He felt it seconds before it came.
Tremors in the fault lines of destiny screamed in discordant agony around him. Panic surged beneath his skin and terror bit at his blood. Thousands of voices rattled as a collective, then heaved a single sigh. Both violet eyes turned to face the harbinger of this ill fate with a grim acceptance. There was no chance to avoid what came next.
Alkor slowly turned as the Corona class frigate howled its battle cry, breaking atmosphere with a violent crack. It hurtled through air and rained misery down on the spires that towered over his head. His hood blew back in the wind to reveal the deep frown that tugged at his lips. He narrowed his gaze and drew a long breath.
The chorus of woe reverberated in his ears a second time, shattering the last vestiges of equilibrium that he managed to retain. Alkor grit his teeth in abject hostility toward the attack, one that came seemingly unprovoked and now by foul consequence targeted the Jen'jidai as well. Alkor dug in with all the effort he could muster, and he managed to keep his footing as the ground shivered beneath him.
Light, white and hot, scathed the world on every side of him. Duracrete singed by turbolaser fire blew skyward and evaporated in a screen of deadly illumination. Chaos reigned- the same chaos that once stole the breath from every man he called brother. Reopening old wounds only served to incite something within Alkor.
The heat licked at his body, barely protected by the fabric that wreathed him. The norris root, famed for qualities that resisted energy breakdown, offered him some protection from the outskirts of the blast. Combined with his own efforts to cocoon himself in dark energies, Alkor managed to stave off annihilation for at least several seconds.
Before he had the chance to breathe, the ship opened fire a second time.
Concussive force blew Alkor backward. In the time it took to draw on his latent power, Alkor felt several high volume waves of energy split his flesh. Three large lacerations blossomed open on his chest and arms, held defensively in a stunning show of willpower. The Jen'jidai howled his frustration, his rage, and his agony as his body channeled them together and sustained his life.
When the dust settled, Alkor held himself up with a single hand, labored breaths fighting to fill his lungs with air. His eyes never left the ship. "Enemies," he rasped, "will be..."
Alkor fought to his feet, bones creaking in protest against the effort,
"put to death."He gulped greedily at the ashen air and rolled his neck out, drinking in every ounce of pain that his body had to offer.
The first step wavered. The second did not.
Above him, the nearest spire moaned, tired from a long life of standing. The requiem sang by the frigate brought it the peace of sleep, and it began to crumble.
Alkor turned his attention to the massive debris that threatened to crush him. With a soft sigh, the Dark Jedi held out a hand- a sinister, blackened, skeletal hand that almost looked too frail to do anything.
And as it came into contact with the duranium alloy, it scattered to pieces that rained all around Alkor.
"Now I'm angry."