The Battle of Coruscant -- The Jedi Temple: Archive Mainframe

[Rom]

Jedi Temple Archive Mainframe

While many Jedi had chosen to leave the core worlds and hide, many did choose to stay and fight. They took their stand at their Temple, ready to defend everything they had fought so hard for. It had only been a year since the reconstruction after the bombing and now the Sith had returned in overwhelming numbers. The dark side engulfed its halls, flooding what little light did remain. Deep inside the Temple are the infamous Jedi archives. Not as glorious as the once Tython Archives, the Coruscanti Archive room still held some of the Jedi’s most valuable information. As the Sith sweep through the temple, some make their way to the Jedi Archives. Inside Jedi work to erase sensitive information that could serve as value to the Sith and the Imperium. If the Sith want what the Jedi are hiding, confrontation is unavoidable.

 

[Kiro]

The hallway leading to the Jedi archives was filled with sound. A sound which, just a few weeks ago, would not have been considered out of place or indeed, anything out of the ordinary. But on this day, the day that was proving to be the fall of the Jedi, and the death of the Galactic Alliance, it sounded very odd indeed! It was the sound of a woman humming and whistling to herself. And strolling into the Archives, seemingly without a single care in the world, was a single, short, woman with blonde hair and grey eyes, clad in a suit of polished, gleaming, reflective armour and a black body-suit underneath. The armour was lacking a helmet, and had been furnished with a black cape. The strolling, whistling, blonde woman walked with her armoured hands clasped behind her back, between the cloth of the cape, and the highly polished armour plates. A lightsaber hilt hung on her belt, and on one hip hung a simple sword, resting in a scabbard of rancor leather, while on the other rested a pistol of Mandalorian make and design. Strapped across her chest armour with combat webbing, was an equally Mandalorian rifle.

Had it not been for the armour, which was the same as worn by officers of the Imperial Army, one might have been forgiven for thinking that this short, careless, woman was a Jedi checking on the defences of the Jedi Archives. Indeed, she even felt quite serene and at peace within the Force, and she radiated an extreme level of confidence and assurance. But this was no Jedi. This was Raide Vakri, a Master of the Sith Order, and she had been tasked by Darth Vereor, the right hand of the Empress Andraste, to secure the Jedi Archives.

"Helloooo~?" The woman called as she strolled down the five steps of the little staircase which led from the hallway and into the massive archives of the Coruscant temple. "Any naughty little Jedi hiding in here? Be good little boys and girls and surrender, why don't you? You don't have to die here today." She spoke as she walked, weaving the Force into certain words, adding weight and impact, and ensuring they would resonate within the minds of the Jedi that must surely be lurking in the temple.

 

[Wanderer]

It seemed that with so few Jedi staying to fight, that the Archives had gone neglected. Kin-Wan Bek was the only one here. He stood staring at the Master Archives. He had only recently returned from a mission that had changed him greatly. His battle with the Devourer on the distant shadowed world had scarred him in some way. He had done a terrible thing, that not even the others present had understood or known. He had taken the life force of the Devourer into himself in order to destroy him utterly/ He had done this with the purest intentions, he hadn't wanted the power...had he? In his journey he had slipped several times into darkness, even if only for an instant. Now he had absorbed the life of another and he felt at constant battle with himself. Dark and light raged within him, against him. He was losing all concept of who he was. He had enjoyed ending a life, feeling the power. But at the same time it had frightened him and made him feel shameful. Who was he deep done? Even he didn't know. All he knew is he had made a mistake. His hair had changed color and it was hard for him to see clearly at times, as if his vision faded randomly. So now, here he stood in the last bastion of Jedi knowledge.

"If there is anything that can help me...it's here." He knew he should be trying to delete the knowledge to keep it from the Sith that were even know making their way here. But he needed to know. There had to be a way to cleanse his soul, to find out who he really was...to earn redemption? Maybe...maybe not. Kin-Wan rubbed his aching eyes. "I have to know. I can't delete or destroy it just yet..."

"Helloooo~?" A voice called out as he combed the Archives he soon felt a presence getting closer. A moment later a woman entered with the appearance of a Jedi, but he knew she was not. Especially when she called out.The woman called as she strolled down the five steps of the little staircase which led from the hallway and into the massive archives of the Coruscant temple. "Any naughty little Jedi hiding in here? Be good little boys and girls and surrender, why don't you? You don't have to die here today."

Kin-Wan stepped out from behind a shelf. He stood several yards away facing her unafraid. A Crusader at the least, a Master at the worst. He knew she was a Sith. Kill...He shook his head and held a hand to it as he felt another headache along with the whispered voice. This was another reason he was searching for answers. The whispered voice was no longer the Devourer's, it was his. And he didn't know if he should follow it. He swallowed hard and looked back to the woman. Kill...absorb her life...No, I am a Jedi. Are you? I won't fall to temptation. You already have...Never again. You will accept it soon...embrace your true destiny...He shook his head once more and the voice subsided, his head cleared. He opened his mouth and spoke, "You are no Jedi despite your appearance. What is your purpose here?"

He pulled out his Master's lightsaber, igniting the verdant blade. He knew she was most likely here for the Archives, but he needed to keep her busy; distracted. He was downloading what little information he could find on his...condition. If he had time, he would then destroy the Archives to prevent them using its knowledge. Should he really care though? If the other Jedi wouldn't defend the Archives why should he? He could just take the information and escape. He shook his head, he would cross that bridge after he dealt with her and downloaded the information he needed. His eyes narrowed menacingly and he nearly didn't recognize his voice when he said, "I suggest you turn around before someone gets hurt..."

 

[Xan]

From just behind the Sith Master, another presence spoke in a semi-amused tone. "Master Vakri, I sincerely doubt that any Jedi still lurking within these walls has any illusion that surrender will be met with pleasantness from the Sith." The figure speaking was taller than the Sith Master, and undoubtedly male to judge by the more muscular body frame. His voice had something of a mechanical undertone to it, though there was a rather simple explanation for that: he was covered from head to toe in silver armor, similarly to the Sith Master, but with a few minor differences.

The armor that he was wearing was of a different make, being specifically a slightly modified Prudii-class Shock Trooper Armor from MandalMotors. Secondly, he preferred to wear the helm of his armor, which covered his entire head and masked any facial features. Finally, around his squared shoulders rested a dark grey hooded robe instead of a black one. The hood of this robe was up, covering slightly the helm and coating what it did not cover slightly in shadow. For weaponry, the armored Sith carried on his back two slightly curved lightsabers, though one would not have known unless they placed their hands directly over the weapons. Not only were they within the confines of the robe, but a decent amount of their composition was the material di-chrome, which made them difficult to see even when they were laying out in the open. Beyond the lightsabers, Xanthus carried his two ancient Sith swords that reverberated with dark side energies. A modest collection of weapons, but then Xanthus hardly ever had need of blasters and the like when he had the Force to aid him.

Continuing his speech inside of his head, Xanthus followed the Sith Master into the Jedi Archives, looking around with an unseen smile of appreciation as he did so. 'I would be slightly surprised to learn that any Jedi would be willing to surrender. Most seem to be appalled by the very thought.' An unfortunate truth of the matter was that it was the rare person who ever thought that surrender was the better option. This of course left Xanthus with rather little choice, and he typically was forced to kill whomever it was that he had offered the chance to surrender. 'And somehow I always get labeled as 'evil' for killing them.' The Sith Assassin thought to himself with an amused smile as he followed after the Sith Master.

Xanthus raised an unseen eyebrow when he entered into the Jedi Archives. A boy. They had sent a boy to guard the most precious font of power of the Jedi Order stationed on Coruscant? Judging by his words, a boy who was rather similar to a boy whom he had met on Tython. Swift to pick fights with superior opponents, regardless of what would happen to them. "Child, I would put down the toy. We desire these Archives, and you will not be able to stop us both alone." Then, with a chuckle, Xanthus let his voice take on a more amused tone. "Though if the Master would not mind, I believe that I'll help myself to the Archives while she handles our opponent in whatever way she likes?" Unless another opponent happened to walk into the room, Xanthus doubted that his presence would even be necessary. After all, this was a Sith Master, and the boy could hardly have been more than a Knight, if not a Padawan. Xanthus would move on the Master's orders however, if only for the formality of the issue.

 

[Wanderer]

"If you try to touch the Archives, I will stop you." Kin-Wan took deep breaths, trying to control his emotions and the dark spot on his hear. The voice that was still whispering to him with his own words. His voice hardened and to anyone looking at his eyes, they would have seen them flash red. If only for the blink of an eye. "You worms are nothing compared to one which has already fallen before me. What hope do you have? Flee, then perhaps I may give you the mercy of a quick death when I hunt you down and tear you asunder."

Kin-Wan's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. That was not the way of the Jedi, things like that outburst had been happening ever since his duel on the distant shadowed world. He had to control it. And to do that he needed the information he was downloading off the Archives. He took a deep breath and spoke, "I am a Jedi...You will not pass me. I am a servant of the Light side. I will fight until my last."

Even as he said the words, he didn't really know anymore. But he couldn't afford to be split or show weakness right now. He would sort out who he was deep down when he managed to escape from here. For now he needed to focus on the task at hand...a Sith Master and her apprentice. This fight would not be an easy one.

 

[Silverface]

A platoon of white armoured soldiers filed in after the two leading Sith. Before the lightsaber wielding man had made his appearance, the officer leading the platoon, denoted by the orange pauldron on one shoulder, had begun to direct sections of Stormtroopers to begin sweeping the Archive. Some of the troopers carried heavy scanner equipment or tripod mounted repeater blasters in seperate parts. Heavier weaponry, like missiles, were denied due to the sensitive nature of the Archives. Many Imperial organisations wanted the contents therein, to the point that strict Rules of Engagement had been placed on any non-Sith unit entering the place. The officer, Major Scryer, cursed the restriction on thermal detonators most vehemently within the safety of his own helmet. The platoon stopped the moment a purple lightsaber was ignited. The Stormtroopers paused, long enough for the Sith to notice the Jedi and even say a few words, a warning maybe.

Wordlessly, for they were undoubtedly communicating over closed comm-links ++Jedi! Cover. First squad left, second to the right. Third, fourth, be ready to lay down suppressing fire! ++, the Stormtroopers took cover, raising carbines, rifles and repeaters and aiming directly at the man. The officer held up a clenched fist ( his right )as he moved up behind the two Sith, his carbine held firmly in his left hand. He paused, looking over his shoulder at the numerous white armoured men, women and aliens that made up the platoon. Weapons were sighted on the sole figure they could see.

"I doubt even the Jedi could withstand this much firepower Sir, Ma'am" Rufus said, his voice tinny and mechanical thanks to his dehumanizing helmet.

 

[Kiro]

Raide's left eyebrow rose first. Then the corners of her lips. So there was at least one Jedi left in the Temple. And a Padawan at that. One whom hoped to challenge the might of the Sith Empire. She opened her mouth to adress the boy with the ignited lightsaber, only to be rudely interrupted by the robed and armoured boy that had decided to follow her. What was his name again... Danta? Shantir? Kunta? Meh.... But the frown that was growing on her brow due to the boy's rudeness, and her inability to remember the name of a lowly Crusader, was cut short when she saw Major Scryer's excellently trained Stormtroopers spread out to cover the Jedi with their blasters and assorted weaponry.

"Now, now, boy... don't tell me you're scared to fight a Padawan? But let's not rush to the attack, and risk the lives of the Imperium's soldiers needlessly. Major Scryer, I'd assume you and your men would all quite prefer to go home to Bastion and your respective planets alive and unharmed, yes?" The Sith Master smiled to the Padawan, and gently patted the boy whom believed himself an Assassin on the arm, as she took a single step forward, careful not to enter the line of fire for any of the men of the 103rd Brigade, and held up both her hands, as a sign of peace to the Jedi. "Now now... you two can argue in your own time, Jedi... but for now, why don't you be a good boy, sit down, and put your lightsaber away. There's no need to fight." Once more, her words were impregnated with the Force, and they would force themselves into the mind of the Padawan. They would compell him to obey.

"But if you do insist on fighting, and dissapoint both me and your Jedi Masters, then I'm sure my dark friend here is more than willing to duel you. I'm only here to pick up a good holozine to read."

 

[Wanderer]

He was outnumbered, and badly. It had been bad when it had been just the Sith Master, worse with the other, and now deadly grim with a squad of stormtroopers here. His eyes moved back and forth, surveying the area and forming a plan. But then the Master began to speak. Her words were...compelling, but fortunately for Kin-Wan he had skill in Force Persuasion and through a great deal of effort he managed to resist the urge to obey. He stood tall, "I hear there's a great market down in central that carries every holozine you could imagine. I suggest you go there."

His eyes quickly snapped to the mainframe to see the download nearly done. He needed more time though. The situation would likely erupt soon and he would be forced to fight them all. If he could stay close to the Sith the stormtroopers couldn't fire without risking their own people. But even doing that would not improve his chances much. Unleash it...unchain yourself...it's the only way you can win...

He shook his head. He wouldn't give in. He could do this. Can you? Without using all of your true power? He stood firm facing the Sith and stormtroopers. He closed his eyes and lowered his lightsaber as if in surrender. He then opened his eyes and looked up, raising his lightsaber once again. "I will not surrender. Not to the dark side, not to you. If you want to reach the Archives you will have to get through me. There is no other way. Such is our destiny as Sith and Jedi, such is our fate. Am I a Jedi still? I don't know who I am anymore. You stand in the way of discovering who and what I really am. So you must be moved aside."

 

[Snake Eater]

Clint walked into the archives, ending up behind the stormtrooper platoon, and drew his lightsaber hilt. Although he preferred his daisho, he wasn't able to deflect the blaster bolts with the vibroblades, he was competent enough to defend himself. Knowing he would not live long enough to kill the stormtroopers and help his fellow padawan, he took a defensive stance and spoke.

"We both have jobs to do," his memories of The Cult flashed before his eyes, "let me through to do mine."

His mind was battling itself. His training from The Cult told him to kill the stormtroopers, fighting to the death, and his Jedi teachings instructed him to help his fellow Jedi. With more than a year in the Order and finally coming to a sense of belonging, Clint knew he had to help the Jedi across from him if it killed him. He knew he wouldn't be able to do any more than the Jedi who was going to fight the Sith, he had never seen him before, but two Jedi against two Sith had better odds of survival. This would be the ultimate test for Clint.

EDIT: squad to platoon.

 

[Xan]

Boy? Xanthus raised an eyebrow himself, though if anyone had anticipated irritation to arise at the gibe they would be sorely disappointed. Instead Xanthus simply shrugged at the Master's question. "I fear nothing, but I figured that the Master would prefer to do battle herself. Excuse me." He said politely in response. From there Xanthus remained silent as the Sith Master laid down a rather logical ultimatum for the Jedi before them. He was outnumbered, outmatched, and literally outgunned. Perhaps he would have simply set his lightsaber down and submitted to the will of the Empire. Then Xanthus felt the power in the Master's words, and sighed lightly. If the Jedi had ever had even a slight thought of submission, that thought had just received reinforcements by the will of a Sith Master. At the thought of dueling however, Xanthus wondered which he preferred: a swift trip into the Archives and then back out, or an intriguing duel to determine who would win the place? Then again, with so many troopers around, would a duel have even been necessary?

"I will duel him if I must, but I doubt highly that anyone would be fool enough to fight against these odds." Xanthus said as he looked around at the various pieces of 'equipment' that the Stormtroopers were setting up around the room. Had it been ordered, the Jedi could have been obliterated on the spot. "Then again, I have known foolish Jedi." Chuckling, Xanthus fell silent and waited on the Jedi's answer. In his mind, he was still debating on which he would prefer: submission, or for the Jedi to attempt to resist? Either way he would fail, but it was at least worth a moment's thought. A new presence then made itself known, another Padawan or perhaps a Knight if Xanthus had to guess, but definitely not the Master that the Padawan probably required to help him. "Ah, it seems that there is to be a small gathering within the house of knowledge. So, I suppose that you still don't get to read that holozine, master. Unless you want me to duel them both at once?" Xanthus said in tones that made it clear that he did not mind that option, as the first Jedi had so unceremoniously rejected any attempt at peace.

 

[Silverface]

++"Contact! Rear!"++

The comm-link blurted and the Stormtroopers reacted. A direct threat to their rear element, another Jedi who had strangely not ignited his weapon's lethal energy blade. The reactions of Scryer and his fellow soldiers was immediate and predictably lethal. As half the troopers, around two squads of roughly eight white armoured Stormtroopers each, turned on the spot and raised their weapons, the other half simply opened fire at the Jedi near the terminal they originally had sights on.

The BLAT-BLAT-BLAT-BLAT of the platoon's section weapon, a heavy repeater on a tripod that had been hastily set up behind a small plinth with some priceless Jedi relic atop it, filled the air, massive crimson bolts streaking towards the Jedi by the terminal, the one with the purple blade. A smaller, but no less loud fusilide of smaller blaster weapons joined the heavy weapon, bolts perforating the immediate area around that particular Jedi. The air sizzled with tibanna gas discharge and the heat of the blasters.

The second half of the platoon, which included Major Scryer ( who had turned and raised his weapon at the newcomer Jedi to the rear of the element ) opened fire within seconds of aiming, bright crimson bolts of energy flying from the barrels of their lighter carbines and rifles, although a light repeater was turned on the newcomer.

"Sorry ma'am, no more time for theater" came the tinny voice of the Major, shouted over the blat-blat-BLAAT-BLAAAT of constant blaster fire. The Stormtroopers were accurate and highly trained. The 103rd were one of the best. But even highly trained, elite soldiers like Stormtroopers couldn't hope to deal with Jedi effectively without heavier weapons.

As this dawned on Rufus, he began to bark commands over the secure comm-link, heralding them with hand signals.

++"Protect the heavy repeater, tighten your firezones! Don't let either of them near the heavy weapon!++

 

[Snake Eater]

Clint flipped backwards, jumping behind cover, and he performed a force push that would knock down the stormtroopers. His cover of choice was a pillar that held the ceiling in place, if it was to fall then that section of the archives would collapse. It gave him enough cover to stand-tall and not worry about getting hit with a stray blaster bolt. Clint began to collaborate a plan that would allow him to help his teammate and to rid of the nuisance soldiers. His thoughts varied from a saber throw while drawing his swords to trying to perform a force persuasion, a method a only read about. When he landed, he ignited his lightsaber and prepared to deflect any incoming blaster fire.

"we'll do this your way."

 

[Wanderer]

Kin-Wan stood firm as the soldiers opened fire, deflecting a few shots back to the owners. He managed to use the deflections to kill three of the stormtroopers before he had to move to cover. There were simply too many for him to keep standing in the open and try to deflect the bolts back. He would have to try and take them out one by one. He was glad to see a fellow Jedi had arrived, but even if they managed to get rid of the stormtroopers they needed to stay aware of the two Sith with them. He doubted the Sith would wait until all of their soldiers were dead before trying to engage them. Kin-Wan took a few deep breaths and readied himself. Using the Force to boost his speed he would move from cover to cover, deflecting shots as he did. They had a heavy repeater that was making things very difficult and the stormtroopers must have a decent commander. They were doing everything they could to keep the two Jedi from getting close to it.

Kin-Wan waited in cover. He listened to it fire, learning the speed and separation of the bursts. He then realized that it could only fire off about a hundred rounds before it needed to cool to prevent overheating. He would wait for the next lull before he tried to take out their gun. He only hoped the other Jedi was faring better and that the Sith wouldn't make a move just yet.

 

[Kiro]

Raide rolled her eyes as things escalated into violence, and the lightshow began. Streaks of crimson were suddenly flying everywhere, from the blasters of the Stormtroopers, and redirected by the lightsabers of the Jedi they were attacking. This wasn't what she had hoped for when she came to Coruscant. And frankly, it was an irritant on her way to the Archive mainframe. But there were ways to cope with irritants. The Sith Master grasped the Force, and crossed her chromed arms over her equally chromed chest. One Jedi was hiding to avoid the repeater Major Scryer's platoon had brought with them, and the other was pretending to be a Kowakian monkey-lizard with his backflips. And the boy at Raide's side still hadn't done anything, even as three brave, loyal, Imperial soldiers gave their lives for the Imperium.

And that made Raide angry. The Sith Master's attack was two-fold. First, she released a powerful, but harmless, attack on both Jedi. It was a technique called Malacia, which had earned some infamy amongst the Sith during the duel between the late Darth Damara, and Ila Baranova. Malacia attacked their body, and sought to instill a powerful dizziness and nausea in the target. It would cripple their ability to fight and move around effectively. "Major, I would like the names of your fallen soldiers, to honour their dedication to the Imperium."

As she spoke, the short, blonde Sith drew her matte grey lightsaber, and flicked her thumb over the activation stud. The blade of plasma possessed a blood red colouration, distinctively the weapon of a Sith. Then, the Sith Master released her second attack. She picked up Xanthus with the Force, and threw him at the Jedi whom had somehow managed to sneak up behind them. The boy would deal with it or he would die, as was the Sith way. With one hand on her lightsaber, Raide reached into a pocket and produced a bead-sized comm-link, which she popped into her ear. It would allow Major Scryer to speak with her, without having the Jedi over-hear it. She simply gave the Stormtrooper Major a thumbs up, before advancing on Kin-Wan Bek.

"So, Padawan... what's it like, having someone else in your head?"

 

[Wanderer]

"Can't say I really care for it." Said Kin-Wan as the Sith Master approached. He was very dizzy and nauseous as if he had eaten something spoiled. It had to be something the woman was doing, especially with the way she was talking. His eyes snapped back to the console. He still needed just a bit more time, seems he would have to deal with them after all. Kin-Wan used Force push on one of the holobook shelves and toppled it onto a few approaching stormtroopers. He looked back to the woman. Kill...He had faced down the Devourer, but he didn't know how strong this Sith was. And he hadn't been ready for a non-physical attack, so he was already at a disadvantage. For a moment he thought about it, but didn't want to fall into temptation. He had to unclench his hands. He hadn't even realized he had. He said, "Well are you going to stare at me all day or are you going to make a move?"

As he readied to rush her and attack with a flurry of slashes, two stormtroopers appeared behind him. He sensed them but it was too late. One fired and a crimson bolt struck his shoulder. He staggered before falling to the ground. He tried, he did. He tried to remain calm. Remain in control. But he wasn't.

Rising slowly from the ground as the stormtroopers hefted their rifles to fire again. He turned and faced them. Looking up they would find his face changed; his eyes were blood red, his face in a cruel and furious expression. The stormtroopers hesitated as he said, "How dare you...insignificant little worms! I will make your deaths excruciatingly painful! I will smear your blood and broken bodies across this room!"

With that he lifted a hand doing something he swore he would never do again, breaking a promise. Force Lightning, not a Jedi's Electric Judgement, erupted from his hands. He was angry...angry enough to kill. But his Force Lightning was different, the bolts a crimson color. The stormtroopers had no time to react as their bodies were ravaged by the red electricity. Kin-Wan smiled cruelly as they screamed and one of them screamed no more as he drew his last breath, his body collapsing to the ground. The survivor looked up as the lightning subsided, only to find Kin-Wan standing over him. The Jedi then touched a hand to his head and took a deep breath. Suddenly he began to draw the man's remaining life force into himself, devouring his essence. As he did, the wound on his shoulder healed and the lifeless husk fell. The smell of ozone and burnt flesh was still in the air. He turned slowly around, his changed crimson eyes now focusing on the Sith Master. He smiled but there was no warmth to it, "I hate interruptions. Now...let's try this again, shall we? Do yourself a favor. Take your own life. I promise it will be much more merciful than I will be. Otherwise I swear, you will beg for the sweet release of death. And it will not come."

With that the Jedi raised a hand to the woman and released his crimson lightning.

 

[Silverface]

A handful of Troopers dead in only a few moments. Major Rufus Scryer, while harsh in his expectations, was not a heartless soul. Soldiers he'd known for years, their lives snuffed without thought. But their sacrifice was what made the Empire stand tall. He suppressed his dismay, his concern for his Corpsmen's well being.

While the platoon's Lieutenant, marked out by his black shoulder board, barked orders and reorganised the soldiers, their sergeants and corporals relaying commands with cool effciency, the platoon's cohesion was shaken by the distinctly un-Jedi like behaviour of the one who'd shot lightning. The comm-links were alive with chatter.

++"2-1 is down! She was under the holobook stand when it fell!"++

++"Affirmative. 2-2, assume command of her section. Adjust fire vector to bearing 0-2-4, suppress that Jedi!"++

++"Heavy repeater is running hot! I need cover fire so I can vent the heat sink!++

++"That bastard sucked the life out of 3-6!"++

++"Steady, steady! Maintain fire. Cover the Sith, box the Jedi in with concentrated fire!"++

Scryer however, found himself moving without thought. As of this moment, he didn't need to step in to issue orders. The platoon was running on auto pilot, each soldier reacting instinctively to years of training and experience. But he did manage to send out a contact report.

++"1-0-3 HQ, 0-4-1 Actual, message. Contact report. Engaged two Jedi in the Archives. Est-8 WIA, 4 KIA. Contact ongoing. Sith on site. How copy?"++

++"0-4-1 Actual, 1-0-3 HQ copies."++

He found himself behind the small Sith Master, using her as a mobile point of cover for now, trusting her ability with the Force to protect herself ( and thus him ). As he watched two of his troopers be killed in the distinctly un-Jedi like way of crimson lightning, he was moving in front of the Sith. As the Jedi raised his hand to let loose, the Major found himself in the way. And oddly, within his mind, he didn't find this unusual. How many times had he done this before, throwing himself in harms way for another Stormtrooper or officer? Too many times to count. The Empire could only be maintained by the sacrifice of it's Stormtroopers, it's Army, it's Navy.

The lightning struck and embraced him. He yelled out in pain, his helmet muffling and making the sound distinctly droid-like. Being electrocuted was hardly pleasant, a distant part of his mind mused as his pain receptors were overloaded, smoke coming from the seams in his white blaster-resistant armour. When the lightning stopped, he fell to the floor, his pristine white armour stained black at the joints and seams.

Oddly, he found himself thinking if this was what death felt like. Only, he mentally kicked himself, since he was still thinking! Dead, no. In a rancor pit of pain? Yes.

 

[Kiro]

As more brave Imperial soldiers fell, and Major Scryer put himself in harm's way for her, Sith Master Raide Vakri's rage grew exponentially. She deactivated her lightsaber, and clipped it back to her belt. Instead, she drew the faintly curved sword that hung next to it, and submerged it, and herself, within the Dark Side of the Force. The usually cheerful woman's eyes changed from a clear and pale grey, to a decidedly Sith-like crimson. "You brought this on yourself, schutta..." The fact that the Padawan kept glancing over to a data-terminal, which was hooked up to a datapad was not lost upon the short Sith. And it was a very small thing for Raide to deny him his hopes and dreams. With but a thought, the Force was harnessed to apply immense kinetic pressure on the datapad and the terminal upon which it rested. Sensetive electronic components were crushed. The display casing snapped. It sounded remarkably like a human skull. Except, less wet.

"Now that I have your undivided attention..." This time, the Force was directed inward. And Raide shot forward, her movements enhanced dramatically by the Dark Side of the Force. Her sword swung up in the blink of an eye, seeking to smack the flat end into the Jedi Padawan's ribs. It wouldn't be a killing blow, but it'd hurt like all hell, and it'd wind him. And it'd also exasterbate the effects of the Malacia already hampering his abilities. And then, the sword would dart back, before being flicked up towards his face. Should he fail to move, it'd certainly take out an eye at the very least.

"On your feet, Major! I can feel your pain in the Force. Use it! Focus it!"

 

[Wanderer]

The blow to his ribs hit solidly because of the effect the Sith's power. The dizziness and nausea hindered him and he couldn't dodge nor block the blow. It hurt badly, but Kin-Wan used that pain and the Force to overcome some of the effects. With the effects slightly diminished, he dodged the upward flick of her sword narrowly, the tip very close to his eye. As he dodge it he smiled, she had given him a way to fight against her affliction attack. She had stopped his hope of finding a solution, but this Kin-Wan didn't care. The power coursing through him, the life force taken from another. He didn't care...he just wanted more. She may have not missed his datapad, but he hadn't missed her anger whenever a stormtrooper fell or was injured. Smiling cruelly and before the effects could come back and debilitate him further, he used the Force boosted by the whatever had transformed him and his personality. Moving with frightening speed beyond what a Padawan would normally be capable of, he flew past the Sith and was suddenly next to the injured stormtrooper major. He grabbed him and held him in front of his own body, between the Sith and himself, putting his lightsaber right under his chin. So close that it would take a fraction of a second to kill him. Kin-Wan knew he could feel the heat of the energy blade through his helmet.

"Fool." Laughing maliciously, he stared at the Sith. "Weakness...he was right after all. There are no true Sith left, just shadows of shadows. You seem to care too much for these men. You get angry when your little soldiers get scratched, get killed don't you? Anger is a Sith's greatest weapon, yes, but anger for them? A weakness. A true Sith wouldn't care. They are nothing!"

He placed his other hand on the major's shoulder as he tried to get free and sent some lightning through his body. The man screamed in pain, while Kin-Wan continued. He needed to leave before the dizziness and nausea overtook him again. "They are tools to be used, then discarded when useless or broken. You care for them? Whether they live or die? I don't. But if you move or attempt to stop me from leaving I will kill him. Your hesitation says it all. If I was in your position I would simply run him through to kill me as well. But you can't bring yourself to do it, can you? Major, is there anything you'd like to contribute to this discussion?"

Again the man yelled in pain as he was electrocuted. "Make your choice shadow, his life is in your hands..."

 

[Silverface]

Distantly, the comm-link buzzed away insistently. The Major, still prone at this point, blinked at his HUD which was displaying the oh-so-helpful warnings about his physical condition, the condition of his armour. All obvious things because every nerve ending was singing a merry tune directly into his brain. He blinked them away as the comm-link's chatter grew insistent.

++"4-1 is down! The Jedi electrocuted him!"++

++"Cover the Major! COVER THE MAJOR!"++

++"The Jedi behind us, he's still ther-ggrrghk!"++

++"1-8 is down!"++

++"Repeater is live, get down, get down!"++

++"Medic! MEDIC!"++

Everything was slow to him. His body was practically on fire, his nerves like molten metal. ~ON YOUR FEET MAJOR!~ The compulsion was strong, and he struggled to comply. His legs were unresponsive, the battered Stormtrooper officer managing to simply manage something approximating sitting up when he was grabbed, hauled to his feet and electrocuted. He gurgled and screamed, loudly. His helmet did little to mask the sound, horrible as it was. His lungs were aflame, it felt like he was suffocating.

A small breather though, and he dimly registered that the Jedi had asked, snidely, if Rufus had anything to add.

++"Be ready.. uurghk.. to act, ma'am"++ he gurgled out over the comm-link. From his gauntlet's, two punch-blades slide forth from their protective sheathes based on the back of his hands. Standard issue to all Stormtroopers. Always handy to have. He coughed as he mustered the energy to add a snide quip to his coming action. Dimly, a part of his mind thought this was shockingly akin to a holovid he'd seen once. About some rougeish smuggler and his jawa friend, always managing some quip or one-liner to their every action.

"For.. hnnghk.. the Empire" he managed. Hardly the movie-quality level of one-liner he'd hoped for. But the movies never included having one's nerves set alight, or their lungs struggling to breathe. As he said this, he brought both arms up, stabbing the two-inch long punch blades into the Jedi's arm, the arm with the lightsaber. Even as the Jedi would recoil in pain, the Major used the gap it brought to simply throw himself out of the way of the Sith and the Jedi, his armour clattering loudly against the floor.

 

[Kiro]

She wasn't slow in grasping the window opened by the Major. And once more she harnessed the Dark Side. She used Telekinesis to ensure that the Major flew from the Sith, and land safely somewhere behind her, out of reach of the possessed Padawan's life-draining power. She could defend herself. He couldn't. And Raide Vakri was quite decidedly through with this mockery. She would attack the Padawan where he was most assuredly the weakest. Something she had studied extensively over the years. The psyche.

"They are more than you could ever imagine." With each word, she advanced a single step. She was through being subtle. She was putting every iota of her enraged potentia within the Force, into simply battering his mind like an orbital bombardment. She would rip away his defences. She would find his darkest fears. His greatest failures. All his shameful little moments. She would make him live them. Over and over again. It was a Sith technique known as Torture by Chargin. But that wasn't enough for Raide. Oh no. Toruture by Chargin was a temporary, and relatively harmless technique. But what she did next, would hardly ever be considered harmless. She sought out his pride. His acomplishments. His happy memories. His ambition. His goals. And one by one, she would destroy them. The ability to alter memories was a standard technique amongst Jedi and Sith. But neither group used it to this level.

And really, what hope would the Padawan have of stopping an acomplished Sith Master from pillaging his mind? His mind was already torn in two. He was suffering from Malacia. And he had taken two wounds from Major Scryer's handy little daggers. All of this would distract him. Weaken him. And aid Raide. "I am the servant of the TRUE Sith. I serve the Empress. I serve Dark Lord Vereor. As do these loyal soldiers. And that makes us far more than you can ever hope to dream. You are a failure. The only truth is the Empire."