Mission: Hidden Phoenix

On the small tropical planet of Arbra, a relatively small, unmarked vessel touched down in a clearing. The trees surrounding the clearing were very tall and lush. A mist hung in the humid air, making navigation difficult for any being. However, the six black cloaked figures exiting the vessel were no ordinary humans. Their leader, a tall and thin Kel Dor led them out into the clearing. He looked them all over, smirking underneath the mask that was necessary for his continued life. After a few moments of silence, the Kel Dor spoke out to the member of his team.

“My fellow members of Phoenix welcome to the planet of Arbra. You are probably asking yourselves what we are doing here,” the Sergeant stopped briefly and put a hand on the hilt of the katana, which was sheathed and hanging from his belt. After a tense moment, Jedi Hunter Menace continued, “before we left, I was alerted by both Chaos and Crix that an enemy of Ektrosis was taking refuge here, possibly near the Rebel base not far from here. Our mission is to seek him out, and then figure out what he’s been doing here; however, he must not know that we are here.”

The more skilled members of the battleteam smirked as they probed the young Kel Dor’s mind for more information on the task. Through telepathy, the Equites got instructions from their Sergeant to get into teams of two, each older member pairing with a younger one. Menace nodded to all of the teams and then spoke once more.

“Good luck to you all; Sith, Krath, and Obelisk alike. I will give you a few minutes to prepare and gather any supplies you will need from the transport.”

With that, the Hunter walked into the transport and waited for the members of his team to finish their preparations.

‘That was just about as vague as he could get.’ Lokasena thought to himself.
This was the Krath’s first mission. He was exited and ready to work.
He was also the least experienced of the battle team. That meant it would probably be wise to pipe down a bit.
Lokasena was wearing dark blue, baggy pants, a white shirt that was laced from his chest to the collar. And a long, dark brown coat. He walked onto the ship they had come in and picked up his pack. It contained three water canteens, some emergency rations and a compass. It also had a small dagger sticking out of a leather sheath, which was attached to the side of the back-pack. After that he grabbed his sword. He unsheathed it for a moment to check if he had sharpened the blade enough on the journey over here. The black metal of his ‘Mormegil’ blade reflected no light. He replaced the sword in its sheath and stuck it in his belt so that it hung from his left hip.

As the newest member of Phoenix stepped out of the ship, it took him some time to adjust to the light. He sniffed the air, it refreshed him.
‘So I’m supposed to team up with a girl.’ He mused. Lokasena did not know Seraine Ténama that well. Apart from the fact that she was an attractive woman, she seemed rather fragile.
Still, he needed to remember that this was a more experienced member of the Ektrosis house to which he also belonged. He would find out soon enough what she was made of.

All he had to do now, was wait for the others to get ready. Then they would set off into this new adventure.
Lokasena almost couldn’t wait…

Unlike the new Novice beside her, Erinyes carried only a small amount of equipment; she wore the standard utility belt that all Dark Jedi carried, plus her two lightsabres and a long dagger. She firmly believed that carrying too much gear was a sign of someone that couldn't fend for themselves, but at the same time, she understood that it took time to develop that skill. Lokasena would learn, in time.

After retrieving the mission details from Menace - she was still getting used to her juniors being her commanders, not to mention an Obelisk - she began thinking of a strategy. Tracking a single enemy probably wouldn't be so hard, even if this so-called "enemy of Ektrosis" was a fellow Dark Jedi. But with this Novice here, it appeared that the House Summit wanted her to be an instructor as well. So it was.

"Let's go," Erinyes said, striking off on a path in the general direction of the Rebel base. "Lokasena, you're going to learn a lot in the next couple of days... it would be too easy for me to find the enemy on my own, so instead, I'll show you how to." She smiled. "I hope you're ready for something like nothing else you've ever done."

Lokasena raised an eyebrow at his partner’s remark. “You make it sound
as if I’m a burden for you to bear.” He said. “This may be my first mission, but I assure you that I can take care of myself.”
“We will see.” Erinyes said with a confidence that bordered arrogance.
The Protector would let the matter rest, for now. He wasn’t getting off on the right foot with this woman. But for better or worse, he was going to have to work with her on this.
Straightening his back-pack he looked up, through the trees, at the sky. In his opinion the weather wouldn’t be in their favour.
“Well then.” He spoke as he focussed all his attention on the young woman. “Lead the way.”

They began to walk without even checking if the others were ready. Obviously both Krath were exited about the mission. Although the mist would make navigation difficult, Lokasena rather enjoyed the humid air.
After walking quietly for about half an hour, the Protector finally broke the silence.
“You don’t talk much do you?” he asked Erinyes.
There was no reply. “But you do know where we’re going, right?” he mocked.
Again the woman didn’t speak. “Good!” Sena exclaimed. “Because I don’t have a clue.”

"Actually, it's not even that I don't enjoy talking with people," Erinyes said. Despite the unexpected words, her tone was pleasant, even friendly. "It's just that when you're tracking someone down, it's generally best not to let them know you're coming... of course, we're still quite far away, so there's nothing to be worried about for now."

Pushing a branch aside, Erinyes led the way through the underbrush while she continued. "And don't think I'm looking down on you... if anything, the fact that I'm letting you do the bulk of the work is a nod of respect. I won't risk a mission for egos, so if I give you a job, it's because I assume you can do it." Of course, it never hurts to give people a reputation to live up to, she thought.

Ahead, there was a rustling noise in the trees. Erinyes immediately froze and ducked behind a large bush. She whispered to the Protector. "They aren't our target, but they're dangerous... now's the time to decide what to do."

The sound came closer.
“I’m not usually for the aggressive approach.” Lokasena said. “But we have a job to do. And the closer they get, the more likely they will detect us.”
The Protector felt his grip tighten around the hilt of his sword. He hadn’t seen his adversaries. He didn’t know who they were or how many of them.
Suddenly he had a strange feeling of fear. This was not how he usually did things. This mission was very covert. In combat, Lokasena was used to handling tings in the open.
But there was no place for feelings of fear and doubt here. His instincts told him that they had to take out this threat.
“Let me go alone, please.” Erinyes looked at him intently. “Very well.” She nodded.
Wise as she was, the Pontifex knew that Lokasena was tensing up. He needed to release some of that pressure. As soon as the light was green, Lokasena brushed away from her into the shrubs.

He knew he was getting closer to the sound. His hearing was not as acute as normal Humans, but he could still sense their proximity.
As he looked up, he saw three men sitting on a platform about fifteen meters off the ground. The platform was attached to the tree with long wooden beams that ran almost all the way down. That was it………
Lokasena jumped up out of the bushes and ran towards the tree. He moved very fast hearing something coming from above, that sounded like; “What the….”
The Protector pulled out his sword. Mormegil rejoiced as its black steel rang through the air,
cutting effortlessly through the wooden beams that held the platform aloft.
The construction came down with a crash. As Lokasena look behind him, he saw that there were in fact four men. They got up very fast, being not as dazed from the fall as the Krath had hoped.
He ran towards the one closest to him. Drawing an upward vertical line across his chest with Mormegil. Blood spat up high in the air. Bringing his sword down in a flash, Lokasena decapitated the next figure, which fell lifeless to the ground. Now he rolled over his left shoulder and jumped to his feet behind his third victim. The Protector saw how the tip of his blade came out through his enemy’s chest as the latter let out a deep moan.
His last opponent had pulled a blaster. Firing it erratically at this assailant. Sena felt a stinging pain in his left side, but ignored it. He threw Mormegil in the air and caught it in reverse grip. He aimed a moment and threw the sword at shooter. Impaling him on a tree behind him. Lokasena walked over quickly to the tree. He pulled out his sword, dropping the corps that it had held. Not until he had whipped his blade clean and returned it back in its sheath, did Lokasena fall to is knees. His breath weak and his chest burning. The fool had shot him.
“So much for finishing the mission…” he said to himself.

Erinyes sat on a nearby rock and waited for the Protector to finish his work. She heard the crashing of a sword and blaster fire. She frowned - they weren't supposed to give away their position like that.

Lokasena came trudging back through the underbrush, holding his side. "That damn fool shot me..."

"Well, I'm sure you have a bacta patch somewhere in that bag of yours. We don't have time to stop - they probably woke the entire forest up with that shot, so our target is likely on the run. Get yourself healed up, then we need to go." Erinyes pushed herself off the rock and continued through the bushes, as fast as she could without losing her comrade. Things were about to get a whole lot tougher.

A breeze blew through forest of Arbra, the Jedi in the trees, as well as the man they were searching for, leaned into the breeze, expecting a cooling sensation. Their hopes of cooling off, were dashed when the breeze happened to be carying more warm, humid air. They all slumped their shoulders, and the Dark Jedi trudged on through the forest, while their target walked into a large bunker, which was hidden away into a mountainside. The figure walked through some dimly lit hallways and into a room deep within the bowels of the mountain. He shut the door with a slam.

The man walked over to a chair sitting in front of a desk cluttered with loose paper; he practically fell into the seat before turning to so that he was facing the desk. He propped his elbows up on the surface of the desk and began to massage his temples gently, a bead of sweat falling into one of his eyes as he did so. He rubbed the salty liquid from his eye quickly and forcefuly, swearing under his breath all the while. After he had taken care of the minor nuisance of sweat in his eye, the man leaned forward once more, propped his elbows on the desk and continued to massage his temples.

Suddenly, the sound of a communicator sittinig on the desk cut through the thick silence in the room, making the man jump in his seat. He picked up the device, which was sitting just to the left and in front of his left arm. With a long, boney finger, the human hit a small red button on the side of the device, making it come to life with the image of a Miralukan male standing at attention.

"What?"

"We have a problem sir," said the Miralukan, an air of concern in his voice.

A breif pause. Then, the human at the desk spoke up. "Well?"

"We've lost contact with the Patrol One."

The human began cursing, his face flush with anger. He stood up from the chair, reaching down to the communicator with a boney hand and hit the activation button with the ball of his thumb. Once more, the sound of the door opening and shutting echoed eerily through the halls of the bunker. A few seconds later, the humid air hit the man in the face like a padded hammer. A bead of sweat formed on his brow and began to slowly descend over his temple as he looked over the tree-tops. Seeing nothing, his eyes wandered to the long-abandoned Rebel Base located in the mountain to the west of the bunker.

After a while Erinyes and Lokasena came to a clearing. At one end there was a small shed. Opposite to that was the entrance to, what seemed to be, a subterranean base.
The two Krath stood at the edge of the clearing, still hidden by trees. Sena’s wound had stopped bleeding though it still gave him some discomfort.
“We need to get in here.” Erinyes said. Sena pulled a scanner out of his pack. “Then we have a problem.” He told her.
“I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle, by your self.” The young woman said with a hint of sarcasm. “I’m afraid it’s a rather large problem…” Sena said. “That door is made of Neutronium.”
Erinyes looked at him. “You mean we can’t force it or blow it?”
“You see the problem…” Sena replied with a slight chuckle.

At that moment the door to the shed opened. Two guards walked out.
Before Lokasena realised what was happening, Erinyes had awoke her sabres and started of towards the two unsuspecting men. They never even had time to raise their weapons.
She didn’t even break a sweat.
Sena just stood there for a moment with a look of consternation. “That… was…erm…wow!”
“What ever.” The Pontifex said. “Check the shed. I’ll check the door.”
Lokasena walked over to the shed, still watching Seraine with fascination. He had never seen such speed and agility.
When Erinyes came close to the door he could only conclude that Sena had been correct with his analysis of the door. She let out a sigh. This probably meant they had to walk another ten miles or so.
Then Sena stuck his around the door of the shed. “You’re not gonna believe this.” He said with a smile.
“Why…” she asked impatiently. “What did you find?”
“Check it out.” He said as she heard him pres a few buttons.
The door behind her opened. He had obviously found some sort of control panel.
“Pretty cool, he?” he exclaimed as he walked out of the shed toward her.
“Not bad… now keep quiet. We’re going in.”

Acolyte Darne Seign had remained quiet for most of the hunt. This was his first major mission, and he was very interested in taking notes and being aware of his team members and their actions. Now, however, he could not remain silent. His Miralukan eyes could easily see the danger lying ahead, and he knew his leaders knew nothing of the severity of the situation.

“Excuse me, Bubbles?” he said.

“Shh. Speak quieter. Now, what is it?” Bubbles asked.

“There is a group of men ahead. It seems to be a patrol of some kind.”

“Yes, we feel its presence, don’t worry,” Bubbles replied.

“Yes, I know, but I can see that it is more than what it seems. There are more than 30 men in that next grouping of trees.”

“Are you sure? Your eyes can see that for sure?” Bubbles gasped surprised that the young trooper had possibly saved all their lives. “I’ll report this news to Menace at once.”

The Epis snuck forward softly to speak with the Jedi Hunter. Their words were quick, and made no sound. Darne knew they had become experts at tracking and hunting down their targets, because they were quick, silent, and strategic. Their movements were incredibly fluent, as they floated through the trees and brush, making not a sound. When the Epis returned to Darne, he spoke even softer than before.

“It seems you are correct. Menace has felt the powerful force waiting in those trees. Thank you very much. You may have saved all our lives this day. Now quickly; ready yourself for battle. Leave anything not necessary here until the end of this conflict. And another thing; stay close to me. I don’t want you getting yourself killed out there,” Bubbles comforted Darne.

The Acolyte swept gently through the underbrush of the jungle so noiselessly that he surprised even himself. When he reached a ridge above the grouping of trees, he fell to one knee. He could see just how many men there actually were. He slowly drew the glowing Sith Sword from its sheath on his belt. The cold steel blade shone with an unnatural black glow in the shade of the trees. Darne stared at the blade. He focused his hatred, his anger, and his power into the blade. He opened his eyes, took a deep breath. When he heard the sound he had been waiting for from across the trees- a high shrill whistle, like a bird’s call- he sprang down from the high ridge. The Sith sword drove home into the chest of one fighter. With a cry, Darne swung the dripping blade against the Katana waiting for him.

“Careful what you’re doing there. Don’t get too wild,” Jedi Hunter Menace laughed.

With a turn, Menace disappeared, but the sound of blasters and blades grew louder by the second. The battle was in full swing now.

Bubbles paused, crouched on top of the ridge watching Darne Seign, analysing his every move. It had been many years since she last trained another Jedi. A smile crept over her face, this one, he had the same impulsiveness as Betja had, the same confidence, and just enough respect in his voice to avoid getting himself killed. Yes, he would go far.

She nodded approvingly as he dealt with foe after foe, relaxing slightly as she realised that he had at least half a clue as to what he was doing with his sword. A sudden wave of worry swept over her, and she turned her attention to a man charging at Darne from the other side of the clearing.

Darne swung again at his next target, cutting across it's chest with deadly accuracy. As he raised his sword to strike at the next, he caught sight of movement at the edge of his field of vision, realising he didn't have time to react to both, a moment of panic caught him, and he narrowly avoided being hit by the swing of the katana in front of him. Grappleing back control of his nerves, he dealt with the man in front of him, then spun to find out why he was not yet dead.

From her vantage point of relative calm, Bubbles reached out with the force and struck down Darne's assailant mere milli-seconds before his blow was about to land. Knowing it would not keep him off his feet for long, she jumped from the ridge, activating her lightsabre as she landed at Darne's back.

"Remember not to rely purely on that vision of yours. Open yourself to the power within you, let it tell you where the danger is. Now, how about we finish this off before the whole forest is alerted to our presence?"

Menace adjusted his robes in the heat and sticky sensation born of the humidity. After wiping some sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand, the Sergeant surveyed the forrested planet layed out before him. Using the Force to his advantage, the Kel Dor searched the jungle for the young Jedi under his command. He felt the strong presence of two Jedi, Bubbles and Erinyes, relatively far apart in the overgrown jungle, and two weaker presences beside each one. Smiling underneath his breathing apparatus, the Sergeant crossed his arms and continued to watch his team's progress.

Meanwhile...

The man that the Dark Jedi in the jungle outside were searching for scanned through multiple channels of static on an old communicator. Just as he set the device down a scream followed by a soft humming sound barely audible through the static cut through. Eyes widening, the doomed man picked up the communication device. He waited a moment before speaking into the device.

"Patrol three...if anyone can hear me, report immediately!"

This call was answered by crackling static. The man stared at the device, bewildered. A sudden, violent thunder clap of blaster fire ripped his eyes from communication device and up to the ceiling of the bunker. Swearing to himself, the man ran to a deeper section of the reinforced bunker as the Jedi closed on their target.