Finding A New Ally

Jade walked through the darken cavern, the sounds of battle fading in the distance as the brotherhood gained some ground in the battle with vong. She walked along, careful not to touch the walls, kowing they were alive and held all kinds of secrets.

A groan suddenly caught her attention, and in a swift movement turned and crouched low, her saber activated in a snap hiss. Her eyes scanned the area. "Who goes there?....identify yourself!" A slience followed her words, and just as she was about to stand up and go on her way she heard the groan again, weaker this time, it would have been swallowed up by the hum of her saber if she hadn't extra senstive hearing. Looking towards the sound she saw a journeyman slowly being consumed by the wall. Her blade falshed and dug into the fleshy material, cutting him free.

The journey man sprawled on the floor of the cavern, he was wounded, several deep cuts and bruises. Jade touched his shoulder. "Wake up, and tell me your name."

His eyes slowly opened and looked at her. "My name...is Zaroth."

Jade smiled down at him. "I'm Dark Jedi Knight Jade Atema. Who is your master?"

Zaroth answered,
"I...it's Muz. Muz Keibatsu. I lost his position in the battle, thought he may have been driven into one of these smaller caves. Have you seen him?"
"No, I was just ambushed by a few Vong myself. Didn't Muz teach you how to contact him?" the beautiful Knight replied.
"Yeah, but I...er...I've been having some trouble with that," Zaroth said, ashamed.
"We should probably rejoin the others" she said, standing up and walking towards the larger cave, leaving the Journeyman still sprawled on the floor.

Entering the larger cavern a few steps behind Jade, Zaroth could sense something, but it was only a tiny whisper to him. Jade drew her saber, igniting it.
"Stay back!" she called "This is how you use a lightsaber!"
"But there's no-one here" said Zaroth as 3 Vong leapt at Jade. She stood calmly, cutting them down mid-leap in one wide sweep of her saber.

"Indeed" she said, deactivating the lightsaber and strolling away. Zaroth found himself watching her swaying hips as he followed.

Jade turned her head over her shoulder and laughed. "See something interesting there journeyman?" Zaroth only muttered something and she walked back to him shaking her head. "I'm going to have to keep an eye on you arn't I?" Jade made a point of playng with her wedding ring before pushing Zaroth forward a couple steps. "Try to keep up. I see you have already fallen for one of the tricks of the cavern..."she smirked. "do try not to get eatten by any more walls!"

Jade took the lead and headed towards the sounds of the team.

"So, errr..", started Zaroth.
"Ylith. He seems tough and cruel, but... he's not. He's... it's really none of your business, though is it? And jealousy won't get you very far"
"I'm sorry"
"And besides, I only just met you" she said. Zaroth knew she was teasing him.
"Yeah, I don't think Muz would approve either." Zaroth replied, jokingly.

Passing through the caverns and meeting the rest of the team, Jade became a little more tame. Ylith was the first to meet them, closely followed by Muz. Jade winked at Zaroth.
"What was that about?" said Ylith, taking Jade aside.

"Master" said Zaroth, breifly dropping on one knee. "What happened?"
"As you told Jade, we got seperated." replied Muz.
"You know, I'm still having trouble with the Telepathy thing."
"I guess we'll have to work on that." said Muz, smiling.

Jade wrapped her arms around Yilth and gave him a quick kiss before placing an arm around his waist and looking at Zaroth and Muz, answering Ylith. "When I got cut off I found this one being sucked into a wall." Jade joked as she looked at Muz. "I would have thought you trianed him better then that!"

The look Muz gave her had Ylith narrow his eyes and raise the blade of his sword up and across Jade and him. A slight warning not to mess with either of them. Jade smirked and moved with Ylith as they walked towards the rest of the group.

See ya around little Zaroth Jade chuckled into his head, poking at him with her telephathy skills.

As the group began to move forward a pair of Yuuzhan Vong Warriors emerged from the shadows ahead blocking the path. The group began to draw their weapons and advance but suddendly a third figure appeared out of the shadows and moved in a blur of motion.

A glint of steel flashed and the sound of ripping flesh was heard as the Warrior on the right lost his left leg at the knee. The figure still in motion lept bringing his energy sword across his body in a reverse grip decapitating the first warrior. The second warrior had turned to notice the shadowy assailant who was already moving towards him.

The Yuuzhan Vong Warrior growled a challenge but it was cut short as the dark figure leapt forward and in a single movement slapped the Warrior's amphistaff aside with his energy blade, stepped on and lept up from the warriors thigh, brought both his feet into the chin of the warrior while performing a layout back flip and before landing hurled the energy sword into the know exposed neck of the Vong Warrior.

Dark blood flew from the fresh wound of the Warrior as the life left his body in a gurgling gasp for air. The dark hooded figure retrieved his blade, wiped the blood on his sleeve and sheathed it along his back in the upside down position so that the hilt faced the ground and approached the group of Dark Jedi.

Muz watched the figure approach and bow to him as he removed his hood. "Lord Keibatsu Sadow, the way ahead is blocked, our forces are split and the enemy has spearheaded the garrison forces. There is a weakness in the enemy's eastern flank. DCOG reinforcements are in route."
Muz nodded. "Well done...and you are?"

"Jedi Hunter Zaxen my Lord... House Marka Ragnos." He replied.
"Very well Hunter.. who is your Master?" Muz asked.
"My master is Mistress Jade Atema my Lord." came the quick and rather prideful reply.
"Interesting... must be a reunion around here. Rejoin your mistress then Hunter she is here."

Zaxen bowed, turned and brought his hood back up. As he approached his Mistress, Zaxen felt the eyes of someone on him. He glanced to his left and noticed another journeyman watching him carefully. He recognized him vaguely and it took a moment for the face to match a name in his memory. Zaroth is it?

"Welcome back my apprentice. That was a rather impressive entrance." The melodic voice of Jade Atema rang in his ears.
Zaxen turned to face her and replied. "You have trained me well my mistress. It is an honor to do you credit."
Zaxen felt the burning sensation in the back of his mind and smirked as he recognized it again as Zaroth.
He immediatly understood and touched Jade's mind Broken another heart have you mistress?

And Zaroth stepped in,
“Jade. You saved my life and I won’t forget it. And as for you, you cloaked imbecile,” he said, pointing at Zaxen “stay away from me and my Master”
“Problem Zaroth?” called Ylith. Zaroth simply stalked away. Jade followed.
“What is it with you? Zaxen did nothing to you. Why did you insult him?” asked Jade.
“He’s arrogant and cocky. Plus, he’s trying too hard to be mysterious.”
Jade laughed. “He’s a powerful Force-user. He could become the strongest among us”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Said Zaroth, walking towards Muz.

“Damn him!” he said. “Bloody idiot. Anyway, what about the Vong? Master, do we have a plan?”
“Cut a bloody swathe through those damned Vong” answered Muz.
“I like it. Simple, easy to remember” said Zaroth, with a smile

Jade narrowed her eyes at Zaroth. be careful young apprentice in who you anger, it could very well be your undoing She turned towards Zaxen. "Glad to see you have caught up. Now, what do you say we go kick some vong into the next galaxy?"

She nodded and then moved to Yliths side, Zaxen close behind her.

Zaxen nodded in acknowledgement to his mistress and fell in behind her and to her left.
As he moved past Zaroth he sent an impression through the Force, images, feelings all rolled up into one simple message You are out of your league.
He looked over at Zaroth without malice but rather with mild amusement.
"Hmph." And a smirk was all Zaxen honored Zaroth with.

It had been a long time. Muz walked slowly, his mind reaching out, feeling for the abscesses in the Force. A long time since he had spent as many hours with the members of his native clan. And the Vong... well, if he had anything better to do, he wouldn't be venting his anger on these outsiders. But the fact of the matter was that his student needed tutelage.

Muz paused, turning on his heel to face the equites and journeymen at his back. "This is going to get vicious." the crack of displaced air sounded, and the Master's sabers appeared in his hands, a vulgar display of his mastery of telekinesis. "We fight as one."

And Atema, raise your blade at me again, and I will teach you things that you never want to learn. Ylith had no reason to think for even a second that he would falter in delivering that promise. Ylith shook his head slightly, chasing the Master's words from his head. He had seen what the Lord could do.

Sliding his sable gaze over to the young apprentice, Zaroth looked up at the tall Keibatsu. "Your new saber. Remember, the glowing end goes into the enemy."

The snap-hiss of sabers illuminating spilled across them all, seconds before the creatures appeared. Screams of infidel and outlander cascaded across their ears as they rushed toward them.

Stoic and silent, Muz stood, his student at his side, twitching in anticipation as Ylith stepped to their line.

A silent hand caught the first Vong warrior, the invisible crushing gauntlet of Force collapsing the soldier's throat before throwing him into his allies. Muz smiled ferally as he lowered himself into a fighting stance and threw himself after the crippled one, a whirling dervish of cauterizing light and death.

"Well come on... did you want to live forever?" The Master's words echoed in all of their ears, breaking them free from their rigid spots, slamming themselves into the outlander foes.

The Valheru smirked, his sword slashing through the air, through a vong who was cleaven in
two by the razor sharp Livion Katana. The Shadow Hand smirked slightly at Ylith's movements
and couldnt help but to comment.

"Your aim a slightly off at the end." Muz said as he positioned the violet blade of his saber
between the eyes of his advisary.

"No worries Master Keibatsu, I am sure it will deminish over...- he paused his sentence for a moment
to slam the sheath into the back of a warrior's knee, causing him to kneel, then decapitating him
with his sword -...time."

"Besides, like Calligraphy, every warrior has his style, it is what you have taught me." The Sith said
smirking, and Muz wiped some Vong entrails from his robe. "Indeed, now come, we need to move,
more will arrive any minute."

Ylith moved ahead, away from Jade, ignoring her for a moment, and followed Muz.

Zaxen stood over his latest victim wiping the Yuuzhan Vong blood from his face. He paced himself along with the group staying to the side of the loose formation. A few fresh battle scars now showed through his slightly torn tunic and the stinging sensation brought a smile to his face.

He engaged another warrior. As the Yuuzhan Vong came forward Zaxen summoned several melon sized chunks of rubble with the Force and hurled them into the beastly, scarred face. The warrior roared as he was blinded by his own blood. Zaxen approached kicking the warrior to the ground and then lept high propelled by the Force and brought his foot screaming down into the contorted skull. An audible pop was heard just as the warrior's protest stopped.

As the formation began to move forward led by the Master Keibatsu's whirlwind of power and death, Zaxen silently moved up taking his place by Jade's side as Ylith moved forward to add his sword to the frey.

"I will stay with you Mistress." Zaxen said shooting a quick glance over to Zaroth smirking and stepped a little closer to Jade.

Zaroth deactivated his saber.
"It's over! That was the last one" he called
"Zaroth. There's four more right there." said Zaxen
"I meant I'd take them, you damn fool!" Zaroth replied.

Drawing his katana and settling into the ancient style's ready stance, Zaroth waiting until the Vong were about three foot away before making his move. The deformed Warrior charged and Zaroth sliced upwards as he met him, splitting the Vong's face down the middle. Pivoting to his left and striking at the second Warrior's knee, Zaroth knew Zaxen was smirking at him still. Ignoring the Hunter for now, Zaroth stabbed the Warrior through the head and turned to face the final Vong but noticed that he had already went down, Zaxen's Energy Sword protruding from the Vong's chest.

"Oh for fu-"
"Careful, my Apprentice", called Muz, "I think you've caused enough rivalries for today."
"Yes, Master. Forgive me, Zaxen." said Zaroth.
Zaxen merely turned round and rejoined Jade.

Jade nods at Zaxen. "You always did like a snappy entrance didn't you?" Laughing, she clipped her saber back to her side after the lastest wave of vong were neutralised. She motioned with her hand towards Zaroth. "I see you have made a new...aquaintence." Grinning as she kicked a fallen vong to make sure he was really no longer a threat, she added. "Play nice now....but...not too nice."

Standing she dusted off her hands and looked around the cavern at everyone, making sure there were no more incoming waves. Satisifed she turns back to Zaxen. "We must kep moving, more will be arriving soon."

Zaxen nodded without a spoken word again taking his place by Jade. His voice was silent but his mind was once again touching Jade's He seems more eager to please you than his own master. Jade coughed a bit disguising a small laugh.
Do not worry mistress. I did not come to play with little boys.

She merely nodded as they continued down the war torn, vong formed hell that had consumed the world they were on.

Passing through the caverns, the group reached a large circular room with a coffin in the middle surrounded by crystals. There were pillars every few feet or so, and a large torn mosaic around the whole room.
This was hardly taken in by them, when a huge wave of light side energy passed over them.

"Must be the Jedi Tomb" said Muz.
"The what?" asked Zaroth.
"There were rumours it was still here. From when the New Jedi Order was still... well, new" replied Muz.
"I've never heard of a Force presence on Chandrilla" said Zaroth.
"Vong" called Zaxen, just as the room was flooded with about 15 of the damn creatures.

Zaxen was the first to attack, smacking the Vong nearest to him with a Force-enhanced uppercut and drawing his sword in unison with the others, the hum of lightsaber blades adding to the din. Muz threw his red blade at the Vong behind Zaroth's shoulder who simultaneously stabbed the Vong to the right of him. Jade ignited her saber and dodged to the left, avoiding the sword strike of a nearby Warrior, while cutting through the abdomen of another Vong. This was going to take a while.

Zaxen moved to the left as well not far behind his mistress just before a rain of thud bugs came flying towards the group. What was left of the tomb came alive with the sound of battle. Zaxen's sword sang and cleaved the air swatting away several thud bugs but one found purchase in his left shoulder. He grunted audibly and pulled the creature from his flesh but not before it mutilated his hand with its sharp edges. Using the Force to try and push back the pain he rushed forward again to meet his aggressors.

He met his next opponent and locked weapons with him, the Vong amphistaff sending sparks down the edge of Zaxen's energy blade. As the warrior bore down with his strength Zaxen was easily overwhelmed and took to a knee but he was hoping for this. He suddendly slid his weight to the side and quickly propelled himself up, twisting in the air and coming down on the back of his assailant. His blade went around the attackers neck and the plasma edged blade easily severed whatever the equivilant of the corotid artery the Yuuzhan Vong had.

As his victim fell he stood and scanned the area for his next opponent.

Jade sighed. She had hoped this would be an easy mission, but it was definately turning out to be more then she signed up for!

She spun in time to block an ampistaff from crashing into back. Her saber smashing against it. Both the vong warrior and herself ducked and moved out of the way of the thud bugs. Turning back around he noticed the warrior gone. Cursing she stood at the ready, knowing the slippery beast could appear from any angle.

Zaxens fighting caught her attention for a moment, suprising her at his sudden burst of power. He was getting close, soon his trials would come.

Something moved out of the corner of her eye and she rolled out of the way as the ampistaff crashed to the ground where she had been waiting. "Vong scum" She sneared as she charged back towards him slicing through his attacks, until the tip of her blade severed his head from his neck.

And then it was over. The group could finally look for the artifact they had been sent for. They hadn't been told what it was, only that it emenated huge amounts of Dark Side energy and that they would feel it a mile off. Ashura himself had told them this. They hadn't felt anything yet.

"Master. Where next? We appear to be lost." said Zaroth, telepathically.
"Well... I don't know. We'll probably have to split up." replied Muz.
"Right."

Muz then called
"Alright, time to splt up. We'll never find it otherwise. Zaroth and Zaxen, go through that tunnel right there. Ylith, you're with me. Jade, hold here until we return. Go!"