The Fortress World

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

So the Republic and the Jedi had come to Anaxes, a world torn apart by civil war between rival warlords. As always, it was the little people that suffered from such conflict. The Republic had arrived on the planet with noble words of restoring peace, stability and prosperity. The same applied to the Jedi, though as usual they seemed conflicted about their mandate as 'peacekeepers'.

Siobhan had little trust in politicians or Masters. She did not care much for the Chancellor or her 'grand programme', some might talk about how it was time to reclaim the glory of the Old Republic, but that nation had collapsed centuries before she was born and so she felt no connection to it. But murderous tyrants were ruling Anaxes and so it was her duty to try and help put an end to their reign. By force if necessary. The orthodox Jedi might say this conflicted with their mandate as keepers of the peace, but was pretty pointless unless there was a peace to keep in the first place.

With these thoughts on her mind, ready for battle, she disembarked from the gunship as it touched down on the planet's surface at what seemed the staging ground for the Republic's invasion. Or liberation. That was semantics. Besides, what was in a name? Her lightsabre was strapped to her belt along with several grenades, a heavy blaster pistol was holstered. Some might say that was not very Jedi-like, that you should rely solely on the Force, but then she had sort of lost it once and being caught off-guard was not something she particularly relished.
What a big turnout, all the bigwigs in one place, she thought sarcastically when she noticed that apparently the Supreme Commander and the Chancellor were assembled and the Grand Master was just hobbling away. Here to bicker and get the glory if this actually goes well. And then to bicker about who deserves the credit. One Sith agent or terrorist could easily take the Big Three out with a bomb, but then who was she to make any judgement on the illustrious three that wanted to lead the Galaxy into an era of peace and prosperity?

"Maybe if we ask the warlords nicely and give 'em the best Corellian brandy they'll suddenly see the error in their ways and stop making their people suffer and die just so that they can stay in power. Or just pretend they're playing nice because they want a load of credits from the Senate," she said contemptuously when she heard that Jedi - she didn't know his name, ask the Grand Master whether this conflict could be resolved without a fight after delivering his long lecture about why an invasion was bad. She shook her head at his naivete. "After all, it really brings the whole message of starting a brave new world home if the Republic's first order of business is to make a deal with a bunch of scum. But, hey, if some people are too afraid of compromising their principles. Hope for the best by all means, anyone with brains would like it more if everything worked out peacefully, but the only thing some people respect is force."

 

[Tefka]

Teferi approached the Enclave, hoping the several Jedi who had come to this world with them had followed. A lesson in the history of the Jedi during the 400 year darkness was nigh.

The little green monk stared up at the huge structure, once a bright gleaming jewel of Anaxes, now destroyed by the pot marks of blasters and the rubble of explosions.

 

[Darth Metus]

The Jedi Enclave, Anaxes

Jor'si was relatively silent on this day. This in itself was a peculiar development, as the young man generally had no problem interacting with others. In fact, he had gotten quite chummy with a number of members of the Republic Military and made time to hit a bar or two following their shifts whenever he could. However, today was the first time Jor'si had ever been in the presence of his newly-appointed master, a rather outspoken Jedi Knight, and furthermore he was in the presence of the Grandmaster of the entire Order! In his mind, whatever he had to say was of not of any importance and he humbly kept his mouth shut.

Sure, in light of the exchange between the Commando and his master, he'd have loved to throw in his two cents...but was that really the best way to break the ice with a mentor? No. So, Jor'si simply disembarked from the gunboat he had jumped into earlier and followed along as the Grandmaster moved to the Jedi Enclave. Once there, he came to a halt and awaited whatever the Grandmaster had to say.

Thus far, the outspoken, headstrong native of Nar Shaddaa had managed to keep his mouth shut. Score one for the Republic.

 

[Malok]

The exchange had ultimate concluded with the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order continuing his solemn strides to the once-glorious Enclave. A sigh escaped the lips of the Supreme Commander and he rose to his feet, facing his son first. "Commander, head to where the rest of our forces are amassing. I want you on one of the strike teams." He didn't wait for his son to give a response, as this wasn't a request, this was a direct order. Dex then turned his attention to the fiery, opinionated Jedi female. He remembered her name as Kerrigan from their meeting within the Senate Building sometime earlier.

"Ma'am, if you wouldn't mind terribly, might I ask that you accompany Ned to the front? Your expertise in the Force could greatly come in handy in keeping the infiltration from claiming more lives than need be. Should you choose to decline, I fully understand. And should you accept, you have my deepest gratitude."

Dex chose his words carefully. Even as the Supreme Commander of the Military, he had no jurisdiction over members of the Jedi Order and had to respectfully ask their aide; of course, unless they volunteered in a joint-operation, but that was an entirely different ballgame. With that said, Dex motioned for the majority of his troopers to also accompany his son into the gunship, as he did not want to send the wrong message to the council they were to meet with, and then stepped forward in the direction of the appointed meeting place. The time for squabbling amongst themselves was done, it was time to act.

 

[Malok]

The Republic Front, Anaxes

"Yes sir!" Ned immediately recognized the tone of his father's voice and did not even fix his mouth to argue. This wasn't the man he was raised up by speaking, this was the Supreme Commander. He immediately snapped to attention, rendered a swift salute, and returned to the gunship. He tarried there for a few seconds, giving a window for the one named Kerrigan to jump in or not, before signalling the ship to take off. Upon lifting off, he, his troopers, and the Jedi (should she choose to join them) would immediately sail off to the site of the amassment of Republic and Anaxes forces outside the enemy fortification. Ned could scarcely believe what he saw: combat had already started and they had only just arrived on the planet a few moments ago.

He knew that, by protocol, the Republic wouldn't shoot first, so he knew it was the radicals that had launched the first strike. Upon landing, Ned immediately jogged out of the gunship and approached a trooper. "What's the situation?" he demanded. The trooper rendered a swift salute and stammered, "The enemy started firing rockets at us before we could even land! We lost a gunship full of men and had to fall back further than planned. We've managed to make up most of that ground but we're still pinned down by those rockets." The trooper indicated the cackling mass of men atop the fortress' battlements, armed with rather menacing launchers. "We can't proceed until they're taken care of."

Ned grit his teeth and returned to the gunship, procured a sniper rifle from one of the reconnaissance troopers there, and dropped to a prone position. He lined up the sights, chose a target, and fired. A clean shot through the torso was the result, dropping the first of the rocketeers. Ned was deadly with two weapons in particular: a rifle and a sniper, this was his element.

"Snipers! Let's clear the battlements! Artillery! Lay down some fire! Armored units be prepared to move!"

 

[Flint Pherson]

___
Star Defender Holoboard

"Updates are streaming in at realtime. Take a look Commander."
"Thank you Specialist. I see it, loud and clear."

Flint had both palms on the Holoboard. He had a bird's-eye view of the whole battle. Starting from the beginning. The Rally point they shared with the Joint Task Force of Ananxes had been contested early. The enemy rocketed the ships and surprised everyone with their knowledge of the attack. Losses occured and the Republic and JTF had been forced to enter combat immediately. A new Rally Point was set for all incoming forces and the siege now underway.

"How's it looking sir."
"Messy. They got the jump on us. But the Army is moving quickly to get the assets in place to counter their walls."

The mission was simple really. Hit the compound from the front, then sneak in the back for the VIPs. So far, knocking on the front door seemed to be working.

"Live feed is good sir. No movement in the water up here either. Whatever gave them a heads up in this fight hasn't hit their ships yet. No combat in orbit detected."
"Good. Then let's hope this remains an isolated theater."

A notice hit the Holoboard that Flint was needed on the ground. His vacation in the star ocean was over.

"Sir."
"I have it Specialist. I'm moving to the bay now. Helmsman, the ship is yours."
"Aye aye sir. We'll be here when you get back."

Pherson strapped his helmet on and entered the elevator at a brisk pace. It was time to hit the dirt and play ball.

___

Minutes later

"...What have you got for me Lieutenant?"
"Sir! I can't hear you sir. You'll have to speak louder. The guns are firing non stop!"
"I said, what have you got for me!"
"Oh! We have medical extraction priority here, and here."

"Take it. Retask the gunships."
"No good sir. All gunships are engaged."
"Then we'll run with reinforcements. Whats in que at the Rally Point?"
"Just JTF forces. Locals sir."

"Then I'll take two men and rally to them. We'll see how friendly their feeling."
"Yes sir. Good luck sir! I'll stay here and try not to go deaf!"

Pherson retasked two Naval units to his personal command and got underway. He requested a way-point but Command was busy with the firefight. This was gonna be a low tech run down into the trenches baby. In only minutes he pulled up the Rally Point in a borrowed civilan vehicle. He was greeted with arriving JTF forces that had been tasked to assault alongside them. Sadly, the local allied warloard's forces looked a bit hostile really.

"I need a Captain. You. Who is your commander?"
"Over here Republic. I am stranger. Captain Ansir. What do you want? I've got a company of soldier's and armor needed at the front."
"I've got men down and under fire with no air support to pull them out. I need an escort to their waypoint on the front lines."
"Negative. Now. You can accompany the armored assault force to the front lines, but I am not tasking a unit to search and rescue. Not now."

"Copy that. This is the waypoint. What trucks do we follow?"
"Bravo Unit. Right there. Right there. Hitch a ride and I'll tell them your coming. Oh? And good luck getting out. Its a sh storm up there right now."
"Yeah. I got that memo. ...Okay boys let's move. On me."

Pherson abandoned his car and jumped aboard the armored vehicle headed for the fight. With any luck they could reach those men while these JTF raiders kept the wall gunner's busy.

To the front lines, here we come.

___

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

The Republic, Anaxes

While the Supreme Commander was not her boss, Siobhan did not need to be asked twice. She didn't relish war, but was ready to do her part. Besides, she couldn't really imagine what she'd do in some ancient Jedi enclave when there were warlords to topple. If there were arcane artefacts to be found there, she'd be of little use anyway and history wasn't her thing unless it was immediately relevant.

So she jumped into the gunship behind the commando and soon they had been thrown out of the relative tranquil of the landing zone into the midst of battle. A hail laser fire from emplaced blaster cannons and rifles whizzed above their heads, troopers hidden behind the fortification unleashed missiles that struck the gunships landing on the ground, enveloping them in small fireballs. The screams of injured, dying soldiers and the smell of burnt, charred flesh filled the air. The Republic troopers responded in kind, opening fire on the defenders and she heard the commando call on the artillery to shell them.

Siobhan was a skilled enough shooter, but not particularly good at sniping unlike the Commando, she fired off some salvoes with her blaster rifle, but at this range they weren't very effectual and the defenders were smart enough to utilise cover. Putting the gun down as the commando's sniper team began picking off targets, she drew here lightsabre. The blue blade flashed to life in a snap hiss she deflected incoming laser fire that was targeting the troopers, reflecting some of it back to their attackers, but obviously that would do no good against missiles and she winced as a rocket surged past her and embedded itself in a gunship, hitting the cockpit. The Force had been with her and so she had been quick enough to anticipate it and seek cover from the onslaught.

Gritting her teeth, she reached out with her senses and found the old, battered wreckage of a military-grade speeder, probably a leftover from an earlier battle between warlords. The mutilated corpses of its original occupants were still lying close by and in the wreckage she could notice a plasma cannon, though that did not interest her. Trying to calm herself amidst the chaos all around her and focused, she held her sabre in her metal hand and reached out with the organic, staring intently at the speeder. Slowly the vehicle began to rise from the ground and levitate. She thrust out her hand and drew on her powers to send the vehicle racing towards the defenders' position, aiming at the rocketeers. It was not the most precise shot, for though Siobhan was quite strong in the Force, she lacked patience and finesse.
One of the rockeeteers noticed the attack and tried to alert his comrades, sending a missile flying towards the speeder racing through the air. Beads of sweat dripped down Siobhan's forehead as she used the Force to maintain control and steer it right towards then. The missile fired, but she Force pushed the speeder towards them with great speed and it struck. Some of the soldiers were fast enough to dodge and seek shelter and thus were unaffected, though that reduced the pressure of the Republic troopers landing here. She heard a loud scream from some of the rocketeers as the speeder was slammed into them at top speed and crushed them.

Witnessing the little bit of mayhem she had caused, Siobhan took a breath.

 

[Elara Hulis]

Dressed in the usual Jedi tunic, Elara followed Teferi to the Jedi Enclave on Anaxes. She was somewhat interested in seeing how the Jedi on this isolated planet survived and evolved. She also wondered what stories these old Jedi might have regarding the galaxy during the dark times.

However, the sight of the mangled temple, as far as she could see, had placed a frown on her usually smiling face. She could tell that rust and corrosion had swept the outside walls. Debris covered the path before the Jedi from Coruscant - obviously from fallen chunks of the temple.

As if on cue, though, the door opened out toward Teferi and the Jedi that accompanied him. A Jedi, extremely humble in appearance compared to Elara, Teferi, and the others, emerged from the temple. This Jedi had a grayed hair with wrinkles aplenty.

Out of respect, Elara gave a shallow bow to the Anaxes Jedi. Then, she awaited for Teferi and the Jedi's conversation.

 

[Malok]

The Jedi by the name Kerrigan had caused quite a bit of mayhem in one of the frontal sections of the battlements, yet the enemy still remained numerous and the ferocious attacks kept on coming. Ned's finger continuously danced upon the trigger of his borrowed rifle, putting an end to radical after radical, but as one dropped; either off the battlement or behind the wall, it seemed that two more would take his place. The Commando began to grind his teeth in frustration...

Then, just as Ned was contemplating falling back an additional few yards to enter the safety of the cover provided by the Republic lines, a series of explosions riddled the top of the battlements, sending flaming bodies of the enemy rag-dolling through the air. Finally, the artillery had began to unleash hell upon their relentless opponents in the form of incendiary shells that would give the Republic a little bit of breathing room to move forward. Though the extra firepower did just that, the radical force still came to populate the battlement walls. It would be a tough fight moving forward.

"Keep pressure on the battlements!" He shouted to the snipers who had come to take up various positions adjacent to him. They adhered to his command and continued to drop foe after foe after foe. After what seemed like an eternity, there was finally a break in the storm of rockets that had been assaulting the front lines. Now, only a relentless hail of blaster fire came flying over the walls, with the occasional grenade. Ned was satisfied, they would finally be able to move up and continue to clear the walls.

"When the armor gets here, we push forward!"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

The ranks of the enemy seemed to be thinning as the Republic troopers fired salvoes at the emplaced radicals, though for every radical that fell, another one seemed ready to take his place. Then the earth was shaken by tremors as Republic artillery opened its bombardment, throwing up earth and making bodies fly through the air. Their screams filled the air as they were set alight, but many more had sought refuge behind the walls and relentless continued firing and kept lobbing grenades at them, forcing Siobhan to dodge and seek cover.
Nonetheless she stood her ground amongst the troopers and the Commando, gripping the hilt of her blade tightly and moving the sabre rapidly to help shield herself and the troopers close to her from the incoming hail of laserfire. Even so, she yearned to storm forward and take the fight to the enemy, even though she tried to keep the lid down on the part of her enjoyed fighting more than she'd like to admit. As she steeled herself and brought the blade up to meet laser bolts coming at her, she idly wondered where in the Force's name the rest of the Jedi were.

After all, the Grand Master had come here in person. She could sort of get that the Jedi disapproved of aggressive action, though she didn't understand them, there was no guarantee that the Chancellor's grand plan would pay off, but people were dying all around her here and the main thing on the Jedi's mind was inspecting an old enclave. After all, the building would still be standing after the struggle for Anaxes had been resolved, one way or another. She was thrown out of these musings as her Force senses alerted her to imminent danger and she hurled herself to the ground, grabbing ahold of a nearby soldier's shoulder and leaping down for cover with him, just about escaping the detonation of a grenade that the radicals had thrown at them.
Landing with a hard thud on the cold ground, her vision was hazy for a few seconds as she pulled herself up, laser bolts whizzing above her head. A shooter take aim at her, just before he could fire one of the snipers brought up his rifle and fired, taking him down. She gave him a grateful nod. Her lightsabre had landed a few metres away, reaching out with the Force she grabbed ahold of it and pulled it towards with telekinesis, raising it high, spinning it fast so that the shots fired by one of the shooters were reflected back and struck him. Screw them, if they wanna be useless. I'm here, they' ain't. Focus , deal with things on the ground and all that, Kerri.

More gunships came in swooping down from the sky, unloading Republic troopers. Siobhan thought she could hear the rumbling of tanks and armoured support as well, though with her mind focused on dodging and deflecting shots, she could not be sure. "Looks like our armour boys are coming!" she called out to the Commando.

 

[Ben Watts]

Republic Front, Anaxes ( Attn Ned )

Ben had been back for no less then a week and he was already heading into battle for the Republic. When he had the dream of allying with them he did not see himself, or any other Jedi for that matter, fighting a battle so soon. There were more pressing matters to attend to, but alas, Alliances often times came with strings attached. If they were to have a good relationship with the Republic they were going to need to work together so that they could accomplish their goals and right now the Jedi's goals included gaining the trust of the Republic.

The ship he was on rocked as it went into battle and Ben kept his face stone cold. This was not his first dance so he did not fear the battlefield. Fear lead to the darkside so he suppressed any emotions that could possibly hinder his decision making on the battlefield. Word was that a sprite young Jedi Knight had already arrived and was doing quite a bit of damage. At least that was what he heard of the pilots comm.

The ship landed and the familiar sound of battle filled his ears. His lightsaber buzzed to life and the blue blade lit the air. Wow, how long had it been since he had even activated his blade? He stepped off the ship, deflecting a few blaster shots that had come in his direction, and he rushed up to a man who was issuing orders. "Could a rusty old Jedi Master be of help here?"

 

[Darth Metus]

Although the young Padawan had kept his tongue in check, head down, and obediently followed his seniors in the Order, the vast majority of his attention was upon the battle taking place. Through the Force, he could feel the pain of the Republic Military, he could hear their cries as the enemy hammered their ships with rockets and showered them with blaster fire. Jor'si...couldn't take it anymore! These were people he had come to be fond of: these were his friends! He wasn't about to just sit idly by and tour a dusty Enclave when people he cherished were out there, risking life and limb, in order to bring about peace. The young Padawan simply bowed in respect to those who had amassed to follow the Grandmaster to the Enclave, denoting his excusing himself, and turned on his heel, briskly heading to the landing pad and the troopers who still tarried there.

"Hey!" He said, nearly breaking into a sprint and waving his hands to get their attention. "I need to get to the battlefield, are there any ships coming in nearby?" Needless to say, after witnessing the exchange between their Commando and the Jedi Knight, they were surprised to see a Jedi asking for a ride into the battle. This, though, they highly approved of, and one of them promptly radioed in. "Anybody got room for one more? We've got a Jedi who's got some fight in him."

In less than thirty seconds, the young Padawan was greeted by the sight of a gunship that had deviated from its heading and came to a landing upon the pad. Jor'si quickly stammered a thanks to the Troopers and squeezed his way into the gunship, immediately being carried off to battle. Yes, he was but a Padawan, but he was going to fight. Not just for the Republic, not just for Anaxes, but for his friends.

 

[Flint Pherson]

___
Opposition Front East

"Right there sir! Commander! ...Right there! Below the broken tree."
"Yeah, yeah. I see them. But how do we get to them?"

Pherson and his two Navy squadmates had reached the front. Riding atop an armored convoy had been bumpier than he had ever imagined. Especially when your wearing over thirty kilograms, (sixty pounds), of armor and carrying a gun too. This new armor felt like EOD duty, all over again.

"We can cut down and maneuver the slope on the right side."
"No good. Too exposed. That wall is still much too trigger happy right now."
"How did they even get down there. It's a killbox."
"I don't know. Must have rushed the wall when things went sideways."

Pherson and his team where hiding atop a cliff formation over looking the eastern combat sector. He was on medical extraction duty and had two waypoints he needed to assist. Sadly, his first was looking mighty grim.

"I don't see any movement sir! Look. Nothing."
"I wouldn't be moving either if I was them. Here. Vickers. Grab that JTF soldier right there."
"He's dead sir."
"See what is in his pack?"

Another artillery round hit home and knocked the wall defenders down a notch. Incendiary. Ouch.

"Never mind. Thats our hole! Move up!"
"Right!"

Together the three men descended the grassy and charred slope. Coming to rest upon four bodies in Republic armor. All dead. Special Forces Sniper Team. Two shooters, two spotters.

"Nothing here sir. These men are dead."
"Okay! Back up the hill. Double time!"

A rocket smashed into the hillside nearby and blasted debris in every direction. Still, Pherson and his men made it to the top without injury. Luck of the draw today.

"I thought those men where a priority sir!?"
"Their transponder signal is still blinking red, soldier. They must have taken a blast and fallen down the hill. God knows where that transponder signal is coming from."
"Sir. It's a trap. The body location, the wall. They wanted us to go after those bodies."
"I'm not that paranoid soldier. ...Now we have one more priority signal to get to. So let's move out!"

Flint and his men moved further north as they sought out the last priority call for help. No gunships were available for extraction and they had to make the journey on foot. A tiresome affair built mostly on adrenaline and toughness. This eastern side of the line was dominated mostly by JTF warlord troops. Making the Commander and his unit stand out something strange. They went zipping through JTF platoons in action, diving behind JTF armored vehicles, and even had to jump over a JTF sniper team. They had to dodge more friendlies than they did enemy rockets.

"Okay. Waypoint just came up on the HUD. Almost there!"

And hopefully when they reached this call for help, somebody would still be alive.

 

[Malok]

As soon as the words had finished leaping from the Commando's mouth, he immediately opened a line of communication with the armored vehicles, which consisted of Republic Tanks at the moment, that were on the approach. Casting a glance over his shoulder, Ned was greeted with a dismal sight: only three tanks had come to aide them in their forward push. Most likely, the transport vessels were pinned down due to the rocketeers and couldn't get a clear landing zone to deposit their cargo and get away safely. Ned swore under his breath and then spoke aloud, addressing the artillery units and the tanks simultaneously.

"Artillery, I need a synchronized volley! Hit the battlements together at once and give us a window, on my mark! Armor, push forward on the double!" With that said, Ned noted the presence of an azure blade glowing out of the corner of his eye and heard the voice of the one wielding it. Looking up, the Jedi Master's presence put a smile on the Commando's face: despite the differences in philosophy, the Order was coming through just as he knew they would. "Absolutely! We need a little bit of cover to move forward, can you possibly deflect some of the incoming fire with the Force?"

The Commando didn't await a response, instead, he snapped to a crouch and radioed the Artillery units again. "3...2...1....FIRE!" At his command, another volley of incendary shells were fired into the battlements, littering the ground with even more bodies. Furthermore, the continued explosive damage had begun to show on the wall: visible cracks were beginning to form. 'If we can keep hammering the wall, it'll collapse and our Forces will have their way in...of course, it'll be one hell of a firefight...' Ned thought to himself as a cold, sinking feeling gripped his stomach; many men would fall in that charge...He didn't have time to think on it, as the trio of tanks began to rocket by.

Ned dropped his sniper rifle and swapped to a standard rifle before leaping to his feet. He motioned for both the Jedi to follow him and then yelled over the comm-link: "All frontline units, PUSH FORWARD! ARMOR, LIGHT UP THAT WALL!" A cry of battle then escaped the Commando's lips and he sprinted from his position, charging after the tanks.

"FOR THE REPUBLIC!!!"​

His rifle sang a deadly symphony of crimson bolts, countering some of the shots that were fired upon the advancing forces from the battlements. The tanks, as they rolled forward, continuously poured shell after shell into the wall, explosion after explosion, each serving to weaken the first wall.

Yet even after it fell, there was still at least three walls to push through in that labyrinth...the battle was far from over. Nay, it was just getting started.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"Glad you could pop by. The locals are givin' us an explosive welcoming," Siobhan joked a bit lamely to the Jedi Master before focusing on the frontline again. Apparently, some in the Order wanted to come through after all. Then the deafening artillerly bombardment started anew, hammering the fortifications with incendiary shells. Smoke rose up from the ground, soldiers screamed in agony as they were incinerated and hurled into the air like rag-dolls. Moreover, cracks were starting to appear in the wall. Nonetheless, it would require a frontal charge to take the battlements and so many would perish.

Hopefully they weren't smart enough to place mines, she thought grimly when the Commando called on them all to charge. The Charge of the Light Brigade! Hopefully...not like that one at all! The tanks rumbled forward across no man's land, taking the brunt of the initial enemy fire, and shelling the battlements, where the cracks started to deepen. Sabre in hand to deflect shots, Siobhan charged after them. Hopefully they wouldn't be blown to pieces by their own artillery! That would be tremendously awkward and embarrassing, not to mention painful. The sound of artillery fire and of hundreds of blasters ejecting a deadly cackle of red bolts was almost deafening, even with Force senses it was rather difficult to keep focus due to the thick smoke.

All around soldiers were gunned down, even with two Jedi shielding them the gods of war demanded their tribute in blood and skulls. As she ran, Siobhan stumbled over a bunch of corpses that had apparently been thrown from the battlement by the last artillery strike. Laserfire sizzled through the air and grenades landed across no man's land, throwing up bodies and the wreckage of vehicles from past battles. With a groan, she emerged from the crater and drew her sabre again, storming forward along with a group of troopers and doing her best to deflect shots. She broke into a fast sprint as a shooter wielding a light repeater fired at them, bringing up her sabre to parry and drawing on the Force to enhance her speed, then as she held her sabre to one side thrust out her hand and unleashed a telekinetic blast, slamming him into one of his comrades. Under the relentless shelling by the tanks, the first wall started to crumble and fall.

Forced to seek cover behind some debris from the hail of laserfire, Siobhan grit her teeth and removed a grenade from her utility belt, pulling the pin and counting down, trying to will the Force to aid in making the strike precise, she surged from cover and hurled as high as she could over the barricade. It was just an ordinary frag grenade, but it landed and two soldiers were hurled into the air by the shockwave and torn apart. Seeing a weak spot where she had just tossed the grenade at now that a tank had blown most of the apart, Siobhan bolted and when she was almost there leapt.
Standing a bit off-balance as she landed, one of the troopers quickly pulled the trigger and fired, grazing her in the right cheek. Siobhan cursed as she felt the burning pain, but she was pumped up with adrenaline and stormed forward, slashing at the trooper and disarming him with a quick strike that cut off his right hand, then stabbing down to kill him. A soldier slammed his gun into the back of her head, then came at her with a short sword, viciously striking at her. The Jedi spun and dodged, drawing him closer to her. Their blades met hard until suddenly she broke the connection and kicked him hard, simultaneously swinging her sword as he reeled and chopped his head off.

It was just then that she saw her attacker was just a lad, probably no older than seventeen at most, probably pressed into service by the warlord. In another life...not so long ago this might've been her. She frowned at that, then swiftly spun and brought up her blade to deal with blaster shots. Where one of the enemies fell, there was always another one, new meat for the meat grinder.

 

[Ben Watts]

"I can do that!"

Ben wasted no time and he summoned the force into both of his hands. He had not used this move since he had been but a Jedi Knight, and when he was younger, its destructive power was quite the sight. Now days, it was only used when he absolutely needed to use it, and now certainly seemed like the time. Once he felt that the wave would be destructive enough, he jumped high into the air with the aide of the force, and he unleashed the wave. The destruction that followed was more than he expected, but he had to remember, he had become much stronger than he had been the last time he had used it. Once the coast was clear, the Republic soldiers let out a roar and they soared down the alley he had created, and Ben followed without hesitation.

The chaos of a battlefield was unlike anything a person could experience. The deaths of all of the resistance were not unnoticed by Ben. His attunement with the force allowed for him to be in sync with everything around him, and every time someone else fell, he cringed a bit. He could not help but wonder if a peace treaty would have been the better route, but there was no use now, this was how it was going to go and no amount of talking would help. Death was, unfortunately, a part of life and Ben had come to terms with it.

Blaster bolts shot all around him and he casually blocked them with his saber. He remembered looking up to Krahno, his master, and wondering how he could weed through something like this without breaking so much of a sweat. He would dream of one day becoming as casual as Krahno, and that day had come, and he wondered if it had all been worth it. He peered around him and realized that this battle was going to need a little boost and he knew just the thing.

An explosion forced him to dive behind a tank for cover, his intuition saved him, but the blast was enough to force him to recalibrate himself. He spotted a wall he could take cover behind, he was going to need a few minutes to prepare the Battle Meditation technique, and he sprinted behind it. He deactivated his lightsaber and he looked over to the female Jedi who was fighting fiercly on the battlefield. "Make sure some hero doesn't come along and take my life!" he shouted over to the girl before he closed his eyes.

With practice, he would be able to use the technique without stopping his fight, but he had just learned it and he needed some time to prep it. The effects would bolster the stamina, desire to fight, and morale of all of the Republic soldiers and any Jedi on the battlefield. With it, they would be able to win the battle in no time, at least that was what Ben was going for. There were so many other things all of them could be focusing on besides some warlords on Anaxes. It did not take long, long enough he supposed, but when his eyes snapped open he could feel the effects of the battle meditation.

"Are we having fun yet?" Ben shouted at the commander he had met once he arrived on the battlefield. He sprinted over to the other Jedi and pressed himself up against the wall. "Shall we demonstrate just how dealy the Jedi can be?" He smirked, he was cleary cool headed and confident, this was not his first time on the battlefield and a small part of him seemed to enjoy it. At least the younger part of him did.

 

[Tefka]

The old Jedi looked to @[member="Elara Hulis"] and @Jor'si Denko, and then back to the ruined Enclave. His face looked heart broken.

"Observe this lesson, we should." Teferi tapped his walking stick on the ground. "When order fails us, like a pack of hungry dogs, we turn on ourselves." He rummaged through the rubble, moving things with the Force and his walking stick. A broken lightsaber was found, it's crystal still gleaming blue.

The older Jedi looked sorrowful as he hovered the gem in the air, keeping both hands on his walking stick.

His eyes turned to Jor'si.

"Honor our brothers and sisters lost to the Darkness, we should."

 

[Cassus Thorn]

Having followed quietly behind Master Efreet to the Enclave, now but a speck of it's former glory, Cassus remained quiet, his eyes studying the structure, worn from time. Offering a small bow to the apprentice as he came running up, Cassus let out a small sigh as, almost as quickly as he arrived, he bowed and ran off; probably to go fight this foolish war. With his arms folded behind his back, Cassus had followed Teferi into the Enclave, but quickly began to make his own way through the rubble, moving the boulders aside, making an opening large enough for a large man him himself to pass through, his eyes scanning the dust-filled air, now illuminated by the light that shot through the front door. If Teferi had any ideas of reopening this Enclave, Cassus knew it would take some serious hours and manpower; and with the Republic concerned about 'liberation' of Anaxes, and the young Jedi foolish enough to run off and fight this war, Cassus stuck to what he knew.


There is no emotion, there is peace.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

While most Jedi were busy exploring ancient ruins, Siobhan was fighting her way through the ranks of the warlord's forces alongside the Jedi Master and the Republic troopers. One wondered how the Jedi Order actually intended to reopen their enclave unless Anaxes was 'liberated'. After all, the warlords would surely not take kindly to their presence. Moreover, one doubted the Republic would appreciate an Order that did not deign to lend a hand. But then, Siobhan wasn't a Master and in many ways a rather bad Jedi, so she might be lacking insight!

Regardless, these thoughts were far from Siobhan's mind as she hewed and hacked her way through the ranks of hostiles. Moving alongside Master Watts, she deflected incoming blaster back to their sources. The onslaught of blaster bolts was incredible, but she fought tooth and nail and her shimmering blue blade was a blur of light as she moved it to deflect the blasts, shielding the Master. As the hail of laserfire increased and the line of foes seemed endless, she suddenly felt a surge of confidence and precision, feeling stronger, invigorated, no doubt an effect of the Master's meditation, though she didn't have the time to contemplate that yet.

"I'm sure it'll be real illuminating!" she quipped back to the Master. Deep down, Siobhan felt a stab of pity for the soldiers being thrown against them, like meat for the meat grinder. They were enemies, but only because of a shitty Galaxy filled with evil scum like the local warlords. The fact that most Jedi seemed to be running around in some enclave just made her angry. Cause exploring old ruins is more important than actually trying to help people and get things done. Expression grim, she charged forward, deflecting the incoming laser shots with swipes of her sabre in a fast-paced, methodical style. Using her strength in the Force, she managed to get several of the blasts to bounce off her lightsabre and shoot right back to the soldiers firing them.
Seeing the Republic onslaught and feeling the effect of Master Watts' meditation, some of the soldiers lost heart and took flight, even tossing their weapons to the ground. But they did not get far from the field of battle, for blocking squads set up in the battlement behind them ruthlessly opened fire with blaster cannons, cutting them down.

******* arseholes, If anything this just showed that the scum had to be taken down, even if she didn't believe that would deliver a brave new world safe for Life Day and puppies. Red laser bolts scorched the air around as she charged. A burly trooper came at her with a slugger...that was a bit of a surprise, firing at her. Slugs were primitive, but less easy to block than blasters and she winced when a round just about missed her, especially now that blaster-wielding shooters fired. Moving with great speed, she sidestepped his next shot and surged behind him. The trooper spun and for just a second looked fearful before yanking up his rifle but then she stabbed him through him in the chest. The soldier fell to the ground, gasping for breath but then suddenly Siobhan saw that his hand was enclosed around a small cylindrical object, a grenade.
She delved deeply into the Force and jumped, hastening out of the blast radius but even as drew on her powers to shield her she was caught in the shockwave and landed further away onto the ground with a hard thud, temporarily stunned for a seconds before she emerged, battered and a bit hazy. A trooper stood above her and struck at her with his bayonet, aiming for her face but missing and only piercing her left shoulder. Gritting her teeth at the pain she brought up her robot hand and slammed it straight into his face. The soldier was driven back and his gun fell to the ground, but then he came at her again and sought to headbutt her, which had the effect of knocking their heads together. But Siobhan was a tough cookie and slammed her fist into his neck, then snapped it in a fluid motion.

Pulling out her blaster pistol she fired at some attackers, keeping them at bay as she called on the Force to reclaim her lightsabre, bringing it up to deflect shots. It was pure chaos, mayhem, under the laughter of merciless blood gods. Siobhan would never admit it to anyone...except perhaps Tegaea...but somehow part of her felt alive.

 

[Flint Pherson]

___
Opposition Front North-East

Pherson finished loading the wounded men into the ATV. It had been another Special Forces team this time. Wounded early and cut off by rocket fire. However, this go around all four men had survived. Even more amazing was that Flint had found a JTF vehicle that had been hit by a mortar shell and abandoned. Surprisingly, The shell hadn't detonated. So, after throwing the explosive casually aside, Flint decided to 'borrow' the car. Four wheels would be a big help towards him getting these men out.

"All set back here Commander. They are strapped in, bandaged, and stable."
"Okay. Good. Buckle up back there. Here we go."

Flint climbed into the driver's seat again, popped the clutch, and hit the accelerator. All he had to do now was get these men back to the Secret SF Landing zone behind the enemy fortress. Back with the rest of the Special Forces that were ready to push into the Compound and withdraw the Opposition Leadership. The attack on the front door was supposed to be the distraction. The Republic SF would slip in and slip out under the radar. Flint had no idea that the main assault force had already decided to breach a wall. He had kind of thought that a simple show of force would have been enough. Let the JTF charge the fortress. The Republic could just sit back and blast the walls like a kindly old Trebuchet. But whatever. Pressure was pressure.

Pherson drove along the edge of the battlefield at a slow pace. It was the fastest he could go. The terrain was useless and his vehicle was a piece of junk. Maybe if there had been a road he could have at least driven in a straight line. It was amazing how going 'off-road' tested the limits of these terrestrial vehicles. He would have given his left arm for a land speeder right now.

"Commander. Almost there sir. He says the deployment zone was just over that ridge-line. Out of sight from the compound."
"Thats too far away for a clean extraction? How were they going to get the VIP's out? Run the whole way?"
"He says by Gunship sir. ...The men would blow the wall towers up with chemicals and then the birds would swoop down for the pick up."
"Have they launched the op yet?"

"He doesn't know sir."
"Alright. Keep them awake back there. We'll be at the drop point soon."

The borrowed JTF vehicle went bumping along the ridge at a sluggish pace. The walls of the fortress didn't even bother to notice them. Apparently, the enemy had bigger problems to deal with now than Pherson's tiny Extraction Team.

Apparently, the bad guys had a hole in their wall.