Who doesn't love oceans? (Republic Dominion of Manaan)

[Tålamod Shapochka]

"Proceeding, yes, Admiral," the half-Miralukan commander replied.

Not only was the Admiral present to guide the fleet, but one of the Republic's most powerful leaders was also around, having arrived as a sort of military ambassador, one might say. The crew of Righteous should put on a clean show for the Aide-to-the-Chief. Shapochka was going to make sure she was at her best. Someone might invite them all to dinner tonight.

The Republic capital ships began to weave and curl about the Sith vessels, continuously pounding them with hypervelocity projectiles and turbolaser fire as they tried to squeeze in between to escape the dominating forces of the undefeated Republic Fleet. Tålamod was proud to serve under their victorious leaders. Someday, she would hope to become like them and do what only her parents believed she could accomplish.

She was a navywoman of Republic and Imperial blood, through-and-through.

[member="Friedrich Stahlmann"], [member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Kana Truden]

Well, the scene certainly escalated. A frown from [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"] was enough to have Kana wipe the grin from her lips. She was not going to argue with this woman. Especially not a seemingly slightly-angered Aaralyn. The Sword questioned the selkath and pushed him aside as she entered some small room.

“Hey, come check this out…”

Kana wasted no time getting to it. Step for step she hurried for Aaralyn as she waved for [member="Corvus Raaf"] and @Teeari Tann to follow her. A quick look inside the room and they too could see the bodies.

“What the-... What is this?” Kana looked over at the Selkath. “Who did this?!”

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus followed Kana and Aaralyn. Her former Master didn't earn the title Sword of the Jedi from backing away from confrontation. They were different but so complementary. It had - and always would be - the perfect Master-Padawan relationship.

So Corvus kept her own Padawan close - and resolved to be more inclusive with her, starting today. But for the moment, the fate of a planet was more pressing. They were Jedi after all. And the Republic needed them.

Corvus let Kana do the questioning. It was simpler that way. And in a small sense this was a lesson for Teeari. Sometimes all a Jedi needed to do was be present for things to unfold. Yes, at times a saber or strong words were needed. But this time - right here and now - all they needed to do was be Jedi. And visible. So she waited for the Selkath to answer, their combined presence a dominant force to ensure they heard the truth. Nothing but the truth.

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"] | [member="Teaari Tann"]

 

[The End Narrator]

NPC Post​

"I don't know..." The Selkath pressed back against the questioning of [member="Kana Truden"] with a bit of disgust in his voice and then suddenly the door shut behind him and locked. "But you scum won't leave this room alive!" A ray shield would appear before Aaralyn Rekali as well as [member="Corvus Raaf"] and her Padawan, separating the room into three parts. Apparently the Selkath had done the dirty deed of murdering both the One Sith and the ruling Council - and he had a few tricks up his sleeve to help him. He would produce a proto-saber from within his robes and ignite the blade in a fiery fashion - a green blade as it were - curious wasn't it? With a wave of the blade before him, he charged towards [member="Kana Truden"].

He'd come in at her wildly - swinging from right to left - in no particular fashion but the intent to cut her up like he did the others.

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Teaari Tann"]

 

[Kian Karr]

"Laughter seems so hard to come by these days." Kian said solemnly as the doors opened and he lead Meeristali out into the corridor. Before them was another guard. The man said nothing, but scanned their guest passes and turned, leading them further down the hallway. Kian slipped his hand inside the sleeve of his tunic and felt the metal of the small handout blaster he had concealed there. It was set to stun and would do the job for now but Kian also had his lightsaber concealed on his calf....just in case.

As they rounded a bend, they came to door where the assistant executive officer stood. Kian smiled warmly and bowed his head to the women and as they approached he pulled the blaster from his sleeve and shot the guard at point blank range in his back, the stun bolt sending him sprawling on the floor. Kian turned to the women and before she even had a chance to scream out in alarm, shot her in the chest. She fell to the ground unconscious.

"Give me a hand." Kian said indicating for Meeristali to drag the guard into the room and Kian bent down and dragged the women into the office. Kian waited for a moment, concerned that the blaster would have caused an alarm to go off. The small silencer on the end of the hold out blaser's barrel was designed to keep the noise down, but they were flaky pieces of equipment and only reduced the sound so much. After a moments hesitation, Kian was relieved to not hear any alarms.

"Ok, here we go." Kian said pulling his hidden lightsaber out and igniting the yellow blade. Checking his datapad, Kian found the location of the hidden vent, and drove his lightsaber into the wall, cutting a small opening that would allow Meeristali and Kian access to the ventilation system. Deactivating his saber, Kian hung it on his belt and climbed in.

"Its going to be a bit.....tight...in here." Kian called over his shoulder, chuckling to himself.

​

[member="Meeristali Peradun"]​

 

[Teaari Tann]

Teaari followed her Master closely, focusing in not letting any detail go unnoticed or at least, trying to. Once they entered the small room the sigth of the bodies hit her, she was surprised but the first thought that crossed her mind was what had happened, the wanting to now the identity of who had made it happen.

Her question would be answered soon, for a Selkath was in the room and the Masters [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"] and [member="Kana Truden"] would most surely be questioning the individual. The tension was easily felt in the air and it increased when Aaralyn's question was answered with a negation and a threat, followed by the production of a ray shield.

The selkath proceeded to ignite a proto-saber and attempt to attack Master Truden. The Corellian Padawan stood at ready, her hand already directed to one of the sabers in her utility belt but her green gaze was set on her Master for orders or action on her part so that she could act accordingly.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Elsewhere, someone was very pleased to see the Republic take back her favorite world. Someone was also very pleased to see a Selkath of the Order of Shasa take matters into his own flippers and kill what needed killing. Someone was not especially pleased to note that the Selkath of the Order of Shasa knew her face and knew she was secretly a Sith.

So someone had taken it upon herself to apply a small amount of pharmaceutical to the situation, unnoticed, before the Selkath's imprisonment. A pharmaceutical designed to damage memory. It would start kicking in shortly, as if some Sith was successfully wiping his memory -- and the Jedi couldn't use the Force without unpredictable consequences, not enough to stop the process.

Somewhere, someone said mhehehehehhehe and meant it.

[member="Aaralyn Gyndar"]

 

[Kana Truden]

She didn’t have time to nitpick saber hilts. Hand reached down for her belt and the first one she could find was the one she would use. Switch flicked a red beam eerily enough burst forth and Kana blocked the Selkath’s attack.

There was little time to ponder the consequences. A force push to get him off his feet felt good but something didn’t seem right. Kana stumbled forward as if she had just pushed herself. What was going on? It didn’t matter, no time to think.

Saber in one hand she raised the curve hilt in a un-Makashilike move to cut the opponent across the diagonal hemispheres from waist to shoulder in an effort to get out of the stumble.

“What’s going on here? How did that happen?”

[member="Teaari Tann"] [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus stood motionless. The Code was clear, there was a time when acting first brought victory but invariably acting last brought the greatest reward. But they were powerless to act with the shield in place, so Corvus stood and waited.

Something was clearly amiss however. Kana's control of the Force was awry. Corvus hadn't actually attempted to use it since returning from Alderaan and judging by Kana's actions, maybe something in the hell they'd visited was affecting her use of the Force. And therefore by definition would impact Corvus.

She put a hand on her Padawan's arm. "If anything happens, let me deal with it. There are more ways to manage a situation than the Force." She'd been studying Teräs Käsi for a dozen years now. By no means a Master, but she had enough competence to manage most situations.

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Teaari Tann"] | [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

[member="Friedrich Stahlmann"] | [member="Tålamod Shapochka"]

"Ma'am, the Sith warships are approaching us at rapid pace. They look to be making an attempt to force their way through. If they do not change course, they will collide with the Caledonia. I advise evasive action."

The girl squinted her eyes. She wouldn't be letting these villains escape, not today. This was a last ditch effort to force their way through, and Kayleigh was willing to lay the cards on the table for the people of Manaan, and for the Republic.

"Get me Stahlmann and Shapochka. Divert our cruisers to our flank and order them to fall back behind the Caledonia. Order all guns on their capital ship. That is priority one. Hail the flagship and order their surrender. We will spare their lives." Kayleigh took a deep breath. The christening of her new ship may be a Titanic journey. As the holo came online, Kayleigh wrapped her hands behind her back. "The Sith are attempting to force their way through our line. The Caledonia stands in their way. We've called for their surrender on frequency 6192.43 Should they decline, they will collide with the Caledonia. We will not allow their escape, Admiral."

Turning back toward the crew she gave the order to fire the hypervelocity cannons now that they were in range. The burning inferno of the enemy ship was a clear indicator that the battle was nearing its end, and Kayleigh smiled, for the people of Manaan would soon be liberated once more.

 

[Teaari Tann]

The young padawan tensed position relaxed immediately when [member="Corvus Raaf"] 's hand made contact with her arm. She swallowed slightly, once more getting control over her emotions and nodded, "Yes, Master" she said and let her arms hang loosely to her sides.

This didn't mean she was no longer aware of the danger, on the contrary, her senses were at its highest but she had to learn to submit her anxiousness, her need of acting immediately, to her will in order to enter any situation with a quiet mind and a peaceful soul.

Her eyes followed the every movement of [member="Kana Truden"]t who was fending herself against the wild slashes coming from the proton blade wielded by the Selkath.

[member="Aaralyn Gyndar"]

 

[The End Narrator]

NPC Post​

It would be true the Jedi would defend against his foolish attacks from someone far less experienced - perhaps it was the dizzyness he felt in his head, a crazy sensation that was overwhelming. He would lash out in different directions, calling upon the Force to push back [member="Kana Truden"] even lifting some crates within their confines of the ray shielded prison. "Sith.....Jedi!..." He spat, foaming at his mouth. It would be that little dose that would go unnoticed that would cause a reaction - an allergic reaction of dire consequences. Successful in draining his memory of knowledge but also lethal in it's own right.

PC Post​

Aaralyn brought her arms up to fold across her chest, watching the exchange with curiosity and a bit of frustration. If it were here - she'd attempt to crush his throat or disable him completely right there. Man, what had gotten into her lately? She felt very angry that was for sure, a sense of darkness stirred over her form - in the form of fear and doubt which led to the seething anger that burned from her essence. She could only assume it had to relate to the Force being out of balance and her children missing - of course she desired to see that handsome, rugged face of [member="Falcon Gyndar"] but to see Mira and Atton again.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Teaari Tann"] | [member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Xion Vala]

[member="Friedrich Stahlmann"]

"On it. Wraith and Iron Squadrons form up on me." Xion said to the squadrons that had been temporarily loaned to help him in this endeavor. He couldn't promise that one or two wouldn't be lost in the process but Xion would try to ensure such a thing wouldn't happen. Not wanting to risk flying straight through the battlefield Xion and the squadrons would go higher above the battle where and above the frigates and transports. Looking down Xion noticed the dew starfighters defending the ships. There were five in total, but he had no plans on leaving Iron squadron unprotected. "Iron Squadron I want strafing runs on that frigate. Do not let it escape. Wraith Squadron you're job is to protect Iron at all cost. I'll draw away the starfighters."

Xion had given his orders, but he doubted that they would be followed. He was after all just a jedi. One that hadn't even been heard from that often. Pushing his engines and taking the lead Xion left both squadrons behind. All five starfighters had no clue where he was and as he came down he opened fire upon one with his laser cannons. The fighter he had been aiming at exploded as Xion flew past. The other fighters had even fell for the distraction and broke off to chase him. A smirk crossed Xion's face as he activated the wings on his starfighter having them fold in. This gave him a boost in speed and maneuverability. One that would help in what came next.

Laser fire flew by on both sides of Xion as the starfighters chased him, but he pulled up into a tight cartwheel that would be hard to emulate without a ship similar to his. The sith starfighters did the same but the curve in their cartwheel was larger and gave Xion a bit of time to get ahead of them. Flying among the frigate and transports now he knew they wouldn't risk firing upon their own vessels. But the starfighters continued their pursuit of Xion. His reflexes were the only things keeping him alive as he flew torwards one of the transports and at the very last second flipped his starfighter flying beneath it. The sith weren't so lucky as two of them collided into the transport their twin explosions rocking the vessel before it exploded as well. Xion felt the death of the individuals in the force as their signatures dissapeared.

The final two starfighters had went over the transport to cut Xion off but he opened fire his force sight allowing him to know where they were. His laser cannons opened fire on them as they tried to cut him off and the wing of one went flying off as it went spiraling off into space. The final starfighter tried to escape using the same maneuvers that Xion had. It darted to and fro among the remaining transport and frigate as it turned into the hunted. It was almost the same as how Xion hunted food on Yavin. The sith was the prey and he the hunter. The Sith just happened to have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Opening fire Xion blaster the last starfighter causing it to explode.

 

[Yox Dikai]

"Well done, Rangers," Javin said over the comms as the construction fleet approached the surface and began assembling a platform to use as a base to make repairs to the city and establish more planetary defenses. That would the Army engineers doing that as far as he could tell. He swiped across the holodisplay to get a better view of the construction work.

"Seems like the military and Jedi have this well in hand. We'll keep an eye out on construction until it's finished and then we'll move out. Time to reorganize ourselves and set to work bringing law and order back."

"How we going to do that, Javin? Most of the worlds will no longer recognize Republic jurisdiction."

"Easy," Javin replied, voice getting hard, "We don't need Republic jurisdiction. Sector Ranger jurisdiction is semi-autonomous."

 

[Kyrana Gould]

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"] | [member="Xion Vala"] | [member="Tålamod Shapochka"]

Admiral Stahlmann grunted when he heard the instruction. His former junior lieutenant was now giving him orders it seemed. Still, she had a point.

The Destiny fired another volley at point-blank range into the largest Sith ship, setting it blazing from bow to stern. Meanwhile the Jedi Padawan’s efforts had successfully penned the frigate in where Iron Squadron was tearing it apart.

It was time to call a halt. “Sith vessels, this is Admiral Stahlmann. I request you surrender and save your lives.”
The response, despite the background being filled with noise and shouting, was firm and abrupt. “We will never surrender, Republic dogs!”
“So be it.” The Admiral cut the link. “All vessels, fire on their flagship.”
That crippled vessel, burning and broken, abruptly shattered under the volley. One HVC round hit the bridge and silenced the Sith leader forever.
“Sith vessels, this is your final opportunity. Surrender or die.”
“We will never surrender!” another officer called. However, some of the less fanatical Sith in the smaller ships did surrender. The Vong and those longest in the Dark Lord’s service tried to fight on.

The Admiral turned away from the scene. If they would not surrender he would end the battle in his own way. “All ships, target and destroy the enemy hold-outs. Take prisoners to the surface. Any which resist…wipe them out, all of them.”