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Draven was silent which well was helpful in its own way she would and should be abel to work with that... a smirk on her face though under the mask She motioned and was going forward.. the interface showing there there were other engagements that they were needing to deal with and the jedi master crunched some of the fallen branches underfoot. Hand going up to point and motion for him to go off to the side as she crouched and crept forward a little. No words needed and if there was a real problem well.. she knew how to preform aerial fight moves to get a surprise over plants... unless they looked up and opened their mouth thinking he was jumping in.
The fighting was intense on the ground with those that were “holding hostage” pouring out of the caves in droves. An ancient race of mystical marvels and engineering prodigies, all bent on… fighting… fighting? This made no sense. The Jedi were making more than headway and advancing; but it did not seem to matter to the Esh-Ka, as while Caltin knew that they needed to hold those that were outside, they seemed to as well.
He heard from above offering air support, but was too busy, it wasn’t really his call to make anyway. The General in charge, General Faartil was all too happy to call in an acknowledgment. “I don’t know who you are, ‘Topper’, but whatever help you want to bring, we’ll gladly take!”
This irritated the massive Jedi Master, hearing this over the comms, but again there was nothing he could do. Would they be receiving heads up information? Would they be receiving up to the minute reports on movements? Do they know where” friendlies” are?
Then came the “boxes”.
He didn’t have a certainty for what those things were, but the way they were growing out over themselves gave the big man a hit. Caltin had “that feeling” they were ‘Sasori’ and if that was the case then he would not dwell on it. There was no need for such overkill but that was not something he needed to, or should have had to dwell on so the massive Jedi Master kept holding the combatants outside until he got the call.
Katba and her team of Jedi and Prison Security came out with the hostages, as well as four to five armed “prisoners”. Their weapons were immediately confiscated by Concord Military and weapons were drawn on them. It was not just when the Jedi stood in front of them, but when the Prison Security and Hostages stood between the military and the “prisoners” that Caltin had learned all he needed to know.
General, these men are no doubt former…
“Current.”
“Better known as…” Gamma Squad. They are the reason why these people are free and alive.
He didn’t need the lecture. The Devaronian waved off the weapons and nodded in agreement. “They’re actions will be taken into consideration once all is said and done, but I’m not comfortable with prisoners carrying weapons openly.”
Pelin Linzee, formerly Lt. Commander and the team’s second in command spoke up. “Capta…Pris… Kalon Torde has kept us together since being sent here and committed us to helping any way we can. We never leave a mission until it is finished, so we’re here with you,”
Can I speak to Captain Torde?
The General rolled his eyes and muttered “Prisoner…”
“Would, Master Jedi, but he went down the lift nearby after the reason we’re here… Darth Aricsias.”
"Aricsias"? He’s still alive?
“You know him?” Asked Katba.
I knew… A “Darth Aricsias.” Particularly nasty little Pureblood with an affinity for Alchemy. He also loved to experiment on life forms to see how far he could twist them before they perished. I caught him on Hoth of all places trying to turn Taun-Tauns into explosive weapons when we fought. I was in a Bacta tank for weeks but sent him down one of the volcanoes…
“That’s him…” Linzee.
The General looked a bit confused. “He has to be… what? Nin…”
Nine-hundred plus years old…
“... and you…”
Caltin just looked at him and smirked. The General just rubbed his temples muttering how he was “getting too old for this…”
“Master Jedi, you have to believe me. The Captain is tracking him. He’s the reason we’re here! We’re innocent of our charges, and he can clear us.”
Getting a feeling like he had heard this story before, Caltin just nodded.
Do you know where the lift is?
“... just over that ridge!” He pointed.
Then one of their comm-links buzzed.
“It’s the Captain!” Hdne, the Rodian Sniper said plainly as he turned his comm-link on. The image of a strong willed, strong imaged officer stood in the blue.
“So… you’re the Jedi that my friends have been bragging about.”
Good to meet you, Captain.
“I have a feeling that our objectives are similar. You help us, we can help you. ” The Captain sounded off.
… and if I don’t?
“Then you don’t. Master Jedi, you’re under the impression that I am trying to get us out of here under false pretenses. I’m not. Gamma Squad is innocent of the crimes we were charged with, but we still took an oath and I am holding us all to it. We may be prisoners, but we still conduct ourselves like soldiers.”
I can respect that. Somewhere we can meet?
“Sending you coordinates now. I have Aricsias in my sight.”
Receiving the information was easy enough, it was getting the rest of Gamma Squad to go with them. It was the General’s call and he did not look to be too accommodating, nothing against the Jedi and it was possible that there was more to the prisoners than met the eyes, but they were still prisoners. “Go…”
Taicho managed to keep his targeting cursor on the Zerek Zenith just long enough for the fluctuating targeting tone to turn solid and the targeting bracket turn a solid red. He tapped the firing stud. A concussion missile jetted out of his fighter and smashed into the closing snubfighter, creating a gout of fire and spray of shrapnel that pelted his shields. He yanked hard left on his yoke and almost immediately felt the tug of gravity pulling him deeper into the local gravity well, despite the best efforts of his inertial compensator. He gritted his teeth as he fought to keep his focus on his targeting cursor...Not yet...Space turned around him, and the very world seemed to suddenly flip upside down, along with the other ships around him. His targeting cursor soon found its mark again - the crippled Zerek Zenith seemed to be careening into the atmosphere in an uncontrolled spin. He fought the yoke's inertia and gravity to keep his fighter centered on his target. But just to make sure, he pulled the trigger on his control yoke again, sending steady streams of ruby red laser bolts that soon shredded the doomed fighter into unrecognizable debris.
Around him, he saw that some of the Stingers of Clan Gred had made what looked like a successful attack run on one of the corvettes. Other concord fighters were starting to fill in, adding an even greater weight of numbers on the Concord's side of the fight. His alarm klaxon sounded, and instinctively the man pushed his yoke down, taking his fighter in dive towards the planet below. Gravity abetted his escape as dozens of laser bolts sailed overhead. His computer system identified the attacker as one of the blockade runners. Oh, come on now...I can't take that one on by myself. He pulled the yoke up and to the side, taking his fighter in a loop that brought back into the thick of the chaotic fight. Even now, the Fidelity was beginning to bring some of its own heavy firepower into the albeit at a distance - searing plasma torpedoes smashed into one corvette's bow even as one of the ship's larger homing lasers began to bore into the engine block of another. Just got to survive long enough out here the way things are going...His warning klaxon sounded once again, and the man abruptly yanked the yoke to start another evasive maneuver.
Vaux rolled Tal'galaar, looking around before her wingman shouted out.
"Missiles inbound from above!"
"Break and fire counters!" The pair of fighters snapped, Vaux pulling hard left and and he wingman diving deeper into atmosphere, both fighter ramping jammers to the max, and sending out chaff and flares. The one that had been after he wingman seemed to detonate as it lost lock, while her's flew past, only to realize she'd done the one thing any pilot fears. The thing that get's pilot's killed. A mistake. One that had thrown her headlong into the Blockade Runners' firing path. "Osik...." She reacted as fast as she could, dumbing power into the bloody fighter's sublights. She'd have to fly erratic, keep them from getting a good train on her. Maybe outpace the turrets' turn rate.
VK started whistling frantically as a pace yellow bolt of energy flew past and into the path the corvettes. This seemed to give her enough of a break to duck the firing arcs with less risk, rebalancing power before looking up to see Gatal'ur Rang and Sleet. The escort and line cruisers had already started filling the space between the cruisers and corvettes with a flak cloud, and the Rang had started an assault with it's Blackout batteries.
"Good karking timing!" Dust seemed to show up on the fighters small holodisplay, a slight smirk.
"Well I do manage, Squad Leader." With the new firepower there, Vaux seemed more confident, attempting to turn after one of the Zeniths, attempting to get a lock for the Hailstorm missiles she had in one of her launchers.
The pilot nodded, giving a wing wag to his partner before turning and ducking lower.
"Alright, we're coming from planetary southeast, 15 klicks and moving fast. My wingman, Kandosii, will update distance out. Just hold tight, cause we'll be low." And with that the two Hammers gunned it, the heavy fighters heaving their way around. Kandosii began to call out distance, taking a higher position to begin to try and make out hostiles. Topper stayed low. Even if Kandosii had to turn off, he'd hopefully be low enough to make things difficult for anyone who wanted to knock his bird out of the sky. Then one last distance came in.
"Two klicks.... Fifteen-hundred meters, get ready for some noise." Kandosii's fighter dipped lower before they got close, then angled for an attack run, while Topper gripped the control stick, climbing slightly before flying over head. Both would fire off their six Urr particle cannons, their distinctive deep thudding filling the skies as the initial attack run hit. came through. Topper for his part made the quick run, shifting around some obstacles as he hoped no one on the ground got wise to his slower fighter's weaknesses.
INformation poured over herr visors interface about the others they were making an impact and they were advancing as they needed to. THe biot boxes were preforming and she looked at one of the commander models.. the more sophisticated as she worked on it and had the forefront projector. "Now stay still and lets see if this works fine enough." She was working on the unit and her technical armor haad developed much more with it. THey could aand were able to develop the numbers faster to subdue and she was looking at the Frontline Projector with a grin internally as it was installed and finished... all set up for them before she was going over to more section. "Alright, LEts get you out there with them and we'll see where back up is needed.
"Go ahead, we can handle it from here." Apprentice Verask, a Jedi very close to finishing his trial and making it to the level of Knight said assertively. Caltin could trust that they would handle this as he saw Master Beltrak in the area. He acknowledged her with the respect that her station, both as Master and past Council Member deserved, but that was really it at the moment. It was not that he had nothing to say, it was that they had pressing matters.
They had to get to the vaults.
As an armored speeder approached, one that could carry all four of them, Caltin looked over the world map. "Master Jedi, I'll take you to your destination, Warden Murr wanted you to know that the EshKa were moving in multiple directions. They haven't gotten out of the vaults, but he says that you know what they were moving on."That also brought up a choice, according to the maps, they had a couple of priorities, the Galactic Igniter, which he thought was a ruse, Supermax, which there was no way they could get to without crossing in open land after exiting the vaults themselves, and the Infinity platform.
He knew that the Jedi needed to shut down that facility but two of the three Jedi in front of him were concerned about the Galactic Igniter. This was something that they wouldn't have to worry about, but it was closer, and not too far out of the way, so they could make the choice of going there first, rather than afterward like he wanted to.
Getting into the speeder, the backseat behind the driver(so that he could stand and so that Satkia could sit in the front), Caltin simply told him. Get us as close to "The Burning Lift" as you can. Looking at the others, he simply told them... We're going to check and see if there is a "failsafe" like there was in the texts.
Before long they were off, the trip wasn't as long as he thought it would have been, but it was not because the location was close but because the landscape along the speeder route was rafe in battle. The Jedi were nowhere near it, but the roads were blocked and they would have to hoof it out. Shaking his head at the situation, but realizing that they weren't that far away from where they needed to be, Caltin noticed a few escaped prisoners in the distance. They didn't appear to see anyone, but one of them looked to be playing with a lightsaber of all things.
Gailyn, Keeva... check out that little group. If it's a flashlight, leave them alone, if it's a lightsaber call us. Master Beltrak and I are going to map out our route. We'll move in a minute.
He knew she wanted to point out that she did indeed make it here, but they were going to converse in private.
Looking up as Sabka did, Caltin was reminded of the day on Mon Calamari when a shuttle came terribly close to slamming into them and the platform that they were on. The last time they tried to "catch" it, that took an inordinate amount of focus and caused each of the pause but this time they had the experience. Just giving her a nod, Caltin reached out through the Force and didn't try to "catch" the shuttle but "push" at the nose, bringing the angle up quickly and sharply.
The pilot in him knew that in atmosphere, the sudden change in pitch would bring the shuttle's engines into a stall. Then it was a matter of "grabbing" it and lowering it to the ground, which the Council Member was more than capable of handling on her own. Once the shuttle was on the ground and he took in what Gailyn had just told him, Caltin had to consider just how a prisoner had gotten a lightsaber. Was it an old one from centuries ago? Did the Sith find this place? Letting them be "Knights", Caltin made the decision to let them make the decision.
We're moving in your direction on foot; use your discretion.
He didn't have to say anything, he knew that Sabka was moving as well and they made their way to the ridge, which was not far from the location where the Knights were. He felt bad that they were sent on something that turned out to be a waste of time, but it happened and they had to move on. Through the nearest gate they went and as quickly as they walked through it, the weather, the surroundings, the very environment changed from lush greenery and foliage to cavernous and snow capped.
Running down the path like a group of soldiers brought them quickly to a clearing where they could see all around them, save a pathway.
A pathway where a "vault" was opened. Caltin had a look of concern on his face. Why do I have a feeling that we're a couple of Acklay being hunted? He knew that Gailyn would get the reference from their training trip to Felucia. That's where the "failsafe" once was according to the texts that I read. If it's open, then we're not alone in there, but we have to go in there. With luck, we'll find both Aricsias and Igniter. Leading the way to the path into the vault immediately led them down a huge, dark, dank ramp, clearly this was going deep into the planet. The pathway was littered not only with statues, but oddly with tech that was still very much functional.
This was where each of them were swarmed in their mind with a voice, a shrill, gravelly voice. Speaking in an ancient, long dead language, though they would all seem to understand it.
"Tomorrow a thousand worlds burn, a hundred stars will wither and collapse, the Galactic Igniter consumes all.
Yesterday, Failsafe knows too much, sees too much of uncertain futures. His people must seal him away.
Today Eshka want to kill Failsafe. Someone must intervene."
Looking back with a bit of a look that asks "Tell me you guys heard that too!" Caltin chuckled. Well, I guess we're in the right place. Continuing to slowly move deeper into the vault only brought problems, there were Eshka everywhere. None of them seemed to notice the Jedi, which was either a testament to the Force, or they were just dumb. That is when Caltin made a bad mistake and pulled out a scanner. There has to be a power source, that's where this device has to be. Somehow, someway, this seemed to draw the attention of a "squad" of about 8 EshKa, mostly weaponless, a few of them with staff. The problem is, they were making some kind of loud call. Grabbing Conservator, Caltin tossed the scanner, not to Sabka, or Keeva, but to the tracker he knew. He tossed it to the kid.
You're the stealthy one... get the group to Failsafe!
Igniting the Sovereign Gold/blue edged blade, Caltin charged the growing horde. There was a difference in his fighting though, anyone who knew the massive Jedi Master knew that he fought to push back and win, here he was fighting to occupy their time and hold the EshKa back. Sure, he was outnumbered, and the Eshka were getting plenty of shots in, but he was holding his own very well. More importantly, all of Eshka's attention was on him... the other three could go anywhere they liked with no opposition, at least from here.
GO! Find that thing and make sure it's working! If that thing fails we've got problems!
He wasn't angry, he wasn't suicidal, he was finally acting like a Jedi Master... at least he hoped he was. When they follow the pathways, avoiding the cave-ins or the misfiring auto-turrets they would come across a huge open atrium with an open ceiling. The opening in the ceiling is not natural though as the opening was forced, by what looks to be a squad of Eshka, the Eshka are standing in front of a huge technological "stasis pod" for lack of a better term. everything is of a thick metal, and in the middle of it, a being much like a mon calamari but the eyes noticeably protruding out the sides of the head. The being was floating in a field of electricity, completely motionless, completely preserved.
Completely helpless to the 4 Eshka pounding on the glass separating them. Off in the distance a dark one... looked to be Sith... was headfing further.
Fighters twirled and looped around beams of deadly light even as they chased by missiles and other small craft.
Taicho's cockpit klaxon blared on and off as something tried to home in on his craft. He glanced at his sensor screen, noting some occasional blasts of static flood his screen. Someone's using a jammer nearby...but that works to my advantage too. He flipped a switch on his dashboard, causing his own miniaturized jammer to flood the immediate area around his ship with sensor static - an area small enough it wouldn't likely affect anyone else, but would prevent a missile from getting a direct hit on his ship. He twisted the control yoke of his fighter in a contorted series of maneuvers which sent the fighter in a corkscrew around one of the enemy blockade runners, and was rewarded with a small explosion blossoming on the enemy corvette. Scrapped that one off...A smile creased his face as he glanced back at the stricken Corellian corvette. Maybe the barge drivers are sometimes useful after all...
He banked his craft around, circling into the midst of a dogfight and spraying off a burst of laser fire into the wing of a Zenith Zerek that was attempting to make a diving attack on a Concord starship. The headhunter derivative began to spin, breaking off its attack to circle back towards him. Not going to play this game...He highlighted the enemy with his own targeting cursor and struggled to hold the enemy in that sight even as the other fighter moved to make a head to head attack on his ship. A solid tone began to rang through his ears, announcing a solid targeting lock. He tapped the trigger, sending a pair of missiles which jetted out of his ship and surged towards the enemy vessel. The enemy pilot seemed to hesitate, not targeting either the warheads only seconds away from him nor trying to fire on Taicho's own fighter. That inaction proved fatal, as both missiles tore into the wings and exploded. The newly 'clipped' fighter began to plunge and spin down towards the atmosphere below...
The frontline biots were moving... once they had the numbers from the projector and the boxes they were able to move quickly. THey were not neutralizers with a mindless sense of destruction or hive mind... they could learn.. they could adapt but they were more human and living. Krass moved as she could see scans and information coming to them from above... more was happening in space but it seemed Admiral Quee and his people were handling it in a way... that was beneficial for them as her general disposition would have been to disable everything. She was looking at the building here and they had encountered a few pockets of resistance that was disabled... securing the buildings that were turned into makeshift brigs they could keep prisoners in. "We're heading in." She said it and unsure of who might be listening but they were going itno one fo the main points on the world with a guard barracks and communication hub which would be better to secure.
Vaux was gritter her teeth as her fighter pulled, trying to get either a clear shot or a lock tone. Then it came. The buzz in her cockpit.
"Got ya!" She quickly hit the launch button, sending the flak missile at the enemy fighter. The missile screamed out until it triggered, sending shrapnel into the target and seeming to knock it out. She then looked around, not seeing her wingman. Frak!
"Karking... I lost Jalir! Don't know where he is." The Rang meanwhile continued to bath the corvettes in particle fire. Dust looked through the ships scanners, finally send a communication to the enemy fleet.
"This is the Gotal'ur Rang. Stand down or we will destroy your corvettes."
Topper and Kandosii would quickly start to whip around, ready to make another pass if needed. They'd look around, taking a few more pot shots when they saw them.
