Enjoy.

This whole damn day had been kriffing madness. For every time that he thought the Clan was able to gain ground against their betrayers, the Palatinae had pushed them back. Each rumor of artifacts to be recovered had been followed but more often than not his team has been beaten to the punch.

He appreciated the efforts of the Stormwinds, Raistlin and Darkhawk but he wanted a little something more. He wanted to bring something home for his team or barring that he wanted something he could bring home. He was sure that he was making his team nervous walking so deep into the midst of battle The Force had led them here, it would lead him home if he only had faith.

Crouching down, the Corellian planted a hand down so he could slip down to one knee. With much of the base in ruins, some pieces had been pinned in between bits of fallen ceiling and broken debris. Most of the pieces discovered had been damaged or utterly broken. The odds were not in his favor.
As he examined a gap in the wall, he took a breath. Trying to surpress a feeling of dread, he poked his head into the gap. A number of structures had collapsed under their own weight after sustaining damage. Every attempt was a gamble.

At first, he saw nothing within the opening. However as his eyes adjusted , the man saw a dim patch of light reflecting off an object. It was an ornate looking gauntlet.

Zachary imagined tracing a finger along the gauntlet for a moment. Even from this distance, he could sense the power exuding from it. Each step brought him closer. While the pirates routed and his comrades fought off the Palatinae he would just simply swoop in and grab it.

With it he would sweep aside the darkness from his dreams, push back the betrayers and finally prove his worth to Sonjie. It was only a small step along a long path. Reaching out, he imagined the sensation of the cold surface brushing against his skin as he coaxed it upward through the Force. Slowly the object floated toward his open hands.

Suddenly, the gauntlet came to a dead stop. Stretching out in the Force, O’Maille imagined closing his fingers around it, and pulled his hand back hard. The glove jerked in the air toward him slightly, but as soon as he relaxed, it began to float sideways.

As he did so, he heard something whistle through the air. Twisting his body, he saw something small and short fly just past him, clattering against the wall beside him. His concentration on the gauntlet was broken. The glove shot into a shadowed spot off to his right, where a barely visible figure was crouched.

“Who is there?” The question was harsh, the Savant’s voice laced with barely-contained anger. His eyes darted back and forth wildly. As his pupils focused, they came to rest upon the figure of the Zeltron as she palmed the gauntlet. He felt his heart flutter for the briefest of moments, as she was every bit as lovely as many others of her species. He quashed the response very quickly, however.

Instead, he ignited his lightsaber with a crackle. He raised the weapon to a point parallel to the ground and level with his chest, pointing it at the woman. “Identify yourself immediately or I will be forced to deal with you like I would any Palatinae or pirate scum.” The Corellian’s tone was low, and he hoped came across menacing.

“Is this what I get for letting Lilith go- threats and menacing?” The Zeltron raised her lightsaber and ignited it, casting a red light in contrast with the green light cast by her opponent's lightsaber.

“So you are Blade?” Zachary drew back his lightsaber slightly, shifting his stance so his weight was leaned forward on his left foot. “I have read a little about you after your wretched lot tried to kill ours.” The man rolled his shoulders back as he spoke. “I will try to end things quickly and be on my way.”

Mactire stood in shock as the greatest artifact in the force was just taken from him. Moments before the relic from the past was taken from his hands all seemed normal. The relic was secured in the middle of the room. Only a small force field had been around it protecting the contents of what many thought was just a simple relic of the past. Though only Force Users knew what it really was, and the secret on which it could possibly contain.

The air was calm and stilled as the Human slowly reached out with the Force tracing the minds of everyone around him. This was meant to be a quick job for the Clan. Casualties were normally part of every plan that came to him. This time though being on a planet where there were more civilians and less military forces, other solutions were quite optional. Many of the people walking around him saw his quiver and pointed and gawked at him. Thinking he was a relic of the past himself or just a primitive from one of the far outer planets that got taken away and sold into slavery. Their minds and expressions were so easy to read as his cloak enveloped him.

Making his way slowly to the guard station where two Echani were standing next to each other, wearing the local security uniforms. They were easy to spot as was almost their entire species. They looked exactly alike. From the tips of their defiant crimson hair, their deep sea blue eyes, and the purple coloring across their lips. Also when he probed their minds, he saw images of others like them playing someplace far away from here. In the museum.

As Mactire made his way ever more slowly to his grand prize, the sense of danger loomed over him. All of a sudden there was an immense terror that seemed to grasp him and everyone around him. As he drew his bow and nocked an arrow, the figure of his fear appeared before him. His dead wife was walking towards him. Slowly stretching out her arms.

Mactire shook his head lightly and focused calming down. The image of his wife vanished and before him was a Cathar. His black fur, green eyes and the way his hair was pulled back, made his appearance one of elegance. His clothing matched his appearance other than his cybernetic right arm.

A cold smile crossed the Cathar’s lips. “Ah this is what I’ve been searching for. And one guard left? Hmmm I must be losing my touch. Alas you will have to die now.”

Drawing his Amethyst saber the Cathar hissed and threw it towards the Human.

Mactire ducked and rolled to the left side. As the blade came back towards its owner, he did a cartwheel to the side using his bow as a point of leverage, having it get sliced cleanly in half by the blade.

“Curse you. That was my favorite bow.” Mactire hissed slowly turning to the Cathar. Anger slowly seeped into him, as he took off his cloak revealing his Peacemaker armor, and his Rancor Claw bracers.

“I am Knight Mactire. Leader of Sapphire Squad, and you are dead.” Mactire snarled racing towards his opponent

The Cathar laughed watching the Human run thinking that it was going to be a easy fight that would end quickly. He watched his opponent move quickly and then leapt into the air. Drawing his saber he thrust it at the Human, only to miss.

Mactire twisted at the last second upon seeing the Cathar move his saber. He got lucky this one time he knew it.. Mactire landed on his feet to the far side of the room with his right hand on the ground and his lightsaber in the other. Panting hard. What he just did took a lot out of him, and he knew more would have to be given for in order to complete his mission.

The hiss of his green saber could be heard across the room as the Cathar looked at his prey. This man, this Human had managed to escape him once. He would have to press onward hard if he wanted to catch him, and end up with the relic.

Mactire lunged at the Cathar, leaping into the air and spinning at an angle towards his opponent. This would be his only time to strike, or so he thought. A blast of electricity hit him hard sending him flying against the room. Losing a grip on his saber as he tried to brace his landing, and failing to do so.

Pain radiated throughout his entire body. Each muscle felt like it was on fire in its own way. Screaming was the only thing Mactire could do as he tried to push himself up, but unable to.

The Cathar walked over to the relic and took it, walking away. “You failed your mission. I succeeded in mine. Pathetic.”

“How did you know my mission?” Mactire stumbled saying. Finally slowly pushing himself up, only to stagger from side to side to keep his balance, that was going to be nearly impossible.

“Oh well since I’m going to kill you. My Clan want’s to kill you and stop you from everything. Your Clan is in our way.” He said with intense malice in his voice.

Mactire growled deeply, focusing as much as he could and charged towards his prey. As another thrown lightsaber came at him. He slid under it and leapt back up kicking the Cathar with much force behind it as possible in the chest. Knocking him down hard against the floor.

The Cathar gasped for breath. Mactire concentrated on the Force and lifted the fallen opponent into the air as high as he could and slammed him down again with as much as much power as he could.

The Cathar seemed to be unconscious as Mactire picked up the relic and started to slowly walk away. The Cathar’s eyes snapped open, as he stood up looking and panting heavily at his enemy now with his back turned. He focused all his energy into one final attack.

Lighting struck Mactire hard in the back, forcing him to drop the relic, making him drop to his knees.

“ Ah there we go. You should have made sure I was dead. Pathetic that you never checked.” The Cathar said panting heavily as he picked up the relic and kicked the Human hard in the ribs, breaking a few of them.

Mactire moaned in pain as the Cathar kept kicking him repeatedly in the same spot, breaking a few of his ribs.

As the next kick came Mactire used his bracers to block. The blades went into the Cathars shin and Mactire pulled down, and rolled out of the way, gasping heavily.

Standing up slowly Mactire started to concentrate as best he could and start to heal his wounds enough to get out of the area. The Cathar was screaming and looking at Mactire with intense hatred.

Mactire stopped and started to slowly walk out of the area, feeling that he could make it.

“I’ll get you Human, and when I do I’ll flay your skin off of you while you’re alive!!!” The Cathar screamed as Mactire went out of the building and headed to the spaceport.

Knowing that he would have to report that he lost the relic, wasn’t going to go well. But knowing that something greater was on the way, would that be worth the sacrifice he made? Only time could tell.

Lucyeth
#13700