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May 1st, 2001, 12:16:08 AM
#41
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
A deep sudden gasp broke the quiet of the dark as Hera snapped her conscious back to her immediate surroundings.
Her eyes lost that dead coal color and in its place they became a brilliant sky-blue, almost luminescent as the energy of the force surged like a torrent through her body. She felt stronger than she had ever before and felt the need to unleash violence and chaos almost intolerable in the need to withhold it for the time being.
Moving from her place, she saw the sun was beginning to set judging by the long shadows cast across the factory floor.
She scoured the compound for some discarded wire and found
something to use as a crude screwdriver, set to work on making some slight adjustments on her weaponry.
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May 2nd, 2001, 12:19:15 AM
#42
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
The pain, agony, and despair surrounding Ogre as he traversed the city, still navigating the Ethereal plane, grew so strong that it could be felt in both the prime material and the plane Ogre occupied. So thick that its presence could probably be felt light years away from the small and sparsely inhabited world, especially by a Force adapt. It was without a doubt, fueling the connection to the Darkside for all the Sith present.
Ogre was now in the center of the city, droids still scurrying around searching frantically for the antagonists of this conflict, seeking to perform their duty to safeguard the population, but thus far not faring as well as intended. Turning back in the direction from which he originally came, Ogre focused on the anchor he had left to the material plane, lifting the twig from the grass plain and propelling it towards himself with telekinesis, as his ghostly form stood next to the bodies of several slain Talseans. The blood pool at his feet, not touching his feet, even though it seemed he stood in it.
With an extended hand, he awaited the arrival of the anchor. There was something in the prime material plane he wished to do.
20 hours elapsed, 28 remain
1,638 civilians dead, 18,362 remain.
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May 2nd, 2001, 11:51:39 PM
#43
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Moving silently throught the night, Hera made her way westward.
There were patrols around, but they were focusing more on the central part of the city where most of the damage was being inflicted.
Hera could feel the power of the darkside all around her. She saw this as both advantage and disadvantage. If she could feel it...other force users could also and would possibly be heading to Talas to intervene. The alarm, without a doubt, had been raised to the Rebel protective forces and time was of the essence.
She came to what she had been looking for - a sealed service grate within a cement hub. Taking her lightsaber, she sliced the edges cleanly and lifted the cover off. Replacing the cover behind her, she
made her way down the ladder-well and into the service tunnel.
After a long run, Hera came to the tunnel's end(or beginning, depending on your direction). She could tell she travelled long enough to be under the surface of the water now - the temperature was markedly colder.
She took 3 detonators, (2 thermal,1 fragmentation) having wired them together earlier and flicked the newly adjusted timer on - arming it. With utmost care she heated the outer coils of wire with her LS, till it was molten and then placed the bomb face-down onto the tunnel surface at the base of the connecter for the Hydron Gas entry. As the metal cooled and hardened again, the bomb was in place and could not be removed without triggering the explosion prematurely.
She now had 2 hours -less a few minutes - to make her way back to her position and complete the final stage of her plan.
Climbing out and resealing the service grate, she stopped dead still as she heard a voice behind her...
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May 3rd, 2001, 11:03:18 AM
#44
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Inside the vent, Hob's blood-crusted right arm rose and and clenched into a fist.
The past two hours Hob had spent using his mind to twist fears and terrorize the inhabitants of the power plant. His body had rested, and as a result his injuries were reduced and somewhat healed.
The dwarf rose and began ambling out of the vent system using the quickest path available with his injured arm held close to his body. It had been Hob's main purpose for exploring the area with his mind while resting, and now he needed to use it.
A few minutes later, Hob poked his nose outside of the power plant and looked down. He was twenty stories up, but the architecture was of a flowing, buttressed style that Hob could climb down. He began the descent, managing to climb down two levels before giving up the idea of climbing. His arm was simply too bad to use for that type of wall-scaling right now. But if he could find a fire escape-
Hob looked about, discerning a single-user floating platform not far off. He wandered over to it and got on, staring at the controls with curiosity. With a cautious finger, Hob touched what appeared to be a control stick.
The platform jerked forward, away from the wall, then dropped several feet.
Hob almost lost his balance, but not quite. He grinned with the delight of a child who has found a new and interesting toy, then nudged the control stick again. The platform jerked downward again, and outwards as well. Hob poked and prodded it with his finger until he was at the ground level, some way beyond the power plant's inactive defenses.
When he was at the ground, Hob sent his mind out one last time.
######
"Central Security's right through this door!" Police Lieutenant Wesson shouted above claxons and alarms. "Looks like the access panel's been fried. Get me a cutting beam!"
Two police approached the door with a large device, which they mounted on an unfolded tripod. A green beam lanced into the heavy security door, spitting out sparks as it burned through the thick durasteel.
Lieutenant Wesson kicked the plate that had been cut out of the door with a big black boot, causing it to fall over. He and his men rushed in. The first thing they saw were dead bodies everywhere, faces contorted in terror and pain.
Then he saw the tech.
The man was standing at an auxiliary computer bank. His hands were resting lightly on the panel surface, his head, shoulders, and back were hunched over as though they were misshapen. His hands were very, very white. Wesson walked quickly over to the man and put a hand on his shoulder.
The tech didn't move, instead he just continued to stare at the computer screen from behind thick glasses. A grin was on his face.
Wesson lightly pushed the man and he fell to the ground, his mouth still frozen in a horrible rictus. The terminal's screen was now no longer obscured and Wesson could now see the message flashing in bold, red letters.
Warning! Core status: unstable. Fusion chamber temperature has reached critical. Main security failsafes are offline for repair. Auxiliary security failsafes have been damaged. Shield doors are not in place. Safety shields have been turned off.
Auxiliary power stations have been taken offline for repairs. Core explosion will result in citywide blackout.
Immediate evacuation suggested. Approximate time to explosion: 0:10 seconds.
Wesson's eyes widened and he grabbed for his commlink. He knew people were trapped down below by the meters thick security doors and wouldn't be able to get out in time, but perhaps he could order people to take cover.
A thin pallid hand reached up and grabbed his hand to stop him. Wesson stared down at the man, but all he could see was an intense hatred and madness burning in the eyes of the technician. The man's lips parted slightly, and Wesson found himself leaning close to hear his whispered words.
"destroy..."
######
At the island's eastern end the power plant exploded, showering fire and energy from all around it. The fireworks lit up the night sky, and several smaller substations exploded. The auxiliary power station not too far away found itself disconnected from the rest of the city as the work of the mind-warped technician began to manifest itself.
All over the city, the light was extinguished. Only places with backup power generators still retained any kind of power. Everything else was plunged into the total darkness of night.
And standing on a hill in front of the burning funeral pyre, a small figure could be seen dancing, shouting, and cackling with glee.
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May 6th, 2001, 08:13:07 PM
#45
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
She turned around slowly and saw two patrolmen on speeders with there blasters levelled at her.
They both were taken aback by the visage of Hera. Her eyes still illuminated and burning with evil.
With a voice sounding more calm than he felt, the one man demanded to know what she was doing.
Heras response was to force call the two weapons to her. One of the men had his still stapped around his back and came forward off his speeder faling to the ground. The other spun into motion immediately and throttled forward and up to loop back toward the way he came. Hera shot the man at her feet with his companions gun and then trained it on the escaping patroller. Both her shots at him missed.
Stepping up on the dead mans back and settling herself on the other bike, she too sped off toward the east.
Not far along and seeing the other patroller up ahead she again trained the weapon on her target. Just before she shot, a huge explosion rocked the air and a massive flame shot up from the city limits. As the city was punged into darkness Hera knew that HobGoblin had made success. The darkness and destruction flooded over the area and the Sith Lord smiled with much satisfaction at the other apprentices work. They were all well on their way to completing the task set to them by Ogre.
With a chain reaction from Hobs explosion, Hera knew time was short - the concussive relay through the pipes would in all likelihood set her bomb off sooner. With this in mind, she accelerated the speeder and made for a high buttress in the distance.
Getting off the bike, Hera stood watching the red glow of the PowerPlant conflagaration and waited for low boom of her own bomb.
**********
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May 6th, 2001, 09:39:52 PM
#46
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
The twig that wasn’t of this world, flew to Ogre’s position, then abruptly stopped in mid air. It dangled there for a moment, as the plane shifted Sith Master looked down at the drain below. He smiled and cackled a sinister laugh as he began to sink into the ground, the suspended twig falling from its spot, down into the nearby drain, following Ogre on his journey below the city and into the ruins of an old underground dwelling of some kind.
The air was stale and dank, but Ogre didn’t even notice as he required no oxygen from the Prime Material plane in his current state. The only light, crept in from the grate of the drain above as he slipped through the very structure of the cracked drain pipe below it, the twig trailing along.
Once in the dwelling proper, Ogre guided the twig to his hand and his anchor to the Prime Material plane, made him solid once again. His nostrils filled with the stank and smelly air as he waked through the all but completely eroded and destroyed room, guided by something dark and sinister, which he sought.
He approached a decayed cabinet and tugged at the door’s handle. The door creaked and feel off the rusty hinge, revealing a small chest within, which appeared in much better condition that the rest of this place. Ogre’s three digited hand reached out and opened the chest, revealing a small talisman within. It was similar to the healing talisman, which he carried with him, but the symbols it bore were very different.
The smile on his face grew wider as he picked it up and examined it. “A Force Mask, created by my Sith ancestors, such a prize will undoubtedly be a valuable one.” He thought as he tucked it into his pouch, turning around and heading back towards the way in which he came.
He looked up at the cracked drain pipe overhead and realized that he was too weakened from his previous trip to the Ethereal Plane to leave the way he came, and drew his saber from under his cloak, igniting one end of it with a snap hiss. In a smooth, deliberate and fluid motion, he swung at the ceiling, making the crack in the drain much larger than it was, large enough for even him to climb through.
Once again on the surface of the island Ogre looked around and grinned at the destruction all around. He was proud of what his apprentices had accomplished thus far, and he began to make his way back to the point where they had first arrived on this world, knowing that his Disciples would not fail in dealing the death and destruction he deemed that they perform at his command.
32 hours elapsed, 16 remain.
12,487 civilians dead, 7,513 remain.
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May 6th, 2001, 09:57:54 PM
#47
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
:: As Phantom reaches a safe distance from the armory, he slowly presses the detonation button. Moments later the entire armory explodes in a brilliant light, killing hundreds in the surrounding areas.
Phantom runs down the now empty streets. AS he comes to a junction he sees a group of men, as he draws near, he sees that its a group of armed guards. Continuing to run towards them, they open fire. Laser bolts fly past Phantom body, he redirects one back to the shooter, hitting him in the upper body killing him, before the body hits the ground Phantom leaps into the air, landing behind the men, he does a downward slash, the first man is decapitated and it goes down from there.
With four men now dead. He throws the rest of the group back with the force, as they climb to their feet Phantom impales one through the chest. With only two left He uses the force to ram one's head into a house crushing his head, the other is cut in half with Phantom's saber ::
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May 6th, 2001, 10:25:51 PM
#48
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
*One explosion after another ringed through the air. Snack was still on his back on the roof top, letting the pain he had in his body strengthen his Force powers.
The blaster fire of the droids stopped, as they searched the streets for Snack's where abouts. No distractions could be felt.
Snack situated himself on the roof, moving into a kneeling postion. His eyes closed and he began to concetrate. The South Area of the City would do nicely. The wind could be felt as a small breeze with waves of explosions and darkness. What the Sith was going to do, he has only done on a smaller scale. This moment, however, called for something worthy of mass destruction.
The Force swirled around Snack, entered him, flowed through him. The pain amplified the Force, as well as his growing hatred. Reaching out, Snack could feel the atmosphere; the currents of winds, temperature, pressure. He reached further out, letting the destruction of the city build his power. The source. Snack could feel the jet stream of the planet swirling high overhead. The high speed winds in the upper atmosphere which controlled the planet's climate sped at high speeds.
Snack focused on the current of air, manipulating the stream. He bent it, molding it in order to get a better feel of what he was doing and how to do it in the most efficient way possible. This sudden changed caused the sky to become cloud filled. The winds picked up as clouds were appearing. Manipulatiting and controlling the Force, Snack was able to gain a better control over the winds. Causing the air currents to move faster and more violently, the clouds began to turn a darker grey. They merged to form a giant thunderhead, the condesing of water molecules in the air causing the cloud to grow and strengthen. From the base, protruded a funnel like feature. The start of a tornado.*
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May 7th, 2001, 02:43:42 AM
#49
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
The turmoil of explosion and force-manipulation of the elements had electrified the air about the city.
Hera basked in the destructive forces that swept the island of Talas. Looking to the North, she saw a Tornado rising as if from nowhere and noted the destruction it hurled about in its trail. Now it was her turn...and she was ready.
She felt the ground rumble- first once and then a second time. The sound was muted but she still heard the dull boom. For a moment, time seemed to pause.
As her detonation went off in the subterranean tunnel, it ignited the Hydron Gas causing a second, more intense explosion, shifting the ocean floor. The rupture of the ground was so violent it resulted in the creation of a massive backlash in the shape of a huge wall of water. Hera had been counting on this - in fact had placed her bomb strategically toward that end.
Standing on the outcrop, she stretched out her hands into the night and summoned all her force energy. Harnessing the winds to the west she stormed them about the waters' surface adding to the turmoil and the violence, causing the massive wave to grow even bigger and more devestating. Hera knew the elements were obeying her and was exhilirated as the Force moved as she directed it with such deadly power.
The wave rose up and over the Island from the West and like a fierce watery fist it slammed down with terrifying might onto the inhabitants and their dwellings. It swept away everyone and everything in its path. Buildings crumpled like houses of cards. The waters' momentum smashed and overwhelmed, drowned and blanketed all in a raging torrent.
Lives snuffed out like so many blinking candles under the deluge of water and darkness.
Hera, weakend from her exertion, but never so intune with the Darkside as right at this moment in time, clambered onto the speeder behind her and made her way toward the mainland and her Master.
The landscape behind her looking so very different than that which she had first looked upon on their arrival not quite 2 days prior.
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May 7th, 2001, 03:31:51 PM
#50
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Hob lifted his hands and shouted with glee at the funeral pyre that the power plant had become. The littlest and weakest had achieved so much today.
Now, he would seek his reward of power.
The tidal wave smashed into the island, spreading across the land and engulfing the pyre Hob had created. The power plant's ruins were swept through and much of them was carried away. As the water swept on, so too did Hob, borne by the current and swimming on his back to where he wished to go.
As he swam, he philosophized. The workers at the main power plant had lived productive lives, until one fateful day where the historians would record their snuffing out. To control destinies was truly a great thing.
The tide carried him onward, then deposited him on a hill. Hob watched as it continued and parted in a dome shape around a building. A flickering shield prevented the water from sweeping the building away as it had so much else.
There were still humans alive in the auxiliary power plant, but Hob would take care of that now.
Pulling the grimy sack off his back, Hob removed the artifact within.
The Book of Anger.
The pages flipped themselves to where Hob wanted them to be, and the dwarf set the book on the damp ground and began to chant. The book glowed dark red and steam rose from where it lay.
Then Hob stretched out with the Force and followed the energy currents within the building. It was much smaller than the main power plant, and the energy flow suggested that it was powered by two giant turbines that were connected to what was essentially a battery. This system was a physical one that Hob could manipulate much easier than the complex system of force fields and atomic fusion that he had been the center of the other power plant.
Hob continued to chant, then he began to dance around the book in a ritualistic fashion. The glow of the book began to burn stronger and darker.
Inside the power plant, the glow of the turbines increased as they sped up. Electricity began to spark between them, and from the battery as well.
Hob's voice began to rise to a crescendo, and then he uttered one last phrase.
" Cahellic calla, denadet afrada, Burn bright with energy and be not afraid, for the end of your days marks the start of my blaze!~
The turbines shuddered and spun impossibly fast, faster than they were ever meant to. The turbine to the right suddered off its' foundation and collapsed into the other one, knocking it down. The battery, supercharged and overloading beyond the ability of its' captors to control it, sent electric shocks throughout its' structure.
Outside the building, the protective force field died. Water washed in and electricity followed it and flowed out.
The auxiliary power plant suddenly exploded with a massive electric jolt, sending searing columns of lightning and energy throughout the nearby landscape. One giant column arced out from the center of the explosion and impacted on the hill where Hob and The Book of Anger were located.
The force of the shock swam through Hob, caressing his senses and awakening them to the raw fury of the energy.
Then the energy fed into the ground and was soaked up by The Book.
Hob's soul mingled with the energy he'd just been engulfed by and the Darkness that stained the island where so many had died in so short a time.
Some time later, Hob stirred. He picked himself up from where the shock of the energy had thrown him and collected the Book of Anger from where it lay undisturbed atop the hill to put it in his backpack.
Instead of the sullen, dark red it had glowed before the ritual, it was now glowing a bright, blinding red.
The Book had been energized.
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May 7th, 2001, 11:58:35 PM
#51
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Ogre stood near his ship, basking in the evil that permeated the very air of the land. He had not participated in dishing out the death and destruction, but he was responsible for it. Twenty thousand lives lost on this world, accomplished by his apprentices with several hours to spare. They had done his bidding flawlessly and now the act of Genocide was complete. The planet Talsea was now devoid of higher thinking life forms, and very little remained of the once thriving civilization’s city before him.
The smile on the green Sith Master’s face was unheralded in it breadth, as he surveyed the destruction committed by his command. The New Republic would definitely discover what had transpired here as well as the Jedi. Just the fact that so many lost their lives had probably caused enough of a disturbance in the Force to make them aware of what had transpired.
He continued to revel in the destruction, waiting by his ship, having found the item, which had made this world interesting to him in the first place. Ogre’s collection of ancient Sith artifacts was growing, and he had successfully tested the mettle of four of his apprentices. Now he awaited their return, so that he could see and feel their own elation at what they had accomplished.
42 hours elapsed, 6 remain.
20,000 civilians dead, 0 remain.
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May 8th, 2001, 01:18:49 AM
#52
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
:: Now levitating high above the clouds Phantom slowly floats his way to the river that he had crossed during the beginning of their trails. As he comes to the river he looks back and smiles, smiles at all the carnage and destruction that the four of them had caused. He floats over the channel and sets himself down by his Master. Upon landing he lowers himself to one knee ::
Master we have done your bidding...
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May 8th, 2001, 10:20:47 AM
#53
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
The exhausted dwarf stows The Book of Anger in his sack and shoulders it again. He begins the trudge back to the meeting point with his ape-like, knuckle dragging method of walking.
His re-energization of the Book had been for a purpose. Though the dwarf had already read through it, he knew that the Book was of such a nature that it imparted some secrets directly into the mind of one reading it. Without power, without strength, with its' Dark energies at a low ebb from having tutored so many over the years, it had not been given fuel itself for a long time. Now, those secrets that had been previously dormant would no doubt reveal themselves during a second reading.
As he walked, Hob noticed that his right hand had stopped bleeding. No doubt it had been washed out by the salt water and then cauterized by the electric energy during the Book's energization.
In fact, there was now the beginnings of a permanent scar there. It appeared to stretch the length of one of the blood vessels in his arm, from mid-knuckle almost down to the elbow. It pulsed as Hob's right hand hit the ground during each stride.
After an hour or so of walking, Hob reached the channel across from the meeting point, which was now halfway filled due to the tidal wave. Hob strode into the water and swam beneath it, quickly reaching the other side.
As Hob emerged from the water, he wore a tooth-filled grin. He clambered up the channel's opposite side, soaked and dripping, but victorious.
The small could achieve much despite their size.
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May 8th, 2001, 11:02:26 AM
#54
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
*The tornado which Snack conjured up did its purpose. In its short lived life, it destroyed most of the South End of the City of Talus, toppling buildings in its path.
Almost as quickly as it came, the winds died down as the tornado disappated form its path of destruction. The power of the destruction, death, the DarkSide grew in the Sith.
Snack stood slowly on the roof of the building, the pain from where he was shot multiple times lingering away. The pain served as power.
He jumped from the roof, rolling to a landing on the streets below. His exertion in his Force move, Force Wind, drained his energy greatly. He took his time in walking to the river, stepping into the waters, about to swim back to meet up with his master.*
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May 9th, 2001, 02:58:15 AM
#55
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Hera had arrived back a little before the other apprentices, but had stood off to look out across the water.
The city of Talas had been devestated. There were no more sirens..no more searchlights. There were no more explosions or weapons firing. There were no more voices crying out in outrage and anguish. Just the slow ebb of the elements as they began to subside in the darkness.
She turned and glanced at the giant outline of the Sith Master as he awaited their return. His solid confidence, that what he had commanded would be accomplished, was evident in his calm authorative stance. She sensed a satisfaction emanating from him that was not altogether based on their success alone. She felt certain, knowing Ogre as she did, that the leveling of this place was not just an excercise in the wrath and violence of the darkside. But more. Perhaps more than she and the others could fathom. True or not, she knew they had done what was called of them, and they were the stronger for it.
As she approached Ogre and Phantom, she saw the HobGoblin clambering along from the other direction...his one arm dragging the ground, the other shouldering his pack and she felt an extremely strong signature or sorts burned with it it...She took very close notice of that backpack.
Standing with the others, she awaited the arrival of Snack.
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May 9th, 2001, 05:19:07 PM
#56
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
*The swim was longer than his first. Exhusted from the amount of Force Snack used in his Force winds, he took his time, pacing himself on his swim back to where the rest were gathered.
Snack emerged from the water, his cloak on body dripping. The water mixted in with the sweet on his brow, and caused the blood stains on his clothing from the blaster shots to smear the red streeks of blood on his cloak. He slowly walked to where Ogre and the other three apprentices were waiting, and dropped down to one knee, his head bowed. Snack was breathing heavily.*
Master, it is done.
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May 9th, 2001, 05:46:26 PM
#57
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
He looks to all those gathered with pride and a beaming smile of satisfaction, making sure to meet each one’s eyes with his own so they can see how he feels about what they have done. “You have all performed extremely well, even better than I had expected.”
He drew a chronometer from his pouch and looked at the time. “The New Republic will most likely arrive in just under three hours time, and by then we will be long gone, leaving them to find the destruction left in our wake, with no immediate opportunity for them to make any reprisal. You are all dismissed to either leave or stay, the decision remains yours. Your power in the Dark arts is surely stronger with what you have achieved and now all your names will be whispered through the Universe as slaughters of thousands. For I intend to send the NR a message stating exactly who was responsible. Your loyalty and desire to fulfill my wishes will be remembered. Congratulations.”
20,000 Civilians dead. The Genocide of Talsea is done
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May 10th, 2001, 11:23:32 PM
#58
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Thank you, Master.
*Snack slowly stood up. He gazed at the other three apprentices, bowing his head slightly.
He then began to walk to his X-wing, knowing that he was not up to fighting any New Republic soldiers or Jedi for a while. Snack was to rest safely at the Empire's Headquarters.
As he sat in the only seat in his X-wing, Snack closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He was exhausted, and deserved rest. His wounds would heal in due time.*
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May 11th, 2001, 02:24:39 AM
#59
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Hera bowed to Ogre and the others as she prepared to leave.
Heading to the Paylode she stopped breifly beside the dwarf and spoke. "If you require transport to return to Vjun, I can take you." And then continued on to enter her ship and power it up for departure.
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May 11th, 2001, 10:49:42 AM
#60
Re: A Gathering of Ebony Souls
Hob cackles to himself and follows Hera. ~ A ride would be much appreciated, lass. This old dwarf cannae walk from here to Vjun like he used to, especially not with his injuries.~
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