Winter's Chill and The Darkness That Follows

[Necro Stormborn]

--- The battle begins --- (Rhen Var: Space)

( music - www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ZeeWGATF4 )

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The slight ding of the comm signal poured into the dark room as Darth Eurachis's eyes opened slowly and stared at the blank wall opposite from him. His hair sloughed down in front of him as he blew a wisp of air up to brush it out from of his eyes. The alarm dinged again and he stood up from the crouched position he'd been in, unfolding his legs to move towards the communicator.

As the blue light of the comm poured over his face a tight grin unfolded where his unemotional lips once were. His hand stretched over to the comm, and hit the answer button. He already knew what it was about, and as such, was already getting dressed.

"My lord, We are ready to launch"

Eurachis made a deep growl of happiness, as he picked up the comm to respond. "Of course we are captain. Bring the Venadon around and notify all crew and ships that we will begin in T minus 20 minutes. I shall be on the bridge, in a mere 5. That is all."

"Yes my lord." And the comm cut out.


------------- On the bridge of the Demigod --------

The doors whisked open slowly as the large muscular man walked briskly through them. The air about him was dead and distasteful. Those who walked along side him seemed miserable... or uneasy. But somehow... this dark man seemed completely entertained.

"Have the Venadon begin charging it's Gravity well, i want it deployed as soon as we enter the system. There will be no running for the jedi scum. "

The Venadon was a very special and unique ship that sith military had given up to Darth Eurachis after very prolonged negotiations. How there was finally a compromise reached, was still unknown. On board, this vessel carried a weapon known as a Gravity Well Generator.... one the fleet would use to trap all ships in the system and make it impossible for Hyperspace jump. Furthermore, with the right applications, there was promise that the system could possibly disable photon torpedo tracking capabilities. A great weapon indeed, one that would seal the deal.

The large viewport on the bridge slid slowly open as the heavy durasteel peeled back revealing the darkness of space and Sun of the current system. The ship turned slowly about getting in formation with the rest of the medium sized fleet... a large group of play toys no doubt. The Venadon was located in the middle of the fleet, and on the sides were the intermixed Frigates, for taking down fighters, and Corvettes for hammering the capital class ships.

Fighter bays were scrapped and instead loaded with drop ships crammed full of Sith soldiers, troopers, initiates, masters and the like. It was going to be a very fast and easy operation.

Darth Eurachis finally stopped in front of the viewport and huffed, turning back to say something to the advisor by the controls nearest him.

"Put me through to every ship in the fleet, time to go to war." And so he was... his face came up on every viewscreen in the fleet... each ship was now watching him. Every pilot, listening, every trooper ready to deploy upon landing on Rhen Var was listening as well.. they were all waiting for the final orders.


Thump.... thump..... thump..... The hearbeat got louder till finally Eurachis clenched his fist and began to speak.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman. As I speak to you, your flight coordinators are punching in the codes to our destination. Today, We embark on what i feel is the merely the start, of something great. For years, we have waited in silence, planning, relishing the darkness that we would cast on the insolent shreds of hope... the Jedi leave in their wake. That time... has COME! We will march through their sacred grounds, walk their holy hallways, and desecrate all sites they hold dear, starting with the temple on Rhen Var. After Today, there will be no sanctuary for those not aligned with the sith, especially those foolish enough to remain among the jedi order..."

The man to Eurachis's Right turned away from the console and nodded his head at him. The Darth responded in kind, then continued.

"I have just received word that we are ready to set course. I have one last word before we launch." His eyes narrowed in on the camera recording him. His hands moved up and overlapped each other, crossing his arms in a very loose fashion. "You may not harm or destroy any of the artifacts or fragments that the jedi leave behind... but hold fast men.... you may satiate your blood lust on the scourge that is the peace loving jedi. For each jedi you kill, the empire will refund you 2000 credits. Now go forth my comrades, and wipe the planet clean of all the traitorous filth that is the republic and the jedi scourge that dwell within the compound."

The drivers powered up as the engines began to flare bright blue on every ship. The commander hit the final coordinate and then the engines finally began to rumble loudly. Then, in a flash... the stars turned into long lines of light and the dark space infront of them all filled with bright beaming sunlight. The force of the jump shook Eurachis backwards but he remained unmoved, just slightly looser.

The jump took only a few hours, and then the monitor light lit up red and the ships began to decelerate as the exited hyperspace. one at same time they all poured through stopping quickly, like an emergency brake was being pulled in every single ship. However, following the dispersion into the Rhen Var system.. alarms went off all across the fleet. The republic fleet had locked onto them and was firing from long range into the cluster of ships. However, the Dark lord could tell that the enemy was afraid, the ships were outnumbered by the sith fleet, and they would try to send for help.

Sure enough, within seconds a man in a black vest called from across the bridge, "Sir, frigate class ship turning about, preparing for hyperspace jump."

"They are trying to run. Comm the Venadon and signal them to turn on the gravity Well generator... We will not have deserters on either side..... and we dont need them running for help."

The man nodded and did as he was ordered. Not but moments later the frigate who'd turned and prepared to exit came back around and continued firing on the fleet. the generator had worked... and it had done so Perfectly

The Demigod pushed forward and slammed through the republic lines, firing about on both sides, slamming its torpedoes into the shields of the other capital class ships. in a wedge formation the other vessels followed suit, punching straight through and creating a gap in the middle of the republic fleet. half way through the cruisers opened their hangar bays and 10 squads of gunships flew downwards as fast as possible to the planet, wasting no time in traveling to the area that Darth Novus had indicated. At the same time, Eurachis moved quickly nodding to the bridge commander to take control and destroy the rest of the fleet while he did the same planetside.

"Comm me if there is an issue....Pray there is not.. your job depends on it." And with that Eurachis moved towards the Demigod's hangar bay, climbed into his own military grade stealth fighter and rocketed towards the planet.

The battle had begun


------- ( part 1 of 3)-------


(( i will be posting the rest tomorrow... im just really tired... sorry guys.))

[Necro Stormborn]

(( Very much rushed... sorry... i lost my first copy and had to rush t make another one... so it's not as good as my original... but it'll do))


-----( part 2 )------

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-------Above the skies of Rhen Var---------


There was a crashing bang as the blue shields on the Republic Capital Class ship shuttered off and on till they finally disappeared out of existence. The shield was down, and just as it went down, a wave of Turbo laser fire crashed into the Hangar Bay and life support system. The ship flashed bright white, then in a plume of gold and red fire, the ship wavered and tilted downwards. Sections of the ship began to explode one by one.. slowly working its way towards the bridge and mid sections. A few minutes later the large red beacon on top of the capital ship glowed bright and pulsed off and on, which was followed by 50 or more life vessels jettisoning forth from all over the ship. The crew was evacuating.

Two corvettes shot to the side from the Sith wedge formation, as the objective of tearing through the republic's escort size fleet had been accomplished. The secondary objective was now the primary. Destroy all Republic ships, leave no prisoners. If a command vehicle was detected, Tractor beam them in to the closest ship available. Aside from that, weapons were free, fire when ready... and so the two corvettes would.

They swooped down from the side and looped under the Venadon, coming up and around on the other side and shot right over the Demigod, moving into firing range of the Life pods. The vessels shot down towards the planet, but they were not shooting fast enough.

The Corvettes rocketed slowly closer, and lit them up with laser fire, bringing down 20 of the pods before the vessels were too close to the planet that the corvettes could no longer follow. No problem, the two ships let loose their payload of concussion missiles and watched them fly straight towards the engines. Seconds later another 10 life pods burst into flaming parts and blasted all over the place scattering among the atmosphere.

Elsewhere, two Large black and brown bombers flew out of one of the frigates closest to the planet and shot downwards toward the planet surface.

The fight was almost coming to a close, there were only a few republic ships left, however, that was when it got interesting. The downed capital ship suddenly lurched upwards as their engines flared brighter than every ship in the battle. whatever power they had left, they seemed to be pouring into the engines. The ship's lights fluctuated but it flew upwards straight back into the heat of battle. All the crossfire continued until one of the frigates tried to turn about and steer out of the oncoming collision.

That would be to no avail as the Republic cruiser flew up into the frigate knocked it off the bulk head and into another corvette, powering down both ships shields completely. The other republic vessels took the advantage and unloaded into both ships destroying them both in two volleys.

However that was not the real problem. The cruiser was still moving and suddenly the engines powered down, and three tractor beams tuned on and pull the two nearest ships an the closest Sith cruiser right into the Republic ship. Then, in a flash the Republic engines flared to life brighter than the time before and the reactor blew.

The ship exploded and took with it everything around it. the remaining two Sith cruisers and handful of corvettes/frigates left were now crippled as the explosion of the energy core had shut down the shields of all ships in the area, including the Venadon.


-------Planet Surface: Rhen Var--------


The Gunboats roared through the sky over the temple, gunman raining blaster fire down all over. Troopers attempted to fire up at the Ships, and were dealt with swiftly. There were to be two landing Zones, one point was on the ground level, easiest means to access the archives, and the second was going to the mountain side canopy.

The ships split up and headed to both landing zones, 75% to the bottom floor and the rest to the mountain side.

The temple entrance at the bottom of the mountain was first to get it. The ships circled down and opened fire on those in view. Then all ships opened fire on the gate and generator by the main access point. The generator flared white hot and exploded into a plume of smoke which blew open parts of the wall and opened the main doors. The chastity of the temple was ready to be violated. The ships landed 2 at a time, dropping all the sith troops off at once, while the other aircraft circled and provided covering fire.

At that time, A loud booming sound occurred as two other aircraft passed through the sound barrier and broke free of the atmosphere. Both aircraft zoomed down towards the mountain where 6 gunships were strafing along the middle level of the rocky temple.

The large aircraft, loudly flew towards the area, and when close enough there bottom's opened up and 4 photon bombs fell out and flew towards the mountain wall. All 4 slammed into the rocks and blasted away the side of the mountain and tore threw the temple walls, leaving a gaping hole in the center of the mountain exposing the midsection of the temple.

All 6 gunships flew in and rushed to land their crew anywhere they could.


The siege had started.


----------( part 2/3)---------

[Jenno]

(Alright, the relief force has arrived. With this post those specificed as being part of the relief force can now write their characters into one of the threads in the temple itself, please do not post in this thread.)


(Post 1 of 4)



The Protectorate; en route to the Tobali System…


Time was their enemy. It was not the Sith, for they had proven to be a timeless one. Time was the most powerful enemy known to the universe. There was no way to truly overcome it. Even the oldest of races would, at some point, be a victim of its play. It did not need to make them old or frail; there were many other ways time could triumph over them. Time could make favoured food harmful to the body; it could claim all of those around you whilst you still remain. It could change the very essence of one’s being. Time will always win.

But there was not a moment in existence when someone had given into this overbearing opponent. There are always those who were willing to resist, willing to try and claim any victory against time, no matter how small. And currently, Vreem Took was one of those who sought to fight against time. Against the fate he had witnessed. The ice had been cold upon his skin, but not nearly as cold as the hand which groped his heart. He knew the place he had seen, visiting the Temple at Rhen Var was an experience you could hardly forget.

He had been on Taris when the vision came to him. His skills in the art of foresight rarely stretched beyond its usage in combat situations and such a sudden and clear vision was not something he had experienced before. During his meditation he had seen the ice Temple of Rhen Var. He had seen the smoke, ash and smouldering corpses of his brothers and sisters, caught unaware by an attack. He had seen the mighty figures of Rhissai and Levin leading their fellow Jedi against the darkness which assaulted the walls of their home.

But the coldest night on Rhen Var’s frozen wasteland couldn’t compare to the chill Vreem felt caress his spine as the vision revealed the aggressors. They were gaping holes of darkness in the Force. Power oozed from their bodies, it was a feeling he had only sensed during his last meeting with Veratos, as the man had called himself. They were Sith. It was never said but Vreem knew it to be true. They had returned. Time had delivered the dark foes to the Galaxy once more.

Now he raced, against time, against fate and the future he had been shown. He would prevent this darkness from devouring all of the Jedi on Rhen Var. He would save as many as he could. Immediately he had rushed from Taris, ordering a few ships, troops and members of the Blades to go with him. He had sent out requests to those stationed in systems near Rhen Var to join with his own small fleet. It would be difficult to extract a decently sized force without opening any major weaknesses in the Republic’s defence but these Jedi did not deserve their fate.

It was almost time. Vreem was currently meditating in his private chamber upon The Protectorate, the super-carrier which had been assigned specifically to him. Removing the ship from Taris was a risky move but the transport ships would be needed to extract the Jedi upon Rhen Var. A high-pitched sound echoed in his mind, forcing him out of his trance. His body fell back onto the circular meditation chair and without any hesitation Vreem moved over to the communication screen he had in his room. With the press of a button a large female face jumped onto his screen. Her eyes were cold and hardened, those of a true professional. Vreem stood tall and straight as he looked at the screen, arms cupped behind his back.

He met the gaze of Admiral Yulen and after a few moments she spoke, keeping her words direct and to the point. “Lord Took, we will be coming out of hyperspace shortly, you requested that I contact you beforehand.” The Admiral stated sharply.

Vreem looked to the screen and nodded. “Yes, thank you Admiral. I shall make my way to the bridge shortly, please prepare a channel to the rest of the fleet for me” he said, this whole military structure was still hard for him to grasp, along with the title he’d been given, that one was hard to swallow. With acknowledgement of his orders and another exchange the call was disconnected. Vreem sighed. This was it. This would be the beginning of it all, the start of something he had decided was necessary. This would be his first battle in the war. He knew this was going to test his abilities; he simply had to hope that all the trials he had endured so far in his life had prepared him for this crusade. And he wouldn’t just be tested physically, but mentally as well, made to question everything he knew. Would he be able to continue resisting the darkness when he would be surrounded by it?

These were questions he had asked himself before. But he was still short on answers. Only time would tell. Moving over to the bed he looked down at the items which covered it. Along with his two lightsabers was something Vreem had not really thought about until this point. Coating his bed was a pile of armoured clothing. It had been a gift, custom made by the Republic for his own personal use. The usual Jedi robes he wore were not thought to provide enough protection for someone in his position, at least the military advisors had said as such. He had tried the set on once and he did admit, for the amount of protection it gave him it still allowed him to move with a surprising amount of speed and agility. It was time to don the armour and make his way to the bridge. The inescapable conflict awaited him.

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The Protectorate; moments prior to arrival…


With a snap-hiss the large doors to The Protectorate’s bridge steadily began to open and Jedi Lord Vreem Took was met with a volley of salutes. He was a fairly tall figure and now he seemed much more imposing than he ever had before. Most of his robes had been substituted for his new armour. No longer was he a symbol of peace, now he was a symbol of war and battle, a symbol of the Blades. The segmented armour felt lighter than he had remembered it, and the ridged chest plate would provide him with a significant amount of protection. He still wore some of his robes along with the armour. Whilst he was one of the Baldes, he was always a Jedi.

“At ease” he said to the officers and ensigns that swarmed around the vast bridge. The Jedi’s eyes fell upon a number of his kind on the bridge; they stood watching and a few of them helping where they could. He shared a nod with a few of them. Finally his gaze locked onto the Admiral and Vreem walked confidently towards her as she was in the middle of ordering the crew to prepare the ship, there was a metal on metal sound as his lightsaber knocked rhythmically against his armoured leg.

She spotted him approaching and straightened her uniform slightly, a great deal of her job came down to two things, performance and presentation. She had been assigned to this ship at the same time as it had been assigned to Lord Took and she found it quite difficult getting her head around the fact she had to take orders from this Jedi, whom, as far as she was aware, had no military experience to speak of. But she had not achieved the rank of Admiral without the ability to adapt to situations. She had yet to witness the Jedi in battle and so she would reserve judgement until that time came. However, scepticism was admittedly hard to stave off, some of the tales regarding their abilities sounded greatly exaggerated. “Lord Took,” she stated as he neared, “preparations are almost complete, we should be dropping out of hyperspace in a few minutes.” She looked up to him, not in a sense of admiration; she had to physically look up at him. She did not consider herself short, but in his presence she could not feel as such with their half a foot difference in height. However, he seemed to respect her authority and knowledge, and that was something she appreciated.

“Good,” he muttered with a nod of his head. “Is the communication channel ready?” he asked with a slight glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. Like usual Vreem was having a hard time maintaining total control of his emotions. With a quick word of confirmation, the Jedi Master walked over to one of the consoles and nodded to the Admiral. A few moments and issued orders later and she returned the nod. Vreem straightened himself; he was now speaking to all the forces that flew with him into this battle, Republic and Blades alike. “This is Vreem Took of The Protectorate. As you have all been made aware, we are on a course to Rhen Var in the Tobali system. I have been granted an insight into the enemy’s attack upon the Jedi Temple there. The Jedi do not wish to be apart of the conflict, but that does not mean the Republic will allow them to be slaughtered. The Sith have returned and it seems they are aligned with the Sith Empire in some form. Whilst we do not know the true extent of this connection, it makes them enemies of the Republic, the Galaxy and its citizens.” He paused for a moment, the flickering images from his vision resurfacing briefly. “The forces we have brought with us are limited, all that can be spared at such short notice. This is why I must express our purpose here to all of you very clearly. Our aim is not to win this battle, it is simply to survive it and escape with as many of those from the temple as we can. Remember that. May the Force be with us all.” As he carefully pressed down a button on the console, he severed the connection to the rest of the fleet.

He moved to a position where he could freely look into the soothing colours of hyperspace. There was a persistent peace here, why couldn’t such a thing exist upon either end of these journeys? There was always trouble, always darkness, never a moment’s rest, it was sickening. He heard his name being called, more specifically his new title. He had not even been able to use it when he had addressed the fleet; something about it was unsettling to him.

Admiral Yulen’s expression was as calm and collected as always, she would have been perfect as one of the old, stoic and humourless Jedi Vreem remembered from his past. But upon their first meeting he had noted the tattoos above and below the outer corners of her eyes. She was a Kiffar, far removed from her planet and had been for many years now, but the tattoos themselves reminded Vreem of Meira, whose presence he was very much missing at this moment in time. He was reminded of the young Knight and their last parting whenever he looked at the Admiral’s tattoos, which was not something he found overly enjoyable.

“Lord Took,” she said with a slight coldness in her breath, not the warmth Vreem was typically accustomed to from Meira, “we will be coming out of hyperspace momentarily.” He nodded, and looked one last time out to that peaceful ocean, not looking forward to what awaited him and his comrades. Then in an instant the serenity crumbled all around him as the fleet returned to normal space.

Great flashes of dazzling light could be seen in the distance as the small Republic navy forces above Rhen Var were doing their best to defend against the much larger Sith fleet. However, they were being easily overwhelmed and the Empire’s forces seemed to have no trouble with accessing the planet below them. Even from this distance in space Vreem could feel the deep ruptures in the Force caused by the clashing of powerful darkside and lightside energies. “Admiral, order the fleet forward, command our forces to move as close to those defending the planet as possible, we want to make sure we can provide them with a safe escape route. Contact them when you can, inform them of our purpose and aims and that our destination will be Taris. As soon as the fleet enters range order the attack.” Vreem was quick to give out the orders, it seemed something of an unnecessary point to make given Admiral Yulen’s experience with such tactical matters. However, Vreem felt as though he had to take an active stance in events right from the start, otherwise he might not get involved with the battle as much as he needed to.

But now he felt in control, like he was directing things, like he was really, finally, upon The Protectorate. Now he had to simply consider where best to position the super-carrier in order to deploy the rescue forces. The majority of the Blades were on the ship with him, only those who had joined from different sectors or who been issued command of their own ship were dispersed elsewhere amongst the fleet, though they were few. But before He could begin to really formulate this plan, the Admiral was already ahead of him, ordering the ship’s forces to prepare for deployment. In fact, she had already contacted a few other ships and ordered them to stay near to The Protectorate, in order to defend the vast carrier.

The battle drew near in no time at all. The Sith had moved to engage the relief forces, trying to prevent the two Republic fleets from linking up. Before long they were surrounded by blazing lights. Already the Admiral had ordered some of the fighter squadrons to be deployed. As another moment flickered by, they were drawn into the thick of battle, caught in a carefully constructed web of death, no doubt the first of many to ensnare them.

Over the bustling sounds of movement upon the bridge, a voice cut through the tension that caused the hands of the crewmen to shake slightly. “Admiral Yulen, Lord Took, scanners are picking up an odd signal from the centre of the Empire’s fleet.” Looking over to the source of the voice Vreem saw the figure of a Cerean dressed neatly in a Republic uniform. He seemed enthralled by the readings presented before him. Without direction from the Admiral the young lieutenant tried to uncover more about these irregular readings. Both Vreem and Yulen were waiting upon his next words, orders hung upon their tongues but the determination the officer showed bade them wait for a little while longer.

“It seems like the Empire is using a Gravity Well generator to prevent any hyperspace jumps from the area. It’s coming from The Venadon, in the centre of the fleet.” The Cerean had done his duty and done it well, this new information was crucial. Some of the enemy ships were on the Republic’s records and The Venadon was one of them. A very powerful weapon and Vreem did not like the hands it was currently in.

Admiral Yulen and the Jedi Lord looked at each other with a shared knowledge of what this meant. With the Gravity Well generator in place the Republic forces would not be able to escape, it also explained why the current forces had also been unable to retreat. However, positioned in the middle of the fleet and no doubt protected by other powerful vessels, The Venadon would require a great deal of effort and firepower to reach, let alone destroy. As it stood, the Republic fleet would not be able to protect the forces heading towards the planet, link up with the other ships and deal with this new and pressing issue.

It only took a few moments for the kiffar’s eyes to lurch out over the bridge, looking for a particular face. When she spotted it, her lips began to curl. “Corporal Nassar, choose the best men you’ve got and ready some boarding craft in order to-” Admiral Yulen was quick off the mark, but Vreem was equally as quick to interject in issuing orders.

“Cancel that order Corporal, return to the previous plan.” Vreem had stepped between the two with an odd sense of calm. The corporal was stuck glancing between the two for a moment, he felt torn between them but duty and rank dictated that he listen to the Jedi Lord. With a bow of his head he slipped away from the conversation, keeping his gaze low to avoid the Admiral’s frozen glare. Vreem ambushed her as she was, no doubt, about to launch into a protest. “We need to focus on getting our transport ships to the surface; we can’t spare any for the battle up here. Don’t worry, the significance of the threat posed by The Venador does not escape me. I will take a small strike team of Jedi and disable the ship. You will be in charge of the deployment of our forces to the planet as well as the fleet. I will simply require the assistance of a few squadrons in order to board the ship. Those are my orders. Members of the Blades have already been assigned to different landing squads, but I will the six who are present on the bridge to The Venadon.” He could see the flare of debate in the Admiral’s eyes, but then he also saw her register the situation, he was in command. So long as he wasn’t ordering the fleet into a suicidal situation then she would follow his orders, despite how ridiculous they seemed.

After delivering a brief “yes sir”, the Admiral turned her attention back to the issues she had at hand and Vreem turned to his own. Without much of a signal required the six Jedi who were on the bridge gathered before him. He looked amongst them, two Masters and four Knights. They had various ability, skills and preferences but they would make an apt strike force, they would have to.

“I am asking a lot from each of you, but taking that Gravity Well generator offline is essential to our survival in this battle. We will watch over one another, I want all of us to come back alive.” Vreem had spoken to the crowded circle at a fairly low volume; they were beginning to get in the way on the bridge and so with a last look around, the Jedi Lord led his strike team down to the hanger area. There were a number of ships being prepped for them. Each Blade had their own special fighter the Republic had commissioned specifically for their use in this war. They got themselves ready to take off as soon as possible, exchanging only a few words. And after a brief moment of deathly silence, the seven-strong strike team exited the hanger.

They were immediately embraced by the hostility of the battlefield. There were explosions as fighters from both sides were destroyed, bright bursts from the energy that bounced off shields and the crackling durasteel of the battered ships. There was no gentle build up; already they were flung into evasive manoeuvres to avoid an incoming fighter squadron which was promptly destroyed moments later by a pursing Republic group.

A few pings upon Vreem’s ship controls indicated the arrival of their protection for this flight, a few squadrons had been assembled to make sure they were able to board The Venador in one piece. With a final glance back to The Protectorate he could see the transports loaded with Republic soldiers and members of the Blades as they headed down to the Temple. Vreem longed to join them in their rescue attempt, but first he had another mission ahead of him. He turned his attention towards their destination. It was time.




(All the strike team with Vreem are NPCs so that I don't have to speed along with writing the next post for people to actually get involved with events down on Rhen Var. Hopefully the second post wont take me too long.)

[Jenno]

(Part 2 of 4)

Space; The First Battle of Rhen Var…

Hot debris bounced off the hull of Vreem’s ship as moments earlier he had blasted yet another Sith fighter to pieces. His eyes and thoughts were calm as he surveyed his team’s position on the battlefield. Having only been heading towards their target for a little while the strike team still had yet to really break into the thick of the Sith fleet and as tempting as it might be simply jump into the fray and become entangled in the reefs of the battle’s flow, there was a much more important and deadly mission awaiting the Jedi Lord and his team.

The squadrons flying with them were managing to keep up fairly well in their aurek-class fighters. Since their induction into the military the Blades had been swarmed with special armour, weapons and vehicles, the odan-class strike fighter that Vreem, and the rest of the Jedi who flew with him, was piloting was one example of this. The Jedi already had ships commissioned for them by the Republic, but none that were as combat-capable as these slender starships. Apparently they had been designed in order to keep up with a Jedi’s ability to enhance their speed and reactions, meaning more manoeuvrability. Most regular Republic pilots wouldn’t be able to push the odan fighters to their limits, but there were some Jedi who would be able to.

Vreem was not one of those Jedi, he was competent enough with the starfighter, but by no means a great pilot, he preferred to be more grounded. As poisonous green darts of energy suddenly streaked past his cockpit, Vreem was forced to push forward on his controls to avoid the more accurate shots that followed. But before he was forced into more evasive manoeuvres another ship caught his attacker in a flare of laser fire, blasting the ship and its pilot to dust.

Moving his fighter closer to his saviour’s, Vreem switched on the comm link to the other ship, “Thank you for the assistance Master Ven, space combat is still quite new to me.” He admitted, his gaze calmly pointing out of the cockpit as he looked for any other ships that might have spotted him.

“Do not worry Lord Took, I believe your difficulty dealing with a single fighter is something we can leave out of the battle report” came the stern and oddly warm voice of Jedi Master Neura Ven. With his time on the council Vreem had only known the twi’lek master for her prowess in lightsaber combat and her cold demeanour. But since she had unexpectedly agreed to join the Blades there was a warm sense of a connection, perhaps that was now a web which bound all members of the Blades together, made them feel closer.

Another crackling sound indicated the arrival of a third member in their conversation, “Nova squadron have reported that they’re ready to make their bombing run.” It was the ever-serene voice of Master Vorr Kaeel, from his voice one would hardly think that they were in the middle of a battle. In fact it was difficult to picture any real expression from the nautolan master. His presence in the Blades was even more unexpected that Master Ven’s. Renowned for his affinity to the lightside of the force, Vreem thought he would be one of those who would denounce his decision to answer the Republic’s call, instead the wise Master Kaeel agreed that action was necessary and signed up. The Jedi Lord felt confident in those who had come to the same conclusion as he had, they were each determined and willing to sacrifice themselves for the safety of the Republic and its innocent citizens. And these wise and powerful masters he flew with were only two of those Jedi.

“Good” came Vreem’s brief response. Whilst it was true they would be unable to get completely involved with the battle which raged on in space, the Jedi Lord thought it would be best if they at least helped the Republic forces break into the Sith fleet. His strike force and the three squadrons assigned to escort them to The Venadon had helped to clear out a large number of fighters protecting one of the larger Sith ships on the front line. Now that the Republic was ready to take the ship down their work there was done. Breaking into the Sith battle line would provide them with a distraction at the very least.

Contacting all of the Jedi and Republic fighters that were with him on this suicide run, Vreem ordered them to disengage from the battle. He could sense the resentment from Jedi Knight Trul Krevak to do so, and even a sense of begrudging compliance from Master Ven. They might have wanted to at least see the bombing run through but there was little time to spare. “We will have to be fast in our approach to The Venadon. The fighter squadrons must make sure the strike force doesn’t come under too much fire. We will have to time our flight well if we are to knock out the shields to the hangar and get all seven of us on at the same time. Once we stand inside the ship we’ll formulate our next stage of attack. May the Force be with you.”

Thrusting his hands firmly upon his ship’s controls, Vreem increased the speed of the fighter, preparing for the evasive manoeuvres that would no doubt be required. They were flying into the thick of the Sith fleet, there was only so much protection the distraction on the front line would provide the strike team. Slowing his breath the Jedi Master closed his eyes for a few moments, cutting himself off from the events of the battlefield. He could hear the engine on his ship as it hummed with life. His presence expanded until it meshed with the shell of the ship, his senses reached out amongst the hulking battleships, he could feel the red hot burning hate which shimmered throughout the void. Such pure dark rage shot all around them that Vreem felt somewhat unbalanced for a few moments.

He focused, reasserted his calm breathing. He could sense darkness within these ships, within the Force. His vision had included a look upon what he had thought were Sith but now this dark feeling, they had to be present at this battle. He hoped that Rhissai and the Jedi upon the surface were able to hold back the surprise attack these Sith had prepared. With this the Jedi, the entire Universe would know that the Sith had returned, sometimes he hated being right.

Jerking his controls to the left, Vreem avoided fire from approaching enemy fighters; it looked as though they really wouldn’t get through this without some heavy resistance. Now alerted to the presence of the approaching squadrons, Vreem and those with him immediately tried to pick up the pace, using what they could for cover. They were nearing the target area and just about managing to keep at a safe distance from the pursuing fighters. There had been a few losses already in the fighter squadrons that protected them, and Vreem was thankful for the sacrifice those Republic pilots had made, he did not wish to put their deaths to waste.

But movement ahead alerted the task force to another batch of enemy fighters. And there were even more from their forward flanks. Now in the midst of the Sith fleet they were being surrounded and unless they could break through, the entire group would be swarmed and wiped out an instant. Vreem turned on his communications to all the ships that flew with him. “Fighters are approaching from all directions; the strike team is to take up a loose formation around me. We’ll pass through the fighters ahead and soften them up a bit. Republic squadrons, punch your way through the enemy, grab their attention as best as you can and then head back to friendly space. Contact a few squadrons and get them to cover your retreat. Thank you for your protection.” With a crackle there was nothing left but silence between all members of the strike team. They opened their minds to the Force as the enemy fighters drew dangerously closer. With a lightning flash of green and red, a hail of fire was thrown between the ships, a few shots barely missed Vreem, but they quickly overpowered the shields of a Republic fighter close behind, blasting the ship and pilot into dust.

There was no time to even consider emotion in the heated exchange of fire between the two groups of fighters. The mobile and rapid movements of the odan-class strike fighters allowed the seven Jedi to cut through the mass of Sith fighters that had surrounded them. The Republic pilots were struggling with the number of enemies but they were trained professionals and they were quick to follow their orders.

After escaping from the enemy ambush, their strike team’s target was before them. Next came the difficult part of landing all seven fighters safely on board. As his sensors picked up more approaching fighters, Vreem realised they would have to get on board The Venadon as quickly as possible. “We have no time to deal with any more fighters, Master Ven, when we are close enough you will have to knock out their hangar shields. I doubt there will be much of a time gap for us to get on board, remain vigilant. We will regroup in the hangar bay.” The Jedi master held his controls firmly; there was an old flame of determination within them again.

The scale of the ship before them was considerably, it didn’t compare to The Protectorate but there were few ships that could. However, the size of the ship would make their task of disabling the gravity well generator much more difficult. Now that they were close enough, Vreem could see the vibrant blue of the hangar bay shields glaring at them with a menacingly smug attitude. That was until Master Ven blasted the generator to shreds and the light vanished, leaving the Jedi an open door. His body weight had shifted forwards, looming of the control stick of the fighter, as if he was trying to put all his weight into moving the small ship. After only a brief moment, the blast doors to the hangar began to close and Vreem felt his whole body tense as the seven fighters pushed forward. The doors moved faster than expected. There was no time left, so much rested on this. The engines of all seven fighters screamed with the desire to make it on board safe and sound. Six fighters slid comfortably into the hangar.

But the seventh, had not been permitted such a gracefully ride. Master Ven had been on the edge of group and after disabling the shields it seemed the ship was eager for revenge. The hangar door slammed into the Jedi Master’s fighter, sending it spinning into the hangar, crashing into two inactive Sith ships until finally the strike fighter met the wall with the violent sound of tearing metal.

[Jenno]

(Part 3 of 4)

The Venadon; The First Battle of Rhen Var …


Unfortunately for Vreem Took, the armour he had been given for this war did not include a helmet, which was something he would have quite liked for the uncomfortable landing which followed the strike team’s arrival in the hangar bay of The Venadon. The screens in front of him flickered with strained energy; the rough landing couldn’t have done anything to help the ship’s systems. Briefly checking his armour was all in place he took hold of his lightsaber and hit one of the buttons in the cockpit and the canopy slowly lifted up.

Vreem jumped down from his ship and looked around for the others. He kept a firm grip upon his ligthsaber; he doubted it would be long until he had to use it. There was destruction about the place, after taking out the shields it seemed as though a lot of the contents of the hangar had been dragged towards the vacuum of space. Vreem spotted the bodies of a few Sith troopers and after a brief excursion into the Force, it seemed as though they had been knocked unconscious, which meant the Jedi had to be on their way as soon as possible.

Flashing red blaster bolts jolted across the path of the Jedi Master and he ignited his lightsaber and pulled up a guard within an instant. Making their ways towards the group of Jedi fighters were a few of the Sith troopers who had survived the momentary vacuum, along side the soldiers were a number battle droids, armed and ready to fire. With a few more shots heading his way, Vreem ducked behind his ship for cover, eyes focused upon the group as he fell into the ocean of the force. Treading water for a few moments he could feel the ripples of others around him, he could feel the intent of some of them as they too gazed at the approaching group.

From his position peering over his fighter, Vreem put his lightsaber away for a few moments as he closed his eyes and focused upon one of the unmanned Sith fighters. With fingers grasping at the air, Vreem used the force to drag the ship towards the group at an increasing rate. The attackers caught a glimpse of the ship as the large chunk of metal made its way for them and a number of the group managed to roll and leap out of the way, but a third of them had been quite quickly taken out by the flying, unmanned fighter.

Before they had much of a chance to regroup and deal with what had just happened, four Jedi had jumped amongst the disorganised troops with sabers ignited. Vreem looked to the Jedi who stood with him briefly, Jedi Knight Clayton Omaad stood over one Sith trooper, his orange lightsaber pointed in between the soldier’s eyes. Off to another side Vreem could see the green blade and reverse grip of Jedi Knight Selena Marr. She was quite similar to Omaad, they were both human, both fairly experienced Knights and both had served the Jedi as Shadows before they had joined the Blades. Vreem certainly felt reassured that they were standing with him when the soldiers and droids started firing moments later.

The Jedi Master ignited his blade upon hearing the first blaster shot and he blocked one of the bolts which flew towards his upper torso. In a few rapid paces he had moved before the droid that had fired upon him and the green blade quickly sliced its way through metal and wires, leaving scrap to fall to the ground. It was after this brief movement that the Jedi Lord saw the other Jedi that was fighting with them. It was Trul Krevak, he was quite a fresh Jedi Knight and whether it was his lack of experience or his shistavanen background, but he was quite susceptible to emotion, anger in particular. Vreem could sense the continuous struggle within the Jedi Knight and felt as though Krevak was perhaps this group’s weakest link; the Master would have to keep an eye on him. Currently, however, the young Knight was busy hacking his way through a number of droids with the two blue blades he held.

With the number of opponents and blaster fire that jolted around him, Vreem switched his stance from his favoured Makashi to Ataru. Drawing the force in upon himself, he allowed it to feed his muscles with the explosive energy, speed and flexibility they would require for the style. As one trooper tried to slash for the Jedi with his vibroblade, he found that the green bladed foe had vanished, leaving only a few moments of shadow lingering over his eyes before a forceful hit on the back of the head caused his world to vanish and he fell to the floor unconscious.

But Vreem had already moved on to the next opponent and had in fact leapt amongst a group of combat droids. He sliced one way, pivoted on his front foot to strike again and the four droids fell to the cold hangar floor. The sound of blaster fire had stopped now and Vreem looked to his fellow Jedi to see that they were done clearing up with their attackers. Selena finished up on a final vibroblade-wielding trooper as she knocked his guard to the side and landed a clean and lethal high-kick to the trooper’s face, knocking him out.

In quick succession the four Jedi deactivated their sabers and turned their attention to the robed Nautolan that approached them. “Lord Took, it appears Master Ven was injured during the landing. Nymm is examining her in her fighter as we speak. This way” Master Kaeel Vorr wasted no time in turning and quickly marching towards the scrap pile that had previously been Master Neura Ven’s fighter.

Before he set off after the esteemed Jedi Master, Vreem turned to the Knights who stood with him. “Get any equipment you need from your fighters and be ready to move out as soon as possible, make sure to keep your eyes open, I doubt it will be too long until the Sith send some of their forces down here.” Turning briskly the Jedi Lord trailed after Master Kaeel and found himself looking at the crushed pile of metal that was Master Ven’s ship, wondering for a moment how badly wounded she would be from such a crash. But then he remembered this was Jedi Master Neura Ven he was on about, she’d probably lecture him to his grave if she knew he was expecting her to be down and out from something like a high-speed crash landing.

Kneeling over the cockpit was Jedi Knight Kal-Feir Nymm; he was a cerean Jedi, only a little bit older than Krevak. He was one of the few Jedi healers that had joined the Blades and his proficiency with his gift was quite exceptional, however he lacked a great deal of self-confidence in his abilities, but a little bit of motivation could push him on to do great things. There was a lot of potential in him. Vreem stepped up to join the two Jedi as they huddled over Master Ven.

The Jedi Master sat slouched against her seat, the slightly crushed confines of the cockpit had managed to leave her body mostly intact, a few scratches and bruises touched her tough blue skin. However, there was a nasty cut along her forehead and blood pooled around it. There was no question that she had hit her head in the crash, which explained the weak and dazed appearance of a Jedi Master who was well known by her peers for the hard-hitting attitude and persona she maintained in every situation. Seeing Ven’s eyes flutter and her pupils drift about unfocused, Vreem could tell that she was fighting to stay conscious. Whilst she might not appear like her usual self, she was still resisting and putting up a fight in whatever way she could and Vreem felt a little more relieved as he asked Kal-Feir Nymm to report on the Jedi Master’s condition.

With his right hand floating above Master Ven’s worst injury, Kal-Feir turned his head to Vreem and the young Knight had an quite a weak and vulnerable expression on his face. “L-Lord Took,” Kal-Feir started, a slight quiver persisting in his voice, “Master Ven hit her head quite badly. There is the main point of impact upon her forehead which seems to have concussed her. Also, it seems as though she caught some impact upon her lekku in the crash as well. She won’t be able to use much of her strength for a little while. The more time I have to heal her, the quicker she will be able to recover.” Turning away quite anxiously, Vreem looked at the young Knight’s hand as it glowed with a gentle white light. Small wisps of the white aura would lie gently upon the injured Master’s wound before calmly sinking into the bloodied blue flesh.

Just at that moment, he could hear the movement of the other Knights behind him. He stood up and turned around to face them from atop Master Ven’s ruined fighter. All three of the Knight looked ready; Vreem could sense that Krevak was particularly eager to get moving. As Master Kaeel got to his feet as well, Vreem looked briefly at the injured Master and the healer that huddled over her. There would four points on the ship where they would have to set detonators. It was too risky to split into groups of two when one of their group was injured, that would leave only a very small chance of success. There were a number of options open to the Jedi Lord, but his decision came quite swiftly. When he spoke his voice was firm, strong and confident, he was about to decide their futures. “Master Kaeel, I want you to take Knights Omaad and Marr and take out the two furthest targets. Knight Krevak and I will escort Knight Nymm and Master Ven to the nearest objectives whilst he tries to help her recover as best as he can on the move. Keep communication to a minimum but if the moment requires it, call for assistance. May the Force be with you.” With that plan in mind he turned to the nautolan Jedi Master and nodded his head before kneeling down and placing his hands under Master Ven to support her as both he and Kal-Fier lifted her from the battered starfighter cockpit.

Master Kaeel had taken the nod as his sign to depart and with only a small summons to the two more experienced Knights and previous Jedi Shadows, he and his three-Jedi cell made their way to one of the hangar exits, firmly holding onto their lightsabers as they vanished behind grey durasteel doors. Once he and the healer had helped Master Ven down from the ship, Vreem gave support of the wounded twi’lek master over to the worried cerean. It seemed that she was at least now conscious enough to only require one person to assist her.

Without wasting any more time, Vreem led the group towards a different set of doors, one which would, according to their data, lead the group to the closest targets. Vreem just had to hope there weren’t that many troopers between them and their objectives, especially when two of their team were not in a position to fight if there was a sudden ambush. With only one injured member of the strike team and the Jedi Lord’s determination to get them all safely off this ship, the suicide mission had just become far more difficult.

[Jenno]

(Part 4 of 4, finally, written in a subtly different and somewhat experimental RP style. Though I doubt anyone will actually read this.)

The Venadon; The First Battle of Rhen Var …


Vreem looked up moments before the first blaster shot fired past him. As he turned his attention away from the downed guard at his feet, the Jedi Lord raised his left arm and sent forth a strong blast in the Force, knocking the approaching troopers into a solid durasteel wall.

“Charges are set, Lord Took” Krevak growled as the Knight came to Vreem’s side.

It seemed like there were no more troopers for the moment. Moving quickly back into the chamber, Vreem spoke to the Jedi Healer. “Knight Nymm, help Master Ven up, we need to move to the next target.” With a quiet acknowledgement of his orders, the Jedi Knight helped his patient to her feet and the group hastened towards the second generator.

There weren’t many troopers along the way, enough for Vreem and Krevak to easily take care of. The Jedi Knight had a lot of raw potential within him, but he still required discipline, though that would come with time. Their situation was not helped by the fact that Master Ven was still unable to properly support herself. The healer was particularly skilled, Vreem had come to hold a lot of respect for the members of the Order who had such a gift, but her wounds were numerous. Hopefully she would be able to handle herself for their escape.

As they reached the second generator, Vreem and Krevak cleared the room of any troops stationed there, though there weren’t many. It hadn’t taken long, but the Jedi Lord’s lightsaber had already claimed many lives today, though that fact had yet to sink into his mind. Kal-Fier helped Master Ven to the ground and continued with his healing.

Once again, Vreem went on guard duty as he expected a swarm of troopers to try and remove the Jedi presence from their ship. However, after a few minutes, no one had come. Something was wrong. “Lord Took,” interjected Kal-Fier, “Master Ven would like to speak to you.” Vreem looked around the hallway one more time before nodding to the young Knight. Perhaps he was over thinking the situation, maybe Master Kaeel was trying to draw as much of their attention as possible. Leaving the healer to take his place, Vreem moved over to Master Ven and knelt down next to her, the focus was beginning to return to her eyes.

She smiled faintly at him. “I don’t think I’ll be of much help to you during the escape Lord Took. If I begin to slow you down, leave me here.”

“I don’t want to hear such words from you Master Ven. If you were in my position you’d give me a lecture for suggesting something like that.”

Her smile grew. “Perhaps, but whether it be now or during the battles to come, this is a cause I am willing to die for.”

“Well, I’d rather see us all survive these-”

“Oh, am I interrupting?” There was a strange and new voice. It was as cold as the planet below. Vreem rushed to his feet and turned to face the entrance to the chamber. Standing just inside the room was a woman, tall and clad in black. A sick darkness poured from her, almost gleefully. Before her was Kal-Fier, the hilt of a lighsaber held against his neck. “I knew Jedi were foolish, but I didn’t know they were so easy to sneak up on.” She laughed, her voice wicked and cruel. But it was true; Vreem had not been able to sense her presence during their time on board. There had been a constant radiance of the Dark Side across the ship, but he had assumed it was simply the lingering essence of Sith who had previously been on board, though he supposed it was a perfect way to mask one’s presence through the Force.

His eyes focused on this woman and the deadly blade she had poised upon Kal-Fier’s neck, Vreem made sure to move very carefully, this was not a situation he liked to be in. She looked human and now that she was no longer hiding her presence it was easy for him to sense that she was quite powerful, certainly on equal-footing with a Jedi Master. But something reeked as he glared at the long midnight-black hair of their aggressor. She had the element of surprise, why would she expose herself like this? “What do you want?” Vreem asked through a hardened jaw.

Her smile grew wild at his words. “What do I want, Jedi Lord Vreem Took? Simple, fame and power for killing you. But at this very moment in time, I just want you to stare deep into the eyes of your Jedi friend as I slice his neck wide open.” With a seductive gaze, the Sith ignited her blade and pulled it through the flesh of Kal-Fier’s neck. With the brief instant it took to end his life, Vreem and the others had barely been able to move. Two thuds followed and Vreem’s heart dropped.

He had no time in his mind to grieve. The enraged growl of Krevak had filled the room as the young Knight stood watching the murder of his fellow Jedi. Without waiting another moment he pounced at the Sith, blade raised and anger coursing through his veins.

“No!” Vreem exclaimed. But it was too late. From behind the Sith came a powerful telekinetic blast which sent Krevak flying backwards through the air until his body cracked against the wall. His eyes did not open.

From behind the Sith came two more figures, both wearing similar black robes and oozing their dark aura. That was why she had revealed herself, to deceive them further; Vreem had seen it too late. Kal-Fier was dead and Krevak lay unconscious, though life still lingered within him. These Sith had taken them completely by surprise, and now Vreem stood alone.

Not quite alone. Pushing herself to her feet, Master Ven had taken hold of her lightsabers and moved next to Vreem. There was a fire in her eyes; it seemed to have replaced most of the cloudiness which had been there previously. With the flash of a button, her blue skin glowed with the yellow warmth of her lightsabers. Outnumbered like this, they were at a disadvantage. However, it seemed like Kal-Fier’s murderer was the only Master amongst their group. As he allowed the Force to flow through him, Vreem could feel the power of the other two figures, a human male and a zabrak male, Knight and Padawan respectively.

“You take the one with the wild grin.” Neura said. Vreem assumed that she was referring to the Sith Master, as her expression had only intensified as events had transpired.

Vreem couldn’t help but feel concerned. No doubt Master Ven still had yet to fully recover. Under normal circumstances he would have had no problem letting her face two opponents, but right now he didn’t know if she’d be able to hold her own for very long. “Are you sure you can-”

“I’ve been in worse situations Lord Took, simply focus on your opponent and allow me to do the same.” Vreem no longer dared question her; he could sense the strength of her conviction in her words. He would entrust the Sith Knight and apprentice to her. She was, after all, one of the toughest Jedi he had ever known. Vreem ignited his lightsaber as the red blades of the Knight and apprentice sprung to life. There were a few moments of silence between the two groups. Vreem could feel the heat of the Sith Master’s gaze upon him. He doubted the match-up they decided upon would be contested by these Sith.

A mere moment later and the Sith Master began to call upon a large amount of energy through the Force. In response, Vreem and Master Ven began their charge; the two Sith warriors came to meet them head-on. But of course, Vreem needed to get past these two and prevent the Master from drawing in any more power. Before him was the apprentice. Vreem doubted it would have taken too long to overcome him; however there simply wasn’t time to spare. As the young and misguided apprentice swung for Vreem, the Jedi Master’s movements began to flow as if he was in a dance, gliding across the ground, parrying the red blade, pivoting on one foot and sliding past the Sith. Master Ven crashed into both the Knight and the apprentice, she was their problem now.

Each lightning-fast step brought him closer to the Sith Master, his opponent, Kal-Fier’s killer. She sucked the dark swirling energy of the Force into her body. As he paced closer, Vreem knew he would not be able to get near enough to strike her before she could unleash her power. So he let the Force rush around him and drown him in its serenity. He drank in its power and let it flow into his left hand. His feet came to a standstill and rooted themselves to the ground. The Sith threw her hands out and a large surge of air came crashing towards him. Thrusting forward with his left arm, Vreem tried to counter the powerful blast from the Sith. However, she had built up more strength than he, and whilst his own attack had weakened hers it, it still managed to send him back a number of paces before he managed to regain his footing.

He looked up at her deep red lips, as they curled upon the gleaming white of her teeth. Her joy deeply disturbed him. “My my,” she said, “how lucky am I to come across the Jedi Lord? Am I meant to be impressed by a fancy title the Republic gave you? Still, I suppose when I take your head back to the Sith I might be able to earn some favour.” Vreem failed to respond to her words and she pouted. “What’s the matter, don’t you want to talk to me?”

“What’s your name?” He asked.

Her smile flashed back to life the instant he spoke. “I’m so glad you want to make friends with me Jedi. My name’s Lowra Fellmar, but you can just call me Lowra. Do you want to know my favourite colour?”

“Lowra Fellmar, if you stand down I will see you get a fair trial before the Senate.” Vreem stated.

“How boringly Jedi of you Vreem Took,” she said with a feigned expression of sadness, “I was hoping you’d be a bit more interesting. I wonder if you’ll act differently when I’m pulling out your insides.”

As she finished, the Sith shot forth a blast of lightning from her hand. Vreem instinctively blocked the arcing bolts with his lightsaber, but it was only meant as a distraction. She closed the gap between them and with her bloodied lightsaber, aimed to cut through Vreem’s neck.

But Vreem had been prepared, already on the balls of his feet, his Makashi training made sure he was always ready to move. He swiftly brought up his own blade to parry her strike as he stepped backwards. She pursued him with more and more attacks, the powerful strikes revealed her chosen style as Djem So, meaning that the Jedi Lord would have to stay on the move. Makashi wasn’t built to tackle such a powerful style head on. With each strike she threw at him, Vreem stepped backwards and tried to knock her blade away, hoping to expose an opening.

However, this Sith was not some inexperienced padawan. Their blades screeched as they crashed against one another repeatedly, her unrelenting attack could only last so long and Vreem had to try and survive it. As Lowra slashed for his torso, Vreem moved to lift her blade up, trying to create the only opening he would need. But the Sith was cunning. She had only attacked with one hand and Vreem’s movements left him open to her. With her free hand she shot forth another surge of lightning.

Calling upon his speed, Vreem tried to evade the attack, but the bolts still managed catch his torso, sending him stumbling back a few paces in pain. Hand racing to his side, he steadied his guard. Lowra simply stood there, smirking. “I do love the smell of roasted flesh. I thought as the big bad Jedi Lord you’d be better than this. If you’re the best the Jedi have to offer then this war will be short.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Sith.” He said through gritted teeth. Vreem could quite easily see, this woman liked to play games and she thought that she was toying with him. Perhaps that was the case. As their recent bout had displayed, Vreem may have underestimated her abilities. But this war had only just started; he couldn’t die here for underestimating an opponent.

“I already told you, you can call me Lowra. I think we’re close enough now to talk on a first name basis.”

Tiring of her games, Vreem moved to attack. As he did, her stance shifted and she caught his blade with a vertical block, and they sat cushioned against one another. “Aren’t you getting a bit aggressive?” she teased. With a quick withdraw of his arm, Vreem opened with a thrust at his opponent, followed by a few more strikes aimed at her body. She held her ground and managed to block the small flurry of attacks he sent at her. Again he recognised her stance, this time Soresu, and she was also highly trained in its use as well. A powerful defence and an aggressive offence, this certainly was proving to be a challenging confrontation.

She attacked again and Vreem was back on the defensive. This time he wouldn’t allow her to gain the upper hand. He resorted to the same tactics as before, stepping as he parried the blows. He wouldn’t force an opening as easily as this time. He waited for Lowra to attack a few times and as her pace slowed, he made his move. The same move as last time, she aimed for his body and he would parry it to the side. However, this time, as he made his move he altered his movements and stepped towards her, into the incoming attack. The extra reach allowed him to push her blade with much more force. He followed through by swiftly bringing his lightsaber across to slice into her shoulder.

But she was quick, and at the last second managed to bring her blade across to block his attack. There was a flash of panic on her face now as she realised how she had fallen into his trap and almost paid for it with her life. Vreem wasn’t finished. Makashi was primarily a single handed form. Making a claw-like shape with his left hand, Vreem forced his fingers into the stomach of Lowra and sent forth a burst of lightning of his own.

She recoiled, yelling out in pain and pushing herself away from him as the force-powered lightning surged through her skin. He could feel her anger begin to prickle through the Force; the heat it emanated seemed to kiss his face. Her breath became deeper as she looked up at him now, he could see the hatred within those gleaming globes. She strained her body, he couldn’t quite make out many of its features with the black robes she wore, but he had felt her strength during their brief exchanges.

“Now, that,” she said at last, “caught me by surprise. I’ve yet to come across a Jedi who can uses dark side like that. Tell me, you’re not secretly one of the Sith are you? Because if you were we could-“

“No, you Sith are a plague, spreading hate to every planet you touch. I am a Jedi, and you are standing between me and my comrades upon Rhen Var. I suggest you remove yourself from this fight.” His voice was stern, a little darker than it had been previously, but Vreem still retained control over his emotions. Perhaps he did not do so to the extent many of the Jedi did, but he pushed the line more than most.

Vreem began to clear his mind, allowing himself to fall back into the deep blue ocean of the Force. He let the water flow into his mouth, his lungs, his blood. There was no pain, simply a gentle beat of serenity which streamed throughout his body. This was the lightside of the Force, his anchor. As the water rushed into his skin, Vreem could feel the energy of life around him, within him, the glorious current of the Force washed over him and fuelled his body. This fight would soon be over.

“It seems to me that you’re getting quite confident after hitting me once. Don’t get me wrong, I like to see confidence in a man, but you’re still only a Jedi.” Despite the anger he could feel bubbling within her; Vreem could see that Lowra was still playing her games. She liked to toy and tease, but he didn’t feel up to her games at the moment. He could hear the crashing blades of Master Ven’s ongoing battle, but he didn’t have time to look.

Once again, he pounced, first with a strike for her face before a quick flick of the wrist sent his blade to her torso. She fell back into Soresu and began to defend. Vreem’s attacks began to quicken as he drove his body to move faster. Makashi’s strikes did not require a great deal of power, just the honed speed and accuracy of many decades; this allowed the Jedi Lord to persist with his quick and careful attacks. The Force which trailed through him began to flow into his arms and legs, into each thrust of his blade. As his body became lighter it moved at an increasing rate. His attacks crashed against Lowra’s lightsaber with such rapidity that she was becoming hard-pressed to keep up with him.

Amidst the surging battle between Vreem and Lowra, the Jedi sent out a small Force push, catching Lowra unaware and causing her to stumble back a few paces. That’s when he saw his chance. He moved in towards her as she tried to regain her composure, but Vreem was too fast, he knocked back her lightsaber, opening up her guard. That’s when he began to compress the Force within him. He pressured the water, building it up into one powerful blast which then broke through the shell of his skin and sent Lowra sprawling backwards into the wall, her lightsaber rolling out of her hand.

She didn’t move. Vreem walked over to her, she was alive, he could sense that much. However, he wasn’t sure if she was still conscious. He could see her begin to try and move her body. She opened her eyes, those power hungry, ravenous eyes, threatening to devour him whole. Her mouth was closed for a moment, until her senses returned. She was unarmed, on the floor, with her back against the wall and Vreem was standing over her, yet she still smiled.

“Okay, I’ll admit, you certainly know how to impress a woman.”

“You talk too much. You’re unarmed and beaten, surrender.”

“So you’re quicker than me, most women don’t see that as a good thing you know.” Nothing would shut her up, Vreem let out a sigh. “But I’m still a bit disappointed in you. All you ask is for me to surrender? I just killed one of your precious Jedi, or do you not care about that?” Vreem’s grip on his lightsaber tightened. “He had to endure me slicing through his neck with a lightsaber and all you’re going to do is slap me on the wrist? Such a great way to respect his memory and avenge his death, your Blades must feel so glad to have you as their leader.”

She let her words sink in. Vreem looked at her as his mind wandered slightly to the corpse of Kal-Fier. This woman was trying to get under his skin; she had been for their entire fight. But he would resist her; he wouldn’t tarnish Kal-Fier’s life as a Jedi Healer by killing needlessly. He was a Jedi, how often had he said that he was above such things, that this war would not destroy the teachings within him.

He let go. He let go of all confusion and uncertainty, let go of his contempt for this woman and all she had done and said. There was no emotion, there was no ignorance, there was no passion, there was no chaos, there was no death. There was the Force.

He raised his free hand towards the woman upon the floor. If given the opportunity she would strike at them and endanger their lives, he could not allow that. Within him resided the power of the light, of the Jedi. A crackle of energy began to form in his extended hand, and as the serene light of the Force trickled into his body, an arc of iridescent green lightning wrapped itself upon the body of the Sith. After a few moments, the surge stopped.

Vreem looked upon Lowra. She lay there, unconscious; the power from his hands had not harmed her, but instead drained her of her strength and will until she was no longer conscious. For a moment he felt free and calm, as if he could have existed forever in such a state. She had been dealt with.

But then the cry of two lightsabers pressing against one another brought him back to reality and Vreem pivoted to look at Master Ven’s progress. She was still fighting both of her opponents, it seemed as though the injuries had drained her more than she had anticipated. She was still able to hold her own, but usually Vreem knew she would have dealt with them quite swiftly.

He moved to help her but as he did the door to the chamber hissed open. There stood three figures. A sigh of relief escaped the Jedi Lord’s lips. Master Kaeel stood with Jedi Knights Omaad and Marr, blades drawn and faces covered with concern, it seems the battle here had drawn their attention. Vreem was glad to see they were all in one piece, and hoped that they’d managed to set the charges on both their assigned generators. But no words were shared, only a simple nod before they all rushed to assist Master Ven.

The two remaining Sith were easily taken care of, though they seemed adamant to go down fighting. As Master Kaeel’s group saw to planting the remaining charges, Vreem and Master Ven brought Krevak back to consciousness. As they briefly explained things to him, Vreem could feel the anger boiling within him once again. He would have to speak to the young Knight once this battle was over.

They were ready to go again, but Krevak seemed hesitant. “Wait, Masters, what about Kal-Fier, are we just going to leave his body here?” The group exchanged a few sorrowful looks; it was not their desired choice.

Vreem stepped forward and placed a hand upon the Knight’s shoulder. “Do not worry Krevak; his body will burn in the fire that frees the hundreds of Jedi upon Rhen Var. His sacrifice will be their salvation, remember this and remember him.”

“Now, we must go.” Vreem said a few moments later. The group rushed to the hanger. Their journey back was filled with many more pursuing troopers. Krevak and Neura Ven were still not on top form, but the added support of Master Kaeel and his team meant that they were able to make it to the hangar without any further loss.

Jedi Knight Omaad rigged an automated override of the hangar’s doors for their escape. There was a brief skirmish as the Jedi team made sure he was able to complete his work, but with no more Sith on board and the lack of unity in the attacks of the troopers, the group was able to provide Omaad with enough breathing room to work. They all headed to their strike fighters, but due to the loss of her ship, Master Ven had to resort to using Kal-Fier’s for their escape.

Space; The First Battle of Rhen Var…

It was only a few moments later that they were free from the clutches of the ship, back into space. The Republic forces had made an impressive amount of progress, as expected of Admiral Yulen. Their journey back to The Protectorate was not quite as dangerous as their previous expedition, the Sith forces weren’t expecting them to come from The Venadon.

As they approached The Protectorate to dock, Vreem opened communication with Admiral Yulen. “Look Took” she stated coldly with a salute.

“Please, Admiral, don’t act so happy to see me. The charges are set and ready to detonate. I’ll need the medical bay available for two of my Jedi and a protected transport to the planet ready to leave as soon as we land.”

“Yes Lord Took.” She replied simply.

As he closed that channel and opened one to the group, Vreem started straight away with the orders. “Master Ven and Knight Krevak, you two are to report to the medical bay as soon as we touch down, I don’t want to see either of you planet-side. Master Kaeel, Knights Omaad and Marr, as soon as we land we will be taking a transport to the planet in order to help the evacuation. We’ve got some Jedi to save.” He was sure the two Jedi he had sidelined would want to protest, but Vreem would have none of it. If they were injured, he was not going to risk their lives.

As he glided steadily into the hangar bay, he caught a glimpse of fire in the distance. The gravity-well generators were destroyed, the Jedi could be saved. He looked at the ball of flame as it vanished into space. He would remember.