Return Run-On: The Long March of Freedom

Greetings, Odanites!

This will be the forum thread for the Run-On Event of Return of the Light! Beginning tomorrow morning, posters will have plot supplements pulled from the Weekly Fictions, and will write each chapter of their struggle as Jedi, as soldiers, and as leaders of the people. All of our armed forces may be used, and violent, extreme situations are encouraged - this is a war to retake our world. Things are going to get messy.

I want to see the fight. I want to see struggle; the comedic moments between brothers in arms. The pain of a lost friend, a lost ally. The intensity of will it takes to charge into death, up the hill, and face the forces of the enemy. Show me a good story, people - this is it. This is when it all gets real, and when it all changes.

Some ground rules:

1. No Out-of-Universe Profanity. Star Wars has its own curse words; use them.
2. No Nudity or Pornographic post content; any such posts will be removed and reported.
3. Post count is minimum 250 words; no top or bottom post count limits.
4. You cannot post consecutively; get a friend involved, or encourage another. If things grind to a halt, I'll keep it moving.
5. Do not kill other Jedi without their permission; do not kill major story figures, including Cy Thuron, Alek Mirr, Gideon, Whenua, and the Summit until the closing posts of the event. These will not reflect event continuity, and will probably throw you off.
6. Try to avoid curve-balls; you're not going to round a corner and run into Muz Ashen, or find the ghost of Jango Fett. Use what you've got.

Keep your eyes peeled for updates; the first one comes tomorrow, 12:00 AM EST!

Week One: Orders

- Break through the Northern Harbour Gate, and advance to take control of the city streets.
- Disable Dac Compound automated defenses, bridge, and gate controls.
- Free the Mon Calamari, and arm them for battle.
Jedi may join any of the three assaults, and use any forces listed in the KUDF.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead

The Aedile hit the ground in a smooth roll, coming up to batter aside a pair of blaster bolts. "Forward!" She shouted, pointing her saber up the hill.

All around her, groups of soldiers - KUDF Militias accompanied by armor, and infantry columns of Harakoan tribesmen, their gear painted in tribal colors and war patterns - rushed up the beach. The enemy's initial push, a handful of repulsor tanks and some front-line infantry, was rapidly breaking; the ruined husks of enemy vehicles were now providing the militiamen with cover as they moved up. Blaster bolts and explosives poured out toward the ruined vehicles, as the Odanite forces neared the Northern Harbour Gate.

This had been a great harbour, the largest in the city; the docks here had once ferried in most of the Dac Compound's trade. Now, it was a battlefield, as Odanite forces sought the only safe landing zone to begin taking down their foes. Even if Thuron stopped them here, they'd be able to choke off the vast majority of reinforcements; even now, pilots of the KUDF had turned the Southern and Eastern ports to slag, bombing anything that moved.

She leapt forward with a battle cry, slashing through a mercenary's chestplate and delivering a hard boot into the face of another. Beside her, a Jedi - one of many, it was too hazy to see which - led a full-on charge up the beach. If all went according to plan, the gate would fall, and they'd be able to take this fight to the streets.

The sand behind her exploded under heavy laser fire, and she cartwheeled away, coming back to a defensive crouch. The enemy had set turrets up along the harbor walls, pouring fire into the Odanite flanks; she watched a score of soldiers die as she called out to the other Jedi. "Odanites! Take down those gun emplacements!"

Dac Compound
Central Command Tower

Revak's lightsaber flashed and danced as it battered back a pair of bolts, before striking out to take the wielder in the chest. "Form up! Back-to-back!"

The Melewati Bushfighters nodded, forming a tight ball of soldiers as the Jedi closed in around the sides. Mercenaries poured fire upon them, only to see it battered back by lightsaber blades; they were not so lucky, as guerrilla troops blasted them aside with little effort, their own shots unhindered by any sort of defense. In seconds, the fight reached its logical end; the mercenaries fled, to regroup elsewhere.

"Seal that door!" Revak ordered, as a pair of soldiers rushed to comply. Jamming its blast door shut, they fired rounds into the controls, preventing anyone from opening it behind them. "Seridan, let's get a briefing."

The Padawan nodded, pulling out a small holoprojector and displaying a blueprint of the command tower. "This tower's split into five sectors. We're up here, Sector Aurek, near the Command Chamber; the first few levels of this tower control the gun turrets and system defenses. A few well-placed explosives should take care of those, but be warned - enemy checkpoints are located at junctions here, and here," He pointed to a pair of areas. "When they come, that's where they'll muster."

Revak nodded. "We split into three teams; one goes after the checkpoint, one after the controls, and the last will disable the turbolifts." He pointed to the long, cylindrical tubes that ran up the length of the tower. "We can easily rappel or jump down those shafts, but our enemy can't, which stops them from all gathering on one level or the other. If we can cut them off, we can try to force a surrender." Revak looked to the group, each of whom nodded, splitting into three groups.

"I'll lead the attack group. Let's go."

Dac Compound
Civilian Housing
Full Lockdown, Martial Law

"Please, sir," The growly voice of a Mon Calamari man pleaded, his wide eyes full of hope. "My daughter's sick - I need to get her out of here, and to the medical center."

"Shut up, fish!" A black-armored soldier replied, answering the man with a stock strike to the head. He fell backward with a groan, a cut above his eye dripping blood. "You'll go when this fight is over."

"Luckily for you," A voice from the rooftop across the street echoed, "This fight'll be over quickly."

The soldier, one of a group guarding the civilians within, snapped their rifles toward the boy on the roof; he was in the air before they could fire, the twin violet blades of his lightsaber spinning to life before him. Humming through the air, the blades twisted and danced, smashing aside bolt after bolt. The mercenaries clustered together, shouting orders to each other to overwhelm the Jedi.

Nathan cracked a grin. Perfect.

The rush of militiamen from the nearby alleyway caught them completely off-guard, silent and swift, releasing a flurry of stun bolts into the men and sending them crumpling to the ground. The Jedi of Baas followed them out of the alley, quickly cutting the bonds on the Mon Calamari gathered there. The militiamen quickly started placing cuffs on the fallen Thuronians, before checking their munitions and handing out guns.

"We're just one of a few teams," Decarius said to them, his young voice at odds with the wealth of experience he held, "But we're taking back this city. Help us free your friends." The Mon Cals all nodded, and Nathan turned to the street ahead, wary of another attack.

His eyes looked up just in time to see a Thuronian fighter come screaming in, its jets aflame, to crash into a tower base; the explosion rocked the structure, which began to topple down, portions breaking off to fall into the street. "Move!" He shouted, diving for cover.

Dac Compound
Central Command Tower

War was different to battle. Battle was a quick conflict. You attack and you leave. A war was much more. War filled you with rage and with raw emotion. Seridan found that war conjured evils far greater than mere oppression. He’d seen men on both sides lost through their own careless, hate-filled actions. Seridan endeavoured to stay calm and in control during a fight, but it was getting more difficult as the war progressed. A world full of anger and cruelty cannot leave a person unscarred. Seridan was absorbing the very essence of war. He found himself thinking irrationally or getting overly emotional after a fellow soldier’s death. It was difficult to stay sane.

The others fared better. They’d lived through this before. Seridan could tell by their stern, war-hardened faces. They were reliving a life they had tried to forget. He found Revak the hardest to read. His battle helmet covered his face, and his voice offered little emotion. Even his force aura didn’t suggest anything. Seridan caught himself. They weren’t safe yet. He couldn’t afford to get caught up in his thoughts. ‘Get through today.’ he thought to himself, ‘then you can think.’ Seridan steeled himself and powered forward.

Seridan was off to the first checkpoint, in Sector Cresh. That way they could clear the way for the other teams and secure the higher levels. A division of the Melewati Bushfighters accompanied the Jedi towards their objective. The Jedi would rappel down the shafts, and the tribesmen would slide down the lines after them. They would reform, before engaging the checkpoint in battle. At least, that was the plan.

Seridan, along with Revak, Gon and Telghar jogged to the maintenance shaft and attached their lines to the edge. Seridan went first to scout out the other hatch. He rapidly lowered himself a few hundred feet down the shaft to a small opening. He pulled it open, the metal grill falling down the remainder of the shaft. The Miraluka swung through the gap, and landed gracefully in the corridor. There were no guards in sight, but muffled chat could be heard around the corner.

He then reached out into the Force, searching for Revak. He told him that it was clear, but silence had to be maintained. As the Jedi started to rappel down the shaft, Seridan heard a harsh, recorded voice around the corner.

Dac Compound
Central Command Tower


This was Telghar's first serious assignment since coming to the Jedi order, he was never good at following order's but something about the force brought him a measure of peace and clarity that he had previously never achieved. For most Trandoshan's, there was no life other than with the scorekeeper. But for a Jedi, there was only the force.


As Gon and Revak repelled down the shaft towards Seridan's position, Telghar did a quick count on his munitions, being one of the largest member's of Odan-Urr's assault teams Telghar was selected to carry extra grenades as well as a series of blaster weapons and ammo for the mission at hand. Attaching his grappling hook he started his decent towards his comrades position when he smelled something. He hadn't picked up on it before but now he was sure that there was something bad in the lower chamber.


Swinging into the room behind his master he motioned for the group to hold. Getting a look of disbelief from Revak and what one would confer as a scowl from Gon's Cybernetics. He reached out with the force towards his master, trying to warn him that something was not right. His prowess with the force was lackluster at best but he thought if he focused his mind perhaps he would be able to reach his master. Being only a few feet from him, it seemed, was to great a gap for the young Defender.


"Master" Telghar whispered with a hiss, "There is something ahead". Telghar motioned around the corner where Seridan had heard chatter coming from moments before.


Gon Doru was not much to look at, with his Cybernetic implants covering most of the space on his face. He wheezed slightly when he breathed, the apparatus on his face that allowed this breath had a slight whirring sound when he was about to speak. Although he looked perfectly at ease he had sense what Telghar was speaking of. 'Perhaps' He thought, 'There is more then meets the eye with this one'. "Telghar, use your infra-vision and see if you can scout through these walls".


Telghar knew the walls were to thick for his vision to penetrate fully but he had to try. Blinking he switched over to his the infra-red spectrum and attempted to see what was ahead. "There are many, although, numbers seem to allude me Master" Telghar hissed. "To many for us, if we don't have a distraction." Telghar said grabbing two stun grenades off his belt. Perhaps, Master Torun was right in selecting him for this mission. Still though, he doubted if he would be right for this task.


Looking to his companions, and back to the hall, Telghar said something that would forever come to haunt him. "One of them smells, wrong" He said looking to Revak and Seridan, "If we are to do this, we need plans.” the Defender hissed.


Seridan looked to Telghar and back to the area he had heard the strange sounds from. 'Perhaps he is right, then again, how bad could it be.’ He thought motioning out a series of hand signal's to dictated the course of the plan he had been working on since the moment he stepped foot in this hall. 'This' he thought, should be easy.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Forward Command Post

The thunderclap bass howl of artillery shells detonating across the beach-head walls, the piercing, whining roar of fighters and gunships darting overhead, the incessant rounds of light-sounding blaster fire criss-crossing across the landing zone. These were all sounds rather familiar to many of the Knights of Allusis, a welcome redemption from the silence that was peace-time. Many of them trained daily for war. Many of them were bred for war. Many of them lived, breathed and existed for the pure, sweet release of combat. After all, more than one of them had been Dark-siders - more specifically, Obelisks. The Dark Side's ultimate soldiers.

Those soldiers, now, were here to conquer the beach in the name of Light and freedom.

The Odan-Urr mobile command post sat aboard an Armored Interface Craft-4, where the troops of the coalition forces could receive their orders thanks to good comm equipment. Right now, the post was mobile, carrying the leaders and the generals. Gathered around a holo-projector, waiting for their first set of orders, were the vast majority of the Knights, plus some extra hangers-on and keen warriors. It was their first real war under the command of new Knight-Commander Turel Sorenn and his Knight-Lieutenant, the eternally-jailed Edgar Drachen. It was a trial-by-fire for the two Padawans. However, their rank was not the determinant now that the first shots had been fired. Their knowledge and experience was the decider and it seemed they had that in spades. They'd come this far. There was no turning back.

Turel studied the troops' faces, examining them for signs of weariness or doubt. This was war - there was no place for doubt here, as the Titan said often in his diatribes on battle.

"Alright. Our priority objective is to smash down those gates and guns. We've got artillery and cannon emplacements lining the walls, which we're shelling right now with mobile artillery ourselves. However, our forces won't last long against those emplacements once we land. That's where we come in with your units. We can't rely on Ooroo and their strike mission."

The Knight-Commander cast a glance to Rhiann, who was a member of Ooroo - hopefully he'd not offended the Titan's apprentice. However, there were far more here that needed orders. He had a plan that would collectively secure the beach if they all worked together.

"Crunchy-" referring to Edgar, of course- "your job is containment. Take a detachment, secure our flank, and stop the bucketheads from flanking us. V'yr, take your armoured column and prepare to receive enemies. Sang, you're on assault duty. You see a weakness in their lines, you probe it. Make them bleed. Daniel, take some snipers and take some targets of opportunity down if you can. I'm going to work my way through the lines with the Ducks and see if I can plant explosives along the seawall. And, Titan?"

Mirus locked eyes with the Iron Man, expectant. Turel offered a smirk.

"Smash."

The Titan grinned. "As you wish."

-------

Mirus and Rhiann, as well as a small detachment of heavily-armoured soldiers temporarily referred to as Olympus Squad, took a LAAT/i gunship through the air, ready to make an assault on the enemy gun lines. A speeder bike jousting formation had been considered, but this made far more sense. Mirus couldn't drive, after all, the silly tribal.

"Thirty seconds to drop point!" called the pilot, a final sign for every man - and one woman - aboard the gunship to ready themselves for their jump. Armed with repulsorpacks, Olympus would drop, make their assault from the air, then take out as many gun turrets in their vanguard strike as possible. Blaster rifles were loaded. Nerves were steeled. Lightsabers were held aloft and onyx plates of armour trimmed with teal were locked into place.

"Rhiann," Mirus said, quietly, staring down his apprentice-- now a Jedi Knight of her own recognisance, of course-- "this is your first real warzone. Are you prepared?"

"Yes, Master," she said by pure reflex. They had both been Obelisks, trained to fight wars. Perfection of self by the pursuit of warfare and battle had been their guiding credo. It still held true now, though the altruistic desire to help and protect people was their beacon of light. However, she was not as experienced as he in the ways of mass combat. He had served Clan Naga Sadow as one of its battlefield generals during the Dark Crusade, recognised by Grand Master Ashen for his impeccable service on the front lines. He was the warrior suited for this job. Her nervousness came not from the fear of battle, but from the fear of living up to his reputation.

"Good," he intoned, nodding solemnly. All around them, the warfighters made their final preparation to assault the Monarchy's defensive lines. "Any questions?"

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
10 minutes ago

"You seem to be in a tough situation, sister." a mental message snapped A'lora out of the fury of combat. She hid behind a ruined ATV, unsure who communicated with her at a time like this.

"Look towards the sun." This time she recognized the voice and smiled. In the blue skies five LAAT's flew towards the beachhead, their white and blue hulls adorned by symbols of the Melewati warriors. As the ships landed in relative safety, a fair distance away from her position, A'lora saw her unit deploy and head toward her position. Soon enough, under cover fire, the two chieftains of the Melewati arrived, along with Vorsa who ahd stayed on New tython with them after Purity Rock.

"I thought you might want some additional help, my friend." Vorsa's heavily accented voice sounded behind her.

"It's good to have you here, Vorsa. And you as well, Chieftains." A'lora replied to all three.

"What is our situation?" Lara dispensed with the pleasantries.

"We need to dislodge the enemy from their gun emplacements. That's our priority now." A'lora reported.

"We can manage that. If we can get to those walls safe enough, grappling hooks will do the job of getting us up there. Air support can cover us as we ascend."

"Good. I shall see to it that the men are coordinated well," Vorsa said looking around the battlefield, "But first i must see to my Column at the Forward Command Center." Vorsa concluded. A'lora signaled three of the Melewati to stay with her while the rest of her unit followed her across the beach.

"May the Force be with you, sister." A'lora smiled and charged across the sand.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Forward Command Post
Present

Vorsa nodded at the young Knight-Commander's orders. He was shaping up to be quite the leader, as she expected of him. Even though he was not yet a Jedi knight, he was far more experienced in these kinds of battles than many of the younger Knights around the table. As they dispersed to their duties, Vorsa stopped Turel with the slightest touch on the shoulder. She bowed her head low - which seemed a strange gesture from a Master to a Padawan.

"We have little time. All I want to say is - stay alive. Stay alive, keep your men alive and remember your training." her tone was a serious one.

Turel smiled back, "I know, and I will."

"I know what you feel for her." she said as he turned to leave, stopping him in his tracks, "For her sake as well, keep yourself alive." With a barely discernible nod, Turel walked away to his duties, leaving Vorsa at the table with her commanders.

"Colonel Dall'ra." she turned to the Bothan "Status?"

"General!" the Colonel gave a short salute and dispensed with the pleasantries, "The 1st Armored is on the west beach, with Major Sarat at the head. The East is covered by the Crimson Queen and her regiment. Our Infantry is dispersed in between them. We are covering our ground fairly well at this point. The artillery is bombarding what they can but we dare not attack the Compound itself."

"Good work, Colonel. As expected. I will remain here but will keep away from your operations."

"But general, -"

Vorsa raised her hand to calm him, "I will commence with my Battle Meditation, and leave the tactics in your capable hands."

The Bothan simply nodded, knowing he could not dissuade her. Moving away from the table, and the constant traffic of the FCC, Vorsa found a relatively quiet spot outside. She sat down, as comfortably as possible, and began her long trek through the pathways of the Living Force. She felt every emotion on the battlefield. Pure blue and white strands of honor and courage sullied by the dark and red tendrils of anger, vengeance and fear. It reminded her so much of her past wars and the consequences they spawned. It also reminded her of their mission - to protect the innocent. Her resolve never faltered, in fact it became as strong as the earth underneath her feet. Like a flood-gate opening, Vorsa's will and resolve poured into her comrades-in-arms. Everyone of the battlefield felt her presence. Everyone knew they had the Jedi at their side, and the enemy soon found out - the hard way.

Dac Compound
Central Command Tower

Seridan spun around, expecting to have a blaster pointed at him. Thankfully, the space behind him was empty. The voice came from around the corner, among the guards. Seridan recognised it as a comlink transmission. The harsh clicks and grotesque creaking noises identified the language as Harakoan. Seridan couldn’t understand what was being said, but he assumed that it was a warning.

Revak and Gon came through the hatch, with Telghar at their heels. Soon, the Melewati Bushfighters came through. One of them, a valiant warrior called Tu’lowk, started to talk to survey the scene as well. His face was hard, his eyes somewhat soulless, and his collection of scars showed his fighting prowess.

Seridan walked over to him and told them his plan. He would climb through the vents around to the back of the checkpoint, and toss a thermal detonator into the mass of guards. He’d then take out a few stragglers before fleeing back into the shaft. The Jedi would leap out and reflect every blaster bolt, while the Bushfighters would fire through the Jedi to hit the guards down.

Hopefully the level of confusion could be maintained. That would make it all much easier. Even with Telghar’s warning, the checkpoint could be taken down easily.

Seridan entered the shaft, and wriggled down its length. He could see the guards through the fine grills. There were many guards, like Telghar had seen. Most looked scared. They all looked like they didn’t want to die. Seridan gulped. He didn’t like the carnage either, but they had to die. It was the workings of war.

There was one, dressed all in light, black armour. He carried a long quarter-staff on his back, and had a heavy repeater at his hip. Out of them all, he looked like one to watch out for.

Suddenly, this guy turned his head with near-impossible speed. He looked in Seridan’s direction. Not wanting to risk detection, he told Revak to start the attack, and he then started unleashing a wave of darkness.

Telghar’s stun grenades went off, blinding and deafening the guards. Seridan’s inky blackness oozed through the air, further confusing the guards. The Jedi began their attack, their blades dancing through the air. The bushfighters seemed to never miss. Each of their shots struck an opponent; each shot was deadly. The guards fell, but there were still a considerable number of them.

The guard in black was deadly calm. He continued to look towards Seridan, drawing his repeater. A few shots hit him, but they bounced off. Distracted, he drew two grenades from his belt and tossed them towards the Melewati.

They detonated, and took quite a few of the colonists with them. Tu’lowk and his men were blasted to bits. All that was left was a charred durasteel floor with a dark red staining it.

Seridan chose this time to strike. He ignited his lightsaber and spun through the hatch. He took two guards down and released the grenade towards some others. The other Jedi pressed forward, trapping the guards.

The officer guard seemed untouched. Blaster bolts bounced off him, as he made his way towards Seridan. Seridan dashed towards him, swinging his lightsaber up for the kill. The guard’s quarter-staff came crashing down on Seridan’s arm. It was an effective attack; it had hurt his arm and had parried the blow. Seridan was about to switch hands in preparation for another attack, but he didn’t have to. The guard now stood with a piercing green blade protruding from its chest. No doubt it was one of Revak’s amazing throws.

The rest of the guards were rounded up and killed quickly. It seemed barbaric to Seridan.

‘Barbaric, but necessary.’ Seridan thought.

Revak called Seridan to him after the massacre had finished. “Can you go and let the control team know that the first checkpoint is clear.”

Seridan nodded, and went off at a run towards Sector Besh. The others began making their way to the second checkpoint.

Dac Compound
Seven kilometers from the Odanite Beachhead

Lambow hated waiting. He much preferred to be in action, but he knew that he and his unit were strategically being held back for a battlefield task worthy of their talents. After many long years of training, The Chosen had many new members that were both nervous but eager to get into battle. They wanted to help pay back the life debt that they owed the House, and knew that when it came down to it they would kick some major tail.

The waiting continued, despite the noise in the background from a full fledged battle being waged. The troops did their best to ignore it, concentrating on checking, rechecking, and checking again their own equipment and the equipment of their brothers.

Lambow was busy popping open the maintenance cover of his personal DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle again to re-check to see if any offending dust particles had managed to worm their way in within the past five minutes since the last check when the holoprojecter came to life next to Liika.

It was a holocomm call from the mobile command post. "Liika, seems like we've got a situation that you can help us with. The beachhead is being pounded by enemy artillery. We've got our own counter-battery fire coming in, but we don't have enough of the heavy guns to go around, and they're needed for other tasks. Some of the strike fighters have tried proton bombing runs, but the air defenses are thick and in any case there was minimal damage inflicted. They're dug in pretty well." A big ka-WHUMP interrupted the transmission somewhat, but the call continued. "We need you to take them out. Positions of the field guns are being transmitted now. May the Force be with you."

Liika bellowed in a war cry, and the transmission ended. No further words were necessary. The Chosen scrambled to get last second items done, and started loading up.

The Chosen was finally going to war.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Five kilometers up

The LAAT/i shuddered as yet another flak burst went off near it. It was universally ignored by the squad of warriors, as they all mentally prepared themselves. The good news was that they were up high enough that most of the smaller stuff was simply outranged. The bad news was that what did manage to get up to their height was the heavy stuff. None of them except maybe the pilots knew how many of the transports were left in the assault, but that mattered little. Even if they were the only squad left, they knew they could and would get the job done. Their friends were counting on them.

The droplight went yellow, and the side panel doors of the LAAT/i slid open, exposing the Wookiees to the howling wind. Thirty seconds. Fifteen. Ka-WHOOMP, but they're still flying... Five... GREEN LIGHT.

Lambow leapt out, falling, assuming the starfish position. He hated the sensation, although he had done it many times in training and in real combat. The heavy, humid air, filled with the acrid stench of explosives and death filled his nostrils. The sounds of war were almost drowned out by the howling of the wind past his ears, but that didn't matter. Immersing himself in the Force, he closed his eyes and waited.

Falling five kilometers is both a long, long time and also an eyeblink.

Finally it was time. He opened his eyes, and waited. A split second later his jet pack, automatically keeping track of his altitude, let out a quick burst to put him upright and then a roar to slow his descent down to a manageable landing. He hit the dirt, and the jetpack, spent, automatically popped off his back, discarded. The Wookiee didn't have to look around to find his fellow teammates, as in the Force he felt them land all around him, every single one within twenty meters of each other, guided automatically in by the inertial navigation of their jetpacks.

He looked and saw his first objective. He grabbed his rifle, shouldered it, and started to move forward, lightsabers in his hands but not lit. No one in sight yet. Scan left, scan right. The squad homed in on his beacon and formed up, no noise, no fuss. Their training and gear were paying off in spades.

They were making good time until out of one of the bunkers a guard popped out, then another. Lambow, being on point, halted their movement with a hand signal. One of the guards sealed the hatch behind them. They didn't seem especially alert to the presence of the squad, and both anxiously glanced up at the still ongoing angry flak bursts in the air. They seemed like a patrol, and the squad patiently waited until they left, out of sight. Then Lambow gave the signal, and moved forward, more cautiously. He made silent gestures and pointed at the sealed hatch. One of the team members walked forward and carefully laid a mine that would be undetected until someone came through the door. They pressed on, their objective a mere one hundred meters away.

Of course that's when everything went to hell.

A blaster bolt went flying, hitting one of the Wookiees in the shoulder, woundng him. That seemed to be the general signal for the enemy to let fly, and in a heartbeat the air was filled with blaster fire in both directions. Sizzling awake, Lambows' dual lightsabers did their deadly dance, redirecting most of the bolts headed their way back to their original sender or another enemy trooper. They pressed forward, taking full advantage of what cover they could, providing a base of fire as Lambow leapt forward, punching a hole through the defensive line, then widening it. The other Wookiees took full advantage of the enemies' confusion and poured in blaster fire and grenades at the hapless troops, blasting their own way through. Then, as suddenly as it started, they stopped taking fire.

The squad quickly reformed, and per SOP from their support packs they replenished their ammo and tended to the few wounds they had received. The pushed forward, with no more than two minutes spent, and reached their objective.

The defending squad of infantry, alerted by the previous skirmish, knew it too and opened fire.

They had no chance.

One of the heavy weapons fire teams got a chance to set up their captured E-Web repeating blaster and started to lay down an amazingly accurate base of fire, pinning the troopers down. One fire team maneuvered to the left flank and announced their arrival with more grenades and blaster fire. Confused, the defenders fought valiantly, but were not expecting the reformed Jedi to hit the other flank and between them got cut up. They knew it was hopeless and surrendered. This caught the squad off guard, but Lambow quickly had them stripped of weapons, secured them and went forward.

The field guns were sheltered in underground bunkers, which were heavily reinforced. No wonder the bombers couldn't punch through. The entrance doorway was sealed. That was fine, they could cope with that one. Lambow motioned to the sappers, and they quickly placed breaching charges. Job complete, they stood back, going back into the entrance formation. Lambow made the signal, and the explosives blew.

The door was ripped off its' hinges and was sent flying inwards like a mynock from hell. Again following SOP, Lambow and the other Wookiee across from him each tossed in one concussion grenade in at each side, and they piled in. Utterly disoriented by the grenades, the defending crew had no chance and were mercifully clubbed unconscious instead of being killed. They were detained, and Lambow signaled Liika, "Mission complete. Awaiting orders."

Liika came back with a simple question. Lambow replied affirmative, objective taken without damage.

Liika replied with a fire plan. Lambow grinned wickedly, and started to issue orders to the squad. Time for these suckers to get a taste of their own artillery.

Dac Compound
Above Odanite Beachhead
Aboard the LAAT/i Gunship

Her response had indeed been one of reflex. An unsettled feeling had been sitting in her churning stomach ever since she set foot on the LAAT/i gunship, having taken a seat near the door to let the rest of the troops have room on their way toward the beachhead. The woman left the troops to be briefed on their mission, her mind going off into its own little world until her Master had prompted her response.

War was something she was protected from her entire life. Any sort of conflict like this, she had been kept where she would be safe and not even have to give it a glance. The discussion between her mother and father was the only time she heard about war, though due to the political stance on things, Rhiann only had heard one side; for the most part. The Sephi’s body suddenly jumped in surprise at an explosion that rocked the gunship, forcing herself to steel her resolve to not let anyone see how unprepared she was for this battle.

Once they had reached their hovering point, the Jedi kept her seat. Rhiann knew Mirus was going to go first, putting herself in the mindset that one of them should take up the rear and help the last troops to jump.

‘Of course this is the right way to do it.’ She thought to herself, her eyes following each troop that jumped out of the gunship.

One of the last troops to jump managed to catch her hand shaking as she helped herself up, the lightsaber in it quivering from her grip on it. It wasn’t just the reputation of her master she had to live up to, it was also the fact that war-- people fighting for their rights, their freedom in a way like this -- existed.

A quiet whimper escaped her tightly closed lips as she stood at the jumping point, thankful that no one could see the short look of fear cross her face as she leapt out into battle, her white bladed lightsaber coming to life as the humming followed her down into the action.

Dac Compound
Central Command Tower

Seridan stood by a window. He'd reported their status to Ji, and was heading back to his team.

Seridan observed the battle going on outside. The guards were putting up a good fight. Their automated defenses were blowing holes in the advancing army. The torrent of blaster fire continued to rain mercilessly upon the attackers. But the Thuronians were still losing. Their defenses were systematically destroyed and the enemy was slowly retreating. The dead and the wounded were littered around, discarded like a bad hand of sabacc. Both sides' forces were getting dented. Thuronians lay dead on the battlefield, same as Seridan's allies.

'There is no difference in death,' Seridan thought, 'We all die, and we all move into the Force as equals.'

There had been a point when Seridan had wanted a safer way to win. He'd wanted to take back New Tython with as few casualties as possible. From birth, he'd been taught to do everything peacefully. He was brought up to be a scholar, a teacher. But he'd always had a nagging feeling that it was not meant to be. Not everything could be solved through negotiation, or peace talks.

Since strengthening his bond to the Force, Seridan had found that he was increasingly reliant on it for direction. And, whilst standing by the window, it was telling Seridan that it was okay. The amount of death would be traumatising for anyone, but it would topple a tyrant. The soldiers were fighting willingly, and were vanquishing evil.

Unable to see any more men fall, Seridan turned from the window. He raced back to Revak. Not too long until the Command Centre was theirs.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Behind the FCC

The three Melewati ordered to cover Vorsa were still at her side. They observed in reserved shock as the Neti's body transformed from a lean feminine visage, into a near-amorphous tree-like form. All they could still recognize of her were her eyes. Everything else had been morphed by the intense Force power of the planet itself. Vorsa drank deep from the planets natural Force-well. Her connection to the world was strong, and even though she was very young and inexperienced, it was in her nature to connect in such a way.

It was rich and fulfilling, and for the first time in a long while Vorsa felt truly connected to one place - a home. The sun shining on her bark-like skin, revitalizing her whole body; the power of so many living creatures touching her very soul from within - this is what it meant to truly live. She turned her gaze from herself onto the battlefield where hundreds and thousands were dying. She could not help them all, nor was she meant to. The Force led her to her target.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Front lines - East

Chief Lara Farstalker covered in a fox-hole dug out by an artillery strike. They were being pinned down by heavy automated fire from one of the gun emplacements of the Compound's eastern wall. She had lost several men already, but it seemed like the Harakoans lost a lot more. Some of them even charged into the gunfire, hoping the shots would miss them, or so she guessed. They were by no means savages, but this kind of warfare was not their theatre. They were used to tribal conflicts, with bows and spears. This? This was far beyond them and the chief doubted the Jedi's decision to bring them into the fight. They were just bodies to be tossed around by the mercs.

"Where's our kraking support!? We're being gunned down here." she yelled into her comm unit.

"We're oscar mike on your position from the south, chief. The cavalry's here. Crimson queen, out." a female voice responded as a hulking Armored assault tank, crowned by a blood-red cupola, hovered closer to Lara's group. It was Major Jana Neros, the well known Crimson Queen of the Red Devils Regiment.

"Support's here, ladies," Lara yelled out over the constant gunfire, even though she had a comm-link to her team. She seemed to think yelling was a better option anyway, "On my order, charge that damn wall and get those grappling hooks up."

"Yes, ma'am!" they responded in unison. As she observed the tank coming closer, laser fire bouncing off of it in cascading colors, she felt a warmth and a tingle down her spine. Like a rush of adrenaline in her body the feeling spread to her limbs and she felt empowered. Her vision became that much clearer, as if she could see the enemy a thousand yards away with the clarity of a bird-of-prey. Her limbs grew that much stronger, as if she could lift a ton of boulders at once. She couldn't explain it, but she felt a presence. It was all the positive energy she needed when the Crimson Queen shot it's first round at the gun emplacement, crumbling it to garbage. As a squadron of LaaTs flew over the group, firing all weapons on the same spot, she knew someone was coordinating them. Coordinated fire to such a degree and so far away from command? It was a stroke of brilliance only a Jedi could manage and she only now understood what their tactician's aim was.

"The support beams!" Lara gasped as she looked at the gap in the wall that revealed the metallic skeleton of the construction. Suddenly an order in a very familiar, heavily accented voice, jumped into her mind: "Charge the wall!".

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Front lines - Center

Rhiann came down hard onto the sandy beach, but she managed to roll aside as one blaster shot incinerated the ground under her feet. She deflected several more shots before she focused on the wall. It was much smaller here than on the eastern line, but had a heavier complement of enemy troops to compensate. The Harakoan-Tythonian allied troops were already putting the beat-down on the enemy when she arrived, but a breakthrough seemed hard at best. At a time like this, even the Titan would have a hard time pushing through with so many heavy blasters pointed against the allies.

Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a familiar, yet strange feeling crawl down her spine. It was a tangible change in the air and the Force. Her mind focused and all doubt and fear left her that instant. "Charge the wall!" a command materialized in her mind.

"Master, Vorsa?" she replied mentally.

"Charge the wall!" it came again and Rhiann moved closer to the enemy position. With every step she took, the soldiers around her took another. The tanks from five different positions charged their barrels at the enemy position in the wall and fired in unison. Hovering LaaTs above their heads launched their multy-headed missiles, obliterating the enemy and covering them in dust and rubble. Soldiers around Rhiann returned fire as a cascade of red and blue lightning covered the dusty battlefield.The overwhelming counterattack by the KUDF surprised the mercenary army. Most stayed on at their positions but some routed back into the Compound.

Rhiann jumped over the rubble into the Compound, hacking of one of the heavy blaster barrels. Then came it's operator and the next soldier, and the next, and the next. Six men fell under Rhiann's blade before, finally, her company joined the fray. Blue blaster fire colored the dusty air around them as merc blood colored the sand. The KUDF broke through the enemy position, cutting them down in a tsunami of laser fire. There was resolve in their action and a will to free their home before all else. It was something the enemy did not have, and it was far more important than any amount of guns or ammunition. Rhiann deflected, hacked, dodged and kicked at the enemy with a power she could barely contain. It wasn't any sort of hate or rage, it was simply the power of the Force, and the resolve of a solitary Jedi in battle meditation somewhere far behind the lines. Rhiann smiled, understanding now that the positioned tanks, LaaT's and her company's own position were all planned out b ythe General and her staff. The KUDF pushed forward, tanks in tow.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Behind the FCC

All three battle lines were advancing. To the west the Wookies took the enemy position with haste while the center and east fell swiftly from the united and overwhelming KUDF assault. Vorsa sighed as she felt chief Lara leading her men through the breach in the eastern wall. The assault in the east succeeded and left a gap so wide a tank could move through easily. Colonel Dall'ra's plan for breaching the line worked like a charm - though it was in reality equally her own, but she would never admit that, leaving all the glory and merit for the Colonel and his staff. She was but an aide in the complex weave of the Force, nothing more.

As her consciousness returned to her body, she began transforming again. The sheer Force power had changed her into a five meter tall tree in front of the soldier's eyes. They seemed to be standing several more feet away than they were before, probably out of sheer terror. As the Neti reverted to her feminine humanoid form she turned to the Melewati with a wide smile that seemed to reassure them.

"We should join the battle now."

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Forward Command Post

“Master A’lora, this is Turel, I read you loud and clear.”

The Aedile’s voice echoed through the loudspeakers of the command center “We’ve lost contact with Ooroo and other elements inside the Dac compound. Aerial reconnaissance shows an enemy jamming station set up in the sports field of the Dac academy in sector G7. The site is protected by anti-air batteries. The area surrounding the academy is a densely populated habitation zone, the risk of civilian casualties is too high for counter-battery fire. I need that site taken out with minimal collateral damage. Can you do it?”

Turel didn’t hesitate for a second. “I will lead the mission personally, and I have just the unit in mind.”

“Good to hear, remember Knight-Commander, numerous civilian lives are at stake. May the Force be with you. A’lora out.”

“So far, so good,” Turel thought to himself as he finished his report to AED A’lora. The Knights of Allusis and their attached units had their orders and were on the verge of breaching the outer defenses. Even though weeks had passed since Liam appointed him to lead the Knights, it still felt weird giving commands to legendary warriors like Mirus and vastly experienced commanders like Vorsa.

Vorsa had been like a second master to Turel during his time in the Knights. She was more than a master, commander or spiritual advisor; she was his friend. She always knew the right words or small gesture to bring out Turel’s best in any given situation. To be appointed to follow someone like her as Knight-Commander when he had barely been knighted himself was a huge responsibility that would even give someone with his ego pause.

Turel was no professional soldier but he knew that self-doubt was a luxury one could ill afford on the battlefield. A commander must project calm and confidence at all times. He centered himself in the Force for a moment before grabbing his mission gear and trusty backpack filled with various types of explosives. He could feel Vorsa’s familiar presence in the back of his mind, boosting his confidence with her battle meditation. It was time to go link up with the Ducks and do what he did best: make things go boom.

The Tanduran and Dac Unified Commandos, more commonly known as “T(he) DUC(k)s,” were a group of highly trained irregular commandos who specialized in guerilla warfare. The Ducks were comprised of human and Mon Calamari militia volunteers from Tanduran and Dac. This was more than a battle for the Ducks, this was their home. When the time came to assign units for the each Jedi to lead into battle Turel had chosen the Ducks without a moments hesitation.

Dac Compound
Odanite Beachhead
Objective Rally Point - Tanduran and Dac Unified Commandos

The five platoon leaders of the Ducks had gathered behind the mobile command center. The group was waiting to meet the Jedi commander who had just been assigned to their unit. The leaders passed the time by engaging in the time honored military tradition of speculating on an incoming leader prior to arrival.

“I heard the new Jedi commander was some young Padawan.”

“Well that’s just great, they give us some snot nosed kid to potty train.”

“I think he got Knighted just before we left Haven.”

“Oh that doesn’t help much, baby’s first command, inexperience paired with an utter lack of humility. A deadly combination.”

“Perhaps we should withhold judgment until he shows up.”

“Well I’ll potty train a squad’s worth of padawans if it gets us into the action.”

The battlefield gossip was interrupted by the approached of a man who appeared to be in his mid 30s. The man wore a simple black and blue outfit with hostlers, a trench coat, and an assault pack. His scarred face and greying temples were not at all what the platoon leaders expected. “I can assure all of you that I am fully potty trained.”

James Centon came to a crisp attention. “Master Jedi”

Turel gave a dismissive wave. “There’s no need for such formality, ‘Turel’ will be fine. I have critical missions for each of you.” He knelt down to set up a holoprojector.

“Finally some action!”

Turel resumed his briefing. “Indeed. There is an enemy jamming station and a cluster of anti-air batteries centered around the Dac academy in sector G7. The risk of civilian casualties is too high for counter-battery fire so we are tasked with getting behind enemy lines and taking out the targets with minimal collateral damage. 2nd platoon will lead the entire element through the western sewer outlet into the sewer system itself and out at the water treatment plant in sector E5. James and the Assault Troopers will secure the treatment plant and set up a hasty defensive position in case we need to use the sewers as an egress point. 1st Platoon will assault the western air defense batteries, 2nd platoon will assault the jamming station, 3rd platoon will assault the northern air defense batteries, and 4th platoon will assault the eastern air defense batteries. Once mission is complete we will rendezvous at the Dac Academy to await air evac and further orders. The water treatment plant will serve as the prisoner and casualty collection point. I will accompany 2nd Platoon. Are there any questions?”

The collected platoon leaders studied the holo map and took notes for a few moments. Arkols the Mon Calmari 2nd platoon leader spoke up, “Dac is our home, I think I speak for all the Ducks when I say let’s drive these flacking barves out of here!” The rest of the platoon leaders raised their fists and hollered in approval.

Turel smiled. “Let’s get to work”

Dac Compound
Western Sewer System, Directly Below Water Treatment Facility
1 Hour Later

Arkols motioned for the unit to stop and Turel sloshed his way to the front of the column. Arkols whispered, “That’s the access hatch to the sewer facility.” Turel nodded. He climbed up to the hatch, planted a small amount of explosive charge and slid down the ladder into the sewer water below. He held up the detonator and waited for the ready signal from the Mon Calamari commandos before setting off the charge.

BOOM! The hatch blew off and launched directly upward into the treatment facility. Directly on cue three commandos threw two smoke grenades and a flashbang up through the hole. After the flashbang detonated Turel pulled out his lightsaber and launched himself through the hole with a Force-enhanced jump. He couldn’t see through the smoke but sensed a trio of humans directly in front of him. With blinding speed he rushed the hapless soldiers and cut them down before they could recover from the effects of the flashbang and get aimed shots off with their weapons.

Turel yelled through the hole into the sewers “Hurry up, they’re on to us. We have to get out of the tunnels before they push us back.” An alarm sounded in the distance as Mon Calamari commandos poured into the room from the sewers. He turned to Arkols who was placing his men in defensive positions as they climbed through the hole. “Prepare to conduct a counter-attack! I will go with you. We need to push the enemy back long enough for the whole unit to get out of the tunnels.” The Mon Calamari platoon leader nodded in acknowledgment. “Well they wanted action,” Turel thought to himself as Duck commandos and Thuron soldiers began trading blaster fire at the room’s entrance.

Tythonian Space
YT-2400 Ruination
Cockpit

Izanami lounged in her pilot’s chair, watching her first mate, Loxus flying smoothly through the black void of space. She did not really need to do very much aboard the ship as her crew managed most of the affairs. They feared and respected her, entrusted her with their lives. She felt powerful because of this and a sense of superiority covered the Cathar’s face most of the time. She shied away from abusing her power on the ship, that led to bad morale. She thought of her crew, Arkanis Revenants, and realized they were a terribly motley crew. She was pulled from her introspection by the merrily whistling comsystem.

Loxus looked at the woman and spoke softly in Devaronese. “That is for you.”

Izanami shook her head slightly, her tone almost condescending. “You could answer it every so often. You aren’t mute as you clearly demonstrate all the time.”

The Devaronian smiled lightly, revealing rows of pointed teeth as the girl hit the speaker for the com. “This is Captain Kurai of the Ruination. Who is hailing me?”

“Captain Kurai, so glad you could make it back to New Tython,” responded a deep, sarcastic voice. It had a certain charm to it that made the Cathar like it, from far away at least. It was an interesting voice belonging to a certain murderer.

“General Mirr. Yes, always a pleasure to be here,” the woman returned the sarcasm exactly as it was given. “What do you want, Mirr? I’m kind of busy here.”

“King Thuron has requested that you assist us in getting rid of a few...pests. We need help getting rid of the recently returned Jedi.” Mirr was known for not wasting time. She knew that she would have spent hours with any other contact trying to get that much information.

“A few Jedi? That shouldn’t be a problem for the great King, should it?” the young Captain queried in return.

“Normally, no. These are more persistent than they should be. The King has asked that you help us understand who rules here.”

“Fine. Double my pay since I’m hunting Jedi for you. I’ll be in the world in a few hours,” the young woman retorted before disconnecting the communication. The man's voice tended to drive her up the wall if he spoke for too long, which filled her with ecstasy when she killed the comlink. It filled her with a sense of accomplishment to know that she might just get to annoy someone today. She almost felt bad about these Jedi though, causing her to briefly wonder if she knew any of them. “Loxus, we’re going hunting apparently. Take us down.”

Loxus nodded quietly and piloted the ship gracefully in the atmosphere. “Hunting Jedi, Captain? That’s a little more than we signed up for you know.”

“I know, Loxus. I’m sure this will all work out. I mean, come on now. How hard can it really be?”

Dac Compound
Compound streets
Half-an-hour later

Vorsa deflected another shot from one of the hapless soldiers standing against her. Her orange blade carved a path through his squad, cutting weapons and severing limbs. As his last comrade fell under the Jedi's searing weapon, the hapless soldier stumbled back on all fours, moving away from the Neti.

"What the krak are you?" he yelled in desperation as his blaster came back up for another shot. He shot the rest of his clip, and as the audible clang of the chamber ejecting it's load filled his ears he saw Vorsa, with her hand extended, standing as firm as before. She had absorbed every last shot. A panic gripped the man in a moment of terror he never felt before. He was used to fighting soldiers and warriors like the KUDF and Harakoans, but to fight a Jedi was to fight death itself. As his rifle traveled through the air into Vorsa's hand with sublime grace, he finally gave up. Several KUDF soldiers cuffed his arms and carried him away.

Vorsa felt pity towards the enemy, and at the same time a cold, bitter indifference. What they did to them and prisoners in Purity Rock was unforgivable. She knew it was wrong to feel that way and that holding grudges could lead to anger and darkness, but she had to face her oppressors to face her own inner darkness, and so far she hadn't found any release. Snapped back to reality by the familiar voice of chief Lara Firestalker, she turned to face the zeltron.

"You alright, General," Lara asked, genuinely worried, "You seemed to phase out a bit there."

Vorsa smiled, "I am well, Chief. Thank you for your worry." The zeltron nodded before advancing her company forward. The KUDF and their Harakoan allies seemed to sweep through the Compound like a tidal wave after the outer walls fell. As the Wookies and Melewati advanced through the cramped corridors of the buildings and houses as the Armored Column plowed through the streets. Thuron's so called army were already shaking in their boots in the face of the allies assault, and the people of the Dac Compound were almost free. After this, Vorsa knew, Tanduran was next.

Week 2 Objectives
- Link up with the rebels of Vard Mislu, and capture the settlement from Monarchist forces.
- Battle the forces of the Thuron Monarchy in the fields around Tanduran Settlement, and advance ground forces to take the town.
- Infiltrate the Tanduran Settlement with a small team, and take down the shield generator protecting it.

Vard Mislu
Marketplace
Odan-Urr Territory

The Y-Wing's cockpit popped open, and Turel was quick to climb out of it; meeting up with Edgar, he met the man's eyes, a look of worry on his face. "Mirus?"

"He's here," Drachen replied, sadness in his eyes. "Jonuss... Jonuss didn't make it."

Sorenn stopped for a moment, as shock set in. Brushing aside emotions, he waved Edgar forward, running toward the Titan and the other assembled Jedi. "Come on, let's go!"

A few streets away, the dull thump of explosions mingled with the retorts of blasters and the screams of dying men. The colony was a warzone, left in total ruins; initial views overhead had made it look like almost every building had been heavily damaged, some destroyed. Thuronian soldiers, shiny black armor stained with blood as red as their shoulder-patches, fought hard and used superior weaponry and armor to force their way into districts; facing them, tenacious rebels linked up with the KUDF and hundreds of thousands of Harakoans, all fighting from street to street, trying to drive the enemy out and crush his fighting capabilities. Smoke plumed into the air, as the acrid stink of battle permeated the filthy environs; it was no longer, nor had it ever been, a clean fight.

This was the truth of war - mess and brutality, leaving sorrow in its wake.

Linking up with the Titan, Turel went to speak, but was cut off; the shop next to him took a mortar shell, exploding violently and hurling debris into the air. Soldiers charged in, black armor shining as they fired on the Jedi. "Defend yourselves!" Mirus cried, as his blade came to life.

Tanduran Settlement
Odan-Urr HQ

"This is getting us nowhere," A'lora sighed, looking out across the fields. It was a horrible thing to look at.

Surrounding the main, untouched buildings of Tanduran, a shimmering energy shield held at bay aerial and long-range attacks; fierce anti-air resistance stopped close insertions, forcing the Odanites to fight them in the surrounding fields. And fight them, they did - hills and prairies for miles around had been scarred and cratered, some still afire, outlying buildings leveled and ruined. The husks of fallen armor and fighters - KUDF and Monarchy alike - stuck out of the ground, most of them still smouldering. Soldiers and tanks advanced in stuttering columns, waging protracted to-and-fro battles against their enemies. Beyond, the massive hulk of Odan-Urr's AT-AT led the charge, battered on all sides but largely still intact. The Togruta had to give the Empire credit - when they made engines of destruction, they made them to last.

V'yr looked over to her, nodding. "Solari and Kah should be in position shortly." She looked to the rest of the group; Lambow warbled words of encouragement, his Wookiee fur matted with blood. He and the Chosen had been hard at work, Kerarthorrs spinning and bowcasters belting out rounds. "I know, my friend, I know; doesn't make this fight any easier."

"It's never easy," Nathan said, striding over to them. For such a young person, he had an unsettling wisdom; he still held his weapon's hilt, as if expecting an ambush. "But this attack is necessary to our plans, now."

"Yes," A'lora sighed, lifting the macrobinoculars again. "Yes, it is. Order the troops up; we've had enough time to reflect. It's time we got back into this fight."

Tanduran Settlement
Shield Border
Eastern Wall

The patrolling Guard didn't have time to react, as his comm was ripped from his pocket by the Force. Turning and lifting his rifle, he looked on in terror as the mechanical form darted forward, red blade slashing through his throat. He didn't even have time to scream. All troops, advance. Stealth formation. His digital orders sparked motion in the droids before any organic could have even blinked, the Jedi and Bushfighters closely in tow.

A team of them - mostly Ooroo, championed by a helmeted Revak, the mechanical Solari, and the Gungan Rollmaster sprinted for the wall, making its borders before the next guard patrol could come by. Pressing themselves against it, they waited as Kah and Revak bent their knees, leaping straight up and over the top. Brief sounds of combat sounded from behind it, before a pair of lightsabers punched their way through the stone.

Revak finished the cut, booting the impromptu door down before activating his comm. "East side, we're in." He got a few confirmations from other Jedi teams, before motioning the troops through. He looked to the Shard, slightly unnerved by his mechanical eyes. "Think this'll work?"

"If it doesn't," Solari's mechanical voice replied, sounding hopeful, "At least our troops are in position outside."

"Come on," Kah said quickly, as he sprinted through. "Dat shield generatah no gonna be breakin' itself."

Tanduran Settlement
Shield Border
Eastern Sector

The place was a concrete and metal jungle. Everything was clinically square; every inch of the place was deadly straight. No doubt the men were super-precise too. Inside the shield generator’s energy dome, there was a mass of activity. Men ran around in perfect formation, preparing for their oncoming battle. The city's layouts was regular and predictable. It was easy to navigate but easy to see down. The walls were perfectly vertical and left no shadows. Where there were no shadows, there was nowhere to hide.

Meanwhile, Ooroo, Solari and Kah were making their way silently towards the centre of town. The regular pattern of buildings made it easy to move towards the shield generator, but it was a pain to not get detected.

A few of the more experienced Jedi knew a few tricks, and were able to pass through crowded walkways undetected. For the journeymen like Seridan, it was a bit more tricky.

The way the place was laid out, you had to pass through several wide pathways to get to the generator. These walkways were full of moving men and heavies, not to mention the auto-defences.

The Jedi and their men only creeped down the smallest alleyways. They were able to go unnoticed for a surprising amount of time. They'd barely made it a fifth of the way there.

However, checkpoints were starting to form up all over town. Kah almost walked right into one, but Solari stopped him just in time.

“Wait. They’re waiting just around the corner.” His mechanical voice said quietly, “We must be cunning to escape notice further.”

Their strike team was strong in numbers. There were still quite a few Bushfighters left, in addition to all the Jedi. It could pose a problem.

With enemies all around, The Jedi could either go down or up.

They could climb up the buildings.They were tall, but with flat roofs. The walkways were narrow enough to jump over, but only when using the Force. The Bushfighters would have trouble.

They could try to find a sewage system, and advance using that. But that would take time to find a manhole cover. Time in which they could be found.

Time was running out, for both Strike Team Ooroo and the Rebellion. Seridan didn't have any influence in the decision. Besides, he had no clue what to do. The battle was beginning to get to him; a lack of sleep tugged at his attention. He waved it off, using the Force to rejuvenate his body. His aches and pains were dulled, his body filling with enough energy to keep him running until battle.

This place made Seridan shiver. It was all too emotionless, too cold. It's geometry may have been impressive under a different light, but now it only cut fear into Seridan. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords.' Seridan recalled an ancient proverb he had once heard in a cantina. The thought made him smile, a comforting thought in amidst all the terrifying ones. Then he remembered the situation he was in. His smile vanished. Whilst Cy Thuron reigned, every day could be his last. He brought his mind back into focus.

Revak opened his eyes, ending an impromtu period of deep thought. He knew what he had to do.

Vard Mislu
Marketplace
Odan-Urr Territory

"Defend yourselves!" Mirus cried, as his blade came to life.

With almost perfect unison the assembled Jedi followed the Titan’s lead and ignited their own lightsabers and began deflecting blaster bolts by forming a blurred rainbow of defense. It soon became clear that the Thuron forces were attempting to fix the Jedi in place in the open marketplace. The unmistakable whistle of an incoming mortar round indicated that an enemy forward observer had their position fixed.

“TAKE COVER!” Turel shouted as he deflected stay blaster bolts with his newly constructed azure saber. Turel, Edgar, Mirus and a squad of KUDF infantry dove into a nearby alleyway just as the mortar round hit in the middle of the street. The rest of the Jedi and KUDF sought cover in the alley in the opposite side of the street.

A KUDF platoon sergeant yelled a command across the street, “DEPLOY SMOKE!” “Good thinking.” Turel thought to himself as he pulled a smoke grenade out of his own pack. Four smoke grenades flew into the open marketplace from both sides of the street obscuring any movement. Edgar led the group on his side of the street into the bombed out husk of what had once been a apartment building. The three Jedi and infantry squad were temporarily protected in the building but they were cut off from the rest of the Jedi and KUDF across the street.

The three Jedi, KUDF squad medic, radio operator and squad leader set up a hasty rally point in an interior apartment while the rest of the squad set up hasty operservation and sniper positions in the apartments facing the open marketplace. Turel walked up to the radio operator. “Corporal, do you have comms with the rest of your platoon?”

“Yes master Jedi.” The corporal was following the protocol he had been taught, but it still bothered Turel to be called ‘Master Jedi.’

“Coordinate your sectors of fire with the squads across the street. We can’t let any of the enemy slip behind us.” The corporal acknowledged the order and began relaying commands to and from his platoon leader across the street.

Edgar stared off into space in one corner of the room while Mirus sat in another picking shrapnel out of minor wounds in his extremities. The Titan had already shooed away the medic who was tending to other wounded. Turel approached Mirus, he had to know. He had to know how a Guardian Blade Master could fall in battle.

“Mirus, how did Jonuss die? I mean, how could soldiers take a down a….well...Jedi as strong as he was?”

The equite was trying to stay focused on what was in front of him. He didn’t make eye contact with Turel. The Titan winced not from the physical pain of removing the shrapnel from his body but from the harsh reality of watching his fellow Jedi, his Housemate, his battle brother fall in front of him as he watched helplessly. The momentary respite from the battle outside had allowed all the emotion to catch up with him. He struggled to keep his composure. He knew what Turel was getting at. If the enemy had something that could kill a Jedi, that was vital intelligence.

“They had some kind of highly trained Jedi killer who attacked with regular troops. His armor resisted lightsaber blows, it had to be Mandalorian iron. He didn’t use the Force but he had enhanced reflexes. I don’t how, I’ve never seen a non-Force user move like that, save for the most senior Mandos.”

Turel hated having to be so insensitive and matter of fact about this situation, but this was critical. “Was there just the one? Or were there more of them?”

The Titan hung his head and clenched his fists. Edgar and Turel both felt the Force shift around Mirus as his anger surged. His Guardian serenity was giving way to Obelisk rage. “I don’t know if there are any more, but I do know there’s about to be one less in this world! I’ll tear him and that whole army apart with my bare hands!” All the soldiers in the room were staring at him by this point with jaws dropped. It didn't take Force sensitivity to feel the intense energy emanating from the Titan of New Tython. Mirus stood up and briskly walked out of the room.

Turel looked at Edgar, “Go follow him.” Edgar gave an uncertain return glance as if to say “are you sure? This guy is a force of nature.” Turel just tilted his head toward the door. Edgar reluctantly obeyed.

The Knight-Commander paced for a moment. This was intense. What would Master Vorsa do in this situation? He desperately wished she were here right now, she’d know how to calm everyone down. Turel was no stranger to death, he’d seen his fair share of it in the Hutt cartel. Much of it at his own hands. He’d lost men too, in turf wars on Nar Shaddaa and in a real war on Tatooine against the Vong. It was never easy, but this was different. Jedi weren't supposed to die to soldiers, especially not a Guardian Blade Master. It was a foolish, fleeting thought. This was war. Death could come for any of them. He had to focus, he had to project calm. If he didn't who would?

“Corporal, can you reach KUDF command?”

“Yes Sir.” Sir was preferable to ‘Master Jedi.’

“Relay a message to General Vorsa and General A’lora, the enemy has an unknown number of special “Jedi Killer” troops armed with Mandalorian iron armor and specifically trained to counter Force users.” As the radio operator began dutifully relaying the message Turel walked to where he could see out the window to the light show of both sides trading blaster fire across the open marketplace. The dead could be mourned later. There was a battle to win and a city to liberate. The Knight-Commander went downstairs to join his fellow Jedi. It was past time to resume the offensive.

Kah leapt from one wall to the opposite wall, gradually getting higher and closer to the roof. As he made the last jump with his powerful Gungan legs, he deliberately hung from the side of the building. Peering over the edge, he saw no guards on the rooftops. The enemy air support’s focus was somewhere else, probably dealing with the battle that raged elsewhere.

He pulled himself up, gesturing to the others that it was clear. Kah’s eyes had always intrigued Seridan. The blue iris against the orange sclera promised a very interesting personality. Previously, he thought that they made the Rollmaster welcoming, yet mysterious. On the eve of battle, they burned with intense hatred and radiated calculated rage. He was certainly a person Seridan wouldn’t want to be against.

A few more of the senior Jedi joined Kah on the roof, surveying the surrounding city and perfecting their plan. The shield was hit three times in quick succession. Each impact made a loud thump, but the shield held.

The Jedis’ objective was to destroy the generator, allowing air support to wreak havoc. However, with the heavy defences surrounding it, that was going to be difficult. They had a number of grenades, and a powerful short-range missile.

They only had one missile, so they had to be perfectly accurate. The range of the missile meant that they couldn’t fire it from the rooftops. They would have to advance into the central courtyard. For that, they’d need disguises. Even though it would be easy to identify the Jedi in guard’s uniforms, it would give them a few vital extra seconds.

The battle for the checkpoint didn’t last long and the enemy weren’t able to warn anyone else. It was a simple procedure after that: all the human and near-human Jedi would take the disguises. The Bushfighters would take up sniper positions on buildings closest to the central square.

Solari’s comlink began to blink. Alora Kituri, the House’s Aedile, appeared. “Sorry to interrupt your mission, Solari, but we’ve received intelligence that the enemy has multiple advanced Jedi-killers. They are dressed in Mandalorian Iron. Be Careful.” She warned.

Looking to Kah and Revak, they both gave a nod. They were still carrying out the exercise.

With their basic disguises, it was much easier for the Jedi to move through the streets of the militarised town. They managed to pass most of the guards unnoticed.

Then they reached their objective. The central square was more like a parade ground. Hundreds of men marched through it each minute, before moving on to other places. Heavy Armour trucks and tanks would rumble around the square. The shield generator had a guard of its own. A hundred or so men surrounded it, but it would do no good.

The disguised Jedi marched through the square, and stopped about 30 feet from the square. Revak, who was wearing the sargeant’s uniform, got out a larger comm unit from his belt and pretended to receive an order from his general.

Whilst he did this, Solari aided Kah in readying the missile and aiming it specifically.

A few of the other patrolling squads of men did stop and began to take an interest in Revak’s games, but to no avail. The missile was launched.

With some Force-fuelled correction to the aim, the missile found its target without a hitch.

As air support finally flew by overhead, the Bushfighters started firing their shots, each one finding its mark. The disguised Jedi ripped off their soldiers uniforms, and their brilliant blades of light ignited. The remaining Jedi ran in from an alleyway.

Seridan thought it was going quite well. The shield generator had been destroyed, but the battle hadn’t yet begun. He ran in from the side, seeing the soldier’s confusion and panic as enemies appeared on all sides. But, instead of a steadfast feeling that usually came with every battle, Seridan felt what can only be described as dread.

Seridan saw the soldiers react, forming up into perfect defence formations and throwing fire towards their attackers. From their huge ranks, a number of imposing black-clad soldiers emerged, rifles still holstered on their backs and strolling towards the Jedi. Seridan shouted a warning, but it may have been too late. The others hadn’t heard.

As he looked into the blank faces of their enemy and the confident gaits of their immediate threat, his anger and rage started to fill him up, sharpening his senses and enhancing his actions. He reached out his mind, joining it to the Force and seeing on a more advanced plane. He would need everything he could muster to win this battle.

He joined his fellow jedi and plowed on through the enemy, trying to warn the others before too late. It was no longer a battle for the Tanduran Settlement and for New Tython. Now, it was a batle for their lives. And they knew it.

Tythonian Space
YT-2400 Ruination
Cockpit

The young Cathar looked around and muttered darkly. Someone was firing on her ship and it seemed all too likely that her contract with Mirr had become null and void as the shots were coming from the city. High powered laser bolts flew past the viewports of her ship, causing Loxus no end of trouble.

“Surprise me and miss a few!” the young woman screamed at the Devaronian. She clambered from her seat and rushed towards the weapon seats. “Kairus! Wake up and help me!”

The man stepped from one of the rooms with a raised eyebrow. “You seem distressed, Captain. Surely we have nothing to worry about.”

The Cathar stood there for a moment, shocked at his stoicism before she pointed to the shipboard lasers. “Go see if you can stop a few of those…”

Her voice trailed off as the Ruination rocked to the side. “Captain, we’ve been hit! We’re going down!”

Izanami grabbed Kairus and pointed toward the rear of the ship. “Get everyone off this crashing heap of junk!”

The man saluted out of habit and ran to collect the others. Izanami moved toward the cockpit and looked at the world for a moment. “I had no intention of coming back here and now I’m going to die here. Wonderful.”

Loxus fought with the yoke for a minute before he looked at the Warden. “I can try to slow the descent, but the crash will probably kill us.”

He stood slowly and shook his head. “Ruination is lost. I suggest we use the pods to survive.”

Izanami nodded slowly, a gesture completely numbed by the loss of a ship she had flown for the better part of three years. It was part of her family now. She had placed her life in its hands and never regretted it. This time, however, the failure was her own and the ship was going to suffer for it.

She touched the main console lightly. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll find you if I can.”

She wheeled on Loxus and pointed aft. “Go!”

=====

New Tython
Crashed Escape Pods

Izanami watched from the viewports as her ship went down in flames, hitting the surface and causing an explosion of debris. “She’s never gonna survive that.”

The pods settled roughly on the surface, jarring the entire crew. Izanami opened her pod at the same time Kairus opened his own. She looked around carefully and sighed; they were close to the Tanduran Settlement, but not close enough to really help anyone. Her ship would have caught the notice of those damned Jedi. She motioned her crew to follow as they set out. “I’ve been around here before. If we need to, we can survive of the wildlife.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth, than a large group of Harakoans crested a hill. They seemed to be armed with rifles and armor. Izanami looked at the blue skinned humanoids and shook her head. “That’s new. Weapons free, boys and girls. This is going to get nasty.”

As the crew pulled their weapons from holsters, she watched Kairus grip his saber hilt. “We’ll see if we can talk our way out of this. Surely, they have no idea we were working for Thuron, right?”

Loxus grunted from behind her. “I also remember you wondering how hard it could be to hunt Jedi. Clearly, it’s very hard.”

The young woman ignored him and turned to face the Harakoans. “We’ll just have to see.”

They approached cautiously, an old man following closely behind. He seemed important, but she never saw a Harakoan go out of his way to protect anyone other than a Jedi.

“Try not to kill anyone. Just disarm and neutralize the natives. We’re only here for the Jedi.” Izanami was not having a good day, but that wasn’t any reason to take it out on the tribals.

Week 3 Orders:

- Memit District: Sieze the streets and buildings, link up with the rebels, and drive Thuron's forces out of the residential areas.
- Ordain Vonoro Spaceport: Take down the defenses and fight the soldiers into submission, retaking the spaceport and destroying enemy air support.
- Visulu Market District: Battle your way up the approach, crushing the enemy's forces and securing the approach to the palace; end the battle, once and for all!

Menat Ombo
It'kla District Ruins
Base Camp

"Get those generators online!" Kaira snapped. "These men won't make it long without our help!"

Soldiers sprinted along, some loading groaning men onto gurneys, others administering IV needles and bacta patches. The wounded of both sides moaned and cried out in pain, some bearing blaster or saber wounds, others missing whole limbs from explosions. Kaira looked to a new arrival, his uniform bloodstained beyond recognition; he'd been crushed under a falling fighter, wheezing for breath. Frowning, she drew a symbol on his forehead, the character "Forn" - he wouldn't make it, no matter what was done.

All they could do was make him comfortable.

"Kaira!" A familiar voice - No, it can't be - shouted to her. "Rohana, over here!"

Turning, she looked to see a face she thought she'd never see again, gazing upon the visage of Izanami Kurai. Rough-looking thugs, all of them battered and bruised, joined her; they'd all clearly been in the same accident. Conflicting emotions rose up in her; drawing a breath, she calmed herself.

"Akhera?! Why are you here?" She asked coldly, though she had an idea. Thuron had employed a lot of mercenaries.

"Akhera is dead. The name is Izanami," Kurai replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm here now, and-," Her words were cut off, as a mortar blast hit the field hospital.

The pair of them were hurled back, Kaira rolling out of it as Izamani landed in an awkward heap, her bound hands restricting her movement. Standing roughly, she looked to the ruins for a moment before panic swept over her, seeing the bodies of her patients scattered around. Ahead, a column of metallic forms, painted black, red, and violet, marched through the clearing in regimented lines. Battle droids; Thuron must have bought them as reserves. It wasn't likely that any organics would have dared such an assault.

"Enemy attack!" She shouted, her saber flaring to life as enemies poured through the rubble. "Get to weapons! Regroup!"

"Hey!" Izanami shouted to Kaira, stumbling to her feet. "We can help!"

"You're the enemy!" Rohana replied, battering back a pair of blaster bolts. "We can't trust you!"

"I don't think they give a kark!" Kurai replied, jogging toward Kaira. "Cut us loose!"

Rohana growled for a moment; then, with a few quick slashes, she cut the bonds of the pirates. "Grab weapons and get to cover. We need to-,"

"Don't worry, Doc," Izanami chuckled. "We've done this before." She snatched up a blaster rifle, sprinting for the enemy.

Menat Ombo
Ordain Vonoro Spaceport
Thuronian Defensive Line

Lambow rumbled a command, waving his saber forward; a hail of Odanite mortars burst from the lines of soldiers behind him, raining down on enemy troops. Darting for cover, the soldiers regrouped.

Beside him, Revak grinned, his blade alight. "Nice shot!" He looked back to the line of Harakoan cavalry in the alley, charging ahead three at a time. "Fan out, hit their flanks!"

The horsemen rode into the clearing, their enemies reeling, falling, as blaster bolts and arrows rained into them. The heads of the arrow shafts beeped, and wounded soldiers knew horror for a split second; the grenades attached to them exploded, scattering body parts everywhere.

The Spaceport - a huge, round structure, now supported by artillery towers and landing pads hastily added to surrounding rooftops - loomed in the center of the District. Around it, from windows and alleyways, the surrounding district was a warzone; snipers atop buildings rained fire down on the KUDF forces below, only to be picked off by Melewati bushfighters on opposing buildings. Every so often, one bomber or another made a run at an enemy encampment; but by and large, the fight was a slow crawl, through alleyways and between buildings toward the building at the center.

Taking a colony had been one thing; this city was much, much bigger. "Come on," Revak said to the Wookiee. "The commanders here have this - we need to get those landing pads down, force their ships out of the city."

The Wookiee nodded, he and his Chosen sprinting for fire escapes and other climbing targets. The buildings here were not unlike Wroshyrs in their size; they would provide good footing for the attack.

Menat Ombo
Visulu Market District
Thuronian Palace Approach

Kah's eyes scanned the Market District, what had once been a simple marketplace; stalls had largely been shuttered, or pushed aside to make room for armories and factories. The half-built hulk of a fancy Czerka store loomed, its exposed beams and bars looking skeletal in the light. Looking back, Kah watched as the AT-AT stalked around the corner, its cannons flashing as they blew holes in enemy lines, vehicles and buildings.

The Gungan smirked; this was the only approach big enough for the walker in the whole city. That meant he got the honors of leading it. "Forces, advance!" He shouted, his sky-blue weapon pointed toward the enemy.

Harakoan soldiers ran forward in roaring lines, diving under cover and lobbing grenades; lines of cavalry joined KUDF speeder bikes in harrying the enemy forces, as the largest concentration of Thuronian soldiers left in the city lined the approach to the Palace. The looming building, built overtop of the Ooroo Abbey's foundations, offended every sensibility of the Jedi.

"Form up the rear guard," The Gungan shouted to his men. "Wesa don' want any Thuronians gettin' back in da city!" He looked, as his men formed a line of mines, cannons, and barricades - ready to crush a Thuronian retreat.

He looked to the battle outside, watching tank blasts rocket out as men on horseback rained blaster fire on the mercenaries; quietly, he wished them luck.

Battle of Ombo Fields
Harakoan Command Line

"Form up!" Whenua shouted, wheeling his mount around; he held on with his legs, his one hand firing rounds into the enemy. "Don't let them through!"

Around him, the scene was absolute chaos; mounted troops duelled with forces on the ground, each pass ripping down lines of soldiers and scattering even amounts of riders. Blasts ripped through trenches and tore apart lines; a tank went down, Harakoan soldiers prying its cockpit open before putting a spear through the man within. Taking the controls clumsily, he began firing on Thuronian lines.

He didn't last long; a pair of hovertanks put twin blasts through the vehicle, killing the occupant.

"This can't last forever!" Whenua shouted to Gideon, who rode by."

"It won't! Soon, they'll- agh!" Varos went down, a blast hitting his shoulder.

Whenua was off his mount in an instant, kneeling by the man's side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," He snapped, the feeling in his right arm ranging from burning to gone. "I'm fine!" A war-horn sounded, as the enemy troops at the rear began to turn back toward the city. Gideon, through the pain, smiled. "They're turning around. They're running away!"

"No," Whenua replied. "They're heading to the real fight. Come on," The chieftan said, his single arm helping the injured man up and into the saddle. Leaping onto the horse behind him, he spurred it onward, grabbing the reins.

"What's the plan?" The human shouted over the din of war.

"Simple," Whenua replied. "We rip all the holes we can in that line!"

Memit District
Residential Rooftops

Thuronian soldiers ran through the streets, their weapons ready and their movements rushed; beyond, explosions sounded, flashes of light piercing the darkening night sky. A'lora and several other Jedi crept over the rooftops, watching, waiting; behind them, Harakoan soldiers crouched, awaiting their signal.

"Hold," She whispered into her comlink. "Hold..."

A sewer grate behind a column of Thuronians slid open; a hand shot out, rolling a detonator into the crowd. The blast hurled bodies everywhere, sending confusion throughout the street. "Now!"

Soldiers ran through, their war cries joined by hurled grenades as they tore into the enemy, raining blaster fire and melee strikes into their midst. From street to street, soldiers fell; Harakoans trapped Thuronians, as rebel Tythonians poured from the sewers, blasting and striking for their own right. In moments, the alleys and street were clear; the enemy had fallen, their survivors retreating.

All that, to take another street; soldiers rushed into the buildings, clearing them before barricading the doors. It was going to be a long night. "Standby to-,"

A black form leapt from the shadow of the rooftops, his feet smashing into A'lora's chest and sending her falling from the rooftops. Smashing into awnings and balconies on the way down, she barely held her consciousness, her lightsaber clattering away. Smashing off of a dumpster, she came to a stop on the street, coughing and groaning in pain.

A dark form landed beside her. "They say you're the enemy's General. And since your dirty little lie sent our troops outside of the gates," Alek Mirr's scarred face was lit by a pale glowrod in the alleyway, as he took his faceless helmet off. It would have been handsome, if not for the long scar through the middle of it. "I'll have to do this myself."

A'lora lifted her legs, hurling herself into a jump that brought her back to her feet. A cursory sweep of the darkness brought the flash of her saber hilt to her eye; she summoned it with the Force, activating the blade. "Come on, then," She growled. "Let's see who loses a General today."

For a moment, they stared each other down; then, as one, they sprang forward. A'lora's blade darted in, weaving into sure kill strikes - only to bounce off of the General's armguards and even his shin guard, as he blocked a strike with a spinning kick. A vibroblade slid from its sheathe into his left hand; Kituri was expecting a stun baton in his right.

Instead, a shoto thrummed to life, the red blade burning through the shadows. He took it up in a reverse grip, grinning at her. "Unlike Cy's idiots," He sneered, "I actually took the time to practice with this damned thing."

A'lora's surprise gave way to deadly focus; a worthy foe had just become a deadly one. "Well, then," She growled, taking up an Ataru attack stance. "What are you waiting for?"