Episode II - The Fall Of Itala Marzullo

[Itala Marzullo]

<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->A great disturbance in the force somehow awakens the defeated Itala, by his own creation he had been humiliated to the ground like a farm beast, a joke of what once was the most hated man in the universe.

"No...."

His most ambitious dream, his loftiest goal, that of never having to watch a member of his family die during his reign was all but over. Gretchen was one of the first to arrive and join Itala when the elders all but doubted him.

"Gretchen!" he whispers, reaching upon the sky as if he could catch her, he had reached a point of arrogance that almost made him believe he could do something about it.

"I just need a drop of her blood and I'll have her good as new, no problem..." he thought to himself, spitting blood as he tries to see within the smoke and ashes that had invaded the sanctuary.

"No....I have failed as leader...." he laments, torturing himself with the thought that everything was going to be alright, that this was only a minor incident.

But far from it.

[Dante Marzullo]

Dante's own twin brother lays on the ground motionless. Even though Gretchen gave her life to stop the lethal strike, the power was more than enough to nearly kill the teenager. Under any other circumstances, Dante would be there to aid his twin, but not this time.

"Uncle Pollux, sir." he speaks into the holocron. A quick reply from the Marzullo elder is received.

"You don't need to tell me, Dante."

Dante shakes his head, nearly forgetting about the tragedy, his mind had been overwhelmed by his ambitions.

"Not that, uncle, father orders you to abandon your post in the orbit and to order the entire fleet to allow anyone through."

[Lucilla Marzullo]

Lucilla watched on in horror as Ithella made her way over to Itala, burning with rage she made an attempt to follow. Things were moving fast, too fast, as Gretchen suddenly burst into a white hot light, blinding Lucilla temporarily.

Everything hit her at once, the Force, and the pull of Gretchen's death slamming into her. Lucilla could not help but lean over, wretching into the grass, losing whatever it was that she had eaten earlier.

Dropping her lightsaber, she fell to her knees, wretching again, her hand moving quickly to retrieve her weapon quickly, just in case. Blinking, she tried to rid herself of the spots in her eyes, but that was not the only thing she was trying to rid herself of. Her eyes were stinging with unshed tears.

Feeling the pain of both Itala and Mara's anguish, she crawled over towards Ares, who was not moving. First priority was to make sure he was not hurt badly. She'd never forgive herself if he was harmed beyond repair. Fighting back the urge to throw up again, she leaned over Ares, patting him very gently on the face with one hand and holding her saber at the ready with the other.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Ares...wake up...please wake up..."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->Lucilla was furious now, she glared at Itala,<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"You fool...you damn fool...what have you done?!"

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->She knew that her cousin already knew what he had done, the consequence of his actions. One of their most beloved was killed right in front of them, and it was because of his arrogance. In secret, Lucilla was screaming at him to scold herself. She should have kept better tabs on him. Between herself, Itala, and Ithella, she did not know who to blame the most for the tragedy.

[Ithella Marzullo]

The smoke begins to clear as piles of ashes from a grim origin are all that's left of what once was a Marzullo female. Ithella allows herself to touch the ground once more, lowering her eyebrows in obvious displeasure when she realizes Itala remains alive and well.

"Enough of this wretched heap of emotions you call a life, Itala."

Her horrific main attack begins its deadly pattern, with elemental energy starting to spin around her as she returns to her hovering stance. The very ashes of Gretchen join the tornado around her as the ground continues to split and lightning begins to strike around her.

"No hero to save you this time, my creator."

[Pollux Marzullo]

Pollux's rage begins to build by two crucial factors, he had just lost his dear daughter in unknown circumstances and now he had been given an insane order, but the force told him all that he needed to now to make a difference when needed the most.

"Sir, these coordinates should pinpoint the huge source of energy that did away with mistress Gretchen."

Pollux allows himself a vengeful smile as his light blue eyes stare into the vastness of space.

"Reduce the source to ashes, captain."

The uniformed lackey obeys without question even though he had just been ordered to fire upon sanctuary but a good feeling of duty surrounds the moment. He knew Pollus wouldn't risk so much for nothing.

The mighty super star destroyer takes aim, releasing a beam that only planets could withstand.

[Itala Marzullo]

The heat from the impending laser strike became too much for even a weakened Itala to not notice, using what was left of his strength to move out of the way. Since he wasn't but a few meters from the waterfall, Itala has no choice but to dive down the heights of the waterfall, only if he had any more strength, he would have helped the others, including his own son.

He had to survive.

Too much was happening too fast. While Itala fell, all he could think about was calling for help, and he'd use a last ditch effort to call upon the elders of the family, there weren't any stronger warriors in the family who could even think of matching Ithella, but a select group of men might be able to pull off the miracle.

[Cyrus Marzullo]

In the depths of space, in a refuge for the unsummoned Marzullos, within the confines of a lavish and dark palace, heavy steps echo accross the hallway leading to the command room, or throne room as most would like to call it.

A massive figure ducks under the entrance frame, standing eight feet tall, Cyrus gets on one knee and bows before one of the Marzullo elders, Marcus.

"I bring grave news from Albion."

Nothing is said in return, almost as if the elder knew already, the force had a hard time keeping secrets within families, particularly one like the Marzullo clan.

"Word is that our leader, Itala has gone insane and has begun a rampage that has taken the life of Gretchen."

The figure groans silently, almost as if too tired to bother to agonize over such grim news. Finally, a response is given...

"Impossible, the liar who spread these news must be punished."

Cyrus grunts and bows his head in intimidation. Even such a massive figure knew better than to disrespect a Marzullo elder.

"Word comes from Itala's own son, Dante."

[Saria Marzullo]

"All lies!" exclaims Saria, shaking the essence of the force with her fury and determination.

"Lies as vile as they will ever get!"

Gracefully and sternly, she stands next to the tallest and strongest member of the family, looking like a dwarf in comparison, frail like a twig.

"I made contact with Itala not a day ago and nothing as such has been reported."

Saria is frustrated by her useless attempts to find a fault in Cyrus' mind, but everything seemed clear. By her proven methods, he would be telling the truth. Her eyes narrow in deep suspicion as she could sense a fraction of hesitation, the man was hiding something, but far from proof to discredit his claims.

"Show us Dante's holocron if your vile words are the truth, Cyrus! This is probably one of the many reasons you will never be welcome to Albion!"

[Mara Marzullo]

Mara turned an icy glare upon Itala, her eyes filled with tears yet unshed, tears she blinked back, bottled up, and changed to rage. Her father could feel her fury through the Force.

"You have failed," she hissed at Itala. "You <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->swore<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> none of us would fall while you were leader! You <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->lied<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> to us! You killed my little sister!" The look in her eyes as she stared at Itala was one she typically reserved for CorSec, Corellians, and Jedi. "You... are responsible for Gretchen's death. For that... I... I will not aid you. My father, mother, and siblings are far<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> more important to me than <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->you<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->."

She turned that same icy glare to Ithella.

"You!" she shrieked. "You killed my sister! For that... you shall pay. May the wrath of Marzullo fall on your head!!" that said, she binds her knee with the Force and limp-sprints out of the area, feeling the heat of the turbolaser approaching.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->Father... Forgive me,<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> she sent to Pollux. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->I failed Gretchen.

[Milo Marzullo]

Arriving just in time, Milo force speeds towards the fallen body of Ares and picks him up, pushing Lucilla with him in the process and jumping down the waterfall right after Itala. What scared him the most wasn't the entire horrible ideal, or the death of his own sister, but Itala's desire to survive rather than try to save his own son, his flesh and blood who had just tried to save him moments ago.

It seems that Ithella's own attack had been interrupted by a powerful laser beam, and with Mara making her safe escape all had become clear, there was no way the murderous runt would survive this.

[Marcus Marzullo]

The lights around the elder seats turn on, showing their grim and weathered faces. There sat Atlas, Marcus and Hannibal. The one known as Atlas, unquestioned and unrivaled ruler of the famed Branch B had never let himself be publicly known, for he always hoped his services were needed, they would have to be desperate and dire times.

Hannibal, ruler of Branch C had made a visit to the old Marzullo stronghold of Ziost before it was destroyed by the Jedi, Darth Viscera and Lord Gue. He was never seen again by the main force behind Itala's Marzullo Clan. Marcus had also made a visit, but he would quickly return to his assigned post in the lost extremes of the galaxy.

"Show us the holocron at once, Cyrus."

[Cyrus Marzullo]

Cyrus shivers by the aggressive tone emplyed by Marcus, staring into the cold marble floor.

"Right away, lord Marcus."

A blue hologram comes to life, it was undoubtedly the shape of Itala's son and heir, Dante, one who in the elders' minds would never even dare to joke about betrayal. What he had to say puzzled and shocked them at the same time.

"Father has gone mad, I need all of Branch C in Albion to help us, or we shall surely perish within days."

Cyrus returns his wicked stare into Marcus' eyes, confident that the holocron would turn things to his favor and ridicule the bold Saria, who just happened to be there to bring more Marzullos to Albion.

"Like your thrones, old and in dire need of replacement, things need to be replaced elders, and fast. We must go now!"

[Marcus Marzullo]

Marcus doesn't even have to look at the other two elders, they knew what they had to do, they were already leaving to their respective command centers to announce the news to the entire community of unsummoned family.

Marcus remains on the seat, almost as if caressing the ancient royal chairs out of respect and appreciation.

"Cyrus, these relics, like us elders and our ancient laws should probably be in a museum somewhere instead of being used over and over."

He comes to his feet, taking small steps towards the massive deformity that ashamed most members in Branch C.

"But thanks to these relics, these ruins, these ancient scrolls we survive and continue to thrive."

His hand makes contact with Cyrus' neck, without bringing any harm physically, but mentally the damage could be severe for any unprepared creature.

"If I find out you're up to something, by Sol, I shall rip your head from its socket myself."

Marcus turns his stare to the visiting Saria, slightly surprised by her lack of fear in such a vital moment.

"...and the same goes to you, Saria."

Said and done, Marcus business in the refuge was finished.

"All of Branch C shall depart to Albion and prepare for battle!"

[Lucilla Marzullo]

Having no choice, Lucilla leaps down the waterfall with Milo, grateful for his assistance. Closing her eyes, she reaches out with every fiber of her being for traces of her cousin, he had to be alive down there somewhere.

Taking in a breath, she slowed herself some with the aid of the Force, she didn't want to do anything to hurt her baby, and of course, for her to have it, her own survival was a must.

With final effort, she breathed in once more before she hit the water, her arms sheilding her stomach protectively. The water rushed over her body and she quickly turned herself over, releasing her stomach and resurfacing, gasping for air as she broke free from the chill of the water.

Dog paddling a little to stay afloat, she looked for Itala, Ares, and Milo frantically, hoping that they all were safe and sound.

[Tiranna Marzullo]

A sneer introduces the shady figure that had been watching the whole time without interrupting. A chobinist society like the Marzullo clan wouldn't allow her much of an opinion.

"There was absolutely no excuse for threatening him, Marcus."

Tiranna Marzullo steps away from the shadows, the galaxy's most popular spot for force users. She traces her finger through her hair, giving her elder brother a hint of her mood, pure and stubborn defiance and unpleasantness.

"If you want to me to participate in this useless charade, you will pay him more respect in the future."

[Dante Marzullo]

Already miles away, in the depths of the Marzullo dungeons, a very crafty and ambitious Dante releases an unconscious Ithella's hand, he had placed another ysalimir collar around the young female, pretending to keep her under control for the time being.

A huge hole had replaced Ithella's place in the middle of the Marzullo gardens. Perhaps it wasn't enough to fool the rest of the family, but it would buy him enough time.

"Ithella, you little beautiful thing, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine."

Dante unlocks one of the most solitary cells in the whole dungeon, introducing back one of the most pathetic creatures to ever grace the family.

"This is uncle Argos."

[Argos Marzullo]

Imprisoned in a filthy and cruel cell, sharing his loneliness with pests and complete darkness, Argos does nothing but muffle. After the events surrounding his discovery and arrest by Itala, he had been given fair trial, but a very lenient sentence.

"Mmmm!!!" he muffles, curling in a fetal position by the corner of the cell, his arms and legs bound, his face covered by an iron mask with holes barely big enough to breathe.

Not only had his life been spared, but he was sentenced to fifty years of solitary confinement. Something that would present an easy though boring task for a Marzullo male.

Everyone expected Saria to strike him down herself.

[Itala Marzullo]

Itala washes up ashore, nearly blinded by the massive laser that had left a giant crater, Ithella's force presence all but gone, destroyed and sent back to the darkness that had created her, or at least that's what he hoped.

Mara's words continue to pierce his heart, never would he purposedly endanger a relative, but his own mistake had the greatest unforeseen price, it had claimed Gretchen's life.

"At last she has perished and my mistake corrected, but how am I going to explain this to the elders.?"

Itala chuckles to himself, rejoicing upon the irony and the circumstances surrounding his survival.

"I'm the leader regardless, it will be just boring politics I'll have to put up with."

He bows slightly to nod as a platoon of his soldiers arrive and bow before him.

[Radda Manthys]

Near the Albion orbit, Itala's old sith master Radda Manthys reveals his presence as part of a grand scheme. Thanks to his apprentice's tracing of Itala's own escape vessel, he had managed to discover the hidden Marzullo home world.

"We're here."

Radda releases a deep, sinister chuckle as his arms cross and his foothold gains strength. During their last confrontation, Itala had managed to weassel his way out of danger.

"I don't know any of you except for Vonika, so I will make this clear."

He clears his throat, lowering his hood to reveal his stylish and grim armor.

"Do not interfere with my prey, our common interest is to wipe this sick faction off the face of this galaxy, but after the blood boils and the smoke clears, it shall be I, Radda Manthys who claims Itala's head."

As far as the plan was concerned, it was working perfectly. Itala's son had disabled the defensive perimeter, ordered the destroyers to leave. Created insecurity and mistrust among the relatives in the opposite edge of the galaxy.

[Ithella Marzullo]

Ithella feels a slight slap on her cheek, groaning in annoyance as she opens her eyes. Her head is immediately invaded by a terrible pain, her right arm terribly scarred by what seemed to be a laser burn. She comes to fully, turning her cold stare to Dante as she imagines him coming apart, limb by limb.

...but nothing happens, the insidious forces that would have brought to lfie such wretched imagination were gone, stopped by a ridiculous little antiforce collar made from ysalimir.

"This won't last forever and neither will you, unless you let me go now!"

She spits right after screaming such a threat to Dante, paying no attention to the tortured prisoner in the cell accross from her.

"Let...me...GO!"

[Taja Gunner]

A slim female form avoids stepping on the countless maimed corpses who just moments ago had been entrusted with the guarding of the Marzullo dungeons.

"Take it easy little one, you don't want to make Dante angry."

Much had gone on behind the scenes, even before Dante had learned of Itala's clone and before his rage and resentment had begun to bloom.

"It's very vital that you hear what he has to say."

Taja Gunner, a "bastard" as Itala loved to taunt her with, like many unknown and rejected half breds, mixed race subhumans, the scum of the scum so to speak. Dante had offered the rejected family of Delia Marzullo full acceptance into the clan if they aided his revolution. By the looks of it, they had accepted.

"Dante, we are in our designed areas waiting for your signal."

Taja pats the young female on the shoulder, while looking out for any uninvited guests.

[Iris Marzullo]

Disgust and respect do not make good bed fellows, a concept Iris realizes as her gaze follows the massive figure out the door. She had made her way in just as Marcus had begun preparations to leave.

"Saria, it's worse than we thought."

Iris retrieves a holocron of Itala's last message, his shape is seen pleading for help before an explosion occurs and the holocron is ended abruptly.

"I feel a terrible disturbance in the force, something is seriously wrong and we are not seeing it."

[Lucilla Marzullo]

Spotting Itala on the shore, Lucilla made her way over to him. By the time she got the water down to her knees, she noticed she was having a bit of a hard time walking. Growling to herself, she slowed her pace just a bit, and stood tall. There was no way she was going to look weak in front of anyone, baby or no baby. She knew very well that her energy had been spent and unless she got rest or proper meditation soon, there was no way she would recover it.

Moving to stand by her cousin, she stopped about 2 feet from him, staring up the cliff where Ithella was, letting everything wash over her. She cared little wether there were praetorians there or not, the only thing that coursed through her mind was a thought: was it over?

Her body seemed to answer herself. No. It wasn't over, not by a long shot. Even if Ithella was dead, the grief for the dead will be fresh in everyone's memories.

Sparing a glance at Itala, she frowned a little. Certainly this would divide the family. Because of his heinous action in creating that little clone, Gretchen was dead, and it already seemed that Mara would never listen to Itala again, leader or not.

Her hands began to shake a little and she looked down at her feet for the first time in her life, not wanting anyone to see. A tear slipped down her face and fell into the sand below her feet. She had only ever known unity and loyalty of family, and it somewhat had scared her that she may never feel that loyalty again.

[Mara Marzullo]

Mara landed in the water, releasing her Force-hold on her knee some as she struggled to keep afloat. She would have loved nothing more than to sink into the waters and join her sister, but someone had to protect her baby brothers. As Pollux had charged her with their safety back on Corellia, when she was just a little girl, she knew it fell to her to do so.

Allowing her body to flow with the current and wash up on shore, she dragged herself a few meters away from Itala and just stared at the water, her grief at losing her beloved sister in so violent a manner just washing over her, though she did not cry. She turned a blank turquoise gaze to the wound her sister gave her, unconsciously crying out to her parents and siblings through the Force. She did not reach out to a single cousin, least of all Itala. Were Itala to reach towards her through the Force, he would feel her rage and hatred towards him coiled like a serpent ready to strike. All others would simply feel an uncontrolled whirlpool of grief, chaos, and hatred emanating from one of the strongest females of the Clan.

[Milo Marzullo]

Milo doesn't take long to reach the shore himself, dragging young Ares who quietly coughs up some swallowed water, he places him near his father as his attention turns to his older sister, he knows no words would bring their sister back, but his company and understanding would help her through such dire times.

"Gretchen will remain within us, sister, she met her destiny willingly, not by Itala's hand."

That didn't make Milo any less angry about the tragedy, but he could control his temper a lot better than Mara. He turns his focus back to Itala and speaks with a commanding and determined tone:

"We must now make sure this freak is truly dead, something doesn't feel right."

[Dante Marzullo]

Even without any powers of the force, Ithella freightened him merely with threats. Dante chuckles nervously as he uses the force to unbind the imprisoned Argos.

"Uncle, I hope you are used to your new legs, I made sure they are made from the finest metal."

What a replacement, having been severed by his very uncle Pollux during a nasty turn in events a few weeks before.

The mask is shattered to pieces, showing a bearded and filthy Argos who had been blindfolded even underneath the iron mask. Dante then retrieves a lightsaber from his pocket and tosses it to the nude outcast, fully confident that his services were all but guaranteed.

"Gretchen's lightsaber, she won't be needing it anymore."

Dante then turns his attention back to the tamed teenage girl, clearing his throat to shake away some of the fear she had managed to introduce to his treacherous heart.

"I guarantee your complete freedom in exchange of your help, Ithella, with father deprived of power from the family and our superior alliance in charge, nothing and no one will have the guts to tell you what to do or where to be."

[Thalus Cid]

The dark hallways of the dungeon introduce another member of the bastard Marzullos, who unlike the squeamish Taja, crushes the dead bodies of any unfortunate guards who remained barely alive.

"Why are we helping this kid, Taja, you know he will not accept us."

He ignores the bound Ithella and walks right by Dante as he enters Argos' cell and rips his blindfold off.

"You play with fire, little one, cross us but once..."

With the force, he rips a guardian's head off, causing the echo of crunching bone as he catches the head with his right hand, crushing it with the greatest of ease.

"Like she said, we're all ready. The Marzullos are spread all over the sanctuary, we continue to have the element of surprise."

[Jade Marzullo]

Gretchen's untimely death had been more than enough to awaken Itala's only sister, and after spotting the massive crater left in the gardens by the destroyed temple of Sol, she realizes she had arrived much too late.

"By Sol, what happened here?"

Jade falls to one knee and picks Gretchen's robes, hurt and frustrated. She hadn't had many experiences with Gretchen, not nearly as many as there should have been, she always kept quiet and to herself, as far from the scenes as possible.

She notices Itala's droid bodyguard and two Marzullo women laying by her as it provided medical assistance. Fiera, Chimera and not far, Raveena. She runs to them, letting go of the fallen woman's robes.

"Fiera, Chimera, wake up!!"

She shakes Chimera, desperate to find out what she had missed, wether she truly was too late.

"What happened here?!"

[Itala Marzullo]

The smoke had cleared at this point, the fresh air replacing the aura of death around the gardens is inhaled by Itala as he begins to recover his senses. Milo's words made more sense now than first told, he wastes no time to address the gathered members of the clan.

"Milo's right, we can fight about this later, we must make sure the clone is dead."

Immediately after, Itala rockets up the top of the waterfall with a force jump, landing meters from the crater created by Pollux's well-timed laser blast.

"It appears that she has been incinerated, I don't feel her at all."

Suddenly, like a piercing heart pain, Itala begins to feel the presence of others, familiar yet strange, people who claimed a bloodline and were willing to die over it.

"Family, it looks like we have company."

[Cassino Marzullo]

Stirred by countless disturbances in the force, Cassino finds himself in frustrating anger when he realizes that the jail block appeared to be completely unguarded, only two guards stood in the front entrance.

Curiously, since all of the troops were clones, one of the guards was much taller than the other, stimulating his curiosity further.

Regardless, he continues to make his way, approaching the entrance with much care, much was going on not to be careful.

"Where's the others? There should be at least twenty of you at a time, why only the two of you?!"

[Damien Cid]

Beneath the disguise of a dungeon guard, Damien's lightsaber comes to life and burns most of it away. Without words or excuses, he lunges towards the alert Marzullo with muderous intent. The burning light armor used by the guards leaves a trail of fire that symbolizes all of the tragedy ensuing.

Damien attempts to drive his lightsaber into Cassino's heart, looking for a quick kill and rid himself of any messy mishaps, and also counting in the "guard" that stodd next to him a few seconds before.

[Itala Marzullo]

Azure orbs fought to open, dirt and other miscellaneous debris captured between ebony lashes. Coughing, a sharpness filled bruised ribs, as Fiera's fingers began to slightly move. This was all the fault of that blasphemous wench... Ithella. Lethargically wiping away the debris cluttered against her eyelids, eyes blinked fluidly as they searched for the direction the voice had come from.

Dried skin began to crack and ache as they tried hoisting the lithe form from the rubble. Teeth clenched together, a grunt errupting from between withered lips. Fiera hadn't known how long she had been in that state and for the most part, the rest had become a blurr.

With the tip of the head, blonde tendrils swept across heavy-laden eyes only to find them threatened by saltwater as they beheld the sight of a fallen relative. The death of Gretchen was hard to accept and Fiera knew it would be harder on Zoe who had admired Gretchen most of all.

As the med droid came to assist Fiera, the Marzullo female sneered and batted it away from her. She didn't want the fuss and the aggravation; though, it probably wasn't the most intellgigent of ideas she ever had. Before she could utter a word to Jade, blue eyes shot open wide as an aura all too familiar polluted her senses. It was nauseating to feel that impurity, that disgrace. Fiera forced herself upon her knees, her head hanging in minor defeat. Had no one seen this coming...

[Olenka Cid]

Simultaneously, the unexposed guard releases every piece of her uniform with only a tank top and tight shorts left, but still equipped with a deadly lightsaberof her own. She wastes no time to launch an attack of her own, force jumping forward to drive her saber downwards and attempt to make Cassino's brain sizzle as her brother did the same to his heart.

[Lucilla Marzullo]

"Ithella is not entirely at fault here." <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->Lucilla spoke to Mara and Milo softly,<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->"It is Itala's fault as well, for creating her. Why he did not expect something like this..."

"And there he goes, off on his own again..." <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->Growling to herself, without further ado or stalling, she left her cousins down below, following Itala as fast as her limitations would allow her to. It took more than one leap to get there, using the rocks on the sides of the falls to propel her upwards, but eventually she landed safely on the cliff above.

Angered now, that he could be so foolish as to hurry to his possible death, Lucilla marched over to Itala and grabbed his shoulder firmly. Spinning him around to face her, she lost her temper and raised her right hand, slamming the back of it into his jaw.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Are you totally without brain capacity now? Did the clone wipe all memory of who you are? You are stupid to race up here alone without anyone else to back you up! What if she was still here?! What if she was still alive and just waiting for the moment to get her hands on you?!"

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->Breathing heavily, Lucilla thought about hitting him again, it would serve him right but she thought it best not to. Both of them had been in pain tonight...he moreso than herself.

[Cassino Marzullo]

What he had thought impossible seconds ago had become a reality. Alone and attacked by two old foes at the same time, far enough from the rest of the family to be unable to depend on help. Everything seems to go in slow motion as the blades come closer, but with a simple move he backflips, igniting his lightsaber as he lands gracefully enough for a crude male.

"You! What is going on here?"

Defiant of the terrible odds, he takes a defensive stance, switching his focus back and forth between the two attackers fast enough to not miss a single move.

"You will leave here or die like the rotten subhumans that you are!"

[Damien Cid]

With his beautiful and deadly sister by his side, Damien is able to afford a cocky smile as he steps forward slowly, pointing his saber to the confused Marzullo fighter.

"The only one who is leaving is you, Cassino, in a thousand charred pieces!"

In an odd move, Damien lets go of his saber as it disignites and falls to one knee, holding his binded hands open in some type of weird ritualistic manner.

[Thalus Cid]

Through the sudden myst of a few fired blaster shots, the thick frame of Thalus emerges, landing precisely on Damien's binded palms. His brother rises and springs him foward as the assassin retrives a deadly blade from his back, attempting to slash Cassino's neck.

[Cassino Marzullo]

Looking completely shocked and with his mouth wide open, Cassino watches in horror as the deadliest of the bastardly Cid siblings emerges with a surprising strike. He is fortunate enough to have enough time to duck the sword, slashing it in half as the top piece spins in the air and buries itself within the grass.

"Three versus one?! So much for honor!"

[Andromeda Marzullo]

Andromeda awakens with an ear-piercing, high-pitched scream that shatters her window glass as easy as the most skilled singers in the galaxy. Sweaty and brething heavily, she quickly looks at the door as her battle robes come to life from her closet, wrapping around her like a returning lover after being years apart.

"Everyone wake up!"

Amazingly enough, the disaster that had ensued recently had not affected the deep slumber of many of the family members in the most remote temples. Unfortunately for TMC, most of them are used to constant meddling with the force due to its extremely high concentration, given their high numbers.

Never a big player in the happenings of the clan, Andromeda always looked forward to proving her worth to Itala. Despite being beautiful herself, she has never managed to find a suitable father for making babies, and thanks to Itala's fall to insanity during the last few years, Sol's laws had not made her a prisoner just yet.

"Wake up, people!!!!!" she screams as she runs out of the temple, smashing flower pots and assorted lamps on the different dorm doors. The apparent danger to her favorite brother left no doubt in her mind that something seriously wrong is going on not far from her location.

[Olenka Cid]

Olenka doesn't take long to notice that Cassino is in a very vulnerable position, using the force to help her "surf" through the grass as it flies out of the way, leaving a trail of dirt behind her. With her ignited blade in hand, she peforms a downward slash to Cassino's forehead.

[Thalus Cid]

Incredulous, the masked Thalus watches as the top half of his sword spins away in the air, he closes his free fist in sheer anger as he looks down to the cocky Cassino, who had basically humiliated him in front of his brother and sister.

"My precious sword! I had this thing for decades!"

The angry brute drops the other half of his sword, rendered useless by the enemy lightssaber, and ignites his own as he only has to try a stab to the same area of the head being attacked by his younger sister.

[Cassino Marzullo]

The top half that had buried itself within the grass comes alive and begiuns to spin once again, this time returning to its owner, but ignoring his large frame as it flies right past and finds a new home in Olenka's right cheek, throwing her back before she can leave a big burn scar in Cassino's face.

The flying blade had distracted Thalus just long enough to delay his attack, meeting the stabbing lightsaber with his own as he holds the two humming blades inches from his neck.

"That's a nice trick your sister performed with the grass, maybe I can spare you freaks if you teach me."

[Olenka Cid]

Olenka looks into the vastness of the Albion sky as night edges closer, not yet grasping the reality that a thick blade is buried in her right cheek, miraculously missing any vital areas and yet long enough to cut the ground beneath her. The woman is literally nailed to the ground by half a sword through her face.

"M-my f-f-face...!"

Every nerve in her body trembles agonizingly as every word escapes her lips. Her left arm shakes violently as she grabs the edge sticking out, cutting her palm in the process. She quickly pulls it out, releasing a scream that would most likely echo all over the sanctuary.

"KILL HIM!!!!!!!"

[Damien Cid]

Damien makes a disgusted face as he witness his sister pulling out the glass, his eyes nearly shut from trying to avoid having to watch such a hideous sight.

"Not like your face looked any worse, Olenka, be quiet!"

Lightsaber in hand, he watches Thalus and Cassino continue their lightsaber standoff, shaking his head as he releases a loud sigh.

"Enough games, Thalus, just finish him off."

[Dante Marzullo]

With a frightened look on his face, Dante is held from behind by a seemingly mad Argos, a lightsaber held close enough to his neck to blister. He's slowly brought out the front door, followed by a few grunts that proceed to surround the four fighters as they aim their blasters.

"Uncle Cass, don't do what he says!" he whispers, only for his arm to be twisted more. His head is yanked backwards as the ruthless Argos pulls on his long hair.

[Cassino Marzullo]

Vastly stronger, the thick arms of Thalus continue to push his lightsaber closer to Cassino's face, and now this new twist had made things much more difficult. Neither option would do any good, but he would never allow the rightful heir to be harmed, much less by the loathed Argos.

"Here!"

Cassino headbutts Thalus' crotch, smashing his protective cup in pieces as the bulky man drops his lightsaber, which is caught by Cassino's free arm, within that same maneuver, he slices the man's legs from the knee down, causing him to fall on his back as his two siblings watch stunned.

"I'm not a fool, Dante." he chuckles as he flips to his feet, taking quick turns to keep an eye on his enemies as he slowly steps back.

"There is no way you'll get away with this."

[Dante Marzullo]

Dante groans and shoves Argos back, ruffling his hair as he shakes it in disbelief and frustration.

"Very impressive, Cassino, how did you know I was bluffing?"

Thalus rolls on the floor in agony as smoke comes off his still-standing boots, the other two kneel by him as they watch the exchange with an obvious lack of patience. They wanted to tear the infidel apart, limb by limb and then feast upon it, they certainly weren't above cannibalism.

Argos chuckles from behind Dante, taking a seat where one of the guards used to stand.

[Hera Marzullo]

Spread eagle and face down on her bed, Hera enjoys a quiet night's sleep, but that would all collapse when a lamp smashes on her door. Her eyes open and quickly begin to scan for a potential victim. She always made it clear that violation of her beauty sleep would be dealt with and punished harshly.

"Cass...?"

Her brother is in danger, she feels this immediately. Strange that the emotions were not strong enough to wake her up, why had the Force chosen Andromeda to deliver such important news?

Instead of going the primitive way, Hera uses her holocron pad to relay a message to every single member of the family. Not the slightest problem would go unchecked and unchallenged by her and much less by the entire family.

[Itala Marzullo]

"Are you totally without brain capacity now? Did the clone wipe all memory of who you are? You are stupid to race up here alone without anyone else to back you up! What if she was still here?! What if she was still alive and just waiting for the moment to get her hands on you?!"

Itala rubs his red cheek as he looks in all directions, like some type of insane creature, but it was not for lack of reason.

"So many things are going on, Lucilla, that I don't know where to go."

As guards scatter all over the sanctuary to check for any remaining danger, Itala looks at his lightsaber with an urging desire to shove it in his mouth,

"Someone is in danger and I have no clue where to begin."

By Hera's great timing, her shape appears on his palm as news of Cassino's danger is revealed.

"Everyone, to the Branch C temple!"

[Cyrus Marzullo]

After the elders had left, the hideout's throne room had become quiet and colder than usual, with only Saria and Iris arguing about by the entrance. Cyrus nearly cracks the marble floor on purpose as he walks, just to try and intimidate the small Marzullo ladies, approaching them like a hungry predator.

"Don't you have somewhere to go, females?" he snarls, standing feet above them. The man is a true animal, probably able to crush them with a single blow from his arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." echoes by the other end of the throne room, quickly earning the gian't attention as he turns to face that direction. "You stay out of this!" he spits, close to bursting his veins in anger. His focus returns to the women, narrowing his eyes as the veins thicken around his bald head.

[Saria Marzullo]

Saria and Iris do not dare lose an inch of space to the massive fiend, returning his hateful look right back as they look up, way up, ready to slice him in pieces were he to dare perform the ultimate betrayal. They are forbidden from showing any weakness, no matter who the enemy. The second voice also catches their attention, not being able to remember or identify it.

"We're going, Cyrus, and so are you. Stop this foolish bickerning now!"

Saria knows her powers too well, probably being the strongest of all the females who have fought with Itala. It is said that Sol's representative did not equal his reincarnation, who would be born every ten generations, and most would dare say that Seria would be, having also been born with Sol's powers, some of which have not been revealed yet.

"You have no idea who you are dealing with."

With a smiling Iris, Saria walks away from the throne room, her worried look quickly returns to her as the ships can be seen already leaving the hideout hangars. Those Marzullos that have never been called upon were ready to fight and straighten things out.

[Marcus Marzullo]

The stealthy shuttles designed for escaping an imperial raid continue to depart from the hideout planet, quickly reaching the orbit as within his personal shuttle, Marcus looks on. A few of the younger members of Branch C assemble their arsenal gadgets behind him, ready for battle, like they knew who they were going to fight against. Everyone in the family were useful for the family, not employing the help of clones or any mercenaries to run their base. Even the pilot of Marcus' ship was a relative, and since they would not be drafted by Itala, they thought to be useful by doing any petty work.

"Good work, Gephran, let this be a smooth voyage." whispers Marcus, patting the Marzullo pilot on the shoulder as he turns his attention to the bunch getting ready for war behind him.

"So eager to kill. We are heading to Albion to aid Itala, whatever is going on, he is our rightful Emperor after all."

The word Emperor to describe the leader of a large family sounded absurd to the eyes of most of the second generation members, but Marcus did not find any of it amusing, being a traditionalist to the bone.

[Docrates Marzullo]

"My necklaces say Itala isn't fit to rule the family!"

The other Marzullos stop what they are doing to give Docrates Marzullo a typical look of annoyance. Marcus ignores him completely as he looks around, dreading the silence given to him, not that things wouldn't always go the same for him.

"Didn't you hear me?! The man is not fit ro rule!"

The others return to assembling their various weapons as he returns to his unique trance. Ever since a traumatic childhood experience, Docrates had never been the same, often making his decisions based on what he would believe his inanimate objects to tell him.

He would also give advice to others based on his necklaces, often ending in disastrous and embarassing situations for himself and the unfortunate relatives who would consult with him.

"The necklaces say that we have traitors in the family!"

[Aerith Marzullo]

Aerith and Salem Marzullo help each other with the assembling of some thermite grenades, carefully following the instructions step by step, but when the seemingly raving Docrates speaks of his latest premonition, Salem perks up and quickly grows nervous of the whole thing. He whispers as low as whispers could possibly be heard, right into the ears of the ruthless Aerith.

"How does he know?!" he nearly chokes on his own words, and Aerith's soft hand covers his mouth as she whispers back.

"Silence, fool! If Marcus even feels our intent, he will kill us where we stand in a blink of an eye!"

She shoves Salem aside, causing him to hit the wall of the shuttle. Marcus quickly turns around as he hears the trouble, being as serious and strict as always.

"Enough, save your energy for Albiion, it will be a long trek."

[Atlas Marzullo]

One of the three Elders of the entire clan, Atlas methodically and steadily makes his way towards his designed shuttle, followed by five of the younger Marzullos as they carry their bags filled with weapons and various kits fit for such a trip. Suddenly, he feels a gentle hand with a powerful presence of the Force, far too powerful for someone so fragile and...female.

"Speak..." he says, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Itala couldn't have done anything wrong, I know him for nearly two decades."

Such warm and loyal words had been spoken by Saria, with iris behind her. They had managed to catch up and perhaps accomplish their goal of boarding one of the shuttles with an elder inside. Only if they could manage to calm things down.

"I'll make something very clear, young ladies. I never trusted Itala and only voted for him because I had no choice. Sol speaks and I listen."

Atlas shrugs off the hand of Saria, resuming his walk towards the shuttle. Saria and Iris turn around, noticing that a few of the younger ones had chosen to stay to look after the hideout.

[Cassino Marzullo]

Damien and Olenka tend to their fallen brother as he continues to roll around in pain, and Cassino looks on, clearly hurt and disappointed by an indifferent Dante, too bad he couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"You conveniently show up from the same place, when you should have been helping your father, only a naive fool could not see this."

Help is on the way, and Cassino knows this, he also knows that has no chance fighting the four of them at the same time, even after taking out the strongest of the group. The temple nearest to the dungeons is Branch B, where his siblings would be sleeping, but their Force presence now shows an alarmed state of mind, help is indeed on the way.

"Dante, surrender now and your father may let you live. We are far too many for your little act of treachery."

[Ithella Marzullo]

Escorted by Taja Gunner, little Ithella exits the entrace of the dungeon temple. Her Force-restraining device still attached to her neck, with Dante holding the remote that would turn it off whenever he would see it fit to do so. Apparently, an agreement had been reached, with the powerful clone no longer showing restraint or rebelliousness.

"Is it treachery to follow your instincts, Cassino?"

Indeed, thanks to the great software created by Lars, Itala had managed to insert all of his knowledge and memories within the young mind of the clone, the good and the bad. However, thanks to an accident by a couple of the guard soldiers in the clone facilities, every sickly sexual and murderous memory had been implanted as well, and her midichlorian count had somehow been multiplied tenfold, making her ten times as powerful as Itala, effectively turning her into a mighty and insane freak of nature that nothing could stop.

"Dante has offered me a great deal, and I don't have the heart to turn it down."

[Dante Marzullo]

The offer Ithella speaks of is only temporary, at least from Dante's point of view. Itala had dared to try and replace his own son with a little freak, and he would not allow her to live for any longer than she was needed. He despised her very heart beat, but he could use her for his own gain.

"Indeed, Ithella shall be an elder of my new clan, and one of my most trusted."

Dante gazes upon the nearby temples, knowing full well that time would give him no gifts. Far down the mountain, soldiers could already be seen running to their location.

"Join us, uncle, and together we'll work for a stronger, tighter clan than ever before."

A bold offer, even more curious since he had tried to kill him just minutes before.

"I only offer this once, and only because you have been there for me as a small child."

[Chimera Marzullo]

Chimera felt the world slowly swim around her. She could hear Jade asking her if she was alright. She could smell smoldering fires and burnt flesh, but could not force her eyes open. Deep within her, she felt pain. A soul-clenching pain. Unsure if it came from with-in or not, she found the strength to open her eyes.

What she saw made her sick. Her family all around her, beaten and broken. Then it all came rushing back to her. Ithella! The monster-child. Quickly she sat up, every part of her screaming in protest. The pain was nearly unbearable. "What the hell happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Turning, she searched for Itala, wanting answers, but affraid of what she would find. She had always trusted Itala, had sworn to follow him to whatever end. But what had he done? Slowly she closed her eyes, taking a few calming breaths before reaching out to find her cousin, and the answers she so desparately needed.

[KM 14]

"You must not go in your condition, mistress Chimera."

KM was just done tending to the disabled Fiera, but had to continue to follow Itala's orders to the very end. She grabs Chimera's arm and only shakes her head in disapproval. She risked being dismantled for making physical contact, but she saw it worth it as long as her master was pleased at the end of the day.

"You are far too weakened, the main alarm has been raised, it's far too dangeorus for you."

Residual Force left by the freak clone creates a crack on the ground, like a raging earthquake as the cyborg bodyguard is amazed herself. She had never seen anything like it, and years of research would not do it justice, not by a long shot.

[Lucilla Marzullo]

"So many things are going on, Lucilla, that I don't know where to go."

In hearing Itala's reply, Lucilla's gaze softens a little, ashamed suddenly of what she had done just moments ago. Her eyes burn slightly and she blinks quickly to stem the flow of tears that threaten to fall. No tears, she needed to be strong. Straightening her posture, she kept her eyes on her cousin, all traces of guilt suddenly wiped away.

Following his gaze around at the guards, her eyes find their way to Itala's lightsaber as well, she feels what he feels and frowns, reaching out to gently place her hand on his.

"Someone is in danger and I have no clue where to begin."

"Itala, as long as you are in this state, we are all in danger. Every one of us looks to you, our leader, for guidance. You need to get yourself together. I am behind you, and you know that I will fight with you even if I perish."

Lucilla's speech is cut off by Itala's movement, blue eyes moving to his palm to see Hera's shape. More trouble? Fantastic... Before Itala could issue his order, the warmth from her hand had already left his own, and she was on her way to help.

[Chimera Marzullo]

Chimera tried to pull her arm away, but found she didn't even have the strength for that. Turning instead to the cyborg, she asked with her most authoritive voice, "Where is Itala? What exactly happened here? And the...child...I don't sense her." Taking pause, she looked at the destruction around her. She coulds sense death, but her force abilities were greatly drained...she was having trouble focusing. "How many?" she whispered to the cyborg. "How many are dead?"

Remembering that her sister had come in shortly before the attack, Chimera began to frantically search the ground for Raveena. "Have you seen my sister!?" she demanded of the cyborg.

"Raveena!" she called out in futility, affraid, but needing to know just the same.

[KM 14]

With an ashamed look in her face, since she wasn't able to help at all, KM has no choice but to give Chimera the grim news.

"Mistress Gretchen is dead, milady, your cousin is dead."

What little emotion is allowed within the former Sith seems to be enough to let a small tear slip out, thinking of ways she could have saved her, but such thinking is useless now, she has to continue doing her duty.

"I'm sorry."

[Cassino Marzullo]

Lightsaber ignited, standing in front of his enemies and rightful heir to the family throne, Cassino can't believe what he's seeing. Not only is he forced to believe what is happening before his very eyes, but he must make sense of the situation and figure out a way to prevail. Dante had just given him a choice, something he could never do.

"I will only join you when Itala dies and you take over, Dante, but after your father finds out about this, the only things that will follow you will be parasites."

Cassino eyes the small Ithella, shocked enough that he had never felt such a powerful female. He had felt earlier that someone had passed away, but before he could even ask and mourn this tragedy, he needed to survive.

"Now, why don't you act like a man and fight me one on one? If you have the guts, kid."

[Dante Marzullo]

Dante isn't able to hide the expression of concern generated by Cassino's request. He is confident enough in his own skills and brutal training by his father, but a veteran like Cassino would be far too much of an opponent for him to handle.

"So be it."

Pride and arrogance take over the young usurper's rationale. A plan years in the making could be ruined by his death, but his manhood was called upon, and he was much of a young hotshot to turn such a challenge down. Without giving Cassino much of a chance, he dashes forward and attempts to drive his igniting lightsaber straight through his own uncle's heart.

[Cassino Marzullo]

"What a joke!"

Cassino is amused to no end when Dante accepts his challenge. They both knew, having trained together for years during his childhood that he could not even hope to cope with Cassino's experience and raw skills, but none of that matters as Dante launches his attack, something Cassino himself had taught him to do first when trying to surprise an opponent.

"You will have to try har.."

Cassino had jumped aside to avoid Dante's predictable attack, but he had proven to be naive even during the harshest of times when he should not have trusted the word of a traitor. Cassino's body falls lifelessly on the bloodied grass of the sanctuary, twisted and headless.

Argos' own blade sizzles with the red smoke from Cassino's blood. Was it all part of the plan or merely a spontaneous and murderous act by the most loathed member of the family?

[Andromeda Marzullo]

Andromeda stops dead on her tracks as the head of her most beloved brother rolls down to her, stopping right between her feet as it looks at her. There lies the head of Cassino, her brother, severed by his own brother Argos, in an act as despicable as a thousand miseries and sins thrown together in a slimey bag.

"Cass..."

Andromeda drops her lightsaber out of sheer shock and horror, grabbing her head and pulling on her hair as her eyes widen in terror.

"CASS!!!!"

The horror is too much for her to bear, and faints as her body drops next to the head of what used to be her lively and beloved brother.

[Alexia Marzullo]

On such a day, it was normal for Matthias and his family to spend it outside. Not a cloud could be seen. The sun was high and everyone’s spirits were up. Alexia was with her father, mother and brother and they were on a picnic. There was laughing, eating and even some sparring for fun. Alexia and Alexander were in the middle of a fight when everything changed. Alexia felt something, it was a presences she had never felt before. She looked to her father for answers and watched in horror as Matthias fell to his knees and was gripping his chest. Alexia stopped dead in her tracks and allowed Alexander’s blow to her stomach to make contact. Something that would have rarely happened otherwise. She barely felt it as she rushed over to her father’s side, a worried expression was present on her face.

“Father, what is wrong? What is this strange feeling that is present?”

“Gretchen…” Matthias gasped for air in between each word, “she’s… gone.”

The young girl looked at her father with fear in her eyes. She wore an expression of confusion. “What, what are we doing to do?” She questioned, looking up to her father, the most important and influential person in her life.

[Hannibal Marzullo]

Back in the hideout, the third and last elder of the clan is followed by a small group of younger Marzullos, and notices the brief scuffle between Atlas and the two visitors. He slows down as he looks into the eyes of Saria, burdened with far too many worries to handle for her lifetime. His soothing aura of the Force may just be what she needs to calm down.

"Saria, I don't like Itala much either, but we are going to Albion to help, not destroy. Please come with me."

With his arm wrapped around her shoulder, the imposing and wise Hannibal walks the two Marzullo ladies to his shuttle as the rest of the group looks on, resuming their walk to an uncertain fate.

"It is I who shall walk amongst them and stand proud, for they respect and fear me."

Saria's face of sorrow is turned into one of curiosity, she looks up to his eyes and her eyebrows clearly show that she recognizes the quote, giving herself the luxury of a slight smile as she leans her head against the man's shoulder.

"Indeed, the great Sol said that to his generals before their last battle together. "

He removes his arm as he returns to his regular faster walking speed, his resolve and duty as an Elder coming back to him, after letting go of such to become a father for a brief moment.

"We always win, no matter what, Saria."

[Saria Marzullo]

"I appreciate this, Hannibal, you are different than the rest say."

She sure thought so, Hannibal has a reputation for being ruthless and uncaring, but wise and strong beyond the grasp of most member of the clan. Rumors at best after the warm exchange, but none of it would matter after the feeling came.

Saria holds her chest as her heart begins to race. Something terrible had happened, and she is sure everyone else back home and in the hideout could feel it too.

"We must hurry home, it's worse than I imagined!"

[Hannibal Marzullo]

Hannibal begins to sweat in shock and fear, using his arm clothing to wipe the sweat from his forehead and takes in a few breaths to calm himself down, it just seems that not a single Marzullo would have a peaceful day for a long, long time.

"I felt it too, Saria, but I suggest you stay here and rest. Stay with your sister Miraje whom you came to visit and relax, I will fix this myself, and quickly."

Like choreography, Miraje shows up and takes Saria's hand, leading her back to the dormitories as Hannibal's face of worry switches to one of a slight grin, the corner of his lip curling just a tad as he turns and continues to walk.

"Iris, you come with me."

Receiving an order from an Elder didn't leave Itala's cousin with much of a choice, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she follows him, but before she can lose Saria from her sight, she manages to give her a last goodbye wave.

[Itala Marzullo]

Lucilla's words are those of a kind and loyal woman, brave and fearless in the face of tragedy, traits that Itala is having a very hard time keeping. He gives her the gift of a very rare and thankful smile but all of it comes to a hideous end as the latest death pierces his heart and mind, causing him to fall to his knees in disturbed pain.

"What is this?!"

It's very clear now, the new presences he feels are of those he knows and thought forgotten, those whom he never fantasized of encountering in his very home planet. But how did they return unharmed, has his entire space force gone blind? Why the confusing feeling of family and enemies alike causing darkness to invade his heart?

Force jumping over rooftops like he has prepared for it his entire life, Itala is followed by soldiers strugglign to keep up on the ground, and some more of the loyal relatives who had stuck by him from the beginning emerge from their temples, having obviously seen the message sent by Hera.

Wishing she had been more specific, Itala finally spots a struggle in the distance, a decapitated body and none other than his own son surrounded by....the Cids!

"It's them!"

[Argos Marzullo]

Fresh from the recent decapitation, Cassino's head continues to release red vapor as an unconscious Andromeda lies on the grass, completely disturbed by such a horrible experience. Argos puts his lightsaber away as he walks over to her, chuckling for finally being able to do what he wants, thanks to Dante's lack of kindness.

"What should I do with her?" he asks to the young traitor, trying to find a good spot on the back of her neck to bury his dagger.

Before any answer is given however, Argos' eyes widen as he sees the approaching followers of Itala running up the hill as others make Force leaps over the buildings on their way up.

"Dante, they're here!"

[Dante Marzullo]

"Let's assume the positions then, go do what you were assigned to do, Cids!"

Olenka and Damien rush to pick up their fallen brother and quickly make their way into the woods, knowing that they would be followed either way, and the unplanned maiming of their older brother Thalus had become a burden, now they have to take care of him, or at least find some use for him.

"You know what to do, Taja, Argos!"

Dante falls to his knees as planned, and Argos holds his ignited lightsaber by his neck. Taja quickly dashes away to an undisclosed location. So far, everything is going according to plan, as the clone Ithella stands by Argos.

[Hera Marzullo]

Hera finally arrives to the scene, her far more skilled brother Midas missing. Had he not received the urgent message? In only a matter of minutes, the might of the two main branches of the family would be swarming the dungeon grounds, and there is no Force faction in the galaxy that could stop such a large amount of well-trained dark siders.

Coincidentally, Athena is also missing, one once considered a traitor herself, but redeemed when she became part of a plan to caatch and capture the traitorous Argos. All of that seems useless to think of now, since Argos is free somehow, shocking her nerves in fear and frustration.

"Argos! Brother! Who released you? And what is..."

Andromeda lays on the grass next to what appears to be a decapitated Cassino. She had felt it, but refused to believe it until the moment arrived, and it did like a thousand knives upon her heart.

"Don't tell me you did this...to your own brother...?!"

Even worse, Dante's life is threatened by Argos' blade, but just how deep had her insane brother plunged to? How much lower could he go? Cassino is dead, and that alone would guarantee Argos' harsh torture and grueling execution.

Hera's lightsaber ignites.

"Argos, let go of Dante." she firmly threatens as she kicks the body of Andromeda, trying to wake her up.

[Ithella Marzullo]

Without her powers, Ithella has become just another witness to the revolution, grabbing her collar and pulling it without avail. Her loyalty is not something that can easily be gained, given that she is a completely psychotic mess, but a new plan soon is conceived in her twisted little head as she begins tugging on Argos' clothes.

"Release me."

Argos gives her a brief glance, with a kneeling Dante not sure of what to make of the situation. A threatening Hera stands a few meters away, and Andromeda begins to regain her consciousness, the clone is running out of time.

"Release me now and I'll spare you."

Argos starts laughing as Dante begins sweating. Is a revolution within a revolution being born before his very eyes?

"Release me, now!"

Argos kicks Dante on the back, throwing him forward as his face hits the grass and dirt, smeared with the blood from Olenka's face as he quickly looks behind him. "You better not, Argos!"

Dante's remote flies off his utility belt as Argos catches it in the air, pressing the button.

Ithella's collar breaks in two pieces and hits the floor.

"Thank you."

A massive force blast is immediately inflicted upon Dante, Hera and Andromeda as the three fly down the hill, messily hitting the ground as they roll down with amazing speed and power. Argos is expectedly spared, it looks like Ithella can keep her word after all.

"I make the deals here, not Dante or anyone else, just remember that, uncle."

[Haken Marzullo]

Haken Marzullo, first cousin of Itala and one of the strongest members of the entire family, spars with the little Selene in the training grounds, but all of that abruptly ends when he receives Hera's holocron. Without permission from the little girl, he easily picks her up and carries her on his shoulders as he heads to the Branch C temple area.

"Something is terribly wrong little one, and it looks like the disturbance in the force we felt a few moments ago will turn out to be very bad news."

However, something is wrong indeed, and much worse than previously thought. Haken stops immediately as he sees the shape of a hooded woman on top of one of the four towers surrounding the training grounds, prompting him to place the defenseless child behind him as he looks up defiantly.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you soil our sacred home?"

The woman says nothing, and continues to stand up there as the moons of Albion begin to replace the dying sun, perhaps a great warning of the events that would happen that very same night.

"You will leave now and never return, stranger! I don't discriminate the female gender, if you come any closer, I will crush your puny bones!"

Ironically, Haken always hated violence and enjoyed sparring with little Selene much more than ripping the heads off his enemies. His good nature made him question Itala's policies all the time, but as a good family member should, never turned his back on his family.

"Everything will be alright, little one. Just stay behind me and run inside the shower room when I give you the signal."

[Taja Gunner]

Taja's robes fly away as a strong breeze engulfs her, jumping off the tower and gracefully landing on the sandy ground of the training area. The much smaller frame of the female is evident, but her ego can crush Haken's anytime. She doesn't hesitate to step forward, edging closer to the bulky warrior as her purple lightsaber is ignited.

"I have come for the only grandchild of Itala."

She continues to edge closer to the great displeasure and surprise of a pumped up Haken, clenching his fists as his anger builds.

"Step aside and let me do my job."

Little Selene peaks from behind Haken out of curiosity, quickly hiding back as Taja smiles and waves her hand.

[Haken Marzullo]

Haken's lightsaber flies from his bag a few meters away, quickly igniting as he catches it. He would rather die than give up his greatest joy for the past decade, stepping forward as he yells:

"Selene, NOW!"

Selene would be a fool to disobey a man that size, and quickly runs to the showers as Taja attempts to leap over Haken in an attempt to snatch her away from the family, but before she can even land, Haken performs a Force jump that turns into a nasty tackle, catching the back of the female intruder as they smash the wooden floor beneath the sand, his lightsaber turning much of it into glass instantly.

[Taja Gunner]

Making an agressive sound that resembles a hiss more than it probably should, Taja kicks the bulky man in the face as she rolls aside, flipping back up as she holds her lightsaber in front of her, looking within the entrance of the shower room to catch a glimpse of Selene, who keeps running farther by the second. Her mission is quickly becoming a failure, shaking from the possible punishment that may be coming her way were she to come back empty-handed.

"You are nothing but a big, useless, dumb chunk of meat, Haken."

Oh yes, she knew all about Selene's caretaker, thanks to information from very reliable sources, the whole Cid faction had enough knowledge to get the upper hand. Taja does not like to carry the name of Cid, but her blood does not lie and she would always take a chance to honor it by killing those who had rejected her whole family for millenia.

"Truly, you don't stand a chance, Haken."

Enough talking she thinks, jumping forward and flipping in the air as she attempts to slice through the man's chest with her quickest attack, one that had claimed the lives of assorted pirates and bounty hunters in previous missions.

[Haken Marzullo]

Before he is even allowed to talk trash in return, Haken finds himself on the receiving end of a nasty attack, holding his lightsaber up as it clashes against Taja's, backing down as he assimiliates the surprise factor quickly.

"You may be quick, foreigner, but I am...strong!"

Haken smiles viciously as he pushes forward with all of his might, throwing the slender female back several meters like she is being shot out of a canon, burying her beneath the sand as he loses her out of sight.

"Damn, where did you go?"

Haken quickly lands on the same spot she fell through as the sand is sucked in through a crack in the wooden floor. It looks like the sneaky lady had carved herself an escape hole in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, he dashes to the shower room to catch up with Selene, since the structure leads down to the dungeons beneath, right where Taja had fled.

[Ares Marzullo]

Not far behind Itala, Ares and Milo try to catch up as a disturbance in the Force slows them down for a moment. Someone else had died, and the pain begins to overwhelm their desire to fight, bringing Ares to his knees as he holds his chest, struggling to suck in some oxygen.

"The Force is playing games with my mind, I feel vastly different things coming in at the same time. Anger, envy, hate."

Milo shakes off the dreadful feeling, grabbing Ares' hand as he brings him back up.

"We can dwell on this later, haven't you received Hera's message? Cassino is in dan..."

Suddenly, it strikes him. It was Cassino who died. Ares covers his mouth in horror, but unfortunately it makes sense. Milo buries his fist in the grass from sheer fury, allowing the hate of an entire family to overcome his calm demeanor.

"Let's go and rip every limb from the killer's body, Ares."

[Lucilla Marzullo]

Lucilla frowned, her hand reaching up to touch her forehead as she feels the pain of another family member dying. Cassino, one of her branch. They lived on the same planet, his parents her Aunt and Uncle. Biting her lip, she held back her anguish, knowing that there would be time to mourn deaths later.

Shaking her head, she yelled after Itala, who was running off on his own yet again, leaping up behind him, using the Force to catch up to him, her lightsaber at the ready.

As Itala skidded to a stop, she slowed behind him and walked slowly, taking in deep breaths to steady her rapidly beating heart, though as she looked down, it felt for a moment as if her heart stopped all together.

"What are they doing here?! How did they get here?" Itala probably didn't know either, and it was foolish to ask him this question. Because of them, Cassino was dead, the family was in chaos. She glanced at her cousin, and prepared herself for battle. "I am ready when you are. We will drive them into the ground, Itala!"