Star Wars CLOSED Star Wars: Episode VI: Twilight of the Force III: A Son’s Destiny

IC: Soliloquy
Holocron Room

Somebody was having a bad day. Soliloquy could tell that right away, their greeting had imparted no smiles and no responses. They were perturbed! To say the least, true several crystals with their bound souls were merely bored, and others were vexed but that was so common a thing that the whole often ignored their vexed stated to focus on any facts they shared. So far that was disappointingly little.

Perhaps it was the balcony collapsing, bringing with it a degree of the rooms involved. It brought down with it most of the bounty hunter team. The odd one that was very vocal about his bad day prior to the collapse tumbled and used the Force to catch them all, but the debris sealed everyone in the Courtyard that had swept into it.

The Knights of Ren; Adalia, Kyp, Xundel; Aryan Graul; Cocytus and Kina Ha and Faya Ne; Soliloquy and his fellow Holocrons. Not to forget Darth Sidious and Onimi.

For his part, the Emperor regarded absently the tumbling of the cloister and only cared insofar as much as he was sure that the building wasn't about to tumble down; which it wasn't, it was as much part of the Valley as within it, and so the damage that Aryan Graul had caused was minimal.

Of course, it would cause its own problems. These things always did.

A woman landed besides a Holocron pedestal and knocked it over, the Nightsister - they would always recognize that kind darling - jumping over to catch Soliloquy! To say they were thrilled would be an understatement. After all there was good reason to want to save a holocron, especially if you didn't know how their holocron was reinforced as well as multifocal in natures. Still, almost nobody wanted a Holocron to explode and release a Sith spirit into all this!

Panicked, the bad day kid raised his hands and released a torrent of lightning at Palpatine -

The Emperor simply blew the flesh off his bones. What a way to end a day.

A woman shouted at Cocytus to run, to find the Black-Coat - Onimi leapt upon her, biting and clawing and she collapsed under poison.

The Knights of Ren rushed Adalia, Kyp and Xundel in a team, five lightsaber-wielding foes. None of them were very strong in the Force, and they swung their weapons.

The Holocron of Ergast, the Black Holocron and the Dark Holocron were the ripe and brightest jewels. Not to disparage the Lord of Hunger and his Master, nor those others beyond themselves here.

There wasn't much cover here, apart from moving debris aside as a shield - this was an obvious problem. Especially when they realized that the Emperor had turned his White Eyes to take in the Holocrons and the various parties fighting here.

This caused them to pause in this perusing of facets views as they felt a shudder between Soliloquy and Cocytus as they recognized that they would know each other, or perhaps... one of them would know the other?

Odd, how very odd. Still that one was yet not their possessor and they had plenty of other things to contend with at the moment. Palpatine was here after all. "Sister." They crooned in the voice of an old hag, a withered and tattooed visage they conjured of the soul they contained. "Grab the dark that glint in the night and the red of Ergast bled. Grab whom you care for. Then flee. Flee for death upon yet here trots! Or grab nothing at all, but flee. Flee we must! FLEE!" she keened within her ears, the message clear. there was little else they in all their facets could do. Not with he and they present, no not them.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @HanSolo29 @darthbernael @TheAdmiral @galactic-vagabond422 @Darth Cocytus @Adalia-Durron @JediMasterAnne

 

OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Barriss

Jakku

She fell on her knees, barely holding onto the dagger with her shaking hands.

I did it, Barriss realized. I killed her. I killed someone.

The former Jedi looked down at the Dagger of Mortis with a look of disgust and she felt an anger brewing in her now that the skirmish was over. She didn't this, to be the Chosen One destined to murder someone. That was not why she came here, why she had agreed to become a part of all this. She felt like a pawn. A pawn of the Father. A pawn of Anakin Skywalker, who had forced her to become a murderer.

She turned to where Renn and Vhardia had been. Barriss hadn't even known the names of the two Jedi, but they were gone now while Barriss remained alone and she couldn't help but feel like she had failed them. She regretted having no idea who they were.

Though she had heard what the Tho Yor had said about Korriban, Barriss had no intention of leaving Jakku at the moment. First, she would bury the dead. Instead the innocent woman whose body had been used by Abeloth. They deserved to rest. Only after that would Barriss decide what to do next. Barriss sighed, stood up, and got to work.

The moment was not interrupted.

Rey was buried, looking almost peaceful in her death.

As Barriss touched her, a whirlwind of memories and thoughts would assail the former Jedi - not hers, those of the innocent.

Or, rather, the time that the other Barriss had spent with Rey on Bonadan, allowing Barriss to learn the name of the woman she had just killed. The story came to her in pieces. How Rey was the granddaughter of Palpatine; how she had in another time been the Last Jedi, trained by Luke Skywalker to oppose the grandson of Anakin Skywalker; how Rey had defeated the reborn Emperor, and went on to confront the man named Kylo Ren time and time again.

A hero.

But here, merely a corpse.

The Tho Yo simply watched, expectant.

Barriss didn't understand the memories and the thoughts she was receiving... but they overwhelmed her and Barriss once again fell to the ground while in tears from what she saw.

There was not much the Tho Yor could say.

It just sat with her for as long as she needed.

The Father cannot see all. He can only hope, and have faith in people. The girl, Rey, she was born a Palpatine, and to become a Skywalker, he said. But here, she would merely be another casualty of the End of Time.

His tone was apologetic.

Barriss shook her head sadly. "This is wrong," she said softly, looking around. "This is all so wrong." She stood back up. "I need to go back to my family."

You are a Chosen One. The HoloNet has not yet fallen here. There is much in the balance.

As the Tho Yor spoke, it’s voice began to sound more like the Father’s; like Anakin, as if he was speaking through the small dipyramid.

Palpatine seizes Korriban as we speak; a Celestial superweapon is in the balance at Corellia; an Eternal Emperor prepares for his victory at Atrisia; a Sith Tribe is poised to escape Nadiem; the last of the New Republic holds at Kuat, imperiled.

The words held no emotion, they were merely facts. Anakin was speaking without passion, as if he would not commit to such mundane matters.

I will not stop your return. I will not even stop you if you take your family and leave. But there will be nowhere left to hide. The End of Time shall leave the galaxy without a future. Without civilization. Without comradely and Hope.

"What am I supposed to do?!" Barriss demanded to know. "The only reason that I was able to kill Abeloth was because I got lucky! And this is not what I agreed to! I was told that I only had to bring the Dagger of Mortis to the Chosen One on Jakku. I didn't think that would be me! I almost just died and if I don't return to my family I will be killed! Perhaps the galaxy has no future if I'm supposed to somehow be its savior!"

The Chosen One was Changed by Abeloth.

He didn't add anything else, as if it was self-explanatory that Barriss was not the intended recipient of the Dagger.

The Force is in motion, monstrously so. It cannot be seen into any more. It is all too jagged.

He did not offer excuses, merely facts.

"So this is an accident?" Barriss asked. "I was not supposed to be the one to kill Abeloth, but I did anyway." She sighed. "This is the last thing I wanted to be, a Chosen One and a murderer. But now I have been forced to be both. Decades ago, after the Clone Wars, I swore off all violence. Yet here I am, holding the weapon that I used to take the life of another person. I have become the very thing that I devoted my life to becoming again: a killer."

Nothing is an accident. Everything is the Will of the Force.

The Father hesitated.

That is no longer true. The Will of the Force has been corrupted, broken by the Change. The Force is what we make of it.

His tone firmed up.

You are not a murderer; the girl, Rey, she was already dead. Abeloth had killed her and then wore her skin. What was left of Rey was not enough for her to live. You saved her, Barriss Offee.

His voice trailed off.

As you will save more besides.

Barriss shook her head. "How? You expect way too much of me. I can barely even hold a lightsaber."

She also didn't buy the "Rey was already dead" part since the woman had become herself again in her final moments and had spoken to Barriss.

I expect nothing more than what Ahsoka and Master Unduli believe you can do. Find your way, Barriss Offee.

The voice faded, and the Tho Yor was ready, idle, but placed to move as soon as she commanded it to.

Barriss groaned in annoyance. "You are so unhelpful," she said, frustrated and feeling like she had been used by Anakin.

"This was never the deal!" she screamed, even though the voice had faded.

Barriss took a deep breath. "Frak this," she muttered. "Frak Abeloth, frak Palpatine, and especially frak Anakin Skywalker." She went over to Tho Yor. "Take me back to Mortis, back to my family." She had promised her wife that she would find a way back to them and she intended to keep that promise, especially since she had already more than fulfilled her agreement with the Father.

The Tho Yor obeyed, albeit despondently.

It thought they couldn’t save anyone unless they worked together. But it respected why she would not want to keep going. She had stopped Abeloth; that was important enough.

Perhaps that was all they needed.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Snerfu

This was it. This was the moment.

All five planets.

All of them could be his.

And his people's.

This was going to be the crown jewel of the Anubi. Snerfu prepared his warrior legion and the small group of arcanists. Snerfu branded the twin lightsabers that he claimed from Aurra Sing.

To Telos Arhizi...

Snerfu said his war cry, mainly to himself as he wondered what would happen next. What did the future hold?

Snerfu would find that Tobias needed to speak with him.

"Recall you gave me your word that you would aid me when I called for it? That time comes soon, very soon. When it arrives, you will know, and then you must do as I ask... for else is to break your honor-bound code, do you understand?"

Snerfu paused for a second; the way Tobias framed it made Snerfu think that his compatriot was up to nothing good; he was planning something. But what?

The Anubi aren't unfamiliar with deception; however, honor was always more popular and seen as a desirable trait. It is why Snerfu became their leader in the first place.

"Yes, Tobias, I am honor-bound to help you in your endeavors as we agreed."

Snerfu smiled, but deep down, he was worried. What was Tobias exactly planning?

Was it going to interfere with Snerfu's plans for his people?

Snerfu couldn't focus on that, at least not now. He had a world to claim...

Tag: @Shadowsun @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Senator Greeata Shychuvooq / Aurrena
The Roof

The Yuuzhan Vong Warmaster glared at Tarkin. "Fine. Mince your words, politician, but your fealty is acceptable, in the form of surrender." His amphistaff straightened and the spear-like end was pointed at Jori's neck. "She was brought here from Bakura - saved from an assassination attempt by the Supreme Overlord." He indicated Ike, who was keeping to the back of the discussion and waved lamely. "Is that not sufficient?"

As Kuat of Kuat's own shuttle settled upon the roof to join them, Nas Choka reoriented and glowered. "My fleet arrives at Kuat shortly. Encourage them to join with the Yuuzhan Vong as decreed by the Supreme Overlord. Palpatine has already promised you that you will reap untold rewards for the duration of your life."

Listening to all of this Aurrena had to suppress a curl of her trunk in a tight smile at what all of this likely actually meant. Especially with words like 'duration of your life', could a veiled stick be ever more thinly offered in the guise of a carrot? A villip chattered to him on his shoulder. His eyes blazed. "A Kuati dreadnought has arrived." His eyes took in Tarkin. "Do you too bring ships to negotiate your part in events?"

That self-same angry gaze took in Aurrenna. "Have you not prepared the land? Or is it just your irrelevant Outer Rim world you offer?"

Oh, she was on stage now was she? Hmmm. She chuckled softly, deep and throatily as she played her fingers over her throat. "I prepared not land, but space. With the proper signal I can decimate 2/3rds of the Alliances fleets into disarray and chaos after a fashion. Where my supposed people go, I have left my marks." she had not been idle and there was reason why she had need to save a breeding stock on Rodia, as some projects affected the very injections given to keep their people hearty and healthy before they left for the Republics armed forces. Something benign, unless triggered. She waved that trailing hand in a dismissive arc as she smiled openly at the Warmaster. The other two need make their case, she was enthralled and thrilled to see how all of this would play out.

Beneath them, the balconies and part of the first floor had tumbled into the Courtyard, and a battle commenced. Nas Choka looked to Ike and Aurrenna. "Get down there and assist our Supreme Overlord."

Ike looked panicked, like he'd never fought a day in his life. That was a lie if the earlier praise was any truth. "Go little man, I am behind you. Deal with a few more assassins, or line them up for me." she stated as coyly as she could muster as she sunk into a saunter behind this odd human.

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @HanSolo29 @darthbernael , @TheAdmiral @galactic-vagabond422 @Darth Cocytus @Adalia-Durron , @JediMasterAnne

 

​

IC: Darth Impetuous


Oh, gods...


Impetuous could feel how quiet it was, how quiet the calm was before the storm. The station was groaning and whining; it wanted him to act ... But no, all Impetuous wanted to do was get out of here; he could feel the chaos building, the massive number of ships incoming, dark presences that he recognized, but he did not want to interact with nor meet. This whole thing started because of them, and whenever they appeared, chaos and devastation followed.


All that mattered right now was getting back home. All the traitors had been dealt with; all the people that threatened to encroach on the peace of his empire were dead. Rebecca was heavily damaged but alive, so by all accounts, the duo should've been able to go home now...


But they weren't able to, as a shuttle now impeded their path, an imperial one. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem for Impetuous and Rebecca, but the latter was damaged and unconscious while the former was fatigued and drained. Simply put, they did not have the strength to fight; they were in the worst position possible.


"I'm Darth Impetuous, and I am no threat to you. Allow me to leave unabated, and you shall leave with your lives."


Impetuous was all talk right now.


He was hoping that something, anything in his voice would've communicated that same power and fury that he had earlier, but all Impetuous was feeling at the moment was fear, exhaustion, and anxiety.


His hand was split open; his muscles ached from overstimulation; he was breathing heavily from exhaustion. But Impetuous was going to fight off everyone he needed to get Rebecca home, fix her, care for her and regain his peace.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: A combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Qwi Xux, Beaumont Kin
Location: Jakkar, then Tahv, Kesh

Qwi did decide before they left Kuat to send a message to Feyna thanking her for inviting them aboard and listening to them. She added that hopefully she and Beaumont would return with some help.

Although it was difficult saying the message with Beaumont trying to distract her but in a good way.

They spent the trip having some private time. With the war speeding up it could be one of the last chances to do such things. He did manage to get it off Qwi chuckled to herself.

Her limbs still entangled with Beaumont's she smiled at him "The ship is definitely happy, looks like you have a new pet".

"I never thought we would return home. But it is good to be home, even if it is brief" she gently untangled herself from him and moved to put on her discarded clothes "I can feel the excitement all around".

As their ship commenced landing she began to get dressed in her drape, then her socks and boots, then Rax's cloak. "So we've had the pleasure, I suppose it's business time".

"So I guess we will have to tell them about everything that's happened and make a decision about where to go next".

Beaumont nodded as he rebuttoned his shirt. "I think we should tell them everything. There's no point keeping things from them..."

"... unless you think that'll scare them into staying isolated? It's not as if the galaxy is having a good time of it."

Another thought. "But I don't want to lie to the Circle..."

Qwi smiled, he always overthought things and wore his heart on his sleeve.

"Well let's tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and see where it goes. We can at least be honest with them and hope they join the fight".

She offered her hand to him "Grand Lord".

“Grand Lady,” he said with a grin, mostly dressed. The Circle was waiting as they landed, and the Keshiri Lords listened. They debated, and they came to a conclusion.

Korelei spoke it.

“The Circle does not believe this is our fight, Grand Lords. That we have driven the Tribe off-world, and that Kesh can return to its splendid isolation. We know, from our past, that the Destructors coming and going is merely a cycle.” Beaumont knew that was the case; Kesh had been visited by an immense cataclysm in the past. So when another Keshiri, Lady Shia, spoke up, Beaumont already knew the next part of the fable.

“That Protectors will arise nonetheless.”

The other Keshiri seemed to mostly be in agreement. Korelei continued. “That this Palpatine, he is just another name and he is no threat to Kesh.”

They were inviting the Grand Lords to speak by their respectful pause.

Qwi shook her head and squeezed Beaumont's hand. She decided to go first.

"I can understand your feelings, I really do. But I'm a scientist, I deal in cold, hard facts. And for you to dismiss Palpatine..i'm sorry but that's nonsense".

"Do you really think he will just ignore Kesh? Me and Beaumont have seen what he can do. And he will not stop until the galaxy is covered in darkness. And he will know there are Force users here. Either he'll strip you of your memories like he did to me, corrupt you or kill you".

"If he is not stopped the Empire will rise again, the galaxy ruled by an iron fist, including here".

"And the Lost Tribe is not done, not by a long shot. With the galaxy weakened they could strike back here or ally with Palpatine. And everything we have fought for will be lost".

"You wanted to know about the wider galaxy, yet you shy away when it needs your help. Has all that me and Beaumont done been for nothing?"

The Circle looked at each other. Shia again; "Does Palpatine even know where Kesh is?"

Beaumont hesitated.

What Palpatine did and didn't know was up for grabs.

If the Lost Tribe of the Sith caused an issue in the original timeline, he might know where Kesh was.

But if they hadn't...

He looked at Qwi.

"As I said he stole some of my memories mostly pertaining to my scientific knowledge which I may have used to help here".

"So it's more than likely he might find here. We cannot take the risk to say that he has not and then he turns up here".

"And with powerful Force users here? He'll be drawn to here like a beacon".

The Circle was unhappy about that.

“We’d like you to leave, Grand Lords. The Circle wishes to debate without you present,” Korelei sounded frustrated.

Another Keshiri woman, Sashal, summed up. “We didn’t fight against one group of Sith to end up oppressed by another. You should have been more careful.”

“It was hardly their fault,” said Vantsuri Shia said. “This Palpatine sounds quite irresistible. More powerful than the Grand Lords.”

“Which is why we should cozy up -“ Sashal began.

“Enough,” Korelei said, as the others began to rustle and build up to an objection. “Grand Lords, would you leave the room so we can discuss what is best for the Keshiri?”

Beaumont was nonplussed. But he could read the room. “Qwi?”

Qwi nodded this was not going well at all.

"If the Circle wishes it, then so be it".

Letting go of Beaumont's hand she turned and left the room going further up the corridor so she and Beaumont could speak in private.

"Well we've done all we can do. Unfortunately they don't seem scared enough of Palpatine or think it's my fault I could lead him here".

She spread her arms out "What was I supposed to do? He just grabbed them!".

Arms back down by her sides she shook her head "I'm getting the feeling they want to sit this one out. Let the galaxy burn and they will just hunker down. They don't grasp what could be coming. All that we fought for...is this it?"

Beaumont shook his head. "I don't know."

He glanced back. "You know how the Circle is. They'll debate it for a few hours, and then a few hours more. Let's go get some rest. Not everyone sees us as a liability on Kesh."

He was upset, but it was it was. But he wasn't going to head back to their home on Kesh, no, he was going to steer Qwi towards their ship. It seemed a safer place to rest.

Qwi nodded, stepping forward to take his hand again "Might as well rest while we can get it".

She blew out a frustrated breath "Let's hope by the end of it they change their minds' '.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

Tor
Korriban

"Frack…" She muttered to herself as Aden reveled at their target had found them out. So much for striking hard from the shadows as an opening gambit. "You said he…" Her words were cut off as the balcony they were standing on began to give way. With impossible reflexes she lept and lept again, getting just away from the tumbling rocks. She was safe, for now, and through the comms she could hear that the rest of her team was alive as well. Good, good they could work with this. Hidden in shadows, and by her lucky charm she took a breath getting a handle on the situation. Her visor switched to various different types of vision to find her target. Garul's biometric data already saved on her HUD from when she was just a teen, she could find him if he was covered in wampa fur in the middle of a snowstorm on hoth.

"Mirta leave the others, attack Graul sending telemetry now." she sent targeting data to all the hunters that had some sort of HUD, it would make picking friend from foe easier in the dust cloud. It also gave her the perfect shot.

Steadying herself on a wall leveling her blaster she took careful aim, she'd tried too long and too hard to just mess it up now. Letting out a breath she focused lining up her sights putting pressure on the trigger, then with a final exhale she pulled the trigger sending a deadly bolt into her target's chest, another quickly followed up the frist, a double tap, the standard attack of all those that carried weapons of war.

TAG: @TheSilentInfluence @HanSolo29 @Sinrebirth

Ka'rta
Ithor

The reports from Korriban were getting interesting a large dreadnought had jumped into system and was seeming to stay neutral, and the New Republic fleet was getting hammered, no surprise there. A group of bounty hunters had taken to the surface...that had to be her vagabond daughter throwing herself into a fight that was too dangerous for petty pride. There wasn't even any money in the deal for her.

Senseless.

That was when Tech came through with the information she needed. The trees, they were important, or at the very least the Vong didn't want them around. That was good enough for her. Sure it brought the might of the Vong down on Mandalore, but at least then they could stand and fight, face the enemy on their own terms. Though that did leave the Korriban question she had promised to intervene but, with this new information the tide had changed. Yes she wanted to bring the fight to the Emperor to smash his forces into dust under her beskar boot. But, if there was one thing she represented it was Mandalore itself. It wouldn't do for her to be away from it at it's most desperate hour, and with the Vong coming after her for the Herd Ships, the greatest fight they'd faced would be coming.

She could not be away from the center of her Empire as it was being hammered. The joys of leadership, deciding what was important and what wasn't. At the end of the day defending Mandalore was more important than getting their hands dirty in a three way fight that they had little chance of changing when they would have to split their forces.

Unless…

"Tech, I want those herd ships armed as soon as possible, and how are we coming with a droid vanguard…" She hadn't forgotten about the Vong's dislike of droids. "Also any biome on Mandalore where we can grow these trees? Having more seems like a good idea at this moment. Send one of the three to these coordinates." She sent a location she'd used in her mercenary days, an isolated bit of nothing she used to regroup and hide when the heat was on. Maybe it could shield something precious for a little while. "We don't want to put all our eggs into one basket."

Her thoughts returned to Korriban, Wrecker and Kast were right they couldn't keep on the defensive just turtle up and hope for the best, taking the fight to their enemy could make them think twice about attacking the heart…

"Kast take the main group and link up with the defense force and Iron Hand Squadron, defend Mandalore at all costs. I will take two wings with me and see if we can't pick at the bones at Korriban. Make them question our priorities or at the very least make them split there's. When we've cause enough havoc I'll return to lead the defense. Don't let Manda'yaim fall while I'm gone Kast." The last order came from the Mand'alor's mouth with all the force of the the woman could muster.

Which was not insubstantial.

With her orders given she jumped with her forces making sure to inculde as many from Squad 99 as she could and headed to Korriban to make some noise, to remind the Emperor that he was playing in her backyard.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Combo with Sinre and J-L

IC: Han Solo, Ben Solo, Triebakk, Feyna, Isolder, Aidel Saxan, Admial Niathal, Master Cilghal, and Winter
Medbay, Star Home, Kuat orbit

When Han eventually came to he could hear voices around him but he couldn't pick them up.

Guess that kick in the head was harder than I thought. Takes a lot to knock me down.

He was still groggy and his hands still hurt like hell. What the hell? I should be fellin' better by now….

"I feel like i've been trampled by a rancor" he growled grumpily as he tried to sit up but with his head spinning it was no good.

"So have I missed anything?"

Feyna was sitting on the edge of Isolder's bed, grim-faced from the updates.

"Just the usual," she said to Han. "Everything's falling apart."

How had a Vong fleet gotten this far Core-ward, this fast? The HoloNet's down across half the galaxy, of course we didn't hear anything.

"Though if Aidel is calling, hopefully that's a good sign for the Corellian election..."

She came through looking flushed. "Vice Chancellor, Queen Mother, I was hoping to get through to the Chancellor too, it's very urgent, and we need to send ships to the Garqi system as soon as possible-"

Cilghal spoke up first. "We've heard from the Grandmaster already - a massive energy blast wiped out the Yuuzhan Vong armada but also the New Republic fleets - all hands were lost."

Saxan paled. "And the blast came from Centerpoint Station, in the Corellian system. It's a superweapon, we already knew it was impossibly ancient, but it's a starbuster. We're not sure what triggered it, but I have Grand Admiral Jerod of the Empire of the Hand in-system attempting to take it, and the Confederation has just piled in with two fleets to do the same."

Almost everyone swore, apart from Ben, who was really old enough to be into swearing.

"No change there then" Han grunted back at Feyna.

"But if Saxan has won at least it might mean Corellia has a brighter future" he smirked "And my cousin lost out".

Although upon hearing the news about Centerpoint, Han joined in the swear fest.

"Well that's definatly not good. Everyone is quein' up to try and grab the superweapon. And the New Republic has just been weakened by that blast. So has the Vong".

"So the question is...what are we gonna do about it?"

Feyna didn't often curse out loud, but the news about Centerpoint, and Garqi, elicited a very unladylike response.

"And we don't have fleets to spare," Feyna hated admitting it. Fifteen years of preparation, undone in less than two days. "We have strong Intel that Palpatine is at Korriban, so the Fourth is there. We have the Seventh here at Kuat, but a Vong fleet just showed up here, too.

"Everything else was at Garqi.

"And Triebakk is Chancellor now," she told Aidel, realizing that she was a little behind on Senate events. "Doman was compromised by Palpatine, and there was an...incident; she's dead."

Saxan and Cilghal looked surprised. Niathal had guessed, clearly, and spent more of her attention on the Yuuzhan Vong.

The Mon Calamari Jedi Master spoke first. “The Jedi. We need to call for all the Jedi we can, and send them to Corellia.”

“Not Kuat?” Niathal said, carefully, turning an eye.

The Yuuzhan Vong were still holding off, according to the image projected in the medbay. They were being oddly careful. “What are they waiting for?” Isolder said, wincing around a bruise.

Saxan shook her head. “Is it relevant? Corellia is more important than Kuat.”

“Centerpoint is,” Ben said, carefully.

Palpatine is, rumbled Lumpawaroo, looking at Han.

Niathal turned to speak to an aide as they debated. They had minimal forces… minimal choices.

Han huffed "Well Corellia would be the obvious choice of course, especially since there is a superweapon that needs takin' care of".

He looked around at the others "But we ain't goin' nowhere with this Vong fleet around Kuat. And there is still Palpatine out there causin' trouble".

"The Fourth will have to manage Palpatine on their own for now," Feyna said. "With the HoloNet outages, we can't make contact to recall them anyway, and it could be over by the time a messenger got there.

"But I agree that Centerpoint needs dealing with."

"So we send the Jedi there to knock out another superweapon," Niathal said drily.

"It's out our play," Isolder bit back.

"It may interest you more to know that there is an open channel running from Kuat out-system. Heavily encrypted, and we can't use it, but its running all the way to Korriban." Niathal was reporting what she'd just been told off-feed. "Seems Palpatine left some relays alone... makes you wonder why."

Winter narrowed her eyes. "We do know that Treen was working with Doman... do you suspect the Kuati?"

"Has anyone tried to speak to Kuat of Kuat about their Senator's behavior?" Triebakk said gruffly.

Ben was getting impatient. "Where do you want the Falcon?"

It seemed it was now dissolving into a political discussion and Han had to echo Ben's sentiments.

If they were not needed perhaps Han could drop off back to sleep again.

"They did note that Shesh's trajectory was heading into the Outer Rim..." Feyna mused.

As to where to send Han and the Falcon crew...Feyna didn't want Ben in the same system as Palpatine. "Perhaps the Falcon can help at Centerpoint?..."

Ben looked unhappy, but Isolder didn’t comment. With so little resources and minimal options, all they could do was send the Jedi to Corellia. With Kuat now an uncertainty - he daren’t think of it as a trap - what else could they do?

Winter spoke up. “Master Cilghal, if you can gather what Jedi you can, we would be grateful. Once Centerpoint is destroyed the Empire of the Hand and the Confederation won’t have much to fight over, and maybe we can get started on a political solution.”

Triebakk liked that; they’d neglected the Yuuzhan Vong because of the half a dozen crises in the last two days, and it was showing. But nobody could have assumed that the Battle of Garqi would be ended by a superweapon.

“Dad, it’s my destiny to stop Palpatine,” Ben said, putting it out there. Niathal focused an eye on the young man. “You know why.”

Lumpy rumbled a warning. They did not go on foolhardy missions to confront mad bad Force users. His eyes swivelled to Han. At least not anymore.

Niathal chimed in. “Permission to deploy troops to secure Kuat, Chancellor?”

Triebakk hesitated at that. They didn’t know enough, just that the Kuati leadership was particularly absent from Kuat… and a Yuuzhan Vong fleet was waiting for something.

But he did note that the fleet was a tenth of the size of the one at Garqi. The Yuuzhan Vong didn’t have another fleet that big - otherwise it’d be here…

His warrior instincts, aged as they were, gave him the hint. The Wookiee wondered what he could do with that.

Han nodded at Lumpy he was correct.

"Sorry Ben, but if we put you anywhere near Palpatine, he'll come for you. You are not ready to face him yet and i'm not ready to lose my son, especially if Palpatine can get in your head".

"Your Aunt Feyna is right. Centerpoint needs to be gone. If someone like Palpatine gets hold of it who knows what he will do with it".

"And I can't fly the Falcon in my condition, I need someone to pilot and you are just as good as me son".

Feyna didn't offer further input to Han and Ben's discussion. With the Jedi headed for Centerpoint, the next order of business seemed to be what to do about Kuat.

"Even if Kuat doesn't know what Shesh is up to, we don't know who else is involved."

Lumpy rumbled. Just as good as me and you, Han. Ben looked unhappy, but he was silent.

Cilghal had signed off in the meantime to get on with things.

Niathal looked back to Kuati display. "New arrival coming in, targeting... it's big, bigger than a Star Destroyer -"

It was the Viscount, originally posted at Mon Calamari, looking slightly bruised by as powerful as ever. The prototype Star Defender was a mere three kilometers long to its larger sister, the Krakana, which was 17km long like the now-lost Bounty. Captain Atfab Ackbar, the son of the legendary Admiral, patched himself through.

"Mon Calamari has fallen."

Which of course they wouldn't have known, what with the HoloNet down over half the galaxy.

Triebakk nodded slowly. That did mean, however, they had more punch in-system.

"But can we take on Kuat and the Yuuzhan Vong with the Seventh, Krakana and Viscount?" Isolder asked the question they had to answer. Could they risk it, or allow themselves to be trapped by circumstance?

"Sorry pal, meant that" Han said to Lumpy. Ben was upset by the look on his face and the fact he was quiet.

But Han was sure he had done the right thing.

He continued to watch the others.

That Isolder had to ask, seemed to Feyna that the answer was probably 'no.' The New Republic needed a way to even the odds, but how?

Triebakk looked to their admiral. Niathal saw that she was being asked for advice. “We’ll need to secure the Guardian, unless you have a diplomatic solution.”

“I bet the Yuuzhan Vong are unsure too, or they’d have attacked,” said Isolder.

They were all at an impasse for now.

“While we can, you should get going, Han. If we can end the Battle of Corellia, we can win here, hopefully,” Isolder summed up.

Saxan nodded. “General Han Solo will definitely make a difference. He’ll rally the Corellians to our cause - with the Jedi too, we’ll have a chance.”

It was their only hope.

Han nodded, tried to get up, but failed. Damn body.

"Ben, Lumpy. Might need a bit of help gettin' to the Falcon. Hopefully I can get some rest before we get to Corellia" he smiled at Ben "You're takin' the hot seat for this one kid. Now you and Lumpy get to show me your teamwork".

He looked at the others "I think the others are tryin' to grab Centerpoint or destroy it. If it's the latter well at least they saved us a job".

He smiled at Feyna "Take care kid, hope to see you again soon. Hopefully next time with no battles".
One eyebrow went up in amusement, despite the rather dire circumstances. "Let's hope," Feyna nodded.

She kept her worries to herself, but she hoped that Ben wouldn't do anything foolish.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @Jerjerrod-Lennox

 

IC: Grand Admiral Lennox Jerod
Location: Centrepoint Station, Corellian system

Lennox had arrived aboard Centrepoint ready to help assume joint control of the station and to make sure that the Corellians did not pull any tricks.

Of course his invitation to form an alliance had fallen on deaf ears but the Corellians were too headstrong. But Lennox had to do the best with what he had. Some may see it as a concession but there was nothing else he could do.

Seeing that a Corellian shuttle had landed with him he was about to start the discussions when Centrepoint seemed to...groan?

Then Niriz signiled. And ships began to exit hyperspace. And not just one fleet. The Confederation had arrived. Fighters and landers were on the way, looked like they either wanted to take it or destroy it.

And also arriving were X wings. Was this the New Republic coming too?

There is no way i'm going to be a sitting duck on here if this thing goes off or explodes…

"Take me back to Roadblock" he commanded "Tell the fleet to turn itself around and move into defensive positions. Cerberus, all ships once you are in position take out that Confederation fleet and fighters".

"Deputy Prime Minister Teppler make sure the station is secure, maybe perhaps your ships could join ours in defending the station.".

"But if all else fails, if we cannot have it...then nobody can".

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @Narancia , @Shadowsun

 

OOC: Combo with Sinre

IC: Del and Senator Nola Deidder, and Trucemaker crew
Korriban

Del and the aide had surmised that Palpatine was very likely on the surface, so not much point targeting his flagship. They'd found a possible way to get comms back out-system, but they needed to hack into the channel first. Kuat's betrayal, somehow, wasn't that shocking. Except the Senate had moved to Kuat.

She thought about trying to warn the Chancellor, but, by the time we get into the HoloNet line, they'll already know.

Here, they had to focus on Palpatine. If they could actually take him out, here, now...

It probably wouldn't end the war then and there, but it would be a decisive blow to the Vong. She'd been sent here to negotiate, but she didn't think they'd make much progress while Palpatine was alive.

There were concerns about potential losses. "We'll lose just as much fighting that Mantador as we would making a run on the surface, but possibly taking out Palpatine is worth more than taking out one dreadnought."
“So we bet the fleet and push through?” The officer said, incredulous. “In spite of all the casualties?”

“We were outgunned and outnumbered and outmatched before the Kuati decided to make it worse,” Del reminded the man. “This way, even if we only manage to get one ship above that cloister to fire, we potentially hit a whole gathering of threats and dangers and problems - even before we get Palpatine.”

The man audibly swallowed and looked to Nola. “Senator, if you make this order, the Fourth will do it, but tens of thousands of men and women will die doing so. I just want to make sure that’s what you want from us.”

There was another rocking and cacophony of alarms - the ship had taken a hit, but shield energy was redistributed and the Trucemakerheld on, dismantling the cruiser analog that had fired on them. Nearby, a Mon Cal Star Cruiser was aflame, it’s shields having been grumbled and being battered by two ships of the same class. Every moment brought an update that another starfighter was lost, as the Yuuzhan Vong essentially won the battle by an ever widening gulf.

"If you have a better idea that doesn't amount to running away, I'd love to hear it," Nola told the aide, though she'd hesitated slightly at the numbers. "I understand we're taking a huge gamble, but Palpatine threatens the entire galaxy. Trillions of lives are at stake; he can and will kill anyone that stands against him, and he won't care if innocent people get caught in the crossfire. We have a chance--small, dangerous, costly, yes--but still a chance, to stop him, here. Now. It's extremely unlikely that we'll ever see such a chance again."

The entire bridge crew froze.

They had all heard her.

A Rodian called out, a noise of support, and the others species’ did. The Twi’leks, the Duros, the Givin, the humans. They all rallied to the Senator.

Orders went out, and the Fourth Fleet plowed into the Yuuzhan Vong line, clawing for the other side of the enemy, desperately reaching for the surface -

The soldiers took over, and Del stepped over to Nola. He took her hand. “We’re committed now.”

Nola squeezed back. They might not walk away from this.

May the Force be with us.

TAG: @Sinrebirth anyone at Korriban

 

Darth Cocytus
Gatherings of Light and Dark

As the Trio of Kaminoans made their way to hunt down the Black-Coat, Cocytus’s attention in the Force would immediately be caught the by approach of a handful of the very beings . They were of both Light and Dark, and many of them were great and powerful! All of them were gathering towards this very same place, at this very Courtyard, where he, his apprentice, and the Jedi stood.

A flash of warning in the Force made him stop and raise a hand to the Jedi and his Apprentice to stand back as his eyes shifted upward. The Balcony up above was crumbling along with a great portion of the rest of the building’s rooms, and he could just about see a number of beings falling alongside the rubble. One of them was powerful in the Force indeed, using her power to not only save herself but her friends as well.

But now they were all sealed within the Courtyard along with everyone and anyone else who swept into it. Among them, much to Cocytus’s surprise, Soliloquy! The exact same Soliloquy he knew during his time in Insipid's Sith Order. What in the Force were they doing here?

Questions for later, of course, for Darth Sidious himself was in the Courtyard as well along with one of the Vong, although he only noticed him with a glance, finding oddly invisible in the Force, and, as expected, the Knights of Ren as well.

Cocytus turned around to stare the Emperor down with glowing eyes, even as Sidious blew the flesh off an individual unleashed a barrage of Force Lightning upon him.

The shout of his Jedi companion took his eyes off of Sidious for a moment and a surge of fury took hold of him as the Vong attacked her.

"Off of her, beast!" Cocytus spoke with a commanding voice, trying to tear Omini off of the Jedi with the Force, "Off of her, I say! Her death is mine to give."

The area around him turned to chaos as battle ensued. He found that his attempt to 'save' the Jedi Kaminoan to be futile, unable to touch the Vong creature with the Force. As if he wasn't even in the Force to touch! It was something that the Dark Kaminoan just now remembered with a curse of his breath from his studies of the Vong Species and their war.

With a sneer, Cocytus ignited a blade and quickly sought to kill Omini while he still had a chance. He quickly moved his lightsaber with a swish and flick of his wrists through the Vong creature.

A sudden grab around his throat by an invisible hand would immediately follow.

Palpatine, Cocytus just remembered, was here. For real this time. In the very center of this gathering and battle.

Which gave a very rare opportunity indeed.

With every and any will he could muster in his power over the Force, he ripped the grab around his throat and glared definitely at the Emperor as raised his defenses.

"As powerful you may be, Sidious, you made a mistake coming here personally." Cocytus sneered, "From what our last encounter on Kamino tells me, you no longer have any clone bodies to escape to."

The Kaminoan held his crimson blade in a Soresu stance.

"You will die here, Sidious, permanently, just as you always have."

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @HanSolo29 @darthbernael , @TheAdmiral @galactic-vagabond422 @Mitth_Fisto @Adalia-Durron , @JediMasterAnne


Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk

 

IC: Leia Skirata-Linnett
Falling

Leia felt fear for Almira first, then Tor and then herself as the ground gateway. She tried to shield herself with the force, but slammed into a few pieces of stone on the way down, tumbling as she went further-

Leia threw out her arms before she hit the ground, the force allowing her to roll as she tried to sense anyone else and felt Almira in the force trying to save the holocron-

She threw her hand up, hoping to slow the holocron enough for Almira to catch it-

IC: Madelyn Skirata-Linnett
Arriving

Madelyn senses the destruction before she saw it, but didn't realise the gravity of the devastation until she went down, and landed.

Leia was in there.

She felt her heart spike with anxiety, because she could sense her daughter and not see her, but Leia was there.

Madelyn looked at the wall of rock, and slowly stood back; curious; cautious. I have to be careful about this.

You don't like it here. A voice in the back of her head told her. Riddled with darkness.

Madelyn shook her head and steadied herself. Raised her hand and started to use the force to pull the rock away-

I'm coming Leia!

Tag: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Jori I Atreus, Jori II Atreus
Korriban

Jori the Younger was facing one of the hideous Vongs. They were stuff of nightmares. If she made it out alive she was sure that she would be haunted by those visages till the end of her life. Though it might not be that long, given the situation…

She hoped that uncle Tarkin would save her, but given his age she had doubts about that. The sound of shuttle engines approaching made her look up, though could not move her head too much given that there was a sharp and pointy thing close to her neck.

Then Tarkin surprised her by calling her his granddaughter. She knew that there had been a fling between him and her grandmother… but the implications!

The craft bore the markings of House Atreus. So granny came to her rescue. Hopefully she arrived with one of the larger ships. A fleet even. Her eyes twinkled in amusement and excitement.

As the shuttle settled down and the ramp lowered, the frail old lady came down. No bodyguards. “I would put that away if I were you.” she said in an amused voice, though the implied threat was palpable. “You might get yourself cut.” she said with a beatic face.

“I never learned how to speak their language like you.” Jori the Elder looked at Tarkin. “I would have thought that springing the news about her parentage was best left for later.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Han Solo
Location: Millenium Falcon, Corellian system

When they decanted, Han wondered what he would find….it was a mess.

Han himself was still unable to fly the Falcon at present, he was currently sitting behind Ben who was in his seat.

Hearing the news that the Corellians were now assisting this Empire of the Hand in trying to defeat the Confederation forces that were there, Han felt obliged to help, especially since they were asking for New Republic help.

It seemed also there was a Sith aboard Centrepoint, which meant things could go very, very wrong. And even worse, more Vong had arrived.

"This day just keeps gettin' better and better" he growled then looked at Ben "We can always do somethin' son. This is my home system, hoowever much I wanted to run away from it when I was younger".

He then spoke to Corran "Good to see you too Corran. Looks like we've got a bit of a showdown goin' on. The Corellians have asked for assistance so we are gonna help them. Looks like the Confederation wants to grab Centrepoint".

"Keep an eye on that Vong fleet. Them bein' here complicates things. And with a Sith aboard Centrepoint? Not good".

He nodded forwards "Let's give the Confederation a nasty surprise shall we?"

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @Narancia

 

OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Barriss

Mortis

Barriss shot a glare at Anakin Skywalker before turning to her family.

"Yes, I did what I agreed to do," she explained. "I delivered the Dagger to the Chosen One on Jakku and now Abeloth is dead. Of course, only when I got there did he reveal to me that I was his Chosen One and I was put into a life-or-death situation where I was forced to murder Abeloth... and the innocent woman she was possessing."

She threw the Dagger of Mortis at the feet of Anakin.

"You used me," she said to Anakin, very coldly.

Anakin stared at the Dagger, and watched as it vanished in a flare of light.

To reappear in her hand.

"It was your Destiny to defeat Abeloth. What was left of that girl, Rey Palpatine, it wasn't enough to sustain her life. Abeloth had already killed her - consumed her, and her spirit lived in torture."

Anakin's words were firm; flat, even.

The others looked at her, astonished, and concerned.

He continued.

"You can leave, with your family, yes," Anakin said.

A shudder, reminiscent of a hyperspace jump.

"But Mortis is now above Korriban."

Another rumble.

"We have just fired on the forces defending Palpatine himself."

His words did not lift.

"It is your decision to risk escaping now."

Barriss glared at Anakin. "Of course. Of course we're now over Korriban. More of your manipulations, right? More of you forcing me down a path where you could continue using me as your pawn..."

"... we don't have the luxury of choice," Anakin said firmly. "Our choices have been taken away from us." His gaze became hooded. "This Change, it benefited me, for nineteen beautiful years. My wife lived when she should have died in childbirth; my children knew me and loved me when they would have been my mortal enemies; I lived as a Jedi Master, and not as the Dark Lord of the Sith."

The sky seemed to darken as he grew angrier.

"But then I lost it all."

He tone became a hiss.

"I had no choices, Barriss Offee. It had already been taken away from me."

His lip set into a sneer.

"The happy ending I had with Padme, with Luke, with Leia - it was a lie."

He pushed deeper the blade.

"It wasn't even real."

"Earlier you said that we do have a choice," Barriss pointed out. "That we can create our own future now because of the Change. That our destinies are ours instead of being set in stone. Or was that another lie?"

She shook her head. "Well, I do have a choice. And I'm choosing to leave with my family, since I don't trust you or this place. Sorry about your family, but I have already done more than I initially agreed to and I am not going to risk losing my family because you want me to head into a situation that I know nothing about and be killed. I already barely survived Abeloth and I only managed to by luck, so I have had enough of doing your dirty work "

She turned to her family. "We are getting out of here. Now."

Anakin reverted back to his softer self, placing a hand on his face. “Then go, Barriss. Go and lose everything.” Hesitancy, perhaps even grief, filled his voice. “I’m sorry that I can’t keep the Balance on my own… it’s supposed to take four…”

He toppled to the ground, unconscious.

Her family hesitated, the children huddled by their father, her wife stepping closer and squeezing her hand. “Do you still want to go? I wonder if he’s losing himself to… this place, to be honest. He seemed to flicker between maudlin or serene or angry all the time we were here.”

There was another rumble, and the entire world shook. Mortis has been fired upon -

Go and lose everything, he had said. Gaslighting and manipulation, which is what Barriss should have expected from him at this point. Well, she was no longer playing his game. She was no longer going to fall for it.

"There's nothing I can do," Barriss told Zara. "And I'm not going to let him send me to my death. I don't trust him or this place. It's no longer safe anyway, which puts you and the others in danger." Her hands tightened into fists. "You weren't there on Jakku, Zara. You didn't feel utterly helpless as two Jedi were slaughtered by Abeloth before I could even know their names. You weren't forced to drive a dagger into an innocent woman being possessed by a chaos entity that left the woman in her final moments. You didn't see the woman die as herself, the life leaving her eyes. You didn't bury her and the rest of the dead. I was tricked into getting involved. Tricked by the so-called Father, who used you and the rest of my family as a way to manipulate me into throwing my life away."

Barriss shook her head. "He tried to justify that woman's death, just like I once tried justifying the deaths of the people that I killed during the Clone Wars. Something that I promised myself I would never do again. So I have no problem with us leaving him and Mortis while we still have the chance. Not after what he made me do."

Zara stood in silence.

This hadn’t gone how she had hoped.

Another loud bang, and Mortis shook.

She looked at the Tho Yor fighter craft. “Do you think that will obey you, or are we just taking our ship?” Zara was afraid, but she knew they had to get on.

They had no choice.

Barriss thought about it. "The Tho Yor didn't listen to me earlier, during the fight with Abeloth. I don't think it is worth the risk that it will disobey me again. We'll take our ship."

“Agreed,” Luminara said, casting one more look at Anakin. But when she went to collect their children and guide them up the ramp. Zara stopped staring at the Father and waited for a bit.

“If what we have wasn’t supposed to be…” she looked back at her wife. “What do we know about this being permanent?”

Barriss sighed, unable to look at her wife in the face. "It doesn't matter. I don't care what was supposed to be and I don't care about what Anakin has to say anymore. We still have our life... unlike the Jedi killed by Abeloth and the woman I murdered." She looked at the Dagger in her hand. "This is real. It is to us. It matters to us. My family isn't a lie. You are not a lie." She glared at the form of Anakin. "The only lies are the ones told to me by those like the Jedi, Varad Zagg, and Anakin Skywalker. And I will not abandon my family over a lie." Tears fell from her eyes. "I will not lose everything that I care about again over a lie."

At the back of her head was a thought, an idea...

"I am not the Chosen One," she said bitterly. "And I refuse to be a pawn. But I am a killer. A murderer. Because of the choices I made..." She gestured toward Anakin. "...and because of people like him. I thought that I could leave behind my past with you and you are a part of me. But so is the blood on my hands. The blood never washed off, Zara. It's still there. And now they are even bloodier."

Zara held placed a hand on hers. “You’re not a murderer. You’ve never been. At least not to me.” She leaned over and kissed Barriss on the cheek.

Another boom, and then a rain.

“We need to go. Before this place breaks.”

Barriss just nodded and ran to the ship with her wife. Once they were inside, she closed the door behind them and Barriss ran for the cockpit. As quickly as they could, she got them off the ground.

The ship lifted, and Zara slid in the seat besides her. Luminara and her partner had the children secured, and they were suddenly, as if their intention was sufficient, suddenly outside Mortis, inside a pitched battle.

New Republic Star Destroyers and lumpish Mon Calamari cruisers were exchanging fire with coral behemoths, while Mortis itself threw impressive bolts of energy at two immense craft, one a double-helix shape, and the other reminiscent of a sphere with wings. The ships of durasteel were dying, hurling streams of light and corkscrewing trails of torpedoes, while the alien vessels replied with gouts of plasma and hurled missiles of plasma -

Zara released a strangled noise of surprise, as the sensors reported a mammoth wedge of Kuati design at the edge of the battle, watching the affair play out. She spoke up when she found her voice, eyes flittering over the innumerable gravity wells that were nearby -

"What is going on?"

"I don't know," Barriss admitted. "And I don't care." She focused on getting her family to safety, trying to steer their ship away from the chaos of the battle.

It was difficult - the battle was a disaster, with the New Republic clawing their way through the enemy formation rather than focusing on any one ship, and the weapons of Mortis were untargeted, simply making matters more confusing. There was so much free fire that their ship was clapped with a blow unintentionally, setting off damage warnings -

Barriss did her best to remain calm, knowing that if she panicked it would only make things worst. She called upon the Force as she piloted, planning on jumping to lightspeed the first chance that she got. Her destination would be Kashyyyk, since there really wasn't anywhere better for her family to go at this point.

They took another shot - this time a graze from a turbolaser blast - and there was a stuttering to the power. The children cried out, and Zara cursed, flicking switches and diverting cables across the cockpit roof - and the energy returned to them!

"Punch it, Barriss!"

Please, don't.

It was Anakin's voice.

But he sounded pained.

Here and now, it's already too late.

Desperate.

We have one chance.

One unavoidable death.

Just one.

And we can win this.

But Barriss felt it. The fear of her family, especially her grandchildren. They were scared and more than anything else, Barriss knew that she had to protect them.

So she ignored the voice of the Father, wanting nothing to do with him anymore, and she punched it. Within moments, the ship made the jump to lightspeed.

No more Mortis. No more Chosen Ones. And no more Anakin Skywalker.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: A combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Qwi Xux, Beaumont Kin
Location: Jakkar, Tahv, Kesh

Qwi had thankfully had time to go back to their room at the crystal palace and grab a jumpsuit and another lightsaber before returning to Beaumont and their ship.

Keeping her clothes on this time just in case they were called.

Curled up next to Beaumont she heard first Beaumont's voice then Jakkar's speaking mentally at them. The Vong had arrived and the Thoughtcriers were shouting their alarm in the Force.

And then the ultimate betrayal. The Circle of Lords had sold them out! But before she could react angrily the Vong decided a bit of orbital bombardment would do nicely.

A fleshy fold began yammering away at them, something about them requiring their deaths but they could be transported to the Supreme Overlord.

The ship wanted to resist but needed help.

And Qwi was getting mentally punched by all the death coming at her in the Force.

"Great" Qwi snarled "So which problem would you like to tackle first?"

Beaumont felt the punch; the chaos, and the destruction. The Yuuzhan Vong fleet wasn't even all that large, but it was far too much for Kesh. It was an obscene deployment.

He reached for her, stretching their Vongsense. "We need to get off Kesh first."

They needed to help their ship resist the yammosk war coordinator -

Qwi nodded and took Beaumont's hand, her other hand touching the ship's hull.

They would have to work together to break the bond between their ship and whatever was controlling it.

She dug deep into her Vongsense. Resist, she thought we need to get off this world. We need to be safe and out of danger.

The ship was strengthened by their actions, and began to take off, heading into orbit.

Then it screamed in their minds.

A long gout of plasma had been hurled by the Yuuzhan Vong battleship, creasing the hull.

The ship worked to stitch the damage, confirmed it hadn't damaged the dovin basil, but it was shaken - Beaumont was shaken.

"The next shot will kill you," Maal Lah said with some confidence.

"Only if," Beaumont strained, "you can catch us."

Their ship confirmed a wave of contacts; dozens of coral skippers launching.

Hundreds.

Qwi hissed at Maal Lah like an animal that had been threatened. Like Beaumont she was strained but her resolve was strong.

"If you want us, come and get us. But it will be you who will lose out".

To the ship she sent you will need to fight back. Find a gap and use it. Otherwise they WILL kill you and us.

The ship was more panicked than encouraged, and Beaumont looked panicked himself then -

“You can do it,” he said, firmly, but almost softly.

The ship rushed on, the ships equivalent of trepidation hammering at them as the coralskippers found the range and began to fire -

For Beaumont and Qwi, it was as if they could sense the attacks, like a Jedi weaving a firestorm. “Did you want to take the helm? I can try and baffle them with Vongsense?”

Qwi nodded "I can do. Do what you can do with the Vongsense. This won't work unless we work together like the Force bond we use''.

She tiptoed up and kissed him "We have to be strong my dear. If the ship detects our doubts, our fears, we won't get through".

Qwi then quickly hurried to the helm and began to take control beginning to juke and jink and reached her other hand out for Beaumont to take when he arrived.

The ship was thus able to concentrate on the yammosk while Qwi piloted, and Beaumont squeezed her hand and began to reach out to confuse the Yuuzhan Vong pilots. They began to shoot wildly, but it was exhausting doing it again and again and he could only do one at a time. Their ship caught a few shots with their dovin basil, but that slowed them down -

"Shoot, Qwi," Beaumont said through gritted teeth.

Their trajectory was carrying them to the edge of the flotilla, but a big M'iid Ro'iik was on its way, the equivalent of an Imperial Star Destroyer sliding to intercept them.

Kesh burned beneath them.

Qwi had to keep concentrating, even though she knew she had started all this because Palpatine took her memories.

She simply nodded at Beaumont and thought at the ship to start firing back. Qwi also started to share her energy with Beaumont using the bond they shared to make sure Beaumont didn't collapse from exhaustion.

"Big ship on the way. I'll see if I can keep it busy whilst you try and keep those coral skippers busy".

The ship suggested Qwi fire at the canal skippers too, especially as the warship analog simply consumed everything she threw at it. The more their ship could focus on speed and not defence, the better -

“She gets it,” Beaumont hissed, but he drew deep on their bond and began to distract coral skippers two or even three at a time. Behind them was a confused tangle of fighter craft, some heading off at odd angles, others looping around far too broad an arc to catch up, one or two even firing on each other -

They were nearing that magical line where they could jump -

Then the warship analog snagged them with a Yuuzhan Vong equivalent of a tractor beam! Beaumont was jerked forward, letting go of Qwi’s hand -

She saw Beaumont jolt but managed to grab his hand again and held it tight.

"We are nearly there" she said to both Beaumont and the ship "One last push and we can move. Kesh….we tried to make sure it was saved, we did what we could. Sadly it has paid the price thanks to the Circle of Lords".

Fire at the canal skippers as well she thought we need to break this lock. But only if we pull together.

With a deep breath in then out she dug deep and gave her energy to Beaumont, all she could spare.

Beaumont stretched himself and reached for the dovin basal powering the tractor beam equivalent -

It worked!

It fell asleep, freeing them and the ship rocketed forward, beyond the gravity well of Kesh!

The ship asked for instructions as to where to jump as the Yuuzhan Vong warship abandoned subtlety and opened fire on them!

To jump or not to jump? That was the question.

They couldn't do much more for Kesh, that was for certain. No doubt the Vong had bombarded the planet to bits. The Circle of Lords, if still alive, would no doubt surrender and be killed off or join Palpatine's cause.

And they had found them because of her.

Jump to safety she commanded. Where safe was she did not know. But they had to regroup and decide their next moves.

The ship hesitated, but it jumped.

It spoke up, named a world.

Kashyyyk?

Homeworld of the famous Wookiee warriors. Would be the safest place for now.

Do it.

They buried into hyperspace, and exhaustion took them all.

Even their ship drifted into slumber, tasking the dovin basil with automatic re-entry.

Beaumont sat on the cockpit floor.

"We need to stop doing this."

He laid on his back, and actually closed his eyes.

"Just need a second, Qwi."

Qwi sank to the floor, laying back next to Beaumont, releasing his hand.

But all that kept running through her head was:

You caused this. You let Palpatine grab your memories.

The Circle of Lords sold you out. You've lost your home again. All you fought for was for nothing.

Blood is on your hands again. You will forever be a war criminal.

Qwi couldn't take it anymore. Exhausted both mentally and physically she turned away from Beaumont, curled up into a ball….

And broke down.

TAG: @Sinrebirth