Korina
Member
Its better to fight for freedom then to peacefully live in somebody else's chains.
Posts: 44 
|
Post by Korina on Apr 15, 2014 19:36:07 GMT -8
Stargazer's Lily dropped out of hyperspace with a flicker of movement and with a brilliant flare or engines the Luxury 5000 yacht moved towards the planet. Korina didn't even bother to do any of the work this time. She was already sitting with in Splinter, awaiting the go ahead with permission from Cody upstairs. When her comm crackled and Cody spoke in her ear, informing her of the approval to land, the gleaming silver Starviper tore off out of the port side hanger bay and steamed towards the planet below.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2014 15:01:52 GMT -8
*The ship came out of hyperspace and approached the planet. It had been some time she she left Contruum aboard the transport. As they headed to the surface, she began to get nervous. This was her home world, but she was hoping to join the Jedi. Her worry continued to rise as she kept to herself, trying to focus her mind the way her father taught her how. It did little to help as they descended to the surface.*
|
|
Nathan Caldwell [Retired]
Member
This character is retired, though permission has been given to be NPC'ed as needed.
Posts: 125 
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Nathan Caldwell [Retired] on Apr 16, 2014 16:07:13 GMT -8
The Serenity dropped out of hyperspace in high orbit over Corellia. Alan 'Wash' Washburn sat at the controls, professionally doing his job.
When it came to pilots, Wash was the best. Despite his interesting quirks at times, he could thread a needle with Serenity. Not many pilots could stand up to that kind of reputation. While his skills as a pilot were practically legendary, his fashion sense left something to be desired. Hawaiian styled shirts over a faded orange flight suit was not good taste in the strictest sense.
Nathan stood on the bridge, observing. As Wash reached for the comm, taking his cue to speak up, Nathan began issuing orders.
"Hail traffic control and get permission to land. Tell 'em we'll only be there for a couple of hours. Just enough time to resupply, fuel up and pick up either some passengers or a few new crew members."
Like the 'on-the-ball' pilot he was, Wash was already on the comm with traffic control. Nathan turned and left the bridge, heading for the his quarters. It was time to get prepared to do business on the surface. As he walked back to his quarters, he hollered to both Zoe and Venom.
"Zoe, we are meeting up with several prospects. Be prepared to deal with whatever surprises they might or might not have in mind. Starkiller! You will be in charge of getting us refueled. Once finished, I want you to meet up with Zoe and I at these coordinates."
The door to his office slid open. As he walked inside, he picked up a data-pad and a pouch of coins and tossed them back towards the door, where the Zabrak snagged them mid-air on his way past.
Hopefully things were going to go smoothly. Just this one time, he wanted things to be easy.
He gathered up his coat and gloves and double checked that his pistol was still securely in its place. They'd be on the ground in under ten minutes. It was almost showtime.
|
|
|
|
Post by Countess Aldes Malvern on Jun 23, 2014 5:23:36 GMT -8
The Defender-class corvette was the last ship to exit hyperspace. Preceding it by a matter of seconds were a trio of Z-95 starfighters, followed by a pair of Skipray Blastboats, weapons armed and ready to fire. After a cursory scan of the space above the planet Corellia, noting the standard planetary defenses, thick merchant traffic, busy shipyards, and lack of any discernable ambush, the ships powered down their weapons as their benefactor exited hyperspace outside the first ring of Corellia's defenses.
The Defender-class corvette was an ancient model of starship, a holdover from the Galactic Cold War nearly four millenia old. However, as its sensor dish transmitted to the planet's surface, the Amethyst's records were made available to Corellia's defense forces. Commissioned nearly a hundred years ago, the Amethyst was painted in purple and gold colors, its hull was an old model but the shipboard systems were well within modern standards. While Corellia had moved on from the starship model long ago, someone with enough wealth was able to force their shipyards to find the original schematics and pay to build a newer model of the starship. On board the hull in dark black paint was the sigil of the Serenno House Malvern, and embedded in the transmission to Corellia's surface was the Republic diplomatic code for inbound ships of royal or noble background.
The fighter escorts were the ones to address the Corellian space-traffic controller while the cruiser remained silent.
::CDF, this is Captain Ranek, piloting Malvern Escort 1. We are inbound to the Jedi Temple on Corellia, loaded for bear and escorting the Countess Malvern aboard the House Starship Amethyst. Weapons are powered down but under the Republic Diplomatic Charter, we reserve the right to open fire on any ship we perceive as hostile. Be advised we will require a medical team upon landing. Confirm reception?::
|
|
Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
|
Post by Ael Jade on Jun 23, 2014 12:54:38 GMT -8
Malvern Escort One, this is Corellian Flight Control, you are cleared to land in the hangar of the Jedi Academy. Coordinates uploading now. Enjoy your stay.
Brisk business-like tones cut off abruptly as the intercom switch was let go. Landing coordinates were shunted up to the incoming vessels. And the only slightly bored traffic monitor looked over at his companion as the duty officer reappeared with two steaming mugs of espcaf. It was about time.
Then with a widening of brown eyes, the young man turned to the side and keyed up the Jedi Academy's hangar controller and informed him of the incoming traffic and the request for a medical team to meet them in the hangar.
|
|
|
|
Post by Countess Aldes Malvern on Jun 23, 2014 13:21:48 GMT -8
::Understood CFC.::
The Fighter escort accelerated, leading the way for the Defender-cruiser toward the planet's surface.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 6, 2014 9:46:50 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
Corellia was a beautiful planet. The pleasant mixing of greens, blues, and whites was inviting to the aesthetic eye of thousands of species. High Admiral Rosina, standing at the forward viewports on the bridge of her Praetor Mark II-class battlecruiser, tracked her gaze along the swirl of cloud cover in the low atmosphere, showing that currently Coronet city was overcast but not experiencing any rain. It was a wonder to her that any faction of beings thought that tearing such beauty from the galaxy at large was something worth their time. Many times it was petty groups who were too shortsighted to understand the sheer magnitude of the galaxy and all of those who also lived within it. Sometimes, the faction was self-centered, out for only their own benefit and fully intended that only they could come out on top, that no one else deserved anything good and right in the entire universe.
Such as the Sith Empire. Having emerged from unknown edges of the galaxy, they were waging war on the Republic that governed much of the galaxy in order to capture the entire disk of planets for their own advancement. The Jedi, opposing the Sith not only as a matter of tradition but also because those evil beings brought with them imbalance to the Force, and that led to the destruction of societies and the death of millions. It was something inevitable, the Jedi Council insisted, and therefore they were more than happy to spearhead the war effort to keep the Republic's holdings from being threatened by a malevolent group of outsiders.
The Falleen Admiral, her crisp white uniform contrasting the green tone of her skin, turned her attention from the planet and to the space adjoining that globe of civilization. Joining her flagship in orbit was a sizable fleet that would only be growing from its current point. As of now, a collection of Imperial II-class Star Destroyers, Victory- and Venator-class Star Destroyers, Nebula-class Star Destroyers, Scythe-class battlecruisers, Acclamator-class cruisers, CR70 and CR90 corvettes, Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers, and a few valuable Immobilizer 418 cruisers were arranged, all bearing varying degrees of Republic markings distinguishing them as either participants in the Outer Rim theaters or newly assigned to the engagement being planned currently.
This fleet was being assembled to prevent the Sith Empire from executing their flanking maneuver flawlessly to take the Core Worlds while the majority of ships were out in either the western of eastern Outer Rim fighting battles to prevent a push from the outside. Those battles were still being waged, but in order to fill out this battle fleet, High Admiral Rosina had called back many starships, replacing some of the Outer Rim strength with the newly minted and powerful Hapan fleet, featuring the ever-strong Battle Dragons among other ships.
Currently, a trio of Imperial II-class Star Destroyers were banking for hyperspace directed towards Duro, one of the planets expected to go under siege by the Sith main force as it attacked. They were escorted by a pair of CR70 corvettes. While seemingly unwise to only send a few Star Destroyers forward to defend a very important planet such as Duro, Rosina's plan revolved around letting the Sith believe they were actually catching the Republic off guard with their flanking maneuver. For this purpose, she had only stationed a pair of Scythe-class battlecruisers over Fondor, the expected first planet to be attacked by the Sith force. Those two ships would fight an aggressive retreat when the full force of the Sith ships arrived to overpower them. They would fall back to Duro, where they would join the small group being sent there and also prepare to fight a retreat back to Corellia. It was there that the Sith would meet their first major obstacle: Rosina's battle group, fully prepared to fight the Sith to a standstill and not allow them to capture the planet of Corellia.
The group heading for Duro entered hyperspace. High Admiral Rosina shrugged some anxiety off and turned from the viewport. She addressed the captain of the Praetor Mark II, a human male of decent stature and bald pate, telling him to continue to monitor the hypercomm transmissions they had placed at the edges of the Fondor system. She wanted to be fully aware of when the Sith finally initiated their attack.
***********************************************
On board one of the Venator-class Star Destroyers named Matrix, the Jedi committed to this operation were gathered in a conference salon in the raised superstructure of the bridge. They were many members of the Jedi Council who had left Coruscant to lend masterful Jedi aid to the war effort, leaving only 3 members behind to advise and oversee the Jedi Temple and the Jedi Order in general. There was the Nautolan Master Rael Starfall, the Bothan Gadriel'lya, the Devaronian Cloud Fisher, the Kel Doran Seleck Tanes, and the three humans Orian Katal, Lapay no Ryu, and Templus Cro. These were a collection of the most powerful Jedi represented in the galaxy, and they had assembled from their individual battle theaters because they fully expected members of the Sith High Council to be present in this Sith strike force. Also present were a trio of Jedi Knights that were significant to the war effort so far: the human Zak Caranthyr, the Shistavanen General Keth Agrav, and the Barabel prodigy Haska Herotyne.
The plan for them was simple but extremely dangerous. During the Republic's attempt to hit the Sith at their homeworld Korriban, the same mission that uncovered the Sith plan to strike from the flank, Jedi Knights Zak Caranthyr and Keth Agrav had managed to capture a Sith vessel, an Ardent-class fast frigate. The vessel's captain, captured in the attempt, had willingly traded over all of the necessary identification information and access codes. This allowed the Jedi to board the vessel, hide their presences, and hopefully gain admittance to the Sith flagship bearing "key information" as survivors of the battle of Korriban. Expecting that the majority of the Sith Council would be present on that flagship, the collection of Masters and Knights planned to confront and assassinate the Sith Council members and end the war in one decisive infiltration. All they needed from the Republic Navy was a long enough window of time provided by the expected massive engagement over Corellia. There were many variables that could lead to this plan's failure, but the Jedi fully expected their skill and the will of the Force to be enough to compensate for those variables.
And so they too waited for word that Fondor had been attacked. One this occurred, everything would be set in motion.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 6, 2014 22:12:49 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
The transmission came at a time when the High Admiral expected it. As strange as it was, she had gone to sleep in her quarters knowing all too well that nothing good ever happened while she slept. This war had taught her that much. Not more than ten minuted later, the Falleen was striding out in her white admiral's uniform on the bridge of the Praetor Mark II, named Corusca. The nightshift crew the only ones present, and that included a few comm officers and various technicians that made sure all technical glitches were either eliminated or mitigated to keep the giant battlecruiser in acceptable condition until the crew returned in force the next morning.
Waiting for her at the command station she so often stood at was the comm officer, his pale features stretched taught by what Rosina scented in his hormone cocktail as anxiety. This told her immediately the the news was not of the positive kind. She stopped before the officer, bearing a datapad in his palm and saluted to match his salute before taking the device from him and scanning its backlit face while the officer briefed her.
"We've received word from Fondor, Admiral. The Sith armada has struck."
Rosina looked up from the datapad. It contained this same information in much more detail, including a manifest of the estimated ship strength of the Sith force. The comm officer, obviously having packaged that information into the datapad he had turned over to her, continued.
"Before escaping being swarmed by starfighters, the sensors officers were able to gain a conservatively accurate estimate of the enemy force."
As the comm officer rattled off the logistics to match what Rosina noted was on the datapad's screen, her eyes grew wider and her normally green skin took on a gray undertone expressing fear. It matched her unconscious pheromone secretions which caused the unwitting comm officer to fidget where he stood. The sheer number of Star Destroyers the Sith were bringing to bear on the Core Worlds would be enough by her estimation to rival the fleet she had assembled. When the Super Star Destroyer, apparently Executor-class, was added to the list, the odds began to tip in favor of the Sith Empire, even with the level of preparation she had.
High Admiral Rosina pocketed the datapad and looked up with urgency in her expression.
"Get me a link to the Matrix. I need to discuss this with the Jedi Masters."
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 7, 2014 23:43:01 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
Twenty-three standard hours had passed since the Sith armada struck at Fondor and took the shipyard planet. Reports from very discrete scout ships had informed the High Admiral and consequently the Jedi that the Sith were not interested in razing the planet. As a result, the shipyards remained intact, and there was minimal loss of life if any at all. The two "defense" ships, Scythe-class battlecruisers, had pulled back after sustaining only minimal damage, enough to convince the Sith that they were indeed defenders caught completely off guard by the assault, but not enough to cripple them as they retreated. In fact, the two battlecruisers were only rejoining the Duro "defense" fleet, to bolster those numbers in an attempt to exact some attrition as the Sith moved on the next logical planet in the line towards Coruscant.
Not a full day had passed and the Sith fleet, minus a single Imperious-class Star Destroyer, had already attacked Duro.
The Jedi assembled over Corellia were all sitting in the conference room on the Matrix they had converted into a situation room. Still technically in the dead of night for the fleet's standardized chronos, the Jedi were using the Force to bolster their war-weary bodies into a state of readiness to analyze battle data. Currently, the one Imperial II-class Star Destroyer out of the three sent to Duro with a real-time hypercomm transceiver was providing footage of the fierce assault of the Sith armada, a seemingly immeasurable tide of dark ships raining crimson death at anyone that stood in the way. Needless to say, there was an air of anxiety in the situation room, as there was on the bridge of the Corusca where High Admiral Rosina watched solemnly.
An auxiliary comm officer on the bridge of that hypercomm-equipped Star Destroyer was narrating the footage, as was her express role on board the ship. The roomful of Jedi watched in morbid fascination as the ruthlessly efficient Sith fleet, crowned by the jewel of their fleet: the absolutely massive Super Star Destroyer, moved in on Duro's orbit, forcing the horridly outgunned Republic defenses away from the planet lest they be destroyed. In fact, as the collection of Republic cruisers began to move on escape vectors, the Sith fleet, sending forth more agile Ardent fast frigates like a tentacle lashing out, cut off a Scythe battlecruiser lagging behind in the formation. The battlecruiser, apparently realizing its fate, opened up all of its batteries and missile tubes with abandon, wounding as many of the Ardent frigates as it could reach with its volleys. But even as it gave out deadly damage, it received many times over its output. The fast frigates were merciless, overpowering the battlecruiser's shields with sheer volume of firepower and annihilating the Republic starship systematically from bridge to stern. The fusion reactor blew, scattering pieces of the doomed craft in many directions, some into the atmosphere of Duro, others into the wounded Ardent frigates that had initiated contact.
Yet even as that particular skirmish was occurring, more Sith ships, a Pellaeon Star Destroyer and a few Guardian-class Star Destroyers were rushing past like stampeding nerfs to give chase to the other starships beating an even more urgent retreat from the system. Even at just maximum range, they fired lethal volleys of crimson energy at the sterns of the ships, and hoping to dissuade even further pursuit, viridian and cerulean volleys were returned from the Republic ships. But except for a few chance shield grazes, the volleys were merely psychological posturing. Soon, the feed was lost to the Jedi and the High Admiral as the Star Destroyer bearing it jumped to lightspeed.
As the Kel Doran Master Seleck Tanes, closest to the holoprojector, deactivated the now empty image, the Bothan Gadriel'lya glanced over the collection of Jedi standing or sitting in a semi-circle around the unit. His fur was positively bristling with agitation.
"This armada advances unlike the Outer Rim fleets. Those were teasing, exploratory, and careful."
Every Jedi in the room nodded. They had been in positions to witness firsthand the typical battle tactics of the Sith fleets. Gadriel'lya's reminder was practically redundant. Cloud Fisher, a Devaronian Master who, despite being unified with the Jedi code, exemplified his species by being somewhat impulsive, stood up, hands braces underneath him as he leaned in on the table.
"I fear we have underestimated the Sith. It is almost as if we had not prepared for them at all."
Before the rattling statement of near-truth led to the assembled Jedi bursting into uncoordinated debates, a raspy voice interjected like a vibroblade.
"If this one would be allowed, he raises a point of contention against Master Fisher."
All eyes turned expectantly towards the Barabel Knight leaning against the wall near the exit portal to the salon. Haska Herotyne's heroics on the battlefield had earned his opinion the respect of any Jedi Master, but true to his nature he respected the hierarchy without fail. The Nautolan Master Rael Starfall nodded with a glint of humor in his bulbous eyes.
"Speak, Jedi Herotyne. We are all listening."
Haska pushed himself from his slumping posture and said.
"The Republic's best case scenario involved wounding the Sith az they advanced. The worst case scenario was that information waz gleaned from the retreating shipz. Our tacticz have accomplished a middle ground. While regrettable that a valuable warship waz lost over Duro, some of the Sith force was indeed wounded, if not placed out of commission. We also have gained further insight into the Sith's numberz and their rudimentary tacticz.
"Furthermore, the Sith will be more than surprised when they meet stiff resistance here at Corellia. Our shipz did a commendable job of running scared like prey before a shenbit. This can play to the Republic's advantage."
Master Fisher conceded Haska's point by sitting again, glancing with affirmation at the Barabel Knight. Templus Cro, ever the realist, put his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his joined hands.
"Jedi Herotyne is correct. While we will have the element of surprise initially, it will only work if we can hammer key ships hard and early. And even then, that Super Star Destroyer remains a threat our fleet nor plans account for."
Keth Agrav, standing next to Haska, stepped forward, raising a single clawed finger to gain the right to speak. He nodded at Master Cro before proceeding.
"Our current strategy can be amended to compensate for the Super Star Destroyer. While not an immediate remedy, if we can attempt our infiltration via the captured frigate as the Sith armada comes in system, the urgency of battle might mitigate any undue scrutiny towards us. Once on board, we can take advantage of a crew distracted by the threat of our fleet outside, and find the Sith aboard and confront them."
Master Fisher added as Keth paused.
"And along the way there is nothing stopping us from knocking out any of the Super Destroyer's systems...potentially crippling the ship, or at least dampening its overall threat to our forces."
Gadriel'lya nodded and iterated.
"It may be our best option. According to the High Admiral's figures, removing that Super Star Destroyer nearly evens the field for the rest of the Fleet."
Orian Katal, one of the female Masters, and one to contemplate the abstract more often than not, added quietly.
"And given the Sith propensity to utilize Battle Meditation, removing the Sith Council from the picture may even swing the battle even more so in favor of the Republic."
The assembled Jedi were all nodding as the discussion built confidence in their chances of influencing the outcome of the inevitable engagement and hopefully concluding this devastating war once and for all. In the midst of murmurs of excitement, the conservative Knight Zak Caranthyr interjected.
"I don't mean to play Hutt's advocate here, but how certain can we be that even the full number of us can both locate and defeat the Sith we presume are aboard that Destroyer? What is to say that we have the numbers to overpower them?"
The room was quiet now, the Jedi had tried to ignore the possibilities of such underestimation on their part. Enforcing this, Master Starfall replied seriously.
"The future of this galaxy depends on those of us in this room finding a way, despite the odds, to triumph. There is no alternative."
Master Lapay no Ryu, a woman with a confident look about her no matter the situation, smiled despite the gravity of the subject.
"I'm Corellian, after all, and we pay no regards to the odds. I recommend we all do likewise."
On this note, the assembled Jedi dispersed, making preparations to board the captured Sith frigate and put it into position to act the part of a ship escaping from a great battle over Korriban where damage had prevented it from returning at any sooner time. This was the most pivotal moment many of them had ever faced, and the enormity of the turning point in history here was almost glaringly obvious in the Force.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 11, 2014 22:12:21 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
The tactical display standing taciturn before High Admiral Rosina was a pool of green contact points mashed against the gray obstruction of Corellia. The pragmatist locked inside her Falleen brain was ever-wishing that there could be an exponentially larger number of green dots, representing her fleet's ships, to face the coming storm. The sheer number of Sith Imperial ships rushing towards Corellia from the astronomical direction of Duro as gleaned by her strategically retreating forces, now having rejoined her forces here, was intimidating even to a commander fully aware that she had the element of surprise. It was not even a selfish wish. As Rosina glanced to either side of the bridge of her flagship Corusca, she saw only the smallest sampling of the men and women from across the galaxy that had thrown their lot in with her to repel the invaders to the free lifestyle advocated for by the Republic. And these military men and women were only representatives of a much, much larger part of the whole Republic, of the whole sentient galaxy. The High Admiral was very aware she owed it to an entire galaxy's worth of people to win this upcoming battle. That was why she wished she had more ships.
Turning to the head coordination officer, Rosina inquired.
"Are the 418's in place?"
The officer tilted his head to acknowledge he had heard his superior while he worked a few keys at his stations, altering the angle of his viewscreen's image.
"Yes, Admiral. They are projecting away from their exit vector as ordered, and have coordinates uploaded and ready."
Rosina dismissed the officer back to his regular monitoring and turned back to the tactical display. With a practiced manipulation of the controls, the gridwork map no longer focused on the defensive fleet around Corellia, but rather on a point 8 light minutes out from Corellia's close orbit, between here and Duro. Just barely outside of Corellian space, the Immobilizer 418 cruisers, both of them, were in position projecting their gravity well generators along the projected course to be taken by the Sith armada, stopping them short of their obvious target. Prows pointed away from the area affected by their false mass shadows, the cruisers were to pull the Sith fleet out ahead of schedule, hopefully disorient them, and then jump away to hyperspace, taking the very minute jump back to Corellian space and the waiting arms of the defense fleet. While this was occurring, the plan required the Jedi to jump in system in the stolen Sith Ardent-class Fast Frigate and hopefully maneuver their way on to the Sith flagship where they could exercise their leg of the plan to stop the Sith. Then it fell to Rosina and her ships to keep the fleet elements busy while the Jedi fought in close quarters.
Suddenly, just as Rosina was ready to return her tactical display to its centering on her fleet, the grid was suddenly populated with red contacts, signifying the arrival of the Sith armada. An electric thrill of...fear? anxiety? anticipation? raced through her body in spite of her long years of service to the Republic military. This was the turning point of this war, Rosina thought dismissively, she had every right to let natural emotions course through her neural pathways. But as ever, with Falleenese precision, the emotions did not affect her cognitive processes even slightly. Rosina ordered the visuals provided by the 418 interdictors to be broadcast to all of the bridges in her fleet. She wanted as many analytical eyes as possible on the fleet formation and initial tactics under unexpected circumstances of the Sith armada. Even such a minor bit of information could prove invaluable in preserving many lives.
*****************************************************************
In a bit of empty space just outside of official Corellian space, a group of Jedi watched a feed provided by a pair of Immobilizer 418 cruisers from the conference room located just off of the docking bay of their stolen Ardent fast frigate. A single Lambda-class shuttle remained in a hangar berth, which the Jedi insertion team was prepared to use once they came within a close-enough proximity of the enemy flagship, a Super Star Destroyer. The plan was simple: jump in at a time convincing enough relative to the Sith arrival to give credence to their fabricated story of their damaged ship's origin. The most crucial part of the plan was not being believed, but being able to convince the Sith hierarchy that they carried such urgent information that they needed to land directly on the flagship in the midst of their engagement. Hopefully, the Sith would be impatient enough to allow them so just to prevent them from getting in the way.
For this purpose, Jedi Knight Zak Caranthyr had been left on the bridge of the fast frigate in order to act as the auxiliary captain of the vessel and give the codes to the Sith in order to verify their identity. If time permitted, Zak would join the Jedi insertion team in boarding the Sith flagship, but his presence was not mandatory.
In the ready room with the other Jedi, General Keth Agrav sniffed at the air of the room with the highly tuned lupine nose of the Shistavanen species. In many ready rooms he had been a part of, the average group of soldiers and even some of the elite squads left a tang of fear or the hard feel of anticipation in any space they occupied. This particular room was different. Filled with only Jedi Masters and a few Knights, the only smell Keth detected belonged to any one species' body chemistry. Even the body language of these Jedi refused to betray any other emotion but determination and serenity. These beings had all experienced combat and situation far exceeding the typical soldier's. And with the aid of the Force, nothing phased them any longer.
All being bipedal humanoids, the Jedi had foregone their obvious robes or even adapted Republic clothing in favor of black and dark gray uniforms directly copied from captured Sith officers or technicians. While it was clear the Sith Imperial Navy did not contain a wide variety of species, even Rael Starfall, a Nautolan, and Seleck Tanes, a Kel Doran, donned Sith officer uniforms. The humans and Gadriel'lya, a Bothan, as well as the Devoronian Cloud Fisher looked even more believable as potential Sith crew members. Keth and Haska, both alien species not likely to be represented in the Sith Navy and more accustomed to open or less clothing, wore the garb of Imperial pilots not ready to fly, ergo pilot jackets and pants. These uniforms were not meant to deceive anyone on close or even rudimentary inspection, but they had been adopted to at least put some doubt in the average Sith soldier's eyes from a distance, long enough to allow the Jedi into lethal range.
After all, once the Jedi were on board the Super Star Destroyer, they knew to stop at nothing to find and destroy the Sith Lords on board and they were very certain nothing short of those very lords could prevent them from reaching their goal. The disguises were unnecessary at that point. All the insertion team knew very well that they may not survive the mission. As a matter of last resort, a baradium warhead with enough power to easily split the Super Star Destroyer in half was hardwired into the Lambda shuttle. If the Jedi failed, the warhead would detonate once the Lambda's ship computer was not fed the right password after five standard hours.
The screen showed the entire array of Sith vessels now sitting in a haphazard formation in the mass shadow projected by the pair of interdictors. In the midst of the large armada was the giant wedge of the Super Star Destroyer that was the target of the Jedi. Seeing it was present was the signal. As the Immobilizer 418's began to run for their escape vectors, Master Gadriel'lya commed the bridge.
"Go to coordinates, bridge. The Sith are here."
Acknowledged, Master.
The replying voice was recognizable as Zak, and then the feed dissolved as the fast frigate entered hyperspace. The Masters that had been sitting collecting their thoughts or attempting to relax stood then, and looks of understanding were passed around the room. As a unit, the Jedi moved towards the hangar berth and their shuttle, preparing for what could very well be their last mission.
*****************************************************************
"Report to me! Why haven't we appeared over Corellia?"
The Sith Master Lord bellowed this angry query across the frantic bridge of his flagship. Sensor officers were trying to establish readings and gather data to understand why the calculations by the navigation corps was off or had dropped the Sith fleet short of its objective. Comm officers were communicating between ships to try and gain a second opinion. The navigation officers were already replotting the proper navigation points for input to the hyperdrives. All the while the ire of the Master Lord, radiating red irritation through the Force to match his skin tone almost comically.
One sensor officer called back to the Master Lord.
"Lord, it appears that the enemy had placed two interdictor cruisers out this far to forcefully remove the Fleet from hyperspace. They are on-screen now."
On cue, a feed showing two small wedge-shaped ships inflicted with unseemly bulbs fleeing in the direction the Sith fleet was slowly drifting. The Master Lord growled.
"Shoot them down!"
A comm officer was answering into the low din.
"The lead ships are acquiring firing solutions now, Master Lord."
The Sith glared at the feed of the two Republic ships as if his very gaze could destroy them. Luckily, it could not accomplish this from such a distance. Then, suddenly a new contact appeared off to the port flank of the armada, alarmingly close to the two Republic ships fleeing. Sensor officers reported the ship as an Ardent fast frigate, damaged and broadcasting identification as a Sith Imperial vessel. According to those same sensor officers, it appeared the damaged ship had been caught by the same mass shadow being projected by the Republic ships even as they fled. Given the proximity between the frigate and the enemy craft, they began to exchange fire, and the frigate banked towards the Sith fleet, trying to escape further damage.
"What Sith vessel is that?"
The Master Lord was trying to reach out through the Force to get a feel for the intentions of the crew, but all he could sense was their apprehension, presumably from their current situation. To him, it did not feel suspicious even though logic dictated caution.
Finally, a sensor officer replied.
"That transponder belongs to the Dark Wings, a vessel belonging to Darth Deixar's fleet group assigned to Korriban, Master Lord."
This demanded an explanation. Why in the universe would a damaged vessel supposed to be on the near-opposite end of the galaxy be here, now? The Master Lord demanded to know, even now.
"Hail them."
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 15, 2014 14:00:33 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
Jedi Knight Zak Caranthyr felt nervousness flutter in the pit of his stomach as he gazed out of the forward viewport of the Ardent Fast Frigate's bridge. Even though he had already been aware of the rough size of the Sith fleet, being so close to it just made the entire armada seem that much more menacing. He called on the Force, calming himself and restoring a confident look about himself. It would not do to conference with whichever Sith forces contacted him as they inevitably would without appearing like he was suited to the task. This was especially true if an actual Force-adept Sith was the one to contact him. They would be able to sense his emotions despite his exterior, and he wanted to prevent that from giving away the true plan at work here.
Trading ineffective blows with the retreating Immobilizer 418's, the Dark Wings continued to slide away from the Republic vessels and even further towards the fold of Sith ships who had enough firepower to overwhelm his shields and turn the entire frigate into a cloud of particles before he so much had a chance to blink if this did not go as he knew it had to. Then the bolts, purposely aimed close to the frigate so as to either miss only barely or just glance benignly against the frigate's shields, as his were in return, cut off as the two interdictor cruisers jumped to hyperspace, heading back to the relative safety of orbit around Corellia. The crew of the Dark Wings, a crew of droids slaved to the ship's weapons, propulsion, communications, and defensive systems, stopped firing with the reduced weapons batteries at a press of a key on the implanted control console before him. The Republic High Command knew all too well that this frigate was not necessarily guaranteed an escape, and so sacrificing a living crew to man the ship for the Jedi was absolutely out of the question. Once the Jedi were off-loaded, Zak would give the droid crew complete control of the vessel and it would be subject to the simple command: upon being hailed by any Sith vessel, once all sentient beings were absent from the frigate, the droids were to pick a Sith capital ship that was not the Super Star Destroyer and ram it, with the intent to decommission at least one enemy ship for the upcoming battle. Even Zak had a special contingency if he was unable to reach the Lambda shuttle before it took off: a special escape ship was housed within the frigate's hangar bay. It contained cloaking technology to keep Zak hidden and enough thruster power to outrun even the legendary Milennium Falcon, but it had very little shielding and absolutely no weapons systems. The ship was designed to get Zak away from the Sith fleet in the event he could not join the Jedi infiltration mission, and nothing else.
Suddenly, Zak's comm board lit up. He keyed it, putting on a dour expression as he looked up to where the image would appear. The figure in the feed was a red-skinned alien with fierce, strong features and small little antenna-like protrusions on either side of his mouth. His eyes were deep set in his face and smoldering with preternatural fire. The dark intent that seemed to drip from the man sent a thrill of fear racing through Zak's body, but with Jedi discipline he quelled the emotion while allowing a trace of it to show in his face. It would seem natural that a petty officer would react in such a way to the imposing figure before him. Besides, Zak was becoming increasingly suspicious that the being whom he was now staring at was potentially the highest Lord on the Sith Council, such was the intensity of the Dark side washing off of him.
"Dark Wings, explain your presence in system this moment."
The voice was deep and intrinsically menacing, and Zak felt like he was compelled to obey even though the tone was even. It only made him feel more secure in his assumption about the speaker's identity. He responded with a mix of loyalty and nervousness in his tone, trying to portray an accidental ship officer as well as he could. Glancing at the comm board to gain the name of the ship, Shadow Journey, Zak replied.
"Shadow Journey, this is acting Captain Kersh. We've escaped the battle of Korriban with damage to our drives, which is why we could not rendezvous with the fleet sooner. We've come bearing critical information about the Jedi forces that crushed us at Korriban."
At the latter statement, the alien he was speaking to tensed up, his coal black eyes igniting as if they indeed held fire within. Zak involuntarily flinched back, repulsed by the wave of anger that rolled off the alien through the comm feed. The Dark side was very much with this being. He positively shouted as he spoke.
"My forces were CRUSHED at Korriban?"
"Yes, my Lord. As far as I am aware, we were the only vessel to escape. I cannot be sure if it was intentional or not. I request the command staff come aboard and share what intel we have immediately so as to assist in whatever way we can. Our sensor packages have been damaged, and we do not know if potential listening devices of Republic origin are attached to us."
The Sith on the other end was holding his rage just under the skin like a build-up of steam ready to burst forth and melt whatever it touched. Zak was hoping beyond hope that the anger would cloud the Sith's mind just enough to alleviate any suspicions.
"Very well, Captain. I take it the previous Captain was killed during the battle?"
This question was phrased, somehow, as a threatening inquiry. Zak's mind began to race at giving a good answer, but he went with what his gut told him.
"Once we had jumped out of the system, the Captain confirmed our defeat and promptly ended his life for what he perceived as cowardice in the line of duty. I took it upon myself as his second-in-command to bring this ship to you in order to divulge our intel, in the event it proved more valuable than our honor."
Zak felt the Sith look into his soul with an appraising glance, but his well-trained walls prevented the Sith from gaining anything from him other than what he wanted the Sith to see: namely the false persona and story that was already verbalized.
"Very well, Captain. I wish to hear this intel you have brought with you. Pilot to the main docking bay of the Super Star Destroyer, Shadow Journey, and your command staff shall be brought to me. I trust you have an operational shuttle?"
Feeling a strange combination of dread and elation at being cleared to board the flagship, Zak replied with a curt nod.
"Yes, my Lord. We shall be with you as soon as possible."
The Sith Lord cut the communication without preamble and Zak blinked, realizing everything was going as hoped. He quickly ordered the course to a safe space below the Super Star Destroyer to the droid slave crew and activated his personal comm as he started off at a run for the turbolift.
"Master Starfall!"
Yes, Jedi Caranthyr?
"The Sith have cleared us to come aboard the Super Star Destroyer!"
That is excellent news, Zak. Can you make it to us? We are already in position.
Zak was already selecting the deck in the turbolift, and it shot off.
"Definitely, Master. The frigate is en route now."
The link was cut there. Zak fought to control the nervousness that overtook him. While it was indeed a great success that he had talked his way onto the flagship, it was also very possible that he had talked his way to not only his death but the death of some of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. It was a necessary risk, however. If the Jedi did not do this, they would most definitely have to concede most if not all of the galaxy, failing anyway.
The turbolift doors slid open, and Zak took off at a Force-assisted run down the corridor to the hangar berth where the Lambda shuttle was still docked, ramp down and ready. As he bounded past the bulkhead separating hangar from ship deck, his commlink chimed: this was the droid crew signalling it had moved to the designated coordinates. It was time to disembark. Zak slid on the smooth flooring as he rounded the turn to the shuttle's ramp, running up it and stopping to palm the ramp controls to raise it. He looked up, breathing lightly thanks to the Force, into the faces of seven Jedi. He said with a grin despite himself.
"We can take off now, the frigate is in position."
Rael Starfall, the Nautolan, called up to the cockpit, where Masters no Ryu and Katal were manning the controls.
"We're clear. Take us into the belly of the beast."
Up the short corridor to the cockpit, Zak saw Orian give a thumbs up and the shuttle lurched into motion, leaving the peaceful frigate docking bay and sliding out from underneath its small belly.
Lapay no Ryu, as she guided the clunky shuttle upward, looked with awe upon the seemingly infinite dorsal hull of the Super Star Destroyer they were rising towards. The giant docking bay lay open for them much as Master Starfall had suggested: an open maw ready to swallow them whole. Once they were inside, their lives were effectively in danger, and every second could mean they were one second closer to death. But Jedi Masters did not let such things concern them in the slightest, after all: There is no death, there is only the Force.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 15, 2014 19:48:05 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
The Lambda-class shuttle, painted a dark gray, rose hastily into the hangar bay opening of the Super Star Destroyer. The multi-kilometer long starship, along with the rest of the Sith armada was already preparing for a microjump to the intended battle point at Corellia. The Sith had not the sensor probes prepared to scan ahead to see the size of the force arrayed against them, and they were certain that the interdictor cruisers that pulled them early from hyperspace were ships aware of the attacks against Fondor and Duro and were just trying to buy the afraid Corellian defense forces as much time as possible. As confident as ever, despite the news from who they thought was the captain of the only ship to escape the Sith defeat at Korriban, the Sith Master Lord had ordered the fleet forward to claim Corellia as its next stepping stone to dominating the entire Republic and then galaxy.
Once the shuttle, thought to be bearing the Dark Wing's command staff ready to give information about the Republic fleet to the Sith Council, was safely within the containment field keeping the atmosphere within the hangar, the Sith fleet was jumping in towards Corellia. Only upon reversion to realspace would they realize, after the initial surprise at running into a full size Republic battle fleet, that one of their Pellaeon Star Destroyers did not complete the jump. Even though they had transmitted the coordinates to the damaged Ardent fast frigate that had "escaped" Korriban's carnage, the Sith fleet coordinators had not realized that the information was not acted upon. Instead, what they interpreted as the frigate turning to line up for the jump was really the droid crew acting upon its orders to seek out another Sith capital ship and ram it. While the droid crew had been unable to move fast enough to actually accomplish this task, when the whole fleet jumped to hyperspace with the exception of that frigate, one of the Pellaeon destroyers was accelerating into hyperspace right on a collision vector with the Dark Wings. The faster-than-light impact annihilated both crafts completely, unintentionally accomplishing the only mission left to the droid crew.
The Sith armada had other problems than a missing Star Destroyer, however. The moment they had reverted to realspace, the Republic fleet had opened fire at the mass of ships without even worrying about establishing solid targeting solutions. All the High Admiral was hoping for was to do some discretionary damage to the Sith ships in the seconds before they were able to bring up their shields to respond to the threats now cramming into their tactical networks. She was rewarded with some minor hits that punctured a few hull plates but otherwise did not cripple any of the Sith ships with the sole exception of one of the Gladiator-class Star Destroyers that was in the lead of the formation, which was left without a bridge or much of its ventral hull armor and was suddenly a floating hulk of metal and slowly decompressing cabins.
The Sith Master Lord, on the now-frantic bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Shadow Journey, was pounding the arm of the command chair and then leaping to his feet, shouting over the sudden din,
"Bring shields up! Enter into dagger formation and retaliate!"
The orders were being relayed just as the Super Star Destroyer shuddered as a volley of missiles from the nearest Republic Star Destroyers impacted mostly harmlessly off of the forward shields.
Little did the Sith Master Lord, or any of the other High Lords of the Sith Council who were now spread throughout the Super Star Destroyer at various meditation chambers where they would focus their efforts on coordinating battle groups if necessary, was aware in all the chaos now assailing them that the deadliest foe was currently landing in a rather innocuous Lambda-class shuttle. There would be no delegation to escort them to an audience chamber, as all officers and soldiers were now rushing to their stations preparing to whether the storm of a full-scale battle. Normally, Sith officers in this scenario would know to remain on their vessel until summoned, but the Jedi infiltration team had no such compulsions. Still masking their Force presence as the shuttle settled on its landing struts, they were all prepared to dash for cover and the exits to the hangar bays, lightsabers unlit but in hand at the first sign of danger. The most dangerous and yet decisive action of the entire war was very much in the making...any moment now.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 16, 2014 22:08:20 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
Analytical eyes stared out of the forward viewports of the Corusca, flagship of the Republic fleet defending Corellia. This was, as far as all plans and signs pointed to, the last stand of the Republic. Surely, the fleets fighting in the Outer Rim theaters and the few reserve ships of various minor powers such as the Hapes' fleet or the Corporate Sector defense force would still be fighting until each and every ship was either subdued or destroyed, but that would not change the fact that the war would be over; that the Sith will have won and claimed the galaxy for their own.
Those same analytical eyes, absorbing the formation of the encroaching Sith armada and translating that gathered information into useful tactical sense, were ablaze with determination to do everything in the power of their owner, Jedi or no, to prevent the Sith from winning this battle. To prevent those evil invaders from seizing Corellia and with it the entire galaxy shortly afterwards. To save the quadrillions of denizens that she had sworn to, many standard years ago, protect with her very last breath.
High Admiral Rosina, her complete understanding that her entire life had led up to this, turned towards the fleet coordinator and gave her first command of the engagement with such pure conviction that she dispelled even the most trivial doubt in her mind just hearing her own words.
"All ships, engage the enemy. Hammer tactic. They're making a spear to plunge into our hearts. Let's break it."
The officer immediately set about relaying the orders. Rosina, her topknot swaying as she whipped her gaze back to the Sith fleet, already firing back at her ships. This was her time.
*****************************************************************************************
Masters Lapay no Ryu and Orian Katal were filing back into the passenger cabin of the Lambda-class shuttle, pronouncing that the ship was shut down and that all indicators showed the last-ditch bomb was ready for arming if necessary. Eight other Jedi nodded grimly at this information, each hoping in their own way that such measures would be unnecessary and that they would carry out their mission to the letter. After all, they were more than certain that the Republic was counting on them.
The Bothan Master, Gadriel'lya, looked among the others as he slid past the cramped bodies to the access panel for the boarding ramp.
"You know the plans and assignments. We've been preparing for this, and we're all far too professional to stray from our objectives now."
He punctuated this assurance by keying the ramp to lower, pneumatic hisses puncturing the tense silence the Jedi were otherwise encased within. Harsh white light flooded in from the starkly built hangar bay, huge and vaulted to match the size of the ship it was a part of. As the Jedi, trying to look as natural as possible, filed down the ramp, they took stock of their immediate area and as far as they could see besides.
The bay was nothing but an innumerable number of squares bays for individual starships: row upon row, column upon column. Stretching for hundreds of meters in every direction from the berth the Jedi had been guided to land in. Currently, the hangar was alive with hundreds of starfighters being prepared and launched for battle against the Republic fleet. They zoomed out, most individually or in pairs, but sometimes and entire flight found their way out together and the assorted TIE fighters, V-wings, and occasional Belbulbab or Porax joined them flooding out of the containment field like gnaps from a hive. As much as the Jedi wished to do something to prevent the starfighters from joining the fight or at least thinning their numbers to give their own allies out in cold space, they knew this was one aspect of this battle they were powerless to affect.
"Perimeter positions."
This order was uttered by Master Cro, ever the objective-minded, and the Jedi instinctively moved out in a half-circle around the stern of the shuttle taking up seemingly casual positions near docking equipment: starfighter boarding scaffolding, equipment racks, and part bins. No lightsabers were lit or even on-hand, all were concealed on belt clips or in holsters. The Jedi adopted this pose and each individual centered themselves prepared to call on the Force from the complete obscurity they had been in during the insertion. So far, not a single crew member of security detail had registered their presence or their behavior. The Jedi were only hoping this could remain as the case for as long as possible.
"Scan, now."
On that verbal cue, all the Jedi opened themselves to the Force again, actively searching for concentrations of Dark side energy. They were certain that the various Sith Council members would be actively influencing the Sith forces, and so would be dark beacons in the otherwise colorless fabric of the Force. True enough to their suppositions, the Dark spots were easily identifiable as they were spread out across the Super Star Destroyer, many hundreds of meters apart. The Jedi, melding their senses together to efficiently share information, determined that more than half of the Sith were in the rear half of the ship. Also, as the Jedi tried their best to covertly scan their targets, they were not altogether surprised when many of the Dark side concentrations signifying Sith Council members reacted with surprise at the Jedi probe. They lost the element of surprise, certainly, but to keep it was to waste an immeasurable amount of time manually searching for the Sith in the vast expanse of the Super Star Destroyer. There was no time for that.
A quick conference was held. Masters Fisher, Tanes, and Knight Caranthyr would go towards the prow of the ship to exterminate the fewer Sith in that section. The rest of the Jedi would move towards the rear of the ship, picking off targets as they worked their way to the biggest of the Dark side concentrations, nearly a Force nexus all on its own. They all presumed this was the Sith Leader they were sensing. It filled them with a sense of urgency to know that such a powerful being lay in wait for them.
And so with hastily whispered "May the Force be with yous" said all around, the Jedi moved briskly from their docking berth and out onto the main concourse that connected this particular bank of docking berths. The traffic was becoming sparse with most of the pilots already in their ships or already participating in the battle heating up outside. Supports personnel bustled around moving tools, supplies, and equipment between berths. None paid too much attention to a group of figures dressed in Imperial uniforms moving just as hastily as any of them through their midst. At a particular junction, the Jedi group knew it was time to divide. Tanes, Fisher, and Caranthyr bid farewell with a nod of the head and moved right, heading to the fore of the ship. That left the other seven Jedi to head aft.
They moved quickly, almost jogging in their haste, mirroring any set of officers set about reaching a battle station during this battle. This deep in the Destroyer, the rumbles of near-impacts were severely reduced and barely even registered if they were minor enough. Sounds of the battle was nearly non-existence. As the Jedi left the hangar area, moving into more human-sized corridors, they wondered at the almost out-of-place sense of detachment they got from the bloody battle raging on outside the ship. It was almost perverse to think so many crew members conducted their jobs aboard this ship during war and were not even at all experiencing the horrors they were partially responsible for subjecting others to.
Keth let these inane, useless thoughts occupy his mind as he moved with the other Masters, knowing that he was always alert, but for the sake of the mission would rather not be broadcasting his intent to kill so easily to the Sith who were obviously very much in-tune with the Force. The musings about proper battle surroundings for the crew aboard this Star Destroyer were a very convenient mask against the potential prying presence of the Sith they were here to kill.
Striding next to him was the Barabel Haska Herotyne. His reptilian eyes were darting back and forth under a heavy brow, always absorbing new information about their surroundings. Given that much of this squad of Jedi were out-of-place aliens, they were definitely receiving looks from less-hurried crew members moving through the corridor opposite them. Yet, with a subtle suggestion in the Force, Master Starfall was effortlessly deflecting the casual interest in the oddity that they were and allowing minds already focused on more pressing matters get back to focusing on them.
They walked in silence, observing for one reason, and just internalizing their nervousness for the other. At any moment, they could be ambushed, or singled out as enemies, and the fight for their lives would begin. All of this peaceful transit was practically an unwanted illusion. They all would rather be fighting their way, inch for inch through enemy territory, then walking amongst the enemy and having them all around them.
Finally, the Jedi party of seven reached a bank of turbolifts. Already very sure that none of their Sith quarry could be found anywhere on this deck level, the turbolifts were the obvious next step. But cramming seven Jedi into one was unwise tactically. It made that single turbolift one easy malfunction from effectively crippling the Jedi plan. So wordlessly, the Jedi split among the turbolifts, Master Starfall and No Ryu to one, Master Cro and Gadriel'lya to a second, and Master Katal joining Keth and Haska at the third. For now, all were going up, but through the mind meld they were currently employing the Jedi all communicated intent. The first lift would stop at the lowest decks were they had detected Sith, given the apparent schematics of the decks the lift serviced. The second lift would go higher. The final lift was the scour the uppermost decks.
With a few knowing glances, the Jedi parceled themselves up, cut the mind meld among them, and closed themselves into the lifts, rapidly ascending. Master Katal, somewhat the eccentric, glanced over at the two Knights joining her. She had a gleam in her eyes.
"Guess what's on the uppermost decks, boys?"
Very familiar with capital ship infiltration, Keth voiced what had already been going through his mind.
"The command bridge and maybe even audience chamber."
Realization dawned on Haska as Keth said this.
"Jedi Caranthyr spoke to the Sith High Lord from the bridge. Thiz one thinkz the hunt shall be great indeed."
Katal smirked at the Barabel's assessment.
"'Great is one way to put it, Haska. Others may say we drew the short straw."
Keth bared his fangs at the thought of being the one to encounter the most powerful Sith in the galaxy.
"Either way, we'll do it if we must. We have no choice."
Orian looked at the Shistavanen earnestly.
"Well, someone's gotta do it."
The lift ascended in silence after that. While said with humor, the implications were all too serious.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Jul 31, 2014 15:58:32 GMT -8
Sometime in the past...(Private Storyline)
The Jedi meld dropped away. As the distance between the three groups of Jedi increased, they dared not risk increasing the amount of Force power they were channeling for fear of telegraphing their positions to the Sith. Now, Keth, Haska, and Orian were alone from all the other Jedi, prepared to work as a three man cell to kill anyone and anything that stood in their path. They had fallen silent, contemplating further the gravity of the mission before them...
...and then a presence brushed over them, feeling cold and malicious. However, as it did so, the three Jedi felt a mixed sense of surprise and then anger before whatever it was slipped away. The three shared glances, knowing full well what had just discovered them.
"One of the Sith has detected us, it seems."
This was Orian, she smirked at the statement, despite its very unfortunate implications. For one, if the Sith knew based on their trajectory that they were in a turbolift and he had the means to shut it down, they were effectively in a very tight spot. However, with time suddenly against them, the Jedi were relieved to see the deck indicator showing that they were slowing to reach their desired floor.
"I wonder how long before the security is after us."
This was Keth. His lightsaber was in hand but unlit.
Understanding the implications of the thought, Orian unclipped her double-bladed lightsaber from her belt and Haska did likewise with his. The turbolift gently decelerated, and as it stopped, the trio began reaching out to the deck beyond the door, detecting any potential dangers currently unseen. They did indeed sense a mass of beings, apparently steeling themselves as if ready to weather a storm in the corridor beyond. Immediate assumption was that they were the security force already dispatched to head them off and kill them. What this told all three Jedi was that there was no longer any point in masking their presences in the Force.
They all suddenly lit up like bright beacons, instantly letting nearly every Sith on the Super Star Destroyer know they were present. Yes, this would definitely draw attention to themselves, but it was possible that, if the other Jedi were still undetected, the Sith would not see them coming and be caught off guard as they were attacked. It was a worthwhile risk.
The doors opened, and all three Jedi sprung into the corridor, lightsaber blades lighting with distinctive snap-hisses as they took up a triangular formation, guarding the backs of their allies. What Keth saw was what he expected, a bank of soldiers in black body armor kneeling and standing to the right of the lift exit, where he and Haska were facing. They had their rifles trained on the door but were hurrying to track the Jedi who had burst from the lift with unnatural speed. Orian faced an equivalent contigent of soldiers on the left side, but with two green blades defending her, she was more equipped to take on the bank than either Haska or Keth could alone. What was more: in the bank of troopers facing Keth and Haska, a woman stood without a weapon. She wore more traditional robes than the soldiers, and held no rifle. Instead, Keth spied a black saber hilt in her hand, unlit but ready. Given that her presence was not overwhelmingly strong, Keth figured she was either a lesser warrior or someone's apprentice. Her presence either suggested that the Sith Lord who alerted the security was testing the strength of the intruders, or that she was headstrong enough to believe she would be a match for them and win glory and advancement for herself in the event of success.
Keth inwardly groaned. She would die either way.
The stand off lasted only a second, and then the Jedi were leaping to engage the enemy. Orian was steadily advancing at her trooper bank, batting bolts away from her as she spun her double-bladed saber like a shield of light. Keth and Haska were more ferocious, leaping acrobatically before the troopers had even completed tracking their targets, and were among their ranks even as the first blasterbolts were being fired. Keth, in the midst of slicing through limbs, torsos, and rifle barrels, saw the Sith woman backing away, evaluating the opponents as they tore through the non-Force-sensitive soldiers she was employing.
Worried that she would escape and alert her superiors more than they already knew, Keth was determined to stop her. He whirled in a complete circle, swinging his blade and dismembering three soldiers who were all attempting to back away from him before leaping over the last line of soldiers between he and her. Coming down spryly, Keth swung around, deflecting a volley of bolts back into the soldiers trying to gun him down from behind. The deflected bolts wounded or killed the soldiers who fired them, and then Keth was pivoting again, coming to bear on the Sith women, now retreating slowly down the corridor away from the battle, always watching them. Keth bared his fangs and reached out with the Force, grabbing her in it and taking her by surprise, she struggled to repel his grab with a Force pulse of her own, but Keth's superior strength was evidenced by her failure. Panic lit up her Force aura as Keth gestured and slammed her into the bulkhead next to her before jumping straight at her, blade above his head.
Stunned only momentarily, the Sith rolled away from the wall and activated her saber as Keth came down where she had been. Even as he turned to face her and slash overhand at her body, she was flipping to her feet and meeting his viridian blade with her crimson one in a flash of light. Keth's strike was strong enough, however, to send her reeling towards the other side of the corridor, desperately trying to keep the Shistavanen at bay. Clearly, the Sith was an apprentice of some stature and knew immediately that she was out of her league against such unexpectedly powerful foes. Whether by foolishness on her part or design by her master, Keth could not tell. He did not pity her, as she had embraced the way of the Sith regardless, and should have expected being used in such a manner.
Paying no mind as Orian and Haska mopped up the remaining soldiers, Keth advanced on the Sith apprentice and rained down on her panicked defense with strong blows that had overwhelmed even Lord Deixar over Korriban. Unfortunately for the human Sith, she was nowhere near Deixar's strength, and despite her spirited defense, blocking all of his attacks if only barely, she was running out of maneuvering room. Backed against the corridor's wall, Keth methodically and without emotion struck at her from every angle, stopped any parry before it could develop into a counterstrike, and lowered her range of movement until her defense mimicked the most-closed version of Soresu.
Her back finally hit the wall, jolting the apprentice's concentration even for a second and it was there Keth found his opening. Deftly, he circumvented her sloppy parry to his slash at her neck, twirled his blade and sliced the hilt of her saber in two, taking her last two fingers with it. Pain suddenly overrode her presence in the Force and she cried out. Ready to bring his blade around and hold it to her neck, hoping to encourage a surrender out of her, Keth's guard was down as the apprentice called upon the Force to shove him back a few meters. Given room, the apprentice tried to conjure Force Lightning to hopefully end his assault, but as she did so, Keth caught the lethal energy on his blade and deflected it back on her, electrocuting her and cutting off the stream as she succumbed to muscle spasms.
Collapsing to her knees from the pain and disorientation, the apprentice looked up into Keth's eyes as he strode towards her, holding his green blade to her face. Seeing the compassion in his eyes, the apprentice's turned hard and Keth felt the Force spike. But, his reflexes were still faster, and he drove the blade through her forehead and out the back of her skull, ending her life and any further resistance in one strike. Keth deactivated the blade and turned from the corpse he had just created, seeing that Haska and Orian were picking their way through a sea of damaged bodies towards him. The ambush set for them had failed utterly, Keth doubted any of the Jedi had even a scratch. They tried not to consider the lives they had just taken, but instead focused on moving on ahead.
"I suspect the Sith won't send such an incapable force against us now."
Keth said this, gesturing to the litter of parts around their feet.
"Thiz group was clearly tezting our strength, and not intended to stop us. Later groupz may not be so eazy to dismizz."
Haska provided this as the trio strode away from the carnage of the failed ambush, moving down the corridor the way the Sith apprentice had been trying to retreat. They could feel the first of a few dark beacons that way, knowing it was the destination they sought.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Aug 1, 2014 21:12:33 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
They moved briskly through endless meters of nondescript corridors, lightsabers in hand and lit, not taking any chances that some Sith assassin or eagle-eyed soldier would have a free shot at them without a defense only a flick of the wrist away. The only sense of direction they had came from what they could feel in the Force. Since the numerous Sith Lords were actively trying to bolster their ships engaged in the battle over Corellia, they could not hide their presences and evade the detection of the Jedi. This left the Lords very options: abandon their Battle Meditation, or hope that the security forces and any number of lesser Sith sent against them would be enough to either capture, kill, or deter them for a sufficient amount of time to allow the Sith to force the battle to a conclusion. This was an unintended but completely welcome side effect of the Jedi infiltration. As they pushed closer to any of the Sith targets, it was becoming apparent through the Force that they were pushing their strategies forward before they were necessarily tactically viable or even possible. The Sith battle plan, while still solid, was becoming less efficient as the Jedi progressed.
With Haska at the point, the trio of Jedi raced up to another closed bulkhead door, this one labeled to be leading to the executive medical bay. They had ascended far enough into the Super Star Destroyer to now be among the sections of the ship typically reserved for the upper echelon crew and staff, including any potential foreign dignitaries and other high-ranking individuals. The first Sith was clearly stationed in a meditation chamber very nearby, as was evidenced by the thickening of the dark Force aura as the Jedi raced forward.
The Barabel Jedi raised a clawed hand, using the Force to blow the door inward off its track. The now bent and sparking piece of metal tumbled through the main corridor of the medical bay, eliciting shouts of surprise from the occupants within. Orange blade held in a guard position, Haska leaped into the bay shortly after the door, with Orian and Keth right behind. Expecting another troop of soldiers like the near dozen that had attempted to intercept them since they had faced the Sith apprentice and her squad, the Jedi were relieved to discover the only people at hand were either medical staff or a few non-armed crew members. Some were either patched up with bacta bandages or in the middle of being patched up. It was easy to forget in the city-sized starship that a fierce battle was raging outside, and anyone working on station at any point near the outer hull of the ship was in constant danger of being injured or killed by enemy fire or debris.
But with three Jedi, panting and holding lightsabers, in their midst suddenly, all action in the medbay had come to a halt and all uninjured eyes were upon them. The closest medical technician, wearing the gray uniform of support staff seen to be worn by many aboard the Destroyer but stylized with white accents and medical insignias, broke free of the shock and stepped forward. It was clear from her bearing and recovery that she was at one point a field doctor who was used to any number of potentially lethal surprises. Her eyes were hardened but not malicious.
"You aren't Sith."
This was a statement more than a question, but the implications were not lost on the trio. Keth, closest to her, lowered his blade to a more casual stance and responded cautiously.
"No, we are not."
The technician betrayed no reaction to the confirmation. She added.
"I am surprised you have not been captured or killed. The Sith and their soldiers are ruthless."
This intrigued Keth, who titled his head and asked.
"You don't seem to identify as one of them, why is that?"
She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at his query, and answered, glancing from one to the next between the Jedi as she did so.
"The Sith had to have been somewhere all this time they were away from the galaxy proper. Not all of us fighting this war have any grudge against the Republic...or the Jedi."
Keth had no response ready for this. Strangely enough, he and the other Jedi had not considered the state of the army the Sith employed. Clearly the main soldiery employed by the Sith had been indoctrinated well enough, but thinking of the constituent worlds of the Sith Empire as anything but pure Sith themselves was another story entirely. The whole revelation was rather stunning.
Orian put a hand to Keth's shoulder, drawing his attention back to the present.
"We don't have time to remain here."
Keth nodded, chiding himself internally for his sudden shock. He made to move for the exit hatch on the far end of the bay, looking over at the technician as he did so.
"Our intentions should be obvious. We've come to defeat the Sith and end this war they've started."
The technician did not reply this time, but instead watched with those war-hardened eyes as the trio of Jedi jogged towards the medical bay's exit. As they passed, one other medical staff member, a short man with thick sideburns, saluted and said.
"May the Force be with you."
This heartened the Jedi as much as it caught them off guard, but they did not break stride. Orian looked over her shoulder as they went, nodding in acknowledgement of the man. Leaving the medbay, the Jedi were suddenly aware that they were fighting for more than the safety of the Republic, but for the freedom of a completely unrealized demographic.
The Jedi hustled along in silence, letting the encounter with the medbay staff mull over in their minds, when a sudden surge in the Dark side brought them to a halt. Resuming their defensive formation, the Jedi retrained their thoughts on the here and now and extended their senses through the Force.
Two figures clad in black rounded a corner up ahead of the Jedi. They wore only body armor, and were not covering it with a cloak, but the lightsaber hilts in their hands made their identities all too obvious. While a simple brush in the Force easily dismissed them as lesser than Sith Lords and definitely not the source of the Dark side miasma permeating the atmosphere, they seemed more skilled with the Force than the apprentice Keth had easily dispatched. These men, one with a thin beard outlining his jawline and another completely bald, wore looks of pure malice and evil intent. They were all but telegraphing their intent as they approached, and it did not help that the men were most likely being goaded on by the Dark energy swirling around the area.
Nevertheless, Orian felt compelled to say as a prelude.
"Consider yourself warned: engaging us will only end in your death."
Instead of evaluating the statement, the two Sith took it as an invitation and ignited their sabers, red blades springing to life in contrast to the green and orange blades of the Jedi. They said nothing, but only smirked as they paced away from each other.
Haska, despite being ready, also felt compelled to mention.
"There are only two of you. Surely you know something about odds?"
The two Sith gave no answer for that, either. But Haska had brought up a good point that had Keth wondering why the Sith would engage when they clearly had the disadvantage with regards to numbers...
...unless they did not.
Feeling this premonition solidify into instinct, Keth spun around, immediately catching sight of a final armored figure emerging from the medical bay, completely masked in the Force. The Sith's plan was apparent: distract the Jedi with an obvious challenge and then ambush them with a third member. But luckily, Haska had said the right thing, or else this mission may have been rapidly coming to an end.
The man promptly realized he was found and lit his own saber, but it was what was in the Sith's other hand that caught Keth's attention: the dismembered head of the female medical technician that had implied not all subjects of the Sith Empire were loyal to it. Even as the icy-cold realization hit Keth that this third Sith HAD BEEN in the medbay as they had let their guard down, Keth had no time to dwell on it because the first two Sith, Bald and Beard, lunged on the attack, trying to catch Orian and Haska unaware. As they did so, Keth was already leaping at the third Sith, catching him off guard. But the Shistavanen was absolutely set on avenging the death of the sympathetic medical tech with the emotionless justice he was very familiar with.
Surprised at the sudden aggression, the third Sith barely had time to discard the lifeless head and bring his saber to bear before Keth was driving relentless blows into him, forcing an unmitigated retreat from the Sith. Even as he did so, Haska and Orian were expertly repelling the Sith assault. Normally, such confined quarters as a starship corridor would be a hazard for two Jedi to fight alongside in, but Haska and Orian were able to synchronize their battle style through the Force and repel both Sith without the confined space even remotely hindering them. In counterpoint, the two large men were indeed inhibited by the need to stand almost shoulder-to-shoulder, and they were unable to mount a very creative attack. The Jedi Master, wielding her dual-sided saber, was able to provide most of the defense for the pair while Haska was able to lash out with counterparries, forcing the Sith off any inspired attack. And once on the back foot, Orian was able to take the lead from Haska, using her lightsaber's superior range and coverage to face both Sith simultaneously. Both occupied with her flashing green blades, Haska was left free to Force blast them, sending both men flying against the wall behind them, leaving them on their knees at the corner of the corridor where they had emerged from. The Barabel and human Jedi rushed the briefly disoriented Sith, aiming to overwhelm them with superior teamwork.
Meanwhile, Keth was fighting a much more even duel. The Sith had overcome Keth's initial onslaught and had managed to balance his defensive parries with offensive maneuvers, which Keth had no trouble blocking regardless. But he was finding that the Sith, fresh as he was, was having no trouble creating very crisp manuevers. Keth, in spite of himself, realized that he was not equally fresh. The prolonged battle that was their trek to this point had taken a toll, however minor, upon him. Realizing this fact, Keth decided to capitalize on it. As he went to perform another cut-and-dry two-handed slash at the Sith's shoulder, he intentionally allowed the Sith's obvious deflection to drag his saber off line from his center of gravity. Allowing his body to over-compensate as he pulled back from the Sith's obvious try at an uppercut to his briefly exposed torso, Keth feigned stumbling back a step. It was in the moment of perceived weakness that the Sith's eyes lit up with hunger for blood and he lunged, opening his body up as he moved to pierce Keth's exposed heart.
But the Shistavanen was ready. Keth let his left leg, supporting his weight, collapse and he fell, the Sith's saber passing over his shoulder by an inch. Now with his blade point angled right at the Sith's torso from below, all Keth did was spring back up, the full force of his legs behind the lightsaber thrust plunging into the center of the Sith's chest. The Sith, face betraying his surprise at being impaled, looked into Keth's furry face without any of that malice he had just moment prior. Unfeeling, Keth withdrew his blade and Force pushed the man's body away from him, into the now-closed door of the medical bay where it slumped to the floor, life draining quickly from him.
Keth turned from the dying Sith in time to see Master Katal, blades twirling above her head like a propeller, decapitate both of her opponents as Haska was backflipping away from her, avoiding the blades as if the whole maneuver was choreographed. It was not entirely untrue. These were some of the strongest Jedi in the galaxy, and they were very familiar with each other at this point. Keth was certain that almost any combination of members on this strike team was capable of melding in combat to maximize their effectiveness. Either way, as the two bodies fell to the floor separate from their heads, Orian and Haska turned back to Keth, seeing him unharmed and victorious.
"Those were probably the Sith Lord's guard."
Orian conjectured about the three men who had ambushed them. Indeed, they could feel the tension grow in the Dark side aura as the Sith Lord clearly reacted to the death of the three assassins. Whoever their target was, he was very aware that the Jedi coming for him were very capable.
"Thiz one suggests we hurry. The quarry cannot slip away."
Haska added, already looking over his shoulder to the continuation of the corridor. Keth nodded and was joining the other two as they jogged forward, completely prepared to face their first foe.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Aug 4, 2014 15:11:20 GMT -8
Sometime in the Past... (Private Storyline)
The Dark side was thick, pervasive. The three powerful Jedi did not let it in. They found their own personal centers, harboring only the Light, and used that to shield themselves perfectly from the swirling murk that emanated behind one final bulkhead. The lack of any further guards only strengthened the idea that the three Sith they had dispatched down the corridor were the extent of this Sith Lord's party. Now was the time to start swinging the tide of battle in their favor.
All it took was one single step following another. Again, and again, and again until every Sith aboard this ship was dead or incapacitated. Not for the first time, the Jedi strengthened their resolve knowing that the fate of the free galaxy depended on them. Here and now.
Incidentally at the point of the trio, Haska let the Force funnel through his outstretched hand, blowing in the doorway with a positively unstoppable showing of power. The Jedi, lightsabers blazing, leaped full-tilt into the miasma, bracing themselves for a potential counter-attack. But as they did so, sending abstract panels of light all across the dim room, they were not assaulted, but the miasma surrounding them began to waver, presumably because the Sith's Battle Meditation had been disturbed by their flashy entrance. Surely, at the far end of the room seated in a meditation circle was a black clad man wearing no armor but only a flowing robe that masked the extent of his form as he sat cross-legged on the ground, looking like a dark blob of cloth surrounded by almost visible Dark side energy swirling about the edges of the meditation circle.
The figure did not appear to immediately register them, and Keth had to wonder whether his meditations were so deep that he could not detect presences in his immediate vicinity after all. Maybe this would be easy...
Clearly, Keth's thoughts were mirrored across the other Jedi with him, as without any warning Master Katal charged forward, double-bladed saber raised and spinning, ready to strike the Sith down and count this their easiest kill thus far.
But as she charged across the intervening meters, Keth watched in seeming slow-motion as the Sith's head raised up, intrinsically moving the veil of dark, ropy hair from his face as he did so. Bright yellow eyes stared at the charging Jedi Master with an air of contempt, and a smirk was just barely forming and creasing the lines of his dark face. Keth's danger sense flared brutally, and he was springing forward, summoning the Force to his lupine legs to try and close the distance. Haska followed on his powerful reptilian legs, sensing the same thing that Keth did and knowing Master Katal was about to be caught off guard, as tunneled on the kill as she was.
They were not nearly quick enough.
Obviously steeped in the Force at such an arcane level as to be super-human, the Sith Lord barely twitched and Orian was launched in reverse on a wave of Dark energy so strong it was palpable to even Keth and Haska, who were knocked off course and sent skidding in the opposite direction as if being brushed aside by a stampeding bantha. The Jedi Master hit the wall next to their entrance with such force that the bulkhead crumpled under the impact, and Orian fell wordlessly to the floor, having released her lightsaber while riding the blast.
Keth and Haska, recovering before they had even stopped tumbling, were rising as the Sith's unnerving eyes turned on them. Sensing another attack as the Dark side surged, Keth watched as purple Force lightning arced from the bubble of energy surrounding the Sith Lord at Haska, who was trying to bring his lightsaber up. Keth summoned a Force shield around Haska as the lightning struck, sparing the momentarily stunned Barabel from the debilitating attack. But Keth felt the drain on his endurance as he fought against a superior strength to him to hold the lightning off, but suddenly his burden was lessened as Haska added his own strength to the shield, and they effectively pushed the lightning away to where the dark-skinned Sith called off the assault. Given even the momentary reprieve, both Jedi Knights were charging forward toward the Sith's position, Haska summoning the ruined bulkhead door and hurling it at the Sith from a position opposite their attack.
Having to suddenly split his concentration, the Sith was unable to stop the object before it impacted against his bubble, sending ripples and breaks throughout the meditation energy. The Sith's eyes grew wide for a moment, realizing he was in jeopardy of being overwhelmed, and suddenly Keth realized he was being flung backwards off his feet as the Sith terminated the bubble, sending the energy out in a pulse to give him some breathing room. But Keth and Haska both controlled their flights, flipped and landed against the wall originally at their backs with feet firmly planted before pushing foward into a roll before springing up and hurtling themselves at the Sith Lord with the gathered momentum.
Keth blocked a bolt of lightning as he leaped through the air, catching it expertly on his blade. Haska, on the other hand, was hitting the ground and taking another leap, aiming to finally get within melee range of the Lord holding them at bay. As the man called off his attack against Keth and redirected it on the Barabel, the Shistavanen reached to where he saw Orian's discarded lightsaber, activating it as he sent it spinning at the Sith Lord from behind.
This forced the Sith Lord to suspend his attack on Haska and instead bring up a Force barrier in the nick of time to knock the spinning saber away from the back of his skull, but in that moment Haska was nearly finishing closing the distance. Even as he raised his orange saber to bring it down on the Sith's head, a red lightsaber ignited from the man's belt, telepathically controlled, and caught Haska's blade perfectly, then proceeded to begin dueling with the Jedi Knight without the Sith actually making any contact with the weapon. It was becoming apparent this man was everything a Dark side master of the Force could be, and that his strengths lay not in physical combat: even his lightsaber was controlled nearly remotely. A practitioner of Telekinetic Lightsaber Combat was rare to find simply due to the difficulty afforded the training. One of the only notable members of that short list was the ancient Sith Lord Darth Kreia. In fact, Keth would not have been surprised to find out this Sith had perfected the technique from knowledge passed down from that Lady of the Sith.
Keth did not sit idle as watched Haska driven back by the range of motion afforded a telekinetically controlled lightsaber, he charged too, bringing his viridian blade to bear as a second lightsaber emerged from the Sith's belt to meet Keth. Now the two Knights were in a fight for their lives as they leaped, rolled, spun and parried to keep up with the lightsaber that could hit from any angle that would otherwise be impossible for an actual biological combatant to utilize. The fighting style was nearly akin to defending against the universe' best Master of Ataru aided by world-class agility and a biological predisposition to height, strength, and agility. Situated between the two Jedi, the Sith Lord remained still, focusing solely on defeating the two Knights from two different angles. Splitting one's concentration was the most difficult aspect of Telekinetic Lightsaber Combat to master, but this man had done it and did it well.
Blocking a particularly harrowing set of blows that forced Keth to flip away from to avoid losing a leg, Keth tried to think of how to get past the seemingly untouchable defense. There had to be a way to distract him. Surely he didn't have the ability to divide his consciousness anymore, did he? How many theaters of combat could the man enter and hold his own in?
The answer cam in short order, as unbeknownst to the three combatants, Orian's lightsaber was once again whirling through the air, humming and deadly at the back of man's head. Keth did not see it behind the flashing red blade before him, and Haska was unaware as he was driven farther back. The Sith Lord, clearly unable to detect the spinning blade before it was too late, only turned as it sheered through his skull at an angle, killing him instantly as his brain was cleaved unevenly in two. Instantly the two lightsabers fighting Keth and Haska dropped to the deck, now inanimate, and both Knights were momentarily confused as they looked upon the dead Lord before them. A grunt issued from the other end of the room where Jedi Master Orian Katal was unsteadily rising to her feet, holding the back of her head as she swayed on unsteady feet. It had been her miraculous coming-to that gave them the edge they desperately needed in combat.
But just as relief filled the Shistavanen and the Barabel, the human Master collapsed again, and they were instantly running to her side, helping her slowly to a sitting position. Inspection revealed her pupils dilated massively, signalling she was suffering from a huge concussion, and the lump on the back of her head was so alarmingly large that Keth pulled back from it upon discovery. The Knight was honestly astonished that the Master was not still unconscious or in a coma. That particular sentiment was dispelled as the Master looked up at her alien allies and said groggily.
"I'm lucky I'm familiar with the Healing Arts, otherwise I may not have came-to at all. My head is pounding though...and I can barely see."
Keth marveled at the Force strength present in Orian as he replied.
"You have an unbelievably sever concussion, Master. I'm surprised you were able to wake up, let alone use the Force as you did."
Orian attempted to grin at that, but her impaired state left her mouth open loosely. She added quietly.
"Adrenaline does wonders, Keth. But we cannot stay here. We must move on."
Haska, having collected Orian's lightsaber as well as the Sith's two sabers and was standing near the door watching cautiously, spoke towards them.
"This one iz certain the Master iz correct. But she iz in no condition to fight or run now."
Keth could only silently agree with his Barabel ally as Orian protested weakly.
"No, I cannot sit while the others continue to risk their lives."
Keth gently held her on her rear by her shoulders as she tried to stand up. Even the effort of the attempt evoked a very visible wince. He said.
"I cannot allow it, Master, you'd be best off in the medbay we passed, or at least tucked away somewhere to enter a trance."
Realizing her physical state for what seemed like the first time, Master Katal sighed before pausing to collect her murky thoughts.
"I don't think we can necessarily trust the medbay, Keth. Find a closet or something..."
Haska added even as she was trailing off.
"This one sensez a small room nearby. Master Katal would find a trance possible there."
Keth nodded, augmenting his strength with the Force to make the Jedi Master's weight practically insignificant as he lifted her into his strong arms like a child, where she unhappily allowed the act. The two Knights stored the Master in an attendant's closet, presumably used when that particularly meditation chamber was originally used as a conference room for visiting high-ranking officials. They left her not only her lightsaber but both of the Sith Lord's matte black weapons as back-up in case she needed a surprise, knowing that Orian would be healing as quickly as possible to return to the fight. They did warn her, however, as they prepared to leave, that they would short-out the door and leave it inaccessible to anyone, neutral or malicious, so that she would at least have time to react upon being discovered. Accepting the precaution, Orian shooed the pair away, urging haste in completing the mission.
With a grim set to their faces, Haska and Keth shared a look after they ruined the opening mechanism on Master Katal's closet and jogged off down the corridor, moving on to the next concentration of Dark energy they could sense, realizing that the overall Dark murk of the ship was lessened by the death of one of the Sith Lords. It was even possible other infiltration groups had eliminated targets as well and that the mission was proceeding well. Haska muttered as they moved.
"This one hopez we conclude this business soon."
Keth only nodded, wordlessly agreeing with the sentiment.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Aug 8, 2014 23:15:17 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
They were always on the move. Stopping would allow the Sith, very obviously aware of their position by now, time to close a net of personnel around them. The pair of alien Jedi wanted to conserve their strength for the fight that counted and not in some killing floor where it was just wanton slaughter. No Jedi wanted such things, they only wanted to restore stability to the galaxy.
Anymore, not even Keth believed in peace. War compounded with conflicts compounded with interplanetary friction compounded with the nature of most sapient beings and even as a Defender of Peace Keth was finding that his faith in that glorious ideal was only a personal one and not a very likely possibility on the scale of galaxies. There was simply too many different people with too many different viewpoints for everyone to even attempt to see through the same kaleidoscope. In the sum total of the history of the Jedi, they always held weapons. The lightsaber had evolved with the times, and it was testament to the fact that the Jedi could never uphold peace if their most recognizable symbol was a weapon that was more efficient at killing than many weapons the galaxy over. Stability was still a noble goal, Keth knew. To have that meant that the bad and the good were balancing each other out. That the struggles of life persisted for everyone, but at the same time they were mitigated by the good nature found within all people. The Jedi would be there to uphold not peace, but the very delicate balance between chaos and order.
As they were attempting to do now.
A sudden thrill up Keth's spine sent him into an instinctual roll forward, ducking low as a scything wave of vermilion blasterfire hammered into the wall just over his head as he passed through an intersection. Fetching up against the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, Keth took stock of the situation. On the other side of the now deadly crossfire, he spied Haska also kneeling behind cover, orange lightsaber lit but not in use. They locked gazes in the midst of the flashing conflagration and in it was all the communication they needed to share. Simultaneously, both Jedi leaped into the intersection, lightsabers flashing and spinning almost faster than the eye could track, deflecting the bolts coming at them from a firing squad propped against a sealed bulkhead only ten meters from the two Jedi.
After a delay in which the firing squad realized the majority of their bolts were becoming hazards to their own health and a direct detriment to a third of their number, the hail of blasterbolts trailed off and both Jedi raced forward on a burst of Force-aided speed, finding themselves in the midst of the remaining squad of now-disoriented soldiers, slicing them methodically, severing limbs, heads, torsos and rifles without any regard fro cries for mercy or the screams of those mortally wounded. In moments, both the Shistavanen and the Barabel were standing in a pile of groaning or morbidly still bodies, blood beginning to fill in the spaces where clean deck plates dwelt. They were then plunging their lightsabers into the bulkhead the soldiers were presumably guarding, starting on opposite sides and tracing a glowing semicircle in the durasteel door to meet, punching a wide breach in the obstruction for them to dive through.
Doing so in turn, Keth followed Haska and came up rolling, emerald blade swinging into a defensive position as the Barabel barked out a warning. Now in a very wide hallway running along the spine of the ship, Keth became aware of an absolute shooting gallery of soldiers lined up on the far side as well as taking cover in various exits to the huge corridor, all pointed at the pair of Jedi. There was a split second of delay as the soldiers registered the newcomers as targets before they started firing with the intent to kill.
That second was all the Jedi needed to dash in opposite directions, moving so quickly that the soldiers were firing where they were a moment before instead of where they were going. Yet there were enough soldiers covering all the relevant angles that neither Jedi could advance on the soldiers and begin taking them out at melee range. Instead, both Jedi were retreating farther away from each other, Haska headed further forward while Keth was inadvertently moving astern. As both Jedi, slowing down and realizing they were in desperate need of a tactics change, tried to work their way back towards each other to increase their chances as a tandem. But both realized simultaneously that more soldiers were no pouring in through the bulkhead they themselves had just used. They were effectively cut off from each other.
It was not lost on either Jedi that the soldiers had fully expected to split the Jedi in hopes of dividing and conquering. Understanding that eventually they would be individually overwhelmed in this shooting gallery, both Jedi separately made to escape the open corridor. Keth took off on a dead-run, using his lightsaber only to bat the most accurate shots away from burying themselves in his back. Otherwise, he was quickly outpacing the soldiers who were only starting to break cover and give chase.
Not overly aware of it, Haska decided on an alternate tactic, just as the soldiers registered Keth's tactic and prepared to mobilize in the direction Haska was already traveling. Using their presumption as his advantage, Haska instead changed course at 90 degrees and charged the nearest cluster of soldiers who had just broken cover in the recess of an exit bulkhead who were now completely exposed. Their panicked fire in the wake of the oncoming reptilloid only served to hasten their own deaths as Haska focused on their bolts among hundreds and killed them all with deflections. He was then airborne, flipping manically to avoid the storm of energy threatening to engulf him from three sides as he charged the break in the line. He could feel a few bolts tear through his dark uniform and graze his scales, only scouring them and not providing any lasting damage. Willing his body to respond even more quickly, Haska hit the deck rolling and springing forward, channeled the Force through his free hand outstretched, buckling the bulkhead door but not ripping it free. Rotating so that his huge clawed feet were aimed at the now crumpled door, Haska hit it while cushioning his joints from the impact and finished off what his Force blast had so necessarily started. Skating along on the bulkhead and trailing a shower of sparks, Haska was already preparing his next move by turning back to face the inevitable blasterfire at his back.
Haska tensed as the bulkhead underneath him stopped moving and rocked under his weight, but there was no more blasterfire reaching out for him. Instead, Haska felt the Dark side surge once more. Fighting to survive as he had been, the Barabel Knight had not felt the evil presence close by. In fact, he was taken off guard as a man stepped through the opening he had just created, holding a lightsaber with a gleaming pink blade. The smattering of vestigial horns on his ruddy skinned forehead told Haska this Sith was a Devaronian. It only made sense stereotypically: male Devaronians were prone to violent urges more than the average sapient species, and the Dark side made great cradles for those of their species adept in using the Force.
Not willing to give the Sith a chance at a fair fight, Haska back-flipped off of his perch, using the Force to hurl the heavy piece of scrap through the air at the Sith, hoping to break some bones with the attempt. Yet as he came down on powerful legs, Haska saw that the Sith had flipped gracefully out of the way, instead letting the bulkhead wedge haphazardly into its original resting place, barring any interference from the soldiers now trapped on the other side of the door.
This amused the Devaronian Sith, who chuckled and raised a gloved hand, firing lightning at Haska who deftly caught the lethal stream on his blade. It seemed both fortunate for Haska and annoying that these Sith seemed to follow a rather cut-and-dry strategy, assuming that they had no equals among the Jedi. This was arguably their greatest mistake in this campaign. Realizing the ineffectiveness of the attack, the Sith withdrew the attack and advanced slowly, speaking to Haska in sultry tones.
"I felt High Lord Phuul perish and I presume it was by your hands. As his brother in the Dark side, I must warn you that I'm obligated to destroy you, no matter the cost. As a High Lord myself, I, Ikar, decided to hasten your demise instead of allow your plague on this ship to persist."
Haska was nearly taken aback by the Devaronian's pompous address, but he replied.
"This one thinkz you overestimate your chances. A dire miztake on your part, really."
The Sith frowned, retorting.
"You're a fool, Jedi!"
He charged, and Haska twirled his blade into a ready position as he engaged the High Lord, alone.
|
|
dyvius
Member
As if a ghost from the past, the veteran from those old days remains watching.
Posts: 80
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by dyvius on Aug 16, 2014 22:32:21 GMT -8
Sometime in the past... (Private Storyline)
Keth had given up trying to fight the soldiers pursuing him in an attempt to scare them off. Clearly the threat of disobeying their Sith masters was more motivating than dying at the hands of a Jedi intruder. Maybe they were just thinking the odds were in their favor against a single opponent, whose back was now turned and in full retreat before them. The Jedi Knight did not care what they thought, simply because they were irrelevant to him. The Sith Lords were his only target, and wasting needless energy on defeating peons was both dangerous and foolish. The Shistavanen fancied himself as neither of those descriptors, and therefore was just waiting for a moment to turn the tables on the squad taking potshots as they huffed after him. Passively sensing that they were tiring at a far faster rate than he, having both Shistavanen genetics and Force access to bolster his endurance far beyond the average human or like species, Keth kept the chase on, effortlessly zigging and zagging out of their slowly deteriorating accuracy while maintaining a slight lead to give them the illusion that he too was running out of steam.
The large cargo corridor continued for some distance yet, but Keth also sensed, amid his chase, that he was nearing a point where the nearest powerful Dark presence was going to be directly above him if only by a few decks. That was where he wanted to go, so now it was time to end this chase and leave the soldiers to collect themselves inside their sweat-soaked armor suits and prepare to face retribution that would never come if Keth and the other Jedi succeeded. It was unfortunate, Keth thought, that these fearful men and women were fighting for a cause without true conviction, and trying to hinder a scheme that would free them from their bondage once and for all. Maybe they were convinced in the invincibility of the Sith and that until proven, the strength of any given Jedi was not enough to overpower firsthand experience. This was definitely something Keth could sympathize with, however it did not make the whole situation more palatable.
Gathering the Force to himself, Keth leaped high into the air, lightsaber swirling as the soldiers raised their blasters as one to try and knock him from the air with a hail of energy. The few on-target shots were deflected by Keth's saber as he continued to ascend until he made contact with the ceiling of the corridor, grabbing with his free left hand and planting his body like a Kessel energy spider around the pipe he had latched on to. Still preemptively deflecting the soldier's halfhearted barrage of shots, Keth probed the contents of the pipe, feeling this to be the conduit he hoped it would be. In a flash, Keth swung his saber around, severing a section of the pipe, sending it plummeting to the soldiers below. As intended, the breach sent an immense fall of repulsor-coolant past Keth and down onto the squad, obscuring him from view and sending the soldiers scattering away from the toxic chemical substance.
Moving fast, Keth climbed like an Ewok along the width of the pipe until he reached a service hatch to the side of the pipe. Hearing the cries of the soldiers over the hissing splat of the coolant leak, Keth exerted himself in the Force again, blasting the hatch inward and swinging feet-first up into the space beyond. Having deactivated his lightsaber to make the climb, Keth was not worried about being spotted any time soon, so he took stock of his bearings and felt once more for the Dark presence he had felt. Seemingly close, Keth sensed a bubbling fury under the surface of the presence, and wondered at the activity the Sith was engaged in. It seemed very possible this one was not engaged in influencing the battle, but instead could have been either monitoring the Sith being exterminated across the ship...or even the Grand Lord himself. Keth had no intel on the nature of the Master Sith Zak had conferred with as the ersatz captain of their captured Ardent-class frigate, except that this man appeared to have more power than Zak was comfortable even experiencing from a distance. To face him alone would be suicide for almost any Jedi...but at this point Keth knew that they were out of options. Haska... Keth sensed in his direction and felt him in his combat-mind, clashing with another Dark presence that could only be another Sith Lord. This one carried none of the weighty bearing that Keth's target had, yet it was fortuitous that Haska could eliminate another target and potentially meet up with Keth later.
It was no excuse for Keth to wait or double back. They were a fair distance separated and no one could know just how many Sith soldiers stood between them now, so it was better to plunge on alone and face the Sith Lord he sense waiting only a pair of decks above. The Shistavanen stood up in the dimly-lit service corridor and took off at a jog, moving along the path until he came upon a doorway that opened into a small corridor on the main deck which possessed a ladder leading up to a completely unlocked hatch. Apparently the Sith had no compunctions about safeguarding their less-accessible passages, and Keth wanted to credit this to their arrogance as an Order. All the Sith definitely possessed this trait.
Cautiously opening the hatch as he reached the top of the sturdy metal ladder, Keth peered out into an intersection on deck populated by a moderate number of officers and crew hurrying about with the stench of fear and anxiety about them. Keth scanned them briefly with keen lupine eyes, understanding that they proved he was very close to the bridge but also that his task had become much more difficult to complete. Hopefully, these crew and officers would not consider themselves overly brave and would stand aside in shock as he barreled through them. Yet it was almost a certainty that some would try and apprehend him, probably alerted by their commanding Sith masters that there were dangerous intruders aboard the ship trying to kill everyone.
Unable to see any other way, Keth pushed the hatch completed open and leaped free of the ladder quickly, landing lightly on the deck and stepping into the main corridor where officers and crew alike stopped suddenly, seeing his worn and damaged officer's suit and his obviously alien personage and being rendered completely still as a result. It was entirely possible, thought the Shistavanen, that they had not believed the intruders could come this deep into the ship without being stopped. Obviously the Sith hierarchy had done an excellent job at misinforming their military about the true strength of the Jedi in an effort to raise morale but ultimately weaken their effectiveness by underestimating the Jedi strength. Keth was already taking in everyone within sight, and seeing no one immediately reaching for a weapon, Keth tried to speak to them.
"I do not plan to harm any of you, only the Sith aboard this vessel."
Still, none of the crew said anything. All remained wide-eyed at the terrible visage Keth presented to them. The Jedi tried again.
"I'm not asking for assistance, just that you stay clear of my mission. Once I exterminate the Sith, this war can conclude and no one else must die because of it."
Finally, this bold but true statement got a reaction out of a Duros man wearing the insignia of a Captain. He was clearly a micro-manager while the Sith Empire's heavy brass was commanding this vessel.
"The Sith cannot be defeated. They are more powerful than any other force in the galaxy."
Keth turned to address the Duros honestly.
"I come to tell you that you have been lied to. I am a Jedi, and I already have caused the death of at least five Sith aboard this vessel. I do not have their corpses as proof, but they most likely remain lying where I cut them down with my blade."
The doubt that flared up in the Duros' red eyes was noticeable and infectious. Many of the stunned beings around Keth began to fidget and murmur, a human female wearing comm officer's gear said next.
"They say Lord Deixar was killed at Korriban. And that other Lords have been killed across the Outer Rim."
Keth saw an opportunity and took it. He grabbed Deixar's hilt from his belt and held it up, the crew flinched back from his quick motion, but eased as Keth remained still with the saber over his head and in clear view of everyone.
"This is Lord Deixar's blade. I slew him myself in single combat. The Sith that control this Fleet are indeed mortal. We Jedi who have boarded can defeat them and are doing so even now all across the ship."
Keth felt much of the tension dissolve into uncertainty that was lined with something foreign to these crew members: hope. The Duros spoke again.
"I will stand aside. I recommend anyone with any hope for the future will do likewise. I sense that even if we opposed this alien Jedi that he would be powerful enough to strike us down regardless of our beliefs."
The human comm officer and most of the others nodded in a wave radiating away from Keth. They all backed away from him cautiously, and Keth walked among them, moving in the direction talking him towards his target, Deixar's blade still in his hand as insurance against a surprise. It was as Keth neared the bend in the hallway, one leading to a bank of turbolifts, that Keth felt a sense of urgency surge from one of the crew. A man sweating profusely drew even with Keth and in a flurry of motion he was drawing a blaster pistol and bringing it up to fire. Reacting even before the blaster was level, Keth activated the crimson saber and destroyed the pistol with a single swipe, rapidly putting his hand to the man's forehead and pinning him to the wall he stood next to.
The smoking pistol pieces lay on the deck, and all eyes were on Keth and his assailant-turned-prisoner. Many were divided between the hand on the man's head and the glowing red blade pointed at the man's chest. Keth, noticing the chance for some good PR, deactivated the saber, clipping it to his belt without taking his eyes from the man, regarding Keth with pure terror in his eyes. To his credit, he said nothing. The Jedi removed his hand and backed away, but instead of the officer collapsing from relief, he remained upright, even though his knees clearly buckled. Holding him aloft with the Force without even the slightest gesture, Keth began to walk away. He said as he dropped the man, who fell to the deck unprepared.
"Save your bravery, man. I'm not the one you should train your weapons on."
Keth reached the turbolift, feeling only awe and relief from the crew he had passed through, and entered. Turning around, Keth saw the Duros raising a salute as the doors hissed shut. The turbolift ascended, bringing Keth ever closer to what certainly seemed to be the Grand Lord.
***************************************************************************************************
Haska was finding this Sith to be a superior swordsman to any of the Dark-siders he had encountered thus far. Consequently, his Force acuity was much less than many too. Haska, feeling much more balanced in this regard than his adversary, was employing a mixture of both to keep the ferocious Devaronian at bay. The Barabel's style involved slower, more powerful strikes, yet the Devaronian moved with brutal speed, trying to overwhelm Haska's defenses with weak attacks that seemed to come at him from two directions at once. Any time that Haska felt a particular stroke about to slip through, he would respond with a heavy Force push to send the Sith back a pace or two, just enough to disrupt the flow of the Sith's attack and allow for a few counter strikes.
Yet even the combat master that Haska was, this Sith was wearing him down. The Barabel was unable to land enough heavy strikes to equally tax the Sith's defenses, and it was only a matter of time before the Jedi found himself lagging behind a stroke far enough to become injured, even fatally. So backing up along the corridor the entire time, Haska began formulating a new strategy, deciding that upper-body strength was not the only method he had for fighting this battle.
The Sith whirled his blade, forcing Haska to block low and then high, but even as the Barabel knocked the Sith's blade away, he was leaping on powerful legs, flipping over the Sith's flashing saber and swinging in a pivoting strike from behind. The Sith turned, holding his blade ready for a block and was driven back by the momentum behind the orange blade. Sparks flew, and before the Sith could turn his steps in reverse into a renewed forward charge, Haska was leaping to the side, spinning again and striking with the full torque of the spin once more, nearly catching the Sith off balance and forcing him to stumble away as Haska ducked into another spin on the deck, sweeping his tail around and catching the Devaronian by the ankles, forcing the Sith to leap away with a Force push to maintain his feet. But Haska did not allow him any breathing room.
The Jedi jumped again, this time fainting a simple overhead slam that the Sith prepared for and instead rotating the blade into a reverse grip that he swung up towards the Sith's chest. The Devaronian's leap away was delayed; Haska's blade carving a furrow into the cloak across his chest, trails of smoke indicating the close call. The Devaronian sneered as Haska drove forward once more, using his now-reversed stance to alter his attack style. Instead of powerful blows, Haska was raining the quick strikes now, forcing the off-kilter Sith on the defensive. One particular exchange left the Sith trying to leap to safety with an arcing back-flip, but Haska proceeded to Force Push him as he followed, catching the Sith in the small of his back and sent him careening across the floor in a tumble. Bounding easily forward, Haska switched the grip on his saber back to standard and tried to cleave the prone Sith in two.
Yet the Devaronian was ready, rolling onto his back, and blocking Haska's smash with both arms braced. The crossed sabers fell to within a few inches of the Sith's chest, at which point Haska roared primally, letting the Barabel inside himself bolster his strength. Yet the Devaronian yelled back, arms quivering with the exertion fighting the near-full weight of the Barabel's strike. Heartened by desperation, the Devaronian managed a weak Force pulse, knocking Haska back enough for him to roll clear and leap to his feet, swinging his blade defensively as Haska shook off the blow and prepared to advance again.
Yes, this one would be Haska's greatest challenge yet, where thousands of Sith soldiers had failed to bring him down en masse, this one Sith was clearly his equal with the blade. The hunter inside Haska refused to let such prey best him.
He charged, orange blade swinging.
|
|
Krzesimir Viggo
The First Order
Posts: 360
Affiliation: First Order
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Krzesimir Viggo on Sept 29, 2014 19:51:39 GMT -8
The luxury liner, Bejeweled Star, exited hyperspace several hours after it's scheduled arrival time, though it seemed to be in pristine shape. It's passenger list held just over five-hundred-thousand names, and the ship boasted a crew of one million. The ship was painted in festive colors, and registered to a major luxury line, that regularly scheduled stops in the Corellian system. The first sign that something was amiss, was the lack of response to CFC's routine hail. The second was the slightly noticeable drift of the silent ship. All systems seemed functional, and shields were active if sensor readouts were to be believed. The ship was in fact completely intact and fully functional, it was however undeniably empty. No sign of life could be found on the entire ship. The ship continued to list, drifting slowly closer to the planet below...
|
|
|
|
Post by Jensin Kal on Oct 10, 2014 19:09:27 GMT -8
A transport vessel entered Corellia space with it's captain at the helm and the planet in his view. Jensin stepped out into the front standing just to the right of the ships pilot looking towards their destination. It was that strange echo again, a tremor he could never really explain with words. While he waited for arrival he shifted himself into the chair beside the pilot and kicked his legs up as he watched the planets approach.
|
|
![Nathan Caldwell [Retired] Avatar](http://storage.proboards.com/3615323/avatar/PLNzFhlXbAPqabscjIsl.jpg)
