Palatial Congress, Part IV

Posted on Fri Oct 19th, 2012 @ 2:08am by Axion & Nala Sao & Thane & Bomoor Thort & Sev Rezer & Mentis & Kip Hoddai & Grogga the Hutt
Edited on on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 @ 8:16pm

4,041 words; about a 20 minute read

Chapter: Chapter I: Web of Fate
Location: Grogga's Palace, Nar Shaddaa
Timeline: Late, Day Two

The Rodian that served as Grogga's majordomo input the security codes and data to access the throne room in which the elder Hutt would be residing, the closest thing to a smile a Rodian could muster on his green face as he did so, even as his best friend lay choking on the floor, and several guards were being cleaved to pieces not many feet away by lightsabers.

Standing next to the Rodian, his hand resting casually on the alien's shoulder, was Axion, smiling as he asserted his calming and mind-controlling influence upon him. Within a couple of minutes, all of the security was overridden, and the large double doors parted to reveal the inner sanctum and sometimes-audience chamber of the great and wealthy Grogga the Hutt.

Several of the elite guards in the criminal overlord's charge were ready, their weapons aimed as the doors parted, to kill Axion and his followers. With a simple nod, Axion sent forth Nala, Trey and Mentis.

Calling upon her abilities, the Nautolan apprentice seemed to fade from vision as she moved forward, whilst Mentis and Trey made their own moves.

Mentis jumped forward with his red blade ignited, leaping high into the air and cutting down a guard with a swift strike before he could aim his blaster rifle. With his master watching and his fellows also doing battle, he wanted to be at his best, even though he still felt the effects of his last battle. His nose was still bandaged while most of the burns had healed in the bacta tank. He felt another guard to his right, preoccupied firing at Trey, and leapt once again coming down with the hawk-bat swoop to surprise him.

Trey grinned at the sight of his fellow cultist. “Finally doing something useful, huh?” He spun his blade in a semi-chaotic way, his expression full of amusement and interest (for once).

Axion had stayed in the same place throughout the killing frenzy, even as the sounds of battle called up from behind him, his cultists still fighting with the remaining security and - unbeknownst to him - the two Jedi and their companions. Next to him the majordomo was still beaming, as if it was the best day of his soon-to-be-ended life.

"Great and wonderful master Grogga!" He announced merrily, stepping over the bodies to eagerly approach the Hutt. "I present to you the generous and kind Master Ax- urgh..." The Rodian's sentence was cut short by gagging and gurgling noises erupting from his throat. As the life was choked from his writhing body, the majordomo never once looked shocked or upset by the sudden turn of events, Axion's mind trick still leaving him envious of the living, who would go on to see more of the Dark Jedi Master and his Cult.

"Splendid!" Axion announced as the Rodian stopped moving. "Your friend here was kind enough to offer us entrance to your glorious chamber," he said, giving a low bow to the Hutt, "but whilst I would love to stay and chat with your munificence, being a grand and wise being that you are, I am rather more interested in something you currently have in your possession." The tattooed darksider gave Grogga a long and malicious smile, his leading cultists still with their sabers drawn as they surrounded him. "Don't be alarmed, however: I have no wish to see you dead, bar the enjoyment I would glean from your suffering - I merely want the Kaiburr shard. Nor do I care for Zorbo's success or failure here; give me and my esteemed colleagues the shard, and we shall be on our way." Axion gave another bow.

Grogga chortled, the plan was in motion and despite being surrounded, none had crossed the slightly raised step to learn the truth. "I do not think you will have time to obtain the crystal and to fight the Jedi that is following you," Grogga smiled widely. "Nor, truly, to find out where I have hidden them."

Axion's gloved hand formed a fist for a moment, shaking slightly at the anger he was avoiding showing to all of those gathered. "Please, dear Grogga," he went on, his voice breaking slightly with annoyance, "do be a kindly gentleman and give me what I have come so far for." Given all that had transpired and how close he know was on his next step to discovering a greater power, he was not know going to be deterred at this final stage by this corpulent being. Knowing the Hutt could not be influenced by his mastery of mind control, he could not resort to his usual abilities, and charm alone would have little effect on the hermaphroditic criminal.

It was as the Human was having these thoughts that Nala then seemed to shift back into existence behind the Hutt upon his pedestal, her lightsaber gripped in her hand. Moving to ignite her blade just below Grogga's mouth, she went to place her hand on one side of him for support, but instead of resting upon the repulsive being, it merely slipped straight through. A balanced and well-controlled Dark Jedi, the Nautolan did not slip from the pedestal, but righted herself quickly, angering flecked across her pale-green face.

"It's a hologram!" She cawed, exposing her teeth in a grimace.

Axion pushed aside any suggestion of using the Force to torture the being. There was a reason why he could not sense Grogga, and it was not for the Hutt's natural immunity to many Force tricks; he was not present. "You are a sly slug, Grogga," he said menacingly, "but we have force enough here to tear your palace apart, from foundation to roof, until I find what I came here fo-"

A new voice interrupted the Cult Master. "You're not leaving here alive, Axion." Off to one side, a lone figure was approaching clutching a violet blade in one hand. Thane kept his steely blue eyes carefully moving from each of the cultists to the next, immediately recognising the young human and Rattataki as the pair he and the others had defeated earlier in the day. The Nautolan was unknown to him, but as the regally dressed Master turned to face him, his tattooed visage made Thane stop in his tracks.

His defined features were familiar, his well-trimmed goatee, the black markings on either side of his face, and the three scratches than ran across his right cheek - old scars that the best man Thane had ever known had given this Dark Jedi so many years ago, whilst defending the young Human before his time as a Jedi Knight.

Axion was the man who had come to his family's keep on Caanus, his homeworld, when he was but a boy, with a band of grunts, murdering his way through Thane's father's household guard to reach his bounty. Then he had been but a young child, trained by a former Jedi named Dora-Sul, a Kel Dor who had left the Order to serve Archae Wulhart, when he saw Axion kill him, stealing away not only the House of Verus Sceptre, but also his mother and younger brother. Whilst Thane had only been a few years old, he remembered the pain and destruction this man had wrought, of how he had ruined his father's life and taken his family from him.

His grip on his saber became tighter, and his teeth gritted. Axion merely seemed amused by Thane's arrival, turning around to greet him with open arms, seemingly unaware of who he was, or what he had done to him so many years ago.

"A, young Master Jedi! You must be the handsome young man who did this to my poor fellow," Axion said, smiling as he motioned to Mentis' damaged nose. "I commend you on your abilities, but I would strongly advise you against engaging us in combat. Not only are you outnumbered, but," the Nautolan came to stand by Axion, and he placed a friendly hand upon her shoulder, "but quite outmatched in terms of ability. Please, hand me your lightsaber and you may depart; it's not worth losing your life over a simply crystal, and certainly not Hutts."

Thane walked forward once more, slowly and with his lightsaber ready. "You don't know who I am, do you?" Axion seemed uninterested, and a bit tired at the fact the Jedi was advancing. "Or what you did to me, or my family?"

"Master Jedi, I confess, I am at a loss about what you are aiming towards, but I also confess I have little interest." Axion scratched at his bearded chin with the very disinterest he mentioned.

"Vaarthul Keep, Caanus... about twenty standard years ago," Thane explained angrily, his temper and ire growing deeper within, years of regret and hate over what had transpired - likely coupled with the holocron - growing within him. "You destroyed my family!"

Sev Rezer appeared from the far side of the room with Berry and Bomoor. He wore a grim expression. "Axion. Remember the historical note on how Mandalorians react when they felt they were manipulated? Let me give you a visual aid." He snatched his long cortosis blade.

Axion's dark but peculiarly blue eyes suddenly glinted with recognition and interest, and a wide smile grew on his face as he examined Thane, only giving the new arrivals a fleeting glance. "You are the one the Kel Dor was defending!" He announced loudly, taking pleasure in the other Human's suffering. "Yes, I could sense your rage even then!" He looked over to Bomoor with a withering look. "Your friend here must make for a very poor Knight, dear Ithorian. Perhaps you should take him, before he joins us on that dark side you are so fearful of?" Still grinning, he took a step back, and the three other cultists moved forward, each of their blades igniting.

Bomoor was still bewildered having suddenly burst into a room full of Dark Jedi, "Axion, I presume!" he boomed, "We do not fear the dark side, nor do we fall for your tricks. You have committed countless crimes against the Republic and the galaxy. We cannot let you leave here today,"
He brought his blade up and shouted to his friend, "Thane! Come, we must fight together!"

Sev Rezer jumped ahead, going straight to Nala. "Kyr'am!"

With only a second to grin at the Mandalorian, the female assassin gave a flick of her wrist, the Force only slightly slowing Rezer as she nimbly darted out of the way. With her already-active magenta lightsaber slipping into a reverse-grip, Nala fell into a low and ready Shien saber stance, her saber ready to engage the bounty hunter.

"Oh, poor Mandalorian," she chided sweetly, "getting slow in his old age."

Rezer didn't respond. With his free hand, he fired several darts in Nala's direction and then made a slashing move with his blade. As Nala made a small effort to deflect the darts, she needed to raise her defense against Rezer's strong attack. Several sparks flew around them. "Try pushing me again, chakaar." He made several quick attacks forcing Nala to defend herself, which was surprising to her. At least, she looked surprised.

Axion smiled as the two other cultists jumped forth to engage the others, and lightening began to crackle between his fingtertips, even with his gloves on. He cocked his head towards the image of Grogga. "Do not worry, your Mighty Corpulency: I shall come for you next." Turning back to the newcomers he unleashed a ball of red Force Lightening straight towards Thane.

His eyes widening at the last second, Thane threw up his lightsaber as he jumped to one side, his blade deflecting some of the blast as he was thrown against a wall next to Bomoor and Berry, his lightsaber rattling away. Calling the hilt back to him, the Jedi Guardian began to pull himself back up.

However, Nala and Sev's duel continued, with the Dark Jedi taking a large leap backwards to prepare herself, having been taken surprisingly aback by the non-Force user's ability. Choosing to remain silent but gritting her teeth, she then moved forwards, spinning with her reverse lightsaber hold to sweep against Sev, indeed forcing him into his own defence. Again, his speed and ability surprised the Nautolan.

As her spin came to a slow, Nala spun the blade about her back and switched into a normal grip, her technique falling into a more Makashi-influenced posture as she did what she could to disarm Sev's sword. She knew it would be of little use to try and use the Force to confuse him at this point.

The Mandalorian gave her a feral grin as he defended himself of her strong attacks. As her crimson blade made an arch down to him, he raised his left arm, the articial one and fend the lightsaber with it. "Cortosis", he whispered to her, with that infuriating grin as he threw his blade in his other hand into an open arch. Nala jumped away, but not in time to avoid receiving a decent cut along her abdomen. It wasn't deep, but had bloodied Sev's blade.

Nala let out a short hiss at the pain, but had quickly thrown herself back into a combat-ready position, evidently choosing now to rely on defence rather offence to defeat her opponent, once again slipping into a reverse Shien form, raising her offhand to beckon the Mandalorian over. Her pinkish-black eyes seethed with desire to dominate and destroy her foe.

Bomoor looked about the battle. Axion was fighting Thane and Rezer was keeping the Nautolan occupied. However, the two cultists he had fought before stood before him, grinning at the Ithorian and his young companion, "Now..." Bomoor began, realising the danger of the situation, "...don't make me fight both of you."

"Your little friend can help you," Mentis hissed with amusement, "Either way, you're not going to win this battle."

Bomoor held his defensive Shien stance as Mentis and Trey engaged him - this time, he could not fight with the quick paced Ataru. He had to focus on defending himself and Berry from two lightsabers - a combined total of three blades thanks to Trey's saberstaff. The consular knew this was a losing battle but, with his proficiency in this form, he hoped he could hold out.

Axion laughed heartily as more and more blasts of electricity were thrown towards Thane, who was struggling to use his lightsaber to absorb the bolts. Certainly, he was moving quickly and advancing enough to make it impossible for the Dark Jedi to unleash a full barrage or blast as he had done before, but as the red sparks lashed at the Human's blade, his ire and fury seemed to grow, and even that made Axion all the more pleased with the confrontation.

"You are weak, Caanan!" The tattooed Cult Master goaded, bearing his teeth in an evil grin, calling upon his greed and lust for power to fuel his dark energies. "As was that Kel Dor who died pointlessly!"

Thane, empowered by his feelings, tried to pay no heed to the dark-sider's goading, swinging his violet blade quickly to fling away the red bolts of Force Lightening, closing the gap between them. This foe was unlike any he had face: he was stronger, faster and had a greater mastery over the Force than any opponent Thane had truly faced in the past, but his rage gave him the determination and power to press on, although some of the electricity was licking at his hands, burning his skin and causing sharp pain to jolt through him. Finally close enough, he made a full swing for Axion, but found it cutting nothing but air.

In the brief moment of confusion, he was barely quick enough to dodge the swing of his scarlet blade that riposted from behind him, and would have gone straight through Thane's abdomen, had he not hopped out of the way. As Axion made another jab in a trademark Makashi move - a favourite of Thane himself - the Jedi returned the manoeuvre with a similar one of his own, both combatants now utilising the second lightsaber form.

Axion held his offhand behind his back as he made very sharp and quick moves, although his technique was not entirely Makashi - there was something different about his technique, a unique blend of more than just Form II. For every offensive move Thane made, Axion easily deflected the assault with ease, and each time it was a struggle for the Jedi Guardian to not lose grip of his hilt, almost forcing him into a defensive role that he knew he would not be able to hold up with against the Dark Jedi Master.

"Your technique is sloppy, Caanan," Axion taunted, his arm still behind his back, "and predictable; you have grace, poise and power... but you have merely some skill in the form." He made several quick slices towards Thane, hoping to disarm him whilst also cutting towards his joints, before speaking again. "You have yet to make it your own!"

Thane's eyes twitched slightly. "Is that so, murderer?" But he resisted the urge to declare his next move, when he made a feint to switch towards Ataru but quickly employed a thrust with the Force which caught Axion unaware for just a moment, and followed through with a heavy Juyo-inspired swipe, knocking the Master back, but not enough to throw him off-guard, his Makashi-Soresu blend easily fending off all of the various, fast and heavy attacks Thane was now throwing at him. To an observer, the battle had moved from a series of clear swipes into a blur of red and violet, Axion barely moving from his spot whilst Thane shifted and attacked from nearly every conceivable angle.

As the Jedi moved to deliver a kick, Axion jumped a good few metres back, and raised his blade in Thane's direction, smiling at his adversary, although a small trickle of sweat was finally starting to form on the Dark Master's brow. "Far more impressive, boy - but you are a fool to use Juyo against a true master of the dark side!" And before Thane could respond, Axion sped forward and resumed the battle.

There was a pressure, like a blast bolt or a laser being used nearby, a high-energy discharge that none of them could see but they could sense it. It passed within inches of Thane from back the way he had come and missed Axion (though a hole with smoking edges seemed to instantly appear in his cloak as it flared), Nala and Trey entirely and struck its target, though he managed to block part of the invisible whatever it was.

Mentis yowled as his left ear and the soft flesh of that side of his head was torn open, his lightsaber having deflected some of the attack but only altered its path since the energy seemed less packed than a blaster or regular laser and it was, of course, invisible.

The energy projectile had burned open the skin, carving a path from what was left of his lower ear lobe across to the bridge of his nose and seared the flesh around it an almost-molten red. With the unaffected side of his face still a chalky-white, it seemed as though he now wore half the face of some other creature and, as he writhed in pain from the incredible heat, he looked almost like a crazed mutant beast roaring at the sky. Only the extreme survival instinct, coupled with his powerful Dark side Force connection protected him from the bodily shock that might have killed a lesser mortal.

As the skin cooled, it took on a blackened appearance and, as his left eye slowly opened again, the iris was deformed and bloodshot. The Rattataki staggered to the ground, only barely holding onto his consciousness.

Sev had heard of this kind of weapon before but never seen one, they were so rare. It was a maser rifle, firing a coherent package of microwaves at a distant target in a sniping configuration. They were rumored to be used by a secretive assassin's guild and when used correctly, would leave bodies whole and intact with heads that had been vaporized from a distance of several kilometers.

And from the target and the firing arc, the user had been aiming for Mentis.

"Mentis!" Axion roared as he saw the hell unleashed upon the Rattataki, giving rise to his fury - it was not so much for the fact one of his most trusted acolytes may perish, but the insult of the action. With a hard parry akin to a Djem-So manoeuvre, the Dark Jedi thrust Thane's saber to one side and smashed into his chest with a Force-imbued punch, sending the other Human flying once again into a wall. His rage continuing, he launched his lightsaber in the direction of the shot's origin, following with a massive blast of his distinctive red lightening. Regardless of whether the attack had been a success, he called the hilt back to his hip and turned his attention towards the holographic projection of Grogga.

Baring his teeth, Axion took a step forward and brought himself into a combat-ready Force posture, feet parted and his arms brought up. As he closed his eyes, focusing as much of his might as possible into the concentration, he sought out the Hutt's true presence, and reached out, gripping the gastropod by his respiratory system, and began to choke the life from his slug-like body. A by-product of the assault, electricity and sparks began to emanate about the podium on which the hologram sat, bits of metal and rubble being pulled from the spot, cracking under the pressure.

Whilst Grogga was visibly struggling from the attack, the projectors were seemingly beginning to fail under the duress, and his image sputtered from existence, breaking Axion's concentration and hold over him. Whether the Hutt was dead or injured he did not know or care, as all in the room were now assaulted by the presence that now made itself clear to them. Where the podium had once been, a large hole had been carved; with pieces thrown about or simply destroyed, the secret compartment that had rested beneath Grogga's extravagant throne was now made clear to them, and an eerie red light was glowing within.

At this discovery, Axion's eyes light up, burning with an evil orange fire, full of greed and anticipation at discovering the bounty, the buried treasure Grogga had kept encased so close to him, blocked with unknown materials to block Force sensitives from sensing the Kaiburr shard within. Cackling loudly, Axion let out a call of triumph, and the shard flew into his grip. Although a sliver of what must have been a greater piece, it grew even more bright in the gloved hand of its new master. As well as his eyes losing their deep blue colour, Axion himself seemed greater, tall, broader and more powerful as he surveyed all of those about him.

"It is time for us to leave!" He announced to his allies, and he looked with avarice at his treasure. "We have what we came for! So sorry we could not play longer, Jedi, but I have no doubt we shall meet again." Axion looked to Thane. "And perhaps we may finish what we started so many years ago, child. Mandalorian, climb back into the hole the rest of your people seem so content to live in - there is no place in the galaxy for you."

As everyone seemed about ready to jump him, he extended his hands out and let lightening spill out into each of them, forcing them to run to cover or defend themselves, but giving his cultists time to gather themselves. Blasting a hole into the ceiling of the large chamber, they threw themselves through the gap and away, moving quicker than most eyes could follow, the injured Mentis being seemingly dragged by the enhanced power of Axion's Force mastery.

And with that, the dark siders and the Kaiburr shard were beyond their grasp.

TBC

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