FORSAKEN II - Eternal Dawn

CHAPTER FOUR

"We have company," whispered Jarriss, resting his hand on the K-16 Bryar Pistol in his belt. He perceived the Force radiating from the lifeforms lurking about. The other energy signatures coming from them showed them as cyborgs.

"Ten of them," said Ilum telepathically, sensing them as well.

"Local gang, bounty hunters—?" Jarriss thought.

"Does it matter at this point?" Ilum produced a greatsaber from under his cloak and fired its orange blade to block incoming shots. The weapon had a long plasma emitter that acted as a ricasso, and two metallic quillons forming a V. The deflected blaster bolts were blocked by the cyborgs' shields. "They have electro-shields," he said. "How convenient."

"That means they're definitely here for us." Jarriss activated the indigo blade of his curved-hilt lightsaber with a handguard and a small back quillon. The bone of a gundark was a prominent part of its design.

Grabbing his lightsaber by its ricasso, Ilum pulled a shield down with his quillon. He hit the wielder with the pummel and cut him in half with its blade. Ilum knelt down severing the shins of a second foe and killed him on the ground. Force-pushing a third attacker against a wall, Ilum thrust behind him right through his helmet. He telekinetically formed a barrier around himself with the discarded shields and eliminated a pair of assailants.

Jarriss fired his blaster forcing two cyborgs to take cover behind their electro-shields as he rushed them, while parrying enemy fire with his lightsaber. Cutting the two down, he used the Force to send a shield sliding across the ground to sheer the ankles of an enemy. When he dropped his guard, Jarriss shot him in the head and Force-pulled him into his two comrades standing in front of him to gun them down. The Jedi eliminated their enemies in less than a minute.

"Who were they?" Jarriss put his weapons away. They cyborgs had no markings to denote their affiliation.

Ilum crouched over one of them. "Their cybernetics are repurposed droid parts. Cheap." He dropped the arm he studied. "The consistency of the implants' placing in each one of them implies they were done as enhancements rather than necessity."

"Their gear isn't any better." Jarriss scrutinized the weapons and armor. "Strictly military surplus—self-made electro-shields... If these were mercenaries, they came straight out of the discount bin."

"We should find the others." Ilum looked in the direction of Moonrunners. "I doubt they only sent ten of them to deal with us."

"Theleema." Jarriss bolted to his feet.

Smirking, Theleema saluted her opponents with her white crossguard lightsaber. Green magickal ichor emanated from her free hand. A whirlwind of snow shrouded her from view as the cyborgs opened fire. When it died out, the witch was gone.

Theleema's blade punched through the chest of a cyborg from behind. Prying away an electro-shield with a plasma quillon, she beheaded the wielder. Force-pulling another foe into her lightsaber, Theleema telekinetically released the pins of his grenades, and sent the corpse to blow up three of his comrades. Switching her blade into lightwhip mode, she tore off the arm of a shooter, the leg of another, and then the heads off both of them. Changing back to her lightsaber, Theleema deflected a blaster shot back into the last gunman's face.

She summoned the imagecaster to her, hoping that Elynn could somehow pinpoint Maul's location from it. Theleema suspected her former Master was no longer on Dathomir now that she broke away from his influence. Fearing for the others' safety, she turned off her lightsaber and jumped over the rooftops to search for her friends.

"You think I could have a unique talent too?" Elynn said to Syrran as they headed to Moonrunners.

"Only time will tell," Syrran said. "Some abilities can be learned; others manifest themselves in certain people. But having them doesn't measure your true power in the Force—or talent, for that matter. So, don't get too hung up on that."