Mortal Gods: The Demon Moon

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Mortals of gods were often made in myths. They were the punished, the ones hurled from the thrones of the heavens. Fallen gods walked among men, but generally all were eventually restored to their former place among their fellows.

For above all things, gods are fickle.

Men never rose to the level of the gods. Always the gods were portrayed as bending down to men, coming to their level, as it were. Gods dallied with mortal women, and sometimes goddesses played with the hearts and affections of men, yet only to the ruin of humanity. Men eventually grew tired of this, and stopped believing in the gods. Without belief, the gods grew powerless, and eventually disappeared.

For men crave power... and so they reached up and snatched the power from the gods... the power of belief. Man began to believe in himself above all things, and rose to the height of the gods in his own mind, and occasionally in the weaker minds of those around him.

Yet mortality claims the lives of men, Death takes them away, and their kingdoms crumble around them like so many matchstick houses beside an open flame. Men burn brightly, but quickly.

Myth joins fact, fiction battles reason for supremecy. Set aside these childish stories, and read the truth of my words.

The Force is true. The Force is power. The Force can offer you everything you want.

It can make you a god.

It can make you more powerful than you can imagine.

All you have to do is close your hand around what it offers you.

Give into your hate. The fires of your soul will light the path of your destiny. The Force makes gods out of mortal men.

Do not be afraid to take what is rightfully yours.



De'Ville turned over in her bed, the cool sheets sliding over her naked body. Her hand patted the pillow next to hers, feeling it's emptiness, and then drawing it in close to her body and snuggling against it. Her sleep was troubled. It always was. Lately she'd been dreaming about monsters attacking her in her own bedroom, but always awoke to total stillness.

The Devil's Advocate sliced through hyperspace towards the Onderon system. She'd contacted Mortis already, and they were meeting in the fortified city of Iziz a few days hence.

Until she arrived, there was nothing to do. The ship ran smoothly without her supervision. The Captain was efficient but not overly demanding on his loyal crew. They'd just had shore leave on Ithor, and were feeling jovial and upbeat about their mistress. She felt like the silent partner. Michel kept her ship and cargo hidden from spying eyes and safe from pirates, and she was very rarely even on board.

The Revenge was berthed in the fighter bay, occupying a corner of a room full of spaarti cloning cylinders. Half full, anyway. Paladin had just taken a second load of parts off her hands. Soon she would show him her true wealth. But not yet. He was salivating, almost begging for the hook that would bind him to her. She would enjoy it.

He was useful.

The Dark Jedi restlessly turned over, shoving the pillows away from her and thrashing about in the bed a bit trying to get comfortable. Onderon... She'd done her research, with Silus. It wasn't exactly a vacation spot. They called its moon, Dxun, the Demon Moon. It was home to wildlife so deadly and horrible that only a heavily fortified and defended city like Iziz could keep out the beastial enemy.

Some planet dwellers had tamed the beasts, but not all of them, and not enough, certainly. Yearly the Demon Moon dipped close enough in orbit to share atmosphere with Onderon. Yearly the beasts migrated and strengthened the numbers on the planet.

Daily the humans and other beings on the planet fought for survival.

Lilaena sat up, and called an object off her desk towards her with the Force. The metallic cylinder smacked firmly against her palm and her fingers closed around it. This scroll was the secret to something. Its runes meant nothing to her... she didn't have an eye or an ear for languages, and Sith runes were difficult at best. Yet these were unlike any she'd ever seen or studied. She hoped that Gav Mortis would be able to decipher them.

Onderon was once home to the Dark Jedi Freedon Nadd. He had been destroyed many times by the Jedi, and then once more, finally, by Exar Kun himself. Lilaena's lips curled up in a half smile, snuggling back down into her sheets. She fell asleep once more with the metal scroll tucked in close to her heart.

[Gav Mortis]

Three days remained. Three days, thought Gav miserably. He was currently celebrating the Season of Junstrunga but it was celebrating unlike anything he'd ever felt before and in fact it was more like torture than any form of celebration. He had been awake for fourty-eight hours solid and had another seventy-two to go before he could get some sleep. The Sith had learned of this long forgotten tradition in the ice caverns of Ziost and now he wished that they had remained forgotten but unfortunately, you can't pick and choose which parts of your faith you will abide by.

Junstrunga was an ancient priest who had prophesised the day in which the Gods of his people would descend from the skies and tear the world apart, gathering their faithful followers and disposing of the unfaithful in a bloody massacre. Despite being a well respected man, Junstrunga lost all credibility with his last prophecy and his people turned their backs on him. The Gods saw the actions of the high priest as an act of treason and cursed him to a life without sleep. Some say that the priest went mad but others claim they saw him climbing the highest mountain into heaven several years later. He was never seen again.

It was believed by many that Junstrunga had spent his final waking years in preparation for the day of judgement and on the day he prophesised the coming of the Gods he ascended into heaven and challenged Niobath, the God of Justice. That night, the golden temple of Niobath was struck by lightning and burned to the ground but the molten gold was replaced by a pool of blood and a new temple was errected in it's place, the Temple of Junstrunga, the God of Judgement. Those who believe the tale celebrate his ascension into heaven by spending twenty five days without sleep in honour of the sacrifice he made.

Perhaps one day, the Sith thought, deactivating his lightsaber and wiping sweat from his brow, all the faithful will take their place next to the seat of the Gods. And others, they will take their rightful seat like Junstrunga. Leaving the cargo bay, he climbed a ladder which lead to the bridge of his ship. The astrogation panel showed that there were two days left to his journey, he'd have one last day to remain awake and then he'd have two days of sleep to enjoy. He doubted De'Ville would be thrilled by his company.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"We're dropping out of hyperspace just outside the Japrael system, as you asked."

De'Ville shifted a stack of papers to find her comlink. "Very good, I will be up to the bridge shortly, Captain." She squared the edges of the papers, and placed the scroll in a locked drawer. The complicated key was on a chain which she put around her neck, letting it fall down under her shirt. She felt the ship reverting to real space under her feet, and she held onto the bolted down chair until the Devil's Advocate was still once more.

Getting to her feet, Lilaena straightened her clothes and then began the seven minute trip up towards the bridge. The crew members she passed nodded respectfully, but didn't stop what they were doing. She entered a turbolift and let it carry her up to the bridge.

"Ah, my Lady." Michel Delving got to his feet. "I was just about to call you."

"Oh?" She walked crisply across the polished floor and stopped near the captain. "Have I almost missed something?" In front of the ship the Japrael system stretched out like an artists canvas. She could see the tiny shape of Onderon's moon as a dark spot against the Japrael star.

"Ah, well, not exactly. But there's another ship. The Dragon." He raised an eyebrow.

She smiled. "He must have come straight here, while I had to make a few stops."

"Excuse me, my Lady?" He looked politely disinterested. "I was just about to respond."

"Ah, yes of course. Captain Delving, please inform the pilot of the Dragon that we are proceeding on sublights to Onderon. He can microjump if he so desires."

"Very good. Ensign Copper, relay the Lady's message to the Dragon. Helm, take us in towards the main planet at three quarters speed." He sat down comfortably in the captain's seat, adopting the angle of repose that said he was perfectly comfortable in his position. And that while he was relaxed, he was also sure of himself and ready to give orders.

De'Ville took the lesser seat, watching Onderon grow larger in the viewscreen.

[Mandalore]

Death. That is what this place was, above all things. Onderon was death. Whether it was the death of another or your own, death was a constant facet of life, ironically.

It had been millennia since the Great Defeat. Never before had the Mandalorians tasted such bitter wine. Never again, either. With defeat came eternal consequence. Banishment. The last vestiges of Mandalore's followers had their ranks broken by the guardians of the Jedi Order...and they were thrown to circumstance on the planet of beasts. Onderon was the quintessential Tantalus nightmare. To the zenith of the night sky came the beasts of the Demon Moon. Every night for thousands of years, the followers of Mandalore fought pitched battles against the beastly hordes. Every night, they endured. On the surface and to the north, the walled city of Iziz taunted the followers of Mandalore, like an apple perched on a high branch, beyond the grasp of a starving man. Eternally, it seemed the Mandalorians were doomed to be tormented. Yet, so often history is changed by slow and inexorable things.

Aexar stood alone, in the darkness...away from his brothers-in-arms.

Now, he was more than Aexar. He was now Mandalore. It had happened all too suddenly. On the eve of their greatest victory in recent memory, Aexar and the former Mandalore had reached an impasse over strategy. Mandalore had risen to the crest of the wave of blood by brute strength. Aexar, Mandalore's General, was perhaps lesser in steel, but far greater in wit. Indeed, he had long decided that the old Mandalore's successes against the barbarians of Iziz was due entirely to his cunning alone. Mandalore had ascended to the apex by the tip of a sword, but so often such warriors die by such a sword.

Aexar...Mandalore smiled. He did not hate his dead master. He was simply weaker, and in the end, fate had shown his fate to all. There was no quarrel made upon the old Mandalore's death. In the end, it was the way things had been since memory could serve him. Only the hardest iron survived the forge...and the fire was most fierce at the tip of the spear. No doubt there were many amongst the Mandalorians who eyed him even now, awaiting the day to best him and claim leadership.

But that day would not be today, and his leadership was paramount.

In the darkness, the new Mandalore contemplated his decisions. Soon, his ranks would be prepared for yet another assault against the walls of Iziz, as they had done for hundreds of years. Though the walls remained steadfast, the Mandalorians did not relent. Indeed, each cadre of warriors seemed poised to stand upon the shoulders of their ancestors, and eclipse the very concept of greatness. Though he never turned his back on any of them, Mandalore trusted their skills inherently. Perhaps Jedi steel was harder than Mandalorian 4000 years ago. Now...it seemed absurd to think of such things.

As Mandalore contemplated such things, a bright light in the sky caught his eye, streaking down from the heavens.

Offworlders.

Mandalore scowled. They were fodder. If the beasts did not devour them, if his brothers did not destroy them...then perhaps they were sturdy enough stock to become slaves. Maybe in generations, their progeny could even don the armor of a Mandalore, though this was an utmost rarity. In the end, every offworlder that Mandalore had seen...had perished.

The warrior donned his helmet, turned away from the spectacle, and blasted off across the sky, his rocket pack creating a trail of afterglow as he accelerated toward his brothers' camp.

[Silus Xilarian]

Muffled impacts echoed down the hallways of the Dragon. Sometimes the simplest of tools provided the best stimulation. On his hands he wore two black padded gloves, the one on his right hand more than his left. The extra padding was necessary though. The durasteel bone structuring in his right hand had proved to reak havoc on the heavy leather punching bag.

Silus had been working the bag over for nearly ten minutes now. The workout was equally mental as it was physical, letting the Dark Jedi pound his frustrations into it. This made his temper more easily controlled. He felt sharper now than he had in a long time. It showed in his attitude. If there was one thing that Silus was, it was cocky, and this was amplified by his growing strength.

He had an important few days ahead of him now, and he was looking forward to whatever might come in the proceedings. Lilaena had left without notice, but more likely than not, she would be expecting him. Some things didnt need words

After a few more punches, the heavy thud of his hands hitting the bag were halted by the clanking of metal hitting metal, in the rhythm of footsteps.

"Sir, we've made contact with the Devil's Advocate, They will be continuing their course to Onderon at sublight speed."

Silus tossed his gloves aside and took a drink of water as the silver colored protocol droid awaited his response.

"Follow their course, and have my shuttle ready to land. And tell T25 to keep on stand by. I dont know how friendly the good people of Onderon will be. This ship has too many straight lines and sharp angles...."

"Yes sir."

[Gav Mortis]

One day left. Just one day.

The Sith sat lifelessly in his quarters, his eyes were empty, bloodshot and lined with dark rings and occassionally his pupils would shrink when he'd look to his bedside light. That would keep him awake but it didn't shake off the feeling of being submerged underwater; it was so quiet and cold, the low humming of his ships hyperdrive sounded like it were coming from a distant source. The room tilted and turned before his eyes and he'd blink so hard his face would scrunch up. He did this before he had to stand, just like now.

A faint whining sound had broke his daydreaming and slowly, painfully he turned his head. An orange light had turned itself on and the panel was flashing. His eyes watered and with great effort he stood. Mundabe's Comet had pulled out of hyperspace and he had arrived, finally, at the Japrael System. Every step was an effort and slowly he trudged into the bridge, the lights were already low as per his specifications two days previous.

He was in his chair now, staring at the broad viewscreen in front of him. There shone Onderon and it's moon, silent and still. The planet beckoned him closer. Somewhere down there was a comfortable bed just for him. The edges of his mouth curled upwards in an estranged grin as he stared fixedly at his destination.

"Computer--" He croaked. His eyes opened wide and he sat upright with suprise, he blinked several times and rubbed his face. "--drop shields and approach destination at three quaters."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The Devil's Advocate requested and recieved permission to enter a high orbit. There weren't any other big ships in the area, barring the Dragon, and Iziz Control sounded slightly surprised, as though they didn't get visitors very often.

With their track record it wasn't surprising. De'Ville had scrounged up all the recent information on the planet and it appeared to be locked into some sort of civil war. The fortified city of Iziz rebuffed all attacks. It was the only city on the planet strong enough to withstand the yearly migration of flying beasts from Dxun. The smaller cities, if her information was correct, had relocated thousands of years ago to Iziz, making it the only recorded sentient city on the surface of the planet.

It was huge. From orbit she could see the clearly defined borders of the settlement, built to repel the blood thirsty attacks of the creatures. Iziz City gave them permission to land the Revenge inside the city, explaining that the timing was vital, as they would have to open a hole in their defenses to let the ship through. Captain Delving agreed, and turned to De'Ville.

"My lady, allow me to send my best pilot with you. For appearances if nothing else."

"Very good, Captain." She got to her feet, straightening her clothing. "Then I will be in contact with you in twenty-four hours. If you do not hear from me then, you know what to do."

"Certainly, my Lady. May the Force be with you." He snapped up to attention as she left the bridge.

It took about ten minutes to get the ship ready to launch, the preflights already being run by an enterprising young ensign. He looked a little afraid of her, so she stayed in her cabin for the short journey. There were a few slight bumps, and then the pilot called over the comm, "My lady we have landed."

"Thank you Ensign. I do not think I have to tell you to remain with the Revenge." Lilaena pulled on a cloak, pulling the hood over her hair, and joined him by the hatch as he opened it for her. "I will contact you in twenty-four hours if not before. If I do not, then you will have to come looking for me."

His eyes got a little wide at that, and she added a wink. The ensign dissolved into a nervous grin, as she walked down the ramp, into the walled city of Iziz.

[Mandalore]

"Do you see that, Saricus?"

Mandalore gazed across the horizon, eyes enshrouded behind his helmet, vision enhanced many times over by sensitive macrobinoculars. In an instant, his subordinate did the same.

"Offworlders....coming to Iziz?"

"How many cycles has it been since the last came?"

"Two, Mandalore. But none I can remember have come willingly, nor to the walled city itself."

Mandalore lingered on the distant spectacle a moment longer before turning away from it. Saricus followed close behind, understanding that his leader was in deep contemplation, over both the bizarre turn of events, and the greater precipice of impending action that was to take place.

"We found another rider."

Mandalore stopped.

"Another?"

"Yes. The patrols from Iziz intensify."

Saricus walked with Mandalore back to the ad-hoc camp. Several armor-clad figures nodded at their approach, and went silently back to their business, of which the disproportion of it was honing their myriad weapon systems. Eventually, they arrived at a light, pre-fabricated tent. Saricus threw the curtain back, to reveal a bloodied and bound man.

"He approached from the north." Saricus spoke, looking down at the man.

"An obvious probe. We are too well defended there. Nevertheless, I intend to break camp at the moon's zenith. Alert the warriors."

Saricus rapped a fist against his chest armor and nodded curtly.

"Honor commands, Mandalore."

As Saricus departed, Mandalore looked down to the scout.

"Are you prepared to die for your cause?"

The scout, wide-eyed, spoke in muttered whisperes, pleading for his life to be spared. From Mandalore's right wrist gauntlet, two razor-sharp prongs ejected and curved inward slightly.

Mandalore never took prisoners.

As the silent supercommandos prepared to disappear into the night again, a scream echoed, and was quickly silenced, drowned out by the howls of the beasts in the distance.

[Gav Mortis]

"State your business and identify yourself." The voice sounded crisp coming from the comms panel. Gav winced and shifted in his seat. He leaned in close to the panel to his right.

"This-- ahem-- this is Gav Mortis of 'Mundabe's Comet' and I am here to meet a friend." His thumb and forefingers massaged his closed eyes while he waited for a response.

"Does your ship have a cloaking device, Gav Mortis?" Came the reply, the man's voice sounded unsure. Gav understood although wished the conversation would hurry up and end.

"A cloaking device of sorts. That's why your sensors didn't read my ship until I lowered my shields. Rest assured, I have no hostile intentions."

"Very well." Concluded the operator after a moments silence. "Land in docking bay twelve."

"Thanks." Gav terminated the transmission with relief and altered his flight patern to make for the appropriate docking bay. His piloting of the ship was somewhat shaky, his hands tremored involuntarily and his vision was a little blurred but with a little help from a tractor beam for guidance, he made it. He opened a comlink with the operator once more.

"So where the hell am I?"

[Silus Xilarian]

The shuttle itself could have easily been considered a starfighter. It wasnt nearly as small as a TIE, but it packed a punch. It was large enough to comfortably seat two people and had small cargo space for luggage.

Silus got his landing instructions and brought the ship down. As he landed, he made note of the location of the tractor beam puling him in. Details like that were second nature to him.

A few minutes later, he was in the main breezeway with a bag slung lazily over his shoulder as he waited to catch site of Lilaena.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She strode up from the docking bay, her cloak flapping around her heels as she entered the main breezeway. A familiar figure was leaning against the wall, bag slung over his shoulder. Lilaena smiled in spite of herself, and picked up her pace a little.

"Ah you beat me here." They were quite alone in the passageway - apparently Onderon didn't get many visitors. She stretched up for a kiss, her hood falling back away from her face. "Ready to meet Gav Mortis?"

He was ready with a smart aleck response, but she turned to look behind her at another figure coming up from the docking areas. Mortis looked like he'd been dragged behind a hysterical taun-taun for a few miles.

"Ah...Gav, this is Silus Xilarian. Silus, Ga-"

She was interrupted by sirens erupting around them. "What the hell?"

[Mandalore]

<font size=7>KABOOOOOOM!!!</font>

A salvo from a long-range particle cannon caught one of the warming up shield generator spires sleeping, incinerating it in a plume of fire, and raining debris all around the wall's perimeter. There were dozens more, but it was a chink in the armor. Grazing the crest of the nearby mountains, they came. Mandalorian warriors, mounted on Basilisk war droids. The vanguards dove down, drawing the Iziz defensive fire upon them, until they delivered their shock cannon barrage at close range, and barreled skyward with break-neck velocity, skimming dangerously close to the city walls. The higher-flying war droids dove downward, raking the exposed portion of the city skyscape with laser fire that eviscerated those unlucky enough to stand in its path.

At the tip of the spear, Mandalore righted his cybernetic steed, and gestured downward.

"Deploy the acolytes!"

The brush and trees on the periphery of Iziz came alive, as scores of rocket engines ignited, tearing through the dusk sky in thunderous successions. The armored acolytes poured over the walls, following a few dozen Basilisk war droids, but they were now facing stiffening resistance inside.

[Silus Xilarian]

In a moment's notice, the whole place had gone to hell in a handbasket. Outside, Silus could hear people yelling, mixed with the distinct sound of ground troops running.

"Something's attacking the city...."

Instintively, he pulled one of his sabers, leaving it disengaged for the moment.

"Maybe we should come back when they arent so busy..." he quipped.

[Gav Mortis]

Gav winced when the thunderous explosion shook the city, almost naucious from the racket he worked hard to steady himself, a hand rubbed his forehead. He was clearly irritated and took off down the hall to get out of the visitors centre and into some fresh air.

"They must've seen you coming, De'Ville." He called back to the woman, wearing a thin smile. He winced again as another volley was launched and impacted. "Perfect timing, just perfect timing."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville looked above them at the ceiling as something nearby exploded and shook the walls around them. "Maybe we should get out where we can see something." She put a hand on Silus' arm, gently pushing his lightsaber down, and then shot Mortis a glance. He looked like hell, stumbling up the corridor away from them.

She quickly walked after him, her eyes adjusting to the daylight. There didn't seem to be a lot going on where they were, but on the walls...

The Dark Jedi turned slowly, taking in the immense walls and defences mechanisms that surrounded the city. With the naked eye it was impossible to see the entire wall, as it stretched a few hundred kilometers away, but they had entered through part of it, and that part was quite close. As she watched, an explosion rocked the ground, and duracrete and steel burst apart near the top of the wall. A metallic creature...droid? was coming over it.

Iziz defenses were springing into action to repel the attack. She pointed, "Is that what I think it is? A Basilisk?"

[Silus Xilarian]

"I think you're right. I saw some mention of it in one of the books in your study."

Silus sidestepped a little, putting himself slightly in front of Lilaena as he looked out at the battle. It was fierce, and chaotic. From his vantage point, Silus couldnt tell which side looked to winning, if either...

"I think it might be smart if we get some better cover....I dont have much clue as to whats going on here..."

[Gav Mortis]

"I hope we'll still have a place to stay once this skirmish is over and done with." Gav grumbled, stepping out into the sunlight. His face twisted into a visage of discomfort and he brought his hand up over his narrowed eyes. "Frell them, if they come over here they've had it - all this noise, there's no need for it!"

Trudging onward, Gav attempted to scale a pile of rubble, a product of a recently collapsed edifice of some sort, it looked like it had been a military post. Two bloodied bodies were strewn lifeless across the cracked floor. Gav stumbled and dropped his comlink, with a curse he kneeled down just in time to avoid a large boulder soaring straight for his head, it flew by unnoticed and he fished further into the broken duracrete slabs.

"Ah, here we go." He climbed to his feet once more and shot an approaching Mandalorian with his blaster pistol. The warrior's cries were silenced and he slumped down to the ground. Gav pocketed his comlink and holstered his blaster once more. He turned back to De'Ville and Silus, a pained look on his face. "Can we get out of the road, please?"

[Mandalore]

"GRRRAH!!!"

An Iziz sentryman was cleaved across his chest. Mandalore kicked the dying man from his gauntlet prongs, dropping him to the rubble-filled street. His feet returned to the stirrups of his Basilisk, the droid buzzing intuitively as it sprang upward, missing a raking barrage of return fire. Two other Basilisks hit the flank of the autocannon hard, obliterating it. As Mandalore and his chosen warriors sought out the more formidable defenses, the Acolytes charged forward, saturating the nearby plaza in blaster fire. The initial counterattack was inadequate against the Acolytes' armor. Shots that hit home dented the armor in slightly, but had no substantial effect.

"Saricus, to the next generator! Ride hard!"

The armored Mandalorian on the basilisk nearest to him nodded curtly, and his droid-beast blasted off in a powerful leap. In his wake, a score of Acolytes followed, their rocket packs screaming across the sky. One paused, loosing a large missile on his jetpack towards a long-haired man out in the open.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville felt it happen before the missile was launched, and dove into Mortis, tumbling the grumpy Sith Master out of the path of the missile and into an alleyway. Silus took cover on the other side of the street, and the missile exploded in a shower of molten metal, and flaming debris.

She untangled herself from Gav, and grinned a little breathlessly. "Yes, I think we can get out of the road now." Lilaena looked across the way, but couldn't see Xilarian through the holocaust that had been the street. She could feel his familiar presence nearby, which abated her momentary concern for his saftey. "Xilarian will find us, but I think we should find some better cover."

Gav looked a little like Jax when he missed his afternoon nap. He pulled himself to his feet as De'Ville looked back over her shoulder...in time to see one of the Acolytes turn into their alleyway. The being loosed a volley of blaster bolts in the pair's direction, and she ignited her saber with a snap-hiss, deflecting the bolts harmlessly away.

[Silus Xilarian]

The blast had nearly caught Silus flatfooted, as he was about to make a short remark about leaving the street. No surprise really, his mouth usually got him into more trouble than anything. He felt the danger heading their way, though he really wasnt sure what it was. Seeing Lilaena's shadow move was enough to spur him into action though.

Diving in the opposite direction of Lilaena, he ended up on the far side of the street. He completed his dive with a roll, and ended up in the entrance way to a building. Lilaena and Gav were scrambling off in another direction already, and trying to catch up to them now would most likely succeed into attracting more attention to them all. Instead, Silus stepped into the building, a small resturant, and headed for the back door.

As he came out the other side, he caught site of the royal tower..

Hmmmm, there's an idea....

The tower was roughly a half a mile away, and though it probably had the best defenses, it would be a focal point. Checking left and right, Silus made his way across the next street, trying to stay covered by the nearby buildings.

[Gav Mortis]

The Acolyte was about to release another volley of blaster fire when the giant elsatic band attatched to his back suddenly withdrew having stretched too far and the Mandalorian was suddenly pulled backwards off his feat and launched into the air. Of course there was no giant elastic band but that was the general effect and it didn't make any difference to the Acolyte who was rendered unconcious beneath a burning tavern. Gav was grinning, it was the most he'd been entertained all week. "Well, wasn't that fun!"

"You're right, let's get to--" He said then suddenly, bringing his hands over his head as an explosion high above sent shards of duraplex upon them, he hissed as one of the broken pieces of plex nicked his forearm but quickly resumed his pace along with De'Ville once the unfriendly shower had ended. The glass crunched beneath their boots as they continued down the alley and looking somewhat disgruntled at the sight of a war droid careening through a wall in the street ahead, he glanced across to De'Ville. "So where we going to go? What's the plan?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She sucked in her breath, and pulled a sliver of glass out of her arm. Discarding it to the street, she looked around a bit before answering Mortis' question. "The plan is... find the city leaders and offer our assistance. That, and find out what in the hells is going on." Lilaena used the term 'hells' loosely, although if there were such places as the nine hells of Corellian beliefs, this could very well be one of them.

The pair kept by the walls as Iziz defenders came running up the street, to reinforce the overrun defences of the city. A war droid exploded behind them, and Lilaena pointed wordlessly at a...flock of hideous flying beasts that were flying from the city center. They were the Ondoreon Beastriders.

The humans on the backs of the beasts were wearing light armor and carrying weapons, but the creatures themselves were lethal enough. Armored warriors with jetpacks rose to meet the new threat, coloring the sky with a heated air battle.

Mortis and De'Ville headed for the center of the round city.

[Gav Mortis]

"Never weigh your good fortunes with a broken balance." Gav grunted as he and De'Ville weaved between an upturned speeder and an unoccupied duracrete anti-vehicle emplacement then into another alley. They had found a shortcut which would lead them straight for the city centre and out of the crossfire. "It means even in the most dire circumstances--"

He removed the large metal disc covering a dark manhole and laughed. "--appreciate every last bit of luck you recieve. Heh, what a load of rubbish."

He unclipped a small glowtorch from his belt and clasping it between clenched teeth he descended into the sewers below. There was a thud as he let go of the ladder and landed on solid ground, he turned on his torch and shouted up with an exhausted voice. "This should take us right below where we want to get too, the sanitation of this place isn't too bad."

[Mandalore]

"Beastriders!"

Mandalore's mechanical steed froze in its tracks, as its master halted, drawing an elongated and ornate pistol from his left belt holster.

"FOLLOW ME!"

The warrior-general accelerated forward, followed closely by his chosen warriors and acolytes. The Mandalorians accelerated headlong against the incoming rush of Onderon's most hated weapon. Several acolytes accelerated rapidly with a burst of their jetpacks. The beasts swooped down upon them, tackling them in full and driving them to the ground. Those who charged the beast riders as such would most likely die, but their sacrifice would carry purpose. Mandalore accelerated, chasing down one of the deviating beasts as it pounced an Acolyte. With a skillful shot, he perforated the rider's helmet, causing his body to jerk and fall away from the beast's stirrups, thumping against the ground. The beast paused, confused, as Mandalore loosed a pulse rocket from one of his gauntlets, mortally piercing the animal's chest in a muted blast.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus was almost to the palace. Sliding up the edge of a wall, he looked out to make sure the coast was clear. Sure enough, it wasnt, as a Basalisk rider dove low to avoid laser fire, and a Beast Rider dove low to meet him. As they met, the Dxun beast lashed out at the wardroid with its claws, while the Basalisk rider tried to dodge him. The two ended up colliding, with both diving off their mounts as the wardroid exploded, killing the beast. As the two drug themselves to their feet, they quickly squared off. As the Mandalorian went for his gun, a blaster bolt ripped through his neck, instantly dropping him. The beastrider looked up to see Silus coming around the corner.

"Is there anyway we can get to the palace with a little bit more cover?"

The Beastrider looked a bit bewildered, but answered, on the account that Silus had saved his life...

"The sewers will take us right under it, from there, there is a secret passage we can take.."

"Excellent, lead the way...."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She followed him down into the sewers, waiting until she was flat footed on the edge that lined the putrid river to comment. "What a wonderful smell you've discovered." De'Ville tried not to breathe in too deeply as she followed the other Sith master deep into the center of Iziz.

As they neared the palace the whumps above them quieted and ceased. This far away from the walls was still peaceful and unaffected. De'Ville reached out through the Force, trying to feel the emotions of the men involved in the defense of the city. She halted just behind Mortis, as he stopped and looked around.

She looked as well, and saw that the 'passage' split into three.

[Gav Mortis]

"Eenie, meenie, minie--" Gav muttered then turned to De'Ville. It took a great deal of effort to stretch his face into a grin. "Do you have any preferences?"

She glanced at him then stared at the three passages, shaking her head, she didn't look too pleased. Gav understood; another complication, another delay. He threw an apologetic look then headed for the middle passage. He stopped in the gaping maw and turned back, the light from the glowtorch passed of his face briefly illuminating it in all it's sallow, pale glory. He looked like something from a cheesy, old horror holoflick. "I'll take the middle. So is Miss De'VIlle going to take what's behind door number one or door number three?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She opened her mouth to retort, and then snapped her head to look down the leftmost passage. "Silus is down there. But he's not alone."

De'Ville squeezed past Gav and his glowtorch, and began walking down the dank passage towards where she'd felt Xilarian.

[Gav Mortis]

"I'll leave you to that then." Gav had already disappeared into the heavy dark within the middle tunnel, with only the sound of flowing water and his own footsteps to keep him company. The bright beam from his glowtorch illuminated different spots up ahead but there was no change, just endless tunnel. He could sense De'Ville closing in on Silus, they were far away now and he come to realise something; he had no idea where he was going or what he was doing.

"'Find the city leaders!' She says." Gav mocked De'Ville's voice and grumbled bitterly. "Oh yes, and don't forget to 'Offer our assistance' but 'Oh no! Poor Silus is that way and he's not alone.' Boo bloody hoo!"

Gav scoffed, his eyes had started watering from the strong chemicals in the air around him. He cursed and trudged on aimlessly.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Someone is approaching."

The fallen beastrider eased against the wall and drew his blaster. Silus knew immediately who it was.

"Lower your weapon, they are my company."

The Iziz soldier relunctantly obeyed, and holstered his blaster. A smile broke across Silus' face as Lilaena rounded the corner.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She took in the beast rider and Silus, and smiled briefly. "Imagine meeting you here." De'Ville continued towards them, joining them in their passage. It ran north/south, and would probably take them directly under the palace. "Mortis is taking his own way. We will see him at the palace, I have no doubt."

[Mandalore]

The defense stiffened.

Mandalore righted his steed before a particle cannon roared to life. The blast surged past his Basilisk, erupting into a massive explosion. All around, the defenders of Iziz were mobilizing. Large mechanized defenses trundled toward the battle zone, adding to the pandemonium already present. A Juggernaut tank approached down a long avenue, and unleashed its massive firepower at half a dozen entrenched acolytes, incinerating them completely behind their meager fortification. Beyond the tank, numerous other weapons platforms brought up the flanks, further supported by the beast riders of Onderon.

"FORM A PERIMETER! HOLD THE LINE!"

Mandalore gestured to a subordinate to take a nearby building, which would offer trajectory of fire to dislodge approaching Iziz troops. As his lieutenant advanced, the Juggernaut unleashed a broadside, removing the building's western wall from existence. Exposed in a shower of debris, the Mandalorian Lieutenant could do nothing as unrelenting fire cut his squad down.

"We're losing initiative."

Mandalore growled, regrouping his own squad of acolytes. A plan was now needed.

"Saricus, Imacon, withdraw! To the ramparts! Slay all foolish enough to give chase!"

This battle was now ending. The war...endured indefinitely.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus gave Lilaena a nod, then turned back to the beastrider.

"How much farther?"
"We're close."

Looking back to Lilaena he gave a little grin. He really didnt realize it, but he fully intended to get to the palace before Gav. A subtle feeling of victory tinged on the back of his mind...

"Lets get moving..."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Xilarian's sense of competition tinged nearly everything he did. It was sort of cute, as long as he got to win. She draped the edge of her cloak over her arm as they made their way through the sewers, keeping it off of the dirty ground.

And then...she looked up a few seconds before the Iziz soldier stopped walking. De'Ville met his eyes and supplied the words. "We are there."

"Yes..." The young man looked a little unnerved, but carefully opened up the entrance to an underground passage that led into the Palace grounds.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Lead the way.."

Silus motioned for the soldier to go up first, then Lilaena. After they all scrambled up the ladder, the Soldier hit a button to his side, and the latch popped back shut. A nice little trick for an escape. If one could make it up the entrance without his pursuers seeing him, then most likely they would run right by without another glance.

After a few more minutes, and a few winding tunnels, they stepped from dull durasteel flooring to a more polished durasteel. They stepped on around the corner, which opened into a massive warroom within the palace..

"Nice place"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Who are these people? Guards." The word wasn't a screeched command so much as a quiet 'get them out of here' tone. The speaker was a woman with flaming red hair who was standing over a holomap of Iziz with advisors at her elbows.

The Beastrider took off his helmet, revealing under the battle grime and sweat a shock of equally red hair. "Sister, these people saved my life."

She gasped and ran to him, long green dress caught up in her hands. "Giran! I heard your unit was hit...I feared..." The woman stopped short of actually hugging and covering him with sisterly kisses, but her relief was evident. De'Ville raised an eyebrow, and looked sideways at Silus. He peeked back at her, looking amused at the entire situation. And smug that Gav was no where around.

Giran looked at Silus, and then back at his sister. "Amanoa, this man...he has the knowledge. I can tell."

Amanoa looked at Silus sharply, who looked attentive. She looked back at her brother. "We don't need help."

"It looks like they're being beaten back, Princess." A military looking man looked up from where he was bent over the circular tactical display The princess looked relieved.

"Finally. This one was too close. They're getting too good at this." She seemed to realize that there were two perfect strangers standing in her warroom, and she looked at Silus. "I am Princess Amanoa of Onderon, daughter to King Oron. My father is sick, or I am sure he would be here greeting you himself. And this is Prince Giran."

The knowledge? Surely this boy hadn't sensed Silus using the Force...although Force sensitivity seemed to run in the Onderonean royals, if history was any judge. And you certainly have an interesting name, Amanoa... Lilaena watched the room, noting the placements of the guards and the military advisors and tactitians, waiting for Silus to make introductions.

[Silus Xilarian]

Prince? Now this is interesting....

Silus had to hide the smile that was trying to form. If anything coulda been a bigger stroke of luck. He remained serious however.

"My name's Silus Xilarian, and this is my companion Lilaena De'Ville...We came to tour the city, but things seem a bit....dire."

Silus glanced over toward Giran for a moment.

"I think we may be able to help...."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"We don't get many off worlders on Onderon. Merchants, mostly. The Cizerack Pride once sent a ship to try and open a trade agreement with us, but found it wasn't profitable enough." Amanoa sounded slightly bitter. "We just don't get out much, I guess.

"As far as help, I doubt you could." She looked at her brother, and Lilaena noticed the look that passed between them. "However, on Giran's insistance, I will listen to what you have to say."

Giran ran his fingers through his hair, still holding his helmet under his arm. "The enemy we face are called the Mandalorians. Led by Mandalore, their warchief, these beings have squatted on our planet for centuries. For many years they did nothing but learn how to survive in the jungles, and then for many more years all they have done is try to over take and rule our city." He wiped his hand on his armour, it's style similar to that which Lilaena had seen the attackers wearing.

Amanoa interrupted, "I am sure we don't need a history lesson, Giran, Why don't you go back to your men, and I will speak with our guests." She gracefully showed Silus and De'Ville a door to a more comfortable room, and Giran screwed his helmet back on and left abruptly. "To be honest, this new Mandalore is craftier than the generations previous to him." She studied them carefully as they all three sat down. "Why would you two be so interested in assisting us?"

"I thought the Mandalorians had died out centuries ago." De'Ville watched Amanoa carefully for signs of duplicity.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, well, to the rest of the galaxy, yes, they did. But here on Onderon they are alive and quite well, unfortunately. We are unable to flush them out of their cities, as they dwell right under the atmospheric bridge." At their blank looks, she added, "The moon shares Onderon's air once a year at a specific point in it's orbit. The creatures from Dxun, flying beasts, make a deadly migration every year. The place our enemy choses to live is so thick with creatures and deadly plants that it would be suicide to try and attack them on their own ground."

Amanoa added, "Of course, that's all that's kept their numbers down. After a few thousand years, they should have repopulated the entire planet, but the creatures claim what we cannot destroy."

[Silus Xilarian]

"These flying beasts, are they like the ones some of your warriors ride into battle? If it hadnt been for those, you would not have won this battle."

Silus replied bluntly. While he did speak politely, he wasnt going to sugarcoat the situation.

"They seem to have your ground defenses better than you do. An adjustment in your defense seems to be the only way you will survive the next battle."

There was something about Amanoa that caught Silus' attention. While she didnt show any outward signs that she was being dishonest, something tugged at the back of his mind. She almost seemed to be hiding something, and hiding it very well...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The princess sighed, and agreed with Silus. "Indeed, if it were not for our beastriders we would have been overrun years ago. As far as adjusting our defense, we have beaten back all the attacks so far. I see no need ..." She trailed off, watching the two virtual strangers in front of her.

"You seem to know a lot about military strategy, Mr. Xilarian. What is it that you do, exactly?"

De'Ville listened with half an ear to the goings on in the room around here. Where had Gav disappeared to? And the Mandalorians...that was an interesting development. Perhaps if...

The white haired advisor knocked and then opened the door. "Forgive my intrustion, mi'lady, but the Mandalorians are in full retreat. Repair teams are being dispatched to the walls and generators even as we speak."

Lilaena shot Silus a look that said, We need to talk....alone.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Ive had military experience..."

Silus let his words trail off slightly. He didnt know how much the people of Onderon knew about galactic events, obviously, no one knew of their local events, so there was a chance that Onderon was pretty much completely shut off from the rest of the galaxy. The slight dragging of Silus' words caused the princess' brows to lift slightly, and he continued before she could speak...

"I was a general in the Balmorran Military...."

Carefully chosen truths....

"The empire isnt exactly what I would reguard as trustworthy, Mr. Xilarian." The princess shot back. Apparantly they did keep up with the rest of the galaxy, so much for that approach.

"Was would be the operative word in this case. All im offering here is advice. If these Mandalorians can survive in the most brutal place in the planet, then there's a reason for it. If you're expecting your troops to out muscle these guys, then you might as well open the front gate and let em in..."

Silus kept things as polite as possible, but some things just cant be said without a bit of condesence.

"I've been fighting this war much longer than you have, I dont need a lecture..."

Lilaena seemed to go from wanting to leave, to wanting Silus to shut up at this point it seemed....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"I have an idea." Lilaena broke into Amanoa's indignant response, and smiled lightly as the red-head stared at her. "I will go and scout out the Mandalorian city. One way to get rid of rats is to take the battle to their home. If it can be destroyed, then it should be."

Amanoa laughed, genuinely. "You will go? Who are you? You won't survive ten minutes out there."

Silus looked at Lilaena, his expression echoing Amanoa's statement. De'Ville ignored him. "I am a Dark Jedi, of the legacy of Freedon Nadd and his apprentice, Exar Kun. I will survive, and I will help you rid Onderon of this threat."

The princess looked a little non-plussed. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe me, it is true nonetheless."

"Prove it then." Amanoa's tone was beligerant. "Giran mentioned that Silus, might have this power, but he did not say anything about you."

Lilaena shrugged, and the caf table sitting between their comfortable chairs started to rise up in the air, and slowly spun around before settling back down again. "Satisfied? The knowledge, as Prince Giran called it, is truly mine. Silus also holds it. We are here, whether by chance or by fate, and offering you our assistance. Don't be a fool, Amanoa."

[Gav Mortis]

Beast Riding 101:

"So, how do I get him to land again?" Gav asked with clear uncertainty. The trainer, clad in a similar arrangement of heavy armour, sighed with frustration and snatched the leather reins out of his hands. He took a firm grip, his acertron gauntlets clinked as he did so and with authority he shouted "Dobotan!" The beast screached and he yanked on the leather strap. Of course the beast didn't land as it was already grounded. "See? You have to pull up and arc your arms forward while doing so - this will guide the beast to the ground."

"Oh, now I see." Said Gav shakily. Legs akimbo, he streddled the monstrous beast awkwardly, fidgeting with his reins and trying in vain to find a comfy spot but when your beast is covered in sharp, angular ridge prodtruding from all over it's enormous body, this can be quite difficult. The Sith, now donned in full battle armour was ready, once again, to take flight. The beast beneath him, however, was not.

It's grey skin was hard and callous and it's bizarre skeletal structure forced hard, white bone ridges through the thick skin to make it look even more fearsome. Everytime Gav touched the leather strap around it's neck, the beast, also called Goliath, would screech in anger and it's wings would beat erratically while it's long muscular tail fluttered about behind him in an attempt to dismount it's unwelcome rider. Taking a tighter grip on the reins, Gav urged the trainer to distance himself so that he could take off and have another go at riding the creature. Despite knowing his eyes should be looking straight ahead, they were fixed on the black and shimmering claws tapping impatiently against the floor, they were razor-sharp, much like the tip of his tail which still waved dangerously behind. He swallowed hard.

"Okay, third time's a charm. One, two...Dobotan!"

<HR>

So, how did I get into this mess? Well, it all began when I was making my way through that miserable sewage duct having been abandonned by De'Ville and Xilarian. They're probably off getting jiggy with it somewhere in Iziz by now. Whereas I on the other hand have ended up here and I'm up to my neck in it. That sewage duct, I found, after twenty minutes of dren-crawling, came to a dead end which infuriated me to no end. Or so I thought.

Suddenly, a soldier in full battle dress dropped down into the sewer, seemingly out of nowhere and upon seeing me standing there, filthy and stinking and severely naffed off, thought it would be a good idea to point a blaster at me. His loss. I didn't kill him but who would want to be left unconcious, lying half naked in a rivier of poodoo? Not me, I can tell you!

My unconcious friend had indirectly shown me the way out; there was a narrow shaft which lead up to a large, circular grid and took me to the street level. Unfortunately though, I didn't find myself on the streets, nay, I fount myself in the middle of a military compound on the outskirts of the inner city. But this wasn't just any compound as I quickly found out:

"There you are! Trainee B-23 - you're up, head to kennel 11 and double time. You're instructor wont be too happy to be kept waiting. Here, these two troops will show you the way."

That's right, I found myself trapped in a Beast Rider training facility. It turns out that the recent siege on the city had taken it's toll on the Beast Riders and they needed replacements immediatly. I couldn't fight my way out, not in the state I'm in, it will be bedtime in a couple of hours. So I thought "Why not?" Nothing like a bit of extra-currciular activities to fill your freetime. I just wonder what the other two are up to.

[Silus Xilarian]

"While I dont necessarily agree with De'Ville's suggestion, I will personally vouch for her skill."

Amanoa snapped a look over to Silus. Apparantly, she didnt enjoy having to argue with two outsiders, especially after one had seemingly taken her side.

"And how much credit do you think your opinion is worth at this moment."

Silus smirked slightly.

"Show me a layout of your defenses, and I'll show you every hole you've left for the Mandalorians to exploit. As I said before, im willing to offer advice. If you wish to take it, then you'll win your little war, and your people will love you."

Amanoa seemed a bit surprised at Silus' self assurance, but did her best to hide it with an unimpressed smirk.

"And if I decline?" She stated, almost threateningly.

"Then me and my companion here will be packing our bags to leave this deathtrap, and you can live to enjoy ruling a defeated city. That is, of course, until the Mandalorians take your head."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She half smiled at the 'packing out bags' comment. They hadn't even unpacked yet. All in good time, however. Lilaena focused on Amanoa as the firey-haired woman considered Silus' words.

"Very well, I will accept your guidance but do not think that I have to take your advice. I will consider it." She stood to her feet, indicating the meeting was over. "Meet with my advisors in ten minutes, I will explain the situation to them. If you need a place to stay, I can put you up in the servants quarters here, or you are free to find a hotel in town."

De'Ville smiled, "You are more than generous, Princess."

Amanao seemed to soak up the flattery like a sponge. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must talk to my advisors." She exited the room through the door they'd entered through, joining her advisors in the war room.

Lilaena looked at Silus, and winked. "The Mandalorians are unexpected. I should leave soon to assess the threat they pose to us."

[Gav Mortis]

Enormous skeletal fingers outsretched and webbed with grey leather skin, caught pockets of wind beneath them and with each mighty beat, Goliath soared higher. He was one of the older beasts and his skin looked worn and calloused from having seen one too many battles; Gav was no animal empathist but he knew a miserable creature when he saw one. Perhaps overtime his unorthodox transportation had grown tired of resisting new riders, perhaps it no longer had the strength ot put up the good fight and perhaps, and this was the most probable case, that Goliath had forgotten what it felt like to be free. Taming a beast is one thing but taking away it's very will to live is quite the opposite.

"That's it, Goliath. Higher." Gav tugged at the reins, this time with less force and the beast ascended. One hand held tight onto the leather strap while the other rested upon the coarse flesh beneath him, now damp with moisture from the clouds just overhead. From this height, he could really appreciate the gravity of the situation; smoke billowed into the sky from all over the city, endless colomns of dust and debris snaked skywards, covering the streets below in soot and dirt and fortifications at almost every level had suffered varying degrees of damage. The only spot that looked untouched in the miasma of death and destruction was the city centre where the palace stood tall and proud,

"That's our next destination, down there. Are you ready?" Gav asked, the beast made no indication that it had heard him and instead, just kept on batting it's wings to that same monotonous rythmn. "Well, we can always circle the city once or twice first. Nothing wrong with a bit of sight-seeing after all."

[Silus Xilarian]

"Shes hiding something..."

Silus said with a small smile.

"I have a nose for these sort of things..."

Of course, Silus wasnt refering to the force, but women. Amanoa wasn't much different than others, just in a bit of a higher position of power.

"And I think she likes me..."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She snorted. "Bed her then - that might make it easier to blind her to our purpose." Her eyes glinted, "But then I will have to kill you, of course."

De'Villle grinned. "I shall be on my way then, before she gets back.

[Gav Mortis]

"No. No! Up! Up" Gav cried, yanking on the worn leather strap in a vain attempt to coax the enormous beast back into the air but it appeared Goliath was ready for a rest whether his rider was or not. An ill-timed descent landed them in the central courtyard of the palace and already he found himself surrounded by a dozen royal guards. They all were carrying blaster rifles and were aiming at the unwelcome guest.

"Hold your fire!" Gav barked irritably, then after a clumsy dismount and an annoyed huff he turned to the officer and did his best to fight back his aggression which was seeping through all too frequently thanks to the sleep deprivation. It was becoming difficult to think straight and he would have to come up with a fair cover story to get himself out of his current mess.

"I've come here to--" He held his hands aloft to show that he was unarmed and after a spot of quick thinking, added: "--deliver a status report to the king."

There were sidelong glances amongst the royal guards and in unison, their high powered weapons whined to life as they took aim; clearly, Gav thought, he had said something to upset them; and the officer spoke up: "Our king has been ill for quite some time and hasn't been recieving status reports since his heir, Prince Giran, and his sister, Princess Amanoa, have assumed his responsibilities. Spy."

When the officer gave the order to fire, the twelve soldiers were now faced with a severly naffed off Sith who was now forced to take matters into his own hands and unfortunately, for them, the royal guards will be on the recieving end of... Plan B. First, they found themselves hurled into the air away from the intruder, then their weapons were ripped from their fingers and scattered across the courtyard and before they knew where they were, they found themselves fleeing from half a dozen frag grenades.

"Now to find the other two." Gav grumbled, heading inside and taking his foul temper with him, grenades exploding behind and more soldiers up ahead. Sometimes subtlety just doesn't work.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville was escorted out of the palace to the grounds by the white haired battle advisor. He left her in the hands of a bright-eyed page boy, who limped a bit as he walked, a sure sign of ill-fitting shoes. When he wasn't serving in the palace, the boy probably ran around barefoot.

The boy was to show her to a place where she could leave the city without much fanfare that was near where the Mandalorians had been attacking. However, as explosions sounded in the palace courtyard, she soon had a new assignment for him. "Kid, you see that mean looking man storming inside those doors?"

The kid nodded, and Lilaena mussed his hair while pushing him in Gav's direction. "Catch up to him and lead him to the other visitor, Silus Xilarian. Don't worry, he's harmless...mostly."

"But what about showing you to the wall?" He was trying to get out of a more distateful duty than he'd had previously, but she wasn't going to have any of it.

"Never mind that, what sort of person would I be if I couldn't find a wall in a city surrounded by one?" She was tiring of this quickly. "Gav!" Lilaena called out to him loud enough to stop him and turn him around, and she shoved the boy towards him. "Go quickly!" The kid took off running towards the angry Sith, and De'Ville turned and ran in the other direction.

The faster she got to the Mandalorians, the better off they'd all be.

[Silus Xilarian]

It hadn't taken Silus long. In fact, it only took a minute or so. Apparantly, Amanoa was the type that demanded respect to her face, then lost it in passing. All Silus had to do was eye the numerous guards in the palace. All it took was a moment's inspection, and Silus just walked in the direction that they looked while talking in hushed tones. Finally, Silus came upon a corridor lined with doors, only one of which had guards posted in front of it.

As he started toward the room, he'd already planned his ruse. After all, they werent just going to let him in. They both noticed him and started away from the door in unison. Immediately after, they heard a door slam, and caught sight of Amanoa walking by hurriedly. Both guards glanced at each other, then toward Silus, then back to Amanoa, who was now rounding the corner. Weighing their options, they both decided that punishment would be more harsh if they didnt catch up to the princess, and both men immediately took off in a quick jog to catch up to her.

With the coast now clear, Silus casually walked up to the door, glanced down the corridor once more, and stepped on in. As soon as he stepped in, Amanoa quickly whirled around in surprise. Silus put up a hand, silently asking her not to completely freak out. He'd kinda hoped to catch her dressing, but, luck wasnt with him today. Before she could find the right words to say 'what in the frell are you doing here' Silus broke the ice himself.

"I was hoping to speak with you in private before the meeting...."

Amanoa gave him a bit of a confused look, with a hint of withdraw anger.

"I dont think we have anything to discuss until then..." she replied in near disgust.

"Well, I was only hoping to tell you that I wasn't trying to offend you earlier. I was merely doing what was needed to get my point across. I know things are stressful enough for you."

Amanoa sighed slightly then smirked. She wanted to take the bait, but she still had reserves.

"Well, you've said your peace, you may leave now."

Silus could tell her guard was coming down, ever so slowly.

"My apologies for disturbing you then, I understand you have a lot on your shoulders at the moment. Maybe we can speak later on?"

She almost smiled, he was dealing the appreciation card, and it was just the card she was looking for. Of course, she would invite him to stay longer.

"Perhaps." She said politely.

So it wasn't the answer Silus was looking for...

"Perhaps..." Silus replied "...over dinner?"

Amanoa paused for a moment, and after a few moments of contemplation, she finally gave in.

"As you wish, I'll summon for you later in the evening."

"Thank you for your time, I'll be on my way."

Silus couldn't help the cocky grin across his face as he exited her room. As he turned the corner, he caught sight of a child walking toward him, and a familiar looking man behind it, who was obviously not in the best of spirits....

[Mandalore]

A knock came at Mandalore's shelter. He set the paintbrush aside, and stepped away from the thick paper at his desk.

"Enter."

Saricus stepped inside, bowing curtly. Mandalore nodded in acknowledgement.

"What news?"

"Our attack caught them unawares. By estimation, we slew 100 of their men, with a loss of twenty-two of our acolytes, and four riders."

The warlord nodded his head briskly, letting the numbers seep in.

"Excellent. Between restoring the wall and finding conscripts, they will be in a state of weakness for weeks to come. We must look hard for our next opportunity. We have blooded them, and they will stop to mend, lest they bleed more."

Mandalore gestured to the seat across from his desk, and Saricus sat, helping himself to a piece of bread that lay in a dish. Fresh from battle, Saricus and his master were still exhausted, and exhaustion found an outlet in hunger. Mandalore, in the meantime, resumed his work, dabbing his brush in paint, and applying precise strokes to paper.

"Any news of the visitors?" He asked, not taking his eyes off his work.

"None. Our attack was too brief to find their ship."

Mandalore paused, a ponderous frown on his face.

"I do not know why, but I believe finding these offworlders will yield us a decisive advantage, Saricus. At the very least, their starship will provide us with a means off this planet, but...I do not intend to leave Onderon before sowing these foul fields with the ashes of Iziz."

Mandalore put the finishing touches on his painting, a nearly flawless recreation of seeing the offworlder's ship descending from the heavens. All painted from vivid memory.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The walls were easy to find, and getting over them was simple enough with the big holes that the Mandalorians had blown into them on the south-west side. She slipped over while the workers were busy rebuilding the wall in another section. The construction droids that they were using were an old design.

Granted, Lilaena didn't know much about construciton droids, but these were obviously outdated. They worked slowly, but steadily, and the noise of reconstruciton faded behind her as she ran into the line of trees a hundred yards from the walls. Someone shouted, finally noticing her, but there was no pursuit. No one was that foolish.

Trees? Try jungle. It was simple enough to find the trail the Basilisks had left, and she kept her hand on her lightsaber as she ran after the retreated army.

[Gav Mortis]

Grimy and exhausted, Gav trudged behind his new guide, staring at the floor so that he couldn't see people stop and stare at him, otherwise Iziz would end up with more casualties in their ranks. It turned out the boy was taking him to Silus, who was up ahead and still, unbelieveably, wearing a cocky grin. One day Gav would slap it from that pretty boy face of his.

"Silus. Having fun?"

[Mandalore]

The jungle belonged to the Mandalorians, and the moment De'Ville set foot in it, she was watched. The sentry acolytes, skillful at maintaining their warlord's invisible empire, spied on the Dark Jedi's encroachment. High in the jungle canopy, their armor-plated forms were shrouded in ghillie nets, which collected the thick flora of the forest around them.

Wordlessly, they conveyed LD's approach. One sent a text transmission back to the encampment, while two others triangulated her position and movements in realtime. Their movements were carefully timed and deliberate, to avoid notice by eyes curious enough to search them out.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She brushed aside a hanging tendril of greenery, and pushed through between two trees. Lilaena felt something tickle her ankle, and looked down. A vine was wrapping itself around her leg. "Frell." The vine tightened, and yanked her off her feet, dragging her back through the underbrush.

De'Vlile gritted her teeth, and reached for the vibroblade in her boot. Unfortunately the vine was joined by two others, one entangling her right arm. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the Force. The thing that had her was non-intelligent, ruled only by the need for nourishment.

Her lightsaber smacked into the open palm of her left hand, and she thumbed the activation plate. It hummed to life, and she severed some of the vines, only to have them joined by others. She was close to the center of the plant now, and was amazed to find that a gaping maw fringed with what appeared to be teeth awaited her. The plant was like a Venus Flytrap, but not as passive, it's hardened 'mouth' sticky with digestive juices.

Lilaena freed her feet, and slashed at the vine that held her arm.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Of course, arent you?"

And why wouldn't he? He halfway expected the trip to be a waste of time, and now he was getting more action that he would have possibly imagined.

He'd guessed, from the way Gav was acting, that the Sith had been though a bit of a 'situation'. Thankfully though, no one seemed to intent on stepping in his path now. Silus would have hated for the party to get broken up just as it was getting started.

[Gav Mortis]

"A ball, as always." Gav replied without an ounce of enthusiasm, brushing aside Silus' sarcasm before it became a bad habit. He looked around him, attempting to work out where exactly he was and what his comrade was doing here. Defeatedly, he turned to the fresh faced man and decided to simply ask him and give him the pleasure of being acknowledged that he is 'In the Know', as it were.

"So, what exactly is going on? And where's De'Ville?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

A recoiling vine cut her forehead, narrowly missing her eyes. De'Ville swore, and turned a circle. Her amethyst lightsaber left a smoking ring of severed vines, some as big around as her leg. With no time for finesse work, she turned her gaze on the main 'body' of the plant, and concentrated on finding the middle of it through the Force.

The Dark Jedi selected a mass about the size of her fist inside the plant, and used the Force to expand it to about the size of a speeder. The plant exploded in a juicy spray of sap and chlorophyll. The sap stung where it hit her forehead, but she wiped it off and turned around.

[Mandalore]

Through the mist of the jungle floor, LD could make out a silhouette, standing 50 meters away. It quickly became apparent that he was not alone, as other shadows came alive in the fog. The silence of the moment was peeled away when four rocket-powered acolytes screamed above the trees, dropping to land a few dozen meters behind her.

The initial spectre then stepped forward, forcing the mist to give up her secrets. But another more tangible mask held them fast, for now.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

At first she was angry that she'd been snuck up on, but then realized that with the concentration she'd been expending on the plant there was no way she could have anticipated this. The scream of the rocket packs echoed in her ears, but she did not look behind her as the four Mandalorians landed behind her.

De'Ville kept her eyes on the first figure she'd seen, watching it step forward. As the mist swirled and began to clear, she saw that this one was wearing a helmet that covered it's entire face, just like the other Mandalorians she'd seen previously. For a moment she hesitated, wondering if this was instead the famed bounty hunter Boba Fett come back from the dead to collect her for TSO.

As the figure stepped forward again, she cleared her mind and steeled herself to her purpose. The Dark Jedi's lightsaber was still on, the hum of the blade the only sound in the jungle around them. She had been holding it at her side, pointing down, and she was careful not to move it in a threatening manner. But, she didn't turn it off, either.

"I come seeking Mandalore." Amanoa had known that the leader of the Mandalorians on her planet always took the moniker 'Mandalore,' and Lilaena used the knowledge to her advantage. A glob of greenish sap dripped slowly down her neck, but she did not move her eyes from the figure that was slowly approaching her.

[Mandalore]

Slowly, the man before Lilaena removed his mask and garb around his head.

"And that which you seek, you have found."

Mandalore stood silent for a moment, regarding the Dark Jedi as if he had all the time in the world to do so. He studied every contour of her face, committing it to memory.

"I don't know you."

Tucking his helmet carefully in the crook of his arm, he looked up again to regard her.

"There are few who serve the Princess that I can say that of. Far fewer still that carry such a unique weapon as yourself."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"I serve no Princess." Lilaena studied his face as well, allowing no emotion to enter hers. "But I can give you a way to take what is hers."

She moved her hands slowly, lifting them up and wringing the plant juices out of her hair.

[Mandalore]

"You can?"

Mandalore's brow rose in mock suprise.

"And of course, there are terms for such information I take it?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena stood easy, the way she was holding her body bringing to mind motion ready to be flung into action. "Terms? If that is what you want to call it. The terms to my information and help is that you would have to cease your war against the city and it's people after you have killed the king and Amanoa, the princess."

She added, almost as an afterthought, "But leave the prince alive."