Private An Ancient Man and a Demon

[Westenra Mina]

Wearing: Gladiator Armor

Dauntless Blade

Armed with: Synthetic Crystal Lightsaber (White)

During the invasion of Metallos.

Her "resting place" in the rubble of a destroyed planet had been disturbed by a close range bombing run.

Its torn, mangled body had been freed from the rubble, overturned by Soldiers of House Li-Ves. They had quickly egressed from the area, and loaded the injured body that had shut down from the extreme stress of the damage she had taken as well as it's own mental breakdown at having been buried alive yet again.

They had secured her into a combat shuttle and extracted her from the Battlefield.
She had been hooked up to the batteries from multiple examples of the MK. 1 Psychic Katana as she had been led on a medical bed.

As the gathered energy from slain victims seeped into overtaxed flesh, the pain, the horrible memories came back. Those crushed children. Those impaled pets. The whole being buried alive bit. That dead old man's face--

The Warlord she had fought.

Lynda arose, still mostly shredded, obsidian Skeleton slathered with glowing red blood as she let out an unearthly howl in front of her sister, Vera Mina , wearing a smart white dress of leather.

Lynda shrieked a few more seconds before she managed to get herself under control in the pale lighting.

"You're 'incredibly' lucky you were located by us before the Maw was able to do so." Vera said crossly, her middle aged but gorgeous visage twisted in an expression of disapproval in the murky darkness of the med bay.

"Where...am I?" Lynda demanded.

Vera leaned back in a luxurious seat.

"You are aboard a Centurion-Class Battlecruiser. One acquired at great expense for our company...My word is law aboard this ship. And you will not leave until I am satisfied I know you are not a danger to yourself."

"And why do you care so much."

Vera, despite her gorgeous, elegant looks, let out a tiger like growl and rushed close.

"Do not be so insolent, little sister. Remember..." Vera warned. "It was only my legal expertise that got you off the hook for Epoch. How many hours did I corner those prosecutors until I managed to convince the review board that due to the totality of the destruction inflicted and the lack of available witnesses and physical evidence, which would have been completely compromised, it was impossible to determine if you were guilty or not. I even managed to get the broadcast thrown out as inadmissible, playing on the idea that it was a creatively edited enemy transmission. How many witnesses did I buy off? How many officials did I blackmail? How many of both did I silence with accidents when the first two didn't work?!" Vera hissed in indignant rage.

"You're just covering your own ass, Vera..." the shredded Demon of Jedha hissed back. "You think I don't know the score? If the GA got ahold of me, they'd study me, and realize how similar my design is to what Xiphos builds. If they figure out we're the ones those designs are based off of, House Li-Ves is potentially doomed. Mother will be doomed."

"Then 'why' are you taking all these risks?!" Vera demanded. "You know what is at stake! Do you even CARE what happens if they find out the truth?!"

"Not sure..." Lynda said.

"You didn't listen when I told you bringing Laertia Io into our House was a bad idea!" Vera snapped. "If you had not done that, I would not have been under Mother's orders to support the psychopath!"

"You, of all people...calling someone a psychopath..." the mutilated Android said as her wounds healed a little more. "It's the pot, calling the kettle black. That's all that is. You seemed happy to kill at Rhand."

"That was before she shot down the worldship." Vera replied. "And just so you know, Mother is no longer calling the shots. She has stepped down. I'm the Matriarch now."

The mutilated HRD stared.

"What happened?"

"It was the attack on Kashyyyk that proved the final straw. House Li-Ves has broken off all diplomatic contact. Mother also tried to betray her to the GA."

Lynda's distorted, burned jaw dropped as the dead flesh fell off and burned up, replaced by the fresh stuff.

"It failed..." Vera said. "Utterly."

"Where is Mother now?"

"I can't tell you that. But House Li-Ves and House Io exist in a state of Mutually Assured Destruction. We cannot stand up to them military-wise. And if we strike, they could out Mother as the hidden backer to House Io. This would make our House wanted criminals across known space. We would be driven back into the shadows. It might be a hundred, two hundred years before it would be safe to come up for air. Maybe never. On the other hand, if they do that, Mother and I would out the details and specifications of some of their most sensitive tech, doing irreversible damage to them militarily. It might even be enough to destroy their faction."

"All those Droids..." Lynda said in actual horror. It said a lot when even The Demon of Jedha could still feel such a thing.

Vera blinked. "It would be tragic, yes...but I'd make that deal if it meant House Li-Ves survives. Of course. There may be a third out..."

"Explain..."

"We make a deal with someone in the GA or SJC not to destroy either of our Houses if we assassinate Laertia and bring down it's Sith Elements. And then we find someone in House Io who will make that deal."

"And you want me to do it." Lynda stated.

"Who better?" Vera replied. "She's 'your' mess."

The somewhat healed HRD turned away.

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then I'll do it. But I won't be quick about it."

"What makes you think I would be?"

"My Psychological Programs are running at maximum in this guise. You don't want to be the one to do it, even though of any of us, you have the best chance of getting close."

Lynda felt herself repair a little bit more.

"I'm not even all that sympathetic to the Jedi myself. Not after Coruscant. If they can dish it out, they can take it."

"This is not about Sympathy! This is about Self Preservation!" Vera snapped. "And if you believed 'that' you wouldn't have spent the past months on an insane rampage against the Maw for doing it to YOU!!!"

Lynda was silent.

"I'll think about it."

"Think fast. In two weeks I will arrange to meet with one of these two. It may go easier if I have Laertia's head as collateral." Vera said.

"They will not spare any of our nieces or nephews."

"They might if their programming to fight the Order could be eliminated."

"What of the refugees who joined her?"

"They will either forsake their grudge against the SJC and The GA or be destroyed. The Droids are at least only obeying their Programming. The Refugees who willingly helped engage in these crimes Laertia precipitated have no such excuse." Vera asserted. "I will see what sort of deal can be made. But no promises."

Vera watched as Lynda realized the only way to save her family was the death of Laertia Io.

Vera's expression became slightly sympathetic.

"If you think I take any pleasure in asking you to murder a fellow Sister, you are mistaken." Vera said softly. "If you think I take pleasure in the death of Laertia, you are mistaken."

"You think of her as a Sister?"

"There was a brief moment where I saw what you saw in her..." Vera admitted. "Once...long ago..."

Her expression hardened. "But that moment is gone. She is too dangerous to be left alive. If she lives she will eventually bring her whole House down with her, and us with it."

Lynda was very quiet.

"In the meantime, we're going to go into negotiations with a goodwill gesture..." Vera added, white stiletto heels clicking along the floor as she opened a footlocker and retrieved her gear.

"Where's Five Rings?" Lynda asked, face nearly repaired.

"Oh, gee, Prototype Alchemy Destroying Swords aren't exactly easy to fix, who would have thought?" Vera remarked snidely. But then she held up a Lightsaber and a leaf type double edge sword.

"Where am I going?" Lynda asked.

"Edge of SJC Space." Vera answered. "A ship was discovered orbiting a Gas Giant, protected by an Automated Dockyard. We only learned of it because of a broadcast that came from it. A rant, really."

Vera clicked a button on a recorder.

"Steps must be taken! Taken to ensure our security! The others, they didn't understand. The rubble, the rubble PROVED IT! PROVED IT!" the man's voice yelled. "I and this mighty Castle, we shall use it's treasures to bring justice to the wretched ones. The ones who cackle and spit their profane mutterings to the three Avatars. THEY WILL BE MADE TO SEE!"

Lynda raised a half regrown eyebrow.

"This voice has been identified as that of a Jedi Knight named Ceru Voltai. He has been missing ever since the Maw attack on Coruscant."

This answer made Lynda go very still.

"My analysis of the voice indicates a man in a state of extreme psychological duress. Not faked." Vera assured. "The Dockyard has a severe amount of automated defenses. Far too dangerous to risk even this ships defenses on it. So we will use a stealth vessel to dock with the ship the yard is protecting..."

Present.

The Dockyard boasted truly impressive defenses. Plasma Railguns, Ion Pulse Cannon Arrays, all fully Automated. It really had been too dangerous to go in.

The Darvro-Class Light Freighter they had procured slipped by ancient sensors...

Lynda's mission was simple. Find that Jedi and take him non lethal. Then disable the ship security...

She at last saw it, in the distance, bottom hull covered in ancient running Lights.

An old Inexpugnable Class Cruiser

The Freighter had gotten past the exterior defenses, but once inside it would be a different story.

It docked, and Lynda grabbed her weapons, stepping into a darkened repair bay...

Caltin Vanagor

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

Ever since the Jedi Temple (and Coruscant as a whole) was sacked, there have been countless souls missing, lost in the destruction. Though (for the most part) the planet itself is recovered, there are still those who are unaccounted for, and it has been a side project of Caltin Vanagor to find them. He was under no delusion that he would find them all, but would commit to what he could accomplish on his own.

There were a few small victories, an alderman here, a Coruscant Guard there, there was also a Jedi or two that were still lost. Ceru Voltai was one of them, he was one of the Jedi who initially defended the gathering hall with Caltin himself on the initial invasion but fell to the lower levels amidst the destruction. There was nothing that the big man could have done to rescue him at the time as he was more than “busy” on his own. It took a lot of “off the books” conversations and “Not Very Jedi-Like” negotiations with the types of individuals whom the Jedi would normally arrange an arrest over working with. It took a lot of work, but he found the missing Jedi.

That was the good news.

The bad news was to be expected. He was never found from the rubble, he had to get himself out and anyone who had come across him that he was “lost”, not just locationally but mentally and emotionally. That meant that there was a chance of still saving him, which was the priority, he could be rescued, he could be healed. It would take time, but it might still be possible, and from the source of his potential trauma, Caltin might be the person to do it. The big man himself had to dig his way out of the rubble that was the crystal Temple on the planet Jedha. That day was horrific in itself but he managed to find a center and recover. Ceru needed that chance; he needed to know that he was not alone out there, but Caltin needed to get to him.

Why did all signs point to open space? What was there?

He was in his personal X-wing. A starfighter Imbued with Force abilities that enabled more fluid, effective flight. That included stealth, not in the systems, but the ability to hide from those in the Force. He would need it as dropping out of hyperspace brought him (and BB-55) onto what looked to be a dockyard out of the old Republic. Weapons fire lit up the skies as the massive Jedi Master instinctively began to weave and dodge to avoid being a cloud of dust. The luck he was having was that the weapons were designed mostly for capital ships, and little starfighter defenses online were unable to track him. There was a landing bay that was open, to the big man this was clearly a trap, but he had to spring it.

There was something going on in there that he needed to get to.

TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

Lynda, in her red and blue, hoplite-like armor, strode ahead into the ancient bay.

"Any transponder codes?" she asked over encrypted comm-link, voice a metallic, demonic tone. She winced, the database in her head looping the terrible images of those crushed children and her murdered pets.

It was worse now. The situation with Laertia now looped images of when they had been sisters. When they had been happy.

As halfway feral as she was, the thought of killing Laertia, even as far gone as she was, sent terrible pain through her. Perhaps not surprisingly, being pulled away from her endless mad slaughter of Maw had given her an opportunity to think more.

"No." said the House Li-Ves Soldier on the other end. "No fleet markings. No designation. This ship shouldn't even exist."

"Why's that?"

"You don't know what this ship is, do you?"

"Never was a big naval buff." Lynda growled unhappily, shaking her head as she tried to get away from the image of that little girl crushed by rubble.

"This ship is an Inexpugnable Class Command Cruiser. But even the oldest surviving records claim only six of these ships were ever built. This is neither of those ships."

"So what, somebody had the blueprints and cash to burn."

"Do you know just how much effort it would have taken to conceal this being built back then? I think what we're seeing here is the remains of a program for a Shadow Fleet."

"Like a Doomsday Scenario?" Lynda asked as she moved deeper into the ship, only emergency red running lights.

"Yeah. A mobile space station that can be a dockyard, with fully equipped molecular furnace facilities...You can run a rebellion from it if you can keep it hidden. Or a more small scale operation. Unsecured Command Warships like these are a major faction's nightmare."

"We should sieze it for ourselves. Imagine the operations we could conduct..." The Demon of Jedha said, intrigued.

This mad Jedi had the right idea...they could use it to hurt the Maw. But it had to be used properly.

"Our priority is non-lethally subduing Ceru Voltai, not siezing this warship."

"Your priority..." The Demon of Jedha replied, going deeper into the Cruiser. She encountered a sealed door in front of her...

She examined it. Her intelligence examined the control panel, and carefully pried it open with superhuman strength, and began wiring a security system that was childs play by modern standards. Its very outdatedness ironically only increased its viability as a stronghold for those at a military disadvantage--the controls were easy to understand, serving as practice runs for more advanced stuff later on. And this thing was very intact--near mint actually...

This would make a fine stronghold.

The door was forced open after the rewiring, and the HRD walked into a darkened passage. She saw bodies. Fresh.

Pirates.

"We're not the first here..." The Demon hissed.

"Or the last..." the Soldier on the other end replied. "X-Wing barreling in through the space dock's defenses like a bat out of hell. Think you're about to have Jedi Company."

"Greaaattt..." The Demon of Jedha muttered. "Stay ready to pull out. Without me, if necessary."

"Are you nuts?!"

"If I get nabbed, you'll go down with me."

"We are sworn to serve a princess of House Li-Ves. We shall not depart."

"Your loyalty is appreciated."

"Another Invader..." said a voice over the intercom.

Lynda wheeled around, bloodshot eyes scanning for threats, spotting a slowly, but nimbly advancing number of Phase I Dark Troopers.

"Ceru Voltai, that you?" The Demon of Jedha asked, sniffing the air for him. "Would it make a difference if I told you I am not here to kill you? I'm not even here to hurt you?"

"If that's true, surrender your weapons..."

"If I thought you wouldn't order those droids to turn me into diced ham, like you had those pirates sliced up...sure..."

"The pirates wouldn't surrender their weapons. They were set only upon misuse of this great structure." the voice replied over the PA system as the Droids got closer.

"As are you. This ship has great potential, but if you think its going to do more than make the Maw laugh..."

"Oh, I'm not stupid. One ship by itself isn't going to do it. But this ship has a secret..."

"Care to share?" Lynda replied, with the undercurrents of a growl.

"I might...if you throw down your weapons...wait...I know you..."

"Trust me, I pray you don't."

"You're the mercenary. The swordfighter that can kill Sith Lords. Lynda. Demon of Jedha."

"I see my reputation preceeds me."

"More than precedes. I saw you up close and personal. At the Nar Kreeta Superconstruct."

"You fought there?"

"Yes. You don't remember me?"

"There were a lot of Bryn'adul to kill."

"Yes. There were. I remember being horrified by your efficiency. Your ruthlessness. But I was awed at how you defended Thurion Heavenshield while he was unconscious..."

"That was a long time ago. There are hardly any Bryn'adul left to kill..."

"But Plenty of Maw. I saw you butcher them at Jedha..."

"It feels unusual, having a fan..." The Demon remarked, readying her Lightsaber.

"I'm not. You're not doing what you do to protect people. You inflict maximum suffering when you kill. I nonetheless concede your effectiveness."

"You know nothing of my motives."

The Droids were very close now.

"We want the same thing..."

"Do we?"

The Droids halted their advance.

"You are only a few steps away from my path. You look down on my cruelty. My cruelty produced results. And if you got a mind to take this Battle Cruiser and use it, you need a mind for cruelty yourself. Or is destroying the enemy from afar less cruel than slicing them to ribbons?"

"It's certainly quicker."

"You won't sleep any better for it..." Lynda replied, backing off slightly, the white light of her blade flickering against milky skin.

"I don't sleep anymore...so that won't be a problem..."

"Ceru, we both clearly loath the Maw..." The Demon of Jedha rumbled in her demonic contralto. "I could put this station to better use than whatever you have in mind. You have no support. No infrastructure. No crew. I can supply both."

"You are a self interested party. You don't have the survival of the Jedi, of the Galaxy in mind."

"Must I?" Lynda sneered. "You know, its so frustrating...must I have high minded ideals? Must I be beholden to some image of a champion I will never be? My enemies are the GA's enemies. Is that not enough? Must you let the moral be the enemy of the pragmatic?"

"With your abilities, you were almost a symbol. Almost a champion. It didn't even matter that you killed them so horribly." Ceru replied. "But then you threw all that away at Epoch when you revealed your true colors. Not even the office workers were spared your force's wrath."

The first three rushed her, and she fended off lethal, rapid fire tandem strikes. They were faster than normal humans, so Lynda had to actually work to fend them off for a change. They pressed the assault, driving her back, only for all three to be defeated at once by an elegant spin attack with her blade that caught all three at the midsection.

"The courts decided I had done nothing wrong...but even if I had, that entire office building was a Mawite operation controlled by no less than Darth fething Solipsis himself at one point..." The Demon muttered in annoyance, guarding with her blade. "Do you really expect me to believe none of those office workers knew a thing? That none of them heard so much as a peep?" The Demon asked. "What am I supposed to think when the investigation indeed determined the Maw had been trying to offload their resources through the main factory loading bays, with Final Dawn everywhere. If my detractors are right, and none of them knew a thing, thats still incompetence on their part, even at the most favorable interpretation. At worst its willful ignorance and criminal negligence."

"And that justifies butchering them no differently than you would a Bloodsworn?"

"Hell of a time to start getting preachy." Lynda replied to empty air. "You been AWOL since Coruscant. Your plan will probably kill more than you intend, whatever it is...and especially since you've sicced the Droids on me."

"I couldn't believe when you made it past the courts. Another sign of a flawed system."

"I do the Job you won't do. I'm willing to get my hands dirty. So are you. I'm just not afraid to admit it to myself."

"We are nothing alike..." Ceru said. "You may have some reason in your mind you see as legitimate. Perhaps the Maw took a loved one from you and you have been selfishly venting your rage ever since. But what happens when there are no Maw left to take it out on?"

"If you cared about that question, you wouldn't be trying to steal this battle cruiser." Lynda snarled, fending off the rapid strikes of the next wave of droids. They got some blows in this time, in spite of a spirited, constantly moving defense, scoring blows on her face and torso. Her vision was compromised in one eye.

A demonic snarl and she rapidly tore through their defenses after thirty seconds of trading strikes and parries, methodically dismantling them one by one.

"I offer you one more chance. Surrender your weapons."

"Make me..." Lynda replied combatively, having lost her patience.

She wasn't going to kill him. But she was fairly certain a broken wrist or too wouldn't be thought too poorly of.

The Droids rushed her, and she was actually forced backward even as she defended. They descended on her like locusts, striking from everywhere at once.

The Demon's roar, carried through the passages, perhaps loud enough for Caltin Vanagor to hear them.

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

He heard the roar.

He heard much of the conversation too.

The thing is, whoever else was here? They were not here through channels so they were not officially his problem. After all, he was only here on his own and not officially as well (this is just a “side project” after all). So his approach did not require any type of official proclamation, especially since Dark Troopers were rushing through the halls in the direction of where the “roar” originated.

Reaching for “Conservator”, he intervened, not so much to save whoever they were attacking, but to cut down on and eliminate reinforcements. This was also a good time to practice his “Saber Kata”, kicks, throws and punches opening up attacks with his lightsaber were such fluid and efficient movements. If this were some kind of competition, it would be quite beautiful to watch, but this was a fight… and it was almost brutal… especially since Caltin did not have to hold anything back.

He would not go looking for the source of that feral warcry, whoever it was should probably be able to take care of themselves. If not? Then this was a mess he would clean up later, this station was a bigger fish to fry. Weapon down to his side and keeping his walk slow, the Massive Jedi Master took heed of the step count before each turn, taking in the amount of side doors and comm-panels.

“Master Vanagor? Is that you?” The voice over the loudspeakers was clear, distinctive and quite recognizable. It was Ceru.

You shouldn’t be here.

“Thank the Force! It IS you! You are the one who will understand!” The tone seemed almost in misunderstood relief, like he was looking for some kind of approval.

Understand what, Ceru? This station? What are you doing?

“Just… just stay on the path you are on. You will get to me. ”

We need to talk.

“... and we will, I promise. What I am doing will save us all.”

Save us all from what, Ceru?

“Just get here.”

There was nothing left to do but follow the bread trail.

TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

The Demon of Jedha roared inhumanly as she fought through the masses of Vibrosword equipped Dark Troopers, her Lightsaber cutting them down even as they inflicted serious gashes across her body, leaking glowing red blood that burst into flames as it hit the ground. Her sword ripped into Droid circuits, her beauty contrasted with her frenzied, animalistic attacks on the Droids, a combination of blades, feet, and vambraces.

The White Lightsaber dashed through unprotected portions of the Droids, though many did manage to block her strikes, and she would always have to fend off the dozens of stabs and slashes that followed.

One managed to impale her, but she snapped the blade from it's mount and beheaded her attacker. More and more Droids came but The Demon kept fighting...

Meanwhile...

Ceru Voltai gave Caltin Vanagor no resistance from his Droids as he advanced to the vast command chamber filled with holograms.

He was a hulk of a man, like two Lou Ferrignos spot-welded together. His attire were the tattered remains of his Jedi Robes, patchworked with bandages and armor. His face was covered in bandages to hide horrible scars from Coruscant.

On one of his shoulders rested a small Coffin, his arm affixed to it. In his other, a great Nodachi of Force Embued Metal was grasped. It's back end resting comfortably on his other shoulder.

When Caltin inevitably made his way to the command center, Ceru turned still grasping these two Items. There was a certain slouch to his movements. On one holographic display, The Demon of Jedha's vicious rampage through his Droids, even as she gradually took more wounds, was on full display. She was making her way to the command center herself. It would just take her longer.

"Master Vanagor!" Ceru called out as Vanagor arrived.

"Your arrival is most fortuitous, Old Friend..." Ceru called out. "We are on the verge of something amazing on this station. I've discovered the means to bring the Maw to heel. To bring all the enemies of the Jedi to heel. And it begins right here! On this station!"

The Demon's horrible roar from the audio connected to the Camera feeds was quickly silenced, even as various sensors showed signs of just how fast Lynda was carving through his Droids to get to this place. She would be here in maybe ten minutes. Long enough for them to talk.

"I know you must have many questions Master Vanagor. I'm perfectly willing to answer. I ask only that you keep an open mind. Unlike The Demon of Jedha, I have the survival of the Jedi Order in mind..."

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

Entering the expansive C&C turned out to be unexpected. The technology itself was dangerous enough at first glance, but in the wrong hands it could be something truly horrific. This was not a good thing to see because Ceru, for all that he looked to have been through, was clearly not thinking clearly. No, Caltin was not trying to get him to meditate or anything like that but the Knight needed help. However, what could the big man say at the moment? He only was going by rumor and what he was looking at. True, the immediate request to “keep an open mind” was not a good sign, but still, everyone deserves a chance to speak.

Caltin recognized “The Demon of Jedha”; she fought Bryn alongside him, the Rangers, and Thurion Heavenshield . She was brutal and destructive then, and clearly nothing had changed. Whatever she was here for would be addressed separately, Caltin was here for nothing and no one other than the damaged Jedi Knight in front of him.

What exactly are you expecting me to do, or say here?

All he could do was look around.

I mean, what are you looking to do here? What are you trying to accomplish? Wipe out the Maw? What about the citizens that have nothing to do with what the Final Dawn, or those who think like Solipsis do or did? What will this change for them?

He was watching what was happening to Lynda as he asked.

If you want me to keep an open mind, help me do so. What about any of this separates us from those whom you are wanting to target? I want to protect the integrity of the Jedi Order as well… but is this really the way to do it?

TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

"You think it's this station alone I expect to use? No...no one battle station, even one as well equipped as this, could do the kind of damage I want to do. Though you must admit...it's a heck of a ship. I think it's the remains of an attempt at building up a Shadow Fleet. There may be more like it out there..." the bandaged man mused. "But let's not waste time."

Ceru willed some buttons and switches on a nearby console to move, and from a nearby lift came out lifter droids carting in what looked like a transparent coffin lined by golden tesla coils with the symbol of The Jedi Order emblazoned on them.

"This device...I discovered the plans for it in one of the secure storage areas. Built it myself. This device...It's an Amplifier. It amplifies the effects of Light Adepts who use Force Stasis. By about a hundred and fifty meters all around it. Imagine if the device could be upscaled...placed in a city, for example...you could potentially place a whole city in Force Stasis...cherry pick who to spare...and who to kill." he explained. "Deployed selectively...tons of damage could be done..."

"ALERT..." the security system announced. "SINGULAR HOSTILE ON VERGE OF BREACHING REMAINING DEFENSE FORCE."

"Damn, she's quicker than I thought...what is she?!" Ceru mused for a moment before turning to Caltin Vanagor .

"The only thing I truly need, are Light Adepts to help power such an Amplifier..."

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

Looking around, there was something clear about all of this. It was not something for the Jedi Order, any Jedi Order or anyone at all to have. This was a weapon of mass destruction and it was not going to last, not if Caltin had something to say about it. He would not simply fight his way to self-destruct, Ceru was a good guy deep down, he was conflicted by something, he did not need to be defeated, he needed to be helped.

This is what you want to do? Genocide?

Might as well come out and say it. Acknowledge the Rancor in the room and bring it to the table. Whoever built this, allowed for any type of adjustment like this machine had no concern about life as a whole. “Selectively” killing is never a truth, there is always something that is left out of that and on top of that… it’s killing. Defeating a foe that is trying to kill you is one thing, it is you or them and you have no choice. That in itself is bad enough, but this is worse.

If you run this machine, if you succeed in your quest, what makes you any different from the Maw?

Putting hands on his hips, Caltin would not move. He would not even stand against the woman who stood with the Silvers against the Bryn.

Where does it end, Ceru? Even if you slaughter each and every member of the Maw who would wish harm on us, or anyone. Say you destroy every one of them, just like you want. What then? What do you think is going to happen? Right not you are on a line, a line between where everything you were raised to believe holds true and on the other side is everything that you were raised to stand against.

He did not want to act like this, but he had to.

Ceru… if you cross that line… you may not be able to come back from it. I know this better than anyone…

Shanking his head, trying to soften his appearance. Caltin truly did feel for what this man was going through, but every fiber in his being was ready to fight if he had to.

Don't make the mistakes that I did in the past.


TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

"The Difference?" Ceru asked Caltin Vanagor "The Difference is that I'm not trying to destroy planets, or brainwash people. I'm not torturing them. And when there are no more Maw or Final Dawn...I'll destroy it. Heck, This Battle Cruiser alone...you could field an operation, a headquarters from it, and with enough defenses that even a modern fleet would have trouble killing it."

Ceru sighed.

"Back down to this again...Caltin, the Order has used that same excuse, that excuse about not crossing lines forever. We were so bent on not crossing it, it made us easier to slaughter at Coruscant, obeying that senate order. They used our own system to kill as many as they could, and because we obeyed, countless Jedi were slaughtered. Don't get me wrong...I am not a fan at all of The Demon of Jedha, but honestly? I understand why she hates The Maw so much..."

There was a snarl outside one of the locked doors.

A spot at the center of the door began to glow white, then turn molten.

"Just look at what happened to the Silver Rest, Caltin! I lost friends in that attack also to that Psychopath. And I'm sure you lost friends too. Our enemies respect no rule of law! No tradition of civilization that the rest of us agreed to! They aren't a society! They're an infection! They're just taking the form of people to make us hesitate, to make us forget what they are..." Ceru asserted. The molten spot on the door in the distance grew wider.

"We could even bring the Animals who attacked the Silver Rest to Justice if we used what I discovered. Either destroy all of them utterly or Force them to stop or whatever! But we could end a lot of threats to the Jedi. Don't be so close minded!"

The door mechanism in the distance was finally melted through and the door parted.

In stepped the bloody Demon of Jedha, covered in severe cuts, broken vibro blades being pulled out of her stomach as she walked in, her glowing red blood catching fire as it hit the floor. Half the flesh on her face was missing, revealing a slick, Obsidian skull.

Her white Lightsaber was clutched in one hand, her Dauntless Blade in the other.

She regarded Caltin and Ceru, who, even under the bandages, looked horrified by the state she was in.

The Demon of Jedha then spoke, her voice a feminine, yet demonic sounding contralto.

"Just so we are perfectly clear..." the creature began, taking another step forward, glowing red blood sliding down her body, getting reabsorbed back into the skin.

"I didn't come here to kill you, Voltai. Or any other Jedi that happens to be here. My objective is to bring you in alive. Unharmed."

"Why aren't you dead?" was all Ceru asked in almost a whisper.

"Death would be a release." The Demon of Jedha replied coldly, wincing as the memories looped, fresh like they had just happened.

"But I will not fall until the Maw is broken." she added, turning to Caltin.

"You...I remember your face...the Super Construct, at Nar Kreeta..." The Demon said quietly. "I am no enemy of yours. I will help you subdue him if he refuses to surrender."

"You only want the Station for yourself." Ceru snapped, angling his Nodachi at her.

The Demon shrugged. "Who wouldn't? It's an excellent staging ground to plan any of a thousand low intensity operations against The Brotherhood. An outdated, unsecured Asset like this is worth its weight in Aurodium. I want the Maw dead also. It's just that my plan, I wager, is much more reasonable and practical than yours is."

"ALERT." the Security System announced. "UNKNOWN BATTLESHIP ON APPROACH. COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN JAMMED ON ALL FREQUENCIES."

The Holographic Display showed an Old Design of a Cruiser, one that had no name to most in the modern era. It was staying just out of weapons range. Definitely not GA, or SJC.

"Ooooo, party guests!" The Demon joked badly before clarifying; "I'm not with them. I have no idea who they are..."

"It's the Pirates..." Ceru spoke grimly. "Third wave. That's the largest ship they have sent yet."

"If you're going to be ruthless, Ceru, at least appreciate how relentless an enemy can be in response..." The Demon chided. "Seems in a few minutes, we'll have bigger problems. I propose we postpone our current discussion until they are dealt with."

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

There was a difference to him, something that was “lost” and while Caltin still felt that he could reach out to the Knight and pull him back up from the depths of despair he had fallen into, there was something else too. Something deeper that was concerning, almost like he had wanted this all along. The voice in his head that was telling him that this was not going to end well was getting louder.

… and you truly believe that this will make all of your despair disappear? You really think that killing blindly will take away your pain?

Are.You.KIDDING.Me?

There was a bitterness in his voice about the mention of the Temple on Coruscant and the sacking of it. How the Jedi were tricked into the perfect position for the Maw to destroy them in one place. Reaching out suddenly at the molten door, Caltin ripped it open through the Force, no reason to hold “The Demon of Jedha” out of this if Ceru could understand her and her actions.

You’re okay with her? Invite her to the conversation…

He let the two speak amongst themselves for a moment, acknowledging “Lynda” as she sized him up.

Now, to address your concerns. First of all, it is “Master Vanagor”. As for what has happened to the Jedi as a whole, you are absolutely right. The system is flawed, and “we” have fallen to several tricks of the past. However, we still stand, and stand tall. Hyperbole aside, I sense the anger in you, the bitterness. You were hurt by the Maw. I get it. I do.

You were pulled out of the rubble in the Temple on Coruscant, well I had to dig myself out of the rubble on Jedha. It sucked, I felt alone, I felt abandoned, but I survived. You don’t think that is comparable? I dug out of the rubble when the Temple on Coruscant was sacked in the past. You know which time I am talking about, when a fallen Jedi led a legion of clones in through the Great Hall and killed everyone in sight.

The alarm klaxon and the warning came over the system of intruders and he did not move.

You lost friends? I lost brothers and sisters. I lost students. I lost colleagues. I lost mentors. I lost everyone I knew and cared about over eight hundred years ago! I am still here though. It.Is.What.We.DO! We persevere! An eye for an eye? No, are you kidding me? Killing those who would kill us just for the sake of killing them? You’re lost, Ceru. Let me help you come out of this. You’re in pain, I get it. You’re a great guy and you are sorely missed. Give the New Jedi Order some good news and come back. Heal. This is not the way and you know it.

He made absolutely no mention of the dockyard, the ship or anything regarding them. Caltin did not truly care about any of it. He was just trying to fight the urge to grab his lightsaber.

It’s not how many times we get knocked down. It’s how many times we get up.

TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

"You're a member of the buried alive club too?." The Demon asked Caltin Vanagor "Why so am I!"

The Demon of Jedha watched with interest now.

"What are the odds. Three people, buried alive...and two of them came back wrong. Three, arguably..."

"You think this is funny?" Ceru asked crossly.

"Not at all. There's nothing funny about being buried alive. Especially when its the Maw doing the burying..." Lynda said, tempted to sabotage Vanagor's attempt to get through to him, sensing a potential ally.

However, she didn't need Vanagor's ire, any more than it was likely already present.

She listened to Caltin's speech, how forceful it sounded. She pitied him. He didn't get it.

The Maw was not an enemy that could be afforded mercy, any more than the Bryn'adul.

"That's just the problem, Vanagor." Ceru said, eyeing his lightsaber. His fingers fidgeted over the grip of his Nodachi.

"The Order always falls for the Same. Several. Tricks." Ceru replied. "Perseverence is nice and all...but it's no substitute for victory."

The Demon remained silent, not trying to interfere at all with any counterarguments Caltin might care to make. Her terrible wounds were starting to close, blood getting reabsorbed back into the skin.

"This is not killing just for the sake of killing, like it is with her." Ceru argued

"I resent that. The Maw took what I loved from me on Coruscant." Lynda sneered bitterly, the muscles forming over her exposed black skull.

"I do not kill without purpose. My purpose is the death of the Maw." Ceru said. "And I got back up. I got back up many times. Its just that in this case, when 'I' got up, I decided to try something different. There are only so many times where getting up and going right back to what you were doing before is acceptable. But not against such an unrelenting enemy like the Maw...no...I did it your way. I have nothing to show for it. So I'm going to do it my own way."

"BOARDING PODS DETECTED ACROSS VESSEL. LIFE SIGN COUNT, THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY SEVEN, HEAVILY ARMED..." the Security System announced

Ceru pointed his Nodachi at Caltin. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Your perseverence...how do you know that isn't mental illness? I mean that as a serious question, Master Vanagor. Not a taunt at all. How do you know you're actually sane? After all, buried alive twice, lost everything you cared for over a torturous eight hundred year existence--yet you still unthinkingly obey? Still strut around like the Old Jedi Order never died. I understood that line of thinking once. I find myself repulsed by it now. You're not living in the world the rest of us have to live in..."

Ceru backed off, guarding with his blade. Lynda tensed, watching the cameras as teams of Pirates with very sophisticated slicing equipment.

"Oh, you visit occasionally. Enough to convince you you're still in control. That you still have a grip on things. That you still understand the universe. But you don't live here. Not really..." Ceru said quietly, not even as words of hatred. More resignation to the inevitable.

"Where you really live is that immaculate Jedi Temple in your skull that can never be torn down, never be ripped away, no matter what personal losses you suffer, as long as you can retreat back inside that temple, the Galaxy will never be able to reach you."

Ceru turned to Lynda. "I've reconsidered, Demon. At least for the moment. Perhaps we can come to some arrangement..."

The situation turned a lot more dangerous in that room, particularly for Caltin. Ceru, deranged though he was, was a powerful telekinetic and a very accomplished swordsman. The Nodachi he carried was legend. Caltin would have a nasty fight just with him...

But if the Demon of Jedha sided with him...

Caltin had a strong chance of not leaving that room alive.

An unnatural, lion like growl escaped her throat.

"Sorry, Ceru. My objectives are very specific today. Bring you in alive." The Demon hissed. "But even if I didn't have them...I know what kind of machine that is, and I've deduced your motives. You'll never get away with it. That Machine drains its occupants of their life force to fuel its effects! I've seen amplifiers like that before. They were always one offs, discontinued by the ancient Jedi because they could not correct that flaw."

The entire power to the ship cut off... They were in pitch black save for Lynda's white Lightsaber, casting shadows on a still partly mangled face.

"They've took out the power to the vessel. Master Vanagor, we are cut off. I strongly urge you two to set aside your differences for the moment so we can address the issue of these pirates. Because neither of us wants this mobile space station to fall into their hands." Lynda said.

Ceru looked at Caltin with ruined eyes, still surrounded by burns.

"I don't mind returning to this discussion later if you don't."

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

They can bait and mock him all that they wanted to, he would not let it get to him. Maybe a couple of hours ago, Caltin might have but this was not that time, not after all that he had seen around him. It looked like there might be a slight possibility that he would be fighting a battle on two fronts and that was not going to work. The thing is though, the Jedi Master was not going to provoke anything that he did not have to.

You’re absolutely right. The order DOES fall for “the same old tricks,” so that entitles us to give up what we believe? I am all for fighting when there is no other choice, but right now, there is still another choice. I can see though that you are more concerned about me having an open mind and not having one of your own, oh you say you do... but it is hyperbole. So I am done arguing with you. You have a choice to make.

His little self-indulgent rant aside, Caltin still honestly believed that he could “save” this mixed up Jedi, but he would not push the matter. It was when Ceru leveled his weapon on the big man that changed everything.

Really? This is what you want? This does not have to be your fate. You think you have no other choice right now. Do not leave me without one. Talk about "insane".

Putting away “Conservator” , a weapon with as much of a legend as he had, Caltin ignored the rest of his verbal garbage, that is all that it was… garbage. In fact he was sounding less like someone who was “lost” and more like someone who was more and more influenced by someone who had an… interesting level of hatred towards the Silver Jedi Concord. It was more and more clear now, and frankly Caltin was not going to go for their games anymore. If they wanted to take the ship, the station? Fine. BB already downloaded the schematics by now, his level of tech skill was far and above any detection that might have attempted to find him doing so, and he was more than capable of discerning real plans from fakes.

Leaning back against the wall, the big man just folded his arms and almost laughed loudly at how random Ceru was acting.

You do you.

Standing erect, pulling “Vanguard”(stats in spoiler, like that of “Conservator”) and hitting the button that telescopes the hilt, he walked “past”, more like “through” Ceru. Yes, he would defend against pirates, but his priority was protecting his own ship, not anyone else at the moment.

TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

As Caltin breezed past Ceru, The deranged Knight waited until he was out of earshot.

"Help me subdue him. He'll ruin everything if you let him."

"I may be bloodthirsty but I'm not that bloodthirsty." Lynda replied. "Besides...by default I'm supposed to help him subdue you.

"He will group you the same as he will me. Nothing matters except his definition of right and wrong."

"The Galaxy kills his sort all the time. I have no need to lift a finger..." Lynda remarked. "You should surrender."

"No. I refuse." Ceru replied. "The work I'm doing here will lead to the destruction of our enemies."

"We may have to kill you." The Demon said to Voltai as they followed Caltin Vanagor

"Then you best not fail."

Lynda sighed. Stubborn types.

Meanwhile...

The Pirates had spotted Vanagor's X-Wing, and had already begun to open fire on it with blasters and Ion Grenades.

They had quickly spread throughout the ship, bent on taking and occupying key sections of the station. They had come in force, setting up E-Web turrets and Sonic Cannons.

One of the Pirates, a burly Nautolan in black armor went up to a field holoprojector and contacted the head of the operation, a man with very pale skin and hair, wearing a black set of corporate type robes and black goggles, commanding from the Interdictor Cruiser.

"Spy Drones report three combatants, two are Jedi. One has been identified as Lynda, The Demon of Jedha." The Nautolan reported.

"What a most unexpected development. I suppose we should not be surprised at the difficulty spiking. Prizes like this do attract the most fierce of rivals. Fortunately, we have a pazaak card up our sleeves..." he said in a faint, soft-spoken tone. "We'll see if we can't kill them first. Activate all the upgraded Dark Troopers we had made. All seven hundred of them. Only expend our own personnel as necessary..."

"At once sir. Um...why not just tell him about the hostages?"

"A healthy Jedi, when they know hostages are at stake, may be willing to stand down without a fight, but they'll usually still be in enough health to try something once they are prisoners. Wear him down, bleed him first, and then tell him about the hostages. But either way, destroy his craft. And pull all our docking ships out so he cannot take them for his own use in case this measure is not enough. He is surely making a beeline for his vessel. Without it, he's trapped."

"At once..."

All the Pirates ships, after the last of their essential equipment was aboard, immediately disembarked from the station and pulled away to prevent him from trying to get aboard their ships in case they succeeded in destroying his X-Wing.

In the meantime, the very first few dozens of Phase 1 Dark Troopers, their shields and blades able to resist the Lightsaber, charged in a deadly sprint for Caltin and the others from every connected passage. Bulkheads that led to the hangar were sealed remotely an covered by security force fields.

Lynda and Ceru were immediately set upon by dozens of Droids, both using their swords to terrible effect, slicing through four each in the first four seconds, only for another dozen to come. They couldn't stop moving, now being attacked on all sides...

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

The last thing that evil wants...​

Location: Open Space

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, HK-88 (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

He did not need to hear the conversation between the two to know that there was an attempt at an alliance against him. If “Lynda” wanted to take him down, she would have tried already, she’s cunning but she is also one who takes stock in “the direct approach” as well. Besides, they had stood side by side against the Bryn’adul once, that counted for something. The “Ceru” he once knew was still there, buried deep, but this was one he did not recognize. So concerned about what he wanted to do and pointing out the faults of the very Order that he swore up and down that he was protecting.

If he didn’t know Ceru, he would think that this was “pathetic.”

“Beep boop beeeeeeep.” His comm-link activated, it was 55 calling out to him, pirates were attacking him.

That tore it.

Get a fix on my location. Defend until I get close enough and the moment I do, escape out of the sector until I call for you. Get to “The Spectre.” (Stats in Spoiler)

“Bwoooop” he responded sadly. The droid did not want to leave Caltin behind, but the massive Jedi Master was never one to spring a trap without having a backup plan.

Moments later, as if on cue Dark Troopers were coming down the hallway straight for him. He laughed, he openly laughed at this. It was almost like there was a Moff somewhere holding a child hostage. Immediately, he expected twelve blaster bolts to fly at him to which he would either block with “Vanguard” or suddenly leave them floating, suspended in mid-air through “Force Stasis.” It was funny, Caltin could see that these were built of a lightsaber resistant metal… weapons as well as armor… but his was no ordinary lightsaber, neither of them. The crystals and some of the update tech were “Sasori” and could cut through more or less everything (except for one).

Those that he did not cut through were either thrown down the hall, into another trooper, or crushed through the Force. Make no mistake, they got a couple of shots in, but Caltin is not the ordinary Jedi that everyone on this station seems to think that he is.

Reaching the Landing bay, or at least close enough as he could not get through, Caltin could see that BB was already lifting off as weapons fire was targeting the fighter. Those were stopped through “Stasis” and various objects in the docking area were suddenly floating and “flinging” towards those would be ship destroyers.

More Dark Troopers were moving on him, only this time his actions would be different. Slamming his lightsaber (blade down) into the floor, the big man focused his energies on the lead destroyers and crushed their blade wrists just at the moment of lunging. The advanced droids could not stop move their arm now. They had full control of every other part of their systems, but not cutting or aiming their weapons. This would be their downfall as the massive Jedi Master was now levitating them in the air and turning their weapons on their compatriots and pushing the Dark Troopers into their own.


Let's see how good these things cut their own.

Their plan to attack the place might have worked if there was only Ceru here, he is no slouch, but so many of them would be overwhelming. Lynda was psychotic, so she would not stop until her last breath, he knew this well enough. Caltin had seen this before. That is why nothing surprised him, this was his element after all.

TAG: Westenra Mina

... is my undivided attention.
​

 

[Westenra Mina]

"He's going through them like fething paper..." the Merc Underling, who had cleared out of the hangar well before Caltin arrived and sealed himself away in a more secure section, told the white haired pirate via holoprojector.

"Relax, I expected these set backs. Droids like those are not meant to kill Jedi, merely deal enough injury to make them easier to kill with something else. Don't fret or distress. Simply send more of those Droids. Remove the oxygen in those levels. Decrease them steadily. With all the energy he and the other one is expending, they'll have to use their Jedi Powers to stay conscious as the Oxygen thins. Which, coupled with all the energy they are clearly expending, will put even more of a strain on them. His electrical abilities are impressive but even those can be negated with the proper resources. Speaking of which, tell your men to start prepping that equipment...you know, the stuff we brought in case we ever had to fight Inquisitors..."

"But what of The Demon? We don't even know what she is."

"If it bleeds, we can kill it." the Pirate Captain replied.

(Cutaway of Dutch holding a torch in the jungle and screaming)

"She's slaughtered whole platoons of Maw. Cut down full on Sith in duels. All we have thrown at her has done nothing but piss her off."

"Then we shall simply have to try something we haven't thought of...in the meantime, send more of those Blade Droids. Send the B2's."

"At once."

"We'll get them. It's simply a matter of denying them live personnel as much as possible. Fortify your section. Turn on all the turrets. Set mines, set as many as you can. They're coming for you."

The Hologram shut off, and the underling immediately ordered full retreat from the Jedi's path of destruction. The Oxygen started lowering, slowly, and steadily, in minute increments so the Jedi would hopefully not catch on what was happening until they started to get tired.

Turrets and gun emplacements were being employed for when the Droids would inevitably be torn through.

Meanwhile...

Lynda had sustained more lascerations, punctures and gashes, violently tearing apart Droids as she watched Caltin Vanagor rampage through them. Her snarls were like that of a crocodile as her sword and Lightsaber sliced through titanium.

Ceru's Nodachi floated around him in a deadly, telekinetic spin, still carrying that small coffin on his shoulder as he walked, the blade fighting for him...

Lynda heard them before the others.

The Demon of Jedha sprinted and flipped forward through countless droids, slicing up and attacking them with the same relentless fury as as she would had they been a mawite. They were barely intelligent. More like smart pack dogs.

"More Droids!" The Demon yelled as Platoons of the upgraded Phase 1's and Super Battle Droids began opening fire.

She blocked bolts with both her sword and her vambraces as she charged ahead of Vanagor into the B2's brutally slashing into them...

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

They were retreating?

No, just falling back.

That meant that they were up to something else… and the difficulty to breathe normally was just that. They were playing with the central air. Now, a Jedi like Ceru will fall back on his training and immediately go to controlling his breathing. Natural and prudent way of keeping conscious and active. Caltin? He reached into one of the pockets of his battle armor and pulled out a rebreather. Putting the device into his mouth and taking a few breaths, the big man kept going without issue.

He didn’t want to use it, truth be told he feels like it is “cheating”, but putting on his Toraynor-Henkan allowed Vanagor to heal more easily (not that it was not easy enough for him) and focus his acts a lot more fluidly. The glove was an odd feeling for Vanagor, but this was an odd time and frankly, he was probably going to need the extra punch.

If they thought he was rampaging before? Wait until they get a load of him now.

In a brief moment of clarity, that gave Caltin an idea. Tapping his comm-link, he called out to BB-55, his astromech who was no doubt back at “The Spectre” with “Roller” by now.

BB… yes yes good… you’re back… I need you to do something for me. If I put a spike into a computer panel, could you slice in and start retaking control of whatever this thing is? Mainly the oxygen control and any automated defenses? They’re leaving me with no choice and I’m going to have to make them regret it.

With an almost exuberant “vreep”, the droid acknowledged the order. Caltin of course did his part, pulling out a dataspike to give his droid something to slice into. It was then that more droids began moving on his position. These droids had blasters? Fun! “Lynda” charged ahead of him, she could if she wanted, she seemed to revel in it. He did not see Ceru anywhere around, not that the fallen Jedi wasn’t there, Caltin just was not looking for him.

Slamming “Vanguard” blade down into the floor, the big man reached out and summoned a powerful bolt of lightning. Not ordinary “Force” lightning, but natural thundercloud lightning. This was especially dangerous with the metallic hallways, but Caltin was not a “Master” in title only.

The droids that did not fall, and were not fending off the vicious assault from “The Demon of Jedha”, were attacking. Picking two of them out, the massive Jedi Master crushed the part of the Battledroids’ weapons that controlled firing. They were now stuck. The droids could speak, control every other part of their frame, but they were now firing uncontrollably, and could no longer aim.

Levitating the droids and turning them to face their compatriots, he let them do the work for him. When he finally saw the Fallen Jedi, Caltin shook his head.

Yes… this monstrosity will solve all of your problems… way to think it through… get ready for a life of this Ceru... it is only the beginning.

TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

Some of the Mercenaries cried out as some of the auto turrets turned on and gunned about two dozen of them down on their end. Vast numbers of mercs got pinned down, costing them precious minutes until their own slicers managed to get temporary control of security back.

"Report!" shouted the Nautolan mercenary as he finally stuck his head out from cover.

"Astromech unit's hacking us. This Battle Cruiser's security system is completely obsolete, and the Astromech might as well be a hot knife through butter when it comes to the firewalls. Only thing keeping us in the game is our own equipment, else, it would have gotten the whole security system minutes ago. Our slicers are doing what they can but unless we are willing to totally shut off all power, even our own access to the ship's computers, for that's the only way we could completely disable remote access, then I estimate we can only keep the Astromech out maybe another hour at best before it gains control of up to a quarter of the security systems. It also seems to be trying to retake oxygen control. We'll be able to keep it out, but for only maybe another ten minutes." answered the Merc's second in command, a man in old scratched up death trooper armor.

"We got our own supplies of oxygen. Get them on now. Have you finished laying the mines?"

"They've been placed in the deck and wall plating.

"Do we still have control over pressure?"

"Currently...yes..." his second in command answered.

"What about the doors?"

"The Astromech currently does not control the doors."

"What about cameras?"

"Approximately one quarter of the ships cameras in this section will be under it's control in ten minutes."

"Gravity?"

"The Astromech doesn't control the artificial gravity."

The Nautolan paced about.

"Kill the gravity where they are, seal off every door leading to our section." he ordered. "Destroy all the turrets in this area, we can't trust them anymore."

His second nodded and went to carry out his orders.

Meanwhile...

"It was always like this, Vanagor." Ceru replied as he chopped through the hoardes of Droids, sustaining a fair number of injuries. The Demon of Jedha had bits of Droid shrapnel sticking out of her Torso, and she was sustaining more and more injuries, but refused to stop fighting. Her face and legs was slashed and so was an eye, her movements were slower, and she had to start getting more defensive, blocking and parrying more, though her assault remained consistently brutal but slower now, more care taken into deflecting attacks. Caltin's lightning attack brought breathing room, as well as the Droids turning on each other...

The devastation was immense. They had seemingly stopped the Droid onslaught...for the moment...

The doors ahead sealed and locked, the slicers working overtime to keep competitive with the astromech.

Lynda's armor and body had sustained heavy damage, and the ribcage of her Obsidian skeleton was exposed.

"Who wants to live forever?" she remarked quietly, possibly at her own state as gravity got cut.

"I'll hand it to them, they're playing it smart. Tricky bastards..." Lynda remarked to both Voltai and Caltin Vanagor

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

Have you ever thought about how much time you spend pointing out the faults of others around you while ignoring what you are doing to yourself? You're so concerned with pointing out the speck in my eye that you're not bothering with the log in yours. Is your desire to prove me wrong so strong that you're ignoring your own self?

Shaking his head, he put his “Toraynor” hand on the worst wounds of the fallen Jedi in an attempt to heal each of them. Even if Ceru would resist, this was not going to be something that the big man would relent on. He would not fight Ceru to heal him, but if they were insistent on being around him, they both would need to be in better shape.

Let me guess… “your eyes are open”?

Moving to Lynda, he simply waited for her to let him at least try to heal her. The big man was no Master at this, but he had a tool that helped.

Yes, he listened to everything Ceru had said, even when gravity was shut off. It did not affect Caltin as he was wearing body armor (which was getting shredded as well), then finally Caltin hit his comm-link. It was BB on the other side.

“BB… while you are doing what you are doing, I want ‘Roller’ to do what we talked about… yes… all will be fine… don’t worry.”

Within moments, alarm klaxons were blaring all over the ship. The announcement that the “self-destruct” had been initiated and evacuation would need to be completed within five minutes. Though scans would tell the difference, this was a bluff, “Roller” had control through the spike of the bridge systems and shut down any remote access to them. In effect, the droid was creating the look that everything was about to go down in the worst way possible… even though it wasn’t.

Any looks Caltin’s way would be me with a shrug and indifference.

What are you looking at me for? You’re the one who says that the Jedi are not willing to do what it takes to win. We’re not willing to sink to anyone’s level. Right? Be no different than those who we face? That’s what you meant, right?


TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island

 

[Westenra Mina]

As Caltin Vanagor healed him Ceru only snorted.

"The Maw must pay for what they have done. They must be fought with every means available to us. And if the Jedi don't want to do that, then I will. And I will, Vanagor."

When Caltin moved to her, the Demon remained still, its working eye passively examining him, and she hid her surprise at the Force being able to heal her tissue.

The flesh on her face and the gaps in her ribcage began to seal faster.

"Who wants to live forever?" she repeated tonelessly, wincing at the memories of the crushed children she dug out, her impaled pets made her flinch.

"For what its worth, Vanagor--and I suspect it isn't much...I've got nothing against the Order. I just want to kill Maw. It's personal."

As he ran his weird device over her, and her flesh sealed up more, for some reason, she decided to talk a bit more while he healed her, unsure why.

"Do yourself a favor, Jedi...pray your physiology never becomes anything like mine. You won't enjoy it..."

Her damaged eyes looked away from him a split second.

"I sure as hell don't..."

"What are you, exactly?" Ceru questioned.

"A monster. An abomination, wearing the guise of a beautiful woman, but an abomination all the same." Lynda answered.

"Unable to enjoy the company of ordinary people, always feared when my nature is discovered." Lynda said slowly..."Imagine the only natural creatures that aren't afraid of you. You take care of them, tend to their every need, dote on them, trust them in a way you can't with others...cause as little trouble in the Galactic Alliance as possible...and then one day, the city literally falls on you..."

The Demon's fist's clenched in rage.

Lynda's face did not look happy as he continued healing.

"You wait for days to die. And you're screaming the whole time. You can't stop screaming. You're completely terrified of dying in spite of how wretched your existance is. But worse...you're terrified of how much a small part of you wants the rubble to come down."

She blinked.

"And then, a miracle. You're rescued. There was a child with you before the sky came down. She was lost. You were taking her to the police station. You dig for her last known location. You dig for days. You want to vomit at what you find but you can't, because your physiology is that different. You keep digging for others. You keep pulling out dead child after dead child, children that would run from you and not look back if they knew what you were. You dig anyway."

Her eye twitched.

"You find another body, and that's the one that makes you leave. You get home, and its rubble, and there, in the middle of your destroyed apartment, are the only two creatures you trusted, lying impaled on sticks. And your memory is photographic, so all of it feels like it happened 30 seconds ago. Even now...and while your pets are not the primary reason you want to murder them all, they're a big chunk of it..."

Lynda blinked.

"If you can imagine all that...then you can understand why I want them to die in pools of acid."

He soon stopped healing her and she, while not fully repaired, was in much better condition than prior.

"But what am I saying?" she asked with a dark chuckle. "Of course you can imagine it..."

She watched as he talked to someone else over comms. Then the alarm klaxons.

The Demon of Jedha chuckled again at his statement.

"An excellent strategem, Master Vanagor, but I'm afraid you've made an unforced error..." the Demon pointed out. "Your bluff might have had me worried if you had not spent the previous minutes healing me. After all, why bother healing us if we are going to be atoms in five minutes?"

Meanwhile...

The alarm klaxons had caused massive panic and most of the mercs were scrambling to try and reach some form of exit when The Nautolan Merc, who had been monitoring the security feeds before they had cut, had observed the same thing Lynda had noticed, but had still barely managed to prevent the crew from lifting the lock down on the doors.

If he's prepared to vape himself, why did he bother healing them? he thought to himself.

The security feed was lost as the Astromech seized control of it. He contacted his boss on the Holoprojector.

The pale looking Captain in the Dark Glasses smiled in a friendly manner.

"We're getting reports that the auto destruct has been enabled. Our slicers can't tell if it's real or not in our end, we have been cut off from remote access to the central computer."

"Hold on..." the Captain replied, knowing how delicate the situation had become. If they were not careful, fear would do the work of Caltin Vanagor for them.

About thirty seconds of scans commenced.

Finally, the Captain smiled.

"Relax, it's a bluff. The sensors on our end confirmed it."

The Nautolan sighed, turning up the volume on the projector's speaker.

"It's a bluff!" The Captain repeated.

The Pirates started to calm down.

"Tricky, Tricky Jedi... trying to make us do our work for him. I think it's time to resort to more drastic measures."

"Maybe we should tell him about the hostages."

"He's still nowhere close enough to weakened, and we will not engage with him on his terms. You must fight someone like that very carefully, and turn his strengths against him. You tell him about the Hostages now, one of four things will happen. One, he'll stop everything he's doing and immediately surrender whether or not his allies want to, but will try and preserve what's left of his strength if we try to take him prisoner, Two is a variation on one, where we try and kill him the moment he and the rest surrender, but that's likely in the extreme to fail and we would be right back where we started. Three: we successfully keep him at bay with the hostage threat, but then he just comes after us at another place and time. Four: He ignores the hostage situation altogether. A fifth scenario, where his focus remains in keeping the hostages alive after sustained heavy injuries offers us the best chance of stealing the ship beyond killing them all, which is scenario Six. Know this...every effort must be made to kill them, or weaken them so much they cannot interfere. Do your men still control the route to the central reactor?"

"We've encountered no resistance. It was one of the first locations we took total control of."

"Have your men prepare to disable all power conduit access from the reactor to the central computer as a last resort. Until then, while we still can, increase the atmospheric pressure in his area. We'll see if we can't pop his damned eyes out."

"At once." The Merc replied.

In the section Caltin and the others were in, Ceru immediately started clutching at his head.

"They're screwing with the pressure..." he hissed.

The Demon's flesh started shuddering and bubbling violently and she shook her head as she floated about in the zero grav having trouble thinking and reacting suddenly...

"Call whoever you were talking to now...right now..." Lynda hissed, struggling to focus...

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“We have plenty of tomorrows to compensate for the wrongs made yesterday.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz​

He let the both of them go on their little diatribes. They really did not make a difference either way as he was here for his own reasons. One thing that was interesting though was when “Lynda” went on about her physiology, he made sure to obtain eye contact as his eye color changed on command from color to color to match each piece of clothing that she was wearing. Then as he pulled away, his own hand began to glow and crackle in electrical energy, not just “Force Lightning” but actual energy.

I was supposed to die over eight hundred years ago. I think that I have an idea of what you are talking about. I don’t see a monster though, I see a person looking for meaning in their life.

She was astute in calling him on his bluff, but he still had a card to play. Nothing about him changed in response to her “observation”.

You’re in better shape with a better chance to escape now. Besides, I never said this was a bluff, but even if it is… the pirates don’t know it.

Then the pressure started. Caltin just glared at the fallen Jedi as he was clearly not thinking, or he would fall back on his training.

You're so concerned about swinging that stupid sword of yours and pointing out everyone else's fault, Ceru, that you don't even bother to calm your breathing and let the Force slow you down. There is nothing going on right now that I was not waiting for.

Tapping his comm-link, Caltin got back in touch with his astromech.

Good call, BB. It worked perfectly. Yes, it did. They told us exactly what they control and what they don’t. Now, I want you and Roller to completely shut them out of every part of the ship that I am not in. I only want Lights, Ox, and minimal grav-systems. Shut them out completely. While you are doing that, I want “Roller” to feth with those systems as well. If they want to get the doors open, I want the refreshers to turn on. If they want lights, I want the computer panels to fry. Cross up the wiring.


Getting off the comm-link, he looked between the other two.

Don’t look so surprised. They think that they are three steps ahead of us. Just like I want them to. There are other alternatives to fighting. Yes, that was indeed a bluff, but it was to gain intel. They think that they are playing with us right now, wearing us down until we have to give up. What they have, I don’t know and don’t care but the best way to defend against aggressive attackers is to go right at them in a manner they are not prepared for.

Within seconds, the pressure was returning to normal, the lights were on, and grav-systems were back on line. A satisfied smirk crawled across his face. He did not wait for either of them.

BB… can they see us? Good. Where do they think we are? Even better.

“Tricky Jedi”? They haven’t seen anything yet.

TAG: Westenra Mina

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)
HK-88 Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt
Starship: Spectre, (NC-1000 X-wing (Jedi Variant) in the hangar, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Sanctuary Island