Skirmish Tales of the Underground: Operation Dawn Veil [TJO vs. DIA]

[Wuxia Wukong]

Laphisto

Wu frowned.

"Hmm. You make good points, but not full proof. You seem to acknowledge at the very least that there is risk in the dark side. So therefore is it not better to shun such risk. Like the addict who clings to the belief that they indulge their habit in moderation, you seek to ignore the evidence of others who have utilized the drug and the effects it has on mind, body and soul."

Wu took a breath twisting his lips in thought, wishing he had a leaf or better yet a piece of bamboo to chew on, as he considered the dragon man, -and boy did Wu just love that he was talking to a dragon man- he wished he could ask about his people in greater detail. Though he knew that unfortunately now was not the time..

"Perhaps the Diarchs are in balance, for the moment, how long will that last? I believe in more than just empirical evidence yet I would be blind not to see it." Wu sighed "In doing so I am forced to concede that the Jedi have often in the past been mistaken, blinded by their own self belief in their purity of purpose."

"However in believing in more than just the empirical. I have spoken to these refugee's I have seen no dishonesty in their eyes and am sceptical of the lengths to go to in order to trick the Jedi to participate in a slave ring. I cannot imagine such a ring would last long. If that is your mission here to stop a slavery ring, then your mission is in my belief a false one."

Truthfully he was hiding his shock at learning just how old the dragon man was.

"Ajunta Pall!... That was a long time ago. So long ago the historians often have trouble dating him." Wu realised his excitement got the better of him. Laphisto seemed to believe everything he was saying, but that didn't make it the truth. Besides they had other business to address during this discussion.

Wu frowned and nodded.

"I am truly sorry for what you were compelled to do in the days of the past. Unfortunately it does nothing to endear me to your cause. I have studied the histories. Ajunta Pall became the first Dark Lord of the Sith. I have seen enough evidence of the Sith's evil to believe they must be fought." Wu shook his head.

"I fail to see how that is justice." Wu frowned "Though admittedly in the modern galaxy I do not see them defeated easily. Nor without immense cost, but perhaps what little comfort and safety I can offer to these people will make a difference."

"If it came to debating with a Sith… I would be intrigued by such a discussion, yet at the same time wary of myself for having that inclination. You see I am not infallible. I do not believe I am immune to corruption where too many good and great Jedi have fallen before me. There must be something very alluring in the path of the Dark Side to captivate so many." Wu pondered that sentence softly, sadly, with regret but acknowledgement.

"It is that very knowledge however that leads me to the conclusion, as well as heartfelt belief that once you have decided to help someone it would be at best foolish and naïve at worst betrayal to hand them over to the very people you swore to protect them from."

"To turn aside from my path merely for some half convincing arguments would be folly." Wu spread his hands.

"Now you have done your best to convince me allow me to do the same." Wu offered with a gentle smile and a bow of his head. "You are right about one thing. Any attempt to avoid conflict, is an attempt worth making, however slim of chance."

"These people are so desperate to leave they have hidden themselves, exposed themselves to persecution or at the very least prosecution, are willing to have themselves smuggled out of your Diarchy's jurisdiction to avoid the fate that awaits them here. Is it really your right to deny them the right to leave how they see fit? Their property which you so value has largely been left behind except what they care to take with them."

"You came to bust slavers. A noble goal. Tell me have you found any? Or merely frightened citizens and their handsome guardians." Wu gave a soft self mocking smile at 'handsome'.

"Tell me what would you think of a faction who claimed an operation halted slavery, but in reality halted refugees?"

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto listened in silence, the low soft thudding of boots the only sound as the Jedi spoke. When Wu finally finished, the commander drew a slow breath and exhaled through his nose a sound more tired than hostile. "You are an admirable scholar," he said at last, his tone steady but laced with quiet gravity. "And I believe your intentions are sincere. But devotion, Master Jedi, can blind as surely as hatred. In your pursuit to do what is right, you've allowed conviction to silence reason."

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. tail flicking behind him softly. His words carried the cadence of a teacher, not an accuser.
"These people call themselves refugees because they've been taught to believe that they are. But the truth is simpler they are citizens of the Diarchy. No one here has branded them slaves or stripped them of their rights. They were misled, manipulated into fleeing from shadows that do not exist."

He paused, his gaze sweeping the frightened faces of those gathered behind Wu. "If they truly wish to leave if they cannot bring themselves to live under our banner then so be it. I will not hold them here by force. I will buy their passage out of Diarch space myself if that is what it takes to prove this government does not cling to unwilling hearts. The Diarchy has no use for citizens pretending to be prisoners."

He turned back toward the Jedi, his expression unreadable beneath the flickering light of the damaged hall. "But understand this, Master jedi belief and truth are not the same thing. If you are told your entire life that blue is green, you will swear it with conviction even as the sky itself proves you wrong. These people may believe they are refugees, but belief does not make it so. It only shows how deeply the lie has taken root."

For a moment, his eyes softened just slightly, a trace of old memory crossing them. "I have seen this before. Whole families uprooted under the promise of safety, only to be herded into slave pits on Nar Shaddaa. Good intentions, twisted by hands that profited from fear."

Laphisto clipped his helmet back into place with a practiced motion; the seals hissed and the vocoder warmed, flattening the crackle of the room into an even, authoritative timbre. He watched the soldiers behind the Jedi move with efficient purpose: pilots detained, freighter systems locked, refugees shepherded aboard under guard. Landing struts clanged and the freighter's engines cooled under lockdown clamps. Civilians were being funneled away from the pad in tight formations the perimeter tightened as if every officer present expected the first spark of violence. The last thing Laphisto wanted was innocents caught in crossfire.

He took a single, measured step forward, the armor around his shoulders creaking softly. Up close, his voice carried the cold comfort of inevitability. "Master Wu," he said, "I will give you one last chance." He paused, and in the hush the vocoder made his words seem both nearer and farther than their import. "I respect you. You have shown honor and conviction. You have the bearing of a true scholar and the courage of your convictions. Out of that respect, I offer you a way out that requires nothing of us but trust."

He motioned briefly toward the freighter, toward the humming mass of logistics and men being moved into order. "Take your ship and depart. If you own no vessel, one will be provided for you cleared, fueled, and unmarked. If a noble's shuttle must be requisitioned to make this happen, it will be compensated at sticker price. You will be escorted to it. You will leave Diarchal space, and you will not be followed."

Laphisto's tone chilled imperceptibly as he folded the mercy into an ultimatum. "Accept that offer and no charges will be pressed against you for your presence here tonight. Deny it attempt to spirit these people away, or raise your weapon against my men and I will have you dealt with as a hostile. Diarchal law will take its course."

He let the words settle like dust. Behind him, troops checked restraints and medics readied stretchers. The freighter's hatch sealed with a heavy, bureaucratic finality, and the refugees some trembling, some wary were shepherded toward processing. There was no bluster in Laphisto's delivery, only the hard geometry of a commander who had learned that mercy is most potent when paired with clarity.

Laphisto dropped his hands to his sides, fingers brushing the familiar weight of his saber at his hip and the cool metal of the pistol holstered on his thigh. The motion was a silent promise not a twitch toward violence, but a readiness born of long command. Around them, soldiers shifted like taut wire; a hand or two hovered near triggers; the hum of distant power systems became the room's heartbeat.

His voice softened just enough to cut through the static of armor and fear. There was respect in it quiet and dangerous, like the calm before a storm. "I offer you this mercy once, Master Wu," he said, "because I see sincerity in your heart, however misguided. But sincerity is not absolution. Meaning well does not place you above consequence."

He took one step back, not as retreat but as the final, measured distance between offer and enforceable law. The choice hung in the air like a blade: simple to state, brutal in consequence. "The path before you is simple," he finished, each word deliberate. "Leave in peace or stay and face judgment. The Force will not decide this for you. You will."

Wuxia Wukong

 

[Wuxia Wukong]

Wu chuckled a little.

"Please" He held up a hand. "Please understand I do not mock, yet it is an interesting philosophical queary is it not. Two guardians, both honourable, both believing what they do is right. Both holding belief their cause, their side is righteous. Both pleaded with the other to depart peacefully. Who is in the right?"

"The simple answer would be the merits of their arguments, but if both can see the merits of each others argument yet disagree as to the nature of their duty, what are they to do but fight?" Wu took a deep breath. "It is enough to make one say stuff to honour, the warriors code and all the rest. Find a garden somewhere, live out your days in peace."

Wu sighed.

"If only my code will allow it. I have an apprentice, more of a daughter. She has found a place within this Jedi Order. Were I to leave the field of battle today, I would have to leave the Order and she with me. She would lose her Home. For only believing these people are to be sent into slavery would cause me to abandon them. For that I would not follow the Order any longer."

"If I promised to guard these people with me life, guide them to a safe refuge. If I gave you my word; my word of honour if you like? Would that be enough? Or have we both come to far, too mistrusting, to narrow vision that violence must be the only recourse?"

Wu felt the presence of the refugee's being rounded up and sensed the time for talking was over. He had enjoyed the discussion too thoroughly it would seem. He had been distracted by talks of peace. Now his charges were being herded towards who knew what fate.

"Well played Commander, but it would appear our discussion is at an end." Wu ridiculously felt like explaining that the actions of the soldiers constituted a threat, so therefore he was not the one breaking the truce and attacking first.

Alas he hoped the Commander might understand that some day.

Wu sent a Force blast at the Commander then leapt away in an Ataru backflip, summoning Force Barrier as he did so, the soldiers opened fire. Wu started jumping and leaping around in Ataru Staff fighting moves, deflecting slug bolts and knocking down soldiers with Force Imbued strikes sending some flying, shattering bones of others. Wu did his best to do disabling blows, but combat was combat some soldiers died in the attempt.

"Quickly, there's no time can any of you fly?"

"I can." A voice piped up he was barely more than a boy late teens.

"Take this." Wu passed him a comms splicer, he had been given for this eventuality. "It should disable the locking clamps. Go!"

The refugee's rushed back on bored the ship, Wu providing a covering retreat, spinning his staff, and force blasts sent in rapid succession.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto waited for Wu's answer, the silence stretching just long enough for the tension to hum like a drawn wire. His hand drifted to his ear as Trace Xyston voice crackled through the comms. "Non-leth—"

The word was cut short by a violent impact that slammed into his chest. The Force blast hit like a cannon. Laphisto's armor flared with kinetic light as he was hurled backward, skidding hard across the durasteel deck with a grinding shriek. The air left his lungs in a single ragged sound part growl, part gasp before he rolled onto his side and pushed himself up.

Around him, chaos erupted. Soldiers shouted warnings, blasterfire snapped through the air. Some of his men fired at Wu in panicked bursts, others threw themselves in front of the refugees, shielding them with their bodies. The scent of scorched alloy and burning ozone filled the bay.

Laphisto's eyes locked on Wu. His men his people were being torn apart by the same man he had offered peace. A low, guttural snarl escaped his throat as he rose to his full height, dust and smoke trailing from his armor.

He raised his rifle, its barrel glowing from the heat of the exchange, and unleashed the entire magazine in a storm of precision fire. Every shot was an extension of his fury, each trigger pull punctuated by the deliberate advance of his boots. When the rifle clicked empty, he didn't hesitate — he threw the weapon itself like a spear, the stock cracking against the deck as it spun toward Wu.

His sidearm was in his hand before the rifle hit the ground. Twelve sharp cracks rang out, each muzzle flash carving a momentary silhouette of the Jedi amid the smoke. When the pistol ran dry, he hurled it too, the motion fluid, almost ritualistic.

Then the anger beneath his composure boiled over. Laphisto drew deeply upon the Force not Light, not Dark, but the raw, unbound power between. Energy rippled through the air like a thunderhead forming in his palm. He reached outward, focusing on the freighter's massive engines as they hummed to life. With a roar that reverberated through the hangar, he ripped the main thruster free from its housing.

Metal screamed as the engine tore loose in a shower of sparks. The freighter shuddered violently, but Laphisto twisted his wrist, redirecting the enormous hunk of durasteel and plasma tubing away from the pad. The engine flew out over the open field and crashed far from the civilians — a clear message to Wu: his wrath was still tempered by control.

Laphisto surged forward, his saber snapping to life with a sharp crack-hiss, the pale blade flaring in the dim light of the hangar. He moved like a living projectile fast, deliberate, his armor whirring faintly with each stride. The remaining soldiers scattered to clear his path, some turning to the refugees and ushering them toward the exits under shouted orders and suppressive fire. The chaos behind him faded to background noise; his focus narrowed to the lone Jedi ahead.

The distance closed in heartbeats. Laphisto lifted his left arm, energy flaring to life along the gauntlet's emitter nodes. A broad, kite-shaped shield of pure kinetic energy unfolded from the wrist plate, shimmering with a faint distortion as it hardened into form. Every movement carried controlled aggression not rage, but the precision of a soldier who knew precisely how much force to unleash and where to put it.

He angled the shield forward and broke into a full sprint, the deck plates quaking under the impact of his charge. As he bore down on Wu, Laphisto channeled raw power into his shield arm not only to reinforce it, but to load it. The air rippled around his palm, the forming pulse of a Force Blast coalescing behind the barrier like a shell in a cannon. He timed his breathing, muscles tightening under the surge of Force Valor flooding his limbs. Every tendon and joint thrummed with condensed strength.

He struck leading with the shield, aiming to bash into Wu's guard and throw him off-balance. At the same instant, the built-up Force Blast detonated outward from his gauntlet, timed to explode on contact or just before, adding a shockwave strong enough to crack durasteel and send even a master stumbling.

His saber followed instantly after a forward thrust meant to exploit whatever opening the blast created. If Wu dodged, Laphisto would pivot sharply into a cross-slash; if Wu blocked, he'd press closer, using the shield to grind against the staff's haft and drive the Jedi back.

Wuxia Wukong