Jump to content

Adenna Alluyen

Members
  • Posts

    752
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Adenna Alluyen

  1. Adenna shook her head at Kel's suggestion. "If we go to Coruscant, it would only add to the chaos, and this isn't a warship. Too many of you are inexperienced, and if you get yourself in trouble, it would only make things worse. No, it is better to regroup with the other Jedi and prepare our next steps. Hasty action leads to disaster more often than not." She sighed in resignation. "Tobias, it seems we need to swallow our pride and go back to the Jedi Council and offer our services. They need us at this time."
  2. Adenna nodded slowly as she considered Sandy's words. It appeared the war had been going poorly, but that was to be expected considering the reluctance of Jedi leadership to actually fight it. She had felt the call to join with the Imperial Knights when they worked together on Kashyyyk, but now, she wondered how much of that was the dark insanity egging her on. With her mind clear of that, she was more reserved about working too closely with them or the Empire. "I agree, we need to prepare for war, as much as possible. I don't think the Empire should be our first go to, though. You may have worked with them, but I have fought them before. Yes, they are against the Sith, for now, but that doesn't mean they are completely on our side, either. I would much rather have stronger ties with the GA. We can keep the Empire as allies of necessity, but I am hesitant to actually get too close to them." She sighed deeply, "Still, it isn't up to us. The Council and the Grandmaster lead the Jedi, so we must work with them as much as possible while doing what we can to oppose the evil of the Sith."
  3. Adenna Alluyen

    Ilum

    Even as she returned to the ship she had spent so much time on, it didn't seem the same. Adenna shook off her cold weather gear and began storing them with the rest of the gear. When she was done, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Looking out through the narrow corridors to the others as they returned, she saw them in a new light. Gone was the ever present overlay of darkness, offering its own morbid and unwanted advice to every scene. Gone was the need to constantly struggle just to keep it under control. It was a lot to take in being so normal, she wasn't sure how to start once more. The Universe and even the Force itself felt like it did when she first came to the Jedi and began learning. It was more pure and reaching out to it was a comfort, not a struggle. As she went up to the cockpit, she noticed a couple of newcomers. She wasn't sure what to make of them, but if they were here and Tobias' droid guardians weren't going ballistic, then clearly Tobias was aware and okay with it. Frond seemed to be drawing heavily on the Force, drawing the odd non-human with him. The plant Jedi was quite interesting, and she made a mental note to get to know him a little better when she could. There were many things to learn from an ancient creature and she would like to learn much more than she knew now. The odd girl, well, she had no idea what to make of her. Adenna had been too absorbed in dealing with her own issues to have kept track of what was going on in the rest of the planet. Apparently, they had a new guest, though she had always thought that nobody lived on Ilum. She could hear the ship's power system starting up as Tobias prepared them to launch. She didn't know where they were off to, and that saddened her a little. She had spent so much time in an almost daze, constantly focused inward fighting her battles while he had handled everything. She just followed his lead and relied on him to make all the decisions. It seemed that, when she decided to trust him all those months ago, her choice had not been a bad one. She was proud of him and all he had done despite everything that opposed him and had happened. Her eyes fell upon a figure and her heart stirred. Sandy Sarna. Adenna wished that she had been there for the girl--no, woman--more and it pained her that she had not. Thank the Force that Tobias had stepped up and taken care of the green eyed woman, who knows what would have happened if he hadn't. She looked over her former Padawan with her eyes and the Force, testing what was there, seeing her with eyes no longer clouded and tainted and she was proud of what she saw. Gone was the hesitant, shy girl, replaced with a woman who was confident and knew her place in the Galaxy. Gone was the broken girl, shattered on Thalassia, replaced with a woman who wove that tragedy into strength and wisdom. For a long time, the two had been here on this ship, but, because of Adenna herself, they hadn't bonded. It was perhaps her greatest regret and she wanted to make it whole. Without words, and sincerely hoping that Sandy wouldn't be too perplexed, Adenna wrapped her arms around Sandy and hugged her tight as she fought back tears of regret, sorrow, joy, and pride.
  4. Adenna Alluyen

    Ilum

    While the others began exploring the caves for crystals and dealing with the strange woman they had found, Adenna found herself encountering something different. The Force was strong on this barren, frozen planet, and it called to her. Despite knowing how much of a folly it could be, Adenna ducked into a side passage as the rest of the group continued forward. She needed some time here alone to sense what could be sensed and figure out what it was that called her here, more actually, what repulsed the part of her she wasn't exactly fond of. Every step she took grew harder and harder as the darkness within struggled against it. The parts that wanted to kill and murder rebelled at being in a place like this. It was almost as though it knew she were walking to a place it was vulnerable to, one that could resist and fight it. She opened herself to the Force, drawing more and more of the peace and benevolent energies into her and bleeding out the darkness. Despite the cold, she took off one of her gloves and touched the ice crystals that lined the walls of the cave. Opened to the Force as she was, it seemed that darkness radiated out from each point of contact. All at once, an unnatural cold swept over her, sucking the breath out of her lungs, and sending her to her knees. The dark insanity gripped her, clawed at her soul, ripped at her mind, and fought to gain control of her with every bit of its strength. Memories of her unfortunate mental duel with Jidai Geki flashed before her, waves of despair and insanity threatened to drown her. She could not defeat this malady on her own. Many times she had fought and, while she could win minor battles, every month she lost more and more ground in the battle for her soul. She knew that it had changed her and made her distant, cold, and even harsh. She had made some choices that she regretted, and let a lot of relationships fall apart that she should have paid attention more. Fighting the insanity she had been infected with from Geki had taken so much of her energy out of her that she couldn't focus on things that mattered and truly be there for those she cared about. Something about this place, though, beckoned to her almost as though it wanted to help. It had been a long time since she had been at a wellspring of the light side of the Force, and at once she regretted waiting this long. Here, she wasn't alone, but had something helping her that was beyond herself. Even as the dark insanity struggled to claim her, it couldn't stay contained and focused. With each touch of the frozen wall, more and more of it was being drawn out of her. Gasping in realization, Adenna took off her other glove and pressed both hands against the wall. Through the Force, she could all but see waves of black spreading around her touch, then slowly fading away as it was overwhelmed by the much more powerful light that permeated these caves. Bit by bit, despite all of its best attempts, the darkness began losing ground within her mind. She threw everything into the effort that she had left and, aided by the pureness of the Force, began to rout the darkness. Her soul, long a battlefield known only to her and those who could pierce her emotional armor, was able to finally be at peace. As it retreated, the darkness left behind scarred and devastated "landscape," but now that she was finally able to claim victory she would be able to heal. At long last, the last vestiges of the dark insanity left her, drained into the caves themselves, and was swallowed whole by the light side. Finally at peace, Adenna wept with joy and exhaustion. Victory was sweet, but she had suffered so much for so long that recovery wouldn't be instant. Still, she felt hope for the first time in years that she could one day recover and once again sleep soundly without guilt or constantly having to be on guard. Slowly recovering herself, Adenna wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened her robes and coat. Returning the gloves to her now freezing hands, she picked herself up and started getting her bearings once more. Reaching out to the others, namely Tobias and Sandy, she could feel the sense of urgency from the former to return to the ship. Looking back once more at the nondescript ice wall that had changed her so profoundly, she set off through the caverns on her way back to their ship.
  5. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Adenna spun into motion in the sadly familiar dance of battle. The constricting vac suit helmet and other related equipment were left on the shuttle to give her maximum freedom of movement on the planet. She trusted Tobias' fate to the Force and went off where the flow of the fight took her. It did feel odd fighting along side Stormtroopers, but they were efficient and they were allies committed to destroying the slavers, so she accepted it. Part of her was curious if there would be Force trained Sith on the planet for her to face. She had fought only one before, and Jidai Geki was more than a match for her, so a part of her was both terrified and excited to face another to see if she could overcome such evil. Alas, it didn't seem that any of them were in the area, so all there were was a bunch of slavers. Well trained slavers, but slavers still, and she had killed plenty of them. In the face of the Imperial onslaught, the slavers were quickly pushed back into the outskirts of the town and into the thick forest. She hadn't hunted in terrain quite like this before, but it didn't matter. The Force guided and protected her as she fought leading the charge and cutting through whatever resistance faced her. She was the tip of the spear of a platoon and a half of Stormtroopers, and a brutal one at that. Where she pierced the enemy lines, the grey clad Stormtroopers filled in the gaps and widened them until the enemy shattered. She was vaguely aware that there were casualties on her own side, but she couldn't dwell on them, only on destroying the enemy and bringing an end to the slavers here. During this time, the shadows of darkness in her mind truly thrived. Instead of proving a distraction and burden, they seemed to sing in complete harmony with her body and mind, guiding her and providing insights she wouldn't normally consider. This fact normally unnerved and concerned her after the battle, but during it, she didn't resist and allowed it to help her efforts. With each enemy her orange blade cut down, the voices seemed more in tune and harmonious. Strangely, with each white hot streak of pain her body suffered from shrapnel peppering her, near misses toasting a bit of skin, or even branches and thorns snagging her, they seemed to be more energized and focused. It was not how she normally reached into the Force, but it was quite effective and useful. Deep down, she knew it was risky not to resist it, but she would rather deal with it later than get cut down while distracted. One particularly stubborn group of slavers managed to get an advantageous position behind a large tree they had felled recently and carved a crude little bunker into. Adenna and her surviving Imperial comrades came out of a small ravine and straight into a hail of heavy blaster fire from what she believed was an E-web. Two Stormtroopers all but evaporated in a red mist before the rest could take cover. One grenadier lobbed two grenades at the tree, but the only affect was to turn the hard, thick bark black. Frowning, Adenna considered the situation. They could go around and attack from the flanks, but there was a good bit of area cleared by the felling of the tree, so to do so would take time and could lead them to ambushes elsewhere. She knew a frontal assault would be very costly and she truly didn't feel like losing more allies today. The dark voices whispered another option to her, one she had not considered in the rush of combat. While she was not weak in the Force, she usually refrained from employing more grandiose displays of the Force. She preferred speed and agility to brute strength, but sometimes there was a need for it. While pressed flat against the loamy dirt of the forest, Adenna closed her eyes and reached out in the Force towards where she could feel the Black Sun slavers in their makeshift bunker. The tree was sturdy, but wood was not as solid as metal or duracrete. Everything had a weakness, a grain and seam she could exploit. Reaching deep into the truly rich presence of the Force on this planet, she harnessed its energy. A dozen seconds of searching located what she was seeking and revealed the potential for weakness within the tree itself. Enthralled in the river that was the Force, she clenched her fist and made a sharp, chopping movement downward with her left arm. In the bunker, a sharp cracking sound of splitting wood could probably have been heard for a half mile. Two seconds later, with a sad moan, the giant tree split as if by an immense axe, collapsing in upon itself and all those inside. For a couple of seconds, only the sound of falling wood could be heard, then it was replaced by the screams of men trapped or partially crushed. Looking at the grenadier, Adenna opened her hand. He placed a grenade within it and sat back with the rest of his platoon as she stood up and strolled over to the splintered bunker. With a quick Force aided hop, she landed on top and looked down through a quarter meter wide crack into the mass of struggling men within. One tried to point a blaster at her, but she simply waved her hand and it was wrenched out of his hands so abruptly, it snapped his trigger finger. Without hesitation, she primed the grenade and dropped it into the crack and jumped back down. The screams increased for a two count until a muffled explosion left the forest in silence. "We continue on," she said evenly to the Stormtroopers, and turned deeper into the forest in search of more prey.
  6. Adenna had felt what it was like for thousands of lives to be snuffed out instantly. She had been part of a Thalassian patrol force that had attacked a slaver bulk transport that was over 200 meters long. Intel had suggested it was returning to its base in the Exogtes system neighboring Thalassia after delivering a load of slaves. When confronted by the two gunships and half squadron of older model X-wings Thalassian Defense Corps could muster, the pirates elected to fight. During the fight, its core went critical vaporizing the transport and taking out one of their X-wings. Nobody ever knew if the slavers set it to self destruct or if it was the damage from the fight, but what they did later discover was that the ship had been full of an unknown number of slaves numbering in the thousands. Apparently, they had been spooked at their destination and returned home without managing to sell any slaves, so the cargo bays had been crammed packed with slaves. Adenna had known instantly when the ship exploded that there had been more than a few dozen crewmen on board. She chided herself for weeks on being so focused on the fight that she didn't sense the larger number of life presences in the ship. What she felt today when the Golan was wracked full of explosions was the same as that. When the noise settled and she realized they were still alive, her heart sunk deep into the familiar protective armor that she had built up fighting slavers. She couldn't let herself feel what she otherwise would feel from the death of so many innocents and comrades. She sensed the death of a fellow Jedi master and possibly some of the Imperial Knights, though she wasn't as close to them to be sure. When she lowered the Force shield around Tobias and their squad, she looked up at the man she loved with cold, hardened eyes and let him know she was unhurt with a quick pulse in the Force. Damage and status reports came in and it was quickly clear that there was nothing to be done here. It was time to retreat, to withdraw from this cursed station and liberate the planet below. As they retraced their paths to the assault shuttles, she said over the command channels, "Command, I recommend we leave all prisoners we capture today in custody of the Wookiees. Let them receive the justice they desire and need upon those who so terribly wronged them." It may sound harsh, but she believed in justice even if that justice was death. There were some crimes that no other punishment was suitable for.
  7. Adenna had experienced more intense combat in her time, and as the only Force user. Having Tobias leading the charge left her with fairly little to do comparatively except clean up the mess and make sure things were going as planned. In the zero gravity of the powerless station, she relied on the magnetic boots of her vac suit and a touch of the Force to keep herself oriented on the corridor floors, but not everyone in the station had such luxuries. Some of the Black Sun defenders were floating in the air, clearly a bit disoriented unless they had spent a good bit of time in zero grav combat training. Even then, blaster bolts in close quarters were always dangerous, so she kept wary watch to swat any that made it through Tobias' charge. Her concern was navigating them through the corridors and letting Tobias clean up everything along the way. In combat, she always could feel the death around her. The core part of her was repulsed by it while the newer, darker taint was exhilarated by its feel. As they got closer to the command center, she could feel a spike in the Force that hit her straight in the gut. Death was coming, and a great deal of it. "Vos!" she shouted, "They're blo—" She didn't have time to finish before a series of explosions vibrated through their boots and the entire station began to shake. Reacting instinctively, she threw up a telekinetic shield around their party and hoped for the best. They had always known there was a chance the Black Sun would try to destroy the station, but the thoughts were that without the central core and main systems active, it wouldn't be a catastrophic explosion. It seemed that, despite that, their foes had managed to find a way to at least do some significant damage. She only hoped that the others in the station would be shielded or far enough from the source of the explosions. <>
  8. ((Imperial forces utilized with permission)) Though she wasn't in command of any of the Imperial forces, Adenna was able to hear the general ebb and flow of battle over her headsets along with the rest of the Imperial Knights and officers. Casualty reports did come in as TIE Defenders were lost against the defending squadrons, but their numerical superiority was great and they were well trained. This wasn't some New Republic holodrama where the "bad" Imperials were complete incompetent fools and X-wing pilots could wipe out an entire squadron of TIE's in a few quick seconds over jungle ruins while the heroes cheered and slaughtered stormtroopers like they were rusty droids. With the way paved clear for them, the bombers delivered their payload and pounded the station's defenses to nothing. There were no cheers when reports of the station's power collapsing and going dark, but she could detect a sense of satisfaction and pride in a job going as it should from the Marines around her. With the station out of commission, the Ascalon moved into firing range, but stayed a safe distance away on the off chance that the defenders managed to overload the reactor or some other devious tricks. The mighty Star Destroyer could offer support for the six thousand troops boarding the station, but without risking the near forty thousand men within its own decks. She didn't know what orders the Imperial leadership had regarding if they were to get in trouble onboard or if another Sith fleet were to attack, that was beyond her concern now. She had a job and would do it. If they abandoned them in trouble, so be it. Sacrifices sometimes had to be made as risks weren't worth it. The clouds of assault shuttles approached the dead station while the TIE Defenders from the Ascalon fell into patrol patterns around both their mother ship and the station. The slightly less than four squadrons of Defenders from the Agamemnon returned to join the four squadrons of the Benedictus that had protected the rear while the bombers stayed near the station and began preparing for bombing runs on the planet in support of the invasion force going there. Adenna wasn't sure quite what sort of resistance they would face from the defenders, but she suspected that it would be fanatical, so she was ready. As their shuttle got closer to their destination, she doubled checked her lightsaber to make sure it wasn't on its usual default stun mode, but was ready to cut through or and kill whatever got into her path. She would look pretty stupid if she tried to cut through a corridor wall only to have her orange blade bounce off the wall because it was on stun, and she didn't generally afford slavers any quarter in the middle of a fight. The shuttle slowed as it came up against the hull of the station and began extending its cofferdam to cut through the hull. Some of the shuttles would go for the hangar bays, but most would breach along selected parts of the hull to prevent the enemy from being able to focus their defenses. Adenna and Tobias' shuttle was part of the team going straight for the command center. They weren't able to cut right into it, but they were as close as possible. It was essential to capture that area to prevent attempts to reboot or repair the systems. The entire shuttle jerked a little as contact was made with the station's hull. Loud grinding noises vibrated the waiting marines as the cofferdam's saw cut through the hull and cleared their way into the station. With a deep breath, Adenna immersed herself in the Force and prepared for combat as she had many times before. Having a man she loved at her side was new to her and a great comfort. She knew his skills in combat were not inconsiderable, and there were also the Imperial Knights. She suspected that taking the station would be the easiest task of the day, going down to the planet's surface and rooting out the Sith and Black Sun scum would be far worse.
  9. ((Imperial Fleet movements posted with permission.)) With a flash of pseudospace, the Imperial fleet emerged from hyperspace over the verdant green world of Kashyyyk. As soon as they were in realspace, fighters began pouring from the bellies of the mighty warships. TIE Defender squadrons split their numbers between escorting the Javelin fighterbombers and providing a screen for their motherships in the event the enemy attempted to make a bombing run against them. The bombers, loaded heavily with ion bombs, made all speed to the Golan station defending the occupied system. As soon as fighters and bombers had vacated their berths, assault shuttles loaded with Jedi, Imperial Knights, and Imperial slate grey clad marines followed. Speed was of the essence in this blitz. The Ascalon, with shields and weapons fully armed engaged its engines at maximum to quickly close in to the Golan to offer its own ion cannons as a backup in case the two wings of Javelins failed in their attack runs. The Agamemnon and Benedictus stayed a little back offering cover should this be a trap and enemy ships were to jump into the system. The Ascalon alone with the sizeable cloud of bombers and fighters going with it were thought to be more than sufficient to disable the light defense station, so the rest would stay a distance back so the entire fleet wouldn't be trapped by any Sith surprises. Those two kept their sensors keenly scanning for activity both in space and on the surface, taking note where Sith and Black Sun communications were emerging, what sort of ships were launching, and where enemy bases and slave processing centers might be. Adenna stood beside Tobias, similarly outfitted, though significantly less armed than he. It was not her first space assault, though it was by far the largest scale operation she had been in since the Liberation of Thalassia. In the beginning, she had always been nervous, but after dozens of engagements and battles, she now allowed the Force to flow through her and bring calm determination. As odd as it was, the dark whispers of insanity that sometimes ate at her were usually quiet when she was about to go to battle. Today was no different, though, if she wasn't mistaken, they seemed to be quite the opposite of their normal distracting selves. Instead, they offered more clarity, calm, and anticipation that bordered on eagerness. It was as though they craved blood and fighting after so many months without it. She wore no grenades, but relied solely on her lightsaber and a single blaster pistol. She was never one for the heavy assault, but instead fought quick and light, relying on the Force to direct her and overcome opposition. Though she was wary of their potential use of the dark side, she was still quite interested to see how these Imperial Knights fought. She had not truly fought beside or against another Force user since destroying the Sith Temple on Coruscant, so this would be quite the change for her. Around her, the Imperial war machine did what it did best: all out blitz assault. As they approached the Golan, the four squadrons of Defenders were in the front waiting for the enemy squadrons. While they also carried quite a punch, their job for now was to live up to their name and protect the Javelins. Should no enemy fighters present a threat on the initial run, their task was to fire a stream of laser cannon blasts at the enemy station to weaken its shields slightly and attempt to disrupt some of the enemy targeting systems, but they would not use their torpedoes and risk damaging the station itself. As the two entire wings of Javelin bombers approached the station, they unleashed a double salvo of ion bombs—vibrant blue darts of doom designed to devastate defenses and computers. If their initial bombing run failed, they would form up and prepare a second, this time with the direct support of the Ascalon. The assault shuttles would wait behind the mighty Star Destroyer until the Golan was disabled before making for it to board. [[incapation shot requested for the Golan I station.]]
  10. Adenna nodded. "It is entirely possible they will begin killing slaves on the station once the attack begins. There is honestly nothing we can do about that but secure the station as quickly as possible. They would do that no matter how we took the station barring a very, very fortunate successful infiltration which is far more likely to fail than succeed. Shock and awe is something the Empire does well, so let us utilize it. Speed will save more lives than just about anything, so we must launch the attack as quickly as possible and hope that the Wookiees are able to either revolt or escape before too much harm is done." She sighed, knowing the long history of horrible atrocities that evil had performed in the Galaxy's history. "We must also steel ourselves for the possibility that the Sith will unleash some sort of doomsday weapon that will kill large portions of the planet's population. When resisting an evil that doesn't value life, it is always a threat. If they do such, we must take whatever small solace knowing that the Wookiees died quickly while still remembering their proud heritage and not as a broken, worn people with backs bent by slavery. I have seen more than one slaver group exterminate their slaves rather than allow them to be freed, and I would not put it beyond the Sith to destroy Kashyyyk and attempt to blame it on us. "With that said, I am ready to fight whenever everyone else is."
  11. Adenna watched and listened to the presentations. It was a similar quandary as to what she faced on Thalassia. The idea of tracking sales records was initially attempted so that it might be possible to find and recover slaves, but that ended in disaster. Extractions were much more risky and many officers and soldiers were lost, and the data was more often than not useless or destroyed in the attempt. Further, even knowing where slaves were offered little actual benefit in recovering them as the beings who held slaves were unlikely to return them simply because someone else asked for them. It was a cold, hard fact, but Thalassia quickly learned to rely less on those operations and more on simply stopping the evil and saving what could be saved. "Why do we need to recover the central computer at all?" she asked. "The risk is high and would likely result in failure or high loss of life and loss of the data anyway. As Master Vos said, the station crew, or at the least, their commanders, were likely to destroy any data or even self destruct the entire station just to spite us and take as many of us down with them as possible. These aren't cowardly, self serving, self interested pirates who can be bargained with to surrender for their lives. These are Sith and Black Sun fanatics who know they have no chance of survival if they lose the station and escape back to their unforgiving masters. They also know that if they surrender, even if they are spared by your forces, Black Sun or the Sith would make their families suffer in response. These men won't surrender, they will sabotage our efforts." She pointed over at the images of the infiltration force concept. "Master Vos is correct in that pirate gangs know when their rivals are out of touch. On Thalassia, we initially tried infiltrating using previously knocked out pirate groups. We had a success, but many failures before we realized it was not worth it. If we had more time, months perhaps, we could establish a front group or better infiltrate existing groups. That is far more likely to succeed, but we do not have that time. "As harsh as it may seem, I recommend simply bombarding the station with ion cannons to disable the slave collars. Perhaps an ion bomb smuggled in would also suffice, but is riskier. Cut losses and play it safe: better to slag the collar unit and take the chance that records at the central computer might not be recoverable than to risk losing the entire team and all chances of recovering data. In brutal honesty, POW's would likely prove more useful than the data as the men there would know more where the slaves were sent out. Plus, there would possibly be datacards or other independent data sources detailing shipping manifests or docking logs. Data isn't simply stored in one place and we may have to get creative in finding it, but even that data is of fairly little value. Slaver holders won't lightly turn over slaves already purchased even if we find them. If we try to make a plan too complicated, it is more likely to fail and we will lose everything rather than a safer bet to save the larger number of Wookiees and soldiers."
  12. Adenna wasn't entirely convinced, but destroying Sith and Black Sun slavers did sound like a worthy cause. She would go along with this for the moment, but would keep her eyes open. Infiltration wasn't her strongest point, but she knew how to play the part if needed. There had been times when she was young that she had to play the subservient slave, and times when she was older where she was the arrogant aristocrat or bureaucrat. She could be stealthy or brutally destructive, though against slavers, she preferred to kill everyone involved. "What roll do you envision us playing?" she asked. "And what is our cover for infiltrating the station going to be?"
  13. In an odd way, the Moff's words did make a lot of sense and help alleviate a small number of Adenna's concerns. She understood that, sometimes, a small threat of force was needed to get people started on the right path. It couldn't last forever, and if it was needed long term, then things would never work. After all, that was what police forces and even the Jedi were for. "Have the Wookiees not asked for GA assistance, or did they come directly to the Empire?" she asked. It would be a sure sign of sad times if the proud Wookiees had only the Empire to turn to. "And, what do you envision our roles in this campaign being?" She was far more versed in small unit tactics and maybe cleaning up pirates nests, not full planetary invasions and battles.
  14. Adenna kept her face and her Force presence as tightly concealed as possible, keeping the neutral appearance that helped her so well when dealing with the various politicians on Thalassia. They did indeed do their homework, though that wasn't hard for a group as large as the Empire. Bringing up an anti-slavery campaign was interesting, but she wasn't sure if it was genuine or simply a ploy to hook her into the Empire using what they knew she would want to hear. "I do applaud any efforts to bring justice to slavers," she said diplomatically. "While I do not speak for Master Vos, I for one would be willing to hear more about your campaigns, though I will admit to reservations about the Empire. My experiences with the Empire have not been endearing, and the Empire itself has historically been far more apt to create and use slaves rather than liberate them."
  15. Adenna smiled at Tobias' rapid fire words. "You are, but it is endearing, almost cute," she said lightly. It was a good distraction from the echoes of anguish she felt here. This was not a place one wanted to be in, too many innocents and unsuspecting people had met terrible ends here. Still, beneath the layers of misery and hopelessness was something else: hope. There was change in the air, she could feel it in her soul. That was good, not at all what she thought an Imperial world would feel like. She took Tobias' offer of the lead, falling into the diplomatic mode she grew accustomed to on Thalassia, and approached the waiting Imperials. She stopped several paces from their leaders and said formally, "I am Jedi Adenna, this is Master Jedi Vos. We received a message inviting us here and wish to accept that offer."
  16. Adenna had never been to Nal Hutta or Nar Shaddaa, though the thought of coming to the center of slavery in the Galaxy was one of the last things she ever wanted to contemplate. Still, the Empire had conquered it and, from what she had seen on the Holonet, they have spared little quarter when it came to the slavers. As much as she embraced the Jedi, sometimes, she wondered if they were too soft on criminals and those who spread suffering and misery to the innocent. She wanted to see the truth here and judge the Empire based on its actions. Perhaps there was something good about the Empire to be found. As soon as Tobias left the comfort of their bed, she joined him in getting dressed. They would need to be at their best for today, and both would need to watch each other's back. "We can do this," she said quietly. "If the Empire is changed, then that is a good thing. If it isn't as changed as we would like, perhaps we could have a hand in making sure it eventually gets there."
  17. Adenna received the message from the self styled "empress" of the Empire with a certain level of curiosity and skepticism. She had to admit that she had not been as disappointed and put off by the Imperial Knights when she met them on Kashyyyk, but that also didn't mean she was eager work with them or join them. Still, it was interesting to see the offer, and, if Tobias was interested, she would answer it to see where things led. She had to admit, that she had been quite directionless over the last few months. Perhaps the Empire could provide her and Tobias some direction, plus she would like to hear how Sandy had been doing. She send a reply to Tobias' message saying she was interested, and would be waiting on their ship for his return.
  18. Adenna smiled. It was sometimes good to have friends who were formerly Sith and knew some interesting things. Or, as it seemed things were headed, a bit more than friends. "By all means, feel free to lead the way. Where do you plan on taking us, and what do you plan to do when we get there? I have no desire to simply run into a massive ambush or an overwhelming enemy force, but if we can scout out something, that would be useful."
  19. Adenna shook her head. "No. I spent my time dedicated to Thalassia and did a lot of good there, and some not so good things. I have learned that, as a Jedi, we are needed to help far more people than just one little corner of the Galaxy. I am not saying we should turn our backs on the Jedi Order or embrace the Remnant, but I think we should stay and help in the larger fight. If everyone simply picks up and leaves to their own little ventures, the Sith will simply take more and more of the Galaxy." She looked up at Tobias. "We need to do something that will show the Jedi Order they can't just ignore the Sith and play defensive. Maybe if we can find such compelling evidence of the terror they are planning, they will be appalled enough to take action. Is there anything that you can remember from your days as a Sith that could help us expose their operation and its purpose? Any old Sith bases that might be revitalized and in use now?"
  20. Adenna shrugged. "From what I am seeing, the Head of State seems on the right path, but then, there are many within the Remnant that don't follow. Look at what happened on Bespin. Yes, it is Black Sun controlled, but the Imperials there went in to destroy everything including the civilians. It does show that others are within her ranks are not exactly in line with her." She sat down on Tobias' bed and started running her fingers over the lacquered wooden hilt of her lightsaber. "The Imperial Knights seem quite interesting. They are organized, very martial, and seem to be more skirting the dark side than may be healthy. I understand their position, it is one I have ventured too close to in the past. Not sure what to do with it, but I like the idea of someone taking the fight to the Sith and I am not so sure the Jedi Order will. I want to see how things fall in practice before I decide which path best suits me. Words have meaning, but action in the face of adversity mean far more."
  21. Adenna looked at the holocron Tobias gave her with a distant, unreadable gaze. She didn't know what it held, but it had to be important if Kirlocca decided to put part of his essence into it. She hadn't seen the Wookiee in some time, but he had helped her in her crucial transition from a shy young woman into a Jedi Knight and she had always wanted to know more of his wisdom. "We will keep it," she said, "at least for now." She would return it if they came across Jaina again, but would not go out of their way to do so, not just yet. She had some things she wanted to see first. She didn't miss the emotions coming from him: his disillusionment with the Jedi Order and the Council specifically were understandable though regrettable. She wished that things had gone quite differently on Kashyyyk, but she didn't blame him for his feelings after the Council turned down all the hard work he had put in. It was a choice she found both difficult to comprehend and quite disappointing herself. "What is your impression of the Imperials?" she asked. She was intrigued with the new direction of their leadership, but wasn't convinced they were anything a Jedi should be involved with, not after so many decades of very bad blood.
  22. While Tobias went into the planet to investigate Kirlocca's death, Adenna stayed on the ship and spent her time meditating. There was much she needed to sort out regarding the upcoming battle. It had been some time since she had truly unleashed herself in a fight, and she was worried about how Tobias would view her when she did. Back on Thalassia, she had encountered the true horror of the slavers that she hadn't seen even living there. When she did, she couldn't simply allow the slavers to get away without justice. Hundreds had been captured or surrendered to Thalassian authorities. Most of them had no money and thus were quickly found guilty and either executed or thrown in very dark cells forever. Some of the more wealthy or connected slavers were able to bribe their way to much lighter sentences in a sickening display of how corruption worked. When Tagor Desparj was able to get away with a mere five year sentence in a minimum security prison despite being the head of a slaver organization that had enslaved hundreds of thousands, Adenna knew the justice system was broken, and she wasn't alone. There were some within the Thalassian government who were not corrupt and who refused to sit by idly as this injustice was carried out. They worked behind the scenes to get Adenna and the anti-slaver task force she headed, ThalTek, judicial authority to determine sentences and carry them out on any slavers not actually on Thalassia. The task force became judge, jury, and executioner and they were quite content to fill that role. Overnight, the number of slavers who were captured dropped drastically as ThalTek executed their necessary but admittedly harsh justice upon the scum of the Galaxy. Adenna knew it wasn't the Jedi way, but it was both legal and right. She also worried that if the Jedi Order actually found out real way she helped clean up Thalassia and its surrounding space, they would recall her. So, she and her fellow ThalTek officers frequently altered reports to explain the suddenly low rate of captures and surrenders during their missions. Going into Nal Hutta, Adenna worried that the desire to execute justice would bring out a side of her that even Tobias would object to. Her heart had no mercy for slavers and she didn't want to see the worst of them slip through the cracks of the justice system and get off. Perhaps the Remnant was more efficient at that, but she doubted it. The old Empire was full of corruption. While meditating, she worked to calm her center, to control the slowly nibbling voice in the deepest regions of the back of her mind telling her to slaughter them all. It took time, but she was able to resist that side of her and bring her soul to a more peaceful state. She would have to control herself down there, otherwise the Hutt slavers would come to know her as the Blue Death just as the Thalassian slavers did. She felt Tobias return and came out of her meditation. Standing up and brushing her typical blue robes off, she met him in the doorway of the room they had been practically sharing for the last few weeks and went to greet him. "Did you find what you needed?" she asked.
  23. Adenna smiled slightly at Tobias' speech and actions. It was endearing to see how he could be tender when he wanted. She wanted to take the time here to enjoy and savor this, but he was still quite the mess. Whatever he went through while she waited for the Council had left its mark and, at least from her initial impression, it might be a good one. Alas, one can't avoid the effects of as much alcohol that he consumed without some serious help. He was decidedly in need of some fluids and a bit of a pick me up. She reached down, placed her hands on his temples, and, drawing the Force to her, sent some healing energy throughout his body. She sped up his liver's processing of the alcohol and refreshed his energy and mind. Without the nanites she had in her to more directly deal with the alcohol, he would still be feeling a hangover, but at least it wouldn't be so bad. She would make sure he got himself hydrated on the trip to Nal Hutta. It definitely wouldn't do to have him not at his best in that fight. When she finished, she kissed him gently on the forehead and tasted the saltiness of his sweat. Whatever he had been doing, it had taken a toll on his body, too. "I have been given authorization to assist the Imperials on Nal Hutta along with two other Knights. They are meeting us in orbit, so I think it is best to get you cleaned up and on your way to recovery, that is, if you still intend on joining me. I am not sure what your plans are in that aspect."
  24. Adenna bowed to the Grandmaster. "Thank you, I will get in touch with them immediately and yes, I will keep an eye out for abuses by the Remnant. If they are reformed, then all the better. If not, then we should know about it." She took to heart what he said and would evaluate it over time as things progressed. She liked the idea of hunting the evil in this Galaxy, but still had a lot of distrust for the Remnant and the Empire it came from. It would take a lot for her to accept them as pure, despite her brief encounter with the General of the Imperial Knights. She offered another quick bow and departed to complete her task. She pulled out her commlink and got in touch with Knights Rialdin and Tho'ra and spent the journey back to Tobias' ship coordinating with them. They had their own ships and would meet them in orbit as soon as they were ready. Good thing, too, because she was looking forward to spending some quality time alone with Tobias on the way. When she arrived, she entered the ship, grabbing the extra bottle of liquor that had been near the hatch. She then found Tobias in an almost trance like dream state. She figured the alcohol must have opened his defenses down enough let the Force direct him. Not wanting to interfere with anything important, she sat patiently at his side waiting for him to wake.
  25. Adenna bowed her head briefly then nodded at the new Grandmaster's question. "The Remnant is embarking on a mission to Hutt Space to destroy the slave trade. Just as I did with the Jedi and others on Thalassia, I was hoping that the Jedi Council would support this effort and send Jedi assistance to liberate countless millions under the yoke of slavery. Not just that, but as these are old Imperials, I would like to make sure there is a Jedi presence to ensure they remain true to their stated pledge of liberating the slaves. The last thing I want is to replace one slavemaster for another."
×
×
  • Create New...