"All right."

Zarev looked at Per'dra as she turned and headed for the crew quarters and caught her eye for a moment as she turned to look at him before continuing on to her quarters.

He turned to look at Light and smiled sheepishly. "Excuse me, I need to talk to her." He muttered as he turned and ran after her.

"Per'dra! Per'dra, may I have a word with you?" He asked carefully.


Tython

Rise

Satele Shan rose to her feet. Her eyes had a blank, vacant look in them. Without looking she grabbed her double-bladed lightsaber and headed for the Temple's docking bay which would take her to her small personal shuttle.

The others await you. Join them aboard the Courageous and rid me of these pests forever.

Despite a few inquiring looks as she passed through the temple, she arrived aboard the Republic capital ship and spoke softly.

"Set course for Voss. The Master has summoned us."


Dromund Kaas

Rise

"Set Course for Voss. Best possible speed. We have been summoned."

Darth Marr of the Dark council looked ahead through the forward viewer as the Sith Harrower class dreadnaught Starblaze engaged it's hyperdrive. "Alert all stations that we expect to encounter limited resistance once we arrive. Failure to destroy the resistance will not be tolerated."

"Yes, my lord."

Per'dra stopped and smiled. "Of course. What's on your mind?"

She and Zarev headed toward the crew bunks, pretending all was just business.

Light caught a glance of the look in Zarev's eyes, and, while he couldn't tell if it was due to the force or his own intuition, he knew.
"Don't miss a chance to be together."

Light sent the message telepathically to the new pair, unsure of how the others would react, knowing what they may about the Jedi. But, personal attachment had been the reason Light had left the Order, and he admired their ability to find one another through all of the craziness that had been occurring.

"Come Corsail. We could go over some force techniques if you want. To either help you block out your enemies, or to channel it into offensive or defensive tools. And I think you might need a weapon for the coming battle..."

Light began to walk towards the workbench, curious what tools he might have to work with.

Now might be a good time for a time skip,eh?

"Come Corsail. We could go over some force techniques if you want. To either help you block out your enemies, or to channel it into offensive or defensive tools. And I think you might need a weapon for the coming battle..."


Corsail followed Light over to the workbench interested. Force techniques.. Training, yes, that is what he wanted. it had been on his mind for awhile, but he hadn't the time nor did he really know how to bring it up before. He felt like it was an extremely awkward subject for him, all things considered.

Corsail halted, "Uh, hey Light.. I've been meaning to ask you something.."

((Time skip will be upcoming soon. Possibly after Light and Corsail post and MrsFicwriter posts.))

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

Zarev was about to respond but he was quickly losing the courage he had managed to briefly summon. He was about to change the topic of the conversation he was about to bring up but he could hear Light's thoughts in his head.

"Don't miss a chance to be together."

Zarev took a deep breath. Light was right. It could be their last chance to be together.

"Per'dra...We could possibly be going to our deaths within the next day." He said softly as he gently took her hands as they approached the crew quarters.

"I don't want to risk dying before telling you how much you mean to me and how much I love you." He said softly as he bowed his head towards her. "I...I'm not that good at this sort of things." He said as his face turned red. "I just want to let you know how much you mean to me."

Per'dra shut the door with the Force. "Jedi or no, I feel the same, and I will for always."

For some odd reason, Zarev didn't mind that their quarters seemed to be locked...

((Time skip!))

((Time to arrive at Voss. The one day time-skip is over.))

Republic Vessel Shan
Entering Voss Orbit

Zarev slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the sleeping form of Per'dra next to him. He couldn't help but smile despite the fact that if the Jedi council knew what he and Per'dra had done they would most likely be kicked out of the order but he didn't care. He had found someone that he loved and all that mattered to him was making sure she was safe.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked softly enough that she would be able to hear him if she was awake, but not loud enough to disturb her if she was still sleeping.

Shan Bridge

Vlalkor couldn't help but be a bit suspicious as he looked at the amount of Comn traffic coming and going from Voss. He paused for a moment as he tried to identify the various signals.

Imperial...and Republic? This can't be good. He thought as the Shan dropped out of Hyperspace. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the charred aft section of a Sith Harrower class dreadnaught drift past the bridge view-port.

"Aw...Kark." He muttered as he took in the situation. There were three Sith Harrower class dreadnaughts and two Republic heavy battle cruisers surrounding Voss, they were firing at any vessel approaching the planet. Approaching Voss were two Republic battle cruisers and a small group of Republic Destroyers that were taking heavy fire. Further out were two heavily damaged Sith war ships and a larger Sith Dreadnaught who's bridge had been destroyed that looked as if they had seen much better days.

They must have knocked out those dreadnaughts earlier and waited for the Republic battle group.

A console beeped indicating incoming decrypted transmissions.

"- Is Lord Gel of the Sith Empire to the Dark Council! My troops and acolytes turned on me! I can sense something here, something far stronger then I have ever encountered before! Requesting any and all nearby forces to be redirected to Voss! Something is controlling the vast majority of the population and is setting them against us!"

"- Jedi Master Lelkan to the Jedi High Council. There is some sort of Dark-Side entity here on Voss. Something far stronger then we have ever encountered before. It's attempting to take control of our forces here! I have managed to keep it from corrupting my Padawan but I don't know how much longer we can hold out! The native Voss seem to have gone mad, they are marching on both our Embassy and the Sith Embassy. Not sure how much longer we can hold out!"

"Attention to any Vessel's approaching Voss, this is Voss Orbital Control. We are under attack by an unknown entity which appears to have taken control of the vessels surrounding the planet. Requesting assistance from any vessels in the area!"

"This is Captain Veka of the Republic vessel Hope's Star. We're being fired on by Republic and Imperial Warships! Requesting assistance from any loyal Republic Vessel!"

"-Arth Kellis to any Imperial vessels. We have been attacked by a joint force of Republic and Imperial vessel. Our Battle force has taken severe losses. Requesting assistance and instructions."

Vlalkor hit the intercom button. "Looks like we're expected." He said as his voice echoed through the ship. "Whatever this thing is it looks as if it's been getting ready for us, the whole planet seems to be in a state of chaos."

He looked down at the consoles as they began beeping again. "Incoming transmission from the ships surrounding Voss. Putting it through."

"This is Satele Shan, formally of the Jedi High Council. Republic Vessel Shan: If you do not submit you will be destroyed. You have interfered in affairs that you cannot comprehend. We know what you have done to interfere with the Master's plan. I offer you a choice. Surrender yourself to us or die."

It has control of the Grand Master of the Jedi Council. This isn't good.

"This is Darth Marr, formally the leader head of the Dark Council. This being's mind remembers the traitor that I now sense on your ship. She will make a fine vessel for the master. I suggest that you power down your vessel and prepare to become one with the Master."

Seriously? The head of the Dark Council?! How far does this thing's reach extend?!

He heard the sound of footsteps coming up and saw the former sith Avriela approach and sit down in the co-plot's seat.

"So...this thing has control of two of the most influential people in the Republic and the Sith?"

"Looks that way. Got any suggestions?"

"Yeah. Stay alive until we can get to Voss."

Varik stood with his arms crossed in the main hold, his eyebrows furrowed at the holographic display in front of him. Three Sith Harrower-class dreadnaughts and two Republic Valor-class cruisers formed a makeshift blockade of Voss, firing upon any ship that was heading toward the planet. Further off was a Sith battle group, which had all but been destroyed, and a smaller Republic group, headed by the Hope's Star.

Karking hell. How are we supposed to get through that? They're expecting us. A direct hit from any of their turbolasers will turn this ship into dust.

He groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. He looked back at the display, the Sith battle group had been completely decimated. Then it hit him. He paused, and zoomed in at the Republic battle group. Four Thantra-class corvettes - one heavily damaged, and several freighters and interceptors littered throughout it. Compared to the Sith battle group, it was relatively unscathed. But it wouldn't be for long. He knew what he had to do.

Varik marched out of the room and into the cockpit.

"Vlalkor I have a plan but you're not going to like it. We're going to use the Republic battle group as cover to get to the planet.", he paused. "It's our only option."

He didn't much like the idea of sending Republic soldiers to their deaths, but what other choice was there? The reality was that those soldiers were going to die anyway unless if the battle group pulled out and left for hyperspace immediately. The Shan wasn't fast enough to avoid sustained turbolaser fire from five cruisers, much less have the shielding and armor to sustain more than a handful of hits.

Republic Vessel Shan
Entering Voss Orbit


"Hmmmmm," Per'dra smiled, letting out a long and contented sigh. "I did sleep well, for the first time in a long time. I've gotten so edgy from feeling unsafe." She sat up on the double-sized cot and turned to Zarev. "I'm glad for one moment of peace before it's all shattered. Speaking of which, look at my hair!" The two laughed and went off to wash together in the refreshers.

When they got out and dressed, Per'dra could see a whole swarm of zooming and blinking starships all around them. "What in the Force is going on here?"

Shan Bridge

"Situation report," the young Jedi blurted as she rushed onto the bridge. "Are we being attacked? Zarev and I...uh...were out of the loop for quite a while. I apologize, but there must be something we can do to help. This is chaos."

Light was unsurprised by the mentophage garnering its troops to protect itself. However, it was surprising who his troops were. He was sitting near Vlalkor when the craziness began. He immediately began formulating strategies to defeat or bypass the ships that were the biggest threat for the time being.

Light was unsurprised by the tardiness of the duo. "We have a number of hostiles that could destroy us very rapidly, but fighting hasn't started. "

"Patience Varik. We have not yet been engaged. I recommend that we send a message for the Republic group to flee. Remember, they asked us to surrender. This should be our opportunity. We can either pretend to surrender, and then swiftly accelerate when they get close. Or, if we are unable to escape that way, then we may end up on one of their ships. The Mentophage isn't so far away, else it's troops would not be clustered here. Do we have confirmation on a location yet? If I had to wager, there would be a large heat signature, either due to the creature's forces on the ground, or due to its own mass."

Light began surveying the thermal images on one of the computers.

((Didn't have internet for awhile and I still don't have it on a consistent basis for now. I'll try to post when I can.))

Bridge

"Vlalkor I have a plan but you're not going to like it. We're going to use the Republic battle group as cover to get to the planet.", he paused. "It's our only option."

Vlalkor looked up as an idea came to mind.

"I feel that you might be right. I can send them a warning and let them know that we need to reach the planet. Maybe they can cover us until we can reach Voss and then retreat."

"Are we being attacked? Zarev and I...uh...were out of the loop for quite a while. I apologize, but there must be something we can do to help. This is chaos."

Avriela looked up at the two as Vlalkor looked back down at the controls.

"Whatever this thing is, it prepared for us. It's blasting anything that gets within firing range and it has control of both Master Satele Shan and Darth Marr. We need to reach the planet and end this thing. If we kill it, maybe we can break the control it has over everyone."

Vlalkor didn't look up as Light spoke up. He was busy redirecting power to the shields and engines just in case they attracted more attention then they already had.

"Patience Varik. We have not yet been engaged. I recommend that we send a message for the Republic group to flee. Remember, they asked us to surrender. This should be our opportunity. We can either pretend to surrender, and then swiftly accelerate when they get close. Or, if we are unable to escape that way, then we may end up on one of their ships. The Mentophage isn't so far away, else it's troops would not be clustered here. Do we have confirmation on a location yet? If I had to wager, there would be a large heat signature, either due to the creature's forces on the ground, or due to its own mass."

Vlalkor turned to look at Light. "I've been scanning since we arrived in the system. There's no heat signature or anything. From what I can tell it's throwing everything it has at the uncorrupted forces on the plan-...wait. Hold on, picking up a transmission from Voss itself."

A voice that could barely be heard over the sound of blaster fire and the sounds of activated lightsabers filled the bridge. "This is Commando squad 12, we have found what we believe is where whatever this thing is is commanding it's forces from. Repeat, the entity is located somewhere in the Nightmare lands! Inform the rest of the commando squads!" The voice cut off as the sound of blaster fire grew more intense.

Vlalkor looked up at everyone. "I think we should make a run for the planet. What do you all think?"

Corsail listened intently to everything that was being said, growing more and more tense every moment. I knew it'd be bad, but this is madness. he thought to himself.

"I think we should make a run for the planet. What do you all think?"

Corsail blinked, then gestured to the battle going in space before them, "If you think we can make it without being shot down, absolutely. If I had my ship here I could fly us in no problem... sadly, she's gathering dust in a republic hanger right now."

"And even if we manage to land safely..." He shook his head, "We won't have many friends down there, anyone, and most likely everyone, will be an enemy."

"The only chance I think we have is to make a run for it," concurred Per'dra. "Whether the mentophage attacks us in the air or on the ground, one thing's for sure - it's on the hunt. At least we know, roughly, where it's concentrated."

Vlalkor smiled grimly as he rerouted what little auxiliary power the Shan had to the engines and shields. "Dash for the planet it is."

Vlalkor opened up a comn line to the remaining Republic and Sith ships using an encrypted frequency. The sith would most likely have a harder time breaking the code then the Republic forces but he hoped they would understand what they were trying to accomplish.

"Attention all remaining ships. This the Republic vessel, Shan. We have located the entity responsible for commandeering the solders and vessels in orbit and are in the process of eliminating it. We need cover for a few moments to reach the planet."

Avriela looked up and saw a few of the Republic vessels forming up on the Shan in a position to intercept whatever they would throw at the Shan.

"Full power to engines...now!" Vlalkor called as the Shan shot forward and turbolaser fire from the Republic and Sith Vessels that were behind them began slamming into the ships that the entity had control of.

"This is gonna be rough. Hold onto something." Vlalkor said as the Shan maneuvered through the firestorm as it approached Voss.

Well, there goes my plan.

"Man all stations. Prepare for whatever they throw at us."

Light was ready at his station, preparing alternate courses to their destination for possible targeting solutions, and avoiding them. This is going to be a bumpy ride, but a few less bumps won't hurt

[] Where did everyone go? x.x Everyone, to your battle stations! :D []

Per'dra's station was neither at the gun turrets nor controls, but the ship's internal control system. As a Jedi, she had focused exclusively on combat and Force training, and didn't know the first thing about how to fight using a starship. With that said, however, she had a sixth sense about when everything was in balance, whether it be organic or electronic.

As the vessel bucked and rocked, preparing to enter the thick of battle, she cleared her mind and fell into a half-trance state.

Vlalkor gritted his teeth as the Shan tore through space as he did his best to avoid Turbolaser blasts and incoming torpedoes. He saw two of the Republic ships that were providing cover for the Shan explode as they were hit by turbolasers from a Republic battleship.

Just a few more seconds..."Entering the Atmosphere in...three...two...one!" Vlalkor called out as the Shan managed to get past the capital ships in orbit and began to shake violently as it tore through the atmosphere.

"This is Shan to all remaining Imperial and and Republic Vessels! We have broken through the blockade. All ships, withdraw to a safe distance at once! I repeat, withdraw!"

"Understood Shan. May the force protect you." A voice came back over the comnlink as Vlalkor turned the ship towards the nightmare lands.

"Get ready everybody. I'm going to drop you as close as I can to the source of the transmissions from the commandos. Be prepared."

Zarev nodded grimly and Avriela smiled as she headed for the ramp as she clipped her lightsaber to her belt before turning back and heading back to Vlalkor.

"Vlalkor?"

The trooper turned and looked at her for a brief moment and his eyes widened in shock as she pressed her lips against his and broke the kiss a moment later. Avriela smiled at Vlalkor's shocked expression. "Been wanting to do that for awhile." Avriela said calmly. "Once we get back, I think you and I should go out to dinner. What do you think?"

"Uh..I mean...yes." Vlalkor looked shocked.

Avriela winked. "Sounds fun. Be back in a bit." she said with a smile as she headed to the ramp. Zarev raised an eyebrow and smiled at Vlalkor's expression. "Have fun Vlalkor." he said jokingly as he followed Avriela to the ramp.



Voss
Nightmare lands

The entity's eyes were closed as it sensed the battle and the approaching strike team. But it didn't matter.

Light knew the time to leave was nigh. He set the controls that he was manually controlling to either be controlled from Vlalkor's station or to be automatically handled.

Light almost laughed at Vlalkor's surprised expression.

"You're not coming with us?" Light asked Vlalkor after setting up all the systems for his departure.

Light rose, ready to leave once he received an answer.

"You're not coming with us?"

Vlalkor shook his head and smiled. "I'm going to try and clear the sky of the fighters that the entity is controlling, Don't worry. I did pretty well in the training sims in fighter combat. Now, we're almost at the drop point, get to the loading ramp and get ready for the fight of your lives."

Vlalkor hit the thrusters again and the Shan shot forward until it was in the middle of the nightmare lands only a few hundred feet from where the Commando transmission had come from."

""Alright everyone, we're here. Get ready and let me know if you need a lift out or anything." He said as he looked over at Avriela and winked. "And I'll see you when we're done here." He grinned as he began to open the landing ramp.

No...no, this can't be right...

"I hear it." Per'dra shuddered all over. "I can actually hear this thing." In all the commotion, did anyone hear her whisper? Most likely not, but the echo of the mentophage's thoughts threw the Jedi's concentration off for a moment. It caused her to lurch and recalibrate a gauge as it careened past normal levels.

"Hang on! I'm getting some interference," she cried. I won't tell you what kind it is, though. If I do, we might all be lost. I just have to keep calm.

"Well, let's hope that you are as good in real life as you are in sims." Light smiled to Vlalkor and nodded as he left to go to the ramp.

He arrived just as the ramp fully lowered. He turned to Zarev, curious, "Are we going to jump?"

Light was surprised by Per'dra, but he was already ready for battle. "Is it your comms? What's wrong?"

"It's the Force," Per'dra replied evasively. "So many lives are being either subsumed or consumed by the Entity that it's hard to keep my mind and emotions in balance. If you don't mind, would you please double-check the shield capacitors? I can't get a good read on them with all the fluctuations."

"Sure thing." Light quickly checked the gauge, noticing that the calibration was completely wrong. There were fluctuations, but it was to be expected when shields were up in a combat scenario, especially if any small arms fire were directed at the craft.

The "interference" from the Force must be affecting her more than she's letting on...

"There we go, all fixed. Are you sure you're ready to go? You could stay here with Vlalkor and help manage the ship."

"Are we going to jump?"

Zarev nodded. It's not that far of a drop and if we were to try and get closer to this thing on foot it would most likely send everything it had against us before we got close. I think this is the best idea."

Avriela nodded as she approached the ramp and winked over at Vlalkor who's face turned red as he turned back to the console.

"I agree with Zarev." She said as the Shan began to rock slightly as far off weapons fire began to impact the hull not causing enough damage to knock it out of the sky but enough that to show that if the Shan stayed still much longer it would most likely be knocked out of the sky.

"Alright everyone. Time to go."

Varik had been largely paying little attention to those around him. He was leaning against a bulkhead, emptying his mind and preparing for the upcoming battle. There was a possibility that it may very well be his last. He still experienced a stiffness in his legs and wasn't fully rested, but this was the most physically able he could possibly be at this moment.

"Alright everyone. Time to go."

Varik marched toward the ramp and leapt. He used the Force to slow his descent as he landed on solid ground. He was the first one off the ship. He gripped his lightsabers, his eyes filled with intense focus and certainty. He was ready.

Per'dra squared her shoulders. "The sooner we vanquish this thing, the better." Still, beneath her brave words lay more than a twinge of fear. If she could hear it, what was to say that it hadn't already made inroads into her consciousness? If it had, what would happen? Would she turn against every one of her allies, including the man she loved?

Would she cause the entire mission to fail?

She had a lightsaber, and if worse came to worst, she decided, she'd use it on herself.

"The sooner we vanquish this thing, the better."

Zarev simply nodded grimly as he ignited his yellow double-bladed lightsaber and landed on the ground with the saber held in an attack stance as figures began to emerge from their hiding spaces. Voss commandos that were armed to the teeth with weaponry, Republic and sith troopers with blaster rifles ready. But more alarming to Zarev were the three masked Sith holding their crimson lightsabers ready.

Avriela smiled grimly and dropped from the ship and landed between Varik and Zarev and her red double bladed lightsaber ignited with a hiss.

"Try to disable them. Only kill if it's absolutely necessary." Zarev said softly as the mind controlled forces began to advance.

"Try not to worry. And let's go."

Light said these words, turned, ran, and jumped off the ship, silver sabers at the ready. A few of the troopers started firing at the ship, and Light managed to hit some of the blaster fire back at them. Two were knee capped, but a third got hit in the throat. Damn

As the three troopers hit the ground, Light landed five feet away from the group. I feel bad for them, but we can't afford to hold back with the number of enemies being so much greater than our own.

The Sith, seeing that he was slightly separated from the group, charged.

...I need everything...

The Entity's message reverberated within her mind, and she decided to risk revelation. "I can hear it," she blurted out unceremoniously, "and I can't block it out. I don't think the Entity KNOWS I can hear it, but if it does, I'm fried."

A sweat-soaked tendril of hair fell in her eyes, and she shoved it away.

"I can hear it," she blurted out unceremoniously, "and I can't block it out. I don't think the Entity KNOWS I can hear it, but if it does, I'm fried."

Zarev looked over at Per'dra with deep concern evident in his eyes. "I won't let it harm you, Per'dra. I swear on my life." He said quietly as Light managed to disable two of the troops but accidentally killed the third one with a blaster bolt that was deflected back at his throat.

He motioned to Avriela to assist Light with the three mind-controlled sith who had seen him leave the safety of the group. Avriela smiled and launched herself into the air and slammed down onto the ground between Light and the Sith.

"Bad move." She said with a smile as two of the red lightsabers cut through the air where she had been standing a moment ago and Avriela rolled underneath the deadly blades before slamming the hilt of her saber into the Sith's masked face. The sith hit the ground with a thud and didn't move.

"Light, try and knock them out. Only deflect blaster fire when absolutely necessary." She said as she caught the second sith's lightsaber blade on her own and managed to block a few wide-arc attacks.

Zarev charged into the group of Commandos and troopers and unleashed a powerful wave of force energy that sent many of his opponents flying into various objects, the impact damaged they sustained seemed to knock them out but a few of them got back to their feet and began firing at Zarev who was able to dodge most of the shots and the few he couldn't dodge he deflected into the ground. Before many of the remaining forces could do anything, Zarev raised his hand and suddenly the enemy forces found themselves unable to move. Zarev smiled.

Thank you, Master for teaching me that little trick before you died. He thought to himself.



Unknown Location
Nightmare Lands

The entity let out an enraged shout as it felt many of the forces it had sent against the Strike Team leave it's control. many of them had been knocked out and a few others had been killed. It knew it had many more pawns to throw against the Strike team but many of them were still too far away.

I will not let this end. Not when I'm so close! This Galaxy will bow to me!

Varik ignited his lightsabers and disarmed several troops that were close-by to him, and threw one of his lightsabers to cut the barrels off several of the other troops' rifles. He Force pushed some of them away and redirected blaster fire from several others as he made it to where Light and Avriela were.

"Well this is certainly familiar.", he said, grinning at Light, "Us against overwhelming odds? We need to stop getting ourselves in these situations."

Despite the pain in both her temples, which throbbed like the heads of jellyfish, Per'dra laughed to the point of hysteria at Varik's joke. "Right! Let's all take a vacation, maybe to some other galaxy than this one!" She couldn't stop herself. In the throes of trauma or distress, such reactions were common in ordinary people. For a Jedi, however, it was known as a failure of will. Such was this ingenue's mental state. All things considered, however, it was pardonable.

The Galaxy will bow to me!

Her guffaws ended in a high-pitched choking sound. She had heard It again.

Oh? she took the risk of thinking back. Only if I kneel first, fiend.

Only if I kneel first, fiend.

The Entity snarled. One of the Strike Team could hear his thoughts and it appeared to be one of the Jedi. He should have foreseen this possible problem.

Kill the woman. He thought to his troops as the majority of the remaining troops ceased their attacks on other members of the Strike Team and began to move towards Per'dra.

Zarev watched in horror as many of the remaining enemy forces turned from their targets to look at Per'dra.

Oh...kark.

"Take them down! No one dies today! Not if I have anything to say about it!" He roared as he launched himself at a small group of attacking Republic troopers.

"Per'dra! Stay on guard!" He shouted urgently.

A flash of dawning horror coupled with rage entered Per'dra's mind. Should have known better. Attack! Thus she did, spinning into action with her twin silver lightsabers and the Force behind her. Subtlety was usually her strength, but she had no time for that. She gave the Entity's controlled soldiers a magnificent display of techniques that Jedi were taught to respect and fear. Still, the onslaught continued.

"Honestly, and with the galaxy at stake too? We must be magnets for trouble."

Light laughed at Per'dra's joke, but then...

Light had an idea.

He switched off one of his sabers, keeping the other for defense and began throwing the deactivated saber at enemies, with a bit of the Force behind it, to knock them unconscious.

His first targets were the Sith. In combination with his own fighting, it proved very effective in incapacitating them, as it slammed into the back of one of their heads, and caused the other to hesitate, unprotected, long enough for Light to deliver an uppercut to his jaw.

He decided to unleash this combination on the other troopers. It was devilishly effective, fists or saber slamming into heads, necks, a few unarmored solar plexuses. The only downside was the loss of protection. A bolt that he'd have normally deflected with his unarmed hand made it through, grazing his side.

Enough. This ends now.

The Entity slowly rose to his feet and looked towards the entrance of the cave that he had been residing in as slowly reached for a lightsaber that was covered in dust.

The Entity's voice roared in the minds of the strike team with enough force to make them stagger in pain

You have become more then a minor annoyance! You have ruined nearly five years of planning! I will end all of you myself!

Zarev forced himself to his feet as the remaining mind controlled forces seemed to collapse on the ground as a shadowy figure seemed to emerge in the distance from a cavern.

"It's here." He said quietly. "It looks like we finally attracted his attention."

Per'dra cut down her last strike team member and stared into the depths of space. She could see it, hear it, smell it, almost taste it. She sensed Zarev near, and implored victory.

Zarev could sense the power that the Entity was giving off. He could almost physically feel the power coming off of it. For a brief moment he tried to sense it's strength through the force and he staggered as he felt the strength that it held.

He narrowed his eyes and looked over at Per'dra and then at the other members of the strike team.

"Today, this ends." Zarev said quietly as the Entity finally got close enough to see it's physical features. Eyes that were almost completely black and utterly devoid of anything resembling compassion or mercy stared back at him. The Entity wore black robes that resembled nothing he had ever seen before with odd symbols on them. He was of average height, two inches taller then Zarev. He took a look at the lightsaber that the Entity held and he noticed that it was covered in dust.

"I normally don't need to use this, nor do I normally feel the urge to use it. But you and your friends are a special case. I will cut each and everyone of you apart and spread what's left of you across the planet." The Entity said quietly as what looked like an aura of dark side energy seemed to surround it.

"Stand fast!" Zarev shouted. "Today, we fight for both the Republic and the Empire! Today we stop the greatest threat known to our galaxy! Today we save everyone!"

Zarev reignited his double bladed lightsaber and the twin yellow blades appeared. "Now we end this." He snarled as he charged the Entity and boosted his speed using the force as he jumped into the air and brought his blade down on the Entity as a blood red lightsaber blade appeared between Zarev and the Entity as the Entity ignited his own lightsaber blade.

As Varik was about to bust Light's chops about showing off, he felt a dark presence. He saw the Entity for the first time - a figure blacker than black, and he felt a twinge of fear.

"Whatever injury that blaster bolt gave we're going to have to ignore.", he said to Light. "You know what to do. Let's finish this."

"I normally don't need to use this, nor do I normally feel the urge to use it. But you and your friends are a special case. I will cut each and everyone of you apart and spread what's left of you across the planet."

He clutched his lightsabers and he ran at the Entity, locking his blades with the Entity's as it momentarily broke away from Zarev.

"You overestimate yourself, bastard.", he said through clenched teeth.

As the enemies collapsed, Light returned his flying saber to his hand. He then used the Force to close the wound from the blaster bolt.

"Yeah, it's what I get for showing off, right?"

Light looked over the Entity with a bit of awe. This creature had been the cause of their hardship from the beginning. But, it looked almost normal, ignoring the eyes.

"Right, but I feel like it's misleading us. We must be..." Varik ran off to engage before Light finished "careful."

This is going to be a hell of a fight.

Light watched how quickly the Entity moved between Zarev's and Varik's strikes. Almost too fast.

Light moved to engage from another angle; he tried sweeping the Entity's legs with his blade hoping to impair its movement.

The Entity smirked as it managed to deflect Varik's lightsaber with a parry from it's own saber and managed to get a few feet away from the three attackers before Light managed to strike it's leg.

"You will break before you die." The Entity said in a cold voice as for a brief moment a red aura seemed to surround it as a swirling vortex of force energy formed around it's hands.

Zarev turned to the others. "Brace yourselves!" He shouted as the Entity unleashed a massive burst of force energy that could have most likely sent a Republic walker flying off over the horizon.

The Entity looked up as it suddenly sensed something approaching at high speed. It barely managed to force jump backwards as laser cannon blasts tore into the ground where it had stood a moment ago. The Shan shook violently as the Entity unleashed a massive blast of Force Lightning that nearly knocked the Shan out of the sky.

"Vlalkor to Strike team, This thing is hitting the Shan pretty hard. I'm preparing to try and hit him with the last of our concussion missiles. Stand by to avoid impact zone."

"No!" Zarev shouted. "Don't do it. I have a feeling this thing could use them against us. Keep trying to hit it with the laser cannons as long as we're not in the impact zone."

Per'dra, thrown back by the massive shock wave that the Entity emitted, decided to use a few of her own. In order to do so, however, she fell into a deep active meditation state. Focusing her thoughts, she sent a pulse outward from her mind, which grew stronger and stronger in tune with her heartbeat and adrenaline.Take this; take this; take this; take this; take this and die.

Light was sent flying by the force wave. He managed to recover in the air, landing on his feet. Hearing the communications from the others, he was already preparing to avoid closing with the Entity, when he noticed Per'dra and moved into a defensive position near her.

"This thing is something else," Light muttered to himself while scanning for Varik.

Having been in mid-strike, Varik was the least prepared of the group when the Entity released a shockwave. He went flying, unable to manage any sort of recovery as he slammed into a rock face. He tumbled into a heap, dazed and confused. It took a few moments before he pushed himself off the ground, shaking his head to regain focus.

He was pissed.

He ignited both his lightsabers, and charged toward the Entity, propelling himself into an overhead strike. A Force push shoved him back before he was able to complete the strike. He got up almost instantly, lunging at the Entity with renewed vigor.

They clashed ferociously in a display that would look magnificent to an outside observer. Varik heard shouting, but he ignored them. His attacks were sharp and quick, but the Entity's were faster. He twirled and made a parry. He was barely keeping up with it. It was getting stronger. But how?

He upped the ante. His attacks were stronger, more fierce. The Entity was making more parries, more feints. Varik was keeping up. They continued trading until they locked blades.

"I won't be the one who falls this day.", he snarled.

The Entity broke the lock and knocked Varik back. He rolled and jump back up, and then unleashed a flurry of strikes. It struck back with a series of its own, almost too much for Varik. They locked blades again. Varik was using Juyo extensively at this point.

He was getting tired, his attacks heavier but more sluggish. They traded blows. Varik was sweating, his breathing heavy, but kept going. He was going to take this thing down, he had to. He was getting slower. He was making mistakes. He missed a strike with his left blade and left his back exposed. He just barely spun and parried with his right blade.

They traded strikes and Varik kicked the Entity. He then overestimated a strike and had to duck to miss the blade. He raised both of his blades and slammed down hard against its blade. He made a blunder and staggered. He went again. He gave three heavy blows. A vicious counterattack by the Entity followed. He misjudged one of the strikes and ended up losing his left lightsaber, the top part of the hilt getting cut off.

He paused. He glared at the Entity with fire in his eyes. He was determined to bring this thing down.

"You will pay for that."

He fought with the ferocity of a caged rancor. He decided to apply Makashi more extensively instead of Juyo. He wanted to destroy its lightsaber. He wanted it to burn. They traded quick strikes and parries. Varik made a wide overhead slash. The Entity saw it coming and moved out of the way easily, and made a horizontal swipe, the tip of its saber searing Varik's left shoulder.

He screamed, and fell on one knee. He was desperate, this fight was too much. He got up, and in one last act of defiance, charged toward the Entity, forcing all of his strength and body into one punishing blow. For the first time, the Entity staggered backward. Varik went to strike again, but his energy was spent. This strike was pitifully weak, his arm far off to the side.

It was met with him barely able to block a swipe from the Entity, and a series of strikes afterward, and he stumbled and fell to the ground. His lightsaber deactivated as he was kicked to the side and it focused on the others.

He was a fool. He felt like a damned idiot. And now he was likely going to meet his end because of it.

((The next few posts will detail the Strike Team members fighting their Nightmares. What the nightmare is is entirely up to you.))

Take this; take this; take this; take this; take this and die.

The Entity simply smirked as it managed to avoid the attack and clashed with Varik for a moment before wounding him with it's Lightsaber.

"Children. Clumsy Children." It said simply as it looked up suddenly and it stood up straight as a sudden thought hit it like a thunderbolt. "Wait a moment, Where is the sith failure? Where is the woman?"

Avriela seemed to materialize from nowhere as she kicked the Entity in the back and smiled viciously as the lightsaber was knocked from it's grasp. Avriela unleashed a stream of lightning at the saber and watched as smoke erupted from the hilt as the insides of it were fried.

Avriela dropped into a fighting stance as a shimmering ball of force energy surrounded the entity. "Let's see how tough you are without the Lightsaber." Avriela smiled.

The Entity narrowed it's eyes.

"Perhaps it's time I show you a technique of my own design." The Entity smirked as dark energy seemed to surround it. "Prepare to face your darkest nightmares." It said as dark streams of force energy struck each of the members of the Strike Team.

((NOTE: I will carry this idea over into the next chapter. Per'dra has another secret besides her love for Zarev, a much darker one. She's been blocking it out this whole time, but the Entity will remind her of it via her nightmare.))

It can't be. It simply can't, she told herself. You're dead, Captain...

"Dead?" said the figure directly in front of her. "You only wish I were, Jedi."

Before Per'dra stood Captain Enobarus Hvalt, formerly of the Republic, now deceased. Neutralized or terminated might be a better term, at least if Captain Hvalt's state were properly listed in the Republic archives. As it was, his death was classified as a homicide, as yet unsolved. His assassin, highly skilled at stealth, had been so remarkable at concealing her tracks that she had managed to hide the truth from her very own mind. Until now.

"It was a mistake," she stammered as her team's fight against the Entity raged on. "I was sent on a mission to find a Sith spy within the Republic networks connected to our Order, and I was certain it was you. Forgive me."

"Forgive?" sneered Hvalt. "That is for the living, which you are, and which I am not. You cut me down without a second thought, not having made the final connection that one of my superiors was the traitor, and the mole. You were so convinced by the 'evidence' my superior planted, and here you are, trained in the ways of the Force! You are supposed to be just, yet you aren't. You are supposed to be moral, but morality flew out the window of your consciousness long ago. Most of all, you are supposed to be of the Light, but you yielded to the Dark Side when you hid your guilt from your Masters."

"I..." All the strength rushed out of Per'dra's muscles. "I admit it now."

"Then surrender yourself. You have not paid the required price for murder, but now you will. Deactivate your lightsabers, and drop them on the ground."

She did.

"Now, kneel and let me fill you. Let me take the life you took from me."

Per'dra knelt, and the nightmare coursed into her body like a flood of poison.

Force, if you accept me, I am yours. If not, I am sorry for all time.

Light turned and saw Per'dra drop her sabers, but everything was getting darker. Light knew his mind was being deceived, and tried to resist, tried to fight.

Per'dra picked up her sabers.. No, Perdra spoke and knelt. He couldn't hear her though.

The Entity was there, and yet it wasn't. From within it spewed all of the friends and allies Light had made. At first it was slow, but it started speeding up until they were almost all there. No, it was just the Entity, or was it?

Light approached the Entity, and went to strike him with a lightsaber blow to the chest. Instead of the block or parry that he expected the Entity didn't move... and then it was Varik that he'd struck down in cold blood. A friend, killed by his own hand. And the Entity was where Varik had stood merely moments before. Light charged and thrust his sabers through it's chest, and Styke Te'enona fell to the ground. Light couldn't believe that a fellow member of the Brotherhood of Swordmasters was here. The Entity, again, was moved somewhere else.

Light couldn't handle it. It was so real.. So disturbingly real. He had just slain two friends... He kept trying to see what was really happening, but all he could see was his friends. The disgusted looks on their faces as they checked on the two corpses he'd made. He tried to listen to the real world, but could hear only their words expressing their disbelief that he could have fallen to the Dark side. Sounds of them igniting their sabers. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Per'dra, still kneeling, the same distance from him as before.

Had he moved at all? Was she real? Light couldn't tell anymore. As he turned towards her, she vanished. Who vanished?

Avriela made her way out of the growing crowd of upset former allies. She was ready, and she attacked. Light, immediately on the defensive, couldn't believe her ferocity. He blocked and parried, trying to get her to slow down so he could explain himself.

Can you really explain away killing two of your friends?

Light kept fighting, kept being pushed back. He feigned a block, deactivated and dropped his sabers, and rolled to her side. He grabbed an arm, and immediately felt a surge of electricity flow from it. He ignored the wounds she'd scored on his hand, arm, and chest, and pulled her arm towards himself. She resisted, as he'd expected, causing not just her arm, but her whole body to move towards him. He put her in a chokehold, quickly locking his elbow under her chin with one arm, and using the other to control her saber.

Light quickly spoke as he applied pressure to her throat, trying to keep her awake, but drain her energy. "Can you hear me? What are you seeing that is making us fight? I don't think it's real. It can't be real... Please, snap out of it."

(Sorry it took me so long to post, life has kept me extremely busy)

Corsail had been exchanging cover for cover, constanly staying on the move fighting beside the rest of the strike team. None of his shots towards the Entity seemed to do any damage, the ones he didn't deflect, seemed to absorbed into nothing. "Blast! How do we kill this thing?" he exclaimed furiously.

Dark streams of energy came rushing towards him and his world grew smaller, and everything went deathly quiet and completely dark. Whats happening?? Where am I? Corsail tried to move, but only managed to stumble on to his knees. When he looked up, it wasn't just darkness anymore, there was something, someone else. His father.

Corsail stared at him in disbelief, "How... how are you here?" His father shook his head "My son, you are asking the wrong question.. The question is, why are YOU here?"

"What are you talking about?" Corsail asked confused at what was going on. His father's eyes flickered into black voids then turned back. "Why are you here, with these people? Fighting along side the Republic, and the Jedi! What do you owe them? What have they EVER done for you?"

Corsail looked down, "Nothing." He replied coldly. "But.."

"But what?" His father interrupted, "You want to wait to be betrayed again? You know its only a matter of time before they're done with you. Think about it, my son, everyone you've ever placed your trust in has either failed you, or tried to kill you.. and it will happen again."

Corsail was burning with anger, but also filled with doubt. Who is this? This can't be my father saying these things. "No.. "

"No?" His father laughed at him "Don't tell you me you're starting think of these comrades of yours as friends. You think they care about you? They hate you, despise you, and wish you had never been a part of this doomed mission of theirs. You are nothing to them, you are nothing to anyone!"

"Stop it!! Just stop!" Corsail shouted, as he tried to desperately stand up. He felt as if he was being pushed into the ground by an unknown force.

His fathers eyes again turned into black voids, but this time, stayed that way. "Corsail, the republic is weak, and is doomed to fall. You know this. Was the republic strong enough to defend against the empire when it attacked our home world and killed our family? You have no one to live for but yourself, my son, stop deceiving yourself into thinking that these fools you are fighting beside, risking your life for, are any different from the rest. This time, don't give them a chance to betray you, kill them, before THEY kill you."

Corsail was on his feet now, he had his blasters out and his hands were shaking. "Get out of my head!" he managed to pull the trigger and a furry of blaster bolts shot out.

As the dark energy from the Entity filled Per'dra's body, Enobarus Hvalt continued to speak from beyond the grave. All around her, the young Jedi saw her comrades in the thrall of - Wait. They're fighting illusions, so that means...

"I am?" said Hvalt. "Hardly. If I were a phantom, I wouldn't be able to do this..." He wrapped his ethereal hands around Per'dra's throat and began to squeeze. Fortunately, that snapped her out of the deadly trance in which she had her caught. She stood up, picked up her sabers again, and prepared to attack.

"You're going to kill me twice?" the Republic Captain asked, and howled.

With all of her remaining strength, Per'dra charged at the hallucination.

((Light, I really like the nod you gave to Styke and the old Brotherhood. Brings back some memories.))

Varik was still on the ground, trying to will his way to get back up when he saw streams of dark energy head towards him.

Oh no.

He blinked, his vision was getting darker. Suddenly, his surroundings changed. He was laying in the middle of a market square, and the skyline was dotted with buildings set ablaze. All around he saw charred rubble and collapsed structures. It was Onderon, his homeworld.

What trickery is this?

He stood up and looked around in bewilderment. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned. A tall lean man in his late 50s stood several meters away, and was dressed in the garb that was attributed to the affluent Onderonian politicians. Varik shuddered.

The man's lips curled into a smile. "Hello Varik."

Varik froze. It was Javir, also known as Darth Serazin. He was a Sith Lord, who had ties to the royal family of Onderon. He was responsible for infiltrating Onderonian politics and attempting to take over Onderon in the name of the Sith Empire. He was the head of the Council of Lords, and was behind numerous assassinations of people who were known to have close ties with the Republic, including Varik's entire family. Varik hunted him down and killed him before he was able to stage a coup and crown himself King.

But here he was, standing before him. This was a trick, it had to be. He rubbed his eyes and his breathing picked up. "But... but I killed you!"

But it looked so real. Was it really a vision?

Javir laughed. "Murder would be a more appropriate term." He clasped his hands behind his back and moved forward. "Or has your memory clouded so easily, Jedi?"

Varik glared at the dead man. His fear and confusion suddenly turned into sweltering rage.

"MURDER?!" His fists clenched. "You were too dangerous to be kept alive! You had too many allies, you had to die. I did what I had to do to ensure my world wouldn't fall to the Sith!" He spoke with conviction, but he felt doubt. He knew what he did was wrong, but it had to be done. Or did it? The Jedi would say otherwise.

Javir stopped a few meters in front of Varik. "So, is that your justification? Do you tell that yourself to make yourself sleep better? To make yourself feel like a hero?", he snarled. "I was weaponless and at your mercy. And you cut me down in anger."

Varik scoffed. "A Sith Lord is never at mercy." Javir's words were resonating with him. His doubts grew, but he refused to show it.

"I can see the truth in your heart.", Javir said. "And I saw it in your eyes that day. You didn't kill me for some noble cause. You didn't kill me to save Onderon, you killed me because you wanted revenge.", he smirked. "You may tell yourself you did it for the greater good, but murder is murder. No matter who is on the other end of the blade."