A Summit of Governments: Aftermath [Open]

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Tarre Saxon"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Vanessa Vantai"] | [member="Kas Varad"] |

Shields designed to stand up against planetary bombardment did fall against the weight of falling cruisers.

Debris rained across the Temple of Balance. Fire scarred the skies. N-5 fighters and Virtue bombers were falling like flies. Sun Guards laid mangled and broken beneath the fury of Mandalorians that had laid in waiting to strike those that dare endanger the summit. In the scorched distance the husk of the Ayrix continued it's wail as parts of it fell from above as it laid buried deep into the temple's foundation. Death and blood filled the senses among the burning and carnage. There was no peace on this day.

Gathering her hand to ball itself into a fist Darth Ayra slowly pushed herself up to her feet. She was physically exhausted. Beads of blood matted her hair and the clothes that she had worn as the Senator for Humbarine. Fresh scars would join the old ones that had been given to her through the annuals of torture and war. New wounds that might not have been inflicted physically by her perpetrator but who nonetheless held responsibility for them. He who was responsible for all that had been wrought upon her. The reason why she was no longer the Jedi Knight she had once been.

The pathway to vengeance had brought her down the path of ruin. Death itself had coiled it's hand around her throat to squeeze and choke away the life she had struggled to keep. The only thing that kept her alive was hunger. There it always was beneath the surface since escaping the Black Pyramid. She had grown used too it. Understood it. Made it apart of who she was. There in that dark cell filled with only the taste of her own blood and sweat Ella Nova had learned what it was like to starve. With it came an insatiable appetite that would not go gently into that goodnight.

A Sun Guard rushed forward towards her. Blaster in tow he begun firing in the direction of the Mandalorians behind her. Devoted to the cause and loyal to the last. Ready to fling himself into death's palm in an attempt to wrench his master out of it's grip so that she could survive to live another day. Darth Ayra rewarded him by reaching out with the Force and crushing his neck inwards. He was dead before he hit the ground. Blood frothed up from his visor to leak out of the slits that had been fitted out for his mouth, nose and eyes. Ayra stepped over his lifeless body without even looking at it.

The Annihilator-class shuttle that had carried the Sun Guards down to the summit would take off a minute later. It's cloak reactivated and it's pilot activated the Portable Dampening Field for good measure. It begun it's course away from the Temple of Balance towards space.

 

[Darth Centax]

Aboard the Iron Onyx a Wyyrlok-Class Star Destroyer
Fleet: OS Fleet Assets in Transit. TBD
NPCs: TBD Plenty of Daves
Gear: TBD Lots of Dave Attire.
Objectives: What? No really I can't hear you.

Muse Music:

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ud5yDjM63I

There were many types of nights one could go into, and not all of them bad.​

*Transmission on Frequency 7271 X Omega* Encryption cipher enclosed 3.2.1
A second before [member="Ella Nova"] cloaked, she’d receive this burst of communication, and immediately a second communication dropping the cipher for the message.

Someone else had apparently been watching this new unification with a great deal of loathing and hatred for past transgressions against him, they did share that in common. If the message is opened. A figure with no visible face is on the screen. The backdrop in shadow but there are clearly silhouettes of guards present around him, and if sensed he’d have a crushingly dark force aura. Not one she might usually find appealing perhaps to interact with, but right now it was the right force aura for the job, and perhaps the enemy of my enemy.

“Would you benefit from an escort or a distraction?” The sense of his intent in the force is clear self-interest, but there is honesty in the next phrase. “Beyond that I seek an audience to gauge further use to each other. I offer what is needed for immediate survival, prosperity and endurance.” Which could be anything from him alone, to a number of outposts, a small fleet, or a legion or two in escort depending on what the situation required.

While honesty was translated in the force, behind it deep loathing and clear self-interest. If she had chosen to listen to it. Centax wasn’t essentially here for anything going on right now, but for events long past. He was an open book in some ways, easy to read. Events going on right now only tapped into lasting malice dripping on the last phrase. “They shall as surely as the dawn comes seek your destruction.” He knew this well. Knowing where important pieces of the puzzle would strike, would surely be to his advantage, but all things in time.

The coordinates of several smaller OS craft ahead of him were dropped with her, that she could jump to safety enough, he wasn’t stupid enough to reveal exactly where he or the main fleet was currently hiding. What did he hope to gain by playing this hand? That was for another day.

[member="Ella Nova"]
​

Gear | NPC | Assets:

Spoiler

Assets are flexible. Depending on what others bring. Bring just you, and I use just me in any actual fight.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Ella Nova"]

The Ablution had finally reached orbit and had begun scans of the system, detecting a magnetic signature on the planet below - a signature that was starting to move. The analysis of how much metal was in the signature was cross-referenced with known ship types until a match was found - given the vessel was cloaked, there were few designs to choose from too.

"An Annihilator-class boarding shuttle..." This design was intriguing to Vanessa because her former company had been responsible for manufacturing these during the time of the New Order. Vanessa also still possessed the blueprints of the design, including its many subsystems and intricate knowledge of how they functioned. Mentally she began to calculate how quickly it would take for the shuttle to escape the planet's gravity well and jump out - there was enough time for her to try one thing. As she looked over the blueprints of the design, she focused on the computer systems. There we vulnerabilities in the now outdated systems, and Vanessa knew just how to exploit them.

Within five seconds she was typing a message into the console located within the meditation chamber of her vessel, no longer actively involved with the goings-on on the planet's surface. A message was sent to the bridge to broadcast the code on all frequencies. The Annihilator was well within range and would likely pick it up, as it was intended to be transmitted through communication ports that had been left open for use in receiving emergency transmissions. The code in question was for a complete system shutdown and admin-level lockout of the craft's systems - a backdoor intended for use in the event that such ships were stolen and needed to be disabled for recovery. Vanessa also ordered the fitting of a wing of Eightgun-class fighters with ion cannons - just in case, she needed to make sure this worked out.

"Ayra, this is it." Vanessa said to herself. "You've crossed the line, and now it's time for this dance to end."

[member="Ella Nova"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Vanessa Vantai"] |

The Portable Dampening Field (colloquially known as the 'PDF') was designed and created by Darth Ayra during her formative years as the Sith Apprentice to Darth Pandeima. They had constructed it to prevent other ships from being able to scan any transport or ship around the size of the Initium from being scanned by other vessels. In this sense any hostile vessel who tried to scan the ship that a PDF was active on wouldn't be able to pick up any life signs, life support, or what was on board the ship. The only thing that it would be able to pick up on sensors was that the ship was shielded and if it was charging it's weapons. A mute point considering the Annihilator had neither in it's complement.

So when the Ablution begun scanning for the Annihilator it didn't find much. It knew that it had just taken off from the surface. That it was currently in flight off the planet's surface towards the space. That presumably Darth Ayra was on board the vessel with what was the left of her Sun Guards. But when Vanessa's ship attempted to lock weapons on the cloaked transport it would not be able to lock weapons. The purpose of a cloaked ship was to avoid such things in the first place. Cloaks are supposed to prevent hostile ships from being able to shoot at it or pick up where it is going. But Vanessa designed the Annihilator with Darth Ayra and the latter knew this.

She knew that it had been Vanessa who had told him about what she was going to do. There wouldn't be a second chance at doing it again.

When the Annihilator cleared Alderaan's skies and hit space it didn't begin a vector that would take it to the edge of the system where it could slip into hyperspace to retreat. No, the Annihilator-class boarding shuttle didn't have a hyperdrive that it could allow it to travel across the stars. It just had a set of impulse engines, normally a compliment of 50 or so men, and a plasma torch that was purpose built to tear the hulls of ships away to allow it's boarding party to get on board to begin their attack.

The Annihilator's pilot set course for the Ablution to begin such an attack.

| [member="Darth Centax"] |

In the horizon smoke bellowed and singed the normally crystal clear blue skies of Alderaan. Most of it was coming from what was left of the Ayrix. Darth Ayra could remember that the temple had looked like before she had arrived at the Summit of Governments. It had been a beautiful piece of architecture that epitomized the very philosophy of the woman who built it. Now it had been scarred and ruined just as she had been. Scarred and ruined at the hands of the two Sith Lords who had been responsible for this monumental failure. She had arrived at that summit under the disguise of Ella Nova, former Jedi Knight and Senator to Humbarine so that she could begin the catalyst of the Sith Empire's destruction.

Instead she had nearly been destroyed herself.

By now she figured the Annihilator was en-route to the Ablution. It had around 10 Sun Guards left over from the attack on the temple. She knew that Vanessa would be expecting her to be on that transport. It was the only available ship that she had to get off the planet. But Darth Ayra wasn't on the Annihilator. She was still on Alderaan, sitting on the ledge of a cliff overlooking the vast plains and the burning temple she had set on fire. An agonizing pain burned away at her left side. She was struggling to breathe. Using the Force Ayra detected the problem: one of her ribs had punctured her left side lung. If she didn't fix that soon she would likely die.

Lowering a shaking bloody hand down to her hip Ayra begun to check what she had on her. There was the Lightsaber that she had clipped to her belt as she fell off the top of the temple's roof where the garden had been. The rest of her equipment was broken so she discarded them save for the second comlink that she had saved having broken the first one in the garden in an attempt to disguise her machinations. Gathering up all the spit, bile and blood in her mouth Darth Ayra spat to the side, lifting the back of her sleeve to wipe her mouth before checking the comlink.

She was surprised to see an incoming transmission. Bringing it up she listened quietly to what was said. Vanessa and Carnifex hadn't been the only Sith listening and watching what was happening. Unlike the others this one was offering assistance. Darth Ayra was loathed to accept it.

"Come alone to the surface to where I am transmitting this message," Darth Ayra said to her supposed would-be saviour.

 

[Darth Ferus]

It was in silence that another joined [member="Ella Nova"] on the cliffside. There was no presence in the Force to be had, but his loud footsteps could be heard as he walked through the grass to rock. There was no ill will from this being, no sign of hostility, and Krest simply sat down beside the Sith Lord. His icy blue gaze was focused on the burning temple, a building that even he had helped to create in his youth. So many fond memories of his time before Vulcanus. Before the New Order. Where he and his friends did their best to find balance. Where he met his wife and learned there was more to life than battle.

A sad smile rested on the features of the aging Zabrak. "You know, this place was once home to me. Up until we met, actually." Krest's blue eyes traveled to the blood stained form of Darth Ayra. "You had always been the stronger one. Faster, more gifted. I, just a broken cyborg. Then it was you and [member="Vanessa Vantai"] when she was still your master who brought me back from death." He reached into a pouch on his side, pulling free a small flask. Tossing it to her he continued.

"For that I owe you a debt. That should help with the wound, though you'll have to set the bone right. It forces the body to heal quick, knitting flesh and such. Won't do any good to keep the bone broken, yeah?" Again he turned his gaze back to the temple.

"Once you're healed, we can have our last rematch."

 

[Onrai]

The command code was received by Darth Ayra's shuttle, and the entire ship deactivated. Its cloak failed, as did its engines and other systems. As a visible hunk of rock, the beam cannons of the Ablution could fire on it, which they soon did, vaporizing the shuttle and everyone on it into atoms. That was simple enough and they could go home, right?

Vanessa's brief sense of satisfaction fell as she reached out, trying to see if Ayra was alive. She was, and still on the surface, it seemed. Vanessa grimaced in frustration - this was not good. She was trapped, at least, which was a good thing, but Vanessa would have to make sure she was unable to get off the planet before someone else incapacitated her. Someone like @Krest. The appearance of a One Sith ship was something unusual - Vanessa had already ordered all assets in-system to be marked as friendly for the time being, but this ship was still giving off older IFF codes that had apparently never been updated. For now it would merely be marked as "unknown."

For now, all Vanessa could do was keep an eye out and make sure Ayra's presence did not start leaving the surface. If it did... problems would arise.

[member="Ella Nova"] [member="Darth Centax"]

 

[Darth Centax]

Fleet Assets:

Spoiler

In play: 1 x Ziost Heavy Carrier, 1 x Kintans Lance Heavy Frigate 1 x Squadron XG-5 Star Wing II | 1 x Squadron OS 1 Class Bombers 1 x Shadow Class Reconnaissance Corvette
Most of the fleet is in Reserve

Ground Assets:

Spoiler

Ground Assets In Play: Me, Myself and I
In reserve: A few Dozen 771st Stealth Troopers.
771st NPCs: Armed much as these, only slightly lighter, with stealth fields.
Local Sithwatch Cells

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycJEpEvyt1c​

The Dance Never Ends.​

@All

Any politeness that had forced its way from his chest in that introduction grated on Centax, and he smashed his crushgaunt through the arm of his chair, cleaving the side off of it. Gauntlets that he could never remove again, as they existed in place of his lost hands. That pain in the action bled purpose into him and he stood, tossing what was left of his bridge chair straight through a nearby thin wall. “Ready my Corvette.” The bridge crew nodded their head. So be it. If he had to be there personally.

“Summon the 771st-A faceless first for planetfall. Create me my window.” There was a crushing pressure in the force, like it wanted to push its way into the floor on every syllable.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

Could see a blip on her screens, two in fact. It was not the Iron Onyx the surviving OS flagship. Multiple smaller blips were launching from the new signature. Which was a good distance from her, and maintaining that distance. Two squadrons, XG-5 Star Wing II and OS 1 Class Bombers. A blast from the past.

The commanding star destroyer was not here, and would not be here unless needed. The Sandskull, the Ziost Heavy Carrier was what she would see on her readouts, part of the Onyx support group ahead of the main force, along with one Kintan’s lance heavy frigate providing escort. Escalation was not the primary goal. It was a surgical action which happened next, the larger ships were holding a position far from the planet, as they launched their fighters.

While the fun above got started, and screen of fighters began approach toward the planet. LOUD AND VERY VISIBLE. If they were fired upon, and only if, they’d begin harassing actions, not intending to get pinned down in any one position, but instead draw out the engagement. The fighter communications were very loud, on all frequencies, and indeed very slowly the two main ships out of range were moving closer to provide more to think about. Unless pursued the main ships remained out of weapons range for now.

[member="Krest"] | [member="Ella Nova"]

However, Centax was nowhere near this loud action above, the need for the distraction only because of the ship in orbit. A shadow class reconnaissance corvette had begun its descent the other side of the planet, moving not exactly at the coordinates requested, because that would be suicide from the orbital hassal. Instead, the ship descended somewhere unmarked away from the commotion. Actually one km away from the location to be precise, in the best bush or cover they could find. There were around twenty of the 771st Faceless first clone troopers in the 28 man crew stealth ship, with half a dozen more troopers crammed in for good measure.

Half a dozen more stealth troopers which responded as they touched down, filtering out with about another six of the crew, they engaged their stealth fields and disappeared off into the surroundings. Centax would prefer to do this personally, but a fool came expecting everyone to play by his rules, he’d learned that at Coruscant.

[member="Ella Nova"] “Eta 8 minutes. Buy time.” The location was also sent so she could close the distance. Of course, she’d have to survive that long alone. If she couldn’t, she’d probably not be worth saving to the Darth. Turning to his nearest clone officer, “contact any Sithwatch militia here, cause a distraction somewhere visible.”

The sithwatch ace was being saved for later. He came well dressed for battle, with his own stealth generator to supplement, the former OS General was not known for coming light, there was armor, tracking gear, and multiple exotic weapons on his person about to be brought into play.

 

[Onrai]

The irony of this situation was the fact that despite [member="Darth Centax"] having ships obsolete and from the age of the One Sith - ships Vanessa had never truly grown familiar with - Vanessa's own battleship was in fact older, albeit having been refitted. Her own fighters were readied - the Eightguns were going to take a bit thanks to their need to be rearmed with standard weapons, but a wing of Forge-class interceptors were already being launched. For now, the Ablution would move to engage the heavy carrier, firing everything it had including its super-heavy beam weapons at the target, the armament frequency modulator moving to begin the process of siphoning the shield.

[member="Darth Centax"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Vanessa Vantai"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Darth Centax"] |

Darth Ayra did not turn to look at Krest when he sat down and finished speaking. She kept her gaze on the temple in the horizon to look upon his former home burning beneath the weight of her destroyed ship and ill attempt to disrupt the powers in the galaxy. A strong wind blew through the cliff as she watched. It felt good to feel the cold against her injuries. It was only when the wind died did Ayra begin to talk.

"I am not the woman who saved your life. Nor am I the woman that you killed. I don't know your name and the only time we have ever met was today, up there." Lifting a shaking arm Ayra pointed in the direction of the temple's roof. "There isn't going to be a rematch because you and I have never fought before." Averting her gaze away from the Temple of Balance Darth Ayra locked eyes with the Zabrak. She wondered what had compelled Ayra to save this man's life. What ulterior motives she had thought up that made it worthwhile to bring him back from death. She wondered if it hadn't been Ayra who made the decision in the first place but rather it was because of Darth Pandeima that this man was still alive, and she had only helped because she had no other choice as her Sith Apprentice.

Either way the ramifications of this man being saved by two Sith Lords were this: he was now in the position to kill her. It was ironic really. That the Sith Lord she had been impersonating had saved this man's life and now he was in a position to kill her now. Before Krest could take the flask away from her Ayra took it and gingerly unscrewed the cap. As Krest watched she poured it's contents over the side of the cliff and then discarded the flask when it was empty.

"Did you care for her?" Ayra asked as she turned her gaze back around to him.

 

[Darth Ferus]

The Zabrak clicked his tongue as [member="Ella Nova"] spoke, a rather sad smile taking over his features as the reality of the situation was revealed. So the true Ayra was indeed dead. Unsurprising given their last encounter to the logical mind, but a part of Krest had hoped this was indeed the same woman. He did nothing to stop the woman from pouring out the last bit of kindness he had to offer her, instead keeping his gaze to the burning temple, letting out a sigh.

"Not entirely sure. But there is something to be said about shared suffering." The New Order had it's fair share of suffering to hand to all who lived under its banner, whether they were Sith or not. Regardless, now all this woman was was a terrorist who threatened the lives of those he considered family, and the destroyer of a building he once called home. Any sign of compassion left as he stood, his free hand pulling free the axe holstered on his back.

"Regardless, I will take your life."

 

[Darth Centax]

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

As soon as the first shots came their way, they returned fire. The battle in orbit might be strange for Vanessa. After taking their first losses, the heavy OS escort fighters looked to be trying to draw out the engagement. Pulling further and further back, with the bombers holding back too as best they were able. As for the Carrier, the Sandskull, its shields were draining fast, already the carrier's outer hull had begun to feel the initial battering. The shields sitting somewhere at about 30%, and that was without even receiving the Ablution's full ordinance yet. The OS ships weren’t just old, they’d been maintained, but at no state of the art shipyard, just wherever they could find engineers or people to work on them. They were decaying.

Oddly, however, and this was the really strange thing, as those two ships now approached the Ablution, the escort craft was hiding behind the carrier. Letting the ship it should be escorting take the brunt of the assault. For a Sith Lord, the force might be saying, watch out.

Then it happened.

All at once the bombers stopped trying to hold back, the fighters formed wedges where possible and tried to escort them in. They all had at least some ion weaponry, and they were all closing. Everything at that moment headed toward the Ablution, to begin to dampen her shields in a continuous ion downpour. Ion missile after ion missile volley starting to be launched from the Kintan frigate, as it just poked itself out far enough to get a lock. They were simple ion missiles but the volley of four at a time fire rate was steady from the missile frigate.

Had she or her officers heard about what the OS had ordered its fleet to do in space battles in its final days? The orders for their once mighty fleet given out in their final hours? Those ships were heading right for her, still carrying out those orders.

[member="Krest"] | [member="Ella Nova"]

Back planetside. Stealth field on. Centax was moving at speed, with purpose. Avoiding fallen trees in the forest area, jumping streams. The forest made it tougher going, but he wasn’t moving as an average man might be, he was closing much faster. “Directive 15 when she arrives.” He said quietly into his comms.

As for Ella. Those precious moments she was buying as [member="Krest"] and her talked, as they danced around old issues or forgotten truths and lies. She had a bit longer to go, a bit longer to keep him talking or avoid that weapon. A precious moment that might still actually cost her life before the Darth got there.

​

In 3...2...1

Out of the trees. There wasn’t a lot of warning, perhaps a rushing sound. Then the force saying. Behind you. [member="Krest"]. There was certainly the sound of the SMG slugthrower firing an 8mm semi-automatic burst, directly toward his center back from about 100 meters. The armor penetration was reasonable from the modular rifle, set to SMG size 8mm slugs today, good for closer in action. Its AP rounds looking to just cut the man down without even a word. Certainly, the stealth field went off at this point, and you could see the black armored figure plain as day firing toward Krest.

I will take your life? “Another day perhaps.” A grating voice and force aura that was unmistably Sith, best described as a dense dark mass, had decided otherwise.

The jedi-hunter OS armor Centax wore was much older now, it showed. The nexus inside had long since faded to nothing, which force-knows might be a blessing, leaving a simpler barren suit of phirk armor. Once state of the art from the OS armory, it was now decaying in its use to him, like everything else. Centax had come expecting Jedi Masters from the temple or their best assassins, and to be outnumbered at that. There was just the myth of the OS symbol left on the shoulder, identifying him as the last surviving OS general, a man out of his time.

Centax’s helmeted face stared into Krest as if he considered him already dead, readying to fire again. ~Your ship is waiting~ He sent through the force to [member="Ella Nova"], the mindspeak was half volume, as he was half epicanthix, and it was fainter than usual. The technique was more useable this close, whereas before he had to rely on the communicator to reliably reach her.

Directive 15? Ella would find the Corvette well prepared, but alternative civilian means being arranged by the sithwatch cell. Only a handful of smaller civilian craft on this short notice, to launch ready at the same time. If she did not stay around to watch anyway.

[SIZE=12pt]Gear:

Spoiler

Armor: DKS-401 (Phrik | No Nexus)

Spoiler

[/SIZE] | MRS-1 Modular SMG 8mm AP Loadout (Hands) | 4x Mixed Grenades Ion|Cryoban|Frag|Frag | Standard Lightsaber (Hip) | Personal Ray Shield Blaster (Belt) | Stealth Field (Belt) | Crushgaunts (Bolted and Sealed on Hands) | Jack Knife Pistol (Hip) | - Tough Loadout, so bring anything you like at all.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Krest"] | [member="Darth Centax"] | [member="Vanessa Vantai"] |

Ella smiled at Krest as he made his ultimatum. She nodded in approval as she stood up too. Studying the length of the axe she summarized that it would have done a clean job in beheading her. A good weapon as any other to avenge any loss. The wind itself around them seemed to have completely died leaving only the sounds that were coming from the Temple of Balance. Gathering a mouthful of spit Ella leaned across and spat at the feet of the Zabrak with all manner of malcontent. The smile was gone and with it was replaced by a look of hate mixed together with the ludicrous of that statement. That this man- this nobody to her- was going to be the one to end her life. She would have burst into laughter if it weren't for the sincerity in his voice. The look of determination. The finality of the statement. Instead of humour Ella only found anger.

Her Lightsaber flashed out into the air upon it's activation. Every muscle and bone in her body screamed in protest. Having fallen off the top of a skyscraper to the bottom, withstanding Force blows and assaults from every angle Ella was not in fighting shape. The dark side of the Force- which flowed through her- could not supplement the physical fatigue, injuries or the possibility that her body might just fail her if this fight was to be prolonged. She could draw on all her hate, all her anger and the fear of death to will herself to move to meet Krest in Lightsaber combat but in the end he would win such a fight given their respective advantages.

Ella carefully moved away from the ledge of the cliff, eyes turning to look down for a moment before locking them back onto the Zabrak. If she could not better him through one on one combat, and if she could not retreat, then the only way that she could secure her life would be to send Krest off the face of the cliff. It wasn't a plan without fault. If Krest realized that all he had to do was outlast her in combat then sooner or later victory would be his. He didn't need to put himself into a risky situation where he could be sent flying off the cliff to the rocky bottom below. He could also overpower her before that even happened if he was good enough. There weren't many options available except perhaps one.

Whoever it was who had contacted her prior this Zabrak revealing himself could be on the way. If what they said was true then they should be on their way now. But it seemed to good to be true. Perhaps instead of helping coming her way it had been a ploy made up by this Zabrak to gain her location and now that he had it he could finally administer the fatal blow that the summit hadn't been able to- And that was when she heard it. The same voice from the comlink was now in her mind joint together through the Force. She allowed herself just a second to immerse herself in the connection. Trees flashing by as someone or something made their way across the plains of Alderaan at high speed. But would they be too late?

Concentrating on the Zabrak before her Ella mustered herself for a final stand. Raising the Lightsaber above her bloodied head she assumed the defensive style. The crimson blade begun to rotate above her much like a helicopters blades spun before take off. As she spun her weapon Ella covered herself into an invisible layer of Force Shield to protect her from Krest's powers. "Come then Krest. Come and take it."

 

[Darth Ferus]

The large Zabrak pulled his axe up, little flakes of snow falling around it's edge in the process. [member="Ella Nova"] had prepared herself for death, and as such deserved a warriors end. His whole body tensed as he readied to close in on his foe. It was as he was about to leap that the Force suddenly screamed warnings. Instead of going on the offensive, he quickly found himself forced into a corner.

He lept away from the edge just as the bullets burned through the air where he was standing, his blue eyes narrowed in focus as he took a glance over his shoulder. For now, he couldn't see where it came from. But he could sense it. Another Sith, and apparently an ally to Ayra. Until [member="Darth Centax"] came in view however, he had no way to deal with him. So instead, he focused on the foe before him. He kept a zigzagged patter, trying to avoid any further shots. His focus was only on getting Ayra between himself and the sniper for now.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Darth Centax"]

Vanessa was unaware of whatever it was that the One Sith has been ordered to follow in their dying days. By the time their grip on the galaxy had collapsed, she had died for the third time and voluntarily exiled herself to the Unknown Regions with her few loyal supporters.

From her position within the meditation chamber, Vanessa senses something was amiss. The ship shuddered under the bombardment of ion fire. More Eightguns and Forges were launched to deal with the aging threat of bombers and other vessels. Vanessa herself began to focus on the carrier, the darkness of the meditation chamber enhancing her abilities. She attempted to push the vessel back as it approached her ship on what she could only assume to be a suicide run. Her intentions were vague with this move - perhaps the enemy commander would think she was trying to leave them within range of the super-heavy beams that once more fired on the target. But no - her intentions were to bring the carrier to halt suddenly and push it back - forcing the escort frigate behind it to ram into its partnered vessel. As the fighters were soon launched, engaging the outdated fighters and bombers of the One Sith, Vanessa would hope what she had done worked - the last thing she needed was for her shop to be laid up in drydock like had happened after Kashyyyk.

Still [member="Ella Nova"] appeared to be on the planet...

 

[Darth Centax]

In Space: [member="Vanessa Vantai"]

Captain Melsk Thraus Jr was in command, well known for being exactly as his father, a pompous loudmouth know it all and an insufferable moron. No match for a Sith Lord’s power.
“Change course!”
“Sir?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONIErQP8KPA​

"Change Course!"​

Big carriers didn’t stop on a dime, and the heavy frigate was maneuverable, but it was also in tight and not expecting its lead ship to just slam on its brakes. The Kintan’s lance captain, a fanatical Nikto, tried to pull up in time. The raiding frigate strained to turn, and clipped the back of the Carrier, fire coursing through its large left wing. The ship began to spin out of control. A cluster of prepared small ships launched from its hangar bay, but most were caught in the hangar bay's outward collapsing blast.

As the ship began to buckle, and internal explosions rocked across the heavy frigate. There was the scream in the force, of 1,000 packed in Nikto, all burning globe fanatics, being turned to fittingly burning space dust above the planet. Probably enough of a force scream to be heard from Vanessa’s ship, perhaps even the planet below. All that got away were two assault craft with specialist teams, and one particularly fast gladiator ace from the old times, looking to do what they could as they came in toward the Ablutions shields. The bulk of its manpower and payload surprise had died in space, in one frigate-sized fireball.

With the assault craft and their ace still behind its metal bulk. The heavy carrier had fires on a few decks, and its shields were down. With the rear impact, it was almost totally out of control and lurching toward the Ablution, sideways on. Firing till the last however and not able to slow down further. On its smoking bridge, Melsk Thraus Jr looked out over what remained of his command chair, sparks and fires removing what little control over the situation he had left. With a grimace, he knew his time was up.

Meanwhile, the outdated OS bombers were not fairing so well against the updated Sith fighters, with only a few making the run back through the Ablutions own fighters screen without being intercepted or driven back. The heavy OS fighters were still performing better than expected, a blessing, if a short-lived one.

Losses: 1x Kintan's Lance Heavy Frigate
Addition Assets:

Spoiler

1 x Sith Ace. 2 x Assault Craft with a combined. 20 x 769th Veterans leading around 60 x fanatical Nikto armed much the same.

Planetside: [member="Krest"] | [member="Ella Nova"]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6YK3QD3O8k
Denied the easy shot, for now.
​

90 meters, 80, 70… Centax continued to close on the pair steadily, very visible now in that black-clad armor, clear as day with no other distractions. [member="Krest"] was clever to begin to move to put his own target [member="Ella Nova"] between him and the Darth. If it had been his dead Master Raien Keth here, he might have just shot through them both. Thankfully he wasn’t.

​

60 meters. As Krest zigzagged, Centax saw his legs shifting, and tried to grip an ankle in the force, to pull it the opposite way and send him off balance. That snatch done, the Darth searched in the force for Krest's axe. Unmolested and unhindered as he was, he had space and concentration on his side. Trying to grip the axe head to stop it from moving at all or striking, just to hold Krest where he wanted him. The general had no extravagant or even powerful force techniques to his name, but he had battle experience, technology, and the numbers advantage.

Numbers. That was something else. This one brave soul had come out to face them. Their best. WAS ONE MAN. While the rest sat cowering in their beds, behind their walls! All while the Darth strolled casually before their holy sites. Deep loathing crushed within the One Sith general, biting and eating away at him. “Cowards”, all that malice was transferred to try and grip Krest's axe ever more securely.

50 meters. Centax was in no hurry to kill Krest now, but die he would. A glorious death to mark the return of his legacy.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Centax"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Vanessa Vantai"] |

Ella could see him now. It was unmistakable. Whoever had shot at Krest and was now holding his axe at bay from his would be victim was certainly the same presence that she had felt communicating to her through the Force. She hadn't been able to tell much from before when there were several kilometers of space and land between them but the faint sensation she had felt when Centax had contacted her was much larger and present. So much so that the feeling was akin to the beads of blood and sweat that were rolling down from the cut at the top of her cranium. She gave another nod of approval. It would seem the dark side had rewarded her efforts at the summit by seemingly delivering to her salvation from the executioners axe. But then the ways of the dark side were often convoluted. She would keep herself sharp and alert around her saviour if they got off this rock.

"Ironic. I thought you were coming to take my life?" Ella snorted as she made no effort to hide her derision. She wanted to laugh again. Laugh at the fact that this man who had come here to kill her was about to have his chance snuffed out. That for all the vulnerability that he had to capitalize on was now being robbed and taken from underneath him. She approved of the Sith as he quickly closed the gap between himself and them. He displayed knowledge of the dark side.

Lifting her arm into the air Ella begun to motion her fingers. The air around her begun to grow hot as if an invisible power was beginning to contort itself in the immediate area where her palm and fingers were moving. In her seminal efforts to capture the power of the dark side Ella had studied at the feet of the ancients. Her teachers had been Darths Revan and Andeddu- two ancient Dark Lords of the Sith who had died several millennia ago- but whose Sith Holocrons had still survived. She had Darth Ayra to thank for the discovery of the two Holocrons and with them she had learned some of the arcane knowledge of Sith Magic. Now that there was an opportunity to escape and leave this place Ella was going to make certain she seized it.

Warping the countryside and the surrounding landscape around her with an illusion empowered by the Sith spells that muttered under her breathe Ella sought to ensnare Krest in a Force Illusion that would turn the tide and make him vulnerable instead. Not to her, as much as she would like to deliver the finishing blow, but to the Sith who was closing in rapidly on Krest. When Centax moved in for the kill Ella would make her retreat and leave the two of them to fight instead.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Again the Force sent it's whispers to the aging Zabrak, though there was little he could do about it. Midrun in his evasion of [member="Darth Centax"] he saw the outcome before it happened, and found himself tripped and falling. The ground rushed to meet him as he rolled into it, his large body tumbling forward from the earlier momentum. He was able to stop in a crouch, away from both [member="Ella Nova"] and her new ally.

Away from his initial plan of keeping Ella between him and the gun.

Blue eyes narrowed as he glanced between the pair, though his focus snapped to the Sorceress as he recognized her spellcraft. With enough time she could cast anything, and her ally could buy that time if he wasn't careful. He hefted his axe, fully committing to throwing the large weapon to disrupt the ritual, only to feel it seize in his grasp. Krest glanced again to the new addition, a solemn frown forming on his lips.

He was proving a nuisance.

The spell needed to be stopped regardless, and so he let the axe go to rush forward. The Force enhanced his body, fueling his speed and strength as he became little more than a blur, a dangerous arrow flying right for the Witch. Then the ground shifted. To the pair, he would suddenly stumble on unsure footing as if he was drunk, but to the Zabrak the world shifted and turned under his feet. Is she trying to kill us all? His blue gaze fell on the pair of Sith again, and he noticed immediately they weren't affected.

Chit. The spell.

Unsure what was going to happen the most he could do was trust in the Force, and hope it was enough to survive what came next.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Darth Centax"]

The Ablution would fire another broadside of super-heavy beams at the carrier, hopefully removing it from play as the fighters began to whittle away at their own small craft. The battle here was currently going well, and Vanessa was quite enthused at how swift a victory this had been - still Ayra remained on the planet's surface, and nothing had yet left from the surface towards orbit. The Ablution had shields that were fragile as it currently stood, given they had taken quite a battering from the outdated yet effective ion weaponry. Hopefully this would soon deal with the issue.

After all, [member="Ella Nova"] would soon be feeling the wrath of her former master.

 

[Darth Centax]

In Space: [member="Vanessa Vantai"]

The OS fighters and bombers slowly were being tidied up, and the Space battle was coming to a close. At least for that doomed carrier. The beam weapons tore right through its tormented hull. Sparing the Ablution a direct impact. With a blinding flash, the ship tore itself in two, then four, then a dozen, then more. So many screams of the dying joining the rest. Leaving only large pieces of the carrier hull drifting towards the Ablution. Probably not spared the impacts entirely, she might still need to visit spacedock to get a paintjob!

And more.

Behind the debris. Those two shuttles killed their own engines, and dropped the power, going off the radar with their Sith Ace. They floated in as the debris did, and as they came to close with the Ablution would begin their breaching actions, jumping right out the ship in zero-g. 80 Men were probably not enough to do more than cause a nuisance. They were however specialised for this role, the veterans anyway. The Nikto were just given a target and told to blow a hole in the side of the ship for entry or cut away at a small section. Corridors, barracks, sub stations, anywhere that was populated, to cause maximum casualties from decompression. The breaching veterans tried to use the fanatical Nikto’s confusion to infiltrate further into the ship, but it was doubtful just how much they would do with so few numbers left to carry this action out.

Distractions. The Sith Ace? As a final act of defiance began a run right across the face of the Ablution, shooting, causing noise, and trying to draw any point defense fire. He was fast. He was good. But assuming he didn’t get free reign to just do as he pleased, eventually, he was dead. Well, at least his ejection seat had been pulled and he was no longer in the fighter.

About that! Those floating debris probably had a few survivors from the two larger ships, and what was to be done about them? [member="Vanessa Vantai"]

Planetside: [member="Krest"] | [member="Ella Nova"]

Muse:

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy44ocuoWhE

As with the Death of Kae and now Keth’s alike. Once more the specter was summoned.​

Passing by the Sith Lord to work in Tandem with her, he had not seen Sith Sorcery for years, not since his Master’s death. Without breaking his forward focus the nod was returned, Ella’s power brought back memories of his training. Had this been Kylath, before Coruscant, he would have returned the axe to Krest and faced him on even terms.

It was not. Chit was right.

Force Grip - Knee

Trying to throw the axe as far as he could, probably sending it into a tree trunk somewhere. With his left hand remaining out, the grip switched to Krest’s body. Krest already being caught in Ella’s well-timed, unbalancing illusion. The opportunity was seized to attempt to crush the man’s left knee joint, a complex area with no small amount of associated pains. If it connected, any armor, shield or armorweave might resist some of that pressure. What this would look like through Ella's illusion who knew. No common throat squeeze, Centax wanted Krest's knee instead disabled and his stance wrecked from the leg down, learning from Keth’s techniques to take the stance of his opponents first.

History bleeding into the future. ~Powerful~ [member="Ella Nova"]. The voice in the force this time to Ella sounded markedly different. Whether she felt or realised this technique was significant to the Darth's past training, and could use that to her advantage over him, who knew.

Execution Shot.

The grip wasn’t the main focus, so it may just end up a vice-like hold to break free from. Instead, the slugthrower weapon came up again in his right hand, pointed at the dazed man’s chest. A helmeted face nodded to him, paying him more respect than he had shot with previously. For being the only opponent with a spine. Centax fired a three-round burst with the same piercing ammunition, looking to crack any armor, or armorweave he wore, and to cut Krest down right here. Again the Darth had no idea how this would look through the illusion to his victim.

Just thirty meters away from Krest. Centax tried for an execution, right in front of the symbol of Jedi strength. The bitterness he felt for their inaction, was again palpable to all. It threatened to draw his focus elsewhere, to remind them of what inaction would mean.

He had work to do.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Centax"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Vanessa Vantai"] |

Italics = Force Illusion

Alderaan was transformed. In it's wake the destruction of a thousand stars confined and put into one all mighty colossus became unleashed suddenly without warning. Blue skies were torn into nothing but green light as the colossus fired down upon the land. Once a beautiful world turned into nothing but ash. Infernos licked the cliff from where once there had been nothing but green fields, and daffodils. So many skulls, bones and the empty husks of what had been extravagant buildings were all that were left to show the galaxy that once Alderaan had stood noble and tall, proud and at peace before darkness had subsided briefly for a moment to reveal the core tenant of the Force: that peace is a lie.

Ella moved as Krest dropped in front of her, arms lowering and her muscles sending their thanks as they gained momentary respite from the complicated movements she had fashioned with her spell. Stumbling to the side she moved away from the Zabrak as Centax moved in for the kill. Caught in the imagination of her revenge against the summit Ella had allowed Krest a glimpse into a possible future. One that was possible if she was allowed to leave Alderaan alive today. In the wake of her Force Illusion she had brought Krest's new assailant some precious few seconds to attack whilst he was caught up in the disturbing mind that had manifested the Force Illusion in the first place.

She did not stop to see what would happen. Thumbing the ignition button on her Lightsaber Ella turned and ran in the direction from which Centax had just come from. She did not know who he was, and could only hazard a guess about why he was here, but there was two things she knew for certain: that he would not have come down to the planet surface without having a way to leave it and that he had landed on Alderaan in this direction. Perhaps there would be a ship waiting there for her to steal and to leave this place so that Krest's dream could be manifested out of the realms of imagination into reality.