Star Wars : The New Sith Crisis

The First Encounter

Ul Duo Urshann braced himself as Death's Claw dropped out of hyperspace. In the opposite of the twin cockpits, his son, Ul fortul ran through a serioes of planetary sensor scans. "Father, I am reading several small ships and three armed cruisers. One of the smaller ships is a fighter, a TIE defender I believe." Ul Duo glanced through the gap of space beween their cockpits and gave Ul fortul the go-ahead signal. Ul fortul locked on to the TIE fighter and shot off a small missile. As the missile entered Byss's atmosphere, the outer shell cracked off, leaving a tiny sleek homing device that thudded into the fighter, expanding on impact to magnetically seal itself to the fighter's hull. Ul fortul gave a thumbs up sign and laughed nastily as Ul Duo mimed a slit throat while pointing at the planet surface.

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Tann walked up to her ship, not even hesitating before crushing the tracking device, set so discreetly on the enging exhaust manifold. She remote controlled the hatch to open, while using the Force to throw the branches and camoflague off of her ship. Tann leaped into the seat and instantly began to prep the engines, she could feel some sort of menace here. She would not leave the planet yet, but would dispose of this upstart. The TIE's engines began to whine, protesting the cold start, but responded sluggishly to her commands. Tann eased the tiny fighter out of the trees and shot toward the edges of the atmosphere. As the sky faded from its bright color to the dead black of space, Tann felt a small ship come around the side of Byss's moon. Her lips curled back slightly,as her fingers played with the fire controls. Squeezing the triggers simultaeniusly, green blasts of energy darted out and wreaked havoc on the on-coming ships shields. The strange craft began to evade with fluid movements, darting in, out, and around Tann's laser blasts. A single energy missile launched from the fighter and collided with Tann's armor, not breaching the quantum armor of course, but leaving a visible smear of carbon scoring. Tann switched over to concussion missiles and fired off a round.

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Ul Duo cursed in his native tongue as he saw the projectile streaking toward him .Pulling Death's Claw into evasive maneuvers, he shouted at Ul fortul to concentrate the sheilds at the missiles most likely point of impact. As the small ship turned, Ul Duo felt it shudder with the impact of the concussion missile. Ul fortul's clawed hands flew over his controls trying to bring shields back online, but it was too late. Sev'Rannce Tann's TIE defender was strafing them with ion cannon fire. In a very short moment, all electrical systems were offline.

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Tann smiled in satisfaction as the strange shaped fighter fell toward Byss's surface. Suddenly she leaned forward, probing the ship intently. Both of the beings aboard the ship were using the Force to steady the vessel and keep it from breaking apart in the planet's atmoshphere. Tann directed her ship after the wounded vessel, not firing or ramming, just watching as the fighter plummeted to the ground. her own ship settled gently to the soil as a huge reptiloid alien with a cybernetic leg, clambered out of the crashed fighter and seconds later a smaller version of himself. Both glared at Tann's fighter and the larger raised a clawed hand and lifted a huge boulder using the Force. Tann watched calmly as the boulder was thrown toward her and a mere split-second before it crushed her, she stopped it dead. An instant later it was hurled straight back at the lizards, crushing their fighter as theyleapt aside, activating crimson blades.
Tann shook her head it seemed they were giving lightsabers to whoever wanted one these days. such disorder. Her own lightsaber dropped from her belt into her hand and the sun-yellow blade activated with a hiss.

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Ul Duo stared in astonishment as the Chiss Imperial drew a yellow lightsaber. Darth Slintronius had not said anything about her being a Sith or Jedi. Yes, definetly Sith, he decided as Tann fired a blast of lightning at his son, who evaded it with a sideways roll. Ul Fortul came out of the roll and threw a glop grenade at the Chiss. It was designed to explode on impact and encase the victim in a sphere of un-breakeable goo. But Sev'rannce caught the grenade with the Force and tossed it to the side. Ul Duo roared in anger and charged at the female Sith Whoever heard of such a thing? he thought and swung mightily at her head.

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Tann sidestepped the heavy swing and ducked beneath the smaller lizard's follow up blow. Her lightsaber lashed out and removed the tip of its tail, quite neatly. It roared in pain jumped back, bringing its weapon back ro en guarde position.

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Ul Duo stepped back as Ul Fortul's pain reverberated through the force. That Imperial will pay! he thought as hate filled his mind. Bringing his weapon around he launched a fierce three-slash attack on Sev'rannce Tann, driving her back. He realized too late that it was a trap, her saber deflecting his aside and lightning rushing from her left hand. All he could do was raise a hasty force-shield and numb the pain as the attack burned him. Ul Fortul bellowed as Ul Duo fell, catching his fathers blade in the force and attacking with two lightsabers. Tann's one easily outmatched his two, and despite his best efforts he was driven back.

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Ul Duo struggled to his feet through the pain. At least his force-shield had prevented him from being permanantly damaged, though the burns really hurt. Ul Fortul was being steadily driven back by the furious Chiss's attacks. "Throw me a weapon, son!!" He called as Ul Fortul nearly lost his head to a vicious backswipe. Ul Fortul threw the lightsaber to Ul Duo, who caught it in the force just before Sev'rannce Tann grabbed it. He charged to his son's rescue as Tann knocked Ul Fortul to the ground. Sev'rannce spun to face the new threat, kicking Ul Fortul to the side as she did. The lizard skidded several yards and groaned, only arising when he saw his father engaged hand-to-hand with the red-eyed demon. Crying out, he charged again. Instead of turning, Tann maneuvered Ul Duo into a spin, forcing Ul Fortul to stop his mad rush or run his father through. With both lizards in front of her once again, Sev'rannce Tann returned to the defensive and parried every thrust as the lizards threw all their abilities against her. They combined their power and a huge boulder was torn from the rocky soil and hurled at Tann, only to explode in molten fragments as she blasted it with lightning. The lizards hissed in pain as the lava splattered on their skin and they each moved to opposite sides, trying to flank Sev'Rannce and kill her. Tann recognized the maneuver for what it was and just as the two Sith reached her sides, she leapt straight up, letting the lizard's crimson blades burn and sear the skin of the other.

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Ul Duo fell to his knees, gasping in pain. Forcing his eyes upward, he saw Ul fortul laying in a heap, several metres away. His son was still alive but on the breaking point. His pain began to fuel his anger, fuleing the Dark Side inside him. Power began to course through his veins again, and he struggled to his feet. His lightsaber flew to his hand and he thumbed the activation controlsand the red blade sprang back to existence.

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Tann was walking away, not feeling the need to finish off the two assasins, for to kill helpless opponents was not honorable. Then she felt the Force again coursing around the larger of the two Itarni ( Yes, the species is Itarni ). He had survived that blind attack. His power was great, she mused. Turning, Tann saw the tall lizard standing, wavering in the wind but standing. He had lightsaber burns on his left side, and his mechanical leg was a little worse for wear, but he was ready to fight. Tann sighed and re-activated her weapon. The tall Itarni began to stumble toward her, dragging his metal leg just a little, and wincing as his left arm brushed against his wounds. Tann glanced at the smaller lizard, who was also trying to get up, but not doing very well. Tann sighed and brought her lightsaber up, blocking the first weak blow from the larger lizard, and counter-attacking with a Force shove. As they fought, the smaller Itarni was slowly dragging himself toward the battle, un-noticed by both. Tann tossed the big lizard back, and knocked his lightsaber from his claw. She stood over him, her lightsaber at his throat, almost close enough to burn the skin. " Who sent you ? " she asked, her voice sounding a bit annoyed.

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Ul Duo squirmed a little, trying to get the blade a little further from his throat, but the yellow laser followed his movements, so he stopped, besides, he would not grovel before anyone. " Never, will I betray my employer." Tann didn't look too unhappy as she gestured at Ul fortul, who was still crawling toward them. "Shall I have to ..... " and leaving her sentence un-finished, she let the Force appear around her hand in a ball of lightning. Ul Duo's face paled and he said ."You win, I shall reveal all ." Tann nodded and let the energy playing at her fingertips, flicker out. " Tilshinotar Slintronius hired I and my son, to hunt you down and kill you and then execute your second im command, Grand Admiral Pellaeon ." Tann nodded slowly, and lifted the tip of her lightsaber slightly.

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Ul fortul drew the Dark Side into him, blocking the pain and gaining strength . Rising up to his knees and then to his feet, he began to slowly walk forward and then he began to run. His lightsaber came as it was bidden to his hand and the blade activated, its red light casting patterns on his scaled hide. The Chiss began to turn, obviously hearing the sound of his lightsaber.

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Sev'Rannce Tann whipped her head around, seeing the smaller Itarni running right at her, his lightsaber held high and ready to strike. She glanced down at the larger, still unable to move, with her lightsaber at his throat. His lightsaber lay several metres away, the blade extinguished. Reaching out with the Force, Tann lifted the Sith weapon, the blade still de-activated and sent it flying toward the Itarni's son. When only a few feet from his chest, still unseen in the night darkness, Tann twisted her wrist and the crimson blade activated, right into the chest of the lizard.

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Pain, never have I felt such pain. A flash of red, appearing in the night, right before it cuts into my body. As I look down, I see my father's lightsaber, impaling me. Ul fortul slowly fell to his knees, his blood seeping out from the wounds caused by the lightsabers bladed hilt, the main wound cauterized by the laser. As he fell, his eyes slowly glazing over, Ul fortul heard his father's voice scream in their own language ," NNNNNOoooooooooo.

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Ul Duo's tail lashed around, swiping at Tann's legs and throwing her to the ground. His son's lightsaber flew into his hands and he caught it in a death grip. Empowered by his rage, and by his hatred of this Chiss who had just killed his only son, the lightsaber seemed to move of its own will, slashing and hacking at Tann, each blow nearly knocking her weapon from her hands .

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Tann marveled at this new show of strength in the old Itarni. Just a moment before he had been drained, his strength gone, and he had been in her power. Now he was fighting like a crazed rancor on drugs. She ducked beneath a slash that would have taken her head off swept him aside with a wave of her hand, her telekenetic powers unmatched by those of the Itarni. Casting lightning at him, she kept him at a distance, then, stopping the lightning attack, she held her hand out, grasping his blade in the force. She pulled and despite Ul Duo's best efforts the weapons came loose, flying through the air to land in the grasp of Sev'rannce Tann. She held both blades, point forward, and approached Ul Duo.
"You have fought your fight, serpent, and have come up wanting in the balance of power. Surrender and you will be given a merciful death by the force. Don't make me cut you to ribbons before you die." She grew ever closer as she spoke those words.

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Ul Duo wasn't listening. Reaching through the force, pain and all, he pulled a boulder and cast it towards the accursed Chiss Warrior. As Sev'rannce, hurling his weapon into a pool of water and blasting the rock with lightning, Ul Duo turned and dis-appeared into the night. Sev'rannce Tann could have followed him, but he wasn't important right now, of no use to her . Striding purposefully off into the night, she went to see about the other force-users on this planet. Slintronius and the jedi are next.

Posted by Nate at September 4, 2004 04:57 PM