Survival, Dark Times

[Abby]

Gamemaster: hk47fan

STAR WARS ERA

Survival, Dark Times takes place between Order 66 and the end of Return of the Jedi. In this RP, we are joined by new characters Sora Trok, Fi Kal, Scout and Nait Gash, and much, much more. This is one of the longest RPGs, taking place for about a year and over three-hundred pages of good, solid posts.

We left off at the Death Star, where Naos, Scout, Han, Luke, and obi-Wan have freed Darrina Thel-Lehon and Leia Organa. Sora Trok is on the MonCal battleship with Jaskia, Padmé, and Nait, all survivors of the Clone Wars. The end is coming closer. So close even younglings in Jaskia’s care can sense it.

They will defeat Vader and his Emperor, or die trying.

--
Cast List:
Sora Trok: hk47fan
Naos Redgrave: hk47fan
Vader: hk47fan
Scout Gash: Nell
Darrina Thel-Lehon: Nell
Nait Gash: Nell
Padmé Amidala Skywalker: Nell
Jaskia Paine: Nell
Han Solo: Nell
Luke Skywalker: Crystal
Leia Organa: Crystal
Chewie: Crystal

Bottables:
Fi Kal
Sanji Taban
The Ghosts
Various Droids and Aliens
Admirals
Imperials
Good ol’ Palpie


A continuation from Vode An 2

[hk47fan]

Naos

I sighed "I'm sorry, its just these past few days have thrown me for loops, but I know they have done the same to you too. Finding out Anakin and Padme had twins, getting stranded on Tattooine, and even though I knew we would see him again I don't think I was fully ready to see Obi-Wan again. It brought old memories up, and he was so straight-forward with showing Luke his father's lightsaber...it really hit me. But I agree, we can't lose Obi-Wan again. Now that we have Leia, we just need to find him and get off of this station." I whispered, looking at the others to make sure they didn't overhear this

[Abby]

Scout nodded. "We need him," she admitted. "He may need to grease a few of his bones, but he should still be capable. Hiding might have dulled him, though. We just... can't be sure right now. We'll have to see when the time comes."

She snorted. "It's times like this you wish for the quick efficiency of Fi... or Jaskia. They've have Plan A, B, C, D, and E all ready, complete with improvises and things to do if the exit's blocked." She grimaced at the memory of her old friend. She wondered if Jaskia still thought her dead. No, Nait must have told her... The BlueFire was pretty beat-up when she arrived... She probably had new friends now, was happier living a life of deceit and skulking than being at the head of the Rebel Alliance. She probably had new friends, people she hadn't really connected with at the Temple... Heck, maybe that younger girl, Stargirl or Starstone, was helping her out now. Scout's insides twisted uncomfortably.

She bristled at her own sensitivity and glanced towards Leia. "She has her mom's eyes... And the Skywalker flare, that's for sure..."

[crystal]

Leia was aware that Naos and Scout were talking in hushed tones, and the fact that Scout glanced in her direction told Leia they were perhaps discussing her, or something to do with her. However, her attention was quickly drawn away. She thought she heard something.

"Hey," she said, a trace of alarm in her voice, "did you hear that?"

[hk47fan]

One Year Later-Endor

It had been a tough year for our heroes; after escaping the Death Star, Obi Wan Kenobi, Scout , Naos, Han, Luke, and co. joined up with the Rebel Alliance, and with the plans now in the hands of the Rebels, they were able to attack the Death Star and quickly destroy it.

But, this was not the end of their struggles. For as they continued to fight, the Empire got tougher. Soon they were all led to Bespin, where Vader confronted Padme on her giving birth to children. Padme confessed, and Vader and Luke fought and the secret was exposed to him.

As everyone began to realize that Luke and even Leia were Padme's children, they next went up against Jabba the Hutt to rescue Han, who had been captured. After a clever infiltration into his Palace on Tattooine, they battled with the vile gangster and rescued Han, but at the Battle of Parkoon, bounty hunter Boba Fett smuggled Jabba out of the area before he could die.

A Death Star II surfaced up, and it did not have as many flaws as its predecessor did, and to make things worse has a shield. As the Rebel Alliance goes to take care of this threat, our heroes are thrushed into the middle of it all...

[Abby]

Jedi Master Shaak Ti, commander of Jaskia Paine's Ghosts, followed close behind Han Solo, taking care to keep her head far enough down so the stormtroopers guarding the bunker didn’t see her moving blue-and-white headtails from behind the foliage. The old Master could feel the rest of the Rebel strike squad spread out all around the bunker, taking care not to show any sign of their location. Shaak Ti could feel their predator-like instincts, their readiness to jump and spring into action, overwhelm almost all of their common sense. Shaak Ti sent out calming ripples of the Force. The last thing they needed right now was a trigger-happy verteran.

The scouttroopers guarding the bunker numbered only in four. The Ghost commander spread her gaze out wide, looking for the seeder bikes she knew had to be there. She located them about fifty feet to the right of their position. Far enough away so the scouts looked marooned, but close enough so that the ripe fighters could get there fast enough.

Chewie growled an observation. Paploo, their Ewok guide, started chittering away to Han in an undertone. “Back door, huh? Good idea,” the smuggler muttered.

Shaak Ti distantly noted Wicket and Paploo turn to each other and continue an interrupted conversation.

“It’s only a few guards, they shouldn’t be any trouble,” Han whispered.

“It only takes one to sound off the alarm,” Shaak Ti replied.

Han’s self-confident smirk made her lekku tingle in anticipation. “Then we’ll do it real quiet-like.”

Shaak Ti flashed him an unimpressed glare. If only he knew how quiet a Jedi could be…

“Oh!” Threepio exclaimed, much to loudly for their comfort. “Oh, my! Princess Leia!” Leia got up quickly and covered a hand over Threepio’s vocabulator. Shaak Ti turned her head to acknowledge to four scouttroopers, but they didn’t seem to hear anything. She felt her hearts flutter in her chest. Leia slowly released Threepio from her hold. “I’m afraid our furry companion has done something rather rash,” Threepio said in a much quieter voice.

Shaak Ti felt a small flicker in the Force, and glanced towards the speeder bikes. “Oh, no,” Leia muttered.

[hk47fan]

Sora

The whole fleet dropped out of hyperspace, and things looked clear enough. I sat in the cockpit of the Killer as it flew right beside the Millenium Falcon. Lando was piloting that, while Nait, Jaskia, and myself were piloting this.

Everything was quiet, and it looked like the shield could be down. Hopefully it went simple for everyone down on Endor.

"Alright, lets move in." I said through the comm

As the fighters approached the Death Star II, we all heard a voice through the comm yelling that Star Destroyers were approaching the Rebel Fleet, and I raised an eyebrow and looked to the space station ahead.

"Sora, Nait, Jaskia...this is too strange." Lando's voice crackled through the private channel between the Falcon and Killer "Why would they be there if they didn't know we were coming?"

"Its a trap, tell all fighters to pull back!" I shouted after a couple of minutes, and quickly began to turn the Killer around as we headed back to the fleet

Naos

"Great." I muttered sarcastically, and watched as the little Ewok climbed on top of the speeder bike and zoomed off, but then I realized his strategy

Scoutroopers shouted at the creature and then quickly zoomed off after him, and I then yelled "Lets go!"

We all rushed forward to the back-door and I set a detonator to blow it open, and after several seconds it exploded and I rushed in, lightsaber ignited.

Erin

I was about to go with them, but then I discovered I broke a nail, so I just stayed behind to try to fix it.

[Abby]

Shaak Ti and two other Jedi jumped on the remaining scouttrooper as Naos and company rushed past to blow the door open. Shaak Ti’s knees collided with the trooper’s white chest armor, her momentum causing the man to fall backwards. She landed on top of him, lightsaber drawn and held to his throat, while her two companions just stood there doing their part to look big and angry.

“Not like I want to tell a Jedi what to do, but just knock him out,” Darrina said, passing them as a swift jog.

Shaak Ti shook her head. She deactivated he rlightsaber and hooked it to her belt. She took the man’s helmet off and threw it as far as she could into the thicket. “Let me, Master,” said her companion, a woman of about forty. Shaak Ti stood up and let Amee deliver her tranquilizer treatment, a short right roundhouse punch to his temple.

“Let’s go,” Shaak Ti said. “Put the man in Sergeant Omah’s care.”

“Alright.”

--

The elevator opened, and Scout narrowed her eyes in distaste at the chair looking over the battle going on out in space. Vader unceremoniously pushed her forward to keep Luke’s slow pace, and she turned her head to shoot the Dark Lord a vile glare.

They walked up to the stairs beginning the ascent to the Emperor’s chair. The shadows in the room gave Palpatine’s face a sharp contrast, making the wrinkles seem deeper and more pronounced. “Ugh,” Scout muttered, making another face. Vader shook her slightly.

“Welcome,” Palpatine said softly. “I have been expecting you.” His gaze fell to their binders. “You’ll no longer need those.” A simple motion of his hand, and Scout felt the restraints drop to the floor, allowing her hands the freedom of movement to choke the life out of the Emperor. She didn’t move. The hate for the Emperor and Vader was so strong, she could feel it thrumming against her chest. “Guards, leave us.”

The Emperor leaned over to get a better look at the two Padawans. “I am looking forward to completing your training,” he hissed. “In time you will call me… Master…”

“No chance in Hell,” Scout growled.

“You won’t convert me as you did my father,” Luke replied.

The Emperor got up from his chair and slowly descended the stairs. He came up close to the two, so close that they could at once peer beneath the evil hood and into his yellow eyes. Scout felt a flutter of nausea pass through her stomach. This was a man sunk so deeply in the Dark Side that flowers would literally wilt if he touched them, Scout knew. It was evil.

“Oh, no, my young Jedi,” Palpatine said. “You will find it is you who are mistaken… about a great many things.”

[hk47fan]

Naos

Before we could even plant the bombs, a huge barrage of Imperials rushed in, with a Commander leading them all. "Freeze, you Rebel Scum!" he shouted

I sighed, and realized what this was...it was just a trap, and we had walked right into it.

As we all gave them our weapons, Stormtroopers grabbed us and pulled us back out to where we came in the bunker. Once we got out there my eyes widened to see even more Stormtroopers, and AT-STs. No...this can't be happening...

The Commander smirked at us all, and suddenly I looked when I heard some yelling. I saw Erin shoving her way through the troopers who looked at her in confusion, and she had a blaster rifle in hand.

She walked up right to the commander as I watched in shock, and as she even held it backwards, pointing it towards him, she asked "Hey, do you know how I use this thing?"

The Commander raised an eyebrow while Stormtroopers came up behind Erin, and suddenly Erin exclaimed "Oh, I remember, its this button!"

Suddenly Erin pressed down on the trigger, and a load of blaster bolts went towards the Commander's face and hit him before he could even move, and he then simply toppled to the ground.

"This is no time to sleep!" Erin shouted, but we all suddenly looked up as Ewoks jumped out of nowhere and attacked

[Abby]

Vader extended a two gloved hands towards the Emperor. “Their lightsabers.” Scout glanced towards the two curved lightsaber hilts—her own weapons—and involved herself in a fantasy which involved her lightsabers and Palpatine’s head.

The Emperor gazed at the three hilts with something remiscant of hatred on his features. “Ah, yes, a Jedi's weapon. Much like your father's. Skywalker, by now you must know your father can never be turned from the dark side. So will it be with you two.”

“You’re wrong,” Luke replied. “Soon I’ll be dead, and you with me.”

The Emperor laughed. “Perhaps you refer to the immnent attack by your Rebel friends.” Scout’s fist twitched. “Yes, well, I will assure you that we are quite safe from your friends here.”

“Your overconfidence is your weakness.”

“Your faith in your friends is yours.”

“It is pointless to resist, my son,” Vader said softly.

Palpatine finally turned to face Scout. “Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon... are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel fleet! It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them.”

Scout instinctively glanced at the hilts resting in the Emperor’s lap. The old man leaned foreword and put on a show of false pity. “Oh...I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive…”

Scout resisted the temptation to try and kill him. Later, maybe. When Vader wasn’t rubbing his stinking metal chestplate into her shoulder. “We have our own surprises in store, my lord.” Scout let a satisfied smirk decorate her face at the thought of Jaskia. “You won’t be able to resist.”

“If you’re talking about your friend’s Jedi hooligans, you are deadly wrong.” Palpatine smiled as a kindly old uncle would.

Naos, I love you. If I die up here, I swear I’ll take Wrinkly with me.

--

Jaskia flipped a switch. “All wings report in,” she barked.

”Red Leader standing by.”

“Gray Leader standing by.”

“Green Leader standing by.”

“Lock S-foils into attack position.

--

Admiral Ackbar watched the fighters amassing outside of the viewscreen with an air of anticipation. “May the Force be with us,” Olee Starstone muttered.

--

Jaskia glanced worriedly at the viewscreen from the co-pilot seat. Nait placed a hand on her shoulder. “We've got to be able to get some kind of a reading on that shield, up or down,” she said over the comm. Nien Numb, Lando’s copilot, chattered a reply. “Well, how could they be jamming us if they don't know…… if we're coming….”

As the implications of what she said sank in, she glanced at the Death Star. No. “Break off the attack! The shield is still up!”

”I get no reading, are you sure?”

“Pull up! All craft pull up!”

The Killer made a hard left as Sora went into manual control. The Death Star disappeared to the right.

--

“Take evasive action!” Ackbar ordered. “Green Group, stick close to holding sector MV-7.”

“Admiral, we have enemy ships incoming from sector 34.”

“It’s a trap!”

”Fighters coming in,” Jaskia reported.

--

“Sora! Accelerate to attack speed! Draw their fire away from the cruisers,” Jaskia ordered. “Follow the leader.”

“Copy, Blue Leader.”

“Nait, get back there to the turbolasers ASAP.” Jaskia turned around to acknowledge her companion, but he was already gone.

[hk47fan]

The Emperor

"This trap has been arranged for some time, you see." I explained to both foolish young ones "This station has been operational for a very long time, as well. I can blast that whole fleet into oblivion, and the Rebels will have failed. This station is not like the last one was, this is flawless. It is the creation I have longed for for so many years...it is my ultimate weapon and ulatimate goal."

I looked back and forth from the girl and Skywalker, and went on to say "All of this has been planned since the day that the Trade Federation blockaded Naboo. I arranged that, I arranged the Clone Wars, I arranged it all. And this is where it ends. This is where you, Skywalker, will join me and your father...and the girl, well...she may perish..."

Sora

As I flew right back into the Rebel Fleet, I saw the Imperial fleet heading straight for us all, with the Executioner leading the group. I remembered that one all too well.

I saw TIE-Interceptors flying around shooting wildly, and they all were heading towards one ship. "Wedge, they're heading to the Medical Frigate. You take them, we'll guard the Home One.

Naos

I immediately took my lightsaber back from the corpse of the Commander Erin killed once the Ewoks attacked, and all hell broke loose. I ignited the sabre, and hopped into battle.

"Han, Leia, Padme, try to get that door open!" I shouted as I cut a Stormtrooper in half

[Abby]

"I don't care if I die, Your Highness," Scout said bluntly. So blunt that even Luke, in his simmering state, knew that she was not lying. He watched her take another step up to Palpatine's chair. Her face, he noted, was still blushed, but the familiar twinkle was back in her eyes. "But I know you care. You need to have me stratigically sacrificed so the boy there," she jerked her head towards Luke, "falls to the Dark Side."

"I've learned that there is no Dark Side, and nobody is truly evil. Though, you're a special case. There are shades of grey, the Unifying Force," Scout explained. "It just matters how you use the power given to you."

The words, Luke knew, were the same she had uttered to him during private lessons over the years. And he knew this must have been enraging the Emperor. She had guts.

"Now that we have that clear," Scout said, retreating to her spot besides Luke but keeping Palpatine's gaze, "feel free to kill me."

Luke's heart seemed to jump in his chest.

--

Below them, Jaskia heard the rhythmic whoom-whoom of the turrets going off under the ship as Nait used the Force to guide both head and side turrets. Jaskia quickly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear--she should have worn a ponytail--and concentrated on monitoring discharges gases and hull stress.

The Force seemed to guide her hand as she reached over to move the ship to the right milliseconds before a blast exploded from their original position. "Focus," she hissed, more to herself than Sora.

--

The woods exploded into motion. The fifty Jedi stationed in the trees seemed to rain from the sky as the Ewoks attacked. Shaak Ti's arm grabbed Darrina's waist and pulled her down into a role before an unlucky soldier had a chance to hit her. Shaak Ti spun and decapitated the man before following Darrina into the thicket. With a slight mental exertion, the dead man's rifle floated through the air and landed gently in the red-head's hands.

"There have to be more in the woods," Darrina said. "It was a trap, and everybody knows it now."

"The Five-Oh-Fist, Vader's Fist," the Master explained. "Best trained soldiers in the Empire. Yes, Darrina, they knew exactly where we were. I will call back the Ghosts to the thicket. Don't shoot at us or we will mistake you for an enemy."

And then she was gone, yelling for Naos and the others to 'use Whiskey.' A Jedi code-word, no doubt. Darrina could imagine the Jedi hiding in the shadows and striking when need be, then disappearing as fast as an eyeblink.

Darrina was about to congratulate the Jedi for their successful withdraw into the woods when she heard something rustle behind her. She trained her blaster at the bush and fired three rapid shots.

[hk47fan]

The Emperor

"If that is what you wish, than so be it." I said with a huge smirk on my face as I held up my hand, and lightning trickled from my fingers, but before it could hit the girl Luke used the Force to bring his lightsaber to him and he ignited it and the sabre absorbed the lightning

I laughed as he was about to attack me, but Vader easily intercepted him. And so it begins. I thought

Naos

As I cut my way through the army of Imperials there were, trying to find cover towards the front of the forest, I immediately could detect a huge blast coming. I used the Force to jump behind a log, as a huge blast made hit the ground, and looked up to see where the culrpit of the firing was.

Once I saw what it was, I immediately thought Great. as I looked up to see even more AT-ST's blasting their way through the woods, and approaching the bunker area.

[Abby]

Scout was three steps ahead of them.

As the lightsabers connected in a flash of white light and crackling energy, Scout dove into a purely-reflexive sideroll, into the shadows of the overhanging observatory railing. As she came up, both curved lightsaber hilts soared through the air and landed in the palms of her hands with suck a smack that it actually stung for a moment. She activated them, casting the shadows around her into an icy-blue visage.

The Emperor seemed to have forgotten about her, which was to her advantage. As Luke and Vader descended into a battle between father versus son, Scout slowly approached Palpatine. Time seemed to slow down as he glanced at her, and she at him. Their eyes met, and understanding coursed through her veins. There would be no turning away from this fight, and only one would walk away breathing.

Scout intended to win.

[hk47fan]

The Emperor

I looked up at the girl and once again smiled. She was clever, no doubt. She had actually managed to make an unexpected move, and I was even more glad that she had been brought up here. "You have much potential." I commented "You could be even more skilled in the Empire. I can train you myself, and tap into all that power that you have."

"If you would simply let go of your passion for that boy," I whispered "You could be so powerful, and take back your rightful place and rightful name...Lady Cerasi."