It was irksome for the Champion to know that there was seemingly no consideration for the duo to head to Taris, but deep down Yerbol knew that he and Aria were needed where the fighting would more than likely be the worst. Hopefully whatever shred of Force power his mother had would somehow...reach out(?) to him if things got bad. Or he would feel something. Just...anything to give him assurance they were avoiding the worst of Manus' coordinated assault on the Rim.
The aforementioned blitz was now divided into equal portion by Voldon before the Champions met he and Cheriss at a small transport vessel that had scorch marks emblazoned on its sides and exit ramp along with parts of the outer hull beginning to flake off, prompting a grimace from Yerbol. A war torn vessel being flown into the midst of such chaos? Maybe it was the only vehicle left to them, but with the new Alliance equipment being flown in, he would have thought a better suited vehicle to be an option. The pilot and the Elders seemed unconcerned as they all boarded and took off for Voss, the Champion unaware of the clenching and unclenching his hands into fists, his breathing a bit heavier than normal.
Emotions are fuel, not hindrances unless you make them.
The old Master's written doctrine(the latest he had read anyhow) floated through his mind as a reminder to relax, Yerbol shutting his eyes gently as he refocused his breathing, pushing aside the doubts, the fears that Manus had managed to create within him. Maybe that was why Manus attacked Taris? To derail him? Did Manus know that Lysa was dead, that his parents were the only living relatives he had left, that-
FOCUS
He could feel his muscles tensing almost all at once in one more defiant gesture of anxiety before they relaxed, casting a look at his partner and meeting her gaze with a small smile before sitting up. She needed him at his best and he would NOT allow anything to stand in the way of his ability to protect her.
"A word once given." He mumbled to himself, recalling the pallid face of Roan as he stared up at him on Bracknell's ship, words not spoken but conveyed through his last gaze. Yes, his parents were in danger, but his number one priority was the woman he swore to protect for the rest of his life.
Focused.
All the while as Yerbol gathered his thoughts, he had tuned out some of the initial conversation that the Elders and Aria were engaged in. Only now did he hear clearly the obvious declaration that it was a trap, Yerbol nodding in agreement before catching a glimpse of anxiety within his partner through their bond. He gave her an affirming nod, taking her hand gently before telling her:
We've got this. We toppled an entire government, remember?
Thankfully the conversational topic changed to the Voss, the four discussing the possibility of Manus desiring the power of the Mystics for their farseeing abilities, but Yerbol questioned aloud right after the pilot announced their initial descent:
"But if Manus wants the power of the Mystics, wouldn't he need them to agree willingly to join his cause? I can't them coming along quietly, which would mean dealing with some of the more powerful beings in the galaxy on their home planet. This seems...well, rather bold or rather stupid on his part." Voldon shook his head.
"Believe me, there's a reason for this. There always is." The shuttle jolted into the atmosphere before the pilot shouted:
"Got a lot of activity on the scanners! Looks like-" The left side of the transport nearly caved in, a massive indentation forming between where Cheriss and Voldon were sitting, narrowly missing their heads by inches.
"Get us as close to the ground as possible!" Voldon commanded, motioning for them to stand as he told them:
"We'll need to jump the moment we get close enough and disable the AA guns!" Of course the Faceless would have taken over the anti aircraft turrets. Of course.
"GET US CLOSER AND HIT THE RAMP! NOW!"
"But-"
"DO IT, SOLDIER!" As their tattered vehicle weaved through the pattern of fire ascending towards them, their descent was rapidly progressing, Yerbol's stomach descending into his bowels along with the rest of the ship. After yet another juke, the pilot shouted:
"ABOUT A THOUSAND FEET IS ALL I CAN DO!"
"GOOD ENOUGH!" The ramp opened up to reveal the sky speedily flying away from them, indicating they would be jumping against gravity.
Sounds about right for them.
"GET ON THE GROUND SAFELY, TAKE OUT THE AA CANNONS AND MEET US IN THE CENTER OF VOSS-KA! GO!" With that sudden command, both Elders casually leaped out of the transport as if it were an activity they were used to doing on leisurely afternoons when they had nothing better to do.
"JUST LIKE OUR FIRST LANDING ON ZINTUTHRA!" Yerbol nearly screamed against the whipping winds with a defiant smile, grabbing Aria by the hand. The duo counted in sync before launching out of their doomed transport, Yerbol mustering whatever energy he could to slow their descent, the principle of decelerating all too familiar(unfortunately) from Zinuthra's climate and a few other instances where he had to perform a high altitude jump. Thankfully it seemed that both of them had grown since their first attempts at a stunt like this, which translated into a much slower fall at around five hundred feet. Below sprawled the capital, the telltale flickers of red and green blaster bolts bouncing through the streets. He could spy one of the cannons to their right(as much right as one could tell from being this high up) and another to the left, both of which were firing repeatedly into the stratosphere. Focusing so much on slowing their descent inhibited his ability to communicate through their bond, so he looked to his falling companion and nodded to the left, hoping she saw the same thing and understood that by splitting up they could take out both guns and loosen things up for more friendly forces to hit the ground without interference.
About two hundred feet left. And he was tired. His fall began to speed up again, the Champion shifting his weight as much as he could to the very right of the AA cannon, which looked like a grassy area that could serve as-
No. Nope. That's not grass.
Realizing that the Voss used such colorful cobblestone would have been a nice yet ephemeral discovery if they had decided to vacation here, but now within just several feet of landing it was an awful epiphany. As the ground came up to meet the Champion, he thrust his hands forward and tucked himself into a ball, energy directed downward. Upon contact, the deceptive cobblestone flung in several different directions, a large indention forming on the once beautiful road as he rolled several feet away from the gun and came to a stop at a nearby tree.
Tell me....you're...ok...
Uncurling himself from his position, he slowly rose to his feet, nodding in appreciation of the carnage that was his landing.
"Not too bad." He gasped out, hands on his knees.
Member
El Taco Taco
The Elvenqueen