Star Wars: Sith Arise

[Colonel Caboose]

"That was our auntie Master Jedi Jawa sir." Katan said as she bowed in respect to the master, she didn't know his name and she felt that calling him just a Jawa was little insulting to him, but she meant it in no way to be insulting and she figured he would understand. "My cousins and I are here with hear to hunt a bounty, but my cousins and I are mostly here to baby sit our aging auntie. She is not as young as she was when she fought in the Clone Wars and we think that escapes her thoughts sometime." Katan tried to explain to Vuka.

"I don't think she would be so willing to fight for Master Skywalker sir, if Master Gin were to talk to her she might be persuaded, but in the meantime my cousins and I will fight for you. Our fathers were all clone commandos who fought for the Republic and we shall do no less." Echo said to the Master Jedi before him. Katan nodded as well, she was about the say the same thing herself, but Echo got it across fine if not better. He wore old Phase I Clone Trooper armor that he had found on Geneosis, it was obsolete in her opinon, but it held some sentimental value to him that she wasn't going to judge.

"However if you can persaude Mesh'la, you will have all our clans aide for she is clan Chieftain." Katan explained to Vuka and Vizzal. "Though in the meantime you definitely have us like Echo said." Katan patted Echo on the back who made grunting sounds as she kept hitting him hard on the back. "Your master will come around, everyone needs a little space every once and a while."
"Yeah we haven't even broken the big news to him yet...." Echo mumbled very softly under his breath as he let Katan do all the talking again. Though he was getting tired of standing all around they needed to move or do something. The Temple and the Senate had just been attacked not too long ago there was something better they probably could be doing than just standing around. "Indeed Master Gin just needs some fresh air is all, but we should get moving into the tunnels. She if anyone needs our help down there." Echo said trying to move them along.

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Crusade gave a small laugh as he moved to the medical room on the ship. If he let his arm go too long without being check it could come back to bite him in the rear at a crucial moment. "Lt. Colonel Vindica, with what's on that Holocron. The Republic will wish I built a weapon to destroy planets. They might have had the will power to fight thousands of troopers, but I want to see any army stand up to the same army over and over and over again, no matter how many they kill or destroy only to see them keep getting back up. I want to watch as the Republic feeds its own soldiers fill the ranks of mine with every battle. Now send word back to the Unknown Region HQ that I want two Harrower Dreadnaughts on their way to survey the Maw. I want another three Harrower dreadnaughts and a Sith interdictor on their way to the space rubble that use to be Alderaan. Do not question these bizarre orders, just carry them out." Crusade was already stretching his forces thin, he didn't dare order anymore ships than he thought would be needed. The Maw was a cluster of black holes and Alderaan was space rubble, he doubted that anymore ships would be required than the ones he had given the order to send. His remaining ships would have to stay in the Unknown Regions to stand by incase he needed reinforcements. A jump from the Unknown Regions to Korriban or Alderaan however would take too long if he needed back up, he would have to think about moving some of them to a closer location later.

[EvilScottishGuy]

Zaken

Zakens ship rumbled into orbit, and was immediately flanked by two fighters that gathered behind him, escorting him towards the planet. Immediately he could see where he was, Mon Calamari. He swore again, this would not be fun. Mon Calamari was one of the key worlds of the republic and no doubt highly garrisoned. His ship landed in a hanger and the canopy opened, many turrets turned and faced towards Zaken as well as many troops.

He would have to wait, bide his time as his master had taught him. They didn't bother taking his weapons, they only lead him to a holding cell deep within the city. Upon entering it a force field activated stopping him from moving near enough the bars to cut them, there were also enough explosives and turrets on him to obliterate him before he could even make a move. Upon this time the waiting game would need to be played. He looked up as a guard walked into the room smirking at him, this man was amused and his capture. Zaken only smiled an evil smile, un-nerving him as obvious when he spoke and the guards voice faltered. "W..where is your base?" "Before you waste your time in attempts to interrogate me, know this. It is fruitless and you waste your efforts." Zaken then sat down and crossed his legs, beginning to meditate in absolute silence, with only his own shallow breathing, the breathing of the guard and the buzz of the shield to distract him.

[Assallya]

Vindica gave pause. That was a significant portion of their vessels off doing who knew what. Dreadnaughts of their age, while they ruled the galaxy and were larger, more powerful, than anything else of its time, were only about a match for an imperial class star destroyer. The Republic had a handful of these that were either in shipyards or stolen from the Imperials during the fall but they were more than a match for the technologically backwards Sith fleet. Now they were sending the bulk of their capitol ships, without their escourts to the middle of nowhere.

"Yes your eminence," Vindica declared, worried about the orders.

Alderaan, or the remains of it, was deep within the core worlds. Moving capitol ships into the heart of the Republic was next to impossible. The closer they moved to the heart of the Republic the more likely they were to be detected, caught in battle against all odds and destroyed. Why Crusade thought he could move large ships through the Republic without the hyperspace network detecting them Vindica had no clue.

Then there was the Maw. The Maw was a collection of singularities, black holes that ripped apart ships. It was far enough away from the inner core that detection wasn't much of an issue. The problem was, while smaller ships could ride the gravitational eddies if their pilots and sensors were good enough, sending dreadnaughts in was like sending cattle into a grinder. There was no possible way they could survive. Maybe she could save them from Crusade's insanity. If she ordered them to heave to outside the maw and use their starfighters to map the area then they might only lose a few of those instead of the guaranteed loss of their dreadnaughts.

[Nacho]

"Very well, let's get going shall we? I'm sure Master Skywalker will be glad to see more Jedi alive."

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High up on a landing pad sat Gin, cross-legged with his eyes closed in a meditative state. Usually, one would prefer a quiet, isolated, peaceful place to meditate. But in a place like Coruscant, that was a luxury that you really didn't have. Besides, Gin would often meditate up on the roof of the Jedi Temple. But we know that he couldn't go there to meditate. Meditation has always been a way for Gin to clear his mind of anything that could be troubling him. His meditations can vary in times. They can be as quick as an hour, or go as far as a few days. For the moment, he was trying to find peace within himself. He felt himself full of hate. For the Sith? Most likely. Had it not been for them, he wouldn't have given the impression that he had left the Jedi Order. He had succumbed to his emotions. And that emotion was hate. Usually he was able to calm himself down. But not this time. With each second that passed, his hate for the Sith grew even more. Here, you have a man who in his lifetime has seen the Jedi fall because of the Sith twice. And he even said it, that as long as he was still alive, he would not see the Jedi Order fall. Not again. But it happened.

In his mind, he saw the shadow of a dark man. It slowly came closer and closer. But his face wasn't revealed. It was hidden under the shadow of his hood. As he advanced further, his footsteps were like thunder in Gin's ears. Still no face, just a shadow. Gin felt some presence approaching him. Not only in his head, but on the outside as well. Quickly, he got out of his trance, holding out his hands and force pushing someone that simply was not there. After, he stood on his hands and knees, breathing heavily, he felt sweat pouring out from his face. Why did it suddenly feel so hard to breath? What or who was it that was coming after him?

[Nacho]

Going back down to the tunnels with some company, the masters from the Council had rejoined the others. Their talks ended for the time being. Some had accompanied the padawans in resting themselves after a hectic day, then there were those who couldn't sleep and were still up, sitting with their backs to the walls in the silence of the tunnels. Luke was one of them. Next to him was Master K'Kruhk.

"Master Skywalker." Vizzal approached Luke with Vuka and the others. "There are more Jedi. And these bounty hunters helped my master out prior to the explosion, and they said they're willing to help us find more survivors as well."

Luke stood up. This was one of those situations where things had gotten from bad to worse, but the finding of more surviving Jedi worked to bring his hopes up a bit more. Even if it was only two.

"Welcome you two." his voice took a noticeable weary tone. His face looked tired. "You all must be tired. This isn't the Jedi Temple, but you can stay here."

[Colonel Caboose]

"Thank you Jedi. My cousin and I have slept in a lot worse conditions. From the harsh lava planet of Mustafar to the Jungles of Mrkyr, whatever you have to offer will be a blessing." Katan said as she bowed before the Jedi with Echo at her side. Echo was being rather quiet until he was recieving a transmission. He brought his wrist pad up to his face and a hologram of Mesh'la appeared on screen.

"Hello Auntie how goes the hunt for the Wookiee assassin?" Echo said to Mesh'la not worrying about leaking any information to those around them. The jedi wouldn't care about their affairs or bother to interfere. Their target was hired by one of the crime organizations and needed to be taken care of before he hit his target.

"A'den I'm pretty sure ripped his arms right out of his sockets just like that one time he ripped the arms off that Gundark on Alaris Prime. Either way let's just say we have a new carpet for the fireplace at home. I've collected the bounty and we are trying to make prepartions to leave, but the Republic has the planet on lockdown still incase they're anymore Sith lurking about. It might take a while to get proper authorization to leave. What is your status with the jetii ad'ika?"

"We're currently taking up residence in the tunnels of the Jedi Temple. There is a possibility that they might have need of our special skills." Echo said quietly not trying to be too loud as to bother the others.

"Hmmm, well I would prefer you stay out of helping the Jedi or Republic, it is never good for a bounty hunter to be labelled with a faction, unless one wishes to be. However you are grown adults and can choose for yourself, but be warned, put the clan in jepordy and punishment will be harsh." Mesh'la didn't often use that tone with Echo or any of the other children of the clan unless it was Katan who everyone knew Mesh'la had a small dislike due to Katan's mother being a Death Watcher member at one point during the Clone Wars. Mesh'la was serious though, she was clan chieftain and her top priority always was the protection of the clan. If something threatened the clan it was her duty to resolve it.

"Yes Chieftain, we shall not put the clan in jepordy." Echo said before closing the transmission. When Mesh'la used her of authority she was always to be addressed as chieftain so that those talking to her would remember their place and her superiority that she had over them. Katan heard the converasion very clearly from where she was standing. Katan liked how Mesh'la had sided with the Republic when she was young and how her grandfather A'den was a colonel that over saw hundreds of clone commandos, some of which were her uncles and own father, but Mesh'la was forbidding them from directly involving the entire clan. Katan wouldn't argue with Mesh'la or challenge her authority, not yet at least. Mesh'la had a vast amount of years of experince on her side, Katan would need a lot more if she ever wished to challenge the aging Mesh'la for clan ownership.

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"Vindica, how much longer before the shuttle will be ready?" Crusade asked as he sat on one of the medical beds and the medical droids began taking off his shoulder plates and began to work on mending his arm that had been hit with a blaster shot from the Gungan he had fought on the Skyhook. Crusade winced every little bit as tiny needles and pinchers dug their way into his arm and wound. Crusade had experinced a lot more pain in his day than a mere blaster shot, but needles still gave him the chills.

[Mattmanganon]

"Firstly, i must say that i am very glad to see that you are alright, Master Skywalker." said Vuka. "But before we do anything else, we need to request that the Republic send a fleet to Yavin, if they attacked one of the most heavily defended planets in the galaxy, then our other temple at Yavin is in deep trouble. Me and my Padawan are ready to go to Yavin at a moments notice." he sat down on a large block of rubble. "Do we have any plans for a counter-attack?"

****

Inuel sat in a Cantina on Coruscant. he heard out of his ear someone talking "He's at the bar, he's been nursing that Juma since an hour after they called the All Clear." he quickly turned and pointed his arm Blaster at the person, he saw a being he hadn't seen for many centuries. "Fenn..." he said as he saw the other Talortai, turning back to his drink, he took a swig of it. "So, what brings Tyber Zann's right-hand Reptavian to a dingy bar like this?" he asked.

"Because I heard you fought against Crusade. I thought you would like some info on him."

"How did you know it was-"

"Please." replied Urai "We had him pegged the moment he killed the first people to stumble across him, we already have several operatives in his army."

"You work fast." said Inuel.

"Why do you think we rule the galaxy?" asked Urai. "Contrary to common belief, half of the senate are on Tybers Payroll. He always wanted to own a Senator."

"Cut to the crap, why are you here?" he asked.

"Because you require help when fighting them. You were completely outmatched by that Sith." he said. "You will need help in your next battle." he put a Data-pad on the bar and got up, throwing down a credit chip. "There's a Dossier for someone you will need, also, a reason why you are going to go after him." he said. he then left. Inuel picked it up and looked at it.

"Dammit." he recognized the man, in fact, he was the reason that he was using the current arm he was using. But he knew that the man would improve his next fight with the Sith Lord. wait... why was he going to fight the Sith? He could sit this one out. in fact that was exactly what he was... going... to... do... he stopped as he saw the bounty Tyber had put on Crusade. it made sense, both of them would be satisfied with nothing less than total Galactic dominance, that meant that they would have to deal with Crusade sooner or later, better sooner. He then put the datapad down. "Nope..." he said. he wasn't going to have it. he then picked it back up and saw something that made the blood drain from his face.

****

"WE ARE GOING TO ENDOR!!!" yelled Inuel as he charged back onto the ship.

"K." said Ojani, she set course. "Why we going there? the Ewok Fights? That shitty tour of Battlefield above Endor?"

"BECAUSE WE ARE DAMMIT!!!" he yelled at her.

"Jeez, no need to yell." she said. the ship lifted off and set course for Endor.

[Nacho]

It didn't take long after his vision of the dark figure that Gin started to feel a trace that felt similar to what he saw in his meditation. Without hesitating, he quickly followed the signal, pushing and shoving through the crowded streets of Coruscant, looking like a criminal on the run.

Stopping in the middle of a crowded intersection, he looked around, looking atop the heads of those walking who didn't really seem to take notice of his paranoid state. Perhaps it was the fact that there were enough lunatics down here that it was normal to these residents. But the signal had faded. Gone just as quick as he picked it up. He turned round and round several times. Why he did this he didn't know if he didn't know what this being looked like. He was simply following a signal. Gin then concentrated, blocking out the surrounding distractions in an effort to pick up the dark trace he was following.

There!

He found it, and it wasn't too far off. Again, he pushed people out of the way, infuriating them, but that's enough. Nobody apprehended him nor questioned his actions. Besides, there was no time to stop. What if it disappeared again and didn't come back.

"Back for more Jedi?"

He found it. And that voice. It was similar to the one that struck him down with force lightning. In what seemed to be an abandoned oil field, Lady Torn was on her way to her ship to leave Coruscant. She was in the traditional black robes of the Sith. Was she the one he saw in his vision? Gin was sure, positive that she was the one emitting the signal he was following.

"Leave and save yourself the embarrassment of being beaten again you fool." Lady Torn turned and dropped her hood. Like before, she placed her hands before her, lightning came out from her fingertips aimed at Gin. Immediately, Gin did the same, surprisingly a similar wave of lightning also came out from his hand. The attacks from both pushed each other back, Gin pushed forward, trying to get the upper hand on Lady Torn, but her attack proved to be stronger than his. He felt himself being drained as his attack continued, until he just gave up, giving way for Lady Torn's lightning to once again knock him back. Gin remembered how much the first attack hurt, and how it messed with his rib. But this one didn't hurt him as bad as the other, and he quickly got up from the attack. He charged at Lady Torn and leaped up into the air, she raised her hands in his direction and again, another wave of force lightning was shot at Gin. His body spasmed in the air, and he fell into the ground. He got on one knee and struggled to get up as his body was surrounded by the blue hue of the lightning. Drawing her lightsaber, she swung it in Gin's direction, but her wrist was caught by him. Gin kneed Lady Torn in her stomach and then elbowed her on the cheek. Gin then started to swing at Lady Torn, landing punch after punch on her face, then lifting her up off the floor and tossing her in the direction of her ship.

Getting back up, Lady Torn wiped the blood off from her face, and on the other hand of her lightsaber's hilt, another red blade popped out. Twirling the dual blades, she threw her staff over at Gin, spinning like a propeller which Gin dodged by backflipping to avoid being sliced in half. Like a boomerang, the staff came back to it's owner. She then picked up several empty metallic bins and hurled them to Gin, getting him this time. As she lifted the bins out of the way, followed by lifting Gin up with the force, she brought Gin over to her with her crimson blade waiting to impale him in the gut. As he was nearing her, he was able to break her hold on him and he crashed against her, they both dropped and rolled to the floor with Lady Torn on top. Gin grasped the handle of the staff and was pushing it up towards her as she pushed it down on him. Lifting his right foot, he flipped Lady Torn off of him and he got up. As Lady Torn was getting back up, Gin again delivered another knee to her stomach and snatched her saber way from her hands. He drew the blades back into the hilt and hit her across the face with her own weapon, making her fall to her knees. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled it back, making her head til upward. Gin wanted nothing than to simply press the button to ignite the red blades and having it go through her face, but that was too easy and quick. He wanted her to hurt, he wanted her to suffer, he wanted her final moments to be agonizing. Swing after swing, the hilt met her face, drops of blood splattered on both Gin's face and the metal of the hilt. Little by little, her groans of pain were becoming more and more silent til he felt her become completely limp. Lady Torn was dead. Gin dropped her lifeless body down on the floor and he collapsed next to it. Strangely enough, this satisfied a sick lust that dwelt within Gin, but in the back of his mind he knew what he did was wrong. This was far from the Jedi way. Killing was not the Jedi way, and if it ever came to it, a simple swing of the lightsaber would do it, not in the way that Gin just murdered this person.

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Back in the tunnels, Vizzal dropped her master's lightsaber and placed her hand on her head. She leaned her back against the wall as she felt the darkness and hate that had just consumed her master.

[Joshua Tamashii]

"The Jedi Temple... man it's been ages since I laid eyes on that thing" A passenger said as they passed by Joshua" Haven't been on Coruscant since the Empire took over. I wonder what it looks like now? Think it's as grand as it was before the take over or just a pile of rubble?"

Joshua laughed to himself as the man left, still talking to his companion. The war had ended years ago. He must've been living on the Outer Rim to nt have heard about it until rescently. Either that or under a rock on a planet in the Outer Rim. They could both explain it, though the latter seemed much more likely. Sighing to himself the former jedi leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head. Having abandoned the jedi dresscode long ago he blended in easily, wearing casual attire that most of the passangers were wearing. The only thing that would give him away were the three lightsabers attatched to his waist: the lightsaber he had used since he was a padawan, his dead master's saberstaff, and the blade of a now dead sith. Each had their own story and each represented something different to him: his past, the jedi path, and the darkness that haunted him respectively.

"Attention to all passengers. We will be arriving at Coruscant momentarily. Please gather your belongings and prepare to leave the shuttle"

~~Guess I better get ready... wait all I have is one bag, what d I need to get ready for~~ Joshua thought, getting up with his single bag and walking over to the closest window. Coruscant was just below him, glowing just as he remembered it. Sometimes he wondered if anyone slept on the planet without closing their windows. Is some did he wondered how they did it... unless they were blind or Miraluka. That train of thought lead to another one, which lead to more thoughts, Joshua's mind always coming up with more questions. He was so distracted he almost didn't notice a child reaching for one of his sabers. Smiling he gentley redirect the child's arm with his hand
"You wouldn't want to touch those" He said to the child calmly with a small smile on his face"People might panic a bit"

The child wisely desided not to bother him the rest of the trip, and Joshua got off the shuttle without much inccident, having to use a mind trick on a gaurd who got too curious for his own good. Hailing a taxi as fast as he could he was on his way to the Temple in a matter of minutes. He they drove/flew through the city, Joshua couldn't help but think of all the time he had spent on the planet with Master Raiden. Their disagreements, their time training, some missions they had taken, and lastly his master's painful death. Shaking his head Joshua cursed at himself. He could reflect later. Right now he needed to focus on why he was here. To see the Jedi Archives and see if he could find any information there that might interest him.

When the Taxi finally arrived at the temple Joshua got out and paid the driver before turning around and seeing his former home in a pile of rubble
"Well... damn" he said tim himeself, walking over to it" The hell happened here?... Well I'm here, might as well see if anything is around that I can use. Now were would the Archives have been?"

Joshu would begin searching through the rubble, using the force to move bigger peices that he couldn't move on his own. While he knew this might send signals to certain people he didn't mind. He was simply looking for information and if he could find any in this mess he would be happy to take it, even if it ment a fight

[Assallya]

Vindica ran her fingers through her long chestnut curls and struggled with the staff she suddenly had. They were resentful of her sudden rise to the Darth Crusade's inner circle. If only they knew how stressful it was.

"Very well, we send in the two dreadnaughts to Alderaan space as his eminence demands," Vindica reasoned but we include two escourt vessels to establish a picket. The Republic's deep space sensors and hyperspace generators are far more efficient than ours which requires us to change our methods. This will give us enough notice for them to burst free and we've established a circuitous route which will allow them to escape without them leading the enemy back to Korriban."

It was incredibly frustrating follow Darth Crusade's orders. Sending their most powerful vessels off to who knew where leaving only frigates, escourts and starfighters to guard Korriban when they could simply send a mere frigate or, by the dark side, a few shuttles to do perform some mapping. Still, he had specifically requested, specifically demanded, dreadnaughts. There was no way around that.

Vindica truly hoped that the vessels returned. In addition to the thousands of soldiers upon each vessel, without them they'd lose their ability to blast planetary targets from orbit.