freedomliveson

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

It's strange writing Yerbol this helpless xD

Feel free to have them all meditate/figure out Coruscant is the place. I can get us there :)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

"I'll take her down there. Don't think she'll fuss at me too badly." Kira casually strolled past the party to Aria, linking an arm with hers.
"Can't exactly go get him when you've got your ribs cracked like you do." She walked her to the medbay in silence, the only form of communication passing between them was the occasional phrase ("watch the tool there" or "I cracked a rib once. Or three times."). Once they arrived, a portly medic with the Alliance logo emblazoned on her arm withdrew a portable scanner, running it over the ribs before shaking her head.
"A short soak in the Kolto tank might help with the fracture, but the pain is going to only go away with medication, I'm afraid." She walked away for a moment before returning with a bottle.
"One a day." She extended it momentarily before closing her massive fist.
"And not. Any. More."
"We get it, Pedia. No more than one." A grimace before she gave the medicine over with a defeated finality.
"Get in the tank. I wanna talk to you. And don't try to argue with me." Kira helped the younger woman into a small changing area just off the med bay, aiding in the process of getting Ari changed for the kolto tank before heading towards said tank.
"Come on...up...and...see, that wasn't too bad!" As the Champion settled into her temporary lodgings, Kira brought a nearby stool and plopped down on it, chin resting on her hand.
"It sucks, doesn't it?" She pursed her lips, looking at the ground for a moment.
"Knowing that he's out there. Knowing that you can't just...have him appear next to you, a smile on his face." She laughed wistfully, resuming eye contact with Aria.
"A lot of people don't know what happened to Voldon. They see him as the Empire Killer, the destroyer of an Eternal power." She snorted scoffingly.
"What they don't know is that the Emperor took control of his mind. Made him do awful things that I couldn't control because he had me too, wrapped around his finger. I saw more of his personal torturer squad than Voldon for those few months. I tried to reach out to him, talk him out of whatever he was doing, but I couldn't...that was when I realized something." She leaned forward and grabbed Aria's right hand with both of hers.
"They need us to keep going, Aria. No matter what they're suffering, no matter the pain, we keep going. Because sooner than later, they'll come back to us. And they'll need all the love and support we can give them. So don't be stupid. Rest up, refocus, meditate, do whatever you need to do because when you find him, he'll need you. All of you." As if responding to Kira's plea, Voldon calmly strode into the room, situating himself next to his wife.
"Are you alright?"
"She's fine, big guy. Girls like her and I know how to stay tough...isn't that right?" She winked mischievously, standing beside her husband.
"Elara gave us a report of what happened. These 'Xiis' creatures didn't give any indication where they were headed, but they had to get off world somehow. I'll commission a squadron to get on the ground with Alliance forces and clean up whatever Xiis may remain. Hopefully we can get some clue as to where they were headed." He paused.
"Can you reach out to him? At all?" When she told him the state of their bond, he grunted disapprovingly.
"Keep trying. Hopefully with enough prodding you can rouse out of whatever stupor those creatures put him in."
"What he means to say is: get rest and THEN try. Right, honeybunch?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him, prompting Voldon to acquiesce:
"Of course. That's what I meant to say. If you need to talk to any of us, we'll be around base." With that, the duo left. Other than the three medics tending to a couple of unconscious men with legs in casts, Aria was alone.

And he could feel it

____

"Ari..." He mumbled, eyes slowly opening.
"So that's the girls name. Ari...a purposefully chosen name I'm sure. The Sith were always so confident in their royal heritage." She snorted, talon like fingers gripping his chin, shaking his head gently.
"Come now. You've slept long enough."
"Where.." The blue woman's face retreated, her back turning towards him as she breathed out orders in an unknown language. Two Xiis males who stood on either side of a durasteel door nodded before withdrawing from the damp, earthy smelling room. It was illuminated by a few bulbs jutting out from the ceiling at odd angles, their respective shadows cast at jarring angles.
"Where is unimportant, my dear. The who is what I'm concerned with." She ran her fingers down his arm, his bare(!) chest down to his bellybutton, tracing slow and purposeful circles.
"Renso's stench is all over you, but it can't mask the power that you wield. You have such raw...potential." Her finger ran up to his chin, prompting Yerbol to try and raise his hands, finding that they were chained to the back of the chair. Attempting to the channel the Force got him nowhere either.
"Oh my dear, my sweetest, dearest man, you have no idea what I can do...nor what I can give you." She sat on his right leg(which was also bare minus the shorts he wore under his pants), her fingers running over his inner thigh.
"Whatever did Renso tell you about us? My curiosity grows every second."
"That you're mistakes. Horrible tragedies." She cackled, throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"In a sense, we were! Our race was a collection of insipid, spineless cave dwellers when he found us." Sighing longingly, she continued:
"And then he took us in, promised us so much more than we could ever be. We didn't know that our people would be slaughtered in the name of science, injected, poked, prodded and thrown to wild beasts to see if we could 'ascend past our primitive nature'." Cracking her neck, she rose, looming in front of him by placing both hands on his knees, their faces a foot apart. He could smell the coppery stench of blood floating from her razor sharp teeth.
"In that assumption was his biggest mistake. Our core nature, our desire, our hunger for power was the thing to harness. But instead he fed us soft, ugly teachings. Weak. Pathetic." She released her grip, blood trickling down the sides of his calves.
"I made us stronger. I helped those of us that were left. We are powerful. Strong. We weed out the spineless. Destabilize institutions."
"That's what you want to do now?" She giggled innocently.
"Of course, darling. Your government is unstable, ready to totter at a moment's notice. When we knock the sandcastle over, we will rise. Establish an order of strength. Of power. Of consumption." A throaty growl came as she walked behind him, hands once again moving over his body.
"Consumption goes beyond the taking of lives, however...as you'll see." He shifted violently in his chair to counteract the unwanted advances, prompting only a chuckle.
"You'll break. I will make sure of it. For now...prepare your mind and your body." Her mouth hovered close to his ear as she whispered:
"My name is Illesia, Yerbol. Know it. Imbibe it. Scream it to the masses."

When she walked out, he closed his eyes, tugging at the weak strands of their bond. He struggled to find the strands over the miles that separated them, but eventually he mustered enough strength to call out:

I don't know where I am, but I know it's somewhere deep underground...somewhere. Find me, baby. Please.

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Aww, poor Ari! That reunion scene is going to be pretty fun to write :)

Post incoming later today, seeing as I'll be talking about Hamlet all day again(unless you want to do the lecture? xD)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Ha, yeah, Junoco is probably going to regret his decision a LOT xD

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

I would think so...right, yes, because they wouldn't know to go Coruscant just yet and I know that Elara would argue that it would be just be speedier to go to Zinuthra and wait for a sign of the Xiis(who will pop up on Coruscant anyhow)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Feel free to get us back to Zinuthra :)

Edit: That's where we agreed they would regroup, right? Or am I nuts? xD

Edit edit: I imagine David Tennant as Junoco, so...there's a visual for you

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

The Xiis woman giggled as Yerbol's knees sank to the ground, shield flickering away to vapor before he fully collapsed. He will make such a fine delicacy.
"Carry him to the vessel." Two of her underlings brought the unconscious Yerbol to his feet, shouldering his bulk between the two before carrying out their masters orders.
"Tywan, stay here?" One of the younger in the crowd asked, eyes gleaming with a hungry expectation. She walked to the male and ran her soft fingers across his cheek.
"You will stay, Hyalwan. This planet is still teeming with life to claim, power to swallow."
"What should we do?" Another Xiis asked, the female running her tongue over her lips.
"Remember the filth you saw? That you carved to pieces?" Low growls and throaty grunts of approval came from her brethren.
"Continue until your breath leaves your body. Prove your worth in the Shasot so that you too can wield the kind of power you seek." The growls grew in volume, prompting another cackle from the woman as she walked past the array of Xiis.
"Start from the bottom, then continue to work upwards. There will be more of them. Armed. Dangerous. The perfect combination." She turned on her heel to face the procession of deathly blue figures, raising her fist.
"KILL! MAIM! DESTROY! MAKE THEM FEAR THE DAY THEY AWAKENED THE XIIS!" The planet itself seemed to shake at the proclamation, a smile forming on her lips.

It will soon be their galaxy. Just as it was always supposed to be.

________

The barking was a bit disarming. Annoying, really.

Junoco withdrew his blaster pistol as he rounded the final corner, cursing at whatever deities existed in the universe that they would allow stray animals(and their potentially homeless owners) to take residence in his base of operations; well, it wasn't HIS per se, but an abandoned medical clinic in the farthest portion of the network access corridor was an easy place to repossess. Others who stumbled onto the location were few and far between, Junoco able to chase them off with a wave of his blaster pistol and a rough phrase or two. Dogs were a nice touch, but if he threatened their lives, he knew that the owner would back off. People were so sentimental about dogs. All pets, really. It was rather aggra-

When he casually strolled to the entrance, blaster pistol in hand, he was greeted by two bears. With large teeth. No, no, not bears, hounds. Wolves? They were large, snarling and bearing their teeth in preparation to tear him to pieces. Behind the dogs were armored men and women(except one, who had lightsaber hilts dangling from her waist), all of them coated in some degree of exhaust, wounds visible.
"Sooooooo...." Junoco sheathed his pistol, wide hazel eyes betraying slight amusement along with anxiety at his new visitors.
"I'm just gonna assume that you guys aren't here to rob me? Right? Cause if you are, then I'm screwed." The dogs were still growling.
"Could one of you just...you know, have these handsome hounds back off? For a wee bit?" His wispy frame stepped backwards, the dogs in sync, stepping forward.
"I can give you guys some meds! Pain killers? Stimulants? Adrenals? Straight up drugs? I've got it all!" Probably shouldn't have mentioned the drugs.
"Just have these guys back down and I'll help you get out of here, yeah? Sound good? Free of charge, too! Not something you can get around this moon." He combed a sliver of brown hair away from his forehead(why now?!) as a large, dark-skinned guy looked over at the little black haired girl with the lightsabers.
"Ari, he's harmless. I know his type." He cast a knowing glare.
"Just out to save his own skin and nothing else. Isn't that right?"
"Heeeyy, nothing wrong with that, right? I can save your skins!" The dogs snapped.
"Right, sorry, sorry, yes, yes, I'm skeevy, an illegitimate businessman, whatever you want to call me, just let me help you so I can have my clinic back, alright?"
"Let the man through." Elara ordered.
"Thank you, thank you kindly." Junoco slipped past the dogs and the glares he was receiving from a green Mirilian with daggers in her hands and a Kel Dor that was breathing way too heavily to be appropriate for social situations before rummaging through a strong box next to a broken kolto tank.
"See? A man of my word, I am." He handed a number of bottles and other containers that contained everything he had mentioned except the illegal spice. That was to resell.
"So, there's that. Off you go, then? To better the galaxy or something like that?" A few minutes passed of waiting for their exit, but they instead chose to take his precious stash of meds and mumble a few things about a "Yerbol" and "Xiis" and other random phrases that made little sense. His curiosity got the better of him eventually, asking:
"So ah...where'd you guys come from?" No answer.
"You stink to high heaven and beyond, so the sewers, right? Bad idea going down there. Those blue guys are all over that area." Elara quirked a brow.
"You've seen them?"
"Of course! Who hasn't on this rock? A few days ago they popped out of sewer grates and manholes and vents and...well, you get the picture. They just start killing people in the streets. Hutt 'security' is a joke, so they were taken out reaaaallll quick and the gangs? The Kintan Kings, The Blood Warriors, so on and so forth, they all ran scared when those blue guys(and gals who looked very attractive if they weren't so intent on carving people's intestines out of their guts) made themselves a home here. Most of the Hutts are dead or off world, now...which!" He clapped his hands together.
"Explains why you guys are here, of course! Right, so you're 'special operations'. Alliance all the way out here...and a Jedi! Sith? Or whatever you guys yourselves now. Powerful people who use sticks of light to kill people."
"We can have her use those sticks on you right now." Zora growled.
"Hey, hey, I'm the meds guy, remember? I'm a positive force for good." A snort of derision came from Bex as Elara graciously responded:
"I can't thank you enough for your help. We'll be out of your way shortly."
"Hey, hey, take your time, but I mean, leave soon, cause I've got a client coming to meet me for some-wait." He grinned.
"If you guys are Alliance, that means you're the only ticket off this rock."
"No."
"Wait, wait, hear me out first!" He squealed, jabbing a finger into his chest.
"I, Junoco Pezingas, am a first rate smuggler slash grifter slash hacker slash anything else that requires a drop of illegitimacy. If you guys are after the blue people, I can help...like I just showed you I could."
"In exchange for transport off world?"
"Pretty much. Drop me off on Coruscant. I've got a hideaway there and you can have my services at your beck and call whenever you wish, just get me out of here!" Elara sighed, looking at her motley crew of exhausted warriors and nodded.
"We could use all the help we can get. But if you cause ANY trouble, Bex will dispose of you. Promptly."
"Right! Let me get my stuff!"

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Haha! No, believe me, I remember him too :p

And much appreciated for the set up! Our new NPC will be introduced in the next post :)

Also, Elara was a medic for most of her Imperial/Republic/Havoc career, so she should be able to help patch up stuff(as you already alluded to) with minimal supplies until Zinuthra.

Post incoming in a few hours!

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Yeah, so basically we can have Ari and Havoc(and someone else who's GOING to appear in the next post! xD) get off world, seeing as the Xiis would want to reactivate other stasis pods their brethren were located in. Seeing as Illesia was one of Renso's most "worked with" Xiis(I'll explain that soon!), she remembers vaguely where a couple of the other stasis pods are. The one she remembers clearly is on Coruscant, which is where they'll be headed next.

Yerbol could tip off Aria about their location once he regains consciousness, seeing as Illesia can't exactly detect their bond.

Sound ok?

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

There we go!

I can't wait to see Ari take Illesia down xD