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The 'Belated' and its escort fleet moved to the port side of the 'Red Dragon' - moving to block the interception of the flagship from the planal west. His fleet was relatively minor - a single star destroyer, a few cruisers, and some frigates. Just enough to keep the oppositional fleets far from breaching their protective cone around the flagship; but that wouldn't last if Voss was alerted.
"Is the false signal working?", Tithon asked Typhojem, the X-02 managing the the fleet from the luxury of the Worm's own ship.
"It is indeed, Grand Admiral. The others systems are still receiving an influx of information from the system - though it is is all mindless rabble. They should not notice for at least a few days.", the AI offered back in wonderful proise.
"Good.", Tithon offered back as his ships shot into the void to stop another influx of starfighters - and while he had a few latent marks bypassing his picket, it would have to suffice.
"Tell Arthos to prepare for fleet engagement. Capital ships are on their way - and remind him the necessity of the mission. We can not let them get close to the Red Dragon, nor can they get access to the holonet relays.", Tithon reminded them.
The AI seemed to hum in acknowledgement before fading from view - leaving the transparisteel viewport open to him, looking out to the carnage before him. There would be many men that would die today - he only hoped his actions would make it all worth it in the end.
The trip down was always the worst, always. The plan was they'd land before the enemy knew the attack had begun, without losses. What kind of genius ever thought the transports ever arrived without loses? Minimum losses sure, but zero? Looking around at his herd, he couldn't help but give out a broad chuckle as he surveyed them. Each bore the insignia of the gored tusk to mark them as Grundark's, and in turn he was there. That was the law of the herd.
A red light came on overhead, the last warning before they touched ground and things went into full swing. "Remember, be strong and keep together. The strength of the herd is in unity. Fight for one another and leave no wounded behind and our standard will fly high above the others."
Stepping forward as the shuttle bay opened he made sure he was the first out among his brethren as his herd poured out of other transports. The roar of the greatest of his herd rose above it all as the rancor herd unloaded and already he saw with sadness their numbers were depleted. A commander ran up to his left trying to shout over the roars. "Lord Grundark, Lord Maliphant has requested all Sith at the command post."
Nodding him away the Cragmoloid walked onto the battlefield with a hearty smile, this was what he was made for the clashing of the strong. Here would be a worthy opponent to test his own skills. Mounting a command speeder which sunk towards the ground as it's motors groaned he looked towards the front where combat was likely already starting. "To Darth Maliphant then, have the men in formation and follow behind. The rancors, well the herd will know my will."
Starlin’s hands and feet were on the floor of one of the temple’s training rooms, muscles flexing rhythmically as he counted the push-ups in his head. Just before he completed the two minute run, the alarm went off. He paused, raising his head, skin slick with sweat just as the timer ended.
Standing up and grabbing his shirt, he hurried out of the room. People were running around in the halls of the temple, agitated by the blaring klaxons. Starlin yanked his shirt over his head and made his way through the surging crowds until he was back in his quarters, hurriedly suiting up and grabbing his gear.
He sort of knew what was happening, both through intuition (the Force tingled with impending doom) and because his master Syd Celsius
had told him of a vision she’d had in which Ossus was suddenly attacked. It was the whole reason why they were here, to provide aid if and when the attack occurred. Now was the time.
When Starlin emerged from his quarters a few minutes later, the hallways were all but deserted as non-combatants were herded away to safety and the Jedi forces rushed to the front to defend the planet from the invaders. Starlin walked briskly, but didn’t run, his eyes scanning each door and room he came across with caution. In the courtyard he kept to the shadows, watching. The sounds of battle were distant still, though he thought he could hear boots marching much closer.
"What the hell is that?" muttered Colonel Khyson as stared through narrowed eyes at the holo of the Red Dragon as it loomed over the man's homeworld.
Gir didn't answer. Instead, he quickly glanced at the others nearby him in the tactical operations room. Most of their faces were partially obscured by the hazy blue light of the holo-projectors depicting the debacle unfolding over Ossus. Officers frowned and stared impassively at the massed Sith warships. He eyed one officer of the 3rd ISAF Marine Regiment.Their postures are too rigid. He looked at the few non-military personnel in the room. Ariela's face remained characteristically stoic, and Gir imagined that the HRD was busy trying to silently calculate a variety of probabilities under this sudden assault. Sariya rocked back and forth on her heels, seemingly oblivious to the dire situation at end.
"I don't know what it is," answered the admiral, "but it would appear that they outnumber us at by at least two to one margins counting whatever that thing is. There's no record in our databanks of just what that is, or its capabilities."
"Well, we have to fight it," spat out Khyson, "we have to stop them now."
"It would not be wise," said the blonde man, leaning over a steel railing to gaze into a holo-tank, "to engage a foe we know next to nothing about, especially when they are in greater numbers than us. We have half an orbital rotation before we come to face to face with them and enter in pitched battle. That's simply not enough time to make a reasoned decision. We will withdraw until we have a better idea of who they are and what to do. "
"You can't seriously do this...do you....do you know how long my people have fought to come back home? To cleanse this world from the blight of the Sith?"
The admiral ignored the old Ysanna man and flipped down his headset mike, "Perit, prepare to take the task force to a point somewhere mid-system. Give me one moment to discuss a tactical maneuver before we execute the jump."
"Understood."
Khyson bolted towards the blonde man before Sariya nearly clotheslined the man midstep. The lithe echani woman quietly pushed him against a metal bulkhead. She flashed him a cold, tight-lipped smile as she kept one hand on his chest while another hand rested quietly on one of the vibroblades on her belt. Gir knew that the former prize-fighter was probably more than a match in personal combat than any of them in the room combined. He spared the pair of quick glance and made eye contact with both of them as if to say don't do anything stupid. He quickly toggled the comlink to another channel he shared with Tyraensh, a young Elom who served as the captain of the carrier corvette Red One.
"Tryaensh, it looks like we won't be making that trip into the Stygian Caldera soon, but I want to run the same plan here now instead of at Tion. Scramble your fighters and then prepare to jump out with the rest of us."
There was a brief moment of prolonged silence before he received more subdued reply than normally chipper skipper.
"Yes sir."
Red One was Martan-series Carrier Corvette, an ugly gray hull with the lightest of capital weapons and the maneuverability of a ship twice her size. But its saving grace was its relatively massive hangar. Nearly forty Peth Pinooks jumped out of the massive hangar doors before scattering in nearly all conceiveable directions in pairs. Some of the fighter gigs let themselves be pulled in by the gravity of the world to slingshot to another side of the world towards Mim and Nerit while others micro-jumped further away from the planet. Amid this rush of fighters, sixteen more craft slid out almost imperceptibly from the corvette's hangar. With all of their stealth systems activated, the Phantasms were no little more than a blur at best to casual watchers of the fleet. The translucent starfighters angled off course from the rest of the fleet before forming a loose formation that would eventually take the starfighters onto the left flank of the Sith Eternal fleet. Nearly as rare as the Phantasms, a quartet of Sowa Stealth Recon Drones silently glided into the black void. Each drone embarked onto an individual course that would take it a far orbit around Ossus. Together, this constellation of drones could allow the Silver Jedi Concord to maintain almost unparalleled surveillance of the space around Ossus. Light began to glint of of the hulls of Task Force Torrent as the Adega System's twin suns entered full view of the small fleet. And with that, the Silver Jedi Concord forces could just begin to visually make out marauding vessels of the Sith Eternal. Brilliant cronau radiation erupted around the fleet as the five carriers jumped into hyperspace, leaving Ossus behind them. Mere minutes later, the vessels arrived in deeper space closer to Colsassa than Ossus itself. Even as they did, the craft abruptly changed course even as shields, active sensors, and nonessential systems were powered off - "running silent" in old sailor's parlance. Between the Ebony Torrent's sensor shielded hull and the sensor distorters carried by all ships of the fleet, accurate detection of the craft from a distance would likely prove difficult. The carriers drifted off into black ocean as silently and quickly as the Sith Eternal fleet had arrived.
The blonde man turned his attention back to Khyson and Sariya, "Colonel, we have our return to plan. Will you be able to partake in it's planning? Or do I need your XO to fill your place for now until you can collect yourself together?"
-Capital ships of Task Force Torrent jump away from the planet before running silent
-Pairs of Peth Pinooks start moving to random spots around Ossus
-T9 Phantasms move to start flanking maneuver towards Sith Eternal Fleet
-Sowa Stealth Recon Drones spread out across local area around Ossus to provide surveillance of area
As the Sith commanders gather around Maliphant, he formed Kala'anda in his palm - black smoke coalescing into a solid alchemized phrik staff with a dragons head. It's energy was extraordinary, seeming to forms waves through the Dark Side that filled some of the nearest men with the sudden urge to dip their head and pray to their chosen Sith Saint. Maliphant gave them a weary glance, then looked back to the others.
"The Jedi have rallied, hoping to meet us in open combat. The Worm Emperor needs them held within this area, as you know, but the goal is to make it look convincing. We need to force them into the Temple, siege it, and wait until the Obelisk is planet side.", Maliphant offered them as the staff glowed menacingly.
"We are outnumbered, but not outskilled - and if the Obelisk lands, we will overpower them with ease. Grundark
- The others will follow behind you, but I need your herd to lead the charge. All of us will attack from the North, leading to the main gate; hopefully drawing the Jedi back to protect the building."
He tapped the staff against the ground a few times, forcing the Impervium spike to echo amidst the blast shots.
"If this works, we could deal a crippling blow to the Silver Jedi; cutting apart much of the strength they rely on. Do the Worm Emperor proud, and realize that this is destiny as forseen by the Sith'ari. Do not fail me, and do not fail him."
"Now go.", he said as he motioned beyond them - a wave of blaster bolts freezing in the air as the staff he carried began to exert its influence onto the battlefield - leaving a wide opening down the middle of the street for the alchemized Rancor's to begin their charge once the Lord of Felucia had given the command.
There was a certain calm in knowing you were on route to a target. The beings around him, people dedicated to Typhojem in heart and mind, were of little consequence in the moment. Opportunity allies that would serve their purpose before burning out in the fire that would engulf Ossus with their arrival. And yet there was a highly intrusive thought that kept playing in his mind. Plagued him on the way down to the surface of the planet.
"One night in Bespin makes a hard man humble-" He muttered to himself in tune, getting a look from a few of the soldiers around him as the Tie's flew by in protective formation, over-watching their drop to the ground as the shuttle descended with sharp snaps and loud jets before the shuttle came to a stop and the ramp dropped, the gathered lightsaber wielders exited the shuttle quickly, headed for cover as people screamed around them.
A few made to use the force and silence them, a sharp wave from Skorne cutting them off.
"Not yet, don't waste your energy. Save it for the relay and then we can exercise their beliefs." He commented sharply, pulling the holo-map out and orienting themselves. "Alright, you-" He began speaking before a shuttle came screeching to the surface in a fiery display, and a familiar feeling in the force caught his attention. Eyes narrowed behind his mask, attention still diverted as the squad made a sharp sound.
"You all will move to take the relay. I have to check out that ship." They made to argue about his divergence from their goal, and he snapped back. "That might have been a jedi, and one that I could swing to our side, with Typhojem's blessing."
He wasn't entirely sure about that last part, but he didn't want some no-body swinging at this particular light-sider if it was who he thought it was. "Move." A simple command as the group dispersed towards their goal, while he traveled towards the crash site. People wandered around him, lost at the sight of armor and cloak, unsure if he was good or evil and some even being bold enough to ask him directly.
His thoughts cackled at the distinction. They were all bad in the end. It didn't matter how fancy a word you used to cover your tracks. At least the sith were honest about their intentions. Against the sounds of the slowly rising chaos of the invasion, the helmet muted all things, and drove his focus to the crashed shuttle well ahead of him.
"Be aware, stealthed ships detected by the Red Dragon.", Typhojem quickly interjected in a message to both the Admiral and the Captain.
Antilles glanced to the heads up display as the ships continued on their forward trajectory - showing a holographic layout of the battlefield, on it various blips detected by the 'Red Dragon's custom X-04 'Theia' Class Sensor. Already the AI had sent the updated information to the various ships - and guns would be moved to prepare for further conflict. Tython glanced back to the 'Red Dragon' from his port before motioning to Vo.
He hair bobbed as he called her name, meeting her gaze with his own apathetic stare;
"Move the Red Iron behind the fleet. Inform Lunafreya Solidor
to bring the 'Red Dragon's shields up and prepare for starfighters. The engines of that ship need to be protected at all costs.", the Admiral said. Vo nodded, and moved to quickly begin to relay the orders between the ships - with the watchful eye of the X-02 overlooking her movements.
A minute, he said. Alright, she’d give him that, and a few more just to be generous. Just when she was starting to think that she’d have to find a way to short the circuits herself, the door slammed open. No, not just that door. Like clockwork, every blast door she could see opened automatically, no doubt taking the security personnel by surprise just as much as the two of them. Quietly, Jorii regarded him again. “Nice droid.”
Normally that would have been a boon, every door between them and freedom being wide open. Whatever switch the droid had accidentally tripped would have usually been a benefit, had their quiet exit not been dependent on going unseen. Not only that, they were entirely outgunned, something she was fully aware of but wouldn’t admit to even now. She would kill her way out, and whether he followed didn’t concern her. Not much, at any rate.
One hand fell to the pistol in its holster, and there was a quiet hum as the ripper came to life. She did the same with her blaster, powering up both weapons for the inevitable. “Let’s move. If they didn’t know we were here already, they do now.” An unspoken ‘Thanks to you’ lingered in the silence that followed, and she began walking, using the intelligence they’d been handed and her own intuition to find a way out of the facility.
A twitch of her eyes marked the man as a friendly on her HUD. It was best to avoid friendly fire.
Objective II: Defend the Ossus Jedi Temple Inventory:Staff Lightsaber | Jedi robes Allies: The Silver Jedi Concord Opposition: The Sith
The day was meant to be one of celebration and good tidings.
Caedyn Arenais had been among the other Silver Jedi who had travelled to the Temple of Ossus in order to welcome the new arrivals who were just beginning their journey as members of the Order, while the senior Jedi stationed there full-time had been eager to meet with their friends from Kashyyyk, to see new faces and to socialize among their own, those that served the Force, as too the Galaxy at large.
Yet all was not as it seemed...
Before long there were reports coming in of a foreign fleet arriving in the sector, Silver Intelligence scrambling to identify any relevant identification to discern friend from foe, soon to discover that these were in fact a hostile invasion Force inbound for Ossus.
Word reached Caedyn and his fellow Silver Jedi's comm's, along with every other ranking Jedi across the Ossus Temple. They were under attack from what was presumably the Sith, although Caedyn struggled to distinguish one from any other these days. All he could think about in the first fleeting seconds was the fact that there were younglings among them, brand new students to the Order...
"Get the Junior Students to safety deeper within the Temple!" the Jedi Knight turned to one of Ossus' regular Jedi staff, barking the instruction in desperate urgency to see the younglings and their peers away from what was soon to be turned into a battlefield thanks to their unwanted guests.
"All ranking Jedi, do not allow the Sith entry into this Temple! Protect the younglings!" he called to anyone within earshot while moving towards the Temples entrance, looking to see these new invaders for his own eyes.
What monsters would seek to bring harm down upon younglings...
Soloman groaned inside his helmet as the robot gave back a cheerful beep, as though it had done exactly what was expected of it. On some level, it did, but it went a bit far in the process. The Mandalorian gave an unseen frown before offering his shoulder of the droid to mount back to - effectively falling flush with his beskar'gam plates once more.
"Could've been the fire.", he said, as though the excuse would make the situation less his fault.
It only took two hallways before they ran into a patrol - who at first didn't seem to distinguish them as mandalorians. Perhaps it was the smoke, or the harsh sillouhettes, but they didn't fire at first giving both of them a prime opportunity to fire into them. The pistol lifted and fired - slamming a round through the duraplast face shield of the one closest, dropping him like a sack of brahmin dung before the second shot rand out - but went slightly off as they lowered themselves into combat positions.
Soloman quickly dove into the nearest doorway, already knowing that while his armor could withstand insane amounts of damage, he didn't want to have to take anything extra on before he needed. His visor turned to face Jorii Vizsla
as he thought of something to do -
"You got a grenade?", he said blind firing the pistol around the corner.
The reports of Laertia Io grew worse and worse, and Syd was now genuinely distressed at how bloody this had all gone.
Even Syd's intense love for the Black Knight couldn't make her ignore the fact that Laertia's efforts to force the GA and NIO's attention away from the Sith and back on to the Bryn'adul were counterproductive.
Syd had watched Laertia grow only more adamant as The Jedi Order dug in their heels against her efforts. She had realized Laertia needed walking back. But she needed time to succeed where Moya had failed. And that wasn't going to happen any time soon.
Syd had jumped from point to point in the Outer Rim, trying to clear her mind. She felt Laertia's pain and despair at Moya's departure, which in of itself would hopefully be a wake up call.
Syd wanted to help. She also wanted to be Starlin's master. So she had taken to assuming her guise while channeling magnetokinetic magic, that of a somewhat elderly woman with chocolate hair and a mild tan with electric green eyes. No one could sense it was Syd, because Syd wasn't actually in control when channeling these abilities, but a fragment of the original witch whose knowledge Syd had absorbed.
She had spent the past few days at Ossus, furthering Starlin Rand
in the arts of Magnetokinesis.
The attack, needless to say, had come exactly as predicted. She was striding out of the temple along with the other Jedi, who knew her by her name she used for this disguise, Nora Ferrite, Soom she caught up to Starlin, using her powers to stand atop a raised disk of metal as it moved as high speed, one end of her ringed green blade already active as she went into battle with her student. The Sorceress of Zeffo did indeed think of Starlin as her student and friend, whatever the aims of the Witch Coven hiding in Syd ultimately were.
Syd, for her part, had made sure Starlin knew she was in the process of trying to talk Laertia down and get her to surrender peacefully. She didn't want him to think she was blind to the destruction Laertia caused, or that she supported it. Because she really was trying to save Laertia and she didn't quite know how.
"Ready to do your part for the Jedi, Padawan?!" She called out enthusiastically as she headed into battle with him, starting to deflect bolts coming his way and give him breathing room to react...
Syd felt a deep need to atone for the mistakes she made at Dantooine. Both with herself and Starlin. Ironically, The Sorceress of Coruscant, now puppeting her flesh, was all too wiling to help her...
The shadows themselves shuttered as the deep, seething growl echoed through the darkness "...I can taste your blood. This room cannot hold me forever. Your Emperor can not hold me here forever."
The darkness retreated as the taunts faded to a deep, low sigh. Tongues of fire were carried on the tail end of the long growl - fire that peeled away the darkness with a flickering orange glow. Sharp, dripping fangs appeared from the faint glow of the fire that itself rolled over the sharp spires of the monstrous teeth. As the fire faded, Vulcanus took a long stride back towards the solitary door that kept him locked in the shadows, the ultrachrome of his boots knocking aside chunks of stone and twisted metal that screeched as they skid. He had come to this ship for one purpose. To take what was his. What had always been his.
The divine right to rule. It was a right that had never been taken from him. Carnifex had abandoned the Sith throne when he bent the knee to the Dark Lord of the One Sith...Vulcanus took his place by force and power. No Sith had ever challenged him. No Sith had taken what was his by force. Vulcanus had been the last True Emperor of the Sith and he was to this day. If all that was required to make that fact known was to destroy this pathetic "Worm Emperor" then he would slay him and every being between them.
"I can feel the death...Jedi draw near...you will not be able to contain me. You cannot keep me from my right much longer coward. When this spell fails I will tear apart your priests and burn your corpse to ashes."
The beast's words slurred and slopped, falling deeper into feral growls as the beast took in the darkside that flowed through the doorway and into the chamber he had been trapped in. Fire again sparked to life around the beast as he allowed his anger to flow into his surroundings, burning away the darkness to reveal the shattered stone pillars of the meditation chamber and the exposed wiring from where his claws had ripped aside the metal. When his horde had ambushed the Worm's ship at Korriban the coward had trapped him in this meditation sphere before his kaggath could be issued. But the beast could feel the power around him weakening.
"You will die in a boiling pool of your own blood!"
With a growl of hunger the beast sent his power through the ship while taking in the scents of those around him. The priests. The Jedi and...the beast paused. Sniffed the air. Smiled.
"Quintus" the smell of his weak blood brought back such fond memories...such satisfying screams. He sent another pulse in the boy's direction. He wanted him to know that his maker was here. Wanted to smell the fear as it curdled in his blood like it had all those years ago.
So many aspects coming together. The Darkside was strong in this moment and in this battle.
The Worm would die and the Eighth Day of Fire would begin.
They had jumped into the system, waiting for the signal to advance towards the planet as each relay section was knocked out. The meeting with the Kainate assessor had been almost unremarkable, save for a few comments regarding his qualifications to be actually be in command of such a unit. Errix's reply had been short, remarking that he was in fact nearer to twenty than his height suggested. The sharp look of confusion had been met with a shrug before the assessor had moved to their own division of the fleet.
Errix had taken to the bridge of his temporary command ship, and found a mechno-chair with a booster seat attached to it as a small welcoming gift from the assessor awaiting him their. Had he not expected such a"gift", he might have truly lost his temper in the moment. Instead, he pulled the power cell, and sent it down to maintenance.
The Imperial II frigate, which had been dubbed the Perilous, led the way ahead of the assessor. Before it stood the two lancer frigates in a picket screen before the DP20 frigates assigned to the division dotted the spaces between, anxiously awaiting their turn to join the fray ahead of them. The sight ahead was marred by explosions and debris of sensor systems, each strand class taking careful measure of the workarounds that had been made to make this day possible.
Having been kept mostly in reserve until the sensor system were disabled, the small group moved forward as swiftly as they were allowed.
Tithon Antilles
engaged first and foremost, Errix planning to attack well ahead of them and watching Arthos Vynea
cover them while Sith Tie Bombers and Interceptors tore from the hangars of the Perlious and into the air.
"Interceptors, pick a bomber and provide cover for them as they move to attack formation on the enemy fleet." Errix watched silently as the advisory statement seemed to take effect on the groups, watching them pair off slowly as they moved ever forward towards the enemy(Ura Iolar
).
The Assessor aboard the Vindicator-class Heavy Cruiser, affectionately dubbed Guardian in light of the Perilous, was lagging in a certain measure behind the whole of the fleet. The man in charge more concerned with appearances for the moment as he examined the data provided by the sensor systems on board. Ion trails stemmed away from the planet it seemed, someone moving about quietly somewhere.
The Guardian formation monitored the situation below with vested interested, serving as the vanguard in case of the worst as the Interdictor vessel sat below the Guardian, a trio of Lancer Frigates in a belt around it while the Imperial II and DP20 frigates held a loose formation surrounding them. A game was afoot, but he couldn't tell exactly what had gone where, nor if they planned to return.
Eyes scoured the pitch of space, annoyance ticking the corner of his mouth as he relayed orders with a wave of his hand.
"Interdictor, engage gravity wells on our current position. All vessels launch interceptors and bombers and prepare for orbital bombardment tactics in case of ground force coordinate transmission." The assessor hissed, moving to the viewport and watching as the Sith Tie groups moved around them in formation, the Lancers cycling their picket screen scanners and systems as they prepared for anything.
The issue before him, was he had no idea if anyone would show up, or if they had simply been running away. He would be useful to those assaulting the ground while here, but, total annihilation of the enemy was always a plus. He pondered while the moment allowed, cannons focused on the ground for the time being as the gravity well projector began its work.
-Errix sent bombers after Ura Iolar
's formation
-Assessor detected ion trails around the planet
-Assessor has activated Gravity Well Projectors
There was an uneasy silence that made up most of the initial trip. Silence being a loose term, anyway. A creature such as Melydia wouldn't know silence if it had smacked her in the face. No, much of the journey she was nearly vibrating with curious anticipation. She'd seen her fair share of battles, though there was a heavy emphasis on seen. She wouldn't call herself a lover over a fighter, more so a collector. A friend-maker, even, with the assortment of bugs she kept on her person a testament of such.
Yet the Lord of Worms had called for action. And Melydia was little if not a people pleaser. And once planetside, listening to Maliphant's debriefing with a mostly attentive ear, she descended to her knees, the palm of a hand making contact with the ground below. Her focus drifted into the soil, introducing herself to the land, sowing the seeds for earthen (or was it Ossen?) influence. It was not a simple practice - not like the systems of dark she'd also attempted such an introduction.
As this briefing of sorts came to an end, she rose to her feet with a quick flutter. "The hive deals not in failure," she stated with a quick nod in emphasis. Though whether or not she shared the same definitions of success and failure with her fellows. Nevertheless, her attentions shifted to the task at hand. Whether it be for distraction or extermination, surveillance or collection, the insectoid took one last steadying breath before she took to movement.
The Worm-lord called for distraction and he would have it. Now to find just the right dance partner.
Objective II: Regicide
Inventory: Gear in sig
Allies: The Silver Jedi Concord - W/ Coren Starchaser
Opposition: The Sith - Darth Empyrean
(Eventually)
Prince Johannes Inkari
Chume'da, Hapes Consortium
His speech = Yellow (Just using him for humor in this small part)
Attending the ceremony to induct new students into the order, many of whom hail from the ancient Jedi worlds of Ossus and Voss, Jade took part in supporting the event with Coren as it was nearly necessary for the two of them to show support. The work they'd done to help establish the Enclave network and strengthen the Jedi base was all for moments like this. The Concord had always been supportive of their work, and it was no question that she'd show up.
Strolling towards Coren, "Boy they've really stocked this place up, I took a stroll and passed by their storage space--enough rations to last an entire siege" --- how ironic
"I always forget how good you are at half truths and hyperbole Romi..." Tall, tan, and dark locs approached their small circle on the tailwind of her comment. She whipped around, and her initial reaction was the quite evident eye-roll. In fact, the two had caught stray glares towards each other the entire time.
"Why your highness, you're too kind." She responded, embracing the sarcasm that came with seeing and wanting to bicker with someone you just so happened to like.
"Forgive me for interrupting Master Jedi, I meant no disrespect." He nodded to Coren first before resetting his gaze on Jade.
"Really?" She retorted, "Leaving the festivities so soon? You do look tired by the way."
"I could actually go for more sleep, responsibilities keep me quite occupied." He smirked.
"Sleep, knocked out--same thing."
"Heh. I actually have more pressing matters to handle back home..."
"I don't remember you being the type to hide behind excuses?"
"I do remember you being the type to shrink from responsibility."
"Glad you remember much at all over the clanking of your own ego." She strode forward, leaning into his space.
"Ah the sarcasm of miss beauty pageant herself." He challenged her back.
"Mm the delusion of a sheltered noble."
R0 clicked through a calculated and rushed cadence cutting above them both. And, somehow both parties recognized the astromech droid attempting the quell the unnecessary tension between the two. This was obviously two individuals who broke up but didn't really want to. Quite toxic really.
Both just a couple of inches from each others face spoke out, "Fine!"
"Master Starchaser," He nodded, "Romi..." a slanted bow, before he sauntered past them. The brief encountered ended, and she clawed at the air left in his exit. Turning to Coren, "See! That--ugh--nerf herder! He's the worst..."
A beat.
"But, he's still so cute right--woah..." Her hands flew out almost as if she needed to regain her balance. On cue the static in the air welled up, and on cue the power went out and surged back on lingering with scattered flickers. Soon after she saw people moving in urgency, and heard the echo of distant conflict.
The winter of Ossus was bitter cold, even more so than Pamarthe where she’d just come from. She could tell Khefiir
hated it. It felt like it had been years since she attacked Master Quill and she knew she had grown substantially in that time. She could feel it in the Force, and in the way that her new master radiated pride in the Force whenever she completed some task or showed even the slightest bit of maturity. She knew she was getting better, he knew she was getting better. So then…
“But why can’t I go back with you?” It was the final hour and she had brought this up again. For the last three days she’d been arguing with him about why she should be able to come to Ziost with him. A gust from the repulsorlift of another Jedi craft lifting off blew snow and dust between the two Jedi. They were an odd pair. At 15 Thalia wasn’t by any means short, in fact she was a little tall for her age. However, standing next to the giant that was the Trandoshan Jedi Knight Kheffir she looked like a doll.
“The Sssword hasss decreed,” Thalia waved her hand in front of her face. This again?
“Storms Master, The Sword is airsick if he thinks keeping us younger Padawans back is going to do anything but hurt the Order’s chances in ending this war quickly.” She cleared her throat, “With all due respect Master.” She probably should have started with that part. But she was right! Back on Jakku she’d had a poster of the big three Jedi making waves in the Galaxy: Loske and Maynard Treicolt, the Jedi husband and wife duo, and Ryv Karis, Sword of the Jedi. They were her idols, but now Maynard was getting reprimanded for just doing what needed to be done and Ryv was out playing politics with the other Orders. And it was getting in her way of being, well, awesome.
Kheffir folded his arms in front of his massive chest and snorted a laugh. Thalia folded her arms over her chest and huffed, blowing a lock of hair out of her face.
“Thisss dissscussion isss pointless. Learn what you can here, get a different perssspective on what being a Jedi isss, and work on your Waveform. You can ussse a little more control.” He grunted in satisfaction. “Decree notwithssstanding I do not think you are ready to face the threat of the Dark Ssside like that which the Sssith possess…” His voice trailed off as if remembering something in a far off memory.
“I can! You saw how…How I beat up that old Master…“ Kheffir bellowed a hissy, scratchy laugh when her face darkened from embarrassment and placed a large, scaley hand found purchase on her head and ruffled her hair. The scales were scratchy and uncomfortable but it was hard to say no to a six and a half foot tall lizard with the strength of a Wookie.
“Goodbye Padawan Sssen.” His yellow eyes fell on the Jedi Page droid that had been with Senn from the beginning. “Make sssure she staysss out of trouble Kujo.”
“Of course Jedi Knight Kheffir.” He started to walk away but Thalia grabbed the edge of his robes, her face looking at the ground. Kheffir’s face softened as much as a Trandoshan could and he turned and got on one knee, making him eye level with his young Padawan.
“Something terrible is coming Master. I can feel it in the Force, and I don’t want you to face it alone.”
“I will come back. I’ll be sure to keep in touch.”
He didn’t keep in touch, and something terrible did come.
When the mysterious ships began to loom overhead the Jedi had moved immediately. Though coms for reinforcements had been cut off they were able to at least move the younglings and support staff of the Jedi Temple deeper within. When she heard that Aaran was on Ossus she simply followed him to figure out where the action was. There was no way she was going to simply sit in the temple and babysit younglings. His hand was reassuring on her shoulder and it caused her to slow her breathing, which she hadn’t even realized had been coming out in ragged, shallow breaths before. She swallowed, looking up at him and nodded.
When the doors opened Aaran surged forward, his body and blade a blur as he cleared a modest path forward. That was when Thalia realized she hadn’t even taken out her own ligthsabers.
“Spray,” she muttered, fumbling for the blade, only pulling one from her chest holster and dashing out behind the group, attempting to keep up with Aaran, but the Dark Side was thick on this ship, nothing like she’d ever felt before, and it was meddling with her own connection to the Force.
“Oh blow me to Bardotta,” she cursed before taking a deep breath and finally managing to connect to the Waves of Ossus. If the Dark Side was going to muddler her connection, she wasn’t going to make things harder on herself and sail against the currents of Ossus. She’d ride these waves as the crow flew and get every ounce out of the Force and herself as she could. Apparently, this wasn’t very much. When she threw a wave of the Force at some of the troopers and pilots attempting to put up a defense she barely knocked them back a few steps. She gave an incredulous look at her hand and cursed again.
“Are you karking kidding?” She didn’t give the troopers enough time to recover and ran up to catch up with Aaran, sticking as close to him as she could.
He'd come in search of Kyra Perl
, having overheard reports that the troubled padawan was last seen on Ossus. He'd hoped to surprise her, tell her it would all be alright if she'd only come back home. Despite her relucance to accept it, after everything the pair had gone through to get Nida Perl
back, Thirdas thought of her as a baby sister. So it was that he was now on the hunt for yet another Perl.
He wasn't keen on revisiting Ossus. The last time he'd set foot here was in a misguided attempt to find his beloved, brutally hunting down any lowlife imperial scum and hurting them for information. He would have lost himself were it not for Kyra.
Sitting outside on the steps of the restored Ossus Jedi Temple as flakes of snow filled the air, Thirdas would always remark how winters on foreign planets could never hold a candle to those of his homeworld. It wasn't even cold as far as he was concerned. He was waiting for the Jedi he'd spoken to upon his arrival to return with news of Kyra, but so far no-one had summoned him.
That's when they came.
By the time the temple was surrounded, Thirdas had gotten his hands on a blaster from one of the fallen. He wasn't wearing armour, as he had not been on duty, but rather clad himself in a mixture of Ranger uniform and Midvinter garb. On his person was his trusty war axe, but little else in terms of weapons.
Having retreated inside the temple as it commenced lockdown at the first sign of threat, those not outside forming chokepoints or setting up FOB's were either busy preparing for battle or escorting younglings to safety. One of said younglings, a Togrutan girl of no more than four years of age, could not keep up with her group.
Spotting her amidst the chaos, Thirdas slung his rifle over his shoulder and rushed to her aid, scooping her up and hurrying to catch up with the others.
"You're alright, kid," he assured her as her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, terrified to let go.
"Come along, children," the person charged with getting the group to safety looked over her shoulder after having opened a door leading deeper into the temple, stopping by the threshold to do a quick headcount as the little ones ran past. Her worried look expressed gratitude at the sight of the blonde giant carrying the youngest of the group. "Lee-Loo! Thank the Force!"
Thirdas was about to hand over the small girl to go join the defenders, but Lee-Loo would not let go of her saviour. Reluctantly he decided to go with the younglings, to make sure they were safe.
Tegan set down her gear on the ground where she stood, on an outcropping a ways away from the Jedi temple where she could easily look upon it from a distance. As an older man dressed in Tuxedo stoodin for her listening to Darth Empyrean
on her behalf. Tegan’s mind was connected to the old man’s mind so she could see and hear everything going on by Darth Maliphant. The Older man in the Tuxedo was visibly scared and way out of his element as he was just a professional shock boxing announcer not a sith or a real fighter. Yet the bomb collar around his neck is what kept him doing as the woman he only knew as Darth Sokar told him.
Tegan herself sat down on the outcropping overlooking the Jedi temple, her orange eyes looking at wondering what they were all doing down there. She wondered if they were scared, hiding their children in their protective Vaults. Telling those wee babes that it was for their own safety, but some of those little kids where afraid she could feel it. Scared they might die, scared that they may never get to see there friends again, and some afraid for the very knights and master who were going to possible die this day.
Fear was natural and was normal a good survival tool, yet when you were about to face monsters that fed on it, it was a weapon against you. The witch drew a symbol on the ground next to her with her left gloved hand. The symbol began to glow green as she finished drawing it and from it a green spider web (Control web) began to spiral out from it though the web was invisible to those not attuned dathomiri Magicks. The web moved across the ground growing trying to catch the right prey. Though it was limited by the fact only one witch was controlling it had she had a whole Coven with her she would be able to take what ever minds she choose but for now she was seeking the right individual to control and be her avatar with in the Jedi ranks.
Darth Maliphant would soon begin the charge and then the games would truly begin. The Jedi thought they only had to worry about the sith unaware there was something far worse outside their gates. Something that didn’t need their fear to thrive but instead feed off the chaos that was going on all around Ossus. Darth Sokar, daughter of Ice, Betrayer of Sith, Exiled Witch, fallen of the Krath, Sorcerer of Rhand, and the Goddess of Destruction Tegan Starfall was on Ossus to raise so hell and crack so skulls.
Objective: II Gear: imbued Jedi Leathers, Jedi cloak, lightsaber with Starchaser’s Light Allies: Jedi, Romi Jade Opponents: Sith
A short lived stint as Silver Grandmaster, followed by the public opening of the Kattadan Jedi Temple as an enclave for Jedi left Master Starchaser in a rank that gave him a number of various responsibilities. The least of all was recognizing students who were coming to the Order. He was glad to be here, and regretted that Celeste hadn’t been, but she was working on setting up the new healing center on Kattada.
Looking to the arrival of Prince Inkari, Coren tossed a quick look over to Romi, after offring the Prince a nod when he requested forgiveness. Interruption was one of those things that was much easier to forgive. He was fine with that and was doing his best to at least look occupied with something on his datapad as the Prince and Romi were… was that flirting? Arguing?
…Nobles.
“Your suitor?” He grinned as he reached out to Romi as she faltered. A second before the lights flickered he could feel it. Something was wrong.
Without any delay in speech from her statement “Yes!” He all but shouted.
"This is ridiculous," Atlas sighed in a rare show of frustration, "We've been at high anchor for nearly an hour. Contact Knossa Port Authority."
"No response."
"They put us on stand by again?" he groaned.
"No cap'n. I mean, I can't raise em."
Captain Drake of the independent hyperspace prospector Constellation raised his brow. If all the dockmasters were busy even a frontier port like Ossus usually had some protocol droids on hand programmed for reception. He wondered briefly if he'd made an enemy planetside before a klaxon went off and master alarms started blinking all over the command deck.
"Emperor's black bones!" Drake cursed, "What was that?"
"We just lost subspace radio!"
"Cap'n Drake, you seeing this?"
At first he thought it might have been some kind of freak ion storm or maybe a rogue data virus. Inbound star destroyers moving in on full sublight broke that spell. This was an attack. He considered his options. While the destroyers on long range sensors were menacing their escorts would reach orbit first. Whatever the Constellation was going to do they had to act fast.
"I'm making the emergency jump calculations-"
"Belay that," he countermanded, "They've probably got gravity traps out there already. Not a risk I'm willing to take. Q, go dark. Primary and secondary system shut down."
"You got it, hoss," a shard of the Wretched Hive's caretaker AI blipped into existence, "Goin' idle."
Reserve lighting which ran on simple power cells bathed Atlas and his crew in a crimson glow.
Arthos Vynea
Gir Quee
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Atlas Drake
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Ura Iolar
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Okkeus Dainlei
