The setting is the Star Wars universe, with a few differences. Most importantly, the events in this role-play take place many centuries after the ones we know from the movies. This is to decouple the history as described in the timeline as much as possible from the events in this role-play. The galaxy is at peace. Many centuries have passed since Luke Skywalker defeated Darth Vader. The Galactic Alliance has managed to restore peace to the Galaxy and maintain it for decades. The Jedi Order, though weakened by the conflicts of the past, has been re-established under the leadership of Caine Vil. But there is a disturbance in the force. Three weeks ago Tornik, an icy-planet near the outer-rim was attacked by an unknown alien race. All contact was lost with the Jedi that were dispatched to the planet. One week ago Yass fell silent as well, but this time some of its inhabitants survived. They reported to the council that an army of Killik, supported by legions of Sith had conquered their planet. Concerned, The Jedi Council shared this information with all it’s trainee’s and began dispatching groups of Jedi to planets were the Killik and Sith could strike next. Almost all Jedi left the Temple to stand guard at another planet, leaving only some older Jedi and several Padawans behind. It’s night. You wake up to a loud crash. Then another, and another. The alarms go off. The skies are blazed with gunfire, the anti-air defenses of Coruscant gun down many ships, but many more break through. Soon, the streets have become the main battleground and the Sith-led invasion force is beginning to make its way towards the Jedi Temple. GM’s word is law. Do not control other characters directly or indirectly. You only have control over your character. No one else. Uphold the timeline. Flashbacks, memories etc are okay, but you’re not allowed to magically move the story several years, months, days or weeks backwards/forwards. Don’t post oneliners (that is, posts under 50 words). Keep discussion of the game in the discussion thread and keep the game-posts in the game-thread. Read all posts. All other forum rules apply. All too often in RP’s, the game is inconsequential. This is the cost of linear, A to Z games with a fixed plot. Whilst the experience can be highly entertaining, you know your character will live as long as you don’t write a deathscene. You know your side will be victorious in the end. You know that all players will make it there, no matter how many enemies are pitted against you. Not here. Here, a set of rules is put in place to make all these things uncertain and to enforce a sense of realism. 1. Your character can die. And I don’t just mean that you write your character's death. No, the choices your character makes can result in his or her death. If your rush head-on into an array of enemies with inadequate arms or armor, your character will die. You will not be warned by me. I really want all players to be on edge whenever a fight takes place. Your character could really, permanently die. 2. Your character can upset the balance. If your character decides to scream and cuss at a certain political figure, there will be consequences. In some cases you might get away with reprimand, in others you might get yourself locked up and if you’re totally oblivious to the situation you’re dealing with, you might even get yourself executed. Remember: the whole idea behind these rules is that there is a lot more consequence to what your character does or says. This will mean that the plot will be directly shapes by your actions. There is a possibility that none of the characters will live through towards the end, so you will have to play at your very best. Creativity and cunning and a strong heart are requirement for this game. How to get yourself killed: 1. Get your character into a fight he or she can’t possibly handle. 2. Launch an epic rant/monologue in the middle of a fight. 3. Self-sacrifice. If you are going to be heroic and take a lethal shot for someone, then you will very likely die in the process, completing your heroism. Of course, the shot could be non-lethal, you won’t know until I’ve done my black magic and decided whether your character will live or die a hero. 4. Break the realism of the game. Since this is a bit vague, I will warn you in advance if any of your actions are breaking the realism of the game. 5. Point is, you will have to think twice before charging head-on into a fight, if you don't, you might risk your character's life. Force points are points earned when other players like your post. Force-points can be spend to improve your character. At the end of each chapter every character will be rewarded with force-points. Things that determine how many points you get are: the amount of successful actions, the amount of combat posts you make, wether or not you dealt a final blow...etc. I will make the formula for calculating the reward public, one I've balanced it out. Note: there is a possibility that force points will be rewarded automatically through the combat system (see combat). I'll have to see if that's easy enough for me to implement (I think it is). Combat will done through a digitalized combat-system. Every character will have his/her own private webpage. Suppose your character is named Evan, your private page would then be: http://sw.mmcprojects.net/?u=Evan If your character is called Juliet it would be: http://sw.mmcprojects.net/?u=Juliet. I have to make these pages manually for you, so there will be a time delay between you posting your character sheet, and the activation of your personal page. If it looks confusing to you now, don't worry, i'll explain everything along the way. Essentially, it’s your character sheet in the form of a webpage but with some juicy extras. First and foremost, you will be able to see how many force-points you have, what you’ve already spent them on, what bonuses the spent points grant you etcetera. From this page you will be able to perform the following combat actions: Attack. Dodge. Defend. The system will take in all your character attributes to calculate the result of the selected action, and will display the result. The result will be a string of text indicating how successful your attack/dodge/defense was. The result will look something like this: Code: #243: Jane’s attack was somewhat successful. Or: Code: #244: Jane narrowly dodged. The number after the # is the Action-ID of your action, which you must put at the end of your post. If you have multiple actions in your posts, you will have to provide all their ID’s. For this reason, it’s recommend you limit yourself to a maximum of 5 actions per post. Why must I post Action-ID’s? For now it suffices to say that this is an anti-cheating measure. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the system can reward you force-points for a successful action. I strongly encourage the players to form pairs of a Padawan and a Jedi Master (I can guarantuee you this will improve your fun dramatically!). If you really want to go at it alone, you can choose to be ‘just’ a Jedi. Padawans start out with fewer force points die to their inexperience. To balance this initial disadvantage they do earn more force-points than regular Jedi or masters. Out of all three, Masters receive the least force points for every action. Note: if you choose to be a Padawan, you must also have a Master, the reverse holds true as well. Name: Age: Height: Role: Padawan | Jedi | Jedi Master. Race: pick any race from the Star Wars canon. Be mindful though, not all races might be equally suited for wielding a lightsaber. Appearance: I encourage you to find a picture either on deviantart or just on google. Text-only descriptions are accepted as well though. History: Tell us a bit about your character. Good traits: these will affect certain hidden stats in your character making him or her more capable at certain feats! Pick three. You are allowed to come up with some of your own. Honest, brave, curious, caring, kind, humble, trustworthy, selfless, hard-working, ambitious, determined, clever, patient, disciplined, strong-willed, creative. Bad traits: these will affect certain hidden stats in your character making him or her more prone to certain flaws. Pick three. You are allowed to come up with some of your own. Biased, lying, selfish, overconfident, zealous, lazy, unreliable, spoilt, rude, ill-tempered, bossy, sneaky, easily offended, over protective, spiky. Padawans, distribute 100 force-points over the skills below. Jedi, distribute 250 force-points over the skills below. Masters, distribute 350 force-points over the skills below. Force skill: Lightsaber skill: Athleticism: Technical skill: Strength:
The Fall. Seventy specks floated through space, like dust motes caught in the sun. Against the phenomenally large background of space, they appeared insignificant, but up close they easily dwarfed sky-scrapers. Robin looked up at the figure in black that stared down at them from the bridge. His amplified voice boomed through the hollow hangar deck. “Standing before me are you nameless men, duty calls upon you. Fulfill it faithfully and you'll be nameless no more!” A cheer erupted from the four battalions and Robin cheered with them. With a single gesture, Lord Brutus silenced his private army of Sith. All lowered their heads in obedience, but Robin couldn't resist to glance up. The yellow, beast like eyes of Lord Brutus gazed directly into his soul. Terrified, he looked down at his feet. The silence that followed was more threatening than anything Robin had ever witnessed. A suffocating air of darkness began to close in on them. “Show no mercy.” Robin waited until the heavy footsteps of his overlord had faded away, then looked around. He could see the same, wild fear in the eyes of his fellow Sith. They dissipated throughout the hangar and climbed into their ships. An alarm sounded, he put on his oxygen mask and closed the hatch of his ship. The massive steel hangar door opened, the gaping mouth of space awaited them. His heart began to pound louder and faster as he awaited his turn to be launched into orbit. Two more were lined up before him. With a bang the first one rocketed out. Ten seconds passed, then the other went. The magnetic rail below him lined his ship up, he glanced over his shoulder to check the flaps left and right, then gave the thumbs up. His head pressed deeply into his seat and the darkness of space was but a blur. He flicked a switch to start his engines and reverse boosters, then leveled out and began to steer his sheep in line with the thousands of others that swarmed around Coruscant as far as he could see. Three more gut-wrenching minutes passed before the red light on his display lit up. He pushed the throttle and watched the other ships do the same, they pushed onto the planet like pins to a pin-cushion. The invasion had begun. --- Caine gazed into the horizon. He had felt someone all too familiar, and all too close. It was faint, but clear enough for him to be sure that it was there. It was almost as if he was out there. But that, he knew, was impossible. Then, the clouds rupture, a ship came speeding in at uncanny speed, then another and another. Like a swarm of crows, dozens, then hundreds of ships came ripped through the skies. Then, Caine realized they had made a mistake. He saw a missile crash into a tall, military tower, it's roof lit up in orange flame. The sound of the crash came rolled over the vast city, if it hadn't been such clear weather, Caine would've sworn that it was the sound of thunder. The angry flock of ships began to unleash missile after missile, uncaring if they hit their targets or not. Within seconds, fires lit up for as far as he could see. The thunderous crashes of missiles were deafening, and Caine had to cover his ears when the defenses of the city started to kick back. A hail of bullets zapped skyward, cutting through the few unfortunate invaders that got in it's path. Caine had seen enough, he rushed inside the temple, scolding himself for not having noticed the invaders earlier. As he sprinted through the corridors, the horrible truth dawned on him. They'd been tricked, but why? There was little need to raise the alarm, but he did it anyway. Panic had already found it's way through the steel and concrete walls of the temple. Several of the younger Padawans came rushing out of their bedrooms and flocked to Caine like moths to a flame. “What's happening?” a young Bith asked, trembling. “Get to ships, we're evacuating!” Caine barked. He had to get as many Jedi out of here as possible.
Nami and Chree "Okay -not a good idea-aaa!" Nami ducked just as a lightsaber whizzed past her head, then stumbled back from the force of the second blow, her sword-arm numb and shaking from blocking it. Sweat trickled down her neck, and her breaths came fast and shallow. She refused to give up now, though, not when she'd ended up agreeing to this insane night-regimen. "Yeah, definitely not a good idea. Who's idea was this again?" But they both knew who's idea it had been. Chree had been pushing her even harder than usual after Nami lost against Kala of all people, and it had driven them both crazy knowing that she hadn't been strong enough to defeat him. But her strength had only waned further despite the very-near-deadly bouts that they had every day and every night now. Nothing worked, and Nami could only try to disguise her decline as her master grew more and more visibly worried. She didn't want to worry Chree, but she had to protect Vox from being found. If he was discovered, he would be taken away from her, and Nami wouldn't be able to bear it. The bond was just too strong. Gritting her teeth and leaping back just as Chree made a low sweep with both sabers, Nami leapt forward and attempted an attack from above. Chree blocked it easily with one blade and sent Nami flying backwards with a force push. The twi'lek master hadn't even broken a sweat yet. "Keep your thoughts and emotions in check, Nami. They're distracting you." She spun both her green lightsabers and slowly stalked towards Nami, giving the padawan a chance to get back on her feet. Nami flipped back onto her toes, gripping her own yellow lightsaber tightly in both fists. Then she noticed her mistake and quickly loosened her grip, dropping into a defensive position as she watched Chree edge closer. Still, her technique was sloppy, and she had to back up to avoid a frontal attack. Can't let her beat me this time. Gotta find her weakness... Nami's eyes narrowed to slits and her body lowered a fraction of an inch more, then she whipped one hand up and out, sending a pulse of concentrated Force right towards her master's torso. Chree brought her lightsabers up in an X in front of her just as the attack reached her. It splashed against her swords, not harming her but pushing her back a few inches. "Nicely done." She commented. "Now why didn't you sprint in for the kill while I was distracted by the force push?" Chree gave Nami a worried look and lowered her sabers. The padawan looked about ready to drop. Have I been pushing her to hard? No, she used to be better than this...why is she getting weaker? Her force levels are the same, so that's not the problem. Her loss of weight also worries me. Nami shook herself at the second mistake she had made tonight. Damn. Couldn't she just get through with this without doing one thing wrong? Clenching her jaw in anger, Nami prepared to attack once more, but after the first step collapsed. She actually didn't realize that she had until she noticed her lightsaber rolling away, the blade fizzling before it went out. She tried to pick herself up, but her arms rebelled and slid out from beneath her. Mama! The mental cry had her flinching. She'd scared Vox. Mama hurt? Play too rough? "No. Not too rough." she muttered to herself, then cursed when she realized that she'd spoken aloud. Chree was at Nami's side in seconds. She lifted her padawan up, slung one of Nami's arms over her shoulder and slipped one of her own around her waist to support her. "We're seeing the medic. No more arguing with me about this." She stood, lifting her stubborn padawan with her. Nami, however, did not agree to being picked up whatsoever and promptly tried to squirm out of her grip. "Nuh-uh! I'm fine! I don't need-" Chree's glare silenced the girl. She knew better than to argue when she got that particular look. Sadly, Vox didn't. Having sensed the fuss and in an excitable mood, Nami flinched when a resounding crash came from upstairs. Maybe hiding him in the music room wasn't such a good idea.... Another crash. Then the repeated clang of symbols could be heard descending the wall as something moved down the stairs outside the room. Nami slumped lower and lower until the noise finally came to a halt right outside the door. Vox was sniffing around, and she felt her master tense when his bright red nose poked underneath the curtains. Then it lifted, and a young, three-foot tall and ten-foot-long akk dog bobbled in on his stubby legs, tail wagging and causing the symbols tangled on it to clang. Nami groaned and clapped one hand to her forehead. "I'm dead aren't I?' she asked Chree. Chree's mouth opened and closed in surprise, then her face softened and her lips formed an "aww" though she emitted no sound. The akk dog barked at her and the master's face became stern once more. "Nami! What is that thing doing here? You know the rules." Nami looked down at her toes, shame flooding her cheeks. "You know that mission where i delivered the letter and ended up busting that merchant...? Well...when i gave you that box of akk dog pups i didn't exactly give you all of them..." at her master's look, Nami broke down. "Okay okay! He linked with me and I couldn't help it! I know having one is illegal, but i just couldn't send him away! So i hid him in my room and fed him scraps from my meals, but now that he's grown so blasted big i've had to give him two of my three meals just to keep him stated -and hidden! If i'd snuck any extra portions someone would have found out sooner or later!" Then her mouth closed and she re-thought her idea. Well, she was caught now, so maybe stealing extra food would have been a better idea after all... Vox found the symbols on his tail and promptly tried to bite them off, but his teeth only met air and he started to chase his tail. Nami couldn't help the faint smile that quirked her mouth and waved a hand, using the Force to remove the symbols, and Vox barked, bouncing onto them and flattening the brass instruments before getting off to sniff at them curiously when they didn't make any noise. She couldn't help it: Nami laughed. Despite herself, Chree chuckled as well as she lowered Nami to the floor. When the padawan was in a sitting position the master straightened and put her hands on her hips. "Well, that would explain your loss of weight and energy." She sighed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you Nami? I doubt the council is going to let you keep it and I can't keep it secret; not with it ruining your health." Nami's amusement quickly cut off at that, and she bit her lower lip before nodding. "I know... but I looked into some old records and found that Akk dogs used to be kept by some Jedi as guardians. Maybe if I found the records..." Nami's eyes strayed to the window on the far side of the room, narrowing in confusion. Streaks of light flashed up and down through the clouds, but they didn't register for what they really were in her mind. At least until the first alarm went off and she saw the ship. Nami shot up to her feet, eyes wide as she stared out the window. Vox made a distressed sound and ran over to her and buried his face in her robes, his scales rattling. But the girl's attention didn't even go to him this time, and her face had gone deathly pale. "Sith."
Yaruw and Zebron His eyes snapped open. Something was wrong, very wrong. A great disturbance was out there, moving its way towards the temple. It felt like one enormous being made up of thousands of smaller pieces was heading this way, and what was worse - he could sense the Sith. Rolling over he reached for his lightsaber, only to find it missing. He frowned and turned to the other side, seeing it lying on the opposite table. He grabbed it with a grimace. Zebron, his padawan, was behind it. She was always doing little things like that to try and get under his skin. Moving quickly he got out of bed and dressed. On his way out he paused for a moment. Turning to look at his bed, with a thought and a flick of his hand he straightened his bed sheets out to lay neatly on the bed. No point in leaving things a mess. Once outside of his sound proofed chambers he realized that it would be moot. A loud crash echoed down the hallway, followed by more. Something might have already made it's way into the temple. He was having trouble sensing it. Sith assassins could mask their emotions so well they became almost invisible. He had to find Zebron. She might be a pain in the neck, but she was his padawan. He took off at a run heading for her room. Zebron was already awake and dressed. She was Miraluka, the lack of eyes cams with their benefits. She had sensed the horde mind quickly, but what it meant she wasn’t sure. As if all the chaos in her head wasn’t enough, an alarm began to scream telling those who were left to evacuate. She extended her force sight looking for Yaruw, only to find his presence bursting into her room. Not even stopping to use the door he flicked it with the swift use of the force, sending the door hissing upwards. The young Miraluka was already awake. He thought about that for a moment, he always called her young; however, she was only several years younger than him. Now was not that time for that however. "Come Zebron, it is time for us to go. We need to find our way to the evacuation ship." As he spoke a loud explosion boomed just outside the temple, shaking the structure violently. Zebron had been on missions before, but she had never been attacked in her home. This was new to her and the explosion nearly knocked her off her feet. She picked up her lightsaber with the wave of her hand. She merely nodded to him, not knowing how to respond to this situation. She made a quick note that he found his lightsaber and smiled to herself, before following him out the door. Yaruw could sense her self-satisfaction and could guess where it had come from. He gave her a wry grin and asked, "Tell me what you sense." It may be an attack but it was better to keep her mind on her training at a time like this. Zebron gave an audible sigh, annoyed at his simple training exercises, “I sense…it appears to be one large mind broken into pieces… and it feels like powerful darkside, possibly the Sith?” The last part was a question she had been wondering since she felt it. She quickly focused her force sight to sense his non-verbal reactions to her question. Taking a deep breath Yaruw replied calmly, "Yes, most likely Sith. However one large mind, what do you think that is?" They kept up a brisk pace as they headed across the temple. He was making his way towards the younglings' rooms now. Poor children likely had very little idea what was going on. What's worse they could sense what was coming without having a Master right there to explain it. Zebron shook her head, “No idea.” She said tersely her mind wondering now. The Sith were here, attacking her home. She was angry now, at the horde and the Sith and she would remind them why the Jedi were so revered as protectors. "It would seem that a hive mind race is coming with the Sith. That's why it's broken. Each individual is much like one neuron," he began explaining, but stopped as he saw a long low shape slip into one of the private training rooms Zebron sensed Yaruw’s pause. “Oh that’s the akk dog I’ve been sensing. I believe Nami has been hiding her or him or at least trying to hide. Let’s go see if she is in there.” She now stepped in front of Yaruw once more a small moment of defiance.
Kala kept running. The corridors were ominous and dark, as if walking into them would take him into some creature's mouth. No one was about. Kala could hear people practicing in the training area downstairs, and, a few doors down, he was sure he could hear the faint sound of cymbals. Nah, I'm just tired. Just one more corridor. He swung a left, grimacing at the pain. Then, bashing open a door, Kala flung off his night robe, released a long, satisfied sigh... And began to pee. There was no feeling better than emptying his bladder. Except for beating Nami, he thought with a tight smirk. After all yellowish liquid had been discharged and the toilet had been flushed, Kala heard the alarm, shrill and continuous, not two metres above his head. Not that it really mattered - it was probably just another Padawan setting fire to something in the kitchen. It would most likely be sorted by the time he was back in bed. But when he exited the bathroom, he realised that either it was one big fire, or something more exciting - and possibly dangerous - was going on. Putting his robe tighter around him, Kala stepped towards the nearest person he could find: a human, no older than fifteen, with long blonde hair and plenty of freckles. "Mind telling me what's going on, little assclown?" he said, grinning right in his face. Only the boy's face was already terrified. Perhaps something big really was going down. "An attack," the boy wheezed. "Sith, I think...that's what a couple of other older Padawans told me." Kalamoro walked away. Sith. He should have known, but he was not accustomed to using the force. He headed straight back to his room and flung on his black day robes, before grabbing his lightsaber and slinging it onto his belt. It was even more chaotic than before when he stepped outside his room. The younger Padawans were exchanging excited whispers, while the older ones tried to remain calm, using all their mustered strength to pretend they knew what they were doing. Kala laughed and jogged downstairs. It seemed the Sith hadn't entered the temple yet, but he reckoned it would happen soon enough. He needed to find Master Caine. Of course, he would've scolded Kala for not taking charge and helping the younglings and other Padawans downstairs, but Master Caine wasn't around right now, was he? Still, finding someone with more experience was his next priority. Pretty much anyone would do. Hey, even Nami would possibly be of some help in a situation like this. Then again, maybe not.
Szevor Naru Szevor gazed over Coruscant, the dark windows of the buildings projecting tranquil forces that belonged to the people within. Gathering the forces in the air around him, he felt the sense of peace overwhelm him. It saddened him to witness such unity yet have to deny himself that very thing. “The fears you hold inside will turn you to the dark side,” his father had said. Szevor was determined to carry his own burdens and never yield to the dark side, but as years past, he found that doing so became more difficult—not the yielding but the carrying. Szevor landed his shuttle quietly so as not to wake anyone in the temple. Stepping down onto the platform, the metal of his body suit rattled. He walked to the edge of the platform where the mainland was a couple hundred feet below him. He crossed his arms and gazed into the night sky. There were stars there—he couldn’t see them of course because of the fire that had burned his eyes long ago, but what he could sense with the force was beautiful. He imagined the Miraluka people saw something similar since they had no eyes. He’d see one of them, Zebron he believed her name was, training with her master. Though she was only a padawan, he knew there were ways of the force only someone like her could teach him. The peace surrounding his mind shattered when he sensed something in the atmosphere. It wasn’t a single object—it was a mass of objects moving fast and toward the temple. Szevor focused his mind and felt something familiar like a faint aroma in the distance. Sith. Szevor heard the alarm and felt dread take over. While he had been off in another system searching for his father, Szevor received a transmission saying that many of the Jedi had left Coruscant to defend planets being attacked by Killik and Sith. No one thought they’d attack us directly. They wouldn’t, not unless we were facing the wrong direction. Cursing, he sprinted across the platform and towards the temple doors. The younglings, wide-eyed and confused, were the first ones to cross his mind. People shouted through the halls, their faces panic stricken, a sight Szevor had seen before. Keeping focus, he made his way across the training grounds. It was a roofless section of the temple, so when Szevor looked up, he saw streams of energy descend from the ships in the sky. Moments later sounds of explosions blared over the alarm, creating a feeling of hysteria that would have petrified anyone inexperienced to it.
Caine. Caine shouldered himself through the chaos. Where was Kala when he needed him? Most of the padawans, especially the older ones, knew precisely what to do and were swarming up the stairs to reach the escape pods. A few called out to him, but he waved them away and urged them to keep moving. A small battalion of defenders was manning the defenses of the temple. Ever since the Order had settled it's headquarters on Coruscant, there had been force-sensitives that weren't very attuned to the force and who were trained as farmers or masons instead. Now there few months of training with blaster rifles and other weapons was being put to the test. Caine watched them head down to secure a perimiter around the temple, the urge to follow them was great, but it was not part of the escape plan. Instead, he relied on his senses to track down the last few remaining Jedi. It was hard to concentrate through the clutter of enraged Sith, panicked people, and the throbbing hive-mind presence of the Killik, but he managed to distill Kala's presence nevertheless. Though his Padawan had often been a burden, their bond at least allowed him to find his reckless apprentice quickly. He sprinted through an abandoned corridor, lightsaber in hand, and headed towards one of the dojos. "Szevor!" He nearly bumped into the Jedi, who was sprinting in the opposite direction. He was surprised to see the man, all too often he was gone in search for his father. The council had kept a close eye on him, the burden of loss was obviously weighing Szevor down, and some in the council considered that to be a danger. Caine wasn't one of them, "I need your help," he breathed as he recovered from their near collision. "There are still some Padawans here, we need to get them out. You're better at sensing people than me, can you feel where they are?" --- Robin. The edges of his vision were blurred, such was the speed at which he raced through the clouds. The warm sight lights, twinkling like stars in Coruscant had been replaced by a fiery glow. He could see many of the larger ships drop their altitude and unload swarms of Killik, mercenaries and other vicious creatures. Sky-scrapers shook and groaned under the barrage of rockets and bombs that rained down on them. The massive anti-air guns of Coruscant were smashed and unhinged by the many missiles that hit them. And still, lasers were blasting ships out of the sky. Robin nearly let go of his control stick as he watched a large carrier ship tilt and crash down into a square of buildings. His small craft shook dangerously as the blast wave hit. Even through all the smoke he could see the Jedi Temple in the distance. He lowered his altitude until he flying just a few feet above the city's skyline. The hollow voice of Gale began to speak through his earpiece. "Hurry up!" "I am getting there," Robin snapped back. He sent his craft into a vertical dive towards a clearing between the buildings, just a quarter of a mile away from the Jedi Temple. He pulled up at the last moment and lowered his craft to a halt. A few citizens ran away in terror as he opened the hatch and hopped out, armed with his blood red lightsaber. Robin jerked his head around, a scream sounded from the alleyway left of him. The tall, thin figure of Gale withdrew his lightsaber from the man he'd just pierced and let the useless body fall to the ground with a thud. "What took you so long?" he hissed. Standing two heads taller, he looked nothing like Robin. His face was thin and stretched, his eyes and cheeks hollow, and his hair graying and vale. There was a hungry look in his eyes that sent shivers down Robin's spine. "I am here now," Robin replied boldly. Gale flared his nostrils and tossed Robin a package. Before the boy could even thank him or speak another word, he had disappeared. With only his galloping heart for company, Robin made his way towards the temple. The air crackled and rumbled and he was just as afraid as the citizens that ran for their lives, hoping to find a safe haven at the Jedi Temple. Nobody suspected that the young boy with the greasy black hair was about to smash their hopes of safety. Several minutes passed before Robin reached the far wall of the temple. He could only hope that the Jedi wouldn't notice him amidst the chaos. He undid the wrapping on the package Gale had handed him. A smoke grenade and a small gun. He stuffed the grenade in his pocket, pulled the safety pin from the gun and aimed it a that nearest platform on the temple, some hundred feet higher. With a snap the wire connected and he was being pulled upwards at lightning speed. At the very last moment, he let go of the gun, and force pushed himself the few extra feet required. The voices of terrified Padawans were close and Robin rapidly sneaked across the platform and hid in a crevice in the wall. When the group of young Padawans had passed, Robin joined their ranks in complete silence and stalked after them like a cat. The small group made a turn to the left, into one of the hangars and towards a large carrier ship. Tristan the Crippled was rushing them aboard. Tristan was a short man, barely taller than Robin, but he was a respected man. He'd lost one arm and one eye during his duties, something which Robin gladly took advantage of. He pulled the pin of the grenade and tossed it around the corner. With a hiss, the hangar began to fill up with smoke. But Robin didn't need his sight to know where Tristan was. He caught the old, crippled incompetent by surprise and stabbed him through the heart. The man's eyes widened. "You..." His body fell to the floor and Robin quickly switched his lightsaber off. He dragged the limp body to the side. The other Padawans were panicking, but one of the older ones hushed everyone and commanded them to get inside the ship. Robin could feel the air chill behind him. "You know what to do," Gale said. Robin flinched, but managed to stay quiet. Gale seemed unfazed and casually strolled over towards the ship and took the pilot's seat. Little did the Padawans in the back know that their destination had changed. Gale gave Robin a final nod, then took off with the ship. The smoke was beginnig to settle and Robin was still dragging Tristan's body closer towards the edge. When he finally reached it, he exchanged his lightsaber for Tristan's and threw the crippled Jedi over the edge. When the body had disappeared in the near bottomless pit below, Robin turned around and began to head into the Temple. Now he just needed to be found.
Szevor Before responding, Szevor studied Caine, sensing his urgency to find his Padawan. Despite how often Szevor put his own priorities before the Jedi, Caine had always shown him patience and heedfulness. He deserved nothing less in return. Bowing his head slightly, Szevor's mind reached out into the halls of the temple. Most of the people were near the outer doors where the escape pods were. His mind stopped on an individual whose force felt unbalanced. Szevor only knew a few people in the temple well, but not only did he not recognize this person, Szevor knew he did not belong. "Kalamoro is in the lower corridors, near the training rooms," Szevor said in a steady tone. "There are other Padawans there." He paused. "I sense a group of younglings left behind, hiding in one of the chambers." He paused again, deciding whether or not it was a good idea to tell Caine about the strange presence he felt. It would only distract him from finding his padawan and Szevor wanted to investigate for himself. The stranger's inner being felt almost as disjointed as his. Szevor looked back at Caine and remained silent.
Frowning, Yaruw followed Zebron into the practice room to see Chree and Nami staring out the window at the approaching Sith, as well as the akk dog trying to bite it's tail. "We need to leave, and now. I'm going to get the younglings," he glanced at the akk dog, "perhaps you two should go check on the evacuation ship. I don't think the children need a distraction right now." So we evacuate? Without so much as a fight? The thought did not sit well on Chree's conscious but she knew there was no choice. There simply weren't enough of them here to fight. Nami gave her master a worried glance, but remained mute and instead glanced towards Vox. The akk dog halted and turned to face Nami immediately, then went to her side, scales bristling along his spine like a cat's. He could sense danger through her, and was becoming agitated. Chree looked at the younger master then back out the window at the approaching army. Even with her force weaker than most, she could still feel the presence of more than just Sith; there were Killik as well. "Agreed. My padawan and I will protect the ship until you get there. Make haste. There is more evil out there than just Sith." "Indeed. Come Zebron," Yaruw said. Though as Yaruw turned to leave, Zebron rolled her eyes behind his back as she turned to follow. Nami couldn't help the small smile that quirked her mouth. She was surprised that those two had even gotten this far -she and Chree were at each other's throats half the time, and those two were even worse. "Come, Nami. We must protect that evacuation shuttle." Chree said and hurried down a nearby hallway. She knew her padawan would be following with her pet. And yes, she was, though Vox had suddenly gotten the idea into his head that Nami needed to be carried. "Wha- whoa Vox whoa!" Nami yelped when the akk dog's head suddenly slipped between her legs and he slid her up onto his back. Even for a pup he was well-muscled and a good six-hundred pounds, so in her current state she wasn't much of a burden anyways. Nami shared a look of slight alarm with Chree, but her master just laughed and continued on. They made it to the landing pad and the master turned to her padawan. "What do you sense, Nami?" Chree often relied on her padawan's force ability to sense things that weren't close enough for her to sense well. In this case she was also curious if her padawan would be able to recognize the hive-mind. Nami straightened on Vox's back, legs clamped against his scales to keep from slipping off. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to cut off any visual distractions and cast out with her senses. To her surprise, though, Vox combined his efforts with hers and added several unusual senses to her own Force. Red danced across the back of her eyes, but those were just tiny specks to the millions upon millions of green dots. Yet the green dots were not separate -they were connected like a spider's web. Nami's face scrunched up in momentary confusion before she figured it out. "Killik. Lots of Killik, and Sith. Ugh and they stink! You and I smell like-" Nami shut her mouth before she said anything more, then opened her eyes and glared at Vox, who was grinning so much that almost every single one of his long, sharp teeth showed. "That's your favorite food? Ewww!" A look of mixed confusion and curiosity came over Chree's face. "You can speak to it?" Nami shrugged. "He can't really talk much... but he does know some words. I guess it's because he's still a baby- earlier he said 'Mama hurt? Play too rough?' It's kind of primitive. I think if i remain linked to him long enough he may actually learn to talk to me like a normal person." Chree's face became deadly serious. "Though Vox may have some intelligence he's still an animal. Don't put it's life above your own or others." I will not hesitate to kill it if that becomes the case. She's already risked her life once for it. I'll have to watch them carefully.
Turning into the hallway Yaruw sent his senses out. He felt that many of the younglings had already been evacuated. He sensed few others left in the temple. There was a small group of padawans left but he sensed others already converging on their location. Looking at Zebron, "I think most everyone is gone. We should head to the hangar now. If we find anyone on the way we'll grab them too." The strange thing about having eyes is when looking around, you never have to turn your head. Zebron was looking all around her. While walking she stretched widely. "I agree....master..." She hesitated. Looking widely around. "I sense everyone has left already, or nearly has." Not rising to the bait Yaruw nodded his consent, "I'll trust your judgement on this. Let's go, and hope there's still a ship left." Yaruw grew silent, contemplating. How could so many Sith have mobilized like this without anyone detecting it? This was a full scale invasion. Yaruw's face grew increasingly solemn as he pondered this. Zebron changed her sense to the one walking beside her, "I don't know how long they will wait for us." She replied softly. His silence was unnerving her. Yaruw was too lost in thought to even notice the more subdued padawn by his side. A rare thing indeed. He could feel the frustration broiling inside of him. This shouldn't be happening. He felt the anger building almost before he realized it. Quickly he snapped off his thoughts completely, hoping his perceptive padawan hadn't noticed. Zebron's only response to his subtle reactions was to smile. Her master had emotions, she would remember to bring this up to him when times were less intensive. Coming to the hangar provided something more pressing to concern himself with. Entering the main floor, he saw no one immediately. He ran over to a console to check the status of any remaining ships.
Kalamoro He'd been roaming the corridors, almost aimlessly, for several minutes. Barely anyone was left. The younglings were gone. He passed only a couple of Padawans. But as yet, he had not encountered anyone useful. Kala hated to say it, but he was beginning to feel panicked. What if he didn't find anyone? What if they all left without him? What if they laughed at him as they left in their ships and he was left to fight off all the Sith? A figure showed itself on the far end of the long corridor. Who could this be? It was too tall to be a Padawan, so that was good. But for all Kala knew, it could have been the caretaker. Or a Sith. He walked a bit faster. So did the figure. Within half a minute, they would pass each other. The lighting was too low to see the figure's face, and Kala presumed that the figure could not recognise him, if indeed it was someone Kala knew at all. However, as the figure stepped under the next dimming light fixture, Kalamoro's face reluctantly lit up. "Master! How good it is to see you; someone with actual knowledge of the situation at hand." He instinctively touched the lightsaber at his hip when he thought of the Sith, who had probably entered the building already. "What exactly is going on?"
Robin Robin carefully let his senses reach out. There were still Jedi here. He was still here. Two powerful aura's teetered along the edge of his senses, they were coming up from the other direction. Without giving it any second thought, Robin spun around and hurried himself in their direction. He cloaked his mind as he went, hiding his intentions under a thick layer of fear. Part of it was real, if his Master's plan would go awry...Robin cut off his train of thought there, it was better not to think about it. As he jogged across the platforms he spotted a small Chiss, dressed in the robes of a Jedi Master. A Miraluka female stood at his sight, the distinct Padawan braid neatly tucked away behind her ear. Out of the two of them, Robin guessed the Miraluka would be first to notice him. His mental defenses wavered for a moment as he considered how adapt Miraluka were at reading people's minds. He forced himself to focus on one thing and one thing only, to survive. He took a deep breath, then started to sprint towards them. "Hey, wait for me!" he called. Caine. "What exactly is going on?" Though Caine was relieved to see his Padawan alive and well, he couldn't help but sigh at the question. "All hell is breaking loose, that's what's going on," he said. "Now is not the time to chat, we must secure the remaining..." his voice trailed off and for a moment there was only the muffled sound of bombs hitting their targets and guns rattling at top-speed. "They're already there!" He didn't bother to explain any further but simply waved for Kala and Szevor to follow. Up and up they went. Even though the temple had not been targeted directly, the destruction was painfully clear. Windows were shattered, furniture had been toppled over by blast waves. Everything was in complete disarray. After what appeared to be hours, they finally reached the landing platforms. Caine came to an abdrupt halt at the top of the stairs. His eyes grew wide. Yaruw and Zebron stood some twenty feet away from him, checking the hangar computer for any remaining ships. But it wasn't Yaruw that Caine was interested in, it was the boy. As soon as he thought him, he turned around. "Robin...?" Caine stammered. A devilish smile curled Robin's lips, but it was instantly replaced by an innocent, sorrowful look. "Hi Dad," Robin said awkwardly.
Szevor Szevor gazed at Robin and then realized the boy had the same aura as the strange one he had detected before. He couldn’t see the family resemblance since their faces were blurry to him, but he could make out the shape of their hair, which looked quite similar. The opposite could be said of their auras. It seemed Robin didn’t have the same degree of patience and calmness as his father. Szevor could feel the boy’s fear of death, though it was completely natural in a situation like this. He always knew Robin was still alive. Someone who lives a life of lies and secrets knows how to take care of himself. Szevor remembered how the Jedi council was up in arms when they found out about Caine’s son, and how much it devastated Caine when Robin ran away two years ago. There’s a time for questions and this certainly isn’t one of them. We need to get off this planet. Szevor would have spoken aloud, but it wasn’t his place to deny Caine this moment with his long lost son. Szevor gave a nod of recognition as he walked by Robin and went to the consoles to assist Yaruw.
Nami turned when a commotion came from the other side of the ship. "Master, the others are here!" she called, running toward the group, Vox hot on her heels. Well... everyone and one other. Nami skidded to a halt beside Kala, gaze locked onto the young boy's. "Robin...?" "Hi Dad," Nami's eyes grew wide, but despite the fact that the boy was Caine's son, her hand immediately flew to the hilt of her lightsaber. The Force emanating from that boy was fluctuating, changing so much and so quickly that she could not pin whether he was friend or foe. Vox, sensing the same thing, growled and took a small step forward, scales rising along his back like a cat's. Stinky, stinky! Nami's lightsaber was out in a flash, and she dropped to a defensive crouch. Something was wrong about this boy, and she didn't like it.
Zebron was waiting patiently for Yaruw to check on the ships, when she felt a scared person behind her. She heard him say Hi dad, and was immediately more interested. She began to focus more on them than her master's actions. Yaruw had just disengaged the external docking clamps for the ship from the console when he felt everyone converging on their location. In ones and twos, first Caine and his apprentice; then Svezor arrived, followed by a young boy. When he heard "Hi, Dad" he turned from disconnecting the fuel lines and looked at the boy. Robin, Yaruw thought it was. He gave Caine an unreadable look as Nami and Chree showed up. Robin was obviously very agitated. Why was he here now? He noticed the lightsaber. Where had the boy found it? He noticed Nami tense immediately. "Caine, perhaps we should go ahead and get on the ship? I believe that we can work things out later. For now, we need to leave. The Sith army grows closer with every second," Yaruw interjected, trying to ease some of the tension. With the stroke of a finger the ramp to the ship lowered down. Zebron nodded in a rare moment of agreement with her master. Now was not the time for fighting between themselves. To her, Robin seemed like a scared child.
Caine struggled to regain his composure. He'd never expected to see Robin again, not after two years of deathly silence. He didn't even know if he should laugh, cry or cheer. Was this really his son? He looked different, older of course, but also tenser and scrawnier than he had remembered him. The wild look in Robin's eyes was alienating to him at best, yet the presence he sensed before him was identical to the boy he'd brought into the world fourteen years ago. He was shaken from his contemplations by Yaruw. "Caine, perhaps we should go ahead and get on the ship? I believe that we can work things out later. For now, we need to leave. The Sith army grows closer with every second," "Right," he struggled to say. The surprise that had clouded his mind began to withdraw. Caine straightened his back, "everybody get in! We have no time to lose!" Before Robin could even feign any affection for his father, Caine had already lifted him up with one arm and carried him into the ship. "I am not twelve anym-" "I know," Caine rasped, as if he wished not to be reminded of that fact. He quickly put Robin down and waited for everyone else to flood into the ship. Yaruw assumed control over the large vessel and Zebron rushed to her master's aid. "We must get to Falleen, Master Ragos will know what to do," Caine instructed before returning his attention to Robin. "Are you alright? Where were you? What happened?" "Dad." "Why are you here? Why do you have a lightsaber?" "Dad!" Caine stopped his barrage of questions. "I am fine," Robin said as he plonked down on a seat. "I'd be more worried about getting out of here if I were you." There was something unsettling about the cold, calculated calm with which Robin adressed the situation. Caine couldn't quite put his finger on it, but neither could he deny his son's logic. Even more unsettling was the little resistance that they met. Even with their shields up, many Sith planes could have shot them down, but didn't. The only bullets they caught were right on the craft's shields. "Something's not right," Caine muttered, and from what he could sense, Robin felt the same.
The Skull Holes “Tuh-lahz-ah,” Jake spoke loudly and deliberately into the comm. “Jacob Tlasa. This vessel is the Ribcage, a YU-410 transport, we’re here on courier business.” “Understood, Captain Salsa. Please wait a moment while we clear you for entry,” the voice crackled back at him. Jake hung his head, and the blue Twi’Lek in the pilot seat placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh, but she was never very good at such things. “Captain Chips is going be ecstatic.” He gave the girl a wary look, and pulled himself away from the ships console, “Land when we’re cleared. I want to this to be an in-and-out.” “Yeah, we don’t wanna double dip here,” said the sarcastic young man in the co-pilot chair next to her. He casually placed his hands behind his head, leaned back in his chair, kicked his feet up on the console, and tried to hide his smug expression behind the tech wrapped around his face. Jake ignored the remark, “Have you got a location for this guy yet? Or am I going to have to do it myself?” He pushed his feet off the console, and briskly made his exit. The two remaining in the cockpit paused a moment to look at each other, then busted up laughing. “I can’t help it sometimes,” the girl howled. The man replied through stuttered laughter, “I-kn-ow-he-is-so-bad-at ta-king-a-joke.” Jacob, who heard this from the stairwell, simply gave a tilted smile and shook his head at their ridiculous banter. They were a bunch of mindless numbskulls, but they were his mindless numbskulls. Each incredibly loyal, and each he trusted more than anyone in the world. They had been together for years, nearly six, and had grown to be one of the best damn mercenary groups that GalaxyEdge Corporation had to offer. He and his band of miscreants were titled, ‘The Skull Holes.' He followed the scent of cigar smoke to his soldier and XO in the lounge. It was a decent sized living area with enough pleasantries to make a small squadron comfortable. There were two rounded leather couches positioned to view a large high definition monitor. Against the other side was a pool table, small bar with various liquors behind it, and another round table for two with a dejarik board. This is where his lovely XO was sitting, a long slender leg slung over the other, in one of her lovely golden-embroidered gowns. Her brown hair was tied up in the back, revealing her round face as she peered across the table, carefully studying her opponent. Perhaps the most beautiful part about her was her eyes. Cunning and calculating, with epicanthic folds on the edges, they were the kind of deep brown eyes you’d sell your soul for. Her skin was tan, and she looked like someone from the advertisement billboards on Coruscant. One couldn’t help but let oneself admire her for a moment. A big, orange hand with red speckles carefully picked up a goblin on the dejarik board as he rolled a giant cigar in his teeth and pondered the move. Whisper, as they called him, was a Gungan. One of his yellow crab-like eyes twisted away from the board to carefully observe her facial features. It was to no avail, but he kept it on her all the same, while the other one peered at the board. While the eye was damaged, he managed to still get pretty good sight out of it, and Gungans had exceptionally keen vision anyway. The man was broad, lithe, and bore a solemnness about him that would make a baby burst into tears. And rightfully so, Jake thought. He had seen the Gungan butcher countless men without a second thought. Whisper then released the piece, confirming his decision. Two streams of smoke shot from the Gungans’ long snout as the XO made her next move immediately, and he nearly choked on his cigar in astonishment. He had opened up a path for her to block his ogre into a corner. While the piece wasn’t threatened, exactly, he still had to be incredibly careful with his next move. “Kyoumi, Whisper, times up. Get your gear on; we’ve got business to attend to on this station and we’re about to board. I wanna see you ready for action in less than five. Go, go.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the bunks. The two nodded and stood up. Kyoumi, the XO, pressed some buttons on the dejarik board, and it beeped an acknowledgement to save the game and quit. The pieces slowly faded out of existence. “Sir, we’re orbiting now, and awaiting orders. It didn’t take long to hunt the guy down. Apparently Krang is a big deal in this Sector. Some Jedi master or something,” said the male voice from the cockpit. Jacob cringed. He’d come across a few Jedi back on his days as a TECH (Tactical Entry and Counter Homicide) officer on Nar Shaddaa. No good came out of their involvement, and their pretentious belief system made him want to shake the emotions out of them. Jake didn’t think it was smart to bottle that up. “Good work, Blackout. Fa’an, fly us in--“ “We’ve got a problem, sir,” the Twi’Lek, Fa’an, interrupted, “Some problem on Coruscant. They’ve redacted their boarding agreement. Say they want us out of this system ASAP. For our own safety.” Jake furrowed his brow and quickly made his way there, replying to the comm on his way, “What are you talking about?” Blackout responded, “Cap'n, this is bad…” Jake arrived and peered at his electronics officer sat in his chair, interfacing with a cybernetic glove and an augmented overlay of translucent orange crystalline displays. He made a box with his index finger and thumb on each hand, and slowly pulled them away from each other to enlarge one of the displays, then flicked it to send it to Jakes field of vision. “I have no idea what those are, Cap'n, but I don’t think they intend to stop.” Jake had a good, long look at the fleet of enemy ships bombarding the Jedi temple. “Invasion? On Coruscant? That's just bloody thick. Who would try that?” asked Fa’an. “I do not know. But we’re not going to find out. Fa’an, get us outta here. Blackout, hunt down Krangs biopattern if you can; if its not here, search for his common hangouts… if he lives, he’s going to want to hide out, and regroup. I want to be there before he is.” He called over the comm, “Whisper, Kyoumi, change of plans. Ready the cannons.” He stared intently at the orange screen showing the carnage of the invasion force, “Today we’re going to rescue a Jedi.” Blackout shot him another view screen. “Check it. Escape shuttles. 10 to 1 says those are Jedi vessels.” “Great,” Jake nodded, “Fa’an, foll-“ “Already on it, Salsa.”
Kalamoro Kala sat on an uncomfortable seat, head perched between both his hands. His eyes were as cold as steel, and his mouth was twisted into a snarl. He'd been left by his Master. Left just to sit. Caine was talking to his son, the one he hadn't seen in years. So why did he even want to talk to him? Robin had run away. He had disappeared. He obviously didn't want Caine as a father. Even with no good control of the force, Kala had seen Cain's depression since his training began. He'd seen it when his Master taught him new moves - less aggressive moves which Jedi used. Kala had enjoyed it, but not as much as he should've done. He saw his Master's pain. His son was gone. And now that he had been reunited with him, Caine was suddenly going to forgive his son of everything he had done? No, I must stop thinking like that, Kala thought. Caine always says the Sith in me is fighting to get out, and I must constantly be wary of its moves. The Darkness inside inside me is stirring more than usual. Could it be the Sith attack brought it on? Kala raised his chin from his palms and turned to see his Master. He was still talking with Robin. It was unsurprising, but it felt like a wound in Kala's side. I thought I'd helped fill that void with him training me. I thought perhaps...perhaps he thought of me as his son. But it wasn't the case. Just like that, he been flung away like an unwanted toy, left to rust and decay. He saw the other Jedi, Padawans, and Masters sitting or standing, talking or meditating. Kala was doing neither. Perhaps I am not a Jedi. Maybe I never was one. Do I even belong here? Master Thugin - when he was alive, at least - had said the Darkness in Kala was strong enough that it could never be taken away from him. It would rot inside him forever. That scared him now. He did not want to rot. He wanted to help. Helping Caine to get over the loss of his son by being some sort of substitute was a start, but now that was worth nothing. It had been disregarded altogether. Kalamoro brushed back a strip of sandy blonde hair from his forehead and heaved a sigh. It was forced, but he needed to show his emotion externally, even if no one really noticed. He hoped they would land somewhere soon, that the Sith would be pushed back, and most of all, that Robin would be killed, or better yet, abhorred by his father. Why had Robin turned up like that, anyway? Was he part of the Sith, or did he just stumble upon the scene like the fool he was? Anyway, that didn't matter so much right now. Kala only wanted to focus on himself. He felt terrible, and he wanted to remain that way. Maybe Master Caine would see the error of his ways and send Robin away from him forever, perhaps prison. Kala smiled. That would be nice. The Darkness inside is stirring more than usual.
"Okay, the fridge is mine for the next half hour!" Nami called as she ran to her rooms, laughing as if they were just on a routine trip instead of running for their lives. Vox barked and bounced after her on his stubby legs, but when Nami shut the door in his face he whined, confused. "You already ate not an hour ago before I had to go to training, mister. . . . No not even for ten of those! . . .You may be growing, but there's a difference between healthy and fat Vox!" At that, Nami came out with a load of food in her arms and plodded over to a nearby table to start eating. She clearly had regaining her strength in mind, but when she came across anything she didn't find good enough for her taste, she tossed it to the Akk dog. "So what are we gonna do?" * * * Zebron nudged her head backwards towards the galley. "I got the controls covered, Yaruw. Go be a diplomat before anything terrible happens. I should be able to listen to most of the conversation just fine from here." She could fly on her own well enough, even if she had never been in a dogfight. Besides, she didn't really know how to interrogate. Yaruw had got the coordinates set for the ship and was taking the ship to the edges of the system. "Zebron, wait till you get just past the frozen moon of Improccoo, then activate the hyper drive. All the ice from the moon will scramble and confuse radar signals." He nodded at the com link, "If anything comes up call out over the comms. I have some questions that should be answered sooner rather than later." With that Yaruw ducked out of the cockpit and made his way to the galley. Once there he saw the padawan Nami in with her akk dog. He wasn't too sure about the dog. He was able to keep his emotions in check though, he didn't want to agitate the animal. It was Chree's problem to deal with. Unless she asked for help he'd stay out of it. Yaruw did manage to get his customary smile back in place by the time he got to the galley. He walked in time just to hear Nami ask her akk dog what to do, responding to her, "We're going to find out what exactly happened. And how. We're heading to Falleen now. But I have some questions for Master Caine, as well as his son. I find it highly odd his son shows up during a Sith invasion, with a lightsaber mind you. There was no need for him to come seek out the Jedi during an invasion. Why choose now? He would have been safe wherever he had been. I might need some help with all this however..." he trailed off, almost talking to himself by the time he finished speaking. "Agreed. I can't pinpoint what that kid's Force leans towards." Nami replied. "Every time i close my eyes and try to look at it it's just a convoluted mass of purple. Plus, if he ran away two years ago, I would think that he would know how to steal another ship or something by now, rather than run back to papa just because he doesn't have the backbone." Nami let one hand slip under the table to stroke Vox's spiked head. The akk dog growled, for the moment ignoring the scraps at his paws and just enjoying the attention. "Vox has actually helped me tap into some strange abilities recently. I can smell, as well as sense, the force in others. It may sound wierd, but that's the only way i can describe it. And that boy does not smell like he's been on Coruscant for very long. Instead, he reeked of the Sith that came down on us!" Szevor had been sitting in corner of the galley, helmet off and face in shadow, sipping a warm drink while listening to them talk. "So you're saying," Szevor said finally, "that Robin is a Sith plant. I agree him showing out of no where during the attack is suspicious but we can't go accusing him of anything without some proof." He swirled his drink for a moment. "I don't know how reliable your spiky friend is there Nami, but from what I'm sensing from Robin, he's either a scared kid running for his life or a master of deception. I'm sure you guys are with me when I say: I don't want to take any chances. If he is Sith, then he'll have to contact his Master sooner or later and that's when we'll catch him." "I agree with your conclusion." Chree said coming into the gallery. She had been down below at the fighter controls making sure no Sith fighter's followed them. "Robin's appearance at this time is questionable at best. There are few coincidences in the force." The twi'lek master cocked an eyebrow at her padawan who appeared to have broken into the food stores and was eating as much as she could. As well as feeding some to Vox. "That creature is big enough as it is. Stop feeding him from our rations." She reprimanded. "We'd best warn any small children on the vessel in case the Akk goes prowling for a midnight snack," Szevor said with a grin. "You think this is amusing?" Chree retorted sharply. "I've a half-starved padawan thanks to this creature!" She walked to the window and looked out at what had been her home for the past 40 years; now under attack from the Sith. Her face was taut and her white knuckles gripped her sabers as she stared out at the true source of her anger. Szevor's amused expression slid into a look of apprehension as it was clear there was more bothering the Twi'lek than his misplaced humour. It was rare for Szevor to find himself in a room with other people and whenever he did, it never ended well. Still, he felt a connection with these strangers despite their differences. For a long time he denied forming any friendships on Coruscant, convinced that liking someone wasn't worth the pain if ever he lost them. He was beginning to understand that being alone was more painful. He stood from his seat and put his helmet on. "There was no warning," he said quietly. "Why was there no warning?" "There was no warning. At all," Yaruw chimed in. He looked around, finally settling his gaze on Chree. "Chree, I think it best if Caine not spend too much time alone with his son currently. The last thing he needs right now is a second emotional turmoil. Perhaps you can talk to Caine, and I can take Robin and settle him into some quarters on the ship. I have some questions for that boy." Yaruw looked expanctly at Chree. Hoping perhaps if she had her mind on something else her anger would ebb. Nami swallowed, eyes wide as she watched her master. But for once she remained mute. She knew that what she'd done was wrong, but Vox was . . . or had been . . . different than the other pups. She couldn't have just let him lead a mediocre life as a mere shepherd's guard-dog on some far-away planet. Akk dogs grow to be about seven feet at the shoulder. And with their light-saber proof hide, they make dangerous enemies. They also have a pack-mind, and follow one Alpha. If confronted by an akk dog, you must stare it in the eye and refuse to look away or blink, else you will never gain it's respect and it will forever hunt you down. All these things she knew about Akk dogs, as well as the terrible history of how they were being misused as guard-dogs for illegal shipments. Some had even been mutated, and Nami shivered. Vox was hers, and she would do all that she could to protect him. Zebron sighed, of course Yaruw would have to give some advice as he walked out the door. One day, Yaruw would trust Zebron fully. Ironically, at this time the radar was picking up a ship on the edge of the scanner, and Zebron couldn't see it. She could scan far with her force sight, seeing all sorts of planets and asteroids, but she couldn't see a computer monitor. Chree breathed deeply as she took control of her anger and fear. It disappeared under a blanket of indifference and she turned to face Yaruw with a more relaxed expression. "A wise suggestion. I will go look for Cain." She inclined her head and walked out of the gallery. "I shall go find Robin in that case," Yaruw said turning and nodding to Szevor and Nami before dipping out of the galley as well.
The Skull Holes Blackout took time away from the aft sensor readout in order to view data from the invasion. It was illuminated like a face full of pox marks. Through his head played a thousand scenarios of the Ribcage and its utter destruction. He became incredibly nervous about the whole situation. “Relax B,” Fa’an said with a smirk, sensing his dismay, “Those ships aren’t any match for the four quad-laser cannons we’re packing.” He took a moment to look over the pilot. She was lovely: a vision he used to fantasize about as a kid. Beautiful blue skin, great sets of curves, and her mismatched eyes-only made her even more aesthetically appealing. It wasn’t only that, though. She carried a confidence about her that attracted people, and rarely backed down from a challenge. Not to mention that she was smart. Not in a traditional sense; she couldn’t crunch the numbers for trajectories, or statistically analyze data patterns like he could. No, it was in a much more worldly sense. Street smart, some liked to call it. Blackout thought she was the most intuitive person he had ever met. He admired her as if he had this lovesick pre-teen desire, but it wasn’t really like that. The respect and admiration went so much deeper. “Maybe not for a few individual ships,” he replied as calmly as he could, “I don’t know about you, but its not every day I see an invasion force of that magnitude.” The Twi’Lek gave him a glance before monitoring the distance between the Ribcage and the Jedi escape shuttle, and dropped the speed a few nanos. “You smell like poodoo when you worry. If you’re going to sweat it, do it in the bath, yeah? Let me cover the heavyweight.” By heavyweight, she meant “the hard work.” She was always using such colloquialisms. “And leave you blind? That’s hardly a good idea.” “Oh, I can manage. You’d be surprised.” “Really? You think you could single-handedly hold off a squadron of those ships without a navigator?” “I never said that.” “What was your plan then.” “Autonav.” Blackout ‘pshaw’-ed. Fa’an gave a good laugh, and punched him lightly in the knee. He gave her a twisted smile, but immediately gulped again when he noticed several small dots break off from the cloud and began to drift in their general direction. It was unclear if they were in pursuit, but Blackout didn’t survive this long by taking chances. “Six boogies on the port side,” he dialed some information into the view screen with his augmented gloves. “They ain’t even approaching, Blackout. Stay…” he shot the display over in front of her face. Her eyes narrowed as she read the data, and then grew wide. “Well, damn. Looks as though your paranoia pays.” She punched the intercom button, “Pull up your battle boots, Jake, we’re in for a rush.” “Acknowledged. Be our eyes, Blackout,” said the calm voice of the Captain through the comm system. “Aye, aye, Cap’n.” Blackout ran a scan of life inside the Ribcage to know which cannon each of his compatriots was positioned. On a small window in the corner he created a script that would estimate, after the thrusters, the ETA of the enemy ships given their current velocity and position. He didn’t run a query for these values yet, though, because if he did, they might notice, and his plan would be foiled. He had a lot more to prepare. He set aside a chunk of the power toward weapons systems, and wrote a special little script just for them. Shields were the next priority; the ship’s modified shield generator ate the speed, but they wouldn’t last too long without it, so he added a clause in his program that would boot them up directly afterwards. Everything had to occur within fractions of nanosecond, or his prediction algorithm would be no good. Prompting the computer to run the query for the position of the lead enemy vessel, he quickly derived the velocity and punched in the number to run his code. “Dropping speed, get ready.” And the script executed. Groaning of strained metal filled their ears as they all felt like their bodies were being stretched apart. Blackouts lunch bunched up in the front of his belly. At the same instant, faster than humanly possible, the weapons sprang to life, and the unmanned turret fire a single shot into the blackness of space. A flash of light streaked across the sky in a long line, and shortly followed by a shockwave that rattled everyone on board the Ribcage. But Blackout did not cheer. The remaining five ships made a wide arc as the slowed to a good battling speed. Each were a sort of a reddish hue, their rigid backs were highlighted with blacks or blues. Four insectoid arms protruded from their angular hull, and reached forward like a spider stalking its prey. These were not arms, however, but each a pivoting laser cannon. “Hot damn,” Fa’an chimed, “That was one hellova shot, Blackout.” “What’re you talking about? I was aiming for the one in front.” The shield sparked to life, emitting its bluish glow and perpetual hum just in time to take a salvo of laser fire as the insect-like ships of made a pass. Fa’an let out a frustrated sigh as she evaded the shots as best she could. He had worked with her long enough to know it was because of the great reduction in maneuverability when both the weapons systems, and shields were powered. Of course, she’d have to deal. His focus shifted fully to the battle. New algorithms must be created if they were going to get out of this one alive. He monitored the attack pattern via the nav system and noticed one of the ships apparent lack of piloting skill. This would make an excellent first target. Now the real fun began… One, he thought, collect data on all enemy vessel flight patterns. Two, identify the weakest flier. Three, access where the target will be using statistical analysis of their flight patters, and piloting abilities. Four, assign gunner to said target. Five, repeat until all targets are eliminated. He quickly abstracted his algorithm into one of the threads of the ships processors, and then began with another block of code that would gather the flight path of the ship they were supposed to be pursuing, because they would soon be too far behind. After shipping that to another processor. His fingers flew across the digital display as he whipped up another program calculating the frequency of being hit, where the shots were coming from, and a best guess as to how to avoid it, and had that information sent to Fa’an. “Sir, you’ve got two approaching in your upper left. Whisper, two more are coming on your lower right. Fa’an, be careful. Looks like the other one is going to play a game of chicken with you. Try to force you into the paths of one of their attack salvos.” Fa’an gave a twisted grin and played the game; Blackout knew she would. The enemy ship quickly darted upward and over their ship. “Kyo, this guy should be just in your field, arc up about 40 degrees and force him to the starboard side. From there you and Whisper should be able to take ‘em, and it’ll mess up the flight pattern of the other two.” On the next thread, he began one of his favorite parts… and he grinned evilly as he began to tamper with the enemies’ sensor readouts, convincing one of their targeting systems that a friend was actually a foe. The ship nearly blew his ally to pieces because of it. Unfortunately the pilot was able to attempt a correct, and instead the shot disabled the rear thrusters of the targeted fighter, and it spun helplessly into the vastness of space. They recovered from their mishaps quickly, and attacks were well formulated and properly executed. These pilots were well trained. However, this did not work in their favor. The more data the computer was able to extrapolate, the more precise its estimations became. Blackout’s software genius could only be defeated by the most random of opponents, and even then it would take a lot of luck for a truly sporadic enemy to defeat a crew as well trained as the Skull Holes. “Nice shot, Whisper!” Fa’an called as she pitched the ship upward in order to dodge the exploding debris of one of the insect ships. “They’re runnin’ with their tails between their legs, Cap.” Losing more than half of their squadron must have demoralized them, because they withdrew their pursuit, and didn’t stop running. “Shall we engage?” “Blackout, where’re the Jedi escape shuttles?” Jake inquired over the comm. Blackout gathered the info from the thread and deciphered the math, “Looks like they’re heading toward Improccoo. Probably going to make a jump soon.” “We got a good guess as to where they’re going to be heading?” “Not really. Krang has his usual hangouts but they’re in this sector. If we lose them now, chances are we’re never going to find them.” “Alright, let the bugs get away. Open up a channel with their shuttle and encrypt it. I don’t want any eavesdroppers to know what we’re talking about.” “Yessir.” Blackout sighed as he complied a new subroutine. His work was never done.
Caine, Robin. Everyone soon found their place on the large ship. Caine watched them move about and disappear into corridors, or up a set of stairs until only he and Robin were left. As they rocketed into space, Robin tapped his boots on the brushed-steel floor and gave his father a curious little smile “I like your ship.” Caine chuckled at his son’s remark. All his worries slipped away as his expression softened, in spite of the recent events. He let his eyes scan every inch of his son, his features had hardened, his hair was poorly kept and much too long for Caine’s taste, but he was still, undoubtedly, Robin. Caine looked Robin in the eye. “Technically, it’s not my ship.” They both gasped when Robin slung his arms around his father’s neck and embraced him, muttering a string of apologies into his ear. “I am sorry I left you, I am sorry I never spoke to you, I am sorry for that day I set off the fire alarm, I am sorry fo-“ Caine felt the hot, salty drops land on his shoulder as he held Robin. “That’s a lot to be sorry for.” “Sorry,” Robin sniffed. Caine chuckled and gently untied himself from Robin’s embrace. “It’s good to see you,” he managed to say. Robin nodded and dabbed his eyes with his sleeve. “Listen, as much as I want to, we can’t talk now. Do you understand?” Robin nodded again. “Good. Now,” Caine rose to his feet and motioned for his son to follow, “we have a job to do.” A minute later they stepped onto the main deck. A large, oval table was placed a good dozen feet behind the pilot seats. Aside from the chair that had been bolted into place at the table, and a self-service bar not far from it, the space was as empty as a catacomb. Caine considered how lucky they had been that the ship had finished construction a mere month ago. “Stay here, I need to talk with Zebron,” Caine commanded as he stepped towards the cockpit. Robin obeyed and fancied himself a seat at the polished oval table. He scratched his nails mindlessly over its smooth surface, unaware of the Chiss that sat down opposite to him. -- “Excellent work Zebron,” Caine remarked as he glanced over her shoulder. A frown settled on his face as his eyes caught a popup on a display to the right. He tapped Zebron’s shoulder, “we have a caller…” He opened up the communications channel and tapped Zebron on her shoulder, “could you put it on speaker?”
