Private Dark Clouds Come Rolling By

[Shan Pavond]

"We're not in visible range of them yet. I don't need to worry about smiling, just yet."

Shan joked slightly at that, taking a moment to just settle his nerves. Making sure his lightsaber was at his side, since the Padawan felt like he was going to need to make use of it quite a bit today. That was fine though. He wasn't as hesitant with fighting as he used to be. Plus it wouldn't be like he was fighting for himself. He'd be trying to protect others. No. He would be protecting others.

"I'll make sure to get you time to do your runes Master, and deal with any threats that may be on the Moon already."

Okay. Relax. Let the stress fade, and just focus on protecting people. He could do this. There was no need to be nervous. Kahlil was right, and he needed to smile. Think of happy things. Valery, Kahlil, Colette, the rest of the nobles, Zaiya. They managed to bring a smile to his face no matter what and that was what he needed. To comfort his own worries, and to be sure to smile for the people on the surface!

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

<I know.>

Kahlil chuckled, seemingly for no reason. Then paused. And cleared his throat.

<Love you too.>

He wasn't going to dig that hole, not this time anyway. He glanced back to Shan as they neared the surface before he reached down to gently pat his shoulder. He hadn't meant to put the weight of forcing himself to be happy on Shan's shoulders, but it was interesting to see him try anyway. Put those around him who need it most above his own worry.

"Good. Then we have a plan. Take the speeder, find those on the list and bring them back. I'll set up the runes then join once they're good."

Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

<I know.>

Valery was about to turn around to pout and death glare...

<Love you too.>

She smiled at him a second longer and departed. On board the derelict, it didn't take long for her to find the people still alive. They were mostly on the bridge, with a few down near the engineering deck to fix the engines. The ship luckily wasn't dead in the water, but it'd take some time to get them going again.

Time meant taking risks.

Down at the moon's surface, the Master and Padawan would detect numerous signals of people needing help. But if Shan took the speeder to go after them, there were other problems to deal with too. Scanners picked up on a handful of Imperial shuttles coming down, some near the people needing help, but some closer to where Kahlil was setting up his runes.

It wouldn't be long before imperial soldiers were upon them.

Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Sounds good to me Master. I'd ask for you to stay safe but...well, I don't think I need to ask that of you."
His fake smile slowly grin into an actual grin at that, as he headed over towards the speeder. He could always try doing mounted combat with his lightsaber...but if he was going to be on the move, he was going to want to rely on his blaster. It might be harder to have to rely on his stun setting but...It was still in his nature. The Imperial soldiers were still people at the end of the day.

Focus was gonna be key as Shan threw himself onto the speeder, turning to look over towards the refugees outside of the ship, giving them a grin alongside a thumbs up.

"Everything's gonna be alright! We're going to help you get out of here. Just keep your eyes out for anything though. Don't forget, you've all made it this far. You're all strong yourself."

Hopefully that would calm some nerves. He was hoping some of them would help act as extra eyes and ears for Kahlil whilst Shan was off on the speeder. Doing what they could to help out. Either way, he set off on the speeder to pick up as many refugees as he could, keeping his blaster ready at the same time in case he had to blast off at some of the imperial soldiers.

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"No jumping off cliffs, though. All things serious for a moment." Kahlil had started to chuckle at Shan's advice, but the memory of his choice with the Sithspawn flashed in his mind before he could. He trusted that Shan wasn't going to put himself in harms way again, mostly, but he still wanted to speak up on it.

Kahlil still gave a thumbs up and a grin in return at lesst, then turned to scrawl out on the dirt. In the dirt. He wasn't going to use the chalk for this and instead started to carve the strange symbols in the dirt with his lightsaber. They'd be permanent, until repaired. Which was the goal, anyway. He needed a lot to set up the safe zone he had in mind.

Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

While Kahlil began to set up his runes, people soon appeared. They had been sent his way by Shan and were looking for refuge with the Jedi. Their fear was a constant pulse in the Force, but Shan had given them hope, and seeing the Jedi Master at the ship where they were sent offered relief.

They were going to make it.

But as people rushed in, danger grew closer as well. The group up ahead for Shan was on the run, but with Imperial soldiers not far behind. Blaster bolts colored the sky red, and several had already been shot. They were going to need his help before it was too late. At the same time, one squad of enemy soldiers drew closer to the Bastion as well.

The people now thinking they were safe, wouldn't be for long.

Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

There was no way Shan would be able to just direct the refugees ahead of him back to Kahlil. Especially with the soldiers on their tail, so the Mirialan just turned up the throttle on the speeder, making his way directly into the group of Imperial Soldiers, taking his lightsaber off his hip. By the Force, this was going to be so sore but he was ready for it. At the last minute, the Mirialan turned the speeder bike to try and slide with the speeder to take out some of the imperials before jumping off the speeder.

With the dismount, Shan then turned his attention to protecting the refugees, twisting and turning his lightsaber to deflect various bolts back towards the Soldiers. Time for some more of Kahlil's teaching to come in handy as he held his spare hand out in the direction of the refugees, focusing on the ground of the Moon before Shan thrust his hand up to bring up a wall of earth and ground to protect the refugees whilst Shan dealt with the imperials.

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil had started to hum. It wasn't a particularly interesting song, but one he'd kept close to his chest. To help calm, to help keep focused. Each rune needed to be placed exactly and correctly, less they break something and shatter the sequence. He was at least long used to making them, but even the slightest bit of haste when carving into the ground with a lightsaber could make an irreversible mistake.

It was only when he was finished that he looked up to glance over the group that had gathered, then motioned for them to step inside.

"Quick."

He could feel them coming, the enemy. His saber flared up, catching the first volley of shots along it as the people meandered their way in. There wasn't urgency until that first shot. Then panic.

At least until the barrier formed around them. Kahlil stood outside the bubble, his green saber calmly humming in his palm.

"It would be wise to turn around, but we know you can't. It's not too late to surrender. Defect, even. Your Sith masters won't think twice about killing all of you to get what they want."

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

The Imperials scattered with Shan driving his speeder straight into their ranks, but several were not fast enough to escape a collision. The drifting speeder caught them during their escape and sent them down to the ground with various injuries. Those still standing, however, turned to the Padawan and opened fire with lethal intent. No stun bolts, no calls for surrender — they weren't going to stop until the Mirialan was dead on the ground.

"Take your squad and go after the refugees! He can't fight us in two places at once!" One of the Imperial commanding officers called out. A group of 6 split off immediately, while others continued to fire at the Jedi.

Their hope was to split his attention between different groups.

Back at the shuttle, the Imperial soldiers ran into problems as well. The people they were after were shielded by a barrier that wouldn't collapse under their heavy fire, and before it stood a Jedi Master widely known throughout the Galaxy. But they had their orders, and there was little to no fear in their eyes because of it.

"It would be even wiser for you to surrender, Jedi. The other Jedi with you won't be save for long, and we know of the third up in space. Will you stay here and protect these people if we kill them?"

Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"...You know I have two hands, right? I suppose there isn't really a point in trying to get you guys to surrender? Shame. I'll at least try to be gentle."

Now Shan was feeling plenty grateful for Kahlil's training in using a blaster as he kept his blaster in his off hand, firing off bolts ahead of him at towards the main group of troopers. They were going to be easier to hit, considering they were going to be closer than the ones heading after the refugees. It was clear that they were underestimating him as a padawan...and hell, most of the time Shan couldn't complain against that judgment but he had his own plan.

Using his lightsaber in his dominant hand, Shan just focused on slashing the blaster bolts. Soresu was his main style after all, so doing deflecting slashes was quite easy for him. Accurate deflection meanwhile...Well, that was another thing altogether. Just sending bolts off in opposite directions as the Mirialan was trying to figure out what strategy he wanted to go with. He mostly focused on outlasting his opponents but that wouldn't work right now, with the other six heading after the refugees...Hm...

The Mirialan uncurled his index and middle finger from his lightsaber's hilt before sending a wave of the Force into the ground of the Moon, to kick up a large amount of moondust. A makeshift smokescreen whilst he got to work on trying to run off after the troopers who had ran away...Maybe learning Force Speed from Jonyna would have came in useful right now, but instead he was going to have to rely on running as fast he can naturally run.

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"If you know who I am, then you already know who's with me. It might be a good idea to call back your men just so you don't suffer any losses you could've prevented, mm?" Kahlil glanced to the one who spoke. He kept his saber level, ready. But he knew they weren't going to try anything, not yet at least. If they were smart. He looked to the people behind him, giving them a brief smile. They were safe.

That's what he cared about.

"Your mission is bust, commander. Just save your men. The Sith won't kill all of you for failure, but if you don't turn around and leave I will to protect these people."

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

The two Jedi were practically unstoppable to these Imperial Soldiers. Without Sith to back them up and without special weapons that were trickier to deal with, they knew they couldn't really stand up against Jedi. The group that split up near Shan discovered as much, when the Padawan easily swatted away their burst of blaster fire. But as he did, the Mirialan still found himself able to tap into the Force as well and create a cloud of moondust.

The accuracy of their blaster fire decreased significantly, and those who had split off understood he was coming for them now. In a desperate attempt to keep the Jedi from stopping them, one Imperial Soldier took hold of a refugee, wrapped his arm around the woman's neck, and held his pistol against the side of her head.

Even Jedi would struggle in hostage situations, right?

"Stand back, Jedi, and put down your lightsaber."

Not far away, Kahlil confronted the squad of soldiers who were sent after his shuttle and the refugees hiding inside. They had threatened him directly, and threatened to kill Shan and his wife, but Kahlil was not impressed. He knew that they were no match for any of the Jedi on this mission.

"You can't fight us all and protect those people at the same time," he tried, and with a quick signal, the soldiers began to spread out. They were hoping to circle themselves around the ship, forcing Kahlil's attention to split between too wide of an area. Meanwhile, they all kept their weapons leveled at the Jedi Master.

"Put down your weapon, Master Jedi."

Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"...You know what will happen to you, if you kill her, right?"

It was time for bluffing. Somewhat. He couldn't risk trying to use geokinesis to hit the soldier from behind in case it caused him to pull the trigger. There was a chance that he'd be able to sprint straight at them but accuracy with his lightsaber would be an issue...He could try to fight through the soldier's arm as well, but there's a chance that would slash the woman. Sure, in a situation with backup, he'd be able to heal her but the other soldiers would fire on him before he could do that. Threatening was his plan, even if it wasn't very...Jedi-like.

There were too far away for him to think about shielding the woman with the Force...Shan kept trying to figure out what to do against the soldier. His best plan of action was well...using his words to try and intimidate them. Get them to drop their weapons as Shan just held his hands up in the air, keeping a small grin on his face to hide his nerves. He had to reassure the refugees that he wasn't scared.

"There's a myraid of things that could happen. I could use my lightsaber to chop you up, I could use the Force to crush you with the Earth. Of course, if you just put your weapon down yourself, I'm sure nothing bad will happen to you."

Hm...There was one stray thought that might work. Pushing and tugging at the waves of the Force around him, trying to use the Force to take a grip of the Blaster away from the woman's neck and lift his arm up into the air...and then chucked his lightsaber straight towards the soldier's arm. Shan was used to chopping off people's arms. After all, it made them 'armless.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil let out a sigh. Fear was a powerful motivator. There was no chance for peace, not for these men and women. Not with the Sith breathing down their necks. Failure was just as much death as facing the Jedi down, but at least fighting meant they could win. The Jedi lowered his hand, and with it, the Force suddenly brought down an incredible weight on all of their shoulders. They'd made their choice, and he wasn't going to hold back, not if it meant harm to those he was trying to defend.

So right into the ground they'd go, dead or not didn't matter so long as the others were safe.

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

"You tell me," the soldier asked, but to his surprise, Shan was very open about the things he could do to him. Even Imperial soldiers knew how Jedi limited themselves when it came to killing or causing harm. Would he really go that far? With a helmet covering his face, it didn't show, but he was growing nervous.

He couldn't let Shan get too close.

"You wouldn't go that far. If you do, the Empire will welcome you among their ranks of Sith or Dark Jedi." He took several more steps back, the blaster shakily resting against the side of the woman's head.

He hoped Shan would back down.

Near the shuttle, Kahlil had given his warning but the soldiers were not willing to listen. The Force came crashing down upon them as a result, flattening them all against the ground. The few civilians who witnessed it looked at Kahlil with widened eyes, both grateful and terrified.

A trained Jedi had so much raw power.

<Love?> Valery asked over comms. <Are you two almost ready down there? I've caught a lot of unwanted attention.> It was more difficult to get a precise reading on what was happening on the moon due to interference. But up in space, the enemy had very much noticed Valery going around in her shuttle, and several interceptors were already on her tail.

Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Come on. You know who my master is. And you honestly think I'd want to join your Empire? I'd rather join the Sith Order. After all, I have a good relationship with some of them, after they kept me around for a bit. Maybe I picked up a few tricks."

Shan wasn't going to back down. There wasn't anything he had actually learned from the Sith. And when he said good relationship with some of them...well, it was more about Nyaeli. And even then, Nyaeli probably still wanted him dead so he was lying about that as well. It felt wrong to be lying. But it was what he had to do to try and save the woman. If he was the kind of person who thinks the ends justify the means, he would have shot her in the leg with his blaster, and then attacked...but no. It wasn't worth it.

His eyes narrowed on the trooper's shaking blaster, before jumping straight into action. A shaking arm was a perfect target for him to reach out with the Force to grip onto it. Ripping his hand to the side, Shan tried to use the Force to make the soldier's arm move off to the side before Shan threw his lightsaber as hard as he could, sending it in a vertical spin to try and slice the hand off at the hand. As much as he was trying to intimidate the troopers and focus on using Form 0 to dispatch the situation, there were times that called for violent measures. That didn't mean he wanted them to suffer though.

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble