Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Valae moved along the outskirts of Aegis, her boots taking her in the direction of the jungle. She crouched slightly as she moved through the thick foliage, her heart pounding hard within. Even at this distance, she could feel the presence of her apprentice. But with each step she took, it seemed that she was not gaining any ground. Despite her progress, it seemed that Stephanie was moving farther away…
The Jedi healer came to a screeching halt, nearly slipping down a steep slope. Her hand caught the trunk of a tree for support, and voices came through her earpiece.
“Hostile forces have arrived in Ossus City. We’ve boarded the transport--”
Drawing in a breath, her eyes shifted down towards the city that stood in the distance. Ossus City was quite small when compared to Knossa. It was a place of peace, a calm retreat for those that wished to escape city life. It was a location that was also home to a hall of healing, and there were still some that resided there as they recovered.
“Retreat to Knossa,” The Grandmaster responded, “Help is on the way.”
And after a quick glance over her shoulder, she opened a connection to the Rangers that were stationed at Knossa. “This is Grandmaster Kitra, I need a detachment of Rangers at Ossus City. Evac the remaining civilians and secure the area.”
The Rangers weren’t far; they would reach Ossus City before Valae could. But she had a feeling that Stephanie was already headed that way as well. Heaving a sigh, she began her own trek.
Ammee let the dust between them billow, "you are strong, dark one."
"As are you, Jedi," Mishel took a breath as her lightsaber hung low, "but this city will burn."
The Jedi Knight bowed, "only when I can no longer fight."
It was the hope of Ammee that the sparks of light heading for them would heed her warning. She needed to do this alone, any interference would only escalate the situation, but then she did not expect this Order of Jedi to heel. Silvers by their very nature were aggressive against dark siders, while Ammee of the Jedi Order of Old wanted only to try and save this one. Her blue lightsaber reflected against the buildings as she padded forward. Mežsrožu followed after until they found themselves in the middle of the city. Now it was the dark one's turn to talk, to speak of stories. "You wish to know the truth behind my arrival, Jedi?"
"Yes," she answered as her lightsaber rose to battle again, "tell me, why you are here."
"It is because this one is weak, I am Mežsrožu. A daughter of darkness here to do what this one cannot," what followed was a sadistic laughter.
Ammee's dark green hair flowed for a moment as she closed her eyes and focus, she reached out to the nearest lightsided figure. Go, see to the others. I can handle this dark one, she is young, naive. Should I fall, I ask you to take my lightsaber back to Coruscant. They will know what to do. Although the Mirialan Jedi knew she would survive, and reminded herself of the Jedi Code.
There is no emotion, there is only peace.
She knew from the tone that whoever resided within the onyx-clad armor was only one part of the actual person. This was not only intuition but obvious as the person moved, the movements went from flawless to someone who could use more training. They sent a child out to do the work of others, "you say this one, then it would mean you have taken over for another?" Their blades clashed, blue pushed against orange, and Ammee could hear the whir of motors. The child was more machine than organic, and once more she only felt for the person before her. She moved forward pushing her weight against the blade and forced the dark one to make a decision.
"I am what she cannot be, and I follow the path of my family. Sister Zmej had been right to choose the path of anger, and brother Kyrel to choose the path of hatred for together they are quite powerful," Mežsrožu remarked but felt herself weaken beneath the Jedi Knight. Onyx-clad armor near to the dirt and sand beneath her feet, the brown and white robe of the Jedi fell to the armor.
I am a daughter of Seiger Ren, there is his strength.
In an instant the Jedi Knight was thrown back, a wall of fire had erupted between them and she could feel her lightsaber being ripped from her hand. Force disarm, Charlyra used to love this little trick... Ammee rolled to her feet and recalled her lightsaber to her hand. The green-skinned Jedi planted her feet in time to catch the counter from the dark one, and once more the sounds of blade against blade could be heard. "Then I seek an audience to the one who truly lives within this armor, dark one." A small pause as Ammee then repeated what she had thought only moments ago, "there is no emotion, there is only peace."
Concealed from the Jedi, the facial expressions of Mežsrožu Ren as the vibrant orange-red hues were taken swiftly by hazel-green eyes. Memories of Jedi Grandmaster Bethany Kismet swept through her memories, Mishel, you're going to have to decide for yourself. There's a light inside of you, but only you can choose how brightly it will shine. The days of healing on Monastery and the very fiber of her revival from none other than the healer known as [member="Hazel Zanteres"] the woman who would become her adoptive mother. Hey, take it easy...you're safe, you're alright Mishel.
No.
"There is a light inside of you, I can feel it, dark one."
"NO."
"There is still yet hope, you can be saved."
"NO!"
"You were meant for more than this, you were meant for greater things."
The Disciple of Ren tired of the story, but her strength was not yet enough to face off against a Jedi Knight and worse she could feel it still. However, faint the whisper of light from the essence that her body had taken upon her awakening on Monastery. Hazel's own essence had been lost to Mishel, nearly severing the girl from the darkside itself. But months, and months of work from her master [member="Samka Derith"] and the Galactic Alliance's own New Jedi Order partnered with their behavior at Skor II had made great strides in turning Mishel away from the light, and now, here was this filthy Jedi. Preaching to Mežsrožu Ren about light and hope; the audacity.
Vicious slash after vicious slash, Djem So mixed with Makashi and hints of Soresu clashed with Shii-Cho, Juyo and Ammee's own Makashi.
Force barrier, force push, force grip - their battle continued.
Mežsrožu refused to lose. She refused to be put back into the Void, to be snuffed out by the light. No, she would reclaim this and be the darkness that her father Seiger Ren, needed her to be. "Never!" Her voice was loud, the tone was defiant and as she charged forward with force speed, so too did Ammee rush into the fray with force speed and when the two met in the center. The impact could be heard for miles away...
Location: Ossus Objective: Shoot stuff Allies: Silver Jedi Order ([member="Alexandra Feanor"], [member="Jessica Med-Beq"], [member="Audren Sykes"]) Opposition: First Order ([member="Carlyle Rausgeber"], [member="Morro"], [member="Achim Veers"], [member="Gerhard Maxim"]) Directly Engaging: [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"], [member="Asharad Graush"] Fleet Comp: Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7j6L5-RAAM
[SIZE=18pt][Bahamut][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The battlecruiser continued to be hammered by concentrated fire, but for now, its shields were still holding, quickly cycling between sets of capacitor banks being replenished from the beam fire of the First Order thanks to its molecular shielding. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Meanwhile, [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] found itself being targeted by focused jamming attacks (Morro). To counter, the power of its sensors and comms were boosted. As long as [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Hydra[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] was being used between all vessels and shield gates under Elijah’s command, he was still able to receive accurate readings all craft free of the jamming, including the Sowa built especially for ISR. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The rest of Roosevelt group had finally come into optimal engagement range and were finally drawing attention away from the [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt], much to Elijah’s relief, but then he tensed up again as he witnessed the Vanquisher intercepted the asteroid that refused to be destroyed and prepare to fling it once more, this time right on a collision course for the [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]![/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]This is madness! [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Even by cold Imperial or Sith logic, the continuation of the asteroid attacks didn’t make much of any sense as FO forces had successfully made it landfall. Whole, that piece could easily wipe out the entire surface Ossus with sufficient force (they were apparently being slung really fast). That meant the death of everyone below, including their fellow FO compatriots.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Elijah couldn’t make heads or tails about Rausgeber's obsession with that one particular asteroid, but he knew that the [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] couldn’t tank another hit from it like before - it would likely destroy the ship as it was now also subject to attack by the FO battlegroup. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]<Subtai, do you have countermeasures devised to deal with this frakker?>[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]<Affirmative.>[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]<Then I’m giving you full authority to enact them, just make sure that damn SD goes down. It should have been disabled or destroyed between me and Med-Beq a long time ago. So this is the ‘invincible’ FO fleet Yune was telling me about.>[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]<Countermeasures being deployed, standby.>[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] waited until just the moment that the asteroid was flung to accelerate itself forward out of its path with both its functioning main drives and repulsors, timed in just a way as to prevent last-minute adjustments by the enemy. All beam fire previously directed at smaller asteroids was then focused upon one face of the asteroid to cause it to deflect off course on a path for the planetary shield, hopefully, one last time. Simultaneously, the battlecruiser trained its heavy tractor beams on the asteroid, reversing their polarity to push upon it to help with deflection.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Subutai assumed direct control of the Shield Gates 1-4, using the long-range emplacements of the stations 3 and 4 to help pulverize the giant rock. The combined fire of the Battlecruiser and the shield gates was more than enough to break up the asteroid and send its remains flying off course into the planetary shield.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]This was only part of the solution, as[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] determined the root cause to be Rausgeber commanding the whole puzzling operation. It carried out its attack in several steps in a quick sequence of just a few seconds. First, it focused the fire of its plasma torpedo launchers and banks of hypervelocity cannons upon the bridge section of the vessel, intending to finally overload its shields with a combo attack of shield busting plasma torps and mass driver shots to blow out its forward shield generators, bridge, and primary sensor/comm clusters. The normal HVC batteries fired large-caliber vibro flechettes, while the Angons fired combination of sabot shells carrying [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Hornets[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] capable of bypassing shielding for direct attacks against the hull, and boarding shells filled with packs of [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]buzz droids[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Moments after those shells were launched into flight, mass driver cannons and launchers fired off salvos of [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]nuriel anti-beam canisters[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt], aiming them all around the Vanquisher, redirecting its plasma torp launchers on the clouds released by the canisters to convert them into fields of energy. This served two purposes, first to completely isolate the Vanquisher from the rest of its formation, and to also break up its tractors beams with the disruptive energy fields to keep it from latching onto anymore asteroids for a follow-up attack. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The HVC batteries of the [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] alternated to solid slugs to continue pounding away at the SD through the energy fields it was continuously generating through the steady release of canisters and plasma torpedoes. The Vanquisher was obviously a tough cookie, but it was only a matter of time before it would be overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the battlecruiser that it could still bring to bear. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=18pt][Roosevelt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Strangely, the commanders of the line of star destroyers, heavy cruisers, and hundreds of attack craft couldn’t discern any noticeable effect against the FO formation in their first strike. As they exchanged fire with the FO vessels, Subutai transmitted a new plan of action for Roosevelt group to follow. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Roosevelt group then shifted tactics firing at the larger cruisers of the FO formation with Nuriel canisters, attempting to isolate them much like the Bahamut was doing with the Vanquisher, interfering with their fire to relieve pressure off Med-Beq and the Bahamut ahead. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]With the rest of their weaponry, they focused attack upon the corvettes of the formation, constantly cycling between each one every few seconds with synchronized fire to rapidly overload their shielding. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The ECM systems of Roosevelt’s ships were activated to begin jamming the rest of the FO formation, [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]ECM drones[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] also employed en masse, mimicking the appearance of [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Kometa[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] ramships and [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Talon[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] starfighters. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Meanwhile, the real Kometa began to advance away from the main body Roosevelt amid the rising field of chaos under escort of Fencers. The droid ramships and starfighters employed their own electronic protection suites to minimize their signature amid the distractions being provided by the rest of Roosevelt. The ramships were on a one way collision course with the largest ships of the FO formation, essentially giant missiles packed with tons of baradium explosives. While typically deployed by the Silver fleet defensively as a counter to enemy ramming tactics (and now, asteroids moving forward), here they were being used offensively against a seemingly omnipotent enemy. They would strike the first blow against the pack of cruisers, and leave Jefferson group gathering behind to deal the killing blows. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=18pt][Ossus - Surface][/SIZE]
Jessica Med-Beq said:
"Something's not right about the battle below" the captain of the Lumen reported in, to Jessica as well as to Elijah, while returning to its original altitude. "DOKAWs, asteroids flinged by the enemy on the one hand, our own shield gates firing on ground targets the other"
As Admiral King was currently occupied attempting to avert mass extinction of Ossus by the psychotic naval officers of the First Order, the chief gunnery officer of Bahamut, Lt. Commander Phelps, took the call from the Lumen, the Corellian frowning as he listened to the message.
[SIZE=10pt]“This is Lt. Commander Phelps of the [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Bahamut[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt], currently directing surface fire missions in support of blue forces below. The only thing wrong in this situation is that the First Order apparently bumped their collective heads and suddenly thought glassing planets was a good idea right after screaming bloody murder about Kaeshana and Skor. Orbital bombardment is a normal practice in limited use, and all our attacks were precisely targeted at enemy troop concentrations, utilizing ion weaponry to minimize possible collateral. The whole point was to cripple the FO ground parties all at once with the big guns and give our forces some breathing space to outmaneuver them.” [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]“Now’s not the time or place to be second guessing the ground commanders. I see what they were dealing with and it was the right call. CAS, or fire missions from ground elements isn’t really doable while our birds are tied up dealing with FO air assets. You can’t even use ground artillery outside of the shield over Aegis, and any arty piece out in the open are liable to get turned into slag as soon as they’re detected in use. So, if you want to help, then please let me do my job, and you do yours by feeding us data from below for the most accurate fire possible. Any other concerns to bring to me today?”
LOCATION: Trapped on the mountain path OBJECTIVE: Hang on ENEMIES: [member="Asharad Graush"] ALLIES: None GEAR: Blade of the Satvas, Blaster, Lightsaber, Mandalorian Power Shield, Armorweave
If you are the healer, it means I'm broken and lame
If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame
You want it darker
We kill the flame
Oh he knew alright. With her own visor off, she watched the Sith before her, a clearer visage than with Force Sight even, and he had immediately clued into her fragile mindset - fingertips holding onto the light, while her body dangled over the abyss of the darkside. All he needed to do was pluck those slender digits off one by one.
You’ve never been the same since statis… and actually well before that when you chose to redeem yourself. And at this point, the brunette just assumed herself to be an inconvertible mess of a Jedi.
His voice was oddly gentle now.
Don’t trust him, Setzi. Don’t accept his clemency. It will only mean you will become his slave.
However, what happened next had no bearing on trust or skepticism. As she tried to rise, her legs buckled as though her boots were shackled to the rocky ground.
“You’re right,” she said abruptly. “I can’t fight it anymore. But if you want me, you will need totame me.” Filled with Force Rage, a favored power to utilize when she was Darth Azurea, the woman catapulted herself up off her feet. Her psyche may have been unsteady, susceptible to malevolent influence, but her stamina spiked in a burst of energy. Setzi smiled at the Sith Lord now, a carnivorous grin, gleeful to so easily meet his expectations, but not wanting to give him all of her just yet.
If Lord Graush were to be her incarcerator, she would take out her worst frustration on the twisted jailer himself. The broken Force user charged him now her saber held with both hands and cleaved downward in the spot between his neck and clavicle, trying to slash through his armor to the brachial plexus and into his chest.
At this point in time, the Sith Lord had moved past talking. She talked too much, and the dark side tendrils had already cast her over the edge. Instead of actually breaking her, however, she appeared to grow accustomed to the presence of the Dark Side once again, far too easily if he had to take note of anything.
The Dark Side rolled off of her aggressively, but Graush had met greater fury head on, had slain dozens of Sith Warriors that didn't know or respect the Graush name. This uncontrollable Jidai would learn, just like the ones he had slain.
From the earth, she leapt to her after her bubble of protection likely collapsed once being subjected to pure and raw Dark Side energy. Instead of properly preparing herself, she gave herself entirely to a Force Rage, an ability that he only so rarely used. I can't remember the last person to push me that far. Perhaps she moved faster, perhaps she was stronger, but A'sharad had all of that without the use of the Force. It was no regular armour he bore, but power armour that allowed him to move faster and too perform maneuvers he wouldn't be able to outside of the armour, the inner mechanisms pushing his body beyond their limits.
When that lightsabre started coming down, the Sith Lord's hand had found itself wrapped around the base of the neck of his hydrastaff, its five heads rearing as he tucked down to the same side that the Jedi had begun her slash, moving much faster than someone of his size should be perceived to move, a strain on his own body, one he noticed immediately, but one where the effects wouldn't make themselves known until the next day. Potentially ending behind her, his hand decided rapidly to her thigh, armourweave or not, and sought to punch through whatever protection she had there and to inflict an actual wound.
Should the fangs of five reared hydrastaff heads actually penetrate and sink into her skin and flesh, she'd undoubtedly feel it initially, before she considerably slowed down, depending on how efficiently she could control the venom in her bloodstream.
"Come in, Lieutenant-Commander, this is Broadsword One, I never saw Setzi here before or after the enemy enemy attacked, if she ever made it to the pass she never made it to me."
Darren looked down, sighing and cursing under his breath. He had to find her. Though he liked her - he knew how fickle she was when it came to her alignment - he saw it at Krayiss II. It wasn't her fault - he knew that, she had had a tough life. A life that tore her between the light and dark, he couldn't have even been able to comprehend it. If she was to be tempted - she could very easily fall once again.
It's my fault, I shouldn't have sent her out.
"She chose to go, boss." Sergeant McNulty came up behind the Lieutenant-Commander. "It's not your fault if she... Y'know..."
"If she what? If she dies? You don't know, McNulty. It's not what I'm worried about - she can handle herself. That's what I'm afraid of."
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't matter... Focus on the task at hand." Darren looked up to see the flaming wreckage of an enemy shuttle among the rocks of the mountain. "Ready your weapons - boys. Keep frosty, we don't know who's left."
Bodies, so many bodies. Darren thought as he scoured the wreckage. You never got used to death, especially not on such a large scale. Even in this job, you couldn't help but think of what they were before. Did they have families? People who were waiting for them back home - but would be heartbroken when they didn't return. They were innocent at heart - just blinded and controlled by their puppet masters.
Sith. Darren could feel a strong darkside presence, even with his unrefined abilities. Then he could feel confusion. Setzi. They were close.
"Stay low and close to the rocks, we're close - I can feel it." And so that is what they did.
As Broadsword Three rounded the corner, the enemy troops came into view. Rippers raised, they assessed the situation while they had the chance. 2,000 troops at least - though they had been effected by the ion blast. Their weapons should be offline - and Darren saw no one shooting. But he did feel something. Setzi was close - potentially just hidden from view - and from closer inspection he could see the flashes of lightsabers reflected off the rocks.
"Cover me, I'm going after Setzi. Open fire, but if you shoot me I'm going to come back to haunt you." Darren looked to the troops below him. "Now." he ran first, leaving his ripper behind and drawing his dual lightsabers. The Zabrak sprang up, spinning in the air and lighting his lightsabers and he did so. One, two, three... He took down men as he hit the ground - cutting down more as he sprinted through their ranks. Broadsword Three opened fire behind him. Four, five, six... He looked around, looking for where he needed to go next. Where was she? Seven, eight, nine... He followed the flashes of light, they were in his sights now. Wait... What?
Ten.
Setzi had something wrong with her. Her rage propelled her - had she fallen? No, he couldn't feel it. What the hell was she doing?
"Setzi!" Darren screamed as a snake came down on her wrist. Wait, was that just a staff?
He needed to take action - and so he did.
Leaping into the air, Darren flipped, attempting to bring both of his blades down simultaneously on the sith - on each of his shoulders.
Would the Sith be taken by surprise? Or would Darren's exclaimation have alerted him? Let's hope for the former.
Objective: Hold back the First Order
Allies: SJO
Enemies: [member="Torian Pierce"] [member="Jude Falkrowe"] [member="Val Kordova"]
Whereas [member="Jude Falkrowe"] and [member="Val Kordova"] were strolling through the vastness of the station's corridors, in search for the shield gate's command center, they might likely have found the corridors to be suspiciously empty, even though they could likely hear the noise made by the battle taking place in the nearby docking bay, where [member="Torian Pierce"] and the stormies he brought in tow still continued to fire at the Xi Charrian security crewmembers, and engaging in a furious firefight. But since the station was placed in full alert, another unit of Xi Charrian security crewmembers, armed with the very same 10mm rippers their comrades in the hangar bay used, began opening fire on both intruders, especially with the platoon commander also sporting a ysalamir nutrient frame with a ysalamir on it, causing any Force-users in its vicinity to be unable to use the Force. Thus the two agents were met by a hail of slugs fired at a rate that was akin to rapid-fire, since, for them, local fire superiority was key.
"<Charros shall be avenged!>" the platoon commander shouted right at the two intruders, in clicks that the intruders may not understand, or at best interpret pretty differently.
Meanwhile, the flanking unit opened fire at Torian's men in a sequential move, causing the remaining stormtroopers to get caught under fire from three directions, with the Xi Charrian troopers arrayed almost in a semicircle between them, and sustaining a few casualties of their own did not seem to faze them in the slightest. As a result, the morale remained high even with a half-dozen more of their own dead, electrocuted by charged projectiles being fired at them, and an additional half-dozen deaths from other sources. With one of the launchers being taken down by snap shooting directed at its gunner, there were less missile launchers left that could fire ion torpedoes at the enemy heavy equipment, knowing that the whiplash may not only incapacitate said heavy equipment, but also incapacitate the equipment on stormtroopers, such as masers, blasters, HUDs - if the ordnance actually hit, that is. Because the very same megablaster that hit the launcher also hit a projectile or two. Another volley of ion fire was directed at each enemy piece of heavy equipment, weapons, shield generators, two projectiles were fired at each piece of heavy equipment and the remainder were fired at targets between each piece of heavy hardware.
Truly the enemy would be facing a hailstorm of slugs on two fronts, fired as accurately as was possible in the heat of an intense firefight, with electromagnetic plasma machineguns mixed in for good measure, and firing at point-blank range at the enemy unit charging towards the flanking unit. And yet, part of the flanking unit was also taking losses when the enemy lander, in a hotwired ignition of its engines, projected a whiplash that also burned alive the unlucky few that were in the plume's path. And those that survived, that is, those who were out of the plume's path, had to contend with the charge of one stormie that used some sort of chain-weapon.
Kyrel moved along the path, and then when he turned next he noticed his Daughter, and the Sith were missing. Cursing himself at their incompetence he pushed forward, as he looked around continuing on his path looking around him and seeing the ruins of what were Jedi structures long ago, it made him sick and he swore he could hear the voice of his Mother speaking to him echoing in his mind as he stopped slowly in front of a few pillars. "Please.... Thomas turn away from this path... I beg you, my son, please." For a moment Kyrel stopped and looked around wondering where the voice was coming from before looking around, his tone filled with a slight hint of annoyance as well as anger. "All that is here is ghosts and ruins... This is all there is." He said in not only a way that reflected his surroundings but as to himself knowing that there was no going back for him. The man that was Thomas was gone and only Kyrel remained, and he had done far too much to earn redemption. This was all he had known and will be till his dying day.
His dark presence amplified the more that he had walked down the path towards the Enclave, his thoughts filled with rage as he desired to face an opponent worthy of his time and give him a fight that he had wanted, and the more he got closer the more he could sense that someone powerful was approaching the enclave, did they sense him? Did they know he was coming? He didn't have the slightest clue, but the thought made him grin underneath his mask. He moved with haste as he didn't have very much time, and not only that he could feel someone following him just waiting for the right moment to strike.
When he did finally reach the Enclave, he had traveled very carefully as he wished to reach his objective without encountering the Jedi, as much as he liked to encounter them, the mission was what had mattered to him, and so he would see it through, the dark halls quiet as if no one was around he became very wary but slowly brushed it off as he was not afraid of what lied ahead, but as he turned towards the tunnels the presence that he had sensed had slowly approached him from behind, the dark figure activated his saber, the crimson blade igniting with a snap-hiss as he spoke turning around slowly. "I wondered when you would find me If you think you can stop me fool you are more than welcome to try." He said as he looked to his opponent and waited.. Perhaps this mission was going to be even more difficult than he originally thought.
The speeder had stopped, but not wanting to attract unwanted attention, Josh had decided to hoof the rest. He discarded the speeder he'd borrowed somewhere where it wouldn't be found and he could use it to hitch a ride back to base once he was done here. Right now, Josh had a one-track mind... And it was time to act on it. He had arrived early, and thus he hid... That dark presence radiated more and more as it approached. He didn't know how he had known to come here, he just.. Knew. And for a time, on the way here, he found himself questioning it. But as the presence got closer and closer...
He knew that his trust in the Force had been well placed.
Josh knew what he was in for. He was in for a battle, he knew this. He'd known he'd be in one, one way or the other, before he left home.
----------------
The Final Dragon had been prepared for liftoff, and the Jedi Master walked toward the ship before he was stopped by someone. That someone was his wife, [member="Shmi DragonsFlame"] who held Jason in her arms.
"You're going now then? So soon?"
"Sources indicate that The First Order is about to attack Ossus. I know there'll be a great many Jedi there to defend it, before the First Order can lay waste to a planet with such history... I can't let them go that alone."
"I thought you swore this off? These large scale battles with these armies?"
Josh stared at her for a moment, his expression bittersweet as he finally let out a sigh.
"I wish it were that easy. I didn't want to come back to a life like this... But it's the right thing to do. If I let them die... I'm no better than the Sith.
I'll come back... I promise."
"You better."
That got a smile out of him, as he noted his son, Jason reaching for him.
"Seems he wants to say goodbye to daddy before he goes."
Jason was the spitting image of his father, he always seemed to remember over and over again when he looked Jason in those curious eyes. Josh took him from Shmi, holding him tight. Jason had just celebrated his second birthday, and tugged a bit at his father's hair as he reached around and grabbed every which where he could. Josh smiled in turn.
"You're going to be good while daddy's gone, right? Daddy won't be too long, don't worry about it" He spoke softly to his son as he would tap a finger to his nose. "Boop~" He would coo, the child beginning to giggle joyfully as he would grab his finger with both hands, before seeming to be trying to speak.
"D-da.... Daaaaaaa... Daaa!"
Josh's eyes widened a moment, and Shmi placed her hands over her mouth. This wasn't Jason's first attempt to speak, no, but it was the first time he'd tried to address his father. Josh's expression, from his eyes to his facials, showed a complex of emotions, from stunned surprise to pride. But the most obvious one was joy. Josh in that moment looked happier than he did on most days, and he found himself having to quickly wipe his eyes with his sleeve as the tears started. He would find himself sitting down, cross-legged as he held Jason close, finding himself choking up and sniffling as he spoke.
"I love you, little buddy... Daddy will come home as soon as he can. I swear it."
He had to wipe his eyes again as he would get up and hand Jason back to Shmi. He didn't want to leave them. If he could, he'd stay. Never leave. He would live this happy life with Shmi and Jason forever and never leave this planet. But the fact was... Josh was a warrior. And a part of the Silver Assembly. They trusted him. They needed him here and now. He had to do this.
It was all part of the warrior's life.
Sneaking a kiss to Shmi, the Jedi Master would quickly turn heel and wave goodbye as he stepped onto the Final Dragon... Finally, it took off, and with that...
His fate was sealed.
----------------
He had to survive this. He had to come home to them. But there were other Jedi here, Jedi who had those they loved as well... This presence, it almost made him sick. He had his loved ones, but he wasn't the only one who had the right to live, to come home to those he loved. The other Jedi did too. And for them, that was why he had followed the call, followed the call of the Force that brought him here.
Whatever it was that was here.. It had no regard for their lives at all, and would end them in an instant... He could feel it.
He wasn't going to allow that.
The source of that presence walked right by where he had been waiting... Meditating, cross-legged, lying in wait. His eyes opened, brimming brown... But those eyes were more than just a mere iris. They showed a part of him that would likely dictate what was to come...
Pure intensity.
The figure would stop, and speak toward him. He found himself smirking, almost shaking in anticipation of the battle to come... While he was far from someone who wished to inflict harm... He was a warrior, deep inside. He enjoyed battle, as much as he tried to avoid it until it was brought to him.
The Jedi Master would spring to his feet, answering the Ren's call with a confident stride as he walked toward the figure, activating his lightsaber as he went and spinning it about between his fingers. His stride was confident, again, with a swagger that told just that. The Jedi Master would size up this "Master Of Ren" with the presence that had emanated the dark side like a beacon. So this was the monster?
It didn't take much to recognize the similarities to a certain suit. Make no mistake, he was one armored son of a schutta, and he wasn't taking him lightly. No, not at all. But it'd be hard to tell with that cheeky smirk of his. The smirk went from confident, to purely amused as he sized him up. He looked very similar to one Darth Vader... A subject that most Jedi were familiar with in their studies. With the importance of the Skywalker family lineage, it was an obvious one to know. He had seen pictures of Vader's armour... And this guy clearly was some kind of wannabe.
"Soooo..." He trailed off as he looked him up and down. "If I knew you Sith were here for a cosplay convention and not a battle, I would have dressed the part" He cracked. "So, what's your Sith name, Darthy Darth? Please god, please don't tell me it's Darth Vlader. PLEASE tell me that the costume is just a joke."
In the grip of Force Rage, Setzi’s reaction time was enhanced, so as Lord Graush whirled around so did she until their movements synchronized together, culminating upon that spot on her thigh.
The Amphistaff, a very familiar weapon to Darth Azurea, connected with her upper leg, the hissing maw of the snake-like head clamping upon her flesh, piercing her armor, fangs sinking in painfully. In the same motion, her scream bouncing off of the rocks and echoing as though shouted from a canyon, she horizontally slashed across with her saber, attempting to not only cut through the other Hydra heads but damage the Sith Lord’s hand, arm or elbow instead.
Venom surged through her bloodstream, tamping down upon the rage. She felt it pinch and sting, the path it took through her veins a scalding roadway of agony. The antidote? What the feth was it? She used to know but her memory was as a dull as a worn out vibroblade. Her vision began to blur, the five Hydra heads becoming ten as they hopefully hung lifeless upon a severed neck with blood to paint the sandy floor below. But it was difficult to tell with her increasing tunnel vision.
A light spark sharpened her senses. The Zabrak! Her Zabrak friend. The one she’d helped to discover his own Force signature.
Setzi could see his leaping form behind the hulknig Sith Lord, but wanted to cry out for him to flee. He was too honest and too pure. “Nooooooo,” the Rogue Jedi moaned. “Leave me here, Darren. Please. I will kill him or he will strike me down, but you go where there is less of a lost cause to save."
That’s exactly how she felt her brain and body now muddled with poison.
Just a lost cause ambling down the ramshackle road of fate.
Location: Aegis Base Mountain Pass Objective: Slay the Jidai Break them in Half. Allies: The Forsworn Legion. Enemies: The Silver Jedi Order. Directly Engaging: [member="Setzi Lunelle"], [member="Darren Torran"]
The hydrastaff sunk into the Rogue Jedi Knight's flesh. Before he could even react to remove all five of the heads from the woman's leg however, her lightsabre clipped two of its heads, and then he heard and felt a rapidly approaching presence. Would it skip over them? His raging danger sense suggested that it wouldn't, raising his crimson beam from the other side of his body, his hydrastaff came around his left hand, coiling until its heads were hidden on the inside of his wrist, and its tight, leathery sheath covered the entirety of his left arm.
When that crimson beam came up to hold back the blades of the descending Zabrak, the Sith Lord's danger sense raged at him, cried out for him to turn around and his senses screeched for his protection. Quicker than he would've imagined possible in his past suit of armour, he spun around, blade held horizontally as it blocked both blades from cutting through his armoured shoulder blades. However, from the sheer weight of the Zabraki, Lord Graush fell backwards almost instantly, but when he did, the Dark Side of the Force savagely attacked the Jedi Padawan. From what originally started as a growl, the Force Scream barreled point-blank towards his new opponent before his feet could even touch the ground.
Whether the kinetic force of the Scream actually struck the Jedi, there was no way for him to truly avoid its deafening sound, the close quarters of the rocks only serving to increase the sound of the Scream, and perhaps instilling fear, though, who knew with these Jidai. He already fought one with the Dark Side so closely intertwined into her being, it'd fit perfectly if the Zabrak above him were the same.
Location: Kulthis Objective: Propagandize the Stenax Allies: [member="The Major"] [member="Darth Saarai"] | The First Order | The Stenax Operation’s Commanding Officer: [member="Samka Derith"] Enemies: Order of the Silver Jedi
Ezra conveniently forgot to mention that the First Order had some kind of base on Skye that would be very unwelcoming to the Stenax, but for now, the FOSB agent needed to make these aliens believe that an array of edible arrangements waited for them with hundreds of thousands of willing S’kytri just waiting to be picked as mates like some wannabe reality show contestants.
“The First Order Cultural and Economical Affairs Office has provided a large settlement which is already under construction called The Villages. While we cannot offer financial assistance, we can house you and your new wives in these roomy structures as you acclimate to the planet. Surrounding The Villages are mountains of course and lush forests full of Ysalamiri which can be exported to words constantly besieged by Force users, both light and darkside.
With carte blanche to do as you wish on Skye you can rebuild your powerful Stenax empire rather than scramble around for scraps as these Jedi like to throw to you.”
Agent Klev had become so passionate in his plea for these aliens to migrate that he nearly forgot to breathe. He paused, collected himself and sipped his thermos, though the stimcaf had grown cold. Pity.
Murmurs of assent and debate could be heard around the meeting room, a good sign that Xrakkis and his merry band of bird people were considering the proposal.
Agent Klev did notice a shorter, skinnier Stenax entering the room. This particular alien approached the warlord and whispered something in his ear, likely not the tender words of a lover according to the grim expression which passed across Xrakkis’s face. Cold, black alien eyes met Ezra’s hazel orbs. He could only assume by the angry glare that Samka Derith’s mission had stalled in its negotiations, and hostility towards the Stenax loomed imminently. His blaster was in a holster underneath his civilian suit as was a variety of small stun weaponry and pills in case he was captured. He really didn’t want to have to sample the taste of both cyanide and stimcaf together, Ezra mused. Not today at least.
Allies: [member="Morro"] | [member="Gerhard Maxim"]
Enemies: [member="Elijah King"] | [member="Jessica Med-Beq"]
Objective: Hold the Line.
Carlyle's gambit had failed. His final attempt at destroying King had failed. He grew rather concerned and his face grew taut as he watched the asteroid be blasted away. "Kark." He whispered, before turning to his crew pits. The Menace now began to shake as it was hammered by heavy fire at a near point blank range. Whatever Rausgeber could do, it was ineffective. The point-defence weaponry the vessel relied upon was both ineffective at this range, and additionally, rendered nearly inoperable with jamming. "Engage engines." He commanded, "Full speed, get us out of here, we'll loop around and blast the bastards from the rear." He paused, "Move it, now!"
The Menace's engines pulsed with power as it blasted away from the Bahamut. The vessel took extensive damage to its trench, and several batteries exploded, tearing apart the hull, and forcing some sections of the vessel to be sealed off. Not before, some poor souls were sucked into the void. The Menace however blasted out of range, but not before sustaining some truly disgusting levels of damage. The destroyer began to steadily decline, until it sat just slightly above the shield. A stratagem to try and ensure the Silvers maximised their own collateral damage.
Meanwhile, Rausgeber's fleet was in dissarray. With the arrival of the new ramming ships, Rausgeber's vessel charged into the midst of Med-Beq's fleet. However, the vessels were now taking severe damage now. Although the immobiliser was their prime target still, the fleet moved ever closer, so when the time came, for the baradium core ramming ships to attack, the result saw a lot of collateral damage probably caused to the Silver Jedi fleet. At this juncture, the fleets were now basically entwined, with the interdictors, now creating a massive gravitational storm, which made it near impossible for fighter craft to operate.
The damage for the vessels became more pronunced as they came under attack from the Roosevelt line, and as the asteroids came quicker, and harder slamming against the hull. Although now the casualties were mounting, the veteran First Order officers took some solace in their predicament. Although they were outnumbered, outflanked, and outgunned, the First Order Navy managed to get to it's end game. Returning the favour for the Silver Jedi's treachery, and providing a window for its agents to cause the unadulterated chaos these vermin deserved.
[tr][th]Ship Name: [/th][th]Ship Type:[/th][th]Shield Integrity:[/th][th]Hull Integrity:[/th][th]Firing At:[/th][/tr][tr][td]FIV Menace (Flagship)[/td][td]Vanquisher-class Star Destroyer[/td][td]30%[/td][td]61%[/td][td]Bahamut[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Nemesis[/td][td]Inflictor-iss Class Heavy Cruiser[/td][td]53%[/td][td]83%[/td][td] Immobiliser 419 [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Courage[/td][td]Inflictor-ii Class Heavy Cruiser[/td][td]42%[/td][td]74%[/td][td]Immobiliser 419[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Domination[/td][td]Inflictor-ii Class Heavy Cruiser[/td][td]67%[/td][td]82%[/td][td]Bahamut[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Vigilant[/td][td]Sondheimer-Class Interdictor Cruiser[/td][td]21%[/td][td]83%[/td][td]Immobilizer 419 [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Mustafar's Glory[/td][td]Marauder-Class Missile Cruiser[/td][td]67%[/td][td]52%[/td][td]Immobilizer 419 [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Argonaut[/td][td]Stormcloud-ii Class Assault Cruiser[/td][td]0%[/td][td]0%[/td][td] None [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Crusader[/td][td]Stormcloud-ii Class Assault Cruiser[/td][td]74%[/td][td]82%[/td][td] Immobilizer 419 [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Cavalier[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]44 %[/td][td]82%[/td][td]Bahamut [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Righteous Fury[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]33 %[/td][td]22%[/td][td] Immobilizer 419 [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Aggressor[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]23 %[/td][td]62%[/td][td]Bahamut [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Liberator[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]90%[/td][td]82%[/td][td]Bahamut [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Kaeshana's Legacy[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]56 %[/td][td]78%[/td][td]Bahamut[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Bombardier[/td][td]Locust-Class Torpedo Frigate[/td][td]86%[/td][td]94%[/td][td]Immobilizer 419 [/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Resolute[/td][td]Locust-Class Torpedo Frigate[/td][td]84%[/td][td]93%[/td][td]Bahamut[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Offender[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]54%[/td][td]86%[/td][td]Screening Fighters[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Torrent[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]91%[/td][td]72%[/td][td]Screening Fighters[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Inflicton[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]32%[/td][td]65%[/td][td]Bahamut[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Avenger[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Pickett Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Immobilizer 419[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Pursuit[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]52%[/td][td]74%[/td][td]Immobiliser 419[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Spectre [/td][td]Raider-IV Class Scout Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Immobiliser 419[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Ghost[/td][td]Raider-IV Class Scout Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Immobiliser 419[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Phantom[/td][td]Raider-IV Class Scout Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Immobiliser 419[/td][/tr]
"Argh!! Ah! W-What are y-you doing to m-me...?!" Darren screamed in pain. The Force Scream had knocked him back a bit, but he also stumbled about a metre away from his original position.
The sonic blasts were continuous and unbearable - Darren's brain wasn't far from giving up. The confusion, the pain... Everything was wrong. He was on his knees, holding his head. The Force, the sound.
The voices.
"Son." Everything seemed to stop for a moment - as if time had just stood still.
"Father...?"
"Yes, Darren. It is I." Darren's father. His voice had always been booming - even more so in the afterlife - where everything seemed to echo.
"Why have you come to me - why now?"
"Because you need my help. This Sith is powerful - but not as powerful as you could be."
"What do you mean? What are you trying to tell me?"
"You are more powerful than you think, Darren, just as I was. I had no one to help me discover it, but you do. You cannot let her die, Son. I have forseen what is to come - you need her. But to save her, you need to concentrate. All of your energy, all of your power, you need to condense it."
"But how? I can not concentrate with this going on, Father. It is simply impossible."
"Nothing is impossible son, the sooner you learn that, the better. You need to focus, block out everything that is going on around you - just as you did at the Battle of Krayiss. You need everything you have, Darren. Everything."
The glowing figure reached out to touch Darren's shoulder, and he shut his eyes.
Focus.
"Do it son, I believe in you." Those four words, they propelled him. It was all that he needed, to feel his father's touch oncemore. To hear his words.
It was time.
As time went back to the way it was, and the glowing figure disappeared into the force once again, Darren fought against the darkside. The man struggled to his feet, a presence growing around him. It wasn't the light... But it wasn't the dark either. It was something else. It was grey.
"Argh!!" he screamed, struggling greatly to deflect the darkside back against his enemy. "Come... On!"
A burst of energy was released from Darren's mortal being, doing it's best to deflect all of the darkside energy being directed at him. This time the energy was not grey, it was the light - the dark's natural nemesis. The only thing that was strong enough to illuminate the void, snuff out the anger, the hatred.
Darren stood his ground, his legs shoulder-width apart and his shoulders up. He waited for the dust to clear before looking up to the Sith with confidence.
"Wow. You can't even defeat a padawan? Pathetic. I'll give it to you, though. I have a really bad headache." a smug smile emerged on his face.
Kyrel was not surprised by the appearance of the Jedi that had blocked his path. Even more so as he rose up to meet him in a stride the man poorly attempted to mock him which he grew very annoyed with or at the very least found it somewhat irritating if not for the fact Vader's Bane was feeding him more rage than he could handle, but not only would the Saber affect him, it would also affect his opponent. It would connect with his darkness in some form and even attempt to corrupt him, but all Kyrel wanted to do was kill the man and so he would. He kept his saber lowered before speaking his voice sounding so cold through the vocabulater. "If you really think mocking me will work to your advantage then you are mistaken."
And with that he raised his saber being cautious as he made the first move moving slowly trying to get a feel for the man... He was very powerful indeed, but so was Kyrel he would not stop till his mission was complete, and the only one that dared to stop him was the one standing right in front of him, and that he could not allow.
He then moved to go for his enemy, raising his saber with one hand and attempted a horizontal slash across his torso, before switching up tactics in an attempt to confuse him and attempted to cut off his weapon hand, he wished to end the fight quickly as his mission was of highest priority and he wished to see it through. If his attack worked he would hopefully go past him, and if not he would attempt a series of power attacks, driving him into the tunnels.
A twist of her wrist; she was able to deflect incoming fire. After images, as she commanded the scarlet blade, putting her body into the movements; bold. She pressed forward, after a few blaster rounds bounded from her blade and was met by the presence of the Knights of Ren. Her entire body beckoned back, her hair flying forward and then back from sudden motion.
She looked to the woman, and just then her gaze fell into a glare and she leaned in a bit; her blonde hair fell forward and hung over the sides of her face, glowing a reddish shade.
"If I take you up on that offer, will you promise to go away?" She responded, her eyes suddenly shooting to the other force-user amongst them. He was seemingly dismissed, and she wondered why...it would have been quicker if they both took her on. Slowly her eyes made their way back to her opponent.
"So you sent your lackey away...how unfortunate, I was looking forward to this little party we had here." she smirked.
The tension, it was forever growing. Everything around them seemed to move much slower than they were. She brought her free hand to rest on the hilt as well, soon her right hand would tightened around the cylindrical device.
Mežsrožu looked down the slow turn of armor as the faceless helmet focused on the blue lightsaber.
"I am sorry, truly, I am," Ammee whispered as her arms held the young Disciple of Ren in her arm. The lightsaber snapped away, the blue light faded and she watched as the woman in onyx-clad armor fell to her knees. The orange lightsaber fell from hand, clattered against the dirt where once a thriving city of Jedi had been. Mežsrožu's body leaned to the left a hand over the wound. The disciple closed her eyes and recalled when she had arrived on Ossus during the First Order's skirmish, she recalled talking with the Jedi and as she spoke with them she had left behind small charges.
"So am I," replied Mežsrožu's as her vox lit up as she looked down at her hand, the helmet moved and traced up a small fertilizer bin.
She had placed several charges in the gardens, near their compost and fertilizer bins. "For you have made a great opponent, but I must carry my father's mission and see it to the end."
"Not today, dark one." Ammee declared as she raised her lightsaber up and began the motion to slice Mežsrožu from shoulder to hip.
In the same moment, the Disciple of Ren summoned her own blade to the right hand, thrusting it into the Jedi Knight's hand. Mežsrožu grimaced with her hand still over the cauterized wound. In her memories, she remembered the Jedi and their gardens, she knew of their stories and their retirement and knew their love of planets. Every plant needed the right nutrition and each bin had been crafted to feed these plants. And as Mežsrožu assisted them with their gardens, she left behind small charges so delicate that alone their power was quite minute.
The dark one fell to her knees again, and worked her way back to her feet and hobbled but fell again.
The green-skinned Jedi focused not on her pain but on stopping the dark one, she placed her good hand against the ground. Concentrating she aimed to move the earth beneath the woman in armor.
As if just standing wasn't an issue, the Disciple felt the ground beneath her shake and with a throaty growl she turned and blasted a fireball toward the Jedi. "You will not stop my father's mission from being complete."
Yuroic watched as the two First Order members continued on their path. He remained in the trees for barely a second before dropping down, still hidden from eye by the shadows of the trees. His eyes were intensely locked at Jairdain as he shifted slowly into view. While to most this would be trivial as Jairdain could see him, he was remaining cautious. This invasion wasn't sitting well with him.
"I know you won't fight me my love. I am not seeking to fight you, but you seem to be walking with dangerous people who do want to fight me. Kill me." He spoke loudly before stepping out of the shadows. His saber was still at his hip, he was showing her he was being honest.
"What brings you here my love? Wish to return to the Jedi, to me?" He knew the chances were unlikely. From their last few spats, while there were times he thought he had her, Krest's indoctrination would seep back control. "First Order now as well? Seems you are friendly with all the dark siders. This isn't what your parents wanted."
Yuroic crossed his arms and leaned against a large tree. He was curious to see how she would defend herself again. He just wished she would see the truth.
Location: Ossus City Objective: Defend against dark forces Allies: [member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] | SJO and allies Enemies: [member="Mishel Zanteres"] | [member="Torian Pierce"] | [member="Rolf Amsel"] | The First Order and allies
A shockwave rocked the ground around Stephanie and sent her spinning into a wall, kicking up the loose debris and rock around her. It only lasted a few seconds, but whatever it was, it was close.
The sounds of war echoed around the city and carried on far up in the sky with ships passing over, some were Silver Jedi escort ships taking those away from the danger as fast as possible.
Her brunette hair was stuck to her brow in strands, her clean robes now tarnished and her face and hands dirty. Panting wtih the expulsion of such energy, Stephanie felt like she had a long way to go in understanding her place, but this was a lesson she would never forget. Turning, she cocked a small smile at the sight of those Silver Rangers fanning out in the area coming down from the temple.
She nodded and pointed out to the city.
"Help who you can, and get them to safety. The First Order are razing the city and it's not worth losing lives over!" Breaking into a jog, she led some forward. "Come."
A blaster bolt sizzled over, and she ducked, but didn't stop moving. The Rangers provided the return fire and allowed Stephanie to feel those hiding out, wounded or simply running in fear. It gave her time to pull them up and let the Rangers take them away, or send a Ranger in to carry them out of danger if wounded.
Turning a corner, one Ranger stopped, and Stephanie ran into the back of her armour, blaster trained on two figures ahead in a duel; a Jedi and Sith. Stephanie's eyes went a little wider and she shot her arms out to stop others.
"Stop! Stop, we're not going there. Go back, go around, we can't interfere. Go, go!"
The Ranger nodded, confirmed her order and took the others away and around another way. Stephanie was last, finding it hard to tear her eyes away from the balletic battle of good and evil, but she was out of her depth. She had a job to do.
"Master Kitra, if you can hear me, I'm with a Ranger squad in the city helping where we can. Sith forces are within the walls, I repeat, Sith forces are within the walls."
Another shockwave rippled out, forcing her to turn away for a second and sigh.
When Yuroic finally revealed himself to anybody looking for him, Jairdain stopped and turned to face him. She had felt him when they landed and had known he was following them. She had stayed back on purpose.
Their past meetings in the recent past had not gone well for either of them. He moved with caution and appeared a bit wary. However he was confident enough that she would keep her word and not fight him. He also stated he wasn't seeking to fight her and she believed him. His final movement was to lean against one of the trees around them.
"Yes, they would kill you only because you are Jedi."
In asking what brought her here, she hesitated a few a moments before answering. His further comments about her being with the First Order and other dark siders didn't bother her. What he said about her parents though struck at her heart.
"I came to see if I could draw Master Arisa out. There is unfinished business I have with her. By the time I met you again though and you told me she had disappeared as well, I could not withdraw from this confrontation."
Stepping closer to him, but not quite close enough to touch, he may notice her violet eyes had returned to their normal color. Her skin may still be pale, but it would be obvious she had stopped actively using the dark side.
"Since we met again, Yuroic, I've been torn. A piece of me has been crying out, telling me what Krest told me is wrong. It's so real though."
She raised one hand to head and rubbed at her forehead. If her eyes could focus, she would have been looking at Yuroic. However, what she had told him was true to her. It would show clearly on her face. Any shielding or stealth skills she had put on herself earlier came crashing down. If he had gained any skill in reading a person, he would clearly tell she was a wreck right now. The tearing mentioned was obvious and that she had kept it hidden from the First Order.
"My purpose isn't here now."
Lowering her hand, she finally stepped in close enough to touch. Her gaze and attention were fully directed on Yuroic. Breathing was a little difficult for her. It was almost as if those butterflies she had when they first met had returned in full force and blocking her from breathing.
"You're right though. My parents wouldn't want me where I was. Though I'm still not sure where I am now. It isn't with them though."
A wave of an arm would motion in the direction that Kyrel and Varas had gone. Her hand returned to her side and Jairdain hoped he would understand just what was happening to her.
He could sense the torment and battle that was raging inside Jairdain, it wasn't just visible on her face but deep inside her. He moved in closer, his hand cupping her face as he studied her eyes, the beautiful violet colour he remembered. It felt like it was years since he had seen them. His thumb gently stroked her cheek as he rested his forehead against hers.
"Come back with me, leave the dark side behind. We can figure the truth that lies within, Krest sought to break you with lies of your past, lies of your people. Let me back in my love, let us go back to where we were before. I miss you." He let out a sigh. He had never been so open and honest in his life before. It felt good, bit dangerous.
Dangerous in the fact that right now, if she was of dark minded she could twist him, break him. But he was sure, completely sure that Jairdain no longer wanted to walk that path. He needed her back, he wanted her back. "Together we are stronger." He muttered, before kissing her forehead and embracing her closely.
