Invasion Total Eclipse of the Heart || Objective 4: We'll Be Holding On Forever

[Koda Fett]

Seeing Kingsley rise up and begin a crash course for Xeykard filled Fett with some kind of morbid relief. The Hiitian was no longer his problem, for now, at least. Xeykard could kill him, wound him, do whichever he so pleased with Kingsley. It just meant one less weight to pull on the Mandalorian later, whenever that damned bird decided to become a nuisance again. Yet, Fett knew he would survive whatever this was; escaping binds was his specialty, even if it was the result of blind luck.

Yet, it was no time to dwell on that.

Fett rose up into the air with a blast from his jetpack to avoid the incoming redirected blaster fire, the chaos of the dumped out explosions rattling the warehouse floor beneath him. He returned the blaster carbine to his hip, where it hung, before Fett himself clung to the external railing of the catwalk with a booted foot and a gloved hand.

The rangefinder fell over his T-visor, honing further on the area in front and, with his wrist raised, launched a barrage of micro-missiles in the direction of the Jedi Padawan before leaping from the catwalk and rocketing across the gap to close in with another blaster of flames extending from a punch.

Kingsley - Thayze Montserrat - Cerys Dyn - Balun Dashiell - Xeykard

 

[Damien Dooku]

Objective IV
theme

Sparks of light seared off metal as the edge of his vibrodagger skirted their armor plating into a harmless glancing blow at best. The Jedi fell low to the ground before he knew it, his body tensing in response to the sudden impact of the butt of their weapon being slammed up into his ribs, knocking the wind right out of his lungs at once. Scavera was around moving behind him in preparation for the finishing move as his eyes went dazed, his limbs going slack whilst his body fell towards the ground.

She was poised to deliver that kill shot without worry of a response, if the scoundrel's consciousness fluttered into the darkness that threatened to consume his vision. Their weapon slowly moved into position as his slack form jerked with life, his amber eyes shooting open within an instant as he reached out for the ground and palmed it with his hand.

He twisted at the hips from his handstand-position, spinning his legs around into a whirlwind kick that slammed the side of his foot across the annihilator's barrel, knocking the shot that would've killed him off-course, the heavy bolt slamming into the ground off to the right of his peripheral. Damien reached for his own blaster with his free-hand as he completed bringing himself around to face Scavera, and despite still balancing on one hand, a volley of blaster shots were delivered center-mass, each shot trailing downwards until the energy pack was half empty.

Drystan Creed Kingsley Koda Fett Mercy Morrow Razmir Tezhyn Sal Katarn Thayne Tameron V1-L8 Xeykard



​

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

THE WRETCHED

OBJECTIVE 4
WAREHOUSE AMBUSH
ABOVE THE KILLING FIELD

INDUSTRIAL HEATERS OVERCLOCKED
WAREHOUSE TEMPERATURE APPROACHING DISTRESSING LEVELS
(thanks V1-L8 )​

Within three minutes, the warehouse would become an oven. Within ten, flesh would blister. Within fifteen, panic would reign. The heating system kicked to life with a distant groan. Steam vents coughed. Pipes screamed. Emergency readouts blinked crimson across terminals in the warehouse. Klaxons began to flash tainting the environment in red flashes of light and alarm.

Sections:
click - (brief section) Morrow Talin Treicolt , also Kyric
click - Black Sun Crew: Koda Fett Xeykard Sal Katarn Kingsley AND Jedi Stragglers: Cerys Dyn Balun Dashiell Thayze Montserrat Brandyn Sal-Soren
click - V1-L8 Drystan Creed Kyric , also Morrow Damien Dooku Talin Treicolt
click - Nathan Bloodscrawl

The Aqualish's cannon had finished spinning up, launching a volley of bolts screaming in their direction. Morrow pushed off with his feet, lurching forward to sink his shoulder into Talin's sternum. The maneuver forced them both scarcely out of the line of fire. Bolts shredded the edge of the catwalk, sending another piece plummeting to the floor.

Razmir raised an eyebrow, curious at Morrow 's display of fraternization with the enemy. If he had such a death wish he simply need have asked Razmir to place a blaster at his head and pull the trigger himself. His interference was...vexing, but in truth, both he and his woman were inconsequential as individuals. There were more pressing matters that needed his attention.

-- Koda Fett Xeykard Sal Katarn Kingsley & Cerys Dyn Thayze Montserrat Brandyn Sal-Soren Balun Dashiell

He aimed to maximize the kill count of this ambush, and to truly make that number go as high as it could required a bigger-picture approach from him.

His gaze moved back to the main entrance, where the stragglers had engaged Fett and his avian friend. It was a chaotic scene. Xeykard seemed to have found his prey, but Fett struggled with the Jedi, and his friend. That bird was proving to be more trouble than he was worth, especially when the crates began to fly from a telekinetic attack. Razmir opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get to speak before--

The explosion hit. Cerys winced. The light first, half a moment late the wall of sound and concussive blast radiated through the Warehouse.

She curled instinctively around him as the blast thundered overhead. The beam held, but everything else around them shook with violence. When the dust settled, the warehouse was changed. They were cut off from the others.

The blast ripped through the warehouse with enough force to dislodge a strand of Razmir's hair. He blew it away from his eyes, narrowing his gaze, though not at the Jedi.

That explosion had done more than simply rattle a few Padawan. The wall closest to them--already severely weakened by Sal Katarn 's last particle shot--had been structurally compromised. The ray-shielding on the door they had used to enter the warehouse also flickered for a moment. Something that would be easily perceptible to Thayze Montserrat if he survived the blast. The generator had been damaged.

That posed a problem. Black Sun needed these Jedi trapped here. A broken wall would...

<Fett, Xeykard, Katarn! Do not let the Jedi break down that front wall! Kill them before they do. I want none of them to escape alive!>

He needed them to deal with that problem before it became critical.

Kyric planted his feet and kicked off the shelf halfway to the duracrete below. He soared through the air for the catwalk, Soltide disengaged and returned to his side right before impact. The kiffar grabbed the masked-assailant mounted atop his cousin the instant he landed. Kyric leveraged his momentum, twisted his hips, and unceremoniously tossed the would-be killer past the ruined railing over a half-shattered shelving unit.

"C'mon, girl!" Kyric yanked Talin up by an arm like she was still the same child he met nearly a decade before on Concord Dawn. "Things are heatin' up in here. Regroup with the others and try not to die, ye hear?"

He tapped into the Black Sun comms, attempting to contact the mysterious benefactor who had deployed the coolant-spilling labor droid. Something told Drystan that whoever they were, their goals aligned with his.

"Our mark is trying to escape. I'd appreciate assistance in persuading him to stay. Leave crossing blades to me—I can take him."

-- V1-L8 Drystan Creed & Kyric Morrow Talin Treicolt

<V1 , continue assisting Creed in taking down Kyric. I'm marking his coordinates on your HUDs.>

The message was spoken on the Black Sun comms. A channel that Damien Dooku would be linked to.

<Do not let him escape, but keep him breathing.> Failure within Black Sun was punished harshly. And Razmir wasn't one for undue mercy.

Razmir's attention remained on Kyric as he moved to save the girl. The Aqualish kept firing on her despite the best efforts of Morrow . Curious how far that one would go to protect an enemy. It didn't entirely make...

"Cease fire," Razmir placed his hand on the rotary cannon, pushing down. The Aqualish obliged.

The Force swelled around Kyric like a whirlwind. His muscles bulged with scarcely contained power as he grabbed Talin by her jacket collar, hoisted her back over his shoulder, and threw her through the open air for the exit like she weighed no more than a child's ball. She passed over the ongoing struggled for a dozen or so meters before inertia and gravity set in and she began a rapid descent for the floor.

Kyric cared for that woman. Morrow did also. A mutual point of connection. If he were a betting man, which he supposed he could be at times, he would wager that she was also somehow tied to Damien Dooku . Razmir wanted to know about everything he could potentially weaponize against the Jedi. That included their loved ones. If Damien had kept that woman's deeper connection to him and Kyric quiet, it wouldn't bode well for him.

Kyric released a steady breath and retreated a few steps from the catwalk's edge. He reactivated his saber; silver-blue light shone around him like a beacon—an open invitation for every Syndicate bastard left on this side of the warehouse.

The warehouse had been heating up steadily. Heat had a tendency to rise upward, and Razmir was beginning to feel it. He was sweating, pulling at his collar to loosen it as the oxygen seemed to become thinner--or his breathing shallower.

-- Nathan Bloodscrawl Kyric

"Open fire on him. Make sure not to hit--" Razmir was cut off by commotion on the highest--his--level of the warehouse catwalks. The Aqualish hesitated, not firing the cannon.

How had they made it this far up so quickly?

Nathan killed a dozen more before his rifle ran dry and he popped the second clip, switching to five shot burst to conserve ammo, gunning down more as he started to make his way to a large nest of them.

The ring leader was on this level. He had to be. He wouldn't miss a ring side seat.

Nathan was gonna shoot his way to the one running this whole Atrocity...

"Open fire on that one when I give you the signal," Razmir told the Aqualish with the cannon, indicating Nathan Bloodscrawl at the other end of the warehouse. Plenty of thugs still stood between them, and Razmir got the hunch he hadn't been noticed yet.

Without thinking twice, Razmir moved to the edge of the catwalk and let himself fall over the railing in a controlled swing. His momentum brought him below the catwalk, where he could catch and hold onto the supports. He may have been a Vigo, a position many would equate to a passive pencil pusher's, but his path there had involved more than backroom deals and empty talk.

"Now!" He yelled to the Aqualish, and in the same breath, dropped to the catwalk below to land among another group of Black Sun thugs. He took up a blaster and a mask from the fallen. Then he dropped further below, and disappeared into the noxious green cloud of dioxis. He looked like many other thugs, perhaps a bit more refined. But in all the chaos, with the Taozin amulet still on his person, and with the Aqualish serving as a distraction, he figured he stood a chance at getting away.

It really was getting rather uncomfortably hot inside the warehouse.

 

[Sera Rosh]

SPARROW
WAREHOUSE | SARKO IV
DIRECT ALLIES: Rik Perris
DIRECT ENEMIES: Thayne Tameron | Mercy
ENGAGING: Thayne Tameron

IN THE DARK​

It felt good to do some good work again with an actual Order again.

Even if it meant something strange was afoot.

Sera stood waiting with Rik outside the warehouse in the rain. She had to admit to have a familiar face and fellow nomad within the Order had made the transition to actually settling into Jedi routine again so much easier. It was good to have someone watching your back again.

Dobby's little scanner was rotating where he was next to her leg before he gave a worried little whoop whoop to her. The silence was too thick and the astromech's confirmation preceded an escalation by only a few heartbeats.
"Anything else?" she softly asked Dobby.
He gave a sad denial.

And then all hell broke loose.

When the shields sizzled into place yet silence remained, Sera was already unclipping her saber and moving just as Rik spoke.

"Come on."

Sera pivoted her direction midstep to follow him. She had learned since that day on Ringo Vinda to listen when he has an idea.
"Dobs! See if you can find a way to get control of the warehouse systems! Just be careful!" she yelled at the droid as she and Rik moved into a different direction. The droid's small little repulsors propelled him to the ground and he rolled to do what he was directed to do.

The two Knights dropped to the ground too and moved. As Rik's senses searched the warehouse walls, Sera kept watch, her own senses wide open as her emerald blade snapped into being.

She didn't flinch as the wall shattered inward, but she did duck as a blaster bolt came flying through the opening before she ignited her second blade to deflect some of the others back at their shooters.

"Shitshow in there."

"You're telling me." she said, sparing a glance at the chaos within. Of course, now that there was an opening, the gas inside had to go somewhere. "Oh, crap!" She flung her hand upward as a Force Barrier allowed the clouds of gas to wash over their heads and away as it streamed through the opening.

Keeping the barrier up, she peered inside again, blade still ignited in anticipation and what she saw had her groaning. So much for wanting to help their people inside.

"Uh Rik, we're getting our own company seems like."

 

[Morrow]

"Get off me-" Wheeze. "You stinkin' nerf herder."

"Wait-!" Talin's fist clobbered the side of his head, smashing his pleas into silence. Several more strikes battered Morrow around as he tried to scramble to his feet. Every other blow felt unusually solid, rattling the sense around in his skull so that he couldn't use it to pull his mask off. In the confusion, it occurred to him just how well it was obscuring his identity. A befuddling scrap ensued, though very short-lived. Almost as soon as it had started, it ended with Morrow finding himself suddenly flying through the air at the behest of a tug from behind he'd hardly noticed.

Limbs flailing as he began to plummet, he emitted a muffled shout before slamming into a warehouse shelf. He buckled over the side of it stomach-first, the breath ripped from his lungs on impact. Likewise, the impact knocked his breather strap loose, sending it descending into the cloud of gas below. With a wheeze, he scrambled onto the vacant top shelf, stuck on his hands and knees while he struggled to bring air into his lungs. Something croaked out of him when the rotary cannon began to fire again, but it was entirely unintelligible. He caught a glimpse of Talin flying through the air in the opposite direction. His hands reached for his rifle, but like the mask, it had somehow come undone from the strap around his shoulders.

Producing his sidearm, he aimed for the Aqualish and placed a shot into the back of his head just as Razmir began to flee. Payback for nearly killing him. "Stupid karking-" his feeble-breathed insult was interrupted by the top shelf snapping. Morrow fell one level to the next shelf, landing painfully, tailbone first, onto the metal surface. He went supine, groaning. A great chagrin was bubbling up within him. One thing after another, catwalks falling, shelves breaking, he was on the verge of a conniption, with half a mind to shoot everyone in here indiscriminately.

Finally, he managed to get his feet under him, rage reduced to a simmer. Blaster up, he was ready to continue the fight, yet suddenly he wasn't sure whose side he was on anymore. He'd just killed a Black Sun member very blatantly, after saving one of the people he'd been hired to kill. That Jedi in the rafters had inadvertently saved him as well. Morrow's mind boggled; he didn't know who to shoot, or who was about to shoot him.

Worse still, without his mask, he had nowhere to go.

_____________________________________________________
​

Relevant/Mentioned: Talin Treicolt | Kyric
Sal Katarn | Thayne Tameron | Xeykard | V1-L8 | Koda Fett | Keys | Kingsley | Mercy | Drystan Creed Kyric | Brandyn Sal-Soren | Balun Dashiell | Rik Perris | Sera Rosh | Sara Celwik | Thayze Montserrat | Scavera

​

 

[Xeykard]

Brandyn Sal-Soren Cerys Dyn Balun Dashiell | Kingsley Koda Fett | Thayze Montserrat | Sal Katarn
​

The moment his claws drew blood, he could taste it, that victory in his grasp- only for a crate to slam into his arm, knocking him sideways. Gas and explosions forced him back, as he retreated a few paces, the geography of the battlefield rapidly shifting. Another shot followed from above, the heavy particle beam vaporizing some creature he could not see through the smoke.

The Jedi in front of him had disappeared, save Fett's prey, and Xeykard would not do him the disrespect of interfering. It was then that he felt something -- smelled something. He looked down at the avian humanoid who'd attached himself to Xeykard's waist, struggling as though to push him over. No, if anything, he was trying to get close to shield himself, hiding in Xeykard's shadow from the blasts. And the smell...

"You urinated on yourself," he said, pulling the avian up by the collar, "to keep yourself cool as the warehouse heats up. Many not as clever as you will surely perish here." He set the avian down, and gave him a push. "Find the Jedi for this one. You will be amply rewarded."

He nudged the avian towards where he suspected the Togruta had gone, while he departed towards the particle beam blast -- Sal-Soren was close, and even as the chaos of the battle muddled his senses, he knew his prey was in this direction. His lightclub gleamed darkly through the green smoke as he stalked closer.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Every now and then, I get a little bit nervous

The explosion shook his core. He felt the shockwave as it passed through him, unsettling him more - which he had thought impossible. His stomach churned...even as the fire passed overhead.

He looked up, to see Tamnen nodding towards the weakening wall. "Exit...sir."

Sal Katarn shot again. Brandyn felt this one coming a fraction of second before it hit. He was able to move, grabbing and Tamnen to pull him aside...to no avail. The agent's body grew limp as the right half of his torso evaporated in the energy ray. Brandyn collapsed to the ground, the cauterized half-body landing beside him, the putrid smell of burning flesh filling his rebreather.

Brandyn gagged, throwing himself away from the corpse. It was only then that he noticed that two of the other agents had been hit. The remaining few were looking at him, eyes locked in horror. He felt his heart sink. "We will get out..." He said, trying to believe it. They saw through it.

He had never been one to inspire hope.

His head popped up briefly from behind a crate. He could see, through the fog, the glow of Balun's lightsaber. He was upright, and holding on to someone. Cerys...good.

Above him, he saw the glow of heating elements growing slowly more intense. "You've got to be kidding me!" He complained, "who would do that?" To their own people too!

He had to take charge. Combat may not have been his speciality, but he sure as hell needed to step up.

Finally, his hilt was in his hand, and green light illuminated the area. "Let's take the fight to these creeps," he said to the remaining agents.

A pair of gangly service droids popped up from around the crates behind the agents, and with a quick tug - they flew towards Brandyn and he sliced them down with one broad swing.

The blade in his hand pulsed steady and bright. Through the fog, he saw movement. It was massive, and deliberately brutal. The Sith. The monster who had nearly taken Cerys.

Heart rate calming as his mind focused on the job ahead, Brandyn stepped forward.

| OUTFIT: xxx |
| DIRECT TAGS: Xeykard Balun Dashiell Cerys Dyn Kingsley Sal Katarn |
| Indirect tags: V1-L8 Razmir Tezhyn Koda Fett Thayze Montserrat |
| EQUIPMENT: Lightsaber, spike pack |

​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

Every now and then I get a little bit restless​

Her heart raced. For a moment she was deafened by the blast, but she still felt him holding her. "Get...off me," she shoved Balun backwards, "I didn't ask you to..." She shoved him again, twisting out of his grasp. Her eyes bore holes in him. Even choked by gas and flame, she still had standards.

Her montral hummed. The cacophony rang in her head, but was clearing slowly.

The shock of Balun's closeness faded quickly, and was replaced by cold dread again. She spun about the still-hot support beam, and glanced around to try and catch a glimpse of the predator Sith. She couldn't see much more than fog and light, but her eyes searched anxiously.

"Brandyn is going to try and fight it...I know he is..."

Her heart pounded, and she gripped onto Balun's shirt and pulled him alongside her as she looked for her former master. "I swear to you. It will not happen again...I will not lose someone else," she muttered cryptically alongside his ear. She felt the pang of guilt over the attachment those words revealed. "Even if it is Brandyn." That saved face.

Her arm began to burn. Adrenaline could only hide pain for so long. She gritted her teeth, and looked down at her right arm. Blood was coating her sleeve. It was bad. No time for this now.

Stepping out over the scattered debris from the explosion, Cerys ignited her sabers. Azure light adding to the maelstrom of the moment.

Yesterday had changed her perspective. It had given her clarity on her path. And despite her duty to those around her, she knew that they were not her path. She would though, honour her old path today.

"Are you with me?" She said with a cautious glance toward Balun.

She turned her eyes towards where she knew Brandyn and the hulking Sith could be. And she stepped forward, towards the silhouette she feared most. Her past.

⊱⋅ Once upon a time there was light in my life ⋅⊰​

She was in the garden. It had become a favourite place for her to visit, though she would never admit it openly. Elenna Sylari had become important to her. It wasn't an attachment. Cerys denied that thought completely. Completely.

Today, she was early. And she had made sure a pot of Elenna's favourite tea was already brewing. Unbeknownst to Elenna, Cerys had made her way out into the Theed market and acquired her own teapot, just for the surprise. It was kindness. Not attachment.

"Master Sylari!" Cerys said, coming to attention with a stiff back. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, thinking now how foolish this was. "I...I made you some tea."

Elenna passed through the garden's archway, taking a deep breath as she did so. Her hand hovered over her belt habitually, ensuring she had brought her pouch of tea- she never forgot.

After a few moments, her eyes gazed up at her usual seat to find a familiar figure. A homely, warming smile appeared on Elenna's face as she was greeted by her young friend; "Padawan Cerys, my dear," she spoke softly through her smile.

"What a lovely surprise, I didn't expect you to be up this early," Elenna mused, laying her holobook onto the table as she guided herself into her chair.

A few moments passed as the pair made themselves comfortable. "Well, we mustn't let the tea go cold," she indicated towards the teapot- and new one at that. "Is that Deychin tea I smell?" she grinned warmly once again, feeling gratitude towards young Cerys' for the effort.

"Mm- How are you this fine morning?"

"Yes...Deychin tea...I know it is a favourite of yours," Cerys said, shifting nervously, "I am well...thank you for asking."

It was such a simple exchange, but one that filled Cerys with a sense of belonging, and normality that she had craved. In Elenna, she had found...home.

| Tags: Balun Dashiell Xeykard Brandyn Sal-Soren Kingsley |

| Equipment: Twin lightsabers - Vowsake, and Dyn's Mercy |

| Guest writer: Elenna Sylari |​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

Nathan shredded into the black sun thugs without hesitation. Because they had shown no hesitation at murdering his comrades.

It was not about vengeance.

It was punishment for lawlessness.

(THIS Plays)

Nathan was using pure Force Speed to stay ahead, spray from his rifle ripping open those on the level he had just ascended to. The world slowed to a crawl as gunned down thug after defiant thug, even as he felt the place start to heat up. Someone had sabotaged the generators.

But for all the fierce opposition he faced he still managed to catch Razmir Tezhyn attempting to pull a fast one and escape into the gas below. It would not avail him. Nathan's cybernetic eyes had already targeted him.

As Razmir dropped below the Aqualish fired, and because Nathan was busy shooting up the group in front him, one of the bolts managed to destroy his rifle.

Nathan bypassed the thugs behind him, teleported behind the thug with the cannon and then ran him through from behind with his white lightsaber, using his telekinesis to utterly rip apart the catwalk the thugs shooting at him were still on while he used the dead Aqualish thug's body as a shield.

They screamed in terror as some were caught in the twisted metal, others falling to either their death or heavy injury as he crumpled the catwalk into a giant metal ball and sent it brutally crashing through part of the warehouse ceiling making a gigantic hole in it, causing part of the ceiling to collapse...then yanked the giant crumpled catwalk ball back through the undamaged section, which would allow for massive venting of the heat buildup as well as some of the gas to dissipate into the air

Black Sun thugs in what was left of the level he was on understandably started to run for their lives. It was clear the Hazmat Suit Jedi was a hardened killer and absolutely not afraid of their ambush and was very much trying to kill every last one of them if he could. Already he had inflicted a disproportionately high level of Black Sun casualties in comparison to his comrades forced on the defensive for the most part. What should have been a vicious ambush to teach the Jedi that Black Sun was not to be trifled with was instead showing Black Sun could bleed from just one Force User so used to fighting their type it wasn't funny.

And almost all of those casualties were from before he had pulled out the Lightsaber. Now that it was out after teleporting down to where that Vigo dropped, the death toll increased. Gangsters foolishly defending their Vigo as he attempted to flee into the gas with Nathan chasing him down like a bloodhound suffered beheadings, stabs to the chest, double or even triple amputations in the span of seconds, or sheer plain junk crushing their bodies as it was hurled at them with telekinesis. Think that Hallway Scene in Rogue One, but so, so much worse.

Black Sun spoke the language of violence, and they were finding Nathan was also a prodigy at speaking that language. Every move was a strike to kill, every death an example to survivors who wisely ran for their lives. Every victim of his blade a slaver dealer, or other form of scum much more guilty than he in his worst, lowest moments. Every Gangster that fell here was one who couldn't harm an innocent tomorrow.

Three dozen more fell to Nathan's vicious assault, some force pulled into his blade, others shot up by his blaster SMG. But he spotted the Vigo by his clothes alone and had a clear shot.

Nathan let loose a long, deadly, sweeping spray of blaster fire at the Vigo's legs even as he beheaded another gangster who had tried to ambush him with a shotgun without even looking...

Brandyn Sal-Soren

Cerys Dyn

Xeykard

Balun Dashiell

Sal Katarn

V1-L8

Thayze Montserrat

Kingsley

Morrow

Rik Perris

Sera Rosh

Kyric

Damien Dooku

 

[Drystan Creed]

SARKO IV: BOUNTY HUNTING

With Kyric no longer attempting to escape, Drystan straightened his posture and leapt high onto the catwalk. From the looks of it, the Jedi Knight had no further intention of running.

A smile formed. Good.

Now he could expend most of his effort doing what he did best.

He pointed the tip of his blade forward—an unspoken acceptance of the challenge. Any invitation to cross blades would be welcomed by the former Shadow, and this was no exception.

"This dance is mine." he growled low.

His grip on the blade tightened. But he waited—waited for Kyric's full attention. He would not begin until he had it. Once it was given, Drystan closed the gap, opening with a salvo of strikes—each as precise as it was powerful. Though rapid, every blow was delivered with practiced technique, nearly perfect, each one driven by the full force his body could produce.

His stance, his movement, his strikes—they were not, by any conventional measure, advanced. To the untrained eye, his bladework may have even seemed basic. But to dismiss Drystan's simplicity would be a fatal mistake.

In its simplicity, there was no wasted motion. In its simplicity, each stroke struck with direct and unyielding power. In its simplicity—there was mastery.

Not a thousand strikes. No. His was one strike, perfected through ten thousand repetitions.

Students of the martial arts across the galaxy all had their own definitions of mastery. Drystan's was simple: the refinement of movement, the cutting away of the unnecessary, and the sharpening of everything that remained.

IMMEDIATE ALLIES: V1-L8
ENGAGING: Kyric

 

[Balun Dashiell]

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART: OBJECTIVE 4
INVENTORY: Spacer Apparel, Echo Stone & Lightsaber
LOCATION: High Republic Troop Dropship, making landfall
ALLIES: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Cerys Dyn | Kyric | Thayze Montserrat | Talin Treicolt | Scavera
OPPOSITION: V1-L8 | Drystan Creed | Mercy | Damien Dooku | Morrow | Sal Katarn | Koda Fett | Kingsley
DIRECT OPPONENT: Xeykard

​

Somehow, by no small miraculous feat, both he and Cerys Dyn were spared from the brunt of the explosion that had sent a kinetic shockwave throughout the warehouse, sending the surrounding area up in flames and churning the already deadly fumes of gas into thick polluted smoke that stung the eyes, Balun keeping his eyes upon every moment around them.

At the same time, he had protectively nestled his head atop his Togruta Krayt Dragon of a teammate, his arms around her, until the shock of the explosive wore off. Time caught up with them, and Cerys herself realised their predicament, loudly protesting his actions even amid the sounds of incoming blasterfire.

She always sought to appear invulnerable to personal attachments, even so far as kinship among fellow Jedi around her.
Yet, Balun had learned over time through all his refusing to back down and the subtle and not-so-subtle verbal jabs in response to her own rather insulting attempts to push him away: Cerys Dyn over-thought far more often than she would have anyone believe, and cared way too much about appearing a certain way as opposed to simply being herself and trying to enjoy life.

"Get...off me," she shoved Balun backwards, "I didn't ask you to..." She shoved him again, twisting out of his grasp. Her eyes bore holes in him. Even choked by gas and flame, she still had standards.

Balun pulled away, his arms returning to his side as he shot Cerys a rather bewildered look. "You can thank me for it later," he bit back, perhaps speaking with a bit more angst than was necessary. He didn't have the time to worry about her boundaries when their lives were at stake, when people were trying to gun them down and when he was too focused on simply trying to keep Cerys in his sights while finding some way for them both to make it out of the karking ambush alive and without any additional holes blasted into their backs.

He could still remember his first real battlefield experience at sixteen years old, when the Dark Empire had first launched an invasion against Coruscant, only a year after Balun had run away from his life within the Jedi Temple. He had returned to fight there, to defend the family he had never asked for in life, yet only ever known before meeting his father, Judah Dashiell .
From there, it had been as if something had been torn out of him, and Balun had moved from one fight to joining the Tingel Arm Coalition within the same year, playing a part in the invasion of Mon Cala against the Empire of the Lost—the first of numerous battles in a much larger-scale war.
He had lacked the guidance of a mentor, and always believed he had never belonged within the New Jedi Order. He had felt that his skill set elevated him best on the battlefield compared to those who succeeded in mastering the Force or technological advancements.
At such a young age, he had committed to that which life had shown him, gradually burying himself in a series of traumatic events that still to this day seemed to follow him, influence him and dictate his attitude and approach in life and to those closest to him.

"I swear to you. It will not happen again...I will not lose someone else,"

The sincerity in Cerys Dyn's words shook him, causing Balun to glance back as he had been moving to pick himself up off of the hard warehouse floor, leaning against the still warm durasteel pillar while reactivating his lightsaber within his left hand, conscious of the consistent weaponsfire that hadn't ceased in its showering the side of the warehouse they had entered through.
Anarchy reigned supreme, stray blasts of red and green bolts zipped past them, when the shots didn't come startlingly close enough for the pair to feel the force and heat of the impact against their wiltering cover.

He almost spoke the words, 'This is war...' but they crossed his mind and he immediately knew not to duel with her heartstrings lest he wished for an eternal argument were they ever to survive this chit-hole operation.

Time was running out; the Warehouse was steadily turning into a deathly, structural oven, with all of them fighting one another within, the heat already starting to swelter. Sweat ran from Balun's fringe, his hair drenched from the fighting, the energy already spent in trying to keep themselves alive against the onslaught of weapons fire.

Someone needed to get that blasted barrier down so they could retreat and recover on the outside.

"I've got your back!" He encouraged her, answering her search for reassurance at the same time. He knew that voice. Cerys was intent on moving to take on the Sith Lord, and whether or not she had faced one before, Balun hadn't heard, but he knew what to expect. They were about to go from an already chit-storm state of play to throwing themselves voluntarily into the crosshairs of one of the galaxy's most feared and ruthless.

"Cerys, " he called, reaching for her shoulder to stop her momentarily. His voice was firm, serious. There was no sense of over-confidence nor humour, as was often the case when he would try to mask his insecurities, or attempt to brighten her often brooding moods.
This side of Balun, the one she was seeing today, was a side that would take some time adjusting to. Though in truth, he hoped she'd never have to experience it again.

"Don't overthink it", he reminded her.

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[V1-L8]

DIRECTLY ENGAGING: Kyric
COLLATERAL DAMAGE: -
ALLIES: Drystan Creed Razmir Tezhyn ​

​

Stupid droid.

Kark'in toaster?

Seemingly, just watching the chaos unfold, V1-L8 tilted his head to the comments that were made on behalf of his actions. While a section of the warehouse fell apart he smiled, not that he could, but the angle and lighting reflected on his visage made it appear so. A sadistic grin. Watching Talin Treicolt struggle , processing the strange ques of enmeshment that effected one of Black Suns own, and finally the uneventful intervention the occurred by Kyric himself.

Then as if to add insult to injury.

<V1 , continue assisting Creed in taking down Kyric. I'm marking his coordinates on your HUDs.>

The message was spoken on the Black Sun comms. A channel that Damien Dooku would be linked to.

<Do not let him escape, but keep him breathing.> Failure within Black Sun was punished harshly. And Razmir wasn't one for undue mercy.

<"Affirmative."> V1 responded almost immediately to the vigo and sprinted down the catwalk to a magseal container. In a blur of speed, the YVH-2's fist slammed into the locking mechanism, dented in the container and prying it open like a can with his hands. The durasteel tearing as if reduced to a can with a can opener. Inside the container lay a M-300 hunting blaster and a sonic stunner. Both of which the YVH-2 prepared and loaded for preperation of immediate use. His previous blaster rifle, the GLX firelance was set to the side and left behind. THe M-300 hunting blaster was set to stun, was reputible at long ranges and was capable of taking down large creatures. Whereas the sonic stunner was more akin to a nonlethal geonosian sonic blaster and completely silent. The combination of the two, in the droids tactical oversight, would be enough to subdue his target.

Dual-wielding both weapons the droid made large strides closer to the end of his catwalk on the 2nd level and took aim as Drystan Creed began his frontal assault on Kyric. VIOLATES's HUD within seconds had already began plotting potential trajectories and highlighting ferrous metals within the warehouse to utilize. Both weapons leveled on the jedi briefly before the M-300 leveled at the ceiling, tracing invisible geometry and opened fire. Sending two yellow stun bolts toward a highlighted ferrous metal rafter and riocheting the bolts at an angle back down set to target Kyric 's head!

A cunning and theatrical trick shot that served as nothing more than deception when simultaneously the sonic stunner fired no more than 2 seconds later, sending a silent payload at the jedi's back.

 

[Kingsley]

Koda Fett Razmir Tezhyn Balun Dashiell Cerys Dyn Thayze Montserrat Xeykard

He set the avian down, and gave him a push. "Find the Jedi for this one. You will be amply rewarded."

Before Kingsley could ask how amply rewarded the smuggler was launched across the warehouse by a giant lizard too dim to know its own strength but who at least could recognize a superior intellect. Vomit spewed from his beak like a sunlight engine’s ion trail as he passed by Koda Fett.

He landed at the Jedi’s feet — still on fire — in a huge cloud of deathstick smoke.

“Rrrrawk! The togruta’s with me, nerfherder.”

Kingsley pulled the jawa blaster from his ridiculous looking outfit and pointed it at Balun. Even though it was traded from Tatooine junk merchants at point blank range like this the little blunderbuss could cause some real damage.

“Fett, quit messing around with the kid and help me teach this one a lesson for trying to steal my new girl!”

 

[Scavera]

D R O N E S
--- BATTLE: Damien Dooku ---
H I G H _ R E P U B L I C​

The blaster pistol went skittering off into the distance. Scratching up the floor, sending sparks as it vanished into the great unknown of the kill-fog. Scavera was discombobulated. The slurry of bolts still smoked her armor from the rafter gunner.

Her zeal had failed her.

She blinked. Looked down. Saw the barrel of the disruptor pointed at her chest.

She could do nothing.

The pale-yellow bolts hammered into her. Dissolving hunks of her armor as they went. The physical blows sent her stumbling backwards. Hissing overtook the space as the neon-coolant that kept her stabilized began to scream out through every puncture – every wound.

Things were broken inside. She knew that. Betaplast converted heat energy into blunt. She collapsed down onto her knees. Her head reeling, mind going blank. Her breathing had hitched.

Too much, too much too quick.

She was still untested.

“... I’m just a man…” She looked up to Dooku, blaster poised to finish this contest.

“Do it.” She spat.

---
Kyric Brandyn Sal-Soren Balun Dashiell Rik Perris Sera Rosh Sara Celwik V1-L8 Drystan Creed

 

[Xeykard]

Brandyn Sal-Soren | Cerys Dyn | Balun Dashiell
​

Xeykard stopped, ten long paces from Sal-Soren. A few Republic agents remained, finding their footing, but they had other problems; those who dared to look to him knew they could do nothing but watch.

Yet, Sal-Soren's gaze met him evenly, the Jedi stepping to meet him. Xeykard, in turn, stepped closer. "Bravery in the face of death," he said. "You Jedi are weak, but at least there are fewer cowards among you."

Eight became seven, six. Xeykard was taller than the Jedi, but his presence spilled out, the flashes of blaster fire dulled in his growing shadow, even dimming the blades in their hands. Five, then four -- and then two, his broad saber cleaving from the left to test Sal-Soren's guard. And again, and again, strikes cracking like thunder through the warehouse.

 

[Damien Dooku]

Objective IV
theme

​

“... I’m just a man…” She looked up to Dooku, blaster poised to finish this contest.



“Do it.” She spat.​

Were he to listen to the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Damien would do it. He'd hold down the trigger on his gun and release a shot right to their head to put the Twi'lek out of their misery, delivering the penance that the zealous Jedi sought from him in the wake of their defeat. The battle around them seemed to slow to a stand in his periphery, the prolonged sounds of battle no more than a muffled drone in his ears. Damien's hand trembled around the pistol, his teeth gritting alongside the tightening of his trigger finger around the cold metal of his gun.

“Do it.”

His eyes lowered shut briefly, the words repeating in his head, fumbling over thoughts and indecision as time begun to equalize back to normality around him. His grip around his weapon loosened, the droning sound of his weapon powering to fire coming to a halt as he pulled back his grip and spun the blaster into the low-holster at his hip.

"I don't kill Jedi."

A powerful blow from his foot followed shortly after, slamming across their temple with enough force to knock them out cold. It wasn't the death they asked for, but it'd bring them closer to the darkness for a time.

Damien wouldn't linger for too long over the Twi'lek, the Jedi appeared to be on the move despite the chaos surrounding them. Damien pulled back from the fallen Twi'lek, moving around blown-out containers and seeking cover where he could as he maneuvered back towards Black Sun's side. His right ear clicked with an ear-piercing static, and he reached for the commbead only to see that it'd been damaged over the course of his fight with Scavera.

He tossed it to the ground and continued moving backwards, searching for Razimr with the intention of confronting that bastard once and for all. Through the smoke and chaos the Vigo was spotted descending down towards the ground floor, and Damien quickly made for a dash to intercept him before he disappeared into the fog of war once more.

Damien stepped through the smoke, tossing his rebreather to the ground in the process. The force surged through him, shielding his lungs from the gas that otherwise might've hindered his revenge.

"I told you we had unfinished business, Razmir."

The sound of an energy pack whirling back to charge pierced through the air, leveling with the Vigo's silhouette and rising until the barrel was lined up between his eyes.

"I'm here to finish it."

Drystan Creed Kingsley Koda Fett Mercy Morrow Razmir Tezhyn Sal Katarn Thayne Tameron V1-L8 Xeykard Kyric Scavera Talin Treicolt ​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Every now and then, I get a little bit nervous

The imposing hulking form of the Sith was more than Brandyn had ever faced alone. But he found his centre. But his calm remained.

There was no quippy one liner in reply. No smart-ass self-assurance. Only respect for the skill and bulk of his opponent, and a blade's hilt gripped firmly in both hands.

He kept his distance, giving ground with each probe and test. He guiding away the strikes with economical efficiency, buying time and conserving energy. His lungs began to burn as the rebreather hissed with the increased demand for air.

Blaster shots from nearby sounded. He heard them, didn't see them. But he sensed from the few agents remaining from his team.

Two scrap droids with lit welding torches dropped to his left and right as he continued to back towards the corner of the warehouse, away from the exit.

| OUTFIT: xxx |
| DIRECT TAGS: Xeykard Balun Dashiell Cerys Dyn Kingsley Sal Katarn |
| Indirect tags: V1-L8 Razmir Tezhyn Koda Fett Thayze Montserrat V1-L8 kilin' your droids |
| EQUIPMENT: Lightsaber, spike pack |

​

 

[Kyric]

Solemn Blade
"True mastery begins where individual ego ends."
Tempest of Blades

​

Kyric met Drystan's haphazard salute with a nod. The kiffar lifted his lightsaber into an overhead stance, his blue eye locked on the mercenary's face plate.

"This dance is mine." he growled low.

"I ain't gon' cheat ye," Kyric said in turn. He took a slow, steady breath in preparation for the battle to come. With it came an uncomfortable clarity. The increasing heat left him sweating bullets. Loose strands of black hair were stuck to his skin and the lightweight tactical gear he wore was already soaked. What allies Kyric entered with were dead, retreating, or trapped in their own embattled position. Out of reach and out of time.

Creed cleared the gap between them and fell upon Kyric with a series of practiced strikes.

The opening attack—a upward chop—ascended toward Kyric's wrist. He twisted aside and narrowly missed the following slash level with his throat. Soltide rose and caught the sparking blade, then rolled right, forcing the weapon aside. Electricity surged forward and up the Jedi Knight's arms. His muscles seized for an instant, the equivalent of an eternity in a battle between practiced sword masters. Again the alchemized-blade came on in a single thrust for Kyric's chest.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself back into motion. The Jedi Knight stepped forward, slipping past the stabbing blade. It sliced through the armorweave and left a thin line of blood across the kiffar's chest, but he lifted his lightsaber and batted it aside in preparation to counter.

A sensation like an icy knife stopped Kyric mid-step. It pierced his head and upper back in unison—a warning.

Sending two yellow stun bolts toward a highlighted ferrous metal rafter and riocheting the bolts at an angle back down set to target Kyric's head!

A cunning and theatrical trick shot that served as nothing more than deception when simultaneously the sonic stunner fired no more than 2 seconds later, sending a silent payload at the jedi's back.

Kyric instead slashed through the durasteel beneath them. Molten metal split apart, unhinged and swinging opposite directions. Bolts and beams clattered downward alongside the two swordsmen as V1-L8's shots flew uselessly overhead.

Amidst the fall, Kyric struck out with the speed and fury of a tornado. The cerulean saber flashed forward in two measured cuts for Drystan; one aimed high for the bounty hunter's elbow-joint, the other low, for the side of the knee. The second strike came in a split-second before impact with the floor.

An aura of telekinetic energy encircled Kyric mid-swipe to ease the landing. He bent his knees and drew his weapon back on the landing just after the exchange. The Jedi Knight circled out to Drystan's left, the lightsaber once more in guard.

​

Black Sun Syndicate: Razmir Tezhyn | Drystan Creed | V1-L8 | Damien Dooku

 

[Cerys Dyn]

Every now and then I get a little bit restless​

The strange bird creature was back. And shouting threats at Balun. Cerys looked at him, her expression reading somewhere between confusion and disbelief, and then over to the corner of the room where Brandyn fought the giant lizard-man. Even through the chaos, she could see flashes of green and red.

He was taking the Sith on. Of course, he was. Brandyn, who could barely defeat his own student with a saber, was taking on the Sith that killed En-Vala. Of course, he was. The fool.

"Enough of this," she said, feeling the urgency to reach Brandyn rise within her.

She spun to her left, pivoting on her foot and swinging both of her blades in a diagonal, downward arc across the support pillar they had just been hiding behind.

The roof creaked.

"Get to Brandyn. And get out. I'll be right behind you."

The beam screamed, metal on metal, as it slid off itself. The ceiling immediately sagged, catwalks shook, and the building groaned with pressure.

Then...the beam twisted upward, peeling the ceiling back to reveal the night sky beyond the shield. Through the hole in the ceiling the rain fell and began to quell the gas in the middle of the warehouse.

The beam twisted upwards, acting like a catapult aimed directly at Kingsley's chest.

Paying him no heed, Cerys bounded up onto some crates, raised her blades, and prepared to cut through another of the pillars. She paused, just for a moment. Taking a breath before swinging. The building shuddered under its own weight in anticipation.

⊱⋅ Once upon a time there was light in my life ⋅⊰​

A few days earlier...

Her heart was beating out of her chest. Brandyn had suggested making things right with people she felt like she had wronged. But this. This was hard.

She stood outside of the meditation room. She could hear a child in there, Zeriana probably. How a Jedi could meditate when there was so many noises going on around her, Cerys did not know. But that was by the by. That was not the reason she was here.

Cerys, after some time of lingering and being fully aware that Lossa knew she was just outside, stepped into the meditation room. Her back was rigid. Her posture was awkward. "Good...day...ahem...Lossa...Master....Aureus...please...do not get up," she took a breath, "I have come to apologise. For. You know...for how I behaved towards you when we first met, and my avoidance of you ever since. It was...not Jedi-like. And I see that now. We have different views on certain things, but I wish to not let that get in the way of me being a productive member of this order."

She fidgeted with her fingers behind her back, trying to remember the speech she had prepared.

"I wish you...and your daughter...and your family...only the best."

Making to stand before Cerys requested she didn't. Zeriana however darted to her mother's side with the grace of a bumbling pup. The 2 year old hiding amongst the blue robes Lossa had come to prefer now. She listened without interrupting. Her face a serene mask to keep from pressuring the girl as her arm slid around her daughter. Further adding a veil to ease the child's anxiety.

The final few words bringing a soft warmth to her heart.

"Thank you, Cerys. Life is different for each of us, and I do not expect everyone to agree with the path that has been given to me. But I have let go of my feelings about our encounter some time ago. Holding onto anger does not help either of us." Her expression did not waver from soft warmth.

A reminder for her need to offer forgiveness and patience squeezing the arm wrapped protectively about her child.

"From what I have heard, you are coming along nicely in what you have attempted, and–" Giving her a respectful half bow before continuing. "I am looking forward to seeing you find yourself on this path you have chosen to explore. I also look forward to working alongside you in the future. All the best to you as well."

"Thank you. It is...gratifying to have your mercy. I hope to work with you one day as well."

| Direct Tags: Kingsley Balun Dashiell |
Also effected: Kyric Xeykard Talin Treicolt Morrow Drystan Creed Razmir Tezhyn Koda Fett Rik Perris V1-L8 Damien Dooku Scavera Nathan Bloodscrawl Sera Rosh Thayze Montserrat Sal Katarn Mercy Thayne Tameron Sara Celwik

Tl:dr - Roof is getting close to collapsing, catwalks are unstable

| Equipment: Twin lightsabers - Vowsake, and Dyn's Mercy |

| Guest writer: Lossa Aureus |​

 

[Balun Dashiell]

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART: OBJECTIVE 4
INVENTORY: Spacer Apparel, Echo Stone & Lightsaber
LOCATION: High Republic Troop Dropship, making landfall
ALLIES: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Cerys Dyn | Kyric | Thayze Montserrat | Talin Treicolt | Scavera
OPPOSITION: V1-L8 | Drystan Creed | Mercy | Damien Dooku | Morrow | Sal Katarn | Koda Fett | Kingsley
DIRECT OPPONENT: Xeykard

​

Balun had been moving alongside Cerys Dyn , his right hand weaving his amber blade in a blur of flourishing arcs around him as he focused on deflecting the incoming blasterfire raining down around them both. While placing his trust in Cerys leading them forward, he worked to cover their six, remaining quick and light on his feet as he moved in tandem with her—Not thinking, simply flowing as the Force guided his every instinct.

However, he was so focused on anticipating the direction and velocity of the blasterfire that he almost stepped directly into the path of Kingsley without realising it before it was too late.

​

“Rrrrawk! The togruta’s with me, nerfherder.”

Kingsley pulled the jawa blaster from his ridiculous looking outfit and pointed it at Balun. Even though it was traded from Tatooine junk merchants at point blank range like this the little blunderbuss could cause some real damage.

“Fett, quit messing around with the kid and help me teach this one a lesson for trying to steal my new girl!”

"The kark she is, you diseased looking little chit!" Balun snapped back, swearing as he lashed out at the Blunderbuss with his lightsaber in a reactive horizontal sweep, the swing of the weapon going out wide as he turned into it, using his body to put momentum into the single-handed attack.

The nature of which was aimed at cutting the weapon in half, rather than harming the avian creature itself, as ridiculous a thing as Kingsley had claimed.

Balun's left hand extended, fingers outstretched as he followed up with a surge of telekinetic force, harnessing his control and strength in the ethereal energy within and releasing it from his arm in a blast that was intended to send the beak-brained creature flying once again.

He would have been happy to indulge Kingsley in a competition of strength, yet it seemed the Togruta that he was so fond of had other ideas.

"Enough of this," she said, feeling the urgency to reach Brandyn rise within her.

She spun to her left, pivoting on her foot and swinging both of her blades in a diagonal, downward arc across the support pillar they had just been hiding behind.

The roof creaked.

"Get to Brandyn. And get out. I'll be right behind you."

Turning quickly on his heel, he shot a glance back at Cerys in alarm; "Wait, what?!".

She was already on the move, her weapons drawn and having cleaved her blades through the primary support beam that had been responsible for keeping the rooftop above all of their heads from collapsing in. "Kriff!" He swore to himself, wasting no further time to argue and ignoring Kingsley's challenge any longer, Balun instead turned in Brandyn Sal-Soren 's direction and kicked forward, sprinting as quickly as he could in the hope of avoiding the debris from coming down atop of him.

The threat of the Sith Lord Xeykard was no longer the primary concern, though certainly the most dangerous among the enemy. Balun bolted across the floor, jumping over fallen crates and durasteel pillars to reach Brandyn as quickly as possible.

"Master, we gotta move!!" He called ahead, spotting the droids that were beginning to engage Cerys' former mentor and raising his own lightsaber as he ran, his left hand joining his right as he brought the hilt over his right shoulder in preparation for a strong-armed sweep, aimed at decapitating the two on Sal-Soren's left side.

"Speech"
'Thought'​