dromund Kaas overrun and Korriban under constant threat of attack. Valik doubted they would attack his world of Felucia, but he wasn't foolish enough to assume he wouldn't return to find it overrun. He had set up various firewalls, viruses, and bugs to block hacking attempts and delete data if it wasn't accessed by him, but Omni would find the remnants of something if she tried hard enough.

As Valik thought of the devastation of Omni's attack and influence they came up to an old starship, which the Jedi Padawan identified rather quickly as an Aurek. Then the boy ran off, towards some presence that Valik could feel emanating from the woods. Valik then removed his pack, and took out a duraluminum glove and put it on his left hand. He winced slightly as the sith alchemized needles planted themselves in his fingertips, but it was worth it for the power his Ion Gauntlet provied. He would be well equipped to deal with any droid interference.

"The padawan is decisive and quick to action." Valik noted to the jedi woman @[member="Rosa Mazhar"]. "He may contain a power you cannot hope to teach." Valik finished then put his pack back on his back and then began walking calmly in the direction the padawan ran.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

Tirdarius chuckled shortly about Valik's observation about the young man training under Rosa's guidance. Although he was perhaps a little surprised to find his own Apprentice here, part of him wasn't, not really. The Jedi say that the Force does everything for it's own reasons, and that coincidences are merely workings of the Force that we do not understand. Many Sith disdained such belief, but there were times when Tirdarius agreed that it must be so. Another difference between me and my brethren, he thought with a dark, amused smile.

That the younger man here was certainly just one such coincidence, but not an unwelcome one: frankly, it balanced out Mikhail's recklessness rather well. Certainly my newer Apprentice is insane, but he's less volatile. That was a vaguely ironic thought, but one he didn't need to worry about for now - neither man was prepared to take on three Jedi alone, which is precisely where they'd find themselves if they sought to do battle with them without Tirdarius' permission. The Jedi had his guarantee that the Sith would not act violently towards that, and he would not let his younger subordinates break his word.

He ignored Valik's telepathic query, in truth not knowing the answer to that question but feeling it best to keep that fact to himself. He wasn't overly familiar with Apparatus to begin with, and the disturbing notion that a mere...machine might somehow cause harm to a Sith Lord was one he felt needed to be considered by the upper ranks of the Sith, and not disseminated to those below. Such a revelation would only cause chaos, might even cause friction in the ranks where it did not exist before. All must believe in the cause of the Empire, and such a revelation would jeopardise that. No, they would not discuss this here - and certainly not in front of Jedi, telepathically or otherwise.

Choosing not to follow the Jedi apprentice as he made what Tirdarius judged to be an impulsive charge upon an unknown, the Sith Lord hung back with Rosa and the other Jedi, the one he noted was fairly disdainful of their presence. She's practically angry at us, he thought with a touch of amusement. He had met many Jedi who truly hated Sith - at one point, he'd been trained by one - so he always found them to be a little funny in their own way. The Jedi teach peace, but this one would enjoy that peace to be broken, so we might find ourselves blade-to-blade. That conflicted nature was something dangerous indeed.

"Is your Padawan always so impetuous?", he asked Rosa, his voice calm and courteous in that way that always seemed to shock those who believed Sith to be permanently enraged simply by having woken up that morning. "I do hope he remembers that a Jedi is supposed to keep their mental balance, and exhibit a little patience, even in the face of danger." The Sith Lord sighed softly. "I'd prefer that he not get himself killed before we have a chance to accomplish what we came here for," he admitted, his grey eyes following the undergrowth through which Seroth had disappeared. "This is no time for Jedi to be dying needlessly," he concluded, his words as much directed at his two companions as towards the Jedi Knight.

 

[Selena Halcyon]

She hardly listened to a word of the Sith. Especially when he attempted to lecture Rosa about training her padawan. Not exactly a subject that any Sith should act like an authority on. It was almost funny. Almost. It probably would have been in a holocomedy, but this was reality and the irony of it was more pathetic than funny. Over all, she approved of the padawan's impulsive desire to go check out the possible threat. He was acting in the role of a scout. Admittedly not officially but it was still a good thing for him to do. She watched his movements through the Force, focusing on him and the large presence she sensed. There was a third presence. The only reason she noticed it was because it seemed as if the padawan was going towards it and not the one actually responsible for the small tremors they were feeling.

Troubling, she thought. It ignored the padawan though and began to approach the main group. She distanced herself from the group by increasing her pace towards the direction of the beast. Selena wanted to be the one to deal with the creature. Then it appeared. It was reminiscent of a rancor, except it had four arms and not two. Two seemed primarily for attack while the other two were for additional balance but could also be used to attack. In some ways, it also reminded her of the old Sith creations known as Leviathans. Rakatans... sith before the sith, she thought.

It growled and pulled down a tree with complete ease. It stood about three and a half meters tall. She closed her eyes and looked into it with the force, found its heart and then she began to move. Her long hilted lightsaber staid close to her, but shed no light as she did not ignite it. This Jedi Knight was something of a minimalist when it came to dealing with threats. No need to ignite the blade until it was necessary. No need to move until the opening was made. She was all about control in its most simple form.

Its eyes locked onto her. Good, she thought, I want its focus. Her steps were quick and light, and her eyes darted between its arms. Waiting for the moment, it would strike soon. The closer she got the closer she got to it trying to move. Then it happened. Its left arm came swinging, its large claws out. The strike would hit her fully on the side if she continued with her course of action. Instead, with ease, she spun forward and to her right and ignited her lightsaber. It was a quick closing of the gap, took her out of the claws path and put her at its forarm in distance. Her lightsaber went into its arm long ways, then she shut it off.

The creature reared up and howled in pain. For the moment it would focus on the pain before it returned to her. Her movements quickened and she went to its lower left arm which was planted firmly in the ground. With the grace of a dancer she moved around the arm, ignited her lightsaber once more. The silver blade burst into the creatures wrist, then just as quickly it turned off. Immediately the beast began to fall to that side. She ducked between its arm and body before it completely fell to the ground.

Its chest was now completely exposed to her. She pushed her hilt up to it and then pushed her lightsaber's button once more, burning a hole directly through the chest and into its heart. Turning her lightsaber off for the third time, she jumped backwards away from the area where the dead thing would fall. After it hit the ground she did not even waste her time looking back at the group. At the edge of her senses an even larger creature could be felt. It was quite a ways out, but it knew of them. She could sense that in it. "Let us move. A greater threat approaches. The city will give us cover."

No response was waited for, she just walked.

 

[Seydon of Arda]

The Rakatan-beastform, for surely it had relinquished any sense of its identity, would have proven a formiddable opponent to any unprepared party. But Seroth waylaid his forward progression a moment, stopped against the clutch of several high, moss englossed branches and 'felt' against the struggle. The beastform was fast, viciously strong, but Master Halcyon's melodic counter-moves savaged its fighting potential and killed it within a few heart-spans. Though it felt as if Selena walked a taut edge of contempt and anger for their company, he wouldn't deny the proficiency of her sleek style.

The shoreline forest slowly ebbed from heavy, oppressive bush to broken ferrocrete streets laced with lattices of weed and grass. Seroth, ahead by a quarter click from Master Halcyon, swiftly climbed the fluted bark clinging to a somewhat dessicated softwood and took in the ruined vista. Planted in the shadow of snow-capped peaks that, perhaps, its ancient inhabitants sought to overwhelm with their own monumental accomplishments, a rotted city stretched on.

Slowly through unremarked millennia, Lehon's natural forestation was reclaiming every inch of the surface world. What remained of the sundered metropolis, wide avenues sporting thick loam planted with emerald tree copses and once tall spires broken and laced with encroaching dagger-vines, was at once beautiful and unsettling. The ancient Rakata had poured their considerable resources and engineering genius to crafting a cultural center, one that would speak of their might to all the ages. Now... As he espied once proud grey-marble sculptures of dead primarchs, dismembered and riven, Seroth saw hubris' toll. To this far away day, legends of the "Starforge" and a supposed "First Pangalactic Empire" were derided, laughed upon. History had swept these forerunners' arrogance under a virtual rug.

A mental 'click' to both Masters Rosa and Halcyon told, for brevity's sake, that he was otherwise fine; unharmed, calmed, focussed. The youth leapt nimbly tree bough to tree bough, catching his footing on the edge of an elliptical stone and cracked glass roof and bounding along. The north-eastern breeze coming down from the mountains filled his nostrils; old scents of unbothered glaciers and permanent hoarfrost filled his lungs with an unbidden chill. A short hop off the roof and into a deep thoroughfare chasm saw the Padawan catching his grasp to a heavy vine, ably swinging to the otherside of the avenue. There, settled against a growth-encrusted landing, Seroth paused and sought that sickly rough scent that grated on his senses.

There came a slow, plodding rumble the detached showers of mortar and ferrocrete dust onto his shoulders and tunic. Even from his high vantage, the Jedi could hear heavy snorts of fleshy breathing. He skittered along the narrow building ledge, crossing from its south face shadowed from the sun and onto a westerly set of window sills. He was treated to a viewing of the sunward city limits, where an unseemly bank of unseasonal fog clutched a lower district that once sported tall solar-domes and transmission spires constructed of bright steel and electrum. Some... Some air of enmity caused the banks of mist to retain a twisted visage. Bleak echoes speaking in an unknown tongue vibrated the fabric of Force energy steeped in the broken megacity, while he watched formless 'shadows' whisk about in restless pacing at the fog's edge. Seroth braced his faculties fortifications, returning his attentions to the disturbance that initially drawn him.

Down beneath his thin sill vantage, astride atop a ferrocrete causeway that ran into a network of labyrinth roadways, the Padawan saw it. A hastily constructed briefing prior to their beach landing told that, at some distant point, the Rakatan population had introduced the primal, Dothamirian strain of Rancor to Lehon's wilds. For what purpose, maybe for the usage of brute physical labourers, was heretofor unknown and would always remain so. All that mattered was, unlike their once-upon-a-time captors, the Rancor had survived. One traveller's warning issued by the Jedi Council told to be on guard for possible mutations, hightened reptomamilian aggression, and thick numbers. So far, the cautionary mention of mutation had proven apt.

This particular specimen, the one who's torrid scent had caught Seroth's initial attention and vibrated the very earth, was a monstrous matron. She stood close to twenty six meters in height, hide like scarred ebony protruding with spine-bone growths that added an extra measure of ferocity. Her eyes were milked over in a thin film of phosphorescence, glowing dull blue in shadow as she dragged her enormous, knuckled arms before her. Her musculature, tonne for tonne, outweighed any natural bull described in Republic academia. The matron's trunkated back-leggings were thickset, wide as vessel-berth support beams, her stubby tale ending in a knuckle-headed bone plated with cartilage blades. Though what caught the Padawan's attention was the twinkle of fiendish intelligence the she-beast sported every time her beady eyes looked up his way.

"Clever thing..." Seroth murmured, mesmerized and horrified, that Lehon's pall of dark Force energy had produced such a vile if magnificent creation. He unhooked his comm. piece from his utility harness and clicked a fast data-stream to the group's collective signal catch. Just a general message of warning. Seroth replaced the comm. piece back into its harness pouch and took off leaping from building face to thin, treacherous landings, aided by his natural dexterity, the Force carrying his momentum on... And a curiosity to see this beast a little closer.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa could not help but smile at Seroth's decisive action and curiosity. Rosa was more than happy for him to go ahead and scout, so long as he used caution. she extended her sense to follow him as best she could, ignoring Valik's comment. Seroth was pure of heart, only the Jedi could hope to make something out of that power. In sith hands, Seroth would have to be unmade before he could become anything powerful in their hands.

When Tirdarius added his own thoughts about Seroth, Rosa turned her brown eyes to survey him. She had not forgotten the people he had killed. 'Collateral damage' he had called them, the memory made her sad and she tunred away from him "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were here to question how I teach my padawan." the response was cold, but there was no anger behind it. She moved forward, as the rancor appeared, but Selena dealt with it well enough on her own so she merely moved past the fight, picking up on Seroth's mental reassurance that he was ok.

She stopped, reaching forward with her empathy, sensing her padawan and his curiosity, as well as the creature's anger at his presence. "I think the city will offer us as much protection as the trees will." she replied to Selena. "But we should move none the less."

Following Seroth's trail she picked up her pace, urging caution to her padawan through the force. This was the rancor's home, it would attack him should he get into reach. Sticking to the trail his force signature left she followed him up into the trees, leaping from one to the next, leaving the others behind her, her first priority was to get alongside Seroth, to guide him. It was incredible, just how much of the sight around her she missed when she focused on catching up with him, her steps light and nimble. She landed lightly on a roof top and moved slowly to the edge, a sharp intake of breath was the only noise she made at the sight of the mutated beast.

Careful, Seroth. We do not want to anger her, I want to avoid killing if we can. Even as she sent the message to Seroth, she knew that her last statement was almost impossible. Selena's impulsive action to kill the first they had come across was enough of a sighn to tell her just how much this day was going to go her way. Not to mention the three sith they had with them. Pressing the com link in her ear Rosa spoke softly to the team. "Get to high ground. This beast is big, but she needn't die because we upset her."

Rosa's eyes moved to the fog and she reached out towards it, sensing the darkness within, before rapidly drawing away and scanning the city form the edge she was on. Using the vines to move across the streets she stopped a few buildings from Seroth, out of sight from him and the matron. On the streets beneath her was a nest containing three rancor eggs. "Oh feth." she breathed as an angry roar came from the beast the matron behind her.

Seroth, back up. Now. That's an order. Get back on the roof and wait for the others.

She leapt over the next and extended her empathy, she could feel all of them, too many to count, every one female, every one full of anger and fear at their intrusion. She opened the comm link to the team. "This entire city is a nesting ground. We need a plan."

 

[Valik]

Valik followed the Apprentice and the Knight, until a magnificent, beautiful beast came and pulled down a tree, roaring at their site. It was startlingly similar to a rancor, but had the gift of having a pair of extra appendages. Such a beast was startlingly unnatural, and demanded study. Valik walked over slowly, and rose his ion-gauntlet wearing fist, with a few strong bolts he should be able to attack the creatures nervous system without damaging it, preserving it for an unaltered dissection.

Then the Jedi ruined it. She cut into the arm of the creature, the wrist, and finally stabbing the heart of the beast. Valik cringed, what a fool she in her inability to recognize the usefulness in such a creature. She then moved towards the city, beckoning others join lest they face other creatures. Valik joined her shortly behind, then began to spoke to @[member="Selena Halcyon"]

"Would it not have been much trouble to merely incapacitate the beast? I did not think such murder was necessary, but then again, the ruthlessness of the Jedi can't be stopped." Valik mused as he followed her into the city. All of sudden his comlink began to go off, and he heard the voice of the more compassionate Jedi.

"The entire city is a nesting ground. We need a plan." She said. Valik thought for a moment on the nature of the beasts. The Rakata were a force-sensitive Empire, they even built their machines from it. Logic would stand to say their biological exploits would likely be the same. Though the beasts predated the Sith, they were in essence Sith Spawn. Valik opened his mind and sent a message to his two Sith companions @[member="Tirdarius"] and @[member="Mikhail Shorn"].

Alchemized creations such as these find themselves drawn to places of power. If all of these beasts chose to nest here, it's because whatever is hidden here is big. We need to investigate. His mind reached out and spoke to the duo, as he reached to his comlink to speak to @[member="Rosa Mazhar"].

"We are in the middle of a battle, we have no time to sit down and plan. Adapt to your environment or die. If you are as capable as you say you are we will see you again." Valik spoke to the comlink and began running forward, extending his senses to the alleyways and building. There had to be a nexus somewhere, and Valik was going to find it.

 

[Selena Halcyon]

Valik's thoughts were not worth her concern. She did not expect the Sith to understand anything, and by being drowned in the darkside his views on reality were skewed. It was evident from his lack knowing what a Jedi was. Could the beast have been subdued? Certainly, but the threat was immediate and furthermore it was a creature forged of the darkside. It was a unnatural monster and the descendant of the perverse creations of the Rakatans. Its death was a good one. A necessary one.

What the Sith likely did not feel, could not feel, was that in death the creature reached peace. It had been so pulled into the darkside that upon dying when it became one with the Force it reached a level of calm it had never had. In the Force it would know peace fully. In many respects, what Selena had done was mercy. But she did not expect the Sith to understand that.

Rosa's comm call did not cause Selena to panic. Eggs were eggs. Not cause for much concern of themselves, the thing that would cause some problems was the potential for whatever broodmothers were around. They would be protective of the eggs if alerted to the possible threats. When Valik ran off she shook her head. Running would simply cause noise and more potential problems for the entire group. Reckless actions could alert the broodmothers. His callous thoughts on survival were typical of the Sith, but struck her as humorous. Not in a laughing way though. Just moments before he was speaking of subduing a creature and keeping it alive, yet when it came to the sentients he was supposed to be working in tandem with he had no concern for their lives.

Selena did not really concern herself with much. She was not even sure they would find anything on Omni, in fact she was quite positive they would not. It did not take much for her to disappear though, Her presence in the Force shrinking and herself taking to the shadows with ease. Avoiding bringing attention to herself was easy. It was what she did quite frequently... as a Jedi Shadow.