CHAPTER XXXXVIII: REDEMPTION - PART THREE

Back at TaBora, Warlord Max-Barren had moved his Tartus TGC forwards watching his 50,000 Kyries assemble into wave blocks before starting the attack. Hyperlinking to Black Heart, Barren reported, “Field Operations Commencing.” With that, the Tartus fired off a discharge of multi-colored sky-streakers signaling the march towards the Inner Passageways.

This was the move anticipated by the Katarsh Warriors who contacted Takrat and asked for the Holy One’s blessing. Dasam Umein commanded, “Slay the infidel, wherever you may find him.”

Laral Utan led the attack and coming out screaming, thousands of Katarsh Warriors on hursas poured forth out of the entrance to Inner Passageway 107, the rumbling of their hooves shaking the ground. The Kyries paused as the ground moved and in the distance it looked like smoke was rising, but it was only dirt kicked up by thousands of armed riders. Warlord Barren scanned the disturbance and could see Buras coming on hursas armed with assault rifles. It was of no consequence, they were heavily outnumbered. Barren ordered the Kyries to keep marching forward until the Buras got to within firing range.  By now several thousand Katarsh Warriors were approaching as fast as the wind could carry them, but the Sith methodically surged forward in massive wave blocks, all Hailstorms auto-targeting continuously.

Within ten minutes the two forces met in a tremendous roar of fire. The Sith cut down the Katarsh Warriors in droves while the Buras took out as many Kyries that they could with their Kasamirs, claw detonators, and a few well-aimed tremblars. Laral ordered all men with tremblars to dismount and form a line for continuous fire. The sonic shock waves tore into the Kyries and smashed them relentlesly. Line after line fell until Warlord Barren requested air support from the Black Ravens. Black Heart and Dark Fury unleashed the Ravens and they dashed off back into the dirty Bura atmosphere. Opening up with T-Packs, the Ravens cut the Buras to shreds.

Laral then ordered the Karpaateers to ascend and to knock out as many of the star fighters as possible. From secure, hidden underground launch pads the Karpaateers emerged into the path of the rampaging Ravens. The Raven pilots stared in disbelief at flying men standing on what looked like flying slabs. But soon fire was erupting from the strange objects and the tremblars smashed many of the Ravens’ T-Packs causing an instantaneous explosion that ripped them to pieces. Many Raven cockpit canopies shattered forcing multiple ejections or crashes into the surrounding mounds. The Ravens tried to counter with Nexias, but the missiles had trouble locking onto an object that could just stop in mid-air or vertically rise or drop with little effort.

Warlord Barren was viewing all this with growing anger, The Kyries were breaking off their assault and firing wildly into the air in support of the Ravens! This was madness. Yelling through his com amplifier he ordered the Kyries back into formation and contacted the Black Leader Garish to stop toying with these animals and ram them if need be. The star fighters broke off their attack for the moment and Laral Utan along with several thousand of the Katarsh Warriors let out a cry of premature victory. But it was short-lived. The Ravens turned around and aligned their wings with the flying Karpaats. The Karpaateers knew what was coming and unleashed everything they had- but it was not enough. The Ravens cut them apart with their razor wings, slicing bodies into eights as blood rained down from the sky. Other Raven dropped down low and burned the Karpaateers to death with their red burning engine exhaust, while others slid their wing tips under the machines and “tipped” them over, sending the Buras to their deaths. It was all over in less than five minutes.

On the ground, the battle was still being waged, but Laral had lost over half his men, 5,000 on hursas and all 2,000 Karpateers. He ordered Katarsh scouts in the mounds to activate the holomorphic false imagers. At once the Sith strike force was surrounded by Buras on all sides. Automatically, the wave blocks started to form firing circles, but Warlord Barren ordered them back forward. From the turret hatch of his Tartus TGC Barren grabbed a heavy turbo pulser and personally fired in a 360 degree arc at the mysteriously appearing Buras. None fell. This was an elaborate form of illusion, military deception. Very clever, but unconvincing. Using the Tartus lectronic warfare console he sent out wave benders that warped the false images. The false threat was neutralized and the Buras soon turned the machines off. They were being beaten by the Sith who would reach the entrances to their world within minutes.

Laral Utan had no other choice than to abandon battle and retreat back to Inner Passageway 107. The three smaller Inner Passageways could not accommodate all the hursas and bulk weapons. The Katarsh Warriors felt ashamed that they had failed on the battlefield, which was dishonorable back inside their world. Worse, they could not even rescue the wounded or bury the dead. The Sith simply trampled them to death or fired spike charger bayonets into them as the came across them. The battleground was littered with dead Buras and blood-soaked soil. Laral had lost over 7,000 men. The Sith had lost a few hundred plus eight star fighters.

Warlord Barren was content and reported back to Max-Ventor that the Buras were defeated on the battleground. Ventor ordered him to hold his present position and take a rest while the Ravens continued for another round of sealing off the tunnels with the Gravitons. As Laral and the Katarsh Warriors headed back down into the bowels of their world they could hear and feel the Gravitons shaking the transport system. Dasam Umein would not be pleased, but there was no way to fight these infidels- their power was overwhelming.

Down in Takrat, in the Ancient Gathering Circle the news of the battlefield defeat was disheartening. Yet Dasam Umein did not despair. The Sith were still topside and had not entered into their inner world. If need be, the Segma network might have to be blown …yet this was another lull before more fighting. Just then, sharp pinging noises were heard above Takrat. They grew louder and louder and then there were more of them. Soon the pinging noises were becoming very intense. Dasam ordered Katarsh scouts to find out what they were.

Topside, the GRPs were digging into the ground and sending ground penetrator echo locators to determine the depth to the subterranean cities. The pinging was continuous until all echos came back the same. The Bura city of Takrat was approximately 1,300 DU (Depth units) down. This information was relayed to Warlord Barren who then hyperlinked to Black Heart. Max-Ventor immediately sent a hypercom relay probe out to inform the Dark Master that a SAT drilling team was needed and reinforcements of 100,000 troops plus as many Black Ravens as Graven could send straight off the assembly lines. Ventor also inquired if the third Abadon-Class destroyer Firestorm, fitting out, could be sent as well. Ventor concluded with a report that Defiance was not on the planet and neither Dark Lord Kalore or Tirahn had been spotted. It was his opinion that the Dark Seer back on Tirahnna had given a false reading: VENTOR OUT.

Above Tirahnna, the Dark Master already knew that he had been deceived by DiPrava and the other Seers. They had not been trustworthy for generations- all except for Syrenia, who was at one time the Sith greatest Seer alive. She was no good dead now, but the shadows of the future were already being cast. Lord Rexor knew that Defiance would show up at the last minute and attempt to dethrone him by somehow getting Tirahn onboard armed for the kill. But Lord Rexor embraced the future. At one time he had been the greatest of Sith Warlords, Max-Furor. He had slain thousands and he too knew something of the Black Arts having stolen black talismans from the Black Temple long before Tirahn had stolen the Sacred Black Stone. He was using those talismans now and reading the casting stones to confirm there would be bloodshed on his ship. The stones came up blood red. Therefore, it was time Lord Rexor fitted-out in his finest combat suit- the Blood Dragon. This was the Sith first ancient armored suit back when the Sith did not inhabit Tirahnna. It had always been assumed from the ancient texts kept at the Black Temple that the Sith originated from here, but they did not. Writings older than the Sacred Slab were kept hidden by the old shamans. Lord Rexor had studied the ancient language at the Temple and knew the secret of their race. What Lady Kaliah had discovered was not new at all, but the way to access that power on a regular basis and to what end was what was needed to be known. None of the Dark Lords practiced Black Magic in the open, they did so in secret with the Dark Seers ironically kept in the dark. That is why their visions most often failed- they had projected off a false history and false religion. But that would change once Lord Rexor assumed control of the galaxy and reverted back to his old name, his true name, his hidden name…

But let the elaborate game continue, for now. Lord Rexor summoned K-LOK and ordered the Abadon-Class destroyer Firestorm to prepare to immediately head out for TaBora after receiving an inventory of fresh star fighters. Max-Shanker protested that the ship was not yet ready for any combat, but the Dark Master commanded it anyway. Next, he com linked to Boss Hexor of Graven Industries of Ruhra and inquired how many new Black Ravens were on the lines. “Sixty, My Lord” Hexor claimed proudly as he sighed in relief that a death sentence had not been issued… yet.  “Very well indeed Hexor, have ALL of them ready to launch within eight hours.” Hexor was mortified by the order. Black Ravens were only auto-assembled up to the point of basic framework and engine mating. All other fittings were performed by crews. A standard Raven took weeks to finish. “My Lord, the Ravens are just undergoing preliminary fitting… it will take weeks to finish them.” Lord Rexor was becoming irritated again, “you have eight hours.” At this Hexor finally blew up and shouted, “I don’t care if you feed me to the Tyrengas I cannot do the impossible without assistance!” Lord Rexor actually admired that the squat overworked boss had the guts to challenge him. “So be it, how many workers do you need to finish them?” Hexor gasped as he said clearly, “every crew from D.A.S. and all their droids and mechanoids plus every available system specialist from Skyler and military manpower available. It would take, in short, a miracle if all goes well.” Lord Rexor smiled and said, “I grant you my personal authority, all is in your command, you have eight hours.”

Hexor couldn’t believe his ears. He held the power of the Dark Master for eight whole hours! He immediately com linked to every starship builder all over Tirahnna and ordered then to Graven immediately or he would put them to death. He even summoned Hael’s Dark Lord Falkor and commanded that 20,000 Kyries be sent to the plant immediately! Hexor was brimming with overconfidence now and held an iron grip over the planets’ core industries.

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely…

Hexor enjoyed being a tyrant.

Meanwhile, Scaffaw and Defiance were racing through hyperspace to get to TaBora in time. The Whills had just 24 hours left to live.

Bassam paced the massive control center of his ship with Ligris wondering how they would fare against the Sith. Ligris assured him that Defiance had enough firepower to re-cripple Black Heart while keeping Dark Fury at bay until Scaffaw passed through the atmosphere and made a run for Bassam’s old topsider residence where his special pulse Thumper was hidden. Ligris was intrigued and asked exactly what made a pulse Thumper any different than the other large heavy construction Thumpers. Bassam told Ligris to have a seat and he would explain in the most simplistic terms.

“ A normal construction Thumper is a massive machine built with huge, powerful hydraulic rammers or in some cases one large hydraulic ram. It must be transported by craneship or large ground movers and has internal operating systems that remove the pulverized soil through complex grinders and sifters that move the broken soil to the rear into large dumpers. Large crews operate all aspects of the construction Thumpers and also feed down into it large sections of piping by hoisters or Krava vibra-wings. My pulse Thumper was meant for space warfare. Once my topside army had reached a large level in future generations they would need starships like Scaffaw and smaller, more compact Thumpers to attack enemy starships and planetary stations. The pulse thumper operates by electromagnetic pulse rings that substitute for the hydraulic rammers. It is much smaller but more powerful and the rammer itself is not a cylinder but a heavy ball of coated Viktalen. It is designed to specifically smash through solid objects, not soil. In future weapons these would have been mounted on armored fisted vehicles to pound through fortifications and armories. Just as the Whills have named their rescuer Hand of God, my pulse Thumper shall thus be named the Fist of God!

Ligris was impressed. “Surely destiny has brought us together” Ligris said with emotion. Bassam agreed, “Indeed, the Sacred Orban has made it so. Look at the Sith Kyrie. She is an infidel and yet she is not like them in her heart. Something has brought about a change. We Buras have basked in the light of the Black Sun for generations and its wisdom, but this Sith female is filled with an unseen energy I cannot comprehend. I only know that whatever it is, it is aligned with our prophecy and the Orban; therefore, I honor it.” Ligris broke in, “On Elysia, they are calling it the living life force. Lady Kaliah discovered it and has taught it to Lady Anwar and Commander Braggs. Kailen was affected by it as well. It is an inner photon guideway of some kind that can be accessed for good or evil and has power over life and death. I am a Kraal, so I too do not fully comprehend this. But I know it has the power to save your people and the Whills.” “Then we must embrace this life force and honor it, for the Sith will only use it for evil.”

Onboard Defiance, Tirahn was staring out the forward view screen into hyperspace. All of her life was dedicated to the martial ways of her people the Sith and yet she felt oddly different from them. She always had always felt that way ever since she was a little girl whose parents were killed in a starship catastrophe. Growing up in Hael itself, she was told that she had a special gift and that her guardians at the Black Temple had decided to rename her after their planet Tirahnna. She could not remember her real name nor her parents. Only that she could See from a young age and easily passed the test that marked her as a Dark Seer to the Master. Yet the Master had rejected her as too emotional and potentially unstable and chose that wicked Syrenia as his bond mate. Syrenia had looked down at Tirahn as always a second-best, second-rate orphan child. Tirahn had always hated that and, to prove her strength, became a female Kyrie to match Syrenia. But she derived no pleasure from killing as Syrenia had; hence, she was soon back at the Black Temple with other Dark Seers whose visions were a constant blur of misinformation. The Sith Holochron was practically useless, Lord Rexor relying only on Syrenia; now that she was dead, he seemed content to discard all of his Seers and place his faith in himself and his weapon of great destruction.

Lord Rexor deserved to die and he shall. By my hand, in vengeance and fury.

But then the strange life force was moving in her again and her thoughts began to turn blank. She could not image Lord Rexor’s death nor what would happen next. It was as if the life force was compelling Tirahn to not see with her mind’s eye but with her heart instead. She would know what to do when the time was right. She was sure of it.