Private Prologue: Point of No Return

[Taliya Kassell]

"Move! Let's go, let's go!" Yelled an armoured goon, leading other armed individuals to the main entrance of the fortress. More explosion shook the walls, making some of the soldiers stumble a bit before they caught themself. "Don't worry boss, the doc and his daughter are placed under heavy protection, and I have directed all attention on the Jedi" explained the high-ranking pirate to his boss, Calafry. Armed with two heavy slug throwing blaster revolvers on each hip and almost completely decked out in cybernetics, apart from his head. "Good" nodded Calafry as he returned to his throne in the large main chamber and sat down on his throne, leaning to the side as he got comfortable.

Another set of explosions went off, shaking the whole place, "sithspit, that was the second gate that blew" cursed the high ranking goon as he made his way to where the action where. With blaster in hands, he made his way down two sets of wide flights of stairs, passing by guest rooms, armoury, prison chamber, before entering the large cantina. "You and you, follow me!" ordered the high ranking goon, passing through a smaller security room with four sets of high-powered turrets, aimed at the door, which led out to the long narrow hallway, which then would lead to the three reinforced gates.

Entering the hallway, a line of hardened and rough mercenaries was in position, aiming their various set of blasters at the third and still intact gate. "Status!" Demanded the high ranking goon, looking over the situation and the last gate, which was still holding strong. "They have blown their way through two of the three gates, but their explosion doesn't seem to be able to blow the third gate" explained one of the mercenaries, who held a heavy blaster rifle.

Satisfied, with the situation, everything suddenly went dark in the hallway, as another explosion went off somewhere outside, cutting the main power source for most of the fortress'. Suddenly the door was shut close behind them, leaving them trapped in the hallway. "Kriff, Kriff, Kriff!" cursed one of the men, as he tried to pry open the blasted door, to no help. Everything went eerily quiet where they were, with only distance turret fire at something outside in the air.

With red light, illuminating the entire hallway, four of the men in the hallway now desperately tried to force the door up with brute force, while the other half swallowed once and aimed their blaster at the last gate.

Like cutting through butter with a hot knife, the silent hallway was filled with the sound of reinforced mental getting melted by plasma. Lighting up the area, a beam of pure plasma, lit up the inside of the gate. At first, there wasn't much colour cast from the plasma blade, making the men in the hallway cautious at first. It instantly grew to fright, as everyone aimed their blaster at the beam of light in the middle of the gate. Then the blade started to move, showing the white blade. Watching the blade of plasmas cutting through the last gate as if it was nothing, made those at the door, try even harder to get the door up, or hammer on it to get the attention of those at the other side.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Theme​

The other side of the hallway remained eerie still after the blades finished their downward trajectory, having cut a perfect circle in the heavy blastdoor. Both the white and amethyst blades had disappeared, leaving the mercenaries in utter darkness, accompanied by the scent of sweat and their own ragged breaths.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The circular durasteel panel moved forward, scraping over the floor as it shielded the cloaked figure behind it from the merciless volleys of red blasterbolts that lit up the hallway. With one mighty blow, the Jedi Master shoved her shield forward, ramming it into the few mercenaries who had opted to stay in the middle of the room.

"Kill her! Fire everything you have!" The highest ranking of the mercenaries yelled, while he backpedaled and emptied his blaster's energy cell on the figure in the torn brown cloak, who weaved past the blasterfire with the grace of a dancer. The mercenary witnessed some of his men freeze in place, others being thrown through the hallway and some even losing arms or legs to the white blade of the Jedi, who cleared the room at an alarming rate.

The final defender apart from him received a hard kick in his abdomen, dropping him instantly. The commanding mercenary raised his reloaded blaster in a last-ditch effort, only for it be cut in half. Not willing to surrender, he immediately reached for the vibroknife in his boot, ready to thrust it deep in the woman's chest. But the weapon was easily taken from him, along with his hand.

Clutching his arm, the mercenary fell to his knees while screaming in pain. His eyes teared up, but he could still make out the cold gaze of the lilac eyes who looked down on him. The man wanted to curse, but no words came to his mind. At least none of his own. Instead, a disembodied female voice echoed through his head.

"Where is the girl?"

 

[Taliya Kassell]

Another set of explosions went off, shaking the hallway, forcing bits and pieces to fall from the ceiling along with dust and sand. The two pirates behind the door, at first, desperately tried to get it open, but could just watch the Jedi cut everyone down. Seeing the commanding mercenary get beaten and disarmed, literally, as if he was nothing, was truly terrifying. Taking position, the two men took their position behind one of the two turrets, aiming at the door. "Kriff kriff kriff, we are so not getting enough credits for this shit" cursed one of them, actually shaking a bit.

The commanding mercenary was in too much pain to surprise or scared from each the voice, as he clutched the stub, where his hand had been. "I ain't telling you shit Sithspit" hissed the commanding mercenary, baring his teeth, due to how much pain he felt. "Hehe... ouch, you won't get far" gruntled the man in pain and finally spat a mix of blood and spit at the Jedi's feet.

Another set of explosions went off outside, followed by a familiar voice to Sakadi. "The outer defences are taken out, Master Sinvala, but they managed to disable the other ship. A few wounded from the crash" explained the voice, before cutting the connection again.

At one last attempt, since he had nothing to lose and through the pain, he tried to tackle the Jedi, by wrapping the arm he lost his hand around Sakadi while pulling another vibroknife with the hand he still had.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Theme​

"Wrong answer. Even my students could do better." She spoke with a calm tone and took a small step back to avoid any blood spatters from landing on her boots. "I don't have to ask, you know. It's just that I prefer being polite." Normally, she preferred a more peaceful approach. But today she wasn't negotiating.

Before she could take action, her second-in-command opened the comm channel. "Shift your efforts to preserving what we have left. Keep up the pressure, but prioritize caution and defense. I'll handle things in here." Most of the Antarian Rangers who accompanied her on missions like these were close friends. If possible, she preferred to keep them out of harm's way, even when conflict was unavoidable.

Today, however, conflict definitely wasn't unavoidable. Shortly after her eyes shifted away from the thug to reach the Antarian Ranger through the Force, the man made his move.

But as he would find out the Jedi Master was much, much faster. She backpedalled, spinning on the ball of her heel to gracefully evade his attempted grapple. A second, amethyst fiery blade immediately ignited in a flash, robbing the man of both his vibroknife and his left underarm.

As swiftly as she drew the purple blade, Sakadi extinguished it again. "Last chance. Where is the child."

Taliya Kassell

 

[Taliya Kassell]

The man screamed in pain from losing a second arm for a good ten seconds, landing face first into the floor. moaning achingly as his brain pumped every nerve in his body with pain signals. With the stumps for arms, he turned around, gasping for breath as blood started to tickle down his chin. "up top" hissed the man, taking a breath as if it was his last. "It doesn't matter, you're too late~ouch you spent so much time on me the doc must have finished his experiment on the girl ouch, Hahaha you stupid Schutta" laughed the defeated pirate, taunting the Jedi Master.

Back up in the throne room, the crimelord was getting really kriffing impatient and with a damn Jedi in his home and rangers baring down on his fort, he wanted answers. "You! Go check on the doctor, I did not wait this long for some Jedi schutta to take away my investment!" ordered the crimelord to one of his men in the throne room.

"Right away" nodded the mercenary as he headed for a door on the far end of the throne room. The crimelord paced back and forth by his throne, always glancing at the reinforced steel door into his throne. Any moment the Jedi could enter and if doc's experiment didn't work, he doubted he would be able to stop a Jedi of this calibre. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself internally that he was more than capable of taking on a damn Jedi and that was the whole reason for the cybernetic enhancements to his body.

With a grin, to no one in particular, the crimelord sat back down on his throne, placing one leg over the armrest and looked to the locked entrance door for a lightsaber cutting it down.

The two men in the next room that the hallway would lead into, looked to each other as they heard the highest-ranking man among them was being defeated as if he was nothing. Looking to each other, they looked back at the door, just waiting for lightsabers to start cutting the door down. At least they had a turret by both of them, giving them at least a bit of calm before the storm, knowing the battle turrets could fire 3000 shots in a minute. "Y-yeah, no way that Jedi can get past us, right?" Said the pirate on the right turret. "No way, I've seen these babies cut down armies, no way a Jedi can be fast enough through the door!" agreed the pirate by the left turret.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

She wasn't here to listen to rambling. With a single punch against the man's temple, she knocked him about before he could finish his sentence. There was only one way through this mess. One way to answers. As often was the case, only persistence would reveal the path.

Sakadi took a deep breath. She knew what was on the other side of the door. The surface thoughts of the two men betrayed their attentions, their weaponry, their fear… Everything.

With four short and accurate slashes, the Sephi would cut a square in the durasteel-plated door. It wasn't as thick as the other one; so brute force to pry it open would suffice.

The Force coiled around her hand, gathering in her open palm before launching in a crashing wave against the door. The square budged under the pressure, thrown into the hallway between the turrets with a large dent in the middle, immediately followed by the Jedi Master.

Again, she raised her hand, gaze locked on the left turret. With a swipe, the Jedi Master took control of the weapon and turned it 90 degrees; directly at the other turret.

As was expected, both gunners instinctively opened fire. Swift as she was, the Jedi Master dodged to the left to stay out of the turrets range, crossing an impressive distance for someone of her size. Eventually it would have gotten her, had it not been for the friendly fire.

In a plume of fire and smoke, the gunner on the right met his end by his ally's turret. The second gunner received a purple shoto through the chest, one thrown with the speed of lightning. If this display wasn't enough of a lesson to the other goons, she didn't know what was.

Taliya Kassell

 

[Taliya Kassell]

It all happened so fast, that the two pirates by the turrets only got to fire a single around before finding their end. The piece of the door were flung through the hall and slammed against the last door, before Sakadi would get to the stairs, which would lead her up to the fort's cantina. Luckily for Sakadi and unluckily for the rest of the men, the last door couldn't hold against the crushing force that the first door delivered, sending both tipping over.

A few placed themselves by the corners of the door, firing at the Jedi Master, while others started to realize that this was not worth dying for and fled, only to get gunned down by others for deserting. "No one leaves their post or I'll gun every single one of you down! Now keep firing you blasted fools.

Back up at the throne room, the guard who left to check on the doctor's process for his project and "convince" him if he changed his mind, entered the small corridor which led him to the doctor's home. Upon entering the living room, the guard saw Gonn and Doctor Kassell in a mid-argument. "~eed more time! It's not ready and I don't know what kind of side effects it might have!" pointed Doctor Kassell out frustrated. "Doc, you gotta listen to reason, we're getting atta~ Oh sir" tried Gonn again, but stopped mid-sentence as he saw the crimelord's personal guard entering the living room.

"I heard enough," said the guard and pulled his gun on the doctor, "get the machine started, or you won't get to see your project again if that Jedi get to you!" yelled the guard grabbing Doctor Kassell's throat, lifting him into the air. Coughing and gasping for breath, the doctor nodded with a bit of difficulty due to the guard's hand around his throat.

Dropping the doctor, the guard turned to Gonn, giving him a stern look, "get him working or kill the kid" demanded the guard and left the living room to return to his boss. Gonn knew his place and sighed when the guard had left and looked to Doctor Kassell who was rubbing his throat, "common doc" said Gonn finally, following the doctor to Taliya's room.

Another set of explosions went off as some of the crimelord's men who had deserted their post, found themself against Sakadi's rangers, which exploded into a heated firefight.

A door wooshed open, as Taliya's dad and Gonn entered the room, hatching a nervous Taliya, sitting on her bed, hugging her legs. "What's going on dad?" Asked Taliya worried, as another set of explosions went off outside. "An evil warrior has come to take you away from me darling" lied her dad, kneeling down in front of her. Hearing someone want to take her away from her dad, didn't exactly help her relax, which her dad realized and quickly added, "but don't worry, Mr Calafry and his guards will keep the evil warrior from getting to us" explained her dad, causing Taliya to relax a bit, though not by much while Gonn just stood by the door and waited.

"Do you remember daddy's work, and how you always loved to help?" Asked Doctor Kassell with a warm smile, showing no sign of distress or worry. "Yes" replied Taliya, dragging out her yes, not sure where her dad was going with his question. "You see, Mr Calafry, my boss, is being attacked by the evil warrior and have told me to use my machine, so he can stop the evil warrior" started Taliya's dad to explain. "But I need your help one last time, do you think you can do this last thing for daddy?" Asked Taliya's dad, placing his hand on her cheek.

"Doc, we don't have time for this" rushed Gonn as he continued to glance into the living room, expecting the Jedi to burst through any minute. Looking up at Gonn, seeing his reaction to it and then back at her dad, she finally nodded, even though she still had no idea what exactly it was that her dad had been working on.

With a warm wide smile, Taliya's dad smiled and led his daughter out of her room with Gonn behind them, as they all three entered the lab...

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

With a fast and determined pace, Sakadi moved up the stairs. What blaster bolts came her way would ricochet off her silver blade, some harmlessly slamming into the ceiling and others finding their way back to the thugs. Others found their guns yanked from their hands by an invisible force, and some even found their stomachs heaving or their sense of balance being disrupted. Sakadi Sinvala wasn't wielding the Force. The Force was wielding her. She was an instrument of its will, like all Jedi were. And if the Force truly wanted something done, well, no one could stand against its instruments.

Her comlink lit up shortly after the last of the thugs collapsed. "Sakadi?" It was Aril. The young Sephi woman who had joined the Antarian Rangers after her pivotal role as commander of Thustra's freedom fighters. Aril worked closely with the Jedi Master, proving time and time again how valuable she was to the Rangers of the Mid Rim. "We've neutralized most of Calafry's forces in the southern part of the palace. Where are you?" Aril said. "North East, I think. I'm in a cafeteria now." "Gotcha. We'll rendezvous with you in the central hallway." Aril said. "Fine by me. Sakadi responded, as she broke into a quick sprint again.

It took her about two minutes to find the central hallway the locals had marked in the primitive holomap of the building. She encountered little resistance on her way to the throneroom. Some had been taking out by Aril's team already, and others simply knew when it was time to abandon ship. When she arrived, the three rangers were already waiting for her.

Aril was the first to speak up. "I'm no Jedi, but even I can tell that something ominous is hiding behind a door this large." Sakadi's mouth curved into a smile. "I'll have your M-count checked when we're back in the Roche system." She conveyed, glancing over the other two rangers. She didn't know them, but Aril had chosen them for this infiltration mission. One of them was a Bith, who stood over the remains of a destroyer droid. The other, a Nikto, carried a long slugthrower. One that reminded her of those used by the Tusken Raiders. It was an odd weapon of choice, but she didn't question it.

"First things first Sinvala, first things first." Aril returned, drawing two blaster pistols from the holsters slightly below her waist. "You're right. We have a party to crash" With a simple but decisive motion of the Master's hand, the large doors magically opened. The Concord was here. For Calafry, that meant game over.

Taliya Kassell

 

[Taliya Kassell]

Upon entering the throne room, they found themselves in a large 30x30 meter oval room, with half of it built into the mountain to make room. Looking around the actual throne room was surprisingly empty, apart from a few standing tables spread along the edges and a very high-end bar with a droid as bartender.

Only two other doors were visible other than the one that Sakadi and her team went through. The first door was to the left of Sakadi and unbelievably made out of pure beskar, which most likely was bought on the black market. The only other thing by the beskar door was a small keypad and a sign above reading "private".

The other door was, however, only made of reinforced durasteel and was placed a bit to the right side and behind the actual throne. The Crimelord, Mr Calafry, rose from his iron throne standing almost 3 meters tall. Carrying a full automatic slugthrower in one hand, resting its barrel on his shoulder and heavy slugthrower
revolver in his other cybernetic hand.

Besides him was two armed to the teeth elite guards of the Crimelord. Though not as insanely decked out in cybernetics as their boss, both of the guards was a monster of their own right. The first guard had special vibroblades built into his forearms, each reaching 1.7 feet in length and capable of cutting limps off without much trouble. While he didn't wear much in the sense of armour, it wouldn't be hard to tell that his cybernetics granted him superhuman speed.

The second guard and most normal of the two, wore full protective armour, carrying a Buzzsaw, however, due to its weight, recoil and difficulty to use, the weapon had a sling he wore.

"Congratulation schutta, you are the last meat bag I get to slaughter, before my ascension to godhood" laughed Calafry dryly, following it up by fire both of his weapons at Sakadi. Laughing joyfully, the crimelord found great joy in utilizing the fact that the Jedi Master couldn't block slugs as they would just melt and continue as molten metal. Not only that but thanks to his almost fully converted body, his cybernetics gave him reaction time that would rival her speed with the force.

The first guard joined his boss and dashed with superhuman speed after the Jedi Master, slashing anything in his path, also utilizing the speed his cybernetic legs and arm provided him.

The second guard squeezed the trigger on his rotary cannon and just lit up the room in bright red colours, firing thousands of rounds per second due to its six barrels. Aril's team would have to find cover immediately or get gunned down by the rotary cannon. To make matters worse, the rotary cannon had a shield, covering the upper body of the guard. The downside, however, was that it could only turn 30 degrees to each side. It wasn't a problem now as Aril's team and the first couple of tables was within line of sight if the guard was flanked, meant he would have to dismount his rotary cannon from the turret stand, making it almost impossible to fire on full auto.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Aril was no Jedi. But at moments like these, she honestly believed she could tell when a Jedi made use of the Force. The air almost seemed to shimmer with power, and the woman she knew for maybe three months now was definitely the one responsible. The petite and delicate Sephi beside her could do amazing things, and she suspected that the former Soprano would do something impossible again today. To be frank, she was counting on it. They weren't outnumbered, but they were definitely outgunned. And well, the help of a Jedi was always appreciated.

Then, it began.

Sakadi was the first move. With the precognitive reflexes of a full-fledged Jedi Master she sidestepped to the left, placing the first guard right in Calafry's line of fire. If the guard moved left or right, so would Sakadi, while she readied her lightsaber to parry the incoming vibroblades. "Cosun! Low coverfire!" Aril barked at the Nikto, who mumbled something in Huttese as he, just like her, ran for cover. The storm of slugs coming their way would've immediately killed them on impact, but the two rangers scattered. Each went their separate way, while the Bith did something quite daring.

The Bith, called Alu, had a very specific occupation in her company of Rangers. Alu specialized in disabling droids and electronics. He was her primary choice for this infiltration after she received intel on the stronghold's defenses, and with good reason. But what she saw the Bith doing? That was not what they had rehearsed.

"Alu! Stop!" The determined Bith ignored her order. He dashed forward, barely evading the first salvo of the second guard and unclipped three small orbs from his belt. Aril spoke no Bith, but the last words of the Bith did not require a translation

"For the Concord!" Dozens of slugs bore through the Bith as he threw the three strong EMP grenades up. They came down, shattering on impact with the stone tiles of the floor and sending an EMP wave through the throne room.

Sakadi's own swiftly erected Force bubble combined with her Cosaint bracers shielded her lightsaber from the ion blast. The three cybernetically-enhanced men, however? Sakadi expected that they would have a less-enjoyable experience.

Taliya Kassell

 

[Taliya Kassell]

As the EMP grenade went off, it hit the second guard first, completely shutting off most of his systems, ending the endless blaster fire from the turret. The second guard fell as long as he was tall and only had his torso in working condition, keeping him from dying. However, he was taken out in such a way, that he was in no threat in any way.

The first guard, the one swinging his vibroblade forearms, moved like a Jedi master of the force in terms of speed and control. Calafry soon realized what the pesky Jedi were doing and held off his weapon firing, letting his first guard handle Sakadi and refocused on the others. The Jedi Master would quickly find herself in a dance of death. One wrong move and it would be game over for one of them.

Calafry was about to blast Aril and Nikto when he saw the Bith managed to set off an EMP grenade, completely taking out his first guard. The EMP wave quickly hit Calafry, despite his use of a shield, the wave just passed through. In a furious roar, Calafry's voices started to change pitch and volume as every cybernetic part in him were hit. the almost fully converted cyborg felt each part shut off in him, until everything just went black, knocking out Calafry.

The first guard in a fraction of a nano-second put two and two together, turned around and dashed with super-human speed towards Aril and Nikto, jumped into the air and aimed one of his forearm's blade directly at Aril, getting ready to fire it at her. Fortunately for Aril, right before the last remaining elite guard could fire, he was hit by the EMP wave, messing up his arm as he fired the blade. Instead of hitting her head, Aril would feel her shoulder getting sliced deep, almost hitting the bone as the vibroblade flew past her. She would survive and with the right medical care, she would make a full recovery, minus a scar. The last guard fell down, unable to move or do anything else than be alive in his unconscious state.

Everything had turned quiet as Sakadi, Aril and Nikto had won the battle. Standing finally alone in the throne room, surrounded by knocked out extreme cybernetically enhanced criminals. Luckily for the Jedi and her team, the EMP had also hit the control panel by the pure beskar blast door, opening it.

The other door behind the throne also opened, but would only lead into a large bedroom and was most likely used by the Crime Lord himself. The pure beskar door, however, opened up to a long hallway, leading deeper into the mountain. There were no windows, no sign of guards or anything trap related. If they continued down the hallway, they would find themself at the heart of the gigantic mountain and stand in front of a single door at the end. Around the door, it was clear that guards had been posted along with a heavy turret. But no guard was present and the only thing they saw by the door, though, was the disabled turret, hanging lifelessly from the ceiling.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

The cyborg annoyingly enough could match her speed and control. But he lacked her experience. Memories of battles fought long ago came back to her, guiding her blade with a flair that made her by far the superior dancer in their subtle exchange. Nevertheless, she recognised the danger, and remained largely on the defensive. But had she taken more risk, gone on the offensive perhaps, she could've prevented the Bith's death.

Luckily, his life didn't go to waste.

Calafry roared, the rotary blaster cannon stopped firing, and her own opponent disengaged. Her eyes widened for a moment as he went straight for her fellow Sephi. She wanted to race after him, but she knew she would be too late. Aril grunted as the vibroblade struck her shoulder. Thank the Force Sakadi thought, as the blow was not lethal. Coincidentally, that one blow also marked the end of their encounter.

Cosun, the Nikto warrior, immediately made his way over to Aril. "Don't worry about me…" She was panting and definitely in pain, but the Ranger had a tendency to prioritise the mission over anything else. "Just… confine them before the EMP wears off. I'll contact the forces outside of the building to send in a team. Both Cosun and Sakadi nodded. "I'll continue and find out where this leads to." Sakadi was facing the long hallway as she spoke. "Keep me informed over the comm" She relayed to Aril, who seemed a bit occupied with her wound. Still, she raised a thumb toward the Jedi Master. That was the green light she needed to go on.

With her lightsaber still ignited, Sakadi made her way down the hall and stairs that led deeper into the mountain. She continued, until she reached a single door. The turret guarding it was out of commission, and the guard himself was nowhere to be seen. It was odd, really.

Sakadi stopped for a moment. This was the path the Force wanted her to take, so why hesitate? The Jedi knew that whatever she would find behind this door would be a challenge, no matter how she spun it. Perhaps it was best to just undergo it, and find out what's in the present instead of thinking about the future.

A breath escaped her lips as she gathered the energy of the Force. She was already dreading the many report she would have to read and sign concerning this assault. This 'Calafry', or whoever he was, had far too many resources and far too much power for his own good. That required investigations. Investigations she had to set up and see through… What a hassle.

With a motion of her hand, the door flung open and the Jedi Master stepped through. She was prepared to meet resistance, which seemed to be a common theme in every room she had entered so far.

Taliya Kassell

 

[Taliya Kassell]

As soon as Sakadi opened the door and entered, She were met with quite a chaotic sight. On the opposite end of the living room, the wall had been completely blown up with some kind of high explosive grenade. splintered funitures, rocks and concrete was scattered all over the floor where the wall was blown. Bits and pieces from the ceiling had almost caved in, looking close to giving in from pressure of rocks that had torn itself free in the blast.

Not far from the opening in the wall, lay the upper body part with only some skin to hold the lower part from completely separating. He was a bloody mess, blood-splattered everywhere. One thing Sakadi would notice though was that the blown-up man was most likely the guard that had stationed outside the door she just went through.

If Sakadi would look through the large crater-size hole in the wall, she would see two men and some sort of medical station with all kinds of strange and weird-looking wires and tubs going from the machines to the station where a much smaller framed person was plugged into the medical station. While it was hard to see from where Sakadi stood, the closer she would get to the station, the clearer it would be what was going on. First, the smaller framed person was a girl, the very girl, the mother begged the Jedi Council for help to retrieve from her insane husband and who Sakadi was sent to get. The girl, Taliya, was strapped into a smaller seat elevating her a few meters above ground with each arm injected with a peripheral intravenous line. Multiple machines were controlling everything from heartbeat to brain activity and various other important pieces of information needed.

However, something that might catch Sakadi's attention almost immediately, if not instantly, was two small objects, placed on small pedestals, one blue square-shaped artefact and the other, a blood-red pyramid-shaped artefact. She would also sense and feel the strong emanating connection to the dark side and light side of the force from them.

Whatever it was, it looked like a hybrid between a Sith Alchemy ritual and that of a medical operation procedure on this girl, or at least ready to do something to the girl.

The two men, the one, standing by the unconscious Taliya, holding a slugthrower blaster pistol with it aimed at the other man, was Taliya's father. The second man in the lab was Gonn, also holding a similar blaster pistol, aimed at the dad. They were both in a heated argument, over Taliya, Calafry and betrayal from Taliya's father's deal.

"~ou good for nothing snake! Drop the gun now or I won't hesitate to shoot your machine!" threatened Gonn, which Taliya's father reacted very aggressively to. "Don't you kriffing dare! I'll put a slug through your damn head!" roared Taliya's dad back.

"Don't do it. Taliya's your kid! You said it yourself, you haven't tested your machine yet, what if something goes wrong?!" Asked Gonn, trying to reason with his love for his daughter.

"I'm doing this FOR my daughter! She's going to be able to use the force, the ultimate gift a father can give!" Argued Taliya's father back just as loudly as Gonn. Gonn was about to continue their argument when his cybernetics warned him of an unknown being behind him, prompting him to turn around. Unfortunately, Taliya's dad thought Gonn was about to fire, and opened fired himself, killing Gonn on the spot.

In an instant, Taliya's dad refocused on Sakadi with a shaky hand, "kriff off, you that Jedi. Oh I should have known my good for nothing wife would send one of you after me and steal my Taliya from me!" rambled Mr Kassell while switching his aim between the Jedi and Ranger. "It doesn't matter anyway, you're too late~ Jedi!" Said Mr Kassell finally in his ramble and pressed a button.

Even if Sakadi used her mastery of the force to sprint up to Taliya's father, it was too late and Taliya's dad didn't even resist if the Jedi Master apprehended him.

The noise from all the machines connected to Taliya and the two Holocrons, who in turn also had wires connected to the girl's head, grew louder and louder. The whole room started to shake as if an earthquake was passing by below them. Smoke rose from various computers, coming threatening close to overheating.

Both Holocrons started to open as if a Sith and Jedi stood by their respectable artefact, opening the Holocron. The next thing that happened was something never to have been done before. Out of the Holocrons rose a Sith Force Spirit and a Jedi Force Ghost, both looking for a split second stared down at Sakadi. The Sith Spirit was powerful in the dark side and radiated stubbornness, deceit and ambitious. The Jedi Ghost, on the other hand, radiated control, order and zealousness to the Light Side of the Force.

As soon as the Spirit and Ghost had appeared in what now had conjured a force storm in the room, due to the unnatural activity within the force was happening. As fast as they appeared, out of the Holocrons, just as fast were they merged with Taliya's mind against their will.

With too much power being produced by the terminals and machines, made them short-circuit, completely killing themself. And the Holocrons? They were devoided of all colour, standing empty and rid of any connection to the Force.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi paid little to no attention to the destruction caused by this yet unknown cause. Her ears were perked, as the Jedi Master strode into the direction of an argument. Her pace was calm and her posture remained upright. In any and all senses, the Jedi Master exercised what control she had over the situation. She did not stop once she saw the two men with drawn weapons through the gaping hole either. No, she had faced so many already. Two more meant nothing to the Jedi Master. Although she had to admit… It was starting to tire her out.

Sakadi eyed the two men as she stepped over a last piece of rubble, doing so as loudly as she could. These were not individuals she felt like talking with. The girl plugged into the machine told her enough. Her prized Jedi code mentioned that ignorance resulted in a lack of knowledge, but the information she was given at first glance was enough to judge by. Especially when her attempt to attract attention backfired, resulting in one of the men pulling a trigger.

She didn't wince. Her gaze simply followed the man as he collapsed, only showing a slight glimpse of empathy for the man in a fleeting moment. The man who called himself a father had his blaster aimed at her now, snapping at her in sentences she did even try to comprehend. No. She was tired. Tired of the ideologies of the beings in this stronghold with warped ideologies. Even a Jedi's patience had a limit. And hers had certainly reached it.

With a twitch of her finger, the scientist would have his blaster yanked from his grip. A second, more noticeable motion would fling him upward, hitting the ceiling and dropping back to the metal grates he stood on. It wasn't deadly, but it would certainly be enough to hurt and knock him out.

But her response came too late.

Before she acted, the scientist turned on the machine. She had a brief chance to stop it, to draw her lightsaber and cut it apart… But who knew what kind of effect that might have on the girl? If this was indeed tied to Sith alchemy, and it looked like it, damaging the equipment would only result in more casualties. Thus, Sakadi waited. Jaw clenched and teeth gritted as it activated. She understood none of it. Not even the surge in the Force, nor the two spirits that rose from the respective holocrons. She had taken them for standard gatekeepers, but their presences were far different. As if the Cosmic Force was being ripped open to haul these two souls back to the Living Force…

That gave her a sudden realization of what was going on. This man had tried to turn his daughter in an artificial Force sensitive.

Taliya Kassell

 

[Taliya Kassell]

Everything happened so fast and the Taliya's father was quickly knocked out by Sakadi's action, ending up just lying motionless on the floor by his unconscious daughter. As the Jedi Master realized, the unconscious girl at first had no prior strong connection to the force, but the moment the two soul entities entered the girl's body, it was also as if the Force was jump-started in the girl, rendering her a fully-fleshed Force-sensitive in the purest form.

Nothing much else happened after the girl on the table was turned force-sensitive, no big explosion or evil Sith Lord who appeared, revealing that they were behind it all. Everything just went quiet around Sakadi. The machine had powered down or short-circuited from activation, in actuality, the entire fortress stood quiet and empty from the attack with most killed, capture or fleeting.

Despite knowing that Taliya was made into an artificial Force-sensitive, there was no denying, that the girl was now a Force-sensitive being, like Sakadi herself, whether she disagreed with the idea or not, there was no denying that the girl radiated a strong connection to the force now.

"Master Sinvala. We have finally secured the fortress' surroundings as well as taken serval captives. Are you in need of assistance? We saw a strange beam of light radiating into the sky for a few seconds from your position" radioed one of the rangers on the outside.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Her gaze remained focused on the girl until long after the sinister contraption stopped churning. "Master Sinvala?" Her name sounded over the coms again. "I need a medical shuttle and direct passage to Silver Rest. Please relay that order." She initially reached out just to Aril. She was still close by, her luminous presence easy to trace in the Force. She was less familiar with the other rangers and soldiers of the silver defense force currently present in the fortress. Reaching out to them would take more time and divide her attention even further, which wasn't exactly ideal.

I should not have come alone. Sakadi thought, her gaze shifting back to the so-called 'father'. But perhaps all is not lost. After the devastating Clockwork Rebellion, she had taken the Vow. It had been a turning point in her life, as her own role as a Jedi had changed from proactive warrior to knowledge-driven Consular. She had studied defensive techniques, purification rites and Force seals for over two decades. If that had taught her anything, than it was that she alone could not suppress the artificially-forged bonds of the girl. One or two other masters - knights, even would have made all the difference. All she could currently do to better the situation, was stagnating it.

Sakadi extended the boundaries of her presence, enveloping both the doctor and the girl in her light. As long as they remained there, she would attempt to keep them subdued. It was a technique she had learnt in the months she had spent aiding the medical wing of Silver Rest. Something she, with the benefit of hindsight, was quite grateful for.

Taliya Kassell

 

[Taliya Kassell]

Rangers soon entered the large room where Sakadi were along with a team of a medical specialists. The unconscious girl was carefully disconnected from the now broken machine and lifted over on a stretcher, while a couple of rangers took hold over the father and placed him in handcuffs. Upon orders, the men over the Jedi Master carried both out to the waiting transport.

When they left the fortress, Sakadi would see the Crime Boss and his bodyguards, under heavy lock and subdued as they were being brought into a third shuttle. The father was placed in the second shuttle, to keeping the crime boss from flying the same ship as the doctor and make it easier to control if something were to happen. The Jedi Master would also find Aril getting tended to by another paramedic inside of the shuttle as Taliya was brought in. "Clear to take off," said one of the paramedics after strapping the stretcher securely to the floor.

Soon all three shuttles took off from the now deserted fortress and headed for a light cruiser waiting for the return of the Jedi Master and the rest. On the way towards space, another shuttle passed them, holding a whole 'nother team of Concord men, ready to strip the fortress for everything that could bring potential danger to anyone else.

Upon landing in the cruiser, Taliya was brought to a medical bay for monitoring her state, given they didn't have the same level of medical care on the cruiser as on the Silver Rest. While the Crime boss and his bodyguards were placed under heavy lock and guards, the father on the other hand was still put in a cell but with only a singular guard by the cell.

If Sakadi stayed by Taliya's side or went to her room or contacted the Jedi Order for a status update, she was called in by one of the doctor's. When she arrived, one of the doctors turned to her, "Master Sinvala. We have done everything we could, but medical-wise, she's fine. No internal bleeding or other wounds to speak off. However, we have noticed an unusually high number of brain activity. we're unsure if it's brain trauma or something else" explained the female doctor, handing Sakadi the datapad, connected to Taliya, showing everything from blood type, to brain activity, to bone density and everything in between.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

- Silver Rest, Kashyyyk​

"It's not brain-trauma." Sakadi retorted. Her gaze was distant, focused on something ethereal only she seemed to perceive. "Her mind is in a state of all-out war. The three that reside within are fighting for control, or so I believe." She crossed her arms and began to pace back and forth through the room. "This is exactly why I hate Sith Alchemy." She freely aired her frustrations to the doctors. Some of the more experienced healers in the room nodded along with her. The Sith had thousands of sinister techniques at their disposal. The Jedi a thousand more to counter them, but as usual, finding solutions was always harder than finding the problems.

"We'll just… think of something." She shrugged, half in defeat as yet another arduous task had been added to her plate. "Get her a room, preferably some personalized quarters so she doesn't freak out when she wakes up." One of the doctors looked at her with mild confusion. "Surely you mean if she wakes up?" Sakadi turned to him and shook her head. "No doctor. When.

///END THREAD///

Taliya Kassell