Faction What Remains [NJO + Friends]

[Corazona von Ascania]

ILUM

The Galactic Empire has dealt a devastating blow to Coruscant, shattering The Galactic Alliance's influence over the core words. Forced to retreat, they scatter into peripheral territory.

Ilum is the designated fall-back world for the Jedi. Those who remained would gather at the temple to rest, heal, and plan their next steps in a galaxy that demands their downfall.

​

The Jedi temple on Ilum was abuzz. Transports of various size and emblem touched down onto the planet's frigid surface, navigating through whipping winds and blinding snow. They carried with them not just Jedi, but civilians and soldiers who'd been in need of evacuation.

"Escort the injured to the healing chambers," Cora instructed. "How much bacta do we have left? Stims?"

The healer, a young Devaronian, ran her fingers nervously through her hair. She twined a silvery lock around the tip of her nail in thought. "Not enough, Master Jedi," she said while eyeing the wounded being ushered through the temple lobby and toward the halls. "We tried to prepare for casualties, but we didn't have enough time to stock up. And we didn't think that there would be...this many…"

Cora placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Triage the most critical cases first, and you," --she waved over a teenage human boy with sandy blonde hair-- "transports are still coming in. Not all of them have updated manifests, but some of them are carrying supplies. Prioritize bacta, dressings, and medicines."

She gave the pair a tight smile. "We'll manage. I'm heading to assist in the healing chamber. Tell the Jedi who arrive to gather there. If they're not among the wounded, they can help heal. If they cannot heal, then they can dress wounds and move supplies."

Cora drew in a slow breath. The glacial cold of the ice planet was nothing compared to the bitter chill of defeat – but they needed to keep moving. The first step was to take stock of who remained, and what resources they had.

[OOC | This thread will serve as an IC headcount and for the NJO and friends!]​

 

[Ariana du Couteau]

Ariana Du Couteau, Jedi Padawan
Location: Illum, Jedi Temple
Attire

Ariana held the crate tightly in her arms. The location the others had marked for placing them was clear. The moment she set it down, it was immediately opened and the contents torn free to be delivered to others bandages, bacta, and assorted medications were quickly distributed, all while Ariana went back to grab another crate and haul it to the same spot.

The rhythmic movements had a calming effect on the young du Couteau’s mind. It was a simple job, and she could see the immediate results. It was easy to keep her smile, even as intrusive thoughts tried to ruin her peaceful working serenity. She grabbed another medical crate and walked over to the other Jedi Healers, placing it down for them to open.

Another crate was lifted by Ariana and placed for the Healers. Once again, she continued to move as carefully as possible, all the while fighting off the growing anxiety that had prevented her from sleeping properly. Am I doing enough? The question that caused her no end of worry, the anxious thought of someone who could never seem to find the right path.

Is this what a puzzle piece with no puzzle to fit into feels like? Ariana attempted to joke with herself as she grabbed another crate and moved the needed supplies closer for the Healers to administer.

Maybe I’ll just pop into the training room to vent later, Ariana mused as she grabbed another crate but felt it slip. Her eyes widened, but thankfully, her cybernetic prosthetics didn’t suffer from muscle fatigue like her left arm. The crate remained in her grasp, if a bit off balance, as she quickly moved to drop it off.

Okay, maybe I might need a rest soon.
​

|| Corazona von Ascania ||​

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Ilum
Tags: Corazona von Ascania , Ariana du Couteau

Lightsaber
​

"We'll manage. I'm heading to assist in the healing chamber. Tell the Jedi who arrive to gather there. If they're not among the wounded, they can help heal. If they cannot heal, then they can dress wounds and move supplies."

"Mind if I join you?"

Jasper entered the temple with a weary smile. He had just come from Tython carrying people on his personal freighter to bring them here. Everyone was coming here. They didn't really have anywhere else to go, not immediately anyways. The loss of the Core was one blow already. Now there were questions of what leadership they even had left. He had made sure he caught up with his family and his son. Now Jasper knew it was time for him to resume his service.

"Seven more injured coming in, one in critical condition," he informed a healer. "They're on a medical bed aboard my ship."

The Jedi he addressed nodded and scampered off, bringing a small team of healers with them. As they did, Jasper let out a weary sigh, rubbing at his temple.

"It's just one thing after another," the Master muttered. "I figure it won't be long before the council... what's left of the council... has to start answering questions."

A pause.

"Just... let me know if you need anything from me."

Cora was sure to know that if anyone was going to be good on their word, it was him.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Alexandra had been informed of the reorganization and collection of the Jedi at Ilum, and while she did not have her ship ready to ensure she was at the best shape she could be she knew she had to be there. Even as the ship settled down and she stood up, the droid piloting the ship remaining while she walked out with her left arm staying within her robes, the corrupted limb physically fine yet still immobile just as it had been in the hours and days after the battle on Coruscant. She would have loved to have Adara Raxis at her side, would have loved to have her daughter there to help care for her... but not this time.

The temple was not a place where she had say, nor one she could protect her daughter if someone became irrate at the presence of someone with such a dark feeling to them. There was surely to be hate, anger, and suffering from the wounds enough and lost friends, to bring someone who feels so dark, and is a family member to the Zambranos.

It was a idea that would only bring more suffering and pain.

Alexandra instead would have to simply accept the pain and weakness that filled her for now. The fact of her distance from the Tree she relied on, and the corruption already making that bond feel so dull was heavy on her shoulders as she walked down the ramp of the ship. She would look around, seeing so many in far more dire straights though. While her pain would last and it would impede her, she was not at threat of death today unlike the others.

The icy cold of Ilum brought her pause as she stepped off the ship though, shaking for a moment before the small Ashlan Wolf next to her pressed against her. The white as snow creature almost already lost simply to her eyes given how much he matched the snow beneath their feet. It made her want to laugh before she looked forward and steeled herself as there was much to do.

She heard the words of Corazona not far away, recognizing her and knowing where to go thanks to those few words. She would move and pass like a ghost though, making not a sound and only stopping to assist by taking the suffering of those around her onto herself. Their pain vanishing as she reached out with her hand and seized upon the threads of the force, letting their pain flow to her while she moved closer and closer to the Healing Rooms of the temple.

She noticed Ariana du Couteau , looking at her closely for a moment before smiling. Without much more warning than that, she would seem to appear at Ariana's side, walking with her and looking over the others, saying nothing at first and only seeming to just heading in the same direction. The longer Ariana walked beside her though, she would feel that strain and tiredness leaving her body, as if being siphoned away and leaving her with just a bit more strength, all while Alexandra's footsteps seemed to become just a tiny bit more sluggish.

It was only when both reached the room that Alexandra would give Ariana a smile, separating from her and finding a place to sit. She would settle down, in a place where she could hear and see those who would enter and speak. She reached out in the meantime, waiting for the arrival of all those that showed up, and in the meantime she would continue to draw on the suffering, pain and hate of those around her, stealing it away and forcing it onto herself so that they may rest easier.

 

[Kelan Dhal]

ILLUM || HEALING CHAMBERS
TAGS || OPEN

"I've done what I can with this one. He will need to stay off his feet for a few days."
​

This was different. All these people, all this suffering, all this chaos. Kelan had not seen a mass exodus quite like this before, and it showed as his hair came loose and strands draped over his face as he jumped from one casualty to the next. He had just finished up with a human male, a father who had arrived with his adult children, who jumped between thanking Kelan and tending to the man lying on the ground. For his part, Kelan did his best to accept the praise without wincing or refuting that he had done anything of note.

He had not been on Coruscant.

He had not been there to save lives. ​

Now he had to stand amongst true Jedi and pretend he was one of them, pretend he was something more than a padawan hiding behind his age as a cover for lack of any official recognition by the New Jedi Order. For over a decade, he had wandered the Outer Rim in a self-imposed exile, hopping from planet to planet, helping where he could. He had avoided the Core worlds for the sake of his duty, for he knew that if the Order learned of him, they would see fit to strip him of the weapon hanging from his belt and recognize the imposter he was.

But this was different. Coruscant burned, and an ancient foe had returned with vengeance to forge their terrible Empire anew atop the bones of countless innocent lives. Even far from the light of the Core Worlds, Kelan had felt the call of the force, the call to stand tall in the face of tyranny for the sake of those who could not.

Even if he was not a true Jedi, he could help.

He had to help.​

Kelan moved to the next being in his hastily assembled row, this time a young Ithorian who appeared to be without a guardian of any kind. Part of his face was burned, and he had significant internal damage. Thankfully, what anesthetic was on hand had been provided to the boy, making this process marginally easier. After a deep breath to steady himself, Kelan once again set to work, laying a gentle hand on the burned flesh and attempting to do what he could. His healing skills were limited, and this boy was on the brink between life and death.

He'd been at this for hours. He was running out of steam.

But he would not stop. He would allow himself to rest.​

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Open​

The Dawn of Hope hadn't taken part of the invasion, as Jonyna had ordered. Her relationship with the GADF had become strained in recent months, as it seemed clear her proposals for the defense of Coruscant had gone ignored.

Once upon a time, the Supreme Commander would've been itching to keep the Alliance armed, but it had become...problematic.

But now Coruscant was gone. Taken by the Empire, for the second time in Jonyna's long life. There was a hollow part of her soul she felt towards what had happened. The spark in her eyes was gone, replaced with something else.

A flame.

A flame that none of the NJO had seen before, but Kraden Besco would've been intimately familiar with.

Above Ilum, the Dawnbreaker, the original, sat, with three Superfreighters alongside it with hulls of supplies. Jonyna had not come down in her usual transport, but rather, aboard a ship she had smuggled out of Tython herself.

Red Five, or at least, so it would seem. She never bothered looking up if it was the real thing, because to her, it didn't matter.

It was a symbol to her. A symbol marked with an icon of old. The ship still beared the red starbird of the Rebellion, and Jonyna wanted that on display as she landed.

"Dice, ready the transports down. We're getting a relief camp up, stat." Jonyna said as she jumped out, looking around. Take charge, that's what she had learned from Valery Noble .

A woman who wasn't here. Not anymore.

Now she was left to pick up the pieces.

 

[Ezorea Zethussaln]

The snow bit harder than she remembered.

Ezorea stepped carefully across the frozen ground, the hum of distant equipment and quiet murmurs of the relief effort muffled beneath the mournful wind. Her breath crystallized in the air as she exhaled slowly, violet eyes scanning the shattered remnants of what once stood. A few survivors moved like ghosts among the wreckage, their faces hollowed by grief, their spirits dimmed but not extinguished.

She knelt beside one of the smaller shelterstemporary, hastily erected. Inside, a child whimpered. A medic passed her a scanpad without speaking.

"No burns. Shock and exposure. He’s been asking for his sister."

Ezorea nodded once, gently brushing a strand of white hair behind her ear. "I’ll stay with him," she said, voice soft but certain. "Go check the northern line."

The medic didn’t argue. No one did, not since word had spread that the Arkanian noblewoman had returned without pretense or retinue just cloaked in furs and resolve, her hands already red from the cold and the work.

Ezorea wrapped the child in a thermal wrap and sang softly, an old lullaby from her mother’s world, foreign even to Arkanian ears, but steady and warm. It wasn’t the song that calmed him. It was the presence. The quiet certainty.

When she stepped out again, she found herself near a collapsed ridge where Jedi were attempting to uncover bodies—if any still remained.

"Careful," she called out. "The ice shelf bends. There’s a fissure beneath; I can see where it widens westward." She moved to assist, calling on her knowledge of subterranean readings, her voice calm, her direction clear. “If we reroute the dig slightly, we might reach them safer from the south approach.”

Everywhere around her was loss—but in motion, in doing, she found meaning again.

And in the back of her mind, echoing beneath every footfall, she repeated a quiet vow:

“No more silence. No more delay. If the Force grants me breath, I will use it.”

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Triage. Registration. Treatment.

Eloise moved among the wounded, going through the familiar motions. Her deft fingers probed wounds and assessed injuries; flesh knit itself back together under her practiced hands.

She had been apprenticed to former Chief Healer Amani Serys for going on two years now, following her master's lead through the Halls of Healing at the Temple to makeshift hospitals on the edge of battlefields. That was her side of the war now, away from the fighting. It went without saying that she hadn't been on Coruscant when the Sith took it. Her body was lined with scars from past battles, but she hadn't touched her lightsaber since... Well, a long time. There had been a time when Eloise would've snarled at the thought, craving bloodshed, but not anymore. Her well-trained muscles were put to use lifting broken bodies from stretchers to beds and cots, or to pushing carts full of medicine and tools, or to holding down the agonized and hysterical until they could be sedated.

She stood over a wailing little boy like a giant in front of an ant, mechanically going through the checklist. Triage. Registration. Treatment. His first name was Cato, and that was all she managed to get out of him between sobs. The kid had a split lip and a broken arm, nothing too serious. Her face was impassive as she cleaned his cut, wiping away snot and tears only where it risked contaminating the wound, all while he wailed inconsolably. He probably thought she didn't care. Maybe she didn't. She didn't know anymore.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kelan Dhal hard at work, determined to save as many patients as possible. Corazona von Ascania had taken the lead among the healers present, radiating confidence like a beacon. She had once been like them, in her own way; whatever she lacked in bedside manner she made up for in her ferocious dedication to keeping people alive. But if they kept going without a rest, eventually they would be as dead-eyed as she was. There were simply too many suffering, too many dying despite their best efforts. Empathy fatigue came for even the most caring physicians.

Or just plain fatigue, as Ariana du Couteau was beginning to realize.

Triage. Registration. Treatment.

Eloise might as well have been a medical droid, if not for the Force.

Alexandra Feanor Ezorea Zethussaln Jonyna Si Jasper Kai'el + Open​

 

[Kaleleon]

This was not how I wanted to spend my time. Directly after the assault on the core worlds by the Galactic Empire, I knew I had to do what I could. Reports streaming in with those who were fleeing from the core to Ilum. The Temple there was a sanctuary for those who had survived. That was it. They survived. So many thoughts in my head. Knowing that with such a massive assault against all of the major core worlds in one go, I knew... I felt all of the deaths that took place. A rip in the force. It did not take me long to reach Ilum. Nor did it take me long to work.

Currently, I was holding down the shoulders of a young man. His burned Jedi Robes from blaster bolts and dust of explosive reside coated him. The Doctor was operating directly on him with very little in way of pain relief. A tear down the length of his leg. Femur bone visible with the muscle completely torn. Like dyed strings that frayed after being dipped in hot wax. To hear his grunts and groans of pain as the doc cleaned the wound the best he could. Trying to do something, anything to save his leg. Holding his shoulders down, laying on his chest to block the view to his leg. Letting him focus on me.

"Hey, Look at me. Just me. No one else is here. Just me alright?"

He would not focus. I brought my hand to cup his cheek to look at me. His green eyes filled with tears trying to hold them as some sort of fight against showing weakness.

"Hey, focus. Here. I have you right now. You are safe. I need you to take deep breaths with me okay?"

As I did so, I slowly let out my breath. Feeling the force flowing from me and into him. Instilling him the will power itself to keep him awake, active, breathing and feeling as if he could fight a hundred Sith at once. I held his face, feeling the tear slide down into my hand. Taking a line of soot away from his skin.

"Hey, its okay. He is working on it. Just keep focus on me. Just pay attention to me okay? Can you repeat that?"

The head nod with a shaky answer of yes was all I could get out of him. Shock was starting to set in. Placing my hand on his forehead, and pushing him down, I shushed him softly and just kept talking to him. Walking him through the process the entire time. Telling him how the doc was cleaning the wound, tending to it. Scarring the tissue to not bleed so bad, Suturing it up so it could heal faster and that eventually when a tank was open, he would be one of the first ones in line to get a bacta tank. Where he could rest.

It took a while. The kid had fight in him. I could see it. His heart raced like he was still fighting the Empire. He was. And I felt for him. Knowing that this would be the cause of so much pain later for him. I knew this feeling all too well. After he had finally fell asleep, and the operation was done, I walked out and just sat down on a crate. Wiping my brow with my sleeve. Elbows resting on my knees, and my head in my hands. Closing my eyes and releasing a shaky breath.

The entire time I saw him. Watched him, I saw the pain in his eyes. The same pain I saw in mine for years. I... it scared me. To know that I was unable to prevent that. To not let someone fall into the same trappings as I had. I felt a pain in my chest. Not medical, but emotional. I had not been near the core worlds. I was half way across the galaxy tending to my job as a Wayseeker when this all went down. I was so far away, I couldn't help those who needed it most. it pained me greatly.

Even with my eyes closed, I could see the faces of the Chiss girl who had been on that ship. The man who had helped me from the Escape pod after leaving the destruction of Csilla. All I could see, was that same face on this kid. His entire life was changed now. Never able to return to the way it was. Even remotely. My chest heaved. Sputtering escaped my lips, barely containing what was held inside. A hand came to rest on my shoulder. I stayed where I was. Just a grip that tightened. Feeling pressure release as the doctor knelt down in front of me.

"Don't tell me. I already know."
"I'm sorry."

That was all I got.

Two words that carried so much weight, yet were nothing to me. My chest heaved again. Sputtering from my lips. Feeling them quiver. I couldn't. not now when people needed me the most.

I lifted my head. Looking at the doctor and just nodded my head. Seeing him through blurred vision and a heat in my eyes. For a kid I had only met mere seconds before the operation. Yet those last moments. Made me lose my faith. He was just a kid. A child who had not yet seen his first graduation. A child who had not seen the greatest things that the galaxy can offer. A child that could now no longer grow to be a great man. He lost that chance. Gone. Slowly, and in pain.

The doctor patted my shoulder, then stood up to leave. Understanding what was going on. Leaving me to my seat on the cargo container. Just there. Fighting every fiber of my being. Trying to hold onto something. Anything that all of this pain, anguish and despair was worth something. All of this death. Jedi missing or gone. Was it worth it?

A child sacrificed everything. Stood up to do what he thought was right, and paid the ultimate price. A price that costs not just him, but everyone who ever knew him, a tax. He did everything he could. Here I am, breaking down. Fracturing underneath all of this weight. All of this destruction. And I...

I couldn't stop it. ​

 

[Kaito Starfall]

Tags: Open

Kaito had arrived with Jasper Kai'el , harboring a small futile sentiment of fragile hope, that perhaps, just perhaps, he might find his son among the Jedi gathered here on Ilum. The sacred temple, cloaked in layers of snow and solemnity, was a place of sorrow. Grief hung heavy in the air, soaking into the very soul. Kaito paced through the icy halls with an unobtrusive presence. Wherever he could assist, he did so wordlessly carrying supplies, steadying someone's footing, or even just murmuring a low word of direction when needed. It was as if his thoughts were else where as he ruminated on the recent events.

At his side, a satchel of worn leather swung softly with each step, filled with small glass vials and bundles of herbs wrapped in waxed cloth and twine. The scent of dried juniper, frostbark, and healing moss followed him faintly. He knelt beside a youngling with a bruised shoulder and chapped lips, the child shivering from Ilum's unrelenting chill. Kaito's gloved hands worked quickly, crushing a warming salve between his fingers before pressing it gently to the skin. He removed his cloak and draped it about the small fragile form before him. He said nothing, only offered a curt nod when the child whispered a thank-you.

Maybe if things had been different... maybe he would be treating his own child like this now. That thought caught like a thorn in his chest. The what-ifs twisted around his heart like creeping guilt. Would his son even recognize him? Would he even want to?

Still, Kaito 's exspression remained placid betraying none of the tumultuous emotions that swirled within. His seemed almost glacial. His pale eyes held an intense, thousand-yard stare that seemed to see through the snow, through the walls, and through the very souls around him, and even into some unreachable past. Everything around him felt distant, dreamlike and surreal as if he were floating through a memory that hadn't decided yet if it was a nightmare or a wish.

Regardless of the ache that gnawed at him, he worked diligently and efficiently, only speaking when necessary, and only in short, simple replies or clipped instructions.

He was not here for himself. Not yet at least... Not until he knew for certain.

 

[Makko Vyres]

MAKKO

Several hours ago

Breathing hard and fast, Makko slipped his personal device from a pocket and thumbed the switch. He had a personal device that couldn't be attributed to the Alliance. He had his hair dyed blonde. He had a valid ID.

None of that had been enough. Makko was somewhere he shouldn't be, on a former alliance world trying to get close enough to an imperial forward facility as it was being set up to plant some bugs.

Either they had already processed Alliance information captured during the overrun or they had been gathering data on the Jedi Order and the Shadows for some time.

He didn't have Jedi comms in case he was captured. Something that was still a possibility. Instead he hid messages on the holonet. The Jedi were reassembling, the device told him. Makko pushed another button on the device to purge its data and tossed it out a window. That message meant they were heading to Ilum, he knew.

He looked down at his other hand, slowly peeling it away from his side so he could see the damage. Blood trickled between his fingers, but the blaster had mostly burned the wound closed.

"Kark."

They would find the safe house soon. He had to be quick. He didn't know if the Shadows would reconvene on Ilum, but there was no way to know without potentially giving his position away by sending an encrypted message.

Changing his shirt to cover the wound was absolute agony. Cleaning every surface in the safe house to make sure he'd left no forensics was a slower, more arduous task but he was loaded with stims and bacta. With a blaster under his jacket, Makko left it behind and headed for the spaceport. He kept most of his face covered and was watching his back the entire time.

---

Present
The shuttle reverted to realspace at the edge of the sector. A whole range of challenge messages came across the comms.

He only had a verbal pass phrase that would work with a handful of Jedi Shadows. His patience was thin and even with some drugs he was in pain.

"This is Jedi Knight Makko Vyres, confirm... Ah kark... Confirm my ID with Corazona."

He had a more secure channel to work on. Stretching out through their bons in the Force he touched Corazona von Ascania

I'm on an unmarked ship the Blue Lotus. Need permission to land.

 

[Dynamis "Dynas" Ultra]

I L U M​

---

There is only the void…

But within the void was a pool. Glassy—its colorless waters undisturbed in tranquil stillness. Meditation. A long one, suited to beings who measured their age in centuries. In this meditation, in this long-lived mind, there was nothing but balance.

There was only harmony. Only peace—

What… what is this?

First, a single pebble dropped into the silent pool, producing a lone ripple. Then another. More began to fall, raining from the sunless skies of the void. The waters twisted and crashed against one another, lapping chaotically at the edges.

These emotions… are strong. From people? So many. More than I could imagine—and they're all feeling...

The ripples became waves. Torrential shifts, like a storm overtaking the once-still pool, now a roaring vessel of turmoil.

What is it they are feeling? I sense… despair. Doubt. Defeat.

He could feel them all—the spirits of those within the temple—coalescing into a sea of emotion. Melding, crashing, shifting. Each carried by the tide of something deeply wrong.

Deep within the sacred chambers of Ilum, a singular floating crystal—no larger than a gemstone—awoke. Its blue luster bathed in inner light, glowing in the dark, ancient room it called home.

Then, a voice came from the crystal, a telepathic wave coursing through the temple—reaching out to the minds of all within its walls and beyond.

It was a strong yet gentle voice, deep yet soothing, firm yet warm. Its intent was not to pry, but to offer—a polite request, spoken into thought.

"You are not alone. None of you are. I have felt the disturbance—within the Force and these ancient halls. I am reaching out to offer my aid. Please meet me in my meditation chamber. In the lower levels, follow my presence."

@OPEN

A TELEPATHIC VOICE HAILING FROM THE TEMPLE DEPTHS CALLS OUT TO THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO LISTEN
​

 

[Jand Talo]

A Jedi Interceptor burst out of hyperspeed over Ilum.

The hull was dented, paint worn back to metallic, with impacts and dark smears. It looked like a starfighter from a battlefield, one that desperately needed maintenance or repair... yet, the damage appeared old, the systems worked, and the small fighter glided toward the icy planet without pause.

The R2 unit housed beside the reflective cockpit accessed comm frequencies and sent codes.

Older codes, Jedi codes, but ones that were verified.

Down through the atmosphere, the Jedi Interceptor blazed a heated trail to the Jedi Temple from air friction, before it fell into a circling landing pattern and began to descend through the snow swept winds and low temperatures. Finding a space between transports and vessels wasn't too difficult, given the sheer space of snowy tundra and flat land.

The worn fighter touched down.

The cockpit opened. The wind and snow and ice were immediately apparent.

"Keep systems on standby."

The R2 unit whistled an affirmative.

Dressed in ragged Jedi Robes, the cloak and vestments in various stages of tattered ruin from extended use and wear, the lithe individual jumped down into the snow and began stomping through the wind. The long brown cloak whipped around, while the hood was held down low to protect the face, but the progress of the Jedi was quick and sure, and before long the returning warrior stepped into the temple proper.

A Devaronian spoke up, motioning down a hallway.

"Ah, Master Jedi, you have arrived," she said, nervous. "Your presence is requested in the Healing Chambers, by Master Jedi Corazona."

"Understood," the Jedi said simply, as he walked, tattered robes in his wake. "My Jedi Interceptor needs refueling. Later, though."

Down several halls and passages, the Jedi eventually found what - or rather who - he sought.

"Corazona von Ascania..."

The hood was pulled back and Jand's chalk-white and scared face was revealed. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, probably hadn't, and his Jedi uniform was all-but-in-need-of-replacement. Still, he looked focused and determined, as he pushed some of the long black hair from his eyes.

"...I heard that Coruscant has fallen. I return from the edges of Sith occupied-space as quickly as possible."

Jand turned to another familiar face, as he nodded to the other.

"Hello, Jasper."

There were others present, in varying states of injury or not, though at present Jand's focus was on helping for the immediate.

"What do you require at present? I am content to assist here, until we launch a counterattack."

Corazona von Ascania | Jasper Kai'el | Open​

 

[BB-DD]

Tags: Open

Dee Dee was rolling around the newly inhabited base with all the speed and grace you would expect of a droid. She was showing people where to put supplies, and helping to patch up some of the frayed wiring in a few terminals. The bitter cold was the last thing the old wiring needed, but the droid felt confident a good patch job would keep the heat on for the flesh beings.

"Beep Beep"

She squealed at someone in her way and zipped past them quickly. This little droid had places to be!

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Ilum
Tags: Corazona von Ascania | Jasper Kai'el | Jand Talo | BB-DD
Equipment: Lightsaber | Jedi Jumpsuit | Utility Belt
​

​

Kaelos hadn't been on Courscant.

He'd heard the stories since arriving on Ilum however. The Galacic Empire had arrived and the core had fallen dispite the best attempts of the Galactic Alliance. That was the beginning of the end. Valery Noble had left the New Jedi Order soon after, much of the Jedi Council following suit.

They were alone. They were shattered.

His mind aimlessly lingered on Vera Noble as he walked. He wasn't sure where they stood anymore, if she'd followed her parents or remained loyal to the New Jedi Order. He wasn't sure if he'd ever even see her again, or if they were done.

Everything was an unknown.

He heard a small droid beep as it wizzed past him and for the first time since he arrived on Ilum he offered a small smile. Droids were simple, they'd be buzzing around with no real idea of anything going on around them. Life was simple as a droid.

He walked into the main medical centre and fell in besides Corazona von Ascania . They hadn't really interacted before, but he recognised the blonde hair of the Jedi Knight and Jedi Council Member. One of the few Jedi Council Members left.

All he could do was help.

The young Kiffar cast his eyes up to the council member and nodded. "Master" he acknowledged softly. "I don't know if I need to ask where I'm needed, or what we do next, or both" he acknowledged, his voice loud to reach Cora's ears over the hubub of the room.

"I hope whatever's left of the council has an idea"

 

[Vera Noble]

Ilum

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn Corazona von Ascania

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"Well, there you are."

Mom may have followed the Force elsewhere, but that didn't mean the Nobles were giving up on the Alliance. Mom and Dad were going to lead a new front to help them, and Vera knew her place was somewhere in between. She wanted to help her parents, but she had too many friends within the Alliance to commit only to her mother's cause.

Besides, how could she say goodbye to Kaelos Vryn ?

"I'm sorry I was quiet," she continued, her tone a little sad, "I was on Coruscant, trapped in the Temple with this..." she frowned and tugged at the sleeves of her robes, "With this awful Dark Jedi. If it wasn't for Master Vaegon Dolmyrian , I don't think I'd be here anymore."

Vera paused and offered him a weak smile, before briefly looking at Cora as well.

"How are you holding up?"

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[Shan]

Tags: Open

Shan moved amongst the healing chambers, a frown evident on his face. The Jedi Knight Shan was no longer here. The Knight who did his best to keep the emotions of his patients high and hopeful had gone. In his place was the pragmatic Doctor Shan had became as he went over the triage. From what he could see however, it wasn't good. People were getting tired. Energy was being...not exactly wasted, but spent on people who required far more energy than normal. In a mass casualty event like this, Shan would have suggested the best choice of action was to focus on who they could save, in the least amount of time...yet he doubt any of the Jedi would approve of that course of action. He wouldn't have. But he couldn't let himself be restricted to that thought process anymore. The time they wasted on one person was time that could save someone else.

His head moved up at the sound of a voice echoing through his mind. A presence offering help. And almost immediately he dismissed it from his mind. That was something Corazona, or Jasper could focus on. The Jedi. Not him. There was that small part of him, in the back of his mind that wanted to help more. To push himself to treat those who were far gone...but he couldn't. The healers were already doing that. Instead Shan waited and watched. Keeping an eye on the causalities and the healers. He'd have to pull them off their patients if they were pushing themselves too hard.

It was strange in Shan's mind how the roles had reversed for him. In the past, he'd have happily pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion to save people. Yet here he was now, trying to prevent that. Saving people was important at the end of the day, but more importantly was being able to save yourself.​

 

[Everest Vale]

Tag: Corazona von Ascania

The transmission room was quiet but for the low hum of the power conduits and the faint crackle of static bleeding from the comm panel. The walls were durasteel, unadorned and cold in a way that reminded Eve far too much of Coruscant. She stood alone in front of the console, one hand hovering uncertainly over the transmit key.

The empty space around her seemed to press in, and she could almost imagine the city’s screams echoing in its silence. Her breath shuddered. She pressed her hand flat against the edge of the console, grounding herself.

"Just... Just do it," she whispered under her breath, though the words felt more like a plea than a command.

The screen flickered to life, and she swallowed the lump in her throat, pulling her hood lower to shadow her face, before forcing herself to speak.

"Cora… I—I don’t even know if this will reach you. The comms are patchy out here, and… maybe that’s for the best. I beg that you and the others are safe.

Her voice trembled, but she didn’t stop.

"Tigris and I—we're... okay. Coruscant, it... Th-they... Cora, I can't believe it... We— We won't be back for a while. Things have... changed... I can’t talk about it here. I shouldn’t. Just… please, trust me when I say we’re both alright. Not... whole, but… alright."

She glanced at the console’s encrypted signal indicator. Still unstable. A bitter laugh nearly escaped her, but it came out more like a breath that hurt.

"If you can… could you tell Azzie, and Kat, and Reina, and the others too? I don’t want them to worry. I can't... can't bear to think of them worrying."

For a moment, she stared down at the floor, blinking hard. The words caught in her throat, but she forced them out anyway, delicate and shaking.

"E-every time I close my eye, I... I see it. I can’t—"

Her voice broke. She slapped her hand over her mouth, biting down against the sound, shoulders trembling as her eye squeezed shut, trying in vain to stop crying. The silence stretched for a long, awful second before she lowered her hand, her eye red, her voice raw but as steady as she could manage.

"Just… hold things together until I can come back, Cora. Please... We're fighting too. And if you can… tell them I love them. All of you..."

Her finger hung over the transmit key for the longest moment, before she finally cut the signal yet.

The console light died, leaving her in shadow. She pressed both hands against her face and breathed in sharply through her fingers, willing the tears to stop.

It didn’t matter. There was no one here to see.

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: Ilum, heading towards Jedi Temple
Tags: Corazona von Ascania | Torin Emberlain
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Katherine hadn’t seemingly stopped since the Invasion of Coruscant. Circumstances had forced her to evacuate alongside Luther Lewis and his staff. The transport had taken her to Osadia where she had since been focused on helping wherever she could.

Right up until she got word that the New Jedi Order was forming up on Ilum after the loss of Tython. The redhead had been conflicted, wanting to remain to help but to also travel to Ilum in order to fulfil her obligations as a member of the Order. As Katherine knew too well, it would likely be the place where they’d be planning their next course of action.

It was Torin who had eventually convinced her to go. The man had raced all the way from his home to find her. Only once things had settled under the care of Doctor Lewis and Senator Stalwart, did Katherine feel content with leaving the planet.

They flew to Ilum on a ship that was available, carrying what supplies that could be spared. As the ship began its descent towards the icy planet, towards where the Jedi Temple stood, Katherine connected to their secure comms.

“This is Knight Katherine Holt hailing whomever is at the Jedi Temple. Requesting permission to land. We’ve just come from Osadia, with what medical supplies they could spare. It’s not a whole lot, but they hope it’ll be enough to at least help some of your wounded.”

While she waited for a response, Katherine looked over to where Torin was seated beside her. A warm smile on her face, with a dash of amusement in her eyes. “I think all the rushing to find me is finally catching up with you.” She reached over to take his hand into hers. “You look ready to pass out at any moment.”

 

[Torin Emberlain]

Equipment: Greatsaber, Soul-Ring, Pendant
Tag: Katherine Holt Corazona von Ascania

Torin’s gaze lingered on the viewport as the stars gave way to the pale blue of Ilum. The hum of the ship was steady, softened only by the occasional shift of cargo in the hold behind them. Supplies — medicines, blankets, rations — everything they had been able to take from Osadia without causing a burden. He had carried more than a few crates himself, as naturally as breathing.

He’d never been part of the New Jedi Order, not formally. For years, he had wandered the edges of their space, tending to the quiet places most forgot. But as he sat there beside Katherine, the planet below drawing closer with every passing moment, the truth had settled in him like stone. After Coruscant… after her… it was only right he finally did his part.

The cockpit was quiet. No storm. No fighting. Only a soft stillness between them both. It was true, he was exhausted. He hasn't slept in days. But he wouldn't stop until he knew she was safe, and the relief in his heart had sobered him so vigorously to something he never expected to strike him so fiercely.

Torin shifted in his seat, turning fully toward her. For a long breath, he simply looked at her, at the strength in her tired eyes, the warmth behind it despite everything. It always left him such awe.

Then, without a word, he reached out, his fingers brushing lightly along her jaw. He leaned in and kissed her — slow, unhurried and impossibly gentle. When he drew back, he didn’t move far, his soft grey eyes locked with hers.

"I’ll never not be by your side again, Katherine," he murmured, voice low and steady, carrying the quiet weight of a promise to end all promises. Then, almost sheepishly, a small smile ghosted across his face. "If… you’ll let me."

He knew she didn't need protecting. He knew she could take care of herself and was a force of nature in her own right. But from this day forward, if she would have him, she'd never need to face the galaxy alone again.