Team 7 Run-On

Members: Rian Aslar, Aeson Rhys, Lokasena Corvinus, Snabbie, Ood, Cethgus, Seider, Kairus, Sanjuro


Rules
* Individuals must have at least 2 posts at 250-words minimum apiece to count as having participated
* Overall each Run-On must have a minimum of 20 posts at 250-words minimum apiece
* Cannot edit a post once someone else has made a follow-up post
* Cannot make consecutive posts; At least one other must have posted after you


All Run-On fiction must follow from weekly fiction posted.


Week 1 Details
* No cure can be found for the Plague
* It is not known how this Plague came to be
* Currently all Journeymen are in Stage 1 of the Plague; Equites and Elders are not yet affected

Stage 1 Details
At Stage 1 the Plague has taken hold, feeding on the Force abilities of infected. As it “feeds” on the infected it transfers some of that energy back into their bodies. At this stage the infected gain +2 to all physical attributes (STR, CON & DEX). Although the ability to summon the Force is fully removed, they do not appear to feel pain in the same way and appear to be channelling the power [CTP] constantly.

Any Force powers used on the Infected seem to reinvigorate them, rather than stop them. The infection takes such usage into itself and adds to its feeding.

Antei
Planet Surface

“I repeat this is shuttle Delta-892 we are going down, engine failure and critical situation, I’m going to put her down in the dirt”

The voice of the pilot shouting into the communication device could be heard as the Exarch squeezed his fingers tightly on the overhead rail to hold himself in position, as his eyes darted back to Snabbie and Ood, both of whom were being lit up by the red warning lights going off inside of the transporter.

“Hang on, this is going to be a rough landing from what I can gather” the Exarch’s voice was loud as to be heard over the screaming siren above him.

Feeling a shudder as the shuttle entered the atmosphere the Exarch gritted his teeth, hating the experience that was currently taking place. Feeling their altitude dropping fast he knew that it wouldn’t be long before they hit the ground.
“Pilot, put us down as quick as you can, I don’t want to fall out of the sky in this thing, it wouldn’t bode well for me to end like this” The Battleteam leader frowned slightly before his ears picked up on Ood’s voice.

“And to think, the person I least expected to die beside was Cethgus. Funny how irony has a way of creeping up on you isn’t it?” His voice showed the clear sarcasm of the situation that they were all in at this current moment.

“Well at least we go down in a ball of fire then?” Snabbie was quick to retort as he inspected the tree like figure of Ood.
“We are nearing the ground, trying to level the shuttle out now, this is going to be a bumpy ride people so make sure you hold on back their” The pilot’s voice was strained.

His eyes focused on all of the instruments in front of him which were going haywire at that current moment in time. Cethgus noticed that the ground to which they were heading was getting closer and quicker than anticipated, it seemed that while they managed to drop quickly it didn’t reduce their speed enough to make sure that this landing would become a safe one.

Instantly, the grinding and snapping of metal shuddered around the transport, smashing noises erupted with smoke at the same time; Cethgus was lurched from his standing position as the transport slid across the ground disintegrating. Hitting his head into the metallic wall, the Exarch blacked out from his injuries.

Groaning from the impact, Cethgus opened his eyes, the images blurry for now as he hauled himself onto all fours. Hauling himself up he allowed his body to try and lean on something only to find himself falling out of the wreckage. Smoke billowed from what was left of the transport. His eyes becoming more focused as he saw what looked like a bloody trail as he followed it he noticed a crumpled mess which he made out to be one of the pilots.

“I guess they didn’t fair too well in the end” his voice groggy as he made his way back into the transport.

His hand came up to the side, as he crouched through the gap to check on his fellow Arconans looking around he noticed Snabbie moving in his chair, only to see the man attempt to get out of his seat, the belt destroyed in the crash pinning him inside of the wreckage. Slowly approaching him the Exarch grabbed the belt; pulling it free from its holdings, as it came away Snabbie was able to pull himself upright.

“Check yourself over I’ll go see how the tree is doing” With that Cethgus headed towards the seat that maintained the Krath’s body inside. Approaching, it was clearly visible that Ood has sustained serious injury, though he didn’t look like the two pilots, checking for a pulse the Exarch couldn’t find one, but it wasn’t easy trying to get one from the tree.

Snabbie and Cethgus stood towering over the slumped figure, before grabbing the man from his seat, trying to get Ood out of the decimated shuttle was not an easy task by any means but the two of them managed to in the end, throwing the unconscious body onto the ground away from the flaming wreck that used to be one of Arcona’s transports.

“Right, we will hold here for a bit, I need Ood to be at least semi awake before we move out, and out here in the open like this we have a view on anyone approaching makes this a prime position to defend for the time being.” Cethgus’ voice was cold and calculating as he looked at the surroundings knowing that they were in for a difficult situation if Ood didn’t wake from his forced slumber.

Antei
Dark Hall
Ground Level

The son of the Kyataran Dark Lord rushed relentlessly through the corridors of the Dark Hall. The message came in just an hour before but during this times time was crucial. A shuttle bearing three members from Arcona has crashed nearly hundred klicks away from the Capital of the Dark Brotherhood. Trailing him was a red-and-black skinned Zabrak, having problems at holding the Keibatsu’s pace.

Turning left around a corner without breaking his pace the Archpriest nearly crashed into the massive blue-skinned form of the recently appointed Quaestor of Taldryan and his two Companions. Aslar and the two Priests who have been traveled to Antei for some matches at the Combat Center were due to the current situation forced to stay inside the Dark Hall. While Aslar was clad in the light weight plate armor of an Obelisk Warrior his two Housemates wore the purple robes of the Krath Order.

“Sorry my Lord.” The Half-breed said, already turning to let the Keibatsu pass.

But instead the slender Krath hesitated. Eyeing the three Taldryanites carefully through his purple eyes he took a decision. They still don’t know the exactly position of the crash Site and the territory is full of infected Journeymen and soldiers that would rather shoot before asking questions so a little more help in this situation could be necessary.

“Lord Quaestor, I need yours and the help of those at your side. On behalf of the Iron Throne I am ordering you to follow me.” The Keibatsu almost whispered to them.

Without questioning the order they trailed the Krath and his Companion through narrow corridors and eventually came to halt at an inconspicuous door. Turning his eyes to ensure no one paid them attention Sanjuro tapped a code into a near panel and the door slid open, the room behind was dark with a staircase leading only one way, downstairs.

The instant Sanjuro took the first step down a set of dim lights sprang to life, bathing the staircase in an eerie orange hue with shadows pooling in every corner. He has taken this stairs several times since his arrival on Antei at the hands of his father. Allowing those who own the correct permits to climb and descend through all sub-levels it was Grand Master Firefox idea to build in several secret escape routes in case he needs to get out of the Dark Hall without being seen.

“May I ask what we have been caught in?” the voice of the Obelisk echoed through the staircase.

“Not two hours ago crashed a shuttle on the surface of Antei, we have to find it and search for any survivors.”

“But isn’t that something for the local securities?” Lokasena mused.

“No, the persons aboard the crashed ship are important for the Dark Council, and those of the Royal Guard and local military that were not infected were ordered to kill every Force-sensitive outside the Dark Hall.”

“So this means we need to first get past our own and then past the enemy? Shhh…" the other Priest sigh. “How do we do that?”

“There is a hidden passage leading to a bunker a few hundred meters outside the primary security parameter, guarded by Elite members of the Royal Guard. The problem is to get into the passage.” A cruel smile flashed over his lips. “The entrance to the passage is located at the third sub-level of the Dark Hall.”

None of them needed any further Instruction, as they all knew that the third sub-level, that held the living chambers of the Dark Councilors, too was heavily secured and since Sanjuro as the Grand Master’s son was the only person who might be allowed to get past the security checkpoint this might cause some serious trouble for the rest of them.

“This is a welcome change of pace, I must say. Usually when we’re sent out on some halfcocked mission to retrieve someone or fight something, we end up running through massive battlefields, trying to make it across before being snuffed out. A dimly lit staircase, leading to a subterranean labyrinth reminds me of my laboratory.” Sena took a deep breath. It was easy to smell the scent of history in these walls.
“The day is still young. We might still end up running across country, getting to our objective.” Rian said.
“That’s what I like about you, oh captain my captain. You always think of the alternatives… However unpleasant they might be.” Krath Priest Corvinus jested.

The sound of boots stepping on metallic floor echoed through the staircase… Sometimes it seemed as though someone was following them, or coming toward them. The echo made it difficult to hear any approaching steps.

“Through cavers dark and caverns dim, we must away ere break of day, to reclaim that which is lost to Him.” Sena mused. “Not yet with the poetry, Corvinus… Please!” Sanjuro sighed. “Not in the mood right now.”
“Pity… Because I once knew a girl from Kamino…”
“Sshhh. Be serious for a second! We really need to focus here.” Aslar commanded, trying to suppress a smile.

So down they went, into the jaws of Death and into the mouth of Hell. Duty called aloud and it had to call to them! It could be no one else, for they might make a mistake.

Aeson Rhys was unsure about what was happening and where they were going. But if there were guards involved, that was a situation he knew how to handle. That is, as long as the guards did not start shooting the moment that this group emerged from a technically classified access. As the Archpriest led them down the stairs of the narrow passage, Aeson spoke to His Quaestor telepathically. He did not like the idea of addressing the Sadow Archpriest himself even though technically he was only one rank higher than Aeson himself.

Sir, if you can get Archpriest Keibatsu to describe the layout of where we’re going, I may be able to get us through without causing any alarms.

Rian turned and raised his eyebrow quizzically at Aeson. The Zeltron was a new addition to House Taldryan, brought to the House by the enigmatic and arrogant Gobhainn Sgath just before the Sith Warrior had disappeared. Rian was still trying to get the feel of the new Krath Priest. So far Aeson appeared to be the polar opposite of the old Warrior. The Zeltron was gregarious, charismatic and hedonistic and Rian wondered if he now had another unstoppable force to complement Ben, Shadow and Howie. Yet there was something about Aeson Rhys that whispered of a darker nature than his yellow eyes announced.

“Lord Keibatsu, Priest Rhys has requested that you inform us of the layout third subfloor. He says that he has an idea on how to get everyone past without raising any alarms.”

The Half Breed Prince smirked at the idea. The audacity of this nobody; he thought that he could get them through the second most secure location in the entire Dark Hall and without raising any alarms. Taldryanites still thought too much of themselves and their abilities.

“Fine” Sanjuro commented. "The Third Subfloor is the residential hall of the Dark Council. The main hall is a large semicircle with doors leading to the various officers’ quarters aligned along the curve. There is one Turbolift and immediately upon exiting it you must pass through a security checkpoint that reads your Force signature. If your signature does not match any authorized personnel signature, alarms sound and the security system kicks into action. Directly opposite the security checkpoint are the Grand Master’s and Deputy Grandmaster’s chambers which are guarded by six members of the Grand Master’s Royal Guard, Fourth Echelon, at all times. Luckily there are no Force Users of this rank at the current moment, but these troops are still good enough to take on you average Jedi and win."

"We however will not be entering by the standard entrance, thus will not have to worry about the security checkpoint and the automated defenses. I am known by the guards so they should not open fire the moment they see us. The secret passage to the bunker is not far from where we will enter the main hall but if we try and make a run for it they will surely attack before I can enter the security code."

“So, Priest, what is your plan?”

“Actually the only thing that had me worried would be that the guards would be Jedi.” Aeson replied. "I am a Zeltron and as you surely know, Zeltros has never been successfully invaded. The pheromones that we Zeltrons produce at will have a strong but subtle effect on most sentient species’ brain’s pleasure centers. When exposed to a large enough concentration, it removes all thoughts of violence. When we reach the bottom of this passage, do not open the door immediately. Let me have enough time to build up a concentration of pheromones in the air. When you do open the door, signal the guards to come to you. Engage them in conversation. After they have been exposed to the pheromones sufficiently, I will use the Force to raise the strength of my personality and then use the Mind trick to make them compliant to your wishes.”

“Do you think that you could actually Trick six men, Aeson.” Rian asked.

“Probably. With the pheromones already inclining them to liking us, it shouldn’t be that hard but if any of the rest of you can use Mind Trick as well, it will make it faster and easier.” The Zeltron responded.

Having laid Ood on the ground outside the ship, Snabbie got the first time to look at himself. Sitting on a pile of rubble next to the shuttle he checked for any sustained injuries. Even though the shuttle had hit the ground with relatively great velocity which had felt like it had broken most of the bones in his body, he could not find any trace of damage now.

The Jedi Hunter slowly paced back to where Cethgus was still waiting besides Ood. Quickly reporting his surprisingly healthy condition to his commander, Snabbie proposed to check the instruments of the shuttle for a working radio or any salvageable material that could help them to defend the area if needed. The Zabrak nodded affirmatively, and watched as the his team member walked back to the ship.

As Snabbie entered the cockpit he saw the dead pilot sitting in the chair. He pulled the body out of the chair with surprising ease, and dropped it in one of the seats of the passenger compartment. Returning to the front, the Qel-Droman focused on the dashboard. Looking at all the instruments, he noticed that very few lights were still on, and the rest was only lighted dimly. As the Flight Leader located the specific electronics for radio communication, he tried pressing a couple of buttons, but came to the conclusion that the circuits were fried.

“Great, cut off from the brotherhood” Snabbie muttered sarcastically.

Leaving the shuttle for what it was the human crawled back outside, only to see Cethgus with his lightsaber activated in his hand. Quickly tensing, the Jedi Hunter quickly glanced left and right to see what was going on. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary Snabbie tried to reach out through the force, only to notice that the for him so normal connection was gone. Fear was rising up from his stomach. He had grown to be so accustomed to the connection with the force that losing it was a hard blow. Old instincts kicked in and he froze in his place, waiting for something else to happen.

Antei
Planet Surface

Chaos, blood, smoke, barbeque… Hang on, no not barbeque, his troops.

As a moan escaped from the Neti’s oaky lips, the two arconans refocused their attention towards their wounded charge. Eyebrows raised as the old Archpriest started to mumble about how they should attempt to get in contact with the forward command post for retrieval and to forward a message to the Council on Coruscant to inform the Jedi that General Bnar’s position could use reinforcements.

“What’s he on about Ceth?” Snabbie asked, puzzled by what he was hearing.

“I think he has damaged his mind in the crash and forgot where he is. Well that or he’s finally lost his tremulous grasp on reality… Shouldn’t be too surprised, the old fart has never really been all there you know?” while he responded, the Exarch was looking outwards, checking the horizon for anything, “Let’s get moving, we can’t stay here… It’s too exposed here, start gathering anything salvageable from the shuttle. Try to find something to transport Ood on too, I don’t think he should try to walk yet after what happened to him. You did pass the basic academy class on basic survival right?”

-------------------

Antei
Planet Surface
Roughly 2 hours later

Moving through the barren wastelands of the Iron Seat was not as much fun as Snabbie would have considered the trip before he actually undertook it. The northern winds were cold and kicked up sand from all around them, attempting to polish them. Step after step the two marched on, a hoverboard containing scavenged wiring, systems, anything of worth from the crashed wreck as well as a wounded Equite who had, quite luckily stopped bleeding was doing wonders to keep his mind off the lack of a connection to the Force he was currently experiencing. Though unsure about what would happen now, he was quite sure that at least he would be safe, he had Cethgus with him (and that Equite had quite the reputation built up within the clan. Then there was the patient they were now lugging through the desert. If anyone could know something to help him with this problem, it’d be the old Neti. 400 years as first a Jedi Scholar, then a smuggler and information broker and finally as a Krath Sorcerer who spent the last decades scouring databases and archives. Hell, there had to be a reason the old one was summoned to Lyspair to help solve some crisis or problem. Of course, this meant that the longer they were trapped, the more annoyed the Headmistress would become with them. And she was rumoured to not be that considerate of extenuating circumstances…

“Ceth, will the fact that we’re crashed not give problems? We were ordered to deliver the old Neti to Lyspair. Hell we were supposed to be swift, why else would we have been given a priority 1 transponder code for our shuttle. Also, were we shot down or was the crash an accident? Because the shuttle would have shown on all registrars as transporting a high level member of the Dark Council staff on an important mission or a member of the Dark Council travelling. Hell, for all the support staff was concerned, we were transporting the Grandmaster to Lyspair. Also, were are we going now?” as Snabbie threw questions around to keep his mind from whatever was going on with his body and connection to the Force. He recalled a meeting he had with the Archpriest while he was still a young student at the Academy. After bumping into the old Professor in the main library, the youngling had freaked and started to unconsciously send out telepathic and empathic waves. He’d been dragged aside by the old one and had gotten an impromptu lesson in meditation and mental control. A lesson that had staid with him ever since. The first trick though was very easy, if you are injured or ill, keep your mind on something else. If done successfully, the trick could even prevent the body to truly realise what was going on with itself. Sure, it didn’t work as well without the Force to power it, but it did keep him functional instead of panicking…

Antei
Planet Surface
Roughly 5 hours later

Cethgus eyes shot back to Snabbie, his pace was slowing down as the continued walk was starting to show signs of wear and tear on the body of the Journeyman. Both of the men where stood their knowing that at this current moment in time their situation was one that could have been better and with Ood out of action they needed to find some help soon, otherwise anything might happen in the time that they were stuck out here. Grabbing his communication device he brought it up to his lips.

“This is Cethgus Tiberus Entar requesting emergency assistance, I repeat this is an emergency assistance call, we have an important person down and in need of medical treatment at this current moment in time over?” His voice calm though his face showing signs of anger.

“Received we are currently picking up your coordinates as we speak, help will be sent when it is available” The voice cut out instantly after that as Cethgus shot Snabbie a look.

“That didn’t sound too reassuring does it, though we cannot do much with a tree down and out by the looks of his current situation” Cethgus looked over to Snabbie and then his eyes glanced over to Ood.

“Guess we haven’t got any option, we simply have to wait it out, and try and help him on the recovering front” Snabbie looked around though the terrain was barren and empty, nothing else was around

The Exarch instantly lent over the form of Ood his hands stretched out as he tried to help where he could knowing that he needed to wake up the Krath, though wondering how long it would truly take, his focus on the force was consuming most of his time.

……………………………….

Antei
Planet Surface
Roughly 7 hours later

Cethgus was feeling drained knowing that at this moment in time he had constantly been using the force and it was draining on him quickly and without warning, of course it didn’t help that from what he noticed Snabbie was deciding to stay at watch rather than trying to help out in anyway or form.

“You going to just stand there or give me a hand with actually trying to help this man out?” Cethgus aimed the comment towards his Flight Leader without taking his eyes from what he was currently doing at this moment in time.

“I figured it was a good idea to stand watch, it means that no-one can sneak up on us at least” Snabbie changed the subject quickly and without warning.

Cethgus shrugged it off before returning his attention to healing he knew that this was far from over but the process had been every draining he could no longer continue to uphold it. Having to stop what he was doing and regain his focus, the Exarch slumped down beside the Old Tree. Patting him on the chest he hoped that what he had done was good, but his body was tired he would have to stop now and rest until he found the time to make sure that he could finish what he started.

The younger Qel-Droman slowly ran his eyes across the horizon, watching for anything other than sand and rocks. A cave or a tree, anything that might give them even the slightest bit of cover from the heavy winds blowing across the plains carrying sand and particles that cut and burned on all uncovered body parts.

Snabbie had been purposely keeping away from Cethgus the past few hours, for he had had grown more tired of him by the minute. As the Zabrak called for him a third time in an hour the human whirled around and began to shout to his Battle Team commander.

“What is it you want know? I helped you to move him twice now, can’t you just move him yourself?” Snabbie called.

The Iridonian had a surprised look in his face as he regarded the Koros Majorian.

“I only wanted to ask if you wanted some rest. In which case you could watch Ood while I took a look around” he replied.

“Oh so now you are not trusting me too. Always checking what I do, like I can’t do it myself” Snabbie spat out, his face growing hotter with every word. “Why are you trying to hold me back? I have been ready to move on but you are pushing me back every day. Is it some kind of punishment that you have removed my connection to the force now too? Or do you just want to stop me from becoming better? Do you maybe think that I am becoming a threat to you?”

Cethgus was amazed by the irrational arguments his Flight Leader was throwing at him. He was beginning to understand why the human had been so quiet and closed the past hours.

“Listen, I don’t know why you cannot use the force anymore, but I had nothing to do with it. Just calm down and let me help you” Cethgus tried to calm him down.

“Lies! All distractions to keep me from seeing that you are holding me back!” the Qel-droman roared, at which point he began to charge towards the other Arconan.

The zabrak patiently waited for Snabbie to come closer. Even without training one could see that he was running frantically, not thinking about defense or tactics. The moment the Majorian was getting close, Cethgus sidestepped, extended his leg and successfully tripped the human who toppled straight over onto the hard ground.

Quickly sitting on top of the Flight Leader, the Iridonian grunted in Snabbie’s ear. “We have enough problems already with Ood unconscious and no help coming for a while, and I don’t want you being another one half dead body I have to carry around and protect like a baby.”

Snabbie’s sulphuric eyes glared hatefully at the Exarch, and he kept trying to wriggle free.

“So be it, little rat” Cethgus said while he grabbed some of the wires that they hauled with them from the shuttle wreck. While tying the arms and legs of the youngling together a high pitched sound came to his attention. Looking around to find the direction the sound came from, the Void Commander saw a the small but clear silhouette of a shuttle closing in on his position.

Antei
Planet Surface


Thanks to the Force their plan has almost worked as it was supposed the only interruption happened in the bunker as the Keibatsu and his team faced another squad of Elitist Guards that were assisted by two heavy four-legged Assault Droids assigned to protect the secret hangar from any intruder. Unfortunately the plan went faulty as Seider failed to persuade the minds of the guards. Lightsabers of all shades flared to life as the Equites came to assist the Iridonian Knight. The Hangar instantly turned into a cacophony of lights and screams, heavy blaster bolts hauled through the room only to be ricocheted by the blades of heavenly fire and tear into the droids that have fired them, while others hit the Guards who fought well despite their lack of chances to protect themselves from the blasterfire or lightsabers that arced gracefully trough the air. By the time the last Droid turned into a mess of bits and scraps the last Guard has already fallen too and as fast as the air was filled with sounds it went quiet, leaving the team alone with the parked Low Altitude Assault Transport gunboat.

Rian knew the class of the ship well instinctively taking the lead and ordering his fellow housemates to get the gunboat ready to get airborne, while he himself entered the cockpit to run the engine prestart sequence. “Aeson check for the medical droid, Sena and all others go and check the cannons and Master Keibatsu please follow me into the cockpit.”
Within minutes the transporter has taken altitude and accelerated into Antei’s night sky trailing for the last known position from the shuttle.

The flight turned out to be one of the easy ones, no persecutors or interceptors. But in the distance there were fires visible from the few campsites located on Antei’s surface. After a good two hours the Dark Lord’s son picked up a coded emergency call on a restricted frequency coming from the crashed shuttle’s surviving crew, but due to the nature of their mission they were unable to respond on the call. Sanjuro transferred their new destination over to Rian’s HUD and the Half-breed slightly shifted their course to fit the new coordinates.

Antei
Planet Surface

As the shuttle came down for a landing, the feeling of relief flooded Cethgus’ mind. With more hands, they could awaken the old tree and get a handle on whatever it was that was plaguing Snabbie. In the back of his mind though, he worried. Were all Journeymen afflicted yet? And if so, how many of the afflicted were aboard the shuttle currently kicking up a small sandstorm all around him…

Antei
Inside the shuttle

Things weren’t looking good for Sanjuro. First the little Knight, he’d been acting strange since he laid eyes on him. And not just HSP weird, which would he considered normal for him. No, he’d been acting as if he was the most powerful being in existence. Shouldn’t a member know better then this by the time they’d reach DJK?

However, at the moment, Seider was the least of his problems. A few hours ago, the others started to behave oddly as well… By the time the shuttle had taken off, they’d had to tie Seider up and lock him in the back compartment of the shuttle. Now however, the others were starting to display similar symptoms. Could this illness be contagious and if so, was the knowledge and experience of the afflicted an agent that slowed it’s progression? How else could he explain the fact that now, seven-ish hours after he’d noticed something odd with the little knight, he’d started noticing the same trends in these four lower Equites. The contempt he’d felt as he noticed the signs in the three Taldryanites had quickly shifted to concern as he’d realised his own clanmate, Kairus, seemed to have fallen to it as well. After all, you could expect the Palatinaeans and Taldryanites to catch any number of disgusting diseases from interacting with the rabble they considered their houses. But Kairus was a Sadowian, he was supposed to be above such things. If this illness was afflicting the members of Naga Sadow, then everyone was pretty much doomed…

As a thought slipped into his mind on whether or not he would be able to subdue two Templars and two Priests, he heard Rian announce that they’d intercepted an emergency message and had found their quandary. Once they had set down, everything would be better… After all, there was an Exarch down there and a four hundred year old Archpriest. Together, these two with aid from himself, the son of the Dark Lord would be able to get to the bottom of this, and if not that, then they’d probably be able to subdue these four lower Equites.

While the shuttle was setting down, he looked towards Cethgus and started to transfer thoughts to the Exarch below. What he received in return made him smile slightly. The Zabrak was suggesting a basic force connection so that they could channel their power into a telepathic wake-up call for the old neti.

Antei
Planet Surface

“…AWAKEN…”

“…WAKE UP YOU OLD FART! WE NEED YOU…”

Startled by the sound, Ood nearly jumped up. Groaning as his back protested, he slowly focused the force to heal himself faster, wondering why the force seemed to be so … eager … to come to his grasp. Shifting the oddity to the back of his mind, he centred himself into the here and now. As he stood, Ood noticed a general lack of shuttle around him, deducing by the dust caking his friend Cethgus his mind quickly assumed a crash and quite a long walk afterwards. Noticing from his periphery that Snabbie seemed to be tied up, an eyebrow rose as Ood ordered his mind to find the mental connection he’d sensed when it awoke him and forced himself into it. Once inside, he found two familiar signatures.

“…Hello Cethgus and … is that you … what was your name again … I think I once met you at a party back when I was a Proconsul … You’re the Grandmaster’s kid right? … Bah, regardless … could you both think of what has happened since we … crashed was it ceth?…”

As both higher level equites started thinking about the past day or so, the neti’s mind worked in overdrive to organise the memories, categorise them and put emphasis on some aspects.

“…Ok you two, I’ll be using a rather esoteric Krath trick to place the summary of these memories into your minds … you’ll notice them … I can’t make them appear to be your own, not that skilled in this ability … hmm, Sanjuro was it? You may want to get up from your seat, your companions are worried about the fact that you haven’t moved a muscle since the shuttle landed…”

The Taldryan Quaestor watched the back of the Kyataran Lord’s son as he trailed the Arconae to the injured Krath. Ever since the latter part of their flight it became more and more difficult to focus on the actual mission. Something was about to happen, a shift inside of him was going on, he felt lighter, stronger but in return it became harder to him to hear the call of the Force that had become a second nature to him. His dear friend and former Battleteam member Lokasena “Sena” Corvinus closed to him, his voice only slightly stronger than a whisper. “What is it, what we have slid in Boss? See their markings; they are all coming from Arcona.”
The Obelisk’s mind was in turmoil, thoughts rushing relentlessly as he was unsure what his friend was up to. But things would soon become clear as his other housemate, Aeson stopped as his flank too. “Can’t you feel it Rian? The Force is on our side, let’s take them all down and take whatever Lord Keibatsu has to deliver to the Grandmaster on our own.”
“The reputation Taldryan would gain from that would be... gigantic.” the human said.
“This is also a great opportunity to decrease the rows of our greatest enemies.” Aeson added the latter words heavily underscored by his natural pheromones.

Rian’s gaze turned from Sanjuro to his fellows and then to the Sadowian Templar. As if Corvinus would have read his mind he tried to reassure his Quaestor. “Naga Sadow is our ally, and even if he refuses to this we can easily take him out with the others.”
His dark amber eyes went back to Cethgus and Sanjuro who have started to talk to the injured neti. Oddly the words of the two Priests made sense, but this was about treason, and even if it would mean some good reputations from the Iron Throne, he would never allow himself or anyone in his House to gain reputation from betrayal. He took a step back, the hilt of his lightsaber filling his grasp the very moment he did so. “Sena, Aeson stop you mind! We are here on behalf of the Iron Throne and there is no room for infight here, we–“

Before the cerulean skinned alien was able to end this a thunder crashed through the night sky as the heavy planetary weapons started to fire at unknown enemy forces.

Antei
Planet Surface

As the planetary defences came to life, the mental connection broke.

“What the hell is going on up there? Has everyone lost their minds in strategic command?”, the old neti wondered verbally, still reeling from his recent injuries. “Cethgus, Sanjuro… I think it’s best if we hurry towards the Dark Hall!”

“Ood, we’d have to fly very low with this bombardment going, or we’d run the risk of becoming targets ourselves.” As the Exarch responded the young Keibatsu was already focussing the force into instilling a feeling of loyalty into the minds of the ailing Equites.

“Well then, we’d best get going!” was all Sanjuro stated before moving towards the shuttle, gesturing everyone to follow him. “Oh, Rian… do load that Journeyman aboard. I’d hate for Arcona to bring up complaints because we neglected to save one of their precious members.”

“Ehm, shouldn’t we first ensure that the item your Father sent us for is safely secured Sanjuro?” the Quaestor asked, wondering when leadership of this expedition had been wrested from her grasp.

“No worries little one, I’ll be sure to secure myself aboard your rather bland shuttle.” Was all the tree-like being stated as he slowly walked past her and into the shuttle.

“What would his Lordship want with you?” Lokasena asked rather snidely, his dislike for anyone wearing the Arcona colours only aggravated by the fact that this creature wore the snit and cloth of a lightsider.

“Well little one, I’d assume I’ve been recalled due to the fact that in the last four centuries of my life I’ve been a Jedi, then an information-broker, then a Krath. And in those centuries, I’ve attempted to gather and memorise as much data, force-related and not, as I could. Now, I may not know as much as I’d want about the mating rituals of the speckled dathomiri rancor, but I can assure you, my knowledge on force-related trivia and obscure lore is quite vast. If I were to take a guess, I’d say I’ve been recalled to join the research teams attempting to find the cause of this current crisis.” As the demeaning voice continued on, the Taldryanites felt their paranoia grow. Why would this Arconan be summoned to the Dark Hall? “Well now, I’d suggest you get into the ship younglings! It can get chilly out here on the plains after all.” That said, Ood disappeared into the bowels of the shuttle, following Sanjuro and Cethgus.

Antei
Inside the Shuttle

As they watched the Dark Hall appear from the cockpit windows, the three Equites breathed a sigh of relief. Already the minds of the gathered Elders were aiding their efforts to calm the four afflicted Equites and the two prisoners.

Antei
Dark Hall

Setting down in a hangar usually reserved for Dark Councillors and such, they noticed a group of senior members of the Royal Guard moving towards the shuttle in a tight and guarded formation.

Moving towards the exit of the shuttle, Rian could hear the guardsman leading the group informing the Neti that they were here to escort him safely to the Krath Archives inside the building.

Looking towards the closing hangar-doors, she couldn’t help but wonder what the future had in store, as the sun rose to touch the shadowed walls of the Dark Hall…

THE END


[[OOC: Since we didn’t have any elders, we decided to make our Runon about something that occurred during day 1 of the Vendetta. The sunrise in the last paragraph would thus be the dawn of day 2]]