Private Storm the Citadel

[Corbin Valor]

TAG: Valery Noble
GEAR: Heavy Plated Armor | Arsenal of Blasters and Explosives | Personal Forcefield
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He understood where she's coming from. He didn't often consider his own health and just went along with the mission, doing what he had to, with personal injuries coming last. "Understood, Master Jedi." and he took the scolding like a man. To the point that even other soldiers were watching along. His red eyes glared at them, and they went back to their own business rather quickly. He nodded at the mention of her own injuries, glad that she isn't hurt. "Yeah, don't inhale that." a rhetorical statement to say, but nonetheless something to say. Maybe a bit of pettiness from her scolding. He's not sure.

He had to keep reminding himself of her ability to use the force. Or at the very least, the extent that the force allows her to be... well, omnipotent? That might be too much. It seems like she can do everything miraculous. Before his thoughts could wander on that subject though, that explosion tremored through the ground, acting as a wakeup call for any idle soldiers to get to their stations immediately, which Corbin did, straightening his rifle. It was just the one explosion. Wouldn't there be more? He knew the orders were very specific; the mines would set off a chain reaction, intended less to actually claim lives and more as a scare tactic for any approaching enemy troopers.

However, it became quite evident quickly as to why that wasn't the case; the roaring of rocket engines came from the skies. Rocket troopers. The rhythmic whoosh of their propulsion systems reverberated through the battlefield, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle that struck doubt into some of the troopers. Fires were shot, but there were over several dozen rocket troopers. As they flew over the walls, batches of cluster grenades were dropped. Effective. Entire squads of alliance troopers went flying, some fell off the high height of the wall, unfortunately falling to their death. Others were claimed by the kinetic force and fiery burns of the explosions. Most of Corbin's squad however were able to get energy shields up in time, blocking most of the grenades that landed near their location.

Their target became quite clear, not too different from what they initially accomplished; they were aiming for the anti-air batteries. "Snipers!" Corbin shouted onto the comms. "Shoot them down now, before it's too late!" he then held onto Val's shoulder, looking directly towards her. "I don't know what miracle you can pull this time, but we cannot let those anti-air guns go offline. If they do, we're done for. They can easily bombard this place otherwise." he needed to stress the urgency of those anti-air batteries being defended.

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[Valery Noble]

Vyrnara

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Corbin Valor

Valery caught the way his men looked at them, and the glare Corbin shot them in response. She didn't want him to feel trapped between her and his troops, so she made no comment and only shot him a faint smirk to rub it in just a little bit. Of course, it was met with a comment about her inhaling smoke, and she just rolled her eyes at it. "I'll do my best, Lieutenant," she told him before her mind shifted into battle-focus. As easy-going as she was whenever there wasn't any tension or danger, she would always be ready when it was necessary.

So as the explosions of the mines echoed from afar, Valery got up and drew the hilt of her weapon into her hand, ready to use it to shield the troops on the wall. But what happened next even took her by surprise. Jet troopers began to rise up fast, coming up high above the walls to take away the advantage the defenders had higher up. Even more troubling was their target, and when Corbin realized it too, he asked for her assistance.

The hand on her shoulder drew her eyes to him, and she nodded before glancing back up at the troopees in the sky. "Have your men prioritize them, and I'll do what I can." Valery let out a soft sigh and charged away, both to reposition and to draw attention to herself. She then outstretched an arm and balled her hand into a fist, while she reached out through the Force to crush several jetpacks at once.

This immediately drew enemy fire to her, hoping to overwhelm her with several powerful sniper shots. But Valery steadied her stance, and precisely began to deflect their bolts back, aimed to take out whoever was targeting AA-batteries.

"Lieutenant!" She called out. "Keep up the pressure on them!"

 

[Corbin Valor]

TAG: Valery Noble
GEAR: Heavy Plated Armor | Arsenal of Blasters and Explosives | Personal Forcefield
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He didn't expect the imperials to be this fast in counteracting. He was expecting a great show of manpower and force, and less the imperials actually using their heads for once. It didn't matter however, the alliance had to react fast. They had to adapt. "Snipers, take out the enemy snipers!" but it came up with blank callbacks. One by one, the highest towers had men falling off. They were getting picked off one by one... and the bolts were coming from the forest. They were using the intense cover from the woods and bushes to mask themselves. Difficult.

His eyes drifted, and a glare hit his eyes. He quickly ducked down, just barely escaping a bolt. That was extremely close. If he delayed by even half a second, he could be dead right now. He instead called out to the mortars that were set up. "Mortar Teams! Hit the trees by the entrance. The enemies are hiding in them." before they knew it, large shells were shot from behind the fortress, and sunk right into the ground of the designated locations. A tremor that hit even harder than the mines did, and resulted in multiple trees falling down. The surrounding woodland is ruined, but the corpses of camouflaged stormtroopers were the result.

With that taken cared of for now, he rushed towards one of the anti-air batteries. He kept an eye on Valery, picking up on his communications again. "Anyone inside, take out those jet troopers! They're aiming for the anti-air guns!" alliance troopers were scattered all over the place, at the very least, they were scattered around far enough that the bombing tactics the jet troopers utilised before wouldn't be too effective.

However, Corbin saw one of them land and head inside a clear bunker that held one of the controls to the guns. He rushed inside, energy shield up and blaster rifle over the top of it. He saw charges set on the controls; and a fearless jet trooper in-front of it, ready to take his life. Before he could even react, the explosion went off. The orange-red flame bursted out from every entrance inside, and blew Corbin outside. Burns were rampant on his armor, and breathing became difficult with his helmet on. Vision blurry, communications deafening, his hands gripped the dirt, holding on for dear life.

He can't go down like this. He took a stim shot, and his senses went back to normal, but his wounds were very, very evident now. They were still there and under normal circumstances, he'd be screaming in pain. He's using stimulants to trick his body into thinking he's not actually in pain, it was enough for him to get back up from the ground, going on the comms. "They... they blew up one of the anti-air guns." he waited to hear from others, losing the flow of what was going on whilst he struggled.

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[Valery Noble]

Vyrnara

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Corbin Valor

Despite great effort from both Valery and the soldiers all around her, it was not easy to protect every single anti-air battery from enemy soldiers. Too many had taken to the skies, and were using that advantage to suppress Alliance forces down below. This caused a lack of pressure on them, and gave them a chance to even land within the fortress. Outside, Valery heard heavy mortars ripping up the ground, but she was only focused on those making it inside the fortress for now.

If their defenses fell, nothing mattered anymore.

Turning away from her earlier targets, Valery jumped up high into the sky and slashed down another small group of jet troopers who were floating too close to each other. But as she landed, her gaze caught Corbin rushing into one of the AA-batteries. Another presence was inside, one with much darker intent, and Valery understood what was happening. She jumped down from the wall, readied herself to go after him and-

With widened eyes, she watched the entire structure explode, and from the fireball that followed, Corbin's body appeared. He hit the ground hard, and as much as she wanted to rush over and help, she couldn't make it that easily. Other Jet Troopers were still gunning down people below, so with a series of powerful jumps and Force-augmented dashes, she fought her way towards him, leaving behind a trail of fallen enemies.

"Come on, to cover," Valery told him as soon as she got close enough to him, "We're gaining the upperhand now, so don't worry about the Anti-air battery." She paused and looked him over, noting the bad burns and she was only scanning quickly. "We need to get you medical aid, or you'll get yourself killed."

"Can you make it to the bunker?" She asked before she stepped away, noticing an incoming jet trooper. He opened fire but with a single deflection, Valery sent the bolt back up and through his skull, killing him instantly.

 

[Corbin Valor]

TAG: Valery Noble
GEAR: Heavy Plated Armor | Arsenal of Blasters and Explosives | Personal Forcefield
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The stimulants were working... he could still feel those burns and wounds, but it's more like he didn't care anymore. His body didn't care, and he could keep fighting. He knew that he's going to need some serious aid after this, he watched Valery make her way towards him, helping him get to nearby cover and take a breather. "Valery..." the first time that he referred to her by name, not by title. "I'm fine. I'll stop fighting when the assault is over." his soldiers needed him. The alliance needed him, he needed to be that symbol right now. But her words rang true. The jet troopers had the advantage of both the air and the element of surprise around the start, but the alliance troopers were starting to adapt. One by one, the jet trooper numbers were decreasing.

"I can't stop fighting. Not when I'm needed." he doubled down on it, already knowing that Valery is going to try and stop him, or try to convince him to stop altogether. He hates the idea of sitting and laying back whilst a battle is ongoing. Especially with Valery being distracted on him, when she could very well be helping in the battle. When he noticed that incoming jet trooper, he severely underestimated his injuries. An attempt to lift up his blaster rifle resulted in shaking of his arms, almost non-responsive. It's a good thing that Valery was indeed there, and had just saved his life. There were a lot of close calls this battle.

Realising now his situation, he wanted to continue but at the same time, deep down, he knew that he can't fight in this shape.

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[Valery Noble]

Vyrnara

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Corbin Valor

"No."

Valery set aside the brief surprise when he used her name, and ignored every bit of stubbornness when he insisted that he could fight. That he should be fighting with the other soldiers. It was a very familiar thing for her to hear, because she had been just like that in the past as well. Always putting others above her own well-being, until it eventually broke her and she was forced to take a lot of time away from the battlefield.

From fellow Jedi and soldiers.

Gently, Valery then placed a hand against his shoulder and pushed him down, her fiery gaze staring into his eyes to let the message sink in. "I know that you want to prove yourself, but this is not the way. Everybody saw you charging into that building, knowing the risk and leading the charge anyway. But they also understand that your fight is over today."

An explosion behind her caused her to look over her shoulder, and she realized that they could still use her help for the remainder of the battle. So she looked back quickly and offered a faint smile, "Please, wait here and stay alive." Whether he'd listen or not, Valery turned, jumped away and gave it everything she had to finish the fight. More Imperials fell at the end of her blade, more Alliance soldiers were protected.

And eventually, the battle would turn in their favor completely.

 

[Corbin Valor]

TAG: Valery Noble
GEAR: Heavy Plated Armor | Arsenal of Blasters and Explosives | Personal Forcefield
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He sighed. He knew she would be difficult about this and it's most likely the stimulants giving him that false confidence that keeps him going. Considering all his options... he knew her words rang true. "... Okay. I'll... coordinate from the comms then, still be helpful somehow." at the very least, he's no longer physically involved in the fight, retreating into a nearby bunker until the fighting would calm down.

The battle roared on, thunderous blaster fire kept echoing across the fortress, but minute by minute, it all started to die down as bodies from both sides were collapsing. In the end, the jet troopers only got to two anti-air batteries and got them destroyed. The rest stayed, and the fortress is still strong enough for any air bombardments.

The imperials in near orbit decided that it wasn't worth the risk, and reports were all over that indicated the imperials were now retreating from the planet. Excitement coarsed through the troopers as they relished in their victory. Meanwhile in that same bunker, Corbin was being attended to by a field medic, applying a mixture of advanced medicines and techniques to keep him stabilised. It'd look he would still require serious medical attention, but at the very least, he won't be dying today.

Corbin didn't know how to feel about that. He kept reflecting to his powerlessness to keep fighting. He might have to get better gear, or refine his tactics. He charged first head into a situation that he should've predicted, and he got burned for it, literally. He hoped Val would still be around, and if she was, the first thing he would say is the following;

"Thank you Valery. I owe you a great debt. If you ever need anything, let me know. I can't offer too much as a Lieutenant, but I'm just letting you know the favor is there."

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