Star Wars OPEN Dark Reach: Episode II – THE STORM OF ONE

IC: Helinith
Sulking

"FINE." She snarled, barely resisting the urge to use some very obscene hand gestures.
"And if you need any help defending this ship from any pirates or force knows what else that's out there, don't you come crying to me for help."

The adrenaline was rapidly leaving her system again, risking another crash of emotion and exhaustion.
She turned away and crouched against the opposite wall, glowering, looking for something to take out her frustration on.
An empty crate nearby began shedding its metal pins that held its sides together. As they were ejected from their fastenings, one by one, they flew to her hand, seemingly of their own accord. She made them fly in and out of her fingers and around her head, muttering silently and still weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of murdering the entire crew.
Besides, where was everyone else?
She wasn't expecting any sort of rescue, but without her comms, without her datapad with which she could send and receive messages, she was completely cut off.
She had never let herself be willingly removed from such things but now she had no idea of how long she had been missing and, well, whether anyone cared. For all she knew, they had all been slaughtered by whoever kidnapped her and she was the last one left.

And what could she message even if she did find her tech- "Hope you're not dead, looking for Tamus, brb."
While going AWOL wasn't necessarily frowned upon, people who went AWOL regularly got reputations for being.... unreliable.
They got left out of things.
Would she get left out of things?!

The chill of the oubliette, its loneliness made her toes curl as she remembered... silence.... the isolation.
The galaxy had never felt so big, and she had never felt so alone.

Tags: @Lady_Belligerent

 

Vice Grand Admiral Will Tyrell
Interdictor

Well, isn't this quite the turn around. The once Killian Ranger now one of the highest ranking Naval Officers in the galaxy. It's it funny how the galaxy turned, how life takes you from one insane situation to the next. He would have more time to ponder what that meant for him later. He was still deep into the melee with sith troopers his glowing shield blocking bolts this way and that as more and more fire focused on him. That left the defenders able to return fire more effectively. When the troopers would dare try to out flank the Knight and his impenetrable defense they would find themselves quickly shot down by the crew.

It was a solid strategy, but it was slow in dispatching the enemy. He'd stood in this spot for far too long and his supporters seemed skittish to advance and push the boarders away.

Maybe it was time to give them a push.

"Defenders, Charge!" He called out breaking out into a run his shield forward his blade slashing out to protect his flank. Will crashed into the line of foes his blade cutting through flesh and steel alike. A bloody confrontation like the battles of old steel against steel and ground made muddy with blood. An errant shot, unknown if from the enemy or his own crashed into his shoulder. The armor held but he would feel it in the morning…if there was a morning to be had. A bolt bounced off his shield and he ran the offending sith trooper through before quickly turning and cutting down another. From the side another blaster bolt hit him in the side causing his knees to buckle. Calling on the force he threw his weapon impaling another upon it. A few stragglers attempted to hold the line opening fire on the wounded knight his shield held just long enough of the meager defenders to dispatch them.

"Hallway is clear, Grand Admiral…" Will reported from a knee breathing heavy. Then he felt the loss through the force on of the Emperor's was gone. He fell forward steadying himself with a hand. A smile came to his face, a laugh left his chest.

"All the Emperor's Horses and All the Emperor's Men…" He shook his head. Well, there goes his shiny new rank…he didn't even get to order someone around…

"You there…" He called out to an ensign that had the misfortune to be standing near by. "Get your Vice Grand Admiral a tea, Earl Byss Hot." Whether or not the young man did it or not was besides the point. It was the fact he'd given the order.

"Your orders Arthur? I mean
Grand Admiral?"

@slivertough

 

IC: Grand Admiral Sam Hhat

Nubia Orbit

Sam Hhat was still heading to the Nubian Prime when she felt it.

Or more accurately, she no longer felt it.

Aryan and Bellorum. Their presence in the Force had been doused.

Sam stopped her ship and let it sit there as she processed what this meant. She knew that something dire must have happened to the Emperor and the Empress... but she did not know what.

Nor was she sure what to do now. Should she continue following the last order given to her? Or should she try to find out what happened to her Emperor and Empress?

After a moment, Sam had decided. She continued to head to the Nubian Prime, since she still had her orders. She could find out what happened to Aryan and Bellorum later.

If there was a later, that is.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @HanSolo29 @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Grand Admiral Arthur Donvoy
Interdictor

The battle above the skies of Nubia had begun to shift in the prior hour against the One Sith's forces. It had been a subtle change. The ceaseless strafing runs against his Interdictor had diminished, following yet another seemingly allied force of aliens exiting hyperspace within the One Sith's fleet. It was a chaotic mess, to the point where he had stopped questioning the sudden arrivals, and merely instructed his bridge crew to add their designations to the tactical map.

They all appeared to be acting on their own orders without outside input. The random collection of Pyke-aligned ships were occupied with harassing the rear line of Victory Star Destroyers, the Hapans were trying to fight everyone, the few Nubian dreadnoughts which remained appeared to be content keeping their distance and bickering amongst themselves, and finally, a Mandator-class dreadnought of all things had thrown itself into the mix.

Oh, and there was a orbital station seemingly trying to land in on the capital. Because of course there was.

He had since ordered his Interdictor to move rearward away from the heaviest fighting to act as a command ship. It had the added benefit of ending the repeated hordes of boarders attempting to breach their hangars. A brief moment of relief which was desperately needed for the crew.

"Any response from the Nubian Dreadnoughts?" Arthur asked, frowning as another wing of Pyke snubfighters were destroyed by concentrated counterfire from the Victory's.

"One ship has deferred to your command, Grand Admiral, and is moving to intercept one of the trailing Victory-class Star Destroyers. Another has refused to answer our hails." Captain Ornet responded.

Grand Admiral. It still took an extra second for Arthur to realize it was him they were responding to. He, a Grand Admiral? Talk about way out of one's depth.

"If they want to die on their own then so be it. Hail the Pelagian Moon next. If we don't force our allies to coordinate with each other our defense is doomed."

Arthur turned away from the battle map, hands clasped behind his back as he walked towards one of the Bridge's viewports. Even at such a distance, he could tell Nubia was on its last legs. Great fires had begun to spread across the capital, a grim indication of the defender's chances if there ever was one. But he couldn't dwell, he had been placed in charge of the skies, so he would have to trust in the Emperor and Empress' abilities to protect the planet. He didn't like it. He, along with Sam, he supposed, were stormtroopers at heart. They belonged in the mud and filth of the ground. Not the relative sterility of space.

He sighed, shaking his head. Just another question for the Emperor to answer for.

An Ensign snapped to attention to his right. "Sir, Vice Grand Admiral Tyrell is reporting success in his mission. Hallways are clear, Sir!"

Arthur waved him off, returning his attention to the viewport. It was a drop of good news buried in an ocean of bad. But he would take what he could get. "Tell them to rest and patch their wounds. They've done the Empire prou..-"

Dread flashed across within the Force. A pervasive sense of terrible loss following immediately in its wake. Arthur squared his shoulders and straightened his back, before casting a weary eye back towards Nubia's surface.

So that was it then. The Emperor and Empress were gone. Endor was happening again.

No. He refused. He would not allow his Empire to split and fracture, not again.

Tags: @Sinrebirth , @Lady_Belligerent , @galactic-vagabond422 , @CosmoHender (mentioned)

 

IC: Soliloquy
Within the mind of one Falling



Staring at the mental door he heard the scream, felt the scream. With a silent plea to his guardian spirit he ripped his spectral right arm free, crystal shards stood bloody and jagged as he pulled a shard from his spectral chest and added it to the arm. All the metaphysical sophistry and play on visuals that was a dramatized simplification of what he was doing. For soon another him stood beside himself, without a word he felt the shell of self around them pinch off even as they listened to Soa describing who they were observing outwardly. It was good to know what they were walking into, who was there and who was trying to hide.

Essence Heart - Soliloquy's own version thereof that all his fractured mental fortitudes could form. All that mattered was what he was existing for now. His daughter needed him.

The smaller form opened the door as the shell of the protection of the metaversal spirit embraced a new child's point of view. Stepping through he traveled the bind that linked their spirits to Shimmer. A song blared in his mind as he focused solely on the goal ahead, racing to embrace his daughters spirit and mind. "I'm here!" he shouted into the space between them as he raced through time and space to be with her.

Shimmer was missing an arm.

It was cauterised, so she wasn't bleeding, but the three One Sith standing over her were gloating.

Her attire was tattered, cut through by a dozen lightsaber burns.

But she was alive.

Blood bubbling up between her lips, she smiled.

Inexor narrowed his eyes and kicked her; his boot hit a previously broken rib.

"He's coming."

Oh my daughter, my innocent hatchling! What have they done, and how have you survived? He mentally asked as the soul of himself hid within her mind and body, feeling out where and how things stood. Without fully considering the implications he set to work, stopping the bleeding here and there, mending here and there, drawing the blood in her mouth back into her veins where it ought to be. He used whatever worked best where he was at, and he was everywhere inside her. He knew she would feel pain, but what was a little more? The broken rib would mend feeling as if it was breaking again for the first time, the scab of the arm stump would pucker and solidify, the myriad of wounds would be set if not to rights then on the path to being so. It would be a wave of excruciating pain.

What would come next, now that was something he was well and surely not prepared for. But he would do what he could.

Shimmer gave him a brief, if dazed, summary.

Broken ribs, thirteen lightsaber cuts, one missing arm, concussion, unsure as to internal bleeding.

Inexor huffed, and snapped a finger to the nearest Sith Trooper.

"Watch her. She's delirious, but I don't want her to die before I've brought her out to play."

The Sith Trooper slapped a salute to his shoulder. "What of the other bait?" Its chin indicated a room, it's entrance closed.

"It is unconscious and in stasis; unimportant."

Inexor led the other two One Sith towards their foes.

The Sith Trooper stepped closer.

She mumbled, slightly.

"I don't think I can take out this guy on my own, Master."

That's okay. I got you Love. he softly whispered in her mind. You see. I am actually here, and we can do it together. A little father daughter bonding. Running spectral traces through her mind he made sure there would be no lasting damage before he pushed outward.

To this point his Force presence and essence had been extremely compacted within her form. Now he pushed it out, flowed, lived, was. Shimmers eyes would become white spheres. Her missing limb would grow a spectral force phantom in it's place, and her body would continue on that theme as he oozed outward from her. Forming spectral armor and a staff weapon for her use. Did I ever teach you the Nightsisters webs? Let us begin.



Thus he began his instruction on how to make those glowing threads and quickly bind an enemy in the net and reduce them to minced pieces. If quickly enough, there might be no alarm raised.

Shimmer's fingers moved as if a marionette, and the web appeared around the Sith Trooper, who was suddenly levitating in the air. The moment it began to contract the Sith Trooper's eyes narrowed and while he did not raise the alarm, he did exert his Force power to resist, to push back -

Yessss! Soliloquy crowed in their shared space as he thrust the spectral arm forwards to dig the nails through the webs gaps into the trooper. It was always nice when idiots cooperated, simply lovely really.

Soliloquy took that push in the Force and used it as a bypassing pull, to draw the very life out of the trooper to be devoured and used to heal Shimmer even faster. Force Hunger was a dangerous tool, but when you had a fool that made it so easy how could you possibly resist, for there was a need and not merely an indulgence.

The Sith Trooper was a wellspring of the Force, of power, and so there was much to consume -

That mere fact gave the Trooper time, a half second more to react, and a bolt of lightning erupted from its palm to tether itself to Shimmer, who screamed -

Which would give out first?

The Sith Trooper's essence? Shimmer's body?

Or Soliloquy's resolve?

It was quickly becoming a war of attrition, a battle to see which would last longer. Shimmers life, the enemies force lightning, or Soliloquy‘s will win. Luckily, he didn’t believe in odds telling the stack of the battle such things were better decided by wit and chance. Already it had merely been a half second, not yet one full tick of the standard clock had passed and so between tic and toc he had to choose, choose how to pivot this into a win.

The spectral Force armor was warping and not working well against the attack, Shimmer’s scream told the truth of that. Employing Force Absorb was a given, but it meant he had to cease draining the enemy. So much for a free lunch! He then focused his mental diversity in tipping the scales by putting that absorbed power to use to strengthen the web cutting the Sith Trroper to ribbons. Not as tasty as healing Shimmer more, but survival was of course key.

The feedback loop fed the energy, and in very short order, the cage began to draw against the Trooper, carving cubes out of his flesh -

A scream, and it was over.

But Shimmer had been the conduit for all that power, and her skin was pockmarked with burn medallions, her face was ashen, and smoke rose from her mouth...

... and she flopped to the floor.

"Well that was a close one. . ." Soliloquy stated with a mental before realizing his point of view falling backward and smoke was rising from Shimmer's body. "Perhaps a little too close. You really going to make me do this? Really? Only read about it, but. . .come this far." Rubbing mental hands together this shard of soul enveloped Shimmer's form, spreading over her and holding her soul, spirit, and flesh together in a perverse imprinting of will.

"Time for a drop of cousin's medicine." with that he forced a small portion of his life essence into Shimmer. Willing her whole to heal and be restored. Not completely, no he would not steal her pain of survival from her nor risk his own. A decade of his life should do, yes. What was that cost against the mere 10,000 he had left? "You gotta fight little one! Come on!" he charged her in her mind as he forced her to breath through this.

Shimmer took a deep, halting, painful breath, and then sat up.

She rasped for air.

"Master, I'm -"

She coughed, blood dribbling, but it was only minor.

The Sith Trooper was a pile of meat cubes, and Shimmer, weak as she was, blanched, covering her mouth and fighting back bile.

"What happened?"

“You just took ten years off my life. Now this is for posterity, so be honest. How does this rescue make you feel?” Soliloquy asked a relaxed manner. So far that experiment was a success not that he would be repeating it anytime soon except possibly in reverse.

"Ten years?" Her eyes watered, gratefulness showing. "It doesn't make me feel great, that I needed the help, but I appreciate it, Master."

She sat up. "There were three One Sith here. And... some other hostages, I think."

She vaguely pointed to the locked room, and then to the way the three One Sith had taken.

"They're hoping to ambush Iudex, and Lord Bernael."

“Yeah, they’re idiots.” He didn’t feel the need to clarify who in this situation. It was either clear or universally true.

“Do you feel up to arming yourself and rescuing the others? If so I’ll just ride along for now. I don’t want to risk burning you out again.” He said with a clear note of concern.

"I don't suppose I can take a breather," she said, smiling wryly, but standing hesitatingly.

"Who should I rescue first, Master?" Shimmer was still fairly addled, but trying; improving.

“The easiest of course! Or if all equal the closest. No need to over think simplification of rescue via altercations.” Sighing he went back to the metaphorical darning of socks as he knit and stitched her wounds to pass the time while supplying her spectral arm.

She nodded. "Alright, alright."

Stepping towards the door, she gestured with the Force to break the lock, and it swung open.

Revealing two.

One a woman, another, a man.

The female was in Jedi attire; the man in Stormtrooper attire. Both had clearly been mortally wounded, healed up, and then tortured.

The woman looked at Shimmer. "Call me San."

"I'm Trask," said the trooper, breathless, clearly pained.

Soliloquy silently waved the spectral arm at them. Well this isn't awkward at all. Wonder who they are leverage against? With a shrug of Shimmers one shoulder he nudged her to respond. I'm not really here, remember? Long time since I was a Jedi, let's see if we can get them moving, armed, and check for meds nearby.

Shimmer felt very, very tired.

"Alright," she gestured with her only hand, and ripped at the bindings. "I'm Shimmer, and I'm a Sith. I'm not going to spice-coat things, but suffice to say, I hate the One Sith."

"My master, Soliloquy, is currently keeping me on my feet."

"But my on-off boyfriend, Darth Iudex, and the Lord of Hunger, Darth Bernael, are here to rescue us -"

"Bernael's here?" The two spoke in unison.

Why am I not surprised, I get no respect for keeping you up and running, but cousin gets all the love just for being in the neighborhood. . . .wait a second, what do you mean on-off boyfriend! Did he mistreat you?!? You know you can tell me anything. Also, how far do you consider bodyfriend/girlfriend activities? I am such a bad parent, I can't remember if we had the talk! One Sith need to wait, we need to a bit of time. Oh, you can tell me sweetie. Soliloquy rambled out as her spectral hand waved about through the air. He was still keeping an eye out for any bacta or anything like food. He had a feeling if he offered meat cubes Shimmer would loose nutrition instead of gaining any.

Shimmer rubbed her forehead.

"Master, I am not talking about the Banthas and the Nevoota Bees with you now."

There was a medpack nearby, partially depleted, seemingly used to prop up the other two.

"It's very late, too," Shimmer said.

The Jedi and other man exchanged glances.

"Where is Bernael?" The woman said.

"We need to find him," Trask added.

"Health first, please," Shimmer said, dropping to the floor. She was exhausted. "Love you, Master, but really, you need to get a grip. We're not official, that's all."

Trask began to break out the kit. "You sure you're not insane?"

"She's a Sith," the Jedi said, smiling slightly.

The spectral hand aided the living in opening and sorting the meds. So we will talk about it later. Understood. With that his mind focused more on the here and now as it was suffused with the warmth of a daughters love. Of course at accusing his daughter of being insane Soliloquy could merely chuckle which sent the spectral hand to shaking before he sprouted two eye-stalks and a mouth stalk off the back of the wrist to blink at them.

"She's not crazy. Believe me I tested for that before I adopted her." humming for a moment Soliloquy made sure to see to Shimmer's health needs first as well as get her some uppers. Sprouting a nose he sniffed for any traces of a food area nearby besides the meat cubes.

"Hmmm. I hope there's something else nearby to get you all back on your feet enough to survive. I can't baby sit you lot forever." He solemnly intoned as his nose stalk went one way while his eyes split between the two new people and his mouth drifted off like a forgotten appendage.

"I'm not convinced I'm not insane," Trask said, drily.

"It catches," Shimmer said, laughing, and coughing into her pain. Trask pulled up her shirt slightly, conscious that her hand seemed to be going to a wound on her side. He eyed it, it looked as if lightsaber burns had been joined together for stitching; a sick artistry.

San spoke more directly to Soliloquy. "I know we've fled to another era in space-time. But if Bernael is here, he doesn't know we're alive. Inexor kept us, waiting to push him over the edge, to the 'True Darkness', he said." San pinched her nose. "He was working with someone named... I want to say Skelm, or Caedus, maybe. They were going on about six of them, and how they'd have revenge... and Inexor was agreeing, apparently the Darkness had saved them."

"And then something happened and the Darkness thingy left." Trask winced as he applied bacta to his palms to place on the wound, moving his hands to try and feel what was beneath; fluid, blood, or? "Ranted a bit as it did."

San nodded. "The First Darkness will fall, but our Revenge will be complete when the Dragon Changes all."

Soliloquy reabsorbed the nose and one of the eyes. Leaving merely the mouth stalk and singular eyestalk to look at them as they worked from his spectral hand. "Cousin will be fine. I hate to say it but someone tried applying short livers mentality to him. Didn't expect a Darkness to be that big an idiot." with a shake of his eye stalk he blinked away the silly notion. "We both have lived among short lived races long enough to know, you all die just as we all die. Only you are born and die if lucky in what may seem like a week."

Working spectral lips he sighed at the situation. "Listen. healing is awesome. But you guys need to be somewhere secure - like hidden in an escape pod or something. Sleeping where they were holding you is bad planning."

Trask and San looked at each other. He nodded, and slid his arms under Shimmer's remaining one, helping her up.

"I can do that," San said. "I have the Force."

"Yeah, and I don't have a gun. So I do the lifting, you do the Force-ing."

San nodded. Shimmer's head lolled slightly, but she perked up. "Master, who is going after Krayt? If he's trying to cause a Change, you can't focus on me."

"Change with a capital C," Trask muttered. "Sounds ominous."

"What doesn't," San said, drily.

Soliloquy merely smiled, “Ah, you care! So darlings, have no fear…scratch that, have fear. Fear keeps you alive and aware. Have no…terror! Have no terror. Ter-ror…that is such a funny word isn’t it? Almost descriptive of ancient killing things for you primates, tearing and roaring. Huh, wonder if that was on purpose now - never a protocol droid around when you want one. What was i saying? Right, I have known a couple Dragons in my days, why when I tell you the stories I know, and most of them true, you wouldn’t believe how awesome I’ve been. Ahhh.”

His eye lolled in happy contemplation before recalling he had an original thought to a question he had neglected. “And no worries. I’ll reabsorb this bit of myself when the time comes. But I’m pretty sure the Emperor will deal with the Emperor. I’m here for cleanup duty. After all is done some of the trump cards for Change are actually wild jokers that can easily be turned back again after the fact.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @darthbernael , @Silvertough

 

IC: Ike, Tia, Darth Insipid, & Soliloquy
Tourists of the Graul Estate

Tia stared at Insipid, Sith Emperor. The words rang in her ears. How delightful she thought and smiled at him, in a sycophantic way and curtsied in a similar manner, "my liege" she said, her eyes gazing at the ground. She could feel the eyes of the Sith lord on her still. She thought about what to do next when she heard the voice of the stranger that had joined them and turned to him, eyes squinting. Tia really had no idea what was going on, and why they were fighting other sith, but she kept close to her master, Ike, and muttered up at him "should we kill him, master?"

A slight dark chuckle bubbles up from within Soliloquy. “Truly delightful the naivety, so I see history as well as current politics is a neglected field of study. Or else a former Emperor would tend to be peeved. Proceeding, they have Shimmer and you have a situation.”

Off to his right outside the field of view of his left eye he gathered and levitated the dirt to make an accurate map of the whole battle. Even color coding everyone beyond himself, “So?” He simply asked into the stillness.

The Sith Emperor nodded to Tia, smiling. "Well said."

He eyed Soliloquy. "Let's not kill this one. He has his own agenda, but it parallels mine."

A tilted chin. "I didn't abandon you, Soliloquy -"

"Which means he did," Ike said, drily.

Insipid shot his former husband a glare. "I merely positioned you. Did you connect the Holocrons? Did you discover the plan of the enemy?"

He indicated the dirt and the map. "See, you did."

Ike snorted. "Lucky break." He cut a look at Tia. "My ex-husband speaks in riddles to cover his failings, don't get into that habit." A hesitation. "And no, we don't kill the Emperor either."

Insipid held a finger up to his lips. "Can I rely upon you to save Shimmer, and whatever other tokens they have to hold our Sith hostage to their emotions?" He nodded to Soliloquy. "And can I rely upon you to be here, and present, while we advance." He hesitated as he pointed. "Upon Darth Krayt, our opposition."

Ike looked at the map. "Aryan and Bell, they're there." He breathed out, slightly panicked. "Tia, Bell is my very best friend in the entire world. Aryan is her playmate."

"They're also co-Emperors," Insipid admonished. "Do teach your apprentice some politics."

"Politics be karked," Ike snapped. "We Sith are our passions." He stepped closer to Insipid. "And I will kill anyone who hurts my friends, my apprentice, my loves -"

Insipid placed a finger under his chin, closing his jaw gently, but firmly. "Tia, what say you? Soliloquy, can I expect you to join our Sith to face off with Darth Krayt directly?" Darth Krayt was power, more power than any Sith that they had ever met. A quiver touched his voice as he spoke.

Tia listened to the conversation, what she knew about politics was indeed minimalistic, she knew of the great Chancellor Palpatine of course and the basics of the formation of the empire.

"I am willing to serve the ways of the Sith in every way" Tia says earnestly, bowing her head.

She was inwardly pleased that her master said he would destroy anyone who would harm her, at last she felt she belonged, being a Sith was now her destiny.

Keeping Ike in view of his left eye turned out to be a feeble attempt at myopia as he just had to got to his ex! Moving the map Soliloquy kept it solely in his right field of view including the shadows. “Idiots. Krayt says hi and I see you. Now can you act normal without giving away the map or should I just behead Ike now as a lure and be done with it?”

Letting out of growl of contention he raised a finger and two points on the map began to glow. One was here, but another was by Shimmer. “That’s me. I would need to regroup before Krayt, with Insipid in the lead this time so he cannot kick me out as a sacrifice to run away again instead and of attacking together.” Here he shuffled slightly, “I can provide Battle Meditation and save Shimmer and end whatever will be used as leverage for your passions. As for Bell and Aryan.” A shrug, “They have each other.”

Ike smiled at Tia, and Insipid smothered a snort.

Youth.

What a blessing.

Soliloquy was being himself. Insipid beared his teeth. "Us four, against Darth Krayt?"

Ike shrugged. "You have a better idea?"

Insipid looked to Tia and Ike. "You have one lightsaber between the two of you."

"But we fight dirty," Ike said, grinning. "And Soliloquy fights weird."

With a slight sigh, he looked to Soliloquy. "I assume you intend to have 'captured' us to bring to Krayt? Do I have to be manacled?"

"We should make our Emperor unconscious," Ike said, winking at Tia.

“Honestly listening seems to be optional!” Soliloquy growled into the space of the moment before clutching at his chest and and breathing suddenly hard, eyes wide and wild. “Emperor’s Black Bones on a cracker!” He shouted as he quickly found a pillar to lean against.

“I never thought I would do that! And to me!” He gasped as he looked up as he breathed in heavily through clenched teeth. “They always say those closest to you hurt you the worst, should have expected this of myself. Too late for it now, gonna have to completely cancel that vacation home on Gamorr now, life’s too short for that type of frolicking in the mud now.”

Returning his gaze to the others he slowly drew himself up. “Please, we just walk in. I mean if you want theatrics I won’t object, but for spontaneity sake the kid decides.”

Tia looked up at her superiors, "Theatrics? I can do that..." a mischievous grin forms across her face. The four of them could handle Darth Krayt! surely, how bad could be? "Will will be seeing that awful lady that looks like she belongs in a Coruscant night club again? she is red and black, I'd like to knock her unconscious!"

"Sounds like Darth Talon," Insipid, carefully.

"Wasn't she the frankly unnecessarily sexualised Twi'lek?" Ike reflected, aloud.

"Not that it mattered to her, she's gut you with her lightsaber before you had a chance to fantasize about her..." Insipid looked to Soliloquy. "Krayt will take all four of us, with all our attention. Is Krayt basically alone?"

Soliloquy squeezed his eyes for a moment and pointed with his right arm. "Map. There. See for yourself. Although it does look like the pieces are starting to shift and converge for his position, by the time we arrive, so could some of his, so could more of ours."

"So we go?" Ike looked to Tia. "Is bringing her a good idea?"

"Is not bringing her a good idea? We'll need all we've got," Insipid glowered. The Emperor of the Sith regarded Tia. "Darth Krayt is among the most dangerous people in the galaxy. If you want to pee yourself a bit, I won't mind."

Tia scowled "pee? I'm not a baby!" she then folded her arms "I'm not scared of this Darth...Loading Box or whatever"
Tia knew next to nothing about Sith lords, just what she had read in books, which were unreliable and irritatingly vague.
"is bringing me a good idea?" she muttered low to herself before looking up at Ike "nice to know you have faith in me maser!"

Soliloquy gave a dramatic shudder, "We do not mention Darth Loading Box! They were the most infuriating, ever!" Striding over he pointed at Ike in a menacing fashion for his left eye to see as he included Insipid. "Compared to me you are all babies, so I have low hopes for this attack on a toddler. Still, it is up to your maser if you come or not. Hopefully others make it in time to help us."

Tia scowled at the response "are you calling me a toddler? I happen to let you know I am seven years old, I am NOT a child"
she had hoped her retort had sounded as convincing to them as it did to her.

Soliloquy gave a slight nod to the infant and turned to Ike once more, "Womb robber." he simply said reply.

Ike shrugged. "Sometimes its fair to start them off young." He grinned.

Insipid cut the chit-chat. "Let's go. Krayt will be expecting us." He turned, his cloak flowing. "Make sure the womb-let doesn't slow us down."

Ike pursed his lips. He really wasn't a big fan of kids, not really, but needs must. Smiling, he grabbed at Tia with the Force and levitated her over to Soliloquy. "Uncle Sol will give you a ride."

He dropped her unceremoniously, and skipped to catch up with Insipid. He slotted his hand into his, and Insipid looked down, briefly, and then let Ike squeeze his palm.

Insipid squeezed back.

"Tia mumbled something unintelligible as she positioned herself, "if I am sick it is your fault" she glanced at Ike and Insipid, letting them know they would also be blamed.

Letting the map drift away as the dust it was Soliloquy calmly pulled out his living umbrella, letting it shake itself before he raised it over head once more. "If you ever wondered why I didn't let you baby sit. Wonder no more." he simply sighed as he followed the grouping towards Darth Krayt. Hopefully he would be able to pull himself together before that event.

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @Tia

 

OOC: Any time I get to be deliciously edgy with Iudex is a good combo in my eyes. Thanks @darthbernael and @Sinrebirth ! Hope there weren't any big Darth Inexor fans here

IC: Iudex, Bernael, and Inexor
THE BATTLE OF NUBIA

The view that was given was…not entirely unexpected. The battle brothers had been drawn from one point to another to another, each bringing them where it seemed their foe truly wanted them to be taken. Which, knowing, Krayt, was where that being felt he had the most power and sway in what was occurring. At least that was what was going through Bernael’s mind as the growl ripped from his throat as he watched the station’s controlled descent toward the planet.

By the time that he turned at the sound of the stomping boots of the stormtroopers entering his ire had begun to rise. The shifting under his robes had also returned, the hard edges and color suffusing his face. His flesh seemed to harden as his eyes dripped with darkness. ”No…snacks will not interfere.” his voice came, flat and hard.

Coruscating black lightning filled his palms before multiple arcs burst forth, scintillating as they flashed out at the troops arrayed against them, the air freezing in their paths. His head twisted to the side for a moment, ”The Death Game, whoever’s count is higher gets their souls.” he suggested to Iudex before stepping forward, heading into the fray.

"They are already dead." Iudex snarled, tilting his head to stare into the blackened eyes of his battle brother as the chants of their former crew intensified. "I care not for their souls. Nor the satisfaction of delivering them a warrior's end. They have died for no reason other than the fact they have dared to stand between me and that which is mine."

Shimmer was near. Her fresh wails of agony like super-heated daggers carving away the flesh of his inner ears. Soon. Soon he would free her of such torment.

Soon..

Now.

Twin vipers of blinding white lightning materialized in twisting, writhing masses which descended down from his shoulders in each and every direction. A piercing contrast to his brother's own display. Dark and Light, Hunger and Judgement.

Those that stood before them were dead. Iudex had declared it, and so it would come to be. One by one, fist by fist, their fates were sealed. He paid the corpses they strode across no mind. They were but vessels for his brother's hunger. Whatever it takes.

He would kill them all if for but another moment with her.

The troopers tried to stop them, of course.

They died, nonetheless.

The count was roughly even, some ten minutes later, though Iudex was slightly ahead because of his fervor. They'd taken minor blaster burns, maybe a bruise from a rifle butt, but nothing more or less. Weariness was fleeting, but it existed, at the very edge of their concentration.

Several dozen dead lay on the floor.

The way was littered with the dead.

The hangar led to a central part of the station, which had reinforced transparisteel above and below. The lights were off, draping all manner of corner in shadow, but the center of the room was lit by events outside. They would see the station was crossing atmosphere, heading down to the surface; the Force did not bleat with worry - it was a controlled descent.

A module faced down, in the distance, the bridge, perhaps. It was where Shimmer would be, and a pair of other life forms.

More hostages?

But that would likely not be all that concerning to them.

A One Sith stood before them.

Darth Inexor.

"So you come at last."

Affecting an attitude that the slight weariness was more than it actually was, Bernael leaned against the bulkhead, wisps of smoke coming from holes in his cloak, dried blood, both his and not, crusted on his armor. He allowed his features to take on a slight look of annoyance, after all Iudex was slightly ahead in the kill count.

Lifting one hand, curling the fingers to breathe on the backs of his talons, he then buffed them on an untarnished part of his cloak. ”The boot does…occasionally…deign to notice the ant as it trod upon it.” he replied, in a lazy tone.

”Your offer for us to appear was…poorly worded.” he went on.

Glancing at Iudex, the corner of his lip twitched, ”My brother here…” he began as his attention returned to Inexor, ”...is displeased with the manner of invitation. I support him in his desire to extract the fullest explanation of that manner, from you, one drop at a time.”

He pushed upright, smiling coldly. ”You are still the ant and he the boot but…the ant sometimes must be crushed before the true problem is dealt with.”

Iudex said nothing as they killed their way through the station, and he said nothing now, he simply seethed. It took what little willpower he had left to remain standing in place, to not gouge out Inexor's eye's with his thumbs or to crush his spine beneath his boots. Blood and gore which was not his coated every inch of his formerly polished armor, a ghastly contrast to the blazing fires which burned behind Iudex's eyes.

"Extremely displeased." He managed to confirm from between clenched teeth. "However today ends, your fate remains the same. You, on your knees, begging for a quick death. The only mercy I can offer."

Iudex took a menacing step forwards, the stomp of his armored boot echoing throughout the room. "So choose your next action carefully."

"Carefully?" Inexor chuckled. "Do you think I would lure you both here without a plan?" He spat, chuckling, his winding cyborg arms wielding two blades of crimson. "That I would be so foolish."

"Bait... applies to both of you."

His eyes narrowed at Bernael.

"The threat... is for each of you."

His eyes flit to the shadows on the concourse.

"Join Lord Krayt in truth, or lose it all."

His eyes blazed yellow for Bernael.

"Again, in the case of one of you."

He fluttered metal fingers.

"Did Bernael ever tell you what I took from him, Iudex?"

"Did Bernael ever..-"

Iudex appeared to shimmer out of existence. One moment he was there, fuming, the next, he was within a hair's breadth of Inexor, a trail of blinding white lightning scouring the floor between each point. He dug his feet into the ground mid slide, twisting his body at the last second to throw his entire Force-boosted bodyweight into a single, devastating right hook into the One Sith's eyesocket.

A deafening thunderclap exploded as skin met skin. Iudex followed within a heartbeat with a follow-up left uppercut into the man's jaw. The spirits would shine upon him if Inexor found himself biting off his own disgraceful tongue, but a shattered jaw would do just as well.

Bernael had been sure what lever Inexor would think he held over the ancient Anzati. And he wasn’t surprised when the cyborg began his attempt. Even as he brought it up, Bernael let out a chuckle. The chuckle suddenly dopplered into a high pitch sound as a fraction of a second after Iudex moved a black blur of movement joined the white lightning trail his brother had left behind.

The fraction of a second longer it took, the extra distance he moved meant that by the time Iudex let out his massive punches he was finally in position, behind the cyborg. His eyes flared a deep black color and a wall of Force energy pressed toward Inexor, to rebound him toward Iudex, to give his brother even more chances to take his vengeance. There was no need for words, simply to be the wingman to his brother to let him destroy the creature that had roused his ire.

It happened so quickly.

CRACK.

Inexor's jaw went flying, snapped clear off, leaving his tongue dangling, no, wait, half of it was missing, now free-floating detritus of bone and blood -

He felt the push towards Iudex from behind -

He turned his head full-180, committing one blade and one clawed hand to each offensive -

A snatch at Iudex's wrist as it flew by -

A slash at Bernael's throat with blade tip -

The shadows revealed a pair of bolt lightning attacks hurtling for them -

There were two other One Sith here -

Grim pleasure flashed in Iudex's eyes as he felt his fist first shatter and then tear free Inexor's lower jaw from his skull and go sailing across the room. It was a start.

Before his foe was able to recover from his initial assault, Bernael was there, forcing him back into Iudex's advance. No words were uttered between the two Circle Lords as they attacked in perfect synchronically, for none were needed. Such was the extent of their knowledge of each other.

Inexor attempted to respond. It was ignored. Iudex's lightning descended from his shoulders and fully enveloped his arms in a protective sheathe. Inexor's attempt at a grab was slapped aside as Iudex delivered another brutal thrust of his fist into the fake Sith's gut. And then again and again and again. Each impact accompanied by a deafening thunderclap.

Nothing was said, nothing screamed from the Falleen Sith's maw as Inexor's fate quickly approached. In Iudex there was naught but determined, absolute wrath. A bolt of lightning impacted his body from behind. A brief flicker of agony registered somewhere deep within his mind in response, but then it was gone, cleansed by his all-consuming fires of his hatred.

Bernael’s face was grim, though otherwise emotionless. He’d spent the anger he’d once felt for the cyborg, decades before. This was just the last moments of what he’d begun when he’d crushed Inexor all those years ago. As Inexor spun, he dropped the wall of energy, one hand moving at that speed very few could match, a web of lightning in his palm as it hit and diverted the ruby blade of Inexor’s lightsaber. A few stray hairs floated free from where they’d been sliced from his head at the diversion.

The palm of the hand turned, the black crackles of lightning flaring in the palm. As he let loose the attack that had not been part of his focus hit him, arcing into his shoulder. His own attack went wide of the cyborg, impacting on the corridor wall as he let out a grunt. Raising his second hand behind him, his senses questing for the One Sith who must have attacked, his lightning met theirs, an almost tug of war beginning, his attention mostly remaining on the creature who had drawn them here to begin with.

Inexor was dying.

He summoned the Force to barricade him, to protect, but they were too much.

Too powerful.

His body, cyborg and otherwise, was being broken, shattering under the impact of each enraged punch.

He howled, and howled, and howled.

The lightning hurled at Iudex and Bernael intensified, as two One Sith emerged from the shadows, both hands raised now.

Inexor was aware he had to last out longer than Iudex.

He probably wasn't going to.

He wasn't nearly as angry as the Falleen.

He summoned all his remaining strength and drove it into Bernael's mind.

They aren't dead. I have them. If I die, you will never, ever, see them again.

And the truth that filled the Force, it was as solid as it was powerful.

Images played over; him recovering their bodies, wounded as they were, him having faked their deaths to enrage Bernael, as instructed by... a floating shadow - a Darkness -

He had his loves.

San.

Trask.

Inexor's defenses, as they were -

Cracked -

He was vulnerable to a final death blow from Iudex -

Without me, you won't save the ones you love -

Forgoing any mental communication Bernael’s form became amorphous, only in a fluid way resembling the old Anzati. A portion of his body turned, almost opposite the battered Inexor, hands reaching out.

From both hands frozen ropes of black lightning burst forth, flashing across the distance towards the One Sith that were attacking. The rest of his form stretched, the void black eyes focused on the cyborg. It pounced; two, four, a dozen proboscises whipping forth, burrowing through the damage his brother had caused in the cyborg’s head. ”You idiotic mayfly…” he said in a clear, deep, and flat tone.

The proboscises pulsed, draining the mental and most of the spiritual essence of the cyborg in less than a second. To complete the humiliation, leaving just enough of the cyborg alive so Iudex could have his revenge, the proboscises exploded from the head, disappearing back into Bernael’s face.

”Turn him to rubble, brother. I have what I want.” he almost purred as his form shifted again and he almost casually began to stalk the two One Sith that had tried to ambush them.

Iudex moved in sync with his battle brother, stopping his relentless assault to instead hold Inexor in place as his spirit was consumed. It was an unpleasant sight, watching the Anzati Circle Lord feed upon the mind of another so viscerally, but one he had grown accustomed to. Inexor deserved nothing less.

Bernael's many proboscises retracted from the Cyborg's skull, in so sealing his fate. Sharing a faint nod with his fellow Circle Lord, Iudex rose to his full height, pulled back his hand, and delivered a final, lightning sheathed thrust of his fist through Inexor's neck. It met little resistance. Muscle and bone and flesh simply melted away from the heat of his electricity in sickening pops until finally, a heartbeat later, the jaw-less skull of Inexor tumbled free from his shoulders.

His body remained standing for a single, defiant second, before it too joined its head in a jumbled heap of bone and meat on the ground.

A low, drawn out hiss escaped from Iudex's lips as he watched the body of his enemy collapse to the ground. Like steam escaping a boiling kettle, his rage began to dissipate, the blood red tinge which had obscured his vision began to pull back, exposing the two One Sith into view. Their superior had been annihilated, what chance did they have? He watched Bernael turn towards them and hummed approvingly. Point proven.

Instead, Iudex fell to one knee, reached out, and took hold of Inexor's decapitated head. "You chose.. Poorly." He snarled, before tearing a handful of loose electrical cabling from the floor and lashing Inexor's skull to his hip. It was half a trophy and half a warning to the rest of the One Sith. Iudex had claimed Lord Ren's lightsaber as his own after defeating him, this was the same.

Inexor was dead. Soon, Krayt would follow.

Tags: @Sinrebirth, @darthbernael, @Mitth_Fisto

 

OOC: GM Approved!

Enter Bluth

Bluth, tucked away in his room sat on his bed, deep in meditation. His meditation was interrupted by a feeling of disturbance within the force. He sensed a calling out, so he concentrated on the feeling hoping to get a clear answer.

After a few minutes of intense concentration, it was clear. He needed to reach Citadel; north of the capital city of Nubia. He had never visited this place before. Luckily, he knew coordinates, as they were in the message.

He began to pack his backpack. Food, a few medical supplies, and some various weapons. He always had both his lightsabers by his side. He grabbed his blaster, as got ready for what would be an intense battle...


Grabbing his backpack, and putting on. He was almost ready.

"Link" he called out. A black cat came to him, so Bluth scooped him up. "Listen buddy, I have to go on a dangerous mission. I don't know or even if I'll be back so I need to make sure you are taken care of."

So Bluth, and Link headed for his ship.

Link, using his telepathy, as the two were linked for life; "Why do you insist on keeping your ship so far out."
Bluth answered back aloud, "I enjoy a walk, plus I'm glad we have this extra time together."
Bluth squeezed Link tightly.

After a brief walk, Bluth then got his speeder for the rest of the way. Lucky, for Link Bluth zipped up his jacket, safely keeping Link in place. He didn't drive as fast as he normally does. So after a few minutes he arrived. He parked the speeder behind the rundown barn. Walked around to the entrance and moved forward inward then opened up the ships with a click of button from the keys he had in his hand.

The two walked onboard, then Bluth unzipped his jacket, letting Link dropped to his feet and make his way to the control room.

"Alright, buddy. I'm dropping you off at Yullion, then I'll be at my destination." Bluth said to Link.
Link just jumped in his lap and fell asleep. Bluth entered two sets of cordinates. One to Yullion and the next to Citadel. Then he hit auto-pilot so he could spend as much time with Link.

After a brief napped as Link had manged to put Bluth to sleep they landed on Yullion. He woke up and woke up Link and the two began to make their exit. He then began to call his little brother on the phone.

"Hey, Danny I need a favor, from you. " he asked over the phone as he headed for the house that was just a few feet away.

Danny, Bluth's adopted little brother came out and walked toward Bluth.

"Drew, how've you been?" Danny yelled as he gave his older brother a hug.

Bluth laughed "Good thing no one is around, to catch my first name."

Bluth, pulled Link off him, and handed Link to Danny. Danny received the cat gladly.

Bluth, using his telepathy, "Link if I begin to become in danger, link up with Danny."

Bluth hugged his brother, and lightly spoke "I just go by Bluth, but when we are alone you can call me Drew."

Bluth made his way to his ship, determined to make his master proud.

Not wasting anymore time, he ran to the control room, and left Yullion headed for his next mission.

After for flying for awhile he reached Citadel. Landing safely, from a distance to protect his ship from any damaged, he made his way. Ready to do his part to help the Sith in any way he could.

 

IC: Grand Admiral Arthur Donvoy
Interdictor

The Bridge of the Interdictor should have been awash with panicking ensigns, panicking junior officers, and wailing droids. Instead, Arthur Donvoy, Grand Admiral of the Empire, continually had his expectations raised as his loyalist crew moved to set the new Imperial Standard of battle. Ensigns and droids alike ran to and fro across the vessel, hand-delivering messages and updates to the relevant officers in charge. Junior Officers proved their worth again and again by suggesting, and then implementing adjustments to doctrine that had kept them alive far longer than he had originally thought possible. His Communications Techs had even managed to wrangle approximately 70% of the haphazard collection of alien allies into coordinating with each other.

All in all, Arthur was exceedingly proud of them all. If they survived, he'd happily pin medals on all of their chests himself. But that was a pretty substantial If.

The battle above Nubia had unfortunately shifted away from the loyalists within the last 30 minutes. Back to the aggravating stalemate they had originally found themselves fighting. The One Sith's array of Victory-Class SDs had proven a difficult nut to crack, each managing punch far above their respective weight classes. The various Tapani vessels were less of a challenge, but the sheer number of them proved a boon in of itself.

The loyalist forces on the other hand were beginning to tire. The Pykes, promised a quick victory and plentiful raiding, instead found themselves utilized as shock troops, finding holes in the One SIth's lines and then punching through. It was brutal fighting, and, if not for the assistance of the Hapan and Pelagian rebel forces, would have been obliterated outright. Donvoy grimaced at the mere thought of the mountain of credits their mysterious benefactor must have paid them to sacrifice themselves so willingly for the cause.

And far below, the same six Nubian dreadnoughts outright refused to join the pitched battle, instead choosing to float uselessly within the planet's gravity well.

Back and forth the two sides went, neither seemingly gaining a distinct advantage over the other. Until finally, the One Sith made their play.

Three ships uncloaked into realspace behind the main battle line of the Loyalist fleets. Three ships of unknown design, but were undoubtedly Sith. Arthur squinted at the tiny dots displayed on the viewscreen, before shooting a concerned look at Captain Ornet, who merely shrugged in response.

Arthur didn't have to wait long for clarification. In moments, both a Mecetti Victory and a Hapan Nova were obliterated, their hulls splitting in two under the combined firepower of the new mystery ships.

"They're going to fight their way out.." Arthur mused bitterly, turning to look at the holodisplay of the battle. "Through us, I'd imagine."

"Shields at 40%!" A junior officer called out.

"Which, in our current state, wouldn't be particularly difficult." Cpt. Ornet summarized, stroking his chin.

"Our position is compromised. Alone we're as good as dead. Alert the fleet of those new ships, along with whatever damnable snubfighters they spit out. Meanwhile, take us in to the battle proper. Hide us within the Pelagian Moon's wake. Their shields should give us a fighting chance to survive the next few minutes." Arthur commanded. He watched in grim satisfaction as his crew jumped to their collective assignments. Good lads and lasses, the lot of them.

"We'll be lucky if we get a minute out of this maneuver. What then?" Ornet asked, his eyes locked to the holodisplay.

"Hail the dreadnoughts again. And again and again. If we're taken out they can kiss their gilded trash-heap planet goodbye."

Tags: @Sinrebirth , @Lady_Belligerent , @HanSolo29 , @ConservativeJedi321 , @TheAdmiral , @TheSilentInfluence , @CosmoHender , @galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Serapis
Receiving orders

Serapis and her three companions had dispatched the Sith Trooper handily. The four of them worked well together, for certain. She hoped to work with them quite a bit longer. That never did appear to be the case for the Sith. Alliances were temporary at best.

They were headed to the summons they had received to go to Ike. Adrenaline fueling pleasant thoughts; making her feel like she could do anything. There appeared in front of them a squad of troopers, intent on cutting them off. Serapis yelled out, "I'll take right!" and cut toward the right side of the group. Lightsaber burning its blood orange blade and speaking ancient Sith in an encouraging way. Serapis allowed herself a stray thought. Someday she'd need to learn that language so she could understand what the crystal was saying.

One-two-three, her blade flashed through minor troopers, tearing at them like they were not there. Cauterizing wounds as they were made. Serapis took down the group that had come to her. She took a few injuries herself. Nothing life threatening. Some blaster burns here and there. Her left arm hurt quite a bit from a knock she took toward the end of the battle. Yet, when all was said and done, she was alone. Truly alone. She didn't see Hekate or the two guards anywhere. Not even among the dead. Temporary alliances, indeed.

She continued to where the group of Sith were to gather with Ike. Perhaps they had continued there? Perhaps not. No matter. Her presence was required.

Tags: @Mitth_Fisto, @Nehru_Amidala, @Sinrebirth, other Sith

 

IC: Oorta and Anor
Traveling to the Peak

Oorta and Anor had agreed to the assault and had taken left flank of the troopers. Only in doing so they ended up getting separated from the others. Now could they have traced their steps to find them and make this journey more of a unified front? Of course. That's not what they did, but they could of.

Whether or not they should of is a conversation for a different time and place. For now they continued not to the estate that the others were originally headed to in search of Ike, but instead turned towards where they knew this battle would lead and end. The enemy stronghold and battle position that had just been a break water for some kind of explosion that otherwise would of devastated the town. Whatever was there they had to see, at least see.

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @Nehru_Amidala , @DarthIshyZ

 

IC: Cera Tan
Pelagian Moon

Cera had managed to take out several fighters but had to disengage given their current predicament. The Victories were not as formidable as the Emperor-class ones, but given they were flying snubfighters it did not matter. They needed a plan fast. “I suggest we target the bridge shield generators and then target the viewports and take out as many crewmembers as possible.” the whole thing was easier said than done, but that was the best that she could come up.

Then a new set of enemies appeared out of nowhere. This battle was becoming even messier than before. They needed to decide on what they were to focus on, given their small numbers they could not afford to split, so they had to deal with one problem at a time.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @Lady_Belligerent @ConservativeJedi321 @TheSilentInfluence @CosmoHender @galactic-vagabond422 @Silvertough

 

IC: Walce Quia-Vis
Pelegan

The turbulence of his fighter never seemed to stop as he weaved his way through one fighter after another. "It occurs to me that I never got my drink." He scowled to himself, thinking of the interruption at the cantina earlier. The force seemed like an imperceptible cloud at the moment, and he was struggling to keep up with his wing mate. For a moment he thought he saw flames rising from his fighter's wing, but upon closer inspection he concluded it must have been an optical allusion from the intensity of the enemy fire. One ship exploded it his right, and with a 90 degree turn another pair collided behind him. Over the communicator a scattered fuzz broke into what he recognized to be words: "I... gest... dge Shield Genzzz.... thenzzzz. viewports..." Walce rotated a couple dials and groaned. "Cheap hardware." Hitting a fist on the dashboard he called back. "I think I got the idea, if you take point, I can soak up the extra fire." He meant it mostly in gest, but at that moment another trio fighters broke off to target them, and he began evasive maneuvers, shooting one down but missing the other two. "Kark it all, nothing can ever be easy." He muttered wiping off a bead of sweat from his brow. "Take the shot!"

Tags @TheAdmiral, @Sinrebirth, @Lady_Belligerent, @TheSilentInfluence, @CosmoHender, @galactic-vagabond422, @Silvertough

 

(another great combo with Mitth and Sinrebirth, many thanks )

IC: Soliloquy, Tia, Ike, Darth Insipid, and Krayt
South of the City

Soliloquy looked at the throne and setting that they had walked into and then looked around. "Huh." he lightly remarked. "I think we walked too fast. Terrible for digestion that." he remarked as he used the Force to draw a large bottle from behind the bar and began inspecting the label.

"So you want to fight the drunk Emperor sober? Or should we share a shot before we begin?" he asked before glancing at Tia, "Well, maybe not you. Not time to experiment in cognitive impairment." he added with a shake of his head.

Tia glared up at him with a pout, "I'll have you know I once drank a whole half a glass of whiskey!" she lied. "I can handle anything!"

Darth Insipid snorted. “Well, Ike is a drinker so you’ll be fine.”

“I only drink because you drove me to it,” Ike quipped.

“Once you’re quite done,” Krayt said idly, dropping his finished wine. It shattered and he lightly tapped with his open palm, hurling a stream of sharp glass at Tia -

Then the bottle in Soliloquy’s hand detonated with a finger tip of his free hand -

“I believe this is my stage at present.”

Hand rippling slightly Soliloquy let the bits of glass fall away as small droplets of liquor were absorbed into his body. With a sigh he nodded. "Well, that's enough for me anyway." The shards of glass at the little girl he did nothing about. The child was prideful, to do anything for her now would be scornful met, or at best distaste from the thing.

"You're stage of course. Just trying to make an appropriate entrance." Soliloquy called out louder to be heard with a hand rolling wave to the sky above them. Turning he hopped up and took a seat on the counter. Looking at Insipid, Ike, and Tia after looking in the hop at Krayt. Assessing them all as he left eye roamed over them as he drank the chemically altered droplets waiting for what was to surely come.

Tia was only half listening to the conversation, Her first "real" lesson in the force was the basics of telekinesis. She had no use of the constant ramblings of an old man on what the 'philosophy' was on the force, it was the physical aspects that impressed her...or as Dalask himself declared; 'the force in action'. She moved the shard of glass with her fingers like a conductor would, before letting gravity do its thing as it fell to the ground with a clatter.
"Are you supposed to be some kind of warlord or something?" she asked Krayt.
She felt the eye watching her from Solioquy and quivered, he gave her the creeps, there was more to him than met the eye (no pun intended) but she didn't want to say it out loud in case she was admonished by her new master.

Insipid winced as Tia addressed Krayt, but the distraction helped steady his nerves.

Mentally, he could tell Ike was extending an invisible hand, to at least conceal his affection.

Insipid released a pulse of appreciation across their bond, and then stepped forward.

"He is Darth Krayt. The Sith Emperor of the galaxy, more than once. This is his second body; his third resurrection."

He indicated with his lightsaber tip. "He is the most dangerous person in the galaxy."

"I am," Krayt said, gravely. His eyes flittered over Soliloquy briefly, lazy prods with the Force, as if reaching for the creatures true self. "I am about to commit a Change. To rip over a hole in reality that cannot be closed. Once my shadow spreads across this foolish realm, all will be lost. The Apocalypse and End of Time shall begin anew."

Insipid grit his teeth. "Bad, bad things, Tia. Imagine the walls growing eyes, the floor turning to skin, the world melting before your eyes as shadows consume you alive."

"And I shall rule in hell," Krayt said, lightly. "The God of Rot will cometh, and so shall Trayus, and the great spider queen Gorog."

Soliloquy mulled over an operation he was working on in his head, it was rather simple and straight forward. Almost abysmally so. Still he arched an eyebrow at the words being bantered about now. (not that this plant based humanoid form had any hair on the forehead to create such a thing, but you get the idea - the arch of the eyes and tonal communication of the nonverbal was still heavily present best described by that old descriptor.)

"I'm sorry. Are you trying to all cause me to have a stroke by seeing how many things you can all say incorrectly in a row?!?" Leaning against the counter he eyed those present. "I know I'm an odd man out of this gathering, but you do know Rotty the sublime has been subsumed, consumed, and suicided by me now? Either he's closest kin, hates me to the core, or has severe PTSD from my mere thought by now. Actually knowing them, chance of all three." he nodded with a sage head frond waggle. "Spider Queen Gorog is just plane either insulting or ignorant. Fix it before you meet her, for your own sake as well as my mental calm. Trayus, lovely lady, looking forward to the next tea time and good marks on that one at least."

Turning he looked at Insipid, "Bad things? You describe a world of beauty and life as bad things? There really is no concerning taste and aesthetic, but you are only human after all." With a turned head he shared a hidden wink from Krayt on that last remark. Turning he raised a finger, "One, small quibble though. If you will rule the hell that will be the reality of this plane. . .why did you have to run away from the last one? Nitpicky I know, possibly a tender subject, but why this one? Or is it because you don't understand the brevity of your proposition? I mean short lived as you are I couldn't blame you for not realizing the limited chance and window of living let alone ruling you would be limiting yourself to." Soliloquy finished with a concerned frown.

Tia took a step towards Ike, to say she wasn't a bit frightened would be an understatement. She wondered what she had got herself into, and she grasped the hilt of the saber Ike had bestowed to her.

Darth Krayt growled at Soliloquy. Insipid chuckled slightly. Exactly, why not rule the prior timeline of Legend, rather than this one?

"Because the old timeline ended; it was ended by your efforts to prevent the End of Time," he glowered. "All of time should have ended. But instead it fractured, and this One Timeline survived. So, I shall destroy it."

He ignited his blade and in an instant, stabbed Ike through the heart.

"So the Change commences."

Insipid gasped, and Krayt suddenly withdrew, settling upon his throne.

Ike fell, smoke rising from his chest.

"I'm not... supposed to die here..."

Krayt grinned, malevolence incarnate. "No. You're not."

There was a huge rumble, as if the very fabric of the air itself was rent.

The left eye rolled, it’s vision shifting from the flowing databases to look upon a fleshy mass and bob in some fluid. It was living, it was live, and it was seeing. But it was an odd perspective.

Soliloquy sidestepped to beside Ike and propping him up shoved his hand in the hole. It barely took a second to feel the wound and inspect it. Reforming his shell to refill the hole with the appropriate connections he sighed as he looked with sad eyes over the man’s shoulder at Krayt. “So you missed the point and learned the wrong lesson. You end this timeline you end yourself as well ya big baby. Did you ignore my lesson on not performing essence transfer into a damaged vessel? Because brain mods count!” Soliloquy griped while sorting through what he had for a quick patch job so he wouldn’t have to sit here defending Ike with a literal hand patching the hole in the dam.

Tia looked on, hey eyes wide as the blade pierced him and stepped forward. Her first thought was anger, This was her new master, she was to teach her things she had only dreamt of, the ways of the Sith. She wanted to destroy everyone in the room. If only she was older, more powerful, but then, as quick as the deactivation of the saber blade, her thinking changed, perhaps Ike was too weak to train her, perhaps one of these others could train her instead, her thoughts were broken by the voices of Ike, Krayt and Soliloquy. She leant down and observed with fascination as the latter performed the medical procedure.

@Mitth_Fisto @Sinrebirth

 

Vice Grand Admiral Will Tyrell
Interdictor

With no orders coming in from his superior Will decided to gather himself and move towards the hangar.

"Come defenders, let us strengthen our ramparts in the breach created by our enemies." While manning fighters and launching them might have been more useful to the wider battle but, there were no pilots among these gathered individuals. All they had left was to secure their hangar and make sure no border could gain a foothold on the ship. He moved some boxes around, took up discarded armor panels to create some defensible positions. The ship shook and lights flickered, leaving Will to just put his head down and keep working. Everything was in everyone else's hands he just had to keep busy keep the crew busy and hope that his allies had everything in hand.

Another smile on his lips, his survival was in the hands of a hundred others all risking their lives.

"Hope no one has greasy fingers." he muttered to himself with a chuckle.

TAG: @Silvertough