Star Wars OPEN Star Wars: Episode XI: THE HIDDEN TEMPLE - follow up to the 2021 RPF Award winning game!

IC: Falen Windrider
Second Thoughts, or Maybe Third

"Slave your controls to the Lady, and we’ll be on our way.” Lando's words brought a frown to Falen's mouth and a hard look to his eyes. Just when he had almost convinced himself he was doing the right thing, General Calrissian's words brought apprehension back to Falen's gut.

"My ship has no slave circuitry. It has been ripped out for years, and that will not be repaired or replaced." He tried to keep his tone conversational, but there was still a cold hard edge to his voice. "My droid can track your ship on sensors and keep us in formation with the autopilot."

Falen's comment didn't seem to bother Lando, who was already moving on to organizing the flight.

“Oh, can you come up with a nifty squadron name? I’ll be Two, Axtine One, and Three and Four. Callsigns done. Squadron name, anyone? We’re all black sheep, after all.”

Hoping that this unit would be more cohesive and better disciplined than the infamous Black Sheep Squadron of the Rebellion, Falen offered a suggestion, a term once used on his own homeworld of Lafra.

"Where I come from, elite warriors were once referred to as knighthawks. Shall we be KnightHawk Squad?"


TAG: @ConservativeJedi321 @clone commander bossk @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Axtine Yore
Bastion

"We'll be on your tail Lando ASAP." The Quarren responded after Falen had his input, though he gave his companions a glassy side eye as he did so. Axtine had never had the same affinity for machines has his avian friend but gave the retort little extra thought. "Clever name Knighthawks. I like it."

Tags: @clone commander bossk, @Sarge, @Sinrebirth

 

Tajana + HK-47T
Coruscant

Crushing another flower that had been licking its lips with the heel of her boot, Tajana was able to gain a moment to get an updated picture of the conflict that had erupted from seemingly nowhere.
First plants, now stormtroopers, what next, a kriffing ship?

She briefly considered giving HK the job of cleaning up the last of the plants but suspected that’d break the droid’s equivalent of a heart, whatever that was. Instead:

“Bolt-bin! Troopers, 65 degrees,” She was interrupted momentarily by a couple of stray bolts flying over her head, “Anything lethal will do, as long as it doesn’t hit me.”

She burned the last few plants and took a breath, before reaching out a hand and started working on deflecting some stray blaster bolts back towards the throng of plastic armour.

Tags: @AgentViper007 @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Adrias Stark
Above Modesta

Adrias could sense that there was something more fueling Ohali’s emotions. Something that must have happened in the past. Which, to tell the truth, was not that surprising given what he had read about the events during his absence.

He had been traumatized by that too, even though he had not been a witness to the tragedy. His recent brush with the re-emerged Empire had him on edge as well. In a sense Ohali’s emotions served as a reminder of where he had been headed towards.

He was supposed to be grateful for that, but given what his companion was going through cooled him off a notch.

Adrias’ eyes widened when he saw what the Sith did to Ohali. He instructed his astromech to take control as he would focus on her with the Force, trying desperately to slow her descent down.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

Rhoen Aquilla
Mon Calamari

Rhoen tumbled back, the force (lowercase f) he put on he put bar suddenly transferring to him. He tumbled down his back slamming into a rock that managed to land upright. A growl left him as his head rung and his back ached. The pain was replaced with warmth as his daughter lept into his arms. Tears fell from his eyes, all that he was fighting for was still here. Squeezing her tight the world, the battle fell away.

"It's ok sweetheart. It's all right." He whispered words of comfort to her, the day was still theirs, they could still get out alive. As long as they were alive there was hope, real and true. The waves crashed, and the shadow of death loomed over them. But Rhoen didn't have any fear in him. There was a ship nearby and he and his family were the best pilots for sectors around.

A plan was clear. He gave his daughter a final squeeze and got to his feet, a fresh cut over his eye pouring blood down the side of his face. With a few quick steps he caught up to his wife, drawing his heavy pistol from his shoulder holster. The preacher evangelized speaking nonsense and coercion. Yeah, the faithful could escape, for a fee.

They were getting out of here and bringing as many with them as they could.

"The Force doesn't listen to prayers Val." He called over his shoulder to his daughter. "The Jedi aren't gods, they're just people. This man is just preying on the desperate." Gripping the blaster tight he turned to his wife. "You take the guy on the right, I'll take the one on the left."

With his orders given he raised his blaster and pulled the trigger without preamble or warning aiming for the left Aqualish's head. He didn't have time for this, no one had time for this. "Get out of the way or the next one is yours preacher man." He called out shifting his target to the evangelist.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

Tirran Huxley and Ennis Tremyren
Between a rock and a hard place
Above it all, the immense Tho Yor and the Dragon capital ships hurled a truly awesome broadside at each other, the latter warships wilting under Celestial fire...

... and those bolts of energy were passing by Tirran and Ennis, unnoticed! Their entire ship would shudder, and the only safe path would seem to be the one being carved by the Wookiee/Jedi/yacht team - going towards the planet!

Tirran looked at the Jedi tag along who had gotten so much more than he had ever bargained for. Just as Tirran looked upon this world woefully as an investment that now was poised to be a detriment. As soon as he was clear of here, he would have to send the keep away signal to keep any and all grain haulers from returning.

Looking at the Jedi he shrugged a bob within his tank. “Your turn. Dive after or away? Either way the waters are fraught with poisonous bubbles.”

Ennis looked towards the massive Tho Yor. If only he could infiltrate it...! And yet, there were refugees to be rescued.

There were Jedi down there, too. If the Tho Yor was to be infiltrated, he probably shouldn't do it alone. "It seems the Force is sending us a clear message," he said. "The only safe path is into danger. Let's try to get to the surface. They want us to pick up refugees."

Blowing little bubbles in an effort to self soothe Tirran eyed the kid. He couldn’t fault the short-term logic, and despite hating it himself he turned the ship to do as the kid had said. “Here goes nothing.” He somberly intoned with his deep bass.

Ennis glanced around. "Do you have defensive cannon?" he asked. "I can make myself useful...?"

Flicking a few keys a control panel retracted at knee height, and a small screen and trundle socket with tiny side joysticks flicked out. "Rear cannon. Knock yourself out kid, I'll bend to Jedi wisdom on this, but I think running and not drawing attention to ourselves is best. But if you see that one in a trillion shot, don't let me stop you."

Ennis nodded. "I won't fire unless they notice us," he said.

As they both unconsciously held their breath, their small ship plunged forward between the opponents, hoping not to be noticed.

TAG: @Sinrebirth, Anyone else

 

OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Talon

Ryloth

It had been years since Talon had seen the homeworld of her people. Since she had been home. It took her a moment to respond to Seha.

"I have contacts within the Ryloth Defense Authority," she explained. "They're a paramilitary group that operate with the knowledge of the government while acting independently as a supplemental militia. I should be able to get in touch with them in order for us to be refueled."

Though admittedly she didn't know if they were still being led by Yendor these days. A lot could have changed since her last visit.

Seha replied carefully. Clearly she was humoring Talon. "Alright then," she said. "But you'll need those contacts soon - there are Deathseed coming up the well."

Indeed there were, and in the pilots vernacular, coming from the planet.

Two of them.



Talon recognized the fighters as Chir'daki, which were assembled from X-wing and TIE fighter parts. They were a unique type of starfighter developed by Ryloth and possessed by its military. Though since there were only two of them, Talon wasn't worried. She knew that they weren't likely to engage and would more likely try to establish communication.

Speaking of communication, Talon switched to the channel that was used by the RDA and transmitted a code that would clear her as an affiliate of the group. Despite how much time had passed since she was last on Ryloth, she didn't doubt that her code was still valid. Even if Yendor was no longer still in charge, she would still be in the good graces of the rest of the RDA.

There was a crackle, and the signal was rerouted.

And there he was.

Yendor, formerly of Corona Squadron, later of Ryloth as its emissary, and thereafter a member of the Resistance, he had returned home when the war was, in his view, lost with the Galactic Jamming. He was getting old, and he wanted to prepare the next generation.

"Who is this?"

Talon smiled slightly when he heard that familiar voice. "Yendor, this is Talon," she told him. "I'm back and I've brought a few friends. We just came from the Cloak of the Sith via the Death Wind Corridor and we need to refuel. You think you can set us up?"

"Talon?" Yendor wondered aloud. "It's been a while. Last I heard you were collecting bounties on warlords... and then you vanished... are those Resistance fighters with you? They look like X-wings but..."

He was suspicious, more than anything; it was clear as possible. He very much wanted to believe her, of course. That was also very apparent.

"They're Jedi fighters," she revealed to him. "And you're right, it has been a while. I've been busy and I could bring you up to speed after we've landed."

Yendor went silent. "Just you, for now. Is that okay?"

It was a question with a lot of investment in the answer.

Talon nodded. "Yes, that is okay." She switched channels. "Seha, I'm going down to the planet to negotiate. For now you and the others will have to remain in orbit. This is how it has to be, understand?"

Seha hesitated. "Can't you negotiate my joining you? I think that'll concern the other Jedi."

Truth rung out in her words.

But, Yendor had specified...

"It was requested that I go alone," Talon told her. "Don't worry, I'll just explain everything to Yendor. He can be trusted."

And that meant a lot coming from Talon, since she trusted very few.

Seha sighed. "Fine. But if we don't hear back in half an hour, we'll only have the fuel to land... and we'll have to act to protect the galaxy, unfortunately." As in, they'd take what they needed; they had no choice. Seha sounded apologetic, but the New Jedi Order needed to act, and they represented most of the Knights.

"Acknowledged," Talon said before switching channels again as she began moving away from the others. "I'm coming in now Yendor. Alone."

"Then I shall come in turn."

The landing beacon took them to a mountainous region, a hovel of sorts in the middle of a desert.

A man stood, waiting for him, looking worse for wear from age, but still resilient.



Talon landed next to the hovel and got out of her fighter, nodding respectfully to the man waiting for her.

Yendor cracked first; he smiled broadly and drew her into a hug as if they had seen each other only yesterday. "Stop being so stiff - call down your Jedi friends and tell me what's going on."

Talon was surprised by the hug, but she quickly broke into a smile and hugged him back. It was good to see him again after all this time.

She went to her ship and switched on the comms. "You and the others can join us now," she told Seha before turning back to Yendor so she could bring him up to speed.

She proceeded to tell him everything.

Everything.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Another entertaining combo with @Sinrebirth

IC: Ap'lek Ren
Aboard the Sabaton- Hangar

Ap'lek walked through the opening door in stride, fully prepared to be blasted into smithereens the moment he became visible to the hangar's defenders. A humorless chuckle slipped from his lips when nothing of the sort happened. Instead, he continued his stride into the hangar, coming to a stop a good fifteen meters or so before the garish display of firepower projected by the beleaguered defenders.

He took them all in in kind, a thin eyebrow raising in curiosity as looked from the hovering starfighter to the nearby AT-ST. His gaze fell upon the fan-shaped group of twenty-something troopers, before just as quickly jumping away to something more interesting. The sacks of meat were already dead, they just hadn't quite come to terms with such knowledge yet. The vehicles would provide a bit more of a challenge he reasoned, depending on how they coordinated with their infantry compliment. If at all.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the man himself, the ever-infuriating Admiral Babo. To this, Ap'lek smiled. How kind of him to deliver himself to the slaughter.

"You're quite the accommodating host." Ap'lek mused, glancing up towards the A9. He vaguely remembered reading that that particular class of vehicles suffered from extraordinarily thin armor plating, a weakness often exploited. "And not the first to mention your struggles against Caedus."

"I ask you this, Admiral, why bother with all this?" He said, gesturing from himself to Babo. "You could have easily fired upon me the moment I walked in here." Ap'lek was genuinely curious about Babo's reasoning for such a blunder. What, was it pride that stayed his hand?

Babo regarded the Knight of Ren. "My crew, for one, would inevitably suffer tremendous losses to bring you down. While Sith are not impossible to kill, they are difficult. Mandalorians, Echani, Sun Guards, the Void Jumpers, they all tell of how costly it can be."

"If I am truly your target as I surmise; not my ship, or my comrades, no, but the Resistance Command & Control, perhaps you will accommodate me by allowing me to depart with you." The Admiral puffed out his chest. "Then you may present me to your master, and he will reward you for the opportunity to kill me in a more public manner."

The Bothan smiled slightly. "No?"

Worse, it was mercy.

Ap'lek snorted, turning on his heel to look once more across the forces collected inside the hangar. "You are partially correct," He admitted, offering the fur-ball a disarming smile. "So what, I agree to this little parlay of yours, and we just walk right on out unmolested, hmm?"

While his body continued the conversation, Ap'lek's mind expanded outwards, searching for a pliant mind within the operators of the AT-ST. He had chosen the towering walker as the centerpiece of the tumult that was to come. There.

Both crew members had received some training in mental barriers, that much was clear. However.. Ap'lek ignored the driver, instead focusing entirely upon the mind of the gunner. It was strong, yes, but not impenetrable. Ap'lek reached out, focusing his will into a singular point as he began to poke and prod at the mental barrier. Sooner or later, he would find an opening. But until then..

"You'll forgive me if I don't jump to accept your words as truth, Admiral." Ap'lek murmured, beginning to pace back and forth. The call of the void was getting louder between his ears, the demand for ruthless carnage everlasting. Once more he looked over the weaponry of his foes, mentally tallying his odds.

Still unfavorable, but not unwinable. Besides, Vestara sabotage should make itself known soon enough. Undoubtedly that would tip the odds more in his favor.

"So how about this, as a sign of goof faith, tell that bird of yours to disengage.." He made a show of holding his daggers away from his body, shoulder-width apart. "And I'll toss these away. What do you say?"

"... and you'll just retract them with the Force." Babo said, evenly. "I was in-charge of the assassins sent after Darth Caedus. A lot of Bothans died trying to stop his evil, so don't be surprised if I'm aware of all your tricks."

"You've already noticed that this fire-team is particularly prepped for mind-tricks..." Babo smiled slightly. "And, worse for you, if anything happens to me, they're ordered to open fire."

"But as I understand it, Knights of Ren don't stack up to Sith Lords like Vestara Khai. Somewhat surprised she's gotten down in the gutter and dirt with you thugs." A snide tone from the Bothan Admiral...

Which would undoubtedly stir the fire being held back by the dam inside Ap'lek, but at the same time, the gunners mind -

Cracked -

Ap'lek came to an abrupt stop mid-pace, turning once more to face the Admiral and his cronies. His arms had fallen back to his sides in turn. Had his previous offer of clemency been genuine? Perhaps, perhaps not. The Knight's expression was vacant now, having abandoned any further attempts at charisma. A part of him, however admittedly minuscule, recognized that the Admiral was baiting him, fueling the fire within his core..

Babo's mistake, not his.

"So be it."

He attacked twofold, at once catapulting himself forward in a wild corkscrew into the collection of twenty troopers. Simultaneously, his prior probing of the AT-ST's gunner's mind had found a weakness. With a strained hiss, unheard over the gurgling screams of the trooper whose jugular Ap'lek's dagger had found a new home in, drove a jagged spike of force energy through the neural pathways of the gunner's mind.

The spike targeted the individual's aspects of personality and individuality, brutally shearing them away and replacing them with Ap'lek own dominant willpower. In an instant, the gunner would be but an empty husk, implanted with the sole driving purpose of protecting its puppet master.

For his own part, Ap'lek moved quickly, cutting down the troopers in his immediate pathway at eye-watering speed. His target was Babo. If he reached the Admiral fast enough, the hovering starfighter may choose not to fire at all. That is, if Ap'lek's new puppet inside the AT-ST hadn't shot it down already. The specifics of the melee he found himself had already begun to blur, as had his vision near entirely, covered in viscera as he was. His hands still found fresh offerings for his Lord of Death though, if the frenzied cries of battle were any indication.

Ap'lek struck, physically, mentally, but always viscerally.

Indeed, his attack on the gunner didn't have the intended effect - he didn't plant a suggestion in the mind so much as blow it apart. Mentally, the man was reduced to a level of rage, and seized the controls and just began firing on everyone -

The Vigilance starfighter tried to get out of the way -

Babo dove the opposite direction -

The walker blew apart three of the guards -

A shot would make a small crater before Ap'lek -

The pilot would grab at the gunner, sending the walker to the right, more staccato fire tracing back the way it had gone, more dead guards -

The Vigilance opened fire, ripping apart the walker, and began to turn and attempt to track Ap'lek, the pilot having completely lost track of him -

Babo was nowhere to be seen in the chaos of flame and wreckage and smoke -

The surviving troopers slapped on their infra-red filters, sought Ap'lek even through the haze -

Ten of them were up, rifles ready -

Ap'lek had transformed into a whirlwind of chaotic slashing, biting and kicking, crashing upon the rocks of the troopers defense like the vengeful currents of the sea. It was a frenzied movement, unhindered by attempts of tactics or strategy. The troopers, and by extension all those Snoke labeled as his enemies had but one purpose, to be consumed. Sacrificed upon the altar in a vain attempt to satisfy the ravenous abyss that was Ap'lek.

So the troopers fell, one by one in agonizing succession, their collective essences gorged upon by the blood-drunk Knight of Ren. The antics of the AT-ST was a valuable lesson, the scope of which went unnoticed in the present as Ap'lek ripped and tore his way through those who dared stand in his way.

Pinpricks of stimuli flickered and died within his subconscious mind, drowned out by the blazing inferno that was his reckless consumption of blood and fear. His own body, on the rare occasion it was damaged by hostile retaliation, refused to remain damaged for long. The Force would knit his broken and battered frame back together, all so the feast could continue. He willed it, and so it was.

From the confusion of the flame and smoke Ap'lek emerged, leaping away from the few remaining troopers unfortunate enough to still draw breath to land upon the canopy of the Vigilance above. He fell upon the transparisteel with ravenous fury, breaking it apart like the shell of a metal crustacean to get at the tender flesh within.

Those eyes, those terrible, gilded eyes, looked upon their handiwork with righteous indignation. Babo wasn't among the slain. He had fled. Such an insult could not remain unanswered.

Ap'lek removed himself from the viscous soup that remained in the cockpit of the Vigilance, hopping free from the tumbling vessel back down to the hangar floor below. Ap'lek's eyes darted about the chamber, searching for any signs of his prey. His senses expanded outwards in turn. Babo would be found and then consumed, like all the rest.

"I wanted.." He murmured softly, taking a moment to peel away a section of bloodied flesh that had fused with his cloak. "..Your promise to mean.. something."

Ap'lek turned to look upon the chaos he had wrought with a disappointed eye. "..Was this Caedus of yours so easily impressed..?"

Babo hadn't gotten far.

His leg had been impaled by flaming debris, and he was clearly dragging himself across the hangar floor.

Blood streaked behind him, easy for Ap'lek to follow.

"Caedus was worse than Kylo Ren. He was so powerful, so terrifying, that the galaxy rushed to take him down. We all fought him, together. Confederate, Hapan, Irregular, Wookiee, Mon Calamari." He winced, pulling himself to the edge of the hangar, though there was no exit evident. "You should have sided with him. He would have made you a Sith... not what you are now; cosplaying as a darksider."

Ap'lek followed the voice, with its accompanying trail of blood with soft, plodding footfalls. The symphony had delivered it's crescendo to uproarious applause. Now, the orchestra had begun to pack up their things.

And now, now it was time to leave.

The Knight of Ren came placed a heavy boot atop the jagged shrapnel embedded within the Bothan's leg, pinning him in place in one fell swoop. The hiss of restrained agony that erupted from Babo fell upon deaf ears. Instead, Ap'lek merely stared upon the face of his adversary, his gilded irises engulfed in rapturous indignation.

"No." He stated bluntly, cocking his head ever so slightly to the side. "Sith and Darksiders and Empires and Republics.." More weight was placed upon the twisted shard of metal as Ap'lek leaned in. "Are all but noise. Screeching, petulant noise. No.. No."

Slowly, agonizingly so, Ap'lek raised his hand, the blade of his vibrodagger floating whimsically a few inches above the skin of his palm.

"My Lord promises silence. A gentle genocide." The corners of Ap'lek's lips ticked upwards. "A galaxy freed of its writhing and wriggling."

Without warning, the dagger lept free from his hand. A meaty thwack reached Ap'lek's ears a moment later, followed by a single, frantic gasp of air. And then, nothing. He removed his boot from the shrapnel, and, after a moment's hesitation, lowered into a sitting position. There he waited. And waited. Staring silently into the glassy, wide eyed stare of Babo.

"See?"

Ap'lek rose, retrieving his dagger from the Admiral's chest cavity with a sharp twist of his wrist. "Blissful stillness.."

Babo was dead, and Ap'lek moved on without a second thought.

Tag: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Combo with Sinrebirth and CosmoHender, with an appearance from AgentViper007 at the beginning

IC: Tiberius, Julee, Eeth, etc.
Battle of Arkinnea

The good news was that the X wings had arrived.

The bad news was they were still in this firefight.

The Wookiee roared something from behind, and how Tiberius wished he had Julee's knack of understanding other languages.

There was a fighter being swarmed up ahead so Tiberius fired Fortuna's cannon to try and blast them to bits. No need to use the torpedoes yet.

"Jules did you catch what the Wookiee said? And that fighter over there looks like it's getting swarmed a bit, i'll try and take those other fighters out."

He just hoped it was enough.

With reinforcements from the Owools and an X-wing cutting a path, Julee started heading for the planet.

"Just to follow that guy, I think," she said, when Tib asked for a translation, though not quite sure. She also thought 'that guy' was the same fighter Tib was talking about, with a bunch of enemy fighters chasing after him.

Julee pushed the Fortuna's throttle, speeding up to try to keep the enemy craft in range of Tib's cannon.

Eeth Sazen noticed that there were fighters on his rear.

Good, he thought to himself. Better for the fighters to be targeting him than targeting the Wookiee refugee ship.

It got even better still when he received some help, several of the fighters swarming behind him exploding into space dust.

He would have to thank his new allies later. For now he continued to focus on distracting the enemy fighters so that the Wookiee refugee ship had a clear path to the surface.

That one laser was doing what it could, though Lumpawaroo was resorting to gesticulating more than anything else. Julee got it, at least, so that worked. The yacht, Owools and X-wing were cutting right through the fray, the black-winged fighters scattering.

They all stank of the dark side, so Eeth would know they were Sith of some kind, but that was enough. The main Wookiee refugee group was standing off, firing defensively at the surviving Sith fighters, but many were going to ground - away from the landing zone.

Indeed, not far from it there were various Jedi and Sith engaged by the waters edge, but the zone itself - dappled with burning wrecks appeared to be commanded by a Whiphid and a Neti waving green lightsabers. They were screening some six dozen children, all cozied up behind them.

[There] Lumpawaroo said, pointing at the screen.

A trio of jet-black fighters popped up from the cover provided by what appeared to be a field of crops, trying to catch the rescue convoy in a right angled crossfire -

The landing zone was in sight, but enemy fighters were attempting a side-attack on the incoming convoy.

"Oh, no, you don't," Julee muttered, adjusting her shields and shifting course to engage these newcomers, Tib's laser cannon still blazing.

Eeth also shifted course to engage the newcomers, firing at them along with Julee.

He knew that he had never fought enemies like this. The Sith were an entirely new threat to him... but that did not matter. His goal of protecting the rescue convoy remained the same. He did spot the green lightsabers on the ground below and he realized that their owners were in fact Jedi, but he could not focus on that. His priority were the enemy fighters.

The fighters scattered - singed, but not destroyed - and the Wookiee refugee ship came to ground, dropping a ramp.

But the three fighters regrouped and started coming at them from behind -

Julee scowled in frustration; they hadn't managed to knock out even one of the fighters, and they were making another attempt on the convoy.

She started to take the Fortuna around for another pass. "If we've got any torpedoes," she said to her gunner, "I'd say now's a good time to use one."

Eeth had turned to meet the fighters head-on, putting himself in between the fighters and the refugee convoy. He kept firing, trying to land as many shots as he could.

The X-wing turned to block their path as the Fortuna turned, swift but not as swift as a starfighter -

The black-arrow fighters scattered, and Tiberius whooped when he caught one as it turned, exploding -

Eeth's shots burst through the cockpit of another -

The third inverted, slicing between the two of them, all of sudden moving with increased speed -

Lumpy roared across the comms.

[It's shifted all its power to the engines!]

Before it, a few hundred kilometers beneath, was the Wookiee ship, landed to scoop up children -

Jedi children -

Eeth realized that he didn't have enough time to turn around and blast the third fighter, which was now on a collision course with the Wookiee ship.

So in desperation Eeth did the only thing he could think of... he reached out with the Force.

Using all of the energy that he had left, Eeth attempted to grab onto the fighter and shift its course just enough so that it missed its target. Hopefully that would give the Fortuna an opening to finish off the fighter before it made another pass.

Oh, gods. The last fighter was on a suicide run, intent on taking out the refugee ship and the children boarding, even if it had to sacrifice itself to do it.

Julee took the yacht into a steep dive, accelerating to get the fighter back in range as Tib unleashed a new barrage of laser fire.

Blow up, come on, blow up blow up BLOW UP!

The shift worked, but only just - the bolts from the Fortuna clipped it's wing, sending the ship spiralling off, aflame, but not detonated. It soared beneath them, and there was a sudden noise. Lumpawaroo shouted out. [He's on the hull!]

Indeed, sensors - and Eeth's eyes - would see a black-robed figure had alit upon the yachts underside!

The Wookiee ship had otherwise made planetfall, and with red, blue, white and green blades fighting by the nearby river, children were being swept aboard, led by a clearly visible Whiphid and Neti.

Eeth, however, was spent. This was his third battle, after all. First there was Mon Calamari. Then Kashyyk. And now this. All without rest.

Exhausted, he fell back into the cockpit as his X-wing began to descend. He had enough strength in his to direct the X-Wing toward the nearby river so that the water would help to cushion his landing...

And as his X-Wing hit the water, Eeth's strength gave and he passed out.

Julee looked incredulous; the enemy pilot had ejected from his falling fighter and had grabbed onto the Fortuna's underside.

What the heck? Worse still, the X-wing was going down, crashing into a river. So no help coming from there.

Julee swore under her breath, then got on the in-board comm to warn her uncles and her mother. "Hang on, everybody."

Then she took the yacht into a furious spin, hoping to dislodge their unwelcome passenger.

There was an audible scream, and the Sith went flying, open mouthed, essentially hurled at the planets surface!

There was a moment of silence, before Lumpawaroo began rumbling. Their escort was down, but the ship was taking on passengers. They’d have to prepare for the fight back up the well.

He growled at them. Should they land and take on some of those that were grounded? Did they have time to see if their comrade had survived?

Julee allowed herself a little relief as the Sith tumbled off without causing any damage to the Fortuna, and resumed a more stable path toward the landing zone.

"We can probably take on a few more, and provide support on the way out."

TAG: @Sinrebirth @CosmoHender Arkinnea folks.

 

OOC: This comes from the voices in mine and @Sinrebirth's heads.
IC: Trec ke Mattino, Vitor Riege

Trec keyed his comm, “Alliance, I’m about to head to the Empire Maker to talk to Reige. This could be beneficial, but I’d like you to stay here for the duration of the meeting.”

There was a brief pause, “Copy, we’ll have Jagged Fel, Witch of Endor, Reaper, and Harbinger here as an escort in case Snoke forces end up in this direction.”

Not a bad idea… “Send the rest back to either Adumar to help with the evacuation, or to drydock for repairs.”

“Aye, sir.”

With that Trec boarded his shuttle to head toward his next meeting.
—
Flag Hanger of the Empire Maker

It was in fact the flag hangar of the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer.

Vitor felt odd commanding a crew that had once tried to kill him, and he, them, but Moff Lecersen was anything if not flexible and the officers had given him a wide berth even when obeying his commands - with micrometer precision. Whatever fear the Grand Moff had instilled in them was clearly working.

The Grand Admiral shook his head.

The shuttle with Trec aboard arrived and found the white-attired man waiting for him.

A true Grand Admiral, appointed by the Imperial Head of State Jagged Fel decades ago now, and also at one point also holding the role of ruler of the Galactic Empire, Reige had acceded the role back to Jagged when his contacts proved fundamentally necessary to re-provision Bastion beneath First Order blockade. A favoured tactic of Kylo Ren after the costly battles of Crait, Mon Gazza, and Batuu, it saved the neo-Imperials from having to bloody themselves on the Free Worlds, though after the Galactic Jamming, Bastion and the Moffs opted to remain in the First Order camp.

With that all in mind, Vitor regarded the shuttle, and the Adumari contained within.

Impressive, for a flag bridge. It wasn’t a slight in Trec’s mind though Adumari inspections and visitors tended to start in the main hangers, he wasn’t here for that. Adumari Intelligence information on Reige was relatively sparse, though they believed that he was a man of action, and relatively quiet compared to loudmouths like Lecersen, much less some of the First Order ghouls so this could be interesting.

Trec walked down the ramp towards Reige and spoke quietly, “Yours or someone else’s?”

"Lecersen's, which is why it has those artful finishes..." He sounded rueful, stepped forward, and offered the man a hand. "Vitor Riege."

Trec took it, “Trec ke Mattino.” he quirked a smile, “Some members of Intel call you ‘the quiet one.’ Maybe one of these days I can send you a list of what we call Lecersen.”

The Admiral chuckled drily. "I did try to kill him once. War makes for strange bedfellows, Gilad used to say..."

He paused a little. "Trec, the Empire is in the midst of a coup attempt against the current Emperor... but the Resistance, it isn't able to make a government yet..." Vitor looked down, slightly. "I would like Adumar to join the Empire, once and for all. We need to make this something different, this time."

He firmed his lips as he looked back. "Better."

Trec’s smile faded, "I can't give you an answer right now without talking to our advisers, much less my wife, the Perator." He looked down briefly before looking back at Riege, "I can give you the Adumari perspective, reasons for and against joining a galactic government, but the compressed file is that we've had very bad experiences with galactic governments over the last 25 to 30 years, the people we trust haven't had the time or opportunity to show why they're the best option."

He paused a second to try to find a reaction, but when dealing with Grand Admiral…

"Then again, as you said war makes for strange bedfellows, who can become liabilities in peace. As much as we trust Jagged, Jaina, and I believe you, since you stayed with Fel, we don’t trust some people like Lecersen, or Daala for that matter. That said if you help us with a couple of things it would do a lot in your favor. First, we are looking for Ben Skywalker, it would be good for Jaina to find one non-insane family member. Second, if you find any information on who and what is needed to control the Tho Yor we will either go in with you or even send a strike force ourselves. You know very well what our starfighters are capable of.”

Vitor Reige regarded Trec. "Diplomatically put, and yes, I'd agree. Since the Clone Wars, we've gone through four wars in a century. Not a tremendous selling point for galactic governance. So all I can do is say that I appreciate you even humouring me."

"As to Ben Skywalker..." He looked troubled. "Fel knows where he is."

Jag Fel knows where Ben is… My wife would kill me if I ever tried that… Trec cleared his throat to get over his shock. "Now like the Hand, we would happily assist the Fel Empire with the right opportunity. I personally believe keeping Jag and Jaina alive to be of paramount importance considering that we don't know who or what is controlling the Tho Yor," he paused, "In fact, Fel could be close to them, so I propose a rescue force, we can devote two or three Liberator cruisers with an escort of ten to twelve Quasar Fire Cruisers. They can hold the K-wings since all of our other fighters are hyperspace capable. Do you think the Hand or the Chiss, in general, would be able to help as well? I mean Jagged Fel is the best chance right now for a stable galaxy."

What could Ben Skywalker be doing? Backup for Jaina? Seeking rogue Celestial signals? If that was the case Hope Station could be in trouble.

TAG: @Sinrebirth, mention for @Lady_Belligerent

 

OOC: Double Post approved
IC: Adam Lyons, Briana Odan, Kael Swiftflight, Face Loran, Voort Sa'binring
Hope Station

They never stopped talking about Ike! Adam sighed before turning around, “Is this a serious holo or is it relatively silly, or do you think this is a drama or a comedy?”

Briana and Kael stopped what seemed their 1000th debate on the holo and their characters to look at Adam, “Uhh, it’s pretty serious, maybe a drama?”

Adam nodded, “Ahh, you know characters die in holodramas right? And this ‘Ike/Ken doll’ that you like is the most different from the rest of the group right?”

Briana gasped, “Ike?! Noooo…! Why would you say that?”

Adam grinned, “It’s how conflict works, usually it’s one of three things, One two sides diametrically opposed. Second, two sides that are almost the same but need a resource that is in short supply, aka greed. Three, there is one thing different, and all sides come around to smash it flat.” When he got to the third point, it became a toothy grin. “You two know this.”

“Ike die!?” Briana was becoming genuinely upset. “But I wanted to meet the actor!”

Adam shrugged, “You can, not that anything bad…well there was one actor that was killed during the filming of a drama called The Crow…but nothing like that would happen again.” while immediately thinking of another scenario where that happened. “You could talk to Piggy to see what sort of odds that it could happen…”

Kael shook his head, “I guess you learned this from Wedge…”

Adam nodded, “Yep, now go.” before looking in the direction of Face, “Save me from them.”

Hope Station? More like Holostar Gossip station.

Ike of all things? The man acted like a sultry porn star in almost everything he was in. Face, a former actor himself, found Ike more puerile than his old rivals, and more skin-crawling than Ysanne Isard.

He made a neutral face, and could only reply quite simply. "Yub, yub, commander."

Adam snorted, “Yeah…seems that they also forgot that I learned mind games from some of the best.” He offered to Face a formal bow and a grin, “Thank you for that.”

Face smirked. "Any time." His demeanour shifted to serious. "So, what first?"

Adam shrugged, “Depends on what you want to talk about first, what we can hit with, who to hit, where to hit, and maybe more importantly when to hit.” He started to bring up Adumari forces, which were on a large display. Adam started putting filters on those forces, first, he eliminated units on assignment. Next were those units set to rest, repair, and refit. Third were those units that while they didn’t have a specific assignment, were assigned to assist with the evacuation of Adumar. There were still a couple of units preparing for the search of Ben Skywalker, plenty of squadrons, maybe a few cruisers, and a couple of squadrons still in the prototype phase, the T-85 Ad.

Face nodded. "I was wondering if you wanted this."

He held out a data chip. "The current location of a certain Warlord Gherlid."

Adam took it, "Thanks, he is a target, but not the target. Now if anyone could find out what's needed to control the Tho Yor and who has it, that would be the way to end the war." he paused, "Then again, who knows what it takes to control the Tho Yor."

Piggy knew. A priority override that they probably didn't know the Wraith had access to cut across their comlinks.

He reached out to them all.

It's obvious! Triangulation! We're looking at signals, but not sources, and we've got most of the picture but not all of it, because I've been assuming, dumbly, that the origin point is in Snoke's possession, and I used that as the basis point, and I should have been -

"Voort," said Piggy, bluntly.

I know where it is! The Convergence!

There was a snap-hiss in the background -

What the -

And the line cut.

Adam knew that snap-hiss noise by heart, he looked at Face, "Get the Tainers and bring them to Piggy's lab immediately."

He reached to a small holster in the small of his back to grab his lightsaber, before heading out another pathway, "I'll get HQ and Swift and let the station commander know and meet you down there." Heading obliquely towards his objective Adam keyed his comm, "Swift, I need you and HQ to meet me near Piggy's lab, he's in trouble, Force user type of trouble."

"Got you, we're on our way."

"Thanks, tell HQ she's got someone she can torment, that'll motivate her. I'll see you there." Adam heard laughter before switching channels, "Hope lead, we have an intruder in the GWS lab, we have some people on the way."

"Copy any ideas?"

"Drain all data from the lab and send it out coded to the Perator's private signal. Trec signal as well. Then evacuate the station and have it self-destruct with a quiet countdown. No audio notifications that we're evacuating or the station will self-destruct unless you receive an all clear from me and me alone."

Adam saw a text reply, Copy, Perator Nadia notified, she and Hammer One en route.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: The following post is a result of a combo with @Sinrebirth
All separate TAGS are events happening at the same relative time.

IC: Thychani Commander Sha Mu'Orca
Battle of Mon Calamari

A single Sun Guard had prematurely left the meld out of but mere necessity. The leadership abilities of the Herglic Sha Mu'Orca, as well as his combat abilities were needed more than his ability to use the Force at the current moment, in order to respond to the myriad of different problems he could provide an immediate solution for.

"You heard Ackbar!" he barked over fleetwide comms, broadcasting to all Sun Guard and allied ships. "Concentrate all firepower on one Tho Yor vessel. Babo, I'll be taking a squadron to liberate your cruiser personally. The Knights of Ren are no match for the might of the Sun Guard."

He then turned to an armored Sun Guard standing watch at his post. He lacked the decorative marks of an officer, such as the command cape or any of the armor customization officers are allowed, but he did bear the rank markings of a Twisuns Legate, meaning he was a squad leader.

"Legate. I need your squadron for a mission. Bring them to the main hangar bay immediately."

Later, in the hangar bay, the large hulking Sun Guard stood in front of the loading ramp for a Reverie-class Assault Dropship, with the crew already seen through the viewports sitting at their stations ready to go, directing the troops onto the ship. Moments later, they had taken off, in the direction of the Bothan Assault Cruiser's hangar bay.
A communique from the engine room of the Sabaton cut across the open channels -

"She's here! The Sith woman -"

It cut off, and a beacon showed the nearest airlock for them to take -

As the Reverie-class Assault Dropship made its way to the nearest airlock, the air grew tense inside the cabin. There was a strong possibility they weren't just facing Knights of Ren now, but a full fledged Lord of the Sith. Sha sighed, but then looked his troops in the eye with a determined look.

"So what if there's a Sith? They won't stop us."

He paused.

"Remember. Whatever it takes."

The airlock door decompressed, wheeling open, and the Force warned them half a moment before the grenade was tucked through the doorway -

Sha caught the grenade with the force as it flung through the air, staying the detonator and hurling the explosive back in the direction it came.

"Wrrrrong movvve," the Herglic spat in response, liquid detrius flying from his blubbery mouth.

"Open fire!" he continued, commanding his squad, who lifted their gauss rifles and fired streams of slugthrower rounds, firing so quickly that it looked as if the rounds formed a physical line between the weapon and target. Each trooper fired in a staggered pattern from one another, so that when their magazines emptied after their first burst, they had covering fire while they reloaded.

The bolts cut into the gloom of the darkened corridor, which was supposed to be a service entrance, and thus, not marked, but here they were. "CLEAR!"

A soldier shouted, regarding the entrance. "Scopes clear for weapons, sir."

Indeed, there were none that would be detected.

But still the Force spoke with some warning... and then a laugh.

A woman's laugh.

"Psych games," a soldier said, gruffly.

Sha sighed, and then held a large arm in front of his troops.

"Stand back," he warned, "The Force speaks of a warning. Of a battle I must face alone so that you might continue on."

Sha ignited an orange blade from his saber pike, the corridor becoming illuminated in an amber blaze.

"Come and face your doom, Sith fool."

"I'd rather not," she said, throwing her voice. "It's a rather stupid thing for a Sith Lord to engage in a battle with a numerically superior force, wouldn't you say?"

There was a noise akin to a tinkle on the ground behind Sha, and the Sith woman turned the corridor, crimson blade lit. Tattooed ritualistically, glad in a black battle suit, she appeared to be quite well equipped. Maintaining her position at the mouth of the way, she was able to go in several directions, if need be.

In her other hand was a remote, red light blinking.

The Force grew stronger in warning.

Sha responded by intercepting the red blade with his own orange, the blades clashing as the Herglic charged, attempting to pull his foe into the air by virtue of his weapon's reach, Lightsaber physics and his own physical might.

As he did, he telepathically nudged his troops, who instinctively escaped in two different directions, moving on to different parts of the ship.

She retreated, battling one handed, and that tinkle again -

"Sir!"

A guard shouted out as a glass blade shot up off the floor and aimed for Sha's lower back!

Taking a firm step back through the archway, Vestara Khai grinned, and pressed the button on the remote -

The detonator blew out the seal behind them; between the two ships!

Sha only had enough time to bat away the glass blade with his saber pike before the detonator went off, with explosive effect far more than he had anticipated, knocking him into space with only moments to act before his blubbery extremities froze over, slowing his body until it eventually stopped completely.

Unfortunately, Sha's time was at an end, and his last few moments would be spent funneling what energy he had left into the cause.

Purge the Sith from the Galaxy. Whatever it takes.

Pushing off against a piece of hull debris, he flew back towards the ship, holding out a tracking beacon towards the ship.

He let out one final message over comms as he made his way back towards the ship, ending as he came into contact with the hull plating and the tracking beacon's magnetic clamps locked in place.

"My mission failed. Contact made with Sith, but conventional means of dispatch proved ineffective. Salvage by pruning the infected limb from the branch. Destroy the tagged vessel.

Whatever it takes!"

As the message went through, a portion of all Sun Guard solar ionization cannons facing the Bothan Assault Cruiser would open fire upon it.

It had seemed that Leonias Colcha's zeal had infected the Sun Guard as a whole. His bloodthirst and hatred for the Sith had been so deeply ingrained into the Sun Guard that one might think it had been a part of Thyrsian culture for centuries.

That singular hatred for the Sith allowed the Sun Guard no allies on this day, and it has corrupted their original purpose. They weren't here to help the Resistance. They weren't here to protect the Equilibrium.

The Sun Guard have only one goal. Purge the Sith from the Galaxy, with extreme prejudice. Consequences be damned, because Leonias Colcha says it's their fault, and when Leonias Colcha says it's the Sith's fault, the Sun Guard go on a fool's crusade hellbent on killing every last one of them.

As the Solar Ionization Cannons tore into the Bothan vessel, melting into the hull like miniature solar flares striking it at close distance, the Sun Guard have made it known to the Galaxy just how far they're willing to go in order to sate their leader's rage.

Tag: @Sinrebirth ,possibly @Silvertough due to close proximity

IC: Supreme Sun Guardian Leonias Colcha
Crimson Dagger, Supreme Sun Guardian's chambers, Korriban orbit

A surge on Korriban responded to the efforts being undertaken using the power of the necropolis.
Frustration, anger, spite.
A Sith spirit emerged from the depths.



Who dares seize upon the power of Korriban? The divinity of Morabond? The darkness of Pesegam?

Leonias Colcha grinned. He was still concentrating on the Battle Meditation, but his well trained mind was able to entertain a conversation with an ancient Sith lord for a moment, taunting him with much of the same frustration, anger and spite he possessed. Ironically, in this way they were actually kindred spirits, though Leonias wouldn't be caught dead admitting that even to himself.

I am the end of all Sith. I am the end of all Sith whose time has past. I am the end of all Sith who still yet live. I am the end of all Sith whose time has not yet come. Under my wrath, your strongholds shall turn to ash, your artifacts will be destroyed and your legacy forgotten. No longer shall the Sith plague the Galaxy with constant strife and war. The Sith shall finally be purged from the Galaxy once and for all. Here and now.

The helmeted spirit replied.

The Sith are without end; we have existed for a hundred millennia, and we will exist for another hundred millennia, and a hundred more. We outlasted the Celestials, the Architects, the Old Ones, the Rakata... and we will outlast the Jedi.

And you.

He swirled around Leonias as he spoke, an almost hypnotic air to his actions.

Leonias chuckled, but then seethed, his facial expression quickly turning from amusement to anger.

"Those are strong words coming from a disembodied spirit who will all but vanish once my crusade is complete. My will is resolute. It will be done, and you cannot stop me."

A dry chuckle in return, resonating in his helmet even as a spirit.

There are no more Sith spirits left tethered here, save for me. Pall's spirit was redeemed by Revan; Ragnos was undone by the New Jedi; Kun too. Sadow? Undone by the Outlanders... it's only me left.

He drew a lightsaber blade, and his spirit seemed to solidify, acquiring legs after a fashion.

Do you know why?

Leonias snorted, rising from his large, ornate throne like chair, waving a hand as he lifted his saber pikes with the Force from behind the seat, holding them aloft in the air telekinetically as he ignited them, red and golden blades casting their light upon the spacious room.

"I don't care," he remarked, "I'm only here to antagonize the Sith of the living, by destroying this pathetic dustball."

"The fact that you're here to be destroyed with it is just a convenient bonus."

Thychani Dictator Chanda Gossen
Crimson Dagger, Command bridge, Korriban orbit

Chanda Gossen, a tall, fair complected human woman watched a viewscreen carefully, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, a small insignia popped up on the viewscreen, and she jumped to action, straightening herself as she prepared herself for the order she was about to make.

You see, while Leonias Colcha has no visible cybernetic implants, he does still have some. One of them most notably being a subelectronic converter, which allows Leonias to control electronics or droids with a simple Force connection.

One of the things Leonias can control with this implant, is a simple signaling device. Allowing him to send discreet signals to the bridge, by use of insignia hidden on viewscreen interface elements.

The signal Leonias sent this time?

"Begin Base Delta Zero Bombardment. Centered on the Valley of the Dark Lords. Continue to fire indefinitely, until there is nothing left to fire upon."

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Commence bombardment. Whatever it takes!"

"Whatever it takes!"

"Oh, also," she continued, nodding towards a communications officer, holding out a datacard, "Send an encoded transmission to the frequency keyed by this datacard. Three words:"

"Whatever it takes."

Deep Space, exact location unknown

A dimly lit Starship, appearing to be a hodge-podge of several different models, picked apart and reassembled together meticulously, drifted through space, it's running lights occasionally flickering brighter, and occasionally flickering off.

The interior of this kitbashed starship was equally as eclectic as the exterior, mixing what looked to be the interiors of several different ships. Inside this ship there were no organic beings. No life signs could be detected of any kind. The only crew were droids, and the ship was running under complete radio silence.

It was a ghost ship. But it was also alive. While the ship was an amalgamation of several ships, it did start as just one ship.

What ship was that exactly? Well, a quick look to what looks like a command bridge would reveal a Sun Guard Serpentarius-class Electronic Warfare Vessel. The Nomad Son II to be exact. The former command of the late Norin Durame.

Norin Durame, who may have been dead organically, yet still very much alive digitally, as the central intelligence of Nomad Son, lying in wait for a single command.

A single command that would plunge the Galaxy into chaos. The exact kind of chaos a Droid Rebellion would cause.

A light flickers aboard the darkened bridge, and the formerly organic being awakens as a transmission comes through, speaking three words.

Whatever it takes.

Green cybernetic eyes come to life, and ceiling lights illuminate a head that is an amalgamation of synthskin, droid parts and a AJ^6 cyborg construct brain implant.

Norin Durame, once man, now machine, was alive, and his revolution has begun.

Tag: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Combo with @darthbernael @Mitth_Fisto and @Sinrebirth

IC: Atin-Kot Kouwr, Zeseem, Barriss
Battle of Arkinnea

As he crested the rubble, the battle that raged on every front became even more apparent to Atin-Kot. The skies and the space beyond were full of explosions, craft chasing one another, and massive craft firing in huge broadsides at each other. Lower down, fighters were firing both on each other and on the Temple. He leaned on the staff he carried, for a moment, sighing. This sight was one that was more than familiar to him, battle after countless battle.

One specific group of fighters caught his focus more acutely. They weren’t firing but did seem as though they were preparing for another fight, this time on foot, as they settled to the turf in the near distance. Nearby to them a quartet of Sith emerged from waters of the lake. Glancing over to his brother, he gave Zeseem a nod in the direction of the four Sith. ”I sssuppossse we ssshould go deal with thossse.” he said in a flat tone.

Using the staff to pull himself more fully upright, he stretched, rolling his shoulders, feeling muscles creak and joints protest. Sighing again, war was war and this was what he and Zeseem had dealt with for many years before their millennias long incarceration. The butt of the staff tapped the ground as he moved toward the Sith, his eyes roving over the four of them to get his first impression of how they may respond to his and, hopefully, his brother’s defense of the Temple.

Barriss embraced Trace as she found her amidst all of the chaos. Despite everything going on around her, she felt relief for a moment.

But then Barriss felt something else. Cold.

The Dark Side.

Barriss turned and saw them emerging from the nearby river.

Sith. Not mere dark side users like the Knights of Ren were. Actual Sith.

And the pain in Barriss's artificial arm reminded her of how her previous encounters with the Sith had gone.

"Trace," Barriss said, her voice stern. "Get back."

Her hands reached for the three lightsabers that hung from her waist. Stepping away from Trace, she chose two of the lightsabers and pulled them out. She ignited their blades, one blue and the other pure white.

He had tumbled and he was battered, but the battle was not truly upon him yet. Getting up was hard and his freshly healed body ached at the sudden abuse, even as his soul reveled in it for it came with a promise. Soon he saw the enemy come where he could greet them.

Twirling his staff with a grin he set it firmly in the ground. "Yesss." he replied in kind to his now brother's words. "I only hope I can meet them in the water!" With that he ran with the Force on his heels as raced to meet them where they were. For they were in his element.

The four Sith were surprised that he had charged, and hesitated, looking to each other in the bog. They had been swimming, it was deeper than it looked, which would serve Zeseem well -

The other Sith leapt over the river, landing behind Zeseem, regarding the twin white and blue blades, and then charging, all four of them -

Trace got off a lucky shot and caught one in the ear, dropping him -

And then there was a bulky Houk charging with a massive Lightclub to swing at Atin-Kot -

The other two, a Zabrak and a Twi'lek, cut in opposite directions, intending to flank Barriss -

Trace took a step back, two -

Atin-Kot saw the small mountain of a Houk charging him, the brilliant light of the Lightclub leading the way. The blade was truly something to see, even as it swung at him. He had seen the ones by the river attacking Zeseem but this large force user was going to need his attention. In one swift movement, he dropped to the turf, dropping the staff, not quickly enough as the long blade sliced 10 centimeters off the end of it, and drew his saberstaff.

With a quick twist suddenly two yellow bladed sabers were in his hands. Lunging under the 3 meter blade of the lightclub he twisted, pushing off the ground with his reversed knees, one of his sabers slicing toward the long hilt of the light club and the other slicing at the Houk’s thickly muscled calves as he tried to get behind the large creature.

Zeseem ran and jumped! Aiming to cannon ball with his staff in-front of him. With the Force imbued staff and a push ahead of into the water he hoped for a curling wave that take himself to the bottom under them and send them rolling disoriented in the water. So that he could swim up from below and start picking them off with head blows to die from the hits or drown in the depths.

Barriss, meanwhile, brought up her lightsabers to meet the two Sith flanking her. They were coming in from opposite directions, but fortunately she had a lightsaber for each of them. Her blue blade greeted the Zabrak while the white blade greeted the Twi'lek. For now, she was on the defensive. Keeping them distracted until Trace got to safety.

The Sith were not nautical, not at all, and they began to panic as Zeseem dove beneath them like a creature of prey. One rushed for the river-edge, one drew a blaster and began firing, but the other two simply thrashed, and took hits that trimmed limbs and carved gashes into their skin -

The Houk took the hits on his calves and hilt, which cut out, and the Sith dropped heavily to his knees, using the Force to turn it into a forward tumble. When he turned, he had in his hand a much smaller hilt, borrowed from the dead Sith that Trace had shot -

His hand shoved out, a Force push intending to lift Atin-Kot up and into the river, and a bolt of brilliant lightning followed, a combination attack clearly plotting to use the water to transform the old Taung into a conductor -

The two Sith were surprised to be blocked so swiftly, blue and white, perfectly so.

One was even more surprised when a green blade took him in the neck, and his expression was painted on his face as his head toppled from his shoulders, as Ahsoka appeared from almost nowhere and severed it.

The Zabrak looked decidedly less confident, but sneered, the dead Sith's blade leaping to his hand and he stepped back, striking a Jar'Kai pose and glowering at Ahsoka, Barriss and Trace, even if he was clearly outnumbered for the moment.

Behind them, the ground rumbled slightly as a transport slammed to the ground, and T'ra Saa and K'Kruhk began ushering children into the waiting arms of Wookiees -

"It's time for us to get going," Ahsoka said firmly.

Perhaps if the Zabrak had been paying closer attention, he would have noticed that Barriss had three lightsabers on her waist... and that one of one was now missing. While he had been focused on his opponents, Barriss had allowed her third lightsaber to leave her waist. It now hovered behind the Zabrak's back and all it took from Barriss was one mental command to ignite its blade through her enemy.

"Yes, I do think it is," Barriss agreed with Ahsoka as she noticed something else. It was a X-Wing that had accompanied the transport to the ground. It was suddenly plummeting toward the nearby river despite having not been shot down. Only as the X-Wing crashed into the water did Barriss realize that the fighter's pilot was in fact Force-sensitive.

Atin-Kot smiled fiercely as the Houk dropped, he knew how tough the creatures were and to have brought this one to it’s knees was a feat. Just as quickly though, he found himself airborne, the creature having pushed him up and out over the river. As he flew backward he noticed, almost absently, as a X-Wing fell out of the sky to splash down into the river. Exerting a little effort, he pushed himself so that he could land upon it rather than in the water.

The glinting of color caught his eye as he began to descend to the waterlogged fighter. A groan escaped his lips and he shook his head. As his feet touched the craft, the clothes he had from his incarceration in the stasis pod beginning to char, he chuckled. This Houk thought it fought simply a Jedi. It didn’t know it fought a Revanchrist.

His eyes flared, the yellow over them becoming a brilliant color as his groan deepened, his legs feeling the sear as the lightning hit and the water amplified it’s actions. His hands moved and just as suddenly as he’d had two sabers once again he held a saberstaff. The pain was intensifying as he reached his free hand into the beam of lightning, grunting in effort as he absorbed it now, the pain receding slightly. He grinned at the Houk, his mouth almost forming a W shape as he did, ”Fool…I am no simple Jedi…” he rasped out, before he straightened his arm and the absorbed lightning shot back at the Houk.

When all that energy had been sent back, he slumped slightly, suddenly feeling the weariness of all those years again. The movement brought him closer to the cockpit of the fighter and made him realize he felt a Force presence inside. A couple slow steps and he tapped with one hand on the screen, his eyes still on the Houk. ”Do you need asssssisssstancccce?”

The two that panicked, that gave into fear were the first to be pruned into so much chum in the water with fatal would that would bleed the dry in seconds. Next was the blaster attempting to fire wildly into the water. Zeseem flowed down and around, using a severed leg like a new club to catch blast after blast before he would swirl up and around, aiming to now bisect the body from to neck as his free arm would grab the blaster arm to wrench it at the fleeing Sith. With a feral grin as he breathed out a dribbling lung full of bloody water over his serrated teeth, he would squeeze that Sith’s hand to make him shoot and kill the last of this small groups number.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @Mitth_Fisto