Crimson Eyes ~ Sequel to: The Valkyrie, An Obi-Wan Story (completed)

Chapter 60: Ragnarok, part 1

"Go, go go!" Men flooded into the crypts in a tight formation. Their pace was matched perfectly, their bodies moving in unison. They divided into multiple groups of 5 with each of them venturing into a different passage. Mounted on top of their weapons were flashlights that illuminated their path in the dark hall, showing the dust they kicked up as they went further. Debris littered the floor, together with scattered bones and cloths of the corpses buried there.

They'd tracked the Valerian queen all the way to the mountain cliffs. Shot at her from afar, too, but with her nimble manoeuvres in the sky they hadn't managed to hit her on the way. It had taken almost 12 ships to keep her within their sights, and they had lost 6 during the pursuit, hit by either a piece of rock she'd broken off the cliffside or one of the fire avalanches she'd sent their way. They'd given up on taking her down whilst in the air.

Needless to say, the clones were both frustrated and afraid as they scanned the musty halls of the underground passage. Not one of them had been part of the group that had entered those crypts with the queen almost a year ago. They didn't know what was waiting on the far end of those corridors, they didn't know what prowled there in the dark. Most of all, they didn't truly know what she was capable of.

"Watch your six." One of them mumbled as they stalked further and passed some of the burial sites. Echoes flickered in the dark, their numerous colours casting eery shadows on the dark walls. They were the last remainders of an entire family, now lost to the shadows that haunted these halls. Shivers ran down one of the clones' spine, a man called Fang, as his eyes closely studied the darkness in the distance.

"She couldn't have gotten far." He muttered but couldn't ignore the fear that blossomed in his stomach. How he would've loved the company of a jedi now, for their lightsabers to vanquish the unnatural shadows that danced over the floor. Accompanied by those thoughts came a massive headache that felt like it was splitting his brain apart. He groaned as his hand went up to his helmet, eyes pressing shut until it faded.

When the pain had subsided Fang glanced behind him, checking to see if his brothers were still behind him. Almost 30 of them fanned out, looking around every corridor for the woman they were sent to kill. The men of his troop passed him and went into their individual passages.

Fang hadn't known the target personally but had seen her venturing through the halls of the cruiser he'd inhabited. She had always had this aura, a power that almost seemed to radiate around her. It had always made him scurry out of her range without a second thought for it always send a shot of anxiety through him.

That didn't even take into account the stories he'd heard of her destroying entire droid armies on her own. He couldn't lie to himself when it came to his fear of her. "Hurry up, men, -" Their captain spoke through their comms. "- I would like to be back for the big fight."

Fang huffed as he turned back to the passage he had to clear. Much to his surprise, he could see less than before. The light of the flashlight could barely penetrate the darkness in front of him. The shadows grew, flowing into each other, expanding over the ground until he could feel their thickness flowing over his feet. There was no doubt about it anymore, this wasn't a natural mist.

"Uh, boys?" Fang muttered as he retreated slowly, his eyes widening as they watched the bulk of darkness before him. Amidst the clouds, two flaring red orbs emerged, focussed entirely and only on him. The clone cursed and flinched backwards only to trip over one of the bones that lay scattered on the floor. He fell with a frightened yell and landed on his back, barely catching himself on his elbows while his grip around his weapon failed and clattered on the ground.

"Target acquired, target acquired!" He shouted as his hands reached for his blaster, fingers trembling and searching in the dark for the familiar grip. Yelling erupted around him, but he could only see the figure materializing amidst the shadows before him.