"Well, that was interesting... I guess we are going to need some medical services for these three."

Light still held his other single-bladed saber, and walked over to the Sith. He looked to the others, shrugged, and picked him up by the elbow, forcing him to stand. "Do you need to be carried?"


Anticipating concerned looks from the others, especially the absent Corsail, he said to the others:
"We need to get Zarev and Per'dra out of here, and it's not like we can leave this guy behind, there's no telling what the 'ghouls will do next. Two of you should collect them."

Light looked around and didn't see Vlalkor, whom he had assumed would be taking the lead here and now. "So, where do we go now? Republic HQ, the ship, or somewhere I don't know about?"

"Blast it!" Corsail shouted as another rakghoul ripped from the piped ceiling he was under and leaped toward him. He and Vlalkor had lured the army of rakghouls away from the others, but had been pushed into to a very bad hold out spot. Hords of rakghouls were coming from every angle ripping their way through the small building. Vlalkor was at the right side of the building, Corsail was guarding the left.

Corsail turned with lightning reflexes and fired at the rakghoul from above, sending it flying to the floor. The amount of rakghoul bodies lying around, and inside the building was getting ridiculous. Another rakghould who had been hiding under a piece of debris near the building took this moment of distraction to attack. Corsail barely managed to jump out of the way of the attack. Hitting the hard floor of the building he rolled to the right and leaped up, firing toward the rakghoul as he did. As the rakghouls's body hit the floor Corsail looked back toward the entrance, seeing a dozen more rakghouls inches away from the entrance, he also heard more on the roof.

He fired a spray of blaster bolts towards the entrance and stepped back as the ceiling above him collapsed. Another five rakghouls jumped through from above and charged towards Corsail, forcing him to keep moving back. He kept firing but more and more rakghouls poured through, making it impossible to hold any ground. "Vlalkor, I've lost this side!" He shouted, trying to be heard over the screams of rakghouls.

"So...go team?"

Aveiala shook his head at Velox as Light forced him to stand. "Be careful with him. He may be Sith but he did help us out with Voleran. Don't hurt him."

"So, where do we go now? Republic HQ, the ship, or somewhere I don't know about?"

Avriela thought for a moment. "I think we should head back to the ship and plan our next move. We may have taken out Volean but someone or something was clearly taking control of him during the last part of that battle."




"Vlalkor, I've lost this side!"

Vlalkor fired a series of blaster shots at a small group of Rakghouls and dropped the group of them. "I'm about to lose this side!" He shouted as he threw a frag grenade at another group. He noticed something odd for a moment right before the Grenade had exploded. The Rakghoul at the center of the group had turned on the others.

"Corsail! Look at the Rakghouls!" He shouted as little by little, the Rakghouls started to stop and then quickly turned on the others.

"I don't know whats going on but keep blasting! Knowing our luck whatevers affecting them won't last long!"

Vlalkor continued blasting the various rakghouls as they fought amongst themselves.

"Corsail! Look at the Rakghouls!"

Corsail realized what was happening and shook his head with confusion.

"I don't know whats going on but keep blasting! Knowing our luck whatevers affecting them won't last long!"

He continued firing towards the rakghouls dropping as many as he could before they turned back on them. Let's not push our luck. Corsail quickly holstered his blasters and ran to the back wall. Igniting his lightsaber, he sliced through the wall carving a square like shape. Corsail kicked the sliced part of the wall trying to dislodge it. His third kick made it half fall out half crumble.

"Vlalkor, let's go while we can!" He shouted.

I wasn't planning on hurting him.

Light thought this but kept it to himself. "Okay, Avriela, you can take care of Per'dra. Get her up and moving, failing that, we might have to carry her back. I didn't see her get up at all in the fight, so I doubt she is in very good condition. Zarev has been inactive since hitting that wall, so, I'll go collect him."

"Varik, I need you to keep this guy moving, make sure he doesn't try anything funny. Once we are back to the ship, with the wounded, we can worry about finding Corsail and Vlalkor, if they don't happen to find us en route." Light left the Sith to Varik, and moved over to Zarev. He retrieved his own lightsaber, and placed both of them in his belt.

First, he attempted to wake Zarev up, but he seemed pretty beat up. Should I just throw him over my shoulder and try to carry him all the way back?

Velox looked down at the ground. This moment of weakness was not something he enjoyed in the slightest. He was completely helpless, at the mercy of the jedi. Maybe he could fight? It was highly doubtful he could take any of them on at this state. Maybe Per'dra and the other jedi, but that was only due to them being in bad states as well. He felt a force get him to his feet, making him tilt his head as another jedi looked to him. He simply chuckled when the jedi asked if he needed to be carried. His ribs hurt, as well as his face but he wasn't about to let someone carry him. He was a powerful sith warrior, not a small child any longer...

Why help him? This was their chance to eliminate him as well, yet no one seemed to show signs of attacking. He could certainly sense some uncertainty, but no desire to make the first move. Even if he wanted to make the first move, he wouldn't last a minute. His gaze turned to Avriela, certainly not used to being defended either.

"How sweet," he replied, followed by a small chuckle as it caused him pain to laugh.

Not being accustomed to such odd treatment as this, the response itself was simply a defense mechanism. The thoughts of saying Thank You might have crossed his mind, but he honestly didn't know how to say them. Being so kind wasn't exactly something he was known for. He showed honor to jedi, but certainly not sheer kindness.

"I don't need an escort, I can walk just fine" Velox said.

He wasn't about to let anyone help him, even if Varik was a much preferred jedi here. He certainly seemed better, but he didn't know any of them very well. He'd rather just go back to his ship, but sadly his was quite far away. Maybe their ship was closer and he could get some sort of treatment. After that he wasn't sure what they'd do. Would they just let him walk away? Would they take him captive? For now it was best to play by their rules for now. He didn't want to do anything drastic. He started to walk towards Avriela, the mask hiding any pain he was physically showing. Once he got close enough to the former sith he held out both of his lightsabers to her.

"I'm sure one of you was going to ask me to remove them anyway," he said.

Per'dra let out another low, guttural moan. Seeing that Velox was still alive, she coughed so hard that her body began to quiver with the effort. "No! He'll...kill us...not fit..." She meant that she wasn't fit to fight, because Voleran and his relentlessly-painful Force lightning had nearly done her in. The Jedi tried to roll over onto her stomach, which she succeeded in doing, and then to stand on all fours, which she failed to accomplish. "Oof!" Her entire body felt like it was made out of protoplasm instead of flesh and bone. With that, the complete darkness of unconsciousness engulfed her. If Velox wanted to finish her off, now was the time. Otherwise, who knew what he'd do with her and the rest of the squad?

"How sweet,"

Avriala shook her head and took the offered lightsabers and clipped them to her belt. "I just don't want to see you hurt. There's been enough death around here for quite awhile." She said quietly as she turned towards Per'dra as she spoke.

"No! He'll...kill us...not fit..."

Avriela couldn't help but feel bad for Per'dra. She had taken the brunt of Voleran's attack and she had been hurt badly. She could only watch as she fell unconscious.

"Don't worry Per'dra." She said quietly even though she knew Per'dra couldn't hear her. "I'll keep an eye on him." She said as she turned towards Velox. "Once we get back to our ship...we're going to have a chat."

Zarev groaned in pain as his eyes finally opened. The first thing he saw was Voleran impailed on a piece of debris, finally dead.

The second thing he saw was Per'dra laying on the ground. Apparently unconscious. I'm...I'm going to get her back to the ship. He decided as he starggered to his feet and walked past the others as he clipped his own lightsaber to his belt.

"Voleran's force lightning...It must have hit her pretty hard." He gasped as he staggered over to her and gently picked her up in his arms. His whold body was sore but he knew that if had to be him who carried her back to the ship. He had to make sure that she was safe. He had to make sure that she wouldn't be bothered while she recovered.

"Come on..." He muttered. "We need to get back to the ship."




"Vlalkor, let's go while we can!"

Vlalkor took a last few shot at the Rakghouls before running after Corsail. "We need to get back to the ship and power it back up! The sooner we get the others the sooner we can get out of here!"

"Alright, you heard the man. Time to move." Light walked beside Zarev, carefully watching him, to make sure he didn't trip or fall. He was also watching the surroundings looking for 'ghouls, but he was almost positive that Zarev was going to pass out. People usually weren't just okay when they get slammed around like he had been.

As if all these little adjustments weren't strange enough to Velox, Avriela added more confusion to the pile. Now she didn't want to see him hurt? Hadn't they just had a small duel a short while ago? Hadn't he told her he had to kill her? Now he had said it wasn't anything personal, and wouldn't have enjoyed fighting her unless the fight would have turned out to be good. Still to speak that way about a would have been attacker was...very strange. The next comment directed at him was both practical, yet also strange.

Velox turned his head towards Per'dra, watching the jedi look to him. He would have rolled his eyes...err eye, but he didn't really see the point in doing so. Hadn't she thanked him a little bit ago? Perhaps it had been directed at someone else. As far as he recalled the fight though, he had been the next one in combat after recovering and stopped Voleran from hitting her with lightning. At least she was taking a bit more of an expected approach, especially after he had attacked her too. Besides, he had already been hurt enough in his life time. This pain, while not pleasant wasn't too fatal.

"A chat?" Velox asked, snapping out of some minor daydreams. "What about exactly?" he added as he started to walk...well tried.

Enroute to the Shan

Vlalkor was trying his best to avoid the Rakghouls but for some reason, a few of them seemed to be immune to whatever had affected their minds.

"Corsail!" He shouted over his shoulder at the other man who was hopefully right behind him. "Look sharp. Small group of Rakghouls coming in from the left!" He shouted as he grabbed his rifle and began blasting at the rakghouls as they ran at the two of them.

"We're close to the Shan now. If we can get past this last group we should be able to reach the ship!" He called as the Shan came into view. It looks as if the Rakghouls had left the ship alone for the most part which had surprised him.

Looks like our luck is finally turning around. he thought.



"What about exactly?"

"You'll find out when we reach the ship." She replied as she kept an eye out for Rakghouls. It was a long shot...but was it possible she could turn her attacker away from the darkside? Was it possible that she could find out who he had once been? She knew he hadn't always been sith. Maybe there was still something of who he had once been underneath all that armor.

"Corsail! Look sharp. Small group of Rakghouls coming in from the left!"

Corsail saw them and started shooting their way as he continued running towards the ship.

"We're close to the Shan now. If we can get past this last group we should be able to reach the ship!"

"Then let's take them down!" Corsail rolled into cover and took aim. As Vlalkor ran ahead, the rakghouls charged towards him. One by one, he dropped the rakghouls before they could reach the trooper. Maybe these one's weren't under Voleran's influence? They don't appear to be as smart as the ones we fought earlier. He thought to himself.

"All clear! At least for the moment anyway." He said, as he got up from the small crate he was crouched behind. When he reached the ship, Vlalkor was bringing down the boarding ramp. Corsail took a moment to finally catch his breath. When the ramp was open, Vlalkor and Corsail entered the Shan. "Let's hope others managed to take down Voleran."

Light noticed some movement to the rear of the group. Looked like a couple of Rakghouls. They hadn't seen many so far, which had been surprising. They looked to be charging at the group, so Light moved to the rear to protect the others.

They didn't make it close enough to hurt anyone else, as Light fluidly sliced the arm and leg off of one with his left hand's saber, and decapitated the other with his right's. He impaled the skull of his leftward attacker, and moved to catch up with the group.

As he caught up, the group reached the top of a hill, which revealed groups of Rakghouls fighting each other. Their bodies littered the ground, and there were still a large number of ongoing conflicts between 'ghouls. "What in the hell...?"

Shan

"Let's hope others managed to take down Voleran."

Vlalkor sat down in the pilot's chair and began to hit controls and the Shan slowly rose off the ground.It looked as if the Rakghouls hadn't managed to do any serious damage to the ship and the hull was still intact.

"If anyone could do it, they could." He said quietly as the Shan slowly turned around as Vlalkor scanned for humanoid life signs and quickly found them. "I've found them. They're not too far away, but I think they're fighting Rakghouls. There's a massive amount of them and the rakghouls lifesigns are constantly fading. There's only around twenty ghouls left and the lifesigns are still fading.

Vlalkor shook his head and the ship shot off towards the group.



"What in the hell...?"

Zarev was getting dizzy as he continued carrying Per'dra but his eyes widend as he looked down. "When Voleran died...he must have lost whatever hold he had over the Rakghouls. Whatever minds they had are probably gone."

He looked up as a massive shadow covered the group and the sound of an engine filled the air.

Zarev smiled again as the Shan's boarding ramp extended down to the group and Vlalkor appeared at the top of the ramp.

"Hurry up and get in!" He shouted down at the group. "Those ghouls are going to notice the ship any second now!"

Zarev ran up the ramp with Per'dra in his arms and Avriala looked at Velox. "You can either join us in fighting this threat or try and get back to your ship and leave. Just remember...your choice can affect the rest of the galaxy."

((I'm tired of looking at this every day and seeing no new responses. -.-))

Light ushered the others up the ramp, pushed the new Sith guy up it with a "You can decide later, we don't have time to wait.", and walked up the ramp last, closing the ramp once everyone was inside. He looked at the others surprised that so many had been injured, and yet not killed, in the conflict. He went over to Vlalkor, "We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

Corsail watched as each of the of members of their group walked up the ramp of the Shan, he was about to congratulate them when he saw the sith's face appear. His muscels instantly tensed, and his hands moved close to his blasters. He was standing next to Vlalkor when Light walked over.

"We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

Corsail didn't take his eyes off the sith lord, "The problem is, that he's onboard." He said in a low voice.

Varik walked with the others up the ramp.

"We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

"As long as there aren't any hull breaches then it shouldn't be much of a problem. It wouldn't hurt to get them patched up though.", he said to Light.

"The problem is, that he's onboard.", Corsail said, obviously referring to the new Sith onboard the ship.

Varik responded with a loud, annoyed groan. "We are not going to have this discussion again.", he began, referencing the little commotion with Avirela a few days ago. "I could tell that everyone is getting uneasy with another Sith being here. People, stop being naпve. This thing that controlled Voleran is a threat to both Jedi and Sith alike. It's just common sense to try to work together. Can't you just set aside your mutual animosity for at least a couple hours?", Varik finished, crossing his arms, annoyed.

The sith rolled his head slightly and let out a minor groan. Whatever this talk was going to be about was probably something he wasn't going to look forward to. Its not like he could really do anything about it in his current condition, so he might as well sit back and try to enjoy the ride for now. They weren't showing any true hostility towards him, simply caution and uneasiness. Avriela suddenly spoke to him about getting on their ship and aiding them or walking to his ship which was quite far away. Basically the choice was face possible imprisonment or bleed out trying to get to his own ship...such wonderful choices.

He looked back, almost considering the second option. He had survived in the past with overwhelming odds, he should be able to do it again. He turned around ready to tell them to fight on their own...then the pain came. He clutched his chest once more and stumbled back once more. He wouldn't make it walking to his ship and he couldn't even attempt to run. He moved into their ship, looking around at the interior. He only got a small glance before the interior began to spin around in his head. The dizziness combined with the pain dropped him to his knees as he coughed. He felt some blood hit the inside of his mask, and he tired to spit it out the side of his mask. He simply looked up to Avriela.

"...I am at your mercy," came his reply. If she wanted to take him on the ship, it was their call now. Leave him? Also their call. Give him the necessary medical attention he needed? Also their call.

"We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

Vlalkor nodded in agreement. "From what I've been hearing over the comn channels Republic HQ is still in one piece. The solders were able to hold the rakghouls back and a very short time ago...well, the rakghouls turned on each other. Republic troops managed to finish them off."

"We should probably get the holes patched and head for wherever it is we need to go next. I have a feeling this isn't over. If Voleran was controlling the rakghouls...than what was controlling Voleran?"

As Vlalkor looked on, he watched as Zarev carried the still unconscious Per'dra to her quarters. Zarev looked like he was in very bad shape. His eyes were almost closed, he was limping and staggering but he still didn't stop. He gently laid Per'dra down in one of the bunks and then proceeded to collapse on the floor next to her bunk.


Avriela was doing her best to hold Velox up as they boarded the Shan and gave Corsail a look that could have punched a hole through durasteel as his hands went for his blasters. "We've all done things we regret Corsail." She said quietly as she sat him down on one of the benches near the ship's holoterminal. "Some of us more then others." She said as she looked down at Velox.

She grabbed a medkit from a bench and began to work on Velox's wounds as best she could. "This may hurt," She said as she worked on his wounds. "But rest assured, I'm not going to deliberately hurt you."

Velox felt Avriela move him towards a bench after his little slip up. People did indeed do things that they regretted later in life. Could Velox be considered one of those people? He was a sith, and quite a skilled one. He enjoyed fighting jedi, and the power he had. He had no problem with killing, and liked the presence he gave off. He certainly wasn't regretful of being a sith, that much he knew.

He began to feel the healing effects of the medkit as Avriela tended to his wounds. This was her chance to completely be rid of him if she really wanted to. For this thought, Velox had what little guard he could keep up ready. A small noise escaped his masked lips as she worked.

"You wanted to speak with me on something?" he asked a bit cautiously. "...and what makes you think I have something to regret?" he added.

"Varik, what if those holes expand further once we are in space? It could result in one of the rooms or more becoming depressurized, and I'd rather not deal with that kind of surprise."

Turning towards Corsail, he spoke again, "I'd stand down if I were you. We can talk about it more, if that's what you really want, once we get to the HQ. For now, he's someone who helped us and we will give him medical treatment, alright?"

Light waited for a moment, anticipating resistance.

"We are not going to have this discussion again. I could tell that everyone is getting uneasy with another Sith being here. People, stop being naпve. This thing that controlled Voleran is a threat to both Jedi and Sith alike. It's just common sense to try to work together. Can't you just set aside your mutual animosity for at least a couple hours?"

Corsail spat. "Common sense? If we start placing our trust into every sith we meet we'll be destroyed from the inside! And this one was just a wonderful choice wasn't he? He's obviously a sith of high rank, maybe even a dark council member, do you realize how many innocent lives he's probably taken? He's a murderer, and if you side forces with him whatever morals you jedi you pretend to have truly are worthless."

Corsail clutched his fists and glared at Varik in anger. "I just don't see it. You know what he is. How can you place your trust in him when you don't know what kind atrocities he's commited."

"We've all done things we regret Corsail. Some of us more then others."

Corsail looked down for a moment, then looked up at Avriela, "He doesn't regret anything. I saw the look he had in his eyes when he was fighting you, he would have killed and he would have relished in it, the thrill of victory and the look of defeat in your eyes." Corsail shook his his head.

"I'd stand down if I were you. We can talk about it more, if that's what you really want, once we get to the HQ. For now, he's someone who helped us and we will give him medical treatment, alright?"


He looked over to Light and slowly nodded, forcing his hands away from his blasters. He gave Light an apologetic look before he turned away. As he passed by Varik he mumbled, "You might want to check up on your twilek friend, haven't seen him in awhile."

"You wanted to speak with me on something?" he asked a bit cautiously. "...and what makes you think I have something to regret?"

Avriela continued to work on Velox's wounds. She didn't respond for a moment and then said, "Everyone has something that they regret. A path not taken, a choice not made...a life not lived. Everyone has regrets Velox. Even the jedi."

She took another look at his arm and saw that she had done all that she could for it and then moved onto the other one. "I was actually going to ask you who you were before you joined the Sith. Were you a Jedi? A loner with force abilities? Or were you simply raised in the Sith Empire?"


Vlalkor headed towards Zarev who was still out cold on the floor next to Per'dra's bunk and he shook his head slightly as he gently lifted the wounded jedi and placed him in a bunk. He looked down at him and asked the question that he had beent thinking since he had seen him stagger onboard.

"So...can anyone tell me how Zarev can be here when he apparently killed himself on Balmorra? Any theories on how he survived? And how did he get here before we did?"

He looked over at Zarev again and began to pilot the ship towards Republic HQ for repairs. The Shan had been through quite a bit these last few days, she deserved a few repairs before the next adventure.

Light was relieved when Corsail stood down. Nodding to his apologetic look, he walked over to Vlalkor. "At first I though he might still be under the thing's control, but he took out Voleran, so it is hard to say. If I had to guess, I'd bet that he was thoroughly convinced he would die, and the mind controller left his mind so as to avoid feeling his death.. Then someone came and rescued him from the brink of death somehow. Beyond that, I have no idea."

"What's our ETA?"

As he waited, Velox was lost in the words of that man. What he said was both highly accurate yet also incorrect. He only chuckled at the eye comment and decided it was best not to mention the facemask that covered the entirety of his face. He would most likely be met with abuse that he could not defend himself against at the moment. He would have killed Avriela, Per'dra, and the others if he had been given the chance during the fight.

Every word about what he said about him fighting was correct. He would have loved every second of that fight. He had killed many before and would continue to do so. The innocent though? That was a different story, and was something he was punished for never actually doing. There was no sport in the lives of the innocent, no fun nor challenge either.

"Everyone has something that they regret. A path not taken, a choice not made...a life not lived. Everyone has regrets Velox. Even the jedi."

Velox tilted his head at this, almost believing the statement she spoke. He was certain that such a statement could be applied to most beings, but he was above such a thing. Regret? He was a skilled sith warrior, and basically got whatever he wanted. Why would he regret such a life? The life he had before failed in comparison. Only briefly did his mind flash back to the day he was discovered. Only briefly did he see the dense rainfall that wash away the blood on his flesh.

"I was actually going to ask you who you were before you joined the Sith. Were you a Jedi? A loner with force abilities? Or were you simply raised in the Sith Empire?"

Velox let out his signature chuckle at this request. So she wanted to get to know her enemy did she?

"I guess there's no harm in that answer. I suppose the last two questions are correct, my dear Avriela. It was a stormy night when some sith scouts discovered me. Before then I had been a loner. I barely knew what the force was or how it worked. Back then it was simply instinct to me. I had been in the deep woods for sometime...but I do not recall why. I came across one of the most incredible spectacles I had ever seen. It was a duel between two jedi and two sith. The way their sabers clashed was both terrifying yet spectacular at the same time. There was something about the red sabers that I didn't like and when one of them drew near that instinct kicked in...I attacked and killed the sith with a blade I had made on my own."

Velox shifted slightly as he took a break in his recollection of his time before being a sith. He gazed at Avriela, wondering what she thought of his little tale so far.

"The fight with the other three was highly difficult, but I did no go without injury. To be honest I still don't know how I survived that night. The scouts found me and took me back. I thought for sure I was done for, but my body had nothing left in me and I blacked out. When I awoke, I was put on some sort of trial by sith lords. While angered I had killed two warriors, they were just as impressed with the entire outcome. They decided I would make a powerful sith...and you know the rest."

One key thing about Velox's story was something he knew nothing about. How had he survived that encounter? Why was he in the woods in the first place? Why had he been surprised about Avriela's description of him when he attacked their group?

All of these questions have one thing in common that Velox could not see for he was simply unaware of what happened before all of this. His unique fighting style was not so much a style at all...but the desperation of a survivor. He tapped into a state of desperation and as a result became a brutal and vicious assailant. Whatever Avriela had seen of him was not a conscious version of himself, but that pure instinct taking over.

"You know that man is right about me...I would have tried to kill you all," he said to Avriela. His tone wasn't threatening though despite the words he spoke.

Varik listened as Corsail began spewing words. He thought for a moment of smashing Corsail's head through a bulkhead, and while smiling at the idea, they had saved each other on Balmorra. Ignoring the smuggler as he walked down the ship, Varik stumbled upon the conversation between Avirela and Velox.

"You know that man is right about me...I would have tried to kill you all."

"You would've tried.", Varik butted in, with a grin on his face. "Don't worry, I would put up a good fight."

Per'dra opened her eyes slowly, feeling them thick with gum and as painful as if the insides of the lids had been sandpapered. "Unnnnhhhh..." Looking around, all she could see through a watery haze of tears were the metal insides of the Shan. "Did...we get Voleran?" Her throat felt the same way as her eyelids, although magnified tenfold. After wriggling her arms and legs, finding that they could indeed move, she smiled and said to the empty air, "How come I'm not dead? By all rights I should have been, but the Force must have been with me." She lacked the strength to meditate, and continued to lie still.

"What's our ETA?"

Vlalkor took a quick look at the readouts. "It looks like we'll be reaching Republic HQ is about ten minutes. We do need to repair and resupply the ship before we head off to Voss. I have a feeling that we're going to run into more hostiles so it's best to be prepared."

He then turned and headed towards the dormitory where Per'dra and Zarev were and saw that Per'dra was awake.

"How come I'm not dead? By all rights I should have been, but the Force must have been with me."

Vlalkor smiled as he heard her speak to what she thought was an empty room. "The reason none of us are dead is because of Zarev over there." He said pointing at the bunk across from her. "He somehow managed to give Voleran a taste of his own medicine with the force lightning. I don't know exactly what happend, or where Zarev came from for that matter but we stopped him."

He smiled down at her. "In fact, he carried you back to the ship before he passed out. He should be fine though, he just needs some rest."




"You know that man is right about me...I would have tried to kill you all,"

"Don't worry, I would put up a good fight."

Avriela sat down next to Velox and a soft smile appeared on her face. "But you didn't. And although how you ended up joining the sith was a bit different than the way I did, there are some things that are identicle. In a way, we both joined because we had no choice. But we have a choice now. Right now, you have a choice to leave the sith and do what you want to do with you life."

"What was your name before you took the name Darth Velox?" She asked quietly.

Velox's head turned towards Varik when the jedi spoke up. It certainly seemed this jedi was comfortable with him being on the same ship. Then again Velox had taken note of Varik's behavior over someone like Per'dra. He recalled the last words she spoke before going unconscious. He couldn't wait to taunt her for not making a move against anyone on this ship. He glanced to Avriela briefly before looking back to the jedi, chuckling once more. It felt good to be able to laugh again without the pain.

"I would have look forward to that fight, Varik" Velox answered, speaking the jedi's name.

It seemed he at least had some allies on this ship, and the more he spoke to them...the better his chances of going free went up. It was good to have one of the jedi on speaking terms with him. Then again Varik was a unique jedi, and he a unique sith. Perhaps Varik picked up on Velox's lack of hatred for the jedi. It was true, he didn't actually hate them. Hate was a great weapon to a sith, but a completely conscious Velox never used it. Pride was his weapon of choice when fighting. When he slipped into that primal state though...that was a different story.

He turned his head towards Avriela once more as she spoke of choices. He didn't entirely understand what the issue with the sith was. He understood why she wanted to be free of them, but he was not in the same ship with her. When he defeated this higher power, he would be highly praised for this accomplishment. He chose to ignore this statement, instead choosing to answer her question.

"Per'dra," Velox answered. "You'd think the other Per'dra and I would get along," he added, chuckling at his own joke.

Jokes wouldn't do much for the sith other than show that he was indeed different than the average power seeking sith. The only problem with Avriela's question was he didn't have an answer to it. Velox had always been his name since it was given to him. Perhaps he did have a name before, but he couldn't remember much of anything besides being found by the sith. He looked to Varik, and then to Avriela.

"Velox is the only name I can recall. As I said before, things before my time with the sith are a blur."

Voss?

Light examined the course Vlalkor had set before he had left the room, altering it at certain points in order to ease the transitions in speed. His estimate had been accurate, and Light walked back to the ramp, where he planned to wait out the rest of the time the projected course would take.

On his way, hee began to wonder if any of the companions would get off here, thinking to help the Republic soldiers, or something else. Velox, the Sith whose name Light had overheard, could go either way. The others seemed to be willing to stick with it, though he hadn't spoken to Per'dra or Zarev.

There were a couple of others he hadn't considered previously. Kif and Traver. Both had needed healing, last he had heard. Maybe they would both be unloaded here? This place wasn't exactly ideal, but it had a much lower probability that those uninvolved in direct combat would be killed as a result of it. But would this planet have the facilities needed to heal them?

Light sat by the ramp, thinking more about those who had taken this quest with him.

Corsail walked down the corridor until he reached his room. He opened the door and noticed the lights in his room were still destroyed. He blinked once and then stepped back out. Nothing I really need out of there anyway.

The door sealed behind him and he walked back into the Shan's main room. As he passed by the ship's ramp he noticed Light sitting to the side. Corsail stood for a moment then sat down across from him. "Hey... so what happened down there with Voleran? And do you know where we're heading? Earlier I thought it would end with Voleran, but I guess he was just another blasted pawn of whoever, or whatever's been pulling all the strings."

Corsail sighed, "And if we're fighting something that can... take over our minds, what chance do we have?"

Light noticed Corsail walking over, nodding when they made eye contact.

"I thought it was going to be a more drawn out fight, but, I don't know. It happened pretty fast. Zarev suddenly leapt into battle, and when he struck Voleran, there was this weird light. Then an explosion, which threw them both away. Voleran got hit with a big sharp rock that had been on the ground, and he expelled some kind of dark shadow thing that looked to have gone off-planet... It was very strange."

Light paused to collect himself before answering the next questions.

"It seems we are headed to Voss, which is where I'd guess the next bad guy is. I didn't catch why we were headed there, but it seems important and related. About the mind control... If he was so easily able to take control of people, then why hasn't he taken control of more members of our group? I'm thinking that we are more mentally hardened than the other people who have been taken. Plus, there's Zarev, right? So there has to be a way out from under the control too."

Light paused again, before sharing his thoughts about what they would do next.

"So, it seems like we are going after something even worse than Voleran. And there are five injured members of our group. I'm sure some of us may want to stay and help the Republic HQ here. Others may need to stay for medical treatment. And some may use one or the other as an excuse to leave this mission behind. I'm assuming, but it seems like Zarev will stay for the mission. Per'dra will likely come too, because of him."

Light cleared his throat and swallowed before moving on.

"Vlalkor, Varik, and Avriela seem committed, but who can say for sure? Our most crucially injured are Kif and Traver, though I'm thinking Traver is on withdrawal. So those two might leave, along with that new Sith guy. What are you going to do?"

"Vlalkor, Varik, and Avriela seem committed, but who can say for sure? Our most crucially injured are Kif and Traver, though I'm thinking Traver is on withdrawal. So those two might leave, along with that new Sith guy. What are you going to do?"

"I have no intention of leaving, I've never left a job uncomplete, and I plan to see this one through till the end." Corsail's eyes drifted away from Light and he hesitated before continuing. "One way or another."

Letting out a brief sigh he looked back towards Light, "As for the others, I can't say, I can't really see any of them leaving besides Kif, because of his injuries, and Traver, but he hasn't exactly been all there anyway. And if I had my way i'd get rid of that Sith before he can recover back to his full strength, because honestly, he's just one more thing we have to be watching our backs for."

Corsail paused a moment and his eyes darkened. "But I guess I'm not a very good judge of character, i've spent most of my life around scum. Take what happened on Tatooine for example, I tried to kill you, Avriela, and Traver because I believed all of you were traitors, even after you aided us."

"I apologize about that, I was acting like a complete idiot and I was wrong. There are reasons why I don't trust anyone though, but I don't think you're interested in hearing about any of that."

"I don't know about the Sith either. Avriela seems to believe in him, but who can say that he wouldn't turn and kill us all, assuming we manage to complete this mission."

Light realized that Corsail was opening up to him, as the conversation went on.
"Yeah, well, you have to do what you believe is right. And there is nothing wrong with a bit of cynicism. I think I am too much of an optimist, honestly. And at least your intentions are pretty clear. If anything, I can say that it makes me more confident that you will fulfill your role, whatever that might be."

Light heard the landing procedures begin, and, speaking a bit louder, he continued.

"I wouldn't mind hearing more, but I think we are about to arrive, and there is much to do once we land. Perhaps we can have a longer conversation when we are en route to Voss?"

The landing sequence was finished, and the ramp lowered, hitching at halfway down, before grinding noisily to full extension. "Another thing to fix..."

(OOC: Sorry for the long wait, I've had a really busy month. Let's do our best to keep this RP alive :))

"I wouldn't mind hearing more, but I think we are about to arrive, and there is much to do once we land. Perhaps we can have a longer conversation when we are en route to Voss?"

Corsail nodded and stood up as the ships ramp descended, slightly flinching at the screeching noises it made.

"Another thing to fix..."

"You mean that wasn't intended?" He asked, letting some of the humor come back into his voice. Corsail looked out of ship's ramp and sighed. "Vlalkor will probably be gathering everyone up in a minute, I guess we're about to find out who's staying and leaving."

Zarev's alive. I'm alive. Voleran has been defeated. Still, all is not well... These thoughts ran through her mind as she at last conquered her bouts of slipping in and out of unconsciousness. Summoning all of her willpower, she clung to the metal walls of the ship and hoisted herself to a standing position. "Hmm. My legs still work..." Stumbling for a moment, she caught her balance and looked around again. "I'm still aboard the Shan, and I have a lot of catching up to do." Gingerly, she walked toward where she thought the others were, but something sharp, a twinge of unease, still tingled in the back of her mind. "Mind control," she said a little louder, her voice a croak. "Could this...thing...have gotten me already, when I blacked out? Is it capable of possessing unconscious beings?"

Shan

"Velox is the only name I can recall. As I said before, things before my time with the sith are a blur."

Avriela smiled down at him. "Let me know if you have any memories of your time before the sith. And if you ever need someone to talk to than just let me know." She said.

"Mind control," she said a little louder, her voice a croak. "Could this...thing...have gotten me already, when I blacked out? Is it capable of possessing unconscious beings?"

Zarev slowly limped into the room after having regained consciousness. His eyes were bloodshot and he was still in very bad shape.

"He can't." Zarev muttered. "After I threw myself off the Republic HQ on Balmorra I was close enough to death that I was able to actually speak to my old Master. He told me what this thing's goal is and defenses we can use against his mind control abilities. I learned a lot about this thing including that it's very existence is causing massive disturbances in the force on planets all around the galaxy."

"That's how it gained so much strength. It caused disturbances in the force and the force users who investigated these disturbances weren't prepared for it. They fell under it's sway. It learned more and more as more fell under it's sway and thats how it became as strong as it did. With each person that fell under it's sway, it became stronger."

Light walked down the ramp gingerly, unsure whether or not it would give way. He began addressing the Republic soldiers, to find out who was in charge. Once he reached the man, he told him that the ship would need repairs, and began coordinating with him as to how and when this could be accomplished.

The man in charge informed him that it would take three days, after some convincing that it was for an important mission without giving too many specifics, and, with the state of things, they would need help of the crew in order to get it done that quickly. Light volunteered, hoping to speed up the process if at all possible.

Light was ready to begin work, as he hadn't been involved in too much combat and the amount of running they had done was relatively minor. He assumed most of the others would need a day of rest, at least, in order to begin assisting with the repairs.

"If that's true," Per'dra told Zarev, "then perhaps there's a way to starve this presence into dormancy or death through the Force. That's how it attacked us, and maybe we should give it a taste of its own medicine. The thing is, how do we even attempt to do that? It's so strong that we can barely hold up mental barriers against it. Defenses will help, most definitely, but we have to defeat whatever hounds us. The galaxy is at stake, and as much as I hate to admit it, I feel sorry for anyone under its possession, whether Jedi or Sith."

"If that's true," Per'dra told Zarev, "then perhaps there's a way to starve this presence into dormancy or death through the Force. That's how it attacked us, and maybe we should give it a taste of its own medicine. The thing is, how do we even attempt to do that? It's so strong that we can barely hold up mental barriers against it. Defenses will help, most definitely, but we have to defeat whatever hounds us. The galaxy is at stake, and as much as I hate to admit it, I feel sorry for anyone under its possession, whether Jedi or Sith."

"It's possible." Zarev said quietly. "But I personally think we should go to the source of this and end it once and for all. Whoever or whatever this thing is, it's already demonstrated that it has hostile intentions."

Avriela nodded her head in agreement. "And we've seen the power it has. It was able to corrupt a member of the Dark Council and Master Voleran with no apparent effort. We need to end this thing."

Zarev looked over at Per'dra and than over at Vlalkor. "Voleran managed to take back his mind long enough to tell us the name of a planet. Voss. I have a feeling that that is where we can end this once and for all. But for all we know whatever this thing is has already managed to corrupt the natives of Voss. We have to move carefully and quietly to avoid drawing attention to ourselves."

Zarev looked over at the assembled group.

"Are we all in agreement? We go to Voss and we finish this?"

"Agreed. I, for one, am tired of worrying about whether I and the whole kriffing galaxy will be possessed or not. It's time to fight for the minds of every living being in it."

Corsail watched as the rest of the group assembled into the Shan's main room, curious about what was going through everyone else's minds.

"Are we all in agreement? We go to Voss and we finish this?"

Corsail nodded, "I'm going to see this mission through to the end. As for Light, he's already left the ship and began preparations, it's safe to say he's coming."

"I'm going to see this mission through to the end. As for Light, he's already left the ship and began preparations, it's safe to say he's coming."
Light walked back on the ship for a moment looking for more volunteers. After over hearing Corsail, he chimed in, "Yeah, and how many of you are going to help me fix up the ship? We are going to start today, so we should all get off the ship. We have a small building for our crew, so anyone who needs to rest can stay there. If you're good to get to work today, then we should get outside and get started."

"Are we all in agreement? We go to Voss and we finish this?"

By this point Varik had walked into the main hold, "Sure, I don't see why not. No one likes a quitter."

Light walked in a few seconds later, "Yeah, and how many of you are going to help me fix up the ship? We are going to start today, so we should all get off the ship. We have a small building for our crew, so anyone who needs to rest can stay there. If you're good to get to work today, then we should get outside and get started."

Varik left the main hold almost as quickly as he walked into it.

"I could stay and help fix up the ship a little bit.", he said to Light. "But eventually I'll have to head off. I'm still pretty hungry."

"Yeah, and how many of you are going to help me fix up the ship? We are going to start today, so we should all get off the ship. We have a small building for our crew, so anyone who needs to rest can stay there. If you're good to get to work today, then we should get outside and get started."

Zarev smiled weakly and was about to raise his hand to volunteer but Avriela grabbed it before he could get his hand all the way up. "You and Per'dra need to catch some sleep." She said sternly. "You both fought a Jedi Master who was not holding back. Don't worry, we can get the ship fixed up but you need to recover before we reach Voss so get in there and enter a healing trance. "

She stared at both Per'dra and Zarev and pointed at the dormitories. "Sleep. Now." She ordered.

Zarev was about to argue but he saw the look in Avriela's eyes and silently nodded. "Alright. But if there are any emergencies you'd better let me know."

Per'dra smiled wanly, with bloodshot eyes, at Avriela. "Yes, Master." She winked and turned to Zarev. "Let's head to our quarters. The sooner we're refreshed, the sooner we can fight." She headed toward the women's dormitory and crawled under the stiff military bedlinens. Even though they were manufactured for utility instead of comfort, she was asleep within seconds. Absolutely naught disturbed her mind, not even dreams or visions of Voss. It was almost like being unconscious, except when she'd been in that state, she'd sensed nothing.

Zarev's face turned a bit red from the wink Per'dra gave him but otherwise showed no reaction as he turned and headed towards the dormitories that were reserved for the male population of the ship. He sighed heavily as he collapsed down on the bed and let a small grin appear on his face. He didn't care that it wasn't comfortable. He didn't even have to climb under the sheets. It was better then what he had been working with since Balmorra.

He fell asleep almost the moment he hit the bed. Even though he was tired and had no idea what was going to happen next, he didn't know if they would succeed or fail...he knew he was going to give it his all.

"Yeah, and how many of you are going to help me fix up the ship? We are going to start today, so we should all get off the ship. We have a small building for our crew, so anyone who needs to rest can stay there. If you're good to get to work today, then we should get outside and get started."

Corsail stood up, "I can help out if you need an extra hand."

He was tired, but he still had enough energy to help with the repairs. "I've had to patch up my own ship quite a few times, so you shouldn't have to worry about me accidently blowing anything up."

Corsail stood up, "I can help out if you need an extra hand."

He was tired, but he still had enough energy to help with the repairs. "I've had to patch up my own ship quite a few times, so you shouldn't have to worry about me accidently blowing anything up."

"Okay, sounds go--, blowing anything up? Sounds like there's a story there. You'll have to tell me about it sometime. But for now, there is work to do." Light left the ship, and started getting to work on the obvious problems, if the tools were handy. Luckily, the ship already had a few people taking looks and gathering equipment, so tools weren't hard to find.

[[Should there be a time skip soon?]]

((Time for a three day Time-skip. And sorry for the late post, been a bit busy))

Three days later

Shan
Taris Space Port

Zarev slowly opened his eyes and stretched his arms as he came out of his healing trance. He got to his feet and listened to to the background sounds of the Shan. The ship sounded as though it had been repaired as some of the sounds that had become normal after the damage the ship had taken were gone and the normal sounds that he had first heard when they had first taken the ship had replaced them.

Zarev grabbed his double-bladed lightsaber from off the table next to the beds and clipped it to his belt as he walked out the door into the main crew area. He stopped for a moment as he saw Corsail and Vlalkor working on a console.

"Feels good to be up and walking again." He said with a smile as he approached the two of them. "What's the status of the ship?" He asked. Vlalkor looked up at him and turned to look at the console. "Just about done. Just need to fix this up and we're done."