Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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


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Equipment: Hel's Lightclub | Robes
Objective: Dream | Escape | Save
Targets: Viers Connory Viers Connory
Enemies: TSE | TSE Allies
Allies: Galactic Alliance

NOTES:
A Few Posts Put Into A Single Post For Story | Am Sorry For Length
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"Mrurh'en'lase...did you get into a fight again?"

The question to her, or rather the voice that asked it was soft and loving and familiar, but distant - the source of it invisible. In fact, everything was invisible. No matter how many times Mrurh'en'lase turned and in what directions she looked, she could find nothing near or far. There was nothing around her but...well...emptiness, at least however she could perceive it. It wasn't dark and it wasn't light and it wasn't grey either. It was a thing for certain, but it was unlike anything she had seen before.

If she could give it a title, it would have to be the purest form of a void that she had ever been born witness to. She should have been afraid of it, and for a long few minutes of blind wandering, she was. Only after those few minutes did she realize that this void somehow felt comfortable. It was not too hot and it was not too cold. It was perfectly cool and balanced. Enough so that she immediately realized that it was something that she would have loved to enjoy forever.


"Mrurh'en'lase...did you get into a fight again?"

The question came again, exactly the same except it sounded closer. Much closer like she was in a room that wasn't there. Mrurh'en'lase took a single step forward towards where she thought the question came from and discovered that she was feather-like. She was floating on a cloud beyond sight - a cloud that began to move on its own. After giving a few gasps of wonderment, the hybrid relaxed and let it carry her in, what she assumed, was up because that is what it felt like. A soft breeze flowed past her as it did, and a smile began to form on her face as she let that weightlessness take her up and up and up and for a brief second she thought that she could see a light forming in the distance.

"Of course she did. Look at her. She's a damned animal."

This voice was angry and conflicted and cold. There was some love born out of disappointment in its tone, and also contempt that made the weightlessness vanish just as quickly as it appeared. Mrurh'en'lase began to lower down onto a hard surface that slowly materialized in shades of black and grey. She blinked once as she felt the cloud dissipate and the cold stone of a dirty floor touch her feet. When she opened her eyes, she found herself back there.

Back in that hovel in that city of steam and oil and smog and clanking gears and old tattered airships. A world of an industrial revolution barely past its teen years that only knew of alien life because of refugees like them. If not for the complete lack of a permanent government, they would have been captured and experimented on. She knew it now, and she knew it then, and a trickle of old fear and loathing at the thought pricked at her heart.

She must have been making an appropriate expression because suddenly, her mother formed from the ether and knelt down in front of her. The mother grinned a toothy grin and clasped her daughter's battered face ever so softly in her hands. The hybrid, who quickly realized that she was back in her childhood body for reasons she could not explain at the moment, felt like crying at the sight and the feeling.


"Honey? Are you okay?" her mother asked as warmly as she could.

Mrurh'en'lase stuttered in response, uncertain of what to say if she could say anything at all. She was confused, elated, fearful, regretful...regretful. The hybrid would be unable to find her words in the end, her father's stern - almost deriding - voice answering for her:
"She's fine. She just knows she's in trouble for fighting those dogs. Again."

"That's enough, Horus," her mother snapped, her calm eyes flashing with javelins of anger towards an empty part of the filth-laden room.

The voice of her father remained quiet for a few moments - something he seemed to like to do to bother her, though it was hard to tell if he really did.
"You never did let her learn, Lossaa. I tried so hard to teach her discipline and control. Control over herself. And all you did was let her...run rampant. Look at her. Look at the blood. The bruising. She could have been so much more than she is, and she will die because you wouldn't let me show her how to be a Chiss."

Silence permeated the room for several long minutes, the hybrid's breathing ragged and slow as she watched her mother stare at the empty space - unblinking and unmoving. Finally, she found the nerve to ask: "Mother...why am I here?"

Her mother turned back to her and the glare turned into a caring smile once again. She seemed ready to answer that question but was interrupted by a series of thunder cracks and red bolts of lightning streaking through the sky. "Oh, dearest daughter," the mother said as she dropped her hands to the hybrid's shoulders. "I'm afraid I can't answer that. Time is moving too quickly for us right now. You just need...to wake up. People need your help."

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Rays of light finally broke through her closed eyelids, forcing her to shove her hand into the air on reflex to escape the condensed brightness. Smoke filled her nostrils and mouth as she gasped in the air at the same time, causing her to cough violently and shoot upwards. Her head smacked against the hard metal of the cockpit of her starfighter, surprising her enough to blink her eyes open to refocus her vision. Pain wracked her body in sharp stabbing angles, which was enough to get her moving just as the smoke quickly filled with embers. The transparisteel window of the cockpit was cracked and - more importantly - loose, allowing her to use only a modicum of strength to push it open and crawl her way out of the starfighter onto the arid, mountainous earth of this tainted planet.

She rolled onto her stomach and coughed out the remnants of smoke and embers that filled her lungs before breathing slowly and painfully. Blood dripped from her nose and mouth and she believed that she had lost a back tooth in the heaving fits.

At first, the memories of how she ended up on the planet were lost to her, but upon looking at the smoldering remains of her starfighter, they hit her as hard as that blaster bolt did. An enemy fighter, faster than her and more skilled than her in every facet of space combat. Why Mrurh'en'lase was even in a starfighter - let alone allowed to be in one - was a question that was surely going to be asked a lot by Allyson Locke Allyson Locke . The mere thought of facing another frustrated stare from her...well it made the hybrid question leaving the planet. When she did decide to move after concluding that dying here was a worse fate, she placed her bruised hands flat against the rocky earth below and pushed herself up into a kneeling position. A spray of stray blaster rounds from...somewhere on this blasted hellscape of a planet struck the mountain faces around her, much to her increasing annoyance.

After waiting to see if more would come, the hybrid rose to her feet and muttered:
"Frack me...that sucked."

"It did indeed," said a voice completely foreign to her. "Kind of surprised to see that you lived if I'm allowed to be honest."

Swiftly turning around, the hybrid was startled - perhaps even dismayed - to see a man standing atop the now flaming ruin of her starfighter, lighting what appeared to be a cigarette with the burning smoke. She couldn't make out his face in the fumes, nor what he was wearing beyond what looked to be a brown duster. Uncertain of his allegiance, the hybrid retrieved her Lightclub from her belt and ignited it, the blue plasmic blade hissing its battle cry.

"Woah! Easy there, hotshot," the man chuckled as he placed the cigarette into his mouth. His voice's pitch was moderate and his accent a mystery - if anything, it was an anti-accent. "It ain't me you wanna be fighting. Save that for the other guys. But that's for later. You got a job to do."

"Who the hell are you?" the hybrid growled, uncomfortably shifting her stance into a more defensive form as the unease of this unknown began to corrupt the air around her. Her muscles were tense and pulled taught against her skin and the bones underneath from the pain of the crash, and she knew that she would inevitably fall and require medical assistance. She could not afford this battle, but would likely be unable to avoid it.

Or so she thought.

The man took a deep drag of his cigarette as the flames of the crashed starfighter began to reach higher around him. The hybrid, at least partially aware of her dire situation in the face of the unknown, began to slowly back away - knowing that the vessel was close to bursting apart.
"Oh, come on. That isn't the question you need to be asking right now," the man declared, stamping his foot rather harshly against the blackened metal roof of the vessel. "Right now, you have to be running down this mountain and helping your people. Your mama said so, and you best start listening to her if you wanna succeed. So. Get. Running. Kid."

The starfighter burst apart as expected, and the concussive wave caught the hybrid off guard, blasting her backward over the edge and sending her tumbling down the mountainside. Only by virtue of her uncanny ability to regain and maintain her balance, Mrurh'en'lase caught herself and transitioned into a rapid sprint down the rocky incline through tainted air, dextrously disengaging her Lightclub and hooking it back onto her belt. Before long, her feet found only air as the incline ended and the hybrid began to fall downward, screaming in surprise.

Thankfully, her time under Master Locke's wing had allowed her to develop some increased chances of survival uninjured for such events, as long as she was willing to rely on motions outside of her comfort zone of brute power. In this instance, she was, and the hybrid's downward fall thankfully found herself on solid flat ground, but no sense of direction to help them carry her further on. Only one thing was clear to her at that moment: she was somewhere quite evil, quite chaotic, and not at all where she wanted to be. She would have much rather preferred to be back in that emptiness on the cloud.

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The sounds of battle roared in the heavens as the sky filled with death rattles and outcries of unholy things and starships crashing through orbit. It was a hellscape, but she was rather used to that by now. And at least it wasn't Ziost. Mrurh'en'lase breathed deeply as a memory of that battle flashed in her head like an instant picture - her failure, embarrassment, and the She-Wolf. She shook her head to make it go away - which it thankfully did - and began her march across the land.

For a while, there was nothing more than the sounds and the barren earth of rocks and what appeared to be distant obelisks strewn in a disorderly fashion. They seemed to always maintain their distance no matter how far she walked and it was difficult for the hybrid to know if she was getting any closer or further away from them. Furthermore, she had no idea at all how long she had been walking by the time she even noticed them. Had the crash been that rough on her? She certainly had internal damages, and mayhaps even a concussion although she didn't feel any of the symptoms associated with that. Mayhaps that was just her hardiness at work, or her body had just grown so numb to it.

And so she walked, and walked, and walked until...she felt something. Warmth in the cold evil, she looked to her left and felt a collective of light. Whether by the design of the universe, her fate, or just plain luck, it seemed that the young hybrid had somehow stumbled into the direct line towards Galactic Alliance forces.

A smile crept across her face and she immediately began to move towards it only to stop five steps into her path and turn back to face the opposite way. Something else was there, in the dark evil. Only some yards away, but imperceptible in the smoke and dust of the tainted world. It was...somewhat like her in a way. There was a faint distant light, but also deep exhaustion. And...regret...regret...regret.


"Catchy thoughts there, kid. If only you knew what it means," the voice said again. The man himself could not be seen when Mrurh'en'last spun around repeatedly to find him. "Why don't you go find 'em. See if they need your help. Make your mama proud."

Making someone proud. That was all she wanted to do. All she desired to do. Make someone proud at least once and not be a failure. If she could do that here, she could do that anywhere? Right? Spurred on by the voice of a man she was now not entirely sure was real, Mrurh'en'lase used what energy she had left to march towards this faint light, her vision growing hazier with each minute that passed until, finally, somehow, she came upon what looked to a courtyard, although she wasn't entirely certain what it was. She only knew that going any further beyond it would be a foolhardy thing and certainly lead to her death as the screams of ghastly creatures screeched through the thick air.

Breathing shallow breaths, the hybrid searched for the source of the faint light - as faint as a white dwarf star at the edge of the galaxy. Finding it in this place was difficult as Mrurh'en'lase's vision was almost entirely blurred by her injuries sustained in the crash. Nausea built slowly in her stomach and would have erupted in full had she eaten anything substantial before the battle. The pain of it all was quickly becoming too much to bear, and she was very close to shutting down and leaving to accept yet another disappointment in her life.

Until she found her, propped up on a bench like a ventriloquist's dummy that had its strings cut. Her face was blank and covered in the residue of battle that had met her in great fury. From a preliminary glance, she looked to have been as old as the hybrid herself, perhaps even a touch younger, but that mattered not. She was undoubtedly a warrior of light, waiting in her rest to be saved. Her wounds were many, and the emotions that radiated off of her would have certainly overwhelmed Mrurh'en'lase in her own weakened state had the girl not been so drained. But she was the one the hybrid was to save. The Alliance was close and this was her moment, so she had to be quick and decisive if she was going to save the girl. Sucking in air sharply, lungs still burning with pain from the embers, the hybrid hooked her hands under the girl's arms and lifted her up and onto her left shoulder like a sack of crops if the crops were as light as a toothpick. Turning on her heels just as quickly, Mrurh'en'lase moved swiftly out of the courtyard and back into the hellscape, exhausted and nearing her own end.

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For the first time in any battle up to this point besides the one on Ziost, Mrurh'en'lase was uncertain that she was going to make it. Each step became harder and harder, her swiftness replaced by sluggish dragging of her feet through the rock-laced soot and sand. The energy consumed in her effort to find the girl was now a lamented expenditure and the line seemed so far now. Breaths were almost impossible and her vision had become almost nothing but blurry fuzz, her path directed solely on the senses of the light in the distance.

"You're really struggling there, aren't you?" the strange man asked, his footsteps barely audible to the hybrid's right. "Kinda hard to watch."

"Frack...off," she choked out in between steps.

The man was silent as if shocked and then said:
"You're really going to tell me to frack off? You know that is very rude of you, kid. I'm your only friend here, so you'd be wise to be nice to me."

Mrurh'en'lase snarled in response as her forward movement had almost completely stopped, her legs heavy and weak and wobbly. Despite this, the girl on her shoulder felt as weightless as she did in the emptiness, and her light was fading. Her life was ending. Mrurh'en'lase growled back into resolve and forced her momentum to continue, holding back tears and screams of pain with each step. Had she broken her legs and only just now began to feel the effects? Torn muscles? Bruised tendons? She couldn't tell, and to keep her mind off the agony that seared her soul, sputtered to the man: "I don't...have...to...be...nice...to...anyone. They...were never...nice...to...me."

The man laughed loudly and placed what felt like a gloved hand on her free shoulder, "Well, if you wanna survive, you're going to have to be. Your pop was right about one thing, kid. Your attitude still needs some work. Try giving the Order a bit less sass and maybe you'll have some actual friends to count on."

She would have punched him if she could, but she couldn't risk dropping the girl in her care. Instead, she hissed at his words and kept forcing her movement. More and more she walked with the weightless girl as the distant lines of light drew closer, but too slowly did they draw. Her vision was almost completely white at this point. Her head was throbbing, her veins protruding against her temples, her ears ringing with deafness, and her heart beating with each exertion.

But she could not care. She did not care - she should have died in that crash, but she survived and this warrior would survive and she would make someone proud.


"You will, kid. You're going to make it."

And so those steps turned into stomps and those stomps quickened and quickened until she was in as near a sprint as she could get. The vision of her eyes began to turn from white to a shade of pink and a pain - thin and sharp - began to spread across her eyes from the corners and behind in her sockets. Heart thumping - war drum - against her chest, Mrurh'en'lase raced to the Alliance forces holding the bulwark of this battle. She could not see them, but she knew they were growing closer and closer until, finally, they were within arms reach.

And then she collapsed with the girl falling from her grasp, and all went dark in her vision as shouts of surprise and orders for the healers and medics rang in her ears. Mrurh'en'lase had saved one Viers Connory Viers Connory . It was one life among thousands, but it was a good life to save and it was worth it. Oh, how it was worth it to feel that moment of pure joy before she fell into a deep slumber of unbridled depletion. She had no idea who she made proud, but it was someone.

Somewhere.

 
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Seto Du Couteau, Senator of Empress Teta
Objective:
Technological Terror
Location: Coruscant, Committee Room
Action: Listen and Express Opinion
Attire

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The discussion continued with the Senator of Coruscant voicing his concerns and support of Seto’s own words. The only point of contention was the idea that there was political will to see through such a project of the construction of a Superweapon. Truth be told, Seto wished to raise the issue that the construction of such a large project would come under continuous attacks from the public and Senate. This of course could be avoided if the project were to be done entirely in secret but dropping the knowledge of such a weapon upon the unsuspecting civilian populace of the Alliance would create its own chaos.

Seto held his tongue for the time being, after all Senator Shule was arguing similar points to his own. Bringing up even more theoretical, but plausible, situations would only further derail the conversation into something entirely else. Besides, I want to get out of here before the sunsets. . . or rises? Seto blinked a few times as he realized he had forgotten the time of day. His eyes glanced down to his data-slate before focusing on the next speaker, Senator Fossk explained the situation with the Brotherhood of the Maw and the unfortunate end of Csilla.

No one in the room needed a reminder of the series of protests and riots when the news flooded the airwaves. A super-weapon constructed and out of sight of any Intelligence surveillance? Seto was one of the few that thought it possible, since after all space was infinitely massive in scale. Even the largest celestial body can disappear in the sheer darkness of space. But the point that it didn’t matter if such weapons could be built in secret was clear, what mattered was what to do with the present reality.

Which of course brings us back to our meeting. Seto wanted to breathe out in exasperation of the dialogue that corporate entities could not be trusted with the construction of such a project. While it was true that business had been compromised in the past before, the magnitude and scale of any construction project would need the assistance of the largest conglomerates of finance and engineering. Let us hope the SIA are up to the task. Seto thought wearily.

The conversation turned somewhat concerning, Seto had always believed that bio-weapons would be the last option. But to use a viral agent against the population of an entire planet? Seto could already envision the protests and political backlash to such usage. The headaches alone would kill any lesser politician.

Speaking of Headaches. Seto returned his gaze to the Vice-Chancellor. The young Du Couteau heir had initially passed off the pained looks and heavy frowns of a man deep in thought and inner-turmoil. Seto believed it to still be the case but perhaps the poor man had himself a bender the night prior. Even Senator Shule spoke of his observation of the Vice-Chancellor’s exhaustion and asked for a recess for the time being.

“I agree with Senator Shule, we have been at this for quite some time and best we take a moment to reflect and reconvene later.” Seto voiced his agreement as he stood up.

He silently moved over to the Vice-Chancellor’s side. “If you need a raw egg with a splash of vinegar and hot sauce I can set you up in a nearby office.” Seto whispered to the Vice-Chancellor’s ear. As the common saying goes,
Liquor before beer and you’re in the clear, liquor before intergalactic senatorial debates and feel your insides unravel.

|| Aerarii Tithe Aerarii Tithe | Otto Shule Otto Shule | DARKCOM DARKCOM | Jak Ross | Pom Stych Tivé Pom Stych Tivé | Darth Carnifex Darth Carnifex | Taeli Raaf Taeli Raaf ||
 
Handsome blindfolded hyper-religious whackjob

And again and again. She proves her own hypocrisy. If a small force could not defend against the Sith, then they deserved to lose. If those that she fought against were weak and could not contribute. Then why did she care? Why was she trying to defend the Sith? They did not care for the Bryn and would exploit the current crisis. The New Imperial Order and Galactic Alliance were apparently no help. Hell, the idea of the people who were too weak to defend themselves deserving in being attacked was a philosophy the Bryn took.

He was not surprised in the least to find that the Black Knight felt the same way. Of course she'd find an excuse to defend her precious Sith. The insane always did come up with the most creative of excuses. Because there was no denying it now. Laertia Io was simply insane. Something inside her mind was broken and unwell. The only real options were to subdue her, imprison her and get her professional help along with heavy medication.

Or to end her as a threat permanently.

He would much rather the former over the latter.

"If you had everything. If you were so great. Then why are you so alone? Why is it that you never even consider that if the whole Galaxy is against you. You might be the one in the wrong here?" Was the final question he posited to her. Her own lover Syd had left her. Her allies were made up of naive children who didnt know better, mindless droids, conditioned clones and one particularly crazy Sith and her cult. All of them having probably invested far more resources fighting for a losing Empire than defending the innocent.

All she did was prolong the conflict. The loss of the Sith Empire was a guaranteed thing. Abandoned by Carnifex, rapidly losing the fearsome Sith Lords that gripped the galaxy in terror. Even now, they were changing Emperors like they were outfits. If what he heard was correct, the latest one barely lasted a year before someone else shuffled onto the throne.

What excuse did the Black Knight have to defend this beyond simply looking to appease her own ego?

Seeing her ready herself. Seeing her draw on the dark, twisting the Force to her will instead of acting in harmony with it. Deluding herself into thinking that she wasn’t calling upon the darker side of the Universal Energy Field. He readied himself in turn. Emptying himself of his own ego.

He let go of his distaste of her. He let go of any anxiety he felt over the mission. Letting out a slow exhale as he began to level his own saber towards her. Abandoning any thought beyond the bare necessity needed to comprehend what was going on around him. Slowly bringing himself to a state of absolute acceptance. Not ego, not self-love, not happiness, not reason, not logic. Just pure acceptance of the underlying Truth of reality.

The Force was with all things. It bound everything together. The ego was simply a barrier preventing true unity with it. The sense of self not being truly negative or positive. But it existed. Which is why so many Jedi techniques involved letting go of the sense of self.

It was why so many Sith seemed to be superficially more powerful than Jedi. They were taught to grab as much power as possible and inflate their own ego. That one must increase their power through any means and not be afraid to indulge.

A Jedi was taught that there was simply no limit. All one had to do was Trust in the Force. And realise that all the power and knowledge in the universe
was at your fingertips. One simply had to dissolve their own sense of self enough to remove those barriers.

And so, he began drawing it in. Trusting wholly in the Force for this one singular strike. Not knowing, not caring about what happens next. Simply accepting what comes.

As the Black Knight's mental attack slammed into his own mind. It would unfortunately find very little to gain purchase on. It was not that Aaran's will was powerful enough to withstand her attempt to confuse him. But it was more there was barely any mind existing at this moment for her to target.

He was one with the Force and the Force was with him.

As the Black Knight lunged, so did Aaran. Golden blade arcing out, slashing towards her. Aiming to slice off an arm as her own stab was aimed at his midsection. Both of their forms a blur as the air cracked around them from their sudden acceleration.

At the last possible second, his torso twisted, adding in extra power to his slice. But even that was not enough to entirely avoid the blade. Some distant part of him, what little ego remained within him at the moment noted the sudden scorching pain in his side as the Black Knight's saber connected. The Talisman protecting him from being impaled. But it did little to avoid the catastrophic burn on his side.

As for his own strike. He did not know if it connected or not. He did not care. He was beyond caring, beyond thought, beyond concern for the petty struggle that this duel was. Not even noticing if the Black Knight behind him was crooning triumphantly or screaming in pain.

Whatever happened, happened. He would accept the results of his actions no matter what came.
 

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THE NEW JEDI ORDER
OBJECTIVE I |
LIBRARY TEMPLE | THE STYGIAN CAMPAIGN
THE UNFORGIVEN
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RETURN OF THE JEDI

"Stay out of this, Dagon!"

Unlike Dagon, the former Jedi Shadow did not hesitate - he caught the padawan off guard, and his athletic kick connected with Dagon's chin sending him flying like a ragged doll a dozen feet away. The lights went out for a long moment before his eyes opened to a hazed vision of the dark skies above and ears ringing to a head-splitting tune. Groaning, he lifted his head up, blinking hard to discern the blurred figures of the two Zeltron cousins locked in a deadly scuffle.

He dragged himself up on his elbows, spitting the blood of his split lip to the side. Dagon needed to stand up, get back in the fight but the rise was an existential struggle as if the weight of the galaxy kept pushing him down. Without losing view of Yula and Zaavik's duel, he finally made it back up on his feet only for a yelp escaping Yula's lips to freeze his heart to a stop. Wild-eyed, with wrenched guts, he witnessed Zaavik's blade leave Yula one-eyed.

For a moment there was nothing, like a calm before the storm deafening silence drowned his senses. And then the storm came - unhinged, untamed, unforgiving; the tide of memories of Ossus crashed into his mind forcing him to relive every moment of Ayana's tragic death in a ceaseless repeat with a dark whisper in the background echoing - failure.

<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!>

Bernard's voice crackled through the comms and shone a fleeting ray of light through the storm raging in his mind - a means to escape this endless cycle of debacles and death. But it came with a heavy toll - leave Yula behind on her own against Zaavik. A lump formed in his throat constricting his airways as tears filled his eyes. His heart yearned to dive back into the scuffle, pull her out of harm's way, and into his loving embrace. Vanish somewhere distant, millions of lightyears away from this damned destiny.

I'm... sorry.

His mind refused the craving of his heart, forcing his feet to move in the opposite direction from his loved one lying on her knees helpless. Duty had cried its cruel call. Tears trailed down his cheeks, the passing wind cupping the drops into its grasp and gracefully laying them to rest in the cursed soil of Krayiss besides his deepest desires and dreams.

Following Auteme's wail, there was only darkness ahead. Through the gateway into the library itself, shadows played tricks on his mind materializing faces of those he had in some way failed. With each step taken towards the courtroom of the temple, the darkness only grew thicker as did the furious storm in his mind, whilst the restless spirit of his father violently rattled its chains.

A sneer from beyond the grave echoed in his mind.

In the heart of darkness, Haytham Kaze sat on his throne.

Unnerved at the sight of his Jedi companions strewn across the ground beneath the looming, judging dark spirits, Dagon swallowed hard. The phantoms drawn by his rising fear fixated their attention upon him like moths to a flame. They wildly drifted around the room, their sneering voices echoing across the court leaving trails of smoke and crackles of lightning in their wake.



"And finally he arrives.."


"..sound the trumpets."​


"The hall is full.."


"..the Piper"​


"..the Keeper of the City Keys"




"and now.."


"..the Crimson King"


"..the one's reign mired in blood."​


Spectral limbs snapped forward in his direction and threw his psyche into purgatory. From Korriban to Ziost, from Generis to Krayiss. Every single event denoting his failures and the trail of blood he left in his wake, the blood of his friends, his loved ones, and those he held dear. Doomed to repeat forever this harrowing cycle of death bearing the mantle of his father's legacy. Crippled, he fell to his knees as the tormenting struggle against Haytham's will was finally reaching its culmination.

In the end, Dagon was destined to fail.

ALLIES | GA | Yula Perl Yula Perl | Bernard Bernard | Viers Connory Viers Connory | Auteme Auteme | Ishida Ashina Ishida Ashina | Okkeus Dainlei Okkeus Dainlei | Aaran Tafo Aaran Tafo
ENEMIES | Himself | The Dark Side | TSE
 
Allies: The Sith Empire - Valen Arenais - Mazrim Caide/Taim Mazrim Caide/Taim
Enemies: The Galactic Alliance - Zark San Tekka Zark San Tekka Captain Raith Captain Raith - Mara Harik - Sion Dallo Sion Dallo
Objective: 2
Location: TempleStone - Counts Tower


When the dust and debris settled only half the squadron of StarFortresses made it back into the sky, six small grey points zooming over the city. The droid piloted ships did their best to leave the range of their anti-air opposition but not without losing yet another of their iron brethren to its mere instant volley.

The Ugorian was otherwise occupied, for one he was waiting for an update from Coruscant, a particular gathering of senators that was currently underway. There was also the question of his heavier artillery, he didn't think he would have to use it, hadn't expected such fortified reinforcements to be supplied into a simple peasant uprising. On a separate note, he had decided on a group of companies that they would be investing in, all-around infrastructure. A couple of events still seemed a little unpredictable but options would have to be locked in sooner than later for this to work.

Nevertheless, he would deal with all of it. One after the other.

"I wand aerial oversighd, ubdate me, sdandby wid flame garbed warheads"
"I want aerial oversight, update me, standby with flame carpet warheads"

His feed immediately begun flooding him with images and target locations. The StarrFortresses were careful not to get into the radar of the battle raging above the clouds and were now used as recon.

The giant now moved into action, his goliath form stampeding through the empty corridors of the futuristic tower. Behind him a flock of screens gliding along accompanying him on his journey.

"Lord the Artillery Droids are ready to fire, awaiting orders" the Akuza reported.

"Log in on de andi-air, dan gongendrade on de resd of deir heavy equibmend"
"Lock in on the anti-air, than concentrate on the rest of their heavy equipment"

And they obeyed.

The 3 coilguns on legs, turned their canon-mounted hides towards the inner city past the Counts Tower into the direction the rebel support had breached the gates. Firing 15 shells a minute these droids nicknamed "Thunderer" held true to their name as proton bomb after proton bomb was blasted towards the opposing forces at the other side of the metropolis. Under the careful observation of the airborne Akuza the bombardment would commence until all of the fortified walker columns would be no more.

Along with the cousin Howitzers that were still pouring down toxic canisters onto enemy forces.

The Detergent Sith made it out of the tower. He strode out into the night, his iron body showered in the twofold moonlight.

When you want things done…
 
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Allies: N/A
Enemies: TSE | GA | Yula Perl Yula Perl | Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze

Why won't you let me in?




Why did it feel so good?

Zaavik's hand felt a moment of resistance from the blade. Instincts registered the confirmation of the strike, sending adrenal butterflies up into his chest.
Another outcry emanated from the depths of his lungs and spirit.

Y-you-“

"See what you made me do!?" he shouted, attempting to remove the blame from himself.

The final line had been crossed. Green blade retracted forcibly into the hilt. Light-aligned Kyber within finally rejecting Zaavik as its wielder. It forced itself from his grasp, clattering against the dirt. Attempts to call it back to him only made it roll further. A pulling force twisted into a repelling influence by light's rejection. It was infuriating.


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

"Shut up!" he rebuked with a screech. His words changed to their mother tongue. "You're nothing to me," he protested. Their native language accentuated the verbal knife.

A foot stomped down upon the hilt. Forcefully retrieving it, Zaavik fought the protests of the Kyber to keep it in his grasp. Yet, it wouldn't ignite. His grip tightened. Cursing the object for insubordination, a flick of his arm discarded it, reintroducing it roughly to the dirt. His boot struck it, sent it rolling to the side, out of the way.

Both fists clenched, mimicking his teeth. I don't need a saber to take care of this. Dust kicked up behind the two steps it took to close the distance. Restless dukes tremored with anticipation. His downward stare was as sardonic as it was foreboding. Something acted like a dam to keep the remorse from flooding in. Violence remained the intention.


I loved you, idiot—we’re family!

"I won't ask you again," he began, disregarding her plea as if it had bounced right off of him. "Get out of my way."

His stomach twisted, head spun, knees weakened. Had he not been nearly starving, he might have thrown up. A snarl laced with discomfort replaced his stony, cynical stare. Growling, Zaavik spat the worst of their language at her. Probably the worst pejorative the Zeltron language had ever conceived for a woman. Steeling for composure, he made his move. A strike was thrown with his aluminiferous hand, stepping in for power.

She chose this.
 
The strike cut Aaran Tafo Aaran Tafo and only her own skill as a swordsman allowed her to avoid his simultaneous attack. That Assured Strike Technique paid for itself.

She prepared to attack him again, but took time to answer him.

"Because what I saw in those chambers before Dantooine was nothing but short sighted Fanaticism overwhelming reason. And unfortunately, not everyone around me had the ability to ignore The Jedi's false cries of victimhood when I started really fighting you. Your war is wrong, Jedi." Xiphos said flatly and with absolute conviction that was frightening to hear.

"You deserve to be opposed, because The Jedi's actions have been absolutely selfish and evil while The Bryn'adul are extant. Your side sent people to die for what, justice? Is that what you call it? Your idea of justice is a fething joke and everyone dumb enough to fight for it died for nothing. Nothing! You're not going to get rid of the Sith! It is impossible! You're in an eternal game of whack-a-mole at this point! Crush one empire, and another rises! Your problems don't end just because of the Sith Empire being 'destroyed'! All you have done is make the Bryn'adul more powerful, and forced me to fight you at every turn to stop you from slitting the Galaxy's throat in your short sighted crusades for Justice. You think the NIO won't feth you over? You think your little Triumvirate won't collapse when Tavlar decides only Imperialism should prevail? You think the fething Ashlan Crusade won't fight you if they decide you aren't morally pure enough for their liking? You're lying to yourself. You surrounded yourselves with fething wolves in order to Destroy your enemies...but they don't call themselves Sith, so it's okay, right? Just ignore the same fascist policies and crimes and thought process that made you turn your nose up at working with the Sith, because they want to Destroy your rivals also as badly as you do and they don't call themselves Sith when they pull their bullchit." She sneered, angling her blade for another attack.

"Do you know about the secret police in the NIO that assassinate dissenters? The vicious, merciless killings they've carried out? Do you know how the Ashlan Crusade publicly crucifies people who violate their sensibilities? Or are you comfortable with all of that just because they practice the Light or don't call themselves Sith? At least I know and admit what kind of people I'm working with. I know and have seen what they do. Your side will turn a blind eye to the evils of your own allies as long as you think the Sith can be destroyed as a result, the same as I in order to stop the Bryn'adul! But you will come to blows with them eventually. If you are a true Jedi you will have to. The Ashlan's will overplay their hand and try and take over something your side won't want them to have. The NIO has no use for Democracy and someone with as massive an ego as Chandra will not suffer Tavlar forever. There is nothing hypocritical in my choices. The whole Galaxy must unite, even if it means The Sith get to thrive long after we are both dead. The Bryn'adul must be stopped at all costs, even if it means Justice must be obstructed and denied for millions of people wronged by The Sith, which include myself. My parents were murdered by them at Dantooine."

She had enough words. She was about to strike him again when the ceiling collapsed between the due to the Amalgam channeling a terrible darkness.

"Anything to Destroy the Sith though, right? The same way I'm willing to side with anyone, no matter how reprehensible, to Destroy the Bryn'adul. Your side is not nearly so just or pure as they pretend, Jedi. Mark my words. Mark them well! You will have to fight one or the other or both eventually...and you will be trapped in the very scenario you feared in a team up with The Sith."

Xiphos then withdrew, to coordinate defense of the temple with her Sons
 


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Allies | Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze

Enemies | [TSE] Zaavik Perl Zaavik Perl

Zaavik’s inhuman scream flooded her senses, dulling even the pain from the mark he’d seared into her face. In its wake was Dagon’s light, drifting away from her. Bernard’s call had gone unheeded by the Zeltron, and she’d insisted to Dagon that she would handle this family matter alone—but that was before she’d been struck with intent to kill.

If he’d tried to stay by her side, she would have urged him to help the others. He’d made the right decision. Yet the moment Zaavik’s lightsaber took her left eye, a selfish part of her wanted the comfort of Dagon’s presence all for herself.


“I got your back, remember?”

And I've got yours.

Spurred by Zaavik, left by Dagon. With her vision impaired and her cousin out for blood, Yula began to wonder if she would manage to survive the day; a tiny part of her was at peace with the fact that she might not.

"Shut up!"

"You're nothing to me,"

The abrupt shift into their native tongue gave her whiplash. The Zeltron language was as passionate as it’s speakers, where both words of love and hate seemed to hit harder.

“That ‘aint true, Zaavik.” The words felt like gravel in her throat. “You don’t just throw away the people that you love.” Her voice trembled with conviction, pairing oddly with how foolish she felt. It was silly of her, she realized, to think that Dagon would choose her over his sworn path. Over his Jedi brothers and sisters, who needed his help just as badly.


Selfish selfish selfish. You got into this mess by being selfish, and you’re hurting because you’re selfish.

She wouldn’t give up on Zaavik. He was blood, they had history. They were family, even if he threatened her life and cussed at her until his throat was raw, even if he took her other eye.

That didn’t mean that she wasn’t pissed.

Yula had clambered to her feet, unstable and unaccustomed to a lack of depth perception. She wouldn’t need it, not with how quickly Zaavik had surged forward, striking her in the face with his cybernetic fist. The punch rocked her jaw and shattered her cheekbone, knocking teeth lose and introducing the metallic taste of blood into her mouth. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, carrying an almost electric feeling into her skin. Before he could remove his fist from her face, she snaked both arms around his own, locking them in like a vice.

Bloodied, bruised, and scarred, her face rose to meet his own. A single wide, nearly manic green eye met the corrupted gaze as she pressed her efforts into his mechanical arm, seeking to overload the servos in the same way she’d sought to overload the Maw’s superweapon.

“The hell is wrong with you?” She rasped through the sandpaper in her throat, spitting a bloodied tooth into his face. The Force surged, seeping further into his cybernetic. Though she hadn’t built this particular model, this was familiar territory. Instinct guided the Force to attack the right circuits, to disrupt the important connections. She wrapped her arms tighter around his own, hanging on for dear life. He’d have better luck trying to shake her off than yank his arm away.

So close. They were close enough to the point where she could call her saber back to her, and end this with a push of the ignition. Instead she clung to Zaavik, working the Force into his robotic limb with feverish determination.

“What happened to you? You still haven’t told me why you're doing this, Zaavik!”


 
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if they're watching anyways


Auteme felt her body go limp. Her surroundings seemed blurred, the voices muted -- someone had come to her, but she couldn't tell who. Time sped up, then slowed; she could feel every weak, shuddering breath fill her lungs, but little else.

The voice was the first source of clarity.

"We underestimated the Dark side," the woman began, her voice soothing, almost tired. The spirit that appeared ahead lacked the terrible weight of a Sith's ghost. A human woman, dressed in the robes of a Jedi, floated forward. A slight smile crept onto her face. "I did, more so than you, I think -- the biggest mistake I made was coming here alone, thinking it'd be that easy."

She looked to the side. Auteme, for a moment, could see Bernard clearly.

"Rest. You will be safe."

Tears fell from Auteme's eyes, and she lay still on the stone.
 
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[Location: Krayiss II]
Eslo battled 5 more Sith but they were not as challenging as the other Sith he just encountered as they were mere apprentices, he then heads toward the location of Strike Team Skywalker, but one last obstacle stood in his way; A full-fledged Sith Lord stood in his path he dueled him.
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Their blades clashed and swerved around each of them as they dodged each other's blades; finally, after some time he managed to break through the defenses of the Sith Lord and struck him down.
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As he reached the location of Strike Team Skywalker he then saw Aaran Tafo, and rushes toward the Jedi Knight "Need hand Knight Tafo?" He finally says to the Young Knight after catching his breath. He can see that a member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems fled and to the Young Jedi he said what a Jedi Master would ultimately say. "We can deal with that one later. Right now we need to focus on the here and now."
 
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And into my bewildered eyes he throws
Visions of festering wounds and filthy clothes,
And all Destruction's bloody retinue.

----
I AM THE END
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BLUFOR
:
Team Tano: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze , Yula Perl Yula Perl , Viers Connory Viers Connory
Team Skywalker: Auteme Auteme , Ishida Ashina Ishida Ashina , Okkeus Dainlei Okkeus Dainlei , Aaran Tafo Aaran Tafo

OPFOR:
TSE, Closed


Bernard's heart raced as he looked down at Auteme. She wasn't answering, gone limp against the stone. For a moment he feared the worst, but her pulse hadn't faded and she still breathed. He hadn't made it in time to protect her this time. On Brentaal he'd stood as a shield between her and the dark, as she stood as the Jedi's Shield today, but this time they had both failed. He administered a stimpack, and squeezed her shoulder.

"Get through this, okay? We need you."

He glanced towards Ishida. She'd been downed a few dozen paces to his right and looked like she'd need medical attention next but before he could go to her the spirits' voices boomed within the court. They announced another visitor. Dagon had arrived.

Their judgement was swift in his trial. The Spirits spoke their verdict mere moments after he arrived. They cast an intangible torment on him, and it played with his mind, bringing the Jedi to his knees. Whether that signalled his passing or failure, Bernard didn't know, but it looked as though his very will and being were being broken and pieced together again and again on that stone floor.

Bernard rose half-way to his feet, ready to move to check on him, when the Spirits erupted into a choir of laughter and froze him in his tracks. The congregation appeared to him almost like a court now, even if it was only a twisted mockery of one. The greatest of the Spirits, the Judge, stood tall over the others, presiding over the verdicts, while another, almost reaching to his height, stood guard beside him with crossed arms. The Judge bore sorcerer's robes and a ceremonial headpiece that adorned his head while his companion remained hidden behind Sith's armour and a mask. Both stood watching Bernard, rows of pygmy spirits sat on raised banks along the walls all around them.

Bernard seized up as all eyes locked on him. He met their gazes, expecting his own trial to commence at any moment, but they remained still. No invisible touch on his mind, no lightning to sear his flesh. Instead, from among their ranks, three smaller ghosts, dressed in rags and veils that covered their entire form, came forth. They rushed towards Bernard, encircling him in dancing mockery. He brought his blasters up to protect himself, following their movements, but they were too quick, too wild in their dance, to get them into his sights, and he quickly gave up on the effort.

"What's this?" One of the ghosts chimed, its voice high-pitched and rasping.

"A crime," another yelled, harsh and certain.

"No, a mercy," the last one seemed almost to be softly singing.

The first ghost reached out to Bernard, plucking an ethereal strand from his chest before he could raise his blasters. Illusions began to manifest right in front of him. One was of himself, the other of a red-skinned man in handcuffs, standing across from each other. They were frozen in time, a blue bolt hanging in the air between them, fired from a blaster in Bernard's hand.

"This one has killed," the first continued.

"Murdered in cold blood," the second added.

"Taken life in defence of something not yet manifested," the third corrected.

"Spurred by anger."

"Excused by duty."

"Driven by fear."

"Yet, there is more."

The illusion faded, and the ghost plucked another strand free, suddenly manifesting an old warrior, Michael Sardun Michael Sardun , at a table in a frozen hall. The warrior was titanic in stature, sat upright with dignity, but looked down upon the world with an upturned chin. There was a pale fire in his eyes, and a spear in his hand.

"He took another's certainty for his own."

"A thief!"

"A child so full of doubt."

The ghost reached out to Bernard, clawed hands raking across his skin without wounding it. A cold chill ran over his heart. His next breath shuddered from his lungs.

"Accept this gift, it will guide you down a better path."

"It will bring you strength and power immeasurable."

"It will bring you loneliness and ultimate ruin."

Then the ghosts rushed away, disappearing into the crowds gathered at the edges. Bernard stood alone again, clutching his chest. He was finding it difficult to keep his body strong enough to will himself to remain upright.

The ghosts had seen through him like his entire story was hidden behind a display case. They'd invaded his mind with ease and greedily read anything they found. He felt an open book to the spirits gathered in the court, suddenly weak and exposed. The grip on his heart tightened, fabric bunching in his fist, and he hunched forward, his shoulders curled to protect his heart. His eyes darted between the ghosts, blaster ready to fire at the slightest sign of a threat.

A thought nudged at the back of his mind. He hadn't checked on Ishida yet. Carefully, he began to move towards her.

She had collapsed onto the stone floor, the aftermath of lightning apparent on her robes and skin. The smell of ash and searing was well familiar to him. He winced as he lowered into a crouch next to her, his skin prickled along the lines of synthflesh that still covered the parts of his body that never fully healed from his own encounter with Lightning. He started forcing his breaths to slow in an attempt to steady himself. Leaning down, he administered a stimpack. It wouldn't fix everything, but it might stabilize her long enough for an emergency medevac. It seemed this time their roles from Muunilinst were reversed. Something heavy impacted the floor to his left, and he looked up to find the ghostly warrior towering above them.

The armoured spirit was tall and wide, arms crossed over its chest, and a long cape billowed behind it. Its gaze was lowered towards Bernard, similar to the sitting warrior's, but this one held nothing within their eyes. Only the dead black of its mask stared down at him. The spirit broke one arm free to point at Bernard, and he suddenly felt a weight pushing down on his body, freezing him in place. The spirit's hand curled into a fist, turned upright as if to seize something, but Bernard didn't move. He felt a cold shock run up his spine, and fire surge in the veins of his arms. His heart began to beat faster in his chest, and he clenched his teeth as all his muscles tensed in anticipation of something. What, he didn't know.

Fire suddenly lit up all around him and the spirit. It was devoid of all heat, but Bernard swore he could feel the flames lapping at his skin. Among the fire lay books strewn about in a chaotic mess. Screams echoed, cries of fear and pain. The black cloak of a Sith fluttered to the ground between the spirit and Bernard, but was quickly consumed by the flames, leaving behind only the charred hilt of a sabre. The cracking of wood announced the fall of something massive behind the spirit. A bookcase toppled, down towards Bernard. Hundreds of tomes came crashing down out of its shelves, raining onto the floor around him. Bernard ducked, throwing up his arms to shield himself, but the case consumed him without harm, passing through his body as if it was nothing, and finally crashed into mist as it, and the fires, were swept away by invisible winds like dust.

"You did well on Korriban," the spirit's voice, a woman's, rumbled. "Keep up the good work, kid."

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the spirit turned and walked to rejoin the Judge's side, footsteps thundering in her wake. Bernard was left on his knees, tightly gripping a blaster and the spent stimpack. A swirl of emotions danced through his insides. There were the enfeebling whispers of doubt scraping at his thoughts. The freezing breath of fear chilling his spine and pressing down on his chest. The burning fires of anger boiled his blood, and, the most distressing among them, the warm shield of pride whispering salvation in his heart. His stomach churned and he felt close to throwing up.

He looked down at Ishida, wounded by Sith lightning, same as he had once been. Guilt came into the mix. He turned away, to Auteme, who had suffered the same fate. She was much better at all this ancient spirit crap. If she couldn't pass, what chance did he have? Then he looked to Dagon, wrapped up in the torment of his mind. Was that to be their fate? Would this be it for the Jedi? He didn't find the same strength he usually could when he thought of those he should protect and those who fought side-by-side with him. Even as he looked to them for strength, standing alone against the spirits. All he felt was a roiling vortex of fear.

He swallowed, falling back on the oldest techniques he knew. Doing his best to steady his breathing, he closed his eyes and began to recite the first line of the Jedi Code. There is no emotion, there is peace. Over and over, he repeated it to himself. His thoughts slowed, his muscles unwound, and his chest loosened enough for his breaths to become easier again.

The rumbling laughter of the Judge broke him out of attempted meditation. Fear came clawing back at the edge of his mind, and the hideous delight of the sorcerer echoed in the chamber, rattling the walls and ornaments. The Judge stepped forward, sauntering towards Bernard until he loomed above him. He held both his arms behind his back, standing tall and upright, and looked down at Bernard as the others had, though his expression held a contemptful smirk. His mouth opened to speak, but he paused, raising a brow.

"What's this? Hidden here, beneath your fear and misery. A tale of vengeance, is it? But upon who? Are you Jedi not meant to let go of all anger? Who would bring you to hate so much? The Sith? No," he leaned down to inspect Bernard more closely, tapping his chin. "No, not the Sith, but a ghost. Yes, a saboteur of that little dream of yours, as you put it. Not a foe born of the Dark, but created by veils of deception. Pulled over your eyes by the very blinding hatred you swore to cast off," the Judge chuckled, "oh how delightful."

The Judge stood upright again and raised an arm to gesture. Next to him an apparition sprang into existence. A tall figure, dressed in the tunic of a Jedi with long silver hair tied into a half bun. He stood firm and proud with his hands clasped behind his back. A lightsabre was affixed to his belt.

"He was the icon of the Jedi, wasn't he? Regarded by so many as the greatest of your little Order. Oh, and how much he meant to them. But you, you could not see him for what he was. The bright, shining star of the Jedi Order. You witnessed him before that, before your little group came together. There in the space above the rings of Kuat, you met him in battle. The two of you clashed again on the surface, and you called upon a great power to to achieve victory," the Judge's lips curled into a grin. "You had every desire to kill him, so you called upon that most forbidden power available to you Jedi. The Dark Side."

The Judge erupted into another fit of mirth, joined by the entire court this time. When he wound down he brought one hand down to point at Bernard, lifting the Jedi against his will with the Force to raise him up to be equals in height.

"But that was not the end of it. He survived, and left you to wallow in defeat. But you nearly let go. It wasn't until the shame you experienced when he ambushed you in that prison chamber, confirming what you had known all along. The pain and anguish of your brush with death. It left a scar upon your soul, a burning desire for vengeance. It wounded your pride and created in you a hunger that could only be sated with blood. Yes, I know that hunger well."

The illusion of Lanik became distorted. Suddenly he stood with his sabre raised above his head and his face contorted in anger. His hair, neatly combed before, became dishevelled. His eyes, once a piercing blue, shone a sulfuric yellow. He seemed frozen in the middle of a violent scream.

"And you got what you wanted. There, in that office of that Senator, a splendid man, you found your quarry. They were locked in battle, and you so happened to chance upon them. Just your luck, or perhaps ordained by the Force?" Twisted enjoyment played across his features. "None of us might ever know for certain, but-" he paused a moment, "you did kill him with your own hands. It was your blade, and no one other being's, that felled the icon of your Order."

The room was deadly silent for several heartbeats.

"You murdered Lanik Dawnstar, and in so doing, sealed your fate."

The Judge brought a finger up to Bernard's head.

"I deem you ..."

He tapped his forehead, red lightning erupting from the point of contact. It arced across his skin, dancing its way down his face and throat, until it plunged into his heart. Bernard screamed out in pain.

"Worthy."

The Judge turned away abruptly, and moved to rejoin his court. Bernard, shaking in pain much like Dagon, was propelled through the air, tossed haphazardly through the entrance into the library. He crashed to the floor, and another thud sounded next to him. Through the pain he forced his eyes open, finding Dagon lying there beside him.

"Go fulfill your destiny," the Judge's voice echoed from the chamber beyond the doorway. The court erupted into laughter a final time, but was cut off when the stone doors slammed shut, leaving them alone in silence.

Bernard stayed limp on the floor. His limbs felt numb. His head spun with an pulsing ache and a whirlwind emptiness of thoughts. But something coursed through his veins to make him tremble. Not from cold, but heat. It ran through his body, scattered across his skin like embers. He felt a small flame in his chest, right where his heart was. With every breath he took it grew, fuelled by something he didn't recognize.

Then it struck him. A luminous symphony of life, twisted and contorted into disharmony. He glanced to Dagon. The fear and pain that the Jedi felt, they drew towards Bernard like thin strands through the air. With a thought he pulled on them, drawing those emotions closer. New life rushed into his limbs. The sensations became clearer, and the cloud on his mind seemed to part. He pulled again, more forcefully this time. Sparks lit inside him. The flame around his heart kindled to become a blazing storm.

Bernard rose to his feet, not entirely of his own volition. Invisible strings seemed to pull him, or perhaps his body moved of its own accord, knowing what his mind willed it to do before he thought it. He didn't know, it didn't matter. His mind was overtaken by a cruel song. He peered out across the vast library before them.

Stone shelves were cast in darkness. Tomes upon tomes lined them, arrayed with their metal spines glinting in faint light that broke through cracks in the ceiling above. Glass cylinders stood arrayed along the main path, connected to the balcony where Bernard and Dagon stood by a massive staircase. The cylinders contained artefacts and failed experiments. he could see the twisted visages of creatures caught in their death throes, hands preserved in viscous liquid, even the blue brain of a species he didn't recognize, studded with red crystals that glowed in the darkness.

So much knowledge stretched out before them. Floors upon floors of bookshelves. It would take decades to read and decipher all the teachings.

The promise of power danced across Bernard's thoughts. It was a calming note in the dirge of whirling fire, a chance at peace. He could take the knowledge inside the library, make it his own, and rise to a power never before seen in the Order. He could reshape it, reshape worlds, the galaxy even if he so wished. In that moment the power that lay just within his grasp seemed infinite. The visions he saw were limitless in their ambition. The galaxy he wanted was so close, within reach.

But it was wrong. All wrong.

The knowledge was Sith. They were the enemy. Manifestations of the poison that spread throughout the galaxy. The Dark Side.

Bernard looked out across the library. He breathed in, standing tall against the dark, and curled the fingers of his hands to claws at his sides. Then he called upon the Force.

The stone above them began to shake. Dust fell loose, pouring to the floor. Rocks shook against themselves and filled the library with a deep rumbling. The ceiling began to quake.

Bernard's muscles coiled tight. His reached up to the ceiling above, trembling with power. All his being focused on one goal and his intent aligned to a single-minded point by burning hatred.

He would destroy the Dark Side.

 
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Objective 1
Allies: TSE
Caide watches the two rebels go. There was a chance, a second, where he could have shot them both in the back. But that scene below the warehouse flashes before his eyes again and stays his hand. He had to get Ajax out. Running back over, he sees the tourniquet is working. Ajax is in pain and breathing hard, but alive and conscious. He yanks off his helmet and tosses it to breathe better, glancing at Caide with a question in his eyes.
“Sir, I saw those two rebels…”
“We don’t have time. The gas will probably get them anyway, and it will definitely get us if we don’t get to the rendezvous with Aldo and Gawol.”
Ajax looks at him, the gravity of the risk Caide was taking settled on his shoulders. If Ajax blabbed to anyone, Caide was a dead man.
“Understood sir.” Caide breathes a sigh of relief at Ajax’s reply. The man would keep quiet. Nodding, he pulls Ajax to his feet and puts his arm over his shoulder to keep weight off his ruined leg. Ajax reaches for his weapon but Caide pulls him back.
“Leave it, the less weight the better.” Ajax nods again, and the two make their way through the ruins of the city.
“My comms are dead, got blown away in the explosion. What about yours?”
Ajax shakes his head.
“Same here. But I’ve been squadded up with Gawol and Aldo for a while, I have a feeling I know where they went. I can find them.”
Caide nods.
“Lead the way.”
They travel in silence for a while, past bodies and distant sounds of fighting, wrecked buildings and overturned vehicles. They stick to the shadows as much as possible, but with Ajax’s injuries there was only so much they could do. Eventually, Ajax stops at a huge building. It looked like some kind of old refinery. Well outside the gas attacks and relatively near sith command, it offered good cover and sightlines.
“They’ll be here sir.” Ajax sounds certain, and Caide doesn’t have the time to question his judgement. Caide sets Ajax down in the doorway with his blaster pistol and shoulders open the door wielding his combat knife. He glances around the darkened refinery and sees a bit of light seeping in through a grimed up window. Using the reflective surface of his knife, he patterns a quick light signal. It only takes a few moments before Gawol and Aldo seep out of the darkness, weapons raised. They lower them when they see who it is.
“Sir! When your comms went down we thought you were dead. Holy chit Ajax!” Gawol runs over to the wounded soldier and drags him inside, pulling out a medkit. Caide nods to Aldo.
“How far are we from sith command?”
“About 1 and a half klicks sir.”
“Any opposition in the path?”
“No sir. Should be a straight shot. With Ajax crippled, it should still only take around 2 hours. How did you get through the enemy squad?”
“He took them all out with just a sidearm and that knife. Some of the cleanest work I’ve ever seen!” Ajax is a tad enthusiastic, but it was still good to see the soldier was willing to help him keep his secret. Caide nods to corroborate.
“They’re taken care of.”
Aldo looks impressed. “Nice job. Maybe you should look into spec ops deployment after this is over.”
“Grunt work suits me just fine.” He turns to Gawol. “He patched up?”
“As good as can be with what we have. He needs to get to a real medic soon though or hes going to lose something.”
Caide nods.
“Lets get moving then.”
The other troopers nod, And Gawol shoulder’s Ajax’s weight so that Caide can take point while Aldo brings up the rear. It takes them quite a while, but they finally make it to the sith command. Ajax is rushed off for medical attention While Gawol and Aldo are debriefed. Caide, as acting officer, goes to the command tent and walks up to the attending munitions officer. Fishing the lightsaber out of his pack, he places it on the counter.
“Legionnaire Mazrim Caide, acting officer of strike squad Alpha Zeta Three. We took down a jedi. Please see that the bonuses are afforded to any surviving kin of the deceased squad members and pay out the rest accordingly.” He pauses.”Have my bonus transferred to Legionnaire Ajax Respo.” Ajax seemed trustworthy, but hush money couldn’t hurt. Besides, he’d saved his life and probably lost his leg in the process. Least he could do.
The munitions officer looks shocked.
“You took down a jedi without any support? How’d you manage that?”
“There were 12 of us. Now there are 4. How do you think?”
“Watch your tone Legionnaire.”
“Apologies sir. What I meant was, do you have any additional inquiries?”
The officer pauses, trying to make Caide sweat. It doesn’t work.
“No. report to medical for eval and then the mess hall. You and your squad are on leave until reassigned.”
Caide nods.
“Unerstood sir.”
As Caide walks off to find the medical tent, he chuckles to himself. Even by his standards, this had been one hell of a day.
 

Mara Harik

Guest
M
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Daughter of Krayiss
Strike Team Rex | Militia
00:01:03
Shiver

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[Written in collaboration with Sion Dallo Sion Dallo , thank you for being a great writing partner]​


<Alright, come on then. Captain Raith marked our exit point, it’s not far from here,> I gave him a look of suspicion. He hesitated, but our instructions had been clear.

<No, you don’t get it. You have to go with the others –– look,> He used his chin to nod at the scurrying away silhouettes of the other militia men <I can’t. My..detonator’s busted. For it to go off, someone’s gotta set it off. It’s me. It’s my job now..> He’s choking up while negotiating for his death. <You go. Now. We don’t have time to argue.>

<You lazerbrain, like hell I’m leaving you behind. There has to be some way to fix this,> I began moving towards the detonator, checking the chrono. <We still have forty seconds, let’s figure it out,> my voice had hardened, an aching feeling sat at the back of my throat.

<Forty seconds for you to get away. C’mon Mara.> Sion’s jaw set on edge, fear calcifying into something harder. <Go. Keep living. You’ve got..so much more after this. I don’t. This is it for me. This was always it for me. Hell, you can still find Blin. It was always you over me anyway –– I’m not..> Whatever his fear had hardened into, he reached out and shoved her shoulder, pushing at her shoulder with a fierceness that left no room for argument.

<Don’t do this, Sion,> I pushed against his hand. <Then we leave this generator up, the- the Alliance can take care of it once they get here. Come on, we’re leaving together. I’m not losing you too,> I couldn’t fight the tears anymore.

00:00:30

<They can’t get here if we don’t take this down, remember? Please,> He grips my hand, holding it with a soft sort of tightness. <I put my all into this. This is for Blin. This is for everything The Sith did to us. My body is falling apart anyway Mara, if I run back through that gas I’m good as gone anyway. We never get choices, we haven’t had choices in years –– this is mine. I want this to be mine. I want to do this, I want to do some good, I have to do some good. Be useful. Be part of something bigger.>

<I … I can make something to keep the gas away,> I pull my hand away to feebly work at the clasp on the medical bag slung around my shoulder. My body was enervated. It knew the reality of the situation even as my mind reeled with thoughts of denial and possibilities to save the both of us. <The Alliance will manage,> I choked back the tears for a moment. It seemed to me in that moment that a veil had been lifted from my eyes. One that I had been there since the day they took my husband. <Don’t throw away everything just to hurt them. We have to protect what we love,> I managed the weakest smile.

It was no wonder Blin rarely won an argument in their household. So often he came back to me, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, admitting that Mara’d bested him again. Even over the smallest things –– like who’d be responsible for picking up groceries that week.

<I don’t want to live knowing that I messed up the one thing I was supposed to do, Mara. I’m already living with that. I was supposed to protect Blin. I’m older, and it’s not right. I failed him. I’m not failing you today, and I’m not failing The Alliance.> I’m not winning this argument either, she’s real good at making me feel rotten. But I’ve got to do this. I haven’t pictured any life beyond this. I have to hurt her to get her away from me. <I’m not throwing away everything –– I don’t have anything to throw.>

The words sank into my heart like an icy dagger. My breath caught in my throat. I could barely think, could barely argue. The timer was ticking down. The tears wouldn’t stop.


00:00:10

His hand was shaking with the detonator. <Get. Out. Of. Here. Find Blin. Bring him home.>

I turned and ran. I ran as fast as I could. My body didn’t feel my own. The distance between me and the generator, me and Sion, was growing, but I felt like a piece of me was still there with him.


00:00:00

Then the explosion hit, and I froze in my tracks. The heat of the shockwave rolled over my back. It felt like a warm embrace, almost, but it made my breath hitch. I turned back, only to see the generator reduced to flame and rubble. There was no sign of Sion.

I fell to my knees and broke down. I’d lost everything.



Allies: GA, NJO, NIO, Zark San Tekka Zark San Tekka , Suri Vullen Suri Vullen , Captain Raith Captain Raith , Sion Dallo Sion Dallo ['N FAMILY STiCKS TOGETHER]
Enemies: TSE, Mazrim Caide/Taim Mazrim Caide/Taim , Open
 
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"Sith bombers are disengaging!"

Cheers accompanied a few hand clasps within the Star Corps forward command post. It had cost him another pair of TT-48s and some damn good troopers but now instead of only forty marines most of Bacta Company's effective fighting strength was garrisoned within spitting distance of the Count's Tower and their strategic objective. Instead of engaging his gunships over the city the Sith had abandoned their air superiority. This troubled Zark greatly for it was unlike their fanatical Empire to retreat without reason.

General San Tekka felt the artillery before he heard the shells. Until now they had been dioxis bombardments meant to put down insurgents and slow the GADF advance through Templestone. He didn't need the Force to know that these sounded different but it did forewarn him of their destination. His Gorgon artillery platforms kept outside the city walls for too long in the open.

"Pull back!" he scrambled for the right comlink frequency, "Pull back now!"

There was a wash of static in time with distant booms.


"...lieutenant is dead, sir. His control cabin took a direct hit. Our engine systems are damaged."

"Abandon ship. I'll send a troop carrier to pick you up."

"Negative, sir. We've agreed to remain at our posts. Returning fire on Sith emplacements."

Zark knew he could not make them obey, "The Force will be with you, always."

A noble sacrifice but one Gorgon could not hope to eliminate an entire fortress city's artillery before it too was eventually destroyed. His comlink was already buzzing with reports of additional shells targeting what was left of their armor column along with some kind of airborne droid commando unit. General San Tekka reached out and opened his mind to the Force. Battle meditation was an esoteric technique that few bothered to master yet it had served him well throughout his long military career. He could see hundreds of candles, each one a trooper under his command.

The Jedi Master coaxed them all to new life.


"Engage."

Without any need for clarification, the remaining HAAT gunship crews lifted off ready to expend their ordnance on an air to ground assault of the remaining Sith artillery. Now the Alliance ruled Templestone's skies and Zark instinctively pressed that advantage. He looked around the fortified ruin at masks painted Star Corps yellow and white, each one ready to fight and die for him if he would only give the word. Leading young soldiers into battle was a terrible responsibility which would have consumed him long ago if not for his faith in the light. That same candlelight he saw when he bolstered their resolve.

"We're out of time. Prepare for a direct assault."

Bacta Company took the field when their phantom menace strode forth from behind his Tower. Zark could feel the Sith's presence. Either he was a brilliant strategist or the Force had a sense of humor bringing them together on this open field of battle. San Tekka's danger sense flared again and the Jedi Master raised his palm up to the heavens. He caught the explosive a few dozen meters above the marines of Bacta Company on a shimmering blue barrier of light. It erupted in a wave of flame that bathed the ruined streets in ash but left his advance battered yet unscathed.

"Surrender this world!" Zark called out to the Sith General, "The Alliance will allow you to live."

It seemed like a ludicrous claim. His mechanized forces had taken heavy losses. He barely had enough infantry to match the Omyn battle droids now arrayed against them. Sith artillery and chemical weapons rained down on the city with impunity. Master San Tekka however retained that frustrating expression of Jedi calm. Seconds ticked down on his chrono until the timer struck zero.


"Behold the wages of your sins."

Zark lifted his lightsaber and ordered his men to charge while baradium bombs placed throughout the city at strategic locations by insurgent forces exploded sending massive buildings toppling and setting Templestone on fire.

STRIKE TEAM HUNTER
(main assault wave from orbit)

212th Expeditionary Corps
222nd Nova Corps
342nd Star Corps
(elements of each)
Freelance Operatives
GENERAL ZARK SAN TEKKA
(that's me!)

Jedi Commander Armor
Utility Belt
Crusader Pendant
Star Compass
Crossguard Lightsaber

OPERATIONAL COMMAND
(non-background NPCs)

Bacta Company
628th Airborne Company (air crews)
81st Scout Battalion (armor crews)
MECHANIZED ASSETS
(tonk stuff)

2x NSTL-62a Landspeeders
2x Halberd Tactical Enforcers
1x Gladius Recon Transports
2x Pernach Turbo Tanks
0x Gorgon Artillery Platforms
AIR SUPPORT ASSETS
(x-wing stuff)

3x TT-48 Troop Carriers
3x HAAT Assault Transports
LOSSES
8x NSTL-62a
6x Halberd
11x Gladius
2x Pernach
2x Gorgon
3x TT-48
1x HAAT
SUMMARY OF ACTIONS
Gorgon artillery platform destroyed in first wave of artillery bombardment. Remaining Gorgon returns fire on estimated howitzer positions until destroyed.
Armor column takes additional losses from howitzer bombardment. Significant structural damage to the outer city wall where it is sheltering.
Remaining HAAT gunships begin attack run on estimated howitzer positions.
Bacta Company marines roughly equivalent to the remaining operational Omyn battle droids meet DarrVack's advance from the Count's Tower with General San Tekka leading the way.
Coordinated explosions throughout Templestone targeting key Sith infrastructure per Sion Dallo Sion Dallo and Mara Harik.
Bacta Company begins a frontal assault.
 
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[Location: Krayiss II's Orbit - Iblis-class Missile Frigate Epilogue - Internalized C.I.C]
[@Nyxeris ]

ANV Epilogue?
A beauty, isn't she?
Yeah. She is...

Alright. Good luck, commander. Make me proud.

Her legs continued to bleed, a chilling red fluid seeping from fresh cuts, and staining the shrapnel around her. Alongside, she continued to weep, salted water welling in her eyes, and dripping from her face; crying for the lost, the injured, and the doomed.

Death lingered in the air, taunting, laughing, even grinning as she slowly began to lose her hold on reality.

WARNING, EMERGENCY FIRE SUPPRESSION

Time seemed to stop in those moments, with that single sentence, Death's cackles having ceased to be heard. Teica was left with nothing, except for her own voice, and her . . .

Ensign Giraan has a nice ring to it, eh, mom?
Mmm...I suppose...
...I'm going to miss you.
There's no need. I'm always here if you want to call me, alright?
Alright, mom.
Be careful.
Alright, mom...
And don't forget-
I love you too, mom.

The sounds raced back to her, the Epilogue shaking and writhing as airlock doors were forced open, and as equipment crashed into bulkheads on deadly journeys outward. Her eyes rushed to her right, to the horrors awaiting outside the Epilogue's walls. Remaining crewmembers, unlucky enough to have been caught at the doomed vessel's sides, were thrown from their places and sent hurling for the uncaring chaos outside.

She couldn't even hope to count them all.


The engines hadn't changed their course, and the Epilogue continued for the Alliance forces tens of thousands of feet beyond. For those below, destruction was surely on its way, with one hypermatter reactor breach, and the chain reactions of the vessel's various munitions bays bound to level the city below.

They still had a chance.

You're going to be fine, Ensign. Alright? This is all going to be fine.

Aye aye..c...
Ensign?
Ensign!?


So many dead.

Faces, names, voices, echoed in the darkened depths of her mind, aggressively bludgeoning her entire being. But amidst the struggle, amidst the screaming and the agony, she persisted. Her eyes closed, her cheeks ran wet with waves of teardrops, and amongst it all, her mouth began to open. For seconds, Teica struggled for words, while she continued to raise a bloodied blaster rifle to the closest missile loader, and its deadly payload of munitions.

There wasn't time to continue.

"I'm sorry."

The commander heard the deafening escape of the blaster bolt first, the terrifying roars and explosions, and finally-

Silence.


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The starboard missile turrets were the first to be caught in the explosion, smoke and fire erupting and throwing the Epilogue to port. Ammunition bays came next, tearing bolts from bulkheads, tearing metal from metal.

They spared little time between bursts, fires and shrapnel travelling quickly around the ship, before they hit the reactor,

And the Epilogue was gone.

The shockwave tore through the air above Krayiss II, remaining debris thrown from the detonation, several hundred meters in the air, and expelled beyond the city's borders, though scattered smaller sections were left to plummet for the ground. But the chaos would be soon over.

0 minutes. 0 seconds.


The Alliance bombardment continued as planned.
 
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//: Pretty Dangerous Faces //:
//: Voyana //:
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“What th--” For the second time in her life, Allyson Locke was electrocuted. The familiar feeling and smell of burnt flesh filled her senses, and she put a hand up to guard her face. Thankfully the moment was quick, and the Corellian felt the wind suddenly knock from her body as she landed hard on her back. This was definitely not how she liked her evening to go. Usually, this part happened with a bit more of a loving touch. “You gotta-chit-kark-take me to dinner, first!” Allyson retained her sarcasm.

The blaster fell from her hand as she guarded her face against the catty attack of the rascal she had caught. “You little chit!” Allyson caught one of Voyana’s wrists as she wrestled with the girl, trying to not get any marks on her face. There was always some sort of explaining that would have to be done with a bruise or a scratch. This wasn’t a story of glory; it was a story of her being cocky and assuming she had the upper hand.

As Voyana relentlessly attacked, Allyson’s free hand patted around for something to smack the wild animal with. Feeling the random pieces of the limited edition blaster, "Might not be a snitch, but you're gonna need stitches." Allyson grabbed hold of what felt the heaviest and swung upward at the brunette’s head. “Good night~.”
 

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SON OF KRAYISS
STRIKE TEAM REX | MILITIA
00:00:00
0/8 BARADIUM CHARGES | 0/1 CLASS A-DETONATORS
ARSONIST'S LULLABY
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I was surprised Mara left –– but I didn’t have time to watch her leave. No, that’s not true. I did if I wanted to. I could have made her silhouette the last thing I saw as she ran away. But I couldn’t do it. It was too hard. Between the gas and my emotions, I was choking up. I loved her, I really did. But it felt wrong for me to keep living by her side while Blin was gone. It wasn't easy for me, always seeing her without him. It was like a phantom pain that spoke back, interacted with me, and kept me feeling human.

I couldn't live like that. With all that guilt. All that fury, all that rage. It had to go to something more productive, and even though I said this was for Blin –– in the end.

This was for me. For Krayiss.

When I pressed down on the detonator, and overrode the fuselage, I couldn’t breathe. The flames immediately tore through my flesh and lungs, splintering me into fragments and pieces beyond recognition. Just like the Sith had tried to do when they purged Krayiss, my home, and took my brother.

But this time. I did it to them. And the hope that this would succeed shone brighter than the rippling explosion of the generator.

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


 

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SENATE COMMITTEE ROOM // CORUSCANT
Guarantor | Visions of Gold | Attire

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DARKCOM DARKCOM | Seto Du Couteau Seto Du Couteau | Jak Ross | Otto Shule Otto Shule
Pom Stych Tivé Pom Stych Tivé | Darth Carnifex Darth Carnifex | Taeli Raaf Taeli Raaf

Reveal written with Pom's permission

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A silent notification appeared in the corner of Tithe's datapad, grabbing his attention. His senior chief of staff had gone back over the background briefing ahead of firing the staffer who had prepared the material. Failing to mention the foodstuffs or materiel being provided by Azbrian in support of the war effort in the report was unacceptable. However, surprisingly all the facts had been corroborated and checked out, which could only mean one thing - Preylith T'dishon was lying to him.

The Vice Chancellor gritted his teeth through his headache. If only all his senatorial colleagues could be as honest as Senator Fossk!

There was movement from where T'dishon was sitting. Tithe flicked his eyes toward her and saw... nothing. Everything was as it should be.

And yet.

He'd seen something. Even if he didn't know what it was, even if he would never be able to explain it to another soul, Tithe had caught something out of the corner of his eye. A changing shape, a changing colour, that primal part of his brain developed over millennia to spot a threat had been triggered.

Turning back to his datapad, the Aargauun quickly tapped out another message and powered the device down.

Senators Shule and Du Couteau had observed Tithe struggling with his migraine. While Senator Fossk had not commented, as clearly the most trustworthy, kind and upstanding member of the committee - a recollection which Tithe knew with every fibre of his being and yet could not remember when he had arrived at that conclusion - surely the Senator for Epoch would also be concerned about Tithe's health.

“Ah yes, a recess would be felicitous,” he agreed. “I’m sure you all have a lot to, ah, pontificate.” He brought the meeting to a conclusion and bid his colleagues farewell.

Tithe made his way back to his office and dismissed his staff for the evening. It made been a long day, though thankfully his migraines had subsided not long after leaving the senate committee room - there must have been something in there he was allergic took.

He was also having doubts about the trustworthiness of Fossk - that revelation had seemed to come out of nowhere and had evaporated as quickly as it had materialised. How unusual.

With well-practised keystrokes he opened a secure deep-encryption channel to IVI IVI , Director of the Strategic Intelligence Agency. While waiting for the call to connect he opened a file on his datapad. A list began scrolling down the screen, dozens and dozens of meetings with almost all the Alliance’s senators. Attached to each record was a full SIA write up on the meeting participants, including feeds from covert holorecording devices and if any of the information he had discussed - carefully curated by the SIA - had been leaked. Some of the sensors the SIA had installed in the meeting room he didn’t understand, though his understanding they had the technology to detect Force users.

“I fear tainting this pursuance, but I may have something.” Together the two began reviewing the footage and sensors readings from the meeting room.

It may take weeks yet, but eventually, they would know where their leaks were.

Just as in business, patience was not without virtue.
 
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THE NEW JEDI ORDER
OBJECTIVE I |
LIBRARY TEMPLE | THE STYGIAN CAMPAIGN
HALLOWED GROUND
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RETURN OF THE JEDI


"Go fulfill your destiny," the Judge's voice echoed from the chamber beyond the doorway. The court erupted into laughter a final time, but was cut off when the stone doors slammed shut, leaving them alone in silence.

The torment of the past rushing through his mind finally ceased and Dagon found himself in a chamber full of infinite knowledge. Shelves of a thousand books of the forbidden arts, crystal cylinders holding beings of horror and artifacts of unimaginable power. He felt his lips tug in a wicked smile of satisfaction at the thought and his eyes relish the fountain of strength that these walls held; besides him, staggering to his feet, was Bernard and Dagon spoke.

But no words escaped his lips.

As they were no longer his.

At last..

My chains are broken.

Dagon wanted to scream, but he had no mouth. His conscious had become a prisoner in his own body, taken hostage by his father's nefarious presence.

He had failed. One last time.

Sickening, isn't it? To feel powerless..

..to feel weak.

I have endured your wayward path of the Light for too long, son.

.. and your repulsive feelings for the daughter of that wench Joza Perl.

Ironic, isn't it? That the child of the woman who strangled me to death was your final folly - the final key to unlock my chains and release me.


A cackle echoed through the library.

Yes, do not let that rage simmer, Dagon, let it boil. Let it fuel my strength. We'll need all of it for when we find her.

Do not weep, my son, you will soon be reunited with your brother and both shall fulfill my legacy. As fate has decreed.


Vengeance shall be mine!

Sulfuric eyes laid themselves on Bernard's form, the dark side whirling like a vortex around the Arkanian Jedi. Corruption spread through the fabric of his soul; even trapped within his father's prison, Dagon could feel his friend's fury manifest and in return, he could only despair. Despair as Haytham commanded his son's body forward towards Bernard with murderous intent. The malevolent presence's goals were clear - kill Bernard to preserve the knowledge the library held and use its secrets to fulfill his own vengeful agenda.

Despair at the fact that Dagon could do nothing about it.

His psyche drowned beneath the overreaching shadow of his father, succumbing to concede to the inevitable.

Just like then...

YOU FAIL ME. YOU FAIL HER.

....What...What have you done?

He took a step closer to Bernard.

and then...

“That’s how this works. That’s what Sur –– The Captain said –– watch each other’s backs..” her voice trailed off. There was no concealing her pleading expression, there was enough vying neediness bleeding through the supplication to translate what she couldn’t articulate. Her next words were small and mousey. “That means you too, Dag.”

Dagon's lunge was so forceful, his weapon so searing, his attack so sure, that it was no trouble to plunge through Ayana's sternum, between the fourth and fifth ribs, the tough connective tissues between those, and fibrous covering over her pericardium. The mass of thick muscle’s individual fibres beneath those protective layers contracted inward on the foreign plasma that pierced through her heart.

everyone you love dies in your wake.

His grip tightened around the hilt of his blade.

and even now...

“I got your back, remember?”

And I've got yours.

His heart yearned to dive back into the scuffle, pull her out of harm's way, and into his loving embrace. Vanish somewhere distant, millions of lightyears away from this damned destiny.

I'm... sorry.
His mind refused the craving of his heart, forcing his feet to move in the opposite direction from his loved one lying on her knees helpless. Duty had cried its cruel call. Tears trailed down his cheeks, the passing wind cupping the drops into its grasp and gracefully laying them to rest in the cursed soil of Krayiss besides his deepest desires and dreams.

His finger caressed the activation switch.

It had been inevitable. Right from the start. As his father had said - fate had decreed so. He had failed to uphold his vow to end this cycle - this curse - of leaving the blood of his friends and his loved ones in his wake.

Unless...

The finger over the switch froze, then trembled.

What are you doing?

Unless he ended himself.

Secluded in the deep recesses of his soul, Dagon reached for the last flicker of will and hope to break this curse once and for all. Enveloped in darkness, the Light's flame burned his touch but Dagon persevered despite the existential pain.

Have you lost your mind?!

Fear slithered in Haytham's voice.

You are going to die!

There is no death, father...

He embraced the flame and finally found serenity.

There is the Force!


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Pouring his existence into it, the Light surged from within before exploding into a bright torrent of pure white ethereal. It grew stronger and larger, enveloping both Dagon and Bernard in its embrace. Darkness rose to meet it, alas to no avail; its corruptive tendrils being cleansed by the empyrean wrath unleashed. An endlessly resounding scream burst from his lips, its echo reverberating across the library and its immediate area. Bookshelves full of forbidden knowledge rattled and began to fall, crystal cylinders housing unseen horrors shattered to pieces and the whole foundation rocked to its core with a loud groan that destined its collapse.

ALLIES | GA | Yula Perl Yula Perl | Bernard Bernard | Viers Connory Viers Connory | Auteme Auteme | Ishida Ashina Ishida Ashina | Okkeus Dainlei Okkeus Dainlei | Aaran Tafo Aaran Tafo

ENEMIES | Himself | The Dark Side | TSE
 

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// STRIKE TEAM SKYWALKER \\
KRAYISS TWO | LIBRARY TEMPLE | OUTSIDE COURTYARD
BETRAYAL
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Agonizing tremours tore through her body— heat seeking ground. All her muscles, bones, flesh were just obstacles to the electric current’s journey. Tendrils still sparked and snapped in erratic arches around her shoulders and thighs.

Uunngg
she groaned, scraping herself forward through the dirt and shuddering through the pain. Her head was throbbing inconsistently and loudly, her vision blurred by the smoke, dust and rattling done to her skull.

The worst of it was her forced paralysis. She was helpless to observe. The library’s entrance was only feet away, and she whimpered to herself at her inability to rise and run. The Sith Lightning’s bite was deep and burning.

Despite the imperfections of her senses, she managed to perceive through the distortion that Auteme was also faring horribly. She could hear her scream, and then a smaller, more helpful voice. Somehow calmer — and if she peered enough, she realized it was Bernard.

The Spirit’s voices rose again, sinister and commanding. They beckoned to the Arkanian, and while Ishida struggled to her knees and shuddered through the trills of pain at each movement, she watched him engage. Her head was shaking - as of a glimpse of her denial would save him. As hard as she could, she thought. Her insistence formed into mental spears urging him to turn away and save himself——


"Worthy."

Her worldview shattered.

All the air she’d collected into the pockets of her lungs whooshed out and she fell forward to her hands again, glaring forward. It was hard to breathe. So hard to breathe. The scrawl of deeds done listed off, and she shook. Bernard didn’t defeat the spirits as they were supposed to. He was accepted by them. Welcomed with arms wide open and folded into their world of knowledge with the expectation of sameness.

How could this be? How could the dark side be so welcoming to him! The cruelty of that harsh realization sharpened into something painful, restricting her ability to catch her breath again and blocking her throat. Her mouth trembled with a string of words she couldn’t quite articulate, they came out instead in small gasps and mewls of disbelief.

As far as friends went, she would have called Bernard one. After Nar Kreeta, they’d spent enough time together for Ishida to start to warm to the idea of friendship. Her mother would have been proud and now—now her father would be ashamed by the foolhardiness of her social senses. How wrong she’d been.

And what of Sardun? What would he do knowing one of her closest acquaintances was adopted by a circle of Sith spirits! Had she been so blinded by the idea of friendship that she’d romanticized the falseness of his alignment? The devil wrapped in silk was still the devil.

Condemnation outpaced acceptance, and his façade became wicked in her perception.

Momentum. She needed momentum. To move. Through all the pain, she reached for her saber and re-clipped it to her belt to drag herself closer to Auteme’s side.

Witnessing the shameful worthiness of Bernard wasn’t enough. Dagon’s arrival further pressed Ishida under the heel of harsh realizations. Wide-eyed, she forced herself to stop staring at Bernard. It was too much to reconcile and it was too overwhelming — if he was to be accepted, surely Dagon would be easily. That Padawan had already fallen to the dark side.

What had been shattered erupted into further splinters.

Every preconceived notion she had reversed. All her judgements dissolved and she was shocked at Dagon’s retributive defiance. Light saturated his form, wrestling with his conflict and outpouring with searing intent. She dropped beside Auteme, using the Shield’s body to shield her eyes from the brilliance erupting from Dagon and all the repercussions of the Library being ripped asunder.

And then she just lay there miserably, in all the grime and the fuffs of dirt and debris. On her stomach, her palms flat to the earth and staring at the dirt. That remained constant, the gritty crust against her skin and under her nails. That was real and held no lies. No betrayal— just particles of dust and earth.

Little starry sparkles danced along her peripherals and she blinked slowly and tiredly. Tears lined her eyes, confusion and hurt liquefying into salty droplets.

Light’s warrior was shaking fists and trembling teeth. She was exhausted, in pain, and everything this mission had be.. was supposed to be… had just been proven wrong.

By the very Sith they’d come to conquer.

And it scared the little Jedi.



ALLIES | GA | NJO | Auteme Auteme | Aaran Tafo Aaran Tafo | Okkeus Dainlei Okkeus Dainlei | Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze !!
ENEMIES | TSE | SITH SPIRITS | Arctus Silmar
| Bernard Bernard ???
 

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