[Shattered Ties]Team Killer Kraken

Mygeeto Air Space
Transport Ship C
Cargo Bay

Unpolished gold faintly glistened in the lights of the cargo bay of the transport ship. The hum reverberated a few of the hollow artifacts that lay in their boxes. Hands and scanners went through a few of them. Darkblade, a well known information specialist from Clan Naga Sadow, might have been awestruck by the artifacts, but simply refused to show it. By the time Dek had moseyed over to the artifacts, Darkblade had looked out of the corner of his eye to make sure he didn’t mess with any of the ones out of the boxes.

The Duros smiled, “Bunch of fwecking junk. I could find a hydraulic press that could crush all of these. And then their magic would be gone and useless.”

Darkblade smirked, raising his brain sucking tentacles in a fashion of intimidation, “Your mind is weak. You have no clue what power lies here and what history and knowledge exists in this mould of the ancient Sith pasts.”

“Ignore him,” spoke Dyrra as she walked over, “He would rent out a hotel and treat these artifacts to night of fine wine and hot…well, you know.”

Dek Rott had grown attached to this Dyrra person. She was assigned as his protector during their Red Fury base op. He usually didn’t enjoy working with others, but occasionally he made an exception.

“I could really use a new goblet,” Dek said, pointing to one of the artifacts. Darkblade sighed and continued while Dyrra walked back off into another part of the bay.

“Dek, this is Commander Jensen, I’m gonna need you in the cockpit.”

“What is it?”

“Pilot error. We need some experience up here,” the Commander finished.

Mygeeto Air Space
Transport Ship B
Cockpit

“Yes, it sounds crazy, but you have your orders.”

Delak let go of the comm. The Sadowans had been loyal to the Palatinaens so far. But Delak knew what had to be done. His orders were to eliminate the Sadowans. He left the cockpit. Along the way he passed both Imperial Guards and Warhost special guards. He knew that soon they would be fighting as well. Their orders would be passed to them any moment now from their unit leaders.

Delak entered the med bay to see Mune nursing a sparring bruise to health, “Grab your saber. The Sadowans are to be eliminated.”

“Hmmm, are you sure this is the right course of action?” Responded the half-Human, as he slipped on his fox faced mask.

“We have our orders. The summit has bigger plans for the artifacts.”

Mune looked down, “Okay, didn’t think I would have had to go through with this scenario. What’s the plan? One of us gets Zehsaa while the other occupies those in the cargo bay?”

Delak was always impressed with Mune’s productive insight in strategy, “Zehsaa is actually in the cargo bay herself, along with our no…”

The transport shuddered. The conversation stopped as Mune and Delak locked eyes. They knew the plan. Mune telekinetically opened the door as Delak stomped out of the room, lightsaber ignited. Mune swiftly followed with the same tactic.

Blaster fire could be heard down all the halls. Knowing what had to be done, they both bolted to the cargo bay. They only hoped they were not too late for their sister in arms.

Transport B
Cargo Bay

Three Warhost soldiers erupted through the doorway. They immediately brought up their rifles and killed the two Scholaen Guards on the other side of the room. DarkHawk immediately knew what had happened. A Sith Emperor from a rival Clan suddenly having access to ship loads of artifacts? DarkHawk knew better. He immediately stood up and threw two throwing knives at Zehsaa, who dodged both and activated her saber, rolling out of the way.

Aul lit up the room further with his saber, but questioned, “What the hell is wrong with all of you?”

Zehsaa retorted, “Your crazy friend here obviously wants the artifacts for himself.”

The ship was rocked by what felt like an explosion.

“Your Empire is the traitor here. I’m sure we can sort this mess out after you’re dead.” The hawkish warrior brought his dual red sabers to life and launched himself at Zehsaa. The Togruta launched herself into the air on top of a container as a few blaster volleys were launched at her. Deflecting them into the walls, she pleaded with Aul, “Call off your soldiers. There’s no need to fight.” She was outnumbered and outgunned.

Leaping off the container and onto the ground, she reached out with the force to open the door to the bay where the dead guards were.

As door opened, Zehsaa turned around to face her opponents, sensing her allies Delak, Mune, and a few Imperial Guards behind her. It was a face off.

Transport Ship C
Cargo Bay

“Something’s wrong,” stood Darkblade from the artifacts he was crouching over.

Darkblade ignited his saber, surprising Dyrra to do the same. Imperial Guards were strewn through the cargo bay door, opening fire on the two. An explosion rocked the ship and knocked most of them off their feet. Both fighters looked at each other and thought the same thing: escape pods.

They both strode out the back of the bay. The lack of Sadowan guards on this ship was a mistake that may force these Sadowans to pay with their lives. Approaching a group of Imperial Guards, they hesitated. The Guards looked over in their direction and Dyrra shouted, “The Sadowans! They are going down the left corridor! Cut them off!” The Imperial Guards stared for a second at the actual Sadowans, and decided to follow the orders.

Upon reaching the escape pod room, Dek and Commander Jensen were waiting for them. Dek was launching the last escape pods, “I’m sorry, Dyrra.”

“I’m sorry too, Dek.”

Weapons drawn, the fighting started in the room and continued in the corridor. The battle had begun.

Delak sliced down a Sadowan guard with ease as he covered Zehsaa and Mine as they tried to break into the ship’s ventilation system. The Sadowan forces were too much for the three of them. The Imperial guards had been chopped down quickly and more Sadowans were on their way. “You wanna hurry it up over there,” Delak said as he hurled lightning bolts towards the enemy. A couple of bodies fell to the floor smoking like barbeque. Delak heard a metal grate hit the floor.

“We’ve got it, let’s go,” Mune yelled as he disappeared into the shaft following Zehsaa.
Delak backed towards the opening deflecting blaster fire back at its source as he went. As he got near the ventilation shaft he watched as one of the men threw a thermal detonator towards him. Instinctively he caught it with the Force and pushed it back at the men. Delak lept into the shaft as the detonator exploded behind him. The fireball followed him closely singing his cloak as he fell down the shaft towards the lower levels.

Mune and Zehsaa had already cut a hole into the lower level grate and Delak sailed through it landing heavily on his feet as he hit the deck.“That was pretty hairy,” Mune said trying to catch his breath. “We need to move. I believe I saw a hanger deck in the ship’s schematics with a shuttle docked in it.”

“Grand,” Zehsaa said abruptly. “Can we go now? I don’t like thinking about those pissed off Sadowans chasing us.”

The trio set off to find the hanger bay. From where they were located it was only a few minutes away. As they reached the hangar bay they found the shuttle guarded by Sadowan troopers. “Here we go again,” Delak thought to himself. With lightsaber ignited Delak headed straight toward the closest trooper. He leapt high in the air with and with an acrobatic flip landed behind the man. He sliced at the man’s neck as he continued his run. The man’s lifeless corpse hit the ground. The head which had once been connected to his neck rolled away with an odd wobble. Mune and Zehsaa followed closely behind as the Warrior struck down his foes. Mune struck one of the soldiers in the neck with his throwing needle. The man started to bleed from the throat and fell to his knees while holding his neck. Zehsaa kicked one man into Mune’s path as he was swinging his saber blade causing two deaths with one swing.

There was a quick silence in the room. The smell of burnt flesh and blaster discharge filled the room. The cargo ship shook and rocked back and forth violently. Dek must’ve blown the engine core on the other ship. This rocking felt like they had been crashed into. Both ships started to descend from the sky like rocks. Delak pointed to the shuttle and the three ran for the boarding ramp. Delak was the first to reach the ship and got into the pilot seat quickly. His past time serving in the Emperor’s Hammer had afforded him lots of time in shuttles. They took off out of the hangar bay doors in a vertical flight as the ship continued to fall. Another explosion rocked the cargo ship.

Transport Ship C
Engine Room

“Dek, you could have left, but you made yourself a bigger problem now.” Dyrra said hidden from his sight.

“Lucky for me, you got the same problem.” Muttered Dek.

He crouched low as smoke from the exploded engine was quickly filling the room. Dyrra was still somewhere in the room, he was sure of that. As on que, the freighter careened sideways and crashed into the other freighter.
“Dek, we need to get out of here.” Jensen said behind him.

Dek moved towards the exit, fully prepared to attack Dyrra if she showed herself. He got rewarded by a volley of blaster shots. Deflecting the shots he worked his way out of the engine room. Jensen, who was following after him shot one of the Sadowan guards down as Dek quickly attacked and finished the other guards in the hall.

The freighter started to heel over precariously, making it harder to keep standing up. Both of them slided more then walked through the hallway towards the cargo room.

Shuttle

Delak piloted the shuttle from the freighters as they fell down to the planet. Zehsaa and Mune scanned the freighters to see if they could find any trace of Dek on the other ship.

“Why hasn’t he escaped yet? I can still feel him onboard the ship.” Zehsaa said.

“He must still be locked in a fight on there.” Mune uttered.

Transport Ship C
Cargobay

Most of the cargo had shifted towards the far side of the room, a few of the remaining Sadowan standing between them. Dek and Jensen slided to the doorpost and opened fire, shooting the Sadowans who promptly fired back. After a brief extrange Dek slided further down and climbed over the crates.

“Get the this old junk out and into the crates!”

Jensen frowned at his order and slid down to the crates and started pulling the artefacts out the crates.

Shuttle

The freighter began to make high pitched noises and rocking violently as it was starting to break apart, which could be heard inside the shuttle, as it fell to the surface. A big explosion erupted when both the freighters hit the ground, rocking the shuttle as Delak was flying near to see if they could spot Dek and Jensen somewhere.

Mune was trying to contact Dek via the comm, but he got no answer.

“Sith spit!” he uttered in frustration, “How did he not get out on time?”

Zehsaa shrugged slightly, “All I can tell you is that they are still in there… Let’s just hope they found a way to stay in one piece.”

Mune nodded grimly as Delak piloted the shuttle closer to the wreckage of the freighters. Parts were thrown in every direction and smoke billowed up from several parts, turning the surface into a junkyard.

Wreckage

Smoke billowed forth from gaping wounds of jagged steel and shorn metal bulkheads. Live wires whipped about, spitting sparks, and hissing angrily at gnarled and broken bodies. Fire crackled and consumed voraciously whatever it could of what remained of the durasteel skeleton of the once sturdy space faring vessel. What should have brought a sense of awe was that anyone had survived. Instead he was irritated that anyone had survived the carnage the two wrecks had become.

Jensen was battered and bruised, far rougher than Dek. Through the Force, did he sense the approach of his fellows, and through the Force did he likewise sense the retreat of the foes that had survived as he had. He wiped sweat and blood from his brow and turned face to the looming shuttle.

“The enemy has captured the artifacts,” he spoke with voice made rough by smoke.

He had not been happy to wake and find what artifacts not destroyed had been spirited beyond his reach. At the time, he was in no condition to make his attempt at them. Body nearly shattered, it had taken much to focus on healing. It took his fellows nearly two hours to finally track him in the debris, another to land their craft and rejoin him on foot. Now, however, they stood huddled together, an image of rage kept barely in check at their current predicament.

“Intelligence did not foresee them having a recovery unit in position in case we blew the freighters.” Delak put forward, though he himself did not sound much happier than Dek himself felt.

Mune thoughtfully mulled it over before he spoke himself, “What if it were not necessarily the Sadowans?”

Zehsaa looked towards the Savant somewhat skeptically before he continued.

“Think about it. Had the Sadowans wanted to catch us off guard… why not use an enemy we believed was already defeated by them and ourselves?” Mune explained, staring off into the falling dusk. It made a sort of sense. They had too easily taken the prize from the pirates when this had all begun. It were as though something had been guiding things to a point… What better point then claiming priceless artifacts for one’s own. Of course it made sense, Mune convinced himself.

“Regretting coming back yet?”

Delak’s words drew him back from his reverie, but he gave not a response in so many words; and only grinned. In truth. He did not. He locked eyes with the human to ask everything needing be asked… what now?

Delak exchanged a look with Dek then over his shoulder to Zehsaa before he exhaled slow and deliberate. There was no question. They had a mission and that mission was as yet unfinished. “Check your equipment and let’s get moving. Dek, what is the status of your wounds?”

“I’ll live, Jensen?”

“Likewise…” Jensen grumbled out with effort.

“Zehsaa, have yourself ready for guarding our rears in case trouble breaks out. Your ranged skills will be invaluable in covering us.” Delak turned his gaze out of the horizon where he knew one of the mining cities lay in wait for them. There was plenty of ground to cover before then… but…that would not be the true challenge. Bundling their cloaks about them, they trudged forward, leaving behind the blighted crater of carnage wrought by the destruction of the freighters. Leaving them behind, to step into the frigid and bitter biting cold of the native environs.

72 Hours – Across the Frozen Terrain

“I swear! You have to be insane to like it in this heap of frozen waste!” Zehsaa complained.

It had been three days since they left the wreckage of the crash site. Their only company, themselves and the rigid jutting crystalline spires that soared above to claw at the sky overhead. They moved in a line, cloaks whipped wildly about their frames, bodies kept from failing them only by the Force, and a rather contagious sense of sheer stubbornness on the part of each. Now the spires changed before them. Great steel ones rose up. Sky bridges, towers dispersed about over great, delving canyons. Tunnel born into the rocky faces, where conveyors once moved mined crystal and stone and other materials out to be processed elsewhere.

It was nothing of great extravagance, especially considering those things they had each seen in their travels. It was just another ancient dwelling left abandoned. But, it was yet a new nest of danger for them to step into. Here was where they, each of them, knew they would find their enemy. More importantly, they would find the artifacts.

They stepped together as one from the shelter of the spires, snow, and ice, and set foot upon the largest thoroughfare into the city they could be confident was populated by none but the enemy they sought… pirates and perhaps Sadowans both.

Zehsaa was already evaluating vantage points as anyone of any worth with a sniper rifle would have done. Mune likewise calculating and working out possible tactics if they would have to make for battle here in the open. It was a grim prospect, to be caught in the open when it came down to it, but, no other avenue of entry was so easily given them with the expansive canyon just under their feet.

“If I were them… I would ambush us as we came to stand between those two spires flanking the bridge.” Mune motioned with a flick of his head.

Zehsaa was already gone without a word, her sniper rifle coming to the ready in her hands, the Force drawn to her and bent to conceal her signature within its grander web. With the whipping snow and the shifting shadows, the Togruta may as well have simply vanished altogether.

The remaining three continue trudging forward into the jaws of what they could assume, safely, a trap. “Time to poke the trap with a stick…” Delak muttered.

Delak took point pushing through the wind and the ice as it slashed across his face like razor blades. He felt a feeling of calm even though he knew the trap was all but inevitable. However he knew they must push on to accomplish their mission. Dek, Mune, Jensen, and Delak moved out in a spread formation. The trudged towards the bridge keeping their wits about them. The snow was ankle high at this point and a little harder to move in. The three Force wielders unclipped their lightsabers from the belts around their waist. Each held them at the ready but kept them turned off.

Zehsaa radioed in, “Delak, this is Z. I am in position and i’m scanning the horizon line. So far I haven’t seen much of anything. I thought I spotted a glare from a scope but I haven’t seen anything since then. I will keep my eyes… Shoot! Lookout!” Zehsaa called out with a sharp yell.

Delak sensed incoming danger. He pushed Jensen backwards with the Force just as a rocket landed where he had just been. He drew upon the Force to calm his nerves and increase his sense. Seconds later a sniper blast was fired at him and he ducked and rolled out of the way. He ignited his saber as he finished his roll. Dek and Mune had already ignited their sabers as well and had begun blocking sniper blasts coming from the buildings across the way.
“Z, get these guys off of us will ya!” Delak radioed quickly as he ducked behind one of the ice spires joined with the bridge. “We knew this was coming but sithspawn that was close.”

“I’m trying my best Del. They are popping up as fast as I take them out. You guys need to make a run for it.” Zehsaa called back quickly. She lined up a target that was perched on one of the upper levels and shot straight and true. She hit her mark in the throat and could see him holding his neck, wrenching in agony from the damage. She could feel his pain as he fell forward over the ledge to his quick death. She had wished that it would’ve lasted longer.

“Dek, Mune, follow me over the bridge quickly. Jensen pick yourself up and follow closely. Take out your blaster and lay out some fire at the buildings. I’m not expecting you to hit something just try to get them off their perches.” Delak ordered.

“Sure thing,” Dek called back.

“Let’s do it Delak,” Mune responded quickly.

“Yes Muh-Lord,” Jensen said with much haste.

Delak jumped out from behind his cover and sped onto the bridge followed on the sides by his comrades with Jensen bringing up the rear. Jensen began firing at where he thought the fire had come from. Delak sensed another incoming rocket was about to come close to them. Within seconds there it was, a rocket was sailing quickly through the air coming straight at them. Delak used all of his concentration to catch the rocket in mid air and spin it around. He then launched it back at where it had come from. The perched trooper was hit with all the force of the rocket. The explosion caused several levels to cave in and fall outwards towards the ground. The fiery devastation was raining down onto troopers in the lower levels taking some of them out.

“Good shot Delak,” Zehsaa called out through his headset.

Delak had no time to respond, he continued on his path across the bridge with his allies. They pressed forward disregarding their safety trying to make the trek swiftly. The blaster fire grew more intense the closer the group came to the other side of the bridge. They could see Red Fury pirates gathering on the other side of the bridge as they drew ever nearer. Delak watched as a few of the pirates went down. Zehsaa was doing her job as a sniper taking them out one after another. The battle was on and it was heating up quickly.

Time almost seemed to dilate, slowing about them. Each focussed, aware, keeping together as they drove inexorably forward into the buzzing hive of activity. The trap was not to slow, not to capture, there was no doubt the thick and writhing intent to kill.

With every exhale, the togruta acquired her target, with every inhale she fired. Another shot, another mark, crumbled to the ice and snow. Exhale… inhale… another fallen to the depths of the chasm that was all that stood between her team and death. Her mind, calm, serene, took in each target one by one, mentally mapping the location of their comrades likewise sniping.

Mune and Dek fell in beside each other. Minds sharp, the most pre cognitively aware of the environs. No matter how the snow whipped at their faces and tore at their robes, their minds retained focus. When the next two missiles came careening towards Delak, both men reached out as one, the Force heading their call and warping to take the shape they willed. With unseen claws they wrenched the projectiles free from the air to crash and explode harmlessly into the face of the great crystal spires behind. The musical tinkling of shattered crystal echoing across the field.

“They’ll target the bridge itself next to take us out all at once,” Mune uttered wearily, already trying to pinpoint where the bridge would let go.

“You heard him Z, you need to move up.” Delak ordered rather than asked.

The togruta was already on the move though, in a mad sprint. She would have to depend upon the others to hold their fire until she crossed.

Mune snapped around, eyes swept the expanse they had only just crossed. Dek met his eyes. “Explosives underneath,” they both realized at once. But the bridge was already falling. The sound came soon after, a low, terrifying rumble, followed by a concussive force that visibly forced the air and snow out and away from the blast. The bridge gave way with a violent shudder then burst of old masonry and warped steel.

It would be Delak they need depend on to defend, and Jensen they hope could continue taking out anyone who tried for the easy targets both half-human and duros made themselves. The sound of blaster bolts shooting past, and the sound of shots being deflected by Delak’s saber retreated from their awareness. Everything fell back from their consciousness, aware of only Zehsaa and the bridge that was falling away from under her feet.

Zehsaa’s eyes met theirs. Time seemed to dilate only further, an illusion of the adrenaline that pumped like wildfire through their veins. Dek and Mune as one took hold of the Force, reached out with it as quick as they could, and as focussed as they could. Even as the bridge fell from beneath the togruta, they already had her she was ripped from the air where she had just about fallen to her death.

She hit the snow and dirt in a roll between the two. On her feet again, all three bolted as the bridge continued its collapse. Three met two and five made a dash for the bridge’s end. Dek and Mune breathing hard from the exertion. All five bowled through into the shelter of the buildings.

“Z, are you okay?” Dek asked.

“You are both crazy,” Zehsaa remarked. “Thank you.”

Delak motioned to keep moving, “They’ll be re-positioning, the respite we bought will not last long. We need to find the artifacts… Good catch Mune, Dek.”

“Good defending,” Mune remarked with a grin.

In a hurry they sped of the remainder of the bridge landing and dashed for cover between the buildings. Zehsaa kept the roofs in check while the others scanned around them and taking out any pirate they laid eyes on.

“We need to move forward,” Delak said, “We can’t afford to delay now.”

With a nod they continued on through the streets, Dek, Mune and Delak deflecting shots while Zehsaa and Jensen taking out the ones above them. The road forward splitted, one going up while the other went forwards at the same level.

“Zehsaa, go up and see if you can take out more of them from the highgrounds while we go further down here,” Delak ordered.Zehsaa nodded and moved up the road and they all continued on.

“Delak, the road stops here, and continues on in rooftops,” Zehsaa notified, “I also see a big opening coming up in the distance”

“They surely will have another trap waiting there for us,” Dek said.

“Make the same mistake twice?” Mune added.

“They are pirates, not military,” Delak said.

“Neither are we,” Mune interrupted.

Zehsaa shook her head and shot down a few from the rooftops ahead of her, taking careful aim with each shot.
“Guys, no time for chitchat.”

Quickly they continued on, Zehsaa following from the roofs and vaulting between them. Each pirate along the way got taken care of quickly. After a few moments they reached a big plaza.

“We will be potshots if we go run that stretch…” Jensen remarked.

“We have more then only pirates here as well,” Mune said, “Seems we have officials on the plaza as well”

“Just great,” Delak muttered.

The sun was falling past the horizon where the team stood. Jensen and Delak took one side of the building, slowly moving to each alleyway in between. Mune and Dek did the same on the opposite side. Slowly they moved towards the plaza, where the light dimmed. Zehsaa looked through her scope from the top of the roofs. The pirates and the local law enforcement seemed to be speaking in the plaza where they had been planning. Pirates stood on guard facing the outside of the plaza, scouting for armed resistance. Law enforcement officials stood in the center, slightly more relaxed, but hands on blasters and vibroblades nonetheless.

“Zehsaa,” Jensen communicated through a wrist comm, “How many of them can you see from up there?”

A long silence returned. And then, "27. Most of 'em pirates. But the officials have speeders.

One of the officials to the side came over to the center of the plaza and spoke to what looked like their leader.

“What do you think they’re…” Jensen started to speak but was shushed by Delak as he waved his hand a bit.

The enforcers looked up at first, towards their direction. Drawing weapons they peered around, eyes glued to the building. Turning around with a surprise, some of the pirates stayed behind to guard the rear while the law bringers stepped with most of the rest of the pirates towards the rear building.

“This may be our moment,” whispered Delak to the others.

CLASH!!! THUNK!!!

A top from one of the buildings, shifted glass broke with a massive cargo container going through it and landed on top of a few of the pirates and the law officials. Splattered flesh and blood coated the half-snowed ground. The final moments of light were disappearing as the lead lawbringer ordered, “Turn on the generator! We need light!”

As he wished the light into existence, two red lightsabers activated from where the cargo container had fallen from. The man from the building swooped down and ricocheted fire from differing directions. From the side a twirling set of blades had joined the man along with four Warhost soldiers.

“Who are they,” questioned Jensen, battle starting to rage.

Mune quickly responded, “The one who came from the side is Ashia Kagan Keibatsu.”

“Keibatsu? As in wife of Muz Ashen Keibatsu? Darth Ashen?”

Mune responded grimly, “Yeah.”

“The other is DarkHawk. He was on the ship with us guarding the artifacts,” Dek interruptingly continued.

“We can handle this,” Delak strategized, “Z will give us back up on those Sadowan grunts. Let the Keibat…Kei…whatever, deal with the people there. Jensen and Dek flank from the other side, while Mune and I deal with DarkHawk and the woman if necessary.”

“Got it,” everyone responded.

Delak motioned a quick pause, “Those may be the artifacts in the container. If so, we can expect this to be a focal point for other people to join. Be careful and…FOR THE EMPIRE!!!” The Juggernaut roared as they went unto the breach.

So… he and Delak would be confronting the Force users… Mune thought grimly. Already, he had begun moving forward. He moved at his Battle Team Leader’s side, step after step coming onto the fray. The Savant could feel the shadows like fingers grasping at his mind, drawing him into their embrace. A calm, swallowing him up, all other sounds of battle falling within the gulf of thickening night. The sun was gone, and so too were the insignificant combatants engaged to defend themselves.

So few meters were left between them when Delak shifted gears. He charged forward then. DarkHawk’s sabers only just rent another pirate in twain when he found the human upon; warned to awareness of his opponent’s presence by Delak’s battle cry. Saber met saber in a flash of surging energy. The Naga Sadow warrior brought his second saber into a low slash only to find his right hand momentarily numbed when struck telekinetically at a distance. His second saber slipped from his grasp to clatter along the ground, and Mune grinned with satisfaction behind his mask.

Zehsaa positioned herself in the shadows. A slow breath, centering herself, she shifted position and lined an eye up with her scope. One shot, then another, and two bodies were made of previously converging grunts. She read their movements, watched as they attempted to regroup. She watched the backs of each of her teammates.

Around the fray Jensen and Dek moved, kept well to the shadows. The Duros’ eyes scanned the environs as they moved, trying to find anything that could give them the advantage. “Jensen, look for anything that we can use to garner any sort of advantage.”

“Like?”

“I don’t know… anything,” Dek retorted with a sigh.

They skulked through the shadows, moving around the perimeter while the battle grew heated. Sabers flashed here and there, deflecting blaster bolts, crashing against one another, parrying, rending the air. Where were Darkhawk and the woman trying to get the artifacts anyway…? He wondered. A ship… a shuttle? It had to be a shuttle. Theirs? Not here, it would have been taken out surely. He could only surmise that it had belonged to the pirates or perhaps even the officials.

“Sorry guys… private party…” The half-human drew upon the Force, felt it coil within his fist. The Force surged within his grasp and, writhed like a wild thing caged. He leapt and came down before the closing soldiers. He slammed his fist into the ground, unleashing the full brunt of the power gathered within. The power rumbled, roared outwards, a wave that slammed into the men and sent them hurdling backwards.

Both Warriors weaved, parried, thrust, and blocked. They danced about each other in an intricate pattern. Saber blazed, hissed, crackled; an impressive in and out spiral of death. Delak grunted and spun clear of another of the more aggressive saber style Darkhawk used.

“Mune! What are you doing?!”

“Keeping you free of additional company. You and he are on the same level.” Mune grinned impishly. The Savant’s eyes were all for the Augur, Ashia. If she came at them… A sniper bolt zipped just past his left shoulder, catching a soldier who was closing on Mune from behind.

“Pay attention!” Zehsaa’s voice came through communications.

“I was. I knew you had him in your sights, I needn’t have worried.” The numbers were thinning fast, soon the Keibatsu would have no one left between her, and the artifacts… but their team. It was almost over then, he thought grimly, hearing the battle between Darkhawk and Delak behind him.

“Jensen,” Dek spoke in a low tone as they came to a flanking position away on the other side of the plaza, “Speeder bike.”

“And?” Questioned Commander Jensen.

“If you cover me I could potentially turn it into a more deadly weapon.” He had his eyes on that lone speeder bike.

“Do you have any experience is using explosive materials?”

“Overloading a console or a speeder bike is not so much explosive as it is purposeful fwecking up.”

Commander Jensen pulled out two dual pistols and checked around the corner. Not seeing anything directed at them, he signaled an all clear sign and they went for the speeder. Dek picked a few loose communicators up along the way. Those dead bodies don’t need them anymore.

Ashia had finished up the last of the pirates and the law officers. With the last thrust into the heart of the pirate, she looked quickly to the events happening. Sniper on the roof, DarkHawk and that other soldier, people running from battle on the speeder bike, and this masked being running quickly towards her.

At that moment she deactivated her sabers leapt backwards and hid herself from the view of the beings.

Mune ran to her position and saw nothing. He reached out with the Force and attempted to feel for her. She was here…but he didn’t know where.

Mune looked over to Delak and up to Zehsaa, who was aiming towards their melee but not shooting. Suddenly…

Mune activated his saber and immediately blocked a potential blow from the previously hidden Ashia. The Savant attacked wildly. He occasionally jumped over his opponent, while she was quick to skid out of the way of many of his blows, attempting to use them against him. She let out a flash of lightning and grabbed a chunk of the wall out with her mind and threw it to her opponent. He jumped out of the way and threw two of the needles at Ashia. Dodging, she parried his next blow and continued fighting amongst the broken tiles of the plaza.

Zehsaa was still on the roof. She had one bullet left and intended to use it in the most tactful way she could. Her breathing slowed. Heart pumping…thumpthump…thumpthump…thump… thump

Her eyes focused on DarkHawk and the movements he was using. Only one chance.

Thump…thump

Thump…thump

Thump…thump

Thump

Thump

DarkHawk used a surprise move, disabling his saber in an attack to attempt to get his saber behind his opponent, and he was going to quickly reactivate it.

Thump

Thump

CRACK!!

The fire shot right into the thigh of the Sadowan warrior, while his saber grazed the shoulder of the Scholaen warrior. Ashia took an immediate pause in combat and threw a Force of rushing wind against Delak, continuing her battle with Mune as quickly as she had stopped. DarkHawk quickly stood up, ignoring the pain shooting through his bleeding leg. He called upon the darkside to embody him in full force. His blood shot through his veins at a blinding speed. He immediately pulled two concussion grenades from his belt and threw one up to the roof where Zehsaa was and the other towards Delak, who was now slouched a few meters from the speeder, grasping his shoulder.

Dek immediately stopped what he was doing and sent a rush of the Force towards the thrown concussion grenade. DarkHawk pulled his sabers to him and leapt back towards Ashia, to aid her in her fight against the Savant.

Both grenades exploded, but Zehsaa was already climbing down the building swiftly, shooting some pieces of the roof over her head.

Jensen helped Delak up and Delak curled his face in anger. The warrior lifted both hands and jumped upon the metal container, relatively untouched with the exception of a few blaster bolts, and sent a gargantuan amount of lightning towards his foes. DarkHawk went behind the cover of a building, while the Keibatsu X’d her sabers and absorbed the lightning. Mune was singed a small bit while he stepped out of the border of the lightning. Delak immediately stopped throwing lightning and whipped out his saber to block two throwing knives thrown at him. DarkHawk ignited his sabers again while a speeder bike had been run towards him. He side stepped as Kagan, Krennel, and Cinteroph ran out of the eventual explosion. Throwing DarkHawk to the side, he grunted in anger and immediately got himself up.

Ashia ran to Commander Jensen and immediately tried to separate his organs from his body. Dek’s saber blocked it, but only just. The former Grand Master’s wife, however, knew exactly what to do. She rolled along with her saber around Dek’s saber and swiped up, splitting Jensen into two pieces down the middle.

Mune was almost upon the Keibatsu, but the ground had rattled and shaken, almost knocking everyone to the ground.

“What in the name of the Emperor…” yelled Zehsaa.

Dek responded, still fuming towards the Sith who had immediately killed his friend, “Bombing runs. And from the sounds the bombs are taking out positions on the outside of the city.”

“Friends or enemies?” Delak yelled, running with Zehsaa to a defensive position with Dek and Mune.

“We’ll see,” responded Dek, looking down at the communicator he had fashioned into a distress beacon not a few seconds ago.

“We can’t sit here anymore fighting like this,” Delak shouted over the explosions. He took a thermal detonator from his pack and tossed it at the members of Naga Sadow. It landed at their feet and within seconds it went off in a cacophony of destruction. The flame flowered out around the Sadow members and the ground broke up spewing dust, smoke, and duracrete into the air. The Sadowans fell backwards onto the ground and the remaining members of Scholae who were with Delak took it as their chance to get away.

Everyone ran towards the explosions in the distance. The enemy forces were either destroying Scholae forces or Scholae was doing it to them. Of course the third option was that Naga Sadowan forces were destroying someone for the artifacts. Either way Delak, Mune, Zehsaa, and Dek were on their way to where they knew the artifacts would be. They augmented their speed with the Force and made their way swiftly down the road. As they drew nearer to the fray they decided to take the path up to the rooftops so that they could find out who was fighting who before running headlong into a losing battle.

From the rooftop the battle was made as clear as glass. Delak looked down over the battlefield as another giant explosion went off close to the building they were standing on. The explosion shook the buildings around with the ferocity of a rancor bearing down on its prey. The building next to them was already structurally unsound and came crashing to the ground.

“That was a close one,” Mune said. Glad we weren’t on that thing.”

“Indeed,” Zehsaa stated quickly. “Delak, it looks like the battle is being won by Scholae forces. It’s us bombing the rest of them. Both Naga Sadow soldiers and Red Fury pirates are boots on the ground. Look there.” She said as she pointed across the battlefield. “The artifacts are over in that container. I can feel the power coming off of it.”

“I have felt it as well Zehsaa. Dek, you and Zehsaa go and secure those artifacts. Mune and I will try to clear up some of the opposition.” Delak ordered.

The group broke into two smaller groups and headed off in different directions. Dek and Z headed across the rooftops that remained. Mune and Delak both leapt from the rooftop and landed with a roll on the ground. They ignited their lightsabers as they finished the roll. There seemed to be no other Sith, Dark, or Gray Jedi anywhere on the battlefield. Scholae would have recalled theirs before the battle but where were the others. Delak didn’t know where the rest of the forces had been. No time to worry about it. Delak and Mune went forward cutting soldiers down as they ran to the artifacts. Head and arm were being sliced from bodies as the two made their way across the field. They went about with a fury like noneother. They rose through the crowd like a wave over the ocean, they crashed on top of their enemies with the same ferocity.

Delak pulled out his E-11 and started shooting into the crowd as he ran taking out soldier after soldier, while deflecting blasts when they had come close. The Warrior looked ahead to see Z and Dek securing the artifacts. “Scholae ships, this is Delak Krennel. We have secured the artifacts send down a shuttle for retrieval. We will protect it while it loads up the goods.” Delak ordered via comlink. A reply came through and a shuttle was dispatched from orbit. The shuttle came into view within minutes of the call and landed in the clearing that the four had made. They protected the ship’s crew as they rushed to load the artifacts. Some of the artifacts were too heavy so Delak helped move the items through the Force while the others continued the fight to protect them. The shuttle crew finished loading the ship and they were preparing to lift off.

“Everyone onboard! The ship is heading for the barn and I don’t want you getting left behind.” Delak ordered quickly. The four boarded the shuttle and Delak ordered the pilot to take off as soon as possible. They took off quickly and headed straight for the closest Scholae command ship. Once aboard Delak ordered a full retreat. The ship with the artifacts entered hyperspace while the remaining Scholae troops began their evacuation. Xen will be happy when he sees his spoils.