Revan part 2, the wanderer, Revan Options

[Lord Revan]

Revan part 2/ chapter 16 (cont.)

Despite the cold gales around the convoy none of the soldiers, officers in particular, felt uncomfortable thanks to the heating units in their armor. It was a blessing when their empire spanned an entire galaxy, thousands of environments, it was a miracle that one set of armor could function and keep the wearer warm or cool in savage conditions.

Master Gunnery Sargent Kartah sat in the passenger seat beside the scout's driver. The small, but nimble vehicle bounced ahead of the APCs and troop transports of their devision. Other scouts dotted the frozen valley they were driving through.
Thanks to the men and women long ago who designed this armor milenia ago we can all fight anywhere at an equel level of performance.... She thought quietly to herself. Actually the armor was too heavy for certain unstable battlefields where the ground could give way at any moment.

Her helmet was somewhat larger then the typical trooper. That was because, as an officer, she needed more knowledge of the immediate situation then her subordinates. Kartah patched her helmet into the crude 'net' that had been fabricated by spreading out their forces.
Though not as efficient as the real thing, the hastily fabricated system did its job well. There were enough vehicles that all troops were able to communicate. But the High Naryyn sargent, along with every one else, wished they had their main advantage back.

In a way, the combat-net was just as valuable as the powered armor they all wore. It gave the needed intelligence to syncronize troop movements, plan offensives, and so much more. Working without one was like fighting blind and nearly deaf. It was possible to fight without it, but it was a much needed comfort.

Suddenly there was a thundering sound audible over the background noises, and everyone around them instantly woke up. Training was the closest thing to telepathy they had, true they could feel emotions and possible triggers for actions. But all troops' ability to do more then that were denied upon recruitment. Only when a soldier gained significant prestige were their powers recindled and nourished.

Kartah's helmet indicated that the sound had come from the left, beyond the ridge. The path ascended and the source was revealed. On the butte, the twenty or so artillery guns were just visible, their shots were flying toward a nearby frigate....
On some instinctual cue, Kartah knew that Xarkum was responcible for the attack. Meanwhile the ordinance slammed it their target, blasting it into the earth. Xarkum what are you thinking? She thought angerly.

The vehicles had come to a stop to watch the display, but Kartah knew what the should be doing. She rushed to get the vehicles moving again. "Wake up everyone, this isn't a firing range!" The sargent yelled through the com-unit in her helmet.
She didn't actually know if she was the ranking officer or not, actually she knew she wasn't. But Kartah didn't let that stop her. "Scouts form up, we're going to that butte and give them a hand; everyone else, continue along the path! Move!"

The devision didn't need a repeat on that order, because they immediatly snapped to their tasks. The scouts swung around and moved full-speed toward the walls along the path. But rather then crash into the ice, they all bucked and jumped over the obstruction.
Kartah's head slapped against her headrest when the driver hit the jump-thrusters. Don't be dead before I get there Xarkum.....

Xarkum.......

In the exileration of the moment Xarkum forgot to put on his helmet, so when the mighty artillery fired, their booming reports caused his ears to explode in pain. He fell to his knees lightly carressing his screaming eardrums.
Still that didn't stop him from seeing the cannons' handywork. Fifteen shells hit the broadside of the frigate, three shots missed when the others hit their mark, and the remaining shells hit the ground all around the downed frigate.

But despite the attack, the frigate slowly rose back into teh air and spun to face its assailants. Its engines brightened and it burst forward toward the butte. By this time Xarkum had put on his helmet and heard one of the troopers yell. "It's trying to get under our minimum depth!"
The soldiers did their best without direct orders, the guns fired their second salvo, and the soldiers nervously readied their weapons. The frigate continued on its charge, and ran head-long into the second volley.

It slammed into the ground again, and even skidded across the blanket of snow. Hopefully that's the end of that. Xakum thought, just as edgy as his troops. The officers began to order the guns to get portable again, and the soldiers hastened to get moving.

But it wasn't meant to be....... The same feeling that had filled him with fear on the outskirts of the Marhun-Kar village chilled his spine. Then a chorus of engine noises roared over the butte, and the soldiers on the closest to the cliff gestured empathetically.
As he rushed over, Xarkum already knew what he would see, but he clung to the hope that he wouldn't see it......... That also wasn't meant to be, the area between the butte and and the wrecked frigate was filled with golden blurs...... with rogue dropships.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: May 5 2007, 09:12 PM

[jack cloudy]

Now you've done it, Xarkum. I don't know if Naryyn culture allows it, but Kartah needs to give him a good lecture on acceptable risk once they get out of there.

[Lord Revan]

Revan part 2/ chapter 16 (cont.)

Revan vaulted over a sudden hole in the chasm floor, and turned to see Rhys do the same. She landed gracefully beside beside him and they both shared a moment's length of silence before there was an explosion above them.

Both looked up to see the flames and debris block out the sky for several moments. "Come on, we have to keep going until we find a way out of this textbook nightmare!" The driver shouted, his voice slightly muffled by his helmet.
After three minutes of running it was clear that the frigate wasn't chasing them anymore, and they slowed their pace. "Over there I think I saw a cavern." The gunner told them. It proved that there was a cavern.

The contents was pitch black, Revan, Rhys, and Nara were unhindered. The two High Naryyn didn't follow, so Revan stopped and turned to them. "Come on, this could be the only way out!" The soldiers looked at each other and shook their heads. "Surely there's a better wayto the surface."

Revan rolled his eyes wearily behind his visor. "We can see just fine, you only need to follow us." He could detect their reluctance to enter a dark cave that could be unstable. "That might go down, deeper into the planet, we need to go up."
He turned to Rhys, "Do you see a way to convince them to come with us?" She furrowed her brow for a second. "No, the High Naryyn obviously lack our afinity with darkness; we might as well be asking them to fight with chitin daggers instead of assualt rifles. He nodded, and turned back to them...... then he saw something unexpected.....

Rhys....

She looked in the soldiers' direction just as Revan did, but took longer to realize what she was seeing. Nara was moving to join them, what is she doing? The girl stopped beside the High Naryyn, and turned back to them.
"Nara what are you doing? There probably aren't any paths for another kilometer!" Rhys asked the girl. Nara's respounce was prompt, if not somewhat illogical. "They will find a way out of the canyon, but you two have to go this way."

Rhys was confused, Nara had always been distant, but she'd believed it was simply because she had lived on her own and never branched out to be close to others. "What are you saying, Nara?"
The girl gave Rhys an odd glance that seemed deviod of emotion, but was also brimming with it. "You and Revan must go one way, and we must go another, your fate is bound to his...... in more ways then one." Her voice sounded almost prophetic. "What will happen here can only be experienced by you two, neither I, nor these soldiers can interfere."

"I don't understand, Nara, why are you talking like this?" Rhys asked, she had no idea what was happening. Nara smiled, amused. "I'm Hurso-Vernah, I can see what can and may happen, but I can only minipulate the riverbed, not the river itself."
An chill ran through her, and she knew that she couldn't comprehend this girl until she wanted her to. Rhys realized that only she was having this conversation, that Revan and the High Naryyn weren't experiencing this conversation........ "Now go with Revan, let your life play out, but one day the rules of our people will be challenged." Nara's voice was now forceful and commanding.

Revan.....

The two High Naryyn left with Nara, but Revan couldn't remember agreeing for them to take her with them...... Rhys stood beside him, she seemed dazed and detached. "Are you all right, Rhys?" He asked, feeling a sense of worry. Am I even ok myself?
Rhys shook her head, and returned his gaze. "Don't worry about me Revan, I.... I'm fine." No you're obviously not, just tell me what's wrong. He wanted to say, but he kept it to himself.

Revan shrugged and looked into the dark depths of the cavern. "Well, we'd better get going." He turned to glance at Rhys...... she was still looking at the enterance.

Marthyn.....

His mind focused, and his destination clear, Marthyn stood and made his way to a nearby ravine. Revan......... It won't be long now...

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Jan 2 2007, 12:57 AM

[Lord Revan]

Revan part 2/ chapter 17: Waging War.....

Kartah, gripped her assualt rifle tensly as the scout bounced over a small hill. The battalion of small, vehicles sped along toward the butte, their tires kicking up plumes of snow. The dropships were circling the top of their destination, raining energy-fire down on Xarkum's forces.
Right now, the Staff Sargent felt completely helpless, the nimble scouts were eating up the distance to their comrades, but Kartah feared that they wouldn't be able to help. They better not die, if I find Xarkum after this is over..... She let the thought go, and let herself concentrate on saving the scholar's life.

The lightly built vehicles bounced as they hit common obstructions in the snow. Scouts were built for speed, and hit-and-run. Now that Kartah thought about it they should have let some of the APCs tag along, these little mechs could deliver a viscious bite, but they were asking for trouble attacking air targets like this.

Forget the odds, we have troopers with anti-air weapons, so we can take them out. That was a foolish hope, though bulky, the standard-issue transports were also built for fast infiltration of enemy territory. They weren't as manueverable as fighters, but they could move on a greater axis, capable of hovering, strafing, and reverse thrust.

One of the rear-guard vehicles shouted. "Incoming, they're coming in high, repeat, some dropships are inbound, they're diving!" Kartah looked straight up, her visor compensating for the glare of the sun, and spotted five faint dots.
Activating the long-range setting of her helmet, the dots leapt forward and resolved into the silhouetes of dropships. And just as the soldier had reported, they were diving at a 90 degree angle toward them. Kartah yelled into the com-link. "Split up, loosen up this cluster, do you all want to get blow up?"

With a chorus of "yes, ma'am"s and hand signals, the devision split apart, like the petals of a flower. Some of the vehicles hit their thrusters, jumping into the air or leaping forward with a speed boost, while others slowed down or skidded to a halt to choose a new course.
With five airships, bristling with anti-infantry guns, the group's intention was to confuse the dropships and cuase them to lose their advantage. Kartah looked back up at the bandits, they adjusted their angle of attack, choosing targets.

The other soldiers were making similar notes, and the squad made the necessary preparations to guard the targeted crafts' backs. This will be a costly battle, no matter how well we fight back we'll lose firepower and troops that we can't afford to lose....... The dropships screamed, and accelerated......

Xaries.......

Studying the grid critically, Fleet Commander Xaries asked again. "Are you certain that these ships aren't controlled by the Expiditionary Force?" The small-scale hologram of a general, consulted his officer helmet's display again. "Yes sir, the ships appear to be needlessly hostile, no communications, no verification, nothing. I don't think the envoy would be so indiscriminate, even with his overblown loyalty to the council."

Frowning slightly, Xaries diggested this information. "And what of the missing patrols? Have we had any word?" Normally he wouldn't have asked that question, but lacking a proper combat-net, he couldn't be certain of much of anything. As the general spoke to another officer, Xaries looked around the troop transport's bay.
A giant compared to the many APCs in their control, the heavy troop transports were over twenty meters long. Out of the fifty seats, fourty-two were occupied by an exhausted soldier. The goliath-sized transport was like a huge siege engine, with armor comparable to their warships and firepower to tear any resistance apart, the so-called "transports" were juggernauts.

Not only were they warhorses, but these vehicles could act as a command center, their computers were holding this makeshift combat-net together. Finally the general replied. "No sir, we aren't picking up any transponders or transmissions, but it gets worse....." Xaries sighed, "tell me."

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Apr 20 2007, 01:23 AM

[Lord Revan]

Revan had a feeling that something was going to happen, or at least about to happen. Rhys had remained completely silent since they'd parted ways with Nara and the two Naryyn troopers. She isn't telling me something, he thought to himself.

He knew there was a reason for her silence, but it made him slightly distressed, not to mention the fact that she'd closed her mind off from him. Of course Revan knew he could confront her and get the answers he wanted, Rhys wouldn't lie to him, of that he was certain.
But he didn't feel that was wise, nor did he wish to do that to Rhys. Still the quiet hung like mist, despite being reserved for almost all his life, Revan felt miserable inside.

I have to end this! His quick pace same to an abrupt stop, and Rhys walked a couple paces before noticing him. She spun on her heel with a look of conflicting annoyance and regret. "Don't ask, Revan. I won't give you an answer."

He met her statement with patience that was born of his former life. "Then I shall simply wait for you to tell me without asking."

Rhys....

Why does he have to be so stubborn? Rhys glared in irritation into the ebony black faceplate. "It's personal, let me handle it." Rhys turned and had barely taken a single step before a cold, bone-white guantlet gripped her right shoulder tightly. She turned her haed just enough to get Revan in sight, and she placed her hand on his right arm.

"Let go of me, Revan!" The amount of venom in her voice surprised her, and she was appalled by the veiled threat as soon as it left her mouth. The man paid little attention to her protest, trying to spit in his face was like trying to knock a wall down with piece of straw.
Still his voice was colder then usual when he replied. "I'm not going to until you tell me everything. And there is no personal; there won't be until our bond fades away." Rhys bit down the angry retort, with visible effort, and turned to face Revan fully.

When she spoke her voice was full of shame, they both sat down on the floor.

Revan.......

He removed his helmet, she did likewise with her sash, they were speaking as complete equals, no half-truths, no misinformation. Revan didn't doubt her for a moment, her shame struck something deep in his heart.
While she spoke Rhys looked at the floor, never meeting his gaze. She unburdened her feelings upon him, Revan knew that Rhys had considered Nara her daughter. Rhys didn't want Nara to grow up like she had, without a parent to make her feel secure and loved.

Revan recalled the memories and emotions that Rhys had experienced after her adoptive father had died. She was experiencing something similar to that now, the abandonment. Rhys had simply wanted to help Nara with love, but instead the girl accepted this then just left.
Right now, Revan simply wanted to find that girl and...... well, do something. Rhys finally finished, but didn't seem to have the will to retreat from her demons. He couldn't let her drown in pain like she had nearly a century ago, he wouldn't let her.

Gently he reached his hand out and gripped her shoulder, this time in a soft, comforting manner. At the same time his mind touched her's, he was with her in mind and body. "Rhys," he began in the same kind of caring way Barrick had done. "I am still with you, you're not alone anymore. I've had trouble finding a way to tell you this, but......"

Rhys lifted her head, her eyes glistening with tears unshed for decades. "I've fallen in love with you, and you don't have to hold your feelings inside yourself anymore." Revan spoke softly, running his guantleted hand over her left cheek.

Rhys......

He didn't just say...... Rhys took several seconds to make sure she'd heard him correctly. Revan's cool presence reentered her mind, but it was a chilly breeze that substituted the freezing cold that had consumed her because of Nara.

Rhys embraced Revan with a surprisingly powerful grip. She did exactly what Revan had told her, she released all the grief and loneliness that she'd kept locked away for so long. "I owe so much to you, Revan. I didn't realize that I was the one who needed your help."
Revan replied, "no, you owe me nothing. I need you as much as you need me, Rhys. We are strongest when together."

[jack cloudy]

Nice character building. I wonder how Marthyn will respond when he finds out that his little brother has found a companion. I'm sure that it will cause a slight change in his plans.

[Lord Revan]

The moment he admitted his feelings with Rhys, Revan felt a burden lift from his shoulders. But then it could have been Rhys' burdens that were being lifted...... or just a mix of both, their bond had yet to be fully explored or explained.
I'll, we'll he corrected himself. We'll need to look into that, all we know is that it sometimes passes pain, gives us insight into the other's actions or motivations, but there are so many unknowns..... Rhys had let go of her past, completely, the pain that manifested itself after Barrik's death was no longer an affliction. Now, it was simply another occurance that made Rhys what she was.

They both beamed at each other, her spiritual ease was his, as his resolve was hers. "It's difficult to tell what I'm feeling from what you're feeling." Revan nodded, "What affects one of us affects the other, it's for the best that our minds are connected."
After a long silence, Revan stood and replaced his helm over his head. "But now we must find away out of this canyon and to our allies." With their goal in mind, both set aside their feelings. When this was over there would be time, more time than most beings had who were born upon this world......

Xaries

As a time-served veteran of wars that spanned decades, Xaries felt he could credit himself with an inner calm that few who lived less than a century could ever experience. But when the general informed him that Xarkum, his pacifistic nephew who knew little about combat, was involved in a hard contact with whatever was controlling those ships made almost all his calm vaporize in an instant.

With the only remaining pieces born of military self-control he restrained himself from railing at his consort. But his voice was not what he wanted it to be. "What is the status on the devisiona nd all devisions in the area?"
Xaries clenched and unclenched his fist, a nervous habit he'd gotten rid of many, many years. The general spoke briefly with his subordinates. "The division's transpoders are not responding to our signals; we know however that part of division 2105 is in transit to-"

He knew his troops wanted to help any survivors, and as much as he wanted to let them, Xaries knew better then to risk more men and women for an equal amount who were most likely dead. "Call them back." The general paused for a fraction of a second. "What was that, sir?"
"Call the vehicles back, we can't get spread out and confused in the middle of this situation." The general stared in borderline disbelief, but noticed his commander's solemn expression. The man's voice was quiet, apologetic even, when he replied. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."

Marthyn

Following the chilling sensation that he concluded to be Revan's mental pattern, Marthyn steadily continued through the winding pathways of ice. Though lacking a helmet, therefore a full atmosphere within it, he was reasonably comfortable despite the cold air.
His hurso was hot with the end in sight, though he was confused as to the other presence he sensed. While his brother's was chilly, foreboding, and to a degree, inspiring, this second one was warm, welcoming, and brimming with loyalty.

I don't want to kill anyone if I don't need to....... Marthyn thought as he stopped momentarily. If they get in my way, then I'll make them get out, unharmed if I can, but their well-being isn't my concern.[i] He felt reluctant to press on for a moment, then he banished the hesitation with disgust. The two presences were steadily coming to him.......

[i]Kartah

For a few precious seconds all that was audible in the Staff Sargent's helmet was her own somewhat irratic gasps for breath. The world came crashing back to her instantly, the trooper in the driver's seat beside her yelled over the personal comms. "We just got a message from command, they want us to fall back!"

In spite of being close enough to reach out and run her gauntlet over his, the short-range transmission was hardly coherant enough to make out. Kartah yelled back, but the words refused to leave her throat. In frustation she gave a shake of her head and a slashing motion with her hand. No, we remain.
Though the pilot managed to see the gesture and understand its meaning, several other scouts lacked the benefits of hand-signals and they peeled off, attempting to comply with orders from their superiors.

Kartah held back a curse, but her fears were not as horrible in reality. Half the dropships spun and gave chase to the fleeing scouts. Still, the sargent knew they couldn't fend off this smaller force either. "I want to be on that butte ten minutes ago, soldier, make it happen!"
The pilot nodded and hit the rear thrusters, the scout bucked in respounce to the speed boost. It looked like they could get to their destination unhindered, the other transports were retreating to the other capital ships....... But it wasn't so, niether Kartah nor the driver heard the dropship, and lacking any additional troops in the back they had no eyes to watch their backs.

Suddenly her suit gave a high pitched whine, and a warning symbol flashed on her HUD, the driver's helmet was also flashing. Kartah couldn't remember what the alarm meant, it wasn't a missle lock, that was for sure.
Only the shadow over them gave them a good warning. She looked up, and gave a disbelieving sigh. Not one meter above their scout was a dropship, its weapins weren't targeting them, but there was another threat.

The lights of a anti-grav lit up and with a mighty heave, the transport lifted the tiny vehicle and its occupants off the snow-covered ground. "No, no, no, no this isn't happening!" The pilot yelled miserably as he lifted his hands off the steering wheel.
While he stared at their captor, Kartah looked at where it was taking them....... And she noticed the sheer clifface of the butte they were heading for. I am not going to die like this! She swore, and slapped her palm against her compatriot's pauldron.

As he glanced at her he saw the sargent jump out of her seat and grab the hull of the dropship, and begin to climb out of view. That's suicide, I'm not going to climb over a moving aircraft's hull! It was then that the soldier spotted the cliff. Forget that! And with that he gripped the dropship with a death-grip.
Just as he gained a proper grip in one of the landing struts, the transport gave a roar as it pulled a reverse thrust, and let go of the scout vehicle. The light recon buggie soared through the air and blew to pieces as it collided with the cliff. I'd like to see them fightus face to face rather then with our tech.......

Sargent Kartah struggled to fight the wind, even with power armor on this was a unique challenge to her. The reverse-thrust nearly pulled her hands loose of the aircraft's frame, but adrenaline was very helpful in situations like this.
The transport hovered, as if to watch the wreckage fall all the way down the escarpment. Kartah used the window of oppertunity to get beside the rear hatch. The mechanisms hissed as the doors began to part, the Naryyn pulled out her assualt rifle with one hand, hanging on with other other. If I fall now, then that's one-hundred meters before my body splatters over the ground.........

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Feb 21 2007, 02:45 AM

[The Metal Mallet]

Wow, that some daring moves by Kartah. I hope she pulls this off. Not to mention having control of a dropship would come in handy as well.

Keep it up Revan.

[Lord Revan]

Kartah's mind was focused in only one direction, nothing else mattered. She could lose her grip and plunge to her death, some exotic airborne creature could try and snatch her from behind, but all that mattered was what was coming out of that hatch.
The aural sensors on her helmet picked up some patches of hissing noises and snorts. Kartah's grip tightened on the trigger-guard of her rifle, and even as a hand, with long grasping hands, reached for the frame of the door she cautioned herself. Hold your fire until you have a clear target.....

Her hand continued to apply more pressure on the trigger despite her best effort to wait. The hand gripped the hatch, and exhibited the tell-tale signs of supporting something's wieght. Wait for that things head to show up......
Kartah was losing the clarity and focus, which was being replaced by an consuming desire to make these thing as dead as possible. A long, helmeted snout came over the edge of the frame. The helmet's resemblance to her's loosened her trigger-finger for a fraction of a second, then she recognized whwere she'd seen something like this before.

That thing is an honor guard! The "honor guard" continued to reveal more of itself untilit was balancing on the dropship with its hands and legs. I don't care what these thinsg are, if they want to kill my sevro and sevra then they're marked for death!
With that heated conclusion Kartah let loose three burst of automatic fire into the creature's armor. But bing that they wore the same materials the weapon was only as affective as the assualt rifle would have been against herself.

The cold-blooded reptilian thing shook with every impact, though none of the rounds penetrated its armor. It clearly had not expected the attack and it lost its grip on the dropship's hull. As it plummeted toward the ground below, Katah let herself feel a sense of satisfaction in killing the creature.
This feeling was short-lived, as there was a renewed chorus of reptilian hissing and sounds of shifting wieght. I can't fight an entire dropship load of these things like this. She thought, as she stowed her rifle. With her left hand she reached over to the top of the transport, and hualed herself up.

Two more honor guards pulled themselves on to the same area, both were armed with assualt rifles of their own. There was a split second before both opened fire, but it was enough for training to kick in. Kartah threw herself down onto her stomach, holding both armns crossingover her head.

The arms were the most protected areas of her suit for a reason, they were meant for blocking. All soldiers were trained to take cover, if there was none then they used their own armor as cover. In a folded up shape such as this the arms protected the head, even when someone was wearing a helmet.

Because of this, the anti-infantry rounds pinged uselessly off her more efficiantly. When the fire subsided, Kartah jumped up from her position, and slammed her guantlet into the ship as hard as she could, multiplied by the armor's enhancements.
Drophsips were capable of holding position in severe weather conditions, but the pilot wasn't expecting a sudden force like this. The aircraft flipped with its starboard side almost perpendicular to the ground. Both attackers flew off the side, and Kartah managed to find a hand hold before sliding of herself.

She gave a glance at the butte, it was several meters below and forward from the dropship. Perfect! She accessed an exterior panel that was used for maintenance, but rather than fix it any borken equipment she reached in and ripped out the conduits and power lines that ran along the ships dorsal area.
The pilot had begun to level out the ship, but suddenly the aircraft flew irratically. It went into a loosely spiralling dive toward the butte, and as the creature wrestled aginst the stubborn controls the two Naryyn soldiers jumped to land uncerimoniously on the butte.

Like in training, she landed on her left foot, then stepped forward with the right one to keep her balance and absorbe the fall. The other trooper's landing was less graceful, but he didn't look like he'd fractured anything.
Kartah looked up fast enought to see the dropship slam into a snowy hill, fly through it, and dissappear from view........ She waited a few seconds before the roar of its crash below to get out of her crouch. The soldier followed suit and looked around with the common look of someone who had been through hellish conditions....... and knew it wasn't close to over yet.

"By the Patriarchs, they were all masscred; just look at them." He whispered in a slightly frightened tone. Kartah agreed completely, she didn't want to look at the bodies, but she didn't have the luxury to be squemish about death of kin.

There were blackened craters, twisted wreckage of cannons and other vehicles, slagged pieces of armor, and the unmistakable scent of ozone and heat that accompanied energy weapon discharges. Both of them began to move in different directions, combing through the bodies.
Xarkum, what were you thinking? You should had someone watching for a counter-attack, you'd better be alive or I'll- Her thought was cut off when she stumpled over something on the ground........

Darhun

These 'sevro' avoid me, the Marhun Kar warrior thought sourly to himself. The things I was told about how their anscestors treated ours didn't paint a masterpiece, but I'm not ignoring them. In truth, Darhun felt uncomfortable among them too.

They walk differently, they socialize differently, they even think differently, these are not true kin. His ramblings were interrupted was he felt a pulse deep in his consciousness. None of the High Naryyn gave any sign they'd noticed it, but darhun knew he'd felt something. Something has just arrived........ it's so familiar, but.........
He shood his head again, and he simply stared at his intricatly designed battle-helm. These High Naryyn, they don't have any real individuality when it comes to a lot of things. Most of their helmets look exactly the same!

Darhun let out a breath trying to calm down, and he began to slow his heart and meditate. I hope you're all safe, sevro and sevra.... He thought about the only High Naryyn he could consider true kinspeople: Xarkum, Kartah, and Xaries.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Jan 27 2007, 08:05 AM

[Lord Revan]

Sorry here's a short one, I'm going to try and be more diligent about updating, but then there's school......
-----

The winding pathways were carved out of solid ice, in the time they'd spent trekking through this cavern they had not found a single pebble. It's so cold, why does this place have to be such a frozen wasteland? And how can Nords actually live here comfortably?

Rhys shivered slightly, she'd traveled in cold conditions before, but Sosthiem was the worst experience by far. Revan's calm voice entered her mind, "well, it's part of what makes them Nords. Just like we can minipulate arcane energies and dissappear.... Just look forward to when we meet up with the convoy again."

She raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "You don't even feel the cold in that armor, and my clothes aren't meant to be worn out in sub-zero temperatures!"
To that he shrugged, "like I said look forward to when we get out of this place." Rhys didn't feel much better, but she didn't bring the subject up again. She knew he could feel a similar, weaker, sensation of her discomfort in the back of his mind.

When they came to a opening to the surface, both paused. The necessity for vigilance was Revan's instinct, yet their bond transfered the characteristic over to her. She scanned the immediate area, dozens of icy pillars jutted from the ground around them. "What is it, Revan?"

Revan....

The link between Rhys and him was effectively a loop, therefore he could feel her discomfort and anxiety. Though none of this was really important, he could feel something...... familiar, from long ago. So long ago he could only discern it as something he'd felt before.

"I don't know....." Revan shouldered his assualt rifle and slowly creeped further into the forest of pillars. He gripped the weapon tightly, his senses were throbbing as he moved closer to the source. As he rounded another pillar, a figure stepped out from one further down the line.

The source was a High Naryyn, his armor was similar to Xaries', made of several light plates of overlapping metal. It wasn't as light and ornate as Norik's, nor was it a heavily plated set like the standard trooper's.
All the pieces were smaller but made of more pieces, not doubt for mobility and for greater freedom of movement. Though quite shiny, the armor appeared to have been slightly damaged recently as it had several minor dents on the breastplate.

The Naryyn looked only a couple decades older than Revan, his gold colored eyes bore a look of anticipation and relief. This warrior's presence exuded pride, purpose, and a mixture of sympathy and hatred.

Marthyn....

As Revan came around one of the many pillars of ice, Marthyn allowed for a rare smirk, one of victory. "I've finally found you, little Revan, now I can avenge my honor that you made naught a century ago!"
The other he'd felt came into view, appearing beside his brother. Marthyn was moderately surprised that the other was a female, though he didn't know why he felt a brief moment of extreme anger.
Composing himself, he projected. "if you value your life, sevra, then let this score be settled. Your companion slighted me in the past; I am only here to restore my honor. You are not in any way involved, so leave now."

Rhys....

When she caught up with Revan, Rhys "heard" the High Naryyn's threat. Revan was simply confused, but Rhys felt the venom in the warrior's proclamation. Her own warning didn't have as much affect as this man's threat to Revan.
"A century ago? Revan did you ever interact with High Naryyn before now?" Before the question had been fully formed Rhys knew the answer. She'd seen Revan's memories, He'd been born by a High Naryyn father and an Iso Naryyn mother, but aside from the fleeting period when he is birth been a secret he had never met this Naryyn.

She reached for her staff, as Revan drew his blades. "I'll stand by you, Revan, as you have stood by me."
Four energy blades crackled to life each shining silver, Revan replied. "We breathe and move as one, sevra."

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Feb 21 2007, 10:59 PM

[Lord Revan]

Kartah spun to train her rifle on the object she'd tripped over, but when she saw what it was she stowed her weapon again. It was a small data crystal, a cylinder no larger than her palm, and it was Xarkum's personal storage device.

As she held the tiny trinket in her hand, Kartah felt a wave of raw emotion. Xarkum never let go of this piece of carved rock, he put all of his thoughts and knowledge in it. Therefore she had always assosiated the crystal's presence with the scholar.
And he would never think to leave it in the middle of a battlefield, so...... The sergeant shuddered as the harsh reality stared her in the face, there wasn't any body near the place she'd fallen, only a blackened crater.

She dropped the crystal, continuing to shudder uncontrollably. Xarkum, are you really gone? For one of the rare times in her life of killing things and watching things kill people around her she felt a small part of herself shriek, struggle against the cold that formed over something that had been so warm before, warm and full of life.....

The shuddering stopped, only an empty void remained, blurry eyed Kartah, Staff Sergeant in the Imperial Navy, retrieved the crystal. She proceded without thought, her body working independantly, her mind was non-existant.
The shell marched through the battlefield without direction, but not once tripping over a single corpse. Eventually Kartah came to as she reached the cliff that ended on side of the butte, in the hollow depths of her mind she managed to consider jumping.

She braced, all she needed to do was push and it would all be over....... that felt so appealing, but. "Sergeant, I've got movement," another voice, the soldier's voice. "Confirmed, hard contact, repeat, Hard contact!"
Kartah turned to the sound of gunfire and angry chittering to find the trooper retreating to her position firing back at a group of honor guards. In an instant the thought of self-inflicted death was drowned out by a desire to fight.

Leaping to the right, she fired several sustained bursts from a prone position. The oncoming cluster slowed considerably as the anti-infantry rounds bounced of their armored bodies. None had a ranged weapon, a few held large staffs which they used to continue forward despite the twin barrages.

Getting up into a crouch, Kartah kept housing the creatures with more ammo, only pausing to slam another magazine into place. Still the enemy advanced slowly, pieces of armor chipping off from the abuse. And when they were six meters away, her hand clenched empty air.
Her sedated mind conjured up, I'm out of ammo...... It took an eternity squessed into a dozen clicks for the realization to hit home. Kartah discarded the empty weapon, noticing that the other soldier had done the same and was now raising his back-up.

The despreate attempt did little, the honor guards hardly slowed to the secondary's projectiles. When they suddenly did stop Kartah and the trooper stared in amazement for a few seconds before their suits picked up the dull roar.
Her armor painted several large objects rushing toward them at high speed, before she could turn to look her comm unit projected. "Get down, now!" Throwing herself to the ground again, Kartah saw seven blurs slam down between them and the honor guards.

The newcomers loosed a mixed flurry of brilliant light and thunder upon the awe-struck reptilians. Nothing short of an armored bunker could take that sort of firepower and still exist afterward. As the smoke cleard, the newcomers resolved into the hulking shapes of aerial assualt units.

Over the comm they confided amongst themselves, "I'm picking up another disturbance, 03 and I will investigate. 04-06 will secure the area, and 02, you stay here with the survivors."
The squad scattered, except for the one nearest to them which turned to face them......

[jack cloudy]

The long-awaited showdown. I bet this is going to be an interesting match. Sure Revan and Rhys outnumber Marthyn, but wounding one of them will also hurt the other. That link has advantages and disadvantages.

I am sad about Xarkum's apparent death though. He seemed like a nice guy.

[Lord Revan]

Chapter 18- Sorrow and Mourning

Marthyn sighed and shook his head, dissappointed at the foolishness of both Iso Naryyn. It cannot be avoided anymore...... He raised his arms to chest level, then both blurred as he slashed them downward.
Two beacons of golden light crackled from his gauntlets, two volatile energy blades of his own.

His opponents were momentarily surprised, but stood defiantly before him. The High Naryyn warrior pointed his right blade to Revan, daring him to make the first move. Show me whatever skills you have, they shall do you no good.

Revan didn't move first, neither did his female companion, both moved not a moment before the other. Splitting off left and right, both seemed to dissappear and reappear, though Marthyn believed it was simply an optical illusion.

Beyond the display of coordination there was something else...... it was at the edge of his reach, its slippery surface gliding around his perception like water. Not a single instant were both visible, when one winked out of existance the other would appear to take his attention.

This wasn't what I had in mind! It was complex and yet simple all at once, this was more of a display than actual strategy. It carried a sense of mystic and grace, accompanied by an unnerving threat to anyone unwilling to partake in this devine artistry.

With no choice, Marthyn began to mirror their tactic as best he could, keeping track of the positions of each when they came into view. Finally he caught a flash of a slender form and slashed at it with his energy blades.

On contact the blade discharged a small burst of disentegrating energy, ripping open the target. Marthyn didn't notice it until he heard the shards of ice shattering on the ground. Where the female had stood was a stump of one of the numerous ice pillars.
Mind tricks! He had been fooled by the display, he'd attacked one of the pillars thinking it was a foe. "Over here," an icy male voice called. He turned to see Revan standing three meters away, this one was not an illusion, Marthyn could feel his brother inside the armor.

"You wished to fight me alone." It was a statement, shaped from a question. "First tell me why you're here, and then we shall duel!"

Kartah.....

The comm-link crackled, "You both owe me one." The voice was male, playful and lighthearted. "So, Sergeant, can I get a promotion?"
Kartah scowled beneath her helmet, why did it have to be the 885th that had to rescue us? Officers like Kartah loathed workling with the '85th airborne legion; they were trigger-happy, lacked disipline, and rarely followed orders. In essence, they were an officer's worst nightmare to command.

"No, I can't get you promoted."
"Some shiny honorific?
A month's leave time?"

Kartah's scowl grew, "neither, you know that is against protoco-"
The trooper interupted, "not even a kick between the legs?"

That was the last straw, she turned away and began marching down the trail. "Sarge, the pick-up will be here in a few minutes, shouldn't we-"
"I'd rather walk than stand around listening to that idiot!" The soldier didn't reply, shifting his gaze tentatively to the heavily armored juggernaut before averting his gaze and rushing to catch up with his current CO.

As for the said mech pilot, he simply turned to look at the horizon, though he discreetly toggled one of his suit's sensors to track the sergeant as she descended. What a royal-helm, but she's not as bad as the others I've met..... Maybe I could find her while we're both off-duty
Grinning, he kept his eye on the tab that tracked Staff sergeant Kartah's current position in real-time. Something's got be bugging her..... It would certainly explain why she didn't reply to his last comment, shrugging he pondered what the possibilities could be.

Infinte Sojourn......

The fleet was halfway around the north-eastern tip of the continent, none of the ships were reporting difficulties with the submergence of their crafts. Arastus stood, brooding over his next move as the Sojourn continued its course at the head of the armada.

The veteran leader reached out to the rest of the fleet and called. "All frigates, prepare to return to the surface; two destroyers will accompany them, you are to make contact with the High Naryyn stragglers."

With their orders twelve frigates broke the surface, dissappearing as they left the sea behind. Followinbg their invisbile comrades the destroyers set course for a series of mountains that would shield them from the sensors of the rogue fleet.
All frigates approached the convoy shroaded from sight and detection technology. One Frigate slid downward, releasing its cowl to reveal itself to the troops below. It swung low and came to a halt before the head of the line.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Feb 23 2007, 04:08 AM

[The Metal Mallet]

Looks like Revan doesn't remember Marthyn, that won't do well for holding back his rage. I see this duel is going to be quite interesting.

[Lord Revan]

The High Naryyn had fallen for the diversion, but it was a trap without at trap, simply meant to judge the enemy. Revan stood impassively, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the answers he wanted. "Rhys, this is my fight, don't interfere unless absolutely necessary."

"When will that be? When you're half-dead? I'll respect your wishes, but I'm not going to let you die for the sake of being honorable and fighting with one hand behind your back!" She snapped at him, he didn't reply.

The Naryyn Warrior opposite of him hesitated, then nodded. "I can understand why you don't know who I am or why I've come to kill you." The twin blades receded, and the warrior stood upright with an unmistakable bearing.

"Do you know your father's name?"
Revan was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected question. "Yes, his name was Markus; why do you ask?"

The man didn't answer his question, only nodding to Markus' name. "Yes, you are his son, but you are not fully Naryyn. You're a half-breed; the very act of bringing you into existance was a shameful act. It stands against everything the Order is based on......"

He paused letting the words sink in, or just searching for a way to continue. The Order, so this man is one of their agents, that's why he's here....
Revan listened with vague surprise to the rest of this agent's story, surprised there was more. "However the shame is not only on those who gave you life, but also to those from whom those two are descended!" Anger was wrapped around his every word...... anger and bitterness.

All the implications hit Revan like freezing water, those who are descended! My entire family was affected by my birth. Never in his long life had Revan considered having family, when he'd met his parents his view only incorporated them, but now...... now he realized he had a complete family!
His shell of calm disintegrated, Revan lost his confident stance. The realization was crushing, everything changed in this new light. It was too much to grasp in such a short time.

A powerful voice dominated his awareness; Revan looked up at the Naryyn man standing before him. "I apologize, Brother; our father's actions are not your fault. Still it is my mission to destroy you for everyone's good."
A meter-length blade crackled to life, projected by the man's arm. He raised the blade slowly, a look of complete remorse on his face. "I hope you shall find peace in the afterlife, Revan." Shining its glorious, golden glow, the blade was lifted to the perfectly blue sky.

And an intense wave of heat lifted him off the ice he'd been kneeling on seconds earlier...... Revan slammed into the ground, pain erupting from between his shoulder blades.

Rhys.......

Sitting atop one of the pillars, Rhys had watched the exchange between Revan and the High Naryyn. She had been about to act when a dull roar reached her ears. No sooner had she begun to turn did a huge flying shape zoom past her.

A wave of heat swept through the air, Rhys shuddered in sympathy to Revan’s sudden agony. Through the pain, she felt the presences of the honor guard raiders, the maliciousness, the clarity of purpose.
Gasping, Rhys forced herself to focus despite the discomfort that raked her mind. She saw three transports drop hordes of armored monsters. The creatures snarled and shrieked, as they marched forth, some even crawling along the walls of the cliffs.

Rhys became translucent, in seconds she was hardly discernable from any of her surroundings. Cautiously, she made her way through the garden of icy spires and glistening murderers.
Revan was lying facedown a good distance away from where the missile had landed. This close to him, she could “feel” the injuries he had, her body tingling where his was wounded.

The reptilian hisses reminded her of the ever approaching threat posed by the honor guard search party. Why is it that no one ever had the sense to give their race a real name rather than a title? She wondered to herself.
In his armor, Revan would likely be too much of a burden to haul away without being discovered. Even if he were conscious, Rhys could tell his injuries would slow them down, and even invisibility wouldn’t save them from whatever advanced sensors the enemy was packing. At least not for long........

She was woken from her suppositions by a cold metallic grip on her shoulder. "Don't speak; I imagine it will only take minutes for them to find us here, so we should get moving. At least if you wish to live, Sevra."
With painful sluggishness, Rhys turned to see the Naryyn who had nearly just killed Revan....... his so-called "brother".

Fixing him with a look of resolve, she firmly stated. "We're bringing Revan with us; I refuse to abandone him while he's still alive."
The brother gave her a skeptical look before relenting, "very well. If he is alive, then he will gain a more honorable one than freezing here, or being executed by these things."

Fortunately, the task of carrying him didn't fall on Rhys, leaving her capable of keeping an eye on the honor guards....... and Revan's brother. They progressed swiftly away from the enemy, the High Naryyn suits actually allowed them to move faster than they could normally, a concept utterly foreign to her.

[Lord Revan]

Brooding over the deteriorating situation, Xaries stood with his hand clapsed behind his back. He'd recieved word that the 885th hvy. assualt units had left the convoy without premission or even notifying superior officers.
For all their valuable talents, those juggernauts could afford to learn something about disipline. We can't wage a war if we don't know where our troops are at what time. He sighed, these recent events had taken a toll on his mind.

First Xarkum sacrifices his life and all of our artillery guns to destroy one rogue frigate, then the 885th go of on their own at our expense....... Xaries was too fatigued to feel appropriate sorrow, or even concentrate effectively.
He sat on one of the vacant seats and lost consciousness as soon as he bowed his head. After an unknown time, a hand shook him from his exhaustion-induced sleep. Groggily, he looked up at the senior officer.

"Sir, we have a new situation, it would be best if I show you." By this time Xaries realized he had fallen asleep. Darn it, I can't afford to do this in front of my troops, he thought angerly as he followed the officer to the rear of the troop bay.
He finally noticed the hatch was wide open and the crowd of troopers clustered outside the troop transport. Most held their helmets in their hands or under their shoulders; talking amongst themselves. As he rounded the rear of the transport, Xaries came to a sudden halt.

Sitting before the convoy was long, slender, pitch-black craft. Violet glowing sections were the only respites in the light-swallowing shadow that was the ship's hull. It hovered meters above the ground, not a single piece making contact.

Movement was only the slight bobbing in response to the bitter winds that blew snow against everything on this frozen lake. The craft looked about the equivelant of a frigate-class, though its weapons were not obvious due to the affect it had on the air around it.
Xaries slowly made his way toward the front of the group, not pausing until he bumped into a black-clad figure. The man turned to reveal himself as the other Dark Naryyn that had accompanied Revan and Rhys, Darhun.

Darhun opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word the strange craft speared the ice below it with some of its crackling violet energy. The thin layer of snow lifted off the ground and began to swirl about the circumference of the ship.

A smear of shapes became visible in the crackling force field, they resolved into the forms of twelve Dark Naryyn and a collection of floating armor. The Naryyn scattered, taking up positions in a wide half circle around the armor pieces.
The pieces clung tight together, suspended a meter above the ice. They all shook as if gripped by a spasm, then an explosion of silver fire blasted them apart. Next the pieces came together again in a looser fashion, leaving an average distance of three centimeters between each other, the flames came back to form a vaguely transparent aura around the pieces.

Two pinpoints blossumed before the ornate headress that was its head, the creature was now recognizable to all gathered. It was a Dark Naryyn Ascendant, the spirit of a fallen Naryyn who had lived on at the expense of his physical body.
All the High Naryyn Ascendants came forward from their side in responce to their counterpart's appearance. The silver apparition studied the assortment of golden specters with what could be amusement; the High Ascendants did the same with curiostity and slight disdain.

No one breathed, the Ascendants were revered and valued as symbols of wisdom and knowledge; they were also very powerful though lacking the strength and prowess of their former selves, they were the embodiments of the hurso. They could kill many individuals in a single instant with but a minimal amount of mental energy, or rob the weak-minded of their sanity.
Both Xaries and Darhun made their way through the other Naryyn to get closer to the spectacle.....

Kartah.....

Stalking down the path that still showed the fresh scars of APCs and scouts that had recently traversed it, Staff Sergeant Kartah exuded extreme anger. But grief prevailed over the smothering rage, and she came to a stop, shoulders slumped.

Moments later the pilot stopped a safe distance behind her, for he could tell his CO was in a sensitive state of mind currently. Evac was on the way anyway; there was no need to hurry. His armor already pinned the incoming rescue party.
As he kicked the snow waiting, he cast a glance at the mesa, half expecting that same 885th guy to be diving out of the sky ready to fill them with ordinance. In his relatively short tour of duty, the pilot had certainly heard of the reputation of the'85th Aerial Devision.

The entire outfit used advanced suits of armor that were thicker, heavier, and stronger than anything less than a troop transport. Those things were walking tanks, no, that was an understatement, they were faster and more deadly than any tank.
As for the people inside those dreadnauts, well, they were universally known as brain cases. Trigger-happy, bombastic, you name it, the pilots tended to disregard most order unless they were from a high place in the command-structure.

That guy isn't quite as bad as the general rep, but I wouldn't want to be in front of him in the middle of a charge.......

[Lord Revan]

I heard you guys wanted to see the raptors again..... so This is a short post, but this is my spring break, so I should be able to post more later.
----------

The only breaks in the consuming silence were the distant howl of the wind, the subtle drone of his armor's servos aiding his movements, and the crunch of snow under his heavy footfalls. Marthyn strode alone, baring the burden of his brother, it seemed prudent to take his chance to end his quest and kill Revan in his defensless state, but he found the will to slay his brother ellusive at the moment.

The female had vanished several minutes ago, still Marthyn doubted she was far. The woman's devotion to Revan was absolute as it patterned her soul....... Shaking his head to clear his head, Marthyn continued on with haste.
His armor easily compensating for his burden as he ran, allowing Marthyn to travel faster than most humanoids without tire. I do not need these people's favor; no one could stop me if I killed Revan now...... The thought had no greater an effect on motivating him than it had five minutes ago......

It's an easy task, but is it the right course of action? This was more sensible in his opinion, for less sensible reasons....... When he is able, I'll kill Revan one on one, the honorable way. He nodded to himself, that felt right.

Rhys......

Shrouded in invisbility, she looked over the coastline carefully, searching for anything that might be a threat. Not much to see, even if I were running by the water's edge carelessly, nothing could see me unless they happened to be just fifteen feet away from me.....

Rhys closed her eyes, consoling herself in the fact that for now they were out of danger. Are we? She mused, the honor guards are not our only enemies. We have to remain wary of the threats of Nirm, not just those that are beyond it.
Suddenly she noticed a slight.... sensation, like a single note being played on an instrament. Focusing on it she realized it was a beacon, a psychic call.

The signal paused for several heartbeats in responce to her reply, then it resumed growing steadily every few moments. Finally, Rhys heard the sound of snorting and snarling, but it was different than the honor guard's, and familiar.
Several shapes resolved, squat, bipedal, birdlike forms with long snouted heads. Along with the black silhoutes in the white-out there were faint violet points of light. A single form detached from the others, coming nearer and nearer.

The creature swept its head side to side, three lights pulsed, and Rhys recognized the creature and that it was sniffing her out by her psionic signature, like a dog could sniff out a rabbit. Casting off her mantle of invisibility she, reached out her now visible hand to the approaching raptor.
The form striaghtened, then moved close and rubbed its head against her outstretched hand. The creature was the same raptor chiefton that had lead her and Revan through the underground tunnels of Dagoth Ur. He looked her over with the reptilian, slit-pupiled eyes of his and produced a low rumbvle from its throat, a sign of acceptance and recognition.

Rhys saw the same calculating, predatory intelligence in the chiefton that she'd seen from Dagoth Ur, but accompanied by a thoughtful touch of understanding that was never exibited by a full animal. "Greetings, mistress. It has been awhile?"

The male cocked his head quizzically. "I suppose not being a full animal is a compliment; do not apologize, at least not until it is about something that truly matters." Rhys was taken aback, still not used to conversing with something that did not restrain itself from redaing your thoughts; the chief had even known she had been forming an apology.

"I don't practice restraint because I have no reason to, I have no personal agendas like the masters aside from mantain my pack's survival. And you have no reason to hold me accountable if you can not guard your own private thoughts." Rhys simply answered the lecture with a nod, not having the stomach to speak with this creature at the moment.

The chief looked at her oddly for a couple of moments, before moving beside her. "We had best find your companions, the rest of the village is a short distance from here, we can meet up ith them later on....."

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Mar 11 2007, 04:28 AM

[The Metal Mallet]

Yay! Raptors! Those things are cool, even with the freaky mind reading capabilities. Good work Revan!

[minque]

Uhhhh......awesome! Good work Revie.....excellent!

[jack cloudy]

I like the latest addition. The return of those little critters is nice and Marthyn's internal dialogue is nice as well. Continue, please.