Long Hard Road out of Hell

[Keira Priest]

Music

Keira hadn't been on Yutan. But she had heard the distress calls go out, and read the damage reports. Entire squads had been decimated in the blink of an eye, nothing left to salvage other than their dog tags, but that was of course assuming there were survivors. And from what she had seen, the odds of that weren't looking good. They had encountered something they weren't prepared for, an oddity in itself given that the entirety of the Republic's clone army were and always had been ready for anything. This was a new threat, something the galaxy had never borne witness to before. And, of course, she did the sensible thing and arranged a small shuttle to take her directly to its perceived location.

None had been rallied to accompany her; she had boarded the small vessel alone. It was better that she undertake this quest alone and seek out the one responsible to deliver her own brand of retribution. Besides, something had twisted in her gut the moment she was notified of the happenings, something that told her this was personal and meant for no one other than herself. And, as much as she hated the thought of it, her instincts rarely ever lied. But she wouldn't back down. If this individual wanted a clash with her, they would receive their wish. At this point it was nearly inevitable. The bond she shared with her men was familial, and Force help those that crossed either of them.

Such was her excuse to be once again armored and fully prepared to carve out throats in order to ensure the safety of those she dubbed family and friend. Her dog tags were still cold against her skin from where she wore them beneath her armor, a reminder of the impermanence of life and just what she fought for. Once the ship touched down she muttered her thanks to the pilot, stepping out onto a battlefield. The chaos that had been the origin point of those distress signals wasn't too far off, and in fact almost too close for comfort. Without so much as turning her head she motioned for the transport to take off. There were better equipped vessels available for emergency transport when it would likely be necessary.

Without so much as taking a moment to consider the situation or approach it with a modicum of rationality she took off at a run towards the stronghold where the last known coordinates of the clones had broadcasted. It was there she sensed the presence of the lone survivor, and the impression he made in the ethereal was a weak one at that. Her stomach instantly bottomed out once she entered the stronghold, and only then did her pace slow. "Vod'ika!" Instantly she dropped to her knees next to him, checking his vitals and relaxing a fraction once she was certain he was still breathing, a shaky exhale passing her lips. "I need a medevac. You'll be receiving coordinates shortly."

Her voice had grown quiet once she took note of the numbers scrawled across Lusk's chestplate, a nauseous sensation rising in the back of her throat. The muscles of her jaw ticced beneath her helmet, and she took up the saber hilt at her waist, turning and pushing herself to her feet, standing protectively in front of his unconscious form. "Alright, you've got my attention. Now what?"

[member="Dredge"]

 

[Dredge]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

"When I first arrived to this world I found this armor, I was spawned into it beneath the ground and mud of a world I had never heard of before." A very familiar voice spoke out to Keira from the shadows.

"So I dug myself out and began to burn my way across the galaxy until I a little voice in the back of my head started speaking to me, now this wasn't surprising to me, I've been hearing voices for quite some time. But this one, this one was different." The voice radiated out and echoed from every corner of the dark room.

"This one gave me the memories of everyone who had worn this armor, the images of blood and battle, of the Sith and dark side of the force. And I could see myself as the supreme ruler, I could see my successes, I could see my failures, I saw all of it spanning across this dimension. But there was one thing that irked me more than anything when I looked into the past." The voice paused for a moment.

"He let you live." Venom spat out with those words and soon there was a loud thump.

Where Keira held Lusk was the only spot in the room illuminated by the breach in the doorway, everything else was simple pitch darkness. All except one spot where Keira would see a very familiar red glowing eye staring into her. There was another thump and soon stepping into the light was a much bigger, much more beefier, and angrier Dredge.

Loose black filth covered dreadlocks hung from the helmet as the monster gripped at the bastard sword that pumped the darkside into his veins. But there was something off about the man, it was Dredge but it wasn't quite him. He had a different aura about him, as if he was not from this galaxy.

"So when it comes to now what, I imagine that I rip your head from your shoulders and use it as a flesh puppet whenever I'm feeling lonely." With a single hand the man raised it over to the breached in door and with the force slammed it closed so only a sliver of light shown through the darkness.

"This is your end Keira, and before I kill you I'm going to make you watch as I tear your little Clone's organs out then strangle you with them." And with that it was on.

As if he was the human torch the room light up with the natural light of fire that emanated from Dredge's armor. The man quite literally stood there covered in fire from head to toe as stared at Keira, he was going to enjoy this.

 

[Keira Priest]

Recollections of their previous encounter surfaced from their very repressed state within her subconscious in fits and bursts, and Keira did what she could to return them to where they belonged deep within her memory, much as the last time refusing to let him see her falter. This time she wouldn't, and it was for more of a reason than what she simply needed to do. No, this time she was stronger in every facet, having faced down nearly every one of her personal demons and walked away from each encounter better for it. He was one of the last few that required besting, and while she was certain it would be far from an easy task, she would do everything she could to accomplish it, both for the good of herself and the family she had built.

Through the Force she felt him out, touching on that nexus of the Dark Side that threatened to take her breath away just as it had the first time. Unlike then, however, she was better prepared, and so drew on its power just as easily as he likely was. A satisfied, predatory smile crept onto her face beneath the mask, eyes reduced to nothing more than slits for a split second as she reveled in that breathless and lightheaded sensation. Quickly her composure returned, though that headiness still remained, a telltale influence of the dark that resided within them both. It brought about a satisfaction not much else was able to provide, singing through every nerve ending and bolstering her confidence tenfold.

"I really matter that much to you? I'm touched." Truly she was surprised that even this new incarnation of the monster she had faced years earlier still remembered her name, let alone any details about her. But she supposed when one burned worlds for fun they kept track of different things, and she was no doubt just one individual on the long list of those he sought retribution against. It was really nothing personal, or at least, it hadn't been until he'd began threatening those she cared for above all else. As if she was entirely unconcerned with his apparent ability she ignited her saber with a snap-hiss of plasma energy, the weapon spinning and seeming to nearly fall through her fingers as if entirely untethered to the physical plane.

Her blade raised in front of her in a mid-guard, that unwavering barrier of superheated light the only thing separating her from a veritable killing machine. "You said all that the last time, too. Do you really mean it now, or is this going to be another daring escape made by yours truly? Your dedication is nice and all, but I think it'd be better for the both of us if we just walked out of each other's lives. Nothing personal, but I'm really not feeling this anymore." She inclined her head just slightly as if in challenge, saber spinning one final time to beckon him towards her.

[member="Dredge"]

 

[Dredge]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

The woman stepped in front of her egging him on, but Dredge would not strike. He knew she held speed over him, agility that could work around his strength. He could even feel the power that radiated off of her, and while it was nothing but a small drop in a ocean compared to what the Nexus put out it would be enough to possibly even get the best of him if he wasn't careful. So he was going to have to be careful about this, and in order for her to get within striking distance she'd have to cross the ethereal flames covering his body and they were quite hot.

"Oh Keira you misunderstand me. My alternate self held no hatred for you, he never wished to kill you, no he was weak like that. However." Dredge said as he stepped forward.

"I do. I hate you, I hate everything that you stand for, and I hate that he let you live. So I'm going to do what he was incapable of doing. And believe me, neither of us are going anywhere." Dredge said with a smirk.

The mad Yuuzhan Vong let out torrents of mad laughter as the dark side swelled and a wave of pure kinetic energy was sent out. It would come in bellow Lusk and keep from crushing him, however for support beams and other necessary parts of the old refinery cracked and soon the building began to become unstable. It was barely standing and Keira would know Dredge meant to fight her, and if need be bury them both together.

"Now you die!" Dredge rushed forward with his sword and brought it down in a vertical manner to try and take the woman out.

He had her where he wanted her, fighting in a heavily damaged building. It was a house of cards, and if Keira cut loose on her full power it would come down and possibly kill them all. However Dredge didn't care, he didn't care if he lived or died. He'd seen the cruelty of life and in truth wanted nothing more than to kill as many as he could before having his miserable life ended.

 

[Keira Priest]

Sometimes it was amazing how much wrong attention one could garner simply by existing. It seemed that Keira had become a master of that of late, but she wasn't left much time to ponder that before that sword of bone came crashing down towards her in a bid to end the fight before it even began. It was a maneuver she recognized, one she had employed before herself to overwhelm her enemy and immediately turn the fight in her favor. When it was being utilized against her, however, she could have done away with it. Her reflexes were as sharp as ever, and seemingly without a single conscious thought she rolled to the side in order to avoid being instantly bisected.

Still she didn't press the assault, though her blade remained defiantly ignited, an epitome of her fighting spirit if there ever was one. With his most recent display of power it was clear that any telekinetic attacks on her part would be out of the question, given their often volatile and unrestrained nature. That meant she was left with nothing more than her blade and whatever subconscious assistance the Force itself felt generous enough to provide. "You might want to see about some anger management courses. Hating somebody for no reason isn't a good sign of a healthy psyche. Even I'm not that bad." And that was certainly saying something, given the specifics of her past.

Casting a glance behind her she determined Lusk was still safe and well, and that lifted a fraction of the weight from her shoulders. Keying into her HUD she locked onto the vital signs that his own helmet transmitted, allowing them to be visible within the corner of her helmeted vision at all times. She activated the in-helmet comms again, speaking once more to those she had hailed previously, "Notify any approaching troopers to remain outside of the building located at the coordinates I sent until further notice. That goes for the medevac as well. There's business I need to handle first." And just like that she was back in the present, once more focusing in on her primary adversary. "Alright, ugly, let's dance."

[member="Dredge"]

 

[Dredge]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

"I HATE EVERYTHING!!" Dredge screamed as he lifted his blade up from the floor.

The massive Sith sword had buried itself in the concrete leaving a large gash in it that dug into the floor, it was terrifying how much power was in that strike, how much rage and anger that came along with it. And it was warranted, Dredge felt nothing but rage in his heart, his entire life was betrayal and loneliness so when he had the chance to make others feel his pain he'd hop aboard and make sure they did.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT ANOTHER FACE TO BURY!" The Vong screamed again and charged the woman.

The warlord took their blade and with huge amounts of power he swung horizontally at Keira. In doing so he sliced through a duracrete pillar sending fragments of rock and steel at her along with the blade itself. The building shook a little more and Keira would see just how much pain Dredge felt, that he'd rather kill her and himself than simply walk away from a losing situation. He would rather die and embrace hell with open arms before he allowed her to survive.

"I GAVE THEM EVERYTHING!!" Dredge screamed saying something that was almost unrelated to what was going on here. Something that was perhaps the root of his pain and anger.