Invasion The Empire Strikes Back - TSE Invasion of VJE Wayland

[Caedyn Arenais]

Location: Akitagrad Outskirts
Objective: Evac.
Opposition: The Sith Empire.
Inventory: Knight-Errant Armor | Lightsaber | Force Imbued Blade

As much as some of the more destructive types may have enjoyed the idea of controlling a war-droid the likes of the Bo-Katan, Caedyn had seen enough of Wayland and the droid to boot. Tapping the communications screen, he opened up a channel through to the Repertoire and Lexas who was hopefully still somewhere nearby on standby and awaiting his call for a ride off world.

"Lexus this is Caedyn. Come in?" He gave pause to allow a moment for the droid to answer whilst double-checking his surroundings. Wayland had been devastated by the Sith Empire, Akitagrad especially. Having seen some of the survivors of the catastrophic attack to the safety of evac ships, it was time for the Jedi Knight himself to bug out and get clear of whatever further fallout the Empire had for the Network.

"Greetings Master Caedyn, I'm relieved to hear you haven't been killed yet".

The droid had a certain blunt way with words that never failed to catch Caedyn off guard. At times there was a certain amount of humor to be found in Lexus' lack of social skills but the chaos of the day didn't encourage much of a laugh this time around.

"Yeah me too, Lex. I'm forwarding you my coordinates, come pick me up ASAP will you?".

"Understood Master, entering Wayland's aptmosphere now. ETA Five clicks. Repertoire out".

With his ride secured and on it's way, Caedyn moved to disembark the war-droid, moving to drop down to the surface floor using the Force to slow his descent and soften his landing. Wasting no time, he moved to get clear of the Bo-Katan and pulled his commlink from his belt, dialing in on K Kaine Australis frequency.

"Kaine this is Caedyn, I'm bugging out. Thanks for the assist back there. I'll repay the favor some day. Watch yourself out there" he spoke, the sound of an incoming vessel drawing his attention to the descending corvette, the familiar sight an all too welcome one.

Sparing one last look at the ruined state of Akitagrad, the massive crater for which the City had been swallowed up, collapsing in on itself, his brows furrowed, conscious and saddened for those that would have most certainly been killed in the Cities fall. With nothing left for him there, he turned to board the Repertoire, making his leave.

 

[Adara Raxis]

Location: Mount Tantiss
Allies: TSE Darth Prazutis Adenn Kyramud
Enemies: Death

The ships shifted into the atmosphere and away from the ruin of Wayland. An air of completion and finality shifted through the wind, the Enclave’s presence gone. Destroyed in wave upon wave upon...

... explosion.

Mount Tantiss’ destruction snapped Adara’s head to the horizon. The shockwave billowed at the hem of her dress’s many layers. One foot shifted backward, staggered her stance as her father’s presence swayed around her. Oppressive to all but a gifted but perilously successful few. Adara would not fail Darth Prazutis. A subtle gasp was the only auditory award for the rumbled destruction of the fortress which once held clone-bodies of Yasha’s family, in the Infernal’s raucous desire to defeat the deaths she growled away from their collective door.

Alas, Tantiss was emptied during the end of the Sith’s first siege of Mandalore. Emptied by Clan Akaata and Cadera, when even Australis used Wayland as the staging point to their escape. Adara was naive in those days, mind in conflict over her Sith and Mandalorian selves. The idea she could betray one or the other part of her larger families plagued her to illness, to lash out.

All of them loved her, even after she ran away with Tuuli Miles . It was there, in the bosom of the migratory Clan Akaata that Adara came to her conclusions. Those who hated without reason would be cast aside. Those who set ultimatums, that love was a purchase which could be cast off if she did not follow their every whim were gone.

In the wavelengths of power after the explosion, Adara heard a voice on the wind. Adenn Kyramud laughed at death.

“Ba’buir…” Black and red eyes peered up into her father’s face for the briefest connective agreement. While Darth Prazutis taught his progeny to avoid the caress of familial trust, unless well earned, Adenn was of vast import. Aditya’s husband, the Alor of Clan Mortui… but more than, in a deep and intrinsic way Adara’s mind was flung back to her childhood, where Adenn put a knife in her hand and pointed to a slaver. And although the child in her was incapable of severing life-blood from throat, Adenn taught Adara to kill. He doted then, dispatched the rogue so Adara could feed. He never fought with her true nature.

Adara called to Mr. Wimples, her force-bonded owl, who even now flew in the Wayland skies as scout. The massive mandalorian bird veered forth, toward the laughing near-dead. She followed the course of her cycle owl toward the wreckage of the mountain, conjured spirits of the lingered dead to come to her command. The ground at her feet hissed with cool as Adara sent the projections hence.

“Bring him to me.” The steamed ground met her footsteps with smoke she ignored. But where… where was Adenn? She felt his lifeblood slip, an ever numbed string taught to break.

Eyes brimmed with the black schlera and veins of her Sithly presence, Adara began to chant in a guttural, vicious tone far removed from her childish prim voice. The ground continued to cool, until water vapour escaped upward as she drew the dregs of Wayland’s many dead into herself.

Ghostly hands bore Adenn toward Adara at the speed of the condemned which begged for a final salvation. As his body got closer, Adara continued to chant, her sight combined with that of Mr. Wimple as the bird chased back to eventually prop onto Adara’s shoulder. She nuzzled Mr. Wimple fondly, patted the soft feathers on the colourful owl’s head.

“Ba’buir.” The voice was and was not the Adara Adenn knew, threaded with the deep voice of utter command. She flung her wrist to a shade-like cloak which to her inner sight descended upon Adenn. No. Death would not take him this day. “Do not hate me for being my father’s daughter…”

Light hands peeled back pieces of armour not welded onto his skin, and Adara grimaced. The wounds stunk of charred flesh. Any healing would come with such scarring… such terrible… no. Limits were a childish fancy, the mediocre attempting to rectify its’ average nature.

“You, who taught me to take life…” In the quiet, with near infinite energies to call upon in the ruin of this world, Darth Abadon knew rare and wonderful power not to be retouched until such destructions as the cataclysms of Mandalore and Wayland happened again. “…Will take of this.”

A surge of black and crimson energies crackled in the air. Armour was ripped from the body, little more than a cage of flesh now, before Adara continued. She gripped a fist and tugged. Removed the soul from its’ wounded corpus, so Adenn would not feel the pain of what came next.

“My father gave your wife life, Ba’buir. And now I save yours. Not all who ply the Dark are lost.” Adara looked to the ghostly visage of Adenn beside her, and gave a petite smile. “I’ve done enough harm to Grandmother Aditya to allow her husband to die with so many younglings to look after.”

Adara flooded the body with dark tendrils of energy, her vision going down, down, and down into the art of the small to work to transmute or remove the beskar and melted armourweave from his flesh. A bead of sweat took Adara’s brow, as she worked, Adenn’s body bucked, as a kolctab shot from a hidden compartment on Adara’s belt was administered, the healing substance more precious than beskar or credits alike. In combination with the healing kolcta, Adara reknit the muscle and bone, took tissues from those unfortunate nearby to ‘fill’ her surgical work.

Around her, spectres of protectors hemmed them in, and Adara knew she was neither alone, nor unprotected as she worked. Perspiration drifted down her cheek. She clenched her jaw and kept to her work, for her Master did not teach of desertion due to discomfort. Vast shales of energy spent, Adara pulled at more from the death around her, her breath grown cold.

The worst of his injuries salvaged, and certain that recovery now overtook death, Adara’s gaze retreated back to the macro-world. She knew now her breath was laboured, feet unsteady. Lips shifted down to the renewed skin on Adenn’s forehead, and with a rush of whispers, Adara placed Adenn’s soul back into his body. While medical attention would be advisable to ensure Adara hadn’t missed anything, the girl-child was confident in her grandfather’s survival.

She offered him her hand, to aide his rise, confident he could stand and walk on his own.

“Easy, Ba’buir. I am not as good at such things as my father.” Her shoulders swaggered backward, forward, as if attempting not to fall into a crumple on the ground. “Ba’buir...?”

 

[Adenn Kyramud]

Location: Mount Tantiss, Wayland
Objective: Survive
Allies: VJE and Allies
Enemies: TSE and Allies
Tags: Ardana Vorco | Adara Raxis | Darth Prazutis
NPC Links: Gunner
Links: Sword

Adenn simply lay there on the ground, staring heavenward, even when Xanesh appeared above him. Bloodied lips smiled a humorless smile as he saw her, and when she spoke, Adenn simply let out another choked laugh. Staring at her face, Adenn simply grinned his bloody and humorless smile, and when his eyes unfocused and refocused, she was long gone. She left him alone there, on the battlefield, leaving him to a fate Adenn knew and accepted. Luckily enough, someone else didn't want to leave him to that fate, and sent help to bring him to her.

As the owl appeared in the sky above Adenn, he let his eyes close. Adenn knew he'd soon be brought to Manda, for that's what the owls did, was it not? Because of that believe, along with his senses being numbed, Adenn hardly felt himself moving, and simply believed his soul/spirit was being brought to Manda. He was to be sorely disappointed as he heard a voice he hadn't in a while. Adara. Eyes cracking open, Adenn found his head lolling to face his granddaughter, and despite the pain, he found himself smiling. Reaching up with the stump of his left arm, Adenn spoke softly.
"Adara... you've grown."

It was all he managed before he began coughing again, blood spilling forth from his mouth. His head fell down as his eyes lost focused while staring at her. He heard her but could hardly respond, not that he would've known what to say. After all, does anyone know what to say when on death's door? So instead he simply let his eyes fall close, waiting for death to come. Instead, he suddenly found himself out of his armor, out of his body. Gasping in shock, Adenn stared around himself wildly. He must've made quite the sight, what with how scarred his soul looked, despite the determination, and reluctance, that radiated from it.

Adenn noted none of that, instead finding himself gazing at Adara with surprise evident in his eyes. He found himself simply nodding to what Adara said, not trusting himself to speak, not even knowing if he could. Thus, when Adara began her work on his body, Adenn found himself gazing around, before eventually returning his gaze to his body and the powers at work there. It was all very fascinating, and it certainly gave Adenn knew insight into the Force and all that it made up.

For an eternity that last seconds, Adenn found himself as only a soul, seeing the Force and the world around him through the lense of a Force user. And when that eternity ended, Adenn found himself understanding more than he ever had before, while also having found new ways to beat back certain aspects. During that time, Adenn also found his hand resting on Adara's shoulder, gently squeezing it in wordless thanks and support. But that was neither here nor there, for that eternity ended with a rush of whispers that brought Adenn's soul back into his body. His body convulsed as Adenn found himself in his body once more, first it curled inward, and then with a loud gasp, Adenn's eyes snapped open and his back arched up, before slowly falling back down to the ground.

Shakily gazing around himself, Adenn brought his arms up to gaze at them. They were severely scarred, though the majority were minor scars that would eventually disappear. There were a handful of larger scars, but Adenn focused more on the fact that his right hand was free of his sword once more, while the left arm was gone slightly above the elbow. Letting his arms fall down, Adenn pushed himself up slightly and gazed down at his now nude body. There were even more scars there, but they were a small price to pay for survival. Letting a macabre grin take his face, Adenn reached up with his remaining hand to grab onto Adara's hand and rose to his feet with her help.

Grinning at Adara, Adenn saw how she wasn't all too steady at the moment. At the same instant, he felt himself losing balance a bit. Spreading his feet wider, Adenn wrapped his remaining arm around Adara's shoulders, supporting both of them. At the same time, it acted as a hug, because it had been far too long since Adenn had last seen Adara.
"It's been too long Adara. Oh how I've missed you. Thank you for saving me" Smiling at her, Adenn's brain slowly processed what she'd said about father and not being able to heal as well as him. His first thought was that she was talking about Kaine, but his instincts told him that was wrong, and after several moments of processing, Adenn realized his instincts were right. Here Adara was, helping destroy what Kaine had built up, which meant she considered someone else a father now. Whoever it was had better treat her well, but he'd tell her that later, for now he said something else, to show he would support her. "Aliit ori'shya tal'din." (Family is more than blood)

That should get the point across well enough, coupling that with his smile of course. It was then that Adenn turned his gaze to the mountain. At the same time Adenn remembered something he shouldn't have forgotten, Gunner. Eyes searching the horizon where he'd come from, Adenn let go of Adara, taking a step forward.
"Gunner..." Adenn suspected his ner'vod was dead, but he needed to see and confirm to be sure. Taking another step forward, Adenn suddenly collapsed to a knee with a groan of pain. Adara had healed him, true, but that didn't mean he was good enough to go running around again. Holding his hand to his chest while he knelt there, Adenn turned his gaze to Adara. "Adiik, my dearest Adara. Please... please bring my ner'vod here, my closest vod. He remained by my side till the end, I need to know whether he lived or died."

If it were anyone else, and if he were in any other condition, Adenn would do his best to go himself. But sense won over stubbornness now, for Adenn knew that he was the safest here. As it was though, he still grasped his sword in his hand and used it as a crutch to stand. Funny how quickly such things change, one second fighting them, the next knowing you were safe. At least so long as Adara was close, Adenn would be relatively safe. For that he was grateful to her, along with her bringing him back from the brink of death.

 

[Adara Raxis]

“I’m almost taller than Aditya, now.” Adara raised up on her tip toes with a gasped chuckle. Even the most dire of circumstances didn’t damage juvenile pride, when she finally got to do something as normal as talk to her grandfather. The work done to Adenn Kyramud fed a patchwork across his skin, not perfect, but alive.

“Thank you Ba’buir... and I do accept our family is more than genome, but...” Adara hugged herself, as one of her Anubian guards, sensing the worst over, brought a long, plain black robe to help Adenn into. She turned her eyes away, disconnected from the hug only long enough for the linen cloth to enrobe the man. Shoulder drifted back to side.

“Remember when I was a girl? I was so frail, I was a broken bird with hollow bones. The Zambranos became aware when I was an infant, and by the time I was old enough...” Black and red eyes tipped up to Adenn’s face. She’d grown tall and slender in the intervening time, over six feet, where in previous years she was barely five one. “... Braxus spliced his genes in replacement of my human side. I am the biological daughter of Darth Prazutis... under everyone’s noses. Zambrano and Fitz-Kierke blood flows in my veins... and I know for many, that marks me as scum deserving to die.”

Her lip wobbled, but Adara kept her chin raised as she breathed deep of the caustic air. Posture perfect, as her manners and etiquette were perfect. Her families expected no less.

“I missed you too. I was so afraid you’d kill me too, like Baba killed my mother.” Once Adenn hugged her, spoke of missing her, Adara buried her head in his chest, arms which once were frail wove around him. Long did Adara say, since that first day Yasha’s prone form laid in the Wayland hospital bed that what survived was not her mother. Her mother was dead. None believed her. How could they, when the Biot moved, and talked in Yasha’s body? When it seemed to recover? The glum face of Adara at Adenn & Aditya’s wedding, incapable of celebration to her grief.

The day the Biot first spoke in Mando’a, a learning organism coddled over as if the parent organism remained. Adara in her childishness refused to see the Biot lived, and breathed, and talked, and remembered like Yasha. Adara felt no comfort.

“Gunner? Oh! Sorry Ba’buir, I completely forgot about any but you. Gosh, how silly of me, I’ll have to remember more people exist.” Adara surged after Adenn, as two of the faithful Anubians came to his side, and went to help the man stand once more. “It won’t be but a.... oh dear.”

Adara’s eyes turned full black, her hands lifted as if guiding a cloud of capricious witnesses toward the battlefield where Adenn once laid dying. The ghostly apparitions surged onward, and collected from the mire of war, a single body. Swathed in Beskar’gam, the body of Gunner floated forth on spectral fingers, until he laid beside Adenn and a pair of corporeal hands yanked off the man’s helm.

“Death surrounds, but has not claimed him.” Adara lifted her hand, and a grey veil flung away from Gunner’s body. It fizzled on the ground, killed what grass remained.

“Now, it won’t. Today at least, unless you want me to...” Her body wobbled. Feet strayed further apart in an attempt to remain steadier than she felt, if she were honest. Gunner laid in scant breaths, moaned as one of the Anubian guards pressed a bacta shot against his red stained neck. The Mandalorian’s breathing eased, and Adara slumped back into one of the Anubian guards’ sides, his inner warmth radiated into her side, and she smiled.

“Are you going to kill me, Grandfather? Now that you know what I am?”

 

[Adenn Kyramud]

Location: With Adara, near Mt. Tantiss
Tags: Adara Raxis

At her statement, Adenn couldn't help but grin, she had grown quite a lot. She was almost taller than Aditya, which meant she was almost as tall as Adenn, though she still had a few inches to go. Adenn listened as Adara spoke, though when the guard appeared on Adenn's left side, he realized he couldn't see the Anubian, merely sense him. It was then that Adenn realized he couldn't see out of his left eye, and while he couldn't see it, there was a large gash going from above his left eye down to his mouth. Grimacing at the realization that he was half blind, Adenn took the black robe and put it on with a grateful nod. Once more he grimaced at his halting actions, but he nonetheless pushed through the annoyance before returning the lean of Adara.

As Adara explained what happened to her, Adenn listened, his face stony, but contemplating what she said. Taking a shaky, deep breath, Adenn merely nodded to what Adara said, not knowing yet what to say, instead choosing to listen as he continued speaking. At the same time, he noted her shaky breath, even as she maintained the look of perfection. That caused Adenn to smile sadly, drawing her into a deep hug, kissing her on her forehead. Before he could address her concerns, Adenn remembered Gunner and asked for him, prompting her to do so, even as he collapsed.

With the help of the two guards, Adenn rose to his feet once more, though he remained leaning on the one on his right. He didn't fully trust himself just yet, and he knew it would take some time before he did. Waiting semi patiently, Adenn remained there, leaning on the guard, even as Adara pulled his vode to them. Once he was there, Adenn made his way to Gunner. Falling to one knee by his side, Adenn looked him over, noting that a similar process would be needed for Gunner. His brother was worse off than Adenn had been, because he only had his shield to protect him, while Adenn had the Sith's help, even if he hadn't wanted it. Regardless, with the kolto and bacta applied, Gunner would live until regular doctors could work on him. Adenn saw Adara and knew he wouldn't force her to heal his vode, because that could harm her more than she was already exhausted.

With Adara leaning into her guard, Adenn was faced with that most critical of questions. Would he kill his own granddaughter for her ties to the Zambranos. Sighing heavily, Adenn pushed himself fully to stand free of the guard. Taking the needed steps to stand before Adara, Adenn looked her squarely in the eyes.
"By all rights, no doubt by all calls of others, and for numerous other reasons, one of which would be to harm the Zambranos, I should. Countless would and will call for your head simply for who and what you are, countless already have but now they'll see even more reason to. Because of all that, I should, because of your Zambrano blood I should." Pausing, Adenn gazed down at the ground below. Taking a deep breath, Adenn returned his gaze to Adara's eyes. "I should but I won't, because family is more than blood. No one within Clan Mortui will either, and I will do my best to ensure that other clans we are close to won't either. Though you have Sith blood in you, that doesn't mean you aren't Mandalorian, and it doesn't mean you aren't my granddaughter."

Adenn reached forward to embrace Adara once more, hugging her close to himself.
"You are aliit, and aliit always looks out for each other." Smiling at her, Adenn kissed her forehead once more. "Let's leave this place adiik, not much left anymore. Besides, we need to get Gunner to a hospital." For now, Clan Mortui would and could wait, it was safer and easier that way. Right now, Adenn had to look after Gunner and Adara, making sure both were safe, even if he was the one who would be looked after.

 

[Darth Voracitos]

​

Netherworld: Within it and around it
Fast Food: K Kaine Australis
Side Piece: Warchief Waddles
Rock Candy: Darth Ledgermayne
Beef Cake: Darth Prazutis
Fridge Ajar: Skorvek
Cupcakes: @everyone surrounding the Nether Portal
Number of Bites: 8

ATTN: Ledgermayne​

" Mouldy welps."
~" How quaint that you would remove us all from harms way, Johnathon."~
" Impudence .Your hunger knows no end, but.. This morsel is mine Voracitos!"

"On the contrary, the place we left is consigned to death, I have brought us to fleeing maggots, you are free to consume it makes no difference." Voracitos smiled in response to his angsty fellow. "And call me old fashioned, but conversations are best said on the ground, not in the air." The Sith Lord shrugged as his eye wandered, almost listlessly, as if his attention were slightly elsewhere... which of course it was.

"I never did understand your trade on Rhen Var, and now I have found you to understand. In my portent vision, I saw it best to meet with you in my primal form." Again he smiled, though now along with his stomach.

***

ATTN: Isaiah
​

The Cursed One continued forward unabated by his opponent's blaster fire and naturally returned fire with blaster shots from the same wrist before a grappling line clung to its leg. Instinctively, the knuckled plate vibro-blade on its other arm deployed as the Cursed One attempted to sever the tie between them, but too late. The jet-pack ignited and unseated the balance of the Anzati, dragging him into the indirect fire of the reflected starfighter bolts of energy, pounding into the creature of darkness... seemingly unscathed. There was only a moment of slack as if to indicate they had died, but no sooner had the slack appeared, the Cursed One roared once more.

The potent energy of the dark side around him fueled the rage of the near-mindless creature, as souls emanated outward from the Cursed One, crawling on the outside of its forsaken beskar, and like animals they chewed through the energy grapple with the force, severing the tie. Skidding to the ground, it fired a grappling line of its own from each of its vambraces, hoping to take hold of Isaiah. While this happened, the two souls clinging to its scorched body, separated from the Anzati weapon and took on a shadowy resemblance to the Cursed One, and they each deployed replica grappling lines made of darkness, all intent in grounding their collective opponent...

***

ATTN: Kaine
​

The attention of Voracitos had fallen upon K Kaine Australis .

"Y̋ͧ̎̂̋̓ͭ͞o̝͚̼̻̹̐͝ṷ͓̈̑̑̄̽,͎̰̬̀̌͒̅ "

The junction of Voracitos said in unison, as the one eye of the Chaos-God of Gluttony ignited in his six golems, turning their gaze upon the Mandalorian fugitive.

" Ỳ̰͓̯̄͂ͪ̆̿o̖̓̈ͩu̳͎̔͊̄ ̠͎̺͇̱̖͗ͪͣͅȧ̞͕̻́̅ͨ̅̍́ͅr̝͕̃̎ͮë̮͚́̉ͮ̈́̄ ̟̻͚̙̺͖̼̄̑ͥ̌ͦͮj̬͉̠̯ͧu̬̦͍̪̭̺͌d̤͎̯̜̰̿ḡ͍̼̟̀ͬͣ̀͗êḏ͔ͮ̆̀̊ͩ,̭͕̤̝͕̼̬͊̂̓ ̤̳͕̂̋̒͌̾ͮ̅a̭ͣn̊͛͒d̋̄̋̑̑͑ ̦̏ý̘ͣ̉̇͊o͖̖̲̤̩͉̊̊̓̉͋̎u̟̝͓̞ͩ̂ͯ̒ͭ̚r̮̤͕̹̦̱̽̔̃ͧͦ ̘͙̯͇͚̘ͅs̺̘̖̬̈͒̎ͅe̿̽̓̌n͇̝̣̾͐t͕̎̂̌͌̓ẽ͔͎͕̦̫͕̚ṋ͌̃ͬͮc̏e̹̽͑̉̑ ̰̜̲̍͑͛ͩd̦͎̟̳̫̙̈a͕̻͎͇ͅm̗̳̘̫̳ͨͤ̃̓̇̐n̜̳̳̬̤̠̥̍̆̂ͣͭ̉̄a̪͕̣ͣẗ̃i̦̣̫̭̙ͦ̆ͅo̝̙͈̤̤͎ͫ͐̂̓̾͒̅ͅn͉̹̉ͪͮͪ.̻̘̖ͨ́̆ "

The shrinking of the Netherportal paused momentarily, as well as the binding of the wayward spirits, as each of the golems seemed to become drained of life and substance before ghostly chains sprung into existence hurtling towards Kaine Australis. The constructs would attempt to drag him into the Netherworld, one way, or another.

 

[Adara Raxis]

Location: Near the Crater
With: Adenn Kyramud

The guards stiffened. Adenn became not a being to rescue but a potential threat to snuff as he spoke of rights, and the countless sapients who would call for Adara’s head for the blood in her veins. Adara’s lips curled upward, preparation for the aliit-crushing she expected.

Adenn’s betrayal never came. Adara’s face contorted in a confused wonder. All beings hated and lied, sharpened their blades to destroy threats and aberrations. The man promised safety and family. He maintained the clarion call of Clan Mortui, of allied Clans who would do her no harm for her parentage or condemn her without cause.

For a slim moment, Adara wanted to scream and beg him to prove her father right, that all Mandalorians needed to die, because their culture was bereft of mercy. Because their culture killed all aberrations, and destroyed the gifted with their beskar and their hidden contempt.

“By those same rights, you would have to kill your wife and children, too. Aditya was a gift from my father. A moment of kindness to remind mother who, despite her hatred, she could alone depend upon. Your children are as much of a gift from my father as the blood flowing in my veins.”

He pulled her into his hug, his lips found her forehead and Adara’s arms yanked around his ribcage the way they had when she was small and Adenn held a knife out to teach her how to despatch a slaver. Adara’s lip wobbled. This didn’t fit. She stuttered out a gasp, which turned into a stifled sob.

“I couldn’t let you die, Ba’buir.” His kindness disarmed her, the love of family confronted Adara’s expectations as the shadow of a skiff passed over their heads and veered to a land nearby.

“Adenn!!” A silver haired blur leapt from the speeder skiff, followed by House Fitz-Kierke clad Panathan aides. The Eye of Solomon blazed in its’ crimson infamy beside the filigree of Qocia’s Noble House. Symbol of the interconnection between House Fitz-Kierke, and House Zambrano. While the scant armour-clad House Fitz-Kierke force watched, Aditya tackled both grandfather and the child she’d tried to warn him about… warn anyone…

Adara was taken, molded by the Lord of Lies. But, resurrected by Darth Prazutis, Aditya’s tongue was silenced.

“Stabilize Gunner and prep him for transport!” Aditya barked in Epicant, arms tugged around Adenn and Adara. “I couldn’t come faster, my Dad was part of the fleet assault, I… I met his ship and tagged down, but the damage… Adenn… Adenn how… your eye! You… the feth you wearin’ a bath robe for on a battlefield, c’yare?!”

Adara looked between Adenn and Aditya in wonder, her grandmother? Arms around them both? The child in Adara did not understand.

 

[Adenn Kyramud]

Location: Near Mount Tantiss
Tags: Adara Raxis

Adenn told Adara that he wouldn't harm her, and he would try to get others to do the same. Hopefully she understood that it would change if she did anything against some individual, or a clan in general. For now though, Adenn saw little reason why any would have a true reason to try and kill her. Hopefully they'd see the same thing, but that was a concern for later. For now, Adenn simply held her as she replied.
"Well now, I don't want to kill Aditya or my adiik anymore than I'd ever want to kill you."

Grinning, he ruffled her hair as a skiff passed over them. Turning as it landed, Adenn was very surprised, but no less pleased, to see his wife come barging into them and wrapping them both up in a hug. Laughing in joy, Adenn returned the hug as best he could, with one stump moving the same way a regular arm would to hug, while the other embraced Aditya while also hugging Adara. Upon being questioned about his eye, Adenn merely laughed again, watching as the various people took care of Gunner.

"You know, I'd have expected you to be more concerned about the arm, not the eye." Grinning mischievously, Adenn stopped hugging his wife and granddaughter to pull down the sleeve of the robe, thus revealing an arm going to just above the arm. "At least I'll get a great, and very custom, arm that will have so many tricks inside its sleeve it won't be funny. As for the robe, well the mountain blew up... and, uh... I was caught up in it. Shabla nearly killed me, ruined the armor and fused it to me. Adara saved me though, stitched me back together with Force stuff, then made sure I was alive. Then one of the guards gave me this robe so I wasn't nude. Not that you'd mind of course, but you weren't here for it."

Slyly smirking Adenn's eyes gleamed with a mischievous twinkle, one that was usually out of character for him, but he was still shaken by his near death experience, even if he did his damnedest to not show it. Shaking his head to rid himself of dour thoughts, Adenn turned his gaze to Mount Tantiss. The mountain was mostly rubble, even if it did still rise somewhat high into the air, it was still cratered and covered in destruction, with lava flowing out in certain places. Smiling sadly, Adenn knew he'd need to come back for his clan, but they knew they'd have to wait a bit to escape from the inner bunker, regardless of Adenn's fate. For now they could survive on their own, it would be safer for them. Turning to Aditya again, Adenn gently kissed her before speaking to both Adara and Aditya.

"Alright aliit, why don't we hop on that there skiff and get out of here. I'd much prefer to have something more than a simple robeon, and Gunner does need more medical aid. He just had his armor and shield for himself, enough to keep him alive after the explosion, but I don't waiting around will help him." Smiling down at his aliit, Adenn gave them both a kiss on the forehead before he wrapped his arm around them both again. Then, doing his best at it, Adenn started to push/pull the pair along to the skiff. "We have some catching up to do as well, so what do you say, anyone up for a drink? Manda knows I need one right about now."