Faction [GA + NJO] Indoumodo Crisis

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Indoumodo
With: Caden Evesa | Loomi | Rosalina | Tala Vale

It seemed like they’re little plan had worked as it allowed the children Caden was with to rush to relative safety away from the inferno they found themselves trapped in. Most of them ran past, but one ran up to Ko’s soot covered form and clung to the Kel Dor teen. Hugging at his legs, he sensed fear in their hearts. Not that he could or even would blame them for that.

Then it finally seemed to be Caden’s turn to cross, but as they did more explosions began to rain down upon them. After the first Ko reached down as if to shield the child that held onto him. Then there was another second explosion even closer. The blast of which knocked over Ko while he protected the kid. Followed by a loud ringing noise that invaded Ko’s hearing.

After a moment he eased up and spoke to the child. “Hey it’s still not safe here, get to your family or one of your neighbors okay.” His own words were a bit muddled to himself, but the child seemed to understand him and nodded before scurrying away from the padawan. Their own hearing, possibly being spared some more by Ko’s protective embrace.

Getting himself back up he didn’t yet realize what had just happened. His mind was already racing with more plans on what to do. Fearing that it didn’t matter how much they did here so long as the shelling continued. Any progress would be undone by just one or two bombs landing nearby. He believed they had to stop the direct source of the problem.

Then Ko noticed something. Where was Caden? He had just assumed they made it across but he couldn’t see them. Looking back finally to see that they were caught in the flames. The haunting sight was made worse by the sudden realization. That Loomis master was stuck in a life threatening inferno and his heart only sank further.

 

[Rosalina]

Loomi's encouragement appeared through the thick smoke and flames like a beam of soothing light. Rosa could only smile in genuine thanks, her throat too parched to speak.

Their slapdash bridge had been assembled, but the work was far from over. Muscles straining, the Tof hybrid grunted and groaned as she maneuvered the woven metal platform into place, sweaty hands struggling to find purchase at first.

The sound of tiny feet stamping frantically against the catwalk was a sound Rosa would never forget. Never had she seen such a desperate situation, not since-

Grey eyes widened as they witnessed a small child collapse on the bridge. Rosa lurched forward, grimacing through the flames as she grasped his little hand, pulling the child to safety in the cradle of her arms.

"No…" She whispered, hovering a large green hand over the child's mouth, feeling his faint little breaths drift against her skin.

Still alive. Wait…

Tucking the child closer to keep him away from the smoke, Rosa looked around desperately until her attention landed on Loomi. There was still one person unaccounted for—the one who'd been holding off the torrent of flames from so many tiny bodies.

"Where Caden?!"

Loomi Caden Evesa Ko Vuto Tala Vale

 

[Loomi]

Indoumodo
Tags: Caden Evesa , Ko Vuto , Rosalina , Tala Vale

The bridge worked fine, and a wave of relief flooded through Loomi when she laid eyes on Caden, safe and sound. They were quick to begin ushering children across the bridge when the ground began to violently tremble, bursts of energy whipping through the smoldering village. The Godoan's hair stood up on end, her antennae flattening back. Bombs. They were firing shells into the village. A second came, and Loomi threw herself over a nearby child to protect them from the next incoming wave of shrapnel. As she turned back to look for Caden, she saw just enough of the smile on his face before the flames closed in around him.

Loomi quickly ushered the child she had protected towards Rosalina before rushing towards the flames. The world seemed to melt into nothingness around her, shadows swirling in the dancing flames. She could see their eyes everywhere, closing in like a pod of sharks. She wasn't the prey this time. They wanted her master. Loomi couldn't be alone. Not again. She stood at the end of the makeshift bridge, crying out in desperation.

"CADEN!"

In that moment, hand outstretched in vain hope of desperately reaching her master, energy welled up within her, sending a powerful shockwave rippling out from her core. It blew through the flames, pushing them back to clear the space around where Caden had been engulfed.


Loomi's mind slipped away to a different moment. She was on a surgical table, her limbs strapped down to either corner. Her body trembled as she looked down on a pair of janky mechanical legs where her organic ones had once been.

They had taken a part of her away. She was being torn to pieces.

A larger human man approached, a cigar hanging sloppily out of his mouth.

"These will do," he grunted. "Get them rigged up with one of those remote explosives and we can get the worm back to work."

"N-no," she whimpered, "P-please..."

No words came, only the looming shadow of a distant figure raising up a shock baton. Loomi's antennae curled back in anticipation. Death was so strong in the air now. She couldn't hold it all in anymore.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed.

A burst of energy rippled out from her body, ripping through the equipment that bound her, sending the figures around her flying, many torn up gruesomely. There was no more hesitation. Loomi scrambled to her feet, rushing to scoop up a gourd in the corner of the room.

Then she ran.


She was back to the flames now, eyes clouded by the mist of her tears. What she had done, what she had seen, all violently spinning in her mind. That didn't matter. Again, the Godoan found it within her to raise her voice and call out.

"Caden!" she shouted, though it was far less powerful than before.

Loomi needed him to be okay. She didn't know what might happen to her if he wasn't.

 

[Starlin Rand]

Since she had been with Starlin the whole time, Ceri may have actually witnessed the Carrot Incident. On the other hand, the girl seemed pretty shell-shocked. She was new to the battlefield, after all. Starlin had done his best to prepare her, but nothing could truly prepare you for the experience of war.

"We're going out there again, aren't we?"

"We need to get people out of here."

"My ship's big enough to take some people," Starlin said. He was of course referring to the Bright Knight, his mobile base. But it might not be big enough to take everyone. "I'll call in evac. In the meantime, we start herding the civilians away from the shells."

He held up his lightsaber. "People see this, they see a symbol of hope. Their salvation. They should follow you without question, which is good for our purposes. Any questions?"

If there were none: "All right, let's go."

He used his comlink to contact the relief efforts waiting to transport refugees out of there. "We're bringing the civvies to you. Stand by for pickup coordinates."

Out the door he went, taking the lead with his two Padawans in tow. In the few minutes between Makko's return and their exit, the fires had begun to spread to the residential area, engulfing whole homes in flames. Soon it would no longer be a safe haven for those hiding in the area.

"See if you can sense anyone inside those buildings!" he called out to Makko and Ceri. If there were people trapped inside, they would have to get them out as fast as possible.

Makko Vyres Ceri Fraissi

 

[Ceri Fraissi]

SPARKY
"NEUTRAL ZONE" | INDOUMODO
TAG: Starlin Rand | Makko Vyres

APOCALYPSE​

"We need to get people out of here."

He was right. She needed to shove her own fear onto a shelf and do what is needed. Luckily Starlin was with them and he immediately took charge of the situation, which made her feel slightly better.

As they exited the building, it was clear that the fires had spread. Swallowing her own fear, she could feel the civilians' fear all around her as they fled. That caused her chest to start easing some - they really did need help. And she was one of the people that could give it to them.

"See if you can sense anyone inside those buildings!"

Ceri nodded. That was something he did prepare her properly for. She could at least do that. She stayed close to the wall of the building they had just exited and then she concentrated on her surroundings. She let the Force flow through her and it stretched like fingers in all directions, feeling for anyone still alive in some buildings.

Just as a shell hit close to them, she felt the Force brush against a living being in a building perilously close to the spreading fire. She ducked low to avoid the falling pieces of duracrete from the shell's impact.
"I'll be right back - I found someone!" she yelled at the other two, then she was on her feet and was making a beeline for the building she had felt, gripping the hilt of her saber tightly.

Bursting into the building, she coughed. Smoke was already thick within it. There was no time to lose.
"Hello?! Where are you?!" she yelled, squinting to see through the smoke.
"Here...!" The voice was feint and the word was followed by a bout of coughs.
Ceri sped in the direction of where the voice had come from. Finally, a figure on the floor became visible. It was propped against a couch.

Collapsing next to it, she saw that it was a woman who squinted back at her warily. Ceri held up a hand to show peace.
"I'm a Jedi. I'm here to help." she said. "Can you walk?"
The woman seemed to relax slightly and nodded. "Yeah....sort of." Her voice was like sandpaper.
"All right, then." Ceri got to her feet and held out a hand to help her up. "Let's get out of here before we get stuck."

They both struggled out of the building, the woman leaning heavily onto Ceri's small frame for support. The Padawan straggled back to where she had last left Starlin and Makko.

Please let them still be there...

She wouldn't be able to carry the woman all the way to an evac point on her own.

 

[Tala Vale]

Tala found herself alone in the middle of a raging inferno. She had spent too long doing one last check of the houses of the village and now was penned in by the flames. There was only one solution, fight through the flames and hope to reach salvation. Holding her breath the best she could, she plunged her way into the flames face first, hoping she was pointed in the right direction to find safety.

Her skin was burned to a crisp as the redhead trudged through the fire, her clothes being caught aflame as she made her way towards the group of lifeforms in the distance. Then she noticed him... His lifeforce was fading and his signature had faded but Caden Evesa was still alive. If it was the last thing she did, she would get her Master to safety, even if it meant costing hers. As she reached the fallen Knight's body and started to drag his body by his armpits out of the flames like a phoenix as she roared. "YOU AREN'T DYING HERE. I WON'T LET YOU, YOU MONKEY LIZARD BRAIN! YOU STILL HAVE A ROBOT HUSBAND TO LOVE AND CARE FOR AND TWO PADAWANS TO TEACH! I WILL CARRY YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY TO THE EVAC SHIP IF I NEED TOO!" Fighting to make her body listen to her as it howled in pain, she managed to make it halfway across the bridge of junk before collapsing, going unconscious as her nerve centers lay destroyed and her entire body still covered with a variety of burns as the flames of her body lapped at whatever oils her skin had produced. That wasn't even counting the smoke inhalation But the padawan and the master were relatively safe for now. Now it would be up to the others to save them.

Ko Vuto , Loomi , Rosalina

 

[Caden Evesa]

Location: Indoumodo
With: Loomi | Ko Vuto | Rosalina | Tala Vale | Chirp
Equipment: Robes | Lightsaber | Chase Spymaster​

He was dead.

Then why did everything hurt so much? Why did every single bit of him hurt? Why did his lungs feel like someone had ignited a raging inferno inside of them? Why did his skin feel like it was blistering, melting away from the bone that it was anchored to? Why could he feel absolutely everything so intensely if he was dead? Why did death make him want even more death?

Death sucked.

Someone had once told him that there was supposed to be a light at the end of the tunnel, a bright white light. Someone told him that those who you missed the most were supposed to be waiting for you to welcome you over to the Force. He wanted to know where his bright white light was, where those he missed the most were? He wanted to know why no-one waited for him.

At that moment he realised he did have a light at the end of his tunnel.

Except his light wasn't white like he'd been informed that it would be. It was red. It was red with yellow undertones, similar to the colour of a conflagration. He'd seen the colour before, but he couldn't remember where. The colour was beyond familar to him and he was certain that it was a colour he'd been observing before his life had ended.

Where had he seen it?

In a similar conversation to the one where someone had told him about the light, he'd also been informed that death was supposed to be peaceful and relaxing. He wanted to find whoever had told him that and question them, because his death was definitely not peaceful and certainly wasn't relaxing. He felt like he was on fire, like the nerves in his body were literally melting.

There was a figure in the red light, stood there. Caden wondered if it was the figure whom was going to be waiting to welcome him over to the Force. The figure moved closer to him. It wasn't a humanoid figure, and it took Caden a second to realise it wasn't a friendly figure at all. At that moment, he realised the figure approaching him was a member of the Bryn'adul.

But the Bryn'adul were gone. They had been the enemies. Why was a Bryn'adul waiting for him at the end of his life? He didn't have to wait long for his question to be answered however, and he realised that the Bryn'adul wasn't the person waiting to welcome him after all. A plasma blade of a lightsaber swept through the Bryn'adul, dropping the creature to the floor.

The figure of Okkeus Dainlei offered Caden a little smile.

It wasn't real, and Caden knew that. Caden had never seen Okkeus kill a member of the Bryn'adul. Plus, him and his previous mentor were hardly on speaking terms, especially after everything had happened on Courscant and Caden had walked out. Admittedly, the last time they had spoke they hadn't killed each other but they still weren't friends.

Okkeus Dainlei faded without a word.

Red light overtook Caden. He had approached the light and was finally passing over to the Force. He was remembering everything he would miss. He'd only just taken two new Padawan's. Tala and Loomi. He had promised to teach them so much and neither of them would get a chance to learn anything from him. He would miss the Jedi Order. He'd made friends there. Corazona von Ascania , Minerva Fhirdiad , Briana Sal-Soren just to name a few.

Then he realised. He wasn't dead.

The red light faded, and he wasn't dead. Instead, his vision was overcome with the colours of a raging inferno. His audio inputs were overloaded with screams, the noises of crackling fire and the sound of something being dragged. He could feel someone touching him, pulling him. He was the thing being dragged. The screams were of his name, and he recognised the voice screaming.

He recognised the person dragging him too.

"Hey, Tala. How did I do?"

Everything hurt. He spoke so weakly, he wouldn't have blamed Tala for missing his question at all. He coughed beyond quietly and his lungs felt like they were about to explode. His eyes looked down to his torso and he realised he was plastered in burns. His robes had pretty much melted and fused with his skin. It wasn't a pretty sight in the slightest.

"Did the kids get free?"

Tala stopped dragging him only moments after he asked his question. He heard a dull thud from besides him and he saw the body of his Padawan in his peripheral vision. Something had happened, and he tried his hardest to roll over and look at her. His body wasn't cooperating though, too damaged from the flames that had attempted to claim his life.

He had no choice. He didn't know if the others were still around. He didn't want to put the others at risk but he had no choice.

"Help!"

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Indoumodo
Objective: Warzone
Tag: Thelma Goth / Cailen Corso

"Cailen, hurry!"

Running through the black smoke with haste he urged Cailen to keep up with him in this hospitable blaze. The pair of them had been deployed in the neutral zone to help contain the fire and save survivors who were in desperate need of help, and right now the citizens could use as many Jedi as they could get.

Up ahead he could sense the presence of a familiar girl, one that his heart was getting used to. Thelma had already arrived and was tackling the dangerous flames that were trying to engulf the town "Thelma, we're here!" he shouted over to her with a heavy cough and motioned to Cailen to join them.

Stopping at her side, he gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and used the force to pick up another hose "Have you sensed anyone that is still in the buildings?" he yelled before finally spraying water into the broken window of a shop.

"By the way, I know it's strange circumstances but Thelma meet Cailen! he's a lad who I'm sure will help us even the odds down here" ​

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Indoumodo
With: Caden Evesa | Loomi | Rosalina | Tala Vale

Things were happening very quickly and getting pretty rough as well. Ko’s hidden eyes shifted to Loomi finally as well just in time for her to try and get to her master. Seeing her get to the end of the bridge he got worried, fearing she was about to risk herself and dive into the flames after Caden. He reached a hand out after her. “LOOMI Wai-!”

Before he could finish calling out to her she let out a fierce telekinetic blast. Knocking away the fire around her and causing Ko to hold up his arms some to shield from some of the hot air and embers that were pushed away from her. With the display of what seemed to be an apparent affinity for telekinesis, the fires around them died down noticeably. With that Caden’s other padawan Tala swooped in to retrieve their Master finally.

It was a rather grisly sight, Caden’s burnt form, given the relative quickness he sensed that Caden was still in the land of the living. Although he might wish he wasn’t. From his understanding their big green companion was something of an adept healer. This would be good, not just for Caden but all those around who were hurt as well. Only issue was, even if all the fires were quelled and extinguished here it didn’t mean they were safe yet.

Ko approached the Jedi Knight as they asked if the children were free. Nodding the teenage Kel Dor replied. “The children got out, thanks to you Master Caden.” Ko softly replied before looking at the other padawans around. “Unfortunately I don’t believe we’re in the clear yet. It could only be a matter of time until another artillery shell hits us, they need to be taken out.” He explained, worrying that any more progress made could be swiftly undone, and that their work here would be in vain. Letting out a sigh he turned his back to the group. “I’m gonna go deal with the encampments that keep shelling us and this community. Wish me luck.” With that said Ko began to head off to fulfill that mission. He didn’t wait to hear what anyone else had to say, or to argue over if it was the right course of action. The Kel Dor wasn’t going to take no for an answer and wouldn’t waste time thinking about what the right move was. He believed action needed to be taken, not contemplation. Lightsaber in hand the determined padawan ran off to take care of the local artillerists. They had some loud firepower, finding them wouldn't be difficult...

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

Wearing: Interceptor Gear

Armed with: Nathan's Saberstaff


Objective: 2

The absolute slaughter taking place meant there was no room for non lethal measures. The attacking Force had to have as much damage inflicted on it as possible. That meant casualties. Destroyed Weaponry.

Nathan was very good at both.

He didn't like the violence. It was an unfortunate necessity. Let that, at least, be said of him.

Nathan teleported behind a mortar nest on a building relatively close to where Starlin Rand and his friends were, his blades flashed alive, blue streaks lighting the ground below him. The mortar crew wheeled around, drawing their vibro-swords.

"If you run now, I won't pursue." Nathan offered, which was more than they deserved. But he would have no one in the NJO accusing him of excessive or unnecessary Force. This would be done by-the-book, or as close as a person like he could get to that description.

They all attacked at the same time, Nathan responding by initiating a deadly set of spins with his staff, the blades lancing through, arm, leg, and weapon alike, parrying desperate blows. He left them wounded but alive, and immediately sliced apart the mortar--after he used it to fire it's remaining round at an artillery cannon nest, exploding it at a distance.

He slipped into Force Speed as he was fired on in three different directions, manipulating the blades to spin around him for protection, trusting the Force to guide his blade as he deflected the shots back at his attackers, blasting apart their weapons and killing one with a redirected bolt to the skull, and severely wounding the other two with gut shots, leaving them for dead as he was fired at by a Saber Tank, teleporting out of the way. He didn't think about the Cult. Didn't think about how they made his stomach turn, how being forced to rely on Syd made his stomach turn.

A rocket was fired in his direction, and he teleported it as it traveled above the one who had fired it. He was generous. He gave a five second lead before the rocket hit the ground. More than enough time for the shooter to get out of the way.

Then he teleported behind the Saber tank Variant that had fired on him, spinning his blade against the hatch and slicing it open, leaping in and skewering the first guy that came at him with a knife. Another guy drew his blaster but Nathan's fist slammed into him, breaking his jaw as he tossed out the passenger he had killed, then the one whose jaw he had broken before killing the pilot after he drew a weapon, and fired. The bolt was deflected back at the Pilot's face. Nathan tossed the corpse out of the seat and then started firing on an enemy convoy that had been pressing in on a group of Jedi. The convoy exploded, killing multiple enemy soldiers with it.

Nathan felt ill as he killed them. A little taste of the Gulag, coming back to haunt him.

"Dirty Business..." he muttered, accelerating the tank forward on a collision course with an APC, ramming into it and sending it tumbling into the remains of a large support column, toppling it into the path of another column of tanks, trapping them momentarily.

Nathan concentrated as he sped backward, smacking into a fire team trying to flank him. He launched four thermal detonator missiles, teleporting them above the enemy tank column.

It was a tremendous explosion.

"The price of shaking hands with The Devil." he muttered, ignoring how much that statement applied to him also as he re engaged the enemy forces, firing on their lines and being fired on in turn, doing everything possible to disrupt the assault on Civilians and Jedi.

 

[Spirit of Perseverance]

Objective I - A Peaceful Resolution​

"This conflict would have never escalated if they hadn't ignored our rightful claim to these mines," the voice of an older human man cut in. He was representing the western continent of the planet, and even the limited data the Alliance had on him portrayed the politician as difficult to work with. "After all, our research resulted in the discovery of the mines." He briefly shot the woman from the Eastern continent an almost smug look, before his expression showed frustration at the crying of a baby.

"Not all of the mines, and using stolen data from our researchers," the woman responded before she turned to Alicio's projection, "My people would support Jedi acting as-"

"Absolutely not," the elder interjected. "You have no evidence for these claims, and simpy wish to use these Jedi as a shield to deny us the minerals we need." He turned to Kassogtha and Amani as well, and narrowed his blue eyes with clear distrust, and perhaps even disgust. He had never interacted with the Jedi before, but he was not going to allow outsiders to interfere so easily.

"Can't you see that your people are suffering? We can't let this continue," she almost pleaded with the man, but he didn't seem impressed.

"It will stop when your forces withdraw from our mines," he persisted. "Our research team is already on its way now to prove our discovery of the mines, and they will show it required no stolen research."

But what he didn't know, was that a group of assassins were moving to intercept this convoy driving through the neutral zone, and into this settlement. As a result, a darker tremor echoed through the Force, reaching out to the Jedi among the diplomats.

Alicio Organa Amani Serys Kassogtha Cthylla Jasper Kai'el

​

 

[Syd Celsius]

Syd doused more flames, but it was a severe struggle. So much of her skill, absorbed by The Battalion.

She could feel Nathan's cold presence in the back of her head, twisting around in its suffering, in its quiet loathing of her. A loathing whose motives she couldn't discern.

He didn't even seem aware she could feel him, and distinctly, even very far away, so blinded by pain as he was.

But she was starting to suspect he was aware...and she thought it very strange, that after she had wished Nathan would start thrashing them, he had done so.

His cold determination also oddly seemed to focus her as she fought to douse the flames. She dared not tried to send anything to aid him through this strange link, because she feared he might go berserk and kill her for trying. He didn't want to be around her. Couldn't be in her presence more than thirty seconds most times.

This distance he displayed hurt her. She didn't know why it did. Frankly, Nathan scared the hell out of her. He never relaxed (Syd never saw him meditate, ever.), and took no joy in anything. He had no hobbies. He had no friends. All he had were the various factions he wore multiple hats for. She didn't even think he was capable of actually enjoying food. Or company.

Syd wasn't stupid. She knew she had done something to him. Something that warranted such a reaction. But she was too terrified to ask.

She quieted another small pond of flames, focusing more...

...and was hit by a memory of her as Darth Phyre murdering Laertia's Mother.

Syd doubled over in shock amidst the ash, horrified. She was remembering it from a first person perspective, Lysandra decaying to a mummified state, screaming as her soul was annihilated through being digested by Phyre.

Syd wanted to be sick as she doubled over, dirtying her cloak in the ash as she rolled around, clutching her head from the pain, trying to will the horrible memory away. But there was no unseeing it. No escaping it.

Shells landed around her, but she screamed only at the horror of what she had done, half wanting death for herself...but at this point she was more afraid of dying than ever. What if she failed to atone? Could she atone? Could anything she did redeem her? What if she came back as something even worse than Phyre?

She wanted to die. But she couldn't. The people she cared for still needed her.

Syd forced herself up, unable to stop looping the memory of murdering Lysandra...and to her horror felt Nathan screaming in pain at a distance, unable to function as they both shared the memory. She could feel him in the tank, having lost control of the vehicle and spinning out of control...

"NO!" she yelled, reaching out blindly...

...and made him appear in front of her via a Force Teleport she had never managed to perform before. He was on the ground, rolling around in blind pain at the memory, unable to function...

Why am I transmitting to him?! Syd thought, desperately rolling him over to try and shake him out of it.

His hand clamped her throat in a vice grip and squeezed.

The air left her as the edges of her vision went red as he stared right at her with a look of murderous insanity. In that instant, Syd understood. To her unrelenting horror, she understood.

"You're... Laertia's father?!" Syd gasped, choking a little more as his grip tightened, threatening to crush her esophagus.

Nathan didn't answer, in the grip of an insane rage as he squeezed.

Syd didn't want to hurt him, but she was out of options. She pulled at some memory of his she didn't fully understand.

"What...are...the three directives...of a Bloodscrawl?" Syd choked out

His grip increased and pain shot into her eyes.

"What...are...the three...directives?" she choked out desperately as Nathan pressed her into the ash. She didn't really struggle, unable to bear hurting him any more than she already had. She would accept death if it came to it.

His grip tightened further and she was in the verge of blacking out, still trying to reach him.

"Three...direct...ives..." she wheezed, not struggling.

The pressure on her neck lessoned by a micron.

"Serve...the public trust...protect...the... innocent..." he wheezed through gritted teeth as the shells fell all around them, vision tunnel like, focused on her face.

"Uphold...the will...of the Force..." he finished emptily, not really all that there.

"You...are about to fail...those directives..." Syd hissed, desperate. (Judgement Day cannot be stopped: 90 XP)

"I'm not sure I mind..." Nathan sneered at her...but released her a second later. She scrambled away from him, coughing violently.

"My name is Nathan Arnold Bloodscrawl. Son of Angus and Natalya Bloodscrawl. Last of the Bloodscrawls. Judger of The Tyrants of Meniliss 7. And I will permit no one else but me to decide your fate. There will come a point, when no Jedi, no code, light or dark, will stay my hand as it did today. But if Destruction is your final destiny, then I am the only one to carry it out. No one else shall be allowed to."

He turned his back on her.

"You may shed your fear of me...for now..." he said coldly, walking back to the battlefield...

Syd got up, still disoriented from strangling.

"I'm in hell...I must be..." Syd wheezed out before spotting a wounded Jedi.

Syd immediately dragged him to safety...

 

[Cailen Corso]

Location: Indomoudo | Objective II: Warzone

​

“I’m with you!” Cailen called ahead through plumes of smoke and ash.

His lungs burned as he kept pace with Silas, moving quickly to reach the worst of the inferno. They found a girl there, about the same age as his brother, already fighting the fires. Cailen recognized her from somewhere, but it wasn’t clicking amidst the chaos tugging at his attention.

He followed Silas’ lead, grabbing a hose and spraying back the flames. Cailen doubted anyone still inside could be alive, but anything was possible with the help of the Force. He pushed himself into a receptive state, still mindful of the flames but more open to cries in the Force.

If anyone needed help, he’d try his hardest to relay it to the others.

---

Tags: Silas Westgard | Thelma Goth ​

---

 

[Vespen Aurrick]

| RETURN |
​

They were confused by him at first, unsure if they could trust him. His figure a silhouette against the dancing flames of places once known, yet his hand had a gentle grace to it - a calming touch for those that he came across in the debris strewn as far as the eye could see. None knew where he came from, nor when exactly he arrived on their planet. He simply was, and his intentions thus far held integrity.

He called upon no aid, no companions at his side to help shoulder the burden as he slowly worked through clouds of thick dust and jagged, unstable architecture. Blaster fire barked nearby, the voices of what could only be assumed to be hostiles shouted military jargon at one another. They were looking for other Jedi, and whoever else couldn't run from them.

Unlike those he saved, these individuals would witness just how vile Vespen could be without uttering a word. They made their choice, and for that they would understand the absolute weight of their actions. He saw what happened to the ones that couldn't be helped in time - the senseless rampage draping all in sorrow, lives uprooted and not given a second thought.

For this, they must die.

There was no redemption.

Like a butcher, he cut through their defenses and their weapons. Cleaving them apart without any hesitation, cutting into their flesh like a machine programmed for just such a task. For whatever reason they felt obliged, for whatever anger they thought they could muster, for whatever petty political game they played at, none of it would be enough.

Vespen was still a Jedi, but the ways of the galaxy and his own personal journey through what could only be described as hellish had shaped him, dulled his emotional capacity except for an underlying bitterness. Evidence of his kills would make that quite apparent.

Yet even now, he had crawled his way back to the affairs of the Jedi Order unannounced. Fighting their fight, saving those he could for the betterment of the future.

Not all the Light had gone.

Not yet.

 

[Amani Serys]

Indoumodo
Alicio Organa - Jasper Kai'el - Kassogtha Cthylla - Spirit of Perseverance

Amani said nothing, but gave Jasper a firm nod. There was something off about all of this, beyond the obvious. Ripples in the Force like a distant but encroaching warning. Despite that, her expression immediately warmed when she saw her husband. Recognizable even in a flickering blue hologram with his back turned. The distorted whining of a pair of infants also kind of gave it away.

"I think they're hungry, dear." She announced, stepping into frame for him to see, "Hello~" Her voice hummed through, the familiar stimulus helping to soothe them at least momentarily, "Be good for your dad, mkay?" Reluctantly, Amani then centered her attention on the talks at hand, as much as she would prefer to be spending time with the family. A shame that infants didn't come with an innate understanding of the importance of geopolitics, or they might have been polite enough to wait.

The politicians wasted no time trading barbs. Or at least one of them. The woman in question seemed a bit more amenable to mediation, while her opponent was obstinate in regards to his people's claim. Amani's nostrils flared, and she cut in, "Clearly both sides see some value in sorting this out peacefully, if they sent you two here. But the process only works if you're willing to meet halfway. We need proof, and compromise. Not hostile conjecture." She gestured towards the archivist, "As Master Cthylla said, there must be something you can each put forth as a sign of goodwill."

The man seemed to doubt the Jedi's role as an adjudicator from the get-go, which wasn't going to make things any easier. Hopefully Alicio's involvement would add an air of legitimacy to the proceedings in his eyes. But the healer's rumination were interrupted by those ripples in the Force once more. Heavier, closer this time. Amani looked intensely at Kass and Oukranos, then back at Jasper. Silent, but the translation was obvious: Do you feel that?

 

[Thelma Goth]

"Thelma, we're here!"

We? She turned to look in the direction Silas had shouted from. There was a boy with him in his early teens, a red-haired Padawan. He was a familiar face at the Temple, perhaps, but she didn't know his name.

"Have you sensed anyone that is still in the buildings?"

"There have been a few here and there," she replied. "We're dousing this one to try and stop the spread."

"By the way, I know it's strange circumstances but Thelma meet Cailen! He's a lad who I'm sure will help us even the odds down here."

"Hello Cailen," Thelma said. The boy seemed busy with firefighting, however, and offered no greetings. Perhaps that was for the best. They weren't here to socialize; they had a job to do.

There was a rumbling noise in the distance, followed by a series of popping sounds as several windows burst in one of the houses. Another bomb had struck nearby.

Silas Westgard Cailen Corso​

 

[Rosalina]

Shells exploded around them. Children cried. Homes burned to cinders. Had Loomi not shoved another small child into her arms for protection, Rosa would've frozen.

Hell. This is hell.

Loomi cried out for Caden, desperate to save the life of her lost Master as his smile disappeared hauntingly into the flames. Panic surged in the Tof's throat as she clutched the cowering children tighter to her chest.

Another shell detonated, reducing a nearby hut to rubble and sending a powerful shockwave of heat rippling against the Jedi. Rosa grunted, tucking her head down as she did her best to shield the kids. When she looked up, face contorted in discomfort and slick with sweat, Caden had been dragged from the inferno by Tala.

Two bodies lay slumped on the bridge, ravaged by fire and smoke.

"Take." Rosa hurriedly deposited the pair of children into the arms of a dazed refugee who had escaped from his home. "Go. To there-" She pointed to an Alliance medical shuttle, the bright red embezzled cross standing out even among the fire. Purpose sparked in the man's eyes, and he nodded before ambling off.

Turning back to the Jedi, Rosa squinted through the intense heat. She heard the tail end of Ko's words as he departed, off to hopefully disable whatever was shelling the village. He was brave. Loomi was shaken, but largely unharmed—the hybrid's shoulders sagged in relief and she almost smiled, had her gaze not swept over the burnt husks of Tala and Caden next. Frantically, she clambered to her knees to inspect the fallen pair.

Rosa was a healer. Rosa was also very, very new to all of this. At best, she could heal a superficial scrape or cut in a quiet, controlled setting. Tala and Caden's wounds were far beyond her capability, and burns were tricky to deal with already.

We don't have any clean water. No bacta. Stars above, they'll need to spend days in a tank for them to have a chance of survival. Their wounds are raw and probably already infected, they'll need rounds of antibiotics already. I don't know what I can do.

In contrast to the that raged around them, Rosa placed one hand gingerly to Tala's forehead, then the other to Caden's. She wasn't connected well to either of them, so it took her some concentration to sense what the others already had.

"Alive." She sighed. "Am sorry. Will hurting."

As carefully as she could, the hulk of a Padawan hoisted the injured Jedi over either shoulder and faced Loomi.

"Loomi, make, ah, uh…"

Squinting at the much smaller girl, Rosa searched for the word shield.

"Make protect." Sharply, her chin gestured towards the medical shuttle. "To there."

Loomi Caden Evesa Tala Vale Ko Vuto

 

[Loomi]

Indoumodo
Tags: Rosalina , Caden Evesa , Ko Vuto , Tala Vale

Tala had been quick to leap into the flames after Caden before Loomi could disperse them. When she did so, the two lie in critical state. Caden was conscious, she was not. Her hart sank as she rushed to their sides, trying her best to assess the damage. Unfortunately, Loomi understood very little about healing. All she could do was look between the two franticly.

“I’m gonna go deal with the encampments that keep shelling us and this community. Wish me luck.”

"Ko! W-wait!"

It was no use. He had already run off. Her stomach began to turn even more now. Ko was so much calmer and collected than Loomi was. Could she manage without him? And what if he got hurt as well? Everything seemed to be falling apart, especially the Godoan. Her mental state was holding on by threads, and it felt like anything could send her mind tumbling.

"Make protect." Sharply, her chin gestured towards the medical shuttle. "To there."

Loomi came back to reality. Rosalina had picked up her wounded Master and fellow student, gesturing to the nearby medical shuttle. They needed to get Caden and Tala there. She couldn't lose herself. Not yet. Loomi was quick to unweave what she could from the bridge, creating a hand-held shield that would work for the job. The girl took a deep breath before reaching towards her gourd, drawing her shape shifting familiar, which took the form of a standard blade.

"R-right," she nodded, a bit of her resolve returning. "I'll cover you."

 

[Alicio Organa]

OBJECTIVE 1
INDOUMODO
- Amani Serys - Jasper Kai'el - Kassogtha Cthylla - Spirit of Perseverance - OPEN -​

At least the children weren't outright crying.

Fussing against their father, the fuzzy holographic outlines of Liana and August wriggled their arms and legs in displeasure, whining in high tones. Alicio bounced gently, trying to calm them, with little success. What could they possibly want?

"A ceasefire would require both sides to trust each other. At this stage, I doubt that is possible without some assurance. Is there something which could be used as collateral, besides the mines?"

//If they were brokering the ceasefire themselves, yes,// Alicio turned towards Master Cthylla with a furrowed brow. He'd be lying if he said he'd been unfazed by the sight of the Pylantian, though he'd quickly tried to get used to the mass of eyes and tentacles. //In this case, all they would be required to trust is the mediator. But they should trust each other, for this to get any further than just a ceasefire. So I would be in full support of... additional incentive.//

Kassogtha's second suggestion, on a completely different matter, made Alicio frown. //They don't have pacifiers.// Then, concern seemed to grip his heart. //They don't have pacifiers. Should they have pacifiers?// The panic of a new father was evident on the senator's face. How had they forgotten to get something so obvious?

Thankfully, it was mother to the rescue. The twins seemed to calm at seeing Amani appear before them, their flailing limbs stilling, and their voices relaxing. And, to be fair, Alicio seemed calmer, too. //Could be. I just fed them an hour ago, but they didn't take much...// As much as Alicio wished Amani were home with them, one of them had to go to Indoumodo in Val's absence. This was important.

And immediately messy, as the diplomats made their stances entirely clear. Alicio glanced down at the twins in his arms, frowning in thought. After letting Amani speak, outlining the issue and reaffirming her fellow Jedi's idea, Alicio stepped in, his tone a bit more assertive than before. //I wish to remind both parties that, per the treaty that created the neutral zone, neither body has any claim to the area by design.// Alicio stared between them, unaware of the uneasy feel that permeated the Force around the delegation. //Being the first to survey an area that should be off-limits does not help your case.//

//The only realistic, legal option before you is to work together to renegotiate the treaty.//

Alicio's form began to flicker and static. His face scrunched in annoyance as his voice suddenly became distorted and choppy. //I'm getting- there's- interference. I'll try-//

The hologram went dead.

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

//They don't have pacifiers. They don't have pacifiers. Should they have pacifiers?//

"It's not necessarily something you want to use all the time. But if the situation calls for it..." And from the looks of it, this particular situation did call for the salvation which only a binky could provide, "It will keep them quiet." Thankfully Mama was on hand to help soothe the children.

Both Senator Organa and Amani agreed with Kass' suggestion, but it remained to be seen what exactly the gestures of goodwill would be. The two delegates from either side were still at odds—or at least, one of them was proving difficult to work with. But it was only a matter of time, she felt, before the war would begin to wear even on him.

That said, the longer it took, the more lives would be lost. The sooner they could end this destructive conflict, the better.

Out of the corners of her numerous eyes, Kass saw Oukranos raise his eyes from his datapad and frown. A moment later, she felt it too. A dark tremor in the Force, as of impending doom. Senator Organa's hologram flickered, then disappeared like a blown out candle.

"Something is wrong," Kass said. "We need to move to a more secure location."

Amani Serys Jasper Kai'el Spirit of Perseverance bye Alicio Organa​