Fifth Level, Deep Beneath the Dome This floor was the largest Elora had yet seen. It stretched so far into the distance that she could not quite see the far wall. The entire place was heavily flooded. The water was pouring down from the ceiling, which only made the situation worse. The water level was rising all the time, and Elora would only be able to move a few feet before she would find herself waist-deep. In such circumstances it was difficult to walk (indeed, it was probably easier to swim) and many of the screams were coming from people who were struggling to keep afloat in the churning waters. She could see Ithorians, Nikto and Chadra-Fan among the dozens who presumably belonged to the Circus. All of them were swimming towards a handful of small platforms which floated above the water. Unfortunately, those platforms were being patrolled by three enormous Gorax, who were so tall their heads brushed the ceiling. Every time someone swam close to the edge of a platform, a Gorax would stomp over and kick them off. And it was dangerous to stay in the water- one-eyed swamp creatures could be spotted peeking into the air every now and then, and Elora would recognise them as Dianoga: And finally, in the distance, where the air was thick with smoke and steam, there stood a huge Dashade. He was hovering high up on a repulsorlift, laughing and grinning. He was adjusting nozzles on the ceiling that seemed to be controlling the water flow. Tag: Sirak
Upper Levels, The Citadel, Prakith Shadow enveloped the quintet as they ascended the staircase. They reached a long hall, lit by torches upon the wall. Vilevein gently prized a few from their holdings, handing one to each of the group- except for Mischa. "If we are separated, it can become difficult to find your way without one," he rasped. "Except for you, little human...you do not see by the same light as we do." There were three identical doors at the end of the hall. Each one was slightly ajar. Through the first, they could see a shadowy figure sitting in a rocking chair, within a room that looked oddly reminiscent of the dormitories on the Storyteller. The smell of stale food seeped out of the room. Through the second door, they would see a large throne at the end of a long red carpet. The seat was empty, but it seemed to writhe and shift as if it were alive, and its golden arms were long and sharp. And through the third door, they would see a small fire on the ground, and a set of eight paper figures dancing around it. Their dance was an eerie sight because of their unnatural staccato movements, as if they were toys being manipulated by a puppetmaster. And yet Mischa was able to see them in the Force like any other being. "All these rooms eventually lead to the same antechamber," said Vilevein. "But not all of us will experience the same level of danger in each one. Choose the one which seems safest to you." Without further warning, he stalked through the second door. Tag: Xan, Anne
Once upon a time... ...so it was that the two infants were to be raised by Kipling, eldest of the trees. But Kodama, lonely and pitiful creature that he was, still desired to be made guardian of the children. Again and again he was denied, and was sent away. This only made Kodama more envious and embittered, and he decided that if he would not be given the children, then he would take them. He retreated into the darkest depths of the forest, and stayed there for many months, learning of ancient magicks that were forbidden knowledge to his kind. He fed upon the roots and bark of other trees, so that their strength might be his. He dipped his branches in blood and sacrificed animals to the foul gods he worshipped. When a wandering coven of witches came by, he did not turn them away as was his duty, but instead sought counsel from them. Eventually, he grew in size and stature and power, and he returned to visit the other trees. They were fearful and intimidated as they looked upon him, and he laughed at them. They cowered as he passed, and bent their backs so that their trunks curved inwards, paying homage to such a superior being. All except Kipling. He was very old, and had seen many pretenders come and go like snowflies in the wind. He was not afraid. "Give me the infants," demanded Kodama, drawing himself up to his full height. "No," said Kipling simply. "Give me them or face my wrath," roared Kodama. "No," replied Kipling. "I will not ask again," bellowed Kodama. "Give me them!" And with the utmost serenity, Kipling repeated: "No." Three times Kodama had asked, and three times Kipling had refused. The children began to cry, for young souls are more attuned to Fate, and they can sense when tragedy will strike. Kodama stormed forward and seized the infants in his branches, holding them aloft. In a fit of rage he declared that he was not leaving without at least one child. So he tore the twins apart then and there, ripping their flesh so that they were no longer conjoined as one. The other trees shrieked, and lightning and thunder crashed through the sky. The two infants had been joined by destiny, and now they had been parted by an act of horrific violence. The boy, Nergal, had survived, and he screamed with pain and misey. His sister had not been so fortunate. Ereshkigal was dead, her half-body now nothing more than a shell. "Here you are," sneered Kodama, hurling the surviving child towards Kipling. "Take the thing. He will return to me one day. Everything returns to me, in time." Kipling was heartbroken, but he saw that the other trees were far too frightened to punish Kodama for his crime. So the wise old tree took little Nergal, and fled from the forest...
Where Black Waters Ran, Citadel, Prakith Mischa entered the third door. Immediately she felt the wind upon her hair and skin, and the smell of grass and wood and smoke in her nostrils, and the sound of the nearby stream in her ears. It was very like being back on Alderaan. The eight paper figures danced around the fire, singing a strange song, in unison: "There once were four brothers, all born at once The first runs but his body is never tired, The second eats but his hunger is never sated, The third drinks but his thirst is never quenched, The fourth sings but his song is never warm. What are the brothers' names?" The figures turned to Mischa, linking their arms. "What are the brothers' names?" Tag: Xan The Warrior's Rest, Citadel, Prakith Elisthia stepped through the door, and immediately she was inside the Storyteller dormitories. There was no mistaking them from the inside. If she looked back, she would see that the door she had stepped through had vanished. Instead there was a sort of blackness...normally that direction would lead back to the central area of the ship and then to the cockpit. But then this wasn't the actual Storyteller of course, so who knew where it led? The figure in the rocking chair did not look up, and did not show its face. It was wearing a hooded cloak. But when it spoke, it spoke with Sarabi's voice. "Elisthia dear, tell me: What arrives with a ship, leaves with a ship, is of no use to a ship, and yet the ship takes it everywhere except space?" Tag: Anne Level Five, Deep Beneath the Dome, Prakith The discovery of this new way to use the Force had come organically to Elora. The girl was clearly learning how to control and use her gift in a profound and unexpected manner. Her 'push' was a perfect response to the situation, and it slammed into the nearest Gorax, sending him flying. He was hurled several feet into the air, straight off the platform and into the water. As he zoomed through the air, he knocked another Gorax, causing that one to also topple off the platform edge. That left only one Gorax on the platform. Unfortunately, the scene had caught the attention of the enormous Dashade on the far side of the room. He looked over and saw Elora. His response was to furiously twist the nozzles he was working on. Water began streaming from the ceiling at an even faster rate than before. The water level was now rising rather fast. And even as Elora had to deal with all of this, she sensed something approaching below, slithering towards her ankles... Tag: Sirak The Palace of Khan, Coruscant It had been several days since Vic had encountered the Prophetess Brizo in the gardens. As before, he had been left largely to his own devices. The servants provided for his every need, and the ever-watchful guards were always on hand to keep him safely ensconced within the palace boundaries. One morning the boy was summoned after his breakfast. It had been the first time anyone had asked for him, and he was escorted to a large courtroom that he had not seen before, situated within the grand western wing of the palace. The only being inside was a rather flustered looking Xexto, who stood fiddling with a datapad as Vic entered. The alien extended his long neck, peering downwards at the young human with naked curiosity. "Er, hello," he managed at last. "This is the Royal Court...as I'm sure you have noticed. Here the Emperor listens to various disputes among his people and passes his judgement. Normally he is not able to attend in person, and so one of his magistrates acts on his behalf." He coughed. "Normally that would be me." He held out one of his many spindly arms, offering the datapad to Vic. "But it is the Emperor's request that you preside over the Court today. Or more accurately, that you be offered the opportunity to do so. I am told that you are free to decline that opportunity if you wish." The Xexto looked hopeful. Tag: ramza Outskirts of Gaia Village, Panchaea Susul had made an honourable decision in the eyes of the Wookiees, and they told him so. Despite barely knowing them, he was placing a lot of trust in what they had to say, and was willing to help them in their goals. And for that, they appeared to respect him. Hullabaloo explained (via the datapad) that he would remain on Panchaea...someone had to. If the planet unexpectedly jumped to another system, there would be no way of finding her again. Someone had to wait on her surface, and try to work out the new co-ordinates if there was a jump. It wasn't the best solution, but they couldn't just sit on the planet forever. And in any case, Hullabaloo seemed eager to continue his study of the world. That meant Baloo and Ecko were leaving in their ship, and Baloo seemed intent on finding 'Sara and Vic', the two humans who had gotten lost en route to Panchaea. He intended to head first back to Kashyyyk, to check that they had not returned there. The choice to Susul was clear: go his own way (perhaps onto Criton's Point), or accompany Baloo and Ecko. Tag: Sarge, Reynar Leaving Uhlanga Village, Panchaea The ship ascended through the clouds and further upwards. Whether it had understood or even heard Jin's command was not clear, but it seemed content to continue along its current course. The soil of Panchaea grew more and more distant... The ship finally left the atmosphere, and after a while it seemed to stop moving entirely, drifting up above the enormous blue and green planet. The command screen went dead and unresponsive, and it seemed like an hour had passed when it came to life again. LIGHTHOUSE BEACON LOCATED ...contacting... ...contacting... NEW COORDINATES RECEIVED: KO VARI Autopilot function load... ... ... KO VARI; TION; KASHYYYK; SULLUST; PLANET 00-02-033; PLANET 932-33-23; PLANET 99-3332-22; CORRUPTED; CORRUPTED; ???? It appeared that the beacon had transmitted a list of possible routes for the ship. Who knew if these still worked, or if the ship would actually get there, or even if the coordinates were accurate in the first place. But what was clear was that Jin was expected to choose one. Tag: Jabba-Wocky Above Criton's Point The enemy ships broke apart as the first blast of plasma came towards them, and they scattered in every direction. The ship that was hit did not appear badly damaged, but was still sent careening out of control. Cato would notice that the enemy fighters did not seem to care about holding any sort of formation, or even about returning fire. They were attempting to encircle the Reborn from all sides, but did not launch any sort of offensive. Meanwhile, Averagus would be feeling the controls of the gun turret warm to his touch, moulding themselves to the palms of his hands. He could see the enemy on his display and directly outside his viewport. They were not exactly sitting targets- they were flying evasively- but they were certainly not attacking. Tag: Fins, Mitth