673. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

It took what they assumed was half of a day to get back into the unilluminated parts of the cave system and were forced to use their weapons once again as a source of light.

They soon found that going back up wasn't nearly as easy as their descent had been. Over and over again they came to dead ends, passageways which were either to small or narrow to fit through, or had been blocked off long ago by falling rocks. Each time they were forced to turn around and retrace their steps, and in the dim light provided by the energy blades, nothing seemed to look the same going the other direction.

At one point, they accidentally back tracked too far, having missed the other passageway and it cost them nearly another hour before they realized it.

As close as they could estimate, it took them nearly two full days, and when they finally reached the exit to the caves, they found it was choked with fallen debris.

Trychon climbed the loose talus to the narrow hole. He could just get a glimpse of the sky and smell the warm air, but couldn't get any closer. Suddenly he heard a low rumble from somewhere behind him.

He paused to listen, but it was gone. "Raez... you hear that?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think that was?"

"That was some sort of internal communications," the younger brother replied.

Trychon slid back down the debris and looked at his brother, then back down the passage they had just come. "Then we better get to digging before whatever was communicating shows up."

"I don't think we have to worry about it," Raezyr said and reached out with the Force and began levitating rocks and tossing them back behind them.

"How do you know that?" Trychon asked as he began assisting in the excavation.

"Because it was my stomach complaining. It thinks my throat has been cut."

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

Indeed it had been several days now since they had last eaten, and they were out of water as well... despite having used it sparingly. Neither of them talked about it, but they both knew it was an altogether too real possibility that it might be quite some time before they could get to water.

Fortunately that proved not to be the case. It was night time when they emerged onto a hillside over looking a medium sized village which sat in a lush, tropical river valley. A few lights were shining down below in the village which surrounded a larger, columned structure which resembled one of those from the bigger city where the conference had taken place.

"At least we should be able to get to water without having to fight a whole village," Raezyr remarked. "The only problem we have now is figuring out just where exactly we are. We could be 50 miles or more off course."

Trychon turned and grinned at his brother. "You probably don't recognize it from this side, but look again at the structure with the columns... that's Rodas' pavilion."

"Great," Raezyr remarked sourly. "So much for not fighting a whole village."

They cautiously approached the village, taking the long way around to reach the river first, hoping that they could at least get some water before being attacked.... though they remembered their welcoming committee from their first arrival and weren't taking any chances.

They were pleasantly surprised to find that they were not challenged at all as they walked up to the river at the edge of the forestry and grabbed themselves some water.  It was strangely calm, and there wasn't even any signs of the local natives watching them. Even the local wildlife seemed to be in hiding.

They sat at the water's edge for several minutes and pondered the feeling.

Trychon stood up and looked at their surroundings one last time.  "Well, then.  Do you want to get a short rest in?"

"I do."  Raezyr stood up.  "On our ship.  Let's go get this over with."

They both extended their senses, wary for a trap.  Feeling nothing, but still on edge, they slowly moved through the foliage and followed the river into the village.  As they neared, they did see or hear the occasional wildlife, but the level of activity was still alarming.  Even the lack of a breeze put them on edge.

They got to the edge of the village before they saw their first Meisosian.  There was several warriors at the gate.  They had their various spears and swords, but they held them to the side, in a passive position.  They watched the Sith approach without saying a word or even flinching, though their eyes were open wide with either anticipation or awe.

As they crossed through the main gate and into the city, they found that the walkways were lined at the edges almost in a similar manner to the festival they'd been at.  They all had the same expression as they walked towards the pavilion.

Trychon tried getting a response by making faces at a few of the small groups, but he failed to get any response, outside of a small child who stuck out its tongue at him before its mother could drag it away.

They entered the pavilion, still keeping a close eye on their backs as 'outnumbered' didn't begin to describe their situation.  The town's population seemed to have grown or been augmented, and they were nearly all glaring at them now from their rear.

The door to Rodas' audience chamber was cracked open, but they couldn't see into the chamber at all.

Raezyr gave it a quick Force shove and it slammed open, making a large cracking noise as it slammed into the wall.

Vathka Rodas was waiting for them from his throne at the far side of the chamber.

After the echo dissipated from the chamber, they could hear him softly clapping.

"Yes....."  The elder hissed.  "I knew you would make it back.  I foresaw it and I could still feel you.  They left you for dead, but I knew you would come."

They approached without word and ignited their lightsabers.

"You kriffing pile of go-se!"  Raezyr growled.  "You set us up, for some twisted power grab."

The old man chuckled.  "Don't be foolish.  I could have arranged that without your help.  It was merely a bit more amusing this way."

"We've come for our belongings and our crystals!"  Trychon yelled, now pointing with his free hand at Rodas.  "How painful this is for you is up to yo..."

Neither Sith could have anticipated the speed with which things unfolded.  Rodas struck them both with a Force lightning attack that put Lord Vikon's to shame.  He relented his attack only long enough to blast them both across the room in separate directions and each into the very sturdy columns, cracking their heads against the stone.

They fell to the ground, stunned in several different ways.

"Oh Wahnri Rahz...." The old man croaked, nearly singing the words. "Come out and play....."

672. Earning their Titles - Trychon and Raezyr

They dove down into the clear, illuminated depths of the subterranean pond which was not nearly as cold as they had expected. Apparently there were enough hot springs flowing into the underground reservoir to keep hypothermia from setting in.

The crab they were following continued to dive. Raezyr was about to call it quits and head back to the surface when the crab suddenly disappeared behind a small outcrop of rocks. Immediately Trychon followed the creature. Doubtful that this course of action was going to have any desirable outcome, Raezyr followed anyway.

The outcrop concealed a tunnel that, while narrow, still allowed for easy passage for not only the two humans, but their crustacean guide as well. The brothers could feel a current of sorts sweeping them along through the passageway. It was strong enough, and the tunnel was long enough to worry them. Already their lungs were starting to ache as the oxygen in their chests was used up. They'd never be able to fight the current if they had to go back.

Just as Trychon began to look upward inside the tunnel for an air pocket to breath from, they went around a bend and shot out into another large pond-like area. Neither Sith waited for their guide before stroking hard for the surface. They splashed out into the air, gasping, trying to catch their breath as they tread water. As they began to catch their breath, they noticed the spidac crawling onto the sandy shore. It beckoned to them once more and the two struck out for the water's edge, reaching it in a few easy strokes.

The spidac skittered toward a rocky tunnel entrance and the brothers followed it's lead, doing their best to wring out their tattered clothes as they walked. A few hundred meters down the passageway their alien guide stopped, peering behind a large rock, and then stood back, almost reverently.

Behind the rock Trychon and Raezyr found the remains of what appeared to be a human, dead for many years. All that remained were bones, tattered clothes and bits of equipment.  There was some score marks on the cave walls, remnants of some long forgotten battle, and the air was stale and rotten.

Raezyr looked to their creature guide, and noted only half jokingly.  "What an incredible smell you've discovered!"

Trychon walked over to the remains, while the spidac clicked its feet against the rocks almost hesitantly.  He bent over and examined what was there.  There was very little left beyond bones and a few metal pieces from the clothing.  "Hey, Raez... check this out."  He pointed to some metal device that was still on the arm of the skeleton.  "There's some markings on here, that seem to be Sith in origin.  I don't recognize most of them... but I think this one here in the center means 'seeker'.  Or... something along those lines."

Raezyr walked up next to him and took a look.  "Maybe something like 'Treasure hunter?'"

"Yeah... definitely could be."

Raezyr nodded.  "That would make sense, given what Rodas told us.  Not a surprise, really."  He bent over and carefully removed the object, while glancing at their native host, hoping it wouldn't object.  It didn't, it simply continued to click its legs and claws as it watched them patiently.

"Hmmm."  The younger Sith pondered as he looked it over.  "It's a Sith lanvarok.  I've never seen one, myself... but that's definitely what it is."  After seeing the lack of recognition from his brother, he continued.  "It's a rather brutal weapon favored by some Sith.  It launches a series of razor discs.  This one seems to have an internal Force-trigger, as I don't see an external one."

"Nifty.  I want it."  Trychon reached out for the weapon and placed it on his arm.  "Hey, perfect fit!"

"Yeah, it'll be a great trinket to put on our walls or something.  I doubt it works anymore.  Just don't try it, to be safe."  Raezyr pointed out a few bent discs on the ground.  It looked as though they had been fired in this part of the cave, but had ricocheted more than once.

"Well... it's loaded."  Trychon smiled as he peered into the gap at the end of the lanvarok.

"Then you'd better not point it at me."  Raezyr grumbled.  "Not even as a joke.  Anything else worth looking at?"

"I don't think so..."  The older Sith glanced around.  "Hey... think about this though... this guy was almost definitely here 'seeking' these crystals, right?"  He waited for his brother to nod in agreement before making his conclusion. "The craftsmanship on this must be pretty good to have lasted... however long... and it was engraved with this marking about their journey..."

"I see where you're going with this."  Raezyr scoffed.  "You may be right... maybe it was an important group or mission... but for all we know, this was the last time they even bothered looking for them at all.  I don't know what Eiron's got planned for them, but everything I've ever seen or read about the Sith seems to say that they wouldn't be inclined to give much credence to mythos and lore like the locals have here."

"Nah.  You're right."  Trychon shrugged.  "It's just fun to imagine."

"If nothing else, you've got a pretty souvenir for when we get home," Raezyr said. "If we get home," he added, the reality of the situation overcoming the excitement of their find. They were silent for a few minutes, looking over the scene of the ancient carnage.

Finally, satisfied there wasn't really anything else to see, Trychon spoke. "Why do you think the spidac brought us here?"

They both turned to look at the crustacean. Trychon sent the feeling of confused to the creature. The spidac began a rhythmic clicking of it's pincers which the brothers had now assumed must be part of some language or communication, but nothing else.

The two grew frustrated and were about to turn away when the creature sent them two visions, one was of themselves battling the Meisosians, and the other was of the remains of the ancient Sith explorer. The conclusion hit them at the same time.

"Combined with the reverence this thing shows those remains, and the deference it's shown us, I'd say it's fair to assume that they appreciate anyone who fights the natives here," Raezyr concluded.

"I can understand that," Trychon agreed. "We did see tons of tools and jewelry made from the spidac shells. They didn't get it all from shells they found laying around, and I'm pretty sure we were provided more than one meal for which spidac was the main course."

Raezyr felt sick thinking about it. He wondered to himself whether the Meisosians knew the spidacs were sentient. Not every alien race felt the same compunction about eating the flesh of other sentient species, and truly, there were many debates about just what constituted "sentience," but if they did know, it was another reason to hate these aliens.

"I think we're missing the main point here," Trychon said covering his face with his palm. "This dead guy didn't just "beam" himself into these caves with some magic teleportation device."


Raezyr and Trychon both took off down the cave. After several meters, Raezyr took a quick glance over his shoulder, one last look at the strange creature which had inexplicably helped them. He then turned to his brother as they walked. "Call me crazy, but I could have sworn that thing just waved goodbye to us."


Trychon glanced back for himself, then gave his brother a blank look. "Shut up, Raez."

671. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

The Sith stretched out their senses in an attempt to find the source of the noise that had awoken them from their meditations.  Normally they would have kept some of their awareness to their surroundings, but they had opted to get as much rest as quickly as they could and did not expect visitors in what had appeared to be a lifeless cavern.

It had been a rather foolish assumption, they realized.  On the beach directly in front of them was one of the spidacs, or meisos crabs.  It was, for all intentions and purposes, staring right at them.  It was lightly opening and closing its claws and occasionally tapping its feet on the rocks, creating the various clacking they had heard.  It was almost as if it was waiting for them to notice it.

"I... think it wants to... play?"  Trychon mused, suddenly very hungry.  "Can I keep it?"

"I never thought you'd ask that question when the answer would actually be yes.  I've been meaning to perfect my lightsaber-rotisserie technique though..."

The crustacean took several steps away from them, reminding them of the apparent sensitivity of the animals on their previous encounter.  It opened its claws entirely and held them out in front if its body.  There was no indication of aggression though, and it seemed to be a more peaceful gesture.

"I don't like it when my food anthropomorphizes too much though."  Raezyr added.  "It should knock that off."

The meisos crab clacked its claws twice more, and a vision appeared in the mind's eye of both brothers, taking them off guard.  Then several more images quickly followed.

"Ok, maybe sensitive to the Force isn't an accurate description."  Trychon stood, unsure how to react.  Both siblings assumed the other had seen a series of quite vivid images that could not be mistaken.  The images depicted them fighting off the Warriors at the entrance to the cave, then running from the cave-in that followed.

The very last image they had perceived was of the creature watching the whole situation unfold from a dark recess in the cave.

"Dammit," Raezyr said. His stomach still grumbled but he knew he could no longer think of this lifeform as food. Already it had become a "being" in his thought processes. "Should have known these things were sentient."

As if to emphasize the point, a few images of the Sith going underwater were communicated to them, followed by the crab waving its claw in a very distinct motion to indicate that they should follow it.

Trychon merely shrugged as he looked at his younger brother, then he began to follow after the crab.

670. Earning Their Title - Raezyr and Trychon

The two wandered between the stalagmites and rock walls, slowly at first as their eyes adjusted to the dim light of just their weapons, then gradually picking up speed as they continued.  The confines of the cave were constantly changing, with the space opening up long enough to give them false hope of finding what they needed, then closing back up enough to make them fear that they were about to finally hit a dreaded dead-end.

They reveled in the serenity of knowing that they were in no immediate danger of death, and instead simply faced an impending slow death.  The past week of running from an entire world of upset warriors was behind them, and instead they faced a potentially impossible puzzle of escaping from being buried alive.

The calm opened both of them up for idle conversation that they seldom had time for outside of the confines of hyperspace.  In reality though, they spent most of their free time in hyperspace catching up on training or discussing their training.  Now they didn't have that relative luxury, so they simply talked.

Most brothers would share stories, or discuss women and relationships, or perhaps discuss their benign days.  The two Sith brothers instead began discussing plans for what they would do when they escaped.  They came up with outrageous plans for revenge or galactic domination that made them both laugh as they traveled.  Despite the numerous hilarious plans for what to do to the cities and bodies of their enemies from the Meisosians all the way to the Jedi, they both agreed on Trychon's last idea.

"I think maybe I'll just travel to the resort planet Risa, capture it, and then hold it ransom for life-time free passes.  Our enemies will die of jealousy for not coming up with the same plan sooner, or they'll seek us out for council.  Then I'll kill them."

They chuckled about that one for a long time, and as they continued their descent their conversations began to cover wider, more conventional topics as well. As long as they kept moving, and there was some faint hope they might find some other passage to the surface they were content to keep discussing the lighter side of their lives, subconsciously keeping their minds off their impending doom.

Only able to go by their internal clocks, they ignored their hunger, which was mostly annoying at this point, and stopped finally to get some rest. The next morning, or presumably what they thought should be morning, they awoke and continued on their journey.

A few times they came to what they thought were dead ends, only to find some passage upon closer inspection. Once they had to slide on their stomachs to the next part of the cave, and once they had to climb a little ways up part of the cave wall, but each time they we able to continue their journey. 

A few hours into the day they stopped to take a little break. They were in no hurry as they had been on the surface. Shutting their blades off, since it made no sense to keep them on if they didn't need to see where they were going, they noticed the cave didn't become immediately pitch black. Instead a faint bluish glow seemed to linger.

"Phosphorescence of some sort in the rock, I would imagine," Trychon explained after Raezyr questioned what the cause might be. "Probably set off by the faint light in our blades... should wear off soon." But it didn't. They tried to look around a bit, and the light did seem to be emanating from the rock around them, but there was no apparent cause for it to continue. They didn't worry about it too much, and continued on their way.

They continued to use their lightsabers to light their path until it seemed that Raezyr's blue lightsaber was seemingly giving off a much stronger light than usual. Shutting their blades down again, they found the blue phosphorescence had now become strong enough that they could see fairly well without their weapons to light the way, and as they moved on, the light only seemed to get stronger until by mid-afternoon sometime, the light was bright enough they could make out most of the details around them.

Finally they crawled through a narrow gap and emerged onto what appeared to be a sandy bank along the edge of a small underground lake. It was little more than a decent sized pond. They threw a few rocks across the water to estimate the size, since distance was deceptive in the bluish light that surrounded them. Their best guess was about thirty to forty meters across.

Trychon started to climb the walls around to the other side in case there was a way out over there, but Raezyr grabbed his arm. "Don't bother. We can see well enough to know there isn't anything there."

"Well..." Trychon was rarely lost for words.  "I really wish we'd at least brought along that shell to bring water back with us."

Raezyr snorted.  "It wouldn't have fit through some of those crawlspace sections." 

Trychon sighed, knowing that his younger brother was right.  "Well, I guess we should get our fill of water and some rest, then drink some more water before filling up and heading back.  I don't think we missed any likely forks."

Raezyr sat down, trying not to feel defeated.  If they got out, it wouldn't be easy.  "Not a chance, sadly." 

They had only traveled half a a day since they last camped, but they settled in to meditate and rest before heading back.  It would allow them to get the most out of what water they could store in their watersockets.

Two hours later, the occasional dripping sounds were interrupted by a soft clacking noise.

669. Earning Their Title - Raezyr

The brothers watched the activity below, barely peeking out from the edge of the cave. Their apparent disappearance had seemed to cause some disturbance with the army below, and for a few moments they thought the natives might call off their search, but the Sith weren't that lucky and soon the warriors below resumed their ascent.

It was finally time. Trychon and Raezyr stood up, called deeply upon the Force and bent it to their will, using as a craftsman used his tools. They uprooted large rocks and boulders from their resting place and sent them careening down the steep hillside.

The climb was precarious enough without their Force-induced rock slides, but despite their heavy losses, the army kept making their way upward like a swarm of beetles or insects. The brothers did their best to guide the boulders and rocks in directions that the most damage could be done, but the enemy wasn't deterred.

After thirty minutes or so of this activity, Trychon paused to survey the damage. "Hold up a sec," he asked, peering through the thick clouds of dust below. Soon it began to settle. "I think we're making some real progress," he commented optimistically. "There aren't nearly as many as there were before."

Raezyr shook his head sadly. "It only seems that way, Brother." He pointed off to the either side of the pass, far out of range of their deadly barrage. He noted they were beginning to climb up the hills there and surmised they were going to attempt to circle around and come down onto the cave entrance from above. "At least that's what I'd do in their place."

Trychon was about to point out that a large number were still trying to climb up directly into their rock slide assault, but Raezyr anticipated that and explained. "Cannon fodder. If someone doesn't stay here, then we'd be able to escape back down into the pass. They're not nearly as dumb as we'd like them to be."

For a while, they continued their rain of death on the attackers below. It was less effective in causing mass casualties than it was earlier as many had found nooks and crannies to hide in or ledges to hide below, although it was effective in that the upward progress of the Meisosian army had nearly ground to a halt some five hundred meters below. The brothers used the time to rest, one person at a time.

"Why don't you head back down the tunnel and see if you can refill our water sockets," Trychon suggested. "I just drank the last drop out of mine."

Raezyr agreed. He took both of the water sockets and headed deeper into the cave while Trychon stayed at the entrance to keep the enemy pinned down. They both knew the were just biding their time. Soon the aliens would be in position above them and would come down. After that, the real fighting would begin. They'd have to slaughter hundreds upon hundreds of aliens in this tunnel. The odds were stacked against them for sure and they would probably die anyway, but at least it wouldn't be impossible. Their one real hope was that the Meisosians would get tired of throwing their lives away, give up and go home. Somehow, Raezyr didn't think that was likely. Stupid they might not be, but zealous to the point of insanity they were.

A mere seventy-five meters or so back, the big Sith found some water which had collected in the upturned shell of a long-dead spidac. He filled both of the water sockets and returned and handed the water socket back to his brother, who took a long pull from it.

"That water tastes better than any we've had around here for days," he said. Raezyr chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"It's strange how the little things become so pleasurable when faced with a situation you might not live through," the big man replied. "It also makes me realize that having a cybernetic knee or leg really makes no difference in the end."

Trychon noticed some of the aliens below beginning to get courageous and try to ascend the hill again, so he sent another slide of rocks and boulders bounding down the hillside, taking some small pleasure in watching the natives dive for cover, and not all of them successful.

"So are you saying you'll get that knee replaced if we make it out of this?" Trychon chuckled.

"I suppose that's..." Raezyr began, but was interrupted when several medium sized rocks bounded over the cave entrance from above. He turned and peaked out, looking up the hill.

"Damn... they moved faster than I expected," he said. He surmised there must have been a trail or path on which they made good time, as approximately fifteen hundred Meisosian warriors were descending from the top of the hill about two hundred meters away.

The two Sith took sips of water and hung them back on their belts, drew their lightsaber hilts and backed from the entrance. In moments this tunnel would become a cave filled with the dead and dying as the two Sith fought for their lives, and the brothers began to prepare accordingly, getting themselves focused and ready, and using their anger and frustration as fuel for the Dark Side.

Suddenly an alien appeared in the entrance of the cave, and as quickly as he did, each Sith threw out a hand, releasing a wave of energy. The force of the blow sent the native forty meters out into the open air. He seemed to hang there for a moment before plummeting to his death hundreds of meters in the pass below.

The Sith flicked on their lightsabers, the snap-hiss loud in the quiet cave, waiting for the on-rush of aliens, but it didn't come. Suddenly there was a loud rumbling which seemed to come from all around, vibrating the walls and the floor of the cave. Several giant boulders fell into place at the front of the cave, a dozen meters in front of them.  Dust and dirt and debris began filling the air, so thick it blocked the light coming from the entrance.

Their surroundings continued to rumble and cloud in the next few seconds until they could no longer see, yet they could hear the sounds of stalactites cracking and some small rocks hitting the cave floor.  They had no choice to retreat backward, relying only on their Force awareness to guide them and keep them from being crushed or impaled as they headed deeper for safety.

Then it was over. They coughed and choked in the pitch black for a moment then covered their mouth and nose with the sleeves of their tunics. It took a few minutes for the dim light from their blades to pierce the thick dust, but as it settled, the visibility improved. Finally they could see the aftermath of what had just happened.

"I guess they really aren't as stupid as we had hoped," Raezyr said into the gloom as the two Sith stared at the sixty meters or so of rubble between them and the entrance to the cave, a cave that would now be their tomb. "Smart move to seal us in here rather than expend hundreds of lives and not have a guarantee of success."

"How long do you think it'll take us to dig out?" Trychon asked aloud while at the same time trying to make his own estimate in his head.

Between the two of them, they estimated it would take a week or so for a crew of twenty experienced miners, but since they weren't miners or excavators, accounting for their Force abilities, they estimated a week and a half, assuming they did not cause a greater collapse.

"And we have no food," Raezyr added. He looked over at the spidac shell where he had filled the water sockets. The shell was filled with mud now. "And we're pretty much out of water."

Trychon followed his brother's gaze. He turned and almost violently grabbed the younger Sith's arm. "Raez! Spidacs! Giant Meisos crabs!"

Raezyr stared at him blankly, not following the thought pattern.

"That thing didn't crawl across the desert. It came up from the depths!" the elder Sith said excitedly.

"That doesn't mean there's another way out," Raezyr said doubtfully after finally catching on.

"What other choice do we have?"