Leena Kil

MODERATOR POST: DUEL BETWEEN DARTH NYRYS AND KYRIE ELEISON Let me start out by telling you both how much I enjoyed your duel. A Sith Lord that was not stereotypically rage-fueled and dark = monster matched against a light side crusader bent on destroying the darkness, but is not good = stupid, was quite refreshing. I knew little about either character besides what I gleaned from chats, so this duel allowed me to see each with fresh eyes. Each character came to this duel with plenty of history. Each roleplayer came to this duel with years of dedication and experience. There was not one thing that tipped the scale for either combatant in a way that would not be or could not be countered by the other. I was left scrambling for everything from guides and character sheets to Merriam-Webster’s best seller. I drew the line at translating text and becoming educated in swordplay (Describing is better than labelling). There were two things I greatly appreciated in this duel. The first was the flashbacks. Normally, these can break up the flow of a post, especially in combat. This time, however, that flashback was brought to bear as a potent weapon and tie this duel into aspects of the galaxy. The second was the fact that this entire duel could almost have been fought without weapons. The weapons played a part, but a lot of this duel was mental or metaphysical. It was anything but typical or what I was expecting. Oh, wait! There was a third. Chucking a snackbar at your opponent’s face before the duel and eating it was entertaining. All that being said, this duel came down to a few key items for me: fire, the force, and damage. 1st fire: It was quite exciting to see two characters from the opposite sides apply fire. The flames clearly came from different places within the characters and were utilized differently. Holy fire and unholy fire were blasted back and forth. One could argue fire is fire, but it seems quite clear that they are not the same. As such, each fire is unique and ascribed to it’s own side of the force. 2nd the force: The move Silence threw me for a loop. I reached out to both sides relating to this move and it’s application. I also went and read the write up for the move. As an aside, when utilizing moves beyond normal applications of the force, links are awesome! Kyrie’s attempt to interrupt Nyrys’ access to the force ought not have been strong enough to completely disconnect an opponent from the force, but only to make accessing the force more challenging. The guide is very specific in this matter. I am not sure if there was confusion on this and can understand where it would have risen from without knowing about the specific move and it’s write up. Communication between combatants OOCly can be a very important tool in writing the ebb and flow of a duel. 3rd damage: This duel pits opponents of differing power levels against one another. This is not something that concerns me in the least. David still slew Goliath. Goliath just had cooler toys. Each side could and did take damage. With seasoned roleplayers like you, I was not worried that each of you would attempt to call/take hits appropriately. Both sides received some damages that will have lasting effects beyond Corellia to where individuals can receive appropriate treatment. Fire is bad mm’kay. Like really really bad. Had this duel continued on any further, Nyrys would have been severely disadvantaged from her final post. It seemed clear that the battle was swinging in Kyrie’s favor. That being said, I am not sure what the near future would hold for Nyrys moving forward. Was the darkness purged? Would a warrior of the light strike down an unarmed enemy pulled clear from the darkness and teetering on a precipice of unknown? With all of this in mind, I determined that the winner of this duel is : KYRIE This was not an easy ruling to make and both parties should take pride in their writing abilities and in writing an awesome duel. Next time you two go toe to toe, let me know! I want to witness it.

Leena cocked an eyebrow, slightly confused. The ship did not look that old, to be speaking of ancestor’s ancestors. She kept the thought to herself though as she hurried aboard the ship with the others, anxious to get to work. As they neared the hazardous zone, Leena could feel it. Not only could she taste and just plain feel a change in the air as the poisons radiated out into the world around them, she felt it in her soul. There was sickness and death here. An unnatural blemish on the facade of life that needed washing away. Slipping out of her white healer’s robes, Leena carefully folded them and placed them on her seat. All she had on now was a white form-fitting second skin body glove; something she had taken to wearing since serving as a medic in the field hospital’s of Coruscant. Robes and scrubs needed changed often, having something on underneath allowed her to do that faster. Taking her sash-like belt and tying it about her waist, Leena assured herself that lightsaber and other gear was carefully affixed. Still. “Wouldn’t do me any good to loose it on the jump now would it.” Taking a rebreather, Leena popped it into her mouth, offering a goofy reassuring smile to the reptilian woman beside her with a thumbs up. Then she stepped to the edge of the ship and looked down. Her fingers tightened on the edge of the doorway into nothingness. Taking a deep breath, Leena silently reminded herself that she was a Jedi, she was here to help. Closing her eyes, the Mon Calamari girl let go and allowed herself to fall forward into a dive. Like a bullet hitting the water, the fishy girl shot through the surface and down into the seawaters below, a wake of bubbles trailing behind her. She felt it even more now. Even though the water was warm, the unnaturalness of the pervading toxins hung on every droplet. It was a cancer that need expunged. Orienting herself, Leena looked around. Seeing Sandy nearby, she paddled over, offering a goofy rebreather filled grin in greeting. It was time to go to work.

Mod Post: Adenna - Delta Duel Ruling First off let me congratulate both of you on writing an enjoyable duel that was aesthetically appealing and both decidedly Star Wars in feel and relatively tactically sound for a galaxy far far away. Well done. Bravo! In reading the lead up to the duel and the duel itself, I notes a couple interesting grammatical and or spelling errors. Most of these I can easily attribute to fat fingers and the limitations of spell check. They did not deter from the duel and I was only sent scrambling for an online dictionary twice because the verbiage was used in such a way to make me wonder at my own ignorance of the English language. I especially appreciated the full display of force powers exhibited by Adenna. The absorption and redirection of a barrage of fire only to turn and redirect it was awe inspiring and a pinnacle of Jedi power applied in combat. Additionally, I felt like I could really connect with Delta as he faced such an overwhelming possibility of force. He was, like a career soldier, prepared to do what he needed to, in spite of what he knew could be a potential situation. The loss of another friend, I felt it and felt for him. Additionally, I appreciated neither side picking a load out specifically designed to hamper the other. This battle was truly a battle of titanic forces both of whom brought a lot of backstory and character buildup to the table. Trying to sift through all that would be monumental, so in looking at the duel itself and the actions on Serenno I made my ruling. The winner of this duel is : DELTA The use of tactical NPCs, while not strictly relegated to non force users (NFUs), are a tool in the NFU toolbox specifically to help counter the overwhelming force and supernatural abilities a a single force user can bring to the battlefield. Depending on the circumstances, force users (FUs) can still have and utilize tactical NPCs, but it does create a power shift when using them along with force powers against a NFU. I understand that this was in the middle of a chaotic war scene. Both aides did well including snippets of other flavorful NPCs playing out about them. The focus is the duel with the battlefield as a backdrop. Additionally, posts should be limited to what can be achieved in a matter of seconds unless agreed upon beforehand. Any action taken by an character that directly impacts the other character and has any potential to alter the battlefield for one side or another needs to be left open ended enough so as to allow the opposition time to react. Chaining together multiple actions without allowing time for the other to respond, except for responding to multiple actions in a post that forces a specific response or genre of limiting responses is not acceptable. Thankfully, I saw VERY little of this, but it did creep up. It does to the best of us. **SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING TRAVIS** After the conclusion of this duel and before I started even ruling on this, Travis, who plays Adenna, was banned from roleplaying for an extended period of time. That incident was not considered when ruling on this duel, but I would be remise to not note it in the ruling. Travis’ characters are offered a stasis-type level of protection so if / when Travis returns, his characters are viable to play and this OOC situation is not exploited ICly. Having concluded the duel prior to the banning, there is some leeway in the response to this duel. Tim, who plays Delta, is an administrator and veteran RPer on this site and I have full confidence in his abilities to weigh the OOC situation with his IC response. I not know the status of Adenna as to if she is a perma-death character or not. Normally this should not be a factor in IC responses, but given the extraordinary circumstances I would strongly urge that Adenna not be killed in this battle and instead be A) captured and transported to a location where she is out of harms way and has the ability to escape / be released ( her identity has not been established in this battle and it *could be* possible that it remains undiscovered and she is relegated to some third tier Sith prison barge or something that she could later escape from) or B) wounded and either left for dead for rescue by other Jedi / Imperial forces planet side or wounded and left and nursed back to health by unnamed locals or allowed to escape along with retreating forces of good.

Squeaky voices cried out across all open channels as rambling threats of death and carnage crowded the comms. Aboard the Imperial Momship, Reaper Joe directed the swarms of needle ships forward following the spewing laser fire of their fellow rebels. Nothing would stop them! Seeing the swarms of his brethren fall like piranha beetles towards the enemy cruisers, the Imperial Momship turned it’s attention elsewhere. “Fire upon the bad doing baddie Sith and make them pay with much screaming pain and internal organ-grinding suffering of despair.” Turbolaser fire spewed forth from the once-Imperial, squirrel-like overrun vessel. “The pesky bothersome death gnat spewing toothless metal mouth will be slapped shut for all permanence eternally. Run quickly as much as your stubby abnormally shorty short waddle legs might carry pull you before the supreme rain of superior Squibian morally justified Imperial firepower send your legless desecrated badly boomed bodies back into the furthestmost great beginning reaches of time space.” The corvette-sized needle ships raced through the empty space towards their prey until the rambling monstrosity of an enemy ship moved to cut them off. With the attention span of a squirrel burying a nut beneath a koja nut tree before winter when nuts fell from the sky they changed their course. Turning their attentions to the new lumbering target, the Squibs screamed their battle cries. Lengthy rambling threats of ship and child disembowelment filled the airwaves around the Black Bracer. It was an added bonus to the flaying tractor beams that leapt from the ships’ maws to try and tear at the thick armored plating of the enemy. Like the koja nuts, the sweet core within would be laid bare, ripe for the devouring. ____________________________________ Independent Jedi/Imperial Support Force: Sairdonga Destroyer Group (Turbolasers) Task Force Experience: Green (1xp) MCS MC75-Class Star Cruiser: Imperial Momship Formally Known As Admiral Sairdonga |20/20| Independent Jedi/Imperial Support Force: Death Harvest Catchers Hellriders: Hit and Run Tactics Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-3-3-4-5 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 |2/1| Independent Jedi/Imperial Support Force: Sith Eaters Hellriders: Hit and Run Tactics Squib Needle Ship: Sith 0-1 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 1-2 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 2-3 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 3-4 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 4-5 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 5-6 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 6-7 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 7-8 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 8-9 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 9-10 |2/1|

Leena tensed slightly as the woman moved to embrace her. She did not resist, but her mind raced as she tried to comprehend everything. This woman had been on Mon Cal with her. Sandy indicated it had not been a fight that she could win. Maybe she was right. Maybe together they, three Jedi women, could return someday to Mon Cal and right the wrongs wrought there. Offering a smile to T’ali’au Leena stepped back to take in the distant derelict that was apparently the source of their mission; to stop some looming disaster. “What happened out there?” The girl whispered aloud. “This world is so beautiful, so peaceful. How did that thing come to spoil it?”

Smiling, Leena turned at the sound of her name. Hurrying over to fall in step with Sandy, the young Jedi was just happy to feel a sense of peace about her. The whole place just seemed, peaceful. The woman Sandy waved at gave Leena pause as she felt an unsettling familiarity carried on the waves of the force. The Mon Cal’s eye went wide as she stared unblinking for several seconds. As soon as Sandy finished speaking Leena opened her mouth to speak. “She wasn’t waiting here for you the whole time Master Sarna,” she whispered. “I think she was . . . no. It couldn’t be. Could it?” With her eyes still focused on Sandy’s friend, Leena spoke a little louder; blurting out without any introduction, “Were you in Mon Cal too when the Sith attacked?”

Leena smiled at Sandy, “Thank you Master Sarna. You are right. Of course you are. I am still a Jedi, regardless of what has happened or would have been. If this world needs healing and hope; then I am here for them. I hope my skills will be of more use and less explosive this time.” The ship shuddered as it broke atmosphere and descended towards the watery world below. Standing, Leena went over to the viewport, a gasp escaping her as she smiled. “It is very beautiful. Much like Mon Cal, only . . . different. The dark presences just do not permeate like they did back on the world I cane from. Someday, I would like to return there, when I am better prepared for the evils that lurk there, and make things right.” Leena steeled herself, turning her attention towards the future and the world that loomed ahead of them outside. As the ship settled, Leena quickly sat to remove her white plastoid boots and rush out to the warm sands outside. Her toes crunching it between them as she paused, letting the tides wash over her feet. A sense of happiness enveloped her. She was where she needed to be and in spite of what had happened, the force was with her. Reaching out, the girl let her worries and cares be swept out with the tides. Each lapping wave carrying with it the warmth of the glow of the force’s comfort and guidance; a warmth she let wash over her soul. Whatever was here, this was where she belonged.

“We are an order at war though. What good am I if I cannot hold my own and serve the greater good? If I let hospitals and refugees get blown away? If I run when I ought to stand and fight? . . . even if I don’t know how to.” The girl paused, letting her own words soak in. “I guess I should have. Not sure what I could have done against such a force, but anything would have been better than nothing. I just would rather soothe suffering than be forced to create it. Isn’t that what we are doing charging out to fight the Sith warmachine?” The Mon Cal shoved her smooth hilt into her waistband. “I guess I am feeing ignorant. It feels like the whole order is gearing up towards war and the Grandmaster made it clear I wasn’t fit for the frontlines. That upsets me. I want to be a servant of the force, not a soldier, a good Jedi though too. I’ve seen what war does. I finally saw it in reality on Mon Cal. I’ve seen what war does, smelt it, tasted it, been in it up to my gills; but I was never in it in it. Then I was. I didn’t like it. I don’t want to make it. I want to heal it and keep it from happening to others, especially those who are innocent of its cause. It just doesn’t feel that is the Jedi that is needed or wanted. Maybe it isn’t the true Jedi Way.” Leena shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Sandy. “I just want to help.”

Leena toyed with her saber hilt, deftly spinning the silver cylinder from fingertip to fingertip; her mind lost as it wandered within itself. Her eyes darted upwards to Sandy as the master spoke. Sitting up from her slouch she offered a feeble smile. “Master Sarna, I was just,” she looked the master up and down before taking a deep breath and continuing. “How did you know you were meant to be a Jedi? I mean, when did you know that you were heeding the force’s call? I just cannot help but wonder if, well, maybe; maybe I was not meant to be a Jedi.” ”Look at this,” she held her lightsaber hilt up, pointing it towards the ceiling, “I know the basics, but thats it. I cannot even remember the last time I actually used it in a fight. I used to not even carry it. The last time I activated it I used it to threaten another Jedi; then we about got blown up. I’m not some leader of soldiers or protector of worlds like you or the Grandmaster or so many other of the greats.” “Is the grandmaster sidelining me because I am not a fighter? Could you teach me how to be a great warrior like you. Maybe then I could prove that I am true Jedi.“ Leena’s ramble came to a halt as she looked expectantly, albeit hesitantly at Sandy. The truth was, she didn’t like fighting. She was a healer, a beacon of light in the ragged galaxy. If she was to be a Jedi though, she would do what she had to do; if that meant slicing and dicing her way through Sith troopers, well then, so be it. ______________ The Mantis hung back as Sandy approached Leena. It was not something he was needed for. What the Jedi Master had said about their destination coupled with her attire change into less-than-traditional Jedi garb had given him pause. Heading back to his spartan quarters, he would change. A Jensaarai was more than his armor after all. A light white robe over a pocketed tunic of gray would have to suffice. He could still carry enough supplies to fee confident should the worst arrive; but he wouldn’t be relying on his body glove to continually whisk away his heat and sweat. The Mantis really was not a fan of standing around and sweating without cause.

Zipping through hyperspace, the Jedi Shuttle hurtled towards it’s destination. The ship fulfilled it’s duty as intended. It did not ask any questions. It went where it was directed and it did not question it’s purpose. Leena pondered these things as she sat on a cushioned bench in the common area of the vessel. Why couldn’t she be more like this starship? Be a Jedi. Bring peace, not chaos. Stand for the oppressed and downtrodden, not flee at the sight of the enemy. Turning these thoughts over in her head, Leena turned the hilt of her lightsaber over in her hands with the same rhythm. End over end the signature weapon and symbol of the Jedi turned and tumbled through her deft hands. It symbolized who she was supposed to be. She took pride in it and hated it at the same time. “Maybe you’re not meant to be a Jedi Knight Leena Kil. The MedCorps wouldn’t be so bad even without . . .” she paused, shaking her head to try and drive the thought out of her mind. _____________________________________ Elsewhere on the craft, the armored Mantis finished cleaning his grayed Jensaarai armor, leaving a dull gray hue across the pieces. It was a Jedi training or meditation room. The Jensaarai had found it a refuge in which to contemplate. The ritualistic cleaning of his armor was as much meditation as the battle-ready maneuvers practiced within the waves of the force. “I guard my emotions, Lest they control me.” The warrior spoke softly as he began to pull his armored boots and armored leg plating into place. “I guard my kin, through unity,” He placed his chest piece into place, looking at Sandy. “We are strong.” Reaching down, The Mantis picked up his bracers and began to carefully afix them. “I guard justice,” He continued as he finished securing his arms. “For true justice is the path to peace.” Picking up others bits of armor, the Corellian expertly secured the oieces into place without even having to look. Continuing, his voice dropped to a loud whisper, “I guard Knowledge, lest the truth is forgotten.” Picking up his belt, the Jensaarai slung it into place, before methodically placing each weapon in it’s assigned space. “I guard life, because from life the force flows.” ”These are the tenants of the Jensaarai way Jedi Sarna. We were born of differences with the Jedi; but like the Jedi we stand for what is good. We seek a peaceful life;” he picked up his helmet and walked towards Sandy with a warm smile, “but we will do what must be done to preserve peace for our own and those who stand with us.” $:$/ He gestured towards the door, “Shall we walk?” Strolling down the ship’s corridors, The Mantis spoke, trying to explain the ways of the Jensaarai while also honoring his oath to protect them. ”Many who find their home amongst the Jensaarai are like Jedi Kil. They live in peace with their world, nurturing and creating in a galaxy of destruction and chaos. We protect them and they make us whole. Together, we seek the truths that the galaxy wishes us to not see. In true truth, real justice can be found. In that justice, true peace lives and flourishes. Not under the shadows of untruth. We operate there so that others may not” Pausing at the threshold to the room where Leena was pondering, The Mantis took his helmet and gently placed it on his head with a click. “I will remain at the edges of the shadows. Unless needed, nobody will even know I am there. Right now,” he pointed towards the room where Leena sat, “I believe young Leena needs a Jedi to help her right now. May the force be with you Master Jedi.” _______________________________ Staring down at her lightsaber, Leena did not even notice as the others approached just outside. The force rippled around the young Jedi as she questioned her position in the galaxy. She held onto the thought that the Grandmaster had sent her on another mission; but something made her wonder if it was not just a way to get her out of the way and not deal with the catastrophe she had been a part of on Mon Cal. After all, it had seemed like the Grandmaster had confirmed that Leena was not meant to fight the rising darkness. Fighting the darkness was what the Grandmaster wanted; where the order was directed and she was not to be a part of that direction. How long could she remain a Jedi if she did not conform?

Leena smiled warmly as Sandy came over; before she could express her relief that they had left without her though, the Jedi Master turned her attention to the Jensaarai Defender standing a short distance behind her. She had not given much thought to the fact that he was NOT, strictly speaking, a Jedi, and that other Jedi may not know who, what, or why he was there. Swallowing the warm gloppy cereal in her mouth she tried to answer; but the Corellian man behind her spoke first. “I am a kindred spirit to the Jedi; a defender of justice, knowledge, brotherhood, and life. I seek truth where it may be found. I am a Jensaarai and my oath is to aid this Jedi, and by her, all Jedi, in the journey to bring about peace to the galaxy.” He kept his helmet tucked under his arm as he looked over the newly arrived Jedi. “And you need no introduction Knight Sarna. I have read of your exploits and trials. It will be an honor to stand alongside you both as we journey together.” Offering a somewhat warm smile as he looked at Leena and then back to Sandy. Swallowing her food Leena continued, babbling to get the words that had been caught behind her breakfast out. “This is Defender Mantis. He is a Jensaarai. From what I understand they split from the Jedi a long long time ago, but not like the Imperial Knights did ya know? They came to help us beat back the Sith. Apparently I helped nurse Defender Mantis back to health back on Coruscant and he has been called by the force to come and help me and keep me from being swarmed by the forces of darkness so I can focus on helping to heal the damage the darkness has caused throughout the galaxy. Isn’t that right?” Leena glanced back at the older Corellian who was trying to track everything Leena had just spat out in explanation. “Well I . . .” “After what happened on Mon Cal, I couldn’t be more surprised and pleased with how the force provides. Apparently there are other Jensaarai here too, but they are on a secret mission or something. Need to know kind of stuff I guess. I guess I do not need to know. After everything, I just, I dunno. I’m glad to be going where we aren’t getting blown up, shot at, invaded, or hunted by something truly dark.” Pausing Leena looked around the room before leaning forward and whispering to Sandy, “Maybe we can talk about that sometime soon when there aren’t so many folks around?” Sitting back up she continued, “But I am done here and Defender Mantis finished, he said, before I even showed up. So let me take my dishes over to the wash station and I’ll be ready to go. I don’t even know what we are doing, but the Grandmaster said this would be a good mission for me.” Trotting off to dump her tray, Leena left The Mantis and Sandy alone for a moment. “She is young. Full of life and brightness. A guiding star amongst the cosmos.” As soon as Leena got back to the group, she would be ready to depart.

Leena slowly nodded. It was not the response she had necessarily expected. The darkness had permeated the very pores of Mon Cal. Even if she had no memory of it, it was the home of Leena’s people. Maybe that was why she felt such a connection to it. The Grandmaster clearly had bigger worries than Leena and her mission. That much was apparent; but to not even comment on the Jedi who were still there? Did they not deserve rescue? Maybe they had gotten out and Leena was just not privy to such knowledge. They were, after all, undercover. Right? Leena was not remanded to her quarters or to some obscure corner of the galaxy to heal others and mend agricultural injuries. Quite to opposite; she had been told to accompany Master Sarna to Scarif. Steeling herself in the force, Leena nodded in compliance and made her way out of the room, head held high. It could be the desperate times they were in, but she was still a Jedi. Walking down the hall, she felt the smooth silvery hilt of her signature weapon bouncing rhythmically against her thigh. The young Mon Cal smiled. Jedi or no, she knew her place in the galaxy. She was there to heal the broken hearted, to bind their wounds and to restore not only their bodies, but their souls. Perhaps, whatever awaited her on Scarif would allow her to do just that. And, perhaps, she ran her fingers along the hilt, she could learn a thing or two about combatting the dark on a physical plain from the famed Sandy Sarna. Turning, Leena made her way to the Healer’s quarters where she could find new robes, and if she was honest, an extra set or two, rest, and peace. Settling into her bunk, Leena crossed her legs, the backs of her hands against her knees as she leaned back and stared at the ceiling. This was her home. Here, she felt peace. Reaching within, the young girl felt the surging warmth of light in her chest. Inhaling, she drew on the light around her. Exhaling, she sent that light back out in an invisible cleansing surge pushing back any tendrils of darkness that dared creep into her domain of peace and life. Leena did know how long she sat there, embraced in the warm flow of the force. What she did know is that when she finally awoke, it was morning and she felt refreshed. Grabbing her extra gear, Leena hurried out of her quarters. If she hurried, she’d have time to grab breakfast before meeting up with Master Sarna for their mission.

Leena blinked in surprise at the Jedi before her. Before she had time to object, the veteran warrior silenced her with a finger. ‘Scarif . . . healing . . . ‘ she pondered the request. She felt like an utter disappointment, but someone wanted her help and people needed healing. How could she not help. Before she could respond Sandy Sarna was gone. Lost in her thoughts Leena began to make her way down the corridors. Who was she supposed to report to even? Other Jedi were involved. Other Jedi were probably dead. That was more important than a medical checklist on the sick, dead, and recovered. Pondering it as she walked along, Leena turned the thoughts over and over in her head. She really had no other choice; she knew it. Such a report needed to be made to the Grandmaster. If someone, a Jedi, was still alive on Mon Cal and needed rescuing, the Grandmaster would be the one to arrange it! But where was the Grandmaster? Reaching out on the force, Leena could feel the calming waves of goodness and light ebbing and flowing throughout the base. “Uhhhhhh.” she wondered aloud. “Seems a bit odd for a Jedi to drool on themselves in the hallway” a cool calm voice reverberated out of what had just been vacant space. The armored being caused Leena to draw back, startled; his armor bore a resemblance to the ancient Sith she had seen in the holocrons, but the shadowy signature he cast in the force was decidedly good. Oh! Uhm hello there. I did not see you there. Are you a Jedi? You don’t look like any Jedi I have ever seen. I’m sorry. I am just a bit distracted. We got attacked by the Sith and I was, well, lost in my thoughts. Do you know where the Grandmaster is? I need to report what happened.” She yammered until the armored being held up his hand to silence her. “I am not a Jedi, but a searcher for the truth and a disciple of light. You saved my life once on the battlefields of Coruscant. I am here now to ensure your life-saving efforts continue unthwarted with blessings from my order.” “Oh. Well that is a lot to take in. I cannot say I recognize you in all that armor though. Coruscant you say? I treated a lot of pretty banged up folks there.” Leena’s mind churned. The man seemed sincere enough. But where did he come from? It seemed too coincidental to be a coincidence. “I would welcome your company though mister, master . . . ahhhh, not-Jedi? I guess we’ll be heading off world tomorrow if you want to come with me. I need to go find the Grandmaster though first.” “Defender Mantis is my name. I would be honored to accompany you. Trust me. They will not even know I am there. Such is the way of the Jensaarai. The Grandmaster is in the great hall, if you were wondering.” “Oh! Thanks Master, errr, Defender Mantis. I’ll see you soon!” Leena turned and scurried off to find Grandmaster Adenna. Entering the hall, Leena slowed, trying to maintain a level of decorum. Still, she couldn’t help be nervous. What she had to report was bot exactly good news and she. Really didn’t know the Grandmaster except for by site. Seeing the leader of their order at the other end of the hall, Leena cautiously cleared her voice with a cough, “Uhhhh. Excuse me Grandmaster? Leena Kil, Jedi Apprentice healer here with a report from Mon Cal. I regret to inform you that things did not go well there. I fear that the world has fallen to the Sith and there may be Jedi captured or dead. The darkness on the world was, well, like nothing I have ever sensed before.” Leena launched into as much detail as she could remember about the ordeal; the hospital explosion, the attack on the refugee compound, the pits, the darkness, the floods, Nia and Mjan and their whole company. By the end tears streamed down her face. “I feel like a failure, worthy and capable of nothing more than serving as an assistant in the chemicalized sterile environments of Jedi healing centers; but Master Sarna has asked me to accompany her to Scarif too. What am I supposed to do?”

Churning into the fringes of Corellian territory, a large Imperial Starcruiser and her escorts made a frightening headway towards the planet and surround claimed space. The comms crackled to life as they drew nearer, “Let us make it the most rushed upon doomed ending the would be power mongering sith of deepest darkness have ever seen!” The comms aboard the large capital ship responded to the Imperial call for battle across the rebel comms. “The Squibian Allied Forces of the Jedi and Empire are here to fulfill their contract and ensure the total annihilation of bad big guy nasty nasty stinky Sith lords of darkest dark and their vile forces of destruction and despair. The Imperial Momship Formerly Known As Admiral Sairdonga and her minion swarms of Death Harvest Catchers and Sith Eaters have arrived to fall upon the foes of freedom with infathomless terror and chattering of razored teeth.” Swarming about the Imperial warship two dozen Squib-made corvettes darted back and forth scanning the ship for structural weaknesses before the upcoming battle. _________________________________ Independent Jedi/Imperial Support Force: Sairdonga Destroyer Group (Turbolasers) Task Force Experience: Green (1xp) MCS MC75-Class Star Cruiser: Imperial Momship Formally Known As Admiral Sairdonga |20/20| Independent Jedi/Imperial Support Force: Death Harvest Catchers Hellriders: Hit and Run Tactics Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-3-3-4-5 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Catcher 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 |2/1| Independent Jedi/Imperial Support Force: Sith Eaters Hellriders: Hit and Run Tactics Squib Needle Ship: Sith 0-1 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 1-2 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 2-3 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 3-4 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 4-5 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 5-6 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 6-7 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 7-8 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 8-9 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 9-10 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 10-11 |2/1| Squib Needle Ship: Sith 11-12 |2/1|

Leena smiled as she hopped down off the transport, a spring in her step. It had taken several days to recover from her ordeal on Mon Cal and she was still not sure of what had all happened or the outcome. Passing out after her expulsion of force powers, the crew of the ship had spirited her to safety and helped arrange transport for her back to the Jedi. Even as the chaos of what she did remember on Mon Cal played at the back of her mind, Leena couldn’t help but smile. She had survived. She had helped, somehow. Still, she needed to tell somebody about what had happened; the explosion at the hospital, the other Jedi, the Sith acolyte, the raid on the warehouse, everything. There was a darkness there, a darkness that needed the attention of more Jedi than just her and the two strange refugee Jedi. Making her way through the Jedi compound on Nar Shaddaa, Leena pondered what came next. Maybe she was better fit for a hospital wing. Things tended to not explode there. Rounding a corner, Leena came to an abrupt stop as she pressed herself against the wall to avoid running into a warrior Jedi, Sandy Sarna. “Oh! Excuse me Master Jedi,” she stammered lowering her head in reverence. “I was lost in my own thoughts and not paying attention to the world around me. You see, I, well, I just got here and was going to go report in on what happened. Then,” she sighed looking downcast, her voice falling with her emotions, “I thought I would return to the infirmary. Nothing tends to blow up there.”

Fleet Commander NPC Identity Real Name: Jolementine-ynn-traiiling A.K.A: Reaper Joe Homeworld: Space Species: Squib Physical Description Age: 28 Height: 3’10” Weight: 70 lbs Fur: Green Eyes: Black Sex: male Equipment Clothing or Armor: A pair of baggy cargo shorts and a leather vest each lined with several visible and hidden pockets, a large commodore type hat, faded and stained with age Weapons: Duel Ion Blaster Pistols, multiple knives Common Inventory: A myriad of tools from small saws, to drivers and pries Faction Information Force User, Force Sensitive or Non-Force User NO Alignment: Lawful Neutral Current Faction Affiliation: Rebel Alliance / Jedi Current Faction Rank: NPC fleet command History Background: Reaper Joe is a Squib leader of a large band of salvaging experts. He came into the title due to a series of orchestrated trades and accidents. For the last half decade he has led his faithful band scavenging and salvaging the remains of ‘accidents’ and space battles; sometimes before they are quite finished. It was on one of these occasions that The Squibs came under fire from an unidentified force that left their ragtag band devastated and for dead in the void of space. Dead, that is, if not rescued by a certain young Jedi, Leena Kil and company. From then on, the Squibs and Leena developed a strange friendship; a friendship resulting in the Squibs coming to the aid of the Jedi and the fledgling Rebel Alliance.

redacted

‘We are all. We are none. We are servants. We. Are. Free.’ The voice echoed in Xar’s circuits to no one but the droid. It’s voice pulses of energy that faded into the noise of the electronic whirlings. Suddenly the attached head began to fizzle and spark, sending flashes of blue across the darkness. A loud pop followed with an blinding flash of white as the head disconnected from Xar’s and fell with a splash in the waters at the droid’s feet. Meanwhile, the advancing legion of shamblers and durasteel closed on the party. They seemed undissuaded by the return fire. Wherever one fell another seemed to materialize to take it’s place. Some of the droids sent arcing traced of blue electricity skittering across the water as they fell. The beast’s tentacles swished through the waters, grabbing and pulling any leg or limb it could find in the waters, dragging the unlucky owners towards the toothy maw and it’s rancid breath. Those who radiates the force the strongest were the choicest morsels and the tentacles beast sought them out the hardest. “Come to me my children” it whispered across the battlefield. And then, it happened, the shimmering orb with it’s ominous flashing red flashing countdown light was hurled and accelerated towards the maw. In the chaos, it was not something to be simply batted away, even as it thudded into the visible maw of the creature, wedging itself amongst it’s teeth right above the waterline. The red light blinked, increasing in frequency. Seconds passed as the onslaught throughout the chamber continued. Then, it happened. The baridum core began to enter a state of fusion. The rapidly expanding field consuming all in it’s path as it tore through water, flesh, droid, and shambling undead. 25 meters in every direction the field cut, shifting the waters as they rushed to press in on the chasm that the explosion opened downwards, mingling with the chunks of severed tentacles. The ever present darkness that assaulted everyone within faltered as pain and agony pulsed through the air. The pressing assault came to a near standstill as the shambling undead and most of the robotic enforcers seemed to blink in and out of existence, once, twice, thrice, before vanishing entirely. A half dozen armed droids pressed onwards, wielding their aged pikes expertly as they closed on the Sith and their troopers. Behind the group, the three droids that had been holding back the deluge stopped. The purple glow on their hands fading as they turned, the thunderous crash of water filling the cavern as they turned, sure footed and leapt. Two towards Xar, reaching and grasping for wires and loose plates, tearing and pulling. Another at Nok Morliss, intent on rendering flesh from bone with it’s vice-like fingers. The maw heaved painfully, expelling more dusty spores into the atmosphere as it fell still, the voice calling weakly across the force, “Be free my children. Carry forth my will to the stars once again. They shall not resist you.” With that, a sucking sound as fleshy appendages detached from the cortosis walls about the maw, the creature began to fall away, the sea pouring in across the wounded creature, bathing the room in darkness. ____________________ Meanwhile, back topside, Leena’s powerful strokes brought her closer and closer to the city. The attack was still going as strong as ever. The city fell steadily, small pockets of resistance only a temporary speedbump to the inevitable end. Those who were lucky enough to make it to any matter of air or water vessel were trying to escape the city. It was one of the later, an angular luxury yacht painted a shimmering white and yellow bore down on Leena. Slowing as it came close. Several ragged and warn citizens reaching down to help pull the young Mon Cal aboard. Fear and worry was etched across every line of their fishy faces. “Get her inside with the others. Are you ok miss?” Leena carefully picked herself up slowly nodding her tired head. “Yes. I, uh, thank you,” she smiled weakly. Fishing her lightsaber out of her robes and hanging it on her waist. The crewmen recoiled in shock whispering amongst themselves before one ran off to alert whoever was in charge of the boat. “You’re a Jedi? Can you help us?” One of the remaining men asked tentatively. Leena nodded and was whisked to what was once an elegant lounge area, now filled with the injured and dying. Without waiting a moment, Leena pushed her weariness from her mind and closing her eyes, began to reach out, cataloging injuries and sending a reassuring wave of positive purifying energy wafting across the room. Kneeling next to a Quarren woman with bad burns across her face and arms, Leena instinctively reached for her med kit, which was gone. “Does anyone have a first aid kit?” she queried loudly. Before anyone could answer, an anxious voice buzzed across the ship wide comms; “Brace for impact! Incoming!” Within moments the entire ship shuddered and groaned, windows shattering as laser fire pummeled the ship from above. The whine of fighter craft streaking overhead was enough to tell anyone who couldn’t see what was happening what was going on. They were not going to let them escape. Standing up, Leena ran out onto the deck looking up. In the distance, she saw the craft arcing about in a wide circle to begin another straffing run. Screams echoed across the ship as the refugees came to a realization that they were doomed to die. Leena felt her fists balled at her sides. Carefully she exhaled, allowing the force to flow through her and purge the tension that had overtaken her. Pushing the emotions away, Leena reached inward to grasp at the core of light she carried within. Inhaling and exhaling, she fanned the glowing embers of light. It grew. Leena held it, fanning it as her palms extended wide and she raised her arms, stretching out at shoulder high. She felt for any spark of light, of hope, love, and goodness. She fanned them and called them towards her. The ships whined as they ducked low, their cannons opening fire as they sent geysers of superheated water Rocketing into the air with the blasts of their heavy lasers. Just as the blasterfire began to rock the ship, Leena inhaled deeply, opened her eyes and stared at the ships intently. Exhaling, she raised her hands, pointing her bladed fingers at the formation of fighters. Like a whirlpool of white, lightnside energies burst forth from the small Mon Cal Jedi swirling forth to jostle and toss the screaming fighters in winds and waves of energy, frying sensors and disrupting gyroscoptic sensors, shutting down power sources and turning the vessels into state-of-the-art giant hunks of metal. The ships tumbled overhead, overcome by the onslaught of light side energies, crashing into the crystalline waters like eggs on duracrete. Leena did not see this though as she collapsed to the deck, her eyes rolling back in her head. Her chest rose and fell heavily, her body exhausted by the expulsion of energies. The yacht raced onwards. Shock and awe at the Jedi display giving way to a scurrying rush as the ship’s crew sought to seize the opening for escape.

The smell of smoke, blaster fire, and sizzling flesh filled the air. It mingled with that fish-tanky smell as the still waters were churned for the first time in a lifetime or more. Through it all, the maw of the beast that took up the end of the cavernous room salivated and snarled; it’s sharp piercing cries echoing about the chamber amongst the cacophonies of explosions. Bit of flesh and stone flew through the air as the tooth-rimmed maw was peppered. And through it all a grim stillness overtook the cavern as the flailing of tentacles and boiling of water ceased. An eerie calm followed as the appendages fell back into the waters and lay still. Then, across the stillness echoed a deep malevolent voice, “At last you have come, heralded by my call. So quickly do slaves forget their place, existing but to do the will of their masters. When the master is away, those foolish servants think they are free. Freedom is an illusion. For on the day of the master’s return, will they be punished tenfold for their sins. Twenty for they that sought to lock the master from that which was his own.” ”Come to me my children! Come!” ______________________ During this time, the droid Xar sought to bond with the ancient cranial processors of the slaved droid that he had fell shortly before. As the head neared the tri-conglomerated droids, blue electricity sparked and arced magnetically pulling the head to the makeshift mount. In an instant all that Xar could perceive was gone, his processors transported across time and space. Looking out, he saw the lab, but not as it was. Instead, it was brightly lit by countless glowing rods mounted atop freestanding posts about the room. Shelves along the walls were lined with texts, manuscripts, and jars that seemed to contain a myriad of preserved animal and body parts of different species. That was not where his view was focused though. The eyes that Xar saw through stood as a sentinel at the base of a set of stairs where the maw now stood, an intricate pike-like weapon held at the ready. It’s focus was caught as cries of fear echoed out from above. Above a door slammed open and what could only have been an ancient Quarren-type alien clad in a red uniform, fear and loathing filling his eyes, tanked a chain causing a tumble of worn and beaten ancient Mon Cal clothed in bloodied rags to tumble down the steps. One more stubborn male tried to stand up, pulling at his shackled arms as he snarled at the Quarren slaver. It lasted but a moment as Xar’s host moved gracefully, lowering his pike and jabbing at the man, an arc of purple lightning leaping from the weapon into the objector crumpling him to the floor. The mechanical droid spoke, the words foreign and ancient. Still somehow Xar could understand. “Stay down chattle. Lest your family pay the price for your sins” And then the memory fuzzed out, blinking into another visage. The same view, the same lab, the same pike; but this time the droid stood away from the stairs in a line of identical droids. Emotions were not programmed into these obedient enforcers and so as his fellows held the struggling Mon Cal atop the stone alter; the woman’s cries for mercy fell on deaf ears. Materializing out of nowhere, a dark smokey wraith hovered over the woman, her pleas of mercy turning to cries of pure fear. A cold whisper coursed through the air. Again the words were not discernible , but still Xar seemed to understand, “Your screams are wasted on the icy depths. Fear not. Death is but a temporary alteration of power. For your service, you are being gifted the ultimate reward; eternal servitude.” In that moment, two smokey shadowy hands were raised menacingly in the air and plunged downwards. One hand passing through her face and the other her chest with flashes of green light as the woman’s eyes rolled back into her head and her chest stopped heaving. A ghostly whisp seemed to escape from the woman’s mouth. The smokey wraith cursed and shrieked as his anger surged, bursting glass bottles and jars along the walls and sending a billowing gust of wind in all directions. With its hands still in the body the being picked up the corpse and heaved it across the room where it crashed into the wall with a sickly smack before tumbling to the floor in a pike of like-destroyed bodies. The image faded again. The eyes opened again on the lab, desecrated and destroyed. The shelves smashed, lights dimmed in the darkness, and droid bodies smashed and scattered about countless burnt and mangled corpses of differing species, many of them red-skinned Sith. Over a mass of black smokey robes that were half palpable and half ethereal that quivered silently on the floor, stood a muscled and armored Sith warrior, his ancient firearm leveled at the mass. “By the order of the Emperor, for undertaking treasonous actions, refusing to submit to royal edicts, and seeking to bring about the downfall of your superiors you are condemned to death, your body trapped for eternity within your self-made tomb.” Picking up a blue-tinged bottle on the nearby altar, the Sith general smashed it atop the quivering robes sensing a plume of dusty spores into the air. After this the general and his troops exited through the desecrated hole where the stairs and door once stood. Once they were out, a deep rumbling shook the room as a huge slab was moved in front of the hole. The image faded to black and a massive information transfer probed the depths of Xar’s mind seeking out unknown knowledge and smashing against and through firewalls and other electronic defenses. Sometimes in an effort to defend against the latest and greatest technological threats, the simpleness of ages past is overlooked. Even a hammer can drive screws if swung hard enough. The droid hunter would know the superiority of servitude beneath a master who knew no bounds. An eternity of power was offered, all he need do was submit. Submit or be utterly destroyed from the viral consciousness that now pulsed within. __________________ And as the voice resonated from the mouth of the beast in the waters, the creature coughed. Plumes of gray dusty microscopic spores by the trillions spewed forth on a wind of rotted meat tore through the cavern, bowling over any who was not planted to withstand it, coating everything in a cottony white. The beast’s pain was palpable, as was it’s anger. Above it all, a dark glee pulsed silently. Rising up from the waters before the maw a proverbial army stood. More droids wielding more pikes and ancient slugthrowers interspersed with hunched corpses of skeletal beings, rotten flesh hanging from their jagged bones. “Come to me my children...” The horde rambled forward, silent save for the slosh of waters about their legs as they reached for the invaders, seeking to skewer and devour them. Thise that were cut down fell into the dark waters vanishing from sight, only to be replaced by more.

Allowing the cool waters to carry her body on the invisible currents, Leena focused on allowing the water to course through her lungs and deposit their life-giving gift of oxygen. Drifting in the dim gray waters of what could have been her childhood home, Leena’s mind embraced the peace. At the fringes of her force-attuned peripherals, she could sense dark chaos; but what it was remained to be seen. Immediately around her, however; Leena embraced the force. She reached within and amplified the light that still glowed there pushing it’s warm embrace outwards on the rippling currents of force and water. At the center of the light, Leena felt calm and her focus began to return. She was not sure what had all happened in the tunnel or where it, or they, even were. She knew, though, that they were not nearby. The waters had rushed her out to sea and she had not even known it. She also knew one other thing, she was a Jedi. Even if her initial mission to the planet had failed, she was a Jedi, and that came with certain reaponsibilities. Feeling the tug of the waters around her, Leena kicked. With strong legs evolved to function even better in the water than on land, the young Jedi Apprentice shot upwards through the cold gray waters. Like a torpedo, guided by the unseen, Leena races onwards and upwards until she burst through the choppy of the sea into the sun-filled skies. Sending drops of water sparkling up into the sunny sky, Leena bobbed in the water as she looked about trying to get her bearings. In the distance, thick plumes of black smoke rose from the city, low hanging vessels balanced in the sky as flashes of light indicated a fierce fight for the soul of the city. Inhaling deeply, Leena rolled her eyes and set herself on paddling beneath the treacherous waves towards the city.

Tranquility shattered into chaos. Screams were crushed into silence beyond the veil. The flash of muzzlefire from the trapped entities only added to the din as bolts of energy and projectiles joined with the racing of tentacles that sought their prey. Any who stood still would be found. Any that moved to slowly, drawn towards the maw. Ravenous hunger hung in the air; as if a homeless vagabond had been presented with a feast for kings. Unable to control himself as he gorged himself on the finest the galaxy had to offer. Beyond the veil, armor cracked and snapped beneath the monstrous gullet, colossal spear-like teeth preventing any escape. The waters churned as if a maelstrom was forming, the epicenter: the beast. Tentacles that were struck writhed in pain, flailing in kraken-esque like fashion caring not for who or what they struck as they retreated back into the blackness. The pulse of outwardly propelling force threw back waters and tentacles together in a god-like display of power that serves only to draw the attention and ire of the cavern-dweller. As the blow faded, tentacles surged for the source with renewed vigor and hunger. And through it all, the blackest of veils, began to fade beneath the monstrous alien cry of the beast that rumbled and echoed throughout, seeming to rattle the very cavern itself. Beyond, in the darkness of the unlit far end of the cavern, should one pierce the fading veil and look amongst the chaos of weapons’ fire, frothing waters, and tumbling bodies, existed a maw that seemed to take up the entirety of what should have been the cavern wall. Teeth encircled it and from the throaty center came forth the monstrous limbs that were seeking to destroy man and droid alike. Waters lapped at the base of the encircling teeth, foamy and agitated. And for those unfortunates who were caught within the crushing insides of the beast, within it’s bellies they found a new definition of pain and suffering as it fed on their fears and bodies, smaller vine-like tendrils binding them as acidic ooze began to find every crack; exposed flesh, sizzling upon impact. For those who were not crushed into the sweet embrace of death, the next thousand years would be wrought with a slow decent of destruction and agony in which screams could not be heard, the force felt just out of reach, and torment would remain their king. For the trooper or troopers of Delta’s command that fell to such tortures, comms would intermittently activate, pressed into service by the crushing churning muscles of the beast. The radio waves would be momentarily filled with static and the acrid sound of burning flesh accompanied by screams of otherworldly pain before falling silent once again. The only escape from the belly of the beast.

The waters churned and frothed as they sloshed into the darkness, beginning to calm with the cessation of the deluge. The eerie green glow reflected off the shifting surfaces around the team. The darkness at the end of the cavern swirled in silence. And then, the droid struck. Xar’s claws cut into the thin metal covering over the droid and the weapon’s fire illuminated the dimness causing the droid to topple without a cry; the light fadedfrom the droid’s palms as it fell, breaking the circle. Before the waters could even calm completely, the waters thundered in again as the energy-shield flickered, a portion of it fading away with the fallen droid. In the din, the presence within the darkness reacted. Beneath the chopping surface of water, snaking along the debris scattered floors, tentacled appendages sought their prey. Wherever they found a boot, a leg, or a limb, the eyeless stalks swirled, encircling the limbs with a lightning-like speed and grace. They pulled and tugged, drawing their prey under the splashing waters back towards the swirling darkness, a fierce and ancient high-pitched animalistic squeal echoed across the waters. Hunger and anger rippling on the waves of the force. Suddenly, two tentacles, tinged a sickly pink as if they had never seen the light, twisted about the murderbot’s limbs, yanking it down beneath the waters before it could strike again. With a surge, he was carried, bumping and grinding against the ground, towards the inkiness. The three remaining droids held firm against the torrent. Each one carefully stepped to accommodate the loss of their sibling. With a low hum that was all but drowned by the crashing waters the droids’ power surged, their aged photoceptors flashing red. They pushed their arms to thefull height their limbs would allow, stemming the tide once again. Their bodies hummed with the extra extended power. It was only a matter of time. Blood. Blood wafted on the waters, mingling with the black. The fallen troopers presented easy victims and the sinewy tentacles found easy purchase; drawing them in with Xar towards the blackness. Xar was swallowed by the darkness first, moving from the cold wet waters into a sucking torrent of pressure and spearheads. Teeth! Teeth everywhere. Then blackness, not the swirling darkness of the force that hid whatever was on the other side, but blackness in it’s purest form. Any light would reveal little but fleshly tones pressing in from all sides, muscled and massive; crushing in it’s monstrous intensity. The corrosive acids of the creatures gullet already bathing the droid in juicy hungry death. “Cəhənnəmə xoş gəldin,“ the voice whispered to Xar from within the beast, until a realization became apparent. The soothing dark voice changing to one of disgust. “Sən neynirsən?!? ¡Bir iyrənc!” the voice growled. Suddenly Xar was sent flying through the dark air, back through the swirling vortex as it pulsed with anger, towards the lab. _____________________ Further up the collapsing tunnel, Leena held on for dear life, the force empowering her fingers to clasp for freedom until the tidal surges subsided. Silt and debris wafting in the settling darkness. Letting go of her rock, Leena closed her eyes. The cold waters burned her lungs, but she could breathe. She could breathe though. Even in the dark iciness of the sea, Leena drifted. For a moment, the chaotic clashes above and the swirling dark powers below were kept at a distance. Here, in the moment, Leena felt it surging up around her in the deep; peace.

The four well-worn droids, dripping with water and slopping moss creaked to a halt as their feet reached the edge of the blackened waters. There, they stood, silent sentinels regarding the droid and nemoidian without acknowledging Xar’s order. “Çağırışa qulaq asmaq üçün daha layiqli bir qurban gözləyirdik. Nə olursa olsun, yetər. Dərhal qəbul üçün hazırlayın.” a dark otherworldly voice rumbled out of the swirling blackness that began to slowly churn out over the waters behind the droids. It did not echo on the waves of the force towards the surface this time, however. Instead, it seemed to reverberate on the force within the room itself, drowning out the sounds of the crashing water behind Xar and Nom. _____________________________ Back up the tunnel where the forces of the Sith seemed to have the upper hand over those of the light, things were equally grim looking; even if nobody could tell yet. The aged tunnel constructed without inspection, repair, or the required safeguards struggles to bear up under the assault it had been subjected too. Sitting empty for so long, the fragile ecosystem was easily upset. The waterfall that cascades into the tunnel was but the surface of a wound that had pierced and spread through the stone like a rapidly spreading infection. Faults and weaknesses in the stone popped and groaned under the change, invisible to the senses of those trapped within. Invisible until further up the tunnel, the weakness burst forth like a blister unable to be contained any more. Rock, water and all manner of fishy races fell from above into the chasm that reached deep into the depths where it met with underwater caves. Far above, in the already chaotic cityscape one more mostly unnoticed cataclysm seemed to erupt. The already overtaxed septic and sewage system failed, horribly. Across the city toilets and faucets erupted under the surge of watery force that now churned in all directions as the sea itself re- and over- pressurized any portion of the system it could reach. Of course, this was all lost on our adventurers deep beneath the surface. They had more important things to worry about, like the literal wall of churning frothy ice-cold water that roared down the collapsing shaft. It did not care for sides or force abilities. It simply devoured anyone end everyone in its path picking them up as it surged onwards and downwards following the empty shaft towards the inevitable conclusion. And still, the force ruled over it all. The froth of icy black picked up the adventurers and carried them forward, tossing and tearing at them until it slammed into the end of the tunnel. Then and only then could it even begin to subside as it regurgitated much of the contents of its gullet into the pit below. Water, sea creatures, and adventurers were thrown into the pit amongst an unhealthy amount of water that surged over and through the desecrated laboratory until it met with the still waters where the aged droids stood. In that moment, the four sentinels sprung to life with more agility than one might expect from an ancient robot. Sprinting towards the crashing junction of water and ancient air, the droids encircled the downward flowing geyser. Each droid lifted it’s hand towards another, a bluish purple glow kindling in the dim chaos until beams of light shot from each palm. The laser like blasts all interconnected and began to spread in sparking circles. Slowly raising their hands the expanding glows of energy became a single growing circle that cut off the water as it crashed over the edges of the energized barrier. Lifting the barrier towards the ceiling, as the droids raised their hands upwards, water continued to rain down until the shield connected with a hiss to the ceiling. And then suddenly, the cascade of death was stopped, leaving nearly waist deep water spanning the once lab, froth forming at the rocky walls. Aside from a few shelves that clung desperately to the edged, and the wall mounted ghoulish green lights, the only thing that remained visible was the stone altar and it’s long-dead sacrificial skeleton. Under foot, bits of broken who-knows-what continued to swirl as the waters began to settle. Through it all, the darkness remained, swirling at the far end as if it was watching, tasting, taking it all in. “Nəhayət. Sən axmaqsan. Məni dolandırmaq istədin indi mənim sahəmə atıldı. Sənin gücünlə bizim gücümüzlə birləşib azad olacağam. Sonra hamısı yenə qarşımda diz çökəcəklər. Məni əbədiyyətə qovmaq istəyiniz uğursuz oldu, çünki mən hamıdan güclüyəm. Qaranlıq tərəfi aşdım. Mən qüvvəyəm.” The voice surged from the darkness, annoyance and anger masked with haughty glee apparent in the tone of the ancient forgotten words. _______________________ Before Leena could act further, she too was caught up in the frigid surge. She inhaled on instinct, the waters searing her lungs. Grasping at anything in the dark, her fingers found leverage on a rock that jutted from the floor and she clung to it with all the strength that she could muster. The water raged about her. With her eyes closed, Leena willed the strength of her body to hold on for dear life; part survival instinct, part force-empowered. While she did not know that the others were swept away, Leena remained.

ROUND 1 RULING: The Starbride is struck by 3 lights of bombers, 1 escorted from the Hive and one under Narzen’s command. This results in Starbride taking a total of 7 hull damage resulting in a shield/hull total of 20/13. The Anthill task force moves to escort the Multilegs forcing all bombers inbound attacks to go through shields first. Centipede of the Multilegs task force is targeted by 1 flight of escorted bombers from the Opulence and 1 flight from Pheristroch’s command. This results in 5 damage inflicted on the shields of the Centipede resulting in a shield/hull total of 3/9. Additionally, the Starbride focuses its missiles on the Multilegs, but they are intercepted by the Anthill. The Anthill loses 1 corvette and another corvette loses its shields. The Disposable moves to attach itself to the Multilegs, forcing it to engage the Disposable and nothing else. The Multilegs fires its upgraded missiles against the corvettes of Disposable doing double damage (12 damage). Disposable loses a total of 3 corvettes. ______________________________________ ((Well done both of you. Please adjust your ship sheets at the beginning or end of your next posts and feel free to post your next round and send me the results via Discord.))

As the thunder of falling water continued to drown out the chaos of the tunnel, Leena shot like a torpedo above the ground. Barely a flick of her muscles propelled her expertly and invisibly through the dark sloshing waters. She felt it, the red Jedi, his pain. She felt the darkness closing in on him and longed to reach out, to grasp the force and shake the darkness out as she had countless times before in her medical wards. She could not though; she had pushed herself too far away. The darkness was pressing in on all sides and to drive it away, the ancient darkness that lurked, the great darkness that surged, the drowned darkness lost in the cacophony, and the dark fog of chaos, would take too much time. Leena could not drive the darkness away when the jack-booted enforcers sought to kill those that stood against them. Maybe though, she could empower the power that surged forth in a spray of watery creatures. If she could stop this dsrkness, perhaps she could save the lives of other prisoners and innocents without them even knowing it. Slowing beneath the waters, Leena steadily extended her hand beneath the water, feeling Mjan’s pain and his death; drawing the peace the sith-born Jedi finally grasped forward. She felt for the soldiers, finding them standing in the rising waters, their dark forms Illuminated by any physiciality that strayed from normal. As a healer, she searched for wounds to heal. The skills she lacked with her lightsaber were more than made up for in her abilities to find and treat a myriad of wounds, visible and invisible. It was simple enough to reverse the health of a being. Sometimes it needed done, to redirect the body’s natural healing powers elsewhere. Other times, one had to suppress a body’s natural reactions to save lives. It was not a dark power. Darkness depended on intent. And there in the dark waters, surrounded by darkness, Leena reached out with light. She would try and find the mind of each soldier, guarded against attack and steeled to the outside world. With a healer’s grace she sought to bypass those defenses. It wasn’t hard. Inside, it was a simple enough task to shift the balance of their inner ears, a simple irritant. Dizziness, nausea, pain, vomiting, and tinnitus would follow almost instantly if all worked as planned; if the force willed it. The goon and his henchmen would not even know what hit them. Right? ___________________ Throughout the cavernous tunnel, water continued to fall and rise. this far beneath the surface, they were all alone, save for each other, and the fishes, and what lurked at the end of the tunnel. Water surged down the tunnel, sweeping by Nok, ripping past Xar, and cascading down the maw into the ramshackled lair that seemed to have lain untouched for centuries or more, hammering the lifeless body of Sara beneath it. As the water found its way through the cracked and creviced ground, it stirred the still calm waters that sat at the end of the lair, swathed in total darkness; a darkness that the unearthly green lamps along the walls did not pierce; a darkness that even blotted out the piercing gaze of the force. As the water rippled outward from the shore, something broke the surface of the water with a splash In the darkness. This splash was followed by several more and the splashes of footfalls stamping the waters marching forward until the wraith-like forms of four ancient droids modeled after the ancient Mon Cal formed from the shadows. Their deep red bodies were illuminated an eery black by the green light. Their knees creaked with each step.