Onderon

[Lusef Aryan]

The Givin set about trying to finish his work, having to brace himself against a sense of intangible force pushing him back. These spirits were weaker than those his master confronted in the Valley of the Sith, but still vicious. He had to summon some of his powers to counter-act what the spirits were doing. The information they had, as well as the relics Faust left behind must not be allowed to fall in the Jedi's hands. He pieced together enough to know what was at stake. HIs Master's was back, but not fully. That much was clear. His return to full power in a revived and fully healed functional body could very well hinge on how things turned out here. He couldn't sense his Master's approach, but a steady beeping in his commlink, done in code, was enough to let him know his Master was on the way.

 

He raised his hand, deflecting a blow with the Force that should have knocked him senseless and continued his grim task of desecrating the tomb. He felt the voices of the dead call out. The Jedi were coming, but would his Master get there first?

 

*****

Within her room, Lorecait had locked her door, then sat upright on her bed, huddled up in a crouch, rocking back and forth, radiating a sharp aura of fear like a beacon for all with the senses to feel, a yellow miasma that threatened to cover her utterly.

 

Darth Luciferian... Faust... alive. He is here. He is coming! He is here... Here on Onderon! Alive... How...? He is coming... coming for me. He will take me again!

 

*****

Alpha drove the pod as fast as he dared, aiming to be as unobtrusive as possible, glancing only once or twice in the back while Lord Faust seemed in engrossed in a holonet broadcast. Something about a quarantine around Coruscant. He heard his lord give a broken, harsh laugh.

 

"Plans within plans, Beta my dear," he explained in a hushed whisper as Beta knelt beside him, studying the same holo image. "Sowing the seeds of chaos through smoke and mirrors." He waved the holocast away with a flick of his wire-laden hand, bringing up another holo-image of a double helix shaped pattern. He studied it intently, transposed by that earlier data report on an Imperial ambassador and the Sith Geki. Alpha didn't dare take his eyes off the road for long, but wondered what that was about.

 

Alpha checked the coordinates. The spaceport was some distance from the palace, further than the University. So far, nothing from Gamma. It was a race now, one of which he didn't understand the consequences. Faust's bait for other Dark Siders and that Cult attracted the wrong prey, but his lord seemed unconcerned. Was it more plans within plans, or an adaption to make the most of this scenario?

 

"Do not fear, my faithful Alpha." Alpha shivered, hearing his lord's rasping voice carry to the front of the pod. "We must hurry, but I do not foresee failure in our future. You have my utmost confidence in delivering us as timely as possible." He turned back, giving his lord a tight nod, his own eyes going wide as he saw Faust's other hand stroking something very softly in his lap. "And if the Jedi do beat us there, they are in for a most... unfortunate... encounter.

 

Sitting atop the white cloak concealing his Lord was a small, white and silvery tube. A blue crystal could be seen glittering on one end. He felt his stomach unsettle, doing backflips, knowing exactly what that weapon was.

 

Alpha then knew he wanted to be at least half a parsec away from whatever would go down in those crypts.

[Tenebris]

Even her words drove a spike of apprehension into Tenebris' heart. Still, the inexplicable sense of urgency was mounting, and he dared not pause. What lay ahead of them was utterly outside of his realm of experience. They needed backup.

 

Backup! Toggling his in-ear comm active, he pinged Mithwyr back on the Raisonneur. "Sir?" came back almost immediately.

 

"Corporal, converge on the Palace. Leave the skeleton crew behind for surveillance and make sure they have a direct uplink to Coruscant. I'm activating my body holocam. Keep a sharp eye," he cautioned. "We don't want to incite a panic, but if you detect the slightest hint of a threat, come in after us. And leave instructions for the team to leave us behind if it looks like we aren't going to make it, but make sure you pick up the girl--Lux--on the University campus."

 

"That serious, sir?" the Corporal's voice came steadily.

 

"It's Faust," Tenebris said simply, darkness swirling behind his eyes, and with a flick of his head, the line went dead.

 

Glancing at Skye, he nodded curtly as the pair began moving toward the palace, but diverting away from the main hall toward the underground crypts. "This is out of my depth, Master Organa. Lead the way."

[Lux]

Putting her right hand to the wall, feeling the cold metal beneath the pads of her fingers, Lux made her way to the door marked 2 H. Her glowing white eyes drifted to the university decorations that adorned the walls and spotted a hanging monitor that was playing some sort of infomercial involving a Gammorean and some kind of anti-fungal cream.

 

The image made bile run straight to the roof of her mouth and triggered a spasm in her gag reflex. She had to physically prevent what came next which burned the inside of her mouth with disgusting severity. Reflexively, Lux quickened her pace down the hall, trying to forget what she saw and 'felt' when she came to the right place.

 

It was an odd feeling; something that she couldn't adequately describe. But, just in case, Lux turned to see the letter 'H' and the number '2' painted in bright white on the door frame.

 

Weird...

 

Her turbulent mind struggled to work through her newfound senses, but all she could see was darkness beyond the door.

 

Curiosity and conern pushed her knuckles to the door. And, before anyone could stop her or ask her what she was doing, Lux knocked loudly on the door and called. Although, she doubted anyone would hear her through the metal.

 

"Hello?... Lorecait? You there?"

[Lusef Aryan]

He's alive... and he's here on Onderon. My soul will no longer be my own. I can't... I don't dare... I can't betray him! He'll... He'd...

 

Lorecait's frantic meditation on helplessness broke, a gasp causing her to slam her back against the wall. A loud banging sound brought her out of her trance, her body going numb before she realized it was a knock at the door. She stared, jaw slack, eyes wide, looking as if the door was going to leap out at her. She regained her composure and quickly made a dive for her desk. She pulled out an item she never thought she'd need to use again, not since that Mandalorian attack on Iziz all those years ago. A simple, sleek sporting blaster. Not meant for heavy duty combat, it was a gentleman's or lady's defense accessory, but deadly all the same.

 

She aimed it at the door. Did she dare shoot if it was Faust? She'd die, but maybe, just maybe she could take the monster down with her. She froze. If it was him, would he have knocked? She then heard an unfamiliar voice call out. She lowered her blaster. Was it one of Faust's servants?

 

"Who?" she asked. "Who's there?" It wasn't the Jedi. Was it her companion?

 

Oh, and my dear, dear Acolyte, do be a good girl and keep this conversation to ourselves? Mmmmm? Loose lips have a tendency to... slough off their faces.

 

She felt like she swallowed a neutron star, feeling it settle into her stomach. She could imagine the fire, or would it be force lightning that Faust used on her if she went against him? She toyed with the blaster, keeping it trained on the door most of the time, though twice she briefly pointed it at her own head. Her hands shook as she aimed it back at the door.

 

"What, what do you want from me?" she asked again, her voice trembling, unable to hide the fear taking her. The blaster wavered up and down, sometimes right at the locked door, other times lowering to the ground as if she wanted to drop it and hoped against hope that there was a way out of this nightmare.

[Skye Organa]

As Tenebris called for backup and activated his holocam the Jedi Master gave a sharp nod, the two making their way towards the crypts. Before they entered, Skye paused and removed the outer robes they had been using to disguise themselves. They wouldn’t need that cover any longer and it would just be in the way when haste might be needed for defense.

 

The door to the crypt was left ajar as if something had prevented it from closing fully. Skye lifted her hand though paused before her palm touched the door, her senses examining it for any hidden traps. She stepped back a couple of paces as she extended her inner sight around the door. Voices assailed her, telling her that they had prevented the door from sealing behind the Givin so that she would know he had indeed passed through this entry. That he was up ahead. “He came this way. The Spirits prevented the door from closing because they felt my approach. The Givin is in a particular crypt and he has been desecrating it. The spirits are not happy with what he is doing. Some are of darkside origin though they are willing to side with us. There are traps ahead so we must be wary. I can feel the darkside chill and I’m sure you will feel it as well.” Her voice was almost trance-like as she spoke to Tenebris. Gathering the Force to her, Skye created a Force bubble around them both, surrounding and cleansing the Commissioner with lightside energies. With a gesture the Healer pushed the crypt door open. “Are you ready.”

[Lusef Aryan]

The rogue trooper code named Luciferian Gamma spied the Jedi as she left, accompanied by someone else. Despite the disguise, Lorecait's previous description, communicated back vis-a-vie Lord Faust enabled him to spot her. He trailed after them silently, almost losing them around the statue of Queen Talia. He delayed on reporting, choosing to maintain a measure of radio silence just in case, also knowing enough to keep his distance too, the bubble-like void in the force his pet created being a clue to the Jedi that something was amiss.

 

He saw them disappear into the palace, and wisely knew not to follow them. He sent a quick comm back to his Lord, letting him know the status. A simple, dismissive, "Ahh. Well done. Head back to the ship at once and hurry. Alpha and Beta may need an extraction," was the only response. Gamma knew what it meant, and that his role in this upcoming confrontation was over.

 

*****

 

In the pod-shuttle, Beta saw Faust steeple his hands together, his hooded and masked head bowed in contemplation. "The Jedi have beat us there. Geister was too... obvious... in his trail. A pity. He will be on his own, at least for the initial round." He broke into a fit of coughing as his head rose up sharply, the blue glow behind the eyeholes on his mask intensifying. "I may need you both for clean up, but keep yourselves hidden and out of combat. As on Dathomir, flee if there is opposition and I am... defeated." That must have drawn a surprised look from Beta, as her lord raised a simple wire-laden hand, silencing the protest that died on her lips. "I can... and will... deal with them if Geister has not. Even so, preparation is key." She saw his hands caress his lightsaber once more, holding it up in a shaking, almost palsying right hand. She frowned, worry crossing her face.

 

At that something on her face caught Faust's eyes. That blue glow became brighter still, forcing her to look away. "And Beta," he said, his tone hard, cracking like a whip with no wracked breaths or rasping, "do not even dare think of giving me the weakness of your pity." Beta nodded, then looked away, catching sight of Alpha's eyes in the pod's review mirror. Alpha just shook his head slowly, the pale look on his face showing his obvious fear at what could go down shortly.

 

*****

 

Geister waited for the Jedi and her companion as they entered the crypt. Alerted by his Master, he withdrew from his task to greet them, knowing that he'd fare better away from the savage spirits he was forcefully exercising. Only a few remained, but it was one distraction he didn't want.

 

"Heya." he called in greeting to the two, standing there in his blue coat, hands behind his back, concealing his blaster, his skeletal face staring back at them. He chose a more casual, deliberately folksy tone, trying to catch them off guard. "You've been busy, huh? So, i've got a question for ya. Do you think even the most naïve person can change? That everybody can be a smart person, if they just try?" He swayed slightly, eyeing the two. He finally gave a mirthless chuckle, seeing at once they wouldn't back down. "All right. Well here's a better question. Do you wanna have a bad time? 'Cause if you take another step forward you are REALLY not going to like what happens next."

[Tenebris]

"I don't take well to threats," Tenebris let his voice echo down the hallway, but he detected enough of a hint in the alien's voice that his feet remained firmly planted, unwilling to hastily spring another trap. LIke Skye, he had shed the unnecessary excess of his disguise outside the crypt tunnels, now clad in his form-fitting light armor, holding the blaster rifle the Jedi had returned to him. Training it without subtlety on Faust's Acolyte, he glanced around briefly. A strength in the air called out to him, the last vestiges of the toxin that had activated a sense beyond himself that had proved so overwhelming. "Funny enough, my friend here tells me you're in trouble with some spirits or something. Personally, I don't get that sithspit, but I've seen enough of it over the last forty-eight hours to take her word for it."

 

In truth, he was fed up with this whole chase, mentally taxed by the strain since the unexpected bombing on Corellia during what should have been a routine investigation. Between mystical diseases, relics and objects affecting the effectiveness of his team, the return of the single greatest threat the galaxy had ever known, and his near-murder of his newest teammate, the newly-minted Commissioner did not feel up to whatever games and idle threats the skeletal Givin had in store for them. It did not escape his attention that whoever had offered the clue about Vaklu likely knew that they would end up here. Faust or no, they did not have home field advantage, and Tenebris' grim trepidation was proportionate to such a circumstance.

 

Satisfied that there were no accomplices lurking in the shadows of the crypts, Tenebris zeroed his icy gaze on the Givin. "Besides, I've already had a bad time today, no thanks to you. Put your hands in the air. You have approximately ten seconds to give me an answer I like before I paint the walls with your brains. Who are you? Why are you here? Why were you in Van Isel's office?"

 

While his blaster was, in fact, set to stun, he would not abide a lack of cooperation from the object of their chase.

[Skye Organa]

"Heya. You've been busy, huh? So, I’ve got a question for ya. Do you think even the most naïve person can change? That everybody can be a smart person, if they just try? All right. Well here's a better question. Do you wanna have a bad time? 'Cause if you take another step forward you are REALLY not going to like what happens next."

 

As their quarry came into view and greeted them Skye exchanged a look with Tenebris before turning her attention back to him. She wasn’t prepared to risk setting off another trap either. Plus the fact that she didn’t want to get caught in the middle of something either. She took another pace backwards at his warning.

 

"I don't take well to threats. Funny enough, my friend here tells me you're in trouble with some spirits or something. Personally, I don't get that sithspit, but I've seen enough of it over the last forty-eight hours to take her word for it."

 

Wanting to communicate with Tenebris without being overheard by the Givin, the Jedi Master activated her comm. implant giving the mental command for the Commissioner’s encrypted comm. frequency, “I don’t want to tempt fate by going further in and getting trapped. At the same time we need to get him outside. Get a set of stun cuffs ready. If what I’m going to try works you won’t have much time to act…” Outwardly she gave no indication that she was communicating with her companion, she just observed the skeletal figure in front of them. The Givin would already know that she was accessing the Force – afterall she had created the Force bubble around herself and the Commissioner and she was searching for anything that might trigger a trap.

 

"Besides, I've already had a bad time today, no thanks to you. Put your hands in the air. You have approximately ten seconds to give me an answer I like before I paint the walls with your brains. Who are you? Why are you here? Why were you in Van Isel's office?"

 

Skye waited until Tenebris started speaking again before she acted. With a shaft of lightside energy and ‘seeing’ the spirits racing towards the Givin from behind him she grabbed hold of him and pulled him forward. She couldn’t be certain how strong he was in the Force so wasn’t sure if he could fight against her ‘grip’, all she was certain of was wanting to catch him by surprise with her actions.

 

-- Capture shot of Geister --

[Wookiee Jedi]

A Comm came in for Skye.

 

 

"Skye, I feel it is important to inform you of a few missions that are going on. Jaina Skywalker/Colos has been sent to Kashyyyk to retrieve a holocron that could contain some much needed information. If she does so without causing galactic war or big side effects, she is to gain the title Jedi Master. I think that under circumstances, you should reach out to Roene and give him his Master Trials. I will be on Carida assisting Head of State Raven Zinthos is some needed repairs and guidance of her moves. May the Force be with you."

 

[Lusef Aryan]

The Givin merely smiled as it heard the questions directed at him, sensing the coursing hatred and anger running through him. He had no intention of explaining why he was here, or that he was unanchoring the spirits within the crypts and retrieving clues his Master left behind as bread crumbs for the Cult of Morthos, trying to manipulate them for his own ends. He stares down the Jedi and her companion, knowing him to be a non force user, the RAGE pushing him to limits, but not enough to cause some spectacular fireworks. The poison was one of Isel's presents, but no need to elaborate. He could feel a spike of raw hatred behind him. He wasn't far enough apparently. Oh well...

 

"It's a beautiful day outside," he said, ignoring the question, appearing nonchalant. Drawing on his connection with the Force, he sensed the Jedi about to move and that his attitude would drive her companion even further over the edge He had only moments, and couldn't see exactly what would happen, but the Force's prescient edge was there, putting his guard up. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like today, Jedi meddlers like you..."

 

He drew in the energy for his attack, only to feel a sudden pull of telekinetic energy yank him forward. He didn't fight it, but flowed with the attack, adding the momentum to his own. He was limited in the Force, no Sith Lord and certainly no Sith Master, but he could do telekensis, his one true speciality. Like most Givins, he knew physics and could act on the fly, mind working to calculate the right angles, the right flows. He could add her attack to bolster the one he had in mind when he chose this location for the battle.

 

"...should be burning in hell."

 

He let himself slide along with the Force pull, his eyes glowing blue, countering the Jedi's intent with a his own Force push, hurtling all his strength at them in an intense slam right down the middle, intent on driving them apart and into the walls, intent on knocking the rifle away and stunning the Jedi. He drew in the energy for his push right where the Jedi attempted to grab him and set him up for a shot by her friend's blaster rifle, her pull and his push turning into one singular force. By leeching off the very energy pulling him down the corridor from the Jedi Master as well as the dark side energy from the spirits of the fallen Sith followers approaching from behind, he turned a powerful pull into a wedge, intent on sliding right between his assailants as his telekinetic attack bowled them over, the on rush creating a vacuum in the air. Bones, taken from disturbed bodies in alcoves along the way, flew at them in an intense barrage, passing Geister's body to rain down on the two, an onslaught of forceful, hard objects, their acceleration making up their lack of weight and brittleness. The blaster he fingered behind his back came to life and though he was not able to aim precisely from still being in motion, he twisted around and tried to fire off a series of wild stun shots of his own, hoping to counter the quality of his shots with sheer quantity. The whole counterattack took less than a few heartbeats.

 

 

 

((For how something that's completely unrelated might play out in a video game that totally didn't inspire this set up or said NPC's direction when I brought back the Givin, you can check this out.

))

 

[Raynuk Montar]

Skye (and Tenebris) v NPC Geister

 

So this ruling got a little sticky to sort out. Right off the bat, this boils down to a case of 2 PCs facing off against a single NPC that is unfortunately not capable of being used tactically (which includes performing 'Killshot' type moves). There has been a bit of leeway given to the "Faust NPCs" up to this point in the name of story and flavor, but when it comes to a 'killshot' move, it matters more.

 

Add to this the outcome if you look at the exchange from a story perspective; We have a single person who is "limited in the Force" squaring off against a full fledged Jedi Master who is not only aware of Geister, but also of the spirits that inhabited the crypts. Tenebris must also be considered; with Tenebris' alertness, and the communication with Skye, there is ample reason and setup that the moment Geister moved, be it from his own actions or the pull from Skye, Tenebris would open fire on him.

 

Ruling:

 

 

 

Skye/Tenebris: CAPTURE SHOT SUCCEEDS

 

Geister: STUNSHOT FOILED

 

Skye successfully yanks Geister towards her, and is likely a little surprised that he added to the move. but the Force grip of the Jedi prevents him from wedging past her and Tenebris, effectively canceling the return fire, and making the flying bones less of a threat, as I imagine the Force bubble will protect the pair of 'good guys'. As I stated before, ultimately the fact that the Geister NPC is not capable of being used tactically cuts the legs off him being able to use kill/stunshots, as it is not a NPC of a faction. If it was a factional NPC that could be used tactically, it would also have to be accompanied by a PC of that faction per the rules.

 

Skye gets the next post, as per the rules.

 

[Lux]

Lux’s head was swimming as it fought to remain focused, but she’d come far and would not relent. She was here to rescue or recover Lorecait if she could. Her thoughts wandered to how the others were doing, but thinking about him was a little too much right now. Mission first, thinking later.

 

She tried to decipher how Lorecait was feeling through her sporadic cries, but the tone was lost in the thick durasteel. Lux could hear her voice, but any other inclination, rummaging around, or moving was lost on her. Having never been a public relations agent, she didn’t really know how to handle people very well. But, if her job as a secretary taught her anything, it was that being sweet could often diffuse the heavy anxiety involved in most situations or transactions. And, although she couldn’t be sure, Lux assumed that Lorecait was nervous due to her involvement in what was going on. Which, Lux could understand very well. Lux wasn’t even sure of what was going on anymore, but she needed to help. In fact, due to her interactions with both Tenebris and Skye, she was determined to help. Faust had proven himself an underhanded snake and Lux would do what she could to help stop him.

 

The Thyrsian leaned into the door, keeping her ears and eyes open for anything that seemed off. “My name is Lux. I was with Master Skye. I’m here because I’m worried you might be in danger, and I think it would be good to help you. My friends think you might have information for us. But, you just want to be safe, right? I can understand that. I’m here to help you, in any way that I can. If you’d like, we can even talk on my ship?” Her tone was light and she kept everything as simple as possible.

He made you feel powerless, cornered against the wall and took your friends away from you. He callously disregarded anything you held dear and used it to control you; to control your fear.

[Lusef Aryan]

Just as Geister fell to a concentration of stun fire, one more thread of Faust's many plans unraveled, Lux having all but literally talked the former acolyte down from the proverbial ledge. Lorecait's hands lowered the blaster as she listened. It clattered to the floor and she stumbled over to the door. Could the Jedi really protect her against Faust? It was a gamble, but it was better than that sense of vile enslavement she felt before. She raised a trembling hand and unlocked it, her hand opening it. She almost fell to the floor, but steadied herself against the frame. She looked a mess, but her voice gave the warning Lux needed to hear.

 

"We need to hurry." She said, a frantic note in her voice. "We... my family are in danger once he finds out. After I spoke with Skye, he called. It was him. He's here to back up Geister! He's here on Onderon! He knows you're all here and it's all my fault." She found a measure of resolve as she spoke, her back straightening. "He's... he's likely heading towards the palace. You have to stop him! Fau-" she swallowed, despite her composure, unable to say the hated name aloud. "He can't be allowed to get away!"

[Skye Organa]

As Skye pulled the Givin towards them she was surprised that he added to the momentum shooting towards her faster. He put quite a bit of strength behind his push though she was a Jedi Master and was stronger, he was just an acolyte. She had to adjust her ‘grip’ slightly so as not to release him and to slow him down. Apparently he was trying to get between them and lay out a counter attack. That wasn’t going to happen for two reasons… the first being she wasn’t about to release her hold on him and secondly Tenebris sent stun bolts into him. It was lucky she was keeping the Force Bubble intact as she realized he had telekinetically dragged a heap of bones along with him, probably hoping that they would cause physical damage to them. They harmlessly clattered to the ground after stopping short because of the bubble. Glancing at the spirits she offered up an apology in case any of the bones had belonged to their bodies, though the sense she got was that they weren’t. It seemed like the spirits would let the Jedi have their prisoner as they turned and retreated back the way they came. As the Givin collapsed stunned she lowered him to the ground while the Commissioner cuffed him.

 

There was something that was teasing her senses, a feeling that time was running short. “I’d like to examine the crypts to see what he’d been up to but something tells me we should get out of here. That and the fact he’s probably laid out more traps to catch us out with.”

[Lux]

Woof...

 

Lux thought she was worn out. When Lorecait opened the door, not only did the Thyrsian feel better about herself, but she felt a mix of sympathy and empathy wash over her conflicted mind. The student looked as if she hadn't seen a bed in quite some time. Her eyes were puffy and red, her hair was heavily matted, and her entire body was shaking; hard.

 

Lux tried to lean down to catch the woman as she slumped, but felt a bit awkward when Lorecait straightened up. The dull glow of her fading eyes intensified as the young woman rallied and her surprising exuberance caught Lux off guard. The stream of words that ran from the student's mouth, popped against the Thyrsian's head in a fashion that left her speechless. And, for a moment, Lux's expression and speech stammered as she tried to catch up to the energy of the moment.

 

"Okay. Okay... First things first. Where is your family? And will it be easy to gather them all together? Second, there is a team that is doing their best to subdue and contain the Faust threat; a Jedi Master and... (what was Tenebris? A soldier? I don't know...) a capable law enforcement official."

 

The, 'capable' part seemed a little unconvinced, but she didn't feel it wise to bring personal issues into the conversation. Lux's face hardened a little and her words were specific and pointed. "I will personally see you safely to the ship and assist with your family in any way I can. But, I do not believe it is wise for either of us to get anywhere near Faust, for obvious reasons. If you're still set on that, follow me and we'll get started."

 

Lux said, physically indicating to Lorecait that they should proceed down the hall.

[Tenebris]

"Didn't even give us the courtesy of Greeting Maths. The answer, my friend, is three," he said, nudging the unconscious Givin with his toe.

 

Tenebris crouched beside the robed alien, his head cocked to one side. Under the dark outer cloak, he carried matériel of an unknown origin, but the Commissioner had learned his lesson, and would not handle it until it had been thoroughly scanned. Wrapping the cloak more firmly around the limp body as one would wrap a gift package, he lifted the Givin over his shoulder.

 

"I agree, I think it's a better idea to secure him in the ship before we do much else here. We can come back with the whole team once we know he's contained, and see what information we can extract from him," he said decisively. "For now, we should check on Lux."

 

Beside Skye, he made his way out of the crypts, through the lobby of the palace, and into the cool evening air of Onderon's capital, blaster pistol clutched in the hand that wasn't balancing the Givin's body on his shoulder.

[Lusef Aryan]

As the duo leave with Geister, one of the spirits calls out, its hollow voice thick with hatred and contempt, a grudging call to those whom it loathes, but whose ear it knows will listen. Its words echo as if coming from a far distant place.

 

• Beware, the Hunter stirs once more.
   
  His soul and body were one in the end, both cast into the pits of Chaos and Hell, scattered in the Darkness.
   
  His mind now runs across the stars, awakened by other dwellers in the Darkness who called him False.
   
  He seeks to restore himself to his full powers, the powers he wielded at the moment of his final defeat.
   
  This must not come to pass or all will be ruined. The Zero-Wound was healed, but he stirs the fires of chaos.
   
  His Legacy of Blood must be destroyed! The Eyes of the Hunters must be blinded!
   
  Do this and victory will forever be beyond his grasp, his soul never to reform again!

 

Their warning uttered, the spirits vanish back into the darkness of their tombs.

 

*****

 

Lorecait quickly rattles off her parent's address, as well as that of her cousin as she speaks to Lux. Her courage found, she gives the details of her conversation with Faust, only taking the blaster with her as she leaves. "He... He called me after Skye finished talking to me. I was his only operative besides the Givin left on Coruscant. Geister... sensed you I think, and warned him. Geister's stronger than I am in the Force, so be careful if you see him," she warns, believing him still a threat. "He threatened my family if I talked or failed to help him, but.. I can't... I can't help him any more," she says, drying a few tears, her face hardening. "We should hurry. I don't feel safe here," she adds. A small part of her wanted to join the Jedi and the others in taking him down, but she agreed with Lux's sentiment, knowing that avoiding the fiend was the wisest course. She entrusted herself to Lux to keep her and her family safe.

 

*****

As Tenebris and Skye exit the palace, the view in front of them, all around, looks empty. No passer-byes, no anything.

 

The voice that is heard seems to be projected from above them, hidden in the shadows of the Palace.

 

Ahhhh. I see dear old Geister failed. A pity. I expected more from him, but such as it is.

 

The voice would be instantly familiar to Skye as well as Tenebris from old holofeeds, its owner unmistakable. Even in the upper shadows outside the palace, no force signature could be felt. The voice was strong and mocking.

 

The Hunter, realizing he could not get there timely, sent a small "messenger" of sorts ahead, another hunter to seek out his foes so to speak.

 

Skye, looking as murderous as ever. Did you kill Geister, or merely wound him? I know murder's in your blood. Faust's voice breaks into hard laughter, strong and fierce as ever. And your companion... I heard he enjoyed the little present left behind. I could feel his anger, his hatred. It was strong, but not enough to manifest. He's not of your order, is he? A pity, new Jedi are so fun to corrupt. More of Faust's laughter rings down. Allow me to make a... proposition. Let him go. Iziz is such a crowded place. So many people, wandering about, ignorant of this whole affair. He can slip back into those crowds without issue if you let him. If not... I may have to use ways to thin said crowds... permanently... and explosively. You have a little time to decide. My eye is on you, so do not do anything foolish.

 

*****

 

Even as he laid out his threat, Faust left the company of his companions some distance from the Palace, their shuttle-pod hurrying back towards the spaceport, his medi-capsule chair moving towards his foes as fast as it allowed, still concealed within the null Force bubble. His hand rested onto the arms of his chair, his cyberoptics espying the duo as he had scouted out on Dathomir. If they did not heed the generous terms he provided, he would make them pay, letting him wonder what he could do with a captured Jedi should the situation allow it.

[Lux]

The tone of her voice and the pain in her eyes gave Lux everything she needed to see Lorecait's bereaved tale. Weary as she was, she gave information to save her life and the lives of her family. It was not an easy thing to remain silent when the lives of those you cared about were hanging in the balance. Lux was uncomfortably aware of that fact. The Thyrsian needed only a brief moment as she felt the stress of the past few weeks catch up to her before the two of them took off down the hall. Sephrina looked as if she were going to try and offer a verbal rebuttal to the Thyrsian as she and Lorecait marched down the hall, but she was ignored. It wasn't important and there were more important things to be focused on.

 

Quickly, Lux used her data pad and GPS device to track down the addresses of Lorecait’s family. When that was done, she escorted the wayward young woman to a taxi that the Thyrsian summoned moments before as they formulated their rescue plan. “I figured it would be better than trying to run around. Especially if Faust is as mobile as you say. Now, I think this means that your parents are closest, so let’s get them first and we’ll work out toward your cousin who is closer to the ship. Then we’ll all head to the ship and prep for whenever the Commissioner wishes to launch.”

 

A tinge of worry tickled the edge of her expression at the mention of him, but the stress of the moment kept her from fully exploring the feeling that fought to the surface of her mind.

 

Another time...

 

With minor instructions, the taxi driver zoomed off and headed toward their first destination.

[Skye Organa]

"I agree, I think it's a better idea to secure him in the ship before we do much else here. We can come back with the whole team once we know he's contained, and see what information we can extract from him," he said decisively. "For now, we should check on Lux."

 

Skye nodded her head as she watched as Tenebris picked the Givin up and shouldered him. As they started back the way they came the spirit’s voice stopped their progress, the Jedi turning back to hear what they had to say. She could see the blue glow surrounding the spirits, felt their hatred towards Jedi but under that, the hate directed towards Faust being more than that.

 

Beware, the Hunter stirs once more.

 

His soul and body were one in the end, both cast into the pits of Chaos and Hell, scattered in the Darkness.

 

His mind now runs across the stars, awakened by other dwellers in the Darkness who called him False.

 

He seeks to restore himself to his full powers, the powers he wielded at the moment of his final defeat.

 

This must not come to pass or all will be ruined. The Zero-Wound was healed, but he stirs the fires of chaos.

 

His Legacy of Blood must be destroyed! The Eyes of the Hunters must be blinded!

 

Do this and victory will forever be beyond his grasp, his soul never to reform again!

 

After the spirits had gone, Skye turned to Tenebris, seeing a disbelieving look upon his face which suggested that he had heard them too. “Well that was unexpected. I didn’t expect that they would speak to us as they are not fond of Jedi to put it mildly but I think we should heed what he said.” The two turned and headed out once more, a prickly feeling tingled up her spine as they went through the Palace. The people were strangely absent. “Something is wrong… I don’t like this…” Skye murmured softly. She couldn’t see anyone, none of the other tourists, none of the palace guards… no one… then she heard it and her spine straightened, her eyes searching, her senses stretching out, her danger sense tingling…

 

Ahhhh. I see dear old Geister failed. A pity. I expected more from him, but such as it is.

 

“Faust,” her eyes met with Tenebris before scanning all around them again, “Only you could be so bold. I thought Darex and Onderin put a leash on you.” Using her comm. Implant, Skye sent out a message to I-Nine and to those on the Jedi Council using the emergency codes to let them know she had encountered the one that appeared to be Faust. She also sent a short comm to Lux, “Beware and on your guard, Faust is here. Be careful and be prepared to expect the unexpected. We cannot underestimate the threat he represents.”

 

’Skye, looking as murderous as ever. Did you kill Geister, or merely wound him? I know murder's in your blood.’ Faust's voice breaks into hard laughter, strong and fierce as ever. ‘And your companion... I heard he enjoyed the little present left behind. I could feel his anger, his hatred. It was strong, but not enough to manifest. He's not of your order, is he? A pity, new Jedi are so fun to corrupt.’ More of Faust's laughter rings down. ‘Allow me to make a... proposition. Let him go. Iziz is such a crowded place. So many people, wandering about, ignorant of this whole affair. He can slip back into those crowds without issue if you let him. If not... I may have to use ways to thin said crowds... permanently... and explosively. You have a little time to decide. My eye is on you, so do not do anything foolish.’

 

The Jedi Healer looked at the CoreSec Commissioner, “I don’t feel him through the Force, but that is his voice. He must have a droid of some sort watching us… either that or he is using camera’s… what do you think we should do?” Her words were soft, spoken only so that Tenebris could hear, she had also projected another Force bubble around them, her eyes constantly searching for signs of what he had planned. “I don’t trust him. Even if we do release Geister he could still trigger whatever explosives he has in place…” These words were spoken in a normal but wary tone.

[Tenebris]

These kriffing dark types and their threats...

 

"What crowds?" Tenebris growled under his breath in response to the Hunter's voice. Surely there would be some public outrage, a panicked scurry, any reaction at all to such a well-known malfeasant. For a moment, he had considered acquiescing to the madman's request and releasing the unconscious Givin, but no sooner had the thought entered his mind than Skye spoke it aloud. Knowing that the Jedi Master had personal dealings with Faust cemented his acceptance of her opinion: releasing the Givin would give no security to the people of Onderon.

 

Or, for that matter, the people of the galaxy, if Faust had indeed returned.

 

Utterly absent were the crowds of tourists, shopgoers, politicians, students. Talia's stomping grounds had gone silent. Had they emerged from the crypts into some other dimension, or had Faust already done something nefarious in the time they spent underground?

 

A ping from Mithwyr in his in-ear comm told him that they were in position around the square, but even Tenebris could not readily spot them, so well were they hidden. His troop, easily a dozen men that went over and beyond the Raisonneur's complement, had been with him since long before the Sith incursion at Coruscant General, and he trusted them implicitly to be careful overwatch on the situation. One was posted near the entrance to the Merchant Quarter, three more near the streets that led to the University, two would be carefully watching through scoped rifles from the rooftop, and another six at least in various alleyways and streets that poured into the square.

 

"Are you getting this?" he muttered into his comm. A double-click of acknowledgment came. "Patch into the Onderonian Royal Guard. Let them know we might have a terrorist on our hands."

 

Another double-click sounded, and Tenebris slung Geister towards the ground, applying the stun cuffs that Skye had referenced to hold his arms securely behind his skeletal back. Kneeling, he held the Givin's body propped up as a shield and grabbed for his blaster rifle, holding it securely in his hands. "Any chance those friendly spirits have an idea of how to blow up an undead, invisible maniac?" he said to Skye as an aside, pointedly ignoring her question given the possibility of eavesdropping. He was not keen to decide a negotiation plan in the open air. But neither did he have any intent to release the Givin: if they were to get some answers, the acolyte was one of their best options.

 

"You know, I don't know if you're new at this, or you just forgot how things worked after a couple Jedi Masters yanked you into oblivion, but usually, a deal gives some assurances to the other party. You want to talk? Come and talk," he yelled, letting his bait hang in the air. Now they would see if Faust would show his hand, or call the bluff of whoever was using his voice.

[Lusef Aryan]

The remote Faust dispatched to scout ahead and announce his presence picked up the telltale glint of scopes from the rooftops. That information, relayed back to the remote's owner caused Faust to dispatch two more, setting out a parameter, the small orbs discretely flying into the air, hugging close to buildings and alleyways, giving him a clean view of the surrounding area. He moves slowly, for all appearances just a hunched over old man in a medical chair, moving silently. He enters one alleyway, right off from the square and pauses. Behind his mask, his eyes narrow, looking on intently, listening as Skye's companion speaks. Based on what his remote could spy, as well as what he saw in the alley, judging by the man's posture and wariness, CoreSec.

 

When Faust's voice answers on the remote again, raining down from above, there's a broken, labored quality to it, laughter raining down. "Your CoreSec companion speaks with more... correctness... than you do, Skye," Faust's voice admonishes. It takes on a harsh, rasping quality. There's a hard, brittle edge to it that's unmistakable. "They killed me. Let's be honest about that, shall we? These types of negotiations are founded on trust." Faust's slow chuckle breaks into a wracking cough and a wheeze. "Death however, did not agree with me, so I found a way around it. Alas, it is a rather difficult ailment to get over. You might even say I came back... wrong..."

 

There's a pause, Faust halting his approach, sure he's unseen, still projecting his voice. "That is more than the inhabitants fair city can if negotiations break down." His voice drops, becoming lower. "I am willing to come out and talk, but the moment your friends attempt to make a move, things shall, how shall we say it, heat up? I do love meetings in bustling metropolises. I have little doubt you have more friends than meets the eye. A CoreSec strike squad carries at least a dozen men typically, no? I count at least two on the rooftops and there are what looks to be five in near-by alleys and streets."

 

That "inaccurate" count was the very first sign of something gone terribly wrong.

 

A horrible feeling of nausea would sweep over Skye and Tenebris, a feeling of disorientation as if the world was suddenly off balance, as if there was a menacing wail just out of earshot. For Skye, it could be presumed to be a cry in the otherwise silent Force, but even Tenebris would feel this.

 

With that, Vladimir Faust, Darth Luciferian, made his appearance out of one of the covered alleyways. Seated across his chair, matching the shield that they'd made of Geister, was Tenebris' unfortunate trooper, sent to guard the wrong alley, caught looking just the wrong way at just the wrong time. He was clearly unconscious and in a stupor, showing no physical signs of trauma or injury. Out of the alley, no audible sounds were heard, no telltale signs of a stun blast, gas bomb, or anything else. Behind it, sat the chair's sole occupant. The white hood and cloak covered his body, head down, bowed. Under the cloak, the hints of a white shirt and jacket could be seen, an all too thin looking chest laboring to breathe. Wires of all sorts could be seen hooked up to his arms. The hoverchair clearly looked like a medical capsule. The figure moved in a void of the Force, Faust's new "'pet" concealed safely within the chair for this occasion. Despite that void, that feeling of unease and nausea grew even more pronounced, coupled with what Skye's prescient Force powers would pick up as immediate and deadly danger around her.

 

"I'm making my appearance in good faith," he rasps, "so let us... talk... If the stain I've left on the Force and carry with me now doesn't make you ill first." He chuckles at that. "I wish to have my servant released... And I may even answer your questions...." The voice no longer came from the remote concealed above, now silent and set to observe, instead coming from the figure in the chair before them. The other deadly remotes joined in that silent vigil, fixed on possible threats to their master. One hand of Faust's rested behind the CoreSec agent's back, hidden. The posture left little doubt of a weapon there, his cloaked concealing it from onlookers. "It may surprise you, but I do not wish to destroy Iziz. I have too much... invested here... even now... to blow half this city to oblivion on a whim." Faust's free hand opens up. A holoprojector in the gloved palm shows a very familiar image to some. Round, like a grenade and flashing. It was a thermal detonator that quickly multiplies into a dozen more in a wild pattern. The image blinks out, as if teasing for a possible placement over the city. "The usual remote detonation if a signal is given or interrupted, vital signs-trigger, and all that applies. I will not hesitate to detonate either though if needed," he warns, coughing horribly. "Once dear Geister is able to leave under his own power and does so, we can have a delightful question and answer session."

 

As that feeling of unease built up to a crescendo of disorientation and wrongness, the gloved and wire-ridden hand folded back into Faust's lap. "So... what is your answer? I'm going to have to insist on one now," he wheezes in as mild of a tone as he can manage.

[Lux]

Something is missing…

Lorecait’s parent’s secured and a cousin struggling to get out the door, Lux was silently praising her minimal success. However, a niggling sensation stuck to the bottom of her head, at the base of her neck. Dread hung over her like the blade of an executioner ready to swing. Something felt wrong. This was too easy. The hilt of the blade at her hip pulsed with the wary consternation that tugged at her thoughts. And although the others were engaging in sentimental reunions, which offered no end of pain to Lux’s struggling heart, the Thyrsian was twitchy. Her eyes swiveled back and forth as the Taxi took off with orders to head directly to the spaceport.

 

As quietly as she could, she paged Tenebris’ ship the Raisonneur, notifying the remaining officers to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity at the spaceport. Lux wasn’t sure what this Faust character was capable of, but this felt way too easy.

 

When the message was sent and Lorecait's cousin was securely fastened in the taxi, Lux looked them all over, nodded to them each in turn, and then instructed the taxi driver to proceed when he was ready to go. The Thyrsian kept her hands ready and her eyes focused. She couldn't afford to lose any more people. So she would do whatever in her power to make sure everyone stayed safe. Or as safe as she could make them.

[Tenebris]

Colonel Zaidon Mithwyr, still remaining on board the Raisonneur to direct personnel, had sprung into action as soon as the white-robed figure in the hoverchair became visible on E'lann's armor-mounted camera. When the provisional Thyrsian agent's comm arrived, he took it as a heads-up and all ship personnel remaining on board moved immediately to battle stations. Having interfaced with the city's government, Mithwyr brought up the spaceport cams, tracing the progress that the speeder bearing Lux and her refugees made from the residential areas of Iziz toward the extraction point.

 

Hopefully, nothing--and no one--would get in their way.

 

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

 

Skye shared a quick glance with Tenebris as the Hunter spoke. “They may have killed you, but you were going to do a lot more than kill a couple of Jedi. You were going to kill us all and the Force as well!” Her voice was hard, the grief she felt for those two valiant Jedi kept hidden from the monster that was speaking with them now. “Trust is earned and you have NOT done anything to inspire my trust.” Again she searched for any sort of trap he might be readying to spring. She reinforced her Force bubble as he continued to speak. “That you came back wrong should be telling you something, Faust. You should have stayed dead. Don’t expect me to heal you.” She added the last as an aside when she heard the wheezing cough. This was one instance that she didn’t feel a twinge in letting someone deal with it themselves.

 

“... and there it is,” she continued, “the threat in case something doesn’t go your way. You are nothing if not predictable in that area. And what about your people, if they make a move - for I have NO doubt that you are up to something. You always are. Don’t think I can’t feel the areas where the Force is strangely vacant where it wasn’t before we went in. If you were making an appearance in good faith as you put it… you wouldn’t be hiding yourself beneath a hood or the ysalamiri.”

 

Skye swallowed back a sudden nausea, not liking that it had something to do with whatever Faust was up to. She was wary in believing how it was caused. When it came to this poor excuse of a man you couldn’t believe everything that came out of his mouth.

 

With a sudden thought, she added, "If that is even you."

 

Stony-faced and silent when presented with the locations of his men, not to mention Faust’s silent and unannounced takedown of Lieutenant Cochran, whose body was held like a shield in front of the frail and otherworldly being, Tenebris raised a single hand as though to halt Skye’s impassioned denouncement. They were at an impasse.

 

They could not let him go. They could not defeat him here.

 

But they could try.

 

“It may be a few hours yet before your little friend wakes up. But you can have him back, with my blessing. He’s more trouble than he’s worth. A disappointment, really,” Tenebris said, throwing Geister’s body on the cobblestones before him and activating his personal shield with the tap of his gauntleted wrist. Without subtlety, he gripped his blaster rifle, training it on the hoverchair. “I'd like all my men to leave in one piece, as well. So I propose we have our little chat while we’re waiting.”

 

"Sarge?" the voice came in his ear, a bad habit of the men who had gotten used to his previous rank.

 

"Not yet," he muttered near-silently in reply to his overwatch.

 

Skye's reaction proved one thing: this was no phantom, whoever sat in that hoverchair carried the essence of the galaxy's most enigmatic nihilist. But there was something he was hiding, some underbelly he refused to reveal, even as his entire presentation smacked of weakness. Any man could push a button and activate an explosive. Faust generally had more tricks up his sleeve than that.

 

He would not let the white-robed cretin out of his sight until he knew what those tricks might be.

[Lusef Aryan]

Lorecait and Lux's flight went unobserved for the Hunter and his allies, many of whom were now waiting at the spaceport. Just as Tenebris' crew watched the confrontation, they could see the same from a trio of vantage points, as well as the assorted cameral angles offered by the remote. They kept a tense monitor over the area and even the skies above, knowing things were touch and go. Beta and Alpha had exchanged looks of incredulousness, knowing their Lord's particular... weakness. And yet, here he was, sacrificing his body against a full complement of CoreSec troops and a fully trained Jedi Master?

 

Fixed, the half-dozen loyalists watched events play out, ready to pull out once the battle was concluded, each of them grimly thinking they would have to meet their Lord at the previously arranged rendezvous point after his current "vessel" was destroyed.

 

*****

 

Outside the palace Faust gave a particular harsh laugh. "Indeed," he acknowledged to Skye, a nod of his hooded head. "The Force should be dead, and I should be immortal," he chuckled, wheezing. "Even now the Dark Side attacks me, assailing me. It makes me like... like this... a broken shell," he snarled, anger steadying his voice. "Even within the protective barrier of a ysalamiri, the Dark Side attacks me, consuming, clawing at my soul." His voice is lower as it projects across the square, hard and brittle. "My new pet provides me a measure of... comfort... and yet... even as it assails me now, I can reach back out and grasp it," he adds ominously, studying the duo carefully, knowing how they must feel in his presence, knowing the sickness they must feel.

 

At the same time, he knew he had a distinct advantage, especially on Light Siders. Skye would be able to protect around herself, to sense the immediate danger he presented to her. He knew that much. She wouldn't be able to read him or see him in the hollows of the future, the Force's prescient edge dulled around him. They were on an equal footing in that regard, though Faust knew how precarious his situation was. He knew of the seven CoreSec agents around him, and knew to be wary for more as well as additional support being out in the open like this. Faust was never one to avoid bringing a spaceship to a gunfight when the Bhelliom was whole, and now that extension of himself was sorely missed beyond anything.

 

Hostage primed in one hand, the other seemingly rested in his lap, he sat there, his body coiled like a spring, all his joints tensed and ready to move the moment the attack came. He lost that same edge of foresight with his current condition, but he fixed on the others around him, and mostly on the CoreSec officer holding Geister. He knew after he acted he would likely have to move, shedding the last of his crippled and weakened persona to literally walk off with his servants and the prizes he now had before him.

 

He came prepared for this moment, and knew stalling or waiting would serve him no longer. He had his trap well placed and just needed to make the final move.

 

"Hours," he sighed, his voice rasping once more. "I grow tired," he said, his voice taking on a firm approach. "And you are tiring as well. Sleep."

 

And with that seeming command in the Force, just as Faust had caused all of the other restaurant guests to fall into a deep slumber during his heart to heart with Senator Godfrey d'Outremer, he did what he needed to send them into a slumber as deep as Geister's.

 

((Incapacitation Shot on Tenebris and Skye))

 

*****

 

A seeming show of the Force, even with the Ysalamiri? Even with Faust's body merely being a vessel for his broken shell? "How" one might ask?

 

To quote the great Master Payne. "A good magician never reveals his tricks. An evil magician never leaves any evidence there was a trick in the first place."

 

Was this a mere slight of hand, a trick to appear versed in the Force itself even against all possibilities? Or did Faust, Darth Luciferian muster the ability to reach out through the anti-Force bubble and subdue his opponents with a single word, even against the protections of a fully empowered and ready Jedi Master?

 

Moderators aside, are you sure you want to know and ruin the surprise, my dear reader?

 

 

The sound and the fury, only this sound was beyond the pitch of Skye and Tenebris' ears. Just as he helped his motley crew ward off the Vornskyrs on Myrkr, just as he'd subdued everyone in the restaurant, and even the gunless, gasless and for all audible purposes, silent take down of the likely formidable Lieutenant Cochran, Faust fell on one of his old favorites: Sonics emitted by his seemingly harmless hoverchair. A concentrated burst could subdue and wrack a subjects nervous system sending them into a deep slumber, paralyzed. While calibrating for the moment of exact take down, it may have manifested itself as a high wail at the edge of one's visible audio range, perhaps unsettled one's stomach, or even say caused dizziness as one's endolymph fluids were disturbed by the vibrations.

 

A short, hard burst to subdue his opponents. The good senator had suspected gas during their talk, but to try taking down everyone but d'Outremer would have required he specialize a gas that attacked everyone by, or excluded certain traceable genetic data types. And at that time Faust lacked the data and motivation to make such an attack. Oh how things change... Either way, gas was unviable given the openness of their battleground and this attack was completely mundane, bypassing the Force entirely.

 

It still left open the question on what Faust could truly sense or do with the Force, but for the CoreSec officers, and even his loyal followers watching, he seemed to have used the Force to subdue his enemies, and broken all known rules on the Force in doing so within the ysalamir's protection. As for Skye and Tenebris, already being affected by the sonics before their nervous system went down, would they reasonable have time to act, to get out of the cone of invisible energy that was focused on them? Faust gambled no. Other methods may have worked to secure Geister, but Faust concluded his reputation, his perceived ability to still use the Force even in his "weakened" state was worth the risk. If Geister was mere diversion to stall, Faust was determined to prove here and now he was not to be trifled with, a message for the CoreSec officers who he planned to allow to walk away (though his remotes were trained on them still, lasers ready, not being a fool) to spread the tale.

 

If this failed, he did have a few surprises. Unpleasant, but he was not one without a second fallback line. Even if he fell, he believed his foes wouldn't know how he did what he did, and Faust was still ever the evil magician, ready to remove evidence of his tricks...

 

[Tenebris]

"Not the Force..." Skye managed to say as she succumbed to the trap the Hunter had set. Her knees buckled as she fought against the blackness descending upon her, and as if in slow motion, she sank to the ground. The Healer had been searching through her catalogue of knowledge of symptoms and side effects since she had started feeling nauseated, and the last conscious word she thought but couldn't communicate was 'sonic'.

 

-----

 

The CoreSec commissioner caught the wavering of his companion out of the corner of his eye, and with trained reflexes, reached out to grasp her as her body crumpled toward the ground, halting the impact before he released her. Some hundred and fifty yards away from where Tenebris stood, a body tumbled from the roof of the Royal Palace: a Bith sniper new to the crew whose name Tenebris had not yet learned. Blood streamed from his aural openings. Klaxons pealed in Tenebris' mind, and with great alarm, he looked back and forth between the prostrate Jedi Master and the medical hoverchair as if trying to decipher what was happening. Not the Force, Skye had said. Not the Force, but not a weapon, not airborne, or he too would have been compromised. The flashing light on his wrist finally caught his attention.

 

His personal shield, a hallmark of the Echani, was ebbing slowly, under assault by an invisible weapon. You clever bastard, he thought for only a fraction of a second. Falling onto an armored knee in front of the prone form of Master Organa, he swiftly brought his rifle to bear with a marksman's keen eye and fired a trio of succinct bursts--not at the hooded form itself, but at the hoverchair in which he had entered, with intent to medically disable the invalid it contained. If the figure in the chair was truly the fabled madman, he was about to find out.

 

The remaining sniper on the palace rooftop abandoned trigger diligence when the sound of the Echani's shot rang out, and his finger tightened, sending a stun blast toward the extremities of the man who brandished Lieutenant Cochran as a shield.

-----

 

A chorus of expletives rang out in the cockpit of the Raisonneur as they witnessed Master Organa tumble to the cobblestones without a single shot fired. Without another delay, the gunship rose from the spaceport and began its convergence on the location, signaling to all the agents stationed in the alleys and byways to do the same. Mithwyr patched his comm through to the Thyrsian and her tagalong crew.

 

"Buckle up, kid," he called. "Hope you're at the extraction point, because this might get bumpy."

 

<>

[Ary the Grey]

After some research, the use of Tenebris's shields is the move that saved them. Wookieepedia has some differing information on what Echani shields block, but the main page for them does mention sonics. That, and the setup for them is legit. Skye is incapacitated, but Tenebris is still conscious, and the hoverchair is damaged. Faust also has to deal with a stun blast from a sniper rifle (that's a thing?).

 

<>

 

Lusef Aryan gets next post.

[Lusef Aryan]

When the CoreSec officer didn't drop like his Jedi Companion, Faust knew at once that something was off. Few things warded against sonic attacks, especially one as concentrated as the one that should have dropped him. A shield in all likelihood and Echani given the officer's appearance. A small oversight, but potentially costly.

 

That realization came in less than a second as the situation spiraled out of his immediate and direct control, forcing several split second actions to salvage this encounter in an optimal fashion. He had one optimal outcome in retrieving his fallen follower or at least silencing him, but a secondary prize presented itself, one that would further his aims. A plan came to him to utilize all of his assets. He'd be abandoning several of them in this ploy, but it would be worth the risk.

 

His senses processed several lines of attack at once, linked into the remotes as well as his base "eyesight". The officer was firing a trio of shots, projected course at his medical chair. Clever. At the same time one of the snipers he watched on the roof fire. That would be the last action he'd take in this fight as a remote that crept up through the alleys fired of a blast, going square into the center of mass. It was a stun blast, as living troops offered a better chance to negotiate his way out, but the sniper tumbled forward and started to fall off the building as if in slow motion.

 

At that, Faust acted directly, and revealed just how much of an utter and complete ruse his "condition" need be reflected in his current vessel to throw his foes and even potential allies off guard.

 

The chair surged forward, moving with the momentum of a low grade speeder as it charged Tenebris, head on, its intense sonics still eating at his shield. Faust's left arm twisted, holding aloft the unconscious lieutenant like a ragdoll, the arm bending and rotating at an angle and speed no human arm should. Of course Faust was known to have a cybernetic left arm, one he'd never bothered to replace even at the height of his powers. This was a hint too that the wires embedded in it were for show, though they did help him control his chair at the speed of thought. The unfortunate lieutenant's body cracked wildly as it was flung by Faust, still holding onto it in a tight grip and used it as a human shield to block the stunblast. He could "feel" the energy from that snake through his robotic arm, mostly grounded out against the unfortunate officer. The remote hidden up above in the palace fired off a warning shot, aiming right in front of the CoreSec officer, trying to dissuade and distract, sending a blinding flash past his sight, knowing the energy shield would still block the most lethal effects. Probably.

 

As all this happened, Faust's demonstrated his cyber-mental control of that chair, still charging head on into the bolts the CoreSec commander fired at him. In less than three seconds since the officer fired, the distance closed and they impacted the chair, which started to spin wildly, thrown in Tenebris' direction as the repulsors on it started to give out, Faust sacrificing those to the shots. Faust had another surprise, not quite bluffing when he'd threatened Exodus and the inner Sith circle with annihilation, and the chair blew up in a blinding flash of light, an expanding ball of fire that erupted outwards, still within that third second since Tenebris fired. He considered the option of a charge to obliterate all evidence of this encounter once he realized the CoreSec officer was still active, cleansing himself, the Jedi Master, Geister and the CoreSec officer in a ball of flame. However, wrecking his chair to avoid tracing it or leaving valuable evidence preserved two prizes he now wanted and that he decided he would literally walk away with after all.

 

And ahead of that ball, moving with all the speed of a Force enhanced Sith Master, or perhaps a top of the line battle droid, was a nightmare cloaked in white.

 

Faust flew forward, leaping out of the exploding chair. His face looked concealed by his hood, but there was an eerie blue glow radiating form it, his white cloak flapping in the wind all around him, obscuring his center of mass. In his left hand, he still held the unconscious lieutenant, thrust out before him once more as a living shield, knowing the CoreSec officer with Skye could likely get off one or two more shots, but denied him the opportunity. In his right was a fully activated blue lightsaber, the pale, cold glow matching that from under his hood. Faust barreled towards Tenebris at breakneck speed, having launched himself out at full strength.

 

Precision. Absolute, utter precision was needed for what he attempted; and a gall that was unique to the Hunter to try something so bold.

 

In that fourth second, Faust hit the cobblestones and barreled forward again in another leap, more forward than up, coming in low over the cobblestones, the lieutenant still held out in front of him, his human shield. The irony was that those stun shots if they hit directly would hurt, but as Faust concealed the nature of his current vessel, it would be minimally effective, but could slow him or throw off his precision. He was upon the CoreSec officer and the unconscious duo then, and acted, the chair giving out a screech of bending metal as it came tumbling at them, the last of the sonics giving out as the explosion fully consumed the flaming wreck, still spiraling closer towards Faust, Tenebris, and the unconscious Skye and Geister.

 

Precision was needed here. Utter and complete precision.

 

At his speeds, he knew that throwing the unconscious officer in his hands would break bones, if not kill him outright with how he was launched head first. His limp, doll-like posture might absorb some of the impact, but his head could just as easily be crushed, his neck could snap, forcing a devilish choice on Tenebris if he were to launch the unconscious lieutenant at him.

 

Which he did, hurling him straight at Tenebris with all of his strength.

 

Perfection in that strike was necessary, as everything came down to that fifth second, his grip tightening on his lightsaber.

 

Faust's lightsaber swished out at Geister, a short precise strike that pithed his now compromised operative at the brainstem as it raked across this shoulders, killing him instantly, and then swept at the straps on his pack, bound to his now dead form. The lightsaber flew out of his hands, a toss in Tenebris' direction as well, adding to the distractions, aiming less for his center of mass, but instead his gun, dissuading any last minute shots as he physically swept in close. If it hit and killed him, so be it. It was a regrettable loss, but just as Faust held no sentiment for most things, even a finely crafted lightsaber was another. Besides, his fighting style often was to dual wield. The sound of bending and flying metal could be heard as the hover chair's flaming remains came skidding in close behind,

 

In that same second, his hand freed of the lightsaber, snatched back out. He turned, his face revealed to Tenebris, or rather the solid polished mask with the blue glowing aura behind it. Four words came out from behind that muffed mask, almost lost in the roar around them.

 

His hands grabbed two great prizes he needed after silencing a valuable, but ultimately compromised asset.

 

The pack with the artifacts Geister obtained.

More precious still, the unconscious Jedi Master Skye.

 

In that sixth second, his feet landed, grips in each hand securing his prizes. He bounded straight up into the palace's eves, easily a seven foot jump, finding a ledge and then repeated again, seemingly dangling Skye behind him like a child's toy when in fact his grip was tighter than ever, leaping with a precision again best served for either a superior master of the Force or a finely honed battle droid with the reflexes, skill, and memory of one of the Galaxy's deadliest hunters. Just as Faust casually used the lieutenant as a shield, he would use his incapacitated prize as one as well, intending to disappear into the shadows of the spires before reinforcements could arrive and track him, knowing as he climbed a stun blast, if it hit by Tenebris' hands or any of the troops his remotes spied rushing into towards the square, could have fatal consequences for his captive, banking on that to dissuade pursuit. If he was not stopped here in his climb, evading any aerial or ground pursuit would be an easy matter.

 

It was perfection in his movements, the only wild card was Tenebris. Would the CoreSec officer be able to fire upon him, past his human shields in leaping in or in his egress? With the sonics blasting at him, as well as the flaming wreckage of Faust's chair, the unconscious lieutenant, and his lightsaber, Faust tried to corner him into making only one logical choice, to forego the counter attack and save his lieutenant in a running dive to evade the chair and save both their lives in a relatively easy, but time consuming maneuver, or get utterly crushed as it skidded and tumbled in all aflame. Or would he risk wildly trying to stop Faust at the cost of his own life and those of others around him in a dodgy attempt when there was a clear way to save another of his men and fight another day? Faust felt confident in that answer, trying his best to exclude any conceivable third option that would leave him exposed.

 

All in six quick seconds, with Faust's mocking words echoing back as Bishop took Queen and removed a couple pawns from the board at the same time.

 

Checkmate! See you around.

[Lux]

All Lux heard was, ‘Buckle up kid,’ before she watched the Raisonneur rise above the edge of the star port’s outer wall and start heading their way. She could hear the thrusters from the Taxi as they violently clashed against Onderon’s atmosphere.

 

Oh no…

 

Tiny little signals started to blare in the back of her head. Klaxons alerted various parts of her body and started to creep outward from her brain and her heart. But, deciding against her immediate anxiety response and stifling the violent bout of nausea that wrestled with her insides, Lux turned to the other passengers and offered her best toothy smile. Sweat broke a little at the top of her forehead, but her tone never wavered. It continued to be an adept reflection of her secretarial professionalism.

 

“Alright, it appears we’re getting out early.” Lux turned to the Taxi driver and asked him to stop. Then she spent the next few seconds gathering up some money and gently encouraging Lorecait’s family to follow her out of the cab and onto the street as the Raisonneur came up with its docking ramp deployed.

 

Mithwyr was on the ramp indicating with broad gestures toward the group. And, with his help, Lux and Mithwyr were able to stevedore Lorecait’s family onto the ship. Lux was the last to board, sweat covering her face in a sheen of anxiety. She turned to wave at the Taxi driver as he flew away and then entered the passenger cabin of the Raisonneur to help Lorecait and her family to secure themselves and get settled.

 

Conflicted feelings of concern and derision bubbled in her stomach. And, although the monster was still fresh on her mind, concern won out. Her expression softened. Gentle touches flicked at the edges of her eyes and her thoughts wandered out to where Tenebris stood toe-to-toe with one of the most dangerous forces in the Galaxy.

This does not bode well...

[Tenebris]

The blasts from his rifle seemed to set off a chain reaction, one that the CoreSec officer's mind processed almost in slow-motion. Reflexes honed by decades speaking the native language of the Echani, hand-to-hand combat, instinctively tensed his body to readiness as the world went to hell before him. While he had expected a simple deactivation of the hoverchair and not a full-fledged seismic event, the erupting cloud of flame formed the crescendo of the sonic disruption, the equipment's violent explosion bringing an end to the emitters that were eating slowly at Tenebris' personal shield. A sizzling shot hit the cobblestones before him just before he flew into a roll over the still form of the Jedi Master, carrying him more than a meter away.

 

As the masked figure closed, Cochran's body clutched in his outstretched hand, a flash of blue activated the Echani's reflexes once more, firing off a burst of blaster bolts towards the eerie droid-like being before he rolled once more, carrying him in the opposite direction. A Jedi relic that missed its mark spun past him, but his shots went wide, simply adding to the inferno as the airborne flame rushed toward him.

 

A crackling voice echoed over his in-ear comm, but it was indistinguishable in the dull scream of twisting metal as shrapnel from the hover chair flew in every direction, its momentum carrying the bulk of it uselessly toward the place he had occupied seconds before. Vaguely, Tenebris was aware of the lieutenant's body flying at him, limp from the unintended stun blasts, just as the false Faust wrapped his fingers around Skye and yanked her clear of the radiant heat.

 

In that moment, he made a tactician's choice. He had held no great love for Skye Organa when she waltzed onto the scene of his investigation on Coruscant, but she had proven herself over and again since that time. The madman who could have orchestrated the chaos on Corellia--this insane nihilist who had attempted to destroy the galaxy itself--he could not be allowed to take her as a captive.

 

Not unless Tenebris himself could find her again.

 

The lieutenant's body collided with his own, and as the flames washed over him, setting Cochran's body aflame and eating away the remainder of his own shield as the blast dispersed, Tenebris hit the ground, arms outstretched as though to cradle his subordinate. He took exquisite aim, exacting in measure by virtue of constant practice, but he did not fire the blaster that clattered uselessly to the ground as his mind uttered a silent apology to the Healer.

 

Instead, eyes squinted against the relentless light, a quick flexion of his wrist sent his barbed grappling hook rocketing towards the figure on the steps--which embedded itself firmly in the pack that the bounding simulacrum clutched in one hand. Another flex of his wrist and the hook reversed its direction; if not carrying the pack out of the hands of the Hunter, it would certainly tear the fabric asunder, sending whatever relics the defunct Givin had collected tumbling toward the cobblestone square.

 

A high whistle sounded in his ears, ringing out relentlessly as he rolled the rookie lieutenant onto his back in an attempt to smother the flames. The telltale whoop of blaster bolts punctuated the hum as the rest of the away team arrived at Iziz' central square, endeavoring the takedown of the escaping lunatic. Should he wish to retrieve his personal belongings, he would need to descend into a slowly tightening noose of angry officers and Onderon's mobilizing reserve guard, as the Raisonneur drew ever nearer en route from the spaceport...

[Lusef Aryan]

Timings and awareness were two key elements for any battle. At his full power, fully revived, even as he was before he started the Rituals, he knew he could have cut a bloody swath through the CoreSec officers as well as any resistance Iziz could muster. As much as he loathed the schizophrenic gods of Light and Dark that people called the Force, he knew that loss of the not quite omniscient and prescient edge, along with his most powerful artifacts and relics put him at a disadvantage.

 

Fortunately, limited as he was in his current state the shadow of the Hunter knew enough to anticipate his foes and to plan.

 

Linked to his remotes he could see the troops pouring in, blasters leveling, as well as detect an oncoming ship by sight as it sped over the city. Its approach vector left little doubt where it was headed and why. Timing was again critical.

 

His balance was not as secure as he'd have liked in his mad leaps to the roof of the palace, the hand with the pack grasping ledges and sliding into spaces between stones to give him the moment needed to leap again. Carrying Geister's limp form had been a consideration in those seconds where he struck out, but between his body and the Jedi Master, it limited his maneuverability too much. And Geister failed him spectacularly. Perhaps if he recloned his follower they could turn this incident into a teachable moment, though Faust's next chastisement would be far less mercifully than the pithing of his brainstem while unconscious.

 

Despite turning his eyes skyward, Faust had not turned his attention away from Tenebris. He'd tried to fire on him from multiple angles during his rushing attack, the remote he'd dispatched earlier into the eves of the palace even taking a wild shot at him to keep him off balance. Even as Faust climbed higher, he could see the raising of the arms towards him. Faust didn't know what would be happening, but the tiny, deadly sphere took aim of its own, ready. The hook fired off, its barbed head grappling the pack. Faust felt a moment of resistance, halting his climb for a second, a sense of amusement passing through him. Clever and well played, but not enough. The remote fired, a single clean narrow blaster bolt that severed the line cleanly, leaving the head embedded in the pack, sending the cord snapping wildly back towards it master.

 

Faust made the final leap, his two other remotes seeing the oncoming rush of blaster fire, darting to the side and up, his limbs making an inhuman movement like a wild beast. He tightened his hands around the prone Jedi Master and the pack, landing on the roof, immediately dropping flat to dodge blaster fire that raked over head, roughly landing atop Skye. In all too precious few seconds, he had little doubt the ship would have a visual on him. Fighting the ship by hand would be an option if he didn't have a Jedi Master to lug around. He took three seconds of time to plan out another course of attack, dislodging the hook and tossing it over the edge. At the same time, the remote that severed the line lined up another shot at Tenebris as he tried to put out his smoking lieutenant- the blaster bolt firing in a way where it angled straight through the officer's center of mass and if it carried forward would fry the lieutenant under him.

 

On the roof, Faust took another option. Time was not on his side here allowing CoreSec to pour in more reinforcements. And if additional Jedi showed up, this could be messy. All the same, a protracted fight here and now was not in his interest. He had what he needed, a valuable hostage atop the threats he leveled against Iziz earlier, and now he just needed to secure passage off the planet. He reached into his jacket, securely tucking the pack in as well. He lacked the usual array of armaments, but he still carried a gun with him. Never fond of mere blasters, he favored a disruptor. Capable of atomizing its targets, it made trivial most shields and other defenses. It also did the same for most concepts like walls, roofs, and doors. Leveling a shot at the roof, he created his own entrance into the Palace, making CoreSec's air superiority moot as he jumped down, vanishing from visual range. The ship may or may not spot the hole he created, but it would put him on favored terrain: Narrow halls and passages that limited numbers, as well as an entire building full of functionaries and other soft targets that would make the situation precarious for CoreSec.

 

He found himself inside a hallway, landing neatly. Carefully carrying his hostage, he navigated the halls an escape plan in mind He had little time before they tried to go into the Palace after him and had to optimize his options. Linked into the remotes still as his followers were, he had a message he sent back to his followers aboard the ship in a highly encrypted fashion.

 

*****

 

Aboard the delta class shuttle, Faust's followers watched the exchange with awe, also patched in via the remotes. The trio of ex troopers had made a wager with the trio of Sith followers they picked up on Korriban about Faust's actual state. The troopers won that bet as they saw Faust leap out and climb. Gamma in particular wondered what Faust's game was now. Was it really him? The robotic shade knew too much not to be, but what was really happening? He didn't know, his line of thought broken as a signal arrived on the ship's comm system.

 

I'm pinned down inside the Palace. Geister is dead and I have Jedi Master Skye incapacitated and hostage. I may be forced to go underground and wait out our opposition. Discretion over extraction on your part, but help is... likely required... Let the Dark Lord know everything. Everything.

 

The comm ended, and given the tempo of the words, Gamma got the sense of frenzied careful movement. He looked gravely at his companions and despite the shaking of the trio of pureblood Sith, punched in the communication to Korriban as required.