Ask Invasion A Yavin Parable

[Darth Tiamat]

The Jedi Temple, Yavin

There were tales in all reaches of the galaxy that talked about monsters who lived in shadows and snatched the least suspecting right from existence. Most of these tales were in forms of children's stories in order to spook naughty younglings into listening to their caregivers. However, it didn't matter the ending of the story: cliffhangers, resolutions, saviors and heroes, it never seemed like that monster ever disappeared. Eternal was the legacies twisted into mere bedtime stories...

It had been far too long since they had feasted on something so exquisite, the ones who called themselves Jedi - harbingers of balance and peace, bringing order to primordial chaos and heroes of which ever government in power currently. It was good to see nothing has changed over the several millennia and now as they seemed a bit distracted with running to aide Lothal, it would be good time to check in and see if anyone remembered their bedtime tales.

Overhead, sever different ships including frigates, corvettes, and carriers would have started to fill the early dawn sky, casting their long shadows over the forests and temple, ensuring some would never see the sun rise that morning. The call of the natural Yavin wildlife would be overrun by the screeching of the starfighters as they escorted their troop shuttles to surface. Though their silence may have been due to the more ominous presence in the Force. It was one that caused life itself to recoil with disdain and perhaps even fear as the creature set foot on the Jedi's home.

The shadows seemed to twist in her presence, moving against the natural ebb and flow of the rippling Force, tearing into it like an incontrollable decay. Heavy was the dark side and it would be her strength to let it feed on whatever it desired here. The saber was grasped by blackened fingers, her dark robes seemed to effortlessly blend into the shadow that followed at her feet. Upon the temple the red eyes of the mask gazed and underneath a smile as she spoke to her companions.

"Today, we feast. Too long have they starved us..."

​

@Tulos @Taz

 

[Aziz]

He had been created to fight in the Eternal conflict between the followers of light, and the dark side. It was the very reason for the Cadre, at least in it's original form. When he destroyed his previous Master he did so in her name and when he put down those Jedi on Wayland he did so for her.

Aziz walked from the shadows as if the darkness itself had spat him out. His dark armor appearing to be rippled from the twisted shadows cast by the early light of the morning. She gave him simple instruction, redemption or death. He would feed the dark side in way way or the other.

So he walked toward the temple, his shadow cast just off the left side of the Eternal and a few meters away. The hilt of his crimson blade already in his left hand.

"Let's eat."

@GABA @Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

Theme​

Failure. Defeat. Embarrassment. Self loathing. How does one come back from such things? How does someone with unquestionable loyalty and limitless pride rebound to find their way back to the path of glory? How do they wipe away their shortcomings and start with a clean slate? By never backing down. By learning the lessons their losses had taught them. By being persistent in the face of any challenge, regardless of how many times they are brought to their knees.

Bir knew these feelings only too well. At every turn he faced adversities that broke him, tore him to shreds and left him to rebuild himself from the wreckage. He was only a sliver of the man he knew he could be, a shattered piece of a greater artwork. Yet in the presence of The Eternal, this all changed. Waves of darkness crashed against him, waking his own demons and silencing any part of his fractured mind that held remorse for the actions of his past. There was no time for regret. Not here, not in their presence. The mindless warrior had a new puppeteer, darkness he had never known before now. Even from an outside influence, the power of The Eternal was great.

Standing behind those who had brought him here, Bir shivered with excitement. Bouncing on the balls of his feet with a manic chuckle, he eagerly awaited for his chance at redemption. Do or die. There could be no other choice. There could be no other path. There could be no other outcome.

@GABA @Taz​

 

[Alexandria Voran]

A Jedi’s life was sacrifice. They were the chosen tools of the Force to guard against the suffering of the galaxy. They were the wall between the Darkside and life. They were the Defense the galaxy rarely understood…for their lives were not their own. The Force asked and the Jedi answered…but there were days it asked too much. Ajan Kloss had nearly broken the Order. Their home ground into dust to be desecrated by unspeakable corruption. In the aftermath, the Masters preached this was the path. This pain would pass, and they would all be stronger for it. Their lives were sacrifice and this sacrifice would bind them together. Wise words.

But wise words would not stop it from happening again.

That day, some resolved to never feel that suffering again. That if the Dark Side came for their home…this time they would find it not such easy prey. Drow, Crix, Alex, and a host of others spent years painstakingly ensuring Yavin would never be Ajan Kloss. So, when the Sith came they did not find an unprotected Temple. They found an Order ready to fight.

Darkness may have descended on Yavin but the Light had already risen to meet it.

As the Sith Fleet moved into position, the Order’s own vessels swiftly moved into position in orbit. Star Destroyers, Heavy Cruisers, Frigates, Corvettes, immediately began their work. Fighters poured forth to harass any landing craft. Heavy fire blasted towards the Sith as they attempted to disembark. The shield generator snapped to life with an electric crackle as the Temple Guard, Grojuk clan, and AT-DT took position…laser cannons aimed at the Sith.

Yes…this was no Ajan Kloss.

And Alexandria Voran was not Oota Boan.

She carried his crystal, but she had left peace behind. Alex stood at the bottom steps of the Temple. Her orders for the defense having already been carried out. Her mind flicked for Crix. She knew they were somewhere near…and she trusted their judgment. She had a role to play. Her face was an unmoving mask. Her armor rippling beneath her robes. Alex felt the growing darkness, but she did not care. She had stopped believing in ghost stories a long time ago. One deep breath. The Force burst alive in the Morellian Jedi. She shined almost impossibly bright in the Force. A burning beacon of the Light. Her eyes struck out into the forest.

Alex smiled.

She felt them. Max, Hans, Talak, Oota, Sada Nau…finally she felt them. Days, weeks, and months and turned to years as she searched to find them in the Force. They were here with her now. She knew it. Her smile grew wider. The Grandmaster raised her voice…the Force carrying it far and wide. “Go home.” They wouldn’t…that was fine…she would aid them on their journey to join the Force.

@GABA @Taz @Tulos @Sreeya @Nefieslab

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin was always considered elusive by most Jedi. For one, he spent most of his time away from Jedi temples and space. He normally popped up behind enemy lines to drive liberation and invasion efforts against the Sith. However, since Denon, he had put his intelligence network to use to keep tabs on the combatants there, particularly the one he had seen in combat before. As a result, he had been tipped off to certain rumors about an attack on Jedi, though the destination was up in the air.

As a result, he was here, and not Lothal where the Jedi had been taken by surprise. Even so, his fellow Jedi here had no idea he was even on the planet, let alone joining. The Eternal’s darkness pulsed throughout the area like a rancid odor against the light that encompassed the temple and surrounding areas.

As ships loomed above, a shuttle zoomed down towards the Jedi – one they would recognize as one of their own. The ramp opened, and out jumped a tall figure, landing on a crouch on the ground beside the Grandmaster. The Sephi rose to his full height as the shuttle zoomed away, giving her a polite nod knowing she would be shocked to see him, “Pardon my delay,” He stated curtly before his silver gaze fixed ahead of himself. A saber effortlessly flew into his right hand as he looked at the trio approaching. He wore no armor save for phrik laced bracers.

Sevrin couldn’t help but notice the Kel Dor that seemingly showed up at every battle. Was he always sent to die?

@GABA @Tulos @Taz @Valen Pelora @Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

He had hoped that he might have gotten the chance to have passed the title and responsibilities of being the defender of the Temple of Yavin when the Sith finally found it. And, well, it had always been a matter of 'when' in his book rather than a matter of 'if' because he wasn't stupid enough to believe that the Sith would never find them here - none of the Jedi really were.

That had been part of their problem with Ajan Kloss and Yavin was better than that place; better defended and better aware of the new nature of the Galaxy.

Letting out a breath, Crix let himself relax ever so slightly as he walked out of the command center he had been using to co-ordinate the defenders. The Gammorean clans they had were ready and willing to do battle but they were hardly battlefield commanders. The ships above fought fiercely and Crix was glad that he was down here and not up there - his flying might have improved but he wanted no part of an actual space battle.

He shot off a quick message to Clove ( @LilyNion ) - Be smart, be careful and be safe. The Force is with you Padawan.

With his lightsaber in his right hand, he stepped out to stand alongside Alex and... his train of thought kind of stuttered a little bit when Sevrin jumped into place.

"... hi." he almost squeaked before he racked his brain to try and think of something better to say, "Big fan of your work on Denon?"

... the fuck? Why did he lead with that? Why did it sound like a question?!

Ugh. No. Nope.

Nu-uh.

He wasn't going to go into battle blushing like a teenager over stumbling over his worlds in front of a pretty (beautiful, really) face!

He turned back to the face the advancing Sith and, like Sevrin, he immediately noticed someone familiar. Igniting his main lightsaber in his right hand, the blue blade hummed before he pointed it at Bir.

"Do you not learn when it comes to attacking Jedi temples? How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?"

@GABA @Taz @Tulos
@Sreeya @Valen Pelora

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It was nice to see they had some toys to play with, like children preventing others from knocking down their castle, it would be meant as a deterrent, perhaps in desperation because they knew they were not as strong as they believed to be. However, it seemed awfully impressive the Grandmaster herself was present, this certainly made the odds a bit spicy, but the Eternal reveled in the pain they were already inflicting within the Force and on their home. Though it seemed too, the Jedi leader would need a bit of help from her own companions; all that the creature's host has met in some aspect or another: a Zabrak too innocent at heart and fairly naïve, and Elfie-boy, with that all too familiar alluring gaze.

Turrets took their aim as they approach, the weapon fire meant to stop them upturned dirt and splintered the trees as the dark woman carved a new path to the Grandmaster and Jedi. The pig army they seemed to have acquired were in no match for he dark creature's power, too bold and too stupid to find their fight elsewhere as they took their warrior's death head-on. The dark side wrapped around the throats of the pig fighters, their obnoxious squealing subsiding until she discarded them to their Sith troopers with a lazy toss to further clear their path. The Eternal hunger remained ever growing...

The Light continued its intensity the closer she got to the Grandmaster, the two sides of the Force clashing like opposing tides of the ocean; order and balance took effort to maintain unlike chaos. The dark creature kept her gaze on Alex and continued to be aware of the others, but where they? To test, the Zabrak would feel a tug, the dark invisible tendrils pulling him to the Sith, not further delaying his opportunity for a teaching lesson he emphasized.

@Taz @Tulos
@Valen Pelora @Sreeya @Nefieslab

 

[Aziz]

To no surprise of the Sith, the followers of the light had put up a meager defense. Overhead the fleets would clash with one another, like wasp swarms they would dance around the sky above. The shield was a nice touch, and the walkers were an interesting choice. The rest was moot to Aziz and the Lord.

As the battle raged above, a squad of advanced TIEs would manage to open the blockage enough for a dropship and a tank hauler to land supporting forces for the Sith on the ground. As Sevrin (@Sreeya ) made his entrance, 2 tanks and a 20 troopers would also enter the battlefield. As the Jedi cannons and walkers attempted to engage be met with equal(ish) fire power. Allowing Aziz to follow suit with The Eternal.

As the Eternal strode to meet Jedi through the line of pig men, Aziz followed. The darkside augmenting his body, allowing him to cut a swathe through the Jedi's defenses. Cutting, slashing, batting away bolts. Carving a clear line toward the three Jedi Masters. His helmeted gaze appearing to lock on the knife eared Master as he closed the distance. However, the sudden bolt of raw darkside energy would seek the chest area of the Alex (@Valen Pelora ).

@GABA @Tulos @Nefieslab

 

[Bir Vuul]

Familiar faces. Familiar auras. This would be a curse to an ex Jedi such as Bir. This would be the downfall similar to the one he had faced on Ossus, light shining through the world like a beacon to it’s defenders. The only difference, one that was impossible to ignore, was that a figure of pure darkness led this assault. Pulses of black invisible to the naked eye enveloped the mad champion, silencing the voice buried within his mind. No, all that existed here, all that existed now, was the machine crafted to serve his new Masters.

The call of a familiar foe from across the battlefield was hardly heard over the sounds of war, screams of death and explosions above drowning out much. Even so, Bir picked out his dearest friend Crix from across the battlefield. As he marched forth, a wide grin formed on his leathery face partnered with an energetic wave. How delighted he was to see him again.

”Hello, my friend! You look well! Yes! Staunch as ever! Well fed, indeed, indeed!”

Troops poured from landing craft that had survived the orbit onslaught, engaging the soldiers of light. Gammoreans, unknowingly enslaved by their newest puppeteers, were sliced down by blaster, steel and saber. In the middle of the madness, Bir was at his best. Crimson met viridian flesh and exposed the sinue of muscle and tendon beneath thick skin. Blasts of energy filled the sky. Defeated fighters fell to the jungle, igniting fires that would eventually reach their focus of conflict. Even if the Jedi defeated them, their losses would be great. They had to be.

Bringing his blade through the chest of a Gamorrean soldier at the sides of his compatriots, Bir glanced upwards in time to see an allied fighter falling to the surface with tails of flames and shrapnel. It would land between the combatants who faced one another, safe enough of a distance to harm neither side, but what it did bring was an ample tool. Trees fell, fires burned, screams of those pinned beneath it’s wreckage filled the air. The chaos that surrounded them fed Bir’s ambition and drive, his left hand reaching outward and coiling the Force around a fallen limb of said nearby tree lit aflame. As Aziz poured his efforts towards Alex(@Valen Pelora ), Bir too launched the burning appendage of Yavin in her direction, though it was wide enough that it would present a danger to all three should it not be addressed.

@Sreeya @Nefieslab
@GABA @Taz​

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin saw the approaching Sith, his keen eyes taking in sight of all three of them. He didn’t miss the ships and tanks making their descent, all squaring off against the Yavin artillery. The Jedi Master observed the positioning of the Sith, the Eternal slightly ahead carving a path and her minions slicing and dicing. He felt each death, but he wouldn’t mourn them right now in the heat of battle.

The Sephi watched the Sith slash and attack to cut their way through the Gamorreans. While the Jedi Master didn’t move ahead, he discreetly raised his hands as if he were an orchestra conductor. With the Force coiling against both Bir and Aziz, he flicked his hands inwards to bring them together. This would make them both face towards the Eternal and, in their full crazed fury, send them slashing, dicing, cutting, launching Force attacks all directly upon her and into her flank. With their proximity and their commitment to cutting down the pig men, it was virtually impossible to resist the abrupt yank and change in trajectory or stop their forward momentum. The Eternal, who was slightly ahead, would be hard pressed to see the attacks coming with her focus on Alex and Crix. Bir and Aziz would abruptly lose line of sight of the Jedi as a result of all this.

@Tulos @GABA @Taz @Nefieslab @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

The Force smiled. Alex’s eyes flicked upward for half a moment as the shuttle screamed below. Her handed tighten before the doors slid open. A familiar figure landed gracefully beside her. Alex allowed the smile to spread across her face. She should have known Sevrin would appear when they needed him most. There was a brief moment of relief in her heart. She could truly count on so few. Sevrin had never failed them. Still, the enigmatic Shadow was true to the stories. A mystery to most but their greatest warrior. “You’re forgiven…traffic was bad.” She gestures toward the general mess in the sky. Now, the Sith who realize the depth of their mistake.

The Grandmaster’s focus returned to the battle before them. Her heart beat steadily in time with the Light. Yavin was teaming with life, a bastion of the Force. Here she was strongest. The well of the Light calling to her. With Sevrin and Crix beside her, they would not fail. She trusted the young Knight and she would lend her strength if needed.

Waves of Darkness crashed against the Light. The Marauders were concerning but her fight rested with the moving shadow. The Eternal. Alex struck in time with Sevrin. Her full power in the Force rushing forth…dwarfing whatever the rank and file could muster. Her left hand clenched as the Force wrapped around the Eternal…constricting…slowing…immense pressure on the creatures.

With her right hand Alex gripped the elements. Flames roared across the battlefield. They belonged to her. The Light hammering through her chest Alex pulled the torrents of flame from behind and beside the beast. Three pillars of flame headed for the monster and the monster alone…Alex’s face a mask of concentration. Sevrin had dealt with whatever the Marauder’s sought but they did not entirely leave her focus. The dark wave of energy and burning branch headed for their Dark Lord instead of the Morellian Jedi. This was their home and they would not bend.

@GABA @Sreeya @Nefieslab @Taz @Tulos

 

[Crix Aran]

Staunch as ever? Compliment.

Well fed indeed? Eh, Crix wasn't sure how to take that one so he was going to err on the side of experience and assume the Sith was mocking him. And after he had tried so very nicely to teach him the error of his ways back on Ossus... being an educator of wayward youths never had felt like much of a victory.

War was all around them but it was to the benefit of the Jedi that they were trained to filter through the noise - to accept it as the way of the Galaxy but move on regardless, to carry on toward a brighter Galaxy. Sith Troopers and Acolytes threw themselves against Gamorreans, droids and Jedi and the carnage was just beginning. As much as the Sith liked to put faith in their technology, it had been turned against them in space as their own style of ships were battering away at them, at commanders so used to only having to fight enemy forces using vastly smaller resources that they were scrambling to adjust strategies.

Far above the forest moon, a Raider corvette exploded violently as it was utterly destroyed by the Jedi Order's Onager-Class Star Destroyer.

Gamorreans were literally shattering trooper armour with mighty swings of their axes while Knights and some long-time Padawans protected their advance, surging from the Temple as those selected to guard the Temple fulfilled their duty. For every Gamorrean taken down, their clan members raged all the harder and the Sith troopers had to focus on each and every one of them, lest the monstrously strong pigmen tear them apart - many troopers were unable to avoid just such a fate.

Crix would pay their clans visits after to reward their service once he had managed to learn the butcher's bill for the battle - a battle he was confident they would win. Because the Sith assault all hinged on The Eternal, that cloying Dark Side blot that tasted like burnt Corellian coffee and blood in the back of his throat. With the Sith so focused on participating in the ongoing battle around them, the Jedi were free to capitalise and Crix was happy to do so.

Reaching out with the Force, he dove into assaulting both Bir and Aziz with the Force, assaulting their minds directly. As they were being manhandled by Sevrin (there was a dirty joke there he wasn't going to say, in spite his training with Hans) he attacked with sudden and powerful feelings of drowsiness, vertigo and mental fatigue with the Dull Sense ability. Their ability to resist Sevrin's own assault was dependant on their minds and will - so he attacked that which they needed the most to do so.

@Taz @Tulos @GABA
@Sreeya @Valen Pelora

 

[Aziz]

The Sith and their assault would manage to push forward and greatly close the distance to within 15 meters of the temple steps. Edging ever closer to victory.

However. As Aziz would slice through the pigman in his way to aiming his force attack at the Jedi, he found himself suddenly being yeeted toward the Eternal, who was not facing him. He understood what was happening in that moment, such actions were a commonly used attack among their kind, both Sith and Jedi. The human Sith did not fight it, rather flowing with the pull as it guided him to his Lord.

But he did not gut her, as his Masterful attacker might have been expected to being left handed. Instead shifting his body and charging forth, leading with his right side as the pull took him right and towards the Eternal's left. Being a foot taller and having the tiny woman by nearly 200 lbs, Aziz instead planet his right elbow to the Eternal's shoulder, and rolled over the top of her. Landing at his feet between the other Sith and the Grand Master.

All the while he felt the lackluster intrusion of the other Jedi. However it lacked focus. Like a single invisible hand try to open the locks of two different doors. Jedi did not have the time nor the willpower to allow for such. Aziz did feel the enemy at the gates so to speak. But it was not enough to halt him from charging forth.

His crimson red blade low but still at the ready in his left hand. The force pull of the Master now ebbing. Aziz augmented his body with the darkside to simply move with preternatural speed, and finish closing with Alex to slice at her from hip to shoulder across her body. Seeing as she was focused on the Eternal with no weapon in hand or at least not ignited she could continue to assault on the other Sith or answer Aziz, however likely not both.

@GABA @Tulos @Sreeya @Valen Pelora @Nefieslab

 

[Bir Vuul]

The touch of the Force, easily identifiable to one who’s trained the entirety of their life, was felt by Bir as Sevrin (@Sreeya ) made his attempt to collide Sith against Sith. If this had been all he needed to focus on then perhaps he could have found a way to remain in position but another Jedi (@Nefieslab ) had decided to interject in their affairs. While Crix was not a push over by any means, his service to the Jedi Order long standing and noteworthy, he was not meddling with the minds of your common soldiers of the Empire. Aziz, a fully fledged Sith Champion with the standard training of nearly all Force Practitioners to resist these efforts. Bir, normally a viable target to such an attack as evident from Denon, was able to focus on the battle at hand rather than being caught off guard as in the past. Partnering this with the influences of darkness coming from their leader effectively silencing the catalyst of his madness and disparity, he was better equipped now for such an approach.

That is not to say it would be entirely ineffective. Feeling the intrusive influence of Crix, Bir’s eyes pressed tight as he focused on shutting the Iridonian out from his mind. This meant that Sevrin’s efforts were more successful, pulling Bir towards the Eternal as he prepared to launch the fallen tree limbs in their direction. As the half-sephi’s maneuver began, it forced Bir to halt his own efforts and instead focus on not harming his superior.

Dropping to his left side as he was pulled to the south-west, Bir would thumb the activation plate of his weapon and retract the red blade mere seconds before it would impact the Eternal’s legs. This, however, put him below the pillar of fire that was being directed by the Grand Master as he slid across the ground of Yavin. While he was below the currents of flame, the right shoulder of his robe singed from the heat though his leathery hide provided him some form of protection.

Coming to a halt, allowing the Force to amplify his speed in getting back to his feet, Bir now focused on the Iridonian Jedi. Anger, evil influence, the pain radiating from his slightly blackened shoulder, these all fed his ambition. His left hand reached forth to coil around Crix’ neck tightly with the intent on pulling him in closer. Left unimpeded, the Knight would be brought within range of the Kel Dor and allow them the opportunity to get to know one another more intimately.

@GABA @Taz @Valen Pelora​

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The Light was indeed stunning, a power its host seemed respect more than others that had held the mask. A power that had indeed rejected and abandoned her, and leaving the Eternal to relish in her pain and loneliness as it pulled on the source. The combined attacks had met the Sith warriors violently, and for itself, they could feel their own movements begun to slow. The Grandmaster's power attempted to prevent the creature from moving forward and at least giving Aziz his spring-board to launch himself ahead of the group and to the Grandmaster and others.

With a new adversary to divert the light-sided woman's attention, the Eternal's own power repulsed against the Light. The pillars of fire that had been directed to the dark creature's standing was pacified against the eerie violet shimmer of a domed barrier, scorching the ground around it. A menacing growl echoed from the creature as the ash rained around it; the ground below its feet gave a low rumble as it rippled swiftly like liquid to the feet of the Jedi. Each step the Eternal took forward, it squeezed its fist: one-two-three- large columnar-like formations jutted upward from the ground at Sevrin's feet: in front, back, and side, one after another to divide Sev from the Grandmaster and it's Sith Champion. Though regardless where he would land his footing, he would have to contend with a cold sensation, one that made him feel as though his midsection were pulling apart from the inside.

Its gaze turned to the Grandmaster, keeping Sev in its peripheral. "Run...run... run..." a raspy voice echoed. If she wanted the Jedi to stay on Yavin, it would be happy to arrange it.

@Taz @Tulos
@Valen Pelora @Sreeya @Nefieslab

 

[Alexandria Voran]

The Jedi were her family, and she would do anything to protect them. Her resolve never wavered. The torrent of flame roared at The Eternal from her sides and back. Bir (@Tulos), the broken Kel Dor, twisted his body under the current of fire. Alex watched as the masked marauder (@Taz) was not at lucky. Instead of avoiding the inferno, he was in the direct path and took no action escape…he vaulted on the Eternal…placing himself directly into Alex’s burning path. Aziz would be consumed before ever reaching the Grandmaster. The pillars of fire eating through armor and flesh alike.

Her focus never left the monster (@GABA). The purifying flames never relented. They had underestimated her. Her Light in the Force could be felt for ages. Alex crushed the fire into the shield, applying the breadth of her power to crack through the violet barrier. The Eternal had split her attention between Alex and Sevrin. A grave mistake…for the Grandmaster had not stopped. The barrier would break, and the Eternal would burn. The creature could not possibly maintain the focus to attack Sevrin and protect itself. Her voice was soft but carried across the battlefield. The Sith forces having seen the will of the Jedi…their unyielding nature. “Yes…run.” Fear rippled through the troops.

If Aziz managed to continue his Darkside fueled charge despite near mortal wounds, Alex would simply step backward far enough to avoid his slash, the Force in her left-hand ripping force in a powerful blast directed at his chest…careful to avoid losing a limb to an arrent slash. A simple move but affective if necessary.

@Nefieslab @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin watched as the fire erupted and the two Sith almost collided against the Eternal. One of them narrowly missed it and skidded underneath to focus his sights on Crix. For all the ways he was insane, the Kel Dor had earned Sevrin's respect in battle. He always fought in measured ways that never underestimated his opponents. The other, for whatever reason, felt the need to use his own ally as a launch pad. The Sephi’s brow rose as he watched the display, 300 lbs of muscle digging into the shoulder of a small, lithe figure with all his weight focused into the point of an elbow.

The Grandmaster was unrelenting in her attacks, pressing forward with her fire in an effort to subdue the Eternal. Sevrin kept his focus on the approach of Aziz, the Champion powering himself with Force speed to dart across the length of fifty feet. For a seasoned Jedi like Sevrin, this was more than enough time to react.

Even if the Eternal managed to raise the ground, the agile Sephi would jump up to perch himself atop one of the columns. The subsequent attempts of penetrating him with the Dark Side of the Force would be interjected with the Grandmaster’s continued focus on the Eternal. Sevrin never took his eyes off Aziz, watching the Force enhanced dash as he became a blur, but not so fast that a Jedi couldn’t track.

Without warning, the Sephi gripped the barreling 300 lb human by the head. The result would be the rest of his body charging forth while his head remained behind. It would be a sudden and horrendously painful whiplash, enough to tear through some tissue and muscle. However, it was purposely not enough to kill him based on the amount of oppressing pressure Sevrin applied. At most Aziz would topple onto his back during his approach, left with a prolonged sensation of excruciating pain followed by feeling temporarily numbed from the neck down.

It would become abundantly clear that the Jedi Master was perfectly capable of having snapped Aziz’s neck or permanently paralyzing him. But he exerted precise control over his use of the Force to do just enough damage to stop his approach and leave him temporarily stunned. With his charging and forward momentum and his focus on the Grandmaster, he would be hard pressed to do anything to stop the abrupt and sudden interruption.

Granted that his attempt succeeds, Sevrin would instantly shift focus to the Kel Dor, coiling the Force around him to hold him in stasis to allow Crix the advantage of getting an attack in.

@GABA @Tulos @Taz @Valen Pelora @Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

The closer he was to The Eternal, the closer he was to someone who had done unspeakable things. Not to other Jedi or even to the Galaxy as a whole - it might be cold of him but he didn't care about that in the moment. What he cared about was that this sickening presence within the Force, this gaping wound, was the one responsible for his mother's coma. They were the reason he had almost lost her and, in a very real sense, they were the reason she had lost so much of herself.

That he couldn't focus on them, that he couldn't be upfront about his desire to thrust his lightsaber into their chest and twist? It dug at something inside of him, that kernel of anger that he knew he would always carry with him. Part of him burned with the aching need to do harm to The Eternal, to make them feel some of what they had visited upon his mother.

Unfortunately for Bir, he was the closest acceptable target instead.

As Bir began to rise to his feet, Crix ceased his mental assault both because it wasn't as effective as planned and also because... because it wouldn't hurt as much. At the same time Bir reached out for him to Pull, Crix reached out to Bir - to the embers that clung to his burnt cloak so very close to his face. With a grunt, he would energise those embers, causing them to burst into a fireball directed right at the side of the Kel Dor's face, attacking the apparatus protecting his ability to breathe the air around him, the goggles that kept his eyes from drying into sightless orbs and the sensory organs on the side of the face.

With or without Sevrin also applying a stasis, Crix would lean into the Pull and it's momentum at a quick pace to keep himself from being bowled over and would swing his lightsaber horizontally at Bir's stomach from the Kel Dor's right to left - aiming to hide the initial motion of the blade with the flames and, potentially, the damage dealt to the Kel Dor's face.

@GABA @Tulos @Taz
@Valen Pelora @Sreeya

 

[Aziz]

Aziz had managed to spare the Life of the Eternal from his own blade, and in effect, should have been freed from the flames meant for the Lord as they were aimed to strike at her back and her sides. But it was not to be. Perhaps it was the Sith Lord's barrier, or the Grand Master was truly grand indeed.

No matter. As the flamed started to envelop the armored human, he was already committed to his mission. In a blink, he flew across to remained distance between himself and the Greatest Jedi alive (@Valen Pelora ). Only to be stopped short of slicing her in half by the other Master (@Sreeya ). The body willing but somehow his head was not, it froze in mid air as the rest of him continued. He hardly felt the pop though. As the flames consumed armor and flesh. Burning off the nerve endings.

Aziz slumped to the ground then, body numb but somehow still wracked with pain. All but forgotten now by the two Jedi. Fear suddenly grew within him, fear quickly turning to anger and hate. If he was going to die here, then he would use his last breath to take one of them with him, if at all possible. Drawing on the darkside one last time. The champion pulled the flames from his still burning body, forming the mass into a fireball six feet in diameter, and hurled it toward the two Masters as the wave from Alex cashed into the Sith's chard remains. Taking the last breath from him, the Sith fell back gasping until he was no more.

@Tulos @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Pain radiated from where Aziz had vaulted from its shoulder. Something was certainly damaged in the body of its host, weakening its one arm and leaving the pain to pulse with every feather of movement by the creature. It let out a yell of fury as the shielding kept against the flame, though it could feel its host depleting its reserves as it contended with the Grandmaster's power and could not last without dire consequence. Her feet dug in a little deeper as she realized Aziz was no longer standing, and instead he laid barely unmoving until his last act as Sith.

If Aziz's last and final offense proved to be successful, it would give the creature's host the moment it needed to retreat and it seemed to know it also. She took a step back, yelling in the pain that body demanded relief as she gave the order: "Fallback!" She commanded to the breaking line of troopers, the directive echoed among the lines. For herself, the Sith Lord drew in a breath, lungs burning from the strain of her shielding, the heat of the air, knowing in order to retreat, she would have to pass through the turbulence of fire if the Grandmaster had not stop.

And so, with her remaining reserves, when the shield broke, she darted, the Force carrying her with unnatural speed as she turned with the retreating troops away from her location and the Grandmaster's attack. The flames if they had not stopped would of course catch her as she pushed through swiftly and back to the forest; the thick grey and black smoke that blanketed the area would hopefully give her troops some cover. Flames that stuck ate through her outer robe and clothing as she discarded what she could; she could feel where she was burned, her heart pounded as loudly as her head as she continued the retreat. Movement was becoming excruciating and the rest her body demanded would have to wait until they were safe in hyperspace.

/Exit Attempt

@Tulos (@Taz)
@Valen Pelora @Sreeya @Nefieslab