For 3000 Years, They Ignored Our Calls for Help | SSC Dominion of Jabiim

[Joza Perl]

Location: Jabiim’s gross surface
Objective: Jabiim Mission 4—Free da slaves
Allies: [member="Orihime Ike"]
Post 6/25

Joza’s nose twitched, scrunching up as the creature’s rancid breath drifted towards her. “Don’t know.” She answered quickly, eyes glued to the canine like creature while one hand reached slowly into the folds of her robes. She wasn’t the best with beast control, so that was out of the question—not use trying to influence the mind of an aggressive creature lest she mess up and have it attack. “It’s probably a sentry of some sort.” Retrieving a small red and white orb from her cloak, Joza clenched her hand around it so that the nearly reflective surface of the talisman wouldn’t somehow trigger the Mastiff.

With a light arm, she gently tossed the ball towards the beast, who looked wary of the incoming projectile and reached to swat it out of the air. Its large paw swiped the talisman away, but it ricocheted off of the cave wall and bonked the beast on the head. The Mastiff looked stunned for a moment, and Joza took the opportunity to see if these things worked on more aggressive creatures.

“Sit.”

As if it were an obedient puppy, the Mastiff sat back on its haunches. It no longer appeared irritated.

“W-wow! That was amazing!”

A new voice nearby cause Joza to turn, and to the other side of the Mastiff was a boy of about 12 or 13. His clothes were torn and dirty, his dark hair messy and his face had a layer of dirt on it. “You just made Killer calm down like that! Usually he rips anyone who comes down here to shreds…” A look of realization spread across his face, and he stepped back. Looking closer, it was apparent that the boy was carrying a plate of some sort of raw meat.

Joza took a cautious step forward, holding both hands up in submission. “Please, there’s no need to be alarmed. We’re from the Silver Sanctum Coalition, and we’re here to help get you and the others out of here. I’m Joza.” She offered her own name first, trying to be friendly.

“The Silver Snake…huh?” The boy’s face scrunched in confusion, but he looked more relieved all the same. “I’m Aarow. They told me to come and feed Killer, but I found you guys instead.” A slow grin spread across his face. “This is awesome, though! But…how are you going to get everyone out?”

“You let us worry about that, Aarow. Can you lead us to where the others are?”

The boy nodded and turned to leave, pausing in his movements to put the plate of meat on the ground and nudge it towards the unusually passive Killer. Typically he would stand at a safer distance and toss the food to the savage beast.

Aarow would lead the team further into the mine, at one point turning towards Orihime. “So, um…don’t be offended but are you guys Jedi? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I don’t think, but…like, how did you make Killer not act like Killer?”

 

[Bubák]

Jabiim Mission 3


“You’re not coming with us, Jedi.” The leader declared, earning himself a confused look from the blue skinned Padawan. She did not understand the true meaning of his words – not immediately. Only after her eyes went over the entire group, she finally nodded as the sudden realization hit her. Standing out like a sore thumb, the Chiss had fulfilled her role. Her skills with lightsabers had helped them out, but from now on she would be a liability, a danger to the entire operation; the Chiss' alien appearance was a dead giveaway. As much as the Jedi disliked the notion of being left alone, she knew there was no other way. Another nod offered to the rebels, more decisive this time.

“I’ll stay. And… guard the truck.”

A deep bow, maybe a sign of respect, maybe an unspoken farewell, and the young woman turned on her heel, going back to the parked speeder while the remaining rebels disappeared within the structure’s confusing entrails, guided by signs, passing through the guards unnoticed. They became one with the enemy, disappearing within their ranks. It was up to the natives now – and one shapeshifter – to finish what they started. Every now and then, the walls let out slight vibrations that resonated from all sides, indicating the cannons were right above the base; a reminder to hurry.

Feeding the overwhelmingly powerful beasts was close now, the final step of this plan coming to an end when the group of four stepped into a large, hot room filled with boxes matching the ones they brought. The air smelled of sweat and burned rubber, the lamps hardly cast light over the entire area. Large shells glowing in the colour of green were being unloaded by several operators, placed upon an assembly line and delivered to another post. Success knocked on the door, nobody had yet discovered the treacherous sabotage about to happen right in their midst. Ready and armed, the explosive meal patiently waited for a signal to rip a hole right in the heart of the loyalist army. The resistance only had to leave the ammunition crate here and…

“No,” barked a young guard firmly, stopping the rebels from placing the crates down, “Put it over there.”

Her inquisitive stare spelled trouble. Definitely one of the dutiful, rigorous types. Studying the group with growing suspicion, her grip on the blaster rifle sleeping within her hands grew tighter.

“Show me your papers.”

All the permits swiftly appeared in her hand.

“What?! You’re supposed to be Alto?! You definitely aren’t! Spies!”


[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Location: Jabiim
Objective: Locate the derelict prison ship (bring-your-own)
Allies: SSC
Enemies: Lythians
Post: 16/25

"Finally, Jessica, take a look at these logs:" Marcia told her when the third entry came up.

"Mine foreman's journal, entry 65-380-F-7. It appears that the Silver Sanctum has detected our position: commence Directive 12, phase 1"

"Directive 12? Wasn't Directive 12 deployed on Coruscant? Uh oh, this means the contemporary One Sith was backing their operations if Directive 12 is in effect here too! With any luck they left before they could trigger Phases 2 and 3"

"Or the SSC forces in space could prevent them from unleashing Phases 2 and 3"

Darth Centax is the name most commonly associated with the destruction Phase 3 wrought to Coruscant because Phases 1 and 2 were triggered by another person, the predecessor of Darth Centax at the helm of the One Sith 5th Army. And yet she couldn't rule out the possibility that the Lythians may have been throwing a false clue their way. While Marcia sought the flight logs of the Tormentor, Jessica hastily wrote a message to the Jedi around Jabiim:

---------------------------------------

ATTN: [member="Joza Perl"]
CC: [member="Sabetha Tag"] [member="Orihime Ike"] [member="Junko Ike"]

Due to their usage of the wording "Directive 12" in the context of evacuation, it appears that the One Sith is backing the Lythians' operations on Jabiim and Handooine. Can anyone confirm One Sith involvement in Lythian operations on Jabiim and Handooine? Over.

Jessica Med-Beq

---------------------------------------

 

[Naamah Aesham]

(15)


And so things went to hell in a hand basket. All because of one, overly dutiful guard who actually took her job seriously. Naamah moved with lightning speed when the guard raised her rifle. Swiftly, her hands wrapped around it with the strength of the Force and she twisted it out of the soldier's grasp before slamming the butt of her blaster into her face, breaking her nose and the bone around her eye socket. The soldier cried in pain and Naamah delivered a savage kick to her abdomen.


However, it was too late to stay undetected. Alarm sirens howled, boots could be heard on the ground. "Deploy the explosives. We gotta the hell out," she growled. She pressed a button on her comm, hailing Alaki's frequency. "We have a problem." Guards began to charge in, blaster and slug rounds filled the air...This was the last place to have a fire fight in.


[member="Alaki"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

Objective: 'Handooine Diplomacy'
Location: Handooine
Allies Involved: [member="Sabetha Tag"] | [member="Junko Ike"]
Post: 5

Audren frowned slightly, more at himself than anything else. The two Force users outside...something was off about them. Funky. He couldn't read the Force as well as many others, and he could by no means interpret what was going on out there, but he knew something was going on. That something had its basis in Force power.

He couldn't spend too much time analyzing the outside. The inside needed to take priority right now. The two presences that he'd felt were getting closer, and they'd shifted - solidified really - from the promise of imminent violence to the clarity of a plan. It was obvious to him now, and even the Jedi here for diplomatic work could feel it. She glanced around, intentionally catching Audren's eye, and paled a little at his nod. Not the greatest news they could have had at that point.

"Trouble."

The Ranger gave him a look in response to the single word, but began moving towards those seated almost instantly. Clearly, the Lieutenant Governor's own bodyguards didn't like that, as they moved in closer as well. Five seconds later a door opened and shut again almost instantly. A metal cylinder bounced once on the floor, then rolled towards the center of the room...the wrong room. When the flash-bang went off, the diplomats and guards weren't affected in the slightest. The business meeting next door, however, was not so lucky.

Fortunately for those attending the meeting, the would-be assassins either were professional or fancied themselves to be such: they checked their targets before shooting. When none of the people present matched their targets, they simply turned and left. Now their prey was forewarned though. When they came through the door shooting, the blue blaster bolts were met with the blurring orange of the Sephi's lightsaber. Every one of three bolts he managed to return towards the attackers, while none of those that might have hit the diplomats got through. Behind him, two soft thumps sounded, quiet versions of compressed air dart guns, and the left attacker went down hard. With the firepower cut in half, Audren was able to redirect all of the shots. It was just as well he hadn't eaten, the smell of human or humanoid barbecue spoiled his appetite in a major way.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

(16)


As the Zabrak pirate soon discovered, resistance was indeed futile. He was stunned, cuffed and joined the other captives. Soon the entire ship would be cleared of undesirable elements. Archangel was not in the habit of wasting good materiel. Thus they had prioritised capture instead of termination. The criminals had erred and committed sins, but they could be reeducated and transformed into something better. To process them was an act of mercy. As for the traumatised slaves, Archangel would look after them. "Explosive charges have been placed. They will be detonated once we leave the ship," Vess spoke in a soft tone when she suddenly showed up at Enyo's side. "Our losses were minimal. The captives will be processed."



Enyo nodded curtly. "Look at them. In life, they'd never truly appreciate what Archangel is giving them. They're not capable." There was a strong note of disdain in her tone when her eyes fell upon the prisoners. They were so messy and filled with chaotic, selfish feelings. "They're just bad code."


"Speaking of bad code, Director Skaldi informs me that our woman on Handooine has outlived her usefulness," Vess spoke in a deceptively human tone. It was the one she now normally employed when she was around Enyo. The clone was slowly developing a personality and needed more human contact. Archangel could accommodate this, to a degree.


"I look forward to taking care of her."

 

[Bubák]

Jabiim Mission 3


Panic and confusion flooded the loyalist ranks. Some ran to cover, others went for their weapons. Volleys of blaster fire soon flew across the hall towards the resistance commando. Most shots missed their target; not all though. Three nasty-looking holes angrily grimaced at the remaining three rebels from the chest of their recently deceased leader. His story had come to an end, like so many others. Whatever remained from the groups hastily armed the explosives in the same moment a furious officer practically grabbed the firing soldiers by the barrels of their carbines.

“No! Don’t shoot, you’ll hit the shells…!”

Too late.

“Kark! Blast it!”

One of the heavy shells suffered a direct hit, most definitely accidental, yet the results were disastrous all the same. A large explosion sent plenty of ammunition flying, destroying others, starting a devastating chain reaction that promised to tear the base apart. Chemicals spilled over the floor, smoke clouded the rebels’ vision and fire licked the walls as the survivors scrambled to safety. Gone were all plans for detonating the charges from safe distance, replaced by a desperate dash back to the truck, the hurried sound of their footsteps joining the soldiers who had the same thought. Another explosion, signified by a violent shaking that came seconds before the shock wave and fire, and the shapeshifter was violently tossed across a long hallway, hurled right into solid concrete. The other rebels have both perished in the fiery event. Body parts posed as decorations across the floor, serving as proofs of their demise.

When the message hit her comlink, Alaki’s serene expression blankly stared at the device attached to her wrist. Without a reply, the Chiss boarded the truck, this time sitting in the front, enjoying the comfortable driver’s seat. No longer bound by the original plan, the speeder nonchalantly went into passages wide enough to pass. Its shields provided excellent protection against the enemy fire that had drastically increased. She paid it no mind. Even when the shields fell, the Chiss refused to stop, and would have continued on if not for the bunker suddenly growing into small, tight corridors the monstrous truck could not fit into. It was in that moment when the first explosions hit, demolishing the loyalist base from within. Loud crashes, moans of metal, the world was coming apart.

Knowing that the mission must have gone horribly wrong, the fallen Jedi pushed away a stray lock of hair out of her face and ignited Lord Vader’s amber blade, driven forward by the unspoken urgency filling the place. Those who ran past her were promptly ignored, the rest disabled by any means necessary on her way straight into a burning inferno. Soon enough, acrid smoke filled her lungs and blocked her vision, the orange illumination provided by her blade completely lost in the walls of fire burning all around. Coughs tore their way through her throat. Only the Force remained, a trusted ally to guide its servant when other senses could not. A faint presence in the well of the mystical energy acted like a signal for the Chiss to follow; the signature present within all Force users.


[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Naamah Aesham]

(17)


In short, things had gone to hell. You could always count on someone deciding it would be a good idea to fire blaster bolts in a room cramped with dangerous, volatile explosives! Boom. One of the heavy shells suffered a hit and exploded. A devastating chain reaction was the result. The entire room seemed to shake, clouds of smoke rose into the air and a massive shockwave tore through the place.


Another detonation followed and Naamah was violently hurled through the hallway before crashing into solid concrete. White-hot pain flooded her body, her disguise was brooken as her features shifted back to her natural reptilian form. A Master of the Force could have tanked the hit through esoteric means of the Force, but Naamah was only left with training and willpower. Damn, her back really hurt. She coughed badly when she inhaled the smoke and spat out blood.



Oh, dear, it seemed the impact had jostled a rib. A punctured lung seemed a likely result. She got to her feet with a groan, wheezing, but she forced herself to stand. Acrid smoke swamped her damaged lung and blocked her vision. Use the Force, girl, the inner voice snapped. Her blood-red lightsabre narrowly intercepted a blaster bolt coming her way and it ricochetted off the wall. She was so hungry...as a matter of fact, it felt like she was starving. No...no...Her old addiction raised its head again and her appetite was ravenous.


It's that or die. Get over yourself. Soldiers swarmed into the hallway, guns at the ready. One of them was smart enough to deploy a sonic blaster and the blast of sound shook her terribly, abusing her ears. Let me take control. Her resistance was washed away like a sandcastle by a flood. Sickly green and yellow light emanated from her hand, shooting in all directions.


[member="Alaki"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Location: Jabiim
Objective: Locate the derelict prison ship (bring-your-own)
Allies: SSC
Enemies: Lythians
Post: 17/25

With no confirmation of One Sith activity in this region, Charzon did not know whether the Lythians were incurring the wrath of the Silver Sanctum Coalition because the One Sith was backing them or because of their own crimes. Nevertheless the crimes committed were serious and were typical of the modern-day One Sith. Charzon was simply waiting in the wings while Marcia finally uploaded the flight logs. She was simply ecstatic to learn about what this ship contents were at the time of the crash, where it was headed, where it came from, when it crashed and, most importantly for the SSTSB (Silver Sanctum Transportation Safety Board) how it came to even be on Jabiim in the first place. Probably the SSTSB will have resolved a centuries-old unresolved case, knowing the Lythians (ancient or contemporary) didn't even try to locate the Tormentor's flight logs. Charzon had no idea whatsoever what she just uncovered:

"Captain's log, August 25, 27 ABY"

"Do the flight logs of the Tormentor stop on 27 ABY?"

"The Tormentor, carrying a shipment of 100,000 prisoners from the Wheel bound for Kessel, has suffered from unstable reactor problems since we departed the Wheel. As tempted as we are to divert to Ringo Vinda for repairs, we cannot since maintenance poses significant risks to the security of the ship. We came under attack by Yuuzhan Vong over the Wheel, we have no choice but to do an emergency stop on the nearest planet capable of sustaining a repulsorlift load, as well as sentient life"

"Even back in the Yuuzhan Vong days Ringo Vinda was still a minor shipyard world; was Ringo Vinda a planet with the ability to repair Star Destroyers at the time?"

"Imperial doctrine dictated that two deepdocks must be maintained in each sector at all times, and Ringo Vinda held one of the Eucer Sector's deepdocks, the Phelleem Sector's deepdock was at Iego"

 

[Bubák]

Jabiim Mission 3


Heavy breaths of lungs starving for oxygen after the latest engagement had only made her choke on more sulphurous stench, alongside the smell of burned flesh coming from below. The man on whose carcass she knelt did not suffer from the same problems despite the horrified expression permanently carved in his face, the orange blade of Alaki’s lightsaber buried in his chest up to the hilt. Releasing more coughs, the Padawan got up, slowly losing hope to ever get to the resistance group in time. Ironically enough, she probably needed them more than they needed her, and thus the selfish desire blindly pushed her through the smoke filling the tight corridors, orange plasma striking down soldiers who got too close.

Large swarms of government forces indicated Alaki’s padded footsteps must have carried her near the rebel team. Claimed by the lull of the battle, the teenage Padawan paid little attention to the unexpected shift in the Force, the sudden sense of cold and dread spreading its wings. Rounding the last corner, she arrived just in time to witness a terrifying spectacle that completely paralysed her body; strands of yellow and green have latched themselves on the nearby troopers. The sight wasn’t the worse though – she could feel them die in an unnatural, torturous way.

Such a terrible dark power, stripping battle-hardened soldiers of their precious lives with ease! The hungry parasite feasting on sentient life energies was none other than the shapeshifter, albeit Alaki would not have recognized her if not for the uniform the creature sported. It did not matter at this point, really; former ally or not, fear gripped the Chiss’ heart with its icy claws, commanding the fallen Jedi to immediately flee the scene and avoid sharing the soldiers’ unfortunate fate.

“Aaah!”

Alaki's yelp of pure terror briefly overpowered all other sounds. With nothing else other than escape on her mind, she whipped around, too eager to flee to acknowledge the bodies littering the ground. Her foot had had gotten caught in something in her jog, sending the Padawan into an uncontrolled stumble that ended with her body on the floor, just like the corpses. With no chance to get up before consumption, Alaki covered her head at least – no logic in the act, just an instinctive reaction to impending danger. Weaseling her way out of the situation appeared to be the only option.

“No, please, you don’t have to do this!” whined the blue-skinned coward between teary sobs, “I won’t tell anyone, I swear! Just DON’T KILL ME!”

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Junko Ike]

Handooine
Open Objective
[member="Sabetha Tag"] [member="Audren Sykes"]
16/38

Junko listened to her padawan speak after they had run off and there were more things happening inside. Sounds coming but she remained over there before she spoke motioning for Sabetha to rush inside with her while she was moving. "Somewhat?" She said it while moving inside and allowing the white current to drop away and show them before she motioned with her hand for some of the attention. "Help where you can but do not get in the way of the others or the rangers." She was moving to work and protect the others as her hand went to her lightsaber just in case it was needed for any of the problems. Careful careful, she was letting the force energies flow before giving a small motion with her hand.

 

[Naamah Aesham]

(18)


Redemption was a road lined with thorns. You could not wave a magical wand expect that all your sins were forgiven and you could not ever stray from the straight and narrow path. There was no holy water that could wash away the darkness inside you. It was no surprise that Naamah felt nothing but contempt for the sanctimonious nonsense the Jedi practiced.


For just a few moments, she was back. The energies of the Force writhed inside her when she unleashed her horrible power upon the soldiers and fed upon their life force. Some of them were wicked, most were probably better people than her, but simply on the other side due to circumstance. But the Dark Side does not discriminate. But now she was a hungry parasite gourging herself on them.


It felt...magnificient. Her injuries pained her less, a broken rib was slowly being mended and it felt like she could breathe freely. This was nothing compared to the ecstatic rush she was experiencing. Wild fires spread across her body. Feels good, doesn't it? That's what you gave up. But don't worry, I'll make us whole again.


"No, please, you don't have to do this! I won't tell anyone, I swear! Just DON'T KILL ME!"


Suddenly she heard sobs and a frightened, female voice calling out to her. By now, the tendrils of Force Drain might have already latched on to Alaki. The sheer fear and terror emanating from the Chiss Dark Jedi pulled her out of her daze. She's so terrified. I feed on her fear. We feed on it. That's how it should be.


No...stop it. Leave her alone! A feeling of shame filled her and she tried to dissipate the tendrils of consuming energy, pulling the power back into her. This was easier said than done, for Force Drain was a volatile technique. Her body was baked in sweat, her head bloody hurt and her breathing was ragged. We're done here. She doesn't deserve this.


Such a bleeding heart. She's no more innocent than these conscripts. But have no fear, your little friend can be useful...


I'm done. Back off. There was a shriek, then Naamah dropped down to one knee, panting. The sickly tendrils were banished. She was left with a headache. Bodies of dead soldiers lay strewn across the room. "Alaki, are you OK? I'm...sorry." For the first time since they'd met, there was emotion, even concern in Naamah's voice. "We need to get out." Heart-to-hearts, self-recriminations and self-flagellation would have to wait. Somewhere in the darkest pit of hell, a daemon laughed.


[member="Alaki"]

 

[Bubák]

Jabiim Mission 3


Life itself leaked from her body, relentlessly drained by the monster, slipping through the teen’s miserable form that furiously tried to get a hold of it, pull it back. Sapped of her strength, will, soul; all that remained inside the blue physical shell was fear. So pure and animalistic, it appeared to be the Chiss’ final companion on her way to the Void’s kingdom. Darkness descended upon her vision, trapping her within the last, crumbling bits of consciousness. Death itself offered its skeletal hand to the shaking Jedi in a gesture meant to bring her over the edge, and in that moment, Alaki understood - there was no peace in death, no Force like the Jedi Code claimed. Only bottomless emptiness and fear.

And then it ended, just like that.

While she heard the shapeshifter’s soothing voice, actually listening to the words was an entirely different matter. Dragged from the Void’s plains, her mind had apparently shut off, seemingly oblivious to the living world. Confusion, still mixed with fear, flickered in the Jedi’s eyes when she finally dared to put her hands down and look at the life-draining monstrosity, possessed by this strange, glassy stare as if not really seeing anything. Only that the Dark Jedi did see, albeit not the shapeshifter.

What she saw was an opportunity. As the thick crust of terror peeled off, her panic had vanished. No anger or hatred – still fuelled exclusively by fear, the fallen Jedi acted solely on her instincts, similarly to wild beasts sensing the threat’s intensity suddenly reduced. Now she had a chance.

To fight back.

She no longer wanted to run away from the powerful Dark Side practitioner - Alaki sought to kill her, end the source of her fears before it could strike again. Without any warning, the young Jedi’s hand reached for the lonely lightsaber still dangling on her belt – Lord Vader must have escaped her grip during the panic attack – and nursed its baby blue energy blade to life with a characteristic snap-hiss; her free hand clenched into a fist, brought up to deliver a solid, well-aimed punch straight in the shapeshifter’s face. Quite a surprise, given the girl had little strength left after being drained and nearly killed like so many others. This unexpected power originated elsewhere, within a sudden surge of will to live rushing through her entire body, a wild desire to survive.


[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Naamah Aesham]

(19)
[member="Alaki"]


Is this how she thanks you, after you spared her from my deadly embrace? A punch to the face? They are always the same and you know it. Compassion makes you vulnerable, dear. You see, I was right, after all. The Chiss suddenly snapped and pounced upon Naamah like a wild animal that was lashing out against a perceived threat after being hurt. Naamah had been charged up and partly healed due to Force draining the soldiers and lapping at Alaki's life force, but she was still injured.


Thus she could not evade the unexpected blow or see it coming in advance. Alaki's fist rammed into her face, causing a strong sensation of pain. Ouch! The Clawdite was driven back by the force of the blow, though she maintained her footing on the ground. Her nose had been broken and blood seeped out.


A surge of guilt shot through her, for she'd driven the Chiss to this through her inability to control herself. However, Naamah was not a Jedi or even any type of Light Sider, whatever that meant these days. She was not the type to preach and pacify when someone attacked her. Moreover, they were in the middle of hostile territory. Alarm sirens were blaring, guards were on the way. After all, they were in the lion's den and had no backup. One way or another, she needed to get out fast. Hopefully without killing Alaki.


Her instincts and training took over. Consuming the life force of the soldiers had awakened some of her gifts. Acting quickly, she gathered her power into a mental ball and sent it hurtling towards Alaki's mind. It was the mental equivalent of dropping a big rock into a pond and was meant to disorientate and stun her. In the same moment, a sonic blaster leapt into her right hand and she fired, unleashing a compressed wave of sonic energy towards Alaki's sword arm. Sonic weapons were the poor man's ysalamiri and actually more effective sometimes. At this distance, the noise would probably hurt Naamah, too, but she would deal. Her free hand held a crimson lightsabre, but she did not attack with it.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Location: Jabiim
Objective: Locate the derelict prison ship (bring-your-own)
Allies: SSC
Enemies: Lythians
Post: 18/38

The repulsorlift generators were apparently unaffected by whatever systems failure that caused them to crash on Jabiim. It seemed that between all the craziness surrounding the shipment of prisoners, one couldn't quite be sure about what actually caused the problems to arise. What of the prisoners? they all seemed to ask. What happened to the prisoners would probably not be recorded in the logs. Jessica would not imagine how Marcia would find anything about Lythian history - could it be possible that the ancient Lythians' positions were bolstered here because of the crash, and that they would be able to survive all the way to 137 ABY? Jessica is not in position to rule out anything: Marcia would probably have a more convincing answer to offer for both Charzon and Jessica. But that was not the purpose of why they even were here in the first place. They were to know how it crashed, why it crashed, and what happened beforehand, now that the question of schematics is done and over with. As they were about to read through the ending of these log entries...

"Sublight engine malfunction; I'm afraid that the Yuuzhan Vong dealt more damage than we would like to admit. Not only they took out our hyperdrive motivator, they also took out our main sublight drives" Marcia told the duet.

"A classical attack from behind. I won't pretend I know that much about Yuuzhan Vong fleeting habits, but that would probably be not the only instance of that sort of attack-from-behind from Yuuzhan Vong"

"We must attempt to land in the rainforests of Jabiim so that we cause the least amount of casualties, crash into a mountain and a high amount of casualties is guaranteed"

"The lower decks must have suffered more casualties than the upper decks then"

"The main reactor only suffered light damage" Charzon commented.

"At least its pilot took a page from Anakin Skywalker and the Invisible Hand on Coruscant..."

 

[Bubák]

Jabiim Mission 3


Charging the woman before she recovered from the opening blow into her face was a good idea – the fallen Jedi had not expected the Force to turn against her, its treacherous effects impairing her movement speed before the killing blow could end the shapeshifter’s existence. Nevertheless, Alaki moved forward, weapon raised in a powerful overhead blow to cleave the shapeshifting life-eater in two, yet too slowed down by the mind-crushing power to properly react to the sonic boom filling the room. The pain ringing within her arm she could ignore – but the hand in charge of the attack refused to listen, letting go of the silver cylinder.

Several metallic clinks emitted from below her lightsaber as it hit the ground, bounced off, hit it again and rolled somewhere, its blue plasma beacon snuffed out.

“No…!”

All that rolled off her tongue was a single word pronounced in a resigned whisper simultaneously with the Jedi’s fall to her knees in a muffled thud. Nothing to stop a single tear from washing over her left cheek. Defeated, broken, disarmed, completely and utterly drained, head bowed down.

“No…”

A pathetic sight to behold, really, not all that different from her days as a Darth Vader wannabe upon being refused to become a true Sith over and over again by the masters. Shaking her head in disbelief, Alaki sighed and raised her gaze, meeting the shapeshifter’s eyes. No trace of anger, fear – just a silent acceptance.

Without a single word, the Chiss Padawan stood up and casually collected her weaponry scattered around the concrete hallway, ignoring the growing pain in her wounded arm and trying to keep the little remaining dignity she had left. Once both hilts have been safely recovered from among the flames and black smoke, the Padawan’s feet covered in filthy wraps padded their way back to the speeder, opting to walk around her handiwork instead of stepping over the corpses safely showing the right passage through the labyrinth of dark hallways and emergency lights.

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Naamah Aesham]

[member="Alaki"]
(20)


Naamah felt neither triumph nor exultation. She had nothing to feel proud or triumphant about. Alaki being humiliated and shamed did not make her feel joy. Why so glum? You showed you're stronger than her.


No. A better person than Naamah would not have lost control like that. How could she help the Chiss Dark Jedi if she was a broken mess who could barely help herself, let alone maintain control? Someone stronger in the Light Side might have offered to heal her injuries, but Naamah could not heal, only drain others like a malevolent parasite. She could only kill and destroy. The Clawdite life-eater was tired, bruised, covered in blood and ashamed. Slowly she lowered her gun.


"I'm sorry." The words sounded hollow to her, but she felt she needed to say them. Her former self would have sneered at the very idea of showing compassion. "I didn't want to hurt you." Perhaps they weren't that different after all. Both had tried and failed to be just like their dark idols, though neither knew the others' story. Slowly, she walked out of the hallway, though she kept some distance.

 

[Bubák]

Jabiim Mission 3


No answer, just silence. Perhaps it hinted the admittedly spineless Padawan did have some pride in her after all. Maybe the teen just didn’t know what to say, wanted to say nothing. Considering the perfect depiction of apocalypse happening all around them, the entire base falling onto itself and burying its sworn defenders under tons of rubble, the serenity radiating off the fallen Jedi was quite admirable. Or disconcerting, depending on one’s view. Either way, the surviving remains of the small commando made their way to the trucks, only to discover most speeders were long gone, claimed by the desperate. Only vehicles rendered inoperable by the falling concrete remained – except one speeder bike, safely locked to a stand that might have withstood blasters, but posed no challenge against a lightsaber.

The two rebels passed through the checkpoint without trouble – the post has been abandoned by the soldiers in their effort to get as far away as possible. In momentary disarray and chaos, the occasional loyalist lacked the readiness to stop the swiftly advancing speeder making its way through the government-controlled districts. Distant sounds indicating the start of the final offensive came from far away. Despite the small victory going in the resistance’s favour, several starfighters flying through the sky towards the front lines and bearing the wrong insignia had the Chiss know the government was far from defeated.

She did not care anymore, sitting behind the shapeshifting warrior who maneuvered the bike around all sorts of obstacles.

“Teach me,” demanded the girl all of the sudden, head finally turned to face the shapeshifter for the first time since the fight, “Give me the power to control the Dark Side.”

A plea rather than a command, still, one driven by hunger for dark knowledge and its secrets.

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Location: Choal, Jabiim
Objective: Assist Rebels
Allies: SSC, Rebels. [member="Celiana"]
Enemies: Conservative supporters/loyalists
Post: 8/35

While the tide had turned slightly, neither side would find any leverage to pull an advantage. The small reprieve had allowed the rebel forces to gather together however they still faced a considerable force. While solely infantry with this wave, Rasu knew that there would more waves before the group could find another break in the fighting. Turning to face the refreshed soldiers, she offered an anxious smile before gripping her weapons tightly.

The Shi'ido was never great at military incursions such as these. Leading was never a skill the woman had wanted to adopt but being a Jedi Master, the role had been thrust upon her. However in situations like these, she found it better to act as a symbolic leader and allow the military stratagems make the plans. She was no general after all.

As Celiana returned from giving her own orders, the Shi'ido turned to look at the filthy looking Echani. Already blood and all sorts o muck coated the woman's form. Rasu knew that she would look a similar sight, however she hoped it might intimidate the enemy, perhaps even resulting a decline in violence, however these were thoughts for the more hopeful and naive.

"Nothing as of yet Padawan. Obviously the enemy are waiting on our next move." Her eyes followed the two men who had addressed Celiana as she spoke, following them as they began their climb to a better sniping vantage. "You are quite the strategist Celiana. That was a wise move. " Her eyes came to rest once more on the motionless force ahead of them. They struck a powerful image however she could already sense the nerves rising within their ranks. "Let's get back into it."

Waving her lightsaber over her head, she let it plummet forward, signalling their group to begin their retaliation. "REBELS, FORWARD!" she screamed, breaking into a small jog as the men and woman around her began to make pace with her. Lightsaber's humming by her side, Rasu leaped into the air, propelling herself forward with the Force, before she enveloped her weapons in fire. Gesturing forward with the sabers, several fireballs shot forwards, crashing into the ranks of the conservatives. As men ran about screaming, Rasu landed in the midst of it all, slicing into flesh violently as she diverted the attention from her rebel allies.

 

[Celiana]

Location: Choal, Jabiim
Objective: Assist Rebels
Allies: SSC, Rebels. [member="Rasu Gan"]
Enemies: Conservative supporters/loyalists
Post: 8/35


I'd apparently made an impression on Master Gan with my decision to involve those men as sniper overwatch. I'd been holding back from the use of Force lightning but as I followed Master Gan into the fray once more I inverted my left ice blue saber and reaching out into the well of emotions I had and felt around me I breached the veil of what was accepted by Jedi. Indigo electrical sparks danced across my hand and crackled along my saber as the sparks coalesced into streams of electricity. Lightning danced along my forearm and flicking my hand I projected it into the form of a Force-powered electrical shield that would remain by Master Gan and myself.

I'd stayed away from embracing and using this power but now I would, power was only ever dark if used with ill intent. Though I was caked with dirt, grime, and gore I intended to fulfill my promise to these men. As I leaped forward I hadn't caught a loyalist lunging out with a Force-pike. Just as he was about to pierce my shoulder he dropped as a projectile pierced his skull spraying me in a fine red mist. Glancing up towards the roofs I saw the bolt-action of my rifle being pulled back and re-loaded I was glad I'd made the decision for overwatch. As I landed the Force-pike was still active and hefting it I saw down the street a man with a radio looking like he was about to call in support. Layering The Force into a spear I threw the force pike and saw it sail away and through the man as he fell forward impaled on the force pike I'd thrown.

My senses were in overdrive and I sensed planted explosives. I wasn't sure if Master Gan had sensed them or not but I placed an arm in front of her to keep her from moving forward and put my left hand up in a closed fist signalling for the rebels to stop. Throwing up a Force barrier and the electrical streams still dancing along my forearm I gestured out with my saber and directed a short burst of Force Lightning into the ground in front of us. Gesturing from left to right with my saber I sent the Lightning in a clear path and was rewarded by multiple explosions in front of us. Shrapnel stopped upon contact with the Force Barrier I'd thrown up before dropping to the ground. Turning to look at Master Gan I rather cheekily said, "I thought you and the men could enjoy a nice fireworks show."