Knightfall: Scattering the Fleet

[Wyck]

AN ENCRYPTED EMERGENCY SIGNAL TO ALL SURVIVING JEDI:

This is Jedi Grand Master Wyck with a message for all surviving Jedi. Regretful I am, to report that night has fallen on the galaxy. The Sith Empire has defeated our Jedi Order on Tython and Ruusan; begun targeting other places sacred to our Order, they have. A final order from myself, this is: return to Brighthome with any ships remaining in our fleet. Stay away from any world or temple associate with our Order. Avoid detection. The time for Operation: Knightfall, it is. More instructions will I give you, when you all arrive. Be safe. Be strong. And may the Force be with you all...​

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Wyck stared out the viewport of Brighthome's command center as, one-by-one, the ships of the Jedi fleet jumped into the system and assembled outside to await the broadcast of his instructions. All Jedi knew what Operation: Knightfall was. In the event that the Jedi Order fell under attack and was faced with extinction, half of the Order (including the fleet) would be scattered into exile and hiding in order to preserve the Order. The Younglings were prioritized. The remaining half of the Order would follow the orders of the Grand Master to whatever ends they may be. Wyck had hoped never to be the one to give such an order, but the time had come.

Once the entire fleet had arrived, Wyck opened a HoloNet channel from Brighthome to each of its ships and began to deliver his message. "Unfortunate, is our situation today, my friends. Lost many at Ruusan and Tython, we have. Face extinction, we do." The words almost caught in his throat. He had been responsible for this Order. He had failed them. All of them. "But we are still Jedi, and a job we still have to do. Half of you will take the Younglings and your designated ships and scatter. Go into hiding, avoid detection, and keep our Order alive until the time comes to return. The other half... for volunteers, I ask. Going to Coruscant, I am, with half the fleet. Draw Andraste and the Sith fleet out, I will—giving time for the other half of our forces to scatter undetected."

Now came the difficult part: "A final battle, it will be. Destroy the Sith, we must. We must try. But, if we fail, we must at least buy time for the others to successfully make it into hiding. The Jedi Order is the only thing that can defeat the Sith—now or any time—so we must do whatever we can to ensure it survives. Even if that means sacrificing our lives." He paused a moment to let that dreadful truth sink in. "Move quickly, we must. We cannot remain hidden here long. Twenty-four standard hours will you have to make your decisions: help scatter our numbers and protect our Younglings, or come with me into one final battle with the Sith. When that time is up, we will make our move. May the Force be with you all."

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OOC: This is a death, capture, and combat disabled thread. Only members of the Jedi faction will be permitted to RP here; only members of the Jedi faction will receive the coded message. This thread will allow Jedi characters to start wrapping up their stories for this time line and provide them routes to do so. Please note that if you choose to come with Wyck, there will be a final, cPvP event when the plot ends to wrap everything up in a final battle. Enjoy the ride!

 

[Marina Giulestei]

Wycks voice had a metallic ting to it as it bounced about the cockpit of her starship. It was a dire thing to hear, one she had been preparing herself for for a long time. It seemed now that it had come. The choices that lay before her weren't at all ones she wanted to make. The old revolutionary in her wanted to fly out with Wyck, follow them to Coruscant in a last gasp, to see if they could put down the Sith before the worst could happen.

And yet not so long ago it seemed the worst had happened, Ruusan, Tython, as the Grandmaster had said. Anything resembling benvolence in the galaxy no longer reigned. And they could not let it die out in a flash either. The light needed to endure, the one she had laid her life on the line to bring about time after time.

It would have to come again. And the Sith couldn't be allowed to establish their reign so easily.

Heart heavy, voice low, she commanded the computer reprogram her hyperspace route. She would not be joining her allies at Brighthome. She would find far older friends, ones who'd suffered with her under darkness once before. Not Jedi perhaps, but allies, of that she was certain. Even if it would take the Jedi to end the reign of the Sith, they could not do it alone.

That, that is what she would do. Before darkness descended upon the galaxy.

 

[Tynian]

Tynian watched the message from Grandmaster Wyck on the screen of his shuttle. A heaviness entered his heart...and questions going through his mind. The Jedi are becoming extinct? How could this have possibly happened? Then Master Wyck laid out the plans for Operation: Knighfall… the Jedi were to go into hiding, protecting the younglings so that the Jedi Order could continue, and also face the Sith in one last battle.
But which path was the young Ysanna to take... Tynian sat down in the shuttle and began meditating, searching the force for some direction. Should he help the younglings, or go to certain death and try to rid the galaxy of the Sith one last time.

Time passed by and Tynian's eyes opened slowly. The answer had come. Standing up and walking slowly to the cockpit he told the droid that was piloting the shuttle, "Set course for Brighthome. The Jedi are going to war."

 

[Lucian Volante]

Lucian listened to the announcement from Wyck and just stared out of the viewport inti space for a long moment from where he sat in the cockpit of the freighter he was currently sitting in. He stared down at his hands instead of out at the stars - looking at them for any signs of weakness or a lack of resolve.

There was none.

He carried precious cargo in his freighter - younglings, only a handful of them but still. It would be his duty to hide these younglings away, to train them as much as he could without drawing attention to them. It would be his duty to instruct them on how to pretend to be regular members of society instead of the proud Jedi knights they would have been.

Because Lucian knew what everyone knew - the Sith fleet would crush the Jedi and there was nothing that could be done about it. They could bloody their nose, certainly, but it would accomplish nothing.

Nothing save giving them time to scatter.

"T7... prep the charts for Chandrilla."

Thankfully the ship was registered to his family from before the Jedi so it would show up as a private ship rather than a Jedi ship. He stared out at the stars.

"May the Force be with you all."

He found leave for Chandrilla and hide his young charges there.

 

[Austin Wolfe]

theme​

While the vast majority of those receiving the encrypted code and the address from their Grandmaster would not be on the Jedi station, Austin Wolfe and his fellow Master Galahad were in fact already on Brighthome. Having traveled there just after leaving Ellora, both Jedi were hard at work in their efforts to preserve the Order. They had a project of their own — something they referred to themselves as the "Long Slow Whisper." Austin was currently striding with purpose towards the lightsaber crafting workshop of Brighthome when Wyck's message was broadcast.

The doctor slowed his pace and stopped to listen. It was true indeed that they had lost many in the recent attacks made by the Sith — Austin was grieved to hear of the losses of those on Ruusan. Telunaris, Vollen Shai, Jinlo Halan, and even Aliyah Phoenix who had seemingly fulfilled her goal in fighting the Sith head-on. Wyck then gave the Jedi two options, both great tasks that needed to be accomplished for the Order to survive. In a way, both Austin and Galahad would be fulfilling the first — although they had no younglings in their care. Looking toward his fellow Jedi and long-time friend, Austin nodded solemnly. They would join the Grandmaster on Coruscant.

Even before the Grandmaster had finished his speech, the doctor continued moving down the halls of the space station towards his destination. ⋮⋮ I will follow your lead, Master Wyck, as long as the Force wills it to be, ⋮⋮ Austin thought, remembering the same words that he said years ago when Wyck was first elected as their leader. Reaching the doorway that would lead inside the workshop, he stepped inside and nodded towards the droid that stood nearby. "Greetings, Masters Wolfe and Vult. How may I assist you?"

@Shalken @Malon​

 

[Galahad Vult]

None had given voice to the unavoidable end that everything was converging towards — until now. Yet two of the remaining Jedi Masters had already foreseen this inevitable outcome, and even now worked tirelessly. Their efforts were not directed towards the prevention of these events, as grim as this realization was. But above all, they acted — not from fear, but from hope.

Galahad listened to the broadcast alongside his friend in the sleek halls of Brighthome. He gazed through the window out into the inky blackness of space, the stars of nearby systems cutting through the void as they shone back. Their temples and holy sites had all been destroyed one after the other, leaving only this station as a safe refuge. It indeed was the only place the Jedi could now call 'home', and even then not for long. Ever since the death of Darth Evandrus, the Empire's vengeance was swift and its wrath unquenchable. Somewhere out there, the rest of the Order was listening to Wyck's message as well, and it was up to them whether they would join the fight or scatter into hiding. But Galahad had made a promise when Wyck first rose to Grandmaster. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." It was a promise that the ex-guard had made not just to the Grandmaster, but to the Order itself; and it was one he fully intended to keep. Wordlessly he stood by Doctor Wolfe, but Galahad knew his friend had also made his decision. They would stand together in defense of the Jedi and the Light until the end.

Continuing their brisk pace through the halls, the two Masters quickly reached the workshop where they were greeted by a droid. "Greetings. We are here to make a large requisition of lightsaber parts." The droid pulled out a datapad and began tapping away to complete Galahad's request. "Certainly, Master Vult. Exactly how much would you like, and do you have a preference for style or shape?" The ex-guard replied, "Two crates should be sufficient, and an assortment would be best." Typing up the rest of the order, the droid informed them, "We can arrange that. However, remember that while we can provide the parts, Brighthome cannot supply you with the Kyber crystals to power them." Nodding understandingly, the bearded Jedi smiled. "Of course. Thank you for your assistance." Their work complete, the two Masters then headed towards the command center to meet with the Grandmaster and any others that had responded to the summons.

@Vosrik @Malon​

 

[Azar Torsin]

Azar Torsin had seen it coming for some time now, but that didn't make the realization that the Jedi were going to be coming to an "end" any easier. Of course, they would continue to survive in secret with their teachings preserved, but the Order as a cohesive unit was at an end for the time being. He had advised that they move away from a centralized position and it seemed he had been heard. The Jedi would go into hiding for the time and hopefully return another day.

The Jedi Master set his small shuttle down in the hangar and he sat at the controls for a moment. He watched the Grandmaster's address again, and knew what needed to be done. Azar had been in more battles and skirmishes than he wanted to remember over his years, but he could sense that if he answered this call, it would be his last. He wondered if it would be enough to save the Order, but even as he wondered, a sense told him that this was not the end.

He'd come to Brighthome to fight, and now that he was here, he wondered if he'd come to die. Those who stayed behind knew that it was to preserve the next generation, and the likelihood of survival was slim. There is no death, there is the Force, he reminded himself. The Jedi Order would survive, even if the Jedi Master did not.

 

[Artyom]

Artyom wanted to die. He had wished for death since the first step he took out of the battlefields of war more than a decade ago. But he lived, damn it he lived his best and tried his best to make the galaxy a better place. It wasn't out of any moral obligation, truthfully he didn't even believe in the cause of the Jedi anymore. But he did believe in the cause of his friends, particularly those friends of his that had already fallen.

Walking on the bridge of the ship, Artyom watched the faces of those around him and those that responded to Wyck's call. The Grand Master, standing and delivering his speech, was the only familiar face that he could see. Looking on the list of Jedi who responded to the call, aimed their vessels towards this command ship, and intended to come with them to Coruscant to die, Artyom recognized not a single name as a friend. He knew of them all, but he knew of them like one knows who the senator of their world is. It was the cold, unfeeling knowledge of what person was, not who they were.

Everyone he knew, anyone whom he might have considered a friend, was dead or scattered. @Evalyn Dan’ela was dead, @Cavalas Onn had disappeared, @Fennex Zeerda he hadn't seen in years, though he heard the fox still found himself active in the order. Artyom embodied the most purest of Crusader stances of non-attachment at this point, and it only drove him to pain. The Jedi order never stood a chance, but he hoped the next generation would do better than they did.

That's the reason they gathered here, that's the real reason they were prepared to sacrifice themselves. They would protect the next generation, at any cost. Artyom himself would protect the next generation. If it was his meager and weak life that they needed, he would give it. Glancing at his mask, hanging limp from his belt, Artyom realized that the next time he donned it would likely be the last.

And he felt at peace.

 

[Vorro Rayden]

Theme

To Hurt another..is to hurt oneself.
To kill another man, means to kill part of oneself.
I don't kill..nor...do I..
I don't die Master Wyk...those around me do..
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These words...I used to believe them..That I couldn't kill or take a life, that all life was truly precious. That through self sacrifice I could help turn the galaxy into a better place, through kindness, through empathy. I was there on Illum, I saw what happened to my Master and my friends...they perished, yet I survived. I ran..ran from the galaxy and from the Jedi as our brothers found darkness. Truth be told..I was fighting the darkness inside of myself, the fear of losing myself in my anger and sorrow..the shame I felt for surviving that cold rigid night on Illum.

I came back to the order, in hopes of sharing the peace that I had found, but the order had only broken upon itself further. But..I gained friends and students. But...I failed them, failed to listen, stuck in my own ways without realizing that they were teaching me just as much as I tried to teach them. Yet...they died, I was there...I saw Day's corpse on Ryloth, the sarlacc and Nem'ro..It broke me, drew out the darkness inside of me, so I ran once more.

I was weak and afraid, yet the force...the force came to me once more. I was found, by a friend and an unlikely companion. Her..name was Staja and her friend Rask..they found me on Nar Shaddaa, they brought me back to the light and back to the temple on Jedha...They showed me that acts of kindness, and empathy were the way..or so I thought.

So I collected my things and went for the Outer Rim, I was there when the Nem'ro and the Sith enslaved the Twi'leks on Ryloth..it was there that I learned that if I really wanted to bring a light to the galaxy, I would need to fight..I survived that day, but not everyone did...I survived, while those around me died, along with Staja.

Everyone I've ever known has perished while I simply ran..ran across the galaxy and hid, helping farmers and desolate villages. I was a coward, afraid to stand up for what my master had taught and what my own students and friends had shown me. I know what I must do now, I know that I can't make up for the failures of who I am in this life. I don't deserve to be a Jedi, but the force..the force believes in me. I know what must come of me now, that it's okay to fight and to even kill if one must to protect the greater good.

I will be there..I...I am a Jedi..There is no death..there is only the force.

_____________________________________________________________________
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His eyes opened, as a sense of calmness came over his body and the familiar surroundings of the cockpit came back into view. An added weight could be felt against his side, as his lightsaber had taken its place along the side of his belt for the first time since the betrayal on Illum all those years ago--and with it a part of his soul was brought back to him. He wouldn't be alone in this fight, he had his brothers and sisters. But, he had the power of those lost locked within his heart, he would do this for them and for the galaxy. "Plotting a course for Brighthome."

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