Beginnings [Archive] - TheHolo.Net Forums

View Full Version : Beginnings

Rossos Atrapes

Apr 25th, 2008, 01:47:04 AM

The First Beginning's End: The Strider

"Are there any transports heading out today, for Cirrus?" she asked. The droid looked up at her, and then down at his console again before nodding.

"Go to level 41, platform C-45. One hundred and seventy-five credits."

She nodded, and payed the requisite number of credit chips. The droid had already called out for the next customer by the time she had finished, and truly not wanted to be in one place for much longer, she firmly grasped the young boy's hand, and led him through the busy space port to a lift where she could get to level 41. They remained silent for the entire time.

Standing at the door to the platform was a young man with curly black hair and dressed in an old looking jacket and pants, with a pair of scuffed boots on. He seemed to have already gotten the notice from the droid, since he looked at the datapad in his hand, and then at them.

"Name?" the young man asked. He grinned at the young boy, who grinned slightly back.

"Istina Ch'Fer," she answered. "This is my cousin, Rossos. Might I ask you yours?"

The young man grinned and nodded, sweeping slightly longer hair than normal from his face. "Sure ya can," he said. "Felvi Kent. My buddy Ateja should be by soon, and we can head out."

Istina nodded, a smile gracing her features. "Thank you."

Felvi's grin seemed permanently placed on his features. "No worries. After all, you're payin' us for the ride."

Istina smiled in thanks again, and took a look through the transparisteel door at the old, Phoenix Hawk Light Pinnace (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/S40K_Phoenix_Hawk-class_light_pinnace) that sat on the platform. "Is this ship yours?" she asked, making small talk.

Felvi blinked, and looked at her, and then the Pinnace. "Ateja's the one who bought it first. Big pile of scrap it was, then. I helped him fix it up. Every year after the semester finished, he took me home, and we worked during the vacation, sorta like long distance personal transport; a lot o' times we end up transporting packages and all that."

"You're a graduate?" Istina asked, her eyes wide. Felvi's grin widened into a smirk.

"Yep. Blaster's not somethin' ya see on a 'learned individual' ev'ryday, eh?" Istina shook her head. Rossos continued to listen passively, though his eyes were trained alertly on Felvi, who continued:

"What with the Rebellion goin' on, there's pirates an' all that all over the place, due to the patrols all being sent out to the front lines. Gotta stay protected, you know; though if we ever get caught out in open space, we just gotta hit into hyperspace quick, or we're fried."

Rossos's eyes widened. "You ever fought any pirates?" Istina blinked and looked at her 'cousin' with something akin to shock, but Felvi laughed.

"I don't fight pirates, kid. I run 'way from pirates. Not much they'd want from us, though, and most know it. They go after the wealthier, more expensive ships." He paused. "Though we did get caught up in a small little battle between the Republic and the Sep'ratists while doin' small transport for a Senator, quite some time ago. Our claim to fame, that is," he said with a self-deprecating grin.

Rossos continued to listen to Felvi talk about the places he'd seen while doing odd jobs for odd people with the small Pinnacle, which he called 'The Strider'. Felvi had been a student of Human Literature and Languages in the Mid-Rim Worlds program, and there were many times that his studies had helped him with the jobs he and his friend, Ateja Son, had done. He had just finished telling them about the shifty-eyed Trandoshan and his twenty cases of Urble-Flurb, a popular soft drink on the world of Axum, that turned out to be mildly intoxicating to an insectoid species, when Ateja walked up, dressed much like Felvi was.

Ateja looked much like Felvi, save for a larger nose and longer hair. He carried a bright green bag over his shoulder.

"This them?" he asked Felvi. Felvi nodded. "Nice to meet ya, name's Ateja Son, and I'm the captain of The Strider. You heading out to Cirrus? Got family out there or somethin'?"

"No, we have no family," Istina said as they all made their way across the ramp to the Pinnace. "Our family was recently killed in a rather large incident and we collected some insurance. We wanted to move out to a less dangerous part of the galaxy, a bit farther out of the way."

Felvi didn't offer condolences like Ateja did; he frowned lightly and said, "That's understandable. Wouldn't wanna stick around here either."

Istina wiped at her eyes. "I'm glad you understand," she said, and remained quiet as Ateja and Felvi began conversing about preflight checks and other technical speak. Rossos however was brimming with questions, and couldn't seem to contain himself; though it didn't bother Felvi or Ateja any, and they indulgently answered all the questions they could while they prepared the ship to leave the planet, even allowing him to sit in the cockpit while they took off.

That was the last time Rossos saw Coruscant, or Imperial Centre, for many years.

Rossos Atrapes

Sep 14th, 2008, 04:40:56 AM

The Sixth Beginning: The Holocron

Fondor was an affluent planet despite its position on the inner edge of the Mid-Rim; it was here that many Star Destroyers put in for repair and restocking while on patrol throughout the galaxy.
<o></o>
However, that was not the reason Inquistor Rossos Atrapes was taking a shuttle from the Star Destroyer Aggressor to the planet surface. For some time there had been reports of mysterious disappearances and deaths on the planet; though that in itself wasn’t enough to warrant the presence of an Inquisitor. Recent news had it that a security holo caught a man choking a few of the Moff’s Residence guards – without touching them.
<o></o>
That was enough to warrant the presence of an Inquisitor.
<o></o>
---------------------------------------
<o></o>
Rossos spoke with no one on the trip down, though he could hear the whispered conversations about him flitting around. He was not concerned with them however, and continued going over the details of the mission that he knew already until the shuttle landed.
<o></o>
The landing pad for the Star Destroyer’s shuttle was some distance away from the Moff’s mansion in the capital city’s spaceport. The officers and enlisted men that were getting off the shuttle were bound for the barracks or a place where they could get some drinks and some female company after all, not the residence of an affluent Moff. Rossos made to get a speeder to ferry him to the residence, however, he had a feeling that he wanted to walk around a bit. Being aware that his feelings had a depth that most others’ didn’t, he heeded the gut feeling and left the landing bay, and saw the crowded street of a bustling metropolis, though it didn’t hold a candle to Imperial Centre. A young girl was speaking to a street vendor not a few yards from where he stood.
<o></o>
“That’s right!” she said loudly, causing Rossos to look in her direction. She was a pretty girl of prepubescent age with shoulder length blonde hair and freckles. Before she could passively remind the observant Rossos of something she continued to speak. “4556 Seventh Eddling, Uncle Oll. See? I know it!”
<o></o>
“Good,” said Uncle Oll. “Are you here alone Llewas, or is Dain with you?”
<o></o>
The girl, Llewas, hesitated a moment, but nodded. “Dain was with me, but he had me waiting for a little bit outside the school; he had to talk to some people, or at least that’s what he told me. Some people about…” she paused, “Oh! He needed to talk about something he was going to over the weekend with a friend, considering it’s a long holiday.”
<o></o>
Rossos flagged down the next taxi-speeder to pass by before he was any later to the Moff’s residence.
---------------------------------------
<o></o>
“…Inquisitors?” the young woman whispered, looking over at the twenty-something year old man who was speaking with the Moff. He was dressed rather oddly, but then who wasn’t these days?
<o></o>
The equally young but still quite high ranking Imperial Officer nodded, making sure he wasn’t looking at the crimson-caped man across the way. “They are rumoured to be a branch of Imperial Intelligence,” he murmured quietly. “No one knows rightly what they do, though I’m pretty sure that the only ones who do won’t – or can’t – say a word.”
<o></o>
“Oh dear!” she whispered, placing he fingertips to her mouth. “Fenn Pendrahan, do you mean – you can’t be serious!”
<o></o>
He grinned. “Lucia, I’m only speaking on hearsay, you know. For all I know, he could be nothing more than a bounty hunter or something else.”
<o></o>
Lucia sa Clydno gave the young man in question a glance and slightly shook her head. “No, whatever he is, he isn’t a bounty hunter.”
<o></o>
Young officer Fenn nodded his agreement with the statement. “Yes, but we mustn’t immediately assume that he is some shadowy Imperial Intelligence agent either.”
<o></o>
Lucia slapped Fenn’s arm lightly. “I’m not the one who brought up this subject anyway!”
<o></o>
Fenn shrugged and pulled his young flame onto the dance floor, and consequently the mysterious young man was forgotten in the rush and heat of young love.
<o></o>
------------------------------------------------
<o></o>
“I’m quite glad that you were sent, Inquisitor,” the aging Moff said some time later while outside the grand house that served as his mansion. “I’m growing quite worried about this situation…not a week ago, I would have scoffed at the need of you, but after seeing the security holos and what happened to the guards…”
<o></o>
“I would like to see the security holos of the event,” The Inquisitor said. The Moff nodded hesitantly.
<o></o>
“What shall I say of you when people being asking questions? Some will, and we won’t be able to stop it.” The Inquisitor smirked.
<o></o>
“Make up what you will,” he said, “Or you can merely say that they have not the security clearance for such information. Now, show me the security holos of the event.”
<o></o>
The Moff, one Malik Pag, nodded hesitantly. “Follow me,” he said. He led the Inquisitor back into the mansion through a side door, and down a number of hallways and stairwells until they reached a room some three floors down. Inside were a number of operators and quite a bit of equipment, and many holoscreens. Moff Pag requisitioned one of them and soon enough, the events of one week ago played out in front of their eyes; most of them, having seen the holo before, paid more attention to the young man who was watching the holo closely.
<o></o>
“Stop playback,” the Inquisitor said suddenly. The operator obediently pressed the button required and all looked at the holoscreen for whatever was so important or interesting. On the holoscreen was the scene of the guards firing on the cloaked figure that had strangled two of their fellows without touching them. Taking a small single lens visor from a compartment in the odd mechanical bracer on his wrist, he placed it over his left eye and squinted for a few moments while fiddling a few buttons on the mechanical bracer. The Inquisitor finally nodded, put away the visor and said, “I’ve seen enough.”
<o></o>
Moff Pag nodded. “Would you like to spend the rest of the evening before you return to duty enjoying yourself with my family and guests?”
<o></o>
The Inquisitor shook his head and turned to leave. “No. I have no set times of day to fulfill my duties, Moff.” Without another word, he left.
<o></o>
---------------------------------------
<o></o>
“I don’t know where he is!” the girl cried, shaking in front of him. “He went to a friend’s house for the weekend. I don’t know where he is.”
<o></o>
Rossos felt her fear and drank it in, allowing it to strengthen his purpose. It hadn’t taken but five minutes of questioning before she had broken down and confessed that she had followed her cousin that night a week before and seen what he had done to the guards. Rossos felt that she had no sympathy for the guard; another dissenter of the new order.
<o></o>
“Where is your cousin?” he commanded, lacing his voice with the Force. The girl’s eyes glazed over, and she stayed silent for a moment, until he strengthened the Force Suggestion.
<o></o>
“I don’t know,” she said finally. She was telling the truth, but she was also hiding something. He admired the girl’s strength of will, but perhaps he could use this.
<o></o>
“Perhaps you should,” he said in return, allowing a cruel smirk to wind its way onto his features.
<o></o>
---------------------------------------
<o></o>
Dain Grainy had always known he was a special boy. His parents had been very proud of him, but also fearful of what might happen if attention had been called to his abilities. That had been until his parents were killed by Stormtroopers putting down a pirate ring in his town; the culprits ran through the crowded streets for cover, but the soldiers sprayed blaster fire after them without a care for the innocent civilians in the way, among being his father and mother. He had needed to live the life of a pick-pocket and street orphan for a month before he had been picked up by the authorities and sent to live with his aunt Deeda on Fondor. But in that month he had found and stolen something of great value, something that would allow him to get his vengeance on the Empire.
<o></o>
A small cube, almost innocently small and seamless; but the knowledge and promise it contained changed his life. It had taught him how to control his anger and hatred and to wield them as weapons against his enemies. It had taken him nearly two years before he could do anything substantial, but the power that had flowed through him as he choked the two guards to the Moff’s residence had been worth the wait and training; he had been far too impulsive before, when he had tried the same thing but had been unable to kill the Stormtrooper. Dan Grainy would not be powerless any longer. He would be invincible.
<o></o>
“Dain?” He spun about, looking over to the door of the small garage that had been his training ground for the last two years.
<o></o>
“Llewas,” he breathed, dropping his hands. The blonde girl stepped forward lightly as he frowned in her direction. “Don’t scare me like that. Are Aunt Deeda and Uncle Josh asking for me?
<o></o>
She grinned apologetically, and the expression looked strained, like she was about to cry. “Sorry,” she said, sounding anything but. Dain turned back to the broken wooden boards that littered the space in front of him as she answered his question. “No, but they are wondering where you go off to.”
<o></o>
Dain turned back to her. “You haven’t said anything, have you?”
<o></o>
Llewas shook her head. Dain grinned. “I knew I could count on you to keep the secret,” he said. She smiled weakly in return, and continued her slow steps toward him. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he began to lift up another board from the scrap pile and started to put stress on it with his anger and hatred.
<o></o>
“I was looking for you.”
<o></o>
“Why?” he asked, and found a vibro-blade sticking out from his chest. He coughed, and blood pooled in his mouth. “Llewas?” He fell to his knees, his legs suddenly unable to hold up his weight. The blade slid out of his body, and he heard a clatter as it fell to the floor.
<o></o>
“I—I’m sorry,” Llewas gasped. “But he said – he said that we’d all die if I didn’t do it. Mommy, and Daddy, and even me! Dain, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I don’t wanna die.”
<o></o>
Dain blinked and found his gaze trained on the small little thing that had promised him so much, only to fail him at this crucial moment. It sat atop a small crate a yard from where he had been training. Llewas was walking toward it. Don’t, he wanted to think, that’s mine, I found it. It will grant me the power to destroy the Empire and get back at them.
<o></o>
But he could only watch with his fading sight as Llewas picked it up and pulled out a small commlink and pressed a button.
<o></o>
“Have you done what I asked?” a man appeared over the commlink. Llewas nodded. “I have your coordinates, and am on my way. Don’t try to run; you know I’ll find you.”
<o></o>
Dain gasped, feeling weaker than he had ever felt before. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like the times when he would drink and it went down the wrong tube, causing him to cough. But no matter how many times he coughed, he couldn’t get the water out of the tube. Everything was getting darker…
<o></o>
He felt a small hand touch the back of his head. Llewas? When had she walked over to him? She was crying. Dain wanted to do something, anything, but he felt so tired. Just a little nap and he’d go and get her something at Divna’s; she liked the jewelry there, as cheap and fake as it was. Just a little nap…
<o></o>
------------------------------------------------
<o></o>
It took Rossos five minutes to arrive. He smiled as he saw the girl crouched next to the dead boy, the bloody knife laying on the floor, forgotten. The girl looked up as he entered and held out her hand, dropping a small cube into his palm. He placed it in a pocket on his belt, and commed the Moff and the local authorities to explain that the murderer had been killed, and by his own cousin no less.
<o></o>
“Well done,” he murmured, taking the communicator from the girl. “Now you see what happens when you stand against someone who is so much more than you can imagine.”
<o></o>
He greeted the guards and other law enforcement when they arrived, and with the arrival of the Moff’s own guards, was exempted from questioning, as if he would have allowed himself to be subjected to it anyway. As he left, he heard the law enforcement praising the girl as a hero. He chuckled and continued on his way to the space-port and the landing dock that held the shuttle which would take him off this planet. There was something he needed to study…

Rossos Atrapes

Sep 17th, 2008, 03:31:19 PM

The Fourth Beginning: Kaz Radiian

“Well, that should be all of it,” Felvi said, marking the datapad as the last of the cargo was placed into the hold. Rossos grinned as the repulsors on the crate dimmed and died, and the crate settled onto the hold with a small thump.
<o></o>
“Good,” the younger teenager said. “Anymore and we might not be able to outrun those that might want see what we don’t want them to.”
<o></o>
Felvi grinned and raised an eyebrow, but didn’t raise his eyes to the sixteen year old.
<o></o>
“That’s a Light Pinnace,” a new voice said. “’Doubt it could outrun anything in space nowadays.”
<o></o>
Felvi looked up, seeing a young girl with short blonde hair looking at them almost resignedly. He frowned. “Hey, Strider’s got what it needs, where it counts, kid.”
<o></o>
She gave a slight apologetic smile and raised her hands in an ‘Okay, okay!’ gesture. “I didn’t mean it that badly; just…it’s old, kind of unfit for smuggling.”
<o></o>
“Who said we were smugglin’?” Felvi asked, looking calm. Rossos could see the underlying tension in his face however, and his hand inching closer to his blaster. It seemed the girl could tell too. She backed up, and ran a hand through her hair. For the first time, Rossos noticed that it was blonde.
<o></o>
“No one,” she said quickly. “Did anyone say you were smuggling? ‘Cause I didn’t.”
<o></o>
Felvi regarded her for another moment before nodding. “Good. And don’ you forget it.”
<o></o>
The girl blinked, confused. “Forget what?” she asked. But Felvi didn’t answer.
<o></o>
“Hey,” a voice from inside the ship carried out to them. “…Felvi! Comm traffic’s picked up; looks like we’re gonna have some company!”
<o></o>
Felvi swore, and shut off the datapad. “Rossos, check out the cargo, make sure it won’t bounce around while we’re flyin’. And be quick about it. We wanna be gone when they arrive.”
<o></o>
“I want to go with you. Wherever you’re going!” the girl said. Felvi and Rossos stopped.
<o></o>
“An’ why should we be doin’ that now?” he asked. The girl blinked. “Rossos, I said to check out the cargo, not stand and gawk at this little one.”
<o></o>
Rossos grimaced and ran up the ramp to the cargo hold, but still staying near the opening so that he could hear.
<o></o>
“I have credits. I can pay whatever you want,” she said. “I just want it kept quiet, understand?”
<o></o>
“How old are you, girlie?” Felvi said, “I ain’t gonna be charged with accessory to kidnapping for credits I ain’t goin’ ta be able to spend.”
<o></o>
“Don’t get caught then,” the girl said simply.
<o></o>
“What’s going on out here?” Ateja said, jogging down the ramp followed by Rossos, who figured the cargo hadn’t ever jostled before, so why would it now?
<o></o>
“We’ve got a runaway lookin’ for a way out, it seems,” Felvi said, taking out a cigarra (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Cigarra) and lighting it. Ateja looked at the young girl.
<o></o>
“Well she’s got a good reason for running away, sounds like,” he said. “A young girl went and trashed a few rooms in the palace and nearly killed a couple guards. Got a city wide sweep for her goin’ on. You’re her?” Ateja asked. “If we turn you in, we might get ourselves a nice bit of reward.”
<o></o>
The girl looked like she was about to cry. “But—but I didn’t do it!”
<o></o>
Felvi snorted, causing the cherry of his cigarra to fall on his boot. He swore and brushed it off quickly before checking to see how damaged the new footwear was. Ateja would have laughed, but faced with a decision like this, he remained serious.
<o></o>
“She didn’t do it,” Rossos said. Both Felvi and Ateja looked at their charge with incredulous faces. He looked back at them and shrugged. “I don’t know why, but I get the feeling she didn’t do it. She’s telling the truth.”
<o></o>
Sounds of people calling out to each other began to float in from the distance. Rossos blinked, allowing the calls to break him of his trance.
<o></o>
“Please,” the girl begged. “Please, I didn’t do it.”
<o></o>
Ateja looked uncertain. He turned to Felvi, who shook his head. “We don’ need complications like this over our heads. They’ll be on the lookout for us, and we have ‘nough troubles as it is.”
<o></o>
“But she’s innocent! We can’t just leave her!” Rossos returned. Felvi looked a bit guilty, but his eyes hardened.
<o></o>
“Innocent or no, and I believe ya by the way, kid,” Felvi said, “Your sixth sense has gotten us out of more’n a few bad deals, but this ain’t about her bein’ innocent. This is about us, and whether we can afford to help this girlie out and face the consequences if we get caught.”
<o></o>
Ateja nodded. “You’ve got a point,” he said. Rossos almost panicked.
<o></o>
“If you leave her, I’ll stay with her here and help her. She doesn’t deserve this!” he threatened; the girl looked at him with an expression mixed between thankfulness and incredulity. Felvi swore and threw his cigarra on the ground. Ateja grinned.
<o></o>
“Can’t argue with that, cause Istina’d have my head if we lost ya,” he said. The voices had gotten louder in the mean-time, and were now sounding like they were just around the corner.
<o></o>
“We best be leavin’ then,” Felvi said, motioning everyone up the ramp, “Or we won’t be goin’ nowhere.”
<o></o>
The other three hurried up the ramp, Ateja and Rossos immediately running for the cockpit. The girl followed them. Felvi, the last one up, smacked the button for the ramp, and with a hiss the door began closing; but he ignored it and headed for the cockpit.
<o></o>
“Unidentified transport: cease lift off immediately and open your ship for inspection. We have reason to believe that a stowaway may be on board.”
<o></o>
“What?!” Felvi screamed into the comm as he took the co-pilot’s chair and strapped himself in. The controller began to speak again, but Felvi cut him off. “What?! Our comm’s busted, you’re breakin’ up!”
<o></o>
“Cease lift off immediately, and open–”
<o></o>
“Have a nice trip?” Felvi yelled, “Okay, thanks for the good-bye!”
<o></o>
The ship began bucking under the atmospheric pressure as Ateja pushed the throttle for more speed. “Come on,” he murmured.
<o></o>
Finally, the blue of the sky was suddenly gone to be replaced by the remoteness of space. “Thank you!” Felvi said, and activated the hyperdrive. The stars became long streaks, and suddenly the multi-coloured tunnel that signified travel through hyperspace enveloped them.
<o></o>
“I’m gettin’ too old for that sorta thing,” Felvi grumbled as he pulled out another cigarra.
<o></o>
“You’re getting too old for that?” Ateja laughed. “You may be gettin’ on in years, but you aren’t there yet. Don’t go gettin’ delusions of senility on me.”
<o></o>
“‘Delusions of senility?’” Felvi quipped in return. “Aren’t they mutually inclusive?” Ateja made a face at his co-pilot, who smirked back and lit his cigarra before turning to the new guest on board. He took a long drag while he looked at her.
<o></o>
“What?” she asked finally.
<o></o>
“What’s your name, girlie?” the scraggly stubbled man asked, exhaling a grey cloud of smoke. The girl shifted a bit at the look on Felvi’s face, a sort of calm analytical expression that left little clue what went on underneath. The girl hesitated.
<o></o>
“Kaz,” she finally replied. “Kaz Radiian.”
<o></o>
“You ain’t lyin’ to me now, are ya?” he asked. She shook her head. He finally nodded after another few smoke filled moments. “Right then. Rossos, get Kaz here situated in a bunk and give ‘er a run-down of our schedules; we should reach our first point in about a day or so, then it’s off to Cirrus.”
<o></o>
Rossos nodded. “Come on,” he said, and Kaz followed him through the ship to the bunks.
<o></o>
“Why did you do that?” she asked finally, after Rossos had shown her where her bunk was, where the ‘fresher was, and told her at what times they ate.
<o></o>
“Do what?” Rossos asked.
<o></o>
“Threaten to stay with me to get them to take me with you.”
<o></o>
“Oh,” Rossos scratched the back of his head. “Eh, that wasn’t really planned or thought out on my part. It just came out, you know? Something just forced it out and I said it. Of course, it would have been wrong to just leave you, but Felvi’s not the nicest guy. A good man, but not a nice one.”
<o></o>
Kaz nodded. “Ah. Well, I just wanted to thank you for that. It was kind of you.”
<o></o>
Rossos shrugged. “Your welcome, I guess. Welcome to the Strider.”

Rossos Atrapes

Sep 18th, 2008, 05:19:13 PM

The Fifth Beginning: The Betrayal
soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_Now6WDRc)

Kaz grinned at him while fixing up the jacket she had recently gotten him for his life day. Rossos was pleased with it, and she could tell; and even better, it hadn't been difficult to know whether Rossos would have enjoyed it or not, considering that it looked like Felvi's.

Er, Valant's. She was, to be honest, not all that surprised when the news came out that Felvi and Ateja (well, maybe just Felvi) were already known to the Empire for a number of crimes, among them impersonating an Imperial Officer during a foray into an Imperial weapons store-station orbiting over Corulag. She was even less surprised to hear that it was Felvi...er, Valant, who had pulled that off. Much of the dogged pursuit over the last two years was not due to her presence after all.

So that was why Valant Feskin had been so against her coming on board in the first place; by leaving the planet, their crime had moved under Imperial jurisdiction, not that anything wasn't under Imperial jurisdiction anyway, but the Imperials were more than likely to hire out Bounty Hunters to find them, and her escape with them had caused their faces to be noticed again.

"Stand still!" she commanded him, noticing that he was beginning to twitch. Rossos rolled his eyes, but didn't move as she walked around him, making sure the alterations to the jacket weren't noticeable. She finished her rotation, and grinned. "Perfect, if I say so myself."

Rossos grinned. "Well, now I know I made a good choice in a housewife; you're already fixing up all my new old clothes."

Kaz shoved him while he chortled at her red face. "You shouldn't be teasing like that," she replied. Rossos grinned wider.

"You'll get used to it, or you're going to be miserable and shoving me half the time. And that would give a literal meaning to 'she's pushing me away'!" He returned. Kaz couldn't help but grin at the awful pun.

"Comedy isn't your thing, Rossos," she sighed. He shrugged and gave a crooked grin, reminiscent of Fel...Valant's.

"Hey," Ateja...Janos... was standing in the doorway, grinning as he watched them. "Nice jacket. Did you steal it from Val?"

"I bought it for him," Kaz said, noting Rossos grinning at Janos's observation. She continued to watch Janos carefully for a few moments. "How's Istina?"

Janos's expression turned a bit stormy. "Still a bit shaken by the proton torpedo Calrissian fired, but much better than before. She's talkin' to me now. Why?" he asked.

Kaz shook her head. "No reason," she said, thankful for the news that she seemed to be dealing with the news better than she had last heard. "Just wondering how she was feeling."

Janos didn't seem fully convinced, but nodded. He turned to look at Rossos. "I need you two to head down to this address," he said, holding out a datapad. Rossos took it, and Kaz stuck her head under his arm to read it and stay close to him. Janos, quite used to these displays since before the two had expressed their mutual attraction, simply continued: "There's a map on there too. It's nothing dangerous, just supplies and food, so no need for trouble, understand?"

Rossos nodded. "We'll head out right away." Janos shrugged.

"We're in no hurry, kid," he said, and began to walk out of the cabin that now served Rossos and Kaz alone. He stopped just before he left. "Rossos, Kaz, are you...happy with us? Do you feel the need to leave or the like?"

Rossos blinked and raised an eyebrow. "No. Not at all, Janos," he said. "In fact, I don't think there's any place I'd rather be at moment."

Janos raised his eyebrows, but grinned. "Alright," he said simply, seeming to channel Valant's penchant for less words. He turned and walked out the door, which shut with a slight hiss. Rossos and Kaz shared a small look, before going about their business.

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

"She's scared," Valant said simply. Janos rolled his eyes.

"I already knew that," Janos bit off, but still seeming to absorb what his best friend was saying.

"I don' think you did. D'you remember how we met 'em?" Valant asked, taking a drag from his cigarra. "She was runnin' from somethin', or someone. But she didn' seem really scared 'til we brought up on Cirrus with nigh on a fleet of Imperial Patrol Cruisers right behind," Janos stayed silent. "You remember how she freaked, dontcha?"

Janos nodded.

"So now she finds out it wasn't this girl that had the Empire sniffin' us out with a vengeance, but in fact me, an' you, whom she'd taken a shine to, had irritated 'em somethin' horrible in the past." Valant tossed his cigarra to the side.

Janos frowned. "This sucks." Valant smirked.

"Y'sound like your ten years old."

"At least I don't act ten years old."

"Quiet."

"What? Got nothin' to say--"

"No. Quiet!"

Janos did indeed quiet himself. Except for a small humming sound, he couldn't hear anything, while Valant looked to be listening intently. "What?"

Valant looked up the ramp and reached for his blaster.

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

"I'm sorry!" Kaz said again. Rossos squeezed her hand as she rubbed at the new stain on his jacket.

"S'alright Kaz; you know I like my jackets broken in anyway." Kaz grinned slightly at his lie, until Rossos began to slow. Kaz blinked, looking up at the young man and looking confused.

"What is it?" Before Rossos could say anything, she felt it too; like a rock had settled in the bottom of her stomach, and a bad taste covered her mouth like a film. He glanced down at her, and without a word, they began running back to the landing bay.

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

The sight that greeted them was something they had never expected. Rossos's eyes immediately went to Istina, who was standing in front of Janos, who held the stump of his right arm where Istina had cut off his hand with a glowing sword.

Kaz gripped his arm tightly, and Rossos glaced over to see Valant on his back some meters from the Strider, laying spread-eagle on the ground. He returned his eyes to their former sight to see Janos fall back, a smoking hole in his chest, Istina withdrawing the lightsabre.

Kaz gasped. Rossos felt like his world was crashing around him. He knew he had never understood that statement before now; he felt like the world had truly fallen from around him. His feet were no longer on solid ground. He was dizzy and in the dark, and all around him he could hear nothing but the hum of the lightsabre in Istina's hand...

And then suddenly, he could hear and see and feel; the suns were murder on this planet, but its previous discomfort was ignored, its heat nothing to the hurt and anger bubbling in his chest, and in this present clarity that directed his movements and his voice.

"Go into the ship, Kaz; I'll be right with you," he said, and saw Istina turn quickly toward him with wide eyes. Kaz ran off out of his sight, and he did not take his eyes off of Istina.

"Rossos..." she said, and he sneered. Without a thought, his arm had moved. His blaster was in his hand, and he was firing again and again at his mother-figure, the woman who had raised him nearly from birth. Istina raised the lightsabre and blocked the shots; and then she was running at him while still blocking. Once she was in range, he lashed out with a snarl, only to miss. She passed him, and he spun seeing two men with crimson capes and red lightsabres engaging Istina. His vision blurred.

"Rossos!" Kaz. He turned, vision clearing, seeing a couple stormtroopers holding her. With two bounds he was next to them, and grabbing one by the throat; with a great heave, the white clad soldier was cast almost on top of Istina, but with a twirl of her lightsabre, the soldier was cut in twain. The other stormtrooper moved to bring his blaster to bear, but suddenly began grasping at his throat. Kaz rolled away from the now levitating stormtrooper, and looked up at him as he slowly died. She knew it was Rossos who was doing those things; things that had given her nightmares for almost year until her cries woke up Rossos and he sat next to her bed all that night holding her hand to scare the monster in her soul away.

His fingers twitched, and the trooper's head snapped to the side with an audible crack; his hand fell limply to his side, and immediately his legs stopped kicking.

"Rossos..." she murmured. He glanced down at her, and she noted with fear that his eyes had a yellowish tinge to them now, but it seemed that they were clearing. He picked her up, gently, so gently for having just thrown a man meters away, and with another bound and a few steps, set her down just inside the ramp of the Strider. He turned to go back outside. "Rossos," she whispered, "Rossos, don't go. Let's just fly away, like we always do."

Rossos seemed conflicted for a moment. But the snapping and crackling of the lightsabres outside seemed to make his decision for him. "I won't let her get away with what she's done."

And he pulled his arm from her fingers, and stalked down the ramp. Before he stepped out of sight, he looked back at her. "Wait for me," he said, his eyes growing that sickly yellow again. "I'll be back."

And then he turned away from her again, and Kaz felt her heart breaking; he had made a decision that had far-reaching effects not only on himself but on her. She didn't understand this all quite yet. All she knew was that each step he took from her was stars away.

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

By the time Rossos rejoined the battle, one Inquisitor, the younger less experienced one, had been struck down by Istina's frenzied and fearful attack. The Inquisitor could feel her fear fuelling her strength. Then came a blaze of hot anger from behind the woman, and he saw the young man stalking towards them. The lightsabre flew from the dead Inquisitor's hand and sprang to life before it reached Rossos's hand.

Rossos was attacking before the lightsabre had reached his hand as well; a strike that Istina had to dodge from the pure ferocity she could feel within it.

"Rossos," she gasped. She knew now that she would die. She couldn't bring herself to attack the boy she had deemed her child from the moment she had seen him in the creche so many years ago. The boy she had stolen from the Jedi Temple; and in the doing of such a heinous act, saving his life. He didn't sneer this time, and she felt hope bubble within her heart. His cruel smile drained the dredges of it from her.

"Yes, mother?" he asked, his voice gravelly as it had not been before. Istina blinked away tears. He had only ever called her that once in his entire life. It was the moment that defined hers. "Too late," he grinned ferociously again, and jumped into the attack, landing behind her and sweeping her feet. She fell, and only barely managed to roll away from the long gouge that he dug in the dirt with the lightsabre.

She rolled to her feet, and almost in unison with her 'son', threw her lightsabre. It was the only time she had actively attacked him, but his lightsabre deflected hers so that it only nicked his arm. He kept his concentration though, and the last sight she saw was of his pure yellow eyes glowing from in the face that should never have framed such as them.

The lightsabre spun, detaching her arm from her body, and then it turned in mid-air and still spinning, began to shave her limbs down bit by bit, dismembering her piece by piece; and Rossos relished in her screams of pain.

Finally the strain was too much for him and he fell to his knees, his breath short in his lungs. Darkness claimed him, and he knew no more.

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

Kaz screamed in denial as she saw the last of her new family laying on the ground, unmoving. Without thinking, she triggered the remote closing of the ramp, and began to flick on the Strider. She needed to get away, far away, where her heart and head and soul could stop hurting once and for all.

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

The Inquisitor looked down at the prostrate boy, ready to finish him as he lay there. Indeed, he almost did stab the defenceless young man, but stopped as the Light Pinnace warmed up and then took off, rocketing into the darkening sky.

When he looked down at the unconscious boy, he no longer saw a threat. He saw Promise. The Force granted the Inquisitor a vision that day, and in it, the slightly older young man was wearing the crimson cape of an Inquisitor and wielded a red lightsabre.

His lightsabre deactivated with a high pitched hiss, and he pulled out his commlink to request pick up, clean up, and medical assistance.

Rossos Atrapes

Sep 20th, 2008, 08:22:45 PM

<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" forum="" images="" smilies="" blush.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Blush" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" forum="" images="" smilies="" blush.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Blush" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype>

The Fourth Beginning’s End: The Uncovering<o></o>

Two Standard Years After [I]Kaz Radiian

<o></o>
“I have my own ships of course, but…” the dark-skinned man grinned. “Well, certain people know of that; people I’d rather not have know that I’m leaving, understand?”<o></o>

Rossos didn’t grin in return, but gave a soft snort of humour. “I understand. And doing this quietly will cost a bit extra. Five thousand credits.”<o></o>

Lando Calrissian gave the younger man a hurt look. “Have I swindled you before? That seems a bit pricey, friend.”
<o>
</o><o></o>The cantina, like most others, was dark and light in exactly the right places. Rossos and Lando were sitting in a darkened area of the bustling business, the only real light being the dim lighting a few seats over and the dull red of Calrissian’s cigarra. The smell of the burning leaves and paper reminded Rossos of Felvi, and he was a bit more at ease for it in his second negotiation ever done.<o></o>

“Yes,” Rossos agreed. “It is. But everything has a price. Doing things quietly is harder, and requires more resources, as well as a discreet time to leave, which also is more difficult to attain than most would think. And the danger to our lives is not something I consider cheaply.”<o></o>

Lando sighed. “Listen kid, I could always find another ship willing to take me—,” Rossos cut him off.<o></o>

“No, you can’t not with the things you’re asking, unless you’re willing to wait another week or so to leave. And you’re not so willing to do that, are you?” he said with certainty. Lando shook his head, a new respect for Rossos in his eyes.<o></o>

“Fine,” he said. “Fine. Five thousand. I can give you three thousand now, and two thousand when we reach Bespin.”<o></o>

Rossos accepted the credit chit and took out a datapad. Everything checked out; there were three thousand credits on the chit.<o></o>

“Meet us on the Strider in docking bay twenty-four. We leave in five hours, and if you’re not there, we’re leaving without you.” Lando perked up a bit at the name, his brow furrowing, but nodded anyway.<o>

</o> Rossos turned and left the cantina, heading back to the only place he considered home.
<o></o>
---------------------------------------------------------
<o></o>
“You find the guy alright?” Felvi asked as Rossos handed him the chit with the first part of their payment.
<o></o>
“Yep. His name is Lando Calrissian. He needs a discreet ride to Bespin. You know him?” Rossos asked, seeing Felvi pull a face and then look at the Strider. He nodded distractedly.
<o></o>
“Yeah,” he said, but then grinned. “But I’m proud of ya, Rossos. You did well. Too bad you’re too old for hugs an’ all that, eh?”
<o></o>
Rossos grinned and shook his head to remove Felvi’s hand from its tousling. He enjoyed the gesture, but he wasn’t a child anymore. Felvi lit another cigarra.
<o></o>
“I mean it, Rossos,” Felvi said. “You’re like the son I never had. Though if things keep goin’ on as they are ‘tween Ateja and Istina, well, I might have to stick with Uncle, ain’t I?”
<o></o>
Rossos blinked. Felvi was rarely this sentimental. Taking this moment for what it was, he leaned against the Strider next to Felvi, and said, “Well I’ve always figured you for the father I’ve never had. Ateja never seemed like he knew what he was going to do with me.”
<o></o>
Felvi chuckled. “He’s been thinkin’ about that, but decided that I’d already done most of the parentin’ that needed to be done.” He snorted. “Me, parenting. Whoda thunk?”
<o></o>
Rossos grinned.
<o></o>
“Well, I’ll be. I had my suspicions of course, but I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen for myself. Valant! How’d you escape Corulag? I heard they got you and Janos there, though I’ve been hearing things about you two again recently.”
<o></o>
Felvi straightened, looking a bit grim. “Lando. I wish I could say it was nice to see you again, but I ain’t one for lyin’.”
<o></o>
Lando grinned, though it seemed a bit strained. “Oh come on. It wasn’t like I lied to you about what was there, eh? But that’s the past, I’m glad to see the Empire didn’t get ya! Changing your names, skipping the Mid-Rim, everyone thought you were captured or dead. Even me, when you didn’t contact me.”
<o></o>
Felvi didn’t smile. “Can’t say I didn’t wish that were still the case,” he replied.
<o></o>
Rossos spoke for the first time since Lando had arrived. “Felvi?”
<o></o>
Both older men glanced back to the confused Rossos. Felvi gestured to Lando.
<o></o>
“Rossos, meet Lando Calrissian. He’s the guy that sold the Strider to Ateja. Lando, this is Rossos, the transport job that came back and never left.”
<o></o>
Rossos nodded in greeting, but kept his eyes on Felvi, who nodded to the two of them and went off to ostensibly check on the ship before they prepared for lift off.
<o></o>
“Why do you call him Valant?” Rossos asked as soon as Felvi was out of earshot. Lando looked at him and grinned.
<o></o>
“He never told you? He and Janos used to work for me. They wanted to go off on their own…”
<o></o>
-----------------------------------------------
<o></o>
“What’s this all about, Rossos?” Istina asked, though she was still relieved that he hadn’t seen the lightsaber she had been ruminating over in the cabin she now shared with Ateja. She had been subtly training Rossos over the years, but the fear of his response kept her from revealing the truth of their past to the young man she considered her son.
<o></o>
“You’ll see,” was all he said in reply.
<o></o>
Inside the lounge Kaz was already seated with Lando (she had managed to get the man’s name at least from Rossos), and Lando seemed a bit attuned to the tense air in the ship.
<o></o>
Once Istina was seated (after Lando gave one his trademark suave greetings), Rossos nodded to Lando. “Start talking. Tell them exactly what you told me.”
<o></o>
Lando nodded soberly, losing his interested grin. “Well, the men you know as Felvi Kent and Ateja Son are actually former, well, employees of mine you could say, Valant Feskin and Janos Thegas. I sold Janos this ship, you know. The deal was that they’d work for me for a few years transporting things that I needed them to transport and they could use the ship for whatever they liked in the meantime.
<o></o>
“They were pretty good at what they did, though it was mostly the straight-forward jobs I gave them. I gave them one job where they were supposed to take a bunch of stolen art to New Holstice for delivery to a well paying customer. This job was supposed to be the last for them, and they would have been free to do whatever they wanted with the ship.
<o></o>
“The whole thing was a set up, and the Empire sprung a trap for them in the hunt for these art thieves that I had been working with after a couple higher ups found their more expensive pieces missing in the middle of the night.
<o></o>
“Don’t ask me how, but they escaped. Rumours went around that they rigged the Imperial Patrol Ship with explosives and flew off in the Strider when they docked both ships at a satellite station. One of the Imperials they killed was apparently the son of a well to do Moff. Well, you’d realize what sort of attention they’d get from the Empire after that, right? So they high-tail it out of the Mid-Rim as Felvi Kent Ateja Son apparently, and renamed this ship the Strider. They ran, and picked up a passenger who was apparently a Rebellion spy of some sort. They found out somehow, probably by searching through the guy’s luggage, and tipped off the Empire and high-tailed it again. No one heard from them since. I never would have thought Felvi Kent and Ateja Son were Valant and Janos.”
<o></o>
Calrissian went silent for a moment, but ended his story with: “But they were good smugglers. Almost as good as Han Solo; but not quite that good. Han Solo’s managed to steer clear of the Empire so far.”
<o></o>
The lounge was silent for a moment as Kaz and Istina absorbed the information they were given. Kaz looked troubled, but Rossos noted that Istina was white and trembling.
<o></o>
“Well, what’s with all the long faces?” Ateja asked as he walked into the lounge. “We’re under way, no one’s the wiser, and Bespin’s only another week away…” He stopped when he saw Lando, and the wary eyes of Rossos, and Kaz. Istina wasn’t looking at him.
<o></o>
“Frack,” he said. Istina stood and rushed from the room, with Kaz soon behind her. Lando looked at Rossos.
<o></o>
“Was it something I said?” he asked, as Rossos left the lounge as well, heading to the cockpit, followed by the newly unveiled Janos, who slowly followed the path of Kaz and Istina.
<o></o>
---------------------------------------------------
<o></o>
“…What’d he tell ya?” Valant asked as Rossos sat behind him. He spun in the chair to face the younger man. Seeing Rossos’s face, he winced.
<o></o>
“You never told me,” Rossos said. “Why?”
<o></o>
Valant shrugged, not looking very happy, but not very guilty either. “What? ‘Bout my name? ‘Cause it’s somethin’ I dropped, kid. It was causin’ me more trouble than I needed, so I dropped it. Like I’ve done with everythin’ since you met me. How is that any different?”
<o></o>
Rossos nodded. “I…I understand, but…it isn’t Kaz they’re after, is it?” He looked at Valant’s grimace. “It’s you and Ateja…or Janos. Tell me; if I had been more trouble than I was worth, would you have dropped me and Istina as well?”
<o></o>
Valant shifted in his seat. “At one point, yeah,” he said honestly. “But now? Ya grew on me, kid. I’d prob’ly kill anyone tryin’ to kill you now, and the thought of dumpin’ ya somewhere sits as well in my stomach as a Mynock’s fried brain. And you can use that sixth sense of yours if you think I’m lyin’.”
<o></o>
Rossos looked at Valant intently for a few moments and finally nodded. “I believe you. I’m still angry, but…you’re like my father. I trust you.”
<o></o>
Valant sagged in his seat, and sighed. “Thanks Rossos,” he said, and smiled. “You might wanna check on Istina about now, eh?”
<o></o>
Rossos nodded. “Yeah, I probably should.” He stood up, and began to walk back out, but stopped to look back at Valant, who was busy about the navigation panel. A few steps took him back to the unsuspecting man. He arms went around the seat, and he hugged the older man from behind. Valant stiffened, but relaxed soon after and placed a hand on his arm.
<o></o>
“I told ya to get goin’, Rossos,” Valant said, breaking the short moment. Rossos grinned and walked out of the cockpit.
<o></o>
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright, Dad,” he said mockingly, causing Valant to laugh.
<o></o>
-------------------------------------------------------------
<o></o>
Rossos had to move to the side of the corridor as Janos stormed past him, his facial expression thunderous. Casting a confused glance down the hallway, he continued on to Istina’s cabin.
<o></o>
It took a few moments, but Kaz opened the door with a frustrated look on her face. “Look, I already told you…” she began but stopped when she saw him. She opened the door wider to allow him entrance.
<o></o>
“Istina?” he said, walking over to the woman who sat on the edge of her bunk. “How are you?”
<o></o>
Istina didn’t answer his question. “We’re leaving when we get to Bespin,” she said. Rossos blinked.
<o></o>
“What?”
<o></o>
“I’m not going to let them turn us in to the Empire so they can continue to go free,” she said, gripping her skirt with trembling hands. Rossos knelt in front of his ‘cousin’.
<o></o>
“They won’t,” Rossos said firmly. “Despite what Lando just told us, don’t you think that they would have dropped us already if they were going to?”
<o></o>
Istina gripped her skirt tighter under his own hands. “Maybe…maybe they’re just biding their time, waiting until we’re worth the most.”
<o></o>
Rossos shook his head. “I doubt that. We’re worth nothing compared to what they are to the Empire.”
<o></o>
Istina sighed, and pulled one of her hands from under Rossos’s. She palmed open a drawer of hers containing undergarments, and pulled out a long metallic tube, and holding it vertically in front of her face, she pressed a small button, causing a blade of pure energy to shoot forth. Rossos felt his mouth go dry.
<o></o>
“Istina?” Kaz whispered. Istina smiled sadly.
<o></o>
“I’m sorry I never told you, Rossos,” she mumured, “But we are worth much more than you thought. I am…was…a Jedi.”
<o></o>
Rossos stood and took a step back, his hand reaching for Kaz’s. “Jedi?” he asked.
<o></o>
She nodded. “I…I was in charge of your health in the <st1><st1>Jedi</st1> <st1>Temple</st1></st1> before the Empire took over,” she lied. It was surprising how easily they came to her lips. “I fled the destruction of the Jedi with you. The Empire will stop at nothing to destroy any vestige of the Old Jedi Order, including us, including you, and…those two as well. They’ll go with habit and choose themselves and give us up. I wouldn’t be surprised if they already know I’m a Jedi, and it wouldn’t take much to make the connection with you.”
<o></o>
Rossos shook his head, firmly believing in the moment he shared with Valant on the bridge. The man was the closest thing to a father he had, and he was finding out that the closest thing to a mother he had ever known had kept more secrets than anyone else.
<o></o>
“Be quiet!” he hissed. “They wouldn’t!”
<o></o>
“Shh, it’ll be alright,” Kaz murmured, wrapping her arms around Rossos to comfort him. She looked at the bitter expression on Istina’s face. “I agree with Rossos. If they had known, they would have tossed us already.”
<o></o>
Istina shook her head and deactivated her lightsabre. “We have to betray them, or they’ll betray us. Either that, or we leave without notice.”
<o></o>
Rossos grimaced. “No!” he barked. “They won’t do such a thing, and neither shall we!” Valant’s words from earlier still rang in his ears. Ya grew on me, kid. I’d prob’ly kill anyone tryin’ to kill you now, and the thought of dumpin’ ya somewhere sits as well in my stomach as a Mynock’s fried brain.
<o></o>
Istina blinked and looked up at Rossos. “Valant promised me,” Rossos said. “He promised me, and I felt no lie. Isn’t that what you taught me? To trust my feelings?”
<o></o>
Istina nodded, and looked down.
<o></o>
“No more talk about this,” Rossos said tiredly, unable to look at Istina for fear of losing his temper. “I don’t want to hear anything else about this, alright? Alright?”
<o></o>
At his growled question, Istina nodded. He turned, keeping his grip on Kaz, and walked out of the cabin. Kaz looked back one last time at the woman, and saw her staring at her deactivated lightsabre hilt with an unreadable expression on her face. Istina may have looked up to watch them go at the last minute, but the door slid shut behind them, and she was gone.

Rossos Atrapes

Dec 16th, 2008, 06:08:38 PM

<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" forum="" images="" smilies="" blush.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Blush" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" forum="" images="" smilies="" blush.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Blush" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype>

The Sixth Beginning’s End: The Infection<o></o>

Three Standard Years after [I]The Holocron<o></o>

<o>
</o>

Day One<o></o>

<o></o>
[I]Flashes. A green planet; hot and muggy jungles with insects that seemed the size of his hand. He was being dragged through the jungle. A temple...it felt empowering. There was a blue tinted hologram of a man wearing a mask. He was dropped into a small room. Time passed. The door to his room opened; he saw a man. A man with shaggy black hair and a scraggly beard. The man pulled his pipe from his mouth and grinned.<o>
</o><o></o>
He awoke in a small stasis chamber. He couldn’t breathe, and moved to pull the tube from his throat. Sensing his movement, the pod slowly opened, and he fell to his hands and knees, coughing and hacking up mucus. He spat the disgusting mass off into the darkness of the room he was in. Where was he, anyway?<o></o>
<o></o>
The stasis pod stood in the corner of what seemed to him to be the medical bay. There were a number of beds off in the gloomy dim lighting that he could see, and a door on the far wall. But there was no one he could see in the medical bay at all; perhaps there was a person in the corner, where the computer terminal was. He narrowed his eyes to see better in the dark, but couldn’t make out any distinguishing features. He’d have to explore.<o></o>
<o></o>
His breath regained, he stood, tottering for a precarious moment before regaining his balance and looking around.<o></o>
<o></o>
“Ah,” a voice murmured from the corner, “You have finally awakened.”
<o></o><o></o>
He spun to face the voice, but was still quite unbalanced, and fell to his knees. In corner was the silhouette of a person. All he could see was a pair of darkly glinting eyes looking straight through him.<o></o>
<o></o>
“Who are you?” He asked cautiously. The Figure chuckled.<o></o>
<o></o>
“A name is a very potent thing, you know,” it said. “To give one’s name to another is to give a certain influence and ability to them. They can use it for all manner of things. Why should I allow you that influence over me?”<o></o>
<o></o>
He frowned, not liking, or really understanding, the answer. “How can I trust you then?” he asked the Figure. It stepped forward, revealing a man with short cut hair, and a maroon cape over a well-fitted uniform; and there were odd metal bracers on his arms.<o></o>
<o></o>
“You cannot. You can, however, trust your feelings,” The Figure said. “There is a danger here, and I am to help you through it. Listen to your feelings, and you will know I am not deceiving you.”<o></o>
<o></o>
He sat there for a moment, taking in the imposing and quite off-setting Figure. The Figure said nothing, but merely returned his gaze with an intensity that made him feel a bit frightened.<o></o>
<o></o>
“What am I to call you?” he asked finally.<o></o>
<o></o>
The Figure grinned. “I,” he said, “am the Inquisitor.”<o></o>
<o></o>
He nodded, and stood shakily. “Very well; since I don’t have a clue as to what’s going on, I’ll have to trust you. My name is...”<o></o>
<o></o>
He trailed off, and grunted in frustration. The Inquisitor merely nodded.<o></o>
<o></o>
“Your memories will be either lost to you or hazy for the next few days,” the Inquisitor said. “But you will have me to aid you when I can.”<o></o>
<o></o>
He squinted at the Inquisitor. “You don’t know my name?”<o></o>
<o></o>
The Inquisitor shook his head, saying, “I do not.”<o></o>
<o></o>
He sighed, “Alright. What kind of danger is there?”<o></o>
<o></o>
“Quite imminent,” was the reply. “While you were imprisoned, something happened. I do not know what exactly, most of our captors died during this event; but I do know that there are some survivors still within the complex. We will have to find them ourselves, as no communicator seems to be working at the moment.”<o></o>
<o></o>
He frowned again, hefting a large bar he found within a cabinet. It looked like a prod of some kind, quite durably reinforced with durasteel. Touching a small button near the grip, a large needle extended quickly, and retracted just as quickly. He jumped slightly at the speed and suddenness of the event. Whatever this thing was made to inject, He didn’t want to find out why it needed to be so strong.<o></o>
<o></o>
Without warning, he swung the implement at the Inquisitor, and watched with wide eyes as it went through him. “A hologram?”<o></o>
<o></o>
The Inquisitor grinned, obviously pleased with his companion for attempting to murder him. “I need you first to get me out of where I am trapped. You will need to find Renato do Nascimento. He will know where to find me.” The Inquisitor began to fade.<o></o>
<o></o>
He grunted in annoyance. “How am I supposed to find him?” he asked. But the Inquisitor was gone.<o></o>
<o></o>
Looking for a way out, he found the door recessed into the wall on his left. He nearly walked into it, but it didn’t open. He sighed in growing annoyance, and cast about for a way to open the door.<o></o>
<o></o>
He found a slightly off coloured panel in the wall some yards from the door. Walking toward it, he pried it open, and began to fiddle with the wiring. After some playing around, the lights flickered on in the room, but stayed at a low power level, bathing his surroundings in eerie, muted colours. He tried the door again, and it still wouldn’t open. He looked around again.<o></o>
<o></o>
He could see a number of things in the room now that he couldn’t before. Across the room from him were what looked like a number of lockers recessed into the wall. Walking over to them, he found a number of protein-bars, some datapads, and what he was looking for, an off-white medical tunic and some trousers. No footwear, so he would have to do with bare feet for the moment, but it was much better than in an under-shirt and under-pants. Most of them held nothing. Going through each one, he blinked as he found himself looking into a wall, though it looked farther away than it should have, if he looked closely enough. Stepping back, a hissing sound filtered through the air, and he saw why.<o>
</o><o></o>
There was another door. Walking up to it, he found himself looking at the far wall again. Cautiously, he stepped inside of the door, and found the only way he could go was to the left. Following the short but wide corridor, the right-side wall fell away, and he saw a large cylindrical station in the corner. It was the only place he could go to, and so he went closer, and saw there was large lettering written on it.<o></o>
<o></o>

Main Power Terminal<o></o>

Level IV<o></o>

Medical<o></o>

<o>
</o>

It read in yellow Basic lettering. It was softly humming, and a small glow was put off by several lights. A few of them were blinking red. Turning, he saw there was another door, but this was covered by a large amount of rubble from the ceiling. A man’s dead body lay half covered in the rubble; it looked like he had reclined against the wall, and had his legs suddenly crushed as the ceiling had collapsed in. It was also clear that he hadn’t died from the cave-in. In the man’s hand was a data-pad, with a light blinking on it.<o></o>
<o></o>
He picked up the data-pad from the smelly corpse, and saw a message had been left on it. He pressed play. On the top right corner, a name appeared on the screen: Cal Janaesson. His face appeared on the screen but it didn’t move. It was only an audio recording then.<o>
</o><o></o>
“Heh. The bastards fell for it. Led them into the greenhouse and turned off the power to the doors from the Main Power Terminal before they could get to me. If Kira did her job right, the door to the main corridor should be blocked as well. Even if she didn’t, the others will have managed to get off this floor and closer to Level I. I’ll be able to use the key to get through the doors; I have it saved on here somewhere. Renato’s got a small little section of level II cleared of the infected, and is using it as a base for fighting them off and getting everyone out. We’ll head there.<o>
</o><o></o>
I’ll need to pass through the <st1><st1>Med</st1> <st1>Bay</st1></st1> to get back to the main corridor. Kira wants to have our ‘guest’ awakened; he’s supposed to be really good in a fight, according to the Sec guys that Renato had bring him in–“<o></o>
<o></o>
There was a massive sound of static. He figured this was where the ceiling caved in. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Cal</st1></st1:state> was screaming (http://www.sounddogs.com/previews/104/mp3/544870_SOUNDDOGS_Ma.mp3); he figured correctly. There was nothing but the man screaming for another half a minute, so he turned the recording off.<o></o>
<o></o>
He looked down at the corpse; taking the data-pad had disturbed the body, and the dead man’s unfocussed eyes were looking right through him. Shaking off the thrill of irrational fear, he scrolled through the banks of the little pad until he found the key: 3443-76-1096-45. It was long, but he still had the data-pad, so he wasn’t worried if he forgot it.<o>
</o><o></o>
He left the Cal Janaesson beneath the rubble, and hoped the man’s dead stare would stay there as well. But now, now he had a destination: level II. He assumed that the Renato Cal had been speaking of was the same as who the Inquisitor had meant. If not, he’d be able to lead him to where do Nascimento was. Hopefully.

<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CVinnie%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmso html1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><style>  </style><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CVinnie%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmso html1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><style> <style>  </style>

Rossos Atrapes

Jan 6th, 2009, 11:13:17 PM

Day One, Continued

<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CVinnie%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmso html1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" forum="" images="" smilies="" blush.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Blush" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype>
‘Everything’s too dark to see,’ he thought to himself. Thankfully, there was a small map of the level humming across the hall. Checking it, he mentally noted his position on the level. A shuffling down the hall; a guttural sound, almost like someone breathing deeply, but with their mouth closed. He looked down the hall, but the darkness…the darkness was impenetrable. He stared until he saw spots in vision, and blinked them away.

<o></o><o></o>A snort; he nearly jumped out of skin at the sound. The breathing sound changed into a deep, panting gasp. The only light around him was the dull glow of the level map beside him. He stayed near it, as if the light could protect him from the monsters in the dark.

<o></o><o></o>It was mere chance that he managed to dodge the…the thing that had manifested. It looked human, but wasted, emaciated. Its mouth was ringed with a dark mottled [I]something; he couldn’t really tell in the dull gloom of the map-light. It jumped, but he had seen the glint in the dark. He swung the bar, and it yelped animalistically as the bar connected. There was a snapping sound. He couldn’t fight very well in the dark, so he swung the large durable syringe in wide, sweeping arcs to keep the thing away from him.
<o></o><o></o>
The darkness was oppressing now. It lunged again, and he swung, smacking it into the level map; there he could see it more clearly than he had before. Its neck was clearly broken, the head lolling to the side sickeningly. But its eyes were still clear and alert, glinting madly in the dark like sparkling stars in the black of space. He had the disconcerting notion that the smeared dark substance around its mouth was blood. It hit the floor, and rolled. He watched, fascinated, as the thing put its hands to its head, slowly, as if unsure of its own actions. It made a decisive motion right then, and with a sickening low popping sound, the head was put back into place, though the head still tilted slightly to the side.
<o></o><o></o>
He turned and ran.
<o></o><o></o>
Not four or five paces from where he began running, the thing jumped on him, bearing him to the ground. He stifled a gasp and threw it off of him. It wasn’t difficult, as the thing wasn’t very heavy.
<o></o><o></o>
It hit the wall, and apparently a panel where a door stood. It slid open, and light spilled into the corridor from the lights inside the room. He blinked, momentarily dazzled by them, and the thing jumped onto him again.

<o></o><o></o>Pain.
<o></o>
He jammed the syringe up to keep it away. It jammed up against the underside of its jaw. A snarl escaped its throat, and hands, white, dirty, smeared hands reached for him.
<o></o>
“No! Stay away!” he cried, almost pathetically, as if his words could reach it. His finger found the trigger for the needle and without a thought, he pressed it. There wasn’t a sound as the needle punched through the thing’s head, and suddenly, all its movements ceased. The hands that reached for him were dangling, motionless. He heaved, panting, and the door slid closed on the scene and him, and darkness fell once more across his vision.

He welcomed it, this time.

Rossos Atrapes

Feb 26th, 2009, 11:05:58 PM

Day Two

The thing twitched. He was staring through plastoid, and a red, thick substance. Two doctors with masks over their faces stood over it. He could see it twitch. Hands flexed. Suddenly, the thing had one doctor by the head, and was gnawing his neck. He could hear the doctor screaming, though the sound was muted through the plastoid and liquid he was submerged in. The other one ran for the door. Dropping the dying man, the thing lept from the table and bore him to the ground. This one screamed even louder, but not for as long as his now dead compatriot; the thing hungrily dug its claws into the man’s neck and shoulder, and pulled. The head was torn clean off, part of the spinal column coming out with the head. Now useless strings of tendon and muscle flapped about as the creature swung the head off to the side, and gouts of clear fluid spurted from the stump of vertebrae.
<o></o><o></o>
He continued to watch. And the thing watched him as it gorged on the man’s flesh.<o>
</o>
He awoke on the floor, feeling stiff and cold. He remembered suddenly the events before he passed out and sat up suddenly, looking around, but saw nothing in the dark corridor. He crawled over to the wall he had thrown the creature against, and used it to push himself up off the floor. His hand brushed against something, and he suddenly fell forward, into a room that was brightly lit for a moment, blinding him. But soon it was dark again, and he waited, breathing deeply, until the lingering spots left his eyesight.<o>

</o> There were some small glowing lights coming from the walls. It looked as if the walls recessed about a metre up from the ground; and the lights flickered soothingly in seemingly random patterns. He stood, and saw a figure at the other side of the room.<o>

</o> “I sense fear from you,” the Inquisitor’s voice hummed lowly through the air. The lights seemed to flicker even more quickly; shadows played along with the lights. He lowered the syringe, and glared at the silhouette. “You have met one of the Infected.”<o>

</o> “Why couldn’t you have warned me?” he grunted angrily. The Inquisitor made no movement.<o>

</o> “Continually doing this is tiring. I must rest for some time after projecting myself from my prison. And the Infected can sense my presence.”<o>

</o> He nodded, but did not actually understand what the… “man”… was talking about. He looked about the room. “Where are we?”<o>

</o> “That is unimportant. You do not wish to stay in here very long, or you will not live for very long after the light returns. You must leave here and continue; find the turbolift and make your way to do Nascimento.”<o>

</o> The Inquisitor vanished. He sighed, and blinked as the room began to grow brighter. He could see now that plants were growing along the recess in the wall. He looked up. In the centre of the ceiling was a light fixture that was slowly growing brighter. Vines of some sort hung down from the plants’ perch. They shook slightly as the light grew brighter. On the floor by his feet lay a small cynlidrical device. He picked it up, and gazed at it though he didn’t really know what purpose it served.<o>

</o> He turned and left the room, the light flaring brightly behind him as the door hissed open. A shivering, shaking sound sound came from behind as well while the light flared, but before he could turn to see what was happening, the door slid closed, and he was once again in the dark corridor.
<o></o>

***

<o></o>

He found out what the device was meant for as soon as the darkness was complete. He shifted his grip on it, and found a smooth patch on it of a different feel. A thin layer of plastoid, most likely, while the rest was either a metal alloy or thicker plastoid. Resting his tumb against the smooth patch, the end of the device flickered on, and shot a beam of light down the hallway, in a smooth, unceasing red beam. A torch.<o>

</o> With his new tool, he looked down the hallway to the map, which to his disgust was sparking lightly, and the display shattered and broken. Some pieces were glowing as they hung limply from the frame.
<o></o>
‘Damn,’ he thought. He turned the torch in another direction, and with nowhere else really to go, cautiously made his way down the corridor.<o>

</o> Darkened doors slid by him; he tried most of them, but they wouldn’t open. He learned to tell which ones would open by the pads beside the door; if they glowed, then he could press the large green key and enter most of those. Some of them wouldn’t respond. He found a pair of boots, and better trousers than the thin medic-patient ones that he wore.<o>

</o> At the end of the corridor was one last room, with the door still ajar; instead of an automatic sliding door, this one was a manually opened one, on hinges. It was hard to tell, since it still resembled the others. Within this room was a small blaster pistol; he picked it up, but found it to be empty. He stuck the weapon through the belt of his trousers, in hopes that he could find a pack for it later. A desk sat on the wall to his left in the small room. A holoprojector was still on, though it flickered and showed nothing but a bright green circle surrrounded by a blue circle with its outside edges serrated. There was a flashing light on the desk, and he pressed it.<o>

</o> The holoprojector flashed, and an image came up. A man wearing a dark, slightly old and ragged looking coat and a beret was standing there, looking away, and talking animatedly with someone not in the projector’s range.<o>

</o> “I don’t care! Send it again!” The human’s accented basic hissed and broke for a moment, a symptom of a bad connection. The man turned to face the projector. “Ah! It’s working!”<o>

</o> The man’s image flickered.<o></o>

“There is no time. Devin, or whoever you are, this is Mathiyon Calabvro.” Letters spelled out the name by the man’s feet, ‘Madillon Calavro.’ “There is currently no way to access the facility below Level II, nor any way we can find for survivors to make their way up from that level as well. The system has completely locked down the turbolifts and the blast doors. You must enter this key to engage the turbolifts up to Level II, and listen carefully: 223 dash 5YM1. Replay this message to hear the key again. Find our man still inside, Renato, and help him restart the system so that we can enter, and you can leave. We will continue to work to enter on our own. Whatever you do, do not enter Level IV. From all reports, all safeties have been completely deactivated, and none who have entered there have left. If you find a working comm-station, or can send out a signal, contact me at FS.334.23; that will reach me and I will answer immediately. Calavro out.”<o>

</o> The holoprojector died. Taking the datapad out, he quickly typed in the key and comm-link number he had been given, and saved it. Replacing the datapad in his pocket, he looked over the desk more carefully now, and saw a small card laid face-up.<o>

</o>

Devin Toshla<o></o>

Security 5

Beacon lost. Beacon lost. Beacon lost.

The third line scrolled across the card continuously, flashing brightly. He had the feeling that the fact the card couldn’t find the beacon was not a good thing. He pocketed the card as well, and left the room, continuing on his way down the corridor, hoping to find the turbolift.