Open Invasion Yavin IV You Die a Hero

[Varyn Atrix]

Death Enabled. Open to two opposition. Thread one of two.​

He had come to it at last: the great battle of his life. Mustafar had been the turning point For Varyn: the point at which he would no longer turn back to the Jedi. Where he had helped strike down a member of the Jedi Council, and though he wished it had gone another way, he wouldn't have changed it. He wouldn't have changed his outcome or the path he walked.

He'd finally outed himself to the Sith starting first with the ISB, but the news would trickle out with time. For the moment, it seemed Yavin would be his test. After delivering his plan of attack first to Altair, then to the ISB, it had finally been approved. He had no doubt that at least some of the troopers - if not Altair himself - had been assigned to kill him if things went wrong.

They had had to move quickly, however, which was probably the main reason Varyn was saved from a long streak of torture. They needed to leave before the Knight's access codes expired.

Varyn looked over to Altair. The first Sith he had told the truth to and their relationship had been different ever since... though the death of Fynn had done something to mend it. He could only hope that tonight would reestablish his friend's trust in him. It might still be wishful thinking, but no matter the outcome, Varyn was committed.

The ship set down late in the night, bypassing the temple's outer defenses using his codes and they moved swiftly, jamming communications and setting upon the security room with speed. They'd arrived in short order, and all that was left was to dispatch those in the security office so that the rest of the Imperial forces could descend. There would almost certainly be other Jedi on watch, but Varyn wasn't going to stop short now.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair had a lot of reservations about this. The last time he was on a Jedi affiliated planet, he was a prisoner. This time he was operating with an alleged turncoat. For all he knew, Varyn could have led Altair right into a trap. And he thought the same back on Mustafar right up until Varyn killed a Jedi in front of him. The tiefling didn’t get the chance to actually talk to her man about it - about what it felt like to turn his back on what he knew. Altair couldn’t imagine doing that to the Sith or the Imperials that followed him. What pushed Varyn away to the polar opposite end? It was because he didn’t know the answer that Altair had made contingency plans.

If this went south to where capture was imminent, he had discussed with Tia on having an extraction fleet ready to jump into the space above Yavin through hypergate. That would be a last resort strictly for extraction in case Varyn turned on him and needed to be killed. While Altair had trusted the man entirely in the past, the reveal had shattered a lot of things that would need to be rebuilt over time.

Altair quickly made his way over with Varyn, keeping a low profile. He wore different armor instead of his distinct one that was recognizable on Holonet. However, the armor had the same features as his normal. His hope was that he wouldn’t be seen as anything beyond a Jedi doing routine patrols. Altair even carried Fynn’s saber on him to ‘prove’ he was a Jedi. No one would recognize the saber for its true owner at first glance. While they needed to subdue people in the security room, anyone outside of it could be reasoned with - Varyn was technically a Jedi after all.

@Phoenix

 

[Croia Than]

Croia was having a difficult time sleeping, well...she did lay down, ready to sleep, but then chose to get on the holo and switter and it seemed like she was going to be up for the rest of the night anyways. She had gotten into a particular heated argument on switter and had been in this feed for the last hour over galactic politics of all things. It was enough to get the young women worked up enough that she slipped outside in her PJs, ensuring no one else was really around before inhaling herb from her pen.

By the gods...I should have just started with this... she thought to herself as she exhaled. She hopped back onto switter, her mind slowing down and now she really could care less about username Glitterpants457xux and their impressions of galactic anarchy.

She giggled to herself as she scrolled back through until suddenly there wasn't connection. She raised her comm over her head, lowered it back down, turned on and off and still nothing. "Kriffing connection..." she hissed, it was always bad on Yavin. She took one more hit from her pen before pocketing it and heading back inside the temple to figure it out. Though little did she know of the unexpected guests as she was on a collision course of their path toward security.

@Painus @Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

The night air was humid. Thick and heavy, it carried with it the cloying, pungent scent of the jungle. It weighed heavily down on Eirik, who, though he was, by now, twenty years removed from it, much preferred the frigid sting of his wintry home. At least the air was crisp back on Weik. On this jungle moon, it felt like he was being suffocated by a blanket. It made him restless, agitated. It was like being a hound that had been caged up for too long.

He alleviated his restlessness with nighttime walks. These served myriad purposes, like letting him tire himself out or patrol the temple grounds. For all its many irritants, the jungle was flush with life, and he enjoyed being audience to the symphony of insects and critters calling out to kindred in the darkness. He’d been on Yavin IV for the past while, having celebrated the Order’s past few victories with his comrades. Things were finally looking up for the Order and he couldn’t wait to bring the fight to their ancestral foes.

Eirik walked and walked, lightsaber bouncing gently on his belt with each step as he roamed around the temple grounds. Despite the peace presented by the area, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind; a strange, hazy fog causing unease to grow slowly. He chalked it up to wanting to get back out into the galaxy to work and shook the feeling away, though it lingered still. On occasion, he would pause and stare into the jungle for a few heartbeats before resuming his walk. Nothing seemed amiss, and yet that uncertainty hung thick in his head.

Deciding that he was now tired enough to fall back asleep, Eirik began to make his way back to his chambers. As fate or misfortune would have it, he, too, would find himself on a collision course with the intruders by the security room as they traveled, albeit coming from the opposite direction as Croia.

@Sreeya @Phoenix @GABA

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn hadn't been to this place in years now, and this was not the way he had thought he was going to return. A finger reached out and slid along the wall as he made his way through, and flashes of memory from Ajan Kloss came flooding back to him. He'd lived through it as a Padawan, and now he returned to Yavin to do the very same.

Well, not quite the same. He wouldn't slaughter children the way they had that night, but he would bring death to this temple all the same.

He picked up the pace as they came closer to the security room.

In the middle of the night, he hoped there wouldn't be anyone up, but he shouldn't have been surprised that a few stragglers and night owls could still be found in the area. He gave a brief, polite nod to the herb-smoking Knight as he moved past her and headed around the corner toward the security room, looking to gain access before anyone could stop him.

Mentally, he tagged the area of his belt that held his lightsabers in case they got uppity, but why would they? They were in the heart of the Jedi temple? Who would have expected that the people walking through its halls with sabers on their hips were anything other than Jedi?

@Sreeya @Painus @GABA

 

[Altair Din]

As a man that partook in spice when he shouldn’t have, Altair was accustomed to playing it cool in suspicious situations. He fell into step beside Varyn, his demeanor calm and casual. While Varyn gave a nod to the Knight, Altair kept walking as he stifled a yawn. He learned how to navigate this place from Varyn, but he still needed the Champion to provide all the access.

They arrived at the door to their destination and he waited on Varyn to get them inside. Only Jedi would have the codes to get in. Altair spotted the other Jedi coming towards this way, but he wasn't too fussed about it.

@Phoenix @GABA @Painus

 

[Croia Than]

There were some others who were still awake at this hour too, however, instead of calmly walking by, she felt herself tense up, hoping she didn't have too much of the herb aroma still lingering. Last she needed was another few nights of patrols as consequence to her personal activities. The pair seemed to not notice though, even the shorter one (@Phoenix) of the pair gave her a polite nod and in response she gave a slacking, cheesy salute that the young Jedi woman felt cringe for and immediately mentally kicked herself for it. However, she remembered things were not working and in her impulsive manner quickly turned back to the duo, calling their attention to herself.

"Hey!" she quickly caught up, "Are you guys having trouble reaching the holo?" she asked eyes flickering from Varyn to Altair and then back to her comm, as she hit the refresh button repeatedly. She showed them her screen, a red glowing triangle with an exclamation point in the center continued to pop up. "Is there someone working on it, or are they doing routine work? Do you know? Because this is really annoying, it happens -I swear- every time I come to Yavin, this place is the pits sometimes..." she rambled onward and would continue rambling until someone interrupted her.

"The last it happened, I was on hold for the latest Emryc Thorne plush, and when you squeezed it, it said things like I am the man of the people, The ISC will stand with you; it came with a suit and his presidential insignia, really was more cute than him in person, honestly, and I was on hold for over an hour when the holo here went out and I was so angry!" she scoffed, "They were all out when I tried again, I couldn't believe it, do you know who is working on it? When it will be back up?"

@Painus @Sreeya

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Sweat clung to his brow and plastered some of his hair onto his forehead, but he wasn’t too fussed. He’d gotten used to just being coated in a thin layer of sweat every moment on this jungle world and it was nothing a quick rinse before bed couldn’t solve. As he made his way back into the temple, he heard a slight commotion ahead in the hallway. Not anticipating a heated discussion at this hour, Eirik found his curiosity piqued, and so he hastened his stride to see what was going on.

He rounded the corner to find three figures in the middle of conversation… if you could call it that. There was a woman in pajamas on the far side of the group rambling about holos and connections and plushes or whatever – Eirik wasn’t keen on galactic toys or the ordering of them – though the other two in the trio seemed even less interested than he was. Barring any interruption to Croia’s monologue, Eirik would just stand there in total bewildered silence, trying to figure out why ordering plushies was the critical conversation topic at this hour of the night.

Regardless of whether Croia was interrupted or not in her spiel, Eirik would clear his throat and glance between the other two.

”Is all well, my friends?” he’d ask, running a hand across his forehead and up into his hair, slicking it back and out of the way, ”None of you can sleep either, eh?”

The unease lingered in his mind, but he was in the heart of the temple. He had no reason to suspect his fellow Jedi of anything, nor should he. They hadn’t been attacked in quite a while.

@Sreeya @Phoenix @GABA

 

[Altair Din]

Altair paused as the Jedi girl started blabbing on and on. He gave a quick glance at Varyn, nodded, and then looked back at the girl. His face lit up as he grinned, “Ayo girl is that the Shady Shadda I smell on ya?!” He asked with a wink, knowing different herb strains by smell now. This particular one wasn’t exactly legal around these parts, “And yea, got some issues with long range comms so we’re here to collect short range units.”

Altair looked towards her screen, “Bro, I’m a big Thorne fan - I mean, I ain’t in the club or nothin’ but I do his fitness program. See, it’s got a nutrition chapter too that’s vegan, but you got me fucked up if you think Imma eat grass and avocado before I go pump iron,” The girl would realize his rambling powers could rival her own, “I dunno how he does it. I gotta eat so much with my work out and to keep the bulk. I go wild on my cheat days though. I’ll bash on some pies, cakes and all the other shit Thorne wouldn’t be caught dead eatin’, know what I'm sayin'?”

He jutted his chin at the new guy that joined them, “Sup dude,” Altair greeted cheerfully, “You ever heard of the Emryc Thorne fitness routine?”

@Painus @Phoenix @GABA

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Altair immediately started intercepting the conversation, which was just fine with Varyn. He was capable of deflecting attention from himself as well, but it sounded like Altair actually knew what she was talking about much more than he did.

I'll grab comms for us, he said, holding up a first for Altair to bump as casually as could be and giving him "permission" as his partner to continue blabbing away.

He punched in his security code of the control room and slipped inside, letting the door shut behind him. One of the security droids turned to look at him, tilting its head to the side and quickly searching its mental database.

Ah, Knight Atrix. We have not seen you for... was all the further the droid got before Varyn was a whirl of lightsabers, the blades quickly cutting through the pair of droids before returning to his belt. He wasted no time, his experience as a shadow covering up his intentions in the Force and the thick blast doors to the security room stifling any of the sound.

He went to work taking down the defenses, turning off turbolasers, comm units, shields, sensors, and the lot of it.

@GABA @Painus @Sreeya

 

[Croia Than]

None of you can sleep either, eh?

"Yeah I can't-" she quickly acknowledged the other Knight (@Painus) as the tiefling announced what strain of herb she was partaking in only moments earlier. An eyebrow rose, feeling slightly impressed by his correct guess, though an eye shifted to Varyn and Eirik hoping they didn't give their disapproval. Regardless, this guy was also into Thorne, "What?! No way, this is all from the Emryc Thorne fitness routine?" she gestured with her hands as she looked him up and down, "I thought that was a scam, like the before and after pictures, they looked fake, and its really an all vegan? They must use a lot of protein shakes or something, I would have so many cheat days, I don't want to be that bulky," she raised her arm, flexing for emphasis as the tiefling's partner headed off to work on the comm system.

"Just enough so I can lift things on my own, but my master was always like you don't have to be strong, you have the Force, but you don't know, there is a difference, I'm not going to lift a box when I can easily pick it up. I had to clean up so many boxes the other day, I ordered the Emryc Thorne senate figure and it came in so many boxes, like kriffing nesting dolls. Its really cool," she started typing on her comm again, forgetting briefly the holo was down, "Aw man, lemme see if I took a holopic..." she started searching, "Its really good, the paint is precise, and the eyes, I dunno how they did it because they look so much like his own, that silver piercing like he knows, you know?" she flipped her comm around to show Altair.

"And its posable, I wish they would make his fiancé into a figure too, because they are the CUTEST couple!"

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

What.

Eirik stood there in total silence as the two Jedi in front of him began to ramble and rave about some fitness routine, avocados, and whatever the kriff veganism was. He wasn’t entirely sure where to interject his own knowledge of any of these topics, of which there was none, so he remained quiet as his brows furrowed deeper and deeper still. If there was a time when he was completely out of his element, it was here and now. He felt as though he was at a crossroads – on the one hand, he really, earnestly did not care about any of whatever they were discussing, but on the other hand, he’d probably look rude if he just walked away without a word.

So, instead, Eirik just stood there and listened to them ramble on and on. Was this the current Jedi Order? Squealing about dolls of distant figures who didn't know they even existed? It was a little embarrassing for the Knight to bear witness to this display, though he kept silent on the matter. His gaze followed Varyn as he entered the security room. ”I would have thought we kept our short-range communicators somewhere different than the central security room?” he queried bemusedly, more to himself than anyone in particular, before directing his attention back to the group.

”No,” he replied curtly to Altair, then, against his better judgement, he continued to make conversation, ”Tell me about it.”

He was sure to regret this line of dialogue, but he wasn’t tired enough to simply walk away and rest, and it wasn’t often that he got to just idly converse with his comrades in arms. Maybe he’d learn a thing or two? Doubtful, because his only fitness routine was the hard labors of his life. These two seemed passionate about this other man, though.

His attention drifted idly back to the security room. Something didn’t quite sit right with their line of reasoning, but he didn’t spend much time in this temple to begin with. Weren’t there meant to be droids on standby to repair any critical issues like comms blackouts?

@Sreeya @Phoenix @GABA

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn ticked away at the controls before stepping back. He pulled his saber free once again and ran it along the consoles, through the displays, and over the data terminals. He didn't want anyone turning the security systems back on. He replaced his saber on his belt and turned his attention to the next, much quicker and easier task.

Varyn had been a Shadow and more than a capable one. He knew how to create his own covers, and he was smart enough to set up a cover for himself today that was filled with enough truth to divert any attention. And so, he crossed the room and grabbed the pair of comm units he had come from before turning back toward the door.

He moved across and slipped back outside into the hallway, letting the door close once again and moving back toward the group.

Here, he said, handing his comm across to Altair and putting his own on his belt.

Too many veggies in that Thorne stuff. Can't do it, he said with a shake of his head, sliding back into the conversation.

@Painus @GABA @Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair blinked as the girl eyed him up and down, “I uh…well yeah..” He said, suddenly flustered. He was always exceptionally flattered when anyone noticed that the Thorne routine was working for him. His tail wagged back and forth eagerly and he had to actively stop it to avoid looking a fool. The tiefling glanced over at the other Jedi that came over looking grumpy.

“Naw, girl, you look great the way you are,” He said with a genuine smile as he looked back at the Emryc fan. Altair looked over at the other Jedi as if he were barging in like a third wheel.

“You up for a midnight pee or somethin’, gramps?” Altair asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

That was when Varyn showed up and the tiefling took the extra comm, “Right on,” He said cheerfully before placing the comlink on his hip as well.

“Aight, let’s go back on patrol,” Altair said to Varyn before turning to leave. He flashed the girl a playful wink and gave Grandpa a peace sign before he walked off.

@GABA @Phoenix @Painus

 

[Croia Than]

Croia grinned when she noticed his tail waving to and fro upon her jargon of impressiveness. He didn't think she needed to change any of her routine, pausing briefly in her thoughts as he addressed Eirik as gramps. The knight had to plow through her willpower to not snicker. Her gaze flickered to the other guy from earlier returning with some comm links for himself and his partner.

She looked back at her comm and hit refresh again, sighing, "Ridiculous...its still not up," she paused realizing the tiefling announced they were returning to patrol, "Wait, maybe we should find someone, what did security say? Are the short range ones working? Are you supposed to keep switching back and forth? I mean how are you supposed to do patrol if the comms aren't even working correctly?" she started, walking behind the two as they supposedly returned to their duties, "Like what if the Eternal came back and attacked? We'd be like sitting ducks." she scoffed, feeling annoyed, "Then we'll have to rebuild again, count the bodies, evacuate and listen to the elders speak about the will of the Force...blah blah blah..." Croia took a deep breath, feeling irritation bubble too close to the surface.

"What do you guys think?" she asked Varyn and Altair, and Eirik if he followed too, "I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, its like we just have to lay there and take the beating, acceptance is key..." she casually mocked some of the phrases she has heard from masters in her short lifetime as so far. "Sometimes, I just want to walk up to Grandmaster Voran and just...just tell her!" the young knight sighed, "But no...she's away at some diplomatic conference trying to kiss up to the rest of the galaxy... while we sit here with no holonet connection!"

@Painus @Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik grunted bearishly at Altair’s question. He wasn’t keen on the levity of modern youth, though it was rarely worth the fight. He shook his head in response to Altair and rumbled out a curt, ”Couldn’t sleep. Was on a walk.” When Varyn came back out of the security room, Eirik simply eyed the man and offered a nod in greeting, silently observing the exchange of communicators. All seemed well; he figured his unease was just him being on edge lately. With their good fortune, it was only a matter of time before things came crashing down around the Jedi once again.

Altair and Varyn turned to depart, and Eirik moved to head his own separate way until Croia decided to follow the new duo. Not wanting the rambling Knight to get led to the jungle and abandoned in the middle of one of her spiels, he spun on his heel and sauntered off towards the group. This would probably just end up annoying him, but it wasn’t like he could sleep in this heat anyways.

”You worry a lot,” he said aside to Croia as they walked, ”We must trust that the Grandmaster is acting in our best interests.” He wasn’t sure he believed his own drivel, but it wouldn’t do to sow discontent among the Order. Truth be told, he was tired of how idle the Jedi were these days. He yearned to be out in the galaxy keeping the peace, not hiding away on jungle worlds like rats. He empathized with Croia’s frustrations; he just wasn't as vocal about them. He preferred to act instead of complain.

”And if she isn’t, then you better trust in your sword arm to keep your friends safe when the fight does come to us.” He rolled his shoulder a few times to ease a mild ache and sighed. ”And what do our new friends think? Are we meant to take the beating, or is it our duty to take the fight to our enemies?”

@Sreeya @Phoenix @GABA

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn kept walking on with Altair back to their "patrol" outside by navigating through the hallways of the temple. Knowing the temple like the back of his hand was an added layer to their cover because he didn't actually have to give navigating any thought as he went and he wasn't getting lost as he conversed.

He'd been relatively quiet up until now, letting Altair carry the brunt of the conversation when it was about workout routines and pop culture. But Jedi philosophy, the nature of the war, and the tendency to totally overthink things... oh yeah, now they were entering his domain. If there was one single thing Varyn was good at it was overthinking things.

Those would probably be things better considered when you're not stoned, he quipped with a quirked eyebrow, but he decided to answer her - and the man's - inquiry anyway.

Take a beating or fight? Those are the only two options? he asked with a shake of his head. No one wants my opinion. These things aren't as simple as anyone wants them to be. We missed our opportunity to wipe the Sith out when they weren't an Empire and when they weren't a part of the galactic government: back when they really were just a psycho cult following the Eternal. They're not going anywhere now and the only people suffering in this war are the other people in the galaxy. I mean, kriff, they've got representation and we don't. What does that tell you? he asked.

Everyone just thinks about this stuff in dichotomies, but most things aren't actually a dichotomy. Fight or die... those are both crap options, he said. The Jedi need to evolve, he said. It was what he had done, and there was a certain conviction in what he said. To them, it would sound like he was mirroring Councilor Zakrim's words about the Jedi changing, and perhaps there was an element to that, but what Varyn knew - and perhaps what Altair would suspect - was that there was a very different meaning to it as well.

For that matter, is trying to wipe out an entire people group even Jedi of us? he asked, thinking of Altair and Vahliri. People who were just people, and the Jedi would wipe them out simply for the title they carried. Oh yeah, Varyn could talk about this for ages.

He hit the door for the exit and took a breath of the fresh night air, continuing to head out further into the darkness.

Anyway, what do I know? I'm just a peon Knight who hasn't slept at all tonight, he said.

He put two fingers to his forehead in a fake salute and would continue to head out whether they opted to follow or not. Get some sleep and give it some more thought in the morning, he said, half hoping that some of what he said might actually sink in if they survived the rest of the night, but that was a big "if."

 

[Altair Din]

Altair’s eyes glazed over as Varyn rambled. This was somehow worse than the the fangirling. It was a good thing that he had so many siblings that gave him endless levels of patience when it came to rambling or his Matukai fists would have been at work already.

He said nothing as he kept walking, stifling a yawn and activating his comms. There was nothing out of the ordinary about his posture, his tail lazily swaying as he walked outside to get back to the patrol location.

 

[Croia Than]

"I'm not that stoned..." she she scoffed when the quieter Jedi of the patrol pair spoke up. She threw her head back as something she said seemed to trigger him good as he went on and on about what he thought on the current state of the order. She quickly shared a glance between Eirk and the tiefling before hitting the refresh button on her holonet connection. Though before she could even handle Varyn finishing his space!Ted talk, she blurted out, "Alright alright! I get it-" when in fact she didn't understand where he was going, "I was just wanting to complain for the sake of complaining, not think of solutions on how to fix it, its like the middle of the night, maybe get some Shaddy Shadda for yourself..."

The young Knight sighed seeing that she wasn't going to get anything in about Emryc facts while this guy was with him. Though seeing they were heading to patrol back outdoors, she would rather not loiter around in the jungle itself. The place was worse with the bugs out there than in here. "I'm going back to bed..." she grumbled and turned on her heel to head back to her quarters.

@Painus @Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik walked on with the others, silent as Varyn engaged with his question. The Weikian had grown tired of hearing the fawning over some distant figure, so the sudden philosophizing intrigued him. If it weren’t so late, he might have enjoyed a deeper discussion on the matter. It was dark, however, and he needed rest for the coming days. He knew the Jedi would face further trials and tribulations and to be unprepared for them would spell disaster for the Order.

Varyn’s words were true, albeit interpreted differently by Eirik than the man might have wanted. The Jedi did need to evolve, but he wasn’t sure the others had what it would take to bring about this radical change. They were like rats and had been for years. Scurrying between the dark, safe corners of the galaxy afraid of yet another purge. It wasn’t about enacting some grand vengeance or holy retribution; for them, it was nothing else but survival.

”It tells me that history repeats itself,” he retorted to Varyn’s rhetorical question, ”Rise and fall. The tragedy of our foe.”

His pace slowed as he let the two ahead gain some distance to return to their patrol, venom-green eyes peering through the darkness as they melded into it. It would be a sleepless night, he figured. Much to think on and more to prepare for. That unease crept back into his mind and he found himself unable to dismiss it as readily as before. His chest heaved with a weary sigh as he turned away and began to head back into the temple.

”They would do the same to us,” he mused, answering Varyn’s last question beneath his breath, ”We have no choice but to fight.”

He gave the moon a cursory final glance before returning to his quarters to meditate.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @GABA