[GJW XI] Scholae Palatinae Team Orange Iguanas

Team Orange Iguanas:
SBL Ric “Blade” Hunter - #3160
KAP Xantros - #11518
SW Lucyeth - #13700
DJK Shadow Nighthunter - #11405
JH Arron Saylos - #13632

Civil War has befallen the Brotherhood. The Clans have split into three factions: the Loyalists, who have rallied behind Grand Master Ashen; the Rebels, following the banner of Jac Cotelin; and the New Order, led by the mysterious Sith Lord Esoteric. Each faction has stormed the surface of Korriban, establishing impressive fortifications and moving towards the Valley of the Dark Lords. Loyalists, Rebels, and the New Order clash across Korriban’s surface, all three attempting to gain control of the Valley of Dark Lords and the secrets it holds.

The Valley of Dark Lords has erupted in carnage, forces from every unit in the Brotherhood streaming into the ruins and temples, establishing makeshift defensive positions behind virtually every wall. Blood is spilled over every inch, each of the three sides gambling the lives of thousands of Jedi in an attempt to put an end to this conflict once and for all. The Loyalists, following Ashen’s command, seek to break through to the Tomb of Marka Ragnos, where the Disciples of Ragnos once sealed a chamber with writings on the Rite of Immortality. To open it, Ashen has sent three of his most skilled advisors in ancient dark rites and alchemy, but the way is not yet safe or clear for them, as the One Sith were originally entrenched in the Valley and still maintain a strong control over most of the area. Esoteric’s forces have a base of operations at the Tomb of Ajunta Pall, a fortified location that allows them a great deal of mobility throughout the Valley, which they use to harass any operations by the other two sides. The Adept Dantella Novae reluctantly commands Esoteric’s forces in the region, though she seems more interested in stealing the secrets of Marka Ragnos than in defending the Valley itself. Cotelin is seeking to contain and control whatever the Tomb of Marka Ragnos holds, through any means necessary… and before Ashen’s forces can reach it.

You and your team have found yourselves just outside one of the few entrances to the Valley of the Dark Lords. You know that inside the Valley, death and destruction have overtaken the ruins, but you also know that ultimately, victory for one side of the other is likely to come within the walls of the ancient tombs. Your runon should detail the battle within the Valley, and must illustrate (either through success or failure) at least one of the sides in the conflict - this will play a major role in your Story grade.

Deep in the sector of space called the Unknown Regions, Ric Hunter sat in meditation, gazing at deep space and its mysteries. Opening his mind, he let it wander from place to place and memory to memory. From his early childhood he saw images of his father, a Clone Wars soldier who had fought on the side of the Republic. His memories of his father included the mixed feelings he had towards the Jedi. He had seen them as both great warriors, worthy of praise, and as traitors. Ric smiled as he thought of what his father would think of his son now. He was a Sith Battlelord, once in command of a house of other Dark Jedi.

He let those memories slip from his mind and stretched out to try and get a feeling from his former house of Dark Jedi. Reaching towards familiar places he was overcome with a wave of fear and death. It was enough to freeze his heart and leave him gasping for breath. Something had happened at home.

He stood on unwavering legs and moved towards the com station. As he approached, the Scholae Marine guard at the door snapped to attention. Ric hardly noticed them anymore, his bodyguard detachment forced upon him by his friend, Angelo Dante. He wondered at that moment if something had befallen his people, friends he had left behind so many years ago.

Sitting down he began to hail Ohmen on Judecca. Within a few moments, a communications tech appeared onscreen.

“This is Sith Battlelord Ric Hunter, let me speak to whomever is in command at the moment,” The techs face told Ric that something had indeed happened. It was a mix of fear and pain that he recognized on the faces of many on Judecca after the uprising many years ago. Ric was surprised to see the face of the Quaestor SWL Xen’Mordin Vismorsus at this time of the night.

“Ric. I am so glad to see you. Are you well?” Xen asked.

“I am. How are things there? I felt something… not sure how to explain it but it seemed as if a hole was ripped in the force and filled with death. What is going on there?”

“Something has happened on Antei. We aren’t sure what but we can’t raise anyone on the planet. We even tried local comm calls to merchants and still nothing. Are you able to come home, I feel we will need everyone we can get, and soon.”

“I’ll be on my way within the hour. Shall I head to Ohmen or Antei?” Ric asked.

“Just come home. I will have a team meet you near Caina and they will hopefully have more information. If I learn anything new, I’ll let you know. It is good to see you my friend. Welcome home,” with that Xen signed off.

“Sergeant Major, prepare the ship for take off and began plotting a course for Caina. We are headed home,” Ric went back to his chambers and gathered his gear. He picked up the small box that sat on the top shelf of his wardrobe and slowly opened the lid. Inside, nestled into the cloth sat his dual lightsabers, something he had not used in a few years. He had a feeling that was going to change and very soon.

Lucyeth arrived on Caina to find the entire house of Scholae Palatinae assembled for the conflict that we still are told was undetermined and continued to unfold. It seemed that everyone else received the same message from the Quaestor to meet for a brotherhood wide conflict. It was recently confirmed that a civil war in the brotherhood has begun. The greed of the Grandmaster has blown up into a quest for immortality against the approval of the rest of the dark council.

“More information is being transmitted as it becomes available. I can tell you that we have to stop the grandmaster and his loyalists with his plan and will be aiding Grandmaster Cotelin and the rest of the rebels loyal to the brotherhood in order to counter this uprising. Several teams will be assembled to give efficient support to the effort,” yelled Xen to the crowd of his fellow dark Jedi of Scholae.

Lucyeth remembered when it was just yesterday that the brotherhood was running smooth as if nothing that would have gone wrong was in brew. Today, everyone is at odds against each other with leadership split amongst the clans and houses and no centralized unity of the dark council in sight. Many of us had allies within the clans and will be forced to fight them to prevent this goal of greed and selfishness. The house will be fighting along with Taldryan and Odan Urr which should be interesting. The house will band together with dark Jedi and Jedi alike to fight for one cause to prevent one from seeking his own personal gains while destroying the Esoteric, the rumored one sith forces that strive for the utter destruction of the entire Brotherhood.

Lucyeth looked at his fellow Dark Jedi, some of whom he had fought with in the past. The assignments were given for each team and everyone boarded the ships. Ric Hunter was in the cargo bay on an open channel with the aedile… Lucyeth continued to walk around and saw Xantros in a deep state of meditation before the outbound flight. Shadow spoke to Arron about the upcoming battle that would no doubt happen. It was a great team of dark Jedi and many still seasoned from the recent looking home campaign. Together, they would not fail their duties and commit loyalty to the Royal house.

“For the Empire,” Xen chanted over the open channel for everyone to hear where loyalty ultimately lies in a time of unrest of a civil war.

As the fleet of imperial battle ships flew through hyperspace toward the oncoming conflict on Korriban, Arron sat in the cargo bay, the unofficial gathering place where the other four members of his team had apparently decided to gather.
Most of the five had known each other fairly well, but Arron was essentially the only apprentice still among their ranks.
But perhaps on Korriban that would change. He’d heard stories about members of the brotherhood reaching knighthood for deeds in past wars. He wondered how many of his teammates had obtained rank that way. Most of them were equites; a few were much older than the apprentice
Arron’s thoughts were interrupted by an overwhelming presence in the force. One look was all it took to confirm his allies felt it as well, that rush of cold, the overwhelming presence of the dark side. They were arriving on Korriban. The home world of the Sith, where the Dark Side had first been studied and practiced. There were few places so steeped in the Dark Side, that it could already be felt.
The ships had dropped out of hyperspace by now and they would soon be landing on the surface, and descending into all-out war.
None hesitated in heading for the landing bay, and in a matter of moments they had boarded the shuttle and would reach the surface. Arron silently watched through the viewports, observing the coming landscape. From space it might have seemed just endless desert but as one descends through the atmosphere, they can see the massive complexes, and huge stone statues carved into the rock face by ancient Sith. Many of these tombs contained powerful artifacts left behind by the ancient inhabitants, Others were inhabited by the ghosts of long dead sith lords. Most were infested with monsters. All of it would be a battlefield.
And every inch of it thrummed with the presence of the dark side. Arron had never felt it’s presence so strongly, not even on Antei.
It didn’t take long before their shuttle had landed, alongside the others from Scholae Palatinae. As the numerous Dark Jedi exited Arron could see among the others members of the clans and houses who, like the Royal House, had chosen to side with the rebels. Odan-urr, the only light-side house in the brotherhood, as well as Taldryan, a clan.
The hot sun beat down on the desert planet, and Arron prepared for more than war, he prepared to be known.

Shadow followed her brethren out of the shuttle and looked upon the desert landscape before them. With her sniper rifle hung over her shoulder, and her lightsaber at the ready on her belt, the Sith was prepared to face the enemy that they’d encounter. Of course, she was waiting for one last thing before they were to depart.

“Ready to move out?” Lucyeth asked the team as they assembled together and checked their gear again.

“Not quite yet,” Shadow said. The half-Sephii looked up to the sky. “Just waiting for something.”

“Which is?” Tater inquired. “We don’t really have all day to wait for something that might not even be important.”

“Trust me, he is important and useful,” Shadow remarked. “He’ll be a great help to us.”

“It’s not your lizard is it?” Lucyeth asked.

“I assure you, it’s not.” Shadow finally smiled as she saw her ship coming towards them. “It’s another one of my friends.”

They all watched as the ship quickly descended and land. As the loading ramp opened, Brandon Tarsus exited the ship and approached the group. “Brought him like you asked.”

“Thanks.” Shadow knelt down just as a black-furred canine ran out of the ship towards her. “Hello, Fenris. Ya ready?”

The canine licked her face and bowed his head.

“Good.” The half-human stood up and looked at Tarsus. “Thanks again. You better get going.”

“Yeah. Good luck to all of you,” he said as he bowed. “Farewell, and good hunting.”

As Tarsus went back to the ship, Shadow turned and found her companions looking at her a bit puzzled. “Everyone, this is Fenris. He’s a vornskr that I’ve raised and trained. His kind use the Force to hunt, and therefore I think he will be useful to us. Especially since there are all sorts of monsters and the like prowling around.”

Xantros shrugged. “Fair enough. Come. Time to get moving. We’ve wasted enough time already.”

Both Shadow and Fenris watched as the team started out. “Well, this will be fun, huh Fenris?”

The vornskr stretched his back and looked up at the young ranger, the beast ready for orders.

Shadow smiled and patted his head. “Let’s go.”

Both ranger and beast then took after the others, the two ready for battle and bloodshed.

The tomb of Marka Ragnos, located in the lower end of the Valley of the Dark Lords, sat as it had for almost four thousand years. The upper entrance was located in the chest area of a huge stone carving of the half breed Sithlord and looked much as it always had. Ric peered through his marcobinoculars, searching for any sign of either the One Sith or the loyalist forces that were supposed to be in the area. His small team of Dark Jedi sat in an overwatch position awaiting the order to move forward.

Ric knew that when the order came, he was to lead his team into the lower entrance. He also knew that there were many chambers hidden in this dark place and that ancient Krath had performed experiments and secret rites there. He remembered his master, the Krath Priestess Bubbles, telling him tales of how it was a fertile place for those rites as it was imbued with so much of the Darkside. Not long after the burial of Marka Ragnos, the Sithlords Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh had battled there for the right to lead the Sith Empire.

Ric looked back at the members of his small force. So many new and younger faces, he had missed so much in his time away. He was impressed with the passion that they had, something he could remember well of his early days. Now for some this would be their first real conflict, at least on such a massive scale. Ric slid down from the overlook and waved the other four over to him.

“I know we didn’t have a lot of time to get to know each other before we dropped. I am sorry about that. I’m not asking you to trust me, just trust that my skill and experience will help us complete our mission. With that being said, we have a lot of work to do,” Ric began. He felt that he needed to say something to the group. They had been together and fighting while Ric had been following a vision. Something he felt that had to do with the latest current events. He looked at each one of them and then continued with his idea.

“All we are waiting for right now is for Xen to give the order to go. As soon as we get the go ahead, we need to make our way down this cut to the valley floor. I want to try and keep as close to the wall as we can while we approach the lower entrance,” Ric traced the route on his small datapad built into his gauntlet. “Low and quiet, it won’t be easy but it can be done.”

“This place gives me the creeps. Something in the back of my mind telling me to run from here,” the Cathar, Arron, whispered. Ric didn’t really know much about the feline looking humanoid, other than he kept mostly to himself.

“That is from the tombs in the area. Ancient Sith infused fear into their burial rites to keep people from desecrating their tombs. I have felt that since we arrived. Just stay focused on the mission and you will be fine,” Ric confided to the group, meeting the gaze of each of them, "Just remember the rest of Scholae and by association, Taldryan and the… Jedi, are counting on us."Ric shuddered at the thought of Jedi being involved with this. He had an intense hatred of the Jedi Order, a hatred based on family history and personal experience with them. If he had the chance to kill one or two of them, he doubted he would pass it up.

“Also, keep in mind there are several others in the area who are not part of this conflict that may cause trouble. We have some rogue lightsiders and Jedi running around the valley as well. Three of Ashens pets are here in the depths of this tomb as well. If they cause problems, they are to be eliminated, understood?”

“Command to Orange Iguana. Your mission is a go,” the order had been given. Ric looked over his fellow Scholae members and was glad he was here, with them. He didn’t know them and they him, but once blood shed began, that would change.

The team got the go ahead from command to move into the valley towards the tomb. Ric Hunter put the comlink back on his waist belt and turned toward the rest of the group of Dark Jedi. Everyone nodded to each other in agreement as they descended into the valley.

“You can feel the dark side radiating out from the valley,” Stated Xantros to his fellow dark Jedi.

“It will only be more potent as we near the tomb,” replied Lucyeth.

“I know that is both good and bad,” Xantros said in an attempt to reiterate what is hidden in his explanation.

“Be cautious, the dark side is good but can be overwhelming if not in control, so stay on guard and keep to your values,” added Ric Hunter to the discussion.

They moved further into the valley, moving slow and cautious to not attract attention to them. Everybody would be converging on the tomb including other teams of the rebel faction to take control of the tomb. Neither of them wanted to bring attention to them if they didn’t have to at the moment. The objective had to be maintained during the entirety of the campaign. It was a civil war after all so no one had complete trust in anyone. Ric Hunter advanced along the wall and halted immediately. He singled everyone to halt as well as he gave hand signals.

“I hear noises ahead,” whispered Ric to the group.

“Friendly?” asked Shadow.

“Probably not but I can’t be sure,” replied Ric in a continued hushed tone.

“Weapons ready but maybe we will not have to give ourselves away just yet,” stated Xantros.

“We could be walking right into a fight too,” said Arron as a possible option. It was blunt but could be very possible and the group would be ready to deal with whatever will come to them.

If it can go wrong, it will Arron mused.

Evidently his hunch had been half right. While there had been no One Sith or loyalists waiting around the corner, Arron was kind of wishing that there had been. Instead they had come face to face with a pack k’lor’slug. Hungry k’lor’slugs. No matter how many his blade sliced through there always seemed to be more, pouring from a crevice in the rock wall.

I really hate being right.

His saber slashed through another boneless body, only for another one to latch onto him from behind. Two shots fired out from Lucyeth’s blaster pistol and the beast dropped dead. Arron nodded his head to Lucyeth.

“These things just keep coming!” hissed Shadow as she slashed two more.

“Keep them off me for a second” Arron said to Lucyeth, and the human nodded, already guessing what the cathar had in mind. Arron used the reprieve provided by his allies to tap the dark side. He held out his hands, and the cave entrance rumbled, and in a matter of moments a simple pile of rocks was all that remained. With their reinforcements cut off, it was a simple matter to dispatch the remaining half dozen.

Arron however was surprised by how easily the cave had come down. Either it had been very structurally unstable or…

On Korriban the dark side was perhaps stronger than most other places in the galaxy. Had that had something to do with it?

By now the handful of remaining slugs had been dispatched.

“Well,” said Ric “now that that’s taken care of, let’s get back on track.”
He didn’t need to mention that the noise from the fight had probably alerted every other Dark Jedi in the valley to their location.

We should really get going, Arron though as he quickened his pace.

Shadow smiled as she saw Fenris sniff a limp slug to make sure it was dead. Though she would’ve preferred to have faced tuk’ata instead of the slugs, she was satisfied with the small skirmish and the outcome. She considered it a warm-up for what was yet to come.

“Come, Fenris,” she called as she and the others continued on their way.

The vornskr followed as ordered, and matched with the Sith’s pace. The canine had killed one slug on his own, and held his head up with pride for his kill. It was obvious to Shadow that having Fenris along was a good idea.

“So, how’d you come by the vornskr?” Arron asked as he walked next to her.

“I guess you can say I saved him from the Black Market,” the assassin answered. “I set him free, but he chose to stay with me.”

“Interesting,” Arron said as he eyed the canine. “And he uses the Force to hunt you say?”

“Indeed. He makes a good tracker and scout. Plus, his venomous tail is quite useful.”

“Venomous tail?” Arron looked at Shadow in surprise. “Isn’t that dangerous? Shouldn’t you cut it off or something?”

The half-Sephi chuckled while Fenris gave a low growl. “Nah. I am normally careful around his tail. Besides, it’s only mild venom that is meant to stun prey. Nothing deadly.”

“Still.” Arron shook his head. “What if someone accidentally gets in contact with the venom while in the middle of fighting?”

“I assure you, it won’t happen. Just worry about the mission at hand and not the furball and his tail. I’ll make sure nothing happens.”

“You better,” Xantros ordered, the Duro having been listening to the conversation.

The Sith rolled her eyes. She then looked at Fenris and and petted his head. “Scout.”

Fenris bowed his head and snuck away from the group to do as he was told. The Sith could only hope they the countless hours and days of training had prepared the vornskr for this. Hopefully, the canine’s assistance would speed things up a bit.

Stay safe, my friend.

The team continued their march. Though their pace was relatively slow, they covered more and more ground as the time passed. They heavily relied on the vornskr’s scouting abilities and their own powers as far as the security was concerned. They definitely did not want to run into a hostile group of soldiers or Dark Jedi without prior warning.

Half an hour later, Fenris returned from another scouting sortie. It immediately walked to Shadow Nighthunter and barked in a characteristic way. The Dark Jedi Knight looked at her pet for a moment. The other members of the team awaited for her to explain the behaviour of the vornskr.

„There is a group of soldiers ahead. They are ready for a fight, but they seem to be average ordinary troops, as they have not sensed or noticed Fenris,” spoke Shadow Nighthunter.

„So, something is finally going to happen? I mean a real fight, not dealing with pests like k’lor’slugs,” replied Arron Saylos.

„We will definitely see some action, which means that we need to be careful. It would be highly unwise to weaken ourselves by being careless,” smirked Xantros.

„Optimistic, as always,” said Shadow and grinned.

Xantros looked around and grinned back in an evil manner. „Better safe than sorry. That is why I am still alive.”

„And only an Archpriest, while you could already be an Epis,” commented Ric Blade.

„Better be an alive Archpriest than a dead Epis,” replied the Duro. „Fine, let’s get prepped and ready for the battle.”

„We will wreck the chaos in the name of the Empire,” said Shadow with a nasty smile appearing on her face.

Ric stepped back and faded into the darkness that was his home. He moved towards the group of soldiers ahead to try and make out who they were. Not seeing any clan colors, he guessed that they were One Sith, more than likely just meat for the grinder. Scholae had similar troops in its ranks, the non-force users that while exceptional, usually ended up on the floor. He signaled the others and went on the attack.

Ric leapt towards the one who looked to be in command and unleashed his dual lightsabers. With his blades held in the reverse grip of Shien, he made short work of the man, cutting him nearly in two. As the mans body fell to the ground, Ric shifted his body and looked for his second target. In the background, he could hear the others engaging the soldiers, blaster fire mixed with the hum of lightsabers followed by screams of pain and the echo of death in the force.

Rolling to his left side, Ric cut down a woman trying to bring an assault cannon to bear. The added firepower would have turned the tide of the attack and driven them off. With a sudden twist, she slung the cannon between the two and when Ric’s saber made contact with it, it must have shorted out the power core. With a breach in the core, only one thing could happen… it exploded. Ric was flung into the canyon wall. His armor had absorbed most of the impact but enough had gotten through to do some damage. He could taste blood in his mouth and from past experience, that was never a good thing. He closed his eyes and focused, willing his body to work and get back into the fight.

He rose to his feet and charged back into the fray.

For no longer than a second, Xantros observed the explosion, which made Ric hit the wall. With increasing anger, the Archpriest returned to slaying the hostile troopers. Soon, the group of the Dark Jedi managed to dispose all of the enemies, who could not defend against five powerful powerful Force users.

“It was quite a challenge to get rid of all of them,” spoke Shadow. “They have turned out to be better than we have expected them to be.”

“Indeed, they have,” replied Ric with slight difficulties.

“Are you alright?” asked Xantros. “It was a nasty explosion and you got a direct hit.”

“I was better,” admitted Ric. “But we do not have time to stop for a healing trance. We need to move on and act quickly.”

“Are you sure that you will make it?”

“I have to. We need to get rid of the One Sith forces, who seem to pose the biggest threat to our agenda. Then, we will be able to deal with Grand Master Muz Ashen and his Loyalists.”

“I do not like it at all,” spoke Xantros. “I just hope that you will not slow down or weaken us, despite the fact that your state suggests so.”

“Do not worry about me,” replied the Sith Battlelord.

“I do not worry about you. I worry about me and the rest of the team. Be sure that if there is such need, I will not hesitate to kill you,” said the Duro.

“I can’t wait to seeing it,” smirked Ric.

“Guys,” interrupted Lucyeth. “Could you postpone your quarrels? We have a job to do.”

After the Warrior’s words, the group moved on and continued their hunt for the One Sith forces.

The Dark Jedi walked in silence as they approached their goal. After all the battles they had finally reached the entrance to the tomb of Ajunta Pall, the base of operations for the One Sith in the valley.

Take out the command center, and their operations would be curtailed considerably.
The entrance to the tomb was a grand one; Arron had to admit, though he had never been one for admiring views. A rectangular archway, twice his height, with a sculpted bust at the top (Arron could only assume it was Pall himself) and with a long way of statues baring swords. The fact it had crumbled considerably over the millennia did not reduce the majesty.
Inside was the command nerve center for all One Sith operations in the valley. All their battles up to this point had been to get here.

Only problem: they had their front door locked tight. Two Sith were keep watch over the entrance, and numerous non-force wielding soldiers, with heavy artillery.

“Any idea as to how we get in?” asked Arron, as he and Xantros hid on the top of a cliff overlooking the entrance. “This place is more heavily guarded than Coruscant.”
“We have a plan for this” said Xantros. “Our intelligence says, there is a hidden entrance, a kind of antechamber, that we can get in not far from here.”
Arron nodded. It would be a sneak attack then.
The group descended from their perch on the cliff, careful not to be noticed, and headed in the directions Xantros had on his datapad.

As they approached the smaller, less grandiose side entrance, Arron noticed Ric clutching his side; no doubt that explosion had injured him more than he was willing to let on. Arron held his silence though. It wasn’t his business.
Now they headed directly into the entrance, much too dark inside to make anything out. This was the final push.
Now we sink or swim…Arron thought morbidly.

The corridor was very dark and the team was hardly capable of seeing anything. Though it was quite risky, they decided to put Arron at the front, as one of the Force powers, which he was able to use, was Sight, which allowed him to see in darkness. He was the best member of the team, as far as that skilled was concerned, so he was a natural choice to lead the team.

However, even despite Arron’s abilities, the Dark Jedi moved slowly due to the darkness. They did not want to use flashlights, in order to avoid detection by hostile forces. They wished to launch surprise attack, as it was the only chance to defeat the prevailing number of enemy troops and Dark Jedi, who were the followers of the One Sith.

Sooner than they had expected, they entered a small room, which was a bit lighter than the corridor. Apart from a small matting, it was completely empty.

„Where are we?” asked Shadow

„At one of the meditation rooms. They are empty now, as there are very few people, who might be willing to use it,” replied Xantros. „We can access a corridor, which leads to the primary command room, which we need to take over, in order to get rid of the leaders of the One Sith forces.”

„Very well, then. Let’s do, what we need to do.”

The strike team moved towards the command room as quickly as they could. However, before they reached it, they were surround by a group of enemy troops. Two of them activated their lighsabers and the rest aimed their weapons at the members of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, who also activated their lightsabers. The tense fight between two groups broke out immediately.

Xantros and his comrades deflected the first salvo of the blaster bolts, which came from the direction of the One Sith troopers. The deflected shots killed four of the shooters. In the meanwhile, the two Dark Jedi of the One Sith attacked Arron, who tried to defend himself, but he was unable to match them for a long time. He screamed in agony and fell on the ground, as one of the enemies cut his right arm off. Only quick reaction of Xantros and Shadow saved him from certain death. Ric and Lucyeth protected them from the hostile fire until they were ready to attack the remaining enemies together.

„We need to finish our mission quickly,” spoke Lucyeth. „I am afraid that Arron won’t make it for long, if we do not get him to the medical center.”

„We need to eliminate the One Sith leaders,” replied Shadow. „It is our primary goal and we need to achieve it no matter of the costs.”

„But there are only four of us capable of fighting,” said Ric.

„Three of us…One of us need to stay with Arron and help him,” spoke Xantros.

„There is no way to complete our mission in our situation,” murmured Lucyeth.

„There is a way…I have an idea,” replied Ric.

The team waited for Ric to voice his idea to them as they faced their remaining foes, but only to realize that the Sith Battlelord had only run off when Fenris gave a bark of alarm. Shadow quickly ducked as a blade came flying at her, and managed to sneak a look and see Ric running towards the command room. She didn’t have much time to wonder what he was doing, however, when she was suddenly face-to-face with one of the Sith and his crimson blade.

“Ric left us!” Shadow said announced as she parried her adversary’s attack.

“So I sensed,” Xantros responded as he deflected blaster fire.

“I thought I saw him with two thermal detonators in his hands,” Lucyeth added as he kept the other Sith at bay while protecting an injured Arron. “Someone should probably go after him!”

“I think we’re all preoccupied at the moment!” Shadow said as she caught her opponent’s blade with her’s and tried to push it out of the One Sith’s hands. A sudden scream caught her attention, and she saw Fenris tearing into a stunned trooper’s throat.

I’ve got an idea.

Quickly, Shadow reached down and pulled her dagger from within her boot and stabbed the One Sith’s arm. The man screamed as he pulled back in pain, allowing the young woman to sneak a blow to his gut with her boot. “Fenris! Finish!”

Just as the One Sith was about to attack Shadow again, a growling vornskr plowed into him and tore into the screaming Sith’s face. This gave Shadow her chance as she then ran after Ric. She wasn’t sure what crazy scheme the Sith Battlelord had, but she wasn’t about to let the man go on alone.

What in the name of Bane is he up to-

Suddenly, there came the sound of an explosion ahead of Shadow. The Sith quickly brought her sniper rifle to the front, and aimed just as she rounded a corner of the corridor. Through the scope, she saw the command room with bodies and gore littering the place. The only sign of Ric was the lightsaber hilt on the floor.

No…

Everyone heard the explosion and feared the worst for their fellow comrade. The team continued to hold off the one sith forces until Shadow returned but they all knew that no good may come out of it. They all looked at each other for a moment as their thoughts trailed off in their head. Xantros was first to break the silence.

“I will go and see if Shadow needs a hand,” stated Xantros to the rest of the team as they nodded their heads.

“Sounds good but do hurry, not sure how long we will be able to hold out here,” replied Lucyeth as he swung his blade to direct a blaster bolt back to an unfortunate one sith soldier. Xantros ran down the hall but didn’t go far when he met up with Shadow coming down the hallway. She was solemn and Xantros realized that their worst fear had been realized. They both returned to help 1the group and Arron looked to her master but Shadow didn’t say a word. Shadow stood there and finally attempted to get out what she wanted to say but no one knew what would happen. Fenris even whimpered at its master’s grieve and the emotion could be felt.

“ Ric is…dead, all that is left was his lightsaber,” stated Shadow to the group as she attempted to hold back the fear. Everyone went speechless at the sight of his lightsaber but no one had any idea of what to do.

“ We should probably do something with the lightsaber,” Stated Lucyeth to the group before Shadow spoke.

“ NO! We keep the lightsaber for a proper and more deserving matter but right now, we should embrace the anger that we have and slaughter them all,” she said with energetic hate in her voice.

“ I will not deny that, it is what anyone would do,” replied Xantros with a grin at the thought.

“That was interesting,” Ric said to no one in particular. He remembered the flash of light, the power of the thermal detonators going off and then… nothing. This was a first for him, he had been cloned many times over the last few decades but this is the first time since he had reached Battlelord. Usually, he just woke up in a new body and had to catch up on the very latest information.

This time something else had happened to him. He looked around the control room and watched as Shadow picked up one of his lightsabers. He wondered what had become of the other one, a weird thought to have.

As the members of his team moved down the corridors deeper into the tomb, Ric followed. He could feel himself sort of attached to the lightsaber hanging from Shadows belt. He knew that the force could anchor to objects but he had not thought it would ever happen to him this way. It was a very strange experience.

Ric let his consciousness flow and could feel two paths ahead. He pushed out and wandered down each one and found a way for them to avoid the ambushes waiting for them. It was the final push and it was vital they completed their objective.

He followed a small hidden path that seemed to lead into a large crypt. There was a small group of Loyalists there and even with the casualties, his team could easily handle them. He tried to tell them which way to go but it seemed that they couldn’t hear him.

“HEEEEEY!” Ric screamed in silence. Ric noticed Fenris perk his ears up. Maybe his best bet was to try and focus on Shadow as she had a strong connection with the hound.

He concentrated his efforts on pushing out from his lightsaber and into Shadow’s mind. It seemed that he couldn’t talk to her but could sort of influence her. He mused that he might have actually found a use for Mind Trick.

“We need to go this way,” Shadow said in a sheepish voice. The direction she pointed made no sense to the others and Xantros in particular was dismayed.

“And why is that?” he asked in a harsh tone.

“Its just the way we have to go. I can feel it,” Shadow motioned for Fenris to move down the small tunnel and followed close behind. The others fell in step with Xantros bringing up the rear.

Shadow paused in the darkness of the tunnel and closed her eyes. Using farsight, she got a vague impression of Ric and it seemed he was pointing the way for the team. She smiled and patted the lightsaber on her belt.