The open door led to a long hallway built of large slabs of stone. They would have been rather plain if not for the occasional markings. Trychon recognized them easily as very similar to ones he'd tried to study back on his homeworld. This didn't surprise him at all, as he'd figured some time ago that there had to be a Sith connection to the ruins he mused over then and his fateful journey since, wherever it may be taking Raezyr and himself.
The designs on the walls became more complicated as they came upon a large doorway. The doorway itself was much more elaborate and ornate. To the Sith's dismay, they did not find a simple handprint to open this door. Per their instructions, Aitchkay stayed back closer to the original entrance, watching both the two Sith and their rear flank.
A moment later however, two men materialized before them. One was in a dark robe, standing tall at nearly two and a half meters, with a lines of age around his eyes, and a long white beard that extended a ways down his chest and also hinted at his age. He seemed to carry himself with a strong authority though. The second man was laying on his side at the larger man's feet. He was a plain looking man, wearing no more than rags. He looked to be younger than Raezyr and Trychon, probably closer to Anya's age. He was nearly curled into a ball, and seemed to be weeping.
Their appearance had the normal ghostly hue of a standard hologram, but their sudden arrival had washed over Raezyr and Trychon with small ripples in the Force. It reminded Trychon of his limited time with the Holocrons back on Korriban, although it was less of a presence. The ripple he'd felt was not continual, and seemed to come only with the activation or whatever had brought the apparitions in front of them.
The large robed man spoke to them. "Welcome, Sith brothers..."
The man at his feet began sobbing more audibly. "Please help me..." He cried.
The larger man paid him no heed. "I need one of you to help me. I told this man here that I needed him to spy on his brother for me and he seems reluctant. If one of could kill him for me, it would be greatly rewarded. Unfortunately, I can only reward one of you... and I expect it to be decided in a proper Sith fashion."
Raezyr didn't hesitate. He pulled out his long blade and activated it just in front of Trychon's throat. Any thoughts? He asked Trychon through their bond. Then they felt another small ripple in the force.
The man spoke again, this time with an edge to his voice. "Shame. You're communicating. While an attempt to trick me is an appropriate Sith action, standing by and letting it happen is not. Goodbye."
The apparition lifted his hands towards them, and his fingertips began to glow. Then from the wall behind him, two tendrils of lightning struck out and struck both Raezyr and Trychon each in the chest. Falling on their backs a few meters further from the large door, they both sprinted back to meet Aitchkay, managing to avoid another assault.
They stopped when they had reached the droid. Trychon looked down the hallway. Aside from the strong stench of ozone, it was once again empty. "Was that supposed to kill us?" He asked Raezyr.
"I think so." Raezyr pondered. "Maybe it's just running out of power after a long time? Ready to go again? Lightsabers at the ready this time..."
Trychon said nothing as he lit his blade and began marching straight towards the entryway that had just tried to kill them. Raezyr was right behind him. They felt the small ripple in the force as the two men appeared again. "Welcome, Sith Brothers..." The larger man started.
Trychon ignored the man and walked right up to the man on the floor and jabbed his blade through him. He screamed in pain and disappeared. Raezyr flipped over Trychon as the man screamed, and swung his lightsaber through the Sith image. The man appeared angry and yelled "Fools! You can't just take my power... I..."
Then the force rippled again as the large image also dematerialized. Both Raezyr and Trychon pulled their blades up, prepared to block another lightning attack.
Instead, three of the symbols on the door lit up in red in sequence.... and the door began to shake and grind open, sending dust flying through the air all around them as it shook free from the walls and door.
No comments:
Post a Comment