Chapter 16: Raid
Belia reached out and ran her fingers across the Rattataki's scar. Feeling the warmth of her body Belia withdrew her hand. "What's your name Rattataki?"
"Sheva Ventress." She looked at the white-haired woman and answered.
Belia turned to Khan and looked him in the eye. "What do you want to do?"
His eyes flashed and he pinched his chin. He felt like he'd arrived at a crossroad. He could copy the rule of two and train one apprentice at a time as Revan taught him, he could take the route of Vitiate and make a Sith Empire, or he could implement Krayt's rule of one.
Sheva looked at Khan, knowing her fate was held in his hands. She joined the Yemitus Clan because they promised to help her get revenge. Even if she knew the chance was slim she had to try. When she saw how Khan and his group alone decimated the two clans, she knew her revenge was impossible. Now, she saw hope again.
Khan fell into deep thought. No matter if it was Revan, Vitiate, Sidious, or Krayt they all failed in the end. Killed by what they helped create. Even if he knew that, it was impossible to go in alone.
He raised his head and looked at Sheva's bare body. His eyes lingered on the hairless valley between her legs for a moment. She seemed to notice his gaze and stepped a little wider, better exposing the pink flesh hidden between her white lips.
"You will be my Acolyte, bound to my will. Your body and mind shall be subject to my experiments, your life no longer your own. If you survive and manage to prove yourself useful, your life will still be mine." Khan stood up as he spoke, looking straight into her eyes.
He didn't give her a choice, he simply told Sheva of her fate.
"Great!" Belia jumped to her feet. "You have a new student."
Sheva shook her head. "Acolyte's don't get taught, their main job is to survive and serve."
Belia looked at Khan suspiciously, who nodded his head.
"Go and get your dagger, it should still be in the arena." Khan waved his hand to dismiss her, not afraid she would run away.
Sheva bent down and picked up her dress, even when bent over her breast were held firmly in place. She took her leather outfit and left the room.
"Why were you so mean to her? I feel like her abilities will be of great use to you?" Belia turned to Khan when she saw Sheva was gone.
"Silly girl." He poked her forehead and put his helmet back on. "Some people don't respond if you're nice to them. It makes them think you're weak. Sheva needs to be dominated by power, forced to submit or she wouldn't be convinced." He flipped his hood back up and turned to Belia.
"That's why I told you not to practice the dark side. It brings out the worst in people." He continued filling his knapsack with valuables before throwing it to the mercenary droid to carry.
Belia was still pondering over his teachings. Wondering if she was too nice to Sheva.
"Let's go." Khan turned and left the room, instructing the droids to pick the gems from the wall as they moved.
Belia followed in silence until they left the hall. "What now, are you going to attack the other clans?"
"Weren't you listening? Clan Ventress could have at least four other force sensitives."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Do you think we can take down the strongest clan on this planet with the forces we have?"
"Yes, we have no choice. We either do it or we die." If he can't dominate this primitive planet then he had no hope for the wider galaxy.
"This has already shown me the limitation of droids, unless Habitat came personally they can only follow their programming."
"Can't you make more habitats or droids with their own personality?" She finally asked something she'd been wondering for a long time.
"More? Habitat only operates as well as she does because she has all the operating space. A combination of every droid's ability to think. Why have part of something if you can have the whole thing? The droids will continue and improve, never making the same mistake multiple times."
"No matter how many I create they would all be the same. If I made an independent droid it would have to learn on its own every time they are destroyed."
They came to the tunnel they first used to enter the pit. Sheva was already waiting for them in the crack. When she saw them, she fell behind Khan and Belia, walking next to the droids.
When they came to the spot they parked the ship, the ground was littered with bodies. Ropes with grappling hooks led to the plateau above.
Seeing this, they used the ropes to climb back up. When they reached the top they saw dozens of bodies. The six assault droids stood around the ship unharmed.
Khan turned to Belia. "Still think we need more support? Don't underestimate a heavy blaster cannon."
Sheva's eyes widened in disbelief when she saw such destruction. Bodies scattered all about with big chunks of their flesh seared black.
"Yes, I forgot we have ship weapons as well." Belia walked onto the ship with a smile, mostly to get away from the scorching sun.
Khan signaled for the droids to board the ship and looked at Sheva. "Lead us to Clan Ventress, I'm going to collect your family for my experiments. The more of them I capture, the better your chance of living."
Sheva bit her lip when she heard Khan's words. "My sis-"
She didn't even finish speaking before Khan wrapped his fingers around her throat. He lifted her in the air and squeezed tighter. "Maybe you didn't hear me, or didn't understand. I said lead us to Clan Ventress. The only thing you need to do is obey."
He released his grip and she fell to her knees coughing.
"Yes, Master." She struggled to get the words out as she gasped for air. She got back to her feet and walked shakily to the ship.
Khan watched her back and followed after her. When he arrived at the cockpit Belia was already seated in the pilot seat. "Which direction?"
Sheva looked out the glass and pointed. "That way, it's not too far."
Belia pushed down the controls and the ship lifted off. Following Sheva's directions, she flew the ship forward.
"How many people are in your clan?" Belia glanced at Sheva who looked out the window like a hillbilly.
"Hundreds, maybe thousands, I'm not sure." She shook her head as she spoke. "We have twenty pits under our command. My family lives in the center pit, surrounded by the greatest warriors of the clan."
Khan pondered for a moment and grabbed the most damaged of the mercenary droids. "Sit in the co-pilot chair, you'll rain fire from above to cover us."
Belia glanced at the droid next to her and shivered, a little worried about her safety as she looked at the droid's internals through melted holes in its armor.
The closer they approached, the more he could feel an unusual darkness ahead. "Strange, what secrets does this place have?"
He immediately became more interested than he already was. He felt something was waiting for him there.
Soon they saw one of the clan's outermost pits. The corners of Khan's mouth rose. "Open fire."
The droid pressed the triggers on its controls. The people down below were clueless as turbo lasers rained down from above.
The ground exploded and countless died after a single pass over the pit. They didn't circle around to continue the devastation but continued forward.
Every pit they flew over was greeted with fire from above. Forming a line of destruction towards the centermost pit.
When they approached the center pit the darkness he felt was even greater. When he saw the arena he knew it was coming from there. "Blast that arena for me!"
Khan's finger thrust forward.
The droid didn't hesitate, the turbo lasers fired and the crowd screamed in a panic. The gladiators in the arena were instantly killed, when the droid stopped firing a dark hole leading towards a chasm below appeared.
Khan's eyes lit up when he saw it, he assumed it was the tomb of their ancestor.
"Belia, you take the droids and Sheva to capture her family. I'm going to see what's below."
"Leave it to me." Belia flew the ship into the pit and hovered over the destroyed arena.
They all moved to the exit and jumped out. When the heavy assault droid hit the ground it caused a slight rumble.
The guards were already rushing towards the pit from every tunnel. Sheva looked at the top viewing platform, there she saw her mother and sister looking down at them.
Belia followed her gaze and found her target. She turned to Khan and smiled. "Go, I can take care of the rest."
Khan nodded slightly and jumped into the pit. Wanting to see what the source of darkness was.
Belia pulled out her saber and lit the blade when she saw Khan leave. Her eyes turned towards the leader of the clan and her daughter above. "Droids, lock those two women above. Kill everyone but them and Sheva."
"Roger roger." The heavy assault droid responded, it heaved its blaster cannon and pointed it at the crowd. When it pulled the trigger, blaster fire so dense it looked like a solid stream erupted.
Wherever the cannon moved it left a trail of destruction, mowing down whatever was in its path.
The five assault droids ran out, the drones flying around them shot down anything that moved and their blades cut down anything that didn't.
Sheva's body shook when she saw her people dying. She took a deep breath and watched as her mother and sister tried to escape. "I'll lead you to them."
She looked at Belia and ran forward.
Belia smiled and proceeded after her.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone