Altered Carbon (Galactic Alliance Dominion of Duro Hex)

[HK-36]

[member="Rekha Kaarde"],

"Your ship will be fine!"

HK answered as he moved through the length of his stealth transport and sat behind the controls in the cockpit,

"It would be probably even in more danger out here where there will be all sorts of stuff shooting at it."

The droid pointed out and before Rekha could really weigh her options of taking her ship or leaving it behind, she would feel that sudden jerk of a ship quickly being powered up and lifting off the ground.

"Better strap in!"

HK advised, although if Rekha would be thrown back, she was probably already either forced into a seat by gravity and momentum, or she was on the floor, landing on her sweet butt. The hum and groan of engines would fill their immediate area then as the Kngiht of the Eclipse powered up its thrusters and pushed out of the city-ship's hangar, sailing across the void between celestial bodies, heading on its trajectory towards Orasu Space City. The journey from one ship to the next would not take long, so before they knew it the shuttle would be landing within whatever was the most easily accessible hangar held by the GA forces now gathering for the final assault. Rekha would probably feel another violent jolt as the shuttle landed in the hangar quite roughly, she could probably tell that HK was not the best pilot around. In fact, most of the ships he flew personally ended up crashing horribly, something he used to his advantage during the Omega Event by destroying one of the superweapon's reactors with a shuttle, just ramming into it.

Either way, once the shuttle's reactor would shut off and cool down, HK would jump out from behind the seat in the cockpit,

"Come on, come on- fight, fight, fight."

The machine hurried up Rekha as he unholstered two of his heavy magnetic revolvers, shattergun pistols capable of piercing vehicle armor, loaded with Neuranium pellets, even more penetrating bullets designed to do damage against even Phrik and Beskar plating. With that the airlock of the Knight of the Eclipse would open and the droid would run out, hopefully with Rekha following him suit, as he would move to join the Alliance forces into pushing inside the city-ship to fight against the cyborg swarms.

But as said before, by then the Alliance would start making easy work of the cultist remnants, and although HK and Rekha would miss the core of the fighting, they would serve as more of a clean-up crew, and it would not be too long before HK would reunite with [member="Archim Calixis"].

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

It would plague him for some time that they hadn't been able to save them all. He didn't fully understand the situation but apparently one of the team had managed to cut the source of the signal that was creating the chaos. Those souls who had been partially transformed by the self replicating cybernetics were left without purpose and in some cases without any semblance of what they had been.

Yet others were crying out for help, distraught at the state they found themselves in. The Alliance still held a cordon around the station and every device in and out would be thoroughly scanned in case there was some form of AI infection playing dead to try and escape.

Jacen knelt by a man who was in better shape than most. He was quite cognisant and now patiently waiting for treatment whilst the battle wounded were seen to. The Marshal stood up and turned to Starchaser.

"Why did you go?" He asked plainly

 

[Coren Starchaser]

One foot in front of the other. That was how he was getting back into the galaxy. He knew that there were people who were going to die. It wasn’t his job to save all of them. He knew that, and he knew it well. The galaxy had a different idea in mind for everyone, and for Coren, he was more sure what it was when he returned. He was not responsible for everyone’s life. He wasn’t a Jedi, he was something else.

But he did know that the Jedi, some of them were supposed to be doing what they were here for. Others… they approached it wrong. That wasn’t here nor there, however, and the traveler was here to do what he could to help with this situation. He could feel the people here, the pain and the confusion. He knew this needed to stop.

Above all else, in Coren Starchaser’s world, was the freedom of others. To love, hate, and make their own fate. He looked at the Marshal and nodded.

An appropriate question, for sure.

“Sometimes there are people who are supposed to be calling the shots. I was in a place where I wasn’t able to make the right calls. I had to find what calls I should be making, and as a figurehead here? It wasn’t it.”

Now he was back, maybe he could still do some good. He knew sure as hell, he wasn’t here to make things worse.

Most likely.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

It was a more thoughtful answer than Jacen had expected. In his time he had come to know Coren as a many who could make quick decisions. Perhaps he would even describe them as rash.

"You picked a good time for it," Jacen sighed. The answer given apparently did not require any follow up questions.

"Won't be long before the First Order decide their legions of stromtroopers need something to do. The Sith have apparently galvanised around another Dark Lord. And there have been Star Destroyers over Tatooine."

Jacen paused and for a moment he looked aged beyond his years, tired. "We could do with your help."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Starchaser was a rash person. He knew it, everyone around him knew it. He made choices based on how he felt in the moment. Probably why he ran around with a scattergun or flying a starfighter. Quick, by the second, edge-of-the-seat choices were made that way, and it was how he survived. He used the Force much in a way he had been taught, by Dark Jedi, to use it to solve problems when they showed up. But with the Sith involved… you needed to work fast. Maybe why he did what he did.

Looking at Jacen, though, Coren shrugged.

“If the Sith are here, I’ll take the fight to them, I can do a bit, but I dunno if I’ll be looked to lead, not following my absence. Just point me in the direction of the enemy and I’ll do what I can.”

Following their path? Looking at supply lines? Striking them? He could do that. It was a matter of if they, the Alliance, wanted him around. Either that or he’d do what he could from the Coalition, the trick was, Coren was going to be striking the Sith.

Always.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]