Dathomir

[darth shadowlord]

Draken smiled after he landed the ship. "We could explore but I wanted to show you something I was working on before I joined the Force first." He let her into the training room and and knelt on floor and offered her his hand. He let his mind drift into the Force and felt her presence alongside him. He led her deep within the all encompassing waves of the force neither light nor dark before finding an slow moving current.

 

"This is something I started working on after studying how a Miraluka saw the world considering the fact that they were blind. Then I discovered the fact that there is a semi transparent Force aura-like shroud that surrounds every force user. It is different with every force user, although it tends to be similar between types of force users like Sith Warriors seem to be red in color. Assassins tend to have a purple force presence, Jedi Sentinels have a tendency for an orange like color. Observe."

 

He turned her hand over so that her palm rested on the back of his left hand and reached out with his right hand. He rested his hand on her temple and touched a tiny part of her brain with the force, stimulating it just enough so she could see the semi-transparent violet wave that flowed over her hand and disappeared as it flowed past her hand.

[Alora]

Alora followed Draken into the training room and as he did, she knelt down facing him. When he offered her his hand, she placed hers in his and let him guide her. She smiled when he began to show her their auras, seeing the purple surrounding her own hand.

 

“Did I ever tell you that I saw auras surrounding and intermingling around John and Sirvani? It was something I stumbled upon back when I was an apprentice and staying at Raxus Prime. The two Masters were vibrant in colour, reds and purples intermingling with each other while the other apprentices were all muddy browns and grays.”

[Zalis Krales]

Zalis sent a Comm for Delta.

 

..:: "Delta, I have a need to test a weapon. Where can I meet you?" ::..

[Delta73]

Delta’s hand brushed lightly on Qaeala’s back as they walked into the nightsister camp. He could feel his apprehension at seeing the kids again starting to build in his throat. He had loved those kids, as much as he could at least. THough at times their looks and reactions reminded him too much of Lord Ar-Pharazon. Though so far from what he had heard, they hadn’t laid waste to their toddler enemies yet. So they couldn’t be too much like the man Delta used to look up to so much. Delta smiled under his Mandalorian helmet which opened up his comm unit as a message from the big boss came in. He sent off a quick reply and then sneezed. Since the helmet was using facial software, this promptly sent off a series of explict texts off to various contacts. He winced. And shut off the system for the time being.

 

He turned to Qaela and said, “Well I can hardly wait to get them out of this place. It was a mistake to ever send them here…” His hands tightened on the rifle as they drew near to center of the village.

[darth shadowlord]

“Did I ever tell you that I saw auras surrounding and intermingling around John and Sirvani? It was something I stumbled upon back when I was an apprentice and staying at Raxus Prime. The two Masters were vibrant in colour, reds and purples intermingling with each other while the other apprentices were all muddy browns and grays.”

 

"I'm not surprised, John knew more about the Force then most Sith at that point in time. I would have considered him to be akin to the modern Krath either directly or a predecessor to them. It was his library that was part of my inspiration for my own library." He paused for a moment then canted his head off to one side much like an nocturnal avian from a distant world. A smile that would have made a feline predator crossed his face as he opened his eyes and reached his hand out for his staff. The ball at the top erupted with crimson lighting as it touched his left hand.

 

"It would seem that our presence may have attracted.... Scavengers. One with a rancor, I can do a lot with rancor skin, teeth and claws." His smile grew larger as he found her position. "Oh this will be fun, she has already crossed into the compound. Shall we hunt?"

[Alora]

Alora smiled back at Draken when he mentioned John's library being the inspiration for his. Her violet eyes sparkled as she changed the subject briefly, "What would you say if I asked Emily to be my Maid of Honour and Raia our flowergirl?"

 

Her eyes followed Draken as the look of a predator crossed his features. She stretched out her senses and felt the presence outside of the compound, her hand slipping around the hilt of her saber as his staff erupted with the crimson lightning.

 

"It would seem that our presence may have attracted.... Scavengers. One with a rancor, I can do a lot with rancor skin, teeth and claws." His smile grew larger as he found her position. "Oh this will be fun, she has already crossed into the compound. Shall we hunt?"

 

A matching grin crossed her own features as she answered, "Lead the way my love." Alora figured they would have to get the droid to let them out of a secondary exit so they could use the element of surprise on their 'visitor'.

[darth shadowlord]

Draken made his way from the ship with Alora at his side after setting the defensive systems to maximum. The light of the setting sun turning his predatory expression into the look of an alpha predator. He smiled as they slipped through the back gate of the compound, he extended his senses and could feel the massive beating of the Rancor's heart and the smaller beating heart of the Nightsister. Taking a breath, he muted his presence in the force except for a tiny hint of the Darkside to attract her. Placing his hand on top of the orb of the staff, he quieted the lightning to a flicker. He turned his head slightly and gestured to the left to Alora, she could flank the Rancor while he went for the kill.

 

He slipped into the underbrush, uncloaking his presence for a moment to attract her closer before hiding his presence again. It worked well as mere moments later, he could feel the heavy footfalls of the Rancor and remained in place as the Rancor's roar scattered many of the smaller animals. A large sleek black panther like feline came striding into the same brush as Draken, it wasn't running but it was moving quickly enough to not draw attention until it saw him. It stopped for a moment even while attempting to evade the rancor. They stared at each other for a moment predator to predator, their eyes locked in the eternal struggle before the feline growled low in its throat and then with a flick of its tail loped deeper into the jungle. Draken smiled and let a snarl slip from his lips in reply then moved closer to where the rancor was.

 

It seemed to be a young rancor and didn't appear that the Nightsister to which the rancor was bonded was much older. That would make things much easier, he would have to take care not to kill her although the rancor was fair game to kill. He uncloaked his presence to the Force, this time he had no intention of of hiding as he quickly demonstrated. Leveling the staff at the rancor, he unleashed a torrent of concentrated crimson chain lightning. The lightning screamed as it cut through the air then burned its way through the rancor's left arm. The rancor's roar of pain split the jungle as it turned to find the one that had cause it such pain. Draken smiled and unleashed a second torrent of lightning as the remains hit the ground with with a thud. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the second burst of lightning burnt through the rancor's eye and stopped just shy of the rear of the eye socket.

[Zalis Krales]

Zalis sat in the pilot'c chair from the Supremacy as the planet of Dathomir grew before her eyes. She was extremely grateful that Delta was in such a position to aid her in her quests for conquests, destructions, and utter glorious power and love of vice. It was after all, the things that drew her into Black Sun, the things that Smash was all about, ad the things she wanted to continue as her time leading. Without making a bold rush in, Zalis sent a comm to Delta, letting him know that she was in the system and ready for fun and games.

[Alora]

Just as Draken did, Alora reduced her force presence to a minimum, something akin to being 'weaker' than the Nightsister. As Alora went off to the left she began weaving an illusion, working out what she would conjure up as a distraction. Knowing each other so well, the Sith Mistress revealed her presence only for a moment just as Draken did, making the Nightsister just a little bit confused when she couldn't find where they were. Alora crept closer so she could keep the Nightsister and Rancor in view. At the same time Draken revealed himself for his attack, Alora unveiled her presence as well though behind the Nightsister was the illusion of a larger rancor and Nightsister... both very aggressive towards the 'younger' pair.

 

The Nightsister didn't know which way to turn, her beast roaring in agony from Draken's lightning attacks. The illusionary rancor roared also, moving in as if to attack as well, the young Nightsister didn't know which way to defend herself from, the lightning attack or the beast closing in on her. The Sith both heard her attempting to weave a spell, Alora lashing out with the Force to choke her just enough so that she would panic and forget about casting spells.

[darth shadowlord]

Draken smiled as he saw the illusion of the rancor that Alora had just created, her timing as per normal was perfect. He twirled away from the rancor's flailing tail and spun his staff around so that he was grasping it in both hands. An idea struck him, something that he had been wanting to attempt and what a better chance to try it then on a live target. Quickly he summoned an orb of crimson lightning and caught it on the spike of the staff. With a flick of his wrists, the spike split the orb and the lightning began to follow the pass of the staff as he drew the lightning out into long streak.

 

Turning the staff over, he left it to levitate behind him as he leapt over the rancor's tail and landed ten feet behind the rancor as he began to twist the lightning into a shape he was very familiar with. The lightning fought against his manipulation for a moment before yielding to his command and assuming the form of a massive sword. He examined the lightning for a moment and then lashed out with the sword forged of lightning. The sword screamed as it crisped the air around it with a audible crackle. The Nightsister spun around in her saddle into to see the lightning sword sever the remainder of the left arm and then slip into guard before slashing out again and cutting a cauterized gash deep into the rancor's upper torso. The rancor's bellow of pain, filled the jungle, drowning out even the sound of the lightning's crackle.

 

He looked at the Nightsister and spoke, his Dathomiri nearly flawless as his voice rang out amplified by the Force. "Fool of a Nightsister, you hunt blind little knowing that rather then being the hunter, you are the prey. Not of a enemy clan, but rather of a Sith. A Male Sith Master to be exact." Her scream of anger nearly matched her rancor's as she lashed out at him with a spell. Unbidden, the staff leapt back into his left hand and the orb erupted in emerald lightning as she lashed out with her spell. He could hear her words, a spell of entrapment and paralyzation.

 

Silently he uttered a reversal spell he had plundered from the mind of the Nightsister captives. It would take a moment to affect full reversal so to keep her attention for that moment he acted as if the spell had taken hold, freezing in position till he heard her scream of triumph get cut off suddenly as the spell rebounded on her. His laugh rang out in the jungle as he lashed out with the lightning sword one final time. He embedded the blade in the rancor's torso then sent a charge of power through it. The bound lightning reacting violently to the additional charge broke the bonds keeping it held to shape and sought to discharge its energy however it could. The overload of dark energy was more then the rancor's body could tolerate and it exploded into several massive pieces and catapulted the Nightsister and her saddle into the surrounding trees when she hung unconscious upside down as a rancor tooth slammed into the tree over his shoulder.

 

He turned his head and looked at the tooth, then walked over to it and slowly worked the tooth free from the tree and tucked it into a pouch with a chuckle. Then he turned his head and looked at Alora with an amused look on his face. "Perhaps I used a bit too much of a charge for the last part, might have to adjust that. Well shall we see to our prisoner?"

[Alora]

Alora had picked up a few Dathomiri words but was in no way fluent as yet, though she had begun to study it, along with the Ancient Sith Language. She understood a few of the words Draken spoke to the Nightsister, enough to get the gist of his comments. After the Nightsister screamed in anger, Alora spoke as well, letting the young woman see that she was there too and just as powerful, "Not only one Sith but two accomplished Masters of the Darkside."

 

As Draken dealt with the Nightsisters spell, Alora lashed out as well, filling the Nightsisters mind with images of her being tortured, repeated images of Draken's attack on the rancor, everything to make her know how helpless she was against the two Sith. As her lovers laugh rang out, Alora smiled with a wicked glint in her eye. Catching the look on his face, she began to laugh as the rancor literally exploded, bits of it flying out in all directions. Alora threw up a shield so she wouldn't be covered with gore.

 

"Perhaps I used a bit too much of a charge for the last part, might have to adjust that. Well shall we see to our prisoner?"

 

Once she had stopped laughing she raised an eyebrow and answered with, "You think?" She paused a moment before adding, "Let's get her down and see what she can tell us." With a grin on her face Alora linked her arm through Draken's, the two heading over to where their prisoner was hanging in the tree. She was looking forward to invading the Nightsisters mind to see what she knew.

[Delta73]

Delta could only feel his heart beating high into his chest as they searched for the village elder. The news of their arrival had caused quite the stir and it looked like the whole village of Sisters was out in force, including the clan matriarch. The scowl on her face told him everything. They were in a far more dangerous situation than Qaela had let them believe. His breathing fell into a steady rhythm as he saw scores of Nightsisters beginning to form a steady circle around him and his men. If there was a fight, Delta knew he and his men would win but he would rather not catch any of Qaela’s children in the inevitable nuclear holocaust. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the three children in front of the matriarch, looking for all the world like junior versions of their parents. Both the boys wore a happy smile that Delta had seen countless times on the face of Ar-Pharazon. Usually of course displayed during some random outburst of violence. And the girl sneered at them with all the disdain a seven year old could muster. Just like her mother.

 

Her disdainful sneer turned to a cry of joy as Delta lifted his visor and smiled. The kids cried out in unison for their mother and adopted father, sprinting the ten meters to jump into Delta and Qaela’s outstretched arms. Delta tossed his blaster to the side and scooped the boys into his arms. He hadn’t thought a child could touch his heart like that, he had killed plenty in his career, but he could feel something touch him from their grinning faces. Fatherhood? He hadn’t felt that before. To be a buir. (A father) That was the word. He had looked to his trainer Dred Priest as a father, but that had always been a distant and horrible thing. He would not do that to these children. He would not beat these children to form them into warriors. He would shelter them, he would nurture them. He grinned at Qaela who was busy enough with the hugs from her daughter. And then just as suddenly his grin died on his lips.

 

More nightsisters were beginning to appear all around them. Many with clan markings from all over the planet. Delta could feel his heart rocketing down to his stomach. It was a trap. Of course it was. Nothing in his life ever went kriffing right. Delta could feel the sudden agitation, fear, and resolve fall over Qaela and Delta knelt. Keeping one arm protectively around the two boys he reached up and closed his visor again. Silently he looked at the matriarch of the clan as she stood.

 

Azagrath ensfare asfelt ezgarth

 

The chant was a chorus all around them as black sun agents began to bring their weapons to bear on the chanting women. Qaela chanted something under her breath and a mirrored sheen of a force shield covered them.

“Im scared.” The small boy in his arm whispered to the side of Delta’s helmet and nuzzled into the shoulder pauldron.

 

“You will be fine little one, your father will protect you.”

 

The chanting stopped and Delta heard Qaela’s high piercing scream or hatred and anguish. “Telperiën!” The girl in her arms started to thrash and scream in pain though Delta could not hear or see the reason why. He drew his red cloak around the boys to shield them from their sister’s screams, until they suddenly ceased. He cursed softly, hoping that Qaela had just calmed her down. But the piercing fire of anguish that shone like a beacon from his love told him otherwise.

Azagrath ensfare asfelt ezgarth

 

He dared to look at Qaela who was holding a limp form close to her chest, tears streaming from her purple eyes. A scream came from under his cloak and he scooped the boys up to his chest. Qaela was screaming a chant and fire was licking from her fingertips. He didn’t even notice his men all around him blasting away at the nightsisters and falling silently from spells and arrows alike. All he could hear was the screaming from his chest and the thudding beat of his heart. He had to go, He had to get them out of here. Whatever this dark magic was, he couldn’t fight it. As he turned to run back the way they came, he dared to look at the two identical boys in his arms. They were screaming in anguish, thrashing as the force took their lives. Breaking their bones and draining the life from their bodies. Slowly and as painfully as the dark side of Nighsister power only could. The chanting of the nightsisters had done its work.

Azagrath ensfare asfelt ezgarth

 

A second later and he was left alone. Two little bleeding bodies held as gingerly as he could and his mind racing. He wanted to throw up. But he couldn’t. He laid them down in the midst of the firefight and placed his helmet against their foreheads. He closed their staring eyes with a gentle finger. He whispered the words that he had said to so many fallen comrades in the Clone Wars.

 

“Ret'urcye mhi” (Perhaps we will meet again)

 

The tinkling sound of laughter haunted him from his past. “I told you everything you touch and love dies Ca’Aran.”

 

He stood and looked at the matriarch with a wild smile on his lips. The laser designator turned on and focused on her chest though she was only a dozen meters away. A second later and the village was engulfed in turbolaser strikes. The holocaust of Dathomir was at hand.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

A comm comes in for Delta73.

 

 

Thanks for the invite, Ca'Aran. We might have to figure out a more family-friendly activity. Good news! I found my daughter. - Jaina

 

[Delta73]

In the upper atmosphere the soldiers aboard the Marie, a heavily modified Corvette, began their onslaught. The tac-officer at the command chair of the dorsal turbolaser battery directed fire into the square kilometer around the laser designator with grim precision. One by one each grad square around the center point was filled by fire and checked off the command board. Tactical officer Grimswald looked at his chronometer and smiled, the kilometer was finished in twentyfour seconds. With a clockwise rotation of his wrist on the holographic display, Grimswald called up the footage of the bombardment. It was sped up to quadruple speed and he eyed the footage the computer had already parsed twice. No living being, Black Sun Agent, Nighsister, nightchild, or otherwise had escaped the fiery bombardment. He sighed and called up the source for the target designation the village wasn’t even recognizable. Simply a series of craters, shattered rock, and puttering fires that were remnants of trees. He glanced at the signal strength of the laser designator and as expected No signal was received from the laser designator or its origin point. He grimaced and tapped into the RCAA3 Network calling up the footage from Vigo Delta’s helmet.

 

He pulled out a sheet of flimsi and as he rewatched the footage from the helmet cam he scribbled down symbols, names, and insignias. He isolated them and passed them through the computer and against known clan names from holodatabanks. 49 targets and their locations popped up across the holo display of the Dathomiri homeworld. Grimswald pulled up the comm system to the other Black Sun Ship commanded by Zalis Krales.

 

“Leader Krales, Agent Delta Seven Three has designated forty-nine targets for annihilation, would you be interested in beginning the holocaust of these savage peoples? He left orders for us to use all possible mean of vengeance in the case of his death or ambush. Both those qualifications have been met and we would appreciate your assistance in the matter.”

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

A comm comes in for Delta73.

 

 

She's 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit like most human children. Catch you later. - Jaina

 

[Zalis Krales]

Zalis allowed for herself to smile as she pressed her lips together that made the smile seem all too wicked. Warming up the weapons on the Supremacy, Zalis quickly acknowledged her own response that she would happily make a few flybys to helps burn the planet to the ground. At the helm, she pushed her ship towards the nearest target that she was given. She made sure that her four prototype torpedoes were loaded in the added launchers on either side of the cargo holds she had outfitted them with. As she approached the first target, she began to become overwhelmed with eagerness to see what sort of damage they could do. Finding the center of the village, she launched two torpedoes, which were two different types. They were designed to strike at different times in order to have the most impact.

 

As the first torpedo struck the village ground, it explored in what appeared to be mushroom cloud that overtook the village almost instantly. The gas, as it was, was highly flammable, and carried a few toxins within them, that when exposed to it, would slowly over a week decay the flesh into nothing. It was a precaution in case anyone would escape the effects of the second proton torpedo, which acted as an accelerant to the gas, igniting it into instantaneous flames. It also carried with it shards of shrapnel, which would be carried by the blast and cause extreme bleed and rip through parts of the body. The results of the first blast, complete annihilation of the village. Zero survivors, zero vegetation left alive, ground completely charred beyond repair.

 

As Zalis looked with both her eyes and the scanner reading the results of her prototype torpedoes, she smiled even wider. The village and the surrounding area put o hundred yards were left without anything to be looked at besides for burning ground and remains of bodies well on their way to bones or less. She immediately transmitted the results to Delta followed by a comm of her own.

 

"Delta, I can replicate those results at least twice more. Do you have any high profile targets you wish to test these babies on?"

[darth shadowlord]

Draken smiled and looked at the branch that the Nightsister and her saddle were hanging from. He pondered for a moment where her should release her from the saddle or whether he leave her twisted in the saddle straps and bring her down from the tree as she was. He reached out and snapped the branch and let her plummet for a moment before stopping her from collapsing on the ground. He examined the straps of the saddle for a moment, then untangled them with the force and then tied each hand to the opposite foot then bound her eyes. He placed his hand on her skull and let his senses slip into her mind as he searched for the nerve center of her brain. When he had found it, he left a block on several nerves rendering her unable to move, to speak, to hear and also should she manage to get free rendered her unable to see.

 

When he was done, he left her along and went to look at the rancor corpse or rather what was left of it. The majority of the corpse was large enough that he could easily use the skin for a project. He looked over at Alora and inclined his head to the corpse, he was certain she would know what he had in mind for the skin. He removed a large knife from a sheath and examined the blade to check its sharpness. Satisfied he began to remove the thick hide from the rancor's corpse, the skin removal would take some time and the scent of meat was already attracting some lesser predators including a large black feline that had exited the brush five feet away from him. It growled low in its throat causing Alora to look over at him with some concern and a small smile to cross Draken's face.

 

He growled back, his power coming across through the growl and the feline took a step back as it pinned back its ears as it growled once more trying to reassert its dominance. He laughed and sliced off a massive chuck of flesh and tossed it to the cat then glanced over to Alora with the look of interest in his eyes as he inclined his head towards the cat. When he was done skinning the two portions of rancor skin that suited his purpose, he tucked his knife away and looked over at where the cat lay in the nearby tree with one eye open still watching him. He had to admit the feline intrigued him, it would seem that he would need to examine it further but for now he had several things to take care of. He levitated the rancor skin into the air and slung the Nightsister into the air and along with Alora walked back to the compound.

 

Once in the compound, they locked the gates and proceeded into the ship. He dropped the nightsister in the cargo hold and brought the rancor skin to his workshop and set it on the table, the skin could wait till a quiet moment, for now he had a mind to break. He walked back to Alora and kissed her, it was funny how the kill or the potential exploration or destruction of a mind affected him.

[Alora]

Alora shared a look with Draken as they observed the Nightsister still hanging in the tree. She could feel the Force swirl around them as he snapped the branch, allowing their prisoner to fall though stopping her before she hit the ground. She felt his power as the Krath incapacitated the Nightsister before he turned his attention to the remains of the rancor. Their eyes met, the two Sith sharing a thought of what he wanted the rancor skin for. The Sith Mistress watched on as he procured what he needed from the rancor corpse before the headed back towards the compound.

 

As they neared the compounds entrance, the ground trembled, the Sith looking around and seeing a mushroom cloud far off in the distance. The ground rocked a second time and some of the wildlife went a little crazy, some of the creatures racing out past them from the surrounding forest, some close enough for them to reach out and touch if they wanted to. Even the predators were not interested in anything but getting far away from the threat that shook the ground. Reaching the door, Alora keyed the code to open the doors, allowing Draken to go in first since he was levitating the Nightsister and skin. As she took a step to follow him in, a small black blur zipped through her legs, racing towards the shadows to hide. It didn't get far as the Sith Mistress levitated the creature off the ground and brought it back so she could see what it was and maybe put it back outside. What she found herself with was a small black cub. Her hands closed around the struggling creature, one of her hands closing around the scruff of it's neck, the other curling around it, petting it as she attempted to calm the frightened feline.

 

She followed slowly behind, talking softly to the cub as she entered the ship. Alora went through to the galley, getting some milk in a shallow bowl and taking it over to the lounge. The cubs nose twitched as it smelt the milk and was soon lapping at milk. She kept patting it until she heard Draken approach. She stood to greet him, returning his kiss enthusiastically. When their lips parted, Alora spoke softly, her hand automatically moving to stroke the soft fur of the panther cub. "Look what I found. It was frightened by those explosions. Once it's calm and has had a good feed, I'll let it go."

[darth shadowlord]

"Look what I found. It was frightened by those explosions. Once it's calm and has had a good feed, I'll let it go."

 

"You could let it go, although it does seem to suit you." He knelt down for a moment and examined the cub then smiled as it hissed at him. He stood back up and winked at her then his face turned cold. "Time to invade her mind, care to watch?" The cub lifted its head and hissed as it felt the power emanating from Draken as he left the galley headed to the cargo bay. He knelt in front of the Nightsister and removed the leather strap from her eyes before placing his left hand on the top of her head. He delved back into the nerve center of her brain and unblocked her eyes and her hearing. His expression was one of cold fury as the grip of his hand tighten on her skull as he slid into her mind.

 

First he inspected the initial barriers to her mind while hiding where his presence was within her mind, subtlety would serve him well until the assault began. After 10 minutes, he found the point that he was seeking. He crafted a nearly transparent version of a siege ram and positioned it at the weak point. Then with a massive focused punch of the Force, the ram broke through the initial wall. Draken smiled to himself as a keening sound escaped from the lips of the Nightsister, he was past the first line of defenses. Now the time came to explore his way through the rubble and take anything that matched what he was seeking.

 

It took him a while to find a hint of something that he was seeking. She and several other lesser had met with someone with markings that resembled several of the cultists that he had met previous. This would require further examination, which based on the next set of defenses before him would not be a major impediment. He lashed out with a blade of lightning, incinerating the next defenses as the keening grew louder. Draken strode over the rubble of the inner parts of her mind, his practiced eyes searching for further clues as to where she had met the cultist and what he had wanted.

[Alora]

"You could let it go, although it does seem to suit you." Alora tilted her head to the side, her violet eyes sparkling as she thought about it. “She is cute…” Her hand continued to glide along the cub’s back, a brighter smile crossing her features as it started to purr. “What do you say little one… do you want to stay?” Yellow eyes met hers, a meow breaking up the purring before the cub went back to lapping the milk.

 

The Sith Mistress couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped her as the little black cub hissed at Draken, her smile widening at his wink. "Time to invade her mind, care to watch?" “I’ll just settle this little one and be there in a moment.” She watched as Draken headed to the cargo hold before she picked up the cub and bowl of milk and headed to the bedroom. Placing the milk down on the floor in a corner, Alora stroked the little black female panther, “I’ll be back soon little one. Stay here and enjoy your milk.” She placed the cub down and headed towards the hold. As she went, she activated her comm. to contact the compound’s droid with a request to get something to use as a litter box. The droid assured her that it would find something and bring it to the ship for her.

 

With that sorted Alora entered the cargo hold, opening the bond she shared with Draken to follow what he was doing with the Nightsister. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, a sign that he could draw from her if he needed to. She followed along like a passenger as he broke through each line of defense and helped him to sift through the information laid open to them within the Nightsisters mind.

[Raynuk Montar]

A comm from Raynuk comes in to Draken's personal comm frequency.

My friends, I have finally arrived above Dathomir. I apologize for the delay; there was an unscheduled detour… and I am afraid now I arrive alone. I will explain further once we are face to face. I will head towards where you landed for now until I hear otherwise. Have you found anything of substance yet?

[Raia Montar]

((Co-Authored --- Arrival is several hours after Raynuk's.))

 

The Shine exited hyperspace and it took Raia several moments with Emily’s help to identify the topography that signaled her home. It was difficult due to the denseness of the jungle, but as the planet rotated beneath them Raia eventually found her natal home. At this distance, it wasn’t far from a large plume of smoke and smoldering brush that appeared to have happened several hundred kilometers from the area that the young Dathomiri Witch was directing Emily now.

 

Even in the face of such destruction near her home, the girl seemed calmer and more confident than she’d ever been before, so strong was her determination to find or make her own safety on this planet.

 

For her part, Emily was worried, but she didn't let it show. Raia seemed calm despite the attack. Emily picked up several other ships in the vicinity, registered to Black Sun, and made a face but said nothing. The ship came in for a smooth landing, squishing a little in the mud.

 

Emily deliberately kept herself closed off from the Force. She didn't know if he was here already, but she didn't want to find out.

 

The ramp lowered and the moist jungle air hit Emily like a wet sock in the face. She grimaced. She hated humidity. And a swarm of insects descended on her almost as soon as she stepped out. What Raia saw in this place, she never would know.

 

She turned to her--now former--apprentice. “You know where you are?” Of course, she did. Emily was just putting off her goodbyes. She hugged the girl. “Please, be safe…And call me if you need anything.”

 

Raia returned her hug, just as fiercely before pulling out the comlink she’d carefully hidden in the lining of the bag. Her clan wouldn't like her bringing it in, but it had been one of the conditions she'd agreed to in order to help Emily feel a bit safer about leaving her on the planet alone.

 

Making sure her tattoo was thoroughly covered by both her shirt and the light-weight scarf around her neck, she took a few steps before turning to run back to Emily for one last hug. “I promise I won't forget you. Because of you I now have advantages I didn't before. You've made me stronger. I'll miss you, but remember you're not alone either.”

 

Stepping back once more, Raia smiled, if not a bit sadly, and dashed off into the underbrush, obscured within moments by the ferns and foliage that made up the ground layer of the jungle.

[Emily]

Emily watched her go for a moment. She knew what she had to do, but she was dreading it. Finally she turned to Roe’gall. “You should stay with her,” she told the beast. “I want her safe. You can protect her. And I don't want her to be alone.”

 

He immediately whined.

 

She pulled his head down to hers, and repeated it to him in the language of the ancient Sith, pressing it into his mind to be sure he understood. His distress was immediate. He growled and whined and blew smelly tuk’ata breath in her face.

 

It broke her heart, but she knew this was for the best. She was losing her best source of comfort, her one constant companion who had never given up on her...but it was the right thing to do. She was more certain of it than she had been of anything in the past few weeks.

 

“You and I will always be bonded,” she whispered, fingering the vial of his blood that she always wore. “And I will come for you someday. I promise this is not a forever goodbye.”

 

She rubbed him vigorously under the chin one more time. Then, steeling herself, she pushed him away. “Go.”

 

He took a last long look, but he was too well trained to disobey her commands. After a moment, he howled, then tore off after Raia through the bush.

 

Suddenly, Emily felt very small and very alone. She swallowed hard against the tears that were once again threatening, and headed back into the ship.

 

As she prepared to take off, she risked opening herself to the Force. She sensed him, but didn't linger. Instead, she reached out to Alora.”Farewell, Aunt Alora. I can't join you...but I'll see you again.”

 

Then she withdrew. She didn't know what he would tell them, but in the end it didn't matter. Her ship lifted off world, and moments later, vanished again into hyperspace.

[Wookiee Jedi]

A recorded holoprojector comm came in for Xae-Lin Ardel.

 

 

This is Jedi Master Kirlocca. I have to inform the order of a change that has occurred. Dahar has stepped down as Grandmaster. I want for key members of the Order to report in, only through holoprojector to make their vote on Grandmaster. From there, a Council will be formed. If you are receiving this, you are a key member. I will be moving the Order off Tython and setting up on Ossus. All Jedi can have the old Praxeum here as the main place to go for things, but please stay as active in the galaxy as you can. We need to remain Jedi. If you need me, I will be on Ossus. May the Force be with you.

 

[darth shadowlord]

My friends, I have finally arrived above Dathomir. I apologize for the delay; there was an unscheduled detour… and I am afraid now I arrive alone. I will explain further once we are face to face. I will head towards where you landed for now until I hear otherwise. Have you found anything of substance yet?

 

The comm system recognized the address of the comm and sent a pre-programmed comm in response with the landing codes for the compound and the location thereof.

 

--Meanwhile in the cargo hold--

 

Draken examined the last piece of information that he had found, it was a location several day's travel from their present location. There was a canyon that she feared to think about after the event and it involved the the cultist with the tattoo. This was something important, there wasn't much that a Nightsister would fear. He took a moment and contemplated the image in front of him then transmitted the image to Alora so she could see it as well. The location wasn't far from where the Nightsister had previously stored a cache of scrolls that he had plundered years before. He contemplated the information for a bit longer then made his decision. He looked at the final wall of mental defenses in front of him, then smiled. The defense before him was vast but it had a weakness.

 

He drew on the Force and his left hand ignited with a corona of crimson and ebony lightning that wasn't quite touching her skull. He let the lightning build for a moment then let two small bolts strike, the lightning bypassed her skin and bone. The crimson bolt arched into one of the pain nodes of the nerve clusters and as the immense energy from the bolt arched through the node, it ignited as the Nightsister began to scream wordlessly and writhe on the deck of the cargo hold. Milliseconds later the ebony bolt struck one of the pleasure nodes, as it burned through the point her eyes rolled back into her skull and her body arched away from Draken as her scream took on a plaintive tone. The mental defense began to crumble, the first few layers of the wall beginning to shed parapets along the wall.

 

He let several more bolts strike other portions of the pain and pleasure center of her brain simultaneously as she began to writhe harder then spasm on the deck of the cargo hold as her mind overloaded from the immolation of the nerve centers of her brain. Draken growled low in his throat sounding not unlike a predator as he overwhelmed the last of her mental defenses and conquered her mind. He began to filter through her deepest secrets and fears slowly examining all of them, taking those that interested him and discarding those that were of no use to him until he found the memory that she feared to think about. She had worked with the cultists and a spell had gone wrong, a spell that she had had no chance of controlling. Draken released her skull and left her nearly lifeless body slump to the deck. A ragged breathing could be heard and Draken placed his hand on the deck to steady himself for a moment before slowly standing up, to break a mind in such a manner was something that took a lot of power even for a weakly defended mind. He reached out his hand and the staff leapt into it and ignited with crimson lightning, he inhaled deeply then looked at Alora.

 

"I have it, the cultists were here seeking a spell from the Nightsister but it would seem that the spell went wrong. I know where it happened, but I don't know the exact spell that was used. Although I have a suspicion as to the type of spell used and if correct those can go wrong in a more then a few ways and all of them are varying degrees of bad. Anything from killing the area to killing the user and that's just to start." He stroked his beard for a moment in contemplation and then slipped his sabre from the sheath and ignited it then beheaded the Nightsister in a quick motion then returned the sabre to its sheath.

[Alora]

It was fascinating how Draken broke through and searched the Nightsisters mind. She followed along though kept a light touch with the cub that she felt was now curled up on the foot of the bed. When her lover showed her the information regarding the Canyon she analyzed it and committed it to memory for discussing later when they all met up again. The Sith Mistress took a step back so she was just behind Draken when he started to fire the lightning bolts into their captive. Darth Alraune grinned as he hit the Nightsisters pain and pleasure nodes. What he did there, she could do with the press of a button and a flick of her whip, Prieksapes. For the most part she remained the observer although Alora lent him strength when she felt he needed the extra boost when he drew heavily upon the Force.

 

Once he had recovered somewhat from the intensity of the mind probe, their eyes met. "I have it, the cultists were here seeking a spell from the Nightsister but it would seem that the spell went wrong. I know where it happened, but I don't know the exact spell that was used. Although I have a suspicion as to the type of spell used and if correct those can go wrong in a more than a few ways and all of them are varying degrees of bad. Anything from killing the area to killing the user and that's just to start." He then proceeded to behead the nightsister.

 

Alora pondered over the information for a moment before she spoke, “If the cultists have tried these spells, what do you think we will come across once we reach the location?” She glanced at the body on the cargo bay floor, “Maybe we should get the droid to clean that up…” The two made their way out of the hold. It was while they were contemplating the information that Alora felt Emily touch her through the Force. ”Farewell, Aunt Alora. I can't join you...but I'll see you again.” The pain behind those words was obvious to her though why she was in so much pain was a mystery. Her presence faded just as quickly as it had come. “Something has happened. Emily was just here but she has departed. The pain behind her message was intense and raw.” She wondered what had happened to cause her niece so much pain and vowed to find out. “I hope nothing’s happened to Raia…” she added.

[Raynuk Montar]

Having received the automated message in reply from Draken's ship, Raynuk pushed the Ravenhammer down through the atmosphere towards his intended landing area. The large plumes of black smoke and signs of destruction on the horizon caught his eye as he descended, causing him to double check the coordinates to make sure he wasnt heading directly into what had become hell on Dathomir. He was thankful to find that he was being directed to a location a fair distance away from the signs of destruction, though that didnt ensure his friends werent caught within, especially considering he had received an automated message instead of a direct reply.

 

As he approached the compound to which he had been directed, Raynuk took a keen interest in visually scanning and periodically checking the various sensors and scopes that the ship was equipped with while 2V transmitted the landing codes. It was not long -- and with little activity that Raynuk could see -- before the Ravenhammer swooped in for a landing next to Draken's ship. Before the ship had fully settled, Raynuk was already pushing out of the pilot's chair and leaving the cockpit. Vex'aedr had sensed the ship landing apparently, as the beast met Raynuk halfway towards the stairs to descend to the lower deck. Master and pet exchanged no words or thoughts as Vex fell in behind Raynuk, and together the pair descended the boarding ramp and stepped into the compound itself. He paused, looking around and finding that the compound was more empty than he had expected. It was potentially worrying, but the fact that he sensed Alora and Draken aboard his ship brought him a measure of comfort as he crossed to the other ship, and up the ramp, pausing at the top to key the door chime for access to the ship.

 

Once he was granted access, he entered Draken's ship, a bit curious to see what the inside of his friend's ship actually looked like. Perks and drawbacks to always taking my own ship I suppose... Deciding it would probably be best to not wander through the man's ship, Raynuk found the small reception/meeting room and awaited Draken and Alora's arrival, choosing to slowly meander around the room examining all the different objects that Draken had chosen to decorate the room with, as if the room was a mini-museum. Raynuk heard them approach before he saw the pair, and turned to face them as they entered. He could feel a glimmer of worry and concern skirting around the edges of Alora's presence; it was a feature that was apparently spreading it seemed. He did not broach the subject however; if they wished to know, he would tell them, just as he had stated in his earlier message.

"I hope your time since we left Coruscant was less streneous than mine was." He stated plainly, meeting each of their gazes. "Have you had any luck finding leads on the cult?"

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

As the master-apprentice-tuk'ata trio exited the Shine, Xae remained behind knowing she'd long worn out her welcome. That and she had little desire to remain on her natal homeworld longer than absolutely necessary, especially in light of the still-smoking jungle far to the west of their position and the Black Sun ships in orbit around the planet.

 

She grabbed her comm to raise Jaina to check-in, when she noticed a message from Kirlocca. She listened to the playback, heartened that he'd assumed control, but saddened that she'd likely been right about Dahar.

 

Returning to the bunk room, she closed the door behind her and sent her reply message to the Wookiee master along with a report of what she'd seen over Dathomir.

 

She felt the decking begin to rumble under her feet once more as the Shine made its departure from the system.

[darth shadowlord]

Draken left the cargo hold, leaning on his staff a bit as he walked towards the reception area of the ship. He motioned Raynuk to a seat and then indicated for the droid to dispose of the body of the Nightsister. "I hope your time since we left Coruscant was less streneous than mine was. Have you had any luck finding leads on the cult?" Draken nodded as he took a seat, then watched the droid as it walked by with the body bag. He indicated the droid's burden as it left the ship.

 

"Yes, you could say that. She had been involved with the cultists while they were here, something went wrong though." He paused for a moment and called a datapad to his hand with the force, he turned it on and pulled up footage from the security cameras aboard the cultist's ship. Examining the faces for a moment, he found the one that he was looking for then passed the data pad over to Raynuk. "He was here in search of a type of resurrection spell from the Nightsisters." He paused, considering how to explain the next part. "It seems that something cataclysmic happened during the spell. Whatever happened was enough that she had blocked it from her mind entirely. The location though is familiar to me, I have been there before"

[Alora]

"I hope your time since we left Coruscant was less strenuous than mine was. Have you had any luck finding leads on the cult?"

"Yes, you could say that…”

Alora let Draken fill Raynuk in on what they had discovered, waiting for a break in the conversation to ask, “Raia not with you? I felt Emily briefly and she didn’t seem herself. What has happened?” There was only curiosity in her tone. When they had parted, Raia had been with Raynuk. She also wondered what he had meant by hoping their time was less strenuous than his. Stretching out her senses, she felt Vex outside, though didn’t feel that the apprentice was anywhere near.