Your order will yet turn on itself and you…

[Darth Zilti]

It was Maja’s turn to listen. In truth, she only took notice when there was something in it for her, but given that she was likely to have to trust this woman with her life – it was worth making the effort to pay attention this time. And it was valuable that she listened - this woman would have skills that would prove very useful in the time ahead.

She had not heard of the Atrisian Inquisition – and decided to add it to her next bout of research.

Maja nodded as Sumiko finished. “Hmmm…rogue Force Users? I wonder how you define them? Maybe I’d qualify?” She took a bite of her candy bar and held it in her mouth, clearly thinking. “And I don’t know I could have managed that training. I don’t do orders. Or discipline. Or rules. Or being hemmed in. I need to be a free spirit. If I stay on a planet too long, I get land-sickness. Maybe it’s my Vahla blood? Or an entire life in one space-freighter after another. Who knows, who cares?” Now she chewed the square of chocolate in her mouth. “Wonder how I’d fit in with the Sith?” Clearly this was a prospect she’d never considered before.

“I’ve been seeing if I can help with tracking down the Holocron by my own means. If I study someone or something enough, I can forge a link through dreams that can give me clues. Sometimes it can take a while. But it always starts with something. This time? Nothing. My mind keeps taking me to Dxun. But I suspect that’s because of my own hopes and desires, so pay it no heed.” The unspoken truth was left hanging – that perhaps this was a fool’s errand.

The view from the cabin changed as they exited hyperspace. She recognised the planet below. And the four moons, although one had a unique pull on her psyche. It was an entirely unremarkable planet to look at and she knew Sumiko would pilot them to the Kira Fortress, some way away from the main city of Iziz and surrounded by the jungles that seemed to cover the planet.

“I guess it’s not called a fortress because they have a large welcome mat out front. But I guess our IDs will get us in, right?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


Maja's comments made Sumiko chuckle....genuinely. "Oh, you'd have definitely qualified as rogue. A Sith, a zealous follower of the cultists Bane and Zannah, and focused on such a 'silly' idea as your personal freedom," she said with wry amusement. "That said, I would not declare that you wouldn't have managed the training so soon. Almost everyone who entered was rebellious at the start. There were means to change that." Sumiko had been a prisoner in the system, but she had also enjoyed her work. She tactfullly left out that Maja seemed to be following her sister and what she believed to be Zannah's counsel with the fervour of a zealot. Desire for approval one of the tools the Inquisition twisted to its advantage.


Anyhow, with small talk over she focused on the present again. The unspoken truth did not escape the Atrisian. Dxun. There was a strange pull she was feeling through the Force, as if it was beckoning her, whispering insistently into her mind that the Demon Moon would be important.


"It may be a fool's errand, but we shall only know when we have seen for ourselves. Try to see whether you can track the holocron further with your gift," she said frankly. "The fortress is guarded once more, but our IDs will grant us entrance. As far as the local guards will know, we're employed by the Royal Archaeological Society of Naboo and are here for research. For the most part the guards are Onderonian militia, susceptible to credits." Obviously the longer they poked around the more suspicious the locals might get. There was also the possibility that Jedi might show up, despite the lack of formal Jedi presence on Onderon. Or adventurers with the same idea as our lovely ladies.


However, if this eventuality arose, they would deal with it. Violently if need be. As they exchanged words the ship had slipped out of hyperspace and Sumiko deftly steered the craft through the atmosphere of the planet and then past the walled city of Iziz and above the jungle that was spread across the planet. Soon Kira Fortress came into view and manifested before their eyes, deep inside the forest. The fortress still looked imposing but had truly seen better days. The wear and tear of the ages was showing on it and it looked like it had fallen into disrepair. Passing over the ID to Maja, which presumably had some sort of fancy cover name, Sumiko brought the craft down to land, after having sent what seemed to be a prearranged code to the local authorities.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja wasn’t sure if she should be pleased or insulted at the prospect of being labelled a rogue. But then the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about, so she decided she rather liked it. She glossed over the comment about breaking during the training. It was probably true – given the alternative was probably death – but she didn’t want to dwell on the thought.

But Sumiko seemed to have the matter of the Fortress in hand. Which was fortunate, as Maja’s plans tended to start with turn up and end with wing it from here.

As she looked down, every now and then Maja caught sight of a clearing and she smiled, remembering the last time she’d visited one. It was a landmark day for her – the first time she’d killed someone. Actually five someone’s, but who’s counting?

When the Kira Fortress came into view it seemed to Maja like so many old establishments – formerly magnificent but now past its best. Taking her fake ID, Maja stared at it. Kimberley Travis? Did she look like a Kimberley? Really? Sighing, she put it away. “You’d better do the talking, given my efforts before.”

Making it up as you went along worked in the forests of the Wookiee home-world or even in a seedy club on Nar Shaddaa, but up against such regimented defences, Maja knew it was better to leave it to the expert. For all her faults, arrogance was not one of them.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


There were truly better gigs in the Royal Onderon Militia than being responsible for security at an ancient fortress in the middle of nowhere. Sure, the historians and courtiers could not stop yammering about it was a monument of great importance for the history of your planet. Here Kira and the Jedi had stood against the vile King Omnin and so on so forth...but that had happened five thousand years ago! Never mind the fact that the fortress was surrounded by jungle and you kept getting attacked by beasts such as bomas and cannocks.



As a matter of fact, a few fresh cadavres were lying around in the mud ahead of you. Speaking of the weather, it was abominably humid and rain was common. When it rained, there were massive downpours. The fortress itself had decayed badly, so chances were that you better be prepared if the ground on you suddenly gave way and you plummeted into the next floor. Sanitation had quite literally gone down the drain and there were rumours that sometimes people who ventured inside heard whispers.


Mostly it was just boring. Unfortunately for Lieutenant Gerrera, he had gotten the short end of the stick. His ancient ancestor, Steela Gerrera, had been the leader of the Jedi-backed rebellion against a corrupt king put in power by the Separatists during the Clone Wars. Alas, Gerrera's promising career in the Royal Army had hit a snag when he made the mistake of having an illicit affair with the wife of a nobleman, even impregnating her in the process. Suffice to say, being stuck with an assignment far away from civilisation was his punishment.


And so he and his collection of minions were standing sentinel outside the fortress, having a while ago dispatched some beasts through judicious application of blasterfire, when two ladies stepped out of a ship that had just landed. The vessel had sent the proper clearance codes, so their turrets had not tried to blast it out of the sky. Then again, the turrets had a tendency of mucking up because cannocks kept eating the cables. Bloody annoying forest, they ought to burn it down with napalm!


He had to admit that the ladies looked kind of hot. Especially the one with tattoos. But they were probably out of his league due to being snooty offworlders. In any case, Gerrera quickly came to attention and tried to project soldierly professionalism as some Asian...err, Atrisian woman stepped forward. She looked a bit like that chick in Nikita.


"Lieutenant Gerrera, Royal Onderon Militia, you're the archeologists the Colonel mentioned?" he asked as he approached them. Ah, well, at least he could oggle them a bit. It made this day moderately less boring and annoying for him.


"Yes, Royal Archeological Society of Naboo. I'm Kim Li, this is Kimberley Travis," the Atrisian said brightly, giving the man a smile as she passed over their IDs. The Lieutenant studied them with all the interest he could muster before passing them over to a Corporal who checked them with some sort of scanning device that could presumably prove their authenticity, then returned them.


"Looks in order. You may pass. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that anything you find inside the fortress cannot leave without official permission? Onderon has strong laws on theft of ancient artefacts," he said, sounding all official. "Though I doubt there's anything left. Old fortress is a waste if you ask me."


"Thank you, Lieutenant. Rest assured, we fully intend to obey the letter and spirit of the law. I suppose it will not be too much to ask if we have some privacy during our research?"


As much as the Lieutenant did not like to deny beautiful women anything, he shook his head. "Afraid not, ladies. We got strict rules on providing an escort. 'sides, sometimes. despite our best efforts, cannocks and other wild beasts slip through. Wouldn't want your pretty face to get scars." Aww, he was so noble and gallant.


"Thank you, but I'm sure we can handle ourselves. You see, we have special skills. Such as this one...," and suddenly the gallant Lieutenant found that a couple credit chits had landed in his glove. Those were truly awesome skills!


They quickly vanished inside his coat pocket. "Well...I can give you some privacy. We got a perimeter to sweep of beasts. But don't take long. Your Denon friends are already inside. Said they were gonna poke around some room where ol' Palpy died. Maker knows why," the soldier informed them helpfully. "Do you want me to give them a call for you?"


Denon friends. To Sumiko's credit she showed no visible reaction to the news that might give them away, though inside her mind she was running over the possibilities. It could mean Republic people. Or perhaps Sith or other darksiders who had had the same idea as she and Maja. "Thank you, Lieutenant, but that won't be necessary. We will meet them in person soon."

 

[Darth Zilti]

She took in the sights as they came in to land. She was sure she’d seen movement in the jungle and from this distance it didn’t look human. But then she’d be on the cosy side of the walls when they landed, so she paid the creatures presence no more heed.

Then there was the rain, and the mud, and the dead bodies. For a planet at peace, there was surely a lot of carnage – but she wondered if those creatures were perhaps to blame?

The man that greeted them seemed on edge. The sort that shot things that moved and shot things that didn’t until they moved. And he had a roving eye. Normally she’d be flattered but here and now, it served little purpose – but then, she mused, you never knew when you needed a quick getaway, so she smiled and dropped her eyes to the floor. Men were…she was going to say simple but stupid fitted the bill better. That was typically all it took for him to be able to brag to his friends in the bar tonight that some off-world chick had the hots for him.

Maja made sure her robe opened as wide as it could without revealing her saber. She smiled at him again. “Pleased to meet you Lieu-tenant.” She stretched the word slightly. “You can call me Kim.” She stood slightly behind Sumiko, a distraction in case their IDs didn’t stand full scrutiny. You see, she could do subtle when pressed. At least for a very, very short time.

The IDs were then scanned, which made her efforts pointless. But if nothing else it was practice. On the plus side, the fake passes were good enough to get them inside the building. She nodded as the Lieutenant spoke – clearly hanging on every word…not.

At the mention of scars, Maja had to stop her hand going to her face. She lived with it, but she still wasn’t entirely comfortable with it and she wondered if his comment was a subtle criticism. But once more her companion stepped in before Maja did anything foolish, paving their way with credits.

If there was one skill Maja had in abundance it was the ability to bluff. The mention of friends met with the same nod as all the previous comments the officer had spoken. She’d been a con-artist longer than she’d been a wannabe Sith, so she always knew how to roll with the punches. It was why she was so commonly happy to go without a plan. One Sith Lord had suggested it was her Farseeing that helped this talent. That she always had a split-second longer to deal with situations than the average person because she sensed it slightly before it happened. Who knew? All she was aware of was that she was a mean pazaak player as she gave nothing away.

Once inside, Maja gave Sumiko a look. One that said what the… But she kept her tongue, there was no knowing where security devices might be. “Kim, you didn’t mention anyone from Denon. Is it likely to be anyone you know?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


They were inside good. The entrance hall to the fortress had seen better days and was in a fairly dilapidated state. It had crumbled since the glory days of House Kira and the Beast Riders, or even the time of Leia Organa Solo and Emperor Palpatine's last attempt to cling to absolute power and life. Now the overly impressive stone fortress had fallen into disrepair. However, this did not make Sumiko any less cautious as she stepped into it and headed towards a great staircase, past a fallen pillar. Here and there they would see Onderonian militiamen, though these paid them little mind. If one took the time to study the walls, one could see images depicting the great battles fought by the Beast Rider, but even here the paint had faded. She looked towards Maja as the Sith spoke. Both of them were still maintaining cover.


As bored as the guards might be, even they had ears and she presumed that the place had security devices. "Doctor Samantha Daniels of the Denon Institute of Ancient and Archaic Culture perhaps. We have worked together before," she said in what to the uninitiated would have come across as a cheerful tone.


However, as they passed a corner she surreptitiously passed over a note to Maja. Denon is a cover. Suspect Alexandra Suvorova. Ex OP agent, Force adept. Equally interested in artefacts. Will have to terminate her. Sumiko was very familiar with the woman due to the operations the IIB had run in what had then been OP space. Indeed she had once been on Denon to investigate the zombie outbreak the Pyre had suppressed back in the old days. What Sumiko could not know was that by now Ms Suvorova had been...processed into a Human Replica Droid, a terminatrix of sorts. By someone Sumiko was very familiar with and had ample cause to hate.

 

[Darth Zilti]

As Maja surveyed the former opulence – where once it was grand now it was faded – she reflected that it was like many hotels she’d stayed in. The ones that live off their former reputation and do their best to keep a bright façade, but the further from the lobby you get, the more run-down the rooms became.

Except here, even the entrance was in disrepair – which meant the rest was likely to be in even worse condition. She gazed at the Beast Riders and couldn’t help romanticising about Bane swooping in to save Rain all those centuries ago. Maja had been forced to do it the hard way – alone – but hadn’t had to actually face the beasts – just some has-been riders. The experience had put her off death-sticks for life.

So she listened to Sumiko’s response, clearly this likely to be someone that was known to her as she deciphered the cryptic message with a couple of nods to show she’d understood. The secret note confirmed it. The name meant nothing, OP meant little. Force adept was worth noting and the requirement to terminate was equally taken as important. On the plus side, if she was here, there must be something worth having – the timing was too great to be a coincidence. Maybe there was a mole back on Coruscant? If so, perhaps this woman was expecting them?

Maja discarded this thought. It was irrelevant now. She would approach the situation expecting a hostile reception and act accordingly. See…who needed a plan when there were so many variables.

As they walked Maja allowed her hand to trail along the walls, her arm outstretched so only the extremities of her fingertips made contact. As she did, she received glimpses of events long past. Nothing useful – yet – but that didn’t stop her looking. Despite his brief stay here, the presence of Palpatine was…well…palpable. His auara was so deliciously Dark, it permeated the very walls and she could sense his dying spirit. Which filled her with hope. If there were anything tangible of his left behind, it might offer some clues as to the whereabouts of the holocron they sought.

“I understand,” Maja offered. “And since you have worked together before, I shall let you do the talking of course. I shall remain alert in case you have need of me. You never know, even the Denon Institute can be in-transient at times and you may need me to aid you in pressing our credentials in this matter.”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


"That sounds like a good idea," Sumiko said, giving Maja a thin smile that to any unitiated bystander might have appeared genuine. They were now moving deeper into the ancient, thoroughly decayed fortress. Palpatine's stay inside it had been very brief, but his powerful presence was still palpable. Darkness permeated these halls, as if beckoning them. As with most things Sumiko did, her approach to what was called the dark side or the Force in general was defined by practicality rather than mysticisim.


The Force was a tool to her, its secrets and mysteries something to be uncovered, studied and harnessed. Nothing more, nothing less. They were now getting closer to the area where Palpatine was believed to have met his final end. Here the sensation was especially strong. His dark, powerful aura seemed to have engulfed the room. The sheer power was most alluring but also made it difficult to keep focus, though Sumiko caught herself and began methodically searching the room. Both physically and by stretching out with her senses, trying to get a trace of the holocron. But...nothing came. Had someone beat them to the punch long ago? Perhaps they simply needed to search the fortress more, but another thought came to Sumiko. What if Palpatine had not had it with him when he met his final end? Perhaps stored it away somewhere for safekeeping. This thought came to her as she examined what seemed to be the remains of a broken throne, scanning it with what seemed like a small, PDA-like device.


It was then that she suddenly heard noise and immediately arose again. Coming their way from a corner stood...Alexandra Suvorova/Samantha Daniels. Blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, athletic build, leather coat, probably several hidden weapons. Sumiko stretched out with her senses to try and get a reading on her, but there was nothing. She had felt this before...


"Ms. Kim Lin. A pleasure. I'm not surprised to find you here," the supposed archeologist said in a faux friendly tone, glancing over to Maja. "A friend I take it?" Clearly they were still pretending to be their cover identities before striking. The camera hidden behind cobwebs on the ceiling suddenly found itself giving up the ghost as Sumiko projected her will onto it.


"Doctor Daniels. It's been a while since the digs on Gehenna," Sumiko said in a similarly faux friendly tone. Four gun-wielding minions had materialised along with the woman, apparently the hired muscle. Presumably here to provide fire support. Undeterred Sumiko stepped forward, giving Maja a nod on the way. Her hand discreetly reached for the pendant she wore around her neck.


"Too long. That said, I'm afraid your stay here will be short. We've already made arrangements...," Sumiko saw that the woman was reaching for something. It looked like a shattergun in her coat pocket, but the former Inquisitor was faster. What she wore around her neck was not a pendant, but a hold-out bolter and she fired the weapon. The miniaturised, silent, solid durasteel slug that leapt out of the tiny weapon connected with Sumiko's skull at point blank range. An ordinary human, even a force adept, would have probably been killed. At this range you could not dodge. Unfortunately, as was shown when the shot stripped away most of the flesh around her cranium and revealed plates of metal, along with one eye being blown out, she was not ordinary or even human.


An HRD. For just a second or two images of Atrisia flashed through Sumiko's mind. Of force-users being hunted down and mercilessly slaughtered by merciless assassin droids unleashed by Skaldi and the Empress. Of her own capture. It was a convenient distraction. Just as she wanted to unleash her powers the droid head-butted her. Normally this would be considered a bad move since it tended to hurt the attacker as much as their victim, but that obviously went out of the window when you were a kill-bot that did not feel pain. Having gotten her head hit by a solid block of durasteel Sumiko was sent tumbling, then grabbed and thrown through a rather dilapidated wall, soon connecting with the cold, hard ground.


Swiftly the battle droid was upon her. As for the mooks, they were presumably engaging Maja now. The iron, cold grip of a droid wrapped itself around Sumiko's neck as she was pulled up, intent on choking the life out of her and crushing her throat. White hot pain surged through her then her vision seemed to turn dark. Then suddenly the droid was caught by a powerful shockwave and sent flying through the air and across half the room as the telekinetic hammer crashed into its legs, landing hard upon the ground with a thud.


A very short telepathic instruction was sent to Maja. Kill the goons, I'll take the droid. No time for more. Before a minion could fire upon her Sumiko, who arose with a deep groan, pulled at the tangled web of the Force and then...vanished from sight as she wrapped the shadows around her. Invisible to both human and droid.


The death machine quickly brought up her gauntleted hand, which seemed to hide a flamethrower, unleashing a blast of flame that swept towards the spot where Sumiko had last been. The Force surged through the Dark Jedi's muscles as she sought to evade the blast of heat that fried her clothes and sought to roast her skin, burning, searing pain shooting through her before she rolled under it, trying to evade the flames. Lightsabre in hand, about to be ignited, she came from behind the droid, aiming to bring the blade down upon its head like a hurricane.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja took a back-seat for the time being. In truth she’d allowed her more experienced partner to take the lead from the off. It was different for her. Usually a lone wolf, when she’d had to work with someone she’d always called the shots. But this was a more complicated set of events. She could not afford to simply allow her own exuberance and lack of planning get them killed.

So she swallowed that tiny bit of pride she had and instead learned. As she observed, she kept her eyes, ears and senses open. The presence of Palpatine was actually hindering things – his aura almost overwhelming her ability to detect anything more subtle. And as she did her best to deal with this, she saw the woman that Sumiko no doubt spoke of. There was something very austere about her. Elegant to the point of coldness. Cheekbones so finely sculpted, you could sharpen a pencil on them.

She approached them both and Maja gave her a fake smile. But the winking red light that suddenly stopped was not lost on Maja – which one did it, she had no idea, but things were about to get messy. And right on cue, four henchmen arrived. Maja did the maths. This woman was worth way more than these few, so when the dance started, she’d mark their cards and allow Sumiko to deal with the blonde. The mental message from her partner merely confirmed the arrangement.

Except the blonde wasn’t a natural. And she didn’t need her to disrobe to work that one out, or even see the bottle of bleach in her medicine cabinet. No, it was the head made out of metal that gave the biggest clue.

Of course the ensuing fight would have been of great interest to Maja but she remembered she had her own challenge to deal with. So, facing the men, she pulled back the folds of her cloak to reveal her saber. “OK boys, let’s dance.” Her eyes morphed from their usual amber to a paler shade – yellow – and the irises were now ringed scarlet.

The saber snapped into her outstretched hands and the twin blades activated with an unusual buzzing hum. Each blade was shorter than usual, only 0.75 metres long. An she started to twirl it, getting faster and faster.

The first thug fired a bolt that simply spun off and hit a wall. By the time the second had fired, Maja was in full swing. She redirected the blast at the third man and he fell to the ground, clutching his chest. “What is it with the men these days, no stamina.” She’d walked as she talked and was now close to them. The shorter blades meant she had a smaller reach than was usual. But up close and personal like this, it mattered little. A second was sliced from groin to ribcage before she yanked the crimson blade out, the smell of burning blood filling the room.

The remaining thug pulled a vibrosword. Maja’s eyes glinted, “Now you came prepared, I like that in a man,” and she turned to face him. It was then she was aware of the pain that was so closely associated with the blade that was now sticking out of her right thigh. She'd taken her eye off him for a second and the first man had gone and damaged her lovely pants. He was so going to pay for that.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


While Maja was doing a good job putting mnalings in their place - a slice to the groin always showed them who was boss! - Sumiko had been dealing with the blonde droid. Cloaked in the shadows, invisible to detection from both organics and machines, she had been sneaking up on the machine. Whilst trying to get past the fact that the area around her was engulfed in flames. Her clothes had been burnt, her flesh singed and nastily burnt in places, but she persisted.


Pain was just weakness leaving the body. It was something that could be controlled and harnessed. She bit down n her tongue as flames burnt through her and in a fluid motion stepped in fast to launch a chop at the droid's head to cut it off and end the machine. Unfortunately for Sumiko, though she was invisible, the droid was not without wits. Perhaps she had been heard, perhaps the droid had simply made quick calculations, but in the nick of time the HRD adjusted her position and side-stepped, dodging the manoeuvre just in the right moment.


Thereby being spared losing her head. Rather Sumiko's scarlet blade sliced through her right arm, the one that had held the flamethrower, and cut it off. Cloth and synthetic flesh was cut apart, as was the hard durasteel that lay beneath it. The smell of burnt metal, fake flesh and electronics filled the room. However, machines do not feel pain and so it did not take her opponent long to respond. As the droid spun Sumiko found herself spinning her blade to deflect a flurry of blaster bolts fired from a wrist-worn blaster, at close range. Bolts slashed out of the air peppered the death machine, exposing more and more metal, then her powerful durasteel fist suddenly knocked the sabre out of Sumiko's hands as she came in to make another slice at her, and brutally grabbed her sword arm.


Then the machine began twisting the captured hand at an unnatural angle and at lengths where it really should not be twisted. Well, ouch! That hurt a lot. Pain that made it difficult to focus and concentrate, but became a fuel as bones snapped. In an outburst of power the power of the Force was unleashed by Sumiko and her will wrapped itself around the HRD's circuits. The death machine might be built like a tank, but she still had pressure points that could be harnessed and overpowered. Sumiko did not have the ability to summon lightning from her fingertips and could have gone for telekinesis, but she went for something different but straightforward and perhaps more satisfying.


Primitive, unrefined mechu-deru to crush those aforementioned circuits into little pieces. Her dealings with the Bando Gora in the past had been harrowing, forced her to indulge in terrible acts and endure indignities that had left more than one scar, but they had been productive when it came to the acquisition of knowledge. The machine stopped dead in its tracks, as if its power centre had been blown up. Sumiko's arm was released from its grip as the machine seemed to blow up from the inside and crumpled to the ground.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja’s eyes turned on the man whose hand was still attached to the blade that was causing the pain. As if it absolved him of any blame, he released his grip on the handle.

“Too little, too late,” she responded and released her right hand from the saber hilt. Blue lightning arced from her fingertips to the man’s skull. His body spasmed as if enduring multiple heart attacks and strokes before it fell limp and literally lifeless to the floor.

The final thug took advantage and swung his vibrosword in a wide arc to remove Maja’s head. She reacted late but effectively enough, parrying the blow away from her throat but had to endure a painful blow to the shoulder as the blade caught her.

Snarling now, she fixed the man with her yellow eyes. “New pants and a new cloak? Do you know how expensive these were?” He clearly had no idea as he attempted to inflict more holes in the fabric with a short but effective combination of blows. He was powerful and it took all of her effort to parry the blows. She was a Vahla and genetically weaker than an average human - with lighter bones too. But she had pace aplenty and so no sooner had she blocked the final attempt of his combination than she was able to inflict her own attack. It was simple and wonderfully effective. She simply skewered him in the gut with one of the blades.

She stared into his eyes as blood started to drip from his lips and she twisted the blade for good measure. He looked down and she gave him a simple Force Push to remove him from her crimson blade. With an unusual mild thrum, the blades deactivated and Maja removed her cloak. She stuck a finger through the big hole in the shoulder before putting it back on. Then she removed the blade in her thigh. She did her best to control the scream as the metal slipped out of the flesh. She fished in her bag for a bacta patch and applied it to her leg before finally seeing how her comrade had fared. She’d seen and heard enough to know she was still alive - but the efforts had taken their toll on both of them.

“Well that could have gone better I guess. But we’re both still alive, eh? And I guess this means they didn’t find anything here?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


"Yes. And I'm sceptical we shall find anything either. We have little time before security starts paying attention," Sumiko surmised as she looked around, turning around the body of the broken droid and searching her burnt clothes, but finding nothing of value there. The skull of the droid was a mess and she pulled the chip out. It was badly damaged, but perhaps through the use of mechud-deru could be restored enough to yield information. The little duel had taken a toll on her as well and they only had a short interval before the Onderonian militia finally appeared in the room. After all, the battle had not been subtle or quiet in the least.


The Atrisian did the best she could to control the pain she was feeling. Unrefined, primitive Dark Repair was not true healing, more akin to stitches, bt it would help keep her going for a good while, so she willed the Force to work its magic and rather primitively mend her broken bones to a point where she was functional again so that she could think. Palpatine was the last being on record for possessing the holocron of Sorzus Syn. After his demise the trail was lost.


Two possibilities presented themselves. Either someone had beaten them to the punch long ago and taken the holocron for themselves, but it was likely that such a thing would made waves at some point. Same with the Jedi getting their hands on it and destroying it. Or...Palpatine had not had it with him when he died. "If I was a powerful, body-hopping Dark Lord making a last attempt at clinging to power and going into a life or death situation...," Sumiko muttered to herself. Where would she put the holocron?


Suddenly it clicked inside her mind. "You said in your dreams you were taken to Dxun. I don't believe it was just your own desires for something of Bane's taking you there. The Force was telling you something more. Maybe before he went off to his final confrontation Palpatine hid it there...in a place where no one would expect anything of value. The tomb of Freedon Nadd."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja went through the motions of a quick search of the room, there was nothing her and she knew it. She’d always known it but had ignored the signs. She applied a second bacta patch and wondered if she’d packed more clothes in her small bag, or had filled it with candy bars. She metaphorically shrugged, candy was more important anyway.

She realised Sumiko was speaking and tuned back into the here and now. It was logical to assume if the holocron had been found it would have turned up somewhere. Even the invisible market. And the Jedi would have been more than willing to share their success in destroying it. No, Sumiko was right, it was still out there.

And her next words simply reinforced what she already knew to be true. “Bane’s ship is on Dxun, and draws me to it. But I also saw a tomb there. I have been focused on this Holocron but foolishly didn’t see what the evidence was trying to tell me. What my own gift was showing me. Where better to hide something than a long-abandoned tomb that every Jedi and Sith had investigated for centuries. Who would think to look there for it?”

Again the images flashed through her mind…the jungle, the clearing, the irregular pyramid. This time though, an additional image was added. A small antechamber, with passages leading off in three different directions.

She nodded, “I just know it’s the right place. All we have to do is get past those guards and it’s a free run to the moon. Of course, getting past those guards might be easier said than done. Do you have a plan?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


Everything had fallen into place. Kira Fortress had been a dead end, but they had a plan and a destination. The Force did not lie to those with the ability to hear the ripples instead of shouting all the time, though it often threw obstacles in their way. Impediments to be overcome through sheer will to prove oneself worthy. The temporary setback here was a learning experience.


Basic Dark Repair had made her body reasonably functional again, though she applied a bacta patch. "Yes, I can render both of us invisible with cloak of shadows and we can sneak past them to our ship. It will just take a lot of concentration on my part. With your support I can achieve it though and get us past them," she said calmly. By now alarm sirens had begun to howl and the sound of boots hitting the ground could be heard. Their little firefight with the droid and her goons had not gone unnoticed, within a few minutes the guards would be here.


So Sumiko pulled at the tangled web of infinite power that was the Force, willing its energies to flow through her as she harnessed it. Strain and concentration was evident upon her features as she focused and applied the techniques Mirien had taught her so long ago during a gruelling training session, willing the Force to wrap both of them in shadows, rendering them invisible to both machine and naked eye.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was a willing passenger again. The plan was sound – and yes, she was begrudgingly accepting there was value in such an approach. Sometimes.

She stood close to Sumiko and simply made herself available for whatever she needed her to help with. She felt the Force being pulled – being manipulated around them. It was evident this was complex use of the Force and Maja felt it flowing through her.

The sound of boots grew louder and when the door was flung open, the noise of the alarm increased significantly. The men glanced around the room, took in the dead bodies and rushed on, though another exit. This left the way clear for now, so unless they literally bumped into someone, they’d be OK until they had to open a door of course.

As they moved, Maja’s arm brushed against the wall. A new image came to her mind. Someone was walking through the pyramid. Through a labyrinth of tunnels until they came to an apparent dead-end. Yet Maja could see it as a glow-rod was held close to the back wall. A door only a meter high had been cut into the stone, and was blocked by a tightly fitted slab. Holding her excitement in check, Maja kept close to Sumiko as they approached the main exit. Once through this door they could get to their ship.

If only it were open!

Was there such a thing as luck? Maybe fortune favoured the brave? Either way, Maja held her breath as the officer from before walked through and passed directly between the two of them. As soon as he was a safe distance past, Maja speeded up, desperate to get through the door before it closed.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


They were close, very close now. Outside in the clearing lay their ship. Before them was a door and behind it several guards. The fortress had been placed under lockdown. Alarm sirens blared loudly, guards were fanning out and shouts echoed across the ancient structure.


"Sir, our Denon visitors are dead. You got to see this...one of them was a droid! And it looks like they were killed by lightsabres."


"What the feth? Damn Sith. Find those two bitches. Command will have our hides if we don't."


"We're looking everywhere, sir. But they've...vanished."


Maja was speeding up towards the door and Sumiko was with her. Keeping them both cloaked put a strain on her, a very big one, but she pushed herself to maintain the cloak. The door inched closer and closer as it was pushed to close but she managed to break into a roll, landing outside just before it was slummed shut. It was just her luck that she managed to avoid crashing into a guard who happened to come her way. Whether it was luck or the favour of the Force was not something Sumiko was in the mood to debate at this juncture.


She took a deep breath as she concentrated. They needed to get to the ship...now.


"Search harder. Damn forcies. Sergeant Cameron, destroy their ship. They can't stay invisible forever."


As she heard the command being barked out the Force surged through her muscles and she raced towards their freighter. The landing ramp was obviously closed but not for long, for when she was finally close she used an insistent telekinetic tug to pull it open, granting them entrance. Unfortunately, this had the effect of dropping her concentration for a brief moment and the cloak flickered, slipping for just a moment. "What the...fire!" the officer from earlier bellowed out.


Sumiko hit the ground with a loud thud as she bolted into the ship and dropped down, salvoes of blaster bolts peppering the entrance and flying towards her, whizzing over her head. A stinging burn was felt as a blaster bolt shot past too close for comfort and grazed her ear, before the soldiers began lobbing in grenades. The ramp would be open only for a very short moment to give Maja the chance to board, then close once more. Abruptly the laser turrets set up in the base turned and took aim upon them. Within a moment or two, they would begin unloading. "Take the controls and get us out," Sumiko ordered, the cloak finally and completely dissipating as she panted, trying to catch her breath. Right now she did not have the energy for much else, it depended on Maja now.

 

[Darth Zilti]

So she was a queen now? Well any chance he had was now well and truly over. Command could have his hide for all she cared now. In fact the mischievous part of her wondered how to make life worse for the man – perhaps if she blew something up? She mentally shook her head – escaping had to take precedent.

Maja made it though the door by the skin of her teeth and wondered how long her accomplice could keep up the illusion, which must be draining for her. And why did the bad guys (or were they the good guys?) have to point out that firstly they couldn’t stay invisible forever and secondly that they could blow up the ship. All her candy bars were on board!

If a girl ever needed an incentive, that was it.

As they approached the ship, Maja was aware that Sumiko used the Force to lower the ramp – which of course had the effect of temporarily disabling the cloak around them. Maja’s body flickered into view and she quickly unclipped her saber and returned the blaster bolts that came in her direction with interest. Two of the guards fell – albeit one was because a box of parts fell on his head from a high shelf when the bolt ricocheted and burned through a bracket. One day she’ll tell the story of how that was an intentional deflection.

Grenades were a different kettle of fish and Maja intercepted the first salvo with Force Lightning, exploding them in mid air. Through the resultant smoke she managed to scramble on board and ran to the cockpit.

She was an experienced pilot, but combat was not something she could count on in a tight squeeze. But running away she was good at, and she punched the requisite buttons and added as much power as she safely could as soon as she could. Plus perhaps 20% on top. The ship wobbled as it took off but she managed to hold it steady. It clipped the hangar doors – which some fool had decided to close just as she was exiting – but a quick touch-up with a tin of paint should do the trick.

As she cleared the building, she performed what could only be described as improvised evasive manoeuvres. The benefit was that none of the men firing on them would have seen such a display and were unable to predict where the ship was headed. Well, if Maja didn’t know, what chance had they? But her general view was to head away from those very noisy guns – and she managed that, heading out over the forest whilst at the same time gaining height.

The trip to Dxun was relatively short, so she kept a hand on the controls rather than trust to the autopilot. A matter of minutes later they were approaching the moon and she headed instinctively for the part of the jungle they were seeking. The whole place effused with the taint of the Dark-side but this one spot was special – unmistakeable. Landing in the clearing that bore no life, she rushed back to see how her comrade was faring. “I got us out,” she said, somewhat redundantly. “How are you feeling?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


Dxun. Somewhat melodramatically known as the Demon Moon. It was a place of shattered and broken lives. For thousands of years across the ages it had been the graveyard of untold people. Within its forests lay buried entire legions, their blood intermixing with the omnipresent mud when it was not washed away by the torrential rainfalls. Throughout the ages it had been a moon steeped in the Dark Side, ever since Freedon Nadd staked a claim.


As they had come in to land, piloted by Maja after her improvised evasive manoeuvres had ensured they safely escaped the furious Onderonians, one could still see the scars of ancient and more recent battles. A canyon here, a series of craters there, all the work of lost souls. The landing spot they had found was especially strong in the corrupted mystical energies. A sign that the tomb they sought was close by. Give or take a few beasts that needed killing, but those would be fairly trivial. Doubtless they would have to be prepared for actual dangers inside the tomb.



But first things first. The Force had guided them here and given them an opportunity. Now the onus to make something out of it and uncover the forgotten mysteries was on them. For her part Sumiko had been recovering. With her energies focused on maintaining the cloak, her injuries had flared up again. Bacta patch and Dark Repair had been applied and she had found to her satisfaction that the blaster bolt had not blown off her ear, which would obviously have been quite awkward if it had occured.


"I'm fine," she said laconically. "Good work getting us out. There's a chance the Onderonians will be tracking us, but if we make haste we shall be off on our again in a timely manner." The fact that there was no formal Jedi presence on Onderon worked to their advantage. "We must head to the tomb. The Dark Side is very strong here and I feel it is close. Did your visions grant you any further insight or images?" she asked.


Unfortunately for Sumiko, she did not possess the power of farsight. It was quite ironic that years ago, when she was still an Inquisitor, she had hunted down and tried to catch a young seer called Laina Silvias, from a primitive tribe of amazons. Alas, the woman had eluded her, something which actually earned her a measure of respect. It made Sumiko wonder what had become of her. In any case, that was not a pressing matter. Sumiko walked over to a table stacked with weapons, grabbing a bolt pistol and some ammunition along with grenades.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja nodded as Sumiko spoke. “I have good news and bad news. I’ve landed at a point where no vegetation grows. I suspect this is because of the Dark-side. It is too corrupt for the flora to gain a foothold in. It should also keep away the deadly predators – at least the ones that exist in the jungle.”

As if to prove her point, Maja opened the ramp of the ship, to allow the light in.

It confirmed a few things. Firstly there was a fresh wave of the power of the Dark-side. It made them both feel stronger…rejuvenated in fact. “My first bit of bad news? The creatures prowling the tomb? They will be drawing on that same power.”

As they looked out, all they could see was dirt and mud; no living organism could nourish in the shadow of Nadd's crypt. Even the plants and trees bordering the clearing were stunted and deformed, corrupted by the Dark-side power that clung to the remains of the great Sith Master in death. And ahead of them – directly behind the ship as Maja had landed it, was the tomb itself. It was a disconcerting shape; the walls of the pyramid were set at odd and jarring angles, as if the stone of the crypt had been warped and twisted over the centuries.

And they could see a single entrance to the structure, a door that had once been sealed but looked as if it had been smashed open many centuries earlier by someone seeking the secrets of Nadd’s final resting place.

“OK, I’ll get back to the positives again. I saw a path. It’s a labyrinth in there, but I can retrace the steps I took in my vision. I’m sure at the end of one of the tunnels is what we seek…” Her voice petered out.

“We’ll need glow rods, it’s pitch dark in there. And…” Again her voice faltered. “There are creatures in there, I’m sure of it but…more importantly, the door we seek – for it is clearly a door, might be guarded by Sith magic. Maybe it’s decayed over time? But it might prove a challenge.”

“On the plus side, I still have some candy bars left.” She smiled and hefted a small bag on her shoulder. It contained more supplies than she’d usually take – this time she had constructed something approximating a plan. It appears the practice was contagious.

“Are you ready?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


"Sith magic, well, it would be a bit of a bore if it was too easy. I researched blood magicks whilst amongst the Bando Gora. I may be able to summon a spell to help us. But we will have to see the door for ourselves first to determine how strong and of what nature the barrier is," Sumiko said thoughtfully. She took out two glow rods from her duffel bag, passing one over to Maja.


The Dark Jedi was not the most sociable woman, but she actually found herself liking the Banite Sith. As much as she was actually capable of liking someone. "Let us go. You cab guide us, I will guard the rear." She slipped an APE magazine into her bolt pistol and holstered the gun on her thigh, then stepped out of the freighter. Outside they beheld a scenery of death and decay. Within the shadow of Nadd's crypt, there could be no life. Anything that had once grown here, be it trees and bushes, had decayed quickly and was now almost unrecognisable.


The power of the Dark Side hung like a pall over this place, so strong that to anyone who abhorred the darkness it would be almost choking, unless they were to open themselves to the dark sensation. Of course, this did not really apply to our two lovely ladies. As she headed towards the broken door that was the entrance to the tomb, Sumiko passed dead bodies here and there. Some were of wild animals, others of people who had presumably had the same idea as she and her companion. Their flesh was badly decayed and most foul-smelling, or they had been reduced to skeletons.


Glow rods were activated and provided a measure of illumination as they entered the pitch-black tunnel, which was as much a labyrinthe as Maja had described. Warily Sumiko made her way into the tunnel, weapons close and within reach, ears alert for the hint of danger. The Dark Side was strong in this place and made itself known in a thousand whispers, both alluring and threatening. There was a mouldy smell in the air and water dripped down from holes in the ceiling. As was shown when they were illuminated by the glowrods, images could be seen upon the walls, glorifying Freedon Nadd and his reign, showing slaves submitting to him and detailing his great - and undoubtedly exaggerated - achievements as a sorcerer. However, by now the paint was not that impressive anymore.


The ground itself had by now turned slippery. Suddenly as Sumiko walked the ground before her gave way and collapsed beneath her feet, threatening to drag her down into the pit. Reacting quickly the Force lent strength to her muscles and she jumped high into the air, landing somewhat shakily on more stable ground. However, she had little time to catch her breath and look at how Maja was doing, for suddenly a rotten, badly decayed corpse of a man, his mouth full of sharp teeth and eyes glistening with malice, leapt at her from a shadowy corner.


With talon-like fingers he seized her neck, trying to choke her in his iron grip while his fangs moved to sink themselves into her flesh. Pain surged through her and breathing became difficult as the unnaturally strong zombie threatened to cut off her flow of oxygen, leaving her limp and weak. Then abruptly Sumiko grabbed one of his arms. With the Force surging through her she twistened his arm to such an unnatural length that she broke it. Caught off-guard the beast let go of her throat and tumbled before slashing at her with his claws, but she cut him down from shoulder to ribcage with a crimson flash of her lightsabre.


"More are coming," she spoke as she caught her breath. No sooner had she done this than more of the undead appeared. It was a maddened horde of the ever-hungry, animated by the Dark Side that held such power over this place. Soon the two darksided explorers would find themselves surrounded as the horde swarmed them.


Wielding her lightsabre deftly Sumiko swirled the weapon around her body, slicing the arms off one zombie before his mace could collide with her head. Moving with great speed she whirled around, blade spinning in a beautiful flash of crimson to cleave a zombie from shoulder to belly. Several small rocks and bones lying around were suddenly raised into the air by telekinetic force and sent flying at a speed close to that of a railgun shot. Around her zombies fell as they were ran through or impaled by what amounted to a storm of sharp shards through the heart or throat. However, one of the undead took advantage of her momentary distraction and a torrent of orange-coloured tendrils leapt from his eyes, seizing the Dark Jedi.


Sumiko reeled under the onslaught as she suddenly felt her energies being leeched, her strength sapped and her limbs turning sluggish and limp. Hunger and malice poured from the aura of the zombified sorcerer as he approached, dressed in rags that might have once been crimson robes of a Naddist priest. Then Sumiko roared...very loudly. Her Force Scream unleashed a powerful shockwave that smashed into the sorcerer with such force that his decayed, foul-smelling body was very messily blown to bits.


"Zombie guardians. How original," Sumiko muttered to herself with a degree of irritation. As undead closed in she backflipped through the air to get some distance, her boots landing upon the slippery ground and spashing up water. Then she called upon the Force and harnessed it, drawing upon the natural connection to darkness that this place had. Doing this she forged her own web of influence as she touched the primitive minds of the undead closest to her. The web embraced and ensnared them, breaking the bonds that connected them to their collective as they were caught inside her grasp.


They were, when all was said and done, extremely simple and basic, primal even. Driven by nothing but instinct to kill. Necromancy was something she had studied to an extent. Nowhere near enough to raise armies of the undead as Matsu Xiangu had done during the fight against Lotek'k, but enough to compel some of these shallow minds to...decide to eat their comrades. Concentration and strain was evident on her, then suddenly some of the zombies broke ranks and fell upon their brethren, tearing them apart with animalistic fury as civil war broke out.