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_ "In many cultures Chaos, or Hell, is a plane of existence reserved for those evil dead who must spend all of eternity in torment for their crimes- but some of the darkest atrocities in the universe seem to stem from a level of evil foul enough to bring a little bit of 'Hell' into the realm of the living." _

~ Syrra

When Syrra had woken up, it had been to the warmth of Locke's body pressed against hers. In every way it had been like Kajex's, the only difference perceptible when she looked at the white wolf, though she felt the same about the Jedi Guardian as she did the Jedi Sentinel, comforted in his embrace as she was. Nevertheless, the first thing she had noticed after waking up was that 2 hours were left before the plan would be set into motion. Having had enough sleep (and plenty of physical intimacy with her fiancee's brother), the Trianii felt herself ready to finish this mission, to leave this ship and its damned undead population, and so with little hesitation she had kissed Locke awake and (with his help) started getting dressed and equipped.

She had nearly been infected, had lost an arm because of them. She and Kajex had talked about how this would be treated the night before; an injury like this merited another brief break between missions, and being near the Wild Space Regions meant it was only a few hours hyperspace time to Ekibo, where she could see her uncle and mother, have her arm replaced with a cybernetic designed for her species. As she holstered a pistol to her left hip and winced at the stump of her right arm, she wondered what Iaora's reaction was going to be like. Hopefully, being able to see her daughter again and meeting Locke, Keris and Miles would offset any alarm to her injury.

A more immediate concern, however, was how she was going to fight effectively with her off-hand. So used to using her right paw to handle her lightsaber, the feline was finding it difficult to wield the weapon with her left, struggling to replicate cadences one-handed. As others got ready in the lobby, the two had gone to the medical wing's galley and taken an hour to get some sparring in, both to shake off their sleepiness and to get the blood pumping. Despite the white wolf aiding her where he could, the Trianii couldn't help feeling slightly frustrated. She could not penetrate his defenses nor defend as efficiently as she could before, and it didn't take long for her to be disarmed three times (figuratively, thankfully).

Locke helped her up, an expression of sympathy on his features. "To your credit, you're doing much better than I had anticipated, Syrra."

She sighed, brushing herself off and floating her weapon back to her before taking a seat in one of the benches to catch her breath. "I appreciate you saying so, but that won't mean much if I have to use it in a fight."

"You may not have to," the wolf pointed out. "Our team is heading straight for the Gold Rush, so if Inquisitor Tooem is located on the bridge we'll be as far away as possible from him. The undead aren't going to be lightsaber duelists- if they were, we'd be pretty fucked by now."

The Trianii chuckled, nodding. "Good point. I can at least shoot straight with my left- I think I'll stick with that just to be safe." She paused, shivering. "I just hope Kajex makes it out."

"He will," the wolf Guardian assured her with a warm smile, reaching out and squeezing her paw. "We both know by now how resourceful he is, he'll not be taken by this infection so easily. And he has 3 others to watch his back as he gets his task done."

She nodded, straightening up a bit as she settled her thoughts on her fiancee, feeling the wolf coming out of his meditation. Though she was eager to talk to him, to let him know she was ready for whatever would come at them in the next few hours, she understood the value in allowing him some peace to center himself. Keris had also taken to meditating along with him, which brought a smile to the Trianii's face- knowing the vixen took her duties seriously, despite her carefree attitude among the pack, gave Syrra hope that Kajex would be well-looked after.

But with Kajex now free, she took her chance, though she noticed Locke 'listening' in on them. "Sleep well, love?"

"Difficult not to with these three," was the amused answer. "Keris was a sweetheart, Talrik and Rook made these really cute noises each time I had a turn with them. As far as potential final nights go... it only would've been better if you'd been here," he conveyed to her, a slight twinge of worry in his thoughts.

"Keep your muzzle up, love," she told him reassuringly. "I'll be heading straight to the Gold Rush and waiting for you, none of us are leaving until you 4 are back and safe with the pack. Once we're done getting everyone safe and sound, we'll demand another break and figure out what to do with my injury."

"Yikes. Locke was right, even without a right paw you're gonna be a handful."

Syrra blinked, glancing at Locke with narrowed eyes and a wry smile. "Did you really say that?"

The white wolf looked away. "I might've said something to that effect, yes," he responded with a sheepish grin. "Are you nearly ready to get going, brother?" he asked the Sentinel.

"Yeah, nearly. As soon as we get Saine and everyone else locked onto the Gold Rush's channel, Talrik will lead us to Engineering's server. Hopefully it won't take too long to find what I need."

"And you, Keris?" the Guardian asked, as he and Syrra turned their thoughts to the vixen.

"Just finished eating and I'm ready to go- as soon as Rook gets out of the bathroom, she said she was feeling stomach cramps. Probably nervous for what's coming- or Kajex was a tad too big for her," she teased.

Locke nodded. "Then we'll start getting the soldiers ready. As soon as you get the data you need, or when you need to cease the mission and retreat, let us know when you're coming."

"Will do," the Sentinel replied. "The Force willing... we'll all make it out of this."

It had not escaped anyone's notice that the thumping at the door had ceased an hour into the pack's intimacy, though as Talrik had been focusing on bringing Rook to orgasm and Kajex had focused on doing the same for Keris, there was little to complain about. At least it could be said that they slept easily past that point. Yet now the lack of noise was unsettling to the wolf as the four grouped near the blast door leading to engineering- half-expecting the undead horde to be relentless, Kajex could only wonder what devilry they were up to now.

With both lightsabers out he knelt at the reinforced hatch, glancing at each of them- Rook and Talrik had taken up prone positions behind him, while Keris stood to the left of the door holding a thermal detonator. They all possessed the same look of confusion mixed with apprehension on their faces. "Ready?" Each of them nodded and he took a deep breath, igniting both blades and thrusting into the door with a grunt. The energy weapons pierced into the thick durasteel doors, meeting resistance from the dense material as he pushed each blade to either side, cutting horizontally at knee length until it was wide enough to 2 people to slip through. Focusing the Force into his body and channeling energy into his muscles, he cut downwards, keeping the blades level with the floor until he'd reached the base of the hatch, then bringing the blades together again. Finished with the task, he extracted the weapons out of the door and backed away.

"On three, kit, as hard as you can." The vixen nodded and held her blood-red blade ready, while her free paw pointed at the breach. "One. Two. Three!"

The cut out section let out a metallic groan, straining from Keris' telekinesis, before popping out of the door and flying into the hallway with a tremendous crash. Kajex could feel the other 3 tense as the sound echoed through the corridor outside, their ears straining to hear the sound of heavy footfalls on the deck. Silence lingered for a full minute before the wolf shivered and knelt, deactivating one of his weapons and drawing his blaster while keeping the other lit.

It would have been much easier if the pervasive darkness weren't clouding his ability to sense, yet the shadow seemed to be imbued into the walls and hull of the ship itself, instilling a stifling sensation in that regard. Nevertheless the Force continued to flow through him as he kept his reflexes on high alert, shuffling forward and cautiously sticking his head out of the hatch. Within moments his natural night sight kicked in and he could see clearly down either end of the the long corridor.

Nothing.

"I don't like it," the Sentinel muttered as he pulled his head back. "There isn't a single shambler out there, and you'd think the noise would've attracted them, right?"

"Saine, you mentioned that the Infection is self-aware, right?" Keris asked through her headset.

"That is correct," the medical officer responded. "Take extra care, they may be attempting some ploy. We are beginning to move out now."

With a muttered curse, Kajex crawled forward and through the breach, keeping his pistol pointed down one end of the corridor. Moments later, Rook crawled through and held her heavy repeater at the ready towards the other side while the two Amaran packmembers squeezed through. "Talrik, how far is it to the auxiliary server from here?"

"We're at the starboard side of the ship right now- it's about 600 meters aft, 200 meters port," the fox responded quietly as he got to his feet and took the lead. "I'm on point, keep close."

Years of training and working alone on his own operations had taught Kajex the value of stealthy moving, his footfalls silent as he trailed behind the fox, while Talrik's training as a sniper seemed to have kicked in instinctively. But while Rook demonstrated decent silence, Keris' footfalls were louder than the wolf would have liked as they moved cautiously through the corridor; not strictly because he wanted the silence to muffle their movements, but because it would be easier to hear the sounds of the undead in the otherwise silent hallways.

10 minutes passed without incident when they reached the junction near a trio of non-functioning turbolifts that required them to move up and portside, but rather that feel relief Kajex could feel the tension gnawing at his nerves with every meter they approached. Worse, a foul stench had permeated the air, sending waves of nausea through the wolf as they neared the reactor, stopped only by a secured blast door that Kajex immediately set to work on with his datapad, the steady hum of the massive power system audible from the other side.

"The fuck is that odor?" Rook coughed, her face scrunched up in a disgusted visage. "Smells like a hut'tuun died in a dianoga's colon."

Kajex had to steel himself not to vomit from the description. "Whatever it is, it's coming from behind the door. Just be ready to shoot," he advised as he parsed through the door's security system, resetting the access code and keying it in before shifting the datapad back into his inner coat pocket. The door clicked, the hissed as it slid open.

It took only a moment for the wolf to regret ever opening it.

The floors and walls were lined with what was quite obviously regurgitated flesh and bone, splattered across the deck in such quantities that a crude, gory barrier a meter high had been constructed at the door. It was not the only one, as the sweltering and vast room dipped into the lower levels, where more violent messes had been made. Corpses that had been there for who knew how long were visible from the doorway, desiccated organs and dried blood strewn in every direction. But far more sickening was the smell, which had increased several-fold the moment the door had been open, bursting against all 4 of them and offending each of their heightened senses of smell.

Kajex staggered back and held a paw to his muzzle in shock, trying his absolute best not to eject his meager breakfast; Keris, meanwhile, had failed to do the same, dodging to the side and retching as she expelled her meal out of sight. The Sentinel looked to Talrik and Rook- they looked a hair away from losing their nerves.

"Mate..." Rook said quietly with a look of horror, "I'm about ready t' demand a pay raise from yer girlfriend."

"By the Force," Talrik whined, "did these things do this?"

"Looks like it," Kajex said grimly.

"Your stress levels just increased- what are you seeing?" Locke asked through their comms, a note of worry in his voice.

The Sentinel shuddered, spying a partially-digested eyeball in the barrier. "You really want to know? It's like Corellian raptor-wasps used dead bodies to make a nest in here- _alot _of them."

A moment of silence followed. "… You're right, I regret you describing it," Locke replied. "Are you close, then?"

Kajex squeezed Talrik's shoulder, the male Amaran shuddering and nodding. "Almost there, yeah. Doesn't look like anybody's home, either."

"Then we'll speed up our timetable," Saine told them. "Perhaps the sound of several teams taking out key ship components will keep them off your back if they decide to move on you."

The Sentinel paused, trying to regain his nerve. "You gonna be okay, Keris?" he asked as the vixen rejoined them, whimpering.

"I'll try to be," she groaned, shutting her eyes tight as Talrik moved in first and climbed over the barrier with a look of disgust. It escaped nobody's attention that a string of blood-red mucus stuck to the Amaran sniper's paw as he pulled away from it. Opting to refrain from touching it as much as possible, Kajex vaulted over the barrier- and yelped as he nearly lost his footing on the landing, the floor slick with the bloody gel. It was only Talrik's quick reflexes that saved him from landing on his backside, the fox grabbing him by the arm. Keris followed and stuck her landing a bit better, while Rook climbed in with little objection (save for a thoroughly grossed-out face).

The chamber itself was massive, some several hundred meters high and wide, with a dome jutting out from the floor and a series of catwalks leading down to the deck. With the noise of there feet beating against the steel grill stairs, they abandoned all attempts at stealth and hurried down, Kajex and Keris leaping from the top and landing uninjured a hundred feet down, their Jedi and Sith training allowing them to cushion the landing gracefully (though it was marked with a horrible squish as their boots kicked up bile and gore). Lacking such abilities, Talrik and Rook settled for quickly rappelling from the initial landing, reaching the two Jedi soon after. The heat of the reactor was stifling, permeating the air like a hot, moist summer day on Yavin 4- before long, all four furred packmembers were sweating beneath the surface of their fur, Kajex unconsciously panting as Talrik lead the way. Despite the sweltering temperature the fox kept up the pace, taking a moment to glance behind him and ensure that Keris and Rook were following. Despite looking sick to her stomach, Keris kept her weapon held at the ready, and Rook dutifully watched their rear.

Kajex peered at the reactor as they moved, noticing abandoned console posts at every end. "Core is running too hot," he muttered. "There should be staff here regulating this area, but if they're all dead..."

"What's up?" Talrik asked.

"Without engineers monitoring this reactor, the core would cause ship-wide system instability- if they were all active at once," he amended himself, reminded of the fact that emergency lighting had been activated and most of the doors and lifts were shut down. "It's a lot of power to push into any system not ready for it."

"Is that why the turbolasers weren't trying to tag us?" Rook asked.

"Likely, it'd either short out their systems or blow out the turrets," Kajex affirmed. "Upside is that this Inquisitor bastard won't be able to get this ship into hyperspace- not unless he wants to tear the ship apart when the reactor loses it."

"Here," Talrik said abruptly, pointing to a series of coolant tanks embedded into the steel walls; between them was a mid-sized hatch and a sign above it marked "AUXILIARY DATA STORAGE"- or at least, Kajex assumed this it what it said, as half the sign was plastered with gore. Stepping lightly over a dead body the Antarian Ranger moved ahead and peered into the hatch's single windowpane. "Looks clean," he said, his features painted with relief.

Kajex, unfortunately, did not feel this was any indication of safety. "Alot of the ship didn't look like this fresh mess of hell that we're standing in, little brother- but there were still zombies running around. I ain't trusting anything with my eyes at this point." He glanced at the controls, noting with dismay that the hatch was secured as well- breaching security to gain access to a room with sensitive information wasn't going to be as easy. Extracting his datapad once again and deactivating his lightsaber, he set to work, addressing the rest of the pack as he knelt.

"Alright, Locke, I'm here- care to give me an update?"

"We've hit a delay."

It was an understatement. The hallways had been clear for a few minutes as the squads broke up and headed towards different subsystems, aiming to knock out the tractor beam array and jamming systems. It only took 5 minutes for things to start getting violent. As before, it started with the howling, then the sound of boots sprinting or lumbering down the corridors. This time, however, the din was nearly deafening.

The strategy of bolting heavy blaster cannon tripods to low-hovering medical stretchers worked marvelously; the way ahead seemed blocked with the bodies of abominations moving en masse towards them, but the moment each gunner poured on the firepower, the mass started to slow significantly. Corpses blew apart and fell to the floor under the sustained energy, blaster bolts drilling into flesh and bone or embedding into the walls. The rapid thumping of the cannons springing into action created a noise so loud that when it died down and the horde had pulled away from the scene with angry howls, Locke's ears were still ringing, such that he had barely heard his brother when asked for their status.

"The squads are nearing their objectives, Syrra and I are about halfway our way to the Gold Rush. Where- NO! Blast those heads!" the guardian snapped in a panic as two of the soldiers neared the mass of bodies. "Take no chances! These abominations will linger until their brains are destroyed!" He stepped forward to tug one of the soldiers out of reach of a grasping hand, still attached to a infected trooper. It took little more than Locke thrusting his pike forward and flicking the lightsaber on to end the bisected monstrosity, silencing its guttural growls as the shaft of light penetrated her skull.

Taking the hint, the soldiers approached with caution, double-tapping each head they saw as they continued onwards. Even Syrra joined in, using her pistol to end the few stragglers that the cannon had failed to completely eliminate. "What's your status Kajex?" she asked.

"Fucking hatch is locked down tight with a dual-layered passcode. It's not too difficult to crack, but it'll take a little while to do, maybe 5 minutes. After that, I need to find the logs listing recent hyperspace vectors from released ships- not sure how long it'll take."

"Any Infection in your area?" Saine asked, bringing up the rear with a heavy blaster in hand.

"Nothing- and that's unsettling."

"Our plan may be working, ma'am!" Miles shouted through their headsets- he and Liam had opted to lead Squad 1 to the tractor beam array, and from the sounds on their end they had met considerable resistance. "We've reached our objective, but we're pinned down- I can't set these explosives until these bastards let up on us!"

"Are you secure?" Locke asked, worry for his Miraluka friend building.

"They've taken to a cautious approach," Liam answered grimly. "Cargo containers are being shifted in front of them by the larger of the horde, it's making it difficult to land a shot. Detonator out!" There was a pause, followed by a tremendous crash on the other end. "That should slow them down, but we'll need more options if we want to get out of here."

"VENTS!" Miles shouted. More blasterfire erupted through their headsets, and despite Locke requesting a report repeatedly there was no answer. Through the bond he shared with the Miraluka, Locke could vaguely make out strange shapes cast in dark shadow, climbing out from breaches in the ceiling- this was all Locke needed as an answer.

"Mind the vents as we move," he advised everyone through the comm, moving up ahead of the squad and keeping his weapon angled up at the overhead vents they passed under. "Miles, if you're hearing this- keep yourselves safe and forget about sabotaging the tractor systems. Squad 2, what's your status?"

"CONTACT!!!" a soldier bellowed behind him- several undead had fallen out of the vent systems some distance back and were getting to their feet when the rearmost tripod cannon sprang to life, thumping repeatedly and filling the path they'd taken with searing hot energy. Despite the din, Locke could hear the crackle in his ear as the 2nd squad's leader responded- so close to the jamming system, their transmitters muffled his words with sporadic bursts of white noise.

"... 2 has reached... objective, explo... primed and ready to... meeting light resistance, will detonate on... orders, sir."

"Get clear and blow it!"

The explosion was massive enough that it rocked the engineering section heavily and knocked Talrik, Rook and Keris off their feet- Kajex was spared only because he'd felt a stirring in the Force with enough time to brace himself, yet elation ran through him when it happened. With the jamming systems down, they could call for Republic reinforcements; and Kajex was certain an explosion that large was impossible to repair in their current situation. At nearly the same moment, the hatch opened and a burst of incredibly chilled air buffeted over him.

"I'm in!" he shouted in relief. Taking only a moment to slip his pad back into his coat he hurried inside with his blaster drawn, ready to light up any moving corpse he saw. "Keris, you're with me; you two keep us covered! Locke, I'm gonna start pulling the data from their server!"

"Good, we're nearly to the hang-- what the hell...?"

"What is it?" Kajex asked, dread filling him.

"The Infection's trying to cut us off with cargo crates," Syrra answered. "Anybody not working the cannons, start bringing that blockade down! Kajex, don't worry about us; we're almost safe."

The wolf couldn't help but whine with worry. "Syrra... I love you. Get yourself on that ship and stay there; send a distress call on all frequencies and then a direct line to Republic Intelligence- tell them to get a warship at our coordinates."

"I will- and I love you too."

A steady series of beeps emanated from the walls as he and the vixen hurried through the narrow columns of data, reaching a terminal at the far end of the room. As the wolf plugged into the console with swift hands, he could see Keris looking in every direction, her body tense as she held her lightsaber at the ready. "How long, love?" she asked, her voice strained.

Kajex winced as the datapad flickered to life, showing a massive amount of data and security codes. "Hopefully not long, but it's a lot of vectors to cover out there," he groaned, reaching into his inner pocket and slipping 4 slim datacards into the device. "I'm going to copy the coordinates to each of these disks and give 3 of them to the rest of you in case... just in case," he finished uneasily, trying to beat back the thought.

"No, do-don't say things like that," Keris said, though she sounded scared too. "We're... we're gonna make it out of here; I'm gonna get you back to Syrra so you two can get married and have all the puppy-kittens in the galaxy- and you're gonna name one of them after me, got it?"

The words brought a smile to the wolf's face. "Yeah... I think that'd be gre--"

"We've got company!" Rook's voice shouted from the door, half a second before the Selonian's heavy repeater started up; Talrik's weapon sounded a moment later. Kajex swore and turned briefly before setting back to work and eliminating each security barrier as quickly as possible. In narrow corridors their blasters were perfect, but in the openness of the reactor chamber they would be less effective- particularly since ending the zombies would require a headshot.

"Keep at it, Kaj," Keris told him, looking grim. "I'll stand by them and give you time."

Syrra had fully expected to be straining herself using the Force in a highly stressful situation- the fear of the undead and prospect that Miles and Liam might not make it back to them alive had certainly caused the adrenaline to flow through the Trianii. Yet as she tore cargo containers from the blockade and flung the heavy blocks down the corridor, knocking over or crushing the tide of undead, she had never known a deeper calm in her save for the times she was in her fiancee's arms. What should have taken 10 minutes to clear up took 5, as her Jedi training combined with the efforts of a handful of troops dismantled the barrier swiftly.

The sound of Locke's Jedi weapon sweeping through the air, cleaving and stabbing into the skulls of their attackers, caused the feline to pause for a moment, admiring his skill and bravery. He stood at the rear, holding off the wave of undead and causing the corpses to pile up as he put an end to each monstrosity, aided by two soldiers who demonstrated true aim, likely spurred into confidence by the sight of a Jedi fighting for them. In another corridor, a pair of tripod-mounted cannons continued to thump, their barrels giving off thin trails of smoke as the barrels began overheating slightly.

But their efforts were not without cost. An unfortunate soldier had been grabbed from behind minutes earlier, his throat torn open from a powerful bite. Despite the anti-virus preventing him from added to the vast ranks of the undead, the wound was nevertheless grievous and his movements were becoming weaker as the seconds wore on, Saine doing her best to keep him alert. Not even bacta injectors could save him- he needed access to the Gold Rush's life-support unit. So when the hatch to the hangar was finally visible behind the multitude of heavy shipping containers, Syrra felt a spark of hope spring up in her- which was immediately doused when the hatch opened and she saw the stack of containers on the other side of the door.

"Locke, we have problems!" she shouted in dismay, starting to pull away the boxes. She heard the wolf Guardian deactivate his weapon and sprint to her, swearing as he saw what the delay was.

"Get back, everybody!" he barked, sliding to a stop in front of the hatch. Syrra watched as he paused and narrowed his silver-blue eyes with a look of intense focus, winding his left paw back with a deep breath. The air and light around his palm seemed to distort, coalescing into what seemed to be a sphere of tremendous energy, contained in a field no larger than 4 inches. A quiet noise, like that of a muffled storm, emanated from the sphere as the wolf growled with a strained expression. Suddenly, he snarled and thrust his arm forward, hurling the ball into the containers- with an explosion like that of thunder, the steel-reinforced containers flew through the air as if they were made of cardboard, a blast of wind buffeting against everyone as the kinetic energy tore through the air. The Trianii covered her face reflexively, looking back up just in time to see several undead monstrosities, who had been waiting on the other side, fly through the air or get crushed beneath the cargo blocks.

"Get them to the ship, Syrra!" Locke shouted as he sprinted past her and rejoined the battle. "I need to keep the corridors clear for the sabotage teams!"

Without answering she complied, holstering her blaster and drawing her lightsaber left-handed as she led 10 other soldiers and Saine with her. Dozens zombies still lingered in the hangar, sprinting towards them as quickly as their decayed legs would allow them; but now armed with the knowledge that the anti-virus in her blood would ensure she would never be infected, and that they could be ended if their brains were destroyed, the Trianii met them head on, her weapon slicing through the air and cleaving rapidly through each skull as they came. She was not alone in ending the Infection's assault- the soldiers at her back opened fire as they came, either aiming to kill or aiming to disrupt their approach, long enough for Syrra to reach the Gold Rush.

"I need 4 of you to check the ship's exterior and make sure the ship hasn't been wired with explosives," she ordered as she keyed in the ship's codes and lowered the ramp, getting into the ship. "And I need two of you to man the portside and belly cannon! The rest of you, cover the ramp!"

"Yes ma'am!" a pair of soldiers answered as they sprinted through the lounge.

The Trianii grimaced as she got into the captain's seat- with Locke holding off the Infection for everyone else to return safely, she alone would have to power everything up. "Kajex, I'm at the Gold Rush and powering her up- Locke's going to keep the corridors open for everyone else until we're all here. Soon as she's fired up I'll send out for the cavalry."

"Good girl," Kajex replied with a relieved sigh. "I'm almost done here, just need to finish copying the data onto these cards, then we'll--"

His last few words were drowned out by a massive explosion, the entire destroyer trembling violently and nearly knocking Syrra out of her seat. Almost immediately after, the Omega-Orr sounded a tremendous alarm, emergency lights flashing throughout the hangar walls. With a Trianii curse she bypassed the usual warm-up sequence, filtering power to the ship's cannons as it hummed to life. Almost immediately the thunderous thuds of its weaponry shook through the ship, explosions tearing through the decayed flesh of the undead as the Gold Rush peppered its surroundings.

Despite the change in fortune, however, the prior explosion had Syrra rattled. "Locke... where did that explosion come from?" There was a pause. "... Miles? Are you still with us?"

There was no reply.

"... Miles? Do you copy?"

Still nothing.

"Syrra..." Locke said weakly. "... I can't feel him anymore."

A chill filled the Padawan's veins. "... No, he's... he's fine. He has to be," she said shakily- but even reaching out through the Force, drawing on the connection she had with the stout-hearted Miraluka soldier, she felt an emptiness. "Miles, respond- what's your status? Liam? Are either of you there?!"

"Syrra," Kajex's voice broke through, sounding weak, "we can't waste time. Miles and Liam... they'd want us keep going. Get through to the Republic, get the wounded onto the ship and treat them. We'll... we'll find them later."

A tightness in the Trianii's chest made it difficult for her to breathe. She had lost a paw in this mission, something that had initially been difficult to deal with; but that loss was now insignificant in the face of having potentially lost a friend- no, two friends. The Miraluka had helped to save the pack's lives; Liam had helped save her life. And now she was stuck in the ship, unable to do anything for them. Trying to keep her emotions in check, she got up from the captain's seat and moved into the communication's chair. A numbness overtook her, making it seem like her body was moving independent of her will as she switched her headset to the ship's transmitter, setting it to broadcast to all Republic channels.

"... This is Jedi Padawan Syrra, currently broadcasting from the Praxeum vessel Gold Rush, broadcasting an emergency signal to any Republic vessel able to send aid. We are docked in an Imperial Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, the Omega-Orr, and require military and medical assistance at this ship's broadcasting coordinates. There is a... contagion onboard, one that requires lethal force to exterminate. I have 50 other survivors here- we're running short on time. This message will repeat until a response is detected."

With the message sent out, the Trianii got up, stumbling through the corridor to the lounge, just as Saine and two other physicians set down the barely-living injured Espo. Years of her medical training with Iaora laid bare the truth of his fate; he did not have long, even with the life-support unit. A strangled cry made Syrra jump as a tan-skinned engineer bolted from the hallway into the lounge, tripping and falling to the injured soldier's side as she sobbed and stroked his bloody cheek. With a horrible lurch inside her, Syrra recognized the both of them- she had seen the CorpSec security officer propose to her only last night, had seen her accept. Now that bright promise of a future seemed dim, standing at the precipice of darkness and anguish.

But the Trianii possessed a torch; and now, a duty for her to fulfill as a Jedi.

"Clear a space," she said abruptly, striding forward and yanking the pendant around her neck off as she knelt beside him. Saine regarded her sadly.

"Ma'am... with all due respect, I don't think your Jedi healing arts will be enough."

Syrra's smile felt genuine. "I agree. But I'm getting married soon, too- and my fiancee gave me something a bit better than your typical engagement ring..."

"Done!" Kajex cried out, letting out a barklike laugh as he pulled the datapad away from the server's main console. Slipping the datacards into his coat pocket and the pad into the inner pouches of his coat he sprinted toward the hatch, greeted by the sight of intense combat.

Talrik alone still possessed his repeater, squeezing off short bursts of firepower that reduced the heads of incoming abominations to ash and smoking flesh; Rook had lost her weapon, but was engaging the undead in close-quarters combat, her war glaive hacking off heads and piercing through skulls, generating a growing pile of corpses before her; Keris was doing much the same, though some of her victims had been thrown away from the fray to clear up space. Trying his best not to grin to widely at the skill and bravery of his packmates he ran up to them with his lightsaber drawn, intent on clearing out the last few stragglers.

"Got the data," he grunted as he shaved the skullcap of a nearby zombie. "We're ready to go, folks."

"What about Miles?" Talrik asked as he kicked back a shambler and blasted his face apart.

"We'll have to regroup first before we figure out how to find them," the wolf answered, bringing down another two, spotting a third creeping up behind Rook and tripping him up with the Force. The otter noticed the floored zombie, thrusting the blade of her weapon into its skull and cutting its snarling short.

"That's the last of this swarm," Rook said, panting. "Time to head back?"

"Just a second," the wolf replied, hooking his Jedi weapon back to his belt and drawing out the datacards and handing them out. "Keep those on you- we'll need at least one to make it back."

Talrik's ears flattened as he slid the disk into his jacket pocket. "Kaj, we're gonna make it out of this, you didn't need to--"

"I'm not taking any chances," the Sentinel cut him off flatly. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get you 3 back to the Gold Rush, and if that means giving myself up... so be it," he said resolutely, leading the way up the winding catwalks to the hatch they'd entered. "Locke, how's everyone holding up?"

The Guardian's voice crackled to life. "Still have a steady trickle of shamblers in the hallways, but they're slowing up some. The jamming station squad just returned with 2 injured, but are otherwise fine. Miles and Liam... they haven't returned yet, and I can't see Miles through the Force," Locke said quietly. "But I'm holding out for them all the same- Miles might've... just been stunned. Are you on your way back?"

"Should be about 15 minutes at a decent jog, but if we meet stiff resistance it could take longer," Talrik told him. "But these things can't be infinite, there shouldn't be very many left, right?" he asked hopefully.

"There doesn't need to be too many, just enough," Kajex answered as they reached the top of the winding catwalk and exited the reactor chamber. "Just stick close and keep mo--"

A horrible wail sounded from the far end of the hall behind them. The Sentinel swore as he saw a mass of the Infection race towards them with murderous intent painted on their features. Kajex didn't even need to utter a word as the group sprinted in the opposite direction, casting a glance behind him as he saw Rook hang back slightly. Before he could shout at her to keep up, she'd pulled a thermal detonator from her belt and tossed it down towards the approaching mass, returning to a sprint half a moment later. The explosion tore apart the horde and caused those behind the victims to trip and stagger over the debris and corpses.

They reached the junction near a trio of turbolifts, and it was here Kajex stopped short, eyes wide with horror- another horde was bearing down on them from the direction of the engineering mess hall, some 20 or so shamblers ahead. Thinking quickly he drew both lightsabers and tossed one towards their approaching attackers, focusing on the hilt as it arced above their heads and clattered onto the deck behind them. The moment he heard it hit the floor, he pulled it back and activated it, the golden blade spinning and sweeping through the ranks of the undead and cutting apart at least half of them before it landed in his outstretched paw.

"No good, we're cut off here!" Kajex shouted as he cut down another zombie.

"This way!" Talrik shouted, blowing off the head of another and retreating down the third corridor. "It's a dead end, but maybe we can outlast them!"

Grim as the situation seemed, the suggestion was all they had. Trying to buy enough time for Keris to pull away he knocked the stragglers away through the Force and started to follow Talrik and Rook down the third corridor.

A single shot rang out and Keris yelped, stopping him short as he heard her body hit the floor.

The Sentinel's blood ran cold as he saw the vixen lying on the deck, unmoving. He could no longer feel her presence, could not feel the warmth of her existence through the Force, as the horde began to descend on her. Grief, panic and rage built up in him as he snarled and pushed again, knocking the abominations back violently. Reason seemed to leave him as he charged the undead ranks, both sabers raised and ready to engage Keris' killers.

In the middle of his anger, he didn't see the shot until it was too late.

A deep blue ring of energy pulsed towards him and hit him square in the chest, his snarl stopping short into a choked gasp. He became dimly aware that he was still alive, even as his senses seemed to numb from the hit. Staggering back with a look of wonder, he spied one of the shamblers holding a small pistol set to stun. Things started to make more sense as he stumbled to his knees; when Syrra had struck him with a blast set to stun many months ago on AS-303, he'd instinctively resisted a part of it, remaining conscious even as it numbed most of his body. It was only due to his Sentinel training, shaping and forging his mind against the effects of mental influences, fear and neural paralysis, that he was not rendered immediately unconscious like Keris.

But he was now vulnerable. It was a common Sith tactic- attack the student, expose the master. He had lapsed in concentration, thinking the vixen was dead, his rage exposing him to the numbing energy- even now, he was finding it more difficult to remain upright. He could not protect her any longer; though he questioned what she was truly in danger of now, as the corpses pulled her unconscious form from the floor and did not bite her or otherwise physically harm her in any way. What remained of the horde passed on her and reached the wolf, their cold hands grabbing at him and starting to pull him aside.

With a final burst of concentration, he rolled his head to the side, spotting Talrik and Rook as they looked on in horror; summoning what remaining strength he possessed, he swung his arm out and up, throwing his lightsaber towards the younger man, one he loved deeply as a brother and lover, whispering into his mind moments before his vision faded.

"Take care... of Syrra..."

"NO!!!"

He had turned the moment Keris had gone down, had watched as Kajex charged the horde before taking a stun blast to the chest. The moment Kajex had thrown one of his lightsabers towards him was the same moment the wolf channeled a whisper into his mind, telling him to take care of his future mate. Grief and anger of a measure Talrik had never known welled up within him, prompting him to dash forward and grab the fallen Sentinel's weapon and activate it just as the horde began to drag his motionless body away.

His movements did not go unnoticed by the retreating horde, parts of the Infection breaking off from the whole to engage the fox; yet he had been trained, perhaps not as a Jedi, but alongside Jedi, and despite possessing no clear connection to the Force he found little difficulty in slashing the golden blade through each zombie as they came, cleaving through bone and sinew, decapitating the Infection one member at a time. But for all the purging he inflicted on them, he could not keep up with the swarm carrying off both his alpha and his packmate.

The turbolifts had been shut down- but in the grand scheme of multi-level ships, it was a trivial system, one that could be activated with no strain on the power systems. He didn't need to see the doors open to hear the hum of energy being diverted into the lifts, but he snarled all the same as he dove rushed ahead, intent on taking every zombie bastard down with him if that was what it took to save his friends. Prepared for death, nothing would stop him.

Except Rook.

"TALRIK, DON'T!!!" she screamed, lunging forward and tackling him to the floor, struggling to pin him down as Kajex's lightsaber clattered away and deactivated.

"Let me go, they're still alive- they're still alive!" he howled as he rolled onto his back, trying to push the otter off. "They haven't been bit yet!"

"I know!" she yelled back, tears streaming down her face, a look of anguish on her features. "But that doesn't matter, w-we have to keep going! They're leaving us alone, love- don't follow them!"

"I can't l-lose them," Talrik choked, trying to get back up- but it was no use. He could hear the hiss of the turbolift hatches closing, then the echo of the lift disappearing upwards into the ship.

"We can't lose you," Rook whispered back, embracing him as they were left alone in the dark hallway. "We... we need to get to the Gold Rush."

"Talrik?" a weak voice sounded. "What... what happened to Kajex?"

The fox squeezed his eyes shut, angrily wiping the tears from his face. Knowing full well he could not hide the fact that some ill had fallen on their alpha, bonded as they were through the Force, he hesitated only briefly in giving her an answer. "They... they stunned Kajex and Keris... they took them." The sound of Syrra's choked sob was more than the Antarian Ranger could bear- first Miles and Liam... now Kajex and Keris...

"My... my brother... my love... they're infected now?" Locke asked softly, as if dazed.

"No... they didn't bite them. They picked them up and carried them off, but... they..." A frown creased his brow. "They... didn't bite them."

They could have bitten them. But they didn't. … Why?

Where there had been sadness, there was now confusion. Questions displaced the grief. The Infection killed others; converted them to carriers; spread to infect others. It could think, could react cleverly. It had the forethought to infect other vessels, to have those under its influence use a blaster; to set a blaster to stun, to capture... something they had never once been purported to do.

Something was different.

... The victims were different.

"They were Jedi," Talrik said softly, getting to his feet. And now he could hear Locke's voice- not in his ear, but in his memories.

"Everyone here knows Sorzus Syn was a Sith alchemist... she pioneered virulent epidemics... formulated a mixture that skirted the edges of Sith necromancy. She served as the inspiration of Darth Drear's foray into immortality, though all he did was devise a bioweapon for the Empire, the 'Sickness'."

"Locke... Darth Drear."

A pause. "... What about him?" the Guardian asked.

"... What was it that he needed from a Jedi, in order to become immortal?"

Being stunned had brought back memories Keris would rather not have visited. The sudden loss of consciousness did not entail complete loss of senses. She had felt the cold hands of the undead grope her, lift her into the air; she could feel the numbness and later ache of her synapses and nerves trying to function correctly again; and now she could feel the chill of the dark side enveloping her. Contempt, hatred, malice of incredible measure washed over her, threatening to plunge her deeper into the darkest parts of her memories. When the vixen had recovered 5 years prior, it was to the sight and sensation of shackles around her wrists.

She woke up much the same way, regaining sensation and feeling herself held upright with her hands above her head, a pair of shackles cutting into her wrists. With a sharp gasp followed by a weak whimper, the rest of her body jolted to life. Her waking eyes darted around, blurry with fatigue and unable to focus efficiently in the dim lighting. But within a few minutes, her eyesight returned in full, giving her a clear view of the horrors of their environment. Bodies were strewn around the bridge, hanging off railings or huddled in corners, gore splattered upon the consoles and wall. It was as if the hell that was the reactor chamber had infested the ship's bridge, with one unsettling addition- the presence of a cult-like stone table, divots cut into the sides as if to allow the draining of blood. Indeed, the dried maroon stains of blood could be seen streaking down the side.

She glanced around, looking for any hope of rescue. It took only a moment to wish that she hadn't, as she glanced to her left and saw Kajex hanging next to her, unconscious but unhurt- he, too, must have been stunned. Concern for herself and her alpha took precedence; she had heard the symptoms of the Infection, what to expect from being bitten. Despite the throbbing in her head and the ache in her muscles, she could not feel any bite wound; her breathing was easy, normal, as opposed to the respiratory problems she should have faced. Nor could she see any such wound on the Sentinel- vulnerable as she and Kajex had been, they had not been infected.

"I still need you, my dear."

The unfamiliar voice caused her to whip her head to the right, where stood a tall, bald ebon-skinned human, wearing a traditional Sith tunic. He was bent over a candle-lit worktable, where a variety of vials and canisters lay; and in the center, being caressed lovingly by the dark-sider's hand, a black-petals orchid, its ebony petal spread out with a texture looking not unlike a raven's wings. The plant seemed to react to the sensation, as if enticed by his fingers.

"... Why?" Keris whispered, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

Tooem stiffened, but did not face her. "Ah... so you're awake then. I apologize, Jedi, I was not addressing you. My words were directed at my companion here." A smile played upon his lips as he reached for several canisters and began pouring concoctions into a wooden bowl. "It is true, though, that you are also needed- Keris, was it?"

"How do you know my name?" the vixen growled. "Why have you brought us here?"

"As I say, you are needed here, Jedi- as is your friend, Captain Surnahm." He chuckled. "Or Sentinel Surnahm, I should say. All things considered, he would have been a worthy prize to deliver to Inquisitor Voyde, if he still possessed that pendant of his- I'm sure at this point, you understand its value. Even if he's no longer wearing it, however, he can serve a very suitable purpose. And as for how I know your name, well... word of your master's betrayal traveled fast."

"How?" Keris asked. "There were jamming signals active on this ship... how did you...?"

"Do you take me for some simpleton, lass?" the Inquisitor sighed. "Someone who will reveal the very nature of his plans, the minutia of his mysteries? Suffice it to say the Sith have many ways of keeping in contact with each other, means you might have learned had you not decided to betray us." The Inquisitor chuckled, reaching to one side of the worktable and holding up her lightsaber. "As such, this weapon no longer belongs to you, child- you are unworthy of it."

"Take it," Keris growled, twisting in place. "Damn thing feels more like a parasite in my paw every time I use it. But why are you so angry about my betraying you? Isn't that what you Sith bastards are all about?" she spat.

Now he did turn to face her, regarding the vixen with a cold smile. "Oh, I'm not angry," Tooem replied smoothly. "I'm actually happy you're here; like I told you, your presence here is actually necessary. I assume you know how this ritual works, the means of gaining immortality?"

Keris glared at him, straining against her shackles despite hanging from the air. "You'll have to excuse me, but no- I was trained to kick ass, not play with chemistry sets."

"So barbaric," he chided her. "But then, who am I to say such a thing? After all, the final ingredient of the ritual requires that I engage in quite an uncouth practice. When your friend here, the Sentinel, wakes from his nap, it should be ready- and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Why is that?" Keris hissed, as Tooem raised a Sith dagger.

"I would prefer to feel his pain, see his face contort in agony, revel in the song of his tortured screams; when I cut out his heart and consume it in front of both of you," he crooned gently, a look of insane glee painted on his features- that look, mixed with his words, made the vixen's blood run cold. "I want to immerse myself in the pain of a broken bond, as your pathetic 'alpha' is robbed of his life. I can think of no better vengeance on Locke- to take from him that which he cherishes most, as Plagueis the Wise once said. And in this case, it is clear that he values both you and his twin brother."

"Touch a hair on his head," she snarled, "and by the Force I will end you!"

Tooem cackled now, his laughter deep and menacing as he turned back to his alchemy. "You are hardly in a position to threaten me, whelp."

Glaring at the Sith Inquisitor, her thoughts turned to Locke and Syrra. It was the one place he could not get her, to one place he could not stop her from accessing; weak though she was at the moment, she summoned a small reserve of mental energy, drawn from her bond with the rest of the pack. Warmth filled her as she could feel both the Kanj'Isha Guardian and Trianii Padawan, still safe.

"Guys... I'm alright," she told them calmly.

"Keris!? Thank the Force you're alright!!!" was Syrra's joyful response. "Where are you!? Is Kajex alright!?"

"Kajex is still stunned, but it won't be long before he wakes up," she told them. "We don't have much time; Tooem is working on some fucking ritual for immortality- and once Kajex wakes up, he's going to cut out and devour Kajex's heart as the finale!"

The vixen could feel both of them shudder, Locke voicing his alarm. "By the Force... alright... Miles and Liam haven't reported back yet, but the New Republic got our message. It'll be at least an hour before they can reach us, but do whatever you can to stall him! Help is coming!"

"Who?"

"Rook... thank you."

The otter smiled warmly, embracing Talrik as he held her close to him, as they rode the turbolift up to its highest level. Fortunately the system had remained active, allowing them to move quickly through the ship. "I know they mean the world to you, mate. You're a brave and good-hearted badass to do this." She looked up, nuzzling his face. "You swore that you would spill your own blood for me... I couldn't be happier, and no matter where this relationship of ours goes... I just want you to know I'd be proud to spill my blood alongside you- for them."

The fox smiled back, kissing her briefly. "We can save them. I know we can- with your help."

The hatch behind her opened, revealing a dozen undead shamblers.

She grinned and drew her glaive. "Time to get back to work."