Invasion Technologic | SO Invasion of GA Held Woostri - Objective Two

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord's power could not be overcome, not by Azurine Varek. He needn't even draw His own weapon, the power of the Dark Side coursing through Him obeyed His will utterly and obediently. The shards of debris slowed to a halt right before the Dark Lord, tumbling harmlessly to the floor only to be crushed underneath the Dark Lord's boot as He walked over them. For that, He did not even need to raise a hand or gesture with intention, the Force responded to His will instinctively; He did not call on it or beg, it merely acted as He desired.

"There is no power that you possess that can avail you, young Jedi." For this, He did reach out His hand and caught the flames as they gushed out from Azurine's own. The flames were drawn towards the center of His palm, gravitational forces warping the perception of space as light bent towards the Dark Lord's outstretched hand. When the last licks of flame had subsided, contained within a small sphere of pulsating light that levitated above the Dark Lord's palm, it was only then that He closed His hand into a fist and crushed the sphere.

"Because it is in your nature to resist change, the fight and struggle against evolution. To embrace the chains which bind you to fate, rather than directing fate itself. What I offer cannot be taught, it cannot be passed down through instruction. I can only show you how to take your first steps, the realization of truth comes through you and you alone. But that is the hypocrisy of the Jedi, they are incapable and unwilling to take those first steps because they cannot imagine a galaxy freed from their fetters."

He pressed forward, pushing the young Jedi deeper and deeper into a corner. The detonation of the shield generator could be felt reverberating through the deck at their feet, but if it disturbed the Dark Lord He made no signs that it did. All of His focus seemed to be fixated on the Jedi, steeping her in His malevolent gaze.

Light then did burst forth from the Jedi, a last ditch effort.

Hand still partially in motion from His last action, the Dark Lord unclenched His fist and allowed His fingers to unfurl. As the Light washed over Him, there began a tremendous transmutation of energy from one form to the next. Light began to shift into darkness, passing through a stage of anti-Light before decaying into it's final shadowy state. A large release of energy resulted from this shift, manifesting as explosions of bright gold and purple flames that the young Jedi had to pass through as she struck out with her blades.

Only for the Dark Lord to have completely vanished in the interim, His being having being obscured by flame and light just beforehand.

He did not stay vanished for long.

Striking from behind, the Dark Lord unleashed a powerful concussive pulse through the Force towards Azurine's upper body. It was enough to rupture eardrums and crack bone. He was never interested in snuffing out this young Jedi, as she might have suspected. No, He wanted her alive. He'd been surveying her for a very long time, far longer than she realized, in both the waking world and the mindscape of her dreams.

Her fate was His to orchestrate.

Azurine Varek ​

 

[Wedge Draav]

WE CANNOT BE CAUTIOUS

Darth Carnifex l Madelyn Lowe
Isoroku Spruance l Amelia von Sorenn


​

Wedge, so far, had shot down more than thirty enemy Starfighters. Thirty enemy pilots, give or take- perhaps more with tandem pilots, went to their dooms in the cold, unending void of space. And he had no regrets. No folly. No mercy. Wedge did not give them an inch- no, Wedge proved one thing thus far in the battle above Woostri:

He was simply the best, without equal. There was one man who could rival Wedge, and he died above Coruscant. The Empire, the Sith, the Mandalorians, had not set a pilot that could beat him. Yet.

The fighters that came to intercept the Alliance ships en route to inflict pain to the massive warship were not prepared for an aggressor like Wedge, much less his bravado- his recklessness, his aggression. The Imperial pilots weren't for the most part unexperienced, but with Imperial and Sith pilots- numbers mattered, experience and training didn't as much. There were experienced pilots, sure, but the Imperial war machine had thrown them into the grinder again and again.

So Wedge dominated the space between them, his black X-wing, cloaked from sensors occasionally, appeared like a razor, slashing at the throat of the Sith war machine. In the no-man's land between the two packs of cruisers, frigates, and Star Destroyers, lay the ruthless calculus of war. And Wedge- Wedge was incomprehensibly ruthless, efficient. His X-wing came at the enemy fighters and bombers, outmaneuvering them. His X-wing may have outclassed them, but truly, it was the man in the cockpit that did it.

Wedge Draav earned his stripes, earned his legacy, earned his position by merit. Not by birth, not by inheritance. The Alliance war machines, protected by Wedge and pilots like him, hung on the razor-thin margin of victory at the moment. At any given point, the Sith could turn the tide, just as the Alliance could. There was no clear advantage on either side- but currently, Wedge felt the Imperial war machine bearing down on him a bit more than he would have liked. They were massive, and with the recent desperate moves by the Alliance- the hotshot pilot didn't feel like victory was close at hand.

Wedge protected the Alliance vessels as they approached, the relentless assault of the Sith preventing a quick attack. Wedge rolled a helix around the Alliance vessels, acknowledging non-verbally to the Senior Commanders on the field of his intent to provide support. The Alliance pushed on. They had to. There was no time for caution, no room for anything other than absolute, total resolve.



Edit: Added in a line to show that Wedge isn't exactly winning the battle.

 

[Azurine Varek]

A Fire Behind Enemy Lines

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords | Vixens Vault Items

Shards of debris Azurine had hurled at him froze midair, tumbling harmlessly to the ground as if she had never shot them at all. The flames she summoned, bright and furious, were drawn into his palm like they were nothing more than a candle flickering in the wind. He didn't block them. He didn't even deflect them. He simply took them, twisted them, and crushed them out of existence. Her stomach sank, gritting her teeth to try to keep fighting.

The massive explosion thundered through the ship, shaking the deck beneath Azzie's feet. Through the agony clawing at her limbs and the suffocating pressure of the Dark Lord's presence, a wave of relief washed over her. The others had done it. The shield core was sabotaged. The mission wasn't in vain.

They did it. A chuckle nearly escaped her lips, half-strangled by exhaustion. They actually did it. The Alliance could now open fire on this beast with everything they had, damage their communications weapons, and anything else they could bring down.

The flicker of hope ignited something deep in her chest, pushing back against the gnawing hopelessness that had begun to take root. She clenched her hook swords tighter, the heat of their kyber-infused energy buzzing against her skin. Even if she couldn't finish it herself, even if she had no idea how long she'd be able to hold on, at least she knew the others had come through. It pushed her to follow through so she could find an escape, despite the horror of her light being swallowed by purple, sickly flames that licked at her body. Only to find that the Sith was no longer there.

Visions flashed quickly before Azzie's eyes of the impending attack, causing her to flip around while the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her hands snapped up as she threw a hasty Force shield in front of her, her body still shaking. It barely held for half a heartbeat before shattering like brittle glass, sending her hurtling backward.

Pain detonated through her body as she slammed into the deck. A sickening crack shot up her leg, and white-hot agony lanced through the bone—chipped, maybe fractured. If she had been human, the bone itself likely would have been shattered all the way through. Her vision swam, dark spots eating away at the edges. Warmth trickled down her face, thick and slick—blood. She could taste it, metallic and sharp on her tongue. It dripped from her nose, from a gash somewhere along her forehead, trailing down to soak into her clothing. Every breath was a struggle, her chest heaving in shallow, ragged gasps.

And still, he was there. Darth Carnifex's presence was an all-consuming void, a black hole swallowing everything in its wake. She could feel him closing in, towering over her as her limbs trembled beneath her own weight. The darkness around him pulsed, rippling like a living thing, pressing down on her as if it intended to crush what little fight she had left. Her fingers twitched towards the hilts of her swords, but the strength to lift them was slipping away. No, no, no, not yet—

She blinked, and the world flickered in and out of focus. Blood dripped onto the deck. A bootstep echoed in the suffocating silence. Her body wasn't responding.

The last of her strength drained away as she tried desperately to drag herself to her weapons, her muscles refusing to obey. The pain, the exhaustion, the overwhelming force of His presence—it was too much. The flicker of defiance that had burned in her chest only moments ago sputtered, dimming beneath the weight of it all. Her vision blurred, and in the darkness, she saw them.

Familiar faces— Her friends, her comrades, Lily Decoria , Corazona von Ascania , Roman Vossari , Caltin Vanagor , Caelan Valoren , Zaiya Ceti , Braze , Anneliese Kaohal , Katherine Holt . Jonyna Si ever calm in the presence of raging storms. Everest Vale with her nervous smile and kind aura. Aris Noble who was more than just her best friend, but her brother, even if not by blood. Valery Noble , watching her with quiet strength, a guiding force that had always been there since her awakening... Aadihr Lidos , smirking like he always did when he thought she was being reckless and leading her by the hand.

She reached for them, for him, desperate to hold onto anything, but they slipped through her fingers, fading like stars swallowed by a black hole. As much as she fought to hold onto them, just as the darkness of unconsciousness started to claim her. The last thing she saw was the Dark Lord's looming figure, an unreadable mask of power, and the cold, blood-red gaze he fixed upon her as her vision slipped into nothingness.

"I'm sorry. I... I tried..." she whispered across the comms not knowing if Iris or anyone would even receive it, the words barely escaping her lips, her chest heavy with the weight of uncertainty.

Then, the galaxy went black.

Allies: Ashley Nevermore | Iris Arani | Zaiya Ceti | Lily Decoria | Amelia von Sorenn | Isoroku Spruance
Enemies: Darth Carnifex | Darth Empyrean​