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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 643620" data-attributes="member: 386">Feyd felt the growing shadow overwhelm him.  Something was wrong.  He looked at the old man.  He knew it too.  Feyd left the question unasked: What do we do?  There was no answer from the old man.A siren went off somewhere in the techno-mage complex.  Troy spun round to look at it.  Darius looked up, then down at his blaster parts, spread out piecemeal.  He began to put them back together.One of the younger techno-mages came in.  He was holding a small holographic projector.  Without a word he turned it on.  The picture revealed the Kalarba's Honour, touching down on Ploorad, spitting out thousands and thousands of Imperial storm troopers.  At their head was Alexi, cloaked in shadow.  The hologram flickered."You know what he is here for," the old man said.  "He will not be long in coming."Feyd nodded and adjusted his robes, moving his lightsabre to an easier position.  Troy looked at Brooke and Darius and then at Arthur.  The prince's face was covered with fear.The storm troopers made their way down into the sewers, blasting holes and moving with great speed, no concerns for anything but their objective.  The hologram showed defenses springing up to stop them.  Blasters and small shield generators.  This held them.  They did not hold Alexi.He moved through the sewers, floating on the Force.  Blasters did not stop him.  He blocked them with his dark grey lightsabre.  He cut his way through the rock and steel, down and down deeper into the catacombs beneath Ploorad.  He would be here soon."I think we'd better get going," Troy said.  "Got a back way out of this place?""Yes," the old man said.  "I will lead you to it."A crash at the door.  The sound of a lightsabre humming with dark intensity.  Alexi had already arrived, so soon.  Sounds of combat, blasters fired and deflected away.  Screams and cries of the techno-mages against him.They made their way through the back of the complex to a larger open area.  The old man pointed to a catwalk that led into shadows.  "Follow this path.  There is an escape pod that will send you to the surface."  He then turned back.  His cybernetic arm began to glow with an deep orange light.Feyd watched him leave.  He felt torn.  His mission to bring Arthur to his master was the most important thing - but he couldn't just let the old man face Alexi alone.  He wanted to help.  He wanted to face down that familiar darkness and send it away.The old man stopped at looked at Feyd.  "Let the Force guide you here.  You know what you will do."  Feyd nodded solemnly and turned back to join with the others.  Silence followed.  Soon broken by the sounds of combat fierce and intense and deadly.  And then it was over.They arrived at a platform made of steel grating.  It had rusted out but still held.  An old escape pod, the kind seen on old ships, was somehow imbedded into the wall.  Brooke opened the pod door and stepped in.Just as she did so, Alexi landed on the platform.  His dark lightsabre crackled with energy."Denfrey," he said, his voice echoing through the empty caverns.  Arthur hid his face.  "Come with me.  Return to your planet and your people.  Accept the inevitable.  Secede.  You know it is right.  You have not the will to stand against the darkness.  Accept my rule and end the pain of our people."Darius was the first to give a response.  It came from the barrels of his blasters, quick and terse and with no mistaking its meaning.  Alexi's lightsabre flashed back and forth, blocking the blows as they came towards him.  No energy expended.  His eyes still on Arthur."<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> me," Darius said.Feyd stepped in front of Arthur.  He ignited his lightsabre.  "Turn back," he said.  "You can't have him."Alexi looked at Feyd.  "A Jedi?" he sounded amused.  "I had thought your kind gone, extinct.  I was wrong.  Move away or face death.""I will not let you have him.""How do you propose to stop me?" Alexi said.  Feyd felt his will under attack, felt it crashing down.  He drew on the Force, on those reserves that he had now seen within him, and pushed it back."Impressive," Alexi said.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> this, Troy thought.  He pulled out his blaster and took aim.  Darius looked over at Troy and nodded.  In an instant, both were firing hard and fast at Alexi.  Bolt after bolt left their chambers, streaking through the darkness.  None found their mark."Then we'll see how much you have learned, Jedi," Alexi said and moved in on Feyd.Those watching could not later describe what was happening.  The blades moved so fast, their bodies along with them, that it was all a blur of darkness and light.  Feyd blocked and parried and retreated back.  His defense did not fail.  There was a groaning beneath them now, the grate straining under the pressure."Get in!" Brooke screamed from the pod.  She began powering up its engines.  Arthur crawled numbly into the pod, Troy behind him.  Troy kept up fire on Alexi until his power cell went dead.  He fumbled with a new one.  Darius did the same, his blasters now glowing red at the tips."The Force is with me," Feyd said softly.  "It is a wall that you cannot break down.""You are strong, but there is a weakness in you that you deny."  They continued fighting.  "You are not yet ready to accept the Force or yourself."And then it was over.  One swift stroke was all it took in the end.  Alexi's lightsabre bore down on Feyd, breaking through his defences, striking at his wrist, severing his hand.  The Padawan cried out in pain and watched his lightsabre, still gripped by his hand, fall to the ground."The outcome was never in doubt," Alexi said.  Feyd still trembled on the ground, clutching the stump at the end of his arm, writhing in pain.  Alexi stood triumphant."I don't <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />ing think so," Darius said.  From his belt he grabbed a thermal detonator and, arming it, threw it at Alexi.  Everyone stared aghast.  In these small confines, they would all be reduced to ash.Alexi snatched the detonator out of the air.  "What - have you done?" he said, clutching the device tightly.  It exploded in a burst of controlled flame around the dark jedi's fist.  Alexi was thrown back into the empty space of the cavern and fell into the depths.Darius grabbed Feyd and his disembodied hand and carried him to the escape pod.  Troy was staring at him."What the hell did you do that for?  We would have all been killed if he didn't - didn't take that on himself!""What the <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> else was I supposed to do?  Let's just get the <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> out of here."  He moved into the pod, shoving Troy out of the way.  A relieved Brooke hit the ignition and the escape pod rocketed out of the depths of Ploorad.--- Star Wars ---Hours later, Alexi stepped back into the open air of Ploorad.  He wore a scowl on his face.  A burnt stump was all that remained of his hand.  Zabel Torsh stood there, waiting for him."Did you find it, my lord?" the Imperial captain asked solemnly."Yes," Alexi said, "but not what I was after."  Alexi walked past him towards the Kalarba's Honour.  Zabel Torsh stood for a moment, looking at the sewer entrance, then followed Alexi back to his ship.[Stay tuned for Star Wars: Heroes of Kalarba, Episode VI: A New Home!]</blockquote>

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