Jetii delenda est [ Mandalorian Raid of Ossus vs. SJO ]

[Keira Priest]

Location: Temple interior, outskirts
Allies: Mandalorians
Enemies: [member="Connor Harrison"]

"Scanners indicate he is still recovering from the injuries inflicted upon him during your last encounter. It's worth being noted, I would imagine." And it was. If she had managed to inflict that much damage on him the last time they crossed paths, then there was nothing stopping her from doing far worse this time around. Those already weak points would be something to capitalize upon, the still healing bone more vulnerable than any other point of his body. Another break would more like than not compromise him entirely, but that was what she was going for, this time around: incapacitation followed by a more permanent end to things. Honor may have been a factor, but against an enemy like this her people had more or less accepted it was obsolete.

But this wasn't just about the conflict between his people and her own. On the surface that may have been the primary drive, but this involved the two of them on a personal level as well, and that ran far deeper than any singular cultural difference. They had always butted heads, never quite lapsing into complete harmony even as time passed, and inevitably it all came to this one point: a meeting on another battlefield. Except this time, mercy would not find itself plentiful. Things could just as easily end with his death, and with the way it was all panning out that wasn't something she would entirely mind, at this point. It was what was fair, after all that happened. Retribution had to be paid.

"You have the audacity to speak to me of cowardice, even after all that's happened? If I was a coward I would have killed you, rather than just throwing you into the wall. At least I have the gettse to confront you face-to-face." That was more than could be said for most anyone of late, but people like her would always prefer to do things up close and personal rather than striking down their enemies from a distance. There was something about the brutality of combat that held a certain fascination for her, the struggle for life something that was incapable of experiencing anywhere else. Those such as her would always be deeply rooted in that aspect of life-and-death, locked in there with no way to escape.

Just as she had done in their previous clash she walked over to where he stood unsteady on his feet, her left hand clamping around his throat and lifting him off his feet with only a slight struggle, the strength of the cybernetic compensating where her average physical strength would have failed. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to bring all of this to an end. You Jetii are weak. The only reason you have survived this long is due to your own stagnation." Keira pushed him forcibly back into the wall in a move that would crack his head against the stone painfully, but not cause any permanent damage. "You and yours have had your chance. It ends now."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Location: The Temple Interior - South Side
Allies: [member="Keira Ticon"] ?
Enemies: [member="Keira Ticon"] ?

He was rather unimpressed with all her official gumph – it didn’t suit her, trying to be this flawless, morally complicit leader. Connor stood and made a note of the usual; surroundings, stance, attire. He already knew this wasn’t going to be a kiss-and-makeup situation. And he cursed her, wishing she’d just speak Basic. It wasn’t hard.

Meeting her as she came closer, she shot out and grabbed him, lifting him. His hand shot up automatically to grab her cybernetic limb only for support; again, take the enhancement away from this leader and she was nothing but flesh and bone. Fighting to swallow and calm his trapped windpipe, Connor stared at her.

Then, he was cracking into the wall and crumpled on the floor. Hissing in pain, his hand reached around slowly to the back of his head – soggy hair. Pulling away, blood teased his fingers.

"Brilliant," he muttered.

Closing his eyes and centring himself, he inhaled slowly and went inwards.

No shackles. Forget everything. Be swallowed and emerge reborn.

The determination in him to be something beyond what she, and everyone expected, began now, with a painful hand and a throbbing head.

Pushing himself up the wall on his back with a grunt, fanning away the dusty cowl, Connor raised his head and looked at her again not going for a weapon or show of force.

"Do me a favour…? Speak to me in Basic, I don’t get your tongue. And hit me all you want. I don’t care. I’m beyond that.” He winced and checked his hand. Blood. "And if you had asked before without lashing out, then yes, I agree. Their stagnation will not be my strength anymore. My strength will be my own without their shackles.”

He looked at her.

"I killed Charzon Loulan with my bare hands and they still don’t even know. They’re blind. I am not.”

 

[Kamon's OOC]

Location: Space - Above Ossus
Allies: Sith [member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Prazutis"] [member="The Rusted Queen"] [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Kevros Kovani"] [member="Phax"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Causstik Rahn"] (Tentative)
Enemies: JedI and [member="Davon Karr"]?
Objective: Defend

A warning klaxon sounded.

"New contact bearing Mark 7! They're deploying mines!"

A mine layer? Interesting. He was about to ask for a scan of the ship, but was beat to the punch.

"Appears Mandalorians in nature-" There was a distinct pause, and then, "They just jumped out of the system again."

Shenanigans. Someone was up to something and it wasn't good. His understanding g of Mandalorians politics was limited at best, but he knew enough to know that there were different clans and they could disagree with each other. They could, potentially, even take jobs that would ultimately put them again st one another. Something was about to go down, so he closed his eyes and felt out with the Force.

"The nearby ships have disappear- What's this? My scanners are going crazy! I can't figure out these readings!"

Leos ignored it. While the officer was busy trying to figure out what was going good on, Leos had felt a large number of bodies suddenly enter the system. He couldn't be sure what they were up to, but he doubted that it was anything good. That being the case, without accurate scans of the enemy he had no idea what they were up against either. While he could feel a lot of new people in space distant from the planet, he couldn't tell exact numbers.

It was enough to irk him, however, and he opened his eyes to look at the captain.

"Captain, a flotilla of unknown size just entered the system. They came in and used the mines as a distraction. See if you can hail them and ascertain their status. If they are against the Jedi, alert them that we will not fire on them. If they are hostile, alert the ground force that air space is about to get really hot."

"Yes, sir."

He didn't like the way this was going. What he longed for was a much larger fleet. Though he could field one between his company assets, he was still reluctant to get the neutral Ignus Industries involved in these affairs. He needed the Sith Order to step up their game if he was going to be able to field a force large enough to take on these bigger governing bodies. No shots had been fired yet, but that was likely to change.

"Starboard facing guns be prepared to fire just in case."

Fleet:

Spoiler

Ignus Black Corporate Fleet
1 Sadow-class Star Destroyer Mirial Accord
1 Dalek-class Frigate Respite
2 Ignis II-class Frigates
2 Deimos-class Gunships

 

[Darth Carnifex]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42_v8_R3y8g​

​

// Outer Rim Territories \\​

Auril Sector, Adega System, Ossus​

​

They danced, light and dark pirouetting beyond the mortal constraints of those who fought - Jedi, Mandalorian, and Sith alike. For every life that was shed upon Ossus' soil the dark side intensified, for every murder exacting in hatred or retribution the dark side grew, every moment those who fought gave into their prejudices the dark side breathed in deeply and was engorged by the malice. Yet for all those who fought so intensely for whatever reason, none's hatred burned so brightly or intensely as Carnifex's. His was like a supernova, a raw furnace of pure unadulterated hatred that seethed beneath his skin and gave unnatural power and purpose to every action he took, every swipe, every block, ever riposte, every parry was amplified by the magnanimous fury that roasted deep in the blackened pits of his soul.

In this moment it was focused, channeled, harness directly into his conflict with [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]. The Grandmaster was anathema to everything the Butcher King was and that stark contrast made the Sith Lord all the more hungry to see his enemy's body broken, life blood spilled upon the dirt, and everything he held so dearly to his heart laid to ruin.

A single pillar of cerulean clashed incessantly with twin blades of imperial red, their violent clashes sending shards of byzantium sparks flying in all directions. They bought fought like bestial warriors, each one utilizing the style of Djem So to its fullest extent as they crossed blades time and time again, each one attempting to overpower the other through sheer martial might. Yet neither of these warriors would yield, and they danced alongside one another in an endless stalemate.

A sharp whine punctured the air surrounding the dueling warriors, and faster than the Sith Lord could momentarily comprehend a cable shot past his head like a flung spear, and proceeded to wrap around his helmet and armored neck like a noose. Instinctively he sought to sever the cable with one of his two blades, but unsurprisingly the cable was made from something unyielding to the cutting power of a lightsaber and did not give way nor budge. Newfound anger flared up in him now as he spun around on one foot and by happenstance happened to dodge the kinetic burst that had been sent at his back not long after the cable had wrung its way around his neck.

An outlet for his fury was immediately found in [member="Ijaat Mereel"], the culprit of this rear assault, and he resolved to punish the Mandalorian for his impudence. He reached up with his left hand to grab hold of the cable that had attached itself around his neck, and in the same motion he deactivated the lightsaber that that hand had just so happened to be holding at the time, and at first he gave a hard Force-imbued tug on the cable in an attempt to yank Ijaat off of his balance or at worst cause him to completely fall face-first into the dirt. The second action that the Sith Lord took was to take hold of his bright and burning hatred, and physically manifest it as tendrils of brilliant electricity that erupted from the fingers tightly gripping the cable to snake down said cable in an attempt to bathe Ijaat in unnatural Sith lightning.

 

[Davon Karr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

The pulse mass mines were still active. Technically they kept the Mandalorian ships rooted to realspace, but they could be disengaged with the appropriate secure message. However they only had a lifetime of a few minutes, which meant the Mandalorian fleet needed to keep some more ready to launch in case they wanted to bring further reinforcements in on a micro-jump.

"They're asking if we're against the Jedi."

Davon pushed himself to his feet. Age and his bulk made it a slow process. "You are familiar with the phrase 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

"Yes."

"Never use it. This is my theatre of battle now and friendly is what I - or someone who overrules me - give official confirmation to flag as such. I want their commander on the line. Standard challenge response. Find out who they represent and what they're doing here. Unless they belong to a recognised force mark them as neutral civilian assets."

 

[Locke]

This way, it called. This way, it crooned. The droplets hung, glittering gems aloft in the air. The trail led onward, forward, into the mists that surrounded. The thick, white blanket covered everything, anything, within its grasp, but the light was changing. Altering. Mutating.

What was once white, muted, and masking began to shift. The light turned dark, yet it remained the same intensity. White turned to gray turned to black as darker swirls rolled through the haze. Black steam, dark smoke, roiled and billowed all around, turning dense fog into impenetrable murk. The droplets led on and silent guardians gave way. Ancient oaks and pines no longer loomed and towered, but bent and bowed, seemingly giving deference to the figure that ghosted among them.

The air became slowly less quiet. Where there had once been silence, muffled and profound, came a murmur. A whisper. It hissed and burbled at the edge of consciousness. It traced its claws imperceptibly at the mind and noiseless words pricked the ears. The figure moved on, the whispers and darkness following close behind; a macabre parade drifting soundlessly through the forest. Wherever the shadows fell, the darkness drifted, the forest changed. Proud trees turned gnarled and twisted, white fog turned black. A quiet, dull rattling could be heard in the distance and, to those who could perceive it, the dull roar grew in strength until it became a silent howl.

The woods had changed, the trees more sinister, the atmosphere more oppressive. Nothing moved, nothing stirred. No living thing that could escape remained. Plants withered and wilted, turned black as the figure brushed past. The natural order of life was upended, the simple circle broken. That which once lived now slowly died only to grow once more. Changed. Blackened. Different.

Ahead the woods broke, a clearing formed. In its center the mist had cleared as the sun beat down through the canopy overhead. An unmoving mound lay in the center, the grass around the form trodden down into the dirt and mud. Fur covered the corpse that lay bloated in the meager light, clawed paws protruded here and there from the dead creature. The figure came to a stop, the droplets ceasing their trail above the body.

Here, it silently spoke. Here it is, the droplets crowed.

Slowly, the figure knelt down and placed a hand upon the animal's cold flank. Soon enough, the blackness returned, the mist blotting out what little light filtered down. Black steam slowly trickled from beneath his hand, weaving in and out among the creature's pelt. The trees around seemed to circle around, watching the clearing between them. They did not tower so much as stood reverent guard as they watched. Waited. The dark haze flowed all around and wove between man and tree alike. It surrounded them, permeated them. bound them all together. Upon each tree a single marking could be seen. A hand, blackened and steaming in the twilight, seared into the bark itself.

In the clearing, the mass of fur twitched...

 

[D'vok Windroamer]

D'vok's lightsaber had become entangled within Marcus' grappling hook. D'vok attempted to pull back, but in an instant, he had another plan. He used the force to propel the lightsaber back to Marcus with much force, making it twist into a sort of slash, and move very quickly towards Marcus' helmet. While this was happening, D'vok jumped backwards, using his rocket pack to propel him up to the branch of a nearby tree. He used this advantage to fire down upon the mandalorian, and noticing [member="Travot Ravenna"] .
"Hey! don't just sit there with gar dihe gi'dr laam gar shebs! Get your kriffin' arse over here!"

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Location: Breaching the outskirts of the Jungle |
Allies: [member="Darth Abyss"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Calina Ovmar"] | [member="Darth Prazutis"] | [member="Darth Ignus"] | [member="Waide"] | [member="Phax"] | Sith |
Enemies: Jedi | Mandalorians
Completed Objective: Survived the Trandoshan War-Chief [member="Casstik Rahn"].
Current Objective: Survive | Retreat and wait for orders.

He waited. The searing blaze of the fire gained more ground, soon he would have to move. Trees continued to pop in a furious manner, sap seeping from the innards of the dry wood that began to combust. The small crackles of curling bushes swept away in seconds as the infernal display continued onward. Even with it's impending danger, Kevros stood patiently. The dark cloud of smoke laggardly dissipated. What greeted him was a lonely field of destruction and chaos. The proud hunter had fled. He could hear the sounds of the reptilian army in the far off distance. A sign of the War- Chief's reunion with his whelps.

It had been the first time Kevros became irrational, a fury roaring in his heart. The coward had gotten away, even worse there would be no experimental alchemy. His grip tighten on the hilt of his saber, firmly held out in case of a potential new attack. Shaking his head more tears rolled down onto his delicate white cheeks. The stinging burn in his eyes made him more furious. The sharp pinch in his thigh forcing a tiny grunt underneath his Kovani mask. The beast had gotten the best of him, but forcing his retreat was a victory. Regardless, Kevros was displeased with the results. His superiors would be even more angry with his useless contribution to the battlefield. Then again, he wouldn't really care for their absolution. He knew what the order meant and the sacrifices they demanded. Their expectations were no different. Kevros had failed, it was just that simple.

It racked his brain for a few moments until he realized where he was. The flames struck forward towards him as he moved expertly through the burning trees. Many had begun to fall over and the Trandoshan war horns sounded farther and farther away as he moved. With every step, more bloody sap was split from his wound, a dangerous exhaustive realization. He needed to get out of the jungle and contact anyone over the comm to get off the war torn planet. He grinned at the sight of an opening and proceeded. A hill greeted him as he step on to the very top of it overlooking the distance battleground. Energy bolts were lung back and forth. The clash between Jedi and Mandalorians was a sight to behold, savoring it for what seemed like a minute he snapped into action.

"This is Kevros Kovani, I've forced the Trandoshan army and their War-Chief to back out of the fight. I'm unaware if it gave any of us on foot a chance to disable their defenses. It's looking grim down here. Does anyone copy? I need new orders..." Kevros paused. "Judging from my wound, I have about a few more hours left in me. If any sith need me somewhere let me know...I repeat..."

A sudden ripple of static formed over the field below, an emp blast causing a slight disturbance in reception.

Feth..

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Location: Mountains, west of Aegis base
Allies: Herself
Enemies: Jedi
Worthy Opponent: [member="Sorel Crieff"]


Enyo had never had a childhood. She could only understand the concept from an academic point of view. She'd first breathed air in a pristine, sterile laboratory. From that moment onward, her every step had been guided and monitored by mechanical 'caretakers', who'd sought to mould her in their image.


In order to simulate a familial environment and bind her to them, she'd been given 'sisters' - fellow clones. The template of the first had been a Jedi healer and close friend of Siobhan Kerrigan, the second a monstrous Sith serial killer and archenemy of the Countess. Undoubtedly this was not a coincidence.


No play time, only service to the machine cult. Once she'd believed that the deeds she performed in their name served the greater good. Now, after Korriban, after her reconstruction, that word seemed hollow to her, but, unbeknownst to her, they still had their claws in her mind.


It was ironic that she'd been conditioned to loathe the Jedi, but had not really interacted with them until now. Her attempt to fight them on Korriban had been cut short by an orbital bombardment.


The memory of being broken and burnt by hellfire, almost dying in the process, filled her with rage. It was not the mindless anger that blindly lashed out like an uncontained wild fire. Rather it was precise and guided like a thermic lance. The fires of her rage must be stoked, but could not be allowed to rule her.


To a degree, her attack had been successful. The bolter ( http://starwarsrp.net/topic/3179-mk-i-omega-boltgun-special-ammunition/) was a good weapon, but Enyo had not been so naive to think she could actually score a lethal shot or blow her enemy off the plateau! After all, Jedi had manifold techniques such as extrasensory perception and Force enhanced acrobatics. But it seemed her opponent had been struck by shrapnel despite her impressive acrobatic feats, and sought cover behind a boulder.


Enyo looked through the scope of the boltgun. She could not hit her target directly and trying to destroy or move the big rock was impractical. So instead Enyo fired explosive bolts at both sides of the boulder. By her estimation, the bombardment ough to flush the Jedi out of cover since she'd be caught in the explosions otherwise. Assuming this worked as planned, she could engage her in the open. The clone's lightsabre rested on her belt, ready to be drawn.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Location: Drop site > Temple
Allies: Mandalorians. ([member="Grim Vizsla"], [member="Vilaz Munin"], [member="Isley Verd"])
Enemies: Jedi.
Objective: Shatter resolve, sunder defenses, slaughter opposition.
Equipment: Light beskar plate on torso and right arm, shadowsilk and armorweave garb. Two whitesabers/ white blade, one beskar/carbon fiber katana Shotgun slung at back, twin Mandalorian Rippers. Helmet with HUD suite.

Ossus​

The all consuming cold of space gave way to intense heat as they broke atmosphere. A weight like seawater slamming against him tugged at Alkor and forced him back in his seat. Gravity was all too familiar a force for a pilot, and reentry was a struggle even with compensators. Several of the armored men around him checked and rechecked their gear, unconvinced that the shifts in magnetic polarity would not tamper with their setting preferences. Mandalorians were a curious, distrustful people by nature- it kept them alive.

In the midst of their wartime talks and reflection on past battles, the Dark Jedi Master sat in silence. For Alkor, the cold never left. Ice floes in his veins pulsated as the chaos ever encroaching echoed through his thoughts. War was Alkor's default setting. Death was his oldest friend.

Ossus.

His fingers trembled as he stared at them, reminded of the pain that seared through his arm when he last walked on this world. Flayed flesh had healed, but the red hot hatred lingered. The Jedi had fought to safeguard their secrets, and they had failed. What they fought for now was of no consequence. Only their repeated failure mattered.

Warning lights flickered overhead as their pod screamed out about their imminent landing. The men braced, and the heavy impact ripped through them. Alkor stared blankly, bleary eyed at the light as the hydraulics hissed and the door opened. The others filtered out dutifully and charged headlong toward the killzone. All the screams and orders bled together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0UR2-ElL6g​

​

He stepped out of the pod and let his eyes adjust.

The warzone whispered to him before his sight returned. He could hear the blasts of laser fire and ordinance. Alkor felt lives ebbing away all around him. His lips twitched.

"-Alkor!" He glanced up at the speaker, another helmeted Mando who's name he could not recall. "Helmet on, bur'cya! We're fighting Jetiise."

A flicker of recognition burned in his eyes, but there was no light.

"Kark, is this what they teach you forcies in combat school?" The other armored figure grabbed at the helmet resting on Alkor's hip, and jerked it free.

Alkor gripped his wrist firmly. "No," he spoke quietly. "I can not feel them if I wear the helmet."

"Feel what?" Genuine confusion bled into the voice.

Alkor held his arm in silence for a moment, mouth slightly ajar. His eyes narrowed slightly. The Mandalorian tore his arm away. "Whatever, if you're not gonna put it on, at least wake the hell up. We're in combat here."

He shook his head and exhaled loudly. "No, I am alright. I was just remembering something." The T-visor slipped over his face. When he spoke again, it was the deadpan machinery in his helmet. "Have you ever felt someone die, Karsa?" he asked the man.

"Is this one of those Siit riddles?" the other man laughed. "I've held a brother in my arms while the light left his eyes. Is that what you mean?"

"It is... different." Alkor's voice was distant, more so than just mechanical.

"Scary?" the man asked.

"At first," Alkor admitted.

"I wouldn't want to get used to it," Karsa muttered.

When Alkor did not respond, the taller Mando cleared his throat. "Let's get moving, 'lek?"

The other man hurried ahead and joined in with the sounds of gunfire. Alkor moved at a slower pace toward the charnel house. Erratic flickers on his HUD showed him where different points of contention lay, and where the most difficult obstacles awaited.

It was time to become the battering ram.

 

[Marcus Lok]

Marcus winced as he saw the blade approaching rapidly and for a few moments, it was almost incredible how quickly it seemed to move. Although the boost that D'vok would attempt to give the blade would be largely nullified by the short distance between the two, It was still an impressive throw that merited the armored Mandalorian to crash onto his right shoulder just to avoid the glowing blade as it spun past his head and into the dirt a couple of yards away.

When he had voluntarily slumped to his side, pain went shooting up his right leg and it took a good bit of self discipline for Marcus not to shout and curse angrily at the pain the man had inadvertently caused him. With his left hand now free of the Jetii's tool, Marcus quickly scrambled onto his feet, minding an extra bit of care on the leg that now gave him a slight limp in his movement, and reached for his blasters once again. But before he could fire off any effective rounds, he watched as the Jetii jetted away into a nearby tree, only to rain a hail of bolts on him once more, though he managed to roll behind one of the power conduits of the turret which had previously been in active operation.

With little want for the Jedi to reacquire his weapon, he let the cable go free again towards the hilt of the blade, which soon shot back into his hand. After it was secured on his belt, Marcus let loose a flurry of his own bolts towards the leaves of the tree shelter that the Jedi had taken, in an effort largely to set it ablaze.

@D'vok Windroamer
[member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Allies: Mandalorians -- [member="Grim Vizsla"] | [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Kalad Shysa"] | [member="Alkesh Vizsla"] | [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Verz Horak"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"]
Enemies: Silver Jedi Order -- [member="Joza Perl"] | [member="Rapax"] | [member="Audren Sykes"]
Objective: Burn them all.

In the wake of war was death.

Ronan knew this intimately. He knew that some wouldn't survive, knew that some would fall in the face of Silver Jedi resistance, but the Vizsla Alor knew an inherent truth to the matter. You couldn't get your omelet without scrambling some eggs. Be that Jetti eggs or the lives of his vod'e as they attempted to reinvigorate a fire that was busy slumbering.

It was sloth, Arasuum, that was slowly taking root.

They had to fight this with all their might or it was the slow-death of things that would follow them soon. It would be oblivion. The soft, sweet reaches of the Manda closed to them, because they chose the coward's death.

No, better to die with glory in their eyes and with hope for a better future.

His beskad came down, it was heavy in the hand, blood sprayed as another Jetti fell down. They had less forces, but they were mighty and the element of somewhat surprise. They had their shields, it took off some of the fire against them. But they had to break through or fall.

Vizsla would not fall.

As always, as it has always been, Ronan charged with his beskad in hand. A glancing shot twisted him and that was the only thing that saved his life when a focused sniper shot came from behind the enemy lines. It glanced off his Mechamiri Pack and a few more inches to the left and it would have burst slight through. Instead, it only took minor damage - the effect of the pulfered voidstone did not lessen, yet, Vizlsa knew that it was a fragile piece of equipment. He would have to be careful about it.

Luckily the Mando'ade had not been sitting on their hands while the battle raged. Behind him, snipers had been set up to deal with stranglers and deal with them they did.

"Got a sniper nest two clicks forward." Vizsla mumbled into his comms, before dropping down and avoiding getting his head cleaved off by a lightsaber. It just scorched his helmet with a burning fire.

A few moments later [member="Joza Perl"] would experience the nasty sensation of being fired at by a heavy-focused barrage of verpine scatterguns. They aimed to kill, yet, the yslamiri weren't close enough to effect her just yet. All he really wanted was to get her out of that nest and into the field, then Vizsla could deal with her as he often dealt with things.

Concern for another day though, because he was closing in on a new target. [member="Audren Sykes"].

Behind him: dead Mando'ade, around him dead Jetti, a weary smiled played on Ronan's lips behind the T-visor.

Vizsla did not attempt to speak or boast or negotiate, he simply charged. He had the weight, the height and the strength of his beskad, all else was irrelevant in the face of Manda's promise.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Location: Mountains, west of Aegis base
Worthy Opponent: [member="Enyo Typhos"]

Time, not for the first occasion, was both an ally and a foe. The longer her opponent took to engage her, the more time Sorel had to compose herself and maybe even effect some field medicine on herself. But the longer it took to confront the person that was keen to part her feet from her ankles, the more she would bleed and this would undoubtedly impact on her longer-term effectiveness in any combat that followed. Because you didn’t need to be a Jedi with the ability of Farseeing to predict that a fight was imminent.

Sorel used her senses to better understand where her foe was and if at all possible, what she was. With Force Sight she quickly identified the where and also picked up on the Force aura. This was no Jedi she was facing, so the small but potential hope for mistaken identity was snatched from her abruptly.

And she sensed much anger. Much pain. Rage was foremost and she was reminded of the words of Master Yoda – a lesson she’d learned as a Youngling that she frequently revisited in times where combat was imminent, his words immortalised in a holo-recording. “To defeat an enemy, you do not have to kill. Defeat the rage that burns in him, and he is your enemy no longer. Rage the true enemy is.”

Her time for reflection was short-lived. The boulder stopped direct shots but by peppering either side of where she hid, she was still in the cross-fire. She needed to negate the advantage the rifle presented – which was distance.

So she drew on the Force and leaped high and far, landing adjacent to the boulder that her would be adversary was using as cover. As she landed, the pain in her legs multiplied exponentially. Her robes were tattered and even their dark hue could not hide the obvious blood-stains.

But she landed gracefully enough and looked into the eyes of the woman that was shooting at her. Her hands remained by her side, her sabers still attached to her belt.

 

[H3xle]

Allies: [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Prazutis"] [member="The Rusted Queen"] [member="Darth Ignus"] [member="Phax"] [member="Kevros Kovani"]
Enemies: Jedi [member="jamie pyne"]
Neutral: Mandos
Objective: Escape

The scrape of the crate gave him a moments warning before his run ended. He twisted and got mostly out of the way of the crate as it sailed past, but his left foot got caught. A sickening crunch could be heard, and Waides face turned a bright red as he kept a scream from his lips. He turned the forward momentum into a sloppy roll, and came up in front of a group of confused people who had taken shelter along a wall as they saw the runners and the crate fly. Waide, knowing that he wouldn't be able to outrun the Padawan anymore, ignited his lightsaber. The crimson glow did not stay in one place for several moments, the Sith acolyte struck extremities of the group, severing and cauterizing several hamstrings, removing an arm, and then finally laid a bare inch from the throat of a young man with long hair, Atrisian features, and an ID badge that labeled him as a researcher.

Waides free hand was wrapped in the man's hair as he held his body close to the others back. He kept the man between him and Jamie, and slowly made his way towards the exit by moving backwards. He extended his force senses to try to sense any attack from that angle, looking back every few limping steps even so. The rest of the group were on the floor, the properties of a lightsaber meant that no one was bleeding out, but three people couldn't walk, and a fourth was missing his right arm.

"You were not my mission, Padawan Pyne. I recommend you forget about me and take care of those wounded while this young man and I take a short walk." He was looking her in the eye, between glances over his shoulder. His face was still red from pain, and the act of holding back screams every time he put weight on the ankle. His breathing, however, was even. Almost as if he had endured pain before, and knew how to deal with it. "My mission failed, you and your Master are heroes for saving this facility. I have no further purpose on Ossus, and I am leaving. Be wise and let me."

 

[Keira Priest]

Location: Temple interior, outskirts
Allies: Mandalorians
Enemies: [member="Connor Harrison"]

It probably shouldn't have amused her, given the gravity of the situation, but Keira couldn't help but to laugh, having heard this all before. There had been a time years ago where he had supposedly fallen, proclaiming himself a Dark Jedi rather than this mishmash of grey that stood before her now. And so they had fought, so that she could be certain he had a handle on that new power more than for any real enmity. It had ended in some kind of roughly drawn stalemate, after which he had shifted his moral compass to align once again with the middle rather than on either side. For a long while that had been the end of things, and to her knowledge he'd left all notion of being anything other than what he was behind him for good.

Except apparently he hadn't, because they were back in the same spot now that they had been back then, except there were overtones of something far more deadly than any sparring match in the works. This time proving himself wouldn't be such an easy task, as his words meant less now than they ever had in the past. He could talk all he wanted, but she had stopped truly listening. None of that mattered to her. Time had taught her that anyone could talk, but only a select few were capable of backing up their words to any kind of full effect. That was why she didn't bother overmuch with words unless it was absolutely necessary, and why the two of them would always be at odds. He was always in favor of talking about his action rather than following through, and she was the opposite.

Dark eyes watched from beneath her helmet as he pushed himself to his feet, noting with quiet satisfaction the blood that came away on his fingers. By that count the fight had been joined, though thus far it was all rather disappointing. It seemed that in being so different from the rest of the Jedi he'd forgotten what it meant to stand up for himself entirely. "Well congratulations, Connor. You killed a war criminal, someone any sane person with an iota of morality would have executed without a second thought. That's a big step for you." Sarcasm, the lot of it, and it was clear the thought of that didn't impress her in the least. In her life she had killed more than her fair share of people, many of them innocent, and so it took more than this to impress her.

"You're beyond it, huh?" Again she lashed out with the Force, her next strike catching him in his side, the strength enough to bruise ribs and throw him back into another wall, should he do nothing to prevent it. After all, he was above all this, and so it shouldn't have bothered him in the least. "Have you ever taken a life, Jedi? I don't mean one of a criminal, or one who deserves to die. I mean the life of an innocent person, one whose crime is nothing more than getting in your way. Have you ever felt the life bleed from someone slowly, able to feel every nuance as they slipped away? Because that is nothing like killing her. You don't know a thing about taking life. You're only playing at a game you don't understand."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Location: Space - In Orbit
Allies: Sith [member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Prazutis"] [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Darth Ignus"] [member="Kevros Kovani"] [member="Phax"]
Enemies: Jedi & Mandalorians [member="Causstik Rahn"] [member="Davon Karr"]
Objective: Try Not to get shot out of the sky

The bridge exploded into a frenzy of noise and action as a new fleet jumped into their sector. Anaya closed her eyes listening to the cacophony of confusion as it disappeared again. There was little point in her intervention, they would settle down soon enough.

“They’re interdicting us!” The panic in the voice drew Anaya’s eyes open, the fear of that one officer was like a pebble in a pool, rippling around the room. Anaya glowered at him. “Pull us out of weapon range, shields at maximum and find out which ship is responsible for our inability to leave.”

She looked at her Captain. “We came here to take advantage of a poor situation. I will not be caught in a battle we cannot win. Understood?”

“Yes my lady.”

“Open a secure channel to Ignus.”

Anaya’s hologram would appear, as she settled herself once more into her command chair. “Ignus,” she greeted without any hint of warmth. “I will remind you that we have no reinforcements, that our mission here is not yet complete. I advise you to pull back, engagement with these men will only end in failure.”


And failure I cannot accept.

******

Location: Skies north of the temple.
Objective: Make fireworks
[member="Grim Vizsla"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"] [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]


“Ohfethohfethohfethofeth,” the sky exploded with strings of light intent on bringing her and her companions down. With the inertial compensator dialled down, every twist and turn pinned her into her seat just a little more. Alarms screamed at her, a quick scan of the displays showed her shield were down by twenty percent.

“Go low!” She called over the comms, leading the transports into a dive, peeling off at the last moment to skim the ground north of the temple. “Frak me, if we don't die today, I'm going to have a hundred of these babies built.”

The mandalorian assault force was coming into view quickly. “Um, boss, we still staying low?”

“Yes!”

The sky lit up again as the anti air turrets found them once more, shots that missed them slammed into the mandalorian raiding forces. The shield was coming up, the gap more than big enough for the four small transports and two fighters to fit through.

“When we get in there-”

“I’M HIT!” The scream made her twitch, but she continued. Eyes flicking briefly to identify which transport was going down. Her sensors predicted its crash course, straight into the northern wall.

“Delivery boys are to head straight for the temple!”

Behind the, the aleph transport hit the ground, bounced once, twice….three times. Calina yanked the yoke, pulling her over the wall, between it and the shield. The rest followed suit.

The downed transport exploded, fuel and trihexalon ignited and the wall behind them vanished in a ball of green flames, with it, a whole host of mandalorians and Jedi alike.

Whatever emotion Calina felt would have to be analysed later. There was a freighter coming up in front of her fast. She pulled back on the yoke, deactivating the rear thrusters and activating the front ones, slamming her into a hard reverse, though at best, all it did was slow her down.

The other transports were already peeling away and heading west as Calina stopped a few feet from the freighters nose. She blinked, read the ships tag and smiled slightly.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Location: Aegis Base - Jedi Temple
Allies: [member="Aela Talith"] & SJO
Enemies: [member="Waide"] | [member="Vilaz Munin"] | Mandalorians | Sith

"NO!" She screamed, her voice shrill, filled with horror as the man carved his way through a crowd of people with his lightsaber like a knife through butter. Horrible screams filled the air as those injured fell to the floor, the one most severe writhing in agony over the loss of his limb. Her eyes scanned the floor as she slid to a halt several feet away from Waide. He had taken a hostage, and ordered her to allow him to flee from Ossus. The problem was, he had a hostage. And judging by the looks of it, the man being held was going to die regardless of whether Jamie intervened further or not. The only difference would be if he died in the temple, or just before Waide made his escape aboard his ship to prevent the man from telling her where his ship was and any other details.

A decision needed to be made, and quickly. "Don't do this, Waide. Please." The blade of yellow dispersed at the press of her thumb. "I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want you to hurt him." Jamie could see that he was limping a bit, meaning he had at least been caught by the object. "If I'm to let you walk out of here you need to release that man to me. There is no other way. Please, I beg you, don't make this worse. Let him go." The girl had no honest idea if this Sith was even capable of rational discussion, judging by his actions thus far, but she had to try. He had to know that if he killed the man in front of her that she would have no reason not to attack him. "Just let him go. Harm nobody else, and I will keep my word."

There wasn't a whole lot of options here. He was injured, meaning fighting him would be a bit less of a problem, but if she continued towards him he would likely kill the man, something she would have to live with for the rest of her days. If she let him take the hostage, he was as good as dead all the same. And while she doubted that he would believe her, it was her only option. He held no regard for the lives of others. Like a wild animal fleeing in terror from a predator he was desperate. "I just want to know why. The truth of it all."

 

[H3xle]

Allies: [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Prazutis"] [member="The Rusted Queen"] [member="Darth Ignus"] [member="Phax"] [member="Kevros Kovani"]
Enemies: Jedi [member="jamie pyne"]
Neutral: Mandos
Objective: Escape

"I just want to know why. The truth of it all."

Those words made Waide smile through the pain, as he continued to move backwards, the further away from the Jedi he got, the further away from the mans neck the lightsaber got. He'd noticed the tag on the mans jumpsuit as his mind had tried to figure out a way to escape, and a researcher would be a good hostage to have for the long run. That was why he was unhurt thus far, while his companions littered the floor writhing in pain.

"The truth of it all?" He asked, his eyebrow arching as he continued to move backwards. "Nothing I had told you was a lie, Padawan Pyne. The Sith wanted me to bring the shield down. I just put pauses in the right places to make you think there was more to the story." He spoke as he continued to move backward. He wasn't about to give up his hostage, there had been too many reports of Jedis or those masquerading as Jedi going back on such words, and the man would be useful if he could be broken with his mind intact. "My parents were Sith, I was raised Sith. The only way I will see my parents again, is by becoming one with the Dark Side as they have. You have the truth now. See to your wounded, this man and I are going to leave the planet. You could say it's a hostile change of work environment." He looked down at the mans tag again, reading the name. "Reginald Walthers, you want to come work for me, don't you?" The man nodded, obviously afraid for his life. "Tell the beautiful Jedi you want to come with me." He said, his tone almost seemed reasonable.

"Master Jedi...I want to go with this man. Please." He said, though Waide had not pushed through the force or attempted to force the sentence other than the threat of physical violence present in his lightsaber. The man obviously feared for his life and had no idea what to do, and so would latch on to anything that would let him live.

"There you go. Let us go." He glanced back as he continued to withdraw, he saw a pair of speeder bikes just outside the exit. If he could make it to them undisturbed, he could mind trick the man into sitting idle while he flew back to his ship. He just had to have the Jedi leave them be. "Take care of the wounded, I am sure we will meet again."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Location: Aegis Base - Jedi Temple
Allies: [member="Aela Talith"] & SJO
Enemies: [member="Waide"] | [member="Vilaz Munin"] | Mandalorians | Sith

There was no way he was taking this man. She wouldn't allow it. Death was a better fate than life beneath the Sith. She would not allow him to suffer the horrors that he could not even begin to fathom. Every step that Waide took was one that Jamie took closer. Her teeth bit down so incredibly hard against her lip that it began to draw a faint trail of blood from her mouth. Her free hand raised, palm extending forward "It's going to be okay, Mr Walthers." She assured with a soft tone. Her eyes then shifted from the man to a harsh glare towards Waide.

Her lightsaber remained inactive in her hand by her side, so not to induce Waide into taking any drastic actions. What would be surprising however, is that while she had extended her palm outwards towards the researcher as a means of assurance, it was actually a setup for the sudden, blinding flash of light that would encapsulate the area in an effort to grant the girl the few critical seconds needed to close the gap between she and Waide's hostage. Banking on the hope that the unexpected blindness would disorient Waide long enough to force her way between the two, Jamie rushed forward in an attempt to save the life of the man being held. The lightsaber in her hand would reignite, her hand arcing down and then up in a hook-like fashion to try and pull away the Sith's blade from Reginald.

Hopefully she hadn't made a terrible mistake.

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

LOCATION: Under the shield

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

The sky lit up again as the anti air turrets found them once more, shots that missed them slammed into the mandalorian raiding forces. The shield was coming up, the gap more than big enough for the four small transports and two fighters to fit through. “When we get in there-” “I’M HIT!” The scream made her twitch, but she continued. Eyes flicking briefly to identify which transport was going down. Her sensors predicted its crash course, straight into the northern wall. “Delivery boys are to head straight for the temple!” Behind the, the aleph transport hit the ground, bounced once, twice….three times. Calina yanked the yoke, pulling her over the wall, between it and the shield. The rest followed suit. The downed transport exploded, fuel and trihexalon ignited and the wall behind them vanished in a ball of green flames, with it, a whole host of mandalorians and Jedi alike. Whatever emotion Calina felt would have to be analysed later. There was a freighter coming up in front of her fast. She pulled back on the yoke, deactivating the rear thrusters and activating the front ones, slamming her into a hard reverse, though at best, all it did was slow her down. The other transports were already peeling away and heading west as Calina stopped a few feet from the freighters nose. She blinked, read the ships tag and smiled slightly.

An explosion blotted out Mara's sight. This in and of itself was not unusual. The explosion's colour, however, lent itself to discomfort, because the explosion was brilliant green. Her sensors went haywire trying to classify the incident. As she blinked away the afterimage blob, too intense for the cockpit's polarization to handle fully, she found the Scar of Ilum nose-to-nose with an unusual starfighter. It had definite TIE influences, and two thick forward-raked spars, a little reminiscent of an old Interceptor. Her father had owned one of those once, had used it to help liberate Mon Calamari. She'd flown it exactly once, as a kid, and had never forgotten it.

That was the rarest, most lethal starfighter in the universe. A Santhe/Sienar Aleph.

Her first instinct was to shoot, and shoot she did, and missed. An Aleph could outmaneuver anything. She'd been keyed to her Conqueror ion cannons, and her own shields dropped to half for a few critical moments, and that was a real mistake. Something green and virulent splashed against her shields, chewed through in a viridian fireball, battered against the left side of her cockpit, and chewed through that as well, all in a couple of heartbeats. Microdroplets of half-reacted green fire tore into the Scar's cockpit. Rissa screamed, and Mara hissed as a couple of those droplets sizzled on her skin.

She threw the Scar into a yaw spin and deactivated the shields. The rest of the roiling green fire splashed away from the freighter's tough hull and ignited patches of grass beneath. Shaking, Mara stabbed the controls for the aft Connor net launcher, and a huge electrified net lashed out at the maneuverable little fighter.

Belatedly, she reactivated the shields.