Star Wars The Shadow War - Times End - Two new factions opened up! - Legacy: War spoilers!

IC: Gaan Be'orar - Hallways - Temple of Light

The Kubaz didn't reply, instead simply turning to resume the patrol. Gaan sighed quietly and followed him, though she got only a few steps before a voice piped up behind them. "Knight Be'orar, Knight Trevalus can I..." The voice, which Gaan recognized as belonging to one of the Padawans, cut off abruptly as the power went out around them, plunging the hallway into complete darkness. Gaan groaned in annoyance, letting her eyes adjust while her companion reported the power outage, as well as the fact that they had returned to their patrol, which she found completely unnecessary.

After he was finished reporting in, the Kubaz turned to her. "Can you see alright?" Gaan nodded in response, having little doubt he could see her just fine. She was busy trying to locate the boy who had called to them. After a moment, she realized he was right in front of the entrance to the Gardens, and must have seen them when she followed the strill there. "Over here, Padawan," she called to him. "And yes, you can join us, if you'd like."

Gaan felt her comlink buzz while she waited for him, and picked it up, sighing again. She had no desire to discuss the power, or be told what they needed to do to fix it. What came out of the comlink, though, was far different from what she expected. "We're under attack. Unknown enemy has knocked out our power and defenses. Be advised, they will be landing soon."

Gaan turned to look at both of her companions, instantly on the alert. "Copy that. This is Knight Be'orar. Where do you need us?"


TAG: Bardan_Jusik, Mitth_Fisto, Gotab

 

IC: Kai Dareagen
X-83 Twin Tail 'Avril', Saridona system

A few laser blasts break though the shield of the dropship in front of Kai and strike the engines. Smoke bellows from the craft, the smile returns to his face. This is not the same grin from before. This is the smile of a predator chasing wounded prey. Avril screams another warning as more laser blasts hit his shield. He reacts turning hard to the left, snarling from having to break off his attack on the injured craft. The attacker stays right with the Jedi. Kai tries the maneuver, which now he remembers is called a throttle hop, to no avail. His breathing increases and his heart rate spikes. Green laser bots miss the young knight’s Twin Tail sometimes by mere millimeters. Each shot that flies past feeds the fire in his chest. He shunts power from his lasers to his engines and accelerates. The small boost puts some distance between Predator and prey, enough distance for Kai to pull a tight 180 degree turn to come face to face with his enemy. He fires off a proton torpedo without waiting for a lock from point blank range. The aggressor had no time to react. The ordnance detonates turning the fighter into space junk. Bits of debris ping off the hull of the Avril, the pilot doesn’t notice. His rage clouds his mind. All he can think about is the next kill.

“Kai,” a voice from the past sighs, the Jedi goes limp. That memory cuts though the haze in his mind and smothers the fire in his heart. The voice belongs to his former master Dyein Sarr. The one man Kai respected above all others, a father to him. Kai’s mind recalls all the times he’d failed his master and every time his master would just shake his head and sigh. As a padawan Kai wanted nothing more than his master’s approval but, never gained it. The pit in his stomach grows deeper. He had failed his master again, he let anger control his actions, not the force. Looking out over the battle raging in front of him, his mind fills with horror. His master abhors violence and would feel great pain seeing this conflict. The young knight looks at his sensors. One of his new allies was moving slowly, it looked to be the Jedi master that was leading the fighter group.

“Mam’” he says turning his com back on, “are you all right, do you need assistance?” His master may dislike violence but, Sarr wouldn’t just stand by and let beings die, he would protect the lives of his allies. Kai feels a new light side presence, coming from the Pallaeon. “Redemption, this is Jedi Knight Dareagen, I’m picking up a light side signature from that ship. Should we attempt a rescue?”

TAG: Falcon Skywalker_T-65 Ananta Chetan Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Kambie Loother

Shaking the device was amusing Knight Lycar, but it wasn't producing any results so Kambie opted to be still a moment. As she did she heard a sound in the sky. It was obvious Knight Lycar had heard the sound as well because he looked up to see what was making the sound. Immediately Kambie recognized the shapes in the sky as ships.

"Turn that off, Turn it off now!" She heard Knight Lycar order referring to the transmitter in her hands. Quickly Kambie began to switch switches until the power shut off. Part of her wanted to smash the device into a rock. Destroy it for good so there was no possible way for the group to be tracked further. That would do no good now though, if they were being spied on the damage had already been done. The enemy knew where they were. Besides if the device was kept intact perhaps the right Jedi would be able to decipher who their attacker was just by looking at it. Or if they had more time at some point someone may be able to take it apart and learn something. Kambie clipped the transmitter to her belt next to her lightsaber for safe keeping. Then she happened to look towards the temple just in time to see all the lights go out at once.

"This planet or more specifically the temple is under attack," Kambie said out loud. "Those ships are headed for this location," Kambie reached out with the force. There were darkside force users on those ships. Likely Sith. "We will be outmatched if we stay here and wait," she advised. "We should head back to the temple where we can form up with the other Jedi. Together we will be stronger. We will have better odds of winning this fight and protecting the temple."

Tags: Bardan_Jusik Padawan4687 Rebecca_Daniels

 

IC: Hochner Trevalus
Temple of GoL, Hallway past Gardens

Her nod in return was good enough for him. Although as someone spoke up that was approaching he let the thought of replying slip away. If security had something pressing they would receive a message soon, personal comms were independent of the Temple system. The fact that his companion immediately accepted the new comer was a touch surprising, although when he though of how she had welcomed the Stril he was less so. It made sense, she was the type to gather the lower and wandering with herself while at the same time avoiding the group. An odd juxtaposition, but a very sentient quality.

With their new guest he turned to bow slightly as Jedi Be'orar fielded the next set of comm calls with security. A breach with how they had been handling things, but perhaps she was finally interested more in what they were doing. To which he was happy enough to let her talk it out. As soon as the news that they were under attack came though he had his own raised once more to trunk before he stopped and lowered it. "Young one. Are you prepared for combat?" he instead questioned. If the person was ready, they could be an asset to have their extra blade in a combat situation.

After all. One never knows to whom the Force will call or deliver the deciding blow to whom victor or hero may be added to their name.

TAG: The_Zeltron, Gotab, Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Qual Ropol
Aurek Class Starfighter, Above Saridona Prime

Qual watched from his fighter as the transport began to stagger. Enough damaged had been done to drive that bulk of a ship away from its intended path. He felt the younger Jedi's emotion and wondered to himself. Did the boy's master not teach him control? He was allowing anger and frustration to guide him. The boy was definitely determined but too rash, too headstrong, too easy to action. It looked as if it consumes his mind in the heat of battle which Qual disapproved of.

Qual hadn't noticed a Predator starfighter before him until it started its attack run on his ancient ship. His ship shook as a shot connected to the side of his starfighter and Qual took evasive maneuvers. The ship wasn't piloted by a living being which made Qual feel more comfortable with taking it down. The ship was right on his tail and he was barely avoiding the attempts of the Predator from exploding him into oblivion. Qual did have one advantage, his ship was old. He knew that the majority of people would probably agree that an older ship isn't an advantage with a one on one but his ship wasn't old, it was ancient. He doubted that the droid piloting the craft even remotely knew what his ship could actually do. The Aurek was defiantly not faster than the Predator.

Qual chose to take a chance, diverted power to his engines, and dove downwards. The Predator was a second late to react and that was the chance he needed. He pulled his fighter back up at a fast rate and ended up right behind the Predator. Qual surprised even himself with the move actually working and opened fire on the Predator with everything he had. He used his main lasers to cripple the fighter which gave him the time to launch one proton torpedo straight at the ship's engines. The Predator ignited in a ball of flame and exploded in front of Qual.

He hadn't seen action like that in a long time. The last time he actually fired his starfighter's weapons was nearly a year ago when he got attacked by a group of pirates. He was never the greatest pilot but surviving that attack was defiantly something to him.

Qual felt something in the younger Jedi. The boy had just fended off an attack like he had done but Qual felt the younger Jedi calming down. Maybe the boy had felt something through the force or maybe he just realized what he was doing was wrong but either way, he was not letting his anger control him which pleased Qual.

Qual noticed as he got closer to the other Jedi that the other Jedi Master's ship had taken quite the beating. He turned to the comm when he heard her say to her padawan, I still have maneuverability but this fighter is definitely in need of some serious repairs. I need to get the ship planet side and we can help with the ground attack. I sense this Sith will be planet side no matter the outcome up here."

Qual was relieved to hear that she was fine but then spoke to the group and said, "I agree, I don't think there is much left that we can do up here. If we head to the surface, we may be able to have a better chance of holding them down there than up here, especially considering the condition your fighter is in."

Tag: Bardan_Jusik Falcon Tim Battershell galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Eira Dryn
On patrol, Valley of Light

The longer they searched, the more suspicious everything seemed at this camp. Eira kept her eyes out, watching and listening for signs of activity but there wasn't much going on out there. She risked a glance over her shoulder as the other Knight, Kambie Loother, shook her discovered transmitter. The two of them seemed to have that mystery under control, so she turned around and scanned the nearby trees for movement.

The sudden crack of lightning made her jump, and she scrambled to get her blaster out before she even knew what was happening. Following Lycar's gaze to the sky she saw the approaching ships, and had to fight the urge to race for cover. Instead, she knelt and tried to use her blaster's scope to get a better look at the descending transports, but their speed and distance was too great to focus with such a small scope. Something about them unsettled her, though, and she kept her blaster in hand.

Loother was speaking again. "This planet or more specifically the temple is under attack. Those ships are headed for this location. We will be outmatched if we stay here and wait. We should head back to the temple where we can form up with the other Jedi. Together we will be stronger. We will have better odds of winning this fight and protecting the temple."

"Better odds?" Eira snapped, eyeing the Human Jedi, not liking the thought of retreating. "We have no idea who or how many are on those transports. What we need is information. That temple's not going to provide much protection without power, and I doubt one or two more Jedi is going to make much of a difference. Someone should stay behind and, I don't know, take some notes." She bit her lip to stop from volunteering herself. Maybe if she told them about her trick, how to make herself hide in the Force, from other Force users, but she wasn't sure she was ready to share. It might not be enough to conceal her anyway, if they had other sensors.

"Anyway, they'll spot us if we make a run for it," she pointed out, thinking of the distance to the temple, then looked to Knight Lycar, who was leader of their little patrol. If it had just been her, she'd have been long gone by now, but she had a feeling that this time she wouldn't get out of here if they didn't work together. "We need a plan. Fast."

TAG: Bardan_Jusik, Runjedirun, Padawan4687

 

IC: Tim Battershell
X-83 TwinTail Starfighter - Protecting Kasha's damaged ship, Saridona Prime Space.

"I'm fine, a little nauseated from the spin but I'm fine. The engines weren't damaged, but my shields and weapons are gone," came his Master's answer, "I still have maneuverability but this fighter is definitely in need of some serious repairs. I need to get the ship planet side and we can help with the ground attack. I sense this Sith will be planet side no matter the outcome up here,"

Tim was relieved to hear that his Master was unhurt, less pleased at the extent of the damage her ship had taken. He listened to the further Comms while attempting to get a rough count of the Sith 'leakers' heading for the planet. Not good, in fact (after changing his Passive Sensor settings to a well-remembered area of the EM spectrum) possibly very bad indeed.

"Master, I don't like the look of your nose.... your ship's, I mean. You'll likely have to baby the ship down through atmo. or the whole thing could break apart. Which means you won't be able to evasively manoeuvre if attacked; the rest of us will have to take out any nasties at range.

Newly arrived Gentlebeings; the Temple is located in a valley, between mountains, so that limits the enemy's options - also makes their approach routes somewhat predictable. I'm thinking long-range air-to-mud.

Problem is, the Temple is 'dark' on sensors. I know what they have down there, used to work for a buisness that built and fitted that type of kit, and something should be registering on those freqs, even out here; but it's not."


TAG: Falcon, Master Selkath, Bardan_Jusik, galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Ian Thrace
Temple of GoL, Hallway past Gardens

Ian's heart leapt into his throat as the lights suddenly went out. It wasn't because he was afraid of the dark, it was one of the few things that didn't inherently frighten him, it was because he didn't know why they had suddenly left them all in darkness. He looked around instinctually, trying to find someplace to hide from whatever had turned off the power. Fear gripped at him, there was no place to hide in the darkened hallway.

But there was a soothing presence in the Force. Two of them actually, and right down the hall from where he stood. Right before the lights had gone out Knight Be'orar had invited Ian to join their patrol. To be honest it wasn't something that excited him, though he knew it would be good for him. It also would have given him something useful to do. Being useful might lead to him feeling useful, and that could only be a good thing.

He made his way closer to the pair of Knights, by the snippets of the conversation he overheard it seemed power was out all over the Temple! Knowing that caused the fear to start creeping in again, and he once more found himself looking for someplace to hide. Hiding though didn't seem to be on the itinerary of either Knight Be'orar or Trevalus.

"Copy that. This is Knight Be'orar. Where do you need us?" No, she wasn't looking to hide at all. In fact it seemed as though she was quite ready to face...well whatever it was....head on. While they all waited on the answer, Knight Trevalus addressed Ian, with what the padawan could only assume was a hint of concern in his voice.

"Young one. Are you prepared for combat?"

NO!!!!!!! Ian wanted to scream, though he refrained from doing so. His fingers twitched over the pair of lightsabers hanging on his belt. First his hand brushed against the training saber, the one with the emerald blade. It would be next to useless in a combat situation, but it was also the only lightsaber he truly felt comfortable wielding.

He sighed loudly to himself, moving his grip to the other hilt, grasping it. This was his real lightsaber, and once ignited it would have brilliant blue blade. It frightened him handling such a weapon, he was always afraid that he would lop off his own (or worse yet another Jedi's) arm with it, though he never had. But if it was to be combat, then this was the only true weapon on his belt. This was what he would have to use.

He gripped it more firmly now, drawing strength from the lightsaber, though it still remained attached to his belt. He was no warrior, he lacked training, confidence and skill, but he was a Jedi (well a padawan) and he would fight if he had to in order to preserve his life. He wouldn't like it, but he would do it, and that in and of itself was a large step for the downtrodden youth. He steeled himself and responded, his voice cracking slightly. "Yes master Jedi, I am prepared."

TAG: The_Zeltron, Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Suraya Archisa
Hellfire Corridor

Deflecting and redirecting the last rounds of canon fire from the third droid patrol she had encountered, Suraya deftly dashed down another Palleon corridor while simultaneously reminding herself to be mindful of her every move. One careless misstep could land her back in a prison cell or worse, a confrontation with a Sith Lord whose abilities would far eclipse her own.

She was en route to the ship’s hangar, if her faint memories of such a vessel’s floor plan were remotely accurate. At the same time Suraya was still pondering any potential way she could possibly cripple the ship before attempting some form of swift departure. Perhaps she would come across one of the reactor cores or an ammunition store along the way, but fatigue from the incarceration was beginning resurface and take its toll causing her to feel some waves of vertigo and mild disorientation.

Suraya now began to presume that whatever Sith still remained aboard must be on the bridge orchestrating the space battle she had previously witnessed and that among them would no doubt be the one they called Callius. She had only briefly encountered him upon her arrival and pending imprisonment and had observed that he elicited the reluctant respect of all of the Sith who had been present. His cold venomous gaze had unnerved her.

Suddenly Suraya could hear only her own hurried footsteps and rapid breath and noticed that the external blows to the ship seemed to have ceased. With a flickering hope she wondered if her projected presence through the Force had possibly been perceived by anyone.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik, galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Hochner Trevalus
Temple of GoL, Hallway just beyond Gardens

Watching the youth his own mind wandered to when he had first seen him. This was the lad that had shown such propriety and awareness of good manners despite being nearly insensate when brought to the med bay. To think it had been such a short time, yet it felt like years. Although his own continuing nightmares might of had some of the affect of drawing out the feelings of how long time had passed.

A part of him hoped that the 2-1B's comment on him being a 'frequent flyer' of the med center meant that he was a rough and tumble trainer in his weapons. The fact that two handles hung from the boys belt did not escape his notice. "Padawan Thrace," he began properly then, "You can act as our rear guard. Stay close, follow orders, and if it becomes too much fall back to the med bay. Perhaps when this is over we could help each other improve for these situations."

Trunk curling under in a smile he nodded to the young human. Hopefully his pushing of his own lighter emotions would help bolster the lad, as he pulled out his own two long handled lightsabers into his two hands. Ready for the fight that was now sure to come, either to them or them to it.

TAG: Gotab, The_Zeltron, Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Daniel Sandstrider
ACS Redemption-II

"Fire, fire, fire on the flight deck!"

Even if Daniel hadn't heard that panicked voice over the comm systems, he would have known something was very wrong with his ship. The sudden sharp stab of pain that could only be death echoing through the Force was one clue. The other was the fire alarm, set off from the hangar. Regardless of how he learned of the problems, Daniel did know that something had to be done quickly to fix them. The Nebula was a tough design. But any ship could be destroyed by internal fires. Especially internal fires on the hangar deck, where munitions would be stored.

"Prepare to vent the hangar," the Knight ordered, as he continued to organize the battle with the larger Destroyer.

After a handful of minutes, Arrica looked up from a console, "We've got everyone out. We...lost a dozen crewmen."

"Vent the hangar," Daniel replied with a small sigh, "We will mourn them later, when we have finished this battle."

As the hangar shield was deactivated, the atmosphere that would feed the fire was sucked out into space. The cold vacuum entered into the hangar instead, putting out the remaining fires.With that threat solved, at least for the moment, attention returned to defeating the Pelly. The larger craft was showing damage, as the Redemption continued to fire into it. For all the damage it was certainly showing, it was not dying however.

It would take more than a little fire to kill this tough of a foe. Not that, necessarily, they should be trying to kill it at the moment...

“Redemption, this is Jedi Knight Dareagen, I’m picking up a light side signature from that ship. Should we attempt a rescue?”

Daniel blinked as he heard that over the comms, and focused on the Pelleaon. His own worries about touching the Dark Side again had lead him to avoid scanning the ship, but now that he did...there was definitely a light-sider aboard. One who seemed weak, but if they were a prisoner...

Noting that the new fighters were rather busy, the Jedi focused in on a more familiar presence.

"Sis, we have a Jedi aboard that ship. See if you can connect with them...if they can escape to the hangar, I want you to escort them out."

He didn't get a reply from Lenea, not that he expected one. Turning back to his own battle, Daniel could only hope whomever was aboard that Destroyer could escape.

---

IC: Lenea Sandstrider

Lenea blinked at what her brother told her, even as she destroyed another Predator. A Jedi aboard that big boy? How the kriff did that happen? Pushing that thought from her mind, she focused on what Danny had taught her and tried to connect with the Jedi. No matter what she tried though, she couldn't manage it. Her skills just weren't developed in that direction. She could hear communications over the Force, but only Danny could hear her.

That left two options...boarding the ship herself- something suicidal -or being ready if the Jedi managed to escape on their own.Taking a chance, Lenea pushed out with the light side when she was right underneath the hangar on the Pelly. If that Jedi were paying attention, hopefully they would realize what she was trying to tell them...

Come here if you want to escape...


TAG: Bardan_Jusik , Ananta Chetan

 

Co-GM Mini-update

IC: The battle over Saridona Prime.

Emerald and crimson bolts traced across the blackness of space as the two warships continued to exchange blows. To the uninitiated it would have looked like fireworks, or maybe the mating dance of the fireflys of Joquin Colony, but to those involved each blast marked death and destruction. Each shot also brought the battle nearer to a close.

The fire on the Redemption's flight deck had been put out quickly, though the damage it caused would not be easily repaired. No longer could the vessel recover craft safely. Launch operations were still possible, but they would be impeded, slowed to a crawl. Her fighter wing was also taking serious damage, most of her TwinTails had been destroyed only moments into the battle. Now the quicker and deadlier Starstreaks were following suit. Only a handful of both types combined remained under Lenea's command.

The Jedi fighters were fairing only slightly better. Though they had done much to destroy the droid piloted Predator fighters, there were simply too many guns on the Hellfire for them to escape unscathed. The droid aboard Sherland's fighter had managed to restore power to the craft's lasers, though the torpedo launchers remained stubbornly offline. Worse yet it had made no progress on the shields. Tim's fighter too was hit by a burst of fire from the Hellfire's guns. The damage there wasn't nearly as bad as the "golden bb" that had caused Sherland's issues, but the shields had been significantly weakened. Farther out, the fighters of Ropol and Dareagen were relatively untouched, but regardless of the damage inflicted to any one fighter, they all knew that the battle over Saridona Prime was quickly coming to an end.

Aboard the Hellfire, Darth Cavillous could sense the same thing. The Nebula's shields were weakening, they wouldn't hold out for much longer. Soon the valiant starship would be destroyed, and her crew along with it. They still had the ability to retreat, but Cavillous was unsure as to whether they would take that option. The Sith knew that he would under those circumstances, he probably would have done it even sooner. The Nebula had simply never had a chance against the much more powerful Hellfire. Retreat in order to survive was always a valid option. However, he sensed no such desire from the ship as yet, and so it would have to be destroyed. So be it.

Farther down in the bowels of the Pellaeon, Jedi Knight Suraya Archisa made her way to the Hellfire's own main hanger. It was nearly empty, and completely unguarded at the moment. With all the fighters deployed and the dropships away, it had been closed down and locked off. There was however, off to one side and nearly forgotten about by the ship's mostly inorganic crew, a bank of escape pods, eight in all, open and ready for use.

TAG: Skywalker_T-65, Ananta Chetan, Falcon, Tim Battershell, galactic-vagabond422, Master Selkath

 

Co-GM Update

IC: Hector Zey
TCC, Temple of Light, working at the innards of the alarm panel.

Zey reached out into the darkness inside the panel, but he found nothing save collections of wires. He had no idea what any of them were for. He should have had Taab do this, he had all manner of gadgets to not only see better in the dark, but he was far more familiar with the Temple's Tactical Systems. He had no doubt the bounty hunter could find the problem. It was a good thing he was on their side, he probably could have created this sort of mess had he worked against them. Zey cleared his mind. With the power out, the Mandalorian was needed as the eyes and ears of the Temple defenses. It fell to Zey. He reached out into the Force, almost pleading with it to guide his actions. Engineering and slicing weren't his strong suites, but with the force as his ally, anything was possible...

---

IC: Beskaryc Taab
Jetpacking up the central Temple spire.

The cold air rushed past though Taab felt not a bit of it under his armor plates. Even if he could he was too busy to care. Instead he was watching the needle like drop ships come in at the defenseless Temple, tagging them in his HUD and calculating their landing spots. It looked as though they intended to surround the Temple and swarm all it's entry points.

Taab alighted on the central spire and cut power to his jetpack. He had taken no fire thus far, but with the Sith seeming to be concentrating on the Temple's perimeter that was hardly surprising. He had the locations of the various Temple security patrols logged into his buy'ce and so he began calling out directions to them.

"Stinky and Jaws (NPCS), gather what forces you can and protect the South Entrance..." He watched as one of the massive dropships impacted the ground near there, burying it's nose deep in the ground just outside the Temple gates. He magnified the image on his HUD as hatches rolled open on the vertical ship's sides revealing its passengers. They looked to be some sort of war droid that Taab was unfamiliar with. The droids jumped down out of the craft, dozens, perhaps a hundred of them and started firing at the Temple doors.

"Enemy forces seem to consist primarily of droids." He then continued calling out directions to the internal security teams. "Bravo team...the West entrance, there seems to be an organic there with them."

He glanced to the opposite side of the Temple now. "Saberjockey (Be'orar) and Future (Trevalus), the East entrance has been breached. Force of over four dozen droids led by an organic..." He chuckled in surprise at the leader's form, easily discernible in a slinky red dress not at all appropriate for combat.



"...female," he finally finished. Another ship crashed into the ground on that side of the temple just behind the others. It wavered for a moment before disgorging it's own troops. By the Manda what he wouldn't give to be fighting instead of this, but he had his orders and his own mission to complete.

TAG: Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron, Gotab

---

IC: Darth Zelus (NPC)
Abaord her drop ship, approaching outer Landing Zone

Zelus swore loudly to herself as the beacon cut off. "Damn her, damn her to fire and hell," she exclaimed, though the droids aboard the drop ship with her had no response. For all of Darth Velerius supposed skill in keeping herself hidden, she couldn't hide the beacon any better? Obviously the Jedi had discovered it and deactivated it. Hopefully they had discovered her as well and executed the lower ranking Sith for her incompetence. That Zelus found unlikely, but she could dream.

"How many are close enough to the landing site?" She asked the command droid.

"Only 4, including this craft." The droid paused for a moment as it assessed the situation for itself and reported further. "The drop ship containing Darth Veneficus has already overshot the landing zone."

"Double damn." Veneficus was to be her subordinate commander on the scene of the secondary landing zone. Now he and the forces he commanded wouldn't be here. That she could handle, but the fact that only four out of dozens of ships would now make this landing site was something that she could not overcome, especially if they met heavy resistance. They would have to adapt the vaunted "plan" of Darth Cavillous.

"Order the other ships, the ones that overshot, to land at the tertiary site." She paused for a moment before spitting out another question. "That transmitter is still operational isn't it?"

"Affirmative."

At least Velerius had done something right. "Very well, order Veneficus to take command there and march his troops overland. Link up with us when he can."

"By your command."

"And tell him to find Velerius. I have a bone to pick with her."

---

IC: Knight Lycar (NPC)
Abandoned observation post. Valley of Light, Saridona Prime.

"This planet or more specifically the temple is under attack," Kambie said out loud, the deactivated transmitter hooked to her belt. "Those ships are headed for this location." The Shistavanen looked out to where Kambie was pointing. Yes those ships were most certainly headed this way. His keen eyesight couldn't yet identify the type, they seemed unfamiliar in any case. But their intentions were clear.

"We will be outmatched if we stay here and wait," she advised. "We should head back to the temple where we can form up with the other Jedi. Together we will be stronger. We will have better odds of winning this fight and protecting the temple."

Lycar growled slightly to himself. The idea of running away went against his nature. The threat was here, and so they should meet it here. But Loother had made a good point. Would it really be a retreat or would they be riding to the defense of the Temple? Dryn voiced her own opinion before Lycar could make up his mind.

"Better odds?" She seemed defiant. "We have no idea who or how many are on those transports. What we need is information. That temple's not going to provide much protection without power, and I doubt one or two more Jedi is going to make much of a difference. Someone should stay behind and, I don't know, take some notes."

She too made some good points.

"Anyway, they'll spot us if we make a run for it." That much was true Lycar thought ruefully. He didn't want to be caught running. "We need a plan. Fast."

The drop ships were still coming in, far too fast for Lycar's liking. Many of them, most of them in fact, overflew the abandoned campsite. They rushed over the mountains, on vectors to land in the next valley over from the Temple. In the opposite direction, at the Temple itself, some of the drop ships had already made planet fall, their tall forms sticking up into the sky like newly constructed obelisks. Closer in he could see four of the ships coming for them, intent on landing here.

He saw the others look to him, he had to make a decision. They couldn't run, they couldn't hide. That left them but one option. "Prepare yourselves for battle," he growled, his frost covered fur whipping in the wind. "They want a fight, they'll get one."

TAG: Rebecca_Daniels, Runjedirun, Padawan4687

---

IC: Master Piim (NPC)
Gardens, Temple of Light

The elderly Togruta watched in amusement as Knight Larod ran off after the Mandalorian's beast. The creature shouldn't be here disturbing the peaceful nature of the gardens and the Jedi that resided herein, but neither should the Mandalorian be here either. It was a matter she intended to bring up with Master Zey at the first opportunity. Their continued presence and violent nature was an affront to the peaceful nature of the Valley of Light and the Guardians. It should be removed, peacefully, at the first opportunity.

From her place in the bushes she also watched as young padawan Thrace followed after the security patrol, leaving poor Knight Lahana alone. She felt bad for the boy. There was much in his past that continued to vex him, anyone could see that. Hopefully his acceptance by the security patrol would help ease his angst.

That did little for Lahana of course, and she too had her own insecurities. Piim's headtails trembled slightly. She had come here to find peace, to meditate, and instead she found herself being drawn into the affairs of others. She sighed. Well if it must be the will of the force, then it must be. She started to approach the lonely Firrerreo, intent on soothing her mind when suddenly the lights (such as they were in the Gardens) went out.

But the sudden lack of illumination wasn't the only darkness out there. Piim could feel it now, beings coming at them with evil intent. They weren't at the Temple yet, but they soon would be. No alarm had been given., though the others had to know by now what was coming. There were rumblings outside now, loud enough to echo through the confines of the Temple, followed by the sounds of blaster fire.

Wearily Piim reached for her lightsaber, she had hoped to not have to use it ever again. She espoused a far simpler and more peaceful lifestyle. Still, it seemed the force was willing her to battle once again. She regarded Knight Lahana, "We have found no peace here, despite our best efforts. Are you ready then for war my dear?"

Tag: BultarSwan, CPL_Macja

 

IC: Kasha Sherland
Twintail Saridona Prime

Kasha grimaced as she watched her padawan's fighter get hit. She glanced around noting that there was nothing more then they could do up here. It was time to get planet side, she had a feeling they would be needed down there very soon. Her droid managed to get her weapons up but the torpedoes would not come online. It was better then nothing, still no shields. She was sitting in a death trap without shields. "Listen up everyone, I'm going to say this once. There's nothing more we can do up here, the Sith will be landing planet side very shortly. We need to get planet side now. Padawan, how's your fighter?" She questioned in concern as she turned her fighter towards the planet. She's going to have to baby this fighter down.

Tim Battershell, Master Selkath, galactic-vagabond422, Bardan_Jusik,

 

IC: Tim Battershell
X-83 TwinTail Starfighter - Protecting Kasha's damaged ship, Saridona Prime Space.

The Turbolaser blast had come as an unpleasant surprise, and with hardly any inkling of warning from the Force. Perhaps it hadn't been well aimed in the first place, or perhaps Tim's desperate evasion manoeuvre had brought the fighter to the tenuous edge of the beam. Anyhow, the damage wasn't as severe as it might have been, nothing like as bad as his Master's fighter had sustained, albeit still significant.

The instruments told the tale. Engines - Undamaged; Sensors and Targeting - Operational; Comms - Operational; Lasers - Operational; Torpedoes - Operational too; Shields - Ugh! At least he still had some, even if they were no longer in prime condition.

"Listen up everyone, I'm going to say this once. There's nothing more we can do up here, the Sith will be landing planet side very shortly. We need to get planet side now. Padawan, how's your fighter?". Tim could hear the concern in his Master's voice, even over the Comm.

"Could be better, could be much worse, Master. Down to forty percent Shields, maybe forty-five if I reallocate power from Engines and Lasers. I'll get the Astromech working on them immediately. Everything else showing green. I got next to no warning on that one, Master, could you scan that ship again, please? It might be partly Droid-Crewed, how much I don't know and can't trust myself to Sense. I think Redemption needs to know that the Pelly is hurt too. Probable best course of action is for Redemption to get clear if she can, patch up her damage as far as possible before hyper-ing back in on fast hit and fade runs against the Pelly's aft. If they'll detach what's left of their fighter group, I think they could be of real use planetside. Those Assault ships didn't take many casualties that I could see."


TAG: Falcon, Master Selkath, Bardan_Jusik, galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Dovey Lahana
Saridona Prime

Dovey heard and felt what was nearing the temple. She knew that she couldn't run, and she scowled for a moment. 'I knew I should've left after checking in on Miria. How could I be so stupid?!' Dovey drew her lightsabers to her hands with a simple flex of her fingers. “Ready or not,” Dovey muttered.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik

OOC sorry it's short but drl

 

IC: Alisha Tano
Location: Outside the Temple of Light

From her place in the snow, Alisha could see hundreds, maybe thousands of needle-like ships swarming the defenseless Temple. She caught herself backing away as several, maybe four, of those same ships angled down at their own position. Her heirloom rattled against her belt, but she hadn't even thought of taking it out yet.

The Temple was supposed to be a peaceful slice of the galaxy, and Alisha found herself returning to the battle-scarred Shili as they came closer. The last time she had activated that blade, she had been mentally attacked with visions of her homeworld, she desperately didn't want the Temple to join that thankfully short list.

"What do they want with us?" she thought aloud, swiping the lightsaber from her belt. Their group wasn't nearly large enough or dangerous enough to warrant the need for this sort of onslaught! Or this was their way of "preventing" a problem from growing?

"I'm not about to run away!" her voice dropped, and she stood tall against the wind as she switched on the green blade. She was braced for whatever would be coming out of those ships, whether they were droids, lasers, or foot soldiers.

TAG: Runjedirun Bardan_Jusik Rebecca_Daniels

((Stuck on Mobile, sorry for missing the formatting..))

 

IC: Kambie Loother

Not many years ago Kambie would have been eager to fight. She excelled at ground combat. She had reservations now after having seen comrades fall in battle. There were too many lives lost in battle. Negotiations were more her style now. Except of course when she had no choice. Such as when being ambushed in an abandoned campsite. She did not allow these emotions to take over. She trusted the Force had brought her and her companions here for a reason. She removed her lightsaber from her belt and clasped it in ready position. She didn't feel the need to say anything. She simply stepped forward to join her companions and lit her royal blue saber in the process.

Tags: Padawan4687 Rebecca_Daniels Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Suraya Archisa
Hellfire Escape Pod

From a panoramic view the two massive vessels of the Jedi and Sith formed bookends in the space above the Temple on Saridona Prime. The surrounding skirmishes of the smaller ships had now dissipated and were steadily descending to the planet’s surface below. From one side of the Hellfire emerged a tiny blip, a jettisoned escape pod, making a beeline for the belly of the Pelly’s hangar. It remained undetected and unscathed so far even though its sole passenger and pilot felt fractured and fatigued. She still retained just enough resilience to follow the subtle feeling emanating towards her through the Force. A welcome beacon of light…

Come here if you want to escape...

As Suraya came upon the lone Starstreak she felt both a sense of awe and relief that someone had heard her plea. Could this really be happening!? Within the hovering cockpit she could faintly discern through her tiny view port the face of a female lightsider, whom she immediately recognized to be the same Jedi she had caught a glimpse of previously from aboard the Hellfire while observing the space battle. Thank the Force. How long had she imagined this day? How long had she been aboard that ship? How long would it take to fully move past the unspeakable trials she had endured?

Holding her position at a safe distance she nodded the pod’s nose to the Jedi pilot signaling her readiness to follow. Withdrawing her gaze slightly from through the view port she now instead focused on her own reflection momentarily in the glass, feeling as though in some way she was looking at herself for the first time. Suraya noticed how the patterns of her black facial tattoos of alternating crescents and dots beneath her eyes and chin melted into the darkness of the space outside, as well as the small tear pools that were now accumulating at the corners of each of her eyes.


TAG: @Skywalker_T-65, Bardan_Jusik, @galactic-vagabond422

 

OOC: I already ran this by Tim, he's knows the lecture is coming.

IC: Kasha Sherland
Twintail fighter Saridona Prime.

"Could be better, could be much worse, Master. Down to forty percent Shields, maybe forty-five if I reallocate power from Engines and Lasers. I'll get the Astromech working on them immediately. Everything else showing green. I got next to no warning on that one, Master, could you scan that ship again, please? It might be partly Droid-Crewed, how much I don't know and can't trust myself to Sense. I think Redemption needs to know that the Pelly is hurt too. Probable best course of action is for Redemption to get clear if she can, patch up her damage as far as possible before hyper-ing back in on fast hit and fade runs against the Pelly's aft. If they'll detach what's left of their fighter group, I think they could be of real use planetside. Those Assault ships didn't take many casualties that I could see."

Even though her padawan could not see this but she just rolled her eyes feeling irritation build up inside due to his pushing her around. She was about to let him know she was not about to stand for it. She had no shields to her fighter and the last thing she wanted to do was attract more attention to herself. She turned her attention to her padawan's fighter and glared. "Padawan, I'm sure the Redemption can figure that on their own. I have no shields right now, I don't want to stay up here anymore then I have too. Either you let them do their job and follow my lead as a padawan learner or stay up here and scan the Pelly at your own risks. Just don't do anything that will have to make me track down your family letting them know you got yourself killed despite not following my lead. We will be needed planet side shortly and we're running out of time to get down there."

Tim Battershell, indirectly galactic-vagabond422, Master Selkath, Bardan_Jusik, Skywalker_T-65

 

IC: Tim Battershell
X-83 TwinTail Starfighter - Protecting Kasha's damaged ship, Saridona Prime Space.

"Padawan, I'm sure the Redemption can figure that on it's own. I have no shields right now, I don't want to stay up here anymore then I have too. Either you let them do their job and follow my lead as a padawan learner or stay up here and scan the Pelly at your own risks. Just don't do anything that will have to make me track down your family letting them know you got yourself killed despite not following my lead."

Not for the first time, Tim was amazed that Jedi could be so insular, so naïve. It wasn't Jedi who had written the book on Starfighter tactics; mundanes such as Wedge Antilles, Soontir Fel, Tycho Celchu and Gavin Darklighter had done that. Pash Cracken had invented the 'Cracken Twist', Admiral Ackbar the 'A-Wing Slash' and 'Face' Loran the 'Loran Spitball'. Mundanes all, and proud of it!

Then there was the stupid prejudice against the carrying and use of Blasters. Couldn't the Jedi realise that if the Force made aiming Proton Torpedoes or a fighter's Laser Cannons more accurate then it would have a similar effect on the so-called "clumsy and random" Blaster?

So too with the Jedi 'Lightsaber fetish'. Just because a Lightsaber could be turned to other uses, as The Jedi Path rightly pointed out, it didn't automatically follow that it should if something else had been designed to perform the task more efficiently. Wasn't it Corran who'd said "If your favourite tool is a hydrospanner, every problem looks like it can be solved by being torqued!"?

Glowrods and Glowlamps had been purpose-designed for illumination, so gave far better light, at greater range, than any Lightsaber ever could; with the added benefit of not vaporising the object under examination or cutting a bystander's arm or leg off if they crowded in too close! If those Glowrods or Glowlamps could also be turned into 'Alternate-Light Sources', the use of appropriate filters could, and often did, reveal far more detail than could be gleaned from either 'White Light' or any narrow frequency range available from a Lightsaber Crystal.

Of course, the fetish could go the other way. Tim would never think it appropriate to tow a repulsor-sled around; one loaded with every possible item, on the off-chance one of them might find a use on a particular mission; a certain selectivity was needed according to mission-profile. A small pack would suffice.

While perfectly prepared to admit he was new to the Force (it happened to be true!), he nevertheless had over forty years of life experience in the 'real' (or 'mundane') Galaxy. He'd left childhood behind long ago and had definite accomplishments to his name. In addition, his Father had been Military and his Mother had been of mixed Military/Jedi heritage. It was time his Master accepted all of that and realised that the Jedi Way was not the only, or perhaps even the best, way to get necessary things done.

Luke's Order just couldn't have been as narrow-minded as some of these modern-day Jedi, could they? No, Luke's Senior Jedi almost all had backgrounds in the mundane Galaxy - even Luke himself hadn't been more than lightly brushed by the Force during his formative years. Perhaps, then, it was the legacy of the Order 66 Survivors' Club? He couldn't blame them for keeping their heads down while Vader and 'Sheev' Palpatine (pity the holoshills hadn't got hold of that factoid while he was still only a junior politician; if they had, they'd have had saved everyone a whole lot of trouble by having him laughed off Coruscant and all the way back to Naboo) were still around; but he could blame them for sitting on their equivalent of 'backsides' for years afterwards; not putting as much as a finger-equivalent to the wheel when the New Republic and New Jedi Order needed support in the early days. And then just to slither in and take over after the founding Grandmaster stepped-down.... Outrageous!

However, he couldn't blame his Master if her own training had been influenced by the (failed) Old Order's re-imported policies and outlook.

So, ensure his Master made a soft landing in a secure location, talk to Redemption himself from a safe distance away from her, then declare 'Open Season - No Bag Limit' on the invaders (again far enough away from her as to not get her mixed-up in his activities); and do so in as risk-free a manner as he could. Not hunting, not really, just a necessary piece of pest-control. One less Lightsaber for a while shouldn't make any difference (heck, he still didn't even know whether his swordsmanship was up to Jedi standards - the 'clash of blades' with Allynic was too brief to count); while a cunningly handled Starfighter would likely be an Eopie of an entirely different colour!


TAG: No One (indirectly - Falcon, Master Selkath, Bardan_Jusik, galactic-vagabond422)

 

IC: Kai Dareagen
X-83 Twin Tail 'Avril', Saridona system

"Listen up everyone, I'm going to say this once.” The female jedi master says, “There's nothing more we can do up here, the Sith will be landing planet side very shortly. We need to get planet side now.” The reality of it all weighs heavy on Kai. The Nebula class is badly damaged, many of the crew possibly dead, a large number of pilots already vaporized. His hands begin shaking again. He’d seen people die before, felt the force leave their bodies, but never on this scale. Part of him wants to be angry, to use their deaths as fuel for his hatred of these beasts. The lager part feels nothing but, sorrow. He couldn’t save those pilots, couldn’t save those crewmen. He couldn’t save anyone. All his of bravado, all of his training did nothing to stop this tide of destruction.

He swings close to the Pallaeon, hoping to feel the lightside presence from before, maybe some how he could save one life. He could feel nothing but, under the shadow of the enemy Star Destroyer, his sensors pick up two contacts, a Star Streak and an escape pod. Could the escape pod contain the jedi from before? Avril puts up a message on one of the screens on the instrument panel.

“Really,” he says in response “That Star Streak led the reinforcements,” the twin tail opens a channel with the fighter, using the comm data from information sent earlier, information that Kai had ignored. “Hi," he says, hoping the person on the other end recognizes his as a friend, "I’m here to assist in escorting that pod to the ground.” He cuts his throttle and drops in behind the escape pod. “Have you made contact with the occupant?”

TAG: Skywalker_T-65 Ananta Chetan

 

IC: Daniel Sandstrider
ACS Redemption-II

As his ship shook around him, Daniel realized a couple things. One, his fighters had been horribly mauled. Reserves were at home, but that was hardly a help now...his best pilots were barely holding on. And his ship was little better. The Redemption was tough, but even the toughest design could only take so much damage before it had to give up and be repaired. And the Nebula was quickly reaching that point. It wasn't out of the fight by any means, but it was also being pushed past the designs limits.

As another bolt slammed into the ship, the Jedi Knight winced slightly.

"We can't keep this up Daniel," Arrica spoke up.

"I know," the Knight agreed, "Ok...fire everything we have, all the torpedoes and missiles, at the weakest point in their shield. The moment that is done, get into hyperspace and get to a safe distance. I'll contact you when I can."

Arrica blinked, and a worried look came over her face, "You'll contact us? What are you planning?"

"I'm heading down to the surface. They'll need every 'saber we have."

"But..."

Daniel smiled weakly, "I know. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

With that said, the Jedi hugged his wife and made his way off the bridge. The main hangar was toast, and would need serious repairs. Not to mention his fighter was probably history. But the secondary hangar, where the old Spirit sat, was still intact. Daniel entered that hangar, and hopped into his freighter. It was time to head back to the surface...

---

IC: Lenea Sandstrider

As her fighter dodged the occasional turbolaser bolt, Lenea waited for some sort of response from the lightsider aboard the big boy. As of yet, there hadn't been anything. No flare in the Force, no comm message. Nothing.

It was beginning to bug her really. She needed to hit the Destroyer or its fighters, not sit waiting for someone who may, or may not, even still be alive. Just as she was getting ready to find a new attack position though, a flash of light caught her attention. Sharp blue eyes narrowed, as the young woman's head snapped around. Coming towards her fighter from the Pelly was an...

Escape pod? Who...don't tell me...

The lightside signature coming from the pod, in addition to the way it subtlety nudged its nose, confirmed that it was the lightsider inside of it. The question then, was what to do now? The Big R was clearly not in the shape to take the pod. And if she just let it go on its own, it would get shot down.

"I’m here to assist in escorting that pod to the ground.”

That voice came from a Twin-Tail, coming up next to the pod. More specifically, the fighter that had done the reckless attacks on the Pelly.

“Have you made contact with the occupant?”

Lenea blinked, before sighing slightly. Really, the only option was to get it to the surface.

"Not yet," she replied to the fighter, before switching to another channel to try the pod, "Hey, anyone home? If you are, follow me to the surface. I'll get you to the Temple."

TAG: Bardan_Jusik , Ananta Chetan , galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Suraya Archisa
Hellfire Escape Pod

"Hey, anyone home? If you are, follow me to the surface. I'll get you to the Temple."

"Greetings fellow Jedi. This is Knight Suraya Archisa. I would be most grateful for your kind assistance. I have been a prisoner and test subject aboard this vessel for some time as was my padawan before he was executed. During my escape I encountered no other Sith aboard but only War Droids en route to the pod. I would presume that most or nearly all of the darksiders have descended to your planet's surface.

"Lead the way!"


TAG: Skywalker_T-65, Bardan_Jusik, @galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Ian Thrace
Temple of GoL, Hallway past Gardens

Ian braced himself for what was surely to come. He was still so unsure of himself, but he would do what he had to do. Well, he would try to.

"Padawan Thrace," Knight Trevalus spoke his name, bringing Ian's attention to the Kubaz Knight. "You can act as our rear guard. Stay close, follow orders, and if it becomes too much fall back to the med bay. Perhaps when this is over we could help each other improve for these situations."

Ian took that in. Rear guard. That meant he would't be in direct conflict with the enemy. He silently thanked the force for that. He was prepared now to do what he had to, or so he thought. But he knew he wouldn't last long in combat.

Follow orders. That he could do too. He had been following orders, more or less, since he could remember. He was always the one following orders, never issuing them. Even if he ever was put in charge of anything, who would follow him? The answer to that didn't have to be said either. No one. He began feeling the fear rise within him again.

Fall back if it became too much. What if it was too much now? Knight Trevalus hadn't given any instructions regarding that! He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Trevalus last statement meant he clearly felt they would all get through this. Ian wished he had the same confidence. He also had no idea what the Knight could hope to learn from him, but the thought made him feel warm inside. It made him feel...wanted. Not something he was used.

"I'll do my best master Jedi," he said, fully meaning it. But the fear crept back into his psyche soon enough as Taab's voice came in over their comm devices.

"Saberjockey and Future," Ian recognized the nicknames though he would like to forget his. "The East entrance has been breached. Force of over four dozen droids led by an organic...female"

He sounded almost amused by it all, but Ian saw nothing funny about their home being invaded by dozens of droid troopers. He mustered all the courage he could manage, hoping his voice wouldn't crack as he addressed the two Knights. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Then he ignited his blue blade and ran off down the corridor towards the East entryway.

TAG: Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron