{Sith Mission} Deadman Walking

[LadyM]

The light began to shine through a crack in one of the red sand covered rock formations and the single body began to shudder and shake violently, tossing the smaller pebbles to the side. Suddenly a armoured hand punched through the rocks and sought something to grip its fingers around. Just as the first hand came through the rocks its partner, the left, emerged in similar fashion and it, like the right hand, searched fro something to grab hold onto. Both hands found paradise on a cluster of rocks and gripped it tight. Slowly a head, encased in a helmet but slightly cracked, appeared followed by the rest of the body, it to wearing the armour of the Imperial Stormtroopers Corp.

The head turned right then left and let out a howl but was muffled by the helmet, the only sounds allow to escape were through the cracks in the helmet. The figure dropped to his knees and clutched his head with both hands. Once again the body began to shake uncontrollably then rose to its feet. As it took its first step, the left leg it used to step wobbled slightly while his right leg, planted for balance, nearly buckled. The Stormtrooper waited a few minutes until its balance could return then attempted to step again. This time when it stepped it shambled rather than walked but after sometime, it began to walk but not like anything 'alive'.

The Stormtrooper began to move through the red desert of Korriban when hunger began to take control and it now was in search for substance. It stopped sniffing the air whipping its head to the right and let out a low grumble as it saw a lone tu'kata hunting for prey as well. The two stared at each other, then charged one another.....


TWO DAYS LATER

Rumours began to spread like a plague through the Temple on Korriban that something was stalking and haunting the desert on the outskirts of the Valley of the Dark Lords. Several students had attempted to gain prestige by hunting it down and bringing it to the Temple, but very few had returned and those that did return mentioned something about a Stormtrooper that seemed to be, well, not right.

Still, the Sith youth would not be deterred so several 'hunting parties' had been organized but the only results that had been produced were more deaths. And now the deaths had turned more violent. One student claimed she saw the Stormtrooper feasting on the body of a dead student but she was scoffed at.

Finally, the teachers and Headmaster at the Temple pleaded for the Sith Order to investigate this....

 

[Negative Blessing]

Grima stood looking out into the Valley of the Dark Lords just as the door to the Academy behind her closed. She had been asked by the Dark Council to investigate the rumours of a dead stormtrooper plaguing the Temple and Academy, the students, and haunting the ruins on the fringes of the Valley. Since she dabbled in Sith magick and Sith Alchemy, she was alittle interested in this. However, she was slightly skeptical about it all. She knew there were certain spells or potions that could resurrect the dead but they had been outlawed by the Sith Order nearly a hundred years ago. And if any Sith was caught practicing this, they did so with the knowledge that their life was forfeited upon discovery. Still, something out there was drawing her out and taunting her curiosity.

She stood in the wind swept red sands waiting for another that had been assigned to the investigation. And when she was told who it was, she began to think of the old days. Her former Apprentice, Avreet Zatarus, was going to accompanying her on this mission to find and deal with this walking dead man. However, the Dark Council were not interested in the dead Stormtrooper; their interests lied with what was the root or cause of this.

But something she had heard from one of the surviving students she spoke with kept nagging at her. The student had mentioned that when she stumbled across the dead trooper he had a look of primal hunger in his eyes and though his mouth was dripping with saliva, he tried to speak to her. Grima never heard of anyone dead speaking unless of course it was a Force ghost but this was no Force ghost. Also, the female student noted that this dead man had superhuman strength and could move like nothing she had ever seen.

The look in the eyes, the watering mouth seemed familiar to Grima and the only thing she could think of....no, it couldn't be. Then her thoughts were interrupted by an all to familiar presence. She spun around and saw the door was beginning to rise.

 

[Bubák]

Avreet Zatarus, a Mon Calamari Sith Crusader, found himself on Korriban, once again. This time was special though, as he had not came there to teach or to learn, but to actually do a mission. No assassination though, at least not until he found out what happened. Apparently, a stormtrooper went crazy and began eating Acolytes or something. Avreet thought it was all just a nonsense at first, as stormtroopers had nothing to do on Korriban, and how exactly would a stormtrooper defeat an Acolyte? The Mon Cal's mind first assumed the stormtrooper was a Jedi spy, but not even those Jedi freaks were so animalistic to eat other sentients. At least most of the Jedi Order, he hoped, having a cannibalistic Force sensitive group running in the Empire would be a nightmare. Then, of course, the Crusader considered the possibility of one of the plagues that changed people into animals devouring flesh of the dead and the living alike. Like zombies from the holomovies, except the victims of the plague were very much alive, just unable to control themselves. Avreet hoped this was not the case, but he had a bad feeling about it.

He'd accompany someone much more experienced, much wiser than he could ever hope to be. Grima Volitu, a Sith Master, his former teacher. With her at his side, the amphibian didn't have to worry. The Witch was well versed in spells and powers of various origins, so if comeone could determine what caused the stormtrooper become an animal, it was her. Naturally, Avreet did not intend to kill the being if there was a chance of curing the man. If not, he'd put him out of his misery and find whoever caused this mess. Grima should be able to find out what was behing all of this, and hopefully also knew how to prevent getting infected by whatever made the stormtrooper go mad.

Opening the door leading to the Togruta, the Mon Calamari stepped in and quickly closed behind himself, trapping the red sand outside and stopping it from attacking his eyes. Quite annoying, having one eye closed and looking around only with one eye, the cybernetic one. His clothes, beige Sith robes suited for desert environments, also did not get along with the reddish dust flying all around. "Master Volitu," Avreet said, his fishy eyes looking at the Togruta female. He did not bow, knowing the Sith Master disliked that. "It is good to see you again, and what's even better, do a mission at your side. Nothing shall stop us from reaching our goal!" A wave of nostalgia washed over him, his mind suddenly digging up memories of all the missions the two did together.

"There are several explanations on what might have happened to our stormtrooper, but I am more interested in what he was doing on the planet. Non-Force sensitives rarely visit the Korriban, and if they do, they go to the safety of the Temple, so hearing of a soldier in the desert is very unusual." The Mon Cal took off his heavy cloak and shook off the dust, putting the cloak on again. "There also lies a question of what happened to him. It could be some sort of virus, it could be someone controlling him, it could be someone using a dead body as a puppet. What do you think, Grima?"

 

[Negative Blessing]

"Crusader Zatarus....so it seems the Order has once again deemed it necessary to pair us together for a mission as bizarre as this," Grima said letting a small smile creep upon her face. There were not many in the Sith Order she found satisfaction in being in their company. Avreet was her former Apprentice and he had proved himself worthy on more than one occasion and had he not been chosen to assist her on this mission, she would have requested him straight away. There was another Crusader she was fond of as well but Avreet was far more experienced and well versed in the Dark Side than the other.

"Your enthusiasm is refreshing old friend but I fear you will require more than just that if we are to achieve success here. I agree with your assessment with it being strange that a non-Force user would be on Korriban minus the handful of guards that patrol the Academy from time to time, but they never venture outdoors. Still, this is odd indeed." Grima began to tap her lips with a single finger from her right hand. A sign she was deep in thought.

With a slight nod of her head she continued, "I too find interest why a Stromtrooper is walking on the red sands of Korriban or why he is out there hunting the Acolytes. What also peeks my interest is that several reports from the survivors. You mentioned a virus and I am inclined to agree with you but what sort of virus are we dealing with. Also, my Apprentice Trayzan had returned to Dathomir with stories of the walking dead and now I wish I would have pried further into what she experienced. Until I see what we are truly dealing with, I will reserve my answer till then."

Grima began walking toward the Valley when she said over her shoulder, "But if its what I'm leaning toward, then you and I need to tread carefully Avreet. Come, let us head toward the outskirts of the Valley of the Dark Lords and see if we can draw this....thing out."

 

[Bubák]

Following his former Master into the desert, Avreet put the hood of his cloak over his large head, protecting himself from the sun a little bit. The planet might be of great importance to the Sith, but the Mon Cal found the desert quite annoying. Luckily for him, he was used to Korriban‘s heat and harsh conditions thanks to all those years of training on the planet. The Dark Side on Korriban was kind and welcoming since his promotion, almost as if letting him know he could always return, like a child returning to it's mother's embrace. "As long as we keep our distance, we should be fine. I am not worried of his strength, as my cybernetic enhancements could overpower a Wookiee, but I fear becoming infected myself, if what we’re dealing with is a virus. On the other hand, I’d very much like to keep our target alive until we know what happened to him. Then, if possible, find a way to heal him or end his misery. "

The Sith duo left footprints in the sand behind themselves as they ventured through the red sand towards their destination. They had not met any other Sith on their way, possibly as a result of several deaths that happened lately. That meant the otherwise peaceful walk was full of wild animals, as no one has been killing them for a while, so the monsters dared to come closer to well traveled paths. Avreet noticed several wild tuk'ata watching them. Some of the beasts ran away as the two Sith approached, possibly feeling Grima’s power and realizing that attacking the witch would result in their deaths. The animals that remained apparently were not so clever, so Avreet prepared one of his curved lightsabers in his right hand, while massing the Dark Side in his left hand.

The Mon Cal did not waste his energy on Force cloak or Force stealth, as facing the hounds directly was much faster and less tiresome. The lightsaber turned on and flew out of his hand like a scythe of death, cutting down the first two beasts that had gotten too close. With the possibility of a virus or an infection running around, Avreet did not want to receive even a scratch. Recalling the lightsaber back into his webbed hand, he raised his left arm, pointing towards a few more hounds and unleashing a pure manifestation of the Dark Side, Force lightning, hitting three tuk'ata. The beasts howled in pain and died soon after as the Dark Side coursed through their bodies, it's destructive power destroying life energy and vital organs alike.

Once the two Sith dealt with the threat, Avreet smiled at the Togruta, "Nice exercise, don’t you think? I still remember the times I struggled to take on two at the same time…. until you have taught me how to survive and think of a strategy when facing a stronger opponent. I believe your wisdom will guide us towards success, again. I have also heard you learned Makashi," his smile grew wider, "Maybe one day, we could test each other's abilities in a simulation."

 

[Negative Blessing]

Grima walked through the desert blocking the sun's heat from her body with her mind and strong will. She knew her former Apprentice had no love for the desert but she had no love for it either. But what she hated more than the heat from the sun was the red sand; that stuff got into everything and she recalled in her mind the last time she walked on Korriban's surface she had to scrub her body clean for it seemed the red sand pebbles were sneaky little buggers. Then her mind's eye had changed directions for she began to detect several primal beasts in the area; tuk'atas.

Grima had grown to despise these animals for they were one of the most vicious predators on Korriban but they were ignorant, always attacking the Sith and losing. Though there had been some occasions where these four legged beasts found a great feast from some weak or over confident Acolyte who was to stupid to realize he or she was no match for a pack of these wild animals. But before she could react to the group that had stayed and elected to try to make a feast out of the Master and Crusader, Avreet had dealt with them. Grima watched her former Apprentice unleash his knowledge of the Dark Side and dispatch them quickly and efficiently. She had taught him well and he learned even better.

"I see you have grown more powerful since the last time we went out on a journey together. Your mastery of the Dark Side is impressive and I am pleased that you have continued to remember to banish your opponents quickly. As for Makashi, yes, I have taken the time to study...." Grima turned her head from Crusader Avreet and saw something lying on a sandy hilltop. Grima walked over to it and as she got closer she saw it was a young female tuk'ata lying dead in the sand. Grima crouched down to examine the body and saw several bite and teeth marks on the flesh and bones of the dead animal.

Grima gestured for Avreet to join her and when he was crouched next to her she said, "Look at these bite marks...these are not made by any predator that stalks the deserts of Korriban." Grima began to scan the area around them with her mind trying to pick up at least a flicker of movement or a mind in which to invade. But all she found was nothingness. Something was wrong....something about this dead Stormtrooper was unnerving.

Rising to her feet she saw footprints in the sand and pointed them out she said, "Perhaps our first real lead."

 

[Bubák]

His former Master’s kind words flattered him; he had learned much from her. That did not stop him from wanting to absorb more of Grima’s knowledge and wisdom. The Togruta Sith still had so much to offer, one did not have to be an Acolyte to learn new things from her. Avreet glanced where she looked, seeing something on dune of red sand. His cybernetic eye zoomed in on it, observing the dead animal that had not died by his hand. There was nothing particularly interesting about that, Acolytes and tuk'ata beasts fought all the time for every inch of sand on this desert planet. The young Mon Cal followed Master Volitu anyway, there were no other leads and he trusted the wiser Sith. Crouching down next to her, he carefully inspected the wounds on the animal’s throat, which caused it to bleed out, and several bites that tore away the flesh deep enough to reach the bones. Master Volitu was right; such bite marks did not belong to any wild animal. They indicated something with much smaller mouth, and while Avreet couldn’t tell whether the female tuk’ata has been bit by a human or not, the bite definitely looked like it came from a humanoid.

"Those bites could have been inflicted by an Acolyte, Grima," he swiveled his gaze at her from his crouched position to explain, "Many Acolytes are not exactly mentally stable, if you know what I mean. I can definitely see one feasting on still warm flesh and blood." He stood up, "The body has not started to decay yet. I guess it’s been dead for a day at most." As his Master found the footprints, he turned his attention to them, "Those are recent, not buried by sand yet. Yes, we can follow them. We should be careful though, it could be a trap! Those footprints indicate he walked with no difficulty, not hobbling or scuffing his feet like I’d expect from an injured or exhausted man, or a zombie, so there is the possibility of a random Acolyte, or our stormtrooper, which means we have to be careful. He is a trained soldier after all, one of the Empire’s finest."

The footprints led further into the desert, which meant the two would not be able to return anytime soon if they continued. The Mon Calamari Crusader mentally braced himself for Force knows how much more time spent in the desert and started heading forward. His senses remained sharp, trying to feel any sort of danger around, but there was barely any life in the red sands of Korriban. The sun took no mercy on the two. While it felt like an eternity, it only took them a few minutes to reach the end of the footprints. Surprisingly, they ended in a middle of nowhere. There was nothing around, just sand, dunes, rocks. It was as if whoever walked in there disappeared. Something was off about the situation, but before investigating it further, Avreet reached under his cloak and pulled out a bottle of water, opened it and took several deep sips, then offered it to Grima, "We have to keep ourselves hydrated if we want to continue without our combat effectiveness suffering too much," stated the young Crusader, then stepped into the last pair of footprints and viewed his surroundings from there.

Neither the first, nor the second glance revealed anything useful. Crouching, he put his hand into the sand under him, hoping to discover some sort of secret that helped whoever they have followed to disappear. It burned, making him retract his hand covered with red sand and dirt. The brief touch still let him know there was nothing hidden under him. That made his shift his attention to the rocks. Too far for a normal being to simply jump on from the spot where the Mon Calamari stood, but a trained Force sensitive or a somehow physically enhanced soldier would make the jump. Leaping onto the nearest rock formation, his cybernetic eye slowly inspected each rock. He noticed one particular stone was not as covered in sand as the others. Grasping it with telekinesis, he lifted into the air and put it to the side, revealing a dark gaping hole in the ground. Whoever put the stone in there was either very strong, or had the Force at their disposal. "Looks like we know where they disappeared," uttered Avreet to Grima.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Grima nodded her head in approval of the Crusader's words. "I believe we may be heading toward a trap but the best way to outsmart a trap...is to spring it," The Sith Master said as they began following the prints in the sand. Grima stretched out with the Force and felt a slight tremor but could not pinpointe the exact location. It wasn't she was weak in the Force but something or someone was going through great lengths to cover their tracks by trying to disrupt her mind. She scoffed at the feeble attempt.

The duo followed the footprints until they came to where they simply vanished. Grima looked around the area trying to determine how this was possible. She saw several rock formations in the near distance but came to conclusion that whatever they were seeking out could have not made the leap for she was still feeling the tremor still and it was now closer. She took the bottle of water from Avreet and took a sip from it then handed he bottle back.

Grima watched as the Mon Calamari Crusader crouched down and began to touch the sand. and watched as Avreet pulled his hand back quickly. "Well that is interesting Avreet," Grima stated then watched as he leaped to a rock formation. After some time he looked over to her and said that he discovered something. So this thing had dug a tunnel or something. Grima leaped to the side of the Crusader and without peering into the hole, jumped inside.

She was engulfed by complete darkness and though she could 'see' through the Force, she was leaving nothing to chance and unclasped one of her lightsabers and ignited it. She began to walk through the tunnel spying several bones of small and large animals, and a few skeletons of upright species; perhaps these were the remains of the missing Acolytes. The tunnel turned right then left and finally spilled out into an open chamber that was illuminated by crystals. Powering down her weapon she looked around the chamber and that's when she heard the noises.

Grima produced her second lightsaber just as two animated corpses appeared from one of the tunnel openings on the left. Quickly and with deadly precision she struck down the two abominations then crouched down next to the two corpses hovering her right hand over them. She cursed under breath and said, "Sith magick! Avreet...I know now what is the cause of this. What we are seeing the effects of an ancient Sith Spell called Tsaiwinokka Hoyakut, That spell is known to reanimate the dead, like zombies, but if the dead that is brought to life had a strong will at the time of its death, it will retain its thoughts and skills, like our dead Stormtrooper. This spell....this spell has been banned by the Dark Council my friend and any caught using it is condemned to death. We are dealing with a a rouge Sith Sorcerer I believe is looking for revenge against the Sith. He needs to be stopped or our entire Order is in jeopardy."

 

[Bubák]

Avreet watched in horror as the Togruta landed next to him, then jumped into the hole without thinking. If he set up the trap, the Sith Master would have ended impaled on spikes. As such, he hesitated to jump after her, but when he felt she was still alive, he immediately followed her. A dirty, dark tunnel embraced him as he jumped in, until it spit him out and he landed next to him Master, correctly positioning himself not to get hurt upon hitting the ground and using the Force to make his reflexes quicker. Rolling, he jumped on his feet and ignited both of his weapons, illuminating the darkness a bit. His hood slid off his head, but he did not care, as the cave or whatever they were in was much cooler than the desert. It was quite refreshing and welcome change. The Mon Cal's low-light vision immediately kicked in, helping him to see through darkness in greater detail than other races could.

Following his former Master, his large eyes glanced at the bones lying around. What was this place? Either a nest of a wild animal, or maybe something even worse. The teenager pointed his lightsabers down, burning two glowing lines into the ground as he walked, prepared to flick his wrists up and raise the blades for defense. After a few turns, the Sith duo stood in a large chamber, clear light washing over the place and making it bright as day. This pretty much ruled out a wild animal's lair, alerting Avreet. Both of his lightsabers rose up, prepared to cover most of his torso and head, his orange eyes darting around the chamber, searching for any sign of danger.

He spotted the enemies a split second after his Master, but by that time both of the zombies found eternal peace at the Togruta's hands. Avreet stayed on a lookout for any more hostiles while Grima examined the corpses. Only after the Togruta called his name, he finally looked at her, his senses still trying to feel incomming threats. Slight smirk managed to creep into his face upon hearing the older woman. "Master Volitu, I honestly doubt they'd manage to bring our Order down just by making zombies. They can create dozens, hundreds, thousands, but their abominable creations are just animals, Acolytes at most. Hardly something to endanger our Order."

The Mon Cal's smirk then disappeared as he understood. Frowning upon the realization, his mouth dropped in shock. "You said those with strong will retain their skills and thoughts. Grima, that is why we have been led here, right? A Crusader and a Master could cause some serious damage, killing more Acolytes and Crusaders who will rise and kill more...," his voice trailed off as he turned to the exit, only to see the walls of the tunnel closing, crushing bones and bodies between them, blocking the escape path. Avreet's body slightly shook. The Crusader quickly calmed down his mind, attempting to think.

There was only one path remaining, one that surely led to their deaths. Whoever planned this must have prepared to take down a Crusader and a Master. Despite the situation, Avreet let out a soft chuckle. "Even if we die and Korriban falls, anything that attempts to leave will get shot down by the Imperial fleet. They won't taky any risk. Whatever happens, the Sith Order and the Empire will remain safe. Tell me, Grima, if the one who resurrected the corpses dies, will their creations die as well?" asked the young Crusader. If the answer was positive, then they should focus on finding and putting down this rogue sorcerer once they walked through the only way that remained.

 

[Negative Blessing]

"I believe this whole dead Stormtrooper business has been nothing more than a farce. This sorcerer knew exactly how the Order would react, and they did just as this sorcerer has foreseen. All these Acolytes were nothing more than just another act to get us out here. I wonder how many Acolytes have fallen under his spell?" Grima shakes her head at the thought of what they might be facing. "Unfortunately for us old friend, we were the first the Dark Council sent to investigate and if we fall and rise under the control of this rogue Sith, then we will be turned against our bothers and sisters and we will aid in the formation of his undead army," Grima said rising to her feet. She felt her anger surging through her entire body for failing to recognize the signs. First her Apprentice had dealt with some zombies and now this.

Then as one of the tunnel walls begin to shift, turning bones to dust and squashing bodies, she cursed again to herself. She turned her cold gaze to the Crusader and said, "Regardless if Korriban falls or not, I believe once this infestation starts it will consume everything and everyone and if the fleets orbiting Korriban are warned, they will not be able to shoot down every ship leaving. As for the answer to your question, yes. Just like all Force powers or Sith spells, it requires the user or caster to be alive and once they are no longer among the living, then the spell will die and fizzle out. We must kill this misguided sorcerer unless..."

The Sith Master turned toward the opening, her right index finger tapping her lips. "Have you ever heard of Darth Scabrous and his experiments, Avreet?" Grima stared into the dark remaining tunnel and quickly produced her lightsabers and ignited them. "We have company."

 

[Bubák]

The teenage Sith did not want to think about what was going to happen if the Empire would not manage to shoot down every single ship attempting to flee the planet. If only one of the zombie carrying ships slipped through... Taking a deep breath, Avreet focused his thoughts on Grima's question. "Scabrous," Avreet frowned, pacing back and forth while stroking his barbel, trying to remember that name. The young Sith knew he had heard it before, it had to be someone from the Old Republic era, as the Mon Calamari clearly remembered every Sith Lord from the First Galactic Empire and beyond. "Scabrous, Scabrous...," muttered the Crusader again, then his orange eyes shot wide open as he finally found the name in his memories, "He was a Sith Lord, an alchemist who wished to be immortal. The formula he wanted to use partially resurrected dead people. Is,..." His words were cut off by his former Master's warning.

With a lightning speed, the Mon Cal undid the foam case on his thigh and started assembling a sniper rifle. He had no wish to get close to the things coming after him and the Togruta. Obviously, he did not have enough time, so his webbed hand shot out and sent an invisible blast of energy to push the attackers back to the darkness, giving him the seconds he needed to make the weapon functional. His cybernetic eye served better than a scope could, so he raised the weapon and took aim, briefly hesitating as one of the zombies was a stormtrooper. Avreet did not want to harm an innocent Imperial, but if the Sith Witch was right and the man was already dead and wanted to kill them, then there was nothing holding him from defending himself. Squeezing the trigger, he released several bolts, sending them through the dark tunnel. Despite what it looked like, the Mon Calamari was an experienced shooter, the Force guided his hands and his eye allowed him to see through the darkness. As such, all of the shots found their place in heads of the zombies, burning through their brains and permanently taking down the living dead. Their bodies slumped and hit the floor as sacks of meat. Avreet had no intention of stopping and letting the dead come closer, better do his best and try to take them out from the distance, so he moved the rifle slightly to the right, picking another target.

Moving his inder finger again, Avreet watched as the red blaster bolt left the sleek barrel of the gun and continued towards it's intended target... only to notice a flash of red light and the blaster bolt returning. There was no time to take out his lightsabers or try to quickly absorb it. The cybernetic eye saw it's trajectory and immediately let Avreet know it was not going to hit him, so he did not even flinch as the bolt flew past him, narrowly missing his healthy eye. The Mon Cal focused on the figure illuminated by the red light coming from their lightsaber. Again, Avreet used the zoom function in his right eye to examine the hilt.

The figure lunged at Avreet, slashing at the Crusader's head in a diagonal strike from his right shoulder to his left hip. Avreet did not react as the undead Acolyte flew towards him, carefully positioning his rifle. The Sith zombie landed and hit it's target just like it intended to do, the lethal strike continuing it's way towards Avreet's body until it hit. Avreet felt the incredibly hot blade burning his clothing and skin. Yet, the Sith Assassin not only survived, he remained in one piece. Smirking, he shoved the barrel of his gun under the zombie's chin and blew off it's head, spraying pieces of bone and brain tissue behind the body that slowly fell. "That was all of them for now. Some of the Acolytes still have training lightsabers," he shrugged and pointed the weapon down, leaning against it and looking at the Sith Master, his tunic slightly charred on the right shoulder. "What I wanted to ask before we were interrupted, is this connected to Darth Scarbous' way of resurrecting dead bodies? They share the same characteristics, but that doesn't mean they are the same."

Although it looked the Mon Calamari was relaxed, his cybernetic eye swiveled back to watch the tunnel, turning on heat vision in case an assassin tried to sneak on them.

 

[LadyM]

The Stormtrooper walked over to a dark cloaked figure who was standing on a recently built platform overlooking one of the massive underground chambers at the stirring figures below. A cold and sinister smile was on the face of this figure in black. Sensing the Stormtrooper had something to say, the figure turned toward the Stormtrooper. The Stormtrooper shuffled his feet then found his voice which was more grunts and gutturals than actual words. The figure in black let out a roar of laughter at what she had just heard.

"So the foolish Dark Council has taken the bait and sent us two powerful Sith, a Crusader and a Master. How lovely of them? They will make a fine addition to my army indeed, and perhaps through them we can strengthen my army with more powerful Sith until we are on the door steps of the Dark Council and the Empress herself."

The female in black looked down at her horde again and waving her arm in a sweeping motion she continued her rant, "They called me mad! They called me crazy! They called me insane! They said my experiments were failures, they said my experiments were dangerous, and they said I was betraying my oaths to the Order! Then they had the audacity to exile me from the Order then send their weak followers to kill me. And here I stand and my revenge on them soon to be fulfilled. We shall see how mad I am, how crazy I am, and how insane I am when I and my undead army are at their front door poised to knock it down and drag them into the depths of no return!"

Spinning on her heels she pointed to the Stormtrooper and ordered, "Go and take as many as you need and bring me back this Crusader and this Master, alive!" The figure disappeared into the shadows laughing.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Grima unclasped her two lightsabers just as Avreet began to assemble his sniper rifle. She knew that these things were infected by not just a virus but by spores as well and if she got to close after killing one, the spores could enter her body by simply breathing them in. Using the aide of the Force, she hurled one then the other lightsaber at two of the creatures piercing their necks. With a quick flick of her wrist, she ripped the blades around severing the heads of the two undead but saw no spores rise from the headless body. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Stormtrooper but at the moment he was no threat to her and she saw that Avreet was in a better position to deal with him so she recalled her weapons back to her hands, powered them down and clipped them back to her waist belt. She will use the Force rather than her two weapons.

Gripping a massive boulder through the Force, she tossed it at one of the monsters, squashing it between the boulder and one of the underground walls. Quickly and efficiently she dealt with two more of the creatures and when she looked around, she noticed that the creatures had been dealt with. She then turned her gaze to Avreet.

"Darth Scabrous did more than research dead bodies...he tried to create the ultimate weapon through this virus but even though they do share the same characteristics, something is different about them. See how they fought, they fought as a collective rather than individually. This tells us that they are be controlled through the Force."

Grima began to tap her right index on her finger as she gathered her thoughts then her eyes snapped open. "Master Ghinol," Grima said with anger in her voice. She crouched down next to one of the dead bodies and placed her left hand on the body while melding her mind to whatever was left of the dead Acolytes. She nodded her head in understanding while her face showed disgust.

Rising to her full height she said, "This is the work of the exile Sith Master Ghinol. Through my new found ability of Psychometry I was able to get a faint glimpse of her. I recall that she had been exiled by the Dark Council for dabbing in experiments the Council deemed dangerous and unconventional and sentenced to death. But I thought she was dead...."

Grima began to chuckle out loud. "It seems she has fooled the Dark Council yet again. She and I had studied together but I found her madness to be unnerving. Still, we need to be cautious with her, she is both dangerous and powerful.

 

[Bubák]

Nodding his large head in agreement, Avreet glanced at the dead undead. If what Master Volitu said was true, then the two Sith would have much easier job at defeating this rogue sorcerer. Most Sith trained to rely only on themselves, not understanding the basics of teamwork, so it was no surprise the Mon Calamari and the Togruta defeated the first wave. Unlike the zombies, the Sith duo knew each other very well after so many years of training, and both of them could rely on the other one. This rogue sorcerer's zombies might have worked on a Crusader and a Master that have never met before, not on a Master and her former apprentice.

As Grima explained that Darth Scabrous wanted to create an ultimate weapon, Avreet flung the sniper rifle over his back, ready to quickly draw it if needed. He simply continued looking at the female Togruta, even as she said a name of some Master Avreet had never heard of before. The Sith Witch inspected a body of a dead Acolyte, doing something Avreet felt but couldn't quite understand, before explaining further. This Ghinol apparently wanted to destroy the Sith for being exiled. That woman was definitely insane if she thought she'd be able to defeat another Sith Master, accompanied by her former apprentice on the top of that. The Mon Cal Crusader unclipped both of his lightsabers, not igniting them yet, and glared at the tunnel. "No matter how she plans to kill us, we'll end her." One of his eyes swiveled back at Grima, "Master Volitu, they keep coming from the tunnels. If both of us use Force cloak and Force stealth, we will slip through the zombies unnoticed. After reaching the head of the snake, we kill her, which will result in final death of the tail, the zombies."

"I suggest you decloak yourself before I put my blades into her heart. The surprise should take her off guard and make eliminating her easier. If we're lucky, we won't even have to fight her." A shadow crept through the tunnel, sneaking on the Mon Calamari. Unknown to the zombie Acolyte who probably trained to be an assassin, Avreet could see the silhouette thanks to his vision. Acting as if nothing happened, the Mon Cal even turned his back to his would-be assassin. Once Avreet felt his opponent close enough, he twirled around, both blades ignited and horizontally slashing through the zombie's neck, decapitating it, a searing donut upon it's neck as the body fell backwards and the head rolled deeper into the tunnel. Three undead beasts that appeared after tha assassin shared the same fate.

"We cannot stay here, the undead will overwhelm us if we do." With that, the Mon Cal bended the Force and the light around himself, perfectly disappearing in the dark tunnel. The zombies passed by him, oblivious to his presence. Carefully maneuvering through the reanimated corpses, not touching any of them, the teenage Sith enabled no-light vision mode in his cybernetic eye once the tunnel had gotten too dark. The rocky walls were cool to touch as Avry ran his webbed hand over them. Surprisingly, the texture of the solid sand began to change to rocks. No, not rocks, worked stones. Avreet frowned, as it meant they were getting closer to another tomb, but more massive and sturdy.

 

[Negative Blessing]

"She can not stand against us and she hides behind her dark creations cause she knows this herself. If she thought she was as powerful as she thinks she is, she would come out to face us now but her madness and her misguided attempt at revenge as made her overcautious and weak," Grima stated. As they were about to walk through the tunnels, Grima found her former Apprentice's thirst for treachery warming. To many in the Order where all about hack and slash but it took a special Sith to defeat their enemy through deceit, treachery, and manipulation.

Mentally connecting her mind to Avreets' she said, "Surprise will be our best approach to kill this whinny exile. From now on she should only communicate through our minds until..." Grima cut off her words for like Avreet, she had detected movement in the tunnel with them and it was as she thought, Ghinol was using Force users. She cursed under her breath. Avreet dealt with the undead Acolyte quickly and efficiently.

Grima called upon the Force to first hide her Force signature then to render herself nearly invisible as they began to move through the dark tunnel, side-stepping the undead as they shambled about. There was no need to engage these zombies when they could simply slaughter the controller, and slaughter her they would. While Avreet touched the stone surfaces, Grima stretched her mind out and found who she was looking for.

A dark smile crept on the lips of the Sith Master. "Ghinol is close....I can smell her hatred for us....I can taste her anger....and Avreet, she senses you," Grima said to Avreet through their mental link.

 

[LadyM]

The exiled Sith Master, Ghinol, slammed her gloved fist on a already ruined looking table knocking the contents to the floor. Her anger was rising at the news that all her efforts have been thwarted to capture the Sith Master and Crusader alive. Worse, one of her creations, a Stormtrooper, was not responding to her mental calls. Spinning around the chamber like a little child throwing a fit after not getting her way, she shot out her hand and released her anger upon one of her creations, frying the abomination with her Force Lightning. As the body crumpled to the floor as ashes, she began to rage even more.

Suddenly, she felt a faint stirring in the Force and when she reached out further to touch it, she began to smile. She began to feel the mind of who? Ah, the Crusader's mind was open and unguarded. For a moment she prodded his mind carefully sensing if there was a trap waiting to be sprung but when no trap seemed apparent, she blended her mind further into his. She literally could see through the Crusader's eye and knew how close they were. Grasping his mind tighter she sensed that he had cloaked himself in the Force and though he tried, he failed completely to protect his mind. She couldn't feel the Master's mind but she had a lock on the fishes mind.

Her eyes fluttered open as she felt her own mind being prodded and knew it was the Sith Master. Ghinol no longer cared if they knew where she was. They were now in striking distance and she was poised to take matters into her own hands. Taking control of her creations, she sent them forth to flood the tunnels and when the last of them disappeared from her sight, she cloaked herself producing her own lightsaber and moved through the shadows, allowing the Mon Calamari act as her beacon.

Ghinol would first dispatch the Sith Master then she would make the Crusader plea for mercy before she killed him and turned him against the Order. The Sith Master's fate would be far worse for she know had a glimpse of who this Master was. "Grima," she hissed as she silently stalked through the dark tunnels.

 

[Bubák]

"What?!" Avreet's eyes shot wide open in surprise and shock, "How can she sense me? I am hiding my presence with Force stealth, it should be impossible for her to feel me!" The telepathic message sent to Grima contained his frustration and anger, the Crusader certainly did not expect to be found almost immediately after hiding himself. Closing his orange eyes and taking a deep breath, calming down although inhaling the disgusting stench of rotting bodies, he quickly tried to think what his revealed presence meant. If the enemy knew his location, staying close to Grima meant putting the Sith Witch needlessly in danger. Avreet opened his eyes, staring at more reanimated corpses that began filling the tunnel, and let out a low growl. There was no way through all of them without touching them, and fighting would give their position away. Not like that mattered, since the rogue sorceress already knew their location. Unless...

Not sharing the daring plan with his former Master, Avreet decloaked himself, his lightsabers springing to life and pushing their way through two heads of the undead. In that moment, all of the zombies stopped aimlessly wandering through the dark tunnels as they have finally found their target. All the undead beasts in front of him and behind him turned in his direction and rushed towards him, probably hoping to overwhelm the young Crusader by their numbers. The Mon Calamari extended his hands in both directions of the tunnel and slowed down their advance by allowing the Dark Side escape from his body through his fingertips, a lightning-like blue manifestation hitting both waves of the undead, making them fall backward and getting into the rest of the zombies' way.

His eyes hastily scanned the tunnel, searching for a way out. Noticing another tunnel in the wall on his left several metres away from him, he ran to it, ignoring the undead horde in his way. Several Force pushes cleared the path, and with nothing blocking him from entering a tunnel that looked even older than the one he previously walked in, the Mon Cal slipped inside, having all zombies in tow. His cybernetics and the Force let him easily outrun the zombies, but he always waited for a while for them to catch up, making sure as many as possible followed him. This cleared out most undead from the tunnel where Grima remained, allowing her to slip closer to the rogue sorceress unnoticed, also making the enemy turn her attention to Avreet and far from Grima. The Togruta's former apprentice could just hope his former Master was strong enough to defeat her opponent alone in case he had not managed to find a way out of those tunnels in time.

As he ran forward, occasionally knocking over a zombie in his way, he noticed support beams above his head. Pointing his weapons up, he began slicing them apart as if they were nothing but air. It did not take long and he heard a sinister racket echoing through the dark tunnel. Before he could get buried under Force knows how many tons of sand and dirt, he dashed into another tunnel on his right, not stopping in his sprint to look at the devastation he had caused, just focusing on making sure he wouldn't get crushed. Another turn to the right, bumping into several undead humanoids, only to run through them and hear a nasty noise behind himself that sounded like breaking wet branches as another rock fell and crushed the zombies underneath.

The tunnel branched again, this time offering him to go forward or to the left. The Mon Cal chose to turn again, this time going to the left and finally escaping the collapsing ceiling. Unfortunately, he also saw many walking dead in his path. Both of his lightsabers pointed towards the light as he charged into the ranks of the undead, his lightsabers burning through their rotting bodies and ripping a way through. It was when the last one of them fell that he noticed a faint glimpse of someone. His unique Mon Calamari vision saw through Force cloak, and to his surprise, the person in front of him was not Master Volitu. "You," hissed the Mon Cal, frowning at the enemy Sith Master, "Do you remember our plan, Grima?" he asked the air to his right before letting another stream of Force lightning out of his fingers, aiming at the Sith Master's feet and head at the same time.

 

[Negative Blessing]

"Remember what I said when I instructed you in the ways of that ability, it is not absolute and if you come across another that is more powerful than you they will be able to sniff you out. Also, I told you Avreet that if a Force wielder suspects another in the area, they can find you. Plus you forget, we are dealing with a Sith Master...not some Acolyte." Grima could sense the frustration on her former Apprentice but in time, he would learn to curb his frustration less it be his downfall.

But to her surprise, he uncloaked himself and produced his weapons and began leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Grima sighed at the impromptu plan she had no knowledge of but using the force again, she elevated her speed and began to run after Avreet as he continued to lay waste to the undead. She dodged flying limbs and collapsing bodies and just made it past the falling support beams that came crashing down on the zombies.

As she followed Avreet, she felt the strong presence of the exile sith Master and pulled up. She could sense her presence because she was trying to draw Avreet to her. Grima clenched her jaw ran through a different tunnel she witnessed Avreet go through. She turned right, then left and soon she was standing in striking distance just as Avreet said, "Do you remember our plan, Grima?"

Grima quickly revealed herself startling Ghinol leaving her open to Avreet's attack. Grima saw the Crusader's blade aiming for the exile and Grima said to Ghinol, "Now....you will remain dead!"

 

[LadyM]

Ghinol took a step to her right putting distance between the Togruta Sith Master in an attempt to hide her shock that she had allowed herself to be fooled. Producing her lightsaber hilt from underneath her dusty and tattered cloak she looks at the Crusader first and laughs. "A Mon Calamari Sith? I thought your species was extinct or never left the comforts of your fish bowl planet. But I can detect your thoughts and feelings, and they betray you! But you are no concern to me fishy."

Whipping her head toward the Togruta she says with sadness in her voice, "Sweet Grima, champion of the Sith and guardian of the Old Ways it pains me to see you standing as my enemy and not my ally. You of all should know how deep the Dark Council's corruption runs and yet, you choose to stand with them. Why? Have you forgotten all our conversations about how much the Sith need to be changed, reordered, and rebuilt? It would seem you have."

Ghinol ignites her lightsaber as she shakes her head. "Grima, you should have joined me years ago. But alas, all three of us are aware that not all of us will leave this underground ruins alive. I had planned to use you two but now."

Ghinol quickly turns and attacks the Mon Calamari with a series of attacks driving the Sith back. "It was as I thought, you are weak fish," Ghinol mocks

 

[Bubák]

The Mon Cal glanced at the Togruta Sith Master, his eyes showing surprise. Was she running behind him the entire time? What was supposed to make the rogue Sith think his Master was right next to him while in reality she found a way to slip into the enemy's back actually gave her Grima's true position. Avreet would have a talk with Grima after their opponent lied dead on the dusty ground. For now, he listened to the insane sorceress, his face still as stone. Avreet did not care what she said about him, as he considered himself an Imperial, so what she said about the Mon Calamari and their homeworld mattered little to him. What Ghinol said about Master Volitu was certainly more flattering, the woman sounded almost disappointed the Sith Master had not joined her, since the two obviously shared many opinions, and now the fate has pitted the two Sith Masters against each other.

Nevertheless, when the woman attacked, Avreet stopped pouring his Dark Side as it had little to no effect, and focused on defending himself from her attacks. She must have thought Avreet was weak, maybe because of his rank, maybe because of his species. Perhaps she was right, but she had underestimated him, which was going to cost her her life. Avreet purposedly pretended he barely deflected her attacks, which forced him back... closer to Grima. Knowing the enemy wouldn't be able to react quickly enough to four lightsabers attacking her, he took another step back until his enemy stood next to the Togruta Sith Master, her left side completely unprotected as she focused on Avreet.

Normally, given her skill, she might have managed to push the Mon Cal back and deflect the Master's attack, but Avreet was not as weak as she thought. His cybernetic strength suddenly pushed his blades against the woman's lightsaber, bringing the crossed plasma beams closer to her face. She could not even shoot Force lightning at him, both of her hands holding the lightsaber and focusing solely on not getting sliced apart. "Weak fish?" hissed the Crusader into her face, leaning against the lightsabers and placing his weight on his left leg, while his right leg shattered the woman's left fibula and tibia in a strong kick.

That caused the woman to fall forwads, breaking her focus enough to force her lightsaber to aside so she did not impale herself. Avreet did not let her fall on him though, he swiftly moved his head towards her face, his thick Mon Calamari skull headbutting the woman and breaking her nose. "Was this strong enough, Master Ghinol?" calmly asked the teenage Crusader as the woman fell to the ground, angrily eyeing the two Sith. She'd never underestimate a weaker opponent again. One of her hands shot lightning at Avreet, while the other tried to keep the two Sith at distance by wildly swinging her lightsaber.

Deflecting the Dark Side with the lightsaber in his right hand, the Mon Calamari extended his left hand and used what he had learned in one of his last classes, Force drain. Normally, he wouldn't have stood a chance of draining a Sith Master, but the woman was insane, defeated, in pain. It was still very challenging to tap into her Force energies and stealing them from her. She realized what was happening a bit too late, as by the time she put up resistance and attempted to slow down Avreet's power, the Mon Calamari already overpowered her in terms of raw energy at their disposal. It did not take long before she stopped shooting lightning, unable to muster more Force to use, and Avreet began taking her life energy. Master Volitu would be able to both feel and see sapping a living energy from a person. Her former fellow student soon became no more powerful than an old invalid as Avreet basked in the stolen energy, having more power than ever before. He had to actually remind himself he should never take more than necessary, or taking only as much as it took to disable his opponent. That is what he did, so he stopped draining the Sith Master, who still had some life in her, but posed no danger anymore. It was up to Master Volitu to deliver the killing blow. Avreet looked at his former Master, his expression neutral.