A reluctant sigh escaped past crimson tiers
as Ciara tilted her head forward to rest against the wall. "I just don't get it,
Krynnie. I mean, that attack made absolutely no sense at all!" As if in an
afterthought, her form was turned to look upon the face of one of her most trusted friends
and tyros, "We're just going about our merry business, which happened to be sleeping
at the time, and all of a sudden Alvaak attacks us. Now our Sithies are off planning their
little counterattack, while we sit here like a buncha blobs of flesh and wonder what's
going to happen next!" Ciara arm's went involuntarily into the air, throwing an
exasperated glance towards Kidouses as he stepped inside the room.
"I know what you mean, Ciara. Nothing really makes any sense
anymore."
"And it's not going to start making sense anytime soon. This war
really has begun," Kryndath nearly muttered, gazing at the two through narrowed eyes.
Pushing herself away from the wall, Ciara gave
a short nod, before jerking her head up to glance around. There was something wrong -- and
it was obvious others knew it, as Kryndath and Kidouses exchanged worried glances,
Deathlord rushed in with a few other Gladius members in tail, waving a comlink
"There's - Our Sith's counterattack, they can't find Alvaak anywhere, they think --
," his sentence stopped short. Mystic orbs flashed in near unison as each gathered
Krath turned to find themselves gazing upon the advancing cloaked forms.
Within mere seconds, flaming beams had
illuminated their dimly lit halls, while other members not yet capable of constructing the
ancient weapon, drew their own weapons of choice. Every person, friend and foe, stood
stealthily still, the silence echoing through the halls, each person keeping careful track
of those nearest. Dark emeralds burned with calm fury as Ciara seemed to gaze straight
ahead of her, her own sabre beam set readily in front of her, yearning for the blood to be
shed. Making quick assessments of her surroundings, Ciara noted that there were only few
scattered opponents, and none of them seemed too confident with the weapons they held.
From what Ciara knew, most of this elite clan consisted of Sith, and again she found
herself at a loss for explanation.
Cursing herself for being so caught up in her
thoughts, Ciara quickly leapt backwards to barely parry the blow thrust at her from an
oncoming opponent. The silence had broken as the small battle begun, her head pounding
with cries from all sides, it was obvious others had joined in, many were now battling
outside. A low growl escaped as a sabre blade smoothly passed just over her head. Ciara
had ducked down to avoid it, taking the opportunity to knock her opponents feet out from
beneath him, causing him to tumble to the floor. An instant later he found himself with a
hole through his chest and Ciara fighting her way outside into the engulfing battle.
* * * *
Sage Laereth stood impatiently, deep ebon orbs turning thoughtfully between the viewport and the face of her Quaestor, Sith Battle Master Pel. Her eyes locked with his for a long moment before wavering only to return her gaze out the viewport. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice carefully modulated, "So, since Alvaak isn't here . . . you really think they're attacking Gladius?"
"Well, we can't be sure of anything, all I know is they're not here. And, however insane this whole thing is in the first place, it would make logical sense."
"Does it really? Just all of a sudden, for no apparent reason at all, Alvaak, that small elite clan that is hardly ever involved in things like this, decides to attack Tarentum? First at our citadel, and now they could very possibly be off trying to surprise our dear Krathies?"
A grim though patient smile touched the Quaestor's lips briefly, "It's not exactly without any reason at all, considering the fact that we are in the middle of a war now. Though, it does seem slightly unreasonable for us to be their first target, I agree.. "
"And Gladius?"
"Oh, heh, I'd be amazed if they managed to surprise our Krath. We've got some of the best. . ." His voice trailed off as he noted something in her eyes that told him she had her reasons for being so concerned, "...Would you like to go to the asteroid?"
"Oh, no I wouldn't -- "
"Of course, you'll have to go alone. I have a feeling our services will be needed elsewhere very soon, and as much as we'd like to have you along, I can see your heart is set on checking up on our 'dear Krathies'."
Sage gave a short nod, her eyes shimmering with gratitude, she turned quickly on her heels to prepare to leave, waving a hand casually behind her, "Thanks Pel!"* * * *
Kodiak Tonaloc took a deep breath, drumming his fingers over the solid wood table. A wave of his hand, and the little holo-chess figure scooted across the board, positioning itself for the kill. The Proconsul's menacing orbs stared at the move for a long moment, before glancing back up at Kodiak, shaking his head as his piece moved to put it's opponent in a checkmate. "Eh, Kodiak, think you need a break..how about a drink?"
"Ah, what a wonderful idea.." A small grin touched the Consuls lips briefly, "Tea time!"
"Uhm, right." Nazke|du replied simply, rising from his seat to follow the slightly stressed out Consul down the corridor. Grimly the two men walked slowly down the hall, each obviously lost in their own thoughts. The Castle was quieter than usual, most of the Sith were gone due to the attempted counterattack on Alvaak, the rest of Tarentum were all busy with their individual tasks pertaining to the war, in fact, if Kodiak remembered correctly, the Quaestor of Gladius and a few insane Mystics should be arriving anytime now. That would certainly liven things up a bit. His brows furrowed, remembering why they were coming here, and what had happened to Gladius when Tridens was sent off only to find that their enemies were not where they were expected. He had requested that a group of Krath remain on the moon to help protect the small Obelisk house, should it be needed.
Suddenly his head shot up from the floor, thinking he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Tilting his head, it appeared as though a person -- Aari? -- was trying to shove a...door, through a doorway. Attempting to shake his head of these delusions, he closed his eyes, turning to catch up with the Proconsul. "Man, I really need some rest, or maybe I should just lay off the -- Naz, do you see that?" Kodiak inquired, throwing a gesture towards the doorway. Coming to a full halt, Nazke|du turned slowly on his heel to stare in the direction Kodiak had gestured, seeing nothing. "There's nothing to see, Kodiak...come on, let's get you that, uh, tea."
* * * *
Guiding the small shuttle she had taken with her down onto the asteroid, Sage sighed audibly to herself, wondering just why she had felt so compelled to come here. She knew good and well Gladius could take care of themselves, but something kept tugging at her mind, something had to be wrong. Just the same, if nothing was wrong, she'd still get to see her old friend Ciara, and there had to be something she could help with. If not now, then certainly later.
Before she knew it, Sage had made a smooth landing onto the asteroid, the Gladius base stood strangely silent just before her. Ebon orbs narrowed as she stepped slowly from the shuttle, her senses stretching out for anything out of the ordinary. Soft booted steps slowly made their way nearer to the base, everything looked normal, though it was too quiet for what she knew had to have happened here. Deciding not to go inside just yet, a hand moved to rest ready on the hilt of her sabre, senses fully alert as she turned a corner of the massive structure. Clearing the corner, Sage came to a swift stop, pure dread of the sight in front of her causing her stomach to sink.
With a shake of the head Sage trudged forward through the settling dust, fallen stones and rocks sat all around. Squinting her eyes she could barely make out the entrance to the catacombs she remembered had led under the Gladius base. It appeared as though they had somehow collapsed along with a small part of the structure. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Sage swept her gaze quickly over the fallen rubble, muttering under her breath, "Oh c'mon guys.. where are you.. "
Turning, Sage noticed a slight stirring under the fallen rubble. A hand immediately fell to grasp the sabre at her belt, she couldn't be sure who -- or what -- might emerge. Drawing a quick breath, Sage kicked and lifted the more stubborn rocks away from where she believed the presence to linger. As her gaze fell upon the slowly emerging figure, the held breath was slowly released, ebon orbs sparkling with relief and concern. "C-Ciara. . . what happened??"
Ciara stood shakily to her feet, placing a palm flat on one of the larger stones behind her to brace herself, her eyes squinted towards Sage curiously. "Ah, Sagey!", Ciara smiled weakly, placing a hand just above her brow to block the swirling dust, "Long time no see, wow, I'd love to tell you what happened, was awesome -- "
"But we have to find your Mystics and all the Gladi people we can first, I know, I know.. " Sage smiled gently towards her old friend, guiding her away from the area. "You look pretty bad, let me look for 'em, kay?"
With slight hesitation, Ciara complied, moving to brace herself against one of the stronger walls of the base, assessing her wounds.
Tossing a last glance towards Ciara, Sage quickly set to work, stretching out with her senses to try and locate all the remaining warriors. As she began to trudge back into the ruins, she felt a slight touch on her shoulder, followed by the familiar phrase, "Heya Sage, how's it going?"
"Kart!" Sage nearly tripped over her own feet as she swiftly turned to look upon the face of her old Quaestor, Krath Achpriest Kartena. "Where were you when all this happened? Did you get hurt, what exactly did happen?"
Kartena smiled briefly, though her brows furrowed as her own gaze moved over the ruined area, "I wasn't in the base at the time, I was outside searching for something, I did see Alvaak though...I tried to warn those inside, but I couldn't get there fast enough. Anyway, no time for explaining now, want me to help you look for people?"
* * * *
"I don't know why I didn't think of it before I left, but if we're going to Castle Tarentum... heh, well, let's just say this ship isn't going to get us all the way to the ocean floor."
Ciara blinked slowly, glancing up from winding a bandage around her upper arm, "We're going to the castle? Cool, but, if this ship won't take us there, what will?" Her head tilted inquisitively to the side, smoothing out her newly bandaged arm.
"Yeah, I wanna see what Consul Tonaloc has to say about the recent events, and we could be needed there later. Anyway, we have these specially modified ships on Koros, they were built just for passage to and from the castle, so it should be a fun ride."
Kryndath sat nearby, thoughtfully listening to the conversation, gazing around the ship, he noted though many members of Gladius had stayed behind to protect the base should any other attacks be made, that there were still many people on the ship. Slowly, Kryndath turned to address Sage and Kartena, his brows quirked, "Shouldn't we take two transports? There are many of us here, and though we might be able to fit, I think it'd be more comfortable and safe if we were a bit spread out."
Sage started to say something, though Kartena carefully cut her off, her gaze staring thoughtfully down at the panel in front of her, "Actually, Kryndath, we won't need an extra ship, I just finished telling Kodis about our situation. He thinks several of us need to stay there on Koros...just in case."
Sage nodded in agreement, "Sounds good, we do have some kewl Obelisk, but their numbers are a lot smaller than the other houses. They might need a little extra help, should anything happen."
"Okay, so who's going where?"
"I think Sage should stay on Koros. You could help us get a ship there and set our course, but you were always a great Obelisk..." Ciara paused for a moment, quietly smirking, "Heh, even if you have been in all three orders, you seem more comfortable on the ground with a sabre at your side."
Kartena gave an approving nod, looking over the members of her house that now stood curiously in the shuttle, trying to determine who would go where. "Well, Ciara, Kidouses and Kryndath, I'm going to the castle and I'd like for the three of you to come with me. I believe the rest of you would be most useful to Sage and our Obelisks on Koros."
* * * *
Sage leaned over the controls of the modified transport punching in the coordinates that would take them to their destination, Castle Tarentum. "All right, you're all set. Hope you enjoy the ride. Heh, don't cause too much trouble at the castle, Ciara."
Ciara smiled brightly at her old friend, "Me? Never.. heh, you just try not to drive Samael crazy."
Shaking her head, Sage stepped back, waving as the transport quickly lifted from the ground, wasting no time in getting off the moon and to the castle.
Deathlord looked around the area slowly, nearly immediately regretting deciding to remain here, he sighed casting a glance towards Sage, "Gee, isn't this place exciting..."
"Ah, come on Deathlord, it may be desolate but it has lots of kewl stuff too. The obelisks training grounds are here, there's the barracks, hangers...all kinds of stuff." Sith Bloodfyre chimed in, heading off to follow Sage and the others towards the Cestus base.
Shaking his head, Deathlord had no doubt why the training grounds would be located here as he ran over the rugged terrain to catch up with his companions. The air was barely breathable and the gravity had to be at least one and half gees.
Upon entering the base, Sage and her crew were greeted by a Cestus member in the crimson robes of a Guardian, whom led them into the office of the Quaestor. Obelisk Battlemaster Samael stood behind a small panel of some kind laid out on his desk, his brows furrowed in concentration. Sage stood for a moment watching him for a moment, before he looked up with an almost startled look on his face. A brief touch of amusement crossed Sage's features as she inclined her head respectfully towards the Quaestor, "Quaestor Samael."
"Ah, Sage Laereth...I remember you," the Quaestor grinned, "one of the best Obelisk we had, you're a Sith now, I presume?"
Sage nodded slightly, stepping further into the room, her eyes glancing about the familiar office. "Yes, and I presume you've been expecting us...anything interesting on that little read out you have there?"
"There is indeed. Which is why I'm glad all of you are here." Motioning the young girl over to him, Samael placed a finger onto the readout indicting a small flashing area, shaking his head, "It appears this insane crusade of Alvaak's intends to attack each house of Tarentum."
Nodding, Sage glanced up towards the gathered members of Gladius that came with her. "Well, I hope we can be of some help. The Quaestor of Gladius and a few members have gone to Castle Tarentum to speak with Consul Tonaloc. Myself and these others are here and at your service.. " Sage smiled briefly.
"Indeed, well, perhaps all of you would like to familiarize yourself with the area? It should prove useful if this is indeed Alvaak coming to attack.."
And with that the gathered members were dismissed to become familiar with every nook and cranny of the location that could very well be their final resting place.
* * * *
Guardian Sith Bloodfyre sighed, having enough of the wandering he moved into the communications room of the base. Deciding he should find out how Gladius was holding up, he quickly keyed in the base, almost immediately greeted by one of the members. "Yes, Guardian?"
"Just checking in on everyone, were there many more survivors found?"
"Yes, several Gladius people, and a few Alvaak...they were taken care of."
"I assume we did lose some of our members as well...?"
"Yes, but -- "
A burst of static filled the channel before shutting immediately off. The startled Bloodfyre took a step back, expectant eyes glancing around. Finding nothing, he decided to try to key the channel in again, receiving only more bursts of static in response. Turning away from the console, he stepped out of the room intent on discovering the problem the problem. Halfway down the corridor it hit him hard, they weren't having technical difficulties, someone had cut the communications. His speed picked up tremendously as he raced down the hall towards the room he knew the Cestus Quaestor, Sage and several others to be discussing the situation. Catching only a fleeting glimpse of ebon robes, Sith felt himself flung backwards into a side wall, falling unconscious.
A crooked smile touched the lips of the intruder, Fable lifted her chin in pure arrogance sweeping into the room where several of her fellow clan members held the few scattered members of Tarentum. Sage and Samael stood side by side, both holding the yet ignited sabres tightly in their hands. Studying the intruders carefully, Sage found herself at a troubling realization. This was not Alvaak.
* * * *
Guardian Jaya Cypher stood outside the base, her head snapped up, spinning around to gaze wide eyed back towards the base. A few scattered shuttles had landed on the moon, several hovering over the actual base. The color draining from her face, she turned to grab Deathlord by the arm. "Deathie! They're in trouble in there! I gotta help, I don't know how, but -- get the Consul! I have a feeling we're going to need more help then we have..."
Deathlord shook his head in disbelief as he too stared up towards the base, watching as Jaya had run off without waiting for a response, stumbling feet carrying her small form at full speed towards the base, hoping she could reach them in time, and actually be able to do something about it. Fumbling hands fell down to a comlink at his side, not sure about going to the Consul directly, he contacted Ciara.
"There's WHAT?! Who are they? Where's Sage and the rest of the Obelisk? Are you okay? Where are you??" The questions spilled out of the comlink, Deathlord could also slightly make out mumbling in the background, perhaps the Consul was there with her. "Uhm, I don't know. Ciara, they don't look like Alvaak...and there's more coming. I have a feeling we're going to need reinforcements, badly."
"All right, we'll be there. Try and fend off what you can." It was a different voice this time.
Deathlord gave a grim smile before switching off the comlink, quickly rushing ahead to see if he could offer any aid to Jaya and the others.
Jaya searched frantically for a weapon, she could see them just in front of her, their backs turned, surrounding her fellow clan members.
Stupid arrogant people turn your back on me, will ya? Hmph..we'll see!
Growling quietly Jaya now wished she had trained a bit harder so she too could have a sabre to slaughter some people with. About to give up, a silver glint caught her eye. Greedy hands immediately scooped it up, her favorite weapon, a nice solid, chair. Charging down the hall, the solid metal chair was held high over her head, her blood pumping with adrenaline she charged full force into the room, swinging the chair at anything that moved. Cries of shock began to fill the room as several Taldryan members fell from the brutal blows to the back of the head.
Two crimson blades sprung to life side by side, as Sage and Samael immediately leapt from their prison, delivering fatal blows to their still startled enemies. Jaya's distraction wasn't much, but just enough to free the surrounded Tarentum members. She smiled tightly to herself, proud to have made a difference, even if it was only with a chair. Turning, she quickly ran back down the corridor, only to fall flat on her face after tripping over a fallen body. A shrill scream escaped as she turned to see the unconscious Bloodfyre lying there. Sucking in her breath, Jaya pulled herself to her feet, grabbing Sith's wrists tightly, and pulling him off into the safety of a side room. "Sithie.. are you okay?"
* * * *
Ciara, Kryndath and Kidouses were the first to leap out onto the rugged terrain, and the battle was already in full force. When first notified there only a few members inside the base, now they were met outside, thrown into the battle right away. Growling, each mystic stood ready. Kryndath and Ciara held sabre's tightly in their hands, determined expressions brought them swiftly into the battle, parting ways almost immediately, Tarentum and Taldryan members interweaving into one chaotic mass of blurring energy.
Fighting her way tooth and nail through the crowd, her sabre's gilded blade met with many, though refused to engage in direct combat just yet, she had to find out what happened to her sister and the others. Her heart pounded in her chest, as she made it barely inside the base, she noticed several scars already on her. Shaking her head, it didn't matter now. Ciara quickly raced down the corridor, she caught sight of her sister and Bloodfyre in the communication rooms, leaning over the console. "Jaya! Sithies!"
"Ciara!" Both turned in unison, a look of relief in their eyes. "We fixed the communications here."
"That's great, but where are the others? Sage, Samael?"
"They're safe, Ciara. Jaya here knocked some sense into a few people..."
Ciara nodded quickly, spinning quickly to run back outside, yelling over her shoulder, "Well, what are you waiting in there for? We've got a battle to fight!"
Sage found herself thriving on the battlefield, she hadn't fought on this proportion in so long, though it seemed so natural. The sweet, menacing hum of her sabre was music to her ears as she was thrown into combat after combat. She moved with fluid grace from one battle to another, the anguished cries of her foes filling her ears, while the strong scent of blood filled the air. Becoming more accustomed to the stronger gravity of the moon, she smiled wickedly as she watched some of her less skilled opponents struggling with it, becoming exhausted far before they normally would.
Jerking around, Sage felt a sharp pain just beneath her knee. Her sabre instinctively moved around to catch the offending blade, nearly throwing her balance off as she realized her target had moved quickly out of the way. A moment's hesitation would normally cost her, except this time, Sage found her opponent cowering in a protective ball on the ground at her feet. A bitter laugh escaped through parched lips as she turned to bring her sabre clearly down upon the trembling coward -- this time, she was caught off balance.
Falling backwards, Sage lost her footing over the rugged terrain, cursing herself as she felt flat to the ground. Staring down at her, a young woman growled, "Picking on defenseless little creatures now, are we?"
Smirking Sage spat back, "Isn't that what your entire clan is?"
"Oh, we're defenseless?" Aari couldn't help but giggle.
Growling, Sage took the opportunity to leap forward, the glowing crimson blade held high over her head, preparing to strike. Blinking in stunned realization of what was about to happen, Aari slowly ducked down, defensively thrusting her own violet blade into the air. And with that Sage Laereth fell back to the very ground she had been thriving on just minutes ago. Clutching the clean hole in her torso, her head rolled slowly to the side, her chest heaved as she drew her last breath, her last sight had been the enraged glance of an old friend, she knew she would be avenged.
Aari's eyes caught with Ciara's for a long moment, before realizing that her dear friend Fable had several of the Mystics surrounded. Later, Aari would be believe she had briefly lost all sanity, but for now, she knew what she had to do. Taking a tighter grip of her sabre, Aari charged through the slightly smaller mass of people, paying no mind to the dwindling Taldryan numbers, she quickly leapt directly in front of Fable, deflecting a blow meant for Jaya Cypher. Receiving startled looks from all sides Aari growled, "How dare you! Attack a defenseless Guardian.. where's your honor?"
Fable grinned ferally, "Oh I dare, alright. My honor is in my loyalty. Obviously, yours just flew off the battle field."
And with that, their blades met with a flash of light, the force of their blades mimicking the raging fury in their eyes. Each testing the strength and skill of the other, Fable pushed harder, driving Aari back a step. Seething with rage, Aari knew she had to destroy Fable now that this had started. Suddenly she spun her blade in a clockwise motion, slipping it off of Fable, she lunged forward, slamming the hilt of the sabre into Fable's temple. Stumbling backwards, Fable managed to sweep her blade upwards into Aari's side, leaving a large gash. Gasping sharply, biting back the pain in her side, Aari quickly spun herself completely around Fable, and with one smooth motion of her arm, her sabre blade cut cleanly through her opponent's back.
Aari breathed heavily, watching her opponent fall dead to the ground. Her head raised slowly, blinking, she saw many scattered bodies on the ground, though it seemed as though most of her clan had gone, the ships were missing -- a final thought as she felt sharp energy surge through her body.
Ciara blinked, rushing to stand over the now fallen body of her old friend, glancing about for the owner of the stun web. Sighing, she found no one. Haunting emeralds stared harshly down at Aari, then out across the many fallen bodies of friend and foe, and finally back to her faithful Mystics. And with a shake of her head, Ciara turned away, avenging her fallen friend, Sage Laereth, Ciara would leave another.