Campaign on Abridon
Abridon a peaceful outer rim world, caught in chaos. The Republic Task Force having received intelligence attacks a Sith Enclave seeking refuge on the mountainous planet! Resulting in yet another planet being caught in the grasp of war and turmoil as battles rage across the fate of the planet as the Republic gain the advantage as Sith Forces pull into a full retreat, while trying to keep the Republic from stumbling onto plans of their secret weapon!
Lucina, Rorwoorr and Kast.
It was a beautiful day on Abridon, if you liked war that is. While normally this mountainous planet was quiet and peaceful, it was thrown into the fires of battle when a sith enclave reared it’s ugly head. Only two out of the four jedi who were dispatched to the planet were still standing and it looked like things were at their darkest. “Stay with me, please.” One of the jedi said, her voice was on the edge of tears as she tried to heal a Mirialan Jedi who had already left them. “Master, shes not responding to my healing.” The female said to the only other jedi with them a wookie.
The female jedi obviously, an apprentice had realized she was gone but she was refused to give up, it was only when a trooper came running up to them that she did. “Sir, the right flank on the front has caved. But we can use your help finishing them off.”
The greying Wookie had his hands over the body of a human Padawan, slowly the padawans breathing began to steady and he let out a brief grunt as he pointed to one of the other troopers who called in a medic, as the Padawan tried to sit up he put his paw on his shoulder. He would have spoken but such would be wasted when the Padawan did not understand Shyrii-wook. He sent a wave of reasurance through the force before turning to face the trooper, before he responded he turned to his own padawan.
[Have heart young one, she is one with the Force. Do not mourn her loss, keep yourself in the here and now. Focus on the task at hand. I need you, he needs you-] he pointed to the Padawan [and the others need you too. We shall send the body back to the temple once we have completed our mission here.] He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt as he stood up, his talk sounding like nothing but a group of roars, grunts and moans to the untrained ear.
[Inform the trooper to lead the way. We must be quick, less the Sith manage to escape and form on another world.]
After the talk from her master the female calmed herself and moved over to the padawan who was in a stable state, the trooper looked over at her expecting her to translate. “Oh I forgot. He said lead the way and make it quick.” She said, the trooper nodded at the girl and then to the wookie and took off running, her master in tow easily keeping pace with the trooper. The girl was alone with the screams and moans of those in pain and those who were dying, she healed all she could this time keeping her emotions under wraps she was able to mend bones and fix internal injuries, burns seemed to disappear with a mere hand wave from her.
She also seemed to have the doctors spirit to her as well, any trooper that needed a reassuring hand hold she was there for she was a smile in a fog of pain for many of these people, it was probably what caused her to care for these people so much is the fact that she got to see them at their worse and even in the worse of pain some still managed to smile as she comforted them, even those who knew it was time to die, died with someone who was a friendly face among all of the pain and suffering that war wrought. She questioned the siths motives and why they didn’t just have the good graces to die out she tired of the pain and suffering they’ve caused the galaxy and they should just go.
She finished her rounds in record time a smile still on her face as she saved a few good men today and that was worth it, exhausted and feeling drained she leaned against a crate of supplies waiting for her master to return with a successful mission and more wounded from the front.
As the wookie and trooper approached their destination, they came upon a small forward base in charge of coordinating the troopers on the battle line’s right flank. It was much less a forward base, and more a flat area in which surveillance and command equipment had been set up for the Task Force units to organize themselves. Several troopers stood on the lip of the flat overlooking the battlefield. They carried rifles at the ready, but the Sith forces had been steadily retreating, so they were considerably less cautious.
In the center of the forward base stood a Mandalorian mercenary, his burnished orange and olive armor plating standing out against the stark white armor of the Republic Troopers. While the white plates of the majority of the troopers in the forward base were clean and white, the mercenary’s armor was well worn, scratches and blaster scorches littered the faces of his armor plates. He stood over a holographic map display of the battlefield, staring at the image from behind his visor as a pair of troopers gave a report to him.
Zaheed noticed the trooper he had sent out return with a large wookie in tow, and waved away the troopers that were reporting to him. He picked up a datapad and made a swiping motion, transferring the data from the map display to the pad. Shouldering his rifle, he approached the wookie, eyeing him through his polarized visor. Whatever he was thinking, it was difficult to tell from behind the sealed mask of his helmet.
“Master Jedi,” Kast said plainly, as a way of greeting. “You appear to be short a padawan.” he continued, noting that Rorwoor’s padawan and translator Lucina was missing, as well as implying that communication between the two of them would be more of a one-way process.
“Reports from our scouts show that the Sith are retreating across most fronts, though we have made the most headway here,” Kast stated calmly, showing the Jedi Master the datapad, as he pointed at a spot near their current location.
“The troopers however, seem to have run into some trouble,” Kast continued, pointing at a single red spot in an otherwise clear sector of the map. “There’s a small fort at this location that the sith are holding, and appears to be giving the troopers a run for their money. I believe it to be a data-node or something of importance, as the Sith refuse to give it up, even as the forces around them retreat.”
“I sent an Assault Team to capture the fort a while ago, but we’ve lost contact. I requested back up before we send in another team. Thats you.”
Rorwoorr simply nodded at the Mandalorian before taking the datapad, there wasn’t much point in talking simply to not be understood. He moaned slightly at the datapad, being made for beings with much smaller, and less hairy, hands than his he had to hold it awkwardly just to push the buttons and see the screen at the same time. He looked at the data in question, it was obvious from the deployment that there was something here the Sith were holding onto. Something they were probably trying to destroy before retreating, he was surprised the mix-max band of mercenaries they had encountered so far as well as the occasional Sith acolyte hadn’t just picked up and left when the Republic ships arrived.
Though the Sith didn’t really follow logical training of thinking all of the time, being too clouded to emotion. He merely nodded, they had encountered a Sith Lord earlier in the mission so it was unlikely that there would be another one. He activated his commlink before speaking into it, [Lucina. Come to the command post, leave the medics with the wounded. We are going to need you for this part of the plan.] He turned his commlink off and waited, making it obvious that he was waiting to the mercenary so he wouldn’t just try and leave anyway.
Lucina had been enjoying her little break on the field of battle, when her commlink went off. Her master wanted her at the command post so she went she didn’t bother to reply to him as he knew she would come anyways. She rushed to the command post, republic troopers gave her a wide berth as she rushed passed and to the command post. As soon as she saw her master she was at his side, Mandalorians had always made her nervous. She had heard stories of how fierce they were in battle so she didn’t turn her back on the mandalorian either leaving her standing in a awkward position.
“You called master?” She asked her hands at her side but not very far from her lightsaber. She was tense but it didn’t show on her face, “Let me guess.” She said to both gentlemen “You need a translator?”
Rorwoorr looked at her, giving her a slightly insulted look that only his padawans and former padawans would even be able to read on the Wookies face. [You are much more important to me than that. I also need you to be impressed when I go deal with the Sith-] He handed her the datapad. [-They appear to be holed in, in order to protect some kind of building.]
After handing her the datapad he turned around, as if suddenly having a thought. [Though if you don’t mind I’d like it if you could tell our Mandalorian Friend to hold back. We shall see if we can convince the Sith to allow us entry into the fort and give themselves up. It is the right thing to do.]
Lucina nodded to her master. “He wants you to hold back so we can try to convince them to surrender.” She said to the mandalorian
“Surrender?” Kast repeated, a slight tinge of disbelief in his otherwise even voice. Even from behind his blackened visor, the Jedi could sense his skepticism. “Its not going to work.” He said to them, in a plain, almost definitive voice. The helmet turned from the human padawan to the wookie, then back to the padawan.
The Mandalorian eventually shook his head and shrugged. “Alright then, you’re the boss. I’ll hold the Assault Team back.” He said, waving at a team of troopers on speeders as he walked their way. “As soon as the blasters start firing- and they will start firing- I’ll move in with the Assault Team to assist.”
A trio of Task Force Troopers flew next to them on speeders and dismounted, running back in the direction of the rest of the team to pick up more speeders. Kast walked up to the nearest one and easily mounted the floating vehicle. He looked at the Jedi, well aware of their speed- and the wookie’s size.
“Would you lot care to walk, or ride?”
Lucina looked at the Mandalorian. “I think my master could run faster, but if he wishes to ride I will do as he says.” She told him looking into the visor, she shivered wondering what kind of person was on the other side of that helmet. Mandalorians didn’t even seem to be human to her after some of the stories older Jedi have mentioned.
Rorwoorr shook his head though what he said was mainly for Lucina. [We have to try, and offer them the chance to surrender or we are no better than they.] He felt her unease around the Mandalorian. [The Jedi and the Mandalorians have a strained relationship due to Revan and Malak and the resulting issues it caused. However they are brave and honorable warriors. Do not let the tales of few taint your impression of them all my young Padawan. Keep your mind open.]
He looked at the speeder bikes as they pulled up along side. [You may ride, I shall run along side. It will not tire me but you have much to learn Lucila, if it comes to conflict I would rather you be well rested than tired just trying to keep up.] Lucina nodded “As you wish master.” She said and hopped onto a speeder “You just kinda turn the handles right?” She asked looking around for somebody to answer her
“Have you never ridden a speeder bike before?” Kast asked her, somewhat surprised. His normally flat voice picked up a small inflection of amusement in this.
“I’ve never had to ride on a speeder before because my master is normally too big for this kinda stuff so i just walk with him.” She said shooting a glare so sharp at the Mandalorian that it could cut through his armor
Ignoring her glare, Kast effortlessly sidled his speeder over next to hers, so he could reach over and point at the controls and explain to her.
“Squeeze the handles for throttle, push both forward to accelerate, and pull backwards on the handle in which ever direction you want to turn.”
“Okay.” Lucina said and she shot the Mandalorian a small smile, doing as he said suddenly she was shooting forward and on her way. Luckily the force gave her near perfect reflexes because she nearly hit a few crates and troopers. She was going full throttle. Because she didn’t quite know what what she was doing. She let out a loud whoop as she rode toward their mission.
As Kast watched the young Jedi speed off, he looked up at the large Wookie. “Maybe she should’ve ridden with a trooper.” Kast blinked behind his visor, what was he waiting for? A response from the wookie who couldn’t speak his language?
Looking back at the rest of the Assault Team, he gestured forward with his head. “Lets roll out boys.” Hitting the throttle, Kast zoomed off after the young Jedi, almost a half a dozen 2-man speeders and bikes following behind him.
Lucina saw the Mandalorian trying to catch up and she pushed the throttle forward more kicking up dust as she pushed the speeder to it’s breaking point. She was having a good time her whoops and hollers made her sound very much unlike the city girl she normally was. Maybe just maybe she had been spending too much time around her master.
They reached their location in record time thanks to Lucina’s speeding she pulled the thing into a sharp stop then sent her flying over the handlebars but instead of looking like an idiot and landing on her face she landed perfectly on her feet, she threw out her arms “Ta-dah.” She said to everyone.
Kast and the rest of the Assault Team pulled up behind her not soon afterwards. Some of the troopers seemed a bit shaken, obviously not used to trying to keep up with the Jedi. Kast looked at the Jedi from beneath his visor and nodded, more to himself than her. She had succeeded in impressing him. Granted, she almost killed herself, but impressive nonetheless. That being said, Kast felt more comfortable in the presence of the more powerful- likely more sensible- Wookie Jedi Master.
Kast dismounted the speeder bike, along with the rest of the team, and approached the Jedi. The Assault team consisted of about 12 troopers. 2 of them held long range blaster rifles, and another pair held heavy repeater rifles. The rest carried some carbine blasters and thermal detonators.
Rorwoorr, forcing himself to keep running used the Force to keep him rejuvenated. Years of training both his mind and his body allowed him to keep up with the Speeder bikes over the distance, or more or less. He couldn’t quite catch up with his reckless padawan but at least she was enjoying and appreciating the outdoors, even from a speeder bike that was likely to cause her imminent death.
Upon arriving with everyone else he looked at the others, nodding at them before moving up to his Padawan. [Showing off does not suit you young one, especially when you didn’t mean to do it in the first place.] He kept walking past towards the fort. [Have your lightsaber ready, and inform the troopers to wait here. Until told otherwise.] He kept walking right up as close as he could get, he could already sense several weapons pointed right at him.
[In the name of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, lay down your weapons and you will not be harmed.] He waited for Lucila to translate, and a response.
Kast sat on the ridge and watched as the Jedi walked towards the Sith fort and attempted to make parley. This ridge was one of the only positions of cover between them and the fort, and Kast could already spot the bodies of several troopers lying in the flat land- likely members of the first team he had sent in previously. The ground in front of the Sith fortification was flat, scorched earth; blaster impacts pockmarked the ground, and the air was tinted orange and black from various flames that wafted from the wreckages of Republic speeders.
Kast pulled out his rifle and peered into the optic, several of the troopers around him following suit. His optic found the head of what appeared to be a Sith Acolyte, his red light saber illuminating his face. Resting the dot of his crosshair in the center of the Acolyte’s helmet, Kast lifted a single hand to the rest of the team, never taking his eyes off the scope.
“Hold fire until my command. Lets see how these Jedi work.”
Lucina translated for her master “In the name of the Galactic republic lay down your weapons and nobody will come to harm.” She said flatly, she felt nervous scared even but she kept her face calm and stared without a hint of emotion at the sith positions. She kept her light saber in reach but unactivated.
Both padawan and master didn’t have to wait long for a response, a tall dark robed figured walked out to greet them. The figure gave off an aura of dread and malice but was even more disturbing was the figure it dragged behind it. It threw the tortured trooper in front of the two jedi, the poor bastard had been tortured so much that he didn’t even look recognizable. “It should be you who surrenders.” The robed figure said voice as cold as the grave “But.” He continued “I’m not going to give you that option all batteries fire at will.” Sure to his word the batteries locked onto the Jedi and started firing. Lucina drew her saber and went to charge this figure, anger and sadness taking hold but she didn’t even get a hit off before the figure turned around and sent her flying with a force push.
Soon every sith they had left was opening up on the jedi trying to hit both master and padawan. Lucina dove for cover and started shouting into her commlink “We can use some help negotiations didn’t go as planned, so you know do what you do best.”
“Already on it.” Kast replied coldly through the commlink. He pulled the trigger and a trio of laser blasts screamed towards the Sith Acolyte. The Acolyte effortlessly blocked the first blast with his saber, but had not expected the second two blasts to follow it. The two follow up blasts hit the Acolyte in the face, and he flew to the ground. Kast didn’t have time to check if the Acolyte had died, as energy blasts flew towards the ridge in response.
Slinging his rifle and pulling out his blaster pistols, Kast yelled to the troopers. “Alright Assault Team, do what you do! Move!”
--
Rorwoorr felt the push coming and ducked to the side as his Padawan went flying backwards, stretching out with the Force he ensured that her landing was soft as his right arm moved to his belt and unclipped his lighsaber, feeling the familiar wood of the woshyr tree on the hilt he ignited the emerald green blade. He stood straight as tall as he could, he had wanted to manipulate plant life on the side of the fort to create a bridge for the troopers to use however they would just have to either go through the front gate or make a new path. He let out a roar, that would typically be the chieftans job in battle however he was the closest thing right now. If Lucina message didn’t indicate to them it was time to attack, that certainly did.
Looking at the trooper he turned to Lucina [Lead the assault on the fort. I will catch up with you once I am done here.] Lucina protested “But master I have no idea how to lead a battle, you do what if i fail.”[The mercenary will prevent you from wasting any lives. I will be along shortly.] He looked menacingly towards the Sith, whose Aura in the dark side was far stronger than that of those he had faced earlier. Obviously this was the head honcho, and Lucina wasn’t quite ready for that battle. Lucina nodded she knew what her master was going to do, “May the force be with you master.” She said and charged headlong through the blaster bolts into the midst of the sith ranks.
Following behind her was Kast, suspended in the air via his jetpack, dual blaster pistols firing in his hands. Meanwhile, the Assault Team steadily advanced, splitting into three groups of three, while the two snipers and a machine gunner fired from the ridge. The groups would alternatingly advance, two groups laid on the ground and provided suppressing fire while the third group charged forward in short, 5 second sprints. The barrage of blaster fire kept the sith who poked their heads up busy, allowing the teams to steadily approach the front of the gate with minimal casualties. The presence of the jedi- much more valuable targets than mere troopers- may have had an effect on their survival rate.
Lucina wasn’t good at saber combat but she caught them off guard with a force push that knocked a few over and the epicenter of the push sent a few sith flying into walls and doors or just careening off. She waved the troopers forward but was met half way through by what appeared to be a sith apprentice, a student just like her. They stared at each other sizing each other up one waiting for the other to make the first move. He moved first his crimson saber clashing with the padawans green. He was quick and skilled with a saber and had her on the run.
Saber clashed with saber sparks went flying, in that moment all that existed to Lucina was herself and the acolyte, at the moment he had the upper hand and things seemed dark, his saber strikes were like hammer blows and soon she was on the ground trying to protect herself, she brought her left hand up and sent another force push out the acolyte had been too focused on killing her to counter it and went slamming into the ceiling of the base and back to the ground unconscious. “Someone should tie him up.” She said as several troopers stormed into the gate.
The surviving troopers formed a defensive perimeter around the Jedi and her downed foe. There were still plenty of Sith forces in the fortress, and the troopers occasionally fired down the hallways and took cover, but their location was for the most part secure. Kast had since landed, and walked calmly, almost casually into the gate, firing one of his blaster pistols to the side, catching a charging soldier in the neck and sending him to the ground. Kast walked up to the Jedi to examine her handiwork.
Sure enough, the acolyte she was fighting had been the one Kast had shot, his helmet bore scorched puncture marks from blaster shots that didn’t go all the way through. Though Lucina had requested someone to tie him up, Kast paid no attention. Instead, with an armored boot, Kast casually pried and kicked the Acolyte’s mask off. The Acolyte was a human, pale and ashen faced from being behind his mask for too long. The Acolyte was breathing hoarsely, likely from a combination of Kast’s sniper blasts, as well as his defeat at the hand of the Jedi Padawan. Kast leveled his pistol at the Acolyte’s head and shot the sith once between the eyes.
“No point in keeping the small fry alive.” Kast said simply, “He doesn’t know anything other than what his master tells him.” Pausing, Kast reached down and picked up the Acolyte’s lightsaber. He thumbed the the activation switch and held his arm out as the crimson blade shot out of the saber hilt. Kast gave the saber a slow, controlled swing before deactivating the blade and hooking the hilt up to his belt. “I don’t have a red one yet.” Kast commented nonchalantly.