Private GIRL FRIDAY

[Aren D'Shade]

Nodding when Erint communicated that she understood what they were talking about. Smiling slightly, she motioned with her hand something similar to, "I told you so", to Karlie.

"I'm glad you know how to survive here, Erint. This means that we don't have to watch out for you. Not that we wouldn't or anything, if we needed to..."

When she was called fragile, a little bit of a dirty look crossed her face but the woman didn't take any real offense at the comment. It might also be a language barrier and fragile wasn't the best one that could have been picked.

So far their trek had been uneventful but as the sun got lower, Red had to fly closer to them. At the mention of the moon rising, the sun finally fell and left them in the twilight. Without the sun, the cold settled in and the sounds of nature came out.

Red started whistling and beeping and Aren tensed up. Drawing her blaster out, she pointed to the left of them...both in front and behind.

"We have incoming and they aren't pretty."

Moving to stand with her back to Karlie, she hoped their guide would have an idea of what to do.

Erint Tel Set Karlie Lynn Destat

 

[Ian Sade]

The Castan SD Tecknor still engaged in maneuvers at an undisclosed location.... (see post #3 for reference)



"Sir...analysis indicate the signal were possibly generated from a vessel's auto distress beacon before it were prematurely cut." The sensor array analyst ensign reported.

"Have you pinpointed it's origin, ensign?" Ian asked, before he turned from one of the other HUD of their current on going exercises.

"Negative sir, it had fractionalized just as soon as it had been activated. But our best echo analysis of the star cluster interferences put it deep with the Unknown Regions of Tingel Arm 3, aprox off of sub -C center axis, in segment 4 ." The ensign reported.

"That' encompasses a million star systems...anything else?" Ian asked, sensing the man had more to report.

"Yes sir...it had appeared to be possibly Castan in sequence."

"Possibly?...I need more than a possibility, ensign."

"Strongly more than not...it seemed to trail a sub code....possibly on a 4 level spectrum...sir."

Ian's attention immediately focused on the man.
"Are you certain?..." he asked walking over to the ensign's station.

"It had an almost complete sub frequency to it." the ensign replied.

Ian looked over all of the data and analysis the deep probe team had assembled on the signal. It had been an unscheduled exercise upon receiving the fragment of it before. Ian had thought it a good exercise. But with the possibility of it containing a high priority spectral encoding, it could be from one of the Greater Houses or a member of the High Council.
He nodded, verifying the possibility. They were nearly a quarter galaxy distance from the said signal. And the sector of which it had possibly originated from before ceasing did contain well over 89, 000 star systems in that sector of the galaxy's tingel arm.

"Connect me with the Admiralty... I'll want it the conference room... patch it up in there." Ian said, leaving the station off the bridge and heading to the planning room.

"Aye sir.." The ensign replied.

 

[Erint Tel Set]

Erint, along with her clan were very efficient in hunting. As such, she had good reserves of stored calories that naturally accelerated to burn as the ambient temp dropped. This natural ability to accelerate caloric burn also enabled her kind to meld in with their surroundings. If Erint were stalking prey whom had ir (infra-red) receptors, she could regulate her body temp to meld with her surroundings...making Erint invisible in that spectrum.
Otherwise, during cold spells, her kind simply burned more calories to adjust themselves to the cold.

It were by Erint's observation that her two off-world friends had no such capabilities other than insulating themselves with the fine skins that were their clothing...much like Erint's kind had to do with their cubs (children) who were considered fragile till they developed this learned skill.

She were always scouting ahead visually as she lead the two closer to her coven. Aezons who were predators themselves preferred to hunt at night, where their numbers could easily be less detected among the shadows of the woods.
But Erint had keen olfactory and hearing. The forest around them had taken on a different tempo...there were too many natural sounds that seemed to converge tighter and tighter around them.

"Stay close... we're almost there.." She said, gripping her spear as she listened more acutely.

The darkness seemed to want to swallow them, now that the system's star was twice fold below the horizon...and the stirring of their surroundings seemed to be drawing tighter around them. There was no doubt they were being stalked...but by what numbers?
Aezons rarely travelled or hunted in large packs...only this night somehow they seemed to.
Erint gritted her teeth picking up the pace without trying to alarm the two.
Aezons would then attack immediately if they knew they had been discovered.

"Your energy weapons... " Erint started to say when one of the mechanical beings started to chirp out what she construed as a warning.
".... now would be a good time to have them at your ready."

No sooner did Erint finish, did Aren have her blaster drawn, getting her back to the blonde, Karlie.
Erint withdrew her knife and gripped it along side her spear... she were ready. Karlie of course had little clue as to what was conspiring, but knew enough to get her blaster pointing into the trees.

"We hold our three points (stay in a triangle defense) till we break through their weakest wave...then we move as one, to higher ground." Erint instructed, nudging Karlie to keep her back on the inside of their defense triangle.



Aren D'Shade

 

[Karlie Lynn Destat]

She weren't one to complain....much.
But it were getting cold/er the darker it got. Despite the heated jacket she had on, her hands, feet and features were starting to feel the bite of the night air.

Their pace had somehow quickened but there was no complaint about that. No way did she want to stop and camp out in the middle of the wilderness here on Erint's planet. She seen and had already experienced as to what was out there that seemingly wanted to eat her.
As thus, she kept pace and stayed closer to Aren than before when it were still light out. Sure she had a blaster...but hell was she itching in using it. No way she wanted to encounter those creatures.

"Huh?..." Karlie's attention perked up, as she picked up that something wasn't right. Aren's beeping droid seemed to operate more frantically.
She nervously looked about, but all she could make out were dark silhouettes of trees and heavy shadows. it were too dark for her to see, especially surrounded by woods.
"Hey, come on....
Like, what's going on?" She became more concerned when their amazon friend suggested they take out their blasters.

In no time at all, Aren put her back against hers as well as Erint, who had now fully withdrawn her sword and fighting knife....readying for something to pop out of the deep shadows.

"Oh crap..." Karlie muttered taking the safety off her blaster. Something was going down...hell if she knew exactly, as she couldn't see much of anything in front of her and she were terrified. Her only comfort in not making a run for it were that her back were against both Erint and Aren's.

"Please tell me it's not another one of those things..."

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

After Red gave his report, Erint caught on quickly. She advised them to stay close and put her back to them as well. Moving together, all of them had their weapons at the ready as they moved slowly. The advice she gave them sounded good and Aren turned her head slightly to look at the native out of the corner of an eye and nodded.

Keeping quiet, her head down, and watched in front of her for any of the creatures. Being on the left side of the triangle, she might see glimpses of shadows moving in the darkness. Holding her gun at the ready she did not fire it. Wanting to make sure she would actually hit the enemy.

It was clear Karlie wasn't as in touch with what was going on around them when she spoke up. However, it only took her a few long moments to catch on. Of course, that was after Erint told her to get her blaster out. Even though Aren was not an empathic person...for the most part, she could easily pick up on the fear coming from the blond.

"Is this those things, Erint?"

All she had seen were moving shadows. Nothing concrete or with any real clarity.

Erint Tel Set Karlie Lynn Destat

 

[Erint Tel Set]

How often had she been bushwhacked by these vermin near her home?... it were as natural to Erint as the nights were long.
But in these numbers? it were unlike these creatures to congregate in so many numbers so close to the covens.
The ones that dared come close to Erint's encampments were rouge...sole aezons that at most had ever cohosted with another and rarely more than that.

But here, just a short crest from Erint's covens, she could sense...many... a great deal many more than ever it had been accounted before.
The past night, the entire day...now upon darkness' shadow again, the unnatural were at work. This was not at all expected by Erint.... so many aezons encircling them.
Then again, the past day and night were not at all common to her.

"Aye..."she uttered under her breath as she readied for their charge. Erint realized not all which transpired the last two days were at all common. Here with her standing back to back were sky women ...they had descended from the stars in iron vessels. They were different from her... they were warm blooded... and they reeked of red blood coursing through their veins. Erint had picked up their scent... salty, supple and sweet...no doubt perfect for the aezon's means of gestating their young within these sky women..

The aezons didn't really want her, Erint went on to figure. They wanted her dead for sure, as Erint's kind killed them on sight. But never had there been stories passed down depicting the aezons assembling in hordes like this.
They wanted the sky women, Erint had now just realized.

"If your energy weapons are as I had bared witness before...you must send the fire bolts to their heads...it's the only means of stopping them before they get too close to you.
I will fight those which come close...I know how to deal with their poison blood." She instructed the two in the tactics by which they were to fight them off in order to survive.

As she spoke, the creatures were close in breaking through the foliage for their attack. Shadows which were first unrecognizable slowly gave way to their shiny exoskeletal features.

She could hear the blonde at her back squeamishly repeating unrecognizable words...curse most likely.
The other...she stood as Erint stood; ready to face what would come at them....

"Aye... tis them... and they have come in great numbers...." she replied to Aren's question.

"Hear my words and take them to heart. We fight back to back, we will be much stronger... single and apart, we break like a twig. " She said, meaning a bundle of twigs are difficult to break when bundled together than a single twig.

The aezon's then rushed at them from the shadows of the thickets and woods.


Aren D'Shade

 

[Karlie Lynn Destat]

Knowing and understand what their amazon friend said was one thing...convincing yourself not to panic and run was another.
But Karlie understood the tactic that Erint were meaning. It were their only viable means of defense, especially as the night enveloped them.

The blonde also knew she were limited in rounds. She had not been able to use Aren's magazines she had given her for their two blasters were quite different.
"Stay together.....stay together...right." Karlie repeated trying to focus on the advancing shadows. it were difficult to see these creatures as they moved in the strangest of ways. Besides, they seemed to blend too well with their surroundings.
But for some reason or other, Karlie found that she could spot them better with her peripheral than straight eye on. Movements were much more evident.
Yes....
Yes, she remembered her training from boot camp... a requirement even for those being indoctrinated by the IBI such as Karlie.
In those training exercises she had gone through many scenarios... night ops and reconnaissance. Aside from using star optics and other tech, she were trained in using her eyes. or rather, using her eyes ability to better pick up movements by her peripherals. All she had to do was coordinate her firing arm with that of what she were able to perceive. It were difficult, but she remembered doing it.

Karlie weren't the first to fire...maybe she opened up on Aren's third or fifth shot, but fire she did and hit the very first tree, missing the goddamn aezon by inches.
"Shiet!..."
The second one was dead on skull spattering.
She lost count as to how many shots she may have missed, but several aezons screeched their last before they hit the forest floor.

It were mayhem..
Flashes of laser bolts from both Aren's and her blaster seemed to act like strobe lights rendering the entire battle in stop motion. There was no time to cry, no time to scream...but plenty of cussin, teeth gritting and sweating. Karlie's hair couldn't be more drenched than if it had suddenly started to rain-
...er wait-

It did.
A sudden torrential rain plummeted both aezons and women. But the three stood their ground, back to back. They were holding their defenses strong.
On the other hand, with the sudden rain, the forest floor became slippery wet making the aezons that were coming out of the trees slip and slide.
Then of course a good few lightening bolts flashing did expose them to more efficient blaster fire.
but the aezons had come in numbers and were steadily gaining ground coming closer and closer before they dropped...then others would trample over their dead to gain another step. this went on and on like eternity. At least it seemed for Karlie who were soon to meet her fate, for her rounds were nearly spent.

"I....I'M RUNNING OUT!!!" she managed to shout as the counter dropped into the single digit on her blaster.


Aren D'Shade

 

[Erint Tel Set]

She had never fought off these vile aezons with anyone else but with her clan.
But although the methods these off world females exhibited were alien to her, they were more effective than parring these creatures off by spears and blade.

Their energy weapons lit up the dark forest, wiping shadows away, exposing the aezons attacking. Of course most likely the two sky women's eyes were not as acute as Erint's, the firelight from their weapons did expose them after each shot fired.

But with Erint's eyes, she could see them like it were daylight , each time their weapons discharged.

Needless to say, they were reducing the aezon numbers...but there were more than the three of them could eventually fend off. Despite the energy weapons seemingly stopping the creatures in their tracks or lobbing off limbs, legs and chunks of their skulls, more kept emerging out of the forest. it were as if there had been some kind of call to harvest or the like. The aezons had never risked so many for a mere three, thought Erint. They were after something else...the two off world women?

Erint felt their backs to her. both women were firing at anything and everything that moved, yet they stood their backs to her like her own clan members. For this, Erint had a warrior respect for them...even the golden hair one who seemed to speak in some strange tongue. one which Erint did not know, but certainly could understand they were some sort of cusses.

Then the torrential rains came. Erint too didn't notice it as she were thrusting and slashing, blocking and pushing, kicking and screaming her own rendition of curses.
But the aezons kept coming...skipping and sliding, trashing and pouncing, they kept coming.

Then...Erint's heart sank.
For a time, she had fought with fury because with these two at her back with their energy weapons lighting up both forest and decimating aezons...there was a glimmer of hope that they all just may survive this attack.
But the blonde's words...Karlie's shaky, panicking words that her fire bolts were coming to an end. Erint heart sank for she knew these two had on spear..no shield and no blades. Without their energy weapons and no other implements to fight, that the aezons would surely take them all down, for Erint knew she could not fight them all on her own.

And the lightning, thunder and rain kept coming down on them harder and harder.
Still, should this night be their last, Erint knew she did not die alone but with two sky women who could just as well be clan...family...kindred spirits. Such a death would be honorable for they had fought to the last...

"Sisters!..." Erint shouted above the mayhem of the battle screams (the dying, and mutilated aezons).
"...this night, this battle shall be judged worthy for us to behold the path to Othala!" She shouted with pride as the blonde's weapon ceased to fire.
Yes, Erint knew their end had come...but they had all fought to the last and they would all be welcomed in the great hunting grounds of Othala as sisters....


Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Just one word was enough to confirm what Aren was starting to fear. These shadows were indeed the creatures that upset Karlie and what Erint thought of as rodents. Standing back to back in a small triangle, she felt the native tense up as she readied herself for the coming attack.

Listening to the calm instructions, she nodded but remained quiet. There was a sense of solemnity from Aren and speaking would break that. For a moment, she looked down at her blaster and fired into the darkness. The light allowed her to see better and her following shots, all seemed to hit the targets she aimed at.

Maybe not all of the shots were fatal but they did slow them down.

"Will these guys turn cannibal?"

With the assurances from Erint about tackling those that did get near, she continued to fire at those she could see in the shadows. Hearing the muttering coming from Karlie, she tried to ignore them for now. Until she let out more panicked yells. Taking a moment to lower her blaster, she hadn't taken into considering either of them running out of ammo. Growling to herself, she instructed Sam to go to Karlie with another clip. How could she know it wouldn't work for her?

Then her own blaster stopped firing. When that happened, Erint let out a primal yell of inspiration and Aren used this to help her. Lightning flashed in the sky and an idea came to the soaking wet woman.

"Duck!"

Reaching a hand up into the sky, this would be the first time she attempted to do this for real. In a lab, it was different and the situations there were controlled. Not so much tonight. She didn't want to put these other women in additional danger but that really couldn't be helped right now.

Another flash of lightning happened and she jumped. Calling on the Force to guide the strike, she drew the energy in and probably glowed for a moment or two before releasing its destruction around them. Coming down to the ground hard, all she could hear was the sound of rain hitting it next to her head.

Erint Tel Set Karlie Lynn Destat

 

[Karlie Lynn Destat]

How had it all come to this?
This was no where anything she could have imagined ever dying...

There was nothing else Karlie could do now but scream, cover her face and eyes, using her arms and cower to the ground.
She were out of ammo, hope and will to fight.. she were prey overwhelmed by the pack. Karlie had dropped to her knees, trembling in fear when Aren's own ammo finally gave out. The only thing the drenched blonde now prayed for were a quick end to this nightmare.

But the gods wouldn't have it.
Karlie had her eyes tightly shut as she cowered on the ground with her arms, elbows and hands tightly wrapped around her head...when it struck.
Lightning...
Lots of lightning. There was no mistaken the cracking, buzzing of lightning all around her...especially for what seemed like eternity. Karlie knew lightning as it were not uncommon out on the vast open acres of her home on Castagne. But lighting strikes always came fast and weren't known to continue on like some high voltage power transmission shorting to ground.

The continuous buzzing, zapping , pooping-...yes, popping as in bodies popping as they were being electrocuted by millions of volts of electrons. Karlie could feel the electricity all around her... her arms, neck...it all tingled.
She dared peek out, from under her arms.
The entire night was lit all around them in some crazy light.

The aezons still on their feet were shaking, convulsing and literary being lacerated by the lightning. It were a horror show, as all around her lay the other dead aezons, all lit by the lightning...the very same ones they had speared, and shot, before she and Aren had run out of ammo.
But how were she and her doomed companions not being affected?
Speaking of which-

Karlie dared look about her for both Aren and Erint.
Erint for the most part stood there standing still, bewildered...much like Karlie were, only that Karlie were laying in mud.
And of Aren?

That very same lightning was hitting her!
Only..
Only that it were bouncing off her.
No, No, not bouncing. The lightning wasn't bouncing off Aren, no. It was being redirected and hitting the aezons by Aren.

"Berkana..." Karlie uttered her deity's name.
"Aren's a jedi!" She exclaimed, witnessing someone first hand using what she knew to be the force.



Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

What had felt like a lifetime and seeing her life flash before her eyes, what the others saw Aren had no idea about that. While it was only really a few moments...if that, it took most of her strength out of her body. Falling to the ground, all the woman could do was breathe. Then the sound of rain reached her ears and the voice of Karlie was slightly muffled.

Trying to pick herself up from the muddy ground, all she did was groan a little and maybe twitch a little.

"Ungh...where's a Jedi?"

Starting to shiver, it became clear to Aren her jacket batteries had shorted out when she was struck by the lightning. Being struck was not entirely an accurate statement but close enough for her purpose.

Drawing in a few more ragged breaths, the Sith decided it was time to try and stand up again. Not totally at full strength yet, she did manage to roll onto her side and get up onto her elbow.

"A little help here? Are we still in danger? I don't think I can do that again."

The storm seemed to be starting to pass and the rain was getting softer, though still raining at a steady pace. Thunder rumbled and Aren cringed just slightly.

Karlie Lynn Destat Erint Tel Set

 

[Erint Tel Set]

No sooner had Erint spoken her words that the gods befell their grace upon them...

They had all fought gallantly against the many. But the aezon numbers were overwhelming and the two skywomen had spent their last rounds of fire bolts.
The gods had surely been watching them fight to the last and would welcome them into Othala. Erint were not afraid of death, for she had proved her courage to the gods and would be welcomed to sit in place among her ancestors and those before them. She were also certain that her two companions who fought along side her onto death would be welcomed as such.

But this night were not to be their last. Her ancestors would not welcome her to hunt with them in Othala.
Erint's time had not come this night.

Her keen eyesight included enhanced peripheral.
Erint caught sight of the younger skywoman jump up to snatch the god's lightning and spew it down onto the aezons like countless spears from the sky itself.
Down...down went the squelching aezons, crying out in pain and agony as the lightning trashed at them...tearing open their decrepit flesh and searing the poisonous acid which spewed forth as they were felled to the muddy ground.

Erint couldn't believe her eyes as she witnessed the power of the gods bestowed upon the skywoman. Surely these two had been sent down to test her courage. And had she satisfied the gods to have them spare her? Surely that had to be the only reasoning behind what had just happened.

Erint stood there, still gripping her spear, shield and thrasher blade tightly. She blinked hard trice to be certain at what she were looking at had actually transpired.
Aezons, by the dozen...here...there... everywhere around them, even down before her feet. Dead.
many had been slain by blade and firebolts, but many more had been made waste by the lightning the skywoman had reached up and cast upon them. Surely this Aren, along with the light colored hair skywomen were in fact messengers, archangels sent by the gods.

"Gasp!" It were the first time she gasped as such. Erint were taken back, not knowing for certain as to why the Aren had fallen. Had the lightning she harnessed also killed her?

No.

No, Aren were not dead. Like the blonde Karlie, Erint quickly scrambled on over to Aren also, seeing the younger skywoman down on the mud.
"By the gods, you are alive!" Erint exclaimed with both joy and relief, as she dropped her shield and spear, wrapping her arms around Aern, then Karlie. They were all alive. Alive amid the many piles of aezon carcasses, still smoldering under the remnants of rain drops. Rain, that had subsided to barely a night's trickle now.

"You killed them all, Aren..." She then said, giving the clearing another look about, after she released the two from her hug.
They had fought together, side by side, back to back.
They were truly bonded now as sister warriors, Erint and the two skywomen.


Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Shivering and totally drenched, Aren was wrapped in a hug from Erint and then let go. When that happened, she laid again in the mud. Then the words of the native made it through to her head.

"All of them?"

Grunting, she once again, lifted herself onto her elbow and looked between the two of them. Thunder rolled in the distance as the storm continued to leave the area. Wincing...maybe in pain or in fear, when the rumble subsided, Aren once again met their eyes.

"How far from your home are we? I'm not sure I can walk without help."

Maybe her people would come to their rescue now the vermin had been taken care of.

"Also, do you happen to have anything to eat? I'm very hungry."

With saying that, her stomach growled and all of them huddled together like they were, she was sure it would be heard. She was glad it was night because they couldn't see the coloring of her cheeks. With or without help, Aren would attempt to sit up further and she was able to catch her breath.

"So...what now?"

Her clothes were a mess, she was soaked to the skin and still shivering. Teeth starting to chatter, she stuck her hands on her pockets in an attempt to keep them warm.

Marina DeVoe Erint Tel Set