Battle of Coruscant: The Capital

[Soverin]

​

The muffled drone of blasterfire shepherded Rosh through the upper chambers of the Rotunda, cutting through the senate chamber itself to quicken his route to regroup with the rest of the Republic's forces. As he noisily trekked along the metallic halls he considered the next steps after this. How would the Republic recover? Grim words echoed out to him,

Its been a pleasure, Commander.

he knew exactly what that mad warrior was about to do.​

I’m sure I’ll be a pain in your ass in the future. Remember me and remember this day. Remember I am Mandalorian. True Mandalorian, for better or worse,

She departed to no response from the commander, but her words had put his mind to a hard task. The Mandalorian people would face repercussions for their actions even if it seemed as if the universe were trying to show him the injustice of his anger. What was a true mandalorian? What was their aim? How could they be trusted? -- all thoughts that permeated his mind. Conquest; more barbaric tribes seeking conquest for archaic purposes. The anger of trillions of anguished souls, an entire planet, was manifested in him. He wanted to accept Talia's words, use them to rise stronger from this, but he had already made his decision even before the woman's cryptic reminder. On that day Mandalore had made a very powerful enemy.

/Attention attention, all Sith, you have five minutes to find cover before my guns
train on the target supplied by Lord Cain. I would prefer not to blow you to pieces./
​

The words jumped out from the jacked transponder module nestled under his arm. The commander quickly picked up his pace, arriving onto the Republic's side of the Rotunda door breach in just under a minute. Perception took him right to Skahl, wading through groups of soldiers too busy to salute until he reached the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, I need a -- " The commander's words choked back as he spotted a nearby communication uplink pack propped against a guardrail. "Orbital bombardment in four" he spoke with that kind of deftly calm that became habitual when overwhelmed with stress. Rushing over he swiped the comm from the pack and adjusted to the frequency of all Republic soldiers nearby,

/This is Supreme Commander Stratakar. All Republic forces anticipate orbital bombardment in four,
Find cover -- I repeat, orbital bombardment in four minutes./

( @Calixis )​

 

[Kori Buor]

The walker that had provided the heavy fire support allowing Asterion, Jacen, and a handful of other defenders reach the capitol, which had helped scatter the massing Sith forces enough for the strike team to make their way in, crashed with a calamitous thud. Drawing Asterion's attention for a hot moment, the man in the Mandalorian armor noticed that the Sith forces were starting to regroup and that he would soon be cut off if he pushed forward to the building's atrium. Though he wanted to make them pay dearly, Asterion wasn't that suicidal. Firing several bursts at the regrouping attackers, the Wanderer gunned down a handful of Sith, SBZ, and Mandalorian warriors. His rifle ran empty and the man began reloading it when he heard the shouting coming from the two warriors dueling each other.

That's when he looked and saw who Talia was. The narrow, sharp lines of her face, the high prominent cheek bones, the hauntingly piercing and cold blue eyes of her, eyes which were now filled with equal parts rage and sadness, anger and pity. Time froze for him. His legs became weak and his knees gave out as he collapsed to the ground. Images rushed through his head as though a crashing waterfall made of bits and pieces of fragmented memories hammered his mind's eye. Talia. Talia. He knew that name, it rang as familiar to him, but he could not remember how or why it would.

A blonde girl standing before him in armor two sizes too big and a somewhat tanned face covered in mud as she smiled at him. Asterion recognized the face, it was the girl in the golden locket around his neck. A darkened room, the chittering and clattering noises of creatures unseen leaping up to scythe him to pieces as he and the same girl kicked and punched their way out of a hole. Now he was looking down at her as she lay on the ground, she was older, her blue eyes filled with a familiar longing; leaning down his lips touched hers. His heart soared. Then he was in battle, black robed figures fought him and her, nearby another man was struck by lightning cast by one of the dark figures and an unfathomable rage filled his heart. Now he was fighting that figure with her; a searing inescapable pain and his right arm fell to the ground. She was there again, in his arms, an implacable feeling of dread as the dawn irresistibly approached. A sorrowful and solemn goodbye, his heart breaking as he watched the young woman cry, though she smiled and confessed to him that she loved him. His heart soared again in spite of the pain he was feeling. Then he was in a dark room, shadows cast by the lights of an unseen city, she was there in the shadows, older, her long blonde tresses now black and short, metal piercings filled her ears and tattoos covered her skin, there was shouting, though the words were muffled echoes, she swung her fists at him again and again, but he did not resist or strike back. A hand closed around his throat, his back pressed up against a wall, more tears, bloodshot eyes, and a hurt expression. Then a kiss. More images, intense images. Emotions flowed through his body; lust, desire, passion, love. He held her close, afraid to let go of her. More images passed by him. Then there was a name. A single name that burned through his skull, and with it came all the weight of every emotion attached to it; its intensity unfiltered, uninhibited.

"Moira," his voice exploded from his mouth like an exasperated sigh, tears were streaming down his face, soaking the liner of his helmet, his heart ached with such pain that the man inside the Mandalorian armor thought it had just been ripped out of him. More images filled his mind, most didn't make sense, even the most remarkable ones were disconnected and without context or meaning. There was only one constant throughout all of them. Her. The woman now fighting the Mandalorian, the woman he had met today as Talia, he had met years ago. He recognized her face, and the eyes. Those blue eyes. No matter how they changed, there was a fire inside of them only he could see, only he recognized.

It was only now he realized how heavily he was breathing as he sucked in air through his mouth, placing a hand on the ground to steady himself while the other clenched at his chest before moving to his neck where he kept his locket. Taking it out he stared at the simple gold piece, knowing what image lay inside. Whatever had happened to him, he didn't know, but there was one thing the Wanderer knew; he wasn't going to let that woman get away from him again. Looking up, he saw the Mandalorian she had been fighting with grab her and rocket off. "NO!" He growled as he stood up, "Not this time! Not today!"

Drawing his vibrosword in one hand and his Sunspear in the other, Asterion burst forward in a sprint down the steps to the plaza where she had been taken, shooting and cutting anyone who had foolishly gotten in his way; for he was like a great Bantha bull, knocking anyone or anything in his path aside. He had one mission now. Get to Talia.

@Sreeya @Prudence

 

[Vinny]

Five Minutes

Of all the karking inconceivable... Cain shook his head, now was not the time to lose his temper. He rose, brushing himself off and nearly staggered before being caught by one of his priests. His powers were nearly spent. Regardless, he had a duty to the soldiers under his command-regardless of what the other sith believed. Cain drew on the force, letting it fill his lungs and refresh his body one last time. The chaos of battle had petered out for a second that seemed to last for a full minute. The Sith troopers at the rear of the line immediately began to retreat, the bulk that had crammed itself into the halls of the temple soon began to follow. Cain stood on his own two feet, watching as the front line soldiers fought desperately to retreat from their hard earned position on the stairs.

Lord Cain turned to his priests. He swore violently and pushed the priest holding him up, urging him down the hall. "I will follow. Go!" Cain snarled. The priest did not need to be told twice. Cain stepped past the retreating line of troopers, holding his ground for a few precious seconds. He caught a stray blaster bolt, hurling it back at it's sender with his blade. Cain then turned, and ran.

Cain had never been an athletic sort, not compared to many of the warrior masters of the order. His martial skill was a testament to the amount of raw force power he had supporting his body. That said, bursts of speed were always a bit difficult to get started for the mentalist. He had to dip once, no, twice into the force to gain enough speed to catch up with his retreating legion. They fled toward the dropships, many of which had been damaged or destroyed. Cain's burst of speed carried him out through the front doors and into the rubble strewn concourse. Republic and Sith troops alike had begun to flee, though the republic seemed to have a bit of a loss in momentum.

His cowl fluttered in the wind as he looked for his own route of escape, just in time to have a battle crazed Mandalorian charge him from the left. Cain swore, ducking beneath a bayonette and lunging up, igniting his blade just in time to pierce the man's chest. The man grinned, bearing his teeth, and revealed a fragmentation grenade in his free hand. Cain swore, kicking the man away and leaping with all the force might he could muster. The blast sent him flying several meters, he cocooned himself in the power of the force, but that too gave out after the fourth tumble. A bone cracked in his arm as he hit the ground. His vision blurred from the pain, and he coughed, staggering to his feet. A pair of priests rushing to his side. A chime went off in his comm, thankfully it had survived intact and still in his ear.

"Lord Cain, This is fleet Command. We are now finalizing range calculations, orbital calculations are complete, shot lead vectors are finalizing. Please retreat to a safe distance." Above him, fighters, bombers and gunships were strafing the republic troops, attempting to prevent their flight. A fighter buzzed close to the ground and he could almost smell it's exhaust as it fired two shots near the entrance of the Senate Building. Had he been just a fraction slower...

"Not a fan of action holofilms, are you?" Cain coughed sarcastically into the comm, and hurried to the nearest dropship.

 

[Sreeya]

Talia felt her vibrosword cut into him, hitting her with a sense of satisfaction that was a true testament to her warrior instincts. She thrived off battle, relished in the bloodlust, and she lived for this. Valek couldn’t understand, others that had attempted to love her couldn’t understand. She couldn’t be tamed, couldn’t be controlled, and that lack of control extended to herself. So lost in the bloodlust was she that she missed the small opening Prudii had found in their exchange of blows.

A gasp escaped her as he collided against her and she felt his arms wrap around her lithe waist. Talia was too awkwardly positioned to attack him, her sword extended out above where he was. She cried out in frustration, aiming her blaster at his head and hesitating as he jetted forward and away from the plaza. She landed with a thud with him on top, and she prepared to get him into a ground hold. Her legs worked at once, entwining around his, her exposed face mere inches from his face as her eyes met the T visor, his body firmly locked in place atop her.

As he attempted to move, he would find that he was trapped in her hold as she quickly plotted an attack to knock him out. He had begun talking then, throwing her off her line of thought to destroy him. As he spoke, rage began to show clear as day on her face, fingers twitching as they flirted with the trigger of her gun. She let him finish his tirade before she slammed him directly where he had taken the injury and shoved him off, slashing her sword across his chest as he would tumbled back.

“Don’t act like you’re a martyr, Prudii,” Her voice dripped with venom. She hadn’t missed the quips about Ral, realizing that this ran deeper than he was letting on, “The Sith were following their own agenda. We did the work for them and occasionally had a bone thrown our way. We could have worked to get it all on our own without licking anyone’s boots. And you…you made a promise to me, Prudii. You told me we would never bow before Sith again after Mandalore,” Talia growled as she went in for another attack, swinging her blade across his body once more and firing off a shot with the sunspear aimed at his leg, “You cost me my identity! You cost me my life! I gave up everything I worked for with GAR to take Mandalore with you because I trusted you. I believed in you. I am an enemy within the Republic now, and I did it all to aid a group that kisses the ass of my biggest enemies. This has nothing to do with Ral. This has everything to do with you being a selfish, brainwashed slave to the Sith. You don’t deserve the title you got. You only got it because Ral died and you happened to make a power grab, for no other reason.”

@Prudence

 

[MasterTyvokka]

/ orbital bombardment in four minutes/

"Great, just Kriffin' great." Jacen muttered to himself. The last thing any of them need was a kriffing bombardment. A bombardment that, by the looks of the ships above, would obliterate the rotunda and the surrounding plaza. However, the bombardment would explain the sudden need for just about all of the Brotherhood combatants to be somewhere other than here. This included the Mandalorian, as evidenced by the jet pack, who took off with Talia.

The next Jacen knew he was chasing after the pair of entangled bodies soaring through the air. He wasn't really sure at first why he went after her. Hell he didn't even know her, hadn't met her until he tossed her a bag of explosives. But deep down he knew immediately why. Jacen didn't want to leave a fellow soldier behind. And that's exactly what Talia had become. A fellow solider. A comrade in arms. Jacen wasn't about to abandon her like he felt he had been by the GAR. When Jacen was honest with himself he knew they hadn't truly abandoned him. He had been on a mission deep onto enemy territory, the rest of his squad had been killed, and Jacen had been thought dead. But he didn't want see someone else suffer how he had. That was why he ran after Talia.

Jacen fired the last shots from the SBZ carbine into an enemy soldier. He chunked the useless weapon into the face of another and drew his sword cutting the man down with a swift strike. Because of the bombardment there were not many enemy combatants left to hinder Jacen. Those that were farther away didn't bother impeding his dash. Those that were close enough Jacen cut down.

 

[Prudence]

Talia felt her vibrosword cut into him, hitting her with a sense of satisfaction that was a true testament to her warrior instincts. She thrived off battle, relished in the bloodlust, and she lived for this. Valek couldn’t understand, others that had attempted to love her couldn’t understand. She couldn’t be tamed, couldn’t be controlled, and that lack of control extended to herself. So lost in the bloodlust was she that she missed the small opening Prudii had found in their exchange of blows.

A gasp escaped her as he collided against her and she felt his arms wrap around her lithe waist. Talia was too awkwardly positioned to attack him, her sword extended out above where he was. She cried out in frustration, aiming her blaster at his head and hesitating as he jetted forward and away from the plaza. She landed with a thud with him on top, and she prepared to get him into a ground hold. Her legs worked at once, entwining around his, her exposed face mere inches from his face as her eyes met the T visor, his body firmly locked in place atop her.

As he attempted to move, he would find that he was trapped in her hold as she quickly plotted an attack to knock him out. He had begun talking then, throwing her off her line of thought to destroy him. As he spoke, rage began to show clear as day on her face, fingers twitching as they flirted with the trigger of her gun. She let him finish his tirade before she slammed him directly where he had taken the injury and shoved him off, slashing her sword across his chest as he would tumbled back.

“Don’t act like you’re a martyr, Prudii,” Her voice dripped with venom. She hadn’t missed the quips about Ral, realizing that this ran deeper than he was letting on, “The Sith were following their own agenda. We did the work for them and occasionally had a bone thrown our way. We could have worked to get it all on our own without licking anyone’s boots. And you…you made a promise to me, Prudii. You told me we would never bow before Sith again after Mandalore,” Talia growled as she went in for another attack, swinging her blade across his body once more and firing off a shot with the sunspear aimed at his leg, “You cost me my identity! You cost me my life! I gave up everything I worked for with GAR to take Mandalore with you because I trusted you. I believed in you. I am an enemy within the Republic now, and I did it all to aid a group that kisses the ass of my biggest enemies. This has nothing to do with Ral. This has everything to do with you being a selfish, brainwashed slave to the Sith. You don’t deserve the title you got. You only got it because Ral died and you happened to make a power grab, for no other reason.”

@Prudence

Prudii could feel their bodies intertwining as he hit the ground, the wind knocked out of him. He hadn't been able to rise to his feet, and had instead delivered his speech face to face, as her uncovered face was pressed awkwardly close to his visor. In this moment Prudii was glad that she couldn't see his face, because gazing into her beautiful features one last time at such a close proximity left a look of raw pain across his face. She took advantage of his time to speak and tossed him off of her, slamming herself into the wound he had already taken. As soon as he was untangled from her he could feel her blade slashing across his chest, shattering his right chest piece and cleaving his ab plate in two. Prudii went tumbling across the permacrete, only to roll to his knees and look up at her.

Talia's words didn't help calm that rage, and instead fanned it, causing him to give into emotions that he had long thought he controlled. She took time to shout at him, giving Prudii a moment to catch his breath and prepare. With his left hand he reached for his thigh, withdrawing his own sunspear as she spoke about how he had betrayed her. Talia knew Prudii better than anyone else, and she was using that knowledge to tear him apart. She was using a life time of failures, of mistakes and of deep hidden insecurities to break him apart both emotionally and physically. Prudii still hadn't come to terms with whether or not he could kill her, but as he saw her charging something inside him snapped. A primal instinct to stay alive which had preserved him this long. If Talia didn't want to consider them friends then there was no reason for Prudii to hold back for hope that she would could to. He raised his own blade, catching hers and holding it at bay. She fired her pistol directly into his thigh plate, but he just took it. The plate slammed back into his leg, likely bruising it, but that wouldn't delay Prudii. Instead he raised his left hand which was still clutching his sunspear. He fired a single shot into her own gut, not enough to kill her but hopefully enough to punch through her armor and stop her rampage. Meanwhile he drew his leg back and unleashed a hellish kick, directly where his shot had landed.

Even as she was charging he could hear her fanatically screaming at him about how she had lost everything, had lost her new identity and her life due to him. Her words, like her frenzied attack, were growing more desperate in a more frantic attempt to hurt him. He could see the pain flashing across her face now too, even as he kicked her to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see two individuals who had been aiding Talia rushing towards them . Prudii fired two stray shots in their general direction, turning his head to face them, "BACK THE HELL OFF." He growled, his helmet projecting his growling voice across the battlefield. "This is between her and me." Content for the moment Prudii turned back to face her, to face his friend. Prudii had taken a lot of blows from Talia across the years. He'd overlooked a lot of the abuse that she'd thrown at him as deserved, and he'd even been doing that in this fight. When it came to damn near anyone in the galaxy Prudii would stand up and fight for himself, but he always felt lesser when he was around her, like a constant need to appease her. That had died just now, however, as she spat insults wildly at him. She had wanted to hurt him, to slash her sharpened vibroblade words through his heart, and she had succeeded. Prudii stood over her now and looked down, "If you wanted a fight you've got one. Get up and fight me, bitch."

 

[Sreeya]

Talia had already sustained injuries from earlier, before she had even arrived at the capital. Her armor had taken blows, the back of her armor punched in and shoulder plates damaged. She had taken a few blows to the chest, but she kept fighting nonetheless. She saw Prudii slam back and take a direct blow to his torso, his armor torn up as he scrambled to get up. Talia didn’t ease off on her attack, powered by hatred.

Something had changed in him then, though she couldn’t see his gaze. As he rose from the blow to his body, he met her swinging blade right away. Talia noticed all too late that he had also raised his blaster and leveled it. She barely had time to activate her repulsorboots and skid back, only to take a heavy blow to her abdomen. The blast of the sunspear threw her bodily back several feet and knocked her to the ground. The bolt shattered through her armor, burning through her skin. She gritted her teeth, grunting and punching the duracrete to contain the desire to scream. She was shaking from rage now, the last bits of her own hesitation dissolving.

Pains from earlier began to take over her, her chest beginning to ache from the blows from the streets. She heard him spit out his words as she slowly began from rise to the ground, his words causing a pained, slow chuckle to escape her, “Good…to see you….take off your leash. Extends all the way…from…Korriban,” Her laugh grew loud as she spat on the ground, a glob of blood splattering the duracrete as she rose to stand, “Good to see your….balls drop… I was beginning to have doubts.”

She coughed and spat again, shaking her head as she took her helmet off, slamming it to the ground with a thud. She rushed towards him again, swinging her blade across his torso once more. However, right as he would inevitably intercept her, she activated her repulsorboots to give her an abrupt lift and force his arm up. Her free hand came up then, unleashing a blast of fire into his exposed torso at point blank range where the armor was damaged, “I hope this was worth it! I hope this was all part of your plan!” She cried out at the top of her lungs, her voice hoarse from weakness that began to take over her.

@Prudence

 

[Prudence]

theme​

Prudii was limping now as he approached where Talia lay on the cold ground. As she punched the ground, groaning and shaking Prudii nearly had to double over from a cough. The two of them, though both relatively young, were in the prime of their lives - and were two of the fiercest warriors the galaxy had to offer. As a result their bodies were both torn apart, close to exhaustion, and utterly broken. Prudii reached for his own helmet as Talia rose, prying it off of his head and dropping it to the ground. He could hear the sharp clink as durasteel met duracrete, cracking the latter. Prudii's face was read, his lips coated in blood and blood dripping from his nose and cheek, where his helmet had hit his face and split the skin when they landed. His eyes were red and dried tears stained his cheeks, as he had forgone trying to stop the tears far earlier. His jaw was set, and though pain was painted across, so too was rage and determination. Her words, though sharp now, were nothing Prudii couldn't handle. These insults were shallow, thrown towards actions Prudii he had taken, and only served to highlight what mental state Talia was in.

Prudii saw the woman leap forward, and he coolly brought his blade to block hers. He hadn't expected that she would pull the trick with her repulsorboots though, and he felt her flames scorch across his chest. The Mandalorian stumbled backwards, his already injured and unarmored chest ablaze with pain and flame. He fell onto his back, activating his jetpack to get him clear of the flames. The pack carried him horizontal across the ground, his armored body skittering across the duracrete before his jetpack ultimately suffered too much damage and one of its boosters blew, sending it careening off of his back into the air, and leaving his broken body lying, heaving, on the duracrete. He pushed off the ground with his feet, trying to slide back even more as he struggled to a sitting position.

"I hope this was worth it to you Talia. Does this make you feel better? Will killing me fill the hole inside you? Will killing a friend make you feel better? Or were we actually friends? I guess I always knew you were too busy with your head up Ral's ass to notice me. Joke's on me, right? Stupid Prudii flew a little too close to the sun." His throat tightened, his eyes brimming once more, "Should've known better." He coughed, his chest screaming at him in pain. He heaved his mouth spewing blood onto the ground, "Does Valek know you just toss guys to the side when you're done with them? Or how easy you're able to kill someone you were close to?" Prudii laughed a sick cackle for a moment before he resumed "Let's hope he realizes the truth before its too late. Talia Al'saif doesn't love people, she just either needs you, or she doesn't."

Prudii cradled his XPC in his arms, and had been ocasionally looking at it during his speech. When he finished he loosely raised the rifle and fired two horribly aimed rounds towards Talia. He hadn't expected to hit her, but it was his last act of defiance. Refusing to die without fighting back.

"I'm sorry I broke your arm Prudii... I've got a bad temper. You know we're really friends right? Friends till the end?"

 

[Kori Buor]

Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. In his chest the Wanderer could feel his heart pounding as he ran forward; each foot placed in front of the other for only a fraction of a second before the extremity was off the ground, pumping into the air like a piston before coming down with a clack against the duracrete and starting the process all over again. Though a cacophony of sound assaulted his ears and threatened to overwhelm him, but the only sounds he could hear was the beating of his heart in his chest, the air rushing into and out of his lungs as he breathed. His muscles burned as he pushed his body to its limits, and though his heart was racing and his muscles strained, the man barely took notice of the discomfort. Everything else seemed distant and muffled as he moved, vibroblade barely whistling as it cut the air before biting into the abdomen of a Sith, Sunspear flashing as he pulled the trigger and shot someone else with a vivid ball of electric sapphire energy. So intense was his tunnel vision that the man in the Mandalorian armor didn't even notice the massive ships forming overhead to bombard his previous position. Nor did he even notice the number of Sith and SBZ warriors trying to intercept them; he simply cut and gunned each down in turn.

Carmine fluid sprayed across his gunmetal and scorched and faded cobalt armor as his Vibrosword extracted the life force from each of its victims. With every sweep, slash, and stab, more of the sanguine liquid painted the ground and his armor; Asterion was like an artist, but the only color he used was red. As another Sith attacked, the Mandalorian raised his ancient Vibrosword to block, the crimson shaft hitting the phrik blade with an electric crackle. With a recovery, the Sith attempted to strike again at the Star Warrior's side which Asterion stepped back from and defended against with a simple downward parry as he aimed his Sunspear right at the Sith's forehead. Depressing the trigger sent another shard of energy lancing into the undefended face of the dark sider. The impact blew a hole in the Sith's face sending scorched bits sizzling to the ground as the Force user fell backwards.

Overhead, a Sith fighter flew down strafing the ground near where he stood. Fist-sized chunks of duracrete and pillars of flame erupted upwards where each laser bolt struck the ground sending Asterion flying backwards from the concussice force. His backplate scraped against the duracrete and sent sparks flying in his wake as he slowed to a halt. His ears rang and his eyes saw pinpricks of light appear then fade across his vision. Shaking his head and blinking several times his vision cleared and the ringing abated slightly, Asterion rolled to his feet with a spring, his adrenaline coursed through his veins with a renewed vigor and potency. Once again he started to run towards where Talia was, now he could see she was on her feet and fighting again, fighting the Mandalorian she had picked out since their arrival at the Capitol building. And again Asterion made to reach her before something would happen which he might have been able to prevent.

Alas, as he drew close he found his path blocked by the flying wreckage of a crashed Republic starfighter. Skidding to a halt, Asterion finally heard more than the beating of his heart and the respiration of his lungs. There was the low, bellowing guttural laugh of a large man standing in sable armor and billowing obsidian robes, his face covered by a metal visage of some beast or creature from ancient legend. In his hand a crimson blade hissed into existence as it extended outwards from the metallic handle. Holstering the Sunspear back into his belt, the Star Warrior gripped his Vibrosword tightly in both hands. With a flourish of his blade the Sith leapt foreward to attack Asterion.

Raising his sword, the Mandalorian blocked the powerful downward swing of the Sith, their weapons crackling for a moment as they met, Asterion's arms buckling a few centimeters from the force of the impact before he recovered and pushed back. This Sith was bigger than he was, stronger, and judging by the way he manhandled his lightsaber, faster too. Without even another moment's hesitation the Sith broke from their lock, using the force of Asterion's push to initiate his follow-up attack where he spun around and attempted to strike at the Mandalorian's right leg. Asterion was barely able to bring his sword down in time before the blood-red blade cut into his thigh and bifurcated it. His Vibrosword blocked the attack, but the sheer momentum behind the attack pushed the Wanderer's blade back and the Sith's lightsaber bit into Asterion's armored thigh for a fraction of a second before the man could recover. Fire and burning pain shot through his legs, Asterion let out a grunt as he clenched his teeth. The memory of fighting a similar black-robed figure shot through his mind again, and how futile it was for him.

Glancing over at Talia, he could see she was still fighting, but looked worse for wear now. Have to get to her. He thought, his inner voice almost animalistic in its nature and reasoning. Suddenly, the man in the Mandalorian armor felt invisible ropes clench around his body as the Sith reached a hand out to him, manipulating the invisible energy currents of the universe to grab ahold of Asterion and pin him in place. With a sudden retching jerk, the man found himself being thrown to the ground, pain shot through him again and he could taste copper as his face hit the duracrete, a thousand thousand pounds of pressure on his back, crushing his body, his eyes slowly going black from lack of blood. Struggling to look up, Asterion could see the Sith laughing at him as he slowly closed his hand down, using the Force to crush his body. This was it. He would die here after just learning a little about himself. Die trying to rescue a woman who could give him answers, who had meant something to him at one point. What a pitiful little existence my life turned out to be...

 

[Sreeya]

Talia clutched her stomach in pain, feeling her breathing grow even more labored as she gazed ahead. The flames had engulfed Prudii till she felt the heat against her face, sweat and blood lining her features. Her hair was matted to her shoulders, fatigue clear as day in her eyes. She heard explosions and the sounds of battle all around them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw familiar faces from earlier try to reach her but with obstacles in their paths.

She prepared to press her attack, weakly raising her sunspear once again to aim and fire. However, before she could pull the trigger, Prudii had begun to slowly speak. Even then, she could see he was severely injured, barely managing to prop himself up. Talia’s face was devoid of emotion as she closed the distance between them, her hand trembling with each sentence he uttered. There was a sharp intake of breath as he mentioned Valek, the very last line he uttered shattering her heart into a million pieces. She stopped in her tracks, the weight of the words almost crushing.

Talia Al’Saif doesn’t love people, she just either needs you, or she doesn’t.

The sentence repeated over and over again in her mind. Her jaw slacked, surprise and pain clear on her face. The words struck her more than any blaster bolt ever could and they dug deep into her core. He was right. He was completely and unapologetically right. She had always maintained her distance despite the countless amount of times others had attempted to love her. She always had her barriers up till the end. It was a reality she struggled with for over a decade. Why did Prudii bring it up now? Why was this relevant? Why did it hurt so bad?

She was too focused on the words to catch what he had been doing. Talia missed the XPC being raised, the bolts flying out in different directions. Two of them hit her side and chest, jerking her backwards. Her immediate reflex was to fire the gun that was already leveled and aimed, the bolt streaking through to hit him square in the chest. Talia remained standing after she scrambled to stay upright, abruptly realizing what happened, “NO!!!” She looked at her gun and looked to him in horror, “No…”

Despite the pain, despite the bleeding, despite the hate, the weight of everything that had transpired just then crushed her. She half limped and half ran towards him, collapsing right next to him, “Prudii….Prudii,” She gasped the word repeatedly, grasping him by the shoulders and forcing his bloody face to look upon hers.

@Prudence

 

[Calixis]

That the Sith were now calling in an orbital bombardment hardly shocked the Lieutenant, considering their rapid and continued escalation of arms it had always been a question of when and not if. What Skahl wished to know were the coordinates that the coming artillery had been provided. The arrival of reinforcements in the plaza had obviously caught the invaders off-guard and likely led to their panicked demands for fire support. It would have absolutely been in their nature to take 'danger close' to new and horrific levels. Whether or not they had chosen to level the Capitol Building wholesale or merely the exterior... well, they were about to find out. The problem that presented itself was whether or not they should abandon their otherwise defensible and held positions for sake of escaping the coming firestorm.

The salute offered to Stratakar had similarly been a brisk, half-hearted attempt, but both men appeared to accept the redundancy of such a formality in the middle of a firefight. Lieutenant Krusair immediately returned his attention to the scene below him and the abrupt withdrawal of the Sith. "Keep firing! Cut them down!" They were coming back, of that much Skahl could be sure of. A handful of their warriors returned fire as they retreated, some Sith kept their front to the enemy and backpedalled whilst deflecting blaster bolts, but most seemed content to flee for their own sakes. There was was enough distance between the invaders and the outside - not to mention their panicked, barely organised attempt at a retreat - that the remaining soldiers and security officers landed their share of shots against turned backs or drowned lingering Sith in overwhelming volleys of fire. Once again, they had held.

"We've got three minutes! Get the wounded down to the lower levels." He allowed himself to inhale a short breath. "Quickly!" They were at least afforded several minutes of breathing room. Skahl was no longer the ranking officer present but he'd seen the defence this far. In his mind, either they could attempt a withdrawal into the lower levels before the bombardment annihilated the Capitol Building, or they could hold their position and hope and pray that the Sith were targeting the plaza exclusively. Considering their odds of survival even if they were to try and retreat downwards, the Lieutenant was banking more on the latter. Still, it was no longer his call to make. Most of the shooting had since ceased, allowing Skahl to finally lower his weapon before turning on his heel and stepping towards Stratakar. With the back of his free hand, he wiped the dirt from his chapped lips, swallowing in an attempt to dismiss the foul copper-taste that permeated his tongue. "What now? ...Sir."

@Soverin

 

[Jason Vaiken]

"This is Admiral Tyradell, hailing the commander of the flotilla Aggression, you are free to do a precision bombardment on the Capitol directly. Whilst the ships in orbit will saturate the plaza. Do as many shots as necessary to bring down the Capitol. Fire the Avenger-seeking missiles when ready as well as those turbolasers."

With that the commander of the flotilla Aggression nods to his gunnery officer and comms officer, "Targets are locked, all ships fire now."

The shots from the flotilla immediately began to pound into the Capitol building while the saturation bombardment hit a few seconds after, the commander of the flotilla couldn't help but gape at the sound of turbolasers hitting a solid target from orbit and the sheer amount of debris that was brought down because of it. To think that this will go on for thirty straight minutes astounded the bridge crew as they watched from their viewport a cloud of dust to cover the area as the relentless and pitiless bombardment continued to pour down on the forces in the plaza. If anything is left of the plaza after this bombardment it will surely be a miracle. Well, until he takes it down with a volley that is. But, all the people can do now is sit and hope they survive this relentless bombardment.

------------------------------​

Saviin has been busy evacuating wounded Mandalorians alongside other combat-medics to a field hospital a few kilometres away from the main battle while she saw the first few volleys of the orbital bombardment come in. Shaking her head, she goes and turns a corner to see her father get shot and holding in a shriek she watches the person who shot him stagger over and desperately try to do something about it. Yet, before she can do anything to help her father she sees a Mandalorian right in front of her get his legs blown off and she desperately tries to save his life, knowing that as long as Prudii's armour remains on his body and if he didn't get hit too badly, he'll be fine by the time she finishes up stopping the bleeding on this poor man's legs.

Spoiler

OOC: tl;dr, the ships up in orbit are laying down inaccurate fire covering the whole plaza and will sustain this fire for 30 minutes. The 20 ships that are in atmosphere are firing their armament directly into the Capitol. None of the PCs can die, but if you're trapped in this blast-radius it will most likely not be pretty for you.

 

[Prudence]

Theme
​

Prudii had been staring her in the eye as he'd spoken, and his words had completely enthralled her. He could see the pain present on her face as each word dug in a little bit more, and it gave him a grim satisfaction. She had verbally assaulted him, and to see the fierce Talia Al'saif stopped by no more than words was a sight itself. Several of his desperate shots caught her on the side and the torso, and he saw the strong woman struggle to stay standing as they burned into her. In a flash, however, Prudii felt his body erupt in even more pain. Every breath he took now was pained and labored, and he hardly could understand what happened. Looking down he saw a smoking hole in his chest, and could see blood now bubbling out of it. His hand rested atop it, weakly applying pressure. His muscular arms refused to apply the strength he knew his body was capable of, as his strength evaporated by the second. Instead he saw crimson blood bubbling around and through his fingers, spilling across his chest. He could feel his heart beating now, growing increasingly sporadic and weak with every passing moment. Every breath he tried to draw was shallow and difficult, sending a shower of pain through his chest.

He felt himself fall back, his body no longer able to hold itself upright. His eyes became distant and glossy as the Mandalorian's mind began to swim with blurred thoughts and senseless images. He could feel himself fading, growing ever closer to death with each shaky breath. He realized now that this was what death felt like, and found it painfully surreal to experience the other end of it after slaughtering so many beings. A man known for his stubbornness began to let go of everything holding him here, for once in his life giving up. That was when he heard her voice, the shrill scream bringing something back to life inside of him.

theme 2 (definitely listen)​

"Prudii.... Prudii Kyramud" the voice was faint, younger than the one he had heard, but still it rang through his head, "I fekking hate you, you idiot." "What the hell did you tell Ral?! I'm going to kill you one of these days! We are not friends." Through the memories, though they were faded, the voice stayed the same. She had tried for so long to tell him, breaking his bones, hitting him, screaming at him, to tell him that they weren't friends, that she didn't like him. He had just been too stubborn to listen to her, and so optimistic as to believe her when she said they were.

​

His eyes fluttered open, locking loosely with the hardened blue eyes staring down at him. He raised a hand, the one he had been holding his wound with, to touch her cheek. He felt the slick touch of her skin as his blood dribbled across her cheek. He coughed, the action causing agonizing pain, "I bet it gets lonely up on that glass pedestal of yours..." He coughed again, this time a thin spew of blood came out of his mouth, washing over Talia's, "You better watch your back out there... the next guy... w-won't be pulling his punches." Prudii swallowed hard, his hand falling from her face and pressing against his chest once more, "You finally got it through my head Moira... I'm sorry... for thinking we were friends."​

Prudii was gasping for air at this point, turning his head to spew more blood, "Its... kinda funny... I always figured you'd be there... w-when I went... but not like this." Another cough sent more blood splattering from his mouth. The battle had died down around them all, and then he heard it. The ground shaking, ear splitting sound of a nearby orbital bombardment. Showers of turbolasers slammed into the capital building, tearing it apart blow by blow. Prudii saw the face staring down at him, and wondered for a moment if he knew how it would end if he would have saved her, and he immediately knew he would have. For one last time, the life long soldier felt the thrum of battle through his chest as each impact send vibrations coursing through his body. His eyes returned to hers once more, and fixed her gaze. His grey eyes which had watched so many others die, now burned hot with pain and hatred as he gazed into her, waiting to hear her parting words to a dying man.

 

[Vinny]

Two Minutes.

Cain practically leaped into the dropship, slamming his already aching shoulder into the bulkhead and cursing once. The mix of priests, soldiers and lightsaber wielding warriors all stared at him, fearful for half an instant. He held on to the metal ring above him for a moment, catching his breath. Seconds ticked by as the Airship lifted into the air and began to move away from the plaza, the concourse stretching across it littered with bodies, living and dead. Cain turned and looked for something, his chest still heaving, he saw it on the opposite side of the dropship. Snapping his fingers and pointing at it he glared at one of the priests who rushed to snatch up the comm device. He held it to his lips.

"Pilot, this is Lord Cain, you are permitted to..." He caught his breath finally, "You are permitted to leave the target area, but go no further, send a signal to our main communications cruiser and alert them that I will be sending out a mass holonet broadcast. Get it done!" He ordered and slumped, tossing the comm to the priest and turning to one of the troopers. "Anyone have a holo-cam?" He asked with a grin. There was a pause, a terrible cold stillness as they tried to process what Cain was suggesting. The adrenaline began to slip from their bodies as sense returned, logic reigned, and they rationalized his plan. One trooper quickly turned to dig out a tactical holocam from the equipment chest, he mounted it on his helmet and took a knee, looking straight at Cain.

One Minute
Theme
The holocam flickered to life, he could feel the subtle light it gave of bathe his face as the dropship came into a stable, stationary position high above and to the south of the plaza. Around them, republic ships were falling. Cain stood framed by the rear of the ship. The Senate plaza was in perfect view and the front of the planetary senate building was on display for all to see. The carnage both in the air and below added drama and action to the shot. Cain, had taken enough time to clean the dirt from his face and adjusting his cowl to properly conceal the force wound on his face. He stood with one hand behind his back, the other on the comm, and raised it to his lips. Cain could hear the countdown coming in through the comlink in his ear. He only had seconds to speak;

"Good Afternoon Citizens of the Republic. I am Lord Cain. As you are probably unaware given that the Republic Government refuses to tell you the truth, Sith forces have taken much of Coruscant. Your idyllic cultural capital has fallen." Cain began, standing up straight and almost picturesque, deciding to shed the veneer of the brooding Sith Lord. He spoke with an even, practical tone; "Instead of asking for aid from it's member worlds or warning them of the situation to prepare for future invasions, your government has chosen to cover up the systemic destruction of countless cultural buildings and locations, the deaths of millions and the loss of one of your most important economic centers. And I am the one who has to tell you." Cain sighed and shook his head. "Your government has harbored a war criminal and wanted traitor and denied it. You have rejected the peaceful outreach efforts of our diplomatic corps, often with violence. Your government lies to you, your government betrays you, your government sends your young to slaughter against forces that would grind them to dust." His voice was almost bitter, like the waste of life disgusted him too. Which honestly, it did. "What is worse, you have allowed the Jedi military machine to take worlds from you. Securing worlds under their own flag in the name of "democracy" and not even deigning to negotiate their return. Tell me, were the Sith lying when they said they would burn Coruscant to the ground?

Consider that, when you prepare to suggest that your so called 'republic' acts in the favor of the people." Just a few seconds left...

"Now allow me to make our intentions abundantly clear." Cain rasped, and gestured behind him, just in time for the first turbolaser slug to crash into a statue in the plaza. Another fell and struck a crowd of fleeing republic troops in the plaza. Then another, and another. The bombardment continued, a rain of green death obliterating the plaza, flattening it and striking the front of the planetary senate building several times. The face of the planetary senate building caught fire and began to crumble. Bodies leaped from the offices on the front end. Cannon fire continued to rain, pulverizing the rubble left behind by the defaced senate building. A near perfect circle glassed over like a mirror in the relentless devastation wrought by the Sith cannons.

After thirty minutes of broadcasting the events, Cain looked back at the Camera.

"I dearly hope that other worlds make the right choice and not waste lives like the Republic High Command did." He hissed, his smile gone. "At least we were honest with you." He cut the feed.

"Get me back to the Aggression and send orders to the recovery crews; I want Mand'alore Prudii found! Then get me in touch with High Command, I must report to Supreme Leader Kyuss and Darth Solum on the success of the operation." He barked, and those on the ship went to work. The rear door closed, and they shot off through the atmosphere. Cain turned back to look out at the planet, the men behind him already working on handling his orders. He could see the city still burning in the distance.

"For you, Coruscant, the day the Sith graced your world was the most important day of your life..." Cain pressed his forhead against the plasteel, the cool surface soothing in an odd way. He bore his teeth at the planet that couldn't hear his departing words. "For me, it was a weekend."

@Prudence @Relent @Calixis @Sreeya @The Star of Chaos

 

[Sreeya]

Talia shakily wrapped her arms around Prudii, keeping him close as she took shuddering breaths from the blows she took to the chest. His words caused her even more pain, and she could feel him grow weaker with each word. “Shhh, Prudii…” She spoke barely above a whisper, biting her lip as she realized what she had done. His words pierced into her heart like daggers, and the anger she felt before was shattered, replaced with nothing but pain.

“You…fool,” Talia gasped out, “We were friends. You…stopped being the boy I knew so long ago. I never forgot about you….never forgot how much you meant to me,” That was when Talia did something she hadn’t done in a very, very long time: hot tears began to squeeze out and run down her cheeks, admixing with the blood smeared there, “….right now…right now in this moment is when you are that boy again… right now when it’s too late,” Tears flowed freely now as she cradled him in her arms.

A bombardment had commenced, and she reailized at that moment that he had purposely moved them away from the battle to save her from harm. The realization was a tremendous blow, and the weight of every bit of her actions crushed her. She closed her eyes, trying to drown out the thunderous noises of all the explosions around her, “None of this was meant to happen….you weren’t meant to become this….I wasn’t meant to be who I am now….I’m so sorry Prudii,” Pain shot through her chest as she had to take deeper breaths through crying, “In the end you are good. In the end you are just someone that made one too many mistakes…I will never forget you,” She tilted her head up to kiss him on the forehead, tasting his sweat and blood mixed into one, “You began as my friend and you will end as such.”

“When will you come back, Prudii?” “What do you care, you only care about Ral.” “Stop that. Please tell me.” “I don’t know, probably never.” “Don’t say that.. I can’t imagine never seeing you again.” “Oh what, are we friends now?” “Always, you idiot.” The laughter between them echoed in her mind, her own younger voice chiming in, “Just come back soon!” Moira hugged Prudii close to herself before he turned and left Mandalore for good.

And so she held him now, clutching him fiercely as she felt his life beginning to slip away. Talia’s tears continued to flow, and she had her forehead pressed against his, feeling his body slowly grow limp. Soldiers and explosions were all around her, most of the remnants from both Sith and Republic sides working to get out of the blast range. The Sith had been warned and were crowding close to her, blaster bolts flying in every direction. Some Sith Lord had begun to broadcast some sort of announcement. Talia paid no heed to any of it. She was in the midst of it all, clutching onto Prudii for dear life.

@Prudence

 

[Kori Buor]

Blackness. All things faded away into the void that swallowed him whole. Sound, time, light, feeling; it all bled away like ink on a wet piece of paper. Asterion was enveloped by the pitch dark of reality. Then finally, everything went still, and there was nothing. Nothing but the utter jet of the empty void which consumed him.

Then, a voice spoke to him.

It was an older voice, aged with the wisdom of years of hard-learned experience, smooth, but deep, like the strings of bass-note instrument. There was a tenderness to the voice that told of caring familiarity with the recipient, but also a cold hardness that spoke of a stern teacher.

Mandalorian's are not bantha, my son. They do not need to be herded, watched over, and protected from the dangers of the world. They are warriors, for the soul of a warrior is born into each Mandalorian child. Each Mandalorian has the soul of a predator. Every Mandalorian is a Tusk Cat or a Nexu, a creature bred and evolved to hunt and kill those weaker than you. Don't forget it. You are a rancor, you are the apex predator of the galaxy. The galaxy will burn under you. Never let anything keep you down. Not the Jedi, the Sith, or the Republic. Rise, my son, rise and rise again, until those who repress you are no more.

Out of the nothings formed the image of a man; tall, built like Vornskr, his light brown hair combed to the sides in a patrician manner, his soft blue eyes gazing straight at Asterion. With his hands behind his back, the man began walking forward as he began to speak again. Again his voice remained smooth and deep, caring and hard, like the calm in the center of a raging storm.

Don't be mistaken, there will be resistance, there will be repression. You have to rise through this all. Rise through the hate and the conflict, rise against the overwhelming powers arrayed against you. Stop hiding from yourself, become who you were born to be. Now, rise.

KA-THUUUM

The ground shook with the force of a hundred thousand hammer falls. Then Asterion realized he could feel the ground again, he could feel the hot, electrified air, smell the ozone, the sounds of explosions, of buildings collapsing and being torn asunder. His eyes opened, and he could see the ground through the visor of his damaged helmet. All across his body, his muscles and bones ached and Asterion felt like he could barely move. Through excruciating pain, the Mandalorian looked up and saw that the Sith had been knocked over from the force of a nearby detonation. Glancing around, the man could see that the plaza was on fire and the capitol was in ruins; the Sith were bombarding the entire area with their capital ships. Asterion was right on the edge of the bombardment zone, still close enough to be killed, but far enough away to be saved from the majority of the destruction. The Sith's own zealous bombardment had just saved him his life.

Struggling to his feet, the Star Warrior reached out for his nearby vibrosword, taking it into his stiff hand. As he stood the Sith grunted, realized what had happened, and sprung to his feet with a flip from the ground. "Kriff..." Asterion muttered to himself as he watched the Sith regain his footing. Without another word, the Sith launched into an assault against Asterion, a grunt as he swung was the only indication that he had even sustained any injuries from the blast. Sluggishly, Asterion brought his blade up to defend himself. The Sith was still fast, and still remarkably strong, forcing the injured Mandalorian back with each blow, and though the melee was slower now than before, the speed with which the two warriors fought was awe-inspiring as each one parried, riposted, and counter-riposted, a thousand different possibilities, and each one a game of chess where every move is a checkmate.

With a sweeping underhand strike the Sith knocked the sword back in Asterion's hand, staggering him, his body aching from the abuse it had endured and burning from the limits that were being pushed. Then the Sith struck downwards, playfully having the tip of his blade carve through Asterion's Republic helmet, a searing pain washed over his face, only to follow it up with a disarming twirl. Watching helplessly as his sword flew away from his body he could hear the Sith begin to laugh again as Asterion stood defenseless. With an extension of a hand blue lightning bolts reached out and touched him, each one sending excruciating and unfathomable pain. Each passing second was almost like an hour of torture under the lightning and before he could realize what he was doing, Asterion was on the ground again, his hands against the ruined and cracked duracrete. But this time, he wasn't going to give up.

Reaching down to his belt as the lightning continued to course through him and the Sith continued to laugh, Asterion felt the grip of his pistol in his left hand; his right arm had completely shut down. Through clenched teeth and muffled screams, Asterion pulled the pistol free of his belt, his body convulsing and making the move even more difficult. Rise. The word rang through his head again and again. Setting his mind, Asterion forced himself up onto one knee before drawing his pistol out hastily and pulling the trigger. At this range it would be impossible to miss, and the sudden movement caught the Sith by surprise, for only a few seconds ago Asterion was wreathing in pain.

The first bolt struck the Sith just below the abdomen causing the lightning to stop. Looking down, the Sith saw the sizzling and orange-glowing wound in his stomach, almost as though he were shocked at getting injured. The lightning stopped giving Asterion a temporary reprieve. Without wasting much more than a few seconds, Asterion aimed down the barrel of his pistol and pulled again, a blue lance of energy reaching out and striking the Sith in the chest. He pulled the trigger again and again. Each sapphire lance blasting armor and fabric off of the Sith, and with each impact the Sith grunted in pain until there were no more shots left in his Sunspear.

Looking at his pistol, Asterion slipped it back into his holster while the Sith collapsed down onto his knees. Meanwhile, Asterion picked up his vibroblade and walked up to the Sith, placing the tip just under the lip of the mask. "Go join your kriffing Force now, scum." And with that Asterion shoved his vibroblade deep into the Sith, withdrawing it once he was sure the Force-wielder was dead and collapsing to the ground, looking around he'd try to spot Talia and move in her direction outside of the blast radius of the bombardment.

@Sreeya

 

[Prudence]

Prudii's eyes stuck with Talia's even as his face drained of color, its blood exiting his body through the wound in his chest. Her words now were soft, trying to undo the damage of her earlier shouts. He felt some of the pain he was feeling subside as she spoke, his mind finding ease in her concession. When the tears began streaking down her cheeks Prudii summoned what energy he had left. He raised his right hand, still blood soaked, and tried to brush the tears from her eyes. He succeeded only in smearing them, with blood, across her cheek. At the failure of his action he gave up, his hand dropping to his chest again.

"I know your parents are gone now Prudii, but I want you to listen to me now. I'll be with you till the end, you still have a family, ok?" "ok."

Prudii coughed again, his face twisting into a grimace of pain as he did. "We weren't meant to become a lot of things we became..." He swallowed hard once more, taking a few shallow breaths before he could finish, "I wouldn't want... it to end... any other way.. Moira."

Though everything around him had faded to grey, and sounds were dull and soft, Prudii could make out gathering figures. The Sith had retreated away from the battle into drop ships, but forming around the wounded pair was a ring of Mandalorians. The winds had started to pick up, and a slow drizzle began as each of the Mandalorians began to take their helmets off, laying them on the permacrete ground in front of them. One of them spoke up, starting the chant that each of them would adopt and continue.

Mand'alor. MAND'ALOR. MAND'ALOR. MAND'ALOR.

Prudii could hear them above the orbital bombardment, their voices speaking in one at the tops of their lungs. Prudii's eyes once more found Talia's after having looked away towards the Mandalorians. He took another long breath, struggling to speak, "Take care of everyone... Take care of Jemma... and Saviin...and tell Caed..." Prudii coughed another spew of blood onto Talia's face, "Tell Caed I'm sorry. You.. have to find him... and tell him I'm sorry...Moira, go.. lead your people... Mand'alor." Prudii's chest fell one last time, a whisper of a breath escaping his lips as the light began to fade from his eyes. The soldier who had fought in a hundred battles, freed Mandalore from the Republic, and sent so many beings to the grave finally went to sleep.

 

[Sreeya]

​

Talia grew weaker by the second, feeling his hand smear across her face to wipe her tears. She grasped his hand in hers, holding it to keep it from trembling. Talia saw the light fade from his eyes ever so slowly, his words labored as he fought to speak. Her tears continued to flow as he uttered names of people past and present, hammering in the reality that he was truly leaving this world. Talia felt his blood splatter her face and she made no move to wipe it, keeping close to him for his last moments, “I promise…. I promise Prudii. You will never be forgotten. Find peace, Prudii….find your parents…. Find the rest you never found here,” She took shuddering breaths, holding him tightly as he slowly faded from the world.

The bombardments continued all around them, SBZ and Mandalorians alike rushing towards them. She felt the drops of rain begin first lightly, and then it slowly became a storm. Slowly, she began to see and hear the Mandalorians that gathered around her and began a chant. The chanting resonated louder for her than the bombs behind them. Helmets thudded to the ground, blades were lifted in the air, voices cried out in unison calling for Mand’alor. It took her a long time to realize they were talking about her. They shielded her from the SBZ soldiers still fighting and they were her people.

As she looked upon each of their faces, she realized she couldn’t keep hiding from her origin anymore. As she looked in their faces, she saw her brethren. As she looked in their eyes, she saw pain admixed with joy. As she looked in their faces, she saw the faces of those that would follow her till the end. This was what Ral had fought for. This was what Kex had fought for. This was what Caedryn had fought for. So many died, so many abandoned their ways, so many had given up. She had turned her back on it so long ago, and in the end she found her way back at the pinnacle of it all. Every failure and effort had led to this very moment. This was the moment that Mandalore became truly independent. This was the moment the last thread had been severed. She saw that glimmer of hope in the faces of the men and women that surrounded her now, their armors bloody, their faces and bodies drenched in rain.

Talia said nothing for a long moment, feeling the last bits of her strength slowly slipping. She looked down at Prudii’s vacant eyes staring up into the moonless skies above. Talia slowly closed his eyes for good, “Goodbye, my friend…. Goodbye my brother…”

Theme
​

She then slowly turned to face the Mandalorians that had begun the chant, whispering hoarsely, “Mav….Mando’ade….” she struggled with the words, blood dribbling from her lips, “Mav..Mando’ade…” her voice grew slightly louder as she saw it, the promise of an independent people. She saw her brethren there and she knew they saw the same promise. Rain soaked her, washing away the blood and hiding her tears. Talia screamed out as loud as she could, “MAV MANDO’ADE!!!!” Free Mandalorians.

Talia’s words had caught on, the soldiers surrounding her shouting the phrase at the tops of their lungs. She managed a weak smile, which developed into a quiet chuckle as her tears continued to flow. Talia looked down at Prudii who now looked like he was sleeping, “You hear that, Prudii? We did it….it’s done. We are free….we are free…..I will take you….home. I will take you home where you belong….” With that, her own vision began to grow dark as her injuries began to knock her out. Talia slowly eased back and lied down on the ground, drifting out of consciousness while still clutching Prudii to her chest.

@Prudence

 

[Kori Buor]

Spotting the lithe armored figure he had followed into this hellish nightmare of a warzone was easy for Asterion; for whatever reason, whatever repressed memories that had been released by the mere sight of the woman's anguished face, he could identify the woman out from amidst the congregation of bodies. Now he could spot her form and movements as though he had been her brother; what had been minutiae and imperceivable before was now glaring and obvious as he gazed upon Talia. Even from his middling distance, the Mandalorian could spot her form, hunched over the body of another man.

Limping over to where the woman cradled the broken body of the Mandalorian she had been fighting with earlier, joining the quickly growing crowd of other Mandalorians, Asterion wondered what precisely was happening. At first he was fearful. Would these other Mandalorians attack? He watched for a moment as he drew closer and he realized they weren't attacking, merely watching the scene. The sight confused him, but he quickly realized that the man had probably been a friend before the battle, perhaps before the war; his faint and fleeting memories of Talia as a girl told him enough to presume that much.

With each step he took to get closer to the woman he suddenly recognized, the weight of his previous fights began to become more noticeable and significantly wear on his body. Each step caused tendrils of fire to shoot through his body from each of his wounds, the skin on his face was lightly burned, blistered, and weeping from the slash which had gouged his helmet. Tears began to form in his eyes as he gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain that he was now feeling as the adrenaline started to slightly wear off; he wouldn't let something as trivial as pain stop him now.

Slowly a chant was taken up by the warriors who surrounded him and Asterion looked around slightly perplexed at the new sound. They were chanting Mand'alor as they looked at Talia. Then it became clear as the chant stirred something inside of him, Talia was the Mand'alor now. Sole leader. Oddly, Asterion couldn't help but smile as he gazed on, limping ever closer between the groupings of Mandalorian warriors as pride filled him; whatever had caused the Mandalorians to fight the Republic, for Talia to fight this Mandalorian was done with. Talia herself shouted out in Mando'a, "MAV MANDO'ADE!" Free Mandalorians. While the words did not have the same affect on Asterion as it did with the others, the camaraderie he felt was overwhelming, and with it came something he hadn't felt in a long time: Hope for the future. With a grin, Asterion raised his bloodied sword as the cheer went up around the group.

However, it seemed their new leader was much more injured than he thought, for she soon began to fall backwards as she dozed into unconsciousness; the toll of her wounds collecting its fee from her worn body. "MOIRA!" Asterion instinctively shouted as he watched her pass out, fear coursing through his veins that she had he rushed forward, dropping his ancient vibrosword to the ground with a clang. The pain was still there as he pushed his body forward, but the adrenaline that filled him let Asterion quickly push his way through, arriving before anyone else had a chance. "No, no, no! Please be alive..." He whispered as he slid up next to her, the duracrete scratching at his leg armor, his hands pulling his helmet off to reveal the collection of memorable scars and the new burn that crossed diagonally over his face. Looking over her, he sighed as he saw her breathe.

Bowing his head, he pulled his buy'ce up towards his head as he looked back at the formation of Mandalorians arrayed around him. "Well don't just stand there! Get her a ship! Get her out of this battle!" He roared at them before placing his helmet over his head. Looking back at the dead Mandalorian he added, "And honor him."

With that, the Mandalorians got to work calling in a dropship to evacuate their new Mand'alor. Within minutes it would arrive to take the unconscious Talia, and Prudii's body back to the Mandalorian fleet in orbit, with Asterion standing vigil the whole time, waving away any of the medic's attempts to look at him, making sure the woman had all the care she would need. When asked who he was he simply replied that he was Asterion, and that he was with her.

@Sreeya

 

[MasterTyvokka]

Jacen continued his sprint even after some wild shots fired by the man Talia was fighting were sent his direction. The fight in front of Jacen was getting down right brutal. And as Jacen ran he suddenly realized the two knew each other. Oddly he stopped in his tracks. Time seemed to slow down as he watch the surreal scene unfold in front of him. It was if the two combatants were long lost friends thrown together in a cruel twist of fate; to be pitted against one another. Jacen was thrown out of his thoughts when the first turbolaser blast of the bombardment slammed into the Rotunda. The ground shook violently. Then hell rained down from above.

The power blast from the orbiting ship's turbolasers tore into the duracrete sending chunks of pulvarized crete into the air. With each blast there were fewer and fewer combatants. Either blown away by the blasts or headed for cover. An SBZ dropship was headed down nearby to pick up soldiers when a blast hit it square on. Shrapnel from the ship tore through Jacen's armor and into his thigh. He stumbled barely keeping his balance. Jacen could feel his warm blood soaking his pants. Another blast pepper his face with shards of duracrete. But Jacen continued to run towards Talia.

For the second time Jacen was stopped in his tracks by what he witnessed in front of him. All of the sudden a group of Mandalorians surrounded the fallen pair. Keeping away SBZ soldier who were supposedly their allies. And for a second time Jacen was thrown out of thoughts by a turbolaser blast. This one far closer. The blast lifted Jacen up off the ground and hurled him foward. Jacen's front slammed into the street knocking the wind out of him. It Jacen a while to recover the breaths coming hard and shallow. A sharp pain told him he had cracked a rib or two at the very least.

Jacen looked up as he slowly recovered. He looked up to see a dropship landing. Presumably to carry away Talia and the man she had been fighting. There was no honor guard, no dropships for Jacen. His dropped back down the plaza continued to disintegrate around him.

Jacen was standing proudly. Next to him on both sides were his classmates, his brothers. He had trained with them for two year and now they were all finally graduating. In the stands only a short distance away Jacen could see the rest of his family; his sisters, and his parents. He knew they were proud of him. The names were being called as he watch his friends walk to the podium. And then suddenly a blinding flash and explosion.

Jacen looked up as he slowly recovered. It seemed to him like he had been out for hours when it had only been seconds. No... he needed to be honest with himself. He wasn't being abandoned. He was just another soldier among hundreds, thousands. He may have fellow soldiers but in the end if they died he was alone. He couldn't rely on the Republic or a fellow soldier to help him survive. Jacen was on his own for that.

With a great effort Jacen got to his feet. He looked around and found what he was looking for, and thankfully it had yet to be blown to dust. Jacen ran toward the turbolift he had spotted and opened the doors. He jumped inside and keyed in a special code that would take him to a level few had access to. Before Jacen had been stationed on Coruscant he had been briefed on a number of rabbit holes Coruscant officials had in place near the Rotunda for just such an occasion. The turbo lift took Jacen down many levels and then stopped. Jacen got out and slowly walked to a horizontal lift that would take him to a small spaceport. Where hopefully he would be able to hijack a ship and rendezvous with the rest of the Republic fleet fleeing Coruscant.