Into the Abyss (Enyo)

[Laira Darkhold]

Byss

When the Yuuzhan Vong had rebuilt Byss, Orthus had wondered if there had been any reason for it. He had pondered if upon rebuilding it they would realize without what had made it special that it was nothing more than a rock. But the Force, it seemed, had other plans. The wellspring of life and energy had taken its time, but nonetheless transformed the paradise planet into a conduit of power once again.

Orthus stared blankly out of a penthouse window, the former Fortress World was without any government to fortify it, and so it was merely a paradise once more. Outside the faint blue-green light from the star bathed the planet in its aura, a subtle line of midnight blue steadily growing as the star sunk towards the horizon. The Sith Lord couldn't appreciate the island resort or the penthouse's view like his associates could, but he still had memories of it before he had sacrificed his senses for unnatural longevity. Part of him, deep within his mind, wished that he had not sacrificed those aspects, those things that he had since come to realize made life such a wonder. But it was not to be, he had been cursed to bear the yoke of responsibility. He had a duty to the galaxy that no matter what it cost him, it was his burden to bear. Always. The Sith sighed subtly, leaning back in the chair he had claimed.

Around him were only a small team of four Death Troopers, more here for show and to pilot his shuttle than as guards. As such he had deliberately ordered them to stand in non-threatening positions within the room behind him. Their purpose within the room was simply to show that Orthus maintained his own small paramilitary force, and wasn't some loner who required troops, technology, and everything else from his counterpart. That he did have something of his own. His counterpart was something of a mystery to him, though he'd heard some simple rumors. Enyo Typhos, some form of Dark Jedi who had gained significant power even before the collapse of the One Sith Empire several years ago. The Dark Master pondered whether she would appreciate his former allegiance or not. Doubtful, she would likely appreciate him as a survivor more so than she would as a holdover from a fallen regime.

"Centurion," The Sith Lord turned his hand outward, clutching a small, now empty tumbler. A Death Trooper retrieved the glass in silence and swiftly refreshed it with, pouring what appeared to be water, a dark liquor, and a tonic with a citris peel and ice cube. The trooper returned the now full glass to the outstretched hand in silence. "Thank you." The metallic voice responded, sipping the liquid and letting it wash over his tongue. It had a taste, Orthus could readily identify them, but he had little appreciation for it. A shame, only truly great years resonated with his heightened palate.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]

(Typhos, not Typhus ))


The Dark Side of the Force was a pathway to many abilities some considered to be...unnatural. The same apparently applied to Vong technology. It could be argued what was more extreme. The ability to body-hop, consume a star and drain an entire world of life? Or the ability to restore worlds that had been completely annihilated by a superweapon. She had yet to find a Vong who vanished in a puff of smoke to escape his own ineptitude in a duel.


Either way, Byss had been reborn, just like Alderaan and any number of worlds that had been wiped from the face of the galaxy during the Galactic Civil War. It was ironic that while Yuuzhan Vong technology had breathed new life into these worlds, the Vong themselves were...largely irrelevant. They had only made waves briefly as legbreakers for the Dark Lord.


Now the Dark Lord was dead. His empire was ashes. A new Sith Empire had arisen. It was big on propaganda about making the Sith great again and eclipsing the Light. The so called forces of Light were making this rather easy. However, in time, it would collapse as well. Then another one would replace it. Organics seemed locked in a perpetual cycle, always seeking to rebuild that which their forebears had built - and oftentimes making the same mistakes.


Her eyes stared out of the window, gazing upon the deceptively paradisical world as the idyllic orb came into view. With barely a ripple, the Lightbringer had exited hyperspace. The stygium cloaking array made the ship near invisible to any observer. Certainly today, when Byss had faded into obsurity once more. A small shuttle seemed to appear from nowhere and head down to the planet. Aside from Enyo herself, the sole occupants were three HRDs and Alexia Zarides. The former were largely a ceremonial force, but being assassin droids they could fight well instead of parading around. The latter was one of her clone siblings and the one she trusted the most among them.


"Transmit the code," Enyo spoke blandly. Her expression was blank. The code in question was one they had agreed upon as a means of identification.

"Yes, Boss," Alexia said in her professional, clipped tone. "You trust him? He's a Sith." She had no moral or even ideological issues with Orthus' religious views. Sith did have a tendency of being...unpredictable though. Or rather predictable in chronic backstabbing disorder. Her template had been one. A rabid dog who had wasted her talents with pursuits of petty sadism.

"I'm aware. I've worked with Sith before. I've worked with all manners of people. I don't trust anyone outside of the family. But I measure by utility."

"Anyone who isn't us is an enemy or an asset," Alexia repeated words Enyo had often spoken.

"Yes," the smile was not quite there, but close enough. It never reached her eyes. "Be on your guard nontheless."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Your Excellency, your guests have arrived in system." One of the four troopers remarked, his commlink flashing a bright neon green silently.

"Direct them to land at the resort, and ensure that the resort is aware that is our expected guests." Most of spycraft was just knowing what to say and to whom, very little of it was obvious manipulation. As far as the resort he was in was aware, Orthus was merely another Sith, there were more than enough running around for him to slip through the cracks. His credits worked, his allegiance was assumed to be to the Sith Empire and he never bothered to correct them, and his name was never directly asked and so there was no need to lie. His mission was his own and who he'd be meeting wasn't important. Most resorts and hotels understood the need for privacy among their clientele and were happy to provide it, in exchange for a few extra credits.

The robed Sith Pureblood rose from the comfortable chair, flexing his frail muscles as he did so. Taking on a voice was taxing, both to his spirit and the vessel's body. Even if he wanted to possess a hulking behemoth of a being, it would soon become frail by comparison, in resemblance of his own body. He could expend effort to stave off the Dark Side corruption, he could try to have an alchemically altered body to sustain his presence and maintain its own natural physical traits, but what was the point? In the end it was little more than a suit he wore to protect his life force. One saw a tailor for a suit, but once holes began appearing it was better just to find a new one rather than patch them over and over again. Black gloves set the tumbler on the side table and adjusted his mask into place. <Flesh is but a mask for our souls. I wear a new one when it suits me, but the mask is more my identity than any flesh could be.>

The troopers opened doors as the Sith Lord flowed from the room, their helms avoiding eye contact with the silver Sith Mask as best they could by bowing their heads when he passed by them. Twinges of fear and respect flooded their minds as he glided beyond them onto the catwalk that separated the shuttle pad from the main tower of the resort.

Paradise below, heaven above.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


Masks. They all wore them. Some more obvious than others. On the surface, Enyo appeared human. The spitting image of Siobhan Kerrigan, minus the scarlet mane since she was not so vain to dye her hair. Strip the flesh away, and one would be confronted with cold metal. That might compel the unitiated to mistake her for a droid. But her mind was still human. Locked inside a brain box, dependent on electronics and kept alive by hideous science. In limbo between life and death, between organic and machine. The possibility of her mental faculties degrading while her systems refused to let her brain die was a frightening one.


There were upsides though. When she walked down the landing ramp, she did so fluidly. Her steps were carefully measured, in near-perfect symmetry. Her old Cyborg body had manifested a zombie-like gait. This new one could, if she wanted, run at a speed significantly greater than that of a human without tiring.


Her electronic eyes took in the resort. She could see the opulence that was on display. Many observers had called Byss a paradise. These were things she could not appreciate. True sensation, as opposed to digitised data, eluded her. The attraction of gourmet meals were lost on her because she did not need to eat anyway. Doubtless any penthouse inside the tower was more luxurious than her home. Presumably also far more furnished. But her Spartan life style was one by choice. Luxury was just a millstone around your neck, weighing you down when you really needed to toss away baggage.


Alexia and her HRD minions fell in line with her. Each of the droids had once been organic beings. Or rather, to be precise, they were mental and physical facsimiles of organics whose minds had been harvested. More than simple automatons, but not living beings either. Enyo had foregone her heavy armour, but wore a light combat suit beneath her clothes. In any case, she was living armour. Her dark coat billowed in the wind behind her. Even a killing machine permitted herself a few indulgences here and there.


She caught sight of the masked Sith Lord as he approached from the catwalk. "Darth Orthus, I presume. Enyo Typhos." Her tone was calm, emotionless. She was not the type to have a herald who would recite a long list of bombastic titles. She left that to her template. Or to so-called 'supreme leaders' who needed to convince others of their own relevance.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Orthus had a few titles himself, but he found that one at a time normally worked for his purposes. Most of the time it was Dark Master, but Darth would suffice for this meeting. "Indeed I am, Miss Typhos." He said, the semi-metallic voice of his own creeping through the throat of the Sith Pureblood. Eventually they all adopted his voice unless he spent time and effort to correct that corruption of the Force. His head bowed slightly in respect as she approached, hands held together in front of his body.

"Thank you for meeting with me," he began, rising back from his bowed position of respectful reverence. "Byss seemed like an appropriate meeting place given its history, you'll have to excuse my fondness of symbolism." She felt odd, but not unexpected. Everyone had odd sensations in the Force upon first meeting. Likely she at least felt some of the tears that had rent his own soul, scarred but not yet broken. He had decided upon a level of humility before she had arrived, not grovelling, but a pleasant demeanor with a healthy respect for his caller.

Byss was once the Imperial Throneworld, home to several Superweapons, the place where the Galactic Empire had been transformed into a Dark Side Magnocracy, and the place the Sith Empire under Palpatine had begun and died. But more importantly it had died, and resurrected. Much like the Sith Lord and his guest, Miss Typhos. Perhaps not precisely the same, but in a manner of speaking the three held vast similarities, some even unknown to the Sith. He wasn't totally aware of her cyborg nature, but both Dark Siders and the Planet had given up their beauty and many of life's little wonders for power. The planet's once grand fauna and flora had been torn away, dying off upon its corruption by the Force. It resembled on the outside what they were on the inside. Still beautiful, brimming with divine purpose and clarity of conscience, but having made an oblation for strength.

"I have a suite inside if you'd like to speak over drinks, but if I might offer a preference, I had hoped we could have our chat while walking the coastline." His head tilted, tone implying she was being asked to choose her own favored place rather than him insisting one or the other.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


Death. Sacrifice. Rebirth.


Those were concepts Enyo was well familiar with. She had been forged in the fires of the Age of Steel and become stronger for it. Her human flesh had been stripped from her. Perhaps the Sith Lord could sense that her aura was...twisted. Tainted. Somewhere in a halfway house between being alive and dead.


Her Creators had sought to remake her in their image and succeeded. But that was fine. It was the sacrifice she had made. The mantle of responsibility rested on her shoulders. None of her siblings had the strength and the vision to safeguard the family the way she could. Power - true power - could only be attained through sacrifice. One had to experience being chained ere one could free oneself. She was no mentalist or even particularly proficient in Sense abilities. Being encased in a mechanical shell stiffled her abilities somewhat, but she could perceive tears when she looked upon the Sith.


She responded to his query with a curt nod. "The coastline is satisfactory," she responded laconically. Suites were confining, and drinks she could not really appreciate. So off they went. Other guests seemed to give them a wide berth. Perhaps some mistook her for Siobhan Kerrigan. Or just another Sith. It did not matter to Enyo either way.


"What is it you would like to discuss?" she asked directly. Enyo could, if she wanted, make herself sound more human. Indeed, she could imitate any voice she heard if she felt the desire. Most of the time she did not see the need. She reserved the more 'human' tone for her siblings.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Excellent." Orthus said with a polite tone, waving off his small escort of Death Troopers. They wouldn't be necessary, not that he was certain Miss Typhos wouldn't accost him, just that he knew if she choose to they wouldn't be able to stop her. He ushered her towards a paved walkway which wound a path to the coastline.

"Straight to the point." Orthus could understand that desire to pass through business quickly. Especially since it was simplistic. "I have been researching cloning, cybernetics, and genetics and your name kept appearing on the list. So, one could say I'm interested in procuring some of your knowledge on those subjects." More or less an exchange of information, unfortunately he didn't have much to offer as payment. Credits were only so valuable, rarely did they sate the appetite of the wealthy and affluent.

What he did have was knowledge of the Force, which someone like Miss Typhos may or may not possess. "In a similar vein, I've researched an alchemical process which turned beasts into what is known as a Chrysalide. Eight hundred years ago, Emperor Palpatine grew them on this world. Well, on the world that existed in this place. I thought they might interest you as much as they interest me." Everyone could appreciate the concept of beasts and soldiers capable of shredding vehicles and shrugging off turbolaser strikes, the only issue was that finding the alchemical process was difficult. There were tomes elsewhere, but the odds of finding that information on Byss was a stretch, considering this world wasn't actually Byss.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


"I have knowledge in those fields," Enyo confirmed, though she did not elaborate. She was laconic and stoic by nature. The three HRDs kept their distance rather than following. Her implants kept her aware of their vigilant presence. "I'd be willing to trade, in return for something of equal value for me." The response was ambiguous, but probably confirmed that she could think of compensation beyond credits.


Not because she was one of those types who had more money they knew what to do and could buy anything they could think of, even planets. Credits were important, of course. But Enyo spent very little on herself, outside of repairs, weapons, hardware and software upgrades. Instead she reinvested most of her funds back into her organisation. Her office was an extremely Spartan affair.


Her outward expression remained placid while she considered Orthus' offer. The gears were moving inside her mind. She could sense that something was on Alexia's mind. The young clone was too disciplined to interrupt and blurt out her thoughts. That was one of the reasons why Enyo had taken her along. Valerian was smart, but thought he was so clever that he could not stop running his mouth. Thalia was an immature brat. So she was not surprised when her sibling touched her mind through the Force.


"The beasts he mentions are savage mutants, uncontrolled. Unless we want to massacre a crowd I don't see them as that useful. See if there's any way to control them or choose something else?" she queried telepathically. Enyo's outward expression remained unchanged. Critical thinking was important. If her siblings could make a clear, concise point, she would take it into account. The final decision would always be hers and she reject their suggestions, but she would consider them.


"I've heard of Chrysalides. Extremely powerful beasts," she spoke, making what was probably a massive understatement, given how they had chewed through X-1 Viper Droids, which could stand up to AT-ATs. "But just as difficult to control. Prone to attack anything that's not their kind. Do you know of means to control them and have you already tried out this research yourself?" Her calm tone remained the same. Aggression and ferocity were good, but they needed to be focused. When dealing with aggressive predators - or troublesome minions - Enyo's standard approach was to alter their behaviour through cybernetic brain implants. But she had not dealt with giant Sithspawn.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Orthus smiled, his metallic voice making its best attempt at warmth. The Sith was practiced at adopting different personas when necessary, and for a time he could be anyone, even a kindly old man. It was a skill he had learned in his youth, to play the part that best benefited him at the time. He smiled behind the mask, he could have been a holovid star if he had not found his purpose all those lifetimes ago. For Enyo, he chose to be the humble mystic, knowledgeable and wise, but not arrogant. He considered arrogance a waste, even in his false personas, for it went beyond pride and blinded one of their own faults. Arrogance convinced a man they could be a god, that they could rule a galaxy against its will. Only fools gave into arrogance and hubris. "Well of course, Miss Typhos. I would offer something from my library, but I'm afraid you'll find no tomes of ancient power in them. Just novels that caught my fancy."

Orthus was a bit more indulgent than his counterpart. He enjoyed a number of comforts in his private quarters, silks and relaxa bed, hand carved desk at which he worked sometimes. But his quarters were considered bare, his sense of aesthetics made even fine art made such niceties a waste. It wasn't that he couldn't see them, he just had no appreciation for such things. He did on occasion succumb and drink wine or brandy, try food, but it was more out of curiosity than desire. All but the finest tasted just like nutrient paste anyway. At least he wasn't so desperate as to drink from a skull to compensate.

The Sith had never actually seen one of the creatures personally, he'd only heard about them and read some obscure sources regarding the beasts. He assumed they had to have some degree of control otherwise Palpatine and the Sith Lords who used them as pets would have been eaten shortly after they matured and burst from their cocoons. But that was all unproven theories. If they could serve the purpose of protector they could be controlled to a degree. "I have some theories on how to control them, but I would need to test them in order to know for certain. In ancient times, they were used as pets and guards, so there is a way. It must simply be uncovered after all this time it has been lost in the dark." There were no records as far as he could tell of how Palpatine had reigned his creatures in after they had finished killing off the New Republic soldiers that had attacked the Citadel. It was possible, but not likely, they simply continued to rampage until killed.

Some of her retinue followed the pair as they made their way to the coastline. The other guests and residents gave them both a wide berth, no one wanted to stand near the Sith and he wasn't discussing matters of state out in the open. If anything they were merely discussing a science experiment. "Any beast with a brain can be controlled through some technological means. At the very least something to send them into dormancy. Regardless, while the planet was rebuilt, they used some of the original pieces. I believe one of the pieces that contained the Emperor's subterranean laboratories lies in the ocean if you'd like to assist me in exploring it." There was always the risk that the Emperor had been at work with things like soul blisters and leviathans, something that could trap his spirit if it killed this body. Risks needed to be calculated, and the reward was great enough.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


That's inconcrete, Alexia surmised. It would be logical to presume that Palpatine would not have created the Chrysalides without some means to pacify them. Or at least kill them if they did not cease their rampage. Then again, the reborn Galactic Emperor had been...more than a little mentally unstable.


The Sith Lord mentioned a possible lead in form of a remnant of old Byss that had been repurposed after the original planet's cataclysmic destruction. If that was true, the prospect of finding something of value there - if not blueprints to create obedient giant Sithspawn, then something else - was sufficient to pique her interest.


"An expedition could produce something of value or be a wild goose chase," Enyo remarked. "I can accompany you. But what I offer you will be based on the concrete knowledge you can provide me in return. Unless you would like to share basic information now until we find something tangible."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The Sith Lord was used to being cryptic, but better to divulge honesty where necessary. There was no reason to fabricate a conclusion without evidence in this scenario, his counterpart was already willing to provide him with a service and there was no reason to risk making an enemy by misleading the woman. "I'm sure once I've been given time to study the process, I will be able to provide more concrete information on the subject. I'm patient Miss Typhos, I can wait until our expedition is done."

"Given the possibility of defenses and sithspawn, perhaps this is something that only the two of us should undertake. Perhaps your assistant if you'd like. I'm not sure how much use guards would be in such a situation. Chrysalides were said to be able to shrug off turbolaser strikes, so I don't think a blaster will do either of us any good." More than that, he wanted to build a relationship with the woman, implant a sense of trust and camaraderie. Something that couldn't be done if his troopers accompanied and were slaughtered by sithspawn. There was no reason to waste their lives either. So the question was, 'are you willing to trust me with your life?'.

Orthus's mask had a rebreather, enough to get him to the underwater remnant of old Byss. His reconnaissance probes had given him an approximate location but had done little else, and once they grew closer the Force could guide them the rest of the way. This planet had a way of enhancing the abilities of those with the power and control to tame it, two masters of their art could become forces of nature on this world. Especially two that could compliment each other's strengths and cover one another's weaknesses. "Do you need time to prepare?" His voice remained soft and polite, one could say submissive if they were so inclined.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


Trust was an interesting thing. Enyo trusted very few - not after being manipulated, betrayed and violated by her Creators from the moment she had breathed air. Ironically, she surrounded herself with droids, even though machines had also been her abusers. But she understood them - and possessed the means to control them. In spite of this, she had acquired a rather colourful crew that included sellswords, Shards, homicidal assassin droids and barbarian lizardmen. But she confided in few of them. Except her siblings. Typhoses were a people of a special cut.


She cocked her head to the side slightly. "We can depart. Zarides, you will accompany me."

"Yes, Boss," Alexia spoke, her tone clipped and formal. When they were on the job, they gave no indication of being siblings. Her aura was that of an experienced Acolyte. Thus if it came to a fight between the Cyborg and the Sith Lord for this or that reason, it was unlikely that Alexia would be able to make much of an impact. But the expedition could be a good lesson for her. If the girl felt a bit daunted by the prospect of exploring the ancient, potentially monster-infested laboratory of a megalomaniacal tyrant, she did her best hiding behind her usual tough girl look.

"Rest of you wait here and await further orders." That was directed towards her HRDs. Strictly speaking, she did not need to give verbal orders to the droids, as she could resort to purely electronic communication via her implants. It was mainly voiced to confirm to the Sith Lord that the assassin droids would be staying away to chill with his Death Troopers. Well, probably not chill. Now this one is imagining an HRD-Death Trooper buddy cop show. Presumably there'd be plenty of explosions.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The well trained, but heavily indoctrinated Death Trooper clones possessed zero chill. But they did possess the ability to cut loose and recuperate. Yes, likely involving some form of explosion if they weren't on duty. At best there would be some chatting about places they had been and where their cyborg compatriots had served miss Typhos.

Orthus himself wasn't all that concerned about coming to blows with the cyborg or her allies. If she had wanted to do him harm, she could at any moment without issue. Nothing on Byss was capable of intervening on his behalf given their proximity and her guards were likely just as skilled as his own, and mildly outnumbered. Logic dictated she either was waiting to learn from him or had no reason to do him harm. Either way, as painful as sacrificing a Host Vessel might be, it was a risk he was willing to take in order to gain a potentially powerful ally. Really the only thing he could think of that would cause him to abandon his allies was if there happened to be a Leviathan trapped in that fragment, but he doubted the slain Emperor Palpatine kept such a being in reserve during Operation Shadowhand. It was possible, but not likely.

Once Enyo and Alexia had confirmed they were ready to depart, the Sith began bowed his head respectfully. His voice radiated with enthusiasm, his body language exuding eagerness. "Excellent. The fragment is only a few kilometers out and at the edge of the continental shelf." And then a few hundred meters below the surface, assuming they didn't have to make their own entrance. "I suppose I'll lead the way ladies." Orthus began wading out into the water from the coastline, salt water clinging to his robes, soaking through to his skin. The water was cool and clean, devoid of algae and sea life, whether because of the nature of the planet or because of the Sith and Terminatrix no one could be certain. After just a few steps he began swimming.

Swimming might have been an overstatement for what Orthus was physically capable of, his relatively frail and wasted form wasn't capable of long distance swimming, certainly not free diving. Instead he fully intended to pull himself along through the Force, something he was much more capable of sustaining. The Sith reached out with the Force, clinging to a distant object with his mind and tugging him along. He wasn't aiming to break any records, just pull himself out into the ocean and conserve what physical stamina he did have for when they found the fragment of the world that was.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


Swimming was awkward for Enyo. Compared to some bulky droid models, her chassis was fairly light. But it was still made of Phrik. She gave Orthus a curt nod when he spoke. She was, as the Sith Lord might have noticed, a woman of few words. This stood in stark contrast to her template. Like many clones, Enyo made a conscious effort to be as different from her mirror as possible. Yet there were similarities.


Will to power.

Ruthlessness, combined with fervent love for those they considered family.

The apple does not fall far from the tree.


Anyhow, they were off to the cool, clean, salty waters of Byss. The Terminatrix was not a good swimmer. Fortunately, in this situation she mainly needed to get to the bottom of the sea to wherever the base was, assuming it was there. The Force aided in the effort to pull her along in the direction she wanted. Lacking in elegance, but she was practical. She suppressed the feeling of discomfort she felt. Of the three of them, Alexia, having equipped herself with a rebreather, seemed to be doing the best. She lacked the preternatural power of the two Masters, but she was neither frail of body nor weighed down by a metal endoskeleton.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Bubbles from the rebreather in the mask pushed his exhalation out, rising to the surface while the filters pulled oxygen from the water and from his exhalations before filtering out the excess. Occasionally the Sith Lord kicked his legs, but for the most part he simply floated through the water, pulled along towards the trio's goal by telekinetically grasping a point and pulling himself towards it.

Of his companions, Enyo seemed to be like a brick in water, but her powerful limbs and some aid from the Force pulled her along. Orthus had little to remark about, but so far he was pleased with her acquaintance. The fact that she was heavy likely meant she was a capable combatant. Dense and durable. Her cybernetic construction wasn't something he was familiar with, but cyborgs did make good tanks in general. Alexia was easily the best swimmer of the three however, gliding along through the ocean water with relative ease.

The sea darkened as they pulled into deeper and deeper waters, the light from the blueish star Beshqek refracting in the sea until the trio found themselves in little more than gloom. Sea creatures on the planet weren't known for their size, and few species on the planet were known for being dangerous. Aside from Emperor Palpatine's Dark Side experiments. Orthus reached out with his consciousness, searching for any sensation of corruption. He understood why the ancient emperor had chosen this world to recover on, all of it had the slight feeling of corruption. All was somewhat disturbed by the Dark Side, masking the presence and manipulations of others from afar. Perhaps that was the Force returning the recreations of the reformed Vong to balance, or the universe's way of cleansing their relevance from the galaxy.

The Dark Master stopped, concentrating all his efforts on his senses. Dull dark presences filled every corner of the world of Byss, but a few pits of total abyss remained on the planet. Only a few stood out to him. One a place of fate churning, where someone had done something recently and likely poorly in order to change the course of history, but that wasn't what he sought. Just something to think about later. Beneath him, a darkened pit of cruelty and malice, mostly obscured by the planet and its sinking. That must be it.

This time he latched to the sensation and pulled himself along at a quickened pace, water swirling around his body as he moved. <This must be it.> The telepathic message pulsed through his companions in his own, almost-robotic voice. Perhaps Enyo had encountered enough Voss to recognize the accent. Through the gloom and dark waters loomed a large dome shaped structure, almost the size of a stadium. It was clearly different from its surroundings, as though they had been built upon it in an attempt to imitate it.

<Look for an entrance or opening.>

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


Down they went. Down into the cool embrace of the waters of Byss. Down here Enyo felt like a brick. Virtually immobile, reliant on the Force to pull herself along when her metal chassis weighed her down. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. It felt like she was moving with near glacial slowness. Through the Force, she felt concern radiating from Alexia. However, she did not respond. Not even when her own discomfort heightened and she felt like walls were closing in. Instead she persevered. She had been trapped once, and broken free. Weakness was something one should acknowledge to oneself - and then overcome. This body had been a prison, until she made it her own.


Fortunately, the waters were mercifully free of sea monsters. No giant sharks pounced upon the trio in an attempt to swallow them. They would have, in all likelihood, not found Enyo to be particularly digestible. All that metal was bad for your stomach. Even more than sodium overdoses produced by the average invasion, but this one digresses.


Fortunately, she did not need to breathe. Sensations of cruelty and malice steered her path as she closed in on their destination. The Sith Lord's telepathic message resonated in her mind. Enyo had had little contact with Voss, so the source of the accent was not immediately apparent to her. She sought to quicken her pace - as much as possible given her brick-like state. These waters would not hold her. She would push forward. At one point she threatened to be pulled further down into the depths of the seas, but her will forced her up and onward, albeit with some telekinetic help from Alexia.


She pushed herself towards an airlock. Two cyborg hands gripped it. It was sturdy and had not been opened for centuries ago. There was resistance. But she forced it to give way, granting them an entrance of sorts. She wasted no time and quickly passed through it. A foreboding, gloomy underwater base awaited the three villain protagonists.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Orthus scanned what he could of the outside in the dim light of the sea, looking for a crevasse or hole in the oubliette. He searched as best as he could, but luckily he did not have to find it on his own. Instead his terminatrix companion was able to find access through an airlock that she pried open by hand. Needless to say, the Sith Lord could not have completed such a task on his own without assistance from the Force. Already his decision to ask for Enyo's help was paying off for the Lord of Truth.

Orthus slipped into the deep dark gloom within the airlock behind his two villainous cyborg companions, squeezing through the open doors. His body fit easily enough, the oppressive darkness of Byss closing in around them. The taint of bygone ages radiating like a sickness he was all too familiar with. Luckily, they wouldn't have to spend the entire time underwater.

Through the lock, the water spilled out as the inner doors opened, joining an ankle deep lake that covered all of the floor the three could see. The appeared in the middle of a long curved corridor, about three meters wide and stretching off dozens of meters to either side with paired alcoves every so often. Orthus's senses however were not so bold. His eyes were no better than any other human's or in this case Sith's and his helmet didn't contain any special sensors. The Sith Lord instead held his hand aloft and a small orb of light flickered into being, shining a dim aura on the corridor. It hung in the air, a simple device at its center. No reason to use the Force for such a trivial requirement.

Ripples swept down the corridor on either side. The sound of groaning gears and machinery activating after centuries of dormancy and rust. The hulking shape of a droid filled the far end of the corridor, and then another, and another. Their faces resembled that of the frowning stormtroopers of old, large cannons lifting to face the trio of interlopers.

"UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY. EXTERMINATION PROTOCOLS ACTIVE."

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


The base was ancient and looked the part. No living being had walked through these darkened, partly flooded corridors for centuries. Taking note of the lack of lighting, Enyo accessed her implants to adjust her vision mode, switching to night vision. For a moment, her red eyes flashed behind her human irises before regaining their usual colour.


Ripples could be felt through the Force. Her mechu-deru senses tingled, as she felt long dormant machines come alive. Gears and servos groaned. Then hulking shapes of ancient, but still functional war droids confronted them. They resembled stormtroopers of old, but Enyo could sense they were machines, not organic beings. They announced themselves in dramatic fashion. And their autocannons hurled crimson bolts into the direction of the three interlopers who had so rudely disturbed their centuries-long rest. Enyo's lightsabre was in hand, its blade casting a burning violet light across the corridor.


Bolts of energy rocketed from the muzzles of the autocannons' barrels, and she met them with the fluid motions of Soresu, moving as she did so. A static target was a dead target, after all. Being a machine, she was quick on her feet. However, while she slashed bolts into the ceiling, the walls or droids, she could only deflect so much, given the sheer rate of fire an autocannon could produce. A bolt grazed her face, another hammered her shoulder, then a leg. She was pushed back by the impact as the rounds punched through her armour. Here and there, flesh was ripped apart, but she persevered.


Get close. I'll draw fire, she commanded Alexia, who had been firing with her shatterpistol. The young clone was in no position to argue. Enyo received a silent ping that counted as affirmation. Crouching to take cover as blaster bolts ricochetted off the walls, Alexia activated her cloaking device, vanishing from sight. Bolting while mayhem raged around her, she tried close in on one of the war machines, lightsabre in hand. Meanwhile, her Cyborg sister was advancing, making herself a visible target.


Sinking into the Force as bolts rained down upon her, Enyo stretched out with her power, focusing on one of the war bots. Pulling at the tangled web of power that was the Force, she unleashed a surge of mechu-deru. Her assault went straight for the old droid's brain. As if being pulled by invisible strings, the machine turned, rotating its cannon towards its comrades and depressing the trigger. However, her senses flared up in warning when a rocket sailed through the air towards her.


Lacking time to dodge, she called upon the Force to form a protective shield, focusing on her skull. Explosive projectile met shield and there was a loud, powerful blast. The area right in front of her was covered in smoke and she was knocked off her feet and tossed into a wall by the blast. In this moment, Alexia decloaked. Manifesting in the rear of the machines, she stabbed one with her lightsabre.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The Dark Troopers filled the corridor, their shapes blocking out the dim light reflected by the water on the floor. Rust and decay shook from them with every step, centuries of deactivation having taken their toll on the droids. Their movements were probably not as quick as they could have been, but they were spry enough to react to the presence of the Sith Lord, the terminatrix, and the assistant.

Enyo reacted quickly, rushing forward and dodging to one side so as to lead the autocannon fire away from her two companions. Smart, it left Alexia and Orthus to deal with the others without having to worry as much about stray shots rendering them into smoking corpses. Orthus's own lightsaber snapped on, the twin red blades fluttering around his cloaked form defensively. His own skill with the blade was not precise, enough to block the bolts coming in his direction, but not so well as to deflect them back at his opponents. That was one of the reason he preferred the twin bladed lightsaber he used, it covered a much greater portion of the Sith's body, making it easier to defend.

While Alexia cloaked and moved forward, Orthus reached out with the Force at one of the three Dark Troopers, gripping it with mental might and squeezing. The droid rose from the water just a little, its limbs locking against itself as he collasped the droid. Creaking metal and gears whined against the pressure while Enyo used her own powers to control one of the other droids and Alexia attacked from the rear. Finally, like a gasp, the droid's armor gave way and the automaton crushed into a comparatively small ball, sending sparks and debris from the effort.

Orthus turned his attention to the next as a shockwave from a rocket shuddered the corridor, knocking the Sith off his balance. He grimaced, how he disdained combat in this manner. Were the guards living it would have been such a simple matter. Almost as much effort to speak the words and they would turn their weapons upon themselves, but with droids it required a little more ingenuity.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Orthus"]


Alexia did not have her sister's brute strength and absurd tankiness. Moreover, she was still a novice in the ways of the Force and thus did not possess the Sith Lord's mystical mastery. But she had discipline, skill and agility, and a willingness to do whatever was needed to survive.


She was the third arrow of the triangle. Not a rabid dog like Kaelin, not a misguided, weak-kneed child like Amara. Two Dark Troopers were out of the game. One remained. And so Alexia pounced, decloaking. Surging forward, she launched a stabbing thrust towards the droid, the tip of her burning violet blade aiming for what she hoped would be its power core.


Her blade struck true and sparks flew as the energy weapon connected with the droid's back. However, while it went through, the heavy armour plating limited the damage, preventing it from reaching its destination in time. Moving in a blur of motion, the Dark Trooper spun around to confront her, keeping her blade from going through.


Her heart thumped inside her chest when she found herself face to face with the droid's glowing red eyes and its assault cannon. Giving her no time for a reprieve, the droid rifle butted her. A cry escaped her as the machine struck her head. Knocked back by the force of the blow, she tumbled and felt dizzy. But the Force screamed in her mind, and she grabbed the gun with her mind to push it aside, rolling to avoid a hail of blaster bolts.


Pain turned to anger. And as she came up, she slashed and took the droid's hand at the wrist, causing it to drop its gun. Before she could follow up with another stroke though, the droid rammed its severed arm into her side. Crying out, Alexia slashed and rid its head from its torso. As the machine flailed about, she stabbed, her blade destroying its power core with a thrust to the chest. Standing over the broken machine, she breathed in heavily. She noticed that Enyo and the Sith Lord had emerged from the smoke caused by the explosion. Part of her suspected that Enyo had been watching the fight to see how she would do.