Ask Invasion Attack On Dathomir

[Asher Teric]

Asher instinctively tightened his grip on the standard-issue rifle - glancing back towards the sounds of commotion on their flank. Just as predicted, the Nightsisters couldn’t resist the urge to attack their main force, and it justified all of the planning and preparation for ambush that had taken place prior. Snipers and scouts along the canyon rapidly began to relay information back to their main Force.

But nothing could prepare Asher for the actual sight of it.

It wasn’t Rancors, animals or witches that attacked them. But it was their own brothers and sisters - twisted and reanimated by the witches of Dathomir. Asher could feel the bloodied and mangled bodies of fallen Imperial soldiers, still donning the armor and uniforms they bound them together. He saw their broken bodies drag across the floor and sprint towards them in defiance of nature, devoid of the light that had once filled them.

Asher watched as they lunged as the first line of troopers - fingers twitching towards the trigger of his weapon. He expected the order to defend against the onslaught, delaying any reinforcement to the Grand Marshal. He practically moved to the edge of the transport, prepared to engage at a moment's notice.

But the orders never came. Instead, Asher could only begrudgingly obey command - lifting into the air and away from the scene. He took in a sharp inhale through his nostrils, anger bubbling beneath the surface and barely hidden. The longer time passed, the more horrific things on the ground became. It was becoming clear that they needed to locate the Queen as quickly as possible - lest they fail to attrition alone.

 

[Altair Din]

“Because of situations like this,” Altair said calmly in response to Dram’s(@Alhon) question as the rumbling began. The ground gave way beneath him, and he had just enough time to channel the Force into a concussive blast aimed downwards to control the descent down. This wouldn't stop the descent, but they wouldn’t be crushed. That combined with Astrid’s barrier would minimize the damage people took. He landed in an almost cheesy superhero landing with his fist pounding into the ground and in a low crouch.

Altair rose to his feet, surveyed the mist and decided enough was enough. He was done attempting to preserve the planet. He drew up his comlink, “Main forces fall back,” He said to them, “We’re going to shift to a purely aerial assault. I’m done losing men for this,” PR couldn’t touch them now. It would be all too easy to paint Renfry as the war criminal that brought her planet to ruin.

He didn’t bother with either of the exits, turning on his heel and storming from the place after blasting a makeshift hole open behind him. Before he did so, he spotted Vanya after she answered the question directed at her. He was on her in a flash, his hand around her throat. She had been utterly worthless in his eyes. She couldn’t prevent this. And he didn’t care what know-it-all al-Bahir had to say about it - she didn’t know anything about Imperials being her brethren. Altair slammed Vanya back against a wall behind her, his fingers closing in around her delicate neck.

For a moment, he wanted to keep squeezing the life out of her like what happened to so many of his men. He dared her to say something smart. If she did, he’d snap her neck right there. In the end he wanted her to stick around to watch the utter destruction of her planet. So he released her, his amethyst gaze burning with rage. He stepped away and continued walking. Their forces would withdraw and come back with something far worse.

Along the way he spotted Aadya (@Logan). Internally he was furious with her and the way she planted doubts within his mind, but he wouldn’t lose his temper. Not with her, not after everything they had gone through. He calmly approached her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder, “Do you still believe in me?” He asked quietly, feeling doubts even in himself. But the question was barely above a whisper so only she could hear. No one else. No one else needed to hear that right now.

Roll:88/100

 

[Renfry]

Indeed, the bombers rained destruction on the jungle and on the Nightsisters within. Flame and destruction tore up the land and as they did, the bodies of those who had been resurrected came to a stop.

The decision by the flanking force to continue their take off would mean they covered the distance to the pyramid in short order and would be able to land wherever they chose in order to act as the intercepting force for other Nightsisters or even the Queen herself.

The dust and smoke that rose from the area was thick, but they would be able to make out the front entrance still if they chose to enter that way or make an attempt to descend from above where the peak had just collapsed inward.

Alternatively, they would be able to land at the zone of the hole that Altair had just blasted into the wall.

Within the pyramid, the fates seemed to be on the side of the Imperials. @Altair Din, @Aadya Rasheer, and @Max Dram would manage to hit the ground without more than a few scrapes and bruises as stones fell down around them.

@Astrid al-Bahir would be slightly less lucky as a chunk of stone rained down on her shoulder, slamming into it and causing massive pain to shoot through the shoulder and arm.

To say Vanya was caught off guard by the assault by Altair was an understatement. He moved with astounding speed, and for the first time there was genuine fear in her eyes as she was slammed into the wall.

It was then that the green mist seemed to snap together into a single form. The former-Empress stood among them with her back to the north door, green power flowing over both of her hands as she released a blast at them while they scrambled after their wounded.

It had enough force behind it to easily send anyone who didn't defend themselves flying out into the open.

For her part, Vanya pulled a green shimmering ball around herself just in time to lessen the blow, but still slammed into the far wall and knocked her to the ground and nearly forced the wind from her lungs. Whether he wanted to or not, Altair was at least partially wrapped up in her barrier and some part of the blow to him would be lessened regardless of whether he did anything else to protect himself.

 

[Astrid al-Bahir]

Pain ran down Astrid's left arm from her shoulder and she knew the armor likely saved her from a worse injury than whatever she was left with. The limb felt half numb for the moment and she couldn't tell yet if that was temporary or if it was dislocated or broken. The Knight experimentally prodded and moved her shoulder while Altair handed out his orders for an aerial approach.

She found the limb's responsiveness wanting. "Ma'am, your arm-?" "I can get another," she calmly told her squad sergeant, a hint of stiffness in her tone. Astrid's visor turned toward the Grand Marshal as she advanced on Vanya and grabbed her by the neck. By all appearances she only watched for a moment, her right hand hovering near her waist. Some others stiffened in case of a fight. Astrid warily watched the mist she hadn't gotten an answer about.

A fight came, but not with Singing Mountain. Somehow, Queen Renfry had appeared. Astrid's immediate reaction was to use the Force to yank a large, loose stone from above Renfry to drop down on her as she materialized.

"Secure our exit-," her orders to the Marines were interrupted by the Queen's sudden wave of telekinetic power. She tried to shield herself and General Dram, from Renfry's power, diving and skidding over to take hold of Dram (@Alhon ) with her good arm and erecting a physical Force barrier. Even with her above-average skill with shielding relative to her rank, she barely held it as they'd both skid back. It was like trying to shield against a hurricane.

The injured one still loudly complained about the whole experience but her armored form would protect the General and herself from being smashed against the rocks. Both pairs of Knights did their best to shield the marines under their protection before escorting them to the exit to secure it- and get out of the way.

Astrid would get to her feet and wordlessly hand Dram her pistol if he hadn't found his own gear yet before drawing and igniting her lightsaber, standing between him and Queen Renfry. She was injured but could still serve as a shield. Regardless of the General's opinion of Force wielders, his shield she would be.

They were in the end game now.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Logan @Alhon

Spoiler: TLDR

Astrid tries to drop a rock on Renfry as she appears. She blunts her TK wave for her and General Dram but skids/rolls backward. She offers Dram her sidearm if he never got his own gear back. She ignites her lightsaber and guards the General.

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The transports passed over the army on their way out, undead armies pressing in on the army's main force. Footage of the attack was being beamed directly to the command ships above. XG-1s screamed past them, delivering their missiles. The undead ceased with the bombing, bringing up cheers across the army, but not before the undead had taken their toll on the army's forces.

The call to retreat off-world came out as their group continued to the pyramid. Jon waited for follow-up Orders, but those never came. With the lighting drawing nearer, Jon scowled beneath his helmet.

"Get me to the command ship. I will coordinate our evacuation from there," he told the pilots as they broke toward orbit. Without the undead attacking them and their way clear back to their staging area. It would not take long for the main army to be clear of the area.

Jon sat down for the first time in hours and peeled his helmet off, sweat-plastered hair matted against his head. The day was not over yet. They would begin leveling the palace once the army was clear from the canyon. That would be the first of many targets he imagined.

This world would burn.

@Sreeya @Arcangel @Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

She felt him coming and yet, Altair's touch on Aadya's shoulder still managed to catch her by surprise. As if it was something mystical, it conjured so many memories in her mind nearly instantly it was like watching a holovid on fast forward.

His question was unexpected and Aadya wasn't quite sure how to answer him, at least not right away. Which, for her, was quite telling in its own way and Altair was probably smart enough to catch that. Aadya was generally so sure of things.. well, at least most things.

Her eyes drifted to his, amethyst pools of swirling doubt. She felt it in him, perhaps the only person who did. It reminded her of Altair when she had met him, what seemed like an entire lifetime ago. Comparing who he was then and who he was now, you could probably convince Aadya that they weren't even the same person.

A caricature of the man Aadya had fallen in love with. And perhaps, at the end of the day, that is what she had such a hard time letting go of. The ghost of the man she loved, desperately hoping that somehow, some way that person would come back.

But that's just how things worked in real life. Not even the force could change things like that. Aadya let out of a small huff of a chuckle, like you did when you realized just how stupid you were being. How simple things actually were. When the fog cleared and it was staring you right in the fucking face.

No, I don't. She said simply, the the pain of uttering those words would be evident in her eyes. But they do. And I know that you won't let them down.

Before she could say much more, Renfry would materialize and send out her attack. With little recourse she could think of, Aadya would put as much of her energy as she could in the short time to let the force envelop and shield her. Her only real goal was to absorb as much of the brunt as possible.

She could figure out what to do after that if she managed to survive.

Spoiler: tldr

aadya makes a barrier around herself in an attempt to absorb as much of the brunt as possible

 

[Altair Din]

He should have expected Aadya to drive in a dagger when he was vulnerable, but it didn't sting any less. It was what anyone he had grown close to had done to him. Where she saw a shell of the man she loved, he saw yet another architect that contributed to the design of who he was today. For better or worse. Just like Clove. Just like Ashla. Just like Cairo. Just like Vahl. Every individual from his past, from when he started as an acolyte, couldn’t stand him ever growing or evolving beyond that inept farmer boy they knew. No, they wanted to fit him into a box, into the version of himself that never had heartache and tragedies. The version of him that didn’t have chinks in the armor, that could love and give the galaxy to others. He wasn’t that man. Not anymore.

Altair felt Renfry’s presence without even looking in her direction. He had been around her before, so he knew what was happening. The blast sent them flying outwards, and based just on proximity, he was thrown with Aadya. He landed atop her, shielding her from the debris. For a moment he gazed down at her - as if the rest of the battle was forgotten, as if their very target wasn’t standing right behind them. It all happened in the blink of an eye, but it felt like an age.

As he began to move off, his hand pressed down against Aadya’s wrist where she had old burn marks from when she was under the tutelage of Darth Raze. When she burned her sins and weaknesses away. He thought about promises he had made to her about never being a source of the mark. And yet right then, his thumb grazed along an unmarred spot on her forearm, “Then burn me away,” He said barely above a whisper as he gazed down at her, a man, not the boy she knew, “Because I’m your biggest sin.”

In that same fluid motion, he was rolled off and he leapt to face the Queen. He knew by then Astrid and Max would have acted. Regardless, he channeled the Force through the staff, unleashing a powerful stream of lightning at Renfry. It wasn’t ordinary lightning - it was woven with the magick of the staff, releasing in a bright green streak right for the Queen’s torso.

"Give room!" He called to the others as he started backing away, "Don't allow her to collapse the pyramid on you!"

@Logan @Phoenix

 

[Max Dram]

Max hauled himself up. He sensed nothing was broken and felt a wave of relief, indeed he seemed to have taken only a few scrapes from the fall. He threw off the rocks and debris clinging to his uniform, knowing he would feel the bruises tomorrow.

He heard Altair's orders to fall back and saw the Tiefling blast open an exit route, a sigh escaping Max's lips. It would be satisfying to set fire to Dathomir from above, but they had already given so much in their hunt for the Queen. Must it really be in vain? But the General had seen enough to know sometimes it had to be. War was not just. No amount of death and sacrifice was guaranteed to earn its worth. He would have to content himself with watching the Grand Marshal throttle Vanya here and now.

Max was glancing over his kit for damage when there was a shift in the air and Queen Renfry finally stood before them. She appeared suddenly and though he leveled his rifle he paused for a second, remembering the mission was to take her alive. The witch attacked in an instant and it was only Al-Bashir leaping in front of him that seemed to save him from her assualt. Max and the Knight were forced backwards, skidding partially through the opening Altair had created.

"Thanks" Max said earnestly, waving away her offer of a pistol. Al-Bashir (@Mr. Teatime ) ignited her saber and interposed herself between Max and the Queen, earning more kudos with the General than the Knight knew. It irked him to hide behind anyone, but he knew she would be far better placed to deflect any more attacks from the Queen.

He still had a line of sight though and cocked his rifle, switching to stun and leaning around the Knight to unleash a hail of shots directly at the Queen, holding his fire when Altair dove in from the side.

They were really teaming up on the bitch now and with any luck she would succumb to one of them before it got too ugly. If not, he was primed and ready to tango.

 

[Renfry]

The moment that Renfry appeared, the fight was on. In a race to react between Renfry and Astrid, the former-Empress had much more practice and experience over the fresh Knight. The Empress did have to move to the right side as the stone crashed down behind her, and she didn't stop moving. The problem was that the attempt to bring down the boulder as well as create a barrier against someone exponentially more powerful than her all in the time it took Renfry to launch her attack meant she would simply run out of time to fully protect the two of them.

Astrid would find the barrier plan did not go quite so well as she had hoped, and the damage would be far more serious than she had anticipated, perhaps even taking her out of the fight outright rather than just sending her scraping backwards. On the other hand, Aadya would manage to shield herself despite being thrown backwards, ready to get back into the fight whenever she chose.

Max would fair decently with his years of military training and athleticism. Some small part of the blast was still dampened by the Imperial Knight, and he would manage to unleash his blasts.

For her part, Vanya had now scrambled back to her feet, and launched herself at the Queen in a bout to catch up with the other woman, a sword in her right hand and an orb of green energy in her left.

Renfry was forced to react to multiple things at once. She was never the direct-confrontation type or an open field combatant, but what she lacked in direct combat-training, she made up for in sheer power. She was one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy even now and only held the Clans together through sheer force of will.

One thing that Renfry also had on her side was speed. She let the Shadow flow through her as she moved, continuing to her own right as the stun rounds passed just by her to her left, but she couldn't outrace the lightning from Altair.

Her hand flew up and sent the lightning to the side, rather than letting it slam into her, and instead it slammed into the ground to the side, detonating in a small ball of explosion. Renfry knew whose spear it was, and what it meant. She felt pure rage flowing through her at the sight, and she would unleash it on all of them. She would have her pound of flesh no matter the cost.

Unfortunately, her pause to deflect the lightning meant that one of the stun bolts found her still-outstretched arm. Searing pain shot through her left arm before numbness took over. Little more could be felt and she knew the arm would be worthless for... well, she didn't know how long, but for the present moment at least. But she didn't need her arms per se.

Rather than unleash a physical assault on someone, she opened a channel directly into Aadya's mind. Of all those here, she knew the Imperial Knight the best, and she knew the betrayal by her was the deepest and most infuriating.

It was for that reason, that the Queen selected her. This was personal. She would let a stream of pure, agonizing power unleash within her mind. She would crush her very mind and existence until her body was nothing more than an empty husk. It would take only a moment for it to happen, and it was a testament to the power the Sith Lord held within her.

@Logan @Sreeya @Alhon @Mr. Teatime

 

[Altair Din]

Altair knew he didn’t have time to close the distance for a physical attack with what Renfry was doing. It was a mental attack, and he could tell it was aimed at Aadya. The only thing he could do was disrupt her focus. He coiled the Force around Renfry’s neck, harshly closing around it to choke her. Renfry could keep her assault going on Aadya, but it would come at the cost of having a Sith Lord collapsing her throat.

At the same time, the tiefling glanced at Max to silently signal to keep his barrage of ranged fire going. They needed Renfry constantly juggling multiple attacks to allow a slip up. The entire time, Altair continued stepping back to ensure nothing could be collapsed down atop him. He wasn’t sure how Astrid was faring or if Aadya would recover from the attack, but they couldn’t let off on the assault. Not when they came this far.

@Phoenix @Alhon @Logan @Mr. Teatime

 

[Astrid al-Bahir]

Astrid hadn't immediately noticed how badly she'd been injured, but she certainly noticed when her left arm refused to move upon igniting her lightsaber. She noticed the way her left leg shook. A downward glance and lightning spike of pain told her why. The shoulder's existing injury was finalized by being thrown across the room, pain radiating upward. A shard of metal from the fallen ship had found her left thigh. Hot, black blood fell in rivulets across armor plate as she dropped to one knee to maintain her guard over General Dram, saber up before her in one hand.

The end of the Knight's tail, wrapped around her waist, flicked back and forth. She was in great pain and with limited mobility, but she wasn't out yet. With pride unbroken she focused on the pain, letting it scorch through her wounded limbs and flood her body. The Dark Side gathered within her, pain becoming power.

She let it build, she watched, and she waited.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Logan @Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Max did not have the pulse of the Dark Side to ride, but the sound and feel of finally firing his weapon generated its own thrill. Adrenaline raced through his veins and any residual shock or slowness from the fall melted away.

Al-Bashir was injured by the looks of things, but she still had her saber up and that was some protection. Besides, Max was moving now and ready to adapt to anything that came his way.

He leaned and paced either side of Al-Bashir's position, peppering the Queen with shots. She seemed to dodge or deflect virtually all of them, though he was not sure whether one might have slipped through. It would clearly take more in any case and he switched to automatic, emptying half a magazine at the witch, his broad shoulder handling the recoil so well he barely shifted his aim. Max kept well clear of the lightshow between Renfry and the others, only firing when there was no risk of hitting a friendly.

The General was in his element now, but all the same kept alert and highly aware of his surroundings, military instincts honed over a decade on the watch for any competing threats.

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

“Then burn me away,”

The words echoed in Aadya’s mind, rattling around like a pinball off every bumper on the board. In the past, she would have let that little phrase sear itself into her memory, something she could loop over and over again when Aadya fell down into the dark places.

In the recesses where she kept her secrets, her greatest failures and most agonizing despairs.

But now.. Well, the words pingponged themselves into oblivion, until they were nothing but dust and scattered to the wind. Forgotten. Aadya would oblige the Grand Marshall’s final request. The words exited Aadya’s mind, her memory, finally finding an open hole to escape through. A hole that caught her by surprise, one she hadn’t made. Which meant..

Ah, there was the blinding pain of having your mind forcibly opened, someone trying to scramble your brain like over beaten eggs. Renfry, the heartless wretch, had chosen Aadya for this. Fitting, even if their history was short. She felt the feelings of betrayal between the pain.

The Queen was hurt, though not physically. She raged like a beast thrashing around its cage as it watched the handlers ready it for euthanasia. It was a kind of fear easily mistaken as something else. But it was fear nonetheless.

All of the markings Aadya had left on her body had trained her for a moment like this. Whether he knew it or not, whether he cared or not, Raze had given Aadya the tools to survive this assault. She was not the mentally weak acolyte Renfry had known so many years ago. And despite the Witch Queen’s power, Aadya had something that she did not.

Allies, friends, in times of desperate need.

Brick by brick Aadya stacked a wall in her mind to fight off Renfry. It wasn’t perfect, but it would prevent her - hopefully - from being completely broken. With Altair hopefully acting as a suitable distraction to prevent the Witch Queen from fully concentrating on her, Aadya would attempt to add in a little bit of interruption of her own.

Through gritted teeth and watering eyes, she used what force ability she could muster to pull a piece of jagged, sharp metal from the wreckage around them and send it launching straight for Renfry’s ribcage, the metal flying at her from the left side.

It didn’t require a lot of concentration to do something like that, and Aadya utilized all of the effort she could muster.

In the meantime, she would do everything she could to keep Renfry from destroying her mind as the pain continued to radiate for as long as the Queen kept her attention on Aadya.

Spoiler: tldr

aadya attempts to utilize the training and experience she has to keep renfry from completely skull fucking her, relying on altair’s distraction and her own attempt to break the queen’s concentration and keep her mind from turning into jelly.

@Phoenix @Alhon @Sreeya @Mr. Teatime

 

[Asher Teric]

Reluctantly, Asher watched as his soldiers began to pour onto Imperial shuttles - preparing to abandon the ground assault and pursue a bombing course. The orders had come straight from the Grand Marshal, and were naturally obeyed without question by the bulk of their forces. Even still, Asher couldn’t pretend that they sat right with him. The orders came just as the Grand Marshal and his strike team descended upon the pyramid - with General Dram following close behind. Radio silence followed across all Imperial communication channels. There was no follow-up from their leadership, and the knowledge that Renfry was still at large didn’t sit right with the Lieutenant.

Asher waited until his own platoon filtered onto two Imperial shuttles - one of the last to board himself. Just as the shuttles began to blitz across the skies of Dathomir, he opened a channel to his own men. “Belay that order,” He said firmly, capturing the attention of the men seated around him.

“We will not evacuate while our Grand Marshal and General are still on the ground. The IAF does not abandon its own,” The lieutenant spoke over the comms. He knew that the bulk of the army wouldn’t give credence to anything he was saying - and that the orders of Commander Baize would remain in effect. But this was his own platoon. His own men - who he’d fought and bled with on multiple occasions. "We do not."

Asher knew the risk to himself and his men. They could be court martialed or worse for disobeying orders, but he carried on regardless. “Change course and begin to approach the pyramid. We will reinforce the Grand Marshal and his team until we receive orders to the contrary.” If the pilots within the shuttles refused to carry out those orders, the men seated beside them were prepared to commandeer the two vessels to do so. Even if Commander Baize attempted to oppose them, there was little chance he would gain the compliance those within Asher’s platoon.

Peeling off from the rest of the retreating force, Asher turned back and continued towards the pyramid. He would attempt to land his own forces towards its front entrance, prepared to advance inside upon arrival.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry dipped into the power of herself and this planet. The pain that flooded through her, and the rage that she felt at these people who had betrayed her and come to this world. They deserved everything that came to them. They deserved death, and she would deliver it to them.

She could feel the Force begin to close around her, and she pressed back against it to break the hold around her throat and hold it at bay. It was enough of a distraction that it nearly saved Aadya's life. At least that was until Aadya broke away from focusing the whole and complete effort of her power to hold the Witch Queen at bay.

The instant she pulled her attention to the shards of metal, her fate was sealed. Torn through like a knife through butter, her mind was turned to pulp as her body would fall to the ground an empty husk before the metal ever made its way to the former-Empress.

The Coup de Grace and the ease with which she was able to deliver it meant she could return her attention to keeping the Grand Marshal at bay, forcing power through the grip around her neck to break it like prying fingers off a throat.

As she did, she reached out her good hand and pulled downward, letting pieces of the wall descend on the General as he fired. It was a quick tug and not guided, which would make it easier to avoid or deflect off its course. Speed and equal distraction were the Queen's friends.

It was Vanya who skidded to a halt from her advance and thrust a hand out toward the falling debris, straining and groaning against the weight as wisps of green energy wrapped around the stones. It was too much for her to truly hold, but its slowed descent would buy Max the extra critical instants to avoid being crushed.

For the Queen's part, she wheeled quickly, never seeming to stay in the same place long enough for the stun shots to connect again. Her eyes locked momentarily onto Altair, blazing with golden rage that hadn't been unleashed in two decades.

She had no desire to fight the Matukai in close quarters, but perhaps there was no way to avoid that. Or was there? She could be more slippery than most, and she was powerful at that. She let red ichor form over her palms and sent it shooting out at Altair as he closed in, a strange Sith sorcery designed to simply disintegrate anyone on contact. It was a technique seldom learned among any but the most knowledgeable of sorcerers and only the true potential could be unlocked by someone of incredible power.

---​

The storm that had been broiling in the atmosphere began to come to its climax and lightning flashed through the sky, one of the bolts striking the shuttle being ridden on by @Asher Teric and his troops. The results were devastating as the shuttle lost power and dropped like a stone, it's landing coming in hot and hard.

It slammed into trees and the ground, spewing up dirt and dust. Half of the ship folded in on itself and the twisting of metal could be heard deafeningly through the ship as it decapitated several troopers and more were torn to shreds.

When it all settled out, most of those with Asher were dead, but the lieutenant was not. Furthermore what the Force had chosen to take form him in luck involving the lightning bolt, it gifted back to him by the fact that he was only a few hundred meters from the pyramid.

OOC: I will leave it to you @Altaris whether you would like to roll for personal damage or not

 

[Astrid al-Bahir]

And so Aadya Rasheer fell. Dead or not Astrid couldn't tell and she had neither the time nor concentration to spare finding out. Altair and his Knights now faced a Witch Queen who might be considered akin to a god. Altair, too, had power beyond most others. Their clash was echoed in the Force with power. But even gods may die, and when they did, one cannot hear their howls above the wind.

Astrid's left arm and leg were varying degrees of useless. She herself was paid no attention by the Queen. After all, she was only a wounded soldier. A woman suffused in pain, anger, and sheer pride. She lacked the ability to summon conflagrations or warp weather, raise dead warriors, or tame legions of beasts. Just a soldier, no more, and no less. Astrid knew what she was, and she would show these gods what she could become.

With power gathered through pain, framed by stone and dust as rocks fell somewhere behind her toward General Dram, she focused her amethyst eyes on the Queen. The Force obeyed. Astrid's gathered power would abruptly grasp Queen Renfy as she fired off her destructive magic and yank her toward Altair to force her into close combat with the man who'd never lost a duel in close quarters. Her telekinetic grasp was beyond a usual Knight's strength as a result of her gathered focus. With Renfry focusing on advanced magick, moving rapidly to Dram's stun shots, and keeping Altair away from her, there was an opening in her focus.. Renfry wasn't grounded; Astrid intended to take advantage of this.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Alhon @Logan @Altaris

 

[Altair Din]

Altair wasn’t given the luxury of checking to see what happened to Aadya. He just felt a sudden drop in his stomach, a sense of dread, something terrible. He wanted to vomit and he couldn’t tell why. He didn’t dare turn and look. He had to keep his head in the game - for his and everyone else’s sake. The Queen launched her attacks - something unnatural that he hadn’t seen. At the end of the day, it was still the Force. Nightsisters didn’t operate outside of the boundaries of the Force regardless of how intricate their methods were.

Her projectile attacks launched and she was likely shoved towards him. Altair thrust up his arm that had the Queen’s Gauntlet on it to allow her attack to collide. However, he unleashed it all directly back at her in point blank range in a blink, just as the armor intended. She may have been fast, but it was unlikely she was that fast.

Regardless of how the damage played out from the likely very surprising and unexpected deflect, Altair’s tail would discreetly coil around her leg to prevent her from moving. It was then that his other fist, after he dropped the spear (hopefully for Vanya to pick up), whirled in with an infamous matukai punch aimed at her torso. It would be enough to cave in and shatter bones wherever it landed.


@Phoenix @Altaris @Alhon @Mr. Teatime @Logan

 

[Max Dram]

A sudden crack and rumble above was the only warning Max had and he might have been seriously hurt were it not for Vanya's efforts. He guessed more than knew that their witch defector was the one slowing the falling stone, taking in little but the green shimmer in the air and he leapt and rolled across the ground to the side. A few shards still rained down on his, the smaller ones drawing blood here and there, but he mostly shielded his face with his metal arm.

Occupied with Altair, the Queen likely did not have chance to press her advance so Max seized his opportunity. He did not return to Al-Bashir's cover but darted towards Renfry, as she was likely pulled toward the Grand Marshal.

Max dropped his rifle in its sling and drew his blastsword, taking several strides with his long legs to gain momentum. He paid close attention to where the Queen found herself after Altair's blast and Al-Bashir's pull, firing his jump boots and closing the distance between them far quicker than Renfry could expect.

He aimed to come down right behind her, stabbing toward the center of her spine with the sharp tip of the blastsword, pulling the trigger to follow up and impact with a focused blaster bolt.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Mr. Teatime @Altaris

 

[Asher Teric]

The world around Asher was a blur of chaos. Just as quickly as his shuttle had begun to blitz towards the pyramid, the bolt of Force-enhanced lightning send them hurtling towards the jungle floor. The Lieutenant barely had time to brace himself - strapping into one of the seats - before they collided with the ground. Dozens of men were decapitated and crushed as the shuttle folded in on itself, even if the dust and debris obstructed his vision almost entirely.

Asher didn’t need to see clearly to know he was injured. Pain radiated across his entire body - most prominent from the deep gash that had opened across his forehead and into his thigh. Crimson stained his face and soaked into his uniform, causing the Lieutenant to grit his teeth in agony. He didn’t want to see what had occurred to the men who served alongside him. He didn’t want to see the fate of men who would’ve been alive, if he’d simply followed orders.

Slowly but surely, Asher pulled himself from the wreckage of the Imperial shuttle - exhaling harshly through clenched teeth. His gaze immediately fell upon the pyramid ahead, less than a hundred meters away, where echoes of battle emanated. It was confirmation of his earlier suspicions, and drove Asher to march himself into the structure - bracing himself for whatever horrors the Nightsister Queen had unleashed within.

As he entered the room, Asher had only a split few seconds to access his surroundings. His gaze briefly lingered on the fallen Imperial Knight, a frown tugging at his lips, before he focused onto the former Empress. Positioning himself onto her left flank, Asher pulled the dual blaster pistol’s from his hip - leveling their barrel on Renfry.

In rapid succession, Asher fired one shot from each pistol - aiming to strike Renfry in the leg and torso respectively. In addition to the multitude of attacks the Nightsister Queen was enduring, she would be forced to depend against the blaster shots from two different locations on her body. If she attempted to side-step away from the combined attack of Max and Altair, the Queen risked moving directly into Asher’s line of fire.

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

And so it came, the finality that Aadya had so desperately searched for her entire life. An answer to the question, a decision on what to do, how to proceed, who to be. It had come from the unlikeliest of sources and for that, odd as it were, she was grateful.

Aadya didn't have to deal with the pain of being killed by someone she loved, which is the way she always assumed she would go. She didn't have to watch the betrayal in their eyes, the hatred in their hearts, the numerous and unfathomable levels of sadness that would come with a death like that.

Instead, she simply ceased to be. Gone in all the ways that mattered. She smirked one final smirk, a testament to her acceptance of the end. A final entry in her story, which when it came right down to it, meant nothing at all. She'd effected a few lives, mostly for the worse, and benefited nearly no one but herself.

A life well lived, though, sure. She'd loved, she'd lost, she'd both fucked and gotten fucked. Everything most people dream to dream she'd gotten one way or another. In her final moments, Aadya felt no fear or anger or regret. She felt nothing at all and, quite honestly, it was the greatest feeling she'd ever hoped to have.

As the light finally faded from her eyes and the reaper opened the door to whatever came next, Aadya greeted them like an old friend.

She said nothing, only cast her gaze upward into the dark sky of oblivion and watched, with sad eyes, the slow dance of the infinite stars.