The Fall of Korriban: Cleansing of the Temple

[Valen Pelora]

Alara was not sure what she had expected. The Sith were in a fight for their lives, the Jedi attacking the very heart of their Order. They sought to destroy the essence of the Sith. She had expected urgency, desperation, desire. Instead, she got a hulking Templar moving slowly forward. Alara had never been very patient. Her Masters had tried and failed to hammer that message home. The Grandmaster was about 5 meters from the Templar. As he began to walk slowly forward her outstretched hand quickly dropped to her belt. Her Sunspear pistol was alive in her hand. She fired two quick shots towards the Sith’s center mass.

As soon as she pulled the trigger the second time she was moving forward, Sunspear dropped and forgotten. The Force rushed through her while she closed the gap with incredible quickness. The Sith would never have a chance to strike first, she had taken care of that. Her blade was held to her right side with both hands. When she was in striking distance she brought the blade up in a horizontal slash, aiming to rip the Sith from hip to shoulder. Alara’s goal was to prevent the Sith from blocking one of the attacks. Even if he managed to bat away the blaster bolts he would have precious little time to react. @Versok

--

The High Priest could sense his brothers and sister falling. He could feel the Jedi creeping ever closer. A low growl escaped his throat. He should have known the others would fail. This was a task he could only complete himself. He was the avatar of Darkness. He was the Guardian of the Tombs. He would throw back the intruders. The Grandmaster and all of her minions would be swallowed by the Dark. He stood and ignited his cross-guard saber. The High Priest stalked from his perch. It was time to end this. The Darkness would not be defeated this day. He would not allow it. @Topher Ridge

 

[Topher Ridge]

The group of acolytes charged Barad's band of Jedi and he pushed forward to meet their charge. The glowing blades clashed and screeched in what could only be called a brawl in the wide corridor. Barad lashed out striking a sith in the arm and was quick to follow with a stab directly to the heart. His opponent fell away and he met another who swung wildly. He watched her swing, watched all the sith fighting, as the struggle continued. The sith appeared to be fighting with more savagery, going for moves that would even be considered risky by their standards. They were afraid. He ducked another swing and followed up with a fluid cut across his opponents knees, bringing the sith down. He saw and opening and took it, Barad literally dove through the Sith line. He tucked and rolled and stood in one fluid motion and turned and launched several throwing knives into the backs of the sith forces. None of the knives garnered deaths, but acted as enough of a distraction for more Jedi to fell their opponents. Barad looked behind and saw the way was clear and made a run for it. They were close, he could feel it.

At the end of the hall waited a larger, ancient door made of stone with ornate carvings. The dark no practically drilled into his head. Barad shook his head and could feel the fleeting light of 3 other Jedi behind him. They were all that made it this far. It would be up them it seemed. The Justicar stepped forward and doors rumbled and opened. The room beyond was large and hexagonal in shape, with several 6 foot pillars placed symmetrically about the floor. Barad couldn't see it, but from the feelings of utter dread, fear, hopelessness, and hatred that threatened to overcome him, this had to be the nexus. In the center of the room and the nexus stood a figure that held a burning cross guard lightsaber. Barad cautiously took his first steps into the room and was followed closely by the other 2 jedi.

"Is this it? Three Jedi here to face the High Priest of the Sith Inquisition? Pitiful. Come then Jedi whelps. Korriban may fall this day, but you shall see that we shall not fade. We shall leave a legacy and a wound so everlasting, that a millennia from now people will whisper the name of the Sith with terror and respect!"

Before Barad could act the 2 jedi with him shouted and charged the High Priest in a frenzy. The didn't even get close to the Sith before he channeled a massive wave of force lighting that engulfed them. They screamed in agony before collapsing dead at his feet. The darksider laughed with glee.

"Oh surely you can do better than that. Did you feel it Jedi, they could not hold on to their precious light! They understood in the end that the only path to true power is the dark side. The power here is too strong Jedi, can't you feel it?! The endless power before you!"

Barad simply gritted his teeth and in one fluid motion put his saber away and drew his bow. He fired several shots and began to circle around to the right of the priest and took cover behind one of the stone pillars.

"I only feel one thing! The corruption and hatred here has to stop! Taking you down is just the first step!"

He wheeled around from his cover and began to lay bolt after bolt against the Priest. The sith deflected it all, but Barad moved closer as he fired. He wouldn't give the priest a chance to concentrate on any offensive force usage. As he got closer he could clearly feel the dark clawing at his mind, it urged him to attack to end this being. He hadn't even realized that he now only stood a few meters away from the Priest. He madman cackled and rushed Barad, the dark clouded his mind and slowed his movements. He couldn't react fast enough as the priests saber swung across and cleaved Hawkbat in 2, taking a piece of his left hand with it. Barad screamed in pain and fell to his knees, the whispers of the dark threatened to swallow him. The priest stood above him and smiled.

"See Jedi, you're no different than us. In the end it all comes to darkness and death. Forsake the light and at least have a chance to join the ancient sith here in glory."

His mind felled with dark thoughts and visions then, he could almost feel the power offered by the dark side. Even now it made promises that if Barad simply embraced it, he could defeat the one that stood over him. He could return to the Jedi in glory and honor and cleanse the galaxy of evil, with his new power. He almost gave in, but a single memory lept back into his mind. It was from a long time ago, back on Tython with his old master, In'raq. They had finished their lessons for the day and lounged in the sun among the vibrant green of one of Tython's many forests. The future Justicar was surrounded by some of the cute and playful animals of the forest as they rested. Barad remembered asking why he was so drawn to the wild places and forests of the planet and why the creatures seemed to always like him so. His master chuckled and said it was the reason he choose Barad as a padawan. The light side worked through the forests of Tython and in all living things on the planet. He believed that Barad's love of the forest and it's returned favor was a sign that Barad was a true ally of the Light side. That when the day came, the Light would work wonders through Barad and repel evil from the galaxy.

Time seemed to slow as Barad looked up to see the Priest swinging his light saber down on him. His mind now clear, the darkness repelled by a singular purpose and goal. In an instant Barad drew and ignited Mielikki. As the Priests blade drove into his shoulder Barad plunged his saber into the heart of the vile High Priest. A single sound of shock escaped the Sith's lips as he fell dead beside Barad. The Justicar stood and walked into the heart of the Darkside nexus. The dark tried again to find a hold but all it would find was impenetrable light. He held Mielikki up to his face. He opened his comms to any that could hear.

"To any Jedi forces in the temple. I'm at the Nexus. I'm the only one who made it. I know what I have to do. Fight on for the light, fight on for an end to this violence, fight on for a galaxy that will no longer need the Army of the Light or Jedi to lead a galaxy to war. Fight today so that future generations of Jedi won't have to."

With that he cut the comms and closed his eyes. This was why he was led back to the Jedi order proper, this was why the force urged him to leave Coruscant. The Light needed him here and now, to clear this blight from Korriban. The light swelled inside Barad at that moment, he felt renewed and more powerful than he had ever before experienced. He didn't dare open his eyes but he could swear that he was glowing with the power of the lightside. The force had spoken to him and this was his duty. The light would work through him and cleanse the temple and nexus. It would require a sacrifice. One that Barad was happy to give. The light continued to build inside him, from the outside light would begin to emanate from his body. The glow would intensify until all that remained was a silhouette and the viridian glow of his saber. The light would then explode outward, consuming Barad and continue to spill out into the temple and wash through the halls. It would happen in an instant and shake the halls of the temple. All inside would feel the shift of the force, the darkness fading into nothing and being replaced by the power of the lightside. The temple now forever blighted by the light.

Barad's saber would slowly float down and come to an easy rest in the center of the floor. The viridian blade would flicker out for the final time and remain as a reminder of what the jedi had done that day.

~Exit Thread~​

@Valen Pelora

 

[Valen Pelora]

Her mind drifted from the battle in front of her. She did not know what happened to the Sith. A burst of the Force was shoved at the creature. Alara’s mind went elsewhere. Barad had followed her orders and gone ahead. Most of them were stuck wallowing in the Darkness. He managed to break through. She could feel the Light and Darkness crashing together. Great crescendos rising before falling. The Force ripping at one soul then another. Part of her yearned to take off running, bolting for her fellow Jedi.

Alara knew she would never make it in time. She reached for Barad to lend him her strength. The Light flowed from her to her fellow Jedi. In time, her commlink chimed. She knew what this meant. They all knew what this meant. She kept her mind firmly with Barad. She felt every last second of his life. Alara lived the sacrifice he made.

Her mind snapped back to her body, tears wetting her cheeks. She fell to her knees as the Force thundered from her body. She screamed. The boulders covering the entrance erupted outward, the mind of the Grandmaster flew with them. The Lightside poured across Korriban. The Darkside Nexus obliterated with the Light. All across Korriban the Sith Order was falling. Victory. Finally, victory. The Order was ending. Alara stood and wiped the tears from her face. Her work was not over, the Core worlds awaited. Soon she would have peace. The galaxy would know tranquility again. She would fulfill Valen’s dream.

OOC: End Thread

 

[Narsi]

Okay, so he should've brought the helmet. Honestly, it'd been so long that he'd taken for granted the convience it provided. It was only now, staring regretfully at the severed sparking end of his right arm, that the consequences of that decision fully hit him. Everything had been going well, and he'd managed to kill several Sith, though one them had looked like an acolyte. And that was when disaster had struck, a new priest had come forward, a bit quicker and more skillful then the rest. One shot, two, three, the red blade had batted them all away, and then lunged for his life.

Gorman had responded accordingly, stretching out his right arm to unleash a torrent of flame into the Sith's charge. He'd spoken the code word, as he'd done many times before, except this time, he hadn't been wearing his helmet. Thus the completely unimpeded lightsaber had completed its arc, and neatly nipped away the extended limb. It was the weapons last act, in Sith hands at least, for the priest seemed genuinely surprised by his unopposed success and hesitated on the backswing. That slight hesitation was just what Gorman needed, and he managed to bring about the blaster in his other hand an unleash a bolt into the man's leg. Of course, he didn't stop at one, double tap was the rule he now lived by, he just kept squeezing the trigger while gradually shifting his aim. When the dust and sound dispersed, a lopsided Gorman was left holding a very empty gun and a riddled corpse.

Warily glancing about, Gorman waited till the coast seemed clear before relaxing. He was effectively done, for now at least, no way could he fight force users with only one arm, unable to even reload properly. Sighing, the amour laden S'kytri replaced the blaster in its holster, grabbing up the fallen Sith's weapon and placing it with the two others on his belt. That done, he turned round, retracing his own footsteps with a heavy heart, scowling at his own foolishness. He'd dearly hoped to be of more service, do something more than kill a few random bad guys and then leave the Jedi alone. As he stepped away however, Gorman found himself caught up....in something. It was as if he were flying once more, up in the clouds.....free and whole once more. He paused, somehow standing tall for the first time in ages, enraptured by the smell of the sky. Gradually, mournfully the feeling faded, but not entirely, leaving Gorman feeling lighter than he had in ages, and strangely hopeful.

Gorman snorted and shook his head, blinking away the sudden stupor, nonsense, he was truly getting old. He had a long ways to go, and no more extra arms to lose. He set off once more, already thinking on how best to help with the core worlds endeavors.

/exit thread