Road to Gehenna

[Jabonicus]

Kalee

Gehenna Crossing​

Filling the streets of Iron Tusk, warriors armed with all they owned stood, staring up at the massive monument of their power. A large structure, shaped in the form of a massive example of the tusks that adorned the Kaleesh face, albeit designed as a horn, made entirely out of iron. Standing in front of the monument, a large, well armed and armored figure stood facing the crowd. Wearing light blue cloth across his figure, the rarity of the color marked his significance within the Iron Tusk.

He was the Military Adjutant Vatil vaz Lytean.

Screaming in the Kaleesh language, his deep voice echoed through Xiruandisudanta. "-The Bronze Union has stood against we of the Iron Tusk for far too long! For years, they have struck our supply routes, for years, they have swept the innocent child from our streets, and for years, our caretakers have been adorned in misery under their oppression! Today, we march upon their supply garrison, and we take what is rightfully ours! Today, we show this red rock the full fury of the Iron Tusk!"

Screams of cheers and support rang through the streets, and, Jaz Quatzal Koatal, the Xiruandisudantan guard, cheered with them. The soldiers marched, and Jaz marched with them.

-------------------------------------

The yellow star hung in the sky, drying whatever liquid was left within open air. Hands occasionally went to tighten their water rations caps, or perhaps to stuff them deeper within the foldings of clothing that each man and woman wore. Red sands lurched up on each side of the marching army. The army stood of a good five hundred soldiers, each standard one equipped with cultural clothing and armor, some form of slugthrower held within their arms. Jaz was among them, held within the middle of the formation as they marched through the Valley.

The Valley was known as Gehenna pass. Bordering upon the Gehenna Mountains, it served as the dying place for many. Upon leaving the treacherous Gehenna Mountains, they would believe themselves to be free from the hell that was the Mountains and its native life. However, one false step forward, and they would fall deep within the chasm of the pass, likely to break limbs as they would suffer under hot sun, attracting the hungry mouths of scavengers, many of whom refused to wait until the soul had carried on to begin their feast.

The air was thick, and sweat dripped down the inside of Jaz's mask. Something was off in Gehenna today. Something she couldn't quite tell. Watching the uneasy shifting of the soldiers among the ranks, glances to the ridges above, it was clear that no one wanted to pass through the Pass itself. While exposed to greater positions on each side, the Passes mile long chasm led directly to the least guarded section of the Bronze Union's stockpiles.​

 

[Undine]

The harsh sun and bite of the sand in the air against her skin and fur reminded the former Zeison Sha of Yanibar. Such planets forged individuals of strength, hardening the soft into warriors and the feeble minded into tacticians. Kalee was one such planet, where you learned to survive or you died. It might not be the philosophy of her fellow Jedi, but Emerald had long since learned the value of enduring. To suffer was to grow, to starve was to learn how to feed oneself, it was the philosophy of the dark side sure, but the Zeison Sha had also tempered their iron wills, their desire for self-reliance and individuality with the need to help others, to seek out those that were unable to protect themselves, unable to feed themselves, or to earn their own freedoms.

Emerald has also learned this, that fact that she still lived, or had lived at all was a testimony to this. Having been born on Ryloth, having been born into slavery, having been born on a planet foreign to her ancestors, Emerald knew what it was to be aided, to have someone offer you a hand while your legs fell beneath quicksand, dragging you under with no hope of saving yourself. It was one thing to suffer for the sake of gaining power, it was another thing to acknowledge one's suffering and strive to free others from theirs.

This was the reason Emerald found herself on a planet so like her home, amongst a people who reminded her so much of her own. People were starving, were made to endure so that others might prosper from their suffering. When word of such an injustice had caught her ear, Emerald had growled and taking the first transport to Kalee she could find. SHe would not allow the innocent to suffer, she would not allow herself to fail again, she could not witness another Ryloth, if it was the last thing she did, Emerald would die for the freedom of these people. Stand out as she might from the rest of the warriors present, the Horansi Jedi Knight knew them to be her brothers and sisters, their bonds were not forged with blood, nor that of a clan, or a creed, theirs were the bonds of chains, of oppression and enduring.

Emerald wanted justice for these people, the same justice she had wanted for Ryloth, but this time she stood as one of many, rather than alone. and Emerald was witnessing the weight of that justice. She watched it falling into place around her, she wanted to be apart of that justice, to bring it swiftly, as swift as her claws could allow. She might not have understood what the Kaleesh in blue had spoken, but she understood the meaning behind his exotic words. As those around her screamed for their victory, so too did Emerald, her deep roar handing over the many voices around her, far louder but just as hungry. Today she would taste the blood of those who would claim themselves masters of a free people, something she hoped to one day experience with those whom had claimed to be masters of her and her mother before her.​

 

[Jabonicus]

As they marched through the mile, something odd occured. On each side of the chasm, the thick, heavy beat of war drums begun to sound. The Kaleesh froze, knowing well what it meant. Their plans to assault the stronghold from its weak side were known, and it was going to be thwarted if they were stopped here.

Kaleesh war drums were unique aspects of their culture. Made of bone-laiden leather from a native predatory species that appeared to be similar to some feline kind. As they rung, it was common for pebbles to rattle and dust to stir up nearby. Extremely large, and taking a number of people to transport, their presence signified a mockery of their plan, revealing that their tactic was foreseen long before it was put into action.

Then, as the group of Kaleesh in the canyon began to spread out, trying to prepare themselves in the zone that held too little cover for the large number, a large force on each side of the canyon rose up, aiming their slugthrowers into the crowds. What happened next was pure chaos.

The air was filled with gunshots, smoke rising from their barrels from both sides. Those in the canyon began to hit the ground, and those on the sides began to fall backwards out of sight. Both sides were quickly losing numbers, but the violence only increased.

Jaz, as the chaos broke out, knew that to stay in the canyon was suicide. Looking about the battlefield, she pushed passed numerous Kaleesh, many of them firing wildly up at their attackers. One of those she passed was a foreigner, a clear alien in all forms, from their flesh to their clothing. Turning her piercing eyes from them, she spied a tight upward slope with enough grooves to push upwards. Aiming upward with her slugthrower, she let out two shots into the sky above, trying to lay some cover fire for herself and others.​

 

[Undine]

Drums sounded, the Jedi Knight was surprised she hadn't sensed the presence of others, but surrounded by so many being she had never met her senses hadn't thought to warn her. Still, the Horansi knew what this meant, there would be death all around, a massacre on both sides. Emerald took off running, even before numbers of armed warriors appeared over the hill of each side she had known where they would strike from, it was obvious. As soldiers were felled by slugs all around, Emerald managed to remain unwounded, for now.

Removing her discblade from her belt, Emerald threw it toward the ambushers, it's spinning blades silent upon the dry winds and the screams of dying aliens it's war cry. The blade had sliced through the throats of three unsuspecting Kaleesh warriors before the enemy even realized there was a weapon in the air around them. Even so, they had no way of defending against it and nearly a dozen more of them were felled by its blades before one of them finally caught it midair. Perhaps they thought it some sort of drone or weaponized droid, but none had managed to realize it was Emerald herself whom had been manipulating the weapon.

Aided with the Force, Emerald leaped forward, crashing down in the middle of the ambushers, her lightsaber already ignited she turned to the one wielding her discblade, turning her fingers ever so slightly as the blade moved in turn, the speed and ferocity of the blade ignored the fact that there was a hand inside it, leading to the mangled screams from the woman who had just lost her hand. Emerald caught the bloody weapon, placing it on her belt once more, she'd have to clean it later. For now she had extended herself in the Force enough, her ignited lightsaber rose into a basic middle guard.

She was surrounded on all sides and with each breath her opponents moved in on her. They were cautious, none wanting to be the first one to die at the claws of such a beast, it was clear to her they hadn't expected to face someone like her, at least not today. With a low growl, Emerald stepped forward, faster then should have been possible, she fell into a roll as those around her began to fire, killing comrades in their jerk reaction. As Emerald came up, so too did her dual blades, biting into armor, burning through flesh. Lives dwindled and died in the Force, a hollow scream left in their place, almost like a memory, yet even they quickly faded as the Horansi Jedi twirled her lightsaber around her in a blinding show of ferocity.

Darting back and forth between her opponents, Emerald cut down more than two dozen in as many seconds, but the enemy had began to run for cover. The dead and dying laid around her, replacing her lightsaber on her belt, Emerald felt the Force warn her. A male Kaleesh warrior ran at her from behind, some sort of blade in his hand. He had already been wounded several times, it was clear he was going to die. A warrior's death then. Emerald thought to herself as she allowed the man to draw nearer before swinging her leg back, catching him across the jaw with her heel. His neck snapped under the force of her strike and the warrior fell to the ground without so much as a gasp, the blade still held firmly in the dead warrior's hand.

A roar erupted from the Horansi's throat, it demanded similar battle cries from the warriors around her. Many were dead, and Emerald scanned the area for the leader, the one who had worn blue. She saw it, a flash of blue amongst the sand and blood. Using the Force to leap across the battlefield, Emerald landed near him. One of his protectors, surprised by this, accidently shot at her, the slug just gracing her right shoulder. She laughed as she reach for the wound, a small amount of blood on the tips of her claws. "Another time perhaps." The battle continued to rage but Emerald, rather than charging at the enemy, attempted to instead provide cover for those around her, particularly the leader of these people she had killed for.

Hidden behind her swirling lightsabers, many Kaleesh warriors flocked to her, some carrying the wounded as she spearheaded their push out of the valley, attempting to find more permanent cover. The landscape around her was foreign, and Emerald was to busy providing cover to look ahead. The Jedi Knight called out to a nearby warrior, the woman seemed to move with more purpose the those around her, and Emerald decided to follow her, leading those behind her to do the same.​

 

[Jabonicus]

Even with the flurried assistance of the Jedi, the retreat was a bloodbath. The surrounding forces poured into the canyon from both sides, filling the only places of retreat, meaning that if the majority of Iron Tusk forces were to escape, they would first have to push through one side or the other. Those that the Jedi had slain were quickly stepped over, their sacrifice, seen by many, only enthralled the remaining forces towards glorious combat with an outrageous foe, one that would give them great glory in life for defeating, or even greater honor in death if not.

The military Adjutant, his massive form standing tall as his bone blade cut down many of the Bronze Union, let out a massive war cry before he attempted to rally his forces. "They are razing us! Push back towards home! Cut through them and we may yet find the honor of victory!" his words, though foreign to the Jedi's ears, would likely find their meaning as the battlefield shifted.

Kaleesh of the Iron Tusk found their places, forming a massive wall of bone and slugthrowers. Many of them face their home front, marching as one, stepping over the bodies of their fallen allies, both alive and dead, as they attempted to shield through the canyon. The opposite side, much smaller, was the covering force, holding off what they could of the enemy counters. Among them, the female guard that had accompanied them was not found.

As the mass of bone, red scales and slugthrowers moved back the way they came, Jaz had managed to pull herself up a rare, climbable slope in the canyon walls. On the side of the Gehenna mountains, it contained yet a small force of the Bronze Union, who were fare too focused on the large target in the canyon to notice a small form pulling herself to a rocky covering. Breathing heavily, she tugged at her rifle to load the next slug into the barrel, swinging it around the rock as she picked off a Sharpshooter who wielded a shockingly large weapon. Ducking back down as several slugs pounded into the rocks she hid within, she cursed, eyeing a nearby chasm that led down into the Gehenna mountains.​

 

[Undine]

As the scattering forces of the Kaleesh warriors around her reforged themselves into a wall, pushing themselves forward against the tide of bone swords and soaring metal slugs, many fell but Emerald pushed forward alongside them. They needed a gap, something to force the opposing ranks to give way and not even Emerald could cut down enough to make an impact, at least not sufficient enough or quick enough to savor victory. As she looked forward towards the top of the hill that they needed to take, surrounded by the smell of blood, the screams of the dying and the fading echos of the dead, Emerald nearly lost herself to darkness. Just as chills ran up her spine and the darkside called to her, the glare of the sun hit her in the face snapping her thoughts back to the present.

It was at that moment she her gaze drifted, refocusing above the hill, honing in on the spire of solidified sandstone standing tall against the backdrop of an otherwise clear sky. Emerald knew what had to be done, falling behind the ranks of the soldiers moving forward as the Jedi Knight stood still, she reached out into the Force. Arms extended, she grasped around the stone spire in her mind, pulling at it with the Force, her left hand pulling backwards as if it held onto something physical rather than air. Everything around her began to fade, to grow silent, until the only sound she could her was the falling dust and sand shaking itself free from the cracks of the spire. The rock formation itself refused to budge, and as Emerald finally closed her eyes and what felt like a warm breeze swept over her she finally felt it, a crack.

The shattering of rock at the base of the spire sent shards of sandstone flying out in all directions, going mostly unnoticed until the spire began to tip forward. It fell, and as it did all the sounds and smells of battle came flooding back to her. Emerald realised she had been shot in her right thigh. While the pain was more than unpleasant the small projectile hadn't damaged much beyond the muscle itself, a wound Emerald knew she could fight on with. She had too. At first the pain was distracting, but it grew into a focus, keeping Emerald's senses sharp and reminding her to defend herself. As the stone spire fell, it crashed and broke up into boulders. Cries of surprise and screams of pain rung out from the oppressing forces as the boulders fell upon them, rolling down the hill shredding the their ranks killing and wounding nearly three dozen.

The gap in the enemy lines wasn't enough to pull everyone through however, and Emerald realized that more would need to be done before securing the safe retreat of the warriors around her. There was another problem too, however. Even as the boulders ripped through enemy lines, they would soon reach the makeshift shield wall of her own allies, unease beginning to set in as the soldiers around her realized this as well. Once again opening herself up to the Force, Emerald reached forth, stopping many of the smaller boulders as they lost momentum in the sand. The largest amongst them simply pushing through such meager resistance. The Horansi Jedi put one leg behind the other, pushing forward the same one would a wall. She gave all of the strength she could muster, the bullet wound in her thigh screaming under the strain of her willpower. Finally, as the warriors around her began to shift positions out of the way, the largest among the boulders finally came to stop before her.

As the sand shifted beneath her feet, adjusting to the immense weight of the stone, Emerald had been shifted backwards before kneeling to regain her strength. Her muscles seemed to echo and vibrate in the release of built up tension. The battle continued to roar around her, but Emerald took a moment to breath in the cover of the stone, others doing the same. After what felt like both a few hours yet only spanned a few short breaths, Emerald would leap upon the boulder which stood impressively at at least a dozen feet tall, her own height bring her view nearly twenty feet above the those swarming around her. As the gap in the enemy lines began to be filled, the screaming and silent bodies being pulled aside, and her fellow warriors finding cover being the remains of the scattered spire around them, Emerald drew the attention of everyone seeking to be the one to fell such a beast as she. Allowing those around her to push forward, sweeping through the gap beyond, and hopefully, reaching the top of the hillside.​

 

[Jabonicus]

Throughout the time that the Jedi had shaken the landscape around then, crushing many of the Bronze Union into the red sand below, the forces of the Iron Tusk split into two main groups. The main group, led by the Military Adjutant, took advantage of the opening the Jedi had caused, rushing for the hilltop, a full retreat in act. The Military Adjutant himself ran with weakening power, a trail of steaming yellow blood dripping behind him, his right hand a mangled, useless stub.

The other, smaller group seemed to have lost faith in the Jedi during her spell, before her acts took place. In such, they had taken the same route as Jaz, climbing up the canyon wall where they found a climbable space. With such a number pouring over the edge, they all, led by the female guard, pushed their way to the safety of the tall, winding roads of the Gehennian Mountains.

Many on each side fell, the numbers of the Bronze Union overwhelming and much better equipped, shells dug into backs and sharpened bone broke flesh. The Union, in their massive numbers, gave little chase, only seeming to try and force the surviving Tuskmen out of the zone.

Their numbers had been cut down, a great many dead, those injured left behind to die either by the hands of the Union or by the slow torture of the environment. The Tuskmen who had ran for the Mountains left a trail of bodies and blood, as they headed for a large cave in the mountains for cover.​

 

[Undine]

Having secured the the effective retreat of the of the majority of the Iron tusked warriors, Emerald turned her attention to the smaller numbers of warriors that had followed another. What had convinced them to follow someone up a mountain to hide in caves was beyond the Horansi. The would soon be isolated and closed in with nowhere to go. The Jedi Knight couldn't allow this to happen so she turned and leaped through the air, her wounds aching and screaming with every movement her body made. She would fight through the pain, it was not the Jedi way to abandon others when the going got rough, regardless of what her body felt Emerald knew she could overcome it with the Force.

Landing among the ranks of the enemy Emerald again made short work of those around her, forging her way towards the cave. Without sensing the female warrior on her tail, Emerald felt a sharpened bone blade cut deep into her left shoulder, turning to face a Kaleesh woman who had somehow closed in on her without alerting the Jedi Knight. It was at that moment Emerald noticed a small presence emanating from within the woman, a Force sensitive. Emerald hesitated, only just managing to dodge an incoming attack from the woman before sweeping her lightsaber to the side cutting the bone blade in two. Everything screamed for her to stop, to attempt to bring this woman to the Jedi, but as the battle died down around them, Emerald knew she could risk it. If she refused to kill this woman she would be caught alone on the battlefield isolated and in the open.

It pained the Jedi Knight to slay the woman, but she trusted that the Force had guided them both to that moment. Perhaps the woman who now laid dying in the sands, a burnt hole where Emerald's lightsaber had pierced her lung, would meet the Force with honor just as the other warriors felled by the Jedi Knight that day. A sense of uncertainty ran down Emerald's spine as she continued her way to the cave, her lightsaber swinging one way before cutting down those in it's path as it swung back around again. It wouldn't take the large feline to make it to the cave, but the Kaleesh woman still lingered in her thoughts. Emerald just had to hope she was doing the right thing by joining this fight. It wasn't a Jedi's place to intervene unwanted, but on the other hand she couldn't stand by and watch people starve to death for no other reason than the greed of the well fed.

Despite everything the encounter with the woman had brought out of her, the blood seeping from her shoulder included, Emerald needed more then anything to make it to the cave where she could take a moment to heal. Even with her training in the Force, she needed to breath and calm herself, no Jedi could carry on forever. Once in the cave, Emerald would find some cover to treat her injury, using the Force to at least seal the wound and stop the bleeding. Then she would locate the female woman that was beginning to show herself as a potential leader.​