Shoring Up: Weather the Storm

[Elix the Fifth]

The sun was shining in Ahto City and the embassy of the Imperial Republica stood proudly in an expansive white building that matched the local surroundings. Selkath and Imperial alike could be found conversing inside and out, on the steps that lead up and on the avenue in front of the street. It was a shining example of diplomatic harmony among a galaxy at war, so full of hope amid the turmoil that gripped civilization. Smartly dressed diplomats chatted away on all sides and all seemed well.

But in the surrounding buildings, a secret, malicious force gathered, armed to the teeth with open market blasters, some armed with smoke grenades, others fragmentation. They wore light armor to the man and they were ready for war. Or ready to start a war at the very least. One had a very special piece of armament, with one shot prepared. Their big opener, the start of their lightning attack, had been prepared for when the diplomatic forces of the Imperial Republica were focused on Manaan, including the Emperor himself.

Insurgents moved down steps and burst forth, blasters drawn and shooting as the rocket launcher fired, directly into the crowds on the steps. Pandemonium descended as the attack began, diplomatic forces scattering in every direction.

Defend the embassy and show these terrorists the fury of the rightful Empire!

@Alhon @Exploring Officer @Xorism

 

[Gaelin Carid]

Caremi. Where was Caremi?

It was the only word that repeated over and over in the Deacod Winrich’s head. The last thing he’d seen had been her familiar face, lit by a smile that he could make out so distinctly across the plaza. He remembered falling but not the pain that should’ve come with it. He didn’t see Caremi now, everything was a dusky blur and the left side of his face felt wet and hot. He didn’t hear the chatter of the men, women and aliens around him, nor the gentle but perpetual shifting of the ocean. There was only a loud ringing. The crisp air did not tease his tongue with salt, but instead he tasted sulphur and a coppery, bitter tang. A horrible sickness welled up in his stomach as he wordlessly repeated Caremi’s name. Where was she? Where was he?.

The high-pitch wail of the alarms had reached his ears, although it sounded distant and the knot in his stomach was sharply and cruelly twisted as the panic he should have felt finally caught up with him. His vision was starting to return but only in part. The grey blurs gave way to the blueish near-white that he realised was the floor and he felt the prickling jab of dirt pressing into his palms. Then he heard the screaming and Deacod realised it had always been there, drowned out by the ringing.

Deacod crawled. That was all he could do. The man didn’t think about the act, putting arm over arm on instinct and began to drag himself forward as his senses finally began to readjust. The screaming and wailing seemed to be all around him now, joined by shouting that he didn’t try to understand. Then came a flurry of sibilant cracks and out of the corner of his eyes he glimpsed red flashes. Finally daring to lift his head, those same red lights streaked above him… blasters?

True panic set in. His stomach churned over and over and his breathes became short and rasped. “Caremi! CAREMI!” Daecod’s own shrieking voice became one of the dozens around the plaza. Finally he stopped before the white base of an artificial tree, grabbing onto it so he might turn, his legs failing to aid him in the surprisingly difficult effort. Daecod only managed to twist his upper body half of the way before he saw the long, red trail that had followed him. He dared not lower his gaze, but he did. Below the knee, the diplomat’s feet and ankles had been completely torn away, strips of flesh and scarlet tinged flesh loosely hanging from exposed muscle and peaking, blood-caked bone.

Daecod didn’t scream, but he could not stare any longer. His eyes remained wide, his mouth a gape, a fixed expression of pure shock. The man finally took stock his surroundings, as if wilfully oblivious to his own horrific injuries. A thick plume of smoke had spread from close to where he had fallen, but with a lack of any vegetation to burn on the stairway it could not have been from the explosion. Daecod could see the outline of silhouettes moving among it, blaster bolts streaking from within the haze and some into it.

Finally a figure emerged, a blaster raised in his hands. With blue-tinged flesh and an elongated maw it was undeniably a Selkath. His chest and shoulders were protected by what looked like a basic combat vest, worn over an olive jumpsuit. It roared out a command in that crude, raucous tongue that Daecod was familiar. “Move! MOVE!” The gunman fired from the hip as he moved forward, spreading a flurry of bolts over Daecod’s head, the heat of the lasers brief but intense. The diplomat felt his heart threaten to tear out of his chest as the diplomat’s eyes locked with the attacker, who turned and raised his weapon even as he rushed forward. Before he could squeeze the trigger again he toppled backwards to the sharp whine of two blaster shots that tore through his upper body.

***

It had been a clean hit - two, even - but Lieutenant Gaelin Carid kept his rifle raised, eyes scanning for targets with the barrel of his blaster lagging a millisecond behind. That one had been the first one to emerge from the smoke, which meant more would be advancing. Gaelin wasn’t going to risk pushing forward, not when there was so little cover. The stairs were not steep enough that their heightened position afforded them too much of an advantage, but there wasn’t enough cover between them and the next flat break to risk pushing through. Not yet.

First Squad had spread themselves along what little shelter the plaza could afford them, four to a short base of artificial trees and two more behind a tall, golden monument at the very centre of the stairway’s end. It wasn’t an avenue designed with defence in mind and even for Ahto City it was sparse and relatively open. They couldn’t withdraw into the embassy however, not when they were already engaged and non-combatants were still fleeing all around them. They could at least fall back towards the two rows of three fountains that lined the approach to the embassy doors.

Bodies lined the stairs leading up to the plaza, most of them human in grey and violet uniforms that marked them as Imperial servants. Others more more regal, but less distinct clothing, presumably their families. More than a few Selkath were among the dead. Most smoldered with fresh blaster burns, but others - towards the epicentre of the explosion - were dismembered or otherwise caked in blood, the scarlet so distinct against the once pristine blue-whites of the ground. A few of the attackers had rushed forward and joined the dead for their troubles, but the rest it seemed had been smart enough to deploy smoke grenades and attempt a more professional advance.

Gaelin peaked above his cover in time for his radio to start shouting again, unable to discern the words as a flurry of blasts suddenly struck the branches above him, sending a mixture of tattered leaves and bits of stick down around him.

“...Status? Say again, ST-Seven-five-nine, what is it your status, over?”
At his side, Private Jakar returned several shots into the fading smoke.
“Seven-five-nine! Engaged with hostiles on the embassy stairs, over!”
The exact same as he had been the last bloody time he’d answered. The next shot stuck the side of his cover, a little too close for the Lieutenant's comfort. “...support... en-route, over.”

He’d believe it when he saw it.​

@Alhon @Xorism @Elix the Fifth

 

[Percy Fleck]

"I understand your reservations, madam Registrar, truly I do. But they really are unfounded."

"Even if I were inclined to believe you young man, you're perhaps not aware that we Selkath have a long history of neutrality. Your Emperor is overreaching here..."

"The Emperor is an ambitious man" Percy countered, straining to keep smiling. "A man of vision. His Majesty only asks that you hear him out-"

The young Acolyte's senses flared in warning a second before the blast. He was half out of his chair when the windows of the meeting rooms were blown out at once, a percussive wave from an explosion throwing both Percy and the Registrar to the floor.

"By the Progenitor!" the Selkath woman stammered "what is happen-"

"I don't know" the Sith replied, already beginning to imagine. Smoke was billowing up from the courtyard outside and the unmistakeable sound of blaster fire echoed down below. "Get somewhere safe" he said, on his feet and fixing the Registrar with a serious glare. She had proved more resistant than most to his suggestions thus far, but obeyed this one without question, hurrying from the room.

Percy pulled his robe and saber from the alcove, making his way down the internal stairs and turning on his communicator. The embassy comm channels were frantic with traffic. His suspicious were confirmed; they were under attack.

Who would dare? The thought made him furious as he walked. Must their efforts always be undermined? He could hardly blame the Selkath for avoiding closer ties when a mere embassy attracted conflict and hostility. Whoever this was, they needed putting down for good. And fast.

Green sparks of anger crackled about Percy's knuckles, one hand on his saber hilt as he emerged into the daylight. Civilians ran past him in the other direction, but he ignored them, green eyes raking the distance for some sign of their enemy. Sticking close to the wall, he reached a group of Imperial soldiers holding position behind a monument. Blaster fire spilled forth from the far side of the plaza, almost seeming to intensify at his approach.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, taking cover next to a solider with the markings of a Lieutenant. Soldiers were blunt instruments, big and blunt in this case, but they had their uses. He could only hope the officer had a handle on the situation. A skirmish in an open plaza hardly played to Percy's strengths; getting matters under control would take no small amount intellect.

@Xorism @Elix the Fifth @Gaelin Carid

 

[Gaelin Carid]

“It’s called a firefight, sir.” As if to articulate Gaelin’s facetious remark a streak of blaster fire wailed over their heads. He heard Jakar risk a chuckle before loosing another couple of shots down the expansive stairway. The Lieutenant spared the new arrival a glance, staring him down through the visor of his helmet.

“We’ve got hostiles advancing towards us, but they’ve popped smoke to cover their push.” He jerked a thumb upwards. “They have explosives, they’re well-armed, but we’ve only just engaged them.” Meaning they didn’t know what other tricks they had up their sleeve. The half-a-dozen kills Gaelin and his men had already tallied attested to their apparent lack of cohesion however.

Gaelin turned his attention to the two Troopers ducking behind the golden monument several meters away. Although it appeared to be sturdy and soaked up blaster fire well the two soldiers were practically back to back and as good as pinned. They made a damn good target and neither of them could risk making a break for their comrades on either side yet, not with several exposed meters between them.

“Dalkin, Safbur, keep down. Say again, keep your heads down.”

There were still civilians laid down on the stairs, intermingled among the smoking or else bloodied, dismembered bodies, caught between the exchange of indiscriminate fire. Considering how little mercy had been shown thus far they weren’t likely to last long once the last of the smoke cleared, not if any of them were dumb enough to move anyway.

“If you want to start swinging that thing,” Gaelin nodded towards the lightsaber hilt dangling from the newcomer’s hip. ”A fireteam can lay down cover fire and we’ll move up.” Gaelin would have otherwise been be content with their current position, but he wanted those civilians out of the line of fire and he doubted the Sith would be willing to sit and wait either. If it came to it, they could fall back to their previous position… assuming they didn’t get shot off the stairs anyway. It was a risk, but so was sitting on their arses whilst they lined up more explosive surprises.

"We'll break them before they get momentum."​

@Alhon @Xorism @Elix the Fifth

 

[Alexandra Thul Drast]

Alexandra had spent the day in a boring intelligence meeting and had been dying to get some fresh air after the many hours in a small, locked room. Her presence shouldn't have been known to any rebel sympathizers but with the way things had been heating up recently, an attack on an Imperial embassy didn't exactly seem wise with all the firepower at their disposal. Alex herself carried twin lightsabers and her blaster at her side in its holster which was attached over her Sith armor.

The days eerie calm would naturally be disturbed by terrorists whom always seemed to ruin every good thing that Alex held dear and close. Why they would break the peace and who they were was of little importance initially, at least until the fight had been won. As fortune would have it Alex would be outside the initial blast zone of the explosion which would save her life if not for the effect of it pushing her back against the door in a hurry. Clearing her vision and drawing and igniting both sabers, Alex scanned the area to find smoke billowing out of the area in front of her and blocking the view forward.

Near her were both an Agent and another Acolyte who had survived the initial attack and were readying themselves to fight back against the intruders. Before Alex could say anything of importance to them, two attackers came hurdling through the smoke wielding Vibroweapons and blasters and charging forward toward her. The lead attacker would only live long enough to regret his attack as the smaller warrior easily ducked the swing before bringing her own blade into contact with his right leg and up through into his abdomen. The second, quicker fighter would attack Alex momentarily after and find his weapon slamming against her secondary blade.

The fight for their lives had begun.

@Exploring Officer @Alhon

 

[Percy Fleck]

The Lieutenant's reply was sharp, but civil, the tone of a man who still knew his place despite the pressure of the situation. Percy liked him on instinct.

"I don't see any insignia" he remarked, peering around their cover. The officer's sitrep and had been clear and concise, but the young Sith could see why hadn't more to offer. The figures moving amongst the smoke did indeed look well-armed, but they were a ragtag band. If they were in the service of the rebels or the Old Empire, they certainly weren't shouting about it. "We need to find out what they want, beyond this carnage". His green eyes flicked to the bodies on the floor and back again, his anger rising at the chaos being sown.

More blaster bolts whipped by. The Lieutenant was in his ear about pressing forward, which went against Percy's better judgment. He preferred the certainty of a defensive position, the opportunity to weigh and scrutinise the attackers. He could do what he could to protect the Imperial soldiers, while every minute that passed would be another minute for the Empire to scramble reinforcements.

Two assailants burst forth from the smoke before he could finish his thoughts, vibroweapons glinting in their gloved hands. Percy made to move, but a new figure surged past him, a crimson saber whirling in their hands, her hands. A fellow Sith had joined the fray, dispatching one attacker and engaging the other without pause.

"Ok Lieutenant" he shouted over the hail of fire, "we move forward. Have your men lay down covering fire". The Sith female had changed the calculus of risk. There was an opportunity now to make a combined show of strength.

Keeping his own saber sheathed for the moment, Percy extended a hand toward to battleground ahead, placing another on the cover for support. Concentrating, he grasped at the billowing smoke with the Force, reigning it in slowly and reforming it to his will. He planned to turn his enemies smokescreen into a shadowy monster that would round on the attackers and make them fear for their lives.

He succeeded in drawing the smoke together into a single large plume, reducing their foes cover, but a lucky shot suddenly glanced off the arm of his robe, knocking him back before he could complete his work. The young Sith cursed, stumbling a step, his concentration broken.

How very dare they.

A new kind of anger rose in his chest; not the obnoxious, righteous anger of a loyalist to chaos, but the white hot fury at the root of all Sith. If they wouldn't take his Force tricks, then he would give them something far more simple. Death by his own hand.

Igniting his own red blade, he went to take the fight to the enemy.

@Xorism @Gaelin Carid

 

[Gaelin Carid]

The appearance of a second Sith shouldn’t have been as much of a surprise as it was given their location, but Gaelin wasn’t going to complain - lightsabers had a way of drawing attention away from him and his men. She wasn’t moving forward without support however and it seemed the other Sith agreed, echoing his words before he had risen to attempt his stunt with the Force. The Lieutenant began to bark his orders into the commlink of his helmet, having lifted his head to take an another appraisal of their situation.

“Lawrec, Tenvin, Jakar! Covering fire!”

He felt the heat of the blast that tore across the Sith’s arm and glimpsed the flash out of the corner of his eyes. When the Sith remained standing, Gaelin quickly returned his focus to the scene before him, the three men he’d referred to by name now voicing their confirmation of his orders. The smoke had already begun to dissipate before the Sith had attempted his little trick, and now it had quite literally lifted the veil shrouding their attackers. It also allowed the terrorists a better shot at them. Gaelin doubted that had been the Sith’s intention, but it was what they had to work with.

Lawrec and Tenvin began returning fire on the advancing foes, their blaster rifles unleashing a rapid, intense volley of fire that forced several of the Selkath behind cover, others further back continuing to exchange pot shots that went wide or else struck steps and masonry. Jakar had slammed another magazine into his blaster and leaned up to fire in time for the Lieutenant join him, loosing two shots before glancing to his side.

“Sith, you’re covered! Move up!”

Their window was limited to the number of shots left in his men’s magazines.

“Dalkin, Safbur, prepare to move!”

With the two Sith taking the centre, his formally pinned men were going to manage little beyond shooting the Force-users in the back. They would at best be a nuisance in a melee where lightsabers were being swung by persons of dubious moral character. They could not leave the Sith unsupported however and would bring up the sides and the rear once some of the distance had been closed.

​

@Alhon @Xorism

 

[Alexandra Thul Drast]

The tempo of battle had been drawn as the enemy warrior slashed and stabbed his vibroweapon toward Alex's abdomen and shoulder in a varied pace and strength. His weakness would turn out to be his predictability as she quickly dodged to his left and brought her lightsaber in an upswing to remove his arm at the elbow causing the man to immediately drop his weapon and scream in terror. A small flick of the wrist and her saber swept through the man at the waist to put a final end to his rebellion.

Now Alex's focus turned to three traitors who now approached her at the same time with their weapons drawn and again Alex found herself in a symphony of death. Their vibroblades edged closer still as the group dodged and weaved trying to avoid each other while making strikes of their own, eventually the luck would run out for both. Taking advantage of one warrior's bad footing, Alex lunged forward and cleaved him in two as the misstep caused his blade to be out of position but at the same time, this movement exposed Alex to an attack which caught her across the width of her back.

This agony drove itself through her entire being but the luck would be that the wound would not be fatal with treatment but it would leave a permanent scar.

@Exploring Officer @Alhon

 

[Percy Fleck]

Percy sprinted forward, possessed of a rare bout of anger that drove him like a furious wind. He barrelled past his female counterpart, not because the Lieutenant needed them to move up, but because he didn’t much care. She could handle herself; he wanted to take the fight to the rest of them, squatting amidst smoke and cover.

They saw him coming, the red glow of his saber a threat they could not ignore. Three of them leapt from cover to engage him, two with blades of their own, a third with a nasty looking shotgun.

“Animals” he hissed on approach, screwing up a fist as he brought the Force down on his foes. The mental attack made all three tense on instinct and there was an almighty crack as the mercenary pulled the trigger before he’d aimed, blowing his comrade to pieces in a shower of red.

Percy had enough clarity left to sidestep the aftermath and swing low, using his lightsaber’s longer reach to slash the man’s leg before he could lash out with his own blade. The mercenary faltered in pain and the young Sith brought his blade back up, through Niman’s low guard stance and on, striking across his face. The man was down in moments.

The traumatised shotgun still had one eye on the friend he’d killed, fumbling to bring his weapon round on Percy. He tripped over and artificial tree root as he backed away and the Sith lashed out with his free hand, flinging the rest of the way with the Force. The man slammed against the low wall behind him, cracking his skull with a gruesome finality.

 

[Gaelin Carid]

The aggressive push had stunted the attacker’s advance, forcing them to engage opponents they were clearly not trained to handle. Their use of vibroblades attested to their preparedness, but not their experience in dealing with Force-sensitives. Numbers could still have forced the Sith to ground, but those were quickly being whittled down. A Selkath moved up from cover and came around to gain an angle on the Sith as they continued brutally tearing his comrades limb from limb. In exposing himself, he had given the Lieutenant a clear shot. With the squeeze of the trigger a bolt struck clean through the Selkath’s upper body, dropping the alien backwards and to the ground.

“Dalkin, Safbur, move up! Jakar, get the civilians clear!”

The amount of fire peppering the plaza had stemmed considerably in the moments after the Sith’s advance and the two troopers broke from both sides of the burn-marked statue, descending the stairs with short, quick steps, their rifles raised towards the attackers. Gaelin tore a smoke grenade from his belt and pulled the pin free. As Jakar vaulted over their small cover, the Lieutenant gently tossed the ball behind him before he stood and stepped around his cover.

Lawrec and Tenvin held their position on the far sides of the stairs, maintaining their overwatch and continued firing at what armed Selkath entered their field of view. One of the attackers bolted forward in time to catch a lucky shot from Lawrec, an explosion annihilating the Selkath’s corpse seconds later as the thermal detonator it had primed detonated beside him and knocked sent at least one of his comrade's down. “Scratch another.” Lawrec’s satisfaction oozed from his words.

***

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay!”

Tresan had started to panic. It had taken her nine year old longer to start crying than she’d expected. Jennell wondered if she’d only brought it on, but it had been instinct to try and calm him before the child likely realised something bad was happening around them. “Shhhh, shhh, it’s okay! We’re okay!” His mother had grabbed hold of him only seconds after the blast had thrown the two of them to the floor. The image of her boy - as close though he had been to her - laid out on the floor, despite the apparent lack of any injuries - would play over in her head again and again.

The rational part of her mind tried to calm her, to assure her that he was fine- but they weren’t. Not here. They were still on the stairs and Jennell had never felt more exposed in her entire life. She could feel her tears stain his jacket, the wetness mixing with the soft fabrics. At least if she was hit- if another explosion struck, he would be safe. She had been an instant away from pulling the two of them up when the high-pitched shriek of blasters had started and she froze atop of her child. She hadn’t dared move since.

Jennell’s attempts at soothing Tresan had been for nought, but she could do nothing but persist. “Sshhhh, ssshhhh.” She didn’t even know if he could hear it over the screaming and the wail of blaster fire. It was as much to try and calm her boy as it was to give her something to focus on lest she lose what sensibility remained and break down… and that would only make it worse for him. Instead she continue to grip fiercely onto him, tight enough that her nails were sinking down against his skin. He began to protest between his sobs. “Mum! Mum, you’re hurting me…” The sound of his fear was like a dagger against her heart, but dared not loosen her hold, somehow fearful that if she did, he would vanish from her arms forever.

It was then she felt a pull around her throat, her collar straining back against it. Her eyes went wide in alarm when she realised somebody was trying to drag her up. Jennell kept clinging onto Tresan as they pair’s upper bodies began to leave the dirt-marred ground. “Get up, get up!” The voice came from behind her, somewhat muffled but otherwise understandable. She felt too powerless - too afraid - to do anything but comply and her feet moved of their own will, finding solid footing as she came upright. The woman dared to turn her head, looking back over her shoulder to find herself face-to-face with the dark visor of an Imperial soldier. “Move, get to cover!” The soldier released his hold of the woman and turned on the spot, his weapon raised. Jennell didn’t say a word, she jostled Tresan to assure herself of the hold she had of the boy and began to run up the stairs, into the billowing green smoke.

​

@Alhon @Xorism

 

[Alexandra Thul Drast]

Alex fought with ever increasing speed now wedged between two mercenaries whose blades sung of battle and blood, the twisted footwork pushing a higher tempo between the two groups. Having already taken a cut to her back, Alex was in no mood to lessen the intensity and allow the pair to dictate the fight, lest she is overwhelmed. One crimson blade became meet with vibrosteel as she carefully matched each of their strikes with her own to counter their force, watching and waiting for the first one to make a mistake to capitalize on.

In melee distance, a mistake is lethal as the first man found his high guard attack blocked by her own defensive blade. This was followed up by a clockwise spin which brought the secondary blade across and through the chest of the man whose own weapon was nowhere in sight to protect him. As the first man fell, the next tripped backward to avoid the whirling blades, causing himself to stumble backward and awkwardly slash forward.

Taking advantage of this simple error, Alex lunged forward and used her primary weapon as a wedge to push his own down while slashing at his neck with the other weapon, quickly ending his struggle. Now only two remained for her comrades to finish.

@Exploring Officer @Alhon

 

[Percy Fleck]

Percy watched the third attacked crumple to the floor, a crimson stain on the wall behind his head. He felt powerful. Strong. Usually his ways were those of deceit and misdirection; open combat was a rare pursuit, but one he’d almost rediscovered a liking for today.

Blaster shots suddenly rang out from the far side of the plaza; two stragglers not yet ready to give up the fight. Percy span his saber in a well worn pattern, deflecting the shots into the hard ground as he advanced on them. Was this all they could come up with.

The answer was an unwelcome one; a thermal detonator thrown with such force he had not time to stop it. The damn thing bounced off a nearby wall and screeched towards him, the timer squealing into its final seconds.

Percy turned and took a step before it detonated, throwing him off his feet and several metres through the air. He landed hard, winded, with blood pooling at his right temple. He hauled himself over the wall and out of the line of fire, dispossessed of any further notions of grandeur.

Dazed and just a little exhausted, it would be a long few minutes before he was back in the fight.

@Exploring Officer @Xorism

 

[Alexandra Thul Drast]

Alex shifted quickly, taking a blaster shot to the chest and began to look for the source. Having lost the last remaining mercenary in the chaos, Alex turned her attention defensively. Both lightsabers finished their respective swings before stopping in front of her in a high and low guard, lest she is shot at again.

Percy would hopefully have better luck than her.

@Exploring Officer @Alhon

 

[Percy Fleck]

Gathering himself, Percy crouched low behind the plaza wall, wiping the blood from his temple. The scene ahead was a graveyard of bodies and smoke, an eerie stillness held back only by blaster fire from the last two assailants. His fellow Acolyte seemed to be off her game too, struck by a bolt in the chest and forced back into a defensive posture.

One of the meatheads was closing in on her, while the other suddenly turned and lumbered towards Percy’s cover. Coming to finish the job.

The young Sith slinked back against the post, hands gripping trousers as he tried to come up with a plan. His fingers found the holster of his blaster, as yet unused. He regarded it as a pedestrian weapon, ill-suited to those with higher powers. But the mercs hadn’t seen it yet. Perhaps he could use that.

Pulling it out and steadying himself, Percy popped up and fired two quick shots in the nearest merc’s direction. Unaware his target had a firearm, the insurgent ran straight into the bolts, shock horror on his face as he went down.

The sound drew the second merc’s attention, but Percy was already over the wall and running, saber reignited.

To his credit, the last man did his best to keep the fight going. With one eye on each sith, he pulled a knife from his belt as he fired on the advancing Percy with his free hand. A brave soul. But though Niman was a generalist’s form, it was more than capable of seeing the young Sith past a few bolts from a single foe.

Percy slid into a sliding tackle, slipping inside the man’s comfortable aim and slashing upwards with his blade, taking his lower arms clean off. The scum fell backwards even as the Sith slid past, collapsing onto the Acolyte and writhing in pain. Percy kicked him off, losing it slightly as he felt the man’s blood soaking into his robes. He doubted he’d ever feel clean.

Staggering to his feet, Percy extinguished his saber as the familiar roar of Imperial engines blasted overheard.

The embassy was safe. For today.



/End Thread

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@Exploring Officer seems to be awol so finished the thread in conjunction with @Xorism