City of Fire and Ashes

Book 1: Chapter 2

Life is precious in all its forms. We are charged with keeping it in balance with the Force, between the Light and the Dark.

Darth Marr - Excerpt from a discussion about the Yuuzhan Vong

I slung the pack filled with rations over my shoulder. It contained a few things I knew I would need, and then a few I hoped I wouldn’t. First aid kits, thermal blankets, ration bars, and a few other things I tossed in. I adjusted the straps that hung over my cloak, the fabric chaffed against my armor and made it a bit awkward to move, it took me a bit to get the pack situated correctly.

“Do you have everything you need, Master?”

“I believe so,” I looked around and glared at the inoperable piece of bantha poodoo that sat in the corner. My ships only source of transportation outside of itself was a refurbished bloodfin speeder, whose power core just so happened to be shot after our trip through the wormhole. I know it was childish, but I will admit that I stuck my tongue out at it in a childish display of displeasure. I may be almost a thousand years old, but that doesn’t mean I have to be an adult all the time.

“Master, you’ve being childish again...,” My friend trailed off when I shot him a glare as well. It has always astonished me, and will continue to astonish me, how lifelike and Human that droid acts ... Then again being almost as old as I am without any memory wipes pry has had its impact. I would not doubt it if TC had somehow managed to remove the function from his system completely.

“Very funny. I will be off now. Remember, Autopsy and a full report as soon as you can,” I called over my shoulder. I slipped the helmet back into place and flipped the hood of my cloak up. I called on the Darkside then to help cloak myself against prying eyes. Darkness filled my cloak, which hid my face and distorted my outline some. Excess darkness then gathered on the fringes of my person and distorted my outline by adding swirling bits of shadow that reacted like flames in a fire. Those that have seen this ability of mine have stated that it is rather offputting and nerve-wracking, seeing as I become almost one with the shadows.

With a sigh of relief, I drew on the lighter side of the Force and let it fill my limbs with excess energy. I could feel my muscles bulge at the influx, almost as if drinking in the very essence of the Force to feed themselves. Even though I am a practitioner of the Darkside, drawing in the Light is something that has to be done after using the Dark, and never in reverse. The Darkside is corruptive and can cause great damage to the user if practiced incorrectly and each user must find the correct way in which their own body can use them. For some, it is both at once, while some it is one or another, and then there are those like myself that have to use them in a specific order Dark, then Light.

With the energy of the Force flowing through me, I began to run. It was not a simple jog, or a sprint, no! No, this was a Force enhanced run. Each stride of my legs carried me ten times my normal pace and set me flying above the ground, to less perceptive eyes it would look like I was literally flying whenever using this power, but for those accustomed to the ability, they would have seen how hindered my pace truly was.

I cleared entire acres of forest in a few leaps and entire glades in mere moments. Any Jedi, Sith, or any other Force User adept with Body Enhancement could perform the very same feat, but fewer would have the ability to go as far and long as I could. That list makes up the highest echelons of both the Sith and Jedi orders.

I vaulted over a small ravine that had opened up in the earth and landed on the other side in a roll. I came up out of the roll in a dead run. Still moving, I put a finger to the side of my helmet and signaled TC for a course correction.

“Minus three degrees and continue straight. Once you pass the river minus another thirty and continue on until you make the town. There is a large group of Gryphons antagonizing a small group of inhabitants there.”

“Roger.”

“Your inhabitants are Equine in nature, but differ on their outward appearances. Some have horns, and others have wings. Further intelligence has been scrapped since one of the Gryphons tried to burn out our droids with some form of Force ability. Looked like Pyromancy.”

“Roger that! Over and out!”

I lept over the river and stumbled just a bit. I managed to keep my balance though and made my last course correction. It is a special feeling, knowing that the ground under your feet is bending to your will as you run. For with each step I had made during that run, a boot sized indentation was made in the ground. The force of my steps, coupled with the speed at which I was going, made it so that my footfalls left inch deep divets in the earth.

I sped towards where I thought the town might be. Though when I saw the light from the flames that illuminated the night skies, I know I was headed in the right direction. I pushed my legs as hard as I could to get there any faster. But there are limits to what even the Force can do with a body.

I came to a stop at the outermost part of the small city. There was a large earthen wall that seemed to wrap around the entire township, it had spikes and a few pitfalls built into it. Most of it was set aflame, though, with entire sections of it completely destroyed or blown apart by giant boulders. The giant rocks littered the area, what seemed to be almost every few feet it seemed, and many of them had landed in the few houses that dotted the expanse behind the earthen wall. Around the houses though were large expanses of fertile land. What used to be farms and crops was now a massive field of flames and rocks.

I heard a scream suddenly from the south. I sprang into action. I jumped over the wall and took out both of my sabers in the same motion. I landed atop one of the boulders where the fire was thinnest and continued my search. I felt the Force direct me more towards the North, away from the City for some reason. I decided not to fight the feeling and let it guide me instead. I ghosted over the land, between the great fires and what little cover was left, and moved northward.

What I came across was a group of five heavily armored Gryphon soldiers attacking one of the locals. Instead of a helpless citizen though, I found that they were, in fact, attacking what looked to be a guard. Granted, the silver and blue armor they wore was more decorative than it was practical. They had its hindquarters pinned up against the side of a burning house. I crouched down behind a small wall that used to make up the side of a building and listened in for a moment.

“You will pay for what you did here, Gryphon!” The local said. Its voice was far more feminine than I would have thought. Their tone spoke of anger and fear. I could almost feel what she, I tentatively labeled the local as a she, was afraid of. I felt a pit form in my gut, and to this day the very thought of anything like it fills me with dread. I have known too many females that have been caught behind enemy lines... What remains of them all too often is little more than a vegetable.

“You are a śize śony! Our co’ander gaphe us all sśeccial śersission to haphe our way with the śośulous!” I know I bared my teeth at that, even to this day that memory, that moment, is still fresh in my mind. I Sprung up over the short wall and landed not a foot away from the first assailant.

“Back off,” I snarled. My helmets vocalizer turned my already deep voice into such a low bone-rattling timber that even I was taken aback by the sound. I glared down at the Gryphon as if to dare it into action. All six of them were frozen stiff where they stood. None dared to move in my presence, not even the female local behind them.

“And who are you sśosed to ‘e?” A cocky little Gryphon growled once it had gotten over its fright. I glared at it from behind my helmets black lenses, which I know for a fact glinted in the firelight. The menacing look I had about myself apparently wasn’t enough to quite his cockiness.

“Your executioner if you do not leave her alone,” I snarled.

“As iph you could ‘ake us, creature,” The Gryphon that had spoken before growled at me. It pulled a glowing short sword from a scabbard located on its side. The rest of the group followed its lead. I eyed their weapons with a bit of trepidation, I knew that they would be able to block my sabers. So it would be a bit more of a fight than the last.

“I will make you regret that decision. You still have the opportunity to leave, otherwise, I will kill you all.”

The female that stood behind them looked at me with wide eyes. Her ears snapped back against the sides of her head. I will admit freely that she looked rather adorable like that, but I felt a pang in my chest at how terrified of me she was.

“Back away from the Po-” I was cut off by the sound of a set of hooves pounding at the ground towards us. I caught the female, a pony apparently and a soldier, gasp at something behind me. I flipped around, brought up a hand and pulled the Force into my fingertips. What had come rushing towards us was a small pony, most likely a child given its size. It was flanked on either side by a pair of equally heavily armed Gryphon soldiers. Sadistic grins could be seen on their beak-like mouths. I grimaced, I knew what they had planned for the little one, and it made me sick just to even think about it.

So, instead of unleashing the Force upon them, I used it to pluck up the little one in my telekinesis and bring it to me. The little one gave a girlish scream when she shot through the air and into my waiting arms. The pair of Gryphons slid to a stop and stared at me with shocked faces. I could feel the shock emanating from the rest of the beings around me through the Force. The little one in my arms squirmed and cried out in panic.

“Lemme go!” They squirmed around in my grasp and tried to pummel me with their hooves. I held them tight against my breasts. I dare not let them go for fear of what the Gryphons might do to them.

“Hush child! I will keep you safe,” I muttered into the fur on its head. Its hair, which I had likened unto a mane, despite its accuracy, was the color of starburst red. The rest of their fur, which would be their coat I had assumed, was burnt orange. They had splotches of mud splattered across their face, legs, and underbelly; they looked no worse for wear though and held no sign of injury on their body.

“Lemme go! I don’ wanna die!” The child screamed. It seemed to have some sort of shift then, and burrowed into my grasp and pinned itself against the metal plating of my armor.

“They will not hurt you while I draw breath,” I whispered. This seemed to comfort the child some, but not much.

The group of Gryphons seemingly broke out of their shock at this point. They all had unsheathed their swords now and had them pointed at me.

“See’s that the creature has the śony’s magic in the’... Guess the shords whill work śost whonderously...” The same Gryphon who had spoken before commented with a sadistic smile. It lept at me from behind and struck at my spine with its sword. I simply danced out of the way and kicked them in the ribs with all my Force enhanced might. The armor around its midsection caved and buckled like wet flimsy. The soldier rose only a few feet higher into the air before it dropped back down to the ground. It didn’t even twitch upon impact. Its innards were pulped from the strike, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, all of it was now a gelatine inside its body.

“I would take that as a lesson and lea-” I weaved around a blade meant for my head. I easily transferred the child in my grasp to one arm instead of two. I pulled out one of my sabers and deflected the blade easily away and out of its clutches. The appearance of my sword further shocked the Gryphons and single Pony soldier, but not enough for the former to reconsider. The Gryphon soldier flew over my shoulder and landed in front of me. I went in for the kill but had to jump out of the way of another Gryphon. Just as I was about to stab the tip of y blade into the gap between its armored spine and its helmet a blade came up and intercepted me.

The clash of metal on saber made the Gryphons hiss, the sound apparently hurt their ears. The Pony simply winced for but a moment. It had yet to move, as it was still cornered by the other four Gryphons that had planned on assaulting her.

I disengaged easily from the clash and spun on the balls of my feet. I whirled around and cut off the claw of one of the other Gryphons that had been chasing the child. It howled in pain, but I gave it no quarter. I stepped into the Gryphons space and brought a knee up into its face. The Gryphon lurched upwards at the sharp strike and squeaked unexpectedly. I reversed the grip on my lightsaber mid-swing and punched my fist downward past its chest. The Gryphon fell into halves, bifurcated from head to tail it spilled its intestines upon the ground with a telltale sound of gore and heavy meat.

The Gryphons all cried horrid avian shrieks and cawed in horror at the simpleness of it. It seemed that these few had more of a conscience than the ones I had fought in the forest. Their reactions never phased me though; I turned slightly and kicked out with a foot. My boot collided with the Gryphon behind me right in the chest. The Gryphon went soaring back and impacted one of the few buildings that littered the farmland around us. The building, having been weakened thanks to the fire, collapsed on top of it crushing the Gryphon almost instantly. If my kick hadn’t killed the fekker, then the building falling on top of it did.

With, again, only four combatants left I turned back to confront them once more.

As I stood there, I realized how much taller I was than all of them. The Gryphons were the tallest and came up to my hip at their shoulders. The pony was the shortest since she came up to mid-thigh on me. It was rather shocking really, I had been so used to everyone being only slightly shorter than myself that I hadn’t really ‘looked’ at anything here. I was not too unlike a giant unto these peoples, it was a sobering thought to have in the middle of a conflict.

“Will you leave now?” I asked. My ire was raised and I did not want to let them go without recourse, but I was not about to let a child be subjected to more violence than was necessary.

The Gryphons backed up a bit as if contemplating their retreat. But a sudden flick from the leftmost one signaled something most bizarre. The one on the far right chanted something under its breath, its words lasted but a moment. IN a lightning quick move it raised its claw at me and fire jutted forth like a geyser. I flinched back in shock and surprise. I had not seen them use that type of power yet before, so I understandably overreacted and lept away as far as I could. I sailed up into the air almost twenty feet and away from them another thirty. I landed in a crouch with the child still in my grasp. her shivering form was still held snuggly against my breastplates. I snarled at them, my modulated voice came out in a loud snarl that, surprisingly, had not frightened the youngster in my grasp.

“Pyrokinesis!” I hissed. I Looked beyond the group of Gryphons to see how the Female Pony was fairing. She was shaking like a leaf in the breeze; her eyes were wide, her ears were depressed, and her tail was tucked up underneath her body. She looked absolutely frightened. She stared at the Pyro-Gryphon with fear in her eyes. Her gaze darted from the avian thing to look at me and then back. She tried to inch away from them, but one of them noticed. It flipped around on her, seized her by the neck, and hoisted her up into the air above its head. It pinned her to the wall of the house. The Gryphon pushed her even higher and used her as leverage so it could stand on its back legs. With its free arm, It trailed a talon down her chest and towards her groin.

I growled lowly in my chest then, my rage heavy and my hate overflowing. I checked the child to make sure she was secure before I reentered battle once more. I siphoned the Force into my body once again; I submerged myself within the Darkside and let it fuel my power once more.

I leaped across the great distance with ease, my blade glowed brightly at my side. I landed among them within the span of half a breath. I ducked low under a sweeping strike, almost parallel to the ground with barely an inch to spare. I took off the foreleg of the one attacking me; its stabilizing limb cut in twine at the wrist made it tumbled down hard. I faltered in my balance and finally fell to the ground, face first. I rolled out of the way of a downward stab and pushed off with aid from the Force. I came up with my blade thrumbing and impaled the second Gryphon through the open face of its helmet.

The third Gryphon tried to blast me with another gout of fire, But I managed to snuff it out with the Force before it got too big. The Gryphon gaped in fearful awe at what I had done - this was its undoing as I flicked the tip of my blade across its throat. It gasped for but a moment and then flopped to the ground. It gasped for air and tried to plug the hole in its throat. I smiled grimly down at the floundering Gryphon. Its pain amused me, especially knowing what it would have done to the Female. I left it to its doom and stepped over to the one missing its claw. It looked up at me with fear in its eyes and cried out with a shriek of terror. I ended its existence with a flick of my wrist.

No, I did not use my lightsaber to kill it. Nay, I used the Force to Boil its blood in its own veins. It cried out in horrific pain for but a moment before it fell dead at my feet. Blood then bubbled out of its nostrils, eyes, and ears. The last Gryphon, the one that still held the Female Guard, stared at me with horrified disgust. It apparently had never seen someone boil another living thing alive like that-and without any sort of energy transfer.

I did not rush the Gryphon, as its claws were still clutched around the Female’s neck. I simply took one step forward after another. But I did take a few extra measures to put the fear of the Sith into this fowl creature before me. I pulled on the Force, for the inth time that night, and garbed myself in a Nightmarish illusion. I reinforced the glow of my helmets lenses, deepened the shadows that lurked within my cloak, and darkened the very light around us. The only one that saw this though was the Gryphon, as it would not do to fill the Guard with fright in the process of rescuing her.

“Set. The. Pony. Down,” I snarled. My voice came out in a low rumble, but I am sure that it was more of a snarling monstrous growl when the Gryphon heard it. I saw something golden leak down onto the ground, a swift trickle if anything. I knew, without really thinking about it, that the Gryphon had just pissed itself. It quickly let go of the Female and backed away. Its entire body was shaking from the terror I had instilled within it. I was both pleased with myself, and also slightly disgusted with myself.

Instead of trying to flee though, it charged me with a feral scream ripping from its very soul. I only needed but a moment to act. My sword flashed, red passed through flesh, and the Gryphons head fell to the ground with a soft thump. Its body continued the momentum and crashed at my feet. I sighed. I pushed the power I was containing back into the Force. I instantly felt my shoulders slump forward a little and my body began to ache some from the excessive use of the Force.

The Female had since slumped to the ground and leaned up against the building. Her foreleg was pressed lightly against her throat and she looked like hell. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs and her eyes were a pinkish red around large Teal globs. Her midnight blue colored fur was stained with mud and blood, some of which I could tell was hers while other spots were so muddied that it was nigh impossible to tell at first glance. In a swift motion, she ripped off her helmet and wretched into it. Her lips quivered while she fought to control herself. Her mane, a Royal Purple, stuck to her scalp in large swatches of sweaty hair. One thing I had not noticed upon my first inspection of her though was a rather interesting protrusion at the crown of her skull. A single horn, about the length of one of my Lightsaber hilts, stuck out like a beacon.

I stepped forward, barely a foot, and waited. I wanted to gauge her reaction to me, so I moved slowly, and purposefully. She didn’t react outwardly, though her eyes did shift to me for a moment before they were screwed shit in another fit of sick. I took another step, and she repeated the gesture, though not always with the same sickened wretch. Her tears, whether from the small skirmish or her sick, streamed down her cheeks in large swaths. The trail of tears wiped clean most of her face, or those spots around her cheeks and jaw at least.

With my last step, I ended up next to her, less than a foot apart. Now, now she stared up at me with her large, Teal, bloodshot eyes. The look she gave me sent shivers down my spine; only on those soldiers that have seen too much and suffered for it have witnessed such a look. I slowly, and gently, all the while still holding the terrified child, knelt down next to her.

She tried to cower away from me then, but when she tried to move away, I stopped. She froze and looked at me with fear in her eyes. I slowly, and with practiced ease, put my saber back on my belt. She watched all of my movements with keen eyes, where I put my hands, how I held the child, and how I made sure not to overcrowd her. Once my weapon was back on my belt she seemed to relax, if only marginally.

“Ar-are you going to hurt me?” She asked, her voice stuck for a moment, but she powered through it. I didn’t answer her right away, instead, I simply reached out and grasped her shoulder and pulled her to me. She dared not make a sound when I did this and she froze up almost immediately. Once she was firmly held against my body I gripped her tightly and rested my head upon hers.

It took her a moment to realize what I was doing before she simply started crying in my embrace. She wailed and cried against my cold armor plates without a care. I ran my hand through her hair and dared not make a sound. At least not until I had an opportunity to remove my helm and talk without my vocoder making any more terrifying for her. The Ponies cries soon started to taper off. She leaned her weight into me and simply stared at the ground in tired weariness.

“Why did you save us?” She asked me with a tired voice. I once again did the contrary, and instead of answering, I moved my arm. She froze up again when I moved. I removed the helmet from my head with a soft click, a hiss could be heard coming from it as I removed. Up until that point, she had not moved an inch, but when she heard the sound her head jerked up and looked at my face. She saw me remove my helmet and, for the first time, something on the planet had seen my true face.

My long dark hair fell out of the helmet and cascaded around my shoulders, and my skin felt the prickliness of the cool night for the first time. She looked upon my face and saw something that struck her as .... hmm Spoilers. Well, my face, my nose is rather large, closer to my Father’s than my Mother’s slender nose. My eyes are slightly slanted. I also had a beard, as thin as it was, that lined the very trim of my jawline. And on each cheek rested a single flap-like tube, just on the outer side of my jowls, that housed the very thing that my Father’s race was known and feared for - Life Sucking tendrils.

She stared up at me in wonder. It seemed she had not expected me to look as I did underneath my helmet. I smiled down at her kindly. I latched my helmet to a specialized loop on my belt before I placed my hand back on her shoulder. She tentatively smiled up at me. AS the silence carried on, the child in my other arm became curious. They had gone quite when the Female had started wailing as if sensing her distress. But now that everything was over, and the Pony was no longer crying, they looked.

The child’s Stormy-Grey eyes looked up at me with mesmerized awe. They almost glowed with something I could not explain.

“Yah has pretty eyes, mister!” The child blurted out. I blinked and looked down at them with surprise.

“Thank you young one, I have been told they are passionate, and that they are wise, and I have been told they were handsome, but never have I been told they were pretty,” I smiled with care at the child.

“Yer welcome!” The child beamed up at me. Their look then turned thoughtful as they looked at me. “What’s yer name, mister? I’m Midnight Sun!” The child beamed and I suddenly felt something buzz against my body - it was coming from the child! I lifted my arm away from them slightly and saw that they had a small pair of wings attached to their body. I blinked in surprise and subconsciously tilted my head at them.

“Oh! Ah’m a pegasus!” The child blurted out again. The Female pony suffered through our interactions with a silent continence and barely broke sight with either myself or the child.

“Well, Midnight Sun, my name Is Marr. I am the only son of Jezabeth Gilroy,” I do not know what prompted me to part with such information, it was not important, but it seemed to bring some life into the Guard and also a little more life into the child in my arms.

“Oh! Ah’m the daughter of Morning Sun and Nightly Sun ... But ... But Ah haven’t found ‘em since the Gryphons attacked. Ah, think they’re in the city! But Ah’m not sure! Could ya help me find’em!?” The child, a little girl, asked. I looked down upon her tear filled face and nodded. I had come here looking to aid them, and there was a child looking for aid. It was the most fitting thing I could do right then, to help a child in need.

“I think I can do that Midnight. But I will need you to help me find them. I don’t know what they look like after all,” I told her.

“Sir, not to be rude ... But you never answered me,” The Guard said. Her voice was soft and timid, almost a whisper, but still audible at such short distances.

“Somebody like me has a duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves. It is one of the maxims from where I come from,” I told her. And indeed, it was an unwritten law where I had come from, as it was my own moral code that brought it into being. And with the help of those like the Skywalkers, it was widely accepted by most Force Users as the best philosophy.

“I-I guess that makes sense?” The female hazarded a guess. She looked up at me with confusion in her eyes, but I had apparently cemented her trust in myself with how I had talked with and treated the little girl.

“I will help you Midnight, but I must ask our friend here a few questions,” I looked to the child to see if she understood, she nodded her head fiercely. I looked to the Guard and addressed her fully. “I need to know the state of the town and castle if you can supply those. I also need to know who’s in charge here and where we can find them - the sooner we find her parents and get you all to safety the faster I can get back to clearing the menace from the streets of this place.”

“Um ... The township surrounding the castle is in ruins, and the Castle’s under siege. I was part of a group escorting a few civilians to safety. I'm all that’s left of them,” She shivered. Her eyes took on a hollowness that I knew all too well. I pulled her against me once more and muttered soothing things into her ears.

I knew that the next few hours were going to be ... interesting.

Author's Note

Change note-the guard’s eyes have been changed.