Log:Knights of Ren: The Edge of Unknown III
The Knights find their prize. For better...and for worse.
OOC Date: December 2, 2020
Location: Unknown Regions
Participants: Andro Tain, Erisi Auslese, Errod Zand, Imani, Malik Ren (Self/GM), Sebek, Syrus, Tamsin Cas, Tarq Najjic, Knights of Ren
[Malik Ren]
...
..
.
The Night Buzzard and the not-Verpine scavenger ship have landed on a shallow atoll, the best clear spot to park such vessels since the location of the island temple lacks clearings or other suitable open spaces. Reaching shore necessitates a short walk through the surf, but it's shallow, no more than knee deep at the most.
Once there, it is clear that this temple has been abandoned for a long, long time. Both the beach and the jungle are beginning to consume it, burying the structure in sand and grasping vines. The black rock from which the temple was constructed was perhaps once shiny and smooth, polished to a glass-like obsidian finish, but now the stones are worn and pitted and chipped with time. Some carvings still remain, words for the few left who might have skill at reading them.
Malik Ren, freed from the prisoner-transport stasis pod in which he had been stashed, has ordered the swarm of new insect slav... helpers to excavate the entrance of the temple. They went about it with a buzzing repetition of "Yes Queen, yes Queen," and regarding this new title Malik seems slightly chagrined. He hasn't actually tried to correct them, however.
Who says the Knights don't get to go anywhere nice? This beach is fantastic, the water is warm, and all they have to do is rest in the shade while the insects do all the work! Granted, Malik is not resting, he is suspiciously hovering over the work force... but he's neurotic, he can be left to that. Lounging! Great!
After several hours of work, one of the drones approaches the Knights with what has come to be recognized as the typical obsequiousness. "Queen, Noble Masters," it greets through the hard-working translation droid, "The entrance is made ready for you, only now is the time to come and enter the temple of the dark masters! Do what is needful and the crystal will be within your grasp!"
The door is a large stone slab, or so it appears. It is inscribed with mysterious writing, and there is no visible handle, lock, or method of entry. No doubt the Knights will have to employ their usual prowess at problem solving here!
[Tamsin Cas]
Tamsin, who had spent the bulk of the first part of the flight post !Verpine invasion locked away in the medical area with the Headless corpse and the cryo-frozen Malik, had allowed the flow of the ship and its occupants to pass over and around her. Once Malik was awake, and she had had a chance to assess the situation, she had repacked her bag, made certain the droid was in full working condition, and readied herself for the trip down. The surf had posed no problem, simply requiring her to tuck up her robes, and hope that her boots remained water-tight. When the time came to rest, she did so, using the time to study the ruin from afar, trying to see if she could make sense of the writing there, hoping, perhaps that there might be some iota of information she could gleam, but it did not look hopeful.
[Tarq Najjic]
There is one among them who understands the ancient Sith language, maybe!
It is not their resident Kuati thief, who would be forced to eat his words that Malik never takes him somewhere nice, if Malik were ever not hovering by the insects. After his time sunning himself and sipping from a flask of ... something, he is back in his robes and ready for action. Ignorant of the Sith or not, he nevertheless comes forward to look over the slab. "Tarq Najjic means no disrespect to our hardworking friends, but who decided this was 'entrance' and not, say, 'part of foundation'?"
He takes a few steps back, then raises his hands, palm upward and fingers grasping, to pull outward. Maybe it will just slide off like the top of a deck of sabacc cards!
It does not slide off like the top of a deck of sabacc cards. He lowers his hands, taking a deep breath. "I suppose one could poke all over it. Cold sensation doubtless unrelated to continued efficacy of traps after millennia." Optimism!
[Imani]
At some point between their time on the ship and now Imani emerged from her ceiling dwelling to rejoin society, arming herself again along the way. There isn't a lot of lounging for her, she's curious about their new low cost employees and stations herself near enough to watch them as they work. She hasn't the knowledge on the sith to be helpful in that regard, but she takes up a spot nearish to Malik with her hand resting on the weapon at her hip. That's what she's here for, some good oldfashioned chopping when it's needed.
[Andro Tain]
This has been /great/ for Andro Tain; the archaeologist, still wont to keep herself removed from her terrif- her /esteemed/ coworkers, she has been with the insect people. For the most part, she has been following their work far too closely while offering helpful (if not mildly fanatic) pointers and tips that would allow them best to avoid damaging the temple itself. Are those tips useful or heeded? It's not likely. But it's the carvings that keep her attention the most intently! Those carvings - magnificent! Of course, they mean nothing to her, but she appreciates them, nonetheless.
[Syrus]
There /is/ one among them that knows Ancient Sith, and it's the one you'd expect. The Kiffar librarian steps forward and slides his glove from his mostly-flesh hand so he can get a feel of the slab. His eyes dance over the characters for a moment and he mouths along quietly. He smirks after a time and turns back to look at his fellow tomb raiders. "You're never going to believe it. This ancient Sith entrance demands a sacrifice." Those 'dark lords' are nothing if not consistent.
[Errod Zand]
Errod's face breaks the surface of the shallow water, gasping in the temperate air in long, shuddering breaths as water streams down his face from his soaked mane. The timing seems fortuitous, as the last gasp before he settles into a more ordinary heavy breathing just precedes the announcement that the ruins are ready to be explored.
The man rises up from the atoll, stripped to the waist. His wiry frame gleams as he strides towards shore, the crisscrossing thicket of scars that cover him pinker than his pale skin, a tiger's stripes. While the others crowd in to examine the door, he sits in the sandy soil to pull on his boots, rubbing his ponytail briefly with his shirt before pulling it over his head. "I am born anew, to die afresh," the hunter announces, wrapping the next layer of black around his damp body, strapping on belts and bandoliers and weapons, pulling stubborn gloves onto sticky fingers.
Still dripping, he steps down into the excavation, approaching the door with wild eyes staring. "So this place holds the next word in the sentence of the secret truth of our history. The hidden origin of all this wide galaxy's most intense suffering, and perhaps its remedy, wound up in the same sarcophagus and laid to rest here in this tomb." His eyes shift towards Syrus, mouth open below his mustache. "Now that I do believe." Fingers curl in to scratch his itchy palm.
[Sebek]
Sebek of the Desert, Flagbearer of Coret, Conqueror of the Sixteenth Deck, Consumer of Hounds, Wielder of Tei Tenga, He Who Hunts was having a great time! As the second-biggest bully of the Knights of Ren, he had singlehandedly placed himself in charge of the literal insects that had fallen under their charge. Sometimes the man with the whip doesn't need a whip, he just needs a lot of teeth, some talons, a red lightsaber, and a really angry voice.
"Yes, slaves, bring forth the entrance to our destination! Fine work! Perhaps I shan't kill you on the morrow!" Because every single day there was a threat to kill them on the morrow.
"Why is it that the Sith, so invested in their arcane rituals, must make everything a puzzle? For is it not simpler to allow us to open the door as is our right?" Frustration was bubbling over in the Falleen's voice. Every time, there was a trick or a trap or an exploding barrel or a baron of some sort of hell that was definitely not in this galaxy. A big fracking gun might blow the door down.
[Erisi]
"Finaaaaally, good Myrtle, it is so draining when you /have/ no choice but to wait." Erisi could have helped, of course, but what kind of example would that set for the drones? Drawing herself up out of the sand and out of the shade she plods through sand, sinking with each step and hating every second of it, robes hefted up in either hand, so she can move to stand near the Kiffar touching the door, "Large or small?"
Asked, her eyes narrowing as she focuses in, moving in with her own hand to gently guide Syrus's away if it still lingers so she can shift her senses to get a better look, "And willing or unwilling .." Asked softly, fingertips of her organic hand sweeping fingertips in a small area in the middle of the door, "Curious ..there's ..it's barely there, like a thoughtless speck, but there is something right here. I just --" A blink as she shifts back into normal human perception of things and frowns.
"I don't know that it matters, but it's there, even if you can't see it." Index fingertip presses in with dirty nail edge, "Right there." A glance then over her own shoulder back at the group, having missed that small shorts moment of Errod rising from the waters, "Probably nothing, but ..it's there. Perhaps the drones know. Or can see what I saw."
[Malik Ren]
"The nature of our connection through the Force is sacrifice, and pain. Our own, and that of others. I don't know why it would be so unacceptable to these ancients to just /lock the door/," Malik complains. "But here we are. The door we could not pass on Alpha Prime required a kill," Errod's one true love! "And I expect this one is similar."
Still, he seems willing to try less dramatic measures first, unclipping a small knife from his belt and slashing it along his left hand and arm. Bright blood blooms out, splattering the sand, and Malik lifts his hand to the place Erisi indicated seemed just a bit different. As the blood drips down the stone, there follows a heavy CLICK from inside the temple... but nothing else. Right track. Not enough.
Malik sighs. "Tarq." He extends his own lightsaber, unlit, toward the Kuati. "Kill a drone."
The insects skitter back! "Noble masters!" the nearest protests. "Noble masters! We live to serve, but we must live... to serve!"
[Tamsin Cas]
As Syrus and Erisi made their way to the ruin and Andro Tain assisted as she could, Tamsin stepped back, allowing those who clearly knew more than she did to take their turn. The revelation from Syrus did not seem to phase her. Nor did Malik's attempt to open the door with his blood. What she did, instead, was step closer to the door and simply turn to wait, watching what interplay might come between Malik and Tarq. Perhaps this was another case of not placing all of their eggs in one basket.
[Tarq Najjic]
Tarq Najjic accepts the lightsaber gingerly. He has its stun equivalent, yes, and the buttons and layout and use are similar, by design. This one, though - he activates it, and the crimson blade slides out with a snap-hiss. The light illuminates his face, particularly his eyes. He smiles, then turns with the hilt held carefully in both hands to slice through the nearest protesting !Verpine. He then picks up one of the halves of the creature and drags it forward, pressing it against the stone, seeing if this sacrifice is great enough to appease the ancient mechanism. There's blood on his left hand. It'll probably ruin his nails. "We all make sacrifices," he tells this half of the !Verpine.
[Malik Ren]
That's the thing about evil ancient temples. Not just anyone can get there -- only those in command of dark power, dark knowledge, and hearts dark enough to do whatever it takes to get it. Only they are worthy to proceed.
<"Considerable distress!"> the translation droid provides helpfully, as the !Verpine meets a grisly end at the blade of the saber.
Blood is spilled... or if not blood, at least some kind of gooey ichor that's close to blood, and as Tarq smears dead insect all over the door, now there is more than just a click -- a grinding noise follows, as stone moving against stone, ancient mechanisms long frozen with disuse. Did someone have to die every time this door got shut? What if you forgot something in there and had to go back? Questions for another time.
"Stay here," Malik warns the other drones. The slab-door rises, and steps lead downward into darkness.
Illuminated by sabers, lights, or keen low-light eyes, the temple reveals itself to extend into a long, dark corridor. It is freezing in here, moreso for those who are still wet from the progress from the atoll. It's positively Hoth-like, with breath making clouds against the dark, cold air! After some time, the corridor ends, and opens out into a larger, wider room. Sconces along the wall bloom alarmingly on their own into blue flame, and in the center of the room, a skeleton sits in an elaborately carved obsidian throne.
The bones of the skeleton have been encrusted with tiny gems, such that it glitters with diamond fascination in the light -- not a speck of bare bone remains. And in its hands, a large crystal, its hue seeming to shift between red and purple.
Those with the Force at their command can tell this place feels dangerous, centered around the skeleton and the crystal. Those who are not force sensitive can definitely infer that anyway. I mean, look at it.
[Imani]
"They do love their sacrifices," Imani observes as she eyes the door and the blood that splatters against it. The lack of progress earns a curious look. "What happens if you don't have someone to sacrifice? Maybe it's just basic sith understanding that you always need at least one expendable person with you at any given time in case you need to unlock doors." Given her experience with sith stuff, this sounds as reasonable an assumption as anything.
Further speculation is saved for later as she lifts her helmet from its clipped spot on her hip and slides it back onto her head, and into the dark temple they go. She falls to somewhere in the middle of the group, quiet and cautious as they enter that expansive chamber with the flickering blue lights. "Well, that's... how long do you think it took to do that to a whole skeleton?" She can't sense the force in the way others here can, but even she picks up that this place isn't safe.
[Andro Tain]
This is wonderful. This is great! Andy is having the time of her life, bustling over the ruins like an undisciplined child in an antique shop... Until Syrus indicates the need for a 'sacrifice'. There is a relief that, to the Knights, is likely palpable when a drone is indicated to be the unlucky choice.
Would it have been her, had they not been there to take the fall? It's better not to think on that one too long; though this takes conscious effort as half of a Verpine is held aloft. Andy is even more grateful then for the fascination and exploration of this deep, entombed, and sacred place - it is gorgeous, enlightening, and quite cold. Breathless already, their new location endeavors to steal her air further as she stares at the skeleton in awe... She really wants to touch it - she /desperately/ wants to just pluck that crystal right up. Thankfully, she knows this to be a bad idea; only an idiot would just take the evil thing - she's seen enough holos to know this. Luckily, they have no one among them that would so foolish.
[Syrus]
"It doesn't specify," Syrus answers Erisi as watches Malik's actions with a quiet anticipation. The big man loves temples; it can't be helped. His disappointment is palpable when nothing happens, but the excitement pops back up when Tarq lops one of their beautiful new bug acolytes in half and smears it all over the door.
Once the reach the larger of the rooms, Syrus clocks the bedazzled skeleton and makes a bee-line straight to it, reaching down to snatch at the crystal in its hand, his victory now compl-wait a minute.
The crystal doesn't budge. Try as he might, the Kiffar can't get the jewel to move a single bit. "That's concerning," Syrus says, his hand releasing the thing as he turns to face the rest of the group. "It's...stuck there," Syrus explains, stepping back to take a broader look around the place.
[Errod Zand]
Errod has made a mistake, and the extreme shivering is the penalty. The man jingles as he vibrates erratically, teeth fairly chattering by the time they reach the foreboding room with the skeleton and the crystal. "The skeleton may have been replaced by crystal entirely, if it was ever bone to begin with," he observes, settling a hand on a knife hilt inside his pocket. "The digestive systems of some creatures will do that. Or a talented artist with time to kill." The sticky stone raises an eyebrow. "That's better than what I expected to happen. There's no such thing as luck, and chaos doesn't discriminate. Something will go wrong. Soon."
[Sebek]
"She Who Slaughters, we reach consensus. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard." Let's not dwell on the fact that Sebek said something that sounded awfully like what a normal person would say. Moving on. With the crystal lodged in, and with Sebek somehow not dumb enough to actually go and do something about the crystal himself, he had a brainwave and made a suggestion to He Who Rises.
"Should the crystal be lodged in its hands, the conclusion is logical. Remove its hands."
[Erisi]
"Ages, and so much /boredom/." Erisi says to Imani as she steps into the room after the bugggy sacrifice by Tarq, "Though you might be right on the expendable persons thing ..I haven't a clue how the Sith work, and my time spent with Kuolo hasn't offered me much more insight as he is as into rocks, paper and ...whatever else like Syrus here, so I'm not sure he's an accurate representation." Shared, though she'll watch as Syrus tumbles in to capture that crystal, a laughing smile touching her lips as eyebrows raise up, eyes barely containing a roll.
"You are like a /child/ with these things ...hold on." A moment of focusing silence as Eri steps in towards the skeletal bling king, gnawing at the inside of her right cheek as she squints in, hands tucking into the pockets of her robes as the cold air settles her nicely. She misses Hoth.
"It has the same .." Left hand lifts and twirls fingers through the air as she tries to capture what she sees, "Aura ..that the door spot had. Do you think we need to bathe it in more sacrificial blood to release it?" Asked of Syrus, though with a half-twist at the waist she looks for Malik to direct the question towards him as well, before she then looks to the others as she turns around fully, "I don't know the Sith way of things and if it just wants us to kill everything and splatter the walls, or kiss it like some gwerp in a child's story and you have to kiss it." Shoulders rise and fall helplessly as she leaves it to those smarter than her to figure it out.
[Malik Ren]
"What does it /want/?" Queen Malik Ren sounds frustrated over there, winding a long strip of black cloth around his left hand and arm in order to stop the bleeding from his self-inflicted injury. "We killed a bloody bug for it, what else is required here? I am never creating a temple. If twenty years from now I start telling you all about my plans for Knight temples, with evil mechanisms and tricky traps, just cut my head off and know it's what I would have wanted."
He pauses a moment, staring into the facets and seemingly shifting colors of the large gem. "Truth be told, I don't even know what it does," he admits of the large and beautiful gem held by the skeleton. "But I know it feels like power. Perhaps a battery of sorts, an amplifier, for the intentions of those who work the Force around and through it?"
He's lost in that thought for a moment, then shakes his head as though to clear it. "We're not leaving without the crystal. If no one has any better ideas, then, remove its hands, cut it free. Or kill a drone at it, there's certainly plenty of them. Or kiss it."
[Tamsin Cas]
"If what I have read of the Sith is to be believed, there is always someone expendable," was Tamsin's answer to Imani's comment as the group travelled further into the ruin. Tamsin, who, for a wonder, remembered her stunsaber, drew it into her hand, but she did not illuminate it. Instead, she walked forward, allowing her eyes to adjust for the lower light levels, seeking for each step ahead of her before she set her feet down. She was more cautious when she made her way into the larger chamber, lids lowering to protect herself from the sudden, to her eyes, brightness, before she looked around. She kept well back of the skeleton as well as the crystal, head swiveling as she took in the interior of the room, "Are there any other inscriptions?" She looked back at the group, "Did one of you bring the map?" And then Syrus was barreling ahead to gain the prize, and Tamsin watched him, curious and thoughtful. Her head turned, as she listened to Malik, eyes dropping to his bandaged hand, and she nodded, more to herself than to anyone, as she approached the crystal, the lights from the torches which glittered on the crystal reflecting in her eyes. She focused her will, attempting to lift the crystal, but without success, if the continued furrow of her brow was any indication, and then she too removed a small blade from her bag, a scalpel, rather than a knife. She did not, however, cut her hand. She was a doctor, yo. Hands were important. Instead, shaking back her sleeves, she pressed the blade to her forearms, before she switched the blade to her cut arm hand, and smeared the blood on the crystal. Again, not a reaction at all, no release, no sound of a trap springing, and Tamsin stepped back, taking a piece of gauze from her bag to wipe away the blood, the flesh there, perhaps surprisingly, as whole as it was before she set scalpel to flesh. And then she went back to studying the skeleton.
[Tarq Najjic]
Tarq deactivates Malik's lightsaber as they enter the temple, displaying a healthy degree of caution about lopping off limbs by accident - including and /especially/ his own. He lets out a breath that he was holding when Syrus's attempt to just take the prize doesn't end in bloody impalement. He is half-listening to the ongoing conversation while he stares at the crystal, but when Imani and Sebek talk about 'expendable people,' he turns to point at Imani. "Imani - yes! If, to Sith, others are expendable, then what is precious?" He points at Tamsin as she pulls out her scalpel: "The blood of a Sith!" He nods. He and Tamsin are so smart.
He waits. Nothing happens. His nostrils flare and he activates Malik's lightsaber. "I am 'pulling - a - Sebek.'" Carefully moving the lightsaber through the joint nearest the hand holding the crystal, he tries to cleave it off.
[Malik Ren]
CHOP! Tarq strikes the statue! There is a flash of blinding light, then as though reflected out through the facets of the gem, a white-red light soars toward Malik Ren. He has enough time to go "AAGHHH!" before he falls. <"Considerable distress!"> Man that droid is so helpful.
As soon as he hits the ground, wounded or unconscious, the crystal in the hands of the skeleton wobbles a little, like it's being worked free. So, hitting it! It's the right track!
[Imani]
"I suppose it is effective in keeping people like the jedi out of their places," Imani remarks to Erisi and Tamsin, and though the vocoder of her helmet strips away some of warmth in her tone, the smile that can't be seen is still heard. "Not great for making friends, but from what I can tell that wasn't a priority for the sith." She eyes the crystal that is the proverbial bell of this particularly chilly ball, but being force related business she turns away from it to start looking around the room instead. Her search is briefly interrupted by Tarq's observations, looking curiously to the crystal as he bleeds on it. "You're not Sith, so maybe that's the problem?" she suggests, then continues her search.
She's only just picked up a dusty and sadly bedazzleless skull in a corner when there's that brilliant flash of light. Plain skull slips from her fingers as and clatters to the floor as she spins around to see Malik once again go down. Though she has nothing to defend against, she's got her weapon loose now, in her hand as she moves cautiously over to the fallen Ren. "No one is going to believe us if we try to tell them you died in the presence of a begemmed skeleton that held a light shooting crystal, so... don't," she says, crouching down to ensure that he is in fact still breathing.
[Andro Tain]
"We aren't the first ones to make it past the door." Andy frowns, having drifted away from the main group to inspect the edges of the room. Perhaps she's keeping her distance for fear of being the next sacrifice, perhaps she's keeping her distance because she's enthralled with the locale... Either way, it brought her to the room's edge. "Whose to say if they had the... Abilities of you bunch, but they didn't make it far." Her brow knits as she carefully stoops... She can't tell what did these unlucky souls in beyond that they were, indeed, done in, and that their bones were not given the honor of a postmortum bedazzling.
So, there is a consequence... And it bothers Andy that they don't know what that is, and that she can't /see/ what would cause it. Imani seems to be taking a similar path, one of study and slow, scientific method - she's glad not to be the only normie, so she heads her way.
"We should take some time to study this place and the skel-" It is at this time that Tarq attempts to sever the hands and Malik falls to the ground in a flash of terrifying, likely magic, light. "This is why trial and error should be the last resort!" Andy groans. "There is too much room -" she gestures emphatically at Malik's prone form "-for /error/!"
[Syrus]
Considering what /could/ have happened when he tried to grab the clearly super evil crystal, Syrus feels that he got off pretty easy. The Kiffar, hands moving to his hips casts his eyes around the area.
Something catches his attention and he moves to squat down next to the throne, brushing away at a small inscription and attempting to read it more clearly. With this being the language of the ancient evil, the moment it escapes from his lips, a palpable dread can be felt filling the area. "Power applied, reflected, denied; to one the prize, to his brother, demise," he quotes, staring intently at the words as he mulls them over in his brain. He doesn't see Tarq's swing coming, and only manages to get out a quick "No!" before Malik's flying backwards.
Shame. Malik's dead. The Kiffar stands up straight and breathes a sigh, running a hand down his face. Seems he's been a bad example. "I believe we were meant to use lightning on the thing," Syrus begins. "But...the only one of us capable of that is now lying in a heap. Thank you, Tarq."
[Errod Zand]
Errod is /fascinated/. Death always seemed like a sink into the void, but evidently there's a way to make other people sink into the void from the void itself. "If there was any doubt that the defect you harbor is a blight upon the galaxy, allow me to reiterate that this sort of unnatural ability is tied to whatever bone-deep flaw mutated your beings," the hunter informs the Force sensitive members present, his wild eyes staring into anyone's who will make contact with them.
Syrus suggests a solution to the 'puzzle', but their solution is unconscious on the floor. "Looks like the proper path has been ruled all the way out. But there is another way, comrades, and we've come too far to leave empty-handed. Which of our lives is more important than our calling?" A hand reaches for his belt, producing a thick, ugly piece of machinery that clicks and twists and unwinds and telescopes into a brutal-looking handaxe that begins emitting a horrible, high-pitched whine while the head blurs to a smudge.
Raising it high overhead for a moment, he brings the weapon crashing down on the cluster of crystallized bones behind the metacarpals.
[Sebek]
Well that was ominous.
Errybody doing archaeological things and Sebek, bless his poor heart, was trying to figure out just how hard he needed to hit this skeleton in order for it to dislodge its shiny goodness. Unfortunately, when Sebek and problem solving were put in a room together both sulked until someone eventually died of starvation. Considering the Falleen's metabolism, probably him.
He Who Rises had a good suggestion. Use lightning. Alas, because Sebek's mind is not the cleverest, he immediately assumed that light was lightning, and struck the wrists of the skeleton with Tei Tenga. He Who Jests was doing it. He Who Cares was doing it. Surely it was the right answer.
Surely.
[Erisi]
Laughter. Maybe from nervousness or actual delight. It's hard to tell with Erisi as she watches Malik fall after that burst of white-red light towards Malik, eyebrows rising high, "Well, long live the /Queen/, Myrtle all mighty what in the ..." Hands tuck in around her stomach as she let's a few more awkward giggles go, "Oh. Wait."
Sudden realization hits her that he might actually be dead, but ..with a lingering look as Tamsin sees to him she waits, holds her breath before it's exhaled out, "Oh good, I just ..can't imagine the over the top funeral we'd have to throw for him."
Relaxing considerably she will listen to Andy, "We hardly function like that, Andro, so addled are we with shiny and bloody things." Some sympathy there, such as in the slight downwards turn of her lips and the wamrth that infuses her gaze for the other woman, though that warmth might be at the idea of using lighting, "Oh, you mean /sky fire/, please. I can do sky fire." And then she'll give off the most sparkly sparkling zippy-zapping tendrils of lightning towards the statue after considering it but a moment, not waiting for people to clear for she is too addled with shiny and bloody things.
Zap.
[Malik Ren]
Strike! Strike! Strike! Blows crash against the jeweled skeleton!
With, perhaps, predictable results.
Bolts of light begin to fly! Errod's hand axe sets free a bolt of light that reflects toward Tamsin. OW! It doesn't seem as bad as the first, however, and is not enough to render her unconscious as happened to Malik.
Sebek strikes next, freeing a bolt that zaps Imani! POW!
She has her revenge a moment later, perhaps, as Erisi crackles lightning against the stone and skeleton, and the same powerful light emanates forth to zap Sebek. ZAP!
It hurts to get hit by the crystal's reflections; it is ferociously, breathtakingly painful, but each bolt does seem less bright, less powerful, than the last -- the first was perhaps the worst, owing to greater connection between the crystal and its host. RIP Malik. For a guy who is so avoidant of sleep he takes unnatural substances to make sure he doesn't sleep, he's really spending a lot of time napping here in the Unknown Regions.
The crystal, worked loose by the strikes, falls to the ground unceremoniously. It's free!
The heap of black robes over yonder begins to stir, and Malik Ren grows. "Pihck it uhhp." He's slurring his words, which sounds hilarious with a posh Coruscanti accent and he probably hates life right now. "We're LEAVH.LEAVING."
[Tamsin Cas]
Tamsin, who had, as Erisi predicted, already stepped away to hurry over towards the fallen Ren, caught the bolt of energy in the back and it shot her forward quick a bit more quickly than she might have liked, only the quick application of her hands out in front of her stopping her from hitting the ground face first. Never you mind the pain her her knees and wrist and her poor shoulders, her back seemed on fire, the pain sweeping up to wrap her in a very painful blanket. The sound that fell from her lips was quite unlike the normally calm ands restrained acolyte. It was feral, an animal sound of pain before she bit it back, forcing down her body's response as she stumbled to her feet to get to Malik. Yes, yes, every one of the knights was important, but he was the Ren. Head of the Knights, Head of the Line.
[Tarq Najjic]
When the red light blasts out of the crystals and into Malik Ren, knocking him to the ground and unconscious, Tarq freezes in the middle of his attempted severing, standing there with the lightsaber still ignited, still between these crystal-covered fingers. His eyes look left, then right, then he flips the switch. The red blade retracts into the hilt. Awkward. He coughs, then steps back from the skeleton for others to do their worst. At least it loosened.
Tarq just waits for the bolt to inevitably come out and take him, but it never happens. At least Erisi's lightning caused the same reaction - he didn't /really/ doom them to hurting each other. That was going to happen anyway! He passes Malik back his lightsaber and scoops up the crystal with both hands. "Tarq Najjic thinks maybe the insect horde outside will want this." Now that it's 'safe' and all. "Swooping in on our hard work," he mutters. The hard, hard work of getting blasted by your own hubris, and of murdering an innocent bystander to unlock the door.
[Imani]
This is what Imani gets for checking on Malik. Once she is reasonably assured that he's not dead, still alive, still super angry -- everything about this feels right -- she relaxes and rocks back a little. She's just starting to stand back up when she's struck by that unpleasant light, which sends her staggering to the side. Lucky for everyone she doesn't fall on Malik or Tamsin, instead listing over to one side to hit the ground with a clatter of armor, and a crack of helmet against ground. She's not out, there's an immediate groan of protest, and one clumsy hand reaching for the weapon she dropped.
[Andro Tain]
"Does it have to be... /Force/ lightning?" Andy asks, frowning at Syrus. "Because I'm sure we could rig together /something/ without too much trouble." But Erisi - the scary one with all the fire - seems to have it covered. Throwing an arm over her eyes against the light show, the self-preservation kicks in. The non-Force-sensitive hits the ground, trying to shield herself from the bolts... But none find her, and the ones that find her companions don't find them as /hard/ as they did Malik. So that's a positive.
When it's done, Andy scrambles upright, frowning at Tarq. "Can we be cautious with it, at least? Have a moment to examine it before bringing something that energetic and volatile onto the ship?" The Night Buzzard has suffered enough.
[Syrus]
Likely the only one who could've just absorbed the mean energy with his hand, Syrus has lucked out in that he doesn't even have to try. What a banner day! The Kiffar, lowering his hand from where it had been shielding his eyes looks around at the now-downed Knights and says, "Remarkably ineffective at keeping its promise. Though, I guess it never expected more than two Sith at a time," Syrus says, before he looks to Erisi with a broad smile. "I wasn't aware you could do that. Well done, Eri," he notes, kneeling down to grab the cryst-nevermind Tarq had already taken it. The Kiffar moves to stand over the downed Malik and gives him a nudge with a booted foot. "You yet live, Ren."
[Errod Zand]
When the crystal finally falls, Errod quietly replaces the ax on his belt after refolding it, shrugging as the energy has seen fit to spare him. "I am pure. I bathed in the waters of this planet, let it surround me like a womb. I am a child of this place as much as any soul can be, now," he decides, looking towards the ceiling with a wistful stare, puffing visible breath into the air. Then he blinks, shakes off the moment with a shiver, looks around at the others, half of them picking themselves off the floor. "Let's hope our new servants haven't decided to steal the queen's ship while we were in here."
[Sebek]
FWING!
Light flashed off the crystal skeleton in time with the strikes rained upon it. It was at the end, when the lightning struck it, that Sebek of the Desert felt the blow. Pain. Pain, fire, and doom fell upon the Falleen who was flung backwards, only barely adjusting to place one, then both feet on the floor to arrest his momentum. Boots carved divots out of the dirt and dust and detritus decorating the floor as Sebek slid to a stop, clutching his chest where he had been struck. His skin flickered, yellows and oranges of pain and frustration, a dark cloud forming within his mind as his pride tried to process just how arrogant the traps were.
"Stupid! A monument to pride is only thus if it /stands/. When unburdened of its prize it is a monument to /folly/." Pause. Brainwave. Ow, headache. "What of a sole venturer? With no other to lash out at, would the corpse submit meekly? Behold the Sith and their ever so clever traps!" His oozy voice dripped with entitlement, sarcasm, and mocking. "Come, let us pray that the chittering horde betrays us, so we might gain a measure of catharsis."
[Erisi]
FWING. And there it goes towards Sebek. Erisi, being the arse she is, has to track it's path, and upon seeing her efforts strike Sebek a hand immediately lifts up to her mouth to stifle a bark of laughter. If she apologizes, he might get angrier. Best to let him vent it out verbally, and take heed of what Syrus had said to her.
"Uh, yeah, I mean ..the lightning causes fires, so ..you know. Not /as/ satisfying as /actual/ immediate fire, but in a pinch." Andy, always so thoughtful and smart, has Erisi smiling, "I love your optimism. It's very sweet."
It seems it's infectious though, and Erisi feels the need to offer a helpful hand to Imani by scooping down to try and pick up the fallen weapon for the Killer, "Oh, I'd love for them to betray us, using the force in that manner always makes my fingers itchy until I kill something." A syrupy comment to Sebek mid-weapon retrieval.
[Malik Ren]
Malik lies there face down for a moment. He is prodded with Syrus's boot. "Sorry," the heap of black fabric mumbles. Yeah, he yet lives. "Better luck next time."
Despite the powerful energy from the Crystal, all parties unlucky enough to be attacked by its energy do manage to drag themselves back to their feet -- even Malik, who is making an effort to recover his dignity despite a certain amount of unusual disorientation to his stride. You can get a lot done by willpower, by believing everything is Fine Thank You, and he's always put so much stock in that.
"Let's go."
Compared to some of the other places they've been, the exit here is straightforward: Out of the room, down the corridor, up the steps, into the bright light! The heat and the light are both so blinding that at first nothing can be seen at all, until at last eyes adjust painfully and everything comes into view...
There are drones everywhere. On the sand, the rocks, the temple, the trees. Hundreds of drones, many of them extending their mandibles in a long, sharp looking way that somehow makes it clearer as to how Lt. Vail lost her head.
The Insect Queen is not immediately apparent, but she must be controlling her hive somehow, because all of the insects speak at once, together.
"Hello, Dark Masters."
Chittering, clicking, buzzing.
"Long ago we served your kind. We built this temple. We are slaves no longer. We are here for what belongs to us," the insects chant together. "Give us the crystal, and you may leave in peace. Or refuse, and we will take it from you after you are in pieces."
Clicking, ticking, chirping.
"You will kill some of us. It is a price we will pay. There are few of you, and we are beyond counting. Make the wise choice, Masters."
[Tamsin Cas]
Tamsin, once she was sure that everyone was at least mobile, moved with the group towards the exit. And somehow, she was not at all surprised to see the drones waiting there. because of course they would be. "They never did tell us how they knew about this place, or how they knew to take the wayfinder." This was almost casual conversation for the good doctor, "We need to get back to the ship. Fight our way through if we have to." Tamsin frowned, focusing her will, "Create distractions to keep them from attacking us." She looked to Malik. And no, she was not the boss of him, but she was his doctor, "Order the retreat or we are all going to die here."
[Tarq Najjic]
Holding the crystal orb suddenly feels terribly dangerous, as the Kuati sees the horde. He calls out to the insects without first consulting his coworkers, "Tarq Najjic heard some of you try to deceive us. You did deceive us, about knowing this place. Now you promise safety, in exchange for prize. I do not believe you! Prove yourself true: allow us to our ship, where we may exchange trophy for safety!" Here's hoping that translator droid is still here.
[Imani]
Imani manages to get back to her feet, seeming steadier by the moment. One hand reaches out to try and take her weapon back from Erisi with a murmured word of appreciation. Provided she gets it back. If she doesn't, well, for now she'll leave it and move over toward Tarq instead. Once at his side she reaches out to gently extricate the crystal from his hand, focus then turning to the insects. "You want the crystal? Seems to me like we're in a solid position here then. If you don't leave right now I'm going to destroy it and then none of us will have it. After that you can leave, or you can fight us. We'll die, so will a lot of you, but you'll walk away without your crystal."
[Andro Tain]
"You wanted this." Andy sighs, a tired acceptance stared out at the horde of insects. Betrayed. Who could have predicted this? "We're going to run, right?" She mutters, cautiously laying a hand on her vibro axe. She doesn't want to be the first one to bolt, given the delicate situation. Erisi's observations on the Mirilan's stubborn faith in thought, and the misplaced optimism that rationality can prevail, ring true as she lets out a breath and removes her hand from the axe. Tarq is convincing enough - and at least this is a solution which doesn't cause immediate bloodshed and chaos; she isn't suited to that. "Do not test these tempers!" She pleads to the insects, hoping to give credence to the new threats to the crystal.
[Syrus]
Seeing that Malik is doing well enough to be catty, Syrus leaves him to it and turns back to the throne, his robo hand reaching out to grab that Crystal Skull by the crown. There's a bit of a wrenching followed by a hollow clutter as he pops it off of its spine. He holds it up and gives it a good look, a grin coming to his lips.
Alas, poor Malik! I knew him, Erisio.
"I imagine a sole traveller would die immediately, Sebek," Syrus says, turning to begin his walk towards the exit.
There's that gross chittering. "Unfit to unravel' I believe was the phrase," Syrus answers back to the bug hoard. "Millenia ago you were nothing more than slaves to those we are destined to destroy. Yours is a legacy of failure; ours is one of triumph. Our temple will not be some sad desolate tomb surrounded by disgusting insects. Our temple will be this Galaxy, free of your 'noble masters'. And free of you," he says, moving forward towards the ship and drawing his saber, the blade snapping to life. Just in case.
[Errod Zand]
Emerging from the chill of the temple and into the warm light of this system's closest star is a relief, chittering bugs or no, and Errod, still wet and cold to the bone, is grateful. "We're not going to run," he answers Andro, unshackling the chain-whip from his back and snapping the plasma-rivulets that line it to life. "We're going to walk to our ship." He reaches down for the discarded debris of a bug-thing that Tarq sacrificed to the door, and lifts a chunk of it that looks most like the head is attached skyward. "Look here," he grates at them, casting wild eyes about the assembled critters.
"Look at the dead body of your nestling. Look on the future that awaits you, today or tomorrow or in some foggy corner of the future. Look at the end of all life. Broken, destroyed. Barely recognizable as a living thing." Where's he going with this? "Why wait? Come and die. Come and /kill!/" He keeps walking forward while he rants, shaking the body parts at the nearest insect. "No tears will be shed, and no one will remember. So back up, or come on, or stand where you are." He just keeps on walking, almost to the water now.
[Sebek]
The sound of a bell went off in Sebek's head and there was a horrible snap in the Dark Side of the Force as the Falleen's skin suddenly and abruptly dove into the deep green of contentment. The frown on his face cracked and twisted up into a smile that really wasn't fit to carry any sort of joy whatsoever, but did. Tei Tenga exploded into life, crackling and hungry.
And then, one ungodly word ripped through the din.
"FINALLY!"
Behold, She Who Rages, you distraction as ordered.
Yes, running away was the smart move, but unfortunately for all involved Sebek of the Desert was not a smart individual. Where most saw a death sentence, he saw a stimulating endurance workout. He was wrong, but that's what he saw. He literally launched himself into the fray, spinning Tei Tenga like the galaxy's most terrified dance partner. The throngs moved and weaved like the oceans amongst the Falleen's blade, but that didn't stop him from bisecting the first one in his sight. "None are countless! You stand finite, thus, I shall count you! ONE!" Then, mid-swing, he turned back to the gathered Knights of Ren and instructed, "GO!"
[Erisi]
Erisi totes gives that weapon back, offering up a 'We're not Sith, right?' at the murmured word of appreciation, robed woman rising up then to follow the others out. Only to be met by a giant bug horde. Stopping short she ahems, perhaps mentally amending her previous declaration that she would like to murder right about now, "You know ..I freely admit I was wrong, and so yes, I ..would say we not stick around." Quietly to Andy as she begins to follow Errods lead, sans lofting up parts of the buggos, to walk .."Five stars, would visit again, lovely beaches.
[Malik Ren]
So many drones. So many insects. Whatever source controls them does seem to be listening enough to Tarq that some of the chittering beasts part to clear a path toward the Night Buzzard, however: The way across the beach and to the atoll is clear, although the drones swarming the area press in closely, suspicious, and starting to get rattled when Imani mentions destruction of their prize. Angry rattled. They don't seem to grasp Syrus or Errod's philosophy, or to discern any difference between the Knights and their old masters.
"Go to the ship," Malik orders the group quietly, seeking to take advantage of the sea of bugs that Tarq has so handily parted! Will they make it? Will they escape, even with the crystal, on this thin span of a lie, as narrow and treacherous as the sand of their atoll?
Not if somebody starts killing bugs. Nope.
Sebek of the Desert, Flagbearer of Coret, Conqueror of the Sixteenth Deck, Consumer of Hounds, Wielder of Tei Tenga, He Who Hunts, Sinks, Hollers, Gets People Toxic-Fumed Twice, and Angers the Insects takes a mighty chop into the sea of bugs, and all hell breaks loose!
"KILL THEM," the Insect Queen channels into her followers, at exactly the same moment the Ren Queen commands his own, "Destroy it! Destroy the crystal!" Cast it into the fire, Isildur! Wait no, wrong trilogy. And there's no volcano. But other weapons or force of power should do, be it telekinesis, lightning, a saber, or an axe. It may take more than one.
Destroy it 'and run into the ship' isn't explicitly added, but it's heavily implied. The insects surge forward, seeking attack, and Errod and Sebek take the first of the wave. Malik reaches out towards Errod, from afar, trying to yank him back to safety, and yells over the suddenly deafening Considerable Wrath, "Someone get Sebek!"
We need him! No seriously, we do!
[Tamsin Cas]
"Get to the ship!" They'd all heard the command, and Tamsin was set to do just that, but, Muun's Daughter had not been raised by metaphorical thinking machines for nothing, and she was going to //think// her way to salvation one way or the other. And so, as Sebek raged in and found himself cut down, sad, and Errod's arrogant caterwauling invoked the bugs rage, possibly less sad, Tamsin moved. Not yet with her body, but with her will, and a sudden sand wave exploded from the beach, an oncoming storm that blew over the swarm, that flowed out like a long bubble, a tunnel of wind and shredding bits of silica, buffeting the !Verpine, seeming to seek for their multifaceted eyes, their oh so fragile antennae, leaving a clear path to the ship. "Run! I cannot do this all day!" Tamsin ran, though not as quickly as she might have liked, for her attention was of course divided. And best to follow her, for the storm went where she went.
[Tarq Najjic]
The Dark Master who lies and runs away lives to take revenge another day. Granted, when Tarq last used that saying, it was referring to being a thief, but are they not all thieves right now? Righteous thieves, stealing for a cause from bad people who died a long time ago and whose stuff needs to be in the right hands or destroyed, yes yes yes, but thieves nonetheless. "But- orb is still bargaining chip..."
The Kuati's sigh dies in his throat as he takes a deep breath, raises his still-ichor-covered left hand, and grabs an insect with the Force, hurling it back into its kindred with enough momentum to harm both the erstwhile projectile and its comrades. This is not a fight he can win conventionally, but he's doing what he can to help keep the path clear of insects - whether they be blinded or not. He follows Tamsin closely.
[Imani]
Imani's gloved hand grips the crystal as she watches the drones, and listens their disconcerting chittering bug sounds. The translated kill order is heard, as is the one to destroy the crystal. There isn't a single speck of hesitation in following that particular order, dropping to one knee immediately while simultaneously swinging her chain-whip around drive the hilt of it down on the crystal with as much force as she can muster. CRACK. CRACK. It doesn't break immediately, but she seems intent on smashing it until it does. Then she can run. Maybe. Or die. Either way, something is getting smashed.
[Andro Tain]
Andy released the grip on her axe too soon, placed her faith too deeply in the willpower of the Knights. She really should have factored the "Sebek" into her mental equations, because when n=Sebek, x cannot equal anything orderly.
Her path of egress is varily blocked as chaos explodes around Andro Tain, archaeologist and normie. This isn't her bag - smashing the artifacts they've risked their lives to acquire? "No! Don't - don't /break it/!" THESE PEOPLE! Andy stares at the battle - they are all more capable fighters than her. She looks to Sebek - that duty is a job better left to a colleague. She looks to the crystal - and she wants to take it and run from here with her life! But she only has the time to do /one/ of those things, and she decides that today, her life is worth just a little bit more.
Andy is running - booking it back towards the ship with all the grace and desperation of the one unathletic kid everyone ganged up against during dodgeball. She isn't contributing anything to the team, but her drive and pathos for self-preservation is commendable.
[Syrus]
"Don't be a fool, Malik! Just get to the ship! I have an idea! Don't destroy that CRYSTAL!" Syrus barks, breaking off into a sprint straight towards the Buzzard and managing to avoid the traitorous !Verpines along the way.
Scrambling up the steps into the belly of the bird, Syrus' saber is deactivated and cast aside, the big man huffing and puffing over the short distance from the ramp to the pilots chair.
Buttons are slapped at, pre-flight checks are Zhu Yan'ed, and the Buzzard's repulsors kick into action. The be-flanged transport rumbles and tumbles awake, the repulsors squealing as it gets angled toward the swarm, one of the big aft engines *THUNK*ing a bug out of mid-air as it swings. Finally pointed in the general directions, the weapons systems hum to life.
FWOOM. FWOOM. FWOOM.
[Errod Zand]
Maybe waving the dismembered corpse of one of the insects at them wasn't Errod's best idea, but how else do you intimidate a hive mind of things that are so numerous, a few deaths are a pittance? Just ask anyone who's gone up against the Knights of Ren.
No doubt he had planned to keep rambling and walking all the way to the ship, and it might have worked, too, if not for those meddling Sebs. Instead, a particularly gnarly insectoid pincer abruptly punches through Errod's semi-armored torso, and the knight goes down in the shallow water, pumping a bloom of red into the surf.
[Sebek]
The funny thing about reality is that, well, it's real. In the holofilms or the hologames or whatever, one man can make a lone stand against an army hundreds strong. Sebek? Well, he managed to count to 'one' before reality slapped him so hard next year felt it.
Stingers, mandibles, all sorts of sharp implements made childs play of the Knights of Ren raiment and shishkebabbed the Falleen within. Blissful unconsciousness come minutes later, with nary a thought of biting off more than he can chew (now he's hungry, thx). Maybe one about how an entire swarm defeating him still means he owes a single defeat.
[Erisi]
Nnnng. Nnnnggg. Leave Sebek to die or do the burny fun thing. Whereas the internal struggle for some might be to give in and do the fun thing, for Eri it's to give in and do the good thing, because deep down in that plump sweaty bod of hers, she's not entirely /bad/. And Sebek has a very small, soft spot, in her heart, and her willpower to do what she WANTS to do versus what that tiny little ugly spot wants her to do is fought out with a panicked look.
A look from Sebek and his swarm, and a look to the object of her desire that Imani is so wantonly smashing. It sends Erisi's heart aflutter, because she too could be giving into deep desires to destroy.
Panic melts into a crestfallen look then as her willpower to just do what she wants breaks and a brief look to the skies before her eyes close, "I hate you, Sebek." Only she doesn't, which the failed willpower proves. Myrtle damn it.
Clenching her teeth she snaps her cybernetic hand up into the air, and instead of setting the Falleen aflame in place of the crystal he is lifted up out of the sand, her fingers curling in the air to capture him as she begins to run while Syrus lays cover fire, dragging Sebek through the air with her. Maybe he smacks into some !verpine, maybe he don't, she's not looking, the Sebek-Shishkebab has his ride, regardless.
[Malik Ren]
Cover fire from sandstorm, Telekinetic attack, and FWOOM FWOOM from the Night Buzzard's weaponry aid the Knights' mad splash to freedom as they run to the ship and board it. The wounded are snatched to freedom by their comrades, and the crystal, oh, the beautiful, powerful Sith crystal...
It's smashed to pieces at Malik's order and Imani's hands, and when it is, all the color and light fades away from it. The shards are a dull gray, no more interesting than quartz.
The moment the crystal is destroyed, all the drones seem to stop, slowing and staring -- whatever their queen has communicated to them is uncertain, but it seems as though they do not consider this fight worth pursuing if the prize is no longer available. The Night Buzzard is able to tear away from the planet, spewing a black smoke scar across a pristine blue sky, as orders are given to get the wounded into Tamsin's care and the ship's rudimentary medical facility. It's a glorified couple of tables and some cabinets, but we're calling it a medical facility!
The Buzzard breaks atmo, back into the blackness of space, and there, they find that they are not alone.
Dozens of ships similar to the one they just left hang in space in a tidy formation, waiting, waiting to collect the prize that may have escaped the net on the ground... only now there is no such prize, and they seem to know it. They do not move or raise comms, they do not fire; the hive watches, and waits.
Eventually, just as the Buzzard is about to escape gravity well, a lone series of clicks buzzes through, and is translated.
"There are few of you, and we are beyond counting. We will not forget you, Noble Masters."
Even through the prim voice of the translator, the the promise is clearly a threat -- but why then not blow them out of the sky now? What are these bugs planning?
The question chases them into nothingness, as the diamond stars streak to lines of light, and the Knights escape to lick their wounds, and count the growing ranks of their new enemies.
THE END.
