Invasion Chapter One: Eclipse | Long Live the Empire DE vs GA Coruscant

[Pal Veda]

ECLIPSE
Coruscant Atmosphere
T85 X-wing Starfighter
Captain Pal Veda
Objective I
GA Allies: Wedge Draav Reima Vitalis Shar Sieu Addison Porte Amelia von Sorenn Djikra Elnev Teravin Arosin
DE Enemies: Wilhelm Vonreg Katia Alkas SCAR Innis Tarring Eiric Ardos Soontir Barvel Electra-12

The beep-booping annoyed the hell out of Veda. He was less reliant on — and less attached to — his astromechs than most pilots. Reliance on technology and sentiment resulted in bad decisions in situations where milliseconds meant the difference between life and death.

”I know they are behind me, I’m looking at the same radar as you!” Veda shouted back at the droid. “You transfer power to the rear deflector shields, and let me do the flying!” Veda barrel rolled to avoid a short barrage of laser fire as he flew to intercept Revenant Squad, hoping to pass in front of them at just the right time for one of the Alliance fighters to take out the two TIEs hot on his tail. It would be close.

But anyone who has flown a fighter in a dogfight can tell you things never work out as planned. It’s never option A, rarely option B, and even option C is a longshot. Half the time, you’re down to option D, E, F, or Z by the time something comes together. Two things happened simultaneously that Veda was not expecting. Rev One Wedge Draav pulled a sharp maneuever, pushing his X-wing to the limit, cutting back around to chase an enemy squadron identified by custom crimson markings on their fighters. His team Reima Vitalis followed in formation. That eliminated Veda’s escape route. But the TIE Katia Alkas that caused his concern to begin with banked off his tail, in pursuit of some other goal. Now the odds were even. One versus one. Veda could shake this guy.

Boom! His fighter rattled as the remaining TIE’s lasers made contact with his rear shields. Wait, didn’t I just say I could shake this guy? No damage to his X-wing, but the shields could not withstand much more laser fire before giving out. He banked hard to the right then dove down toward the city, trying to cut a path under the TIE. No such luck. The nimble Imperial fighter mimicked his maneuver.

More beep-booping and alerts going off in the X-wing. “I know what ’target locked’ means, I was doing this before you came off the assembly line in Nubia!” But yes, ’target locked’ is bad. Before the TIE could get off more shots, Veda dove lower and cut his thrusters by half. The TIE pilot wasn’t quick enough, and the TIE fighter was too quick, causing the fighter to zip past the X-wing, within a couple of meters of a mid-air collision. Veda kicked his thrusters back up, but the TIE screamed back into the atmosphere, the pilot smart enough to put some distance between the two fighters and prevent Veda from getting a clear shot once the X-wing recovered.

As Veda piloted his fighter back toward the battle, he saw why the first TIE had dropped pursuit. It was headed to help out a comrade. Is this real? Some man, machine, hybrid — he couldn’t be sure — had connected to an Imperial fighter with a grappling hook as it hurled through the city. Now I’ve seen it all! But he had to stay focused. He was here for more than just blowing up Imperial starfighters. There was enough chaos now to start working toward his real mission.

 

[Creuat]

B L A C K G U A R D
CORUSCANT | GALACTIC SENATE
Darth Solipsis | Kyric | Auteme | Veli'ae Ashai | Bernard | Sahar

ANGER​

The fear growing inside of Kyric gave a deep sense of satisfaction to the Dark Jedi. It didn’t take much to nurture that fear and beget his anger. He could feel it coursing through his veins to have the need to protect his loved ones.

Good.

GOOD.

Now all he had to do was release his anger.

“We'll die here together before I let you touch any of them!”

Creuat cackled to hear the anger and despair resonating from the Jedi. At the last second he reacted to block Kyric’s attack, his lightsaber angled downward to his left as their blades met; however, the ferocity of the attack offset his balance and nicked his thigh. Were it any ordinary blade the damage would be unnoticeable, but the alchemy infused burned his skin as Creuat growled at the pain. The Nautolan retreated a few steps away with a small limp to regain his composure.

“Only through your anger will you be able to save your friends from my touch, boy! Use the power your emotions offer,” then he tapped into the Dark Side of the Force and felt its power channeling through his body like the blood in his veins. Power from his anger and hatred amplified by his lightsaber.

“How do you expect to save your friends with your strength when it pales in comparison to the Dark Side of the Force!” and instantaneously jumped high, following with his hand directed at Kyric to unleash a burst of destructive energy capable of obliterating anything in its path. It would create a large hole into the rooftop’s reinforced layers of metal to give an ingress point inside the Senate.

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aboard: Ballarat
Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x | Weapons: x x
Objective: Evacuation Eclipse
Allies: Galactic Alliance | Lossa Aureus | Denn Verdan | Makko Vyres
Enemies: Onrai ???

-

Zaiya generally had plenty of patience. The Lovalla, as a whole species, were typically non-violent and preferred to be able to discuss things in a group setting.

However, Zaiya was fourteen, and as the clash of hormones, emotions, and the need to protect Lossa and her baby grew, so did her frustration at the long-winded, crazy talk by Via. If that was even her name?

There was so much crazy speak going on right now that the young Padawan Initiate wasn't even sure what to believe. Her thought process tended to flow off tangible peer-reviewed research. Not what sort of horrors of the past? How is that even releva --

. "Zaiya, you may want to keep your ward steady."

Immediately, the flare of dark orange tones of suspicion rippled over Zaiya's patterns across her face, neck, and arms. That protective stance only grew firmer with the intensive frown that grew over her brow, dark brows highlighted in glowing blue bioluminescence surging forward in determination. Mental barriers were raised, but these were paltry shields, barely practiced upon since Braze taught her how to work them. The Kyber crystal hair pendant seemed to flare with a prismatic glow, a measured warning that did its best to try and assist the youngling in her task.

Whatever she had, Zaiya was determined to meet the woman head-on--at least, until the outflow of whatever Via deployed hit Lossa like a sack of bricks, and the high-pitched frantic cry at the intrusion sent even more alarms keeling out in warning.

"Lossa!!" Zaiya cried out, fear and alarm painting a rush of pale yellow tones glinting with a silvery glow at the Zeltron's muted scream. Instinct swarmed to do what she could for Lossa, even as the sudden burst of kinetic energy lashed out, and the Force bent and clawed at the ground. Even as Lossa had drawn her hand back from Zaiya, so did the Lovalla surge forward to try and catch the Zeltron, a Deck officer managing to carry the brunt of her weight even as Zaiya reached out to latch onto Lossa's arm.

There was no avoiding the emotional backlash that struck the Lovalla teen then. The intense, fiery glow of the crystal hair pendant flared even brighter, trying to take the brunt of the emotional onslaught -- Yet it wasn't enough.

Zaiya's usually radiant bioluminescence dimmed to a sickly, pewter silver muted glow, her patterns reflecting the turmoil within as the resonance feedback. The sickening, nauseating sensation crept on Zaiya like a vile, invisible mist. Physically, it felt like an icy hand had gripped her heart, squeezing it with a relentless, cold pressure. Her skin prickled with goosebumps, and a chill slithered down her spine, making her shiver uncontrollably. Her stomach twisted into knots, churning with a deep, gnawing unease that made her feel like she might vomit at any moment.

"Lossa.." Zaiya cried out in a whimper, trying her best to shove away the emotions, and the amount of Darkside radiating from the Zeltron struck Zaiya's mind like a swarm of shadowy insects, buzzing with sinister but desperate screams. It was like a thick, suffocating fog had settled over her consciousness, making it hard to think, breathe, and focus on anything but the pervasive sense of dread.

Almost, but not enough not to notice the shadowy little girl that peeled away from the Zeltron and manifested itself with primordial, burning hatred towards Via, shouting at the green lady to get the hell out of her head and go away.

Oh, stars... what was going on? Tears pricked at Zaiya's eyes, and it took all she could to try and not hyperventilate. It was a struggle to maintain her sense of self, to remember who she was, sending her trembling and chilled to the bone, trying to collect herself, knowing that if she fed into the emotional maelstrom, she'd only fling it back to Lossa.

Focus... FOCUS!!

A new ripple of bright canary yellow cut the dark silver of her skin -- foolish courage perhaps, followed by a pulsing dark amber with blue glowing glints. The tones carved a path through her skin, seemingly forging new patterns that began to glow with greater intensity.

It didn't matter that Lossa was radiating the thick, heavy miasma of the Darkside. Zaiya had no clue if this was due to Via's manipulations. In her mind, Via had potentially attacked or done something through the Force to cause this, perhaps. In the heat of the moment, all the young Lovalla wanted to do was ensure that Lossa and her baby were safe.

With a deep breath, Zaiya slowly began to level her breathing: "Lossa.... Lossa... It's okay... It's okay... I'm here." The Deck Office did his best to pull Lossa's leg away from the panel, while the other Jedi Knight seemed to also be doing his best to get Lossa to calm herself.

Either way, the young teenager was doing her best to try and pull Lossa out of the tangle of fear and pain she felt, not realizing that Lossa had just gone into labor. The Force surged within the Lovalla, and her skin began to glow brighter and brighter in a pearly golden luminescence.

"Breathe. Just breathe. Breathe with me."

 

[Veli'ae Ashai]

Location: SENATE BUILDING
Objective: Kill Bernard
Enemies: Kyric Auteme
Allies: Darth Solipsis Sahar Creuat
|
​

The jedi was spry and agile. Reaction time, considering the circumstances, was excellent. All of which told Prowler a single thing. Im going to have my work cut out for me. The ambush seemed barely avoided and dodged at the expense of ones footing. And so Prowler in his armored form advanced diligently. Malevolent driven long strides were taken towards his opponent. From both hands the armored figure poised his lightsaber and took up a grip that suggested a hybrid form of Makashi. The way the blade was lowered and its tip lined with the Jedi's torso as he was recovering. Another suggested lunge. Another miss.

A colossal suit of armor faced him down. The only indication of a living being inside was the skull silently laughing at him through the helmet's viewport. Purple mist swirled around the black bones, whose glowing eyes fixed Bernard's with malice. The Arkanian's stare mixed indignation and obsession as instinct took control at the behest of injured pride.

Bernard shot his good arm toward the suit, bringing the Force to bear with sharp intensity. His mind processed only a single thought crush. An invisible grip reached out toward the armor, attempting to enclose it in a crushing press borne of the Force.

Sharp, heavy exhales turned to fleeting, misty clouds in the room's sudden cold. Every fiber in his being that suffered the pain of his injuries made the vision clearer. In his mind, the armor crumpled like a piece of paper between the fingers of a fist, spilling whatever it held in an explosion of mist and blood.

A voice from within Prowler mocked him. But he did not recognize it.
You are already dead. The weakest link! A voice that was enough to stir a twinge of doubt and retaliation. Mockingly Prowler's gaseous nature stared down at Bernard. And midst closing the distance further and ready to bring to bare the very gravity of Bernard 's fate upon him, something strange began to occur.

There was a intangible hold over the armored suit and then a pressure. Slowly increasing and thwarting Prowlers efforts of movement. Each and every step felt like it was restrained or met with a invisible wall. The Ultrachrome groaned aloud and dents began to manifest over the surfaces. Other metals twisted and screamed under the pressure! Within seconds Prowlers visage was turning left to right inspecting the damage and processing what he could do. A defiant look shot back at the Jedi with his raised hand and for a mere moment Prowler began to laugh but stopped when a warning display flashed in his glasteel shielded helm.

WARNING! WARNING!
SUIT INTEGERITY AT 45%!
WARNING! WARNING!

If it was anyone else they would of been crushed...
If it was anyone else they would of panicked...
If it was anyone else they would of shrieked in pain!! Thats it!

And that was what Prowler did. Feigning a cry of pain and agony! He squirmed and he shook. He put on his best performance as a last ditch effort to distract. In truth he felt little pain from this. His gaseous being within the suit, though made more solid within did not hold the complexities of nerve endings and receptors that flesh required. Shifting his right arm closer to his chest he let out a high pitch cry before feeling the sensation of his legs being pressed inward completely. The electronics riveting and collapsing in on themselves with sparks.

He was floating in the air now. Held in the righteous fury of the Jedi. But the cries and screams came to a abrupt end and hollow eyes fell cold, invading personal space. With a smile and some effort of his right arm, Prowler revealed a compromised Rail detonator charge in the suit from underneath a flap.

Which meant...

" DO NOT BE SO COCKY! JEDI SCUM!" He shouted in a garbled half electronic and half alien voice. Then everything went white with a flash and followed by a BOOM. Next, flames engulfed the suits form and from there it would only fan outward into the hall.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Braze , Marlon Sularen , Castor E-196

Lux Ultima
​

All across the hangar, thirty Stormtroopers burst in at the same time from three separate entrances, moving fast into cover and laying down suppressive fire at the Jedi.

"Checkmate."

Jasper wrapped his mechanical arm around Braze, locking it into place on the hangar's master terminal before executing a kill command via the scomp link. In an instant the ray shields of the vessel fell, opening the landing platform to the vacuum of space.

Everything not anchored was sucked into space indiscriminately, be it man, machine, or otherwise. All hostiles would surely find themselves swept out into the void with no way to return. The Jedi Knight maintianed his form, holding himself and his student in place as the void threatened to tear them loose, the wench cables he had fashioned together holding strong against the sudden suction force. Jasper let out an exhale as his muscles were momentarily strained, steadying his breath to keep his focus. His training with the Matukai has prepared him for this.

Focus through the refinement of the body.

"Hold tight," Jasper told Braze. "Just a little longer."

They just needed to flush everyone important out.

 

[Onrai]

Objective: Patience
Tags: Zaiya Ceti Denn Verdan Vianca Mecetti Amelia von Sorenn Kol Ambo Lossa Aureus

The press of memories from Via had been more impactful to some than to others. To Denn, the horrors were impactful enough to make him shake. To Lossa, however, the primordial truths and the horrors within were abominably pressing - and to Zaiya as well. Something had broken in the Zeltron - perhaps multiple things. Whatever hope the helmet had offered her seemed to have been shattered as Via's hand remained raised, deflecting the torrid shrapnel of floor plating from others. That which pierced her essence seemed to be swiftly swallowed, consumed as her appearance once more regained its full and intact form.

As Lossa stepped back, Via's hand took on less of an imprinting form and more of a motion with the Force, seeking to catch and slow her movement. The officers moving to help her would ensure she was not injured as she fell - though they were likely as startled by the maleficent illusion of a Lossa once gone by as most would be. "Get her helmet off," said the green woman. "She's clearly going into labor. Take her to this ship's medbay. And you two, go with her as well." She motioned for Zaiya and Denn to take care of their pregnant comrade. The Zeltron's child had already been protected once by Onrai's efforts during the rituals of Tython. Here again it had likely been touched by her again courtesy of the memories yet imprinted.

Then the splinter-form spoke.

“Get out of my head.” Bare feet formed from nothing as the childlike figure took another step forward past Zaiya. “And go. Away!”

A tempestuous nexus of Dark Side energy. This horror, this fragment of Lossa buried away for far too long, had finally emerged and asserted itself from within her. While a fragment of the being could appreciate such raw and unfettered darkness, she knew that without tempering, such often brought along only the perils and horrors of greater darkness - something much worse and much more abominable. As a being of the Anti-Force, Via chose to take an approach different in form or fashion from most others.

She stepped towards it.

Hands by her sides, she continued to step forward, further and further, until she stood directly before the small, tempestuous being. A hand was placed on the vengeful creature's head, and a soft smile formed from green lips before the false goddess gave the construct a simple, one word answer.

"No."

She focused. This was a treat - a font of Force power comparable in form to the very nexus of Tython, tainted as it was. Via more aggressively than ever sought to drain the power of this construct, siphoning the energies swarming around and flowing into it. With whatever she supped, her draw to devour its power grew greater still - with hope, she planned, she would be able to drain every last sliver of Dark Side energy and dispel the involuntarily formed creation, rendering the situation substantially more peaceful than it presently was. From there it would be a matter of scuttling this command ship, courtesy of the ion fire already being delivered to it, and further pushing for the achievement of her aims: to minimize the escape of the world's population and to redirect whatever refugees she could elsewhere to Ord Mantell.

But Onrai had other things to worry about right now. That was a job for her servants.

-

Monitor-class corvette, Toxmalb
Muscave orbital path, parallel to Coruscant

The Toxmalb had been further recording the communications messages from the additional ships in the Ballarat's fleet. This was a deliberate action - to stir the allegorical hornet's nest and listen to the resulting buzz. The crew on board the aging corvette were shocked that there had in fact been a contingency protocol to exactly the sort of intrusion attempt they had attempted - but they hadn't counted on the forcible exclusion of the Ballarat from the comm net, and they certainly hadn't expected the remaining fleet ships to begin firing on it in an attempt to disable it.

The multiple communications from the Duchess and Hilltop had yet allowed the Toxmalb another means of entry into the revivified communications network. Similarly to before, ID codes were once more cloned from the communications sent, and false messages were generated - only in this case, the command was a simple single-order status that was sent to the droid starfighters - made only somewhat easier by the fact that the Duchess now had comm authority over the rest of the fleet.

1. Rescrambling and reintegration of the comm system has failed. To prevent viral attack or broad-spectrum systems corruption, all droid starfighters are to deactivate their systems and engage full lockout, preventing any communications with any ships or systems until physically recovered and linked with another computing unit.

In this case, the hope was merely that by using the simulacra of message authority from a ship that had been given authority through network reintegration, the order would yet follow through. If not, given the result of what had happened to the Ballarat after the initial comm intrusion, perhaps this would lead to more friendly fire incidents and a further sense of suspicion spread throughout the fleet in question.

The captain of the Toxmalb noted down a recommendation to be provided to Vanessa Vantai after the end of this mission - DCMM should develop a new corvette intended for particularly complex and aggressive ECM warfare. Message synthesis was comparatively primitive and accomplishable with the Monitor's aging suite of systems, but they could've accomplished significantly more with a modernized ship.

 

[Kyric]

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
The Tengu of Ashina
Delirious
Senate District | Galactic City | Coruscant

​

Kyric drew back after the initial assault, his diotic gaze glued to the nautolan's injured leg. The Force-infused edge of Resolute carved through the dark sider's wretched flesh no differently than a lightsaber. The kiffar yearned to hound his foe, but he knew better. Pain only served to strengthen Bogan's chosen. Each successive wound would add to his opponent's reserves of hatred and anger. The only path to victory was forward.

No hesitation. No weakness.

A single strike.

The kiffar breathed deeply and remained in place.

Creuat stalked to the side, blood leaking from the cut across his thigh. His limp was faint–practically inconsequential against the tide of power the Dark Jedi Master held. But it served to ground the young Jedi across from him. What Kyric thought impossible had happened. He drew first blood against his ancestral enemy.

"Only through your anger will you be able to save your friends from my touch, boy! Use the power your emotions offer," Creuat's words lacked their earlier strength. His focus had shifted from manipulation of the mind to desecration of the Force. Kyric watched in horror as the fallen Jedi imposed his will upon reality, drinking deeply of the day's darkest emotions. A power far greater than anything the kiffar could hope to muster threatened to burst from the killer's every pore.

Chit. Kyric realized far too late what the nautolan planned. The kiffar cut to his left as Creuat released the wave of destructive power. It tore through permacrete and durasteel like paper on its path toward the Jedi. Catching his footing mid-step, Kyric pivoted back and bellowed. Concussive energy met the destructive power, and for a moment, he thought himself saved as their wills clashed.

Pain tore at the inside of his throat as blood oozed from tiny lacerations. It was too much.

Kyric's defense weakened the attack enough to keep him alive once the destructive wave rolled over his right side. His eyes widened in shock as the forty-something-year-old jacket passed down through the family for three generations unraveled into individual strands of disintegrating threads. The Jedi's honey-toned skin reddened and began to crack as tiny fissures split his flesh like a many-branched bolt of lightning. He bit down and fought back the urge to scream, only to feel his stomach lurch into his throat as the rooftop gave way beneath him.

Unsure whether to keep his sword or scramble for a handhold, Kyric tightened his grip on the blade, tucked it against him, and crashed through several floors of maintenance tunnels and hatches. Each impact felt like a wookie's fist to the chest, made all the worse by the fact he couldn't make heads or tails of the descent. Tiny lacerations and thick bruises littered practically every inch of him when he finally impacted a surface that didn't give way beneath the ton of debris that heralded him.

"Need to..." Kyric spit out a mouthful of blood as he clawed his way back onto his feet. "Get to ma...." His only warning of danger was an eerie cold shooting down his spine. The kiffar swayed to the right and swung his blade heavenward once more.

The Good: Auteme | Bernard
The Bad: Creuat | Darth Solipsis | Veli'ae Ashai

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

SENATE BUILDING // CORUSCANT
Ariana Du Couteau

Tithe continued to amble around the Empress Tetan Senate chamber, trying to confirm whether anyone else was around or if Ariana was alone. Lightening from the unnatural storm swirling outside lit up the room, silhouetting the Star Destroyer of Fleet Admiral Kaine Hamilton hanging overhead. Tithe completed his circuit of the room, satisfied no hidden bureaucrats or bodyguards were waiting to ambush him.

It was slowly dawning on him that he was buying time, hoping to avoid what was quickly becoming inevitable.

“Yes, your father indeed knew the importance of appearance, especially his own,” Tithe mused. Seto's wardrobe, and his cape collection in particular, were legendary. It was said to be the first time fashion reports had joined the Senate press gallery. “But, you see, few ever gazed beyond the lavish garments. Your father, however, grasped the profound truth - the Alliance, at its core, was built upon credits. They were the keystone of order throughout the galaxy, the pillars upholding democracy and liberty. It's the economy, not the Jedi, that forms the true bedrock of the Alliance's strength.”

The credits offered by the Dark Empire had been more than enough to bring Tithe out of retirement, enough for him to leave the safety of the Trade Federation's boardroom and return to the galactic battlefield. He wondered if Seto would understand and if his Empress Tetan sensibilities would have allowed him to look past family ties to the billions of monthly credits Tithe was making.

“As to whether our interests align, I suspect that is unlikely. I don’t need a market analyst to tell me the mood of the Tetan people”. The recent Dark Empire invasion had driven the Galactic Alliance from Ariana's world. Darkness now ruled her home. “Planetary governments, like the markets, are fluid. New entrants seize the incumbents through hostile takeovers. But the free market always, always, self-corrects.”

Tithe stopped at a display case, slowly reaching forward to wrap his hands around a ceremonial mace. The ornate object, constructed from aurodium and electrum and studded with precious gems, bore an engraving congratulating Seto on his appointment as Chair of the Committee on Finance. Tithe nodded to himself, remembering that Seto had taken over the role when Tithe had ascended to Chancellor.

Forgive me, friend.

“Unless... I wonder.... would you be willing to enter the warm embrace of Teta's new majority shareholder and were willing to work with its new, ahh, management?” Tithe asked, as he slowly wrapped his hand around the grip of the ornate weapon.

 

[Braze]

​

Spoiler

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el Marlon Sularen Castor E-196

Gear

Sabers: Gauntlet Shield [Katar + Shield] | Sentry [Parrying Dagger] | Requiem [Light Foil] | Echo [Two handed with Crossguard] Twilight [Polearm] | Nightshade [Throwing Knives]

Crystals: Amplification | Serenity | Phantom Ghostfire | Frostheart | Entropite | Tiger's Fang | Mindshatter | Echos | Mestare

Melee: Knife

Ranged:
Guns & Bows: Fang | G.O.O. Gun
Thowing : GA- E.G.G.S. x3 | Thermal detonator (Class-A thermal detonator) x5 | G-20 Glop grenade "Impact" x5 | , C-22 fragmentation grenade x5 |, WW-41 CryoBan grenade) X5


Equipped Gear: Lightveil Circlet | Charms x3 | Ring | Amulate | Brace -Left Arm | FFS- Utility Belt | Light Armor [Integrated in to armor | Boots | Gauntlets | Mask | ]

Other Items: | Survival Kit | 5 Lbs bag of Thermite

Ships: Ashwing - Starfighter

​

Chapter One:
Eclipse

<<BREACH!>>​

All across the hangar, thirty Stormtroopers burst in at the same time from three separate entrances, moving fast into cover and laying down suppressive fire at the Jedi.

"Checkmate."

Jasper wrapped his mechanical arm around Braze, locking it into place on the hangar's master terminal before executing a kill command via the scomp link.

"Hold tight," Jasper told Braze. "Just a little longer."

The ray shields fell, and the hangar became a maelstrom. The suction force threatened to tear them loose, but Jasper's mechanical arm, locked onto the master terminal, held them steady.

Braze's mag boots engaged at full strength, anchoring him to the deck as firmly as Jasper's grip on his waist. The tempestuous winds from the vacuum of space howled around them, but Braze maintained his position by clutching a bollard with his free hand.

He held the Epo-1 in place through the Force, focusing intently to prevent it from sliding off the back wall. As his concentration wavered for a brief moment, the ship slid slightly, but he quickly regained his focus, holding it firmly in place once more. His attention then shifted to manipulating the guns, targeting the nearest group of enemies who burst through the entrance. They had more to contend with now than just the void of the upper atmosphere.

Foreseeing the chaos, Braze had erected a barrier beforehand, buying him precious seconds to process the three-way incursion. His attention shifted swiftly to the second nearest entrance, firing off a few precise rounds before turning to the third, aiming to clear the board of enemies in masse.

'Overwhelm the enemy,
Outwit the adversaries,
Overtake the challenges,
Outlast the trials,
Overcome the hardships,
Outlive the storm,
Outmatch the impossible.'

The mantra echoed in his mind, steeling his resolve. Each word was a heartbeat, each phrase a breath as he battled the storm within and without. Braze focused, the tempest around them becoming a mere backdrop to his inner calm.

 

[Ran Serys]

Objective: Evacuate the poor souls forgotten in the lower levels of Coruscant
Allies: Sazo Vass
Ally & Ships supplied by: Lossa Aureus​

Engines hummed as the Chorus Sun dived. The ship maneuvered through gaps and openings, she crossed over empty terraces, and floated under trafficless bridges. "There is more than one way to get to the underworld," Ran whispered as she hovered over the Captain's shoulder. "But this is the safest one." She continued peeking at the scanners.

Behind the Chorus Sun were three more vessels. The Beaufont Danger, the Psychopomp Twelve, and the Madam O' Sullust. These were the vanguard in the final push of planetary evacuation. The few ships with crews brave enough to face invasion. Ran was glad to know them.

"Please don't call it that." Said the Captain. Ran shot him a quizzical look. "I grew up down here," He continued. "It wasn't all bad."

Ran nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Captain. I will not use the word underworld anymore." She declared. She'd been insensitive. To someone growing up in the lower levels of Coruscant it was home, and not the hive of scum and villainy it was perceived to be. Ran knew that on some level. It was the reason she was there helping those who were forgotten in the initial evacuations. Somehow it was always the poor and downtrodden that were left behind.

Ran looked to her padawan, Sazo Vass. She was glad to have the young women nearby. "Always admit your faults and learn from your mistakes, Sazo." They were simple words of wisdom, but not as easily practiced as spoken. The galaxy had no shortage of these small lessons, and Ran considered them all worth a reminder.

The Chorus Sun was coming up to the evacuation point. The closer the ship drew, the bigger the crowd got. Ran began marching toward the loading ramp and nodded at Sazo to follow.

"I know we discussed this earlier but I just want to make sure you know the plan." Ran explained. "We are going to touch down and extend the ramp. There will be a rush. These people will be desperate, and that's okay. We will do our best to keep everyone calm and help them. We will keep families together and make sure children get on unharmed." Ran was hoping the force would be informed by her words, that she would speak these ideas into actuality with its help.

Ran could feel the ship touch down onto the platform. If they were to stick to schedule and give everyone the best chance of survival, they had to lower the loading ramp. The ramp's hydraulic arms hissed and Ran left Sazo with just a few more words. "Beware the gangs of this sector. The Hutt, Kajidii Iyba Tebbic, has united them. She has not left the planet and doesn't seem to want those who live in "her domain" to leave either. She can't fight this. The people want safety and I- we are going to give it to them." The loading ramp descended and they could get a glimpse of the desperation, the relief, the impatience, and the hope in people's eyes. "Am I correct, Sazo?" Ran asked, looking for a confirmation.

The second the loading ramp touched ground, Ran, Sazo, and the crew of the Chorus Sun were slammed by a wave of wild desperation in the form of an excited crowd. As a mass of hurried beings passed between them, she lost sight of her padawan in the crowd.

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

CORUSCANT | ATMOSPHERE
OBJECTIVE I | ECLIPSE

​

< Shiny… > Talsin laughed. < Sure, Shiny it is… Sugar. >

Her cheeks pinked. She'd always felt fond of her and Talin's callsigns since her siblings had sing-songed them. They were a playful reminder of how she and Lin were 'sugar 'and spice,' Vyrin and Waylon were 'everything' and 'nice,' and Kara was just 'And.' At their middle sibling's expense, it was a horrible joke, but they all rolled with laughter at it. But it always sounded more like sug-ah with their Concordian Drawl. She liked the way it sounded coming from that Nabooian fighter's pilot.

"Shiny does have a better ring than cupcake."

If there was ever anyone consistently in her corner, it was Talin. Reliably and everlastingly.

"Oh… oh chit, this thing. Sugar, you'd love to fly this thing, don't even tell me you wouldn't!"

<I wouldn't.> The teenager sniffed through the line, lying through her teeth. Even Chieftain, with his expressionless face, looked judgementally at her faux indifference. <I mean, it's whatever. >

"And Talsin, this might get bumpy… just try not to bust my ear drum, then maybe I'll believe you can handle that thing."

A muffled chuckle passed through their shared channel. Talin was in her corner again. Of course Tansu gave Talin a play-by-play of any time apart, especially when it came to the nerf-herder Talsin. Together, they dissected exchanges with the high-folutin' noble and tried to ascertain what might mean this or that. It was mostly the blind leading the blind.

With a heavy shove to the left, she banked hard and snap-rolled to avoid the first of several twists and turns out of Hidden Heart. The corridors demanded concentration, and Tansu gave it. Wefting, weaving, twisting, turning, bobbing, diving — the exit felt relentless.

"First battle scar! Hell yeah!"

<That's just bad driving, Lin! Ya need scorch marks for it to count!>

With a synchronized exhalation and burst of speed, the starfighters shot upwards through the yawning jaw of the underground's entrance, leaving behind the neon-soaked underworld and up to Coruscant's surface. Their agility was on full display as they weaved through the abandoned airways and dodged the massive spires that pierced the sky. Silver, white, and blue, the cityscape blurred into colour past them, a dizzying array of lights and structures that gradually thinned as they ascended. They pierced the thick cloud layer, emerging into the stratosphere, where the true scale of the battle was revealed.

Above Coruscant, the sky was alive with fire and fury. Lightning scratched through the skies, unregistered and dangerous. Light fights from friendlies and bogies flashed dots on their radar, overwhelming and in numbers Tansu hadn't seen before. Revenant Squadron had to be green, their enemies had to be red — right? For now, they were just dots on a screen, shapes through her viewport, and plasma streaking through the sky.

<S-Foils to attack position!> Stating this was unnecessary — with their meld, Talin already knew what to anticipate. And Talsin didn't have S-Foils. <I'vealwayswantedtosaythat.> Tansu murmured sheepishly.

She tapped the pedals and throttled her yoke forward, accelerating to close the distance until she could see the individual turbolaser emplacements now, their deadly fire crisscrossing the space around her.

Suddenly, Tansu's fighter shook as a near miss sent shockwaves through its frame.

:: Shields are up!:: Chieftain confirmed before Tansu could ask. ::That was friendly fire.:: The droid paused, parsing incoming data streams. ::It appears the baffles you've equipped are being picked up by the lead ships as Dark Empire fighters.::

<Y'all hear that?> Tan asked through the channel, rolling out of the trajectory that had nearly just sent her into a buring heap of metal and fire. Through her viewport, Tansu could see the armoured hull of The Alliance'ship bristling with turbo laser batteries that fired in relentless salvos. The storm raged around them, lightning arcing across the sky in skittering and unpredictable patterns.

<Cheiftain, lock that target. If we Gee-Ay thinks we're bogies, Dee-Ee's supposedta think we're friendly.>

::Copy. Charting pathway. Best route to avoid the tangle with Revnant and TIEs. Target locked at ten o'clock. Sharing Vector now.::Through their external coupling, the transmission relayed and fed itself into each of their nav computers, synchronizing their intended flight path.

____________________________________________________________
SIDEQUEST SABER SQUADRON ENJOYERS | Talin Treicolt | Talsin Lota
ALLIES | GA FLYBOYS 'N GIRLS
ENEMIES | OTHERWISE
____________________________________________________________​

​

 

[Ariana Du Couteau]

Ariana Du Couteau, Senator of Empress Teta ,Jedi Padawan
Location: Coruscant, Senate Building
Action: Attempt to demand a surrender
Cape

The room continued to feel ever so constricting, it almost felt as she was wading through mud. Is this what it feels to be at war? Truly? Ariana had only once felt quite overwhelmed, when she had fought against an usurper Keto during the liberation of Teta. There the young Du Couteau heir paid the price for being unprepared with her arm. And again when the Empire returned and tore Teta from the Alliance, tore it away from Ariana along with her brother. The darkness had begun to spread and the sensation of spiraling out of control was palpable.

Ariana kept her eyes focused on the former Chancellor, the man’s disposition felt both unreadable and yet quite forthcoming. Maybe Damian might have been able to distinguish him better, but I? Now Ariana began to understand her late father’s words of ‘like no other’. Perhaps it was her father’s history as an Imperial Inquisitor that led him to build the most interesting of relationships.

One day I’ll learn how to commune with Force Ghosts and finally ask dad; “Why the cape?” Levity brought her confidence up ever so slightly, but even then the sensation of battle was present around them.

When the topic turned to her home world, it confirmed what Ariana expected and yet hoped against. The traitor Tithe then asked if she would join the Empire in his own peculiar way. Her eyes narrowed and with a weary sigh she shook head.

Whenever she found her brother, Ariana would staple his butt to the Senate chair so she would never need to understand economics or funny political talk.

“Aerarii Tithe, you have been found wanted for crimes against the Alliance. As Jedi and Senator I demand your surrender, whether peaceful or not.” Ariana began to walk forward toward her late father’s old friend.

Please choose peaceful.

“When all is said and done, when the Alliance flag flies over Empress Teta once more. . . I will place a flower in your name at my father’s gravestone.” Ariana spoke, her voice confident as if reading a future set in stone. Even though the darkness slowly clawed away at her securities and with each step she took closer to Tithe, Ariana found herself in a midst of doubt. Her new mechanical right hand gently reached down to her side and wrapped around the hilt of her lightsaber but kept it glued to her side.
​

|| Aerarii Tithe ||​

 

[Creuat]

B L A C K G U A R D
CORUSCANT | GALACTIC SENATE
Darth Solipsis | Kyric | Auteme | Bernard | Veli'ae Ashai | Sahar

ANGER​

Meters and meters of durasteel and duracrete was carved into the Senate’s rooftop. The young Jedi did well in making sure he was not turned to ashes when their power collided. An exhausting feat to perform which ultimately the hole Creuat created consumed him as he down until landing on to whatever surface that wasn’t compromised by wave of Force Destruction.

Without hesitation the Dark Jedi jumped and dropped into the hole, the complex biology of his genes granting vision to see through the dark. He did not need the Force to see and find where Kyric dragged himself off. The tendrils from his head could easily sense and direct Creuat to the Jedi.

“There is no escape, Kyric,” he called out to the Jedi as he slowly stalked his prey, his words echoing through the maintenance tunnels.

“Now…know your pain,” as he reached out with the Force to inflict a great, sharp pain on the boy especially to his own current injuries. All the while he, again, invaded Kyric’s thoughts to see what else he could use against him. He started with his cousins, Talin Treicolt and Tansu Treicolt ; at last discovering whom they are.

“Your cousins…ah, yes. The Treicolts. So, Maynard and Loske settled down, and powerful they are with the Force. Yes…when I am finished with you I will find them and make them invaluable assets to the Emperor.”

He wanted his words to push the young Jedi Lord resort to his anger.

 

[Kyric]

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
The Tengu of Ashina
Delirious
Senate District | Galactic City | Coruscant

​

Kyric hadn't heard Creuat's opening words over the sound of the kiffar's heartbeat raging violently against his chest. He couldn't see beyond the spear of light piercing downward to meet his strike head-on. His blade passed through empty air as the premonition Kyric thought to be a warning against another of the Blackguard's assaults proved far worse. Quickly finding his footing, he sought the Dark Jedi within the shaded ruins surrounding him, but his eyes had yet to adjust between the brightly lit cityscape and the now-ruined maintenance halls of the Senate Building.

"Now…know your pain."

The Jedi felt another surge of Creuat's corruption released toward him. Kyric tried to move, but he was still too slow. The dark energies rolled over the boy. Agony wracked every inch of his body. It came sporadically, like a hundred different strikes from every which way. Kyric fell to his knees as the feeling sapped away his strength and burrowed into every corner of his mind.

"Get out o-" Kyric struggled fruitlessly to force the foreign presence out of his psyche. The Twins were dragged to the forefront of his thoughts by the nautolan. He twisted the boy's mind, forcing him to watch as the Dark Side wrenched and shattered their bodies into nothing recognizable.

"Your cousins…ah, yes. The Treicolts. So, Maynard and Loske settled down, and powerful they are with the Force. Yes…when I am finished with you I will find them and make them invaluable assets to the Emperor."

And then the images began again.

Fight it, Kyr! It's a lie. He's drawing out what you care about most and turning it on you like a knife!

She was right, like usual, but it didn't change the reality of the kiffar's circumstances. Creuat's words were like a poison. They seeped deeper into Kyric with every passing second. The constant ups and downs of the battlefield were unfamiliar, and that uncharted territory made it impossible for him to center.

"Then die on your feet, Karis. Your father did not give his life at Tython for you to perish on your knees sniveling like a child."

That... wasn't in my head. Kyric searched the shadows and found nothing but Creuat's malicious grin.

"Endure."

Kyric struggled to speak. All he could manage was a short, choked snarl. Blood oozed from the chunk he took out of his tongue during the fall and the myriads of tiny cuts within his throat. He took a deep, shaky breath. And then a second. The kiffar squeezed his eyes shut to deprive at least one of his senses of the Dark Jedi's presence.

Slowly, the hurricane of skin-splitting agony shifted to something more manageable, like a single serrated knife being dragged down the length of Kyric's spine. Even that wouldn't be enough. His body felt like one giant open wound, and Solipsis' chosen appeared to enjoy rubbing in the salt.

Inch by inch, Kyric forced himself back onto his feet. He could barely lift his blade higher than his hips, but it would have to do. He would have to do. The Jedi lurched forward pathetically and swept his sword horizontally for the nautolan's throat. The attack came slower than anything before it.

He had abandoned all semblance of defense in favor of a warrior's death.

My Sword & Shield (the Good): Bernard | Auteme
The Bad: Creuat | Darth Solipsis | Veli'ae Ashai
Treicolt Thursday: Talin Treicolt | Tansu Treicolt

 

[Talsin Lota]

Friends: Talin Treicolt | Tansu Treicolt
Enemies: The DE | Apparently the automated defense systems of the GE

"Oh, okay, and I was gonna offer you a turn in the 'fighter after all of this is done." Talsin said dryly as he kept an eye on the scene around them. The battle was already raging and it was... kinda terrifying honestly. Both sisters would feel his fear and the sheer effort he put into keeping a hold of himself and not whimper again.

Talin had been joking about it but he certainly considered it a possibility.

"But I guess if you don't waaaaaaaaaant to." Inserting levity in his voice when he hardly felt anything. It was difficult, but it was necessary. Fake it 'til you make it and Talsin was a pro at faking it after so many years at the Tetan court.

He suddenly whirred his fighter to the side and only just managed to avoid an Alliance torpedo blasting him out the sky. "Woah! We are supposed to be on the same shit, fething hell." And then the Artificial Intelligence chirped the explanation to Tansu and he shook his head. "I hope you know what you are doing, Sugar, but I am behind you."

They took the scenic route that put them at some distance to the main dogfighting, but the low probability of encountering fighters here did not preclude the possibility of some.

About to point that out several enemy vectors suddenly appeared on screen.

Talsin's eyes widened and he was about to prime his guns, but then he realized it were Dark Empire fighters. "Wait, hold on, don't attack them-" And if neither sister got trigger-happy... they'd fly past without skipping a beat. Assuming they were part of their own forces, perhaps mercenaries in custom fighters.

"Sheesh this is nerve-wrecking..."

There was much more where that came from. Almost collisions, terrifying moments where Talsin wasn't sure if they were about to be caught or not, and once or twice he had to stifle a gasp lest he gave Talin and Tansu more fuel to pour over the fire. They already barely took him seriously, the last thing he needed was to whimper again. Even if all of this was terrifying. He wasn't sure how they managed to keep it all together. The only thing keeping him together was, ironically, his noble upbringing.

You had to be poised as a noble. You couldn't just scream or whine when the going got tough.

The ship that they targeted for boarding was... huge honestly. It made Tal's eyes widen in shock. "This is the place, are you guys sure?" A bit nervous there as they exchanged codes and were allowed entry. Apparently almost getting shot down by their own people the Alliance a handful of times was worth it because the Empire still assumed they were their people.

Luckily this section of the hangar was empty... currently. All its troops either elsewhere or currently already engaged in the air. Otherwise they'd be dealing with a whole army and three kids... yeah, no.

Not realistic.

"Let's move fast." He said as he approached Tansu and Talin. "The sooner we get the data, the sooner we can get out of here."

 

[Pal Veda]

ECLIPSE
Coruscant Atmosphere
T85 X-wing Starfighter
Captain Pal Veda
Objective I -- SIDE MISSION -- ONTO NIV PREDATOR
GA Allies: Jasper Kai'el Braze
DE Enemies: Marlon Sularen Castor E-196 Abraxas Colt

Pew! Pew! Veda fired as he flew perpendicularly at a group of TIEs above, locked onto the rearmost in the formation. BOOM! The TIE exploded on cue. Perfect aim, as always. He increased his thrusters and continued in a straight line, hoping to discourage any of the Imperial fighters from breaking formation to come after him. The plan worked, but he flew straight into the path of two TIE Interceptors coming from the opposite direction higher in the atmosphere. They could have kept going. They should have kept going. But they didn't. They engaged Veda and sceamed after him, one taking lead to try to lock on while the other hung tight to his wingman like a shadow. No surprise that the Interceptor pilots were more skilled. That's why they got the Interceptors instead of the regular ole mass produced TIEs.

Veda cut hard right, pulling more Gs than he wanted, but the nimble Imperial fighters had no trouble copying his maneuver. Beep boop! "Yeah, yeah, rear deflector shields, I know." Beep boop! "How can they still be recharging? Didn't they fix that with the T-85?" Not good. His shields were around 50%. And the Interceptor's next shot was right on target, rocking him in the cockpit. 25%. "More power to the thrusters!" Veda's X-wing increased its speed as he climbed higher and scanned for an opportunity. There.

"Veda here, coming in hot. Can't shake these Interceptors, could use some help!" He aimed his fighter to intercept the path of an Alliance squadron. BOOM! "Kriff!" That was it for the rear shields for now. He pushed the throttle to the max and jetted onward, crossing in front of his allies just in time. They opened fire on the Interceptors, causing them to break rank and, more importantly, break off of Veda's tail. "Thanks boys!" he shouted as he cut a vertical J maneuver and lined up behind one of the now solo Interceptors.

"Now it's my turn," he grinned, locking on target and letting his lasers fly. Pew! Pew! BOOM! "See, BB, that's how it's done!" He knew better than to chase after the other Interceptor as it raced to rejoin its squadron, so he cut down on his thrusters and disengaged for the moment. "See what you can do about those rear shields. I'm a sitting duck out here."

Beep boop! "Patch it in." This was it. Private channel. Scrambled voice. Short and to the point. "Predator. Window is closing."

"Predator? Seriously?" But the private channel was already dead. He saw the gigantic warship ahead. Now or never. "Listen to me, and listen to me good. We're going in hot. We only have one shot at this." Beep boop!

Veda kicked back to full throttle and set course for the NIV Predator. He flew directly at a squadron of Imperials and angled up, dodging a few low lasers but avoiding any real engagement. As he approached his target, he immediately noticed something was wrong. That must be my window. The rayshield was down in one of the hangars, and Imperial cargo was spewing from the opening. Beep boop! "I told you to work on the rear shields. Do not touch the thrusters!" he barked at the BB unit. He rolled the X-wing to avoid the first wave of jetsam and fired a few shots to clear his path of the second wave.

"This is it. On my signal, engage the maglocks on the landing gear. I'll handle the rest." Beep boop! "I know that!" Three . . . two . . . PEW! PEW! . . . one! He blew through the hangar entrance like a bat going into hell and immediately killed the thrusters. The momentum caused him to zoom past, or rather through, the debris being sucked into space, dinging up his X-wing on its way out. But that didn't last long. The X-wing made it about two-thirds of the way through the hangar before the suction killed the momentum and slowed it to a crawl. "Now!" The landing gear dropped, the maglocks engaged, and the X-wing hit the hangar floor hard, nearly ripping the landing gear apart.

What the hell is going on in here? This is not good.

 

[Bernard]

Coruscant, Senate Building
Hallways, moving towards Senate Hall
---

[ Archange ]​

Fellow actors on stage: Veli'ae Ashai Kyric Creuat
Related to the storyline: Auteme Darth Solipsis as well as Sahar Thalia Senn

SWORD OF THE JEDI

​

Confusion struck Bernard as the Sith burst out in an unhinged display of pained cries, as though some directive had finally kicked in within his brain to start reacting to nearly being crushed. He'd gone from no reaction to screaming in the span of a few seconds. Bernard shook away the perplexity and redoubled his efforts to crush the suit. The legs crumpled completely, and more of the suit's metal creaked or groaned under the pressure. Delayed screaming or not, the display would be all over soon enough, freeing Bernard to move on to ...

The screams stopped abruptly. But the being inside the suit did not go still. Instead it now smiled at him with a wide grin, as though none of the damage it had sustained as its suit was crushed mattered in the slightest. What came as even more of a shock, was the movement of the Sith's right arm. The armor's broken and twisted components ground against each other as the Sith pulled free a section of plate to reveal—a rail charge.

Bernard pushed against the suit in an attempt to create distance between them, but it came too late.

He could hear the Sith's broken voice exclaim a warning before a bright flash blinded him. Next came the shockwave. It battered him with supersonic speeds, catapulting the Jedi through the open doorway and into the far side wall of the corridor outside. His back smashed against the wall first, whipping his head back and into a collision with that same stretch of duracrete.

For a moment, the world around Bernard spun as his vision doubled, tripled, and overlapped in blurry images, all while the blinding light slowly faded as his eyes readjusted. His entire body ached with deep throbs.

Delirious, he rolled to his side. The senator's office had been engulfed in flames from the explosion, but details were still too hard to make out. He felt like he saw a dark figure standing amidst the flames, but his head spun terribly. Even if the Sith had survived, he'd be near death's door by now. Nothing could survive a rail charge that close, not with armor as compromised as his had been, to make no mention of the infernal heat now blazing in that room.

Struggling, Bernard pushed himself onto his hands and knees, leaning against the wall for support as he dragged himself slowly up to his full height.

Blood soaked the right side of his tunic, blood dripping where the pieces of glasteel had gotten lodged even deeper. More ran down his face, mixing with grime and dirt kicked up from the explosion. His robes had been singed, filling the air with a toxic smell that Bernard's nostrils barely picked up over the ferric smell of his own blood mixing with sweat.

Bernard took a tentative step, nearly doubling over. He caught himself on the wall and, wincing, took the second step. He had to get away from here, had to get closer to Auteme.

Pieces of rubble clattered to the floor behind him. The roof section had become unstable from the explosion. Pausing, Bernard looked back. If the Sith had somehow managed to survive, perhaps collapsing the roof on top of him would do the rest and take him out for good.

He tapped into what wellspring of the Force he still could and reached out toward the roof. His invisible sense felt around the supports, finding a twisted, coiled section that had been sufficiently weakened and, with one good pull, snapped it. A loud cracking sound came from the section right outside the office, then a second above the door frame, and a third inside the office itself.

Bernard didn't look back to see his work unfold, instead pressing on down the hallway. As he did, he unfastened a stim shot from his belt and plunged it into his side. The automatic injector hissed, then clicked as its charge was expended. A sharp burn coursed through Bernard's side, followed by relief. The delirium clouding his senses began to clear and his vision began to return to normal.

As the bacta mixed with adrenaline to slowly suppress the pain, he found himself able to walk more easily, without needing the wall to support himself. He was battered, bruised, bleeding, and heavily injured. His arm had been rendered useless in the initial ambush.

Bernard scoffed. What a failure he was. His carelessness had led him right into an ambush, and he'd paid the price for it. Now Auteme would have half a Jedi, maybe less by the time he got there, come to reinforce her, and all while she faced Darth Solipsis. At best he might provide a brief distraction so she might escape. In the state he was in, he wouldn't manage more than a few moments against an evil with powers as grand and unstoppable as those of the Dark Lord of the New Sith Order.

But if death was his fate here, then so be it. If it served to give Auteme a better fighting chance against this evil, it wouldn't be in vain.

Bernard grabbed the bandages from his pouch, and began to wrap them around his arm and torso, trapping the arm against his side. He'd made progress down the hall, closing in on one of the hallways leading to the Senate Hall observation lounges. He felt a tug in that direction, and turned to head down the pathway.

He wouldn't succumb to his wounds yet, not while there was work to be done still. If he'd die today, then let that death be worth something. Let him die at the side of his friend.

 

[Thalia Senn]

Sahar
​

Their sabers clashed, their plasmatic blades crackling and hissing. Thalia thought she recognized the face, one of the Imperial Knights that had attacked the Alliance all those years ago back on Illum. She looked so haggard now, riddled with canyons and ravines around the corners of her eyes and mouth as if from her muscles being frozen in a perpetual scowl and frown. She felt the hate flowing off of her in waves, the negative emotions barely contained beneath the veneer of duty. Thalia wanted to say the woman had been manipulated like she had been in her youth, but she knew this woman. She had always been this way. Darth Solipsis only allowed an environment for this desert beast to flourish.

"Eloquence was never my strongsuit," Thalia quipped back.

Thalia pulled away from the heavy assault, prepared for the strike-

HISS

Pain.

Thalia screamed as the slag scorched her left eye. Tempest giggled in delight, the pain making her stronger. Thalia clamped down on the sudden urge to kill, to see this schutta dead. She screamed instead and let the pain free. She staggered back, gloved hand to her still smoking flesh. With her saber hand she shifted her stance, pointing the tip of her blade to the side in a high guard. She offered a wicked grin that was all teeth, a smile through the pain and the fiery blood that ran down the side of her face. In stained her teeth red. Oh, Tempest would get her fight. Thalia would beat this woman into the deep, bound in her own bones.

"Speyr Balley take this Darth queen," Thalia hissed between clenched teeth. She lunged, her attack filled with newfound vigor.

​

​

 

[Castor E-196]

GOOD_SOLDIERS_FOLLOW_ORDERS

Master Sergeant Castor E-196
SpecNav Commando Group Three; Attached to Task Force Vader, aboard the INV Predator​

Objective: Repel Boarders
Tags:
JEDI BOARDERS enemies Jasper Kai'el Braze
DARK EMPIRE allies Marlon Sularen Abraxas Colt

"Checkmate."

In an instant, the world disappeared. Castor could feel the vac-seals strain moment before the hangar totally voided. Simple purge protocol, but they had gone in half-cocked and without backup.

<<MAX MAG NOW>>

Castor could just catch half of the stormtroopers root themselves and grab something sturdy, but he (and the glory-hungry Sergeant) was not. His mag boots beeped in emergency as the sudden suction pulled him off his feet. He tried to grab something, anything, catching onto some pipe, before that too bent. He just had to hold on for a few seconds until the air voided- but it wasn't enough.

The pipe snapped and he was pushed out, out into the void.

It wasn't his first time out in here, Castor knew, but it was probably his most embarrassing. He watched serenely as starships exchanged turbolast fire all around him, his helmet's aural simulation field turned off, leaving him in total silence save his breathing. Why was he here? What was he doing here?

Castor watched the Sergeant float away, a pipe smashed through his body. That could be me, he thought. He knew what he risked every time he put on (and even times he did not put on) the RAMPART armour that was like a second skin.

An uncomfortable thought wormed its way into his mind the same way he felt the cold of space begin to penetrate his armour's self-regulation. If he died now... It would be for a fleet that no longe existed with an admiral that was dead and an empire he did not... love? Did love ever come into the equation?

Oh, how easy things had been under the Fels.

Back in the hangar, about a dozen of the stormtroopers maintained their position, mag boots at max and grabbing on to crevices and cover. But now they were vulnerable and without both their leaders.

 

[Wilhelm Vonreg]

L O N G_L I V E_T H E_E M P I R E
Chapter One : Eclipse

DARK EMPIRE
CORUSCANT, CORE WORLDS

CRIMSON LININGS
Crimson Leader [100|082] Crimson One [100|100] Crimson Two [100|045] Crimson Three [100|100] Crimson Four [100|100]

As the Crimson Linings closed in on Revenant Squadron ready to move in an engage their long-time foes, one of the Revenant X-Wings soon split off from the rest of the formation followed by another X-Wing with both fighters flying upwards and out of the Crimson Baron's view but Vonreg knew what trick they were pulling, as his sensors now showed those two X-Wings baring down on his flight of TIEs before unleashing a barrage of heavy fire against them, with many of their shots directly hitting both Vonreg's TIE Destroyer and one of his escorting TIE Vanguards. Fortunately their shields allowed them to tank such an attack along with further attacks launched by both X-Wings, although they wouldn't be able to sustain such attacks for an extended period of time.

Now being pursued by a pair of X-Wings, Vonreg's groups of TIEs quickly broke off their pursuit of Revenant Squadron maintaining their formation as they flew through the skyscrapers of Coruscant while still pursued by the pair of X-Wings. "Crimson Three, Crimson Four. Try to circle around and pin them down from the rear." Vonreg ordered just as the Crimson Linings began approaching another set of skyscrapers which as they pass by the tall buildings allowed the TIE Defenders at both edges of the formation to split off and attempt to circle around the buildings in an attempt to catch the two X-Wings from the rear while they still pursued Vonreg's main group.

With luck, the Crimson Linings might be able to regain the upper hand against the pair of pilots and score some more high-profile kills by claiming the lives of more of the Alliance's best pilots.

Tags [Engaging] | Wedge Draav | Reima Vitalis
Tags [GA] | Shar Sieu | Addison Porte | Djikra Elnev | Teravin Arosin
Tags [DE] | SCAR | Electra-12 | Katia Alkas | Innis Tarring | Eiric Ardos | Soontir Barvel | Tansu Treicolt | Talin Treicolt | Talsin Lota ​