Event The Battle of Ryloth

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched as the man began hacking up the guardrail, declaring it wasn't his ship, and Talak actually found humor in this fight. That was certainly not what he was expecting. The brazen declaration that he wasn't the owner and was going to ransack it as a result.

He couldn't ponder that for more than a second, however, as molten spears began to fling down at the Jedi. They were small enough that it wasn't unlike evading a blaster bolt, except that there was no option of blocking or deflecting them.

Talak moved to the left as the first one slammed into the ground just behind him where he had been only moments earlier. Rude.

Then there were more. Another set of rods, but this time it was more than one, which meant probably doing something more than a simple sidestep. He lifted his left hand again, using the Force to deflect one to the side while evading the other two with his footing as he moved back, dipping behind one of the large generators and out of sight.

Not your ship then not your problem that I'm here, right? he asked. Now, though, he was curious why this one wanted to kill him. Despite what people said, each Sith had their own reason for fighting. Some were more relatable than others.

Why do you want to kill me so badly? You don't even know me! he shouted up. He wasn't going to put himself in the line of... hurling again. Maybe they could just have a chat. @Arclight

 

[Asminys]

The Jedi deftly avoided Asminys' improvised projectiles, not that the Sith had really expected otherwise. It seemed that the Jedi was more interested in talking than fighting, to Asminys' annoyance as he watched the Jedi disappear behind one of the large generators in the room. The Jedi's question did make Asminys stop for half a moment. It really wasn't his problem beyond being ordered to guard the generator.

"Not my problem, no. Some other Sith's problem." He responded truthfully as he stalked the catwalk, searching for an angle from which to approach the Jedi's position. He didn't want to leap down and give the Jedi an opportunity to blast him out of the air, so he settled for a much less subtle approach. Swinging his lightsaber in a wide slash across the catwalk, he severed it completely and held on tight as it came crashing down, rolling off the falling platform onto the deck floor a moment before it came to a jarring halt with a loud crash.

"But the force brought us here at the same time, and I've never fought a Jedi before." He said as if it was the most simple thing in the world while he scanned the shadows behind the generator, searching for a sign of his opponent. He had fought plenty of Sith before, killed them. But never had he had the opportunity to fight a wielder of the light.

"Why do you wish to romp around this junkpile so much? He shot back into the shadows, hoping to earn an answer that would give away his opponents hiding place.

@Phoenix

 

[Chant Sindhu]

Chant subsequently heard the blastboat pilot begrudgingly offer to watch their six. “Copy that, blastboat over and out.” She answered on the comms to Locarn. Strangely enough it felt natural to be using military terms again.

Fits like an old glove I guess despite trying to deny it all these years.

Wasting no further time on self-reflection, the Mon Cala pilot steered her vessel through the hanger’s energy field. Inside the cockpit she saw smoke, fire, metal pieces and corpses scattered across the place. Chant then saw a collection of wounded Republic marines gathered together behind a makeshift barricade of crates and ruined machinery. She activated the land gearing and descended with a thud in front of them.

Pressing a button the ramp came down next while steam poured out from the across the freighter’s hull. Gulping down fear she called out to her droid comrade still on the turret. “Ness get in the cockpit. I need you to check our systems while I go help with the marines. The last thing we need is a power outage in a time like this.”

Beeping positively Ness let go of the turret’s controls to follow the order. As for Chant she got up from the captain’s seat and rushed out the cockpit. Subsequently she opened all the doors to the frieghter’s compartments.

Thank the force that I dropped off that last shipment hours ago. We’ve going to need all the space available.

A minute later she running down the ramp to assist the marines.


@Nefieslab

 

[Talak Rand]

Fighting just to fight? Outstanding. That was both something Talak could relate to and also something that he probably couldn't reason with. That would just be perfect.

He peeked around the corner to see the catwalk tumble down in dramatic fashion. In truth, Talak had briefly considered several iterations of that same maneuver. Fancy and right up Talak's alley. In another life, these two might have gotten along. Or really just a couple of years earlier in Talak's current life.

It wasn't so much that Talak was hiding as he wanted to make sure that the man came down from his perch.

To be honest, I want to leave. But I want to stop the Ryloth attack more, so here I am, he said. He knew the other man would be able to find him in short order, and he was ready and waiting. The white glow of his lightsaber still radiated from next to him.

So that's the whole reason you're here doing this? Just looking for a fight, eh? he asked, keeping ever ready and alert to the appearance of his opponent around the reactor. @Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys' eyes narrowed on the faint silver glow coming from the other side of the reactor. So the Jedi didn't even want to be here, no wonder he had backed off to skulk in the shadows. Skulking was usually his job.

"Not looking, I found one." Not that he had really chosen to be there on that ship. He had been ordered. "Plus, what was I supposed to do, tell the Sith with the Star Destroyer no?" Asminys wasn't entirely sure how things worked with the Jedi, but when someone in the Sith who could kick your ass told you to do something you did it. Unless you were looking to get your ass kicked.

"What's so special about this Ryloth place anyways?" He asked as he edged closer to the Jedi's cover. He was eager to fight but equally eager to pick his foes brains. His superiors hadn't seen fit to fill him in on what they were doing there, and from what he had seen of the planet from orbit it just looked like another dustball to him. "Must be something, seeing as you're so eager to protect it. Why not just leave, nothing stopping you."

Except me. Asminys thought to himself as he rounded the reactor. As soon as he rounded the corner he would raise his left hand and direct a force push at the Jedi, nothing nearly so focused as the Jedi's, but broader in scope, meant to stagger his opponent back as he caught sight of him. His blade was held ready in a relaxed low guard, ready to move and intercept anything the Jedi could swing at him.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak's face scrunched up in disapproval. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were weak and able to be pushed around by other Sith, he said sarcastically.

He figured the man would be making his way around soon, and he wasn't disappointed. He questioned the importance of Ryloth, but of course the man wouldn't value life at all. Talak didn't know why he would have expected anything different. Oh well.

The Force warned him of coming danger as it suddenly began to flow toward the corner of the reactor. He siphoned off of the flow, letting it coalesce to his hand and unleash in its own defensive move. More concentrated and thus not requiring as much total energy as the broad attack of his opponent, the two waves smashed against one another, sending Talak's clothes rippling in a dramatic fashion.

Talak took a step forward, not looking particularly intense in his gaze as he took a casual swipe from his own right to left horizontally at belly height. He had little doubt the man would manage to block it, but sometimes miracles happened. @Arclight

 

[Jago Haaldin]

Jago practically beamed as his kick landed. The Sith knew his stuff though and his target rolled forward, absorbing the force of the kick. With the speed Jago had been moving and the direct hit, if the Sith (@RedneckLoves) hadn't rolled the way they did, it would've have been a knock out for sure.

Despite that the attack had served it's purpose and the grenade went wide of the target, though still took out a few of the ground troops of both sides. Jago himself landed easily on his feet and readied himself for whatever counter the Sith had planned only to be a bit surprised by the sight of the Sith making a hasty retreat. Jago wasn't about to question it though and took a look at the battle line. The Twi'lek forces were hard pressed by the Sith troops. The Sith knew their target was simply to destroy the gun, so they came on with reckless abandon. Jago gritted his teeth and made for the frontline.

He leapt and came crashing down with a right hand chop to the neck of one of the attacking troops. Another Sith came on, their blaster spit hot plasma his direction. The Matukai moved forward, deflecting the shots off his gauntlets and spun when in range, kicking the gun from the troopers hands. He continued the spin and leapt a bit to hit the Sith with a devastating roundhouse that laid him low.

More came and Jago took up position at the head of Twi'lek defenders. He had no idea if aid was coming (@Phantom), but for now he'd hold this line. "I'm with you brothers and sisters!" Jago couldn't see the loading platform from down on the ground level, but he assumed that the evacuation had to be close to completion from what he saw earlier. "Hold them for a bit longer! I refuse to let them take another life while I'm here yeah! Who's with me!" A cheer came from behind him and the defenders hunkered down and formed a proper perimeter around the final gun. If the Sith wanted this final canon, by the force they were gonna pay for it.

 

[Asminys]

Weakness. The accusation stung Asminys. He had spent his whole life proving just how strong he was and now the Jedi was diminishing all of that. What did a Jedi know of strength and weakness, of the constant struggle for survival that Asminys had known. The anger at the words blossomed in Asminys' chest and he would wield it as a weapon.

Once more Asminys pressed his opponent, invading his space as he blocked the Jedi's white blade. Right foot stepping forwards to put his right side facing his opponent as he brought his crimson blade to bear in a more aggressive version of of the Jedi's earlier defense, his arm held shoulder high and parallel to the floor with his blade pointing down at the deck as it met his foe's weapon.

He left hand would wield his anger like a hammer, crossing his abdomen with a knife hand thrust pointed right at the Jedi's stomach as he stepped in to block. While his own fingertips wouldn't even pass the span of his side, the concentrated power of his rage would rush out in a knife edged blast that would hit like a battering ram.

@Phoenix

 

[Mara Kensei]

"...Holy shit. That worked. How did that work?" Mara said as she ran towards the gun, because her Hail Mary force push actually worked, it wasn't supposed to work, was it? Stop doubting it, and take the win, Mara. The Matukai mentally scolded herself before continuing her path towards the large cannon. Mara released her double bladed Wan-shen from it's clasp on her back, spinning it with a flourish as she neared the Cannon.

Once she reached the Cannon, she sidled up next to Jago ( @Topher Ridge ) , smiling as she recognized his gear and his unique force Signature as another Matukai. "Hey there, Brother. I didn't expect to find another Matukai here. Ready to kick some Sith ass?"

Mara smirked as she lowered her stance into a defensive position, holding her wan-shen out in front of her and preparing for any incoming attacks.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak could sense that he'd hit a nerve, and that told him something that he filed away inside of his mind. He was slowly but surely beginning to get a sense of exactly what type of a Sith he was fighting. As the man moved in against Talak, their dance continued.

As the Marauder stepped forward with his right foot, Talak stepped forward with his left and pivoted the right side of his body back. As their blades clashed, Talak pulled his right arm inward toward his own body and cocked his wrist backward. The push from his opponent caught his arm as it came in toward his body, but the pivoting motion meant that it only grazed past him rather than catching him full on.

And Talak made his own attack. Talak had stepped nearly in sync with the Sith, which meant the man would have extreme trouble repositioning so that Talak wasn't at his exposed back now. The Jedi's left hand snatched the hilt of the short sword at his side and in one fluid motion drew it from its sheathe and slashed in a reverse grip at his opponent's lower back. Furthermore, the push-amplified pivot would only accelerate the speed with which he closed in on his opponent's back with the attack, cutting the time to evade even further.

Even if he tried to move or evade the blow, he wouldn't have time to clear the blow before it landed, and the Sith's lightsaber was on the entire opposite side of his body, out of range of parry or deflection.

As for Talak's own saber, the movements he had made with his arm allowed him to keep his own saber more or less between himself and his opponent's blade, preventing his opponent from getting inside of the Jedi's guard for a strike of his own. @Arclight

 

[Eisa Wex]

A hearty chuckle escaped the fiery haired pilot's lips as they curled into a wide grin in response to the Mandalorian's comment. "Figured you of all people, would appreciate it" Eisa commented as she shot her companion a sideways glance, before reaching over and toggling over a series of switches and leavers. "Predictable movements and obvious targets and all that kriff" She added before flashing a quick wink before turning her attention back towards her flight controls. Eyes narrowing as she watched the salvos of turret fire ripping out from the forward facing turret accompanied by the streaks coming in from overhead from the Dorsal turret.

The chained salvos of turret fire gradually tearing chunks through the transparisteel of the view port, before it suddenly burst out in a rain of shattered chunks, raining out into the vacuum of space as the compartment rapidly depressurised and vented into the black void that surrounded the ships. The last few of the fired salvos tearing into the exposed void of the ship's command deck, resulting in several smaller yet more noticeable explosions as the control consoles and data cores detonated.

Wresting control of the ship, Eisa triggered another bust of the manoeuvring thrusters, spinning the ship back round to face its current trajectory. "keep on peppering those kriffers" Eisa called on out to curse, hoping that the buzz droid would continue to empty salvos into the blown out aperture of the command deck - not that she doubted the fact the maniacle chittering resonating from Curses turret wasn't going to be an indication that the buzz droid wouldn't stop wrecking destruction.

With the Rim hopper facing its right direction, the Spacer renabled the inertia dampeners before pulling the freighter around and downwards towards the underside of the protruding superstructure that towered out of the main wedge form of the Hull. Casting her eye over the scanner output, her grin widened as she caught sight of several new blips on the read out. "Looks like we've got company" Eisa called out before pulling the ship into a tight downwards spiraling turn. "Three Ties, hold tight and keep your targeters on them..... This might get a bit toasty" she added, as the viewport of the Rim hopper leveled out so it was facing the exhaust ports of the star destroyer. Turning round to face Minerva as a devilish glint flashed in her eye, as if she had just cooked up another of her insane ideas. "you know when she shot those bottles of vodka over the bonfire?..... Wonder what would happen if she did that but with fuel and tie fighters...."

@Minuteman75 @Reyn

 

[Chant Sindhu]

Just as Chant was about to reach the marines, one of them, a short Mirialan woman in battered fatigues, intercepted her. “Lieutenant Kan, are you Sindhu?” Nodding the pilot replied. “Yea, c'mon let’s get your people out of here.”

Without further discussion Kan and her few non-wounded marines proceeded to help up or carry their injured comrades. Chant lifted one young man up missing his left arm, letting him lean on her shoulder. “It hurts, it hurts.” He whispered in agony repeatedly.

Subsequently several Republic transports entered the hangar and landed. Soon enough navel crew and medics rushed to get other survivors on board. Yards away on the right side one panel exploded. Chant kept running with the crippled marine who was moaning surrounded by others rushing toward her ship.

“Almost there, hold on.” She said in reassurance, though the human could hardly listen due to the immense pain he was in. Soon enough the group went up the ramp into the freighter.

Half a minute later Chant gently set the human down in a bunk inside her private quarters. Done the pilot exited the small room directing the marines to whatever space available. From the cargo hold to the hallways the wounded sat or laid down, crowding the ship quickly with more than twenty people. Suddenly they felt everything shake, causing many to scream in pain or fear.

We need to go now!

The Mon Calamari realized before closing the ramp once the last marine got inside. Heading to the cockpit with Kan in tow they had to avoid stepping on the others that filled the floor. Reaching the cockpit, Ness at the side panel reported in droidspeak that all systems were clear.

“Good girl, now let’s get out of here.” Strapping in the pilot’s seat while Kan took the co-pilot’s Chant took a hold of the controls before pressing a button. The Lee-Char lifted off the hanger and sped out. Soon enough the other transports followed as well.

They flew away from the doomed Star Destroyer. “Head for that vessel over there. I’ll let them know we’re coming in.” Kan said, pointed to a Corellian mid cruiser before Chant replied. “Alright, thanks for the tip.”

As she maneuvered around to dock in the cruiser’s hanger bay, Chant thought with a saddened yet determined expression.

This war is far from over, can’t pretend otherwise. As soon as possible I’m gonna enlist

(OOC: Exit Thread)

 

[Asminys]

Asminys was not slow to react to the Jedi's underhanded attack, but he was hard-pressed to keep up with his opponent. His footwork almost in lockstep with his opponent, his left foot stepped out to the side as he pivoted to keep the Jedi from his back. His off hand already at his waist, he would twist so that his knuckles faced inwards as it formed a fist and "punched" slightly towards the short sword now whistling at his side. A corkscrew of energy blasted out of his hand as he did so, the small but powerful push catching the blade right as it bit through his blast vest to knock it back in the direction it came form.

Ignoring the pain of the blade's bite for the moment, Asminys movements were fluid as he quickly swept his left hand out from its position at his right hip, opening it as he brought a powerful force push sweeping forward at the Jedi from his left side. Meanwhile he would bring his lightsaber in a sweeping slash from left to right. Sweat broke on his forehead at the exertion of the rapid succession of force usage as he now fought to gain space from the Jedi. The move would buffet the Jedi with a powerful force push coming in from his left at the same time that Asminys slash came in from his right. His shortsword temporarily displaced by the initial burst of force and an attack coming in from the right meant that the Jedi would likely have a hard time defending without taking the brunt of the push. If everything went as planned the Jedi would find himself pushed back just in time for the ship to shudder and the engine room lights to hue shift to red emergency lights as warning claxons began to ring throughout the ship.

"You fight like a Sith." Asminys commented, giving the Jedi a begrudging nod of respect. He hadn't expected the second blade to come out of nowhere. Patting his side, his hand came away sticky with blood. Glancing up at the flashing red lights, Asminys felt a small grin tug at the corner of his lips. "That can't be good, what do you think it means?"

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak felt his blade bite into flesh, but not nearly as deeply as he had hoped. He felt the impact of the "punch" slam into his arm and reverberate upward, making the lateral part of his hand tingle for a moment.

Talak's left hand used that momentum to shove the short sword down into the path of the incoming enemy blade. He felt it hit his own phrik blade and barely managed to keep his grip in place. Nevertheless, he didn't manage to fully stop the blast of the Force.

He started pivoting again to evade it, but more than a little of the impact still found purchase. He stumbled back several steps, the two warriors now with space between them as they caught their breath.

Yes, Talak did fight like a Sith. He fought to win and he fought underhanded. A Form created by a Sith and taught to him as a Sith. He supposed it shouldn't have surprised anyone who knew him.

The ship shuddered before either man could reengage and Talak felt the ship's artificial gravity begin to shift. Momentum and planetary gravity started to have their way with the Star Destroyer, and Talak could guess what was going on.

I think it means if you want to fight a Jedi again, you'd be wise to get off this ship, he said. The two of them could have continued to fight, but Talak's objective had been done for him by someone else. He wasn't here to kill everyone aboard the ship.

Time to go! he shouted to Hannibal across the room. No doubt the other duel had been likewise interrupted by the ship's lurch.

He backed away, keeping a wary eye on the other Sith until he was out of sight at which point he would turn and make for the exit assuming Hannibal was in tow. Most individuals in the ship were no longer interested in fighting the boarders, they were worrying about their own survival. That was all the better for the Jedi and marines. @Arclight @Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

As usual it seemed, Hannibal's warning had been ignored. He'd even given the Sith the option to leave, but it seemed he instead intended to gather the Force to do something. The guy wasn't moving, so what could it be? It turned out to be a very brief mystery, the light flashing into existence. Hannibal turned his head, the dark visor of his helmet and his hood partly protecting him, through he was still half-blinded by the light while the Sith- ran away? This was starting to become a theme.

Disrupted eyesight, however, didn't seem to disrupt his ability to deflect blaster fire. If anything he relied more on his intuition to guide his lightsaber, deflecting shots from the similarly half-blinded security toward the marines. Shots would have to pass by the Jedi standing in the doorway, which wasn't likely, having taken a defensive stance.

'Course they didn't get much time to actually engage eachother. The ship shuddered in response to some explosion or other and a failure of the ship to maintain its position in space. Well, that solved that problem. Also he was pretty sure Talak was shouting at him to leave. Should get on that.

"Aye!" he replied, stepping back through the doorway to rejoin the marines. "Time to go," he repeated to the soldiers, waving them on but waiting for Talak to join him before moving out. Best to stick together, particularly if their enemies decided to be stubborn about the whole thing.

@Phoenix @DarkSaber

 

[Asminys]

Asminys briefly toyed with pushing the attack. The weight of gravity on the ship had shifted and it was clear to him that the ship was beginning to fall towards the planet. Could he defeat the Jedi before the ship collided with the planet below? He would never know. The ship was already in freefall which meant there was little point in defending the reactor anymore. Likewise the Jedi was eager to leave the scene.

"Until next time then." His words issued with a half sneer as the Jedi backed around the corner. With the Jedi no longer in the equation Asminys rushed to a service door, not keen on sharing exits with the Jedi. Following the snaking narrow corridors through the shuddering ship, the Sith made his way towards the Star Destroyers hangar bay.

@Phoenix

 

[Minerva Wren]

At the sight of the ship bridge exploding Minerva let out a wild cheer. “I wished I had a holocam for that.” She confessed to Eisa, still firing at the target until it was out of range. This was immensely satisfying to say the least.

Subsequently the freighter made a sudden spiraling turn. When her captain alerted her of the incoming Ties, the merc readied the turret in case she had them in sight. Figure they would worry about surviving right now. But if these Sith loving scum want to die then who am I to deny them that right.

When Eisa referred to the bonfire incident Minerva snorted in amusement. “It would be a good fireworks show.”

@Reyn @Topher

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

For a moment, it seemed like the Jedi were turning the tide. Nykoria planned to ignite the second half of her saber-staff to block Wolfgang's possible attack; that could buy her valuable moments, and in the meantime Izel had a good chance at slamming one Sith into the other, knocking them both off balance. However, to Kori's frustration (or perhaps salvation), she'd never know how the fight would have ended, or even if Izel would succeed.

A shudder throughout the ship knocked the Jedi and the Sith off balance, forcing them to break the lock. Even worse, the Star Destroyer's floor felt like it was all too eager to become a wall. "Woah!" the Zeltron couldn't hold the exclamation as her back landed on a bulkhead, the pain echoing in the fresh lightsaber burn on her side. Her lightsaber extinguished with a hiss, as Nykoria tried to grab on to something with a free hand.

The change of gravity rearranged the battlefield: the corridors where the Sith and the Jedi had come from were steadily becoming chutes, and the gravity of Ryloth drew the combatants down those chutes and away from each other. Kori gritted her teeth as she tried to brace for the inevitable impact; even getting to an escape pod seemed problematic now. As she held on, unwanted thoughts raced across her mind.

Had she failed again? Had her marines died for nothing, if the ship was going down anyway? Was Kori herself ready to face off against the Sith, if all she achieved was her own flesh wound and deaths of her squad? What would it be like to become one with the Force when the star destroyer crashed inevitably. So many questions...

// Exit thread
@Reyn, @Versok, @Mr. Teatime

Spoiler: OOC

I took the liberty of jumping ahead of turn ending our fight in this fashion, since it has stalled a little, and the event was about to end anyway. I hope that's ok with everyone.

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel's concentration was broken by the sudden rocking of the ship. And just like that the life or death duel the four of them had been caught up in was over. Flashing red lights and a blaring alarm filled the hall as the surface they were standing on suddenly began transforming into a steep incline. Fortunately for her, the change from horizontal to vertical wasn't nearly as disorienting.

Focusing on the Sith as they struggled to find purchase on the floor-turned-wall, the Vratix reignited her pike and started moving towards them with malevolent intent. It seemed circumstances were suddenly in her favor. Seeing her fellow Jedi slide past her however demanded her attention. Izel looked briefly between Kori and the Sith before cursing under her breath and turning away. Another time. She extinguished her weapon and rushed to catch up to her Zeltron companion. It was plain to tell the star destroyer had been critically damaged, and was on it's way down. It was imperative that the both of them get to safety at once.

The Zeltron would be treated to an odd sight as the Vratix, still standing on the floor that was now a wall, approached her. "Nykoria," Izel said urgently. She could tell the Zeltron was in something of a panic. She did her best to try and maintain her calm for the both of them. "You need to concentrate. If we focus we can protect ourselves from the impact." With that the Vratix Jedi would begin to focus her own mind, gathering all her power to herself and her ally to begin forming a Force barrier. They would survive this. They would continue their fight against the Sith until they were finally defeated and the people of the galaxy could live in peace again. Izel would make sure of that.

//Exit Thread
@Catbert @Mr. Teatime @Versok

 

[Curse]

Curse cackled with delight as the bridge went up in smoke, continuing to lay on the fire and tear apart the surrounding structure of the ship. Already scans were indicating the star destroyer was dead in the water, starting to drift off course. Hopefully she'd get to watch it crash into the planet below when they went to finish their job.

//Acknowledged.// The droid beeped out as Eisa warned them of the incoming fighters. Swining her turret around she opened fire, shearing one of the wings clean off the TIE furthest to the right. It then went screaming and spinning into the other, both erupting into a magnificent ball of flame. The remaining TIE swept under the ship, out of the Pistoeka's range. //Left one just for you Mandalorian!// The buzz droid chittered out cheerily. What a wonderful day. Death, destruction and utter mayhem. What more could a sabotage droid ask for?

//Are there any other planets that need saving?// She called back to Eisa hopefully. //I would be happy to lend assistance!//

@Topher @Minuteman75