The Battle of Thila

[Foxfire]

The wait for battle was very short for the first line of the jedi's ground defence was a grouping of war droids. Either crushing or tossing them up into the air to take the out going missile or two. When within fifty yards troopers bolted from the protection of the ray shields to the waiting claws of Honog. One, two, swipes of the hungering sith blades and some would fall. Others would try to jump him from behind but they would be enveloped by force lighting. With the smell of burning flesh and frying electronics the noghri sith waded through the numbers of both flesh and machine.

The feel of the force was growing stronger as Honog approached the walls. Shutting down his blades for the moments of passing through the ray shields he used the broken parts of droids flinging them at the on coming hoards. The distraction and bother of not having his sabers thrumming in the air set him on a fouled mood. Once through, the angry snap hiss blades made a evil grin to come upon his face.

Who is willing to die first?

The words were short and followed by a noghri hiss. A roar echoed off the walls as the first jedi engaged the noghri. The blades clashed and the force powers were tested as the two fought for their lives. The noghri's skill was greater by far and the swift death of the jedi came to soon for the sith's liking. In a rage he grabbed the limp body and threw it up to the top of the wall. The battle was just cracking the blood thirst of Honog. His eyes grew redder and brighter with each moment.

At the wall Honog fought the hardest letting the beast show for the briefest of moments. The dark force ravaged the blade troops. They responded by turning a four man assault on him. Diving and rolling past the blasts from the guns he charged the legs of the walker. With shear will for the force Honog slammed the underside of the walker making a shallow dent on the under belly. It wobbled just a bit but only the cannons made the gun skip a beat in it's firing. Getting under the machine he climbed the inner leg of the walker to toward the dent. Nearing the knee joint they moved trying to smash him in the joint. A very hot bolt of force lighting focused upon the joint by the noghri, fussed it. Climbing higher he made his way to the dented spot. Taking his saber he began to cut around the dent. The beings inside he could feel their fear as the hole neared completion. The hole done Honog clipped the saber back to his belt and reached out with the force and the piece of metal broke free with the will of the force. As it fell away the noghri unleashed multiple bolts of force lighting into the inside of the cabin. The screams of pain and of death made the hunger grow once again within the noghri. Silence fell in the cabin when the bolts stopped. Swinging in the noghri found three dead and the forth barely alive. Snarling at the badly burned being Honog moved past it and left it to die. Out the top of the assault walker Honog was that much closer to the top and that much closer to the force signatures of the jedi.

Climbing to the top of the wall via the walker was easier then taking it down but the feeling of getting there was even better as he was again face to face with a jedi. This one had just ended the life's journey of a younger untested Sith. With a rumbling growl he set to again to wade through the troops on the wall toward the young jedi. Honog felt the movement in the force and saw from the corner of his eye. Diving deep into the force he gathered it around him till his skin tingled with power then in an arching explosion of power and force lighting Honog released a small amount of his destructive power clearing the wall and setting the stage for the duel with the Jedi.

[sparrow]

"We've been in these caves for the better part of an hour," Byar complained. "And I swear I've seen that stalaga-whatever they're called, before.  Are you sure about this place, Carby?"

"I've studied fortresses like these before," Carby growled.  "And they always have an out.  And if they can use it as an out, we can use it as an in."

"Doesn't mean it's down here."

"Then where?  We've both seen the terrain..."

Zarene listened as the two argued back and forth.  They had found the narrow passageway between the rocks that led down the cave network below the mountain. Leaving behind the speeder bikes and heavy equipment, they had descended. But the trail had gone cold. She had to admit that they were now lost.

"So, what now?" Shen muttered as he dropped the bundle containing the explosive charges on the ground, giving his shoulders a rest, as he leaned against one of the stalagmites.  Zarene sighed.  "We'll take a five minute break."

She shook her head.  "No.  Three.  Then we keep moving."

_____

They came out of the narrow passage into a large chamber.  The ceiling rose dozens of feet above them.  Even shining her flashlight down the length of the chamber, Zarene could barely make out the opposite wall.  "It's in here.  I can feel it.  Search thoroughly."  Byar and Pallen went off in one direction, while Carby and Shen searched in another, poring over every inch of group, examining the walls for anything that could lead them into the fortress.

"Up there!"  It was Pallen who saw it first.  In one corner of the chamber, on the ceiling was what appeared to be a small metal hatch.  "Hmph, clever," Carby muttered.  "Vertical shaft down with a ladder.  There's probably a rope on the other side that they can lower the rest of the way down. Question is how we can get up."

"I can make the jump," Zarene replied.  "Then I'll lower a rope.  We'll have to blow the hatch open first though.  Get everyone to shine their lights up there so Shen can get a good look.  Shen, tell me where to place the charges and I'll float them up there."  Shen nodded as he quickly began unpacking the charges.

"Once we get in, we move fast.  They'll have some kind of alarm trigger so they'll know we're here.  They'll outnumber us heavily in there so there can be no mistakes.  Byar, leave half of your squad with me.  Take the rest with Pallen's squad and make a beeline for the shield generator.  We'll cover you, cause some chaos and keep them off your backs."

"Here, first charge."  Shen handed the package to Zarene as he shined a laser dot on the ceiling of the cave.  "Put it there."  

[Cassy]

The situation quickly escalated; to say the least. Their artillery fire was endless, and the shield continued to take a huge beating. It looked as if even some of their own artillery was being redirected back at them somehow. There must have been some massive usage of the Force at work on their side; perhaps they were more prepared than she had anticipated.

The noise reached a peak as their full artillery opened up all around her on the wall; as she began to see the first waves of darkness below; the entire wall of the fortress quickly filled out with Sith forces below. In shock armor, with heavy weapons, probably a few true Sith themselves on the frontlines. She was eager for some reason to meet one in battle; this unnerved her a little, but she regained focus as now she saw Dan in his brown cloaks; hair blonde about twenty paces to her left give the signal for Republic Forces on the wall with assault, LMG, and Sniper Rifles to open fire downwards at the scaling Sith Forces. A mighty chatter of gunfire hailed down towards them, and many a Sith went down immediately as they scaled the gigantic walls.

There were too many however, and they were to fast, as Grappling Hooks, Jetpacks, Lift Craft, and all different sorts of black vehicles from the Empire began to send their forces into theirs, despite a huge number of them being downed in initial contact.

As shouts and peoples screams erupted around her, she stepped back once as the black and whites of the respective waring factions blended with a hail of gunfire. Her skill with Body immediately allowed her to tune out all sound she didn't want, one deep breath and a sidestep through a laser later, she would rip through an echelon of Sith Forces with Force Speed and let off a Force Flash as she passed through them, a comet like maneuver as she slipped through them and frontflipped forward, pressing on at a run. They would grab their helmets, their arrays and HUDs completely disrupted as a sideview of them doing so would be shown, just before they're peppered with an array of Republic Fire, battering them to shreds.

Cassandra pressed on, Force running and avoiding contact as she kept her eye upon Dan up ahead, he wasn't difficult to keep track of; despite all the commotion. Sound was dulled to her now, but the grand shield being battered by arrays of red lasers in place of a normal sky would be somewhat distracting to a normal individual. But she was a Jedi.

She saw Dan easily rip through a true Sith; the young rugged looking man with a crimson saber was quickly sidestepped at the last moment twice by Dan, who gripped him with one hand, spun him like a doll and spinning Force Kicked him to his doom off the wall; his scream was in audible to Cassandra as she looked to her left at a Force Run, slowing down and decapitating an unwary Sith who'd just climbed upon the wall; the moment he landed, his head rolled, a searing orange donut upon his neck as his body fell afterward.

Two more black masks turned towards her quickly in shock, in two reactive flicks of her wrist, two more heads rolled as she walked calmly between the two of them. Her baby blue saber hitting like whips on either side of her. That squad of three dispatched, she felt a surge in the Force up ahead. It honed in on a green skinned individual; his taste in clothing was horrible. A Sith no doubt.

A line of Republic Soldiers formed in what she felt to be Fear from them clearly as the monstrosity approached them, tearing through other Republic Forces. They all were silent, assault rifles in hand. Dan however, didn't wait for an invitation; he lifted a gigantic durasteel crate and sent it spinning through a crowd of Sith Forces towards the double lightsaber wielding...and rather large Sith. Their forces splashed away like bowling pins against the crate as it crashed through them but before it could make contact with the Sith a gigantic bolt of Sith Lightning shredded through the crate and came spiraling towards Cassandra and the line of Republic Forces.

It slowed down to her, perception wise, as she performed a mighty Force Leap upwards at point break speed in real time; while a huge battaltion of Republic Forces went splashing in every direction in a sea of white; some flying off the wall in a massive shower of sparks. Cassandra whirled, her black cloak and saber humming loudly multiple times with each frontflip on the way back to the ground.

She landed in a swoop of her black cloak, hair curled at a kneel; baby blue saber humming loudly joining the hums of the green Sith and Dan's at her side. Neither the Sith Forces nor Republic Forces made moves towards the duel that was about to happen between the two Jedi and the monstrous Sith now.

Cassandra rose to her feet, her emerald eyes staring across at the being. He was....interesting to say the very least. But she felt a huge amount of rage surging from him through her skills as a Telepath, again this excited her for some reason for a brief moment...This didn't unnerve her as it did the first time; but made her aware of the way he would perhaps fight, since it didn't appear he knew how to remain calm in battle. She immediately began Telepathically communicating with Dan, still keeping her eyes focused on her opponent throughout the commotion of battle all around her, a huge advantage for them.

"Dan...you saw the way he fought on the way here..that's nothing compared to how he'll fight us. But he lacks focus...and respect for the Force; I can tell." she echoed into Dan's mind, standing at his side their sabers humming in unison. "He doesn't know how to hold back either by the looks of things..." she flecked her eyes behind him; spotting the dead Republic Forces he'd left on his way here. "We have to be careful, I'll try to distract him as much as I can...but we should strike and defend in unison, let's try not to get separated too much..." the echo of her voice would then fade from Dan's mind.

Cassandra would then spin her saber at her side several times like a whip; and crouch a little; locking eyes with her opponent and wondering how powerful a Telepath such a wild beast would be. Could she break him? Probably not with all that Rage.

In the next split second, she would zip left to right with Force Speed, Force Flash setting off powerful flashes in seven different spots in an array of light in front of Honog, each would sound like a loud clap. Cassandra then would rip forward at an Ataru spin from one of the flash spots and attempt to slice straight through the Sith's back from it's right; he'd hopefully lost sight of her long ago in the light show she'd just put on.

She would pass by her opponent, planting her foot into the ground and spinning back towards him. Three whip like Shien slashes lashed out towards the towering green Sith as she stepped forward, testing his speed. Spinning her baby blue saber at blinding speeds above her head into a double handed Djem So grip, she stopped advancing on him for a brief moment; for a moment to him it would seem like she froze in time as she lined up his reaction, as the Force whirled around her rapidly at the last moment. The next moment he moved, he would have but a second to react before a crashing 'Falling Avalanche' slash would fall down on top of him from above.

Even if he blocked directly, a human girl ripping downwards with an advanced amount of Body Force would be an unpleasant surprise for him. The ground beneath them would break in a pattern as brick and durasteel bent and flew everywhere as the Force ripped outward. Hopefully Dan was right behind her, ready to continue the assault as brick and dust flew everywhere.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

Dan simply nodded to Cass as he took his stance against the Short Sith. Dan could only convey back to her that he understood her, and could only hope that she would follow his lead sense he was likely the more skilled combatant. Cass started the first sting of attacks with her force speed and the distracting and unorthodox attacks, while Dan would attack at each and every opening resulting in a nearly constant string of attacks and flurries bombarding the Sith.

Dan quickly decided with the way this battle was going, he had to cut the republic losses, and to do so, he had to get this raging beast away from this wall, and the soldiers. Dan took the initiative and went on a volley of attacks against the Sith, stringing his attacks and defenses together before finally pulling both sabers from the Sith and then gave a force kick to the Sith's chest in hopes of sending him off the wall.

All he had to do was recoil in time to avoid getting his legs chopped off, which he effectively pulled off with a minor back flip and landed safely, before gathering his senses again and tried to locate the Sith once more.

This duel had just begun...

[Rugs]

The war machine lurched along. Nieraan surveyed the battlefield before and above him as his giant mount crawled along toward the mountain fortress.

Above, Sith weaponry roared against the Republic's shielding. The system still held, but that wouldn't last. Eventually it would fall from the efforts of the ground forces, or it would be overwhelmed. Either way, it was a temporary reassurance against the Sith arsenal.

Before him, the battle began to boil at one of the fortress walls. A skirmishing force was crashing against the fortress like an angry wave against a seawall. By themselves, they would fail. But they held and split the Republic's attention where it mattered—they could not overwhelm the wall if defended properly, but nor could the Republic afford to underman that front lest it fall.

It was a thankless job they went to do. Many of them would probably die. But many of them where expendable. Some of the less important members of the Order, ordinary troops that could be replaced.

And the Noghri.

Hmpf. At least they won't stop him easily.

On his own front, Nieraan's team continued to advance behind Jess'. As they approached the mountain wall, the column spread out as armor swooped ahead to begin clearing a path. Explosions and fighting began to ring out ahead of him.

"Weren't going to slip in under their notice, anyway," Nieraan said, leaning forward against the railing.

A missile roared toward him. The Firrerreo looked up at the threat as the Force surged like a storm into his body. A lift of his head, a motion of his palm, and the Force pressed against the rocket and turned it back from whence it came.

He felt the spike of terror through the Force before the rocket killed the soldier that launched it.

For a moment, Nieraan watched the finger of smoke curling skyward from the explosions site, his mask impassive and uncaring. Then he opened himself to the Force further as the drill began a final approach. It would be the hardest part—the beginning of the battle for truth for his group.

The Republic would resist them in earnest here.

[Dutch]

As the wall loomed closer, Jessoin paused his attack to gaze upwards at it. With one hand held up to both keep a barrier up as well as block the sun he peered up at the massive structure. The man pondered how long it had taken the Republic to raise it. Even more importantly, he smiled at how long it would take to raze it. His barrier rippled as a high-powered sniper round was absorbed by it, his red-gold eyes snapping to the spot on the wall where the long barrel of the rifle was visible. Jess barked a laugh and sent a bold of lightning towards the sniper, his own weapon used as a lightning rod. Jessoin then felt a massive presence in the Force as it conjured high above them all. It tasted of Hervor, and the thunder that rolled from it was just as ominous as the woman herself. And as the lightning cascaded down from the storm into Republic artillery, the army around him cheered with victory.

Jess' attention was grabbed as a wave of adrenaline-fueled fear rolled out through the Force. The Republic was realizing the hell they were in, between Hervor's storm and the first wave reaching the wall. The expendables of their force, they would help soften the Republic before the true muscle hit. Much to Jessoin's pleasure, many of those chosen to attack the wall in the primary wave were hand-picked by Renata herself. Politics and War always were such interesting lovers. Few would survive the first wave, when the Republic would still fight with fervor. Still foolishly assuming they stood a chance in this battle. It would be a massacre once the drill teams hit, when they would smash their enemy's hopes. There would be many a child without a parent after the day was done.

His team was the closest to the wall, and Jessoin held his arms outwards at his side as the shadow cast from the wall enveloped his drill and the army around it as they fanned forwards. The din of their chanting, taunting and roaring complimented the machine's clanging wonderfully, a symphony that sang of the slaughter to come. It seemed the forces at the wall had the Republic more than busy, as less fire than Jessoin had predicted was turned onto them. The Zelosian would only smile as his barrier held, the attacks moot against the strength of the Force. May the Force be with you... Jess cackled as the Republic's favorite words came to mind. The drill was moments from the wall, the sounds of his force were near deafening and only getting louder as the object of war drew closer and closer. The anticipation was palpable.

"... I won't be gentle."

Jessoin purred before just the tip of the drill made contact with the wall. His troops cheered, and the drill screamed as metal tore into stone. Suddenly a hailstorm of blaster-fire and rockets was turned towards them. Jess cried out as the Force cascaded into him, and with a great push solidified his barrier even more. Sweat fell freely from the man with effort. His now completely red eyes turned down to the army below him, already firing up at the defenders.

"Bring them down! If this drill is damaged I will personally hang you from the wall by your own insides after the battle!"

He spat, words soaked in venom. Jess snapped his gaze back upwards, seeing several Republic troopers as they peered down at them. With a grand gesture his hands fell, and in that moment the soldiers under his command unleashed a barrage of fire upwards. In the reprieve from the Republic's attack, Jess launched out ropes of the Force to grab enemies. He laughed as he pulled them one by one off the wall, every single one screaming as they fell. Already Jessoin could taste the Republic's panic, yet still they're resolve did not falter. Admirable considering the amount of firepower and Force-power being launched at them. He attributed it to the Jedi, their presence always did embolden the Sith's prey.

Jessoin would need to find some of his former brothers and sisters to make examples of...

[Apillis]

Hervor standing upon the speeder-bike high above the battlefield--the smoke fading from the artillery that had been prematurely detonated by her power only a moment ago. Her short silky red hair lightly waving in the altitude's gentle breeze as fierce fiery eyes glare at the Republic military compound. In unison with a roaring warcry of frustration she thrust her right hand forward--luminous gargantuan bolts of lightning unleashing from her fingertips at the Republic fortress with no particular target in mind. The loud explosive pop of thousands upon thousands of volts colliding with the energy of the shielding surrounding the Republic structure deafeningly rang out as a blinding white flash of light emitted the instant the two opposing forms of energy met.

Despite the shielding weakening with every artillery strike--the moment when that damned-able bubble bursts cannot come soon enough for Hervor. Lowering her hand from her own personally taking a shot at the shields with her own raw power, just seeing its continued persistence made the Sith Lord seethe all the greater. With casual perfectly balanced poised long-legged steps, she walked to the nose of the speeder-bike and took a seat. Merely staring at the juggernaut of a structure before, contemplating on how she can accelerate its crumbling to ruin.

Once again the two warring dichotomies of the battlefield traded their artillery fire upon one another. However, the volley between the two Hervor did nothing to attempt minimize the artillery fired by the opposition. She only continued to sit there and contemplate. How many of her now entrenched soldier may have died by the fortress' volley she did not know, nor really paid any mind to at the present moment. There was little they could do anyhow until the shields were down and then of course the primary wall itself--at least--a section of it.

Long slim calloused fingers ran through her red hair tossing her bangs out of her face as the altitude's light breeze continued to blow through. Pulling out the small hand-held holo-communicator, using it to observe the varying fronts of the unfolding battle as she seemed to make the place in the sky where her speeder-bike is hovering while she sits at its nose her new spot to observe and manage the battlefield. With a sigh she leaned back laying on her back on the nose of the speeder-bike with her head resting at the center of its handle-bars. Coolly she crossed one long leg over the other while flipping through the small holo-graphic images of the hand-held holo-communicator analyzing the major points of the battlefield.

Her right hand reaching to the back of head for her head to rest upon rather than directly on the speeder-bike's handle-bars. She begun planning her next modus operandi to execute upon the battlefield. However, she then arched a brow in reaction to a small chime on her holo-communicator from an incoming communication...

[Foxfire]

The attack came like a a blinding storm of flashes and sword strikes. Yet after the first flash he held his eyes closed and watched the female through the force. As if being blind was not enough the male decided charge again. Joining in the blur of sword strikes the two Jedi forced Honog to dig a bit deeper into the force and reach higher saber ataru skills. The noghri's Ataru skills had not been tested like this in quite a long time but it wasn't hard to not find that place again.

Honog's emotions flat lined as his mind focused on his sword skills. But when the female came down with a over handed and over powered strike Honog's anger boiled as he side stepped the strike. Still the boot that was meant to hit him in the chest was a bit short because of the pulse of the explosive wave simple made the noghri slide to the edge of the wall. Here his blood lust exploded. There was no way that two simple Jedi were going to get the better of him.

Opening fully to the force and tapping his destructive side Honog channeled a force lighting bolt the thickness of a child's arm. It popped here and there touch and glassing as it touched the ground around the female.

My turn!!!

Enhancing to his peak his agility and speed he exploded from the wall back toward the female. With a master's hand in Ataru he hammered and slashed at her. At the end of every fifth position he would bring about a hammer blow that was enhance by Juyo and fueled by rage. Ten minutes in the fight of Mastered Ataru skill Honog disappeared with in the force merging with it and switched to his Stava and noghri mastered fighting skills. With her blind to his movements and her first contact with his race's skills just maybe she would fall to his claws and her sweet blood he would soon taste.

[sparrow]

As the smoke cleared in the tunnel, Zarene, flanked by Byar and Carby, stepped out into the lower levels of the fortress, followed by the rest of the squad. "Shen, blast open that lift shaft. Byar, I need a headcount. How many did we lose?"

"Three," Byar replied. The automated turrets had appeared suddenly through panels in the ceiling of the narrow tunnel. Pallen had been the first, moving forward too quickly. The blast took him full in the face.

Zarene nodded. "I'll take my group up first. I'll make a beeline towards the command center. That'll get their attention. You move out a few minutes after, and you stop for nothing. The battle around the walls... None of it matters if the shields don't go down." There was a loud crack as Shen's charges ripped through the door of the lift shaft. Zarene stepped inside, grabbed the lift cable with both hands, and began climbing.

________

"General! There's been a breach in the lower levels! They appear to be headed this way."

General Velsim nodded in acknowledgement. The fortress was an old one, built with a series of escape tunnels into the caves below. And it appeared that enemy had somehow managed to find one of those tunnels and made it past the automated defenses. With the Sith attacking the walls and threatening to drill through the sides of the fortress, his forces were stretched thing. "Divert three squads from the wall. I need these Sith snuffed out before they can cause any real damage."

"That won't be necessary, General," a voice spoke. "You can leave your squads where they are. I can intercept and destroy them myself." The source of the statement stepped forward, a stern-looking togruta Jedi. "I sense that one of the Sith Order is among them. Killing dark force users happens to be my specialty." She smiled slightly, baring her small togruta fangs.

_________

Zarene held up a hand to signal Carby and the rest of the half squad. "Stop." They had gone up two floors meeting only token resistance, but the figure that suddenly appeared before them across the hallway was different. A Jedi. Not just a Jedi. A Jedi Master.

"Carby, back up and see if you can find a way around," Zarene muttered. "This one is mine." Carby nodded, and motioned for the rest of the group to fall back. The figure, a togruta, judging by the tall blue and white striped montrals, moved towards them slowly, her gait confident. In her hand was a long-handled saberstaff.

She stopped about twenty feet away from Zarene. "I'll give you one chance to drop your weapon and surrender, Sith," she spoke haughtily. "Choose to fight, and you will die."

Zarene said nothing, as the panels on top of her mechanical arm slowly unfolded. She swung her arm forward, the small rocket that had been stored in her forearm launching from her wrist. There was her answer.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

((OOC--yes i have permission to get the fight away from the wall))

Dan stepped back a foot for a second, studying the Sith's flawed tactic. Namely he was using Ataru, nothing was normally wrong with that style in Dan's opinion, but at the expense of the moment, the Sith was focusing only on Cass and leaving himself completely open to Dan, who was now effectively behind the Sith.

Dan kicked at the back of the Sith's knee and then reached around to grab the Sith by the neck and decided to finally both bring and end to the Sith, and to get it away from the wall to avoid people. Dan pulled all his weight backward in an attempt to pull the Sith off the edge and to the ground, while in the air Dan would push himself away from the Sith and slow himself to make his landing, not as smooth as he would have liked, but the still stuck the landing by recovering soon enough. to his dismay so did the ugly green Sith.

Dan sighed a bit before bringing his saber to his front right and powered the blade back on, before going into a taunt. "Ya know, i see why they sent you first, you make normal Sith look pretty!" Dan took a deep breath before the fight really began hoping Cass would stay safe at the top of the wall, though in all honesty, he felt he might need a hand here.

Dan dropped one sleeve of his robes, then swapped his saber so he could drop the second, revealing his battle armor fully know, the battle was going on around the two, and Dan hoped the new atmosphere would through the raging Sith off, at this point nothing but Sith and Sith troops where running around, so if the Sith in question lost it too much, he'd only be hurting his own men, and Dan was more then able to fend off a couple of stray attacks by any of them dumb enough to try and get in the middle of he and Green boys fight.

((OOC--- i hope Cass comes back))

[Cassy]

Cassandra felt her body go numb; literally, as her feet planted and stepped into the ground; and arm whirled her saber around like a whip, she detatched herself from emotions; and focused only on the Green Juggernaut of a Sith in front of her; and his humming blade.

Dan's sabers joined hers, as the three Lightsabers fell down on the giant Sith like a storm; Cassandra ended the tumultous onslaught with a 'Falling Avalanche' which; the Sith sidestepped. However the impact of the Force hitting the ground with the Djem So technique; paired with the sidestep of the Noghri got him fully out of the way. With speed unnatural for his size; Cassandra noticed him switch stances mid-backflip; as a blast of Force Lightning careened down and missed her barely; as she hopped back, whirling her saber as she landed.

As his feet planted on the edge of the giant wall; Cassy immediately recognized the style as her own, the one she'd spent her time as a practicioner mastering; Ataru. The green Juggernaut of a Sith came blazing off of the wall with a masters skill in Ataru; his green body whirled and whipped it's crimson lightsaber toward Cassandra at nearly every interval.

Her high level of Body in the Force; as well of years of battling her own master, an Ataru practicioner of the highest level, had saved her life. Her speed coupled with knowledge sent the bright crimson saber blazing through the ground all around her; causing orange heat trails in the ground nearly everywhere as her sky blue lightsaber and his crimson one danced and whirled around one another.

However; the Noghri had one last surprise for her; he began adding Juyo strikes to the end of his Ataru chains; fortunately for Cassy, she had been fortunate to study under Master Teer-Ka; for quite some time, a Juyo master. Although unable to really use the style herself; she managed to dodge most of the strikes. However; one last one blazed past her leg; two close for her too dodge. It singed through her robes, as she howled in pain and leaped backward with a Force Leap; landing at a limp.

A large bloody gash appeared on her leg; as she looked back upward instantly, aware that her opponent could still be upon her. Her green eyes widened in shock; when she saw Dan's arm wrap around the Noghri from behind. With his blazing orangish yellow lightsaber to the Noghri's neck; she watched Dan back towards the wall with the Green Juggernaut of a Sith hostage. With a mighty backward leap; Cassandra screamed his name as she ran with a limp to the edge of the walls of Bak'mral.

"You idiot! You bloody idiot!" her british accent was extremely pronounced as she screamed downward; watching Dan and the Noghri's figures plummet down to the rocky sands below. Her brow and face furrowed in frustration; she was torn between running down the wall after him; or sticking to the orders given by Master Beleren.

Looking around her; she saw legions of Republic Troops blasting into waves of Sith rifleman and Shock Troopers. Her leg howled in pain; as she deactivated her lightsaber with a hiss; the sky blue blade twisting out of existence. Holding both hands out over her leg; she began channeling her impressive Force Healing.

Her hands took on a faint; blue glittering glow as she continued to hold her hands over her leg; the sounds of battle and war all around her. Eventually; the gash closed itself up and her skin healed flawlessly; however it was still extremely sore. She felt a familiar presence in the Force now up on the wall; a beacon of the Dark Side she'd felt once before. It seemed her section of the wall was holding up nicely; as she in the end decided to leave the Noghri to Dan, and stick to the orders given to her by Master Beleren.

With a slash mark in her robes across her leg; she leaped back into the fray, immediately landing in front of the Republic Troops and deflecting a spray of fire from the Sith Troops and Shock Troopers back towards them. A mighty battle cry shook the environment as Cassandra and the Republic Troops charged forward, clashing against the black waves of Sith like a sea of white. The East portion of the Wall would hold, no matter what. She'd do her best to see to that.

Dan...don't die on me down there, I'm coming soon! I've just got to hold out up here a bit longer!

As the fighting got thick on the East Section of the upper walls; Cassandra felt something...horrifying. A massive pulse of energy from the Dark Side of the Force; and what sounded like a massive clap from the Gods. As a bolt of lightning the size of a starship fell upon the mighty shield of Bak'mral.

The bubble shook; and now it's cracks were visible, almost to a breaking point. If those sheilds fell-----they would be nearly forced to conceede defeat; as it would make way for the Sith's infantry, and worse; their mecha to begin advancing fully into Bak'mral beyond the shields. What's worse; Cassandra as her sky blue lightsaber blazed through Sith after Sith, had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before the shields did fall.

They weren't even advancing offensives out into the dunes to meet them; at this point, they were just holding on with all they had.

[Rugs]

A few fleeting moments of calm remained. And then…

“Contact!”

Nieraan’s drill shuddered like a thing possessed as the power from the great engine within shifted from locomotion to powering the drill itself. Two armored plates at the fore parted and receded slightly as the great machine slowed to a halt, less than a foot away from the fortress wall.

The shaking stopped. All around, the battle raged, except for in this brief moment of calm. The machine hummed and then a giant plasma beam, white with heat, shot from its maw and slammed against the wall. A slowly-widening ring on the metal surface around it turned red, then orange and yellow and white with heat.

The rocky ground directly beneath the beam began to glow as any remaining vegetation flash burned away in an instant.

Nieraan casually flipped his lightsabers in his hands as he watched the machine do its incredible work. He clipped the blades together and ignited them, one gold, one blue. The third lightsaber, hanging from his waist, swung as he dropped to a crouch.

“The Republic is coming to protect their precious wall,” he called to his men. “Be sure to let them know today is not a day for heroes.”

He leapt, carried high by his strength in the Force. Below and further down the wall, he could see Jess’ drill tearing into concrete and stone. It was an interesting problem, they’d faced, determining what drills to use. The fortress’ fusion with the earthen sentinel of a mountain presented problems—physical drills were effective for rock and concrete, but could be less so for any metal portions of wall.

So they just brought both.

Nieraan smiled beneath his mask as he landed against the side of the wall, gripping a crack in the steel for a moment before pushing higher again with another leap. Above him, the Republic troops were starting to form back up after Jess blasted a hole in the original defenders. Pelting from his men below gave him cover for the half a heartbeat he needed to clear the top, and then the Republic troops opened fire.

He landed in their midst, saber staff whirling to deflect bolts and cut apart the soldiers at once. A soldier threw a grenade at Nieraan, thinking him occupied. But the Firrerreo spun on his heel and turned a blaster bolt away from him and back at the offender’s face as he let his blades loose into one hand.

The grenade came, and he scooped it out of the air and, using his pivot for momentum, threw it on a new, redirected route: right back at the man that threw it and his squad.

They barely had time to scream before it exploded among them.

Nieraan took the moment of reprieve to glance back over the wall, and, around the falling bits of soldier check on the drills’ progress. They were making progress, but there was still a ways to go.

The men down there can hold for now, he thought, quickly surveying the battleground around him. Up here, on top of the wall, he demanded the Republic’s attention, which was already stretched then with the main assault. This helped keep some pressure off the drills below.

His little screen was just another diversion, while it lasted. And one he could engage and retreat from at will.

“Hervor,” he said, activating the encrypted comm in his mask. “We’ve made contact with the wall.” He tilted his head skyward as an explosion blossomed against the shield above him. All across the battlefield the energy began to flicker in the sky as the force surged from the ground further down the wall. “Holding now ‘til it’s breached.”

[sparrow]

The Jedi raised her hand, attempting to form some kind of protection barrier. The rocket exploded in mid-air with a flash, shrouding the hallway in smoke, blowing a large hole in one of the hallway side walls. Her barrier had not been able to withstand the full force of the attack, but did manage to blunt it. The Jedi was thrown backwards, bits of shrapnel cutting into her skin. As she regained her balance, she twirled her saber staff over her head. "Just like a Sith to resort to dishonorable tactics!" she shrieked as she charged Zarene.

Quickly igniting her own saber, Zarene had no time for a retort as she raised her blade to meet the jedi's. The icy blue blades clashed once, twice, three times. And it soon became very apparent that, even wounded as she was, the jedi was the superior saberist, as Zarene was forced to back up with every strike.

"What makes you think you have a chance of defeating me?" the togruta taunted. Her strokes had slowed slightly as her confidence increased, as if she wanted to make sure that Zarene heard everything she had to say before she moved in for the kill. "Have you ever killed an akul on Shili like I have? I've killed forty two of your kind before. What makes you think you'll be any different?" She twirled her saber around for an overhead strike.

Blocking the togruta's downward attack, Zarene quickly spun backwards to avoid the follow-up from the other side of her opponent's saberstaff, putting some distance between the two of them. There was no way she was going to win like this. Lightsaber combat was her weakness, and you couldn't defeat an opponent by pitting your weakness against their strength.

She gathered her strength as her opponent charged forward, and pushed outward with her hands, releasing a powerful blast of telekinetic energy, striking the togruta's stomach like a battering ram. "How about you shut up and fight for real?" she taunted back. The togruta was already getting back on her feet, but Zarene was able to use the moment to sidestep around the jedi. The jedi would chase her, but if Zarene could change the arena of combat, to one with more debris for her to manipulate, then she could even the field.

[Apillis]

High from her perch in the sky Hervor watched the battle scene unfold, watching as her repeated volleys of ion missiles bleed away the fortress' shields--the severity of their weakening increasing with every strike. Observing her entrenched soldiery digging for their lives as the Republic's artillery rained down on their heads attempting to weather the explosive storm's destruction that hung over their heads consistently. But it was the last volley of ion missiles, the blinding explosions of light as they crashed into the shields caused Hervor to momentarily turn her head to the side closing her eyes.

But when those black orbs with fiery irises once again opened once again she could see the shields visibly wavering tremendously. Their power is nearly depleted. It would not be long now, one more volley--and she knew--the shields were done for. With her hand-held communicator she immediately contacted the colonel she put in charge of artillery, "Start prepping for anti-personnel and bunker busting ordnance. When the wall comes down, I want a carpet of ashes of Republic corpses for them to walk on, and the fortress' own structures turned to debris to provide them cover."

"Yes, my Lord.", the colonel was quick to answer Hervor's demands, and equally so act upon the moment she cut off communication with him.

It was then Hervor simultaneously contacted the young Sith she had charged with bringing down the fortress' main wall, "Gentlemen. I understand propriety and restraint and all. But sometimes you have to damn it all and just force your way deep in there, and unload everything you can. Finish it!", whether Hervor was aware of the particular sort of innuendo she made or not is debatable, whether she cared or not is not--because she did not care.

With Zarene working on opening the proverbial backdoor into the fortress to enable the Sith forces to pour into the fortress in all the greater numbers, while simultaneously enabling the Sith to cut off any possible escape routes. There was still another matter at hand--the anti-aircraft and starship weaponry that was preventing the brunt of their naval force from approaching, and forced them into fighting a ground campaign to begin with. Hervor knew that task was handed to Sith Intelligence, but with no word on their progress, rather than assume everything was going swimmingly, she assumed it over all this time it was either going terribly or ended in failure. The artillery of the fortress as whole was something that needed to be dealt with, Hervor mused. The anti-aircraft/starcraft weaponry would have to wait still nevertheless to focus on more immediate tasks.

It was only but a second later shrieking across the sky past her were the last hailstorm of ion missiles crashing down upon the shields. There was finality to them as the slammed into the shields and erupted into blinding blue explosions of light energy. The rippling rippling and wavering under the pressure of the explosions until finally the shields utterly tore apart as though the sky around the fortress had been ripped open exposing it to the world surrounding it, and environment it finds itself within is an unkind one--that of the enemy.

Cheers roared from the Sith side of the battlefield as they watched the shields crumble and tear--dissipating into the air--into nothing--non-existence. Hervor on the other hand did not cheer, her lips instead curled into a maleficent grin as her eyes lit up with a foreboding joy. As she grabbed her lightsaber with one hand and put away her hand-held communicator with the other, she kicked the trottle of the speeder she stood upon, getting it into gear and flying off right for the base. As she mused earlier, the anti-aircraft/starship weaponry can be put on hold for now, but still the greatest threat to the soldiery the fortress posed was its artillery, and that is what she stirred right for.

Swooping in right for the artillery units' wall, the speeder she rode was pelted by the blaster fire by several of the Republic soldiers who stood with the artillery units knocking her out of the sky. But not before her being close enough to leap off of the vehicle and come tumbling and rolling across the concrete floor of the artillery wall. Weapons drawn on her but like the enduring monster that she is, she rose from the ground empowered by the Force allowing her to rise again no matter how many times she may fall or succumb to injury. But their turning their weaponry on her was only met by finding themselves drawn within a field of death as they felt their lives being bled and drained away from them as this malefic creature before them rose back to her feet. Her wounds and injuries rejuvenating as she slowing stood back upon and their lives being torn away--pulled away--pulled into her--feeding her power, healing her body. A darkness filled the area in that moment, as if life had been gutted and carved out leaving only the empty vacuum of death in its place.

It was only but a second later upon her standing fully on her two feet that with the raising of her free hand a storm of brilliant bolts of lightning emitted from her, the darkness channeling from all the death surrounding her flowing through her to be conjured in the form of destructive bolts of lightning tearing through machine and flesh alike around her. Several of the artillery units and weapons crippled from the attack, but there was still more that needed to be destroyed.

Albeit, before she could continue about her work striking at the artillery units, she heard from behind the all too familiar sound of a beam of light igniting from a small machine hilt. In fact, she heard two of them. It appeared as though she had a pair of interlopers seeking to impede her progress...

[Dutch]

"Gentlemen. I understand propriety and restraint and all. But sometimes you have to damn it all and just force your way deep in there, and unload everything you can. Finish it!"

"I like the way you think, my Lady..." Jessoin chimed back with a sick grin. Hervor had her own charms in a way, though he would never want to be between the woman and her desires. Too many stories were whispered in the temple for him to think otherwise. I do wonder if the rumor of her eating children is true...

His thoughts were suddenly cut off by a twist in the Force. Presences, and not just those of soldiers. The inner fires of these individuals burned so much brighter than the rest, and Jess instantly knew what it meant. His smile turned more cruel, his eyes leered upwards to see the edge of the wall. Already other Sith had made it up the wall to meet their enemy head on. Instead of doing the same, the Zelosian waited. Eagerly.

They jumped, from high above the wall with lightsabers already igniting. One, two, three, four they landed one by one onto his drill. Jessoin was already in motion, eyes wide as his smile as he lunged forward with a blast of lightning spreading from his free hand. The other hand ignited his lightsaber, the thrum of his weapon matching the buzzing of his nerves. Finally Jedi, finally his former brothers and sisters. The ones who had failed him, the ones who would suffer him.

The closest, a Rodian male caught Jessoin’s lightning with his lightsaber. With a deep inhale Jess snapped his neck towards a human female, a sudden bellow in the Force unleashed to send her cartwheeling off the drill. He snarled a laugh and turned his crimson eyes back at the Rodian. Jessoin cried out and pushed more of himself into his lightning. The Gungan Jedi leaped forward next, the Zelosian cutting his lightning to toss up a barrier just in front of him. With the barrier still up Jessoin flipped sideways past the Gungan, his lightsaber biting into an arm and a leg. The Gungan too fell. The Rodian still kept his distance, jumping high into the sky when Jessoin lunged at him. The dark skinned human female flashed both her lightsabers before charging at him. Jess smiled and charged towards her as well. She raised her lightsabers in defense. He instead unleashed a wide blast of lightning. It caught and wrapped around the woman, making her shudder before collapsing onto the drill. Jessoin strode forward to put a boot to her chest, grinding the heel down before just the tip of his lightsaber slid into her neck.

He smiled back at the Rodian, withdrawing the blade. Jessoin’s red eyes did not leave the Rodian as the man screamed. It seemed the pain of losing his friends had an effect on the Jedi. Jess drank in his emotions, and brought his free hand upwards to crook a finger. Come and strike me down… The other man leaped high into the air, a double handed grip in the form of Shien. Jedi fueled by rage were such clumsy creatures. So not attuned with using their hate, Jessoin deftly side-stepped from the two handed attack. His lightsaber angled and the red of it matched that of his eyes as the weapon slid into the Rodian’s eye. A push from the Force sent the Rodian away, and Jessoin cackled in glee.

“Is that it my brethren!? Is this all you have to offer me?”

[Foxfire]

The short engagement with the female Jedi was going well. Honog was pushing her to her skill limits. Till he was kicked in the back by the second Jedi, the male. He hadn't forgotten about him but he didn't care too. He could smell them the distances of the fear and the male wasn't as fearful as the female. So fighting with him first wasn't as important as putting the fear of the sith into him as it was to break her first.

Yet here he was forcefully being dragged off the wall. If this Jedi wanted to fight so bad then he wouldn't hinder the not-so subtle request. As they fell Honog watched as the male pushed off to right himself. Time started to slow for the noghri as he drew upon the force he focused on forming a force bubble just below him to land in. It formed with enough power to catch and slow his decent but not enough to float down. With a thoom Honog landed as the bubble expelled it's power in a swirl. The ground bent away from him as he landed. On one knee and his left fist touching the ground Honog slowly caught his breath as he rose.

With the dark force swelling the snap pop of static force lighting began to grow as the noghri drew upon the force and his own primal connection to the force. Honog place the butt of each sabers together and with a click they joined as one dual blade saber. Rolling the saber in his hand they also doubled in length. Through clinched teeth the noghri spoke in his guttural language. Then he repeated in basic.

So you were not willing to wait for your turn to die I see so.....

Within his left hand force lighting started to grow. Raising his hand the power grew. He then took a Stava stance to attack with both types of skills.

...be it Jeedii. Come to me Prey and see what true darkness is.

---------

[Rugs]

[Very meeeeeeeeeh but it's been a while since I wrote recreationally]

Nieraan knew the soldier was there before the shot was fired.

It was a bold attempt, truly. Laudable, even. The Firrerreo grinned as he spun, staff casually whirling in hand to knock the shot away to join its other wayward brothers off in the air above the battleground.

The soldier stood alone. He was a sandy-haired youth, who barely looked old enough to have enlisted — though Nieraan knew as well as anyone that looks could deceive — let alone try to stop the Sith’s advance into the Republic’s territory. Yet, here he was. Doing just that.

Now, he was face to face with a Sith with blade in hand and the Force to answer his every beck and call.

It was like a scene from a legend of old—a lone soldier facing down an obviously-superior foe with his friends and brothers in arms littering the ground around them. But legends didn’t always end well for the hero.

Life itself was far less kind.

The soldier raised his gun to fire. Nieraan smirked beneath his mask as he made a hooking motion with his fingers. The pistol flew from the boy’s unprepared hands and clattered, then slid along the walkway until it reached the edge. It wobbled for half a heartbeat, unsure if it wanted to fall or stay, then tipped over the edge as an faraway explosion’s reverberance rippled through the wall.

The soldier’s eyes began to deflate. Nieraan didn’t allow time for the gravity of the situation to hit him.

Again the Force reached forth and this time, it was the soldier that moved, as if drawn on a line to Nieraan’s open hand. That same hand closed around the soldier’s throat, holding him tight as his blade found the lad’s stomach.

Life gasped away as the soldier began to die. Nieraan tossed him aside, back over the wall’s edge and continued along.

It was still relatively quiet atop his section of the citadel. Sith soldiers were beginning to reach the top in places, and pushed hard in others, forcing the Republic to spread defenders to hold.

Some soldiers reached the top by him and clambered over with salutes and status reports. They spread out and pushed forward, establishing a foothold for more soldiers to come rushing up. Once a basic perimeter was set, they pushed out along the top of the wall, hitting the soldiers that still hoped to defend other sections of the wall in the flanks.

Nieraan chuckled darkly, and even more so as Hervor sent her message imploring them to push further.

“Oh, we will Hervor,” he said lightly. He motioned for some of the men scrambling up to follow him as he walked to the wall’s other side and looked down on the inside of the mountain fortress. “Just hope the big ol’ girl’s ready for this…”

The soldiers he motioned for lined up behind him. They were a special skirmisher group. Quick, mobile. Good men to continue his mission of harassing behind enemy lines to disrupt their organization before the main force hit. Quick attacks and retreats, as the tide of battle required.

“Well, you heard her,” he said, knowing full well they had not as he hopped over the edge into the base. “In we go.”

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

He smirked as he held the blade outward toward the Reptilian creature who challenged Dan. He took a few paces to his left, and then turned on his heels to his right, never letting his gaze fall or waver from the shorter beast.

Dan from down here could see up to the top of the wall where things were looking grim for the Republic already. Was hope lost? If so, Dan was going to take as many of these idiots down with him as he could, and he still had plans on surviving to fight another day for the Republic. He was confident they would win this war, battle or not.

He looked back to the Snarling Sith as squads of the sith soldiers seemed to begin to fall back away from the impending duel. Droids too weren't stupid enough to get close to the battle that was about to hash out between the two force users.

Before the fight could really start though, it seemed the pounding on the shield finally did it's job and weekend it down to being obsolete. He took a deep breath and concentrated on the beast again.

Dan spun his hilt still quiet, not even making his humorous remarks anymore. He was loosing his lightheartedness as this fight began to look more hopeless. But at the same time, he was completely focused on this singular fight that was about to begin as he began taking long strides in the direction of the Sith, still only with a single blade activated.

You're no good in this fight if you don't beat this creature. Focus. Breathe... Dan thought to himself before he spun the blade again before striking first...

He swung downward at the Sith first before spinning to the side with a kick, and a duck lower to make himself a harder target before sweeping with a kick again targeted at the Sith's legs. After his banter of attacks he took a couple of steps back, sweeping his saber upward as a final attack to buy him enough time to move back.

[Apillis]

The hood of Hervor's white ragged old Jedi archivist's cloak drawn back, the fanged mask that covered the lower half of her face she had removed and hung off of her belt. Her back still to the two Jedi interlopers, but only but a trice passing another pair joined them. Hervor slipped the cloak off her shoulders and her arms out of its wide sleeves, letting the torso half of the cloak drape over the belt that she had wrapped over it loosely around her slim waist. Do to her shirt being nothing more than a tight sleeveless halter-top, her battle-scarred very lean athletic muscle defined feminine form of her torso and arms were blatantly apparent.

Her calloused spidery, slender fingers cracked and snapped as she curled them into a fist under the tension of her flexing hand muscles, only to casually open them again as they hung at her sides. The sabers of the two new arrivals she heard ignite into being as she begun turning to face them. Four young and eager Jedi standing before a veteran and jaded Sith Lord, and as cliche as it maybe Hervor could recall a time when she was not all so much unlike them. Filled with righteous indignation and purpose, loyal to others and the cause of an organization, placing both above oneself. She knew these feelings well, and arguably they are partly what shaped her into the being she is now as she stands before these young Jedi, reflections of a long dead past.

It would not have surprised her if they had been fool-hardy enough to do something as brash and silly as to have joined a faction among the Jedi such as the Blades. And as gung-ho and tough as those individuals of that misguided Jedi faction maybe, their eyes still popped open wide when they felt the magnitude of the dark side that flowed through Hervor seemingly too easily. When brilliant bolts of lightning exploded from all around the Sith Lord with she as their focal point. The young Jedi quickly raised their blades block the bolts of lightning that crashed and crawled across both ground and air toward the four as bolts exerted from Hervor in all directions. A couple of the young Jedi took cover behind the ruined artillery cannons for safety.

Given Hervor's monstrous nature and impulsiveness, it is difficult to say whether she planned that or not, but either, it caused the four to be briefly divided. Two taking cover, and two standing their ground out in the open. Almost in a blink of an eye, the lightning exerting from Hervor receded, and with her blazing orange lightsaber blade drawn slicing at the young Jedi closest to her. Her movements were near blinding, nothing but blurs the young Jedi was just ever so scarcely managing a defense against. But that was only for a trice in spite of his training in lightsaber combat since he was a youngling, against a couple century old duelist of Hervor's standing, that was little insurance against her speed, power and ability. For it was only fractions of a second within their duel his lightsaber left his grasp as it flow through the air.

Before the mortal blow could be dealt to him his companion that stood their ground with him as the other to had taken cover, charged at Hervor. He swung for her head,and only narrowly did she manage to duck under it. But his efforts were not without reprisal as near ever last shred of air escaped his lungs from the pommel of Hervor's lightsaber burying into his stomach as involuntarily hunched forward and fell to his knees. Stunned from the viciousness of the power behind the dark strength within the strike, it was only a split second later his vision was that as if he were rolling on the ground repeatedly, and when it came to a stop--what he saw was his headless corpse before all went into darkness.

Just as she turned to continue her assault on the Jedi she had just disarmed, Hervor found herself flying through the air and crashing into the rubble of one of the other artillery cannons she had destroyed prior to this confrontation. It was a strong hit from a wave of an unseen energy. Miffed and in a slight daze she picked herself back up onto her feet when she saw the two Jedi that had taken cover but a trice ago. And of the two was charging right for her with his lightsaber raised, while the other remaining behind Hervor deduced that she must have been the one to strike Hervor with the telekinetic strike only a moment ago.

Had the young Jedi charging for her remained by his companions side, the two would have stood a better chance with each backing each other up--he keeping Hervor from his companion and she attacking Hervor telekinetically. However, with his charging for Hervor and at this point only a few steps away, he was in his companion's line of sight and thus she cannot get a clear shot at Hervor. And a young inexperienced Jedi attacking a duelist and martial combatant like Hervor directly smacks of thoughtlessness. Perhaps, the action was wrought from the sight of his headless ally, but regardless, it was not Hervor's concern. Her response was clear--she stepped into the assault, catching his attack before it could reach her person by grabbing hold of his hands as they grasped the hilt of his lightsaber. A flash of bright orange light trailed in front of his eyes before those green hues of his went wide in dismay as there was nothing to his arms beyond the elbows, for that is where both had been severed. It was a surreal sight in that split second as he saw Hervor tossing aside his lightsaber hilt with his severed hands still grasping onto it. A powerful blast of lightning set the young lad flying through the air and over the edge of the fortress' great wall. At that point he was little more than flailing figure falling hundreds upon hundreds of feet down the face of the wall with sparks and bolts of lightning trailing off of his body on the way down to an abrupt end.

The look of horror on his companion's face said all that needed to be said, but not one to give another a moment to grieve, before the young Jedi could focus her mind on the task at hand, Hervor was already right there before her. It was also in that moment the young Jedi felt every bit of strength draining away from her until she found she was struggling to even stand. Her gaze drifted downward and it was then she saw why as Hervor's blade was running through her chest. Her eyes then rolled back as her lifeless body flopped to the ground at Hervor's feet.

A second too late the remaining young Jedi having recovered his lightsaber attacked Hervor once more with all he had to muster, and what Hervor could see fueled by rage from the loss of his companions. It was a strong effort for it even made one of Hervor's standing to be forced to take several steps backward as he pressed her. But his like friends' eyes went wide as the hand that clenched onto his lightsaber was cut off, before could scream in pain--the calloused spidery fingers of Hervor's right hand maliciously grabbed hold of his head, and slammed the back of it against the barrel of a destroyed cannon. Her thumb burying into his eye-socket so she could have a more secure grip on his skull, she slammed his head against the barrel again and again and again and again and again... and again. There was no technique, no nuance--it was purely brutal savagery. It was such that she may as well had been slamming a broken and busted open cantaloupe against the cannon barrel. After all his cracked open and seeping skull at that point might as well had been nothing more than a shattered melon attached to a limp body with a missing hand.

With a bloody right hand and the rest of her lightly hazed in the blood of her last victim, she glanced around her surroundings for a second. Only to move on back to the task at hand, attacking and destroying the artillery cannons along the wall in which she stood currently. There was little mere soldiery could do against the savage power Hervor could unleash upon them, until the artillery of that particular wall was largely crippled to the point Hervor felt comfortable about moving on.

It was then though within her impulsiveness that there was a target she wanted the head of... The general of the base...

(edit: Fixed a few typos, there's likely more.)

[Dutch]

"...I can offer more. Jessoin."

The Zelosian's blood ran colder. His blood red eyes slid to the side to see a figure wave her hand, dismissing the shroud of the Force she had wrapped around her. Stealthy witch... He snarled and spun, lightsaber angled for defense at the newcomer. She knew his name. And her voice was familiar... from a different age. Curiosity and innocence, learning and laughing. His years as a youngling at the Jedi Temple.

"Emna'tan..."

The name fell from Jessoin's lips for the first time since he was a teenager. The Twi'lek looked at him with pity, her large eyes wet with restrained tears. Several years his senior, and one of the Jedi Instructor's padawans. She had always been very kind to Jess, and had been one of the Jedi whom taught him Makashi. Emna lowered her hood, and Thila's sun made her blue skin shimmer in the haze of the battle. Her face had aged since then. Age lines were starting to show, but they didn't mar her face. They just flowed with the natural contours. Yet her eyes hadn't changed one bit. Perhaps a bit more tired looking than he remembered... but the same.

"So it's true. You are still alive, and with the Sith."


Her words were soaked in disappointment. Jess could visibly see the tremor in her lekku, emotions contained. For now. His boots clanged on the drill as it continued to bite through the wall. He held his head high, defiantly blocking her from it.

"You see what I've become."

"Yes. I have."

"And?"

The igniting of her copper lightsaber was the answer. The very same weapon he had sparred with so many years ago. Jess laughed lightly. His eyebrows raised in mockery, and his free hand waggled a finger towards her.

"Here I thought you were going to try and sway me. Convince me to turn away from the dark and back to the light. Tell me I'm the same little boy who you burned with a training saber. Beg for me to let go of my hatred and return to the fold. To the Jedi. Plead for me to stop this war machine beneath my feet, and help save the fortress. Appeal to my good will! What you surely must know is deep within me! How you disappoint me Emna'tan!"

Jessoin spat, his gesture now aggressively pointed at the Twi'lek. His widened gaze glared at her, eyes showing the taint of the Darkside as it pooled and swelled within him. The more he let his emotions out, the faster the tide of the Force flowing into him. Jess blinked once as he noticed the tears that fell from her eyes now. He couldn't deny the pang of guilt and shame that shot from within, making his face wince slightly and his eyes narrow.

"I'm sorry we failed you..."


That hit him even harder. An involuntary step back was taken, stumbling slightly as the drill went deeper. It wouldn't' be long before it pierced. He only needed to stall it a little while longer. He rounded towards Emna'tan with a snarl, unleashing a river of lightning at her. She leaped over the bolt and straight at him. His lightsaber slashed upwards to fend her off as he spun on his heel, compensating for her new position. Not a second after she landed he darted forward, a flurry of jabs being expertly parried and blocked. That feeling of superiority still rang from her, just like when he was a child.

Their duel continued, fast and unrelenting. Sparks showered off the meeting of lightsabers. The squeals and squawks of the beams of energy echoing off the nearby wall. An opportunity rose as Jessoin spun to block her saber, a spot left open. With the Force behind it he backhanded the woman viciously, the smack too echoing off the wall. She fell to her side and Jess swiftly lunged down to press on. His long, pale fingers grabbed the back of her neck. She growled and grunted to push him off, he sneered and hissed as his grip forced her face closer to the edge of the spinning drill.

"You failed yourselves. Jedi."

He didn't expect her to suddenly jerk her head backwards, an audible crack sounding as her skull collided with his face. Jess snarled and stumbled back, tasting the earthy fluid of his blood as it poured from his nose. Green blood pattered onto the shining metal of the drill, a trail leading to Jess as he stepped back some. Emna'tan rose back to her feet. Her lightsaber snapped to a Makashi stance and her eyes defiant. Jess eyed the woman, and wiped his face with the back of his arm. He too took a stance, and glared at the Twi'lek.

Never break eye contact... eyes give thoughts away, and a thought is all one needs to strike.

"Good lesson... E..."

Jessoin murmured as he darted forward. Her eyes did not waiver. Again their lightsaber met, red and copper dancing. He gained ground. She gained it back. He pushed. She pushed back. She pushed harder. He lost ground. She pushed again. He lost more ground. He watched her. She watched him. She pushed again. He moved back. He flashed lightning within his free hand. She looked to see what he would do. He watched her. He attacked.

His lightsaber would suddenly drop from his hand before it lanced out. Jessoin's hand gripped tight around Emna'tan's thin neck. She tried to gasp, but his grip was too tight. Jess' other hand grabbed the hand that held her lightsaber, and blasted as much lightning as he could muster into it. He could smell her flesh cook within his grasp. She tried to scream, but his grip only got tighter.

Jessoin... please...

"Get out of my head harlot!"

Please... you can be saved...

"Enough!"

He snarled as the Force pulled deeper into his presence, and with both hands he unloaded it outwards as lightning. Steam rose from Emna'tan's neck and wrist, the acrid smell of flesh even stronger as his fingers sunk into her twisting flesh. Jessoin grunted as he felt her presence fade rapidly, and let her drop onto the drill as she went limp. His breaths were shaky as he gestured to his lightsaber, pulling it with the Force back to his hand. The drill shuddered violently, and an engulfing, deep bellow sounded from the machine.

It had finished.

Jessoin turned his gaze to the nearby control panel, and with a flick of the Force toggled the switches to make the drill withdraw. He opened a comm channel to the entirety of the Sith forces.

"This is Zarander. I have penetrated the fortress. All nearby Sith to me. Time to breach, ladies and gentlemen."

After the channel was closed again, he looked down at the lifeless form of his former instructor. Her wide eyes still gazed up at him. It was difficult for him to look back, and as soldiers and Sith alike rallied near him and his drill he peered towards them. Jessoin huffed, and used his boot to shove the Twi'lek off the side of his drill.