Jon-Tow Conspiracy: Battle of Hoylin

[Romi Jade]

[youtube]https://youtu.be/HpwK6Thb49Y[/youtube]​

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Spoiler

[youtube]https://youtu.be/zv1VdgVZQ48[/youtube]

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F E I H U I S E C T O R​

B E R I S S Y S T E M​

H O Y L I N ​

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Her index finger gently curled along her lips, she'd been thinking of the current circumstances and all that they found on Beris. Considering the events prior, she pondered all the possibilities of just exactly why Oren Phet agreed to meet with them now. The airlock was cool, the air crept up on her and then provoked chills. Her eyes twitched and she finally looked up as she heard the others gathering behind her.

"Attention to the moment brings knowledge..." She turned and looked upon the group. A general lesson, mainly for her own apprentice but something they should all know. "When you board their ship...look beyond their words, and their actions. You might find something you may have otherwise looked over." She turned back around as she felt their ship finally make contact with their acquaintances.

Shrug "A little lesson..."

There was a loud sizzle, the air being released as the doors to the Redu Freeholders transport opened. Immediately they were greeted by mercenaries; escorts.

Romi stepped forward before the group, running her hand up her thigh and allowing it to eventually find rest on her lightsaber. When the 1 second moment caused the entire room to grow tense, she unclipped it and handed it over.

Whipping her head around she looked to her Jedi delegation to do the same; a simple nod.

She did it to show they didn't come to harm anyone, at least that wasn't their intention. Before long she was following behind their escorts at a moderate pace, her hair bouncing along the length of her back whenever her soles came into contact with the durasteel flooring.

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C O N F E R E N C E R O O M

She beckoned forward to press a button on the holo-projector in the center of the room. Before stepping back the shimmering blue images sprung to life and would cast a light blue film over the entirety of the room.

"These feeds were recovered from Beris..." She spoke before her eyes fell completely on Oren and his group. she began to pace, curving in her path to walk along the projector before she stopped at a certain image. The images would show the explosion, and a series of hallways being engulfed in flames and people running for their lives. unfortunately they weren't able to pick up sound on those feeds so she explained,

"This is a production facility of the Jon-Tow Commercial Combine...one of their larger one." She scanned the room, "Reports were that there was some sort of accident which resulted in an electrical explosion which ripped through the lower levels specifically of this massive facility." She turned to Oren once again who seemed unbothered.

"And what does this mean?" he posed a question, genuinely as if he was unaware. She responded, "You claimed you're only seeking to help those who are starving, trying to help them through this drought? Well...this corporation was one of the main foodstuff producers in this sector. And this explosion did not come from below...it came from above. In fact it was specifically aimed for a reactor which would wreck the entire lower levels. However the threat of radiation would call for immediate evacuation."

"You're saying they sabotaged themselves? Is this the reason food is so damn scare...they were behind it in the beginning?" He responded.

"That was my theory, yes. But you were aware of this already...." Her words provoked a facial reaction from the mercenary leader. The images finally landed on a slight distorted one, but the droids back at the enclave were able to restore a bit of it. This was far back as they could recover. It showed the Cerean Director who was murdered and the Togruta Chairwoman meeting with Oren Phet himself.

"You were in on this plan?

His nostrils flared, and his tough exterior fell apart "I was..." his hands fell onto the projector "This...started as only a scheme to launder money. They would sabotage their own goods, hike the price, and we'd split it all. But...things got out of control. Before I knew it we were being accused of attacking their merchant ships..."

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] | [member="Ar'ekk"] | [member="Sundara Nyveit"]​

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(Closed, all the members signed on beforehand)​

Part 1 | Part 2 ​

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

Romi's words carried across the group, a warning as well as a lesson, a reminder that their circumstances might be more than obvious, that there might be more to it than they could simply see or hear. A lesson we all ought to be used to by now, Teynara mused silently, keeping her thoughts to herself. Part of their training as Jedi had been to try and see the world for what it truly was, rather than just the external things they could all perceive. There's far more to everything than what we can detect with our natural senses, she thought, thinking back on it. You can't touch the Force without realising that. Even so, it was a good reminder in a moment where attentions might easily wander.

Teynara wasn't entirely sure why she'd been chosen to join the delegation - her inexperience in the Jedi way made her a liability, or so she felt. They may call me a member of the Jedi Order, but I'm still just a scientist dipping her toes in the water of something I don't understand yet. That this would be educational was certainly true, given that she hadn't seen much of how Jedi operated among normal individuals, but the blonde remained uncertain as to how she might be able to help. Perhaps that's another thing to learn as we go.

Surrendering their weapons had been an amusing moment, given that she didn't carry any. Her training saber had been left back at Deneba: it would be next to useless in a firefight, and the only thing worse than knowing how to use a weapon and not having one was carrying one you didn't know how to use. And I fall into that latter category. They'd still done a quick scan to check for anything untoward, but she was simply as they saw her: an average-sized blonde attired in a brown and green dress that reached to the top of her boots, her hair falling loosely to her shoulders. Unarmed, unthreatening, harmless.

Their gathering in the conference room had rapidly moved onto a more confrontational attitude. Frankly, Tey hadn't expected Master Jade to be quite to quick with her accusations, nor for the mercenary leader to respond in what passed for a co-operative tone. Truth be told, I half expected the two of them to end up wrestling across the table, she thought, eyes narrowing to observe the hologram that Romi had presented to them. An act of planned sabotage now backfiring on both the victims and the ones responsible.

"Accusations will undoubtedly fly around unless evidence that contradicts them is brought forward," she said softly, knowing that it wasn't her place to speak, but also realising that she wouldn't have been brought along to be a purely passive observer. Not in kindergarten anymore, after all. "I don't imagine you can do much to reverse the results of your efforts, but that doesn't mean you can't now act in good faith, as atonement for the damage you've caused."

The way she figured it, causing the sabotage that was exacerbating the situation in the system wasn't something that could be changed now - it was much too late. But we can always encourage you to work to minimise the consequences people suffer as a result of your actions. How else would these mercenaries show that they were sorry for what they had done? If indeed you are, and not simply acting remorseful because you caught with your hands in the cookie jar...

Something told her that any guilt displayed here wouldn't be sincere so much as self-serving.

| [member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Ar'ekk"] | [member="Sundara Nyveit"] |​

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius listened to his master’s words, and tried to heed them as best he could. The more ethereal things Cassius had trouble with – he had worked with logic and the corporeal all his life. That had all changed when he found the buried temple on Rinn, and ever since then, his world had been opened up in more ways than one. His mind had been expanded as well, but he was still trying to get a grip on it. Emotions, feelings… they had all been parts of him upon which he didn’t really ponder. Things were different now, though.

He tensed, though not very visibly, when the airlock opened. For all he knew, the Freeholders could just try and spray them all with blaster bolts – they were in a confined space, after all. The more experienced Jedi among them had decided to hand over her lightsaber, however. Although reluctant, Cassius eventually unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and took his blaster out of his holster, handing it to the very people who had tried to kill them only weeks ago.

While an inexperienced Jedi, Cassius still liked to consider himself a mature adult with a good head on his shoulders, and he felt bad about this whole arrangement. He’d let Romi know that on the way here, but had also reminded her that he trusted her judgment and would be with her every step of the way. Out of the four other people on the mission, he’d been through some pretty hairy situations with both Romi and Ar’ekk, so he knew he could trust them if things went sideways. Also, as far as Cassius was concerned, five unarmed Jedi were still more than a match for a whole ship full of pirates and mercenaries.

==CONFERENCE ROOM==

Cassius remained quiet throughout Romi’s presentation, one arm crossed over his chest, a closed fist to his chin, brow furrowed, watching intently. Romi and Cassius had gone over the information together before getting here, so he knew exactly when the big whammy would occur. He made sure to keep a close watch on Phet as she made the connection that he was working in tandem with the Jon-Tow all along, something the younger Jedi had suspected since they’d made their initial escape near Deneba. It would explain the look of surprise on Oren’s face when he killed the Jon-Tow leader, but the lack of hesitation to try and kill the others.

Hopefully, this could all end peacefully. The Freeholders would give up any information they have on the Jon-Tow, the Jedi could take both groups in custody, and they could work on finding a solution for those starving due to the schemes of the men sitting across the table from them.

Despite Cassius’s hopes, he made sure to pay attention to Phet and his men, as any of them could decide they didn’t want to be found out and start attacking them at any moment.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member=Ar'ekk] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] | [member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Arekk]

The words spewed by the Jedi Master were acknowledged with brief gestures as they understood the whole situation and whoever they'd encounter once the airlock opened. It was certainly a strange feeling to be there amongst mercenaries you've bumped shoulders with several occasions in places you'd never expect to find a Jedi into.

Beyond their intentions was something else unbeknownst to the Jedi group, people that seemed to look dangerous yet their lives remained unknown to those judging them by their mere appearance. See far behind their weapons and armor, their words and motives and you shall find the answers. A lesson to keep in mind for the future, definitely. There was more to what they could hear or see, the Force being the only wall staying inbetween.

Ar'ekk still didn't know why was be brought to this remote place, obviously enjoying more the view from his Nar Shaddaa safehouse than being on a mission for the Jedi Order. But to keep appearances, he had to attend whatever mission they required him to be present at not only because of his ideals but also do it for whoever stood at his side.

Upon following his fellow Jedi actions and handing his lightsaber as well, one of the mercenaries simply approached the young half-masked warrior and shook hands with him. This was definitely a strange thing to witness yet he simply returned the gesture by shaking hands with the individual, recognizing him from an earlier day as they spoke at The Hawk's Den.

HOYLIN​

Conference Room, Beris System - Fei Hui Sector​

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He stood at one side of the room in complete silence as he overheard the conversation held by the Jedi Master and Oren, a large holo-projector broadcasting devastating images from Beris and the destruction of a food production facility. Ar'ekk wasn't briefed of the occurances whatsoever prior to the trip so he gave the conference his utmost undivided attention, avoiding to miss any details. As he furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms, the young Jedi warrior began to pace around the room as the events continued to unfold and the truth unmasked before everyone attending this meeting.

Hopefully, a peaceful agreement could be done right there and avoid any future entanglements. It wouldn't be wise if the Freeholders opened fire on the group of (although unarmed) Jedi, let alone try to blast one they knew at some extent. However, that feeling began to sink even more as tension overtook the friendly conversation Oren, his group and the Jedi Master had engaged for a few minutes now.

If they were any smart they would be able to reach a peaceful understanding without having to involve weapons into the matter.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] | [member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Spoiler

[youtube]https://youtu.be/zv1VdgVZQ48[/youtube]

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F E I H U I S E C T O R​

B E R I S S Y S T E M​

H O Y L I N ​

Her eyes fluttered a bit, while she drifted off into quick thought she overheard the voice of [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] and her head whipped around. She gave the young woman a smile, she liked that she was stepping in; a nod. "The Padawan is right...there are lives at risk because of this. Whatever you do going forward...realize that you've been given an opportunity to do right by them and yourself, finally." she spoke out.

There seemed to be something else on her mind, a fact that she'd just felt a chill run down her back; a feeling. She wondered about what Phet had said. Glancing over to [member="Cassius Droma"] she would then share her thoughts to in turn get clarity. "Those ships...the moment you the Director was shot. You slipped into panic...you didn't call for reinforcements did you?"

She recalled the space battle the would ensue just after the events took place in that conference room.

"No...we don't have a fleet anywhere that size. We consist of a vagrant fleet, volunteers lending their ships to help us transport people looking to leave the sector after the shortage. Our ships couldn't even contend all that well in a situation like that, they're mostly transport vessels."

Uhn...

A breath of air escaped between her lips as she came to realize something, her thoughts had then become her own as she retreated into her mind "Formations..."

"Look, I don't want to keep up this ruse any longer. We were betrayed and only because we betrayed in turn. I'll do whatever you suggest going forwar--"

Oren Phet went on, but Romi soon interrupted him "Formations...those ships had formations. There wasn't any other party involve in this was there?" she asked before pacing around with a calculated expression on her face.

"The deal was between us and the Combine...wha-"

"The ships that attacked the merchant fleet that day...had military formations. Only someone with that type of experience would know how to organize a fleet for an assault, mercenaries and mere pirates wouldn't approach with such a drawn out strategy. They weren't responding to your distress call as we thought...or were lead to believe..." her voice trailed out and suddenly she stopped before her finger would approach and curl around her chin. She had a feeling...there was a tense undertone within the room...almost deafening.

"We knew nothing about that attack...those ships didn't belong to us. That's when we knew for sure we were betrayed..."

In her thoughts, "We were on the wrong side...?"

Soon she'd be snapped out of her trance when the red flashing began, backed up by a large alarm which sent an air of slight panic through the room. A metallic voice with a sense of fear rang out through the intercom "We're under attack!"

Romi approached the viewport and saw a massive fleet opening fire on their ships. Her eyes twitched, as she recognized them before.

Massive turbulence

She was imbalanced before her head whipped around to view the Freeholders escaping the conference room to move into position. The one who collected their lightsaber quickly returned them before escaping. She gave the Padawan a look of reassurance before she motioned for them to follow her to the bridge.

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H O Y L I N - P L A N E T S I D E - M O U T A I N

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https://youtu.be/ZCk4RiKH9H0[/youtube]

The fleet wasn't created for large scale assaults like this, and due to their lack of military experience the Freeholders were doing more damage to themselves. "You've got innocent civilians on this ship! Retreat now!" Romi lashed out, gripping Oren Phets arm. His pride was getting to him, he snatched away...

A second...

Two seconds....

"Retreat! Get us Planetside! Go!"

The closest option was Hoylin, and after coordinating the move the transports were making a fiery escape towards the planet. The turbulence keeping those onboard in a constant state of imbalance. Romi latched on to whatever she could in the moment before she attached her gaze to the viewports which showcased the planet.

In what seemed like an hours long engagement, they would soon be piercing the clouds of of the atmosphere with not even half of the ships they started with; the enemy was trailing behind them consistently maintaining their volley of fire. Most attempts to deter them were lackluster at best.

The Jedi and their new charges retreated a large mountain in the center of a large plain. It would serve as a rendezvous point for the entire group who had been separated in the ensuing space battle. It'd give the necessary cover from aerial assault and so made it easier to evacuate the groups in the caverns where they could plan their next course of action.

[member="Ar'ekk"]​

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(Closed, all the members signed on beforehand)​

Part 1 | Part 2 ​

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius gave his master a knowing look. He felt it too – a tremor in the Force, a quake in the fabric of emotion and thought. His eyes began to wonder around the room, trying to look for anything that might pose a threat, other than the pirates and mercenaries in their presence, of course. Master Jade was starting to put it together, and Cassius was following her train of thought. The Freeholders were looking more and more like the victims. The only people to benefit were…

The Jon-Tow. And they had gathered all who would oppose them under the name of the Freeholders…

The ship went into red alert. A turbolaser blast rocked the ship. Cassius quickly stood, looking out the viewport. Not again. They made a quick run to the bridge, Cassius clipping his lightsaber to his belt and his blaster to his leg, the comfort they usually brought overridden by the imminent danger they were in.

The ride down to the surface was rocky at best – Cassius wished more than anything he could jump in a starfighter and provide cover for the ships, but he knew that Master Jade would want him at her side. So, all he could do was brace his feet against the floor and grip a console as they made their very steep angle of descent to the planet.

Other ships broke up around them, becoming streaks of hot fire and smoke that pierced the blue sky of Hoylin. He tried not to pay attention to the amount of life being lost around him, since he could now identify their signatures in the Force… and lack thereof.

The landing and evacuation of the ships were rough and hustled, to say the least. Cassius tried to coordinate and lead as much as he could, and eventually they made it to the caverns under a mountain. They weren’t ready for a siege, though. Food supplies were non-existent. They were out-numbered and out-gunned. After taking care of a minor scrape someone had while they were in transit to the mountain, Cassius stepped up to Master Jade, getting close so he could talk in a low voice so no one else could hear.

“We can’t stay here,” Cassius said. “One of two things is going to happen. Either they take their chances and send enough ground troops to overwhelm us, or they bombard the cavern entrances and trap us down here. We need to figure something out, and quick.”

There were a few things they could do – Cassius had already been thinking about strategies on the way into the cavern. At the end of the day, however, it was Master Jade’s call.

[SIZE=11pt][member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Ar'ekk"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"][/SIZE]

 

[Romi Jade]

Blue = Force Meld

Deafened.

She watched as the others had escaped into the caverns below, the Padawan coordinating as best as they could. Perhaps she was counting bodies...the ones she'd have to protect as this was only a temporary fix to a major problem that has yet to hit them in all entirety.

Her trance would be interrupted as she was approached by her apprentice, he voiced his concerns and she listened, noting them. "We can't win this...the most we can do is delay the inevitable. But I don't intend for us to stay that long anyway..." This was a battle that would be weighed heavily against them.

"They have the numbers, the discipline....and the weapons, but we have the advantage of a defensive position."

Hmmm.

She became consumed in thought, resting a finger on the tip of chin. Then they were approached by Oren Phett.

"What're we gonna do? We don't have the man pow-"

Her lips parted for words, before the ground encasing them began to shake and the echo of stone imploding cut off her speech. Hearing the crowds response she looked up and saw dust and pebble fall from their formation; she heard the shrieks of fighters passing overhead.

"They've already began the bombardment..." She thought to herself before looking to Cassius and then turning away as her nostrils flared. She took a moment, pressing her index and middle fingers against her temple. Attempting to focus she shut down each sense in sequence, allowing herself to fall into the whims of the Force. A mental projection, her mind would cast tendrils outward to reach those similar to her. She was given herself over to Padawan under her wing, if they'd accept they would become one; linked.

Having established a deeper connection, she knew what Cassius was thinking via their meld through the Force. She nodded to him as they understood without further discussion. His diversion would be necessary, "Quickly!" she took to focusing in on the others. "Teynara we'll distract them, take the side tunnels and evacuate with the civilians. Get as far away as you can when we draw fire."

Oren Phett would have provided her with a homing beacon that he was using to signal his reinforcements. They'd come directly to Teynara' location and hopefully soon.

'I'll lead the diversion on ground."

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Spoiler

[youtube]https://youtu.be/eb6_J1dq1hk[/youtube]

Having her mind nearly merged with her apprentices, her thought would no longer belong solely to her. "Make no mistake this is a siege. Tactically it wouldn't make sense for them to lead a frontal assault on an opponent as handicapped as this...would waste resources. They were going to bury us or starve us out..."

With Cassius drawing enemy fire from above, she would lead an unexpected frontal assault on the ground with what was left of the Freeholders. Coordinating as swiftly as she could with Oren, they agreed that the main assault element should be broken up. She would draw the enemy in and his force would utilize the terrain to come in with the added pressure when the opposition got close enough.

Before long she was kicking up sand and dirt as she sprinted across the plain; her stride was long and drawn out for optimal speed and coverage. Emerging through the jagged fortress she come across the paramilitary group that hounded them down. Soon a volley of green blaster fire was traded off, glowing in the shadow cast by the fighters that would belong to their enemy. Her scarlet blade sprung to life as she hit each movement hard, twisting her wrist and waist to deflect enemy fire; red blaster rounds skirted through the air.

She knew her place, and there was no time to rethink.

[member="Ar'ekk"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] | [member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The mind-meld was… strange. Being such a private person, Cassius had hesitated at first, but then he remembered that he was supposed to trust his master with his life, as she would him. Their minds merged, and he was able to communicate his plan to her almost instantaneously. She liked it, and he immediately knew what she was going to do. It was strange, being able to communicate in that way, but he found it highly efficient, and with the caverns threatening to collapse around them, they couldn’t waste any time.

He quickly started to head down to a part of the cavern where a few of Phet’s men had landed starfighters just outside of an entrance. Luckily, the bombers hadn’t gotten to them yet. As he bounded down the various rocks, he asked one of their pilots what they had and what they were capable of. The list of ships rattled off, and he had decided on a particular one the moment he’d heard it spoken.

An older-model Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter was landed outside, and he scrambled to get inside of it. It had been modified to have an atmosphere, so luckily, Cassius didn’t need a full flight suit to pilot it. The systems seemed to be updated as well – looked like it was a remake of the model originally manufactured from the Clone Wars. Either way, it was built for exactly what he was used to – speed and maneuverability.

Taking off, the V-wing screamed into the sky, opening its S-foils. Three other Freeholders came with him, and together they formed a four-man attack wing. Coming up behind two of the bombers, Cassius blasted them into oblivion. The other bombers started to break off and start evasive maneuvers, not expecting other starfighters to attack. Cassius kept on them though, destroying yet another one.

They must have called reinforcements, because it was only minutes before Cassius saw more bombers and interceptors to accompany them bearing down on him. Good, that was what he needed. He banked down and dove down, keeping low to the ground. The interceptors followed, while the bombers tried to continue their runs, but were being met by the Freeholders.

Cassius led the Jon-Tow interceptors into a nearby canyon, and this was when he knew he had them. The young pilot had been practicing in the canyons on Deneba lately – he knew exactly how to bob and weave through these types of formations. All he had to do was buy time. Whether or not he took them out was optional.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member=Ar'ekk] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Theme

Spoiler

[youtube]https://youtu.be/eb6_J1dq1hk[/youtube]

F E I H U I S E C T O R​

B E R I S S Y S T E M​

H O Y L I N ​

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Her head flung up, hearing the shrieks of fighters above. The winds that was picked up whipped throughout the area and she covered her face before regaining her attention; the sounds of battle cut through the deafening nose. She had faith in her Padawan, given that she didn't sense any distress from him and was boosted by his confidence she too would make sure she faired well in her area.

"Fall back!"

Her voice rang out to those who could hear it. Then she loosened her wrists, manipulating it so she could provide the necessary coverage she needed while the others relinquished their positions. Gripping the weapon with both hands, she bent her knees and pushed off her heels; she swayed from side to side in quick succession. Her weapon followed the same arc from left to right deflecting blaster fire; red plasma rounds ricocheted off her weapon.

A quick pivot allowed her the access to turn and sprint. Stepping forward but twisting her waist to allow her the flexibility to turn and shield herself and the others if she needed. After sprinting over her mark, she could feel the weight of a much more organized unit bearing down on her as the others under Phett sprouted from their spots and took advantage of a ignorant force.

A fire fight ensued. She held her own, leaping and turning into each move which would make up her swordplay. Their bulwark defense would only delay for so long, feeling that the others had already move into their positions, she fought on a bit longer.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The V-wing wove in and around the canyon walls, managing to use its superior maneuverability as a major advantage. The Jon-Tow starfighters found that they just couldn’t hit the Jedi pilot, and Cassius could feel their anger and frustration start to rise. Good – that meant they were prone to make mistakes. In response, Cassius pushed the throttle forward, picking up speed and really starting to put the fighter to the limit.

Two of the starfighters crashed into each other as they went through a bottleneck. Seeing a straight away that went into a sharp corner, Cassius saw an opportunity. As they came up to the turn, Cassius turned the laser cannons on the V-wing backwards and shot at the starfighter immediately trailing him. It exploded into a fiery ball, and Cassius took the turn, knowing that the others would be temporarily blinded by the fire and smoke.

Cassius shot the V-wing straight up, out of their field of view, and looped around so that he was now behind them. With a series of laser cannon blasts, the last few starfighters were taken by surprise and were turned into nothing but smoldering pieces of raining metal.

Hoping it was the distraction the others needed to take care of the bombers, Cassius made his way back to the mountain, seeing flashes of red from the battle on the ground, including his master. He spotted a small group of Jon-Tow soldiers hiding behind some rocks, further away from the action. Dipping low, he blew them to pieces with a short burst from his cannons, pulling up just as their bodies flew from the impact.

Cassius knew that now was the time to hit back. Pointing his V-wing towards the sky, he slammed the thrust forward as far as it would go. The Jon-Tow frigates were now in the atmosphere, hanging there like vultures waiting to pick them off.

“Master…” he communicated to Romi, “let’s end this.” She could hear his thoughts – she would know exactly what he was thinking.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Her stance was wide; she broke from live combat. Slowly her chest began to rise, filling with air she held a look of determination at an advancing paramilitary closing in on their location. That air would escape her body just as quick as it was trapped when she released a high pitched shriek that cut through the base of the mountain. She planted her feet as her sonic cry would catch her opposition off guard; she felt it necessary.

Seconds later a V-wing cut through the air, igniting their area in a hail of fire which granted them a temporary break in their firefight. The sand was kicked up and her ears rang with demoralizing sounds of battle. She tucked herself under her free hand when the ship flew low and over. She heard Cassius voice, and was filled with his thoughts which allowed her to act just as soon as a rock formation gave and allowed them a temporary break in combat. What was left of their force were quick to retreat.

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She took to the sky; she emerged from behind the cliffside, spiraling towards the sky. She was never much of a pilot, "We've gotta buy the others time..." she flipped a couple of switched up and her strike foils detached as she evened herself out.

However their target was the enemy flagship, she vents pushing cool air towards her face she was able to maintain her speed as she approached the enemy frigates from behind before she unleashed a hail of laser fire in short burst. Making contact with one, she cut through the fiery smog and proceeded with changing her directory.

"Let's do this."

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Their plan was daring, to say the least, but it was the only way to end this before it got out of hand. Although the civilians were probably getting away and would be safe for the time being, it didn’t mean that they could just retreat. For the future of these people, and for those in the rest of the sector, they had to stay and fight. Cut the head off the snake, the body dies. Cassius only hoped that applied here.

Master Jade could best her younger apprentice in many things, but Cassius held the advantage when it came to piloting. Knowing this, he made sure to cut a path for her as their fighters screamed towards the command frigate, telling her to keep close so interceptors wouldn’t get around him to attack her. Through their link, he guided her to avoid the turbolaser fire now hitting their position.

Soon enough, he could see it: the hangar bay. A shield was still up, however, which would prevent their ships from going through unless they had a specific transceiver frequency. The generator was directly next to the hangar opening, and Cassius fired full blast, spinning as he did so. In a fiery explosion, the generator shorted out, and the shield was taken down.

Swinging wide, Cassius shot straight for the hangar bay, his angle of attack diagonal in relation to the opening, so he’d have more time to slow down. Snapping in his s-foils at the last second, he put the V-wing down hard, skidding across the hangar bay floor. Popping open the canopy, Cassius clambered out of the cockpit and slid down the side of the hull to take cover behind the V-wing. Immediately, blaster fire began to ping at the hull, and Cassius’s hand hovered over his own blaster. He had to stop relying on it – he was a Jedi, and a Jedi fought differently.

From behind the V-wing, the brilliant blue blade of his lightsaber sprang to life.

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Maneuvering her way through turbolaser fire, she hugged the ship close to her Apprentice'. Via their link, they were able to coordinate their moves in unison as to keep the other safe. Cassius was the better pilot by all means, and she was extremely proud of him in all regards; she'd be the first to claim this wasn't her area of expertise.

He went for the shield generators, and she snapped her harness off before shooting straight for the hangar bay. She wasn't quick enough to retract the strike foils so one of them broke off and the momentum sent the ship spiraling after it touched down. Pressing her back up against the seat she kept herself from fumbling around in the pit. When it slowed down a bit she punched a button on the board which opened the canopy and she jumped out.

Landing in a crouched position she dove for a few durasteel boxes off to the side as blaster fire rang out. Reaching for her lightsaber she looked over her shoulder to see [member="Cassius Droma"] across the bay.

Nod.

She then stood up and drew some of the fire, weaving an orb of protection around her person as she manipulated the scarlet blade with ease.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius could never hope to block the wave of blaster bolts coming in their direction like his master was. It’d be suicide, frankly. He still hadn’t had any sort of former training in blocking saber techniques by someone who wasn’t a hologram. Against one or two opponents, he’d be alright. The nearly half-dozen hangar guards shooting at them at that moment, however? Not a chance.

There was one thing Cassius could do that he had been practicing by himself, though: acrobatics. Luckily, his master was drawing a lot of fire. Vaulting over the V-wing, Cassius quickly ran towards one of the walls, using the Force to enhance his movements. Leaping straight towards it, he pushed off and upwards, launching himself into the air. Other guards tried to shooting at him, but he managed to arc over them and land on the upper platform where they were standing.

He began to move his saber in wide arcs, not exactly bothering to be non-lethal. Luckily, the lightsaber could cut through virtually any armor or protection the guards had on, so he made quick work of a patch of them.

Once the hangar was clear, Cassius and Romi began to make their way through the ship, moving as quickly as possible. Luckily, the Jon-Tow weren’t even remotely prepared to be boarded, so defenses on the inside of the frigate were relatively light. There weren’t even that many anti-personnel turrets, which the two Jedi made quick work of.

Soon enough, they were at the blast door to the bridge. “Looks like they locked it down,” Cassius said after tapping the panel.

Luckily, they had weapons that could cut through anything.

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

A subtle bend or twist of her wrist allowed her to redirect a few blaster bolts back towards their shooter. However, it was much less refined than it would have been otherwise; she was holding off more than one adversary at the time. Just as a few strands of hair stuck to her lower lip, she noticed her apprentice on the platform above; the fire became much less concentrated.

She stepped forward, running her blade through the blaster barrel of of her nearest attacker before making quick work of him with the heel of her boot. She plunged it right into the glass of his helmet, feeling it cave in under the force. The others, scattered, were easy enough to maneuver through as her athletics allowed her to close in on them with ease; her blade was swift and to the point with each stroke.

Soon she found herself jogging through the corridors of the ship with very light defenses. She made a mental note, but with the adrenaline pumping she failed to deconstruct it as much as she should have.

Coming to the door that lead to the bridge, she planted her right foot down as she came to a halt. Her hair beckoned forward following the momentum. She nodded to her Padawan, "Start on the right and cut towards the top. We'll meet at the center."

She stepped towards her left, and thus plunged her blade into the blast door which gave into molten magma as she began to carve her way up and around to meet Cassius in the center.

With two of them, they would make quick work of the door. When the loud crash cleared of the door caving in she stepped through intending to be met with blaster fire but...

"What?"

She stood back up, her muscles gave way and she took a couple of steps onto an empty deck...

"There's no one..."

She turned, presenting a perplexed expression to her student.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius crouched and slid through the hole that they had made, his saber forward in an ox guard. As he scanned the room, however, he became just as perplexed as his master. Not a soul occupied the bridge. If they had taken a second to scan the area with the Force, they might have gleamed this earlier, but there hadn’t been any time. No automated turrets either… very strange.

With one eyebrow raised, Cassius slowly lowered his guard and held his lightsaber loosely by his side as he looked around. “Completely abandoned…” Cassius said, stepping around a computer console. His eyes squinted as he tried to find any trace of life having previously been there.

“Maybe they all abandoned ship?” he pondered, going over to a security terminal to try and access it. It would be helpful to see if the escape pods had been jettisoned, and where their trajectories had been. After an electronic beep let him know he didn’t have access, he sighed.

“It’s possible it was remotely controlled…” he once again theorized. “But then, why have guards on the ship at all? If they had controlled the ship from another location, it couldn’t have been from too far away. They would still need to send a pretty hefty signal to control all the various functions.”

Still, it looked like the Jon-Tow had gotten away, for now. Part of him was disappointed, as they wouldn’t be able to bring these men to justice, but he also knew that by standing here on the bridge of their main ship, they’d won. No one else had to die that day.

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Sigh

She absorbed the words of her Padawan. With a flick of her thumb, the scarlet blade retreated back into its slumber; it waited to be called upon again. She held her tongue, because she needed to make sense of all that happened. A few steps...

Click

Clack

The heels of her boots collided with the durasteel padding that made up the bridge; it created a subtle patter that was noticeable enough now that it was silent.

Walking down the aisle that led to the viewport she stopped short; she folded her arms.

"There's something else at work here..." she spoke her thoughts out loud.

A beat

She took her moment before shutting her eyes, and allowing her head to fall in relief that they would live to see another day.

[member="Cassius Droma"]​

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T H E E N D ​