Star Wars: A New Dawn

"I will accompany you. I have business with that man," Zora says.

Siha looks back and forth between Zora and Han as they speak, judging what they say through the emotion she reads from them both. Then she steps forward in protest, grabbing Zora by the arm.

"You have something you wish to say, Siha?"

"Davik," Siha says.

"I am well aware of what Davik would want. But I cannot sit idly by and let that murderer-"

"What she means," Hsien says as she and the rest of the Mercenary Knights reach the bridge, having climbed up. "If that Sith killed Davik, what makes you think he couldn't do the same to you two?"

Jil climbs up last. "We have no idea where he went, anyway. We need to fall out of this system and regroup."

---

"Wait. What? We can't just... leave!" Jaxie protests.

"Under normal circumstances I'd agree. Killing Sith is a favorite pastime of mine. But look how many Sith there are. This place is lost," Nix says.

Han pounded his fist on the railing. "Then let's go!" He snapped heading to the Falcon with his children.

-----

Ford looked around. "Senate building is close, we might be able to nab a ship there or at least call in one."

Dorian looks up at the Falcon as the others all may their way to the ramp. He raises a finger as everyone leaves him behind. "Ah... are we certain all of us will fit in there?" No reply. "Right, then." He thusly follows suit into the old freighter.

---

Nix looks towards it. "I'm gettin' some real bad vibes from that place," she says. "And if I'm right about what they are, we'd best hurry." And she heads off toward the Senate Building, followed by Neri and Jaxie.

"Chewie get her ready to take off!" Han called out as he took Jacen and Jaina to the sleeping quarters.

-----

Ford nodded and he followed after them with the Chancellor, he picked up a blaster rifle from one of the fallen soldiers and handed it to her. "You may need this Chancellor."

"Right." She said looking at the weapon she followed after them.

-----

Near by a platoon of Sith Troopers led by a Sith Lord were making their way down the street.

-----

Darth Angalacon stood on the bridge of his flagship coordinating the Sith Fleet against the Republic fleet.

"Sir more incoming signals!" A Sith Officer called out.

"Imperials." Angalacon said as he expected it, A Imperial Super Star Destroyer and a large fleet of Escort Carriers and Star Destroyers dropped out of hyperspace coming to the aid of the beleaguered Republic forces.

-----

Jarik stood in the hangar of his Escort Carrier, the Inflictor, as it broke off from the fleet and headed right down towards the capital. The Storm Commando walked to his dropship boarding it with the other black armored commandos.

Kitty sits in the cockpit of her and Cairn's personal ship, the Outlaw, prepping for launch. Cairn stands by the ramp, blasters at the ready. "Well, this is gonna be tight," Kitty says the little ship begins to leave the ground in the space port. She opens a comm line to the Falcon. "Hey, Solo, you still alive? Oh. Hey, Chewie. Where's Han?"

---

Nix stays on her guard, daggers in hand. The closer they get to the Senate building, the worse she feels.

Meanwhile, Jaxie covers the rear, a hand ready at the hilt of her saber for any attempt at a sneak attack. "Is it just me or does gravity really wanna be our friend right now?"

"That'd be the ludicrously strong Dark Side aura you're senses. It makes everything seem heavier. More intense."

"Not to mention wrong," Jaxie says.

Tamil and Turpidus fought like demons across the courtyard. Back and forth, they battled, neither gaining an edge over the other. Tamil fought with his face locked into an implacable mask of concentration, his blue lightsaber whirling around him again and again as he deflected and parried frantically against the Dark Lord's implacable strength. Turpidus, by comparison, seemed to barely be taking things seriously at all, his sword swings casual despite the power behind each one rending air and stone with equal ease, despite his every move sending rippling shadows dancing across the space between them. His voice was jovial with friendly taunts and advice, as though it was a simple sparring match rather than a battle to the death.

Rowena stood off to the side, head bowed. Turpidus' earlier words at struck true, despite her Master's quickness to cut him off. She knew full well how few people actually accepted her, and how many more found her unsettling, merely because she could read them like an open book, even more so than most Jedi. With a sigh, she admitted to herself that her old Master had a point; she had not found a home among the Jedi, despite her best efforts. And yet, more than that, she felt helpless. Stepping between her old master and her current one would be suicide, quite literally. She wouldn't last a full twenty seconds against either of them as she was now.

She cast out her senses, Force Empathy spiraling away from the battle in front of her and taking in the fear and panic around Coruscant. Helpless civilians dying with no hope for survival, brave soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder and dying like so much chaff. Even further, she could sense the echoes from other worlds, other systems, where fighting nearly as intense also raged. For Rowena in particular, however, only one feeling gripped her.

I refuse to stand by and do nothing.

She raced over to the other side of the courtyard, watching as Sith troops on speederbikes attacked a nearby contingent of soldiers, and cast her hand out as one passed overhead, her Mechu-deru skills allowing her to tweak the gyroscopic steering, sending it out of control. The trooper on board was hurled to the ground with a shriek, and she lept up, landing on board and taking the steering controls for herself. The unfamiliar speeder model steadied under her hand, and she gunned the engine, racing towards the nearest Republic spaceport.

An explosion of fury behind her told her of Turpidus' enraged reaction to her leaving, but even he could not leave his back exposed to an opponent of Master Tamil's power, and he was forced to let her go. Resolve firmed, Rowena raced onward, heading full-tilt towards her best chance to make a difference in this fight.

(Thanks for looking after Neri making her cool for me lol)

"I have a feeling that's where we will also find the most trouble," Neri added as they headed closer to the senate building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arden felt the dark side as if it called out to her begging her to give in to it. She left the medical bay to find its source.

Turpidus flung Tamil away from him with a broad sweep of his blade, then turned to glance at Rowena's retreating speeder. "Blasted..." he muttered, no real heat in his tone, just mild annoyance. "I knew it couldn't possibly go smoothly. Ah well... at least now I can cut loose."

"Stop bluffing," Tamil said bluntly, raising his saber until its glow reflected off of his eyes. "You've gotten stronger since joining the Sith, but not strong enough to overcome me completely."

"Bluffing?" Turpidus asked with a small laugh. "Oh my, Tamil. How confident. But tell me..." The Sith turned, and the black energy crackling over him suddenly poured out of him in a torrent dark enough to blot out the sun itself. "...since when have you known me to bluff?"

Tamil twisted into a hasty Soresu guard, but it did absolutely nothing as Turpidus' slash ripped the lightsaber straight out of his hand and sliced open his chest from shoulder to hip. He coughed up blood as his lung was nicked by the super-sharp beskar, then backpedaled to get out of reach.

"Believe me, old friend. Out of the Sith, I am among the top five in terms of pure power. The strength I showed you before? Nothing but an appetizer, to whet my appetite for bloodshed."

Tamil called the lightsaber back to his hand calmly, then clipped it to his belt. "As always, your skills with a lightsaber are amazing... but there's more to a Jedi than bladework. The Force is with me, Turpidus. You won't win." He sank into a low stance, drawing the power of the Light Side around him like a cloak.

"Inconsequential. What you have, I can take. What is yours shall be no longer. I am absolute." Turpidus raised his blade, pointing straight at Tamil's heart. "Lower your head."

***

Rowena soared over the rooftops in her stolen speeder, coming up on the crowded spaceport. A contingent of Coruscant Security Forces police were clustered around the main gate, besieged by at least a company's worth of Sith. The yellow-garbed officers held the line admirably, but they were outmatched in terms of firepower, experience, and numbers all.

Rowena narrowed her eyes, aiming towards the center of the mass of enemies and opening up with her blaster cannons, causing explosions down the line and disorienting the confused Sith troops. She waited until close to impact, then leaped clear, using Mechu-deru to ignite a spark-plug dangerously close to the fuel line... which sent the entire craft up in flames. The explosion scattered even more of the Sith, and she landed among them, igniting her lightsaber and tearing into them with Niman bladework. A quick spin slash, a duck and stab there, a fast parry to block a vibroblade, and then a strong Force Push scattered the last organization in the assault.

A sudden shout from one of the Coruscanti policemen drew her attention, and she ducked away from a Sith, a true Force-using Sith Acolyte wielding a crimson lightsaber. His hair was styled in a ridiculous red-tipped Mohawk, and his face was twisted into a rictus of hate. "Jedi," he snarled. "Die here, b*tch!"

Rowena brought her saber around in a fast parry, emerald blade deflecting ruby as she backpedaled. "I'll pass, thanks," she snarked back. The Acolyte's Djem So was strong as they blocked and struck at one another, but his anger made him sloppy, filling his form with more holes than a Corellian freighter. She brought her blade in low to parry a strike at her knees, then ripped upward in a reverse of a Shien power-block before stepping into his reach and smashing an elbow into his nose. Mohawk-boy reeled backward, and she blasted him off the side of the elevated platform with a powerful Force Wave, launching him screaming to his death.

She huffed out a quick breath and quickly evaluated the position of the fleeing Sith troops before jogging up to the gate. "Who's in charge here?"

A brown-haired man with a buzzcut and a scar along his jaw answered her, giving her a respectful salute. "Master Jedi, Captain Doorne, Coruscant Security Forces; Third Division, Echo Squad. It's an honor."

"Likewise, Captain. I am Rowena Lazuli," she replied, bowing quickly. "What's the status of the spaceport?"

"Sith showed up in force, so the spaceport has been launching all the Republic ships we can spare," Doorne answered, showing no hint of the apprehension she could feel clearly from him. "A few civilian craft have also gotten airborne, but most are just waiting for the skies to clear up a bit before trying to evac."

Ena nodded; that was about what she'd been expecting. "I need to get into space to assist our forces. What fighters are available to me?"

A younger man in a tech's uniform piped up in response. "Two X-wings, Seven A-wings, a couple of old V-19 Torrent and V-wing fighters, a B-wing Superiority Fighter-"

"The B-wing. Is it prepped?"

"Y-yes ma'am, but are you sure you can fly it? B-wings are rated for only the most experienced fighter pilots."

The Nalroni Jedi gave a feral grin. "If it gets airborne, I can fly anything. Are there any pilots going up there now?"

"Wrecker Squadron's Y-wings are going up, along with a mixed contingent of X-wings and A-wings designated Needle Squadron. Are you going to lead them?"

"Yes. Send out the call."

With that, Rowena hopped the fence and jogged over to the hanger, where the B-wing was slowly being rolled out onto the tarmac. She hopped into the open cockpit, taking the helmet and fitting it somewhat awkwardly over her lupine head, allowing her ears to poke out through the slots on the top. "Testing, testing, one, two," she spoke into the helmet mic as the cockpit was closed over top of her and then settled back into the gyroscopic niche that allowed it's unique spinning.

"Acknowledged, B-wing. Callsign and I.D., over?" the command tower radioed back.

"Copy, I.D. is Alpha-285-Charlie-Bravo-481. Command Override Beacon. Callsign is designated 'Huntress', over."

There was a flurry of sound on the other end, but the answer came back swiftly. "Understood, Master Jedi. Beacon accepted. You have the comm, Huntress."

"Acknowledged." Ena flipped the switch controlling the open channel for her mic, then spoke. "All ships in Corescant Spaceport Eta-01, this is Jedi Rowena Lazuli, callsign Huntress. Those joining the battle, form up with me as we break atmosphere. We're going to make a run on one of those cruisers. Any armed civilian craft are welcome to join up; I.D. with ship's names and callsigns, over."

Ink wrote:

Nazrin leaves interrogation, where Trent is strapped to a standing table. He makes his way to Maeror's meditation chambers with a report for the Sith Lord, Eerie at his side.

---

When Trent came to he knew that he was in a rough spot, barely with the energy to breathe he had to take every breath with pain in his chest. However he could still use some strength in him to meditate and try to use the force to contact Case once again. He had to know the outcome of her capture.

"Case..."

~~~~~~

Inside her cell, Case sat up and looked around startled. When did she drift off? The woman had moved on finally and there wasn't anyone else around. She spoke aloud until she realised it was a voice in her head.
"Yes, I'm here. I'm okay. Please I need to know... Are you my father? Is my mother truly alive?"
"Did they tell you this? I'm really sorry. No I am not your father but I have been there for you just like one. Protecting you and your mother. Please quickly describe your location."
"I can show you."

Trent received a full map of her location, "a skill that a young thing like you wouldn't know. You truly are as powerful as your mother."
"That's why they want me-"
"No... You must find a way out. If I had the strength I'd come and- cough."
"Hey you don't sound too good. Hang in there."

Case knew she had to do something for this guy. Without anyone around her cell, it was time to make a proper move, no matter the cost. She opened the lock again and followed the visual map in her head taking care of startled and surprised guards who were knocked out against the wall before they could raise their weapons.

Thankfully she didn't have far to go to find the room that Trent was being held in, and carefully opened the door slipping inside. Trent was strapped to the upright bed and was unconscious. He woke again when she touched his arm, shocked to see her.

"It's you... No you have to go. It's dangerous, it's a trap. You shouldn't had come."
"I can rescue you. Who are you anyway?," case replied but she couldn't. The restraints on him weren't ones that she could snap open with her powers. A room especially for holding Jedi. She felt herself weaker with every attempt of using the force. Trent's breathing became more slower.

"My names Trent, but I'm no one important. Case... Your mother is alive. You'll find her at the Jedi academy, she should've made it there safe from harm. I would give up my life for you."
"Why... I don't know anyone that would do that for me when they're not even my father."
"I loved your mother. Your father had died such a long time ago, your mother deserved a chance of happiness and-"
"Hey? Hey? Dude... Don't you go there."

Case lowered herself to the floor and held herself against his legs, fighting back tears. She didn't even know who Trent was but a complete stranger to her, she felt almost like she had known him all her life. Was it her fault that she lost everyone around her?

Admiral Ackbar's visage appeared before Ena in her cockpit as he made a transmission to all Republic forces.

"This is Admiral Ackbar, concentrate your efforts on defending space ports and getting civilians out, the Fleet is moving into position to give any ships able to evacuate a window to escape. Imperial warships have just dropped out of hyperspace and are assisting us. All pilots and starcraft we have identified their command ship, an unknown class of star cruiser."

A holographic image of the Hammer of Korriban appeared repacing Ackbar's visage.

"If you are sector 6 concentrate on that ship." Ackbar said. "Rogue Squadron is en route to cover the attack."

------

Darth Angalacon was knelt down on both knees on the bridge of the Hammer of Korriban. He was using his powerful Battle Meditation, the Sith Fleet was fighting harder and harder from his ability and the Republic and Imperial forces morale were dropping, fast from the effects of his power.

-----

Ford stopped and brought his lightsaber up deflecting some incoming blaster fire as Sith Troopers came around the corner firing on the group of Jedi and the Chancellor.

Mothma took cover behind fallen pillar as Ford sprang into action cutting the Sith Troopers down like tall grass.

-----

Han got the Falcon up into the air. "Right here, yeah we're still alive. Get on those guns!" He barked back to the Mercenary Knights.

Hsien nods and leaves the cockpit to man the guns. Borduu heads below to manage engineering, just in case. Meanwhile Zora remains in the cockpit along with Dorian, looking over the shoulders of Han and Chewie. Siha and Jil sit in the sleeping quarters, looking after the kids.

"Good," Kitty says over the comm. "Just makin' sure I don't have to stop by and loot your corpse for that money you owe me. I'm over at Spaceport Eta-01. Some ships are about to take it to the bad guys in the air. Figure we'll tailgate 'em and play along until they carve us a path out. Assuming you don't get dead, the big guy and I are heading for Dac. See ya soon with my money. And Solo, if I catch word that you made it out okay and just didn't come to Dac with my money, I'm sending daddy to get it."

Cairn looks over his shoulder at her as he backs into the cockpit of their ship and the ramp closes. "What're you up to now, girl?"

"Nothing. 'Kay bye, Solo!" Kitty chimes, cutting the comm line. She flips on the open channel of her own mic as Cairn goes to man the guns. "Roger that, Cap-i-tan. Civilian YT-1210 Light Freighter prepped to depart. Ship name Outlaw. Callsign..." Kitty turns around in her seat and calls back to Cairn. "Hey! Dad! What about a Callsign?"

"What?"

"A Callsign!"

"I don't know! You're the clever one. Come up with something!"

Kitty rolls her eyes and turns back in her seat. "Callsign... we'll go with Bandit. Yeah. That's a cool one."

"Did she say... a Light Freighter?" A fighter pilot asks himself after the transmission.

Kitty grins in the cockpit of their ship, flipping her switch to Cairn's channel. "Ready to show 'em our new teeth, daddy?"

Cairn stands by the specially modified gun controls that invoke motion sensors through a hand blaster-like device, aimed through a screen. He spins the control on his finger and aims it like any blaster. "Just set me up, darlin'."

---

Jaxie glances to the side in time to see a Sith Warrior going for Mothma. She reaches out but before she can send a Force Pull, the Warrior's head just explodes. "What the-" She looks at her hand. "Did I just..."

"My, Jaxie, what have you done?" A voice calls out from above.

Jaxie looks up to see Tsuni lying on a nearby rooftop and waving from behind her sniper. Tsuni jumps from the building and Jaxie cushions her fall telekinetically. "Tsuni!" Jaxie says. "What are you doing here?"

"An odd question. I am defending the Republic. As has been my business since we met."

"But you weren't on Madalore."

"Our communications were scrambled by an unknown signal. We've since identified it as resembling one being used here by the invaders. Then we were attacked by Mandalorians and had to fall back after a brief firefight. My apologies for any difficulty you had without me. But you seem to have made out fine. On your left."

Jaxie spins and with a speed untraceable to the untrained eye, draws her saber, slashes, and re-sheathes it.

"That weapon suits you."

"Right?"

Tsuni glances behind Jaxie and takes a shot at a Sith Warrior sneaking up on Ford. Then she turns to the Chancellor and bows. "Chancellor Mothma."

Han grumbled. "Talkin' about money when she owes me 50,000 credits as it is." He said falling in with the other ships.

"General Solo here, we're in the Falcon." He said over the comms as he flew in behind the fighters.

------

"Greetings soldier." Mothma said. "Glad to have you with us."

Ford looked back. "Let's get moving!" He said pointing down the ramp, several Hover tanks were coming towards them with dozens of Sith Troopers and Sith Warriors.

"I wouldn't exactly consider gambling very becoming of one of the Republic's prized Generals," Dorians muses.

"Says the drunk," Zora remarks.

Hsien sits at the guns, closing her eyes scoping her surroundings through the Force. "Hsien here. I am ready. We will not miss a target."

Borduu reports from engineering, speaking in Rodese. <Everything checks out, down here.>

---

Nix weaves around a Sith's lightsaber strike then phases her hand into his chest cavity and crushes his heart before walking up to where Ford is and glaring at the hover tanks. "Okay, now they're just starting to annoy me," she says, stashing her saber in favor of her daggers and following Ford into the fray with Neri not far behind, dragging the Mandalore along telekinetically. Jaxie and Tsuni look to one another and nod, opting to cover the Chancellor.

Han watched as they broke through the atmosphere and the battle in Low Orbit came into view.

"Haven't seen action like this since WE took Coruscant." Han said.

-----

The Sith Warriors rushed at them and Ford readied himself.

Several of the tanks went up firey explosions from missile attacks from the nearby buildings.

Imperial Storm Commandos emerged firing on the Sith forces backing the Jedi up, an odd scene considering the last few months.

Tsuni, blaster rifle steady, fires round after round of headshots before pausing to take the sudden explosions into account. She glances up at the Commandos. "This is... unexpected."

"And wrong on so many levels," Jaxie adds.

"We can admire the view or complain about it after we're outta here. They're giving us cover. Take advantage of it," Nix says. She lifts a few warriors and troopers into the air, forming them into a ball of bodies and limbs. "I'll throw you like a toy!" Then she lobs them all off into the distance, disappearing over the horizon.

Neri deflects blaster fire with her saber before applying the force to one of the tanks, flipping it over on a handful of warriors and troopers.

Jaxie dashes through front troopers like a blur, moving from one trooper to the next with her saber, occasionally switching up her style to take advantage of her saber's double length. She flips back to Tsuni and the Chancellor to keep them covered, deflecting blaster fire. "We're almost there but I'm beginning to think these guys are factory-made."

"They do seem endless," Tsuni says, sniping more warriors and troopers with seemingly no effort.

Several Storm Commandos moved up on Jaxie, Tsuni and the Chancellor.

"We have orders to evac you. Our ship is headed for the Senate Building." The Commander said as his men fired on the Sith Forces.

Mothma looked at the commander. "You have my thanks, what is your name commander?."

"Just following orders ma'am, you can thank the Grand Admiral." The commadner said. "Captain Jarik Bahr."

Ford exchanged strikes with a Sith Lord blocking and parrying each others strikes until Ford slipped through the Sith's defense and took his foes head clean off. He looked towards the Senate Building seeing the Inflictor landing.

"Let's get moving out of here!" Ford said. "We're not gonna win this one if we stay here."

At first when the Commandos moved in on them, Jaxie held her hand over the hilt of her saber but backed down when they addressed the Chancellor. She glances up at Tsuni, who simply nods towards the Inflictor. "Then we should be on our way."

"Agreed," Jaxie says, taking off.

Neri follows Ford to the Inflictor with the Mandalore in tow, Nix covering the rear with some well-placed Force Lightning to keep off enemy troopers and warriors.

As they approached the InflictorFord looked up hearing seeing the turoblaster from the vesserl firing on Sith Forces nearby.

Ford then looked to a window, a sudden weight of Dark Side energy hit him. A red saber was clashing with a green and yellow as two Jedi were facing down a mysterious Sith.

"That's Luke!" Ford said pointing.

"We can pick him up too." Jarik said. "Once we have the Chancellor and you all onboard."

"Then let's get a move on," Jaxie says, guiding the Chancellor to the Inflictor and covering her rear with Tsuni.

Nix looks up at the window, glaring at the presence she can sense on the other end of that red lightsaber. Then then she turns to the others. "We get anywhere near that fight, the guy on the other end of that red saber is gonna pound us into Darkmatter. If you're determined to pick him up, we need to get him out here and keep the Sith in there."

"I can have the Inflictor bombard the building with it's turbolasers to give him an opening to escape." Jarik suggested.


Ford looked at Nix. "You don't think we could defeat him even with all of us?"

Nix bows her head and crosses her arms. "As we are? No, I don't think he'd beat us. I know he'd beat us. We got out by the skin of our teeth against a puppet, back there. Her boss could've wiped us out if he wanted to. And this one's worse. He could walk over you and blondie without trying. He'd just shoot all the soldiers with their own blasters, and probably save the kid for last to try recruiting her and get rid of her if she said no. That or take her anyway and send her to his Second to turn into a puppet."

"Me? Why?" Jaxies asks.

No answer. "As for me... he knows all my tricks."

"Still... Doesn't feel any worse than what we were... 'greeted' with on Mandalore," Jaxie says.

"That's because this isn't a fight yet... It's a game," Nix says.

"Then the Captain's plan is our most viable option. We get the ship airborne, give Master Luke some cover fire, and fall back."

"Then let's get to it." Jarik said heading up into the Inflictor, Ford following close behind.

Tsuni follows up the rear into the Inflictor and looks around. "I never thought I'd be aboard an Empire vessel and not sabotaging it," she muses.

"Take in the view on your own time. If we're gonna do this, let's do this quick," Nix says.

"And don't sabotage anything." Jarik joked walking past Tsuni heading to the bridge.

"Where do we put this one?" Nix says as she and Neri bring the Mandalore to Jarik.

"Shall I go help man the armaments?" Tsuni asks.

Jaxie elbows Ford. "You okay, boss?"