Rebellion Return to Stygian | GA Rebellion of TSE's Krayiss and Jelucan

[Dalton Crowder]

Faith Organa | Maestus
​

Dalton listened actively as Via spoke about the Brotherhood of the Maw. Though she didn't bring wholly new information, it was all put together. For Dalton, that brought the clarity to the topic. Everyone in the Alliance knew the threat the Sith regimes brought, and he knew the Bryn were a big presence as well, a huge issue for the Silver Jedi, who were closer to his home planet than most of the Alliance. Via spoke truthfully when she said the Maw were underappreciated up until the annihilation of Csilla.

The problem, in Dalton's mind, was with fighting wars on three fronts. The Alliance was large, but no resource was infinite.

"I agree that we need to learn more about the Maw and address them as a galactic level threat along with the Sith and the Bryn." Dalton spoke, nodding for a moment, then looking between his two colleagues. "However, we can't afford to have three fronts of total war. Our efforts against the Bryn are mostly filtered through the SIlver Jedi, as they are a buffer between the Alliance and the Bryn. Our only buffer with the Maw is open space, but the New Imperial Order is present on that side as well. They've been instrumental in our fight against the Sith, and may prove to be equally vital in efforts against the Maw." He sat up in his chair, straightening his suit. "I also agree that we should attempt an infiltration. I believe we should try to work with our Imperial allies to put a network in place to gather information."

"We need to take a methodical approach to the Maw, and our other conflicts abroad. We need to ensure we don't overextend our resources or overburden our populace if we can help it."

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Objective 1
Enemies: Sion Dallo Mara Harik

Caide eyed the detonator warily, his one eye flicking between Sion and Mara as the gas slowly crept forward. His mind, trained through hundreds of missions both as a mercenary and a soldier, sifted through his archive of experience to try and find some third door, some way he could take these two out and keep Ajax from dying a far from painless death by toxin. His hand tightens on the grip of his blaster. There’s not a third door. He has to make a choice here. There wasn't time to do both.

The logical choice is to take these two out and leave Ajax. From the looks of the explosives they were packing, they were some kind of demolition job. They’d probably cause havoc if Caide allowed them to leave here alive. And if Someone blabbed that he had let them leave, even to save a wounded legionnaire, he’d be court martialed and reviewed. Considering his nightlife, that was a death sentence. Ajax was a soldier, he’d signed up for the risks. Well, signed up was a stretch. He could have easily been pressed into service somehow, but either way he knew the risks.

But Ajax had also saved his life more than once today, and Caide had already sacrificed so many men to take out that Jedi. Some small voice in his head whispered in his head that he should just let these two go and save Ajax, because he owed him and he was his soldier. He was following his lead when he got injured. Caide tried never to listen to that voice. That voice got people killed, made them make stupid, irrational decisions and end up another tally on someone else’s pauldron.

Caide’s finger tightens around the trigger resolutely, but a flash of something lights his eyes. A room full of civilians, a blaster shot in the dark. Him, all alone and breathing hard, surrounded by the bodies of dozens of dead non combatants. Caide lowers his gun with a muttered curse. Time to be stupid.

“None of us have time for this. I have a wounded soldier and you two obviously have somewhere to be. That gas isn’t slowing down. The time it takes either of us to win this fight, it’ll kill us all anyway. Go. I won’t stop you.”

 

[The Amalgam]

The Amalgam smiled at how badly the boy had underestimated her. Starlin Rand had just lost an eye to her Dark Side attack.

"Now you remind me a little bit more of Laertia! Nice job!" She taunted as he staggered about disoriented. She made an obnoxious gesture of looking at her nails while he staggered about. It would be easy to kill him, but he was still so useful to her plans, and him staggering with his eye dribbling down his face was too amusing.

"Oh, where's your laughter, Rand. Where's all that good cheer?" She teased, the Dark Side a conduit. She pressed her corruption against his weakened Light.

"Your hope in Redemption is pointless. A vanity exercise." She sneered. "There's no point to your master redeeming herself. Hell, even when she was given a so called second chance she still threw it all away to side with Laertia at Dantooine out of love. Her love for Io cost you your hand, boy. Nothing else."

The power of his Master flowed through him and she grinded his green lightning again, the power of the darkness of the temple regenerating her flesh as quickly as his energy caused it to rot.

Then...his body glowed.

Both The Amalgam and Darth Phyre, hiding in her mind, were astonished as the boy manifested Oneness with the Force.

For the first time, The Amalgam felt herself re-appraising him.

Indeed he was powerful.

Someday, if he was allowed to grow stronger...he might pose an actual threat to Laertia.

He will be dead or turned before that happens. She thought, as her armor and body started to catch fire in his very presence, her flesh bubbling and shuddering as she drew the full might of the temple into her body to counter-act his efforts.

"An impressive display...but still out of your league!" She sneered through a bubbling face as she staggered forward, pressing the full might of the Dark Nexus within her as well as that of the temple against his manifestation of Oneness, dampening it, keeping it from being too destructive. Yet her flesh still melted and bubbled and burned.

Starlin Syd called out to her student in a near panic as The Amalgam bore down on him. She cannot be beaten. Not here. Not while Krayiss 2 runs through her. This is not a battle that can be won. Flee.

The Amalgam channeled the Darkness of the temple to dampen not just him, but the power of every light adept inside the temple, purple lightning flowing through the whole temple, spreading and amplifying it's dark power with her rotting presence in the Force. It drove the spirits into a frenzy, causing them to rip apart any who did not fight for The Sith...

Aaran Tafo

Auteme

Dagon Kaze

Viers Connory

Yula Perl

Zaavik Perl

Eva Betrik

 

[Viers Connory]

//: Objective //: Face the Nightmares //:
//: Target //: Eva Betrik //:
//: Allies //: None //:
//: Goodbye //:

Viers didn’t flinch when Eva began screaming at her, her eyes glossed over, struggling to focus through the haze of her exhaustion. She understood her; the emotions that rolled off of her were confusion and frustration. The outburst was expected, but the Monk assumed the woman would have tried to finish her off. The rifle was there, the grenade was there, everything was lined up for the kill - wasn’t that what everyone wanted when fighting a Jedi or a force user? To overcome your enemy, the glory that came with the thrill of battle. All of it meant nothing to Viers but something to the girl before her.

“Why’d you have to make it like this?” the other girl’s voice cracked between her heavy sobs. Hearing this made everything seem so small, and Viers shrugged the best she could without wincing. Then, before she could speak, Eva gave her the name of the man she killed; Viers let her body sag slightly, letting it sink in.

Finally, she spoke, “Life is sacred.” Her words rough through the struggling breaths. “Unlike, Jedi, you fight - I am supposed to…” She paused and winced, knowing how far she had fallen, how much she had let the chaotic New Jedi Order influence her - she had become reckless, and this man paid the price. “Protect. I failed to protect; I didn’t mean to - you--” She swallowed hard, tasting the mix of bile and blood in her throat, “You are not part of my war.” It was the truth, but she didn’t expect the SICA trooper to understand. Viers fought a greater war than the Sith and Jedi, more significant than the war of factions for territory - Viers fought a battle between life and death.

A war that she just lost.

Darkness crept at the edges of her existence, her vision started to worsen, and the pain became unbearable. Suddenly, a new sensation burned along her back, more profound and beneath the open and cracked scorch marks of the blaster fire. The scarred branding at the base of her neck burned like the day it had marked her. It only meant one thing; it told that the spiritual world was beginning to meld into this one, and there was nothing that Viers could do about it.

And yet, as she suffered, she knew one thing she could do. Moving forward, carefully, she did her best to look as unthreatening as possible. She could still taste the fear that bleeds off of Eva, “My name,” she started as her hand reached up, giving off a faint warm light, “is Viers.” A genuine smile spread across her face as the warmth of her hand would soon caress gently along the open wound the SICA trooper had endured during their fight. Flesh would carefully weave itself together, leaving no mark that it had ever been there.

The last bit of strength Viers had, she gave it to her enemy - one that she had made and not one she hunted. If there was anything she could do in honor of the man, the friend she killed was to ensure that his comrade would survive. As the healing warmth left Eva, Viers nodded towards the entrance, “Survive, for your friend.” As she finished, her body would sigh heavily once more and then collapse, falling face-first at the feet of the SICA trooper. No longer moving, she gave in to the injuries of her fight.

It was time to rest.​

 

[Eva Betrik]

Objective I - Defend the Temple
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Location: Krayiss II, Temple-Library
Allies: TSE
Foes: GA
IDK I'm Conflicted: Viers Connory
OH GOD RUN AWAY: The Amalgam 's Sith Spirits

Eva's head spun as she tried to make sense of the Jedi's words (it didn't help that they came between blood-choked gasps). How could you be a soldier - and in her mind, based on what she'd seen on Muunilist and what the morale officers had told her, the Jedi were just fancy mystical soldiers - and believe that life, all life, was sacred? The young corporal was rather fond of being alive, and there were plenty of lives that were sacred to her, but all of them lived inside the borders of the Empire she'd sworn to fight for. If she thought about the lives she'd been sent to take in defense of those borders too hard, all that happened was that she felt sick and sad.

You had to push that aside and be willing to kill if you wanted to defend your family and your way of life... right? That was what she'd always been told. If all life really was sacred, you had to forget or ignore or deny that fact when you went to war. The pale-haired Jedi woman on Muunilist hadn't had any trouble with that; Eva would never forget how she'd summoned the inferno that had killed Kafka and Irinov, and left Sergeant Zenik a burn-scarred wreck of a man. The young corporal had never truly hated anyone before that moment, but she hated the pale-haired Jedi now. In her dreams she killed that woman again and again, and it felt like justice.

That had been a Jedi. The woman in front of her was a Jedi. How could their beliefs be so utterly different?

“You are not part of my war.” That stopped Eva cold and sent her baffled mind spinning back in the opposite direction. What the feth was it supposed to mean? Technically the Sith Empire was involved in half a dozen wars - against the New Imperial Order, against the Galactic Alliance, against Ashlan fanatics and Maw raiders and Bryn'adul monsters and two separate factions of Sith separatists. They all blended together in the young corporal's mind, becoming just THE War, the Empire's eternal struggle to firm against all the outside forces trying to tear it down. But she had a feeling that the Jedi wasn't talking about any of that. My war.

If her war wasn't against Eva's squad and the government it represented, then who was it against?

Anger bubbled up in Eva's chest again as she considered the implications. So Kerelenko's death had been what, an accident? Collateral damage in whatever mystical battle the Jedi thought she was fighting? Was this some kind of higher power, clash of philosophies mumbo jumbo that boiled down to I didn't mean to kill you, just tear down what you stand for? But that didn't feel fair, either. Eva had been in enough battles to know that clear plans and good intentions still didn't make war a clean, uncomplicated thing. People you didn't mean to hurt, people who had nothing to do with the war you were fighting, always got hurt anyway.

And using force was a funny thing. Violence had a will of its own; you could wield it, but it was like a twisting serpent, always trying to get free and cause more harm than you ever intended. When Eva had been fifteen, back on Soullex, she'd gone into town one day to help her mom sell their farm's meager produce. There'd been a guy and his girlfriend walking out of a bar, and another man had shouted something lewd at the girlfriend. The boyfriend was furious, punches were traded... and the catcaller ended up dead on the ground. No one had wanted that; it'd just gotten out of control. Once a fight started, it was hard to hurt people just a little.

The fact that the Jedi hadn't wanted to kill Kerelenko didn't bring him back... but it meant something.

Eva still wasn't sure what to think, much less what to say. She was saved from having to choose when the Jedi suddenly crawled toward her. For a moment the young corporal panicked... but it was clear that the fading woman was doing her best to be nonthreatening. “My name is Viers,” she said, and brushed her hand over Eva's gashed scalp. The trooper shivered at her touch, then relaxed. Warmth was spreading through her, radiating out from the Jedi's touch. The wound stopped hurting. Why? If the Jedi could do this, why wasn't she doing it to herself? Why use what had to be the last of her strength to help someone who might still kill or capture her?

“Survive, for your friend,” the Jedi said, and then collapsed. Eva leaned forward automatically, checking her breathing and pulse; both were present, but faint. What had that been about? Some kind of penance for killing Kerelenko? Had she really meant everything she said, then? The young corporal shook her head, but found it no clearer. She was in the same position she had been before Viers had spoken: with no idea whatsoever of what to do. Zenik was still out cold, and it looked like Rance had passed out too, likely from the pain of his broken ribs. Both were men that Viers could have killed, if she'd wanted to. You are not part of my war.

That meant there was no one there to see what Eva did next, to praise or damn her choice. She reached for her gun.

At that moment, purple lightning flashed overhead, a "light" that somehow darkened the temple-library instead. Eva shrieked and covered her head with her arms, terrified. What the feth was that?! In its wake, the temperature in the hallway seemed to drop ten degrees... and new sounds came, a howling and scratching that drove the young corporal wild with terror. That was when she saw them: the ghosts she'd noticed at the edges of her vision for her entire stay on this accursed planet, the spirits of ancient monsters dead but not gone. They drifted up out of the temple's dark stone, crawling and hovering and skittering, a mass of ephemeral horrors.

They passed over - and even through - Rance and Zenik without so much as slowing. But when they saw Viers...

In that instant, Corporal Evalina Betrik was deeply unsure of a thousand things. She wasn't sure whether what the Jedi had said and done was enough, whether anything could ever make her forgive the murder of her friend. She wasn't sure what the Jedi had meant about fighting a different war, or why this one seemed so different from the Jedi she'd met before. She wasn't sure what was right: to give the Jedi a quick, clean death, or to hand her over to the Inquisitors, or to just leave her here to bleed and let Typhojem choose her fate. But she was sure of one thing, beyond all doubt: Viers didn't deserve to be eaten alive by those things.

And if she abandoned the Jedi here, that was exactly what was going to happen.

So Eva made what might have been the stupidest mistake she'd ever made, or perhaps started down the beginning of a different path. Forcing herself to her feet, she lifted Viers in a fireman's carry, slinging the Jedi's slender form over both shoulders as if carrying a heavy bag of muja fruit back home. Then she ran, sprinting as fast as she dared while carrying a person's full weight, pelting up the hallway from which Viers had come. "Feth me this is stupid," she said, and the words became her mantra, repeated every few frantic steps. "This is stupid. This is stupid. Why the feth did I do this, this is so stupid." But she didn't stop running.

The cold wind and angry whispers at her back made sure she never slowed down.

The sounds of fighting grew louder as she neared the entrance, and Eva realized all the more acutely just how mad her impulsive action had been. What would anyone on either side see when she came running around the corner, an unconscious Jedi balanced across her back? What would they assume? This was a good way to get one or both of them killed. But the young corporal didn't stop. She had a feeling that the Sith ghosts would tear her apart just as readily as the Jedi at this point. Her mind reeled, then settled on a memory, something she'd noticed on the way in: a small side door in one of the guardrooms, leading to a courtyard.

Eva turned and tore through that guardroom, giving thanks to Typhojem that it was empty, and hammered her armored fist into the door controls. The Left-Handed God must be watching, because it slid open without requiring security clearance. There was an echo-scream of ghostly rage behind her as she emerged into the courtyard, panting hard. No more time to think, no time to consider or judge; she'd put herself on the line for this Jedi, to spare her an eternity of horrors joining the spirits bound to this awful place, and that was all she could do. She gently lowered the other woman onto a dark stone bench. This was near GA lines. They'd find her.

"Goodbye, Viers," she said, shaking her head. "I have no fething idea what to think about you." Then she ran.

 

[Starlin Rand]

​

Objective I: Those Worthy
Gear: Armor | Double-bladed lightsaber | Tal’Kar Bracelet
Tags: The Amalgam

The Force flowed through him like water. All at once he saw his surroundings, and beyond them the universe itself, connected and bound by an infinite web of shared energy. He didn’t know where or even who he was, lost in an endless dream.

Syd’s voice took hold of him, grasping him and pulling him back down into the crude matter of his body. The glow which had suffused his form became more subdued, though he still fought against the darkness.

“There's no point to your master redeeming herself. Hell, even when she was given a so-called second chance she still threw it all away to side with Laertia at Dantooine out of love. Her love for Io cost you your hand, boy. Nothing else.”

“There’s still… time for her,” he whispered. “Time to change…”

Even with Syd pleading with him to retreat, Starlin wasn’t sure if he could. Whatever had happened when he channeled Force energies beyond his own, the process had sapped his strength. He felt pain where his eye had been, true pain now that the spiritual high was beginning to wear off and his adrenaline levels were depleted.

“Padawan!”

A deep voice called to him. His surviving eye blinked, spying a figure fast approaching. It was a shirtless man (well, he probably had been wearing a shirt, but it had been torn to shreds at some point during the fighting) carrying two yellow lightsabers… wait. Were those lightsaber nunchucks?

“Padawan! You are injured! I will take care of this one!” the man called, placing himself between Starlin and the Amalgam.

Bewildered, but half-blind and too weak to care, Starlin obeyed, beating a hasty retreat. There had to be medics somewhere not far from here, right? Somewhere he could at least get the wound looked at, though he didn’t know how much hope there was for his eyesight...

 

[Voyana]

Objective 1
Enemies: GA SIA | Allyson Locke
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Spoiler: The Story

Objective 1
Enemies: GA SIA | Allyson Locke


Wars were like Life Day for Voyana.

People were too busy killing and running to guard their chit effectively. You'd think they'd have forgotten the age ole lesson of watchin their back, but that was fine with her.

She'd give them a reason to remember.


Yanno she really had like Ziost. Had a few of her best customers there. Now they were dead and she was looking 10k credits short on her monthly installments. Felt only right she take it back from the dung heads that had done her dirty.

She ripped the wires from a control panel of some GA marked vessel and let herself right on in. The sounds of the distant chaos died out as the damp darkness of the metal hull swallowed her whole. There was an uncomfortableness to the quiet that she shaked right off. Aint no one gonna find her back here, they were too busy killin and flexin their gun boners.

She walked with confident steps through the halls, instinct guiding her straight to the good stuff. "Bingo."

She pried off the metal hatch and kneeled down to the base of the cockpit's communication systems. Intel sold like hotcakes in war.

Served the feckers right.

​

​

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//: Ziost //:
//: Voyana //:

Allyson moved quietly through the shadows; her mission was simple. Retrieve some lost information left in some of the wreckage nearby and ensure that no secrets were leaked to anyone untrustworthy. A simple task, one that she felt she was above. This was definitely and most probably a punishment from the woman in charge.

No complaints though, Allyson preferred to return to Ziost, not on the front lines. So slowly, the Corellian crept along the abandoned structures until she found the wreckage on her HUD. The cybernetic eye quickly scanned, searching for any sabotage that the Sith had decided to strap into it or, worse, scalpers.

The scan came up clean for threats; all that was ruining the Corellian's day was something crouched ripping through the cockpit's internal systems. Allyson waited to see if any other figures popped up, and nothing. Seems this one worked alone. Pulling her blaster, she snuck up, still hidden with Force Cloak until she stood behind the woman. Shimmering into view, the tip of the blaster pressed against the back of Voyana's head.

"Well then, looks like you made my job a whole lot easier. Who do you work for? You're too careless to be a Sith - but maybe I'm just giving them a bit more credit than I should." Her tone sharp and to the point, hoping to intimidate the girl into giving up. It would make the exchange a whole lot easier.​

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Objective 1
Enemies: GA SIA | Allyson Locke



Hot shock burned through her, like the first shot of a bad whisky.

Her hands went up, the memory stick dropped into the top of her cleavage along the way. They were pockets of convenience, really, and in some cases a weapon in itself. The edge of the voice behind her killed that idea in its crib. She found her attacker's reflection in the glow of the read outs she had been going through.

Caught red handed then.

She remained cool, her shoulders relaxed as she continued to watch Allyson's reflection in the screen.

"I aint no sith."

She put her hands behind her head and turned slowly, a brow raised at the woman that had got the better of her.

How the hell.

"Now you gonna use that or are you-" Her hand snapped out from behind her, a gleam of metal flying for Allyson's eye. Voyana's freed hair fell like a curtain around her face. At the same moment, she moved to shove the gun to the side and break it from the woman's grip.

The well practiced movements were like clockwork. Sometimes, she liked to shake it up though. Sometimes, she aimed for the dick.

​

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//: Pretty Dangerous Faces //:
//: Voyana //:

A part of Allyson relaxed hearing that the girl wasn’t a sith. It meant that she was just some random street rat trying to benefit from the war. A younger Allyson would probably have been right next to her helping - or wrestling her for the part she was fishing for.

Younger Allyson would have taken a chance - shoot her shot to try and get a number over a part. Oh, younger Allyson, you sly fox.

The woman was far too calm; Allyson already could sense something was up her sleeve - this wasn’t the attitude of someone caught. Allyson tightened her grip on the blaster as suddenly, another appeared in her face. As Voyana moved to knock Allyson’s blaster from her hand, the Spy’s free hand moved forward and grabbed the woman by her collar, and a foot kicked the girl’s leg from under her.

When and if she tried to shoot - her blaster would instantly malfunction as the pieces would shatter from barrel to the grip. A smirk spread across the Corellian’s gaze as she sighed heavily.

“Why’s it always the pretty ones that do the DUMBEST chit?” She finished as her blaster now burrowed into Voyana’s temple. “Yes, I’ll use it - but sometimes I like to figure out a good reason for karking blowing your brains out. Now. Start talking; you look smart enough to know you’re karked, right?”

​

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Objective 1
Enemies: GA SIA | Allyson Locke


"Whoa, whoa whoa! Hey, hey!" Voyana's hands splayed out by her head. The fight had gone out of her the moment the blaster had hit tender belly of her temple, the girl knowing exactly what that meant.

"I surrender, I surrender okay? Feth- that was special edition! They don't make them like that anymore," she complained. The shattered pieces of her blaster clattered out of her hands. She tried to stroke a piece on the ground, face pale and distraught. There wasn't much she loved in the cursed galaxy but that gun... that gun and been it.

"Sithspit, how did you- youch." She tried to jerk her head away from the barrel, a mark left in her skin.

"Ah, hell. You think that's gonna work? I aint scared of monks. Blowin your ass up is worth any cell. I aint no snitch."

She struggled against the woman's hold, shoving and pushing as if there wasn't a gun to her temple to begin with. The knee in her kidney was causing all sorts of discomfort. "Gettoff."

​

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//: Pretty Dangerous Faces //:
//: Voyana //:

"Ah man, I'm sorry." Allyson's voice playfully mocked as the scoundrel explained the precious value of her blaster. "I didn't even realize, special edition, wow." She pushed her knee a little harder into the woman's lower back, hoping it made her stop moving like a bit of worm on a hook.

Allyson winced, looking pained as she heard the curses from the girl and chuckled. "You must have eaten a lot of soap as a kid with a mouth like that." Another light-hearted chuckle as she leaned off Voyana but kept the blaster to her head. "Ah, get up; I'm starting to feel bad making you eat dirt." A fist full of the girl's clothing, Allyson lifted her up and pressed her into the ship she caught her with.

The gun never leaving the thief's face, Allyson continued to smile. "Alright, let's try this again. Who are you? Who do you work for? Why are you after this ship?" Shrugging, the Corellian nodded towards the broken parts of the blaster, "You cooperate, and I'll put your toy gun back together."

She had no intentions of putting the blaster together, but maybe the promise would be enough to get some valuable information from the girl. Allyson tilted her head slightly to the side as she put a little weight on her words. "Though, if you decide to lie - I can tell, and well, I might be going home with a new blaster tonight and whatever is in your pockets doing my dry cleaning. So let's just be straight with each other, kapeesh?"​

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Tempting, actually, but Voyana had a better idea. "You want the truth?"

Her fingers tightened over a set of wires she had been shoved against, their bodies hanging precariously from the console she had torn apart. She was use to being cornered. She was use threats and death and staring down a gun. Didn't mean anything. I mean. She was still standing here.

"Yer breath smells like chit."

She yanked the cords, sending speaks through the air as she tossed them into the woman's face. She ducked before a bullet could be fired and tackled into Allyson's torso. She could hear her own war cry as they collided. Her fingers burned from the electric shock that bit them both.

Feck it all.

She hit like a ton of bricks and brought the woman down, attempting to pin Allyson under her. Forget the gun. She had her fists. She brought them down with sudden ferocity, her lips caught in a snarl as she tried to pumble that pretty little face in.

" 'itch, I. Aint. No. Snitch!"

 

[Yula Perl]

Allies | Dagon Kaze

Enemies | [TSE] Zaavik Perl

​

He was rattling her.

The mocking jeers of an opponent usually rolled right off of Yula. Insults to her skill level and perceived beliefs were distractions that she wouldn’t follow. There were two exceptions; jabs about her appearance, and kernels of truth from someone she loved.

"What can I say? Mom always said I took too much after you."

The crease of her brow would tell Zaavik how deeply his words cut her. It didn’t matter if he was trying to agitate her, or if these were his sincere beliefs; they felt like acid to her soul all the same.

Then he dragged her mother into this.

“Curse me, curse Dagon, but you leave her outta this.”

The Force thrummed in warning, in time with the beat of Zaavik’s saber intensifying. In his hyper-aware state, nothing seemed escape his notice. Intent to kill seeped from every pore, carried on the pulse of every neuron. Yula twirled her saber with slow, controlled oscillations of her wrist while she studied him, hoping that a glimmer of the old Zaavik might break through.

“You...really don’t believe in all that chit, do you? C’mon.”

Her face scrunched into a pitying look.

In a flash, he’d slipped through their grasp like a sylph, pushing Dagon to the side.

“I’ve got this, Dag!” She called out, recoiling away from the plume of dust and dirt that had been kicked into her face. Coughing into her sleeve, the hairs at the nape of her neck needled against her skin in warning. A vivid green light was the first to break through the cloud of dust particles, drawing her eyes above. He was quick, and he was coming in from above.

Yula was quick too. The two shared more than a handful of defining traits; even their combat styles were similar, relying more on speed and tenacity than power. Today, Zaavik had both. And as she slid back to dodge his strike to leave herself with enough room for a counter, Yula misjudged his angle of his descent by a fatal fraction. The last thing both eyes would see, were the eyes of her cousin—vibrant blue, ringed with acidic gold.

Green plasma scored down the left half of her face, so brutally that Zaavik’s blade would have bisected her had she been a few inches closer. Her vision went dark just as the sensation of heat hit her, overloaded nerves trying to make sense of what had just happened. Yula, too, was trying to figure that out. She had yelped more out of surprise than pain.

When the dust cleared, she was clutching her hand over her left eye, back slightly bent, staring at Zaavik in horrid disbelief. Every sign had pointed towards his intent, yet she held eschewed the warnings in hopes that her cousin had not been truly lost, that she’d have the chance to knock some sense back into him.

Pain erupted from the vertical wound on her face, first blossoming outwards before seeping inwards, agitating the connective tissue that hadn’t been forcibly cauterized. That was when she started screaming—from pain, from betrayal, from mourning whatever actions that contributed to Zaavik’s state. It brought her to her knees, loosening the saber from her grip until it clattered to the ground beside her.

“Y-you-“​

Breathing heavily through clenched teeth, she hissed at him through the pain. Tears rimmed her good eye, cutting a path through the layer of dirt down to her chin. Her other hand, now free, reached to join the other one over her damaged eye, clenching as if it could further stymie the pain. Her words were hard, angry, snarled, and sobbed through tears as she fell to her knees in shock.

“Kark whatever your fethed up brain is saying, you're like a stupid little brother to me!”​

Her chest heaved as a wave of nausea hit her, and she retched to the side. Nothing came up, and Yula refocused as best she could onto Zaavik. Determination gripped her bleary gaze as if she were trying to bore a hole into Zaavik, pouring her focus into the Force, into Zaavik. One hand left her face, durasteel nails scrabbling against the ground for purchase as she unleashed a concentrated assault on Zaavik’s own energy, attempting to disrupt his equilibrium, unbalance him, make him ill.

“I loved you, idiot—we’re family!”







She had to stop him.







She had to bring him back.







And Yula didn’t know what she would do if she couldn’t. ​

​

​

 

[Teica Giraan]

[Location: Krayiss II's Orbit - Iblis-class Missile Frigate Epilogue - Internalized C.I.C]
[Engaging: N Nyxeris ]​

You have made your last mistake. Time's up.

As the Sith's eyes turned a bright yellow, Teica shook, shivered, shuddered, and neared the point of cowering behind her own hands in fear. Five corpses now lay haphazardly over railings, some cold on the floor. She saw the pale, drained of their lifeforce, the charred, even her own first officer bleeding from his forehead.

So many dead.

So many that she had lead to gruesome ends.

Tears rushed from her eyes in seconds. The walls of her mind contorted, twisted, warped, and let her very foundations crumble. It was another Ziost, Another Namadii, Another Csilla, Another chapter of death and slaughter, and she had allowed it to happen. She Was a danger. She Did bring pain and suffering everywhere she walked. Selfish. Cowardly. Useless. Useless. Useless.

Her collar remained ravaged, the fabric misaligned and disoriented in the chaos that came with the boarding action. Blood stained her uniform. She no longer stood at full attention, rather had collapsed to the ground, barely held up by her own hands.

Teica found herself all but alone, confined to the bridge's floors while her leg spasmed, ached, and came close to bleeding, with the increasingly threatening Nyxeris as her only company. Less than half of the C.I.C staff was absent from the room, earlier having retreated from the chaos, while the now lifeless others were the only allies to remain. Helpless, trapped, it all felt too familiar.

She once again felt the rapid bombardment of a Corellian rainstorm, heard her own hurried breath and was engulfed in the sensation of scampering for refuge. She smelt of blood, a coat one size too big for her now stained pure red. Darkness engulfed her vision, footsteps growing increasingly weary and inconsistent, while the fresh sounds of screaming echoed and distorted. Fifteen years old, with everyone who cared about her left dead or dying, and living through only one of many coming nightmares that would solidify her life.

Teica's mind returned to the massacre on the bridge, darkened and unsettling as her predictions had shown it. She heard the clanging of metal, the softened explosions echoing somewhere down a far-off corridor, the sounds of disrupted conduits spewing bolts of electricity from their darkened insides. They were nearing destruction, that was for certain. When, and how the Epilogue would meet its fate had yet to be determined. Now, the Corellian questioned her own fate, far more pessimistic each moment Nyxeris' hawk-like eyes came to her attention.

But the tears began to fade, and a broken laugh bled from her mouth, drowning out guilt, pain, and agony with a simple gesture. And now anticipating her own demise, and with no intention of leaving the Sith with any confidence in the plan, Teica spoke with a fervent smile, "Go ahead. Kill me. Doesn't matter," The sniffling still continued, interrupting what otherwise would have been a calm exhale, "I don't have much else to lose, the droid brains have been programmed to destroy this ship as soon as we're in close enough range of the Sith fleet, and hell, your own meditation sphere is close to setting off our missile launchers and ordnance bays on its own."

"We're not hitting the ground, and you know that."

One minute. Nine seconds.

She winced at the very end of the sentence, on the verge of allowing more tears to escape, but Teica's head nonetheless aimed up. Her teeth bared, and her own eyes locked with the sith's own.

"You've lost."

 

[Faith Organa]

Dalton Crowder | Maestus​

Faith listened to all the information it was all familiar and yet hearing it put so well together did give it a solid standing of why Via felt as she did. She had taken the time to ensure she was prepared.

A small tilt of her head to look at Dalton as he responded, a war on three fronts, she then tapped the pad that brought up the map of Alliance territory. Vast and growing with each planet that joined their forces became thinner. The Alderaani patrolled their system, and sent a portion of their Navy to support Alliance objectives. Not all worlds were able to do so.

Yes The Silvers between us and the Bryn. "The NIO to one side, but then the Confederacy and the Eternal Empire to the other side" Faith pushed the map over...and yes nothing else but open space. It was a lot to cover. Corellia, Hosnian Prime, Alderaan, Kuat all had the Silvers to their back, but Jedha, and Jakku they were an arm extending outwards with nothing but the Maw in front.

Oh Faith had nothing nice to say about the Sith even the mention made the hair on her arms stand up, but could the Maw be worse?

"It would be nice to have intelligence, trusted intelligence from inside the Maw. But anyone taking that on would be risking everything. We could speak with Intelligence Division for their insight. I am not opposed to an infiltration. And yes you are right we need to be careful, if we overextend ourselves we open ourselves up for attack...there are ways that anyone of our enemies could come through, the Maw has the least avenue of resistance. If they really wanted into the Core without notice..they'd have jump points throughout the Outer Rim, and come in behind us, and right by Hosnian Prime, and from there into the Core." Faith could see it, from the Abrion Sector, to the gap in the Mara Corridor, right into open space between the Confederacy, the Silvers, and the Alliance. Target rich environment.

Sometimes there was no other way and looking at the overall situation there was opportunity for the Maw.

"Senator Dalton what kind of defenses does Hosnian Prime have?" She could feel the chill in the air...all from what she could imagine.

 

[Auteme]

Ishida Ashina Okkeus Dainlei Bernard of Arca Dagon Kaze ​

"N-no, I don't know Vara Nreem," she stammered. Her blood ran cold, color drained from her face; she didn't even notice she'd switched back to Basic. It wasn't her lack of knowledge that scared her -- it was the way the judge said it. It was halfway between bemusement and threat. The room felt heavy.

She tried to regain some control, clearing her throat, but still she stuttered. "W-who were they?"

A wicked grin broke the judge's ominous face. She could almost hear the stretch of his ethereal skin. "Vara Nreem came here nearly five thousand years ago -- like you, a young Jedi Knight seeking knowledge. Not brought out of a love for combat, but mere curiosity. After all, even a Jedi knows that a Sith knows more." As he spoke, the rest of the Court began to murmur, but she couldn't make out the words. "She found a spirit there, out by the obelisk. She spoke with it, persuading it; doing everything she could to convince it that she surely would not let the secrets of a great Sith go to waste..."

"What... what happened to her?"

"You cannot fool a Sith; you cannot fool the dead. We deem you-"

"UNWORTHY," the chorus boomed. The spirits raised their hands.

Auteme felt her muscles tense and lock. She could only watch as lightning sprang from the sorcerers's fingers.

She screamed.

 

[Sion Dallo]

SON OF KRAYISS
STRIKE TEAM REX | MILITIA
00:02:58
0/8 BARADIUM CHARGES | 1/1 CLASS A-DETONATORS
ARSONIST'S LULLABY

​

Mara, to her credit, is just as hardened as I am. With my brother gone, we’re all the family we have. I shouldn’t have expected her to just..leave me behind but...she should have. This job we have, for The Alliance, for Krayiss, is much larger than either of us.

My heart is thudding so loudly in my chest, all I can hear is the blood in my ears. I’m not even noticing the soft beep of my chrono as it slips into the five-minute countdown. And my throat..my throat is just aching to release the cough that’s building up. My cheeks puff out beneath my mask, trying to keep the full extent of the uncomfortable wheeze from slipping through.

“None of us have time for this. I have a wounded soldier and you two obviously have somewhere to be. That gas isn’t slowing down. The time it takes either of us to win this fight, it’ll kill us all anyway. Go. I won’t stop you.”

Relief releases all the tension in my shoulders –– but I keep my thumb hovering over the detonator’s button. Just in case this guy was taking me for a ride. After a few seconds, such precious seconds, it seemed not.

<Huh.> I grunt and give a short nod. It feels weird to thank him, given he just delivered an equation to us. I get to buy time with that cough that’s been building, and just letting it all out. To keep from doubling over, I put momentum to the test and stumble forward, giving a brief salute to the generous soldier who could have saved our lives. If I had a med pack on me, I would have tossed it to him.

Running only makes my lungs sting all the more. I’ve never been an athlete, especially after the burns from the Sith’s original attack, and then now with this gas? And I’m tripping. Maybe because someone’s bombing the city from overhead, and it’s getting so much more stressful. I’m barely able to see from all the havoc going on in my body.

Thankfully the generators are big enough to see pretty darn easily.

00:01:48

<Let’s plant ‘em! We got..> I look at my chrono, and hope falls to my feet. <One and a half minutes. Let’s do this!>

We get there quickly, the remaining members of my rag-tag militia group clustering around and sticking their charges on the base of the generator. I take a few liberties to loft some up a little higher, make sure they really have an impact.

Everyone’s charges are the same, except for Mara and mine. We’ve got the two biggest of the bunch; everyone thought it’d be nice. Kinda ceremony-like for us to pack the biggest punch since the Sith took the most from us. Not just storefront profits, but family. They took my brother from both of us. It’s kind of sick that all his memory just got me a bigger sphere, and I run a thumb over it, lifting up my mask to wipe away the spittle that had collected from the coughing. The blast radius of this thing would level the generator easily by itself.

<Alright Blin,> I whisper to the little sphere. It’s the first time I’ve said his name out loud since he was taken. Whenever anyone’s asked he’s always just been my brother. Her husband. I realize now that’s mighty selfish of me, to keep his name as a precious artefact for myself and not share it with others. But it’s just...he’s just so sacred to me. <This is for you.>

I thumb it up, waiting for the satisfying click and beep of the countdown to initiate.

<You got yours set, Mara?> I ask..still..waiting for the countdown.

Dread drops into my stomach, and I look down at my malfunctioning detonator. I’ve studied this thing for weeks, the ins, the outs –– I know what it’s supposed to sound like. When it’s supposed to sound like and this..this isn’t good. It should automatically be kicking into gear.

Shocked, I roll it over in my hands, dropping to a knee to investigate further.

<Ah fethin' kark..> I murmur, brushing my index over the flaw. The automated fuel injection valve was busted –– it’d have to be manually detonated. Not on a timer. When I activate it, it goes.

Suddenly, I’m made of stone. No, stone’s tough. I’m made of ice. Brittle, scared, cold ice. Water’s least forgiving form.

That’s appropriate, I guess. I’m not forgiving. I’ve got no forgiveness left in me but –– giving. Giving I can do one last time for Blin. He would have for me.

<Mara,> I shout again. <Get out of here. We gotta blow this thing now!>

She doesn’t know my situation. She just..they all just need to run away and I’ll do this myself. Over the shared comms, I can hear reports of other targets being detonated. The comms tower, the other generator, the gate...... it's just us that's behind.

00:00:60

We’re running out of time.

<They're counting on us!>

​

ALLIES | GA | NJO | NIO | Captain Raith | Suri Vullen | Zark San Tekka | Mara Harik [WE R FAMILY]
ENEMIES | TSE | Mazrim Caide/Taim

 

[Dalton Crowder]

Faith Organa | Maestus
​

"Senator Dalton what kind of defenses does Hosnian Prime have?"

Dalton looked at the projected map, though it took him a moment to see what Faith saw. In his mind the Confederacy secured the western approaches of the Corellian Trade Spine that Hosnian Prime sat astride, but with particularly good engines, they could ride the spine through Confederacy space without needing to drop out before getting to Hosnian Prime.

"System defense has several orbital forts, though mostly as cover for nearby civilian stations. We have stations at the systems edge that map the masses of objects nearing us through hyperspace. After the debacle with Byss assaulting another system, and more recently Duros and Corellia doing the same to Byss, we have increased our system defense building and recruitment. The Defense Force has an outpost on Cardota, though it is mostly a training and long term recovery facility. There is always at least one unit of GADF ships on hand, for training purposes mostly." He spoke in broad terms, not digging into the specifics of it. Hosnian Prime sent ships to the GADF as well, sitting on the Trade Spine, they were wealthy enough to afford it and had orbital facilities for building and refitting ships. However, being on the border with Silver Jedi space, and the Confederacy owning a large swath of the Trade Spine west of them, they were on a mostly peaceful footing. "I can see your point, though. I'll have our system step up patrols." He thought that they maybe should set up interdiction of the trade spine, institute a reduction in taxes on goods passing through the system for ships impacted by the interdiction. That could cause significant disputes, both within the Alliance and outside of it. He needed to think more on that part.

"We can't draw on more support from the GADF without possibly causing just the same overextension we fear with all of these external threats. I will, however, petition the New Jedi Order and Silver Jedi Order to set up a cooperative temple in the system. I know they have been trying to find stable ground to mend fences, maybe this can get two birds with one stone." He looked along the Trade Spine inward and nodded. "And maybe even include the Green Jedi of Corellia in that plan."

He nodded once more, turning to look at his colleagues. "Hosnian Prime is in a good state, and will take steps to reinforce it just in case. Are there other options for actions against the Maw, the Sith, or the Bryn we would like to offer to the full Senate?" While he was now more concerned for his planet and people than he had been, he also had a job to do here, and couldn't only focus on his world.

 

[Aaran Tafo]

Laertia Io

​

And she just. Kept. Talking.

In a way it was sad. Here she was, trying to wage her war. Screaming out to the universe. Demanding that it pay attention to her like a petulant child. And at no point during any of the tactical or strategic briefings that he attended. The only mention of Io's involvement was that she would probably end up butting her nose in.

No one was willing to listen. No one cared what she had to say when she simply demanded her terms be met. One woman could not decide the fate of entire governments. The fact that the Black Knight seemed to think this was only proof of her own delusion.

As her hand lashed out to grab at his angle, he was already attempting to tear it away. Even from the brief meeting. He was becoming well aware of the raw physical strength that his opponent possessed. He had no desire to let anything as full of fragile little bones as his foot remain caught in her grasp for any longer than he wished.

Tearing his limb free. He spun back, saber retreating from the lock, yielding it to her in order to create a moment of pause.

"Yes yes. That entire victory was because of you. Lets ignore how such a statement is an insult to everyone else who gave their lives on that world. As if their own sacrifices were inconsequential next to your help."

He shook his head. "And we do have to fight this war on several fronts. If you paid attention to anything besides yourself you'd remember Ossus got stabbed in the back." He levelled his saber at her, re-entering his opening stance of Soresu, awaiting her attack. Letting the Black Knight take the offensive this time. "A lot of those Sith were part of the Empire. Not just the Worm's new cult."

"They attacked the Concord. Not the Imperials. Not us. The Concord. The one group of Jedi who were willing to ignore the Sith and focus everything on the Bryn got attacked because they left themselves vulnerable. Because they were doing the thing you wanted."

"So, tell me. Where were you while Ossus burned? Why weren’t you there, screaming your head off at everyone to focus on the bigger picture? Why is it that you're so willing to help the Sith on both the offensive and the defensive? But not those who are trying to fight the Bryn?"

"I don’t recall ever seeing the Sith Empire lend a hand against them."

He shook his head again. "You've done nothing to disprove that you're anything but a hypocrite and a narcissist." He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.

"So come on. I'm getting tired of arguing with a brick wall. Hit me with your best shot so I can put an end to this."

 

[Laertia Io]

"And you've done nothing to convince me you're anything but another Self Righteous Jedi, as delusional about thinking he and the rest of his Order can finally destroy The Sith. While it's sad you got popped there, what did you expect? You should have been reinforcing the damn place against attack. Don't blame me for the Order's constant tactical stupidity." Xiphos scoffed. "You think one relatively small force of Jedi was going to do anything to stop either the Sith OR the Bryn? Then you deserved Ossus. As for where I was? I was in a fething Bacta Tank, recovering from fairly serious wounds."

She refocused her blade on him. He wouldn't listen. The Jedi never listened unless violence was used.

"I distinctly recall trying to reason with the Order that this two front war crap was a bad idea. I wasted years of my life cutting Sith down, blind one. Years!" She exclaimed. "After what I saw at Nar Kreeta? Sarka? Nothing will ever convince me the Bryn'adul aren't the greater threat. Greater than the Sith injustices, which you all cling to like addicts to for Constant justification to wage war on them, even as The Bryn'adul nearly got within striking distance of Kashyyyk. Even as they grow more powerful even now. If I had just shut up and gone along with the rest of you? I'd have been complicit in fighting a war I would never have believed in, fighting an enemy I no longer care about and have found to be utterly eclipsed by the evil of The Bryn. And once you all made up your mind against the Sith, no amount of talking or reasoning with you all would ever have worked. Violence is the only thing you understand at that point. So I use violence. Because talking it out with the Order never gets anyone anywhere when it comes to the Sith. You're the crazy people, not I, and every misfortune and set back the Jedi have suffered for selfishly pursuing war with the Sith? It may not have all been deserved...but damned if you weren't asking for it."

She didn't hit him with her best shot. She instead focused, and waited, twisting the Light Side around herself, clamping down on her emotions.

"I had everything a person could want in the Jedi Order. I had it made. You know how much it took for me to give all that up willingly?" She wondered. "The only price for keeping what I had was my conscience. And what the Order chose was unconscionable and selfish to me. So I fight."

She lunged with a stab at high speed, extending a radial field of Force Suppression as she did. She was very skilled at this ability, and it had a very good chance of affecting even a mind as focused and as powerful as that of Aaran Tafo , and had helped kill many minds like his in the past. Her mind strained against the brainwave regulators in her helmet, causing it to require twice as much effort...

 

[Otto Shule]

Coruscant // Senate Rotunda // Senate Committee Room

​

As the Committee continued their cycle of conversation, I found myself seated within a peculiar position. There were times that my positronic matrix wished to eschew the established protocols of this session, and immediately counter the points that were being raised. Such as the supposed lack of evidence that the Sith Empire were capable of producing Superweapons. It wasn’t so long ago that they produced a weapon of awesome power, but it was thankfully destroyed by the plucky heroes from the, now defunct, Outer Rim Coalition. To further add to that, every ritual the Sith concocted fell within the classification system of conventional Superweapons. What made those ever more dangerous was that there was no way to track them, nor accurately defend against them - as the nature of the Force seemed ever-mercurial.

Thus, with such power at their fingertips, and having been deployed aggressively across the Galaxy - there could be no peace with the Sith Empire. Hiding within the boundaries of the Core Worlds was noble, and fulfilled the mandate of the previous Chancellor of the Alliance - Emmen Tagge. But, even he, in his venerable wisdom, knew that such a stance would consign the Galaxy to damnation. The evidence was present with the isolationist policies of the Confederacy during the disastrous implementation of their Confederacy First doctrine. They condemned the Galaxy to endure threats like the Sith, and the Bryn’adul - whilst proclaiming themselves to be bastions of freedom and democracy. The Alliance could ill-afford to follow with their empty promises and blatant hypocrisy.
​

They had to be better.​

It was then that the Senator of Epoch gave a retort to the Vice Chancellor, mentioning the sudden and cataclysmic reveal of the Mawite superweapon at the Battle of Csilla. I could only nod in response, as the man gave voice to a point that I wished to make. Space was far too vast, with the interplanetary gulf between worlds offering many - many places for anyone to hide. Be it a small band of pirates, seeking to carve out a living in some long-forgotten asteroid belt - to the many foundries of the Republic Engineering Corporation and the Sith Empire too. Provided the logistical supply line was untraceable, it wouldn’t be difficult to mask the creation of a Superweapon from the eyes of the galaxy.

A fact that was proven twice-over, now.

What made the ignorance presented by the Vice-Chancellor palpable, was the Senator of Metellos citing the exclusion of Corporate Entities in the creation and funding of the Alliance’s superweapon - pending the fact the idea was met with the approval. Had I been an organic being, I would’ve felt my eyes instinctively roll into the back of my head. There were so many questions I wished to counter that point with, as there were endless factors that needed to be considered. Such a foolish pursuit would’ve crippled the Alliance’s treasury worse than chasing after ghost-ships in the heart of Sith space. Not to mention the time and effort it would take to allocate the proper resources, effectively creating a redundant collection of facilities that were wholly reliant on donated resources.

It would’ve been a logistical nightmare. Despite the desire to sigh, heavily, out of frustration, I kept my composure. There was little point to act out - as such a display would gain me nothing more than momentary, and unwanted attention.

But, despite my desires - it wasn’t long until the spotlight was thrown my way once more. My attention was drawn towards the Senator from Arkania, as they sought to detail their plans. Not for a viral agent that could target the Sith, as they noted that their abilities in the Force and the Wargear they armed themselves with would be capable of defeating such measures. But, rather, a viral agent that targeted the civilian populace. As they weren’t equipped with the specialized equipment seen on Sith troopers, the virus would allegedly have a greater effect on various populated worlds within the crumbling Empire. Unlike the chemical agents Republic Engineering developed to help stem the tide of various threats across the Galaxy, this agent would seek to pacify the population.

While admirable, there were several dangerous considerations that were seemingly being ignored. The first being that while the Senator mentioned that it could be capable of taking out the Sith’s supply lines and their armed forces - the earlier point of the specialized equipment made that speculative route an impossibility. Their armour was equipped with sufficient enough filtration systems to filter out even the most particulate agents; safeguarding them from the effects of this viral agent. The second consideration was that in pacifying the population - those affected by this bioweapon would be put directly into the path of danger. They would become docile, which would make them easy prey for the countless legions of Sithspawn that the Sith are known to release on occasion.
​

It would be a massacre of our own doing.​

That wasn’t even mentioning how the viral agents affected the civilian populace. There was a chance that they could mutate the virus, due to some unforeseen affliction, which would make them hyper-aggressive. There were even stories that existed in the past of some pacification project akin to this going wrong. The people reacted to the project well, at first. But overtime, there were those that became so docile - they simply laid down to die; whilst the others eventually formed a loose confederation of reavers that took to the stars to plunder and pillage to their heart’s delight. Whether or not such a tall-tale held any truth was up for debate, but as an old wise-woman once said, there’s a nugget of truth in all legends.

“Senator,” I began. My facial expression hardened as I made my response, reflecting the grave implications that came with their proposal. “While I would relish a chance to incapacitate the populations of entire Sith systems, such potential is blunted by the facts on hand. The armed forces of the Sith are equipped with wargear that’s capable of filtering out toxins, and will likely be sufficient enough to filter out this theoretical virus - when deployed. The civilian populace is more likely to be affected, true, but in making them docile - we needlessly endanger their lives. Every Civilian that’s pacified is one that doesn’t make it to an Emergency Shelter in time. With how desperate the tactics of the Sith Empire have become of late, they would become naught but lambs awaiting slaughter.”

I offered a mournful frown, then. A hollow gesture, but one that was meant to further accentuate my point.

“At least without the virus in play, the Civilian populace - whether they’re wholly loyal to the Empire or not - has a chance to flee for their lives before the battle’s begun. It’s an unnecessary risk, and one that seeks to compromise our moral standing. These people need to make the choice whether or not to flee the coming storm, or stay - in the hopes it passes over them - so they can return to the lives they built.”

Pausing to run the tip of my tongue across the interior of my synthetic lips, an act that sought to mimic the act of moistening them without the consumption of an external liquid.

“Make no mistake. These people remain within the receding boundaries of the Empire by choice. Like many sentient beings, they are often unwilling to uproot their entire livelihood in the face of change. Some will go against the grain, however, as they view greener pastures elsewhere. But, too many cultures and the people that uphold their values have become sedentary - especially after they’ve settled down and made a life for themselves. They become stuck in their ways, if you will.”

“If,” It was then that my eyes snapped back towards the Vice-Chancellor - to see what was transpiring nearby. Without missing a beat, however, I continued. “If this pacification project was retooled to focus on the Sith themselves, perhaps it might find purchase. With the Sith Empire’s upper echelons taken out of commission, their entire command apparatus falls apart. Sith troopers are not known for their adaptability and individuality on the battlefield, so without the chain of command in play, those legions and armadas would become easy prey for our Marines to rout. The problem there,” I said, as my eyes drifted back to the Senator from Arkania. “Is ensuring that the virus works against those who can purge their body of such toxins, or transform their appearance… on a whim.”

It was clear to me now that things weren’t as they appeared to be. As the Vice-Chancellor repeated the words once-spoken by the Senator of Epoch, my suspicions were aroused. Such repetitions and matched cadence were only displayed when the Force was utilized to trick someone’s mind into obeying the will of another. With the Senator of Epoch being a former Jedi? Well, it wasn’t hard to draw the comparisons and craft dozens of theoretical scenarios. Had the Senator been replaced by an infiltrator, who changed their appearance and sought to destabilize the Alliance from within? Such an act worked immensely well before, as the previous iteration of this august body was betrayed from within and helped cement the Sith Empire’s place in the Galaxy.

I glanced, then, to the Senator of Empress Teta. I couldn’t give voice to my concerns, nor transmit a message to either the Senate Guard - or the Coruscant Guard thereafter. No. If they saw any sign of my discovery - the lives of every Senator within this room - be they imposter or not - would be endangered. Who knew how long it would take for the Jedi, if there were any present on Coruscant, to react. I couldn’t rely on them. It was a difficult position to be in, and one that I loathed with all of my programming. Perhaps, there was a route that could see them all to safety - without rousing any suspicions.

“Vice-Chancellor,” I said, at last. “We’ve been at this for a while, and you seem exhausted. I move for a recess in this session, so that we may refresh ourselves, and begin anew.”​

| Aerarii Tithe | Kaigann Fossk | Seto Du Couteau | Jak Ross | Julius Haskler
Pom Stych Tivé | Carnifex | Taeli Raaf |​

 

[Bernard of Arca]

And into my bewildered eyes he throws
Visions of festering wounds and filthy clothes,
And all Destruction's bloody retinue.
----
Me and Mine[FONT]​

BLUFOR:
Team Tano: Dagon Kaze , Yula Perl , Viers Connory
Team Skywalker: Auteme , Ishida Ashina , Okkeus Dainlei , Aaran Tafo
OPFOR:
TSE, Closed​

Strike Team Tano

> Krayiss Two​

> Library​

The first bacta patch wrapper fell to the ground, ripped open, while Bernard struggled to remove the safety paper covering the adhesive tape. Gloved fingers scratched at the edge without finding an angle to squeeze between the two layers and rip the barrier off. Next time he'd request military issue emergency medical supplies, the ones handed out to Marshals didn't seem to be made with gloves in mind.

Suddenly, a scream echoed across the sand dunes from the direction of the gateway. Bernard recognized the voice. It was Auteme's.

He shot upright and looked in the direction of the gateway. A faint light flickered from below. Lightning. With newfound strength, he ripped open the bacta patch and haphazardly applied it to his largest wound with one hand, while tapping the comlink on his freearm with his chin.

<Tano! Something went wrong with Skywalker. We need to move in to reinforce!> His voice mirrored the urgency with which he applied the bacta sprays to his face and throat. <I'll meet you down there!>

His armour was still a mess of scratched and torn metal plates, ragged leather, bloody scraps, and most of his upper half, below eye-level, was covered in red. The wounds had only been surface level though, it looked worse than it was. None of the ghosts had dug deep into his skin, aside from the cut at his side, but there was nothing that the bacta wouldn't stabilize, and in case he found himself dizzying from blood loss a quick stimpack would do the trick fine.

Both blasters in hand, he rushed towards the gateway, leaping down the steps that led to where the library's true entrance remained hidden. The flickering light only grew more intense, and Auteme's screams louder.

His heart was pounding by the time he jumped off the last step and into the courtroom. Both blasters jumped level with the spirits, but it became quickly apparent that there were too many to take. He saw Auteme at the feet of the greatest, collapsed. Somewhere off to the side of the room, he made out what looked to be Ishida, similarly knocked prone. Wisps of smoke rose from their bodies and faint sparks of electricity danced over their skin and robes. He cursed under his breath.

"What's this? Another Jedi come to seek entry into our library?" A voice boomed throughout the courtroom.

Bernard ignored the spirits, most of them cowered in hesitance behind every move of the tallest of their kind. That one, seemed too amused to step in as Bernard rushed to where Auteme lay.

"Are you awake? Can you move?" He asked, holstering a blaster to withdraw an assortment of medical supplies from his pouches.

The largest spirit crossed its arms over its chest, its lips curled into a grin as it stared down at Bernard with contempt.

"Leave them. They were both deemed unworthy. One for her impertinence, the other for her ignorance"

Bernard met the Spirit's gaze, flaring with newfround determination.

"We shall see how you fare."

 

[Eslo Anderson]

[Location: Krayiss II]
Eslo's X-Wing jumps out of lightspeed and begins to land on the planet, he then heads toward the Sith Library fighting through wave after wave of Sith Troopers along the way over 50 in total. But as he was getting nearer Strike Team Skywalker he came face to face with 5 Sith each with lightsabers. He then dueled with each of these Sith using the force to push them out of the way and the push became visible to the eye.

He managed to kill 3 but 2 remained so he battled the 2 that remained using the 5th form of Lightsaber Combat combined with the 3rd, and 6th forms, made him a unique opponent to these 2 Sith; powerful strikes combined with his usage of the force and a defensive pattern should they get close to striking him down. The 2 Sith and the single Jedi fought to a standstill.

He then sent a power repulse of the force managing to kill one until only the Sith Pureblood remained, he snarled at Eslo as he attacks with an almost overwhelming force which gave him a scar on his right cheek. Until he managed to defeat the Sith Pureblood and sent him running.

 

[Teica Giraan]

[Location: Krayiss II's Orbit - Iblis-class Missile Frigate Epilogue - Internalized C.I.C]
[Engaging: N Nyxeris ]
​

She should have died then and there.

She should have ended the cycle of pain then and there.

Teica's eyes cautiously opened, only to find the bridge and various other sights that she knew once again in front of her. Nyxeris stood overhead, but the yellow had begun to fade from her eyes, so too did the will of her fingertips to bring about more death.

Go, then. Killing you won't save my mission, and my Master will not accept failure. I die here. Stay if you want, go if you care to.

She should have died then and there. The tears, the terror, and the regret should have ceased then and there. In any sane universe, she would have been just another lifeless corpse then and there.

But Teica still lived, still remained on the verge of tears, and still could watch as the sith turned around and waded through the sea of dread and death, seemingly resigned from her earliest plans. The whole effort left the commander in stunned silence, with only the sounds of sniffles and the feeling of water crawling down her cheeks to interrupt the hushed atmosphere.

Slowly, she pushed herself from the ground, arms stressed beyond her typical tolerance, further placed in agony as she reached for her cane. Teica pushed herself to a weakened stand, took a final look at the sith who had already caused her so much suffering, and crossed through the doors. But there was suspicion left in her expression, doubt in Nyxeris' words.

She couldn't possibly be giving up so early.

Twelve, perhaps fifteen, meters out of the door, the conduits ruptured around her, shrapnel leapt from scorched metal, flew over the heads of previously fallen marines, and-

"GAHH!" Metal passed through muscles, tendons, skin, finally shattering on contact with bone, "Oh gods. Oh gods. Oh gods.."

She fell almost immediately, back hitting the wall first, until she collapsed against it. A brutal shock of pain came first, then the lingering feelings of the implants in her knee falling apart and tearing further into skin. Blood began to exit, in larger amounts every few seconds, staining the ground, staining her uniform-

Something wrong, Tie?
I told you not to call me that.
Hmmm, fine then. How about Tally? Gerry? Ginny? T-
...Tie sounds fine.

Tears once again welled in her eyes., her legs screaming out in pain, her own mouth struggling to let an audible yelp out. And amidst the silent chaos, another rainstorm pounded at her mind, cut across hanging hair and otherwise seemed to bombard every part of her. Dark. Cold.

I don't want to die. I don't...I don't...

The bulkheads shook, a disabled and perforated interceptor dragging across one of the lower decks, and tearing through metallic plates and frames, while the bolt of an enemy turbolaser shattered whatever hull-supporting skeleton remained.

Make your decision. There will be a lot more death ahead. But these monsters, they need to be stopped at all costs.

Her hand crept to her comm link, eventually lifted the device and let her finger dial in Main Engineering.

"Lieutenant Illaine," She winced as she witnessed her world blurring, Winced as she felt her head aching, but just barely managed to speak further, "This is Commander Giraan, Are you there?"

"In main engineering, yes ma'am. Someone's- Someone's overriding our droid brains, ma'am. I don't understand it but-"

Almost in direct response, the engines fired up at full intensity, rocked the hull, and sent the Epilogue flying past one of the enemy ships, the early detonation subroutines now long lost history.

The sith wasn't giving up.

The Epilogue continued her doomed voyage, riddled with the marks of turbolaser fire, and the open berths left from the released of lifeboats and escape pods. Hull burning as she crossed through Krayiss II's atmosphere on a deadly collision course with the Alliance forces below.

"Cut all power to the networking systems... Cease operation of the hypermatter reactor, overload available energy through all conduits in the bridge, cut physical connections to the engines, and get your people out of there. Once you're all out, I'll set off one of the missile loaders, the chain reaction will take us off course, and take care of the sith. Three second delay between disabling both engines, it should still redirect us if I don't manage to..." Teica once again released a yelp of pain, trembled at another headache, and shed another wave of tears.

"Commander, Are you-"

"Carry out my karking orders! And don't wait for me!"

"Ma'am, you can't-"

"Do it!" Her eyes forced themselves closed, the tone of her voice quieting alongside, "Do it... I can't walk, lieutenant, Alright? Don't put yourself in more danger, not for me, there's enough blood... Please, carry out my orders..."

Another wince, and extra seconds of silence.

"It's..been an honor serving with you, commander."

"I know... I know." She could hear the sniffling on the other side, "You know what to do. Make it quick, we don't have much time."

"And...Don't let them remember me as a hero, alright?"

"Alright, ma'am, alright..."

The transmission ended, and she softened her gaze. Tears, nevertheless continued to exit her eyes and cover her face, falling and finally splattering in the puddles of blood slowly forming around her legs. That was it. Alone. She would die alone, almost meaninglessly. The thought had terrified her for as long as she knew, and had still continued to plague her worst nightmares.

But there was something oddly surreal, some smell, some feeling in the air that she couldn't quite place her finger on.

What did you want to do when this is all over?
I don't know...Maybe...Get a nice lakeside cabin on Corellia. Settle down...Relax
That's good. That's good.

You're always welcome to join me.
I'll keep that in mind, Tie. I'll keep that in mind.

"I'll see you on the other side..."

 

[Faith Organa]

Dalton Crowder | Maestus ​

"It has been my experience that someone with determination will find a way to get what they want." If the Maw wanted to come they would come. As for the Bryn and the Sith...they could also come through those gaps, Faith had a friend in the Confederacy she would see if she could help with Faith's concerns.

Suggestions, did she have suggestions....spies could ascertain information if not caught and if they were able to network. Faith felt that they were all in danger once more. "If we are considering spies, you can guarantee so are all of our enemies, and they may have already infiltrated Alliance ranks. So...." Faith spoke her concerns, and thoughts out loud she did not want to appear to be hiding anything.

"My suggestions...a discussion with GA intelligence, lets see if they know anything, and see if they can obtain or send operatives. Yes build up our borders, listening posts at the most probably points of entry, Dohiban, Dressel, definitely Belazura...if we can do that at least it's an early warning."

How could they stop the Maw? Preparations they were always making preparations so what could they change now that would make an impact on this. If they set up a station for entry into Alliance space there would be such an uproar that certainly tensions would grow and war would loom closer.

They knew what the Maw was capable of, any interference with their trade partners would be cause for attack..

If the Alliance extends it reach into the Unknowns and their neighbors also, "maybe our allies would consider extending their space to help us cut them off box them in." Faith didn't really like entertaining those thoughts for certain it would be costly to ask their allies and neighbors for such considerations. "Diplomatic missions would be needed to ask them."

Mutual enemy speeches.

"Thoughts?" She looked at the two concerned faces with her. Sobering thoughts for certain when one thought about the security of their home.