Private Rescue from Darkness

Laertia Io · Oct 11, 2020

Wearing: Jedi Kimono (Black Armorweave)

Armed with: Shikomizue (Atrisian Sword Cane)

Presenting Beltran with: Psychic Katana

Objective: Meet with

Beltran Rarr during breakfast with

Westenra Mina (Melinda Io copy: See Wests Bio for details)

Location: Kashyyyk, Silver Rest outskirts.

Laertia sat across the large, folding table from Melinda, the android copy (One of three coded to serve as her sisters) of an another Android she had met and become friends with fighting Sith Lords on Atrisia.

Melinda Io in particular was coded to be the "Younger" Sister to Laertia (and who Laertia had grown to absolutely adore in their relatively short time together because of this.), and was clad in an armorweave catsuit. She was slim but curvy with fair skin and short, straw blond hair with blue eyes. She had no food of her own except a very small plate consisting of a single rice ball sushi. She was still testing her body's ability to process organic food.

Laertia had a very small plate of two rolls of vegetable sushi. One was for her, the other was for Beltran when he arrived. They were outside Laertia's heavily armed ship, The Blessing of Loste

"Yoo tinkz hee wyll lykez ittz?" Laertia asked her beloved adopted sister of the Katana she had been taught to make with Melinda's help.

Laertia, to truly welcome Beltran as a part time apprentice, had fashioned for him a katana based off of the ones her sister used.

It was self built, and while it had the same functions as a base model, its appearance was custom. The hilt, sheath, and Tsuba, along with the blade were a deep crimson with the stripes of a tiger face printed on the sheath in black.

"He's a soldier, Laertia. Another weapon in his armory will do him some good." Melinda assured her softly. Laertia was much quieter these days. Moya remained her chief therapist, but it was clear that for however upbeat she remained with her actual friends and family, learning her beloved mentor Ursula had been

The Amalgam all those years ago, hiding under a false form and personality had been terribly traumatic...each one of the clones still heard her weeping late at night with their enhanced hearing. She had truly loved 'Ursula'. Now she would not even speak her name.

When Beltran had encountered her on Seline, Laertia had been doing her best to ignore the issue by fighting Dark Adepts. Much of her assignments consisted solely of being dangerous just to let her work through the problem and not focus on the fact all her training had come from her archenemy. She wasn't perfect.

Melinda had proven especially good at cheering her up out of all her sisters and had opted to go with her on the assignment Beltran was about to be briefed on.

The pair sipped green tea, though the android took sips in especially small amounts.

"Hey Sis, look what I figured out..."

Melinda snapped her fingers and conjured a small fireball using her psychic reserves, which hovered over her palm.

Laertia raised an eyebrow. Melinda's designer was scarily competent at replicating the effects of Force Powers. To get even in the ball park was an achievement.

"Ohhh, dhis iz gunna bee a fun dunjunn crawllurr..." Laertia joked. Melinda giggled in response...

Beltran Rarr · Oct 11, 2020

Beltran walked through the outskirts of the Silvers' Rest, thinking quietly to himself. This wasn't something the Lorrdian did often. In fact, anyone who knew Beltran would consider this to be very odd behavior indeed. You see, the bad thoughts came in the quietness. And then came the voices. And finally came the others.

It had been quite some time since he'd last seen any of the others. Kintan, he thought it was. When the beast had manifested during his fight with Lirka Ka. It had only lasted perhaps a few seconds, but it had been enough for the Sith woman to take notice of him. They had clashed several times since, and even shared a drink once. Yet, she still did not know how truly close she'd come to the abyss that day.

He briefly considered the Jester and just as quickly, put the thought out of his mind. The constant nagging, doubting and needling was something Beltran had been quite happy to do without. The last thing he needed to do was cause it to manifest with a careless thought. He was risking much by allowing his mind to go quiet. To be away from the punishing training that he used to occupy himself when not on deployment.

But he needed to meditate if he was to grow in the Force. He needed to find some sort of peace within himself. At least that was what most of the library texts told him. At some point, every Force user needed to make some kind of peace with what they were. To find some sort of center, or otherwise forever be stunted in their growth.

So today, he had decided to take a walk. To risk the quiet of contemplation and hope that he could make it out the other side unscathed. It also hadn't hurt that he'd received an invitation by

Laertia Io to breakfast. It was something to look forward to, something perhaps to keep him anchored while he contemplated.

As he turned a corner on the grounds, he saw his some-times mentor sitting at a table with her sister, or sisters?, he still didn't exactly know how it all worked. It was the same android-woman that he'd met on Seline, but wasn't? That had been Melissa, and this one was someone else he thought. It was all very confusing, but Beltran just rolled with it. If he could have people living in his mind, why couldn't Laertia have people living in her android?

It seemed only fair.

As he approached, he saw the android conjure some flames in her hand. Then the two women shared a laugh and Beltran cleared his throat, announcing himself. "Good morning, ladies." He said easily, gesturing to the empty chair. "May I join you?"

Laertia Io · Oct 16, 2020

"Yess, ov korrse! Wellcomez!" Laertia giggled a bit as

Beltran Rarr sat down to have a mild snack with her. She passed him is small plate of sushi along with his new Katana.

"Beltran, I maydez dhis fer yooz onn akkountz ov yooz beeingz muh parrt tyme apprenntyce." Laertia explained., then gesturing to Melinda.

"Dhis iz myy Sistuh, Melinda..."

"Nice to meet you, Beltran. Laertia and Melissa told me a lot about you..." she said in a friendly manner. "Its always good to have more back up down the road. We'll definitely need you for today..."

"Weez rezzkuuinng ann aynciennt Kolonny Shipp frumm plunjing intuh a blackk holez..." Laertia explained as though discussing the result of a sporting event.

"I'll be going with you two..." Melinda explained. "This Colony ship was known as The Net Worth. Missing over twenty nine years. SJC ship got a distress ping from it stating they were in a decaying orbit over a black hole. Naturally smelling sci fi horror all over the transmission, the SJC dispatched us to save the ship and its crew if possible."

"It'll gyvez uss plenntee ov tymez to hone yurr Foyce abylyteez." Laertia added, still giddy with anticipation at actually training someone. So much she couldn't hide her smile.

Beltran Rarr · Oct 18, 2020

Beltran nodded and took a seat, giving a tight smile to the woman who introduced herself as Melinda. He still didn't quite understand how the relationship worked between

Laertia Io and the women-droids that she called her sisters. Had Laertia created them? Had someone else? Normally, he wouldn't have spent much time trying to figure out the dynamic.

Whatever the Jedi's personal life looked like was her business, not his. But as the woman spoke, alluding to the fact that they would need his back-up, Beltran suspected that he would be heading into harm's way with the two of them at his back. In situations like that, he liked to know who, or what, he was dealing with.

Helping himself to a few pieces of the sushi, Beltran listened quietly as Laertia spoke about rescuing the colony ship, also taking in the added points made by Melinda. He'd never heard of the Net Worth, but that wasn't surprising. Twenty-nine years ago, he was a child living in an orphanage or on the streets of Lorrd when he could get away from his care-takers.

The Lorrdian chuckled softly as Melinda made an allusion to the genre of holovids known as sci fi horror. "Yes, it certainly does sound like that. Reminds me of a laboratory on Irith I investigated recently. It was full of...I don't really know what to call them. Abominations, perhaps? They seemed not to exist within the Force. Very powerful, very dangerous. I wonder if this will be coming similar."

To Laertia, he nodded. "I would be most grateful to learn what you have to teach." He replied. While his rudimentary abilities in the Force had made him a far more deadly soldier, he was beginning to learn that if wanted to take down the best the enemy had, he would need to hone those skills to a fine edge and learn new ones.

Laertia Io

Laertia Io · Oct 25, 2020

"I dunnoz abboutz Foyce Abbommynayshunnz, butz I dooz knowz dhat duh shipp haddz lotz ov auutomaytedd suhkurryteez dueez tuh duh fakt itz innhabytannts arr innz susspenndeddz annymayshun." Laertia explained, finishing her sushi. She waited for Beltran to finish eating his.

"We'll have a limited window to operate in. The Net Worth's engines keep it from descending into the black hole for now but we think its power will fail soon. But we don't know how soon, and not many were volunteering to try and find out. But we are. We'll do our damndest to save every colonist." Melinda added.

When Beltran was finished eating, both women stood up.

"Buhforez wee getz tooz duh mysshun, I havv sumtingz I wanna showwz yooz..." Laertia trailed bringing out a sensor ball. She threw it into the air, it activated, and began firing at her.

Laertia deflected its weak blue energy bolts into a nearby stone by channeling the Force through her organic palm.

"Foyce Duhflekshun. Itz fer whennz yoo don'tz havv a lytesabuh..." Laertia explained to him. "Heer. Yooz tryyz itz..."

Laertia waited until

Beltran Rarr prepared himself, and then set the drone to fire on him.

Before she let it, she gave more advice.

"Duh Foyce itselff cannz bee channelled too evry parrtz ov yorr boddy. Wyth propuh fokus, it cannz duhflekt all sorrtz ov enuhgee projektylez."

Beltran Rarr · Oct 28, 2020

Beltran stood from the table, wiping a few stray crumbs from his shirt and nodded. He was game to learn whatever it was that

Laertia Io had to teach. On Seline, he had found her to be a powerful and devastating combatant. He watched passively as his part-time teacher primed the remote and stood in front of it.

Almost immediately it began firing at her and she deflected it with her hand. He raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Very interesting," He replied when she described the basic concept of it.

At Laertia's insistence, Beltran took her place in front of the drone. He closed his eyes for a few moments, working to center himself in the Force. This kind of mini-meditation was becoming almost second nature to him now. He felt the movement of the energies around him. He felt Laertia, her sister, the drone, the movement of the air and the residue static particles of the bolts that had just been fired.

As he listened to her speak, he found that he saw some commonalities to how

Okkeus Dainlei had explained the use of Force Lightning. There, one was gathering the electrified particles into one's body and then releasing it. In this case, it was more of hardening one's self so that the particles cannot enter. It was strange to see these skills that he had once thought supernatural, be reduced to simple physics.

"Alright," He said after a moment, raising his hand toward the remote. "Let's try it."

The first bolt came fast, so fast that Beltran wasn't quite able to deflect it. He wrung his hand as it stung from the low-powered blast and wiggled his fingers to get the pins and needles out. He then stood in front of the remote again, and readied himself. This time when a pair of bolts were fired, they would be deflected in the same manner that Laertia had.

Once the drone had stood down, Beltran lowered his hand and nodded to his teacher. "A very useful skill."

Laertia Io · Oct 30, 2020

"Uze ittz wellz. Wyth enuff fokuss annd skyllz, bolltz cannz evunz beez reduhrektedz backz uponnz dhere sorrce..." she advised, though she was giddy at having genuinely taught something to him.

Laertia eagerly drew the ball back into her pitch black kimono.

"I'yll teech yooz morr onn dhis assignzmenntz az itz buhcomez reluhvenntz..." she said quietly but with a smile. Beltran would have made an ideal Marksmen, Laertia thought guiltily in the back of their head...he was exactly what...what her master would have looked for...

...what her Master had found in her...

Laertia voiced none of this. She would have to be extra careful with Beltran...she didn't want to accidentally impart her Master's outlook. Didn't want to risk corrupting him.

Laertia then smiled as she felt an unexpected presence. Melissa, the copy of Westenra that

Beltran Rarr had encountered on Seline was strolling up a path to the ship in her armored pink Catsuit. She was taller than Melinda, though her skin and hair was no less golden, and no less a vision of beauty.

"Sistuh!" Laertia called out excitedly as she walked up. "I thoughtz yooz wuz awayz onn a dipplomatik jobb..."

"Meeting got cancelled. Beltran! Hi!" Melissa greeted enthusiastically, waving at him. "I'm so glad I was able to catch you three! I hated the idea of letting you go near a black hole anyway."

"Same here, but we gotta get our Sci-Fi Horror some kind of way..." Melinda replied, removing her kimono and revealing a pink catsuit similar to the one Melissa wore.

"Beltran, pruhpayrez yerrsellf...wee leevez innz a hallf hourrz..." Laertia advised, heading up the ramp of her ship to prepare.

Melinda looked at him. "We have some gear you can barrow if you like."

Laertia in the meantime had begun selecting from her armor sets in her pink and polka dot captains quarters. All photos that had Ursula had been taken off the shelf. Now it was just her, and her family of Androuds, killers as unnatural in their skill as she was.

The world around her suddenly went white.

She felt The Amalgam's arms wrap around her neck...

"Daughter..."

The Amalgam whispered in her ear. Laertia flinched at the word.

"Wutz doo yoo wanntz?" Laertia hissed through the unwanted mental link.

"I can't say Hi? We've had such fun these past few months, me 'finally' getting to look upon you with my 'own' eyes...you 'finally' getting to meet and Bond with the 'real' me...

Laertia flinched again as she suddenly found herself in a seat, facing a mirror, The Amalgam in her flesh colored catsuit holding a comb. Laertia flinched again as The Amalgam put a hand to her shoulder, and began combing the hair of Laertia's mental projection.

"You thought I forgot about what I saw in your head on Mimban, didn't you? Your most personal dream...having your hair combed by...heh...Ursula..."

Laertia couldn't move, paralyzed by having her dirty laundry laid bare by this Demon...

"Do you want to know a secret?" The Amalgam asked. "I didn't actually become aware of you until you killed all those weakling Sith after you built your Cane Saber. I was still asleep in Ursula. But when she saw you gut that first Assassin...that's when my eyes opened to you...saw you, saw how magnificently you butchered...and I was enthralled..."

Laertia refused to respond as The Amalgam continued combing her hair in their shared illusion.

"Isn't this what you always wanted, Daughter? Acknowledgement? From me?"

"Ursula Sandraven wuz a lye...a fillthee, horrabul lye dhat ledz mee aztrayyz..." Laertia finally found the strength to say, face a mask of stoicism. Inside she was quaking with revulsion and heartbreak at her presence.

"You must feel so terribly tricked. Well, I would have emerged sooner but sometimes my Persona Magic acts up, keeps me from emerging a little longer than it should. I feel so bad...never being able to show you what I really was, all your most important moments enjoyed by my False Self..." The Amalgam replied, grinning more savagely as she pressed her cheek against Laertia's, still combing her hair.

"I wanted to be the one to show you how to cut a head off...crush a throat. Bash a skull in. I wanted to bake you a cake even, when you were Sixteen, but Ursula worried such a luxury would distract you. She always was concerned with making you as tough mentally as you were physically. Sorta my fault if you think on it...I should never have made her so Stuffy McStuffykins..."

Laertia did not respond.

The Amalgam happily continued combing her hair.

"I could recreate her, y'know...it would be difficult but if Extreme Cosplay helps break the ice--"

Laertia jumped up from the seat in her quarters, scrambling away from the chair, suffering a severe panic attack just as Melinda walked in.

"Julia?!" Melinda hissed in worry as she spotted Laertia in one corner, hyperventilating, trying to drown The Amalgam's teasing laugh from her skull.

Melinda was instantly over to her adopted sibling, cradling the Killing Machine...

"What's wrong?" Melinda asked softly.

"I don'tz wannaz tallkz aboutz itz..." Laertia whispered back, hugging Melinda. "Letz getz readee..."

One hour later...

The Blessing of Loste popped out of hyperspace and was greeted by a large nebula.

Laertia had dawned her Black Knight Chitin, equipped herself with her family heirloom, the Sword of 007 Blessings, and had managed to calm down.

Melinda and Melissa were at the controls. Melissa was staying behind on the ship to provide comm support and a quick escape while Melinda, Beltran, and Laertia were to board the Net Worth proper.

"Laertia I'm having trouble trying to pinpoint the distress beacon. We're getting a ton of interference..." Melissa complained. "I'm trying to adjust but it won't matter, the closer we get to that black hole, the more messy our sensors get..."

Laertia decided to test Beltran. She turned to him.

"Beltran, perrhappz yooz cud hellpz? Strettch yurr sennzez, annd tryyz tuh feelz duh mass ov lyfe aboardz duh Net Worth..."

Beltran Rarr · Oct 30, 2020

Beltran nodded at

Laertia Io as she told him that she had more to teach him. She was obviously a powerful Force user indeed, and the Lorrdian was impressed with how she was able to break down the concepts of the Force so that he could understand the workings of the powers. He could tell from her body language, however, that not all was well with the Jedi. There was a sense of unease coming from the woman, and perhaps a touch of guilt.

We all have things for which to feel guilty. He thought, somewhat surprising himself. Guilt was not an emotion that Beltran often felt. Even when he looked back upon some of the horrific things he had done in his past, it was usually with a kind of cold objectivity. For a long time, he had simply concluded what the psychiatrists had said back at the orphanage, that he was a sociopath. Completely unable to feel empathy for others.

But what if that isn't the truth of it? Another thought came unbidden. What if you aren't the monster they all told you that you were. What kind of possibilities could be open to you then?

Perhaps a life away from perpetual violence. Maybe a home, a family one day?

"Beltran! Hi!"

Beltran blinked, coming out of his reverie in an instant. Standing before him was Melissa, speaking with Laertia and Melinda. "Hello," He said, offering the droid-woman-thing a tight smile. He still didn't quite understand how the droid-woman-sister-companion thing worked, but he had seen what Melissa could do in a fight. If she was going to join them, that only increased their odds of success that much more.

"Beltran, pruhpayrez yerrsellf...wee leevez innz a hallf hourrz..."

Beltran nodded and turned away from the ship, prepared to jog back to his billet at Silver's Rest. He had taken to staying there when he was on Kashyyyk rather than the Ranger base a little ways away. It seemed more peaceful to him, and allowed him to study in his off time without being disturbed. He still spent most of the day on base with his Rangers, but it was good to keep a little distance between himself and the troopers. The score of battles he and his men had fought taught him that a Ranger's life could end suddenly. It was best not to get too attached.

He was about to take off when another voice called over to him. Melissa, this time. "We have some gear you can borrow if you like."

This time, Beltran's smile was far more open as he responded. "No thanks," He told her. "I keep a go bag in my quarters. It won't take me long to grab it and return."

With that, Beltran was off. True to his word, it took him perhaps fifteen minutes to reach his quarters. He quickly changed his clothes into a fresh pair of fatigues, stocked his go bag with his equipment and took off back toward Laertia's ship. Not wanting to be late, Beltran may or may not have used the Force to give him a tiny burst of extra speed and agility as he darted around students, knights and masters.

He arrived back at Laertia's ship just shy of the half-hour mark and strode quickly up the ramp. He joined his teacher and her sisters in the cockpit. If Laertia had been uneasy before, her body language now was of near panic. While it was more difficult to get a reading on the droid-women, Beltran could read the room well enough to know that his asking questions probably wouldn't be appreciated. So he took one of the secondary stations and allowed the women to do their things.

***

"Beltran, perrhappz yooz cud hellpz? Strettch yurr sennzez, annd tryyz tuh feelz duh mass ov lyfe aboardz duh Net Worth..."

Beltran had, in fact, been improving quite a bit when it came to sensing others through the Force. On Nar Kreeta, he had been able to pinpoint the position of the Bryn'adul's Servitor as he'd fallen through a pitch black chasm. Now that had been a giant creature, and he'd had help from his HUD scanner as well. But the Net Worth, and all the colonists on board were far larger than even it had been.

Closing his eyes, he stretched out with his feelings. He imagined leaving the confines of the ship and floating out into the ether. He stared into the blackness, imagining that he was looking for a single grouping of light in the void. He slowed his breathing like he had learned from his Father's Holocron and finally...after what seemed like an age, but probably wasn't more than a few moments, he spoke.

"Bear to port," Beltran instructed, his tone monotonous. "Thirty-degrees. Then straight. The ship should present itself soon..."

Laertia Io · Nov 1, 2020

Laertia nodded in approval at

Beltran Rarr . Melissa piloted to the coordinates and the large transport ship at last came to view.

It was massive and Galleon-Like, Its shell one of bronzium with giant, exposed ion engines and retracted Solar Sails on large masts. Laertia guessed it to be 007 hundred meters long, easily.

In the distance behind it she saw a terrible black spot surrounded by a disk of light. The hole.

"Howw muuch tymez?" Laertia asked Melissa.

Melissa did some quick tactical assessment via the scans.

"You have 007 hours before its pulled in. You have four before even I couldn't retrieve you, I reccomend you get that ship back on line quick. And if you can't...bug out..."

Laertia nodded grimly. One way or another she knew she had to do her damndest.

"Tayke uss innz..." Laertia spoke.

"May The Force be with you, Sister. You also, Beltran..." Melissa trailed as she piloted through Nebula Gasses. The flesh of both androids shuddered unnaturally on the skeleton as they passed through the ionized Nebula gasses to reach the docking bay. Laertia headed for the exit hatch and left the ship with Melinda and Beltran the moment the ship landed, taking off once they had departed.

The hangar was dark and musty. No corpses, just red emergency lights spinning on the ceiling.

Laertia wasted no time heading to a nearby control panel, waving her hand over its 'Locked' message on the screen.

Their was white static over the screen and the Net Worth logo, that of a golden net, flashed across the screen.

Laertia held out her hand, her mastery of Ionize letting her possess the electronic systems instantly, pulling open the flight logs.

It was odd. No signs of damage or failure. It had been headed for the outer rim...then the messages start to read 'UNKNOWN ANOMALY INTERCEPTED' , 'UNKNOWN ANOMALY DETECTED ABOARD VESSEL', 'COURSE DIVERTED', and then this gem: 'LIBERA TE TUTEMET EX INFERIS'

"Called it. Sci-Fi Horror..." Melinda chirped.

Laertia grumbled under her breath, fishing into a pocket on her ammo belt and pulling out a few credits, handing them to a beaming Melinda as Laertia willed the hangar doors open through the electronics granting them access to the ship proper, then downloading the ship map.

The architecture of the ship interior had a baroque feel to it, particularly the animal carvings in the hull panels and archways, soft red emergency lighting overhead.

Melinda was grinning from ear to ear as she followed Laertia into a passageway, then stopped as she spotted the passage splashed with blood. Laertia held out her hand and Melinda gave the credits back, grumbling under her breath.

"One of these days I'm going to be right about not finding blood in the first five minutes." Melinda whispered.

"Heh..." Laertia chuckled as she activated her pink blade and went forward. Melinda drew her own, all pink Psychic Katana and cup-hilt Lightfoil, whose teal blade snaked out with a softer hum than Laertia's blade.

Laertia went still as she felt a great evil aboard the vessel.

"Feelz dhat, Beltran? Dhatz Duh Darrk Syde..." Laertia told him quietly. "Shielddz yurr myndz. Drawwz awayz fromm itz byy drawingz duh callmz ov duh Foyce too yooz. Itt ruhkwirez fokussyngz onn sumtingz posytyvez inn yurr lyfe..."

"What's the Play, Sister?" Melinda asked, keeping her enhanced hearing active.

"Brydge...dhen Kaptaynz Kwarrturrz..." Laertia hissed back, coming across a bunch of destroyed security droids.

Melinda observed the way they had fallen.

"They were shooting in all directions..." she observed.

(Cutaway of Billy from Predator tearing his necklace off in the jungle.)

Laertia knealt down, searching their droid vrains. All the data was fried.

Melinda's flesh shuddered as a sudden ionic disturbance on the deck above occurred. Laertia's electronics fluttered on and off for a moment. It was caused by a lesser, but still dangerous dark presence above. Didn't feel like a Sith. More an...emptiness.

Laertia decided against confronting it at the moment, as she did not yet understand what kind of anomaly of The Darkness she was dealing with. She headed for the turbolift to the bridge signaling Beltran to follow...

Beltran Rarr · Nov 2, 2020

"One of these days I'm going to be right about not finding blood in the first five minutes."

Beltran wasn't known for his sense of humor, so the barking laugh that emanated from the Lorrdian as he overheard Melinda's utterance was probably surprising to the the two women. "I wouldn't count on that," He told her wryly. "At this point, I get concerned when there isn't blood in the first five minutes."

He had been about to start walking when he noticed that

Laertia Io had stopped moving altogether. He scanned the area using his HUD but came up with no movement or life signs in the immediate vicinity. He was about to ask his part-time Mentor what the problem was when she answered him of her own volition.

"Feelz dhat, Beltran? Dhatz Duh Darrk Syde..." As Beltran stopped and allowed his mind to empty, he found that he did feel it. It was that cold, deathlike feeling that he got whenever he wielded his Krath Sword. He liked that feeling. "Shielddz yurr myndz. Drawwz awayz fromm itz byy drawingz duh callmz ov duh Foyce too yooz. Itt ruhkwirez fokussyngz onn sumtingz posytyvez inn yurr lyfe..."

Beltran didn't want to shield himself from it. Not really. There was a certain honesty and openness about the pure malevolence that he felt in this place. There was no question that whatever it was, it sought to harm them. So there would be no moral hand-wringing about whether they should kill it first. Beltran liked it when things were simple.

But regardless, Beltran did as he was told. He used the centering technique that he had learned months ago from Jedi Siegfried. He imagined himself warm and safe, curled up with his purkit and sleeping. A single, joyful moment in an otherwise horrific childhood. He quickly built a wall, blocking out most of the feeling.

He then turned and squatted down over the blood, keying his HUD scanner to analyze it's level of decomposition. "That's odd..." He told the women. "This blood has only been here perhaps a month. Didn't you say that the ship has been missing for nearly thirty years?"

Beltran didn't really expand on the possibilities that entailed. Laertia and Melinda were smart enough to come up with the theories. Either someone had only recently come out of hibernation only to meet their end, or they were not the first beings to find this ship. Either way, Beltran concurred with Laertia's decision to head to the bridge. Along the way, they found bodies and evidence of fighting.

These bodies were little more than skeletons and dried out tissues, having obviously died sometime nearer to when the ship had gone missing.

Laertia Io · Nov 20, 2020

"Itt jusst meenz weez wuzzintz duh foyst tuh fyndz dhis playce..." Laertia grunted as she went ahead of Beltran.

"People were clearly unlucky. Is that a First Order military patch I see?" Melinda asked crouching down to examine one corpse that looked older, telescope vision allowing her to zoom on finer details.

"Judging by the rate of decay, he's been dead fifteen years..." Melinda remarked, playing with her straw blonde hair as she examined it before standing up.

"Wut kylled himmz?" Laertia wondered.

"Self inflicted. He slit his wrists and throat, then laid down here to die with the others. They look like they all did it. No sign of struggle--" Melinda answered before her enhanced hearing picked up movement in the distance.

Her eyes spotted it in the darkness.

An effigy of wires and metal in a humanoud shape, creaking towards them, slathered in blood and with an exposed human heart in the center. Its four arms were rusty blades lashed together by human sinew.

Melinda projected a weak gout of light orange flames from her hands that bathed it in destructive fire. It was a combat function the android was still getting used to.

The metal monster kept advancing and Laertia flung her pink Lightsaber at it, slashing into it and dismembering it. Destroying the heart definitely slowed it down but it took sheering off all its limbs to stop it completely before the pink hilt returned to her hand.

"Diddz wee maykez a bett on wheturr duh monnsturrz wud beez maydez ov metul?" Laertia asked Melinda.

Her beloved sister searched her mental database. "I don't think so. No."

Laertia sighed in relief.

"However we 'did' have a bet on whether you could kill the first monster in 007 seconds. You did it in fifteen..." Melinda spoke trollishly.

Laertia grumbled, handing back the money she had just won only minutes prior. Melinda fist pumped in delight at winning back the money.

Laertia went to examine it.

"Teknobeeest..." Laertia muttered. "Loww graydez SythSpawwnz...amatuerrz exxammpul, but funkshunulz."

"Is it really 'that' hard for some brain dead civilian 'not' to feth with an obviously evil artifact or some chit?" Melinda questioned belatedly.

"Ohhhhhh yesss, dearr sistuh. Syth arrtyfaktz havv bennz duh deth ov manny a getz riich qwikz skeemz..." Laertia assured Melinda, before turning to Beltran.

"Yoo shudd keepz dhat fakt inn mindd fer duh fuuchurr. Nevuh unduhesstymaytez ann averrage purrsunz greed orr stuupidiitee wenn it comez tuh Syth trinnketz. Jusst sayy no tuh Syth relikz..."

"Also handy advice when confronted with illicit substances!" Melinda chirped happily.

(The more you know)

(Rainbows and shooting stars)

"Sheer off all duh limbz, but not buhfore yoo shootz duh hart..." Laertia advised

Beltran Rarr before directing him to follow her and Melinda.

Five minutes later...

The Bridge was awash in dried blood, vast and clearly in disuese, massive screens filled with static, the horror of the Black Hole visible, dust from both sides spinning into its depths. Melinda's flesh shuddered slightly at the increasing gravitic disturbances.

Crew members, long decayed, had been ritually nailed to the walls, their blood smeared on ancient viewports in runes. Strangely, it still looked like mostly suicide.

Laertia immediately went over to the main computer to try and hack the system with the Force. She sighed.

"Dhis mayy taykez a whilez..." she warned, straining to access the systems.

Melind took watch by the main bridge entrance, making note of a gore filled tram system nearby, the same animal themed architectural scheme present everywhere. The Android could not help but look at their potential death through the viewport occasionally.

"No matter how badass you are, The Black Hole is bad ass-ier..." Melinda remarked, gulping.

"Izz baddazz-ierz evun a wurrd?" Laertia asked idly as she hacked the computer.

"I heard it from Mother..." Melinda admitted.

An unpleasant screeching of metal sounded in the distance of the passage leading to the bridge. Melinda went alert instantly, conjuring a fireball in her free hand.

"Get ready..." she warned Beltran.

Beltran Rarr · Nov 20, 2020

"Get ready..."

Beltran nodded, looking back at the sound of the metallic screeching. Drawing his hand-cannon in his right hand and his lightsaber in his left, the Ranger began moving toward the sound. Glancing back at Melinda, he said. "Stay here and cover Laertia while I engage this techno-beast." He knew that Melinda had expected him to remain here so that the both of them could fight the creature, but there was a certain tactical illogicality to that plan.

Being able to find out what happened here depended on Laertia being able to hack the ship's systems. That required that the systems not become any more damaged than they already were and having a firefight in here increased the chances of them becoming damaged by a lot. Also, it always helped to have a place to fall back to. If they engaged the creature here, there was no falling back. If Beltran engaged the creature in the corridor, he could always retreat back here if he got into trouble.

Calling on the Force, Beltran used it to strengthen himself and increase his reflexes. He moved quickly and efficiently through the corridor, holding his hand cannon out ahead of him. The scratching metallic sounds grew in volume with each step. Turning a corner, he came face to face with another beast. Only his heightened reflexes allowed him to duck under the beast's slash. Coming up under one of it's arms, Beltran activated his blade-piercing it's beating heart with it.

He roiled back, limbs flailing. One of the blades struck a glancing blow to his cheek, cutting into the flesh before being more or less deflected by the bone. Blood fell from Beltran's face, but he ignored the pain. He knew a flesh wound when he felt it. A few sutures and a bacta patch and he would be fine. Backing up, he performed a backward flip-moving quickly out of the creature's range.

He then centered his hand-cannon and took four shots, each sending a depleted baradium slug into the creature-blasting off each of it's limbs and rendering it neutralized. He was about to turn back to the bridge passageway when he felt a slight change in the pressure around him. Immediately he squatted into a crouch and turned, just barely missing being decapitated the the blade-limb of another beast that had crept up behind him. Rolling to the side, he came up and swung with his lightsaber, utilizing a series of Makashi fencing strikes with one hand, each strike taking off a limb. He then unloaded the last two of his slugs into the creature's heart, ending it as well.

Holstering his cannon, Beltran returned to the bridge with his lightsaber in hand. He wiped away drying blood from his cheek as he spoke. "It's pretty safe to say they know we're here. How long do you need to get the information you require?" He asked Laertia as he drew his pulse pistol from his chest holster. To Melinda, he added. "I wouldn't worry about the black hole, odds are that isn't going to be what kills you."

Laertia Io

Laertia Io · Dec 4, 2020

Laertia was indeed paying attention to the whole fight as she hacked.

Same moves. Crisper. Of as much rote practice as experience.

Beltran Rarr possessed much skill as a soldier. Did that make him Jedi material? Laertia wasn't sure.

Then again, she wasn't looking to train a Jedi, was she?

A Jedi would not be useful to you...the back of her head noted.

An apprentice, though...

Hell, Sith gave training to Dark Jedi all the time. Why could not a Jedi give training to an allied soldier? The Code could be Pesky as hell sometimes...if you needed something nasty done to the Sith, sometimes she had found the Code created too many roadblocks to practical concerns...

As she hacked the system however she grew deeply concerned. She was getting feedback from the security.

The ship crew used to be let out of stasis every fifteen days to do basic maintenance. Footage showed them picking up a cargo container and then various, indistinct but horrifying images of murder and ritual sacrifice, conducted on a tri monthly basis. Her eyes narrowed as the next images showed static. Control of engineering had been relegated to a remote terminal within engineer itself. Circuits had been physically removed, and not even her ionize ability could get around that, alchemized or not.

But the Lights were on, and no sooner had Beltran got in then Laertia sealed the door behind him and restored the security turrets.

"Weev bot ourrsellvez a smallz sayfespottz..." Laertia spoke. Melinda looked shocked at how well he had done against his first technobeast. When he commented that it probably wasn't the Black Hole that would kill them, Melinda giggled slightly.

"Yeah...probably gonna go horror film style..."the Android admitted..."Killer set piece though..."

"Dhey pycked summting upp. A carrgo kontaynur flowtyng inn spayce..." Laertia explained. "Probbablee ann arrtyfakt, gyvyn howw crappy tingz wennt, annd qwikklee..."

"Don't ANY of these people watch horror films?!" Melinda complained. "That had 'Painful, Humiliating Death' written all over it..."

"Evun I wuz suhpryzed..." Laertia admitted sheepishly.

"What's the plan, Sister?"

"We go tooz duh Cargo Bay tuh duhturrmyn wut dhey founndz. Dhen we go tuh Enngyneeryngz tuh enndz dhis wunce wee have bettuh inntelygynce..."

She pointed to the bloody tram. "Tramm Sysstemmz styll inntakt..."

"Whatever it is, it makes Technobeasts..." Melinda remarked, heading to the tram.

The tram was slathered in gore. Some recent, some decayed. Melinda scowled, snapped her fingers Bioshock-style, and the gore caught fire, burning to ash.

"At least we won't be breathing the mold from the remains..." Melinda remarked, inspecting the tram controls.

I can'tz ruhstorr duh enngynez frumm heer...connekshunz were physically ruhmoovedz." Laertia explained to Beltran. "Dhey wanna maykez itt az dyffikultz az pozzibul..."

"Sister?" Melinda called out, instantly drawing Laertia's head to her direction.

"It occurs to me a good deal of the civilians in stasis are dead already. After we visit the cargo area, one of us should split off to try and revive as many as we can. If we fail here, we should at least evacuate what few we can."

Laertia nodded in agreement then turned back to Beltran, looking at his scar.

"Sistuh?" Laertia called out. "Wahlkz uppz tuh meez annd throwz a punnch."

Melinda nodded walking up and trying a right hook."

Laertia concentrated, and a telekinetic field sprang up around Laertia that slowed the speed of the Android's fast punch, allowing Laertia to dodge it.

"Kynetik Dammpenn." Laertia explained. "Slowwz downnz inncomyng melee strykez. Yoo tryyz it. Melinda wyll tryyz ann kik yooz in duh shinn whennz yoo arr redy..."

Beltran Rarr · Dec 8, 2020

Beltran listened as

Laertia Io spoke to her sister, illuminating the group to what she had found. He kept his eyes on the passage way, looking and listening for any signs of movement. As well, he allowed himself to open in the Force, sensing the darkness that surrounded them but also sensing the differing aura of his mentor.

It became like a game to him.

He would open himself to the darkness for as long as he could before shutting it out again before it became powerful enough to overwhelm him. At first, he could last only a fraction of a second. But by the time the two women had finished their conversation, Beltran found he was able to withstand a few seconds. In addition, he found himself getting faster at blocking it out-and keeping it out began to feel less tiring.

Beltran blinked when Laertia asked her sister to punch her and took his eyes off the passage. He watched as the Android's blow, so fast that it was barely detectable by the human eye, slowed enough that Laertia ducked under it and spun away.

"Kynetik Dammpenn." Laertia explained. "Slowwz downnz inncomyng melee strykez. Yoo tryyz it. Melissa wyll tryyz ann kik yooz in duh shinn whennz yoo arr redy..."

"Interesting," Beltran responded, turning to face Melissa. Undoubtedly it was an exceptionally useful power. A game changer, in fact, for a man who frequently found himself in close proximity to powerful foes. If he'd had that ability on Yurb, the tyrant Tathra Khaeus might not have struck him. He might have even won that duel.

Closing his eyes, Beltran opened himself to the Force once more. He centered himself and then nodded for Melissa to proceed. He didn't bother opening his eyes, for he knew that the Android would move too quickly to see anyway. Instead, he expanded his awareness feeling her move toward him and strike. He imagined her kick travelling toward him, he saw it in his mind's eye. Then it imagined that the Force behind it was meeting resistance. Increased gravity perhaps? Or a magnetic field? It didn't matter exactly what Beltran imagined, only that he exerted that imagination on the world around him.

Opening his eyes, he saw Melissa's foot moving toward him. That alone, confirmed to the Lorrdian that she was slowing. Furthermore, he pressed against Melissa's strike, imagining that the gravity from the black hole that sat outside was being exerted on the other side of her leg. Her strike slowed more and more until it actually came to a stop just millimeters from his leg.

He stared at her foot, extended but unmoving in the air, for a long moment before he stepped back-just out of range of the strike. Suddenly the foot released and jerked forward a few more centimeters as the Android overextended now that she'd met nothing but air. With his lightsaber hilt still in his hand, he mimicked turning it on and slashing at her leg, indicating for both the Android and his mentor what his follow up strike would have been and that it would have likely removed the Android's foot altogether.

Turning back to Laertia, he nodded and repeated. "Very interesting, indeed."

Laertia Io

Laertia Io · Jan 5, 2021

He learns REAL quick.

That's what Laertia thought as

Beltran Rarr learned what she had demonstrated quickly. He also seemed Darker. Laertia noticed, this not being her first rodeo. For some reason, this didn't bother. He was a soldier. War was hell. Is hell, and all the other played out yet still quite fitting and truthful sayings of War. Itd be crazy to think a soldier of all people wouldn't have a darkness to them. She wasn't an angel either.

His get-it-done-by-any-means approach mixed well with hers. She sometimes feared she was a psychopath, given her brutality, but she hid that fear well most days.

Most days.

It was strange to her as she watched him learn. As a Jedi of some sort, she thought she should be more disturbed at the Darkness in him. Why wasn't she?

She wondered if it was the Force Adept equivalent of being Nose Blind.

"Yea, itz a reel lyfe savuh..." Laertia agreed. "Tayke kayre, az itt ownlee stoppz melee attax, nott pruhjektylez..."

"You know, Sister, I notice a lot of your...'gifts' seem to be either defensive or indirect in their application..." Melinda said as she stepped aboard the semi clean tram pod with Laertia and Beltran.

"Itz cuz ov howw my brayne iz wyred..." Laertia explained quietly as she manipulated the electronics of the tram to make it move forward into the darkness headed to the Cargo Bay with red emergency lights overhead, casting them all in odd shadows.

Laertia spared a glance at Beltran. She hadn't even gotten a chance to really know him all that well. She'd been so excited over having even a part time apprentice that she realized she might have skipped a few steps in the process. She had to get to really know him if she was to be even a part time master.

As the tram sped along she made a small confession.

"I'vv kylledz synce I wuz a chylde..." she said softly. "My veww onn kyllingz iz...verry diffrunnt frumm othuh Jedi. I havv less resuvashuns duu tuh yeerz ov ennkounnteryng peopull dhat neededz dyinngz. I'vv triedz tuh holldz to duh idea dhat fer evrybuddy I torez appartz, dhat it wuz tenn innocenntz dhat wuddint suffer cuz myy opponenntz wuz ded. Pointz iz...itz reel eezee tuh getz absorrbedz inn duh bludlustt. Too eezee. I'mmz nott sayinz yoo shud tink abbout spayryng duh jerk whoo diddz dhis, but itz wayy too eezee to mayke duh kyll ittselff all dhat mattuhz. Bettuh peopull dhen yooz orr meez--espeshullee meez--havv mayde dhis misstayke. Wee akt too protekt othuhz. A lot ov tymez it meenz sticckinz a sworrdz in summwunz hed. But dhat shudd nevuh bee duh ennd goalz inn ov ittsellf..."

The tram stopped at the Cargo Bay.

Laertia willed a passage open and spotted mummified Sith corpses sliced apart and dried splashed blood everywhere on the wall ahead. Melinda moved to the entrance, stuck a hand past the arch...and an auto turret shot her hand off, leaving a stump with glowing red blood that began slowly regrowing. Melinda didn't seem to feel anything, just look annoyed.

"You wanna have a go?" Melinda asked Laertia.

Laertia nodded, activating her blade. She turned to Beltran. "Waatch annd lernnz..."

Laertia entered the passage to the Cargo Bay, holding her hand out to stop the spray of projectiles from a ceiling turret, the shots pausing in front of her face, as her pink blade went active and began batting the bolts back at the turret, quickly destroying it.

"Foyce Staysis. Used to freeze innkomyng pruhjektylez...but ownlee fer a shorrt tymez..." she explained, gesturing for him to now take point. It was how 'Ursula' taught: Show the basics and let you sink or swim of your own accord.

"Myte bee morr turretz. Myte bee morr ov duh beestie boyz...eithuh way, bee redy tuh uze wut you knoww so farrz..." She told him, letting him lead the way, wanting to see how fast he adjusted to such new abilities when there was a possibility he might have to use them within minutes or seconds of learning them. There was the real test of talant. The struggle would force him to sharpen up...

Beltran Rarr · Jan 6, 2021

As the tram rolled on, Beltran had settled into a comfortable silence with his companions. He had never been a man who'd thrived on needless conversation, often preferring his own company to that of others. He could sense a certain amount of discomfort coming from

Laertia Io whenever she glanced at him. It was as if she had something she wanted to say but was weighing whether or not she should.

Beltran, for his part, didn't let on that he'd noticed this. Laertia was a grown woman, an accomplished Jedi and a powerful warrior. She would speak her mind in her own time.

"I'vv kylledz synce I wuz a chylde..." She said softly to him. He looked up and met her gaze, meeting her eyes evenly. . "My veww onn kyllingz iz...verry diffrunnt frumm othuh Jedi. I havv less resuvashuns duu tuh yeerz ov ennkounnteryng peopull dhat neededz dyinngz. I'vv triedz tuh holldz to duh idea dhat fer evrybuddy I torez appartz, dhat it wuz tenn innocenntz dhat wuddint suffer cuz myy opponenntz wuz ded. Pointz iz...itz reel eezee tuh getz absorrbedz inn duh bludlustt. Too eezee. I'mmz nott sayinz yoo shud tink abbout spayryng duh jerk whoo diddz dhis, but itz wayy too eezee to mayke duh kyll ittselff all dhat mattuhz. Bettuh peopull dhen yooz orr meez--espeshullee meez--havv mayde dhis misstayke. Wee akt too protekt othuhz. A lot ov tymez it meenz sticckinz a sworrdz in summwunz hed. But dhat shudd nevuh bee duh ennd goalz inn ov ittsellf..."

So that was it. Sooner or later, most Jedi who spent any meaningful amount of time with Beltran became uncomfortable with the way he did things. Usually it would manifest in some sort of lecture, and then polite distancing there after. What surprised Beltran was the fact that she echoed his own views so completely.

When she was finished, Beltran nodded and then spoke. "My history, I suspect, is very similar to yours." He told her. Delving into his past wasn't something Beltran did except with a select few.

Valkren Calderon ,

Okkeus Dainlei , Paxton Reece and now

Laertia Io and her sister. "There was never a time in my life where violence wasn't a significant part. I was seven, I think, the first time I killed another person. He was thirteen, maybe fourteen. He was going to take my Purr-Kit from me. He wanted to eat her. Looking back on it, I think it was the blind hunger that had taken over his mind. In his mind, it was eat or die. In mine, it was stopping him, so yes I killed him. And yes, once I looked down at his bloodied body, I admit I did feel some satisfaction."

He went silent for a moment, taking the time to form his next words carefully. "I've killed a lot of people since then and not just on the battlefield. But every person I've killed deserved to die. Slavers, spice dealers, monsters, enemies, Sith, Bryn'adul but never an innocent. Never. There are times I have offered surrender, an offer that has even been accepted on occasion. There are other times I have not, either because the circumstances didn't allow for it or because the crimes of my enemies were so grievous as to not warrant mercy. But no being I have killed haunts me. Not a single one. The innocents I've failed to save? Yes. But the beings I've killed. No."

"If I kill someone, it is because they deserve to die and I'll not waste time wringing my hands over it, nor will I apologize for it. But you need not worry, for the simple act of killing is not the point. The bloodlust is not the point. For whatever reason, I am an instrument of judgement in a galaxy that all too often allows the evil ones to thrive. Nothing would give me greater joy than to never have to kill another being again."

He didn't know any better way to put it. Laertia had to know that he would use what she taught him to bring the evil ones to their knees and kill them. He would do this even if she stopped teaching him. He would do this even if the SJC shunned him. He would do this until the last monster was gone and then he would die. For he knew he also had no place in the kind of world he worked toward. He too, was a monster and would always be.

Once the tram had arrived in the Cargo bay, Beltran followed Laertia and her sister inside. He watched as his mentor engaged the automated turret, using the Force to freeze the incoming projectiles. He thought he understood the difference between dampening the kinetic energy and freezing its motion. The use of the Force, Beltran was learning, was very much in the way one thought about things. With the melee strikes, you were physically trying to slow something. It took a lesser expenditure of energy because it did not stop the motion. Force stasis was more about denying the reality of movement to an object completely. This required a far more costly expenditure of energy as it required one to almost overpower the laws of physics rather than just bend them.

With his lightsaber in hand, Beltran stalked forward at Laertia's beckoning. He reached out in the Force, trying to push back the current of darkness and pick out specific presences. He could tell that there were certainly more of the beasts, but he couldn't get a fix on their exact locations. So caught up was he in trying to find them, he turned a corner and stepped directly into the path of another automated turret.

It wasn't until it fired its first shot that Beltran reacted. There was no time to think, only time to do. So he did. Crouching down to one knee, he brought his hand up and exerted his will through the Force. He willed the projectiles to stop moving, if even just for a second. Then he leapt out of the way. To his luck, they had stopped if only for a fraction of a second and when they resumed moving, he was no longer in their path.

His leap brought him closer to the turret and he somersaulted through the air and slashed down with his lightsaber, which he ignited only a split second before making contact with the turret. It was a classic Ataru strike using the discipline of Trakata to make it that much more difficult to predict. With the aid of the Force, Beltran landed gracefully on his feet and turned back to Laertia and her sister. "I'll have to work on that one a bit more," He said before leading them on into the depths of the cargo bay.

Westenra Mina · Jan 25, 2021

The Android followed her beloved Sister and

Beltran Rarr into the vast cargo, her hand slowly rebuilding itself due to the organic tech she was composed of, flesh and muscle slowly growing over an Obsidian skeleton. Beltran picked up the lesson astonishingly quickly, deflecting bolts back into an automated turret and destroying it. She could tell Laertia was thinking about his response...she had clearly been caught offguard by how similar their outlook was. Melinda, coded for empathy and restraint, could only barely understand the mindsets expressed. Melinda, like all copies of the original Westenra Mina, only used violence when there were no other, more practical options...

Her pink catsuit reflected everything around it as they got a good look at its current state. Candle shrines were lit everywhere next to open, empty supply crates. There was blood everywhere.

"Wut duh fethh..." Laertia muttered.

"Seriously, someone needs to firmly tell these deep space crews not to mess with relics.

Melinda tensed. She sensed the presence of psychic energy. In a live body.

"Wait here, you two..." Melinda said, conjuring a ball of flames heading forward with a drawn katana. Her systems were growing accustomed to utilizing her psychic reserves to excite air molecules.

She advanced down a pathway lined by empty cargo containers, the sphere of flame hovering in her hand as she spotted the source of psychic energy. Her face took on a horrified reaction.

Ten Civilians. Each trapped in circles of blood, a terrible wound in the chest of each stripped naked person from which purple psychic energy was leeched into a sphere of black metal and then recycled back into the still living people, whose faces were frozen in an expression of horror, yet there were no screams.

"Get over here! Now! Right now!" Melinda called out, sickened and nauseated at the suffering she could feel in the psychic energy.

Laertia teleported next to her. Her hands clenched in rage.

"How do we save them?" Melinda asked.

"We cantz...dhat spherez iz duh ownlee ting keepyngz dhem alyvez..." Laertia answered grimly. She went over the sphere.

"Wait!" Melinda protested. "There must be some way--!"

"Sistuh...lookz atz dhem...X-rayz 'emz..."

Melinda scanned the bodies, stopping when she saw the severe degradation of vital organs. The Sphere was likely the only thing keeping them alive.

Melinda a crestfallen look. She hardly got to save anyone, even with her abilities. Being a member of the SJC was supposed to change that...yet every time she thought she had a chance, really had a chance, to save someone innocent and normal, it was snatched away.

Was everyone they had come to save dead? Melinda didn't want to be a pessimist, but it was starting to look that way.

"How do we end their suffering?" Melinda asked. "We can't leave them like this..."

Laertia drew her Lightsaber, plunging it into the sphere itself, which immediately melted. The bodies screamed the last of their life out in a combined cry that chilled Melinda to her artificial bones.

Melinda felt useless. Utterly useless. What was the point of this power if she was always too late to save people who had needed it. How long had they suffered like that? Melinda could barely calculate the possibilities without nausea, or the Android equivalent to it.

"If one of you doesn't cut the head off the bastard who did this, I'll be more than happy to..." Melinda remarked morbidly before going to look for more survivors.

Laertia turned to Beltran.

"Syth Riituallz. Kollectyngz anndz ruhfynyng powah, chargingz ittz lyke a batteryz. Whooevuh iz dooingz dhis needz ruhfyned spiritualz enuhgee...anndz I'mmz starrtyngz tuh tink itz no koincydynce wee arr neer a blaack holle..."

Melinda in the meantime began looking for useful equipment, using X-Ray to search...and then a technobeast leapt from the shadows, concealed in them somehow. She blasted an intense orange stream of fire that smothered exposed organs on the beast and made her flesh shudder from the exertion at the same time, her katana darting forward lightning fast and slicing it over 007 different ways before it crumpled, but not before she had sustained multiple lacerations herself, spilling glowing red blood everywhere as more beasts came out of hiding in oddly dark shadows in specific points and attacked, given no pause and no quarter.

"ITS AN AMBUSH!" Melinda yelled, as she diced through another, even as she was impaled...

Beltran Rarr · Jan 29, 2021

Beltran rushed forward at

Westenra Mina (Melinda)'s call. The hilt of his saber remained in his hand, blade deactivated.

Laertia Io was already there, owing to her ability to teleport, so Beltran was a few seconds behind in the conversation.

"We cantz...dhat spherez iz duh ownlee ting keepyngz dhem alyvez..." Laertia was saying to a stricken Melinda.

"Wait!" Melinda protested. "There must be some way--!"

There wasn't. Beltran could tell that just by looking at the victims. The only mercy he, or anyone, could bestow on them now was a swift and painless death. He kept his own counsel on this, allowing Laertia to talk down her android sister. His expression remained impassive as he watched Laertia destroy the sphere and allow the victims to finally have some peace.

"If one of you doesn't cut the head off the bastard who did this, I'll be more than happy to..." The android remarked as she stalked off. Beltran considered telling her that he would save that pleasure for her if she wanted, but decided against it. The droid needed to calm down. Once he was alone with his mentor, he met her gaze.

"Syth Riituallz. Kollectyngz anndz ruhfynyng powah, chargingz ittz lyke a batteryz. Whooevuh iz dooingz dhis needz ruhfyned spiritualz enuhgee...anndz I'mmz starrtyngz tuh tink itz no koincydynce wee arr neer a blaack holle..."

"Alchemy perhaps," He said softly, following Laertia's line of thinking. "Sith have been known to use such energy to power their arcane artifacts. Perhaps this place is a workshop of some sort. A place of building for a powerful Sith sorcerer."

It was as good an explanation as any, he thought. He didn't have much time in order to follow the line of thought any further, as a shout from down the corridor brought him immediately back to reality.

"ITS AN AMBUSH!"

Igniting his saber, Beltran leapt forward and began to run toward Melinda's position. He arrived just in time to see the android be impaled by a particularly nasty looking techno-beast. He danced around the creature, using the Force to increase his speed even while it was sinking itself into the android's body. An overhand swing of his blade detached the appendage from the beast and a powerful shove in the Force sent it back away from the wounded droid.

There was a cold rage that boiled up in Beltran as he stalked toward the creature. Holding his hand out, he made a fist. The creature began to writhe and struggle as its glowing core began to buckle in on itself, subject to a powerful unseen pressure. Beltran found that he could feel its pain and he reveled in it. It was almost a disappointment when it died, but he knew that there had to be more abominations that he could hurt.

Turning, he found another pair of beasts coming toward them. He had a smile on his face now, a dark predatory thing of bared teeth. If the techno-beasts could know fear, they might have thought twice about challenging him. But they advanced forward, helpless in the face of their programmed directives. One released an energy pulse of some kind at Beltran, which he slowed and then stopped with the Force. He then exerted his will on it and sent it hurtling back at it's originator.

It was a powerful expenditure of energy, and yet Beltran still felt invigorated. Something about this place was allowing him to draw energy into himself. Raising his hand, he sent powerful bolt of Force lightning at the other, hitting it center mass and destroying its core. No sooner had it crumpled to the ground did another pair, and another made themselves known.

"We must destroy this place," Beltran said, his voice thick with the power he was drawing. He looked back at Melinda, his eyes glowing an ice-green as the Force filled him.

Westenra Mina · Feb 14, 2021

Beltran Rarr and his assistance couldn't have come at a better time, for the Technobeast had her pinned by impaling. This form was not as physically strong or electrically durable as the other guises stored in her data base without assistance.

Laertia joined in on the melee, teleporting on top of Technobeasts and impaling them from above, Corvo Attano style, grinding her blade against its heart while Melinda removed the blade in her stomach, glowing red blood gushing out as she furiously attacked with blasts of flame and cones of supercooled particles emited from her palms, her Lightfoil flicking through them in an overtly deadly pattern that danced around their defenses, foil slicing through their core and then their limbs. Laertia controlled her blade telekinetically to dash through more emerging Technobeasts...

Melinda and Laertia formed a defensive trio with Beltran, Laertia knowing Beltran had gone to a very dangerous place but not having the time or inclination to chastise him for how he used the Force, mainly because she was kind of a heretic herself and Beltran's response to her earlier concern resonated on a deep and troubling level with the Black Knight.

On, what grounds, could she possibly criticize Beltran?

Melinda, could only note his deep confidence and the mother of all knife-stabby grins plastered on his face.

At his assertion they had to destroy the place. Melinda and Laertia both chuckled darkly.

"No chit!" Melinda said back to him, dashing forward and laying in another series of swipes for her foil to the guts of these strange Technobeasts, feeling no pain from the injuries they inflicted as she and Laertia and Beltran fought, Laertia trying to show Beltran by doing in how her Form One flowed from one enemy to the next, as well as silently taking the time to clearly demonstrate her style of telekinetic Lightsaber Combat, manipulating the blade solely with the Force...

Private Rescue from Darkness

The Parliament

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The Parliament

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The Parliament

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The Parliament

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The Parliament

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The Parliament

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The Parliament

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The Parliament

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The Demon of Jedha

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The Demon of Jedha

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