The Taste of Blood

War is a cruel mistress. She brings out the best and the worst in men. Great innovation, exceptional bravery and astounding leadership comes with the unfathomable cruelty and loss. Your House goes to war, seeking individual glory and the pride of victory.


OOC
This runon event is a cooperative, forum-based fiction event. Fictional cues will be given to each House and Clan at the start of the week. “Cues”, along with plot details released that week, will form the basis of the Run-On.

Rules
* The run-on will be conducted in specially designated forums, already set up for each House/Clan. Passwords may be obtained from Consuls and Quaestors
* No one but the author of the post is permitted to make changes to it. The Author may freely edit his post up until another person posts on the run-on.
* 2 posts of 250 words each is required to be counted as a participant.
* Each run-on must have at least 20 posts containing a minimum of 250 words in each post.
* Runon posts may be posted until 22 October 2359 (11:59 EST).


Week 1 Orders: Odan-Urr has just received word that the main Dark Brotherhood forces have declared war against them and New Tython. You must prepare yourselves and your planet for what is about to arrive

Week 2 Orders: New Tython has been invaded by Dark Brotherhood forces. All seemed lost before your new allies, the Mandalorian's appeared. Detail these events and the counter-attack that ensues

Week 3 Orders: Along with your Mandalorian allies you have managed to hold your own against the combined Brotherhood forces. The Dark Council has now actively joined in the battle, as had a new set of reinforcements for yourself in the form of battle droids. Detail the growing battle and Odan-Urr's place within the chaos

Week 4 Orders: The bulk of the Clan and House forces have converged upon your location. While their numbers are staggering, old hostilities have also begun to spring up between the Brotherhood forces, causing dissent within their lines. The war hangs in the balance at this moment

Office of the Quaestor

Jonuss Rai stared at the reports on his desk, each one more disheartening than the last. Each one detailed new information on the movements of the Dark Brotherhood clans, and none of them were encouraging.
“They’re coming here.” He said with a sigh as he placed the latest reports down on his desk. He turned to the Jedi sitting on the other side of his desk. “Habib, I need you to organize OSTAD. Tell them this isn’t a drill, we will be under attack, it’s just a matter of when. Kaira, see what forces you can put together from the planet’s people. You’ve been here longer than I have and have built up a rapport with them so use that. Make sure they know that the Brotherhood will not discriminate between Jedi and indigenous people.” The two nodded and left the office leaving the Quaestor by himself.
Jonuss closed his eyes and focused his breathing to calm himself. He was not only concerned for the safety of his house but also for the people of New Tython. What made things worse was that the Aedile of Odan-Urr, Quejo, was off world and Rai was unsure of when he would return. He had already dispatched a message to the Jawa but if he received it, he didn’t know if he’d be able to get back before the Brotherhood arrived.
The Quaestor looked back at the reports on his desk and rubbed the stubble forming on his cheek. Jonuss stood and walked over to the armoire at the far end of the office. Slowly he opened it and revealed his combat attire. “Never thought I’d have to wear this again so soon.” The Jedi Quaestor removed the protective clothing and changed his robes. He didn’t know when the battle would occur but he knew he had to be ready.

Lelila sighed as she closed yet another book; she was trying to concentrate on her studies, but with the War going on, her attention-span was shorter than ever. She sighed, putting the book in her bag and headed back out side of the library.

She noticed that things were strangely quiet around New Tython. She walked to the fountain and sat down, staring into the water, wondering what was going on out in the galaxy. She didn’t know how long she had been staring into the water, when she felt something brush her cheek. She turned to see her mother and her father as Force-ghosts. “What are you guys doing here?”

“I told you she wasn’t going to want to see us,” her father said playfully.

Her mother punched him playfully. “Stop it,” Cali said, before turning to her daughter.

“We just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’m fine.”

“Good,” her father said. “I told you she would be fine.”

“That’s not the point, Naro,” Cali told her husband firmly. “I want to know that she’s safe. She’s our only daughter, for star’s sake.” She turned back to her daughter. “Lelila, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Mom, these wars have been going on and off for over ten years. I’ll be fine.”

“Lelila, this is not one of your hunts. This is war-“

“I get it, but I want to make a difference in the galaxy also. Besides, I managed to bring my bow and arrows from my recent trip to Gardatia.”

“Speaking of which,” Naro cut in, “we wanted to talk about that. You’re going to need more than lightsabers and your bows and arrows. Get the weapons from the vault, and use them.”

“What?!”

“You’re friends are going to need it. They are of no use in the vault.”

Lelila sighed. “Fine,” she growled. Those weapons were of some of the few things that she had left of her parents. “I better get them back though.”

Her parents smiled amusingly. “Why did we have to have a daughter with your personality?” Naro asked.

“Because we girls like to put fear into those who want to mess with us.”

Lelila laughed. Then her mother’s smile slowly faded. “We have to go now, Lelila.”

“What? No!”

“We’ll see you soon.”

“Mom, don’t go!”

Lelila awoke with a start, realizing that it was all a dream. She quickly looked around to make sure no one saw. She sometime twitched and talked in her sleep. Grabbing her bag, she hurriedly headed toward her dorm.

She saw Kaira and Jonuss head toward the Queastor’s office, and figured that it was probably something important. She resisted the urge to eavesdrop, as she knew they would sense her pries, and she would probably get on restriction. Instead she walked to her dorm, hoping to figure out something to keep her mind busy.

The young Rollmaster stepped outside the Jedi Abby. Her job right now was clear but she was torn as to what to do first. Did she see to the safey of her family or help the Jedi? Kaira sighed as she took off in a dead run for her small modest house she had with her daughter. The first thing she had to do was make sure that her daughter was safe. Then she would see to the orders of her Quaestor.


As she reached the small house, she threw open the door. There, in the small living area she saw her daughter and the droid nanny that took care of her. “Orbex, I need you to take Kystal and leave this world. Head to the Corellia. I have friends there that will help you with Kystal. Stay there until I come for you.” Quickly she kissed her daughter good bye then took off once more.

With her daughter taken care of she went off to see the Harakoan Tribal Council. It was now her job to make the Harakoans see that the coming war wasn’t just against the Jedi that lived here but against all that lived on New Tython. They all wanted peace but the Dark Brotherhood had other plans and they would not stop until the whole planet was dead. Kaira wondered if the brotherhood would even bother to land and go hand to hand with them or simply destroy them from their ships? That was a question that would be answered later for now her job was to seek help from the tribes.

When she reached where the Council met she found no one there but a small child. “Where are the tribal leaders young one?” She asked softly.

“They prepare for war.”

“Who told them that there was a war coming?” Kaira asked the small one.

There was a smile on the child’s face. “The spirits told them. They left me to tell any Jedi that come that they are ready to help.”

With that Kaira nodded and left. The Harakoans would be ready now it was time to see if the Tythonian settlers would be ready. She took off to talk with the Tythonian Legislature. They were a group like any other humans that fought more with words then weapons. It reminded her of the stories of the Old Republic senate that took weeks to decide on a course of action.

Rather than fight with them she would reason with them. At least that was her hope as she walked into the council meeting area. She didn’t even wait for them to allow her entry or announce her she simply barged in. There was no way they would not see her and not understand what was about to happen to their world.

“People of New Tython settlement. The Dark Brotherhood has decided that we are no longer of value to them. They have sent their armies en-route to our world and will wipe us all out unless we come together to fight as one. Will you stand with the Jedi?”

With this a number of men started arguments. Many screamed at her and others said they should leave. Their families were not safe and that the Jedi had brought this war on them and that they themselves should turn the Jedi in. If they turned the Jedi in maybe they would be rewarded. With that Kaira shook her head. “Fools.” She said under her breath as she took her leave.

She needed now to report back to Jonuss. This wasn’t going to be easy to report on. At least the tribes were on their side. They would have to watch the settlers close for they were split on what to do as always. It made her feel a bit like they would be watching their backs from two sides not just one now.

The scarred Jedi hesitated outside of the quarters he was about to enter. An encounter with the occupant was sometimes not soon forgotten, but if House Odan-Urr was to survive this war, an encounter was necessary. Jonuss fidgeted a little, making sure his damned armor was truly comfortable. It was a thorn in his side, a reminder of something he hoped he had put behind him, but with war approaching he had little choice than to face this burden. He took a quick breath and walked inside Elleron’s room.

The young boy was glaring at the mirror in front of him, and Jonuss could feel a small swirl of anger. It disappeared, and Elleron turned and bowed. “Master,” he greeted him.
“Elleron,” Jonuss returned with a bow. “How are you feeling today?” The boy shrugged indifferently as he turned back to the mirror. He is too reclusive, Jonuss thought to himself. If he would just open up... “The Brotherhood has declared war against us. They are coming.”

A stunned look of shock dominated Elleron’s face as he tried to process this. After a moment, he swallowed his own trepidation. “We will need to evacuate,” Elleron declared. Jonuss nodded. “I’m a good pilot. I can help.” Jonuss allowed himself a small smile.
“The Colonists have a few pilots and I’d appreciate it if you could obtain their help. I’m not completely sure on the best course of action yet, but if you can help coordinate our air defenses, it would be a great contribution.” Elleron nodded quietly.
“I’m sure we can think of something,” the boy said. This made Jonuss a little uncomfortable. The dual mind of Elleron and Denath was a bit of a mystery, and Elleron would occasionally accept that, and speak of himself as if he was two people; this separation of self was disconcerting at the best of times.
“I have asked Kaira to speak with the colonists, but I was hoping you could help coordinate their defenses with ours.”
“I shall attend to this immediately, Master,” Elleron replied. He turned towards his leader and bowed. Jonuss responded in kind and quickly left.

Elleron turned back to the mirror, his gaze studying his face carefully. While Jonuss had asked that he speak to the colonists, Elleron felt a knot of anxiousness choke him. He knew that he needed to guarantee results with the colonists, and much to his dread, he knew that he could not do this without Denath. After all, Denath could be significantly more... persuasive.

Ji stood sensing he force around him. He smiled at what he felt could be the very last touch of peace and serenity he would ever feel. He then spoke to Destavol.

"You've done well old friend. I knew I could believe in you. Even with this curse you now have, you can help this House survive Destavol. Stand for something or you will die for nothing.. now, you have your own battles to face friend.." were the only and final words Ji spoke to him before spinning around, rapidly deploying the blade of his lightsaber only to be met by an ambush squadron of star fighters.

Destavol ran as quickly as he could to aid him, but his legs were locked. He saw the fighters closing in on his friend and he could not move..

"NO!!! RAAAAAAAHHH!" Destavol yelled. The man tugged with all his strength but could not move. He glanced at his legs thinking to himself.

{WORK DAMNIT!! JI IS GONNA DIE!! BLOODY WORK!!!!

His eyes then returned to Ji, and the black cloud of star fighters moving in on him. Rage and anger began to boil in his stomach and he could feel his legs begin to move.

"AGGHHH!!! JI HOLD ON I'M COMING!!!" screamed Destavol, who had now activated his saber. Still his movement was like he had 200 LB sand bags tied to each leg. He then felt a calm peace flow over him, and Ji's face turned to face him and smiled. He lowered his saber as the fighters came in.

"Rage will solve you nothing Dest, in fact is killing you my friend. Do not let this be the fate of our brothers and sisters.." said Ji silently.

Time seemed to slow down. The sounds around him ceased. No birds chirping, no sound of fighters coming in. He could not smell the grass of New Tython, he could not even feel the weight that was holding him down. He knew the fighters were coming and he could tell something was terribly wrong here. He searched his feelings, searched the force. Was he in some kind of trance? A Krath spell perhaps? No.. this was something different. His mind quickly took focus again, and he jumped towards Ji but it was to late. No sounds, no smells, even the color of everything seemed to dull into black and white. A rain of laser bolts flooded from the spouts of at least twenty fighters towards Ji. The former QUA turned his face back towards the incoming fighters and kept smiling. Never raising his blade the incoming onslaught he only stood there, allowing the bolts to take him. Destavol was diving towards the rain of bolts screaming though he could not even hear the sound of his own voice.. only feel the vibrations of bolts raining against the ground near him..

"JI NOOOOOO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Destavol causing a minor shock wave. He found himself on the ground now awake in his personal quarters. Gasping for breath, and with an all to fresh taste of blood in his mouth. It took a moment but he finally collected himself. He brought himself to a knee and finally brought himself to a standing position. His legs were weak, and he had a bad case of vertigo. His room was wrecked, and the walls cracked. All the pictures that were hung on his tan walls now lay on the floor shattered and some even ripped. He stood there gripping is vanity. The jedi outcast was wearing only his black pants, no wonder he felt so cold. Yet he was sweating. Beads of sweat ran all over him. He finally took the courage to look in the mirror in front of him. He was not shocked at what he saw, blood running down both corners of his mouth. He looked around and saw more of it on the floor.

He knew it was not from busting his mouth open, it was this sickness he had been dealing with for several months now. He could feel a deep pain in his lungs, but he grunted the pain off, rinsed his mouth out and wiped the excess blood from his mouth. He then staggered to his bed and sat down. He could not understand what was going on. When the blood started is when the visions started. First he saw Kaira, holding him crying. Not a week after that he saw from a 3rd person perspective his brother by adoption, Quejo, holding a torch in his hand saying a chant and performing the Xyler burial rights. Now he saw Ji getting killed by a massive assault of fighters. Could he have seen the stages of death for Ji? He closed his eyes and searched deep in the force.. no.. Ji still yet lived, but he was hard to trace. He opened his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"I have to find Quejo.. I have to get to Ji.. What is happening to me?" he grumbled to himself standing and staggering over to his robes. Before he could make it though he felt his left lung seize up in a pain so unbearable he coughed and gasped, but could not scream. He watched drops of blood spray from his mouth against the wall and then like being on some twisted carnival ride he watched the world take a flip..


..No he had fallen, he could see the floor now. The gray duracrete was not to appealing from this angle. He could hear voices now, but from where? Could someone be in the room with him? He gathered his strength and rolled his head over, his comlink and fallen out of his robes when he fell and knocked them off the wall. It laid right in front of his face but he could not move his arms to grab it, and could barely make out what was being said but finally some words were said that helped him regain himself.

{New Tython.......invasion....all OSTAD report........Destavol where are you?!}

He closed his eyes.. sleep seemed to come so easy right now. Darkness, peace.. nothingness. It was there, true serenity in his grasp. He then drifted away, out cold with only that familiar taste of blood in his mouth..

..The taste of blood, it had always been there for him. It let him know he was still alive. The taste of blood.. ..how much more would he have to taste?

------------------------------------------------

Habib tried calling Destavol one last time. "AGH! Where is this fool? Don't tell me he is off planet.. No, he pry got drunk. What an ass." said Habib to himself. He then got back on his ComLink. "Someone go find Dest and get his ass here. Habib out."

Elleron glanced at Kaira as they crossed paths. She smiled; he always liked it when she smiled. “Kaira,” he greeted with a respectful nod.
“Elleron,” she replied. “I’m on my way to speak with Jonuss.”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t um... mean to delay you.” Another smile. “He came to me in my quarters to ask me if I could speak with the colonist military about using their air force to help defend the planet.”
“I’ve just briefed the Tythonian Legislature, they are not being very cooperative.”
“I’ll try to avoid them. I’ve trained some of their pilots, and if I pull a few strings I should be able to speak with their commanding officers instead. Hopefully that will give us better results.” She nodded. “May the Force be with you.” He bowed and left quickly.

She always made him nervous. He was just old enough to notice that she was pretty, but still far too young to know what to do about it. Denath's favourite past time was to mock Elleron, and being a young teenager was one of them. Still, Elleron was glad to have her as a friend. She was one of the few who did not stare at him as if he were strange, although sometimes he could tell she was remembering Denath. He had told Elleron a few stories of their time in Plagueis. Protecting Koga at a crash site, conversations in the mess hall of a starship... the boy sighed as he approached the Abbey, a little envious of the excitement and the danger. He knew he should not think like that, but at his age he couldn’t help it. He tried to clear his mind, but something nagged at him, some pressing urgency from Denath.

“Rokan!” Elleron greeted one of his friends enthusiastically. “I had hoped you would be here.”
“As opposed to actually working?” The colonist pilot grinned widely at the boy and caught him in a rough bear hug. While Rokan was always happy to see him, his eyes told a different story. “ You’re here about the invasion?” Elleron nodded. “The Legislature has been on fire since Kaira came by. They’re still in session, arguing about it.”
“Yeah... say, is your commander around?”
“He’s been called in by the Legislature.” Elleron shuddered in sympathy. “They’re arguing about this and that, but I’m sure they’ll send a message to you Jedi when they’re done deciding.”
“I believe Jonuss wanted me to speed up the process. He knows I’ve trained a number of pilots, including you, and he’s hoping I can persuade the military’s direct support.” Rokan chuckled. “We really need your help. The Dark Jedi will kill everyone they can find, Jedi or not.” Rokan’s comfortable smile dropped.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for the decision of the Legislature.”
“Can’t you pull some strings for me? Convince your commander to ignore them?” Rokan shook his head.
“They could pass a motion to declare treason if we did.”
“Or to declare you all heroes if we succeed.” Rokan laughed at that.
“From the stories you’ve told me, I don’t think we could ever succeed.”
“That is why I need your help. I have an idea.” Rokan narrowed his eyes, studying the boy, trying to gauge his sincerity. Finally, he nodded.
“No matter what the Legislature decides, I’ll get you in to speak with Commander Harkiss.” Elleron bowed to his friend and they shook hands. “If the Legislature votes against providing support, come back here and see me. Harkiss will be waiting for you.”

And then there were two Jedi who needed to report to Jonuss.

The jungles of New Tython were lush and immensely dense yet offered plenty of cavities where swathes of warm sunlight could spill out onto the jungle floor. Strange colored reptiles coiled around branches and the sweet aromatic fragrance fuming out from exotic nectars were entirely intoxicating. Wind rustled the canopy top as gales swooped through overhead. There were a great many sounds emanating from some far off source much to the semblance of a loud whoop or deep swoon. Chirps and galls echoed on the air.

A rapid pit-pat of footsteps began abruptly accompanied by brushing sounds of leaves in motion. A moss covered tree trunk was soon gifted with a mud encrusted boot print as a lone figure dashed through the wood. The figure kept running and running, cutting down any vine or branch threatening the way ahead. The figure came to a large clearing and stopped suddenly mid-stride. His legs buckled beneath him forcing the inertia of his torso to seemingly throw forward from the abrupt halt.

Massive trees arced upward around the massive circular clearing and along the far edges of the clearing stood various collections of mud huts and wooden structures. Blue people strutted about the village in what appeared to be the routine of daily chores. The mud caked figure sheathed his Tehk’la behind him and proceeded forward toward the village. His first steps into the clearing revealed to his feet a type of grid pattern along the forest floor.

‘Farmland?....in the jungle?’ he thought to himself.

No sooner had he stepped out into the fields than he heard multiple massive swooning rumbles emanating from the village. The blue people scattered. Above, the black figure noticed that the trees and trunks melded and fused into a network of massive vines creating a giant wicker dome.
A line of blue people set out towards him.

The figure raised his right arm high and displayed his palm and five fingers before bowing. He held the bow. Blood rushed to his head as his heart rate managed to maintain its beat. He noticed his mud covered self, what a sight for these blue people.

The line approached him and encircled him.

“No’ pinkg thap tyo b’yon!” Announced one of the Blue Men.
The figure breathed a sigh of relief and raised himself from his bow. Blood flowed downward again and his vison was flushed. The blurry figure came into view as did the accompanying troop.

“Sai’yo yup’t goo’er’nik…frital’ys sul fourn.” Said the Blue Man.
He spoke a strange language…but one the figure could understand…even speak.
The Blue People stared intensely at the strange creature before them. His black and white garments soiled. The central speaking blue figure in red clothing spotted emergency in the figures silver eyes.

The black figure with pale white skin, black hair caked in mud spoke the language of the Blue People…The Harakoans:
“Y’tun nas gjim Drodik Va’lence……H’yunt e’ya Jedi….b’yagh goy vijim.” said the pale man.
‘My name is Drodik Va’lence….I am a Jedi…and I need your help.

Morotheri wandered past the food vendors of the Visulu Markets. The Miraluka had been tasked recently to convince the Colonists within the boundries of Menat Ombo to take up arms with the Jedi in the fast-approaching war to come. Dust swept up in front of Morotheri as he shouldered his way into the large crowd, who were gathered anxiously around a man clad in a dusty white jacket inciting a rebellion.

"People of Menat Ombo, We will soon be in grave danger. The Dark Brotherhood has issued a bounty on the Jedi of Odan-Urr. We must meet the Dark Brotherhood's demands if we have any chance of surviving this war!"

Well that is just perfect. It seems corruption has made it's way into New Tython already, my job just got even more difficult.

The Miraluka stopped for a moment, taking in his surroundings as he had been trained to do by his former master on Alphredies. Although he lacked sight, Morotheri could make out rough shapes through the use of the force. The shapes came into focus as he breathed deeply, almost in a meditative stance. The ground around him was littered in trash, most of the vendor stalls had been wrecked in the chaos and there was the occasional fire set by one of the few Colonists bearing a torch. He could also see the makeshift wooden podium that the man was currently standing on.

Chaos.

Morotheri continued his way towards the figure pastshouting Colonists with makeshift weapons or smuggled blasters and broken stalls of ripe fruit, some of which were littered around the ground. He was currently unsure about the current situation and how it should be dealt with, he needed to act carefully. Whichever course of action he takes could set the Colonists off, and Odan-Urr might lose this boon to their cause. As the Miraluka passed yet another angry colonist, he sensed something. He dodged, and sensed the knife passing through his red robes as they tore. Morotheri grabbed his enemy by the arm and pulled him into a nearby alley after knocking out his assassin with a stiff punch to the jaw.

Morotheri saw through the force a short figure with force radiation off of them as he made his way back out from the dark alley and into the crowd. He now stood in front of an unexpected guest.

"Ji, what are you doing here?"

"Jonuss sent me to assist you with the Colonists. It seems that the matter is worse than I had thought. The Colonists are on the verge of turning against us."

"It seems so. What are we to do about the situation?"

"The only thing we can do is to try to convince them to see that this is just as much a threat to them as it is a threat to us, Morotheri."

The Miraluka nodded as they made their way to the podium, with eyes in all directions gazing anxiously at them.

"Let's just hope this works, Morotheri." whispered Ji as all fell silent.

Lelila listened to the radio to check on airspace, only to turn it off when she heard that the Sith were blocking the way off, and that they’d destroy anyone attempting to try to leave. They weren’t even letting anyone on the planet. “Well, so much for that,” she said to herself. “Unless….” She quickly walked to her closet, and opened the panel on the back wall. Shiny sniper rifles, grenades, and pistols were there. “Thank you dad for teaching about smuggling stuff.” She remembered that she was able to grab some weapons on her last trip to Gardatia.

Suddenly, Habib came on demanding someone get Dest. Closing her closet, Lelila went out to look for her former Master. She stopped at his door and heard him moaning something about Ji. “Dest…” she called, knocking. “Dest… it’s Lelila. Habib wants to see you right now.”
She could hear him shifting around, but he didn’t answer the door. She sighed. He probably needed the sleep anyway. She headed outside to walk around for a bit and stretch her legs. As she walked around, she thought about the Sith, and why in the galaxy they would want to attack New Tython.

A rustle in the leaves brought her to a halt. Fingering the vibroblade on her hip, she got into a defensive stance. The rustling got closer and she took the vibroblade out of it’s sheath. A second later, a bearded Jax came out. Lelila lowered her stance. Everyone’s getting jumpy, she thought to herself. However, the moment she thought this, someone stepped out of the trees. It was one of the Settlers. Lelila had heard reports about the Sith putting out bounties for them, and the settlers accepting. She grabbed her bow and arrow, aiming carefully for the arm. I really don't want to do this, she thought.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind, but Lelila elbowed him, releasing the arrow and missing. Kriffing-stang!

Going hand-to-hand, she tried to remember her training in self-defense, but was soon overpowered.
Dest! Kaira! Ji! Help me! She called through the Force before being knocked out.

The Blue Man cast a frown and gazed at the ground. He spoke in his native language “I don’t know what to tell you. Why have you come here, to my clan, this village?”

“I have been in contact with several of your tribes-“ muttered the Nagai Drodik before he was cut short.
“No! Why come to this world? Your people are going to bring fire where there was none…no my people will have nothing to do with you and yours.” The Blue Man motioned his men depart.
He continued, “Go back where you came…” and he began to walk off with his men.

“I have no home sir….these people, unfortunately WILL bring a fire to you. But the fire is not us!” Drodik exclaimed but they only continued to walk off and the Blue Man made an odd hand gesture as he continued to stride off.
The Nagai Jedi curled his hands int a fist as hard as possible till he felt his knuckles give a pop and he released all tension from hands. He raised his hands, and channeled his thoughts into the thoughts of the Blue Man and his company.

They all collapsed to their knees in the mud with visions of a burning Harakoa, entire swathes of fields and trees turned to ash, their cities in ruins and oceans boiling in rage. They saw scores of their people as the majority of the dead and the enslaved.
“I have no choice! I can only warn you…and ask you..” Drodik knelt to the Blue Man “…to help me defend you.”
The Blue Man looked up to the Nagais dilated pupils and said, “This is happening…right now isn’t it?”
“It might be, I can’t tell, I’ve been out here for days. But the ones responsible for the evil are near”

The Jedi assisted the men to their feet.

“My people have brought this upon you and yours, the responsibility falls on us to protect you…but our efforts will be in vain unless we secure allies…our enemies are unmatched in their malevolence. Without your help we’ll all die.”

The Blue Man beckoned to his Second, “Tell them what we saw, go!” One of the Blue Men ran off at a break-neck sprint.

“That man will go tell our village elders what you’ve shown us…we know of the other tribes joining you. The elders will decide what to do…what do you hope to accomplish out here?”

The Jedi wiped his face with his hand and cast his gaze downward before speaking, he said “We need allies, right now. Our best course of action we have, is to evacuate the capital of every man, woman, and child. We’re taking everything including medical supplies, food, weapons. We’re even relocating our fighter crafts….which is why I’m coming to your village now.”

“Mine, why?”he asked in a puzzled manner.

“Your land expanses underneath this wicker dome, it’s the perfect hangar for our ships, we can hide them here and the forests wouldn’t even tell they were here.”

A loud swooning call befell the ears of the men in the field. The Blue Man turned to Drodik

“They’ve agreed to meet with you. Come!”

Ooroo Abbey
- Inner Corridors


“All OSTAD elements report in!” Habib moves down the corridors of the abbey, many people rushing by him. “I repeat … ALL OSTAD ELEMENTS REPORT IN!!”

The comlink crackles “JS here...”

“Tyno ~STATIC HISS~ start with out ~STATIC HISS~ a mission already ~STATIC HISS POP~”

“Sykes here!”

“Anyone knows Dest or Zeon's 20?” Habib asks.

“Zeons on LOA” JS reports- “LOA!?!?!” Habib exclaims

“He's off planet sir...” JS explains

“KEPARAT!!!! Fine, how about Dest we need him were is that sorry....” Habib is interrupted

“Sir, Lelila here, Dest is asleep in his room...”

“WHAT!!! I'll take care of him myself!” Habib continues “ALL OSTAD ELEMENTS! You have 5 minuets, met up in the hall of the watchmen!”



- Male Dorm Hall

Habib storms the male dorms and kicks down Destavol's door “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?!?! GET YOUR ASS UP AND BE AT THE HALL IN 5 MINUTES!!! … we have a job to do.” Habib leaves for the hall of the watchmen.



- Halls of the Watchmen
- OSTAD Briefing Room

“Ok guys, as you may have already heard, the brotherhoods is on its way, our job is to maintain order during the evacuation of Menat Ombo...”

The Sargent pauses for a moment

“... we all know what the brotherhood can do... what they will do... we need to keep the populaces calm, most of them don’t know anything about the incoming fleet...” Habib continues, ”The local authorities have already been informed, and asked OSTAD for back up. You all will be doing just that, we also need to have a Jedi presents to keep everyone calm.”

JS stands and asked, “Sir... is the evacuation already underway?”

“Yes, it started about an hour ago...” Habib answers as Destavol walks into the room.

“Nice for you to join us, sit down. Ok anything else? Now is the time for questions...” Habib stands at his podium with an image of the city with ooroo abbey at its center with the OSTAD logo overlying it.

JS stands back up and asks “How long will it take to evacuate all the citizens?”

Habib looks on, “If all goes smooth, the soonest will be about 22 to 24 hours....”

“... and how long until the brotherhood arrives in our space?” JS continued.

Habib pauses for a long moment and sighs, “... … …”

“Sir?”- JS asked again while the team looks on to there Sargent.

“If the force is with us and whatever supreme deity may exist is merciful... …. ….” Habib sighs again “we may have … ... ... maybe ... a few hours”

A serious silence falls over the members of OSTAD.

“So what are we waiting for? We have a job to do right?” Destavol breaks the silence.

“Yes lets get moving” Habib rest on his podium with a serious look on his face.

“Sir... no worries we all know what to do, ok? Don’t stress... what will you doing during all this?” Gaven questioned his leader.

“I have some, things, to take care of... just remember your training and don't be foolish, that goes for all of you.”

As the team starts to leave and move out to there respective blocks, Habib calls out “Dest, I need to talk to you.”

Destavol walks over to Habib “Sir... if it was about earlier, I was---“

Habib interrupts, “I don't care about that, I want you to take command of OSTAD on the ground, you have the experience, you will be acting as my fieldd commander, you understand?”

“Um sir? Are you---”

Habib interrupts again, “It does not mater, I have important business to take care of, I WILL be back and expect all of OSTAD to be in 1 piece, Ill hold you responsible for everyone’s life, any injury and the reputation of OSTAD, you understand?”

“Do I have a choice?” Dest asks

“No its an order...” Habib commands.

“Yes sir as you command...” Destavol leaves the hall to met up with everyone else on there way out of the Abbey.

“All OSTAD, this is your Sargent, I have put Destavol in change on the field, his orders are my orders, respect him as you respect me, Habib out.”



It’kla District
- Residential Streets
- Habib's House

“Sayangku, grab your things were going.” Habib grabs a bag and starts putting odds and ends into it.

“Whats going on? I heard there was an evacuation notice going out...” K'Nah asked her husband.

“Yes, the brotherhood is on its way, get K'Habibah, we don't have much time.” Habib explains

“You mean they are coming for you?” Habib's wife asked.

“No not just me... all of us, everyone, they will take the planet...” Habib keeps packing his bag.

K'Nah and Habib leave there house for the Ordain Vonoro Spaceport with bags over there sholders and there daughter in her mothers arms.



Ordain Vonoro Spaceport
-Ticket Station

“Ok, ill get tickets, you both will be on a shuttle, you will be going back to Yu's place” Habib explains to his wife.

“What about you? You are coming to right?” K'Nah asked worriedly.

“I'll be taking my fighter and escort the shuttle all the way to Corellia, I'll contact Yu from Coronet city.” Habib continues but was shortly interrupted.

“Pardon me Master Jedi.” a mechanical voice speaks up,

“Wait! I know you!” Habib notices the droid as Kaira's nanny for her daughter.

Habib thinks to himself "That's right, she had a relationship with a Dark Jedi named Koga, how tragic..."

“Your master is a Jedi named Kaira, right?” Habib asked the nanny droid.

“Why yes sir, I was ordered to take young Kystal off planet, back to Corellia to be precise.” the droid explains in its own special manner.

“Why are you still here?” Habib asked the droid.

“Well it seems to be quite a predicament for myself and young Kystal, but it seems all the shuttles are being booked and I myself being just a droid---“

Habib interrupts, “You need passage to Corellia, come with us we are going there too, just wait here with my wife.” Habib points to the area beside K'Nah

“Thank you sir, I am most grateful for...” Habib interrupts the droid again and waves his hand.

The Jedi makes his way to the front of the line ignoring the calls from people he was cutting off, “I need 4 tickets for Corellia on the next shuttle now.”

“Sir! Who do you think you are!? Cutting off all these people...” the ticket both attended angry remarks were silents as Habib flashes his lightsaber.

“I see, you said 4 tickets? ….” the tellers tone changed.

“Yes, bill the order...” Habib takes the tickets and starts to walk off. “Always a pleasure to serve the order and its members! Hey! tell them I helped you, ok!” the attendant yells.

Habib just waves and walks back over to his family and Kairas droid and daughter. “Ok here you go, the shuttle leaves in the next 20 minuets, get on it now, don't waist time. I'm heading to the fighter docks, I'll be up with you guys in a moments.” Habib hold his wife and kisses his daughter who is sleeping peacefully even in the bustling space port. “She can sleep though anything” Habib remarks.

“Yes, like her father” K'Nah looks at her husband “please be safe...”

“I am always” Habib smiles reassuring his wife, “ill be up there with you, no worries ok, just take care of our baby.”

Habib holds K'nah's gloved hand and the two spent a moment in silents. “Ok go, get on your shuttle, ill be in contact with you with this” Habib hands K'Nah a personal comlink, and heads off to the fighter docks.



- Fighter Docks

Habib rushes to his Z95, “Is the fighter ready!?” Habib call out to the deck crew.

“Yes sir all the fighters are fueled and armed... sir there has not been a call to scramble yet, where are you doing?” the deck hand questions

“Don’t worry and just open the launch gate!” Habib straps himself in the cockpit and starts flight systems and the craft is tugged to the launch pad.

“All systems are go sir” a control officer speaks over the crafts com, “Master Jedi, sir, there has been no orders to … “ Habib cuts of the control com channel and starts the take off, as his personal com beeps,

“Yes? K'Nah? Everything ok? Habib asks,

“Yes we are on the shuttle and are already inflight... have you taken off yet? K'Nah asks her husband.

“Yes, I'm leaving right now.” the engines hum deeply as the Z95 starts its ascent to the upper atmosphere,



Above New Tython
- Leaving the Outer Atmosphere

“I have your shuttle on my scopes, hehe, look out your window” Habib waves to his family looking out the view port, “I'll be right here all the way, with you, ok.” Habib explains

“Ok I’m not worried...” K'Nah tries to speak calmly for her husband.

The group starts to makes there way to Corellia leaving the blue and green world of New Tython behind to what every the fates have in store for it...

Tyno sat in his quarter's inside the jedi temple his stare focused on the locked metal closet opposite from him. The encrypted message still on the terminal next to him, the short warning from one of the few friends he still had in Scholae Palatinae simply read "The brotherhood is coming". He had wanted to believe that Odan-Urr could co-exist with his former friends and perhaps one day help them return to the light but deep down Tyno knew this day would come.

Standing he waved a hand tripping the complex locking mechanism with the force and with a whir the doors opened revealing several pieces of his durasteel mandalorian armor, a small silver case, and his ancient set of jedi robes. The robes had been tattered and damaged when he found them in his uncles bunker. He had them mended shortly after arriving on New Tython and once again they looked crisp, clean, and ready to be worn into battle for the first time in three thousand years.

Removing the lid from the silver case Tyno reached in to removed the small cylindrical object his hand hesitating as a image of silver clashing with scarlet red flashed through is mind. Shaking aside the memory of battles fought long ago he grasped the hilt and held it before his eyes. The smooth edges felt right in his hand as he thumbed the activator switch bringing it's brilliant silver hued blade into existence. With this saber he had defended the Old Republic against the evil of the True Sith Empire and now once more it would face the tyranny of the dark side in his hands.

With a slow certainty he donned his robe, fastened the breastplate, and clamped on his gauntlets. Finally hanging the saber to it's belt clip and holstering his caster pistol Tyno looked at himself in the mirror, one of the last of the knights of the Old Republic. Taking a deep breath and opening the door to his quarters he set off for the hanger.

The temple was buzzing with panicked activity as was the hanger by time he got there with ships constantly leaving and arriving as they helped with the evacuation. His astromech droid Wisdom chirped at him eagerly as the jedi knight approached his aged starfighter.

"This could be it my friend" Tyno said wistfully followed by a rapid set of reproachful beeps from the small machine.

"Alright, alright" the jedi chuckled.

"I guess one more noble battle against incredible odds sounds like fun" He mused hopping into the fighters cockpit.

A few hours later-

“Master Va’lence,…” The Harakoan tribal leader spoke from the pulpit of the hut. Behind him were a council of nine or so other tribal elders, each sitting in line with each other, each donning purple robes.

“Our council has agreed to help you in this time of need. Our tribe realizes your tribes desperation and have seen fit to include you in the defense of our peoples. By nature we understand your tribe are peace keepers, together we have no choice but to defend one another.” The Harakoan man had a pleasant look on his face.

“Thank you sir.” Drodik bowed.

“As for your refugees, “said the Harakoan “We will provide shelter for as many as we can here, we understand you and others have secured identical agreements with our neighboring cousins?

“Yes sir we have but its our fighter squadrons which I think you can help with.”

“Ah yes...” he continued, “You have permission to use our fields---“ One of the tribal elders sprung from his chair shouting curses at the Jedi before them.

The Harakoan Tribal Leader slammed his fist on the side of the pulpit before dismissing the elder. His own elder apparently, among the curses Drodik made out the word ‘Pin’thali’ the Harakoan for son…or at least a word indicating a very close male relative.

The elder left the hut; his empty chair a dent in the otherwise stoic council.
“Time is running short, I must report back to my Council.” Drodik declared to the council.
“Of course, we will meet again to discuss war.”

The Jedi began to leave before turning and saying, “This is not a war sirs, this is a defense.”
“That is purely subjective Master Jedi.” He retorted

Drodik nodded and left the hut.

Drodik pulled his datapad from his bag, creating a message he indicated the coordinates of the Harakoan village:
4793-494-*56 Drodik Va’lence al’Tor.

----

---

“Vingali tribe has agreed to aid us. They can take in no more than 400 citizens but have agreed for squadron stowaway and will supply a few soldiers. Coordinates are below:
Squadron Stowaway coordinates @- 46’ 39.113 N, 120’ 31.45 W”

The Nagai Jedi sent off his message to the war room where it would hopefully get picked up in time.

Lelila awoke on the floor of a cell with a groan; her head throbbing with the climax of a migraine. "Ow..." she moaned, attempting to rub her head with the palm of her hand, only to realize that her hands were tightly bound with rope behind her. Instead, she leaned against the wall until the pain subsided a little. She knew her weapons had been taken from her- but, she could still feel the hilt of the vibroblade inside her right glove. The sleeve went about half-way down her forearm, and, while it was obvious she had gloves on, the gloves were thick enough to make any weapon she had- or, almost any weapon- in there seem like it was part of the glove sleeve. Obviously, the settlers hadn't thought that she had a spare on her, or they were stupid enough to think that she wouldn't be able to use it like this. She hoped it was the latter.

Gently, so as not to cut herself, she rubbed her wrist just under the hilt of where the blade was. With a little help from the Force, she was able to get the knife out and start cutting her bonds.

She looked around as she sawed through the restraints, trying to come up with plans of escape, or of what she could use as a diversion. The cell was pretty spacious, and could probably hold about ten people; although , Lelila could tell it was probably not for luxury. Okay, Lelila, she thought as she continued looking around, the restraints loosening by the second, what the stang have you gotten yourself into this time?. There was a window that she could probably just barely reach if she stood on her tip-toes; then she glanced at the door, which was nothing but flat steel bars. Typical, she thought, rolling her eyes. Well, this is just great: go out for a walk without telling anyone; scream for help through the Force while being attacked, and I still end up like this. Wonder if anyone heard me? The ropes finally snapped, and she started to rub them with her hands to get the circulation back. Well, it can't get any worse than this-

A door opened farther down a corridor. Lelila turned to see someone heading toward her cell. She placed her hands behind her back to make it seem like she was still bound. The person- a guard, she was guessing- stopped in front of her, then grabbed her by the arms. "On your feet," he said harshly.

Interrogation time, is it? Lovely. She thought sarcastically. "Where are we going?"

"The Sith have landed"- That's just perfect, Lelila thought. Just as I plan an escape, the Sith land. My day just keeps getting better and better.- "and want us to hand ya over to them," he said. Lelila could smell the alcohol on his breath. Probably celebrating for getting rid of the only Jedi prisoner they had, and getting that payment. Too bad she didn't have a lightsaber on her; that would have certainly made their day. "They want to make sure all of you Jedi die." The guard ran his finger along her cheek.

"And you've had too much to drink," she said, flinching away. It was amazing how he still hadn't noticed that her bonds were missing.

"Now is that something to say in the last hours? I could kill you right now-"

Not today, Lelila thought, not letting him finish his sentence as she delivered a blow to the jugular.

"Witch-" he yelled before Lelila revealed the fact that her hands weren't bound, and then aimed a blow at the back of his head, efficiently knocking him out. "That was real stupid on your part," she told the downed guard. "Next time bring back-up, and don't drink."

With that, she darted out the door...

...only to be stopped a few minutes later by a tranquilizer gun. Okay, it just got worse- stang!

Elleron hurried back, his mind buzzing with the results of his meeting with Commander Harkiss. It had been successful, or so he thought... Denath believed there was something the Commander had refused to disclose, but as far as Elleron was concerned, while the Legislature’s vote would carry significant weight Harkiss was a military man, and he appeared to understand the severity of the situation and the desperation of the Jedi with sense, clarity, and only a little threatening. Those few units of the military most loyal to the Commander would almost certainly pledge their loyalty. Denath scoffed inside Elleron’s head. You cannot trust him, he was too agreeable. He is hiding something. Elleron ignored him. He could be so negative sometimes.

A shockwave of horror swept through the Force. The boy whirled around, sprinting to the source out of pure instinct. His lightsaber was in his hand, though he had no memory of drawing it. The teenager had a thirst for battle and adventure that was hard to quench at his age, and this presented a ripe opportunity to drink deep... Foolish child. Denath’s ever-present encouragement and support was not appreciated.

And there was Ji.

Morotheri was standing some distance away, and Destavol was talking to Ji, nearly shouting at him as he tried to explain something. Elleron could not hear what they were saying, but Dest was clearly agitated about something. It was Destavol’s horror that Elleron had sensed earlier, or so Denath believed. Ji smiled and replied, and the two were discussing something. Finally, Ji turned away as a dark cloud of starfighters swooped out of the clouds, heading towards them. Elleron’s eyes widened and he summoned strength from the Force, dashing to his side. The first starfighters fired a handful of energy blasts before the cloud split into several pieces. The bolts crashed into the ground near Elleron and Ji, and it occurred to Elleron that he thought he could hear someone scream as several aircraft and starfighters of the Colonists and the Jedi swooped in, shooting down the invaders.

“Remember!” Tyno instructed, “we are to distract the enemy and allow ground forces to retreat. On my command, permission to abandon and eject if necessary is granted.” The Consular Jedi pushed a few key buttons on his screen and began firing on the Brotherhood Jedi as their first wave scattered before them. Judging by the numbers of Brotherhood spacecraft before him, Tyno was certain that if he had not felt an overly strong feeling of fear and trepidation from the Jedi below him, the air forces he now commanded would never have made it in time to save Ji’s life.

Elleron almost laughed as he turned to face Ji. “The Force has been kind to us,” the wise Gand announced. Elleron had no doubt. “There is something else we must attend to,” Ji informed him. A series of transports and shuttles broke through the clouds, preparing to deliver their cargo - no doubt, a swarm of Dark Jedi. “An old acquitance must speak with the Quaestor.”
“I’ll stay here,” Elleron declared as he stared down the landing transports.
“No. You shall come with me, and we shall go to Jonuss - after a small diversion.” Elleron reluctantly agreed, following the Gand at a rapid pace. He could not help but wonder what Kaira was doing now...

With the report she had given Jonuss Kaira knew the Jedi had an uphill battle with the settlers to make them understand just who they were dealing with. It saddened her to know that they might have to lock up allies only because they could cause more harm to themselves. She had so much to deal with right now with the settlers that she had no time to think about anything but the impending invasion. When a ripple in the force sent her to her knees with tears in her eyes, she looked up to Quejo, who had just walked in.

The Aedile had felt the disturbance as well. "Lelila is in trouble."

"Yes, I know. What should we do?" Kaira said softly as she stood up with a hand from Quejo.

"About time you got home, Quejo." Jonuss said from behind the table that had maps of the area laid out on it. "The war is under way."

"With your permission, Sir, I would like to go after Lelila. I feel this is partly my fault. I should have trained her better. She was not ready for this."

Kaira stood there in front of her House leaders, almost ready to kick herself for the hours she let Lelila off to study old text rather than battle training. The woman was unprepared for battle and it was her fault as well. With a heavy sigh, she turned to leave, only to feel a hand on her shoulder.

"This was not your fault Rohana. Lelila is a Jedi, and she will be alright as long as the settlers don't try and hand her over to a Sith. Go now and find her, but don't think this is your fault." Quejo's words were soft as they rang in Kaira's mind. He was right; this was not her fault.

"Jonuss, what do you wish me to do?" He had already turned back to the Quaestor to find out his task, as there seemed to be a lot going on with the Sith rapidly approaching.

The only thing that seemed to have worked was that they had an new alliance with the Mandalorian's. With this new group on the ground to help the Jedi it had slowed the brotherhood down. They would soon be in the city but for now Jonuss could think and send Kaira off but is that the best use of Kairas skills? To get Lelila back though would help them to not give the settlers someone they could turn over to the brotherhood then get themselves killed. Jonuss nodded to Kaira to head out.

The sound of distant ‘thunder’ had been constant on the horizon. Bright flashes of energy seared through the sky and a wanton ballet of transport ships, fighters, the blaze of blaster fire all simultaneously assaulted the one peaceful atmosphere of New Tython.

“Its begun….” Drodik said to himself as he picked up his pace.

Even worse, the screams of a haggard battlefield not far off were chilling enough to send every inhabitant of Menat Ombo northward and into the dense jungles and wetlands from which the Nagai Jedi had just emerged.

“My home…my home…everything” said an old woman, her muddy clothes clasping a bundle of objects.

The trail of people was long and thick; the citizens marched up out of the north end of the city crossing the Sabina River through the city bridges and seemingly split into separate veins as they melded with the trees and the trails.
The Nagai made his way toward the city shouting to the people,

“Keep moving!”. He could see the terror in the peoples’ faces as they shuffled along. You didn’t have to be a Jedi to sense how much fear these people were emanating.

The Nagai made his way to the bridge. At the halfway point massive gasps of air rose up from the crowds as they all looked up river. Corpses of a multitude of Harakoans trickled down the currents bobbing face down as the river took them out further towards the mighty Bythic.

Trumpets from nasal crests poured out from the crying Harakoan civilians. “You, Jedi! You’ve done this haven’t you! It’s all of you isn’t it! You monsters!” wailed a woman as she beat her hand on Drodik’s chest.
“Maam, it’s not safe here you must keep moving…please.” He told her and walked toward the city. She continued her verbal assault as he disappeared into the crowd.

…..The bodies…just what these people needed to see. There is no way out of this. The Jedi did bring this trouble to the people of Harakoa. How could we even be so selfish…New Tython pfft!. New Tython? We’re no better than the brotherhood. This planet is Harakoa, not New Tython. We’re just as much invaders as they are.

Just as he was finishing his thought a flood of screaming could be heard as a stampede grew exponentially upon itself from the southern end of the city. Overhead Drodik could see fighters raining down from the sky above, a massive swarm of hailfire shooting at the Brotherhood vessels.

The stampeding rush of people boomed toward the Jedi and he leapt up onto the thatched roofing of a nearby hut before proceeding to climb the tall tree beside it. The branches flicked and whipped at his face as he climbed further up the stoic branches and for a second he thought he was back in the jungle from which he had been navigating the last three days.

From the tallest sturdiest branch he emerged into the waning warm sunlight of the declining afternoon. Out before him in the fields of New Tython beyond the city limits of Menat Ombo, a flurry of blaster fire was being exchanged from a meshed battlefield of soldiers. Combatants armed with a variety of colored saber blades also partook, their movements more eratic than that of the soldiers. Overhead the Brotherhoods massive starships were too being assaulted and explosions of all size erupted simultaneously everywhere, in space, sky, and on land. War had finally made its way to the doorstep.

Drodik descended from the tree and met with one of the evacuation managers, a settler man whose datapad was shaking In his hand.

“You ok?” Drodik asked

“Theres…its war….I don’t..I don’t know” He could barely hold it together.

“Calm down now, you’re ok, we need to get these people out of here, got it? Is your family out of here, are they safe?” The Nagai asked.

“Yes, they’re on their way to Kirintha, its w-west of Volbo lake.” The man said shakingly.

“Alright great, you’re doing a good job now, just keep these people moving.”
A buzz from the comlink vibrated on Drodik’s belt.

“..zzzrt..Drodik….come in…” Kaira’s voice alerted.

“I’m here, continue.”

“Arconan forces are progressing from the south and east, you gotta get those people out of here faster before it gets uglier.”

“I’m trying to, navigations slow because the jungles thickness. Send me some Journeymen to assist if you could.”

Lelila awoke in her cell again; this time her arm was killing her. Must've dragged me, she thought. Her arms and legs were bound at the wrist and ankles, and she didn't have the gloves- meaning that they now had her only other weapon on her. Perfect, she thought. Finally, got smart, did they?

She shifted her wrists a little, and realized that that her bonds were looser than last time. Maybe not that smart.

With a little help from the Force, she wriggled her wrists around and was able to slip out of her bonds. After untying her ankles, she walked over to the window- standing on her tip-toes- to see the Sith heading her direction. "Sithspawn!" she muttered under her breath. They were off in the distance, a bit of a blur; so, she was safe for now. But for how long?

Guys, she called desperately through the Force, hoping someone would hear. If you can hear me, I can REALLY use some help right about now.

She turned as she heard a noise, and rushed back to her position that she was left in- quickly tying her bonds to make it look like she was back in her original position.

It was the guard from before, with a partner- who had a holocam. The guard came over to her, and grabbed her by the hair, causing Lelila to nearly cry out in pain. Okay, this is getting annoying!

"Get ready, Jedi," the guard said, with a sinister glee. "Because you're next."

When he said that, he dropped Lelila on the ground. "Ow!"

"The Sith will be arriving within the next few days to take you," the guard said with a laugh. "We'll find your friends soon, and you won't be alone."

He left right after that. Leaving Lelila alone. And the sith will be arriving any time now... And the Sith are here......

Unspecified location, 50 klicks from Drodik’s position

Tyre woke up to the buzzing sound of an incoming comlink.

“Frack, what now?” He mumbled to himself, still half asleep
“Bzzzt…Tyre…come in, Tyre…” The voice crackled, overtaken by static noise

After tweaking some settings, the voice came clearer.
“Tyre, where are you? We need your help out here!” The voice had a soft feminine touch to it
“Tyre Arvalis, ready for duty.”
“Good, I’m sending you the coordinates, get your ass there asap!”

Numbers erupted on Tyre’s datapad, detailing a location on the jungle outskirts about 50 klicks from his current position. The urgency of the message made him feel uncomfortable, but he had little time to waste on trivial matters. Gathering most of his gear together in a hastily fashion the young Mirilian set off northward.

Jungle's edge, near Menat Ombo

The bumbling crowd was slowly moving through the jungle, flanked by armed men. The thickness of the jungle made their escape go at a snail’s pace. Drodik was currently the only Jedi present to help with the evacuation of the city.

Tensions ran high between the settlers and the natives who lived close to the jungle’s edge. Drodik kept himself in the background, knowing that most of the settlers blame the Jedi for plunging the peaceful world of New Tython into this war.

Though if things got out of hand between the settlers and the natives he would have to step in, he just hoped Jedi reinforcements would have already arrived if that were the case.

Owyhee grassland, 20 klicks from Drodik’s position

Tyre’s speeder bike raced across the plains of Owyhee, far in the distance he could see Menat Ombo under attack, heavy plumes of pitch black smoke rising from the city center like obsidian black pillars. It was clear that the Brotherhood wanted to waste no time in wiping out the House of Odan-Urr. Tyre shook his head and opened the throttle all the way, pushing his speeder bike to its limits as he soared over the tall grasses of Owyhee.

5 klicks from Drodik’s position

An incoming transmission caused Tyre to slow down to a stop,

“Tyre, this is Kaira, our sensors have picked up a small force of Dark Jedi moving to Drodik’s position. Where are you?”
“About 5 kilometers…wait a moment.” Tyre gazed across the field towards the city.

In the distance silhouettes crept closer at a steady pace. Kaira was right, they had little time to continue the evacuation and set up a counter offensive.

“Kaira, notify Drodik, the Dark Jedi are moving closer at an alarming rate. There’s four to five of them, I don’t sense an overwhelming aura from them so the both of us should be able to stop them. Tell him to meet me at the jungle's edge.”
“Copy that, Tyre. Kaira out, may the Force be with you.”

With a bzzt, the transmission stopped. Tyre restarted his speeder bike and proceeded towards the jungle’s edge, there he would wait for Drodik and hopefully stop the onward march of the small team of unwelcomed guests.

There was just too much on her plate at the moment. She had just been given the go ahead to find Lelila. Since the orders had just went out to the other Jedi, she felt she could leave the command center in the abbey to track down Lelila who was somewhere in town. Kaira made sure she had her lightsaber and a com link with her so she would not be out of touch with the command center.

The Rollmaster called upon the Force, letting herself be engulfed by its tranquil currents, as she ran out of the abbey and into Menat Ombo. The city was not as big as some, but big enough so that it would take too long to search on her own. Kaira decided that is was best to call in some assistance, she put out a call to OSTAD, knowing that Habib had left Destavol in charge while he was conducting his own mission.

“Destavol, I need a favor from your team.”
“Kaira we are kind of busy at the moment. What do you need?”

Kaira smiled for she knew that they were on the front lines of the city to keep it from being invaded.

“Some settlers have taken Lelila hostage in the hopes to turn her over to the sith to be spared. I need your team to help me track her down.”

She heard Destavol curse though the com under his breath.

“We are on it Rohana, you can count on us. We will split up and start our search, if you find her before we do, let me know. I will head into the marketplace. I will send the others into Memit District. My guess is they are held up there. After a quick run though the market place I will head there myself.”

It was a plan and Kaira felt it had merit. “That sounds good to me. If you encounter any Sith try to disarm first.”

“Kaira they wouldn’t do that to us, they are out to kill us. Why would I show them mercy?”
“Because we are Jedi Des. Never forget that. We are not out to kill anyone.” She said sternly.

She took off herself, passing through the It’kla District while on her way to the Memit District. It was good that the closer she got to the far edge of the district, the better she could sense Lelila. That told her she was on the right track. It was only a few moments later that she felt a call thought the Force.

“Destavol to Kaira.”
“Kaira here, what you find Des?”
“I am outside a building, I think she is being held here. I sent the rest of my squad back to the front lines. There is a dark presence here as well Kaira, get here fast.”

Kaira took off with the aid of the Force to where she felt Destavol. When she came to the right street she had a dark presence slam into her mind. The man, yes the man was just outside of a small, dark, old building about three houses down from where she stood. A friendly tap on her shoulder from Destavol brought her back to reality.

“You feel who that is?” She said with a sneer.
“No, I’m not sure. Should I?” He looked at her side ways.
“Well I have felt it before, I think it’s Koga. I could be wrong, but that is who I think it is.”

Kaira shook her head. If it was Koga he was doing a great job of masking his Force powers.

“It isn’t Koga, that aura is to shallow for such a seasoned warrior. It just felt like his, but I'm sure I've felt it before. Maybe it’s a lower Sith that I have worked with.”

She was kind of talking to herself, but they knew they had to hurry at this point. If a dark Jedi was already at the building, Lelila could be in grave danger. They moved down the dark street, sticking to the shadows of the nearby buildings. Once they were at the back of the building, Kaira told Destavol to enter through the back window.

The Rollmaster watched as Destavol made his way inside. She moved to the window herself now, and went in just as silently as Destravol did. As they moved to the door of the small room, they overheard a voice.

“She is down in the basement, my Lord.” The man said to what she knew was the Dark Jedi.
“This is her lightsaber, sir.” The man said before screaming out in pain.

A single tear fell from Kaira’s right eye as she felt the pain the man was in as he drew his final breath. She suddenly heard screams, presumably from the man’s family. This made both Jedi rip the door open to take on this dark knight. The young one was no match for the power of two stronger Jedi. He was quickly overpowered as they disarmed him and knocked him out cold shortly afterward.

“I have Lelila’s saber.” Kaira then turned to the family.
“Go on get out of here. He is dead you don’t have to die tonight. Run to the Abby, tell them I sent there. Where is the Jedi?”

The woman pointed to a door as she lead her children out of the house. Destravol and Kaira ran to the door. As they opened it they felt the strength of a young Jedi below.

“Lelila. We are here.”
“Destroval take her and get back to the front line.” Kaira said as they made it to Lelila’s side.

Destravol proceeded to cut the ropes that bound the young woman, then Kaira handed her her saber back.

“Try not to loss this again. Destravol keep an eye on her.”

Kaira then made her way back to the command center in a rush. The battle was only beginning, and if they wanted to stay alive, they had an uphill battle to fight. Her best place was back at the command center, making sure orders were given and followed. Not that she was afraid of battle, she just knew her priorities.

The Actis-Class interceptor banked hard to the right as Tyno angled to engage a new squadron of TIE Interceptors, green bursts surrounding his fighter as the TIEs opened fire. Relying only on the force and the ships light shields to keep him safe as the nimble craft weaved gracefully through the deadly lances while his own cannons retaliated in kind. Three of the Interceptors exploded as the jedi's own bolts hit home and a fourth spun out of control into the surface it's left wing reduced to slag. The remaining eight TIEs dwindled to three as two of the other jedi pilots in Tyno's squadron carried out similar attacks. The rest were easily picked off by the colonist starfighters. The slight lull in battle allowed Tyno to relax for a moment and evaluate the situation.

He'd lost half the colonial militia ships in the first five minutes of the battle. Even two of his fellow jedi had been shot down, he saw one eject but had no idea if the other survived.

"These militia pilots just weren't trained for this." Tyno thought.

Sudden beeps from his sensors broke the lull alerting him to the next wave, this one was much larger then before with at least five squadrons of varied brotherhood starfighters.

"There's too many!" panicked one of the militia pilots.

"The evac units need as much time as we can give them. It's your families, your friends down there, so steel yourselves. And know even if we perish they may yet live by our actions here" Tyno spoke hoping to give courage to his pilots.

But before Tyno could give another order he saw a massive salvo of green bolts brake through the clouds shredding dozens of brotherhood fighters and sending the rest into disarray. The Jedi Knight watched in awe as two corvette class ships descended through clouds continuing to fire on the now panicking brotherhood squadrons, each corvette was escorted by multiple squadrons of StarVipers. Following the corvettes came waves of drop ships each disgorging dozens of armored warriors.

He broke off his stare as a strong voice came over the comms "To all Odan-Urr forces on New Tython, the warriors of Clan Ordo have come to aid you, prepare to receive reinforcements."

The comms were immediately overcome with cheering and yells of elation as hope was rekindled among the battered defenders. As what remained of Tyno's squadron formed up with the incoming mandalorian starfighters he mused "This war may be far from over, but at least now we have a chance."

Chaos ensued when flashes of red seared through the first of the unprepared Harakoans bodies. A mass of screaming arose uniformly from the crowd. The mass of refugees were at this point stampeding, fusing with the jungle foliage as they dispersed in directions unknown.

Caught in the middle of the stampede, Drodik could feel the fear escalating in the Harakoans as they heard the sounds of saber blades lopping off the limbs of their loved ones. They were powerless to stop this. In the midst of the stampede the Nagai Jedi realized that the battlefield had grown, it had reached him.

Exhaling a small breath , he stood still in the rushing crowd. A bright blue flash of light sprung out into the air above his head, its source a hilt bearing a crystal for a pommel which too did glow with a furious sapphire hue.

His arm extended up into the air directly up. Immediately the ground around him cleared as the people dispersed, continuing their plight into the jungles. The Nagai reached his hand out, feeling the air he pushed it out toward the sinister group, singling out one of them.

The marauder flew back ten feet spinning in a small tight circle as his red blade extinguished itself upon the soil of New Tython. The others looked on at the source of attack as the fourth arose from his feet.

“Lay down your arms!” The Jedi barked out.

He looked at their feet and beyond them. A trail of blood and unfortunately dismembered and dying Harakoans followed them to their present footing. One of the marauders signaled to a subordinate. He leapt out of the air with blazing speed toward the Nagai, igniting his saber just seconds before contact.

The blades clashed together as Drodik parried and swept his body sidewise. Like clockwork motion he began to pace in a circular direction around his opponent whilst they exchanged blows. The Dark Jedi sneared as he thrust his saber forward.

A considerable gap opened in his form.

‘zzzt!’

A faint wisp of white smoke crept off of the marauders cauterized hilt.

Sun Djem.

The Dark Jedi’s knees landed in the grass, his head hung around his prized creation now destroyed..
Drodik pointed his blade first at the Dark Jedi before pointing it toward the other marauders

“Put down your weapons….”

No sooner had the Prelate ended his sentence did the three others rush forward.
Drodik swept his saber arcing it outwards 360 degrees. The marauders halted their approach momentarily before advancing further. The Nagai darted left bypassing two blades which themselves made contact. Their owners advanced forward, pressing the Nagai back.

For every sweep they offered he countered, throwing them off guard and stumbling forward. This battle would have been much different had an Equite accompanied these journeymen.

‘Krzzsh!’

A scream erupted from one of the Dark Jedi as she fell to the ground too, her arm missing. In the midst of the conflict it was unsure which of her allies had incidentally severed her arm.

Simultaneously a speeder bike roared louder and louder as it blazed its way toward the skirmish now only a few yards away…

----
The streets of Menat Ombo were grisly. Corpses of both Dark Jedi, Mandalorian, and Droids scattered the one peaceful fields. Enormous columns of black fog enveloped the country side and blaster fire constantly rained on.

Small buildings that ran along an avenue provided cover for a fire-team of Droids throwing blaster fire onto the oncoming Brotherhood troops. Overhead fighters zipped by in ragged dogfights spitting blaster fire at each other’s tails.

The doors to one of the Mandalorian drop ships flew open releasing the saviors of Urr onto the chaos of marauding Dark Jedi from the Dark Council.

Rapid fire shot through the smoke of the field while Mandalorian jetpacks erupted in a great fury, projecting their wearer outward into the fray.

Whether the refugees were making it to their camps successfully it was not known. Neither was the status of the Tythonian Militia. Where were these people who stayed to defend their city?

Tyre shifted his torso to the left, avoiding the flying arm that was sent flying towards him. Letting the Force power and guide his motions, he jumped of his speeder bike while it was still moving forward. One of the Dark Jedi was unlucky enough to be impaled by the bodywork, resulting in his death immediately upon collision. Tyre slowed his fall through the Force, landing with a soft thud besides Drodik.

“I see you’ve had some fun.” Tyre jokingly said to the Nagai.
“I’m surprised to see you here kid, weren’t you napping about half an hour ago.” Drodik’s words carried a subtle sting to them.
“Kaira woke me up, she’s bold like that. First time this month that I can get some sleep, and the Brotherhood decides to start a war…”

Without a warning, one of the Dark Jedi sprung forward, interrupting their conversation. Brandishing his lightsaber, an azure pillar of plasma erupted from the slightly decorated hilt, screeching to life before stopping the crimson blade of the Dark Jedi. A slight grin drew upon Tyre’s otherwise stern face as he flung his left fist into the Dark Jedi’s gut, his robes not offering much protection from the Force empowered blow the young Jedi laid upon his chest area.

The Dark Jedi stumbled backward, coughing up blood on the way. The impact of the blow shook his senses, blurring out his vision as he proceeded to stumble.

“Begone…” Tyre muttered before bringing his saber down upon the stunned dark sider, the blade of pure plasma separating his blade arm from the shoulder from the rest of his body.

The other Dark Jedi, and Drodik, were more that surprised by this act. The Dark Jedi never suspected such brutality from a “lighty”, while Drodik was notably horrified by Tyre’s action but reasoned that they were at war and that they had to use any means necessary to protect the evacuees.

Lelila headed off. toward another room. "Lelila, where are you going?" Destavol asked.

"I need to get my other weapons back. They took my bows and arrows, which is probably how they took my lightsaber. I forgot I put it in my arrow bag."

They reached the room where all the confiscated weapons were, and she grabbed her weapons; thankfully, they were still in tact. "Okay, let's get out of here."

Racing through the market place, the two Jedi made their way toward the valley where the battle was raging. The sounds of war could be heard all the way in the market place.
“Whoa,” Dest said. “The battle wasn’t this bad when I left.”

“And how bad was it when you left?”

“Just beginning.”

“Have I really been gone that long?”

Dest didn’t reply; Lelila didn’t really want him to anyway- it was rhetorical. As they turned a corner, a few fighters could be seen overhead, heading toward a small clearing. Blaster shots were being shot down at them; while dodging the bolts, she shot a few arrows, hitting all her marks. The damage wasn’t too bad around them, but the people could still be hostile toward them if they tried to help; so, they continued to the front lines.

As they reached a small clearing, Lelila instinctively - whether it was the Force or not, she did not know- half-ducked, half-dodged to the right, as a blood-red lightsaber nearly sliced off her arm from someone throwing it.

"You alright, Lila?" Dest asked.

"Fine, Dest. Just got a scratch from a branch." She looked up as she saw a dark jedi headed their way. "Although, I'm not sure that's all we're gonna get."

A blaster shot from overhead caught the Sith and Lelila looked up to see a Mandolorian overhead. "You alright, down there?"

"Fine, thanks," Dest called.

As the Mando landed, Lelila noticed that there were two black hands on the green helmet. of the armor. "Lelila," Dest said. "This is Al'verde Jake Corwall of the Black Hand squad. Al'verde Jake Corwal, Jedi Acolyte Lelila."

Lelila nodded her greetings, and then turned to Dest. "So, we're allies with the Mando's?"

Dest nodded.

"Cool."

A Street in Menat Ombo


Mandalorian shock troops blazed through the street pushing out the Brotherhood soldiers. A squad of black clad troops led by a captain emerged out onto the rubble strewn avenue. They took cover along the wall next to the alley from whence they came.

A jet stream of fire belched out of the alley from a lone Mandalorian trooper. Their captain signaled to his men to go forward. As soon as they had darted across the street he pulled a thermal detonator from his belt and launched it into the abbey.

Simultaneously as the captain threw his demolitions device a green trimmed Mandalorian shot out from the adjacent rooftop skyward spitting blaster fire directly down upon the captain. The black armored gloved clenched as its wrist was speared by a bolt of writhing plasma and another one likewise into his cuirass. The captain fell to his back with the thermal detonator descending to the ground with him.

A bright flash pierced everything. No trace of the captain could be seen once the dust began to settle. Nothing but a circumferential scorch from the blast on the ground. Wherever the captain was, he was no longer here.
The Mandalorian with the large flame thrower emerged from the alley, kicking the dust where his would-be dispatcher had himself been dispatched.

“Poor fellow” he whispered to his comrade.

The green trimmed soldier rocketed to a halt on the ground beside him

“There’ll be more”

“Aint that right---”

Rubble kicked over from a pile behind them alerting the soldiers to a presence.

“Come on…its some piss-ant scout. Orders are we’re pulling out of the city, let’s go” One of them commanded to the other.

“Right, where’s Corwal?” The other asked

Immediately the Mandalorian slammed into the wall. His helmet caved in from the impact of the wall. Furthermore chunks from the crackled wall fell down upon the Mandalorian. He was certainly no more.
The other one turned on his heels and took a knee; his rifle steady before him.

“Vigo…Sith presence at my location.” He whispered into his comlink.

More rubble fell, to his left distracting him.

The Mandalorian felt his body gliding. He didn’t even know he had gotten up. He wasn’t gliding. He was flying. But his jetpack wasn’t ablaze he thought to himself. The air above him swirled in a smear. He felt his neck crack as his body slammed into the wall at the end of the alley.

“Wha?” he thought to himself as he found his body unable to respond to his commands.

A dark figure with now stood before him. The radiance of his saber illuminated everything but the dark cloak concealing his face.

“You Mandalorians….when will you learn?” the voice breathed.

The figure brought the saber to a hover just a few millimeters above the Mandalorians green breastplate.
Powerless to do anything, the downed Mandalorian seized up all his remaining courage whilst he felt the descending saber blade slowly whittle a hole through his armor, his flesh and finally through his heart.

So far the war had cost the house of Odan-Urr a lot. Not just in lives, but in what they had built here, on this world. The trust they have formed with natives and settlers alike. It was all the House could do, to hide at this point, hoping that the tided would turn in their favor. So far, with the help of the Mandalorians and the droid army, they had staved off the initial wave of Dark Jedi. They still a fighting change, but that was about to change however. The combined Jedi-Mandalorian forces were being repelled by the far larger forces of the Brotherhood.

Kaira stood at the edge of a cliff, looking over a valley just outside the capital city, Menat Ombo. She had heard word; the abbey was back under their control, but there were still many difficult battles to be won. In her imagination, it seemed as if this very dale itself was going to be the stage for that final act. The forces of the Brotherhood had already begun gathering on the valley floor.

She reasoned that they might have a shot to tip the scales into their favor, with some luck at least. The female Jedi slowly turned her head towards her mentor, Ji, seeking his opinion on the matter.

“It would seem we have a choice to make, Ji. There have been reports that the Brotherhood has begun to fight amongst themselves. I say we fuel that fire. They can’t fight us and each other at the same moment. There must be a way to divert their attention towards each other, instead of to us” Her voice sounded hoarse, the result of tedious battle cries during the war.
The corners of Ji’s eyes pulled upward. Kaira imagined him having a faint smile on his lips, hidden behind his respirator. Kaira did have a point, though it was far from a solid battle plan.

"If we could salvage some gear from fallen Brotherhood soldiers, we could send in some of our troops in disguise. If they cause a commotion, it might just give that little push for them to turn on one and other. Though we'd have to find a way to get them inside the camps."

Kaira started thinking, but no ideas came to her mind. Ji, sensing the frustration that was slowly boiling in her, placed his hand on her thigh in an effort to calm her down.
“Let us discuss these matters with your fellow summit members, Kaira. They just might have a solution to this minor problem.” Ji’s voice was soothing, and Kaira’s fizzling slowly stopped.

All the Rollmaster could hope for now, was that they didn’t send in someone without the needed experience. Though attachment was not the Jedi way, none of them were expendable. Kaira knew she couldn’t go herself, as a former member of Plagueis she had little doubt that they’d either spot or sense her infiltration immediately. Koga was down there, she could feel her ex-husband moving about. She felt the hatred slowly consuming him. A tear softly swelled in her eye, unbeknownst to her.

“Be mindful of your feelings, Kaira. They could drag you under. Drag you back … to the Dark Side” Ji’s words held weight, but she couldn’t help but feel pity for her former lover.

Both of them turned around, bent on meeting up with Jonuss and Quejo. Kaira cleared her mind and slowly regained control over her emotions as she followed her mentor back to the command tent they had set up. It would not take the Dark Jedi to find their location, she just hoped that they’d have their plans in place before such a thing occurred.

Deep within her mind, she hoped that the Brotherhood would bring about its own defeat in this war. Enough blood had already been shed on the once peaceful plains of New Tython

Elleron glared at the Jedi surrounding him warily. The war had made him edgy. As one of the more powerful Guardians in their midst, he had stayed back in the city a little longer than he should have. He had still managed to meet up with Ji and Morotheri and the group of refugees they had evacuated and followed everyone back to safer grounds, but with each kill, each minute of fighting, Elleron’s dark side had grown stronger. It was taking a lot of concentration to maintain control over his body. It was tiring, and while he normally felt it necessary, the war had opened his young eyes to a number of hard truths. Elleron believed very strongly that everything centered around the choices people make, and his personal struggle with his parasite was most difficult.

Most of the others could sense this conflict. Some of them had wise words to try and guide him down the ‘right’ path, and others kept a careful eye on him, fearing he might turn against them. Strangely enough, however, Denath did not seem interested in aiding the Brotherhood. Elleron briefly wondered why as Ji and Kaira approached the High Councillor. This could be important, Denath pointed out. Move a little closer. His host ignored him. You’re being very childish about this, Elleron.
How can you not see how horrible this is? A faint warm feeling was Denath’s mocking reply. You’re just as bad as the rest of the Brotherhood.
Hardly. You’re not the only one struggling with choices. In the days of Lord Arcona, loyalty was considered the most valuable trait one could possess.

High Councillor Jonuss Rai waved Elleron over. “Elleron, Ji believes that we may be able to sow some infighting within the Clans if we can capture some of their gear. Is that something you could help us with?”
“Won’t you need me for the fighting?” Jonuss shook his head slowly.
“This may be more important. Plagueis knows that Denath is possessing you, and they know that he could be a powerful asset if he could be returned to them. If you could pretend to be Denath, they might accept your surrender.” The boy’s face turned grim. He did not like this plan.
There isn’t much choice, Denath assured him. You need me for this. His expression flashed between a few different emotions. Finally, he made his choice. The boy’s eyes darkened.

“Consider it done. I’m sure that Koga will consider me a prize, since he and I were friends for a while. Clan Arcona still considers me a traitor for having destroyed House Qel-Droma and turned to Plagueis – if they see me in someone else’s ranks, I’m sure they’ll do what any true Arconan would.” Denath smirked at the Summit. They gave each other a wary look. “Don’t worry, I’m nothing if not loyal, but if anyone’s coming with us tell them to keep their distance – I’d hate to have to prove where my loyalties lie to any other House by making an example out of them.”
Let’s make things interesting, Denath gloated.

The Summit continued their discussion as Denath turned and left. “I don’t think we can trust him,” one of them said.
“He’ll keep the word he’s given,” Kaira vouched. She was not alone in hoping she was right.

Tyre gazed at Elleron as he left. If the summit hadn’t discussed his situation so openly a minute ago, he doubted that he would have sensed the turmoil the man felt. When Jonuss turned his head to face him, the young Umbaran snapped to attention. The young boy recently received a field promotion for his accomplishments in the war, but he did not come out unscathed.
His left eye was completely missing, burned out by the savagery of the Dark Jedi. He was lucky enough to have escaped with most of his life intact, though it took a grim toll on his mental state. Though he saw himself as a gray Jedi, he never was one to have his actions fueled by the Dark Side, not completely anyway. Yet he had given in to his emotions brashly in order to survive.

“Tyre, be careful with the Dark Side of the Force. It has the nasty habit of dragging you in and drowning you in its malevolent currents.” Jonuss, probably better than anyone present, knew the workings of the Dark Side.

“Perhaps, but I still believe that we should not shut out our emotions but try to control them. If I am fortunate enough to stay alive after this war, I will meditate on that.” Tyre was headstrong, maybe even stubborn, when it came to his views on the Jedi ways.

Yet Jonuss was right, the seduction of the Dark Side was strong and it’s temptations had caused many great Jedi to fall into despair over the past four millennia. Tyre’s thoughts shifted back to Elleron. He hoped Kaira was right about him, that he would be able to resist the temptations of power.

Quejo slowly rose from his seat, drawing the attention of everyone present. While Elleron would work on infiltrating the Brotherhood’s forces, the remainder of their forces would need a solid strategy to catch the Brotherhood off-guard.

Morotheri called upon the Force to allow him to peer down the filthy war-torn streets leading out of Menat Ombo. He had recently been instructed to check on the Mandolorian defense that had been holding key checkpoints around the western sections of the city from Brotherhood forces before returning to recieve new orders while Elleron was away on his task. He had also recieved word that the Abbey was back under the banner of Odan-Urr, but for how long?

So this is what has become of New Tython. It seems the war-effort is worse than we all feared.

The Miraluka made his way past ruined buildings and bodies of the slain, both Brotherhood and Mandolorian alike to a rough stone barricade created from a round cyllindrical toppled structure in which the Mandolorians have used as a defensive position. The toppled building was large enough that the Mandolorians have set up a temporary barracks inside of the fallen structure. A dozen injured Mandolorians lay on rough beds as others tended their wounds. Morotheri was suddenly approached by a grey-clad Mandolorian with a slightly dented helmet.

"This way, Master Morotheri. Our Alor'ad is waiting to speak with you." instructed the Mandolorian through his helmet as they passed in between the beds of the injured. Moans came from those who had been awaiting treatment. Both Morotheri and the Mandolorian passed into a small cloth tent within the structure.

"Hello, Morotheri, I believe? I am Lar Rya, Kal Regimental Commander. Verd'ika, if you could see to the wounded please." "very well, Alor'ad." Replied the grey-clad Mandolorian as he exited the premises. Morotheri noticed that she was a Zeltron, and bore navy blue armour. Beside her was a table of assorted maps and orders, as well as a helmet.

"I was sent here by Grand Chancellor Jonuss Rai to check on your defense, as well as supply you with anything you need."

The Zeltron picked up a blood-stained letter and battle plan copy and passed it to Morotheri. "Take this to Jonuss, we are holding our defense... for now. Until then, I have a small company of reinforcements on the way." She smiled as he turned to leave the tent, and return to Jonuss. His task was complete... for the meantime.

Suddenly, a large portion of the barricade gave way, revealing a large Brotherhood force of soldiers. Mandolorians scrambled as the sought to close in on the gap. The few wounded able to fire a weapon hid behind piles of rubble, aiming their sights to the dust-covered opening. His lightsaber ignited as green and red flew across the structure. The Mandolorians were outnumbered, that was apparent, but the Brotherhood forces lacked the upper hand in terms of training and experience. Morotheri ran across the building towards the gap, where he had decapitated a brotherhood soldier and sliced the arm off another. He looked back at his comrades, where he saw the body of the grey-clad mandolorian who had escorted him to the Alor'ad. Lar Rya was still unscathed as she took cover behind a broken pillar that was once used to support the inside of the structure and opened fire with dual blaster pistols firing a stream of death in it's wake.

Morotheri would stay and defend the Alor'ad and Mandolorians, until help arrived or both himself and the Mandolorians met their end in this struggle. Should they fail, the Brotherhood will surely occupy Menat Ombo completely.

Remember what I told you, Elleron. You have to time it precisely. No matter what else happens, boy, stick to the plan. Our survival depends on it.

A pair of Plagueian soldiers dragged Denath across the field, coming to a halt before dumping him unceremoniously in the dirt. One of the soldiers raised his stolen lightsaber and tossed it towards an approaching figure, cloaked and hooded, who snatched it out of the air with the Force. “This is the prisoner we reported, my lord,” the soldier announced with a respectful salute. The figure tilted his head, examining Denath as he rose to his feet.
“This will fetch a nice price,” the cloaked and hooded figure commented as he slipped the lightsaber into his robes. “You wished to negotiate the terms of your surrender?” Denath noddedly mutely. “And you said you had some information for me. Some information I am most eager for.” Denath smirked as he took a single step forward. One of the soldiers grabbed him roughly and threw him to the ground, aiming his pistol in his face.
“You’re first,” Denath whispered.
“Let him speak!” the mysterious figure announced. “I want to know everything he knows. Start with why I should even trust you.”
“Because I am Denath.” The teenage boy returned to his feet, lifting his chin arrogantly towards the Plagueian Dark Jedi. “And I can have Kaira chained and brought before you within the hour.”

Koga Kage pulled back his hood.

“Well, well. I had hoped you’d taken on a more impressive host than your last one. I suppose you are a little taller.” Koga probed him with the Force. “My sources told me that you could not control your host. That your host was a Jedi Knight, and that you were just a newt in the pond.”
“I got better.”
”There is still the problem of confirming if I’m speaking with the Knight or the newt... you’ll need to prove who you are.” Koga glanced at the soldiers pointedly. They doubled over in pain. The one who had stolen his lightsaber was hurled back a few meters as Denath swung his arm at the other, lashing him with the Force. The main screamed as his arm shattered. Denath lashed out again, striking him to the ground as the other soldier began to choke, grasping at his throat in desperation. The soldier with the broken arm stared helplessly at the prisoner.
“I told you, you would be first.” Koga smiled as Denath raised his hand, fingers hooked like claws.

“Do we have a deal?” Denath asked Koga as he approached. Koga nodded slowly. “I will need to return soon to avoid suspicion.”
“I’m sure you do, but I know you’re trying to play me.” Denath and Elleron let themselves feel a brief wave of chagrin. “We are coming with you.”
“Unacceptable,” Denath proclaimed. “If I was seen leading your army, they’d know what I had done.” Koga smirked and shook his head. “Let me go alone. I’ll subdue her and bring her here.”
“Come now, Denath, I know your smarter than that. What’s your real game here?”
“No tricks. I’m smart enough to not try and return to the Brotherhood in the moth-eaten Jedi and Rebellion starships on this dump. I want to return to Plagueis.” Koga eyed him suspiciously. “I’ll trade you, her and her daughter for my place in Plagueis.”
“I’m not releasing you on your own.”
“Then I’ll take a prisoner of my own, for the sake of appearances.” Koga shook his head. Denath and Elleron let themselves feel frustration. “If you want me to return to the others, it must be without raising their suspicions.”
“So you can play both sides?” Koga sneered. “I think not. You are not leaving Plagueis again. That is the term of your surrender.” Koga ignited his lightsaber. “Take it or leave it.” Denath and Elleron let themselves feel disappointment, uncertainty, then they swallowed it down.
“Very well. The Jedi are this way.”

The forces of House Plagueis surrounded Denath, and they marched together in unison. Koga allowed himself a victorious smile. He could tell by the emotions he had very clearly sensed that he had foiled whatever plan Denath had. The chagrin at being thwarted, the frustration of having no options, the disappointment, and finally acceptance, of his fate... they were felt so strongly, they had to be genuine. Koga was looking forward to Denath leading him to his ex wife. He started revising the proper greeting to use when they met on the battlefield, he started to hunger for the look on her face when she realised Denath had betrayed her to him... the forces of Plagueis followed Denath towards the Jedi of Odan-Urr...

But Denath was leading them to Arcona.

As the battle raged on, there was a diminish in the numbers of Dark Jedi that had come on to face them. The puzzled Jedi took small relief in this, but it was something that they couldn’t linger on; there were still Jedi out there for the attack. Lelila’s arrows gave an adequate defense, but some of the Brotherhood could still make it past her and attack. Thankfully, she held her lightsaber in the same hand she shot her arrows with, and was able to fight them off.

Unfortunately, she was very unexperienced in this sort of fighting, and was knocked off her feet by one of the more experienced Brotherhood members; losing both her bow and lightsaber. Winded with a throbbing headache, she saw the Sith raise his lightsaber to strike, and was about to retaliate with a Force Push when someone clashed their lightsaber with the Sith’s and knocked them back into a group of Sith that were quarreling with each other.

Lelila looked up to see Dest there. “Are you alright, Lila?”

“Fine, thanks,” she said, calling her weapons back to her after she got back on her feet. “What the heck’s going on over there?”

“Looks like old boundaries are once again rising in the Brotherhood.”

“Meaning that the enemies who became allies are now enemies again.”

“Yes.”

“Huh, interesting.” A mandalorian was shot through the gap between the two Jedi. Another Mando threw a hand grenade at the dark Jedi who had pushed the other Mando back- but the grenade was repulsed, heading directly for Lelila.

"Lelila, move!" Dest cried, Force-shoving her back. Lelila was caught off guard, and gasped as she was thrown back. The grenade detonated a few meters from her, increasing the thrust of Dest's push. She hit her head as she landed and blacked out.

When she came to, she had a murderous headache. Grabbing her weapons as she got up, she looked around, but her Master was no where in sight. "Dest? Dest!" She looked in all directions, but couldn't find him anywhere; panicking, she took off towards the cliffs.
Using the Force to accelerate her speed, Lelila found Kaira with Ji on a cliff. "Kaira!"

"Lelila?" Kaira asked, helping the young Acolyte up. "Where's Destavol?"

"We got separated. I have no idea where he is."

Command tent.

Tyre stepped outside the command tent, having just received additional orders from Jonuss and Quejo. The sun was slowly setting over New Tython, the blues and whites being traded in for oranges and pinks in the sky. Kaira was talking to a young Jedi, a girl, 15 years old at most, when she gestured him to join their conversation.

“Tyre, meet Lelila, she’s a new Jedi.” Kaira had a warm smile on her face, hiding her concerns over the war.
The young girl faced the Umbaran. Tyre could feel she was uncomfortable with his appearance, she probably had never seen one of his kind before.
“Do not worry Lelila, he is a Jedi, just like us.” Kaira stepped in
“Not like ‘us’ Kaira, I am not afraid to let my emotions flow or to use some darker methods in combat that most of you shun.” Tyre calmly explained his position as a gray Jedi.
“That aside, I just received orders from the other summit members. I will be taking my leave to gather the militia and some of the Harakoans that are willing to aid us in the final battle.”

As Tyre raised the hood of his outer robes over his head, Kaira placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Perhaps you could take this young Jedi with you, two heads are better than one.”
“I am not a babysitter, Rowella.” Agitation was clear in Tyre’s voice.
“I can fend for myself!” Lelila shouted, her lips thin as knives and her hands balled into fists.
“I won’t slow you down!”
The young guardian sighed and proceeded in the general direction of Menat Ombo. Kaira turned to face Lelila with a warm smile and with a motion of her hand beckoned the young girl to follow him.
--
Menat Ombo.

Morotheri whipped his saber up and to the side, the cerulean blade intercepting the bloodshine weave of his opponent. The Mandalorians behind him were offering fire support from a distance less than three meters. Blue bolts of murder speared past the two duelists, nestling themselves into the bodies of unfortunate journeymen. Morotheri used the opportunity to disengage from a saber lock and leapt backward, safely outside the range of his nemesis.

He felt the light side flowing through his body, giving him focus and tranquility even in this fight against all odds. But the boon of the Force did not stop there. The young Jedi raised his left hand towards the forces of the Brotherhood, releasing a wave of Force energy which knocked two or three off of their feet.

Easy pickings for the Mandalorians, he thought to himself.

Raising his saber as he assumed a basic stance of Banlanth, waiting for the Dark Jedi to strike again, all the while hoping that reinforcements would arrive soon.
--
Owyhyee plains.

Tyre rushed over the plains, Lelila and a handful of Harakoan warriors following a few paces behind him. He had just received word from the summit that one of their members was fending off Dark Jedi in the capital with the help of some Mandalorian warriors. Tyre turned his head to the side, his eyes gazing at the young Jedi girl behind him.
“Lelila, one of our brothers is currently in the capital. I need you to continue gathering the Harakoans, I already had Kaira send you the coordinates of the nearest tribes. I’m going to help Morotheri and recruit whoever is left in the capital.”

Tyre and Lelila split ways; the young Umbaran heading towards Menat Ombo, the even younger girl taking a left and rushing towards the nearest settlement.

Denath led the Plagueian forces along the tree line before diverging towards the main field of battle at an angle. An explosion sounded somewhere off in the distance, and Koga signalled a halt. Denath could feel the first hints of suspicion as the Dark Jedi ordered a scout forward. He glared at Denath until the scout returned minutes later. A group of Arconan soldiers advanced up a nearby hill, firing at an unknown party. “My lord, it appears that the forces of House Revan and Clan Arcona are fighting ahead.”

Denath smirked to himself. As he had hoped, faced with the weaker Houses in separate groups, Clan Arcona had started turning on them one by one. The boy opened his mind to the Force. He could feel who he needed next. Strategos, you coward! I am here and waiting for you. “It appears the battle has spread farther than I thought. Our main camp is on the cliffs.” Denath pointed out the location of Odan-Urr.
“Really?” Koga asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The commander of the Arconan soldiers in the distance ceased fire and tapped his helmet, speaking on his communication device as several Dark Jedi joined him, looking around for something.
“Yes, really. You go through the jungles to the side here, and around about five hundred meters you’ll find a nice clear path.” Koga became immediately suspicious. If that was true, they’d been going in the wrong direction.
“What are you doing, Denath?”
“Being hunted by Arcona. After I was deposed by Strategos, I was declared an Alpha level traitor for the destruction of House Qel-Droma. It is the highest level of traitor in their terminology. They will drop everything – EVERYTHING – to hunt me down. I fled to Plagueis. They poisoned me, so I took a new host. They found me, so I came here, the one place they wouldn’t look. Until now.” An explosion echoed nearby, disorienting the unwary. Koga turned as the rest of the Plagueian Dark Jedi ignited their lightsabers, one of whom was shot down. The Arconans had received their orders. Koga snarled at Denath, but had to defend himself from the volley of fire slung by their new enemies. Arconan Jedi sprinted towards them and vaulted into the fray.

Denath watched as the two Dark Jedi groups fought, then slammed several of them to the ground with the Force. The unarmed teenager ran, making use of the distraction to bolt into the tree line like a rabbit pursued by wolves. Koga staggered to his feet, a look of fury and frustration on his face. More Arconans flooded in, and he turned to defend himself. Denath had escaped both Houses, for now...

Lelila had found her way into the middle of a small Harakoan village. It was the closest settlement she came upon when she left Tyre. The moment she got there though she felt something different... then it hit her. There was way too many minds around for such a small village. As she came around a few of the huts she ran right into a large group of Harakoan men. The oldest one bowed to Lelila. “Young Jedi, we are here to serve. Our people are ready to fight for our homes.”

Lelila was a bit surprised at first but nodded. “Yes, I came to find warriors. “

She turned as she waved to them to follow her. It was not until they were out of the village that Lelila saw just how big this group was. It was thousands of Harakoans. This was a welcome surprise to her and she was sure Kaira would be thankful as well. For now though her thoughts were on the war at hand and she was going to the battle – the last battle of the war she hoped.

Meanwhile Kaira was busy on her own battle team. There was a number of Jedi still at hand that were going to fight in this battle. She had the elders and some of the younger Jedi at her side as they made their way to meet up with a few of the others still left of their own troops. They were about to go into war, the last great battle for their home and the right to live. Kaira knew that the dark Jedi of the clans hated the Jedi. This battle would see the outcome of the war.

As Kaira meet up with thier troops Quejo took charge. He broke them down into smaller groups with a elder Jedi in charge of each group. It was as they were just about to split up when Lelila showed up with the Harakoan army. This brought a bit of a smile to Kaira’s face. “Now we go to War.”

The tribes were very boisterous over this and were ready to fight. Quejo nodded to Kaira. “Take charge of the Harakoans. Break them down to three units. You wil head one, I will head one and Jonuss will head one. May the force be with us all.”

Kaira nodded and pulled Lelila to her side. “You stay with me the rest of the war. I don’t want you to leave my side, is that clear?”

Lelila nodded as they took off with a very large group of warriors in tow. This was going to be a very interesting battle. They had the Mandalorians and droid armies still out there and Elleron had Plagueis about to encounter Arcona. Neither the House or the Clan liked each other. It would be interesting to see how that played out, but Kaira wouldn’t be anywhere near that. She had her orders to try and rout Revan to go after Tarentum.

Debris rained from the ceiling as the battle raged on. Both sides had lost a great portion of their forces, especially the Brotherhood. But for Morotheri, the battle seemed neverending. The Mandolorians and Alor'ad held their ground, firing death upon their enemies while Morotheri prevented a full-on charge from the Brotherhood's forces. Morotheri's azure blade came to a halt as he engaged in yet another saber lock with his opponent, and sent a wave of Force energy towards the other Dark Jedi. It was only a matter of time before the Miraluka would make a fatal mistake. His constant use of the Force had taken a toll on him throughout the defense.

This cannot go on forever. There must be SOME end to them.

Suddenly, The Dark Jedi struck at Morotheri's face with a force-augmented kick that sent him into a pillar of stone. Blood dripped from the Miraluka's face as the pillar toppled. Stunned and bleeding, Morotheri licked the crimson liquid near the corner of his mouth and attempted to regain focus as his other adversary leaped at him, determined to land a killing blow. The crimson blade came to a stop in front of the Miraluka's face.

Tyre Arvalis.

The Umbaran's green lightsaber cut through the air as he engaged in a duel with the Dark Jedi. Each attack made by the Dark Jedi was parried effortlessly as Tyre assumed the stance of Makashi. The Umbaran disarmed his opponent, kicking him down and engaged in a saber lock against the Dark Jedi's ally, who had rushed into his comrade's defense. As both of them fought what seemed to be an endless clash of sabers, Morotheri recovered to his feet. An explosion echoed through the damaged structure as a host of Jedi and Mandolorian reinforcements let forth a battle cry as the defenders cheered in relief at their arrival.

"It's good to see you, friend." Called out Morotheri, who was now in a duel with one of the Dark Jedi.

Lar Rya fired a rapid stream of destruction towards the Brotherhood forces as they charged in return. The Jedi reinforcements cut down a large host of Brotherhood soldiers as the Mandolorians employed grenades and fire to deal with large clusters of soldiers. The two Dark Jedi, realizing their defeat, disappeared through the opening from whence they came as their forces were slaughtered.

Menat Ombo was safe. The Acolytes of Urr would live to fight another day.

Finally tired out, Denath’s mind slipped away, leaving Elleron in control of the body. His eyes cleared, and he came to a halt, trying to sense what was happening around him. He could feel several Jedi nearby... Odan-Urr Jedi! He glanced over his shoulder to check for signs of pursuit and allowed himself a minute to catch his breath before making his way towards the nearest familiar lifesign.

Jonuss marched in the lead of his group of Harakoan warriors, his lightsaber at the ready. The faint sound of blaster impacts came from the side, and he directed his forces to investigate. Elleron came bolting ahead of them, blaster fire pursuing him. With a mighty cheer, the Harakoans charged into battle as Elleron used the Force to jump into the heights of the nearest tree. A squad of Plagueian troopers ran into view and tried to aim their rifles at him before turning to stare in stunned surprise at the Harakoans. They tried to open fire, but they only managed a handful of clumsy shots that Jonuss swatted away before the frontline of natives swarmed them. Elleron quickly climbed down. “Are you all right, Elleron?” He nodded, panting.
“Yeah... yeah, I’m... ok... need a minute... Good timing.” Jonuss chuckled to himself.
“Do you have a spare weapon?” the boy asked. “Koga... stole mine.”
“Koga?”
“Long story...” Some of the natives thrust spare spears towards him, and Elleron gave Jonuss a hopeful look. Jonuss shrugged apologetically. “Ok... lets go... we can catch Plagueis and Arcona fighting each other... in about four hundred meters.” Elleron took a spear and joined the war.

--

A crackle of thunder sounded overhead as the cloudy sky opened up, crying from the slaughter beneath her. Blaster fire found its mark, shooting down the damned Arconans. Eiko had been expecting some form of treachery from Zandro’s forces, and had given his own army instructions to fire on the first sign of trouble. Trouble there had been. As expected, the rogue Clan Arcona was exploiting the size of their army to engage some of the lesser Houses in an effort to exterminate them. According to the latest intelligence, Naga Sadow – located on the far side of the plains – had then turned on Arcona’s exposed flanks. It had become a general melee, with the various disparate Houses and Clans no longer able to contain their hatred and enmity with each other. After all, could the Dark Council really know which lightsabers had belonged to Light Jedi?

Kaira Rohana, her violet blade at the ready, looked down on the rear side of House Revan’s forces. She swallowed down her fear as she plotted out the best course of action. If they cut a diagonal wedge through the Revan army, the army would have to face them and Arcona on two fronts. By the looks of things, the Arconans had not committed enough forces to be a major problem for her. She whispered a silent prayer to the Force, to allow her to live through this battle, to see her precious Kystal once again. It was a naive gesture, she knew, but she braced herself with all the courage she could muster as she raised her lightsaber and waved it forward, signalling the charge.

--

The war was in full force, he could sense it. Sighing with the burden of making such necessary decisions, the old man turned his face to the sky. He had only hoped he had chosen the right time to reveal himself, to purchase a ceasefire for the Jedi of Odan-Urr. As horrible as the war had been, it was a necessary evil, a great step along their development. Sometimes the old man pondered the whisperings of the Force. Sometimes it asked too much. He opened his mind and reached into the stars. My apprentice, halt your armies. I am here.

Darth Ashen smiled to himself. The bait had been taken. “What losses have the Houses suffered?” the Sith Lord asked.
“Very significant, my Lord. Clan Arcona turned on Revan, Tarentum and Taldryan as we expected, but now they’ve engaged Plagueis for reasons unknown. Naga Sadow has taken advantage of the confusion, but now there’s a new problem. A very large army of natives have swept the battlefield from all sides, catching all the Houses by surprise.” The Dark Lord of the Sith stared out of the transparisteel at the almost peaceful display of fighters, bombers and capital ships which danced their way through the ocean of space. One of his many objectives had been to weaken the Clans and Houses, to solidify the Dark Council’s place as rulers of the Brotherhood. He could not, however, let them become too weak. An emperor without an empire was nothing more than a footnote in history.
“Order every House and Clan to withdraw from the field of battle, or we will open fire on them from orbit. They’ve served their purpose.” Shin’Ichi glanced towards Darth Ashen.
“Does this mean he is here?” His brother turned and left the bridge without reply, cold anticipation running through his mind. Shin’Ichi began relaying the orders, noticing that one of the Houses had already decided to retreat.

--

Quejo slashed his way through the far flank of Tarentum. If everything was going to plan, Kaira should arrive on the other flank soon. Caught between the two groups, the Brotherhood forces could be subdued into surrendering. Without warning, the Brotherhood forces slowed down, stopped fighting each other and began to withdraw. A beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and Quejo looked up at a transport as it tore towards the field.

Kaira watched as the remaining Revan forces, now left behind her small army, ceased fire and fled to lick their wounds. The Tarentum force nearby had also ceased fire, save for a few shots in self defense. Confused, she glanced upwards as she heard the sound of shuttles tearing through the sky. With a great cheer, the natives of New Tython raised their spears into the air...

Elleron and Jonuss stood back to back, bouncing away shots fired by the Arconans. The boy had stolen a red-bladed lightsaber from a nearby body, and their part of the fight was going well. The Plagueians had already fled before they arrived, but now came the hard part. Arcona would be relentless in their pursuit of him, unless they ceased fire for no apparent reason and turned tail and ran. Elleron turned to the High Councilor, thoroughly confused. Jonuss removed a communication device and tried to hail the others. “Are the Brotherhood forces retreating?” he asked.
“Yes, High Councilor,” Kaira’s voice replied. Transports broke the sky overhead on their journey towards the surface. Elleron smiled wearily. “It looks like it worked. They’ve weakened each other to the point where we can wipe them out.”

Another transport, colored purple and black, breached the clouds as a cheer of victory started nearby. At long last, the day would end on a good note.

--

The Fallen Spear plummeted through the atmosphere of New Tython towards its destination. Darth Ashen, his face unreadable, stood in the bay. His hunger, ravenous as a black hole, had lead him here. He had been waiting for this one moment for so long. One year ago, he had spared New Tython. One week ago, he had sprung the trap. One hour ago, he had boarded his transport, the Fallen Spear. One lifetime ago, he had considered this man a Master of the Force. A great teacher. A leader. The fates were not without a sense of humor, it seemed.

The bay opened itself to the tumultuous winds of re-entry, tearing at the Sith Lord’s cloak ferociously. The Dark Lord of the Sith surveyed the land below him. In the distance, he could see the battlefield, like a cloud of ants scattering towards pre-designated evacuation sites. Shuttles and transports breached the clouds, tearing sun-filled holes as they hastily made their way to the battleground. However, there was only one place on this planet the Dark Lord was interested in.

Sable eyes narrowed, focused on the old man below. Grey hair, simple robes, a deceptive air of peace and tranquility. Darth Ashen dived off his ship toward the soil, grasping his lightsabers and landing before his former master.

“My apprentice...” Eojin greeted him.
“No longer.” With a wave of his hand, Muz emphasised the termination of their relationship. The old man sighed. He had expected as much. He watched the rain as it slid down his former apprentice’s leather cloak. He pushed back the hood of his robes, staring at the fallen man before him, the Dark Lord of the Sith.
“We are the same, you and I,” he declared as he shrugged his arms free of his outer garment and pushed his cloak back. “You’ve killed more Sith than any Jedi ever has.”
“And now I have my reward. They will leave this place, the rest of their armies intact. But you, old man... you will not leave this planet alive!” Muz ignited his weapons, the gold and purple blades hissing at the pattering rain.

Eojin took a deep breath and reached to the Force. The shatterpoint he had sensed had arrived. Everything had lead to this – the settlement of Harakoa by the students of Ylenic It'kla, the annexation of New Tython, its invasion by the Brotherhood... Eojin had been hiding here, on New Tython, waiting for the right chance to purge the galaxy of his former apprentice. Recommending it to the students who had fled the Battle of Hoth. Posing as a spirit to the tribes of the Harakoans, to prepare and warn them of the impending war. Influencing the Tythonians to reactive their supply of droids in fear of the Jedi. And now that all the pieces of the board had been moved, he had led the Dark Lord of the Sith into a trap.

He ignited his turquoise lightsaber. It was time for the battle that would end this war between them. Muz gloated before him, awaiting the first move, so confident in the perfection of his plan. Eojin glared at the abomination.

“The outcome of this fight has not been decided yet!”


THE END