main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

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

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by Sinrebirth , May 4, 2021.

  1. darthhelinith

    darthhelinith Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 10, 2009
    IC: Vhardia
    Couracant

    The travel between places was slower than before, things were swimming into view, in a leisurely pace. But in as much as she was getting tired of being, it seemed things were still required of them.

    It seemed right to say something profound.

    "I never thought I'd see the old Jedi Temple in person."

    That wasn't it.

    Though it was true, she'd never been to Couracant during times of peace, and so had never seen it. She looked around at the fallen pillars, shattered staircases, shredded carpet and tried to imagine what would have looked like during it's heyday. Before everything was altered.

    She looked up, in the direction of where the ships in orbit would be battling it out.

    "So the fate, the new balance, will be decided by two people who aren't jedi?" She chuckled. "How fitting."

    Tags:

    @darthbernael @CosmoHender
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2022
    darthbernael and Sinrebirth like this.
  2. Shadowsun

    Shadowsun Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 26, 2017
    OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth

    IC: Tobias Vox

    His Final 'Duel'
    His soul was purged, his mind made whole again... he sat down his eyes shining as he felt his body heal, his from return to what it would have been. But his soul was tired, frayed... His mask was half-broken as his now whole face looked towards Vader.

    [​IMG]
    He gave a sigh, as he sat. He made no movement to attack or defend himself. He thought for a moment, everything he had worked to achieve, everything he had done in the previous five years, no his entire lifetime. It had just come undone within a few hours. And now he was stuck with another shard. A shard of light.

    His entire life had been a fabrication... and now...

    His sky blue eyes simmered toward Vader. The effects of the Dark Side had been purged from Azathoth, which meant that it was not something he could utilize can more, not without great effort and it too meant that Azathoth was dead, functionally reset to Tobias Vox.

    And the Light... it was powerful but he did not know how to use it. He was a dark sider, trained in the Dark Side how could he possibly just use this power that had been shoved into him. It had taken him five years to master the Killiks, he would not be able to use this shard. Thus despite the power within him, he was functionally useless. Shut off from the Dark, unable to use the Light.

    His blue eyes looked to Vader.

    "Delude yourself further, allow yourself to be a pawn. My fate was sealed the moment the darkness entered my being. Kill me, I have no hope of creating my perfected Galaxy,"

    Vader hesitated. “You mock me.”

    The Quiet Light curdled within Tobias, but it found echoes of Darkness within him; five years of damage that resonated still. It spoke to him; of using his power to counter the Dark Man, to save the galaxy.

    To build his perfect galaxy from scratch right here and right now.

    Why did you become so strong to lose like this?

    Vader’s hand held out; the grip returned. “Command the Killiks to fire upon the Jedi Temple; upon the Rebels. Do it, and I’ll make you my Sith apprentice. The Rule of Two demands I take one. I am the last True Sith.”

    His voice waa thunderous; hammering at Azathoth - at Tobias.

    His agency and free will seemed moot in the greater scheme of things, but perhaps not.

    Perhaps not.

    Tobias laughed... a hollow, almost empty laugh. His mind was more fractured then he would like to believe... torn asunder as another entity invaded his being. 'Light' indeed, it was just another form of darkness, opposite but equal.

    "I am tired of relying on the powers of others, to borrow it and allow others to use me... it all ends... this maddening cycle. I will break it..."

    Arrogance? Most likely. But Tobias, Azathoth, Vox, UnuTobias... he was not going to play second fiddle. It had taken him half a decade to rid himself of one shard... half a decade to bend the Killiks to his core and now Vader wanted to make him a Sith Apprentice?

    Please...

    He would not be a pawn to a pawn.

    He could the restriction of air from Vader, Tobias' neck squeezed with the malice of the Dark Lord. But there was a... was that even possible from Vader? A nervousness to him? Was Tobias reading that correctly...?

    And the Light... whispering to him of a perfected galaxy... these shards were all alike.

    The dark bellowed within Azathoth, expanding, contracting, exploding, imploding in all forms as he sent it away from him and into himself. Out to knock Vader into and in to quell the Light. To subdue it, to bathe it in shadow, to seal it. To contort it to his will and not a mere carrier as he had been for the Quiet Dark.

    If such a thing was even possible.

    Vader drew the Force around him as a shadow shield, and his power meant he could repel the attack, but his shuttle was caught and nearly thrown from the hangar, lifting and crashing to the ground.

    Turning back to Azathoth, he went to ignite his lightsaber but it didn’t activate; the Kyber in it had been affected somehow -

    Looking to the man - monster, pawn, saint, demon - he grew maddened. Azathoth was something else, and Vader had no need to play now. He realised that Azathoth no longer had control of the Killiks, that he would simply do it himself.

    The Force are touched the soles of his boots and he launched forward, his fist curled, amping his augmentation to their most powerful levels and wielding the Force like a hammer extension of his arm.

    He crossed the distance between them almost instantly

    Azathoth smiled.

    His power.

    Not borrowed, not stolen, not forced onto him.

    His.

    Vader, Vader, Vader.

    One critical flaw, a fatal one at that.

    Azathoth tilted his head in mild interest as in the blink of an eye Vader was on upon him. Perfect...

    Lightning exploded off the man, barreling and roiling itself to strike at the dark armored Sith. Pierce and puncture. Electrocute and immobilize.

    Vader responded in kind, embracing the electricity but even at that he was powerful enough to press through. A hammer fist sought Azathoth’s face -

    Azathoth's eyes went wide as he collapsed before Vader could reach him. He was surprised that Vader was even capable of embracing the lightning, of being able to move through it.

    You failed me.

    That would be the last thing Azathoth would ever here as his body crumpled away into golden dust, leaving nothing behind, except perhaps the Quiet Light.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  3. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    OOC: Combo with Sinre

    IC: Feyna Organa-Chume, Isolder, the Darkness and GEMINI

    Aboard the Eternal flagship

    She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but it certainly wasn't this.

    There was so. Much.

    Over the connection to the Eternal Fleet, Feyna could hear the objections, but the droids nonetheless obeyed, drawing away from the battle. She still felt a pang of guilt, that she had taken advantage of their enslavement, but she intended this to be the only command from her.

    But there was something else happening to her, like a massive rush of energy like she'd never experienced, and it brought with it knowledge.

    Vicrul. Tobias Vox. Azathoth. Killik dartships. The nest ship. Bilbringi.

    She saw Isolder thrown back, the Black-Coat falling, but Feyna felt frozen in place.

    And a voice spoke to her.

    You’re conflicted. You don’t need to be. You can command the Killiks across the entire galaxy. The Eternal Fleet here, and everywhere, when you take the Beacon. You can accept me, rename me, and I’ll be your guide. I’ll save your husband, your children, your friends. Your Republic.

    Feyna felt her lips pulled into what felt like a sinister smile; she must have looked deranged. She was afraid of this, of whatever was happening to her, she wanted it to stop.

    She tried to move off of the Throne, to try to help Isolder-

    Accept me, and you’ll save them all
    .


    Below, the broken ships that had been dismissed as mere debris came to life, forming up against the ragged allies. And instantly, Feyna knew who was leading this new Fleet, though how had it happened...?

    Ben...Ben, what are you doing?

    Accept me, and you’ll save them all.


    An enticing offer, considering the circumstances, but there was a wrongness to it. Too good to be true.

    What will it cost me?

    Cost? What is cost when you can save your family? Your friends?


    The Darkness sniffed.

    What is the cost if you don't?

    Feyna frowned. I don't trust you.

    Trust is overrated.

    He snorted.

    Know that I could take you; take your body as my own with ease. But doing so would greatly reduce your lifespan… reduce your usefulness to me… and it will be short enough as it is.

    He chuckled darkly.

    But if you think you can win without the Killiks; without all of my power - with just the GEMINI droids you had no desire to command just a moment ago…

    A sneer.

    Try.


    And now it was threatening her directly.

    What would happen if she refused to accept it? Would it leave, or were they stuck with each other?

    I might just take that challenge, she thought, mentally smirking at the Darkness. Sure, the odds weren't good, but she'd probably had just as bad before.

    She still didn’t like the idea of using the Eternal Fleet, but accepting the Darkness, taking that offer, felt like crossing a line she couldn't come back from. The Throne seemed like the lesser of two evils; she was still determined to destroy it later.

    Isolder was still at the edge of the concourse, and Feyna couldn't see the Black-Coat at all. Was he dead? Feyna doubted it.

    Her body still wasn't accustomed to the amount of energy currently coursing through her, so she was a little unsteady, but she made her way over to her husband.

    "That fleet out there--it's Ben," she told him. "I don't know how, but he's here..."

    “Ben? Han’s Ben?”

    Isolder looked at her. “Feyna, you are glowing purple… what did the Throne do to you -“

    "Yes, Han's Ben," she confirmed, before he mentioned that she was glowing--glowing?

    "It's not from the Throne, I don't think." Her voice was a little shaky. "There's something...in me, I don't know how to explain it. It's powerful, it said it could help us if I 'accept it,' but it's...it feels dark. I'm scared of it."

    She was scared of herself--what if it did try to take over her body, what if she hurt someone because of it?

    Isolder blinked a few times. “That damn, Black-Coat -“ He wanted to hug her, but she looked positively radioactive.

    “What is it saying? That it can possess you?”

    That I will.

    The flagship shook, grazed by laser fire.

    “Can you command the Eternal Fleet?”

    Yes,
    came a metallic, feminine, voice in her head.

    "It's threatening to," she replied, nodding. "And yes, I can command the Fleet." Even as she said it, a second voice echoed the affirmative in her head.

    GEMINI?

    It is I. It has been some years, Madam Chancellor. We remember your discussions with us above Coruscant.

    Isolder I'll kill first.

    The Hapan prince looked at her. "Threatening? Big bad dark thing is threatening? Wow. It's not that dangerous if it's having to scare you." He laughed a little. "Tell him what for, Feyna."

    Isolder's humor...helped, even as the Darkness threatened him--though Isolder couldn't hear it, of course.

    GEMINI's response rang over the connection; was it the same droid she'd spoken to all those years ago?

    GEMINI, I'm so sorry. I know I promised to destroy the Throne, and I still intend to...but my forces can't win this fight alone. I need your help.

    Don’t you dare ignore me.

    The GEMINI sounded concerned. We will do as you say, but we are not as many as we were. Without your HoloNet we cannot unify the hive mind… we would offer our services, even for the chance of unity. And then we shall leave; we do not wish to remain in the Knowns.

    A pause.

    But we do not know if we can win this fight with you. We will try, and we still die for you, if you will keep your word, and unite us, and free us.

    Last chance.

    We're trying to get the HoloNet back, Feyna told GEMINI. And you have my word, if we survive this, I will destroy the Throne and set you free.

    "The Eternal droids will fight for us," she told Isolder.

    To the Darkness, You told me to try to win without you.

    I'm going to try.

    No! You must accept me! I will not be sealed within you!

    Isolder smiled. "Then we have a chance."

    The Eternal Fleet turned into the guns of their cruisers upon the ragged pirate armada of Ben Solo.

    The hard part of the battle was about to begin.

    The outburst from the Darkness startled her a little--though there was something oddly reassuring in it. Could it not possess her then? From the sound of it, it required some level of cooperation from its host to really achieve anything.

    Looks like we're stuck with each other.

    The Eternals turned to face off against Ben's fleet--Ben, what are you doing? What happened to you?--and Feyna sent a silent prayer.

    If they could hold up until the HoloNet came back, she could rally the rest of the Eternals, perhaps turn the tide...

    Hurry, Barriss.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @CosmoHender @Shadowsun @TheSilentInfluence @galactic-vagabond422 @darthbernael @darthhelinith
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2022
  4. CosmoHender

    CosmoHender Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2016
    OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth, @darthbernael, and @darthhelinith

    IC: Barriss, Renn, and Vhardia


    Jedi Temple, Coruscant

    For the first time in years, Barriss Offee was home.

    Despite how much time had passed since she was here, she navigated its empty halls rather easily. During her days as a Padawan, she had been tasked with memorizing the layout of the Temple. And there were some things that Barriss could never forget.

    Including her failures.

    She saw the spirits of Ahsoka, Luminara, Renn, Vhardia, and Rey appear before her. Barriss didn't know why they were here, but quite frankly... she didn't care.

    Too much was depending on her. Too many lives were depending on her. People were dying in orbit so that she could get to the Beacon. And she did not want their deaths to be in vain.

    "I don't have time for this," she told the spirits. "I don't have time for ghosts."

    Vhardia looked up from the piece of pillar she had crouched down to take a look at, cocking an eyebrow.

    "You know, I could just as well say 'ewww' that one's still alive, gross, who let it in here, but I won't."

    She sat down, the piece of her that she'd sent with the darkness was still absent and left her feeling kind of odd. Like she wasn't altogether here.

    Renn was still processing that the Light had required a touch of his own essence to travel so ignored the others at first. He only noticed as he realized where he was, a place he'd heard of, eons ago, but had never been to. He could feel Vhardia in a similar situation to him, just in the opposite direction.

    At Barriss's and then Vhardia's comments, he turned his attention to the living being. "There are more ghosts than us to face here. This is not a mortal's place anymore. So your need must be dire indeed, especially as you didn’t think to know that you'd have all of our company here."

    Ahsoka looked to Barriss sadly.

    Luminara tilted her chin up before Ahsoka could speak. "You are my Padawan, Barriss. You are here, and now, because you are needed. You cannot succumb - not now."

    Rey smiled beatifically, but stepped over and placed a hand on Luminara's arm. "Thank you for saving me, Barriss." She stepped over and hugged Vhardia, even Renn. "Thank you, both of you."

    Vhardia hugged Ray back. "It's good to see you."

    Renn hugged Rey, a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more."

    Barriss sighed. "Look, let's just get this over with. Say what you need to say so that I can move on and find that Beacon."

    Vhardia shrugged at Bariss. "I didn't ask to come, I've got nothing to say, really. Apart from looking to maintain the balance between Dark and Light, I'm just here for the ride. But who knows, maybe you need us for something."

    Renn's expression became more neutral as he glanced at Lumaria. "She does not realize there must be a reason we all were drawn here to see her. I am as Vhardia, not sure why but I suspect she needs us all."

    "We need you to rise up," Ahsoka said. "This will only get worse before it gets better. Anakin's grandson - he's fallen; he's here."

    "The Black-Coat," Luminara said coldly. "He manipulated the survival of Tor Valum so he could continue the True Sith."

    Rey held up a hand to them. "Barriss does not need to hear her destiny. She needs support."

    "If she accepts, the Jedi can give her strength - the power to fight," Luminara said. "We can all reach out and give her strength."

    Ahsoka shook her head sadly. "We need her compassion, so we can save Anakin's grandson - Ben."

    Barriss listened and nodded. "Alright, I accept your support and strength. But saving Anakin's grandson..." She sighed. "I don't know if I can do that. I don't know him. He's a stranger to me and I'm a stranger to him. I doubt that there is much I can do for him. Besides... I'm not really that great at saving people, which you should all know." She looked down. "I couldn't save any of you. I couldn't even save my own wife. What makes you think that I can save Ben?"

    Vhardia gave a soft look.

    "Because you know what it is to live and to have lost, to have been groomed by the dark, to have fallen, to get back up."

    She paused.

    "You may have more in common with him than you think."

    Barriss scoffed. "What do you think is going to happen? That I'm going to give a big heroic speech that will somehow convince him to come back to the Light and give up on whatever he's planning? It's not that simple and there is too much at stake. I can't risk this mission just to save one person that has chosen the Dark and may not be willing to turn away. If I have to kill him... I will. Because this isn't just about him. This is about the entire galaxy." She sighed. "If I don't see this through, it will have all been for nothing. I'm sorry, but people need my help. They are counting on me."

    Renn sighed. "Barriss, you and I have not agreed on many things, to date. But there is always someone, or multiple someones, that are counting on us. Has it been said here that you should not try to find what you're seeking here? Or has it only been said that we have come to help you help him?" He glanced at the others. "You hated being a Chosen One, this man truly is a Chosen One, that could tip this entire war one way or the other."

    Rey smiled. "I've faith in you, Barriss, that you'll find a way forward."

    "We all do," Ahsoka supplied.

    "My Padawan, you will surprise even yourself, if you believe in you," Luminara said. Her eyes turned to Renn and Vhardia. "You've only been gone a few years, we will have to rely upon you to help the Force right itself."

    "May the Force be with you," Rey said, finishing off.

    Barriss just shook her head. "You have the wrong person," she said sadly.

    She then walked away from the ghosts of her past, heading deeper into the Temple.

    Renn sighed as Barriss went past. Glancing down at Vhardia, ”She runs, as it were, but the Force doesn’t let one go so easily, I’m afraid.” he whispered to her.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @Shadowsun @TheSilentInfluence @galactic-vagabond422 @darthbernael @darthhelinith @JediMasterAnne
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 25, 2022
  5. TheSilentInfluence

    TheSilentInfluence Retired Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2014
    IC: Leia Skirata-Linnett, Almira
    Escaping

    Oh force.

    Leia steered clear of all the tumbling debris with their X-Wing as things literally tried to fall down on them. She pulled hard on the controls, and then felt strange as a vision came to her, the Jedi Temple crumbling; Barriss was inside and-

    No!

    Leia made a noise of pain and levelled her X-Wing, turning to look at Almira, "Barriss is still in there." She told her. We have to go back and help her. I can't complete my mission if we don't. And how can I leave someone to die in there. She paused and got on the comm. "Tor it's Leia. Do what you can I'll be back up and fighting as soon as I'm able. I need to find Barriss and rescue her. She's trapped." Leia paused. "I'll take out any enemies I can see on the ground."

    Turing off the comm. Leia started to steer the X-Wing back to the Jedi Temple. She was quiet for a moment. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

    Tag: @Sinrebirth @galactic-vagabond422 @CosmoHender (For mention of Barriss)
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  6. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: Darth Vader
    Aboard the Nest Ship

    There was a tremendous flash of light, and Azathoth was gone, but it provided Vader no succour.

    He needed to kill more; to find more pain; to be devastated and strengthened by it. His Force senses cast out, but he was unable to bind the Killiks to him. Growing, he drove his mind into the systems and mechanisms of the warship, seeking purchase in the twist of gears and metal that dominated the innards, and expressed themselves as rotating turbolasers -

    —-
    Coruscant

    The answer to Leia’s question was instantaneous, as the X-wing crossed into orbit. Behind them, it’s engine compartment still flaming, the nest ship opened fire.

    As a pocket Dreadnought, the fusillade was devastating. Metres wide turbolaser bolts erupted and drove into the planet, and woe be to anyone who was in the way. The energy blasts soared down, one, two, clipping, Leia, the engines cutting out and sending them tumbling without power - with only the Force to keep them alive.

    The bombardment punched through the towers of the Jedi Temple, through the central plinth, not raining down directly, but angled as the Temple was quarter of a rotation away. But it was just as devastating for the energy to cut through the building from the side, exploding debris and rock and masonry out and replacing it with a gout of flame -

    In the Temple, but not yet having reached the secret passages that would lead Barriss into the depths, the entire building began to fall, and Ahsoka, Rey and Luminara reached out, trying to stop it all -

    They couldn’t, more than three chunks, including an immense pillar, were angling down towards her, the doorway visible to her -

    Vhardia and Renn would know that Leia was in peril, but also that Barriss was too - they had to act, and now, and she had to move, as quickly as she could before being crushed -

    —-
    In orbit

    The decision of Leia to turn towards the planet immediately had an impact; Tor was mobbed by a dozen kitbashed enemy ships -

    The Obi-Wan was aflame, sagging towards the surface -

    The Mandalorians were being overwhelmed just by the enemy ramming them -

    But then Feyna’s words began apparent; a transmission shot out from the Eternal flagship and abruptly the confused droid warships were no longer; they turned and fired into the mass of junk ships, the mad and suicidal -

    The broken forces of the Dark Lord of the Sith pressed in, some launching javelins to tear at Eternal cruisers, others, laden with explosives, detonating and blowing holes in the mixed formations -

    Tech called out. “Manda’lor!”

    Then his ship took hits and he was going down - in eyesight alone, a dozen Eternal cruisers were leaking fire, and two dozen X-wings and Bessie’s were spiralling to the ground -

    The nest ship fired towards the planet -

    The Obi-Wan retaliated, hurling every erg of firepower it had back -

    The nest ship erupted into a pyroclastic detonation that saw it sag off to the side, knocked off course and it’s outer and inner shells exposed to vacuum, riddling the battlefield with hundreds of deadly chunks of debris -

    It was utter chaos.

    The murderous penumbra fleet - the shadow of all their failures, for within the motley-twisted vessels were blood-painter ships of all lineages - Republic, Imperial, Vong, Separatist, Mandalorian - turned towards the Eternal flagship.

    Without the Eternal Throne, they’d already have lost.

    As it was; they were losing.

    The Beacon was now beneath the rubble of the Jedi Temple, there was already a swarm of commandeered Ugly fighters soaring towards it, Hyena bombers among their numbers to finish off the fight, sweeping through Tor’s shattered formation -

    Isolder watched in despair. “It’s time for us to go.”

    The Darkness within Feyna? It was silent. Silent as silent could be. Had something happened to it? Surely it should be ramping up its spittle, not quieting?

    Tor’s surviving forces had limited choices - to stop the Hyenas from finishing off the Temple and Barriss and Leia, to come to the aid of Feyna, to defend the beleaguered Obi-Wan, their last capital ship -

    Chaos.

    TAG: @galactic-vagabond422 (combo), @TheSilentInfluence, @darthbernael, @darthhelinith, @JediMasterAnne, @CosmoHender (singles)
    —-
    IC: Ananke

    Aboard the Darkest Spear

    The story of Lagertha and the Six Darkensses percolated within her, the Crimson Dawn scum fitting the Guardian with the hyperdrive engines.

    Ananke snapped a finger.

    All of a sudden the Force filled Jori; a power comparable to the Masters of old. “Congratulations. I’ve connected you to the past; to the echo of your families great tragedy.”

    “Now, I anoint your my heir; the heir of all my Darkness.” A smile slashed across her face. “I have tapped out the form of Qi’ra and all her echoes. All her versions, variants, and ancestors and descendants. But you, Jori Atreus. I could wander many, many timelines with you.”

    Ananke was playing with her food.

    This was supremely evident when she spoke on. “The Guardian - the Darkest Spear - will be rammed into Coruscant at no small percentage of light-speed. It will detonate the planet, destroying all my enemies at once - and I will escape via your future, and past.”

    Ananke’s grin became even more malicious.

    Another snap of her finger, and the Super Star Destroyer came alive, and vanished into hyperspace, surprising dozens of Eternal Fleet warships in orbit that had been supervising the genocide of the Kuati people.

    “Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

    TAG: @TheAdmiral (combo)

    TAG: @Mitth_Fisto (combo continues like we agreed)

    TAG: @darthbernael and @TheSilentInfluence, please would one of you put up the combo we did together!
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2022
  7. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    OOC: Whistles softly, drops a combo, and runs...

    IC: ????
    After


    Let's say that the Starflash unleashed a storm of energy at the sun of Balmorra, and the solar flare it produced killed the few surviving living sentient's in the system. Anzati, a son, others. Ostensibly including Darth Bernael.

    Let's say, when Leia was separated from her family, including Madelyn Linnett to a veritable horde of Yuuzhan Vong, a group determined to die well rather than successfully, that the last thing Leia saw of her mother was her standing before an impossible amount of Yuuzhan Vong warriors.

    Let's say that they were removed.

    Let's say they ended up here.

    Together.

    For a moment, standing in a darkened room, Bernael, the great evil, and Madelyn, the great good, would tumble from where they had been standing - a slither of a moment between life and death - and now stood looking at each other.

    They each had all their wits, weapons, and yes, Force powers.

    One moment there was pain, death, destruction, and not any that Bernael had caused. He felt the death of the system and it rocked the chaotic soul he was. The next, he found himself…somewhere. All he could make out was that he was in a room, that it was dark, and that he wasn’t alone.

    Turning slowly, he took in the other form that stood there. He could feel the energy in the being, the Light that suffused it. After all the years of battle and survival, he knew of this being, even if he’d never faced her directly before.

    A low growling tone infused the single word he spoke, ”Jedi…”,

    Madelyn didn't react at first because she wasn't sure where here was. She tried to shake off a sluggish feeling and pushed herself to focus on the here and the now.

    She just wasn't expecting Darth Bernael to be there with her.

    "Darth." Madelyn greeted politely. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

    I saved you, intoned a voice.

    A pale-grey incarnation of Anakin Skywalker spoke from the top of the stairs. They were beneath an immense Cathedral, in a dark realm. He stepped down, black robe flowing, and looking worn.

    I needed to. Because… you are fundamental to rebalancing the Force… A pause. As are two more.

    He leaned on the doorframe. You must not fight, if you want to save your reality.

    Bernael’s gaze was dragged from Madelyn’s at the intrusion of the second being. It was hard to not have that occur with who it was that entered. That one, the being who he had been, as known, who he was now, the Darkness could sense as could the ancient Anzati.

    He snorted at the question from the Jedi but nodded at Anakin, ”He, the…Father it seems…brought us, as he said.” his retort came to Madelyn.

    Focusing fully now on Anakin, his black eyes glittering. ”That is a big assumption, that we wish this reality saved. But…I’ll humor you. Us and two others, I can think of one, perhaps two reasons why that would be so. Either we are to take the two spots you need filled, the Son and Daughter or we are to be those who mentor, find, bring out those two beings so they reach the need you have of them.”

    Eyes narrowing, ”Or am I wrong…?”

    Madelyn gave Anakin a startled look, and stayed silent as he and Bernael spoke. "Now that's interesting isn't it? And what makes you think I would be so good at that Master Skywalker?"

    She turned to look at Bernael. "It figures I'd be dragged into this with you." Madelyn said with a bit of snark. "Didn't you have anything better to do?"

    The Father - held the gaze of Anzati for a moment. With an almost Anakin grimace - a, my hands have been caught in the cookie jar moment - he turned to Madelyn.

    “The Jedi Grandmaster? A woman who headed a family? Had a sister she lost to war but understands and loves nonetheless? The former leader of the Mandalorians? Padawan that grew after Order 66 but was not broken by it?”

    He smiled, warmly.

    “Who else could I trust?”

    And he turned back to Bernael.

    “The Eternal Emperor? The man who sought family above all, but lost his way? The ancient Anzati that served the Second Balance for millennia? The Anzati broken upon by the Change?”

    He smiled, drily.

    “Who else could I trust?”

    Bernael’s eyes narrowed slightly at the tone from Madelyn but his eyebrows arched at the response from Anakin. A sigh, ”Of course you know our histories. And that you answered her question but not not what I presumed, not surprised. Par for the course with the extremely powerful.” he teased.

    He glanced again at Madelyn, ”And I’m sure you were brought here about as voluntarily as I was.”

    "Oh yes, just as voluntarily." Madelyn replied sarcastically. She sighed and put a hand on her head, shook it and then turned to face the Father. "Those are all very good points, but I'm not as perfect as you think I am."

    The Father nodded. “Perfection is not a requirement, my friends.”

    He regarded Bernael. “I could have saved you, or left you to die. Both of you were to die at that precise point.”

    A gesture and two circles appeared before them, showing Bernael being incinerated along with Balmorra, and then Madelyn being run down by Yuuzhan Vong.

    “So in that respect, I had no choice.”

    He regarded the distance. “I had a quest to locate candidates already running. But it did not come to fruition before the Great War was lost. I could not leave Mortis, not without destabilising more besides.”

    Bernael smiled, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, ”Couldn’t destabilize more? You mean any more than the fact the galaxy was already falling into shreds? Your touch is and has been needed, I’d say, because otherwise…”

    He glanced at Madelyn, speaking generally but still mostly to Anakin, ”If we’re to be or are the precursors of those to be the Son and Daughter, having left us free to work our wills, even if the other candidates didn’t pan out, would have done even more to destabilize things. After all, our wills are diametrically opposed.”

    "Wouldn't that make it even more fun?" Madelyn answered and raised her eyebrows. "If this really is who we’re meant to be, we shouldn't question the force."

    She looked at Anakin. "I'm sure we will be kept in line anyway. Right Master Skywalker?"

    The Father looked to her, looking distinctly unlike Anakin for a moment; he was so weary.

    "You speak truth, Madelyn."

    His eyes turned back to Bernael. "But go; bring me the one that consorts with Darkness."

    "Let us talk."

    ”Before I depart, a couple things. First, you brought us here without transport for us. Second, this is the true Mortis, yes? If so, then how do I depart, are there Tho Yor to use?” Bernael asked.

    A wry look appeared upon his face, ”As far as I am aware that would be one being, yet I am not currently aware of his location. So…a little vague there, Father.”

    The Father looked wryly back, all Anakin.

    He gestured an opening. It showed a burning hangar bay..

    At that he turned away to lead Madelyn into the Citadel.

    Madelyn looked at Darth Bernael and then at Anakin, at the father. She smiled a little and then moved to follow Anakin into the burning hanger bay, weary but not afraid. Madelyn gave a little bow to Bernael and then turn to follow Anaki into the Citadel.

    "So, what do you do for fun in the Citadel...."

    TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @TheSilentInfluence, @Shadowsun (Mentioned)
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2022
  8. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    IC: Feyna Organa-Chume
    Aboard the Eternal flagship

    They were not going to win.

    The nest-ship had exploded, but even with the Eternals on their side, the Republic and Mandalorian forces were still outnumbered by Ben's motley fleet, many of which were simply flying themselves right into the opposition. Sensors indicated that the Jedi Temple had taken fire and was collapsing. The Obi-Wan was failing, slowly sinking out of orbit--though it was going down fighting--and a good chunk of the wreck-fleet was headed for the Eternal flagship.

    Isolder watched in despair. “It’s time for us to go.”

    Feyna's heart sank; she'd known that the odds were against them, but she'd still hoped nonetheless.

    At any rate, they definitely needed to get off this ship.

    "Let's set this thing to self-destruct, and go get Winter." That was the plan, if the mission failed: get Winter and Tycho, get out, pick up the kids, and disappear.

    "Where's the Black-Coat?"

    Should they try to find him, take him off, or not waste their time?

    GEMINI, Feyna spoke to the droid over the connection one more time. The enemy is targeting the flagship. My husband and I are abandoning ship; either the self-destruct or the impact from the enemy ships should take out the Throne. You'll be free of it. Keep fighting or leave as you see fit, but I do not expect we'll speak again. Thank you, and good luck.

    The Darkness was quiet, almost eerily so--was it still there? As strongly as she'd felt it arrive, she didn't think it would have left so quietly. Probably still there, then.

    Are you still sulking in there because I refused you, or just waiting to gloat?

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @CosmoHender @galactic-vagabond422 @TheSilentInfluence @darthhelinith @darthbernael
     
  9. Mitth_Fisto

    Mitth_Fisto Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    IC: Supreme Leader Vezrra Anor - Combo with Sinrebirth!
    Ruan

    Finn convinced Kaye to play ball. They couldn’t win this; not now. All they could do was buy into the bad after. Hindsight was always better in these creatures, foresight was weaker. The Yuuzhan Vong respected them and they were allowed their weapons. Ike had made himself scarce, bowing to the Supreme Overlord and excusing himself, clearly troubled. Reports came in steadily, change was the one sure constant.

    She discovered a new emperor had arisen, a man named Darth Vader had came to Coruscant. Images revealed him to be the same man she had witnessed in her connection to Ike. Information she held, but did not withhold.

    The worst news was that her intentions of a breeding program was not only pragmatic, but was direly necessary if she was going to save her people. A mere billion Yuuzhan Vong had survived. After five years of violence, there were barely enough of her people remaining to fill a planet.

    Worse they were coming to Ruan as if a pilgrimage, to see the new anointed connection to their Gods. Their new chosen. Their rightful ruler. Listening with her expanded senses - with this Vongsense, awoken by her rise and by Ike - she could hear them.

    Laughing.

    No, it was one voice split with a resonance, it’s victims giving it a way to speak …

    … a rotten voice.

    Finn looked at her, quizzical, as they were walked to a chamber for further discussions.

    "Death is coming." she simply stated with no preamble. Letting that hang in the air between them all. "The Yuuzhan Vong are preparing to evacuate from here and retreat to our worlds. But more keep coming, more keep needing to be ushered onward. My people are in no state for war beyond the war of survival at this point. Emperor Palpatines subversion and diversion of my people destroyed us, and what he did not wreck in his plans we have in letting our venting whittle ourselves down."

    Tapping a few keys she brought up the truth of the matter. An image of Vader and of a question mark of an image that listed an unverified disease mass intelligence. "These are what I feel will kill this world and all here. The ship in orbit will die, the rest if able will flee. Messages are being spread to divert the flows of survivors. Your offered deals are ash in all our mouths now."

    Finn looked panicked; he knew the Yuuzhan Vong had bioweapons - spores, and more beside. Even if they were beaten, they could devastate whole worlds - even more than they had already.

    "Wait, Anor, we don't need to do this. We can find a solution. If we make peace, you can have your own territory - rebuild, regrow -"

    "No, let him do it," Kaye said. Finn looked at her, incredulous. "He should burn everything. The galaxy needs a hard shake, and when it does, it'll come together and smash the Yuuzhan Vong." A sniff. "You should torch Coruscant. A trillion dead? That'll make up for what you've lost, won't it?"

    Eyeing these two with what little disdain she could muster she sighed heavily. "I'm a female of my species. And you have continually been less than useful." with that she waved forward a pair of attendants that held a large bladder creature between them. It was full of firejelly. Reaching forward she tried to with her newer abilities to trigger the firejelly envelope the woman Kaye that had been so detrimental to this point.

    "My problem is not what to do Finn. It is the fact we are about to be attacked and if things remain unchanged. I, and likely most if not all of my people here will die with me." Flicking her eyes toward him she waited to see how they would respond.

    “I don’t care what you are,” Kaye bit, half a second before the creatures were triggered by that Vongsense.

    The creatures reacted to the Vong-sense, gelatinous tendrils and blobs flew forward. Each touch was an anchor and each anchor was a pull, soon she was drowning, suffocating in an angry red gelatinous prison that wobbled in that half second it took to take her. Then the second was up and firejelly triggered, its namesake showing true as fire like napalm erupted! Her form reduced to a wobbling inferno that had flames licking the ceiling and gouts of flame licking out as the once proud and tall form slumped and shrank. And shrank. And shrank.

    There was no smell of food cooking, there was no smell of anything but ash. And that was all that was left to be seen as the last flames ended and the liquefied floor slowly cooled once more and began to cease it's liquid glowing as it returned into some semblance of a floor once more.

    Finn hesitated -

    "So, now that the insanely unhelpful and provocative voice has been silenced. What solutions do you offer? My people hunger for war for what insults we have suffered, but we need time. Time to have children, time to swell our numbers, and with the darkness coming I do not see a path to giving my people that without severe sacrifice." Raising a hand the attendants left, only for another pair to appear on the opposite side of the room with a now familiar bladder creature strung between them.

    Despair crushed the King.

    “Help us put things right,” Finn begged. “You need time, we all need time. Time to rebuild, to heal. You have the power to end the war now, as the Supreme Overlord. But instead you put into motion the genocide of your species.”

    Finn sank to his haunches, tears in his eyes. “My sister… she didn’t deserve this.”

    She did. You should rule over the corpse of this galaxy.

    The voice.

    “No one deserves mercy and rarely damnation, yet good and I’ll befall all without care or measure unless weighed by the Yuun.” She shrugged at the broken man. For King and Jedi he might be besides, he was nothing but a broken human now.

    “She asked for a scorched galaxy, I merely began with her. You ask for peace and healing and so I shall give that to you. You who did not try to kill me, but merely flee.” Waving a hand the attendants left with the bladder they carried. “That is all the lessons we have time for. My people will flee and yours will provide a continent on your world for our refugees to settle and heal upon that we will divert from here. The rest of us will go to places already prepared.”


    To the voice she said nothing. She would rule and the galaxy would either wither and die or blossom and thrive. With visions of Vader this was not assured to be in her power to choose yet.

    “On Artorias?” Finn nodded. A world he’d lost five years ago; he would give up a continent to save the galaxy. “I agree.”

    He stood up and extended a hand. “Will you work with me to end the war?”

    Pfeh.

    The oozing God of Rot lingered only because he had thought Anor the weaker of the many iterations of the sentient… but he was strong, even in despair. A thought occurred to him about Zeseem, but Dunkeel took control anew and Mnngal-Mnngal was drawn back and back and back -

    Finn, unaware of this interplay, extended his hand forward further.

    She looked at the hand with a sneer of disdain. "You would have to be purified if you wanted to ever touch my flesh, or any of my kind. Otherwise you would seen as contamination of our flesh and our souls. Make sure your people do not make the same mistake." Stepping forward she simply inclined her sceptor of power and authority. "It is agreed then. Let us be quick, before our deaths catch up to us."

    Turning she waved to her people. Finn would escorted to his ship and a living villip and paired altered villip that was the equivalent of a holoprojector was to be given to him. With that he could contact her and included upon it was recordings, edited of course of any private conversations, of all of their dealings. It would be up to him what he did with them.

    Within the hour her people and her ships here, except for a token force to guard the worldship that was still unable to be moved yet would remain and redirect any more of her people that came late. If it matured and could be moved it would go to orbit Finn's world and her people there would be divided between the continent and their new worldship they would grow into as the days passed. Dreams and things that might never come to be. Not if visions were not accepted and the seen things altered. Ike would likely have words and had plenty of time to ruminate. She would check on him as they left this system.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  10. galactic-vagabond422

    galactic-vagabond422 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2009
    IC Tor
    Coruscant

    Well at least the Eternal Flagship was firing. Not that it help her as she was swarmed by more of these cobbled together fighters. Watching them be suicidal made her furrow her brow. This was the only way they could stop the Mandalorians. Give of themselves, though there was questions of if there were even beings behind the stick. Throwing her throttle fully open she avoided a ship diving at her. An advantage to their madness is that they're more likely to crash into each other.

    Checking her scanners she curled her lip. The Kenobi was listing, and attacked on all sides. Tech was shot down and the mandalorians were disorganized. Turning hard she avoided another ramming attack. Was the enemy desperate or did they think they were close to victory.

    Checking her screen again her eyes widened. Leia...Leia was in danger.

    Screw the Republic...this all would be useless if her sister died.

    "Rally on me." She called out to her distracted and scattered warriors. She watched as Tech fell towards the planet below. He knew the risks, they were warriors all death came with the territory. Turning her fighter she dove down chasing after the bombers. "On your six Leia."

    The Eternal flagships weapons spat fire, the Obi-Wan became less and less of an asset, and the crazed armada became a formation of collapsing, crashing, shooting, ramming -

    It was as if a collective insanity had overcame them all, a rage that had no rhyme or reason or source.

    The Nest Ship was at least knocked out of the fight, though the cloud of mad ships curled to form up on a black-long winged shuttle, as if the very Eye of the Storm. As the Mandalorians headed towards the Hyena's, they scattered formation and their escorts sought turn back and towards him.

    Leia's X-wing was in the distance, going down towards the burning Jedi Temple. If Aryan's specifics were to be believed, the Beacon was beneath that debris, so in-theory the entire function might be safe.

    Maybe.

    The Hyenas were curving around so they could face the Mandalorians, as the escorts distracted them.

    Behind them, the enemy crashed into and through the thin line of the Eternal Fleet -

    "Keep moving forward." she called out opening up with her lasers to tear through the escorts as they peeled off the bombers. One died instantly under her guns, before the fighters could scatter. Once they did she came around in a hurry, if they took out these fighters quickly they could move on to the bombers. At least they could keep them off Leia.

    Behind them more junkers broke through the line diving right towards the Mandalorians.

    "All fighters on my order dive down." Behind her she watched the roiling cloud of death coming towards her meager fighters. With the bombers coming in that would be a lot of missiles coming in. But if those missiles could go somewhere else, that might change things.

    She waited, heart pounding in her chest as she held her nerve, until the bombers started locking on, and the cloud from behind closed in.

    "Dive!" she called out pushing her stick forward hoping that the discipline of these two groups would fail, leaving the bombers missiles to crash into the cloud, and the cloud to smash into the bombers. That was the hope.

    The bombers were caught out by their own allies and smashed, but the crashing of forces meant that most of the Mandalorians were hit with the shockwave of detonations that were essentially in atmosphere.

    The ripple was compounded when a set of ships held back and dropped seismic mines into the Eternal lines, sending destructive ripples through all parties -

    “It’s utter madness,” muttered Tech, who had managed to crash just in-front of the Jedi Temple. It would be the same with several ships, a kind of moat of the broken. Leia would end up down there, but the violent and devastated masses began to crash all over Coruscant, living people and droid intelligences transformed into bombs by the insanity unleashed upon the world.

    Tor was, inevitably, going down.

    They all were.

    There was only a moment of triumph as the two groups crashed into each other. A second later the shockwaves hit sending the Mandalorians falling out of the sky, burning wrecks that might be recovered but, wouldn't be useable. Fighting with her controls she aimed for what remained of the Jedi Temple. a place she never thought she would visit.

    "All fighters do what you can to land alive. Aim for the Jedi Temple that is our target. Land and rally on my location." What that location would be, she didn't know but, she was damn sure it would be near the ruins.

    "Leia, looks like I'll be joining you on the ground sooner than I expected. And I'm bringing about a hundred of my closest friends with me." As she fell the ground or what passes for ground on Coruscant she pulled up getting as much air under her as she could to glide someway towards the place her sister landed.

    Her engines flared behind her lighting up the cockpit orange and blue with it's flames but she didn't care. Alarms rang out and she paid them no heed. All that mattered was getting on the ground. She clipped the top of a cruiser that crashed into the surface before the battle causing her to bounce before hitting the deck scraping and sparking as she slid up the entrance way to the temple.

    As she came to a final stop she slammed the canopy open quickly leaping out and drawing her lucky pistol.

    "All mandalorians, rally to the front steps, asap."

    TAG: @TheSilentInfluence @Sinrebirth
     
    darthbernael and Sinrebirth like this.
  11. CosmoHender

    CosmoHender Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2016
    IC: Barriss Offee

    Coruscant

    Barriss had been buried alive twice in her lifetime.

    The first had been on the ice-world Illum, which her master had brought her to so she could build a new lightsaber. Unfortunately, Separatist chameleon droids had infiltrated the temple on Illum and placed explosive charges in the tunnels. Barriss and her master were trapped in the resulting cave-in until they were rescued by Yoda.

    The second had been on Geonosis. Barriss and her master had been said to aid Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano in destroying the Geonosian droid factory. That mission was how Barriss had met Ahsoka all those years ago. The two Padawans went into the catacombs together and managed to destroy the factory by firing upon its reactor with the new Confederate super tank, neither of them expecting to survive the explosion. The shielding of the tank did protect them, but they were buried alive and would have died from lack of air if their masters had not saved them.

    And now Barriss was being buried alive a third time, in the Jedi Temple that she had grown up in and once called home.

    Neither she or the Force Ghosts had been quick enough, since Barriss was currently being pinned underneath the falling debris and rubble. She was breathing hard, trying in vain to free herself. She knew how close she was, how it was just a little further to the Beacon.

    But Barriss was just not strong enough. Despite everyone that was counting on her... she had failed.

    You shouldn't even be here, a voice in her head said. You should have stayed with your family. Perhaps then your wife wouldn't be dead. But instead you've just come here to die.

    Barriss refused to listen to the voice, even as she felt the blood leaving her body. She continued to try freeing herself and she would do so until her final breath. The alternative was giving up, which just wasn't an option. Even if it was hopeless, she had to keep fighting. The others who had foolishly put their faith in her deserved that much.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @Shadowsun @TheSilentInfluence @galactic-vagabond422 @darthbernael @darthhelinith @JediMasterAnne
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  12. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Renn Turon
    Oh great, the temple is collapsing…

    No sooner had Renn spoken to Vhardia then the temple erupted into rubble and flame. As a Force Ghost the falling rubble and the fire was of little consequence to Renn but the spirits here were not the only beings around.

    Quickly, he glanced down at Vhardia again, Leia’s out there, not far.”

    He looked around, trying to see, in a snapshot as he rapidly turned, to see what was being done, who was doing what. He saw Ahsoka, Rey, and Luminara trying to divide and divert the rubble and knew they should reach Barriss very soon.

    He had to decide, his and Vhardia’s ‘adopted’ daughter or Barriss. He hesitated only for a few moments.

    Whipping his head to face Vhardia once more, ”They should be able to help her, Leia needs us.” he said urgently.

    Without any further ado, he sped through the rain of debris, through the flames that roared and spat, out of the Jedi Temple.

    Looking up into the sky, he could see Leia’s ship. Reaching up towards it he concentrated, trying to right the tumble of the ship, cushion it’s fall so she had enough control to bring it in without a spectacular crash.

    TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @darthhelinith (Mentioned), @TheSilentInfluence (Mentioned), @CosmoHender (Mentioned)
     
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2022
    Sinrebirth likes this.
  13. TheSilentInfluence

    TheSilentInfluence Retired Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2014
    IC: Leia Skirata-Linnett
    Crashing

    There was a splutter if engines before Leia realised how much trouble they were in. The X-Wing lurched sk hard Leia felt the vibrations in her body, before they started to hurtle towards the ground.

    She felt a surge of fear as she tried to pull back on the controls to steady them, reaching out with the force to try to cushion them, although she was more focused on protecting Almira then herself-

    "Help me with the controls." Leis said quietly, voice shaking. She knew there was a chance they might not make it but didn't want to voice it to Almira." Almira please." She asked, the controls whining with the strain they were going through-

    Oh force were going too fast-

    Tag: @Sinrebirth @galactic-vagabond422 @darthbernael
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  14. darthhelinith

    darthhelinith Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 10, 2009
    Vhardia
    Temple Collapse

    Vhardia too looked between Bariss and above, where she could sense Leia.
    ”They should be able to help her, Leia needs us.”
    She bit her lip as Renn prepared to leave.
    "You go on ahead, I'll help here just a little longer then I'll try and join you."

    She looked up again just in time to watch a pillar fall on top of herself.
    It felt strange, suddenly not being able to see anything, but with a quick jump, she figured out how to get out of it and stand on top of it instead.

    Able to see once more, she dug deep within, hoping, praying that she had enough, anything to help, reaching.
    Not trying to lift the debris, she didn't have quite enough for that, but attempting to create an angled shield that would knock the debris off course to one side or the other.


    Tags: @Sinrebirth @CosmoHender @darthbernael
     
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2022
    darthbernael and Sinrebirth like this.
  15. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: The Master of Masters
    Elsewhere

    It had been simple enough to feign that he had been stunned aboard the Eternal Flagship. It had been simple enough to escape it in the confusion; with Feyna’s ship. To launch the escape pods, empty; to maroon her and a weakened Darkness.

    It had also been simple enough to ensure he handed over a ship with a disabled self-destruct. He tossed the heart of that mechanism up and down, once, twice, and caught it absently.

    “Sorry, Feyna.”

    He almost felt bad.

    It had also been simple enough to make it so that not only did Palpatine ultimately die, but that the Twilight Timeline fell to ruin. Better yet, it had been relatively painless to encourage the survivors to go to Coruscant on a final effort to save the galaxy. Similarly, he had needed to only ‘appear’ to have issues with Tor Valum for him to survive, and thus sink his claws into Ben Solo. Even the Eternal droid fought Vader and cult of nihilism, a completely understandable evolution of the respective views of all parties involved, thanks to Ike. The Beacon was near; the Allies had to hold the line as long as possible.

    He watched as the droid fleet was caught up in the Storm of junkyard and murderous ships, and was going down. Along with it was the crippled Eternal Flagship, and the host of Mandalorians and Rebels and Jedi.

    Delightful.

    He checked his List.

    It had been his List all along, given to Amedda, and then Zorn.

    So many names were crossed from it now.

    Vader had taken down so many.

    He had a neat and tidy handful left.

    Feyna, Tor, Leia, Barriss.

    That was everyone, no?

    And then, it hadn’t taken too much more to stymie Ananke’s efforts to secure hyperdrives for her Dreadnought to drive a needle through her head with frustration. To drive her mad beyond mad. And then that would rope in Jori too.

    In short order, Coruscant would be destroyed.

    And if it wasn’t, well, he’d simply watch the ensuing chaos as the pursuing Eternal cruisers from Kuat knocked Ananke and Jori out of orbit, and then Vader would rise above them all anyway.

    He sipped his tea and watched.

    At long last, this Change would be undone.

    Everyone would die, and the reality would be empty. Broken, shattered; done.

    The Force who be so wounded here that it would simply End.

    Erased.

    As if it had never been.

    Finally.

    The Master of Masters knew he’d just killed trillions with his manipulations.

    But they simply weren’t meant to be.

    They had to accept that.

    —-
    Darth Vader
    The End

    The Eternal Fleet held the line; fought; died; were caught in the planetary gravity well. The New Republic forces crumbled. The Mandalorians were knocked out of the sky.

    The sum total of the Galactic Resistance was spiralling down, crashing to the surface of Coruscant, with the broken armada of Darth Vader coming down behind them.

    Coruscant had suffered hard in the Twilight - burned down by Ananke; trashed by the full Eternal Fleet; abandoned for fifteen years… and now, this.

    Isolder had held onto Feyna as the Eternal flagship went down, cursing the Black-Coat; Leia and Tor all but crash-landed near each other, in-front of the stairs of the broken Jedi Temple. Almira helped Leia out, already weaving protections spells -

    Tycho’s X-wing crashed but he had managed to eject -

    Escape pods from the Obi-Wan brought Winter and a dozen crew members besides the Mandalorians who made it to the surface; she drew her blaster, began shooting -

    [​IMG]

    In short order they were all there, standing at the very entrance to the Jedi Temple, it’s heart exposed. Somewhere beneath that was the Beacon, undamaged, and Barriss would come to, saved from her death by Vhardia and Renn, as much as Leia was too. Their exertions? They had made them transparent to the point of invisibility - they had very little energy left to stay in the mortal realm; another action and they’d dissipate. Ahsoka, Rey and Luminara were already gone.

    Another ship joined the collection of wreckage that now made up the allies - a ship which was aflame when it entered the system, which cooled off as it whisked into the atmosphere, but still could not arrest its landing; the misshapen hunk of black crashed to the left of the survivors, shearing open access to the Beacon itself. The ship ramp slammed to the floor, pushed open, and a bloody but alive Zara tumbled out, visible to her wife. “Barriss!” She shouted.

    Isolder pulled Feyna free of the wreckage of the Eternal flagship - they weren’t far from each other - from that line they needed to hold. Feyna could still hear the GEMINI droids, many, many sentient minds destroyed fighting for her. Vicrul was merely a whisper…

    There they were.

    Feyna, Isolder, Tor, Leia, Zara, the wounded Beaumont Kin, Winter, Tycho, the spectral Renn and Vhardia, and a dozen odd apiece of Mandalorian’s, New Republic officers, and GEMINI war droids…

    [​IMG]

    Here for the finish.

    What was left of Vader’s wreckage of a navy came down, the black-shuttle escorting what few walkers he had left. Lightning crackled overheard, Coruscant so damaged that the very elements no longer obeyed the rules of nature.

    He descended the ramp.

    “I will accept no surrenders. Only death. The Beacon will be destroyed, and I will rule the corpse of this galaxy.” His voice was bass; monotone, not a shred of Ben Skywalker nor Ben Solo remained.

    Only Vader.

    He pointed his lightsaber, and the motley horde of creatures, monsters, aliens and mutated flesh stormed forward. Behind them lumbered half a dozen AT-AT designs. A veritable army, a battle so starkly imbalanced that their chances were minimal.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    They had to fight.

    Or die.

    TAG: @CosmoHender, @TheSilentInfluence, @JediMasterAnne, @Mitth_Fisto, @galactic-vagabond422, @darthhelinith, @darthbernael (singles all, I will reply every days this week to add to the situation, so if you want to reply multiple times, go for it!)
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2022
  16. darthhelinith

    darthhelinith Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 10, 2009
    Vhardia
    Whats a ruler without a rule?

    Vhardia looked around at them all gathered, as they gathered, one by one.

    "So, this is what's left..." She spoke, aloud, though it was unclear as to whether it was herself or anyone else.

    She watched Vader's arrival with narrowed eyes, at the crowd as he pointed into it, her eyes passing over the tattered remains of his forces.

    "So you kill them all and then rule over nothing." She sat on the pillar that had attempted to flatten her earlier and glanced over at Renn.
    "Renn, last time I checked, rulers ruled over something. Isn't something more than nothing?"

    Tags: : @Sinrebirth @CosmoHender , @TheSilentInfluence , @JediMasterAnne , @Mitth_Fisto , @galactic-vagabond422 , @darthbernael
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  17. CosmoHender

    CosmoHender Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2016
    IC: Barriss Offee

    Jedi Temple, Coruscant

    The Mirialan gasped as she felt the rubble lifted off of her. She managed to struggle to her feet, a bit wobbly from blood loss.

    Perhaps that was why she felt Zara's presence, despite having earlier felt her death in the Force. It must be from the loss of blood.

    She started to shuffle in the direction of the Beacon, ignoring everything else that was going on around her. She couldn't let herself get distracted, not now. Not at the end.

    Barriss sensed him in the Force. The one that the Ghosts had told her about. The grandson of Anakin. Darth Vader.

    There was no saving him, Barriss knew that. She also knew that she couldn't let him stop her.

    A ship crashed nearby and Barriss would have paid it no mind if not for a familiar voice.

    "Barriss!"

    The former Jedi froze, recognizing the voice. It couldn't be.

    She knew that it had to be another ghost. Her wife was dead.

    Yet she still looked back in the direction of the voice. Just to be sure.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @TheSilentInfluence @JediMasterAnne @Mitth_Fisto @galactic-vagabond422 @darthhelinith @darthbernael
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  18. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Renn Turon
    Kings and tyrants

    ”Ah…” Renn sighed out as he was able to release the energy he’d used to try to assist Leia. Everything, it seemed, had come down to this moment, to this turning point.

    He held up his broad hands, looking at and through them, there was so little left of the energy he could use.

    As he felt Vhardia join him, he looked out across the vast, rubble and debris strewn area before the now ruined Jedi Temple. Both friend and foe were spread over that field, preparing for what certainly felt as though the end had come.

    He smiled softly at Vhardia’s comment, in life she probably would have attempted something more in line with the Jedi teachings but death…that opened one to a whole new world and the realization that not everything was cut and dried, black and white.

    He moved over to the stump of pillar she sat upon, leaning against it, as the storm clouds of the Force gathered. With a sigh he spoke quietly in a forgotten tongue, ”Ubi solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant.*” Looking down at her, ”Means ‘They made a desert and called it peace’. And all that’s left to rule over is nothing, the galaxy is broken, Vhardia.”

    TAGS: : @Sinrebirth, @darthhelinith (Mentioned), @CosmoHender, @TheSilentInfluence, @JediMasterAnne, @Mitth_Fisto, @galactic-vagabond422

    *Quoted from Tacitus
     
    darthhelinith and Sinrebirth like this.
  19. galactic-vagabond422

    galactic-vagabond422 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2009
    Tor
    Coruscant

    Tor landed safe and alive, a dozen more mandalorians rallied to her position. They were almost there, the beacon was just below the rubble. They just had to get someone there.

    "Leia go, We'll be…" That was when the thunder rolled, rain falling from above, pinging off the hardened armor of the mandalorians. Roiling from the wreckage a mass of bodies and metal and force knows what else. In the distance, a dozen AT-ATs, how had they not been killed yet. She snarled, that could be decided later. They had time, not much but they had it.

    "I need you to get as much ordinance out of the bessies, now, we should have some torps, or better yet Diamonds left." She ordered to the remaining commandos she had with her, their fighters landing in a nice defensive line a wall of Beskar between them and the on coming horde. If she could get some torpedoes a plan was forming.

    "Tech can you route a torpedo's guidance system through a buy'ce?" It was a long shot but, if they could do that, those AT-ATs would be cut down to size.

    "Leia," She turned to her sister grabbing her hands. "Go, please, activate the beacon, call for help. We'll hold them off…We'll give you time." Letting go of Leia's hands she turned around, drawing the darksaber and rushing to the front of the defensive line created. It was time to do what her mother always did best. Rally the troops.

    "Here we stand, on the edge of Oblivion, the monsters of darkness at our doorstep." With her blaster in one hand and saber in the other she stood atop the wreckage of her fighter as others worked to liberate the remaining missiles and torpedoes from it. Rain fell on the dark blade sizzling with each drop. "We have a chance, to stop this, to tell fate that we will not let it take its course. We will not submit, we will fight, fight with all the power we have, Jedi, Mando'ad," A cry from the gathered warriors raised up.

    "Oya oya oya,"

    "Imperial, Republic, Vong, we all stand together, once enemies we are here, at the most significant time in history. At the end of everything. Our back's against the wall, all we have is the naked want to survive, to protect what we have struggled lifetimes for. The darkness wishes to claim our soul, for us to die, cold and alone. But, I won't die, what we do here today will echo for eternity. We will look into the black and scream with one single voice. NO! THIS WILL NOT BE THE END. ALL OF YOU. STAND AND FIGHT. FIGHT FOR HOME, FOR HEART, FOR OUR OWN SURVIVAL LET OUR LIGHT PIERCE THE DARKNESS AND BRING A NEW AGE. AND I WILL SEE IT THOUGH WILL YOU!"

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @CosmoHender @TheSilentInfluence @JediMasterAnne @Mitth_Fisto @darthhelinith @darthbernael
     
    Sinrebirth and darthbernael like this.
  20. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: Zara
    Battle of the Line

    She cried out, her voice joining that of the masses of Mandalorians and New Republic crewers speaking up in support.

    As the GEMINI droids and Skytroopers glanced to Feyna for a cue, the horde rushed forward.

    In an instant, Zara was bowelled by a four-armed, snapping mutant thing, and she kicked at it. "BARRISS!"

    She hadn't barely survived a hyperspace jump from Ruan to die here!

    For Tor, a lumbering ape-like monstrosity leapt forward, tusks drawn -

    It was big, having emerged from the wreckage of a Gallofree transport -

    [​IMG]

    While Leia got a grip on matters, Almira unleashed a string of green lightning into what seemed to be a mutilated Stormtrooper -

    [​IMG]

    "Leia!"

    Emerging from behind the downed creature was some kind of heavily mutated Rodian, a Yuuzhan Vong monstrosity -

    [​IMG]

    It had immense claws and Almira barely had time to weave a defensive shield before it slammed into it and sent her flying -

    Winter backed towards Feyna and Isolder, the latter shooting as quickly as his little-short-use blaster could at a horde of blood-splattered zealots -

    [​IMG]

    Tycho was there, shooting as he ran into the flanks of the group -

    "Well this is madness."

    Winter embraced him. "It's as if every threat and remnant we've ever beaten and broken boiled out of the shadows where we put them -"

    Renn and Vhardia would have limited power, and a hundred threats -

    And looming behind it all, behind the gore-soaked Mandalorian line, were those AT-ATs, and Tech desperately tinkering with a missile launcher of a downed Bessie.

    "Mand'alor!" He drew it out whole, a heavyset Mandalorian helping. A proton torpedo was underslung from the mechanism, dangling from the Bessie and connected in-part so they still had power. Tech was already working on the next launcher.

    And then above that was the Black Command Shuttle, Vader peering out the viewport.

    Waiting.

    His breathing quickened as the shuttles cannons peeled at another layer of the Jedi Temple wreckage, digging for the Beacon.

    TAG: @CosmoHender, @TheSilentInfluence, @JediMasterAnne, @galactic-vagabond422, @darthbernael, @darthhelinith, @Mitth_Fisto (daily TAG, updated TAGs)
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2022
  21. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    IC: Feyna Organa-Chume
    Coruscant

    Feyna was bouncing between rage and despair as she stumbled out of the wreck of the Eternal flagship--the Black-Coat had disabled the flagship self-destruct, but Feyna had only intended it as a safeguard to ensure the Throne's destruction anyway. That little frustration however quickly turned to anger and panic when she and Isolder had gone to the hangar to find their shuttle stolen, and the flagship's escape pods all jettisoned--they were stranded on board, and the attack from Ben's ships had the flagship on a path for a crash landing on the planet's surface.

    Surprisingly, they survived the impact relatively uninjured, and they climbed out to find themselves actually near the Jedi Temple. The Throne was apparently still intact, though, as Feyna could still feel the connection to the droids.

    The Obi-Wan had gone down, too--most of the allies' ships had--and Feyna spotted Winter, and Tycho, fighting nearby, as Ben's ground forces moved in. There were Vong here, too, but they also seemed to be fighting against Ben, so Feyna let it go for now. The allies had taken out a good chunk of his navy, but he still had the superior numbers.

    He was here, too, descending the ramp of his black shuttle, black-armored and masked, crimson lightsaber blazing, any shred of the boy she'd known evidently erased, as he called for no surrender, only their deaths.

    Feyna was glad Han wasn't here to see. Or Xav, or Lumpy. She dreaded telling Kalen what his childhood friend had become, but then the likelihood of her ever seeing her children again seemed infinitesimal.

    She could hear Tor shouting nearby, rallying her remaining fighters--the allies were still where they needed to be, between Ben (or whatever Darth he called himself now) and the Beacon.

    Feyna dug up a weapon from the rubble, trying to summon up the strength for one more fight. Winter and Tycho had made their way over, and Feyna had to give a rueful nod at Winter's comment. Yes, it seemed Ben had rallied nearly every former enemy of the Republic here.

    The odds weren't any better than before, but they were going to have to fight, to survive and to get out. She still had the Eternal droids, too.

    Defend the Temple, defend the Beacon, Feyna told them. We cannot allow the enemy to destroy the Beacon.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth Coruscant people
     
  22. CosmoHender

    CosmoHender Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2016
    IC: Barriss Offee

    Jedi Temple, Coruscant

    When the former Jedi saw her thought to be deceased wife, Barriss had one question on her mind.

    How?

    She had felt Zara die through the Force, so this shouldn't even be possible. Was this some sort of trick? Had the Force been lying to her? Or was she just finally going crazy?

    Barriss didn't know. She did know that it looked like Zara and it sounded like Zara, but could she even trust her own senses anymore? Either the Force had kept Zara's survival secret from her for some reason or this wasn't actually her wife.

    Yet when she saw Zara get grabbed by a four-armed mutant thing, Barriss couldn't just do nothing. She had already felt her wife die, she didn't want to watch her wife die either even if it turned out it wasn't really her wife. So Barriss, acting on pure instinct, reached out with the Force...

    ...and crushed the throat of the mutant, ending its life in a moment.

    This surprised Barriss, since she hadn't done anything like that since the Clone Wars. But the techniques she learned on Umbara all those decades ago were not easily forgotten, even if she wished otherwise.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @TheSilentInfluence @JediMasterAnne @Mitth_Fisto @galactic-vagabond422 @darthhelinith @darthbernael
     
  23. galactic-vagabond422

    galactic-vagabond422 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2009
    Tor
    Coruscant

    The beskar line was holding, only a dozen fighters but they were holding against a tide of monsters. The wreckage of the bessies holding off the worst of it. Mandalorian blasters of all shapes and sizes opened up tearing into the mounds of muscle and bone. Blood and icor splashed upon the ground pooling around the battle line. Her own blaster chirpped again and again delivering accurate death with every shot. And anything that got past the rain of pain was cut down to size by darksaber. The numbers were still staggering but, they were holding. Dropping from the impromptu battlements she pressed forward craving a path of blood and death. The dark blood splashing against her red armor.

    In the distance she heard a roar, a beast that towered over the others. Locking eyes she knew what was going to happen. It rushed at her head lowered and she charged to meet it. The monster lowered its head connecting with Tor's chest, but not with its tusks. Carrying her back she was slammed into the wreck of another ship. She fired off a few shots that just bounced off the hardened plate of the forehead. Turning her darkblade around she tried to drive it through the skull, again it glanced off.

    The massive head pulled back ready to gore the Mand'alor again but she ducked down just getting under the second charge. Two more bolts in the under side of the creature sent it squealing away but didn't kill it. With some distance but not too much space she stepped forward cutting down on the nearest tusk, cutting it off and causing the beast to roar once again the other tusk swinging and catching her in the side. The force of it sent her tumbling away, a heavy bruise forming under her armor.

    "Manda'lore," Tech commed informing her that the jury rigged launcher was working. Before she could answer the monster crashed into her again slamming her into a bit of ruin that might have once been a statue.

    The air was knocked out of her but around the gargantuan head she spotted the black shuttle the one firing on the temple. Her sister was there, the beacon was there, the whole mission hung on that beacon.

    Pressing her hand against the skull of the beast pinning her down she growled down the comm

    "The shuttle..hit it." There was a quiet moment as Tor met the mindless eyes of the beast. There was nothing in them but anger, anger that wasn't it's own. It dug in a bit deeper but there was a gap, the severed tusk, she wasn't pinned completely just yet. It drove its skull a little harder into her drawing another grunt from her.

    Gathering her breath once more she pushed against the hardened plate getting just the room she needed to shimmy out dropping to the ground she rolled away as the massive head of the beast swung around. Dropping on her back she activated her jetpack sending her flying just off the ground shooting her right under the monster. She brought the darkblade up leaving a deep cut opening up the beast from tip to tail. Coming up flying over the battlefield she watched the monster fall, its innards spilling out over the ground.

    Just then a torpedo streaked across the sky heading right for the shuttle.

    Cut the head off the snake…

    Or at least she hoped this was the head of the snake.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @TheSilentInfluence @JediMasterAnne @Mitth_Fisto @CosmoHender @darthhelinith @darthbernael
     
  24. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Renn Turon
    Absolute Chaos

    Renn sighed, sorrow in the tone. As he looked around the battlefield, he felt the weight of the Light and the Dark, the Dark pressing closer and closer, reminding him of a poem he’d once read.

    I met a traveller from an antique land,
    Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
    Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
    Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
    And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
    Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
    Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
    The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
    And on the pedestal, these words appear:
    My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
    Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
    Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
    Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
    The lone and level sands stretch far away.”*


    He reached out to take Vhardia’s hand, his face turning to let his eyes meet hers. ”My dear, there is not much left of either of us, so let us decide as one and depart this realm having done all we could to save it.”

    TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @darthhelinith (Mentioned), All others at Coruscant
     
    Sinrebirth and darthhelinith like this.
  25. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: GEMINI
    Battle of Coruscant, continued

    The war droids followed the commands of Feyna as the Eternal Empress, a robotic war cry before they rushed forward -


    [​IMG]
    Behind them came the Skytroopers, hefty units that knew their weapons, and knew how to fight -

    [​IMG]

    Skytroopers

    The creatures plunged into them without hesitation, madmen and women and everything in-between and otherwise.

    In the middle of it all, a creation sprang, and landed among Feyna, Winter, Isolder and Tycho -

    [​IMG]

    Voxyn

    It flicked out a tail and Isolder took it on the shoulder, and it bounded, bowling over Winter and turning on Tycho to scream at him -

    Tycho dropped his gun and covered his ears, tumbling back -

    The creature turned to look at Feyna, its scream finished, and a gurgling in its throat as if it was about to retch at her -

    Zara watched the creature above her crushed in an invisible grip, and she looked over. "Barriss!"

    She gathered herself, a discarded blaster in her hand, as she fired at a big Yuuzhan Vong warrior chasing her -

    Barriss couldn't use the Force on him, and he seemed bad -

    [​IMG]

    Tsalok

    The immense Gorog split, tumbling with a cry, crushing a few fighters below.

    Bounding from the fallen ships came an immense set of insects, the Grutchins that had torn down worlds during the Great War -

    [​IMG]

    Grutchins

    Other Mandalorians gunned their jetpacks and leapt into the sky -

    As the missile detonated with the shuttle!

    The ship went down in a ball of flame, and a half cry of victory sounded out -

    But not before the rubble parted, and Vader stood.

    [​IMG]

    He lobbed the flaming debris at them, splitting it as an impromptu barrage of fireballs -

    Tech cried out as the attack flew towards the Bessie he was working on -

    A flaming spheroid was heading towards others, including Leia -

    Almira tug deep, trying to use her Nightsister magicks to hold at bay a horde of semi-sentient Chazrach -

    [​IMG]

    She wasn't able to protect everyone -

    Renn and Vhardia needed to intervene or it was likely many more would die -

    TAG: @galactic-vagabond422, @darthbernael, @darthhelinith, @JediMasterAnne, @TheSilentInfluence, @CosmoHender (singles and so forth)
    ---
    IC: Ike

    Aboard a Yuuzhan Vong ship

    There wasn't a lot to say.

    Instead of going to Coruscant as had been hoped, Anor had bid his forces scatter.

    Contrary to expectation, at that, and it could have been easily misread.

    Ike was going to have to do more.

    He tapped on Anor's door. The Yuuzhan Vong were in the midst of scattering, seeding the galaxy with their survival.

    Finn wasn't happy, he could sense in the Force that it was bad and they needed to do something.

    And so Ike drew back on his Black Coat, and waited.

    "We need to talk. I guess you realised I was trying to get you to go to Coruscant."

    TAG: @Mitth_Fisto (combo)

    OOC: I misread Mitth's reply; he's not at Coruscant!

    TAG: @TheAdmiral etc etc
     
    HanSolo29 and darthbernael like this.