Private When The Sky Fell

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Seer Stone, Wayfinder's Flare, Engagement Ring
Tag: Tigris Aphra

Eve ran. The world around her — the world she had first learned the ways of the Jedi, where she had started her journey, found family, found love — was now nothing but fire and ruin.

Coruscant... was burning.

The sky, once alive with ships and light, was now a suffocating shroud of black and red. Blasterfire tore through the air. Screams cut through the roar of collapsing duracrete. Every step was agony, every breath filled with smoke, but none of it mattered, because she could feel her. Through the bond, a steady, unwavering hum kept her from falling apart entirely.

"Tigris," Eve whispered hoarsely, the word breaking on her lips as tears blurred her vision. She didn't care who heard. She didn't care if she looked weak. She just had to get to her.

She vaulted over a shattered barricade, boots slamming onto scorched pavement. A squad of retreating Alliance soldiers yelled for her to fall back, but she didn't even look at them. The Force pushed her forward, guiding her past fire and debris, past the shadows of Imperial walkers and the thunder of orbital bombardment.

And then she saw her.

Tigris stood through the haze, bloodied but unbroken, a lone, immovable shape amid the storm. Relief tore through Eve so violently it nearly dropped her to her knees.

With tears already spilling from her, teeth gritted, Eve sprinted the last few steps and threw herself into her arms, clinging to her like she was the only solid thing left in the galaxy. Smoke, ash, and the sharp metallic tang of battle clung to them both, but none of it mattered, not when Eve felt the warmth of her embrace, the grounding weight of her presence.

"It's... It's over, the Alliance is retreating. We—we need to go," Eve sobbed against her shoulder, voice cracking with desperation. "We have to get to the ship, get Isari... W-w-we have to get out of here!"

Her fingers curled desperately into the fabric of her jacket, trembling as the ground shuddered from another distant impact. Around them, the world was falling apart—flashes of blasterfire, the thunder of collapsing towers, the choking heat of smoke and flame closing in. Eve clung to her as though letting go would mean losing her forever.

 

[Tigris Aphra]

​

Equipment: Kurohana Bodysuit, Lightsaber, Bracelet, Echo Stone, vibroknife, Mackie Class Droid, NJO Utility belt

Tag:

The padawans had made it to the underground tunnels with the younglings. Tigris bid them farewell at that point, confident that the hidden passageways would lead them away from the fighting. But Tigris could not go with them.

She knew Eve was still there.

With a desperate grasp for their bond and frantic questioning of fleeing Alliance personnel Tigris moved in a general direction. The path between her and Eve was strewn with rubble, fleeing GADF and Jedi, and invading imperial stormtroopers. Once again, Tigris ceased to be a Jedi padawan, and was again the ghost that crept through shadows. This time not to kill, but to evade the enemy to join her beloved.

Stealth, old Force tricks, the silent slitting of a straggling troopers throat, Tigris employed everything at her disposal to make her way through the insanity of the invasion as the Temple crumbled and cruel intruders swarmed inside like insects with plasteel carapaces. Tigris followed the tether of their bond like a life rope until she reached a gaping hole in the side of the temple. She finally climbed over a shattered wall outside.

The scene was worse than Woostri.

Tigris choked on the thick smoke of burning vehicles and buildings engulfed in flames. She could feel Eve close, but in the chaos, Tigris could not see her. "Mac...where is she!" She yelled over the cacophony of explosions, blasts of heavy weapons and screaming. The small droid released from her back and rose into the air. A moment later it spotted the Echani, signalling wildly to Tigris.

The black-clad Atrisian ran, leaping up onto a large chunk of duracrete, peering down until she saw the silver-haired Echani. Eve was running towards her. An incredible weight lifted from Tigris' chest, filled now with an swelling joy that made her wan to burst.

Jumping from the debris, Tigris took Eve up in her arms. She was in one piece.

"Blast, Eve, I am so glad to see you." Tigris blurted out, embracing Eve so hard she let up for fear of hurting the girl.

Eve confirmed what Tigris feared. Coruscant was lost. Now all they could do was hope to escape.

"Come on." Tigirs breathed. "Don't ignite your saber." Stealth was now more important that stopping imperials. It was too late for that.

Taking Eve firmly by the hand, Tigris cast a concealing cloak of the Force around them, keeping the Echani close to ensure they both remained hidden. Tigris' ship was docked at an auxillary landing site. Hopefully it faired better than the landing pads at the Temple. "Mac, get to the ship." Tigris instructed the small droid, who beeped an affirmation and whirred off. The droid could give them a heads up if imperials occupied their landing pad.

Then the couple began to make their way through the chaos.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Seer Stone, Wayfinder's Flare, Engagement Ring
Tag: Tigris Aphra

Eve’s hand tightened in Tigris’ grasp as they moved like shadows through the burning streets. Every step felt stolen from the jaws of disaster, ducking behind shattered duracrete walls, slipping past patrols of armoured soldiers whose voices echoed sharp and cold through the smoke.

Eve’s breath came in uneven gasps, her single silver eye burning with tears that refused to stop. But she didn’t let go. She couldn’t. The bond between them thrummed like a lifeline, and every time Tigris glanced back, Eve was there, ashen, tear-streaked, but determined.

The Temple loomed behind them, a broken husk wreathed in fire and falling debris. Eve didn’t look back. She couldn’t bear to.

They weaved their way around the great structure, pressed flat against the charred remains of transport pylons and twisted metal scaffolding. Blasterfire crackled somewhere too close for comfort. Eve’s heart pounded loud enough she swore it would give them away, but Tigris’ Force-cloak held strong, a shroud that made the troopers pass them by as though they were nothing but smoke.

The auxiliary landing site was close now, hidden and quiet. Eve clung tighter to Tigris’ hand, hope flickering in her chest as they reached the wide, reinforced doors to the underground port. And then, with a low mechanical groan, they opened.

Isari stood there, tail low, ears pinned back, eyes glowing faintly in the firelight. The little fox whimpered the moment she saw Eve. Eve’s breath broke. Relief hit her so hard it almost brought her to her knees. She ran, pulling Tigris with her, stumbling onto the ramp of the waiting ship.

"I-Isari," she choked, dropping to her knees and scooping the trembling fox into her arms. Isari’s soft fur was warm and grounding against her face, and Eve clutched her close like she might vanish.

"It’s okay. Oh, sweetheart, it’s okay," she whispered, but her voice cracked on the words, betraying how far from okay any of them were.

The sound of boots and shouted orders echoed through the hangar entrance. Eve gasped, silver eye snapping toward the noise. The Imperials were here.

With shaking hands, she strapped Isari into her secured compartment, fingers fumbling in her urgency. Then she buckled herself in, her gaze darting to Tigris as if sheer force of will could make her move faster.

Outside, the noise was getting louder.

They were out of time.

 

[Tigris Aphra]

​

Equipment: Kurohana Bodysuit, Lightsaber, Bracelet, Echo Stone, vibroknife, Mackie Class Droid, NJO Utility belt

Tag: Everest Vale

"Get inside!" Tigris yelled as the imperial troopers came into view at the hanger entrance. Grief, disbelief, anger gave way to a strong need for survival and the protection of her beloved. "Mac! Doors and roof!" She immediately barked at the Mackie droid hovering nearby. As Tigris followed Eve and Isari up the ramp at the rear of the small ship, the Atrisian droid flew to the hanger controls.

The black droid activated the entrance doors, but not before several troopers slipped in and began firing at the ship. Inside the vessel, Tigris punched the ramp actuator and it began to close as the troopers drew closer.

The droid then activated the iris door and the roof of the hanger opened to the sky. The ship already sealed, it zoomed to a section of the wing and clamped in with its magnets.

Tigris threw herself into the main cockpit seat and snapped herself in. Her hands dancing over the consoles to accelerate the ship's cycle up sequences. She wasn't concerned about the troopers small arms, the ship's heavy plating would easily defect them. But those troopers could call in air support.

"Hold on!" She instructed Eve, glancing back to make sure the Echani was strapped in.

The sound of whirring engines, beeps and alarms signaled the ship's readiness. It lifted a meter off the floor, spun and opened fire. The heavy space-class blaster cannons obliterated the imperial troopers, the hanger doors, and the soldiers waiting outside.

Tigris guided the ship upward and free of the docking hanger before punching the throttle. The sky around was alive with streaking TIE fighters and other imperial craft, chasing down and destroying GADF and civilian air and space craft indiscriminately.

Almost immediately, a pair of TIE fighters locked onto the escaping ship as it rose above the burning chaos and destruction below. A tone confirmed the enemy weapons had been locked onto their ship.

Tigris glanced at Eve. She wanted to hold her, comfort her. But at the moment, she had to get them somewhere safe.. "Don't worry, Angel, this thing may not be the fastest, but it has the armor and shielding of a corvette." It was the truth. The former assassin had ensured she had a getaway ship that could get her to safety alive.

As if to prove her point, the TIE's opened fire, heated red beams searing past the ship and against it. The small vessel barely shuddered. Tigris cut the throttle and the spunky TIE's overshot and zoomed past. Then Tigris opened fire. An unexpectedly intense barrage of firepower erupted from the ship and blew one TIE apart, it's flinging debris damaging the second, causing it to careen downward.

They rose higher and higher. The capital ships engaged in battle could be seen at the edge of the atmosphere. Snubfighters darted around, the space filled with streaking lasers and explosions as Alliance naval ships struggled to disengage and flee the closing Imperial fleet.

As the ship weaved and dodged, Tigris began to look anxious. She punched up the astro-computer to enter a location. "I don't know where to go..." Her dark glance darted to Everest, "... where should we go?"

​

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Seer Stone, Wayfinder's Flare, Engagement Ring
Tag: Tigris Aphra

Eve clutched the edge of her seat as the ship burst through the hangar and into the sky, the world behind them dissolving into fire and metal. Blaster fire rattled the hull, but Tigris flew like a predator unleashed,sharp turns, impossible dives, and sudden climbs that left Eve breathless.

The comms crackled.

"—All Alliance personnel, repeat: avoid Tython, Empress Teta, and all Core systems. The Empire is closing in. The Core is lost. Fall back to—"

The voice cut in and out, but it was enough. Eve’s stomach twisted. Lost. The word echoed like a hollow bell. Her home, her Temple, the halls where she had studied and healed and laughed. It all felt like it was slipping away in real time.

Isari whined from her secured compartment, a thin, mournful sound that made Eve’s chest ache. She reached out through the Force, brushing the fox’s presence with a whisper of comfort.

Tigris’ hands were steady on the controls, even as enemy fire streaked past. Eve watched her lover’s profile for half a heartbeat — strong, fierce, outwardly unshaken — and forced herself to breathe. But she knew, Tigris was hurting too.

Her own hands trembled as she pulled up the star map. Maybe nowhere was safe anymore.

"There, A-Alderaan. We can refuel, figure out..."

She looked at Tigris, fear naked in her eyes, but beneath it a fragile thread of resolve.

"Just… g-get us there, Tig."

 

[Tigris Aphra]

​

Equipment: Kurohana Bodysuit, Lightsaber, Bracelet, Echo Stone, vibroknife, Mackie Class Droid, NJO Utility belt

Tag: Everest Vale

The Empire is closing in. The Core is lost...

The transmission echoed in Tigris head, even as her gaze fell on Everest. Tigris' stoic demeanor, so much a part of her, was fraying at the edges, though she strove not to let it show. But in that moment, she needed Eve as much as the Echani leaned on Tigris.

As Everst searched the star map for a destination, Tigris focused on navigating the battle above Coruscant. The ship took a few more hits, but the heavily shielded vessel nimbly danced through the chaos, its weapons belching forth whenever an imperial ship crossed their paths. But the noose was tightening over Coruscant, and around the jedi couple and their small ship.

Everest chose a destination. Alderaan. In the short breath in which Tigris caught Eve's gaze, the Echani's soul seemed bared. She was so afraid, but that woman had a thread of resolved that not only lingered in her eyes, but grounded Tigris through their bond like a safety anchor. It echoed in Everest's words.

"Just… g-get us there, Tig."

"I will, Angel." Tigris promised.

Alderaan was a good choice, and one already saved in the nav-computer. The data was quickly punched in and as it calculated, Tigris pushed the throttle to get them out past the planet's gravity well where they could make their escape. They weren't the only ones. Dozens of ship of all sizes were launching from the surface, daring the screen of fighters in hopes of gaining cover fire from the withdrawing GA fleet until they could make a jump...anywhere. So many were being picked off, but Eve and Tigris would not be one of them.

A burning X-wing streaked past them, forcing Tigris to make a sharp hard maneuver to avoid the collision. But after regaining their course, the nav-computer chimed. They were ready.

More impacts from TIE cannons, the ship shuddered, sparks spewed out from an auxillary console at the back of the cockpit.

"Fasten in baby." Tigris admonished, sparing a loving glance at Eve. Then she punched the hyperdrive and the galaxy became a collage of white streaks. The pursuing TIE fighters zoomed past the empty space the couple just occupied.

They had escaped.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Seer Stone, Wayfinder's Flare, Engagement Ring
Tag: Tigris Aphra

The ship jolted with the last impact. A console flared behind them, spilling sparks into the air. Tigris' voice was just enough to anchor Eve for a second longer. Then, hyperspace punched through reality. The galaxy stretched and shattered into white, and the stars collapsed behind them.

Gone.

They were gone.

Safe.

The cockpit fell into silence.

It wasn't peace. Not quiet. Just… absence.

The kind of absence that rang in the ears and crawled beneath the skin. No blaster fire. No engines screaming. No comms crackling warnings of war. Just the unholy quiet left behind after one survived something they weren't meant to survive.

Eve sat in it. She sat in it.

Strapped in. Frozen.

Breathing, but barely.

The stars had vanished. The flames had vanished. Coruscant had vanished.

And the Order… Their home…

Gone.

She began to shake, just a little at first. A shudder that ran along her spine. Then her arms folded across herself, as if by instinct, as if she could hold herself together by force of will.

Behind them, Isari whined. A low, mournful sound.

That was all it took.

Eve broke.

She didn’t wail. She didn’t scream. It came like a storm forced beneath the skin, silent, shaking, completely shattering. Her face dropped to her knees, her silver hair spilling in a tangled curtain. Her shoulders convulsed, her breath catching as she gritted her teeth, trying not to make a sound.

Tears streamed freely. Her hands gripped her arms so hard her fingers ached.

It wasn't just fear.

It was loss.

Too much.

Too soon.

And she couldn’t stop it.

Not this time.

 

[Tigris Aphra]

​

Equipment: Kurohana Bodysuit, Lightsaber, Bracelet, Echo Stone, vibroknife, Mackie Class Droid, NJO Utility belt

Tag: Everest Vale

Outside, the galaxy spun by. Tigris felt suddenly removed from it. It was a welcomed isolation. But in it, in the absence of the continual state of survival they had endured, the knell of tragedy echoed in her soul.

She turned to Eve. Tigris' stoic features had fallen, the weariness and shock of it all reflecting in dull eyes. Her heart rent deeper as she saw Everest crumple under the weight of the catastrophe.

The Echani trembled in her straps, folded over in despair and shuddered with abject grief. Unstrapping herself, Tigris moved to Isari, giving the worried fox's head a gentle stroke before unfastening her. She hurried to huddle at Eve's feet. Isari too could feel how Eve grieved.

Then Tigris knelt beside Eve. She reached to unfasten her restraints, wrapping her arms around her fiance as she pulled Eve against her. Tigris sank to the floor, of the cockpit, holding Everest in her lap. It all fell upon her then, she had no more will to be strong. The center of much of her Jedi life, and her life with Eve, had been brutally seized from them, left blasted and burned, Jedi left dead in the once venerated halls. It was more than the loss of a temple, or a planet, it was the crumbling of the foundation of the Alliance, burned beneath them as they fought and died. It felt like the searing pain of a plasma blade through the chest.

But the rumor that Caltin Vanagor had fallen in battle was a hand driving that blade into her to up to the hilt. The man had a special place in Tigris' heart, and the thought of his loss was devastating. How many others had fallen?

Tigris rested her forehead against Eve's bowed head and quietly wept as she held Eve so tight. Not only to comfort Eve, but herself.