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Jedi Insurgency Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2024-11-26 17:15:45 +0000 UTCAN: Much of this contains Legends lore, and many feats of Jedi, droids, etc are based upon the 2003 Clone Wars cartoon, meaning that characters move faster and are more impressive than the movies. The system also is not identical to Kotor 2, but draws heavily upon it. Namely, the amount of exp required for higher levels is raised, mines do not give as much exp so the MC is not throwing hands with Palpatine on day 1, and the crafting is overhauled.
Corvus is a placeholder name, I'll be holding a poll for you all to vote on, and you can expect chapter 2 sometime later today or in 2-3 days. I'm aiming for a 1-2 chapter a week release, but if it is popular, perhaps more will be released. D101 will update today, same as usual.
That is all.
Character page:
Class: Consular
STR 10
DEX 14
CON 14
INT 14
WIS 14
CHA 12
Feat: [Finesse: Melee Weapons I] [Unarmed I]
Force Power: [Force Speed I], [Energy Resistance I] [Force Focus I] [Precognition I]
Skills:
Computer Use: 12
Demolitions: 10
Stealth: 10
Awareness: 12
Persuade: 12
Repair: 10
Security: 10
Treat Injury: 10
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When he made a new character for Kotor 2, Corvus never expected to open his eyes within the Jedi Temple upon finishing the loading screen.
Instead of freaking out, he was in awe. The expansive halls, giant pillars, and grand architecture were beautiful beyond imagination. Although it was night, that hardly took away from their splendor.
Peace and serenity filled his very being as he felt a burgeoning connection to the Force.
Corvus couldn't help but take deep breaths to steady himself. Being here, in the Star Wars universe was a dream come true. However, he knew how deadly it could be. Depending on what timeline he had arrived in, the Jedi could be in grave danger.
Based upon his character sheet, he should be in the times of Kotor II. If that was the case, then dark days were ahead of him indeed.
With a thought, Corvus tried to open up his menu, and found that he could equip and change gear. He wore a Jedi robe granting +1 to Force regen, and 1 defense (a stat that increased flexibility, deflection, and the accuracy of ranged weapons).
The loose flowing brown robe wasn't exactly Corvus' favorite style, but it was an iconic look. Ever since old man Obi-Wan Kenobi mind tricked those stormtroopers in Mos Eisley, Corvus had been interested in the strange space wizard’s attire.
What drew Corvus' attention the most, however, was the lightsaber clipped to his belt.
Holding it with childish marvel, Corvus ignited the energy weapon, and looked on in glee as a deep azure blade hissed forth.
Waving it slowly back and forth, Corvus closed his eyes as he enjoyed the hum of the saber. Its sleek form and vibrant hue gave him a sense of security. Holding this lightsaber felt right, a strong connection between him and the blade seemed to form, but it snapped just as he tried to focus upon the sensation. He felt as if he was on the verge of something great, but the newfound feelings of the Force were too much for him. The best he could describe it was as if he was on the verge of a very satisfying sneeze, only to be caught midconversation, and the sneeze was aborted.
Sighing to himself, Corvus didn’t give up hope, he would have that opportunity again.
Continuing with his self examination, he recalled that he had selected the Feat, [Finesse: Melee Weapons] which made his dexterity bonus add to his chance to hit. Honestly, that technical jargon didn't make much sense to Corvus or how the game stats exactly applied to the real world. But he noticed a marked difference between his previous, novice self, and the him of today. His movements felt more limber, and fluid. It almost felt like the world had a sort of bouncy quality to it, like he was an astronaut moving around on the moon.
On Earth, he had played around with plastic lightsabers, and could be described as a hack amateur at best. Now with his connection to the Force, new stats, and this Feat, Corvus felt like he could take on a squad of droids with ease.
Add on to the fact that the two Force Powers he picked were [Force Speed] and [Energy Resistance] and Corvus didn't fear any low level threat. As a bonus, the Consular class came with the Feat [Force Focus], which enhanced the effects of all Force abilities.
When these powers and feats were combined, Corvus was confident he could match up to the strongest of padawans.
However, as good as he had it, not every setting was available. For example, the save and load options were all grayed out, and were impossible to access.
There would be no save scumming apparently. Corvus could only surmise that death here would be final.
Fortunately, he had an unlimited pocket space in the form of an inventory, a crafting system if he ever found a lab table or workbench, and he also had a potentially game breaking ability.
Pause.
While he couldn't move while paused it had its benefits.
For one, so long as he was out of combat, he could instantly swap armor, clothes or gear. Meaning he could literally duck into an alleyway during a stealth OP, and walk out one second later looking like a completely different dude.
OR, if he needed time to think in a desperate situation, or analyze his opponent's moves, the power to pause was OP. Especially if he needed to make every last hit or dodge count, he could pause-buffer a fight to stop and resume time every second, and adjust his movements for the most optimal outcome.
Additionally, when he paused, he found that he could look around himself in a 360 view, as if he was playing a game in the third person. Corvus figured this would be great for catching enemies off guard, and served as a good defensive tool.
With this feature, it made Corvus wonder if he could abuse other Kotor 2 game mechanics. Chiefly, farming mines for exp. In the base game, the player character could gain exp from quests, solving npc's missions, killing, or oddly enough, hacking terminals, opening locked doors, or disabling mines.
Disabling mines was a mind numbingly slow process granting extremely little exp, only about 5exp for the weakest of the mines, and 25exp for the more dangerous mines! However, it was safe, and the only reliable method to reach the max level of 50. Otherwise, Corvus would probably have to personally kill tens of thousands of droids/beasts/people or run a thousand fetch quests to even touch the 30's.
In the game, most casual players only reached their 20's by the final fight. By that point in time, they had literally killed hundreds of dudes, and weren’t even halfway to the max level.
To reach level 50-a level that would place him at the heights of the top Force users in the galaxy-would literally require well over FIFTY MILLION points of exp. That was aloooot of dead dudes. He’d have to be the guy who shot the Death Star at Alderaan if he ever hoped to get that much exp through traditional means.
Mind made up on his plan to power level via disabling mines, Corvus decided to take a walk down the storied halls of the Jedi Temple, and get a feel for the place. If he was going to fit in, he’d better get himself situated.
Opening the map, Corvus found he was near the main entrance.
Peering over some railing and looking down at some Jedi strolling the halls in the dim light of night, and Temple Guard going about their rounds, Corvus saw a sight that had him grip his heart in terror.
There, at the head of a column of clone troopers was Anakin Skywalker. Aka the Chosen One, aka Darth Fucking Vader!
Within the blink of an eye, that magnificent feeling of serenity with the galaxy was severed. In its place stood panic and dread.
Opening and closing his mouth, Corvus knew he stood no chance at direct combat, and had to escape to fight another day.
He was about to warn the Jedi down below when an explosion rocked the temple.
Rubble collapsed, and fighters screeched overhead.
Corvus spared a glance down in the square, and witnessed the might of the Chosen One.
His movements were faster than clone blasters. Vader cut through a dozen Jedi taking no more than a second per opponent.
12 seconds had passed, and Corvus felt his heart in his throat.
Awakening himself from the aura of terror emanating from the Sith, Corvus spared not one second look back and ran.
Activating [Force Speed] Corvus moved in a blur. Where he had stood, a string of blaster fire crisped the floor, and blackened the once voluptuous red carpet. He almost tripped from the sudden movement. His speed now resembled that of a high performance car. It was something he was unaccustomed to, but he had to adapt to this new sensation!
This crisis was do or die, there was no try.
Running almost blindly, glass and explosions shattered pillars and ancient murals all around him.
Trying his best to ignore the near death experience, Corvus did his best to reign in his fear, and plan out his immediate survival.
"I have to go down. The sewers are my only hope!" Corvus muttered to himself in a hurry.
Consulting his map from the safety of pause, Corvus memorized the route to the sewer entrance, and gathered his mental faculties about him.
‘Okay okay okay, I make a right at the next intersection, run down four flights of stairs, go down a long straight corridor, take two lefts, and I’m home free. Easy!’ Corvus thought to himself as he planned the path to his salvation.
After unpausing, Corvus noticed countless LAAT gunships hovering into the temple, their bright searchlights shone down on him, and other Jedi like a beacon heralding doom.
He felt a premonition a second later, and rolled forward, roughly sliding along the marble floors during a super speed tumble.
Where he had stood, a concentrated beam of green energy had melted the ground.
A LAAT gunship descended directly in front of Corvus and began to deposit a detachment of troops.
Picking himself up, Corvus cast [Energy Resistance] on himself, causing a faint light blue shield to cover his form.
The gunship's front guns opened up, and a series of heavy blue plasma bolts raked the ground in front of him.
Corvus jumped above the LAAT's firing arc, and landed amongst the clones.
One clone raised his rifle, and unloaded nearly point blank, greatly weakening Corvus' shield.
However, the clones didn't have any more time to react as Corvus's [Force Speed] allowed him to close the gap.
Lightsaber thrumming with power, Corvus didn't hesitate to bisect the clone into two halves of slag. A faint 200 exp floated above the clone as he passed, but Corvus had no time to heed that notification.
Ducking low to avoid a vibroknife to the back, Corvus swung backwards, decapitating his assailant, then bringing his saber around to deflect another shot into a clone's chest.
Corvus waded into the tightly packed clones still disembarking the LAAT, and speed blitzed them. His saber cut off arms, sliced through weapons, and stabbed into chests.
Unlike in Disney, nearly every cut or stab of the lightsaber was instantly fatal.
Corvus was almost mindless in his slaughter, yet he was also pushing himself to move faster. He knew that if the clones had time to spread out and take cover, then with his current abilities, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Augh!" One clone wilhelm screamed as Corvus cut him into three separate pieces.
Another ran at him with a thermal detonator in hand, and Corvus realized he had no answer for the grenade. A hack'n slashing lightsaber was no use against explosives!
Pausing, Corvus took stock of his situation.
30 clones had been in that LAAT, now only 10 remained. One of them in the back of the LAAT was preparing a rocket launcher, and was soon to take aim, another had a sniper rifle, and had his sights on Corvus.
If Corvus was going to survive this, he would have to be quick.
Noticing he had enough exp for a level up, an idea began to form in his head.
Putting his free Force Point into [Force Push] Corvus steadied himself, then unfroze time.
The sound of a thermal detonator about to explode sounded in his ear just as Corvus waved his hand at super speeds.
The clone on a suicide mission flew in front of a powerful sniper bolt somewhat slowing his momentum, however, it was enough.
The thermal detonator exploded within the LAAT's hold, and a chain reaction explosion occurred with the rocket launchers ammunition.
Corvus, having anticipated this, had started running as soon as he waved his hand.
Fire bloomed, and heat caressed Corvus' cheek as he sought refuge behind a massive pillar.
Smoke and the scent of charred flesh set Corvus' stomach to queasy, but he knew he had to press on.
"Just faceless clones. Just tools for Palpatine." Corvus muttered to himself, firming his resolve.
He picked up a few blasters and placed them into his inventory. Interestingly, it seemed he could only place items into his inventory if he was holding it in his hands. He then placed his hands over a corpse, and suddenly, the clone was robbed of his armor and was left in his small clothes, like a character in Skyrim.
Corvuse quickly did this for several other clones before moving on. Damaged or broken equipment would even have a tag marking them as [Damaged] with a % modifier next to the gear. Once he got his hands on a workbench, he would have to see if he could fix or improve the armor.
Corvus finished looting every body he came across because he never knew when having a set of their armor would come in handy, or if he would need to break them down into components for crafting.
Besides, a quick swap to clone armor might just save his life one day.
Along the way toward his first staircase, Corvus held his breath as a dark and overwhelming presence seemed to press upon his psyche.
On a floor below, Corvus witnessed Vader wield his saber against a group of screaming younglings.
"Master Skywalker!" One little girl shouted as she was lifted by the Force, and slammed into a pillar. Her body crumpled from the impact, and she never rose again.
On the same floor, countless clones poured into the building, and began blasting any Jedi in sight.
Pulling out his comlink, Corvus recorded what he saw in a 25 second snippet, so that should he survive, there would be a record of Anakin’s betrayal.
In that short timeframe, Corvus saw maybe a dozen lightsabers glow in the dark of the temple, they were quickly whittled down to less than five in moments.
Clenching his jaw so hard teeth might crack, Corvus could almost hear the sad Order 66 music ringing in his ear. He then sighed at the atrocity, at his helplessness, then deactivated his lightsaber so he wouldn't stand out so much.
Swiftly moving forward so as to avoid the archtraitor, Corvus made it to the first intersection, and it was an absolute mess.
Three Jedi Padawans were barely fending off a group of clones. One tried taking cover, however a rocket soon landed on her hiding spot, turning her into a charred, twitching, barely alive, legless wreck.
Another Padawan lost his composure, and tried to run, only to be gunned down in the back.
The remaining Padawan, a white haired, pale skinned teen howled at the loss of his friends.
"Anna! Tu'lok!" The remaining teen screamed, then charged the clones.
Corvus felt a darkness swell up in the boy, and witnessed him fell three clones in a matter of seconds. He deflected countless bolts, and showed himself to be rather adept.
His lightsaber flashed, and he began to wade into the group, however Corvus could see the boy begin to tire.
Corvus hesitated at the junction. Countless more clones were pouring in from every direction, the longer he waited, the lesser his chances of escape.
But the kid had spunk. He couldn't sit by and do nothing when there were only 30-50 clones or so in front of him.
"Godammnit." Corvus cursed himself for a fool as he charged the clones.
Swiftly applying the [Energy Shield], and [Force Speed] abilities, Corvus refreshed his buffs, and entered the fray.
Surpassing the white haired kid, Corvus Force Pushed a missile back into a squad of clones, killing eight. At the same time, he deflected four more bolts into the heads of four clones.
Utilizing his superior speed, Corvus quickly closed the gap, and began delimbing over a dozen clones.
However, there were still roughly two dozen clones remaining, and there wouldn't be much more time before the reinforcements closed in.
A pair of clones wielding miniguns began to unload a hail of blaster fire. Corvus tried deflecting it, but it was too much for him once more clones joined in, and his shield was at risk of collapsing.
Corvus took a quick step back, and found cover behind a pillar.
"Jax, I always, always…" The legless girl tried to raise her head, and speak between the blood gurgling up her throat, then fell limply to the ground.
Jax-the white haired teen-stared blankly down at his friend.
"Come on kid, I can't hold out much longer, we've got to go!" Corvus gripped Jax's shoulder, only the teen wouldn't budge.
"Just leave me, I'll only drag you down. I have nothing to live for anyway." The white haired teen distraughtly said as he clutched the remains of the girl tightly to his chest.
Corvus pursed his lips. He really didn't want to abandon this kid after going to such lengths, and risking his life. If he waited any longer, perhaps Vader would be right on their heels! Who knew how long it would take that child murderer to finish up with the younglings?!
Blaster fire chipped away at the pillar, and the clones began to become bolder in their advance. The only thing at this point keeping Corvus alive against the elite soldiers of the 501st was the [Energy Shield]. Time was swiftly running out.
Seeing that Jax wouldn't budge, Corvus wished he had a higher level in persuade. Perhaps the Force could help him out of this bind?
Seeing that his experience was full, Corvus entered his menu, and decided to level up.
Now Kotor 2 had a somewhat confusing system to the uninitiated. It had four separate menus available upon level up.
These were: Skills, Abilities, Attributes and Feats.
Skills were things like Stealth, Demolition, Persuade, Awareness, etc.
Attributes were stats like strength, dexterity, constitution, etc.
Abilities were Force powers.
Feats were actives like [Power Attack] or passives like [Toughness].
The Consular class granted Force Power every level, except on every third level, he had 2 Force Power points, such as his current level, 3.
He also gained a Feat every 3 levels.
Whereas he gained Skill points every level, and a stat point every 4 levels.
It was a confusing four tier system of level up, but Corvus didn't make the rules.
The first thing he did at the Skills menu was place everything he could into Awareness, and then when he couldn't put in anymore, placed the remainder into Persuade.
Moving on to the Feat menu, he put his sole point into [Toughness] to increase his survivability. Corvus now gained +1 Con for every level. While he hadn't been hit yet, it would only be a matter of time until something slipped past his defenses. He hoped to one day reach max level with fully upgraded [Master Toughness] and be able to tank the most powerful of attacks.
Perhaps even a lightsaber would be unable to pierce his skin once he reached his zenith.
However, [Toughness] would be much more useful as he leveled. What he needed now was something that would help resolve his current predicament.
At this moment, [Force Valor] stuck out to him as the most useful ability.
Valor let him enhance the accuracy, speed, and resolve of himself and his allies. Regarding Jax's current malaise, the teen could use some resolve. Thus was the perfect Force skill to get him moving.
As for his remaining ability point, Corvus decided to hold onto it for the time being. What he could really use in this mass battle would be something that dealt AOE damage.
Unfortunately, he was level restricted from other, more useful abilities, and the only two blatantly offensive options available to him were [Psychic Scream] and [Saber Throw]. Not terrible choices, but Scream was a relatively close range ability, not very useful for how spread out the clones currently were. Throw, on the other hand, left him vulnerable, and wasn't something Corvus wanted to invest in unless he was comfortable dual wielding a second lightsaber, had a stronger [Energy Shield] or the ability to block blaster fire with his hands.
Decision made, Corvus resumed time, and cast [Force Valor] on both him and Jax.
Seeing the kid's tears begin to dry, Corvus moved to lift him from his shoulders, and found no resistance.
"Your friends will be avenged Jax, I promise you that." Corvus comforted between parrying several blaster bolts, and flinging a thermal detonator back with a wave of his hand.
"However, we must escape first to make that happen. Follow me!" Corvus said, then dashed out from his hiding spot.
Along the way, he collected the fallen Padawans lightsabers into his inventory.
Jax was quick to follow Corvus's lead.
Blaster fire scorched the ground all around them, but Corvus led the teen in a zigzag pattern moving from pillar to pillar for cover.
The expansive floors and wide open halls in the Jedi Temple left much to be desired in terms of cover, and Corvus felt his heart rave everything he moved from one side of the room to the next.
Fortunately they were relatively close to the staircase leading down, and Corvus was able to blitz into the passage.
Jax was slower, but managed to catch up, much to Corvus' pleasure.
'The kid might just make it through.' Corvus thought optimistically.
Sensing an oncoming company of almost 100 clones, Corvus gripped Jax by the shirt, and jumped up with him to a shadowed nook.
"Sector Zed is secure, we've received reports of Jedi fleeing in this direction, sir!" A clone said and saluted his superior.
"You heard him, brothers, we'll gun down the traitors before dawn. We'll hold the ground here till the kriffing bastards show themselves. For the Republic!" The clone in charge said as he waved his rifle in the air.
"For the Republic!" The rest of the unit cheered.
Corvus felt Jaxs' unease through the Force, and noticed him reaching to ignite his saber.
Corvus made a shushing motion, then held his chin in thought.
After a moment spent in pause going over his free ability point, an evil grin played across his face.
Focusing on the clone officer, Corvus waved his hand, and cast [Mind Trick].
The clone officer held his hand to his head, and Corvus almost felt the connection break. However, a beat later, Corvus felt his dominance over the clone had succeeded.
Letting out a small exhale in relief, Corvus watched on in happiness as the clone began ordering his men.
"New orders brothers, we're to advance. The Jedi we were searching for has been killed. It's time to head out to a new sector." The clone waved his unit forward, and soon disappeared from sight.
Unfortunately, Corvus couldn't get experience from [Mind Trick] unless his target killed someone while under his direction. However, Corvus couldn't be mad at it, he was happy settling for survival.
Dropping down from his hiding spot, Corvus hoped that would be the last of the clones. If the officer was to be trusted, this section should be clear of Jedi. Meaning clones should be searching other sectors.
It was a chilling thought, but not one Corvus wanted to dwell upon. While he was in a moment out of combat, his energy bar had refilled, and he cast a fresh wave of [Energy Resistance] and [Force Valor] on both of them.
The calm steady resolve of Valor made itself apparent, and Corvus once more reigned in any raging emotions. Centering himself in the Force, Corvus regained his confidence.
He was going to survive Order 66.
As soon as a moment of relative peace was established, a new quest briefly flashed in the corner of Corvus’s eye. Pausing, he checked it out.
[Path of the Jedi I: Help the Innocent, Vulnerable, Pure, Just or Weak: 1/1. Reward: 100 EXP]
As soon as Corvus read the text, he was rewarded 100 exp, and part two became active.
[Path of the Jedi II: Help the Innocent, Vulnerable, Pure, Just or Weak: 0/5. Reward: 500 EXP]
It would seem his act of helping Jax had triggered a quest. The gain was modest, but it gave him a goal to strive for. It was one thing to survive, and try and get revenge against Palpatine, but to what end? Could he truly call himself a Jedi if all he did was hoard Force Powers, and lock himself in a cave for 20 years, and walked out a Master? It was that kind of cowardice that saw Yoda and Obi-Wan do nothing in the face of the Empire.
He didn’t know where this quest chain would take him, but it was one worth following.
Deciding to try and live like a Jedi, Corvus had one thing he wanted to try before he made his escape.
While searching his map for directions, he had noticed that a communications hub was along the way. If he could warn the rest of the Jedi not to heed any further messages, then he could save countless lives. Furthermore, he could download countless communicator addresses of senators, and other important people. If he was going to go through with starting a rebellion, their contact information would be vital to the cause.
Unpausing, Corvus kept up the same route as before, but made sure that he would hit up the communications relay along the way.
"Let's go." Corvus whispered to the white haired teen, and took point.
Rushing, yet making sure to keep aware of his surroundings, Corvus practically jumped down those four flights of stairs so fast, it was no different than teleportation.
A squad of 8 clones moved to intercept him during his journey, but quickly met his blade as the increased speed of Valor + Force Speed transformed Corvus into a menace.
His azure blade flashed in a horizontal swing, as his concentration entered a type of bullet time. The more he used the speed, the more his brain grew comfortable at obeying his commands. When he first swung his saber, it was natural due to his trait, yet still somewhat stiff due to his hesitancy.
After more than 30 clones died by his hand, he was starting to learn how to be loose and tight at the same time.
Hence he entered a state that could only be described in one phrase.
Bullet time.
Rushing forward, the next couple of seconds were a blur for Corvus.
The first clone had his back to Corvus, and couldn't even turn around when Corvus' azure beam of molten hot plasma decapitated the hapless clone.
Diagonal from shoulder to hip, the next clone was bisected.
[Force Push] three clones through the glass to scream to their deaths.
It wasn't until five clones had died that the remaining three reacted.
"There he is!"
"Blast him!"
Corvus parried two shots back, blasting a gaping black scorch mark onto a pair of clones’ chests.
The remaining clone got a few good shots on his barrier before Corvus closed the distance, and stabbed him through the chest.
By the time Corvus finished, the Padawan had just barely caught up.
Corvus saw Jax open his mouth to say something, however Corvus stood stunned for a moment as a clouded vision pierced his mind like an ice pick.
Wincing in pain, Corvus foresaw Vader dueling two other Jedi coming their way.
Motioning toward Jax, Corvus scaled a pillar and once again hid himself.
It wasn't a moment too soon either.
The floor collapsed, and the temple shuddered from the might of a stupidly powerful Force Push.
Falling into the hole, a pair of Jedi Corvus barely recognized from a video game, Serra Keto and her master, Cin Drallig dropped down.
Hot on their heels, Vader pounced upon the duo, unleashing absolutely monstrous blows. His blue saber clashed again and again, pushing the master and apprentice backward.
Powerful Force energies radiated around the trio as the temple's foundation began to crack.
Corvus felt Vader's baleful glare fall upon him for a second, before his attention was brought back to his fight.
Then as soon as they arrived, their fighting disappeared to another level, and were out of sight.
Corvus gripped his fists tight.
'Just you wait, Vader, when you're more machine than man, and I've maxed out on stealth, how will you fight when I sneak sand into the gaps of your armor?' Corvus sneered to himself as he thought up a gruesome revenge.
A moment of silence passed between the two Jedi. Despite his rage, Corvus was somewhat shell shocked by the near death experience, but [Force Valor] did its job, and Corvus was quick to drop down from his hiding spot.
"Was that Master Anakin?!" Jax said with wide eyes.
"His name is Darth Vader now, and despite sitting on the Council, he never achieved the rank of Master." Corvus said disparagingly.
“Come on, we’re almost to the sewer, but before we enter, we must make a message warning the rest of the Jedi of this horrible atrocity.” Corvus spoke quickly.
Approaching the communications center, it dawned upon Corvus that his face would be revealed if he was to make a message. He could always pull up his hood, or don a clone helmet, but neither of those options sat well with him.
Looking around for a solution, Corvus saw a sign for a nearby classroom that designated it as an architecture and fabrication class.
Running ahead, Corvus was overjoyed to see a workbench.
Once he placed his hands on it, time stilled, and he was greeted with dozens of different options.
Uncaring about any of it, he searched the list of craftable items, and found something that was iconic. It was a true symbol of rebellion, and that of the Jedi Order.
‘This is it.’
Corvus hastily disassembled some of the clone armor into component parts, and crafted a replica of the mask.
It gave a +1 to defense, and no other stats. If he had more components, he could modify the item with other stats, but for now, he was satisfied that he had something to hide his identity with.
Leaving the class, Corvus strode past a nervous Jax-who was idly standing guard-and made way for the communications hub.
Accessing the device, Corvus downloaded hundreds of peoples personal addresses, and their contact information. He then began a broadcast call set to all those marked as ‘Jedi.’
Activating a voice modular, Corvus spoke into the mic.
“My fellow Jedi, this is Revan speaking. Palpatine is the Dark Lord of the Sith, he has turned the clones against us, and has engineered this war from the beginning. The temple is lost, do not return to Coruscant, or believe in a recall unless it is from Master Yoda, none other are to be trusted. Do not despair, we have faced extinction before, we will emerge victorious once again. Trust in the Force, believe in yourself.” Once he was done speaking, he permanently deleted the contact list from the communications hub, so that he could deny Palpatine and his agents access to it.
“Revan? I think I heard that name in a history class once.” Jax questioned once Corvus was done with the recording.
“Some people need a symbol to fight for. Revan was a divisive character, but also, was one who heralded great change for the Order. I hope to emulate his spirit and foster resilience amongst the Jedi by borrowing his great name. Now come, we must leave, we don’t have much time.” Corvus urged, and headed down towards the sewers once more.
Along the way, they didn't see any clones, but there were a worryingly large amount of Jedi corpses lying on the side.
It would seem Corvus was not the only one with the idea to escape through the sewers.
The simmering cold rage of the teen running next to him was contrasted by the full throttle fury emanating from a black haired Padawan up ahead.
Slightly shorter than Jax, this Padawan seemed to have lost his mind as he relentlessly slashed his lightsaber into clone corpses.
"Die! Die! Die!" The boy howled as he cut the white armored clones into bits and pieces.
Corvus pursed his lips at the sight, then let out a sigh.
The Jedi had long fallen from the lofty standards held by Yoda. Temperance without understanding left one extremely weak to the grasping tendrils of the Dark Side.
Emotion could empower a Jedi to new heights, Obi-Wan and Luke proved that when they defeated Maul and Vader respectively. Corvus would be a fool not to see the value in this.
In fact, this Padawan was rather impressive based upon the fact that a dozen or so clones lay dead at his feet.
However, the mindlessly raging boy in front of him stood as a testament to the dangers of the Dark Side, and a warning Corvus would heed.
Feeling pity, Corvus couldn't in good conscience leave the kid here to his demise, and cast [Force Valor] in an attempt to soothe the raging boy's ferocity.
It seemed to have some effect, but Corvus was dubious at the result.
The black haired kid's chest was heaving up and down as he suddenly turned around. His eyes searched Corvus and Jax up and down frantically.
Corvus felt that if he made any sudden movements, the kid would pounce at them.
"Jax." The boy all but snarled, brandishing his lightsaber.
"Behave yourself Yon, otherwise we will leave you." Jax said coldly. His own lightsaber snap hissed, and Jax took a stance readying to fight.
Corvus placed a hand tiredly upon his forehead. Just great, the only two living Jedi he came across were children around 14-17 years old, and it would seem they had a history with one another.
"Leave? The only way we leave is through the blasted clones! We are dead! Hahaha, dead! Hahaha, dead!" The black haired boy, Yon laughed wildly, and swung his lightsaber back and forth like a nutcase, his other hand ran through sweat slicked hair, and he looked up to the ceiling, completely ignoring both Corvus and Jax.
Jax frowned, and turned to stare quietly at Corvus and raised an eyebrow.
Corvus didn't need the Force to understand Jax felt somewhat similarly to Yon.
"An exit to the sewers lies beyond this hallway and down to the left." Corvus slowly drawled.
"And who are you supposed to be? I haven't seen you in the Temple before!" Yon said accusingly and pointed his lightsaber toward Corvus.
"The name's Corvus, there are other temples and academies around the galaxy that train one in the Jedi artes, so it isn’t surprising you haven’t seen me. But enough of this, I intend to survive. You are welcome to tag along, but I will not babysit a brat." Corvus thinly smiled, then motioned toward Jax and ran past Yon.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Yon said hotly as he jogged behind.
"Keep quiet, fool." Jax hissed, and deactivated his lightsaber.
Corvus ignored the arguing of the two teens in favor of analyzing his surroundings.
An ever increasing amount of clone corpses clogged the ground. By his estimation, there were hundreds of the white armored bodies lying about.
Among the pile, about a dozen of the bodies were Jedi, and some of them bore wounds different from blaster fire.
Corvus noticed two corpses were charred, five died to a slashing blade, and one had damage corresponding to bullets.
Conspicuously, these Jedi had been looted of their lightsabers.
Narrowing his eyes, Corvus suspected special forces had made their way into the temple.
"Beware, whoever did this is an expert of close ranged, vibrosword combat, and are likely armed with both a flamethrower, and slugthrower." Corvus said over his shoulder.
Jax remained stoic, tilting his head to the side in thought. While Yon merely scoffed in derision, clearly uninterested in Corvus' words.
Corvus made a mental note to see about the kids' connection to the Dark Side, assuming they all escaped.
He wasn't as dogmatically against it like Yoda, and didn't mind Dark Siders. In fact, Corvus planned upon learning Force Storm at some point, along with many other Dark Side abilities. He would be a hypocrite if he barred others from learning as he had. Corvus just had to make sure Jax and Yon weren't going to go crazy, or stab him in the back.
Continuing on their journey toward the sewers, the temple repeatedly shook from Vader's distant-yet somewhat close-duel. Additionally, the screech of fighters bombing and blasting different parts of the temple led to debris and concrete dust to constantly fall from overhead.
Distant blaster fire, and clones calling out to one another seemed to resound in Corvus' ears. He knew that if he slowed up for even a moment, death would swiftly follow on his heels.
While he was picking up the pace, the temple's power was cut, and a moment later, back up power was restored. Where before, the halls were well lit, they were now encompassed by an eery, dim red.
Corvus silently cursed at his misfortune, as he knew that clones were equipped with night vision, and would suffer little in this low light environment.
Deciding that he couldn't slow down for fear of being flanked, Corvus trusted in the Force for any warnings, and quickly crossed the last long hall in his path. Now he was only a turn away from reaching the entrance to the sewers.
It was at this point that Corvus heard concentrated blaster fire, and the hum of multiple lightsabers.
As expected, a group of clones lay in wait ahead. If he was lucky, he might even regroup with more Jedi.
Rushing forward, Corvus hoped to flank the enemy, but when he turned the corner, he was forced to swiftly raise his lightsaber in defense.
Sparks flew out as saber met vibroblade.
Corvus narrowed his eyes as he recognized the specially designed T-shaped helmet of the clone in front of him.
He was dealing with the elite of the elite.
Republic Commandos.
He could almost hear their theme as he began to engage in combat.
Even with his [Force Speed] the clone commando proved himself to be an experienced melee fighter. Clearly this clone had spent much time in the simulations to kill Jedi. The commando minimized his movements so he had an easier time defending himself, and didn't leave any room for Corvus to score a hit.
The vibroblade was scorched, and slowly losing its edge due to the extreme heat of the lightsaber, but the clone dueling Corvus seemed to pay it no mind as he lifted his offhand, and a sonic emitter launched powerful soundwaves near point blank at Corvus.
Fortunately he had the [Energy Shield] and the brunt of the attack was thwarted.
However, Corvus still experienced some high frequencies, and felt slightly discombobulated.
The clone capitalized on Corvus' momentary stupor, and landed a roundhouse kick on his chest, sending him backward.
Corvus skidded backward, then lunged forward with a spring in his step.
Right when their weapons were to meet, Corvus waved his off-hand, and roughly slammed the clone into a wall.
The commando's power armor soaked up the damage well, and Corvus knew he had only a second before the clone recovered.
In that split second, Corvus moved and stabbed his lightsaber straight through the commando's chest.
He didn't have time to celebrate as a warning in the Force had him parry a series of blaster bolts.
Dead ahead of him, three clone commandos were engaged with one Jedi Knight, and a half strength company of regulars were engaged with two beleaguered Padawans.
Two of the Jedi, a blue teenage Twi'lek, and some youthful green scaled dragon-like humanoid, who were obviously Padawans based upon their age were struggling to reflect blaster shots and appeared to be nearly out of stamina.
In contrast, the fully developed, short haired, green skinned Jedi closer to Corvus' age was likely a Knight. Her twin blue lightsabers cut through clone after clone in support of the Padawans, yet she was being restricted by the commandos.
Padawans:
Knight:
Although Corvus' duel with the commando didn't take long, it gave the clones’ flank enough time to react.
Countless blaster bolts shot toward Corvus, and he was forced to zig zag, and dodge roll at super speeds all while deflecting whatever shots came near during his mad charge.
As he neared, Corvus noticed a Blaze Trooper due to his large armor, and distinctive jetpack.
Knowing he had little time to react to the AOE flame attack, Corvus briefly paused, then unpaused once he had centered his thoughts.
As soon as time resumed, Corvus acted with deliberate movements as he enacted his plan of attack.
Waving his hand for a [Mind Trick], Corvus directed the Blaze Trooper to fry his brothers.
Blaze Trooper:
Clones within the flamethrowers' radius screamed from the unexpected burning pain of betrayal.
White armor quickly turned black, and several clones barely alive moaned in agony as they rolled on the floor.
The stench of burnt plastic assaulted Corvus' nares, yet he had no time to care about that as four Clone Assassins dropped out of their stealth generators, and revealed themselves.
Armed with vibroswords mounted onto their wrists like Ensio from Assassins Creed, these clones also wielded a blaster pistol, and a lightsaber.
Clone Assassin:
"You have Master Gun'dark's lightsaber!" Yon howled as he rushed past Corvus, and engaged one of the assassins.
Jax pulled up beside Corvus, nodded, then ran at another lightsaber wielding clone.
Corvus frowned as he was left to deal with two on his own.
What these clones lacked for in the Force, they made up for with extreme training. Having been trained by Padawans and Knights, they possessed skills far outside the norm for a non-Force sensitive. Additionally, their enhanced genetics put them in a class above the average Jango clone.
Corvus could only let out a sigh as he was forced into the defensive. The pair of assassins worked in tandem, perfectly covering each other's blind spots, and left little room for Corvus to attack.
Even with [Force Speed], Corvus was only barely a step ahead of them. Whenever he would swing his lightsaber a certain way, the clone seemed like he could predict exactly where it was headed, and move to intercept.
Blue clashed with green and yellow repeatedly in a flurry of blows. Corvus swiped wide to gain some space, then unleashed a [Force Push].
However, the attack missed when the Clone Assassin dodge rolled forward.
Not only did Corvus fail to gain some breathing room, but the clone came closer and stabbed at his throat!
Blocking the attack, Corvus dropped to the ground a moment later as a lightsaber stabbed toward where his chest had been a second ago.
The first clone who had locked blades with Corvus pressed down with both hands, and all his strength. All the while, Corvus was in a position to be hacked and slashed at repeatedly by the other clone.
After sustaining several direct hits that burst his [Energy Resistance] bubble, and dodging two attacks, Corvus knew this couldn't go on!
Pausing to collect his thoughts, Corvus assessed the battlefield, and saw that Yon was evenly matched with his foes, however, he wasn't gaining any ground. The white haired kid, Jax was in a bind, and was being pushed back. Meanwhile, the Blaze Trooper had finally been brought down by his brothers, however the clone regulars had all been slain.
Only three Clone Commandos were still fighting on the other side. However, the Twi'lek Padawan was on the ground in a puddle of her own blood, and the Knight was looking fatigued.
The situation was looking dire, and Corvus knew if he didn't do something to tip the balance, then they would all perish.
It was time for some risky maneuvering.
Focusing on the feeling of the Force, Corvus prepared himself, then unpaused.
Corvus placed all of his attention on his foe's lightsaber. As a non-Force sensitive, the clone had no protection from what Corvus was about to do.
In the blink of an eye, and a nudge of the Force, the switch of the clone's lightsaber deactivated. The clone who had been shoving down with all his strength grunted in surprise as he was sliced in half due to the sudden loss of friction locking the lightsabers in place.
Continuing with the slash, Corvus' lightsaber cut through one white armored body, and entered the other just as the enemy lightsaber was an inch away from Corvus' forehead.
Beads of sweat dripped down Corvus' neck at the close call as both his opponent's fell to the floor at nearly the same time.
At that moment of victory, Corvus had no time to feel secure and celebrate because he felt a shift in the Force.
The second clone wasn't attacking with just a lightsaber, but also shot his blaster at the same time.
Corvus twisted his body, and for his trouble took a bolt to his left shoulder.
Gritting his teeth, Corvus gasped in pain, and almost passed out. He could only thank [Force Valor] for being able to withstand the extreme shock to his system.
He was also grateful he had invested in the [Toughness] perk. Otherwise, Corvus might've completely lost his arm from that nearly point blank attack.
At the same time Corvus sustained damage, he felt a thrum in the Force, and turned toward his allies.
"Auuuugh!" Jax screamed as his arms were cut clean off by the Clone Assassin's lightsaber.
As the clone raised his weapon to finish the job, Corvus threw out his only good hand, and slammed the clone into the wall.
When the clone was about to get up, Corvus threw out his hand again, this time, he heard the snapping and twisting of bones as the clone's body dented the wall. 200 exp floated and faded away from the clone, and Corvus knew he had killed the bastard.
Corvus didn't pay the kid any more attention as he raced toward Yon's opponent. However, before he could successfully flank him, Yon decapitated his enemy, and howled with glee.
"You have been avenged Master!" Yon grinned wildly as tears spilled down his face.
At the same time, the Knight, seemingly pushed into a corner, exploded in a flurry with her twin blades.
One clone wielding a slugthrower had it chopped into bits and bobs before he was cut into three pieces from head to waist.
Force pushing the pieces toward another commando, the green skinned Jedi flourished her lightsabers backward, and impaled the other commando through the chest without looking back.
As the last commando rose from the ground after having his comrades body parts thrown at him, he parried a thrown lightsaber with his vibrosword, then as he charged, that very same lightsaber ignited from behind, and stabbed him through the chest.
Corvus almost forgot the sensation of pain as he watched on, mouth agape as the green skinned Jedi Knight twirled her lightsabers once more before deactivating them.
'Goddamn!'
Comments
AlthePal
I can’t believe I slept on this for an entire month before realizing it’s there! I was heading over to binge the Pokepuden story when I decided to give this shorter series a try first and boy am I glad I did xD Thanks for sharing your work mate \o/
Erostan
This is great, looking forward to more!
random guy
i like it :)
