Skirmish A Monument to All Your Achievements | THR vs TSC | Jakku Enclave

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Homies: Corazona von Ascania Zaiya Ceti
Mooks: Lysander von Ascania Mercy Naniti

That explosion made her flinch and for a flicker of the span of a second, she was somewhere else. Running. The sound of the sith's visor striking the sandstone with a groan brought her back. For the first time, she saw the face that had haunted months of restless thoughts. It wasn't monstrous. It wasn't comforting either. Just human. The realization settled somewhere heavy in her chest.

That sharp blade of his pointed at her throat. She did not flinch. Blue eyes searched his face instead of the weapon between them. And even as the wave of fighting hunger from somewhere descended upon her, eroded that force valor she'd been projecting. She shook her head.

"What can revenge do for me Mister Ascania?"

Fingers adjusted around her staff, though its tip lowered by an inch instead of rising.

"Pelagia is gone. My home is gone. The people who raised me," her voice caught for only a heartbeat before finding itself again. "They're gone."

Another breath.

"Nothing you suffer today brings them back." Sadness, not hatred, lingered in her expression. "But remembrance does something for me. Speaking it outloud to someone else who was there."

The sadness lingered heavily in those bright blue eyes of hers. And a quiet determination. Because out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mercy kill another jedi. And she knew there were more beyond her back. Those running. Those that needed more time. Those that were trying to get out. Those younger than her. She hadn't been able to buy time on Pelagia. Now, she had a chance to stop something. Someone. And she wasn't so naive as to think she had a chance against someone like Lysander von Ascania. She knew she could hold the line. Even if only for a few minutes. A few seconds.

And that's what she intended on doing.

A sidestep as she stood between him and the fleeing jedi. Even as her comm chirped about a warning. "We promised each other we'd always tell the truth. You said you discarded your conscience; I'm sorry you actually believe that."

Then came a warmth unlike any flame. It spread from her heart across her skin, face, hair, and hands, spilling into the Force in a radiant tide as brilliant as the Jakku sun overhead. There was no violence in it. No anger. No demand.

Only light.

It would try to reach for the man he had once been before fear and darkness had wrapped themselves around his soul. Before he convinced himself that every atrocity had been necessary. She wasn't trying to defeat him. She was trying to remind him.

 

[Kaelyr]

Tags: Kadeon Virell

⚙​

As I got closer to one of the vaults in question, I could sense a presence of naseating proportions. The light, which meant a Jedi of some skill was close by. I didnt come into this because I thought it was easy, so to have some form of resistance was expected. There was a voice that called out to me as I neared the corner of the corridor, and it was laced with bravado and courage. As I cleared the corner, I could see the figure that impeded my path, claiming I would have to get through him if I wanted to get into the vault. Looking past him, I could see the source of Yggdrakses' power that was resonating here.

The dark god roared within my head, which caused me to smirk as it ordered me to incinerate everything. "Burn!" With an arc-like wave of my lightsaber, several orbs of cosmic flame formed before me, then rushed at the foolish vermin. If he dodged them, he would find that when they made contact with a surface, they would explode with the power of a frag grenade. I would continue this bombardment as I walked down the hallway.

Though another defender came running up from behind me. Seeing that they were still new in the ways of the Force, I forced-choked them and used them as a human shield as I rushed the other combatant that stood in my way. When I got closer to the vault entrance, I would toss the young jedi at the other, following it by a torrent of cosmic flames that would incinerate them both. The hallway was narrow enough that I would use the distraction of flame to bypass him and enter the vault.

⚙​

---

"Kaelyr Speech"

 

[Kadeon Virell]

Objective: Protect the Archives
Location: Jedi Enclave, Jakku
Outfit: Combat Ready
Equipment: Double-bladed lightsaber - Twin Verdict
Tag: Kaelyr

The corridor vanished behind a wall of living fire. Kadeon held his ground. Where another Jedi might have immediately thrown themselves aside, Kade instead planted his lead foot and reached outward through the Force. The approaching spheres of cosmic flame filled his awareness like miniature suns, each one hungry to burst outward and consume everything nearby. He could not extinguish them. He could not overpower them. But perhaps…He could guide them.

His brow furrowed with concentration as invisible nudges altered their paths by fractions. One slammed into the corridor wall instead of the centerline. Another detonated higher against the ceiling. A third burst low against the stone floor. Every adjustment was measured, shaving precious feet from each explosion's radius. The blasts still rocked the hallway, heat washing over him in suffocating waves as chunks of scorched stone showered across the floor, but the archive behind him remained largely untouched. Flames crackled around the Jedi Knight, licking at his combat attire before quickly dying away. Not perfect. Good enough.

Then his stomach dropped. A frightened presence. Young. Inexperienced. Kade's eyes widened as a Padawan was dragged helplessly through the corridor by an invisible grip, feet scraping uselessly across the stone before the Sith hoisted them into the air like little more than discarded cargo. "No..."

His jaw clenched hard enough to ache. Every instinct screamed at him to abandon everything and save the younger Jedi. But another truth, one every Knight eventually learned, rooted him in place. Protect the many. If the archive fell...

If whatever the Sith sought reached his hands…

The consequences would stretch far beyond one life. The realization tasted like ash. "Hold on, kid." The Padawan became a projectile. Kade reacted instantly. His saberstaff dipped instead of striking. One hand reached toward the tumbling body as the Force caught hold, bleeding away as much momentum as possible. Rather than allowing the Padawan to collide violently into him or the wall beyond, Kade redirected the fall downward, guiding the young Jedi into an awkward but far gentler landing upon the scorched stone.

His eyes never lingered. Alive? Dead? He didn't know. He couldn't know. There wasn't time. By the moment the Padawan hit the floor, Kaelyr had already burst through the curtain of flame. "Kriff." The curse never rose above a mutter. He'd been bypassed.

The realization ignited every competitive instinct Kade had spent years learning to master. The archive wasn't behind him anymore. It was exposed. Twin Verdict spun back into a ready guard as Kade exploded into motion, every ounce of athletic power driving him forward. The Force surged through powerful legs, closing the distance in long, aggressive strides while he reached outward with his free hand.

The Force seized at Kaelyr—not to crush or throw him, but to arrest his momentum for even the briefest heartbeat. One step. One opening. That was all Kade needed. His emerald saberstaff whirled into a relentless series of strikes, sweeping first across Kaelyr's path before reversing into a powerful overhead cut, each attack aimed less at immediate victory than forcing the Sith to stop his advance deeper into the vault.

"If you want what's in here," Kade growled through gritted teeth, green blades humming through the smoke-filled chamber, "you're going to have to earn every single step."


​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

​

Objective: 2 - Protect the Archive
Outfit: Jedi Warrior
Equipment: Practice Saber, Dathomiri Energy Bow
Tag: Efret Farr

The Sith was wearing some sort of porcelain doll mask, it was very thematically creepy. Definitely coming across as someone who was aggressive Sith. Aileni did not reveal his identity or presence in the Force, keeping himself to the shadows as well. While the arrow seemed to give away his location, Aileni was determined to play games. Projecting his voice from a different location, "are you sure you know where the arrow comes from?" Aileni then fired another energy arrow and guided the arrow to shift around, approaching Nergüi from the direction that the projected voice was coming from. It was not clean but the Padawan was determined to avoid direct conflict if he could afford it.

Aileni knew far too little about this porcelain doll Sith to know whether or not a direct fight would be a smart move. For now, he was remaining crouched and sticking to the shadows best he could. The magical ichor seemed all too familiar to him as well, could be a former witch that was corrupted into becoming a Sith, he held no idea. But that would make the fight even harder for Aileni. He had been raised to be deeply respectful of Dathomir's witches no matter their allegiances or morals. The witches were the ones leading Dathomir and they were always the ones who knew best. That matriarchal societal structure and discipline had been deeply instilled into Aileni. He knew that information was needed to assess how to continue forward.

"Cool magic. You from Dathomir or something?" Another voice echoing to Efret from a new direction. Every voice was the same, so she would know it was only Aileni that was fighting but it seemed like he could teleport around the room. Something he deeply wished that he could do but it was a power that only his mother and the other witches could utilise. From what Aileni understood for now.

There was a pause as Aileni took note of the situation as it progressed around them. Time was never a thing in the favour of those aiming to retreat so Aileni knew that he was not going to be staying where he was forever. But he needed to keep this Sith woman from advancing. She could not pass. She would not pass.

"Why the doll face?" Aileni asked, delaying his thoughts on what to do next with a wild question being thrown out there.

 

[Meliant]

Lorn Reingard

The torso cracked like an egg against some invisible barrier, bones and gore bits sprayed everywhere. It was awful. It was incredible. At least this Jedi wasn't clouded by sentiment or twitchy. Maybe it'd be a good fight after all. He muttered something, then launched himself at Meliant. ​

​

The yellow blade came down, but it sliced through empty air - the golden Emperor had turned himself at the precise degree necessary for it to pass him by harmlessly. The blade came within a hair's width of that golden armor. If he had any skin, it would've been seared by the simple heat of the thing. Too bad. Whip-fast, Meliant's own sword sliced the air twice across, and the subtle wind-gusts left by its passage could be felt only a long moment after it had passed.​

​

Even if Reingard did nothing, he would remain unharmed - but the chin of his beard would be a few centimeters shorter.​

​

As with everything from Hasuras Na-Amoun, this was meant as a grave insult.​

 

[Kaelyr]

Tags: Kadeon Virell

⚙​

This one was persistent, annoyingly so, and I couldnt waste my time with him. He, however, would have disagreed as he managed to survive my onslaught of fire. I couldnt almost admire the determination if it wasnt such a pain in the ass to deal with. The moment he gripped me with the force, he would feel overwhelming heat. It was like a stray dog nipping at my ankles, the way this Jedi was doing everything he could to slow me down. His words only served to stoke the fires of my rising anger as I went to counter his blows.

Fluidity and grace fueled by rage and aggression allowed me to go tit for tat with his saberpole as his green and my red clashed, sparks singing to the testament of our encounter. I could only glare at him as I knew if I was to get to the prize I sought, I would have to kill this one, and quickly too. With that in mind, I pushed him back with the force, and in turn leapt back to give us some distance. My lightsaber would soon find itself engulfed in cosmic flames, extending its reach by several feet.

Even in such a tight corridor, the flaming blade was radiating such intense heat that it easily cut through the walls and stone floor of the hallway. Pooling the force into the soles of my feet, I launched towards him, unleashing several sun-heated arcs of flame-infused force energy. A trail of flames followed behind each swing, so even if he dodged it, he would still have to contend with never being able to clear the distance between our saber weapons. Though there was a hidden tactic to my method, and as long as I continued with the attack pattern, I knew I would be able to stall him from interfering further.

All I needed him to do was fight a little longer.

⚙​

---

"Kaelyr Speech"

 

[Nova Dainlei]

Jakku Jedi Enclave

Allies: Xan Deesa | THR
Enemies: Seris Velmora | TSC

​

The boy's bag was now overflowing with as many artifacts as he could carry.

Xan had broken off from the console, working to keep the Sith busy. The warrior of the Dark had only arrived a few minutes ago yet had already caused so much damage. It did not help that only minutes before, the evacuation alarms began to blare. Every member of the Enclave knew these alarms well, as well as knew the dread that followed. Sirens only meant one thing...the underground home was lost. All personnel needed to get out before it was too late. But they still needed more time. Kilo still worked hard at the console, trying to upload as much data as possible into his databanks.

Nova turned his head back towards the dueling warriors, watching as the Sith began another flurry of attacks. He did not know Xan all that well, but he knew enough to realize this was not going to end well.

"Stop!!"

He yelled out from a few meters away, hands extended forward. Using all of his might, he aimed to push back the invader with the Force, hoping that she would be sent flying against the nearby wall. Before he could even see what had happened, Nova leapt to his feet, drawing his lightsaber. Its golden hue illuminated the surrounding area. Reflections of his blade could be seen in the rows of Holocrons. Adjusting his stance, the Padawan entered into an offensive position, advancing towards the duo.

It would be up to his droid now. He had a duel to fight.

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti Mercy
Sophelia Ardemark Zaiya Ceti Corazona von Ascania

Rattling against the enclave, the last explosion carried none of the Sith's signature cruelty; something about it whispered of belonging to another hand. Sparing the Jedi this long was already betrayal of his code; the galaxy would never reward those who hesitated.

Invasive warmth brushed against his senses; Lysander resisted similarly to the way one does with sleep. Teeth ground together with a soundless click. "You want the truth, is that it, Lady Ardemark?"

Behind the curtain of a disciplined mind, he was forced to erect barriers; his consciousness became a fortress under siege. He caught glimpses of his younger self, the boy who once believed in something other than power, banging at the bars of psyche and heart. Even the ghostly pleas echoed, demanding mercy.

The dissonance sent tremors along the knuckles that clutched Nightstar. "Which version of your morality are you performing for me today, I wonder?" he mused, voice smooth and cold. "The one where you believe you can change me, or the one where you realize I'm already standing at the point of no return?" A fence between a dying forest and advancing wildfire. "Might as well save your breath for prayers to the Light that won't bother answering."

Internal resistance was akin to churning magma. Walls of darkness pressed back against the current of emotion. From experience, it was common Light bearer arrogance, to believe that by reminding someone of sunlight, that they may trick one into forgetting the cold. That sort of patronizing nonsense was insulting to say the least.

His mouth quirked; the humor reached no further than his lips. "Don't play the hero for those people. You just want the comfort of a glorious end, don't you? Bet it hurts to know that your grand act of compassion will be forgotten before the sun sets."

Eyelids fluttered shut for an instant, so that he could draft a vow deep in the void: never surrender the night within, even as dawn threatened the edges of the Emissary's ambition. "Look at the physics of this galaxy, girl. Energy doesn't vanish. It is redirected, consumed, or.. extinguished. You're just mourning that transition into nothingness, expecting me to find some commonality in your grief."

Tactical hallucinations were common when pressure applied, a curse shared by both Light and Dark. Nightstar dipped an inch as he tilted his head. "But there is no common ground. All I've ever heard is the endless, pathetic wailing of Pelagon's dead. And frankly, I find the sound of them, and your insistence of their relevance, rather exhausting."

 

[Vess Sadragen]

For a long moment Vess simply looked at Lily. The sounds of battle felt strangely distant, muffled beneath the weight of the temple walls and the knowledge that only a handful of meters separated them from the fighting. Her hand found Lily's shoulder almost instinctively, grounding herself as much as reassuring the woman standing before her.

When Lily spoke, she just listened. The corner of Vess's mouth lifted ever so slightly. "I know." Her fingers slipped down to Lily's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her gaze drifted toward the temple entrance, lingering there for a heartbeat. "...I'd prefer not to explain to Valery why I injured a Jedi." The thought lingered for a moment before she looked back to Lily, the faintest hint of amusement finding its way into her expression. "Honestly, I am more worried about that than getting in a fight," she grinned slightly. "So let's try and make sure that conversation doesn't happen."

She took one slow breath, letting the last of the tension settle before it was quietly filed away where it belonged. One problem at a time. Her eyes swept the corridor ahead, taking in sightlines, cover, intersections, and the route Lily had already begun committing to memory. The familiar rhythm of planning settled naturally into place, leaving little room for anything else. She gave a small nod. "Lead the way." Without another word, she fell in beside Lily, her footsteps light against the ancient stone as they slipped into the temple, leaving the sounds of battle outside to fade behind them.

​

TAG: Lily Rhodes Aiden Porte

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Meliant​

Impact rattled through Lorn's boots as he landed with the crushing force of a Krayt dragon, shutting his eyes for a split second as the heavy blow descended. The expected resistance of armor never came. Yellow plasma bit straight through the duracrete floor. Fast, far too fast for a man encased in metal. Snapping his eyes open, Lorn caught sight of the gilded demon pivoting just off the left edge of his blade. Two razor-fast gusts of wind sheared past his jaw, shearing away a clean chunk of his beard.

Lorn stood to his full height as he processed the blatant mockery. The Sith was playing games while the clock on the safeguard protocol ticked away.

A mangled remnant of the fallen master's robes snapped upward, lifted by a sharp tug in the Force, and launched directly at the golden breastplate. Stopping the projectile with a blade or barrier would be effortless for the Sith, but the resulting spray of crimson blood would ruin the pristine polish of his prized armor. An insult returned for an insult given.

Without waiting for the gore to hit, Lorn shifted his weight and threw his full momentum into a sweeping diagonal strike, driving his blade toward the monster's flank.

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Ovaries before brovaries: Corazona von Ascania Zaiya Ceti
Scruffy nerf herders: Mercy Lysander von Ascania Naniti

Everyone served something even if it wasn't a deity. And it was very clear the things she and Lysander served were very different. Most of his words fell flat. She didn't care about being remembered. She wasn't seeking a glorious end. She didn't want to die today. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared.

She believed light did not cease to exist simply because someone closed their eyes.

The mocking in his cold gaze. That cruel twist of his lips. And then his final words. A sharper blow than anything physical could've been. There was a peculiar cruelty in language; flesh healed according to nature, but memory healed according to mercy.

A distant transport roared overhead as ire flared in her cobalt orbs. The unbearable weight of hearing the dead spoken of as though they had never mattered. Something sharp pricked behind her sinuses as a few quick strides closed the distance between them before she could think better of it. Arm swung back and then forward as her palm aimed for the side of his face. If she made contact, the slap would meet his cheek with a clean, ringing crack strong enough to leave the stinging imprint of her hand. The sound against skin would be startlingly small against the roar of war, yet it might linger longer than any explosion.

She refused to let the memory of Pelagia be trampled beneath his contempt.

"How dare you."

Her voice a deep well of rawness breathed between the short space of separation.

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Naniti
Erryone Else: Lysander von Ascania Sophelia Ardemark Corazona von Ascania Mercy

Well... that wasn't very encouraging.

The dark intensity rolling from Naniti struck the Empath almost as sharply as the Togruta's words, the Lovalla's colors flickering through wary orange and concerned yellow. The more the misasma of the Darkside wept from Naniti, the more the Empath could feel the pressure along her entire length, and while the shining kyber crystal clip on her hair shone brighter to try and counter and give Zaiya focus, there was no denying how the rosy hue of the Lovalla's skin turned a shade duller. While she had practiced her mental shields and abilities to weather the Darkside of the Force, it still had an impact on her, the bleeding of the Togruta's emotions affecting her.

Opal blue eyes reflected back the shine of the crimson saber as bright red as corseca gems, Zaiya's expression softening for a moment despite the concentration in her expression as her own waves of empathy shone back in a flicker of blue and bronze bioluminescence over her mottled spots.

"I mean... I care." she meant it. "And it isn't as if i understand everything... I don't."

One really couldn't understand everyone's situation. Not that she had much time to think because then the ground moved.

"Oh, blast!" Zaiya exclaimed, arms waving alongside her as she dropped with it, letting the Force flood through her legs to fight for footing. She sprang from the collapsing stone, launching herself sideways as crimson carved through the space she'd occupied a heartbeat before. But the attack was insistent, and with widening eyes, even as she darted back, the flurry of the saber threatening to cast her in two. Her bracelets chimed brightly as she twisted through the air, one hand snapping outward to grab at a loose rock to block the blade, but it swiftly sliced it in two -- but it was at that moment that Zaiya used those few seconds to cast a telekinetic tug but not at Naniti but at her lightsaber.

Zaiya sent a surge of the Force in an attempt to seize the weapon as she yanked hard, trying to wrench the blade away from its intended flourish.

"So if you want to talk about understanding... then what makes you think you understand me already?"

 

[Naniti]

Naniti shorted as the woman grappled with the saber in the Togruta's hands. When the searing blade was diverted off course just shy of the woman's body, the violet woman filled the gap between them. Her montrals stopped just short of connecting with the woman's head as Naniti stared into the colorful creature's opal eyes. "I don't need to understand you to kill you."

"You're the ones that believe everyone can get along despite all the evidence to the contrary. You're the ones that preach peace and contemplation while the galaxy burns. Before I end you, tell me how I'm wrong." There wasn't really a need to learn anything from Zaiya Ceti , but if the Temple was about to be demolished then time wasn't of the essence, was it? Besides, no one wanted anything from inside the Temple; it was all an effort merely to deny the Jedi the satisfaction of destroying themselves to keep their precious material possessions from ending up in the hands of a Sith. Either way, the Sith won. All that was left was to figure out whether there was more than blood and death in the pot.

Lysander von Ascania | Mercy
Corazona von Ascania | Sophia of House Marr

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

To: Mercy Lysander von Ascania Sophelia Ardemark
CC: Naniti Zaiya Ceti

"You'll have to teach me that someday." A small smile as more comfort washed over her at Cora's touch.

"Of course," Cora said, mirroring Sophelia's smile.

A verbal warning shuddered through the enclave as the trio of Jedi made their way just outside the building proper. There, among the sand-hewn ruins of Jakku, were a particular pair of Sith.

Lysander, with bitter words on his tongue. Spitting that same Sith vitriol she'd heard aboard the Prosperity, this time at the young lady only a few feet from her.

Cora said nothing. There was nothing left to say after everything she'd said to him on Ukatis. What was left was a hollow gaze, exhaustion and disappointment fixed onto every choice Lysander made that had lead to this moment.

Then, a storm named Mercy rolled in.

Cora's attention snapped to the behemoth, and her hand shot out. A second Jedi beside the first slain was yanked through their air, landing behind the blonde with an unceremonious thunk. The ancient tome he held proved to be too fragile, scattering leaflets of inked paper between them.

"I've been meaning to ask you,” she said. Her tone was oddly cordial, devoid of warmth.

In a way, Cora was looking through Mercy. Past her. Past all of Jakku with its ruins and Jedi and vast, vast canyons of sandstone and sun. Past the slaughter and the tension and the siege that seemed to repeat ad nauseam.

"Why did you massacre Tapani?"

Her extended hand clenched, then drew sharply inward. All at once, the sand disappeared beneath Mercy's feet, forcing her into a violent sinkhole.

Nature itself sought to bury her beneath its heft.

 

[Mercy]

MERCY

EMPRESS | WARLORD | STAR-ARM

Location: Jakku | Objective: Dig | Direct Tags: Corazona von Ascania
Other Tags: Lysander von Ascania Sophelia Ardemark Zaiya Ceti Naniti​

.

Golden eyes tracked the trajectory of the saved Jedi until they landed back on Corazona again.

"Poor thing, still trying to save everyone?"

The corrupted sword swished in the air and the blood clinging to it splattered to the sand, mixing with the dark ooze that was coming off of it. It was warping the sand, growing in its impact. The corpses of her victims were changing too. Black tar slowly seeping through them, until they were liquefying.

"I've been meaning to ask you,” she said. Her tone was oddly cordial, devoid of warmth.

Mercy had been about to leap towards Cora. They both knew that in the past distance was the saving grace between them. Every single time that Mercy managed to conquer the divide between the two of them, the duel turned that much more dangerous. But that sentence made the Empress pause, briefly.

Head tilted there and then the Mountain shrugged.

"Shoot. We have known each other long enough that it seems fair."

As if they were old friends. Rather than enemies that kept clashing, over and over again, somehow finding one another in the least likely places.

In a way, Cora was looking through Mercy. Past her. Past all of Jakku with its ruins and Jedi and vast, vast canyons of sandstone and sun. Pas the slaughter and the tension and the siege that seemed to repeat ad nauseam.

"Why did you massacre Tapani?"

Once again Cora surprised her. She blinked there and glanced towards Lysander von Ascania who was having his own existential crisis with his opponent, Sophelia Ardemark , about the same topic.

Then Sophelia SLAPPED him across the face. Mercy grimaced there. "Oh, lad, you really gotta work on your romance skills, because that-"

This distraction was all that Cora needed.

Her extended hand clenched, then drew sharply inward. All at once, the sand disappeared beneath Mercy's feet, forcing her into a violent sinkhole.

Nature itself sought to bury her beneath its heft.

Mercy suddenly disappeared out of view as the sinkhole dragged her down the dunes and into the depth of the desert.

But if anyone knew such a thing was too good to be true, it would be Cora. There was a sudden surge within the Force, the Dark Side pulsing and spiking with violent intent. Then the desert exploded around Cora in a perfect circle, sand and corrupted tar blowing into the sky. Where the filthy tar touched something of the light, it would be like fire on their flesh.

The Jedi Master would not have time to worry about it however.

In the middle of that madness the Empress of the Core re-emerged, bursting through the sand right beside her. She did not speak, instead thrusting the corrupted sword-arm forward, trying to spear right through Cora from her side upwards through her shoulder.

"Why do you ask? Did you have friends there?" She purred, her voice mutated into a frequency that seemed perfect for Cora's ears. As if it had shifted into the exact cadence of her favorite song.

Distracting, to say the least.

.

ERASE THE PAST

 

[Isobel Serraris]

A MONUMENT TO ALL YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Y O U ‎ ‎ ‎ S H A L L ‎ ‎ ‎ N O T ‎ ‎ ‎ P A S S​

LOCATION — Jakku, Jedi Enclave
TAGS — Arris Windrun Acier Moonbound
PARAPHERNALIA — Vesper et Aurora, Armour of the Lost

The sting of failure pressed itself upon her with the ferocity of a flaming iron, branding her with the marks of shame--declaring her efforts to be child's play, a futile try. The shroud of sands dissipated, the crimson blade permitted more of the coulant and blood to pour upon the dunes, though the greater evil still stood before her. Unimpressed, if not intrigued by the waterfall of droplets trickling down the Acolyte's cheeks. It. . . it was as though Bogan denied her tribute, denied the offer she had desperately laid upon the altar within His temple. But how could He? She offered blood, violence! The very sacrifice of her own self for the purpose of retribution.

Brown eyes, glossy with shed and unshed tears, flicked over the cyborg's features, from the bloodied lips to the peculiar calm within her gaze. No more than a deer caught in a speeder's headlight, all action faded from her limbs, replaced by a taut tension that forced it all still. An eerily tender caress settled upon her right, as the bloodied hilt moved within her trembling grasp, before sinking into the depthless sands once again. What. . . was Arris doing? Why? What part did the Force take in all of this and why must she toil in unanswered servitude!

"I do not--. . ." No more than a rasp broke through the silence, an anomalous clamour opposed to her harmonic Nabooan accent. The mind sought to scatter thoughts, illusions that flew by akin to scattered parchment, each containing a fragment within a great puzzle. One Bel could not piece together amid the chaos.

The answer never found the tip of her tongue, as a familiar rogue shifted before her--a shield against the deceit..? Against whatever Arris had conjured up to drag anchor her to the depths. His claims were naught more than wasted breath, seeking to find a part of the cyborg that had long perished, or mayhap never existed. Particles of Light had always held more prominence to Isobel, so much so that she was ultimately blinded to the stalwart darkness that lay within. . . that was so obvious to all but her. No more.

Ashla protect me. . .​

A prayer settled deep within her; a single seed of hope within a soil tainted by poor seasons. "There can be no reasoning with monsters. Do not delude yourself into thinking she has humanity hidden within. It is a mask, a façade that the Sith so love to uphold." A vile bite born of a staunch belief of life and death, temporarily diminished by her own brushes with the dark...but finding its return once more.

Let me be your blessed once more. . .​

A hand shifted up to be rid of the sorrow upon her face, a sharp breath followed suit in swift attempt at recovering from the moments of weakness. . . of pleas for forgiveness she would not attain from anyone. "It is a rot you carry, it festers within until all of you has surrendered to the urge. You both know it, I know it." Calm ran through her, an unyielding armour that acted both as defense and as a. . . cold comfort, that this was the path she was meant to wander.

For all of eternity. . .​

A single step was taken, away from the 'bulwark' instilled by Acier's presence, until her gaze fixed upon the Sith. "Mayhap I should have been decisive then, and. . . done it." A light shake of the head overwhelmed her. "But unlike the Sith I do not kill the unarmed." The hand, still raised, began to point at both individuals there: "I do not massacre for the sake of glory or victory as you both have done." Isobel did not bother to fetch her shoto-blade, only allowing the golden-bladed Aurora to return to her belt.

For Light and Life.​

A croaking noise brought a temporary halt to her words as her eyes shifted up to find its cause, but the scorching sun made the skies a blinding canvas to look upon, before the eyes settled one last time upon the cyborg. "So quit telling me what I must do, what my self desires. . . What it truly does, is to be fucking done with your kind and your lust for hatred, violence and bloodshed!" The Nabooan began to climb the dune again, seeking to find her ship and get away from it all. Not even thoughts of friends and loved ones could halt her voyage. The fates had decided.

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Varin Mortifer​

Any other opponent would've been overwhelmed by the flurry.

Jonyna was fighting someone who mirrored her own style. Someone who wanted to overwhelm. To take her down quickly.

He was playing smart. But not smart enough...

Jonyna, rather than keep still in the bind, drew her other blade with blinding speed after that first deflection, letting her own speed keep up with the telekinetic attacks. She was no stranger to dark side tactics such as this, Darth Malum of House Marr had made her well aware of his own favor of the Darkshear.

And yet, that smoke she saw as a problem. So she did what her mind told her. What her mother's soul told her.

She disengaged. A burst of flame shot from her ankles, sending her back. In that same moment, her tail whipped out of her coat, firing her sonic pistol right at Varin's face. Enough to deafen him, hopefully, but not enough to kill him. Not that she wasn't trying to, but damn enough to help her disengage and stun him for the moment.

 

[Silara IX]

Location: Jakku Enclave East, Valley of the Eremite - Jakku
Thread Objective: Take Their Things
Mission Objective:

• Enter the archive in Jakku Enclave East.
• Capture a holocron.

Tag: Novac Lyrikal

Having made full use of her bodysuit’s alchemized stealth systems and her own skills, it did not take long for Silara to infiltrate the Enclave’s eastern facility after reaching the butte. With her Blue Witch sensor jammer concealing her from electronic detection, the strand-cast acolyte made her way past the initial droid patrols, before slicing her way through the turbolift locks that led down into the archives with her multi-slice tool. Once unlocked, she stepped inside and closed her eyes, her left hand idly brushing against the curved lightsaber hilt on her hip as she honed her emotions into a focus for the Dark Side.

It was only moments later that the turbolift’s doors slid open upon reaching the archive level. A circular, magenta-hued lightsaber chakram snapped to life with a muted chuff of displaced air, before flying towards the droids scattered within the archives at blistering speed, intended to bisect several of them in a single flying pass.

Regardless of whether her lightsaber chakram found its mark, Silara called the weapon back into her grasp as she launched herself out of the turbolift with a Force-powered leap, catching the weapon mid-air before landing gracefully on her feet eleven meters away from the serpentine Jedi who had presumably been tasked with evacuating the archives’ contents. Her gaze quickly swept over him, noting the two backpacks slung across his frame and the quartet of lightsabers visible on his person.

She extended her right hand outward, the air crackling with ozone and static as the Dark Side surged through her awareness. Lightning shot out from her fingertips as a powerful, instantaneous lance of white-hot plasma that tore across the distance at hypersonic velocity with an earsplitting crack. Should it connect, the current would threaten to lock the Jedi’s body nervous system as searing heat scorched armor and flesh. The plasma channel's explosive expansion might deliver a hammer-blow of concussive force as well, potentially enough to throw the Jedi off of his feet and send him crashing into the archive shelf behind him!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Ghost Silk
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Forearm Vibroblade Mk. II - R
  • Miscellaneous Equipment
    
    • FAE/U-01 "Serenity" Anti-Signal Field System
• Blood Ring
• FAE/MDE-01-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Thermal Explosive (4)
• Siqsa-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Obscuration Canister (2)
• Supernal Infusion
• Spirit Anchor Talisman
• Nullification Resin

 

[Arris Windrun]

Isobel Serraris | Acier Moonbound
Down & Out
​

The cyborg's hand tightened around the gaping hole in her gut. She coughed up more blood.

Her eyes - flooded dark blue and green from the coolant welling inside them - were fixed on Isobel. The acolyte protested. Grieved. Explained - declared that there was no redemption for the likes of Arris Windrun. To that, the cyborg grinned, if not weakly.

'Finally,' Arris thought. 'Someone who gets it.' But even in stepping close to the truth, Isobel was so very wrong.

Beyond what Sith and Jedi were supposed to be, Arris existed within a threshold that was so much sicker. Far more pathetic, really. She would explain it to Acier, but not before Isobel continued to grieve. The young woman reminded Arris of their conversation in the Guts, and once again affirmed how she would not stoop so low as to murder... That washed the weak grin from Windrun's face.

Arris looked back over her shoulder, watching as Isobel seethed her disdain for the Sith and walked away, in search of an escape.

The whole time, the cyborg said nothing. She and Isobel would talk later. The Triumvir felt confident in that. No amount of grief would change the fact that just moments ago, Isobel Serraris nearly killed her - that was a wound for both of them... and as Arris suspected, Isobel's would fester something sicker than the hole in her gut.

She coughed again, splattering blackened insides onto the sand.

Ace stepped forward and pleaded with her.

"Fuck me, man." She tried to chuckle, but even her vocalizer was glitching now. It sounded more like metal scratching on metal.

"I gave you the answer on Corellia."

"I'm sticking with the Covenant to be there for the people I love... in the sick little way that I do."

Her voice continued to break down until she sounded deeper, as if some other voice was speaking through her.

"I am gonna stick around and do my part. There are still people in the Covenant I care about. And every day new broken people arrive at the Academy. Better they flock to me than Mercy, right?" She let the question linger for a moment.

"You understand... It's like with you and your brother, I think. You'd kill for him. Do anything? Well. I'll kill anyone - do anything - for my family."

She lazily reached for one revolver in her holster, drawing it slowly. "The girl and I weren't wrong, Ace. What are you doing here? Jakku's an empty dustball. We're just here to build a pitstop out West... But we can't really have Jedi in the backyard, y'know?"

She pointed her gun at the Enclave under Siege. "But why defend this? Do you think they couldn't have known we would arrive eventually? Couldn't they have left before the danger? Because I think.... I-I-I--" She glitched. "I think your Jedi friends are just looking for a fight."

The cyborg panned her revolver from the Enclave until it stopped between the young man's eyes. Then, she gave the weapon slack, letting it slip down before catching the barrel in her hand. Her thumb flicked the accelerator on; there was a whir. She offered him the gun.

 

[Varin Mortifer]

VARIN MORTIFER

Equipment: Durum Mantle | Black Blade of Chandrila | Eye of The Dragon | Heavy Sith Mace | Cross Guard Broadsaber | Wyrmfang​

She moved quickly as expected. Deflecting Varin’s attacks with a second blade and avoiding his grasp. As she leapt into the air with flame she drew a pistol, one that Varin was not afraid of. He had been shot at multiple times, more times than he could count and his armor had always protected him from it.

Then the blast came. A sonic scream that burst into his face, sound dampened and dulled around him. Echoes left his ears and soon silence replaced it. Varin had faced many trials and tribulations, from torture to having the force ripped from his very being. Many things that would have driven him to panic or hesitate. But they had all built the very man that he was.

He no longer acted with hesitation, he always stayed watchful and vigilant.

The moment his hearing had faded he quickly drew up his bracer from his armor activating a kyber shield in case any attacks came while he gathered his bearings. His skull rang from the constant tinnitus in his ears as he shook his head. And almost like they had a mind of their own, the tendrils of pyroclastic flow erupted around him in an attempt to protect his body.

Melding from the smoke and flame that surrounded him a draconic skull seemed to very briefly show itself. A snarl erupting from the creature before it formed into darker flames and jetted towards her, metal seemed to warp around the heat that drove off of Varin’s body as the new and strange attack seemed to leap for her once again. Faster and more aggressive.

Jonyna Si​