Star Wars: Shattered Galaxy

[ultrachicken]

Rana climbed into the pod and plopped down into a chair, exhausted, nerve-wracked, and hungry. She flipped Marcus' blaster in her hands and held out the butt of the weapon, offering it back to the nautolan. Once it was out of her hands, she gripped the holocron tightly and ran her finger tips along the grooves that defined the alien symbols. She held it against her stomach to keep it from being taken; after all, she didn't know these people, and this cube was the most valuable possession she had ever had.

"You can call me Rana," she mumbled, distracted from the other individuals populating the pod. She hadn't had an opportunity to study the holocron in much detail, and had decided to take advantage of this chance. The duros inspected each rune carefully, hoping to find something she maybe recognized, but it was no use. Maybe if she honed the powers that the Jedi seemed to think lay dormant in Rana, the holocron would divulge its secrets to her.

 

[blaze96]

Prenlarr activated the pod once they were all inside before speaking.

"I am Prenlarr, and I am glad that some might be able to survive this through my actions. As for the lights, I was the one who did that." As they jettisoned he decided to look out the window in the pod.

"I have little in the way of information. Last I had heard, security was retreating. As for what is attacking or why, I don't know. All I know is that many died and will die for whatever it is."

 

[CounterAttack]

As soon as the order to retreat was given, Rec followed the lead of the security forces in their falling back, occasionally providing cover for another person as they ran. Once the group was around the corner from which they had come, he shoved his rifle back into its holster and hauled it with the few survivors of the attack.

The Jedi, Vasera, had ran ahead of the group. Rec kept his mind focused on her Force-signature, pushing himself a little to try to catch up to her in case she was attacked and couldn't handle the situation. With that in mind he drew his pistol and extended the blade in his free gauntlet; Rec had trained to use both of the weapons in the swirl of melee combat, but he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against an opponent wielding a lightsaber.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

From the viewport of their escape pod, they could see the battle still raging, if you could call it that. The death-black ships were moving into the wreckage of the refugee convoy, a bolt occasionally striking out to turn fighters and shuttles into slag. The warships were moving towards the cloud of escape pods - it didn't look like they were going to get away that easily.

Onboard the station, Vasera turned her head as she heard Rec following her. "What the hell are you doing!? Go! Run! Find a...damn!" She stopped and turned as the two dark figures moved up the corridors, a red lightsaber in each of their hands. "I'll slow them down. Find an escape pod...when rescue comes, try to find a Duros refugee called Rana." She knew what she told him would make little sense, but she had no time to explain. "Go!"

She charged at the darksiders, their lightsabers beginning a deadly dance. Vasera's blade was a lightning-fast barrage of strikes - if it were only a single enemy, she would have had an easy victory. As it was, the two on one seemed an even match. Slowly, her barrage began to slow and she began fighting more defensively.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Marcus paused, feeling that the particular device that Rana held was probably the most important thing in the pod, and likely the most valuable. Even more so than the blaster he had holstered, and the blade at his side, and even the parts of lightsaber he still had stashed on himself.

A Holocron. Jedi Holocron. From a living, breathing, important Jedi.

"I am sure you did all you could, Prenlarr. I only hope that we are not all that will be left. I also hope that one lady I saw made it out of there. Pretty sure she was a full blown....Jedi." Marcus said, leaning back in the seat. He was still trying to understand everything that had happened over the few...hours? Minutes? He wasn't quite sure what was going on. In an attempt to simply give himself a chance to catch up, he brought his attention to Rana, who was looking over the small Holocron that she had been given.

".....See anything Rana? Don't....break it. Or something. We don't exactly have much room in here, and I don't think any of us have the know how to repair it."

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

With a flicker of pseudomotion, grey warships began appearing in space around the station, each one emblazoned with the proud symbol of Kuat.

"This is Admiral Mara Cath onboard the People's Republic Warship Liberation. To the unknown warships that have attacked Graveyard Station, you are ordered to power down your ship's hypermatter reactors, jettison your turbolaser cores, and prepare to be boarded."

No response. Only spiking energy readings.

"This is Admiral Cath to all ships. Target the unidentified warships and open fire with main batteries."

The red lance spiked out from the Retribution, cutting a deep gash into the station. Onboard, klaxons began to go off as compartments were superheated and thousands were vaporized in a matter of seconds. The beam could be seen going through the station and into the distance of space. Turbolaser blasts began smashing into the station, blasting off armor panels and tearing open outer compartments.

"Engage! Engage!" The Kuati ships accelerated, diving at the attackers, bolts of green and blue energy striking across space.

Inside the tiny escape pod, the holocron flickered and projected an image of a older woman with long, graying red hair, clad in a simple green robe. She looked at Rana. "Hello, young pupil. I am Nomi Sunrider, Gatekeeper of this Holocron."

 

[blaze96]

A look of dread came over Prenlarr as he saw the ships that had just destroyed so many ships turning what he now knew to be their fronts towards the cloud of escape pods they were a part of.

"I did, but it seems that it all may very well be for not. The ships which have killed so many are coming toward us."

Then, as if by the grace of whatever deity may have existed, suddenly a Kuat warship appeared. At this point Prenlarr was simply glad that there was an enemy of whoever that ship was under the command of in the area. Just as Prenlarr was both terrified and relieved, the object that Rana had been holding suddenly came to life. At this point the constant shocks were causing him to lose his composure somewhat.

"What the hell? Pupil? Holocron? Just what is going on here and why did that thing suddenly activate. Was that thing, whatever it is, what that ship is after?" His voice was raised but he was simply sitting in his seat. Honestly he wasn't quite sure he would remain conscious at this point.

If there was ever a day to take years of my life or cause me to pass out. Hell even the day where the core of the station was going to shut down because of overheating wasn't as stressful as what has been going on recently.

 

[Smagmuck_]

Knaake was thrown of his feet and tossed into a bulk head. His right shoulder pauldron cracked with the sudden impact. His right shoulder dislocated from the force and he slumped to the deck. The pain was immense and he nearly passed out. His HUD went from a faint green to a bright red, indicating his current state of health. He sat up, propped his currently useless right arm on his knee with his left hand, He ground his teeth as he rotated his right shoulder. There was a loud pop, a sudden jab of pain, and then dull aching. His breathing was labored and his HUD faded to a dull greenish yellow.

He stood up, and kept running. As soon as he rounded a corner, he encountered the female Jedi engaging in Close Quarter Combat with two Dark Jedi. He assessed his options, he could activate his Vibro-Blade gauntlet and charge in, which would probably get him split into several pieces. He could stay back and provide cover fire. His armor was rated to take several blaster bolts so long as it didn't hit the matte black under-suit. Or, he could rip another panel off and chuck it to provide just enough time for the Jedi to vanquish both of them. He couldn't decide. He swore violently in anger knowing he could do very little.

 

[CounterAttack]

"A Duros refugee called Rana..." Rec mused to himself as he did what the Jedi commanded, hellbent on making it to an escape pod. Why would she send him to find a refugee? Was she somehow important to Vasera? Had this Rana been entrusted with a task that the Jedi couldn't perform herself? Rec didn't know, but something - presumably the Force - told him that the Duros was indeed special.

Rec's simultaneous running and thinking were both interrupted as the station shook heavily under his feet, causing him to lose his balance. Despite additional shakes and quivers, the game hunter picked himself up, his thoughts briefly turning to the attack on Graveyard Station. Obviously the attackers had come for Vasera. Trying not to think about what she could be going through against the other Jedi, the ones with the red lightsabers, Rec found one of the few escape pods that had yet to be launched and hurried into it.

The escape pod was fairly large, designed to allow for a lot more than just one person leaving the station. Rec briefly contemplated waiting for someone else to join him in the pod, but the station was still shaking heavily. Decompression would set in quickly if left unattended, which was definitely going to happen... life support would be shut off, and artificial gravity would fail. Anyone who was still aboard the station would be lucky to even get to a pod, let alone survive. And Rec had no intention of being lost to the void of space.

With that in mind, the game hunter strapped himself into one of the escape pod's seats and hit the launch mechanism. A jolt of movement was his reward: seconds later he was alone in the darkness of space, waiting for someone to come across his pod, pick him up and let him out.

With little else to do besides sit and wait, Rec began to go through the motions of checking his wargear in case of damage.

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Prenlarr! SHUT UP! These things are.....legendary." Marcus said quickly, hoping that he would quickly get a hold of himself before the holocron began its full message. He was very obviously ignoring the war outside, feeling as if there was nothing he could do to stop it if something did try to kill them on the pod.

"Yes, Holocron. Legendary Force artifacts said to hold both Jedi and Sith knowledge. It opened for a reason. So kindly shut up before I need to make you shut up, because this is a LIFETIME deal." Marcus seemed to whisper so as to not talk over the small device now speaking.

Nomi Sunrider? Probably someone quite important. I wish I had some good records on me so I knew who the hell it was...how old this thing is. Did I miss something? How did Rana turn it on? I will have to ask her about it later....

Marcus found himself leaning particularly close, trying to listen and see what the image of the woman had to say and show. Perhaps it was something very important or useful. At least it was in a language he could properly understand. He just hoped that they were not interrupted while something....anything actually, that the holocron had to say. Better than staring outside hoping they didn't get shot.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

The image on the holocron looked rather puzzled. "You...you're not Padawans, are you? You're far too old." Nomi rubbed her forehead. "Damn it. You're all sensitives, so you're not likely to have stolen the holocron...so who are you? How did you come to possess this?"

 

[ultrachicken]

"Who the hell is on those ships, anyways?" the girl blurted in irritation, though somehow she could hazard a guess; sith. Which meant that they could probably sense her location. A shiver shot down her spine at the thought.

Rana raised an eyebrow at Marcus, perturbed by his sudden obsession with the mystical cube. It was, in fact, a strange and important object, but even so, his behavior was a little off. She sat up, straightening her spine and tightening the joints in her knees and elbows. She swallowed, and spoke.

"Uh, hello, Nomi," Rana spat out, confused and dazed. There was so much going on at once, and the duros seemed to have instantly become the most important being in the station. Well, second most important; the fully trained jedi was obviously before her in order of influence.

"Uh, I'm a refugee. I was sleeping when a woman showed up and claimed to be a jedi. Her name was Vasera," Rana explained, "She told me that I had the potential to become a jedi, and so did others on graveyard station, but before she explained what her deal was, she suddenly proclaimed that 'they' were coming. She gave me this holocron and told me to run for it. I bumped into these two on the way, and now we're here. Oh, and 'they' are likely to blast us to pieces any second."

 

[UnusualStranger]

To say Marcus was stunned would be an understatement. He holocron just spoke back to him. To all of them. It wasn't like a datapad, or some recording, or a book. It was.....a communicator? Maybe some sort of otherworldly one which spoke through the Force? It was by far one of the smallest most amazing pieces of equipment he had ever come across.

And here I was thinking these lightsaber parts were worth something. Figures it just takes one damned day on some backwater station.

"Uh...At my home I go by....Mar Kiarus Krang. Most of the galaxy calls me Marcus, and....I'm a salvager, survivalist, and Nautolan. I....decided to help Rana out of the station, and...yeah." Marcus explained, choosing his words carefully.

Alright.....alright alright alright. Nomi Sunrider. Human Jedi....and....thats it. But its something. And she is using the force....to communicate with us? Wait....Sensatives? Me, a padawan? Wait wait wait wait......What in the galaxy is going on here?

"Maybe....you could explain what is going on here?"

 

[blaze96]

With the holocron speaking back to him, Prenlarr pretty much went into a small state of shock. He instantly calmed down and simply sat in his seat as he spoke back to the thing.

"I am Prenlarr Lebeleb, though many on Graveyard station called me Pren. I was an engineer on the station and aided the evacuation of civilians during the attack. The two of them came to the repair bay where I worked and we ended up on the escape pod we are on now." he replied.

I have either gone completely insane, I'm dreaming, or this is all real and I may as well be insane.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"Okay...let me explain. I am not really Nomi Sunrider. Nomi Sunrider was the leader of the Jedi Order approximately..." She paused for a moment. "Five thousand years ago. What I am is an imprint of her personality and knowledge onto a Kyber crystal, attached to a holoprojection device. In essence, I am an artificial intelligence designed to mimic Nomi Sunrider." The projection looked between them.

"As for what is going on outside, judging by the situation, I'd guess that the Sith are attacking." She looked rather irritated. "Again."

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Uh......Well, alright then." Marcus began, not exactly sure what he should even ask. "....So, I imagine...uh, is there something we should be doing? I mean.....Five thousand years old? Things have kind of changed. Like....the Republic and Empire are long gone. Meaning, corpses to be picked...."

Well....this is just great. Its an AI, and one that is five thousand years old, which likely needs to be brought up to speed itself. Still.....the item itself is amazing.

Marcus sat back, trying to remember how much had really happened over the last five thousand years. So much happened in one day, and now he was talking with something which needed to be brought up to speed over the years. So many wars, battles, planets destroyed, things changed...He began hoping that the Jedi before had kept this thing up to speed or something. He wasn't a historian.

"......Wait, Sith again? You mean....they show up every couple thousand years to come and try to wipe everything out?"

 

[ultrachicken]

"I don't think they're here to wipe everything out," Rana explained, "They're probably here for Vasera and me. But, wait, Vasera mentioned that there were others who had the force inside them on graveyard station. The sith are probably after them, too."

So much death and destruction to snuff out a few force sensitives... such pointless waste of life.

"So, Nomi, how are we supposed to escape these sith? We're really lacking in the force and lightsaber department, and the only thing we've really got is this pod, which may as well be made of bantha dung for all the good it's going to do us," Rana asked, desperately seeking any helpful advice.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"You don't need to bring me up to speed. I know most of what's gone on in the Galaxy up until about a hundred years ago. After that, it seems this holocron was lost, most likely left behind on Ossus when the Academy there was abandoned."

Nomi looked at Marcus and shook her head. "Not exactly. The Sith do not desire annihilation, but domination...and more often than not, the Sith rise from within, a young Jedi finds himself discontented with the Order and delves into the Dark Side of the Force. Such was it with Exar Kun, Revan, and many more throughout the ages. But sometimes, the Sith endure beyond their fallen Jedi master, they hide and wait in the edges of the galaxy, and strike when we're at our weakest.

"Like the Sith Empire that conquered half the Republic over four thousand years ago, or the Sith as they stand now, an evil that has perpetuated itself since the time of Darth Ruin three thousand years ago, through Bane, to the Emperor Palpatine and his agent Darth Vader and beyond to the likes of Darth Caedus, Darth Krayt, and Darth Shara."

 

[socialtangent]

Chaos was unfolding around Kass as he strong-armed his way through the panicking crowds. The throng of panicked citizens were fleeing to the docking bay, no doubt to get into the first ship they could find and try to run for it. Little did they know, they were going to jump headlong into a Sith's turbolaser. Morons, he thought coldly as he shoved a particularly husky Rodian to the floor. The alien landed hard and was trampled under the feet of the crowd. Trust me, you were already dead. I just helped.

The crowd began to thin as Kass seemed to pass the tail end of the stampede of refugees. Immediately, he saw the reason for their frantic flight. The Jedi he saw earlier was trading blows with two mysterious figures wielding red lightsabers. If these weren't Sith, then Kass didn't know what was. He raised his blaster, taking careful aim at one of the dark assailants.

Let's see if the Force helps you now.

Kass opened fire, sending three bolts towards his target.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

One of the darksiders twisted around, pressing his back against his comrade who continued to engage the Jedi. He brought his lightsaber around once, twice, and a third time, sending the bolts flying back up the corridor and burning holes in the walls. He then raised his hand and the air seemed to pulse out, a great force striking Kass in the chest and sending him flying back several feet, slamming him to the deck hard and sliding him further still.

Vesera pressed her advantage with the momentary distraction, striking at her opponent hard. They locked their blades in a low guard, and Vesera slammed her elbow into his throat, knocking him back. The Dark Jedi staggered, coughing, and Vesera grinned before taking off at a run, leading them away from the crowds of refugees.