Bakura

[Lumiya]

One by one the bridge of the True Empire watched each stormtrooper and droid collapse in real time. Their commander, Selena Krauss, laughed as each man fell to his own fate, mocking the death of her own soldiers as they were shocked, blasted or maimed. Lumiya had advised they send a smaller unit in order to asses the real danger, and fortunately, the survivors had revealed most of their numbers, but more importantly, their identities. Images began to flash on the screen.

"Identified: Jase Denora. Sitting member of the Jedi Council." Lumiya had paid considerable attention to the man, though his form was a little over the top for a Master of the council, she watched the way he moved and used the Force... Lumiya was well aware of this man's past, and was tempted to offer him a position within her ranks, but his ego was too large, even for the Sith, instead, she tolerated Tarison.

"Identified: Lucas Pallanén-Davad. Jedi and Son to Alatáriël Pallanén-Davad, Most-Wanted list." Lumiya's eyes narrowed at this piece of information their automated system delivered. He was of considerable value, he had the potential to become an apprentice, eventually replace Var, then ultimately, herself, as reigning Sith Lord. It seems the True Empire was more interested in blackmailing his mother into the surrendering of Kuati assets.

"Identified: Tseneca Lowry-Fink. Thyferran, CEO of all Major Bacta Exports. High Value." This prompted a startled reaction from the crazed Commander, whose sanity fell under even more scrutiny, still, she skirted the line of genius, if everything she had said were true.

"Fink?!" She shouted, "REPEAT LAST!"

"Identified: Tseneca Lowry-Fink. Thyferran, CEO of all Major Bacta Exports. High Value." The automated system said, stressing its own pronunciation for additional clarity, while also returning the image captured in the forest of a brunette woman holding a blaster and lightsaber.

"FINK!" Krauss sounded delighted at the result, whirling around to meet Lumiya's eyes, "Now that is a target. That is something I want left alive." Lumiya bowed her head, maintaining the simple pleasantries between their temporary alliance. She had explained to Krauss the resources and connections she had accumulated over the generations since her disappearance. It was more than enough to get a meeting with the Grand Admiral, at least, so she had said.

Lumiya answered carefully, "I will instruct my men to leave her alive." She knew this would be of great displeasure to Rylii Kuat, a boy she had seduced in his plot to restore his family name. She had no intention, but his connections to Kuat and resources, what little he had left, were of considerable value.

"IDENTIFIED: Sahana. Jedi." Krauss returned to the image of the dark-skinend alien and she let out a Yuck in disgust, with "Alien-filth."

"UNIDENTIFIED." An image of a half-cyborg, a twi'lek Jedi, and a redheaded woman were displayed.

Krauss crossed the bridge, overlooking the real force meant to capture and eradicate the resistance. Machines, ones grafted over time and no doubt enhanced with alien technology, waited for the command - they had no idea what was about to hit them. Lumiya took to a holo-communications pad, connecting her with Var, Kuat, and Lohden. "Han Solo and Tseneca Lowry-Fink. Leave Lucas Pallanen-Davad alive. Kill the rest." It was simple. It needed to be... no questions, just action.

She pocketed the device, folding her hands behind her back as she took to Krauss' right side as a symbolic gesture overlooking the plundered world of Bakura. "We will give them an hour to regroup. Send fighters over the forest, begin bombing runs on the outskirts...."

Lumiya grinned, she hadn't thought about that. They would be trapped and without the aiding hands of Lohden, Kuat or Var, they would perish by blaster or by fire. She closed her eyes, extending herself to the surface, and onto the Falcon in phantom-form. She was standing next to Lohden, looking towards a man she had not seen in decades. He aged somewhat graciously, the same cheeky smirk and smuggler tone.

"Solo," she whispered in the vast space between them, "Your soul is mine."

The Invasion of Bakura

Capturing a Corellian

[Alisson]

Snap. Hiss. Snap. Hiss.


Alisson stopped, and so did the clunking feet of H6 behind her. She held up her hand, not that it was necessary, she asked him to stop talking almost two hours ago. "Lightsabers." She confirmed after hearing it one more time, not having to run it through her databanks as she had been around Lucas and Damian long enough to understand the sound they made when two collided together. Alisson pulled the sniper close as the two walked to the edge of the civilian complex. They were up higher than the Force-users, one of the Jedi spun around, she identified him immediately.

"H6-"

"Observation: Jedi Master Durron."

"Yes," she confirmed, and brought the sniper's scope up to her eye. She couldn't make out the second individual, and his face didn't register in the archives. "I'm taking a shot. You might want to get ready, this could get ugly."

She closed her other eye, lining it up, then in five rapid trigger squeezes, she fired, all hailing towards the yellow-eyed mystery man... "Hang in there, Kyp." She muttered, as H6 let out a rocket....

Tag: Orrion Carn, Kyp

The Invasion of Bakura

Back in the Saddle

[Morgan ZIM]

With the battle over, Morgan began collecting what ammo and explosives he could from the fallen droids and stormtroopers as he began examining just how damaged the battle droids were. He had a head already, but that had been collected as they had been rushing to escape. Now, he had free reign to pick and choose from a variety of units, and at least some measure of time with which to get it back to the camp, especially if he had some help.

”Ooo, this one looks good.” He said as he approached one he recognized. It was the same droid he had put several bolts into the head of earlier. And since he already had the head of another one, it was nothing he would miss.

”A complete unit.”
”Exactly.” Morgan replied to the droid.

Looking up, he look to see if anyone was paying any attention to him.

”Anyone want to come over here and help me with this thing?” He asked out loud.

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.

[Tarison Var]

The duel continued on for several minutes, the two fighting back and forth between each other. Gaining footholds, the Sith Lord toying with the Jedi Master. Then an unwelcome interruption brought Tarison away from the battle to dodge quick sniper blasts, using the Force to push Kyp Durron away from himself to do so.

“It seems you have friends, Durron.” Tarison spat. “Until we meet again, friend.”

Tarison deactivated his lightsaber and with a strong fury used the Force to leap into the air, bounding between two skyscrapers until he was stories high.

Peace is a lie. There is only passion. He repeated inside his head between a bound, slowly masking his presence in the Force while he did so.
Through passion, I gain strength. Another bound, and deeper into seclusion.
Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. He called upon a Sith Technique that allowed him to shrink his presence within the Force, making it all but impossible for any other Force User to detect him outside of deep meditation, which a blood pumped opponent would find it difficult to accomplish.
The Force shall free me.
With the final word of the Code repeated, his presence was completely veiled at the top of a skyscraper. His comlink blipped on an encrypted channel, and Lumiya appeared to him.

“What is your bidding, Master?” Tarison bowed his head.

"Han Solo and Tseneca Lowry-Fink. Leave Lucas Pallanen-Davad alive.” Lumiya ordered, then with sinister she added, “Kill the rest."

“It will be done, Master.” Tarison bowed again and he placed his comlink back in it’s pouch. From another holster he activated the signal to his shuttle, a specially designed stealth ship, which upon retrieval it would automatically travel to his position. Then he will be on his way to prepare for Solo’s capture.

Tag: Kyp, Alex

The Invasion of Bakura

Back in the Saddle

Catching a Corellian

_________________
"Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."
Code of the Sith

[Neytiri]

Her masters childish personality always left her off guard when it came to her pure battle strength. She stayed stationary as Sahana lead the ambush, leaping into the center of the fray. Her sabers strikes were so fast, it appeared as though she was attacking from several points simultaneously. She had only felt the wrath of Vaapad once and hoped she never would again, it had left her with a great feeling of inadequacy.

She was second to last to join the assault, leaping down into the fray, utilizing tree branches and other environmental high grounds to jump to as she flipped and assaulted the droids. Using the force, she pulled those out of her reach into her saber. The numbers of the enemy were dwindling quickly, this small of a force wasn't a threat to their smaller Jedi force. The red head seemed to be fairing well, the newly arrived bothan also seemed more than capable of handling himself.

Retreating into the trees, Neytiri pulled a fallen blaster from the ground and began raining fire down on those that were left. She always liked the feel of the increased range a blaster afforded compared to the close combat of her lightsaber.
_________________
Neytiri - Jedi Padawan

Force Specialty: N/A

Saber Form(s): Ataru

Favored Techniques: Force Cloak/Stealth, Telekinesis

Combat Skills: Infiltration/Tailing

[Sahana]

As the small skirmish went on, Sahana lost interest in this battle. Their force of four Jedi seemed to dominate the battle. Sahana didn't even have to worry about blocking as she dashed from target to target, leaving nothing more than steaming chunks of meat and white plastoid left where a stormtrooper once had stood. She may have gone overboard against the poor boys in white, but she made sure to leave no survivors.

It hadn't lasted long, the battle was over before it began. Sahana took a second to gather her surroundings in. What was once a loud massacre was now nothing more than a silent grave. The only thing she could hear was the humming of lightsabers and the flickering of a fire. Even with victory, she had a bad feeling, if not here, on something to come.

"Ten total." Sahana said with a laugh as she looked up into the trees to find Neytiri hunched on a branch with a blaster in hand. "Who won?" She asked the Twi'lek who rolled her eyes at her.

"Master, there were only twenty five targets. If you got ten, that is just under half. What do you think?" Neytiri replied sarcastically.

Sahana just giggled as she did a walk of the ground for anything useful. "Let's re-group with Master Denora. And for the rest of this venture, I want you using nothing but your lightsaber and force abilities." Sahana ordered Neytiri as she started back to camp. She didn't mind the user of guns, but she needed more real combat experience with her saber.
_________________
"I Am Darth Cleavage!"

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Tseneca disengaged her lightsaber and put her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Lucas stood next to her, assessing the carnage. "I think we just spilled the barrel, slipped, and landed in a pool of hungry opee sea killers"

Tseneca exhaled. "I shot him." She said stupidly, knowing full well the scout had gotten out that transmission before the blast hit him. Lucas shot her a look that told her much the same. She straightened. "What does it matter, they'll send another wave, and we'll hit them with more of the same."

Lucas clipped his lightsaber to his belt. "You're underestimating them..."

"I was one of them!" She countered. "They're in the middle of an invasion, so they're going to concentrate all their efforts on a strike team in the woods?"

"Two words." Lucas said, holding up two fingers. "Han Solo." Then he turned and walked back to camp.

"Anyone want to come over here and help me with this thing?" Morgan's voice came out from over where he was patrolling the devastation left on the forest floor. He was beginning to lift one of the droids, still well put together. She walked over and grabbed its legs, hoisting them upward. "Ah the spoils of war." She commented as they began pulling it toward camp. "What are you going to do with it?"

[Morgan ZIM]

”Droid Autopsy.” Morgan said, summing up his plans in two simple words.

”That sounds like such a dirty term.”

”I collected a head earlier.” He continued, indicating to the droid head that was still hanging off his back as he and Tseneca carried the 'dead' droid along. ”Now with the body, I’ve got a complete unit. Hopefully, I can take a look at its insides to see what these guys are made of. And once I find out for sure where its brain is located, maybe I can find out what makes them tick. There’s dozens of possible things I could do with this thing once I’ve taken it apart.”
_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.

[Sethe Bhren]

The battle was done nearly before it had begun. Sethe had taken a few shots, but it was the others who'd done most of the grunt work. Seth crouched in the shadow of the Falcon, his folio spread across his knee. He pulled the sterile cap off one of the syringes with his teeth and tied a band around his forearm, making quick work of a quarter vial of sedative. He felt his muscles relax, felt his tension ease with the drug. He breathed a sigh of relief. So what was it, every five hours? like frakking clockwork.

He put the supply back in his breast pocket and wiped his damp forehead against his sleeve. He emerged from behind the ship in time to see Lucas enter camp and Morgan and Tseneca follow shortly behind, lugging a droid back into camp.

"Hey." He hailed Lucas, who looked up.

"How are you feeling?" the kid asked and Sethe shook some hair out of his eyes.

"It's under control" He answered. There was an unmistakable sentiment of mistrust in Lucas' eyes. The boy had never really liked him, not entirely. He knew the way he'd come into Tseneca's life, and how quickly they had become lovers had never really settled well with the Kuati's high moral standards. It wasn't for lack of trying that he couldn't get on his good side. Hadn't it been Sethe who's traipsed across Hoth to find him?

"It had better be." Lucas answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sethe bristled.

Lucas narrowed his eyes, and looked at him. "There are some things that we can't help. The disease you have is one of those things. But you know that if you do something, anything to endanger her or the child i'll be forced to take action."

The self-righteousness and blatancy of the statement struck Sethe. It was almost too much.

"Excuse me? Lucas, I'm trying....I wouldn't..." He sputtered, suddenly angry. "What does it even matter to you?" He spat.

Lucas made a face. "She didn't tell you? She named me Godfather." Then he turned and walked off.

Sethe watched him go. Godfather? He looked over at Tseneca, who was engaged with Morgan in whatever it was he was doing. He felt a pang of.... what? jealousy? anger? If Lucas was the baby's Godfather, then where did that leave him? It was his best friend's baby, for gods' sake, and what he was left out to dry?

Hurt, and thoroughly pissed, needing an outlet, he headed back to help with more ships repairs.

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Tseneca grunted, hefting the thing along. She grinned. Thats most likely what she herself would have done with the thing. "I did something like that with my ships computer." She said. "That voice you heard warning us of troops? Its an automated systsem's unit I put together using spare parts a lot like this." She nodded at the droid body.

They pulled it into camp, and set it down. She wiped the sweat of her forehead off with the back of her hand. She felt filthy. "Its a shame. I miss doing hardware work like this, I've been on the move so much. Let me know if you need a hand." Then, as an added precaution she raised her hands palms up. "You know, only if you want it. I don't want to get in your way."

[Morgan ZIM]

”Yeah, I’ll probably be better off working on it on my own. But thanks for the offer.” Morgan said, not making mention of ZIM and the difficulty that would come from trying to coordinate whatever part the droid would play with whatever she could do to help.

”Though you said your ship is on the way, right? Considering we have no idea how long it is till the next wave of troopers shows up, you could probably help me out by letting me store on board once it arrives. At least until I can get to where my pal crashed his ship and transfer it over. Assuming his ship still flies.”
_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.

[Coral Callatros]

She had expected interrogation droids, needles, and traditional Imperial torture, but what had waited for her inside the chambers of this battleship was beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Coral screamed emotionally creating an almost inhuman sound as the sensation pulsed within her body. All at once it felt like razors were cutting into every pore, her skin seething with a hot iron, and tremendous amount of psychological pain... some kind of ultimate sadness, remorse and depression rolling within her at once. Just when she thought her body couldn't take any more, the officer would look her over, much like a butcher would examine a piece a meat, another session would begin, tenderizing even further.

Coral cried as she was released from the device, just pouring the emotion from her body, trying to remember anything positive, anything happy. "Tell us," came the cold Imperial response. "Anything, and we'll let you off for a day."

Coral curled into a ball, regretting ever having joined Republic intelligence, but the one thing she knew, despite everything, was that she could not betray her government's secrets. Not to people like this. So, she did what she thought anyone in her position would've done. She rolled her tongue in her mouth, collecting whatever moisture she could, then spit on the man's face. "FRAK YOU." It came out just above a whisper, she had lost her voice in the hours of screaming.

The man took a small piece of cloth, wiping the spit from his face, before slapping her across the face with it. Two of the battledroids collected her and strapped her back to the foreign machine. Coral closed her eyes, trying to return to Corellia... to her childhood with her grandfather. She laughed, but it was the last joy she'd experience for hours...

The Invasion of Bakura

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

"Sure thing". Tseneca smiled. Her ship was always getting new people, a droid wouldn't make a difference. She left Morgan to his work and headed back to the other end of camp, where Jonas and Rueth were. She shook her hair out of her face and sat down.

"Some action, huh?" She said, trying to incite some levity.

"This isn't quite what I expected." Rueth said. Jonas raised a hand and rubbed her shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't blame you." Tseneca answered. "Once we get the ships repaired, we'll come up with a better plan.." Her thoughts weren't together. What about Coral? They couldn't leave without her, something had to be done. But their priorities had to be getting off of the planet, alive.

[Han Solo]

This is a joint post between myself and Cray. Thanks again!

Lohden had been busy; very busy. While Han and a few others had been toiling endlessly out in the murky swamp to repair the Falcon cosmetically, Lohden had been inside, fingering up delicate equipment only Han himself was comfortable touching. The initial sight of the kid buried to his waist in electronic equipment nearly gave him a heart-attack, but when the powergrid was activated and the interior lights flickered once before returning to their normal luminance, Han was able to relax...if only slightly. There was still something about the kid he didn't like and that feeling was only reaffirmed as he collected his things and sauntered down the corridor to repair the gun wells.

Han watched him leave with a suspicious eye, only stepping closer to inspect the kid's work when he had turned fully out of view. The panel he had welded into place would have appeared perfect to someone not familiar with the process, but Han had a deeper understanding of his ship and he knew from experience what it took to repair that particular panel. Something looked...off, a feeling he couldn't quite put into words. It was only when he panned the rest of the corridor that he noticed similar inconsistencies all along that stretch. It was as if they had been sabotaged, the crafty work carefully disguised as they continued further with the repairs. Han was now fairly certain that there was an ulterior motive behind Lohden's carefree smile. The problem was finding the proof he needed to wipe that smile from his face for good.

Frowning at what evidence he did have before him, Han turned on his heel and continued the short walk to the cockpit, where he knew Leia had been monitoring things since their unceremonious arrival. She had been unusually quiet and that indicated that she had been observing things and soaking them all in. Maybe he would get lucky and she would have witnessed some of Lohden's actions herself.

Rapping on the side of the doorframe with his hand to grab her attention, Han cautiously glanced behind him to make sure he was not being watched before stepping fully into the cramped space of the cockpit. "Hey," he greeted her casually as he sidled up beside her. It was in their best interests to get straight to the point. "You keeping an eye on that kid? He's messing around with a lot of the components back there and I don't trust him." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the access corridor he had just passed through.

Leia's head lolled as if she had been falling asleep, but at the sound of his voice, she quickly straightened up and glanced over the back of the pilot's chair with a smile. But as she listened to his concerns, the smile quickly faded. "I haven't really been paying any attention to what he's been doing," she noted with a bit of worry. "Why? Something wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong," Han confirmed, lowering his voice to make sure Lohden hadn't decided to come back around to the cockpit to listen in. "I think he's 'fixing' things he shouldn't be fixing." Not really waiting for Leia to respond to that, Han leaned across her to reach the control console and punched in a command to bring the small computer screen to life. With a speed that came only after decades of use, Han's hands moved across the keyboard as he looked for a specific entry.

It was obvious Leia had no real idea what was happening and simply watched Han's hands work over the computer for a moment before finally finding her voice. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, dear," she started evenly, attempting to crack a joke to lighten the mood. "But maybe he's just trying to help." She paused, a weak smile appearing on her gentle features. "It's not the most orderly ship."

A pang of hurt briefly clenched at his chest, but it was quickly overcome by a smile of his own. Her gentle ribbing was only part of a recurring joke between them that had started all the way back when they had first met. But despite the game, he had always found it easier to take personal insult than he did insult to the Falcon...

"If he happened to land an internship at one of the galaxy's most reputed shipping companies, you would think he could tell the difference between a broken component and a functioning one," he pointed out matter-of-factly. "All he has to do is check the diagnostics." He dramatically punched a final key, bringing up a long list of items that began to scroll across the screen. "See? If he did do anything, I'll find it in here."

Leia's gaze remained focused on the screen, her brow creasing into a frown. "Why else would he be messing with them, though?" she asked solemnly. It sounded as if she wanted to find the kid innocent.

Han simply smiled as he continued to scroll down the page. "He was really trying to flatter me with all that hero worship stuff the past couple of days before this all came up," he started confidently. "Trying to get me to stay with the company...practically begging me to. And then he comes along here." He shook his head, the smile fading. "He's too obsessed for his own good...almost like he has other motives."

"He's just a scared kid," Leia surmised softly, canting her head to try and catch Han's eye. "Worried that he'll do something you won't like."

He scoffed. "Well, if he keeps it up, I'll kick him out as soon as we get back. How's that for doing something I wouldn't like?"

A sigh emitted from the pilot's chair as Leia leaned back, obviously becoming frustrated with the course of the conversation and Han's apparent witch hunt. "You won't have to be worrying about him much longer," she nudged in a gentle reminder.

"Damn right I won't," Han agreed, still determined to find something to pin against the kid as proof. "Maybe I'll do it even sooner and send him back now...get him out of my hair so I can work on the rest of the repairs in peace."

"I mean he'll be someone else's problem."

With that reply, Leia's words shot through his gut like a vibroblade. After days of doing a damn fine job of dancing around the issue, Han had finally been too caught up in the moment to realize what he had been saying and talked himself right into a durasteel wall. There was no easy way around this and he would have no other choice but to tell her about his decision to stay on with the company. He glanced at her briefly, almost to acknowledge his mistake, before returning his attention back to the computer screen and keeping it there as he started to speak. "Actually, I don't think it'll be that simple," he started slowly, clearing his throat in an attempt to gain the confidence he needed to continue. "You know when I said he was begging me to stay? Well, he was very convincing..."

"What's the supposed to mean?" Leia asked curiously, keeping her tone guarded.

He inhaled deeply, continuing to scroll through the various items on the screen. "I terminated the deal," he mumbled rather quickly, hoping it would pass by before Leia could decipher what he had said.

No such luck. The silence that hung between them following his statement spoke volumes of what she thought. He didn't need to look up from what he was doing to know that she was glaring at him, maybe even wishing a hundred horrible things upon his being for being such a nerf. He was on dangerous ground, now, and he had only made it worse for withholding the information from her for so long. She would not speak after that and he would need to take the initiative to try and set things right and break the silence.

"In the end, I didn't trust Davad with the company when we're facing another war," he explained, stammering a bit as he tried to look for excuses. "Besides, he didn't take it that hard. He actually understood after everything that happened with the shipping crisis here."

"Well," Leia uttered, clearly trying to keep her emotions in check. "I'm glad he took it so well."

That wasn't exactly the reaction he had been hoping for and he felt his hope slipping away. There was only one other way to do this, something that would get to her and make her understand - that was talking to her face to face and making it personal.

Switching off the computer screen, Han blew out a sigh and situated himself so that he was looking her directly in the eye. "Look, I know what you're thinking and it wasn't easy. It's just until this whole thing passes over."

She didn't respond and simply turned her head away from him.

"C'mon, Leia," he begged, clenching his teeth as he tried to keep his anger in check. "We both know I wouldn't have been happy. You said it yourself - the company is like our fourth kid!"

Leia managed a smile, but it wasn't a smile to express happiness...it was a mirthless smile. He had really messed up this time and Leia had realized that far sooner than he had. Unfortunately, now, it was too late.

Shaking her head, Leia rose from her position in the pilot's chair. "You know, Han, at least after 30 years you still do things I would never expect."

Without another word, she had gone from the cockpit and Han was alone to deal with his own devices. Kicking the base of the control console with his foot, Han slumped down into the co-pilot's chair and simply stared out at the coming dawn.

Tag: Cray, Alex

Catching a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

[Jonas Eisley]

Jonas tried to comfort the whore, but couldn't help his mind from wandering to Rylii, then the other thing on his mind walked by. Lucas was turning away from the Millennium Falcon when Jonas excused himself from the campfire and approached him, scratching his head as he said, "Hey." Lucas looked him up and down, before walking past him. He might've deserved that, in fact, he knew he had. "I'm sorry, if that means anything to you right now." It caused him to stop in his tracks, his feet swinging around to rotate his body so they could face each other. Jonas saw pain and anger stare back at him.

"Does it mean anything to you?" His reply was meant to sound inquisitive, but came out harsh.

Jonas closed the distance between them, "Yeah." He said matter-of-factly, it had just come back to him. What had happened? Why did he allow this to happen? "You mean a lot to me, I wish I could explain it." He tried to sound as confused as he really was on the inside.

"I wish you could too, actually." Lucas fired back without really giving it a thought, Jonas could sense he was about to unload. "You know, I think we're even."

Jonas looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"I was with Riles on Hoth."

He felt like his whole being just split into two. "What?" He couldn't find the next thought, "I..."

"Yeah, he gets around, I'm glad you could pick up the leftovers." His tone was cold, and coming from a place Jonas had not seen before. "Not that its anything new for someone like you... got you by on Nar Shaadda just fine, right? Before leeching off 'Boots'" He reached into his pocket and tossed some credits on the floor, "Go ahead. Thats all I ever was for you, right?"

"You know, you're a real ass sometimes." Jonas pushed passed him, but Lucas grabbed his arm just before he was out of reach. "Ah, come on Lucas, we're done here, aren't we?"

"Are we?" He said, darker circles around his eyes actually created a little fear, but that was when a figure rounded the corner. Lucas released him, both of them looking at Tseneca.

"Guys?" She questioned, but neither of them answered, "SAMM is almost here..." Her voice died away taking in what was possibily happening, then started again, attempting to excuse herself, "But I'm just going to wait over there..."

"Sethe might need to talk to you," Lucas said, "He didn't take the news very well."

"News?" Jonas asked.

"I'm going to be a godfather." He said with implied pride, but it was more of an attack.

"Lucas!" Tseneca breathed, a little perplexed by the venom in his voice.

"Oh leave him alone, Tseneca," Jonas turned, "He needs to get this out. Come on, what else? Are you saying I don't really matter?"

"I guess so," Lucas answered, "I guess you just weren't ever in the big picture for any of us. Right Tseneca?"

"Oh for fraks sake," Tseneca breathed, "What has gotten into you?"

Lucas breathed, and left their triangle. When he was out of view, Jonas collapsed into a tree, and let Tseneca comfort him... "You can go, should probably fix things with Sethe." Lucas probably made a similar comment to the man, maybe something worse considering the man's condition.

"He's just a loose cannon right now, he doesn't mean it."

"No, he does." Jonas conceded, "He is mostly right."

"No, he isn't." Tseneca said in a final tone, and returned to the direction of the Millennium Falcon. Jonas spent the next twenty minutes reflecting, trying to remember what exactly happened on Bespin, when he heard footsteps. Someone crouched on the otherside of the collapsed tree-line. A communication device chirped, and a woman's voice said, "Han Solo and Tseneca Lowry-Fink. Leave Lucas Pallanen-Davad alive. Kill the rest."

"Yes, Master." Came the muffled reply, before shuffling the device away and retreated back to the campsite. Jonas peered over the logs and saw: Morgan.

Tag: Space Jawa, Jess

Catching a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

[Rylii Kuat]

Rylii had passed Morgan, his eyes were on Tseneca. So, she'd live...for now. His thoughts quickly were absorbed, he had to keep them in check, especially with so many Force-users around. One could never know if they had the gift of telepathy. He combed over his wounds with a fresh application of bacta, watching Lucas in the distance attempting to meditate. "Do you hear that?" The whore, Rueth, called out. Rylii kept his ears peeled, before the ground began to vibrate. "They're beginning to bomb the forest, closing most of our exits." Rylii said out loud, "If we don't leave soon, our only way out is by air. And even then-" As if on cue, six starfighters flew overhead, taunting them, like vultures above a wounded animal, disappearing, but then again in different formation.

"We don't have much time." Someone said, but it was more of an obvious blank-statement.

Vera Nico, one of the most despised women by all of Kuati nobility, stepped out of the firespray class. Rylii rose slowly, grabbing his blaster, when Lucas stepped next to him and shook his head. He obeyed, not wanting to create a scene, but her death alone would send his name into glory, well, at least with the rich. The common people adored her, and her ability to deliver justice to the cruel and unpunishable, proved a thorn in many politicians' sides. It was a wonder how the Pallenen family remained intacted, with the trial and all. Some even believe it was Alatáriël Pallanén-Davad herself who secretly freed the woman on the condition that she never return to the Kuat system.

"My ship is ready." She stated, "Sensors have detected a large presence, they are moving in... fast."

Rylii felt the vibration of his comm link. They were getting close. Real close. He felt like he was sailing on the Kuati Lau Sea where a giant whirlpool had formed. They were on the cusp, slowly circling the rings about to be swallowed. Only, Kuat had a sure-thing lifevest, a way out that would deliver him glory. He looked towards Rueth, smiling at her in a way that seemed to comfort her, but then it turned to a grin, which most likely made her a bit nervous.

She was going to drown.

The Invasion of Bakura

Catching a Corellian

[Kalin Lohden]

Kalin was submerged under the battered weapon's turret, when the comm badge rang. Jumping at the sudden surge in his pocket, he smacked his head against part of the chair that had been shredded by the explosion. He checked the cooridor, before answering. The message was simple, "Han Solo and Tseneca Lowry-Fink. Leave Lucas Pallanen-Davad alive. Kill the rest." Kalin set it carefully inside of his pocket and rested against the cool metallic flooring of the Millennium Falcon. After years of training and months of placement, it was finally boiling down to this. His heart raced, he had come to loathe the Corellian. His dumb pride, his dumb cheeky smirk, and the attitude that never gave way.

Kalin decided that fixing the gunner was pointless, and instead, sent an electrical surge through the system. It was well beyond field-repair now, instead, it would require several weeks, at best. He walked to a cabin where he had put his belongings, removing a silenced stunblaster and three remote charges. Lumiya wanted Han, but to everyone else, he'd need to appear dead, at least long enough to sow doubt into their souls that would stow away any kind of pointless rescue mission.

He activated the tracers on the Falcon, though they wouldn't transmit anykind of information for another seven hours. He felt the vessel shake, and it didn't take a genius to understand that the forest arond them was being bombed to hell. Understanding the Falcon was ready to leave, he entered the engine room. Removing a laser tool, he sliced the connector coils and overloaded two of the atmospheric adapter relays. They weren't leaving, it would take at least an hour to repair that, and was if Han could identify right away what was wrong.

It didn't matter, this was the endgame. Once he was abroad a transport, and judging by the signal, they were working with the True Empire now, and in Lumiya's hands, he had fulfilled his purpose. He wouldn't have to mask his true feelings any more.

Lohden strapped the charges around his thighs, before holstering the blaster. It wouldn't be too suspicious, considering they were about to engage the Empire. He approached the cockpit, "Han," He said, "The weapon's turret... no good. And I just ran a diagnostic on the engine room, something is wrong. I think it might be one of the outer relays, judging by this." He handed him a fake reading, one that would get him out of the ship....

Kalin held his breath, but kept his mind focused on his blaster. He'd blast Han first, then Leia, if he needed...

The Invasin of Bakura

Catching a Corellian

[Lucas Pallanén-Davad]

Lucas breathed away from the rest of the group, he had been meditating, trying to connect with Anakin Solo. He felt like he needed guidance, but not from those around. Anakin knew him best, afterall, he was the Master. He eventually came to the conclusion that maybe his individual studies weren't going as well as he thought. Lucas ended his attempt, something was blocking him from reaching that mental clarity. He opened his eyes as the starfighters screamed over their position and seconds later, bombs dropped over the edge of the forest. Lucas could feel their escape routes were shrinking. And the ones that were open, something terrible rested between them and the open.

Beep. Beep.

Lucas flipped open his communicator, "I was forced to land a little early." SAMM transmitted them the coordinates. Lucas looked up, trying to see who else from the Leaper got the message, the first was Sethe who was welding what looked like the last patch of the Millennium Falcon. He breathed slowly, the Force was gripping him, holding him in place as the campsite rumbled.

Because of his mother's ownership of Kuat Drive Yards, Lucas had experienced this rumble before. It was on a remote training location, one that involved the testing of prototype AT-AT successors. "Frak," He said outloud, as the rumble became more apparent. Nico returned to the Khan, the Firespray whining, but failed to start the first time.

"Jonas, Rylii, Rueth..." Lucas said, ignoring the blowup he had earlier, "Get on the Khan, we can handle this." The Jedi were beginning to organize again. By the sound of the Millennium Falcon, they were going to need to have to hold off the Empire long enough for Solo to get her off the guard, even then...

The morning sunlight revealed a battlecruiser, it had crossed the divide between space and Bakura's outer atmosphere and by the looks of it, it was heading straight for them, with a horde of starfighters sorrounding it. "All right," Lucas said aloud, "We are going to have to get moving..."

Catching a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Tseneca gave Jonas' hand a squeeze and then left to find Sethe. Frakking Lucas couldn't keep his big trap shut, and it didn't account for anything that Sethe was nearly off the handle.

She found him on the side of the falcon, crouched down repairing a hull piece. His mask covered his eyes.

"Sethe." She said.

He turned the welder off and flipped the mask up. His eyes were shadowed, he looked worse than he had before. Stubble covered his cheeks. "What?"

"This has to stop."

He flipped the mask back on and continued welding.

She felt a flash of frustration well over her and used the force to extinguish the flame and yank it from his hands, tossing it into the brush. He stood angrily and swiped the mask off of his face. "What, Tseneca? What?" he snapped heatedly.

She was suddlenly, horribly angry. She'd come there to make amends, but here he was just being a jerk. She'd had enough of it. She neared him, standing at her full height. His fists curled and she could tell he was trying not to push her away. or hit her. she couldn't exactly be sure at this point. She pointed a finger at him, her anger rising."You listen to me. You can be a brute, no one is going to blame you for that, its out of your control. But if your going to walk around being an asshole, you can bet no-one is going to put up with it."

He started to speak, his eyes furrowed angry, his voice hot with indignation"You cant just--"

She pressed him further, her voice rising. "Can't just what? Hm?" He backed up. "What was I going to do Sethe? This is my child. What would you have me do, appoint you godfather? You can't even contain yourself long enough to fly a ship."

his eyes were wide now, incredulous. She felt a pang of remorse at what she was saying, but it fled. this had been building. The impossibility of the situation wasn't a flash conclusion, it was more than that. It had been little over a month, she had trusted him, felt for him. But the image of him over her, the way he had... She shivered. She was afraid. Thats all it came down to. And she knew herself well enough to know that when she was afraid, it angered her. She shouldn't have be put in such a position.

"You're unstable. We're unstable"

How could she possibly blame him for what was happening to him? But it wasn't just that was it? it was errant jealousies. and the fact that they were continually trying to kill each other. Nothing was worth that. She needed him away. Her grief, all of it, was too much. Maybe Lucas had been right, that she should have given herself more time after Emmetts death. She felt pinpricks in her chest thinking about that. Nothing could replace that hurt. Nothing.

"is that what you really want?" He asked, his voice low. She looked at him, her eyes searching his, trying to see what she knew she couldn't possibly. She looked at her hands, dirty and blistered from the last two days. She felt suddenly, unabashadly worn out. Like she just wanted to collapse. She was tired of fighting, and yet the war had just begun.

As if on cue, a horrible rumble sounded in the distance. Then her comm went off and SAMM's voice came clearly over I was forced to land a little early. I'm hoping you're aware we're running out of options... and time.

Tseneca exchanged glances with Sethe. There were more important things to worry about now. "Hold your position." She ordered the computer. She heard the Khan's engines start and stop again, knowing full well there was no way they were gonna get these two ships off the ground in time. "We're going to have a full house soon, be ready. Sethe started to say something, but she rose a hand. "Later. just... later." She turned on her heel and walked over to where Lucas was rallying.

This day was going to get a hell of a lot worse before it got any better.

[Sara Soto]

Sara could feel the rumbling. She walked alongside Lucas and the other Jedi, getting into a better position to defend from. She turned to Lucas for a brief moment, “Lucas?” She asked.

“Yeah?” Lucas said, his eyes not deterring from the trees ahead of them.

“I just wanted to say sorry,” she said. Grabbing her lightsaber and preparing to use it. “For what happened in the Sarlacc, how I acted in there and everything.”

Tag: Alex Man… That sucked. My brain’s dead right now >_<

Sara Soto

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Jedi Initiate Sara Soto

[Sethe Bhren]

Alex doth fall asleep. But before he sleepeth, he bade me post. and post I shall. I'm just gonna start things and let me know if anyone wants it changed. Cheers.

Sethe watched Tseneca go, seething. He threw his welding mask down on the ground and kicked it, hard. Where had things gone so wrong. He felt his temperature rise, and knew the answer. He silently cursed Mycah, and necropolis, and everything that he could blame. Well, if thats how she wanted to play it, that was fine. He swiped the mask back up and tossed it into the box of tools. He'd become so different anyway. what did it matter. He'd go back to frakking corouscant, back to his frakking ship, and his frakking life and--

The rumbling got louder, pushing him into a more sobered state. He snapped his head up in time to see the trees move. "Ah, Droyk it.." He took off over to the campsite where The others were standing, watching the trees as well. it was eerily still, even as birds took flight from the foliage. The calm before the storm. He heard SAMM's voice come loud and clear over the comm.

Two At-MP's from what I can tell. And a formidable amount of troops, a larger platoon, maybe close to 40 troops, possibly more. not to mention a couple scout transports...carrying the ones not on foot

Tseneca grimiced. "How far SAMM?"

2 kilometers, and closing fast.

She shut the comm. "That gives us, what? less than 5 minutes? The chicken walker will get here faster than the scout trips, maybe we can bottleneck it out somehow."

Lucas shook his head. "It won't do any good. The best we can do is use the Falcon and the Khan's turret guns to fend of the big ones, the soldiers we can handle in close combat."

"Seven Jedi, eight-ish blaster handy and one civilian?" Tseneca looked at her fingers. "I don't like those odds."

"We've faced worse." Seth spoke up, fixing her with a gaze. She pursed her lips, her eyes worried. He felt his heart wrench in his chest. They took back an entire planet, for gods' sake, they could handle this. Couldn't they?

"Well its not like we're going to just hand ourselves over." Jonas snapped, stepping forward. He was bristling, his blaster already out and balanced on his shoulder.

Nico joined the group. "I've got charges we can use as landmines, that'll slow them down."

Tseneca nodded. "And, Like Lucas said, I some of us can man the guns on each of the ships, we can maintain something of a barricade."

The trees shuddered again. Sethe turned to Tseneca. "I'll head to the Leaper and bring her in, we'll need the gun support." Tseneca nodded. There was no way they would be able to do this without the help of heavy metal. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it on, sprinting in the direction of the forest enclosure.

"Sethe." He heard Tseneca call him, and he turned.

"Be carefull." She said, almost inaudibly. He nodded and dashed off into the brush.

I hope that gets us going, from there we can figure out what teams to pick etc.. It I need to fix it, just tell me

[Lucas Pallanén-Davad]

Lucas looked at those around him, those he loved and those he didn't, before returning his gaze to the rumble ahead of them. "Sara," He breathed softly, "It's all right. I'm sorry too." It like they were about to tossed into the blender, and by sheer will of the Force would they might make it out alive in one piece. The first piece of shiny metal appeared in the distance, the Imperial chicken-walker clambered in the distance. Two shots rang from its powerful cannon, forcing them to dodge the blast completely. Several foot soldiers clambered behind it. "That is..."

"Unexpected." Tseneca finished, "They're fast little buggers." Her blaster stopped two in their tracks before the first wave was at lightsaber length. Rylii was calling to Nico, but she was beckoning for him to follow, which he had. Moments later, the Khan's turret guns sprang to life. Several larger shots covered the smaller scouts. Thanks Riles. Nico appeared, she looked like she was attempting to set up point-defense turrets.

"The main units must still be in the forest," Jonas was nearby, "I have a really bad feeling about this, Lucas."

Lucas used his lightsaber to catch a crimson bolt just short of Eisley's face. "Me too," He said, taking a moment to realize how silly things had been between the pair of them. He leaned over, rushing the Nar Shadda born's face, exchanging a passionate embrace, before the Force separated them, Lucas sending Jonas to the ground, spinning to slice a droid that had broken the line into pieces.

"Stay on Tseneca!" Jonas called out, picking himself up while scanning the tree line. Things were quiet. In a Force-vision he could see missiles heading straight for the Falcon, then seconds later, the entire ship exploding, killing Han and Leia Solo. Pulling himself out of the vision, he looked to Jonas.

"Stick with her, I'll be there in a moment." He ran over to the old freighter, using the Force to flip onto the hull, a spot Sethe had recently melded. He'd have to buy Nico more time. Hooking his lightsaber onto his belt, it only took a few seconds, before the explosive capsules appeared with white smoke trails. Holding out his hands, he yelled as he Force-pushed and deflected them into nearby trees, tossing his arms from side to side as he did

Calling his saber into his hand, he jumped down and ran to Tseneca's side, waiting for the next wave. He eyed Jonas, flashing a temporary smile, before returning his focus ahead...

Capturing a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

[Jase Denora]

The killing was done, though one seemed to survive briefly. Davad made quick work of the trooper. However, it seemed the trooper had been able to get a communication off before his death. Not good..., Jase pondered to himself as they regrouped at the campsite of the Falcon. As they were waiting, it seemed hell was about to break loose. SOmeone reported more forces en route and Jase stood from his meditative stance, looking to the sky.

A ships was appearing, flanked by fighters. Sure, the ground forces would be a hindrance, but they surely couldn't withstand an aerial bombardment. "This is... problematic...", he said to no one in particular. Facing the majority of the group, Jase nodded. "Sahana and I can board the Fury and take some of the heat off from the incoming fighters. We need an escape plan..."
_________________
Jase Denora

Jedi Master- Jedi Council

Force Specialty: Precision Force Manipulation

Saber Form(s): Vapaad, Denora Akimbo Style

Favored Techniques Force Choke, Telekinesis, Shatterpoint, Force Lightning[/b]

Combat Skills: Close combat, sabotage, multi-weapon usage, ship to ship[/b]



"Master the Force. Master your emotions. With these two tools, you will be feared by your enemies and your peers. Nothing else matters for the strong."

Please, please, PLEASE...... do not open the box....

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Tseneca holstered her blaster and ignited her lightsaber.

"Stay on Tseneca!" She heard Jonas yell from the edge of the clearing where he was scanning the area.

"What?! Why?" She yelled back, brows furrowed. She deflected a few bolts aimed her way. It was still relatively calm, if they could just--

"Stick with her, I'll be there in a moment." She turned in time to see lucas push flying charges away from his body and the falcon's main hull. She felt a wave of relief as he caught his lightsaber back up and rejoined the.

She took a stance with them, forming a tightly knit triangle. "What are you not telling me, Jonas." She hissed.

"I overheard an Imp transmission, they've put out an order for your capture."

Tseneca watched the trees, even as the walkers came through the brush like lethal giants. they were MP's, smaller than the AT-ST models, almost hilarious if they weren't so deadly. Her lightsaber and Lucas's made humming and clashing sounds as they caught bolts shot near them. She reached out, deflecting one off Jonas's left ear. "me!? Why would they want me!?"

"How the hell should I know?!" Jonas yelled back over the din.

"And you couldn't have told me earlier?" She didn't know why she was surprised, this wasn't the first time in the last few months she'd been... adventageous. to say the least. But what could the Empire possibly want with her?

Denora's voice came through the noise of the walkers heavy footfalls."Sahana and I can board the Fury and take some of the heat off from the incoming fighters. We need an escape plan..."

"No kidding." Tseneca nudged the boys back as a missed blaster bolt hit and scorched the ground where her feet were only seconds before. She only hoped Sethe would be back in time with the Leaper, then maybe they'd stand a chance...

[Morgan ZIM]

”This is bad.” Morgan said as the firefight began. Ducking as he avoided a couple stray blaster shots, he looked down to the captured droid body with a heavy sigh.

”Look on the bright side. You still have the head.”

With a reluctant but agreeable shrug, he reached down, stuck his robot fingers into an opening along the droids chest armor, and sloppily pulled it away to reveal the inner workings. Taking just long enough to look at it and get a holographic snapshot of the robots guts, he then smashed his foot down on it several times. When that caused minimal damage, he unleashed several blaster bolts into it. If he wasn’t taking the droid with him, he sure wasn’t going to let its original owners reclaim it.

”What’s our plan, now?”
”Aaaa…” Morgan said aimlessly as he tried to consider just what he could do.

”Falcon!” He said. ”We help cover the Falcon till it’s ready to lift off.”

He ran over and lifted himself to on top of the old ship, landing just as the Kauti brat was leaping to the ground. Which is when he saw the heavy fire support.

”Like from that walker.” He said.

He had yet to see anyone with any heavy weaponry, and given the current state of things, he doubted they’d have access to the ships weapons in time to keep them from getting close enough to shoot the ship while it was down.

Fortunately, he had something that had a more favorable chance of taking care of them. Or at least one of them. Putting his rifle away, he pulled out and armed his grenade launcher before dropping to the ground.

”Cover me!” He shouted to the group that had assembled near Solo’s ship, then leapt back into the trees to try to approach from as best a means of cover as he could manage.

His approach didn’t go entirely unnoticed. A few shots came at him as he moved closer, but Morgan didn’t bother shooting back. He was focused on the walker. He wanted to attract as little attention as possible and take it out as quickly as he could. Shooting at the troops wouldn’t help with either of those things.

As he got roughly within firing range of the imperial armor, he looked out from behind cover to see that he hadn’t evaded notice as well as he had hoped. The lead walker had taken notice of him, and opened fire on his tree. The cyborg dropped to the ground just in time to avoid being subject to a fiery death.

”This is not working out well.”
”Just hold on!”

Running away from the tree and taking cover behind another one, his movement proved beneficial when the lower half of it exploded as well soon after. Suspecting he didn’t have much time, Morgan leaned out from behind cover, aimed at the AT-ST’s viewport, and fired.

Flying through the air, the grenade hit the walker, but didn’t land on-target. Morgan had aimed too high, and instead it hit the top edge of the machine. The walker started to tumble backwards, but was successfully able to catch itself, and though it was damaged, it was still plenty operational, forcing Morgan to once again run as fast as his legs could carry him away from the advancing force. Worse, His initial attack had absolutely gotten their attention, and several bolts of blaster fire from the ground troops chased him as well.

”You’re going to get yourself killed out here!”
”Hey, I think I’m doing a pretty good job of not letting that…

A pair of missiles impacted the ground behind him, but fortunately they were far back enough that he avoided taking any real damage. Hitting the ground, the cyborg half-picked himself up as quickly as possible and threw himself behind another tree just long enough to catch his breath. Rolling out on the other side, he aimed at the AT-ST just as it was starting to look in his direction. Firing, the grenade went true the second time around, and a moment later, the head of the walker exploded spectacularly.

”See what I mean?” Morgan said, half-breathing in a hysterical manner.
”What about the other ones?”
”I’m working on it.” He said as he took solid noticed of the other two walkers on the field. ”I’m working on it.”

Hoisting himself up, Morgan resumed his retreat away from the bulk of the Imperial force.

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.