We Do Not Forget - First Order Raid on Ossus

[Thaddeus Wyse]

[member="Lina Renning"]

Elbow connected with the soft of her stomach and caused Lina to double over, but before Skai could take advantage of her loss of stance...

The Force lashed out against her.

It took her by surprise - not completely useless on the field then - and caused her to stumble backwards. But the Dathomiri warrior was not as easily dissuaded as that, in fact, it only made her more willing to commit to this fight. Now that she realized that she wasn't simply slaughtering a lamb for the altar of the Green One. As she shifted her feet to accommodate for the chance in position, her hand let fly several small blades previously hidden in the sleeves of her tunic.

Sharp, deadly and difficult to see while Lina was taking a step back to focus.

Stance secured the Dathomiri lunged once more, using the friction of the ground to assist in the leap- this time there were no flourishes.

Instead it was a feint: at the last moment Skai's form suddenly flickered out of existence in emerald smoke, sinking back into a half-state of there and not being there at all. At that last moment she shifted to the left, blade edge racking across soft heel of the left leg, before following it up with the thrust of a leg into buckling knee. Whichever way the action went, she would push further away from Lina and utilize the space created to witness consequences of actions taken.

 

[Lina Renning]

Lina knew she was a coward.

Between fight or flight, she flew. Every time. Not because it went against her moral code to hurt people, even if it did. But quite simply because she knew the odds were against her. So she made a point of avoiding fights. Not out of honor, as nice as it sounded. Out of fear.

The moment she had an advantage the only thing she could think to do was to make herself scarce.

Eyes went to either side, a flicker left and then right. There had to be somewhere she could run, somewhere she could hide, some way to put distance between herself and the nameless Sith. But those pair of heartbeats were enough for Skai to compose herself, and her chance was gone. Mentally Lina cursed. There had to be a way to leave this alive. But she wasn't sure if she knew it.

Then the sunlight caught for a second on metal and before she knew it there were knives

one
two
three

and she evaded all but one by sheer chance but the last tore across her arm as it flew through the air.

Lina tried to bite back a cry of pain without success, but Skai was moving closer too fast, closer and closer and then she was gone. Gone? Confused and overwhelmed with foreboding, she whirled around. Then she felt a blade against her leg. She'd have spun out of its way but Skai was too fast and she was too slow and the knife slashed through the skin and force followed as her legs gave way and she crashed forwards.

Her hands shot out to catch her as she fell and she tried to straighten, tried to find the Sith before she could kill her. Tried to move. Everything hurt, but she had to move.

[member="Skai"]​

 

[Thaddeus Wyse]

[member="Lina Renning"]

The first kick crashed against her side before Lina would be able to detect the shimmer of green, but rather than let up after that first one? The Sith kicked again and again, bones groaning first, then creaking before finally breaking under the pressure of repeated kinetic interference.

It was satisfying in its own right to hear the howl of pain and the cry after that.

Lina deserved it... because she was weak. Making it so easy to kill her, dirty her hands even more with her bloody filth, if she couldn't fight for her life... what worth did she truly have?

"Spirits... forgive me." She mumbled, before raising her blade, angle just right to puncture the neck and making it a quick death. The Jedi might be a fool, an useless innocent just in the way of things, but she was dead now.

No anger should be spend on the dead.

Exercise in futility.

 

[Progflaw99]

Outer Rim \\ Auril Sector \\ Ossus​

Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle \\ Unmarked, Stealth Variant​

Allies: [member="Ara Ren"] \\ Enemies: Silver Jedi Order​

On Foot \\ Near Jedi Shadow Enclave​

​

Errant smirk flickered as it briefly upturned the corners of the Knight's lips. Through the modulation provided by the helmets they wore, a hint of humor worked its way through - though to some it may have sounded like derision. Castor's skill at piloting was by no means on par with many of the First Order's Starfighter Corps, but he managed to get by. Inputting a few commands into the console he spun the chair around, content that the engines had been powered down. Castor had nestled the craft in a small copse, the dark hull of the ship blending with the dark colors of the landscape. Powered down and obscured from direct view, the shuttle should remain undetected - if not, they would be in some trouble. Such was never a consideration for the Knight, now having tightened his sword belt and donned the dark cloak across his shoulders Castor strode down the extended ramp.

"Unaltered indeed." he replied.​

His garments were plain, a new addition to the garb donned by Sieger's finest. The so called uniform fit snugly beneath the plates of Castor's armour, atop his head the RX-1. Unlike his recent visit to Naboo, this time he was geared for war. The soft sound of grass beneath foot, the light dew brushed from leaves at his passing - the scene was tranquil. Footstep after footstep led the pair of Ren swiftly from the clearing, traversing open ground and rocky terrain alike. Like shadows they moved, gently moving ever closer to the looming forest ahead.

Castor had seen the pyramid structures on their descent, though now they were obscured by the natural foliage of the quiet world. Their objective was singular, though as they entered the forest in the direction of the Academy Castor realized almost too late they'd almost stumbled into a trap - or at very least, a trap of their own making. A silent touch of minds to alert the Ren with him. He stopped mid stride, ducking low hurriedly, a raised arm the only outward signal to his fellow Knight before his hand reached for the hilt he knew to be at his belt. Fingers grasped the grip tightly, the slow draw of the blade silent as it came free of the scabbard. Castor had taken great care in anointing the blade in oils to prevent any excess noise as it was drawn. Slowly shifting his weight forward, his eyes peered just over the small hill, helmet illuminating several heat signatures - men and women concealed from natural sight brought to light by the helmet's systems. Speaking into the comm, his voice was silent except to his partner.

"Five targets. Three left, two right. All armed."​

​

Castor knew Ara would see them, but he called them out anyway. Three were armed with what appeared to be blaster rifles, nestled close to their bodies. Had the Ren been anyone else, the concealment would have been good enough that they likely would have walked right into the figures - but with the enhanced vision the helmets gave them, Castor's eye began to pick up on something else hiding beneath the foliage. What it was wasn't clear, but there was definitely something beneath the layer of dirt and plant - the five figures in view obviously sentries. The other two concerned Castor more. A glimpse of shadow, a flicker of light - lightsabers secured at their waists. Whether luck or fate, they hadn't been detected yet, though if they approached any closer the Dark Side would light them up just as much as a flashlight to the Jedi there.
Castor shifted the small back resting on his shoulders, the contents a variety of explosives and additional items they might need - magnetic binders being one of them. Looking to the Ren nearby he spoke once more into their private comm.

"How do you want to do this?" He shrugged his pack. Lightsabers and swords weren't their only option.​

​

[member="Ara Ren"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]​

 

[Lina Renning]

A scream escaped through gritted teeth as a sickening crack sounded less than a second before pain shot through her leg, gripped at her focus - it hurt it hurt it hurt and in that moment her mind could worry about nothing else.

Head twisted to half-face the Sith as eyes searched wildly for something, anything, even though she knew it was hopeless. The part of her that knew she couldn't fight, the part that didn't want to fight said to lie in the grass like the bodies of the nameless Jedi, the ones she'd killed, to soak in the pain until she went numb.

But Lina knew she was moments away from not feeling the pain.
Lina knew she was moments away from never feeling anything ever again.

The glint of a blade plunging down forced out thoughts of fear and pain and her inevitable death, forced out anything but the will to survive. Lina lacked any sort of skill when it came to combat. She would never have managed to gain some semblance of advantage from here. Instead she did the only thing she could think to do, the only thing that offered a chance at escaping downfall; she waited until she was a second away from the end and then she summoned what fragments of energy remained to turn sharply, roll away from the sword as it drove through the air.

She hissed out obscenities through the pain. Through praying she hadn't died.

[member="Skai"]​

 

[Thaddeus Wyse]

[member="Lina Renning"]

The point of the blade cut through air and then dug into the ground.

Skai blinked and then frowned at the sudden development. "Got some spirit in you left, yeah?" Her form blurred and suddenly there she was again, this time her fist already puncturing its way through air to dig through it towards the face that was so deliciously open. Once, twice. Fist met soft flesh, bones, it kept coming, until the Dathomiri suddenly rose and again kicked her in the side where she had shattered ribs and more. She studied Lina, face, leg, side, the blood covering her form ( her own blood ) and smiled.

"You aren't a threat to anyone." Head tilted as the smile broadened. "Get on your knees, kiss my boots and beg for mercy."

The blade had dissipated from the ground behind her, instead forming once more in her hands.

"Or die."

Cerbera would probably not approve of this- quick kills, fast, no time to savor them, but this girl had turned a swift execution in a protracted battle... and Skai was mildly annoyed.

 

[Lina Renning]

If only later she could say she'd fought off Skai, that something had sparked the strength to hit back. If only she could have said that when she couldn't go on she at least took her beatings in silence, proudly defiant to the last.

Reality wasn't so forgiving.

She was a tangled mess of cuts and blood and broken bones. Moving hurt; breathing hurt. All she could do without making it worse was to stare through crimson eyes with tired blue ones - exhausted, imploring, racked with pain, but still alive.

But she wasn't a threat to anyone.
She could kneel, or die.
Lina knew there was no third option.

Skai won and it wasn't fair. She shouldn't get to win, shouldn't get to keep on going, keep on killing. But what could she do? She had failed. All she could do was give up. Let the Sith win, let her leave so Lina could crawl off somewhere to recover. Regain strength. Train, prepare, practice. And then perhaps the next time she'd be less useless. Perhaps the next time she could stop the people who didn't deserve to win.

So she forced herself upright, face burning at the undignified struggle to shift onto her knees. Her leg ached, her side ached, her heart ached - but it didn't matter. Lina was worth little alive, but she was worth nothing at all dead. So she ignored the pain and she knelt, head bowed, a curtain of tangled silver hair brushing the ground.

She forced words out, strangled with reluctance.
"Please, let me live. Please."

[member="Skai"]​

 

[Thaddeus Wyse]

[member="Lina Renning"]

A smirk tugged at her lips as she watched Lina bend over, kneeling in front of her.

It wasn't enough.

The flat of her sword suddenly rested on her head, coloring grey hair with crimson, before pushing her down farther. To the ground, to her shoes, pressing her face and lips against the dirty leather of her boots. Caked with mud, mixed with the blood of her Jedi rescuers and the salt of the planes, Skai did not care and forced her down on the texture. Keeping her down for seconds at a time, until the Jedi seemed to cry, whine or struggle for air, choking on the leather.

"Very well." Skai retorted before the ease of pressure of her blade suddenly disappeared. "If we were on Dathomir I would have taken you as a slave, but you are weak and not even worthy of the honor to serve."

Head tilted slightly as the tip of the blade pushed Lina's face up by her jaw.

"I should kill you. It would be a blessing for the Jedi, not having to protect you... and be killed because of you." The blade left- then in a lightning-fast move her fist connected with Lina's face once more. Not to hurt, but to incapacitate and leave her unconscious. "But I honor my word, Jedi." With a flourish she cleaned the edge of her sword against the fabric of the Jedi's robe, before making it disappear completely. This had been a waste of time... but a pleasant one.

Time to find what she had been looking for.

 

[Mishel Kryze]

​

OSSUS
OSSUS CITY

Knowledge was a powerful tool, and while she intended to blow the archives into the sky itself. Mishel knew better than to rush the process, to rush into the unknown alone. She had done so many times over and this time she would wait. This, this was going to take time. She was bound for Ossus City, and carefully placed a ring on her finger to conceal her force aura. A trinket that would only get her so far in a place filled with older Jedi, but older Jedi who she knew would be eager to share their knowledge to want to bring someone from the dark to the light. For now she would go under the guise of a lost Sith, a Sith who wished to be rid of their former life. After all, it seemed this galaxy could not tell the difference between an ambitious dark lord and a servant of Ren who wished to further the influence of Seiger's hand.

Or in this case.

Exact retribution for the Silver Jedi sticking their lightsaber where it didn't belong.

The woman clad in black set her foot on the city of old, she could feel the force strongly here and it had a horrific stench. The light was strong here, and she wanted to drown it in darkness. She observed from here, the droids and the Jedi both marking in her mind where she would need to go, and quietly decided she would leave herself equipment for a return trip. And so she pressed forward walking into the light with the hopes of suffocating it, and if she succeeded she was sure her master [member="Samka Derith"] would be proud.

 

[Lina Renning]

[member="Skai"]​

Weak.

There was nothing she could tell herself that made it seem less true in her mind. She was not brave. She was not a fighter. Convincing herself that really, secretly, she had some sliver of strength buried beneath would have been impossible in that moment, so she didn't.

She simply stared at Skai across the end of a blade, all endurance and no defiance. Accepting.

But then more words. Words that tore like knives and stung like poison.

Pained blue gaze averted now, afraid to look back. It was too easy to believe how right she was. To let each word sink into the feeling of heaviness. To wonder. Lina had always held steadfast to the idea that regardless how little she could do in the span of things she could do something and that was always better than doing nothing.
But right now it was near impossible not to wonder.

She hadn't killed the Jedi who lay dead yards away (their names, she wished she knew their names) but they were here because she had brought them out. Without her, maybe they wouldn't have died.

She'd made it worse.
Maybe Skai was right.

The blade disappeared, and the last thing Lina saw was Skai; hand balled in a fist and aiming for her face.

She changed her mind she's going to kill me I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to -