Open Serenno Future Generations

[Ailis Drast]

Quest #3 — Future Generations [Open]

The academy on Serenno, became the most prestigious training facility for new Sith only just behind Korriban itself. A number of wealthy families sent their Force Sensitive children to the planet to learn how to become Sith. With the dissolution of the Sith Order within Imperial territory, those who have not fled must be taken under the wind of the Imperial Knights less they fall to the corruption of the Sith Religion. Your quest is to travel to Serenno and secure the transport of Force Sensitive children, back to Raxus Secundus and the Knights facility.

Participants (2-3): @Wiley Winnz @Aeron Wulfheart @Ailis Drast

The Serenno Academy was a bastion for the elite students of the Sith. The home of the wealthy and privileged who were supposed to form the upper crust of the Sith. Or so most who attended were led to believe. Rich students, coddled in the cradle of wealth, less exposed to the harsh realities of the Sith and their Order. Ailis held little regard for them. Perhaps the children who had yet to be corrupted with the religion of the Sith would make better Knights than they would Sith.

The gunship that transported the Imperial Knights to the academy on which they would take their quarry away from the place had landed swiftly, the boarding ramp lowering with a loud hiss. Ailis Drast was outfitted in the standard issue armor of an Imperial Knight, equipped for planetary operations and environmental protection. It was highly unlike such protections would be necessary, but one could never know what the devious minds of the Sith would concoct. Ailis should know considering she had called herself as such until recently.

Ailis strode down the boarding ramp of the shuttle, eyes looking through the faceplate of her helmet. She held her lightsaber hilt in her right hand, at the ready. It was not ignited as of yet though. Perhaps this would be an easy mission with no opposition to their liberation of the young minds. Perhaps not. Whether the academies Sith and Sith sympathizing instructors would cooperate or whether they would have to take the children and other students away by force, that was still to be decided. "Look alive, we don't know what we're walking into here." She said to the other Imperial Knights who would be joining her.

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Aeron Wulfheart]

Aeron came down the ramp next, his crimson armor glistening perfectly as he joined his fellow Knight. Donning his own helmet, his gaze flicked around them, committing a brief scan of their surroundings. Compared to Ailis, his lightsaber remained fastened to his belt, a possible folly belief of this that this whole operation could be done smoothly. He took a quick look at her before returning his attention ahead of them, "Let's not stoke the flames yet," the words a subtle hint about her lightsaber.

The Knight would slowly slide his eyes up, studying the Academy that stood in front of them imposingly, the prestigious gateway that allowed new recruits to join the Sith Order. From what he had studied and seen, the Academy was for the rich, the fortunate that could accept the atrocities the Sith had committed as long as they gained for it. Aeron had seen the flipside of what the institution stood for, when desperate warriors came to his city, rounding up any available child that displayed signs of the force.

Those events were what made him what he was today and he could never imagine someone joining willingly. Aeron had to just give the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to blissful ignorance. Even he could recognize he was most likely being naïve but it was all in order to get the job done. If he acted on what he truly felt, he would have been ready to burn the whole place down without a second thought, just for its history. But, he stuck to his belief that it wasn't done willingly, making the notion of retrieving these children easier for himself.

Aeron exhaled softly as the last of the Knights exited from the gunship and prepared themselves. Despite what he said earlier to Ailis, he would still be on alert and prepared for anything that looked hostile. If they wanted this to go smoothly, there was really only one suitable option. He half-turned toward the rest before asking out loud, "Front door?"

@Darasuum @Arcangel

 

[Wiley Winnz]

Spoiler: Theme

For a brief moment Wiley Winnz felt disgust for the so called "upper crust"and was glad to be gone from the Sith Order. The man came from an Ossein background that many would consider destitute. Then again if anyone knew his true history as a pillager, killer and conqueror for various factions in the past they would likely change their opinion further. He had survived the Sith cult before it debuted and he had not tried too hard but he had got fairly far. At least, he survived every iteration of the Sith thus far. With these thoughts in mind, the Knight couldn't erase the mischievous grin that perpetuated even under his uniformed helmet. From corsair to cultist and now a knight. Some things changed but some always stayed the same.

Like his leading cohort, Wiley carried his lightsaber hilt in hand, unlit. Normally he preferred to have less armor and more mobility when fighting force users, but it was important to wear the uniform. Plus, thanks to his ego Wiley convinced himself that it would be a decent handicap should they come into opposition. He doubted he would need to take this too seriously. Wiley carried a standard issue DA-34 blaster pistol on his hip and decided to not wear the trophy of his victories during his days in the Sith.

Hearing Aeron respond to Ailis made Wiley simply spin the saber hilt like it was just simple hand baton before making it stop in a reverse grip. He would casually repeat this twirling as they strode onward, alternating between the standard hold and a reverse grip. The Imperial Knight was confident that just three of them would be enough to 'persuade' those inside the Sith Academy. If not, there could certainly be more numbers afforded to them if they thought it necessary. It was so easy to think about the Sith like he was not one of them. Wiley had outgrown them, and he was happy to prove it.

@Arcangel @Orbit

 

[Aeron Wulfheart]

Aeron watched as the fellow Knight's response was to continually flip his lightsaber. He wasn't exactly pleased but he stepped after Wiley nonetheless, advancing onto the school. The fine marble ground echoed their footsteps but that was what they would only be greeted by. There was no warnings, no outside party to greet them, nothing. That made him suspicious of what could entail for them and he remained alert.

When they approached the massive doorway, they refused to open to them. Aeron stared upon the gateway for a brief moment, glancing at Wiley for a second before taking a step back. Lifting both his hands, the force would begin to build and swirl around him, his hands beginning to shake slightly as they rippled with power. He only maintained this for a few more seconds before he unleashed the blast right upon the entrance, blowing the two doors to the side and one of them almost completely off its hinges.

Once again, there were met with the echoes of their own actions. The forced entry revealed only a pristine lobby, the ornateness and furniture an indication of the class of people that attended this school. The sight of the prestigious nearly made Aeron sick, disgusted by the fact the Sith reveled in what they did and groomed their next generation without batting an eye.

Entering into the lobby, the Knight glanced around for a few moments before voicing the most likely possibility, "We go deeper. We either find them or check their records of where they've been moved." Even though they hadn't received a welcoming party, it didn't mean the place was abandoned.

@Darasuum

 

[Vena Lann]

Two Imperial peacekeepers flanked her as if they were an escort, but nothing could be further from the truth. Not long ago -one week, to be exact- she'd been an acolyte of this very academy, learning how to best use a lightsaber in the proper dueling techniques taught to the Serenno nobles. Like other Sith, especially those from important imperial families, she had thrown away the lightsaber she had bled and reaffirmed her loyalties to the Empire. Now she was back, wearing the uniform of an Imperial Knight and flanked by peacekeepers that were there merely to ensure that she wouldn't go back on her newest oath and deliver these Force sensitive children -whom she knew- to the Sith Order instead.

She liked the marble floors and decadence of the Serenno academy and internally bemoaned the presence of the non Force sensitives lording over the place that had been so devoted to Sith teachings only a week ago. Vena reached the lobby shortly after the other knights, "Apparently Bar Ferdi is still here," she said in a voice that told the others they should know who the Kel Dorian is, namely the chief fencing instructor and Sith Master in charge of dueling training. He was not a foe to be underestimated and no doubt would choose the place to resist them most carefully. "He won't fight in open spaces," where the knights could flank him, "but if he's still at the academy he's probably near the vault, trying to keep Sith artefacts from Imperial hands."

The audacity of these Sith to try and secure holocrons and old texts for their religious Order. They belonged at the Imperial Archives.

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Aeron Wulfheart]

Shortly after he spoke, another Knight entered, one that had recently joined their ranks as two peacekeepers escorted her in. Aeron turned his head halfway to peer at her as he knew exactly where she came from. While there was a piece of him that wanted to lurch and attack her, that part that raged within him like a beast, she still had decided to relinquish her oath and join their Order. There was merit to that and he pushed his initial feelings to the side as he came to reality.

Vena mentioned the Kel Dorian, the renowned fencing teacher and a difficult challenge if they ran across him. At the mention of the vault, Aeron added the possibility, "Or he's guarding the children themselves." The separation between Sith and Imperial had been relatively quick. There was a chance that the kids were being made to held out until they could finally be evacuated or retrieved cleanly.

After a moment of contemplation, Aeron announced to the others what he was going to do, "I'll head to control center. Confirm if the kids are here or not." Without really waiting, he began to stride forth, his eyes constantly scanning and alert for anything. The school was too big to scour it for the kids with their numbers and he just wanted to go directly to the source. Either way, if the kids weren't here, the Knights could have a consolidation prize with the artifacts in the fault if it came down to it.

Vena would be left to follow him or say hi to her old mentor down below.

 

[Vena Lann]

Vena seemed to shrug slightly, "Could be, but the children are replaceable." It was a harsh truth, but a truth nonetheless. The Sith Order used the artefacts -specifically holocrons- to teach Force sensitive children and even their champions and masters techniques others could not learn on their own. Knowledge that would otherwise be forgotten a mere generation later.

Going to secure the children was perhaps the more noble thing to do, but the Empire didn't ask her to do the 'noble thing'. Not even their newly appointed Lord-Commander, the former Sith master Wodan, would put the lives of these children above securing valuable sith artefacts. His obsession with the long-lost Crown of Palpatine was well-known and documented. No, Aeron Wulfheart might not have advanced as far as Vena had in the academies and temples of the Sith Order, him being three years her junior, but their Imperial Knight uniforms were both new and crispy. Vena would go her own way on this one...

..correction, Knight Lann would.

"Suit youself, Aeron-" she unclipped the lightsaber from her belt and motioned for the peacekeepers to stay behind in the lobby, "-but I'm going to look for Bar Ferdi. A Sith like him cannot be allowed to breathe Imperial air." An overly dramatic statement, perhaps, but one that the peacekeepers nonetheless seemed to appreciate. She knew her father, himself a peacekeeper captain back on Eriadu, wouldn't be able to suppress a proud smile upon hearing his daughter say it. Or, more likely, he would read it in today's after-action report.

Then she made her way across the shining marble floors to the elevators. Her heart felt like she was already starting a hundred-meter dash and a hot flush ran across her chest. Facing Bar Ferdi alone would be a bigger test to her skills than she'd ever had before.. and this time she wouldn't be allowed to use the Dark Side neither. Still, no peacekeepers around to notice and only Aeron and Wiley could sense it... but would they be able to sense her using it -if it even came to that- when Bar Ferdi was using it as well? A theory that would perhaps be worth testing...

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Aeron Wulfheart]

Vena revealed her nature and background more then she knew. Their objective was the kids, not this Bar Ferdi or whatever he was guarding if the kids weren't there. While whatever in that vault may had merit for their involvement, the Knight's venture down there was clearly for her own purpose and not the Order's. After her dismissive comment about the children, ultimately the reason they were there, she would earn a hard look from Aeron despite it being hidden away by the visor.

After her grand statement about Bar Ferdi, Aeron just stared at her a moment before commenting in a slick mock tone, "Yes, go have your fun." As she left, he signaled for the peacekeepers to follow her, seeing enough on how she fixated on her old mentor immediately. She would hear their footsteps behind her and impervious to her commands except when it came to her assistance.

Aeron would head to the administration section of the building, his lightsaber still nestled within his hand. Papers and trash littered the hallways, a sign of the chaos that had unfolded after the Empire's declaration. Despite the abandoned nature of the place, he kept his guard up. The Knight eventually the main office, the door more ornate with a square frosted window in the center of it, 'ADMINISTRATION' printed on the face.

Using the force, he opened the door softly, only to reveal more turned over papers and furniture. What stood out to him though was the next door inside labeled, 'SERVER ROOM'. Aeron clicked his tongue, satisfied his search wasn't too extensive before he stepped toward the next room.

@Eccles

 

[Vena Lann]

As Vena turned around inside the elevator, she looked right at the Imperial peacekeepers and shook her head. "You may outrank me," she started, unsure why they had decided to follow her for her confrontation with a Sith Master while the other Imperial Knight went on a solo mission to a control room and could potentially -their trust being so low- corrupt and abduct an entire generation of Force sensitive children to the ways of the Sith. "but to fight Bar Ferdi you still need the Force." without further ceremony, she pressed the button to close the elevators before the peacekeepers could reach it and directed it to the upper level where she knew the vault was.

Moments later the elevator arrived on the upmost floor and Vena made sure to press all the buttons before she head out. She couldn't have the peacekeepers following her and getting themselves killed. They could run up the marble staircases and arrive just as she plunged her lightsaber into the Kel Dorian's heart.

The adrenaline-rush and the excitement of defying the Imperial Peacekeepers kept her sharp as she entered a corridor which she knew would leade to the thick durasteel doors that protected the vault. The air was colder here, as if the windows in all the adjacent rooms had been opened.. Vena suddenly thought of something! A small ship could hover next to an open window and artefacts and children could use it to board. Kriff.

"Are you all alone, Acolyte Lann?" the modulator-distorted voice cut through Vena's mindspin and as she looked up ahead she could see the Kel Dorian standing in front of the closed durasteel door. He ignited his red lightsaber as their eyes met, "Chains are meant to be broken, not reapplied." he mocked her decision to stay loyal to the Empire. It was true that many of the traitor Sith -herself included- had directly opposed the Sith Creed by donning an Imperial uniform and allowing the lesser beings like those that weren't capable of using the Force to order them around. Vena's prospective career path had always been Imperial, however, she was meant to follow her father's footsteps in the peacekeepers. Due to the warmaster's statement, himself a Force sensitive being, she was prohibited from such office. Vena realized that the Sith Master had already achieved his intended goal to knock her off balance psychologically. Damnit, he couldn't be underestimated.

She ignited her own white lightsaber and stopped as she gathered the Force around her. "Join the Empire. Take the oath, Bar." he laughed as she said it. There was no chance of a peaceful resolution. She'd have to fight for her life now..


@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Wiley Winnz]

Wiley heard the warnings and words of his cohorts but remained silent. Regarding Bar Ferdi, the knight did not know a great deal other than what he had been briefed on prior this mission. The Sith's chief fencing instructor was a special target in Wiley's target deck along with other highly skilled and ranking enemies which meant he was especially danger game to hunt. The man was in no rush to face the Kel Dor on his own and meet an untimely end. If what Vena said was true, they would be backing the Knight's former teacher into a corner with nowhere to run.

The Ossein continued to habitually twirl his inactive lightsaber hilt after making their unhindered march into the strangely quiet academy. Their objective was to recover the children. Despite this, Knight Lann made it clear she wished to pursue Chief Ferdi. Wiley wondered if she had some personal vendetta against him, which would explain how she had sounded so certain he was here. If she had been close to the Kel Dor, then perhaps she felt him even now.

The emotionless helmet of the Imperial Knight looked back and forth with a stoic indifference as Wiley's cohorts split up, seemingly forgetting, or not caring about him either way. The Knight took his momentary solitude to take a deep breath and sigh. He hoped he was not going to regret this.

Looking towards Aeron's direction and then Vena's, Wiley spun his hilt again before groaning and heading after Vena. He made it in time to see the doors close with her alone inside the first elevator. The two peacekeepers tried to close the distance in vain. One of them recovered quickly and began moving to the second elevator which had yet to arrive but was being called. Wiley used the force to stop both peacekeepers in their tracks. "She's right. Stay here." He ordered and released them a moment later. They began to reconsidered the wisdom the young Knight had spoken to them.

The second elevator dinged as it arrived on the ground floor. The Knight took a step inside hold the door open long enough to see the floor Vena stopped on. Seeing where she stopped, Wiley confirmed where he needed to go and followed suit. It would take a few moments, but he hoped he arrived before Vena was hurt or worse, turned to the dark side. Wiley knew well about such temptations and could sense the fear even now as he tried to asses her state from his position.

@Orbit @Eccles

 

[Vena Lann]

A quick Force push was all she could think of as she attempted to slam Bar Ferdi into the durasteel door behind him. Unfortunately for her, the Kel Dorian simply swatted the push away with his free hand and chuckled. "I said that chains-" he started to slowly step forwards, his left hand rising, "-are meant to be BROKEN!" at the uttering of the last word, sneering it, he unleashed Force lightning through his fightertips and directed it through the narrow hallway to Vena.

The young Imperial Knight who had been just an acolyte in the Force could really only do one thing and that was to lift her lightsaber up in protection as she stepped backwards in surprise. Most of the lightning was redirected to the burning beam of plasma, but some hit her shoulders and her waist, burning her tunic slightly and sending jolts of pain through her body. She had rushed into battle and now realized, suddenly and gravely, that she was utterly outmatched.

"STOP!" she cried, begging the fencing instructor to release his relentless assault. She couldn't use what they taught her. She couldn't use the Dark Side of the Force, but what could she do in order to survive? She had to use it. In a desperate swing of her lightsaber she batted the lightning into the wall beside her, allowing her a second's worth of reprieve as Bar Ferdi was forced to reapply his technique. He back was close to the elevator when suddenly it opened behind her.

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Wiley Winnz]

Wiley thought he was calm and patient, moreso than the average individual. Then again, the Ossein had tendencies that tested this patience. In the Sith, he had unashamedly enjoyed displaying his skill and power against his enemies. He knew it would be just seconds before the elevator stopped and the floor display said he had arrived. But it felt so slow and agonizing for the Knight. He could feel the clash of wills and the pull on the Dark Side above as he approached.

Rather than do nothing, Wiley would prepare by gripping his lightsaber and adjusting the length to two meters so it would be ready when it was activated. He planned to wait until the doors opened to activate his weapon, which he held in with an inside left stance using both hands. The man would need all of his digits for maximum leverage. His primary specialty was space combat, not lightsabers. But the man had enough training to certainly be a match for other force sensitives in the past.

It had been some time since Wiley called himself a Sith. He had never been overly attached to it. His armor, lightsaber, all superficial changes since then. The only real change about the man since his days as a dark sider, was that he had not used the dark side of the force since his induction into the Imperial Knights. At first he thought he would just make the vow, swear in the words, and that's all they would be. But with time, he felt more commited to starting new. The Empire did not have to be like the Sith. He did not wish to relapse into the corrupting power of the Dark Side of the Force and he hoped to keep any of his comrades from the same.

Spoiler: Music change

With decades of training, Wiley calmed his nerves. He put aside his the existential worries and all things irrelevant. His intention focused and his body began to channel the Force. It swirled and coalesced around the ankles of the the Imperial Knight as his knees bent, drawing him closer to the ground, readying to pounce.

His eyes closed as the lift came within a few floors, blocking out even the misleading image of the elevators interior. Wiley did not need to see the elevator, he would be leaving it in the next moment.

Ding​

Wiley lept from the elevator before the door even fully slide into the wall. His white lightsaber activated with a lingering snap hiss. Bar Ferdi, a master of fencing and combat was not completely taken by surprise.

The red and black armored form of the Imperial Knight would have lanced the back of the Chief Instructor, through and through, but the Kel Dor spun, guiding the tip of his lightsaber even as it continued to extend to its full reach, only grazing the inside of his armpit and causing the Sith to wince though it was hard to tell with Kel Dor for Wiley.

The crimson blade sparked as it remained in contact with the purified blade of Wiley's. Looking past Bar Ferdi, Wiley could see the striken form of Vena though she was not defeated. The center of his visor lingered on her for only a split second and in the same look, saw why he would continue to push the fencing master despite being outclassed when it came to swordplay. With both his hands, Wiley pushed the singular grip back against the Sith Master until Bar was forced to take his hand away lightening from Vena and use a two handing grip against the newest attacker.

While Wiley dared to face off against his better, this would hopefully give Vena a chance to rally if she was not too injured. If she was out of commission, then Wiley was committed to his new way of life and his job. He was not going to leave his comrade behind.

The man could not help but open his mouth when a thought came to mind. "You know...you'll be the first Sith I've killed since becoming a Knight." He smiled underneath his helmet. The ex-Sith meant every word and had every intention of killing the Sith. While he could not use the dark side, he still had lethal intent. It was likely a fruitless goad, but it would keep Bar's attention on Wiley. If he was not cautious of the Knight, he would maybe at least be infuriated and distracted.

@Eccles

 

[Vena Lann]

Another Imperial Knight suddenly appeared and engaged Bar Ferdi, providing Vena with a small window of time to catch her breath. The fencing master's relentless assault had taxed her greatly -moreso than it had the Kel Dor- but it seemed the other knight was more on the master's level. Encouraged she retook the fencing stance that Master Ferdi had taught her just a couple of weeks ago and advanced closer to the ongoing duel.

Meanwhile the Kel Dor parried Wiley's moved with what seemed like considerable ease. He was a fencing instructor to Serenno nobles, after all. There was no trick in the book that these Imperial Knight could still teach him. Still, the barrage of strikes from the newcomer and the significant strength he put behind them forced the Kel Dorian to grab his saber with both hands and reposition himself in such a way that.. an opening!

Vena used the Force to sling the fencing master backwards, forcing his back foot against the wall and limiting his movement to suit his preferred fighting style. She was confident that they should be able to defeat him now, together against a disadvantaged master. She lunged at him -in the fencing style that he himself had taught her- with the intent of killing him.

Except Bar Ferdi used the Force to speed up his movement just enough as he pivoted away from her attack and placed the novice knight between himself and the newcomer. A mean chuckle could be heard as he then used the Force to push Vena against Wiley with enough force for her to lose her footing and collide against her fellow knight.

The fencing instructor used this opportunity to rush into one of the hallway's adjoining rooms and leaped from an open window onto the slanted roof. At this moment a shuttle could be seen descended through the clouds and towards the academy. The knights had yet to find out where the children were, but it seemed like they were running out of them. Would they persist in trying to defeat Bar Ferdi, or leave him be to try and find the children? Perhaps they were behind the durasteel doors the Kel Dor seemed to have been guarding before.

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Wiley Winnz]

Wiley was applying constant pressure against the Sith Master's lightsaber. When the dark side Kel Dor was moved, he tried to adjust to the forced stance he had to take. But Wiley had improved leverage even if Bar Ferdi had more skill. Vena moved the instructor to the wall and on literally on his back foot.

The Imperial Knight did not hesitate to advance and maintain the distance he used with his extended saber. He intended to make another stabbing strike but saw his own companion moving towards him quickly. Without thinking, he loosened his two handed grip on the weapon and dropped his right hand to his side, keeping the blade behind him and to is side while also causing it to deactivate, returning the white blade to its hilt. The last thing he wanted to do was cut Vena.

With his left hand free, Wiley channeled the force into his body and around himself as he 'caught' Vena and rolled inelegantly a few times before quickly recovering into a kneeling position. From behind is visor he looked up towards Bar Ferdi's back only to see the distant shape of an approaching ship

They were running out of time. It was a difficult decision. Wiley groaned as he stood up and began running after the Sith Master. "I'll get him. If you can move, check on the vault." He gave with the closest thing to a commanding tone as he could muster towards the fellow Knight.

Without waiting for a response, he activated his commlink and began sprinting after Bar Ferdi, using any remaining focus to update the other Knight forces in the academy. If he was one thing, he was fast. "I'm in pursuit of Bar Ferdi. I haven't found any sign of the children. He may be our only lead to finding them. Gunship, get airborne and keep them from landing but don't shoot them down. That's an order." He had a feeling that the children could be onboard the same ship that is coming for the Chief Instructor. If that were the case, then he was essentially using the kids as shields. It was exactly how evil the Sith were and Wiley would not put it past them. He may have even done such a thing once upon a time.

@Eccles

 

[Vena Lann]

An awkward tumble as Vena rolled over the floor alongside the other Imperial Knight. She was glad, however, that she didn't end up facing Bar Ferdi alone for that would have no doubt lead to her death. She was outmatched in skill and greatly so, thus when the other knight suggested she'd check what is behind the durasteel doors she begrudgingly agreed. "Will do," she confirmed through gritted teeth, unhappy that she had to leave another knight to finish the duel that she had started.. had come here for.

According to the creed of the Sith Order the rule of strong was most important. If she had been able to defeat Bar Ferdi then.. well, would she have been able to see herself as having outgrown the position of acolyte? A champion.. or even Master Lann? No, she was an Imperial knight now and her loyalty was to the Empire and not the Dark Lord of her former Order.

As Wiley Winnz rushed to follow the Kel Dor, Vena turned and approached the locked durasteel doors. She wasn't a slicer, but she did have a much more powerful tool to her disposal than datapad: the Force. Focusing on this energy she channeled it through the doors, sensing it mechanism until she found the gear to turn and click. A hiss followed before the durasteel doors slid open to reveal four fear-stricken children. They were young, approximately six years old, and had yet to be fully inducted into the Order. Any older and like Vena they would be irreparably scarred, feeling the constant pull of the Dark Side and a lingering obligation to follow the Tenets.

She did her best to show them a kind face, "You are safe now, children." These four weren't the only ones, though. They couldn't be. Where were the younglings that had already begun their training? Ages eight and up.. the acolytes..

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Wiley Winnz]

Wiley's arms swung and his legs pushed against the ground to propel him forward as fast as he could. After finishing the communication through his commlink, he was not sure he heard a confirmation. It sounded like static and interference. Don't tell me they're jamming us. He hoped the ship heard him but he could not rely on the gunship crew to intercept the Sith's transport. However he knew the capabilities of an Upsilon III command shuttle when he saw it. The sooner he stopped Bar the better.

He leapt from the window and onto the slanted roof in pursuit of the Kel Dor. However the Sith had a lead and could call on reserves that the Imperial Knight just did not have. Some of it was due to the Instructor's skill while also having the willingness to call on the Dark Side of the Force. The armor Wiley wore slowed him to a degree as well. The only time he had worn armor as a Sith was when he had dueling gloves or a flight suit and then he was usually in a cockpit so it did not even matter then.

The slanted roof he ran down had only so much length and with gravity on his side, Bar was fast approaching the edge. The ship was getting larger as it closed the distance. It's angle changed as it made a course correction, reacting to the Imperial Knight gunship taking off.

The Kel Dor turned a few meters from the slanted edge and faced up the roof towards the Knight as he was quickly advancing with haste. The Ossein stopped focusing on catching up to the Sith. He would make it in due time, but he had the high ground and would not over reach. Instead he turned his waist and held the hilt of his lightsaber in a double reverse grip, stabbing it into the roof and grinding his progress to a rapid halt. Sparks shot as a line was dragged down the roof by Wiley's momentum.

Bar was probably smiling in sadism, or grimacing in loathing, it was hard to tell but what followed was an outstretched arm to send bolts of lightening towards Wiley. Ripping the blade from the wall just as quickly as he had plunged it in to catch the lightening. The white blade drew in the blue electricity almost like a lightening rod, saving his body from the pain it could have caused. But he began to slide down towards the Sith now who just had to wait until the Knight got within melee range to best him. He knew not to advance when he had the high ground.

Calling on the force, willing the space before him to bend to his will, Wiley pulled back his left hand and focused before letting out a push. This was of no surprise to Bar who used his own saber, much in the same manner as the Knight and stabbed the red blade into the roof, only push him back a meter closer to the edge.

A bloom of fire and shrapnel exploded in the sky. Wiley knew it did not bode well for him as the Upsilon class shuttle veered away from the careening gunship that had brought the Knights. Its shields rippled, having been destroyed by the Imperial gunship. The Imperial Knight continued to slide towards his foe, if he could force choke, no, lightening back, no, he did not have any options, at least that's what it felt like. Heavy laser cannon shots impacted the roof above him where he had been a heartbeat ago. There was no other choice but to get closer to the Sith Master.

The Upsilon did not fire after its initial barrage, its passenger debarkation ramp and interior opened to show two figures clad in robes of Sith Acolytes. They each held onto a hand guard while carrying saber hilts, activating menacingly in case Wiley dared to try and board. The ship was maneuvering into position for Bar to jump to safety.

Their sabers clashed as Wiley brought his two meter long purified blade across towards Bar's left shoulder. He stopped his force lightening a moment earlier and deflected the strike, returning to his two handed grip. Wiley's boots skidded on the roof as he kept his saber between him and the fencing instructor. He had gravity on his side when it came to weight and pushed harder, sending the Kel Dor back a single step and halting contact for a moment.

During this moment, the Knight brought back his left hand behind him and out of sight of the Sith Master. He had a number of things near this part of his belt. Bar Ferdi thought it best to leap back and to safety, avoiding a blaster or another push. Allowing him to leap, Wiley shot out his arm the moment Bar was over the gap between the ship and the roof before halting him there. What would have been a successful leap stopped being one when Wiley then released the stasis as the shuttle drifted and listed slightly.


"AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa"

His screams echoed up the outer walls of the academy and Wiley looked across the opening at the two acolytes who had abstained from helping their mentor. The rule of the strong, no it was was the rule of the survivors. The Ossein brought his left hand back again and out of sight of the two Acolytes, daring them to leap across the opening and take him. They outnumbered him and could very well just maneuver to the high ground.

"Lann, what's your status?"

@Eccles

 

[Vena Lann]

The younglings didn't seem too pleased to see their rescuer, so Vena knelt beside them and tried her best smile despite her wounds and the adrenaline still pumping through her body. "It's okay, we're here to make sure no harm comes to-"

A sudden sensation of dread reached her as she felt a strange pull. It was as if fluids from her entire body and with it her very soul were drained by someone behind her. "satpejona" she heard a teenager's voice as she ignited her lightsaber and slashed upwards, breaking the concentration of whoever just used this advanced level Dark Side power on her, only to see.. an Sith child. Pureblooded like him there weren't many left, but his command of the Force was extraordinary. The teenager hissed at her, his eyes focusing on the ignited white lightsaber while he had no saber of his own.

An easy prey, but instead of slashing Vena used the Force to grab the child by his neck. "You dared?" she heard herself say as the child was lifted from the ground. "satpejona" she hissed back as the Sith child began to choke so fierce was her grip on his neck and throat. The younglings behind her were frozen from shock.

She was about to enforce her grip and watch the life slowly go out of the child, when Imperial Knight Winnz came on the commline. Vena snapped out it, released the Force grip and as the Sith landed back on the ground she slashed her lighsaber diagonally across his chest, killing him instantly. "I found four younglings," she told the other Imperial knight as she turned back towards the fear stricken children. She caught herself being too casual about the whole ordeal, as if the moment of contact with the Dark Side had given her focus. "An acolyte tried to use a Force technique on me, but he's dead now."

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Wiley Winnz]

Wiley was thinking about what options the Imperial forces had left at the moment. Their gunship was as good as grounded leaving them relatively stranded on Serenno. What's more, the Sith had their superior shuttle staring down the Ossein with a compliment of dark siders onboard.

The two acolytes did not wish to try closing the distance and had nothing to prove. The starship hovered over the drop that Bar Ferdi had fallen down moments ago as its engines thrummed powerfully. Wiley's two meter long saber of purified white light, still held out in contrast to the two red sabers crackling with malicious intent.

He waited with anticipation for his comrade to respond and was about to repeat himself when he heard her voice. "Good. I'm going to try and stop their ship. In pursuit!" There was a chance he could leap on board and take the ship for the two of them. But that would be difficult. The best he could do was probably force it to land.

The armored Knight deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, expecting to need to use the hand for slowing the Sith vessel or using telekinesis against the Acolytes.

The two opposing robed figures gave the first hint that the ship was leaving when they turned from their stance on the edge of the interior. Their masks kept their features hidden along with their robes but the debarkation ramp began to close as well. They were departing, it was now or never.

With his left hand still out of sight, Wiley grabbed the grapple hook from his Imperial standard issue utility belt. Spinning the grapple at the end of the line quickly, he aimed to catch the grapple hook into the closing mechanism of the ship, guiding it with the Force. This would securely fasten the ex-Jazaq only to lift him off the ground by his waist and immediately reevaluate his decision. "I may loose signal with you." He tried to message to Vena over the short range comms and with the signal jammer, it was a matter of time before he could not communicate conventionally with his peers.

The man's left gloved hand kept hold of the cord that now held him several stories over the ground. If not for the gloves it would be rough on his palms and fingers. The landscape of Serenno passed beneath rapidly and if the man had not an adrenaline junky that cut his teeth slingshot racing around gravitational bodies, he may well have screamed at the top of his lungs in fear. But now he was resisting the urge to do so out of excitement and wished he had more time to savor the view.

Using both arms and relying on the anchor to his belt, Wiley pulled himself hand over hand up the distance until he was underneath the ship. The acceleration of the ship made it almost impossible. He was lucky the ship was not heading straight to orbit but flying to another location on Serenno, probably to get an ideal hyperspace jump vector. The Force fueled his body and aided him to reach a meter distance from the ships hull. He was panting and sweat beading from his brow. This was perhaps the hardest and dumbest thing he had ever done.

Keeping hold of the cord with his left hand, he reached down to his belt and once again pulled forth the weapon he wielded as an Imperial Knight. The weapon activated and with its two meter long blade and without a moments heistation, Wiley slashed into the hull of the shuttle. His weapon nicked the engines and important power distribution to one of the wings. The two meter long weapon still held in his right hand was kept securely in his grip and left several long glowing orange marks on the ship.

Now came the really fun part. The ship got to crash. Hopefully the acolytes onboard would die and Wiley would not. But he was pushing his luck today.

@Eccles

 

[Vena Lann]

Vena looked at the fear-stricken children for a moment before she realized that all four of them were unusually focused on her lightsaber. Had they been told that the Imperial Knights had come to kill them? Yes, that would be a typical Sith fear tactic and she had just killed another acolyte without giving him a chance to surrender. In dealing with these children she was one point behind being able to 'convince them they're safe'.

"Knight Wulfhart," he opened the commline to the Imperial Knight who had been heading towards the control room of the Serenno Academy, "I have four kids here in the east tower. Can you make sure a peacekeeper escort gets here?" She would leave the younglings in the hands of the capable men and women of the Imperial Security Bureau. They might not be able to sense or use the Force, but they were often former soldiers or Sector Rangers and knew how to deal with people in shock. Something Vena guessed these children were.

At this point static came from the short-range comms while the faint sound of repulsers seemed awfully close to the windows. "Knight Winnz, come in," she tried, but as the only reply she got was static, Vena suddenly bolted back into the hallway and through the door she had earlier seen Bar Ferdi and Wiley Winnz disappear through. She was just in time to see the Imperial Knight dangling under the shuttle and the flash of his lightsaber as he cut into the spaceship. "Imperial Knight Lann to Peacekeepers, we have a man on that shuttle and its-" her eyes suddenly widened in surprise as the shuttle lost altitude, "-its going down!"


@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Wiley Winnz]

Wiley now could tell the ground was getting closer as the ship descended quickly. Its pilot tried desperately to keep the ship level but she was working with one engine. The horizon was quickly rising which bode ill for the Imperial Knight.

Deactivating his lightsaber, Wiley clipped it to his belt while holding onto the grapple line. Rapidly returning both hands to the cord, he tried to avoid hitting any tree tops as the ship's design caused its two wings to start clipping the canopy. Logs as thick as Wiley were shorn from the trees they were attatched too. What was left of the ship's shield quickly evaporated and the vessel's hull groaned with each impact.

Focusing his attention on safely landing, the Ossein tried to enhance his body's durability. He just needed to survive the crash without injury. The forested surface of Serenno had other plans as he was swung directly into the path of a skyward branch. It clotheslined him to the point of losing his grip.

With the wind thuroughly knocked out of him and at least one broken rib, his injuries only increased. The man fell down three more meters until his body cracked into another branch, and again he fell down into another piece of timber, and so the cycle repeated itself. The shuttle may have crashed before he even reached the ground but the man was ironically saved by the staggered drop. Though not intentional, it saved him from the worst of the crash.

In the distance a bloom of fire and smoke rose into the air. It was not large enough to indicate the ship had completely been destroyed but it definitely had stopped moving. The ship's crew were all dead except for the two Acolytes. They were wise enough to strap into safety harnesses long enough to survive the impact. Now they collected themselves and struggled to decide on a next course of action. They were now behind enemy lines with only each other. The duo could still prove a threat if underestimated.

Wiley groaned as every part of his body screamed in pain. He had broken several ribs and been saved from worse thanks to his armor. But the red and black suit was dirtied and cracked. At some point during the fall the Knight had lost his helm which now lay cracked a few meters away. The man winced as he pulled his personal dataphone. It too was cracked but flickered, still functional. Wiley called Vena over the device, occasionally looking towards the direction of the crash and the surroundings. "Knight Lann. I'm..." He checked his personav. Thankfully with the shuttle being out of commission so too were the jammers. "...a couple kilometers away from the academy. I'm not sure if anyone else survived the crash. I kind of...dropped off early. How are things there with you?" It was clear by the sound of his voice he had been injured. His breathing was a bit ragged and his speech slightly slower.

@Eccles

Spoiler: Dice rolls

Wiley's result: mild failure
Shuttle's crew result: barely a success