Private The Surrender of Ran

[Ran Serys]

Three different targets all approaching from three different directions. A hard scenario for a lone combatant. Ran could feel the assailant's indecision. What are you going to do, Twelve? Ran thought as she popped out of cover and set her blaster to stun.

A quick sprint for Ran to get in pulse range was enough time for her assailant to decide their next move. Both the rifle and blaster were raised in unison. A moment was taken to aim. To others it would be fleeting but for Ran and the assailant the moment lasted a lifetime. Triggers were pulled. The bolt meant for Ran missed, or rather was narrowly avoided, but the pulse that had left Ran's blaster surrounded the assailant. The shots stopped and the glint of the moon caught the sniper rifle on its way down from perch to ground.

"She's out," She called to the Jedi. "But not for long." With her blaster at the ready, Ran listened for the sound of alarms, or speeders and assault vehicles that may carry security droids. There was nothing. Only the still sound of night across the Serennian forest. She looked at the estate. All windows were dark save for those closest to the security tower and the unconscious assailant. Ran looked in Valery's direction, and then toward Dagon. Something was off, but there wouldn't be much time to figure it out. So Ran continued cautiously on the path to the security tower, where she hoped to join once again with her Jedi companions.

As she closed the distance between her and the security tower, its doors whooshed open. Four individuals stood at the threshold. One shorter and smaller and struggling to keep another up. The one being assisted was taller and built but injured, or it seemed stunned. They were The Lady Zora and the trio's mystery assailant, Subject Twelve. The two behind them, a zeltron and twi'lek, Ran also knew. Their blasters were at the ready, and their glowing yellow eyes much like Ran's, were fixed on her.

"Are you still under Jagos, Subject Nineteen?" The Zeltron called out.

"My name is Ran now, Subject Seven," She identified. "And no. I killed Jagos."

The Zeltron and Twi'lek exchanged muted looks. "I do not believe that." Seven said, raising her blaster.

The Twi'lek put her hand against the weapon and pushed it back down. "I believe her, Seven."

"But Five, she was the one he kept." Seven replied.

"Trust me. I do not understand it but I can… feel it."

The Force. Ran thought to herself.

"Ok." Seven grimaced. "Tell your companions we believe you. We are no longer under Jagos' control either. You have nothing to fear from us."
Ran nodded and for a brief moment looked past them. Scorch marks on the walls via blaster fire and destroyed security droids lined the floors. Ran holstered her weapon and looked out in the directions of Valery and Dagon. They were to make their own minds up about whether they wanted to join the group or not. It was then that Lady Zora stared at Ran hard.

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Valery Noble Dagon Kaze​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

When the fire and adrenaline subsided, the scorch marks scratching his flesh began to sting. He eyed them and followed their trail - each one closer to his center mass.

Just one shot away from a memorial.

Really on the edge there. Couldn't feel more alive anywhere else.

"Never took you for a tumbler." a shit-eating grin met Valery as the two followed in Ran's trail to the security tower, "Age like fine wine, huh?" he quipped. Humor had a way of mending the burns. Even at the expense of others. Maybe he was picking up too much from Yula lately.

The last thing Dagon expected to see in the security tower was more of Ran's 'siblings'. He gave each a quick, apprehensive glance, noticing the stiff wariness encompassing their forms.

"Well, that was, uh, a warm family reunion." he tried to break the ice, hand reaching to scratch the back of his head. "But I don't think lingering here for much longer's a good idea." they still were trespassers and the Lady's position in all of this remained unknown.

Valery Noble Ran Serys

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Coruscant​

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Tag: Ran Serys Dagon Kaze ​

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Valery let out a long sigh as her hand shifted down to her thigh. She had luckily dodged most of the incoming fire, but a single bolt had grazed her thigh and lightly burned the now-exposed skin. It could have been worse though, so Valery wasn't going to complain and simply moved to catch up with the others.​

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"Never took you for a tumbler."​

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That look from earlier briefly turned into a proper death glare, but she began to grin rather quickly, "Should pay more attention then, or am I going too fast for you?" she asked, intentionally ignoring the fine wine comment for now, but not forgetting it. She'd have her moment to playfully hit back, but this wasn't the right time.​

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More of Ran's 'siblings' appeared from the building, and the damage and destruction they had caused inside grew visible behind them as well. It initially made it seem their mission would be a lot easier, but there was a tension in the air that Valery couldn't quite place.​

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It kept her alert and focused, but she made no move to do anything.​

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"I agree with Dagon, we should get going," she paused and looked at the sisters, "All of you should get going, unless there are others stuck inside?" she glanced past them, at the building, but finally her gaze rested on Lady Zora.​

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"There aren't going to be any problems, right?"​

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[Ran Serys]

"No, there are no others, and there won't be any problems." The adolescent Lady Zora responded coldly to the Jedi Master. Struggling under the weight of Twelve, the delicate teenager's legs buckled. Seven holstered his blaster and kept Twelve and Lady Zora from dropping. "I've got her," She spat in frustration at Seven. "We've got each other. We don't need you." She then spat at the pair of Jedi and Ran before turning her back on them. "Sevie, help me wake her up."

"Of course, Lady Zora," The Zeltron confirmed. "You heard the Lady. We don't need you. Take your friends and leave, Nineteen." The Zeltron said in a fed up tone before following Lady Zora and carrying Subject Twelve deeper inside the security tower, and beyond the eyes of their visitors. The Twi'lek, Subject Five, didn't move an inch. She couldn't. Her eyes were closed and her mind turned inward, on itself, for a long moment. The force flowed freely through her. To Dagon and Valery, it would be apparent. Five was having a vision of the future.

Ran looked at her companions. She could feel it too. "Five." Ran called out to her and put her hand on the female Twi'lek's shoulder. It was a slow response in return but Five grabbed Ran's hand and took it into her own. "Call me Ivy, Ran." She said warmly. "And don't leave." She looked at the Jedi. "Despite what the Lady Zora says, you will be key components in the oncoming conflict. We will need you if we want to survive." She pursed her lips before continuing. "Lorza is marching here. This time with assault droids, far more sophisticated and deadly than the security droids here." She gestured to a pile of blaster damaged scrap metal in the doorway behind her. "Lorza escaped us once, but he will not escape us again." The twi'lek said, determined to make those words true. "Will you stay and help us?"

Ran knew what her answer was, but she didn't know if it was the right one. What she did know was the feeling of making someone pay for the years lived in subjugation. Every second, every minute, every hour, day, year, and decade the Children of Jagos lived was spent in a state of ultimate subservience. They were present for every moment but unable to act on anything but the volition of others. Ran had a freeing moment in the death of Jagos as she watched him die of the blaster barrage she herself had shot. The three subjects under Lorza didn't have that. They needed someone to pay. Ran wasn't sure she could deliver that but she wanted to support them anyway she could.

She looked at Valery and Dagon. What would the Jedi say? They had signed up for a rescue mission. Not this, whatever it was.

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Valery Noble Dagon Kaze​

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Coruscant​

Valery: Appearance​

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Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Ran Serys Dagon Kaze ​

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While the woman assured the Jedi that there weren't going to be any problems, Valery could still feel some tension in the air. It lingered until Lady Zorra and Subject 17 left to bring Twelve away into the tower. But that tension was replaced by another powerful feeling — that of someone connecting deeply with the Force.​

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It drew Valery's fiery gaze to the Twi'lek, who explained what she had seen in her vision.​

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"I'm not one to go against the will of the Force," Valery began after a moment, as her eyes shifted between Ran, Ivy, and Dagon. This was escalating into far more than what they had signed up for, but if the Force showed the survival of these people relied on the protection of the Jedi, then she could not leave them behind.​

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"So I will stay here and help, but I do want something to be clear from the start. I'm not here to condone some kind of revenge against whoever caused you all so much trouble. We're here to protect you against Lorza, and we can bring him to justice through a proper trial."​

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"If you and the others can agree to that, I will give you my word that I won't allow Lorza to get away with their crimes."​

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[Dagon Kaze]

The tension among the former 'subjects' of the Sith Lord was so thick that it could dull the sharpest of knives. Dagon could only imagine their state of mind, shaped and built to be nothing more than tools to their masters. Jagos' death had only opened a pandora box among the 'subjects', each one more perplexed than the other at their newfound freedom. A life without chains.

Or as some would cynically say - a life without purpose.

The raven-haired Jedi silently nodded at Valery's words. They were no extrajudicial executioners; revenge was not the Jedi's way.

"She's right -- Ran, we can bring him to stand at a fair trial but we can't dispense justice through the edge of a blade." unless, well, Lorza did everything in his capacity to fight until his last breath. But then again, he wondered, how exactly did they expect an Alliance court to be holding a trial for a man outside of their jurisdiction.

Guess they'd figure that out when they got there.

Ran Serys Valery Noble

 

[Ran Serys]

Ran nodded at Dagon and Valery's words. "You have our answer and the conditions for the Jedi's involvement, Ivy. This cannot be about revenge. This is about your safety and freedom. We combat Lorza together and Dagon and Valery take him to the Galactic Alliance where he will answer for his crimes of slavery and his dealings with the former Sith Empire. Is that understood?"

"It is understood, Ran." Ivy replied. "You and the Master Jedi," She gestured to Valery. "Should convene with Seven and Twelve. She will be waking up soon and she will have a plan to combat Lorza's forces. I also think it would help Zora to see the both of you. She doesn't trust anyone but us at the moment. I'd like that to change." The twi'lek then turned her attention to Dagon. "You, Master Jedi. You will find data on all of Lorza's incriminating dealings scattered through several private databanks that Subject Twelve has collected. I will show you the way." She turned back to the others. "We will reconvene at the top of the security tower to go over the plan and then we face off against Lorza." Ivy finished and then headed inside for the databanks.

After some time, a few introductions, and some light tension being lifted.

"Lorza is overconfident but prepared. His assault droids are worth more than their weight but Lorza himself isn't a military strategist. That's how we win." Twelve declared evenly. Standing over a holoprojection of the estate she began to scroll in and out of its points of interest. "He'll come here first in force. That's when he'll come in contact with me and Master Noble. You will do the talking. It's important he believes that we asked you for help and that you are the only Jedi that has come. Knowing a Jedi is here at all will rattle him. It's also important that he knows we moved Lady Zora. He'll scan the forest, find Ran's ship and send the droids there to retrieve Zora and kill Ivy and Sevie. Sadly they won't get that chance as Lady Zora won't be aboard the ship. She'll be with Ran & Seven hiding at the end of the water tunnels on the other side of the estate. Instead Knight Kaze and Ivy will be waiting to ambush the assault droid squad that goes to the ship. Every droid he loses will shake his confidence. A disadvantage of his neural link that we will use and abuse. We'll keep in touch on the secure comms channel Seven set up. As soons as something goes wrong, you get on the comm. We'll adjust." Twelve finished. "Is that clear?" She asked the group.

"No!" Lady Zora shouted. "I don't want to leave you." The young serennian grabbed Twelve. "I'm not going anywhere, Zora." Twelve replied as she embraced the girl. "You'll be safe with Seven and Ran and I'll be safe here with Master Noble," She continued.

"But what if you get stunned again."

"I won't. The only reason I did was because Ran is Ran and the Jedi are Jedi." Twelve explained. "I'm willing to bet that the seven of us are more than a match for your uncle and his battle droids." She assured the girl. "Here take this." Twelve put a blaster pistol in Lady Zora's hand. "We won't let your uncle separate us. Not for anything." Twelve and Lady Zora hugged. Not like a slave and their master but like a mother and daughter.

"Let's move out, everyone. Get to your places." Twelve ordered. "If I'm right we'll make first contact." She looked at Valery.

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Valery Noble Dagon Kaze​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

A determined nod, followed by a 'May the Force be with you' was Dagon's parting words as the raven-haired Knight and Subject Five departed towards their designated positions.

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Veiled by the night, concealed by the forest, both Dag and Ivy were all but invisible. A stubborn cloud floated over half of the moon leaving the Jedi barely recognizing the faint shine of the Twi'lek's lekku a few feet to his side. His breathing was silent, muffled in expectation but hers -- hers was completely gone from his senses. Surely the product of Jagos' machinations. Not a killer, but more (or less) -- a weapon honed to kill.

Dehumanizing and objectifying sentients were a Sith's specialty.

But justice had long come for the Sith Lord, now it had come Lorza with the evidence from the databanks safely stored within the Jedi's datapad.

"Master Jedi... you are certain the evidence will be enough to lock Lorza up?" Ivy's whisper broke the silence and Dagon's eyes shifted from the security tower in the distance to her. He could not find her eyes but he could feel her yearning glare.

"Enough to put him in a cell for a long, long time." he confirmed, then after a long pause, continued, "Ivy... I know you and the others need closure, a closure Lorza behind bars' gonna deliver but... it might be a fleeting feeling before you realize the gap's too wide to close..." he fell silent for a moment, reminiscing the galaxy crashing down over him at the sight of his fallen twin brother, "...look, what I'm trying to say is that when you suddenly find yourself without a purpose, the lines between justice and vengeance blur. And vengeance never seals that pit -- it just digs deeper and deeper."

And such pit was far more dangerous when one carried the gift of the Force.

"... when this is all over, I'd like you to stay for a little while on Coruscant--" a shout rang in the distance, followed by the clanking of droids on the move.

:: Uh... Val? :: he mumbled through the comlink.​

Ran Serys Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Coruscant​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Ran Serys Dagon Kaze ​

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"Everything is clear," Valery confirmed with a nod of her head to twelve. It was going to be her task to confront Lorza directly and use her presence to hopefully persuade him to surrender once he had lost enough of his forces. It was likely going to take a good bit of effort, but Valery felt confident that she could be the imposing Jedi that Twelve asked her to be right now.​

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All they had to do now was wait for first contact.​

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Some time passed after they all split up into their respective groups, and while they got into their positions, Valery had a bit more time to mentally prepare because she didn't have to move anywhere. But with Twelve by her side, she figured it would be wise to discuss the plan in more detail as well.​

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"I'm going to confront Lorza and make it clear you're under my protection, but I will make sure he knows I'm not backing down because of his droids as well,"​

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Twelve nodded, "He's likely not going to take it well, but if all goes according to plan, we'll shatter his hope of getting to Lady Zora fast."​

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"I think so too, but let's be careful and not take unnecessary risk. I'll do my best to provide you with cover," she said, "And I'll have your back as well, Master Jedi," Twelve said quickly in return with her own confidence. Valery just smirked and turned her gaze out into the distance. The sound of droids marching and danger pulsing through the Force was getting closer, but it wasn't going to shake her resolve.​

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"Glad you could join us, Lorza. Are you ready to lay down your arms and surrender?" Valery asked, knowing it would likely tick him off, but she believed his confidence to be misplaced, and facing true confidence and strength would likely have him buckle under pressure at some point. "I'm Jedi Master Valery Noble, and these people are under my protection. I suggest you put down your weapons so we can resolve this peacefully."​

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As expected, Lorza seemed angered and even began to laugh at the woman, "Under your protection? What do you think you can do against all these droids on your own?" he laughed. "I don't think you want to find out," Valery said as the hilt of her lightsaber settled in the palm of her hand.​

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Lorza gritted his teeth and pointed in their direction, "Kill the Jedi and take the others!" he shouted out loud.​

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:: Uh... Val? :: he mumbled through the comlink.​

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:: "He's a bit loud," :: Valery replied to Dagon as her thumb activated the switch, and a violet blade ignited. Her fiery eyes turned to his droids and under sniper cover from Twelve, she moved with lightning speed through his formations to cut down the droids that he had brought here.​

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The plan was set in motion, and all they needed to do now was be convincing enough to make him surrender.​

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