Jedi Insurgency 187

Corvus prowled forward like a phantom. No longer bound by that intense, costly, shadowy state, he wasn't constrained anymore. 

Azure blue, and bright red light flickered off his mask, and cast a grim halo around his form. The shadowy domain that had coated the walls had receded, and the neon lights of Nar Shaddaa spooled in through the palace’s broken infrastructure. 

Closing the distance, Corvus swept his blades outward, in a horizontal double thrust. Maul countered with a forward swipe, and in the same instance, twisted his body, bringing the tail end of the saber staff up at his knees. 

Jumping over the oncoming strike, Corvus quickly countered the returning strike from up above with one saber, whilst he feinted with the other. Maul jumped back a step, floating through the air for a second. A blue saber cut through the support beam that the Zabrak had been leaning upon, and then he chased after him. 

Maul jumped up towards the ceiling. Hanging down were all sorts of suspended decorations that the Hutt had collected. Additionally, a portion of the domed building had been blown open, and the sound of speeders howled inside. Following behind, Corvus jumped atop a deceased Rancor that had been hung up above. 

Leaping across several different objects-dead animals, speeders, and other collectibles-Corvus clashed blades once again. Performing a forward somersault flip, he narrowly evaded a slash to his wrist-a spot that had been frayed by contact earlier, and was a weak point-and landed a heavy kick on Maul's weakened shoulder. 

The Zabrak refused to cry out in pain, yet when he took a knee, and had an expression of being barely able to breathe, it was quite the cathartic feeling to Corvus. 

“It's over, Maul, I have the high ground!” Corvus lifted a saber, and bluffed. 

As for why it was a bluff? 

Quickly entering Pause, he analyzed the situation. Although Maul was under [Slow], he was still quite agile. It appeared that the son of Dathomir was aware of the predicament that he found himself in, and was attempting to flee. Given another five minutes, Corvus was 100% certain that he could slay the Sith Lord. Hell, he might even be able to complete this task in two or three.

However…

However, he did not have five minutes! 

Peering down low, the Bad Batch had been dead for 27 minutes! That meant, there were only 3 minutes left before [Revitalize] was no longer effective! 

Of course, there was always the Murakami orchid samples that Tech had saved…but they were in such small numbers, that he didn't know if he had enough to save five people. Furthermore, that was a dangerous piece of Darkside technology, and wasn't something he wanted to rely upon. If even a small outbreak occurred-especially on a planet like Nar Shaddaa with trillions of sentients-then the galaxy would be facing an extinction level event. 

Despite Maul's heavy wounds, and debuffs, a blaster or grenade would hardly be enough to take him out. And whilst Corvus would love to fry the Zabrak, he needed to conserve what little energy he had left, and let it recover for the upcoming resurrection. 

That meant he unfortunately did not have time to slay Maul, or pursue him.

Un-Pausing, he saw Maul bitterly chuckle. 

“I suppose this is the fate of all Sith. To be slain by one of our own Order.” 

Corvus silently deactivated his lightsabers, and then hooked them to his belt. Although he would love for nothing more than to end the Sith Lord, when it came between hatred, and loyalty, he'd always choose loyalty. The men of the Bad Batch were his guys. Revenge was an excellent motivator, but life was more important. 

“I don't believe it.” Maul muttered. “Are you actually pretending to be a Jedi?” He struggled to rise, and said in an incredulous tone. 

“You were mistaken earlier, Maul.” Corvus tutted, and rested his hands behind his back like an arrogant officer, or nobleman. “You claimed that your power was rising, whilst mine was lost to a bygone era. The truth is, I have only begun to recover that which is lost. What you have experienced is but a fraction of my true power. In a measly six months, I have gone from struggling to slay a squad of clone troopers, to defeating you. My zenith has yet to be reached. Are you so certain it is me who should be serving you?” 

“Ah, a recruitment offer. How refreshing.” Maul sarcastically remarked. “Unfortunately, I must politely decline.” 

“You are unworthy of being my subordinate.” Corvus chuckled. “Instead, I offer a truce, like I did earlier.”

“Hmph, a bold one, aren't you? And what it to prevent myself, or you for that matter, from stabbing one another in the back?” Maul snorted. 

“Your life is in the palm of my hands. I could-” Corvus flexed a finger, and dropped a hundred grenades from his inventory. 

Then, in the next instant, swiped his hand, placing them back inside. The maneuver was extremely quick, and most importantly, didn't drain his FP whatsoever! 

Maul's eyes ever so slightly went wide, proving that Corvus’s bluff had worked. 

“Besides, you are more valuable to me alive. The more chaos directed at Palpatine, the better it is for all of us.” Corvus said with finality. 

“...very well, you shall have your armistice. But do not think yourself clever, Revan. I will be watching you.” Maul was about to jump out of the ceiling, when suddenly, something incredible occurred. 

Dropping out of hyperspace, a fleet of several dozen Imperial class Star Destroyers emerged into low orbit. Supported by Acclamators, destroyers, and light frigates, this was an entire Legion's battlegroup! 

The sight of these grey behemoths was incredibly shocking, but not impossible. Imperial class Star Destroyers had been in production during the tail end of the Clone Wars. Now that six months have passed since the canonical end of that conflict, their arrival was an annoyance. This meant going forward, these capital ship killers would become much more common. Star Wars nerds liked to clown on them, due to their relatively weak point defense systems, and how they were vulnerable to starfighters. 

However, when massed in a battlegroup, and supported by many light frigates, and other ‘small craft’ they would be free to unleash hell upon opposing capital craft. After all, it was Tarkin who had proposed only one or two Star Destroyers be deployed to a singular system at a time. He believed their firepower, and grandeur would be all that was needed to control the galaxy. To rule through fear, this was the epitome of the Tarkin Doctrine. 

But Tarkin was dead. 

Furthermore, the man with Vader's ear was Thrawn! The genius blue bastard was no simpleton. Why use the Star Destroyers as tanks, when, with their overwhelming firepower, they were much better as long range dps? 

Speaking of Vader, the arrival of this fleet heralded an incredibly familiar, dark presence. 

A cloying coldness permeated the atmosphere as the Dark Lord did nothing to conceal his aura. Interestingly, his arrival evoked a smell of oil, and the sound of gears turning. Corvus couldn't help but think of that one droid in Jabba's Palace from the movies that would scream when its feet were burned. It was incredibly illogical for a droid to feel pain, and yet somehow, it could. Vader’s presence was likewise cloaked in pain, and carried with it a metallic tang upon the air. 

Looking up, Corvus caught the tail end of Maul's tattered cloak as he fled. Shaking his head, he rushed down to the boys. 

Jax and Yon both looked exhausted, and nodded at him in greeting. For a moment, Corvus glanced at the ashes of the sacrificed Ongree, and felt his heart ache. An echo in the Force whispered to him, letting him know that they were content to have served him well. 

Clenching his fists, Corvus swore to himself that he would erect a monument to them, so that their bravery would never be forgotten. 

Wielding these intense emotions, he worked his magic, and cast [Revitalize]. Seconds later, his System chronometer ticked forward to the last minute, indicating that he had almost been late. 

Gasping for breath, and moaning like a bunch of drunks, the men of CF-99 stumbled to their feet. 

“Frak me sideways, I never want to do that again.” Hunter spat out a mouthful of ash, and held his forehead. 

“Feels like being piss drunk on that Lothal spice lum.” Echo laughed, and rapped his knuckles across Hunter’s helm. 

“Oi.” Hunter stumbled forward, and wrestled his brother into a headlock. 

“Hahaha, we're aloive and breathin again!” Wrecker boomed from within the shuttlecockpit. 

“Be quiet, idiots.” Crosshair hissed, and massaged his temple as if he had a headache. 

Tech, meanwhile, seemed lost whilst he typed away furiously at his datapad. 

“Master.” Jax inclined his head. 

“Too bad that bastard didn't die.” Yon pouted, and crossed his arms. 

Corvus wordlessly took his mask off, and then pulled the teens in for a tight hug.

“You two are really something. I couldn't have won without you. Well done.” Corvus spoke warmly, pride coloring his every word. 

Yon tried to duck his head, but couldn't hide his smile. Jax silently strengthen his grip, hugging the three of them even tighter. 

“Easy now.” Corvus winced, as the white haired teen's mecha hands pinched a sore spot. 

As soon as Jax & Yon stepped back, Corvus felt a wave of weakness, and stumbled forward, only to be caught by the teens. 

“Master!” Yon cried out in concern. 

Jax didn't say a word, but his worry was no lesser in intensity. 

Corvus wryly smiled, happy to have someone in this universe who cared about him. 

Was it worth it? 

The question he had asked himself came to mind. 

Hell yeah. 

“Heh, sorry to worry you two, but it appears I'll need a little time to recover from this fight.” Corvus reassured the duo. 

Of course, with his System based body, he would be fine after a level up. Thankfully, he was pretty close to the threshold, and this weakened state shouldn't last very long. 

Unfortunately, that meant he couldn't even entertain the idea of confronting Vader at the moment. Besides, the Sith Lord had arrived with a fleet, whilst all Corvus had was the Falcon. He might be brave, but he wasn't suicidal. Retreat seemed like the best option. 

Just as he had this thought, the Star Destroyers began to unload at Gora's palace. Thick green turbolasers which held the power to glass cities came down in a tsunami of raw energy. Fortunately, the palace's shields shimmered into existence, blocking the oncoming attack. The AA gun emplacements shortly returned fire, forcing the Imperial ships to take evasive maneuvers. 

“General, we've got to evac.” Hunter had stopped playing around with Echo, and said to Corvus in concern. 

“Shield integrity at 95%, these new vessels are quite impressive. At this rate of depletion,  I estimate we have 30 minutes before this mega structure is destroyed.” Tech spoke from the side, playing with a dataslate. 

“Then what're we waitin for? Let's grab Omega, and get going!” Wrecker boomed. 

Corvus, however, was distracted. A minor connection had formed between him and the Ongree. To a degree, he could sense each and every one of the Revanites. Especially whilst they were in the same system or planetoid. Right now, they were in danger. 

Vader had landed at their position, and the bulk of the fleet was on that part of the moon. Almost like the ships firing upon them right now served as nothing more than…

“A distraction! The Empire isn't after our lives…they want to get their hands on the Infinite Engine!” Corvus suddenly exclaimed, much to everyone's shock. 

“But how do they know about that? Hasn't this cult been hidden for generations? Something doesn't smell right.” Hunter spoke up. 

“Omega is in danger. She's been kidnapped.” Jax quietly spoke up. 

“What!? I'll break their bloody bones!” Wrecker snarled. 

“Who? Who did it? Was it gangsters, the Empire? The Force will tell you, right?” Echo stepped forward, asking one desperate question after another. 

Even Tech-who was ordinarily so mellow-had become incensed, looking like he might tear a piece out of the white haired teen to get answers. 

Corvus was about to interpose himself between them, when Crosshair's dark chuckle drew attention to him. The bald man was standing in shadow, and had his arms crossed whilst leaning against a broken wall. 

“That girl, the Sith child traveling with you. I watched her. Her jealousy of Omega, the love and bonds we share. She's a loner, just like me. Anger, rage, they're buried deep in her heart, I'd recognize such feelings as easily as recognizing my own face in a mirror.” 

Upon hearing Crosshair's words, Corvus went still. 

Triss. It was TRISS. 

Recalling the observations of her, the constant fear, how he reminded her so much of Kreia…the Force had subtly been warning him, and he had ignored it! So lost in his own aura of invincibility, he thought he was doing an act of kindness, resurrecting this girl who had been murdered by her own ‘ally!’ 

“She knows about Illum. About all of Master's secrets! She has to die!” Yon clenched his fists, and all but roared. 

“Our baby sister is not some chess piece. We're with you.” Hunter drew his vibroknife, and solemnly vowed. 

Jax was a chaotic mess for a second, before his wintery eyes met Corvus's. A shared moment passed between their Force Bond, and the chaotic day of the Temple attack briefly flashed in their minds. The teen closed his eyes for a second in regret, and then he nodded in resolve. 

Corvus met everyone's eyes, and nodded. 

“The mission is clear. Rescue Omega, and kill the traitor.” 

“Kill the traitor!” Yon echoed. 

“For Omega!” Wrecker roared. 

Thinking about the Infinite Engine, and dying Ongree, his heart once more ached. 

Come on, Tann, where is your sexy blueberry ass when I need it? 

~~~~~~~

AN: Did anyone suspect her? I'd dropped a few hints in the ch leading up to this~ 

The gif is from my favorite SW fanfilm, most of you guys have probablyalready seen it: https://youtu.be/PN_CP4SuoTU?si=ZpkFS3TcESAZLZaE