A massive cataclysm has struck the universe, and destroyed most everything in its wake. The survivors are now trying to pick up the pieces, and figure out exactly what has befallen them. Gather together, lightsiders!! The darkness has shattered the peace and calm of the galaxy...and they will do anything to stop anyone from finding out exactly what has been done! This is our first sitewide RP plotline. Lightsiders, you are looking for the source of this massive event. Clues must be found, lackeys tracked down, and bits of memory discovered. Darksiders, you guys don't want that to happen....because of the one behind the whole thing is furthering his ultimate goal. Mandalorians, and non-force users, you guys can decide where you stand on this line....do you side with the Jedi, and try to discover the reasons behind the ruined universe, or will you side with the darkness, and protect those secrets. Will the secret of the cataclysmic reaping be kept under wraps? Or will the Jedi and their allies find out the truth? Your RP and writing will decide the outcome!
BATTLE ARENA
Welcome to The Saga Continues. We have a section called the Battle Arena. Here you can use your characters to fight other characters. Hone your skills and see what you are made of. Don't worry, anything that happens here, does not effect your characters in posts, so if your character dies, you can still use them over and over. Have fun and check it out!
The Saga Continues is the product of the mind of ADMIN ADI; all contents are copyright their original owners. All characters belong to their original creators, and may not be used or replicated without permission. All images are copyright their original owners. This skin Operation Mindcrime was made by pharaoh leap of Pixel Perfect and put together by ADMIN KRYSTAL
A constant bombardment of explosions began to rock the Jedi Academy, and it shuttered with each hit. Dust filtered down from the ceiling, and the very walls seemed to moan, threatening to give in at any moment. There was no telling how much time they had left before the building came down around them.
Almost at the same moment, Miras' lightsaber ignited as he issued a warning. Rai sensed it too, as the presence of the evildoers slowly grew closer. Seven minutes had passed by since Dogma and his squad had blown the entrance and they had yet to receive any return transmission from the Senator. Sticking his head into the office, Rai took command of the situation."Sergeant! We don't have any more time for this. We need to move to the hangar bay NOW!"
He grabbed the headboard of the bed that Kendra's body was laid on, and pushed, leading the way for all to follow. In relation to the main entrance, they were moving to the rear-part of the wing, where the connecting corridor had collapsed. But if Rai could use the Force to stabilize the ceiling and keep it from collapsing further, while Miras cleared out the rubble and debris, the Cerean was certain they could get through. But it had to happen quick.
"When we get there, I'll have to stabilize the ceiling while you clear the debris," He said to Miras as everyone would begin moving down the hallway. Then he turned his head to Dogma, "Which means everyone else's job would be to cover us until the hallway is unobstructed. My Jedi friend and I," Damn it, Rai needed to learn this empath's name! Things were getting awkward now, "will be temporarily vulnerable while we use the Force. After we get through, we should have some time because once I let go of that ceiling, it'll collapse and block this 'Enclave''s path."
"Are you prepared to fight, Rai?" There was Kendra's voice again.... Although it was in his head, Rai thought it had come from out loud, and he confusingly looked at the covered corpse he was pushing. But he remained silent, whether out of confusion or the fact that his answer wouldn't be what Kendra wanted, he didn't know.
"If you don't fight, they will all die, trying to save you. You called them here. You brought this danger. Sometimes it's ok to fight." Her voice was sweet, and with each syllable that sounded, another crack shot through his heart.
"Now is not the time, Kendra. I'm a bit busy." He whispered out loud. If anyone heard him, surely they'd think he was crazy.
"As a Jedi, you are sworn to maintain the peace!" Now she was getting a bit feisty.
"You cannot create peace by taking a life!" He barked back, his voice slightly louder than last time, irritation dripping in his voice. Catching himself and his rising emotions, Rai took a deep breath as he continued walking. There is no emotion, there is peace.
"Rai, I never said anything about taking a life! Never did I say you had to kill anyone. But being a pacifist does NOT mean you aren't allowed to defend yourself and those around you!"
And as soon has her presence had appeared, she was gone, leaving Rai's thoughts bristling with conflict. Was she right? Was it possible for him to maintain his pacifist beliefs while still fending for himself and for the people who had come to his rescue?
“Did nobody listen to me?” I asked in response to the Jedi’s request, “There is no fighting the Enclave. You either, die or run. I am no coward, but I know when I cannot win a fight. And I cannot in good conscience send my men back out there to be slaughtered like cattle.” I ordered my men down the hallway with a hand gesture indicated by Rai as I spoke, I propose a counter defense: Sergeant, do your men have any explosives that we could remotely detonate? If you do, we can do one of two things with them. One, we could collapse this room giving us some more time, or two, we could try to clear out path to the hanger with them. My men used up almost all our sonic charges collapsing the main entrance and that only gave us an extra seven minutes.” I displayed four sonic charges from my bag, “If we were to collapse this room, it could take the enemy longer to get to us, or they would have to find another way entirely.”
I looked hopefully at the Sergeant and back to Rai. I didn’t want to have to sacrifice anymore of my men to a war machine that never stopped moving forward and killing. My men had moved down the hallway as I spoke to the others. I was not looking for any snide remarks from the grey-eyed Jedi however. “Yes, I have volunteered my men before, but that was rashly done. I will not make that mistake again. My men have fought bravely today and do not deserve to be left here on this planet to rot. But if there was no other choice, then I would make sure I was on the front lines of our last stand with my brothers-in-arms ‘til our last breath, and you will get off this planet and save the galaxy from this plague. All I would ask is that you remember the Raven Squad and how we showed the Jedi how REAL men fought for freedom.” I stated as I looked over to the other Jedi to emphasize my last remark.
"I resent that." The Echani replied to Dogma's quip, though her voice sounded more weary than angry, and no one bothered with a rebuttal as the dwindling group of survivors moved through the hallways.
Miras was in the rear and didn't bother responding, either. Despite the Cerean's efforts his head was still pounding. His body felt rejuvenated, rested and ready to fight, but nothing could erase the horrors of the last few days or the constant stress of fighting for his life. Fending off these creatures was nothing like fighting Sith. Though corrupted, dark siders were sentient beings with motives that could be anticipated, weaknesses that could be exploited, and goals that could be stopped. The infected were nothing but a seething horde of unending rage, never stopping, never resting until everything they touched was ripped apart and bathed in blood.
Sometimes being an empath wasn't all that great.
Snapping out of his reverie, the knight caught the tail end of the sergeant's reply:
"We used almost our entire supply getting here. Loman has what's left- two thermal detonators and a handful of concussion grenades. With those Imperials shelling the academy, I don't think it's safe to be setting off any more explosives-"
"Knight Rai said he can hold the ceiling," Miras cut in. "And Raven squad can't hold them off alone. If we're both occupied trying to move the rubble they'll gun as all down before we're finished." The Jedi's bitter gray gaze swept across the troopers one last time, making up his mind once and for all. "I'll stay with Dogma and his men while the rest of you clear the way to the hangar. As soon as it's clear, give us the word and we'll catch up...Knight Rai has to make it to Honoghr. That's all that matters now."
'And even if I die, at least the garrison has a shot at making it off this rock.'
"Come on," Miras said, slapping a hand on Dogma's shoulder and smiling coldly. "You can show me how real men fight."
None of this was supposed to happen. Why was the Enclave even after him to begin with? Were they really just hunting for sport? Rai had brought this danger upon all of them: it was all his fault.
Up ahead, Rai could see the final hallway that lead to the collapsed corridor. It was here that Miras and Raven Squad would hold their ground until Rai and the rest of the troopers could clear the rubble. "Wait." He interjected, stopping Miras before he could head out with Raven Squad. He reached up and unstrapped the sheathed Force-imbued blade from his back. He extended it in an offering to his fellow Jedi, and would wait for Miras to grip the cruciform hilt before releasing it. "Take this. It's the last artifact from the Academy I could find and I think it'll be more of use to you than it would be to me."
After Miras would take the sword, Rai reached out to clap one hand on his shoulder, and the other on Dogma's shoulder, and bringing them in close. "Give 'em hell. May the Force be with you."
It was then that the Enclave stormed into the area where Rai and all were. Catching sight of them, a devilish smile crossed the face of the commander. The soldiers with short range weapons, such as flamethrowers, began charging them, while troops with rifles and rotary cannons maintained a decent distance, firing heavily in the general direction of Dogma, Miras, and his men. The not bothering to take cover, the soldiers formed a nearly solid wall as they moved down the corridors, firing wildly. It wasn't like ammunition was a concern of theirs anyway. The continued shelling of the building still continued, with soldiers showing no mercy, no quarter, They would only be willing to take one prisoner, and that was Rai...
I quickly set about instructing my men to find cover behind the two doorways that protruded somewhat into the hallway and anywhere else they could find cover, “Men, we don’t have much time before the Enclave is upon us. We all volunteered to be here, and now we have to do our duty to the Republic and keep Jedi Rai alive. Listen, these Enclave soldiers are covered in armor from head to toe, but if we focus our fire on the same point in their armor we may have an easier time taking them down.” I took my place in the middle of the hallway, shouldered my A-280 rifle and watched the oncoming blaze of orange march from the other end of the hallway. “Once they are within range, light ‘em up brighter that their flames.”
Inbound to Jedi Academy, aboard undesignated dropship
The failure was almost all-consuming. A wave of morosity swept across the pair, Jedi and Republic Infantryman alike slumped in their seats and stricken by introspection. How had they been so careless? How had everything fallen apart so quickly?
The Senator, the one being on the planet who could have restored order in the wake of this destruction was dead. The zombie hordes were slowly collapsing on themselves, but the consequences of their existence persisted long after their demise. Coronet City in the distance was funeral pyre.
"Coming up on the Academy," the pilot told them. "Last chance to turn around before-"
"No," Makoto shook his head and pulled his helmet back over top of it. "I've failed enough missions for one day. No backing out for me. Bring us in close as you can."
"The broken signal I've picked up says something about... ah, it's unclear, but it mentions the Red Dawn complex on Honoghr. I think there's someone studying the affliction down there, and they might have something important."
"I'm not worried about possibilities," the young man stated flatly, "I'm worried about lives. Anyone down there who isn't infected desperately needs to get somewhere else, that way we can have a shot at rebuilding Corellia. Can't do that with no survivors."
He slung his A280 and stood, gripping the overhead strap to steady himself. The pilot careened toward the plains where the academy stood, patches of fire and the stink of death marring the once immaculate structure. He scrunched up his face for a moment, then sighed.
"You got eyes on an OpFor?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence that set in.
"Affirmative, seems like there's someone down there who doesn't want us to get in, or anyone else to get out. What should I do?"
"Strafe the entryway," he directed, "I'll slip in through a side door while you distract the bulk of them. Don't get tagged by an RPG, and bug out if you think there's a chance you'll be brought down."
"And what will you do if we don't come back for you?"
"Hold out til I can't anymore," he told her. "My job is to protect the Republic and its people. Staying alive doesn't matter if I can't perform my duties adequately."
"Alright, nutjob, I've got your infil- dropping just inside the inner wall of the compound. Be safe."
"You too," he replied.
The doors whirred open in front of him, and Makoto let go of his strap. The dropship was angled such that he slid and dropped ten feet, then rolled to a crouched position nearly fifteen feet away from the building itself. The walls were in shambles, and his HUD was alive with lifesigns and heat signatures.
There were also the distinct sounds of combat. He pulled the weapon ready and rushed for the sizeable hole in the wall, throwing himself through flames to enter the Academy.
He rose to his feet in a room that appeared to have once been used for meditation. "Scanning," he muttered. The room was one of the few empty spaces in the building, no corpses or men to speak of. Whatever enemy was in this place seemed only interested in populated areas.
He moved toward the door, where the sounds of blasterfire grew louder and he could hear heavy steps. "Armor," he recognized the dense sound, "powered armor, it sounds like. Seems a little high tech for raiders."
Makoto put his back to the wall to the side of the door it did not open on. He would move through once they passed. "All I have are sonics," he sneered as he checked his kit again. "No EMPs."
It would have to be enough.
He moved quietly once the sound of footsteps were far enough away that he felt good about it. His eyes flicked to them when the door was open, and he knew their attention was on someone else. He needed to rendezvous with the other Republic Troops and the Jedi.
That was when he saw them opposite the large enemy force.
He was behind enemy lines, he realized, and there would be more behind him. His heart dropped into his stomach. There was only one move to make.
"For the Republic!" he screamed out in hopes of drawing their attention away from his allies, and he pried the pin loose on his sonic grenade. Here goes nothing, he thought.
Hopefully it wouldn't be his last thought.
He rushed forward, intent on dropping the device as he hurtled through the squad of armored enemies to rejoin his fellows.
The grenade began to scream its debilitating sound.
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.
It was a beautiful sword. The three foot blade shone beneath the flickering lights of the Academy, and even to Miras' untrained eye, the glitter of songsteel was obvious. A cruciform-style guard of the same material separated the blade from a long hilt that looked to be made of wroshyr wood. It was wrapped in some type of cording, and capped with a large, disc shaped pommel. The weapon was a pinnacle of craftsmanship, ancient, and obviously imbued with the force.
Miras' hand extended hesitantly, hardly believing the Jedi was parting with such a weapon so easily. He locked eyes with the Cerean, studying the solemn orbs for a long moment, and then his fingers tightened around the sword's hilt. "Well," the knight sighed, "fitting that it should help defend its home, I suppose. Thank you, Knight Rai....
Now go."
The empath watched the surviving members of the garrison usher Rai around the corner and out of sight just as the sound of booted footsteps reached his ears. Dogma's soldiers seemed to swirl around him in slow motion as he turned, the force surging through him, almost agonizing in its clarion call. In his right hand, the sword glittered dangerously. In his left, the viridian blade of his lightsaber snarled and spat. Gray eyes watched the end of the corridor, hard as stone, and Miras released himself into the ebb and flow of it all.
'There is no death,' the Jedi thought, and reached out with his mind, seizing the first trooper to round the corner in a Telekinetic vice grip. With a vicious tug he drew his target toward him, the armored figure hurtling through the air. When he was close Miras spun out of the way, thrusting the blade of his saber through the man's eye socket and turning in a swift pirouette. 'There is the Force'.
***
"We need to move." Rhyn's strained voice echoed through his helm's vocalizer as the group jogged down the corridor. The sergeant led the way, the Jedi right behind him, while Loman and Cassandra came in the rear. His eyes swept through every doorway as they passed by, looking for the tell-tale signs of the infected, but so far it seemed they hadn't reached this deep into the academy yet- there weren't any signs of bloodshed or violence to suggest they had been driven back, either.
At least, not yet.
Behind them, shouts and the sound of blasterfire began to finally fade away, leaving only the rumble of the ships overhead, and the occasional shudder as the shelling of the academy continued. In a way, the quiet was worse. Rhyn found himself straining in vain to hear sounds of the battle they'd left behind. Now, isolated from it all, they had no clue if their allies had been overrun, if the Imperial soldiers were right behind them, if their friends were still alive. Not knowing was worse, the sergeant decided.
"The rubble is just up ahead, right Jedi?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at the Cerean.
Loman's voice called out from the rear. "When we get there, I'll set the timers on the last of our thermal detonators and place them in a breaching pattern. It's going to be overkill, but as long as you can keep the ceiling from collapsing on us, we'll definitely have a way through."
They made it to the rubble before Rai had even had a chance to respond, the sounds of blasterfire drifting away and now, all that he could hear were the sound of there own steps, their own breathing, and occasionally, their own voices.
Ahead of them was the collapsed hallway, piles of rubble towering high and thick, obscuring their only chance to safety and to survival. This was it, their final chance. Quickly, Rai reached out with the Force to locate Miras, and was satisfied and relieved that he could still sense the empath's presence. Good, that means that he was alive, and likely the others as well. "We're almost ready." He thought, but doubted Miras would get the message due to the events that were currently taking his concentration.
Now, he turned to face the rubble. Getting himself as close as he could without placing himself within the radius of the thermal detonators, he planted himself. His feet were dug into the ground with his feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Then, he raised his hands to head height so that his palms faced the rubble. Then, his muscles tensed, as if he were pushing against an invisible wall. Through the Force, he sifted upwards through the rubble until his senses reached the ceiling. There, he let his power spread over the compromised area, reinforcing it. Slowly, he let his concentration gather. Everything had to be perfect, or else, the ceiling could fall apart and they would be trapped: Miras and Raven Squad having put their lives at risk for nothing.
He closed his eyes, and he saw Kendra's image in the darkness. She watched him with a smile on her face. Her auburn hair swept back to reveal her pointed face, the corners of her lips turning upwards into dimples. Her brown eyes sparkled, and Rai felt his heart lurch again. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her against him, to feel the warmth of her body.
But then, she dissipated into the the dark.
He opened his eyes, which began to tear. Hopefully by now, the charges had been set and everyone was ready.
I watched the armored soldier crumple to the floor as the Jedi removed the sword from his lifeless body. "Who says you can't fight fire with fire?" I asked as I picked up the soldier's flamethrower. "These tin cans can't be that fire resistant." Unfortunately for me, the weapon was attached to the fuel tank on the armor on the ground via a fuel tube. So I wasn't moving unless I dropped the flamethrower. An idea popped into my head as I looked down at the armor, "Jedi, I'm going to need you to throw this metal mess back at the enemy." I said as I pulled out my vibro-knife and prepped it to puncture the pressurized fuel tank. "When they are close enough for you, I am going to puncture the tank and then you throw it back. These Enclave soldiers will do the rest with their flamethrowers." I looked up at him for an acknowledgement. "On your mark, Jedi!"
Fritz had been circling high above the academy, out of sight and mind of the Enclave's fighters when he had gotten the call from Dogma. He had given an ETA of fifteen minutes, but the fighters had given him a little more trouble than anticipated. Nothing he couldn't handle of course. He had always had a knack for flying ships and speeders, and these pilots seemed your run-of-the-mill pilots, average training, average skills, nothing Frisk couldn't easily outmaneuver. The hangar bay of the Academy came into view after around twenty minutes had passed.
Fritz punched the transmit button on his comm display, "Dogma, I am at the hangar. where are you?"
The screaming only grew as Makoto rolled across the floor, and while the armored enemy seemed only nominally affected by the irritant the actual target reacted amicably. Under constant siege from the raging hordes and stray shots from allies and enemies alike, the structural integrity of the Academy had gradually worn to the point of condemnation. The smallest bit of pressure or impact in the wrong place could literally bring down the house. A precisely positioned sonic grenade could achieve all of that and more.
He managed to get his footing just as a chunk of the ceiling crumbled and slammed into the floor, nipping at his toes. He scrambled forward as interrupted shots only exacerbated the damage to the walls, and the hallway started to cave in a vicious chain reaction. Makoto never turned back to observe. A misstep here could spell death, or worse-
It could mean failure.
A second failure on this operation would be catastrophic.
"Hurry!" he called out to those ahead of him as the grand convocation room collapsed in his wake. "Go! Go!"
He unslung his rifle as the walls behind them caved in and took up the rear guard, spinning to run backward as the incensed local population converged on the massive, exponentially loud target they had inadvertently found themselves a part of. All he could do was fire into the wave of bodies as they surged toward him and the others with no regard for their own safety.
Ragers were caught in the collapsing ruin as often as they were struck by blaster bolts. It was utter insanity.
"For the Republic!"
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.
The troopers exchanged a quick look as Rai turned away, obviously emotional. Their own expressions were hidden behind tinted transparisteel, and they went to work without exchanging a word. While Loman dug through the rubble blocking the corridor, secreting the charges deep within the mounds of crushed duracrete in a standard breaching pattern, the other two stood guard, rifles raised. The concussion grenades would do the trick- the sapper's only concern was giving the blast too much oomph and bringing the damn academy down on their heads. 'Be one hell of a way to go, after making it through all that Sithspit in Coronet', he thought grimly, and secreted the last concussion grenade behind a slab of the fallen ceiling.
Then he closed his eyes. Despite the Jedi's efforts he was still exhausted, his nerves frayed and his instincts shot. His shaking hands closed into fists, but it did no good. 'Please let this work...' Rumbling explosions shook the Academy, rolling in from the direction they'd come.
"Loman-" Rhyn croaked.
"It's ready." The sapper stood and jogged back toward where Candace and the sergeant were waiting, just around the corner. "What about him?" he asked, jerking a thumb toward the Jedi.
"You heard him. Blow it."
The sapper nodded and pulled the electromagnetic detonator from the pouch on his belt.
'Here we go.'
***
The heat from the approaching flamethrowers was unbearable- a shimmering, intolerable wave that sucked the air out of the corridor and threatened to blister Miras' skin. Now their approach made sense- it didn't matter if they weren't in range of the flames. In this confined space, the heat would kill them just as surely. And if it didn't, it would sap their strength and will to fight, along with the very air out of their lungs. 'Kriffing bastards.If I die, you're coming with me-'
"For the Republic!"
The battle cry cut through the roar of the flamethrowers as a lithe figure suddenly came streaking through their ranks at a dead sprint. In the same instant the hallway exploded, tossing Imperials like rag-dolls and collapsing the ceiling.
"Private Makoto?" the knight asked dumbly, shining sword and blazing saber hanging limply at his sides as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.
The soldier flitted past him. Miras blinked, and realized he'd been left behind- the Academy was coming down. He cursed, turned on his heel, and fled, pulling force energy from the air around him desperately. The power flooded his muscles and within moments he'd taken the lead, his cloak fluttering rapidly as he slowed to a normal speed, jogging alongside the troopers of Dogma's squad that had survived.
A chunk of the ceiling gave way and crashed down just feet away from the Jedi, exploding into stone shards that peppered him with micro-cuts. Gritting his teeth, he glanced over, only to see the wall give way beneath a wave of Infected, their grasping hands and gnashing teeth tearing through the crumbling structure, reaching out for them, hungry and insane.
He swept his lightsaber out to the side, bisecting one of the creatures as it leapt at him, and behind him he could hear Makoto's blaster firing a dull, unending litany.
Rai stood alone in the obstructed corridor, his hands extended in front and above him, seemingly as if he were worshipping a higher power. There was a brief moment of inactivity, the silence defeaning in comparison to all of the commotion that had been ongoing since Rai's call for help on the Holonet. The troopers had placed the charges and retreated to a safer area around the corner, and then, the explosion came.
The Cerean's body was slammed by the concussive waves, but he remained grounded, using the Force to dissipate the energy and redirect it around him. Then, in the same instance, it felt as if the world itself were falling above him as he single-handedly took the weight of the compromised ceiling as the obstructing duracrete and rock was blown outward.
The ceiling shook, dust and small pieces of debris fell, bouncing off of Rai's head and his clothing before clattering along the floor. His muscles strained and his body quivered. He was like Atlas, holding up the Earth. He couldn't speak, his concentration purely devoted to the task at hand: keeping the only way of escape open long enough for the others to get through to the hangar.
Seconds ticked by as Rai's twin hearts beat quicker and quicker, his breaths accelerating and losing depth. His muscles ached, a warm burning sensation creeping its way into his arms.
"Size matters not," He thought to himself, echoing the infamous words of Grandmaster Yoda. If he could lift an X-wing with no difficulty, then Rai could hold a ceiling for a minute or two.... right?
Now, a crescendo of cacophonous noise erupted in the hallway behind him as Miras, Dogma, and the many other troopers came barreling around the corner... A horde of infected AND the troopers in Power Armor literally hot on their heels. The rushed past the Cerean and as they did so Rai's realized he had made a mistake.
Kendra.
Once he let go of the ceiling, he'd have to move fast in order to get through before it fell down on top of him.... He wasn't fast enough to go back and grab her, evade all of the incoming danger, AND make it through the falling rubble. It was impossible. The Cerean stared at the medical bed on which she rested, knowing this would be the final time he would be with her. But then, the same female trooper that had helped him load Kendra onto the bed in the Medical Bay rushed by, her hands gripping the rails on the headboard, steering it forward and away from danger. Bless her.
The air began to heat up as the flamethrower wielding troopers rushed closer and soon, the air was too hot. With sweat beading the Cerean's conical head, the final trooper rushed by him. With a cry of exertion, Rai threw his hands at the enemy wave and released his telekinetic hold.
Immediately, it collapsed. The Cerean turned 180 degrees and dove forward, tucking his body into a roll as the world around him collapsed, sending up thick clouds of dust. His shoulder touched the ground and he felt himself spinning in a somersault. As he was coming back up, he was struck by falling debris, sending a sharp pain through the top of his head and into his neck. He lost control and fell flat, his chest crashing into the floor, sending him sliding forward. He lay there, dazed, surrounded by impenetrable dust, wondering where he was, what was happening. Why was he laying here.
A chunk of metal duracrete crashed into the floor only centimeters from his head, and he remembered. Hastily, he brought himself to his feet and lurched forward. Emerging from the field of dust, he saw the others well ahead of him and behind him, the building was collapsing. He broke into a run, his first couple of steps uneven and awkward as he fought against the fuzziness in his head, blinking away the blood that was dripping into his right eye from the gash that took residence upon his brow.
They ran. Their lives depend on it. The building was coming down and there was a very, very small window for them to escape before the hangar too collapsed. He broke into the Hangar Bay, and ahead of him, he saw everyone already on board, the gunship hovering a few meters off the ground. The adrenaline was pumping and Rai could feel his pulse in his head as he pushed himself to move faster.
Rai's feet left the ground as he jumped for the opening in the ship as it began to rise above him. His hand outstretched, hoping to find a hand hold to catch himself and hoist himself in.....
He was coming up short....
He wasn't going to make it....
And then a hand shot down, wrapping itself firmly around Rai's wrist. And he dangled there as the ship lifted into the air, waiting to be pulled up by whoever it was that caught him.
I pulled hard on the hanging Cerean’s arm, hoisting him into the LAAT, “We’ve made it too far to lose you now Jedi.” I said with a smirk, glad to finally be off the ground. I turned away from the Jedi and did a headcount of my remaining men, miraculously all had made it to the landing craft. The two Jedi were safe, the sergeant and his troops had made it as well. “All accounted for.” I said, more to myself than to anyone as I pressed the button on the access panel to close the doors for space entry.
The soldier named Makoto had beaten me to the explosive finale with his little sonic grenade gig. But I was okay with that, it got us all to the hanger with no casualties on our side. The fact that the Jedi had seemingly refused to listen to my plan before that happened kind of peeved me, but I am willing to forgive him that transgression. We were all tired and ready for a rest free of danger. Just then my thoughts were interrupted by the LAAT shaking from external explosions and Fritz coming over the loudspeaker:
::If you would please fasten your seatbelts, we are experiencing some minor turbulence, please hang tight and we thank you for choosing Republic Air::
“Fritz, always the jokester. Well someone has to keep a light heart in our line of work, or we would all go mad.” I thought to myself as I held onto the overhead handle while the LAAT swayed this way and that. "Those Enclave ships must not like the idea of us leaving." I said as the LAAT shook exceptionally hard, knocking Echo off balance. I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, steadying my friend and fellow soldier.
“We’re gonna make it. Right?” asked one of the soldiers my squad had teamed up with on the planet surface. I turned to him and looked him dead in the eye, “Of course we are going to make it Private. Fritz is one of the best pilots I know, he could fly the Millennium Falcon, blind folded, through an asteroid field and come out unscathed.” I boasted, but of course, Fritz couldn’t actually fly blindfolded. He wasn’t a Force user like our Jedi pickups. “We are going to get out of this in one piece and leave this system far behind us.” No sooner did I finish than Fritz came back over the comms.
::Uhhh, this is your captain speaking. Uhh, we have cleared the turbulence, and uhh, we will have smooth flying from here on out. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost our flight attendants planet side, and we will be unable to accommodate any needs until we reach our destination the Republic Cruiser Redemption. Again, we do apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you again for choosing to fly with us on this pleasant day::
The LAAT soon entered low orbit of the planet Corellia and came into view of the Republic Cruiser Redemption. Fritz opened a channel to the cruiser, “Republic Cruiser Redemption, this is Low Altitude Assault Transport one-four-four-seven Red Rocket, requesting permission to come aboard with the last survivors of the Corellian Rescue.”
::LAAT Red Rocket this is Republic Cruiser Redemption, please send security codes::
“I’ve already sent you the security codes, the last THREE times I was up here.”
::Sorry LAAT Red Rocket just following protocols::
“Transmitting now.” Fritz replied, annoyed at the repeated protocols from each flight he had made from the planet.
::Very good, you are cleared to land, will you need a decontamination team on standby?::
“Yess. Just like the last time.”
::Very well::
Once the channel was closed Fritz then reopened the comm channel to the infantry bay, “We will be landing in five mics, once we board there will be decontamination teams on standby. Everyone onboard is required to go through decontamination as soon as you exit the LAAT.” He closed the channel and began the landing procedures to land in the ship’s hanger.