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For a moment, Soloman's beskar'gam visor simply watched her. Unmoving, emotionless, the Mandalorian offered her nothing - even through the Force. As she spoke, he'd remain still, gun pointed at her sister - but he would listen until she was done. Words on words, until finally he broke the silence - but not with his own words.
A gunshot rang out as he adjusted the handgun in his hand to the thigh of Kyra - letting the bullet fire just above and the outside of the kneecap; avoiding anything critical, and nothing a good doctor couldn't bring back up to snuff, but it would reinforce the point he had already tried to make - using more compassionate means.
"You don't get what's going on.", he said simply as he readjusted the gun to point dead center on Kyra once more.
"Information, Jedi, that's all I wanted. I don't want your droid, and I don't want your excuses. I'm not your friend, and I'm not playing games.", he repeated as he pulled the hammer of his pistol back once more.
"I don't care what you need to do - use your magic karking Force for all I care - but figure out where your friends are, and lead us out here without meeting one of their patrols. Use the damn droid, it doesn't matter, but if you give me another excuse, the next one won't be in the leg."
The admiral watched the battlefield quickly shrink as the Sith fleets contract to form around the Red Dragon. It clearly must be important to them in some way besides its size. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered to pull everything back around it, especially when it's as capable of a vessel as the sensor scans suggest. He frowned as he considered his own situation. Angellus is on to something it would appear. He spared a quick glance at the holo-tank before making eye contact with a middle-aged man with wispy auburn hair.
"How are we looking Tops?"
The flight controller shrugged, "Not good, not bad. Starbombers are mostly rearmed, but many of the fighters are still getting onboard. I've detected two wings of enemy craft that have broken away from the main Sith formation."
"Odd. They've been acting defensively towards the Red Dragon. What do you think they're doing?"
"Possibly moving to intercept Captain Drake? It's pure conjecture, but there's nothing else out there."
"Perhaps Captain Drake is a more formidable ally than we thought...scramble the Pinooks to aid him. Do we have anything else armed and ready to go?"
"Some of the Zephyrs."
"They're fast. Scramble some of them too. We have to give Drake a fighting chance."
"That we do, admiral."
The admiral turned his attention to his mon calamari helmsman, "Take us towards that star destroyer that our gunners were just trying to take potshots at. We're going to get in range and fire on it once-"
A cacaphony of voices errupted across the bridge, interrupting any further orders. He blinked in confusion but a quick glance at the holo-tank showed a massive, familiar hull reverting into realspace near the Red Dragon: the Emerald Undertow, Admiral Quee's usual flagship. A large winged battlecruiser trailed in the Undertow's wake, along with a pair of heavy cruisers and a quartet of attack corvettes. He felt a swell of relief whell up in him as the pair of battlecruisers almost immediately began to close in and pound the Red Dragon. Massive railgun slugs, plasma bolts, particle beams, plasma energy torpedoes and countless numbers of turbolasers began to concentrate their fire on the enemy flagship. Hundreds of starfighters boiled out of the newly arrived reinforcements seeking to engage any starfighters seeking to screen the enemy battlecruiser.
"Comms, get me the Undertow, stat."
"Got it sir, frequency 3."
He flipped his headset mike to the channel.
"Captain Hrakness, you have no idea how good it is to see you."
"You mean the Undertow."
Gir could hear the warm amusement in his protege's voice. Part of him wanted to admonish the man, part of him wanted to admit to it. But he did neither.
"There's a strike team onboard that battlecruiser," informed the admiral, "try to be...surgical in attacking it. External systems and shields only if practical."
-Task Force Torrent regroups, small craft rearm and repair while capital ships begin to attack the Asha
-Peth Pinook squadrons and four squadrons of Zephyr-class Droid Starfighters scrambled to aid Atlas Drake
-Task Force Emerald Undertow enters the battlefield and immediately starts attacking Red Dragon
-Emerald Undertow begins closing in on Red Dragon in preparation for boarding action
-Task Force Emerald Undertow fighters engage nearby enemy starfighters near Red Dragon
-Prudence-class Assault Shuttles prepare to launch
The Omega's explosion tore through the hangar, shutting down the ray shielding around the launch opening and exposing the cavernous space to the cold vacuum of space. Beltran had just gotten a visual of the Sith that was hunting his Omega squad allies when the force of the blasts knocked him forward, causing him to smash his head against the hull of a nearby enemy fighter before landing on the deck. Without even a moment to breath, Beltran was suddenly being sucked toward the launch opening as the atmosphere escaped out into space.
While the Katarn armor that he and his men wore did have a small emergency oxygen tank installed on it, but that was to help with filtering out toxins on the battlefield. It might provide him a ten or twenty minutes of breathable air, but no more. But it was the fact that the armor was not insulated against vacuum conditions that provided the biggest danger. In the near absolute zero of space, Beltran would freeze in minutes if not seconds.
The Lorrdian's assessment of his situation was interrupted as he slammed into a supply crate. Even with his armor on, the jarring impact shook him to his bones and a sudden searing pain in his torso alerted him to a pair of broken ribs. He was used to pain, so that didn't shock him overly. What was more, he had learned to transform pain into power.
He used the Force to polarize the charge the atoms on the soles of his boots so that they would be attracted to the atoms on the deck plating. It was a trick that he'd learned years before from Okkeus Dainlei
, and it served to root him in place even as various pieces of debris and even a few of the First Legion troopers were sucked out into space.
"What the kriffing krif!?" Beltran heard the almost panicked voice of Specialist Argos shout over their coms. "The fethers blew the hangar!"
"Argos!" Beltran called out. "What's your status?"
".....uhh me and Doss are good." He replied a few seconds later. "Managed to wedge ourselves against a couple of supply crates an one of the enemy's transports."
Glancing back in their direction, Beltran could see the large figure of Sergeant Doss as he took the moments of surprise to put down as many of the bewildered enemy troopers as possible.
"Grave! Digger! Report in!" Beltran called next. There were several beats of silence, and then several more before finally the weary voice of Lieutenant Mrawr answered in their place.
"They got sucked out, Captain...I tried to get to them...but-"
"Get back to Argos and Doss." Beltran interrupted before the Togorian could finish his sentence. "Argos, see if you can slice into that transport you're wedged against. Then you three get inside and see if you can deactivate the mag-locks."
He have expected the youngest Paladin to argue, but the kid only came back with a grim. "On it, Captain."
Looking out on the destruction that Omega team had wrought, Beltran growled to himself. "Aien, you son of a schutta..." In an operation such as this, any one of a million things could go wrong, but friendly fire was one of the worst. Reece had sent Bartleby a message, but letting them know that they were inbound. Maybe the message hadn't gotten through, or maybe Bartleby was dead. Or maybe they'd known the Paladins were coming to help, and the blew the fething hangar anyway...
He couldn't think about that right now. He had seconds to turn this disaster into something else. "Reece! Status?!"
"A little banged up, boss." The demolitions specialist replied. "But I got the nuke set. Just finishing off the final code sequence."
"Understood, I'm coming to you."
Still using the Force to anchor himself, Beltran got to his feet. Immediately ahead of him, one of the First Legion troopers turned-his movements somewhat slowed due to the magnetics his boots were using. He started to raise his rifle at the Ranger, but Beltran got there first and fired off the last baradium round in his hand-cannon, causing the trooper's head to explode in a mist of blood and viscera.
Not bothering to reload the weapon, Beltran just tossed it aside. The escaping atmosphere caught it before it could even reach the ground and sucked it out into the vacuum. Another trooper fired off a pair of shots, but this one didn't have a great angle and they went wide. Moving fast, Beltran ducked and ran between the various spacecraft still mag-locked to the hangar deck. By using the Force to anchor him to the deck, he was able to move almost as if the pressure was normal.
He rounded a corner, coming up on another trooper. This one he impaled with his lightsaber without breaking stride. Then he saw Reece, hunkered down behind a crate typing the last few commands on the manhole-cover sized bomb. So focused was the man on his task that he didn't see that another Sith trooper had gotten a vantage on him.
"Reece!" Beltran shouted, trying to get his attention.
In the holovids, these kind of scenes always slow down. The hero desperately trying to save his friend, his friend meeting his doom anyway. But this scene didn't. It was almost anti-climactic when the trooper shot Reece. The bolt hit the Sergeant in the back, pushing him to the side. A second bolt then hit the nuke, causing its control panel to start sparking.
As Beltran moved closer, the trooper then noticed him. Taken aback by a Ranger wielding a lightsaber and moving as though he was one possessed, the trooper began to fire wildly at him. Several of the shots went wide, and those that didn't Beltran batted away with his saber. When he was perhaps ten meters away from the man, he leapt at him, somersaulting and twisting through the air and coming down behind him. Without any hesitation, he swung his saber and beheaded the man with a single stroke.
Next, he moved to his wounded friend.
"Reece!" He called out again. "You good?"
The Sergeant was already getting up, and Beltran could hear him groaning over the coms. "You remember that time on Kintan, when that schutta Marshal whatever called our own artillery down on us? That was more fun than this op..."
Staggering over to the bomb, Reece was already working by the time Beltran got there.
"How is it?"
"Still operational as far as I can tel...oh feth me sideways, no! Bantha schutta poodoo in the nine hells! The remote receiver is down and so is the countdown mechanism."
That, was bad. It meant that the bomb couldn't be detonated by remote, nor could it be set off by a timed delay. Someone would have to literally push the fething button.
"Get to the transport with the others." Beltran said without hesitation. "I'll finish this."
"Feth no you won-"
Concentrated blaster fire suddenly hit their position. Beltran took a bolt in the shoulder, which knocked him backwards. His concentration flickered and his Force anchor suddenly gave way. He flew through the air, bouncing several times against the deck before he was able to "stick" himself to it once more. Looking up, he saw Reece slumped over the nuke.
"Cap..." Reece's voice called out. "Get...to..the..transport... Don't...have...long. Gonna...blow...these...fethers........to hell."
Beltran opened his mouth to reply when suddenly a giant pair of hands reached out and grabbed him. Mrawr, knowing that his Captain would never willingly leave a man in the field to die, simply tossed the Lorrdian over his shoulder as if he was nothing and bounded toward the transport. Waiting at the hatch was Doss, who helped pull the giant Togorian in.
Collapsing on the deck, Beltran tried to find his way to some semblance of coherence, but all he heard was Doss' voice over the Silver comnet. "Sergeant Doss to all Silver personal aboard the Red Dragon. We are about to detonate a thermonuclear device in the main hangar. If you can evacuate the ship, I suggest you do so now. If you can't, try to get as far away from the hangar as possible."
From an unseen direction, ostensibly the cockpit, Beltran heard Argos calling out. "I got the Mag-Locks detached. Hold on to your hats!"
Between the escaping atmosphere and the faltering gravity, the transport floated off of the deck and was suddenly pulled by the air current toward the vacuum. It hit the deck several times, flipping end over end, but still somehow missing the other craft still docked. A particularly hard impact finally put the dazed Lorrdian completely out as the transport fell away from the Red Dragon with all the surviving members of Paladin aboard...
Save one.
Slumped over the nuke, Sergeant Paxton Reece of Nar Shadda breathed his last breath. His life had been a tumultuous one. It had been marked with pain, addiction and so much more death than anyone should ever see. He had failed his friends more than once and disappointed so many. But he'd done some good as well. There were people alive today that wouldn't be had he not been there, and not just one or two. He didn't really believe in an afterlife, but if there was some kind of accounting for goods and ills-he hoped his good outweighed his ill.
"You know...what the...worst part of all this is?" He wheezed to himself. "I never did get Auteme
's autograph..."
The Sorceress frowned with a melted face that exposed part of an Obsidian skeleton as Cato Demora
managed to free himself from her ensnarement, the piping turned metal snakes began to try and re-wrap themselves around an arm and a leg, attempting to dodge any attacks of his.
She was forced to break off the attack as a hail of disruptor bolts came her way, knowing she was in extreme danger. No one could really out-badass a Disruptor bolt.
So she flexed all the piping underneath the floor and in the walls as she deflected the highly lethal bolt, her blades threatening to short out from the intense power in each projectile.
The piping moved brutally upward in unison, throwing off the aim of the troopers and sending them tumbling to the ground as they essentially experienced a tidal wave from the floor, burst metal piping reaching out to ensnare some of them and letting allied Jedi and soldiers take shots at others.
The Sorceress pointed at Cato and hissed a spell to try and increase the magnetic properties of his armor, which, if he failed to resist spiritually the spells effects, would cause metal febris to start flinging itself at him at non lethal speeds. Hopefully what she had done had taken some of the heat off Caedyn Arenais and let him get a breather.
The Sorceress felt the unease of Starlin Rand
at facing Arcturus Dinn
. She called out mentally to her student.
Most of the fighting had silenced as Sephi began to move once more. No longer could he scream in the Force, nor fight using more intensive means. In the vacuum, as the cold nipped at his exposed flesh and threatened to freeze it, he began to slow; spurred on and sustained only by his strength in the Force. Teeth were grit as he used his claws to dig deep in the floor, pushing him onwards as he did so.
He hadn't taken the Jedi for the kind to commit suicide attacks - but he supposed there wasn't much to expect when one cornered a rabid animal. Some Jedi commander had taken the lesson of 'Don't give your soldiers a chance to escape, and they'll prefer death to retreat' a bit too seriously - considering these soldiers didn't even believe in something hardwired into their minds like the Sith Eternal, it was slightly impressive they would do something so silly. Though if the Worm's teachings were correct - then it wasn't a matter of their decision, it was simply that the Force had commanded them to die for its own sake.
How cruel, to not even decide when one takes their own life.
As he rounded a corner, Sephi glanced at the soldier on the ground with a detonator in his hand - wheezing something to himself. Sephi ignited his greatsaber as he closed the distance between them; but hesitated as he saw him slumped over something.
"What is -", he began to think, but the flash was faster than his thought.
The heat came first - but the darkness was not soon after as the Hanger's metal was quickly reduced to little more than molten steel and bodies turned to ash.
"High priority transmission from Typhojem, Admiral.", Vo said as he transferred the transmission to Antille's own screen. The hologram of the Sith Pureblood glanced to him with a slight frown on its synthetic features.
"Speak, AI.", Tithon commanded.
"Admiral - vexing news. The X-04 is picking up the hyperspace signature of an approaching fl-", but the transmission stuttered right as he was about to finish. The hologram glitched, then ceased as Tithon pressed a few buttons harder than normal to bring it back.
"Lieutenant, where did that transmission go?", Tithon demanded.
"Apologies Sir, but pings to the 'Red Dragon' have ceased... High radiation detected on scanners -", Vo said as her eyes darted across the reports she was receiving.
"Nuclear blast near Hanger 4, Sir. The 'Red Dragon' has gone offline! Damage to reactors, shields have gone down -", but once more before she could finish what she was about to say, something worse appeared. Before them on the screen came up a massive fleet - the size of both of their own combined, opening up fire on the rear of the 'Red Dragon'. With shields down, the shots began to slam into its engines with impudence; forcing the massive ship to cock slightly on its axis.
The bridge began to stir and come alive as they moved about - calls for sitreps, attempts at emergency comms, but the flagship was dead. Whatever was occurring on there was no longer there business - but Tithon knew something was far worse. His fingers raced as he brought Arthos Vynea
onto his own holocomm.
"Consul, I am taking over command of your fleet. The Red Dragon is disabled, and as your bridge has no doubt told you - it was timed perfectly with a fleet dropping into orbit. I don't believe I need to spell this out for you, but the fact our communication jamming has had no effect, and that the enemy has brought a fleet just as our ship was disabled tells me we have a traitor in our midst.", he said with an authoritative anger.
"I am asking you to take on the title of Abjudicator - question all nonessential personnel on your ship and mine. If we are to survive this turn of events, we can't have our plans undone so easily. Tithon out.", he said as his finger slammed against the end call button. He could feel the bruise forming from the force, but it mattered little in the moment - his eyes focused not he image of the Monger slowly tilting as it fell into the planet's orbit.
Likely to miss its intended target.
"Orders, sir?", Vo said with a growing anxiety in her voice. The bridge seemed to look at him with some apprehension, but Tithon would not meet it with his own - offering only an iron gaze as he began to speak.
"Bring our fleet organization in line with the Veynea's fleet. I want open communication between all parties. Regroup the ships, turn to face the enemy, and we will fight them over the planets surface - I will not have this invasion brought low by traitors and imbeciles. Destroy the holonet relays, and ensure nothing else escapes this planet.", he said with his jaw tightening.
The bridge nodded - and the command went out. Ships would begin to regroup to surround the two star destroyers, their cruiser esscorts, and their frigate escorts - and the guns would be aimed at the opposition. Tithon would begin again -
"Refocus all Star Destroyers and Cruisers on the Heavy Cruisers attacking the Red Dragon. Frigates remain in picket to stop any squadrons from interfering. Those able, send the deployed starfighters to escort the GS-60 to strike against the Attack Corvettes - they shouldn't last more than a volley or two. All others, retain close formation; insure no opposition get near the planet."
But quietly he leaned back in his chair, a bead of sweat beginning to form on his brow. For all the Worm Emperor's talks - he only hoped he could salvage what was left of the mission to see Ossus fall. If he lied - if he failed - then all these deaths would be for naught.
Ura stopped as she watched the Sith move. He said he was who she though he was, but how? Tarish was gone.... He’d died.... This couldn’t be who it was. The voice would soon speak up again, seeming more desperate.
Please.... I want to go! Ura just ignored it as she watched, soon coming face to face with.....
“T-Tarish.... How?” The saber she had deignited as her right hand seemed to return, though notably the green tinted crystals seemed to resist.
Wha...?
You need th....
Stop it! This was getting crazy. Why was it like someone else was there? She’d have to talk to Karra or Josh after this. Right now though, she couldn’t believe who was there in front of her, or what he was doing.
“W-why are you helping them?! The Sith... they’ve attacked so many planets, killed innocent to fuel the Dark Side.... Why, Tarish?” While Ura tried to get answers, is was slightly noticeable that part of her almost seemed to attempt to flee, with no success. Something was definitely different since she first had her treatment.
Location: Space above Ossus
The Yurbian fleet burned as fast as they could to the edge of the gravity well, returning fire as they did. Nalos looked at the others, feeling the ship buck as engine 3 tried to fire. She looked around, watching as strike craft tried to keep Sith fighters off the larger frigates.
“How much further?”
“Not long now.“ Nalos nodded.
“Coordinates laid?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Then jump us when you can.” The Lervon looked from her chair, eying around the ship as they finally made it to the edge. The helm had a hint of joy come of him, the equivalent of a smirk before cutting on the hyperdrive and microjumping to the coordinates. They were followed by the other ships. The Seagoer wasn’t so lucky though. She had been hit midship before the jump, leaving part of her sparking and open to more direct hits to the frame.
After the jump, Nalos looked around, closing her eyes.
“Gir, we’re here. Come in.”
The Seagoer is damaged midship.
All vessels jump to the rendezvous point after escaping the gravity well.
The ship shook as screens began to flicker - then cease. The AI that had up to this point been commanding everything aboard the vessel began to stutter and stop with the rest of the electronics, but the bridge began to do the opposite. They came alive - working tirelessly in sudden bursts to figure out what just happened before finally one of them came to the Worm with news -
"Emperor -", the officer began, sweat pouring down his brow, "- a nuclear blast was detected in Hanger 4. Damage broke three airlocks and disturbed the main reactor; power systems are offline, and a fleet has dropped from hyperspace directly behind us."
The Worm seemed unmoved by this - much to the dismay of this officer who felt nothing but fear in the moment. It too a second before the Worm replied - his voices coming heavy and thick behind the electrum masks they bounced off of.
"Fear not, my children.", the Sith'ari said as he floated forward - black cloak trailing behind him as his masks looked out upon the planet below them.
"Technology such as this pales in comparison to the Force."
"Sir?"
" Darth Carnifex
- we apologize for bringing this meeting to a close so soon, but the Jedi shall not succeed in their attempts to foil what must be done.", the Worm offered without so much as a semblance of true care for the apology.
"If the engines of his ship have failed us, and the enemy threatens to destroy us; then I will gift them this one time - I shall bring the ship down myself. Leave this vessel if you yet hope to live - but know that your laminations will serve this descent well.", the Worm offered as a lanky and long arm began to rise from the depths of the close. Fingers wrapped in all black as thin as bone began to curl as the Worm took an unseen hold on the Force around them.
All at once, the darkness began to become all consuming for those left aboard - a thousand voices that started as whispers fell into a chant that started low only to crescendo into a deafening pitch that entered the minds of the entire planet. The Worm Emperor seemed to shake for a moment, hand gripping tighter on the unseen ball in his palm as the ship began to adjust its massive path towards the planet - trapped in the gravity well of it, and guided by his hand; it was too late for anything less than a super star destroyer sized tractor beam to stop their descent.
For those across the planet, they would begin to see the cherished flagship turn from a black monolith in the sky - to a star falling to the planets surface, and the closer it got the more they could feel the chanting, regardless of Force affiliation. The Monolith's dark power had been magnified by the fear of its crew - and that power began to wash over the planet in droves. All the Darksiders would feel its rejuvinating energy, and all those who answered the call of the Light would feel its drain - as the less in control began to fall to the Dark side directly before their eyes.
Jedi hearing the words of the Worm Emperor in their mind - told dark truths they had hidden from them for generations, all fed into the minds of the impressionable and those among them who had any sense of doubt in the teachings of the Jedi. Sith secrets, the code, everything a Jedi was told to ignore would permeate the mind and mix with the dark energies that began to consume the planet.
"Go ahead, Tactical, what is the status not heavy guns targeting 'Red Dragon'?" Halpern responded, Liram was busy analyzing the fighter's attacks, losses, and overall effectiveness of the plan at the moment.
"Weapons are having little effect, scans suggest that they have redirected power to the shields."
" As expected."
Halpern was surprised, not that Liram was listening, but of his answer, his glance that way told the story.
" If they think we're inept or desperate and focus on their shields, they'll pay less attention to what we're really doing."
The grin and nod from the XO was expected but still made him smile. Liram was finally starting to think like an "Angellus". Then as he looked out the viewscreen...
" BRACE FOR IMPACT!"
The "Hellbore" found its mark, right into the command toward. The explosion rocked the bridge, and no doubt the rest of the tower itself. Liram fell off the walkway into the portside "pit" and slammed into a nearby computer panel and slowly made his way to his feet clutching his forehead. Halpern and a few others made their way over to him. "Captain... Captain! Are you already."
" Damage report..." stumbling to his feet, eyes still focused on the floor he called out.
"Sir, you should sit down."
"He hit his head..."
"That was a bad f*"
" I said, I want a damage report!" Sure, he was hurting, but he was on his feet and mostly coherent. They had a mission to finish.
"Decks 6 through 13 reporting hull breaches and structural damage. Bulkheads holding."
"Fires reported on all affected decks. Fire suppression out on decks 10 and 11. Emergency crews responding."
"Deflector shields inoperable on Decks 9-11. Long-Range Sensors out. Portside Tower Battery targeting systems at 50 percent. We won't survive a direct hit, sir."
" Intensify forward batteries. Compensate the targeting systems and emergency crews to affected areas. Have evacuation plans in place as a precaution."
"Commo-Conn, incoming message from 'Persavi Perseverance'."
" Put it through."
"'Liberation', this is Captain Xalzin of 'Persavi Perseverance', it looks like you could use a little backup. Don't worry, they'll have to get through us to get to you."
Liram smiled heartily as he climbed the stairs and tapped his comm-link. He knew the Togorian well. " Thank you, Captain. I owe you a new bottle of Corellian Brandy for this."
The response was swift. "Yes you do, and not the cheap stuff, like last time."
A genuine, rare, laugh from the Captain later. " Fair enough. We're targeting the 'Red Dragon', everyone is taking on the support. If you could help us out, that would be great."
"No problem, Captain, I"ll sic "Corellian Courage" and "Green Two" on those Interdictors too."
Changing frequencies, Liram picked up Bravo's frequency. " Scott, I have a cruiser and another Corvette about to go after those Sith Interdictors. What say we punch them a hole?"
"Will do."
As Liram continued to contact "Alpha" and "Charlie" groups to amend their orders to Alpha with Gregale and Gale class fighters focusing on fighters, and A-wings focusing on Bombers. His orders to "Charlie" were to begin mop up and wreck the frigates and the Cruisers. As he was doing this, Halpern was busy with other orders.
Commo-Conn, an incoming message coming from Antarian Rangers team Paladin. They have set off a Tactical Nuclear device aboard the Red Dragon.
"Frak! Send out an All-call to All Silver Ships to ensure that they know to stay clear of the potential blast radius!"
Fleet regrouping and firing on all Star Destroyers.
"Corellian Courage" and "Green Two" targeting Sith Interdictors.
Carrier Corvettes, and Interdictors focusing fire on supporting Star Destroyers.
"Persavi Perseverance" and "The Liberation" focusing fire on "The Red Dragon"
GreGale and Gale Class fighters continue to hit Sith Fighters.
A-wing Interceptors conducting high-speed fire suppression, firing on Sith Bombers.
X-wings target frigate and cruiser turrets on attack-runs at Sith Interdictors.
Bombers now focus their attention on mopping up Sith Eternal support ships.
Interdiction fields will only be set if traps are sprung. If not and they move in, both "Dragnet" and "Magneto" will be at maximum firing distance, just like "Liberation".
Even from elsewhere in the galaxy, the Black Iron Tyrant could see the pandemonium which seemed to grip the bridge of the Worm Emperor's vessel. He watched with detached disinterest as one of the deck officers moved up to inform the Worm of their dire predicament.
Carnifex offered nothing as the officer relayed all of the incoming information, the man's face scrunched up in what was plainly fear.
"Fear not, my children," spoke the Worm Emperor. "Technology such as this pales in comparison to the Force."
"Technology is insignificant next to the power of the Force," agreed Carnifex, the small robot projecting his image slowly rolling forward as if he was walking towards the Worm Emperor. "Darth Carnifex, we apologize for bringing this meeting to a close so soon, but the Jedi shall not succeed in their attempts to foil what must be done," spoke the Worm Emperor as a farewell, already moving to address the situation before it raged beyond their control.
"Very well, may the power of the Dark Side bring you swift triumph over the Jedi. I will be watching."
Carnifex's image disappeared in a crackle of holographic static, the projection dissipating as the droid cut off that function. It beeped a series of trills and whistles before rolling off towards the bridge's exit.
Again, this monster surprised him. The attack was not surprising, and waiting until the last possible second, he met the greatsaber's vibrant crimson radiation with the cold permafrost energy of Conservator, and in a "half-moon" arcing defensive maneuver he had done quite literally a thousand times previously, Caltin redirected the blade down and into the ground. Reflexively, Caltin threw a hard right hook into the cheek of the Cragmoloid and the beast's Force protected skull provided the reaction those of you reading this would expect, even one Caltin would... he still couldn't stop himself.
Gah... stupid reflexes.
A quick kick at the cramped leg of his opponent and Caltin dropped a step back, making a "tactical retreat" hooking swing at the Sith's left side, there was no doubt the field commander would block his move, but it was meant to let him regain some space. Cracking his neck and walking a few steps around, Caltin had been debating it in his mind, whether it would be right or not. Those tusks were a problem and had to be at least rounded out, but three times the beast could have acted a way that the massive Jedi Master would have expected, and three times he did not. There was an honor in the way he acted, and Caltin was honor-bound to not commit to the act that he was considering.
Putting his hand down, Caltin shook his head. You are not dishonored by the actions of those around you. For what it's worth, I respect you more.
That is probably why he still will not attack, only defend and counter.
He stared down at his hands for many moments after contact ended, the Worm Emperor himself had saved him? The Worm had taken him from the doom that awaited him with the priests and brought him to the command deck, alive? It was almost a level of adulations in how he looked at his hand like the touch of the Emperor had blessed it.
Looking up though eventually however he found it difficult to decide what to do next. The Jedi moving for the obelisk far below would only find the waiting nightmare of Darth Vulcanus, and according to the warnings the Jedi forces midship were already headed back to a docking bay. How could he prove himself up here on the bridge? At first he thought he was just to be a witness as Carnifax arrived, or at last his image via a programmed droid, but the Worm not only seemed to accept that but be pleased to converse with him.
Then everything changed.
With a lurch that nearly pushed him off his feet the Acolyte watched as the voice of the AI went suddenly quiet, and the crew burst into action on various systems even as their screens went dark. Flickers of light and violent shaking followed as the alert went out for the second attack. The Acolyte would have been a liar if he pretended to claim he understood what was going on with the fleets, but he did understand the tone. Something had changed rather dramatically, and it wasn't in their favor.
But he saved them all again, or at least he saved the mission they'd come to complete as the Worm Emperor began to push the ship somehow into the very atmosphere of the planet. He didn't claim to be able to explain any of it, but he felt the tremendous power used within the force and then the holy screams of the crew followed as they realized death was all that awaited them now if they stayed.
Closing his eyes Quintus felt in a truly reverent state as he bathed in the fear suddenly bursting through like a damn into the dark side of the force. Like a shepherd he pulled at it making him one with himself and then himself one with the obelisk and poured it in like a waterfall trying to fill the ocean with darkness. He had no fear, there was no left for him with the overwhelming torrent of power he felt flow through his body, but none of it was his. He was just the conduit for something greater, something truly holy.
Feeling someone try to run past him out the door, he felt shock, who would dare desecrate this great temple? Pulling at a lightsaber from one of the guards he ignited it and sent it through the officer's stomach. He didn't want him to die, but to suffer and give that pain up to something greater. How couldn't they see it? Perhaps it was because they were not Sith, just the flotsam who were too afraid of destiny to grab their own. So he would take it all for them, and they would join in holy union with this great power about to bless the planet below.
So the fight continued as he butted back against the strike to his face, the heavy bones that supported the tusks there were stronger then most realized they would be. Just as a smile started to form on his face again as he felt the joy of combat building through him he felt something dark shift in the force. The wave was powerful enough as he began to hear chanting in his ears that he didn't notice the blow to his leg for the moment even as it became an actual limp.
Looking up he saw it, the great burning fire around the Red Dragon that announced it's entrance into the atmosphere. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, something was wrong, and the obelisk was coming with it. The Cragmoloid hadn't known what to expect as he felt the darkness surge within him pushing to the front as it amplified his emotions both good and bad and the flood of madness battered at the door to be released on this Jedi.
Whipping his eyes back to the Jedi he shook his head slowly as he turned his eyes about trying to find something left of sanity. As his eyes locked on the distant temple he grunted. Hopefully the children were all gone at least, He'd known the coming darkness would be powerful but this? This was pure madness.
"Go, Jedi, and look for me another day. Return to your people they will need you, and you will need them. Madness comes and rage with it. Look for Grundark son of Asya on another day. We will continue this then, you have my word. I have another battle to fight now, and if you stay it will be all the harder."
Even as he spoke he could hear the whispers continue and get louder until they were all he heard and rage welled like a font of infinite power around him. To look into it was to know the power of a god and to accept it was a madness about any he'd experienced before. The drums mingled with it as the drums mingled with the chant and all he could see was blood even as he stood motionless eyes bound to the burning ship from which the emanated. Slowly his lips began to move to chant with it helpless before the power it offered and the madness that drove with it. It was coming.
Atlas braced himself for potential impacts when the Constellation began to pass through crossfire. They navigated a labyrinth of exchanging turbolaser fire. Even a rugged survey ship couldn't take more than a few blasts from one of those capital ships. Tension gripped his crew as they flew into high danger. These next few moments could very well cost everyone on board their lives.
"Contact the Concord starfighters and tell them to wait for my signal. They'll know it when they see it."
"Captain Drake, I thought we had reached an understanding, but perhaps I was wrong. If this is an effort to flee change your trajectory and continue on, I have more pressing matters then an understandable fear of a civilian captain caught in the middle of war. However if you are indeed bent on interfering, Captain, you know I must hold you among our enemies, and will be forced to fire upon you. This is not my wish, but you are a free man and I will respect a free man's decision not to wear chains. Choose wisely though, Captain, few Sith would give you such a second chance."
"Freedom is earned, Lord Consul. Out here on the frontier a man settles his own problems. We have no wish to visit harm upon you nor any of yours but that relay doesn't belong to you. I don't expect you to abandon your duty. Don't underestimate my resolve."
Captain Drake cut the transmission. They were approaching the relay now and several dozen squadrons of Sith fighters advanced toward the Constellation.
"Three second delay. Launch," he ordered, "Time to suit up."
One of the survery ship's seismic charges deployed behind them. They were on board for geological research yet the military applications were impossible to deny. His intentions even less conventional. Atlas staggered briefly when the Constellation shook from aftershocks and went dark again. He knew such a gambit wouldn't fool the Sith for very long but they just needed a few extra seconds.
"Let's make this quick. Venting starboard airlock."
Explosive decompression launched Drake out into open space. Even with his EVA helmet on it was a terrifying experience. Soon enough the Sith were on them just in time for the first wave of Zephyr droid starfighters to slaim against their ranks with the kind of reckless abandon only artificial pilot brains could muster. Behind him the Constellation powered back up its drives and started to burn away.
Where others had fallen or been crushed by the descending rubble the Jedi Knight had wrenched from their point of entry, Caedyn had not had the time to draw his lightsaber fast enough before his primary target Cato Demora
had drawn his blaster. Despite the range between them, the shot rang out and Caedyn felt something impact his shoulder, quickly followed by a blast that had erupted from the barrel of the pistol and then came the pain and the realization that he had been shot.
The void stone slug had fortunately missed anything vital, tearing through his flesh and clothing, and exiting out the back of the Jedi Knight's shoulder causing Caedyn to shout out in pain, throwing himself back behind the pillar in need of a moment to poise himself. Bringing his right hand over the wound, the Jedi dove deep into the Force for healing aid, and only then did he realize the unusual side-effect of the ammunition the Trooper had used. Despite the round piercing right through, avoiding being stuck within the entry wound, Caedyn could already feel his power and control over the Force diminishing to a point of weakness he had not felt since he had been a Je'daii Padawan...
Swearing under his breath, Caedyn threw his gaze skyward as if to damn his misfortune, only then to notice a glowing star amidst the daylight overhead....-A star? No, this was growing ever larger and with the explosive flashes barely seen yet noticeable none the less, Caedyn felt his stomach sink in realization. There was a very large starship rapidly descending towards the Ossus Jedi Temple.
With the revelation that time was quickly running out, came the growing presence of the Dark Side, a malevolent and cold presence that seemed to occupy the flagship itself. What could only be the primary objective for the defending fleet above Ossus...-Had the strike team failed to neutralize the Sith threat from above?
Scrambling back to his feet, Caedyn took hold of his lightsaber once more, igniting a single blade and calling out to Syd Celsius
; "We need to fall back deeper into the Temple, we've got a falling starship heading our way!". He then moved out from behind the pillar and closer towards the hostile squad, not willing to leave without Syd in tow for greater cover within the Temple depths.
Dis was such that they tried to see the good in everything and everyone, probably because of this they came to the conclusion that there is a similarity between the two sides. The Shadowcat wasn’t interested in disagreements; they just wanted to learn to satisfy their curiosity. And of course, have enough knowledge to create different things. They slightly ruffled their shadow fur at the woman’s words of rejection. It didn't feel good to them.
~ Oh, that's pretty narrow-minded thinking! As I have read and seen there is a lot of Gray in the Galaxy who learns and practices both views… and there are Sith who learn Light Side… why shouldn’t someone learn Jedi things if they also learn Sith things? ~
They asked, still interested but in little said voice. Dis hoped there would be no exclusionary reason for the two. They did not learn things that could harm others; because they didn't want to. Because of that, the Shadowcat was a little sad now, but kept these feelings to themselves now, though their movements seemed to touch them sadly and sensitively. Especially how enthusiastic they were in the beginning. Eventually, at the elevator, they were still trying to come up with some plan, to which the Shadowcat nodded.
~ All right, I'll try to protect you and the guard there! ~ they promised.
Eventually they got into the elevator and headed for the bridge. For understandable reasons, the Shadowcat didn’t really feel when the ship shook from the attack, only noticed that when the elevator stopped moving.
~ I think we have a problem. ~ they “said” the obvious.
Great minds. Alina slammed into the nearby wall from the Padawan's kick, easily breaking through the temple wall. Her armor protected her from none of the impact, leaving her in a heap on the temple floor. Bruised? No, broken. A couple ribs. She groaned as she rolled to stand again. A different voice caught her attention. Another Jedi? She'd of been worried, if it wasn't for the sudden rush of darkness descending upon the planet. The Worm's ritual, then?
Must of been, given how the Jedi started to behave. Uncertainty. Fear. The Knight sized the advantage immediately, closing in on the figure before they realized what was going on. Her hand grasped his face, slamming the Jedi right into the remaining wall to stun him. She was still hurting, but she could fix that. As if answering the question she pulled the Anima right from the Jedi in her grasp. The Force darkened as she drained the man, till nothing was left.
She dropped the husk, turning her gaze to Mathieu.
"I ate."
Her fingernails dug into her palm. Holding a fist above the lifeless body, she let her blood drip onto the Jedi's face. Within moments it stirred, rising up. Hunger filled it's gaze as it turned it's head, staring around. Alina's palm had already stopped bleeding as she patted the man's cheek. "Go, feast."
... and again you surprise me, yet you don't at the same time...
The ship that was falling, was not directional, this was no, at least fully, a result of SJDN guns. There was scrambling all over the place, and the younglings had not been moved yet. They had to get inside after all, and they were going to need his help. There was more to being a Jedi than taking on the Sith, he knew this, and though his actions were prudent in taking on their biggest, there was a time to not fight. If that was what he needed to do, then he would be there without issue. He was not the paragon of the Jedi like a Coren Starchaser
or a Romi Jade
were nowadays, the days of him being the Vanguard of the Jedi were in the history holocrons. So this was the bandwagon everyone could be on, they could drive it, he could continue to be the thankless horse that continues to silently pull it. That also meant that he did not need the direction others might.
As the Cragmoloid called for another battle one day, Caltin actually offered a handshake... if not some kind of respectful fist bump or something along those lines.
We will finish this with honor another day. Until then, I hope that you find whatever it is that you are looking for.
Walking back to the Temple, Caltin eyed the lay of the land. By its trajectory, the battleship should not hit the Temple, or any populated areas, but the forest nearby. His place was needed inside the Temple right now and with no real threat outside, Caltin would head there. There were Padawans and even a few Knights in disarray.
That squad that was attacking Syd Celsius
and Caedyn Arenais? They now had another, a third target to deal with, one not quite as nice, or in the mood for this as they were. He did not feel the drain that others might because Caltin dealt with the darkness every day of his life, only he knew how to control it. He knew how to ride the waves it would create and come out at the crest.
Move! Now!
The Rancors were still causing chaos on the ground, but the two that he saw, he could push with the assistance of the Force away from their position. They would land around Legion soldiers, and who knows, maybe they would get an early lunch? As for the Sith troops and Acolytes in the area who thought that they could waltz into the Temple? Well, Caltin stood at the doorway, anyone who tried to attack would be met, anyone who tried actions from afar would be countered. No matter what happened, he was there for whatever they needed him for.
There wasn't really time to respond in full, to accept or reject the offered lightsaber. His comms blared loudly in warning of what was soon to come, and the Force quivered and shook something fierce with precognition of an oncoming disaster. The Red Dragon was making a quick and unintended descent toward the planetary surface, and if they didn't act fast they'd no doubt be wiped out in the shockwave which followed.
If the mighty vessel did not land upon the Temple directly.
"We have to go," he said, to the both of them, "We have to go now."
He even went so far as to grab Starlin Rand
by the wrist as he himself began to head out of the Temple, similarly to the way in which the children had, and toward the starship he'd hidden close by when first coming to this world. Hopefully the Jedi didn't fight him on this, but he wouldn't truly force his hand.
"You need to tell the others," he said to Thirdas Heavenshield
as he made his initial move, "The Dragon's falling, and if they're here when that happens..." He shuddered to think of it. The children were already gone, thankfully... Was it wrong for him to not want the rest of them dead too? Maybe the battlefield really wasn't a place for a boy such as Thesh...
Objective 3 Location: Ventilation shaft, heading for the bridge Writing with:DisRomi Jade
Her mind was still elsewhere, recalling memories of battles long past as she prepared to face what evil lingered on the bridge. Her grip tightened around the electrum hilt of her lightsaber. The familiar weight of the weapon purged all fear from her body. She was a Jedi. And this was her duty.
Or perhaps not.
Sakadi barely managed to hold on as the ship began to shake violently. The turbolift immediately stopped in its tracks, and the control panel's color shifted to an alarming red. As soon as she regained her balance, the Jedi master slammed her hand against the panel to keep the elevator in its emergency stop. "We most certainly do…" She replied to the shadowcat, as her mind pushed beyond its presence toward the bridge. Her mind's eye caught a glimpse of the fear, stress and thoughts that echoed through the minds of the bridge personnel. It was only a faint glimpse, but it painted a clear picture. One that was confirmed when the electronics of the turbolift completely gave out, leaving her in utter darkness. The Red Dragon was going down.
It was at times like these that experience, focus and tranquillity meant everything. The Sephi extended her arm and ignited her white blade, raising it until the crystal was at eye-level. It was attuned to her blazing presence in the Force, and was far more than a weapon. Right now, it served its purpose as a meditative tool. A catalyst for her focus that helped her cross a great distance in the Force from this dark battleship. Had one of her former students been present, communing through the Force would have been less complicated. But none of them were here. So she was left with the next best thing. A fellow beacon of light, one she had met once or twice before, and one who knew the Force better than she did.
Jedi Master Romi Jade.
Distance was nothing to the Force. It was something that once again became apparent when her mind's eye found the blazing sun that was Romi Jade
. Without a second thought, the Sephi reached out.
"Master Jade. There is no time." Her disembodied voice was faint and strained, for she battled against the cold tendrils of the Dark side that tried to wrap around her mind. "We failed. The Red Dragon will crash on Ossus. We can no longer stop the ritual… Save who you can."
Jorii Vizsla
Yula Perl
│
Kyra Perl
