Invasion The Ossus Massacre │ SE Invasion of SJC held Jomark & Nespis VIII

[Jend-Ro Quill]

A distant sigh-

Son, whoever you are, I'm not about to apologize for being skeptical about an argument that lacks evidence and credibility. The burden of proof's on you as my instructor. You can't blame the listener for the teacher's failure.

Which is why I'm so disappointed in myself just now. I know, I know, waking up a Sith Lord's conscience isn't a realistic expectation for me to set for myself. The more fool me. Ah well. Every moment and erg spent talking with me is another murder you couldn't commit, so I suppose that's fine.

If you'll forgive me a moment of personal pique in parting, son...how old do you think I AM? Or is it possible you're unused to the company of adults?

 

[Yula Perl]

LOCATION | Ossus Communications Hub | Hall

ALLIES | Kyra Perl

ENEMIES | Soloman Priest | Jorii Vizsla

Tangled together, the pair of sisters fell haphazardly through the duct, landing in the sludge pooling at the end of the chute. They’d gotten away, Kyra was still breathing, and Yula’s relief was short lived when she noticed her sister’s face, horror illuminated by the flashing red light of the explosive device beside them. For a moment, she thought her decoy bomb had made its way down the garbage shaft with them. A second look had her realize that this was an entirely different bomb.

A live one.

In the time it took her to understand what was happening, Kyra had wedged her broken body between Yula and the grenade, the Force flowing between and around them like a shield.

Yula reached to pull her sister back, to take her place, to take the blast for them both, and stopped short.

Love wouldn’t be enough to save them both.

Frozen for only an instant, Yula’s body moved on instinct. They said that fear was a path to the darkside, but fear was a power motivator for self-preservation. Fear wrought the adrenaline surging wildly through her system, allowed her to tap more readily into the Force and take advantage of her training. Fear would give her a fighting chance at saving her sister and herself.

A trembling, yet somehow dexterous hand scooped up the grenade, siphoning the Force from her sister’s barrier to wrap around the explosive. In one smooth and frantically sharp motion, she yelped loudly and whipped the grenade back the way it came, up towards the sealed hatch. The Force fueled its speed like a rocket, slamming against the entryway and detonating a shower of heat, noise and debris in all directions. Who knew what the damage outside would be, but the sisters would find themselves studded with bits of metal from the durasteel piping being ripped apart.

Yula stumbled back, regarding a rather large shard of durasteel embedded into her palm with a confused, bleary expression. “My… …hurts.” She muttered, not really able to settle on one part of her body that was more damaged than the other. Her hands were raw and bleeding, and parts of her face wore angry red welts that would soon start to blister.

“Not dyin’ in a fething garbage can.”

Shambling past Kyra, Yula dropped face down, nursing her burns in the disgusting sewer juice.

“Feels better.”

Though her brain was scrambled, something in the back of her mind unwound itself. Kyra was alive. As far as Yula was concerned, that was enough.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

​

Objective II: Regicide
Allies: Alina Tremiru │ Grundark │ Irina Volkov │ Arcturus Dinn │ Melydia Gold
Enemies: Vexander Graves │ Mathieu Brion │ Vulpesen │ Taiia Locke │ Caedyn Arenais │ Romi Jade │ Starlin Rand │ Maja Fiore │ Nathaniel Wellchoestor

Woe is the Jedi that asks for a dissertation while I kill your comrades. Truly, you flatter me with the depths to which you believe me capable - but I will not deny you your request. Come, visit Korriban - see for yourself the archeological evidence, notes in the esoteric and mythological - a thousand records from Revan to Plageuis; all for your perusal. ​

​

I can not guarantee your safety, but surely a Jedi such as yourself can find a way.​

​

Maliphant ducked as a strike came for him - narrowly missing it when he would once have dodged it easily. He groaned slightly as he realized how much of his attention was being sapped away trying to corrupt Jedi across the galaxy; but it would have to suffice if he sought to weaken this melding. A tap of his staff, and the Jedi Knight who swung for him would crumple in a ball that slowly looked more gore than person.​

​

Just committed a murder, Jedi. It seems you aren't distracting me enough. Do you need assistance? ​

​

Its a time of enlightenment, a reawakening of the Sith's purpose. If you do not know of the Ones, then that is by their design. If you argue for evidence despite the truths I have already given you in vision - then I offer more, but you continue to close your eyes. I can not make you read what you are unwilling - but I shouldn't expect one who has come to terms with selflessness. You've already closed your eyes to your identity, surrendered yourself to an inevitability. ​

​

I can not save those who do not want to be saved.​

​

Jend-Ro Quill ​

 

[Suri Vullen]

「feel the fury closing in」 FURY ECLIPSE TEAM 76TH PATHFINDER REGIMENT GALACTIC ALLIANCE ARMED FORCES
Ayana Vullen | Dagon Kaze | Aeric Kaze | OPEN TO OPPOSITION

Everything was second nature. The devastation, the death, her actions. Look left, look right, look out for the guy next to you. Find another target and let loose.

Bolts flew forth from the rifle, yet even when they found someone, there was no reaction. Suri had been in the field enough times to know there was no room for hesitation. Loss of life was a humanitarian's concern, not a soldier's. She extishingued the sparks inside of an unlucky few- not for the honor found in killing sith, nor the glory it would bring her team, but because someone had to do it. Jedi fell back, but the Pathfinders stood firm, unyielding in the face of danger.​

<I'm going to try and keep low, look for signs of life and see what I can stabilize. Be careful these are Sith sith. Please be careful.>
​

Separation. Suri hated the thought of it in this chaos, but there was no choice. Ayana saved lives. It had been her calling, since they were kids. Suri remembered all the times she had to play the sickly patient, and how exasperated her mirror would become when she broke character to complain. The other Vullen was a kind soul, and medicine was her way of combating the galaxy's evils. Despite her anxiety, Suri couldn't hold her from that- nor could she stop her from aiding the people that needed it most. Her hand moved momentarily from her trigger to her comms.

<<You too, Dulcet. If you run into trouble, call us. We'll be there. Curahee.>>

Suri paused a moment, assessing the situation. The stream of those seeking refuge had slowed. She turned halfway, seeing the shut door. The field around them was littered with ash and bodies, with hardly any cover to be found. Glancing back to the temple once more, Suri bit her lip, then looked to the soldiers around her. With no option for defensive positioning, they had but one choice.

<<Advance- we're taking the fight to them!>> Her command resounded through the comms of Eclipse Team. <<Let's show em what we're made of!>>​

 

[Ayana Vullen]

D U L C E T
ECLIPSE TEAM | 76TH PATHFINDER REGIMENT | GALACTIC ALLIANCE ARMED FORCES
ATTACK OF PANIC

<<You too, Dulcet. If you run into trouble, call us. We'll be there. Curahee.>>

<Curahee.> She hadn’t time to breakaway yet, but her sister’s constant application of care and protectiveness was evidential for her leadership. It wasn’t just toward Ayana, it was all the men and women of Pathfinder that lent their lives to Fury’s command. That much had been proven on the burning streets of New Adasta. They’d all sacrificed the unknown to stay by Suri’s side because she made them believe it was the right thing to do. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but she’d sold it was unquestionable.

The same kind of unquestioning loyalty to duty she showed even now, leaping into the fray against the evilest of evils.

Dagon took her hand and broke her thoughts. The pressure from his grip was as caring as it was foreboding, and she followed the trajectory of his gaze. At first, it lead to a cloaked figure. Human only by the characteristic curves of the shadow –– but then it revealed the face beneath the hood.

Given she was all too familiar with the concept of identicalness, it shouldn’t have been so startling for her to see someone with his exact likeness approaching from the plumes of smoke, stalking their way across the battlefield. But a trill of surprise ran through her nonetheless.

Dagon hadn’t spoken much about his twin, and Ayana got enough cues from their conversations to not pry. Now, seeing a replica in such proximity, she understood why. Where there was kindness, compassion, serenity baked into the being that made the Jedi, the villain approaching boasted antonyms to each descriptor. Meanness, hatred, chaos.

She’d never seen Dagon angry and now she was watching his anger personified and marching in their direction.

It was paralyzing.

"Go."

Ayana bristled.

His tone was too alike the one Suri had adopted on Ziost.

"Ayana, I want you to go -- but I need to know you're safe."

“What?”

The situation’s grimness was just as bleak as when Suri’d tried to force her away from the burning New Adasta, preparing to defy orders. The same level of personal implications laid on the line and for all their intentions and focus, both of them seemed to want to push her out of their bubble of defiance. As if they had the right to make the decision on what parts of her were preserved or not. Indignation stirred in her belly, rising up for her to speak.

“Dag..”

It was glaringly apparent that Ayana wasn’t meant for the battlefield. Even with all the equipment, armour and rankings, she didn’t have the mind for it. Too compassionate, too immobilized by concern and being calculative for the greatest amount of lives saved, less interested in the objectives completed.

There was no point in saying for The Alliance if nobody was left alive to see what the Alliance was.

“No, you’re in the Eclipse Company now. Company.” She reinforced the word. “That’s how this works. That’s what Sur –– The Captain said –– watch each other’s backs..” her voice trailed off. There was no concealing her pleading expression, there was enough vying neediness bleeding through the supplication to translate what she couldn’t articulate. Her next words were small and mousey. “That means you too, Dag.”

Right now, she wished she were more like Suri. More commanding. More profound. Intimidating enough to threaten and shake him back to sensibility, and remind him of the larger objective and not personal convictions. Alas, she was no more than her meek self with a bleeding heart that drained at the pain in his voice. All the words unsaid about his brother that he wore in his expression now. She couldn’t deny him anything other than trying to make him feel supported –– within the boundaries of the rules set by the Captain, of course. Ever the rule follower.

His brother spoke. The words he delivered were dark, especially when referencing their homeworld. A planet Dagon had only spoken about softly –– a world so precious to him that if he said it with a sharp enough connotation it might shatter. Barely above a whisper. A world she associated with the soft rise and fall of his chest and warm hold. A world that turned venomous when his mirror spoke it; changing the interpretation of the planet with a single sentence. Suddenly, it was no longer peaceful and beautiful, it was drenched in tragedy and malice.

When the contesting blade in the hands of his brother ignited, Ayana took an involuntary step backward. Against her heart’s desire to be more defiant like Suri, she felt her brain wanting to listen to him. It was logical. To run away. To bury her nose in books and online archives again. To not see blood. To not see his blood. To not see her blood. To not see their blood.

Keeping with her back-stepping trajectory, she took another one in the direction of her sister. As if retreating back to a sanctuary.

At the same time, Dagon’s body was enwrapped in an invisible grip and his brother lunged in for an attack.

“Dagon!” She screamed out, fear emphasizing the outburst and she tripped forward as if trying to yank him backward. It was a helpless maneuver. This was not her fight, that much was clear, but the..it just… what could she do? Her hands trembled and she took more backward steps, away from the conflict. Back toward the corpses that needed her help. Or bodies that weren’t yet corpses, but oh so close.

She wanted to call Suri.

Suri would know what to do, she’d use that rifle. That dagger. And she’d do it well enough to end this fight before it started. But that was...that was selfish. Hollow. So her mouth remained dry and voiceless, and her comms silent. The thundering claps of her heartbeat behind her breastbone the only noise the medic made as she stumbled away, back to help those she said she would.


ALLIES | SJC | GA | NJO | Suri Vullen | Dagon Kaze
ENEMIES | LOTS | Aeric Kaze

 

[Romi Jade]

Objective II: Regicide
Inventory: Gear in sig
----
Allies: The Silver Jedi Concord, Sakadi Marathi Sinvala | Coren Starchaser | Caedyn Arenais | Vexander Graves | Mathieu Brion | Caltin Vanagor | Maja Fiore | Thirdas Heavenshield | Syd Celsius | Thalia Senn | Ura Iolar
----
Opposition: Darth Empyrean | Grundark | Alina Tremiru | Irina Volkov | Arcturus Dinn | Melydia Gold
(Sorry to anyone I missed)
Meld talk = Color

She was yanked back, and she collided with the wall -- some force had gripped her form and threw her back.

Uegh

She let go a deep animal noise. But she had taken much worse.

Time around her went slow as she looked upon her attacker in the next second, he was on her. But, suddenly her world lit up with an ever glowing haze; it hummed with the presence of someone she knew well. "Quill?" she mind bore words where her mouth couldn't. So he did get her call.

From her peripheral -- "Saint Lauren?"

Then there was the lingering wellspring brought along by Tiland.

"Keep pushing!"

"Your efforts are noble, child.", his regal tone offered her as a thousand whispers carried behind it like a cacaphonous parade.

"But misguided. Know that this obelisk will free you - and the many still there. Accept your fate and know that a pact made with the Dark Side can never be broken. It yet resides in you, even if you deny it."

"You're arrogant." She retorted, "Both of you." Overwhelming her with dark energy wouldn't work, she had the skillset to combat such directly by pulling its effects away from her; combating such was well within the ballpark of things she could do, and well; It was sort of her specialty. Thus she continued to shield the minds of those on her side and guide them. Infringing her presence amongst them to stave off the effects of the opposition while they worked to move the ship. "You underestimated me...us." Sometimes skill and finesse beat out power, "The mind is the second to last place you'd want to pick a fight with me..."

"Jedi. Knights of the Force. I witness you - acknowledge your efforts.", the Emperor offered them.

"You do today what a thousand before you have tried - even if you fail to realize the implications of your actions. Feel my strength for what it is - the coming of darkness, and know that you face not a Sith, but the God of the Bogan. Feel my strength, and despair - for I come to burn your beliefs. Feel my resolve, and rejoice - for I shall be the breaker of your chains."

Cycling through the thought fractals, she defied his mindscape and rejected all that he claimed to be and began to funnel his presence out. Pulling the very essence of the dark side, and all that powered it away from their meld -- a weakened and demoralized power when in her presence.

Casting him out, those apart of the meld would feel lighter. With the last aspect of his presence in her mind, she shrugged a psychic collar on its sprawling tendrils. As the current of power fell around her in a rippling wave, she'd cast him out. He would no longer have access to her mind.

(Wrap post -- thankee <3)

 

[Auteme]

Other Space Kaiden ​

The air of the hangar felt almost polluted in comparison to the purity of the mind. She wheezed and struggled to find her focus, and even when she found that, she struggled to find her feet. When she finally stood she met Vulcanus's fiery gaze. There he was, a self-destructive mess, slowly regaining his limbs.

She gasped, finding some fire of her own. This was her chance. She could incapacitate him. The Light pooled in her hand-

Yet, even there, even as the Graug rested helpless on the ground, she couldn't bring herself to hurt him. Violence only led to more violence.

Slowly the scope of her senses grew. She found Romi Jade reaching out through the meld, just as she felt the great darkness of the Sith aboard the ship -- and the darkness of the obelisk.

With a last glance at Vulcanus she turned away from him. The Light gathered, like a star in the palm of her hand, growing more dense by the second -- until she thrust it out, shaping it into a beam that shot towards that dark monolith. So many were working to stop this calamity. She could give no less.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Objective II: Defend the Ossus Jedi Temple
Inventory: Staff Lightsaber | Jedi robes
Interacting With: Mathieu Brion & Alina Tremiru

​

The Force meld that had been established through Romi Jade 's mastery over the Light had successfully spread out across the vast numbers of Jedi present both on and off of Ossus. For Caedyn Arenais, this was a blessing of most fortunate timing as he allowed himself to fall into the embrace of the meld, to be enveloped within the Force and healing the former barrier that had been keeping him from connecting with the essence of light and life, thanks to the void stone round he had taken earlier.

Inhaling deeply, Caedyn's presence grew to its former stature once more, the return of his ethereal senses bringing clarity to his mind like that of a blind man seeing once again. The relief could not be adequately expressed at that moment, nor did it seem that he would have the time to revel in the victory as Mathieu Brion bid him good luck and turned off towards another presence, a much darker and far stronger power closer to the core of the temple where so many other Jedi had fallen back to in order to rest and recuperate from the exhaustive fighting.

To allow a Padawan to go off on his own, to face a Sith without support, this was not within Caedyn's nature; With his strength in the force returned to him, he dismissed the healer that had been working on mending his shoulder with a polite yet urgent thanks and farewell before seeking to follow in the direction that Padawan Brion had departed.

Reaching out, the Jedi Knight exerted his presence farther across the temple, bypassing the Padawan to reach the mind of the Sith Alina Tremiru directly, his words entering into the mind of the Sith Knight via telepathic intrusion; "Turn away before it is too late, I will not allow you to harm the boy" Caedyn warned Alina, sparing her this one word of caution as his pace picked up and he was soon running to catch up with Mathieu.

Team Lightside: Vexander Graves | Mathieu Brion | Vulpesen | Taiia Locke | Romi Jade | Starlin Rand | Maja Fiore | Nathaniel Wellchoestor | Thirdas Heavenshield | Yula Perl | Kyra Perl | Sakadi Marathi Sinvala | Auteme | Atlas Drake
Team Sith: Darth Empyrean | Cato Demora | Alina Tremiru | Arcturus Dinn | Darth Ananta | Melydia Gold | Darth Carnifex​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

NEW JEDI ORDER | GALACTIC ALLIANCE | OSSUS
THE GREAT MISCONCEPTIONS OF ME

“She’s a soldier. Soldiers di-”
“I’ll make sure she comes back home safe and sound.”​

Breathing ceased abruptly, a taut garrote of thorns heralding the revelation of his brother's newfound knowledge. The nexus of twins, the cord that bound them for all eternity, once a blessing and now a curse, apprised Aeric of the bond between Dagon and Ayana. The afterimage, borne of precognition, of what could come, seized his heart. The words of Aeris Lashiec warning him of attachments splintered his ears before Ayana's voice punched through:

“No, you’re in the Eclipse Company now. Company. That’s how this works. That’s what Sur –– The Captain said –– watch each other’s backs.. That means you too, Dag.”

Dagon exerted enough will to just avert his eyes from his approaching brother and turn to Ayana. The plea in her voice amplified by the concern rising in her hazel eyes; he looked deep within her, almost as if trying to escape the grim reality of the present, only to invoke Sunstrider's words that yanked him back. The Company, each other's backs, the warmth of the camaraderie seeping unto him through their link - it drowned with each step Aeric took closer. His cold shadow enveloping it all reminding him vividly of his failures in his own fellowships. Dagon's mistakes rushed over him like a calamity - his slip unto the dark side over Ziost shattering the trust between him and Kaska, his foolishness nearly costing the lives of Violet, Viers, and Viera on Generis.

every friend.​

And now her.

He could not allow it. Not this time. Not ever again.

"Aya, you don't understand, this is-" Dagon began only for his brother's words to interject and take his attention.

"It's not Ruusan -- But it's a good start to making things right, don't you think?" ​

Ruusan. Home. The memory, the image of the Kaze homestead and a careless childhood, once served as his only solace against the twilight. That was before the fateful clash between the two brothers on Ziost where Aeric's own dark memories of their hearth corrupted that last bastion of hope, shattering it to pieces and carving a hollow scar in his heart. Until the dulcet girl standing next to him emerged in its stead, kissing away the pain on that unusual night on Jedha.

"The Silver Jedi destroyed our home. So I crush theirs. Balanced. You Jedi appreciate that, don't you?"​

Aeric's presence in the Force flared and Dagon called out in distraught to Ayana, "Run!" his brother's ethereal grasp yanked him viciously and shrieking sparks exploded as the two blades and two identical faces clashed in a deadlock. Sulfuric eyes of hate met blue eyes of conviction.

"You've learned, haven't you? Learned of the power the Dark Side truly holds?"​

"Learned it only leads to one thing." he spared a breath through gritted teeth, "Suffering."

Dagon beckoned the empyrean in his hands and released a powerful Force push at his brother, following it with a pressing assault. The further he could keep him away, the better.

He could not allow himself even an inch of error.

ALLIES | SJC | GA | NJO | Ayana Vullen | Suri Vullen
ENEMIES | SE | Aeric Kaze

 

[Aeric Kaze]

OSSUS
ALLIES: THE SITH EMPIRE
ENEMIES: THE NEW JEDI ORDER
NOTICE: Dagon Kaze , Ayana Vullen , Suri Vullen

​

"Learned it only leads to one thing." he spared a breath through gritted teeth, "Suffering."

A necessary sacrifice to achieve the end of my own, he thought.

But before he could let his thoughts fall from his lips, the Force jerked him backwards, and instead of resisting it, he went with it.

He had learned at the start of his self-taught Sith lessons that he was an acrobat. A strange affinity that he would've never recognized had he never left Ruusan. When the invisible push shoved him backwards, he raised his heels off the ground as he slid over the cracked rocky surface. Almost as if sliding on ice, when Dagon's blade descended on him, Aeric's own stolen sapphire blade rose to meet it.

"I had this one since the Byss attack -- You New Jedi aren't that good at fighting, y'know?"

The spoken words were woven expertly between the clash of blades, as if he foresaw where each strike would come. Instinct and danger sense crafted together saw potential futures gleaned from the Force, and despite the burns that began to accumulate and carve through his robes, he knew he had the upper hand. The martial prowess needed to survive a bout of saber combat was favoured to a single side, and they both knew it.

"Prepared to do what's necessary?"

Before a response could be given, Aeric plunged downwards with the plasmatic blade in an effort to pierce the centre of Dagon's saber guard. Simultaneously, his leg shot outwards before arcing in to kick at the side of his kneecap. It was to be expected that he'd favour prolonging his own life in this event, and the strike to the kneecap was meant to be the very thing that'd be unexpected, to cripple his defenses before pressing the attack and finishing him off.

 

[Dagon Kaze]

NEW JEDI ORDER | GALACTIC ALLIANCE | OSSUS
THE GREAT MISCONCEPTIONS OF ME

“She’s a soldier. Soldiers di-”
“I’ll make sure she comes back home safe and sound.”​

Lessons had been learned after Ziost. Baptized in fire, Dagon had come to realize the hard way that his recklessness and lack of control nearly costed him his life. And costed his trust with his Jedi companions as he had slipped into the Dark Side. The crucible had tempered him but for how long? How long before the demons inside were unleashed? The turmoil of fighting his corrupted brother, the fear for Ayana's life - it was a cataclysm in the making, a storm brewing inside that sapped his strength trying to pacify it.

When his brother moved in to counter, Dagon shifted to his much more favorable Soresu form. He was a warden, first and foremost; to protect was his calling. Both knew well only one of the two had the upper-hand when it came down to martial prowess. That crown had always belonged to Aeric. Dagon's strength came from a different source - his wits and his strong, innate connection to the Force. The efficiency of form III could only withstand so much before it inevitably broke; it served only as a buffer to give him enough time to turn the tide capitalizing on his strengths.

"Prepared to do what's necessary?"

He flicked his wrist to avert the strike at his guard, opening his foot to Aeric's kick. The Jedi felt his leg go numb just as his brother launched another violet series of slashes seeking to press him into a corner. The strength of the strikes forcing him to lean back, relying on his own agility to maintain his impeded footwork, before staggering into a half-pirouette to escape the dangerous predicament.

"You talk a lot, don't you?" he scoffed at his brother, barely resisting the urge to lunge at him and instead remain on the defense.

ALLIES | SJC | GA | NJO | Ayana Vullen | Suri Vullen
ENEMIES | SE | Aeric Kaze

 

[Other Space Kaiden]

The Inferno
Warrior's Skin
Objective: III

Vulcanus smiled as the Jedi did what all Jedi always do...she showed mercy. Foolish.

The Dark Lord watched as she turned away from his writhing form and instead brought her attention to bare on the obelisk itself. A ball of light began to form in her hand, a bright light that burned away the shadows. Vulcanus knew the power well, it was one that The Jedi scum had used time and again in their attempts to defeat The Sith. The ball of Force Light charged quickly and in the seconds prior to @Autume's launching the beam, Vulcanus readied his own attack. No fire was expelled from his gut or summoned from his smoking nubs - which had yet to form full his limbs.

Instead he focused his mind on the air around Autume's hand, willing it to into a condensed bubble that rocketed in temperature - enough to boil the Jedi's skin and - hopefully - stop her attack before it was started. The pain would fuel his healing further and give him enough time to ready himself before another attack could be placed.

The Sith would not fail again...

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Location: Outside the Temple
Allies: Sith Eternal
Enemies: Silver Jedi
Tags: Mathieu Brion | Caedyn Arenais

Her weapon? Alina's eyes narrowed as the Padawan closed in and immediately set about bashing into her with the songsteel haft. He avoided using the blade part of the weapon? Did he know about the trap and was avoiding it, or did he just not want to use a red blade? Her form weaved through his strikes, taking full advantage of her natural speed and strength to avoid most of his blows. Her saber came around otherwise, knocking strikes aside with raw strength rather than parrying.

Then another voice. Her helmet did much to protect her mind, but still the voice whispered, barely audible. A friend, then?

Her grin widened behind her mask as she hopped away from Mathieu. The pressure around him ceased, but it wasn't because she had stopped trying. Instead, she pushed her will outwards. This ability for the Jedi to meld together, to become stronger with each other. She could see the flows, the connections. So many, so numerous.

She was no where near strong enough to cut them all, but what she could do, well. Her will extended out around them both. The Force still flowed around them both, but what she crafted wasn't meant to stop either of them from using the Force.

Just preventing any outside influence from entering.

A shell, invisible to the naked eye but creating a void. For her and Mathiue, it would be as if the outside world didn't exist. For those outside it, it was a void completely devoid of the Force. No longer would she feel the influence of the Worm. Neither would he for that matter.

"There. No more distractions. No more pretty words." She had hopped back into the ruined room, atop one of the broken pillars as she stared down at the padawan.

"It's just you and me, Mathiue."

 

[Tithon Antilles]

​

Objective I: Blackout
Allies: Arthos Vynea
Enemies: Gir Quee │ Atlas Drake │ Ura Iolar │ Okkeus Dainlei

As the capital guns fired in a crescendoing echo that shook the ships they were in - he watched as the frigate deployed to take out the civilian ship suddenly shook and went dark as three seismic charges shattered the vacumn within it. After the constant bombardment and sustatined fire from the squadrons upon squadrons of bombers and fighters - the three seismic charges had not only overwhelmed its strained shield generators, but blasted heavy holes in the side of its ship. Despite Tithon not being force sensitive, he swore he could feel the distant echoes and deaths from the ship failing.​

​

An unseen frown took hold upon his lips as he moved to stand -​

​

"The 'Red Dragon' is going down, and upon it many of the Sith involved with this invasion. Even if the obelisk ritual works, we must deter the fleets before us to prepare the further occupation of the Perlimian Trade Route. Out of the realm of the Force Sensitives and their wars - we must show the conviction and skill of the mundane. In this moment, I ask you to forget the pantheon - fight for you, here and now.", he said to those listening as his message was sent across the wide ban channels he could offer.​

​

"Arthos has found the traitor, and the enemy will soon send fleets from Voss and their core planets; but they will not deter us. They may have larger ships, a greater economy, and a coalition many times the size of ours - but they lack the spirit, the skill, the conviction of a people fighting for their right to survive, a right to self determination."​

​

"Officers of the Emperor's Fleet - We make our stand here. Against odds most would consider impossible, we dig in our heels - and as the Sith always have, we fight an uphill battle against the Jedi. More than anytime before, we will establish ourselves as the future - and this battle will serve as so much more than any before it; not for its tactical importance, but for its spiritual weight."​

​

"Stand tall, Sith Eternal, this is our finest hour. A battle generations will speak about for years to come - make sure its history you can be proud of."​

​

"Vo, bring our ships into engagement distance - We will drive these fleets back not with the Force, but with plasma and steel. Let's end this."​

​

​

Star Destroyers: 2x SD-9s "Khan" Class Sith Star Destroyer - Belated / Asha 16x SFi-3 "Tomb" Class Starfighter (2 Deployed, 1 Destroyed) 6x GS-60 "Valkyrie" Class Heavy TIE Fighter

Cruisers: 4x SC-07 "Lussk" Class Assault Cruiser 4x SFi-3 "Tomb" Class Starfighter (2 Deployed, 2 Destroyed) Carnation // Stygian Pride // Fury // Firestorm

Frigates: 7x SF-13 "Legion" Class Star Frigate 24x SFi-3 "Tomb" Class Starfighter (6 Deployed, 2 Destroyed) Cauldron // Nuemidon // Velum // Thunder // Passion's Rise // Dragon // Gauntlet

 

[Soloman Priest]

​

Objective I: Blackout
Allies: Jorii Vizsla
Enemies: Yula Perl │ Kyra Perl

As they moved, Soloman couldn't help but think of what he'd done. They were Jedi, they'd been the Mandalorian's historical enemies - them along with the Sith - but they were young. Their faces hadn't formed the scars of war, the wrinkles of age and memory, were they really as guilty as the one's he wanted to kill? His body had moved through habit, to kill was simply second nature to him - but to kill the young with potential felt... wrong. They hadn't even put up a real fight.​

​

He let the thought pass as he rounded a corner, only to dive behind cover as shots began to fire from a blockade in front of them. The exact thing he wanted to miss. As the Zeltrons disappeared from his thoughts, he quietly acknowledged they'd serve as a reason for yet another drink he'd have when all this was over - assuming they got out.​

​

"I always have a plan.", he offered Jorii, though that wasn't really true. The man worked on instinct, he hadn't come up with a good plan in years - not that bounty hunters usually needed them. Even against highly trained force users, instincts tended to get him far.​

​

So he'd just do the same thing he always did when he was in doubt. Shoot.​

​

Soloman activated a few buttons on his wrist, and two droids smaller than his palm tore off flew down the hall, just as he reached his other hand around it to shoot a few stray shots. They weren't meant to hit, but to distract - so as the droids flew past, they found an open compartment and rammed into it. Electricity began to spark and a small explosion happened behind the men; forcing them to turn around for the briefest moment expecting more invaders.​

​

As they did, Soloman strode out of cover and unslung his disruptor shotgun. It's mechanical noises were iconic, the slam of it shoving tibanna canisters into the chamber before ejecting them into the far wall with a metallic clink. Before them, the prismatic choke forced the disruptor rounds into a wide arc that slammed into everything down the hallway - a few stray shots trailing back to him. When his eight rounds were up, the barrel of the shotgun glowed a soft red beneath the cooling front rail.​

​

But none of them stood.​

​

He sighed as he slung the shotgun back up and started moving towards the exit - but tasted blood as he glanced down. One of the rounds had shattered part of his vocabulator, and managed to strike his cheek. He grimaced as he could feel teeth displaced, bone singed, and skin flayed. Instant karma for killing children he imagined.​

​

His voice came back to Jorii, slightly muddled by the blood dripping from the bottom of his helmet.​

​

"Lets... get out of here. And quick.", he said reaching a hand up to put some pressure on the wound until it would heal. He kicked over the makeshift barricade as he moved towards the exterior, and without meeting any more resistance they found the exit. The doors were wide open, and Soloman could see distant ships flying to and fro, trying to shuttle supplies and troops where they needed to be to hold out as long as possible.​

​

As he glanced up however, he saw the distant sight of a falling behemoth. Half red hot metal, half the scarred remains of a ship rammed and decimated by a suprise fleet; it looked equal measures falling asteroid as it did flagship at this point. Soloman slowly took off his helmet, letting the clots that formed beneath it fall to the side as the bleeding began once more. Slowly he dropped to a knee and glanced up - sweat sticking his hair to head as he glanced to the other ships still visible.​

​

And he noticed the enemy fleet - easily twice the size of what the Sith had brought.​

​

"I think we're in trouble, Jorii...", he said as his breath was ragged. He'd live, he knew that, but he felt just as bad as he looked. Muscle had been stripped from his jaw, and portions of the bone was exposed. He'd almost clench his jaw to deal with the pain, but it only made it worse.​

​

"Look's like our job won't be over for a while..."​

​

Jorii Vizsla​

 

[Cato Demora]

​

Objective II: Regicide
Allies: Alina Tremiru │ Grundark │ Irina Volkov │ Arcturus Dinn │ Melydia Gold
Enemies: Vexander Graves │ Mathieu Brion │ Vulpesen │ Taiia Locke │ Caedyn Arenais │ Romi Jade │ Starlin Rand │ Maja Fiore │ Nathaniel Wellchoestor

​

The First Legion​

​

Another two down, but their reinforcements began to follow up in the back of the temple through the opening they had made. Many weren't First Legion, with all their enhancements, but the numerical advantage the Jedi had only a moment ago was beginning to even out. It would, at the very least, make this job easier as they looked to secure who was left - but as the thought came over him, Belford moved to tap his shoulder.​

​

Through the demonic vocoder, he spoke;​

​

"New orders, Captain. From the Fist himself."​

​

Cato furrowed his brow. The Fist never spoke, always allowing the orders to go through the various other subordinates that answered directly to him, such as Tithon. Instead of question this however, Cato simply nodded - encouraging his squadmate to continue to relay the orders.​

​

"Jedi are doing a ritual of their own. Not sure the specifics, but we've been commanded to change the rules of engagement. Start a fire, we're going hot - kill the Jedi in our way, leave the young.", the man told him.​

​

For a moment, Cato tried to realize what he was saying. He, unlike many others, never considered the Jedi evil - only misguided, and up to this point he had assumed they were meant to capture as many as possible, to allow the Emperor and the Consul to attempt to sway them to the dark. Many had already been captured, but this new order seemed... uncharacteristic. Cato frowned beneath the helmet, where none could see it, but quietly resigned himself to follow orders.​

​

He didn't pretend to understand the Force besides the words the Chapel would teach them in the academies, or the Worm's speeches - so he didn't know what good it did, but he was given an order. Cato and his squad would do what they needed - so as the others began to stream in and capture latent Jedi, Cato moved to one who was laying on the ground with hands behind his back. For a brief moment, the Jedi and Cato looked in eachothers eyes despite the black shield over his own eyes.​

​

They had connected, for the briefest of moment, but Cato had orders. It wasn't a human he was looking at, just a target. That's what he told himself as he brought the pistol from his thigh's magnet lock, pointed it at the Jedi and heard his last words.​

​

"N-no wait, ple-", he began, but was cut short by the racking of Cato's slide. The bullet ripped through the Jedi's skull just above his eye - leaving blood pooling around him as his head flexed backwards tense, only to fall forward against the ground with a harsh thud.​

​

For a moment, Cato just glanced to the corpse before the words of Belford broke him of his trance.​

​

"Captain?"​

​

"Arm the bomb. Trap those deeper in the temple down there. We'll look for survivors after the Emperor makes land fall."​

​

"Aye."​

​

And Belford and the others would do what they were told. The bomb they had begun to arm, they brought to a support pillar that led deeper into the temple where many of the refugees had taken themselves to hide in. As the bomb was armed, it was given a short timer - just enough time for the First Legion to back away. Then, as it exploded, it would decimate the support pillar - and leave those in the lower levels stuck in them, possibly forever.​

​

Cato quietly exhaled all the air from his lungs as he moved his hand in a circle, giving them all the command to regroup. There was still Jedi they needed to deal with up here - no time to waste mourning the enemy. Not for the moment, at least, but he'd remember this when they were done. The dead always lived on in him, each and every one's face in his dreams - always after he shot them. No doubt the Jedi's mangled head would be there alongside them when he closed his eyes next.​

 

[Aeric Kaze]

OSSUS
ALLIES: SITH
ENEMIES: JEDI
NOTICE: Dagon Kaze , Ayana Vullen , Suri Vullen

​

Dagon retreated, and Aeric was right on him.

With each strike he brought down, he summoned the Force to enhance the strength of the kinetic force that crashed onto his brother's defense. There was a degree of finesse, but outright humiliation was more appealing to Aeric in these moments. Plasmatic beam carving through the air, the dust particles and the scent of death that permeated around them, he spun, so that his back was to Dagon.

First from his left, he plunged his saber past his torso to the left, before spinning the blade around to his right and across that middle space between the both of them. Had a blade been coming, it would've been batted to the side, but in the event that there wasn't, Aeric shot his hand forwards again, but instead of pulling he'd grip him completely.

The suffocating power of the Force clenched at his brothers body, as if he might crush him in his grasp as he raised some feet in the air, dangling, suspended as Aeric recalled the sassy response.

"You talk a lot, don't you?"

"She won't," Aeric said, his head twisting to the side to Ayana Vullen .

A moment later the saber in his hand deactivated, replaced to his belt in the blink of an eye, and from his bare palm, the crackling blue-white lightning short forth. The scents of tibanna and burnt flesh were already on the air, but as the lightning scorched through the air, the scent of burnt ozone was quick to fill their nostrils. As he released the Force Grip on his blood brother, his wrist flicked lazily, casting him off carelessly to the side to make space, as he took in the aphotic currents of the Dark Side. And as he took it in, he released it in a continuous stream of lightning.

 

[Dagon Kaze]

NEW JEDI ORDER | GALACTIC ALLIANCE | OSSUS
THE GREAT MISCONCEPTIONS OF ME

“She’s a soldier. Soldiers di-”
“I’ll make sure she comes back home safe and sound.”​

Two blue blades, two identical faces, two brothers collide in a dire contest between Light and Dark upon the torn, blasted earth of the sacred Jedi Temple. None willing to give an inch of ground to the other without making the other pay for it. Both unyielding to the other's resolve. Inexorable assault met unbreakable resistance, unholy fury met sanctified wrath in a blurred dance of sabers. Sweat broke under the strain and the scorching plasma and the smell of burnt threads of hair and flesh filled the nostrils.

In the flash of a moment, Dagon froze at the nefarious thought rising in his brother's subconscious. One error was all Aeric needed to deliver a masterful stroke and seize a titan's hold over Dagon through the Force. Bones and joints whined and cracked under the squeeze as he was lifted off the ground. The asphyxiation of the clasp merely a shadow of what truly crushed his lungs - Aeric's eyes shifting to Ayana's figure in the near distance.

"She won't," ​

"n-n-no..." he stammered through the thorns obstructing his airways. Helpless.

Helpless as his brother flung him to the side like a ragdoll, his form digging into the softened ground.

"NO!"

Helpless. Just like on Korriban as his fellow Jedi fell under the butchering blades of the Sith.

"This is between you and me!"

Helpless. Just like he had been to the clear signs of his brother's corruption way back on Ruusan.

"YOU HEAR?!"

Helpless. Just like now as the conjured arc of lightning from his twin sought to kill Ayana-

everyone you love.
​

Something snapped inside jolting him back on his feet. A divine purpose. It blazed across his soul, his eyes aflame in zeal as he seized the empyrean - a tempest formed in his hands. He shoved his hands forward unleashing reckoning. The ground splintered open, chunks of earth flew ahead like bullets, bodies of dead soldiers rolled as the calamitous telekinetic wave sought to rip Aeric off his feet and ram him away into the horizon.

ALLIES | SJC | GA | NJO | Ayana Vullen | Suri Vullen
ENEMIES | SE | Aeric Kaze

 

[Ayana Vullen]

D U L C E T
ECLIPSE TEAM | 76TH PATHFINDER REGIMENT | GALACTIC ALLIANCE ARMED FORCES
ATTACK OF PANIC

Go. Run.

Ayana was logical enough to understand the urgency and managed to place reason before emotion. The lump in her throat was full of desire, but she swallowed it and moved to retreat to get away from the fraternal feud.

She was efficient at putting space between them, ducking down next to a stray body that had been caught in the conflict prior to The Alliance’s arrival. The rest of the Pathfinders moved on, to close in on the Sith that had forced the Jedi inside the temple. To distract herself from the chaos, she tried to focus on the fallen body, reading through the heat map in her HUD and sought to see red. Sought to feel their pulse. Her own emotions were getting in the way and she grunted, pulling her helmet off to let some of the natural air flood her senses again and set her straight again. This was like exam season, she was getting too stressed to think. She needed to slow down, assess, compartmentalize.

It was the same kind of mental block she ran into during her surgical exam. The pressure made her hands shake, and she squeezed her eyes shut to force the nerves away. It was just her..and all these fallen militias now. Suri was meters away. Dagon was several feet, almost meters, away.

“Okay, he’s going to be fine. He’s a Jedi, he’s going to be fine.” She assured herself in a rushed whisper. But it was more than Jedi versus Sith. Despite the nascence of their relationship, the intimacy had been a whirlwind. Maybe it was because they were both twins, they had a deeper understanding. An understanding that stopped when she looked back over her shoulder at the brothers clashing. She couldn't imagine colliding with Suri like that. They had their sisterly spats, but they never lasted longer than the timespan from sunrise to sunset; when the cooling of twilight happened, so too did their moods. Even Suri’s fury could be quelled with a small apology or her favourite treat as a peace offering.

Looking in the direction of the Captain, she squinted to see beyond the outlines of the 76th. The temple seemed to quiver and shake, and a muffled sound like grinding stone emanated from it. It was a mighty structure, and the tremours undersold the wretchedness from the outside. <Fury,> Ayana called through, unsure if the Pathfinders could see it in the crossfire they were engaged in. <Watch out for the temple it’s–––AGH!>

She had no warning, no sense of what was coming. Even after she listened to Dagon, removed herself from the immediate proximity, retribution still sought her out. And it was agonizing and spectacular. Electricity tore through her protective plating, burning through to her insides, looking for ground. Ayana was confounded in agony, dropping to her knees and arching while the angry torrents darted and skittered about her form like a cocoon made of lightning. All of her senses were enveloped by the inundation of darkside current.

Smell; The air around her turned thick, smokey, steaky and unbreathable. Sight; Blinded and blackness. Touch; Searing heat. Sound; The wild cackle of electrical currents racing over her body. An agonizing scream ripped from her throat. Taste; Ash and electricity. Fire and smoke in her mouth.

It only stopped by something entirely unseen, and she collapsed forward, heaving desperately. Her vision dissolved in and out of blackness and her mind defaulted back to pragmatism while trying to collect her senses once more. What was she supposed to do now? What had she studied about treating someone who’d been electrocuted?
Cut off the source. Dagon had done that. Pass.
Begin CPR –– she heaved in deeply. She was breathing. Pass.
Bandage –– it was her whole body. That was impossible. Fail.
Prevent a chill -- She felt like she was on fire, how on earth would she become chil–– the elements answered the questions for her. Bits of smoking fabric exposed skin beneath and it caught the breeze and she felt a coldness roll through her that she hadn’t thought possible an interval ago.

She had to move. Momentum would keep her warm. But which direction? To her sister, to hide? Or to Dagon, to help?

When she’d joined the defense force, Suri had taken on the responsibility of training her. Nobody knew better, she boasted and Ayana believed her. Thoroughly they reviewed the systems of a rifle, the basics, knowing when and where and how to target and fire. In return, Ayana’d given her an acronym to remember for treating impact wounds – REP - Rest, Elevate, Pressure (Apply). It didn’t seem like a fair trade –– Suri’s demonstrations were more proactive. Teaching Ayana how to defend herself...Ayana’s portion was teaching her sister what to do if it didn’t work out.

Fumbling, she reached for that rifle now and tried to rise to her feet. Suri had taught her to help, so she’d do her best to help. Put those lessons to good use.

Wheezing, her body on fire, she moved to manage the adjustments required for the weapon to be useful. Rising to kneel, she seated back on her heels –– unable to totally stand –– and braced it against her chest for stabilization before a streak of plasma belched from the mouth of the weapon in the direction of the Kaze brother that had been blown from his spot.


ALLIES | SJC | GA | NJO | Suri Vullen | Dagon Kaze
ENEMIES | LOTS | Aeric Kaze

 

[Suri Vullen]

「feel the fury closing in」
FURY
ECLIPSE TEAM
76TH PATHFINDER REGIMENT
Ayana Vullen | Dagon Kaze | Aeric Kaze

Like a wrathful wave, the pathfinders pushed forward. The stray Sith soldiers unlucky enough to find themselves in their path were put to the end of a barrell. No chances were given before the shots were fired. The sigil they wore was different than that of the Empires, but it made no difference to the soldiers of light. The air of evil that surrounded them was unmistakable. The starbird's fury fell on them all the same.

<Fury,> Ayana called through, unsure if the Pathfinders could see it in the crossfire they were engaged in. <Watch out for the temple it’s–––AGH!>

The call from her sister stopped Suri in her tracks. The ghost of pain kissed her senses ever so gently, the phantom of what Ayana felt. The connection between the two shifted as her sister struggled. It was more raw, somehow stronger with the distress.

"Oh no." Suri breathed. "No, no, no!"

Swiveling on her heels, she broke into a sprint.

"Captain, where are you going?!"

"Captain Vullen!"

The calls from her team came through her helmet, but no response was given. There was only one thing that mattered to Suri in that moment, and she was across the field. The captain could hear footsteps follow her, and that gave her a small bit of reassurance. Stand alone, together. It was the 76th's motto, and Suri knew that whatever had happened to Ayana, she wouldn't have to face it by herself. She ran as fast as she could. The temple in the background was an ominous sight. What has Ayana tried to warn them of?​