First of His Name

[Greybok]

Greybok wondered if he was the first Wookiee to set foot in the Kashyyykian throne room in five centuries. He imagined not, but, even so, this was a momentous occasion. Outside, the skies were filled with pillars of smoke as Wookiees, rebels, Jedi, and Mandalorians fought to take the capital away from the Trandoshans. But the city would never truly fall until the royal palace was reclaimed and the Wookiee monarchy restored. Kashyyyk was only free when it was again ruled by the Wookiees. No warlords, no empires, no slavers—just the Wookiees and only the Wookiees.

It made Greybok sick to see a Trandoshan sitting on a Wookiee throne. But he was about to promptly remove that Trandoshan from his seat. As he strode into the throne room, he threw down his bowcaster, his hold-out blaster, and the bandolier that carried his grenades. He then drew his ryyk blade, the ceremonial sword of the Wookiees, and pointed its tip at the Trandoshan warlord that had kept his people in chains for so long.

«That chair is not yours to sit, lizard,» he roared in Shyriiwook. «You've used it to warm your tail scales for the last time. I challenge you in the old way. One warrior to another — no blasters or fancy technology — just blade-to-blade. Fist-to-fist.» He brought another hand to the hilt of the weapon and held it out in front of him in a two-handed grip. «And after you're dead, I will mount your head above that chair to remind all who would invade this world that Kashyyyk is free, and shall remain so, now and forevermore.»

In the moments before the fight began, Greybok remembered what mattered to him. He thought of his family—his mate. He thought of the friends who had carried him to this point. All the members of Star Squadron, Leah, Hugo, the Mandalorians outside. And he steeled himself for the fight to come. He knew what he was fighting for; and, because of that, he knew he was going to win. @Lucid (DM)

OOC - This thread is open for spectators—rebels, Jedi, or Mandalorians.

 

[The Storyteller]

Theme

Ahssk Eessk sat upon the throne of Kashyyyk by Divine Right.​

The spirits whispered in his ears and danced behind his eyes. He was a man given right to rule by his twisted Gods. The people of this world had belonged to his line for centuries past and nothing would or could change that. The spirits had granted him clarity. It was but a moment in time where the people of Kashyyyk thought they had a chance. A champion had been named and he had come to fight. He would not succeed.

Ahssk Eessk drummed his fingers on the arm of the grand seat he reclined in, the very picture of a man so utterly sure of his position and right to rule that he did not think the challenger a true threat. He did not feel the Gods whisper within the being who stood before him. He would humor him though, he was a benevolent ruler.

He and his forefathers had given their livestock so much freedom. They lived their lives, they were not born into his service, but they always fell before his bands of herders. Why the Empires valued these beings so highly as slaves was a wonder to Ahssk Eessk, they were weak and he would remind them of that today. His swords would drink the blood of a Wookiee one more time.

"You are the product of too much freedom," he hissed in his native tongue. "It is not any fault of mine that you were born untouched and unloved by the Gods. You were born as livestock, nothing more." He stood, walking forward and drawing his blades as he came. He let them fall fluidly into a center stance as he walked forward with the effortless grace of a predator King."Your life was forfeit the moment you returned to my domain. With your death I will remind your people of their place beneath my feet."

A sibilant hiss flowed from his fanged mouth as his forked tongue licked his dry, reptilian lips. How hungry he was.

"Come."

@Malon

 

[Greybok]

Greybok's opponent wielded two swords. That hurt his odds considerably, especially if the lizard was any good at using them. But the Wookiee had a habit of beating the odds and fully intended to do so again. He took his left hand off of his sword's hilt, but kept it tightly gripped in his right, ensuring that he had one hand free for whatever he required of it.

Roaring, Greybok swung his blade horizontally, at the Trandoshan's center-of-mass, from right to left. His swing brought with it the considerable strength of a Wookiee warrior, which was a weapon on its own right. He kept his free left hand back and away just in case he needed it. All the while, his eyes were focused straight at his opponent, watching and reading his movements. Instinct would do the rest for him.

He knew this was not going to be an easy battle. Not by a long shot. But he needed to win. For his people. For the Mandalorian people who had sacrificed right alongside him. For the rebellion. @Lucid

 

[The Storyteller]

Ahssk did not flinch when the Wookiee roared. Why would he? He had killed and captured countless numbers of them in his time; he knew them well.

He moved his left sword up from his mid guard to catch the Wookiee's strike with the upper middle of his blade. The strength behind the attack was jarring but nothing he hadn't felt time and time before. He snaked his blade along his opponent's for a breath, twisting to hold his against the Wookiee's. Ahssk's right foot went forward as he stepped into his attack, turning his body ever so slightly to his left as his right hand blade snaked up to slash at the Wookiee's right forearm.

He didn't think for a moment he could take the arm, cut it deeply, possibly, but with the Wookiee's left hand back and to too far to strike, Ahssk knew the Wookiee would have to break and step out. He kept his body loose and ready, his next series to follow the Wookiee's actions. He did not fear this fight. @Malon

 

[Greybok]

It wasn't hard for the Wookiee to disengage from the Trandoshan's attempted blade-lock, while at the same time shifting to his right (the Trandoshan's left), out of the reach of the second blade, and so that he stood on the Trandoshan's left. From there, it was rather easy to counter with a sweep of his left foot at the lizard's own left leg. The considerable strength of the sweep was meant to unbalance the lizard's stance and would hopefully present Greybok with an opening with which to exploit.

All the while, he still had his left hand free and his right-handed sword at the ready should the Trandoshan manage to pull off a miracle and not only contend with the swiftness and strength of the Wookiee's kick, but also reorient himself to strike back at the Wookiee in his new position. @Lucid

 

[The Storyteller]

Ahssk knew what was coming the moment the Wookiee disengaged and started to drop. He pulled his blades inward, back to low guard to center himself and bring his center of gravity lower. He lifted his left and caught the kick with his lower shin. It hurt beyond what Ahssk was expecting, this Wookiee was strong and angry. Through the pain, the Warlord of Kashyyyk twisted his foot up and around, bringing it back down on top of the Wookiee's ankle. With as much strength as he could muster he pushed down at the joint, putting pressure in a direction that it was not meant to bend.

His senses tingled, eager for the wonderful sound of popping ligaments, he slammed the ankle to the ground and stomped. His arms and eyes were not idle though. His right blade flicked forward towards the Wookiee's sensitive nose as he executed his leg maneuver. His forked tongue escaped his dry lips again, death was on the horizon now. @Malon

 

[Greybok]

Greybok was ready for such an eventuality. He was expecting trickery from the lizard, who were fleshy sacks of trickery incarnate, and was ready to counter. The lizard had made no move to readjust his stance, making his swords' new positions almost entirely irrelevant. As the lizard trapped Greybok's foot, and just before it could begin to apply pressure, the Wookiee swung upward with his left arm fast and hard, aiming to strike the Trandoshan in the head. The backhand would do very little physical damage, but it would certainly stun the Trandoshan long enough.

At the same time, Greybok swung his sword horizontally with his right hand from left to right, which would, at the least keep the lizard's left sword-arm busy, or, at the most, cut into the Trandoshan's left arm or side—all depending on how the lizard chose to respond. The Trandoshan's right arm was clear on the other side and would require a fair bit of twisting to come into play, which was impossible given the current arrangement of things.

With this maneuver, Greybok hoped to teach the Trandoshan pretender that trickery would not save him anymore. @Lucid

 

[The Storyteller]

Ahssk saw the muscles tense in the Wookiee's chest and arm as he swung his arm up and around. The Warlord didn't fall for it. He shifted his position to his left ever so slightly, the Wookiee's clawed fist flew past his face. The tip of a claw caught him just behind his orbital bone, it hurt and bled, but nothing more. Ahssk hissed his displeasure and fully applied his weight to the Wookiee's leg under him. He felt the ankle bend unnaturally, ligaments bending and popping, as he shifted his full weight to it, anchoring himself there for a moment as he brought his blade around.

It was a tricky pass, but he let the hilt of his right blade fall in his hand, his position having adjusted slightly making it awkward but possible, into a reverse grip with the blade pointing downward. The blades met with a horriffic screech of metal and Ahssk felt something pop in his shoulder as he struggled to keep the Wookiee's strike. He couldn't hold it, at this awkward angle. He disengaged with a final stomp on the Wookiee's foot, pressing down and lunching himself backward.

He landed a meter and a half away, adjusting his swords back into traditional grips and came back at the Wookiee. A vicious diagonal crescent with his left hand blade, across the Wookiee's torso as he struggled to right himself. He was favoring his right side now, his shoulder weakened. Blow for blow they shared the pain.

@Malon

 

[Greybok]

The Wookiee had a hard bone structure and strong muscles from years of combat to pad the ligaments. Combined with the awkward angles and other tasks the Trandoshan warlord was trying to perform to fend the Wookiee off at the same time, Greybok escaped the struggle with little more than a very sore foot. Because of that reason, it wasn't as hard to right himself as the Trandoshan expected, and Greybok was ready for him, blade-in-hand, when he attacked again.

As the Trandoshan made to swing, Greybok stepped backwards and to his own right, just outside the Trandoshan's left blade's reach (and certainly far beyond his right blade). At the exact same time, he brought his own sword up above his head and swung down hard at the Trandoshan's exposed sword arm at the moment it was fully extended and committed. From this position, there would be little the Trandoshan could do, as Greybok's blade was poised to take his arm just below the elbow while he was still wide-open. @Lucid

 

[Nikka Toren]

Call it a gut feeling. Call it a sixth sense... she called it the Force.


It tugged... no, dragged her away from any battle she was willing to fight, any war she was willing to win. On board the Alpherys, Tippy beeped in alarm when she suddenly surged upright, then began clawing at the co-pilot restraints. "Emergency landing, Tip! Emergency landing!" He beeped shrilly in succession, then suddenly veered the ship back down, back to the landing site they had just barely left, and uttered a stream of curses most droids would spark in surprise to hear. "Yeah, yeah, save it for later, I'm needed!" she called out, barely making it out the ramp as he lowered it for her.


Tippy sighed with a saddened series of beeps and trills. That organic mech-head needed to get an astromech droid to keep him company... it was getting tiresome having her suddenly change her mind all the time. Were all meat-beings this neurotic? It made the binary equivalent of another sigh as the ramp was raised, thankfully well outside of most danger from the Trandos, and... so many other beings. It beeped once, a rare sulky sound, and set on its' rollers for some time of waiting.


Alone again.


Nikka dashed as fast as she could, ducking under smoking ruins and blaster fire from all sides. How she made it through was even a mystery to her. But she did... far enough that even with her Force vision, they were close enough to See within the throne room, but far enough that she would do no harm or distraction. The first... she knew in passing, and in their first briefing, as General Greybok. The second... it looked like a Trandoshan. Both seemed locked in a battle of wills.


Somehow, she felt it wasn't wise to jump in. This seemed like their battle. Her left fist clenched before her, helpless and too far away to be any help. She had to be a spectator, it seemed. And yet, the idea not once crossed her mind that Greybok would lose. If anything... her fist pressed over her heart. He had to win. She paced closer, invisible to most due to her dusky coloring and small frame.


She whispered something under her breath, over and over. So quiet, that it was barely even heard by her ears.


"You've got this."

 

[The Storyteller]

With the Wookiee up and ready as Ahssk came back, he was much less committed to his strike. As he saw the Wookiee adjust his footing and his arm start to come up for an overhead strike, Ahssk arrested his movement. His blade was already traveling upward and it was no great feat to parry Greybok's strike. His left sword came up to catch Greybok's above his head as the Wookiee swung it down. He knew that he'd never succeed in holding the block, a Wookiee was too strong...but he didn't need to.

With his blade perpendicular to Greybok's he pushed back up and to the side, the blades sliding apart as he parried. Ahssk moving as well. He pivoted on his left foot as the blades disengaged. His right food came around as he was suddenly facing Greybok, the Trandoshan's right blade moving as he stepped and turned into the confrontation. By the time the trandoshan was facing Greybok, Ahssk's right blade was already at the Wookiee's side. It would bite deep, deep into his torso. With Greybok's blade now engaged on the wrong side of his body and his arm trapped behind the swinging of Ahssk's right blade, there would be no tomorrow for the Wookiee.

Ahssk felt the power of the gods rise within him, he held it ready.

@Malon

 

[Ner Giza]

It was her co-pilot on The Nightingale that first alerted her to the momentous event taking place within the palace. Nyash warbled in Shriiwook something about Greybok and, she struggled to make it out for so far her lexicon in the new language she was attempting to learn was mostly comprised of very expressive forms of swearing. King? She shook her head firing off her quick draw blaster at a Trandosan attempting to swing his vile blade into the back of Nyash. The Wookie barely registered his near miss before turning on his heels and beating feet toward the palace in the distance.

She didn’t quite know what to make of it but whatever was going on involved her Commander and she wasted no time in following through the trail of maimed Lizard folk the Massive co-pilot left in his wake. His voice called out over the din catching the attention of five more of her crew. The ex-slaves had done wonders in recovering from their years of captivity, forced to crank out weapons for the Republica’s war machine. But nothing was heartening them like this chance to take back their homeland. It was truly a transformative moment in not just their lives but that of Ner’Giza herself.

However once she reached the doors to the throne room her crew blocked her passage within standing guard upon the occurrence within. It was maddening. Had Greybok finally cornered the leader of the slavers? She couldn’t just let him face the criminal alone. She tried to wedge herself in between the solid wall of Wookies but Nyash lifted her up by the harness upon her back in which her collapsed Lyae’rtsa was sheathed and brought her to eye level with him. His words were few and to the point and she understood each and everyone of them.

”No child. You must watch. Kkakkrot alone must fight.”

She blinked at the soul filled eyes of her co-pilot as understanding began to descend through her need to protect and defend. For too long others had interfered in their world and no outsider no matter how well meaning would be permitted to end this fight for freedom than their own people; according to their own traditions. Nodding her head, wilting nearly within his grasp, Nera was set upon the steps of the Palace and permitted at last to enter and watch the triumph of the Wookie. And so she did. With eyes open to everything going on between the combatants she stood witness to history in the making.