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
"Squad's three clicks out with no hope of rendezvous if we don't double back," he answered, "sorry, sir, but all you can get just now is me. I know it's not the greatest news- wait, did you say the Jedi Temple? That's a negative, sir- my directive is the Corellian Senator."
He had just enough time to suspend his disbelief before another group of infected swarmed. Makoto loosed another series of blaster bolts into the thick of them, rewarded by the sight of the rest stumbling and falling over their stone dead fellows. It would not stop them for long.
"Order on this planet can't possibly get a foothold if it loses it's governance." He spoke with a conviction that stung him with every word. What had possessed these men to forsake the original mission?
There was no time to ask. Instead, he waited for the precise moment where the horde broke in the direction of the Estate, loosed his grappling hook, and dug it into the the rooftop. Moments later, he began to rappel down the side of the building while the others plotted their next move.
Did he really have to finish this all on his own?
Makoto swallowed, hard. He hit the ground and ejected the hook, then began to sprint as the Fibercord slowly retracted into its spool. The estate was another half click away, but by now, the group would have noticed him passing them by.
"I'm not going to be the one to say I deviated from the course. Even if I fail here, we need to be able to say we made an attempt. You do what you have to do." He continued to move, aware of the massive number of red blips in front of him on the Heads Up Display. "May the Force be with you," he added respectfully.
He cut the comm, and rushed headlong toward the Senator's Estate.
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.
As we carefully marched along Echo made his way through the knot of soldiers to my side and asked, “What about the Jedi? We can’t just forget about him, his call for help?” I looked at him for a second, I had completely forgotten about the Jedi’s call for aid. Normally I would just say stick to the mission at hand, but we had a large enough group that we could possibly divide into two teams, “We need to get to the civilians first, then we'll talk about it.” I assured him. In all truth I didn’t feel like two rescue missions after what we had already been through. I just want to get one mission done successfully and get off of this hell-filled planet. We were only two blocks away from where the civilians were believed to be when Echo decided to bug me yet again about the Jedi.
One more block and we would be able to secure the package. I pointed to one of the soldiers under my command, “Private, move to the entrance to the building and announce us. Be ready for anything men.” He slowly walked to the door as we all moved into a defensive semi-circle around the entrance of the building.
Bang, bang, bang, “Army of the New Republic, is anyone there?”
A scared male voice responded from within, “Yes, there are about one hundred and fifty of us in here. Women, children, elderly, and men.”
One hundred and fifty?! The LAAT dropship we just came from can only hold about thirty people. I calculated five trips to the Republic Cruiser in orbit that we had all started our mission from; that would take forever with one LAAT. “We are going to have to get our LAAT from outside the city walls. Fritz, you will fly our LAAT, while the pilot of the other LAAT at the land site. We can only move a small group at a time, women and children will go first then the elderly and men.” The commands poured out of my mouth before I realized they were mine to begin with, “We will leave two men here to help protect against any infected that may be attracted to our movement. Score, you and three others will escort people to the landing site. Echo, myself and two other Privates will guard the landing zone during the trips. Let’s go!” I was apprehensive about moving so many people with so little protection through the hellscape, but we had to do it.
Luck finally was on our side as we were able to get the first group airborne and Fritz on his way to grab the other lander. We hadn’t been waiting long with the second group when he finally touched down. I was impressed with how smoothly everything was going, we didn’t run into any infected the entire evacuation. Even with the elderly, which was an exceptionally slow trip, there was no incident. As the last civilian got on the dropship I heard it, the snarl of a couple Ragers, the jig was up and they had come for blood. I slammed my hand on the side of the LAAT to indicate she was full of her precious cargo, and the pilot instantly boosted her into the air. Then my group of ten soldiers, were face to face with them: a herd of fifteen infected people, red eyes glaring into our souls, hungry for blood.
I didn’t have to give the command, we all opened fire. The wall of plasma that was created by our fire was too much for the once civilian monsters. They fell like dominos, a couple lunged, but were quickly cut down. My heart was thumping from the rush of adrenaline that was flowing through my veins. So close to the enemy I was staring it in the eye.
“Good job men. That was the quickest I’ve ever seen people react to a threat." I turned to my ever-shrinking squad and pointed at Fritz's LAAT with my thumb, "Now let’s try and see if we can’t save that Jedi.”
It was then, just after Echo Squad’s evacuation of the streets near the center plaza of Coronet City, that the advanced recon detachment, consisting of 20 or so shock troopers, armed with massive repeaters and flamethrowers, burst headlong into the evacuation zone. They had arrived just too late, but the LAAT could see the heavily armored soldiers as they took shots with LAERs in an attempt to damage the gunship. While a few did find their mark, it was too little to bring down the gunship. However, the ragtag band aboard the gunship was able to see the menacing figures of the Enclave Soldiers as they retreated. While the rest of the army was preparing to attack the Jedi Academy, these men were scouting ahead into the city. As starfighters screamed overhead, strafing and bombing everything that moved, and dropships concentrated on large hordes of infected, barraging them with streams of lasers and ordinance, these soldiers were here to purge the city. They had received word that a senator was holed up at the edge of the city in her estate. They all silently decided to go and hunt her down.
Leo glanced up from the ship's open rear hatch. The wind whipped her fiery hair as she squinted back at her companion. In that moment, Gina thought Leo looked a bit like a madwoman.
"Before you go," Gina started again, "make sure you've got some means of reaching me once you have the senator. Given the state of things, I worry communications are unreliable."
Leo slanted the pilot a sly smile, and her green eyes flashed devilishly. "I'll give you sign you won't be able to miss." And with a quick salute, she took a great step into nothingness.
Immediately, Leo began to experience the consequences of free-fall. The rushing wind now ravaged her robes, sending them, and her loose clothing, flapping madly. Before the fabric could cocoon her, she shifted her body so that she was face-down, her arms and legs splayed. The thrill of the air carrying her warred with her more logical side, which called for strict concentration. If she hoped to land the fall, she could not be busy whooping in joy. So the Padawan drew inside herself, took a deep breath, and grabbed for that fine thread of consciousness that embodied the Force. "It's alright if the Force does not come easily," her Master had told her. "Imagine the Force as a tangible thing, then cling to it." And so she had.
Tugging on that hair-thin line of power, Leo twisted her body, and landed in a hard roll. "Not graceful," she admitted to herself, easily popping up again, "but not dead, either." Granted, she soon would be. The realization struck her with as much impact as her crash landing, as five of the infected barreled toward her from a line of trees. They pounded closer, paying no heed to the well-manicured gardens they mashed in the process. No, Leo decided, tugging her lightsaber from her belt, they are too far gone to notice that.They aren't even human anymore. And that notion remained firmly planted as her thumb found the switch, and her weapon hummed to life. It was the only way she could justify driving the plasma blade into the chest of a man dressed like a mere servant. By singling each individual out, and pushing the others back, Leo was able to make quick work of the remaining four threats. Of course, her chest was heaving by the time she was done. Bending at the waist, she planted her elbows on her knees and drew in a deep breath.
A butterfly coasted just out of her reach, fluttering delicate green wings as it observed the wreckage of the garden. "Don't you know all hell's broken loose?" she asked it, before straightening once more. It was going to be another long afternoon in a series of long days, and the woman felt fatigue pulling at her already. When was the last time she had slept more than three hours at a time? "Not yet," she snarled, beating back the exhaustion, and sending the butterfly scrambling. "I just got here."
Whether they acknowledged him or not, he was ankle deep in the sithspit now. There was no turning back. The Senator's Estate grew in enormity as he came to it, and the stench of sweaty, bloodied, angry bodies grew proportionately.
He did not need to see the inner gardens to know they were crawling with pests. Makoto did not need to kick in the doors to know what lay beyond. Despite that, he did so- rifle up and ready to lay down fire. The loud crashing was all the introduction he needed- the mass of ravaged bodies turned to acknowledge him, and he bore down on the trigger.
The soldier grit his teeth and continued to tell himself, they're not human. Not anymore.
He joined the Republic Armed Forces knowing full well there would be times he was forced to take life. It was a certainty, and one he had lived through against his will for years during his youth. To do so on his own terms, while disheartening, still carried with it a measure of freedom.
The freedom to ensure that others could be free.
Someone had to pay the blood price. Here he was, spilling the tainted blood of the people to assure that the survivors would have a home to return to. It was harrowing.
They crashed against his hail of blaster bolts like a wave trying to gain purchase on land, ever to ebb away in failure. They came close, even raked his armor, but failed to draw the blood necessary to bring him into their fold. Makoto took a step back to be sure, and perspiration drenched the back of his neck out of fear that one just might not miss.
"I need to break through," he hissed as he glanced at the layout of the building, aware of the stairwell that led to the residential floor, and to where the Senator was purportedly holed up.
There seemed to be no end to them.
His eyes swept across his weapon. The power cell had enough for a hundred more shots, give or take. He had one in reserve. This could not go on forever.
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.
After pausing to suck in a final deep breath, Leo rolled her shoulders, and began the task of surveying her surroundings. As much fun as it was, her mission was not to rid the garden of the infected. She belonged in the house, rescuing the senator, for she highly doubted he was out hiding among the trampled rose bushes. Gritting her teeth against the creeping weariness, the woman moved into a trot toward the nearest entrance. As she had been dropped opposite the front gate, Leo supposed the open door was a back entrance of some sort. Maybe she would get lucky, and find some forgotten passageway leading directly to the senator.
And maybe, her streak of terrible luck would continue. As she burst through the doorway, Leo was greeted by the sight of a narrow hallway, a line of locked doors, and half a dozen infected. As one, they turned to face her in the cramped space. Their eyes were mere slits beneath their drooping lids, and saliva dribbled from their slack jaws. Definitely not human, though a couple wore the fine clothing of the wealthy and important.
Leo grunted as she thrust her hand forward, the emerald sleeve of her robe slipping back with the motion. With the sharp gesture of a woman swatting a fly, she sent the first two enemies flying against the wall. While it appeared effortless, there was only enough power in the action to stun, not kill. But it gave her a momentary opening to slip in, and start swinging. She was gulping for breath as the sixth infected collapsed at her feet, and only managed to dodge the one she had overlooked with the help of the Force.
"Seven, in one hallway," she wheezed, shoving her balled fist into her gut. The woman shook her head, before muttering, "I am so out of shape."
It was the sharp buzz of blaster fire that drew her attention next. She jerked in surprise, body moving as if she had been struck herself. Buried beneath the primitive infected, it was the last thing she had expected to hear. They've got guns now? came her first thought, before she rid her mind of it. That was too terrifying a notion to even entertain.
After a second's hesitation, Leo risked closing her eyes. Now free of distraction, she was able to better focus on her surroundings, and there was something different in the house. Someone different. If only she had paid better attention to the finer points of these sensitive abilities! She had been more eager to learn how to throw people around the room, which was now her go-to.
With no better idea, Leo opened her eyes, threw back her head, and called out. "Hello?"
The most terrifying thing Makoto could imagine was utter chaos. People in every direction descending into lawlessness and falling on their fellows in violence, society breaking down, and the hell from his memories returning to life.
Coronet City was a waking nightmare.
The Senator's Estate was awash with corpses now, piling up on top of one another as he finally gained ground. He crouched low and waited for them to race past his makeshift embankment, allowing himself some breathing room. A number of them filed out the doors behind him, and more still clawed at the bodies of their murderous kin.
That was the moment where he heard the second worst thing possible. A voice pierced through the snarls and screams. Someone was alive down there?
"Someone's there?!" he called out over the carnage. Even if he didn't believe it, he had to move. He raised his rifle again, and he hopped over the bodies, sustaining fire. They converged and swept toward him, and he batted them aside with renewed vigor. "Can you move toward the sound of my voice?!"
The hands groped at him, and his body sagged under their weight. Still, he did not relent. Scraping nails ripped at Duraplast and blood spilled from them as the cracked against the thick material. It was his only saving grace.
He punched, kicked, elbowed, and threw the infected off him as he slowly trudged into the thick of them. All Makoto knew was that he had to find whoever was alive and make sure they stayed that way.
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.
An all-together childish squeak of delight left her as she heard the voice calling back. After what she had witnessed so far, Leo was beginning to doubt that she would find any survivors at all. But the voice came to her like a light in the dark, reinvigorating her, and bringing her new hope. Focusing on the words shouted back to her, the Padawan tilted her head, as if it might amplify the sound. When he asked her to come closer, she nodded, though there was no one in the corridor to see it.
"Yeah," came her barked response. "Yeah, I'm coming. I'll be right there." The senator, maybe? Leo thought as she flung herself over the toppled bodies. Her boot came down hard on something far more doughy than the marble floor, and she sucked in a gasp. Better not to reflect on what that might have been. She had a target, now, and she had to stay focused.
If it was indeed the senator with the blaster, he would be a very unusual politician indeed. Probably get along well with Raisa Ronan, the senator from Lothal, who Leo had recently become acquainted with. They both had unique styles, but in times like this, such things kept a person alive.
She hit another door, yanked it open, and dispensed of the single threat that lay beyond. Up a flight of stairs, though she was beginning to slow, losing faith in her navigation skills. The stranger had asked her to move toward the sound of his voice, but he had grown awfully silent in the past thirty seconds.
It was with slight hesitation that she grabbed for the handle on the next door. She could feel the vibrations of the floor beneath her feet, and hear the sounds of struggle, without any help from the Force. It was as good a sign as any, she supposed, that she was in the right place. With a hard tug, she swung the door back, and was met with a sea of bodies. She had only time to utter a string of curses before it bowed, and swallowed her up.
Her first thought was self-preservation. A more seasoned Jedi might have scoped out the situation first, or resorted to Leo's favorite move - blast everyone backward. But her weapon was in her hand before she knew what was happening, the vibrant blue light saturating the bodies, and filling the room with electricity. "Back!" she ordered, slashing at the bodies with reckless abandon. It was fortunate for both of them that she turned around before hacking at the infected, intending to carve a pathway back to the exit. Had she not, she might have sliced the blaster-wielder in two, rather than merely plowing into him.
The realization washed over him when he saw the blade cut a swath through the infected. It registered in the instant before she gracelessly collided with him. As he hit the deck, he was quietly grateful that, for whatever reason, she deigned to change the trajectory of her lightsaber.
They were like a one man army, those saber jockeys. What took teams of infantry to accomplish, they did with several swings of their blade. It was almost infuriating to think about. He stowed that thought, however.
"I have to get to the Senator," he shot back at her, "I don't have the luxury of falling back!"
He fumbled around and found his rifle, hefted it and scrambled to his feet. Makoto swept the room quickly. "What the hell was that?" he asked sharply. He'd never seen a Jedi do anything quite like what he had just witnessed.
"Nevermind that," he started firing into the enemy again, "I need to get to the second floor."
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.
"That's an order, damn it!" Rhyn snarled, but the soldier was already running past. The sergeant reached out, grasping for a handhold on the stranger, but Loman's hand on his shoulder stopped him short.
"Sir," the big Corellian's voice rumbled. "We don't have time for this."
Fuming, Rhyn watched him cut around the corner and disappear. Finally, he shook his head. "One man securing the estate and rescuing the senator. Idiot. What about the squad he left behind?"
Miras shrugged. "We really don't have time to rendezvous with them, either. Cutting our way through the infected to get them and then doubling back for the Jedi isn't an option; we need to use the distraction of those soldiers and move on the Academy."
"Didn't that private say they weren't friendlies?" Loman asked.
"Doesn't really matter, does it? The infected are too distracted by those soldiers, and they're too busy fighting off the infected to notice us. All we need to do is avoid getting strafed by those fighters."
"But who are they?"
"Enough." Rhyn's voice was quiet, but both men fell silent. "The Jedi is right. We can't fight our way to that squad and then double back for the Jedi. Our objective remains unchanged. Loman, take point. Don't engage anyone or anything if you can help it, we're not exactly combat ready. If any of the infected stray from the pack to make a move on us, let Knight Tinup handle them. We don't want the blaster fire to draw attention to us. Fall out."
The sapper nodded, and the three surviving soldiers followed him out toward the street. Miras moved to follow them, but felt a hand grip his shoulder. He turned to see the sergeant's bloodshot eyes boring into his.
"This better be worth it, Knight. If your Jedi friend is lying, these men will die for nothing."
Calmly, he removed Rhyn's hand from his robes. "We need to focus, sergeant. Come on."