Citadel Ruins
Dromund Kaas
Dromund System
Dromund Kaas was once the throne of one of the largest Sith empires,
according to the legends told and the artifacts forcibly collected from Jedi and
Republic-affiliated entities. Standing before the ruins of the once great city,
Shikyo could see how the legends were created. Shattered, metal towers, wrapped
in the planet’s flora, overshadowed the worn and broken statues of leaders and
tyrants long since dead. The Keibatsu’s mind raced to what this area may have
been like thousands of years ago, imagining the depth and power as a living
entity moving throughout the planet. Now, the ruins served as a reminder of
what the pursuit of power left the ancient Sith.
The Elder’s commlink provided a vague location to where the Ragnarok
had detected the energy signature. It was faint but powerful enough to be
picked up on the scanners. Whatever was here, Sasuke believed it was another
clue necessary to furthering his family’s goals. Immortality. The ultimate goal
for any being with a limited life expectancy. Shikyo knew why his eldest
brother sought this task, despite his power, yet had to wonder if the pursuit
was becoming more of a wild, tauntaun chase.
As the Dark Jedi Master moved closer to the ruins, he could feel
several life forces surrounding him. They were feral yet disciplined. Something
was keeping them under control. Or someone. The Keibatsu extended his senses
all around him and could feel the beings moving cautiously towards him. His
hands slowly dropped to the ebony wooden grips of his pistols on either side of
his upper thighs. Shikyo expected a few blaster bolts would be enough to scare
the creatures away. If not, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber blade would be more
than acceptable for the task.
Slowly pulling the blasters from their holsters, the Elder prepared for
the creatures to come into view at any moment. Leveling the weapons in a
haphazard attack stance, a dull roar began to grow from just over the horizon.
Sasuke could feel the presences become more alert before immediately leaving
the vicinity. The howl of a Lambda-class shuttle grew until the craft maneuvered
just over the city, finding a large enough area to park. Growling at the
potential of unwelcomed visitors, the Dark Jedi Master moved quickly to
intercept his new guests.
Moving into an ambush position, the Elder watched as the loading ramp descended,
and a dark, armored form came into view. He recognized the younger man as a
Disciple of Sadow, though that didn’t explain why he was here or what his
intentions were. As the Elder moved closer to the shuttle, he could sense more
lifeforms closing in, including something… darker… bigger. Shikyo turned
towards the Equite and could tell he was feeling the same energies. They weren’t
trying to hide this time. The Keibatsu sprinted towards the Sadowian, hands
tightening around his blasters as a few vornskrs began to creep through
abandoned entrances and shattered walls. There was one more presence that remained still but just as feral as the creatures closing in.
“Master Keibatsu?” The young man seemed puzzled for a moment but his
attention never left the incoming threats. Shikyo continued to scan the area as
he felt something more sinister moving closer to them. By the time he was able
to locate the source of the energy, it had already begun to charge. A
terentatek, followed closely by a couple of packs more of vornskrs were rushing
towards the shuttle.
“A beast master. Run, kid!” The pilot tried to pull up and out of the
way of the incoming creature but the tarentatek had other plans. Dropping its
shoulder and letting out a guttural roar, the creature slammed into the cockpit
of the shuttle and began to pummel the thing with purpose. Takagari and Shikyo wasted
no time to check on the pilot. Three packs of vornskrs were moving in fast and
the dark jedi would have to be smarter or faster if they were to survive their
encounter.
“Elysia,” the Elder cried out into his commlink, “we’re going to need an exfil ASAP.”
