Carpe Diem (Open)

[Gamov]

Jor's reply was almost exactly what Nisha had expected. The Jedi's apparent inability to seize on opportunity and capitalize their advantage was just more evidence to her that they were weak. Of course, her early life as little more than a clone hadn't allowed her to truly form any other opinion beyond what the Emperor had wanted. And the recent inclusion of his long forgotten alter ego constantly echoing in her mind didn't alleviate matters much either.

"I suppose I'd best run then. But I have a feeling we will meet again really soon." Raising her hands from her lightsaber to show that she had no intention of drawing her blade against Jor, Nisha slowly backed out of the hallway and slipped around the corner she had rounded only moments earlier.

Out of Jor's sight, the voice returned to her. "You stupid girl! You idiot! Why did you just walk away from him? You had your chance."

Nisha felt as if her head was going to split open from the sheer anger being projected on her. In the months following her first encounters with it, she could barely control the thing. Now, she had managed to tolerate it, but its presence was still overwhelming to her senses.

"Just shut up. I know what I'm doing." She growled back at the voice.

"That is unlikely. After all of this time, you're still just a dumb little girl. You've learned nothing."

Nisha seethed with hatred now. It had come to enjoy berating her, and there was little she could actually do to stop it beyond just blatantly ignoring it.

"Why don't you use that more often? There's plenty of anger in here, I should know."

"Just be quiet and let me do my job. Then we can discuss why you still think I'm a lost cause."

The voice chuckled, "oh, I wouldn't go quite that far. Some of the thoughts you have had racing through here lately have been tantalizing, to say the least. You could be something yet. We just need to focus your emotions a bit more."

Shaking her head at the voice, Nisha brushed it off. "Whatever. Just let me get on with my duty."

"By all means...."

As the voice retreated, Nisha felt slightly dizzy, stumbling and catching herself on the wall. The headaches would start soon, they always did after it came out. She would have to move quickly if she was to complete her objective.

[MikDaTv]

Jor exhaled and put his lightsaber away and picked up his ACP Array gun. He wanted to go to engineering to do whatever damage he could but that would be a problem when Romulus lit the candle.

Instead, he headed towards the nearest gun battery. While he walked, he extended his own consciousness to touch Malum's. Whatever the Dark Lord was doing, Jor wanted throw a spanner into it. Sup. Whatcha up to man? Yall got any good restaurants on this ship?

[Gamov]

Concentrating outwardly on the Ruina, Malum was engrossed with his own manipulations when an unfamiliar feeling brushed his thoughts through the Force. His eyes darting open and his lightsaber hovering a few inches off of the ground next to him in preparation for an attack, the Sith Lord did a quick scan of his surroundings. Nothing. Just the silent hum of the ship around him. Then it came to him, it was the Jedi.

Lowering his guard, he resumed his meditations and now divided his attention between Jor and the commander of the Ruina. Wayneright being a mere man, the Emperor needed only to focus but a modicum of his attention on him to manipulate him, and while he waited for an acknowledgement from his puppet on the Ruina, he decided to entertain his guest.

"Well, if I had known I was to be receiving the company of a Jedi, I would have laid a trap. Malum attempted to subtly gain further access to Jor's mind. He wanted to know who exactly he was dealing with, though anticipated resistance to his attempts.

"I do hope you don't plan on escaping here alive. It would be unfortunate if I didn't get a chance to sign the death wish you so obviously have."

[MikDaTv]

Oh I plan on living for quite a while longer. He spoke mentally. He walked into one of the port side turbolaser battery control rooms and fired his gun into the air. "Everyone out or die!" He yelled. The crew in the gun control room hesitated for a long moment before the chief loudly ordered everyone out. The small crew exited and Jor set to work charging the capacitors on the turbolasers.

Seriously though, what are you doing? What do you bad guys do all alone in your little chambers? Swim in piles of money? Twist mustaches? I know you don't practice your mental powers because your attempts to get at me are way sub par. Cain got further than you and he didn't even have a suit of bitchin armor.

[Gamov]

As expected, his attempts to delve deeper into Jor's mind were repulsed. Yet this did not deter Malum, it merely gave him an insight into the man he was dealing with. "Cain always was too arrogant for his own good. The galaxy is a much better place without him now, wouldn't you agree?"

Following Jor around by the mental connection he had established, Malum could sense a brief moment of worry rise up through their telepathic banter. But it did not originate from Jor. Instead it seemed to come from an outside source. One that he could only assume had originated with the crew of the ship. "Going after the minions then? I'm not important enough? That hurts. If course, you had your chance on the bridge and you ran. Maybe you just aren't cut out for the job of taking out the bad guys."

[MikDaTv]

I'd leave them alone but there's so damn many of them wandering around. Jor thought through their shared link.

"Rita, do you remember how to access the safety governors that we had installed on the Jewel of Coronet?" He asked out loud.

The voice inside his helmet was clear as a bell and very familiar to him. "I made sure to brush up on all the particulars of the Executor Class before you decided to kill yourself here." Rita said.

"Good, can you help me access them?" He asked.

Jor could almost hear her smugness. "Plug me in and I can do it for you."

Jor extended the cord from the data uplink in his suit to the adapter on the console.

Last time I checked Mally, you haven't gone anywhere. You have me exactly where I want you. Hey, i don't suppose you'd be up for just surrendering would you? Every time i deal with you guys it's always the hard way. I keep telling myself one of yall will pick the easy way one of these days.

"The data is encrypted with the latest Imperial protection codes. It will take me a while to break it." Rita informed him.

"Can you access other parts of the ship from here?" Jor asked.

"once I have broken enough of these encryption codes i will be able to branch out into surrounding non-critical, low-importance systems like the shipboard E-mail and PA system."

"Good, get to work on that too. When you've cracked it, disable the safeties and let they turbolasers overload. In 15 minutes they'll be hunks of molten slag melting through the ship." Jor said and stood up.

"Understood." Rita replied.

Where are you Mally? If you want to meet in person, i'll oblige you. You want anything from the store while i'm out here?

[Ragsmire]

Prenuncius of Ruina, Bridge.

Commander Damon Wayneright stood at his fullest height at the epicenter of the bridge, while not a dominating figure to be certain, he only measured in at five foot seven inches, with a slender build and unimposing features he didn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of men, nor did he attempt to. That was, and he knew this from experience, a Sith lord's place. Instead Wayneright welcomed another person's perspective on any given situation, wanted their input, suggestions, criticisms, it made for a better overall strategy, like gears clicking together one at a time. Without one another couldn't rotate.

Turning to one of his advisory council, he took a report from her hand and began to gloss over it, before calling her back over before she was out of ear shot. "Sergeant, what's the situation with Lord Judicar, is he aboard?"

"We have confirmed reports that indicate so much, yes." Wayneright held off for a moment, his eyes, while still fixated on the sergeant, unfocused and fainted. Something seemed to call his name, but upon a brief glance about nothing seemed out of place, no officers or enlisted trooper waiting to deliever a message to him.

Finally turning back to the matter at hand, he further inquired about Judicar. "Why hasn't he come to the bridge yet, where is his current location?" She checked the report with her detapad, filed only minutes ago, before facing him again with a response. "According to the last report he was still in the hanger."

Allowing a small nod, and a gracious smile, he released her back to her duties, instead getting pulled away by Lieutenant Corpus. "Sir, A new fleet's entered the system!" Corpus spat in a frantic tone, Wayneright snapped out of the daze, if someone had called him they'd need to be put on the back burner.

"What are we looking at?" He asked, spinning on his heel to face the view port and gaze down the belly of the bridge's deck into the command consoles spread beneath him.

"Its a Lysander, With Shard and Olympian class escorts on ether flank." Wayneright sucked in a long breathe, considering the possibilities ahead of them, with the Empire, and now this new enemy. "What's their attack Aven-" Before he could finish the Ruina was hit by the first of volley launched from the Jor Halcyon.

The ship rocked and rattled from the impact, nearly taking Wayneright off his feet before someone called for the shields to be brought to power on the aft flank where the battery had hit. Grabbing the railing for support, Wayneright heard one of the officer's from the pit call out.

"Manticore's in pursuit, approaching from our port side." Solidifying his footing, Wayneright shouted over the alarms and voices from across the deck. Wayneright opened his mouth to speak, but in that instant something came across him.

"Commander Wayneright" It was the same mystically, unfounded source as before. "Are you there? Can you hear me?" He looked around the room momentarily, trying to place the voice to a face before answering, but no one seemed to be addressing him. Feeling like the part of a fool, he gave in anyway and responded.

"Yes, i hear you, but where are you?"

[Gamov]

Malum's chambers:

"If you want to meet me in person, you know where I am. In my personal little chamber rolling in a pile of money, as you say."

By this time however, Wayneright had finally responded to Malum's telepathic message. Loosening his connection with Jor, he moved his attention now more towards the Ruina and her crew. "Who I am is not important. Nor is my location. All you need to do is listen to me and you and your men will make it out of this alive. I highly recommend that you cooperate, I would hate to have to force you to."

Security room, Soveeign's lower decks:

"Any sign of the Jedi yet, Sergeant?" Radik said, his posture rigid as he stared at the collection of video screens on the wall in front of him. His hands were clasped neatly behind his back as he looked through the images being displayed.

"Nothing so far, sir. He may have managed to escape the ship."

"I don't think so, Sergeant. There is something more to him.... I can feel it."

Suddenly, Nisha stumbled into the security room, barely composed and nursing a blaring migraine. "My god, are all of the lights in the ship so bright?" She hissed, "Radik.... I think I know where our Jedi friend has gotten to."

Radik turned to face the Sith Lady. She looked terrible, for lack of a better description. "You look like your head just went twenty rounds with a duracrete block."

Glaring at the Guardsman, Nisha gave him a sharp look of disapproval, "nice to see you too."

Before Radik could respond, a technician in the room suddenly blurted out over the commotion. "Sir! I've got an unauthorized system access here!"

"Show me." Radik demanded as he turned back to the computer screens. In a moment, the general location of the unauthorized access was displayed on all of the monitors in the room, "the weapons banks. He's going to try and disable the ship from the inside. Sergeant, lock down that area and dispatch the Overwatch to finish him. You," he pointed to the technician that had shouted the original report. "Keep track of him. Do not lose him!"

The Sergeant plugged in the authorization codes for the security overrides in that section of the ship, sealing off all major points of exit while more than 600 Overwatch operations agents descended on the area. Equipped with a variety of weapons ranging from standard blasters to sonic disruptors and gas grenades loaded with powerful neurotoxins, the Overwatch were specifically outfitted to deal with the threat posed by Force users.

Near turbolaser control room:

"Keep those doors covered, watch our flanks. Stay sharp men." Major Venn shouted, directing part of the company towards the auxiliary maintenance corridors that linked the turbolaser batteries to one another along the flank of the ship.

Some 150 men strong, Tango Company had gained a reputation in the Overwatch as being among one of the best units available. Commanded by Colonel Toth himself, they had gained a reputation for being particularly brutal when it came to executing their orders.

"Major, what do we have?" The Colonel asked, walking to her position.

"Sir, the Jedi is in that turbolaser bank somewhere. I've secured the perimeter. First, second, third and fourth platoon have deployed along the length of the ship between this battery and the next four stations."

"Fifth and sixth platoons?"

"I have them on scouting duty at the moment. We've boxed him in here. If he tries to move, we'll know."

Toth nodded, "good work Major. Do I have a way to contact our fugitive."

"You will, sir." Venn turned over he shoulder and shouted for one of the soldiers in her platoon, "Masters! Front and center."

"Yes, ma'am?" He said, hustling to the Major.

"The Colonel wants a line to the Jedi. Patch him through."

Masters nodded and rook his rucksack off. Being the designated communications officer for the Major's platoon, he was equipped with whatever tools they might need to bug into comm systems or anything else that had a computer chip in it. Taking a second to set up a rudimentary comm line through a nearby intercom, Masters bypassed the normal operations of the comm and bugged into the entire PA system for this section of the ship. After some finer adjustments, he handed the mic over to the Colonel.

"Good to go, sir."

Toth nodded as he keyed the mic in hand, "well well. Looks like we've got ourselves a Jedi on board." His voice echoed through the halls and passageways on the Sovereign's port side turbolaser control rooms.

"Allow me to introduce myself, in case you care. I'm Colonel Maebus Toth, commander of the Overwatch. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this ship belongs to you. So why don't you save us all some trouble and surrender all nice and peaceful like.... Or I can send 400 heavily armed and well trained soldiers in to turn you into ground meat. Either way works for me."

[MikDaTv]

Roger that Darth Mini-mall, I'm on my way.

Jor felt the storm coming. Crewmen had been evacuated out of the are and a new force of determination and focus was moving in on all sides. They'd found out his location.

"Jor, i have decrypted enough to estimate that an outside element is preparing to use the ships intercom." Rita said to him in his helmet.

Not half a second later, Toth gave his announcement. Jor groaned to himself. "Is this guy for real?"

Rita replied with a confused tone. "Jor?"

"He's playing it way over the top." Jor said. "I'm general ripper, i squash bugs like you for breakfast. I have 400 well trained men... hamburger meat and stuff." He groaned again. "It's like they stamp these guys out in a factory somewhere. Rita can you get me access to the intercom remotely yet?"

"One moment Jor." She said. A mere second later there was a tone in his ear. "Done. Go ahead and speak."

"Toth, this is Jedi Master Jor Halcyon. I'm on my way to see your boss. Four hundred men is more than enough to kill me, but not before i take a very large, triple digit number of them with me. I'm nowhere near interested in killing good men in order to face one evil one but if you force me, i'll defend myself." Jor said. His voice echoed down the halls just like Toth's had.

"You think he'll listen?" Rita asked.

"No idea." Jor said. "But i need to give him a chance. How are you on those safeties?"

"Still working on it. They've initiated additional digital security for me to contend with. I have however gained access to the shipboard E-mail and Instant Messenger system." Rita replied.

Jor smiled. "initiate protocol... Stranger to Love."

* * *

While the fight still raged outside, every member of the bridge crew on board Sovereign just got a priority E-mail. Return addressed to the INFOSEC Cheif, it was a short e-mail detailing how digital security had been penetrated on one of the turbolaser batteries and that other systems may be effected. It requested the recipients to click on a link in order to download the latest encryption to their workstations and protect their systems from external intrusion.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
All,

Ship board operating system has been breached in one of the turbolaser bays and ship systems are slowly being affected. To keep the ship at maximum operation, please download the latest encryption software.

You can find the software here. Please download ASAP to keep all command systems secure.

v/r

Chief W.P. Tallylicker

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Stranger to Love protocol is in effect." Rita informed him.

Jor grabbed his lightsaber and activated it. He'd cut his way out of here and back into the main hallways. "Awesome." He said with a smile. "I have been waiting for such a long time to use that particular protocol in a life and death situation."

[Ragsmire]

Wayneright gazed about the command deck once more, not in another attempt to locate the voice, but instead to truly evaluate his position, the fleets position, and their chances of making it out of here with minimal loses. Clenching his right fist into a tight ball Damon had to admit it to himself, he wasn't suited to fight this battle, and not even a gifted tactic could make it out of here scratch free. If what this divine entity was promising was even a portion true, then perhaps he could escape with only a bruise.

Swallowing his pride, he choked down his spit readying himself to answer the beck and call. "So tell me then, what is your plan? How am i to lead us out of this?" Wayneright took special care not to look into the sky, or speak too loudly so as to not appear as mad as he felt. All the while his exterior self shouting orders and giving default commands like a robot, things that would help a little there, or do a little here, but wouldn't be the moment of genius that solves all there problems.

[Gamov]

"Toth, this is Jedi Master Jor Halcyon. I'm on my way to see your boss. Four hundred men is more than enough to kill me, but not before i take a very large, triple digit number of them with me. I'm nowhere near interested in killing good men in order to face one evil one but if you force me, i'll defend myself."

Jor's words were practically music to the Colonel's ears. An open invitation to come in guns blazing wasn't what he had anticipated from a Jedi. He had half expected some kind of plea for reason or some such nonsense. Good to see he was dealing with a very agreeable character.

"Major."

"Sir?"

'Let's get ourselves a Jedi."

A twisted grin spread over the Major's features, "yes, sir!" Turning to give a nod to the other soldiers in her platoon, Venn motioned them forward before pressing on her earpiece and issuing an order on the SquadCom. "All units, we're moving in. Stay sharp and don't let that Jedi get passed you."

Sovereign's bridge:

It had happened on one console, then another, then another and another. Soon, the entire bridge crew was inundated with the message sent out by Jor. Of course the crew had clicked on the links, how were they supposed to know otherwise?

"Captain...." Rain seethed in frustration at the message playing in the background of every workstation on the bridge.

"We're working on it, ma'am."

"Work faster!" Turning sharply on her heel, she faced down the Lieutenant, "why hasn't anyone reported that Jedi as dead yet?"

"I... I... don't know, ma'am. I'll find out right away."

"You do that, Lieutenant." As Vale hurried out of the Admiral's presence, Rain turned back to the battle outside.

The Ruina was making steady progress out of the system, with the Manticore giving her extra incentive to do so quickly. Once Sovereign was released from its station, Rain was going to make a point to blast the Jor Halycon into scrap. She only regretted that she didn't know where the ship had originated from so she couldn't take a fleet to that planet and burn it as well.

Normally she wasn't so easily aggravated, but since the battle of Byss and Malum's new position as Emperor, it seemed the galaxy was coming after her at light speed with every gun blazing. It was all she could do to fight back and not fall into the same trappings of the Sith themselves.

Malum's chambers:

Commander Wayneright was doing well so far. Cooperation was a key part to Battle Meditation. Not that any of the crew members aboard the Ruina had much of a choice anyway when faced with the Emperor's telepathic abilities.

"Commander, launch your attack against the Halcyon. Target her hangars with every gun you have and don't let up until I say so. Is that clear, Commander?"

[Ragsmire]

"Crystal." Wayneright replied, the order reminded him of his former commander, it had been awhile since he acknowledged a command without question, then again it had been years since he was in service to any naval or military outfit in general. Turning his full attention on the matter at hand, Wayneright jumped right back into the beckoning between soldiers like he'd been a part of it the entire time.

"Ignore the Manticore, on our trail, instead focus your fire on the Halcyon's Hangers. Begin feeding power to the rail cannons, we'll split that son of a bitch in half if we have too." The Bridge united in the direction of the plan, in the task given, the affirmative action placed before them. They operated like never before, And Wayneright swelled up with the notion that his sole leadership had managed it.

At the same moment Judicar stepped into the bridge, seemingly unaffected by the assault, his mind still was elsewhere, drifting between his master and his own leadership of the troopers that swore themselves to his service, the question still lingering, Why?

"What's the situation, commander?" he asked, taking a place beside Wayneright as if he always belonged. "The Halcyon is attempting to block our escape, while Manticore is hot on our ass." Crossing his arms, Judicar placed a gloved hand beneath his helm, continuing to witness the battle before them.

"And the solution's?" He inquired after a moment.

"We've decided it wise to ignore Manticore, and instead concentrate our fire on the Halcyon. Escape is top priority correct?" A Low, yet still audible, inquisitive sigh rose from Judicar, along with his head as he took a fine look at the viewport monitor, more specifically the Jor Halcyon. Neglecting to acknowledge his last question, Judicar began to recall his brief jedi training under Jor, and his face off against Mirror Jor, both seemed so long ago.

When had he arrived? where was he now? Judicar extended his senses out of a morbid curiosity, one he had to satisfy. What had Jor been up too?

[MikDaTv]

OOC: I'd just like to go on record saying that i believe i am the first person to think of rickrolling the bridge crew of a super star destroyer. This is one of my all time favorite threads, purely for that.

* * *

"She's building up a charge in her main guns. Her forward weapon systems are spreading out to hit our port and starboard flanks!" the Chopo reported over the din of activity on the bridge of the Jor Halcyon.

Simon looked at the holographic representation of it on the table. "Targeting our hangers. Well that didn't take long."

Stowe looked up at him and shook his head. "Start us spinning and do something about those railguns."

Simon stepped away from the table and faced the helm. "Helm! Prepare for evasive maneuvers Commence roll to starboard."

"Roll to staboard aye!" The helmsman repeated before complying. The ship began moving. It stayed in it's same position relative to the Ruina but her rolling made her hanger bays swing around the ships center axis in a counter clockwise fashion. The Helmsman kept a close eye on the roll, varying the speed of it so it would not be predictable enough to shoot at straight.

Satisfied, Simon turned to face the weapons department. "All forward guns, target those railguns. Do as much damage to their mouths as possible. Target a full barrage of proton torpedoes and fire when their ready."

The ship responded to the commands like an obedient pack animal obeys it's rider. Her forward weapons began to focus their attack on the Ruina's railguns and soon after, it rapidly spouted 24 proton torpedo's from her 8 forward launchers.

Stowe walked up to stand beside Simon. "Ready tubes one through five just in case. Homeworlds are built like tanks, it'll take a lot to break her."

Simon looked at the captain. "You really want to break her?"

Stowe shook his head "Not particularly. We're here for the Empire and i don't want to waist the ordinance but if they force the issue i'll snap em in two." The captain looked over to the communications section of the bridge. "Radar, go ahead and get us a com link to the Runia."

It took a few moments but Radar got them a link. the captain took the handset from him and keyed it. "Ruina Ruina, this is Halcyon Actual. Ruina Ruina, this is Halcyon Actual. Come back over."

* * *

Jor sighed. There was no answer which meant they were lining up to kill him. "Well, guess i'm cutting my way out of here."

He ignited his lightsaber and stared at the locked door long and hard before plunging his green blade into the floor at his feet and cutting through it. "Rita, give me a route that takes me to the admirals office chambers on the command deck. Include thin bulkheads in your parameters. I'm not afraid to make some doors."

Jor finished cutting through the floor a nice circular hole to the crawlspace under it. Being careful to avoid power cables, he continued to cut another hole through the bottom of the crawl space to the deck below.

"Search commencing. I have cracked the original encryption for the safety governors on the turbolaser capacitors. I am using it's template to crack the additional security being thrown at it. I estimate i will have it cracked in 45 seconds."

"Good" Jor said. He dropped down into the deck below. It was some kind of utility corridor to serve the turbolaser batteries themselves. He made for the nearest door and cut his way through it. He had a dark lord to find.

[Ragsmire]

"Halcyon's on a starboard barrel roll, same speed heading toward us, no alteration in course." one of the officers reported from below, his call singled out over all the other noise fluttering about the bridge. Soon after him came another call however, and an equally pertinent one.

"She's launching proton torpedo's." While the information was constantly rolling in over the viewport and the table top holographic display, things seemed to move more concisely with a constant air of human contact amongst the crew, or at least Wayneright liked to believe that.

"ACP guns should handle most of the Torpedo's, but get fighter support out there to shoot down any stray's." Wayneright commanded as he gazed at the viewport screen, witnessing the battle unfold from the dozens of telescopes positioned around the ship, small screens cluttered the view of the single enlarged picture of the Halcyon.

Judicar however preferred to watch the fight from the table top display, and was the first to be informed when one of the comms engineers approached with a line patched through from the deck of the Halcyon. "My Liege?" She said, offering the small device to him. Instantly the former Sith lord took it within his hand and wrapped the headset around his skull.

"Halcyon, This is Ruina, We read you." Judicar had to physical stop himself from demanding to know why they were chasing his ship, instead opting to reason with them, a new tactic he seldom employed, but perhaps now that was all he could hope to do.

[MikDaTv]

"Ruina, your speaking to Halcyon Actual. I am Captain Graham Stowe of the Ranger PMC. I'm here for the Empire and any would be Imperials. Turn your guns on Manticore and adjust your course Zero One Five Degrees starboard and Halcyon will stay out of your way."

The captain didn't like issuing demands like this in the middle of a fight but the main guns on the Star Destroyer were a lot scarier that the Rail Drivers on the Homeworld. He was willing to let the Ruina escape with all hands if it gave them some assistance cracking the Star Destroyers shields.

"Unless your willing to stick around and help us with Sovereign too." He said only half jokingly.