Saga ~ Our Online Roleplaying Family

   It was a quiet blow, a silent speck of light in a dark, cold place, but it reverberated throughout the abyss with a touch, a delicate touch, that even the most talented of artists could never begin to match. The glow even resembled a star on a blue summer's night, a star that grew brighter and more beautiful as it edged closer to the viewer. That was where the similarity ended though, and Captain Seleur D'Salantia crashed back to reality when he felt the hot shower of melted metal slam into his fortunately helmeted and shielded face. The thermal ribbon charge tore the magnetically-sealed door from the durasteel frame and compressed it into a tiny strip of glowing metal in less than a second. Air rushed in, and Seleur snapped crisp orders to his Gold Team.
   "Breach! Go, go, go!"
   The commandos stormed through the breach, charging through a long hallway, a so-called "fatal funnel," as quickly as possible. Seleur, third man in the stick, pivoted left and buttonhooked around the right wall into a cabin, Staff Sergeant Elessa Verkun hot on his heels. She took the port side, her weapon raised to her shoulder, but the room was empty.
  "Clear!" she yelled.
  "Clear!" called Quarren Sergeant Sarkur Dalanta from the opposite side.
  "Clear." came the response over the 'net from Republic Army Squad 424, Cresh Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Division.
   Seleur smiled tightly beneath his helmet.
   Venom, on line and eager.
  A series of disjointed "Clear!"'s drove Venom's Gold Team to their destination, the main bridge access of the Republic Valor-class Cruiser Emerald Fire. Red team thrust itself after the engineering bay, engine room and alternate bridge. Both teams clicked "on line" at almost the same moment, which brought another smile to the young Captain's face.
   Less than three minutes. Would have been six if there was any resistance. Perfect
   "Breach in five...four..." he whispered.
   The timer went, the flash lit, and the four SpecForce troopers swept into the room with tactical flashlights burning through the total darkness as they cleared the entire bridge in under a minute.
    "Clear!" they called once again.
   It was two parts comforting tradition, one part proper SOP, but then and there, the comfort was needed more. The bridge was a disaster. Like the rest of the ship, the brain of the ship sat in total darkness, total silence, but the space was completely gutted. Consoles were smashed, computers destroyed, and battle stations were completely torn apart. Sel found the lack of bodies even more disturbing, but he pushed thoughts aside and concentrated on the reports from Red Team and the condition of the bridge. He pulled his troops into a tight 360 and took reports.
    "Sir, life support is active still. We have air, water and some limited power, maybe enough to bring up emergency lighting." Master Sergeant Kryllia Valentenia, Red Team leader, stated hopefully.
    "Any survivors?" Sel asked.
    "Can't tell. Crew quarters seem to be locked up and intact, and we can hear what could be scrapes from the aft end of them. I'd like to check it out."
    "Not yet Kryll. I want to rally up first and explore together. Something feels off."
    "Copy that. No trills sighted yet. No blood, no bodies either. I agree, boss. Something isn't right. Bringing up full air now."
    The son of an Echani Sun Guard and a human Alderaanian classical composer, Seleur favored his warrior-mother's blinding speed, reflexes and need to perfect technique, but he took other gifts from her too. Like many Echani, Sel could read and predict movements and situations as easily as he could breathe. This made him the devastating hand-to-hand combatant he was, but also gave him the tactical acumen to take command of one of the Republic's few Tier One direct action, hostage rescue Special Operations units. When something felt off, it was off, and his troops knew it. He highly valued and regarded their thoughts and instincts as well, and knew when to shut up and let his senior NCO's be senior NCO's. This was that time.
    Wish I my sister was here. Too bad the Jedi wouldn't send her. Hell, where is our Padawan anyway?
      "Did anyone see that kid?" he asked.

    Below his feet, they moved, silent and unseen in the shadows of the derelict.           

When the order was given Alara Khan ignited both of her light sabers and slipped through the corridors with one of the Venom squads. She surveyed the wreckage around her bathed in the golden glow of her lightsaber. It had only been a couple of weeks since the Jedi Council had convinced the Republic Military that it would be beneficial to attach a Jedi Investigator to their spec ops unit, and already she was faced with a mystery. All around her she saw evidence of a fight, but no casualties.

Alara could feel lifeforms in the force, but it wasn't clear how ,any there were. Some of them were quite weak, possibly close to death. She also felt strange ripples in the Force. In addition to the obvious lack of bodies something was amiss. She had learned to pay attention to premonitions or feelings of disturbance, but she couldn't quite pinpoint the source of this one.

When she reached the bridge she saw that Captain D'Salantia had already arrived.

"Captain, Something is not right." Alara said as she walked up behind him.

   He felt her approach before she spoke, but not by much.
   Hmm. This Jedi is good.
   "Captain," she said, "something is wrong."
   Sel nodded. He turned slowly to look her in the eye, assuming that, while she couldn't read his worry in his eyes through the helmet, she could probably feel it pouring from him like a polluted jetstream of disease. That's what worry was, a sickness, one probably brought on by caring too much.
    If I put it like that, I actually don't mind worry. 
   "Yes ma'am, I agree. We've made no contact with anything alive on this boat at all, but I'm sure there has to be someone. A whole crew just doesn't vanish."
   The Sentinel nodded once and closed her eyes, and Sel turned to see all of Venom encircle him and spin to face the outside, away from the two. They all dropped to one knee, their heads turning to study all avenues of approach, every possible threat. Sel and Alara stood at the center of the circle, called a "tight three-sixty" for the proximity of the troops to each other; the Captain took one look and dropped to his own knee. He turned to tell Alara to do the same, but he was surprised to see her already down, her eyes still closed, her feelings, he assumed, still tuned outwards.
    Yeah. She's damned good.
   "Give me a casualty and battle damage assessment, boys and girls."
   "Unknown boss. Blacked out ships like this trade crew size for extra rations, fuel and the like, so probably lighter than what they could have been. Ships logs suggest half sized crew compliment, though by how much I can't tell yet through some file anomalies, and smaller contingents of Marines and Navy Master-at-Arms. She's got one fighter squadron, High Flight, which is really unusual for a cruiser, but she does have double the allotted bomber boys, practically a whole wing. We also have Jedi on board." Kryll responded.
    "We keep hearing scrapes, like metal tools run across armored bulkheads, in the corridors close to the crew bays. I'm hoping we'll have some survivors, maybe a journal or some holocam recordings too." Elessa added.
    "One more thing, boss," Sarkur said. "The entire bottom quarter of this ship is flooded with water and engine coolant, including the access tunnels we need to access to repair the sublight and translight drives. Someone really didn't want this ship moving anytime soon."
   "Can you breathe it?" Sel asked.
   The Quarren threw his shoulders back with over-exaggerated confidence.
   "Of course, fine sir! I shall give it the effort!" he replied, his voice taking the tones of something chivalrous far back in the past.
   Bear with them, master Jedi, he thought, hoping she could read it. They're crazy, but they all walk the light path, and they all love the Jedi. We fight ferociously and sometimes ruthlessly when we must, but we're here to free the Galaxy, to save people, not to hate. Taking a life is never easy, and never should be.
   "Alright Venom, snap to. Plan of action is as follows: we all go to the crew bay and check for survivors and cam readings. Then we figure out a way to fix this ship enough to keep it stable so engineering from the Unbreakablecan overhaul it and get it out of here. She'll be back in four hours. Clear?"
   "Hooah." came the throaty, unanimous, response.
   Sel turned back to Alara. Her eyes were opened now, and she nodded at him gravely.
   She's got something. Here we go.

Alara knelt to the ground joining the circle. She kept a part of her attention on what the others were saying as she reached out in the Force trying to feel any residue of what may have happened during the attack. Everything was a chaotic blur. She felt panic, desperation, hopelessness as something an army...or a creature...or maybe a plague...swept through the ship and devoured person after person. Her mind's eye flooded with liquid as she saw the engine deck flooding and she felt a resolute determination as someone embraced death while releasing the flood vowing not to let "it", whatever it was,  continue. Somewhere in the background she could feel darkness, a strange twisted darkness that she had never encountered before. It growled at her spirit like a beast daring her to approach the crew bay and become its next meal.

Alara smiled as the pattern of Seleur's internal monologue shifted to get her attention. Bear with them, master Jedi, he thought, hoping she could read it. They're crazy, but they all walk the light path, and they all love the Jedi. We fight ferociously and sometimes ruthlessly when we must, but we're here to free the Galaxy, to save people, not to hate. Taking a life is never easy, and never should be.

She opened her eyes and surveyed the crew before her. They were all good lifeforms who had been given a hard destiny to travel, but they were strong enough to bear it. When the Captain's eyes met hers she nodded and rose to her feet igniting both of her lightsabers. She turned to Sakur.

" Be careful in the engine room. It was not flooded by accident. There is someone...or something...on the ship that the crew felt needed to be contained  at all costs." She closed her eyes and breathed a silent prayer for the brave soul who had joined the Force in order to contain it then turned to the others. "We need to approach the crew bay very carefully. There is life down there, but there is also great darkness. Trust no one you find and keep your distance until they prove themselves to be safe."

With that Alara headed to the door and began creeping toward the crew bay remaining alert for any sign of danger.

    Elessa reached up to the monitor above her and pulled the datapad off. She rapidly tapped a series of keys into it, and then held it up for Seleur to see.
    "Boss, I'm rerouting everything from the command bridge to the pad. I mean everything."
    "Roger that. Mover out, staggered columns. Go!"
   They moved, and they moved fast, each soldier scanning a different section as they cleared the hallways and corridors of the once proud Republic warship. They reached the turbolift station but ignored it, choosing instead to take the stairs. Here movement slowed, as the Special Forces troops broke by twos to descend the staircase safely. When they all hit the bottom, the commandos fanned out into the hallway and continued. Nothing happened for ten minutes.
   They finally arrived at the blast doors separating the crew bays from the rest of the ship and immediately turned to secure them while Elessa, the electronics expert as well as sniper, pulled her datapad and began going to work on the armored barriers.
    "Thanks top," she said, referring to Kryll, the senior enlisted soldier in the unit.
    "For what?" the grizzled Master Sergeant replied, her tone suspicious.
    "For restoring the power enough for me to work this.
    "I didn't. I couldn't restore anything. The controls were smashed."   
    "What?" Sel asked, his tone incredulous. "Elessa?!"
    "No threat boss. Your call of course."
    "It's still a go Sergeant," he replied, "I was just seeing if we had to get the droid to play with that."
    "Kirby? Don't hurt him!"
    "I would never hurt him on purpose Less, but I'd rather lose a droid than a person."
    She pushed a button, and the doors slowly slid open. Six commandos, Vanguards to the common man, aimed their weapons at them while the other two covered Venom's rear. Collectively, six commandos gasped.
    The doors opened to a scene of hell.
   

Alara slipped in among the rest of Venom when they exited the bridge. She had been working alone for so long it was hard for her to get used to working with a group. She didn't notice anything strange as they cleared the rooms, but she felt the darkness getting stronger as they neared the crew bay.

When they reached the door Alara could feel the hairs raise on the back of her neck. She stood just behind the commandos, every muscle in her body on edge as she prepared to spring into action. The doors slid open and her senses flooded. The smell of death hung in the air. The floor was littered with bodies, or rather pieces of bodies, and pools of red liquid she assumed to be blood. A bedraggled human man shambled toward them. His clothes were torn and his hair was matted with blood. His eyes seemed to look right past them as he approached. Half way across the room he began groaning and babbling and then doubled over as if he was suddenly taken ill. Red and black liquid poured out of his mouth onto the floor of  the bay. Alara stumbled backward in shock as waves of darkness emanating from the liquid engulfed her consciousness.

    Sel saw the man fall. He charged forward, ignoring the bodies and the clutter, and caught him before he hit the ground.
    "Medic!" he screamed as he swept the corridor, left to right, with his carbine, now held in one hand.
    Sergeant Nelsin Gorrard ran up and immediately slapped a kolto dressing on the man's chest. He twirled the crewman around and got to work while Sel propped up to one knee and covered the bay's central area. Behind him, Venom exploded into action. One man turned around and covered the rear while two three man teams broke into the rooms. They used X-ray optics and called out threats before action while heartbeat sensor readings flared into helmet HUD's. Sel's voice rose above the chaos.
    "Clear the left! SWEEP AND CLEAR Gold. Red hit the right X-ray optics. Any threats, bang and clear!"
    "Call them as you see them!" Kryll shouted.
   
    Elessa hooked into the first bay and nearly gagged. The stench poured in even through her filters, but she didn't pause, and neither did the others. The teams cleared out each room in under a second and pushed forward. They didn't locate survivors, not yet, but they finally uncovered marks of a struggle. Bodies and weapons littered the area and scorch marks and burns covered the walls and doors. She began to notice others things as well, and finally, a heartbreaking revelation struck her: the crew had turned on itself.
    Some of the marines and sailors clearly fought to protect the ship itself. The set up defensive positions on aid stations, comm relays and turbolifts and tried to hold back waves and waves of other men and women who flung themselves at their fellows. Worse, the attackers boasted bodies that showed signs of something tearing them apart from the inside out. It was shocking, it was gruesome, and it infuriated the pretty Arkanian offshoot.
     The Empire did this. Somehow, some way, the Sith and their blasted Empire did this.
     She buttonhooked around the left side of a corner and into an open area, and the heat hit her so hard that it nearly baked the sniper's head inside of her helmet.
     "GET DOWN!" she screamed as she hit the deck and rolled. Another stream of light burned through the floor right next to her head.
     Sarkur, barreling in behind her, fired twice, but both shots vanished in a flickering flash just above the shooter's head. The Quarren quickly ducked back in as the man swung the heavy blaster cannon around and blew a huge chunk out of the wall exactly where the Sergeant's tentacled head used to be. Debris peppered the floor as Elessa completed her roll behind a single-operator walker that had somehow been welded to the floor.
    "Hold your fire!" she yelled, "We're here to help!"
    "LIAR!" More shots rang out. "I can smell them! I can FEEL them! Their hunger!"
    "Feel who? Talk to me marine. We're here to help!"
   The man screeched incoherently and pumped shots into the walker. Sarkur and Ranon Torrik, a Kel Dorian commando, swept around the corner in classic "high-low" man fashion, with the Quarren on one knee close to the corner, almost touching, and Torrik standing just right of him, touching elbow to corner. The gunner swept back, but Torrik's ion pulse shorted out his shields enough for Sarkur to smash a stun beam to the Zabarak's face. He slumped against the controls.
       Sel's voice burst into Elessa's ears.
    "Elessa?! Talk to me! GOLD! Red team, get in there now!"
   "Negative sir, we're alright." 
   "I heard gunfire!"
   "We had a run in with a marine."
   "A run in?"
   "Yeah. He tried to melt our heads with a heavy emplacement. He's taking a nap now, a temporary nap.
   "Well, bring him back. Our Jedi has come up with an interesting, and I think very likely, explanation. We're gonna need our chivalric Sergeant's diving skills." 

" The captain is correct." Alara said through her comlink, "I have been trying to read this place in the Force, trying to see what happened. Everything seems to be a blur, but I get the feeling that something got onto this ship that didn't belong here, either an intruder or a contagion. Whatever it was was so bad that someone would rather give his life to flood the engine room than see it gain the mobility of a ship. If you found someone in his right mind we need to talk to him at once to see what really happened here, but be careful. I get the feeling that whatever the crew was fighting is still here."

    Tactically descending ladders and naval hatchways was never the easiest maneuver, Sel decided, and their wet, slippers rungs only made things more difficult. The Jedi, Alara, seemed to handle it with far more grace than Venom's normally very agile operators. She wore armor-at least, Sel thought she wore armor-but it didn't seem to slow her down as she leapt or dropped from hatch to hatch. Of course, she wasn't methodically clearing the floors either, so maybe it evened out.
   She's good. I like this one.
  Sel was hoping for a break. He hoped progress would grow easier, or that they'd find a working turbolift somewhere, but Alara, Elessa, Sarkur, he and Sergeant Hal Sanderlin uncovered only more chaos, and more destruction. Power failed almost everywhere, and there was no lighting except for the red flush of emergency glow panels. Even they weren't perfect and shorted out fairly regularly. Sel and the other soldiers switched to night vision while they still had some ambient light, and to thermal imaging systems when that gave out. While not perfect, especially not the thermals, which couldn't penetrate glass or transparisteel, at least their equipment gave them something. Alara had nothing of the sort.
   She didn't seem to need it though, and she continued to push deeper and deeper into the bowels of the once-proud war ship, Sarkur right behind her as the flooding grew worse. Finally, they hit the floor just above the engine deck, a floor flooded almost to Sel's knees. He looked around, picked a few spots, and silently deployed the SpecForce soldiers with hand signals to secure a tight area. Elessa and Sanderlin took up positions facing opposite sections of the corridor. Sel, Sarkur and Alara cautiously approached the access hatch, with the captain aiming his weapon at the door. He shook his head, reached up with his left hand-the firing right hand still clasped the pistol grip, its index finger still on the outside of the trigger guard, ready to squeeze if necessary-and pulled his helmet off. His bright blue-almost glowing-eyes narrowed into slits so tiny that the shimmering silver bands around his iris almost vanished as he aimed carefully down the holographic sight. With high cheekbones and delicate features to match his unique eyes, Sel was devastatingly handsome, but the snarl of concentration he wore almost negated it.
   "I can't see." He blurted.
  He gently set his helmet down. It was his one weakness, taking it off in tight areas, but Sarkur had completely stripped out of his armor by now and made no comment. All Venom troops wore digitized woodland camouflage uniforms a shade darker than Republic Marine Corps MARPAT clothing under their armor, but Sarkur stripped the top off and drew his knife and one unusual-looking pistol.
   "Boss, I can't take a blaster down there. Watch my stuff for me?"
   "Of course. What's that?" the Captain asked, pointing at Sarkur's weapon.
   "It's a slugthrower designed to fire under water by shooting a sort of half torpedo cartridge. It'll work on land too, but it isn't as effective. I'm going to explore, swim up, and let you know everything."
   "Be careful." Sel replied.
   Alara nodded at him and turned to peer deeply into Sel's eyes. The Special Forces soldier wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but he didn't mind, and felt oddly reassured.
  Ah, Jedi move to ease worry. She's REAL good.
   "We'll keep a towel here for your fishy backside Sar." Sel quipped playfully.
  "Master Jedi," he replied as he turned to face Alara, "Are you going to let him speak to me, a poor, quiet soul, so brusquely?"
   Alara looked at him, smiled and nooded.
  "Why yes, yes I think I wll!"
   Sarkur laughed and opened the hatch. Water bubbled out, so Sarkur waited for a moment before plunging in.
   "Oh, boss? Put your blasted helmet on."
  Then he vanished beneath the water.   
 

Alara smirked at the Quarran's remark, but a look of grim concentration returned to her face as he slipped under the water. She couldn't pinpoint it yet, but something felt very wrong about this whole situation. She reached out her mind through the Force trying to feels for danger through the liquid. She felt Sarkur slipping through the water with a sense of ease and comfort that can only come from growing up in an aquatic environment. She also felt something else, a slight ripple in the Force signalling a danger or an obstacle.

"Captain, does Sarkur still have his comlink? We need to tell him to be careful. I think there's danger up ahead." Alara reached further into the depths searching for the source of the ripple. Suddenly she hit a wave of darkness and malice. She felt as though something was reaching out for her from the flooded engine room, something sinister and predatory.

She leaped back reflexively to escape the phantom enemy and shouted into her comlink, "Sarkur, get out of there now! There's something down there." Alara tried to send a telepathic message to him throught the Force telling him to leave.

A faint, distorted noise echoed to the surface. Alara threw down her lightsabers, drew a pair of vibrodaggers, plunged into the water after the Quarran. She thanked the Force her Master had made her practice a breath control technique that would allow her to hold her breath for a few hours.

   Sarkur hit the water. It was cold, even for him, and there was more coolant mixed in than water itself, but it did give the amphibian commando the oxygen he needed to survive. Visibility wasn't great; though the water itself was completely clear; debris littered flooded hollows of the ship and obstructed his ability to see around corners and curves. Still, the Quarren allowed himself to enjoy the swim for a short amount of time. Though cold, it was water and it had been years since Sarkur had been able to enjoy a simple swim.
   It didn't last long. Sarkur hit his first obstacle in a magnetically-sealed door that somehow managed to keep that said magnetic seal despite the flood and massive power losses. Sarkur tugged on the bright red emergency release handle, but the failsafe failed. He'd have to find another away.
   So much for Republic engineering; my tax credits go far here.
   Sarkur studied the layout of the corridor for a moment. He noticed the cross passage mouse droids used to get back in forth, but it was too small for the larger Special Forces operator. He could barely fit his arm through.
   If I push just a little bit farther, I can....what?!
   Then something grabbed him, hard. Sarkur yanked his arm back quickly as the clawed hand tore through the grating. Cold, sharp nails slashed the outside of his arm, but the commando kicked off with his feet and propelled himself backwards. The hand reached out again, but Sarkur was too far away. He lined up the appendage with his sights and fired. The trigger activated an aquatic battery pack in the pistol grip, which in turn charged and fired a 10 centimeter round from one of the gun's five barrels. With a burst of bubbles, the round burst from the weapon and smashed into the hand. Blood, normally green in salt water, poured out, and the appendage pulled back, but the splash-and ripples-that followed scared him almost as badly as his brush with...whatever it was.
   The knightly commando whirled and brought the unique pistol to bear but checked his urge to fire when he saw her face. Relief flooded through him, but the apprehension-he couldn't really call it fear-etched into her cheeks and eyes crushed it. Alara, oddly armed with twin vibro-daggers rather than her customary lightsabers, kicked after him as quickly as she could. She seemed to be breathing fine, a force technique no doubt, but she gestured rapidly to the surface. Sarkur nodded and swam towards her.
   Then the doors burst open.

   "Blast!" Sel yelped, his face alight with the shock of her dive.
    He made a grab for the lightsabers and, in his confused state, somehow managed to snatch them before they slammed into the metal flooring. He stumbled backwards and ducked behind the opened hatch. He shoved his helmet back on.
    "Gold, hold the corridor! Elessa, try Sar's comlink, and Kryll? Please share some good news with me."
    The Red Team leader responded confidently and quickly.
    "Yes sir. The prisoners are starting to snap out of it. They're becoming more lucid by the moment."
    "They're not prisoners, but that is good news. Hold up there. We may have a serious problem down here."
   "Copy that."
  Elessa caught his eye and gestured across her throat with her left hand, the signal for no contact.
   "Frack!" he yelled.
   He began to yank his armor off.

   Whatever it was, it ripped through the blast doors and hurtled through the water at the pair Sarkur snapped up and fired once, twice, the bullets striking the rotten-looking head just above the left eye. It did nothing, and creature snarled in rage. It slashed at Sarkur with its talons.
  The Quarren expected the move. The thing was big and fast, but he was born in the water. He darted around the thing's body and cut around it. Its claws hit the wall with such force that they ripped rivets out and caved in a section, an impossible feat in the water, but Sarkur didn't pay any attention. He swam backwards and grabbed Alara's arm. He started to lead her away, but she froze. Sarkur followed her eyes.
  Milady, this is no time to...wait, what in the Galaxy is that?
   Inside the engine room, Sarkur saw a hand, a pale, human hand, pressed against the door. He propelled his body to it, but the creature noticed and charged back, hissing and squealing through the water. He rushed him, but Sarkur again evaded the attack by pushing himself to the bottom. He spun around and dodged another punch. Alara dodged it too; she swam around its side and plunged her daggers, both of them, into the creatures back. It practically roared, water or not, and kicked the wall. It spiraled in a vain attempt to throw the Jedi off, but she dug in and stabbed again and again.
   Sarkur swam as fast as he could. He hit the wall hard but managed to grab for the hand. Whoever it was, he or she would be dead, but Sarkur felt only shock once again. His hand brushed against something before he made contact; something resisted his hand. He pushed through it to brush dry fingers, warm fingers. The touch immediately shot a feeling of peace, calm and relaxation through him. She was a ligthsided Jedi, had to be.
   The commando gathered the woman, a Miraluka, up in his arms and kicked off around the corner. Alara bobbed just ahead of him. She looked at him, gestured upwards hard, and swam as fast as she could. Sarkur followed. He had no idea where the creature was. Then he felt it, the ripples. Incapacitated for a moment, it was very much alive. Sar swam for his life.
   10 meters, 9, 8, seven ahhhhh!
   The blast touched all three.

   Sel had just finished reattaching his armor straps when water exploded from the open hatch. He snapped his weapon up, but vicious vibrations rattled the entire floor, sending most of the commandos flying. Sel stayed on his feet, barely, but collapsed down again when another concussive blast hurled Sarkur, Alara, and some unconscious Miraluka through the hole. Alara landed softly, but the Quarren vanguard and the Miraluka smashed into the grating. Sar jumped up and emptied his entire pistol into to hatchway.
   "What are you doing?" Sel asked.
    Sarkur and Alara didn't answer. The Quarren quickly threw his armor and equipment on and recovered his blasters. Sel tossed Alara her lightsabers and walked over to the doorway. He peered down the opening.
    "What are you shooting at? There's nothing down the...."
   The creature erupted from the hatch. Sel jumped backwards and opened fire. Sark did the same. Alara leapt into action, a whirlwind of blade work. The creature rolled, dodged, and jumped out of the way, moving with supernatural speed. When it landed, a shockwave burst over it, and the thing hit everyone with one of the most powerful force pushes imaginable. Sel thought only Grand Master Shan boasted more power as he hurtled through the air and into darkness.

Alara felt her left shoulder slam against the wall. She paused for a moment to assess the damage. Pain shot through her arm, but she could still grip a saber and that was all that mattered . She Force leaped toward the beast. It dodged her attempt to slash at the place she guessed housed its heart, but she did manage to slice into a massive arm. Alara leaped over the creatures head to avoid a massive claw. He bellowed in anger as she buried her lightsaber in its back. It whipped around and swiped its claw at the Jedi scraping a large gash across her abdomen as she tried to dodge out of the way.

Alara slid to the floor just before a barrage of blaster bolts hit the creature. As he fired Sarkur shouted "Come here and face me, coward!" The creature took a few steps toward Sarkur, blaster bolts hindering its movement. Blaster burns riddled its body slowing its pace further, but it kept moving. Alara flung both of her lightsabers across the room. They flew through the air from opposite angles passing each other as they sliced through the creature's neck before returning to her open hands.

Sarkur dodged the creature's body as it fell forward. He stepped around the head to assess the injuries and call a medic over his comlink. He could hear Seleur groan as he began to regain consciousness. The Miraluka Jedi was still unconscious, but she seemed to be uninjured from the fight. He walked over to Alara.

"Are you alright, Master Jedi?" Sarkur asked helping Alara to her feet.

"Trust me, I've been in worse fights." She said glancing around the room. A spark of recognition crossed her face when her eyes landed on the Miraluka. " So that's what felt so strange about the Force signatures in this place. It wasn't just an enemy I was detecting. It was an old friend. Now what circumstances could have brought Consular Shandra Ivari here and caused her to flood the engine room of a Republic ship?"

   Sel groaned as sensation flooded back into his body. His neck ached, as did his back, but these were minor, and his mind computed a series of other unimportant injuries that would probably hurt later on but wouldn't slow him down now. Satisfied, he snapped open his eyes and groaned again as the feint red glow, normally so soft, poured through his filtered lenses to pound his already beleaguered head further into the metal flooring.
    "Status report." he said, or at least tried to say.
   His words came out murky and muddled, his mouth felt gummy and he could taste copper and iron, so he did the sensible thing. He pulled his helmet off and spat a mouthful of blood out into the water and tried again.
   "Status report?"
   "The Jedi are fine. I haven't gotten to Elessa or Hal yet."
   "Hal's fine." Sergeant Sanderlin muttered. The tall Corellian pushed himself up and realigned everything.
   Elessa didn't say anything, but Sel could see her breathing. Still worried, he glanced around the corridor and saw the creature, whatever it was, lying still, it's head about ten meters from its body.
   "Come on, you can't lose your head in a fight! I mean, you look ridiculous."
   "Really sir," Elessa quipped, "that is the best you can do? Don't lose your head? You look ridiculous? Really?"
    Sel laughed and jumped to his feet.
   "Alright Venom, enough of this lying around; we're not being paid over time. On your feet, and check ammo."
    The commandos snapped to, forming another tight three-sixty as they checked their weapons, ammunition and armor. Alara checked the other Jedi with a very familiar touch. The Mirialan's eyes flashed concern and puzzlement, but generally she seemed to take everything, no matter how bad, calmly. The Echani captain admired her poise, wisdom and skill, as he did with most Jedi. He sometimes descended into hero-worship with them, which was not always necessarily a good thing. However, the Jedi had never let him down, had always come through for him, and, like it or not, he was tied to them by blood. His younger twin brother and sister served in the Order as a Sentinel and Shadow each, and Sel had practically grown up with the Jedi.
   "Sir," Sarkur cried out, "Check your comms! I can't reach Red at all!"
   Sel immediately switched channels to the overall squad encrypted, something he did before they even set out, but somehow in came undone. He corrected it, and he gasped.
   The screams he heard horrified him to his very core. He couldn't tell who, or what screamed, but it asn't sentient. Blasterfire erupted.
   "Red team, come in! SITREP, over!"
   There was no reply.
    "Red team, come in on your links! Kryll, answer me! Someone answer me!"
   There was still no reply, and the comlink itself died in a burst of static and empty noise.
    Jamming us! Frack!
  "Gold, rally up! We need to get back right now! Sarkur, help Alara with the other Jedi. We need to move fast, so we'll take turns."
    The team exploded into rapid-fire but precise movements and gathered everything together as Sel reached up to grab the ladder. Somehow, it snapped in his hands and fell to the flooded corridor with a heavy splash.
    "Blast! No matter, the next area has the same setup. Are you ready, people?" 
   The soldiers responded with loud "Hooahs" and Alara nodded. They jumped to their feet and smoothly made their way to the next corridor down while maintaining proper formation and weapons' coverage. Professionalism, as always, overrode fear. Sel hoped it would always.

  Sel and Hal slid the last door open and pushed through while Elessa covered the rear. Sarkur and Alara pulled the Miraluka in and checked her over one more time. Sel stepped forward again, his rifle at his shoulder, covering the front of another wrecked, flooded corridor. He saw plenty of solid, heavy debris for cover, and a long, tall ladder at the end of the 200 meter or so long hallway. Satisfied, he began to move. He checked his right one time and froze. A single red beam traced itself down Sanderlin's chest.
   "DOWN!" the Captain bellowed.
  Hal jumped back as the high-powered blast tore a hole through the wall behind the spot he was standing at just a moment before.
    "Skulkers!" he yelled.
  Everyone exploded into action as blaster fire opened up. Reacting in less than a second, Sel opened fire and charged down the hallway to slam into the next piece of cover he saw. Hal did the same. Sarkur charged in, fired three times, and jumped behind an extended pillar. Elessa simply ducked and shot.
    "Push through the kill zone! Move from cover to cover. HIT THEM, HIT 'EM NOW BEFORE WE LOSE CONTROL!"
   Sel jumped up and fired again. He slammed two bolts into an armored Imperial commandos faceplate and ducked behind another pillar. Alara screamed at him, and he ducked under a flash of red light that arced by his head only inches above the helmet. Time seemed to freeze.

   This is how an Echani fights. Speed and technique or perfected, but even more than that is the vision. Sel sees the blade arc down, and he simply moves out of the way, so easy. The Sith Juggernaught is big, strong, angry and blessed with a power beyond Seleur D'Salantia's understanding, but the Echani-Human commando is the heir to a great warrior tradition. He simply grabs the red-faced abomination's shoulder and slams his knee into his side. He hears the crunch, and he shoves the beast forward. He "sees" the Sith's next move, and he counters before the other even knows his own intention. Sel ducks and blitzes the enemy with seven, eight punches to the face and body in a second's time, no more. Stunned, the Sith stumbles, and Sel crushes his chest with a powerful snap front kick. The Sith slumps against the wall, Sel brings his carbine up...

   Time sped up to Sel. He snapped his rifle up and shot the Sith twice in the head and then jumped  back in time to dodge another high-powered shot. He fired back and dashed to a tipped-over loading unit. Another Sith Warrior jumped down, but Alara leapt at him. She exploded into action and cut quickly with her right hand. She spun and landed three or four more blows on the Sith. He tried to loop[ and trap her arm, but her mastery was complete. Sel thought Juyo as she slammed her left hilt into his face, cleared his blade with an upwards swing of her right, spun, and joined both blades together where his spine met his hips. The Sith fell, both pieces smoking as they floated up. The Skulker, a term for Imperial cipher marksman referencing their cowardly style of sniping, fired at her, but she dodged it barely.
   "Elessa!"

  The Arkanian offshoot had already switched to her sniper rifle. Imperials forgot that the Republic had actually invented sniping thousands of years before, and that they still produced shooters of exceptional quality. They valued stealth-ghile suits, tradecraft and the years it took to perfect it-and and true long-range accuracy over deliberate wounding of foes and trapping and the much shorter ranges Imps preferred. They were still good, but Elessa, like all Republic shooters, trained with slugthrowers first to truly master their craft. The beautiful offshoot \had even made her first kill of a Cipher at 2000 meters...with a slug rifle.
   "You're not that far from me." she snarled as he drew her bead.
   Trig equations flowed through her head as the sniper popped up from his ridiculous deployable barrier. She exhaled completely, waited for her heart to settle, and calculated.
  Range: 346 yards. Wind: zero quarter; no value. Push two down....send it.
   She fired. The cipher slumped back, a deep burn where his eye used to be. Her tunnel vision opened up, and Elessa saw Sel, Hal and Sarkur push ferociously closer to the enemy. They tore through the Imperials as they blasted away with great accuracy while advancing to contact at an almost-sprint. They didn't roll, or do anything of that stupid sort. They simply pressed forward quickly but slowly to their own minds, fired accurately, took cover, and pushed again.
  Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
Another agent appeared almost out of nowhere behind Sel, but the martial arts master pivoted to the side to catch the vibro blade. His movements blurred, he smashed his right elbow into the Chiss's face, slammed the man's arm over his knee, snapping the elbow and kicked. His foot impacted against the knee, dislocated with a sickening snap, and knocked the alien down. On pure instinct, Sel slammed his foot down the fallen being's head. The skull caved in.
  Alara leapt up and cleared out the last Imps, and Elessa released her breath. It was over
  Then the door exploded next to her. She fell but snapped her weapon up in time to drill the first man through, but the other two quickly snatched the unconscious Jedi and jumped back in. She shook her head and called.       

The term ghille suit randomly, and oddly, popped in Seleur's head as he pivoted towards the sound of Elessa's yell and the loud explosion.
   Such an easy term to mess up, especially for typists, Ghille; it has two l's, not one.
    Puzzled as to why that thought appeared, Sel raced over to the blown in door. Alara beat him there, but the commandos swept into the open room and cleared it. Tall beings wearing heavy armor reminiscent of Mandolorian equipment had just ducked into another door when the Republic soldier hooked in. The door slammed down and sealed completely, bringing a stream of curses from Sanderlin.
  "Fear not, fair Jedi. We are coming!" Sarkur bellowed.
  Sel pushed in and pressed against the left side of the door. Asrkur and Sanderlin, joined by an Elessa busy wiping the blood from her nose, stacked against the right. Alara ignited her blades and stuck one through the very top of the door. She traced a line around it and, apparently remembering something she had been taught about hostage rescue special forces teams, ducked back to the left behind Sel. The Echani kicked the door in, Sarkur tossed in a cooked over-pressure flashbang grenade that detonated instantly, and the soldiers swept in.
   
   Sel button hooked left, and time seemed to slow down again. He saw two shooters to his right aiming at him, but they were out of his section, so he ignored them and aimed at the three armored beings before him. They raised their rifles, but they were so slow. They looked like they moved through heavy gravity.
   Sel fired twice, striking the first man just above the eye with each beam. He fired twice more, cutting down the second shooter with bolts to the bridge of the nose and a centimeter above. The last man dove behind an overturned desk, and Sel finally saw the Jedi slumped in front of it.
   He released the combat-slung rifle and transitioned to his pistol as he ran and slid in front of the hostage, shielding her with his body. He released one hand and placed it on her and fired his pistol with the other, just as the armored target rose up to execute his prize. The bolts sheared through the faceplate and obliterated the mercenary's eye socket He collapsed as disjointed clears echoed through the room. 
   The Miraluka groaned, but seemed to still seemed to possess limited motor function. Sel assessed her and gathered her up. Alara jumped into the room further.
   "I think they're back." she said in calm, understated tones.
   "Damn. Diamond formation!" Sel commanded.
   The Miraluka groaned again and began to fight Sel's hands and body. He lifted her up anyway, but with a gentle touch that belayed his combat ferocity. It took the fight out of her.
    "Listen to me, listen to me! You have to trust me, Master Jedi! You have to, and I promise you we'll get you out of her. I'll be holding you up. Press against me as far as you can and trust me! Venom! Move out!"
   The commandos tore out of the room and into the heaviest lightfight they had seen in a long time. Sel faithfully shielded the Jedi with his own shielded body and fired his pistol one-handed as he guided her through the maze. Alara and his men followed and protected the pair with equal faith and devotion, and skill unmatched in the galaxy. He hoped it would be enough.

His was one of the nearest squads in the sector.  For that simple fact, Republic Command requested for his squad to detour off course from its present mission in order to survey the status of the Emerald Fire.  Captain Chayce Farcross had very little idea what to expect.  Details were scarce and far from forthcoming.  He was even less prepared to see the condition of the derelict cruiser's remains when he arrived at the given coordinates.  One of the few things he did know was that Venom Squad had been sent here, and if the CO of Venom Squad was in a situation requiring aid, he was prepared to give it.

Preliminary scans were not encouraging.  There were indications of blaster fire and explosions from within, but aside from that--and the mutiple signs of life detected--his crew was unable to assemble a more complete picture of the exact circumstances.  Intermittent signal interference made things no less easy.

"Everyone stay close.  Maintain comm silence," came the whispered crackle from Chayce's helmet.

Unbeknownst to him, his team had crawled through an alternate route from the one Venom had used to go deeper into the belly of the beast, but they slowed their approach as they grew nearer and nearer to the sounds of active engagement.  Everyone glanced at one another, silently confirming that they were each hearing the same thing.

But there was something else, too.  Approaching footsteps.  Chayce hurriedly motioned to a pair of cargo alcoves flanking each side of their corridor.  "Someone's coming this way.  Everyone take cover.  Remain out of sight."

Two of his men hunkered down with him behind a stack of crates in one alcove while his cumbersome battle droid creatively stowed itself away behind some oversized cargo across the way.

"Imperials?" Sergeant Unyn glanced inquiringly between the captain and his lieutenant after he cautiously peered around the corner to give the all clear.  The soldiers had double-timed straight past them directly toward the source of the conflict.

"Gee whiz.  So much for hoping for just a little good news, eh?" Chayce said with a sigh.

"Ready for Plan B, sir?" Lieutenant N'Jargo waited for Chayce to give an affirmative nod before he dashed across the corridor into the opposite alcove to join the team's battle droid.

It was never standard practice for squad Talon Guard to charge into any situation with blasters blazing if it could at all be helped.  Chayce often found himself in the awkward position of being a Republic trooper committed to exhausting all non-aggressive options whenever feasible, particularly since his squad's primary mission was that of a special forces medical detachment.  His first duty was to protect and preserve.

It was a risky plan, Chayce thought to himself.  Although it had the potential to expose his own team to detection and even generate unwarranted friendly panic, he was hopeful that the enemy would flee in confusion or that the risk, at a minimum, would pay off at least enough to create a distraction that Captain D'Salantia could use to his advantage.  In order for it to work, though, he would first have to see through the ruse.

"Do it, lieutenant."  Chayce signaled across to the other alcove.

The transmission popped and squealed from interference as Lieutenant N'Jargo began to broadcast the message on a wide open, completely unencrypted comm channel.  "Archimedes to Emerald Fire.  This is Lieutenant N'Jargo of Talon Guard.  Come in.  Active charges have been detected on board.  Emerald Fire is the future epicenter of an imminent detonation event.  Venom needs to abort.  Evacuate immediately.  Captain D'Salantia, do you copy?"

    Sel barely saw the flash ahead. Fortunately, it wasn't very well aimed, or at least it took too long to launch from the tube, and the Commando had enough time to shove the Jedi into a jutting alcove in the hallway.
   "RPG!! RPG!!" he screamed.
   The Echani threw himself on top of the woman as the missile slammed into the ceiling of the ship. The shockwave blasted Elessa and Sanderlin down into the water; both operators popped back up immediately, but Elessa's helmet vanished. Sarkur avoided damage by dodging to the opposite side of Sel. He seemed shaken up, but unhurt, but he nodded appreciatively when Al'ara continued her charge down the flooded corridor. The Jedi was a different sort of animal; she seemed simply to absorb the explosive's energy in stride, a stride she didn't even break until she drew up to Sel, Sarkur and the Jedi. Sel finally saw that she too had been hurt; blood oozed down from a gash on the Mirialan's head, just above her temple, and her eyes seemed flushed and a little dialated.
   "Damn." Sel snapped.
   He yanked a Kolto bandage out of his first-aid kit and slapped on the Jedi's head. While not a medical officer by any stretch-he hated the gigantic cannon most seemed to carry, Venom's medical sergeant being a notable exception-like all Special Forces soldiers he had some training in the field and could serve in a pinch. Soothed, Al'ara nodded and sat back down on her feet. She and Sel scanned over the Miraluka quickly. She seemed alright, but she was still only semi-conscious, and heavy bursts of gunfire continued to savage the corridor. Elessa and Sanderlin stumbled in and tightened up.
    "Boss," the Arkanian offshoot stuttered, "they've got the hallway. Too many of them."
    "How'd they even get here?"
    "I have no idea." Sel replied. "They're here. We've killed dozens of them already, but they're still coming."
    "We're running out of options boss. I can try to vent the hallway." Elessa said.
    "NO!" Sel's voice actually carried over the noise, and the Offshoot glanced up, stunned.
    "No Elessa. You don't have your damned helmet anymore. Don't you ever try to play the martyr here with us again. NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND. You've been with me since I was blasted sergeant in the 75th. Not going to fracking happen, not now not ever!"
    Al'ara slapped her hand on Sel's shoulder and grinned savagely.
    "That's what I wanted to hear." She said.
    "I don't suppose you have an idea?"
    "I do. I need to just...."
    The broadcast cut through their channels.
    "Archimedes to Emerald Fire.  This is Lieutenant N'Jargo of Talon Guard.  Come in.  Active charges have been detected on board.  Emerald Fire is the future epicenter of an imminent detonation event.  Venom needs to abort.  Evacuate immediately.  Captain D'Salantia, do you copy?" 
      ".....what the hell?!!" 
 

Alara looked up at Seleur after the announcement. The captain's briefly held an expression of shocked puzzlement.

" Captain, the announcement unfortunately does not change the fact that Red Team requires our assistance, and as you said we leave no man behind. In a moment I will try to make the hallway more manageable." Al'ara said as she removed a small Kolto injection and a stim from her pocket. Fortunately the announcement had distracted their Imperial guests long enough to allow her to inject the unconscious woman with the two items. The Miraluka snapped awake groaning and gasping for air. Al'ara placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"It's alright Shandra. It's me. You seem to have had quite a fight, but I need your help tending to our guests in the hallway if you are able." Al'ara said.

Shandra swept the room with her Force sense to get her bearings then nodded at her friend. Rising slowly to her feet she reached out in the Force grabbing hold of some of the debris from the explosion and sending it flying into the crowd of shocked Imperials knocking several of them unconscious. Then she sent a Force wave toward them incapacitating a few more. Then she reached through the Force to disarm several of the remaining Imperials. Shandra began to sway from exhaustion. She had not fully rcovered from her previous battle and the exertion of Force power had been too much for her. Sarkur caught her just before she fell to the ground. 

Al'ara Force leaped into the hallway deflecting blaster bolts and vibroblades with her lightsabers. She could hear movement and blaster fire behind her as the rest of Gold Team sprang into action pushing forward through the hallway behind her.

After they dispatched the swarm they ran through the dim corridors toward Red Teams last known location. Emergency lights cast an eerie glow. Sparks flickered from a section of paneling where a computer display had been torn out of the wall. Suddenly, Al'ara stopped in front of a door. she could hear strange groaning from the other side.

"I think there's someone in there." She called to the rest of the team. The controls were damaged as if someone had shot them to keep the door closed. She sliced through the doors with her lightsabers and stepped cautiously into the doorway. A vile odor hung in the air. The floor was covered with puddles of gooey red-black liquid. Three men wandered around the room babbling in a feverish daze. Their hair was slicked back with grease and sweat and red-black liquid spewed from their mouths and stained the front of their torn work clothes. They looked toward Al'ara in unison. Their eyes eyes held a look of crazed determination as they approached her.

      "Where'd that come from?" Sel yelled to Sarkur as he rounded the corner.
    Stunned or disarmed, the Imps offered little resistance. Venom cut them down anyway. Lightsided or not, and they were, it was still a war, and they were in the way.
    Wars aren't won by doing what is right, but by doing what is necessary.
    Al'ara cut so far ahead that Sel couldn't see her, save for the glow of her sabers, but the Imperials she continued to cut down told the SpecForce officer that she was doing pretty well, all things considered. The rest of the fight turned into a very, very quick blur. Sel shot, clubbed, knifed and kicked his way threw the blocking force, and when he rounded the next corner, he was free. He immediately jumped on the coms.
   "Red, this is six. Red Team, Venom Lead. Do you copy, over?"
     Nothing. Sel tried twice more, but each time he only uncovered a burst of static and a metallic ping. Exesperated, he tuned the net.
     "Talon Guard Lead, Venom Leader. What's your location?"

"What exactly is Plan B, captain?"  Sergeant Unyn's tone was inquisitive.

"Well, ultimately, it's a diversion tactic.  How that diversion takes shape--if at all--I guess we'll know soon," Chayce responded.

Chayce and Unyn straddled opposite sides of their alcove's archway, keeping watch on each direction of the corridor just outside.  At nearly the exact moment Chayce finished answering the sergeant, Lieutenant N'Jargo bolted from the other alcove, rejoining his crewmates.

"It's done, captain," N'Jargo's voice was a slightly tinny echo as it filtered through his helmet, "But I think we may have a problem.  I was only able to transmit once.  Fourteen gave me the extra boost I needed to push the initial transmission in the clear, but someone out there amped up the jamming signal.  Fast.  Fourteen wasn't able to compensate."

"Jeepers," Chayce blurted out.  "Okay, so here's the good news.  Someone heard us.  Here's the maybe not so good news.  We can't be sure everyone heard us."

Unyn asked, "Captain, do you even think Venom is still..."

"Of course they are, Unyn.  Can't you hear all of that ordnance detonation down th..." Chayce stopped in mid-sentence as soon as he took notice of his own point.  "Oh, shoot!  Is the corridor all clear?"

N'Jargo and Unyn sprang into action, scanning one end of the corridor each.

"Clear, sir!"

"Clear!"

"Everyone, get into the other alcove with Fourteen.  Backs against the cargo.  Go!"

The Talon Guard squadmates hustled into the other alcove, gathering around their battle droid, which they addressed as Fourteen.  Each of them pressed tight against the far side of the oversized crates, crouching low to the ground to ensure they maintained their concealment.

"Expecting someone?" Lieutenant N'Jargo asked.

"Soon, Jargo.  If I'm right."  Not only had Chayce noticed that some of the blaster fire was beginning to retreat back into the corridor toward their location, but he was also beginning to notice less of it.  "Everyone stay quiet and completely still.  We don't make a move unless we absolutely have to."

Fearful of giving away their position, everyone was breathing at a measured pace, listening as carefully as they could to every sound traveling down the ship's corridor.  They remained motionless for many long moments before the first signs of Imperial activity confirmed that Chayce was right.  The slosh of several Imperial boots stopped somewhere close by.

One trooper's voice crackled to life.  "We no longer have the luxury of wasting time.  Start organizing a fall back.  We need to be prepared to evacuate if the threat is true.  Assemble a special team to sweep the vessel.  We need to locate and disarm the explosives at all cost."

Another voice.  "But, sir, we don't even know how much time we have.  That message was transmitted over an open channel, completely unencrypted.  What if it's a deception, sir?"

"You have your orders.  I hope you aren't questioning them."

"Oh, n... no.  Of course not, sir."

"Good.  Let me be concerned with triangulating the source and determining how many more Republic interlopers we have to deal with.  If we lose our prize, we lose our heads.  Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir.  U... understood, sir."

Chayce held his breath as he listened to what he could hear of the conversation just outside their alcove.  The last voice trailed off as the Imperial troopers began to split off in two different directions--or so Chayce assumed.  He could just make out the second voice gathering a team to follow him while advising the rest that they would continue to follow their commander to the upper levels.  After a few moments, the teams of sloshing boots quieted--every so often another straggler or two passing through.

Chayce and his crew all glanced at one another, knowing that it wasn't quite safe to move out into the open yet with the steady flow of troopers still incoming.  If they moved too soon, they'd be quickly overwhelmed.  Chayce quietly detached a datapad from his armor and tapped a message onto it.  He turned it around and displayed it to his team.

"Patience."

   Sel cursed, badly.
   "Damn. I can't get them on the damned net either. Do these fracking things EVER work?" he bellowed as he continued his charge down the corridor.
   He finally saw Al'ara, and he slammed the brakes on his own legs when she calmly gestured at the door with one of her ignited blades. The brand acted like a flashlight in this case, and it cast eerie reflections on the water and coolant that still flowed around their feet. She looked up at him as the four soldiers approached. Sarkur held the Consular up as best as he could.
     "I think there's someone in there." she announced, her voice calm and determined.
     Sel nodded; he and Elessa stacked up on the wall to the Jedi's left, and Sel place his left hand-his non-firing hand-on her shoulder and tapped once, his trust in the Knight absolute.
    She sliced through the door and stepped stepped in. It was another scene from hell, and the Jedi immediately  recoiled. The gooey red-black liquid covered the floor, and three men, clearly twisted by whatever it was, babbled feverishly. They stared at Al'ara, their eyes flashing with determination and rage.
    Then they charged.
    Their speed was astonishing given their broken appearance. Sel cursed loudly again and grabbed Al'ara. He yanked the Jedi back out into the hallway just as the first thing burst from the doorway. Al'ara whipped one saber up and lopped its head off, but the damned thing actually swung back at her. She reacted perfectly, her movements flowing beautifully as she checked the attack with a saber hilt and chopped the thing into tiny bits with several quick slashes, but the next bowled through and slammed into both soldiers and the Jedi, knocking them into the wall. Elessa rolled to her feet, and Sel slammed his head into the thing's face. He followed with a knee, an elbow, and with his left hand, a wicked slash from the retractable vibro-blade in his knuckle plate. It went down. The third creature however, turned and fled down into the next room, the medical bay.
   Sel jumped to his feet and ran after it, but Al'ara grabbed his arm.
    "Don't!"
    The door exploded inwards.

Al'ara leaped over the rubble into the medical bay and cut the charred remains of the third creature to pieces just for good measure. Then she knelt in the door frame and pressed her hand to the rubble using her Psychometry to call up visions of whatever impressions had been left in the Force about the object she was touching. She saw shaking hands assembling a bomb and attaching it to the door frame, rigging it to explode immediately after a person entered the room.Whoever set the explosive must have remained inside or the bomb would have been triggered already.

She surveyed the main room of the med bay. Tools were strewn across tables in disarray. Some of the diagnostic equipment was damaged, possibly from the explosion. Most of the beds were stained with blood, but some of them were missing their mattresses. The doors to the supply cabinets stood wide open, and it looked like someone had hastily removed many of the medical supplies. In the back of the room she noticed a door that must lead to an office or a laboratory. When it would not open she noticed that the controls next to the door were in good condition. Whatever was preventing her entrance was done on the inside.

"Captain," She called out to Seleur " I think there may be more survivors in here...at least I hope they survived."

      Sel hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until Al'ara emerged unharmed from the med bay processing center.
    "Captain," she called, "I think there may be survivors in here...at least I hope they survived."
    Sel exhaled in relief and pushed himself off of his knees. He spun around and aimed his weapon down the corridor while Sarkur and Hal Sanderlin carried the Miraluke consular inside. Elessa was the last in, and the normally unflappable sniper carried her frame in a way that suggested annoyance, and even anger. Puzzled, Sel ducked inside and gestured for a tight three-sixty.
     "Check ammo boys and girls. Sound off with injuries." he called.
   Moving like a pro, Al'ara slipped into the middle of the formation as the soldiers pulled tight to search their equipment. Sel switched to a private line and called Elessa.
    "What's wrong Chalky?" he said, using the private nickname very few people said around her.
    "My hair."
  She pulled her helmet off, turned her neck to the left, and Sel saw that her long pony tail really wasn't all that long anymore. He laughed.
    "Hey! That's not funny?!" she yelled!
   Hal and Sarkur joined in; all three of their voices filled the room and left Elessa grinning in spite of herself. Al'ara, sticking up for her fellow woman, slapped Sel on the back of his head hard enough to pitch the commando forward, an action that brought even more laughter from everyone. It continued for a few minutes before Sel, finally gaining control of myself, cut it out with a simple hand gesture.
    "Alright boys and girls, we've got possible survivors inside the Kolto bay. Sergeant Kahn-classic right-Sergeant Kahn picked something up right after she saved my Kriffing backside for the second time. We're gonna find out what's back there."
   He reached out and gently squeezed Al'ara's shoulder.
    "Thanks by the way. I owe you two."
   She simply smiled and shook her head. Sel pumped his hand twice, and Venom sprang into action again. Elessa wired the double-doors-the sealed double-doors-and began a bypass while Sel, Sarkur and Al'ara stacked up on the left. Hal Sanderlin covered the rear door and did his best to barricade the opening with desks, cots, and anything else he could find. They waited.
    With a loud BEEP, the doors shot open and Venom swept into the room. It was black, but the solid blue glow of the active Kolto tanks in the back provided enough radiance to see without the use of NOD's or flashlights. Two people bobbed and floated in the healing liquid while another, a human male wearing a torn and bloodied Marine Corps pattern uniform, lay in a heap on the floor, his blaster rifle serving as a pillow. He groaned a little as the Army commandos approached and cleared the room, proof that he was alive, but he didn't move or react in any other way.
   "Damn! Medic!" Sel called.
   Lights flew on and Hal Sanderlin ran into the room. Elessa turned to cover his section. The Corellian, Gold Team's medic, opened a bag and turned the marine over to work on him.
   "He's still alive. So are they, according to the signs and the glow. How'd they get here?"
   "I have no idea." Sel replied.
   Then his comlink came alive.
   "Gold team, this is Red again, over? Come over the net! Sithspit, are you even still alive?"
   Sel practically jumped into the air. He yanked another link off of his belt and turned it on to speaker. He yanked his helmet off and spoke.
    "This is Gold. Thank the Force you're still alive. What the hell happened? SITREP, over."
    "Hey! Boss, they're alive! It's the captain!" the muffled voice of a Kel Dorian called in the background. It came back over the net more clearly this time.
    "Captain, be careful down there. We've got all kinds of problems. We've sealed off the med bay and crew cabins up here with us inside. We heard Talon Guard over the net, but haven't made contact. Instead....boss, they're everywhere. We've got serious problems.
    "Copy. Who or what is attacking?"
    "Sir, I've got no kriffing idea. They use the force, they're evil as hell, and they wear these talismans that Kryll swears are ancient Sith. That black blood stuff is everywhere. They've got us trapped..."
   Gunfire erupted from the back, followed by a screech and more shots. Another agonized, blood-curdling scream echoed through the halls, and then silence.
   "Elessa?! ELESSA!?"
   Before Sel could move, the sniper rushed through the med bay door and sealed it behind her. She was breathing heavily and blood covered the armor of her left hand. Al'ara reached out to help her, but the Arkanian offshoot shook her head.
    "I'm fine. Not my blood. They ripped apart a crewman I found, ripped him limb from limb. I tried to pull him out, but, well..," she shivered. "We've got some serious issues."
    "Seal the door, now! Hal, figure out some way to get the survivors ready to move. We're sure as hell not leaving anyone behind."
    "Never!" the soldiers echoed.
    "You ok El?" the Echani asked.
    "Good to go sir. I'm a little shaken up, but I'm good. Boss, we CAN'T leave anyone to these things, not even Sith."
   "We won't. Let's move people."
   Elessa shivered again, unseen by all except Al'ara. She reached out and squeezed the sniper's shoulder. Elessa did the same and nodded.
    "Master Jedi," she whispered, "we're going to need all the help we can get."
   
   

The glow of the charge's tiny red light started to blink at a hastened pace until it seemed nearly solid.  Preceded by a single high pitched warning squeal--drawn out for no more than 5 seconds--it erupted into a frenzy of smoke and sparks.

"Jamming beacon out of play, sir!" reported Unyn.

"Gee, that's swell, sergeant!  Let's keep moving, team!"  The slow minutes that Captain Farcross and his Talon Guard squad stayed soundless and motionless in the cargo alcove felt like hours, but with the nucleus of the Imperial troops departing for other decks, they were finally able to seize the opportunity to resume their pursuit of Venom's last known whereabouts.  As they crawled deeper into the corridor, finding and disposing of a portable jamming beacon erected by the Imps was merely a bonus.  "Fourteen, do what you can to amplify secure Republic frequencies and start scanning for chatter.  We need to make contact with Venom."

Accompanied by a sequence of buzzes and beeps, the squad's battle droid voiced a response.  "Affirmative!"

On the move as they followed a bend in the corridor, a bolt of blaster fire from ahead suddenly ricocheted off Chayce's shoulder guard.

Lieutenant N'Jargo's voice crackled through the filter in his helmet.  "Company incoming, captain.  If I had to guess, they don't look as thrilled about the sergeant's results."  The lieutenant hauled his assault cannon from its holstered position, mounted on his back, and with a heave, aimed low at one of the two approaching Imperial troopers, sending the oncomer reeling as the blast knocked him backward with concussive force.

Fourteen launched a tow cable at their other quarry, the clawed end grappling him dead center in his chest armor.  The Imperial flailed as Fourteen rapidly reeled his cable back in--causing the trooper to make an airborne approach toward the battle droid.  Chayce swung his own assault cannon from over and around his shoulder and whipped the trooper in the head, causing him to fall into a limp heap on the water-covered flooring of the corridor.

"Gosh!  Let's hope there aren't anymore where these fellows came from," Chayce said with his usual glass half-full optimism.  "I was pretty sure we'd outwaited them all."

"I bet they were left behind to guard the beacon," N'Jargo supposed aloud.

Chayce came to an abrupt stop, extending his arms to hold back his team's advance.

"Problem, captain?"

"Did you hear that, Jargo?"

"No, sir.  What was it?"

"Hrm," Chayce pondered.  "I could have sworn I heard a quick round of blaster fire nearby for a moment there.  We'd better continue on."

Before the team could resume their course, Fourteen emitted a few clicks, whirs, and other electronic audibles as he began to vocalize a transmission.  "Captain Farcross!  Positive identification on comm channel chatter.  Keyword analysis confirms Venom Squad, sir!"

"Jeepers!  What are you waiting for, Fourteen?" Chayce said enthusiastically.  "Patch me in."

Meanwhile, Unyn motioned for N'Jargo to join him at a nearby doorway to which he'd been drawn.  As Chayce waited to link up with the comm channel, the two of them began to examine the damage to the door, seemingly caused by a lightsaber.

"Sel!"  Chayce called into his helm mic as he received confirmation of his audio link.  "Farcross to D'Salantia.  Can you hear me?  Are you out there?"

Behind him, N'Jargo peered into the darkness of the exposed room's ruins.  "What the...?"

Lieutenant Unyn lifted a piece of scrap from what remained of the door.  The scarred markings were not enough to mar the lettering on one side of the panel.  Still clearly legible, the words said: Med Center.

Xachia the apprentice lay sprawled on the floor  caught between a small bunk and the wall.  Nearby lay a man, crew member of the Emerald Fire, dead.   His murder had been a mistake.  She had simply meant to force choke him until he was more cooperative.  He had invited her to his quarters for a simple dinner but once Xachia began the delicate process of extracting information his fear rose to such heights that it amplified her powers.  She lost herself in the euphoric  feeling of the power of the force, and then he was dead.  Oopsie.   His death was inconvenient in the fact that now she had to hide a body and she  gained nothing from it  not one sliver of knowledge regarding the object of power being transported on this vessel.   Xachia did not even know what the object was only that a Darth of considerable power and influence wanted it  and if he wanted it then Xachia wanted it more.   She gambled that she had a good chance.  As an apprentice her appearance had yet to begin to change due to channeling the dark side.   She was able to pass as something other than Sith.


Long before Xachia regained consciousness  she was aware of the acidic smoke that burned her nasal passages and chest but this was not a new sensation.  Xachia had lived most of her life to this point in the Galactic Slave Mines located in the Outer Rim..  The familiarity of the situation only brought terror to the young disoriented apprentice and in those fleeting moments between oblivion and wakefulness she imagined that the last few years had only been a dream and she was in fact still in the slave mines.
Out of habit she lay there conscious  but still as she listened.  No matter where she may be she did not want to reveal that she was awake until it was in her best interest to do so
Chaos.  There was the unmistakable sound of blaster fire and raised voices.  Xachia thought she heard a man screaming the word Liar but  she was unsure.  It came to her as more of an echo as if it had travelled a distance.  The ship itself was eerily quiet no sounds of daily living  the small whoosh of doors openings,  droids moving,  terminals working  just a lone man screaming Liar.  That in itself is odd Xachia thought  these republic types are so uptight they pretend that the Sith lie but they lie to themselves and each other  all the time they just not admit it nor do they scream.  Unless they are dying a stray thought came from the recesses of her mind.  Yes they scream when they die even when their screams can't be heard  she thought as she looked over at the man laying on the floor


Nimbly she rose to her feet and caught a glimpse of herself in the reflecting metal.  Years of malnutrition had stunted her growth so that she was one of the smaller apprentices in the Sith Academy.  Living underground had also left her with a extremely fair complexion and an intolerance for the sun and light in general.  Wary grey eyes and short white hair completed the picture.  She wore a simple hooded robe in a dainty yellowish gold color.  It looked hideous but who would imagine a Sith wearing yellow. 
Once again blaster fire echoed through the air along with some type of roar.  They are getting closer she thought.  I am not going to be able to escape without help  and I cannot explain to Imperial  troops why I am here.  Xachia stared at her reflection again  She looked frail and vulnerable.  It was a deception of course but it was usually too late by the time her victim discovered she was not entirely helpless.  More often than not they had sought to take advantage of her perceived vulnerability so she felt no remorse.


Out of the corner of her eye she saw the body lying on the floor and she approached it slowly.  He had honestly wanted to help her.  He thought she needed more to eat.  Xachia experience a fleeting moment of regret for her actions and then chased it away with anger   He should have known better than to help a strange person she thought to herself.  Faintly she could hear his communicator buzzing .  It was muffled because it was under his body.  Curious as to what was happening outside of her immediate area she forcefully yanked the communicator out from under the body.

"Farcross to D'Salantia. Can you hear me? Are you out there?"

"Two groups at least and they are coming.  They will find me that is certain ." she muttered to herself absently.   She was running out of time but time to do what exactly.  Escape yes but how.  Quickly she thought of her options  fighting was not an option.  Even if she had her lightsaber she could not hope to survive against one group of soldiers certainly not two or more.  She did have a stealth generator with her but if she was caught there would be no rational explanation for using stealth on a ship.  Being found is unavoidable but what will they find?   Xachia approached the small sitting area where she had been located before her attack on the crewman.  Swiftly without hesitation she slammed her head against the wall and crumpled back to the floor.   The unconscious innocent survivor awaiting rescue.

  Ranon Torrik slipped back from the blast door, his rifle still aimed at the small hole Kryll had burnt through the barrier with her last volley. She sneered at the wound in her left shoulder in annoyance rather than pain;clearly, lightsaber stabs barely registered in the tough Master Sergeant's pain index, and she proudly displayed her twenty years of Special Forces experience by easily dispatching the Sith that struck her with the buttstock of a rifle and her boot. She wasn't the only one wounded either, and the last wave of Imperial soldiers, Sith warriors and bounty hunters had been entirely too close, but they had held again. He didn't expect any other outcome.
   "Ran," Kryll yelled, "check the back and see if you can grab one of the heavies."
   "Copy that boss." the Kel Dor replied.
  He broke off and headed deeper into the crew quarters. Hs lost his helmet in the last attack-stupid Mando fired a flamethrower burst that melted half of it before Ranon blew him apart-but his breath mask and goggle held true, so he peered down the X-ray optic he mounted on his rifle manually. He moved cautiously but still made it to the heavy weapon he and Elessa had engaged before relatively quickly. He assessed the weapon in a glance.
    "1-1 this is 1-3."
    "Go ahead three."
    "Ma'am, we can use it. I just send Koa over here to give me a hand."
    "Copy. Four, go ahead."
   Koa wasted no time. The tall Gotal sprinted over and lifted the front tripod of the weapon...then he froze.
    "I sense...something. Someone."
   Ranon knew what that meant. Gotals sensed electromagnetic waves eminating from living creatures through the pair of cranial horns the species boasted. Koa actually cut holes into his helmet to continue to make use of them, and his natural abilities made him one of the best pathfinders in the Army. He often served as the "rabbit" for Ryen, when the sniper wasn't paired with Elessa, and he performed search-and-rescue and search-and-destroy missions constantly, his skills so in-demand that SIS often pulled him away from the rest of Venom for long stretches. The social, affable Gotal hated it-Venom was his family-but he endured and always returned smiling.
   "Where at?"
   Koa circled around.
   "There," he said, pointing at a petty officer's quarters down the hall, "and there's one living creature and one body. The body is human, but I can't tell the life form. It's...clouded. Damn this ship."
   "I agree. Let's hit it."
   The two commandos swiftly but silently swept down the hall. Kryll told them to check, but to hurry, and the pair really felt like complying, since the next attack could happen at any minute. They made it to the door and Koa backed to the left of it while the Kel Dorian soldier pulled a "flashbang," a concussion grenade, from his vest. He nodded, and the massive Gotal kicked the metal door in with almost contemptous ease. Ranon tossed at the same moment, it blew a half second later, and the two soldiers buttonhooked into the quarters and cleared it in less than two seconds.
    "GET DOWN!" Koa yelled as he shoved a stunned and malnourished female hard to the ground.
    "Clear!" Ranon called. "Who the hell are you?"

The blow while staggering only knocked her unconcious for a short period of time. She was confused and staggering to her feet when the first soldier came through the door.

Without preamble she was thrown back down to the floor. Her first impulse was anger. One thing she learned from being a slave is not to be a victim. The one pushing her down was also screaming asking for indentification. Since she was new to her training her first instinct was not yet to draw on the force. She had spent too many years fighting tooth and nail so that was her first instinct.

She rolled to one side and began to scream hysterically at the same time. She twisted up so she was sitting upright and started scooting towards the wall behind her. If she was going to fight she did not want anyone to have room to get behind her. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs preparing for one last blood curling scream before she launched herself at the nearest body.

She opened her eyes brieftly and staredupinto a pare of amazingly beautiful blue eyes. He was looking at her not with disdain for being a slave or a female but concern or perhaps kindness. Xachia was not familiar with that particular phenomenon so she was not sure. Immediately the air left her lungs and she was left speechless managing only a small "Oh"

She blinked a few times and covered her face with her hands. Her inner voice nicknamed the survivor commanded "Get it together. Focus!" She closed her eyes again and quickly accessed her predicament. Republic soldiers she thought to herself Still deadly but they would at least wait to see if she was a threat before killing her. Imperial troops would kill her if not outright then shortly afterwards.

All I need to do Xachia thought to herself is to let (She glances over at the large Kel Dorian) Problem (her eyes returned to the blue eyed Gotal) and Big Problem lead me out of here.

Xachia exhaled as she ran her hands through her short hair. She felt more at ease now that she had the beginnings of a plan forumulated. She felt the lump on her forehead and was pleased fo find a trickle of blood.

She looked up at blue eyes

"I think I need help"was all she said