Mission [GA | NJO] Stopping the Weapon

[Corin Trenor]

His time with the Padawans had been cut short. His ascension had seen to that. There was little and less time to be found with former friends and once familiar faces, a new batch of issues that required his attention with each rotation of a thousand suns. To be thrown in on a mission with one of them was a surprise to be sure, but even more so find it was to be Silas. Of them all, him? Fine, Corin conceded silently.

He twirled the hilt of the blade in his hand, a dextrous and practised movement from a thousand hours of idle nothingness. Corin lofted a brow in some milf confusion to both statements with the rest of him leaned against the wall. "I don't even remember what you're talking about." He confirmed smugly.

Corin leaned towards the edge of the wall, only his eyes fell around the corner. He waved his hand for the Padawan to make a move, "Go on." He reinforced verbally."

Silas Westgard

 

[Alek Morozov]

I - Raiding the Refinery
Imperial Security Bureau
Investigating Seditious Behavior/Assisting Imperial Comrades

Allies: Aschwin Vethres Melvain Braxis Aoki-Barran Mira (Open)
Enemies: Caltin Vanagor Caedyn Arenais Silas Westgard Aveline Cuiléin Corin Trenor (Open)

​

Alek let out an exasperated sigh and reclined back into the unyielding metallic chair that served as the only place to sit in what was, in the most diplomatic of terms, that could be chosen a janitor's closet of an office within the refinery. Yet an office it was, serving as the formal station for whatever unlucky soul within the Imperial Security Bureau found themselves stationed on such a remote location.

That unlucky soul, much to Alek’s own discontent, was none other than himself. Given the inglorious task of reviewing the files of workers at the refinery that had been flagged for ‘review’. Review, in this case, meaning having said or done something that could be considered seditious to the Empire.

Minor infractions, at best. The worst of them having been a tasteless joke involving an administrator of the facility that very likely deserved it. Yet, it was work to be done. Glorious or otherwise.

Alek closed his eyes, unwilling to take another look at the pile of files that awaited scrutiny that never seemed to ever be vanquished in entirety. Here he stayed, sleep threatening to overtake him, when he heard it.

Klaxons, screaming, the fluorescent white light that filled the office defiled with the red of alarm, flashing as violently as the alarm screamed.

“A drill?” He spoke aloud, to none but himself in his own tiny world that was the office.

Alek smothered the glee at the prospect of liberation from his arduous task at the distant sound of explosions paired with the minor tremors beneath the feet.

No, this was something else entirely. Alek scrambled about the desk, freeing the lock on the drawer with a keying in of the code and withdrawing the blaster pistol inside, and made for the door.

Call it intuition, or sheer dumb luck that Alek found his way through the flurry of activity, into the presence of knights. Not just that. Imperial Knights. An inspiring sight. For reasons beyond those of simple self preservation. Not to say that there wasn’t a healthy dose of that. “Knights.” Alek stated, raising a hand in the briefest of greetings, far more concerned with keeping pace to wherever they were heading.

“What do we know?”

 

[Amani Serys]

Iris Arani
​

"Nnnnope. Just us," Amani confirmed, "Not like we aren't used to it, right?" They had added a few new healers to their roster as of late but it still wasn't exactly like they were fully stocked. And of course, Nida getting captured only put a damper on things even further. With the rest occupied elsewhere, it once again left Iris and Amani as the last two standing.

A drunken figure stumbled up to the Chief Healer, and presented a scrape on his knee. She looked up at him and grimaced, "Really? You came here for that?" After a beat she simply rolled her eyes and slapped a patch over it, before snapping her fingers back towards the exit, "Get outta here."

As Amani awaited the next arrival, she paused to watch Iris do some work of her own. The padawan had a talent for the healing arts, and for Jedihood as a whole. The mirialan had always been very supportive of her growth where she could be, "So… any idea how much more you've got left to go before your Knighthood?"

 

[Iris Arani]

With the help of the droid, things were already starting to get smooth. Organization and, more importantly, an extra set of hands made it just.. That much easier. Iris crouched down, dabbing at the cut on a boys forehead. An unfortunate soul too close to the riot. And easy to heal, at least. She smiled softly as she applied the patch. "You'll be fine. Okay?" The kid just nodded before being collected by his mother. Iris let out a sigh, though blinked as she glanced back towards Amani.

".. I honestly have no idea. It's up to Master Noble."

Amani Serys

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Objective 1: Raiding the Refinery | Open​

---

Starfighter: NJO - Jedi Vector Mk 2.
Apparel: Jedi Garments.
Weapon: Armistice Staff Lightsaber | Thermex charges.

---

The climb down hadn't been easy. Not due to the fact of the task at hand but rather the sound and vibrations that ran up the cliff face in response to the heavy blaster fire from the Corvette and X-Wing assaulting the Refinery. Naturally, the Imperial response was similarly vocal and shook the face of the rock that Caedyn Arenais had been abseiling down en route to the rear of the compound.

The Jedi Knight's boots met with the ground and he dropped quickly to one knee, detaching his lightsaber hilt from his belt and readying it in one hand while tightening the bag slung over his left shoulder that carried the Thermex Charges. His infiltration was complete and now the easier part of the mission was over. Keeping comm-silent, Caedyn detached the cable from his utility belt before moving to find better cover while studying the Imperial response on the outside of the Refinery.

The Imperials were scrambling. They hadn't expected the attack from what he could see. Frankly, Caedyn himself didn't like the idea of going on the attack considering the number of times he had been lectured by his father on the Jedi ideologies, let alone the teachings he himself had passed on to other students about them being peacekeepers; Not soldiers. Even so, the completion of such immeasurable weapons was not something that he could just sit back and allow after the number of his friends had been reduced to space dust by the prototype super-laser.

His attention turned to the rear of the facility, Caedyn searching for a way in through the back. His eyes landed on a group of Stormtroopers exiting the refinery in order to provide reinforcements to the perimeter of the compound. He waited for the soldiers to get clear before leaving his cover and making the move inside.

His objective would be to identify the industrial plant's support struts, placing the charges in order to weaken the refineries' structural integrity and bring it all crumbling down. Furthermore, any equipment appearing of any significance to the creation of these weapons. Ilum had been hit for their Kyber crystals. Distillation units. Flammable chemicals. Anything that could add to the explosive force of the Thermex Charges, could and would provide fuel to the fire.

Allies: Caltin Vanagor | Aveline Cuiléin | Ari Naldax | Silas Westgard | Corin Trenor
Imperials: Aschwin Vethres | Melvain Braxis | Alek Morozov

 

[Gabriel Pryce]

Osarla Ridor

The Outer Rim wasn't as different from the Core as people thought. Take Lothal - It was a mining world, a manufacturing giant for the surrounding sectors, but had simple, kind people dedicated to agriculture. A rough people, not unlike the survivors of Corellia who were now taking steps to reclaim the planet outside of Coronet. But there had been war here too. The signs were everywhere. Burned-out fields that you could see from orbit and bombed-out cities. Tarkin Towns dotted the landscape outside of Capital City but still the people persevered. People were people wherever you went and he was starting to wonder why the Core put so much emphasis on itself when there was a whole Galaxy out there to explore.

His thoughts tumbled around in his thought cage as he and his master walked through the tall grasses of Lotha's prairies, the young Jedi oblivious to the Force and his master's feelings. The tumultuous storm of his imagination tore to shreds any stray thought that might make him remember the trials and tribulations that had brought him here.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Ilum,”

The words crashed into him snapping him out of his happy daze. He looked up sheepishly and thankfully noticed that her focus wasn't on him as she spoke. Learn from his experience?

"I think I already did learn from it Master," he said sarcastically, "Don't get shocked by Force Lightning." He said it with levity which he hoped masked the fear bubbling at the pit of his stomach. He still had nightmares about the lightning, about waking up in a bacta tank in a dark room with nobody there to hear him scream as the gelatinous healing substance slowly choked away his life. A breeze passed over them, rustling the grass. Gabe shivered.

 

[Amani Serys]

Iris Arani
​

Amani pulled out a roll of bandages, and began spooling it around a man's injured arm, "I guess it is," The healer hummed, pausing for a moment as she focused on her work, "Keep heavy strain off it for about a week, switch out bandages regularly. If you're still feeling pain after the week, see a physician." She patted him on the back, and stood up to do a bit of inventory on their supplies.

"…Do you feel ready?" Amani asked, glancing back at Iris as she did.

 

[Aschwin Vethres]

Spoiler: Equipment

Addlehorn Armor
Curved Lightsaber
Light Shield

It would seem that Melvain Braxis would not comment on the numbers facing them at this time. Which only meant that they were facing serious opposition on the front line. The voice of Alek Morozov soon joined them from a door within the hallway and asked them to share information with him on what was currently happening. Aschwin would soon oblige him as they walked.

"We don't know much at this time, but the Alliance have managed to breach into the facility. We are on our way to intercept."

He said in a simple and straightforward manner as they walked further and further through the facility. He felt something within the force in the form of Caedyn Arenais and moved into a sprint to intercept them. "I'm on route to deal with this intruder," Aschwin said towards them and promptly ran down the hallway as planned with his lightsaber drawn. The signs above his head pointed directly to the Research Department of the Facility conducting tests on Doonium. That would most likely be the best place to intercept them at as his running soon came to a halt with the small glow of his curved lightsaber bouncing off the walls.

"Halt in the name of the Empire."

Aschwin said down the hallway towards the intruder (Caedyn Arenais) coming towards his direction.

Aveline Cuiléin
Ari Naldax
Caltin Vanagor

​

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“As long as someone remains standing with a noble heart there will always be a way for good to triumph over evil.”— Chris Colfer

​

You always had a head on your shoulders, Cuiléin. They’re already preparing for us and it will get worse the deeper we get in there. Just keep true to yourself, and your training. You’re still that Padawan that protected all of the others from that sniper/mercenary back in the day.

Everyone needs a few words of encouragement every now and then. As they made their way closer, Caltin Vanagor was getting visibly more shaken at what he was seeing. The size of the facility, the warning signs (not that there were many), the amount of security, it was all showing up to be something horrible. This was something he could look past if the Empire was not developing a superweapon. If that was not bad enough, taking Jedi prisoner, attacking one of the most sacred of planets.

This was beyond the pale.

The pollution coming out of the stacks, the smell, the emaciated workers. Vanagor was not just getting upset, he was getting angry and he was not hiding it for a second.

They threaten our borders… attack our worlds… fire superweapons on us?! Oh… they are getting beat down!

A quick pat on Aveline’s back would let her know (if she had forgotten him by reputation) that he was more than fine and not losing it.

TAG ALLIES: Aveline Cuiléin | Ari Naldax | Silas Westgard | Corin Trenor
TAG FOES: Aschwin Vethres Melvain Braxis Alek Morozov

Spoiler: Personal effects

"Vanguard" (Secondary - Long Handle)

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

 

[Osarla Ridor]

LOTHAL | BYOO
Gabriel Pryce

​

Only half-amused, Osarla let out a grunt of a chuckle and shook her head.

"An avoidance technique." She flashed him a look and matched his sarcasm. "Very sustainable."

His coping mechanisms paralleled Dracken's over two and a half decades ago, and while the teenager sounded convincing enough, there was more there. Something that smouldered and, if allowed to burn, could easily grow to ablazed fear one day. As his teacher, it was her duty to mitigate the fear he felt from not understanding or knowing.

"In case that doesn't work out for you..." her hand smoothed over the tips of green grass, feeling the gentle tickle against her palm "I want you to consider somethin' else."

She kept walking, her stride conversational.

"Many of the powers and techniques you'll use, and will be used against you, are called Force somethin'-or-other. Easy to take for granted, right?" Twisting her head to look over he shoulder at him, she slowed even further so they could be side by side, less him following after her as they wandered through the fields to reach the temple where others would be. It was important to take time here and truly saturate themselves in the richness of Lothal's connection to The Force. It was no Tython nor Ilum, but the sheer diversity in flora and fauna made the intimate connection palpable enough to sense. "Not original names, nah, but apt in their own way.

Think about it. Force Lightning is a technique born of the Force. Corruption of The Force, yes, but The Force nonetheless."

It was so odd to see Osarla like this. It had been years since she'd donned so little of her armour, the soldier part of herself, and donned instead pearls of wisdom that earned her Masterdom. Years and years of being a student who benefitted from patient pedagogies.

Hopefully, the next time Gabe was confounded by agony by an atrocious power, he would at least remember this and devise a strategy from his arsenal of defences: "If it is Force-generated, it can be Force-repelled."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Objective 1: Raiding the Refinery​

---

Starfighter: NJO - Jedi Vector Mk 2.
Apparel: Jedi Garments.
Weapon: Armistice Staff Lightsaber | Thermex charges.
Engaging: Aschwin Vethres | Melvain Braxis | Alek Morozov

---

"Halt in the name of the Empire.".
​

Caedyn's feet came skidding to a stand-still as he looked ahead to see Aschwin Vethres and his entourage of Melvain Braxis and Alek Morozov standing further ahead in the corridor between the Jedi Knight and the deeper facility where his objective lay.

'Blast it all...' he resigned inwardly, his shoulders falling some as he saw the threat for what it was and knew there would be no further progression without a fight to be had between them.

"After the Empire's actions over Ilum, I'm afraid I cannot do that..." Caedyn called out in response to those ahead, his left hand pulling the free strap of the backpack securely over his right shoulder while his right hand would trigger the activation of his lightsaber, spilling a vibrant cyan light around him as the energy dispersed from the hilt with a snap-hiss, only one of his blades being ignited for the time being.

"I don't want to fight you, but regardless of whether I succeed, this facility will come down and you should focus on evacuating your people" Caedyn advised, the hilt of the Armistice bring brought into a two-handed grip as the Jedi then turned to stand side-on from the group ahead. "A mercy that was not afforded to those who were killed by your prototype superweapon" Caedyn added, his hands tightening around the hilt of his Lightsaber.

Allies: Caltin Vanagor | Aveline Cuiléin | Ari Naldax | Silas Westgard | Corin Trenor
Imperials: Aschwin Vethres | Melvain Braxis | Alek Morozov

 

[Iris Arani]

"No, but I hear you never really do. When it happens it does, and you just.. Do it."

Iris shrugged, glancing up from yet another bandaging. Watched Amani. ".. Did you feel ready?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Iris Arani​

“...Nah. Not really,” Amani conceded with a shrug, “Granted my knighting was a little less formal than most,” In her days with the Silvers, she had been reaching the final stages of her Padawan training when her abrupt departure from the Jedi came. So when she made her return years later, Amani was effectively ready to be inducted at the rank of Knight, rather than go through the trials once again. Not quite the ceremony she had dreamed about in her youth, but she had made it there all the same.

“It’s a big step, no doubt. I was excited, but also nervous about messing things up, or not feeling like it was... earned, or whatever. But afterwards, life just continued to spin on, y'know? So you’re right. There’s always more to learn, more to do, as Knights and Masters. So you just keep going,” The healer finished counting up their supplies, setting her datapad face down on top of a crate, “When the time comes, you’ll be ready.” Her master would know best about that, after all, and Amani already knew Iris had it in her to be a great Jedi.

 

[Melvain Braxis]

Allies: Aschwin Vethres
Enemies: Caedyn Arenais | Caltin Vanagor

Snap-Hiss.

"You must not have heard Knight Vethres," Melvain said, raising his white lightsaber in contest. "Lothal is a neutral system and have chosen to work with the Empire. You destroying this facility only serves to harm the burgeoning industry of a Scar World." He cocked his head.

"Are the Jedi really that foolish? You know an Alliance delegation is on the planet? You only serve to hamper relations even further."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Lothal
Objective: Capture the control room of the refinery
Tag: Corin Trenor

Of course, he didn't know, past guilt was never a thought in that knight's mind. Shaking his head slightly at the man, he decided to move on from that subject and do as he was told. He looked over a small barrier they were hiding behind and saw two armed guards by the entrance, looking mean and nasty

"Okay... you take the right I take the left, deal?" he asked the man before grabbing some rubble off the floor and throwing it in their direction. The object crashed to their left and threw their concentration in that direction, leaving his target open for a strike. Running at his enemy with a quick run, he drew back his lightsaber and thrust it straight through his heart. The man fell limp and fell down it, allowing Silas to look to see if his companion had finished the job.

"First step is done, now the hard task of reaching our target"
​

 

[Corin Trenor]

The Padawan could hear the sounds of an action not too disimilar to his own, then able to see the then-corpse of the Imperial crumble into the floor beneath them - a new hole seared into the body, one that steamed and ventilated steam while the wound continued to sear the smallest amount. Corin deactivated the blue coloured blade, the diffusing schwoom noise filled the air for Corin to be left with little more than a metallic hilt.

"How hard can it be, eh?" The Jedi Sentinel remarked with a smirk, a touch too calm. "Lead on, kid. You're up."

Silas Westgard

 

[Aschwin Vethres]

Spoiler: Equipment

Addlehorn Armor
Curved Lightsaber
Light Shield

Aschwin gazed ahead at the intruder (Caedyn Arenais) who promptly voiced his refusal to halt. His personalized curved lightsaber was raised in defense as the soft glow of the man's lightsaber became all the more apparent. He gazed down towards his blade with a somber tone as thoughts entered into his mind about failing to live up to his father's expectations. He had made a considerable stain on the Vethres Bloodline by his failure on Ilum to protect the Mining Operation from Low Level Jedi. Protecting the refinery was not about the workers nor the empire but securing a place as his father's true heir and a worthy successor to his legacy when he eventually passed.

"This facility will stand, as long as the Order of Imperial Knights protect it."

Aschwin said with a simple statement as Melvain Braxis said his own and activated his lightsaber. Alek Morozov was also behind them and needed protection. There was little time to waste entering into discussions when the Alliance was assaulting numerous parts of the facility at the same time. If the jedi stood against them than that was his own choice and he would fall like the rest.

"Make your choice stand and fight with death as the end goal. Or leave this place and live to fight another day."

Caltin Vanagor

​

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Objective 1: Raiding the Refinery​

---

Apparel: Jedi Garments.
Weapon: Armistice Staff Lightsaber | Thermex charges.
Engaging: Aschwin Vethres | Melvain Braxis | Alek Morozov

---

"Are the Jedi really that foolish? You know an Alliance delegation is on the planet?
You only serve to hamper relations even further.".
​

"You claim me to be foolish and yet you expect to attack Illum, a sacred World to the Jedi and expect relations not to have deteriorated?" Caedyn Arenais responded to Melvain Braxis first before looking then to his associate Aschwin Vethres; "While I do appreciate the courtesy of being offered the chance to withdraw, I cannot risk another superweapon to be unleashed upon the Galaxy while I might be able to, at the very least, hinder its construction".

Outnumbered, Caedyn brought the hilt of his Lightsaber forward and at the ready, adopting the stance known as center of being. The second blade soon erupted from the Staff's alternate blade emitter, the cyan light growing in brilliance around where he stood, eyes open yet his senses reaching out to the Force for guidance and in order to pacify the tension that resided over him, anticipating the coming battle and seeing no alternative for the sake of the greater good.

"If you wish to engage me, know that I will do my utmost to spare your lives, however, this will not be an easy fight" Caedyn informed them, not out of arrogance but the certainty that he would do what he could in order to protect the Galaxy from such a devastating weapon. In response to his summons, the light of the Force swelled in towards the Jedi Knight, an unseen yet powerful presence surrounding him as Caedyn sought the peace of mind and clarity of Tactus Otium, expecting no less than to be required to approach this fight with all of his skill and experience given the numbers were stacked against him.

(Apologies for jumping the gun here, I wanted to wait for Alek to post, however, I won't likely have been able to reply for another 12 hours or more.)

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

I — Raiding the Refinery | Alek Morozov ​

You always had a head on your shoulders, Cuiléin. They're already preparing for us and it will get worse the deeper we get in there. Just keep true to yourself, and your training. You're still that Padawan that protected all of the others from that sniper/mercenary back in the day.

Aveline nodded, taking his advice to heart. Standing next to the big guy brought confidence, but his words even more so. She wouldn't betray his trust, wouldn't let him down. That didn't necessarily mean she would succeed, but she would do what was in her power. "Thank you, Caltin" she said, allowing herself to drop the formalities and titles. It was a light touch that hopefully showed she appreciated what he said, and at the same time she couldn't imagine he would mind.

Caltin's quick tirade, followed by the friendly tap got a laugh out of her. "I've missed this" Despite the seriousness of their situation, Caltin had helped her ground herself, remove the layers of anxious anticipation ahead of battle, and get her in a more productive state of mind. She wondered if it was intentional.

"What do you reckon? Stick together or split and do what damage we can?"

There was chaos, but in a sense milder than she had feared. This facility would be defended to be sure, but it wasn't a military stronghold. Perhaps it was the distraction caused by air support, perhaps it was the intimidation factor of the big guy, but they managed to breach into the facility.

The internal layout was unfamiliar to Aveline, and the end of every corridor had the possibility of hiding an enemy squad, or who knew what else. Regardless, she pressed on

Caltin Vanagor
Melvain Braxis
Aschwin Vethres

 

[Alek Morozov]

Refinery​

(Stumbling upon Aveline Cuiléin )

Allies: None
Enemies: Aveline Cuiléin

Alek disappeared, sometime between when the first lightsaber was ignited and words were exchanged between the emerging standoff between Melvain Braxis , Aschwin Vethres and Caedyn Arenais . It was the most logical thing to do in a situation such as that. A brave man might try lending aid to their superhuman comrades as they drew blazing swords against a foe armed with a similar weapon and all with mystical powers at their beck and call. A brave man, yes.

But not a wise man. Partaking in anything of the sort was an excellent way to lose an arm at best, a life at worst, as Alek saw it. If for no other reason than how horribly ill equipped he was at this surprise assault. The knowledge of where the nearest armory was where some semblance of armor could be found was ironically unknown to him, an intelligence officer. The best would have to be done with what was at hand. That being nothing more than the uniform which distinguished his lot, and the blaster pistol in hand.

Alek had no certain destination in mind, having chosen the nearest corridor to vanish down into in the pursuit of self preservation. Aside from the stray squad rushing headlong off this way and that, Alek found himself alone. Which offered a brief respite to think. He’d learned something key from the silver haired knight, that being the sponsors of this assault. The Galactic Alliance.

Truth be told, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. He’d heard the news from Ilum, seen the Holonews scenes that played on repeat across Imperial networks. The truth, or something close enough to it, could be discerned from it all. The Empire attacked an Alliance world, and some sort of new weapon was used which resulted in devastation to both sides. The chaos here, the sound of klaxons screaming, the shaking of the facility from what could be assumed to be aerial assault, the inevitable deaths of god Imperials protecting this station was the response to Ilum.

This troubling storm of thought found itself interrupted at the turn of the corner, and the near collision with another being( Aveline Cuiléin ) in that same instant. Alek retreated a step, reflexive assumption screaming that it must be another Imperial, potentially even one of the workers of the facility, and nothing more.

“My apologies…”

That was until full stock was taken of the stranger. They wore neither the armor of a stormtrooper, the uniform of an officer nor even that of one of the refineries employed. Which left only one possibility.

His words came as a statement, without even the trace of lingering doubt. “You don’t belong here.” Alek tightened the grip on his weapon, but didn’t raise it. Not yet. "What are you doing here?"