Jedi Insurgency 168

As soon as he arrived within the procedurally generated space of the Rakatan mind prison, Corvus had taken stock of all that had occurred. During his hacking, he couldn't 100% seize control of the device, as it was some incredibly advanced tech. However, he had created a backdoor, so that he could leave at any time, and had also introduced a few bugs. From his spelunking around in some system files, he discovered that Dashar, the Rakatan imprisoned here, was once a minor officer that had deliberately trapped himself to survive the plague from 30,000 years ago. Not only that, but that he was feeding off of the pain & misery of Tatooine. That he was going to forge himself a body using the Tho Yor as an engine for his ascension. 

Corvus had considered destroying the mind prison outright, but for one, Hett might be at risk of death if he did so, and secondly, he might accidentally free Dashar. Therefore, his only option-to save his friend, and protect the galaxy-was to go in himself, and eliminate the Rakatan scum. 

Entering the subspace, he was surprised to see that Hett had already changed his name, however, despite the Darkside shrouding Krayt like a cloak, he had not yet entirely fallen. There was hope for him yet! Emboldened by his ally's newfound power, how could Corvus leave him in the dust to fend for himself?! It was not the Jedi way! 

And so he had found himself meeting the Rakatan's heavy attack with a strong burst of [Heal IV]. Corvus put his all into this burst of energy, and felt that he could barely contain the Darksider's attack. Dashar was simply that good. Seeped in the corruption, and misery of Tatooine for countless millennia, this once insignificant figure had amassed a considerable amount of strength. 

Traditionally speaking, [Heal] was not an offensive move, but it had proved itself effective in cleansing those infected with the Blacklight Virus. When meeting Darkside abilities, this pure Lightside ability appeared to be quite effective. Testing his theory just now, Corvus recognized that [Heal] might even act as a counter to things such as [Force Lightning]. 

During the clash of minty green, and black gaseous miasma, a bubble of pressure formed between the two attacks, exploding outward. Tree trunks, wood splinters, leaves, and large clods of mud flew into the air. A large tree branch snaked its way towards Corvus as if it had a will of its own, trying to sneakily snag his leg as it whipped past him. At the same time, that storm of leaves all began to fall towards him like a hailstorm of bullets. 

“Watch out!” Krayt warned, and held out a hand, telekinetically holding everything still in place. 

The effort seemed to strain Krayt, making him immobile, like a man trying to move a great weight, pulling taut on a rope. 

Corvus smiled at the effort, and then signaled for him not to worry with a casual, almost lackadaisical wave of the hand. “Fear not, my friend. The lobster fears direct confrontation. These leaves are as harmless as bath bubbles, release them.” 

Krayt hesitated an instant, and then chose to trust his words. 

The leaf storm then continued on its path, and Dashar wore a look of malicious glee upon his face, his eyes were squinted in euphoria, and a crooked grin full of jagged teeth was on display. Yet the expected carnage was not to be. 

As soon as the bullet-like leaves made contact with Corvus, they broke apart into a thousand pieces. It was as if a boy had jumped into a leaf pile, and stomped it flat. The attack that had once pressed Krayt from all angles, made him bleed, and turn to the Darkside for reprieve had become as harmless as a leaf ought to be. 

Gently walking towards Dashar as if he were strolling through a park, Corvus took a leaf in his hand, and gently crumbled it, before letting its tattered form float to the jungle floor. 

“Do not presume to trap me with such petty tricks.” Corvus tutted, and wagged his finger like a teacher lecturing a precocious student.

Dashar's arrogant grin of superiority had vanished, his hotdog shaped forehead creased, and he slammed his staff into the ground. “You think yourself clever, slave? That you can make a mockery out of me?!” 

“Age does not beget wisdom. The deeds of Revan are legendary, told for all time. What more do you have, but the trappings of a dead Empire? Statues line these halls, but not one of them is of Dashar.” Krayt spoke in a heavy, truth-filled voice. Every word, every syllable, was said with the deepest of sincerity. His signature in the Force blazed, carrying with it not a single falsehood. 

“The potential of the Tho Yor is magnificent, you could have rebuilt your body at any time. Yet fear has held you back, Dashar. Tell me, you only have the courage to make a move now, because the other Rakatans are emerging, right? How many worlds do you have left? How many of your pitiful race could survive such a calamity?” Corvus taunted. 

At the same time, he was fishing for information. The disappearance of the Rakata was a good thing for the galaxy, as they were-in some cases-more barbaric than even the Sith Empires of old. Their possible reemergence did not bode well for the galaxy. 

“Our technology is self repairing, fool. I did not wait out of cowardice, but due to prudence! Our factories, droids, ships, our slaves. They shall return from whence they came! I tell you this now, so that you know your own insignificance, Je'daii. Accept my brand, mark yourselves as mine. This is my domain, not yours!” Dashar madly yelled-evidently 30,000 years of prison hadn't treated him well-and then slammed his staff down once more. 

This time, the earth shook, and roiled. Small hills of dirt, trees, etc about 10 meters high constantly rolled at him, threatening to crush Corvus flat, like a pancake. 

Such geomancy would ordinarily be an incredibly rare ability for a Force Sensitive, however, they were fighting in a virtual realm, where the rules of the universe were much different than reality. 

“You have grasped the secrets of the mind prison, but so have I.” Corvus whispered, and snapped his fingers. 

A virus he had planted earlier took effect, and the rolling hills of dirt & vegetation disappeared. In their place, the dimly lit halls of the Jedi Temple appeared. Dashar's program, and his clashed, causing a glitch in the matrix. The Temple had suddenly been plopped down in this steamy hot jungle, sticking out like a sore thumb. 

“What trick is this? A building is nothing compared to my army.” Dashar hissed, and pointed his Force-staff towards him. 

Emerging from the shrubbery were tens of thousands of masked slave soldiers. Their eyes glowed behind lenses, filled with fanatical fury. 

Corvus spread his arms wide, and inclined his head. 

Emerging from the shadowy halls of the Temple, dozens of cloaked Jedi-their faces shrouded in darkness-made themselves known. Green, blue, purple, and even the odd yellow or orange lightsaber made themselves known. Although lesser in number to the Rakatan slave army, they shone in the Force like stars. 

Igniting his lightsabers, Corvus formed an X, and then flourished them to his sides. 

“Show no mercy!” Dashar screeched, sending the first wave forward. 

Blasters, grenades, & flamers came hurtling towards the Jedi, and the Temple steps with an unceasing ferocity. The current number of soldiers dwarfed what Krayt had destroyed previously. 

Corvus eyed this large mass of opponents, and violently grinned to himself. 

Free XP was free XP. Who was he to decline? 

Leading the charge, he covered himself, Krayt, and a dozen other Jedi in buffs. 

Blitzing forward, Corvus tanked a hundred blaster bolts with [Energy Resistance], parrying back two hundred more. Each lethal strike netted him 50exp, validating his decision to act like a saber monkey. 

“If we are inside of a program, like you say, then the only way for us to escape is to destroy the head of the Thisspiasian!” (space snake) Krayt roared from his side to be heard over the carnage. 

Corvus sliced a spear in two, backwards stabbed into a chest, and then redirected a grenade all in the time it took for Krayt to say that sentence. His movements never slowed for an instant during this fierce melee. 

“I know!” Corvus replied seconds later, the joy in his voice impossible to contain. 

“Then we shall meet him like true Jedi!” Krayt agreed, seemingly caught up in Corvus’s infectious spirit. 

Corvus laughed aloud, worried that Krayt would be corrupted by this saber monkey mindset, but ultimately held his tongue. A war against Palpatine, the Vong, Plagueis, Maul, and perhaps the Rakata was taking place. He could use every saber he could get! 

“Well said, my friend, well said, Krayt! Whilst those pendants meditate on the mountain, we shall be the ones to uphold order, and justice in the galaxy!” Corvus crowed. 

His eyes were practically gleaming as +50exp hovered above hundreds of names. When each level going forward was measured in the millions, he would damn sure take every chance he got to ease that grind! 

All around him lightsabers hummed with power, slicing through cheap armor as if it was a hot knife through butter. Corvus could only lament that he had not been max level during Vader’s assault on the Temple. That the Jedi of today were worthless compared to their Old Republic counterparts. 

Shaking his head, and relieving himself of such distracting thoughts, he once more thrust himself into the breach. Wading through thousands of men, he acted like the tip of a spear, puncturing his way forward. 

Literally hundreds of attacks were sent at him every second. Unlike the typical battles of the past, there was no air support, no large vehicles, or massive buildings offering cover. There were no bunkers to assault, shield generators to destroy, or mission critical intel to obtain. This conflict was as straightforward and brutal as it got. There was one, and only one objective: 

Kill Dashar. 

Every second of battle was spent towards achieving this goal. Both Pause, and sense danger were working over time, allowing him to act like a demigod on the battlefield. Facing an opponent that preferred to close the distance, and pack themselves into tight formations was like a gift to any Jedi. The benefits of wielding a melee weapon like a lightsaber were really beginning to shine. Limbs went flying with every twitch of his wrist, and his speed was so fast, that the opponents often shot where he was, not where he was going to be. Even when Dashar readjusted his troops, stooping to friendly fire, it wasn't enough. Conserving his FP, Corvus almost exclusively used his energy bar to refresh [Energy Resistance] & [Force Barrier]. 

The Rakatan tried launching dark waves of miasma at them several times, but the ‘Jedi’ virus that had been uploaded would work together, and counter him at every step. 

After half an hour of cutting his way through the meat grinder, Corvus could finally spot the lobster headed bastard. Standing atop a small hill in a clearing, he was surrounded by a squad of 10 elites. Clad in heavy, runic armor, each and every one of them were wielding Force weapons, and exuded an air of professionalism. Unlike the riff raff of the slave army, these soldiers were clearly cut from a different cloth. 

By this point, the horde of troops were being held at bay, and Corvus, Krayt, and six other nameless ‘Jedi’ had a clear shot at this elite squadron. 

Dashar stepped forward, and began to muttet a low, guttural chant. Green lightning sparked from a gloved hand, shimmering with ethereal power. The hatred, and past suffering of Tatooine seemed to be channeled through that gauntlet, making it feel like an artifact of particular power. 

Clenching his fist, he shoved it towards Corvus-who was more than 30ft away-like someone reaching out for a fist bump. 

Danger! 

Corvus instantly [Shadow Hopped] to the side. 

One of the ‘Jedi’ who had been accompanying them-one who had received his buffs-was crushed, exploding into a shower of blood, and dripping bits of flesh. 

Eyes going wide, Corvus recognized that if he was hit by that attack…it'd be a one shot! 

Seeing that the green electricity was gathering once more-as if charging up for another strike-it would appear that there was a slight cooldown in its use! 

If he didn't want to turn into a puddle of blood, he'd have to end this fight, and fast! 

Sparing a glance at Krayt, an unspoken will to survive was shared between one another. 

“Whats the plan?” Krayt asked. 

“We win!” Corvus declared, and then [Shadow Hopped] behind Dashar to strike him directly. 

~~~~~~~~~