Jedi Insurgency 238

Whilst Jax & Yon were running to link up with the main raid, things were not looking good for the Jedi on the front lines. 

Blasterfire thundered through the palace in deafening waves, picking off those Jedi who couldn't block in time whilst they were fending off the clawed hands of Sith Warbeasts. To make matters worse, the Inquisitors, Dark Adepts, and Emperors Hands had joined the fray. Sensing weakness, they had unleashed their red lightsabers, and had already claimed the lives of a dozen exhausted champions of the Light. The Force wept as a dozen of its children had swiftly met their end in quick succession. 

Clone troopers in crimson Coruscant Guard armor formed firing lines behind shattered pillars, unleashing torrents of disciplined fire into advancing Jedi. Hundreds of stormtroopers surged through side corridors with the discipline only found in veterans, forcing the attackers into kill zones.

Despite this seemingly dire outcome, the Jedi had decided to punch a hole in the enemy lines, and reach the source of the Darkside Nexus…no matter the cost! 

Kirak Infil’a was a titan amidst the carnage.

The towering Jedi Master advanced through a storm of blasterfire like an avalanche given life. Crimson bolts hammered against his blade in rapid succession as he bulldozed through an entire squad of hulking flame troopers. One clone assassin lunged at him with a lightsaber, only to be frozen in place due to Kirak's telekinetic might. 

The clone’s eyes widened in surprise behind the lens of his helmet. He tried to move, yet just as he found release, the Jedi Master headbutted him hard enough to cave in his helmet.

Obi-Wan Kenobi fought several meters away upon the cracked remains of a staircase, his blue blade a wall of impossible defense. Sweat rolled down his brow as dozens of troopers fired upon him from multiple angles, and he constantly warded off Force attacks trying to knock him off balance. His Form III mastery had become almost supernatural. Bolts ricocheted back into firing lines, and into the oncoming Dark Adepts every quarter of a second. One arrogant Darksider rushed to stab him in the side, thinking he had caught him off guard, only to catch a bolt to his face. The black clothed Sith Acolyte was in disbelief as he fell down, never to rise again. 

Yet despite this impressive expression of skill, even Obi-Wan was beginning to tire.

There were too many enemies.

Too many guns, lightsabers, and foes trying to push/pull/choke him with the Force. 

Shaak Ti knelt beside a fallen Knight near the center of the hall, desperately trying to shield wounded survivors with the Force as chunks of burning masonry rained down around them. Her calm presence stood in stark contrast to the insanity consuming the palace. A wave of cool healing spread from her, slowly knitting the wounded Jedi around her. Perhaps two dozen Knights acted as both protector, and like a pack of wolves following their alpha. She struck at the most difficult Darksiders, meeting lightsaber to lightsaber, only to pull back once that gnarly opponent had been surrounded, and jointly subdued by her group's lightsabers. It was an ugly way of fighting, one that abused numbers, but in this war, there was no time to honor the 1v1. 

Taron Malicos, meanwhile, had become something monstrous.

Half hidden in smoke and shadow, the soon to be Dark Jedi fought with savage brutality. He hurled broken statues with the Force, impaled troopers through the chest with their own rifles, and carved through entire formations with sweeping slashes that bordered upon Sith savagery.

Even the clones feared him, and when he came across an Acolyte, the man was [Mind Tricked] into stabbing a powerful, ‘master-tier’ ally in the back. The second the powerful Darksider turned around to block this sudden stab in the back, Malicos swooped in from out of nowhere, and assassinated the powerful Inquisitor in one fell swoop! 

“Push them back! Pour everything you have into it, brothers! This push of theirs is a desperate gambit!” A Coruscant Guard commander screamed. “For the Emperor!”

Heavy repeating blasters opened fire, and flames gushed forth in response. Several younger Knights were instantly torn apart. One Twi’lek Padawan lost an arm before a second volley ripped through her chest. Another Jedi attempted to leap over the barrage, and was caught midair by concentrated fire, his body jerking violently before crashing lifelessly onto the stone floor.

Shaak Ti and her contingent were close to the stairs that Obi-Wan had secured. She exchanged eye contact with Kenobi, and hesitated. Nearly half of their number had become seriously wounded or perished. Less than 30 of them were still standing. Only she, and 12 Knights could advance, whilst carrying 10 more wounded. Meanwhile, 8 Masters and 10 Knights stayed behind to cover their advance. Amongst them were Kirak, Malicos, and Kenobi. 

“Go!” Obi-Wan shouted. “Our powers are diminished whilst that Nexus remains! Seal it, and the Temple shall be cleansed of this filth. Go!” Obi-Wan urged once more, each word seemingly difficult to get out as he strained to maintain his focus against five Darksiders, a Grievous clone, and the endless deluge of blasterfire. 

Shaak Ti bit the bottom of her lip, and glanced at everyone present, understanding that this would likely be the last time she saw any of them. Taking a deep breath, she resolutely turned around, and headed up the staircase with the rest of her people. “Let us go. Their sacrifice cannot be in vain.” 

“Why go? Please. Stay.” A blind, bald Miraluka Dark Acolyte in form fitting dark attire calmly stated. 

The man then unleashed a two handed bout of [Force Lightning], covering a wide area, and forcing Shaak Ti & all of her squad to drop the wounded, then meet the blast with their lightsabers. 

“Don't just stand there, fools, quick, finish them whilst I hold them off!” The powerful Darksider hissed. 

“Support Lord Jerec!” An Acolyte declared, running at Shaak Ti. 

Grimacing under the weight of the [Force Lightning], Shaak Ti knew that this Jerec character wouldn't be able to hold them down for much longer. However these few seconds were all it would take for those lesser Dark Acolytes to close the gap, and strike at them when they were at their weakest.

For a second, she felt her resolve ever so slightly wither. Their big breakout, their push to enter the chamber where the source of the Darkside Nexus resided was halted here, mere steps away from success. 

Whilst all seemed lost, the loudspeakers activated, and an eerie, malicious robotic voice overlapped with the vicious sounds of Sith Warbeasts snarling, and lightsabers crashing into one another. 

“Announcement: Attention meatbags. This is HK-51 A speaking.” The masculine robotic voice said, dripping with smug amusement.

Although both sides continued to engage one another in bloody conflict, and Jerec maintained this stalling tactic of [Force Lightning], waiting for his subordinates to finish the mission…both Jedi & Acolyte alike sensed that something was off in the Force, that a turn in the future was about to affect everyone present in a major way. 

Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed immediately as he recognized that voice after binge watching GNN the last few days. 

“No...our saviors cannot be them.” He muttered.

Jerec, meanwhile, scowled, sensing that his perfectly timed ambush was going awry. Without waiting for the punchline, he dropped his hands, and without a second look back, abandoned his men, and fled from the battlefield. The subordinates who were charging Shaak Ti were stunned at the sudden disappearance of the [Force Lightning], practically stumbling forward as all of their confidence melted away like a snowflake in summer. Shaak Ti, for her part, took this for the opportunity that it was, and ran her blue blade through the chest of an Acolyte. Serving as an example, her remaining squad reacted in kind, transforming despair into hope, cutting down their foes with ease. 

Whilst all this was happening, HK-51 A continued to speak. 

“Observation: The current tactical situation is highly amusing. Jedi meatbags are dying dramatically. Imperial meatbags are dying obediently. Overall battlefield efficiency remains acceptable.”

A clone officer barked angrily into his comlink.

“What in blazes is this?! Who patched into the palace network?!”

HK-51 A ignored him, his mechanical voice continued to ooze a type of smug satisfaction that only someone as conceited & petty as his programmer could embody. 

“Clarification: Master Revan foresaw this pitiful assault weeks ago. Statement: While your suicidal determination is statistically idiotic, Master Revan has elected to take pity upon the Jedi Order’s remaining population.”

Kirak Infil’a slowly turned, confusion crossing even his stern features. “I need no help.” The man said as he twisted a head off with one hand, and stomped someone's lungs in with the heel of his foot. Corpses laid around him like a swarm of flies surrounded food. 

Malicos, for his part, began to let loose with a howl of laughter. “We're all pawns in his game. Truly, a General for the ages. Whilst we play at war, he has mastered this craft millenia ago.” 

Obi-Wan rubbed the bridge of his nose, and sighed. He felt both relief and consternation. Did Revan have to be so dramatic in everything he did? Couldn't these reinforcements or whatever hairbrained scheme he had conjured up come sooner? As in, why did they sacrifice a dozen Jedi lives in the first place? 

HK-51 A’s tone became almost gleeful as his voice echoed along the Palace walls. 

“Exclamation: Therefore, my brothers and I shall now execute Order 86.”

A single heartbeat passed after this sentence was uttered, then hell erupted. Half the Coruscant Guardsmen-those hiding in the very back or acting the most inconspicuously-abruptly spun on their comrades.

Blaster rifles fired point blank, immediately reducing the million man Legion into an army of fakers, bots, and AI powered murder machines. 

Clone officers exploded in sprays of blood as bolts punched through the backs of their helmets. Heavy weapons teams were massacred before they could react. One AT-RT pilot turned just in time to see the trooper beside him level a rifle into his visor, only to have his faceplate vaporized. 

The hallway that had been so hotly contested seconds ago erupted into pandemonium. 

“What are you doing?!” shouted one clone Captain.

“Traitor!”

“CONTACT REAR-!”

A disguised HK unit tore the captain’s arm off with mechanical strength before beating him senseless with the meaty appendage. Blood sprayed across the pristine white plastoid armor that the HK unit wore as his ‘superior' officer met a grisly end. 

Stormtroopers suddenly moved with inhuman synchronicity, their effect on the battlefield became terrifyingly apparent as hidden HK-51 units executed Imperial clones with ruthless efficiency. Many brothers even began to suspect one another, and their focused fire disappeared as it became every man for himself. 

With the pressure taken off of them, the Jedi-almost leisurely-defeated the remaining Sith Warbeasts, and either slew, or drove off the Dark Acolytes into retreating. 

“Statement: Surprise.”

One disguised trooper caught a clone commander by the throat and snapped his neck with a brutal twist before unloading into nearby soldiers.

The Imperial formation collapsed almost instantly, and the path to the Nexus had been secured. 

Obi-Wan stared in disbelief as two ‘stormtroopers’ suddenly opened fire upon their comrades, slaughtering a squad before turning their rifles toward the backs of fleeing clones. 

“Revan...” Obi-Wan whispered to himself. “Did he truly foresee this? When he planned to send us here, did he expect us to be overwhelmed?” 

“Advisement: Jedi meatbags, please try not to die before sealing the Darkside Nexus. Master Revan would reportedly find that very disappointing.” An HK-51 unit tore off his helmet, and ripped the molded Jango mask off his face, addressing the Jedi. 

Shaak Ti took a deep breath, and shared a glance with Obi-Wan. This was a strange turn of events, but a welcome one to be sure. 

“Does anyone know where-” Obi-Wan got out, when his question was suddenly answered. 

Leaving invisibility, Jax & Yon ran up to Obi-Wan, alarm in their eyes. 

“We have to seal the Nexus.” Jax spoke in a solemn tone. 

Obi-Wan looked them each in the eye, and understood that further words were not necessary. “We haven't a minute to waste.” He nodded. 

“RUAGH!!!” A mighty scream-like that of some primeval creature-followed by a psychic burst shook the entire Palace. 

“By the Force, what is that?!” Obi-Wan questioned. 

“A, a friend. I can convince her to leave us alone…we just need the Darkside Nexus sealed.” Jax said, hoping that the adults would listen to him. 

“I sense much pain in this…friend of yours. Let us conduct the ritual. I believe in us, we must not lose hope in the face of despair.” Shaak Ti said in a reassuring tone, nodding towards Jax in support. 

“Fine. Go save your princess. Have all the fun, while I have to do some boring chanting.” Yon pouted, crossing his arms. 

“You've got this. Master is counting on you.” Jax said, before pushing Yon towards the Nexus chamber. 

“Tch.” Yon continued to pout, however, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he ran after Shaak Ti. 

Looking at the carnage that had been wrought, Jax sighed. He hoped his Master was okay.