668. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

The two Sith still had some time before the army of Meisosians were upon them, yet they hurried up into the massive desert hills. They had spotted a narrow pass with steep, talus strewn slopes on either side, and they made their way toward it.

It was wide enough for a dozen beings to walk abreast in the bottom, but it was narrow enough for their purpose. All they needed was to keep the army from getting behind them... force the enemy to fight them a few at a time (line up as opposed to bunch up, as Raezyr put it) rather than all at once and they could negate the enemy's numerical superiority.

They stood for a few minutes, watching the army come. They were still a good hour's march away. Suddenly Trychon thought of something. "Hey Raez... how much water do you have left?"

The big man hefted his water socket. Then the realization of what his brother was trying to say settled in. "Tzao gao. If we had water, we could hold them off indefinitely," Raezyr said. "Well, let's head over the pass and see what's there."

They both picked up and began moving as quickly as the terrain would allow. They knew they had to be getting close to Vathka Rados' village. If they could reach that, hopefully they could explain to Rados about the misunderstanding get things cleared up. Barring that, they'd still be able to get their gear, and Trychon's data pad with it, which would allow them to remotely call down their ship from orbit.

As they emerged on the other other side of the pass, they stopped and stared down into the valley below. There, a few klicks away between Rados' village and their own position at the entrance to the pass, was a second army marching their way. One even larger than the one they had left behind.

"Taikong suoyo shingchiouh doh saijin wu de pee-goo," exclaimed Trychon.


"You can say that again," Raezyr agreed, his heart sinking.

"Taikong suoyo shingchiouh doh saijin wu de pee-goo," repeated the elder Sith.

"Normally, I'd laugh... but for some reason, I'm not in the mood." Raezyr turned and began limping back into the pass.

"Where are you going?" his brother asked.

"I'm going to find a good spot to make a glorious last stand," he said with a weak grin.

Trychon fell into step beside his half-brother. "Alright then... if this is it, we'll make sure they tell the story of our demise for generations to come." He began looking up at the tops of the steep hills on either side of the pass. "Which hill do you think is taller? We can probably wreak more havoc from up there."

"Good idea," replied the younger Sith. "Plus they'll know we're making our last stand and just daring them to come get us. It'll make for a much better story."

Grinning, and somehow in a much better mood, they began climbing the steep, rocky slope of the taller of the two hills.

They were halfway to the top when they looked into the pass below. They could see both entrances from their vantage point. Both armies had entered the pass and in moments would find their prey missing and turn their eyes up-slope.

"Watch this, Raez," Trychon said. He stretched out his hand and a large rock dislodged from it's half-buried home in the side of the huge hill and began to tumble end-over-end down toward the larger of the two armies below. The Sith watched as the Meisosian warriors suddenly stared up in horror and scrambled to get away. Unfortunately for them there wasn't much room in the narrow pass and dozens of warriors went down either crushed to death or severely injured.

A roar rose up from the now-combined force below. Not one of fear, but of anger. A roar that called for justice. A roar that called for blood. It called for the blood of the Wahnri Rahz.

"So it begins," Trychon noted.

"So the end begins," Raezyr corrected.

They stood for a moment on the side of the hill and watched the army below begin its ascent and let the solemness of their situation wash over them. "Might as well get the rest of the way to the top," Raezyr commented as they both began climbing again.

Occasionally they paused to dislodge large rocks and send them tumbling into the aliens behind them. It would slow their pursuit, but soon they would spread out to all sides of the hill, lessening the damage the rock slides would cause, and once at the top the brothers would eventually run out of large rocks to hurl down.

They climbed quickly and steadily, until Trychon climbed up over a small ledge. "Hey, Raez... there's a cave here." He scrambled up and peered into the depths. "It's fairly wide and goes back quite a ways."

Raezyr climbed up and looked into the cave for himself. Then grinned at his elder brother. "This is even better than the pass. We can fight side by side in here, and even spell each other." He wandered back into the cave a little way and looked around. "It smells damp back here. We might even be able to scrape together a little water if we go farther back."

He turned around and looked at his brother. Trychon grinned from ear to ear. "And you thought it was the end. We may just make it out of this yet."

667. Earning Their Title - Trychon and Raezyr

What they thought had turned out to be a decent decision in taking an alternate route ended up only taking them off course.  While the first town only had a vague understanding that there was something wrong with the off-worlders, the next two were completely unreceptive.  They were forced to resort to slaughtering the majority of the population of both to just get to some fresh water.

Their saurens were becoming completely disobedient, and only through small Force shocks were they able to get cooperation from the beasts at all.

Meanwhile, Raezyr had run out of the plants that he had been using to create a simple salve for his knee.  They assumed that the plants were only cultured in the large cities.  Things were looking worse and worse as time went on, and the Siths' own patience was at an end.

They paused at the top of a hill to get a look at the terrain they were headed through.  Trychon shocked his mount to get it to face his brother.  "I don't know how long we're going to be able to ride these things, Raez." 

Raezyr merely grunted.

"There's no telling what sort of resistance we're going to find when we get back to Rodas, either.  With you in this sort of shape..."

Raezyr clenched his teeth.  "If I'd known this was going to happen, obviously I would have handled things differently." 

"You realize there's a strong chance that we may walk sometime after we get off this planet too?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a moisture farmer, Trych.  We wouldn't be in this mess if you'd been a little more hesitant to let go of your datapad for the first time since I've met you.  'Oh, I guess I won't need this, since nobody's got any computers for me to slice... never mind the fact that it's the only way we have off this forsaken rock.'"

Trychon paused.  "Oh this is about to get nasty."

"You're damn straight it's about to get nasty if you don't get off my back already... I..." Raezyr was cut off by his own realization that his brother was no longer looking at him.  Instead, he had shifted his attention to their flank.

Off in the distance was the one thing they had dreaded for days but had up till now somehow avoided.  There was a growing cloud of dust that could only mean a very large group of riders was coming their way, and the chances were that they weren't riding the slow four legged creatures either.

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

After quick tactical deliberation, they  had made their way towards the most imposing hill that they could, hoping to at least reduce the directions the horde could attack them from.  Their rides were beginning to struggle mightily, and were taking nearly constant shocks to obey.

Finally, when they were still a klick away from their target, Raezyr's sauren stopped and snapped at Trychon, who was able to avoid the attack, but only by rolling off the back of his own reptile.

Raezyr quickly stabbed his lightsaber through the heart of his beast, then quickly rolled off to the side himself to avoid the retaliation of the other animal.

As much as they'd ridden the saurens, there was not much that one alone could do to stand up to the two Sith, and they were able to take it down quickly.  The larger problem for them lay in the cloud of dust in the shrinking distance, which was becoming more clear.  They could now see individuals at the front of their pursuit, but not enough to make out how many they would face.

They took off on foot, with Raezyr grumbling something about the situation being his brother's fault for bringing it up.  Despite the younger Sith's leg, they were able to keep a rather decent speed.  They were still a few hundred meters from their goal when they had to turn to face the incoming spears.

The world around them became a blur of dust, claws, jaws and spears punctuated by alien gibberish, sauren screeches and screams of dying Meisosians and beasts. Just underneath was the constant hum of their energy blades, wreaking destruction and havoc on  their attackers.

Raezyr, drawing deeply on the Dark Side not only to aid his attack and defenses but to dull the pain in his knee, took to the ground, diving and rolling, coming up underneath a beast and opening it's gullet as he passed. He rolled to his knees, avoiding the sauren as it collapsed and removed the head of it's rider before turning his attention to the next attacker.

Trychon's double bladed lightsaber whirled in a blur of red and black as he pushed himself into the air much higher and faster than someone not aided by the Force. The two aliens bearing down on him futilely attempted to block the energy blades with their wooden spears, but their upper torsos landed on the ground while the rest of their bodies remained seated upon their mounts anyway.

The elder Sith landed nimbly and threw out his hand toward another figure looming up out of the dust. Bolts of lightning shot from his fingertips, the crackling electricity adding to the already cacophonous din of battle, as well as adding the smell of ionization and burning flesh to the smell of blood and dust.

Raezyr gave his shorted blue bladed lightsaber a side-arm throw, guiding it in a long arc and taking out three warriors in it's path before returning to his outstretched palm which caught the hilt deftly.

All that remained of the opposing force were a few riderless sauren. It was short work to take them down before they could mount an organized attack as they had seemed to do back in the city at the corrals.

And like that it was over. The two Sith stood there and surveyed the carnage.

"I count 40 warriors and sauren," Trychon noted. He looked down at his chonometer. "30 standard minutes... felt more like 30 hours," he said panting. He looked over at his brother.

Raezyr wasn't paying any attention at all. He was staring down the way the riders had come. Trychon followed his gaze. In the distance, he could see an army... maybe a thousand strong in his quick estimate, all marching their direction.

"We can take them," Raezyr said flatly.

"You're joking right? We got lucky here..."

"Let's get to the hills... we need a bottle neck where their numbers are not an advantage," Raezyr explained.

666. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

The next two days didn't feel so much like "winning" anymore. It was becoming tedious and hazardous. First of all, the sauren mounts they had acquired became skittish and ill-tempered the farther they rode them and it was becoming increasingly difficult to control them. The Sith were starting to wonder if they might not end up with another incident like the one back at the Hokhae corrals.

On top of that, the water in their water sockets quickly became brackish. It was drinkable, but barely. The part which confused them was that they had dumped out the old water and refilled it with fresh water before they left. At one point Raezyr suggested that maybe the water they refilled it with was bad, but Trychon pointed out it was the same water they had consumed when going the other way. The only thing they could figure is that there must be some trick to filling the water sockets to which they weren't privy. From now on they'd have to appropriate new water sockets at each village, which meant they probably weren't going to be able to slip by a village or oasis in the middle of the night.

The half-siblings approached the second village they came to with caution, but they needn't have. The natives there were lying in wait, and as they entered the dense underbrush surrounding the settlement at the oasis, the warriors of the village attacked. They didn't present much of a threat to the Sith as none were as well armed as the Guards back in the city had been. Raezyr had given his reins to his brother and quickly cut down the opposition. Taking a new supply of water sockets, they moved out, not wanting to stay in the oasis where someone could sneak up on them.

The second evening was much the same as the last as they were attacked once again by a number of the red-skinned humanoids. This time it was Trychon's turn, using his double-bladed lightsaber to fight their way to the well at the center of the village. In each of the villages they had looked for more of the saurens to trade out, but these smaller villages didn't seem to have any, or if they did, they didn't keep them close to the oasis. Recalling what Gavrik had told them about the beasts habits, they assumed the corral must be somewhere out in the desert, and Raezyr and Trychon didn't have the time to spare wandering about in search of it.

The brothers commandeered new water sockets once again, not wanting to take any chances on their water going bad. They had to fight to get their mounts to cooperate, but finally the sauren let them swing into the saddles. The Sith turned their beasts back toward the desert, conscious of the eyes watching them from the deep recesses of the huts and shanties, waiting for the 'Wahnri Rahz' to leave.

"So far we've backtracked the exact route we took from Vathka Rados' village to the city," Raezyr said, formulating a plan as he spoke. "Each village we've come to has attacked us, including the ones who've been friendly toward us."

"Cool story, bro," Trychon mocked, giving his brother a thumb's up sign as well as his usual grin.

"No, seriously," Raezyr continued. "Stay with me: The next few towns on our route are a bit bigger, and it stands to reason they will not only have more people, but they may have better weapons."

"I'd considered that," Trychon said, being serious for once.

"What if we took an alternate route?"

Trychon considered the idea in silence for several moments. "I guess I can't see that it'd be any worse," the elder brother surmised. "We can pretty much count on opposition this way, but the unknown may offer the opportunity to bypass some of that."

Luckily for them, Gavrik had shown them maps of the area on their journey to the city, in an apparent attempt to show them how impressive his knowledge of the area was. From those conversations, they knew there was another road over the steep hills to the north which ran in the same general direction they needed to go.

It took them longer than they had anticipated to cross the hills, but eventually they were able to locate the town they had seen on the maps. It had taken them a little over a day and a half to reach and they had been out of water since before midday.

It wasn't so much a town or even a village than it was a small collection of huts surrounding a spring which sprang up from a crack in some rocks then trickled back down below ground. It was clear the village was barely inhabited, yet still the two Sith approached cautiously.

As their mounts walked into town, head's lowered from fatigue and thirst, the few villagers approached cautiously. One lanky Meisosian with a beat-up stone sword approached. "Who you?" the alien asked in thickly accented, broken Basic.

"We are 'Wahnri Rahz,'" Trychon replied succinctly as he swung down from his sauren. He figured there was no point in beating around the bush.

"Ah... you are wanted killed... why?," the native replied. Both of the Sith assumed he must be the elder of this village since he spoke the 'Language of the Elders.'

"We were accused of murdering Seiress at the big meeting of the tribes; We did not," Trychon replied, figuring that being up front seemed to be working so far.

"What?" the elder replied, seemingly confused. Trychon was about to repeat what he had just said when the old alien continued. "A meeting of the tribes was not known to me. It is great dishonor to not be... to be looked over." He blinked slowly and looked at the ground for a moment, then back at the Sith, holding his chin high.

"I am sure is was merely a mistake," Trychon said. He wasn't sure why he said it, other than this was clearly an honorable alien he was dealing with.

"We require water, food, and shelter for the night," Trychon stated plainly, changing the subject.

"I do not think we can help you," the elder said. It was clear his Basic was coming back to him as his speech was becoming more fluent. It was also clear that the native was considering giving them aid just to spite the other tribes. Being forthright had clearly been the correct call in this situation.

He decided to be even more so. "You should know that we are not just strong in the Weave, but we are Masters of it. We could easily have ridden in here and taken what we require by use of force."

Trychon heard Raezyr chuckle slightly under his breath. '... use of THE Force,'  his brothers thoughts corrected him.

Trychon continued. "We have no wish for unnecessary violence."

"You Wahnri Rahz could not have made it this far were that not true," he said. "We have no wish for violence either..."

Suddenly a much younger alien, the equivalent of Trychon or Raezyr's age maybe, suddenly began yelling at the elder in their own language which was still a blur of gibberish to the Sith. Finally the alien spoke. "Please forgive my grandson. He will be the elder when I am gone, so he understands what we've said, although he rudely refuses to speak it.

"While he is incorrect in his wish to try to kill you, he is correct that we would only bring more dishonor to our tribe if we assisted you," the old Meisosian continued. "We must ask you to leave our village."

"Very well," Trychon said. There was something about this old alien that Trychon liked. "We'll refill our water sockets, feed our mounts and leave."

Suddenly the young native roared in rage and charged them wielding a wooden club over his head. Trychon's hand dropped to his hilt, but Raezyr calmly stepped forward, put his hand out and made a pinching motion with his hand. Instantly, the young would-be leader of the tribe stopped in his tracks, fell to his knees and began clutching at his throat. Gurgling noises were all the sound he was making.

"I find your lack of hospitality disturbing," Raezyr said, watching the young native slowly choke.

For a moment no one moved. Finally Trychon spoke. "Release him, brother. I think you've made your point."

Raezyr put his hand down, walked over to the small spring and began to fill his water socket. All the while the alien still choked. Finally the big Sith Warrior released his Dark Side grip on the alien. "As you wish."

The alien fell to the sand, gasping heavily for air. The overall emotions of the small village turned from hostility and curiosity to fear in the blink of an eye. Trychon knew they'd not offer assistance now, but neither would they offer any resistance.

They quickly gathered a few meager supplies, then set up camp a few clicks down the road.

665. Earning Their Title - Trychon

Raezyr woke to find his hand gripped loosely around the wrist of his companion from the night before. His head was still a bit fuzzy, and in the pitch black it took him a fraction of a second longer to register that the hand attached to the wrist was holding a knife, and it was bearing down on his throat.

It only took about two seconds for the Sith to get his wits entirely about him. It took less for him to pull the woman to him and snap her neck in near silence.

He reached out and could feel that his brother was still passed out, and that two maidens were hovering over him. He could barely make out their whispers through the curtain between them. He could sense impending danger for his brother, but he felt as though he should have enough time to remain stealthy. He slipped past his own curtain, and tip toed to the other side of the room.

With proper positioning and a snap-hiss, the danger and two life forces were gone.

Trychon woke with a start and batted away his brother's blade with his own before even realizing where he was. "Raez! What in the lamp..."

He looked around for a moment, clearly regaining his own senses. "I didn't think it went so badly... hmm."

"Two?" Was all Raezyr could bring himself to say.

Trychon merely gathered his things. "Seemed like the things to do at the time."

The joke wasn't even dignified with a chuckle by either as they continued to survey their surroundings through the Force.

"I don't feel anything out of the ordinary... do you?" Raezyr asked.

Trychon shook his head.

Raezyr grabbed a few of the plants the ladies had used to create the numbing salve and they quietly headed out into the town.

There was little to no activity to be found in the empty walkways of the Meisosian village. The sounds of a few nocturnal creatures was all they could pick up, even with their best efforts to enhance their senses.

They eventually found what they were looking for. A large fenced in area with none of the trademark greenery inside of it.

It took no time at all for them to slice their way through the lock and into the keeping pen for the saurens. There was more than half a dozen of the large reptiles spread out through the dusty habitat. They slowly approached what seemed to be the largest two of the ones nearest to them.

It was too dark still to make out any detail, but the Sith felt the eyes of several awakening beasts upon them.

They did their best to keep a commanding yet calm presence in the Force, and there was several moments of silence as they were sized by the saurens.

Breaking the silence, Raezyr clicked his tongue twice.

Whether the animals were very well trained, or it was the perfect command noise, or it was just their presence, they couldn't tell, but the two saurens they had approached stood and lowered their heads to be mounted.

The Sith hopped on top of their transportation and gave them appreciative pats on the neck. They walked them slowly out of the corral, then picked up their pace as they oriented themselves out of the town.

They only had to cut down one wandering guard on their way out of town, and even that didn't rouse the locals.

Hours later, as the sun was cresting the hills, they stopped to make sure they seemed to be on the path to at least some destination or another along the way to Vathka Rodas.

Satisfied that they were, they took off again.

"Hey Trych?"

"Yeah?"

"All in all... what would you call that whole experience?"

Trychon paused to think it over. "Winning..."

664. Sith Hunt III: Revenge of the Fish - Trychon

Anya and Tyr began packing up their rudimentary camp just before dawn began breaking over the treeline, in what was becoming their morning routine. In what was becoming a rapidly increasing part of their routine, they were at each other's throats.

"Will you hurry up, already? How long does it take to fold up a two person tent?" Anya sniped, sitting on a small rock at the edge of the clearing.

"I'm almost done now. If you were that concerned with it, you could be helping, rather than sitting on your backside, warming a stone and complaining." Tyr shot back.

Anya didn't budge from her spot, as she idly stared at her dirty fingernails in disgust. "You're a Sith. Use the Force. That's what it's for. You're going to let them catch us at this rate."

"At least we'd be off this useless rock..." Tyr mumbled to himself as he finished closing up the sack that held their shelter.

Anya got up and grabbed her backpack. "Well, I'll be a twi'lek's hairdo. You'd actually like to be captured and show your weakness to the Jedi, wouldn't you!"

"As opposed to what?" Tyr threw his backpack over his shoulder and picked up the shelter. "Wandering around an uninhabited planet aimlessly?"

"You enjoy asking stupid questions, don't you?" Anya stared daggers at her 'lover'. "We'll find the right time and place to set a trap for the Jedi, and once we've defeated them, we'll double back and take their fighters."

"Right. Like they fell for the trap we laid for them the other day." Tyr grumbled as he headed off in the general direction of the mountains in the distance.

The local sun was now rising behind them, and they needed to be on their way. The Jedi were never far behind them, almost as though they were stalking them like prey. They had laid out a few explosives and pretended to over-sleep just the other day. Anya hid the explosives through the Force, and Tyr had sent out the calming aura. The Jedi didn't bite on their bait, but they were most certainly keeping distance only while they waited for their own opportune time.

Anya followed after Tyr, seething at their situation almost as much as she was at Tyr and his attitude. He had been questioning her more and more as time had gone on, and their time on the planet had been an apparent breaking point. He was still playing along for lack of any other options, but she felt as though she'd lost her control over him. She'd have to find some way to smooth all their issues over once they found a way off planet. For now, heading to the mountains was about all they could do, hoping that they could find a good defensive position... or maybe even a spot where they could unleash a land slide, crushing the Jedi under the weight of some of the mountain.

"Well, I know that they didn't see the explosives I was hiding. They must have not believed your sense that we were asleep and helpless."

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

"I still don't see why we can't just take dem down now." Nal said calmly as they began their daily journey of tailing the Sith's trail, but Val insisted that they do so at a distance.

They usually slept in later or just mulled around for a little bit before heading out. They had a ship dropping them whatever nightly supplies they needed as well as an enclosure kit for a temporary habitat. They left it behind so that they could remain unencumbered as they traveled. The same ship would come by during the day and use tow cables to pick up their pack again. They could easily keep pace either way, but this would allow them to be more prepared should the Sith try anything.

Val placed his hand on his fellow Jedi's shoulder. "We shall feel it when the time is right. When they attack us out of desperation rather than the other way around, we have the advantage. If they are panicked, they will be careless, and we are more likely to be able to take advantage of that to get them into custody."

"Are you afraid of killing dem, Val? Do you think you'll automatically fall to da dark side if you kill a lowly Sith?"

"No, I am not afraid of killing them. I have had to kill in the past, and under the right circumstances, I would not hesitate to do so again. If the Sith were threatening lives, and the best way to ensure the safety of others was to kill them, that's exactly what I would do."

"Dey are endangering people by dere very existence." Nal countered. "Dey have been endangering innocent people over and over."

"Dark Jedis have been rehabilitated in the past, and even gone on to do great things. There is no imminent danger here to us or to any innocents. It would be best if we could capture them and try to help them."

The Chiss could feel that she was about to protest that they weren't the sort that would be worth saving, so he continued. "Besides... there are only two here, and we are looking for four."

He knew that would end the argument, but her consistent need for revenge when it came to these Sith was not healthy. He had to find a way for her to see that violence is always best avoided. He was sent to work with her in part to lead her through this and to the other side still in the light. If he wasn't careful, he'd run out of time.

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

Tyr just wanted Anya to calm down. More than anything, that's what he wanted.

They had come out of the forest and upon the mountain range, but they did not like what they found. They were looking for somewhere they could climb to a higher ground, a defensible spot. What they found instead was something out of a corny holo-vid. The mountains came to an abrupt halt, with a nearly vertical climb in every direction they looked. It was as though either someone had laser cut a valley and a forest out of the mountains, or the mountains had been forced directly up out of the rock a few hundred meters. Tyr couldn't decide which. He'd never seen anything like it though. A bunch of impossible to climb walls of rock.

They couldn't turn back into the forest now, and the climb didn't look any more promising if they followed the edges of the rocks for a while in either direction.

Tyr started jogging down the valley without a word to Anya, who'd been cursing non-stop for the three minutes they'd cleared the tree line. With any luck, they'd find what they were looking for, or anything they could work with. She'd follow him. They didn't have any other options.

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

The Jedi stood at the very edge of the trees. It was an odd formation of mountains, to be sure. Nal commented that it looked as though someone had grabbed the mountains with several giant tractor beams, and pulled them straight out of the ground. Val couldn't disagree.

They watched through their macrobinoculars as the Sith ran down the valley away from them. They had a good kilometer or two on them still, but Val insisted that there was no hurry, to Nal's displeasure. They began their own trek down the canyon, holding their distance steady.

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

"Well, we're kriffed now, aren't we?!" Anya yelled. She was doing her best to just yell out of frustration and not yell at Tyr in particular, but it wasn't helping.

"This is better than it was when we got to the mountains. It's only a hundred meters or so up before you get to solid footing, and there's a few good creases for climbing. Maybe even a few good jumps." Tyr pointed to certain spots he felt would help them ascend the sheer face.

"Yeah, it's fracking great. I'm so pleased. Can I have a rancor for a pet next?" Anya spat.

It hit Tyr. Not physically, but emotionally and logically. He wasn't sure what had happened to Anya, but this was not the same girl he had fallen for. He was not even sure he really fell for her anymore. He didn't care for the woman in front of him at all. He had no desire to help her, or do what she asked.

Somewhere underneath this person in front of him was a weak Sith who had learned how to project power that she didn't have as a defense mechanism of sorts. He had allowed her to take charge of him for companionship and for the sex. Not because she was better than him. She wasn't. Not one bit.

He turned to her, and in as calm as a voice as he could manage, he told her. It came out cold. "I don't know you. I don't want to know you. You're not Anya anymore. You've become something else while trying to be something bigger that you're not. I'm no longer amused or under your spell."

Anya's mouth opened, but no sound came out. In her mind, she wasn't sure how to react. Something snapped in Tyr, and he was set on something. Yell or beg, it didn't seem to manner anymore. She closed her mouth, and let him continue.

"We have minutes before the Jedi arrive. If that. I know that's not enough time to climb those walls. Probably not for me, and definitely not for you. I have no desire to save you." He paused to let it sink in for a few seconds. "Somewhere underneath though, is a girl who may or may not have been my lover at some point. What she definitely was... is part of a group of friends who would not let each other down. Her, I would like to save."

Anya's mouth was open again, but words were not there. She wasn't sure which of them was confused.

"I'm going to hold off the Jedi for you to get a head start up the mountain. I hope that after I've defeated the Jedi, I find the girl I am looking for, so we can all go back to our friends. We were stronger as a group than we are now that we are apart."

Anya ran. Tyr turned and looked down the canyon. The Jedi were coming, and he could feel it. This would be his finest moment.

663. Earning Their Title - Trychon

They arrived at the edge of the oasis and sat down in the shade to cool off for a few minutes. Trychon walked to a nearby pool of fresh water and filled their watersockets. After they'd both drank what they could stomach, he went and refilled them again.

As there were only a few hours left in the day, they were in no hurry to get into the town and get moving again. They couldn't possibly make it more than part way to the next stop before it was dark, and it if it was too dark at night for the natives to bother traveling, they would never find their way either.

They had actually decided that it was best to find a fairly enclosed area in the small forest, so they were less likely to be seen, and camp there until it was near morning before trying their luck with the saurens again. This would have been their plan, had they not run across someone while looking for a safe camping spot.

Raez... look! Trychon pointed through some branches off to their right

What, the woman? Raezyr frowned, afraid of where his brother might be going with his thoughts.

Yeah, the woman... Trychon hit his brother in the shoulder lightly.

I know we're a long way from home, and 'It's not cheating if it's a different star system'... but now hardly seems the time... Raezyr let his thoughts drop off. They were a long way from home, and he was ready to go back, more than anything.

I like where your mind's at Raez, really I do. I was thinking more along the lines of 'How many of these villages did you see woman out and wandering around in... and how many of the villages were openly hospitable to us on our way here?

Say what you want... Raezyr shook his head... I know what you're thinking.

We can stay out here, and hope that they don't find us and sneak up on us in the night, which they may be able to do, given their Force sensitivity... Or...? Trychon poked his brother in the chest.

Or... Raezyr sighed. We can go in and at least get a lay of the land, and see if maybe they're not hostile to us. Go in on our terms and not theirs.

Then he watched as his older brother went without another thought, waving down the woman who turned and smiled at him when he began approaching.

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

She was more than happy to lead them into the town, and she was chattering at them non-stop, though mostly in the language they couldn't understand her in. Trychon was more than happy to continue smiling and shrugging at her, indicating that they could not understand, though it didn't seem to phase her penchant for conversation.

They were greeted with equal fervor when the others in the village saw them walking through the streets. They were led to the same guest house they had stayed in just days earlier. Within minutes, there was a handful of servants there, preparing beds for them and providing platters full of food that they sorely needed.

Once they were fed and their accommodations were prepared, the maidens began doing their best to make the Sith comfortable. While Trychon was receiving a very enthusiastic back massage, Raezyr tried to fend off an examination of his knee. He eventually capitulated and allowed the ladies to help. The joint started to feel a little better through a little massage, but the best surprise for him was when they took a handful of plant leaves and squeezed out the juices to create a natural salve which alleviated the pain almost immediately. He tried to note the size and shape of the leaves they used.

After the salve had taken full effect, his knee was wrapped much more expertly than Raezyr had managed to cobble together on the road, and one of the maidens began massaging his leg again. Occasionally, he had to politely guide her hands back towards his knee as they had begun to creep further and further up his leg.

He turned to see if his brother was behaving as well, as they needed to keep their wits about them, but instead saw some sort of curtain had been drawn around his bed. The friendly maiden who had been rubbing his leg giggled, and got up to draw a similar barrier around his bed area as well.

He tried to communicate to her that he was not necessarily needing further attention. He shook his head and gestured repeatedly, until she sat down and stared at him with a pout on her face. She made him a tea of some sort, which he accepted and drank, and then she began to rub his knee some more.

Within a few minutes though, her hands were wandering once again. The edges of Raezyr's vision began to blur ever so slightly, and for some reason, Raezyr didn't mind either.

Across the room, Raezyr could hear his brother trying to be quiet as he enjoyed himself, though his 'company' seemed to be nowhere near as bashful.

662. Earning Their Titles - Raezyr

Using a semi-stretchy material he had found in the wagon, Raezyr wrapped his knee tight. It wouldn't stand up any long-term strenuous activity, but it would do for walking, and at least keep the knee from giving out again. The pain was another matter altogether. The only thing he had for that was a small decanter filled with a potent alcohol some of the lower castes like to consume, of course it didn't affect the natives of Meisos nearly as much as it did a human. Raezyr knew he'd have to be very careful with the stuff as it went down smooth, then kicked like a tauntaun.

They started off early. So far they hadn't seen any signs of pursuit, but the sun wasn't up yet and that might change. They wanted to put as much distance between them and the city as possible. Hopefully they could get to the next village before news of what happened arrived. If they could do that, they might be able to secure a set of sauren mounts to make the trip a bit shorter, although they were a big apprehensive after their most recent experience with the reptiles.

Neither of the Sith Warriors talked for a while, walking along in silence, carrying their few meager supplies in a couple of make-shift bags.

Finally Raezyr spoke up. "What do you think happened back there?"

"Why, we were crowned 'King of the Mountain,' he said sarcastically. "How the hell should I know?"

"Well, we aren't stupid. Maybe if we talk this out a bit, we can figure out some answers," he suggested, ignoring his elder brother's foul mood. "We know we were framed for that murder, and my guess is that Gavrik was in on it. He and those two warriors traveling with us are the only ones who knew where those blasters were hidden."

"We don't know that, Raez," Trychon corrected, softening up just a bit. "Someone could have seen us hiding that stuff, or maybe those warriors went back, stole the blasters, then sold them.

"It's even possible, however unlikely, that someone on this planet may possess a working blaster," Trychon supposed. "We're not the only off-worlders to have visited this planet, if you recall, plus we know the noble caste on Meisos has access to better tech."

"So you don't think..."

"I'm just saying lets not jump to conclusions," Trychon interrupted. "For all we know, Gavrik was telling us to run to safety."

"In a wakian pig's eye, he was," Raezyr spat.

"Well, I don't necessarily believe it either, but it's possible," Trychon said.

The older sibling paused a moment before continuing with his non-sequitur. "How's that knee of yours going to hold up?"

"I'll make it. It won't be a problem."

"As I recall, that's what you said shortly before Reed and Schyrt were killed," Trychon jabbed.

They walked on in silence for a bit before Raezyr replied. "There's a chance they're not dead, Darth Don't-Jump-to-Conclusions."

"Didn't I sense your irritation yesterday when others were being unrealistically optimistic?" Trychon said, clearly still angry about yesterday's final outcome.

"If you're trying to make me feel guilty, it won't work," Raezyr snapped. "They made a stupid choice. They could have left me there to deal with my problem. I didn't ask them to come get me.

Trychon opened his mouth to interject, but Raezyr continued. "Am I thankful? You bet your Sith ass, I'm thankful, but I'm not going to feel guilty for a choice they made on their own.

"And for your information, it's entirely possible, 'however unlikely,'" he said, mocking Trychon's earlier tone, "that Schyrt and Reed were taken prisoner. I can't assume they're dead. They rescued me when they didn't have to, and I owe it to them to at least make sure they're not rotting away in a prison or slave camp somewhere."

"I guess what I'm saying is, 'Don't get your hopes up,'" Trychon said.

"I'm not. I just feel the need to double check, you know?"

Trychon didn't have much to say to that, basically agreeing with his brother's resolution. They walked on under the hot desert sun for the next several hours, taking breaks now and again to allow Raezyr to rest his knee.

Throughout the day, they kept watch on their back trail, fully expecting to see a dust cloud, indicating mounted pursuit from the city behind, but it never came. That worried them more than had they seen the tell-tale dust cloud. The natives had seemed much to angry for Raezyr and Trychon to believe they'd just let the Sith walk away. No, the lack of pursuit only meant they had something else in mind.

By late afternoon, they crested a hill to see the first village at the small oasis below. Cautiously, they approached. They masked their Force presence, unsure of what kind of reception they'd receive from the natives below.

661. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

Suddenly the native species of Meisos began running in Raezyr's direction. Every single alien in sight, and more still as they began to leave the surrounding buildings as well, many of them brandishing swords, spears or other weapons.

For the briefest of moments, the big Sith warrior considered igniting his light sabers, but immediately dismissed it. He wasn't ready to commit suicide yet. He turned and started hobbling as fast as he could toward the wagon. He could sense Trychon, Reed and Schyrt watching the situation unfold from the dark recesses of the wagon, and was thankful they had at least had sense enough to stay hidden. This was his problem and he'd deal with it.

Suddenly, in his attempt to move quickly, he put too much weight on his injured leg and it crumpled beneath him. Laying in the dirt, he looked at the on-coming natives, and then at the wagon making it's way toward the gate. Reality hit him like a ton of dura-crete.

He resolved to make them pay dearly with 100 Meisosian lives for every drop of his blood which was about to be spilled, and tried to get to his feet.

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

Trychon heard his brothers voice in his head. Take care of Di, was all it said. Trychon swore softly. Without saying a word to the Sith assistants, Schyrt and Reed leaped from the back of the wagon before Trychon could stop them. Apparently they had figured out what their other employer was about to do. With their hiding place now compromised, the older Sith warrior sprung into action, a new plan in mind.

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

Raezyr, bewildered, saw the two humans dashing toward him. They grabbed him by his arms started running back to the wagon with their charge. The big Sith looked over his shoulder at the oncoming hoard of aliens. They were nearly upon them, and looking even angrier than ever. Apparently word about the showdown at the Hohkhae corrals had spread quickly.

When they got to the wagon, they heaved Raezyr into the back. The pair of men dressed in red tunics then drew their weapons instead of climbing in after him.

"What are you doing?" Raezyr yelled at them.

Reed and Schyrt took fighting stances and faced the mob bearing down on them. Raezyr was never sure which one answered him, but one of them replied. "Just doing what you hired us to do."

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

Trychon slipped forward in the wagon. The alien driving the conveyance was trying to look around the side of the wagon to see what the commotion was behind him. It was a simple matter to place the lightsaber hilt in the back of the aliens chest and flick the switch on and off. He had thought about trying to reason with the driver, but he most likely didn't understand Galactic Basic, and precious time would have been wasted on hand gestures.

Instead, Trychon held the slain native in place with the Force and let the team of Meisos nerfs lumber onward by themselves. He took a quick peek at the guards at the gate, but they hadn't noticed the switch in the drivers posture or attention. They were also more concerned about the commotion going on behind the wagon, apparently torn between joining the fray and staying where they had been posted.

The Sith turned and looked back as well, watching and waiting for the right moment.

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

Raezyr drew deeply on the Dark Side, siphoning his pent up rage and hatred for these aliens and summoning all the power he could muster. He knew he couldn't save Schyrt and Reed. The two loyal employees had made their choice, but he could at least give them what little assistance he could. Clenching his fists and screaming in rage, he released the Force in two waves, each one passing the outside of the two men who had just rescued him.

The shock waves bowled over dozens of the aliens, causing them to fly backward into even more of the angry mob. Unfortunately for Reed and Schyrt, the crowd now numbered in the hundreds.

As the wagon lurched forward into a sudden burst of speed, Raezyr watched Reed and Schyrt, unable to help them any longer. They fought valiantly for a moment or two, the odds momentarily in their favor, but soon enough, the two were overwhelmed, drowned in the wave of angry aliens.

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

Trychon waited until his younger sibling unleashed the fury of his wrath into the Meisosian mob, then released one of his own. This one was directed not at the sentient natives of the planet, but at the team of nerf-like creatures pulling the wagon.

The elder Sith focused a wave of pure fear toward the consciousness' of the animals, and they reacted instantly, stampeding toward the gate as fast as they could move.

The wagon was close enough to the exit of the city that the guards posted there had little time to react. Two were trampled beneath the thundering hooves of the beasts of labor while the rest barely had time to dive for cover.

Once outside and into the desert sands, Trychon dumped the driver's body off the side of the run away wagon and, grabbing the reins, hopped into pilot's chair. He didn't slow down, however. Instead he kept driving the beasts, using the both the reins and reinforcing their already panicked state with further empathic waves of fear.

They finally stopped late in the night, not by any choice of theirs, but because their beasts couldn't go any further. They rested there for a couple hours before pushing on, just before dawn. They were forced to travel on foot from there as the nerf-like creatures died sometime during their brief sleep.

"We just can't catch a gorram break," Raezyr muttered, limping along next to his half-brother in the general direction of the next oasis.

660. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

They hurried across the roof tops as quickly as they could, with Raezyr and Trychon assisting Reed and Schyrt with a little Force push when the leaps from one building to the next were too wide for them to attempt on their own. The first couple times were nearly disastrous as it was a feat they'd never attempted before, but they quickly got the hang of it.

The biggest trouble came not from having to assist the two non-Force users, but from Raezyr himself. The jumps were easy enough, and even though he did his best to cushion the landings, it was quickly taking a toll on his knee. He wasn't the only one noticing, either.

"You know, Raez," Trychon said between pants during a momentary breather, "we would have had a pretty rough go of things as it is without your knee holding us back."

Raezyr looked at his half-brother. "I'll make it. This isn't a problem."

Trychon gave the big man a skeptical look before they continued on their roof-top flight toward the city gates.  They weren't exactly sure of any plan of escape at this point, their primary plan having fallen through, and that one thought up on the spur of the moment as it was. Despite the fact they had the so-called 'water sockets,' they didn't relish the thought of trekking by foot across the deserts of Meisos. On the journey here, it had usually taken them most of a day to travel between the villages located at the waterholes and oases, and that was by beast. They could only guess how long it would take them on foot; a day and a half was their optimistic guess, and they weren't sure they even had the water for that. At this point, all they could do was wing it.

As they neared the city gates, they noticed from the vantage point of one of the higher buildings a large wagon with a domed cover being pulled by a team of the four-footed "Meisos nerfs," as they referred to them, lumbering toward the city gate. "I might have a plan," Trychon said. "Stay low and out of sight when we get close to the street."

They angled their approach so as to reach the main boulevard about 50 meters ahead of the on-coming wagon. They hunkered down in a prone position, just back from the edge of the building. From their position, they could also see the main city gate about 150 meters away, along with the ten or so guards on duty there. Luckily for them, the main street didn't seem to have much traffic on it. They assumed most of the natives were probably searching for them in back alleys and side streets. Apparently they had yet to look up.

"Alright, here's the plan," Trychon began. "I'll jump down first as the wagon approaches and try to sneak into the opening in the back. Reed, you go next. Then Schyrt. Don't worry, we'll cushion your landing by using the Force. Raez, you bring up the rear. Move fast, one at a time. It's a big wagon, so hopefully we can sneak out and Force willing, we can ride for a long way before we're discovered."

Trychon gave them a moment to offer any alternative suggestions, but there were none. In a moment or two, it was time, and Trychon launched himself over the edge, dropping the 10 meters to the ground below and behind a stack of crates. Despite the Force, the landing was still rough. It was one thing to learn to levitate other people or objects, but doing that to yourself wasn't so simple. It was like trying to pick yourself up: Impossible without the Force, and difficult even then.

The others in the group watched tensely as Trychon pulled up the hood on his tunic and strode out from behind the crates and into the street. As soon as he reached the rear of the slowly moving wagon, he leaped inside. They looked around for a brief moment to see if any of the natives had noticed, then Reed slipped over the edge.

By the time it was Raezyr's turn, the wagon was much farther down the street. He ran along the tops of the buildings to shorten the walking distance between him and the wagon. Both Reed and Schyrt had made it flawlessly, and Raezyr had every confidence that he would do the same. He stood up and stepped effortlessly out into the open space.

When he landed, there was a loud 'pop' and his knee buckled. The excruciating pain shooting through his leg elicited an involuntary cry, which he immediately stifled. He tried to stand up, nearly cried out a second time and clutched at his knee. Suddenly he looked around, remembering where he was.

Every native within ear shot seemed to be looking straight at him. It dawned on Raezyr that the pain had momentarily distracted him from masking his presence with the Force and now every Meisosian knew where he was. They hesitated only a moment, then a fierce yell went up almost simultaneously.

He began hobbling and hopping as fast as he could toward the wagon.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered to himself.

659. Earning Their Title - Trychon

Trychon waved for the rest of the group to hurry and follow him as he cut open the lock and swung the corral gate open. They had been fairly lucky so far and had very little resistance, all things considered.

He wasted no time and jumped onto the back of the first sauren that he came to, patting it on the neck as he landed. He turned to check on the progress of his friends, knowing that their time was wearing thin by now. The guard calling out was not unexpected and wasn't catastrophic, but it certainly put them on a short time-table.

They were nearly free now though. Saurens were an odd form of travel, certainly. It seemed though that they were the quickest way to travel the planet, and most of the tribes that were represented had arrived on similar beasts. Only a few of the larger retinues came in wagons of some sort pulled by animals that more closely resembled nerfs.

If they managed to get out of the city now, with the aid of their saurens... perhaps they had a chance at getting outside of the influence of whatever sort of mental communication that was quickly making the entire world hostile to them. If they left now, they had a shot at a head start in escaping those who were determined to put them at fault for an assassination.

The Sith was about to tell the group to hurry up and hop one of the animals so they could get going when he was nearly thrown off balance by his own mount rearing to its full height. He instinctively held himself in place through the Force, but the sauren continued to buck and attempt to shake him.

He was prepared to provide motivation in the form of a minor touch shock to catch the beast's attention and regain full control when he got the distinct impression that he needed to let go. He fell backward and passed underneath the a giant rear claw as another sauren traveled airborne where he had just been.

After rolling on his back, Trychon stood and brushed himself off while giving the animals a nasty look.

The two saurens were both staring directly back at him and sweeping their tails back and forth, with a predatory look that the Sith had not seen from them before.

The remaining pair of beasts began eyeing the rest of the group, only slightly less menacingly.

When the distance began to slowly disappear between Trychon and the saurens and they began snapping their jaws, intentions becoming deadly clear, he shot his hand out at the nearest set of gnashing teeth and let loose a fairly strong shot of Force Lightning. Raezyr immediately followed his lead, and the two that were targeted faltered back under the short assault.

It was clearly not enough to dissuade the carnal nature though, as all four reared their heads back and let out a screeching roar before charging. They were quick enough that neither brother was able to get another volley of lightning in, but not quick enough that they were able to get a hold of the brothers either.

"Stay back!" Raezyr shouted to Schyrt and Reed, who were preparing to back them up. "They're too quick... cover the gate!"

They did as they were told, and started by quickly wedging a few objects against the gate and the hinges so as to try and keep it shut as long as possible.

The engagement was quickly turning into a stalemate. The beasts were unable to lash out quickly enough to cause any immediate danger to the Sith, as they dodged or rolled out of the way quickly. Similarly, the saurens were very careful anytime the lightsabers were in reach, and never allowed them to be for very long.

If the noise wasn't enough to attract attention, Trychon thought to his brother as he dodged another aerial attack from the animals then the lightning would have done it. We may as well not waste concentration on hiding our Force Aura while we sort this out. Raezyr didn't respond, but merely complied and gave his full attention to the fight at hand.

Deciding it was time for a slightly different tactic, Raezyr quickly tossed his short lightsaber in the direction of one of the animals. Guiding it through the Force, he aimed for the neck. The animal was able to shift its head's position quickly enough to avoid the attack, but a quick adjustment in the path allowed the lightsaber to score a small gash several centimeters deep into the flesh of the neck right as the saber was being returned to its owner.

At least their skin isn't lightsaber resistant, like the crabs... Raezyr happily mused.

They were quickly running out of time. Already, the gate was becoming a hotly contested area. Schyrt and Reed were only able to keep the doorway mostly shut against the warriors who were pushing on the other side to be let in. They were able to harass the limbs that were poking through with the small daggers they'd stolen earlier, and they had already gained a full length sword at the cost of some unfortunate warrior's arm.

We have to end this now. Trychon noted as he backed up to be as near to his brother as possible. Do it again!

Right as he felt his brother was about to throw his short saber again, Trychon turned to his target and unleashed a few seconds of Force Lightning. It was enough to keep the beast from reacting fast enough to avoid the flying blade, and it fell to the ground, smoke curling up from its entire body, though quickest where the head had been separated from the neck.

One beast had jumped at Trychon during his assault, and had he not released his attack at just that moment to roll, he would have lost blood to go with the gash in his robe.

The Sith gathered themselves and gave an imperceptible nod to each other, as much through their bond as through physical action. Trychon reached out with both hands and let loose lightning one last time, targetting two of the remaining three rather than just one. Rather than finish the attack on those two saurens, Raezyr waited for the one who was free to lash out at his brother, who was as immobile as his prey.

The last sauren did indeed jump to aim its claws at the Sith, but rather than finding its targets, it found Raezyr's blades in midair before falling harmlessly to the ground.

One by one, Trychon relented on his Force attack as Raezyr approached to unceremoniously cut down the last two.

To their credit, the non-Force users had done a very valiant job holding off the aliens as long as they had. The gate was about to give way, but not to the fault of their defending it. There was a small pile of injured and dead that partially blocked the way into the Hohkhae. They now each had a long sword and a shorter blade for their offhand and they backed away from the doorway knowing that it was becoming a lost cause and they would be reinforced within seconds.

As the gate collapsed inward and the warriors started climbing their way through the mess that Schyrt and Reed had created, the first few through met the same fate on their swords. They began to give even more ground to the advance until the Sith stepped between them and the entrance. A few quick strikes of the lightsabers was enough to free up all four of the group for the incoming rush.

They fell into an unrehearsed and unspoken formation. The two Sith stood at the front, with a couple of meters between them. The warriors that came through the bottleneck split evenly between them. When one managed to slip between them, the other was able to clean up quickly. When one was forced past their outside shoulders, they had to choose between keeping their focus on the shining blades of the Sith, or the native blades that were wielded behind them, spaced even further to the outside.

Either decision meant death for the outmatched natives.

When the bodies were numbered too high to count and the incoming aliens paused momentarily, Trychon and Raezyr took the carnage that surrounded them and maneuvered it through the Force to create an indescribable wall of limbs and torsos.

Satisfied that they had time to regroup, they huddled together to decide on an escape. Schyrt and Reed breathed heavily, regaining their stamina while they watched the Brothers discuss their situation through a number of knowing glances and nods.

Finally, they came to an agreement and Trychon closed his eyes and clipped his weapon to his belt. He held his hands out to the sides, not seemingly targeting any one thing.

Raezyr turned to the others, also clipping his weapons to his belt before closing his eyes as well. "Hold on to your shirts, guys..."

The wind began to whip around all four of them, gently at first, but with increasing intensity for every second that passed. The dirt and gravel from the Hohkhae began to pelt their faces and bodies, though it was rapidly forming some sort of cyclone around them, and the worst was not affecting them.

Their visibility was quickly disappearing, but in the last moments Schyrt saw some warriors attempting to make their way over the large fence and pile of bodies, only to be blown back by the gale winds and debris.

Raezyr opened his eyes and reached out towards Reed first. "You'll want to cover your face!" He yelled over the deafening sounds of the unnatural weather. Reed nodded and did as he was suggested as he began to lift into the air as the Sith's hand raised. Schyrt could not see what exactly happened to him as the visibility was slim above them as well.

Still, he didn't need instructions as Raezyr pointed at him next. He covered his face as best possible and felt the invisible forces lift him into the maelstrom above.

After landing or being set down on one of the high rooftops next to Reed, he did his best to cover his face while keeping an eye out for their masters.

Shortly thereafter, Raezyr appeared through the storm, not covering his face, but obviously concentrating strongly. After he landed on his feet, he turned and faced the ground and gave a quick nod. Within moments, Trychon was the last to join them, his eyes still closed.

The deafening sound of rocks pounding everything in a large radius amplified for a few seconds, then died off rather suddenly, leaving only screams behind.

Trychon opened his eyes and sat down. "That should buy us a few minutes."

658. Earning Their Title - Trychon

The four quickly formulated a plan and set out to through the alleyways as swiftly as they could trying to get back to their domicile the previous night.  They couldn't even expect the servants there to be helpful at this point, as their own guide had turned on them and the general populace as a whole seemed to know instinctively not to trust them.  They weren't being attacked outright by everyone they passed... yet... but they had been getting some very suspicious looks and a few pointed fingers.

Still, they had no better option of where to turn for an attempt at gathering a few supplies, and maybe even grabbing their reptilian mounts for swifter travel back to Vathka Rodas' village.

After weaving between various buildings as stealthily as they could for nearly an hour, they arrived at the ornate building where they'd slept the last night.  They would have gotten there slightly quicker, but for Raezyr slowing them down slightly, and Trychon taking them down a few wrong paths.

"Hey, they all really DO look alike, don't they?"  He kept repeating to the rest of the group.

Regardless, they had arrived, and Trychon assured them he was positive this time.  They watched for activity for as long as they felt comfortable they could before moving from the shadows to the inside of the building.  Once inside, they found that they were alone, at least for the moment.  They wasted no time looking throughout the rooms for anything and everything they thought would help them survive their current situation.

Unfortunately, it didn't amount to very much at all.

They were able to scrape together a few water sockets, as well as a couple of short blades for Reed and Schyrt, but that was all.

"It's ok, Masters."  Schyrt noted.

"Yeah... we'll get our holdouts as soon as we're outside of the city and we'll be good to go."  Reed added.  "Wish we had our explosives, but we'll manage."

Raezyr shook his head.  "If we're lucky, there may be one holdout left out there.  Someone fired a blaster in the meeting, and that's what started this mess.  If I had to guess, it was one of yours."

Schyrt frowned a little as he shrugged.  "We'll manage."

The Sith was about to give the boys a bit of a tongue lashing for being unrealistically positive in a nearly impossible situation, when two of the serving girls came storming into the room  The first stopped at the entryway and blocked it with her arms crossed.

The second charged past and right up to Trychon, grabbing onto his arm and unleashing on him in her native language.  He shook his arm free and began to walk around her when she gave him a shove to grab his attention.

He stopped to look at her in shock, at which point she began yelling at him again.  He shook his head and held out his finger towards her lips, motioning for her to be quiet.  She did, but she continued to stare daggers at him.

He held his hand in position inches away from her mouth before gesturing up slightly and lifting her through the Force, which caused her to begin frantically grasping at air.  "Let's not pretend to understand each other now, of all times."

With that, he launched her through the doorway, bowling over the other female.

"Time to move on, guys."  He called back as he jogged through the door.

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

Thankfully, it was a straight shot to the fenced in corral where their saurens were kept.  Trychon kept up his jog for the entire half kilometer, followed closely by Schyrt and Reed and trailed by Raezyr.  They seemed to go unnoticed until their arrival.

The main gate had one guard standing alert blocking their entrance.  The fence was too tall for all four of them to launch over quietly, and even then they would need to take the creatures out through the gate.  The older Sith gave up on his attempt at stealth, and walked up to the alien directly, igniting one end of his dual-sided blade with a snap-hiss.

The guard pulled out his sword and pointed it at Trychon as the gap closed between them, yelling frantically.  The Sith assumed he was calling for help, but considered it an unavoidable eventuality.  Trychon simply finished closing the gap and brought his black blade downward towards the alien's skull.

The alien blocked the attack and parried to the side before pressing his own attack.  The Sith simply let the attack come, pushing each attack to the side while maneuvering to his advantage.  


When he felt he had the warrior sufficiently trapped against the fence, he attacked once more with a downward swing.  It was easily blocked, but Trychon grabbed the alien's wrist with his right hand and locked him into the block as he pulled himself within inches of touching faces.  The alien's breath stank heavily of some pungent meat, but the smell was quickly overtaken by the melting of the resistant blade.  


The warrior's eyes got wide at the last second and he began to shout for help one last time before he was silenced.

657. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

Raezyr's hand inched toward his lightsabers, but Trychon put a hand on forearm to stop him. "There's too many, brother. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor." The angry emotions of the crowd swept over them like a wave, and both warriors realized that soon it would be Meisosian bodies sweeping over them instead if they didn't move. Already the crowd was starting to sweep toward them, and they could see armed guards which had been stationed all over the coliseum were now hustling toward their position.

Slowly, they began backing away toward the entrance which was luckily right behind them. From down below, one of Seiriss' assistants began shrieking something in his native tongue. The brothers didn't need to speak the language to understand the alien was calling to stop them from escaping, or maybe calling for their heads. Either way, it was the same to Trychon and Raezyr. They spun on their heels and sprinted.

They could hear the angry roar of the mob behind them as they sprinted down the corridor and through the exit. Trychon turned upon exiting and threw out his fist, releasing a burst of telekinesis and pulling the heavy wooden doors shut behind them. Unfortunately they barred from the inside, and would only slow the angry mob down momentarily.

A Meisosian guard jumped into action, drawing his sword and charging the two brothers. A short time ago, this same being had seemed friendly toward the off-worlders, but now he was clearly bent on stopping the Sith. Neither brother had time to wonder at the attitude change despite not having communication with the inside as they were immediately thrust into combat.

Raezyr took the lead and lunged forward, his dual blades springing to life mid-swing. He made his attack with little heed to the primitive sword his opponent wielded, fully expecting his energy blade to pass through the metal as if it were flimsi. He was shocked when the weapon halted his attack short of it's mark. With swords that could withstand a lightsaber, these guards suddenly became more than a minor obstacle. Raezyr found himself thankful he hadn't tried to take on the numerous guards which would momentarily be descending upon them.

The big Sith did notice that his opponents weapon wasn't completely immune to a lightsaber. A large notch remained where the two weapons had made contact. He quickly changed tactics, allowing the red alien to make it's own series of attacks. Each time Raezyr aimed his own parries to connect in the already weakened spot on the guard's weapon.

The Meisosian noticed what was happening, but too late. Raezyr made a vicious attack which finally cut through the primitive weapon, pausing only slightly as it did so, before slicing cleanly through the guard's torso. The upper half of the body fell to the ground with a wet "thud" as the bottom half crumpled into a heap. Raezyr turned to assist his brother who had been occupied with holding the doors closed, keeping the pursuing mob bottled up during the brief encounter.

Reed and Schyrt had been standing outside, waiting with many other servants who were not allowed into the great arena. Neither of them questioned what was happening. They knew that Raezyr and Trychon would fill them in on what they needed to know when there was time. Right now action was called for, and they fell in behind their employers as they sprinted down the street.

Eventually, Trychon was forced by distance to release his hold on the coliseum doors, but within a few blocks they were able to duck into a narrow alley or side street and take a bit of a breather, but not for a moment did any of them think they had gotten away. There seemed to be some sort of collective empathy among these aliens as even the peasants, servants, and street performers had become immediately hostile toward them. It wouldn't be long before the entire city was after them.

"We could try to hide," Reed offered once the situation had been explained. "Wait until the heat is off a bit and then sneak out of town and call down the ship."

"No good," Trychon countered. "These aliens are Force sensitive. Raez and I are currently doing our best to mask our presence, but they may figure it out. If it were just us, we could mask our presence indefinitely, but it's taking a lot of effort to mask you two as well. One slip up and they're on us.

"We're going to have to get out of town, and do it now," Raezyr explained. He winced and worked his bad knee. It had never healed properly after taking a slug to it back on Tatooine. "Anyone have any stims?" He asked.

"I wish you had gotten it replaced back on Den Var. Don't you?" Trychon asked. The worry was clear in his voice.

"I'll be fine, brother," Raezyr replied a bit testily.

"Can't we just call down the ship now and have it make a couple strafing runs by remote? You can do that kind of stuff from your datapad, right Master Trychon?" Schyrt offered, bringing the conversation back on topic.

They were all silent for a few minutes, waiting for his answer. "Well," he began and paused. "Well, that would be ideal... if my datapad weren't packed with the rest of our gear back at Vathka Rodas' place."

656. Sith Hunt III: Revenge of the Fish - Raezyr

Anya Tachi watched her scopes as a full squadron of snub fighters joined the two Jedi star fighters in their attack and harassment of the small assault transport she and Tyr were currently on. She had ordered Tyr to separate from the Nefarion Wraith as soon as the attack had begun, leaving them aboard the bulkier, but more heavily armored of the two ships. Frantically, she fired all the ships weapons at the nimble fighters, but most were dancing in and out of effective range, doing their best to harry their target and keep it from exiting the planet's gravity well.

They needn't have bothered. "What do you mean, 'don't bother with the nav-com?' If we don't get coordinates, we can't safely jump to hyperspace!" Anya shouted at Tyr, who was valiantly doing his best to avoid the incoming ion cannon fire, which would disable a ship rather than destroy it.

"That first big blast took out our hyper-drive. We can't go to light speed," Tyr replied, his voice strained with the effort of some of the most desperate piloting he'd ever done.

"Why didn't you say something before we undocked from the Wraith, you moron?" Anya screamed vehemently.

"I tried, but you told me not to argue and just go, my love," Tyr replied as the ship took another hit due to his distraction. The ships lights dimmed for just a second and returned. "We can't take too many more of those, baby."

Anya fumed.

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

The Jedi named Nal Talla watched the energy spark in waves across the hull of Sith vessel as she passed by it. She knew it wouldn't be long now. Within moments, they'd be disabled and then the Unity would tractor the ship aboard. They might have a brief fight, but there would be no way the Sith could hope to survive as long as she and Val were in place and ready. She knew that one way or another, this was almost over.

Suddenly her long sought after quarry turned toward the planet and began making it's way into the stratosphere of AXV-0092. She stared dumbfounded for a moment, trying to comprehend why they would want to land on an uninhabited world. Then it hit her: they'd rather live out their lives marooned on a remote planet than surrender.

Panic set in and her heart was suddenly in her throat. She was too close to bringing the her friends murderers to justice. No way could she lose them now. "Hunter Leader, dis is Firaxa1," the Jedi said, speaking to commander of the Republic fighter squadron, designated Hunter Squadron. "Take out dat ship. I repeat, do not let dat ship land."

"Copy, Firaxa1."

"Hunter Leader, this is Peacemaker," came another voice across the channel. It was the male Chiss Jedi, Val. "Belay that order. We need them alive. Continue to harry them. Stay above them, just don't let them escape."

"I copy, Peacemaker," returned the voice of the squadron leader.

"Firaxa1, private channel," Val voice said, and she complied.

"What is it, Val?" she asked.

"We still need them alive, Nal. I know you don't want them to get away, and they won't. This might just take us a bit longer than we thought," the big blue Jedi said. "Relax. Clear your mind of your worries. We'll get them."

The Jedi continued firing their ion cannons at the fleeing Sith vessel, scoring another hit or two. The good news was that it became quite clear the Sith had no intentions of trying to lose the pursuit. They were indeed going to land on the forest planet despite the fact there was no sentient life forms which inhabited the world.

The bad news was that the Jedi were unable to set their own ships on the ground any closer than about five kilometers away. They were going to have to travel the distance by foot. Val commed Captain Wash Moklam, commander of the Republic hammerhead class war-ship as the Jedi Knight began his landing cycle. "Captain, it appears this chase is now on foot, planet-side."

"I'll drop two platoons immediately," Captain Moklam said from his command chair on the bridge of the Unity.

"Negative, Captain," Val replied. "I don't want to get anyone hurt or injured unnecessarily. We have time on our side. Let Jedi Nal and I approach them on foot. Maybe we can reason with them and talk them into surrendering."

"What would you like us to do?"

"If you could keep Hunter Squadron patrolling the air, and help us by providing sensor readings, should they leave their ship, that would be more than enough," Val said.

"Consider it done... and Val?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"May the Force be with you."

Val and Nal climbed out of the cockpits of their respective fighters, sealing the ships behind them. They took no supplies other than their lightsabers, and set off through the forest at a dead sprint, aided by the Force through frequent bursts of speed.

Within 15 minutes they arrived at the small assault transport, only to find it deserted. A quick check showed the hyper drive had been burned out and the axillary power converters had been fried by the ion blasts. It was clear the ship wasn't going to be taking off without major repairs.

Two sets of footprints lead off eastward into the forest, possibly toward a mountain range many kilometers in the distance.

"We can have supplies dropped to us at our first camp," Nal suggested. They both knew that this wasn't going to be over quickly.

"I concur," Val replied. Side by side, they set off into the forest.