Open Kashyyyk Flashpoint Kashyyyk: Clash of Navies

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru looked between the wookies and their ship, they seemed to have a plan working out but his own mind was working a mile a minute as he tried to think “No boots on the ground, don't think they really care about occupying they’re probably just gonna keep up that fire” as if to make his point another heavy orbital shot hit the ground not far enough that he felt the shockwave through the dirt and soil.

“We wont need to hit orbit we just need to start making a beeline for one of the extraction points” he suggested pulling out his datapad and looking, “Of course them being on the other side of the planet this race gets a bit exciting, but we fly too high on this side of the world we’re a sitting duck for the Imps” he pointed out

He chewed his lip but he figured it was worth a shot as he opened up his own channel making sure he was on friendly frequencies at the very least “Mayday mayday, Jedi planet side with” he tried to get a headcount of the civilian wookies but that wasn't going to happen so he was going to have to ballpark it “At least 200 civilians in the line of fire repeat Jedi looking for transport” he worked the datapad to put the message on a loop as well as broadcasting their position at least until someone replied.

“If we fly low we might be able to at least get them out of the kill zone but without something bigger this is gonna one tight ride, kids and injured inside everyone else is gonna to need to hang on real tight” he said quickly looking back at the fire that was getting closer by the second

 

[Silex Tan]

Silex nodded. "You don't happen to speak Wookie, do you?" she said, knowing no one likely did. She got the attention of some of the Wookies and directed them to their ships, motioning for the injured and young ones to get in first.

Silex paused outside her ship, staring at the vines on the fallen tree as if expecting them to come to life and tie themselves. "How are we going to do this," she was good at coming up with plans on the fly, and her mind was working even as she asked the question.

@Taygood @DonBongo

 

[Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl]

(OOC Note: Sorry this got so big; again, I tried to break it down but I'm finding that there's a lot to respond to. Thank you also for your patience in and out of character while waiting for this post))

Galek React

As Galek let a couple seconds' pause hang in the air, Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl blinked twice in annoyance. It appeared that the Governor was not in the mood to banter today, as evidenced by the brusqueness with which Galek replied before winking out of sight. Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl was hard pressed to not let his annoyance grow; apparently, the nuances of Wookiee sarcasm were lost on the Governor, and Galek had further insulted him by turning his camera off. The senator sighed and decided to speak plainly.

“I mean, of course, to ask if you plan to conduct rescue operations on the side of the planet that is being bombarded at the moment? My people are dying.” the Senator responded, but an aide quickly got his attention.

“He’s left the call, sir.”

Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl stared at the aide in disbelief. “He what?” The more Aezz thought about the situation, the more incensed he became. “First, the ISCRA shows up and begins operations without even asking our government. Then, after I'm forced to call and inquire about the scope of their operation, he hangs up on me. The impudence!”

The Wookiee's day got even worse, then, as the broadcast that followed shortly thereafter continued to raise the Senator's ire against the ISCRA. Before it could reach a boiling point, however, the sight of the Andraste once again raining fire down on Kashyyyk snuffed out the Wookiee's rage. "Send a full transcript and recording of the conversation to the Prime Minister (@lizziie ), including after Galek left" he said, his voice hollow. "Since I may not get the chance to set the record straight with my people, someone should." For as much furor was leveled at Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl, a fair amount of criticism would also find the ISCRA as well; asking why a neutral humanitarian organization would leak a private call with a high-ranking politician in the middle of a crisis.

@Altaris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CPVP

The Wookiee, realizing that his fate in the court of public opinion was entirely out of his hands, turned his attention back to the battle. The Wyyyschokk began withdrawing after its initial salvo, straining against the tractor beam lock but failing to make significant progress. "Cease fire at the Andraste" ordered Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl, "Pull us even with the Wyyyschokk and power down our hyperdrive; work with the Wyyyschokk to use our tractor beams to pull the Pugio frigate on the left into the one on the right." He hoped that the unorthodox tactic as well as the combined power of two capital ships' tractor beams would be enough; already, the Wyyyschokk was showing signs of damage as it became the focus of several bigger ships, albeit at long range. It was only here that the relative size difference between the attackers and the defenders was most in favor of the FWA; smaller capital ships meant smaller targets, and everything the Sith had on the battlefield dwarfed the FWA's biggest ships. "Have our fighters pursue the enemy fighters until they reach their lead ships" he said; with the Sith fighters swinging back to their lines, there was a window for the Arrowheads to chase. More fighters, stationed on Kashyyyk, began trickling up from the planet, although these would mostly break off and chase after the undefended bombers that were threatening the cities. @Phoenix

Aden (@The Good Doctor) would find his squadron immediately met by the dozen starfighters from the Terentatek, with two of the exceptionally nimble Arrowheads focusing on him and approaching from his front; cannons blazing as they spat death and destruction across space towards the incoming starfighter.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ground

"GGGGWWWWAAAAHHRRRR!!!" announced a Wookiee, protectively gathering her children away from the Jedi and shooting them a horrified look. One wouldn't need to understand the language in order to know that she was vehemently refusing to be tied to the outside of a ship.

@Reylo4evr @Taygood @DonBongo

 

[Silex Tan]

Silex sighed, running her hands vigorously through her hair. She really wished she had learned Wookie. "Is that transport coming anytime soon?" she asked Maru. "The Wookies don't want to be tied to the ship. I wonder why," she said sarcastically, knowing that if she was in the Wookies' position, she would feel the same way. Silex was tempted to call Edaara, but she knew her friend was busy on her own mission with her new padawan.

She turned to her own padawan. "This vine-tying thing was your idea," she said. "Got any other where it came from?"

@Taygood @DonBongo @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Aden Archer]

As Aden made his advance accompanying the interceptor squadron, he did feel bad for the wookies that are dying by the millions. Do they deserve such a fate? The answer to those questions is 'probably' and 'probably not. Although a mercenary, he isn't without a sense of right and wrong. It a bit hard to watch, it is. But all he knows, is he's getting paid and he would be rather on the side he's currently on now rather than the one that's getting their planet glassed, and ones whose fleet will be demolished. As he would venture forth, he'd get pings of a squadron's worth of enemy boogies, and they are heading this direction.

The mercenary pilot would be in the danger zone, he can feel the adrenaline now that he is going into a firefight. The squadron of interceptors would go to engage with their starfighters and their Arrowheads that are coming at them. They too would veer in different directions as they would be returning fire.

As for the two arrowheads foucising on him, Aden would veer to the right to avoid enemy fire. And then he would veer to the left, once he has the enemy in his targeting reticle he would fire a full salvo from his weapons at one and fire a barrage of light laser cannon shots at it. The Neutralizer has four medium ions cannons and two light laser cannons, if even two of the ion cannon shots hits at minimum the interceptor would be disabled since their shields are weaker. And if the laser barrage hits in full... they will still be destroyed.

If that goes according to plan and doesn't take any major hits, Aden would in a fluid motion would then turn to face the other interceptor and fire another full salvo from all his weapons before turning up afterwards climbing up to not make himself a target from other starfighters.

If the intercepters destroy or tie up the Stawlarts and if the interceptors are gone, Aden can still go after the capital vessels as planned.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

@Phoenix

 

[Livi Cross]

Livi was way out of her element, but then so was everyone else. She heard the exchange from the Senator of Kashyyyk and it baffled her. There was no one to save in the combat zone so what was his entire point by suggesting ISCRA go in? Just to die like everyone else there? Whatever, both Galek and the Senator were fucking morons. And she was furious at having to be here at all. She was in awe at the firepower of the Imperial ships. Why weren’t these being used to glass AMS planets instead?

The Ranger hopped into a shuttle, keeping up comms with ISCRA ships and acting as a transport to go out to different zones marked for pockets of refugees. She was accompanied by twenty shuttles, all zooming towards the location of the Jedi on the ground rapidly working to get the Wookiee out. At some point she heard chatter about strapping Wookiee to ships, “What the fuck?” She barked into the channels, not even asking the person to repeat themselves.

“Jedi!” She called out, her voice booming across a megaphone projecting from the shuttles, “Twenty shuttles have arrived to take survivors back to ISCRA ships. Please direct civilians in an orderly fashion to the shuttles now!” Livi tried not to think about what was going on all around them right now. The thunderous noises of bombardment erupted not too far away and she was almost blinded by the brightness. She didn’t want to think of how many were instantly vaporized.

All the shuttles landed, their ramps opening up to take the Wookiee back to ISCRA.

@Reylo4evr @Taygood @DonBongo

 

[Krinn Nelthar]

Krinn could be cruel. He could be broody, and bitter, and selfish. He could treat others as mere assets to sate the never ending thirst of his greed. He could lie to them, manipulate them, like a venom tongued snake. But this... He can't do this. He can't will himself to pilot his Interceptor away from the overwhelming vessel that was the Andraste. He couldn't absorb the words tossed through communication channels, angry, and entirely resentful. He can't tear his eyes away from the planet that burned, caught beneath the incinerating power of a war machine unlike any Krinn had ever witnessed before. The Andraste was no ship. No dreadnought to be piloted by mortal hands. It was an entirely heartless God of Destruction, a dreadful Avatar of Death. It had no life, no morals, and no mercy.

Fire. Fire that glowed across a vibrant world. Fire that devoured life and creation. Fire that consumed what remained of Kashyyyk's hope. And beneath the lasers that glowed with sickening power, the glitter of something that might have been beautiful, if not for the gruesome circumstances of it's creation. Sand that turned to glass, and sparkled in reflection of the horror befalling it. There's a pain in his chest, and his hearts beat fast, and he still feels sick, and it doesn't matter how much breath he sucks in, because he still feels like he's suffocating. But what can he do but watch? But witness the clawed hand of a ruthless god? This was his Empire. His people. He was just as guilty as they. Doomed to serve as accomplice to a nightmare. There was no escape, nothing he could say, nothing he could even think to excuse what he was seeing. But it didn't matter, because in the end, this was the Sith Empire. This was Krinn. And Krinn was loyal. Wasn't he? But the nautolan still can't bring himself to approach the line of enemy starfighters. He still can't tear his eyes from the obliteration of Kashyyyk. He still can't breathe.

Krinn stays close to the Andraste.

He doesn't attack.

 

[Jade Hart]

Jade nodded at Maru and Silex. “As I recall Master, this was your idea to land here in a warzone. I’m just making the most of an impossible situation. Anyway, I doubt we’ll see fighting on the ground master. Looks like the Sith are too cowardly to engage us directly. They don’t dare mess with you.” More trees crashed near them from shockwaves. It was difficult to see how any transporter could arrive in this mess, at least in a canopy as thick as this with giant trees everywhere, but who knew.

At that point she saw the Wookie, hesitant and fearful as the ground rumbled. It did not seem the glassification of Kashyyyk had reached their area yet, but instead massive firestorms were billowing out from the destruction much farther away. Her monkey swung down from the trees with vines in hand, chattering at the Wookies. The padawan’s voice broke as she spoke to them, “Listen! You will be okay. There was once this legendary Jedi called Princess Leia. She could float in outer space. My master is also an excellent pilot. She pulled off a one in a million hyperspace maneuver.”

Jade then heard another authoritative voice, though she couldn’t really make it out because of the booms and bangs. “How about we tie the Wookies to our ship and then fly them to these nearby transports? It’s a very short distance.” Some Wookies nodded in agreement, desperate to try anything, while others shook their heads. Out of time to argue, Jade gathered up the vines delivered by her monkey and began tying them around the waist of the willing Wookies. Her wool scarf whipped like a nameless flag in the smoky breeze, reflecting a soul absent ideals or identity. A hairline of blood trickled down her neck. Her stomach rumbled. Hyperspace beckoned.

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru perked up a bit hearing his communicator squawk to life and he couldn't hide that grin on his face as he heard the voice and saw their shuttles rushing towards them. He keyed back waving, as if they would actually be able to see him. "I copy you! Just keep the engines running we should only take 30 minutes" after all with that many shuttles they could get so many of these civilians out of there. Then he felt that wave of heat rolling behind his back and turned to see the fire storm was right on their tail.

"Make that fifteen!" he corrected himself and then started doing his best gesturing and roaring out. He hadn't often had to channel the force like this but he was going to make his presence known he had to be strong he had to be a beacon then and there. He roared out guiding groups to shuttles doing his best to keep families together but there was so little time they needed to get out.

Step by step he had to back up moving closer to the shuttles as well he could not only see and hear those pour souls that tripped or fell back back or where too slow to keep up but thanks to the Force he could feel it. He felt the anguish fear and terror all around him and he had to bear it.

"Still mind still body" he repeated endlessly in his head. The doctrine his master had used to center themselves and one of her many lessons he kept close. He rushed out towards the flames one more time grabbing two more Wookie children fingers digging into fur as he practically hurled them onto the shuttle before jumping in after. "Go go go" he yelled into his communicator feeling the heat of the blast able to see what he imagined hell would look like.

@Sreeya

 

[Silex Tan]

Silex joined Jade in helping tie the wookies to her ship. She smiled at her padawan in thanks for getting the wookies moving. Once they had tied as many as were willing to get on, Silex climbed in the pilot's seat and flipped controls, preparing to take off. "Hold on!" she hollered. She gave Jade a thumbs up and took off, flying towards where the shuttles had come from. Using the Force, she pictured the Wookies on the outside of the ship, making sure she didn't hit them against flying debri or nearby trees. Her communicator was going off rapid-fire. She cursed under her breath, hoping this worked.

 

[Jade Hart]

Just prior to takeoff, Jade had wrapped vines around the Wookies’ waists and led them to her ship. The Wookies stared at the small craft and scratched their heads. “Ok, some of you get on top and I’ll tie you down,” she had said. A few grumbled, but another wave of burnt wood blew into them– almost out of time. Some Wookies refused to leave and turned back, but others were willing to risk it. They got on top of the ship and sat down, woofing like sick dogs who had swallowed squawking parrots.

Jade had rubbed her hands together. “Mr. Monkey, help them out,” she had said. The monkey then jumped on the ship’s roof, took the ropy vines, and looped them through buckles and eyelet holes, forming a knot that tightly fixed the Wookies limbs in place. Meanwhile, Jade had gone inside the ship and pulled out a large parachute. She used vines to hang the parachute from the bottom of the ship. “The children can use this as a hammock, hanging from our bottom as we fly.” The Wookie children hesitantly got in. “Make sure to wave to your friends.”

In all, there were about 30 Wookies on the ship, sitting hunched on top or lying together in the parachute underneath, which swung from the ship’s bottom like a pair of long testicles. The coming inferno, the Padawan’s persistence, and her Master’s acquiescence had convinced enough of them to just go with it, and they had taken off through the canopy. Jade heard some scream, but so did people riding rollercoasters. Still, the growing chorus of wailing Wookies they carried was like a dirge for their planet, perhaps befitting a song at the next Life Day.

In the cockpit, Jade’s scarf loosened its grip on her neck as it fed off the terror. Seated next to Silex, her monkey in her lap, she breathed easier, “Master, we need to find an evac zone with shuttles." She stared out the window, heavily clouded by smoke. "Unless you think you can get us through that Sith fleet like before and into hyperspace. But that move was one in a million.”

 

[Renfry]

The Empress watched as fire against the Andraste ceased and the enemy ships turned their attention to the oncoming frigates. More fire was exchanged, flashes of green and red glowing against the backdrop of black space as they hammered against one another's shields.

As the tractor beams latched onto the Pugios they would be met with moderate effect. The leftmost frigate felt the pull almost immediately, yanked toward the path of its ally. Rather than slam into one another directly, the captain was quick enough to push the ship's trajectory downwards, and yet the hulls still managed to scrape against one another as the top of one ship dragged against the bottom of the other. The sheering sound of metal and metal rang throughout both ships and many of those who were unlucky were sucked into the black void of space before the compartments were closed.

Even so, the ships opened fire once again, pounding against the shields of the FWA ship. They didn't rush in further, but they did continue to fire against the FWA ships, in combination with the larger ships the shields would be failing within moments.

The fighter battle was even fiercer. Fighters from both sides scrambled and jockeyed for position as flashes of lasers spat from one ship to another. Several Imperial fighters detonated in spectacular fashion, but gave as good as they got, returning fire on the fearless FWA pilots.

The bomber fight went similar. Some of the bombers broke off to directly engage with the upcoming fighters, preventing many from reaching their targets and bombing the villages. They were at a disadvantage against true fighters, but they still weren't without any defense at all.

The Empress looked back to the scopes, the results of the bombardment really setting in in her mind. Major cities were already destroyed and massive swaths of the jungle were burning. Perhaps the Empire would leave soon, but not yet.

Thikkiiana city, Palsaang, and Kepitenochan next, she said. Cannons began to shift, still strafing across open forest and Andruil walked over to the viewport. She looked at the orange glow and the smoke that began to rise over the planet's surface. She breathed deeply of the recirculated air of the ship. Fresh air, where the inhabitants of the surface breathed smoke and ash.

She'd come here to send a message, and perhaps that message was nearly delivered. Perhaps. Her fingers tapped against the console and her eyes flicked back down to the scopes again, mind in thought on the unfolding battle.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Livi Cross]

Livi saw the flood of Wookiee charge towards the shuttles and it was a terrifying sight. However, they had come to do a job and they would do it to the best of their ability. The ramps were open already and the Wookiee were filed in. There was some commotions and a few of them started fighting to shove each other off. Livi looked at the Jedi (@DonBongo )that arrived with them, “Gonna need your help breaking this up!” She shouted, bringing out her blaster and firing a shot into the air.

“KEEP ORDER! YOU SLOW US DOWN, NOBODY GETS OUT!” She shouted, the Wookiees calming down a bit and following the process. The first shuttle was packed to the brim and was able to safely take off and head back towards the capital ships. Several other shuttles quickly followed suit, the evac zone quickly clearing out as Wookiee safely made it out. Livi gave a play by play of the situation back to ISCRA the entire time, giving them live data and counts of how many were being ferried back.

“Zone A is clear!” She reported, “Proceeding to Zone B!” She said as she looked at the Jedi, “You wanna hitch a ride?”

Livi ran back into one of the shuttles, regardless of whether the Jedi followed or not. She would head over in her transport to another zone that would have more shuttles arriving any moment. Up above it was already clear the line of fire from the Imperials was rapidly approaching closer, and they needed to recede back.

—-​

“Hello I’m Kumi Tai, reporting live here from Kashyyyk!” A twi’lek journalist hoping to make a career making story was attempting to report on the situation, “Behind me it appears the Jedi are strapping live Wookiee to the exterior of their ship to transport them! I’m unclear on the logic but perhaps this is a method known only to the locals and the Jedi!” The camera panned behind her to a monkey strapping on said Wookiee to the ship under the direction of two Jedi. Kumi walked over for a moment, pointing her mic to one of the Wookiee strapped on, “Can you tell us your opinion of the situation?”

“RWOWWOOOOWORRRRROOROROR!” The wookiee cried out, eyes wide as it squirmed a little. Kumi nodded in response, “Fascinating!” She looked back at the camera, “Well we will wish them a speedy and safe transport!” Kumi said before she rushed over to hop in her speeder to continue following the story. The camera would follow the ship as it took off, along with the parachute hammock that dangled below. The galaxy would see footage of this strange bizarre display.

—​

“They’re doing….what?” One of the ISCRA capital ship captains stammered. He didn’t believe it until he saw the live footage and reports coming in. He stood there stunned.

“Sir what should we do?”

“I…” He couldn’t even process it. On top of that, the Senator of Kashyyyk had made it clear that ISCRA help was not welcome. But was he stupid enough to let this play out? He was asked a few more times what to do. It was then that he recalled the principles of ISCRA. They weren’t here to play politics - they were here to do a job. Kashyyyk’s Senator could burn in hell for all he cared. He told Governor Ordalos (@Altaris )his plan. The Captain looked to his subordinates, “Patch me through that Jedi ship. Prepare to tractor beam them into a forced docking.”

“I…is that safe, sir?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen this in my career! No time to argue.”

With that, a comms channel was opened with the Jedi, but the comms would be opened up to Galek and also the common channels so even the Senator of Kashyyyk could hear the exchange, “This is ISCRA. We are lowering into the atmosphere in your direction. We will be pulling you in for a docking. Please do not resist - you are risking the lives of every Wookiee you have externally and likely several have died already. Do not, I repeat, do NOT fly into space,” He couldn’t believe he even had to give that warning.

It didn’t take long for the frigate to move into position and tractor beam the absurd mess that was a very furry ship. The beam projected down and would begin that slow gravitational pull.

“I repeat, Jedi, do not resist!” The Captain said, attempting to pull off a very risky maneuver. He wiped off some sweat and prayed the Jedi would cooperate. He already knew a few of the civilians would die, especially the ones dangling from the parachute hammock.

Footage of this strange display would be played across news channels across the galaxy and begin to trend.

@Reylo4evr @Taygood @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl]

The Smaller Space Battle

The Arrowhead on Aden's left burst into flame upon swift and accurate fire from @The Good Doctor, but the other took advantage of the interceptor's maneuvering to quickly close the distance and pull up on the Neutralizer's rear, all four medium laser cannons and both ion cannons firing rapidly at the rear of the ship.

The Large Space Battle

Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl hated how little he could do. His people were dying. His planet was burning. Everything was on fire, either literally or figuratively. Alarms were sounding on the bridge of the Terentatek, indicating weapons locks on the ship. The Wyyyschokk was starting to show more significant damage and was still straining against the tractor beams of the Pugio-class ships. It had begun returning fire as well, but it was only a matter of time before the the ship was doomed.

Reports from dozens of places on the planet streamed in, all fighting for Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl's attention, and with some relief the Senator saw the tides begin to turn. Planetary defense guns in a few areas had come online and began opening up on the lead Pugio class ship, adding to the chaos of the intense space battle. More and more FWA ships started to arrive from nearby planets, all responding to the distress call from the planet of Kashyyyk. The Sith fleet, impressive as it was, would find themselves forced to fight numerous attackers from several different vectors. No longer were the numbers and firepower drastically in favor of the Sith, especially with so many of them focusing their attention on the bombardment below. The Onagers would be attacked first as the defending FWA ships raced to try to contain the destruction and halt the worst of the bombardment. The Andraste would also find itself beset upon by swarms of fighters, clashing with the Sith interceptors across the ship's hull; the FWA pilots out for blood.

@Phoenix

 

[Silex Tan]

Silex heard the comms from an ISCRA captain. "Keep your noses in your own business!" she hollered back.

She turned to her padawan. "I can't go into space with Wookies on the exterior of the ship; I'm not that good of a pilot. I'm taking them to a larger evac shuttle," she said, before focusing her energy on the Wookies outside. "None of them have died yet," she hissed through her teeth, her hands tightening on the controls.

@Taygood @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Seeing as his options were to stay and burn or to take the shuttles out it didn't take a heartbeat for him to chase after the pilot and finding a place on the shuttle to finally sit down sliding down against the wall as the ship took off and flew away from the firestorm. He took a few steady breaths before his hands dipped into his pockets looking for that little container he kept with him pulling it free from one of the many pockets of his armor.

He worked the lid open slowly and then reached in pulling out a single yellow leaf, usually a snack like this would be taken after a good day as a reward but right now he needed just a little bit of solace and he stared at it noticing it was shaking....no that was his hand trembling with a mix of emotions and adrenaline. He stared as his breathing slowed and he repeated that simple mantra again and again. "Still mind, still body" until slowly his hand steadied. There would be time later to process what he had seen today but for now there was work to be done. He expertly tugged the leaf from its root and popped the leaf into his mouth chewing. A simple sweet flavor hit his tongue and he took one more inhale before standing back up.

@Sreeya

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

As the lasers and bombings got closer and closer, blocking the screams in the Force became increasingly difficult. Despite this, the Jedi Healers and Trainees continued to work tirelessly, ignoring the deaths as much as possible. Even as the site grew increasingly crowded, with far too many injured and burned Wookiee.

Clove had her hands buried in a Wookiee's charred fur, searching for the burned flesh beneath. She was so focused on keeping her emotions and mind as quiet as possible while also helping her patient to the best of her ability that she didn't notice the commotions in her fluted ear's commlink at first.

However, a few words such as 'risking' and 'Wookiees' drew her attention away from the charred fur. Confounded, she paid closer attention to the words in her ear before they were echoed right behind her. Slowly, the half-Annfyn looked over her shoulder at the screen, which was showing a live report of a ship with Wookiees tied to the hull by vines.

She stared at the screen quietly, the world around her fading away, leaving only the Wookiees soaring through the sky. Clove would've been staring at it for another five or ten minutes if it hadn't been for the Wookiee's pained yelp. "I'm so sorry," she quickly told the Wookiee, whose fur she had painstakingly grabbed before realizing what she had snapped back to reality. She hurriedly grabbed a handful of anti-burn salve and applied it to any skin she could find, burned or not, before rising to her feet.

Clove huddled over to a corner where she found a bit more peace and quiet after grabbing her cane for support and taking off her gloves to throw them away for a new clean pair. There she activated the microphone on her commlink and spoke directly into the open channel that had been established between the Jedi on the Wookiee ship and the ISCR. "Jedi. As a senior Padawan, I understand that I may not have the authority to speak out against a Jedi Knight or higher. But I couldn't just watch and wait. First and foremost, the ISCR is our primary source of evacuation. They have every right to rub their nose in our business because we are working together. You must go to the ISCR ships if you want to save these Wookiees."

Clove paused for a moment, aware of the possible consequences from the Jedi Order for backtalking. But she kept going. "Second, flying a shuttle with Wookiees outside is extremely dangerous. These vines are in a major risk; while Kashyyyk vines are tough, they still need to be properly knotted and secured. Furthermore, that parachute is a significant liability and was not designed to hold a large group of Wookiees." Clove's tone shifted from a strained explanation to a desperate pleading. "All of this ignores the dangers of the G-forces the Wookiees are subjected to in an unprotected area, as well as the fact that the air is thinner higher up. Even if the vines and parachute somehow don't come undone, there's a good chance that some of the Wookiees will die. I recommend landing and waiting for backup shuttles, or letting the ISCR help you. And, whatever it is you do, do note take them out of the atmosphere, they'll freeze instantly. Wookiee's fur isn't magical."

All she could do now was pray to the Force, praying that the message would reach the Jedi and that they would listen. If not, she at least tried.

She leaned onto the cane with a huff, the mental and physical strain growing stronger by the minute. But she pressed on, huddling back to the wounded Wookiees and assisting where she could until the order to retreat was given.

---

​

Tag @Altaris @Reylo4evr @Taygood ​

 

[Jade Hart]

Jade tugged on her scarf. She was having difficulty breathing, and this agitated her as she listened to the communicator radio. “There have probably been millions of Wookies incinerated in the last hour across Kashyyyk, not to mention billions of lifeforms, and these guys are worried about the couple dozen we carry?” Jade took the communicator and responded to the ISCRA, “Hey shouldn’t you all be out in space stopping that thing from glassing the planet’s surface? Isn’t that more important? Also, you’re not our boss, okay?”

Her face turned red, her neck was choking her. But their plan seemed to be working, the smoke was not as bad now that they were higher up, although it would be hot, it was a fate better than those on the ground and so far, no Wookies had fallen either. Still, the ship needed a safe way out. An ISCRA ship would be convenient, but the young Padawan didn’t know if they were trustworthy. Just then, another Padawan’s voice garbled into the ship. Jade grabbed the communicator, “Yeah, ok, thanks. Get a Jedi ship to help us then. Or a Jedi Master, not some child.”

—​

Just then a huge rumble shook Jade out of her seat. The planet-consuming firestorm brought on as a side effect by the glassification had reached the forest below, and the winds generated by it were hard and rough. Out the window came the bringer of death– this wasn’t a storm so much as a pyroclastic flow. A surging wave of molten gray goo– scorched trees, charred grass, ashen dirt– trampling the forest where Jade and Silex had been. It was strong and fast and fierce, like a stampede of knuckle-walking gorillas that breathed lava. As the lava met the Wookie trees there was a great clash of fire on wood like snakes hissing. The Wookies who hadn’t left took shelter in their giant Wroshyr trees, now floating islands of smoke in a hot primordial stew. As their fur started to catch on fire, some jumped straight into the fiery pit, that mouth of hell, if only to end it at once. Of those who jumped, some never came back up from that slobbering miasma, though a few did bob around in this pool for a hot moment, limbs incinerated and lava in their hair, before the fire claimed them. The more hopeful looked to the skies and saw the ship with the parachute and spat and stomped and cursed themselves for not having the courage to jump aboard earlier. They were like lost little lambs on a mountaintop, waiting for a savior who would not come, barking a lament that none would hear, for a God that wasn’t there.

In his final moment, at least one forest Wookie in a fit of fury, abandoned the light side of the force, rejected Life Day, and started praying to the dark side for salvation. He had climbed to the tiptop of the highest branch, and with his childhood home now a work of oven-roasted pyrography out a kindergarten art class, this one Wookie prayed for the dark side to save him. All he lacked was a sacrifice. Looking around at his immolated and combusted friends, he knew their cinder-eaten corpses would not do. But, just then, a miracle happened. Four Wookie children dropped from the sky and splashed into the superheated pit of ash-mud-lava before him. He clapped, he cried, and meditating on their blistering, drowning carcasses, he turned to the dark side. Was he saved? Who can say…

—​

It was at this moment that, as if tied to the fate of the Wookies by an invisible string, Jade was yanked out of her seat and onto the floor. She started writhing and shaking, hands flapping, feet kicking. “No. No, not now,” she shouted. “Damnit.” She started spitting and clenching her teeth on the floor. “Master–” she managed to squeeze out– “Ignore me. Just get them to safety.” Slobber ran out of her mouth and her eyes went white.

—
​

Yet hope endured. As Jade passed out, her pet Kowakian Monkey-Lizard, Tom, took charge. It grabbed the communicator, cleared its throat like it had an open mic at a ballroom dance, and in its best pseudo-Jade voice said in a voice dripping with pity, "Please help us ISCRA. You're our only hope! Save us from this Wookie hell!" Then it leapt on the lap of Reylo and started dancing to distract her, so she couldn't do anything to obfuscate, discombobulate, or otherwise mess up their rescue.

 

[Krinn Nelthar]

The enemy fleet appears to be shifting, and it is enough to draw the Nautolan's focus from where he maneuvered, still hovering dangerously close to the monstrous Dreadnought. He was supposed to be defending it, but the tides were quick to turn, and the coiling illness within his gut was uncomfortably persistent. As much as he might want to imagine himself in a far different place, the sudden onslaught from ground canons and the dozens of additional ships that shot out of hyper space made that all but impossible, and the Sith knew he could not linger in place for long. Of course, though he had intended to defend the Empress from enemy fighters, there wasn't much he could do about the capital ships firing upon them, or the canons on the surface of the burning world. The bombers would have to target those. Either way, despite his discomfort for the situation, the Champion wasn't keen on being incinerated in the middle of an intensifying space battle. And with the swarm of fighters incoming at breakneck speeds... he had little choice but do his job.

In any case, shooting at starfighters was considerably less traumatizing then watching Kashyyyk burn. If anything, their approach to the Andraste was a much needed distraction. He could justify killing the pilots, even if they were only defending the innocent lives being extinguished far below. After all, Krinn was hardly a benevolent person himself, though he certainly had never intended to participate in a full blown genocide, he still couldn't consider himself any better than the rest of the Sith he stood with.

Krinn isn't sure what the Acolyte that had been defending near him intends to do, but as a flurry of canon fire cleaves through the vacuum toward his location, he can't really stick close to them to find out. The Nautolan jerks on his controls, and the Interceptor banks to the right as he is enveloped by the angry swarm. He can hear the sounds of battle, can see the flashes of damaged shields, the bolts of plasma that tear through the hull of any not quick enough to avoid it. One of the FWA fighter pilots is swooping dangerously close to the Andraste's shields, and it's small size made it far too difficult for the larger vessels to target. Teeth grit, and knuckles pale, because he's not a good pilot, but he did have a purpose, regardless. A duty to perform, no matter how appalled by the situation he might be. This was the Empire. This was Krinn. The Champion swallows thickly, and then swerves his Interceptor in sharp pursuit. The crimson of his laser canons slice through the void as Krinn fires upon his intended victim, his intent to destroy the enemy fighter clear enough.

@Altaris @SlagathorTheUnknown @Phoenix

 

[Livi Cross]

The Captain was baffled by the Jedi’s response, but he was thankful that all sides could hear loud and clear that the Jedi outright refused assistance. He exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Very well,” He said, his distaste for the Jedi growing by the second. If he had any doubts in the ISC stance in rejecting Force users and Jedi, they were completely dashed now. However, before he switched off the tractor beaming, he heard a high pitched strange voice begging to continue the rescue. The Captain looked at his subordinates. They all shrugged vaguely. He blinked a few times and simply continued the beaming.

Unfortunately the maneuver wouldn’t be without casualties. The parachute, already tampered with by some unnatural force, was flimsy and struggling. The entire thing snapped and detached from the ship, careening down towards as sacrifices for the Wookiee below that was praying to the dark side now. More offerings to the cause.

“No!” The Captain cursed, slamming a fist into the nearest surface. He gritted his teeth, keeping his focus on the ship as it finally completed the journey and docked. Operatives rushed over to quickly detach the Wookiees strapped to the ship, rushing them to safety. The jedi had the option of remaining on the ISCRA ship or leaving.

The capital ship then turned to receive more incoming shuttles, the other capital ships quickly filling up to capacity with survivors. With that done, the ship would recede back into orbit and jump back into hyperspace and out of the system.

–​

“All evac zones cleared!” Livi said as she wiped off sweat. All of the evac zones were cleared and all the shuttles had done everything they could to load up the evac ships to capacity. She offered the Jedi (@DonBongo ) a ride off the planet to get away from the chaos. Despite more Alliance ships arriving, little would prevent the populous cities from being utterly destroyed. ISCRA had no chance of arriving with a second fleet to continue rescue operations.

All shuttles joined up with the capital ships that then joined the flagship and Galek. With all ships loaded to capacity, they all withdrew and soon left the atmosphere. Only the Alliance, Sith and any one off Jedi would remain on the planet.

@Taygood @Reylo4evr @Altaris