Fiction:Second Great Cyrannus War/Escalation/Turning Sides

Inquisitor Crestiel Yi is sent on a mission to recover a map of vital Imperial supply routes that were taken by a Persan pilot, named Searah, now in the captivity of pirates. However, what she does not know is that empire plans to dispose of her, the pilot, and the pirate in one fell swoop. The actions taken here will lead Crestiel and Searah to the homeworld of the mysterious Yesh'Ayin and to an encounter with a young Persan Theurgist with powers over both light and dark. While Crestiel stay loyal to the Empire or will she betray them as they have betrayed her?
 * Note - Before reading, please read this for some context ->

The Players Emerge
Dark waves beat upon the jagged black rocks that covered the shore of a vast sea that rolled under a stark clear sky filled with glittering stars and great big moon who's rays fell upon a small figure sitting cross legged on the shore, with a staff laying by her side. She was a Vanara with black fur and midnight blue scales. Her eyes were closed and her hands were in her lap as she sat within a magic circle. Slowly her head began to turn up to the moon and her eyes opened, glowing pure white. Her mouth opened as well and foam began issue forth. From the sea a squelching sound could be heard as something emerged from the mud below. As it slopped its way to the shore mud and silt was shed from its form revealing a tall, serpentine form with powerful limbs, tentacled maw, and shinning metallic carapace. The Yesh'Ayin walked over to the Vanara and placed a clawed hand gently on her shoulder. A pulse of energy traveled down his arm and into her body snapping her out of the trance. She shook her head groggily and looked up at the Yesh'Ayin.


 * Yesh'Ayin - "You push yourself too hard Tselaya, it is a danger to you."
 * Tselaya - "I know master Rza, but I must discover which god choose me, none of the other Theurgic Paths make sense for the power I have."
 * Rza - "Patience the answers will come in time."
 * Tselaya - "So you keep telling me, so everyone keeps telling me."

Tselaya signed before turning her gaze back to her mentor.


 * Tselaya - "Anyway, I doubt the only reason you're here is to reprimand me for being reckless."
 * Rzakaz - "Indeed, there are dark times ahead of us..."
 * Tselaya - "Wow, I had no idea."

Rzakaz gave his student a dry look and made a slight grumbling sound in his throat.


 * Rza - "Ah yes, that sarcasm of your's, how becoming. Now if I can continue..."

He glared at Tselaya again who merely motioned for him to continue.


 * Rza - "I have stared into the future and the road ahead only becomes more twisted while the air become more foggy. One thing I can see clearly is you at a fork in the road, I cannot tell why other then you will have to make a critical decision sometime in the future."

Tselata seemed to contemplate this for a bit before standing up, grabbed the staff, closing her eyes, and beginning to concentrate. Rzakaz looked at her curiously before speaking.


 * Rza - "You're going to try that spell of you've been working on. Are you sure you're ready?"
 * Tzelaya - "If I never try I'll never know."
 * Rza - "Now that is wisdom."

Tselaya grunted before going back to her concentration.


 * Tselaya - "*whispering* Dark and Light."

As she said this purple and golden energy in the form of flames began to materialize at the bottom of her staff. As they traveled up her staff the gold one and purple one, both giving off green sparks. Bigger and bigger they grew as they spiraled up the staff before reaching the top and... fizzling out into nothing. Tselaya signed again and dropped her staff to her side.


 * Tselaya - "I'm going back to the library to study."

And with that she trudged away Rzakaz eyes following her silently.

Searah cursed as her engines stalled causing her to drop out of Accel Space. Growling she ran a diagnostic and found that the left engine had been blown, probably from a turbolaser blast. Hunching over she grumbled to herself as she flipped on a distress signal. She was near New Republic territory anyway, so they would probably find her soon enough.


 * Searah - "Great, grounded, what a joy."

Having nothing better to do until help arrived Searah sat back, drank a liquid ration, took a nap, bounced a ball of the cockpit window, and read a bit from a recently released adventure novel. She was just getting to the good part when a response came in to her distress signal.


 * Searah - "Geez, could have had better timing."

Grumbling she looked out the window and her face fell as she saw what had parked itself right in front of her. It was a Venator-class Star Destroyer, but one that had been painted a garish purple color clearly indicating that this was neither Republic or Imperial. A face appeared on her view screen of a olive green Libertus dress in an extravagant, similarly garish purple outfit. Complete with cape and shoulder pads so massive a small family of Dvottie could have made a nest in them.


 * ??? - "Hello there lost traveler, I'am the famed pirate lord Gaaz Venturion responding to your distress signal."
 * Sereah - "Famed pirate lord? Never heard of you."
 * Gaaz - "Hmm, well perhaps not famous yet but soon to be none the less. Now I must say that that is a intresting little fight you've got there. It could make a good addition to my soon to be fleet."
 * Searah - "Oh this old bucket of bolts, ha, ha. You really don't want this, really! Now if you don't mind I really must be going..."

She turned to drive off and get as far away as she could from this supposed pirate lord when a tractor beam caught her.


 * Gaaz - "No lassy, I really must insist."
 * Searah - "Shit."

Crestiel sat on the cross legged on the floor of her small apartment, in deep meditation. Her apartment had white walls with a floral pattern and was sparsely furnished with small table, a sleeping mat, a stove, oven, fridge, microwave, several cabinets, and closet. Other then that there was a vase of flowers and a communicator on the table. The communicator flickered to life and a hologram appeared from it. Crestiel opened her eyes and looked up only to stare in the dark, cold, calculating gaze of the Emperor himself. Gasping she immediately bowed, making sure to keep her head down and her eyes to the floor.


 * Crestiel - "Great Emperor sir, I'm sorry for my lack of formality. If I had known you were contacting me I would have..."
 * Tyrómairon - "A formal greeting would be unnecessary for this occasion Inquisitor."

Crestiel's words caught in her throat and she stayed silent as she felt the Emperor's icy gaze slowly picking her apart bit by bit. When he did speak it was though a sword quenched in liquid nitrogen had cut through the air and straight through her.


 * Tyrómairon - "Face me Inquisitor, I have a mission of importance for you."

Crestiel gulped and turned her head to look up at the face of her Emperor. Even though she had been ordered to it took all her will power not to turn her gaze away out of fear.


 * Tyrómairon - "Important information regarding Imperial supply lines was stolen by a Persan strike force. While the strike force was captured one of their pilots made off with the information. Then they were captured by an upstart pirate. I want you to infiltrate the pirate flagship, kill the Persan pilot, and destroy the information. Am I understood."
 * Crestiel - "Yes sir."
 * Tyrómairon - "You are to leave effective immediately. Make sure you do not fail me."

And with that the hologram vanished, Crestiel quickly stood up and went to the closet to get her armor and weapons. She had work to do.

Captain Granth Trectan was sitting in port surviving his brand new Imperator-class Star Destroyer contemplating what to name it when a hologram of the Emperor flared to life before his very eyes. Getting over his surprise he knelled before the Emperor in respectful, but none groveling manner.


 * Granth - "Emperor, to what do I know the honor?"
 * Tyrómairon - "I have mission for you, an Inquisitor is being sent to infiltrate a pirate ship to destroy stolen information about Imperial supply lines. I want you to help her get there by transporting her to an starbase that has secretly cut a deal secretly with this pirate, or so they believe. Once you have done this I want you to destroy the starbase and then tract down the pirate and destroy him and the Inquisitor to if he hasn't already killed her yet."
 * Granth - "Of course, but why kill and Inquisitor, and why not just assassinate her if she needs to die?"

The moment he said the words Granth regretted them as the Emperor regard him as bug he was trying to figure out whether or not it should be dissected alive or simply stepped on.


 * Tyrómairon - "Crestiel Yi has begun to show serious doubts about her place in the Empire, and there can be no doubts in an Inquisitor's heart, only conviction and the will to serve. As for simply assassinating her, Crestiel would recognize such an attempt and fight back, such would be risking important assents."
 * Granth - "I understand."
 * Tyrómairon - "Good."

With that Granth stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow realizing how lucky he had been to get away with questioning the Emperor's orders. Turning around his nervousness faded and an ambitious smile spread across his face, he had a personal mission from the Emper to complete.

Betrayal
Crestiel stepped on to the bridge of Imperator-class Star Destroyer The Perfidy, surveying her surroundings she turned quickly splaying out her claws as she heard someone clearing their throat behind her. She straight and relax a bit when she saw a dark brown Libertus in a captain's uniforms standing behind her. She bowed, though in a way that she could keep her eyes on him.


 * Crestiel - "Ah, you must be the captain of this fine vessel."
 * Granth - "Yes, I'am captain Granth, you must be Crestiel."
 * Crestiel - "Indeed, i take it you are the one to transport me to this outpost."
 * Granth - "Of course, do you remember the plan?"

Crestiel sighed and held her hands out and Granth immediately slapped a pair of cuffs. Crestiel tested the cuffs and saw that indeed they came apart with significant enough application of strength, leaving her hands free to wield weapons and the like. The plan was to sell Crestiel off as a slave to this pirate lord, and once she was on the ship she would free herself and complete her mission before Granth returned and sent a suttle to retrieve her before blowing up the pirate ship. Crestiel reconnected the cuffs and turned back to Granth.


 * Granth - "I'll have my escort you to your quarters until we arrive."

Crestiel merely nodded and went with the two crewmen that had come to her side. Granth looked back with a slight smile on his face. Once she was gone he sat in the captain's chair and chuckled slightly to himself.


 * Granth - "Must say I was not expecting a polite Inqusitor, shame to dispose of her like this. Still pawns must be sacrificed for the greater good."

Light and Dark vs Dark
Tselaya sat meditating on a jutting rock overlooking the dark waters of the seas of the Yesh'Ayin homeworld. Humming to herself she slowly lifted her staff and held it out before her, all while never opening her eyes. Slowly a steadily her humming began to increases as two balls of off energy began to develop at the end of her staff, one gold, and one purple. Her humming began to intensify as green sparks were thrown of both orbs of energy. The spheres began to travel up the staff twist about one another until they reached the end and erupted from the staff shooting a good few feet away before exploding on the ground leaving purple, gold, and green cracks in the earth. Opening her eye Tselaya excitedly ran over to the cracks and peered at them closely.


 * Rza - "Impressive, you've come a way since you first tried that spell."
 * Tselaya - "It needs work, but it is an improvement."
 * Rza - "A fine attitude to take."

He seemed to be ready to say something else but then his head snapped to the sky, his eyes narrowing.


 * Tselaya - "What is it?"

Rza said nothing but merely pointed to the sky where a streak of blue plasma could be seen burning through before crashing on the ground. Tselaya immediately started running while calling back over her shoulder.


 * Tselaya - "Come on, they could need help"

Rza merely nodded and followed slowly after his student humming slightly to himself as he did so.

Searah groaned as she shook her head and looked around the small crater she had made after smashing into the planet's surface.


 * Searah - "Not my best landing, but hey we made it in one piece?"

Crestiel sat there in a daze and looking rather green in the face, we she spoke it was in far off and small voice.


 * Crestiel - "Speak for yourself."

Searah ignored the former Inqusitor and leaped from the IM Suit's cockpit and rushed over to the engines, taking a look she could see the place where they had begun to scab over had been torn open again. Searah grimaced and laid her hand upon the IM Suits side and whispered to it.


 * Searah - "Sorry to make you push yourself before fully healing, but we needed to get out of there."

There appeared to be no response, but Searah smiled and nodded.


 * Searah - "I'm glad you understand."

Crestiel watched this entire exchanged with puzzled expression on her face.


 * Crestiel - "You talk to that thing as though it is alive.
 * Searah - "It is, it's a polyoxometalate based lifeform just like me."

Crestiel shook her head at all the strangeness she had encountered today as Searah began scanning the horizon. Searah was quite proud off herself, in order to get through the planetary shield of the Yesh'Ayin homeworld she had to pull of some rather tricky maneuvering that required she slow down to pass through the shield and then speed up at exactly the right moment so as to avoid the shield adjusting and trapping them inside it where they would be incinerated. As she continued scanning the horizon the HUD generate by the nano machine in her eye alerted her to two figure coming towards them. Searah zoomed in and saw a black furred Vanara and a Yesh'Ayin walking towards them. Searah smiled and wave enthusiastically at them before grabbing Crestiel's hand, much to the Libertus' protests, and running towards their rescuers. Coming up to them the black furred Vanara pointed her staff at Searah and Crestiel.


 * Tselaya - "Identify yourselves."
 * Searah - "Searah, Medusa Infinite Mobility Suit Pilot, this is Crestiel see help me escape from captivity aboard a pirate ship."

Tselaya lowered her staff and smiled before bowing slightly, a gesture which Searah returned.


 * Tselaya - "Sorry about, protocol and all ya known."
 * Searah - "Oh course, sorry but I don't have much time for a meet and greet. What I have here is a map of several major supply routs for the Imperial war machine."
 * Rza - "An important discovery, but you did not mention what your friend's occupation was and what she was doing on a pirate ship."

Searah bit her lip and Crestiel hung her head before responding.


 * Crestiel - "My occupation was Imperial Inquisitor."

Rza sighed and Crestiel felt a psychic force slam her wrists together behind her back.


 * Rza - "Then I'm sorry, but I must take you in."

Crestiel paced around the cell she had been thrown into by the Yesh'Ayin a scowl on her face. She couldn't help feeling a bit betrayed even though she supposed it was reasonable. The cell wasn't even that bad,having a nice reading desk, a bed, and a stocked bookself. They had even left her her hammer and communicator. She could escape if she wanted to, but if she tried that then she had no doubt the Yesh'Ayin would kill her on the spot. Crestiel growled a little and that thought and flopped down for a bit. She was staring a crack that looked a bit like a Dvottie, if one squinted and tilted their head a bit, when communicator started beeping. Crestiel sat up and turned it on quizzically before her eyes widened in rage as she saw Granth staring back at her.


 * Crestiel -"-with barely contained rage-Granth."
 * Granth - "Inquisitor Crestiel, I've come offering you a place back into the Emperor's good graces. I'm coming to attack the Yesh'Ayin homeworld. Now while a delta zero bombardment will brake through their planetary shield, i'd rather take the planet intact as possible, so many interesting secretes that could be revealed. So I'm asking you to be a dear and please lower those shields for me please."
 * Crestiel - "You tired to kill me."
 * Granth - "Well yes, but see I was only acting on orders. Besides sacrifices have to be made for the greater good."
 * Crestiel - "Go fuck yourself Granth."

Crestiel then slammed her communicator against the wall. She then walked over and grabbed her warhammer from the floors, before using the massive weapon to smash apart the bars of her cell. She then stalked forward her month setting in determined line. She had to find someone to warn about this.

Tselaya plunked herself down in a seat in the great library of the Yesh'Ayin, a cylindrical structure with a bookshelves that spiraled upward, following the path of a massive spiral staircase. Opening a purple book with golden binding she began to read trying to ignore the unpleasant feelings that had been gnawing at her since she had seen the Inquisitor dragged off. Tselaya was just beginning to get into what she was reading when she saw a shadow fall over her. Tselaya grumbled and looked up to find herself staring to Searah's eyes.


 * Searah - "Oh sorry, am I interrupting something?"
 * Tselaya - "Well yes, but I can make time. Have a seat."

Searah sat down and drummed her fingers her fingers on the table while looking around awkwardly.


 * Tselaya - "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"
 * Searah - "Uh yes, what's going to happen to Crestiel. I mean I know she was an Inquisitor but she did help me escape and..."
 * Tselaya - "Well she won't be killed or hurt since the Empire betrayed her and all, Rza was able to assure me of that much. Other then that -sighs- I just don't know."
 * Searah - "Well that sucks."
 * Tselaya - "Tell me about it."

The two sat there for a bit before Searah pipped up again.


 * Searah - "So uh ya know any good books around here?"
 * Tselaya - "Whadda'ya like to read?"
 * Searah - "I'm really into adventure novels and the like."

Tselaya perked up almost immediately at that.


 * Tselaya - "Oh I've got a great book for you!"

Tselaya dug around in her backpack and pulled out a dark green book and handed it off to Searah. Searah regarded it for a bit and was about to crack the book open and read when the doors to the library burst open. Tselaya and Searah turned, their eyes widening when they saw Crestiel standing before them panting heavily.


 * Crestiel - "They're coming."

The dagger shaped prow of the Perfidy sliced its way out of hyperspace as it began to head for the Yesh'Ayin homeworld. The living ships of the Yesh'Ayin swarmed around the behemoth ship, but the Perfidy blasted them all away with impunity. Aboard the colossus Granth stared intently at the planet below him and great toothy grin spreading across his face.


 * Granth - "Such a shame my dear little Inquisitor, you could assisted me and been redeemed but instead you chose to side with the enemy."

He grinned even wider as imagined Crestiel burning under the full force of a delta zero bombardment.

Everyone on the surface of the Yesh'Ayin homeworld had gathered outside to watch the shadow of the great ship falling over them. Rza turned his eyes to Crestiel who stood by Tselaya and Searah. All three of the females had their eyes fixed on the sky, Crestiel especially had a look of fear plastered on her face. Rza walked over to speak to Crestiel.


 * Rza - "I assume you know what they plan."
 * Crestiel - "Yes, a zero delta bombardment. It will cut through the planetary shield and kill everyone in this area, there is no escape."

Rza nodded and turned towards Tselaya


 * Rza - "I would not ask this of you under normal circumstances, but you're going to need to save us all."
 * Tselaya - "What! How? I've only just mastered my first spell!"
 * Rza - "And that is all you need. The spell is not the issue, it is the energy within yourself that you cannot access. Fear not though for I and all the Yesh'Ayin on this planet can loan you our energy. Are you willing to do this?"

Tselaya looked at all those around her and then looked at the sky before casting her head down.


 * Tselaya - "I see no other way out."
 * Rza - "Then I shall begin the ceremony, -turns to Searah and Crestiel- if either of you wish to help merely grab my shoulders and I will join you in the ceremony as well."

Crestiel watched as Rza put his hand on Tselaya's shoulder and, after a quick shrug, Searah placed her hand on Rza's shoulder. Looking around Crestiel saw all those present being to close their eyes as Tselaya's own eyes began to shut. Steeling herself slightly Crestiel placed her own hand on Rza's other shoulder and closed her own eyes. She regret her decision immediately as it felt as though her very life blood was draining from her system and into a bottomless chasm leaving her feeling weak and drained, but for whatever reason she held on. Tselaya on the other hand felt something quite different. to her felt as though she was filled with fire coursing through her veins, snapping through her tendons, pulsing through her nerves. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to fight back, but with every ounce of her will she resisted the urge and let the searing pain course through her and upon her lips were uttered three words.


 * Tselaya - "Dark and Light."

Immediately her head snapped up and her eyes opened, glowing pure white, as great sphere a purple, gold, and blue energy began to form in the sky above her. A green beam fired from the Perfidy above her lanced downward towards the great sphere. The two connected and the great sphere shot out a spiraling beam that sliced through the delta zero bombardment and began to add its energy to its own. The beam traveled up piercing through the atmosphere and blasting into the Perfidy, from there the beam travel into the reactor of Imperator-class and began to expand outward consuming the entire ship.

Granth felt the ship quake with the force of the energies coursing through it. Turning with trembling hands he sent a message to the Imperial capital. To his surprise and terror a hologram of the Emperor himself appeared.


 * Granth - "My Emperor, I'm sorry to say that I have failed in my mission."
 * Tyrómairon - "Really, pity. I suppose they'll be needing to built a new Imperator and assign a new captain to replace the resources lost here."
 * Granth - "But my Emperor, aren't you going to save me!?"
 * Tyrómairon - "Save a faliure such as yourself? I think not, besides pawns must be sacrificed for the greater good."

The hologram flickered out of existence and Granth stared dumbfounded as his world was torn apart around him.

The Perfidy exploded a great wave of energy rippling out form its disintegrating hull. As the energy wave struck the planetary shield it create a brilliant aurora over the Yesh'Ayin homeworld. Down below all watched the grand light show in awe. Rza looked down at Tselaya and nodded his approval, Tselaya smiled sheepishly.


 * Rza - "Well now that that's taken care of, we'll need to get that map to the Aldárae Order and the New Republic, knowing those supply routes will be most useful I'd imagine."
 * Searah - "I can fly us there sir."
 * Tselaya - "I'll come too, maybe they'll some answers to where my powers come from."
 * Rza - "I will accompany you. Now go pack your bags, it's going to be a long trip."

The two young Vanara smiled at each other before running off, Rza chuckled at their energy and then turned to Crestiel.


 * Rza - "You're welcome to come too."
 * Crestiel - "You want me along?"
 * Rza - "Why of course, your insight into how the Empire opperates will be most useful. Besides I trust you."
 * Crestiel - "Alright, I'll come."

Rza nodded and began to walk away, as he did so Crestiel called out to him.


 * Crestiel - "When you locked me away you left with my weapon and communicator, why?"
 * Rza - "It was a test."
 * Crestiel - "Oh, did I pass?"
 * Rza - "Why you don't need me to answer that."

Crestiel milled his words over for a bit before she heard two voices shouting out her name. She looked up to see Searah ans Tselaya waving impatiently at her as they stood next to Rza. Crestiel smiled and ran up to join her new friends.