Star Wars: Episode VII: Twilight of the Light Force

OOC: I am SO sorry for the lateness.

IC: Barriss Offee

Jedi Temple

As she watched the younglings board the evacuation ship, Barriss knew that she would feel better when the younglings were off Coruscant and were somewhere safe. Of course, she had a list of potential safehouses where she could take them, which also meant they had other options to fall upon in case one safehouse was compromised.

But while Barriss knew there was nowhere she would rather be than with these children, she looked over at Ahsoka and suspected that her partner possibly thought differently, which didn't surprise Barriss too much. She knew Ahsoka had probably been hoping to go after the people responsible for the attack and bring them to justice. Ahsoka was always someone who preferred direct action.

However, before Barriss could bring this up to her partner, she saw Lylithe Kya coming over to them. To see them off, perhaps?

Lylithe waved. "I hear I have you to thank for saving the kids and distracting the enemy from me. I nearly died in that mess looking after the Jensaarai rep." Ahsoka smiled, happy to see a survivor.

"Master Yoda suggested I get out of the Temple, so I could more fully recover. Also, you're Masters, and you may be needed, while I'm just a Knight." A smile, a little tired around the edges, but there. "Happy for me to come along to wherever?"

Barriss just smiled. "Of course," she told Lylithe. "The more, the merrier."

In short order, they had a gaggle of younglings, and Lylithe was settling down children and strapping them in.

For a moment, Barriss and Ahsoka had the cockpit to themselves. Ahsoka smiled. "Well, not quite the adventure I had in mind."

Barriss returned the smile. "An adventure nonetheless," she told her partner. "Still... where should we go? I had a list of safe houses we could take the younglings to, but I haven't gotten the chance to decide where to bring them."

"What's the choices?" Ahsoka scooched the seat over closer.

Barriss pulled out her datapad, scrolling through the list. "Well, there's-"

She paused, her finger stopping on a name. For some reason, she felt drawn to it. Like the Force was trying to tell her something.

"How about... Bonadan?"

Ahsoka felt the Force resonate as she said it. "Oh?" The Togruta searched Barriss's eyes. "Why there?"

"I'm... not sure," Barriss admitted. "It just... feels right. Like the Force wants me to go there."

"Good enough for me," Ahsoka said, squeezing her hand and leaning in for a kiss -

The cockpit door opened, and Lylithe, looking both bedraggled and happy, stepped in. "Forty nine younglings strapped in."

"Oh," she said, flatly on seeing them. "Shall I go?"

Barriss, her cheeks pinks from embarrassment, shook her head. "It's fine," she told Lylithe. "We were just deciding where to go. Bonadan."

“That’s far away,” Lylithe said, approvingly, bypassing their awkwardness. “The Corporate Sector, though, pretty Separatist leaning once upon a time…” Another nod. “The Enemy won’t be looking for us inside Separatist Space.”

Ahsoka twitched. “The Republic isn’t going to fall apart.”

“I know,” Lylithe said. “But it’s going to get complicated in the galaxy.”

“So we’ll be hunted in Republic Space… but if we’re under the enemies’ nose, we’ll be fine…” Ahsoka reasoned. “Not that anyone would mess with two Jedi Masters…”

Lylithe looked like she would disagree, but instead looked to Barriss.

"Grand Master Yoda almost died today," Barriss pointed out to Ahsoka. "Someone certainly thought they could pull it off. So we should still be careful, not reveal ourselves as Jedi if necessary. That's why I stocked the ship up with civilian garb. I was thinking it would be better if we didn't look like Jedi. Instead, we could pose as teachers watching over their students." She gestured to Lylithe. "You could be our other chaperone."

“A school trip to Bonadon…” Lylithe nodded. “That follows. It had been pretty important in the past - the Great Galactic War started in the region, after all.” A nod. “Works for me; we take a circuitous route so it looks like we didn’t come from the Core, pad out our ship history, and the Force gets us the rest of the way.”

A smile. “Did you want me to cover the first shift in the cockpit? It’s night Coruscant-time, and I am still on the Muun clock.”

Ahsoka did the open-eyed look at Barriss that sleep wasn’t entirely what she had in mind.

Barriss smiled back at Lylithe. "Thank you," she said. "I would appreciate if you took the first shift. I have a lot of... meditating to do."

Ahsoka nodded. "Precisely. Thank you, Knight Kya."

Lylithe smiled knowingly. "Enjoy your meditations, Master Tano, Master Ofee."

At that, she keyed them up for the long jump to Bonadon.

IC: The Knights of Ren

Devaron

Marinda backed away from Ventress and Ren, making sure that the Jedi on the other end of the comms wouldn't see her. She didn't exactly like the spotlight.

Ren, however, seemed to thrive in it.

"Oof, is that Yoda?" Ren asked, pointing to the bed-ridden Master Jedi. "Man, he looks terrible. Or is that what all members of his species look like when he reaches nine hundred?"

He waved at the Jedi Masters. "Hey," he said. "I'm Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren. I killed my first Jedi today."

Mace Windu glowered. "You take responsibility?"

"Does that seem wise to do, so brazenly?" Obi-Wan said.

Ventress smiled, flirtatious. "Oh, Master Kenobi, you are so coy."

"Not so coy, will we be, when we bring you to justice." Yoda did indeed sound incredibly tired.

But Mace remained fixated on Ren. "What have you done with the body?"

Ren grinned behind his mask. "I left the body where it fell," he told Windu. "The bugs can have it."

He looked hard at Windu. He could sense something stirring beneath the surface.

"Perhaps you haven't heard of me," he admitted. "But after today, you won't forget me."

Mace Windu firmed his lips. "I will personally bring you to justice."

"Master -" Kenobi began.

"Do this, my old Padawan needs to," Yoda slurred. "Plant himself, and fight, and defend."

"Will you remain on Devaron and await my arrival?"

Ventress smiled slightly. "Do you intend to bring clones?"

"The Force will be my ally," Mace said, firmly.

"You don't expect us to follow honourable combat, do you?" Ventress spoke, lazily.

"Do you?" Mace said directly to Ren.

Ren shrugged lazily. "The Knights of Ren do not adhere to any codes," he told Windu. "We do what we want, take what we want, kill what we want..." He paused. "I don't limit myself with concerns such as morality or honor. I simply am."

"Then run, and I will give chase." Mace cut the channel.

Ventress smirked. "Well we annoyed him."

Ren nodded. "So... what now?" he asked Ventress as he looked around the temple. "Ooh, here's an idea. What if we can take everything of value here and then leave, but we leave behind a calling card for the Jedi? A little something for them to remember us by."

"I like... a bomb, maybe?" Ventress grinned.

"I'd rather shiv them myself," Maul groused, "but a bomb is good."

"What do you think, Marinda?" Ren asked, turning to his second-in-command. "Do you have a problem with us blowing up your old training grounds?"

Marinda looked around before shrugging. "Blow it all to Terminus," she declared.

Ren grinned behind his mask. "Alright, let's not waste anymore time then! Time for some redecoration!'

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Croke
Many Places, No Places, Many Faces

He could spread his net as far and wide as he liked, and a few hours ago, the True Republic would have enabled Explume Minor to access all manner of medical records. Not that they would of ever used their own world as the access points for that information. When you are a galaxy wide hive mind that also operates inter universally the question was who not where. Access was access. A server technician here, an embassy there, a data analyst, a medical safety officer, and O so many others! There were replete options throughout the galaxy. With the absorbed unknown terrors that were now a part of themselves they had no shortage of husks to throw at the problem, and no shortage of vessels from an abundance of the knowledge and memory of a galaxy that no longer existed. Not to mention the fanatics and cults that had offered themselves to become a part of them, it was scary how many would be suicides were now little more than drones keeping up appearances as part of their greater whole whenever it would not garner attention beyond a small dip in the particular global rates. Even better were those few cult ships and pirates stupid enough to try and enter their space.

For some a greater purpose was to loose themselves, quite literally.

But now, with Lexrul, Thustra, Hapes, Gargon and Bakura no longer talking to Coruscant... with Devaron having been silenced...it did add complexity to an otherwise simplistic routine search and setting of alarms.

Gaps were forming still. A move had already been made for Lexrul, as soon as the Senate crises was over they would ask one to accompany their Senator home. Hapes was a question of when not if with their knowledge, they would move a cloaked vessel to pierce the mists and go to a particular watery world to plug into the governments network. Gargon was already inserted into by a few husks angling to work their way into becoming Mandalorian armor smiths there as well as the other Mando hub worlds, and adding a couple more or sacrificing one to gain a permanent back door into the medical systems would be worth the risk of what otherwise would be a valued pawn. Bakura was a world they had extended aid to by dealing with the Ssi-Ruuvi unknown terror. A message would be sent to form an embassy at Bakura asking if they could come to see about ensuring the local species future and prevention of them dying out. 'Humanitarian Aide' was a good path to gain access to many worlds and records, even to plant relations with doctors that might call them after they returned home to consult on other matters and grant them greater access in the asking. It helped as it was an honest offer and they would offer a couple solutions they had as good faith after a few months so that they would have full medical information access until they were satisfied the new Chosen One wasn't there or on those worlds receiving medical aide. As for Devaron it was better to send cloaked observers and infiltrators to enter the society with the local population instead of reveal any already there possibly, maybe find someone that died of natural causes and take over their lives and initiate a career change to gain access. Then a otherwise dead productive or drain on society would be resurrected as a valued member that turned their life around. Croke even without the dozens of absorbed species that otherwise might of been defeated by the Hand of Thrawn would have plenty of bodies. They were a whole species, and when one didn't have to educate or prepare but merely be old enough to do? It made for a much more streamlined society of one of many.

The politics of a galaxy in flux was keeping him from what truly mattered with any immediacy. Or rather it was delaying the information. Delayed gratification, he wasn't that young to be bothered by it.

The Chosen One was about to be born. Imminently by their view of time, but typically these things took a few months before they were ready to actually become a part of the world, and unlike them, the Chosen One would have to grow up as well.

Someone, somewhere, was about to become suddenly, impossible, pregnant, by decree of the Force, in response to the damage Darth Plagueis had just done to it.

Croke was playing a delicate game... and the galaxy was having a chaotic blip.

Worlds turned, asteroids tumbled, and the universe was what it was.

And so, as always, it was time for little more espionage.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Ren and Marinda Ren

Devaron

Both Ren and Marinda reached out with the Force, blocking the debris mid-air and stopping it from hitting them, Ventress, or the other Knights.

Behind her mask, Marinda stared with widened eyes in shock at Windu's survival.

Behind his mask, Ren was grinning.

Ren knew Windu's reputation. Under any normal circumstances, he would never dream of fighting Windu, not even with all of his Knights with him.

These were not normal circumstances. And they had Ventress with them.

"You know," he told the others while drawing his lightsaber and igniting his red blade. "With him hurt and outnumbered, this might actually be a fair fight."

Savage ignited a double-bladed weapon, much like Maul.

Ventress had twin curved blades active.

It had, to add to the event, began to rain. The hissing on their blades added a gay note to matters.



But there he was.

The explosion had burned Mace, and he had lost a hand.

A deep breath, and he yanked his clearly damaged lightsaber to his off-hand. It nonetheless ignited, and Maul and Savage grinned, jointly malicious. Ventress took a step back and let the two of them charge.

She eyed Ren and Marinda, looking to strategize.

Like Ventress, Ren took a step back and let the Zabrak brothers charge forward. When he saw Ventress looking over at him, he just shrugged.

"Let's see what Windu is still capable of," he told Ren and Marinda.

It wasn't like they could stop the Zabrak brothers. They were eager to kill, so might as well let them get their best shot in.

Savage swung high and Maul swung low -

Windu pushed off his feet, inverting, and diving between them, landing in-front of Ventress, Ren and Miranda.

Savage toppled, in two pieces -

Maul turned, and Windu reversed his blade to stab him in the heart, using the Force to pull himself back to do so -

Then he remained, coiled, watching the other three.

Breathing deeply, Korunnai blood splattered across the floor.

Ren glanced at the remains of the two Zabrak brothers... and sighed.

"Disappointing," he said.

However, rather than engage Windu directly, Ren instead chose to channel the shadow, lifting up nearby pieces of debris and hurling them at Windu.

Marinda saw what Ren was doing and did the same, adding her strength to Ren's as they began to pelt Windu from all sides.

"Let's see if we can batter him up a bit more," Ren said.

Ventress joined in, this time ripping at the slates and throwing them -

Mace weaved a defensive trail, sidestepping rocks rather than trying to block them all, but he wasn't fast enough with his injuries, and was taking hits, even on deflections. Slowly but surely he was being pushed back -

And then he swept his amputated stump to pick up and ignite the paired lightsabers that had been dropped by Maul and Savage -

They spun, cut through a wave of attacks, and one hurled for Ventress, and another at Ren -

While Ventress dealt with the lightsaber coming at her, Ren extended his hand and caught the blade being hurled at him mid-air. Beneath his helmet, he grinned as he charged toward Windu, striking at him hard and fast.

He knew that if Windu was at his full strength, it wouldn't be a contest between them.

But fortunately for Ren, Windu wasn't at his full strength and Ren had seen enough to get a good gauge of his speed.

However, Ren still knew that Windu could still win this fight if this went on long enough, so if he was going to end this, it had to be quickly.

And fortunately for Ren, he had help.

For a brief moment, Marinda was shocked that her leader was charging toward Windu like an insane person. But then she realized that Ren would be taking up all of Windu's attention, giving her an opening.

Channeling her shadow, Marinda lifted up some smaller pieces of debris and hurled them at Windu, though this time she had a more specific target: his legs, in an attempt to throw him off of balance.

Windu was caught in a choice; protect his legs, or risk losing a blade fight.

He had managed to obtain an inch of space with the lightsaber throw, but it wasn't enough.

His purple blade danced as he tried to back away, catching debris and attempting to change the situation before Ren reached him -

Ventress severed the blade hurled her way, and snarled, touching the Force to her feet to rush to the left and then taking a sharp right-angle turn to pincer Mace -

Ren was going to reach him first -

Planting his feet, he drew the Force around his legs as a defense and put all his discretionary strength and power into blocking Ren's first blow as hard as he could, even one handed -

If he could knock Ren off-balance, he could create an opening, surely -

Then Ren did something that Windu wasn't expecting.

He head-butted him with his helmet.

Mace stumbled, completely and utterly open -

And Ren brought his two sabers down on him, one aimed for the neck and the other aimed for the chest, just as Ventress also came in -

Mace yanked himself back with the Force, on pure instinct -

But still he had gashes carved in his neck and chest and he tumbled, lightsaber clattering to the ground, Mace falling among Maul and Savage's corpses -

Ventress paused her momentum, and grinned to Ren. "Your kill."

Mace pointed his stump and tried to summon the Force to shove them back -

Just as Ren shoved his blade into Windu's heart.

"Don't worry," Ren told Windu. "I know how much of a honor this is."

Mace stared into Ren's face plate, in horror. "You won't... succeed."

His free hand drew into a crushing grasp, and Ventress hesitated, but the Force fell upon his damaged blade -

"I won't let you."

The light left Mace's eyes.

The cracked, unstable Kyber within detonated -

"Ren!" Marinda cried out as she instinctively reached with the Force and grabbed Ren, pulling him back.

Ren was still thrown by the explosion, his body partially burned... though that just meant a few new marks for his heavily scarred body. He groaned while laying on his back.

"I thought... blowing up my lightsaber... was my move," Ren coughed, referring to the kill switch on his lightsaber. Despite the pain, he couldn't help but laugh. "Not bad, Jedi. Not bad."

Marinda rushed over to help Ren to his feet. "Are you okay?" she asked in a worried tone while supporting Ren's weight.

"Well, I'm only partially exploded, which is better than fully exploded, I guess," Ren said while looking at what was left of Windu. "Good thing I was wearing my helmet, huh?" he asked with a chuckle. "Still... gotta respect a move like that. More underhanded than I was expecting from a Jedi."

"That was... kinda terrifying," Marinda admitted.

"Oh yeah," Ren said in agreement. "Honestly, I should probably be dead. Windu was way above any of us."

"And yet... we did it," Marinda said, the realization sinking in.

Ventress had been hurled back, by the explosion, yes, but the Force attack too. Rolling to her feet, she grinned, battered, bruised, but relatively fine.

She stood. “We did it.”

They had killed Mace Windu.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Barriss Offee

En route to Bonadon

The good thing about regularly practicing meditation is that it meant Barriss was really good at breathing techniques.

It also meant she was really good at holding her breath.

So when Barriss heard the click of gas filling the room, she was prepared. She was also prepared for their door locking, her lightsaber flying into her hands, where she ignited it and started to cut through their door.

All in a matter of seconds.

Barriss was nothing if not efficient.

Ahsoka was besides Barriss as swiftly as could be. Her blade joined in, and the door gave way.

The hissing seemed to lessen considerably the moment they were out of the room.

Lylithe was already on the floor, wrapped around herself in the fetal position. Ahsoka placed a hand on her neck. "She's breathing." She turned her head, and realised the windows did not show stars, but a hangar. "We're inside a -"

There was suddenly a loud noise of cutting metal, from the end of the ship -

The cockpit was behind them, and the children between them and the noise.

Ahsoka grimaced. "How did they take us? They had the codes to do so remotely?"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Barriss said under her breath. She turned to Ahsoka. "One of us should stay here, protect Lylithe and the kid, while the other one goes to see who 'they' are."

Ahsoka frowned at Lylithe. "Agreed. Preference?"

She reached down and hitched Lylithe over her shoulder.

"I'll go," Barriss volunteered as she began to head for the exit of the ship. "Wish me luck."

Ahsoka kissed her on the cheek. "Be careful, hun."

There was a clunk, as if metal had dropped to the floor, and the heat of the distance laser-cutter on the hull was beginning to reach deeper into the ship.

The children, mercifully, were asleep.

Barriss rushed to the door of the ship and pushed the button that would open it. She held the hilt of her lightsaber tightly, ready for whatever was out that door waiting for her. And just in case of any other attempted gas attacks, she put on her Jedi breathing device.

The entrance blew inward, showering the area with debris and sparks and smoke -

Blaster fire emerged through the opening -

And Super Battle Droids.

Barriss's blade was up in an instant. She deflected the blaster bolds instinctively before extending her hand, sending the Super Battle Droids flying back with the Force.

Barriss then left the ship, her lightsaber still a blur as she deflected bolts while slashing any droids that had the misfortune of being too close to her.

It turned out that they were inside another ship.

Somehow, they had been taken aboard an old Trade Federation battleship.

There were many, many droids in the hangar bay.

B1s, Super Battle Droids, even Commerce Droid spider cannon droids and Corporate Alliance tanks.

Barriss paused.

Okay, this was a lot more droids than she was expecting.

She stood there in shock for a moment, then turned around and ran back into the ship.

The droids, paused, surprised by the sudden turnabout, gave her plenty of time to run, and then, they parted, as droideka's wheeled through their ranks -

The ship gave Barriss more cover, but when she heard that distinct sound, she turned and saw the droideka rolling up. Before it could come to a stop, Barriss reached out with the Force and pushed the droideka back, through some of the other droids.

The droideka's clattered into B1s, though one Super Battle Droid simply smacked it aside -

The Super Battle Droids lifted their rapid-repeaters and opened fire -

No missiles, though...

Barriss ducked into the ship. "Ahsoka!" she cried out. "We're in bigger trouble than we thought!"

Slapping shut a door between the droids and the inner ship, Ahsoka had just strapped Lylithe into a seat in the cockpit, and secured the door to the children's room. "I got that, someone took control of the ship remotely while we slept. I've purged the control, but, we're clearly inside a Trade Federation battleship. More Separatists?"

"I think so," Barriss said as she joined Ahsoka. "Definitely too many droids for us to fight. Best options right now are either escape or surrender."

And she would prefer not to surrender...

"Well," Ahsoka said, drily. "We burn fuel and rush out?"

"You... need... someone to stay behind," Lylithe said, slowly sitting up. "I was on watch, I should..." A wince. "Fend off the droids."

The hull began to sound like rain - but that was in-fact blaster fire, in a pitter, patter on the ship.

"No," Barriss immediately refused. "Nobody gets left behind. Nobody."

An alarm sounded, and Lylithe stood. "You can think of a better way to escape?"

Ahsoka began powering up, pulling up the landing struts, triggering repulsorlifts, and activating shields. "Arguing about it isn't going to help!"

"Will the tractor beam be an issue?" Barriss asked Ahsoka, worried.

"Probably," Ahsoka admitted.

"This is why I was going to stay," Lylithe said, shaky on her feet.

"I don't think you staying would magically make a tractor beam go away," Barriss pointed out to Lylithe.

"I was going to blow lots of things up until I got to the projector," she said, drolly.

The ship suddenly shook, and Ahsoka called up a display. "Yup. That's an AAT tank."

"Would there be a way to take out the tractor beam from here?" Barriss genuinely asked.

Ahsoka paused. "Not... ordinarily, no." The ship shook again, harder. "Shields are starting to drop," Ahsoka said, looking troubled.

"Shall I stay?" Ahsoka looked at Lylithe, then back to Barriss.

Lylithe drew on the Force, and seemed to lighten, blinking. "Is one Jedi going to be enough?"

Unhappily, Ahsoka looked at Lylithe, wondering if they could leave her to care the children in her state.

"Maybe... maybe we should surrender," Barriss proposed. "With that tractor beam locked on our ship, it could be too risky to try to escape with the children. They also did try to take us alive by filling the ship up with gas... maybe we could try to negotiate with whoever is in charge of these droids."

She didn't like this plan. Not one bit. But she didn't like the idea of risking the lives of the children either.

"Unless someone has a better plan."

Ahsoka nodded. "Surrendering might keep us together for longer..."

Lylithe paused. "It could work... as long as we comply on the condition we stay with the children."

Their comms hadn't been jammed, after all.

With the three of them in agreement, Barriss turned on the comms. "We surrender," she said, hoping that their offer would be accepted. "We are willing to stand down and comply with your demands..." She looked at Lylithe. "...on the condition that we stay with the children."

She didn't like it, but it was the best chance they had.

TAG: @Sinrebirth