Star Wars: Return of the Sith

[Paendragon]

Tynan

"Yes, let's move out." He keyed the access hatch, and the ramp lowered. He also pulled his borrowed Jedi cloak off, and tossed it aside, and unhooked one of his lightsabers. Before leaving the ship, he reached out, and grabbed marius by the sleeve.

"If anything happens to me, promise me that you'll see to the boy."

He waited for a response, before heading down the ramp to check for danger.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Marius

I looked back at Tynan, wondering what had made him think as such. If something happened to him?
"I will, if I'm able," I replied. "But it would seem more likely that something might happen to me. Let's focus on getting the boy and Raine and getting out of here."
That said, I moved slowly down the ramp behind him, waiting until he gave the sign to move.

 

[Paendragon]

Tynan

The hangar was clear.

"I don't like this... there should be someone here. Even a technition."

He signalled Marius and Basaal, and ran, Force-assisted so that he was little more than a blur, toward the hangar door. He peered outside... still nothing. Even reaching out with the Force, he was unable to feel anyone.

Wait a minute...

He keyed his comm, and spoke to Marius. "I think I'm being blocked..." He let that hang in the air for a moment. The Jedi would know what that implied. Sith, and a strong one at that. "Can you sense anything?"

If not, then one of them would have to go out and find them.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Marius

Blocked.
I glanced to Basaal. he nodded, confirming my thoughts.
"More than one of great power, and I believe a third," he replied. "We must venture ahead regardless."
I nodded, then replied to Tynan through the comm. "We sense it. According to Basaal, we have quite an opposition here, and he's apparently got friends. Keep your eyes peeled, and remember that we're all here together."
I said the last without thinking. Once I'd turned the comm off, I wondered if it had been wise. Tynan no doubt was aware of my questions of doubt, bringing them more to his attention might not work in our favor here.
I shrugged it off. If it was a mistake, it was one already made. I was human, born to err at times. The important thing was to refrain from making the same mistake again. I had to trust him, as we were in this together, and to err in that might make him trust me less.
That could be disaster.I hurrie down the ramp, stopping to check the room again, knowing full well that these Sith might pose a threat where we least expect one, then followed his lead across to the hangar door, Basaal right behind me. When we reached him, I glanced back to see the soldiers we'd brought filing out of the toher transport.
I twas time to move. I waited for Tynan's lead.

 

[Paendragon]

Darth Moridin

The last two shuttles landed, and lowered there ramps, Stormtroopers filling out quickly and orderly. Each troops commander stepped to the front.

"My Lord?" they said in unison.

"Have you tracked the approach of the two shuttles?"

They merely nodded in reply.

He gestured to the commander to his left. "Your troop will accompany these gentlemen. Follow there orders to the letter."

The commander saluted crisply, and walked toward the other Sith.

"The rest... with me."

And without another word, he strode off, with two compliments of Stormtroopers marching orderly behind him.

 

[Paendragon]

Tynan

Tynan smirked at the communicator. Yeah, we're in this together...as long as you do what needs to be done.

He thumbed his lightsaber to life, the blue blade leaping forward with a snap-hiss. He flowed out of the hangar, scanning with both his eyes and the force, for danger.

Still, he found none. He could, however, feel the troops behind him, and the Force presence of the two Jedi. One, infinitely calm... the other less so. The Master, and the Knight.

And one other presence.... the boy!

"I can sense the boy," he whispered into the comm. "He's here... and I can get a general direction."

Then he waited. He knew, now, that he was not in command of the situation, that the troops would obey only the Jedi, and by necessity, he would need to defer to them.

"What's the plan, Master Basaal?"

 

[Paendragon]

Darth Moridin

They would be coming this way, he knew. All roads converged to this place from where they landed. The orders were given to the Stormtroopers.

He pulled his lightsaber out from under his cloak, and discarded the garment. Now, clad in only his black tunic and pants, he waited for his enemy.

 

[Paendragon]

Master Duu'Raan

He sagged from exhaustion. He fought the Stormtroopers with all he had, and still they kept coming. The small band of resisters with him fought as well as they could. The fact was, however, that they were outgunned, and outmuscled.

"Ssssignal the retreat," he called out to Momaw. "We have given them all the time we can to evacuate. Now we mussst save oursselves for the next battle, and get word to the Jedi Council of what has happened here."

Momaw nodded, and spoke into his communicator.

Doprekka, he sent out through the Force, come, we must flee.

They would steal a transport, or Doprekka must steal one, for Duu'Raan was already near exhaustion from his injuries, and would be more of a hinderance to the Wookiee than a help. Then they must escape this planet, and bring word to their bretheren on Yavin 4.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Raine

"There are many force-users here," I whispered to Leroy, "But I think some are on our side."
He glanced to me, then looked down the hall. No one was coming. We moved then, moving quickly on our toes, trying to reach the next corridor without losing too much time.
Once there, we let the others catch up to us, then I touched the pad to open the next door. No one in that corridor either, so we moved quickly through it as well.
At the end, Leroy turned to me, asking in a whisper, "Where are we headed?"
"I believe thier..." I closed my eyes, searching. "Further ahead, but thier moving, and those that aren't are most likely about to. I have a feeling we've got quite a battle ahead of us."
He nodded, then touched the pad for the next door. He motioned to the others and we moved on again.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Cloud City, Bespin

"Our friends beneath the surface are getting closer," Figgas stated, matter-of-factly.
"I'm already on it, Master," Vaine returned.
"Don't go alone," Figgas insisted. He motioned to the stormtroopers. "Take half. Make certin the job is finished. And Vaine..."
THe Sith turned to face his master, having already started away.
"Make sure our old friend Miss DuVal is well taken care of. You know what I want?"
At this Vaine smiled. "Yes, Master."
He pointed at half of the troopers, then waved for them to follow him and headed for the doorway.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mogo

As the door opened, the guards glanced up, surprised, almost afraid the Sith had returned, i was certain. They relaxed some when they realized it was just me, the little Toydarian frieghter.
They lowered their guard, all five of them, letting out deep breaths. Just as well, I thought. The easier the better.
I pulled the blaster from behind my back, where I'd held it, hidden from thier view, and raised it as fast as I could, firing at one, then the next, moving the weapon to aim at the next target as fast as I could.
Three of them had fallen before the others realized what was happening. I shot the fourth as he raised the weapon, almost not geting him in time. The last had his weapon ready though. I didn't have time to aim, or even move the blaster in my hands to try before he could shoot me dead.
A blaster bolt cruised past me, hitting the guard dead-on in the chest and sending him down. I froze for a moment, looking at the fallen guards with surprise. Those in the hall had gone down as easily, but it still surprised me that it was all done already.
I glanced back, seeing Orin standing behind me, a blaster in his hands as well. I would have expected his eyes to be wide, surprised at what he'd done. Instead, he was getting impatient.
"Come on, get the kid and let's go." he insisted.
I nodded, lowering the weapon and hovering over to Luke.
"Luke," I began, trying to sound friendly, but nervous and failing right off. "I'm here to be your friend. I hope you know that. We have to get out of here as fast as possible. Please trust me, and come with us."

 

[Paendragon]

Luke

It all happened so fast. One minute Luke was alone, and frightened. The next, Mogo was there. Luke couldn't hide the relief from his face.

"Mogo! I thought you guys left me..." He looked for Natasia, but couldn't find her. She must be waiting for them.

He nodded to Mogo. "Please, get me out of here," his voice quavered in fear. "He's here... he's come for me... please get me out of here!"

He reached out and grasped the Toydarians hand, and made to follow wherever he led.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mogo

And that quickly, we were headed out into the hall again, Orin in the lead, holding his blaster almost like a pro.
He'd checked out the guard's when he saw them, followedwhat he lerned from that, I thought. He was sharper than I'd originally thought.
"Where to?" He asked.
"The nearest hangar," I replied. "We're stealin' a ship and gettin' out of here."
He nodded, then started in that direction.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Marius

"Wait," Basaal said, suddenly. He stopped, looking around to survey the area we were in, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
"Tynan," he began. I glanced in the man's direction, realizing by now he must be irritated with how slowly we were moving. I had to admit that I too was growing very impatient. "I have a strong sense that one of our opposition has intentions for the boy, but there is more to be done here than just retrieve him. I sense strongly that we should have him in our protection, though I know not what his fate may be. Perhaps it would be best that you, knowing the boy so well, find him. I would suggest you take whatever troops you feel you need."
I glanced to Tynan, awaiting his reply.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Raine

"What is it?" Leroy asked.
I shook my head. "Nothing."
He stared at me.
I shook my head again. "Just an odd feeling. I believe the force is trying to tell me something, but..."
A third head shake.
"I suggest we be very careful as we proceed," I added.
He nodded, then looked down at his communicator, attached at his hip.
"Yes," he agreed, looking worried. "I should have heard from the on-duty guards by now."
We were in a storage area by then, large and cluttered enough for them to have slipped in without us noticing. But my hand went to my saber, without my even thinking, before he even spoke, regardless of the familiarity I felt as his presence sank in.
"Should have, yes," he said, his voice coming to us from across the room, from out of our view. "Had we not taken care of them already."
We fell to our guard, eyes shifting through the crates and boxes that waited ahead of us.
"Who...?" Leroy began.
"A Sith," I replied. "Time for battle, I doubt he's alone."

 

[Paendragon]

Tynan

All he could feel was the boy, and imminent danger. Basaal, was, however, a Master...

"No troops. They'll only get in my way. Right now, stealth is my best option."

He looked to Marius, for some reason wanting to ask him to come with him... just a feeling. But the bounty hunter held back, no matter what his instincts told him. The boy was his responsibility, and he would not ask anyone else to assume that risk.

 

[Orlanth]

Jedi Master D'Rack Fran'Tok

Weeks had passed since the Lightsaber dual between Kane and D'Rack; yet it felt like a whole life time had passed.

The fleet around Coruscent had started to go into disaray. D'Rack had not been seen much, and when he was, it wasn't for long.

The Death Star was not far off from being able to support it'self, and the troops were starting to feel empty, lifeless. Inconsignifcet, like little ants with out their Queen.

What happend to D'Rack?...

Time will tell...

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Raine

The blaster rounds seemed to come form everywhere at once, but we were spread out enough to take cover behind the crates that were around without getting pinned in together. Fire was returned, at first just random blaster rounds at wherever the enemy fire seemed to come from, then more organized atacks, as their locations became more evident.
"We have to retreat," Leroy said to me, "We need to make them come out. Moving back may lure them more into the open."
I shook my head. "No, we should rush them, press them back, then move forward toward the other door."
He thought on this, then nodded, knowing we couldn't backtrack. The Sith had to be stopped, and it seemed that, with one of them right here, backing up, putting more space between us, just made the objective more difficult.
"Alright," Leroy said, into his communcator, speaking to all of those present. "We move forward on three, head-on attack, then we move across the room to the opposite door. One...two...three!"
We were moving then, Leroy next to me, his blaster firing in all directions it seemed, and me swinging my saber and deflecting the blaster bolts back at whatever target I could find. The enemy did come out then, wantign better vantage points to fire from, and we shot down whatever we could while moving first toward them, wanting to back them up some, and succeeding in some small way, then heading toward the door.
We lost quite a few in the act, but brought down several as well. As we neared the opposite side of the room, the trooper seemed to be gathering behind us, as though they intended to push us in the very direction we were headed in.
I began to think the Sith had managed to get behind us when I turned to see the man standing nearby the doorway, his face hidden in his black hooded cloak.
As I faced him, he raised one hand and egged me toward him with it, then backed up, flicking his hand mindlessly toward the control switch, opening the door behind him, then he vanished into the hall behind it.
Could be a trap, I thought. But too late to turn back.
I ran toward the door, opening it the same way he had, then slowed and moved carefully into the hall beyond. I could see him disappearing around a corner ahead, moving casually, almost as though he had no care in the world.
:eroy was next to me then, facing the opposite way to provide cover fire for his soldiers to follow more safely in his footsteps.
"Do you think he's still in there? Or were they covering for him?" Leroy asked me.
"He went that way, and I'm going to follow," i replied.
"Should we provide back-up?" He asked.I shook my head. "No, go and find the other one, or two if there are that many."
He nodded, then turned to his men. "Alright men, let's get moving again."
I headed down the hall, trying to look for any signs that the man might be near, but trying more to feel where he might be.
I rounded the corner he had, then looked down to the end of the corridor. An elevator, and nothing else. Worse still, an elevator that only led down, into the mines below.
With a deep breath, I headed down the corridor.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Marius

Tynan was holding something back, but I wasn't sure what it was. I guessed the man was always bearing some burden alone, and couldn't understand for the life of me why, though I guessed everyone held some things back.
Tynan had made himself too much of a loner, too much of a separate entity from the rest of the Jedi and the rebellion.
I could see the difference between him and the rest of the Jedi just standing there, sensing that he held something back. I wondered if it was painful to be so disconnected and felt that it must be.
"Tynan, it is imperative that we retrieve the boy," Basaal insisted. "If something is bothering you, perhaps you should--"
"Perhaps I should accompany you?" I suggested, not letting Basaal finish. "If you take the trooper, Master Basaal, they would be in much better strategically equipped hands. And if the boy is so important, then most likely we will run into the Sith in search of him. Two Jedi are better equipped to handle that than one."
Basaal looked to Tynan. It was all on him now.

 

[Orlanth]

Jedi Master D'Rack Fran'Tok

“Do, or do not; there is no try!” Master Skywalker had said this to D’Rack, when he was till a Padwan… Master Yoda had once said it Luke Skywalker.

Now, D’Rack kept having visions of Luke, his Jedi Master; saying this to him. But why? What was D’Rack trying to do? Since Kane’s death, D’Rack had been lost in thought of nothing…

Here, before him, at his command lay a Imperial fleet; and the old capital planet, Coruscent. Yet, he could not think of why he has this, or what his goal was…

D’Rack shuts his eyes as he has a vision…

***

“D’Rack, times are changing.”

“What do you mean Master?”

“My young Padwan, remember that my father was Darth Vader, Anakin skwalker… He knew what was coming…”

“He saw what?”

“The fall of the Jedi… Not the Jedi order he helped to destroy, but this reborn Jedi order.”

“It seems to work.”

“You have a lot to learn… So do we Jedi… Learn from our mistakes…”

***

 

[Paendragon]

Tynan

Oddly enough, Tynan felt relief that marius asked to accompany him. He nodded in response.

"I would appreciate the help. We'll have to stay hidden as much as possible." Marius would come in handy, especially if they came into contact with a Sith. Although Tynan wasn't sure if the youngster was ready for it yet.

He bowed his head to Basaal.

"May the Force be with you." Then he turned back to Marius. "Lets go."

He slipped out of the hangar life a ghost, on the trail of the boy he promised he would protect.

If anyone has harmed Luke........

 

[Paendragon]

Darth Moridin

He could sense the Jedi.

"Ready yourselves. They come."

He would stay near the troops. Now was not the time to face the Jedi. His plans are still too fragile, and he now had this new alliance do deal with.

"Wait for my signal."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Marius

I nodded to Master Basaal, showing respect to the man who meant so much to all the young Jedi these days, an odd, dark feeling overcoming me when i looked into the man's eyes.
I slowed my progress towar dhte hangar door for a moment, then shook it off. Probably just unease at being alone with Tynan. I was oddly comfortable with him, but my instincts had learned to trust Raine's judgment, and she wasn't perfect, even if I myself couldn't see her flaws.
I followed him toward the hangar door, the feeling I'd just experienced drawing too much of my attention. I should have felt what was on the other side of the door.
Should have...
As Tynan reached the hangar door, I saw him reaching out for the door control switch. I moved up behind him, waiting for the door to open.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Raine

I stopped before the entrance, peering into the darkness less with my eyes than with my mind. He was in there, waiting.
(familiar)
sitting in the darkness.
Down here, in the mines that were both abandoned and unoccupied by the Rebel forces, only the emergency lighting worked, and that was only apparent out here in the corridor. Ahead was a gas release shaft. Tall, reaching to the heights of Cloud City, it was constructed to relieve the lower mines of the poisonous gases that built up due to the activities that took place below.
I ignited my lightsaber, using it to light my immediate area and moved slowly into the dark shaft ahead.
It was a similar, yet different shaft that I'd heard stoires of as a padawan, Master Skywalker and Darth Vader, his father, dueling for the first time. Master Skywalker had lost his hand in that battle if I remembered correctly. All those years in training and I'd never asked him one question about the old days. Odd really.
There was a brief corridor, for detox I was certain, between the outer hall and the room ahead. I slipped through it and entered the release shaft ahead.
Once inside, I could see the floor stretching out ahead of me. Nearby, a rack hung where the gas-free suits would hang when the work day was finished. I was familiar with the way these miners were, having spent a brief period of time on mining colonies in my search for the past. A past I should have left behind. The workers would enter through the corridor I had just entered through, put on anti-gas suits and switch on the ventilation. Fans below, most likely, would suck the gases from the mines and carry them upward to the top of the shaft where, they'd be purified and sent into the atmosphere or collected in thier true forms when they could be used to generate power. The corrodors behind me would be protected not by conventional doorways, but by a forcefield, only overridable from inside, to ensure no one accidentally contaminated the outside perimeter.
I knew too much about these things, especially when yo considered my search left me with all that useless information and no info about my origins.
I took a few steps deeper into the shaft, then stopped, reaching out with the force for the man I knew waited there in the dark.
"Now," a voice said.
I tensed a little, expecting an ambush of some sort, uncertain if I could fend it off.
Instead, the power came on, light illuminating the entire shaft, suddenly almost blindingly bright. I squinted, my eyes finding him immediately. He stood about twenty yards ahead, holding a communicator to his lips.
And the two of us were alone.
To either side was nothing, no bridges or floor extensions, but room to fall. The flooring was a fairly sized piece that led out to a repair shaft a few feet behind him. One entrance here and one several feet, possibly more than one hundred, above us. Other than that...just space.
"Nice to see you again, Raine," his voice announced.
(familiar)
"We've met?"
His face was shadowed by his hood, but I could feel him smiling.
"Oh," he returned. "We know each other quite well...It seems there's something we must discuss."
He reached his hand out, flicking his fingers outward, using the force to activate the switch on the wallbehind me. I could hear the hum of the forcefield there, and a second later, the warm breeze of the fans below spinning to life.
I took a few quick steps to the side and glanced down. There were hundreds of them down there, all spinning rapidly in circles.
Dangerous, I thought. But I'd known it would be.
"Are you prepared for what you are about to learn?" He asked.
A chill went down my spine, and I wondered if indeed I was ready. Again I felt him smiling.
"Then let us begin..."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Mogo

I was no Jedi, and thier ways were as foriegn to me as tose of a priest. So I knew it wasn't the Force, but only my own gut telling me things were about to get worse. And my gut was enough to get me worried.
"The hangar's up here," Orin announced. "C'mon."
"Wait," I said, half-whispering. "Look around the corner first."
He glanced ahead.
"Shit," he spat. "Storm Troopers."
Now what? I wondered, turning to glanced back. Of all the things I needed to see then, what I found behind me was not on the list.
"Going somewhere, Mogo?" She asked, her voice sounding electronic through the distortion mic.
"Nastasia," i muttered, raising my blaster to point it at her.
"That's right," she replied, not seeming to notice the weapon I held. "The boy is not going anywhere. I'll see to that."
"Will you now?" I asked, realizing jsut then that i wasn't afraid, but angry again. I confrontation would not work out in my favor, not against a trained (very, well trained, in fact) bounty hunter. But I would do what I had to.
"Orin," I said, hovering a few dfeet to my left, leaving him and the boy outside of range of a stray blaster bolt if it came to that. "Stay with Luke."