The Battle of Coruscant -- Galactic Alliance Defense Force Command Center

[Darkwasp]

The Padawan was used to the quiet calm of the assassin’s task. The carnage and chaos that raged around her assaulted her senses. The Force was a storm of Tsunamis and gale force winds, as Jedi and Sith called upon it to aid them in combat. Even her ability to feel impending danger was terribly muted, as the shear amount of people wishing her harm made searching for specific intent; akin to picking out one particular instrument amongst the cacophony of a blaring orchestra that was warming up, almost impossible. War was complicated and messy. The probability for friendly fire was extremely high, as the enemy began smashing through their ranks.

For a moment, Narrah’s heart sank. She had lost sight of her Master. And even though it had been difficult amongst the bedlam, she could still feel her Master’s signature through the confusion. However, now it had vanished. Worry and fear clawed at her. And for the briefest of seconds she thought the worse. It wasn’t until she recalled a lesson about what it may feel like to lose someone through the Force that she began to relax. His signature had not shifted. It had simply vanished from existence; an act that she was more than capable of doing, and had proven so time and again.

Feeling more assured, the violet haired Padawan began shifting closer to the Command Center structure. With the enemy breaking their ranks, she needed to make sure that she kept herself between the enemy and their target.

The ground rumbled around her and her bones rattled. The concussive force of the first few impacts of the enemy barrage, threatened to remove her from her feet. It was a thundering sound; even louder the earsplitting noise of the TIE fighter, smashing into melee. The Padawan shifted further to the arch of the entrance; in order to protect herself from falling debris, as she protected the Center from the oncoming invasion.

 

[Grimlock]

Just as the woman charged the Sith, Dero saw the brilliant flash of light and was tackled to the ground before he knew what was going on. Barely having enough time to disengage his Lightsaber else it accidentally impale one of the Jedi on the trip to the ground, he was struck by a mental image of a joined Force wall being thrown around them inside the small foxhole. Mustering every bit of concentration he was capable of, the Padawan but it all into the shield that Von had erected.

The smaller debris rained down first, clattering harmlessly off the shield. Glancing upwards he saw the larger debris making it's way toward the two Jedi. Attempting as best he could to shield the female Knight's body with his own in an attempt to ignore the fact that should the debris break through, they would both be crushed. "It's never easy is it?" Asked the Padawan in an attempt to draw his mid away from their possible doom and focus on the shield itself.

 

[Stel Starkiller]

"I am not the Order, Sith," Von replied to the Sith's snide comment, "And my beliefs regarding anything are no concern of yours, but my lightsaber is."

Suddenly she detected another presence, but this one was not malevolent. In fact, he seemed to emit an aura of camaraderie with her. That could only mean another Jedi. When he slid into place next to her, Von gave him a curt nod and said, "Glad you could join us."

In a quick stroke of trickery, as soon as Von said "us", she dashed forward at the Sith again, preparing to swing her lightsaber in a rising sweep that would travel from Yang's left foot to his right shoulder, but was halted by a sudden flash of light that illuminated the entire area.

Halting about halfway to the Acolyte, Von turned to see an artillery turbolaser blast strike the ten-story building next to them. She spun about and threw herself at Dero, twisting as she came, tackling him to the ground and rolling to land with her beneath. She transmitted an image into his mind of them joining together in meditation to deflect any blast material before she sent a powerful blast of Force Wave into the ground beneath them, digging a small foxhole-like crater in the ground to maximize their protection.

The building exploded in a brilliant explosion, sending massive flaming chunks of metal and duracrete through the air.

Von closed her eyes and willed a protective screen over the foxhole/crater's opening.

Spoiler: How I'm Imaging This:

Skip to 1:05. Awwwwwwyeahhhhh...
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAq3vFBL5KM[/YOUTUBE]

Just as the woman charged the Sith, Dero saw the brilliant flash of light and was tackled to the ground before he knew what was going on. Barely having enough time to disengage his Lightsaber else it accidentally impale one of the Jedi on the trip to the ground, he was struck by a mental image of a joined Force wall being thrown around them inside the small foxhole. Mustering every bit of concentration he was capable of, the Padawan but it all into the shield that Von had erected.

The smaller debris rained down first, clattering harmlessly off the shield. Glancing upwards he saw the larger debris making it's way toward the two Jedi. Attempting as best he could to shield the female Knight's body with his own in an attempt to ignore the fact that should the debris break through, they would both be crushed. "It's never easy is it?" Asked the Padawan in an attempt to draw his mid away from their possible doom and focus on the shield itself.

Yang grinned as Von replied to his taunts. Maybe it was him but it seemed like he struck a nerve. As soon as the second Jedi arrived Von launched another attack. It was a trick move, something a Sith would do. Before Yang could react a brilliant flash lit up the sky and a building exploded and started to crumble. Von already started working to defend both the newcomer and herself. Yang simply glanced at the falling debris. The smaller stuff he didn't have to worry about, it was the bigger chunks of metal and duracrete he had to worry about.

Putting away his lightsaber Yang started focusing on the debris. A lot of it he was able to simply side-step or jump out of the way of. The bigger, faster pieces required the use of the Force to either evade, catch, or push out of the way. As each piece of debris hit the ground they would kick up large dust clouds. That wasn't much trouble, a small use of Force Push would blow the dust and smoke away.

Yang grabbed his lightsaber and reignited it and watched the foxhole Von had made, waiting for the Jedi to come out. He was not about to let some chunk of metal take his glory.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von watched a massive chunk of building descend on her and Dero. She highly doubted that their little shield would hold in the face of that.

"No, it isn't," Von replied to the other Jedi, "But know that I, Von Raythe, will do everything in my power to protect your life."

As the massive chunk of permacrete and durasteel rushed toward them, Von closed her eyes and centered herself in the Force, using the technique she'd unlocked with Master Ebberla. She'd practiced it a few times since then, but it never truly materialized like it had against the Jedi Master. Von suspected that it was due to her lack of an opponent or threat to focus her power on.

Now I have one, Von thought peacefully as she delved deep into the Force. The Zeltron-hybrid Jedi captured the different desires and emotions in a massive mental prison in a corner of her mind. There, desires like the need to live and protect others swirled with darker emotions like anger and fear. They grew in strength and power, threatening to burst from their jail. Von, meanwhile, cocooned what she'd dubbed her "soul" in a fortress built of the peaceful yet stoic Light Side of the Force, encasing her conscious objective mind in tranquility and rationality.

Then she un-caged the jailed primal forces. They rushed out in all directions, seeking an enemy to crush and destroy. They found the centered-Von, but the woman's sheer will drove the rampaging force away, causing it to swirl around in malevolently, becoming a hurricane of destructive power while Von's center became the Eye of the Storm.

Eliminate, the hurricane cried, Destroy all opposition!

There's one right there, Von's center replied calmly, willing the storm to focus on the debris.

What can we do to it? the storm asked, practically salivating at the chance to unleash its pent-up rage.

I care not, Von's center answered calmly, We must protect ourselves and the young Padawan with us.

The rampaging force screamed in delight as it drew itself up, drawing in its power and the Force, before throwing its might into the shield. Instead of a flat surface, the shield warped up, away from the pair of Jedi beneath it, and sharpened to a point at the middle, becoming a pyramid of telekinetic power. Then it rushed up at the chunk of wall descending toward it, becoming a spear of power aimed to strike the center of the debris. The storm drew in Dero's own power and focused it into a razor-sharp tip as it flew.

When the spear slammed into the wall-piece, Von watched observantly as the wall suddenly snapped in half, then shattered completely under the power of the Force. The piece fell all around the foxhole, but none actually came into contact.

We have won! the storm announced with joy.

Good, Von's center answered, Now we must calm.

The storm threatened to rise up against the center, but it knew its Master's call and dispersed into its components once again.

"We are alive, comrade," Von announced, "Now, please move."

After Dero moved off of Von, she got up and climbed out of the hole. The Sith Acolyte was still alive, it seemed as well, though Von suspected that he'd simply used Ataru's acrobatics to escape danger.

Von then sensed the distress coming from the Command Center. Her commlink merely emphasized this fact as calls went out to all nearby units to aid in the defense. She was needed, but this Sith could not be allowed to join his comrades. But Von was not alone.

"I leave you to deal with this miscreant," Von said to the Zabrak Jedi, "I'm needed elsewhere."

Turning abruptly, Von drew in the Force and willed her body to move with the utmost haste toward the Galactic Alliance Defense Force Command Center.

 

[TAC]

The Jedi Master moved nimbly through the throng of combatants, many dying left and right- Imperial, Alliance, and Mandalorian alike. His line, which was now directly along the front, how reached the courtyard and the Imperials had spread out through his men. They were, in fact, so close as to be able to touch the walls of the mighty facility. Luckily for the Galactic Alliance they were not yet organized and cohesive enough to make the major push into the building, but time was certainly limited.

Explosions suddenly wracked the ground, however, making many stumble. Larik simply used it to his advantage, while paying careful attention to not be smashed by the falling pieces of the Command Center or surrounding buildings. For some odd reasons the shields hadn't been operational, or at least had been badly damaged, as the barrage wrecked major infrastructural damage on the area. Finally able to see his prize, about 20 meters away from through dozens of battles, the Jedi upped his force usage, his lightsaber flying from where it had been impaled in Sith to the man's hands.

With the lightsaber now firmly in his possession, he lit it. And with this, he revealed himself both to the senses and to the Force. But not only did he reveal himself to the Force, he amplified his signature, a beacon to all of the Force users who were on the field. It would attract the Sith, yes, but in doing this he would take attention off of the other Jedi, helping them escape into the facility. Soon the barrage would stop, once the building was weakened and burning, to inflect less self-casualties.

"Loogo!" the man shouted via his comlink as he dodged towards the heart of the fight, "Get the Sundance Maiden out of range so you don't take damage. Once the barrage stops, meet is on top of the roof, but quietly. We'll evac from there." With that the Jedi Master moved forward quickly, coming up next to Narrah, who had only been a few dozen feet ahead of him. Undoubtedly she had felt his reappearance, and would be ready to fight with her Master. As he joined her, he looked up, or rather felt, the two force presences moving towards them. He judged one of them to be the calm, cool collected posture of a very experienced equivalent of a Knight. The other much less experienced, and much more openly eager. Two Sith.

"Ready, Narrah?" the man asked, taking a deep breath and readying himself for the coming duel. "We'll hold them for as long as possible. As soon as we have most of our folks behind us, we'll make a slow retreat through the doors and the facility to the roof. Hopefully Loogo will be there to pick us up." The man paused then, eying the two Sith moving steadily towards them. "If not, we shall fight." Then, judging they were close enough, Larik brought his hand up and let out a decently sized Force push, beginning the combat between the two sides.

 

[Butler]

Darren yelled ine rage as only a Sith can.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Darren screamed, as he started cutting down through Alliance soldiers, using his rage to try and cut a path to Larik.

The slender reflection of battle depressed within Noster's wincing right eye, meticulously dissecting the ripples of the tide, as he began pacing side to side steadily; immeasurably loyal to combat and patiently immovable. His heart paced at half the rate of turbo-laser fire, countless deaths scoring the sea of soldiers before his waking eyes. To escape such chaos, gifted with a staunch and dominating will to govern with strength and power, would be a hell beyond reckoning for this man; for he looked on this maelstrom, and he saw potential. He saw peace in its beginning. And those eyes lit with the flame of youth as he watched the young Darren roar as a berserker of old reincarnate. The wave was drawing back, and hence would next come crashing down.

The sky thundered and cracked with a shattering splendor as a building blasted apart, impeding one of the arcing artillery's bombs as it tore through the skyscraper and reigned flaming terror.

Noster skidded still, looked back, and witnessed the debris as it fell like an armageddon upon those trapped below. His gloved hand twirled the red lightsaber once over wrist as he stood there steady, square in the middle between the rear disaster and the forward fighting forces. Yet still behind, moving along with the heavy cannons in escort, there were hundreds more troopers still thirsting for battle. So Noster returned his sinister seduction back towards the front, and lifted that crimson beam up over head.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

The billowing dust cloud raged forth behind as all who heard this sustained guttural gall joined in with the chorus of a thousand men for the push. And like the wall of sandy gray in the distant backdrop, these men built into a charge as one bullying bulldozer.

The Command Center took heavy damage, without much evidence of a shielded defense. Confidence and the coming victory swelled within the Imperium's eyes, as it proudly accepted the success of one of its warriors; the red skinned Devaronian Sith Master Bezarr had successfully infiltrated the undercity corridor without fail. However many casualties his unit had suffered, he must have managed to successfully disable the shields from the inside. From here, they could only imagine what else the Sith had accomplished from within.

And the drums of war beat on, building and broadening the horizon. For in its coming red sun would shine the blood of millions who made this change for a better universe possible. Galaxies would suffer no more from unfathomable freedoms and false hopes. Rule had come. The fist came barreling down.

Boom, came the thud of his boot, and then the other, as they gradually followed into forever. One, among so many, heralded his own vision into the swell of swarming inevitability. Noster Eden powered forward as the tip of the spear heading straight down the path the Acolyte had forged for them. There was no holding them back any longer.

The crash of the cannons halted, as they likely held in their forward movement until the next wave.

Noster could see him now. The one, powerful, and worthy nemesis on this field had shown himself once again; and Noster followed towards it. The build in power was inspiring. So Noster swooped his wide arms in, sweeping the line of Alliance soldiers, even some Imperium Troopers, into a cluster towards the Jedi Master. They buffered the eruption of the Force that came from the Larik, all of them flying away as lifeless pins before his might, and Noster tucked a tackling shoulder down into one body as it careened off and over him; revealing Noster to the Jedi Master once again, while all other Imperium forces collided with the Alliance - now closer to home than ever.

Reaching the Jedi Master, the enraged Noster slashed his red blade up through Larik's right hip to neck; then flashed the rear ignition button with now both blades rotating back inwards with multiple right to left slashes(Noster's) through a lowering trajectory that slashed through Larik's left to right from shoulder down.

 

[ShadowWalker]

John had been shooting another trooper down when the one his back died. He roared in anger and was about to return fire when an acolyte charged him saber blazing red. John reacted just like the training had taught. He stepped out of the way of the first swing, and before the acolyte could recover, he jabbed him in the throat. Choking with a crushed larynx, John pulled out his pistol and shot the boy right between the eyes. He then ran and fired both weapons, cutting down any who got in his way. John was about kill another Mandalorian when a large explosion erupted, catapulting John out of the lines. He landed with a thud, and was knocked unconscious.


When John woke, he saw that the battle had progressed past his position. With a groan, he turned over, and forced himself to grab his blaster rifle, and get up. John used his commando training to move past the old positions he had fought so hard to defend. As he moved through the debris, he heard the guns of artillery, and one thought crossed his mind. I have to stop those guns. He went at a slow trot towards the canon fire. As he moved past the dead, he found a missile launcher, the same one used in the opening volley. He checked the ammo count. Two shots. He was gonna have to get creative on this one. Bringing the launcher across his shoulder, John continued forward noting his progress, by the sound of the guns. Finally stopping at a corner to a street, John peeked down and around. The guns were right there. The artillery platforms were hammering away with their turbolasers. John looked at the nearby building, and found a vantage point. Crossing the street quickly, he was about to go inside when he heard a call.

"Bang"

"Flash" John replied.

"By the force! It's Sarge,"

"Calm down what's our strength trooper?"

The scrawny soldier muttered, and looked about him as he spoke, "Just three of us, plus you,"

"What we're you doing soldiers?"

"We got separated from the main combat group, and heard the arty over there. So we decided to take it out,"

"And why haven't you?"

"We don't have any AT weapons sir,-"

John dumped the used one he had on the floor, and spoke quietly.

"Get moving, rooftop positions now,"

The fire team immediately started up the stairs, and reached the roof in minutes. Once there, he spread the team out, and got the missile launcher up in the center. He lined up the shot and stared through the scope, and carefully steadied his aim. The reticule was lined up with main support of the cannon, without which, would cause it to fall, and fire randomly. He steadied his breathing, and squeezed the trigger. The missile popped, then screeched as it headed straight for it's target. The missile detonated with a thundering BOOM! The cannon fell with a groan, just as another volley came from it. Rounds smacked everywhere, even hitting the build just across from John's position. The shock waves sent rattled throughout John's body, and as soon, as the shockwave ended, the shooting began. Sith troopers opened fire on John's position, and his fire team scrambled for cover, but the arty stopped. John yelled into his comms on Alliance and emergency frequency.

"This is John, arty threat has been delayed, we need evac now!"

With that he began to open fire into the attacking Sith, using his vantage point to his advantage.

 

[The Kyzer]

Hurtling through the streets at breakneck speed, Von had to squint her eyes as the wind lashed at her for her Force-powered rush. She maneuvered around the center of the battle for the Command Center, seeking to enter without having to fight every step of the way.

In her flanking maneuver, he saw a squad of GA troopers holding out in a two-story building a couple blocks from Command Center. Well, it used to be much taller, but an artillery blast had leveled most of the building. The wreckage, however, had turned it into a small fortress. Still, Imperial troops and some scout walkers were unleashing a sustained and withering barrage of blaster fire. The GA troops were being slowly worn away through attrition just like the improvised fortifications they hid behind.

Von immediately sought to help, throwing herself into a scout walker with wild abandon. The machine crumpled and fell on its side under the sudden application of force, and Von just barely leaped away before it exploded violently. Around half of the Imperial troops turned to open fire on this new enemy while the rest continued to blast away at the ruined building. This slight lull was enough to allow the trapped GA troops inside to fight back a little, and Von saw, to her delight, a few bolts of return-fire knock down some enemy soldiers.

There was still another scout walker to deal with, so she leaped on top of the war machine and cut a quick hole in the top with her lightsaber. Hopping inside, Von quickly dealt with the two-man crew, and took control of the armored behemoth. She opened fire on groups of Imperial soldiers before setting the craft's power core to overload after a few seconds. Von easily escaped the doomed walker and leaped down, slicing through enemies as she landed, before rushing to the improvised stronghold. The walker exploded brilliantly, raining death and destruction on the Imperial formation.

"Thank you, ma'am," one of the troopers cried, issuing a quick salute before returning to his previous duties of unloading his blaster's deadly ordinance on the surviving Imperials.

"No problem," Von replied with a quick wave, "We're all in this together."

"This day keeps getting crazier and crazier," a gruff but slightly familiar voice stated, "And here I thought the Order had left."

Von whirled around to look square in the eyes of a Devaronian soldier.

"Sergeant Terkon?!?" she exclaimed in a mix of surprise and joy. She'd thought that the old Devaronian had died on Tython.

"It's Lieutenant, now," he said with a quick smirk, "And I hear you've acquired a promotion of sorts as well."

"What are you talking about?" Von asked inquisitively.

"According to this little deal here," the lieutenant said, pointing at his datapad, "It says you're listed as Jedi Knight Von Raythe."

Von whirled under the suddenness of the revelation.

"Th...tha...thaaat can't be right," she stuttered, "Plus, why would you find out before I would?"

"Well, I'd bet that the Order had put it in their data system," Terkon replied with a shrug, "Which is still hardwired to the GA Command database. Congrats, Jedi Knight."

Von moved to speak, but a sudden surge of the Force drew her attention. It was also slightly familiar, but extremely powerful and expansive...AND it was a beacon of Light. It carried with it the feeling of need. The need for aid.

"Sorry, Lieutenant," Von stated with sudden determination, "But I'm needed elsewhere. You guys good here?"

The Devaronian smiled and nodded.

"Thanks to you, ma'am."

The newly-dubbed Jedi Knight smirked at the GA officer's newly found respect before rushing to leave. This time she did not move to flank and avoid confrontation. This time she knew exactly where she was needed as the Beacon of Light was contrasted by a dark aura of rage and hate. Even more so, she felt the familiarity with the dark aura as well.

Leaping atop a mostly ruined wall, Von could see the fight between what looked like two dark shadows and two brilliant silhouettes of light. Grabbing a fallen flag post that lie next to her, Von gathered the Force into her like Master Larik had shown her, mirroring his current action. She also drew in the Force to blast a telekinetic challenge at the dark figure whom she recognized. She also yelled the challenge aloud.

"Come to me, Dark One," she cried, waving the flag with her left hand while blocking blaster bolts with her lightsaber in her right, "Come to me, so that I may end the life a Nameless Beast!"

 

[TAC]

The force push was strong, but not overly so. Jedi Master Larik Novan knew that this would not be an easy fight, after the intense fighting he had been engaged in. His nemesis, on the other hand, looked significantly fresher- undoubtedly, the Sith had been saving himself for such a conflict as this. Larik had been faced with no choice but to save his friends and allies to the best of their abilities, although many of them were dead, while he doubted his adversary mattered that he shattered lives and dreams by recklessly throwing his troops forwards.

That was why the Galactic Alliance troops had held so steadfast in the brunt of such slaughter. It was futile, however. There were simply too many of their enemies.

As the Sith charged towards the Jedi Master, the long, flickering grey blade erupted, pointed down. The Jedi breathed deeply, dropping back into a defensive stance, his lightsaber pointed slightly to the right as he stood with a right-handed grip. As the slash towards his right hip came, he met it early with his lightsaber. As it the red blade came up across his chest, missing it, his left left arm skirted the right arm as it moved towards his right hand and he pivited forward since the blade has passed his chest. His blade moving down towards the hands of the sith, his left arm reached out and grabbed ahold of the Sith's lightsaber, a move called circular block.

The second blade flicked to life, but the Jedi had enough control on the Sith's lightsaber to that every back-and-forth attack was fruitless. The man remained tense, ready to move a body part out of the way should the Sith headbutt, kick, or release a hand from his saber.

 

[Butler]

Their blades crossed with a clash, and Noster heard that girl's call, yet his hilt was seized by the Jedi's one hand planting in between Noster's two hands. With the Jedi's blade barred, Noster's left claw released and instantly latched onto Larik's right hand; the gold talons sinking into the back of the Jedi Master's hand and tearing bloody flesh from bone. Noster's thumb pressed the ignition button of Larik's lightsaber to retract the beam, and wrenched a twist of the claw that would tear the man's flesh and rip the hilt from his palm with a simultaneous quick left heel kick into the inside of Larik's right knee.

 

[Darkwasp]

Their blades crossed with a clash, and Noster heard that girl's call, yet his hilt was seized by the Jedi's one hand planting in between Noster's two hands. With the Jedi's blade barred, Noster's left claw released and instantly latched onto Larik's right hand; the gold talons sinking into the back of the Jedi Master's hand and tearing bloody flesh from bone. Noster's thumb pressed the ignition button of Larik's lightsaber to retract the beam, and wrenched a twist of the claw that would tear the man's flesh and rip the hilt from his palm with a simultaneous quick left heel kick into the inside of Larik's right knee.

Narrah quickly acknowledged Larik’s plan of action, as a rain of deadly plasma surrounded them. She watched as the Sith swept in, using a barrage of bodies to barricade himself from the force of her Master’s Force push. He was relentlessly focused on Larik; so focused that the Crusader had completely ignored her. Taking advantage of the Sith’s mistake, the Jedi assassin blended into the chaos that surrounded them. Camouflaged by the storm of bodies that moved through the area and initiating her full concentration on the Force, Narrah vanished from sight.

Moving effortlessly through the crowded battlefield, with the Force cloaking her existence, Narrah’s eyes focused on the Sith attacking her Master. She positioned herself behind the black clad figure, as he struck at Larik. The Sith would pay dearly for his mistake. Within a fraction of a second Narrah had reappeared. As the Sith swung his heel at Larik’s knee, her own shot out for the inside of the Sith’s right knee. Stepping out and down, the force would be enough to snap and tear sinew; if not break bone. Simultaneously, the heavy metal hilt of her lightsaber struck out at the Sith’s temple. If the hilt hit its mark, combined with the weakened knee, it would be enough to knock the Sith from his feet.

 

[Butler]

The Padawan's heel lifted and kicked into Noster's leg, toppling him suddenly and surprisingly, when a sudden and thunderous wave of Force singled her out from her right. The outstretched hand of Eirethesh, the black skinned Sith Sorcerer approached slowly with a grin stretched wide across his face; an ignited crimson lightsaber in his left hand a an ignited lightwhip in his right, held back for the ready.

The girl suffered the very same mistake in which she galvanized. Yet it was the Sith who had the superior numbers here today. Most any skirmish would end up in favor for the Sith, eventually.

"Noster," Eirethesh barked with announcement.

Larik's hand would still suffer Noster's talonned attempt. Then, the game had changed once again.

 

[TAC]

The problem with using your hands in lightsaber combat is that everything counts- the slightest movement can throw off the entire angle of a lightsaber attack, instead lobbing off your own ear or an opponent's hair, a narrow miss. The usage of lightsabers in combat was a skill, an art. As powerful as the young Sith Crusader was, power could only do so much against a trained and experienced combatant such as the Jedi Master he now faced. The Corellian's blade, held in his right hand, was crossed with the left blade of the Sith.

As Larik's left hand met the lightsaber, the Sith's left hand jumped from the blade, the golden claw that was strapped towards it aimed right for the Master's hand. A worse mistake the Sith could not have made, as physics took over. The balance on the double sides lightsaber now thrown off, the left side moved backwards, and the Jedi's lightsaber with it. Thus, the angle of the strike from the gauntlet was no good, and it overshot the flesh part of the Jedi's hand JUST as the Padawan's leg connected with his, buckling his knees and sending him towards the lightsber.

Attempting to regain his full balance, the Jedi pivoted on his right foot, bring the lightsaber back towards the now exposed lower arm of the Sith. At the same time, he reversed the pull of the sith's lightsaber so that the right blade could not be whipped around to take off the man's head. His attacks missing, the Sith would be off balance and needing to be very careful so that his overextended right arm would not be lobbed off.

 

[ShadowWalker]

John used the opening provided by the Jedi's timely arrival to squeeze off a couple more shots into the oncoming Sith. The extra shots, and the Jedi showing up, caused the Sith to rethink their position, and so, they began to fall back. As the shooting was quieting down, one of the troopers apparently recognized the Jedi, and began to have a chat. John, was too busy shooting to catch any of it, when he saw the Artillery Walkers began to maneuver back. OH HELL NO! John saw their exfiltration point, and aimed the launcher at the nearby building. It was a snap shot, the tube popped, and the scream of the missile signaled its flight at the enemy. It slammed into the wall of the building, and the wall exploded as the warhead detonated. The building, no longer able to stand, fell over unceremoniously onto another artillery walker. John yelled to the squad.

"RELOADS!!"

A man brought over one more shot for the missile launcher, and John loaded the tube quickly. By then the walkers had stopped, and were attempting to move back forward, when John fired the other missile into the lead vehicle. The explosion signaled the end to another walker, and the trapping of the convoy. By now Sith troopers were full bore sprinting to get away from the fire of the fireteam of Alliance troops. One of the troopers let out an "hoorah!" in celebration, and John just kept shooting. The artillery was now trapped, and though they didn't have AT or air support, they were holding the position fairly well. John didn't figure on that lasting long.

 

[Darkwasp]

The Padawan's heel lifted and kicked into Noster's leg, toppling him suddenly and surprisingly, when a sudden and thunderous wave of Force singled her out from her right. The outstretched hand of Eirethesh, the black skinned Sith Sorcerer approached slowly with a grin stretched wide across his face; an ignited crimson lightsaber in his left hand a an ignited lightwhip in his right, held back for the ready.

The girl suffered the very same mistake in which she galvanized. Yet it was the Sith who had the superior numbers here today. Most any skirmish would end up in favor for the Sith, eventually.

"Noster," Eirethesh barked with announcement.

Larik's hand would still suffer Noster's talonned attempt. Then, the game had changed once again.

Spoiler: OOC

Hmm... Still no Butler huh? I guess I'll try to keep it semi going. :p

As the Lorrdian’s heel connected with the inside of the Sith’s knee, a powerful force collided with her body. It hit with the force of a charging Bantha. Thick, dark blood sprayed from her mouth, as her body spun through the air. Loud cracking sounds filled her ears, and it became hard to breath. From the corner of her eye, she could see the glinting of her lightsaber hilt tumbling off into the distance. The pain increased, as Narrah’s body smashed into the hard ground; her body twisting and contorting in strange and unnaturally ways, like a child’s ragdoll. She crashed into a large group of men as she flopped and flailed. She couldn’t tell whether they were enemies or allies, but at that point it didn’t matter. She swore loudly, as heavy, armored bodies fell on top of her.

Narrah’s vision dimmed for a bit. The pain had intensified and her breathing had become more labored. She fought hard to maintain consciousness. If she passed out now, there would be no doubt of her demise. Get up! If Larik sees you like this, his attention will be divided. He will try to rescue you, and have two Sith at his back. Get up! Narrah shoved the heavy bodies from her. Reaching out and grabbing the nearest Carbine Blaster, the purple-haired Padwan stood with defiance in her eyes. Inside her body was screaming, racked with pain, but she ignored it. She began to dive between the chaos of the battlefield, to avoid being a direct target of the Sith Lord; her movements noticeably slower.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Across all means of communication, be they nearby HoloNet screens, personal communication devices, military communication systems, and more, a small hologram of the injured Alliance Chief of State, Nathanaeu Bastele, appeared before everyone who could see it. His face was shredded, with one of his eyes practically hanging from the socket. His body was torn apart, with his insides visible. It was a gruesome sight, showing just how bad the battle was. If the Chief of State could be this hurt, anyone could. Anyone could be killed.

But he had a message to send, one more important than what happened to him. It was garbled, with the chaos of the battle and Sith jammers preventing it from fully being reached, but there was enough to understand what Bastele was saying:

"This is Nathanaeu Bastele. A Sith warship… descending… Jedi Temple. I don’t know… planning but... If you can hear… evacuate or head underground… all costs. Coruscant… gone. The Alliance is falling. Save yourselves and… Force… with you."

With that, the transmission faded away. The end of the Alliance had come.

 

[TAC]

Before limbs could be ripped, chopped, or cut off in any other fashion, the ground started to shake. Larik and those around him were thrown from their feet, their lightsaber and blasters clattering to the ground. A building, only a few blocks from the Defense Center, crumbled and fell. Debris and dust flushed the air, making it almost impossible to see who exactly was who, and who should be killing who. Taking advantage of the moment, Larik called the Force into him to let loose as powerful a Force Push as possible.

The attack slammed right into the Sith that he had been dueling, sending the man out into the din of fighting that was slowly beginning again. The push also cleared the thick, brown air, at least for a few meters. The Jedi Master made eye contact with Narrah Sunce, who's opponent had also vanished. As the dust settled, they saw only a few defenders left. At that time, a voice came over the loudspeakers of the facility, again putting a temporary halt on the conflict as everyone stopped and stared:

"This is Nathanaeu Bastele. A Sith warship… descending… Jedi Temple. I don’t know… planning but... If you can hear… evacuate or head underground… all costs. Coruscant… gone. The Alliance is falling. Save yourselves and… Force… with you."

The message was understood, and with so few defenders and little precious time left, Jedi Master Larik Novan was in no place to disobey. "Loogo, it's Larik, meet us on the roof now." With waiting for a response, Larik called his lightsaber to his hand and sprinted towards the doors. They hadn't been breached yet, and several defenders were in cover around it. "Check your targets," the man said, "I'm recalling everyone."

There was no response from the Galactic Alliance Special Force Troopers, and so the man assumed his command would be completed. "Attention," he spoke over his comms, which were linked with all other GA soldiers on their particular battle field, "This is Captain Novan. All troops and Jedi retreat to the Command Center. We're moving out." His voice would be broken, disrupted by the Sith and their comms disruptivers, but it would be good enough. Slowly and slowly troops and Jedi, fighting as they retreat, started to trickle in.

From there the Jedi and their Galactic Alliance brothers and sisters would retreat through the Command Center, moving slowly to the top floor. There Jedi Knight Loogo Vsil with the Sundance Maiden, as well as a Galactic Alliance transport, would be waiting to take them away.

 

[Darkwasp]

The grip of her Carbine slowly began to heat, as she fired in rapid succession toward the Sith Lord. Narrah watched as most of blaster bolts careened harmlessly from the crimson lightsaber that he held in his left hand. She continued to move and dive through the chaos; not giving the Sith time to redirect her fire back toward her, or focus any other deadly Force technique in her direction.

The ground rumbled beneath her feet, forcing the skilled Padawan to lose her balance. She continued to fire; keeping her eyes on her target, as she rolled across the ground and back to her feet. The Sith Lords arms flailed while he struggled to maintain his poise, allowing one of her shots to find a soft spot in his armor. Dropping the deadly lightwhip from his right hand, the Sith wenced; gripping at the gaping cauterized wound at his side. His piercing eyes glared at Narrah with a new found hatred. His right hand extended. There was nothing she could do. The pain in her ribs was sharp and sudden, from her roll on the hard ground. It was paralyzing. Just as the Sith Lord was prepared to unleash some unknown fury, a blast of wind and a plum of dust and debris filled the battlefield. Dangerous bolts of color plasma still filled the air, as the forces continued to blindly fire at each other.

As suddenly as the cloud of debris had arrived, it had cleared in a small area. The clearing was almost in a perfect cone shape, emanating from Master Larik’s outstretched hand. All of the bodies and threats that had once occupied the area had been swept away. It was almost a pristine piece of realestate amongst the chaos of battle. Narrah didn’t know whether it was luck or skill; that she stood safely at the edge of her Master’s maneuver, but she had no time to contemplate it. Larik was calling for a retreat. Gingerly, the purple-haired Padawan made her way to her Master’s location. She was quite sure that her ribs were either cracked or broken along her left side.

”Let’s…. go… Larik.” she said, through short shallow breaths.

She kept her momentum going; travelling into the Command Center. She feared that if she stopped, the pain would be unbearable, and she would simply collapse; becoming another casualty of war.

 

[Grimlock]

Having long since dealt with the Sith that the Jedi Knight had left him to deal with, Dera joined the main Alliance and Jedi forces in the defense of the Command Center. He had picked up a comm link from a fallen Alliance soldier to be connected to the chatter of the defenders though what he heard surprised him. 'Retreat? This really is going bad.' Thought the Padawan as he ran into the command center glancing around at the injured within. He was nervous and he couldn't quite place why. He had faced off against the Sith before but for some reason this was different and he couldn't completely understand the reason for that, though on thing was certain. He wasn't going to let himself get killed this day. Running to the entrance where Alliance soldiers still held the front, he waved his ignited saber over his head.

"Hold your ground, comrades! Let these Sith monsters taste the burn of your blasters!" Called the young Jedi in an attempt to rally the soldiers so the wounded could get out first.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von smirked as the dust began to clear. The dark man, the one she'd fought back on Tython, now hunted her. Or at least he thought he did.

She started off at a sprint, then enhanced it with the Force to become a blur of action. The dark one gave chase and even began to close-in when Von blasted into a relatively ruined building. It had been hit by a few glancing shots from the artillery as well as generally sustained fire from a skirmish between Imperial and GA soldiers. Both sides had withdrawn from the building when it was clear that it could collapse at any moment.

Von raced through the superstructure, hurling debris behind her as she went before arriving at a large hollowed out area. It was a huge atrium which apparently had one side made completely out of transparisteel. This, of course, had been obliterated by the battle, and many of the higher floors had been devastated as well.

Von turned and ignited her icy blue lightsaber blade. It was here that the duel would commence. It was here that her training would prove itself worthy of her time, or not.

---

Roughly a half-hour later​

The building was falling. Von could feel it. Every few seconds it shuddered and a massive hunk would fall off. But that didn't matter. What did matter is that the dark man was here, in her grasp, and she would get vengeance for Tython. The storm raging inside her screamed for blood, his blood, as payment for the crimes committed on Tython, no, TO Tython, here on this rooftop.

But a Jedi does not kill out of anger, or for vengeance. A Jedi kills to protect.

Her briefest of momentary hesitations allowed the dark one to blast her with a desperate Force Push. It wasn't strong, but it did break her focus. He followed it up with a quick Force-enhanced punch that sent her flying through the air. The dark man called his dual-bladed saberstaff back to his hand and Von reached into the Force to call her own lightsaber as well. However, instead of igniting his blade and engaging her again, he simply tapped a button on his commlink. Von felt the danger just before she heard it.

A massive Imperial dropship rose up over the lip of the roof of the skyscraper, its huge laser cannons swiveling to target Von. The dark man simply back-flipped in a huge arc and landed on top of the dropship, just before it opened fire. Von was already turning and running as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Laser fire lit up the roof around her as Von's feet transformed into a beautiful symphony of Force-enhanced speed. The edge of the roof loomed near. She was running out of room. The problem was further compounded by a flash of warning from the Force and the telltale whoosh of a rocket igniting. Twin concussion missiles quickly gathered speed as they ate up the distance between themselves and their fleeing target.

Von had two options: Die by the missiles, or die by the multiple-kilometer-drop to street-level. The Zeltron-hybrid gathered the Force for what seemed to be the last time just before she leapt off the edge of the roof.

The wind howled around her as Von's falling body gathered speed. She took a deep breath as she fell and prepared to become One with the Force. Then she felt a presence. A familiar presence.