Csilla

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus took the kick to his face in stride, flipping backwards and landing back on his feet and skidding back a few more feet. Putting his free hand to his face, the Dark Lord stared directly at the Jedi. Quickly glancing down to his hand he saw his own blood for the second time this day. But just as before, his conscious mind did not register the pain as it was subsided by his connection the the dark side, and channeled into pure power and rage. Falling back into his neutral stance once more, Quietus raised his saber, as if to defend once more.

 

But the Dark Lord recognized the form from which the Jedi was fighting, and knew what had to be done. The Djem So form was a difficult one to fight against. The only reaction, and thus the best defense, was something that required one to be utterly crazy, or completely confident. Fortunetly for Quietus, he filled both those requirements.

 

After only a few seconds, the moment in which Kirlocca chose to again attack, Quietus pushed off his back foot into a full out charge towards the wookiee. With his saber dragging behind him slightly, leaving his body fully open to any attack the wookiee made. Halfway through the charge, Quietus raised his blade to strike on Kirlocca's left side....

 

And disappeared once more.

 

He reapeared though a second later, only this time the Dark Lord was on Kirlocca's right side. The Jedi was quick to react though, blocking Quietus' initial strike. The two held the clash for a moment, each pushing against the other, trying to lower or break the defenses of the other.But with a flash and hum, from Quietus' right hand came another blade. In the middle of his dissapearance, Quietus had drawn his second lightsaber. Now with Kirlocca's blade clashed with his black saber, Quietus ignited his orange saber, and with a quick slash, slicing through Kirlocca's forearm, removing the Wookiee's paw from the rest of his body.

 

The paw, that just so happened to be holding his silver lightsaber. The sheer roar of both pain, anguish, and wookiee rage that came from the vocal cord of Kirlocca was enough to make any normal man soil himself, especially with being so close to the source of it. But it barely phased Quietus. Wanting to savor the wookiee's pain and anguish, he fell back a few feet away from Kirlocca and watched the wookiee.

 

This was a unique experience for him, as he had to overcome both the strengths of a Jedi on top of the strengths of a wookiee. But now, Quietus had taken care of one strength of each. He had removed the wookiee's ability to smell him in the midst of battle, and had removed the Jedi's dominant hand, severely impacting his swordplay.

 

Grinning ever so slightly, the Dark Lord began to laugh once more.

 

"Aw, poor wookiee's lost his arm. What a shame... Now whatever shall you do?"

 

Still grinning, Quietus fell back into a modified Jar'Kai stance, and instantly assaulted the Jedi's mind with images that varied from various members of the Liberty's crew burning alive and being ejected into space, to images of Quietus slashing and slicing through every known Jedi. Quietus continued to press the mental attack, and even began to intensify the pain that was blasting through the wookiee's arm and pounded his brain.

 

(3)

[Jidai Geki]

*The Gekis grin at the woman's discomfort as she is randomly struck by the bolt of a dying stormtrooper. They are gratified to see their servants take the fight to the enemy even when they are on the cusp of the great everafter.

 

The Jedi turns away, facing the embodiment of Geki's rage. No doubt the blaster bolts and the mental onslaught Geki had furnished upon the poor woman had addled her delicate mind to the point that she was completely fooled by Geki's illusions. He watches her speak briefly to the illusion, and as she does he edges closer, his right hand fingering the inverted lightsabre sheathed at the small of his back, readying for the killing blow. This would be possibly his easiest Jedi kill since he began the practice of killing Jedi.

 

The Jedi lunges, and as she does so a blaster pistol is suddenly streaking through the air towards Geki. It catches him off-guard, surprised, and he is lucky that the power pack is drained of power before it reaches him.

 

Geki's hand shoots up instinctively as the blaster nears him, and he manages to paritally deflect it from slamming into his face. The dead blaster still catches him a glancing blow on the jaw, however, and a thin rivulet of blood issues from his wounded mouth.

 

Geki realises with a start that the Jedi had never been fooled by the illusion, she had simply feigned it, finding him by locating his presence in the Force.

 

The illusionary Gekis shakes their heads and walk away, fading as they do, disappointed that their ersatz existence is reduced to containment within their collective head once again. They are of no use for the moment, and serve themselves better as a cohesive unit- or, at least, as cohesive as the madman Geki ever gets.

 

Refraining from taunting the Jedi from the moment, as it would give away his position to the temporarily blind woman, Geki draws partially into himself and focuses on his Force presence, diminishing it and beginning the process of masking his presence entirely.*

 

'Armiena...'

 

*The voice is not Geki's but rather a construct of the woman's partner, Aryian Darkfire, a man that Geki had faced before and a man that Geki had broken on Ryloth. He is only just warming up in terms of the mental onslaught he intends to wreak on the woman, and even now is probing her mind for something he can use against her- traumatic memories, important figures in her past, her parents, any offspring...*

 

'Armiena, please...'

 

*Geki means to distract the Jedi with the possibility of her fiance's ((no accent on this keyboard, hence the mistake)) nearby presence, and as the phantom voice implores her Geki lunges in, raking the tips of his right gauntlet across her face and rushing past her into the shimmering, distorting depths of the cavernous corridor.

 

Geki awaits the woman's response; his Force signature is rapidly dwindling, and soon he will be invisible to her in every way that matters. Unless, of course, she opens her eyes, and risks the changed and dangerously whimsical world he will have created for her...*

 

((1))

[Tarrian Skywalker]

Ruling on the Duel between Amon and Oblivion...

 

The Duel goes to Amon. Great duel guys.

[Amon Saulot]

::When Amon and the marine stormed through the door, they found the Sith master already half collapsed on the floor. Amon and the marine looked at each other and then back at the Sith master. Amon didn't have any fancy sedatives or Force powers to knock someone out, and he most certainly didn't have a ysalimari. There were, however, other ways to incapacitate a person. Using the hilt of his lightsaber, Amon delivered a powerful blow to the back of the Sith master's head, sending the man into the blackness of unconsciousness.

 

Then it was Amon's turn to collapse, as his injuries continued to torment him. Reaching for his comlink in a haze, he contacted TacCom, requesting a prisoner transfer detail and medical assistance. Finally, he let himself drift off into a healing trance to repair gis broken body...::

[Oblivion]

Outwitted, but not entirely outplayed, it seemed the smallest of details which would have sparked concern in his previous years of development faded with superiority. There was no questioning the raw talent he had, the capacity for great and powerful deeds to come. With the talent that he had overseared, only one such individual stood on par with this individual. As pain flooded his entire body, the organic material folding back over his flesh as if to aid or clot the rapid deteration, the final move was done on part of his consciousness before he, too, had faded from it.

 

The prowess within the darkness served him one last bidding, to remove himself from this plane and arise in another. More clearly and deftly shown upon entry, Oblivion would have to force himself into such a state while thrived with trauma. Teeth gnashing, muscles condensing, the liquified pieces of the armor that had been broken apart, seperated, collected over his body until no flesh remained revealed. Fading low in the shadow of his enemy, the man who fought this day retired into the elements; never to be seen picking fights with little Jedi upon this flagship again.

 

--

 

OOC: Came to a compromise, I'm taking my exit with Oblivion. This had been agreed prior. Great fight, man. It has served its purpose for the both of us.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca found the pain to be mind searing. It broke his concentration, and it took all of his focus within the force to calm down the pain. Kirlocca lifted his eyes towards Quietus, trying to see through the vision that the Dark lord was giving him of pure failure. His Battle Meditation had fully dropped, his battle mind had fully dropped. Kirlocca had no abilities in healing, and therefore, he had to use the force to just settle the pain down.

 

His eyes then glanced towards his paw that held his lightsaber hilt. Quietus was in his way, and with the condition he was in, he was no match for the Dark lord to battle him that way. Kirlocca thought for a moment about using telekinetic lightsaber combat against Quietus, but the Jedi master knew it would take too much concentration, and with his arm practically

off, he would end up passing out.

 

Kirlocca quietly reached out through the force and touched the mind of the crew of the Liberty, giving them warnings to abandoned the ship.

 

Kirlocca had only one move he could make, one that he knew wouldn't get him anywhere, except buy him time in this duel, which had already gone down hill for him.

 

Kirlocca used the force to pull out his two lightsaber that could be put together for a double bladed lightsaber and had them spin around him with such great speed, making a saber barrier. As he did that, Kirlocca fell into a meditation trance, drawing strength, removing the pain, and the will to continue the fight.

 

Kirlocca made sure that there was no room for Quietus to enter the barrier with his ability to disappear and re-appear in a different location. There was just enough room for the wookiee, that was it.

 

Even as the Jedi master sat there with the deadly saber shield, he knew the duel was fully in the hands of Quietus. Kirlocca could hold the barrier for some, but how long, he did not know. It could last days, or it could last only a few minutes.

 

(3)

 

(If you want to duel to go longer, just post. Or if you want to end it at three, just get a Mod.)

[Gren Sairdonga]

Gren swore as a private in front of him cried out in pain and fell back... A smoking hole in his shoulder. White faced and biting his lip the young man called for a medic and got hustled off the front... Which was about fifty meters from the bridge of the Vortex. His group had made good time until about five minutes ago when they had run into hasty fortifications and defences. Peeking around he saw five stormtroopers hiding behind what looked like a hastily ripped up blast door propped up in between two doors...

 

Pulling his head back as blaster fire tore up where it had been he pulled out a thermal detonator. Setting it for a three second detonation he primed it to arm on release...

 

"Cover me on my signal"

 

He said to three Alliance troopers behind him. Acknowledging they moved forward... Nodding at them the hallway was filled with fire for five seconds... It was all he needed. Peeking around the corner he lobbed the detonator... Three seconds later a muffled whump followed...

 

The three troopers flashed around the corner... Swiftly followed by Gren and two others... Moving to the barricade they opened fire on Imperials on the other side... Now they had the advantage...

[Delta73]

OOC: Sorry that I have been out of town but I am back.

 

Delta turned his ship towards the Vortex and asked Crosa what he wanted to do.

 

"So do you want to board the Vortex?"

[Bad karma]

((Wrong alias.))

[Seraphim]

Seraphim had only just finished speaking with Admiral Starlisk when he felt a twinge of pain through the force. It was not unusual to feel such a thing in the midst of a massive star battle, but this one was different. It had the presence of a Knight attached to it. Upon further inspection it was revealed that a Sith had already.

 

He moved into the hallways, making for the area where the Jedi had fallen. After a moment of listening to the comm channels he realized that he had requested a transfer for the prisoner, presumably the Sith, and Medical assistance. That was where he would come in. He had trained and practiced for nearly his entire apprenticeship and now it was time to test his skills.

 

He arrived to find the Jedi lying on the ground with a Marine standing next to him. It was obvious their had been a fight here, but there was no Sith body to be seen or even”¦felt. A group of medics and soldiers arrived shortly after him. Seraphim helped them load the man onto the stretcher and carry him to the med-bay. It would be easier to tend his wounds with the proper equipment.

 

__

 

The med-bay was full of people rushing about trying to help the few soldiers that were in here. The doctors and nurses were in a panic as they tried to help the wounded men. Touching the force, Seraphim let an aura of serenity over come the room and calm the others in it. Even the soldiers that were scared for their lives felt an odd sort of peace over come their bodies; reassuring them that everything would be fine.

 

He looked over Amon, observing his wounds and deciding upon a course of action. First he borrowed some of the Doctor's tools and had the metal shards removed from his body. Blood began to gush out of a few of the deeper wounds, but with a minor application of the force Seraphim held the blood in place so that it would clot much quicker. He lightly touched each wound and held his hand in place for several seconds as the wound healed. It wasn't the job of a Master, but his wounds were sealed.

 

Next he began work on adjusting his broken leg so he could begin healing it. He hadn't given the man any pain killers, but his pain was considerably lessened as Seraphim dulled the bare nerve endings that would have sent the electrical impulses to his brain saying that it hurt.

[Lord Asshat]

In a sudden instant, Achzet had woken. His vision was blurred as he attempted to sit upwards. He felt a stinging sensation where his hands had once been located. He looked at the nubs he had for hands and shrugged. He walked out of the ship and to the nearest medical station on the Fel Hammer

 

After a few hours of healing and construction, Achzet had fully mechanical hands. His wrists were now fully rotational, having spikes where the knuckles were located. He clenched his fists and grasped the saber on his belt. He pulled it off and ran out of the medical bay.

 

Achzet arrived once more to the hangar bay and activated his saber. He heard the snap-hiss, signaling the activation. He gazed as the crimson red blade emerged from the hilt. He smiled and swung the saber around with his new hands.

 

He watched the battle from the hangar and awaited any boarders who may have come to attempt to destroy the flagship.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Guest

[Ulos Rolan]

Sparks of azure flame began to crash down upon him, their fiery maw seeking to swallow his being in their embers. Within seconds, a simple situation had contorted itself into the indistinguishable darkness. Hope seemed all but snuffed out as the life of the angel seemed to fade at the hand of this mortal's own weapon. Though he was threatened by the drowning blue lights, all Ulos could see was the darkness closing in. Had he been responsible for the death of his ally and would he be responsible for the uncontested destruction of this ship?

 

No...

 

At that time, an incredibly odd transfiguration took its course in Ulos. For just a split second, he saw the galaxy as it was. The vision was crystalline, every detail etched in perfection and every shade too deep and pronounced for the physical senses to comprehend. It was an ineffable sight where every object became not so much of an object, but something... more... pieces of a puzzle with agents of the force constantly at work within them. Even the panels upon the floor were drenched in an ineffable vitality.

 

Just as expediently as a glimpse, it sought to recede. The exile struggled to grip it, not letting his vision wither to that of a mortal's yet again. He had seen the force for a long time yet never until that moment had clarity possessed him so violently, and he wished to look through such spectacles for the rest of his life. Finally, he was granted success in his pursuit as his crimson-stained eyes began to slowly fade a tad. Through these eyes, all he could focus upon was the slowing beat of the angel's heart... hope's heart... slowing... slowing... but beating.

 

Hope is always alive.

 

Suddenly, the most ludicrous notion popped into his head. It wasn't as much as his brain thinking of it as it was his muscles instinctively moving. Adrenaline coursed through him, and the man found himself diving through the crashing wall of flame that lay before him.

 

Within seconds, what seemed like millions of eruptions bathed every inch of the man in unrelenting tendrils of heat. Pressure flew upon him from all directions, the knight feeling as though the shear might of that alone would crush him. However, he was not on fire as he was baptized through the flames. While he felt the searing heat, it didn't mar his skin in the least bit. While his nerves felt the misery of a burning demise, he was physically unharmed. It was a simple defensive shield that the man had mustered, and it was proving itself most sufficient. If, perhaps, Ulos were more well versed, he'd have managed to escape all harm as the sith master had done just previously. This would've been preferable, considering the nearly unbearable agony that he was feeling at such a point, yet this would serve his purposes just as well.

 

After what seemed to be a drifting eternity, the exile emerged from the other side of the wall and found himself flying in the direction of the behemoth that knelt before him. Through the force, Ulos sought to share his pain with the man... to show him what his own darkness had created. Perhaps this man was a masochist and would enjoy the overwhelming pain, but he had to realize what he had set in motion. A burning sensation would nearly undoubtedly be traveling across the demon's flesh, his veins seething and the like.

 

As for the girl...

 

Ulos shifted directions using the force and headed toward the woman with a rapid speed. This time, the saber swinging at her legs wouldn't find itself in the body of a jedi. It would seek to cease her movements. She couldn't maintain much mobility if she couldn't walk however... though Maw had always been an interesting fellow. None the less, these two would face some measure of justice, even if Ulos died giving it to them.

 

I am a Jedi.

[darth shadowlord]

Revived slowly Draken woke up in the Med bay along with the remaining bridge crew. He shook his head as he stood to his feet. He knew he was no longer needed aboard the SSD. He boarded his ship slowly and headed out into the fray of battle, using the Force to guide him past the dogfights and into open space. He knew of a way to engage his hyperdrive for a brief moment long enough for him to clear the part of the gravity well.

 

He waited a half hour for the hyperdrive unit to cool before engaging it again. He left it on for a fraction of a second longer before disengaging the unit again. According to his computer, he had cleared the gravity well and was free to jump to hyperspace. A short time later he made the jump making the calculations from memory, heading to a planet he hadn't been to since apprenticeship.

[Omega73]

Crosa nodded at Delta's question. He believed the Vortex was where their bounty was. He breathed in and said

 

"Sure lets go."

[ObliviousKnight]

"Armiena..."

 

It couldn't be. In a purely objective light, there was no way that Armiena's fiancé could be on board the Fell Hammer. She had personally seen to it that no other Jedi would have been able to so easily follow in the wake of her charge””a true double-bladed sword, wounding her in the difficulty of reaching reinforcements, but depriving the Governor of one of the easiest means of wiping out her boarding party. It was conceivable that Aryian had somehow managed to conceal himself amongst the Rebel soldiers, but her senses were becoming so fine-tuned to his presence”¦

 

But just hearing the voice of her love, passion had temporarily subdued the truth of logic, causing her to hesitate for a second too long as the Jedi Grandmaster reasserted reality's control over her mind. It was impossible...

 

”œArmiena, please.”

[Enigmatic]

Revan's ship just came out of hyperspace and into the heat of the battle. He had intercepted a distress call from the Sith, and he had answered right away. Just from the look of things, it was bad. Star Destroyers were blasting heavy fire at eachother, creating large explosions, making it nearly impossible to fly through. Although Revan was a great pilot, HE even have trouble flying through such turbulence.

 

Frankly, to be honest, Revan had no interest in fighting for the Sith in this battle. It held no motivation nor reward in the end that was near worth the effort. It was just a mere battle for blood; nothing more. Revan wasn't interested in fighting meaningless battles, thus taking his leave from space and heading towards Korriban, where he would refuel his ship and recollect his thoughts.

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

On Raynuk vs. Wookie Jedi: Strong start by both- Raynuk bringing an army in with him- followed by WJ neutralizing it and innovatively using the scent move to press his attack.WJ had a great, controlled use of his force abilities here- heavy emphasis on combat- but it worked rather well. Raynuk's attacks seemed to rely mostly on mental assaults, and had a few amusing one liners in his post- confidence and insanity.

 

An interesting ending to the duel- Kirlocca set up a strong mental and physical barrier, and repulsed what would be Raynuk's last attack. I believe the proper ending for this duel, given how evenly matched it was, would be a sort of draw- Raynuk forced to retreat, and Kirlocca being exhausted and removed from combat after this.

[Raynuk Montar]

(Wow... Interesting decision Robbie. Though I disagree with the fact that I'd be forced to withdraw, and I'll be explaining what I mean in a PM, but I will accept your ruling for now. I think this is my first draw of my RP career Okay. Well time to roll with the punches. EDIT: I decided to edit to put in the bit about feeling Oblivion's loss. )

 

Quietus allowed the mental bombardment to drop as Kirlocca made his last stand at defending himself. With only one paw and pain soaring through his body, the Dark Lord knew that the Jedi would not be able to hold the defense up for long. The fight truly was in the hand of the Dark Lord, and that gave the Sith a devilish boost to his already inflated ego. Two jedi were already dead at his hands, and soon a third would be as well if everything went according to plan. But why rush? Soon the wookiee would be utterly helpless and exhausted from the pain and mental strain of keeping this defense up.

 

And so the Dark Lord decided to wait. Turning his sabers off, Quietus lowered himself to his knees, his sabers still in each hand, and waited, staring intently at the wookiee. It was during this time of waiting that Quietus felt a sting in the Darkside; someone of considerable power, a fellow Sith, had fallen. Reaching out ever so slightly, the Dark Lord sought out those who were strongest in the darkside, and found that Oblivion was now 'missing'. While he was disappointed that one of his brothers had lost and fallen in battle, there was no room to dwell on it, as doing so would do little if anything.

Guess that's someone else I'll have to track down and gut like a fish...

 

Every so often during his time waiting, Quietus would pick up little pieces of things; fragments of the shock troopers weapons, pieces of the troopers themselves, and throw them towards Kirlocca almost lazily, watching them impact against the Jedi's swirling bladed defense.

 

And so the hunter waited for his prey.

[Exodus]

• ”œYou Jedi belittle in wit, ceaselessly.”

[Jidai Geki]

*Geki continues to probe the woman's surprisingly unshielded mind, mining for information, searching for something that would allow him to manipulate the woman completely and make of her little more than a slave.

 

And then, suddenly, the genocide of Coruscant was alive in his mind once more.

 

It was glorious.

 

The sheer, unmitigated scope of the destruction wrought by Faust's fateful gambit that day still reverberated in Geki's mind; the simultaneous deaths of untold billions, dwarfing even the destruction of Alderaan, a sweet, sweet symphony of death and destruction supreme, painted skillfully against the unwilling canvas of the ecumenopolis.

 

Oh, how the woman had misread him if she had expected this to be a detriment to Geki. If anything it was simply a boon, a powerful booster shot to his warped psyche. Geki fed on fear and pain and death; giving it to him on a planet-wide scale simply made him that much more potent.

 

It did, however, distract him momentarily.

 

Geki barely had time to levitate the body of a dead stormtrooper in front of him before the shattered molecular stiletto was upon him. The armoured corpse bore the brunt of the attack but a shard or two found its way through and pierced his abdomen, sending sharp, glassy pain shooting through his stomach and pelvis.

 

Then the the Jedi woman was upon him, her lightsabre questing forward to spit him like a roasted swine.

 

The dark side acts for him, swinging a gauntlet up and closing around the incandescent blade with a horrible shrieking noise. Sparks hiss and spit from the contact of Sith Steel and a lightsabre blade, and Geki uses his formidable strength to push the blade back, towards the woman's face, his other gauntlet grasping her wrist.*

 

'Did Darkfire tell you what I did to him, my dear? How I broke every inch of his body? You'll be lucky if I only do half of that to you.'

 

*Geki's head blurs and his masked forehead crashes into her nose heavily. He grins as he feels a spray of hot blood on the lower half of his face. For his own amusement, he sends her a quick psychic flash of Aryian's death, the obscenely muscular Governor of SEED, his physique overstimulated by nanites, hefting the hapless Jedi and snapping bone after bone until he is no more.*

 

'I do so admire that mother of yours, by the way. I think it only fitting that you model yourself on her.'

 

*Geki reaches out and attempts to pluck an eye from her face, but the Jedi is no easy victim and the waves of pain in his abdomen grow ever more insistent. The tips of his gauntlet merely graze her face instead.

 

Cursing, Geki turns the volume up on the vision of Darkfire's death and pushes himself away, seeking the shadows of the wavering corridor.*

 

((2))

[Guest]

Thrash woke up inside the medical bay of the Palace. He had apparently survived the ordeal, and need to get out of this situation immediatley. He stood, pulled on his clothes, and pulled up his comlink, opening a channel to the rebels.

 

--Comm to Starlisk--

 

Admiral Starlisk, Nokrt has left me in charge of this terrible crisis. I would very much appreciate it if you could send down a small shuttle in order to evacuate me to one of your ship, preferably yours. There would be heavy compensation if this is to be done.

 

-Admiral Nurth'ras'hnuruodo

 

--End Comm--

[Ason Antilles]

((OOC: 3 posts each modded duel good with you Amon? As per request, I'll wait until you heal, just figured I'd make a short entrance))

 

Flames

 

A faceless entity burst into a streaking pyre across the star-rippled plains of blackness, the victim of a sith lord's doing. The Shrieking Talon sunk its claws deep into the non-descript fighter, its ravenous tips burning a heated red as they sunk into the craft. Considering the following immolation, the pilot's holocaust was rendered inevitable and Ason Antilles felt the coldness of life slipping away once more. It was a pleasant apathy to be so callused and conditioned to the point where death's grip no longer quenched him.

 

And then...

 

An echo resounded harshly against the metallic interior of his shuttle, a wave of vibrations pressing exuberantly through the air and nearly jostling the entire craft right into the side of a rebel craft. This surge in the force rattled the man from his focus as he felt the dark waves bask over him... the defeat of a familiar presence resting upon his mind now.

 

The sublight engines roared with a beastly growl as it made its path forward, its acceleration startling for a craft of its size. Somehow, though the upgrades installed upon the academy grounds on Cardia weren't within Ason's recollection, he knew them intimately. He pressed into the rebel flagship, his presence unmistakable and his calculated vengeance inevitable. As he landed, he simply waiting... a challenging aura emanating from his very pores begging the one who bested his master to show his face. If the coward were to answer, perhaps Ason could exact a sadistic, misconstrued sense of justice.

 

Come to us warrior of the light, that you might be extinguished.

[Delta73]

OOC:((Ready for you Cadio/Silas))

 

Delta spun his ship towards the Vortex and soon landed in the hanger of the large ship.

”œCrosa come on lets go!”

[Onderin Starlisk]

Admiral Starlisk, pacing the bridge as was typical, reinforcing starfighter assignments and trying to give his fleet the upper hand, received the comm from the Chiss on the surface. He quickly responded to it. "By all means," he said. "A shuttle will be en route immediately."

 

He found the comment about compensation rather strange. Why would the Chiss Ascendancy compensate the Alliance for evacuating officers from the planet below? Onderin shrugged off the oddity and ordered that the shuttle be sent.

 

A few minutes later, a Lambda-class shuttle, piloted by an expert and fully crewed as to employ all twelve of its laser cannons, landed beside Nurth'ras'hnuruodo.

[Damon]

On the bridge Damon saw the battle take place and the Admiral go though his motions.

 

"Admiral I would like to make the suggestion that when the shuttle returns that a officer be there to great Nurth'ras'hnuruodo and escort him to bridge?"

 

Damon awaited orders and stood calmly as the battle ragged all around.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin nodded. "Sounds to me like you're volunteering. Go ahead," the Admiral said.

 

((Really short post, but what can I do?))

[Cadio Sikaot]

((Ian, Nurth'ras'hnuruodo is an alias of mine, since I don't want to alias stack, you can post with him getting on the shuttle and coming up or whatever.))

 

Cadio was making a pass behind a Tie Defender when he noticed a non-mainstream ship entering the hangar of the Vortex. The Tie broke right and down in a corkscrew, swinging back up. Cadio followed him through the manuever, falling in right behind him, riding his tail. His finger fell on the trigger, releasing red energy bolts all over his opponent. The Tie's biggest weakness was its lack of shields. One well placed shot would take the ship down.

 

Cadio watched as the ship spiraled down towards Csilla. Turning his attention back to the unmarked ship landing on the Vortex. Tilting his hand, Cadio aimed his ship at the hangar. He brought the E-wing in for a landing. He grabbed all of his weapons and made sure that they were all loaded and ready. He dropped down from his cockpit, swinging towards where he saw the barricade.

 

"Enemy forces, this is Rebel Alliance Commander Cadio Sikaot. It's time for you to leave."

 

((Short intro post. You go first. For the order, S=Me, C=Crosa, D=Delta: D/S/C/S/D/S/C/S- You both get two posts so that we don't drag this out forever. This can be ammended if you want....))

[darth shadowlord]

((OCC, Onderin. The Lambda-class shuttle doesnt have twelve laser cannons. http://www.starwars.com/databank/starship/lambdashuttle/index.html ))

 

Draken's ship entered the space over Csilla once more in a flash of light. He wasn't wasting time now as he shot through the outskirts of the dogfights and slid his ship into the aft hanger of the Fell Hammer . Leaping from his ship, he saluted the ranking officer in the hanger. "I am commadeering a Tie Defender. Make sure no harm comes to my ship or it will be your head. " With those words, Draken leapt into the cockpit and flew into the raging battle.

 

He streaked toward the surface of the planet, judging by the majority of the buildings where the capital building was. He piloted the ship for a first pass past the capital building when something caught his eye. Instantly Draken reacted, arming all weapons and raising the Defenders shields. He banked the ship around for a second pass, reconizing the ship that had landed was a Lambda shuttle.

 

He brought the Defender around again and targeted the Lambda shuttle with his ion cannons. A second later, Draken triggered the cannons, sending several bursts of crippling energy over the rebel ship. Once he had made that pass, he flew towards the capital building and fired a concussion missle at the enterance of the building.

[ObliviousKnight]

It was almost flattering, actually, that Jidai Geki considered the young Jedi Grandmaster to be a younger model of her mother. Perhaps the Governor had intended his words to be an insult””Armiena had no desire to delve further any further into his mind than was absolutely necessary to determine his motives””but in her eyes, she would have almost beamed with pride. Misal Draygo was an”¦ extraordinary woman. The wizened Miraluka was the very paragon of devotion, and Armiena would have been thoroughly embarrassed if anyone said claimed that she had half her mother's subtlety.

 

However, Armiena was locked in mortal combat against one of the men that that she loathed most in the galaxy, so she would have to be forgiven if her countenance was permanently locked into a determined grimace.

 

Less pleasant was the sharp stab of pain when the Governor rammed his forehead into Armiena's nose, shattering it thoroughly. She offered little more than a gasp and a grimace; she'd suffered much more serious wounds in the recent past and hadn't surrendered anything more than a brief cry. If anything, Geki might have given her a slight advantage in hand-to-hand combat; with her face gradually becoming slick with her blood, it would be nearly impossible for him to get a firm grip on her neck””and that miscalculation had saved her left eye from his hands.

 

Unfortunately, there was no evading a vision. She sank to her knees as she witnessed her fiancé's death at her opponent's hands, weeping bloody tears, and for a moment, neglecting the fact that Geki had shown her his unprotected back. It was true; she had died once in his arms while trying to escape from Barton's wrath, but with Aryian incapacitated, witnessing his demise struck far too close to home.

 

The fear and pain as bone after bone gave way. Pain, mind-numbing pain”¦ and”¦

 

Calm resignation on Aryian's features?

 

Armiena suddenly experienced a moment of clarity””it wasn't Aryian's fear that she was experiencing. Could it have possibly been her own? Could it have possibly been conducted by Geki's gauntlet?

 

Neither possibility was particularly attractive.

 

It had never been her goal to be a good, attachment-free Jedi””the fact that she was wore her engagement band was testament to her fact””but she was determined to love and remain a spiritual bastion against the cruelties of the Sith and Empire. But she was wrong; it was a weak point that a Sith could exploit, and in the end, she had to choose either perfect strength or perfect love. Not an easy dilemma for a woman with a history like Armiena's to solve.

 

In these affairs, there could be no compromise. It was either strength or love.

 

Pull together. Stay strong at least long enough to kill this life-traitor. Hissing out a eloquent curse in Shyrriwook, Armiena climbed back to her feet and located Geki's presence in the Force. At last, he wasn't trying to mask his presence in the Force””his liberal use of Alter Mind would have made it impossible for him to do that with any effectiveness.

 

As he retreated from their personal combat, he eventually came across a peculiar, and certainly disturbing sight. He was suddenly surrounded by corpses””Rebel soldiers of various uniforms, white-clad stormtroopers, even a few civilians clutching at unseen wounds. From out of nowhere, a ghostly Mandalorian charged before the retreating Governor, clad in black battle armor.

 

His blaster rifle was smoking, clearly having been discharged many times in the immediate past. Had the Fell Hammer somehow been infiltrated by another boarding party? Was another agent wreaking havoc on his flagship? Geki would never be able to find out, as the noble warrior shouldered his rifle and aimed for the Governor's head.

 

”œKe'kyrami aruetii!”

[Jidai Geki]

*Geki roars with rage as the foul, acrid spores invade his eyes, his nose, his mouth, and his lungs are aflame with a stinging fire.*

 

'BITCH!'

 

*Geki is far from a happy person at the best of times, but when one's system is flooded with an alien spore that provokes a severe allergic reaction, the patience of even a saint would be sorely tested.

 

As has been well-documented, Geki is far from a saint.

 

He reaches up to his face and tears away his mask, revealing for the first time in years the full horror of his Prometheus-ravaged face. The tips of his gauntlets leave bloody groves on either temple, but he is past caring about such trivial matters. His eyes stream with tears, his nose screams with sharp pain, and his mouth is afire with stinging, relentless agony.

 

His five senses are almost unusable at the moment. He considers it fortunate, then, that he is privy to a sixth.

 

His gleaning of the Jedi woman's thoughts has borne fruit, much as it deprived him of concentration in combat and thus has led to his current predicament. It is time, he thinks, to show the Jedi woman something she hadn't had the privilege to witness first-hand.

 

The changes which he had subtly wrought since he first confronted the woman were almost irrelevant on an individual basis, but weaved together, weaved into a beautifully fraudulent canvas for the benefit of Draygo, the final effect was spectacular.

 

Geki finishes his masterpiece and the world

 

/shifts/. *

 

'Welcome home, Armiena.'

 

*The identity of the speaker is not clear, but such an issue is irrelevant when compared with what the Jedi can see.

 

The slender white buildings are elongated, willowy, and wholly beautiful. The people who walk through the city thoroughfares are well-dressed, erudite, and cosmopolitan, discussing matters of state both galactic and domestic, talking about the latest fashions, or simply exchanging amiable small-talk.

 

Beyond the indescribable beauty of the resplendent city are the grasslands, thousands of acres of gently swaying grass bending slightly in the mild afternoon breeze.

 

Aldera.

 

Capital of Alderaan.

 

The Jedi is standing outside the Royal Palace, home of Queen Breha Organa and Prince Bail Organa, amidst a throng of tourists. Geki is pouring his all into the ersatz world; it is flawless in conception and authenticity. It is for moments such as this the Emperor trained to lull people into worlds of his making.

 

Of the Emperor himself, there is no sign.

 

And above, something looms. Something small compared to the serene planet, but something that is to alter its destiny forever.

 

The Jedi knows what it is. Although she was too cowardly to defend her home the first time it was destroyed, though she had fled to another system to avoid the carnage, she is here now.

 

And in a little under ten minutes, Alderaan will cease to be for the second time.*

 

((3))