Public When the Cards All Fold (Kaeshana/Invite)

[Ordo]

[member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Verz Horak"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Arla Balor"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="Hevana Martin"]

Ordo had been oddly nostalgic today. His early days had been filled with missions like this. A band of loosly affiliated acquaintances packed together on a mission that may have been on the 'more than they could chew' list. The tension was not yet so high to throw everyone into silent anticipation but it was building. It had reminded Ordo of his verd'gotten, his coming of age test, and the challenges it had posed. His buir, the man who adopted him, was friends with a Wookie and for Ordo's test he had been dropped in the shadows of Kashyyk. He had spent quite sometime there and today he decided to bring his bowcaster.

He blinked on some music inside his helmet and quietly hummed inside his helmet as he walked to the transport. He had no questions. Everything that he felt for the woman's ordeal he would express soon enough when he helped storm the facility. His thoughts turned to Rianna, as they often did these days, and he began to wish he had given her one more kiss good bye.

'Focus boy'o.' Ordo told himself, 'checklist time.'

Gauntlets? Check. Bowcaster? Check. Beskad? Check. Ripper mk II? Check. Lock breaking gear? Check. Grenades? Check. Lightsaber? Check. HUD systems were operating normally and his armor was on as usual. He was all set. The soft Viol music played as he walked to the transport. A thousand things could have gone through his mind but it was mission time and for now thats all that mattered.

 

[Arla Ordo]

Arla checked her gear, she didn't have very much only the blaster, and her wits. She'd have to talk to Ordo about upgrading, and makng the brightly painted orange armor something more useful to her and then she'd have to get Verz and Ordo to teach her how to use it. She could fight fairly well hand to hand, and shoot thanks to Arrbi.

She smiled at everyone she was with, she then turned thoughtful, serious. She had never done this before, she had shied away from it. Fearful, and unsure of where she was supposed to be, but being with Verz and Ordo had helped her greatly, and now she had something worth fighting for, something, family worth protecting. She was ready, at least to try.

[member="Verz Horak"] [member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Sammo Hache-Khe of Rae"] [member="Ordo"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Ordo"], [member="Verz Horak"], [member="Arla Balor"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Arla Balor"]

HK joined by Coryth, looking out towards the direction of the facilities would be, trying his best to scan part the illusion wards that kept the base hidden.
"I do not doubt that he is a powerful enemy, Cory, I do not doubt he will be a challenge to each of our skills, but we are formidable opponents as well. I once tackled a Wound in the Force, throwing it aside to save a Padawan's life, and continued to exist to tell the tale."
He would turn back to his companions, glancing between them,
"Dark Side is powerful, hatred, anger, rage, it all feeds great amounts of power. But at cost of a life, while Dark Side is powerful, it is vulnerable, insecure, easy to extinguish. We have something that is not so easily broken."
HK glanced to Coryth once more, giving her a nod,
"We have our friendship, and in life that is the greatest power of all."
He would look to others than, taking hold of the hilt of his lightsaber,
"Now, let us put that piece of Sith back in its place."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="HK-36"], [member="Verz Horak"], [member="Ordo"]

"Yes, and I fought a Lotek'k and came back alive," Siobhan decided to chime in. "If it bleeds, it can be killed and as powerful as he might be he's just a man, playing sadistic games. Once knocked down from his pedestal he'll be just that...another monster brought down low and defeated."

There was a Sith Lord who had long ago haunted Siobhan, possessed her and driven her to madness as she slew Jedi whilst believing they were Sith due to his illusions. She was helpless as he seized control over her body, before he was banished by some unknown means. Even with all she had achieved since then, she had still feared him. Not anymore. One day she would find Shadow and crush him.

Like everyone else. If she could overcome this, then so could Coryth, who was not the fragile thing the foolish might think her. "Let's go."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

[member="Ordo"] [member="Arla Balor"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Verz Horak"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Coryth felt little comfort from the words of her friends, too hard for her to focus on those thoughts. The good thoughts when so much darkness and evil pounded into her mind. Her guards for her empathy completely stripped bare and completely exposed to the cruelness that the compound ahead held. No doubt many experiements and torture were continuing as they had when she was captive there. A likely source for the agony and pain she felt wafting through the air to her open mind.

For a while she was silent, but a glance between Iron and Siobhan and Coryth closed her eyes sighing heavily. This had to be done, there was no other way. And there would be no turning back now, even though every bone in her body screamed for her to run. To run far and fast the other way. "If he's transcended death ..." She stopped, bit her lip hard, pushing away her doubts for now wasn't the time. Not with so much else in her mind contending for her attention, trying to tear away her focus from the task at hand.

One final nod as Siobhan uttered the words, "Let's Go." Coryth stepped forward into the sands marching to the compound. Even as she walked the pull became all the more powerful. The voice in her head screaming at her to stop, to leave, to go back. That this was not the way. It was not her voice calling to her, trying to stop the Master's plan. No.... The voice of the box was speaking so loudly that she could hardly keep a thought in her mind.

The trek seemed an eternity to her through the sands. Her mind wandering back to when she had been held captive in this place. Somehow that steeled her resolve. If she could walk into his lair one more time, and come out on the winning side, not rescued, barely alive ... If she could do that, perhaps all this could be laid to rest.

After maybe thirty minutes of trudging through the sands Coryth stopped in front of a large, tall sand dune. She stared at it for a moment before she closed her eyes and lifted a hand and with a push she torn down the illusion before them, the sands seemed to melt away and a massive metal complex laid before them. They all standing at it's heavy durasteel blast doors, sealed tightly.

She had just turned back to her companions when the sound of the heavy locks shifting startled her. Spinning back on her heels she turned to face an open hallway, many doors and twisting passages along the way, only a little visible to them as inside the building was so much darker, unlit for them. Not exactly the most welcoming thing, and unsettling to think, to know the doors had been opened for them.

Taking a final deep breath she stepped inside, knowing her companions would be right with her. Then a booming voice, echoing through the steel building, the location impossible to discern."Brave little one. I knew you couldn't stay away forever. Just could not forget me could you? I see you still are just as ugly and scarred as I left you .... I see you had that breast replaced, a thing of beauty it was. And so were you, but no longer."

Anger rose quickly in Coryth. This same voice that haunted her nightmares. That had haunted her in the mirror everyday, and here he was alive! Taunting her! "Why don't you stop hiding you bastard! Come out and play like the little boy you are!" She shouted back.

"So a game is what you want? Then a game you shall have." There was a pause as the sounds of heavy metal clinking against the durasteele floors approached. Battledroids were coming down the halls. "Remember Coryth, you can end this at any time. If you answer one single question. You know what I want, and I will have it. The matter is if it will be on your dying breath or if I let you and your little friends leave this place alive. The choice is yours."

Coryth seemed to nearly shake with rage at his words. "You will not have MY child!" The anger, the rage, the hatred flowing through her, seemed to make her condition worse as a sharp pain struck her like lightning as a long large black line raced down her forearm, into her hand. Only a grimace was her reaction clutching at her hand for a moment before she reached for her saber, igniting the vivid green blade as a good dozen heavily armed battle droids approached.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Verz Horak"], [member="HK-36"], [member="Ordo"], [member="Hevana Martin"]

Sadistic Sith Lord with delusions of grandeur who took pleasure from meting out torment and misery. Even now, trying to make Coryth his own. Traps. A dozen heavily armoured battle droids, coming towards them like angry hornets. Against that the former Mandalore, an over 4,000 Iron Knight built like a tank and trained to fight and defeat force-users, the Mandalorian student of Ember Rekali, now a master of physical enhancement in his own right, a genetically enhanced Imperial supersoldier with the missile launcher, the best healer in the Galaxy who could manifest some wicked telekinesis when appropriately pissed off, which should definitely be the case here.

And a Chaos Goddess. The odds were not on the Sith's side. The greatest risk probably was that the building might be torn asunder and the thread, perhaps even the board, might not survive the sheer overload of awesome, which would be annoying if all the posts got eaten and this writer had to redo Siobhan's ridiculously long biography again. Anger rose inside her at the Sith's gloating, every word dripping with venom and arrogance as he made Coryth relive the hell he had put her through. She knew such voices well. From Kaelin and Shadow. Well, Kaelin had lost her head because of what she did to Tegaea. This Sith would die as well, be utterly crushed and be begging for mercy before the killing blow was landed.

Suffice to say Siobhan was in no mood to think of witty retorts to the sadistic Sith's gloating. She had faced his kind before many times. Once they got pulled down from their pedestal and got their bones crushed they were all the same. Just before their skulls got smashed. She had faced Sith Emperors, dragons, a god, Cthulhu, zombie hordes and a Jester. What, does the gentle reader not understand how dangerous a single Jester can be? Its hunger is so ravenous that entire families can starve to death if it is let loose on their kitchens and they turn their back for even a moment.

So she acted. In her usual, concussively unkind way. Her lightsabre was at the ready but she did not ignite it. These days she did not use it that much and she was not a master of defence anyway. Force shield could blot out blaster fire for some time, even heavy duty explosives. But - and this was more her preference - it was better to not give the machines the chance to fire upon her in the first place. As the droids were advancing, as the booming voice thundered across the room, she sunk into the Force. She sought strength from within herself and pushed outward with her power, the Force rippling through as it filled her with a ridiculous amount of power. She violently pushed outward as her telekinetic prowess was unleashed, a force repulse sweeping towards the droids all around them as she dragged the blast of energy across the hall before them to engulf the automatons. Omnidirectional in the nature, filled with the primal power designed to crush, smash, send the battle droids flying like ragdolls, to be tossed through the air at high velocity, thrown into the walls. They were heavily armoured, but she was Mistress Earthshaker. Ahem, known that way in certain circles. Invisible hands would seize droids, seeking to make them crumble, crush their weapons even as they flew.

Electricity cackled in the open palm of her flesh hand, then a powerful current of ion energy shrieked from her fingertips in a wide arc towards the machines, even as the blast of force energy was still doing its concussively brutal work. Siobhan had about three offensive force powers, but was highly specialised in each. Ionise was one of them. It would leap from from one machine to the next. Fry them, disable those still left standing after the telekinetic onslaught.

She willed that there be chaos. And so there was chaos. Area of effect devastation was a beautiful thing.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Verz Horak"], [member="Ordo"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Arla Balor"]

"Steel yourself, Cory."
HK muttered to her in accidental pun. It pained the droid to see how easily she was enraged, but then again, she has went through a lot in this place, this wasn't an easy experience for her.
"It will soon be over."
He added as the metal steps of his droid kin began to approach down the hallway, he was about to ask Siobhan to clear the hallway quickly, but it looked like the Chaos Goddess was on top of things on her own. HK unholstered his shatterpistol, slinging it in quick aim, he pulled the trigger. The pistol proppeled its projectile silently towards the lines of advancing machines, the bullet whooshing through the air at high speed as a clank and crack was heard, the armor of the droids shattering as the bullet shot through a few of them in line at once. The bodies of the droids were knocked back with the momentum, flying into each other.

Electricity soon jumped from one to the other and more were crushed by Siobhan's destructive tendencies, looks like she had things handled,
"Make sure to leave a few of those droids relatively intact for me, Siobhan, I want to check what their memory banks hold."
HK was hopping the machines would keep the blueprints of the facility, or locations of traps, something like that they would be able to use as a map in order to make their explorations easier.

The white blade of his lightsaber cut through the shadows of the corridor, illuminating his immediate area as he moved his body before Coryth, he would be her personal shield for the time being, his helmet-mask closing over his head mechanically. While Siobhan handled the mechanic resistance of the battledroids, HK used his sensors to scan over the area in front of them, he wanted to detect and lasers, trip-wires, sensors, hidden explosives, anything like that that would be a sign of a trap placed there by the Sith.

 

[Verz Horak]

[member="HK-36"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Arla Balor"] [member="Ordo"] [member="Hevana Martin"]

The trek was long, but for Verz in his beskar, it had been sweltering. The suit's environmental controls were trying their best, but it wasn't enough. Thankfully his canteen held relatively cool water to drink from. And then this. Sith compound, ambushed and outnumbered. His two fellow Mandos, his old friend HK-36, Coryth, and two others he did not know personally. But the one, Siobhan, was it? Seemed familiar, almost like some bad dream he had had, involving cages and PG-13 curtains. Anyway, back to the action.

He could hear the rage in Cory's voice, not something one wants to hear from a Jedi. But it was understandable. Either way, there were droids that needed a blasting. Verz drew his Verpine from the holster on his hip. He fired at the droid nearest him, leaving a neat hole in the droid's head. He then drew his beskad in the other hand, slashing at another, the Mandalorian Iron cutting through the shell of the droid with ease. Verz was in his element, in battle, and he was running on instinct and adrenaline.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The trek had been long and arduous, but not anything that the former Grandmaster wasn't used to. He stayed with Coryth, like he had promised her... His presence, he hoped, would be a welcoming and warm embrace for her, to comfort her...

Finally, their trek would end at the words of a Sith Lord. The one that had been tormenting Coryth all this time...

As he listened to the back and fourth, one thing drew his curiousity.

A child? Her child? A detail he didn't remember from before... One he would have to ask about at another time.

But this was not the day. The Warriormaster watched as battle droids would come in droves toward them...

Taking a breath, he drew his lightsaber from his belt. He put a hand on Coryth's shoulder, staying close to try and help her relax. Her anger had shot out like a dark beacon... It was exactly what the Sith Lord wanted.

His fear of her harming him was gone... Well, not exactly. If he was to be struck for his foolishness, so be it... It was a sacrifice he was willing to make to help.

"Relax yourself, Coryth.." he whispered into the ear of the former Jedi. "Don't give into hate.. Don't give into anger. It's exactly what he wants you to do"

And with that warning, he drew his lightsaber. The brilliant blue shimmering as he got into a defensive stance...

They would come... And he would spare no mercy.

Coryth Elaris, Siobhan Kerrigan, Verz Horak, Ordo, Hevana Martin, Arla Balor, [member="HK-36"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

Arla moved along, this felt better she could feel the heat of the suns, the sounds of sand grinding against the soles of her feet. Yes the heat could be unbearable but this place had been her home up until a just a short time ago. Part of her longed to run and see who was still around, and who was not. She wanted to run to her favorite hiding spot and play with her bag of lucky stones that she needed to collect. She looked over at Verz he moved like he was over heating.

Arla's revelry about being home was lost the moment she heard the Jedi begin to scream, Arla scanned around them. She pulled the old DL-44 that she felt comfortable with, the one that Arrbi taught her with. She held it steady, Verz was cutting through the droids, Arla turned to her left, she could hear them on the sand, more droids. There couldn't be that many, could there? She waited till she had the clear shot, breath and sqeeze.

[member="Verz Horak"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Ordo"]

 

[Hevana Martin]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

Hevana followed Coryth closing off of the ship, a silent guardian in her scout trooper armor. Her missile launcher was attached to her back, her belt pouches were full of the anti-Force user grenades she had designed,, and the rest of her was loaded down with every weapon she could find a place for. Only a light repeater remained drawn, pointing down and away as the moved into the building.

When the mysterious voice began talking, Hevana's head moved trying to locate the source. Anger flashing at the words. Coryth was beautiful, despite what the man had done to her. When Coryth mentioned a child the soldier's head snapped to the redhead. Coryth had never mentioned that in their time together. But as their past conversations quickly ran through her head, Hevana realized it made sense.

As the battle droids began filling into the room, Hevana did her own part in dispatching some. As one neared her, a vibroblade appeared in her hand and plunged deep into its metal skull up to the hilt. Using the still implanted knife, she flung the droid to the side bringing up her repeater and unloading a stream of blast bolts into teh chest of the next one.

"Coryth love, lead the way. That bastard is going to feel my white boot up his ass. Right before I rip his throat out."

 

[Ordo]

[member="Arla Balor"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="Verz Horak"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Hevana Martin"]

CHUCK CHUCK.
The sound of Ordo’s weapon cocking was the only back and forth he would offer the Sith and his monologue. His black armor blended well with the shadows of the place. He was not interested in threats. He had fought Sith, he had fought their troops, their lords, their beast and their ships. One special snowflake was about as intimidating as a kybuck in rut. His grey-green eyes blinked through the view modes on his HUD before settling on standard view for the moment.

<Watch him send out battle droids first.> Ordo said in Mando’a as he lifted his bowcaster and scanned from side to side as they advanced.

Within moments the Droids began filing into the area and Ordo opened fire. The green bolts of energized rounds shot into the droids and made quick work of their weak armor.

<Called it.> he gloated as he continued to fire into the droids. He aimed for chest as often as possible to make sure the heuristic processor was intact for HK to work his droid magic on. Ordo, who was a student of Ember Rekali, probably could have done more damage up close with a beskad or his fist but he had been a commando long before anything else and old habits died hard. He fired keeping a mental note of how many rounds he had remaining before he had to switch to his Ripper.

“Grenade!” he called as he pulled an Ion grenade from his H-harness and tossed it into the crowd of droids. The grenade blew and left a 15 meter circle of disabled battle droids as the rest of the Sith hunting dream team made quick work of the first wave of droids. Ordo wasted no time and began advancing toward the doors the droids had come through. Out of them all his skill with Force body combined with Beskar armor gave him a pretty good chance of surviving a big hit so if there was a trap, he felt he should be on point.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

[member="Ordo"] [member="Arla Balor"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Verz Horak"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

The child, the surprise from a few members of the party Coryth could not help but feel. Julianna, had been the product of her time here along with her scars. And the young Jedi at the time had given the baby girl up for adoption to protect her, from not only the Sith that they would soon face, but herself as well.

The child had reminded her too much of what had happened here, and only pulled her closer to the darkness and that could not be allowed. The only option to give the girl up to a family who could raise her properly, and offer her, her best chance at life. For the Jedi Master could not offer her child a stable life. Not in the least. Julianna's only chance for a normal life was far, far away from Coryth and the monster who taunted her now.

As the battle started, so many things happened at once. Iron's words reminded her that with them, they would not be here long. Together, they should be able to handle anything. Then a hand on her shoulder, Coryth flinched for a moment, but Josh's words spoke close to home. She knew he was right, and gave a nod confirming that she had heard him and would do her best not to give into it. Despite the anger she felt, she did all she could to let it wash through her. The monster only wanted to draw out the darkness within her. He after all knew too well how to push her buttons, to anger her and draw the worst of her out. Right now, she could not afford to not be in control. Not when her life, and the live's of others depended upon it.

Siobhan had already dealt with a fair amount of the droids, HK more, Ordo and the others ... all quickly dispatched the rest while Coryth batted away a few blaster bolts from herself. She ducked as the grenade was thrown. After the Ion explosion rattled the hallway, Coryth looked upon the remains of the droids and the smoke still drifting through the air. Almost forgetting she was here to lead, Hevana reminded her of the task at hand. As smoke fell and the entryway grew quiet the droids all having fallen, she knew it was time to move them forward.

"Advance forward, take the first left," She said with a firm confidence, finally getting her wits about her and taking lead of the situation. The anger had steeled her resolve, the fact that the bastard wanted her child just made it all the more clear that she had to make sure this ended here, tonight. The halls reminded her of the race to leave this place. Her body broken, bleeding... She simply could not push away the memories of what had taken place here. All the while they were moving, Coryth was trembling, afraid but so far was keeping it under control. But the voice in her head kept growing louder. Harder and harder it was getting to be able to keep her focus.

A fair distance ahead she could sense the anticipation of human and alien guards starting to advance towards them. At least twenty that she could distinguish. With the booming voice in her head, she sensed danger a hair too late as she stepped onto a pressure plate hearing a loud click as a series of laser turrets was activated in the hall tracking their every movement. "Feth!" She cried out as bolts rained down upon the party. She was trying her best to bat away as many bolts as possible to avoid injury, and protect those with her.

She felt quite the fool for not pushing away the voice in her mind, for not being able to completely rid herself of the anger she felt, the hatred. For if she had, then maybe she would have been able to sense the trap before she had been the one to step upon it, drawing the laser fire that they would now all have to deal with. "Gotta get the turrets down fast, we have company on the way!" She shouted loudly above all the noise.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="HK-36"], [member="Verz Horak"], [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"], [member="Arla Balor"], [member="Ordo"]

Hordes advancing upon them, laser turrets spewing out crimson death everywhere, the risk of imminent death, for even force gods could die. But then even a dead god could dream! Siobhan felt...right at home. Indeed she felt energised, invigorated, the usual rush that she experienced during combat shooting through her, combined with adrenaline to create a cocktail more potent than anything spice or alcohol could offer. Well, sex was on the same level, but nonetheless.

Presently there was no problem that they were facing that could not be resolved through the overwhelmning application of high-velocity projectiles, high-powered laser rounds, heavy duty explosives and ridiculously destructice force powers. Thus everything was fine. It was a problem she knew well and that could be resolved through the aforementioned methodology of ridiculous brutality. The droids had fallen, the air was thick with smoke and the smell of burnt electronics and circuits. More minions of the dark lord were enclosing in on them from the distance, high-powered laser rounds being spewed out by auto-turrets shot towards them seeking to cut them down.

Well, she did wish to do more violence. Bolts rained down upon them, as her armour threatened to be struck by bolts she tore out a chunk of wall to serve as an improvised shield as it was peppered with rounds before tossing it into the fray to give the turrets something to distract them. The flat crack of the boltgun, held steady in a one-handed grip, force-enhanced strength making this possible, was heard as it pounded out explosive bolts towards the turrets in order to blast them to chunks. Siobhan was holding a bit back when it came to advancing, others could block and absorb shots better than she could and she was not really a duellist.

Her skills lay in other areas. As the boltgun's magazine clicked shut and through telekinesis a fresh one jumped in, in her mind she imagined reaching out and seizing the turrets with her mind, in an unyielding, powerful and merciless grip, sufficient to crush the bridge tower of a battleship, make it crumble and crash through the structure of the vessel. She imagined pulling them, hard, very hard, redirecting them towards the minions of the Sith that were storming towards them. There would be resistance, but her will would be done. She imagined the grip tightening as the hall was lit up by a hailstorm of fire, as cries of pain were heard, tightening so hard that turrets would be crushed, explosions being heard as they were crushed and smashed on to the ground. Thus a gigantic telekinetic hand manifested to wrap itself around several of the auto-turrets, unyielding as she sunk deeper into the Force and drew upon its power, harnessing it energies and turning it into a bludgeon, the energies of the Force flowing through her as she exerted her telekinetic will upon them. Siobhan might not be able to bludgeon through bureaucracy, but she could bludgeon pretty hard. The ground would shake under her telekinetic might.

Electricity cackled across her hand, as some beads of sweat dripped down her forehead and temples, though this would not be seen since she wore a helmet. Not that she was tired yet. Throwing walkers and redirecting a falling battleship, that would tire her out. As it is the battle filled her with vigour, resolve and energy. Likewise anger filled her with energy. Fear got you killed, anger kept you alive, and the Butcher of Gehenna had long stopped being afraid.

Then she willed: Let there be lightning: and there was lightning. Lightning fething everywhere.

 

[Verz Horak]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Ordo"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="Arla Balor"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="HK-36"]

With the droids dispatched, and the group moving forward, Verz felt right at home. Storming Sith bases, karking poodoo up, explosions and blasterfire. It all was invigorating to the Mandalorian. Verz hadn't tasted battle in far too long. His boots clunked against the compund's floor as they walked, HUD highlighting the area in front of him and the scanner looking for movement. He still had several clips of ammunition for the Verpine pistol, having, let's say, liberated several containers full from a Verpine storeroom during the Battle of Roche. Hey, to the victor go the spoils. Anyway, nothing had appeared so far.

Then suddenly, chaos broke out. A rain of heavy blaster fire hit them as the motion sensor lit up with contacts, all moving quickly toward them. Some blaster fire hit him, scorching the paint off of his beskar'gam. He managed to dodge some, but he was big and bulky, weighed down by heavy armor, and so some more bolts hit him than he hoped would. He could hear the whoosh of lightsabers behind him, as the Jedi deflected the blaster bolts. Then a feeling of something that was not there, something he had faced many times. The Force. Though, this time, it was being used to help the group. Turrets were suddenly twisted away from the group, and being simple motion trackers on a gun, he watched as they fired at the Sith's minions. Verz then charged forward with renewed effort, wielding his beskad and Verpine pistol, spitting near silent death at the guards.

He could hear the crackle of Force Lighting all around him, but with his metal armor acting like a Faraday Cage and directing the electricity away from him he was fine. More than fine, actually. To the minions of the Sith, he must have looked like a God of War. Lightning all around but not touching him, slashing left and right, splattered with the blood of at least one alien and a human, seemingly immune to harm. To his allies, well, he didn't know nor care what they thought of his battle fury at the moment. All he cared was that these were the minions of a Sith, and that they, along with their master, would die.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Verz Horak"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Ordo"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Arla Balor"], [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

During the battle with the droids, HK was able to pull one of the enemy machines aside, with a good hit he broke off the armor of its chasis, revealing the inner workings of the machine. HK would rip out the droid's brain and memory unit. A bit of a grizzly spectacle, but he put away the parts in one of his spare pouches, he will have a look at them closer when they have some down-time.

Meanwhile,
Downtime seemed to be a commodity they lacked as a click was heard and HK sprang to action.
The tall figure would tumbled quickly in a slide in front of [member="Coryth Elaris"] figure as the barrage of red bolts shot at her, some would go past him, but this would be much easier time for her, especially in her currently weakened form.
"I am by your side, Cory."
The droid said simply to her as he utilized his Soresu knowledge, in a tight stance he repulsed the blasts in short, effective movements, proving to her why they called him the Siege Tower of Pyre, as opposed to Siobhan's Battering Ram, he excelled at keeping troops behind him safe.
Pew-bzzt-pow,
The bolts blasted away with each swat of his saber, there was a sizzle here and there and a flash of his energy shield as a bolt got through his defenses here and there in the multitude of plasma bolts that the turrets threw at them.

The ground shook as Siobhan unleashed her telekinetic might, just as the droid's shield gave out. He kept on his duty to keep Cory alive, standing between her and red waves of destructive energy. Pew-sssss, a sizzle was heard as one of the bolts hit his leg, burning a hole in the tough armor, the energy of it and impact caused him to collapse slightly, going down on one knee as he kept on moving his saber to catch each of the bolts, or at least as much as he could.
"Sio, hurry up please."
HK asked as another bolt slipped past him, striking his metal pauldron with a hiss, thankfully although his armor was penetrated, his metal body underneath was still fine.

And soon enough there would be a storm of lightning unleashed by Siobhan, joining with Verz's assault as the lightning began to dance about his armor while he assaulted their enemies, the two of them would soon enough take care of the hidden defenses, the turrets were most likely cleared out with Siobhan's initial telekinetic assault, knowing her powers and capabilities.

HK looked out to them, as the barrages against him stopped, he rested his hand down slightly, his energy shield starting to recharge, he looked back to Coryth,
"You alright, Cory?"
He asked to check if a stray bolt got to her, he pushed himself off of the ground, two holes in his armor still smoking, one in his shoulderpad, one in the leg-armor near his knee.

HK looked back to Verz and Siobhan, watching them in combat with others,
"Verz, Sio, you sexy beasts you."
He muttered

 

[Coryth Elaris]

[member="Ordo"] [member="Arla Balor"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Verz Horak"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

With all the action surrounding her, only able to deflect a few rounds, as HK slid in front of her to aide in her defense. When all was said and done smoke rising from the floor, bodies everywhere and so much death in the air, Coryth greatly pained as each being met their painful end, feeling their horrible last moments. Her ability to focus greatly diminished as more people died and she herself felt like crying but could not, would not do that here. For she felt all life precious and hated the anyone at all had to die today, aside from the Sith monster who deserved it so.

With her attentions divided, the sting of a blaster bolt hit her squarely in the hip. There was no cry of pain as one might expect. It still hurt far less than what the poison within her flesh was doing to her. She glanced up to HK, to the others as he questioned her state. A hand pressed to the bleeding wound, Coryth shook her head sadly. "No, I'm afraid I'm not. Stray bolt to the hip. But it's not that bad, really. Just a graze." A lie, a bad one at that. It was something she was terrible at. Try as she might, learning to lie, she'd just never mastered the art. She was hurt, not grievously, but enough to be a hindrance to the group. Her weight shifted awkwardly to her right side, trying to keep the weight off the pained hip. Charred clothing and burnt flesh along with fresh flowing blood all signs that it really wasn't just the graze she claimed it to be.

At the moment that she lifted her hand to start to examine the wound, more sounds could be heard approaching the group. More booted feet, and more metallic sounds as both beings and heavily armored and shielded droideka's moved towards the group. "And things just keep getting better, there was a reason I hated this bastard so much. So karking annoying and damned persistent at getting what he wants. More trouble is on it's way, so we've not much time." Her wound needed patching and soon the droids and more beings, human and alien alike would need dispatching.

"We'll need to find the main lab. I recall the substance well. I'll know it when I see it. But it's a matter of getting there right now. Iron? Did you manage to retrieve any useful data from the droids? So we know the path to the lab? We must get there, and fast!" Her mind becoming more a muddled mess by the moment, she buried her bloodied hands into her hair and doubled over as she screamed out. The most intense pain yet, raced through her mind. There were far too many people in it right now and that was just not going to do. Being further twisted by the memories of this place, the dark power in her was growing fast. Her control over her mind slipping away as she slid down the wall in pain.

Her eyes beginning to show the true struggle within herself just to stay in control, in her right mind and focus on the task at hand. Focus on the only thing that might save her life. "Time's running out ..." She mumbled, "The hour's nearly here. All slipping into place." She murmured ever so softly, clearly not taking well to being in the place once more, and fighting what the stars only knew was in her mind. "Pieces on the board, broken." Nearly silently whispered. "But the game's not yet over." She grew quiet and still, her saber laying at her side, unlit. And soon a gas began to fill the hall from the floor along the walls, foul smelling and one could only wonder what it was that they would soon all be breathing.

 

[Hevana Martin]

While Hevana carried a lightsaber of her own, she lacked the Force so deflecting bolts was impossible even with her naturally enhanced capabilities. As the turrets appeared she knew that they would be taken care of swiftly enough-she had fought along side Siobhan before-so instead she prepared for the next threat. Crouching down she pulled her missile launcher from her back and slid it out to its full length.

Hevana saw the stray bolt hit Coryth, but her combat experience quickly determined the wound was not immediately life threatening. Where as additional hits very well could be. As she heard the approaching foot steps she brought the missile launcher to her shoulder, waited for the first target to round the corner, then fired.

The missile she had loaded was an anti personnel missile this time. The enemy soldiers had a bare few moments to see the missile accelerating toward them before it self detonated a meter away sending a shaped charge and enough frag to take down a platoon strait at the group. Leaving the clean up to the others she let the missile launcher drop and moved to Coryth.

"We need to get that wound patched up Coryth," she said. "Better to do it now than have it cause us trouble later. So you have two options, quick and painful or slower and not as painful."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh wasn't a vicious man. No, not by any means. But he was proficient with a lightsaber... But for now, he'd spent most of his time blocking shots, sending them flying toward the droids as they fired at him. He had intentionally stuck close to Coryth to try and keep shots from hitting her, and didn't jump into the fray like a foot soldier himself. He'd done too much of this while a part of the Jedi...

Then Coryth got shot. He could sense it, and he let out a gasp instinctively. He looked over at her, and her lying to HK... Several shots went her way and the Jedi Master would suddenly reach over and wrap his arms around Coryth from the front, holding her close below him as the shots hit his back. He gritted his teeth and his grip on her tightened as each shot hit, and there was a tense moment... Before he cracked his neck and threw his lightsaber suddenly, his eyes looking more determined then they had seen the whole time... The lightsaber would fly through the air, spinning, aided by the Force before slicing the droids that were nearby shooting at the two. It would fly back into his hand, and it was there that Coryth would likely notice something. His robes had been charred where the blaster bolts had hit, revealing a dark blue armor underneath. He hadn't protected her blindly.

He smirked at her faintly... It seems he wasn't a totally reckless bastard after all.

"Get that patched up, Coryth" he said. "Please, for me. It's useless for us to keep going if you're hurt" he said before turning his attention to the droids... Standing here wasn't going to help anymore. He pulled another lightsaber from his belt, the one he had built with the help of Jaxton Ravos, when he had first returned to the Jedi Order, so long ago...

He drew it with his other hand, and the blue blade matched that of his current lightsaber, though a little shorter and differently designed from his new main one. Regardless, DragonsFlame was duel-wielding now... And that could only mean one thing.

With a fierce determination in his eyes, DragonsFlame would charge. Not for himself, not for the glory of battle, not for a government... But for a friend. A friend in need. With every slash of one of the sabers that would cut a droid down, his mind was on the well being of Coryth. As well, with every slash came another one from the other saber that would cut down another droid nearby. Lightning quick, the speed of light was the strikes of the former Weaponmaster of the Jedi Order. The somewhat old Jedi Order anyway... The one graced with Grandmasters such as Ben Watts, Darron Wraith, Je'gan... Even Josh DragonsFlame himself.

After slashing through a few of them, Josh would suddenly use the Force to leap over a crowd of droids, distracting their fire from the others before diving into the pit of them, unleashing a Force Wave that would send a good lot of them flying, and slashing through any that remained nearby in the carnage. A simple maneuver, basic... But effective.

One of the heads of the droids would come off, and Josh would take advantage, punting the head on the ground at another droid. Hitting it dead in, ironically, the head, the droid would bumble into another. The domino effect would allow DragonsFlame to charge in again...

[member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="HK-36"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"], [member="HK-36"]

For her part Siobhan, also known as Mistress Earthshaker in certain, ahem circles, also a Chaos Goddess according to a mad cult of death worshippers, was a rather vicious person. Who liked to think of herself as a force of nature that crushed all opposition. Arrogant, undoubtedly. Hubris probably as well. But then she excelled at causing carnage. She probably enjoyed and revelled in that a bit too much, but nonetheless.

Concerning the foul smelling gas that was being pumped into the room, Siobhan would not be breathing it in because she wore a full suit of heavy armour, which obviously included an airtight seal to prevent airborne contaminants from getting in. As bloated as her colossal ego was, she had actually started wearing a helmet after her face had been burnt by shrapnel and blasts of lightning one too many times. Ergo she would not need to try and hold her breath or anything of that sort. The gas might be disorientating when it came to vision, but then she had infrared.

"Gas! HK, get Cory a bloody mask on." Presumably Hevana would be wearing a helmet and all that since it came with the scout trooper uniform - that was why all these fancy gas techniques did not work on stormtroopers, contrary to what certain holovids might teach - HK was a droid and unless this writer is mistaken Verz would be wearing one as well due to his beskar'gam. Unless this writer has made an oversight Cory was not wearing something to shield herself from whatever was being pumped into the room. If she was then Siobhan was just being oblivious, which happened sometimes.

For her part she found herself facing more people to tear apart as they came charging from a corridor. Hostile people, mind you, but there were plenty of those. Though admittedly the number of those who had to be shredded with bolter rounds, fried with blasts of area of effect force lightning or crushed by telekinesis had diminished most notably after Hevana blasted a platoon to smithereens by unleashing THE missile launcher - yes, much like THE shotgun it must be capitalised at all times - and after Joshua went on the offensive with his blade to take out droids.

Lightning swept across the hall as the storm intensified, Siobhan shooting out a last blast from her fingertips that came at incoming droids from multiple directions like claws to engulf them. The carnage caused by the others had made a notable dent in the enemy forces and also suitably distracted them. Then she manifested a gigantic telekinetic hand that wrapped around the ceiling above a unit of advancing droidekas and mercenaries. The roof heaved under her telekinetic might as the invisible fingers curled around it, their grip unyielding, merciless, crushing. She had seen Coryth get hit, but it seemed a stray bolt and judging by Hevana's reaction the wound must not be life threatening. So Siobhan remained calm as she concentrated on being most unkind to a number of targets.

Then the roof of the corridor was torn asunder and came crashing down upon the machines, likewise walls fell. Cries of pain were heard from the mercenaries that were likewise caught when the roof came crumbling down, burying them as explosions rocked the hall and thick clouds of smoke billowed up into the air, the ground seemingly being shaken by tremors as her telekinetic prowess was unleashed. They would not be getting any opposition from that corner at least now that the corridor had been thoroughly wrecked and clogged with debris. Siobhan stopped for a moment as she beheld the carnage, taking a deep breath. Her long brown hair, tied back so as not to get in the way, was covered in sweat, so was her face.