Survival, Dark Times 3

[Revan Jast]

Dawn nodded sadly. "He was a courageous man. But deep down, I have the fear that this road of death is only just beginning."

He looked as if he had something else to say, but he fell silent instead.

Caleb was also quiet, chin in hand, deep in thought. "I don't believe this," he said at last. "Sora? Really? I guess I shouldn't be saying that... everyone else probably has said it enough times to fill a book. But still... I don't understand."

Dawn patted Caleb on the shoulder. "You're not alone, brother."

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

Selas splashed his face with the cold water, driving off the urge to go lay down and forget all of their problems in the world of sleep. Fi was still snoozing, however, but she had a young one on the way and needed all the rest she could get. Smiling slightly, he kissed her on the cheek and pulled the blankets over her, leaving the smallish apartment building through the front door.

Today was something of a casual day, so Selas wasn't dressed in his almost galaxy-wide famous Sith-like robes. Although similar in appearance to the clothing worn by the age old Dark Lords, his robes had a far different and more sinister origin... but that was a story for another day.

No, today he was dressed in casual black leggings and a white t-shirt, with one of his several pairs of boots on to match the pants. He always kept his saber on his belt, but today it was visible to anyone, and it caught more than a few looks. To see someone sporting a saber was eyecatching in itself; to see a saber that was the likes of his, with strange engravings all up and down the hilt... that was something else entirely.

Selas didn't know for sure where he was going, exactly. He didn't have a specific place in mind. Where ever his feet led him, he supposed. As it turned out, that wasn't far. Spotting a familiar face beyond the edge of the residential district, Selas headed that way and joined them by the railing at the edge of every platform to keep the careless from outright falling off.

"Hello, Kossk," Selas said. "Fancy seeing you here."

[hk47fan]

Marlena

"It all makes sense now..." I muttered, before looking at everyone else. "While we were stranded, I kept having dreams about losing people that I love. And now I realize that I have...Sora's probably not the man I knew, and my husband is gone."

"He died honorably, Marlena, and he loved you very much." Dusk assured me.

I smiled at her, my eyes stained with tears. "I know he did...our marriage was short, but we had something special. And its not the first time I've experienced loss...I'll get through it. Its just so shocking, and sudden."

"Something makes sense for me, too," Naos interjected, scratching his chin. "A long time ago, right after I became Grandmaster, I had this vision. Someone was on a throne, who was my old friend, and was declaring the Jedi enemies of the NR. I...I thought it was Jaskia at the time. I never thought that it could be Sora."

Kossk

My body stood at the railings of this platform, and I looked out at the rest of the city, as well as the clouds before me. A beautiful, tranquil place...a nice place for our bodies to be. I left the Killer this morning to get my body some fresh air, and my mind had been lost in thought while I looked outwards.

"Hello, Captain Selas," I told our new Captain body. "I do not sense peace inside your body and soul."

[Revan Jast]

Caleb sighed and sat in a nearby chair, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm pretty sure none of us thought the person you saw would have been Sora, because that's not how Sora is," he said. "I won't pretend to know Sora as well as some of you, mainly because even though I've been here for a long time, I've never gotten extremely close to him. Not like you have, Naos, or you, Marlena, or even my brother Selas. Speaking of Selas, I wonder how he's taking it... I know he was one of the earliest members of the Killer crew before it really became a crew, so to speak."

----------

Selas fought the urge to laugh maddeningly, gripping the rail so tightly his knuckles were white. "I don't think any of us has peace, Kossk," he said after a few moments. The urge to act hysterical passed, and he let go of the railing. "I'm bothered by a lot of things, Kossk. So much stress on my shoulders right now, let alone everyone else's... life's a bitch, sometimes. Ever heard the saying that when it rains, it pours? Yeah, well we all had a sudden flash flood and it's not letting up at all."

[Rain]

Winter

I looked toward the speeder where the CoruSec officers were trying to pull the kids towards. They had managed to get the youngest one on, but the other, a girl who looked to be about eleven or twelve still wasn't giving up. After realising that the kicking and screaming wasn't working, she proceeded to bite into the mans arm. She bit so hard that she actually broke the skin. He yelped in pain and let her go, as she ran back toward her mother.

"You little runt!" The man hissed. He pulled out his stun blaster and shot her from behind. She went down in an instant.

He moved towards her and pulled he rup roughly. I ran towards him and got in his way.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I shouted at him.

"My job." He said coldly, "Now, with respect, get out of my way."

"There was no need to shoot her!"

"She was resisting arrest-"

"She is just a little girl, you idiot!" It seemed like i was getting angrier and angrier as the days went by. This was seriously getting out of hand! "What you think she was an Imperial spy too, huh?"

"Look, Officer Retrac. You may be my superior, but you aint at the the top of the chain, so back off!" He brushed past me and threw the girl beside her crying brother on the speeder, before it zoomed off.

I could hear the woman screaming as it departed. I moved back to where I was. "Volt, this is insane and you know it! Look at these people! They are no more Imperial spies than you and I are!"

Xandyr

The door opened and I saw Mara walk in.

"Welcome back Nurse Foxx." The droid chimed, "The patient has just woke. But if you will excuse me I am needed elsewhere. Good day."

The droid exitted, behind Mara. I waited until the door closed before I spoke.

"Uh... hey."

Daron

"Seriously, this has to be the worst week of my entire life!" I said, more to myself than to the group.

There was a long and uncomfortable silence, before Uli broke it.

"So... what will happen now?"

[hk47fan]

Rhynna

"I was just following orders...its what I do, and its what I hope you do. The Supreme Admiral got a tip from Intelligence that the woman in this family was an Imperial spy, and the rest of the family were just posers trying to help her. Looks can be decieving, you should know that." I told Winter, before turning back to the woman in question.

"How dare you do that to my daughter, you bitch?! What i-"

"I said, you have the right to remain silent. Don't make this any harder on yourself," I snapped, before looking at several other officers. "Take her to HQ and get her prepped for immediate interrogation. Also, contact the Admiral and tell them we have her."

They nodded, and I motioned for Winter to follow me back to HQ.

Mara

"Okay, so, honey, I think its time that you tell me what kind of trouble you're getting into," I said with a humorous smile, though I wasn't trying to be funny, while I sat down beside him. "First off, how are you feeling? Secondly, its unusual for you to get injured at all...letalone two visits to the hospital within twenty four hours."

Duskbringer

"We're almost to Bespin...you don't have to stay there, but for now, we're seeking refuge there. If you go back to Coruscant and do what we did, you will likely just get a warrant slapped in your own face," I told them. "But its all up to you."

"Like hell I'm going back there after this. They can just consider me resigned," Alsia said with a scowl. "I can't believe he did all of that."

"I need to be with the Order, anyways, and I don't think I'd want to go back there," Naos commented.

"Me neither." Wey agreed.

"Sora probably won't even want to see me, especially since we would return empty-handed. He'd hate all of us even more for that, so I will stay on Bespin, with my friends," Marlena said, smiling while she wiped her eyes.

"Good. We should be there in no time."

Kossk

"None of our bodies have peace, Selas...but I can sense an even deeper disturbance inside your soul. I admit, my body is very saddened by this turn of developments...we have seen many bodies come and go from our crew, from our bodies' lives, but the Captain...the Captain's body held it all together. He was always there, possessing sound advice and wisdom. Now, his body is slowly filling with foolishness, and darkness." I explained to him.

I paused for a moment. "I can also tell that your body is having a hard time accepting the mantle of Captain of the Killer."

[Revan Jast]

"You've got no idea..." Selas said. "Well, maybe you do, but the point remains. It's weird just having the title... but to sit in Sora's spot in the cockpit and to even think about sleeping in his quarters... yeah, that's going to take some getting used to. You and I... we've been on that ship for a long time. It's probably more awkward for us and the others who were with us then, like Fi and Naos, than anyone."

Selas leaned forward on the rail, looking over the edge at the endless sky below. "Sometimes I wonder why things like this must happen, or even how they happen against all odds."

[Rain]

Xandyr

I grinned. "Well... first offm I've felt better, let's put it that way!" I answered, "Secondly, I agree. As for the trouble I'm in, well... see that's just the thing. I'm not involved in anything. It was that guy again, that swoop racer. He just came out of nowhere. And he was fast Mara, he was strong. He used the Force... I sensed the dark side within him..."

Winter

I grabbed Rhynna's shoulder and turned her back around to face me. "Come to your senses!" I shouted, "Intelligence is supposed to report to us! Then we check ou the leads to see if they are credible! That's how it works Rhynna. I would bet my life that this woman is innocent. You can't just barge in and arrest someone on an anonymous tip!"

[hk47fan]

Kossk

"It is different for every body," I agreed. "Our bodies have known the Captain the longest. Our bodies joined his crew in its earliest stages, and his body spent many years doing the right things, but now it seems that his body is falling farther and farther every day. I fear for what his body will bring for the government, for the people, for every person's body. It is an unexpected turn of events, but our bodies must forge on, Captain Selas. We always have...if our own bodies cannot deal with this, how can we expect anyone else's body to? We must be strong in the times of tragedy and danger."

Mara

I looked at him in shock and confusion. "That doesn't make sense, though. As far as I know, most of the Sith are gone. Obviously, Palpatine's been gone for a long time. Lumiya got wiped out by Solo, and there aren't many others." I said.

"More importantly, why would another Force user come after you specifically? There has to be more to this."

Rhynna

"You keep thinking back to how it was when Miss Haltzilakas was in charge. You keep thinking back to how it was when Han Solo was Head-of-Security. The whole point of Admiral Trok appointing new people to power is that its not like that anymore. He wanted the Intelligence reports sent directly to him. He wanted direct control, and I am in no position to argue. Neither are you," I told her, before gesturing back to the street. "Now stop complaining and come back so we can get answers out of this prisoner."

[Rain]

Winter

"You know what... fine." I said as I walked in front of her, "But you won;t get any answers from this woman, trust me! And I told you before, I am not a machine. I have a right to express my opinions, I have a right to utilize my considerable experience in this field. Yes, I agree with following up this lad, but come on. We didn't even give these poor people a warning, we just barged in and seized them. It got to teh stage where a child was shot with a stun blast! Now you know that's not right, and if the Admiral were here, he would object also!"

Xandyr

"Well I've only been attacked twice." I repied, "And heck, during the race he took out two other racers I don;t know if he's Sith either. I don't want to jump to conclusions. I mean, you weren't a Sith, right?"

[Revan Jast]

Kurt was sprinting for the base, leaping over logs and ducking under extending tree branches and various vines. A man of his caliber had to be agile, because there was no room for anything less. His breathing stayed regular, not loud and harsh.

The gunfire did catch him off guard, making him almost misstep and slip. He ran for the nearest tree and peeked around it, watching the guards chase the man through the brush. He instinctively drew his weapon, the rifle in his hands and aimed at the closest target in seconds. He held his breath, time seeming to slow for a second. Crosshairs over the head, between the eyes... pull the trigger.

The guard's head exploded, a bloody mess to adorn the forest floor. The enemy now alerted to his presence, Kurt put the rifle away and grabbed his knife, breaking into a run. He launched himself off the ground with one foot, raising the knife over his head, his lips drawn back into a feral grin. Gravity did the rest; the guard was dead before the blade was hilt-deep.

He didn't bother pulling the knife out, because there wasn't enough time. Instead he drew his pistol and fired.

[RobbyL9]

Now that he was behind the boulder, Blades had the drop on the pirates. The heavy rain may have presented an obstruction to both parties' sights, but the pirates were not wearing any type of camouflage and were easy to discern from the foliage and downpour.

Blades let loose several bursts of automatic fire and hit two of the guards in the stomach and thighs. They cried out loudly and fell down, one of them groaning a little longer before he died. The remaining three continued to charge. Blades held down the trigger and let loose one long burst of suppressive fire, forcing them to take cover behind several trees.

The two sides continued to trade fire back and forth. Blades no longer felt tired.

[hk47fan]

Rhynna

I scowled. "Okay, I'll put the officer that shot at her on administrative leave, but we have more important things to deal with, like getting answers out of that woman. We'll meet with the Supreme Admiral at HQ." I said, walking with Winter back to Security Headquarters.

Mara

"Er, well, my title was Emperor's Hand, but all things considered...I probably was a Sith. I worked for one, alot of my actions were those of a Sith. I just defied the normal quo that some Sith had," I told him, sighing. "And immediately, when the dark side is said, Sith spring to mind, sorry. I just don't get why he'd go to all the trouble to assault you outside of the race-track."

I looked around, even though I knew there was no one in here, and no one could hear. Nonetheless, I lowered my voice. "There's no way he could know you were once in the Order, right?"

Kossk

"It is hard for all of our bodies, Captain Selas, and it will continue to be difficult...but our bodies will do what we've always done: Survive. Just try to carry on, Selas, because I know your body can." I hissed.

I heard footsteps approaching, and soon saw the body of the former Chief-of-State: Miss Haltzilakas.

"I've got good news: The people that we lost contact with on the mission for Mona have been found, and are arriving right now. I just heard from Dawn and Dusk," Miss H told us with a smile on her face.

[Rain]

Winter

What else could I do? Except for go point blank against Sora of course, and that was something I wans't willing to do. The intel I gathered here was more important than anything at the minute. So I had to go along with Rhynna Volt.

"Of course..."

Xandyr

"I don't think so." I answered, "But even if he did, why would he bother with me? I was just an average knight. I held no prominent position. What would be the use in targetting me?"

Han

"Stranded on Tatooine, huh?" I asked.

Lando nodded.

"Woah... well, so much for my boasting about that grand rescue attempt" I laughed. I looked up to see the ship come out of the clouds...

[hk47fan]

Mara

I snorted. "You know, the Jedi Temple is awfully empty these days...if there was a Sith, or someone who hated Jedi, on Coruscant, then you'd be the only one to come after at this point."

My tone changed back to a serious one. "Xandyrr, I don't want this to become some kind of common event. I can't have my future husband, and the father of my kid, dying on me at this point. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but do you want to report this guy to Coruscant Security?"

Threepio

"Grand rescue?! Captain Solo, if you are speaking of that dreadful adventure in Jabba's palace, then I assure you that was no grand rescue! I nearly got eaten by a rancor, and my head became detached from my body!" I complained, standing beside Han. "Chewbacca can barely repair me properly, and when we returned, I had to have R2 properly fix me...and before that, Miss Erin stole my head and went prancing around Cloud City with it. I was lucky that she forgot what I was and dropped me, giving R2 a chance to grab me while he could."

"Are there any hawt men on that big thing coming towards us?" Erin asked, walking over.

"I hope not, you dimwitted girl!" I replied.

R2 beeped in laughter.

"You're such a nice golden wirey thing!!" Erin said with a chuckle.

"About time those two idiots brought my husband back..." Trika muttered with a snort. We all were standing on a landing pad, watching as the transport landed.

[Rain]

Xandyr

I immediately snapped up, forgetting about my stiches. "Ow, ow, ow!" I winced as I slowly lay back down, "Ahh... not going to be trying that again anytime soon. But Mara, no way am I getting CoruSec involved in this. If we do that it runs the risk of your past being found out. Besides we are supposed to be laying low."

I paused in thought. "Then again... there is always Winter?"