Skirmish THE BANNERLESS | Jedi Raid of TSC Held Tython

[Lohī]

Tython
Tags: Lestra Thairk

Paperfolk​

This certainly was a... unique strategy. While Lestra and one of the soldiers wrestled on the floor on a state of disorientation, Lohī mustered up a gust of wind and blew the other into the wall. Conking his head was more than enough to send the Sith trooper to the ground, especially in a disoriented state. As she walked her way through the cloud of confusion, a breeze gently pushed the harsh chemicals out of her way so that she wasn't taking any of it in. After all, she couldn't have her form be afflicted in any way that would slow her down.

The Paperfolk stopped beside where Lestra was wrestling his opponent, the air she brought with her offering a pocket of clarity. She looked down with only a gentle smile.

"Are you winning, padawan?" she asked in earnest.

His plan, while messy, had certainly seemed to come to pass with him as the victor.

 

[Diogo]

Eurydice​

... It's afraid!

This... took a weird turn.

Who, or what, the hell damaged this girl's circuits? Assuming her fear was genuine. Deception was a frequent instrument of the Sith...

But his senses - Force aided and Anzati enhanced - picked up no trace of deceit. The shaking, the squeaking, the ever-increasing heart rate. All genuine, as far as he could tell. That, or she was really, really good.

"Yes, we," he affirmed. "A Jedi strike team."

Diogo kept it vague, refraining from specifying the contingent's size. If anything, she might terrorize herself with the possibilities.

"I won't hurt you," he said, a potential truth or a potential lie. The die had yet to be cast. "Not like all of those you hurt on Tapani, or the other countless worlds you've razed."

Diogo scoffed when she offered a single holocron. Did she really think that was gonna work? Her circuits were definitely damaged.

He circled slowly, finally stopping in front of her. The lightsaber still burned the air between them and his eyes were little pools of molten gold.

"What makes you think this is a negotiation?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Allies: Sethran Solivar
Opps: Tamsin Starfall

Sparks hissed against the thick durasteel frame. Cora and Sethran knew little of each other, but they were both servants of the Light. As she concentrated on searing her way through the lock, Cora elected to put her trust into him.

"Take stock in the Force and trust it will guide you and all will go as it should."

His words, a reminder of who they were, served to ground her. Even still, something familiar in its malice lingered at the back of her mind like smoke curling from a distant memory.

Click.

Cora wasn't the sort to brute-force her way through anything as a first option, but she couldn't deny that, given the situation, it had certain advantages. A sharp kick drove her heel just to the side of the locking mechanism, and the door stuttered open.

"There we go," she cooed. The room was a dingy network of pipes and dimly glowing terminals. Cora took only a single step inside before she heard it - the horrid sound of nails scraping metal. It rang through her mind like the toll of a death bell, reverberating in the Force.

That sent a visceral chill trawling down her spine, then back up again. Something in her suddenly felt like a Padawan again, just for a moment - a green student, outmatched by several magnitudes by that witch on Exegol.

Cora's focus returned in the wake of that memory, cautious but sharper.

"Stars above," she huffed. "Do you feel that?"

 

[Arris Windrun]

Equipment: Revolvers | Jacket
Tags: Acier Moonbound | Connel Vanagor | Dynamis "Dynas" Ultra

Arris took her sweet time as Ace went on ahead to challenge their Jedi interloper. She sauntered in from behind, hands well away from the heavy holsters at her hips.

"Having trouble, Ace?"

The cyborg lept without the Force; her cybernetic legs were strong enough to clear them both with a flip. She landed at the Jedi's back, glancing over her shoulder as they clashed.

"I know you can do better. Finish this up." Her tone was calm, betraying the kinds of passion that drove a Sith.

Arris turned her attention forward, away from them, and kept walking. She regarded her apprentice's opponent as little more than an obstacle for him to clear, and was otherwise unaware of the hidden shard. Besides, there was too much noise coming from the Jedi. Every implant, weapon, tool, and prosthesis.

 

[Zark San Tekka]

Sevrin

"I've waited long enough."

Every instinct in Master Zark San Tekka wanted to be fighting alongside his fellow Jedi as they raided the temple grounds but his mission on this world was too critical. Every artifact the Sith pillaged from Tython despoiled Jedi history but there were some holocrons which held more strategic value than others. He'd been on the old Jedi Council for a long time and knew secrets otherwise lost during the fall of Coruscant.

Rising from his uneasy meditation the old man hoped his comrades were providing a large enough distraction for him to infiltrate the lost Jedi Temple and accomplish his mission. Zark never intended to walk the path of a Jedi Shadow but it seems the Force had other plans. He wore a new cortosis mask to replace the old atrisian helm that symbolized his training in their ancient arts of war. Its replacement was painted like a temple guard shroud to remind him of the oaths he'd failed to keep.

He cloaked his presence in the Force and moved like a ghost towards the defiled Jedi shrine. Master San Tekka could sense the darkside in this place like a foul rot. He trusted that the holocrons he sought would still be buried within, hidden well enough to escape the Sith looters' notice for now. An ascension cable emerged from his jacket and the Jedi Master rappelled up the temple in a few enhanced bounds to sneak inside without alerting any defenders.

Now all Zark needed to do was find his way down to the temple catacombs without getting caught or killed and then somehow make it back off Tython alive. He let go of his fear. Maybe he was powerless to stop the Sith from rising back into power but there was still hope for the galaxy as long as Jedi like him refused to give up on defending it from their conquest.

 

[Sevrin]

Zark San Tekka

Sevrin found himself abandoned by Drystan Creed some months ago, released once more to his own path. The Jedi held little meaning for him. The few sanctuaries he had entered had offered no sense of belonging. Now he watched as war tore through those same sanctums. Their once-revered halls were contested rather often by rival factions, each scrambling over a handful of worlds whose importance lay not in their power, but in what they represented to the Jedi.

The Jedi guarded ruins while the galaxy moved on. Their temples burned, their relics scattered, their Order fractured by its own hesitation. Yet within this chaos presented opportunity.

War drove desperate hands into places long sealed, and in the confusion many treasures would be lost, abandoned, or overlooked by those too consumed with battle to notice what truly mattered. Sevrin intended to notice.

He had already claimed one holocron...an artifact of Darth Maltheron, and its lessons had only begun to unfold before him. If such knowledge could be found once, there would be more were certainly sequestered away in a place like this. Hidden chambers, or forgotten vaults would hold relics buried beneath the very sanctuaries the Jedi had once sworn to protect. If those of the Order clung to history as something sacred, then Sevrin saw it as an opportunity for something to be taken.

Deep within the catacombs he had come upon a secluded vault, half-forgotten beneath layers of dust and silence. The stone archway bore markings worn smooth with age, their meaning nearly lost to time. No guards waited here... it was perfect.

Sevrin paused before the sealed chamber, pale blue eyes studying the ancient door with meticulous patience. Places like this were not meant to be found so easily. That meant whatever lay beyond had once been considered worth hiding and protecting... Either way, the war above had left it unattended.

His hand moved toward the cold surface of the vault, senses stretching outward through the Force as he searched for the quiet hum of whatever secrets waited beyond the stone.

He was unaware of the cloaked presence drawing nearer as he studied the vault door. Yet the faint sound of tumbling debris and stones shifting somewhere in the darkness, accompanied by dust sliding softly across ancient floors, reached him at last.

Sevrin's ears pricked to attention, and he stilled.

The catacombs had been silent when he entered them, a stillness so complete it seemed to bode ominously. Something somewhere had disturbed that quiet and Sevrin couldn't quite sense it. That gave him concern to pause.

Slowly, his focus shifted away from the sealed vault. Pale eyes drifted toward the shadowed corridor behind him, listening… waiting.

Patience had value in places like this. Those who rushed revealed themselves first. Those who waited often learned far more than they expected.

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Tython
Tag(s): Valor the Forsaken | Madrona A’Mia | Anet Raine
Equipment: Standard Green Lightsaber | Spear of Ahsla

Ko’s body stopped and tensed when the stranger came into view and addressed them. The lady looked like nobody he recognized. So she couldn’t have been with the Jedi he arrived with. The Kel Dor tilted his head some over their expressed concern. But his eyes widened under his goggles as he took in her appearance more. She looked to be a fabled Neti.

“I’ve never met one of your kind before. It’s an honor…” Ko replied, honestly. He’d heard legends of the species. He’d always wanted to see one in person. However, his instincts began to alarm him and without even trying a memory resurfaced in the Kel Dor’s psyche.
​

"I fought a tree-woman on Thule. A Neti, I believe. She quite tall, with hair like vines. A Sith sorcerer performed a dark ritual to revitalize the planet, and she drew strength from that, growing larger and stronger."

As she knelt in the soil, Cora frowned at the distant memory of A'Mia's massive form grappling her much smaller body. She'd been struck by the pommel of her opponent's hidden dagger, knocking her off kilter and throwing stars in her vision.

"I carved up her flank with my lightsaber, but that had healed by the time I saw her next."

He knew from a first hand account that there was a Neti within the ranks of the Sith. One that has brought harm to at least one of his friends. He should see to it that retribution is swift and uncompromising. “Bold of you to assume that it is us that are lost.” With his single arm Ko reached down to his side and grabbed his lightsaber from his belt.

But there was another and he sensed them too late. Once he did he jerked his body around to only catch a glimpse of a light blue woman until he felt an invisible pressure wave collide with his body. Knocking him away and off his feet. It blasted him onto his back, but Ko was quick to react. Instead of bracing too harshly and tensing his body he moved with the energy. Tucking his head and chin down he rolled on his back and to his shoulders until his entire body rotated allowing him to swiftly get back onto his feet.

His attention was now split in several opposing erections. He shifted his focus towards Valor for only a second. The boy was hurt but not dead. Ko could recognize that he was in a bad spot now being flanked on either side. He even noticed that there was another cloaked individual with the blue woman. Ko took a deep breath and closed his eyes, they would do him no good at this moment and elected to perceive the world around him through The Force. A skill he needed to rely on when he lost his eyes previously, and allowing him a more comprehensive 360 degrees of view.

“Where I’m from, weaponizing hospitality is a serious offense. With the punishment being death, or in a best case scenario being tarred and feathered…” Ko shared the draconian practices of Dorin with those present. “Sadly I’m all out of tar and feathers.”

It may have seemed like it was Ko and Valor that were surrounded. But the Kel Dor knew it was the opposite. Focusing on the radiant energy of the forest surrounding them he utilized a potent ability in a setting such as this. Plant Surge. Controlling and growing a vine from the canopy above the half pantoran lady. Ko had it tie itself into the shape of a noose before snapping down towards her in an attempt to snatch her up by her neck.​

 

[Teev]

| Location | Tython​

| Objective | Dawdle​

​

Teev was busy looking over another Jedi holocron, its soft blue glow pulsing in their gloved hand, a quiet noise that could be equated to a murmur of interest escaping their lips. The cube floated a few inches from their palm, its corners beginning to twist and turn as it began to thrum softly in response. ​

​

It was just about ready to reveal its secrets to the Jawa before something, or rather someone, drew their attention. The holocron quickly reverted back to its sealed state as it dropped into their palm, Teev getting on their tippy toes to return it back to the slot in the wall where it originally was. The Jawa turned their body as their staff gently clunked against the ancient stone, long before the individual called out to them.​

​

Teev cocked their head to the side; an inquisitive gesture. Teev's voice echoed along the ancient stone, "Foo?" it said, in an unintelligible Jawaese dialect.​

​

[ 0-7 ]

 

[Lestra Thairk]

Tags: Lohī
Objective: 2

Fists continued to fly through the smoke. Whether it was Lestra's or the trooper's, it didn't matter as they scuffled through the smoke. It seemed like this bright idea hadn't went as well as some might have expected...and by some, Lestra, but at the very least none of them got massively hurt. As Lohi brought a breeze of air for some clarify, it gave Lestra the sight he needed to slam his elbow down onto the trooper, before pushing himself up to his feet, wincing as he put weight onto his leg.

"I guess I won?"

He shrugged his shoulder at that, putting a bit of tentative weight on his leg. It was still usable enough for him to walk, but the pain was going to be a nightmare tomorrow. Oh well. No pain, no gain was his motto!...It wasn't, but it sounded good enough to be one.

"Are you alright? I didn't...think that through, I suppose?"​

 

[Kito]

//: Reina Daival //:
//: Station Corridors //:
//: Attire //:
//: Equipment in Sig //:

The lights were cut, and darkness fell upon the station. Kito disregarded the infrared visor to avoid anything getting in the way. She could see in the dark; it was something she was always able to do. Often, the night vision equipment blinded her and made things worse.

She exhaled as she split off from the small squadron she had been assigned to. Her Master was fighting elsewhere, a mission that was far too dangerous for the Padawan.

"Tch…" Her tongue clicked in frustration. She was far more capable than the average Padawan; she had survived on her own before this…

Kito could feel her frustration rising, taking hold of her focus. The words from Master Ascania lingered in her mind. She learned so much from her in a short time. The woman had an understanding that she found her Master as well.

Still… Kito firmly believed that Master Ascania would have let her join the dangerous mission.

Kito found herself falling deeper into her own frustrations and emotions, and paused. She was a Jedi; she was better than allowing her emotions to take hold. Her lips parted, exhaling with the steam of her burning core ignited. It didn't take her too long to find her center once more, heat rising to the surface of her skin.

All of the emotion burned as fuel for the flames that licked at her lips. If she couldn't abandon them, she would use them in a way a Sith wouldn't… or so she thought.

Her feet took off, the Force fueling her as she moved through the darkened corridors of the station. She hunted, blade cutting through the enemies of the Jedi, burning tallies etched into the steel of the blade. Each one, a Sith, stopped before they could do more damage.

Each one made the blade heavy, each one reminded her of the piece of her heart that belonged to one of them…

No, Valaine was different…​

Kito told herself quietly as she felt the heated blade cut through another one of the Sithari kin. Each time, she felt through the Force, making sure she wasn't here. Turning the next corridor, Kito found herself in a long hallway, with only one finger at the end of the hallway. She could see whispers of red hair; the Force told her this was someone familiar.

Someone who was a friend…

Footsteps echoed over the chaos that swarmed the station. Here, time stood still.

"Why…" Kito started, the heat rising, her emotions now flaring…

"Why are you here?"

She exhaled, the light from the odachi's righteous flame flickered…

"You're here to help... right?"

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Kito
Objective:

"I should have known this would happen one day."

Why did it have to be today? Reina didn't care that much over Tython. Whether the Covenant or the Jedi or anyone else held it. She had came here to check over things, to send reports to Carnifex over how the Covenant seemed to be dealing with the occupation of the Tython Temple. In fact, she had been getting ready to head down when this entire kark-show kicked off.

Now she could feel the heat coming from Kito's nodachi. The flames. A slight raise of her eyebrow at the sight, as the Siren broke out into a half-hearted smile. Clever. A weapon that had its own flames to manipulate. If only she had the same with water. Of course, she could steal water from others, from living creatures, but even Reina wouldn't take that step. Not yet at least as she took a simple step closer, keeping her arms folded along her front.

"Not today, Kito. I don't plan on betraying the Sith again. I did it last time to save lives. Innocent lives. Civilians. My Master didn't punish me that time. I doubt the results would be the same this time."

She didn't expect Kito to understand. There was part of Reina that fully didn't understand why she was doing this either. It was strange in a way. Reina had thought she would have been in a maelstrom of emotions. This had been a moment she had been dreading for a while. The moment she'd lose yet another friend. But she felt...strangely content. As if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was conflicted, of course. But the fear. The anger she expected? It was nowhere to be found.

"Breathe, Kito. You can use your emotions as fuel, as much as you want, but be careful that you don't lose control of the fuel."

Reina let out a long exhale of her own, reaching her hand down towards her lightsaber...before moving it over towards Whisperwind. Her blade. In a way, it was her handicapping herself. Whisperwind dealt terrible with the heat. Even now, she could almost feel the blade trembling within her grip. Whether it was from the heat, or the conflicting emotions within Reina's chest, she did not know.

"I want it to be known, I don't want to fight you Kito. But you are far too much like me. I know you won't let me walk away. If I was still a Jedi, I wouldn't let...a Sith escape."

The Siren's voice broke for a moment. She didn't view herself as a Sith. But she believed that Kito would. And so that was the role Reina would play, as much as she didn't want to. She didn't want to lose another friend. She didn't want to lose anyone again. But...alas, life did not work that way.​

 

[Sethran Solivar]

Tython Space Station • Corazona von Ascania and Tamsin Starfall ​

---

It didn't take as long as he thought it would for her to cut through the lock mechanism. Lightsabers really were handy for more than fighting. He preferred to think of them as a tool rather than a weapon, which was why he always carried a blaster. The blaster was his weapon in most situations where one was needed. He preferred not to have to use it, but sometimes what he preferred was not what the Force called upon him to do. For that reason, he made sure he carried a blaster with a stun setting. Unnecessary killing or making was just as bad as killing.

With a well-placed kick, she gained them entry to the room beyond.

"Nice work. Clean cut, too. You've had practice."

He was only able to spare it a brief glance, because that feeling of impending doom was starting to grow. Something was coming for them. Something dark.

Since he was watching their back, intent on keeping her safe while she cut through the lock, he saw her first. A child, at least in appearance. What kind of child could radiate such dark intent? No, it couldn't really be a child. Not with that strength and evil intent. There was a clear, absolute hatred that radiated from her that came from some sort of history. Not with him, though. It had to be with his companion. But even then, he couldn't allow her to attack Corazona. Though she assaulted them both by scraping her nails on durasteel. That sound was enough to make him cringe.

"Worse," he said in response to her question. "I can see it."

He moved into the center of the corridor and turned to fully face the approaching threat. Though he felt incredibly unsure about the situation because it did appear to be a child, he still had a job to do.

"You go on and complete the mission. I'll deal with this until you're done."

As best he could. If he could. The mission was important. They needed to complete it. If the Force required his life then he would give it. He was ready to do what was necessary. He was skilled. Perhaps he would survive. Only time would tell.

---

​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

___________________________________________________________________

Objective: Sabotage Military Fuel Station
Allies: Jedi
Opposition: Sith
With: Akela Ru
Direct Opposition: OPEN

Crouched in staggered firing lines from cover both inside the hub and just beyond the entrance, the mixed force of Jedi and Antarian Rangers that made up Team Senth hurled a storm of blasterfire, explosives, and Force-flung debris toward the Sith defenders entrenched behind makeshift barricades clustered around an open tram car.

Sith troopers answered with relentless discipline. Tripod mounted blaster cannons spat steady, withering streams of crimson fire, flooding the chamber with such punishing volume that even Jedi struggled to keep pace with deflections. Every attempt to dislodge the gunners was repulsed by a quartet of Sith warriors, batting aside incoming attacks with their lightsabers or bracing against the assault behind tightly focused Force barriers.

Neither side held the leverage needed to break the other. Team Senth possessed the greater numbers, but the Sith maintained a superior elevated position. In a fight of attrition, the advantage would tilt toward the defenders as reinforcements beyond the station arrived and flooded the space, building up to an eventual massacre as the Jedi would find themselves trapped.

Somehow the Jedi had to shift the paradigm.

First it came with a sparkly shower.

Without warning, both the Sith defenders and the vanguard of Team Senth were showered in a sudden glitterstorm. The rhythmic thunder of the Sith blaster cannons faltered as their gunners recoiled, visors suddenly obscured by sparkling particulates. Unfortunately, several of Senth's own fighters found themselves just as blinded by the indiscriminate barrage.

Chaos erupted as each side scrambled to regain its bearings before the other could seize the advantage from this bizarre development.

Meanwhile, one of the Sith Knights found himself confronted by an entirely different problem: a tiny, uppity Togruta with suspiciously swollen cheeks who had just pounced upon another of his fellow Sith.

"What are you?" He wretched, recoiling in disgust.

Her answer came as a torrent of saliva coated projectiles (...candy?!) hurled directly toward his face. The Knight doubled over as the sticky barrage appeared to strike home.

"I'm a zit."

Then his free hand snapped outward, a ball of congealed oral decay hovering in his palm.

In fact the candies had struck against a thin sheath of Force energy he had instinctively raised. He had collapsed that barrier inward, compressing the sticky mass into a dense sphere of sucrose and gelatin. With a violent thrust of telekinetic force, he blasted it back toward her in a tight concussive strike surgically aimed to avoid striking his comrades, a stream of energy and matter meant to perforate her small frame.

Zits get popped.

In follow up his crimson blade was redirected at her in one hand, angling the lightsaber in a balanced forward guard, while his free hand remained ready to conjure Force attacks for attack or defense. A classic posture of Niman.

"Get your chit together!" He bellowed at his fellow discombobulated Sith, tawny eyes never leaving the runt through the glittering haze "We will hold this platform!"

When Mykel had directed Akela to flank the defenders from the vents and drop her bombs from above, he had said nothing about the Padawan leaping down to attack personally.

Because that would place her directly among the Sith formation where she had previously enjoyed the high ground.

Now she had come face to face with with the blooded Sith Knights that he had warned her about earlier.

 

[Tamsin Starfall]

Theme: Back From The Dead
OBJ: Station Sabotage
Equipment: Twin Omens | Multi-Tool | Stars Enchained | Mind Crown | Wrist Lanvarok
Tags: Corazona von Ascania [/USER] | Sethran Solivar

​

First the index finger retracted, followed by ring finger then the pinky. Leaving only the middle finger still screeching across the steel as she methodically moved forward. Her pace was not hurried and that wicked little grin not even flinching one bit. Then the lips twitched and the tongue clicked. That soft almost innocently sweet voice sprang forth.

"My, My…" A light tinge of mocking laughter that broke the disguise of innocence into madness. "Darth Priss, has got herself a chivalrous apprentice." Her burning eyes fixed on Sethran Solivar eyes staring at him but not him through him like he wasn't there. Like he was just some illusion in her mind that wasn't really there.

"He is brave but stupid. It took three of you and portal of my own making last time." There was that signature arrogance of the devil. She finally came to a stop but left her middle finger on the steel at her side. "I suppose I can't really create a storm, here…. well I could but the covenant might want to keep this station intact. Then again when have I ever cared about such things."

She spoke more to herself than the two in front of her. Her sights then turned to the back of Corazona von Ascania 's head. "It is funny Darth Priss, back then you were so young. So full of spirit and conviction. Has your old age turned you into the type who will let others fight your battles for you?"

The Demon had never learned Cora's real name, in her mind she was Darth Priss, her traitorous apprentice. As she looked at the woman's back, she smelt something strange in the air. A connection she had not realized until that moment clicked. "Interesting." It was meant to be said internally but the Demon had no filter. Yet she did manage to stop herself from saying more about her new revelation.

She then turned back to the other Jedi in the corridor. "Go on then run…little girl." With that the middle finger flicked off the steel with a loud screech and a small spark. The Demon couldn't control fire but she could convert its energy. That little spark grew into an orb that flew for Sethran Solivar 's face where it would explode into blinding light in attempt to blind the jedi.

 

[Eurydice]

Diogo
​

Sweat gathered not just on her brow, but at her collar, too. It was the clammy sort; cold, damp, and uncomfortable.

Not as uncomfortable as being held at lightsaber point, of course.

Eurydice seems to shrink further into herself as Diogo's slow circle brought him to rest in front of her. An arc of lethal plasma still burned in the space between them, but now she could see the brilliant gold of his eyes.

That alone had a spark of genuine confusion flickering across her expression. She'd only seen eyes like that on Sith.

"I wasn't at Tapani," she protested meekly.

She had hurt people, though. Killed, too. Even if it was under duress, Eurydice had always been given a choice; their life, or her own.

She'd always chosen her own.

"Th-they'll find you," she insisted. "The Covenant is as quick as it is brutal. I won't follow you. I'll pretend that I didn't see you. A few holocrons won't be missed, and if you go now, you may still be able to leave Tython unscathed."

There was a pause, during which Eurydice seemed to weigh what she wanted to say next.

"You don't…feel like a Jedi to me…?"

She'd never met a Jedi. She didn't know how they were supposed to feel, but the Force billowed from him in a way that didn't seem to be reinforced by compassion or love.

A rouge thought clawed its way into the back of her mind like a warning - was this a test? Was he an agent of the Sith, sent here to measure her devotion?

 

[Akela Ru]

Mykel Dawson

Landing back on the ground she looked up at the sith and the blade that was there. "Hmm should have brought more." She looked at the sith who were there.. at the rangers with her montrals and her hand went to her belt as she gripped her saber. "You know you shoe is untied." She said it and held the blade as the snap-hiss came with the pink blade appearing but her attention was on the sith as she moved into a djem so stance with her blade ready to defend.

 

[Diogo]

Eurydice​

"I see," he murmured.

Part of him believed her, even though it went against his better judgement. She certainly didn't seem like she would've done well on Tapani. She was afraid of her own damn shadow. The warmth of his eyes seemed to cool, if only slightly.

"You might want to worry more about whether you'll be leaving Tython unscathed," Diogo chuckled. "You sound utterly afraid of them."

Then the girl made an observation that sounded like a question, but felt, to him, like an accusation. In fact, the words down right stung. His brows furrowed. His lightsaber lowered.

Didn't feel like a Jedi?

There was a darkness in him, that much was true. As a matter of biology, mostly, but that didn't explain it all. He was a warrior, a soldier, a Jedi tasked with protecting the galaxy. He was also a young, impressionable man who'd spent his lifetime on battlefields across the galaxy, watching friends die, innocents slaughtered. How could his heart be anything but hardened, ashen, tainted?

That didn't mean he wasn't a Jedi, though... right?

"What do I feel like to you?" Diogo asked, raising an eyebrow with genuine curiosity.

He was looking at her now, in a way he hadn't before. Her eyes were two fiery pools of blue in the light of his blade. Niamos trickled into his mind, then - home; he thought of the half-light of twilight, the setting sun melting into endless waters.

Diogo spoke after a pregnant pause.

"Hm, you certainly don't feel - or look - like a Sith," he confessed. "Perhaps neither of us are what we appear to be."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Allies: Sethran Solivar
Opps: Tamsin Starfall

In the Force, a writhing mass of malicious energy drew closer. Sethran indicated that he'd hold this one off while Cora sabotaged the fuel lines.

But, she hesitated.

Her suspicions were confirmed when a peal of laughter, like bells chiming in a key too wrong to be wholly innocent, drifted down the corridor.

Then, she came into view. Smaller than Cora had remembered, and put together more neatly. Younger, too, but with the arrogance and might of someone who'd lived lives far beyond her initial appearance.

Cora's upper lip curled.

"You've aged backwards. How…unbecoming." The Jedi tilted her head, just a few degrees to stare down the manic child. "Though, I suppose our youth has left us both. I've heard worse."

Before Tegan had the chance to truly christen their encounter, Cora shifted her gaze to Sethran.

"Be careful. This one is liable to throw a tantrum if she's not the center of attention."

With an exceedingly rude gesture, the little demon harnessed the power of fire. When Cora ducked back through the doorway, she actively fought her instinctive urge to intercept the fireball - the mission, focus on the mission.

They'd fought so hard just to be here. Sethran was capable. He'd manage until they could chart their escape.

Now, Cora was faced with a network of metal pipes, dingy and identical. She activated a holomap, following the projection that hovered in front of her eyes, searching for the marked lines. Three blue dots blinked on the schematic, indicating her targets.

A pitched hum sounded as her lightsaber sliced through a pipe in an arc of blue plasma, followed by the low hiss of pressure being released.

One down….

 

[Sethran Solivar]

Tython Space Station • Corazona von Ascania and Tamsin Starfall ​

---

"I believe that is typical of most dark siders," he said to Cora before she departed.

The ones he had met all seemed starved for attention. Among a group of individuals all starving for it, it was inevitable that many would not receive it. Perhaps that was some explanation for why they were so violent. Not a good one, as it was merely an excuse, but it was something.

The smell of ozone lingered in his nostrils as he was left alone to face this dark side entity. It was a curious thing. Based on what Cora had said, it seemed that the two had crossed paths in the past, and she hadn't been as young as she was now. How could that be, though? Perhaps his eyes were deceiving him? It was often said that looks could be deceiving. Was this illusion or something else? One way to tell was with Force Sight, which gave the ability to see beyond what was seen. He drew on the Force to enhance his vision and studied the girl at the same time as she drew a spark into a concussive ball that exploded with light in front of his face.

Had he not been in the process of looking at her with Force Sight, he'd have certainly been blinded.

"Are you incapable of fighting without limiting your opponent's vision, thief?"

The body wasn't hers. The person within it was far too old, and that was why Cora had said what she said. This girl in front of her, well, the body of the girl in front of her, didn't belong to the person that was speaking through it. He was certain she had ripped the girl from her body, cast her into the Force, and taken over herself. Or some similar version of that.

"You killed a child to gain a body. Why a child instead of an adult? Are you incapable of dealing with adults?"

He struck the ignition switch of his lightsaber and a teal blade ignited. Gripping the hilt with two hands, he settled into a defensive stance as he faced the monster. If she wanted to get to Cora, she'd have to go through him, and he was pretty certain that she wanted Cora more than him. He was probably just an appetizer to her. If that was the case, so be it. Least he could buy her the time to complete their mission. That was what mattered to him.

"Come on, then."

---

 

[Aiden Porte]

Zaiya Ceti​

Aiden Porte pushed forward with his strike team, posture low and controlled, senses stretched through the corridor like a net. The station's silence broke into motion as Covenant soldiers spilled from side passages, and the first crack of blasterfire lit the dark in harsh flashes.

He did not hesitate. His blue blade ignited and became a line of certainty, catching bolts and turning them away from his team. He advanced in measured steps, not rushing, not yielding, cutting angles and closing distance with the patience of a hunter.

A Sith met him at the junction, blade snapping to life with a hiss of red. Aiden turned inside the swing, the Force guiding his shoulder and feet, and his saber drove through the opening with clean finality. The fight did not pause. Another soldier surged forward, and Aiden's blade followed through, precise and unbroken.

Around him, the strike team held formation, moving when he moved, covering what he did not. The opposition pressed, but it was not the Light that strained. It was the darkness. It faltered with every disciplined step, every shattered advance, every moment the Covenant realized they were not feared here.

They still had a job to do, and Aiden did not let the battle distract from the mission. He cut a path toward the marked junctions, eyes already on the conduits that would cripple the station, while the Force kept him vigilant, steady, and sure.