Jedi Insurgency 256

Staring out the window of the High Council Chamber, the smile on Corvus's face slowly faded. Rebuilding the Order was a tall task, especially whilst a war was going on. 

Teaching everyone to abandon the aesthetic monk ideology would take time, however, the Emperor would be pressuring the Republic forces everyday. By this point in time, footage of Palpatine going godmode against Yoda had circulated across the Holonet, stunning the entire galaxy. Those Empire meat-riders either thought it was Jedi propaganda, or were proud. Proud that their leader could stand against the sanctimonious, hypocritical religious order that had controlled the Senate via psychic persuasion for generations. 

Sadly, Humanity, and many other near-Human species retained that narrow-minded, tribalistic view of ‘my side can do no wrong’ or ‘even if we did this bad thing, it isn't nearly as bad as the other guys!’ Unfortunately, this was the way of the galaxy. No matter how much evidence was presented regarding Palpatine’s dark deeds, half or more of the population would think it was slander. 

There was one positive thing that came of this, however…

Picking up his blinking commlink, Corvus saw the holographic image of Bail Organa. 

“It is good to see you hail and hearty, my friend.” Corvus said in a sincere tone. 

The blueish image of Bail grimaced, and shook his head before opening his mouth to speak. 

“The personal deflector shield you suggested I wear didn't help one bit. I barely evacuated from the Senate rotunda in time.” Bail almost scowled. 

Although they were star systems apart, Corvus could sense a strong level of hostility barely being suppressed. Organa may be a mostly mild mannered, friendly guy who preferred dialogue over violence, but that didn't mean this Loth Lion didn't have claws! Bail Organa, King of Alderaan, steward of a thousand systems, was pissed. 

Corvus deeply bowed at the waist to express his apology. “Too many people were lost this day…” He said in pain, recalling a family who were sucked up into that storm right in front of him, how he had reached out a hand, but couldn't pull them back, barely able to support himself. 

Perhaps noticing the pain in his voice, Bail's expression settled for a grim line. His anger somewhat simmered, but it was quick to explode in a different direction. 

“This level of death and wanton destruction is inexcusable. Preliminary estimates place the death toll near 8.6 billion sentients.” Bail all but hissed. 

Corvus sucked in a tight breath, unable to truly fathom such a number. Coruscant had a known population above one trillion. In a way, a 8%+ loss didn't seem bad on the surface…but to someone with Earth education, the loss that Palpatine-and to a lesser extent, Vader-visited upon Coruscant was an Earth's worth of people. Over the course of a short two or three hours of combat, a significant amount of people simply vanished. 

Clenching his fists tightly, Corvus failed to hear Bail's next words as anger, fear and determination entered his system in a cocktail of emotions. Anger at himself for being the catalyst of this attack with his raid to rescue Windu & Omega. Fear because Palpatine was just Him, Force knows how much stronger the old prune could get in the next few months, nevermind the kriffing Chosen One all healed up. Finally, there was determination, to put in even more effort into his own training. He had been eyeing those prestige class advancements for some time, and he would soon choose one, and undertake a new quest to advance. 

“...I'm just lucky my wife and child weren't on Coruscant at the time. Many of my friends, counselors, butlers, maids, and guards that I knew since childhood were victims of this catastrophe. That trial of Master Windu was a farce. This act of destruction has been the final straw.” Bail declared, his resolve firming as he angrily flicked his arms to his side in a huff. 

“Have you decided to go public then?” Corvus asked in a gentle, somewhat concerned tone. 

“Don't act like this doesn't secretly please you, Master Jedi.” Bail accused, crossing his arms once more. 

Corvus took a deep breath, and didn't take his friend's words or uncharacteristic barking style to heart. For him, growing up alongside those maids and guards…they were probably like an extended family to him. Especially since unlike many other nobles or monarchs in the Star Wars galaxy, he was one of the few genuine kind people. 

“...I am sorry for your loss, Bail. I truly wish we, the Jedi Order, no, I wish I wasn't so weak.” Corvus said, hanging his head low. “However, it would be a lie to say I do not appreciate your support. I regret many things in life, but befriending the King of Alderaan is not one of them.” By the end, Corvus's voice was steady, his gaze full of vim & vinegar. 

Bail closed his eyes, took a deep breath to compose himself, and when he opened them again, it was as if an ancient beast had awakened from its slumber. Hunger gnawed at Bail's soul, and the universe demanded he take action. 

“Once more, the sons and daughters of Alderaan will answer the call of the Jedi. We are with you, my friend.” Bail Organa, King of Alderaan, master of a thousand systems stated, the aura of a monarch radiating from his every pore. 

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Corvus performed a Jedi salute, and half-bowed. “Is there anyway I can further help, or do you require any additional coordination?” 

“My people have had six, now seven months to prepare for this event. Ever since you saved my wife & son, I have been preparing for this eventuality. Ten billion recruits have been mustered from across my territories, with more on the way. Armed and trained in traditional Alderii equipment, they have been raised on the myths of their ancestors. Reminded of how Alderaan once burned under the heel of Sith occupation. We are ready, Revan, and Emperor Palpatine shall not find us lacking.” Bail stated, the fires of war burning in his eyes as he spoke. 

“The Vorn Tiger of Alderaan has revealed his claws! Very well, together, we shall eliminate the Sith, and create a galaxy in which your son can hold his head high in pride. When the Jedi march alongside the sons & daughters of Alderaan, none can match our might.” Corvus said, feeling particularly passionate as finally, finally, one of the Sacred 22 original founding members of the Republic had thrown their full weight into the war. 

…and to think, ‘all’ it took was the scouring of a continent-sized area of Coruscant. 

“There's more. Corellia has thrown their weight into the mix, supplying us with a navy, and even Chandrila have secretly sent us a wave of medical supplies. Many other individual planets that do not hold as much sway as the Sacred 22 have also promised me that they will join the cause. General Jan Dodonna has been instrumental in the planning stage for our operation, and several army groups have already begun their attacks.” Bail said, somewhat surprising Corvus with his decisiveness. 

It seemed Palpatine truly spooked/enraged the mild mannered politician this time. 

“I've sent reinforcements to the Kuat front, and have secured the hyperlane routes leading to Alderaan and her colonies. I have some colleagues who are still on the fence, including four of the Sacred 22. I'll send you their contact information now. I believe that if you spoke to them, it could be possible to recruit them.” Bail said, then began to type away at something. 

“My thanks.” Corvus nodded as he received the list. 

Just as a lull developed, and Bail was preparing to hangup, Corvus coughed into the palm of his hand. 

“Bail. I truly am sorry for the losses you suffered. I had no idea that the events of the trial would spectacularly spiral out of control like that. At worst, I suspected the Senate rotunda collapsing. What followed next surprised you as much as it did me.” Corvus bowed his head, genuinely sad that he had inadvertently hurt his friend. 

“Haah.” Bail slowly exhaled a deep breath. “I have many family records detailing the atrocities and powers of the Sith. What happened isn't your fault, and I thank you for your well wishes. We'll keep in touch.” Bail said with finality, then ended the call. 

Corvus looked on as the blue light of the hologram dimmed, then pocketed his commlink with a sigh. It was true he had been somewhat miffed that Bail had been on the fence regarding open opposition to the Empire. In fact, he was straight up displeased that the principle leaders of the Rebellion were so cautious. He understood that they wanted to hedge their bets, but that didn't mean that their inaction didn't feel like a betrayal to the Jedi. 

That said, that didn't mean Corvus was an idiot. It took time to train, and arm 10 billion soldiers. For seven months now, Bail had been preparing for a moment such as this. It was a little unfair of him to judge the King of Alderaan so harshly. Life, after all, wasn't some videogame where an army could be spawned in with the snap of a finger. 

Perhaps he'd have to find some time to travel off world, and deliver a shipment of titanium or beskar armor to Bail's troops as a gesture of good will. 

But first, there was something he had to resolve. Completing his prestige class, and finally advancing to level 40 becoming a Tier VII Jedi Council member in terms of his base strength. The [Shadow Wrath State] was a nice boost, but it was also a risky ability. His molecules were always under threat when it was deployed, and the fact that it drained 10% of his FP bar every minute meant it was barely sustainable when facing off against a Darksider. After his latest duel with Vader, who was to say the genius Chosen One wouldn't discover a method to resist Corvus's Jedi Shadow ability that allowed him to siphon away energy from Darksiders? 

Frankly speaking, Corvus wouldn't gamble on that particular ability working every time. Therefore, he had to elevate his base stats. 

Amongst the choices, Battlemaster, Sage, and Shadowmaster were the three he was most interested in. 

Battlemaster for the ease of learning combat techniques, teaching, and the OPness of Shatter Point. Being able to break anything on a cosmic level was simply mind boggling. Of course, even if it was an S-tier ability, Shatter Point didn't make one invincible. Otherwise, Windu would have defeated Palpatine, and not lost his hand to Anakin's sneak attack. 

Sage was interesting for a couple of reasons. Teleportation at that scale didn't seem to pull upon his FP bar, meaning he would never be in fear of getting caught. He could theoretically fight on several different planets and fronts every day. From the perspective of a tactical General, and not a 1v1 combatant, this ability was nuts. Add in his inventory, and he could supply entire armies with weapons & gear every other day. From a logistical stand point, Sage's potential to win the war on multiple fronts was simply insane. Then there was that learning ability. Strictly speaking, Corvus was tempted because perhaps he could teach himself [Wall of Light] or [Sever Force]. To him, this class had extreme utility and potential. 

Lastly, was the prestige class he had ultimately decided on going with. 

Jedi Shadow Master: 

You live life between the extremes of two worlds. People find you suspicious, yet like the bad boy at school, or the silent badass, women & men cannot help but look up to you. Women want to love you, men are jealous they aren't you. However, you don't care about any of that, and are content to live life alone. You can read the future in someone's shadow, breathe the essence of shadows into your own abilities, alter them with new effects, and unlock new combinations of existing skills. Such as [Shadow Heal], [Shadow Force Lightning] or a combo such as [Shadow Force Lightning Shield], etc, with endless permutations.

Grants the one time unlockable: [Well Balanced] 

+24 free attributes

+25% speed 

+3 additional feat's 

+1 Mastery token (grants mastery in one saber form of combat) 

To start things off, attributes were the basis for his character sheet, and when he entered [Shadow Wrath State] they were all doubled. Ordinarily, they wouldn't be maxed out even if he reached level 50, but this way, he could max out several categories. In the future, his current average INT & WIS would be improved, increasing the size of his FP bar, and the rate at which he regenerated it. 

Next was speed. It was nothing fancy, but got the job done. No one would complain about being faster. 

Feats were lowkey broken. The reason why he was so skilled with a lightsaber, was because he had the [Master Two Weapons] feat unlocked. The reason he was so tanky, was because he had [Master Toughness]. Then there was the learning buff & percentage defense granted by [Lightside Enlightenment]. Feats were busted. 

And of course, the mastery token was self explanatory. Mastering Form VII had taken Corvus months of constant training, and real combat. Now you're saying he could instantly learn something else? Form III or V for the ultimate defense/offense were very tempting! Being able to transition from the chaotic Form VII into a powerful Djem So or unbreakable Soresu was sooo tempting! 

Lastly, of course, was the endless permutations of combined abilities. What would a [Shadow Slow Force Lightning] look like? Or even a [Shadow Push Scream]? Perhaps [Shadow Heal Valor] could push healing to new heights? The possibilities were endless, and Corvus couldn't wait to explore this path. 

So far, any of his ‘Shadow’ related skills had been OP. From going invisible, to being able to resist the Darkside, or remain untraceable through the Force. So far, this path had seen him through hellish, insanity tier fights, and he didn't want to hop off now. Therefore, he chose Jedi Shadowmaster! 

Upon making this decision, a new quest popped up in his System interface: 

Jedi Shadowmaster:

1) Cleanse 100 Shadow Hearts from Force Adepts, cleanse 10 Master/Darth Shadow Hearts at once. 

2) Combine a pair of Force powers

3) Gather five followers in the Path of the Shadow

4) Influence five Masters/Darths without them discovering your involvement. 

5) Travel to the highest peak, lowest valley, and flattest point on a planet, meditate during Dusk & Dawn all within the same day relying upon oneself for transportation.

The following days on Tython were going to be hectic…and he wouldn't have it any other way!