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A ragged, stinging breath burned from Quintessa’s chest as she caught her lightsaber chakrams from mid-air. At that point, the three pieces that the Kel Dor Jedi had been sliced into slid apart before hitting the floor in a sequence of with wet thunks, as if they were cold slabs of meat.
Quintessa gave a sharp exhale, her stance rising as she turned her gaze towards Kaine. However, upon seeing the blue-hued plasma blade buried within His abdomen, her gaze widened with equal parts shock and rage, at which point the speedster hurled herself forward. She accelerated from a standstill to nigh-transonic velocity in an effective instant, tearing through the air with the force and speed of a missile as the world around her melted into a crimson haze.
Only His command could have stopped her from slashing Passion through Lily’s neck. And, it did. Quintessa planted her feet, shifted her body’s inertia, and drove herself to an immediate halt as soon as her ears registered the directive. A low growl rumbled from her throat then, features twitching with restrained anger in stark contrast to the dark poise exuded by the Sith’ari. Nevertheless, the speedster did as she was bade. She withdrew Passion before fading away in a rush of disturbed air, only to reappear at her Husband’s side only a flash of a second later.
"I'll give you both this opportunity, Jedi. Kneel and pledge yourself to the unending dark, become disciples of the eclipsing mission. You will rise again as acolytes of a grand design, a purpose of galactic rebirth." He spoke calmly, but forcefully, even with the blade still burning in His gut. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Kneel or be destroyed, Jedi, embrace your destiny."
“You both stand as witnesses to an act of great mercy.” Quintessa purred, implicitly referring to the crackling blade of the lightsaber buried within her Husband’s abdomen.
“So kneel, repent, and contrite yourself before Him. Then rise in purity.”
Iris spoke calmly, even as she focused on the Battle Meditation she, Zaiya, and Domxite were controlling, influencing across the battlefield. Amelia herself couldn't feel it, Iris knew. She had no colors, no presence to shift the world around her. It was like when the Jedi went into space, where there simply was nothing there. She couldn't directly assist, but she could through the others.
All at once the result was clear. Amelia's orders were acted upon as she spoke them. There was no need to relay, no need to speak through the coms or try for a connection. The Battle Meditation itself already was. Ships, fleets, soldiers, they all worked together as Iris weaved through the Colors of the Force. Zaiya and Domxite could keep the basis of the Meditation going now, with so many Jedi already connected to help passively.
Iris simply took it a step further.
"Relay your orders through me. I'll make sure they know."
Zaiya kept her eyes closed, steadying her breath as she deepened her focus. The Force pulsed around her, woven between her, Iris, and Domxite like an unseen current, guiding, connecting, strengthening. Her bioluminescence flickered in soft waves of blue and gold, mirroring the ebb and flow of the Battle Meditation.
She felt it --the synchronized movement of ships, the sharpened coordination of soldiers, the way the tide of battle subtly shifted under their influence. Amelia's presence was distant in the Force, a void against the swirling tapestry, but her intent was clear even as the warmth of the gentle press of her hand settled briefly on the Lovalla's shoulder.
Zaiya's fingers flexed as she maintained the meditation, her mind anchored in the flow. Just hold steady, keep the link strong... Iris had the coordination; all the Padawan and Domxite had to do was keep the bridge intact.
Azzie barely registered the detonation of her E.G.G.S device before the air filled with the sharp tang of burning metal and the blinding haze of cortosis ash. It was working—at least for now. But then came the words that sent a dagger straight into her gut.
"I'm hit!"
Her heart lurched, anger flaring through her like wildfire. She had known—had accepted—the risks of this mission. Every single one of them had. But knowing didn't make it any easier. The sight of a teammate going down twisted something deep in her chest, feeding into the pain from the lost city that they had failed to save, and the fury that surged in response was immediate, searing.
Let it out. Make them suffer.
Azzie clenched her jaw so hard it ached, forcing the voice that plauged her inward, pushing it deep into the pit of her mind where it couldn't twist her further. There was no time for hesitation.
Blaster bolts screamed toward her, but she met them with her twin hook swords, the plasma edges glowing a brighter deep orange as they absorbed the energy instead of deflecting it. The blades hummed with the power, the kyber within them drinking in the storm of fire. Each impact sent a tremor through her arms, but she held firm, letting the energy charge her weapons instead of overwhelming her. She could feel it building—slow, methodical.
The melee droids were closing fast, their movements unsettlingly precise, far too fluid for mere machines. They moved in a way that felt practiced. That made them dangerous. Azzie adjusted her stance, lowering her center of gravity, waiting for the moment to strike, her eyes darting around for something, anything, to salvage this.
Taking a deep breath, the battle meditation from the war raging on outside of them washed over her in waves, and she focused on them. Time slowed so much around her that it felt like it might stop completely.
Speed your mind and your reflexes; always find another way.
It was like being caught in a tidal wave—raw, surging energy flooding into her limbs, filling every muscle with power, every nerve with purpose. She barely needed to think; the Force moved her, carried her forward like a relentless storm. The metal door to the shield housing was in her path. The slicing wasn't working. No time to cut it. No time to be careful, not anymore.
Azzie reached out with the Force. Metal groaned, durasteel screaming as it tore free from its place within the wall; the entire door itself was wrenched and ripped from its frame. Sweat beaded down her face from the amount of energy it pulled to do so, and she gritted her teeth. Screeching resounded through the hall with her hands moving outward like a whip, sending the heavy sliding doors crumpled into the advancing melee droids.
"Inside now! Bring this down!" She shouted to the others, a blaster bolt slamming directly into the side of her shoulder as she tried to catch her breath from the display before, knocking her back into the wall with a loud thud. Her vision swirled with flashes of colors, and she barely rolled to the side when a sword came down on her, the blade nicking her ear in the process. She'd hold back as much as she could while they worked.
They needed to get the charges planted on the generator. Even if they would only have a short window between the explosion and the initiation of the backup shields, it would be enough for Commander Amelia to take advantage of it. She had to do this. For Valery Noble
, for Aris Noble
and Zaiya Ceti
, for Everest Vale
, for Jonyna Si
. For Aadihr Lidos
, for the sake of the innocent people of this world and everyone in the thick of battle for it!
She only barely knew the name, having heard it mentioned once or twice before from those who'd survived—
If you want to stop me, Carnifex, you'll have to come get me yourself!
Something warm and wet was running down his forehead. Every inch of his body burned. But at least the pain told him he was still alive. Spruance's eyes opened.
He lay sprawled across the cold floor. Around him, his bridgecrew was starting to stagger to their feet, groaning and moaning as they did so. Some of them had the initiative to grab med-kits and start triaging those hurt the worst. Several of the fallen crew had blankets already covering them. The emergency lights were on, bathing the whole bridge in a red hue.
"S-s-status report!" he muttered as he dragged himself up back to his station. He used his cap to dab away the blood seeping into his right eye.
"All power lost, sir. Even the auxiliaries and their back-ups are offline. Communication systems throughout the ship are in complete blackout. Can't raise anyone outside of the bridge," one of his staff said softly, "Captain, we're dead in the water."
Spruance's heart sank as he stared out the viewport. The Totality was now moving through his task force with impunity. The two Blissex Frigates that had been escorting the Vanguard now fell under the full firepower of the enemy flagship now moving in for the kill. In a matter of moments, the sister ships would be butchered. After them, the rest of his Task Force would soon follow.
He looked around the bridge and saw the faces of his crew. Their young faces, who had barely just graduated and had been so full of hope a few moments ago, were now blank as they helplessly looked on. They had barely started their lives, and they were now going to all die because of Spruance. If only he hadn't been such a coward and put a blaster under his chin, they wouldn't be here.
His trembling hand reached inside his coat for his flask, but he stopped just as his fingers grasped around it.
Because the walls were starting to bleed. Thick, black-red ichor oozed from the microscopic gaps in the durasteel panels, running in slow, pulsing rivers. The blood reeked of rust and rot.
For a moment, Spruance thought he had gone insane, but the others were seeing it too.
"We're in Hel. We're dead, and we're in Hel," one of the bridge officers gasped.
"Control yourself, lieutenant! It's probably leakage from the hydraulics," he didn't believe that but whatever it took to keep the crew calm.
"Sir! Remaining security systems are reporting multiple breaches in hallway doors leading to the bridge," came a cry from a security systems operator that turned his head.
"Boarders?" Spruance whispered, unholstering his blaster pistol. Around him the rest of the crew were starting to open weapon lockers.
"I'm getting nothing about any breaches in a hull that would indicate parasite craft. This damage originated inside the ship itself."
The blast door was being sealed by two crew using fusion wielders. It was basic protocol in the event that intruders were detected on the ship. They could not afford the bridge to fall into enemy hands.
"More breaches! By the Light of Chandrila's Moons, its not even pausing!" panic crept into the operators voice.
"That can't be possible. Those are Impervium reinforced doorways." said Spruance.
"I don't know, sir. At the rate its going its treating those hatches like tissue paper!"
Behind the bridge's blast door they could already start hearing muted thumping and the tearing of metal.
Spruance pointed his blaster pistol at the door. He heard the clicks of safeties going off behind him. "Whatever comes through those doors, you stand your ground. These Sith bastards don't take prisoners. They take sacrifices to their demented swine of an Emperor. So make them pay dearly."
"Sir, it was an honor servi-" the crewmember next to him never finished her sentence. The two-ton blast doors flew across the bridge like thrown toys, pulping a half dozen crew. He was about to pull the trigger when it came through the door.
At the sight of it, Spruance's trembling hands dropped the blaster pistol.
The heave of bitter sick hit the back of his teeth and mouth so fast he didn't have time to open his mouth. The others around him started doubling over as well, heaving their guts out. "Oh God. There's maggots." the lieutenant gurgled before he dropped into a pool of his own puke and feces, his body spasming. Not a single one of them had managed to fire their blasters.
The creature that entered the bridge seemed to warp reality around it. The air itself trembled and folded in its wake. Shriveled flesh stretched over its elongated humanoid frame. Ribs poked outwards from its chest. Its arms dangled unnaturally long, fingers tapering into jagged claws that scraped against the floor with each movement as it levitated several inches off the ground. And its face...
Ensign Ali looked at it too long and put her blasters barrel's tip under her chin.
"What are you?" Spruance gasped before expelling more his lunch, ending with a string of saliva hanging from his lips.
It replied. It spoke without speaking in the voices of men, women, children and alien languages that somehow Spruance could understand. The skull-splitting migraine it brought on nearly sent him to the floor a shivering mess.
"I-I can't let you do that." he stammered, clutching his head, "Not to my crew. I know you suffered at the hands of the Penumbra. I know what the Sith did with your souls. I know how hungry you are. But as their Captain I cannot allow you to lay your hands of the lives of my crew."
It gestured over Spruance's shoulder.
A technician at the sensor station convulsed violently, clutching his head.
"It's inside! It's inside my skull!" he shrieked before slamming his skull into the console repeatedly.
"Stop it! Stop it!" He yelled as he dashed forward and threw his hand over the console's edge. There was a sickening crack. Spruance fell to the floor, screaming and clutching his broken hand. It seemed to snap the others out of their trance. They wrestled the technician to the ground, where he struggled against their hands. Blood continued to gush down his forehead, but at least thanks to the Captain, he hadn't split open his skull.
It began to advance forward. The crew panicked and rushed to the viewports at the other end of the bridge, where they found there was nowhere else to go. Spruance got up and threw himself in its path.
"W-w-wait." Spruance barely fought back the tears of pain as he stared into its eyes. What he saw swirling inside them nearly made him grab his blaster off the deck and ram the barrel into his mouth. Only hearing the frightened sobbing of his crew behind him kept him from ending it all. "Wait a moment. Hear me out. Please. Just a minute."
It stopped. It cocked its head, seemingly amused.
"You consume us, and then what? We're just a few thousand souls to feast on. That's all you'll get. Not to mention that in approximately ten minutes, this ship will be nothing more than a floating collection of scrap." Even though it hurt to do so, Spruance kept eye contact with the creature. It was silent. "You'll float with our wreckage in the aimless void. Forever starving."
"But assist us. Bring our power back online, and the souls of every single living being on that ship are yours. And then the next, and the next and the next. Whatever ship that Vanguard claims their souls are for yours to feast on."
It continued to remain silent. Spruance stepped forward until he was within spitting distance of it. The air around it vibrated. Pain was now rolling over in waves across his body just by being in its presence, but he kept going.
"They tormented you! I read the intelligence reports on what those sick bastards did to create that superweapon. I know how they preyed on children, women, the disabled, and anyone they saw as inferior to them as sacrifices to that thing. That abomination feeds on nothing but suffering and pain. Your suffering and pain." he clenched his teeth. He could taste the metallic tang of blood rising up his throat. "I'm giving you an opportunity. To not only feed but to take vengeance on your killers and make them pay for what they did."
A terrible pressure behind his eyes made it feel like they might be popping out at any moment. He fell to his knees, retching. But still, he clung on. "Make sure that they never again inflict the pain that you felt. Make sure that there will never again be another of your kind."
Still. Silence.
"Answer me damn it!" he summoned the last of his strength to rise back to his feet, "IN THE NAME OF THE ALLIANCE YOU WILL ANSWER ME!"
The lights snapped back on. Screens and displays began to display vitals again. The floor beneath their feet began to hum as the engines came back online.
Spruance blinked. The creature was gone. Like it was never there.
"S-sir. All systems are back online!" one of the crew cried. "We've restored communication with the rest of the ship. The engine room is saying that the reactor is somehow going into overdrive. Weapon stations are reporting massive power spikes about to overwhelm their surge protectors."
"Well." Spruance grinned as he strode up to the viewport. Arcs of red lightning were dancing across the hull of his reinvigorated ship. "Let's give them an outlet for their energy then. All gunners, you have a new priority target: the Totality."
The rest of the crew cheered at their stations, their torment a few moments ago overtaken by exhalation at the chance to strike back.
Spruance didn't exactly share in their jubilation. It still was behind him. He could feel the air behind him tremble. It spoke into his ear.
You know... Fleet Captain Spruance. There will be lulls between your battles. Lulls where we grow hungry and need to feed.
"I know."
So who shall it be? Which one of your crew will you give to us?
He caught a reflection of himself in the transparisteel window. Battered and bloody. An old void dog that should have died back on Tython. But still alive and with at least a few drops left in the gas tank left to give.
"I'll figure it out."
The ANS Vanguard continued its advance.
Now the priority target of the Sith battlegroup, several broadside volleys from the Totality finally breached the Vanguard's flank shields. The Courageous-Class Star Destroyer's armour plating struggled to reject the Sith Battleship's ruthless hammerblows, and penetrations were reported through multiple decks. Parts of the upper hull splintered away in a spray of durasteel shards and flame. Reports came flooding in of fires that were currently ripping their way through the bulkheads towards munitions storage. Only the heroic efforts and sacrifices of damage control crews barely managed to stop its rampage.
Meanwhile, the Verso and Taura had begun to make their way to the ship's rear flanks, adding their own firepower into the fusillade, slapping the Vanguard around.
Strange unknown powers or not. The Vanguard could only take so much.
Confusion and inaction reigned through the rest of the Task Force at what was happening. Only a few moments ago, Vanguard had been written off. Now it was seemingly taking on the entire Sith Fleet on itself with a firepower that seemed impossible. Pressure that would have seen Promethean Doctrine, Reconciliation, and Mantua's Law reduced to burning hulks floating through space suddenly tapered off like valve being closed.
"Don't just stand there you damn cowards! The Fleet Captain has opened the way so let's follow." the voice of Commander Znorraph Shakevoa, captain of Radiance, barked through the Task Force's comms. If Spruance was gone, she was second-in-command. "Full engines ahead. Intensify forward firepower."
Renewed and given a chance to breathe, the rest of the Task Force surged forward. The Blissex twin sisters, Radiance and Admonisher, surged to the Vanguard's rear, turning nearly all power from shields to their guns as they engaged Verso and Taura.
With the Promethean Doctrine, things were improving slightly, even if the carrier was still being pinned down by the barrage of drones. Damage was being cleared and ordered being restored to the chaos in the hangars. Finally, waves on waves of X-Wings and E-Wings were taking off to defend the carrier alongside Wedge Draav
. Not content to sit by and just take this punishment, Commander Halsey decided to use his reserve of fighters and bombers to strike back, managing to scrape three squadrons of X-wings and Y-Wings. Coordinating with the survivors of Taffy 2.1 and 2.2, he launched the impromptu strike force against the two enemy Mehkis-class frigate Carriers. He hoped that the duel between the big ships would be the distraction he needed.
The sole surviving ship of Taffy 2.2 led the charge. The Weeping Somnambulist, along with its X-Wing escort, battered aside tidal waves of Sith drones before getting into the engagement range of the Sith Carriers. Its commander, Lieutenant Traghonn Vird, sought to avenge his fallen brothers and sisters. The Trandoshian made a vocal oath over the comms to the Sith Captains of the Amity and Apoc that their corpses would adorn his ship's bow as figureheads.
The ships of Taffy 2.1, following close behind, weren't as lucky. Their strike against the carriers became bogged down under repeated drone attacks that slowed them down. Slow enough for the massive guns of Mon Mors to lock on. Glimmer and Amber were instantly vaporized by cannons that displaced them in weight ten times over. The leading cruiser Mantua's Law took a direct hit on the structural spine that nearly split her in half. Sections of the outer hull began to rupture, spewing oxygen and debris into the void. Once again, a damage control effort only Captain Cruc-Cruc Kandiz was capable of saw the ship barely survive. It would live, but its role in the battle was over as it limped away.
The ANS Vanguard had closed the range. The space between the it and the Totality became so thick with turbolaser fire that even a gnat couldn't fly through. Both vessels wrought savage scars on each other. Turrets were blown clean off. Glowing craters were carved into both their hulls. Munition storages detonated.
Waves of Strike Fighters took off from the hangars still operational on the Vanguard. Among them were three wings of T65XJ3 X-Wing Assault Fighters carrying a payload of Shadow Bombs. None of the pilots were force users, but a trick they had learned in their long careers was to let the gravity of the enemy ship and their starfighter's inertia do the work. Under ruthless flak fire that saw a half dozen of them shred away like snowflakes melting under sunlight, they prepared to dive bomb the Star Destroyer, aiming to cripple its biggest guns.
Then the comms network on Madelyn Lowe
's bridge came alive. Spruance was making his reply.
"Madelyn Lowe. I know that name," he said. "Many of my crew once served alongside you during your dark Imperial days. When you joined the Alliance, many followed in your footsteps. You never knew their names. You never knew their existence. Yet to them, you were everything. To those who had lived their entire lives in the dark, you were their shining light, an example that showed that redemption and a better Galaxy were possible."
One of the Vanguard's engines was torn from its holding asunder, spewing uncontained elderitch energies into the void. Yet it still came and yet it continued its onslaught.
"That is why when you turned traitor at the smallest hurdle, your selfishness hurts us beyond material cost. Scores of good men and women were suspected of being as weak as you when they were anything but! Forced into this scrap-fleet to prove a loyalty already shown or die trying to remove a stain they didn't deserve."
Barrage after barrage of turbolasers slammed into the Totality's bow. The Vanguard drew up with the Eschaton-Class Star Destroyer. Like reaching hands, tendrils of red lightning arced out from the Vanguard's hull and lashed onto the burning holes in the Totality. They began to pulse and grip onto the enemy ship.
"Whether or not this day will be the Alliances or even if we will make it out alive is still in question. But I know what is not. Despite your cowardly search for power and control over others, you will always be a slave. These vermin you once saw below you have shown today that they possess more strength and courage than you could ever hope to have under your new dark master. This game of yours is over."
Just as Amelia von Sorenn
's ANS Theselon and her escorts came into range, the Vanguard's Ventral Mounted Heavy Particle Beam Emmitter fired practically point blank into the Totality's engines.
Spruance makes a deal with the spirits of the damned, promising to feed them the souls of the lives that Vanguard claims.
The Vanguard surged back to life and began its assault on the Totality, taking massive damage in return.
Five Squadrons of X-Wings (36) and Y-Wings (40) begin attack runs on The Amity and Apoc with the support of Somnambulist.
Taffy 2.1 is annihilated by the Mon Mors.
Strikefighters from the Vanguard dive bomb the Totality's gun turrets with shadow bombs.
The tendrils of energy wreathing the Vanguard take hold of the Totality as the Vanguard fires its ventral laser into her engines.
Lily's hand hovered over her second Lightsaber, ready to strike back at Quintessa if the other Sith attempted to fight her. However, Carnifex called his sidekick to his side. Holding onto the Lightsaber embedded into stomach. It was frustrating that her attack meant nothing, that it did not stop Carnifex nor did it show that this being claiming to be a God could be hurt. Not yet at least. Lily knew that she needed to attune herself more with the Lightsaber crystal that was inside her main Lightsaber to activate the full power from it someday.
Especially since it could have helped her in this fight if she had.
For now, she switched her Lightsaber off, not wishing to be held trapped by Carnifex and shifted backwards to Sharpe. Breathing in deeply, "don't lose hope, Knight Sharpe. We lost our edge but the fight hasn't finished yet. There's still time and there are still others on this ship who could help us." Lily whispered, mentioning the other strike teams that were meant to be striking elsewhere.
Sharpe looked over to Lily, the Echani looked even more confident and determined than when they had started the fight. It seemed like the face of certain death and the Dark Side manifested in humanoid form did not concern Lily at all. That as long as there was small bit of hope, a glimmer of the Light Side left. Then they had to push forward. They had to keep fighting. It was was admirable. In a way, it was inspirational for the Jedi Knight who had for a moment lost hope.
Lily snarled at the suggestion that she surrender, kneel before this man. "I bow to no man." Lily growled, outraged at even the suggestion that she surrender herself over.
"Lily. Odds are against us. I doubt the other team will get here in time. I'll hold them off for as long as I can, you run to the shuttle." Sharpe whispered to her, stepping forward, "I will kneel." He stated loud enough for Carnifex and Quintessa to hear as he moved forward. Breathing in deeply, Sharpe knew that this was a move that would lead to his death but it was his chance to ensure the youngest member of the squad, someone who would be the future of the Order, could get out of here safely.
Sharpe got as close as he could, acting as if he would kneel before the two Sith, however, as he got close he breathed in deeply. Accepting death before he struck forward to the both of them. Making sure that he could hold them off just long enough for Lily to escape and get off the Mors Mon.
Lily swallowed hard, she knew what Sharpe was doing but she refused to have another person sacrifice themselves for her. She refused to let someone else die for her life. It was not the Jedi she wished to be. Tapping her comms, " Azurine Varek
, my team didn't succeed in destroying the Penumbra. We were wiped out by Carnifex and another Sith. Get out of here before they come after you!" Lily needed to warn the others, she feared that they would not stand any better chance that her team did.
After she stated that, she grabbed both her Lightsabers and activated them. Throwing the Moonblade straight for Quintessa as she decided to continue fighting. No more running away.
Ashley was quick to do so, her and Grenade holding down the suppressive fire just long enough for her group to rush into the new opening.
The mission hadn't changed.
"Move! Move!" She called out as she unloaded the last of her power cell in a full spray of bolts.
As they made it out, Giggles let out a groan.
"Let me take a look." Bastard called out, as Ashley slipped into the new corridor, throwing an EMP grenade at the shield wall for good measure.
Giggles had been hit right in the mid-section, searing pain rushing through her abdomen as Bastard began to work on her, injecting her with some bacta as he applied pressure to the wound.
"You think...you think he likes me back?"
"Now! Now is when you ask this?!"
"I just...think he's funny..."The cathar winced as she slowly slipped in and out of consciousness.
"Fark. We need to get her evaced."
"No can do, we're stuck until the objective is done."
"...alright. I need to get her blood, but she should wake up here soon. Ashley, pass me an epi. I need to get her heart rate up."
Ashley looked to the jedi, snarling slightly. This was supposed to be a stealth mission. So much for that. She passed a small injector over to Bastard, before looking back. "DJ, how close are we?"
"Just down the hall, then to the right. We're gonna be facing the automatic defenses, but once we get inside we should be good."
"Shotgun, get splicing from here. We've only got a few minutes before that shield wall hits us again. Jedi, I'm gonna need you to buy us some time."
Time. It was something that Ashley always seemed to have too little of, and yet something her team always seemed able to buy more of. She prayed their luck wouldn't run out this time.
They were gonna bring this damned ship down if it came to it.
The Dark Lord's lightsaber floated into the sheath at His waist, bands of leather snapping into place to secure it. Muscle and skin reknit as organs ballooned with regrowth, the holes in His abdomen mending itself with an agonizing flush of dark power. Such rejuvenation came with a price, the suffering endured far greater than that inflicted upon receiving the wound. But the Dark Lord and pain were well acquainted, for He believed that such debilitating agony was a gateway to higher understanding; euphoria of untold splendor.
When the elder Jedi came to kneel before Him, the Dark Lord could see what was to transpire. He doubted that these Jedi would have submitted to the Dark so easily, not with how vigorously they struggled against it. Lily's outburst was the expected response, the fact that the other Jedi so easily moved to bend the knee without protestation tipped their hand. So, when the Jedi finally rushed forward to strike the Dark Lord, He was more than prepared enough.
The Jedi's lightsaber arced towards the Sith Lord, who raised His outstretched hand as though to block the weapon. But as the two came into contact, power darker than anything either Jedi have ever experienced flooded out from the point of impact.
And the Jedi's lightsaber blade shattered.
Electronics burnt out in their casing as the energy feedback fried the lightsaber's hilt as well, detonating the weapon and sending shards of metal in all directions. Sharpe looked in shock at his mangled hands, caught at the epicenter of the blast. He would not have much time to contemplate his predicament, however, as the indomitable grip of the Dark Lord's fingers closed in around his neck. Lifting the Jedi up, Carnifex watched coldly as the Jedi began to struggle against Him.
"Better to die on your feet than live on your knees, is that right?" The Dark Lord was counting on Quintessa to run interference for Him, engaging Lily Decoria while He dealt with Sharpe. "You would have made an amusing instrument, Master Jedi. But there's no more room for any fallen Jedi in our glorious Empire, especially those of dubious convictions." Power rushed up the Dark Lord's arm, filling Jedi Sharpe with a bright azure flame that seemed to devour him from the inside out, his entire being burning away into smoldering ash and soot.
There would be nothing for them to bury.
Turning back to Lily after dusting His hands of the former Jedi, the Dark Lord gave forth His commandment. "Kill the Jedi, blessed Quintessa. Make a sport of her death. I have been issued a challenge, and I dare not refuse." He took a step forward where the shadow of the Penumbra had lain across the floor, and faded into the darkness so completely it looked as though He outright vanished. He passed through the very shadows themselves, winding and twisting through the labyrinthine corridors of the Mors Mon.
They would feel His coming through the Force, as every facet grew darker and darker; dismal gloom descending upon them like a heavy veil. At some point, the droid assault upon the group would cease, the droids actually starting to slowly withdraw from the fight as the screaming darkness became entirely intolerable.
From the shadows came the Dark Lord, hatred rolling off of His physical form like radiation from an open reactor. He raised one hand as though to invoke a prayer, crimson lightning dancing between His fingertips. It struck out like a lance, a shimmering spiral of electricity that sought out the nearest living person, rushing to strike them squarely in the chest. But even if it did hit, it would not cease, leaping from that person to the next, and then to the next, bouncing from one life to another in a long bounding chain.
"You have invoked my name, little Jedi. I have answered."
"My lord!", a communications officer almost screeched. The Legate Marr looked at him with concern.
"Out with it, Officer. What's happening?"
"Reports are coming in from the Command Center. The Alliance torpedo'ed their own facility - blackouts are happening across the Woostrian defensive positions. Forces have been ordered to fall back on the contingency plan."
"By Typhojem, they're mad. Blowing up their own facility?"
"Not mad, Legate. Desperate.", Empyrean interjected. The other men fell silent as the Emperor looked to them.
"They know what happens if we take control of those weapons. They would lose another fleet to the Mors Mon, and they can't afford it. Still - their desperation is our boon. Double all bomber and fighter deployments - without the orbital guns and ground-to-air support, the Woostrians have just lost have their capabilities. We will take full advantage of the Alliance's misstep."
The Legate nodded, ushering the commands to the Officers in turn. Shortly after, reports would trickle into the other ships, the other fleets in the vicinity, then to the ground crews operating their own forces. The Mors Mon prickled as their own fighters blew through the Storm it created with a frightening efficiency, and the sky above Woostri slowly began to darken as the Mors Mon let loose its armies.
Yet its storm generators were at their limit between the push and pull of the Sith and Jedi on their systems. In a final act of rebellion, each burst inside their housing - killing the nearby maintence crews trying to service them. All at once, the Storm Generators fell away - and the full breadth of the Mors Mon was revealed. Few had seen it, fewer still saw it in its true glory amidst combat.
The shell of the thing was dark, alchemized plates of Sith creation. They were littered with an innumerable, complicated pattern of runes and sigils that spanned the full 120kms of the vessel. Some of the ground had found morale in the storm it generated, but more were in awe by the ship they had travelled upon for so long without so much as an inkling to what it truly looked like.
The storms had been perpetual, but Jonyna Si
had brought that to an end. The ships that had previously used it for coverage were now exposed, and the fleet began to adjust - many of which were now redistributing power from their weapons to their shields, seeing clearly that the Alliance could now aim at them properly. The Mors Mon, however, used its new found vision to bring its guns to full bearing.
Gone was the lightning and clouds, now only remained thunder and destruction.
Azzie had barely turned toward the suffocating presence before the crimson lightning struck. The air split with a crackling roar, and a searing bolt of pure hatred slammed into her chest. Pain exploded through her body, white-hot and unbearable, ripping the breath from her lungs. She didn't even have time to raise her swords.
The force of it sent her flying, her body snapping backward like a ragdoll. She barely registered the impact as she crashed against the durasteel wall with a sickening thud. The world blurred. Her ears rang. Pain screamed through her nerves, drowning out all else. For a split second, she was no longer on the Mors Mon. She was standing in the midst of a Star Destroyer chamber, staring at the mask of the devil, the breathy wheeze resounding in her ears.
Move!
Her body refused. Muscles twitched uselessly, her hands spasming from the residual electricity still crackling over her skin. Every fiber of her being burned, her nerves alight with agony. The sheer malevolence behind the attack sank into her like a venom, twisting through her insides, dragging something primal and terrified to the surface.
But then—Ashley. The team.
Azzie clenched her teeth and forced herself to move, her breath hitching as she pushed past the pain. Her fingers uncurled outward as she threw up a shimmering silvery barrier between them and the Sith Lord's relentless attack. It wasn't perfect—she could feel its fragility, the way her own weakness frayed its edges—but it was enough. It had to be enough. Even as the pressure sent fresh waves of pain through her body, even as her chest heaved with the effort of breathing, she held. It wouldn't last, shattering like dying starlight the moment the remaining lightning struck it.
His eyes met hers. That ravenous hunger. That abyssal void of endless need locked onto her, and something deep in her core recoiled. A memory—no, a nightmare—flashed unbidden in her mind: the flickering campfire, the twisted shadows that danced around it, the black gaze lurking just beyond the flames.
"My team didn't succeed in destroying the Penumbra. We were wiped out by Carnifex and another Sith. Get out of here before they come after you!"
Azzie's eyes were locked with the figure before her, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she felt it like a stampede of banthas in her throat. She was paralyzed, the crushing weight of dread ripping through her body. That... this... was Darth Carnifex
. The same terrible hunger she had always known in her dreams, the same void that devoured everything in its path. Recognition crashed through her like a second strike of lightning, but this time, it was not pain that made her tremble. It was fear.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her body screaming for her to run. But she couldn't. No, she wouldn't.
"He's already here. Get out, Lily." She swallowed her fear and the pain that still encompassed her chest in stinging waves. "I'll keep him busy as long as I can. If I don't—" Her voice cut off as she pulled herself to her feet. She had to keep him back while Ashley and her team finished the mission. "Don't make it out of here; make sure Master Valery Noble
knows I went down a rebel."
Placing herself between the overwhelming dark in front of her and the rest of the team, who were already heading to where they needed to be, she glanced at Ashley and gave a nod. She needed no words to tell them to keep going, to finish it. Her grip tightened on the hook swords in her hands.
"I—I didn't expect an answer at all really, let alone so quickly, but I guess that's on me for not broadcasting via encrypted signal." She quipped, blood streaking down her face from a gash that had opened on the side of her head.
Iris Arani
... please help me hold strong... The thought passed through Azzie's mind, not knowing if the words would even reach her or not, as she did everything she could to focus on the waves of light pouring out from the knight across the field.
It was like a shock to her system. To all of them. Suddenly, violently, the tug of war had ended.
In a moment of triumph, the crystals that had floated in a circle of familial bonds, suddenly fell to the floor, as the ghosts of the family Si disappeared, leaving Jonyna and Reina alone once again.
Jonyna looked worse for wear. In that moment, she wondered where Jenn Kryze
was in this hellscape. Everything felt like it was on fire. The planet, the Force, her...
In one final act, Jonyna pulled open the holocommunicator on her wrist. She struggled to do so, looking tired as ever.
"H-hey Val. I don't know where you are, but...I did it. The storm is gone. I think....I think I'm gonna take a nap." She paused, looking over to Reina Daival
one last time before she pressed the button once more.
Exhaustion. That was the main feeling pulsing through Reina. This was different to what she was used to. She was used to being mentally tired. Physically tired. But this was more of a spiritual exhaustion. She could push through the other types of exhaustion. If her body got tired, she'd just push through it with her mind. If her mind got tired, she'd just make sure to keep moving.
At that, Reina's eyes shot open wide, glancing over towards Jonyna. No. No, no, no. She couldn't go for a nap. Reina didn't want to be alone right now. The main reason she had managed to stay focused was because of the Light radiating from Jonyna. How impressive she had been. The fact she was here meant Reina wasn't alone.
It seemed like she wouldn't get a choice as the Cathar already seemed to be falling and through her own exhaustion, Reina threw herself forward to try and catch Jonyna! Only to end up just missing, thudding down on the ground in front of Jonyna. She at least made sure that Jonyna didn't thud against the hard ground!...Instead she fell on top of Reina who let out an exasperated sigh.
In watching her Husband burn the Jedi Sharpe from the inside out, Quintessa’s eyes widened with equal parts pride and sadistic glee, even as the stale, acrid scent of his burning flesh reached her nostrils. In that, she neither gagged nor coughed, instead briefly closing her eyes and drawing a deep inhale, savoring both the physical and preternatural remnants of her Husband’s Dark Side power.
Turning back to Lily after dusting His hands of the former Jedi, the Dark Lord gave forth His commandment. "Kill the Jedi, blessed Quintessa. Make a sport of her death. I have been issued a challenge, and I dare not refuse." He took a step forward where the shadow of the Penumbra had lain across the floor, and faded into the darkness so completely it looked as though He outright vanished. He passed through the very shadows themselves, winding and twisting through the labyrinthine corridors of the Mors Mon.
Quintessa reignited her lightsabers, the circular blades surging with energy as they sprang to life. Her eyes lit up with promise, her lips curling in a sneer as she moved forward in a casual, full-hipped stride.
Lily threw her double-bladed spinning lightsaber, but the tiny Asa’nyx simply twisted her torso to the left, evading its otherwise lethal trajectory with almost casual ease. However, the Jedi’s lightsaber did not escape her notice as it flew past, its distinct lack of a notable presence compelling the Asa’nyx to keep abreast of its position even as she kept her attention on Lily as well.
Still, she had every intention of making a challenge out of the Jedi before her.
“How about a race, Jedi? I’ll let you choose the finish line and I’ll give you a head-start~” Quintessa purred, her voice rising to a playful pitch. “If you win, you get bragging rights. And if I win...”
The Dark Lord's shadow fell upon her, and all she would feel was impending doom; the crushing, glacial weight of darkness pressing down upon her heart and mind. His shadow covered her in nightmare, the margins between reason and irrationality becoming almost indistinguishable. His eyes, glimmering like a jeweled diadem, peered directly into her very being; yawning infinity awaiting should she stare too deeply into His piercing gaze. In Him was the purest expression of malice.
"More valorous beings have stood where you are now, greater in skill and more tempered in wisdom. Yet their bones pave the Path of Victory on Jutrand all the same. Their Light could not withstand the eclipse, what hope do you have in yours? You have no hope, child."
He raised His hand and snapped His fingers. Cords of icy ethereal light snapped out from the floor around Azurine, serpentine tendrils that burned like liquid nitrogen attempting to coil around and bind the young Jedi's limbs. The pain they inflicted upon touch alone would have sent a lesser being into shock, but the training of a Jedi should stave off such a traumatic response for the time being.
"Do you feel it?" Inquired the Sith Lord. "The storm has abated." He was referring to the storm that had shrouded the Mors Mon as it had approached the planet, but with the generators inoperable the length and breadth of the warship was now on full display. Other ships had clustered near the dreadnought while the storm had been active, protected by proximity to the hull. Now they began to venture further afield, frigates and cruisers of moderate size.
But there were larger vessels as well, moored in the Mors Mon's larger docks that had yet to be launched. Six Eschaton-class Star Destroyers emerged as they decoupled from their moorings, rising up from the dreadnought in a synchronized formation shaped like two overlapping chevrons. Fighters and bombers screamed from their launch bays, but only about half of the combined fighter and bomber squadrons remained behind to run interception on Alliance vessels. The other half, along with the entire starfortress contingent, sped for the planet below; intent on exploiting the loss of enemy ground-to-air support.
Meanwhile, the Dark Lord continued to advance on Azurine, drawing out her terror and suffering with each step. "They struggle against fate, while enslaved to it's whims. They can never break their chains, young Azurine. But I can show you the first steps, you need only kneel before me." He indicated with His hand for her to do so, but there was something in His words that belied His intentions.
He knew that she would not heed Him.
He was counting on it.
What was to come would arrive all the same regardless.
Sharpe died one of the worst deaths a person could face. Seeing it, Lily wanted to vomit, to scream. To do something to grieve for the man who was now nothing but ash. None of the bodies were going to be taken back to the GA to be mourned appropriately. Families would have empty caskets to bury their loved ones. It was a horrible thought. It was a lingering fear that Lily held. She couldn't let down her mother, her aunt, her grandmother. They trusted her to be the best that a Decoria could be.
She had to suppress everything she felt till she was far from here. No pain, no fear, no anguish, nothing. She was as still as a lake on Eshan. Revealing nothing.
To be anything else was to ensure her demise.
Carnifex spoke to his companion and then left. Leaving just the two of them. Her gifted Lightsaber spinning back into her hand. She panted deeply, Lily had fought Carnifex for a while now, she was beyond exhausted. Giving everything she had in that fight. Trying to keep up with this little speedster, it was a fate that Lily knew was doomed. Even using the Force to speed herself along, she knew there was something else that made Quintessa unnaturally fast.
The game... an idea came to mind. It was dumb and probably transparent but it was Lily's only chance at survival. Especially since she could not face another deadly duel with a Sith who was of significantly higher skill than herself.
"The command deck, all the way at the top, all the way back the back of this ship. That's the finish line." It would be thousands of meters away. Even travelling as fast as Quintessa could, it would take time. Enough time for Lily's plan to succeed. Azurine was forced to confront Carnifex now due to Lily's failures and she knew that she would have to deeply apologise to the other Padawan and to Valery for failing to protect Azurine from the Sith Lord.
It had been her job to survive this fight. To keep him distracted and Lily wasn't skilled enough to do that. She wasn't strong enough to do that.
So, now she had to flee.
"How long of a head start?" Lily demanded to know before the race began.
It was keeping a front that she was going to compete in this race. However, Lily's real plan was to ensure that Quintessa was heading as far away, running for as long as possible for Lily to head to the hangar she arrived in and get out of the Mors Mon with the pilot that was still alive. The last Jedi of her strike team.
If she could get Quintessa to believe this race was something she would actually do. Would actually participate in. Then she could get out of here alive.
It meant dishonouring herself. Surrendering to blatant lying and deception. Tactics she hated. Tactics that felt wrong. But she had no choice at this point. Honesty meant death and Lily was ready to die.
She had barely lived.
"Let me know when my head start begins." Lily stated in a cold, stoic tone. She could not show anything. Showing anything would get her killed.
“Oh sweetheart...” Quintessa approached Lily in a blink of movement, the air rushing around her as she suddenly appeared directly in front of the Echani, close enough to place a small, yet lethal hand just beneath the much taller woman’s chin. The speedster’s sharp, manicured nails gracefully traced over the Jedi’s skin in the process, while her features curled into a slight frown.
“Don’t you feel it? Amidst the pulsing waves of the Dark Side, whose avatar you have just borne witness to. The clock is already ticking.” Quintessa purred, before releasing her hand from the Jedi’s chin.
“You best hurry!” She called out, fully expecting that Lily would take off as soon as she realized her meaning!
Lily blinked and the Sith Knight was standing a comfortable position away from her. The next blink and Quintessa was upon her. Faster than Lily had initially assessed from the fight with Pla. Had this woman been holding back up until this point? Could she even get to the hangar and the ship take off in time?
Goosebumps formed where Quintessa's nails traced, she had no clue if the Sith could keep her word on the race and there was barely contained fear shimmering in the steel gaze of Lily. She switched both her Lightsabers off, clipping the cross guard Lightsaber on her belt. Lily did note that Quintessa couldn't hear her Moonblade, something that could give her an edge with the Sith being so willingly near her.
Placing it behind her as if to clip it to her back, Lily switched the secondary Lightsaber from her non-dominate hand into her dominant right hand. Swallowing hard, she was nervous. Stepping to the side of Quintessa, she shifted into a sprinting stance, demonstrating her aim to run off as fast as she could. Allowing Quintessa to take in all this glory and victory over Lily, let the Sith laud how she had the Jedi bending to her will and playing her game. Build the ego within the Sith so that she missed what Lily was actually going to do next.
Activating the silent single blade of her Moonblade, Lily breathed in deeply and using the last bits of energy in the Force she had, she moved as fast as a crack of lightning. Stopping by the exit from the Penumbra chamber, Lily would look back to Quintessa. "Lets see how fast you are without your legs." Lily growled, holding up the Moonblade that she had just used to slice Quintessa's legs.
However, Lily knew her actions were going to have severe consequences and she couldn't linger around any longer. Concealing the Moonblade once again, Lily rushed towards the hangar bay. "Get the ship running pilot, I'm all that's left and we need to get out of here before Carnifex realises what I just did!" Lily called out on the comms. Needing that shuttle to be basically leaving when she was jumping on it since any longer and Carnifex was likely going to be tearing the ship to shreds to de-limb Lily in retaliation.
She knew there was no fury stronger than the fury of someone whose love one had been hurt.
Azzie's breath hitched as the tendrils of icy ethereal light lashed out, snapping toward her. Cutting at them and moving as quickly as she could to dodge, they coiled around her limbs, searing her flesh with a pain so cold and foreign that it cut straight through her thoughts. A scream ripped from her throat as she twisted, hooking her blades beneath the writhing tendrils and slicing them apart. The kyber-infused energy of her weapons flared, severing the bonds before they could tighten further, but fresh ones surged to take their place.
Come on, move. MOVE!
She wrenched herself free, panting, even as more of the cursed tendrils lashed at her. Every touch was agony, and she had no other choice but to fight through it, her hook swords a whirlwind of shining arcs. Each cut was desperate, fueled by terror and sheer will. She had never known fear like this—similar, yes, but not on this scale—or felt so small in the face of something so utterly beyond her. Carnifex's presence pressed down on her, suffocating and smothering away the fire that had always burned in her heart.
She was shaking.
Azzie swallowed the bile rising in her throat, her breath ragged. The darkness around her wasn't just suffocating. It was sinking into her, filling the cracks in her resolve, whispering of futility. Of surrender. She couldn't fight this. She wasn't enough.
Not as you are now.
Shut up.
You could have the power to triumph if only you just g̸̵͖̠̦͈̺̀ͧ́ͩ̈̓͠ȉ͖̻̌v̷̢̟͕͇̜͍̱̬͇̰̙̐͆̐ͮͭ̾ͦͤ͂̐͂̏͘͜͠͠e̵͍̯̺̞͔̠̳̰̿ͧ́̌͒̚͞_͕̳̦̺̗͔̀̎ͫͥ̋ i̸̟͌ͯ̃̿͋̋͠n̛̯̬͕̭̝̜̩̣̹͇̒̈ͯ͗ͥͭ̒ͮͯͣ͡ͅ.
No!
The thought came like a spark in the void. It wasn't loud or fierce—but it was hers. And that was enough. Her hands clenched around her swords, her knuckles white. The Dark Lord advanced, his every step stretching the moment into eternity. The weight of his presence threatened to crush her, she forced herself to breathe. Focus on the battle meditation—center herself, draw on the Force, though she was terrified. Especially because she was terrified.
She reached out—not to the looming dread that threatened to consume her—but to the world around her. The ruined chamber, the broken metal, the shattered remnants of war. The Force thrummed in her veins as she called to the debris, pulling shards of metal and whatever else into the air. With a flick of her wrist, she sent them hurtling forward, a storm of jagged wreckage streaking toward Darth Carnifex. It wouldn't be enough to stop him, but it was something to prove her own defiance. Not to him, but to herself.
As the debris streaked toward him, Azzie followed with a flash of fire. The flame roared from her outstretched hand and washed over the broken space. It curled and danced, licking at the edges of the battlefield against the oppressive darkness. She knew better than to rush forward here. Her instincts screamed to attack, to meet the Sith blade-to-blade—but she forced herself to remember. Aadihr Lidos
's lessons, Master Valery Noble
's words:
"Survive. Endure. Defend."
She took a measured step back, raising her swords defensively, striking only to counter, and searching for any opening she could find. She needed to conserve her energy. Unpredictability wouldn't save her or anyone else here. Her body trembled, her muscles screamed, but her heritage's physical fortitude coupled with her training kept her standing.
His aura, dark and consuming like a storm-tossed sea, betrayed no uncertainty or hesitation. He wasn't actually trying to convince her. He knew she would refuse, even counted on it. It was all part of a game performance where he had already decided the ending.
"What's the point... of the whole 'kneel before me' act—" A bitter, shaky laugh escaped her lips, the sound raw with the pain. Her grip on her hook swords tightened as she readied herself for the next strike. "If we both know I... I'd rather be shot out an airlock?" Her heart hammered against her ribs, every instinct telling her to do anything but face that abyssal gaze. But she would not kneel. Even if she doubted herself, doubted her strength, doubted her will to fight. She would fight anyway.
One quick breath, and she locked her amethyst eyes with his. Pulses of pure light burst outward like brilliant starlight from the swords in her hands, amplified by the aid of Iris and Zaiya. Only then did she charge, launching herself with a swift boost from roaring flames to bring the blades that still sang with the silvery energy at his side and chest.
Lily Decoria
Darth Carnifex
