(*sigh*)

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

na'Tatha ran a quick mental check, then fished in one of the pockets on her vest. "Here." She tossed the lieutenant an officer's side arm, a gas-powered affair of sturdy grey gunmetal. "Clips." Another small, dense package followed, the ammunition for the gun. "It's a rear-loader, ten rounds per clip. Don't use them all in once place."

She was out of projectile weapons. There was still the combat knife at her belt, a little less than a quarter of a meter long, which she handed to the Jedi Master. That left her with a small stiletto strapped to her left forearm, for last-resort self-defense only, and her tassen. She doubted it would come in use.

"What was that?" As she turned her head back to face the direction in which they were going, she had seen, out of the corner of her eye, a moving shadow. Probably nothing.

No, definitely something.

A trickle of cold sweat ran down her spine as the small group slowly stepped through the door. Her combat nerves were firing like silent gunshots - "Master Faradej, do you know if there's anybody here?"

She'd bet a financier's inheritance that there was, and that this trap was very shortly about to spring.

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

(HELP!!! I have no idea what to do up there, since she can't phase through that type of metal!!.....)

_________________
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

(Okay, note to all!!!

I will be gone to Mexico Beach/PC for a WHOLE WEEK, so don't leave me too far behind, if you even go anywhere at all..... lol Love yas!!!!)

_________________
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

Haha. At the rate we're going, I don't think there's much of a chance of us leaving you behind. Have a great trip, Luinnar!

Sorry for my too-long absence, everyone--I've had absolutely no creativity for the last week or two. I have looked here, and been able to think of nothing to post. Now I think I can manage it. Something somewhat passable, at least.

----------

Sahrae nodded his head, spinning the knife in his hand. "Two and three," he said, pointing out the sides on which they were. "Human." Their Force presences were very evident, though. Very evident.

Stretching deeper into the Force, Sahrae felt something else. Several more presences, hidden in the Force. A lot more presences.

"We're not fighting our way out of this one," he said, a touch of disappointment in his tone. Being captured was not something he liked.

The presences began moving towards them.

------------

Daaron nodded his head briskly. Sahrae would be able to handle whatever they came across. He wasn't so sure about themselves. With the sensor-dampening effect of the walls, and without Sahrae's Force senses, they would be moving a lot slower.

"Viree, if you wouldn't mind staying with us now, we are going to need you to keep us informed about things with your Force senses," he said, moving down the hallway.

Sorry about the short post, but I can't seem to get my brain to function, but I felt bad not posting anything at all.

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OOC:lol, yeah, I doubt that you will be left behind. And no problem Aerandir. Oh, Valera Elenhathel, how many clips did na'Tatha give Ordo? (he would know so I don't want him to ask but I would like to know, thanks)

IC: The gas-powered pistol was a little heavier than Ordo's normal energy pistol, but not by much. He checked if there was a round in the chamber, and there was, so he ejected the clip and inserted a new one so he would have eleven bullets instead of ten.

Ordo ejected the vibroblades in each of his guantlets to check that they were not damaged. They both slid out smoothly and went back into the gauntlet just as smoothly. Then the Jedi reported what he sensed and the Mandalorian cursed inside his head, no longer having the luxury of cursing inside of his helmet and having no one hear him.

"Sir, with all due respect, are you absoutly sure about not being able to fight our way out of this, 'cause if there is any chance of not being captured, I'll take it," Ordo really didn't want to be captured, it went against Mando traditions to allow yourself to be captured in battle instead of dying.

_________________
Four Gods wait on the windowsill,
Where once eight Gods did war and will,
And if the Gods themselves may die,
What does that say for you and I?

Now, three Gods wait on the windowsill
Where one God's blood was lately spilled
While black tongues lap at the spreading pool
And build the strength they need to rule.

(She gave him four clips)

"Maanan," na'Tatha muttered under her breath. This was not a good day. She was starting to run out of rifle rounds, too. Something hissed behind her and she whirled, just in time to see the corridor door finish sliding shut. The subcommander didn't need to try the door to know that it was sealed shut.

And the lights dimmed, leaving a twilight grey so thick one could cut it with a knife. na'Tatha invoked Maanan yet again, just before small vents in the ceiling opened, flooding the corridor with white swirls of cloud. "We have to go!" she cried as the gas continued seeping in. They also had to not breathe, which became more challenging as they forged ahead. But each step became heavier, and each second brought more lightheaded giddiness, until a wavering figure appeared a few meters away.

A large figure, much like a Maedan ... no, not a Maedan. Mattan! But he had died - she had watched him - they had set him adrift in space -

"Mattan? Mattan ha'Nor?" The words escaped her lips unbidden, wrenched from her in shock.

No, not Mattan. How could she have mistaken Y'Garam for Mattan? Unthinkable ... why could she not see clearly? Why was the room - hallway - warping and bending?

A vague realization managed to pound its way into her bewildered thoughts. She had experienced this before - yes, in training. "A hallucinogen," the Taarin subcommander realized, trying to warn the others. "Whoever you think he is, he isn't."

Slinging her rifle over her shoulder - she couldn't even see properly, much less aim - she drew her combat knife and took her tassen from her belt. They wouldn't take her without a fight. Unless they gassed her first. But didn't they want her alive?

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Viree13 sighs. She understood that they needed her now, with Sahrai gone, but being held down to one place or group was not her usual thing. "Alright...."

Suddenly, the feel of the Force with the others down below changed, and a she was hit with a wave of almost nausea from the intensity of the sensing, even though it was broken by the distance: danger, sudden and deep, and from many different sources. "Sahrai?..... What's happening down there?....."

_________________
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

(I'm not Aerandir, but my character could use some help in this joint!....)

_________________
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

Sure you can join, Ellie. We'll happily take more RPers.

Sorry for my absence, everyone. I got into a big argument with my dad and got grounded, which was only revoked yesterday. Today, I get to write my post.

Sahrai blinked, sending irregular Force pushes through the air. He wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, but for now, it was pushing the hallucinogenic gas away from him. Undoubtedly, their unseen opponents would be wearing oxygen filters, so they probably would be unaffected, but at least it gave him a fighting chance.

The Force gave him warning, and he spun to face the nearest threat as figures closed in from every side. Any normal human would have closed down to tunnel vision then, and having the Force alleviated that only a little, but it was better than none. The mayhem was still just that, a blur of barely-seen faces in the darkness as he slashed and blocked with the knife, shoved and pulled with the Force, and leapt and kicked, most naturally with his feet. His opponents were far more difficult than most, though, managing to block many of his strikes, and occasionally land one themselves.

In the midst of it all--perhaps only seconds into the fight, perhaps an hour--Viree's voice echoed in his head. Not really, but sometimes it felt like that when someone talked to him through the Force.

We're in a fight down here, outnumbered against Maedan metahumans, he sent to her, barely dodging a stab at his head. A grip on the outstretched arm provided leverage, and he spun whoever it was who had attacked him off into the darkness behind him, feeling in the Force to see how na'Tatha and Ordo were doing.

------------

Unaware of the problems the trio was having, Daaron and his team trotted down the hallways, looking for a way to get down a level. If necessary, they would leave without them, but at this point, it wasn't necessary. He would do everything in his power to get them out.

A door. More importantly, a door where there was none on the blueprints they had gotten from the database. It was securely closed, but Aivon was able to cut through with little difficulty. Stepping through first, Daaron smiled to himself, a grim smile without the faintest bit of warmth in it. They were in uncharted territory now, literally.

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Viree13 reels slightly, stumbling against the wall of the passageway as she intercepts Sahrai's message, along with the intersensory perceptions of the battle raging below, that are sent through the Force. "They've been found..... By metahumans.... I think they're holding their own, but there's something dark surrounding them.... Poison gas, or something.... The Force isn't always specific...." Her wounded side throbs unmercifully as she straightens up, her obsidian eyes flickering open once more.....

_________________
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

Ordo ejected both of his vibroblades as soon as na'Tatha said it was a hallucinogen, holstering his pistol to avoid shooting one of his team members. He relied completly on his training (once he was blinfolded and attacked by his vode, or 'brothers'), parying blows just in time. The nice thing was that his armored hands could take a few blows without damage, so he could parry with those too.

Or so he though. They would have been able to stop attacks from normal people, but metahumans are far from normal. A blade slashed down through his left hand, and Ordo cried out, more in supprise than in any real pain, but kept the presence of mind to pull his hand away from the blow to prevent himself from loosing fingers.

As another blade came at him, the Mandalorian dodged to the side and pushed on the wrist with the plam of his left hand and pulled in with the bakc of his right hand on the elbow. His left hand hurt like a di'kut (you don't want to know the meaning that he is impling with that word (Mando words all have multiple meanings)), but that just made him angry that he was so careless, which made him push even harder. The arm broke with a sick snap and Ordo elbowed the thing in the ribs and followed up with a backfist to the face. His fist connected with a breath mask and Ordo reached up with his left hand and tore it off the the metahuman's face.

He pulled it over his own face in a quick movement, and tasted the familar tang of filtered air. He managed to pull another mask off of a nearby metahuman that was facing na'Tatha. "Subcommander, catch!" he shouted as he tossed it at her. Ordo kept trying to land his strikes on his opponents bodies, but they never connected. However, his opponents blows landed ocasionally, and now the outside of his armor was covered in blood, at least on the arms. 'If I keep this up,' he thought, 'I'm going to die from blood loss...'

_________________
Four Gods wait on the windowsill,
Where once eight Gods did war and will,
And if the Gods themselves may die,
What does that say for you and I?

Now, three Gods wait on the windowsill
Where one God's blood was lately spilled
While black tongues lap at the spreading pool
And build the strength they need to rule.

na'Tatha had her tassen whirling, the razor-ribbed fan dancing in curves with an elegance that was out of place in the misty, bloody dimness. But the adrenaline rush that accompanied its drawing was growing thin, allowing the fatigue and gas effects to gain a stronger foothold on the subcommander. Breathe, breathe - but how could she when the very air was toxic?

She vaguely heard the lieutenant's shout, even though he was rather close to her, and almost didn't react in time to catch the mask that flew in her direction. She should probably put it on.

It was almost too large, made for a facial structure much broader than her own - these experimental soldiers were big - but she tightened the holding bands until a seal was formed about her mouth and nose. Something triggered her reflexes, and she dove and rolled out of the way as a Madaen blade sang through the space where she had been. Why hallucinogens? Why not gas them unconscious or dead? Why so heavy a guard, or why an ambush? Why ...?

na'Tatha snapped back upright into a defensive posture. If she didn't stop thinking, she might stop living. Her head had cleared greatly, thanks to breathable air, and she took the opportunity to send a spinning kick into the kidneys of a shadowy figure facing away from her to engage Faradej. It didn't seem to get his attention, but that didn't matter, because a split second later her tassen swept into the crack between his helmet and his armor, sending a thin line of darkness spilling down his back. If he wasn't dead now, he would be very angry.

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

The combat knife finally broke, the blood-coated blade snapping as it was pushed against something at the wrong angle. Hurling the not-quite-useless hilt in the general direction of someone behind him, Sahrai returned to using his hands and feet, kicking and punching. The Maedan didn't seem to be as many as he had thought, or perhaps some had simply abandoned the fight. Either way, a faint hope was starting to grow in his head. Perhaps they would last through this fight.

Then he felt a disturbance in the Force directly behind him. Bereft of time to think it through, he somersaulted away, shoving his companions away with the Force. Then the grenade went off. He swore. It wasn't something Jedi Masters did often, but he did it. The situation deserved it. What should have been a smooth finish from the somersault turned into an uncontrolled tumble. All around him, he heard bodies hitting the ground. All around him, those bodies tried to get back up. And all around him, they toppled over again. He himself was trying to do it, too, but his balance was gone. That's why he swore. He had heard of sonic grenades that destroyed the equilibrium as well as hearing, but apparently the Maedan--or someone else--had perfected one that did the first without doing the second. A hiss of doors sounded at either end of the room, and a thudding of boots. More boots than could have been accounted for by Daaron's squad.

They were in trouble.

-------------

Daaron was having difficulties of his own. The level that wasn't supposed to exist was a maze, and a complicated one at that. They would go through a door, only to find a dead end. They would go down a hallway, only to find nothing at the end.

He hated uncharted territory.

To top things off, Viree had said that the others were in a fight against Metahumans. And were outnumbered. Considering how well the metahumans had fought earlier, he didn't think there was much of a chance he would see na'Tatha or Ordo alive again. Sahrai might survive, though.

Static washed across his helmet, and he groaned. Uncharted territory, and now EM fields. It would take the Death Star to make this situation more undesirable.

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Viree13 senses the spreading waves of sonic interference from the grenade, and yanks away her Force senses, before it can play with her own equilibrium. She realizes that they are at another dead end in the maze, and decides to try something new.....

"Daaron, I think I have an idea..... Using the Force, I can detect living things.... If I use that to find something alive on this level, I can follow its trail and therefore find wherever it is..... Sound like a plan?....." Viree13 knows it's the only one they've got, especially since they're cut off from Sahrai and na'Tatha, along with the other soldier who had fallen with them.....

_________________
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

She was right. The large metahuman decided that na'Tatha was enough of an annoyance to be dealt with, and turned toward her. She had enough time to whip her fan shut and slam the butt end into his breath mask - hopefully damaging it - before darting back and snapping the tassen open and up into a defensive posture. With her free hand raised and back, and her feet set in a strong stance, she leveled defiant eyes at him in the split second of floating time before he commenced his attack. As he moved forward, she exploded into fluid motion, knowing with certainty that the only outcome of this engagement would be death for one of the participants. Sidestepping and turning past, she guided the silken weapon in its lightning course, aiming to cleave the flexible joints of his armor. Time seemed to slow as blood wreathed off the ribs of the fan like ribbons curling through the air; dark streamers waved in the dance of death.

And the grenade went off. Suddenly she was off her feet, flailing uncontrollably in the air. And suddenly she was on the ground, unable to stand, because the ground kept changing orientation, undulating like an angry ocean. At least, that was what it felt like.

Closing her eyes didn't help. na'Tatha realized that the others surrounding her - friends and enemies alike - were having the same problem, and decided that curling up into an inconspicuous ball was probably the best course of action until she recovered.

And then doors, and boots, and bright lights, and the silent efficiency of more metahumans who began walking among the fallen, trying to sort out their colleagues and their prey.

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>