Crossing the jade pillar

[Aura Munroe]

“Blue one, this is blue two, do you copy?”

A veil of matted brown hair hung down from the shattered helmet into the girls glazed eyes. Amongst the warped dark quills blood snaked freely from a thin gashed cut across her forehead. Her head lay limp, held up by the restraint belt tied dangerously tightly around her body.

“Blue one, respond.”

Sparks leapt about from the control panels and danced back and forth in an electric waltz, narrowly missing leaping onto the woman’s body – leading to the addition of more injuries to her already impressive collection of cuts and bruises.

“Blue-..”

Click.

…

BzzzzzzzZZZT

“CLEAR!”

BzzzzzzzZZZT

“CLEAR!!”

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep…

[Severen Morkonis]

The rain as useral near Myself, plumeted down apon my one floor apartment on consurant,i used this house for my many computer devices and hacking capbilities and other tasks, but more often than not purely for a hidaway.

Sitting on a mat in the lounge, my black "death" like robes wrapped around me and my hood draped across my kneck, my long white shoulder lengh hair comming together tucked into my robes, i sat and reminded myself of my NR days, i hated them...full of rules and presegers,rank and honesty...perthetic....perthetic lightsiders...

I got up, pulled my white hair along with the smallplat made of only a few strands of hair out from my robe and let it flop, i flung over my hood and tightned the rope around my waiste...time to take in my element....the raine, i thought as i exited my room and out of the building.

[Aura Munroe]

"The subject left the danger zone around 2 hours ago. She's been stable since then, and a steady increase in state has been going on."

The man with the clipboard in his hands and glasses perched on his nose peered at the body submerged in bacta before him. The vertical cylinder was surrounded by monitoring equipment, and pulsated a light green colour in the mid evening darkness.

"The subject also-"

"Why do you keep calling her 'the subject'?"

"...We're doctors, McKenzie. It's expected of us to be professional."

The second man squinted at the semi-clothed woman and shook his head.

"We're not doctors, and we certainly aren't professional."

"Well," the first man coughed, glancing around uneasily, "We're acting as doctors for today."

The audio output from the bacta tank crackled a little as the sound of coughing from inside was heard. The two mens eyes flicked up excitedly to see the eyes of the 'subject' fluttering and she lulled into consiousness.

"Jones, look! Munroe is waking up!"

Jones tore away his glasses from his face and pressed his forehead up against the glass, his gaze locked on the faintly twitching features of 'Munroe'.

"Munroe?"

<center>***</center>

Her head ache could be described as being splitting at this point. Though the bacta had soothed the pains on the outside, Aura still had a pounding in the back of her head. She expected that she had been drugged during her recovery period, but she didn't know for how long.

[Aura Munroe]

McKenzie and Jones stood before her, the former bubbling with excitement and the later in pretty much the same state. Aura leant back against the strecher bed behind her and watched the two men, raising one eyebrow.

"How long have I been here?"

"Oh well! We found your X-Wing crashed out in the trenches on the west quadrant about 8 hours ago," Jones spluttered, "You were in terrible shape so the med team brought you back here."

McKenzie nodded, "That's right. So we put you inside the tube and you've been in there for about ... 4 hours?"

"What happened to the rest of the squadron?" She did not look at all impresse by their tale of heroism.

McKenzie shifted from foot to foot uneasily and chewed on the inside of his cheek, "We couldn't find the others. We think the opposition may have gunned them down...I'm sorry."

Aura's expression shifted only slightly from one of distaste to a subtle hint of sadness. She felt sorry not only for those who had died, but for the ones who would be affected by the deaths. She remembered time after time being out with the Blue Hawk Squadron, and each time loosing pilots - comrades who she had trained with for so long at the academy.

"Is my ship repaired? Do the NR know I'm here?"

"The NR refuse to achknowledge our hails..." Jones turned away and paced slowly towards the cabinets that lined the opposite side of the way, "It seems that the squadrons failure to accomplish it's mission has left them in bad favour with the high command."

"We received one message from the commander earlier, though," McKenzie held up the small holopad to Aura. She took it and skim read it quickly...

"Dear Professor's James McKenzie and Leonard Jones,

Please inform Lt. Aura Munroe of her disbandment from the Blue Hawk Squadron. No longer are her services needed amongst the Corps.
Please thank Lt. Munroe for her long service to her cause and pass on word that her efforts as a pilot are much appreciated.
May she, and you, live long prosperous lives.

Signed,
Commander Joseph Teschner."

[Severen Morkonis]

I walked the streets for a few blocks,the rain had lightend as i came to a small bar, looking into it it was all strippers and prostitutes, i was not intrested, i walked on bypast a bunch of hookers, there glittery cloths also did not intrest me...i was alone and without somone to care for, i dont think i ever got over Sapphire and the fact i thought her babey was mine, it was warrens and i still to this day hunt his blood...

I looked across the road...a huge hover van, written" ACAM Cloneing Vats"... a few people were beaing dragged from the van tied to steel plates, i raised a brow, in the middle of a busy street people let this go by?...


Least im not like that? i thought as the rain hit hard and then suddenly a lightning struck.

I was not a do gooder in any sence however, a little look into to this building might be a plain course to wreack havok...i walked towards the establishment.

[Aura Munroe]

"They fired me?!"

She threw the holopad across the room, shattering the fragile disk in two and rose to her feet with a disgruntled sigh. The two doctors attempted to paw at her to calm her and sit her back down, yet Aura was having none of it. She pulled herself away from the two and stalked angrily around the room for a few seconds, heaving sighs out.

"Fine. That's just fine. I devote my whole life to them and what do I get in return?"

She spun around sharply and shot a glare at McKenzie and Jones, expectant yet obviously speaking rhetorically.

"Fired! Ludicrous!"

She flicked her hair from her eyes back over her shoulder and cooled her mood for a second or two, then quickly snapped back at the doctors once more.

"Get me a ship ready."

Neither men moved.

"Now!"

They scattered off immeadiately, dissapearing out of the room to leave Aura alone, grumbling and cursing.

[Severen Morkonis]

' Sir?..SIR!..OI YOU THERE!' said the male reseptionist as Sieken ignored the oldish mans words as he passed by.

' What what what what WHAT!?! I said turning around slowlly to veiw the stupid man, who jumped back at siekens words and pressed himself to the reseption wall.

' y...you...you cannot go in there young man, you have no permission!'

Just as he said that 4 gaurds dressed in black uniform and carrieing heavy blasters walked from the dorrs behind the reseption area...

Gaurd 1: 'Sir if you could please drop any weapons that may be on you and lay face down on the floor!'

The reseptonist gave a wild grin.

' Heh you think these gaurds will help you live...Mr.?' i looked at the reseptonists name tag at the gaurds raised there blasters ' Mr. Hagadon, you seem to think you have the better hand old timer.you see what you dont know is..'

I raised my hand sharply towards the 4 gaurds and all were torn from there standing positions fireing at the same time eatch blaster bullit missing me and were sent back hurterling head first into the metel doors and killed on impact.

' Im a sith warrior...' i gave a wild grin as a large stain mark began to form around his crotch.

'p...p...please dont hurt me sir, i was simply doing my job'....blood ran from the bodys of the dead men and made a small stream of blood channel between eatch metel tile on the floor...i skooped up a little on my index finger and pressed it against my lips.

' I dont take prisoners old man'..just as i said that a wreching pain formed in the old mans head, and he fell to the ground screaming in pain..and i simply walked around the corner into a diffrent corridor.

[Aura Munroe]

20 minutes later and the trio were out on the surface of the unmarked planet, approaching a small landing pad which current was the home of a lightweight fighter. Aura had, from reaches unknown, gotten herself a flight jacket and helmet and pulled them both on. She swung herself comfortably up into the cockpit.

"It's been fun, boys," she buckled herself into the ship and glanced down at the doctors, "Thanks for the help. I'll repay you someday."

That was obviously an out right lie, but it seemed as though McKenzie and Jones believed it.

"Have a safe journey! Let us know how things go with your crusade!" Jones called out, bouncing from foot to foot.

Aura nodded down at him through the helmet, smiling slightly. They had been quite helpful ... it wouldn't hurt to help them in the long run.

"See you again soon," as she shouted down to them, the cockpit cover closed in down over Aura and her seat lowered down further into the ship. The R2 unit on-board bleeped and whirred as the ships engines kicked in, streaks of blue shooting out in spits and starts.

The ship whooshed as it shifted upwards into the air, angling towards the sky. In a brief flash and burst of air, the ship launched off into the sky.

McKenzie sighed, "She's never coming back."

"Why didn't I get her phone number?"

<center>***</center>

//Autopilot engaged...

"Hmm..." Aura cycled slowly through the records on her comrades from the NR on a datapad infront of her, "Rogers, dead. Peterson, MIA. Solomon, MIA. Houlan, dead. Riva, crippled. Wharman, MIA. Kasstra..."

Aura paused, raising one eyebrow.

"...alive. Last location sighted, coordinates X133424.0829."

X133424.0829?

Aura shrugged slightly and tapped the numbers into the ships dash, leaning back in her command chair as the course was changed from it's original destination to that of her old flight partner, Sieken Kasstra.

[Aura Munroe]

"Leopold Street..."

Aura held up the small street map up to her eyes again, scanning it quickly.

"Leo.. pold... street."

She bit down on her lip angrily, frustrated by how long it had taken to get here, and then to have to search so hard for what she needed to find. Her trip had went as smoothly as she could have liked it to, and the descent down to the planet on which her friend was ran like clock work.

"Leopold street!"

The street was only a few minutes away from here. Aura picked up her satchel again and slung it over her shoulder, and began jogging down the street - the map route memorized in her head.

"Leo," she said in an melodic voice, almost singing, "pold!"

She turned straight into the street and fleeted across towards the appartment block on the eastern side of the street. When she arrived, and looked up and down the buzzer list then jammed her thumb against button 8 - the apartment of one Mr Kasstra.

[Severen Morkonis]

I walked out the two glass double doors and steped out onto the pavement the weather by the looks of things had got rather worse, i turned and looked up at the glass looking building, fire rageing from a few windows a few small explosions sounded from its tech labs, blood was seen splatted on some glass panels,i poped my neck and gave a light chuckle to myself as i walked and around the corner, as police and fire sirens ecoed around the street.

The rain hit my hood and dampend the clothing makeing it rather un-comfortable to move in, i pulled the hood down and let out my albino white hair with a purpulish lock my breath could be seen as a breathed and the frost had laied itself apon most objects in the city...mist was forming also...it was very bad waether for concurant, i walked down the best part of the citys allys to avoid detection from the police and forces, and made it to my home street after a few hours and there stood a woman at my front apartment door...ahh..more killing...and such a pretty woman to...should make it more intresting to see her blood.

'Mr.Kasstra....its Aura....Sieken!!...its me let me in its freezing!'

I stood behind her and tilted my head looking at her she did not notice me to i think i scared her slightly.

'my god i have not even killedyou yet.....and you know my name...how intresting....how can i help...such a...pristine gril such as yourself' i said with a light smile and my arms crossed over my chest lightly.

[Aura Munroe]

Aura span around quickly. In a split second her satchel was on the floor and a blaster rifle was in her hand, the barrel aimed straight at the ice haired mans face.

"My god I have not even killed you yet...and you know my name. How intresting. How can I help...such a...pristine girl such as yourself?"

She knew his name? That couldn't be Sieken. If it was, he sure as hell had changed. She tilted the gun to the side slightly, lowering it a bit.

"Sieken?"

[Severen Morkonis]

I raised my foot as fast i could and kicked the end of the gun, it fliped up in the air a few times and it landed in a small trash can and disapeard in the paper.

' You should not mention my name on these streets and point a weapon at me woman!' i said pushing the woman back into the door and inside the building and then proceeding to trips her backwards and lay her on the floor holding her arms down.

' who are you and what do you want?'

[Aura Munroe]

She may have not been an excellent fighter, but she was not a push over. Aura twisted beneath Sieken and propelled a knee sharply into his groin, knocking him off to the side as she tumbled out of his reach. She rolled into a kneeling position in the foyer of the building, now gripping her only other blaster.

"Calm the hell down. It's me," she half-shouted, "Aura."

She edged backwards on her knees, slowly getting up to her feet, keeping a solid aim on Sieken.

"... From the NR."

[Severen Morkonis]

I went to kick the blaster from her hand not takeing any notice of her words my anger growing in the woman fighting back...DESRESPECT!! for the sith empire, kicking the blaster up from her hands she pulled the trigger.

The blaster bolt stromed up to a bar holding a chanderlier up to the coved ciealing, it broke away and brought several pounds of plaster coveing with it. then it fell the glass cristal lights and metel gurders slammed into siekens body and coverd him in plaster metel gurders and glass cristal a small grunt was heard...then silence.

[Aura Munroe]

Aura gasped and leapt up to her feet, diving at the mass of rubble piled on top of the barely visible body of Kasstra. She shot a glare around the room, aiming for anyone who was there.

No one there.

She slurred a corellian curse under her breath and began digging at the rocks, pulling one off after another, tossing it to the side, revealing more and more of her ex-comrades body.

After a long 10 minutes throwing rocks about, she uncovered all of Siekens body. He was out cold. She cursed again, this time more strongly and knelt down close to him, slipping one arm under his body. She rose then to her feet, pulling the admittedly heavy body of Kasstra over her own - slumped over her shoulders.

"What the hell have you been eating? Jesus H. Christ you weigh a tonne!"

Aura stumbled forward, eyes widening, but caught her balance quickly and began limping towards the corridor which - hopefully - lead to the apartments. Thankfully for her, number 8 was on the bottom floor. And the door was nice and easy to kick down.

She dropped Sieken down onto the floor and heaved out heavy breathes, frowning. For a minute, she stood catching her breath, then crouched down by Sieken and slapped lightly at his cheek.

"Hey!"

[Severen Morkonis]

The trail of dripped blood tracked its way into the lounge of my apartment, its crimson red slowly expanding on the soft carpet to stain its ever lasting impression on the material.

The few slaps the woman did give me felt numb and cold, waveing her hand away from my face and tightning my eyes fermly shut for a second or two before slapping them quickly back open cleard my eyes from blur.I saw the girl through the dusty air of the plaster board,and then suddenly a almightly pain shot from my foot to my thigh a shooting pain, and as if like a bomb turned into mass cramp in my thigh.

I rolled over on my chest and wraped my hands around my thigh clutching the infernal pain and easeing the pins and needels from makeing my leg go dead, i let out a small embarrassing grown and slowly it went away.I proped myself up onto all fours and looked down towards my foot and tryed to view where the small pool of blood had come from. No wonder the pain was so bad...a piece of metel had rammed itself with the aid of plaster or the rest of the chandalier right through the sole of my foot.I all honestly it didn't hurt all that much it just felt as if it was burning intencly,i grabed it and began to yank it out.

[Aura Munroe]

"Oh come on," Aura shoved Sieken's back hard with one hand, "Stop being such a wimp! Get up!"

She stood up and looked down at Sieken, folding her arms over each other, an unimpressed look on her face. This was not how she expected to start her visit - and she was most displeased.

[Severen Morkonis]

' Your expression annoys me Aura...change it!' I said trying to get her gaze of off me, i was not expecting the blow and so it did hurt.

The metel came out with a last sharp pull, more blood found itself onto the carpet and expanded into the materieal,i tried to get up handing onto the sofa-bed and lifting myself up to sit on the cold surface.As i began to touch the wound the blood slowly turned to hard flakey bits and the wound slwoly closed up with little effot.

Wounds like that were easy to heal, it was the bigger that needed Bacta..i sat there as Aura expressions were the same.

' What now?'

OOC: sorry its a quick one, but i have to be quick tonight.

[Aura Munroe]

"What now? What do you expect me to say? You just tried to assault me, your former flight partner! I'm shocked at you Sieken!"

She thumped him in the side hard with one foot and glared down at him.

"What's wrong with you?!"

She snorted and turned away, looking around the room.

"Do you have any bacta packs in here?" she grudgingly scouted about a bit for something to help heal Sieken's wounds.

[Severen Morkonis]

I gave a small puppyish look as she kicked me in the side, if i wished her head could have been impaild onto a spike outside my door in just under a few minutes,but for some reason i felt as if i shouled let her do her thing, i watched as she searched through my stuff looking for the bacta, i stayed quiet just to take in her presence, thinking about it, i had not seen this woman in...4 years?...that long huh?...i couldent describe the feeling that just shot through my chest but it was sharp...not painfull or anything...but...strange.

I quickly snapped to my sences as she gave me a angry look.

' Umm...yeah..over..umm...over there' i pointed in the direction of the utility room still sheepishly giveing her a look, i mean she must of thought it was perthetic but hey?...what else could i do?.

[Aura Munroe]

Aura stood and looked down at Sieken for a moment - he really did look quite pathetic in his current state, not like the tough pilot she'd once known. She shrugged off her sympathy for him and turned to head where he'd pointed to. She returned within a few seconds with some small pouches.

"You don't seem the same," she knelt by him and applied one of the pouches to his wounds.

"Apart from the hair, of course," Aura laughed a bit and shook her hed, reminding herself that he'd just try to kill her earlier and therefore was obviously not that same as he'd once been.

[Severen Morkonis]

My hair was perfectly fine, there was nothing wrong with my hair. I thought lightly touching it and scrapeing with the tips of my fingers the lose strands that were to the oposite side.

" You not exsactly the woman i knew back in military school ether miss Aura. I remember you fully now...you dated that guy that thought he was the best pilot in the NR Fleet...the guy with the attitude of a horse and with the big head" HA!...i struck back, her old boyfriend "Chris Donahue" was a real big head in attitude...why she went with him i dont know...

"Yes...i remember now..he was the most popular pilot there with the guys and girls and me and my friend Nick Ferener was left on our own while you guys insulted us just because we were 9 points down on our graduation test...i remember now...however...your prettyness has not changed." i said grining...

[Aura Munroe]

"Christ Donahue," she mumbled his name under her breath and groaned a bit.

She remembered him very well. She'd been awfully naive in her first few years in to fleet, and the 'charm' and 'charisma' that oozed off of Donahue had sucked her in. She regretted now, not that it mattered.

"I don't remember Nick," she said with a slight laugh, continuing to tend to his injuries.

"And thanks for the complement, but the flattery will get you no where, Kasstra."

He was still the same old guy deep down by the sounds of it, even if he'd lost touch with the NR.

[Severen Morkonis]

' it was not a fake complement...it was a staitment....simpley a staitment so dont get toi exicited'

[Aura Munroe]

"I couldn't care less, Kasstra."

She sat up on her knees and looked down at him with a smirk before turning to pick up some of the dressing on the floor. She tied and knotted it around his wounds.

"... So what... you're a Sith now?"