Dawn Comes
JEDHA CITY
Northern Section
Tythoni Square, Holy Quarter
BLUFOR: The Galactic Alliance, their Allies;
Nearby:
Zark San Tekka
,
Gorthalon
,
Zanvic "Ironhide" Dak
OPFOR: The Brotherhood of the Maw, The New Sith Order; OPEN
Zark San Tekka
,
Gorthalon
,
Zanvic "Ironhide" Dak
Nearby:
The Mongrel
's Forces,
Keilara Kala'myr
,
Tegan Starfall
The Mongrel
's Forces,
Keilara Kala'myr
,
Tegan Starfall
OBJECTIVE: Hold the Line
The first families arrived soon after. A tall human man and his daughter and son rushed past the left side barricade and now headed towards the back of the Square where Bernard and the Chiss stood surveying the Maw's advance. Several blocks down the street, past the families, shuttles began to spew out their Marauder cargo into the Holy Quarter. A dark mass of troops with armour that made them seem like they had come right out of the Galactic Dark Age. They marched down the street, more slowly than Bernard had expected, while smaller units dispersed through the alleys of Jedha City, the larger force advanced systematically through the streets, marking houses and capturing civilians unfortunate enough not to have made it to a defended shelter or out of the city.
The terror sweeping the people began to smoulder deep inside Bernard's awareness. Bloodlust washed over the city. Death, pain, fear, anger all swirled together in a storm of emotion that struck Bernard like a wave. For a moment, it became difficult to concentrate on anything. The Chiss captain became a blur, his troops white shapes moving against burnt yellow. Distant screams merged into louder wails, explosions and blaster fire ripped through the cityscape, and the perverse cries of joy the Marauders let loose sent a sickening feeling into Bernard's stomach. And was that smoke in the air? His mind struggled to process all the sensations. Civilians, defenders, and invaders shone like beacons in the Force, each a small luminescence on their own, but together, they became a dizzying glare in the Force.
"Master Jedi, is everything alright?" The Chiss asked, concern showed through his voice, but he masked it well. Bernard doubted anyone but a Jedi could have picked up on it.
"I'm fine," Bernard said, raising a hand to his head for a moment. "I'm not used to...to taking in so many sensations through the Force."
He'd been a part of wars before, tread battlefields on worlds that faced Sith foes, even lived through the Sacking of Coruscant. Yet, none of those events had struck him as hard as the scene unfolding before him did. His stomach rolled with faint nausea, and a mild throb sunk daggers into his temples. There was no greater suffering afflicting Jedha City than he'd experienced on other fields of battle, yet he felt utterly miserable here. He placed a hand on his head, calling on the Force to sink into a healing trance, and closed himself off to the world beyond this square. He couldn't save everyone. He needed to focus on the ones he could.
The world returned to normal, and he shook away the last echoes of pain. More civilians had funneled into the square, dozens of families, hundreds of panicked people fleeing the roving hordes of the Brotherhood. They crowded the space, crying for help or screaming in terror. Bernard had to cut himself off further, bring his awareness to just himself and the enemies he could see. Their lust for war became the only thing he could feel, and it sickened him. He let it become the fuel for his focus.
Soldiers tried to calm the mass of people, yelling instructions to remain calm and reassurances of safety, but to little effect. Bernard glanced to the Chiss, who'd already begun to make his way to the front of the crowd, slipping his helmet on.
"Citizens of Jedha, fear not," he began, using the built in vocoder to amplify his voice. "The enemy has arrived at our city, but they do not find us defenceless. The troops of the Alliance Defence Force will keep you safe, and you may rejoice!" The Chiss turned to Bernard, who was already anticipating the man's next words and felt the urge to shrink away, but didn't. The people needed hope, now more than ever. "We have a Jedi among us who will see to it that we are protected!"
Bernard took a few steps closer, unsure what to do for a moment, then took the lightsabre from his belt and brought it to life held high above him.
The crowd didn't cheer, they didn't much seem to react with any great measure of relief, but they did quiet, and Bernard could at least see the panic slowly drain out of their faces. It was a crude speech, and Bernard's display had shown the smallest moment of hesitation, but once they might have cheered, even in the face of evil, because they had one of the galaxy's famous Jedi warriors with them, especially after the Jedi had played a key role in the destruction of the longest-standing bastion of evil in the galaxy. But news of the Sacking of Coruscant had reached the people even at the fringes of Alliance territory, and their confidence and trust had been shaken.
If the Crown Jewel of the Core could be sacked so easily, what chance did a minor dustbowl at the edge of Unknown Space have?
That he had to entertain such questions made Bernard's stomach twist. He hated what the Maw had done to them. He knew well that hate was a path to the Dark Side, and he would never admit to it out loud. He did his due diligence with the Order's masters to reign in his emotions through meditation and cleansing in the Force, but the hate he felt for evils such as those the Maw perpetrated had stayed with him. It had been smoldering beneath the surface for over a decade.
The Chiss began to corral the people into the great hall at the back edge of the square. The people began to shuffle in, seemingly happy to be out of the way of the blaster fire. Their solemn faces made Bernard steel himself again, for the fight. He forced his thoughts to stay in the moment, in this fight. He restrained the anger, the hatred, to be locked away so better emotions could take their place, to guide him to act like a Jedi should. He had to act like one, needed to act like one. He'd promised it, not just to himself but to someone important, and he couldn't go back on that promise, not when breaking it meant losing everything.
The terror sweeping the people began to smoulder deep inside Bernard's awareness. Bloodlust washed over the city. Death, pain, fear, anger all swirled together in a storm of emotion that struck Bernard like a wave. For a moment, it became difficult to concentrate on anything. The Chiss captain became a blur, his troops white shapes moving against burnt yellow. Distant screams merged into louder wails, explosions and blaster fire ripped through the cityscape, and the perverse cries of joy the Marauders let loose sent a sickening feeling into Bernard's stomach. And was that smoke in the air? His mind struggled to process all the sensations. Civilians, defenders, and invaders shone like beacons in the Force, each a small luminescence on their own, but together, they became a dizzying glare in the Force.
"Master Jedi, is everything alright?" The Chiss asked, concern showed through his voice, but he masked it well. Bernard doubted anyone but a Jedi could have picked up on it.
"I'm fine," Bernard said, raising a hand to his head for a moment. "I'm not used to...to taking in so many sensations through the Force."
He'd been a part of wars before, tread battlefields on worlds that faced Sith foes, even lived through the Sacking of Coruscant. Yet, none of those events had struck him as hard as the scene unfolding before him did. His stomach rolled with faint nausea, and a mild throb sunk daggers into his temples. There was no greater suffering afflicting Jedha City than he'd experienced on other fields of battle, yet he felt utterly miserable here. He placed a hand on his head, calling on the Force to sink into a healing trance, and closed himself off to the world beyond this square. He couldn't save everyone. He needed to focus on the ones he could.
The world returned to normal, and he shook away the last echoes of pain. More civilians had funneled into the square, dozens of families, hundreds of panicked people fleeing the roving hordes of the Brotherhood. They crowded the space, crying for help or screaming in terror. Bernard had to cut himself off further, bring his awareness to just himself and the enemies he could see. Their lust for war became the only thing he could feel, and it sickened him. He let it become the fuel for his focus.
Soldiers tried to calm the mass of people, yelling instructions to remain calm and reassurances of safety, but to little effect. Bernard glanced to the Chiss, who'd already begun to make his way to the front of the crowd, slipping his helmet on.
"Citizens of Jedha, fear not," he began, using the built in vocoder to amplify his voice. "The enemy has arrived at our city, but they do not find us defenceless. The troops of the Alliance Defence Force will keep you safe, and you may rejoice!" The Chiss turned to Bernard, who was already anticipating the man's next words and felt the urge to shrink away, but didn't. The people needed hope, now more than ever. "We have a Jedi among us who will see to it that we are protected!"
Bernard took a few steps closer, unsure what to do for a moment, then took the lightsabre from his belt and brought it to life held high above him.
The crowd didn't cheer, they didn't much seem to react with any great measure of relief, but they did quiet, and Bernard could at least see the panic slowly drain out of their faces. It was a crude speech, and Bernard's display had shown the smallest moment of hesitation, but once they might have cheered, even in the face of evil, because they had one of the galaxy's famous Jedi warriors with them, especially after the Jedi had played a key role in the destruction of the longest-standing bastion of evil in the galaxy. But news of the Sacking of Coruscant had reached the people even at the fringes of Alliance territory, and their confidence and trust had been shaken.
If the Crown Jewel of the Core could be sacked so easily, what chance did a minor dustbowl at the edge of Unknown Space have?
That he had to entertain such questions made Bernard's stomach twist. He hated what the Maw had done to them. He knew well that hate was a path to the Dark Side, and he would never admit to it out loud. He did his due diligence with the Order's masters to reign in his emotions through meditation and cleansing in the Force, but the hate he felt for evils such as those the Maw perpetrated had stayed with him. It had been smoldering beneath the surface for over a decade.
The Chiss began to corral the people into the great hall at the back edge of the square. The people began to shuffle in, seemingly happy to be out of the way of the blaster fire. Their solemn faces made Bernard steel himself again, for the fight. He forced his thoughts to stay in the moment, in this fight. He restrained the anger, the hatred, to be locked away so better emotions could take their place, to guide him to act like a Jedi should. He had to act like one, needed to act like one. He'd promised it, not just to himself but to someone important, and he couldn't go back on that promise, not when breaking it meant losing everything.
