Codedrago Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) At one point, Dragous was but a simple Sith thirsting for power and drowning in his own arrogance, at another point he attain the title of Wrath and took on the chains that accompanied it. Now, in a cruel twist of fate he is left humiliated and alone as the Outlander, leading an alliance of people from all walks of life, and they all want to kill each other. Admittedly, taking down the Eternal Throne won't be easy in the slightest, but Dragous has worked with worst odds. Besides, as more factors appear the lines between friend and foe start to blur. An Exiled Inquisitor, born from a womb of betrayal in the unknown regions of space. A Pantheon of Destruction beckoning for his downfall. And a Galaxy of desperate innocents who simply want to be alive. And at the end of it all, stands the creature that started it all, as Dragous's only chance of victory. Inquisitor's Arrival Arc While the Alliance prepares to assault Arcaan's Star Fortress, the ex-Empire's Wrath sets out to search for new allies and hopefully his old crew. But after suffering defeat at the hands of Arcaan, he begins to doubt his own abilities. Joined by the previous leader of Havoc squad, Dragous has to redeem himself when Arcaan calls in outside help from an exiled Zakullian, who only has eyes for the prize inside of Dragous's head. Chapter 1 - Distractions Pg 1 Chapter 2: Just a day in the life of Jonas Balkar... Pg 1 Chapter 3: Voices in the darkness Pg 1 Chapter 4: Lost in Reflections Pg 2 Chapter 5: The Arrival Pg 2 Chapter 6: Support Pg 3 Chapter 7: Deception of the Mind Pg 4 Chapter 8: Unsure Future Pg 5 Chapter 9: Eyes of the Hunter Pg 6 Chapter 10: The Worst Rescue Mission Ever Chapter 11: Lost in Paradise Chapter 12: The Brothers of Havoc Chapter 13: The Deserter Chapter 14: The Emperor and the Archaeologist Chapter 15: Under the Surface Chapter 16: What happens on Alderaan, stays on Alderaan. Chapter 17: An unusual reunion Chapter 18: Assault on the Gilded Star Chapter 19: Strange Encounters Chapter 20: Assault on the Stars The Lost Emperor Arc After the successful destruction of the Star Fortress, the Alliance finds many more allies ready and willing to join them in taking down the rest, a small victory. While on shaky ground with both the Republic and the Empire, Dragous receives a surprise visit from Darth Vowrawn himself, with strange news indeed. Now, Dragous is set on a strange path where he must hunt down and save the lost forces of the Emperor's Hand from a most deceitful foe. As well as take down their new leader: Lord Scourge. Chapter 21: Recruitment Drive Chapter 22: Scavenging the Ruins Chapter 23: The Patient Hand Chapter 24: Uneasy Truces Chapter 25: Date with the Empress Chapter 26: Showdown at Sundown Chapter 27: Friends on the Other Side Chapter 28: A Prince's Ballad Chapter 29: The Mysterious Stranger Chapter 30: The Wayward Knight Chapter 31: Art of the Arena Chapter 32: Shadow of a Doubt Chapter 33: The Emperor's Wrath Chapter 34: Hollow Point Chapter 35: The Sins of the Father The Classes of War Arc In the wake of their discoveries on Nathema, the Alliance find themselves in grave disarray as their very foundations are unravelled from within and Vaylin's new spot on the throne throws their own brand of chaos into the mix. With Arcann escaping and Senya along with him, as well as Valkorian's absence, it becomes a race against time as Dragous must start a most unusual reunion. He must find the remaining Heroes of the Old Republic (The Smuggler, The Bounty Hunter and The Agent) before the Inquisitor does. Chapter 36: A Councillor's Guidance Chapter 37: Droids of the Apocalypse Chapter 38: Mandolore Beckons Chapter 39: The Oasis and The Swamps - Arcann's Atonement and Dragous's Reflection Chapter 40: Word of Warning Chapter 41: A Champion's Gambit Chapter 42: Theta Protocol Chapter 43: The Battle of Voss Chapter 44: A Fistful of Credits Chapter 45: King of the Pirates Chapter 46: Into the Woods Chapter 47: The Balance of Light and Dark Chapter 48: News Flash Chapter 49: Theta Unmasked Chapter 50: Dark Times The Lost Galaxy Arc After a one-way trip to the World of Iokath, the Alliance stumbles upon the edge of an entirely new reigon of space, one where the Inquisitor made his home in exile. In a moment of despiration, Dragous decides to journey into this lost galaxy in persuit of the power he'll need to stop the Eternal Throne and Valkorian, leaving the rest of the alliance to fend without him in the meantime. With Oddessan under constant threat by strange occurances as the event known as 'Zero Hour' draws ever closer, it becomes even worse for Dragous and his new crew as they find themselves dealing with Zakkuul's entire Pantheon of Gods in this new region, guarding whatever secrets the Inquisitor had found. No matter what, Dragous will not let anyone stop him from the power he seeks. And as Vitiate whispers in his ear, many will remember an age old phrase: Power Corrupts. Chapter 51: Lost Horizon Chapter 52: Welcome to Iokath Chapter 53: Koth's Breaking Point Chapter 54: Scorpio & The Inquisitor Chapter 55: To Regions Unknown Chapter 56: The Lost Galaxy Chapter 57: The Siren's Song Chapter 58: From the Grave Chapter 59: The Road to Atonement Chapter 60: Path of Exile Chapter 61: To the Throne of Divinity Chapter 62: Quest for Damnation Chapter 63: Gods from Machine Chapter 64: Divine Retribution Chapter 65: Jump to Lightspeed Chapter 66: The Battle of Odessan Chapter 67: The Fallen Knight The Eternal Legacy Arc Odessan in flames, armies butchered, a path of destruction and damnation lies in the wake of the Battle of Odessan. With the Outlander at the helm of it all, his eyes set only on the now vacant seat of power: The Eternal Throne. Koth knows things aren't right when he finds that Arcann is a friendly face. "The Galaxy stands weak and needing, defenceless against the destruction. The incompetence. The ignorance. All that plague it. Innocents can only scream into the void as the Empire choke them, with the Republic dwindling in their complacency. The Empire is pathetic. The Republic is weak. And when our Alliance is engraved into the very surface of Zakuul, it shall only be the beginning. In these dark times, we must do our duty and protect the galaxy. As of today, as your Eternal Emperor, I make a vow. From the depths of Courasant to the peaks of Dromound Kass, the Core Worlds will burn! And from their ashes shall we rise, as guardians, as the Eternal Alliance." The pivotal moment in history has arrived, the battle to end all battles, the end of our tale and the true measurement of Dragous's legacy. Now, he must choose how he will be remembered. As a puppet? As a Hero? As the Outlander? Or, will he let his mark in history, be one of a blight upon the people he sought to protect? Chapter 68: Countdown to Destruction Chapter 69: Ground Zero Chapter 70: The Eternal Throne Chapter 71: The Price of Power Chapter 72: Cry Havoc! Chapter 73: The Story of the Grand Inquisitor Chapter 74: The Face of Corruption Chapter 75: One Last Stand Chapter 76: Zero Hour - Dragous's Atonement Chapter 77: Epilogue - The Eternal Legacy Edited April 12, 2017 by Codedrago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) Chapter 1 - Distractions The familiar hard metal of the bed was of little comfort for the Zabrak resting on its edge, the cramped space of the engine room, it’s usual smelting heat had died down to a hollow chill. His amber eyes remains glued to the steel floors, a trail of sweat dripping from his horns. He usually found comfort in the engine’s soft rhythm of hums, he spent much more time taking rest in dank and most humid part of the ship than the luxury of his personal quarters. But when the Fury felt so empty, there was no comfort in its abandoned halls. Any hint of joy feeling like a distant touch from a ghost of the past. Dragous didn’t find it too hard to find the memories, he swore he could hear Pierce at the other end of the ship, mouthing off to Quinn on his ‘desk job’. Jaesa would be stumbling to hold her light sabre right again, feeling the fire up of emotions from the Captain in question. And Vette? “Just lying with my friend, the Sith” Her voice was distant and faded away as fast as it had appeared, a ghstly touch to his cheek. She would have sat here with him, taking her place on his lap, a lekku thrown over his shoulder and a twinkle of wit in her eye. Once, it was a pleasant break in between his duties….One that felt like a dream now. “Hey, Outlander? You in there?” The Fury’s comms broke through the hollow silence, Theron Shan’s tired voice holding back a yawn. “I was… Sleeping” Dragous replied, now leaning against the wall the bed was propped up against. “Though it sounds like you could use a nap” “So did Lana, Koth and everyone else” Theron groaned “But I’m working” Dragous inwardly groaned, pushing himself up from his seat on the bed as the SIS agent finished his sentence. “Speaking of work, you’re needed in the meeting room” “Is it important? Or is this just to make a round of the base and nod at the crowd?” Resources were scarce on Odessen, their base barley holds together most of the time. Zakuul was a hurricane of destruction that was able to easily force the two original galactic factions to kneel, this rebellion was nothing compared to that. Dragous understood that there was really no reason to think they could survive this, but that didn't mean he had to like being dragged around and shown off like a zoo animal. It is only natural that people rally to you. Dragous stayed silent at the voices intrusion, it’s withered tone only served to anger him. The mix of smug superiority in it’s tone and the knack for riddles made the voice an unwelcomed entity, one that just so happened to land in his own head. “Vitiate, I do not have time for your riddles and metaphors” He sharply whispered to himself, the voice seeming to fade for the moment. Valkorian was a new face, new body and a seemingly different personality. But even with all that, Dragous only saw the former Sith Emperor whispering in his ear, waiting for a chance to shackle the Zabrak again. “Important. Oggrob and Yunn believe they’ve made ground in their research on the Star Fortresses” “Good, I relish in a chance to end Zakuul’s winning streak” His hand briefly dipped down to his sides to check that his sabres were still clipped to his belt, though he did find his own actions rather foolish, he always had his weapons, never spent a moment without them. On his way to the door he picked up his recently repaired red and black chest plate, it’s metal shell forming sharp curve over his chest when he put it back on. “It would be nice to score a win for once” The Warrior moved through the ship at a slow pace, a surge of anger in the pit of his stomach at Theron’s words. Every moment since he was dragged out of his carbonite prison had never been one of victory, every situation ended with them either getting curb stomped by their enemy or fleeing the scene in defeat. Just thinking back to his latest encounter with Zakuul made him want to slam his fist into a wall. Sparks flew between the two fighters as their ‘blades’ clashed once again, Dragous wearing an enraged glare as Prince Arcaan only smirked with a drawn out chuckle, the charred remains of a HK-55 unit lying in a heap behind him. The prince pulled back, avoiding the slash of a velvet sabre and pushing outwards with the force at his fingertips, placing the two warriors a few metres apart. “I can’t wait to meet all your friends!” The mocking laughter only let Dragous respond with a growl, lunging at the Prince with his sabres raised high to slam down on what remained of Arcaan’s face. The Prince simply let out another low chuckle, the golden laser of his sabre connected with Dragous’s, attacking from the side along with the momentum allowed him to pushing the Zabrak’s sabre away. “Give up, Outlander. My training makes me faster, my metal body enhances my strength. And my heritage gives me an unmatched potential in the force!” “Keep telling yourself that, maybe someday somone will believe you!” All that ran through the Wrath’s head was screams of protest against Arcaan’s statement, even if the Prince matched him blow after blow with more strength each time, he was wrong. He had to be. That’s what Dragous had continued to tell himself, even after he begged for Valkorian’s power to launch Arcaan of the edge of the platform, he chanted it in his head. But when he was on Odessen, looking at how desperate the situation was, he knew. Arcaan was right. Now outside the Fury, Dragous contemplated on his inner confession. The very thought made him cringe. But he didn't know what was more pathetic for him, the fact that Arcaan was stronger, or the fact that Dragous had become desperate enough to beg for help from the man he hated the most. His anger only rose as he entered the elevator up to Ayago’s military division. My crew’s gone, my home is in flames, I can’t even beat a spoiled brat and now everyone is looking up to me to lead them to victory? His inner monologue made the elevator ride a short trip for him, in only a short time the elevator door was opening again, giving the Zabrak full view of a rather shabby hanger bay. In front of the now open elevator stood a man armoured from head to two in green cameo, staring expectantly through the darkened visor of his helmet. A long crimson blaster rifle hung from the soldier’s back, just in reach of gloved hands, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice. “Dragous” The trooper greeted with a small hand gesture, turning around as the Sith approached him with a sigh. Shief Shade, ex-major of the Galactic Republic and CEO of Havoc Squad. While Havoc squad was technically disbanded on the order of Zakuul, the soldier had managed to pull together more than half of his old squad, making Havoc Squad pretty much an unofficial reunion. Dragous didn’t hate the man “Major.” But that wasn’t to say that the fact that Havoc Squad was a Republic squad didn’t exactly help the two get along, though they at least were easily able to push aside their differences for the mission. Especially after Sheif had aided in Dragous’s escape from Arcaan’s trophy room along with Lana and Koth. “Heads down, eyes open, run like hell!” Koth’s voice boomed over his COMM. Dragous almost screamed when the barrage of blasts from Koth’s ship came down what left of the metal paths, rushing forward in the middle of the fire to get towards the edge of the walkway. Glancing back he witnessed how the blasts just managed to keep the Zakuul Knights and Vaylin at bay (Finding himself slightly impressed with her ability to hold the chunk of metal she held up as a shield), though that didn't last long as the woman soon ended up gathering up chunks of the walkways with the force and lobbing them at the shuttle. Lana was leading their retreating sprint as Koth’s ship was hit, swinging around with its back now facing the duo, a boarding ramp starting to extend from the opening door. The ex-Head of Sith Intelligence was the first to reach the ramp, easily making her way onto it and rushing into the safety of the shuttle, Dragous was not as lucky. The walkway shook violently as a result of Vaylin’s projectile attacks, causing the rush forward to be much more of a slow struggle. When Dragous eventually reached the edge of the walkway, Koth’s ship had managed to move further away, leaving a large gap between the walkway and the still extended ramp. But with the blaster fire from behind as motivation, Dragous couldn't hesitate to launch himself into the air and towards the ramp. A few seconds in the air extended into a minute for the Sith, his eyes focused on any part of the ramp he could reach out and grab. He felt his stomach tumble around his body at the constantly shifting weights, like an invisible force was having fun pulling him in every direction possible. He had no time to dwell on this before his shoulder collided with the surface of the ramp, his body already being dragged down by gravity. Instinctively he attempted to maintain his position on the ram, pushing the force to his feet and kicking off to luge forward. “HK! Get him inside!” Suddenly Dragous felt a metal hand form a tight grip on his arm, looking up he saw the familiar square face of metal that had tried to kill him on no less than three occasions, the yellow lights that formed it’s eyes stared down at him. “I’ll provide covering fire!” “Statement: Meatbags can’t fly. As the HK droid pulled Dragous up the ramp, the Sith turned his head to the other unfamiliar voice. Beside them, Shief had appeared on the ramp with a blaster rifle in his arms, a cable trailed from his back, keeping him on the ship while he was on the ramp. “Get in or get thrown off, Sith!” The trooper’s gruff voice yelled over the whirling engine, Dragous simply nodded and allowed himself to be pulled inside by HK, while the Trooper started to fire back at the knights. When Dragous looked back at the Trooper, he saw a familiar insignia on the man’s back. The insignia of Havoc squad. The Major and the Empire’s Wrath walked side-by-side through the base, Shief giving all the people a small greeting whenever they passed, even sometimes stopping to have a small chat. It irked Dragous a bit, they were on their way to an important meeting and shouldn't be wasting time with people in the hallway. After saying good bye to a rather nervous looking private, Dragous felt the need to speak his thoughts. “Are you quite finished?” “Something wrong, Sith?” Whenever the two felt tension in the air, they both went back to forgetting each other’s actual names. Something that seemed to be occurring much more frequently since first landing on Odessen, Koth would always say that the work was getting to them and Dragous couldn't exactly deny that. “I’d prefer it if we stopped wasting time” Dragous growled at the Major, pushing right past and knocking over a passing imperial trooper. “We are at war, I thought a soldier would understand that” “I don’t see the problem, I’m just greeting our men and woman. It’s not like we’re under attack” Sheif was almost too calm and relaxed in his walk, it was defiantly different than what the man’s first appearance had painted him as. When they had first met, Sheif had been a rather stand off-ish, but disciplined individual who was always looking to Lana to provide the next task. But, as soon as they had taken off in the gravestone Sheif acted more like this, laid back, and relaxed. Not what Dragous expected of a soldier like him. “Or does the Sith Code forbid you from making small talk with the people that give their lives for you?” The Sith ignored the question and avoided looking towards the man as he made his way to alliance meeting room, both receiving salutes from the troopers guarding the door. “I’m just saying that it might do some good to give your people some…positive encouragement. Encouragement that doesn't end in ‘AND LET THEIR BLOOD RAIN FROM THE SKIES!’ “ _________________________________________________________________________________________ Prince Arcaan stood tall and menacing behind the throne, glaring outwards into the void of space with the only remaining eye he had. He knew that somewhere out there in the depths of space was the hiding place of his enemy, where the Outlander would continue to plot the demise of Zakuul and everyone who stood with it. “With my father whispering in his ears” The Outlander had been nothing but trouble since escaping, trouble that Arcaan once abused himself to rid Zakuul of his father. Arcaan may have proven that he could out-class the Outlander in skill back in Asylum, but it wasn’t enough for the Prince. As long as the Outlander lived, his control over the galaxy he had fought so hard to maintain was threatened to crumble. Arcaan looked back to the throne, HIS throne, the throne that commanded a near invincible fleet of ships that was unrivalled in size. Father never understood how to utilise such a power, he could have conquered the core worlds with only a thought. But he decided to waste time toying with them. I am better then him. But Arcaan’s inner-gloating fell on deaf ears, an annoying little voice in the back of his mind laughed. He half expected Valkorian himself to appear to berate him for daring to compare himself to the Immortal Emperor. No… Not the Immortal Emperor…I am the Immortal Emperor now. He reached out with his real arm to brush his fingers against the metal surface of the throne, his eyes looking over the seat of power that had managed to weigh on his mind. An eternity before he remembered kneeling before this throne, wishing for power, for acceptance, for approval. Where he grew envious imagining how it felt to sit in the throne, where his disdain for his distant father grew. Like an echo of the past, he could still hear the distant words of his brother. You’re better than this. It was the last words Thexan ever spoke. Looking upon the throne, Arcaan only saw steel stained with blood. Thexan sat slumped on the throne, his eye’s locking with Arcaan’s gaze before rolling back, his body going limp and the words repeating. You’re better than this. It was in a tone of pure disappointment and regret. You’re better than this. “Brother?” Arcaan didn’t move when the smug tone of his little sister distinguished his vision, keeping his gaze on the throne hoping that Vaylin couldn’t see or feel his… emotions. “Sister.” “You’ve been silently glaring. You’re angry” She walked closer to him with the same mad glint in her eye she always had. “That makes me sad and I don’t like being sad. That makes me angry, and then I break one of your toys” “I don’t want to sadden you, sister” They kept a small distance apart as he pulled himself back onto the throne, she continued to stare at him, curious. “I was thinking of Thexan.” “I miss Thexan, he always brought me trophies from all his conquests” “The image of his death still sits with me” A brief sigh came from the Prince, Thexan’s lifeless eyes still flashing in his mind. “It was Father’s fault” The Prince fixed Vaylin with contemplating gaze that she only smirked at. “I freed you from Father's control. I hope that earned your... support.” “My loyalties lie here, Arcann. Always.” Some would expect the siblings to hug or at least smile at the statement, but no. There was no intimate contact, Arcaan didn’t want to be touched. There was no smiles, Vaylin’s smile was reserved for sinister deeds. Arcaan didn’t like being outclassed. Vaylin didn’t like being controlled. “I also think to the growing threat of the Outlander” “You always think of the Outlander. I’d say you were obsessed with him” Arcaan’s eyes narrowed, his metal fist almost slamming down on the throne. “I have good reason to be” Vaylin remained unflinching, almost smirking at his objection while his eyes softened slightly. “He and Father remain a threat” “As you said, Father is weak and the Outlander couldn’t beat you” Arcaan leaned back with a menacing glare, for her it never held any threats, but it was a glare Arcaan always put on when he sat on the throne. “You worry too much” “Father may be weaker, but he is still as cunning as ever” Vaylin seemed amused by this, while she could chalk Arcaan’s thoughts up to paranoia, she couldn’t deny that the so called ‘paranoia’ caused Arcaan to send her on some enjoyable missions. Just last week he told her to make an example of some failing Knights, an experience she took great pleasure in. “We need to think of how to counteract him” “I’m sure the Scions would know, but they’re all dead” She stated with a small giggle, though her jab didn’t seem to deter the Prince. “The Scions are best used for target practise then helping solve actual problems. And I can’t go to the Jedi or Sith, I cannot allow them to see me in a moment of need” His metal and came up to stroke his barley organic chin, thinking back on the short list of people that could know more about his Father’s various powers. “But…” “But? I have a good feeling...” “There is one man who could help us, one who my father whispered all his secrets to before banishing him to unknown territories. His exile will certainly make for good motivation to go after Father, but… He is not known for being very trustworthy” Vaylin laughed at the statement, a cruel smile on her face “He doesn’t need to be trustworthy when you’re keeping him in line, Brother” She moves closer to Arcaan, rubbing her palms together. “If he thinks otherwise, we’ll force him kneel” “You’re right, Sister.” “I know.” Arcaan’s fingers tapped against the small hidden control panel in the throne’s arms, linking himself up to the GEMMINI droids. “GEMMINI, take a portion of the fleet. Bring the Inquisitor of Zakuul before me” Chapter 2: Just a day in the life of Jonas Balkar... “So, what do you think?” Theron Shan finished with a brief glance around the Alliance War Room, a smug smile on his lips temporarily as he looked at the awkward faces of the alliance leaders. “What?” “It’s desperate” came Senya’s criticism. Lana agreed with a “Completely left to chance” “It has a 20% chance of being able to even get off the ground” Scorpio was gleefully kicking him down, what a surprise. “Well, it could wo-“ Koth stopped mid-sentence with a shake of his head, looking away. “No, can’t say that with a straight face” “You know what I love about you guys? You’re always so positive!” Theron stated with his voice dripping with sarcasm, leaning on the war table he pulled his arms up to cross over. “Really, I never be confident without all your support” “It’s not that bad of a plan” Sheif chimed in with a kind-of-confident (But also nervous) smile. “I mean, we don’t have anything better” “We need allies and despite our best effort, our recruitment drive only goes at a snail’s pace” The SIS agent pulled up a holographic image of the space station that had been plaguing any semblance of moral for a month. “The Star fortresses are the only thing keeping rebellious planets in line” The image shifted to show a beam of light shooting from the weaponised station, seemingly digging into the planet it occupied. “The longer these stay up, the more people we lose” “They’re not our people” Lana was quick to point out matter-of-factly, her eyes looking to both Sheif and Dragous for support. “And we can’t risk all we’ve built for them” Koth looked to Lana with a slight glare and anger in his tone “Everyone who fights against Arcaan is our people. We protect our people, or are-” Theron cut Koth off, hoping to avoid another spat revolving around Zakuul and its people. Koth was useful and his heart was in the right place, but sometimes he made it very hard to believe he had actually participated in a war. “Which is why we need to find a way to take these things out, how long until they attack Dromound Kass or Courasant?” The hardest part about these meetings was finding the right wording to without having someone explode into bickering, really, it was a miracle they were even able to keep this base going. Dragous found himself staring at the image, the Zarbak becoming enamoured with the repeated footage of the beam hitting the planet and probable devastation ensuing. He felt like he was looking through a window, like he was actually there. He imagined hearing the gasps and cries of shocked imperials beside him, the Fortress disappeared, the planet shifted. Everyone around him seemed to disappear. Orange eyes fell to guilt as they re-watched the destruction of Ziost, Vitiate’s mocking laughter echoing through his mind. “Outlander!” His eyes snapped open to confused stares of the other alliance members. Theorn seemed to be the one to call out to him, Lana raising a brow of suspicion. “I know our meetings can drag on, but I’d appreciate you at least pretending to be awake for them” The Sith kept his own steel gaze, hoping no one noticed his heavy breathing and the sweat that trailed down his forehead. “We’re going with Theron plan” He stated with a clear sign that he wasn’t looking for any arguments. “Whether they are our people to protect or not, we can’t deny the threat of the Star Fortresses. Sooner or later that firepower will be aiming at Odessen and we’ll have no way of defending ourselves. We need to do something and Theron is the only one with a plan” “Wasn’t as uplifting as I would have liked…” Theron nodded towards Dragous “But, thanks for the support” “How would we even get in contact with resistance cells? They’re more than likely to have gone into hiding after any of the Star Fortress’s attacks, I doubt they’d be up for a conversation” Lana protested, though Theron only chuckled at her with a series of tutting. “Lana, with the right contacts, a charismatic personality and a handsome face. I can achieve anything” “But where would we find a person with those traits?” The steel toed retort did away with the smug smirk, through Theron didn’t seem to take too much offense. Koth looked between the two with a shake of his head “So, you insulting each other is a sign of agreement? I can never tell with you two” Lana gave out a sigh “If Theron believes he can get us the aid of the resistance cells, we’ll can only trust him to follow through” “You know, you can sound less depressed about it” Theron smiled, returning his attention to the rest of the room. “There are resistance cells on Tatooine, Alderaan, Hoth, Belsavis, Nar Shadaar and Voss” With a few taps on the holo-terminal and holographic images of different profiles all appeared before their eyes. “While I can get in contact with their leaders, we’ll need someone to meet with them and convince them to join. Dragous, Sheif, I’m leaving this up to you as you’re both the big names here” “Recruitment? I can handle that, I recruited most of Havoc squad’s past members!” Sheif stated proudly, forgetting to mention that most of the recruiting work was done by (The now Ex-) General Garza. “And I’m sure Dragous’s… qualities will shine through his glaring” “I can be very persuasive” The Zabrak only received skceptical stares from his peers. “What? Just because my job is blood baths, doesn’t mean I can’t be friendly and charismatic!” There was silence aside from a few coughs. “I can!” Silence. A grumble. Dragous went back to glaring into space. ________________________________________________ Jonas Balkar thought highly of himself, not that he had much of an ego, but he knew what skills he had. So when he walked through the front door, half-asleep, the SIS agent was quick to notice the odd atmosphere of the cantina. It was quiet, too quiet for happy hour. No bar brawls taking place, no dancing Rodian with liquor wafting around him and even the music was audible for once. Something was definitely off. He glanced back to the front door, but as he suspected a burley (And drunk looking) brute had conveniently stumbled into the doorway, blocking any sort of exit. The brute looked directly at him with too much focus for a drunk. Facing the bar with an oblivious smile, reaching up to smooth other his short mop of black hair as he approached the bartender. “Happy hour and not a drunk alien in sight” He leaned on the bar, sending the Twi’lek bartender, Sasha, a charming smile. “Though despite that, I’m disappointed” “You gonna order something?” She asked in a gruff bark, seemingly missing a are for the agent standing in front of her. Now, that was strange. Almost empty Cantina. Music is audible. No obvious crazies and now Sasha barley acknowledging me? That proves it, something is up. His gloved hand dropped down subtly towards his belt, his fingers brushing against the cool and familiar surface of his pistol. “I’ll take the usual, Correlian wine with you on the side” He turned to cast his gaze over the whole cantina, making sure not to completely turn his back on ‘Sasha’. The only noticeable activity was in the middle of the room where a pazzak table stood, surrounded by various people that hadn’t even made so much as a curse since he had entered. The brute at the door had taken to sitting in front of the now closed door, seemingly fast asleep. The strange thing was, all of them stared directly at Balkar. A cup was placed on the counter, the twi’lek emptying a large bottle into the previously empty glass. His gloved hands now fully gripped the pistol as he looked to Sasha with a smirk, her returning a silent stare of boredom, ignoring his previous flirt. “And what about my other order?” Before she could even speak her objection, Jonas’s pistol appeared directly in front of her, it’s gun barrel pressing against her forehead. His only chance of escape was to take a hostage, he might have formed a better plan if he had more time, but right now he could see that time wasn’t something he had. That’s when he heard the whirl of machinery as the man behind him deactivated his stealth generator, a rifle aimed at the SIS agent’s back. “Don’t. Move” Behind the bar, ‘Sasha’s holo-disguise disintegrated in front of Balkar's eyes revealing another armoured person. They were all decked out in stainless black armour, the curved shoulder plates and white mouth piece along with a dark helmet reminded Jonas of that Sith Recluse recreation ‘armour’ the Hutts had been selling. “Funny thing, I was just about to say that…” “Drop your weapon” “You can stop with the threats, we both know you won’t shoot” Balkar met what he thought was the speaker’s gaze, it was rather hard to see with no visible eye holes. “We may not be on Courasant, but we’re still on a Republic protected world. They won’t appreciate a random cantina shootout” “The same applies to you as well” The voice came across like static on a radio, Balkar noted this in his head as he lowered his own Weapon. The armoured man did so as well. At least he’s polite. “I am Theta. You are Jonas Balkar, agent of the SIS” “And let me guess, you’re my biggest fan?” Turning to fully face Theta allowed Balkar a much larger look of the room, noticing that everybody had remained the same from before, but Jonas could guess that they would be wearing similar armour behind a holo-disguise. “I knew I had a fan club, but I expected less insecure mercs and more squeeing teenagers” Theta brought out a holo-communicator, producing a holographic image of a tall Zabrak. “You will tell us what you know of this ‘Outlander’ “ “What makes you think I know more than some average info broker?” “Second hand information is useless to us, most only know him by reputation, by propaganda. You, however, have more useful knowledge on this ‘Outlander’. We know the SIS takes extreme interest in the Empire’s prized elites, especially when a conspiracy transpires between both sides” Jonas went silent at this, looking back to when the whole Revanites business had gone down and Theron had suddenly been declared a traitor, he had taken interest in compiling data on all the people Shan had allegedly conspired with in hopes of clearing the man’s name. How Theta knew of this was a mystery to Balkar. Still, he kept a cocky smile and a calm mask. “And you expect me to help the guy who just pulled a gun out on me?” “If you want to keep your job” Theta stated bluntly. “I doubt the chancellor will take kindly to knowing you’ve been funding the private war of the republic’s AWOL soldiers against Zakuul” “I don’t know what you’re talking about” “I don’t care if you what to pretend to not know. You have a week to compile all your data on the ‘Outlander’ and send it to where we tell you to send it, if you fail to comply, your secrets will be secret no longer” With that and a push of a button, all occupants of the cantina disappeared on the spot, the front door now lying open. Leaving Balkar alone to contemplate. “Only the most sketchy for Jonas Balkar ” Edited April 5, 2017 by Codedrago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyFlynn Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 See, you've got readers. I'm reading anyways and I can't wait to see more! I can understand how Dragous' feeling, the self doubt. Some of my characters are going through that in my head canon. Nice way of cooperating the game events/dialogs with your own story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 See, you've got readers. I'm reading anyways and I can't wait to see more! I can understand how Dragous' feeling, the self doubt. Some of my characters are going through that in my head canon. Nice way of cooperating the game events/dialogs with your own story! Thanks, it feels easier to keep the characters from going too out of character when incorporating the game's actual story missions into it. And yeah, every since Ziost I've always RPed my warrior as going down a downward spiral of doubt, because even as the all-powerful Wrath of the Empire, he's still powerless against his new foes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Chapter 3: Voices in the darkness Theta stood alone. The darkness acting like water flooding around his form, his vision drowning in shadows as the light once again shied away from him. The experience was surreal, he stood on nothing with not even air in the way, numbness would creep through his body with the closest thing to any feeling being the small contraction of his muscles. In the metal body he wore it felt akin to steel walls closing in on his body. He had been here before, he knew that much. Multiple times, but each experience only seemed like a vivid nightmare that lingered in whispers behind his ear. The isolation. It was his home, but it only made him want to scream for mercy. Mercy from what? He found that he couldn't ever make out the words to describe it, he wasn't allowed to. Too risky. That's when the chuckle came. The dark hollow reverbe that came from a distant fading echo, to the voice of his nightmares, joining the chorus of whispers in his ear. The voice had hurt him once, he knew. Instinctively, Theta attempted to reach up towards his head, where the scar would still stain his skin behind the mask. But he remained motionless, he had forgotten how to move his limbs, it was as if they had been completely been cut off from him. "Theta" There came his name, the hissing edge of the distant voice reminded him how strange the name was to him. Was Theta his name? He couldn't remember. In the darkness fog had arisen, it wasn't visible to the eye, but the choking sensation that came from it's presence made Theta question his vision. "Has your sources bore fruit?" It was a rush, a painful rush of bells ringing inside his head. The day came back to him. Balkar was pursued. "We have approached Balkar, the deal has been struck. He has a week" Tendrils around what could be perceived as the edge of his vision darted forward, voices lashing out at his head, peeling away at his mind. "You give him far to much time to prepare" "We are unknown. If he can unravel our plans in a week, he's much more of a threat then we could predict" The temperature seemed to rise, the metal stinging the naked flesh beneath. "He won't attempt to do so, not with his standing within the republic at stake. He will comply" "Never underestimate a threat. Such arrogance is the mother of most failures. You have observed him along with others for many weeks, you know he can be... resourceful" The heat died down. The fog seemed to reach out towards Theta, just brushing against his skin, passing through the armour. "However, I suppose either way Balkar will still work in our favour. He's either our resource or no longer a resource. No matter which possibility the Outlander still losing another friend in the Republic" Theta's confusion was felt before he even allowed the words to leave his lips. "I understand your interest in the Outlander's conflict, but you've never wished to interfere, only watch and learn" The chuckle came yet again, the smoke seemed to engulf the darkness, forming an eye bleeding contrast to it. "Yes, in exile I have prolonged my duties. But I have always waited for the time to return. Emperor Arcann calls out to me, he will require my assistance in dealing with this threat to Zakuul. As my duty dictates, I will not deny him" "What if he aims to end you?" "You put too much faith in propaganda. The supposed death of his father merely provides him a new path to power, and in the path the obstacles of his opponent become his assets. This fortunate turn of events has pulled me out of retirement" Everything began to fade, the fog, the darkness. Only the voice remained strong in his mind. "Everyone will be judged. Even Valkorion" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunafox Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Another great chapter I loved the descriptions, it all felt very creepy and I'm finding myself intrigued by what Theta is going through. Looking forward to more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Another great chapter I loved the descriptions, it all felt very creepy and I'm finding myself intrigued by what Theta is going through. Looking forward to more. What do you think of this breif glimpse of the Inquisitor of Zakuul? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyFlynn Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Very nice and creepy addition to the story! I'm definitely sensing an inquisitor there but I'm curious to this entity who's only now choosing to make their return. Whoever it is sounds evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Very nice and creepy addition to the story! I'm definitely sensing an inquisitor there but I'm curious to this entity who's only now choosing to make their return. Whoever it is sounds evil. Oh, just because he appears to his minions as a giant smoke monster while cackling evily, he;s evil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunafox Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 What do you think of this breif glimpse of the Inquisitor of Zakuul? It's making me think of the folklore to do with the Dragon...I'm thinking of the Heralds of Zildrog and how they were talking about the second coming of the dragon. Given the smoke and the creepiness...the evil. I'm thinking it could be the dragon, or its emissary. But then...I'm weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 It's making me think of the folklore to do with the Dragon...I'm thinking of the Heralds of Zildrog and how they were talking about the second coming of the dragon. Given the smoke and the creepiness...the evil. I'm thinking it could be the dragon, or its emissary. But then...I'm weird. You're thinking? Yes, my bullshiz is workin- I mean... My interlectual foreshadowing...Yes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 (edited) Chapter 4: Lost in Reflections The zabrak leaned backwards to narrowly avoid the swing of the Zakuul Knight’s lazer tipped staff, Dragous pushing on the back of his heels to dart out of the way of the next attack. The swing had been an attempt to knock the Sith lord off balance for a second, no damage was intended, as predicted what came next was the thrust of the Knight’s weapon to deal some real damage. It didn’t work as intended, Dragous’s trained reflexes attuned to the force’s ear pulled away the intended target of the Zabrak’s chest dart out of the staff’s way, though this didn’t stop the weapon from at least hitting his shoulder. It was only the resistant material of his armour that kept the fight going at that moment. I hadn’t noticed any wear and tear when I got to Tatooine, if Senya hadn’t suggested I get my armor repaired… I’ll have to thank her later. As if on cue, the said mother that currently stood in Dragous’s thankful thoughts used the opportunity of the Knight’s now exposed back and rushed to draw her saber, the light of her saber almost invisible as it slashed across the Knight’s golden chestguard. Zakuul’s loyal defender was thrown forward by the surprise attack, the Knight now stumbling past Dragous (Due to the Sith’s quick dash to the side) with a sickening howl of pain, Senya’s saber had been able to cut through most of the armor as the now blackened skin became visible from Dragous’s view.. “I thought you were dealing with the Sky Troopers” Was the first words out of Dragous’s mouth. His violet blade pierced the struggling Knight’s head, cutting through the layer of durasteel and turning the once vibrant life into a crumbled mess. The Zabrak felt a twinge of self-disappointment, maybe he should of thanked Senya before asking why she was there. They had fought their way down into the depths of the base, they had discovered that it provided power for the shields of the Star Fortress that currently loomed over Tatooine like a fourth sun. The shields were quite the problem, no matter what plan the Alliance could come up with, an assault on the Fortress was quite impossible while the shields were still up. Reports from Sheif revealed that this was the same with the Fortress over Alderaan as well, leading to the conclusion that all the Star Fortresses were shielded. “I was, but then she took over” Senya turned her thumb to behind her shoulder where Leyta Deadeye leaped over a patrol of Skytroopers, sweeping her staff under the droid’s legs as they attempted to use their jet packs. This proved disastrous when one of them fell, the jetpack in full ignition and throwing them to collide with another. Allowing the Selonian warrior to slam her staff into the side of her opponent's head, ripping the droid’s head from it’s circuitry with one strong bat. “I swear she came in with a blaster…” Deadeye was the leader of the resistance cell on Tatooine, a lover of combat that proved very useful in their operations. With a steady supply of ammo and guns she was the one to suggest assaulting the base, having the resistance cell cover their entry. Other resistance cells were hesitant when approach with the idea of helping turn off the shields, Dragous became confident that if they manage to successfully destroy the Fortress over Tatooine, it’ll make the other cells more confident to step forward to help take out their own. “She’s a Selonian, as long as it’s a weapon, she can use it” A confident statement backed up by a smug smirk. During the fight for Corellia Dragous had found the Selonian’s quite formidable opponents, Quinn becoming increasingly more useful during those fights. The Sith now put his finger to his communicator, turning to signal the two ladies to follow him. “Theron, how close are we to those controls? I doubt the resistance can hold out much longer before being forced to retreat” “Just around the corner” Senya chimed in “You said that five corners ago” “I know” “And all we found were Sky Troopers and Knights” The Zabrak added. “You try navigating the entire complex of a base with only fragments of data on its interior” A nerve might of been struck. The previously locked door that barred their way quickly opened with a smooth gust of air, Dragous nodded to the other two and pushed forward, slightly smirking. “I think we might have to write a strongly worded report on your skills, Theron” “I’m ignoring you” Strange how Dragous felt more relaxed and in the mood for a poke at the SIS agent while in the heat of battle. There were no more Sky Troopers or Golden metal-heads blocking their path, only turrets that were easily dispatched by the trio as they pushed through the base, the only obstacles swiftly being cast aside due to Theron’s limited access to the bases security system. More than one corner later they arrived at the shield controls, or at least what Theron had assured them was the controls, evident by the hulking droid that stood guard in front of it. “How do we proceed?” Senya looked to Dragous with the question. The Zabrak’s eyes wandered to the droid’s available weaponry. The guns lied within the layers of it’s metal arms, they were stiff so the aiming would be off. If they were anything like the old modles the aim wouldn’t be able to raise the far, nor quick. “Speed is our advantage here. It’s not that mobile, neither is it’s arm-cannons” “We take it from behind then?” The Selonian suggested “It will have a contingency for that, a small shockwave or shield maybe” He visualised himself attacking it from behind, only to be slammed back into the console. “Maybe there’s something in the area we can use…” His gloved hand went up to scratch his chin. “I know a technique that can mess with a droids circuits using the force, but it doesn’t always work” “Plus, I doubt the droid is alone” Senya glanced behind the terminal, before drawing her gaze up to the dark rafters of the ceiling. “Like most we’ve come across, where there’s one standing, many are waiting in the shadows” “Right…” A nod. A confident smile. He had a basic plan. “I’ll cloak myself to get behind the guardian while not alerting it, then I dash into deliver some quick damage from behind. Before it realised what’s happening, I jump out of range and as it turns to counter you two rush in to confuse it. When it’s friends join in, I want Senya to cover me while I attempt to fry it’s circuits. That’ll leave Leyta to keep it busy” Leyta let out what Dragous interpreted as a battle cry (Or the Selonian had something stuck in her throat) “Then we bash it till it die!” She was excited… Or hungry. Dragous couldn’t tell as her tone and expression was always the same sound. They all agreed with the plan and Dragous pushed forward, the droid turning to him just as he was bathed in the camouflage of the force, just out of the Droid’s sight. The world seemed to become a tinge of blue while in this form, the Zabrak’s perception of his surroundings acting very much like the world had come to a slow progression. A holo-recording with the video slowed down. He hurried past the droid and behind the console it guarded, the effort going into keeping his grasp on his camouflage becoming a struggle. He wasn’t new to the technique, but it required a lot of concentration and effort for it to even work for more than a millisecond. The force was a slippery blanket to grasp onto for long. From behind the droid violet sparks flew as he drew his twin sabres and rushed the droid, the metal skin screaming in agony when the sabre cut through it. Stabbing into the electric veins and flooding organs. As quick as he appeared the Sith attempted to just as quickly disappear, but it seems the droid’s counter came sooner then expected, the predicted shockwave blasting out and slamming into the man’s back. His face then became great companions with the floor as he went down to kiss it, the audible call of his name coming from the currently charging warrior woman. The Zabrack quickly slammed down his hand and pushed himself onto his back, giving him a nice view of the sqaud of Sky Troopers that dropped down from the ceiling. A simple annoyed groan was his reply. One droid was unable to make it to the ground as Dragous’s ignited sabre flew up to slice through it’s torso, landing off to the side with the light from it’s eyes faded. In a whirl of movement Dragous launched himself up to land on his feet, armed with only one sabre as the Sky Troopers began to surround him. He had to be quick. The force stretched from his outreaching hand, acting as an extension that wrapped itself around the opposite facing droid and urging it forward with a great pull of an invisible thread. The metal droid seemed to welcome the pull, the sudden blast of heat closing in on the Zabrak alerted him to the factor of the Sky Troopers jetpack, which had now fully activated. Without any time to think the Sith pulled his lightsabre to face directly away from his chest at the charging metal bull. When the the lightsabre pierced the steel body and the droid collided with Dragous, it felt like being hit by a rocket tram, a flying rocket tram. It got more problematic when impaling the droid didn’t finish it off, instead simply allowing it to get a grip on Dragous as it’s jetpack pushed them off the ground. It seems that the droid plans to let the ceiling kill me… Clever Bantha! His hands were locked in the vice grip of the Sky Trooper, his struggles providing no positive results. Looking back over to Senya Dragous saw that he couldn’t expect any help from her, the other Sky Troopers and the Guardian droid seemed to have been able to pin down her and Leyta with a barrage of lasers. And I’m on my own. No worries… I’m the Outlander, hugged to death by a mere droid is not how I’m going out. Orange eyes looked across their elevated position to see the glowing ‘blade’ of his other sabre, still moving through the air after cleaving the other droid. It was still activated. The idea popped into his mind almost immediately, urging his arm to struggle against the iron grip so that his right gloved hand could reel in his rouge saber. It came to him almost at once, with seconds to spare as the ceiling came closer to painting the room with his insides, the hilt moved at breakneck pace towards its owner. When the familiar feel of the cold metal hit his hand, Dragous turned the hilt to lop off the Sky Trooper’s jetpack, causing the two to lose their previous momentum. In seconds their combined weights started to drag them down towards the ground again, Dragous however turned their positions around so that the droid now faced the ground. Pressing his feet against the Sky Trooper’s back, Dragous whipped his lightsaber to the left to have the droid release it’s grip on him, allowing the Zabrack to push off of the falling droid and into the air. With his arms now free he channels the force down to his feet, pushing off of the invisible power to get closer to his target, the guardian droid. I’ll land like a Nexu Cat on it’s head… His landing was nowhere near as graceful, almost falling off of the droid upon impact. He was however able to stabbed both of his sabers into the droid's head, sparks lashing out at him as a series of screaming beeps came from the droid. Swiftly Dragous gathered the force into his palm and raised both his hands, pushing out both sides of him and unleashing a small wave of the force to send both Sky Troopers flying into the walls. A shock wave passed over Dragous again, this time not only launching him back to crash into the wall with a headache, but also sent waves of what Dragous was sure was electricity coursing through him. Senya seemed to jump at the temporary distraction the Sith had provided, lunging forward at the Droid and cleanly slicing through its arm-cannon; Leyta providing covering fire that bathed what could be considered the droid’s face in plasma rounds. Soon the Droid finally collapsed and the fight was over. His vision blurry and his head carousing with pain, Dragous could just give off a victorious and delirious nod. “Get Theron into the security systems and turn off that shield” As Senya came over to give him a hand getting to his feet and Leyta helped Theron work his spy magic, Dragous couldn’t help but feel… Empty. That’s when HIS voice chimed in again. Another small victory to enrage my offspring, yet your thoughts dwell in the darkness. Do you see how this only prolongs your repeated failure? Or is it simply all that stress catching up to you. No, it’s neither. You can sense it, can’t you? “Hurry up, we’re leaving. Now!” *** The shrouded figure stood motionless over the remains of the Odessen war room, the whole room seemed to be near to collapse. Steel walls littered with dents and freed rock, the central holo-table was now broken in half. Silence flowed like a river throughout the room. There was no one left to struggle, no one to cry and no one to gasp in shock at the terror that took place. The figure didn’t seem to notice the blood that stained its hands, or any of the other bodies that littered the room, aside from two. Lana Beniko lay motionless in the shambles of the terminal, her eyes closed and already pale head tilted to the side. A clean steaming hole through her torso confirmed her cause of death, causing the figure to glance at it’s own saber. The murder weapon. She had been been it’s companion, it’s helper, it’s friend. Yet it fully knew that what it had done to her, it couldn’t make out the emotion that cried out to be noticed. It bent over over and took the corpse in it’s arms, cradling the lifeless body of it’s fallen comrade. It had done this. But why? By the lift up to Odessen’s surface sat another body, slumped down against the wall with her eyes wide open in terror. Bruises on her throat suggested she had been strangled. The woman’s mouth was open to, in the distance it could remember her screams for mercy… she was apologising. What did she do? Why would it kill her? “I’m sorry, Senya…” In front of the life sat one that was unfamiliar to the figure, he wasn’t a corpse, but merely a horrified man. His garbs were similar to Therons. Why was he so scared of the figure? It was then the the lifts came to life, their various mechanisms threatening to destroy eardrums as they moved the lift. Someone was coming down. They would see what it did. When the lift reached the bottom, the man had disappeared from view, but his screams echoed throughout the room. Theron Shan stood on the elevator completely shocked, the corpses of all his friends and allies filling his vision. His eyes flashed a deep burning fury through the tears that left him, his teeth greeted, barely able to look at the figure. “Why…?” He muttered out desperately The figure was silent “ANSWER ME!” Silence, a noticeable smoke began to fill the room around the figure, Theron reaching for his weapon while the figure did nothing to react. It deserved this. All of it. “We trusted you…Damn you, Dragous!” The smoke engulfed them both, everything faded. Then they choked. They all choked. It took Dragous a few minutes to realised he had woken up, the ice cold water running into his ear and down to his feet only served to add to his numbness. His fingers moved through the water, making a few splashes beside him, reminding him he was there. The oasis still looked the same as it was seven years before, though there was a distinct lack of sand people guarding it. It still teemed with the same subconscious presence of the force. The air feeling thin the deeper Dragous had got inside. Seven years ago he had face a reflection of his soul, his missing half. The part of himself that alluded him for most of his life. It had given him a vision of one of Jeasa William’s masters, a path to move forward. When Valkorion had confirmed his troubling feelings he had returned here now to hope for the same result yet again, for another glimpse into the possible path to take. But all it had brought him was a nightmare. “A nightmare? Don’t be so naive, Child” It wasn’t Valkorion, neither was it his own thoughts. It was a low whisper behind his ear, biting his lobe. “A taste of your future” “Who…?” Then came the choking sensation,a slow creeping of poison chalk creeping up her chest, his lungs collapsing in on themselves. All he could see in the oasis now was...smoke. “I can’t wait to meet you, Outlander” Also, in case my descriptions weren't good enough. This is Dragous. Edited March 28, 2016 by Codedrago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunafox Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 (edited) Wow, glad to see you continuing. I loved that 'reflection' at the pond during the warrior quest. One of my favorites, and I loved seeing you use it here, and showing what it would be like to revisit. I'm curious to see what'll happen. Edited March 27, 2016 by Lunafox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 Wow, glad to see you continuing. I loved that 'reflection' at the pond during the warrior quest. One of my favorites, and I loved seeing you use it here, and showing what it would be like to revisit. I'm curious to see what'll happen. Did you realise it was a dream sequence near the end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunafox Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Did you realise it was a dream sequence near the end? Well, you did say that it took him some time to realize he'd woken up among other things.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 Well, you did say that it took him some time to realize he'd woken up among other things.. I mean before that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyFlynn Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 That dream, or rather nightmare, was horrifying. I however love how you reached back to one of the old SW quests out on Tatooine, that actually worked out really well for this! Very nice addition to the story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 That dream, or rather nightmare, was horrifying. I however love how you reached back to one of the old SW quests out on Tatooine, that actually worked out really well for this! Very nice addition to the story! Expect more references to the Warriors story, they will become pretty important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Chapter 5: The Arrival Nadia Grell let out a whimper as the armoured body slumped to the cold stone floor, her eyes trailing over what was now regrettably just a stump where it’s head used to sit. The brightly lit and claustrophobic feeling of the hallway did nothing to alleviate her of her unease, nor halt the rollercoaster that took place inside her stomach, threatening to jump up her throat. Even after the war Nadia still couldn’t handle the act of taking a life, it made her sick to her stomach, even if it was always in self defense. Beside the corpse a small rodian man had stumbled to his knees, his arms shaking with terror as he cowered. Take a life to preserve another… Right, Master? “Are you okay, Sir?” She put on a calm tone, her face stretched to smile as she held out her hand. “How do you always face those Sith? No matter who they are, you never looked scared. Half of the time, I feel like I’m drowning… It’s horrifying” The young padawan question made the Barsen'thor stop in his tracks, the fabric of his emerald hood scrunching up as he looked back over his shoulder towards her. “Then again, you’re the Barsen’thor. I bet you don’t fear anything” The old Jedi let his hand slide the datapad on the table carefully, facing Nadia with a smile. “To be blunt, Nadia. I’m terrorfied in those confrontations, so many possibilities of failure. Even a jedi isn’t free of fear” The Rodian took her hand, nodding in appreciation while it’s beady eyes blinked away tears, pulling himself to his feet. “Thank you, Master Jedi! I thought I was a goner there!” “But if I ever showed that fear on the battlefield… Then I would've betrayed the trust of all who follow me. Who are they to look to if their leader is in doubt? We cannot let our fear show, when it shows, it can take control. It can spread. It could even take a life” “You don’t need to thank me, Sir” Nadia assured, giving the man a slight bow before shooting back up into a battle stance. She continued to tell herself that she shouldn’t let her guard down, the attacker from before had come from the shadows, and judging from the station’s alarm blaring, he was not alone. “Now, I need to round up the other refugees and escort you all to a safe zone. Please stick close to me” “Life is a precious thing and death is an inevitable tragedy. So, Nadia, I want you to remember. No matter who, where or why, take a life only as a last resort” The young girl’s eyes took one more look at the dead headless person on the floor, the clouds of her mind clearing up at the words from her mentor. She had done what she could. Now the only thing she could do was prevent the loss of more life. Currently they were situated on the lower levels of Denerim Station, a base built into the side of an asteroid that had become a home to many refugees. Originally she had been sent here as on a mission of peace from the order, to discuss a better home for the refugees. How and why this mission of peace has taken a turn to a rescue mission was beyond her. Advancing through the corridors of the station Nadia found herself relieved to hear chants of battle echoing through the station, proving that this surprise attack was at least being met with some resistance. The familiar clashing of sabers told her that her fellow jedi were locked in combat with other force users. Is it Zakuul? Sith? Rushing down the corridor with the Rodian in tow, she forced open the currently locked steel doors to the elevator. Upon reaching out with the force and pushing the two metal pieces apart, the young jedi was met with the sight of what she assumed was a jedi fighting against two heavily armed people in front of the elevator. Both of the enemies were all garbed in black armor, lightsabers in hand. Without a second thought, Nadia gestured for the rodian to stay away from the fight before igniting her green double-bladed sabre and launching herself forward towards the fight. A golden glow started to envelop her body as she landed, gathering the force with her hands and pushing out with a great amount of effort. The sudden crushing force crashed into the oblivious duo, knocking them completely off balance and down to the floor. This however only allowed Nadia and the other woman a brief moment for a deep breath before the silent foes pushed themselves to their feet, immediately jumping back to distance themselves from the two women, evaluating the new opponent with small glances between them. The grip on her saber tightened even as she told herself to remain calm, her blood already pumping like an energy current. Fears still lingered in the back of her mind, just like every fight previously, she could lose. She could die. “I always found it calming in battle to remind myself of the jedi code, to remember what I stand for” Heeding the memory of her Master's words, her own voice started a low chant under her breath. The two armoured monstrosities now rushing forward, one at each woman, making little dashes from side to side with each step they took. There is no emotion, there is peace. It’s crimson saber came up to slash across her face, a stinging sensation emitting from the heat of the blade as it came inches away from lopping off her nose. The failed attempt to cut her allowed her to abuse the now open form presented to her. Lunging forward the jedi twisted her blade to move the top part in position to cut at the arm that held her foe’s saber, as the other end of the blade swung down to slash at her attacker’s hip. A howl of pain emitted from the foe. The saber had not only cut the arm, but it had also managed to completely slash through the armor. While this did manage to push the attacker back a few paces, giving Nadia room for better attacks, the stream of sparks that came from the saber’s contact with the the man’s armor game dangerously close to hitting her in the eye. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. This time she pushed herself to rush in before the man could recover, pushing the force down into her feet to increase her speed. Launching herself at the man, she brought her saber diagonally across the man’s chest, a few sparks firing off. It wasn’t enough to wound or scar the man, but it would hurt like hell. There is no passion, there is serenity. Her feet slammed into the floor, pushing her up to jump backwards away from her attacker’s next swing. Unfortunately her prediction did not come to fruition, as proven when the foe instead launched his saber forward, guiding it through the the force. In her surprise she was only able to instinctively bring up her weapon to defend herself as she darted to the side, a sudden weight pushing against her saber along with a shower of sparks told her the airborne saber had hit. There is no chaos, there is harmony. Pushing away the saber was easy enough, it lacked the weight or force behind it to cause her a struggle due to the absence of any input from the hand of the wielder. It was strange, usually a force-user throwing their saber would be using the force to guide it. Nothing Nadia felt when dealing with the weapon suggested that anyone was. As soon as Nadia batted away the weapon however, she realised why the saber had lost any guidance. Her armored attacker had rushed around her in the moment of distraction provided, putting himself in a position just behind her with a pistol aimed right at her head. However, before Nadia could mentally scold herself for being so easily distracted, the trigger of the pistol was pulled. It came as a surprise to both of them when the armoured man’s companion was forced to slam into him by a barrage of electricity, sending both of them to the ground. There is no death, there is the Force The woman (That up until now, Nadia had forgot about) didn’t waste any time and rushed up towards the two downed men, ignoring the golden glow of her saber and stabbing down into the downed foe’s chests, piercing through the metal plates of their armor. Lightning came from her hand… While Nadia’s brain told her to move her lightsaber towards the woman, she could only bring herself to back away cautiously with her saber raised in defence. The woman had helped her after all. “You’re Sith” “Was. Now I’m just a refugee with a glow stick” The Sith was the first to put away her weapon with no queries, placing her hands on her sides as she made a polite bow. “Thank you for the help, I am Jaesa Williams” The gratitude and etiquette threw Nadia off, her words coming out in a meek and embarrassed tone. “I am Nadia Grell, Jedi Knight” The ex-Governess returned the bow, her mind locked in a screaming inner conflict on whether it would be wise to trust the woman who admits to being Sith once. “I have met many Sith in my time… You are much different from any I’ve encountered” She felt the cold creep up her spine when her mind wondered back to memory of her first time facing a Sith, her father’s corpse only metres away stuck in her mind. “I assure you, not all of Sith kind eat babies. Some can be rather pleasant” Jeasa’s voice was reserved and calm, her body language hold no worries to the jedi still brandishing her weapon. With a closer look, the girl reminded Nadia of her master. “Grell? Weren’t you the Governess of Sarkhai?” The young Jedi Knight gaze turned to a stone mask to cover and emotional lash out. She remembered her home world, back when she had such a bright future planned for it. Jaesa seemed to have somehow sensed her pain, taking on an apologetic tone. “Hesitance… Fear… Regret. I shouldn’t have asked, my apologies” “I’m the one still holding a weapon, I should be the sorry one…” Nadia sighed again, repeating the jedi code in her head again. Easing the pain. “I know your intentions. You only plan to attack in self-defence, there is no need to apologise for caution” She turned her back to Nadia, pressing her palm against the panel to summon the elevator. “Now, I believe the station is under attack. Others may be in danger” The Rodian mumbled an agreement to remind the two of his presence. Nadia nodded and fumbled for a moment, digging her hands into her silver robes to fish out her holocom. “Wait there, I need to call the other Jedi, they may need assistance” Jaesa only nodded in response, silence falling between the two as one fumbled with the elevator and the other fumbled with the holocom. “So… You used to be Sith? What made you leave?” “My master disappeared. Killed, most would say. Suppose he was the only thing keeping me there, I kind of anchored myself to his teachings” A twinge of regret sounded in her response. “I suppose I’ve made a terrible habit of anchoring myself to one person, to relying too much on others” “Excuse me for asking, but are you sure? You don’t seem to have taken any sith teachings to heart” The jedi was cautious, she did not want to risk pissing off the woman. Though it was growing increasingly aggravating when the holocom refused to work. “He walked a strange path” “Just don’t go red eyed on me, please” Nadia could admit that the sentence came out as more snarky then she intended, but the Holocom finally came to life, the small holo-image of a tall Togruta greeting her. “Master Kwicks! We have a situation down here” “Good, you’re safe. I had thought the worse when I couldn’t contact you” The jedi master sigh of relief came out loud, her tired eyes making Nadia feel like this was the first good news the jedi had heard today. “Listen, while there may be a few of our attackers in the lower decks, I require you up her. Now” “Do you know what’s going on, Master Kwicks?” “Only that we’re under attack from unidentifiable enemies, I’m as in the dark as you are, Nadia” The old Master briefly twisted her head to gaze over her shoulder, before turning back. “The bulk of the attackers have trapped themselves in the observation deck, I sent all the jedi under my command in after them. But now I’ve been locked out” A musical ding came from the elevator shaft as it finally opened, Jaesa approaching Nadia with a curious expression. “You’re worried your companions have fallen?” “That is part of it, yes. But there is also something wrong with the room…. A sense of foreboding has overtaken it” Nadia’s eyes met with the Rodian’s, bringing a question to her mind. “What about the refugees?” “We’ve sent all of the ones that we could find down to the hangar bay with a squadron of Republic Troopers” “Jaesa…” It took only a moment of thought for Nadia to make her mind up. “I want you to take the man over there down to the hangar, he has no means of defending himself” The brunette simply nodded, striding past Nadia to take the Rodians hand, assuring him that everything would be okay. “I’m on my way, Master Kwicks” *** “Under attack?” Emperor Arcann kept a stern glare at the Knight Captain that kneeled before him, his gaze determined to burn a hole through the night’s head. “Why would anyone attack an old empty asteroid? And why are you bringing this to me? This news holds no value to me” “Scans of the asteroid reveal metal structures on its surface, possibly a base built into it” The Knight responded. “The strange thing is, my Emperor, that the ships that are attacking the station seem to belong to us” Vaylin stood to the side of Arcann, lazily fixing the cowering knight with an amused stare. “Are you saying that somone has taken control of the Immortal Emperor’s ships?” Her lips curved into a unnatural smile, making a menacing march forward. “I think such blasphemy and disrespect calls for an execution, don’t you, Brother?” Her smile fell to a frown when her brother lazily held out his hand to stop her in her tracks, she had been cooped up on the flagship for too long. She was itching to spill some blood. “I have no records of any ships in that sector. You are either lying or falling into foolishness. Either is a valid excuse for punishment” “T-The ships, my Emperor!” The Knight began to stutter over his words, desperate to appease his angry Emperor. “They are of an old design, it’s possible they’re not connected to the fleet” “Old designs?” Arcann leaned back on his throne. The revelation ignited sparks in his mind, visual dots connecting in front of him. Could it be…? Suddenly the monstrosity of a man pulled himself to his feet, lording above the knight. “Leave us and prepare my personal shuttle” The Knight scurried away, much to Vaylin’s disappointment. “Brother?” “Either someone seeks to insult us and has hijacked MY ships. Or… The Inquisitor got my message and seeks to make an entrance” *** Master Kwicks seemed very distracted when Nadia had rushed over to her, not even noting the presence of the young Knight. Instead staring at the door with an extreme intensity in her stare. There had been no hint of movement from behind the door, no sounds of battle, no cries of pain. Just silence. “Master Kwicks?” The Togruta didn’t react to the sudden appearance of the Jedi Knight, the only hint that the woman even acknowledged the other was the slow trek of her eyes moving off to the side. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine, Nadia. Let us move quick” The jedi master gestured to the large metal door, holding out her hands, the force reaching out to take a grip of the door. “I have received no contact from any of our allies inside, so we shall assume the worse. We will breach the door, but do not let your guard drop” Only a nod of acknowledgment was needed. The duo both reached out with the force in hand, lashing it against the door and pulling at it, not even taking more than a second for the pressure of the door’s resilience to crash against their open palms. Nadia remembered the times where her master did similar feats, often exhausting himself due to the lack of any aid. The door offered a metal whine at their forceful entrance request, the room around them vibrating as a result of the now shaking door. Sweat dotted both jedi’s visions, the task even great for a wise and experienced force user like Kwicks. Nadia felt like she was only doing a fraction of the pulling and already her arms felt dead. With one final withdrawal of force the metal frame screamed in agony as the door was ripped right off of it’s hinges, taking wires and pieces of the wall it was attached to on it’s way over the shoulders of the two jedi. Inside the room came the answer that only served to fill both of the minds of the woman with more questions, veils of fog building up inside their thoughts. The jedi that Kwicks had been so worried about were just sat in the center of the observatory (A gloomy view of the starless sector surrounding them), their heads down with bruises littering their bodies, serving as very few clues that they had even been in battle. However, off to the front of the room was where three jedi laid, lifeless. A steaming hole through their chests. Surrounding the corpses were more of the same armoured operatives, showing no visible reaction to Kwicks and Nadia’s loud entrance. They sat on their knees, their heads bowed in what Kwicks could assume was respect. And in the center stood what Kwicks could easily see as the most important of the group. Stepping over the corpses, the man strided over to them with his arms fixed behind his back, showing no signs of actual hostility. He was the only one in the room aside from the jedi to not be decked out in the shaded metal bodies. In stark contrast to his companions, the tall man’s armour was shimmering white with hints of green, the colour choice making him a very hard sight to ignore. The red that stained his boots told Kwicks who had been responsible for the corpses, along with the smug grin she guessed was held behind the golden eyes of his helmet. “Greetings, Master Jedi. I was worried my Leigon had gotten a lucky shot and struck you down” His voice was amused, a slight edge to it caused his words to drag out. Similar to the hissing of a snake. “I apologise for not opening the door for you, but in my defense, you never knocked” “Who are you?” Was the first question on Kwicks mind, she needed time to gauge the situation and maybe figure out why her fellow jedi were allowing this man to kill their allies while only staring into space. Nadia coughed, muttering strangely about how everyone seemed unaffected by the smoke in the room. A smoke that was in no way visible to the confused Togruta. “How rude of me. I am Grand Inquisitor Krugar of Zakuul” “What have you done to them?” Her eyes fell back on her comrades staring ahead. Did they even know she was there? “I gave them a choice” “And the others?” “They chose to get in my way” A rhythm arose from the room accompanied by an explosion of dust that set the Togruta’s nose ablaze. It was as if they stood atop a giant drum, an invisible musician banging their hands to an unorganised beat. The sound traveled up to her ears, threatening to tear off her eardrums. Her stomach gave a growl of unease with every beat. The randomness… the dust… the growing, tearing pain… It feels like I’m back down in Tatooine with the… “Shock Drum.” The Inquisitor’s statement served to finish off Kwick’s thoughts, but only seemed to be meant as a curious statement. “More than a simple musical instrument, I gather” His voice changed. It was louder, emitting more of an echo. “How did you….?” The jedi master stopped mid-sentence, dragging her eyes back to look over the dazed jedi, a sudden realisation coming to mind as Nadia mumbled about smoke again. “Nadia, leave. Now!” “W-what!?” “Get to the hangar and get the refugee’s back to Coruscant. Tell the Jedi Council what has occurred, you are extremely vulnerable here” Before Nadia could argue, she raised her voice. “Leave!” That’s all it took for the knight to bolt it out of the room. No one followed. “You cut your own numbers, are you that arrogant to believe you can take on an entire room of enemies?” The Inquisitor didn’t seem even slightly bothered by the escaping jedi, none of his operatives budging from their spot to give chase. Kwicks drew her saber and ignited it, bathing in the green glow produced. “The jedi here didn’t willingly submit to you, you have been forcing corruption on them through the force” “I gave them a choice, whether I gave them more motivation for one choice is inconsequential. I have helped them realise their true selves” He produced a long vibro-sword from his now extended hands, gripping it at an odd hilt that lacked anything to cover the bottom of it. “But if the pain of defeat isn’t enough for you, I suppose must humiliate you further. I have no tie to convince you before the arrival of Emperor Arcann” Soon his face was engulfed in a silver glow from the silver beam the ignited from the bottom end of the hilt. “Half-saber, half-blade? That does not seem very practical” Kwicks commented, taking up a defensive stance. Staring down the inquisitor as his men gathered around to watch the fight. “I assure you, it is very useful for what I wish to achieve” Strangely enough his voice seemed much closer now, as if his lips were right beside her ear even though he stood far away from her. He moved his feet to dart forward, Kwicks instinctively aiming to dash to the side and take him from the rear. But, as soon as she attempted to move, the Inquisitor had already impaled her on his blade. Shock enveloped the Jedi’s face, her eyes swearing the the Inquisitor had been very far away only millisecond ago. Yet now he was suddenly right up against her, pulling his weapon out of her body. She could only open her mouth wide to let out a silent scream of pain, before falling into the man, her guts spilling out onto his armour. With a slight tilt of his shoulder, the Inquisitor allowed the woman to stumble past him, staggering forward while clutching her wound, before finally collapsing to the floor. Dead. “You brought this on yourself” The inquisitor’s voice lacked any emotion, his dry tone came almost as a whisper through his helmet. He disabled his saber, surprised that he hadn’t even required it after all. “Shall we go after the other one, my lord?” Questioned one of the many operatives behind him. “We are in hiding no longer, let her spread word of our arrival” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyFlynn Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 'bout time you updated. That Inquisitor seems like a nasty piece of shhh.. the way he took down the Jedi? Damn. Wouldn't wanna cross paths with him any time soon. Nice addition Drago and cool to see some of the other characters KotFE is still missing atm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 'bout time you updated. That Inquisitor seems like a nasty piece of shhh.. the way he took down the Jedi? Damn. Wouldn't wanna cross paths with him any time soon. Nice addition Drago and cool to see some of the other characters KotFE is still missing atm! Oh common, he just gutted her. In the SW universe that is like the sweetist way to kill a person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyFlynn Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Oh common, he just gutted her. In the SW universe that is like the sweetist way to kill a person There's nothing nice about that but what terrified me more is how incredibly swift he was, she barely stood a chance!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 There's nothing nice about that but what terrified me more is how incredibly swift he was, she barely stood a chance!! "Your eyes betray you, let the force guide you" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codedrago Posted April 17, 2016 Author Share Posted April 17, 2016 There's nothing nice about that but what terrified me more is how incredibly swift he was, she barely stood a chance!! Also, after the 'Shock Frum' incident, she has kind of become a much easier target... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyFlynn Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 Lol the Shock Drum incident threw me off as I thought the Jedi was the Consular due to Nadia but if the Shock Drum was involved I guess it was the JK. Did Nadia join her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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