Annihilation Final Eclipse | GA Annihilation of Exegol

[Erion Justeene]

Location: Sith Citadel | Exegol
Equipment: Lightsaber, Voidsaber, SHT-26 "Bedevil" Heavy War Bike
Tags: Thomas Barran | Aoki-Barran Mira | Open

As the metal flew in a less-than-coordinated pattern, the still-flowing blood made a mess on the floor, which means it was going to get slippery. It stung to move, and the fabric ran into the exposed wound. Superious disliked showing weakness but the nerve endings were on fire and he refused to back down, nothing is going to stop him from winning. Not the wounds, this woman or anything that decides to come in and makes his day any more frustrating.

Which is why he held onto the hilt of the Voidsaber. A tool that he only had to use once before in a duel, it was when all else failed. This fight looked like the perfect place to use such a weapon. His onslaught of metal cages only hurt her and did not put her down for the count. He must finish it off before he gets too tired from the pain.

Through the Force, Superious felt a nauseating swell in light-side energy, its blindingly searing in its brightness. He hated it and it caught him off guard which meant he had barely missed an arrow to the side but instead got a shuriken embedded in his leg. The sheer rage of the Sith Lord broiled in a haze around him. He is no longer finding it exciting, it was dragging on and it needs to end.

It was time to use the Voidsaber because if he didn't he would be in trouble and he wouldn't be able to pick any bones with The Bloodhound. Besides he has to stomp out any traces of the light, that is what he was taught to do. So stomping down on both the pain and revulsion of the Light he drew the Voidsaber and took a swing at Mira, aiming for the shoulder at least.

 

[DECEASED Aron Gowrie]

9th post

-AN AGE OF STRIFE STORY-

WILDCAT_ONE
TRIBAL-CHIEFTAIN OF AN-TUATHA
MAJOR-GENERAL OF WILDCAT DIVISION
SWORD OF THE WINTER

Tags (Friendlies): Eina L'lerim-Vandiir Nukth Kelga'an Primarion Hiperius FN-999 Veyli Xoxtin

Tags (Hostiles): @Darth Mori Kyrel Ren Erion Justeene Marlon Sularen Khaostra Devoid

TRIBULATIONS OF THE WILDCATS V: A DEATHLY POGROM - PART 9

Spoiler

SOLIPSIS BEACON-SQUARE, DISTRICT OF THE TITAN,
THE SITH CITADEL, EXEGOL (SUMMER 878 ABY)

'Thats right, ya big, lumberin' freaks! Ya want a taste o' the blade, so yees dae! BRING IT!!!!'
​

The largest drones, both stammering and stuttering in the movements as they vaulted in their attempts to snatch the little human up, hoping to get past the ground he was holding in the Valkyrie's defence, were leaping to their doom.

The sword was still imbued at it's greatest extent, and in the innate-means of influencing the mind of it's wielder, sent the Tuath leaping at the beasts in turn, slashing a clean cut through the forearm of the first and sending a second through the other's gargantuan right deltoid. A masterful use of the momentum gained in each bounce against the dark ones' bones, bouncing with the impact at the end of both flesh-carving strikes, but in the moment Lord Aron landed behind both drones, they turned to strike out with backfists in the hopes they could smash the Tuath more-directly instead. But all that Gowrie needed to do in this position was drop to his knees, ducking beneath the overgrown, anvil-like fists to attack the hamstrings of his assailants, roaring gleefully as his trusty Sting o' Frost bit deep into the targeted ligament-tissue - indicating something of a,"Death by a thousand cuts.", strategy against titans of the Mawite sort.

'WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! NOW IT'S A PROPER FIGHT!!!!'

​

From that kneeling position, even after the wide, singular strike at both inward-turning knees, Lord Aron still had more than enough left in him to keep going, choosing then to make two of his hardest-hitting upward strikes to relinquish his assailants of their offending hands. However, the Kellas would look upward to find that more than just their wrists would be offered in sluggish attempts to counter him, muttering,'Aw'right then, I'll take the easier cut.', as he sized up both backward punching arms beneath the offending elbows. Then without any hesitation, the already-injured arms Lord Aron wounded before were sliced off one by one, cutting through flesh, sinew and bone with every ounce of strength his arms could muster - though the titan-drones still urged on to continue.

Not out for the count by any means, and certainly not with one functional arm, and one functional leg remaining for both assailants to use against their nemesis.

'Good boys, now stand up an' face me properly! SHOW ME WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!!!!'

Sluggishly turning round to face off against the cat-like quickness of the Kellas, the titan-drones needed to drop to their good knees to rotate properly, and when the kneeling, ground-scraping rotation was complete, the scar-faced Tuath went to work. Vaulting onto the upper arm of the titan-drone on the left, Lord Aron sprinted towards the beast's head with the intent to stab through it's eye, only to find himself slicing away the other's remaining arm in the attempt to avert the crushing weight of it's momentum, pushing into the spine of the blade like he was trying to carve through the pillar of a skyscraper - even stepping into the cut as the intended target raised his arm to throw the Kellas off his balance.

But it was too late for the striking titan-drone, the cut was already well on it's way to completion by the time Gowrie's platform raised to unsettle his already-uneven footing, and in sticking to his cat-like nature, slid down the raising arm of the second titan-drone and sent the imbued blade singing deep into the eye-socket with a lion-like roar of exertion. Simply a vaulting leap at the last moment that sealed the doom of the second gigantic aggressor with ease, resulting collision of hilt-on-brow contact that impacted to harshly that the titan-drone was killed instantly as the contact sent it falling to the ground, a feat of which the Kellas never saw himself achieving in the earlier years of his military service, though one titan-drone remained.

But Gowrie was well aware of it's surviving, armless presence when he removed his Sting o' Frost from it's companion's eye-socket.

'Now your people can attack the brain.'

Aye, best way for this lot....
If such was required wi' the first, then I'm clearly obligated to repeat it.

An' whatever the Valkyrie wants for the wicked ones - the Valkyrie receives.​

'Consider it done, Valkyrie!'

<"GRENADE LAUNCHERS, SHOULDER-MOUNT ROCKETS - YOU'RE UP!!!! AIM FOR THE BRAIN AND FIRE!!!! DO NOT STAND ON PROCEDURE - I WANT EVERYTHING THROWN INTO THE EFFORT!!!! GO FOR IT!!!!">
​

Running down the torso and jumping off the blindside hip, Gowrie quickly chimed in with,'Thats how its done, Byron! NOW SHOW THESE FREAKS WHAT REAL METTLE LOOKS LIKE!!!!', as he careened at full-sprint towards the remaining giant's exposed chest, still unseen as he used the other giant's legs as cover until the last moment. Lord Aron was past the point of caring if his second victim could hear him, knowing it would be much too late for the last titan-drone by the time he sprang forth from behind the underside of the first victim's heel, and in the moment the open ground was assured, Gowrie clenched his teeth and fully-exploited the element of surprise in his last use of fighting poise - side-stepping a falling, bloody arm-stump and lunging for the left eye to successful effect.

Ending it all for the drones' last hope of beating the Valkyrie once and for all, and thrown into the creature's,"Brain", with a disdainful grunt of slighting malice to send it halfway down before the decorative basket-hilt met with the second (and last-) gigantic skull of the fight.

'Fe Fi Fo Fum - the only blood ye smelt was yer own this time! Ye had me bang t'rights in a myth-on-myth showdown, an' the wee cat still won....'

Look to the top o' the food-chain, an' you'll see no animal there.
Only a word - an' that word is,"Perseverence.".

As all things should be.​

And yet, despite the triumph of prevailing over beasts no NFU-swordsman ever dreamed of assailing, let alone assuring survival and victory alike, the odds were always at the ready to stack against every last pillar of resistance, bringing about a sudden change that Gowrie himself could feel somehow. But in looking down his blade, Lord Aron quickly understood that the blade (or rather, the imbuement protecting blade and wielder alike in these moments) was sensing the worst and warning the Kellas of the approaching threat, and in the same way it had from the offset, but in an entirely new sort of intensity that imparted a healthy vigilance unlike that which kept the Tuath so alert before. A creeping menace of the likes the Kellas had only slightly sensed on Panatha without the gift of imbuement, but in the process of wielding the glowing wonder with distinction on Exegol, Gowrie would be wise to refrain from hoping he could escape the dread that was shaking the ground beneath his boots at the time.

'They are here!'

<"All units, reload an' ready up for a fighting retreat to the LZ. We're reaching the threshold now, so wise up an' work quickly! MOVE IT!">
​

Everyone then saw Eina creating a rift on their left flank, momentarily looking on in awe until the Guard-Captain stirred them from their wide-eyed enthrallment to the spectacle, wonders to which the average Goidel would take decades or centuries to acclimate. It was difficult enough in their slow, generational growth in immunity to the emissions, cybernetic augmentations and heavy holographic glow-intensity, but it was clear that technology and power were the least of the Wildcats' worries at the last hurdle; and in the moment three distinctly dark presences began materialising near the black walls of the Sith Citadel, burning with a hatred so intense it sent shivers down everyone's spines, the battered and bloodied mortals displayed a dangerous level of collective hesitance that troubled Lord Byron especially.

But Scott, like Gowrie, was made rare leadership material - and the Delirious Stag was in no mood to give souls to the Maw's wicked Avatars.

Not ever, not even in the face of bitter defeat.

<"You heard the man, GET BACK TO THE LZ!!!! OUR GUNS ARE OUTLIVING THEIR USEFULNESS!!!! THATS YOUR WAY BACK!!!! TIME AWAITS NO MORTAL, LETS GO!!!!">
​

'The planet may be destroyed soon, you cannot stay here any longer. And I have to go too. You can use the rift to retreat to an evacuation point, or… I will open another rift that will lead to my people's home in the Netherworld, and from there they will send you home. I've personally been fighting War, Death and Rebirth for far too long… I can't let them fully reach this dimension, the Realspace.'

It was in this moment that Lord Aron began to take full stock of the world around him, and in all the dark horrors Lord Aron had seen in life, there was nothing quite so terrifying as what the Kellas saw as wicked misuse of the Light in these moments; and in the very instant the Saint opened the second rift, all the cracks and crevices on the ground beneath began to emit the whitest glow, all across the planet as Gowrie clenched his jaw again. But this time, there was no exertion in it, all there was in the snapping sound of upper-on-lower teeth collisions was loathing - that of the purest, most visceral sort.

Fethin' Jedi, man.
Ye show yer true colours eventually, eh?

Jus' Sith in white robes, nothing more.​

And yet, despite the horrifying revelation, the Ashla-fearing Tuath was in no mood to let his enemies drag him down with them, turning into his periphery and making eye-contact with the Valkyrie for the last time as she kindly implored,'Go home, take your people home to their families. You don't have to die today. And… Please give word to Lord Barran that Asher is well, his wife and children have joined him after long suffering and he is healed. He was able to let go of what the Maw had done to him and found peace in a place where he could heal and not suffer. He will understand that.', concluding on a request that initially confused the Major-General. However, in time Lord Aron would eventually understand exactly who this,"Asher", really was, and it wouldn't be too far into the future, though the fact an Ashlan Valkyrie made such a request was certain to leave the Tuath scratching his head for a good while after the fact.

Then the sweetest smile flashed across the lips of the Valkyrie, calming the heart of the Goidel as his friend began to pull him towards the second portal, the only remaining rift available by then; the first was too small to slide or dive through, so the second was the only one left to utilise for their own safety, a little gift from the Saint who politely bowed in mutual-respect. So profound was this moment that not even Lord Aron could hold back the dewy-eyed response, quietly replying,'I will.... Good luck.', with enough time to return the bow in kind before Lord Byron grabbed onto the collar of his coat and pulled him into the last remaining rift, jumping into the mythical dimension of Ashlan celestials as the realm's champion fought on without them.

Forced to embrace the wonder of Sedes Aurea whilst the Saint fought the darkness on her own.

Finish them, Saint.
I'll be praying for your victory.

For the Ashlans, the Eternals, an' your pals in the Empire.

 

[Michael Barran]

9TH POST

-AN AGE OF STRIFE STORY-

CAIRN_ONE
RINGLEADER OF THE PELLAEONIST CLIQUE
WARDEN OF THE IMPERIAL KNIGHTS
DRUID-GRANDMASTER OF THE HIGHLAND BROTHERHOOD

Tags (Friendlies): Siyndacha Aerin Aoki-Barran Mira Sahar Simon Meinrad

Tags (OPFOR): Khaostra Devoid Marlon Sularen Erion Justeene

BORN OF BRIGHT STARS VII: DANCING WITH THE DAMNED - PART 9

Spoiler

WESTERN COURTYARD, INTERNMENT ZONE,
THE SITH CITADEL, EXEGOL (SUMMER 878 ABY)

Pretty, I can't deny that. Not even for a second.

But I see the wicked, sickly glow for what it is.
Some see silver, others blue, some even gold.... But all I see is a ghastly pale green.
​

As the Wanderer gazed out across the battlefield to the giant wall of light, smoking a cigarra in silence among the cadavers of his own making, each inhaled flash of orange light would reveal an unchecked hatred as the world shook under the pressure of earthquakes, tremors and missile-impacts alike. It felt like an insult to all things good and lifelike in the Galaxy, like it went everything the Jedi represented, an affront to every sacred soul in existence, and it enraged Barran beyond comprehension. A silent, reaffirming condemnation of entities with whom the Empire's predecessors were once allied - brothers and sisters in arms until it all fell apart.

*Soredemo, koreha Ishida no hikaride wanai.
*However, this isn't Ishida's light.

Hers is blue if I'm not mistaken.... Interesting.
​

Disposing the remnants of his cigarra with a flick, Lord Michael slowly exhaled the lungs' contents in maintained, wordless silence, looking over the backdrop around the wall of light before he muttered,'I think thats enough for one day.... The Empire can cross that Coruscantine bridge when we get to it.', to himself, turning his back on the mayhem with apathetic distaste in his demeanour. Though whether it would prove right or wrong in the end, as righteous as the Wanderer was by then, was anyone's guess, especially with the resurgence of old, Dark powers creeping in from Wild Space. Many would be glad of the short reprieve earned from the Maw's downfall, but the uncertainty, the distrust and the raised stakes were all too much to allow such a respite for himself, especially not with the many enemies smelling Imperial blood on the water after the fact.

With the Maw gone, and the Sith Order still far from reach, Barran was smart enough to work out who Coruscant would set their sights on next.

<"McBain to Cairn One! All the others are pulling back now, most have made it back, with dead an' MIA all noted accordingly. So get yer erse back here, that'll be enough glory-hunting for one day. Lads are telling quite the fantastical tale o' yer exploits aw'ready, about time they got a few corrections afore they aw get carried aw'a.">

<"Aye, aye. Settle doun, I'm on the way.... Ah, afore I forget - any word from Aoki yet?"

"Aye, she's en route as we speak. Took a few dings along the way, but the main issue is fatigue from what I'm hearing. Thats all for the-noo though. Cairn Two out!">
​

With the safety of his Shadow assured, and knowing his Advisor was every part as crafty as Michael himself was known to be, (if not, perhaps even more in the right setting) the Druid was finally in a position to relax walking-posture and Force-senses alike; and yet his journey back to relative safety wouldn't be so uneventful, and certainly not with the raw, unbridled Jedi power on full display, but more yet still awaited the still-sensitive eyes of the Imperial Warden. A power of which only his father had the memory and the eyes to see, like that which Lord Erskine laid awestruck eyes upon, seeing Jedi wonders during the fateful Second Battle of Ziost despite the disaster that followed just minutes later - a power so strong it could destroy entire worlds from within.

'What the-? IS NOTHING SACRED TO CORUSCANT ANYMORE?!?!?!'

Just as it was in that very moment on Exegol, and instead of being used to defend a world from darkness and devastation as it was before, this power would instead find eventually in the sudden decision to use the Light as a superweapon after all - with the Jedi seemingly spitting in the face of it's proper, predefined purpose.

'Honestly.... You've got to be kiddin' wae this madness!'

​

Leaping, side-stepping, lateral sprinting, climbing and breaking into sprints at all awkward foot-stance positions, and all in the name of missing the vicious light breaking through the cracks in the ground, a challenge Lord Michael had no time or patience for, but endeavoured through the irritation Barran most-certainly did. Without choice or desire to deal with the latest chicaneries of the New Jedi Order, the Wanderer was resigned to keep moving southwest, though fortunately for the Woad, there wasn't much longer to go until he made contact with the sentries guarding the ships. All Barran needed was to persist in his reignited hypervigilance until he heard Goidelic accents in the distance, and after another ten minutes of perspirant exertions, the Highlanders by the ships would cheer in the sudden sightings of their Druid-Grandmaster, cheering on the Wanderer's sprint for safety as the wounded were loaded onboard the dropships behind them.

'THAT'S THE TICKET, MILORD!!!! CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT THE WARDEN AFTER ALL!!!! LETS GO!!!!'

However, by the time Barran jumped aboard and walked around to account for all who arrived with him, it became obvious that there was someone missing - and it wasn't Mira.

'Randall.... Where's Knight-Commander Sahar?'

​

 

[Jem Fossk]

Spoiler: solo arc

EXEGOL | FORBIDDEN DISTRICT | THE GATES​

Jem stood rigid, a pillar of steel amongst the flexible bend of the jedi hive mind. She found it hard to let it do more than brush against her. She rationalized it was because of her father. It was just a sensitive enough topic that no one pressed it.

Jem lied to herself and to everyone around, each glance from Ishida pulling a forced smile to her lips. Her posture screamed of confidence. Her slow breaths indicated she was calm. Yet deep inside her heart raced, weighed down by a truth that she kept to herself.

She could feel him down there. Her father. Whatever link they had shared during the force storm had not been shattered by her betrayal. Darth Solipsis lived through her.

So she blocked the hivemind out.

Jem barely managed a grimace at Ishida's jaunt, half present and a million miles away as the door opened to the planet that had been her personal hell for near half a year.

"If I do this right?" She finally answered, her fingers thumbing a golden saber to life. "Both."

She should say more to Ishida. Thank her-- encourage her-- go with her. She did none of it. She took off and skirted around the edge of the building conflict, leaving Strike Team Windu , and her friend, where they stood.

She knew what she needed to do.

Ishida Ashina

On route to throne room
Solo arc

Somewhere in Jem's blood was a royal line. She found that ironic as she sloshed her way through filth under her father's former home. A sewage system brought her down and under the main conflict. She moved through the filth without feeling it, towards the steel structure that had been her twisted version of inheritance.

One day this will all be yours.

The irony continued to grate her as she cut her way through a service door. If things had just been a little different, this could have been Epoch. She would have had a home. She would have known her people-- had a family.

There would be no reason to burn her father's legacy down.

Heat bit painfully at her skin as she kicked the cut out metal into the hall beyond. She stepped into the quiet length and let her senses overtake her. There were no bodies moving above her below her. They would all be drawn to the front, towards the blood lust her father had awakened in them.

Even she could feel the alluring call of darkness beat through her. Kill. Kill. Kil-- Serenity. Jem stiffened under brush of Asmundr Varobalder , her skin flushing unseen in the darkness as she pulled back. He didn't need to feel that-- none of them needed to feel that.

Jem locked the burden of the darkness away from them and reentered her thoughts on her heart, racing loudly in the empty space.

Daughter. She could practically feel his grin inside her mind, as she always had since the day she had betrayed him. Your people need you. Here.

"Oh shut up." She took off running.

Throne Room

It was unnerving how little had changed since her father's death. The large black stone chamber was hollow and cold. The very space throb with memories suffering, so much of it had been her own. She could hear of her cries-- taste her blood-- Every step she took resonated through the air and hit her like a phantom blow, but she forced herself to take another. All her turmoil went silent at the sight of her father's throne.

She stopped short, suddenly aware that she felt no one... nothing at all.

Mistress, it beckoned, its voice slithering in from the space she placed between her and her peers. She couldn't feel them now. She feared with startling clarity that that was a mistake.

The darkness sensed it too. Jem reached with panic toward the light-- Dark energy lept off the throne with malicious glee.

She lifted her saber against the attack, but there was nothing tangible about it. Inky black coils pooled around her mouth.... eyes... nose... and slithered through her. They drowned out the world and denied her all senses. It attacked her pysche, sharp jabs of pain driving with crushing force for her submission. It was all encompassing, with none of the gentle coaxing the darkside had once shown patience to do.

Jem bore no false illusions as the throne laid claim to her person.

This was a siege.

THE WARDEN
LIGHTPOINT STATION || MEDITATION SPHERE
PHASE III: CALL TO LIGHT
BATTLEMELD ACTIVE

​

For all the positive feedback that bled into his connection to all the Jedi, and other allies on the planet, there was extreme strife. Even those that were not sensitive to The Force itself were a part of the web that Asmundr immersed himself in (Dominik Borra ). Their fear, their courage, their endurance, he leaned into that as well.

For all that there was, there was not enough. Each emotion that could not be swapped amidst those on the crust of Exegol itself, from one Strike team to another, felt Asmundr's own lifeforce and connection reached out to them to establish balance where there was otherwise the concern of total loss or recession to darkness.

Those that faltered, or even teetered on the shadow's edge, felt the venerable master's booming reinforcement through their connection that would draw them to participate, to strengthen, the Wall of Light — Silas Westgard , Caltin Vanagor , Amanda braska , Jand Talo , and Sion Lorray .

If they couldn't hear him, they would feel the sentiment that he poured out through the meld:

SERENITY. STRENGTH.
STAND FIRM IN YOUR INTEGRITY.
LET COURAGE COMPLETE ITS WORK.

He felt the evil in the bowels of the Citadel, it looked like a well of shadows in his mind's eye, and how it coiled and coiled to unleash a strike at the shimmering light of the would-be Empress.

The dark didn't hold much substance of course, not to Asmundr who'd become One with the Force once upon a time ago. Now, darkness was like shading to give depth to his understanding, where before it had been a thing without dimension.

Now, it added to a fuller picture, better painting the duality of the Knight who reached out, and provided a stark contrast against the glint of her golden thread flickering and thinning.

Asmundr frowned, tried to re-emphasize his sentiment to reinforce her, embolden her golden thread and the task at hand and all that it meant for her. He could feel it so intensely that he could practically see it. Jem was one of those he'd understood from both visions and personal experience — She'd been his student's student.

In lieu of Dagon, Asmundr split himself more heavily to the plight that the daughter of Fossk had chosen to do alone, and then, when he felt her fear, she shoved it away in favour of peace.

STAND FIRM IN YOUR INTEGRITY. He emphasised again, this time more direct, more intensely at Fossk.

What else did she need here? The light, yes, but more than that. Something fuller.

How could she have been so surprised? What had she not expected?

THERE IS NO IGNORANCE, THERE IS KNOWLEDGE

The metaphysical vessel of himself lent the perspective which he shared, the dimension that came with darkness, the fuller spectrum of sight.

On Lightpoint station, the physical version of himself was grimacing through the strain. Hands shaking. Molars clenched. Split between pouring his ashlan energy to the Wall, and provide the guidance for those on the crust of the planet.

---

ALLIES | THE NEW JEDI ORDER | THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE | CIRCLE OF SEERS | Jem Fossk
FOES | THE DARKSIDE | BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW

Jem felt herself driven to her knees, the internal battle for control occupying her full being. There was not an ounce of her spared from the agony, her fingers twitching as ownership of them wavered back and forth. Why did she ever think she could do this alone? She was nothing more than a mote inside a swirling void, the inevitability of it all--

She felt herself bolstered, the pressure easing as light from another source strengthen her. Dagon? The word echoed, a childish plea breaking through the force.

No. No, it was him. But she wasn't alone. She wasn't alone. Her name was Jem. She was here for a reason. She chose the light and she would. Not. Bend. His support grounded her, but it was her that reached back for Asmundr Varobalder and the light he offer. She found herself enfolded in the force meld.

Pillars of energy erupted all around her, their hues far brighter than the singlar source of black that tried to possess her. It shocked her how small it looked against the rest of the force around her, like suddenly... it was the mote. It's victory didn't seem so inevitable anymore.

Help me, she pleaded into the meld, throwing the last tendrils of darkness off her body and gathering in the light. She knew why she had come here-- She knew her part to play.

Prisms reflected off the gold of her skin as she let its purifying power fill her.. and threw it at her father's throne.

Its reign of power ended here.

THE WARDEN
LIGHTPOINT STATION || MEDITATION SPHERE
PHASE IV: ANNIHILATION
BATTLEMELD WEAKENED

Jem somehow articulated how Asmundr felt. He winced, grunted, and tried to answer the call that stretched out to him; the tiny voice above thousands.

Auteme came at the right time, to expand the breadth of what he had to offer.

Love! Love, love, love — the courage to love and to feel. Love, so pure, so honest, so giving — it was the necessary contrast to the deep-seeded hate in Exegol’s core.

Patient, kind, long-suffering, selfless, resilient in endurance and hope. Love and all it’s benefits extended out to the golden shimmering network of The New Jedi Order and it’s allies. All those seeking, giving, and working from a place of love.

Hate had made Solipsis strong. Hate had destroyed his relationship with his child, and let it fester and rot inside of her. Asmundr could feel it as clearly as he felt the connection between himself and the late-Shield of the New Jedi Order. He felt it as clearly as he had when Zark had still been in the room with him. The throne room would be filled with a love and light it had never known, amplified by the prismic bravery of Knight Fossk.

The outpour of affection, hope, courage, was more than Asmundr had ever been capable of. It was intense enough for him to be aware of the sinews of his physical shell, the version of him on Lightpoint station that shuddered and perspired under the duress. His mortal self was old now, soft, weary from relying for so long on the fruits of The Force.

And yet, his invitation for those who needed reassurance to cling to him still broadcast to their hearts and minds.

Nearby, he could feel the dedication of The Sword. Strong, but the demand of The Wall was great, and required personal sacrifice. She needed him as much as those on the planet did. A portion of his strength lent out to embolden her, to lift part of the weight in her exertion as he bled more and more of himself into the wall that burned darkness from below.



He felt another touch, The Priestess, grace his mind.

This tribulation, and what we see is temporary. The words were quiet, even in his spectral voice. Silken and soft. But what is unseen is eternal.

His body was burning, as though cell after cell after cell were exploding. White-hot nebulas that leaked from his body to pour out light and maintain the support that all the little golden threads needed above the apocalyptic turn of events. Like a caterwaul through the sky. Darkness rose up to counter the light he bled, Valery bled, Silas bled, Caltin bled, Kahlil bled, Henna bled, Thelma bled, Jasper bled, and so many others who were willing to lend their attention, every single one of them pouring out their connection to the light were met with the onslaught of evil.

So focused on the connections he’d established, the distant ritual taking place was only like a dark blot that grew and grew until the final priestly chants climaxed into a cacophonous rupture. Then it erupted into a cloud of darkness, a blight on his connection. Vile and corrupted. Such darkness was like a shadowy saturation that nearly blinded his sight entirely. It threatened to bleed into the meld he maintained with so many. It threatened to douse the strength of the light that poured from his Force connection.

Asmundr could not allow it.

---

ALLIES | THE NEW JEDI ORDER | THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE | CIRCLE OF SEERS | Jem Fossk | Henna Sarratt | Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble | Auteme
FOES | THE DARKSIDE | BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | THE AVATARS

The sith chanted. The haunting call filled the dark citadel. Words of power slithered around its dark marble walls, resonating with chaotic frequency. It disrupted their notes of purification and sent the whole room rumbling under its deafening roar.

Jem cried out and let the meld consume her. In its protective embrace she could see everything.

She hear the voices of hundreds cry out in harmony. She could see eternity, and the wave of darkness crash down against it. She could feel the determination of every jedi inside of her. The darkness tried to smite them all.

Asumndr wouldn't allow it-- she couldn't allow it. She fell back into her body as it arched under the strain of their shared resistance. The force worked through her, turning her into a conduit for all that was good. It was a stark contrast to that wicked night. And still....

Something had been holding her back. She understood now what that always was. She took a steadying breath and leaned into the warm love that had been poured into the citadel by jedi around her.

I... forgive.

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Escape Jara Sofiel
​

"I'm going, I'm going!" X3 agreed as the ship turned tail, beginning to make its way to the atmosphere.

Temerant came to, the impact demanding a little self-awareness... Only to find himself on top of Sofiel. He blinked, using what little strength remained to push his torso up.

"Hrrrn... Hello, Apprentice," he grunted as he looked down at her, clearly drowsy and trying to get his bearings, even as the cool aureate of her strange eyes served to bring some focus. "...You came for me," the man realized. There was a measure of gratitude in his usually gruff and stern voice, the man remaining in place for a moment as he dwelt on the implications.

"You're hurt," he noticed suddenly as he lifted a hand to find some blood. It wasn't his own. He took a moment to go over her injuries. Nothing life threatening, on the surface, but enough that it sparked concern. Had this happened to her in his retrieval? With difficulty, he pushed himself off further, coming to lay at her side. He closed his eyes hard and opened them again, as if perhaps he might wake up for real if he strained them hard enough. It had been a weird day. But he was still there. It was all too real. "X3, Sofiel needs medical attention. How're we doing over there?"

"And you don't?" the droid asked bluntly.

"Don't sass me," Temerant grunted. "Answer the question."

"Well, most vessels seem too busy running tail or engaging in their own little dogfights so I think... Hang on," there was a rumble in the ship, the man groaning as they shook. "I think we're in the clear," his loyal companion suggested.

"Hrn. Good. Make sure cloaking protocols are engaged and have the medbay prepared to receive us," the man ordered.

"Oh good. You're not going to do that thing where you try to convince us you're totally fine?" X3 double checked.

"I can barely wiggle my toes. I'm not fine," the man conceded, for once.

"...Good," the droid simply remarked. "Want to talk about what happened back there?"

"Nope," the Sith remarked plainly. There was too much to unpack. His visions. His memories... Cybelle, and all these... soft things she subjected him to.

"...Fair. And Project Jareth?" the droid asked.

The man looked down to Cybelle's cloak. He'd tied it around his arm before jumping off. "Kark Project Jareth," he concluded.

"Ah. A blemish on your record. Uncharacteristic of you to be so non-chalant about it, Master," the droid mused.

"Oh, so I'm Master now?" Temerant queried. The droid shrunk slightly in his seat, but the Sith did not push the issue, looking at the... woman to his side. "How're you holding up?"

***

Somewhere far, far away...
​

A massive beast laid on the ground, its corpse being butchered and skinned. It had been a noble creature, gigantic in scope: a predator of the highest order, yet one which carried with it a certain... Dignity. An authority in its very being.

Its death had been anything but noble. It had not been killed for survival, or for protection, but for sport, a massive, humanoid figure in dark robes breaking it down for trophies.

Then it turned, an animalistic roar reaching him from impossibly far away, rippling through the force. Its massive form tensed as it looked up to the stars, snarling in disbelief.

"NO!" It roared. It wasn't truly a word, the rumbling sounds translated by a vocabulator. But there was something else. Something almost mechanical about his voice. "You are dead!"

Its holocom beeped. He knew who it was. Its bestial features contorted. He did not want to pick... But he did not dare not to.

"...Father," it spoke with absolute deference.

"You heard it too," the hologram of the gargantuan, cloaked figure stated. It wasn't a question. It was a fact. "Seems like the little Vorsnkr is alive after all," the figure noted. Clearly, it was pleased by this fact. "And he issues challenge," it pointed out calmly, though a hint of venom had crept into its gruff, ornery speech. "I told you you had failed. And now you know."

The mythical hunter let out a low rumble. "It's impossible. I killed him."

"No," the figured sentenced. "You merely wanted to believe that. So eager for my approval, so jealous... You never confirmed the kill. He outsmarted you. Again," he reminded him. "He's grown strong. Stronger still..."

The sinister figure almost seemed pleased by this, which just made the hunter all the more disturbed. "He is a gnat! And I shall squash him as such!"

"He already took your jaw and your eye," his father ignored him. "I wonder what he'll take next?"

"Father!" He complained. "I am..."

"A disappointment," the figure declared. "Bested by a hound... And now he dares declare a hunt... On me!" the figure slammed its massive fist on the armguard of its skeletal throne. It was a strange statement, filled a mixture of anger... but also excitement. Almost... Almost pride.

His son winced. "I... I will bring him to you. I will hunt him down and..."

"No. You will assemble the other hounds," the figure cut in.

"I don't need the hounds! I can sniff him out all by my..." he paused mid-sentence, his throat beginning to close.

"You had your chance," it declared. "Perhaps I have been too soft with you. Coddled you because you are my flesh and blood. Even I can be a slave to our more primitive instincts," the figure conceded. "If the Vornskr wishes for a hunt... Then we shall give him one. You will obey..." the pressure tightened further. "Or else."

It released, the creature gasping for air. "F-father... Please... I can..."

The holo-feed broke up, shut from the other side. The cloaked hunter trembled... before letting out a furious roar of its own. Avian creatures as much as grounded ones fled at the blood-curling sound, even as a massive red beam ignited, beginning to mindlessly cut at the hide of the fallen giant.

 

[Amani Serys]

Surea | Strike Team Windu
​

Amani frowned, and shut her eyes. She couldn't pretend to know what all this woman had been through. What brought her down this path. She believed in the innate capacity for good in all people, if they could simply reach for it. Too many refused. She didn't know why. She didn't even know this woman's damn name. But she knew what that refusal wrought. Death and destruction. Selfish. Purposeless, in the end. But even with revenge served to Amani on a platter, it didn't feel good to indulge in it. She just wanted it to be over.

Whatever happened was between Surea and the Force now.

"I am sorry," Amani reopened her eyes, "I hope you find peace," She spoke softly. Genuinely. A chance for Surea to be free of her shackles. Those forced upon her, and those of her own making. The Jedi opened her palm and channeled her own Light. Not a smiting beam of energy, but a warm glow. It poured out, reaching as if to envelop Surea in its embrace.

 

[Sion Lorray]

Cordé Sabo

The installation shuddered and whined.

It wasn't his design either, even though he managed to unwrap the pattern inside the reactor, just a single pull and- yank. The reactor shook and then died out. Anticipation rose within Sion.... but nothing happened. Nothing catastrophic but also nothing triumphant. Had he been wrong? Once more the room shook violently and almost send him to the ground.

"Feth, gotta get out of here..." He hadn't promised Osarla Ridor directly, but that didn't matter. He'd do what he could to survive. It was the least he could do for her effort and his former Master's sacrifice.

To keep doing good.

As he marched out he tried to get in touch with Cordé. Make sure she was outside already. But as the Jedi quickly reached the crossroads between going up... or looping back to where Sion had left Cordé she didn't make contact with him. In fact? Unless his senses were leaving him, he could make out a feint presence where Sion had left her first.

A year ago Sion wouldn't have been able to feel her. Now? Now he felt her keenly once Sion homed in on her.

"Kriff."

For a moment Sion stared at the exit. Then his body was already moving before his mind could make a decision. Speeding closer to her, towards his certain death, but it didn't matter.

He wouldn't be able to live if he left her to die regardless.

As the Jedi sped towards her presence he felt overwhelmed by the madness around him. The planet itself seemed to try and choke him. Shadow rising and winding around him. The wise and golden-eyed Jedi's presence was gone. No more soothing. It was all pain and despair and fear. Sion wasn't sure what he could do about it, until he finally rushed into the room proper.

There she was.

Sion gasped- she was still sliced into the system? But something was wrong, wasn't it? Her presence... it felt so... soothing. So gentle. His eyes closed briefly, leaning into it, trying to weather the storm around them by seeking shelter inside of her.

Cordé... what are you doing? We have to go. His voice forcing itself into her and pushing past the infection of the virus. It couldn't stand against his empathy reconnecting and knitting back the connection that had been growing stronger ever since they met. And had almost been cut in half by Dantooine and all that had transpired there.

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Aoki Mira, or Mira Lettee Aoki.
Imperial Knight of the Empire.
Michael Barran's Shadow.

Tags: Michael Barran Erion Justeene Sahar

The clash of songsteel on a peculiar lightsaber rang across the dungeon. on her knees, shaking, Mira panted as she barely pushed against the saber, keeping it from cutting her. One hand pressed against the floor, Mira stared through the sweaty hair in her face. Her heaving chest and burning throat did not give, and her limbs trembled in weakness. She was done...

A deafening screech erupted from the left.

Mira looked over to see that a swarm of mindless Euberchized broke out of their containment thanks to some scrap metal damaging the lock. As they clamored and crawled towards them, Mira looked back at the Sith she was fighting.

"Neither of us want to die to those," She rasped, "It's over for now."

She pushed Fukushima against the stronger opponent's weapon. She shoved herself back, hoping her enemy's weakness would keep him where he was. She staggered to her feet, aware of the glorified Moon Children rushing closer.

"If we meet again, it will end in your death."

She turned and used a large Force push to stagger the hoard as she bolted towards the door. Putting her bow and sword away, she clumsily scooped up Hazukashi as she made way for the exit. With one last ditch effort to both kill the Sith and escape the broken clones, she activated her lightsaber and slashed the command panel as she darted out the door. Then, half crumpled over, she turned and used the Force to close the door.

As the door crashed down, she crashed onto the floor as well. Her body was near convulsing with weakness as her numb fingers dropped her naginata ungracefully. She just wanted to collapse here and fall asleep... for just a moment... She leaned against the walls, giving her body a desperate break, but not letting her eyes close. She could feel her emotions ready to pounce on her, ready to attack and berate her, but she would not let them. Not yet. She still had to get out of here.

Alone, in the hallway, she shook as she waited for her body to give her a moment of strength.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

The halls should have been alive with terrible war. But these hallways were eerily silent. Still below ground, and unable to contact her leader, she slowly pushed herself against the wall as she used it to keep her upright. Knees knocking in exhaustion, she was aware of Hazukashi dragging hoarsely against the ground, hanging off of the strap that was oddly adjusted on Mira's chest. She was going as fast as she could, even if that speed was only a crawl. What kept her awake, however, was the mounds of bodies littering the floor. Maw abominations, stormtroopers, Galactic Alliance militia, Ashlan Crusaders... the insignias were varying, but one thing made them all the same.

The lifeless eyes staring back at her. Faces twisted and contorted into dying expressions of rage, terror, and hopelessness. Corpses each belonging to creatures and people with their own stories to tell. All wasted here today.

This was not the first time Mira had seen war on the battlefield. She had fought against the Galactic Alliance on Ilum, regretfully so. She had aided Michael Barran in several skirmishes. And when she was still a young teenager, she was a civilian fleeing her burning hometown on Atrisia. She had watched her uncle and aunt die that wretched night.

She was no stranger to the horrors of war and conflict. Today, however, it all hit her so much stronger. This was meant to be a victorious march against the Maw, but even here sides stood divided. The Empire and Galactic Alliance were attacking each other as well. Sith were fighting Sith, the Maw was rapidly collapsing in on itself. With her own haunted eyes gazing upon a cracked stormtrooper helmet, she sighed in deep remorse.

What a waste...

What was even worse was turning a corner to a familiar hallway. There, she saw her own fallen squadron once again.

She slumped against the wall, falling to her knees.

Everyone...

Before she could further spiral into her brokenness, the distant sound of blaster fire echoed from an uncertain direction. Mira struggled as she pulled herself up, gritted her teeth as she panted. But the blaster fire drew closer. She looked to the hall to the left, sensing lifeforms. A single soldier with the Galactic Alliance insignia and armor turned the corner and ran down the hallway, blood on his armor. He skidded to a halt when he saw Aoki wearing her Imperial insignia. With panic in his eyes, he stood frozen, then raised his blaster.

Mira rasped, "W-wait-"

Then, a Mawite Marauder turned the hallway and shot him from behind. As the trooper fell, Mira grabbed her naginata and turned the other way. Adrenaline alone granted her the strength to sprint past her fallen unit. But she was still so weak, running from the marauders. She still stumbled. Near mindless, she tripped over a corpse and fell to the ground. She dropped Hazukashi, the weapon clattering on the floor. She sensed the Marauders closing in, but her body refused to get up. Was this where she reunited with her family?

Blam! Blam! Blam!

Mira heard rapid footsteps, followed by a familiar accent.

"Oi, ye alright there, Knight Aoki?"

Aoki slowly looked up to see a strong squadron of Highlanders surrounding her. One bent down and extended her hand to her, "Ye look more done in than a fire and brimstone Tarkinist trying to negotiate peace."

Mira smiled in amusement, but was unable to take her hand. Was this soldier friends with any of the men who had lost their lives on Aoki's watch? She shakily pushed herself up, hand wobbling on her unstable knee. She was only halfway standing when she tripped again, caught by the Highlander.

"Take it easy, Shadow. We gotcha.

As Mira was hoisted over the woman's back, another Highlander spoke. "We're only a few hallways down from Lord Barran's position. Let's survive until we reach him.

And so, they carried her. Through the blood coated hallways of death and destruction. Through the underground and up to the surface. Chaos flooded her Force Sense. Something huge, but so huge in her current state that she was unable to decode what she felt. Eyes drooped halfway shut, the girl was limp as the soldiers fled for dear life. Any skirmishes flew by like a hazy dream, and she was suddenly being lowered onto a ship hull in the cryptic blur of time.

She had no idea where she was, but the more relaxed tones of familiar Highlanders told her that she was at least somewhat safe. Dazed and haunted, Mira stared off in total dissociation as the events of today started to replay in her mind.

Her troops dying, her failed duel. The endless corpses, the suffering abominations. Regret. What could she have done differently? The time lapse felt so long, but instantaneous like a dream. A dream? No, a nightmare. She had suffered a nightmare both eternal and instant. And she had utterly and completely failed in every way.

In what was the hanger to one of the Highland Brotherhood vessels, she let out a single, choked sob.

Then, it all came out.

The stoic, calm, collected Shadow and Imperial Knight... was reduced to a crying girl. Pathetic, was it not? She looked as far from a warrior as one could imagine. Instead, she looked like the young teenage girl who had lost her family in a skirmish long ago.

And that family? Well, she knew that from the Netherworld, they were not proud today.

She had failed them.

She was still unworthy of their sword and their name.

Spoiler

Equipment:

• Samurai Armor.
• Imperial Lightsaber.
• Hazukashi, naginata pole-arm.
• Fukaikiru, wakizashi shortsword.
• Seijo-Ki, tanto knife.
• Highlander disruptor pistol.
• Auriel Combined Energy Bow.

​

 

[Castian Vero]

Ishida Ashina

"Death of memory is the final death." He mutters as he stays right there. Cass didn't have a suicidal inclination. No, he just had too much faith in the people around him. Those that he could talk to, look in their eyes. It was the belief that if you tried hard enough? You could reach anyone. Explain anything and find common ground.

The worst thing happened.

They had the same mission.

Castian wanted to curse there, but that was the moment she decided to burn through his carbine. "Oh, kriff me, do you know what kind of fine they will give me for losing my main weapon?"

She called out the Imperial Knights and Cass didn't really have anything to dispute her with.

"Yeah, well, they might be pieces of shit. But if I fail my mission they will come after my folks, right after putting me in a cage." This was a weird thing because the Knights didn't really put non-forcers into cages. But it might just be... that. Hyperbole. To explain his point of view and why Cass was here while clearly loathing the Knights.

"You on the other hand- pretty sure the Jedi will just pat ya on the head and tell ya to try better next time, if ya fail here."

A pointed reply as he glanced around. The facility was tearing itself to pieces, wasn't it? It was frightening. There wasn't a lot of time to get his mission done... or hers for that matter.

"Whoever gets the crystal, we gotta move because otherwise no one gets it, lady."

He was about to take a step backwards, but another groan ran through the citadel. Something gave way on the floor and suddenly they were separated. Cass was still on the larger chunk of the platform. In fact, could easily sprint and reach the crystal, while the Jedi was being swallowed by the ground with no fault of his own.

It would be the right thing to do.

Right for his parents, right for himself, right for the Empire- oh, who was Castian kidding?

The stormtrooper whirled around and reached out. Seizing the Force for the first time for more than a trickle of time. And then ripped the ground open and wrapped the Force around Ishida, covering her with a protective bubble right as Cass yanked her out of the hole. She'd feel it, how that telekinetic force pulls her out and settles her on the ground in front of him.

"Like I said." Cass mutters while wiping his brow from the sweat of the sudden exertion. "...cages and worse."

 

[Maximilian Baize]

Vilu Kopma

A snort there.

“Oh, when I am fighting you, you will know.” Which sort of suggested he was flirting with her, at least a little. But that was mostly to keep her occupied and away from her trigger. Certainly nothing else.

It would be wildly unprofessional.

“An ancient crystal you say…” Max sounded curious at that and turned around towards Vilu once again.

“I have a business proposition for you, if you are interested in earning quite a lot of credits and set yourself up with quite the nice retirement fund once the Empire has completed its slow-sliding collapse.”

Arms rose up in a gesture of peace.

“Come now. You can’t tell me being a lackey for the remaining Imperial Knights is truly how you saw yourself serving the Imperial Order.”

 

[Vilu Kopma]

THE EMPIRE | EXEGOL | FORBIDDEN DISTRICT | GATES --> EN ROUTE TO CITADEL
PHASE 4: ANNIHILATION

​

“They say. I haven’t seen it. But assumin’ it’s for that prototype we flashed over Ilum.” Her HUD took a few seconds to scramble out a green report, nothing immediately threatening. But the silt that trickled down along the wall she and Tallies had just slid down begged to differ. The process sort of matched how her brain worked to untangle the situation and the dialogue and the eventual lure.

Colour her intrigued. She and Castian had spent many hours talking about the inevitabilities of The Empire. Fel had them in an iron grip, and then Korvan had stepped in and been more to Vilu’s liking. He wasn’t a Forcer — more predictable with the tools at his disposal. And now, it was likely one of the Triumvirate to succeed. An Erskine, and while they were remarkable warriors, they were touched by The Force too.

“Trust someone in the ISB to have the ins on what’s what.

You can put those down now.” She was more occupied with the readout of her display than shooting him.

“Mm, I’m listenin’ Mister Agent.”

---

ALLIES | THE EMPIRE | ASHLAN CRUSADE | Castian Vero
FOES | THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE | THE NEW JEDI ORDER | THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | Maximilian Baize

​

 

[Maximilian Baize]

Vilu Kopma

“We are less flashy than COMPNOR, but get the job done.” Max said simply and that was exactly how he liked it.

Finally his hands went down and instead were crossed behind his back.

“I am glad you are.” He leaned back against the wall, next to the console and studied the bucket head calmly. “Help me retrieve the crystal. I have people who can easily make it vanish and get rid of it on the black market.”

A little shrug there.

“The Knights can’t be planning anything good with that thing, if it is as ancient as they claim it is.”

The Maw certainly didn’t.

“I will split the profits with you and you can vanish before anyone’s the wiser.”

 

[Vilu Kopma]

THE EMPIRE | EXEGOL | FORBIDDEN DISTRICT | GATES --> EN ROUTE TO CITADEL
PHASE 4: ANNIHILATION

​

Truth be told, Vilu’d never really cared to unearth much difference between ISB and COMPNOR. Save for there was more overlap, usually, with her unit and COMPNOR. Or maybe ISB overlapped equally but was generally less obvious about it.

Nah, that couldn’t be right.

“Mmm..” she thought about it aloud. Moving the idea around from cheek to cheek, like a peppermint. But there was nothing refreshing about the idea of betrayal. To anyone other than Castian, she wouldn’t have had a second thought. But..
“The whoole thing?” She winced, the word sliding out testily. “It’s mighty big, apparently. I got my whole squad after it.”

---

ALLIES | THE EMPIRE | ASHLAN CRUSADE | Castian Vero
FOES | THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE | THE NEW JEDI ORDER | THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | Maximilian Baize

​

 

[Maximilian Baize]

Vilu Kopma

He set his hands on his hips as he thought about that.

Then shrugged.

“Shatter it then. Make it look like an accident. We pocket half of it for ourselves, the other half we dumb into the sun. I am loathe to give the Knights anything, so that way we can still make a profit without giving those cretins anything.”

It was risky to talk so much chit about the Knights to a bucket head.

He didn’t even know what they looked like behind the visor.

But right now Max had a pretty idea in his head and realistically speaking the former Agent and current traitor wouldn’t be able to pull it off without her help.

Such was the way of things sometimes sadly.

“So, in and out, darling? Time is money an’ I want lots of it.”

 

[Vilu Kopma]

THE EMPIRE | EXEGOL | FORBIDDEN DISTRICT | GATES --> EN ROUTE TO CITADEL
PHASE 4: ANNIHILATION

​

Shattering an ancient crystal, allegedly filled with souls, gave Vilu the heebie jeebies. What if they all came out, whirling around like bats from a cave when it happened? Involuntarily, she shuddered at the idea of it. A ghost through the respirator seemed like bad juju.

“Mmmm…” she intoned again, gravellish and buzzy.

If she shattered it though, there was the chance that Castian could still get a sliver and complete his mission. He was always so good at that, pulling ahead and getting the job done. She’d be loathe to mark up that otherwise spotless record after all he’d done for her.

“Better.” Vilu finally deduced and nodded. “Alright. Deal. If you’re takin’ a cut of my objective then, I wanna secure the spot of at least one of the handheld options you find in that freaky Maw chit.”

Her free hand started to close the gap between them, to shake on it, when the chamber rumbled again. The Citadel itself was starting to grow agonized beneath the intense beams of light that burned down from orbit.

---

ALLIES | THE EMPIRE | ASHLAN CRUSADE | Castian Vero
FOES | THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE | THE NEW JEDI ORDER | THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | Maximilian Baize

​

 

[Maximilian Baize]

Vilu Kopma

He looked up at the ceiling and frowned.

That didn’t bode well.

Once he looked back down the storm trooper was already extending their hand to shake. “Yeah, buddy, I am not shaking anyone’s hand I can’t look their eyes in.” Max gestured towards the helmet to punctuate.

“Take that off, so I know who I am dealing with and then?”

Max nodded and twapped the console behind him with his elbow.

A metallic groan and then the wall gave away next to them. Revealing a stairs that seemed to descend into the ground.

“We will go fetch you that handheld option and then see what this creepy crystal is all about.”

 

[Vilu Kopma]

THE EMPIRE | EXEGOL | FORBIDDEN DISTRICT | GATES --> EN ROUTE TO CITADEL
PHASE 4: ANNIHILATION

​

The sky was falling and he wanted her helmet off? That was…annoying. Now she’d get silt’n grime in her sweaty hair.

Still, she’d made worse decisions in weirder circumstances and asked to take off worse in…other weirder circumstances.

The sound of an exaggerated sigh drawled through her respirator and she made a scene of re-holstering her blaster to her hip, and unclicking the magnetic clasp under her chin.

She expected the air’s rush to be cooler, not so thick and dank. She blinked once to adjust to the discrepancy of not having her visor over her eyes, or the pressure around her head, and then forced her hand back out.

“Alright, make your eye contact, try not to get lost in ‘em, and let’s go ‘uh?”

---

ALLIES | THE EMPIRE | ASHLAN CRUSADE | Castian Vero
FOES | THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE | THE NEW JEDI ORDER | THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | Maximilian Baize

​

 

[Maximilian Baize]

Vilu Kopma

He looked her up and down.

Which was a hilarious gesture considering she still had the rest of her armor on. Then Baize whistled.

“I am gonna regret this, I know I am.” Then immediately shook her hand, before Max could change his mind. It were always people like this that got him into trouble. Heavily tatted and far too much grit for anyone’s good.

Suppose Max is just a sucker at times.

“Your partner gonna be a problem?”

Who knows where that other stormy went, but thankfully it wasn’t here. If he had to split the loot three ways… he’d most likely have to start thinking about thinning the herd.

Which was just a pain in the ass.

Without waiting for a response Max went first and descended into the darkness. Once they found the next ground level he paused. This was the reason that the ISB officer didn’t mind showing her the staircase before getting the handshake.

There was a fortified door here with a keypad.

“Don’t suppose you have any explosives on you.”

 

[Vilu Kopma]

THE EMPIRE | EXEGOL | FORBIDDEN DISTRICT | GATES --> EN ROUTE TO CITADEL
PHASE 4: ANNIHILATION

​

“Nah.” She shook her head and took the moment to run her hand through her hair and slick it back down flat.

And if Tallies did become a problem…“I put a bet against his survival earlier tuhday.” Kopma admitted, and pulled her helmet back down over her head. More comfortable than running around all exposed. Once upon a time she’d grumbled about it, now she kinda liked how much it concealed. Helped her emote more when she knew nobody could see it.

Tallies wasn’t the partner she was worried about anyway. She wasn’t so desperate for cigarras that she’d cap him herself without necessity, she’d prefer to avoid doing that altogether, but the only note of betrayal she was feeling at the back of her mind was for the Major Sergeant.

“What was with all the keypad typin for just one door?” Vilu sounded exasperated already, as if she’d been on this mission for just as long as Blaize and was already worn by its annoying but predictable quirks.

“Jus’ this guy. Got a bit of a boom.” A small sphere was rummaged out of the arsenal slung around her hips. “Not as discreet as what I woulda assumed the ISB’d outfitted with.” She turned the little ring that separated the dome on either side of the sphere, and thumbed down the bottom. Instantly, it started ticking, and she smooshed it to intimacy with a weak point.

Usually she’d have someone techy on her squad that’d do this with a little less flare, and more glamour, but they’d been dropped by a moonchild before getting to the citadel.

“Back ‘er up, pretty guy, watch the sparks.”

---

ALLIES | THE EMPIRE | ASHLAN CRUSADE | Castian Vero
FOES | THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE | THE NEW JEDI ORDER | THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | Maximilian Baize

​

 

[Maximilian Baize]

Vilu Kopma

A snort.

“Did you now? That’s some vicious chit, ma’am.” But his tone didn’t sound overly judgemental regardless of the content. “I hope you made it a heavy bet then, betting against your team should never be done lightly.” Max was a living and breeding example of that state of mind.

He hadn’t just defected from the NIO.

No, Max was a vulture still roosting inside the territories of the Imperial nation. Taking advantage of his status and his know-how of the territories for his own advantage. Every day taking more from the war apparatus for his own profit.

It was delicious.

“If you think the Maw makes things easy for us, think again, friend.” He watched as Vilu first showed and then applied the explosive. “Mm, the ISB has the right tool for the right job, but sometimes the job can change mid-mission.” Originally he had been planning on scouting out the shipyards over Exegol. Perhaps something vital and good could be found there. Except that by the time Max reversed from hyperspace?

The entire system was a mess and a fleet was directly above the shipyards.

That wasn’t exactly the sort of trouble Max wished for himself.

He pulled back with Vilu and the boom shook the walls around them. Once they popped their head back in Max smiled at the big hole in the reinforced steel. “That will do just fine, I thank you for your service.”

It almost sounded like he was about to betray her.

Except he strode with purpose and climbed through the hole. The rows and rows of weaponry and armament? Oh, it was truly delicious.

“Pick whatever you want, ma’am.” Over his shoulder as he strode past the rows towards the end of the room. Hopefully what he was questing for could be found there. Otherwise this thing would have to revolve only around the crystal.

Which was a nice surprise but not what Max had been hoping for.