The Shadows Before Darkness: EIGHT

Eight:
Bill: as Slee Tan (an red colored Kel-Dor)
Charles: as Mavek Darklighter (nope he named himself; human)
Tracy: as Amien (blue skinned Quirmean)
Lucas: Malek (yellow tattooed Zabrak)
Marion: Zash Rippa (a male Togruta)



Amien quickly started to re-power the Chase. Mavek jumped out of his seat and ran down the main corridor of the Chase to the engineering area, removing the floor panels he leapt down into the crawlspace and began to furiously try and rewire some of the internal systems so that remaining power could be routed to the engines. The seconds passed and each connection became less and less likely until Mavek decided to try something a bit unusual. He asked for Amien to turn off the entire ship except for backup life support systems. Moments later the lights flickered off and he was alone in the dark with his small lamp illuminating the panels in front of him. Removing the routing filters that kept the system from creating a feedback loop Mavek told them to restart the ship.

Flipping switched Amien held her breath as she flicked the main power, the ship didn’t respond. The pull of gravity was starting to shake the ship, inertia spinning the saucer section over and over as it was beginning to touch atmosphere. Allowing the calming effect of the force wash over her Amien hit the main power switch again and heard a small explosion and a hiss as the systems came back online. The main computer surged to life and the engines came back online.

Stabilizing the ship in a matter of moments she pulled the Chase away from the gravity well of the Planet as Mavek entered the bridge again. He was covered in black soot and told them that there was a small fire but it was all under control, though at the next dock he was going to have to exchange the entire routing system for a new one before they could think of taking off but they were fine for now. Amien nodded and checked her hyperspace transponder. The Chu’Unthor lay 3 days away via hyperspace. Locking in the coordinates she turned on the hyper drive.

The trip passed slowly and the Jedi meditated to pass the time mostly while Mavek kept an eye on his jury rig and made sure it stayed stable. Coming out of Hyperspace 3 days later, the Chase was greeted to an appalling site. Chu’Unthor was hanging in orbit of a backwater moon, torn open…whole sections of its massive hull exposed to space. Two of the Unknown ships lay adrift in the general area as well; hulls blasted apart, engines dark dead in space, dwarfed by the utter scope of the massive Chu’Unthor. The third ship actually had rammed the Chu’Unthor’s tearing into the side of the ship skipping along the hull, creating tears before coming to a stop imbedded near the engine cluster at the aft of the ship. Sensors told them that though the ship was stable, its orbit was not and it was degrading quickly. In 2-3 hours the ship would make contact with moons atmosphere and would be torn apart.

Sweeping around Chu’Unthor the Party tried to detect any transmissions from the ship and received a jumble of transmissions overlapping. It seemed that there was still conflict on board and many of the Jedi Padawans, Students and Republic Police Troops. Checking the various docks, the port side of the ship seemed relatively in tact and scans showed that the exposed sections of the Chu’Unthor were closed off and the ship was still at least 65% functional. Scanning the ship they determined that most of the current life forms they could detect were in the mid section and decided to dock in the aft and work up. Transmitting codes to the docking computer the automated system allowed them to dock.

The scene that lay before them was nothing less than gruesome. Bodies of all sorts were strewn about on the docking bay floor. Jedi Knights and their Padawans were torn open, Republic troops skewered or worse in some cases. All about were dead Necrid bodies and littered between those was the distinct red armor of the Sith. Opening the loading Ramp the Jedi moved slowly out of their ship. Other craft were still in the bay, from small one man fighters to full blown cargo vessels. Suggesting that Mavek stay behind and get that new routing system installed the Jedi decided to try and find any survivors and right the ships orbit before it crashed.

Agreed they departed, moving slowly down the hallways and cross floors that made the guts of the ship so impossible to navigate unless you had spent some real time there. Reaching the rear reactor system, the Jedi were greeted with the sound of gunfire and the familiar hums of Lightsabers. Peering through the blasted walls the party saw Jedi moving from one Necrid to the next with battalions of Troops fighting to regain control of this area. Necrid of all shapes and sizes were attacking. In the bustle of the combat there were also red lightsabers clashing against the Republic forces.

The carnage was unmatched as the smaller contingent of troops and Jedi continued to dwindle against the onslaught of the hordes. Slee Tan reached for his lightsaber and began to activate it when Malek and Amien stopped him. The shook their heads and pointed to the combat, the last few republic troops and one Jedi stood against hundreds of these Necrid, and those fallen were starting to get up…it was a useless show of force, this area was lost for the time being and 3 Jedi, no matter how powerful were going to make a difference. Moving away from the skirmish they continued down the hall until they encountered a larger Necrid. Not the size of Noriam but definitely not one of the drones they had seen before either. In a roar the Necrid bared down on them…rage building around the creature. In a flash Slee Tan activated his lightsaber and sliced the beast in two and deactivated it.

From the surrounding halls the roars of other Necrid could be heard as the sign of a new Jedi flared into existence. Quickly Malek Used the Force to push off a grate from a vent and used the force to leap into it. Amien followed quickly, but Slee Tan was unable to make the jump. While his power of focus on creating a balance within him and therefore within the force while in violent situations made him a master fighter his ability to manipulate the physical force wasn’t as perfected and likely never would be. Reaching down Amien used two of her four arms to grab him and yank him up into the vent systems. The vents were fairly large about 5 feet tall and 12 feet wide, allowing the Jedi to move with some ease, even though they could not stand up straight.

The further in they went the more the Jedi realized that Chu’Unthor was lost. Through the vents, they could see bodies all over the floor; scorch marks, irreparable wounds, decapitations etc… This was a slaughter. Nearing the front of the Ship, the Jedi decided to see how bad the Bridge was. Near the up flow shaft they would have to take, they found a huddle of bodies hiding in the niche. Younglings, no older than 13 were gathered together, some were covered in blood while others had scorch marks but all were scared. They told the Jedi that one of the Masters had found them and hid them in the vents and told them to stay hidden. He disappeared to find others but he never came back.

Fear oozed off these children as they looked upon the 3 Jedi. Amien told them to stay her and be very quiet and they promised to return in 15 minutes. If they didn’t, they were to take a comlink and start working their way back towards their ship. The man on the other side of the link would lead them if they got lost. The children, still afraid asked to go with the Jedi, but they couldn’t. Reaching out Amien put a subtle suggestion to not be afraid and to do as they were told calmly. The younglings agreed and pulled back into the shadowy niche as the 3 Jedi began to climb the shaft up towards the bridge. A few minutes passed and the Jedi braced themselves, backs against the walls as they peered out of the grates on the bridge.

Standing there amongst a host of bodies, quite a few of them Jedi, were three overly large Necrid standing looking out the View screen taking in the carnage they created. Long leathery wings had sprouted from their shoulder blades and ran along the length of their arms like a cloak ending at the wrist. The largest of the 3 was Noriam, his twi’lek lekku twitching behind him. Beyond the 3 Necrid stood one lone Sith Warrior. His helmet removed he sported odd markings, that apparently dealt with a higher rank system as he spoke to the Necrid. He told them that the ship was almost completely overrun and very few pockets of resistance were left. Most of his troops were already dead and the escape pod override was in place so no survivors could escape the crash should they have made it this long.

Unable to control his anger, Malek gathered the force around him and used it to push himself out of the wall through the grate, sailing in midair he activated his lightsaber and swung at the Sith. In a clean cut he decapitated the man and rolled his landing rising to his feet. His joy in the death of the man was overwhelming as he started to ebb with the Darkside.

Moving quickly Amien leapt out of her position as well using the force to carry her the distance to Malek. Slee Tan Pushed off his grate and pulled himself out of the cramped area and stood, both lightsabers lit. The Necrid took the site in, and then split each attacking a Jedi. Amien kept her lightsaber down, deactivated as she summoned the Force and used it as a battering ram on her Attacker. He slowed for a moment as his body rippled and fell to one knee before pushing back off and started to attack. In a flash her lightsaber was up and she was parrying blows.

Malek, realizing how closely he was starting to skirt the Darkside tried to gather a calm when the Necrid reached him. Parrying the blow he swung his lightsaber back and clipped the monster in the shoulder. Amien similarly used the Necrid’s momentum against itself, causing its own force to dispatch a good amount of damage by leaving her an opening. In one fell swoop, she was able to remove the Necrid’s legs and rise with the force gathered into a tight blow that burrowed through the monsters flesh, causing a ripple effect as it finally lost cohesion and exploded.

Moving to help her comrade Amien braced her lightsaber as she saw Malek Plant his lightsaber in the creature’s sternum and pull upwards. The spray of blood was violent, and Amien used the force one more time to strike down the mortally wounded Necrid. His body shuddered and went limp, falling to the ground. The huge amounts of force she was required to focus and wield caused Amien to shiver a bit. But she stood her ground as she and Malek charged the Necrid known as Noriam.

He and Slee tan were already battling, blow by blow, parry by parry finding equal in each other as the combat continued. Slee Tan could see his former Padawan using all of his teachings against him; the creature knew what he was planning. As such the combat was stalemated as he rethought his attack. As the other two Jedi got closer, Noriam took two steps back as he roared and began to increase in size. The proximity of these other two was making him stronger somehow…

Waving them off Slee Tan drove his attack again, hoping to find Noriam off guard. The Necrid was not. Blocking the blows he grabbed Slee Tan and threw him into a nearby wall. The loud resounding crack snapped throughout the room as he landed on his feet. Noriam was almost on top of him. His skin was almost completely red as he drove home a punch that broke through the steel housing. Sliding between the Necrid’s legs Slee Tan swung around and was caught by Noriam’s massive fist. He staggered back as he felt his lower abdomen flare with pain. He lost his footing, but found it didn’t matter as the Necrid had lifted him off the ground. Backhanded by the other clawed arm, Slee Tan flew across the bridge and landed in a heap next to a console.

Amien leapt into the air and brought her lightsaber down cleaving into Noriam’s shoulder. Mirrored on the other side, Malek did the same dodging Noriam’s wild attack. Spinning outward Amien brought her lightsaber back in a clean sweep that imbedded her saber deep into the Necrid’s skull. The massive weight spasmed and fell to the ground. Returning her saber to her belt, Amien told Malek to check the flight controls and to see if he could undo the escape pod lockout. Moving over to Slee Tan she bent down and poured the force through him coaxing his body to heal. Slowly the flesh began to knot and Master Tan stabilized.

After a few minutes he was helped to his feet and the two Jedi walked over to Noriam's remains. His chest, the decayed flesh peeled back, revealing a glowing sphere near his heart…it flickered and faded, but did not vanish. Suddenly a scream through the force tore through Slee Tan as he felt his Padawan’s essence torn from the force directed…elsewhere.

Turning the two Jedi saw Malek and in his hands were various components. He said the controls were fine, but the ships navigational computer was completed destroyed and the backup was in engineering, but that they had already seen the attempt to retake it was useless. On a better note he was able to unlock the escape pods and they were useable again. Moving quickly to the com system Slee Tan activated the general PA system and told all remaining Jedi, Republic Troops, and Padawan’s to evacuate now. Dropping the microphone, he went back to the grate and dropped back in.

Mavek was standing at the mouth of the deck when the Team returned 11 heavy. The younglings had waited and they were all moving quickly. Asking what happened as they started to file past the 3 Jedi told him to move. Behind them he saw Necrid pour through the doorway. Startled, he ran up the ramp and closed it behind him as he told the children to strap in. Amien, already at the controls powered the ship up and turned it around. She said the Chu’Unthor was only a few minutes away from impact and that there was no way to save the ship. They happened to pick up the Necrid when one of the younglings instinctively activated a lightsaber when detecting a Necrid below them. After that it was staying ahead of the ball.

The docking computer asked for clearance, but pressed for time, Slee Tan responded with a simple grunt as he fired the front cannon and shot the force field generator holding back the vacuum of space. The surge yanked the Chase out as well as the hundreds of Necrid in the area. Pulling away from Chu’Unthor the Jedi watched as it began to burn in the atmosphere, shredding apart piece by piece before a resounding shockwave ripped the ship into 3 large chunks that continued downwards.

Minutes later the Chase entered hyperspace towards Coruscant. Expecting the worse, Mavek wanted to make himself scarce as they landed at the Jedi Temple days later on the capital planet. Escorting the children back to the safe walls of the Temple was one of the few good things they had been able to accomplish over the past few weeks. Each of the party retired to their quarters for much deserved rest, waiting to be summoned before the Council.

The next morning, they were each woke with a request to meet in the Council chambers as soon as they were able. One by one they met again in the round chamber. 8 masters sat in their positions while the remaining seats were noticeably barren. These were some of the casualties of the fall of Chu’Unthor. Retelling the events was hard as Masters Tan and Amien explained each point of their mission. Having faith that the force led them correctly, they stood there while the Council pondered their reports. The Sith were returning, with the power of these…Necrid and the uncanny knowledge on exactly where to hurt them.

After a short while the Jedi explained that the Supreme Chancellor is in a precarious spot. Some senators are asking the Jedi take Chu’Unthor and leave Coruscant in case this personal war comes to the Republic front lines. Others want to invest full force in protecting their own worlds and want the Jedi’s solemn oath that they will protect each world with as much vigor as they protected their own. Negating the arguments with his charisma, the Chancellor asked the Senate to declare a state of War against this Sith Empire. It was ratified, and as of that moment the Jedi gained full support of the Republic and her forces. Right now, hundreds of Defense platforms, Brigade Ships and Vigilant Carriers were reinforcing the front lines and borders. The planets attacked by the Sith were being routed, though a majority of the Sith fleet had disappeared.

Planet Uliq-Ai was still under control and the Republic was not able to free the planet. Now, proclaimed Queen, Lalo had started the movement for planetary protections, causing a rift in the senate. As of now there is no resolution but the Republic is doing everything it can to reinforce each systems defenses, stretching the core’s defenses thin.

The team was commended for their success at Ilum, despite loosing portions of the caverns they have supplied invaluable information about not only the Sith but the Necrid as well. As far as Chu’Unthor…it’s fall is costly but the council explains it is not the first time Chu’Unthor has fallen nor will it be the last. Survivors will be found and the wreckage shall be salvaged and its core will be rebuilt. Chu’Unthor will return, though not likely any time soon.

The Council decided that though, the party needed to rest there was an urgent matter that needed to be handled immediately. A year ago an expedition team was sent to explore the moon of a planet in the outer rim near wild space called Yavin and catalog anything that might be useful for the Jedi archives. Supposedly it was had some relation to the Sith thousands of years ago. It was purely a scientific mission and therefore most of the team was Jedi Agri-Corps and a few healers for the unknown. A short time before the Parties departure for Ilum, the Council received the most distressing signal from the Jedi Outpost.

The feed itself was sketchy at best; static powdering the monitor and no audio could be heard. But there were human and other various faces looking into the camera panic stricken. The motion of the camera changed and you could see out over a canopy of trees. Its dense brush so thick it looked solid. Far in the distance were giant walkers…fire belching out of their ‘mouths.’ Zooming in quickly the camera showed just how large these creatures were as speeders with men in red armor zipped by, like gnats. The camera zoomed back out and panned up to show a giant ship…like a dagger landing in the clearing made by these fire belchers…and the signal went blank.

The council had sent another team to find out what happened and evacuate the Outpost team but they have heard nothing back since. They then asked the Jedi to go and find out what happened, but to be careful. Save anyone they can but find out what is going on at this Yavin. In addition, they were to be accompanied by another survivor of the battles. His expertise was subtle combat, quiet assault and fast strikes. His name was Master Zash Rippa. Stepping into the chamber, the Togruta bowed before the party. Agreed, the Jedi asked when they departed and the council responded quite simply. Tomorrow.