Serenno

[Raynuk Montar]

Tezcha had learned discipline. He had learned patience, and he had learned not to question the will of the Masters. He had learned how to blend into a crowd and remain unseen.

Absolutely none of that was going to help him now. He had managed, barely, to return to Shadowlord’s quarters near the waterfall and rejoin the others. He relayed the news that Shadowlord had somehow come to learn of their presence, hence the alarms, and then told the group of the glory their Harch brothers had found in service to the Masters. He sent the stealthiest of the remaining cultists to check on the path they had taken into the citadel, while the other four told Tezcha of what they had found in Shadowlord’s quarters. A handful of datapads and ancient tomes that could be of use, but nothing quite on the size of the Library the group had hoped to pilfer. They then described a cube, small enough to hold in one’s hand and seemingly intricate, exactly as he Tezcha had heard described. He ordered one of the cultists to retrieve it, which they immediately did before handing it to their leader, who turned it over in his hands before nodding.

This will be worthy of the Masters notice… he thought satisfied.

 

The cultist returned not long after, indicating that somehow the guards had managed to put a large amount of hardware and personnel at the waterfall door. It was a disappointment, one that left Tezcha wishing he had not had the Harches rip the door out of the wall. As Tezcha began to formulate a plan, he heard sounds of tiny droids being released into the ventilation shafts. Clearly the guards of this citadel were of a higher caliber than anticipated; they had stumbled upon Tezcha’s escape route, and likely would not give up until they had something to show for the chase.

So Tezcha used the two things that he still had to his advantage; lack of information, and loyalty. He instructed two of the remaining five cultists to climb back into the vents and to get as far as they could, possibly leading them away. And the two did so without question.

 

Over 30 minutes later, the remaining group heard panicked scrabbling and coughing far off in the vents, followed by a hail of blaster fire mixed with screams of pain, and then silence. In the meantime, Tezcha had managed to come up with a plan after locating a data and comm terminal hidden within Shadowlord’s quarters; no doubt so that the Sith could keep in communication with those around him. He frantically began typing, recalling a life before the Cult when he was average and invisible to the galaxy as he managed to unlock its system functions, before plugging in a data stick to the terminal, as if downloading information.

01001001 01101110 01101001 01110100 01101001 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101001 01101101 01100101 01110010 00111011 00100000 00110010 00110000 00111010 00110000 00110000 00001010 01101001 01100110 00100000 00100010 01110100 01101001 01101101 01100101 01110010 00111011 00100000 01110011 01110100 01101111 01110000 00100010 00001010 01101111 01110010 00100000 00100010 01010100 01101001 01101101 01100101 01110010 00100000 00111101 00100000 00110000 00100010 00001010 01010100 01101000 01100101 01101110 00100000 01010010 01110101 01101110 00100000 00100010 01100010 01100001 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00101110 01100101 01111000 01100101 00100010 00001010

 

Once the screaming and blaster fire started, Tezcha’s attention was pulled away from the hidden terminal, as he listened through its duration. When it had finally stopped, his eyes fell to the remaining three cultists, knowing that it was likely none of them would be returning to the Masters alive. Once his eyes met with them all and he saw his own conviction reflected in theirs, he looked around and started planning as he grabbed the data stick from the terminal.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Three minutes later, one of the cultists came screaming through the door that lead to the waterfall, his robes cinched tightly around his form, his hood up. The man was running full force, if a bit awkwardly, making a direct line for the edge of the waterfall. But the Black Guard had been set up and prepared for such actions. But the cultists were still capable of surprises. The cultist made it farther than he had any natural right to, and when he reached the half-way point, another cultist came running full speed through the door, followed by another, and another, all right after one another. By all rights, it should have been a slaughter; but the cultists kept moving, the blasts only slowing them down little by little. Even then, it was enough fire that the first cultist fell to the ground in a smoldering heap, his robes torn to shreds by blaster fire, a mere ten feet from the edge. The second cultist managed to get further, solely because of the Guards’ concentrated fire on the first; but even he fell short of the edge.

 

But the third cultist made it barely. The first cultist’s robes had been shredded, as had the second. And while this cultist had clearly been shot dozens of times, it was not nearly as bad. His arrival at the edge spurred the last cultist to stop, and he instantly became a human shield for the third cultist, who managed to tumble over the edge and disappear into the abyss of the waterfall, while the last cultist was torn apart even worse than the first cultist.

 

When the firing had stopped, the guards would no doubt inspect the bodies of the three cultists, and only then would understand how they had weathered such an onslaught. Though their robes were torn apart and burnt by blaster fire, the cultists had managed to hastily strap various objects to their bodies as make-shift armor. Pieces of wood from tables, cushions from chairs, panels made of metal, and even chunks of carpet and rugs were wrapped around chests and legs to absorb fire. So it was that the quarters of Shadowlord had been ransacked and torn apart in order to craft the protection that had allowed the cultists to get that far, but not far enough. A futher inspection of the bodies would also have the Guards find each cultist carried a datastick.

 

In the end, all but one cultist had perished within the citadel, with the last one plummeting to his death over the waterfall. The Cult of Morthos had been expelled from the Citadel.

[Exodus]

Powerful headaches flooded him whole; flashbacks of the massacre on Coruscant crawled from the recesses of his mind and the power that the Trinity pummeled the planet with before had now threatened his skull. A hand rose to his forehead to calm the storm while Ab’Ki spoke, she motioned for a seat but the screams in his mind did not quiet and allow him to hear her words. “You are not safe near me. I’ll stand.” There was a vampiric force in the air now, and his powers were still on the rise. The behemoth in the door did not hesitate to move closer to Exodus as he knew what it was that stirred inside the Dark Master. Exodus kept himself a distance from the Twi’lek as his entire frame was now siphoning the dark energies in the room.

 

“Careful Twi’lek. Many Sith are swallowed whole by their blind revenge. Is this all that consumes you?”

 

Exodus had witnessed brothers of all kinds fall to their visionless retribution. He knew this one would fall, he knew that even if she had killed her mark that she would amount to no more than an instrument that lacked range. He could mold her to more, but she would have to earn this, for now he could save her the time and wipe her from the face of this planet.

[Fieyr]

While the Dark Lord's hand went to his temple in the wake of the Force disturbance, Ab'ki's smile only broadened at the discord and pain that echoed for any sensitive enough to feel it. A small gasp at the doorway caught the Twi'lek's attention and she turned to see her erstwhile apprentice, Nayal'ee leaning slightly against the doorway to prevent spilling the refreshments she was bringing both from whatever disturbance had echoed across the Force and the surprise of the hulking monster lurking in the hallway.

 

“You are not safe near me. I’ll stand.” He intoned, and, as Ab'ki studied him for a moment, she could feel the slight pull drawing towards him. Bending the Force to her own will, she shielded herself and shifted slightly back.

 

"As My Lord wishes." Ab'ki nodded her understanding then turned to address the girl. "Nayal'ee, bring him something to drink." It was an order, not a request.

 

The platinum-haired girl looked at her Mistress and then at the stranger in the spider armor before her. After just the slightest hesitation, she moved forward obediently offering the tray of refreshments.

 

For Ab'ki, it was not just a test of the girl's unwavering obedience, she was genuinely curious what might happen if she ignored Exodus's warning. Something in him was building and she wanted to see just what it was.

 

“Careful Twi’lek. Many Sith are swallowed whole by their blind revenge. Is this all that consumes you?”

 

Ab'ki smiled cruelly. "Hardly my Lord. Though what wonderful chaos might be wrought would be more than worth the risk. My Lord Hask was always adept at the long game. Revenge often is the sweeter when the object has forgotten the lesson, but can painfully be reminded at the most...unexpected of times."

[Exodus]

• “Oh?”

He wondered if the second woman was a bit half-witted or far too steadfast in her devotion to this Ab’ki. Her footsteps neared and inched closer to the unseen whirlwind of power that surrounded Exodus, and as she entered his circle of affliction, her flesh shrivelled immediately. The veins in her body swelled all over; sinewy and erratic as if each of them tried pointlessly to resist a horrible nightmare. She broke her stride, her posture, and would soon begin to choke on the shock and loss of her natural equilibrium. Exodus watched unnervingly, still bathing in the immersion of his old power. There was so much he had to teach his brethren. There was so much weakness in this Order that he would erase. He could feel her, he could feel her need for more and the excitement that stirred in her even as she was seconds from unconsciousness. Her throat was stifled and her constricted lungs begged for just a second of oxygen. The refreshments teetered in her palm, and then crashed loud into the floor, exploding with shards of glass that sprawled all around them. The clear liquids pooled around his boot and he took the moment to stare at the water, except he could not see that it was water, he saw blood. Exodus blinked slowly and the blood was no more, just water. He reached out towards this Nayal’ee and caught her before her fall.

 

“...I understand Twi’lek.”

 

The sound of his voice took control of the adrenaline in all who stood within the room. It was smooth and now abnormally laced with a deeper pitch. Still, not as deep as the Giant who stood next time him and now rested his hand on Exodus’ shoulder to remind him of restraint. The skin of the platinum-haired sentient flushed back to normal and her veins eased. Exodus released his hold on her so she could balance herself once more, if he didn’t reach out to hold her, she would have toppled over dangerously. The unstable drain of force was under his control once more, but he felt a moment where it had a chance to evolve into more than just that, perhaps a drain of life if he pushed it. Exodus met eyes with this Nayal’ee, motioned for the spilled refreshments, and then smiled graciously. “Appreciated nonetheless, Nayal’ee.”

 

“Your mind is made then Ab’Ki. We all do what we must, and this I understand. However-” He paused and his stare fixated on hers. “The time of the Sith has come, and when I call. You will answer.” The Giant shifted beside him and released an excited snarl that seemed to emphasize what Exodus had said. The massive hammers that dangled from each of his shoulder plates spoke to his true size. “-My tolerance for the many Sith over my lifetime has worn extremely thin. Gone are the days of empty focus. We will move with insufferable tact and I will bleed out those who do not. Mark my words Ab’Ki, it has already begun."

 

The Sith Warrior reached into his robe with his off-hand and revealed a small device in the palm of his hand, a device that isn’t small at all, but just within those massive hands it appeared in contrast as if it were a small coin. As serious as Exodus was, he almost laughed at how foolish the Warrior looked holding that thing. A second later a holographic representation of an unknown world beamed to life, it rotated to show almost no detail at all except that it looked as if half the planet was incomplete. The hologram then blinked, shined completely over and then became whole, “...Arachnakrrrrrr.”

 

• “I make my move now to amass the few that remain. Do we have an understanding?"

[Fieyr]

"We do have an understanding my Lord." Ab'ki nodded for the girl to clean up the mess, curious indeed at the affect whatever Exodus's affliction was that merely being in the presence could nearly kill a person. It had been well worth the risk to send in her apprentice. "I wish you the best on your journey."

[Exodus]

The eruption of his ability to drain the force was one unearthed before his slumber, he could feel the darkside unravel between his flesh and the dangers that came with not being able to control them. It had been only been a short deal of time since his awakening, which left him no time to attain the focus he once had. His presence here only left questions to be answered, and no certainties to carry with him. Exodus reviewed his company once more, and then closed his eyes before turning towards the exit with the behemoth that always seemed to lurk by his side. It was not long before the chosen few he had landed with continued a slight reconnaissance and left this world behind.

[darth shadowlord]

Within the Citadel, the Black Guard conducted the final sweeps of the castle using DNA scanners and micro droids while others began to search the bodies of the dead cultists. Each time they found a datastick. More then a few were damaged or destroyed by blaster or solid shot, however there were a few that survived and these were brought to General Arcan. Along with several It personnel they scanned the information on the stick and decided that there was only one course of action to be carried out. The datasticks were placed in a sealed package,which was locked with no less then three countermeasures protecting the package so that it could only be opened by Arcan and the Count. This package was given to a veteran captain of the Black Guard who immediately boarded a star fighter marked with the Royal crest of Serenno and left to find his Lord.

[Raynuk Montar]

The Citadel on Serenno had grown quiet following the activation of its Black Guard and subsequent slaughter of the relatively unarmed Cultists that had infiltrated the building, culminating in their last stand by the secret waterfall entrance. In time, the Citadel’s security would return to the levels it was at beforehand. Guards would return to their stations, blasters would be stowed back in lockers, and patrol patterns would fall back into set routes.

 

Six cultists had died within the citadel, with the final seventh cultist falling over the cliff of the waterfall after being shredded, no doubt slamming into the rocks below with terminal velocity. But unknown to everyone involved, that was not the ending of the cultist activities on Serenno.

 

Twenty hours ago, the leader of this cultist cell, a man known as Tezcha, had managed to hack locally into a communications and data terminal hidden within Shadowlord’s private quarters. Within it Tezcha had set in motion a timer that would execute the program known as Bastion within the system, hidden and undetectable until it executed.

 

A timer that had just elapsed.

 

The console clicked to life, and began running the string of code that had been programed, and all at once, a massive transmission was sent out from the Citadel, blasting into space and beyond. The transmission had been encoded and compressed, taking no more than thirty seconds to transmit the entire digital library of knowledge, scanned and compressed during those twenty hours, held within the Citadel to parts unknown in the galaxy. before essentially destroying the console by frying several components held within with voltage spikes, hiding the traces of code left within.

If the Black Guard were quick enough to be able to determine where the data was sent, and managed to follow the trail of relays, they would find it had ended at a place all too familiar to Shadowlord.

 

Ziost.

[Terra]

The Ironborn’s Fury exited from hyperspace above the lush word of Serreno, coming out over the northern pole of the planet, between the gravity well of the planet’s two moons. They were close enough to see the steely ridges of the Sebertan Mountain Range jutting from the dark clouds, the black obsidian covered in a dusting of white snow. Entering a structured command to her AI, Terra placed the freighter into a steep descent through the blanket of clouds, the ship shaking with turbulence, the viewscreen’s edges alight with orange flame from contact with the atmosphere. A chime set in over the blaring of near-impact sirens, indicating a comlink hail

 

“Unidentified ship, bearing 10-8-7, this is traffic interdiction from warcamp Shadow, identify yourself”

 

The girl snorted derisively, toggling the comlink while twisting the control yoke, sending the freighter into a rivet-squealing turn, banking to avoid an arête that loomed through the parting clouds

 

“You Sith need to be more original with your staging camps. Next you’ll tell me Darth Furion has disappeared from the galaxy again for the ten-kriffing-thousandth time like some dung-eating hut'uun chakaar… I’m Blackwraith Greyjoy, hired by... “

The girl paused trying to remember the pronunciation

 

“Ab-key…”

 

The line was silent a moment, before the voice was interrupted by a gruffer and masculine voice

 

“Aye mate, freckin Greyjoy eh? Glad yah made it... Terra Markov..."

The young assassin was taken aback for a moment, before yelling excitedly into the comlink, splattering the control panel with flecks of crimson

 

“Harjav Fieldgrey, you hapless demagolka, where is Hadrian?”

 

A laugh filtered through the comlink, echoed by the young assassin, filling the cabin with spine-chilling mirth.

 

“Tell yah in the castle’ freckin Echani welp”

 

The Ironborn’s Fury settled into a small clearing, set into the mountainside beside a castle of weathered granite stone. The group emerged, led by the armored Terra, her buy’ce under one arm, a smile alighting her scarred face.

[Fieyr]

The trio was met by another woman, with short-shorn ebony hair also in Mandalorian armor of tan and gray. "Naya'lee, Ab'ki wants to see you and Fieyr. The Echani is with me." The woman's voice had a gravelly undertone to it, as though she'd spent too much of her time barking orders at one point or another in her life.

 

The tall, reed-thin woman stalked off in the direction of the camp proper casting side glances to the young woman matching stride at her side. Caelix didn't offer her name, nor did she care about the other woman's. To her, she was in this purely for the credits and was already so deep she'd never be accepted back with her people and that was fine enough by her. The uncle she'd been helping was no longer living and with no ties to the sector, it was as good a time to get out as any. Better even considering she knew the hell that was about to be unleashed across her previous jurisdictions.

 

A small cadre of Mandalorians sat relaxing on some crates, some engaged in a game of crokin, others chatting idly. Most bore Deathwatch marks openly on their armor.

[Terra]

The young assassin walked side by side with the new woman, taking careful note of her armour patterns and the age that was beginning to age her face. It seemed like the years never touched some of the more important individuals in the Galaxy, but this woman was an exception. She carried herself with a strong but tired poise, as if the years of mercenary work had jaded her to the core. Terra spoke, her voice purringly soft, stained only by the indiscernible sound of frothing blood upon her lips

 

“When do we strike… I long to taste the flesh of those that stain Manda’yaim with their filth… Fetts, Ordos, Ad’whatevers…”

[Hadrian Augustus]

A Comm message arrive for the hunter Terra.

 

 

I bid you hello Terra, it has been a long time. I would give you a word of warning should you heed it. Manda’yaim is no longer ours to take. We must embrace what we are.

 

We are dar'manda. Even if we were to slay Fett, the people would not embrace us. They are weak farmers, not worthy of your notice. Do not waste your life needlessly in pursuit of lofty ambitions. Though if you need assistance in this mission I will not hesitate to give it.

 

[Fieyr]

Caelix smiled cruelly at the young girl. "Such bloodlust in one so young. Tell me why you want Fett so badly."

[Terra]

A deep, hoarse laugh bubbled up through the web of salivating blood in the girl’s throat. She passed a hand across her armored chest, indicating the dark stains of carbon scoring and dried blood. With steely eyes the assassin measured Caelix from head to boot, a drop of blood dribbling down her chin. It was a sickly mahogany, contrasting the crimson tattoos that passed across her pale skin. The drip was joined by another as the girl smiled, her teeth stained the dark scarlet found so often upon the fields of war

 

“Fett…”

 

Her tone betrayed the poison of the word

“Under his leadership WE have lost the honor passed among the generations since The Great Shadow Father… We have become nothing more than the decaying pawns of the Jeedai… Worth nothing more to the galaxy then a half-written romance.”

 

Terra spat a mouthful of frothing blood onto the winding cobblestones before them. Her hatred was emphasized, and the stones began to steam white from the dark corruption

“We have lost what we are… As for me I ride upon the second horse, to take as our forefathers did, the peace from this galaxy that slaughter may befall the weak…”

[Fieyr]

A noncommittal bark of a laugh issued from Caelix's throat as she shook her head, "Whatever gets the job done kid. Just make sure that you leave Ad'Goran alive and as unharmed as possible. Ab'ki is not a pay master you want to cross." With that, the former Journeyman Protector weapons and munitions expert left the Echani to her reunions and her own preparations.

----

Two weeks passed slowly for the massing army, all growing more and more restless as the eve of departure approached. All had their various reasons for taking part in Ab'ki's blood-letting of the Mandalorian sector, be it coin, loyalty, retribution, or just a good old-fashioned bloodlust. Finally, it was time for The Dark Lady to address them with their orders to move out from Serenno to ensure the path for her true intentions was clear.

 

Mirdala Ad'Goran was not her only target in the sector.

[Terra]

“Kriffin’ Echani, getting your nimble ‘ands all up in our kriffin-”

 

The gruff voice turned as cold as bittersteel. An armored hand cuffed her thin shoulder

 

“Feck, you look like a Bantha ate you and shite you out.”

The young assassin rolled her head back, exposing her sharpened teeth in a maniacal grin. She stared into the grizzled face of a mercenary, a beard of salt and pepper disguising scars. A wisp of acrid smoke hung lazily about him from a smoldering deathstick that hung lazily from the corner of a pale lip. Terra grasped his forearm with her own

 

“I didn’t know you worked for the Sith, Harjav… I’ve grown up a bit since I walked with your family and Piccolo.”

 

The man studied her complexion with embittered emerald eyes, which widened as he took in her tattooed and bloodied appearence.

 

“Looks like you went an’ joined a kriffin’ death cult. You became a Greyjoy?”

 

Terra nodded slowly, and they walked to a set of dining tables where a makeshift bar had been set up. She poured them both a dirty glass of whisky, admiring the fragrance of spice as the mercenary took another drag from his deathstick. She threw back her head and let the whisky sear her throat with its caress. She smiled as the liquid burned its way to her core

 

“I became a Kyr’stad shortly after I left you on Ord Mantell. How is your family? I remember the girls… One of them sang so well even with her stutter...”

The man’s face became hardened with their mention. His knuckles whitened on the glass, highlighting the stains of grease and grime upon pale skin

 

“They are dead. I don’t know how..."

 

For a moment his voice broke, and his shoulders sank. He seemed to shrink before her eyes

 

"Or why.”

 

The glass shattered into fragments in his grip, causing him to jump with a shout of pain

 

“I’m sorry Harjav... “

[Fieyr]

"Hey! Echani! Fieldgrey!" a gruff female voice barked from the doorway, causing the two (along with most of the others in the thrown together establishment) to turn toward the source. It was the same dark-haired sour-faced woman that had escorted Terra to the group.

 

"Orders," she quipped and strode over to them, stopping only to grab the medkit from the wall and thrust it at Terra for Harjav's injury. "You two and your crew have been chosen among the lucky few to be among the Vanguard. Remember, Ad'Goran is to be brought in alive and in as good a shape as possible...Fett...it's more...optional. Current intel puts them in Keldabe, which is the scout group you're assigned to. Start prepping since the assault date just got pushed because Viba underestimated Fett and paid the price. We're moving out in two weeks instead of in four."

 

Her message delivered she spun and wandered of presumably to bark at someone else.

[Terra]

The young assassin turned from her companion to take the orders in an armored hand, while the female relayed the message to her. Terra nodded briskly in acknowledgement, before turning back to her prepwork for the battle to come. She had laid out her squad of murderers to join her in the scouting party, and the rest she would send to Dxun. All were dressed in beskar’gam of obsidian staining, with matching buy’ce and crimson visors, perfect for a stealth operation on any of the Mandalorian worlds.

 

“Harjav, you will be my second…”

 

The grizzled mercenary smiled, placing his repainted buy’ce under his arm before setting up with equipment. He would carry a slugthrowing assault rifle, armour piercing rounds. The gentle curl of spiced smoke followed him as he walked, like an ever-twisting serpant.

 

“Longkra, overwatch. Stick with your sister, Arna.”

 

The twin female humans nodded in unison, brushing their waist-length jet-black braids to wind down their lithe backs. Longkra hefted the the slugthrowing anti-material rifle onto her back, while her sister loaded up their disrupters. The two worked in unison, mute but through a shared AI that was connected to their neural interfaces. They had joined the Greyjoys after having their tongues removed by a drunken Mandalorian Protector who had grown tired of their voices.

 

“Aoarn and Bas’ar, you will lay traps around us as we move. I want this battle to wear down the enemy’s moral while they listen to the screams of their crippled and dying…”

 

The two men laughed, lovers since their youth, they had grown to enjoy the screams of their victims across the nightclubs of the galaxy. Both were bearded, which framed their hardened faces to give them the look of madness.

 

“Shen, you old bastard, I want you armed to the shebs to take down any of their heavy weapons. We will sabotage what we can before the main attack.”

 

The old Corellian acknowledged with a wave of his palm, before throwing his dark cape about his armoured form. He was a veteran of many battles, employed most often as a sapper. Shen’s cowl concealed his heavy blaster cannon with grenade mount, and multitude of grenades. He enjoyed the varieties he carried, ranging from the plasma, thermal, and the glop. Thermite-core rounds could be used to punch through heavy armoured plating.

 

Terra wiped a trail of scarlet from the corner of her mouth as it twisted into a cruel smile. She motioned to them all to follow her to their landing craft, and walked a few steps ahead on the mossy cobblestones. As she walked she spoke, her voice amplified by excitement, and warped with the evil of savagery.

 

“Soon we shall exact a revenge in blood from the Fetts and their allies. Stand firm with me and we shall revel in their blood...”

[darth shadowlord]

The Grand Duke landed at the Palace, and was met with an escort of Black Guard with General Arcan and Commander Martog waiting at the entrance for them. Both of them bowed at the hip as soon as Draken and Alora reached them.

 

"Milord, Lady Alora welcome back. Here is all of the information that we gleaned from the cultist attack on the palace." Martog passed over an encrypted datapad then arched an eyebrow as he saw the enormous panther stalking silently behind Draken. "Milord? There is a large Panther following you....'

 

Draken chuckled then reached down and rested his hand on the panthers head. "I had noticed, Commander. He seems to like being around me and I find him quite useful. Inform the guard if they harm him, I will flay them alive. Now gentleman join me in the war room, we have some planning to do." He glanced over at Alora and winked, his expression showing all she needed to know. He would let her decide if she chose to. He knew she could always provide valuable insight.

[Alora]

Alora inclined her head politely in response to the greeting and grinned when the Commander commented on the large panther that stopped at Draken's side. The little cub scampered up to her, rubbing against her legs before trying to climb up. The Sith Mistress leaned down and scooped up the cub who snuggled against her and started to purr. As Draken mentioned for them to adjourn to the war room and winked at her she smiled back at him, her eyes sparkling bright with interest. She would accompany him. As they made their way into the Palace Alora signalled to one of the staff members, instructing her to bring a bowl of milk to the war room for the cub.

 

On the trip back to Serenno, Alora had spent time studying the Journal she'd found and researching the languages she'd need to understand it. She also researched some of the symbols but couldn't find out what they meant. For most of the journey the cub had been her constant companion... the only time the young feline wasn't with her was when she was sleeping, curled up on Alora's side of their bed. Another thing she did was look on the holonet for the latest news. There had been an attack on the Corellian Corsec HQ that pointed at Faust being behind it. This she felt may be true, given that Faust had told Raynuk to look on Corellia. There had also been mention of an attack against the Mandalorian's. There wasn't much information available about that.

 

Entering the war room, Alora took a seat at the conference table, the panther cub curling up on her lap, though hissing at anyone who got too close to her.

[darth shadowlord]

Draken nodded as the general and commander each briefed him on what happened in various parts of the galaxy. His eyes scanning each point and noting every minor detail. Finally he stood up. "Very good gentlemen, I need additional information on each of this attacks. As well I will need a defense team prepped for an off world posting. Exact length of the trip is unknown at this time, accompanying them will be a lumber crew and mining recon team." He stroked his beard for a moment then beckoned one of his aides over then sent him to retrieve something for him. Turning he faced the screen behind him as he contemplated what had happened on the planet.

 

After the aide returned and set the crest on the table Draken turned around and looked at Commander Martog. "I have a task for one of your best squads, they are to go off world and search for the eldest daughter of the former Golden Link owner Zara Nargal. You are to deliver this message to her along with this crest. Inform her that the Count has placed a temporary garrison to hold the compound until her family decides what they wish to do with it. Dismissed Gentlemen." Two hours later, an armored shuttle left for another world. The following day several shuttles and freighters left the planet bound for Dathomir.

[Alora]

As they went through the details of the attacks, Alora remained quiet, taking all the information in. Her hand stroked the soft black fur of the cub, loving the feel of the felines coat. The cub had taken to following her everywhere so Alora decided to call her Shadow. Once the briefing was over, the two Sith made their way to the dining hall. Their meals were delivered promptly, along with plates of meat for the panthers. The chef’s had prepared each of their favourite dishes and it didn’t take long for the plates to be emptied, the two retiring soon after. While they were getting ready for bed, Alora and Draken discussed what they were going to do for their wedding, working out a date to have it, along with the guest list and who they wanted for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. They also decided where they were going to have the ceremony. It had been a few very long and stressful days so both were asleep soon after their heads hit the pillows.

 

Alora woke to the sound of two purring felines. Shadow was curled up at her back and the fully grown panther had made himself comfortable, stretched out across their feet. Seeing that Draken was still asleep, Alora kissed him lightly on his lips then slipped out of bed carefully so as not to wake him up. She quickly dressed, smiling as Shadow had curled up again near her pillow. Silently she left the room, heading to the kitchens to speak with the chef. She wanted to lock in a menu for the wedding and get a few other details worked out with the Palace staff. Once that was done, she organised to have a breakfast tray brought up to their quarters and headed back there.

 

Surprisingly Draken was still asleep when she got back. A gentle smile crossed her features as she looked at him. He needed this rest, though as their breakfast would be brought in soon she figured she would wake him up. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she snatched up some string with a piece of paper tied to one end. Alora dangled it lightly across the cubs nose to get her attention before she used the Force to drag it over Draken’s back. It was all she could do to keep her laughter in check as the cub prepared to pounce on the paper which Alora kept over his back. With a quick motion, the cub launched herself at the paper, landing on Draken’s back before she sprang at the paper once more...

[darth shadowlord]

Kraķis raised his head, his golden eyes focusing on the cub as it pounced on Draken's back in an attempt to get to the paper. He watched for a moment before his tail twitched and he reached out and cuffed the cub off of Draken's back then pounced on the paper himself with a low growl.

 

"Ooof, ok I'm awake." Draken turned his head to look at Alora who was silently laughing as the cub curled around her legs. "I assume this was your idea? Two can play at that game. " He chuckled and looked at Krakis then at the rope laying on the floor. He reached out with the force and twitched the end of the rope so that the cub ran through Alora's legs and tripped her. As she fell, Krakis leapt off the bed after the rope as well and used her back as the mid point of the jump. Draken was laughing as he reached out with the force and caught her before she hit the ground.

 

"Turnabout is fair play I think my love." He smiled and pulled her in for a kiss as one of the servants came in with four plates. Three of them were loaded down with meat cuts both bloody and cooked, the fourth had a light fluffy breakfast on it. He looked at the panther who was now stalking the servant as the cub began to imitate Krakis and stalk the servant as well and chuckled. "It would seem that they know who is bringing their food although I think we may need to stop them before they actually attack him as he is quite useful."

 

He looked at the panther who had edged closer to the servant unnoticed. He spoke only one word, but the word was enough to catch the panthers attention and it moved back to his side to the immense relief of the servant. Draken turned to Alora to see that the cub had again imitated Krakis and was laying by her feet. He arched his eyebrow and nodded at the cub as she dove into the plate of meat in front of her. "So where did we leave off last night?"

[Alora]

Alora couldn’t hold her mirth in any longer especially when Krakis leapt onto Draken after the paper too. "Ooof, ok I'm awake. I assume this was your idea? Two can play at that game." Her laughter abruptly cut off as Shadow tripped her, Alora letting out a surprised yelp as Krakis sprung off her back before Draken caught her with the Force. "Turnabout is fair play I think my love." She couldn’t help laughing with him this time as he brought her close for a kiss. The hilarity continued as Krakis and Shadow stalked the servant carrying the plates. "It would seem that they know who is bringing their food although I think we may need to stop them before they actually attack him as he is quite useful." “Yes indeed they do,” Alora added as she wiped the tears from her eyes. It had been quite some time since she had laughed that hard.

 

“Mmm that looks good,” she added as she spotted the pancakes on the light plate. Alora’s eyes sparkled as she watched both panthers obey Draken’s command. “She’s a quick learner” she added as she stroked Shadow’s back. Ducking into the ensuite, she washed her hands before heading back to sit at the table, helping herself to the pancakes. The panthers seemed to be enjoying their meat though she had to smile at the cub when she growled protectively over her plate. They ate in silence for a while before Draken spoke, "So where did we leave off last night?" “Well… I’ve spoken to the chef and organised the menu. We’ll have to work on the guest list and send out comm’s. We could also check the location for the ceremony and get the staff to prepare the area.” Giving it some more thought, an idea came to her of what she would give Draken as a wedding present. As soon as the chance arose, she would work on it.

[darth shadowlord]

"Why not at the waterfall? It has an amazing view and does bring back a few more then pleasant memories." He smiled as he recalled a few of the past times they had gone to the waterfall. He looked down at the list she was holding as he ripped a chunk of meat off of the bone then considered something that had come to his mind. "Lets keep things small, a few friends for the wedding party and guests as well as a few representatives from the citizenry of Serenno and Vernza Torrah." Looking down, he discovered that Krakis had stolen the bone from his hand and was devouring it with an almost pleased look on his face.

 

Draken chuckled and set his plate down for Krakis then leaned over and kissed her. "I will see you later on, I am going to go translate more of this journal." He got up and reached out to his staff which flew into his hand from against the wall. Almost immediately Krakis stood up and padded silently over to him then followed him out of the room. He walked to the library and sealed it behind him so that only three other people could access the library after him. He set the journal on the table then fetched several ancient scrolls from a climate controlled container and unrolled them in a second similar container.

 

He took a moment to find the last section that he managed to translate and double checked it against both scrolls that he had before him. His translation so far was correct and was following the path of a second prophecy. Over the day he worked, taking short breaks every now and again to let out the panther and to have a quick bite to eat. By that evening he had several more pages translated and had found several more trails of information for him to track down.

[Tenebris]

A comm arrives for Draken Shadowlord of Serenno and separately, for Alora Darknell, both earmarked urgent.

 

 

"This is an emergency message. This is Captain Ulys Kelvin of CoreSec. We would like to gather some information about a known associate of yours, Emily Zsahra-Skywalker. We believe she may have been abducted. Please respond as soon as possible."

 

[Alora]

“It certainly does. The waterfall will be perfect.” Her eyes sparkled at the thought. “I’ve had no luck trying to find out where Darla is and since Sirvani is not with us any longer I figured I would ask Emily to be my Maid of Honour. Raia would make a good flower girl too.” They discussed a few other things before Draken mentioned he was going to translate more of the journal. Alora grinned as Krakis followed Draken out of the room. Shadow had finished her meat and was sitting back cleaning her paws when Alora stood. Immediately the cub was on her feet, padding after her Sith Mistress as she made her way down to the garage, via the kitchen to get a container of meat to take along, plus a water bottle and energy bar for later. When she chose a speeder, Shadow scrambled in when she opened the door.

 

It didn’t take long to get to her destination, Alora carrying her supplies with her as she stretched out her senses to make sure that the area was safe. There were no signs of any threat as she made her way into her chosen cave. This cave she had been to before when she’d had to make her crystals. It had a stream of lava in the back and this is where she headed. Shadow followed her in, watching as she stripped off her outer layers and when Alora sat cross legged near the volcanic stream she curled up at her back and began to purr. She gave her a pat, grinning because Shadow was using her body to block the heat coming from the lava. Taking her pocket knife out of a utility pouch, Alora cut her hand so that blood trickled out. Putting the knife away, she fell into a meditative trance, using the Force to catch the blood as she worked with the sand and heat to create a set of crystals.

 

Throughout the time it took to create these crystals, Alora was aware of what the cub was doing. For the most part Shadow remained curled up at her back, though she did go exploring around the cave, making sure to keep a good distance from the lava. When the Sith Mistress came out of her trance Shadow seemed to know, immediately placing a paw on her leg and voicing her hunger. It had been several hours since she started. Alora wiped the perspiration from her face and looked down at her creations. The three crimson crystals gleamed back at her, two the same size and the third slightly larger. All three were the same shape and perfectly matched, resonating with each other. Taking a cloth out of a pouch, Alora wrapped them up, placing them back into the pouch before she reached for the water, energy bar and opened the meat container for Shadow. After their snack, the two headed back outside to the speeder. The breeze was welcome after the heat of the cave. She stopped at the waterfalls for a quick dip and to wash out her clothing, letting the perspiration wash away as she stood underneath the falls. She sat on a flat rock, letting the sun dry her and her clothing off before she redressed. During this time she watched as Shadow played at the edge of the water. She couldn’t help laughing at the indignant yowl when the cub fell in. Surprisingly, Shadow played in the water for a time before getting out and curling up next to her once more. It was early evening when the two climbed back into the speeder and headed back to the Palace. As she parked the speeder, her comm. chirped signaling a message.

 

"This is an emergency message. This is Captain Ulys Kelvin of CoreSec. We would like to gather some information about a known associate of yours, Emily Zsahra-Skywalker. We believe she may have been abducted. Please respond as soon as possible."

 

“No!” The word ripped out of her as she scooped up Shadow and used the Force to race through the palace almost unseen as she hurried to where she felt Draken to be. As she ran her thoughts were on her adopted niece and who could have taken her. Having been abducted by the cult herself, that is who she automatically thought of to blame. She slowed her motion before pushing open the door, her eyes full of dread and anger as she put Shadow on the floor. Not knowing that he had received the same message she stated, “I just got a comm. from Coresec. Emily’s been abducted. I bet it’s them. I bet the cult has got her.”

[darth shadowlord]

“I just got a comm. from Coresec. Emily’s been abducted. I bet it’s them. I bet the cult has got her.”

 

Draken lifted his head up from the scroll as Alora and Shadow came rushing into the library. He arched his eyebrow then looked at his commlink which had pinged earlier, he saw the exact same message. He sighed with a snarl bleeding through enough that Krakis lifted his head from the floor and opened its eyes. It looked around for a moment trying to ascertain what had provoked its companion, but after seeing nothing worth hunting laid its head back down.

 

He gestured towards the scroll and they rolled up slowly. He tucked them back into the climate controlled protective case and secured it once more. “Malachdor! Have the ship fully armed and prepped and summon the Triumvirate.”

 

Within thirty minutes Commander Martog, General Arcan and Commissar Gregor entered the War room and took their respective seats.

 

“Once more gentlemen you are required to take the reins of the planet in my absence. Commissar Gregor, you are to provide lists of all incoming and outgoing ships with manifests to Commander Martog and General Arcan. General Arcan, I want all spaceport security tripped and all ships are to be inspected upon arrival as well as departure. Commander Martog, I want random patrols of the Black Guard supplementing General Arcan’s men as well as a contingent stationed at each of the spaceports.”

 

He pondered a moment then stood up. “I leave the rest in your hands gentlemen. Dismissed.” He left the war room and met Alora as she headed to the ship. “We should comm the Coresec captain once we depart. We need to get as much information as possible before end up pursuing the wrong path. That being said, I intend to destroy any traces of the enemy slowly and painfully.” His hand sparked with small charges of ebony force lightning as he spoke.

 

As they rounded the corner, an older man in a military inspired uniform bowed. “MIlord, Milady. The ship is ready. I have had the hanger staff re-arm all weapons and supply the ship.”

 

Draken nodded. “Thank you, Malachdor.” They boarded the ship and lifted off. Moments later they were in space and soon aftermade the jump to hyperspace.

[Tenebris]

A comm arrives for Alora Darkknell.

 

 

Ms. Darkknell, thank you for your offers of assistance. As far as we can tell, at approximately 1440 hours standard time, Ms. Zsahra-Skywalker's ship was observed floating dead in space, attached to a freighter with a stolen transponder ID. Shortly thereafter, an escape pod jettisoned from the Shadow's Shine and was immediately collected by said freighter, which disregarded regulations concerning hyperspace jumps within a certain radius of Coruscant's atmosphere and jumped immediately to hyperspace. Several fighters which bore markings connecting them to known criminal organization Black Sun destroyed the ship and eliminated all significant traces of wreckage. Can you give us any information as to what Ms. Zsahra-Skywalker was doing on Coruscant, or if she has any known enemies? If you would like to assist with the investigation allow me to refer you to our local provisional offices on Coruscant. If no sufficient trace can be established, the hiring of private investigators may be required. Captain Kelvin out.

 

[darth shadowlord]

The Grand Duke landed in Serenno once more and Krakis bounded happily from the ship with a roar that startled several of the hanger workers much to Draken’s amusement. “Easy Krakis, We will hunt soon.” He looked at Alora and motioned to the cub who was attempting to mimic Krakis’s roar but was more of a yowl then a roar. “I think we should take them to the preserve and give them a chance to hunt while we go visit the peak.”

 

They headed into the palace and he left the panthers with her as he headed into the War room to meet with the Triumvirate. The meeting was short, the planet had been peaceful in their absence with no major occurrences to report. Then he met with the Captain who had met with Zara and found out that he had permssion to use the Compound but at a 50/50 split. He frowned and stroked his beard in consideration.

 

He had hoped for a better deal but he would still be able to make a substantial profit from the timber and would have to see what the geologists said in their report when the time came.