Private Operation Myomar

[Maeve Linahan]

Hesitation ran through Maeve as she locked eyes with Hayes.

He had a plan. Good or bad, it was better than nothing, but with a blaster pointed at her hip and the two of them surrounded by trained assassins, she wasn't sure if it'd pan out well. The Jedi Shadow feared nothing, of course. But Hayes? His life was worth more than an unexpected gamble. She didn't want him to throw it away for her sake.

Until he opened his mouth. Then she understood.

As he increasingly angered Giles, plucking nerves like he was playing a violin, Maeve balled her hands into fists. The Force flowed into her palms and the marrow of her bones. She inhaled a calming breath and counted in her head—one, two, three—as she waited for the moment to come. When it did, she was ready.

The instant Giles pointed his blaster at Alexander, Maeve crashed into his arm, barely throwing his aim off in time to redirect his shot away from her partner's head. Next, she spun like a whirlwind. Her bare fists collided with the traitor's stomach and the Force exploded outward, blasting him through the ceiling and into the next floor.

Plaster rained about her as she turned. Golden braid whipping around her shoulder, she advanced onto General Cosanta like a furious hawk. Calling the lightsaber back to her hand, one switch and she activated the blade, intending to cut clean through the man.

Meanwhile, the rest of Costanta's guards descended on Alexander, teeth and knives bared.

Alexander Hayes​

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[Alexander Hayes]

One of these days, Alex knew one of his gambles weren’t going to pay off. Much like any form of betting or gambling, your luck was going to run out eventually. But it did help that a kickass Jedi Shadow was part of said gamble.

Alex didn’t budge even when he saw Giles’ fire his blaster. He could feel Maeve summoning the Force to her, knowing she was ready for when the traitor pulled the trigger. The K’paur’s had put his trust in Maeve, and it hadn’t been misplaced.

He whistled, watching as Giles was propelled off his feet and up through the ceiling above them.

Note to self, do not ever piss off Maeve Linahan.

Although there was a slight part of Alex that wanted to test his limits against the Shadow at her fullest. But there was time for that another day, right now they had a particularly sticky situation to get out of.

The sheer force of Maeve’s attack shook the room they were in. It knocked some of Costanta’s men off balance slightly. Enough for Alex to quickly grab his discarded knife and throw it into the neck of the closest guard. The remainder raised their rifles, but the General yelled out a command.

“Don’t shoot!”

It confused Alex for a moment, until he realised there were still actual hostages being held in the room. He can’t afford to escalate the situation beyond what it is right now. Seems like Costanta was pulling a gamble of his own.

As the guards moved towards Alexander, the General was backing away from the approaching Maeve. He raised his arm up, a combat shield springing to life to block the lightsaber blow.

“Not today, Jedi.” He bashed her lightsaber away, providing him an opening to backpedal and head towards the nearest exit. Knowing the Shadow was likely to follow him, Costanta grabbed a flashbang from his belt, throwing it to the ground just outside of the restaurant’s door.

Maeve Linahan​

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Light flared as Cosanta tossed back a flash-bang. Shielding her eyes, Maeve cursed under her breath and shouted after him, "Coward!"

Dizzying light still blinded her vision and her ears rang as she struggled to pursue him. But Tyre was fast, plunging into the stairwell. He intended to escape downstairs, where more reinforcements would be waiting. Forget the hostages. None of it would matter if the building was swarmed by his army before the extraction team arrived.

She had to stop him. She had to kill him.

Maeve cast Alexander a quick look, almost apologetic, as if to say, Can you handle them on your own? Between him and the handful of Cosanta's remaining guards, the odds were not in his favor, but the Jedi Shadow already had a general idea of what his answer was going to be.

He would be fine. He had to be. She needed him to be.

At his reply, Maeve spun and thrust her lightsaber into the carpet. She circled the blade around where she knelt and suddenly, she was dropping into the floor below. Her body jolted as she landed in what looked like a spa. There was no time to waste. She sprinted for the stairwell, praying her move would be enough to catch her back up to Cosanta.

Surprisingly, it was. The moment she kicked open the exit door and lunged, Maeve collided with the general, and the two of them tumbled down the next flight of stairs in a hateful embrace.

Alexander Hayes​

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[Alexander Hayes]

Alex spared a glance towards the doorway when he heard the flashbang go off, followed by Maeve’s yell. Cosanta had made a run for it, there was no doubt in that. The K’paur caught that look in the Shadow’s eyes before she disappeared in pursuit. He didn’t fault the decision, if both of them stayed then Cosanta would no doubt escape.

That, and Alex was all too familiar with that righteous fervour to see justice done. For Maeve right now, that was capturing the turncoat General. It was his job to deal with the stragglers left from Cosanta’s lot. Of the six that had sprung the trap, two had already been eliminated, leaving him with the remaining four.

Not the greatest odds, but I’ve dealt with worse.

Hopefully he wouldn’t leave this place with as many new scars.

Alex kept his eyes affixed to the two in front him, while the remaining two circled around to flank him. The K’paur slowly crouched down and picked up his knife, giving it a little spin in his hand before slipping into a stance.

“Well ladies and gentlemen…shall we dance?”

Meanwhile…

Cosanta was cursing up a storm of obscenities as he ran. The plan to ambush and capture the Jedi had failed. All because he had put some of his trust into an Alliance turncoat’s little scheme. The General knew he should’ve just used one of his own men instead. At least then, he’d know the plan wouldn’t be foiled by someone getting played like an emotional fiddle.

But he was adaptable, plans had fallen through before and yet he had still bounced back onto his feet.

“Just need to get down to the Ops Center. Get a message out to the rest of my men…”

If he couldn’t take city by negotiating, then he’d take it by direct force instead.

However, just as he was about to turn down towards another flight of stairs, the nearby door was suddenly kicked open. Cosanta had mere seconds to react before the armoured Shadow lunged at him. The two tumbled down the flight of stairs in a mangled cacophony of metal.

Cosanta didn’t waste time and immediately started throwing punches at Maeve. He didn’t care if it was metal or flesh he was hitting, he just wanted to make her hurt. Their descent finally stopped when the General’s back slammed into the wall. He let out a growl as he tucked his leg in and kicked Maeve in her armoured stomach, hoping to knock her away and give him an opening to run.

Maeve Linahan​

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve tumbled downstairs with Cosanta.

Between the thudding smack of the steps and the general's furious blows, she knew she wouldn't be walking away without a few bruises. As much as she tried to draw on the Force to cushion her body, pain flashed in her vision and she felt a rib crack.

Of course, she didn't take the man's blows without throwing in a few of her own.

Her fist cracked into Cosanta's nose. Drawing blood, her knuckles came back red as they reached the bottom of the stairwell, the man smacking into the wall. Maeve herself lay sprawled on the lower steps, the muscles of her back aching. If not for her armor, she'd be sporting more than just a rib fracture.

"You're not going anywhere," she hissed as Cosanta kicked her chest.

Hand snapping outward, Maeve hurled the Force at him. Like how she'd thrown Giles, the traitor, through the ceiling, the Jedi Shadow flung the general back into the wall he'd just risen from. The blow was enough to leave an impact in the concrete, cracks spider-webbing across the stone. She prayed it was enough to knock him into unconsciousness.

Because if it wasn't, she was going to have to kill him with her bare hands.

Alexander Hayes​

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[Alexander Hayes]

It was a stand off back at the restaurant, as Alex kept his eyes affixed to his four opponents. Each one of them was wielding some form of blade, be it a knife or sword. Despite the fact there were blasters and rifles on the floor, not one was picked up. For a moment the K’paur wondered if this was some sort of twisted ‘honour duel’. But one look at their expressions made it all too clear.

This was personal, they wanted to make him pay for killing their fellow conspirators. Well…Alex was more than happy to send them on their way to join them.

He continued to circle around, keeping his distance from the other four as they seemingly moved in unison. But then two of them began to move further apart, towards either of Alex’s flanks.

Trying to exploit potential blindspots.

Suddenly one of the sword wielding mercs charged at him, blade raised aloft ready to strike. Alex easily evaded with a side dodge, followed by another two misses. Once he saw an opening, the K’paur lunged in for a few stabs, but the enemy was quick.

The sound of a vibro-knife filled the air, getting louder with every second. Alex quickly stepped back, intercepting it with his metal arm. Sparks flew as the knife found nothing but resistance. Alex shoved the enemy back, only to find a third suddenly behind him.

Unfortunately, the mercenary was far too small to properly restrain the K’paur. So when the sword wielder charged once more, the blade poised to pierce his stomach. Alex slammed his head back against his temporary ‘restrainer’ and swung them into position to take the blow instead.

Alex didn’t waste time and capitalised on the enemy’s error. Stabbing his knife up into the skull of the mercenary that had just killed his fellow soldier.

Back with Cosanta and Maeve…

The General had let out a bloody curse when he felt his nose break under the force of the Jedi’s punch. But it didn’t stop Cosanta for a second, as he continued to try and make an opening to escape. Unfortunately, he was up against a Force User. The moment he had raised his leg, making his stance unbalanced, he was blasted with a Force Push that sent him hurtling into the wall behind him.

A couple moments passed as the General seemed almost imprinted into the concrete. Before his body peeled from it and collapsed to the floor. There wasn’t a single move from him, he simply laid there on his stomach.

Until the moment Maeve went to check him, and Cosanta lurched up with a dagger in hand, attempting to stab it up into the Jedi Shadow’s side.

Maeve Linahan​

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve prayed Hayes was okay, just as she prayed Cosanta would stay down.

He didn't. Although her Force Push had sent the general crashing into the wall, his body leaving a web of cracks in the concrete, he rose from the ground like a corpse come to life. A dagger sat in his hand, a glint of steel she saw only at the last moment, just before it plunged right into her side.

Maeve winced. One look down, and she saw the blade lodged in her torso between the cracks in her armor. She had moved barely fast enough to avoid Cosanta from digging too deep or too high, though seeing it there, it was strange. An unusual feeling. Her, stabbed? Impossible, and yet there it was.

She looked at Cosanta, and he stared back at her with a red smile, nose broken and teeth bloodied. "Doesn't feel so good, does it, Jedi?"

Maeve blinked, watching him for a long moment. Then, without thinking, she raised her unlit lightsaber below his chin and switched it on.

Cosanta collapsed right after, a hole burned clean through his skull. He was finished, and so would the rest of his army, once they learned the news and once the hostages were released. As for Maeve, she didn't know. She held a hand to her side, blood trickling between her fingers, and absentmindedly went back up the stairwell.

Hayes, she thought. The hostages, yes, the hostages…

Alexander Hayes​

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[Alexander Hayes]

The K’paur let out a ragged breath as he pried his knife free of the last mercenary. If there was one thing he’d admit about Cosanta’s guards. They had been frustratingly persistent throughout. But now, they littered the floor all around the restaurant.

“I’m going to have one killer headache after this…” Alexander groaned, rubbing the back of his head. Durable as he might be, one could only take so many knocks to the noggin before it left an impression. Fortunately, aside from some small cuts, bruises and his cybernetic arm getting dinged up a bit, Alexander wasn’t worse for wear.

He holstered his knife, taking a moment to look across the room one more time. Eyes scanning for any movement amongst the bodies, which there was none. Not that he was expecting the recently deceased to suddenly rise, but you could never be too careful.

Alex walked over to a nearby table, crouching down and pulling up the cloth within the same motion. Huddled beneath the table was a man and a woman, both tied up and gagged. Shaking and looking terrified. The marine raised a hand in a placating manner.

“It’s alright, I’m with the Galactic Alliance. I’m here to get you all to safety.” Now it was just a matter of checking every table for the hostages.

Several minutes later…

Alexander cautiously took the lead as led the civilians down the stairwell. He was intent on connecting back up with Maeve, who he hoped had incapacitated Cosanta. At the least, the last he had seen her was chasing after the General.

What he hadn’t expected was to meet her half way down the stairwell. Alex heard the clumsy clunking of armour before he saw her. The K’paur immediately noticed her bloodied hand, and practically hopped down several steps to reach her.

“Maeve!”

‘Knight Linahan’ was probably the correct address, but right now Alex was more concerned about her wellbeing, and much less about formalities.

The K’paur carefully wrapped an arm around Maeve to support her. He wanted to ask what had happened, but he could take a pretty good guess. Besides, there were more important matters right now.

“We need to get you to a medic. Are you still able to walk?” Alexander had experienced a number of stab wounds in his military career, knew what it could do to one’s body, especially once the adrenaline started to wear off. But he also knew, at least from his initial impressions of her, that Maeve wasn’t one to show weakness.

He’d let her walk if she felt like she could, but the K’paur would carry her if need be.

Maeve Linahan​

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve ascended the steps back to the top floor, hoping to find Hayes still alive, the hostages secure. Last she checked, he'd been completely surrounded and outnumbered, armed with only a knife. When she'd read his file, she saw a marine with the experience of a Jedi Knight, but against odds like that, she wasn't sure that could save him.

Thank Ashla's Light, then, that she was wrong.

Hayes emerged from around the corner of the next staircase. He brought an arm around her, offering support Maeve didn't know she quite needed, and helped her up the steps. She groaned. The pain from Cosanta's blow was beginning to sting, but she'd suffered worse. She would survive.

"Forget about me," she grunted. "What about the hostages? Are they okay?"

As they reached the top of the staircase and entered the hotel restaurant where the hostages had been held, Maeve was surprised to find many of them already gathered around, shaken but alive. She blinked. The bodies of Cosanta's men littered the ground, all dead, and she cast Hayes an incredulous look.

"You got them all?" Maeve said, and for the first time since their meeting, she let out a tiny laugh. "I underestimated you, Hayes."

All that was left to do now was shepherd the hostages to the rooftop and signal an evac team to pick them up. With Cosanta dead and his army's only leverage gone, the Alliance peacekeeping forces could finally move into the city.

For all intents and purposes, their mission was complete.

Alexander Hayes​

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[Alexander Hayes]

Alexander let out a small chuckle, hearing that admission from Maeve. “Not the first time I’ve been told that.” He flashed her a grin, only to wince a second later as his head throbbed painfully. “Come on, let’s get up to the roof.”

The K’paur led the way, still somewhat on guard despite knowing things were clear. But then, a soldier was never one to let down their guard until the very last.

Once they were on the roof, Alexander looked towards the horizon for a few moments. He double checked all the hostages were accounted for, before pulling out his comlink.

“This is Hayes, Cosanta is KIA.” He looked to Maeve for confirmation. “The building and hostages are secure. Knight Linahan is in need of medical treatment.” Alexander paused to listen, his eyes lingering out to the horizon again. “Understood, will fire it off momentarily.” With that, the K’paur clicked off the channel. Reaching to his belt, the marine grabbed the flare and in one deft motion, held it up towards the sky and fired.

A bright red light streaked through the air, signalling the evac shuttle.

Maeve Linahan​