Junction Blood in the Springtime | AC/SJC Junction of Voss/Saleucami (Open to Jedi Praxeum, Scar Worlds, Jedi)

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Lady Eina L'lerim-Vandiir
The First and the Light of Ashla
Heiress and Princess of the Eternal Empire and Terraris; Angelic Mascot and Representative of the Ashlan Crusade
Eternal Empire's Ambassador to the Ashlan Crusade; Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary and the Fjölkyngi Smiđr Guild​

Objective: To accompany her husband, and the rest of the Ashlans.
Location: Silver Temple, near Voss-Ka, Voss
Equipment: Sverð Fyrstr (swords) | Ljósspjót (spear) | Skrúð Engill Fyrstr (armour) || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || Current appearance
Writing With: Geiseric | Pietro Demici | Gir Quee | Brooke Waters | Thurion Heavenshield | Cedric Grayson | Thirdas Heavenshield

[ Race to the Sea ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Eina's case was special, as she was born barely only eleven years earlier, not long after the death of Adrian Vandiir, from the soul of the man and Ingrid L'lerim, but was already more than three hundred years old. Time passes differently in the Netherworld.

"I am the oldest, we are seven brothers and sisters. Of course I will tell her your kind words, Your Majesty!" she told him with a kind smile.

She did not detail that one of her brothers lived only in the Netherworld as a soul because he was dead, nor that one of her sisters was adopted, Felmorante L'lerim . Her family was complicated and she didn’t want to burden anyone with that.

"With your permission, I would also like to introduce my husband, Lord Gesieric of Sanctuary. And he is Lord Thurion Heavenshield, High King of Midwinter." she introduced the two men to each other. "House L'lerim is also from Midwinter, our ancestors lived there very, very long ago." she explained to Gei.

She knew her husband didn’t like to be referred to as Lord, but she was still her husband, and Eina thought it was appropriate especially in this situation. After the man left, she nodded at Gei's words again. But she was glad Lord Grayson was here too. His presence has always been important to others. She knew it was for her husband too, as perhaps he represented Ashla's will be better than Lord Demici. At least for many.

"I do not know if this is the case or I do not know, but I hope they'll not only see the heir to the throne of the Eternal Empire in me." she replied to Gei's words. "I accompanied you today, and represents Ashla's will, not my mother's or the Eternal Empire's."

The Valkyrja was a little worried that something might go wrong because of this, even though the SJC and EE worked together in the former Bryn'adûl space to re-terraform the worlds there. When Lord Grayson introduced them to Miss Waters and mentioned the romance, Eina's face turned at least as red as the colour of her hair. Or rather than the colour of her mother's hair, deep red. She was always embarrassed when someone mentioned their relationship. Even though they were already husband and wife, she was always embarrassed in front of others. She would have liked to hide in the safety of her wings, or just bury her face in Gei's neck and chest so no one could see her embarrassment.

"Miss Waters, nice to meet you!" she said kindly, but still confused.

True, they were popular in the media with their romance, especially because of the creation of the planetary Nexus, as Eina knew exactly. Though they just kissed each other… as she remembered what happened there, she blushed even more. Nor did it help as she looked to Gei for help. The man felt how embarrassed she was anyway.

"Lord Grayson exaggerates his words…" said confused and did not even notice that uncle Pietro had finished his speech…

 

[Or'Fol Moric]

​

Or'Fol looked down, sensing some of the unease Aayla seemed to have with his answer. He could tell it probably wasn't what she wanted to hear from an old Master, and he was sure Sakadi Marathi Sinvala would sometimes want to skin him alive with a few of his opinions, there were reasons he held them. From looking at history, to speaking to some other people around the Galaxy. He hoped she understood that much at least. For all he knew he wasn't right, but the Force would work as it does. The herglic just did what he could to understand it.

Then he heard the Knight's plan, chuckling a little. That plan was an oldie and a goodie. Plus it usually worked. He would nod, then hear Caltin over the comms.

"All I'll say is may the Force be with you, everyone." He was ready for a fight now. And he'd make sure no one who wasn't in this fight would get hurt.

Aayla Shan Caltin Vanagor

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” - Seba Smith​

“Reek Squad” was moving through the sewers slowly, until Suntyb stopped, his scanners picked up something and, like their reputation, the Rangers moved off without a word and without any type of cooperation. Rolling his eyes as calling them out would do absolutely no good, Vanagor slowed his approach and let his senses do the work for him. The slower he moved, the less noise he made, the less noise he made, the more he could hear…

… and hear he did.

Gormak.

Though the massive Jedi Master could not understand the language explicitly, he could indeed understand what they were saying. Three subordinates were arguing with their commander, too busy to notice anyone around them, it looked like the warriors were setting explosives underneath the city as some sort of “failsafe.” They did not even see him, and he could not signal the Ashlas as they were not close enough, also the fact that the Gormak in front of him looked ready to set those charges off was a problem that he did not want to have to consider.

You know, it’s funny. The more things change, the more those who think that they can get the drop on a Jedi fail. Do you really think that setting charges under the city? That cannon of yours that is pointed at Voss Ka is being taken down as we speak to, you know that, right?

The move was as arrogant as it was stupid. To anyone who only knew Caltin Vanagor by reputation. However, the big man was more than smart enough to know that he was within earshot of not only the Ashlas and Reek Squad, but his comms were on long enough for everyone assaulting Voss Ka to hear that. Well, the Gormak warriors would be stupid if they did not level weapons on him right now, they did. The thing is, Vanagor is too fast for that. They were downed before they could pull their triggers. There were sappers who were back up and they had a bead on the big man, but again, he had backup as well. The Rangers took them out.

“Maybe you aren’t so overrated after all.” Lt. Graff pointed.

Caltin just laughed.

The problem with having the surprise on someone like that is it only works once.

Then it was Sergeant Major Thrassk who made probably the most poignant observation of all of them. “Yesss, but they didn’t plan on us knowing what to exxxxpect.”

“Hooyah”

“Hooyah”

” Rangers lead the way.”

Caltin said with a gesture that he would follow where they lead. Reek Squad seemed finally on the same page as they just checked their weapons and prepped to move. Then it was time for another surprising comment from of all people, the arrogant combat medic Specialist Elara Scherrdown.

“We got your six, Boss.”

Caltin just raised an eyebrow.

“Master?”

With a quick and tiny “no” shake of his head, the big man just clarified.

I’m no better than any of you. Call me “Master” or “Master Jedi” or “Boss” in front of others, but you can call me “Caltin” if you really want.

The best way to get respect is to give it, right?

With that, they began to move. They had more explosives to shut down.

TAG: Greer Caimbeulaich , Aayla Shan , @Or’Fol Moric

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Allies: Caltin Vanagor Or'Fol Moric Aayla Shan Greer Caimbeulaich Lehvi Vass Heinrich Faust Madison Starr
Enemies: Xeykard
Location: Voss-ka, accompanied by elements of the 3rd Virunjansi Mobile Infantry - "Daybreak Veterans"

His speeder bike swooshed into the city proper with the sound of the repulsorlifts from the APCs not far behind them. He felt his mind wander to a dark presence - one filled with anger and hate - even as his surroundings seemed to disappear around him. It was like watching as landspeeder crash happen - horrible to behold yet he couldn't help but be drawn to it. A sith? A darksider of some sort...His attention was drawn back to his more immediated surroundings by a sense of fear.directed towards him. He slammed on the brakes of his speeder as he neared a pair of green-skinned humanoids that were carrying a crate of something in the middle of the road.

One of them dropped the crate in apparent surprise. Travot breathed a sigh of relief as the speeder came to a halt mere meters in front of them. At least I didn't hit either of them. The susevfian stepped off the bike and started to walk forward to make sure they were all right before he realized what they were wearing - Sith armor. His left hand quickly rose up and thrust forwards towards one of the gormak: a Force push sent the hapless alien flying through the air even as the jedi drew his saber. Its blue blade snap-hissed to life, just in time to intercept a trio of blaster bolts fired by the other trooper. The susevfian caught the bolts in a series of staccato-like blocks that reflected the bolts into the ground in front of the soldier. He abruptly switched from the hard form of Soresu and lunged forward with a thrust more appropriate to a Makashi practicioner to impale his saber through the soldier's weapon. The barrel turned to molten slag, which the soldier promptly dropped even as he howled in pain. The jedi master's left hand once again thrust forward, sending the soldier colliding into a building wall. The gormak briefly teetered before collapsing onto the ground into an unconscious heap.

Travot frowned as he looked the two gormak over.

They don't seem so evil like this, do they now? Travot stretched out his left hands towards the other gormak's weapon, and pulled it towards him. As it neared him, he quickly bisected it with a single hacking motion from his arm. He tossed the broken weapon aside. Satisifed that the gormak were unconscious and unarmed, the bulky man jumped back onto his speeder bike and headed towards the tantalizing dark presence.

 

[Heinrich Faust]

Heinrich Faust: Grand Marshal of the Ashlan Crusade

Tags: Greer Caimbeulaich , Or'Fol Moric , Aayla Shan , Lehvi Vass , Travot Ravenna

"Sir, we just got confirmation that we've taken multiple districts within the city. There are also reports that some elements of the Gormak forces have begun a retreat, though the numbers are a bit uncertain."

Heinrich continued to keep his eyes and blade focused on the fight as he stood back to back with the trooper.

"Good. As soon as the Lancers show up, we'll push into the city ourselves, while our reinforcements clean up out here."

Another Gormak trooper came rushing at the Essonian, unleashing a barrage of plasma from his blaster rifle as he charged at the Crusader. Heinrich managed to deflect the bolts, gaining just enough time to reach out through the empyrean with his left hand. Heinrich forced the Gormak's rifle from his hand, catching it as he began to push toward his attacker. He flicked the blaster in the air, catching it one again and turning it on the one that dared shoot at him. He shot twice, felling the Gormak as soon as he had him in his sights. Heinrich tossed the blaster to the ground, cursing the brutish nature of its construction.

The Gormak lines had weakened, but their numbers were still making the advance difficult. Heinrich and the others held their ground, but they had come to a complete standstill. Just as Heinrich was about to cleave another enemy in two, a large blast of plasma whizzed by him, taking the Gormak out before he could swing. Several speederbikes rushed past, cutting a swath through the enemy's defensive lines.

The Lancer Corps had arrived.

With renewed vigor, Heinrich stood at the head of the Sons of Ession, his blade outstretched before him. He called out to his comrades with a roar that carried with it all of Ashla's judgment.

"Now, to the city! ASHLA WILLS IT!"

The Sons of Ession echoed his cry, and together they charged forth into Voss-Ka itself.

 

[Dedata | Celty Ree]

Location: Under da seaaaa, Lucerne Labs - Voss (Droid Factory)
Objective: A secret

Weapons	Armor	Gadgets	Ship/Vehicles
Sparti Short Spear	Dedata's MK2 Helmet	Modified Datapad running Deda-net	The Shadow Broker
Ianus Kopis	Dedata's outfit	Data spikes	Dullahan
	Leg harness and bags		Aiwha-class Amphibious Skimmer

Rosey Chan - Autumn

The aquatic vehicle quickly submerged. The surface danced above as the ripples refracted light glistening like giant glitter. Dedata was in awe at the sight as she stared for a moment. Her head shuck a little snapping back into the task at hand. Pushing down on the steering the Aiwah dived further into the depths. She would see the flourishing sea life as schools of strange looking fish swam by in many directions. All of them filled with colour for a time. The deeper she went the more colours changed and soon the amber light sky was no longer visible.

She reached forwards flicking the headlights on then imputed the search pattern into the automated system ran by a droid brain. Sitting back in the seat relaxing she connected her datapad to the vehicle. It took a few moments to find but it was not long before Dedata was looking at the software the craft used. Her finger swiped slowly and carefully reading through the actions. She had time after all and there was one thing that needed to be done before infiltrating. That was setting the I.D code back to factory setting and input something that would make it appear as Lucerne Labs owned Vehicle. Least from there if she was to be caught right off the bat, there was a chance to lie her way in. Fake credentials was something she was rather good at and she had some time.

The next while her eyes would shift from the screen to the canopy to view out. The further down the less fish there was, however the more larger creatures was more common. Down here this was their domain, by now she had to have reached a couple hundred feet. If it where not for the lights on the sub, the only visible colour remaining would be blue. That was down to how water filtered out light. First red then orange, yellow and pink, green till it's just blue. It was an interesting phenomenon and basic physics.

To say she ditched every class in boarding school when she was younger, it was a surprise she knew that. Then again it was early on before the problems started. "Going deep is clearly messing with my head." She softly chuckled to herself. Dedata felt the vehicle shift as it levelled out. She reached forward to dim the lights down a fair bit only letting a couple of meters visibility. She hoped that soon the facility would be found. At most she knew it was this area. "Come out come out where ever you are." She said as the vessel floated over deep canyons of the floor.

 

[Lehvi Vass]

Location: Voss-Ka
Objective: Harass the entrenched Bogan, and do whatever possible to distract from the rescue operation
Tag: Heinrich Faust | Travot Ravenna | Greer Caimbeulaich | Or'Fol Moric | Aayla Shan | Xeykard

This is Lehvi Vass, right now:

You are going to drown to death, on land.

One moment you were charging down a Barabel, then these wraiths, these shadows tackled you off Julip. And you started drowning; Haruun Kal was a noxious world by nature, so clean water to swim in was neigh-unheard of. Lehvi fought, struggled, screamed. The shadow poured into your mouth, your nose, your ears- surrounding you.

It's a strange sensation. Your choking, but you aren't. You can see, but you can't. Then you hear unmistakeable crack, followed by a roar of pain, of anger from Julip:

I do not fear you, Dark One! I am child of Haruun Kal! BOY! Do not fear this one! He skulks in the shadows!<

Julip is lying. She is fearful. Not for herself, but you.

You are bonded, as all Vass are, to your mount- your companion, your friend. Her pain enrages you, you thrash harder, but that anger strengths the wraiths. You fall to your knees. A voice, eerily like his father's, shatters his concentration.

'Boy, is this all that you are?', it intoned. Well, that definitely sounded like father.

You are Vass. The elite of the elite. The vanguard. The protectors of Haruun Kal. AND YOU COWER BEFORE A TRICKSTER?!

"Father...the darkness is too strong. I cann-", you choke out as your vision goes grey.

"Remember your training boy, and stop thinking like a Jedi. You are a warrior. You are Ghôsh Vass."

And at that moment, you realized how you can overcome it. You struggle to center yourself into the mindset of the lost Ghôsh.

The art of Vaapad.

Vaapad, contrary to popular belief, was more then just an aggressive fighting style- it was a state of mind that required the user to enjoy the fight and relish the satisfaction of winning. The practitioner of Vaapad must accept the fury of their opponent, and turns it against them.

You take in a deep breath, taking in the wraiths that were attempting to flow into his body. "I am Vass", you murmur, at a whisper. You exhale, blowing the wraiths out. "I am Korun." Another exhale. You can see the battlefield- Julip using her tail to mitigate the weight on her body. Her back leg is bent at an odd angles. She attempts to writhe around, intimidate, but any hunter could see her vulnerability.

You open your eyes, and ignite your blade. You prepare to cut through the wraiths that still circle around.

"You'll learn what that means, Bogan."

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

​

Location: Conference Room
Joined by: Thirdas Heavenshield
Objective tags: Geiseric Eina L'lerim-Vandiir Pietro Demici Gir Quee Cedric Grayson Brooke Waters

"With your permission, I would also like to introduce my husband, Lord Gesieric of Sanctuary. And he is Lord Thurion Heavenshield, High King of Midwinter."

"My Lord Geiseric," he offered a bow to the younger man. "An honour to meet you. I take it Sanctuary must still be feeling the aftermath of the war with the Bryn'adûl? Hardly a soul that wasn't affected in some shape or form by that terrible war." Looking to Eina, he then offered the Lord a private handshake. "Should you require it, Midvinter stands ready to assist. As a favour to a fellow world leader, and to the daughter of Lady Ingrid."

Mother Midvinter does not forget or forsake Her Children, regardless of how mixed the bloodline.

"You may dispense with the titles Master Heavenshield. I am the guiding hand of my nation, but you are one of the last of the old masters. You need not pay me any particular respect."

Thurion smiled and nod his head. "Only if I may ask the same of you, Cedric." His attention was then directed towards the Cardinal as he began the meeting in earnest.

"At the risk of the being the ignorant one here, has anyone here met any of the Ashlan Crusaders before today?"

Meanwhile, Thirdas shrugged his shoulders at the Admiral's question before crossing his arms over his chest, replying in a hushed tone. "Not me. Most of what I know of them stem from rumours passed along my boys in the 88th, which usually isn't the most factual in nature. Supposed to be real religious types; lightsided zealots and what-not. I mean, it's right there in their name, yeah?"

As his father grabbed a seat at the table, the Colonel took up position behind him like the dutiful son that he was.

"I would like to propose an alliance, if our SJC friends would have it. With this entire region still largely in disarray, and the threat of the Maw ever-looming, it is imperative that we work together to secure and restore these broken worlds, and watch out for each other in the event of another Mawite attack. The incidents on both Coruscant and Cato Neimoidia have shown us a simple truth, and that is that the Jedi must work together to keep ourselves and the galaxy safe. It has been too long since we have done so, and we must remedy that. We wish to start here, and hope that this will be the beginning of a new chapter for the Jedi as a whole."

"Hear, hear," Thurion reacted by way of thumping the table with his fist in a distinctly Valkyri manner. While he personally agreed with the good Cardinal's wish for alliances between the Jedi, specifically between Silver and Crusader, he felt it was not his place to further voice his opinion until the Grandmaster himself had been allowed to speak on behalf of the order they both served.

One can't help but inject some cultural flair, however.

 

[Greer Caimbeulaich]

​

Equipment: Lightsaber Claymore, Ashlan battle armour Shock Gauntlet, Icarus gravpack, Ashlan Rosary, survival kit

Location: Voss-Ka
Objective: Hostage rescue
Tags: Caltin Vanagor

Finally after what seemed like too much time in the sewers, Greer was nearly at the old church and ready for the assault proper. "going up then?" she gestured at the ladder leading to the service building. They were within the church groups, hopefully behind the expectant guards.

The group crept up and into the building. There was one man up there, leaning against the doorframe and smoking. The jedi waited for a few moments before she acted. After around thirty seconds of her watching, he spoke into his comm "South watch checking in." after this, Greer raised her gauntlet and fired the stun rounds, incapacitating the guard. Her team quickly had him tied up and gagged for when he woke. And so they were in.

The rest of her group checked the service building for any unwanted surprises or additional guard before the inspected their route to the side door of the church. The cobbled pathway would be tricky to move on silently in normal circumstances, but the distant gunfire made movement more possible. Greer could feel dread in the air, the large number of imprisoned worshippers were fearful and it was causing ripples in the force, at least she knew it meant they were still alive. She wasn't the only member of her team that could feel it. One of the youngsters, a padawan was looking quite shaken. "Padawan, fear is contagious, don't let let it get inside your head ok! Gotta let go, my fears messed me up for a long time." she still regretted just how badly Wgah'Ngal had set her back. But the past was the past and she was well on track now.

"You are feeling the shadow of someone elses fear, that is all, close your mind to it if that is better." she smiled at him and made the sign of Ashla, "But either way we need to move now before the guard needs to report in again."

 

[Aayla Shan]

Not what she wanted to hear, no. Yet still, he was a Master of the Order, and in no short order someone she looked up too. She just knew she needed to start carving her own path. The kids they raised weren't going to stay kids forever after all, and Aayla was beginning to carve out her own concept on what it was to be a Jedi, while also balancing the aforementioned razor edge of the Shadow lifestyle and responsibilities.

All she really knew was that she had no intention of failing either, she didn't need to become a beast to exterminate them. If nothing else, the Ashlan folk were proof of that... She hoped, anyway.

Then he heard the Knight's plan, chuckling a little. That plan was an oldie and a goodie. Plus it usually worked. He would nod, then hear Caltin over the comms.

"All I'll say is may the Force be with you, everyone." He was ready for a fight now. And he'd make sure no one who wasn't in this fight would get hurt.

His chuckle was all the agreement she needed to hear, smirking herself. May the Force indeed be with them all, SHE FORGOT TO TELL HIM SHE HAD LEARN-... Ah, she could do it later. Or better yet show him if the need arose. The raven-haired Aayla nodded ahead, hinting to Master Or'Fol the path down, and a good route to where he could flank once she started her theatrics. Then, in three swift moves, hopped up on the windowsill with grace that would put a Jungle Cat to shame, gathering the Force to her, she jumped forward performing an elongated front flip before landing in front of th sizable patrol. All weapons slotted to her instantly, and she raised her hands in surrender.

"Ahhht, ahht... Hold on now. I'm not even supposed to be here!"

She started, quite immediately pulling all the attention of the patrol away from their rear, the flanks pulling up to the side, whispered commands uttered in their native tongue as they begin to semi-circle the lone Jedi.

"The truth is, I got lost... And I'm just looking for my ship. D- Are any of you getting this? Basic?"

She asked aloud, smiling and keeping herself open to the Force. She needed to move fast if any, or ALL of them shot before the trap was set. She nodded her head to another in the formation.

"Basic? No... Okay, maybe we can work out some kind of parlay? I come in peace! You see, I'm a part

Aayla said, eyes flitting throughout them, really just running her mouth, trying to stay ahead of the first round fired; though also hoping Master Or'Fol was light-footed in his stealth. Meanwhile, amazingly enough her ranting seemed to have caught these Gormak completely by surprise, and they were looking at each other with clear confusion. Had this one lost its mind, they likely wondered.

Man she always loved this one...

Or'Fol Moric

 

[Madison Starr]

​

Edge of the District - Voss Ka West
A Delicate Matter

The joint push into the Gallam District didn't have to wait long for new orders. They didn't even have to dismount their speeders.

"Command says we're moving east to link up with Heinrich Faust and the Ashlans. Then we push north for the seat of the capital and end this little vacation day."

"Okay!" ... "Roger!" ... "Let's go!" ... "Roger dodger!"

Madison leaned over the canopy of the Silver Landspeeder and nodded her approval. Time to get this army moving.

About sixty vehicles, speeders, armored vehicles, bikes, etc. All began to roll out through the city streets. Leaving the dense Gallam District and shuffling into more traditional Voss architecture as they went. Resistance was light to non-existent. Most of the Gormak retreat had moved beyond them now. The rest of the fighting was still centered around their Allies to the south and east. I guess the 'Mak were less keen on a long siege than they'd thought.

"Fine by me. Home by dinner time, eh boys!"

"Hell yeah!" The rest of the jeep cried as they bounced along.

Madison smiled from her perch atop the back. Nothing like a little war to get the blood flowing again. She rolled her shoulders one more time. Just to make sure the Healing Trance had done it's job. And sure enough. She felt fine for a fight.

Let's hope the Ashlans left some for them by the time they arrived.

Sixty vehicles bounced along the empty capital streets. Passing abandoned Gormak checkpoints and scrapped light vehicles as they went. Approaching the sounds of heavy fighting to the south.

Time for a little pincer action. Oh yeah!

. . .

*moving to link up with Heinrich Faust

 

[Rhiza Dural]

Location: Sith leadership bolt hole, somewhere in a valley on Voss
Objective: Cut the head off the snake
Tags: Jeren Kestros V Voska Khai

Spoiler: Equipment and links

Personal Equipment

• Red bladed dual phase light saber
• Electro-whip
• Riftblade
• Viper mk1 skinsuit
• Energy Bolas
• throwing shuriken
• Empyrean Gland

Starships

• Oubliette class transport
• HH-87 Starhopper
• Ballerina Interceptor mk ii

The three Ashlans left the shuttle behind them and walked towards the outskirts of the farm. It looked like a vineyard, beautiful, with the sun shining on it and a light breeze blowing the scent of grapes into their nostrils. If the three hadn't been force sensitives, and hadn't been able to feel the dark miasma thar filled the air, then it would have been a pristine and picturesque setting.

Rhiza Dural, the Ashlan Juror had managed to track down this secret bolt hole. Several of the Sith leadership had fled the capital and were now hunkered down in this unassuming spot, still commanding their armies, but likely hoping to lay low and escape once the battle was over. The Sith were cowards, commanding their forces to die from a distance whilst keeping themselves in what looked like luxury. Well, the will of the force blew string and it had blown this trio here. There was at least two powerful force users and likely a few dozen soldiers on the premises, Rhiza was bold and reckless but she was not stupid, she had brought allies. Two more, like her wishing to show the Crusade what they could do.

"The vines are growing strong, that should cover our approach, but I smell dogs, so watch it and try to stay downwind from them. The coser we can get, the better our suprise.

Remember, surrender is an option, but watch out for their tricks." Rhiza was ex-sith herself, she knew full well that these people would use every Trick they could to save their sorry skins.

 

[Or'Fol Moric]

​

Or'Fol watched Aayla jump down, and quickly began to move into position. He looked down and saw her talking to the group, keeping them distracted. He looked, chuckling a little as she continued messing with them. Still a Padawan at heart. He would then slowly crawl out of a window, look down, and jump. He used the Force to cushion his fall and make it near silent. He then walked up and tapped one of the patrol's shoulders.

"Hello." He then quickly punched the soldier, his lightclub igniting and him moving in front of them all in one quick motion. He'd hold it in his usual defensive stance, looking back at Aayla as he assessed the situation. "Doesn't quite seem like a fair fight."

Aayla Shan

 

[Gir Quee]

Location: Conference Room
Objective tags: Geiseric | Thurion Heavenshield | Eina L'lerim-Vandiir | Pietro Demici | Brooke Waters | Cedric Grayson

The admiral nodded at the younger heavenshield's comment and whispering back, "I've heard similar things..."

But the man abruptly stopped as the cardinal spoke, cathing the attention of most of the room:

"I would like to propose an alliance, if our SJC friends would have it. With this entire region still largely in disarray, and the threat of the Maw ever-looming, it is imperative that we work together to secure and restore these broken worlds, and watch out for each other in the event of another Mawite attack. The incidents on both Coruscant and Cato Neimoidia have shown us a simple truth, and that is that the Jedi must work together to keep ourselves and the galaxy safe. It has been too long since we have done so, and we must remedy that. We wish to start here, and hope that this will be the beginning of a new chapter for the Jedi as a whole."

A small smile creased the admiral's face as Thurion seemed to affirm the sentiment in a tradtional Valkyri way. I'm sure many of the others feel the same, even if we're more quiet about it. He included himself in that number out of sheer practicality - even if the Ashlan Crusaders and Silver Jedi didn't fully align in every single way, the whole enemy of my enemy is my friend did come into the play for the man. But it was not his place to say either. Several of the room's eyes turned to Wenton Graff, who abruptly peeled himself away from a few others to come to a more central location of the room. An enigmatic smile graced the grandmaster's face before he swept his eyes across the room before clearing he briefly cleared his throat.

"Chaos continues to sweep through the galaxy, even in areas that we once called home," started the man slowly, "but chaos and death and destruction will always be present. The time matters not, the region matters not. They are constants. And we must raise up constants of our own to meet them. The Jedi Code is a reminder of that, one of which a more traditional version I will recite for the benefit of the non jedi here

Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force.

We must seek to embody and bring forth the peace, the knowledge, the serenity, and the harmony to bring order and healing to this galaxy. Our unity in seeking these must be a constant as we gird up to face the dark side, the bogan as I understand some of you Crusaders call it. I speak for the Silver Jedi Order and its Concord in that we are pleased to accept the good bishop's invitation to work together to better this region, and hopefully the galaxy beyond it. It will not be easy and there are many challenges that confront us, but no good or great thing ever came about without facing such challenges. I entreat all of you present here to humbly put outside our differences as we begin talks to make these virtues and ideals come to fruition.

Now that we have spoken so loftily, I fear that we must turn to the more mundane. Your holiness?"

 

[Jeren Kestros]

Location: Sith leadership villa hideout, Voss
Objective: Decapitation strike
Tags: Rhiza Dural V Voska Khai

The scene before Jeren as the three Ashlans approached the target location was at once relaxing and disconcerting. Though he could not see the light and color the same way the others could, the Miraluka man could see through the Force well enough to take in the idyllic vineyard in which they found themselves. More than that, he could feel the warmth of the Voss sun, the wind softly caressing his skin. By all accounts this was somewhere one ought to go for a vacation, not a battle.

And yet in the currents of the Force around them Jeren could also sense the corrupting presence of the Bogan. It hung heavy in the air, thick and pervasive, as if threatening to fall flat and blanket everything else in darkness. Such was the nature of the Bogan, to leech on and corrupt all that was good and natural.

The sooner the will of Ashla was served here and the Sith removed, the better.

"We'll give them a chance, but I doubt they'll take it," he replied to the Zygerrian woman. He turned his face toward the villa itself and tilted his head. He could sense the anger and darkness of the area, and tension, but not immediate danger. None of the anticipation and tension that one might expect when approaching a potential ambush. It did not seem that the Ashlans were expected.

Jeren faced his companions once more and smiled. "I don't think they're expecting an attack, especially not from the likes of us. That'll play to our advantage."

 

[Pietro Demici]

Tags: Gir Quee , Eina L'lerim-Vandiir , Geiseric , Brooke Waters , Thurion Heavenshield , Cedric Grayson

Pietro was, in truth, a bit surprised at the lack of pushback from the Silver Jedi. It wasn't that he expected the negotiations to fail, but rather, he was quite aware of how many within the galaxy saw the Crusade. In truth, they had earned the name of 'zealot', in their own way. The many executions of Sith certainly hadn't helped. Nevertheless, they had recently pivoted toward a stronger focus on healing, which had helped to mend their public image in recent years. Despite this, there would always be those that saw them as little more than crazed fanatics. Thankfully, it seemed that was not the case here.

"The Grandmaster's words ring true. The Light must absolutely rise to meet the darkness at every turn, whether that be via bringing the denizens of the Bogan to justice, or helping their countless victims. And if we, as the vessels of that light, cannot come together to do so, then we will forever be forced to repeat the same cycles of those that came before us."

They may have had their differences, but only a fool would truly ignore the threats that so blatantly plagued the greater galaxy. The Bogan's stench was spreading, and was being felt even at the furthest reaches of the galaxy. Pietro and his fellow crusaders saw the threat as it was, even before the forces of the Maw had descended upon Coruscant. They were the greatest thread to the galaxy's security as a whole, and had to be dealt with as soon as humanly possible.

"As for the more mundane, well... there are the obvious mutual benefits of such an alliance. Increased trade, mutual protection, and the like will all be on the table. Beyond that, we would like to offer the Silver Jedi the opportunity to reopen this temple, and use it as they see fit. It is only right, after all."

It was a potentially controversial move on the Cardinal's part, as most of the temples within Ashlan Space had dedicated themselves to the Church. Despite this, he wished to extend the offer as a token of good faith. Besides, so long as the Bogan didn't corrupt the sacred space, then there would be little reason for concern within Ashlan High Command.

 

[Heinrich Faust]

Heinrich Faust: Grand Marshal of the Ashlan Crusade

Tags: Greer Caimbeulaich , Or'Fol Moric , Aayla Shan , Lehvi Vass , Travot Ravenna

The push into the city itself proved to be less troublesome than punching through the defensive line of the Gormak. It appeared that many of their forces had already begun their retreat, though that didn't stop the Ashlan forces from staying on their toes. Even as victory approached, the Crusaders wouldn't rest until the Gormak fully relinquished control. Pockets of resistance remained, however, and the fighting from block to block had to be handled with care. Furthermore, they were approaching districts with civilians, and the Grand Marshal wasn't about to create an international incident due to a stray bolt from the Crusade.

"Make sure to confirm your targets before engaging. If they aren't in uniform, then you are only to fire when fired upon."

A blaster bolt shot by his head, slamming into the wall as he quickly slid out of the way. The assailant was quickly met with fire from a pair of the Sons of Ession, dropping almost immediately after he had attempted to take the Grand Marshal's life. Even in retreat, the Gormak were a fierce people, and had Heinrich not been a Jedi, he may have just fell victim to that ferocity. He ducked behind the wall of the building, taking cover next to one of the Sons that had brought down the would-be assassin.

"Sir, elements of the Silver forces are headed toward our position. Looks like we've got the Gormak in a bit of a crossfire."

"Good, we'll continue pushing Westward. If these Gormak have any sense, they'll be surrendering before the day is out."

With that, the Grand Marshal leapt from behind the wall, leading the charge deeper into the city with the Sons at his back. Blasterfire continued to echo across the city, but it seemed that victory would soon be at hand. Soon, the people of Voss would once again be free.

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Lady Eina L'lerim-Vandiir
The First and the Light of Ashla
Heiress and Princess of the Eternal Empire and Terraris; Angelic Mascot and Representative of the Ashlan Crusade, Living Saint of Ashla
Eternal Empire's Ambassador to the Ashlan Crusade; Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary and the Fjölkyngi Smiđr Guild​

Objective: To accompany her husband, and the rest of the Ashlans.
Location: Silver Temple, near Voss-Ka, Voss
Equipment: Sverð Fyrstr (swords) | Ljósspjót (spear) | Skrúð Engill Fyrstr (armour) || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || Current appearance
Writing With: Geiseric | Pietro Demici | Gir Quee | Brooke Waters | Thurion Heavenshield | Cedric Grayson | Thirdas Heavenshield

[ Race to the Sea ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

After Lord Heavenshield's words, Eina looked at her husband and then smiled. Finally, she shook her head and still spoke kindly.

"The Sanctuary, Hǫrgr is the home of my people, our capital. In the Netherworld. I came from there and was born in the Netherworld during the Byss' invasion, when Lady Ingrid was also temporarily dead when she tried to save the soul of my father, Darth Prospero." she explained.

She knew her words might be weird, as the daughter of a Sith Lord, Eina was a Light Side vergence in the Force, the Force was very strongly concentrated in her, and really, as if she were shining with Ashla's light.

"But yes, there are a lot of souls out there that we take care of. This is the duty and task of my people; we watch out for weak, defenceless souls and other native beings from demons who want to kill or devour them. My people's name is Valkyrja. I know it has a bit of a Midwinter's chord. Even our construction style borrows a lot from your people, my Lord." she told him.

She turned to the others, especially when Lord Quee quoted the old Jedi Codex. This was the first Code she had heard from Gei. But the Valkyrja saw the world completely differently, she thought it worked differently. Not to mention the fact that she was much older than them.

"Death is not the end, and there is not even only Force after it. You know so little and see even less. They are able to traverse and visit the Netherworld and yet they want to simplify the world for such simple dogmas as these Codes. With those words, you can’t fight Bogan, all that is little. It needs a lot more than that, actions, not words, to do what is necessary." she said kindly. "I am not just talking about fighting, but about protecting and healing souls, lives and worlds. To do this, we need courage, faith and duty."

She was so Ashlan and imperial at the same time… after all, she was her mother's daughter. Eina paused for a few moments, then resumed:

"I am not a Jedi, I was not a Jedi and I will not be. I only knew the Crusaders before, but in the end Valery Noble told me what a Jedi was like. My people and I protect, heal, and defend souls at the Netherworld. That is why we exist, the Valkyrja. Our enemies, the demons, the servants of Bogan are constantly changing. The Sith too. The Jedi have remained largely unchanged over the millennia. The real question is whether the Jedi want to stay as they have so far… and because of their own ignorance and blindness to keep falling short of the battle with Bogan… or are ready for a change, to evolve like their enemies. As Ashla's followers have become more and more efficient. That's the only way we have a chance against the Bogan." she said still kindly, there was not a moment of accusation in her voice, only pure innocence, purity, like she could convey Ashla's words and will. "That's the only way the Light and Ashla can triumph over the Darkness and the Bogan.”

 

[Aayla Shan]

"And lets be perfectly honest, that's still better than what the Bryn'Adul did to our galaxy right?"

Aayla had been verbally saucing these Gormak for coming up on two minutes now, and was honestly not even sure how she had gotten to where she was in the conversation at this point. In any case, the surprise had long worn from the Gormak, who were encroaching even closer now, blasters beginning to breach that range were deflection, or even reflection started to become slim. Aayla stepped back once on instinct.

He then walked up and tapped one of the patrol's shoulders.

She stared wildly as if shocked by the Herglic's sudden appearance.

"What is that!"

The immediate few near her turned and a chorus of surprised grunts and hisses were audible throughout them. Though, Aayla also took this moment to kick her nearest enemy directly in the face from her standing position, rendering him unconscious on impact, while also taking his blaster, spinning and using it to level another with the stock end; simultaneously dropping the weapon on the second hit and calling her saber to hand. The iconic snap-hiss audible as her yellow saber roared to life.

"Hah, played... Now, surrender or e-"

She deflected a fired blaster, unintentionally hitting another of the pack and killing him instantly.

"See..."

He then quickly punched the soldier, his lightclub igniting and him moving in front of them all in one quick motion. He'd hold it in his usual defensive stance, looking back at Aayla as he assessed the situation. "Doesn't quite seem like a fair fight."

She flourished her saber, turning her back to Or'Fol to look in the opposite direction.

"And here I thought unfair fights were a Concord Specialty..."

Perhaps Or'Fol could feel that she felt a little held back.. Had she been wearing her 'black clothes' today, she would have carved through half of them by now, and yet she was standing here playing the defensive route, deflecting shots and essentially letting the Gormak tie their own noose. In any case, it still felt good to be out with Or'Fol again...

She still held her saber in one hand, deflecting anything fired at the pair (From her direction) with unnatural ease, even with one hand, her mastery of Soresu was far beyond what the Gormak could hope to get past, unless they brought out some explosives... Perhaps a Rotary blaster...

The other hand was used to go wide band once more, reporting their position.

<"Aayla Reporting, we've intercepted the Gormak Patrol, you guys have some time...">

She finished, lowering her hand and flourishing the saber once more to deflect another blaster bolt.

"At least try shooing in a different place than the last guy..."

She mumbled to herself, clearly becoming bored with the task.

Or'Fol Moric Greer Caimbeulaich Lehvi Vass Travot Ravenna Heinrich Faust

 

[Xeykard]

Lehvi Vass | Heinrich Faust Travot Ravenna Madison Starr Caltin Vanagor Aayla Shan Or'Fol Moric Greer Caimbeulaich ​

Xeykard's closed metal fist collided with the akk dog's knee, giving a satisfying crunch as it shattered. His hand didn't escape unscathed; the force behind the blow shattered the plating on his knuckles, but breaking the akk dog's knee was worth it. As the creature stumbled he leapt back, putting some distance between them. The smoke demons seemed to be doing their work. Xeykard relaxed slightly, releasing and expanding his presence once more-

The Ashlan roared out his affirmations and faced down the demons. The change in stance signaled danger. Xeykard raised a hand and made a gesture with two fingers; a few moments later they retreated, their orders seeming delayed.

His gaze flicked away for a moment. The enemy were progressing -- quickly. Xeykard hadn't drawn anyone other than this zealot; he was failing, but he wouldn't give his life to succeed.

"This one does not care what that means," he grunted. He sniffed the air. "Perhaps another time. Take care of your beast. This one will take leave of you."

He turned, beginning to leave the site of their short battle. The demons followed.