Fandom United against the Shadows (main Thread)

[Hiuly of Starmoon]

“Wait, what’s that about an attack on a village?”, she now went into full ‘Jedi mode’ as the others liked to call it. Basically she went into full investigation mode, where emotion didn’t matter. Just like the Jedi had taught her.

Then she remembered that she was a medic, not someone high enough for that. She sighed. “I’m a medic. I work on the living, not the dead”, she said. “And I also don’t speak with the morgue, so unfortunately I can’t give you a hand”, she said, halfway also explaining Valdek’s initial question.

“And as a medic, it’s my duty to stay here”, she explained and hoped she didn’t get a call from her boss tonight, telling her she’d have to go with them. But she knew her chance was high that she’d have to go with them, as she’s the only one here who can keep up with them. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I had a long day”, she said and walked to her quarters.

One of Hearts NachoGod

 

[One of Hearts]

Harlow looked at the two. She wanted to ask her why she wasn't concerned that an entire platoon of men was suddenly gone but technically that information was hidden from her. Harlow didn't want to be cruel and just bring it up in a mean way. "Maybe you should look into the medical record of the clones that went out recently." Harlow knew they wouldn't just hand those records over to her, but it might be enough for Ziva to start questioning things. Harlow then shrugged. "Hey Valdek...you should show me your lightsaber...or we should go talk to the clones. I've never seen one before."

 

[NachoGod]

Val had mulled the words being spoken over in his head as the conversation went on. Sipping his Caf as he considered the details.

Medical team members had private communications about the battle, yet she is not in the know…based on the unruly nature of her force connection and the discomfort others on the team have displayed…they might be afraid that she has contacts within the jedi order…that means someone is trying to keep this from getting to us.

He raised out of his thoughts “Hmmm? Sure why not both.” He said nonchalantly as he plucked his saber from his belt and tossed it to harlow. “Hold onto that, lets go see the clones…and for the sake of the force don’t kill yourself.” ​

 

[One of Hearts]

Harlow's eyes grew as she caught the lightsaber. This...was the best day by far in her life! She happily pulled it close to her, not opening it yet. But she was more than Excited to check it out and see a Clone! "Yes! Let's head out!" She'd mention her findings to Val after training.

 

[NachoGod]

The trek to the clones barracks for the most part was uneventful, and it was a fairly decent trek, of course the mandolorians would not want a republic military base to be established so close to their own, so they would need to venture about a mile and a half from the Small base they had landed at. During which time Valdek was calculating possibilities and trying to figure out what was going on. At least that was what half his mind was focused on, the other half would have been Performing his “force web” letting thousands of little invisible strings of force ripple out from him, feeling out the world around him, one even wrapping itself around his own saber in harlow's hands in case he needed to turn it off in an effort to keep her limbs attached.

As a result he would seem as though he were far more experienced with the terrain than he actually was never once stumbling amidst the rocks and roots, ducking branches that he obviously Didnt look up from his caf to see coming. Even at one point placing a hand out to stop harlow as a mouse like creature scurried by almost finding itself under her foot. Upon arrival at the barracks he would allow most of his ‘threads’ to go towards the base and for a moment he would stand still with his eyes closed as though pondering the doors. In reality his threads had already reached inside and were mapping out the base, wrapping around blaster trigger’s, grenades, the sprinkler system, and eventually the doors controls.

Opening his eyes the door would slide open. “Tell me harlow, what is the first thing you do when entering unfamiliar and potentially hostile locations?” ​

 

[One of Hearts]

Harlow shrugged. "Check for all exits, any potential enemies, and other uncommon items ,doors, and floor plans that wouldn't ebe known at first?" She smiled as she continued to walk with the Saber. She was excited to meet a Clone when she paused. There was a new feeling she had. She felt a bit sick to her stomach. "I think....we're being watched."

 

[Lost Martian]

Legs was thankful when they told him he was leaving Kamino. Even with artificial legs, they were still restless, as the Clone trooper just sat around the cloning facility. All he could really do was go outside in the constant rain, or check in on the newer batches of Clones. He was not impressed, believing that they were being rushed. They weren’t of the same caliber as the First Generation he was a part of. Still, he wished them all the best in this Galactic war.

It was said war that Legs wished to return to, feeling caged here on the planet of his creation. But that cage was unlocked when Legs and several other veteran Clones were loaded aboard a transport and taken far away from Kamino. Apparently it was an important mission as they weren’t told where they were going. Not really one for rumor, Legs, rather than wondering about the mission, played several rounds of sabacc. Of course they were playing for fun, as Clone troopers owned nothing to actually bet.

It was only a few days later when the transport came out of hyperspace, that Legs and the other Clones were informed of their destination, Mandalore. The transport then passed through the atmosphere of the planet, coming upon the big city. However the transport would veer away, before lowering down onto a base just outside the city.

Legs was glad that his artificial legs couldn’t go numb, as it had been a long flight. Stepping onto Mandalore, Legs found the planet nice enough. Apparently his genetic progenitor was from Mandalore, meaning that it was almost like another home for Legs. While he had no true feelings about being here, he was glad that the weather was much better than on Kamino.

Legs and the other Clones would be quickly shuffled into a small barracks, apparently the Mandalorians wanting as small amount of Clone troopers here as possible. After being assigned a bunk, the Clones were told that a Jedi would be arriving in a few days to take command of the mission. What said mission was, Legs had no idea.

So in those few days, Legs kept himself busy with exercise and watching holo-dramas. It seemed that Mandalorian culture produced much different content on the holo-net than the Republic did. It seemed to be a lot more violent, apparently having less censors. Legs didn’t mind, as he was literally created for violence. Eventually he would discover a historical epic that he liked, which Legs would binge watch over a few days.

It was just after finishing the series one early morning that Legs was informed that the Jedi had arrived. While he did love just watching holo-dramas, he could only do so much before getting antsy. So Legs cleaned himself up, and changed into his proper armor. He wanted to look his best for the arrival of his new commander.

So Legs took a spot toward the edge of the base, where he could see the road that led up to it. He had decided that he would be the one to greet them to the Clone base, as Legs held immense respect for the Jedi.

In fact he thought he could see two people approaching from off in the distance, perhaps the Jedi. But Legs felt that there was something wrong as the pair just stopped. Legs wanted to go off and see what the problem was, but he had been forbade from leaving the base without the permission of his commander or other Mandalorian authority. He didn’t want to be that one Clone who caused an intergalactic incident.

 

[NachoGod]

Valdek could feel it almost the same time Harlow had mentioned it. Lifting his eyes up the path he would spot a clone and a smirk would spread across his face. A perfect time for an ally…

“We are being watched, but its not someone, its many, one is up ahead right by the door, but he is not a problem, in fact you should go to him. Inform him we have two potentially hostile guests. Eastward, about two hundred meters into the brush. Make sure you don’t lose my saber, you may be needing it.”

He would thrust a guiding hand between her shoulder blades making it clear that this was not much of a request. Before turning East and stepping off the path. Allowing the force to fully envelop him in the defensive bubble he had been making since he himself was a padawan. He couldnt tell if the oncoming people were force sensitive or not, but he recalled those of the dark-side being able to mask themselves, and figured if he sensed them then they likely were not, while that gave him an advantage…it wasn’t enough for him to keep his guard down.

As he walked off the path his “Threads”would leave the clone barracks and begin expanding into the trees, into the rocks in the ground, finding anything one could grab and tying themselves around them. Should this oncoming duo have trouble to bring, he would have plenty of his own to give them.​

 

[One of Hearts]

Harlow was surprised. "but-" She was gently pushed away. She had the feeling this shoving her out of danger would be a common thing. "WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS LATER!" She yelled at him as she ran off. Of course, he'd go after the danger by himself. Typical. She began to wonder why he entrusted her with the blade when she had never used a blade. She supposed she was used to the wooden training blades. But an actual lightsaber...no, she had never used one. She felt the presence of someone directly behind her. "Shoot shoot shoot!" she continued running...only to be shot at. Perhaps shoot was a poor choice of words. "I'm going to die!" she yelled to herself. She kept running, trying to get closer to the base ahead. It was farther than she had expect. As she ran, from the corner of her eyes she saw a man watching her. The same man from her vision. She didn't have enough time to look at him. She needed to run. In the distance, she saw a person. "Hey!" She called, hoping they could hear her. She had gotten hit. it skimmed her arm and burned her skin a bit. If Valdek found out he'd never let her live it down. Maybe Ziva would heal her? Not important. She stopped, turned around, and turned on the blade managing to block an attack. "Ha! Ha! I did it!" The man that was chasing her shot again and she barely blocked it. Then he started shooting some more. "Ok maybe I'm not the best at this!" She needed help. That's when her eyes grew large and she finally saw one: a Clone Trooper! So they do exist! Harlow wasn't sure if she was overjoyed at the sight of a real clone, or terrified at the entire situation.


Beil-Zan watched as a man easily tracked down one of his men. A Jedi? Here? That surprised him as Mandalore wasn't too keen on getting involved. Perhaps they requested help with the syndicate. Beil-Zan watched and began to analyze this Jedi. He seemed so familiar. Then it struck him. It couldn't be! Of all the Jedi....of all the places! And yet Fate brought him right here...into his hands. He smiled to himself, filled with both anger and joy. Valdek was here! Someone came in over the coms. They were shooting at a youngling...one with a lightsaber. Younglings don't have sabers. No...that's Valdekx saber no doubt. It must have been Beil-zan's lucky day to have an unarmed Valdek right in front of him...and alone. He jumped down from the tree he was in. Perhaps he should test the Jedi. "How curious that you come here alone and without a saber. You never know what you'll find hidden in the shadows waiting to strike you." Beil-Zan did not draw his blade yet. He was curious if Valdek even knew who he was. Perhaps he could spin this differently and claim the Jedi as his apprentice. Veldek was meant to be his until Valdek's master got in the way. Beil-Zan made sure to repay the man tenfold with a slow and painful death. And now what was meant to be his apprentice was here, right in front of him for the taking.

 

[NachoGod]

Oh now this was bad, very very bad. He couldn’t sense the figure at first, but now that his eyes were in him he could feel the force radiating off of this figure. He was strong…stronger even than valdek himself was.

Need to stall. Harlow will have the clones backing me up soon.

Valdek allowed his trademark smirk to come back, feigning confidence. “You and i both know that the force is far greater defense than any lightsaber….While were on the topic of shadows, what are you doing skulking around them? I take it you had something to do with the attack recently.”

The sound of blaster fire would echo through the forest. Which would seem to punctuate Valdek’s sentence. Slowly he would lift his hand, the trees creaking loudly around him and a few stones rising as his “strings” tugged them up into the air. “you know your friend is likely going to die, if not we can make him talk, so speak quickly my patience is not the best trait i have.” It was a bluff mixed with a distraction already his threads were making their way towards this being seeking to find any gap in his defenses. He quickly realized that despite the relaxed demeanor of the man in front of him…there were no gaps to be found. His mind raced, should this man decide to fight, he at least had a plan.

Debris, Geyser, and once line of sight is broken, Escape. The barracks have enough firepower to close this gap. ​

 

[Hiuly of Starmoon]

Ziva was in her quarters meditating. She desperately needed to be in balance again. All the frustration from the Jedi were not beneficial to that and if she wasn’t careful, she could kill people, which greatly goes against the Jedi code and her own morals.

“There is no emotion, there’s peace“, she breathed out. She had to get rid of her fear. „There is no ignorance, there is knowledge“, she felt something weird through the force. It gave off a strange feeling. „There is no passion, there is serenity“, she was continuing with the Jedi code, but wasn’t focusing on that anymore. She had to find out what that was. „There is no chaos, there is harmony“, something was about to happen. „There is not death, there is-“, they were fighting that’s what it was. And the padawan needed some help. Desperately. The girl was practically broadcasting her frustration and fear.

„Kriff“, she muttered, knowing she’d help. She might not be a Jedi, but she wasn’t helpless either and she’d been to enough battlefields to be able to help the padawan. She sighed and started running to the clone barracks, using the force to accelerate her speed.

Once she got there it looked like pretty much every battlefield: rather chaotic. But, she had to find the Padawan. Which she did fairly easily, luckily. Dodging a few rogue blaster shots she made her way over to the girl.

„Are you done being in awe and therefore unfocused? You‘re practically making your own death sentence right now“, Ziva yelled at the girl. „Being unfocused is a big no no, so focus! Ready position“, she ordered how it was done at the temple, hoping to snap the other girl back to reality and to use the things she had learned at the temple. „And we need a plan, now!“

One of Hearts

 

[Lost Martian]

Legs continued to watch the road leading to the small Republic Army base, though he figured that he was wrong about the people off in the distance being Jedi. The truth was that in the few days that he had been on this planet, he had seen all kinds of people come and go from the big city. As such Legs believed it to be safe, the peace keepers of Mandalore regularly patrolling it.

So Legs turned away from the road, ready to head back into the barracks, perhaps finding a new holo-drama to watch. However he had barely stepped a meter before he began hearing blaster fire. Whipping around, Legs could just barely make out the red flare produced by blasters, dust on the road obscuring his vision, even with the enhancements of his helmet.

Legs initially wanted to just charge in and provide support, but he quickly remembered the rules about the Republic Army operating on Mandalore. The trust between the two galactic powers was tenuous, so a Clone trooper getting involved in what might be a local issue could be a real problem.

Still, Legs pulled out his com-link, “Commander, I have a report of blaster fire just outside the base. Do I have permission to engage?”

The next half-minute felt like the longest wait the Clone had experienced in his brief life. Just as Legs’s legs were getting antsy, he got the go ahead from the base commander. Perhaps whatever was happening outside the base was related to this mystery mission that had brought Legs here from Kamino.

Legs then waited no time before charging into the dust storm ahead of him. Pretty sure that his Clone brothers were right behind him. With blaster rifle ready, Legs emerged from the dust to find two women crouched down. One was a young Twi’lek Jedi, identifying so by the lighsaber in her hand. The other one was a Pantoran, apparently a medic.

“Are you two alright?” Legs asked.

The Clone trooper would then quickly scan the area around them, trying to spot all possible assailants. This was not helped by the fact that they were near a wooded area, with plenty of trees to hide behind.

“Can you move? We’re not in an ideal spot,” said Legs.

And just on cue, a few blaster bolts whizzed past them, scorching the ground. Legs instantly realigned his aim, firing a few blaster bolts, at least one making contact as far as he could see. Keeping his blaster rifle pointed in the same area, Legs really hoped that his presence would deter any sneak shots.

Legs then pulled out his com-link, “Where is my back-up? We have an injured Jedi and potential others.”

Legs figured that there was easily enough Clones at the base to overwhelm these attackers, he just had to wait on them to arrive. He made a mental note to chide them after the battle, as they should be ready to go in an instant.

One of Hearts Hiuly of Starmoon

 

[One of Hearts]

Beil-Zan was far more amused. Valdek was swayed more to the dark side than he thought. What a perfect candidate for an apprentice. He shrugged. "He's expendable I suppose. It's not like he knows enough anyway. Though I'm curious...killing isn't the Jedi way." Beil-Zan began to circle him, not at all concerned about Valdek attacking him. "Aren't you worried about the padawan? The Medic? How I'll kill every last clone here? Surely you can sense my power. And yet you stay here as if we are equals. Or perhaps you are stalling? That seems more likely. I'll tell you what, let's duel for a bit. I won't even use my saber since I know you are without. I'll show you hints of my strength and if you can survive until your friends show up...you can tell them there is a traitor within the clone army. Have fun figuring out who it is though." Beil-Zan smirked as he stood at the ready. He would allow Valdek to attempt the first strike, but knew that Valdek was in for a thrashing. It's more fun if they think they have hope anyways.

Harlow turned to see both Ziva and a clone! He's so cool! But she needed to focus as Ziva said. "I'll have you know this is my first time using one of these much less being in a battle! Give me some credit." She turned and began to sense how many there were. "There's four of them. Trooper...I can draw their fire and attempt to block. Once I do, you need to strike. Ziva....you know I'm going to take a few hits so I'm going to need you on stand-by or at the very least try that cool Jedi mind trick you have! Then we need to go after Valdek! He ran off without his saber!" She nodded to her group. "Off I go!" She dashed off and into the open, taking some fire that she began to do her best to block with the saber. This thing was so cool and she couldn't wait for her own! Not to mention she just talked to a clone!

 

[NachoGod]

Valdek could feel a twinge of anger, but that promptly turned into guilt. This man was right in a sense, more than he would like to have believed. He was aware of the fact that val was stalling, and was also aware of the rather large power discrepancy between them. What he hoped he wasn’t aware of was his specialty, Valdek had made it his lifes goal to get ‘more bang for his buck’

Sometimes its not a heavy swing, but rather a precise one that defines a duels victor.

Again his masters voice would echo in his ears and val would keep up his smirk as he replied. “Thanks for the intel, as for your invitation…how about NO!” He would snap his fingers and all at once all his ‘strings’ Would pull taught. In an instant branches stones, and even a few small trees would be pulled towards him as an alarming rate.

Distraction

Right before the point of collision he would allow all of his strings to Snap simultaneously, generating a smaller rebound of the force power he had put into his great pulling. Without missing a beat he would direct a good portion of it into his legs and leap as high as he possibly could just as the debris slammed into the space where he was with a thunderous crash.

Geyser

This was likely to be his last maneuver, he could already feel the toll of using so much of his force at once, he maybe should have been a bit more cautious spread the power out thin, but he knew he couldn’t win a war of attrition. Not against something like this, so instead he directed the last of his strings reverberation behind him pushing himself towards the path. It wasn’t enough to get him to the path itself, he had to gather what little remained in his ‘tank’ to cushion his landing from so high up. But he managed to at least cover a little over half the distance. He also knew the sith could close the distance quickly, but this ploy wasn’t about getting away…per say. It was about clearing the tree cover.

While still airborne he would pluck his communications unit from his sleeve and shout “LEX GET HERE NOW!!!” Before landing hard enough to crash through several branches and barely get his feet beneath his body in time. Turning with a groan to face the direction he anticipated the enemy would be coming and starting to gather what little force he could from his surroundings between ragged breaths. At least one of those branches he hit on the way down had given his ribs a good thwacking and he knew he would probably be seeing the disgruntled medic again today.

Escape.​

 

[Hiuly of Starmoon]

"Yeah, I could tell it's your first time holding a proper lightsaber. Didn't the temple teach you anything?", she was going crazy at this rate. The quality of the temple really got that much worse. They weren't even teaching padawans properly yet... she stopped herself before she got distracted. Then she heard Harlow's plan. "That plan is horrible!", she exclaimed. "Especially since you should try to not get hit. However, I can try to make it a bit easier for you, but I can only do that one by one", but with that Harlow already took off. Ziva sighed and followed the girl, and had to help her quite a bit. She deflected several shots with the force, that would've hit her otherwise and caused brainfog in the shooters to make them miss their aim. But, they managed to walk in Val's direction.

"Do you know where your Master is?", she yelled to Harlow, testing her, once they both had taken cover. Ziva had long picked up on him, as he was using an excessive amount of force. He'd have to be careful not to overdo it especially under those circumstances. But not a second later, a ship whizzed past them and she just saw a person vanish within the forest again. "Okay, change of plans", she told Harlow. "Looks like your master's got it covered, at least for now. But we have to do something about those people here. After that we can check up on your master", she said, and got ready to make their enemies be dizzy again, to make it as easy for Harlow as possible, and made a mental note to talk to the master once this was over. In private. They desperately had to talk about the padawan, because like that, she was a danger not only to herself but also to others. Especially if there was a Sith involved, which she guessed by the waves of force that was coming off from that direction. Then she had an idea.

"Alright, I have an idea, but you're not going to like it", she stated. "The enemy your master is currently fighting is far too difficult for you. You'll die if you go there. You need more training, but you'll get there eventually. Another important lesson for a padawan to learn is how to command the troopers. Which is why you stay here and keep the front-line away from the base", she said. "And I'll bring the lightsaber to your master, as I'll be faster and can hold my ground better against a Sith than you", she knew Harlow wasn't going to be happy with this. "In return, I promise to show you how to do the mind-trick", she hoped that was enough, that she was at least half-way agreeing. Either way though they had to move fast. She pulled the saber to herself with the force and gave Harlow one of the blasters nearby. "Sorry about it, but we don't have time to argue too much, nor do we have enough time for me to coach you all the way there, so I hope you can shoot well with the blaster. The men will also listen to you. Try to not get a lot of them killed today". Ziva had seen a lot of padawans after their first time commanding the clones. Most of them got an entire squadron killed because of rookie mistakes. "Oh and also try to listen to them. They're more experienced", that was the best piece of advice she could offer Harlow, before activating the lightsaber herself and getting up to run across the battlefield to get the lightsaber to Val.

Holding a lightsaber like that was exhilarating. It had been years since she did something like that, but it was just like back then. She loved the adrenaline rush of almost dying if she wasn't careful. And thanks to her now more developed force powers, she could accurately tell where the next shot was coming from, using a mix between all of the lightsaber forms she had practiced all day for hours as a child. Luckily most of them were now reflexes, and she managed to get into them again after a few moments, but she noticed that she was also a bit rusty. If she were to do this more often, she'd have to practice again. Luckily she wouldn't do that though. "I'll be back in a bit. May the force be with you", she told Harlow through the force and sped off.

One of Hearts NachoGod

 

[RikuXIII]

The wind whistled past Raya Lloch's helmet as she rode the flying form of her Basilisk War Droid. These were the moments of calm she loved. Just a girl and her flying war machine in the endless blue. As much as she enjoyed a good fight, this was where it was truly at. It reminded of the long herding trips with her blood father. Solitute that wrapped you up like a blanket from where you could watch the amazing view.
A ping on her HUD broke her from the revere, informing her that she was coming up on her destination. Raya steeled herself. She hadn't had much contact with the Republic Army or the Jedi, so had no idea what to expect. Legends of the Jedi spoke of masterful warriors and generals. But that was a long time ago. They seemed to have become reculsive has-beens, much like the Republic itself. But, if these young jedi were actually out here to take on the Syndicate, maybe there was hope the old fire still burned.
After getting clearance to land, Raya brought her war machine Carnifex in low, swooping upwards over the lip of the landing bay before dipping again to land. With a twenge of reluctance, she unhooked her armor from Carn's systems before dropping down to solid ground. She took off her helmet, carefully letting her Lekku slid out of their housing before tucking the helmet under her arm. Now, where were those wizards?

 

[Lost Martian]

Legs remained poised to fire at any assailants that appeared, guarding over the Jedi and the medic. However, Legs wondered just how experienced this Jedi was. She looked very young and almost uncomfortable with holding a lightsaber. The Clone trooper highly doubted that this young Jedi was a commander, meaning perhaps she had a master somewhere close by.

However the youth would take charge, stating that she would draw their fire for them to be picked off by Legs. It was a sound strategy, one that many Jedi commanders seemed to use in this war. They had such a confidence about them, something that apparently came from their trust in the Force. Legs had no idea how this magical ability worked, but he had seen it in action, Jedi blocking blaster bolts with their hand or pushing away enemies with an invisible power.

So Legs trusted whatever the Jedi ordered him to do. As such he nodded to show that he was going to go along with the young Twi’lek’s plan. The Jedi then charged forward toward the mystery attackers, almost flailing about with the lightsaber. Legs rose and went after her, providing the requested covering fire. He liberally sprayed the wooded area with blaster fire, having put in a fresh charge into the rifle this morning.

While Legs was fully obeying the Jedi, the medic was less inclined, calling into question the plan. Legs stayed out of the argument, as it was definitely above his pay grade, or would be if Clones actually got paid. Instead he continued to fire at the enemies as they popped up. However they were quite wily, disappearing less than a second after firing a shot at the Republic forces.

Legs then addressed the Jedi, “Ma’am, do we have any kind of back up? We are currently out numbered.”

But before he got a response, Legs saw the medic dash further into the woods, the lightsaber in her hand. The whole situation perplexed Legs, as he didn’t even know why he was on this planet, much less who he was fighting. But he had been raised to fight for the Republic, and that meant abiding by the commands of the Jedi. He had to trust that the enigmatic wizards knew what they were doing.

Glancing over at the Jedi, sans lightsaber, she seemed fine save some blaster burns. She had lucked out and only been grazed, not taking a bolt to somewhere worse like the head or chest. Legs then turned back to his assailants, a wave of new blaster fire headed his way. One would make contact, skinning Legs’s right arm, but not passing through his armor.

“I suggest we find better cover,” stated Legs, “And take this. It might help.”

Legs then grabbed his survival vibro-knife off his belt and handed it to the Jedi. While she had seemed to not know how to wield a lightsaber, perhaps she could use the knife. And in Legs opinion, any weapon was better than none.

“Sorry, I never asked your name commander,” said Legs, “My designation is CT-01-3288. But my previous commander called me Legs.”

But before any response could be said, another attacker popped out from a tree. But this time Legs was ready and fired a direct shot, whizzing through the foliage and striking the man in the chest. He then slumped over and fell to the ground. Legs only allowed himself a second to celebrate in his mind before going back on point, ready for any threat to the Jedi commander and him.

 

[One of Hearts]

Harlow watched a bit in horror as Ziva took the Saber and ran off. That left her without a weapon (since she couldn't use a blaster) and the troopers to hold down the base. And it was this base that was between them and Mandalore! It could not fall! "Wait!" She called, but it was too late. She turned to the trooper, attempting to look confident. She could sense Ziva's lack of faith in her. She worried the trooper might feel the same. That was when she was handed the knife. A much better choice for her. She looked out. More and more were coming. It was obvious the Syndicate wanted this base. Then...she felt another presence. It was a risky plan...very risky. But desperate times call for desperate measures. She turned to her new comrade, Legs. "Let's hope they're back up...I'm going to cause a distraction. When you see an opening take two of your men and go behind enemy lines. Go past them and you will stumble upon someone and some odd machine. Convince them to join us. Around seven minutes from now I'm going to have the middle of the front line fall back a bit. Then those on the side will hold their ground. We'll have the enemy advance and hopfully begin to box themselves in. It's vital that in ten minutes you're back with our back up to finish boxing them in alright? This mission relys on you. You can not fail. I need you legs...Mandalore needs you. Now get ready!" She then turned. This was so risky. She could practically hear Ziva scolding her for entrusting the mission to three clone troopers they just met and betting that this presence was someone willing to help them. Not to mention she was now making herself the main target when all she has is the force and a knife. "Let's hope this works." She mumbled to her self as she started to focus on the force. The land infront of her became to tremble and crumble. Some pieces breaking apart. The men started to loose their balance and stumble a bit. Those that managed to stay up tried focusing on Harlow. It was the perfect opening for Legs. The next 10 minutes were going to be long.


Beil-Zan was amused by this. As everything drew closer to him, he created a current with the force and then sent everything right infront of Valdek. He had created a barrier. Beil-Zan started to saunter over. "I'm afraid I'm not going to let you off the hook that easily Valdek." He raised his hand up a bit, lifting Valdek with the force, and then shoved his arm down. A great force then shoved Valdek into the ground. "You're far too confident. I thought your master might have taught you better. But I suppose he wasn't a good master if I so easily killed him." Beil-zan smirked, very happy to feel anger brewing in Valdek. "Oh there it is....that temper of yours." Beil-zan lifted Valdek up with the force. "Let me show you the power...just a glimpse of it, of the dark side." Lightning came from his hands and struck Valdek. Beil-zan enjoyed the screams of agony, but he wasn't going to kill his soon prodigy. He shoved Valdek back into the ground with the force and walked over. He planed to pull out his lightsaber then and there when he sensed someone coming. He sighed and shoved his boot on Valdeks face. He leaned in closely. "I am your darkest moment Valdek. The monster that will always draw nearer. Be weary little jedi knight. I'll be watching you, testing you, taking everything from you. Until the moment you join me I will be haunting you. But for now, you get to live." He shoved his foot off Valdek and kicked him away as he walked off into the deep forest. They would meet again in time.

 

[Hiuly of Starmoon]

Ziva was running full speed towards Val. She felt that he was in danger. If he had just kept his lightsaber earlier, then they wouldn‘t be in the current situation. She could feel him close by, but also the sith was nearby. But that just motivated her even more to run even faster. And she luckily made it, but only caught a glimpse of the Sith before he vanished in the forest. She ran a bit further, but didn‘t pursue. Ziva knew she‘d have no chance against a sith. So, she had to pick her battles wisely, and running blindly after a Sith was not it.

She stayed still for a moment, paying attention to her surroundings to make sure they weren‘t in danger. Since she now sensed nothing except for Valdek lying on the floor, she deactivated the saber and walked over to him. „Kriff“, she said as she realized that the Jedi was unconscious. Now she‘d have to carry him and his saber back. Ziva clipped the lightsaber to her tunic, so that she had both hands to carry the jedi. She was glad that he didn‘t weigh much and also wasn‘t too tall, but she still had to use the force to help her effectively carry him. This would also mean that she was going to be a lot slower this time. Not wanting to waste more time, or leave Harlow alone much longer, she started to set off.

Carrying someone like Val was much more tiring than she had initially expected. But she also knew she had to push through, and hoped that Harlow and the clones managed to make way for them, and or maybe even already won the attack. She was focusing on making sure that nobody was going to attack them and was focusing on her steps, to pass the time a bit, and forget the strain this put on her muscles, when suddenly, she heard a ship fly over them. It was massive - but it also wasn‘t one of theirs. She looked at the still unconscious man, who was over her shoulder. It had to be his, but how in the world did he get a ship that big? She stopped herself, telling herself she wasn‘t interested, when she saw that it was landing right where they had started, taking a couple of trees with it as well.

She sighed, but decided in the end to carry on. She was half-way to the base already, so she might as well finish what she started. So, she turned towards the base and continued on. Until she heard blaster shots. So Harlow was still in the middle of things. She needed some cover to get Val safely to the base. „I got your master, but I need cover to get him back to safety. Can you give us some cover“, she asked the padawan, hoping she‘d react quickly, as Val was starting to get a bit heavy.

One of Hearts NachoGod

 

[One of Hearts]

Harlow Heard Ziva. "It just keeps getting better." She mumbled. What had happened to Valdek? It didn't matter as long as he was alright and if Ziva had him, he was probably alright. What mattered now was working to get everyone safe. She was starting to get a bit exhausted, but she needed to finish strong. Harlow told the men in the middle to fall back. About seven minutes had passed anyway. She needed to follow the plan she made with Legs. As they did, she new their enemies would try to push forward. And they did, falling for her trap. Some of her men stayed on the side, now getting a better angle. This wouldn't hold long though. She needed the final part of the trap. What seemed like forever actually came quickly. Legs showed up with Mandalorians! Harlow felt relieved, strengthening the line again. The enemy was boxed in. That should be a decent enough distraction. This battle was over and won with a smooth victory. "I better get my lightsaber for this." She mused to herself as she glanced at Legs. He was the actual hero for today.

 

[Lost Martian]

Legs was happy to see that the Jedi take the vibro-knife as he really didn’t want to leave one so young without a means of self-defense. However after that, in true Jedi nature, she explained a plan to the Clone trooper, one that relied on knowledge that she shouldn’t been able to have. But through all these long battles of the Clone Wars, Legs had learned to just go with the intuition of the mystic generals.

And with a message of Mandalore needing him, Legs charged into the opening the Jedi was able to make. With a little bit of covering fire, Legs was able to charge through the tree line. Eventually he would come across a Mandalorian on some kind of mechanical mount. While initially fearing that his appearance would lead to some kind of incident between the Republic and Mandalore, Legs was pleased to find that the local was level headed and would call other allies before going with him to find and defeat the attackers in the woods.

The Clones and the Mandalorians would rush in, catching the assailants in a piercing maneuver. Many of these unknown attackers would be killed but a few would be injured and captured. Legs would personally oversee the other Clones in tying up the surviving attackers.

“That went a lot better than I thought it would,” muttered Legs.

Legs hoped that he was out of earshot of either his fellow troopers or commander, as he wanted to maintain an air of professionalism. It was not his place to dare talk about battle issues, as after all he was just a simple soldier. So instead he just took today as a win, though he was curious about just who these attackers were. In all likelihood they were related to whatever mission had taken Legs to Mandalore.

Legs then became aware of the Jedi’s eyes gazing at him. Wondering if she needed something from him, Legs walked over.

“Commander, I never caught your name,” said Legs, “I hope that my vibro-knife was of some use.”

It did stand out to Legs that she did not have a lightsaber on her right now. The one she previously wielded had looked foreign and unruly in her hand, the medic being far more confident in holding it. It was a testament to how bad the war had gotten if they were sending out Jedi this young into actual combat.

But the Jedi had fought well in Legs’ opinion, being able to plan out how to defeat the assailants. Legs was also glad to see no Clone deaths during the battle, with only a few injuries sustained, including the graze to Legs’ right arm. While it did sting a little, Legs figured that it would be easily cured with a hypo-spray once back on base.

 

[Hiuly of Starmoon]

Ziva grinned. Harlow had actually managed it. She found an opening and managed to get Valdek to the entrance of their base. Then she turned around to see if Harlow needed some help, but Ziva quickly saw that Harlow was about to win the battle. The girl showed promise. That was good. Thinkng the girl can handle a moment longer on her own, she carried Valdek inside and layed him on a bed in the medbay, before walking out again, to make sure that everything went smoothly and the way it should. But upon walking out, she saw that Harlow and the Clones had won. She walked over to the girl. "Good job. I see you listened, and managed to win without casualties. That's impressive", she said as she approached. "Your master's already inside. Follow me, I'll look at your blaster wounds", she gestured Harlow to follow her back inside. “You too, soldier”, she told Legs, after a short pause, noticing he was also hurt a little.

"And done", Ziva said as she put the last bacta patch on Harlow. The wounds would heal rather fast. She had already tended to Leg’s wounds a couple of minutes earlier. She had also ordered Kyra to hook up Val to a couple of machines to make sure he was staying alive. After all, this would take a bit now. “Now if yoI’ll excuse me. I’ll need a moment”, she told Harlow as she made her way over to Val.

She walked over to his right side and closed her eyes. For precision work, she had to be very calm and very much in tune of the force. Otherwise she might accidentally damage something. Then she held out her hand and let the force guide her where she needed to go. Soon after Ziva felt a couple of broken ribs, other bones and dislocated shoulder and a possible concussion. She opened her eyes again and addressed the bones and joint. Then she got to work on his head. She put her hand onto his head and started giving him a bit of her life force so he’d wake up faster.

Unfortunately for Ziva though, it took quite a bit, but suddenly she felt something “click” into place and Val woke up. She took her hand away again. “Once you’re ready, see me in my office. We have something very important to discuss. In private. ”, and she assigned Kyra to keep an eye on them and whatever they needed. Ziva needed a break to recharge. Doing something like that was very draining, but sitting down in a quiet place and eating something always helped, and what better time to do that while waiting for Val to be well enough to talk to.

One of Hearts NachoGod Lost Martian

 

[One of Hearts]

Harlow still couldn't believe she had done it! She felt both proud and terrified. Harlow had never seen war much less even a battle. This was only something she had heard of from the tales of the masters every time they came to visit. Blood, death, and nothing glorious about it. Just the sounds of commands, blasters, and yelling. She supposed there was some sort of beauty to it, but the stories made it sound much better than it actually was. The adrenaline was still pumping in that the outside world was dead silent now that it was over. She watched the aftermath of the clones starting to clean up and investigate. Harlow seemed lightyears away in her own mind. She stood in awe of the battlefield until she heard Legs. She turned, snapping back into reality. "hmm? Oh! Yes! Thank you Legs. This was extremely helpful!" She handed the knife back to him, glad that while she might have thought she was alone during the battle, she at least had Legs and the knife he had given her. She did use it for anyone that had managed to get close enough to her, and thus she considered this knife a life saver, but no substitute for the lightsaber she was here to obtain. "I'm Harlow by the by. Sorry, I didn't formally introduce myself. I got caught in the moment. You did a wonderful job Legs! We wouldn't have gotten out of this without you." Just then Ziva came back. Harlow suddenly felt anxious. Was Val ok? Was she? Was she going to yell at her? She half expected it and was quite surprised by the compliment and praise. "Uh...yeah, thanks." They both followed Ziva inside and were patched up. Harlow's mind though traveled to Valdek, wondering if he was alright. day one and already her master is hurt? She'd give him some slack for that later, at the moment however, she was worried. Val was like that annoying older brother who always managed to bend the rules to get what he wanted and got away with it. Not that she was complaining. She just hoped that he was and would be ok. Ziva appeared confident though as she excused herself and went to help Valdek. Harlow sighed then looked over at Legs. The first clone she had ever seen...he seemed pretty cool. "So, are battles common here or is this a new thing for you? I'm pretty new to it all if I'm being honest."

 

[NachoGod]

When Valdek awoke he vaguely heard ziva speaking to him, the scenery has shifted dramatically since his last trek into consciousness. The hard ground and trees had been replaced by a medical facility so he figured he was at least alive.

I guess thats one point.

He would take his time getting to his feet as usual, first coming to a sitting position and meditating for a few minutes so as to assess the situation in the force. The first thing he would find is that Harlow and Ziva were both alive as well, he already knew about Ziva of course but their power was the first thing that would be felt as he reached out. He could feel alot of pain, but luckily there was nothing too severe, in fact it seemed his own injuries were the worst of those within the base.

I guess thats two.

His grin would return as he began to rise to his feet. “not bad kiddo, i knew you had it in you.” He muttered to himself as he stepped out of the med bay. He could feel the directions Harlow and Ziva were in were separate but figured that was fine he had to meet with the doctor first anyhow, she would likely need to most convincing.

He walked towards her office with a confident stride, his plan had worked in the end, he kept the worst threat away, his Padawan and the defense force were still alive. Sure he was roughed up a bit more than he wanted…possibly alot more, but in the end he still survived and realized a few weaknesses of his own, not to mention of this group he found himself thrust into. Reaching the door to Ziva’s office he would push the buzzer. “You said to come see you right? I have a few things to ask you myself if thats alright?”

Hiuly of Starmoon ​

 

[Hiuly of Starmoon]

Ziva had noticed it when Val was about to approach the door, so immediately after, she willed the door to open to let him in. He had woken up faster than she expected, and she hadn't had time to "recharge" a bit more. So, this would have to do. It should do. Still sitting in her chair, she gestured to Val to take a seat. "You're free to sit down if you'd like, Master Jedi", she now realized she hadn't even asked them about their names, and also hadn't bothered to look at their chart yet. So much to at least acting like a good host.

"Yes, that is fine", she brushed off Val's question about asking her a few things. Depending on what he'd ask it wouldn't hurt to answer. After all, she doesn't exactly have anything to lose at this point. "However, I'd like to start with my matter, that I wanted to talk to you about", Ziva said. That way she could get rid of her things and maybe also cause Val to forget one or the other question.

"We really need to talk about your padawan", she started, but started to feel too restless to stay seated now. So, she decided to stand up for it, but immediately regretted it, as the world dipped to the side, and she had to hold on to the table to stabilize herself. She started scolding herself about how embarrassing she is, letting herself seem so weak in front of her patient. "She's got potential", Ziva noticed how her voice still sounded a bit shaky. She hated it when she sounded like that. Nevertheless, she continued. "Huge potential to be exact, which is why I urge you to get that child a lightsaber. You can't always give her yours", she unclipped the saber from her side and handed it back to Val. "This", she gestured to all of this, everything, "is also why the Temple has that rule of Jedi not being allowed to give their sabers away. Imagine what had happened if I wasn't there. Your Padawan would still have your saber, and you'd probably be dead by now, which would mean that your Padawan would never complete her training", and she'd have to end up like me, Ziva silently added, but kept it for herself. "Which is why", she concluded, "your padawan needs a lightsaber of her own. Immediately. I already prepared a form for both of you for sick leave so you can head to the nearest planet with kyber crystals, though I'll need your approval before I can make it official".

NachoGod