AN: Double release, go back a ch
Upon completing his speech, Corvus noticed the ship overhead preparing to unleash its turbolasers.
"Master!" Jax cried out in warning.
Corvus rolled his shoulders, and was preparing himself to dodge, when the Millennium Falcon of all things came swooping in guns blazing. The light freighter blasted the capital ship, and tanked the first barrage that was aimed at him.
"I gotcha!" A girl's voice whooped over the comms.
"Omega?! What are you doing girl?!" Hunter's voice sounded over the comms in a combination of worry, concern, and a little anger.
"Saving your butts!" The girl cheekily replied, and did a loop in the Falcon, dodging a missile. At the same time, her amateurish skills saw her scrape the underside of the ship along the flat side of a skyscraper.
Corvus winced at the squealing noise, and shuddered when he saw the scratches forming on his baby. Eyebrow twitching, Corvus breathed deeply to calm his emotions.
'It's okay, she's made out of tritanium, she'll be fine!' He said to himself in an attempt to dismiss the damage. 'Just look on the positive side, at least you didn't have to get your lazy bones off your resting spot anytime soon.'
"Aim for the bridge, Omega. Give them something to fear." Crosshair spoke up in a cold, detached tone.
Corvus rolled his eyes, then contacted Clip, it was time to go mask off, and reveal his hand.
"Captain, you're doubtlessly monitoring the scene. I want you to eliminate that cruiser." Corvus ordered.
"Yes, General. Be advised, it will likely crash in your area." Clip acknowledged, and then warned before cutting the call.
"Alright boys, I'm going to need your help." Corvus turned to his Padawans.
"Master? Do you need help moving?" Jax stepped forward and asked in a concerned tone.
"Please tell me we get to take that ship out of the sky! I so want to smash their heads in!" Yon grinned, exposing a wolf-like mouthful of shiny white teeth.
"I-" Corvus was going to speak, but a huge explosion rocked the blown out train station.
Large, bright orange fireballs brightened the night sky, and the news craft was forced to take evasive action. Hot waves and concussive blasts fell upon them as section after section of the capital ship began to fall apart. Metal showered everywhere, and it began to tilt on its side as smoke billowed from many different sections.
"It's coming down!" Yon shouted.
Seconds later, the group of Mandalorians that had been such a pain in his ass earlier emerged from the 'sinking' ship. Flying alongside them were a pair of monstrous mechs that Corvus recognized. They were the ancient Mandalorian weapons, the Basilisk Wardroids!
"Master, let me help you down, we have to go now." Jax said in a steady tone. Ever the consummate Jedi, he didn't allow the threat of death to spook or worry him.
"Heh, this is what I wanted your help with. If that ship comes crashing down, countless people will die." Corvus replied.
"So just bring them back!" Yon said in a hurried, somewhat panicked tone. His eyes shifted from left to right, and he looked like he wanted to run at any moment.
"Tonight was a miracle, one I may not be able to reproduce for as long as I live. No, the only option is to stop that ship. Will you two act as my left & right hands?" Corvus asked, and said with a smile.
Jax furrowed his brows, but ultimately nodded without saying a word.
"Kriff it! Whatever Master says!" Yon swore out loud, and grit his teeth. The short, black haired teen was slightly shivering, a small bit of fear was evident in his eyes, yet he remained where he was.
"Very good. Tap into the bond we share, and focus on your kyber crystals. Ask the Force for help, pull upon the emotions and wishes of the people that surround us use their desires as a buoy. Mix the Light & Dark, the planet & the people, yourself & me. Yon, allow your worry to seep into Jax. Jax, project your calm into your brother. Push & pull, we are balance. We are Je'daii." Corvus said in a serene tone, and had closed his eyes as he directed his students.
The Padawans flanked him, and began to follow his instructions. Many different sensations assaulted his senses, and Corvus once more overdrafted his body as he acted as a conduit for powers that were greater than himself. However, this time, there were two more people to help share in the burden, and the strain upon his body, mind & soul wasn't as bad.
For a moment, the capital ship began to freefall, and their grasp upon it was porous, like a heap of sand trying to contain the weight of a man. The ship jerked up and down, and in some cases came down to earth even faster than it should have.
People screamed, and began to scatter, whilst some of the recently resurrected merely stood still, and accepted their fate.
"Gentlly now. We must be soft, yet hard. Firm, yet bendable. Unyielding in the face of despair. We. Do. Not. Break!"
[Force Valor] wordlessly spread amongst them, clearing up the boys' psyches.
Upon finishing his statement, Corvus, along with Jax & Yon became reinvigorated. Their actions were in sync, and nothing could distract them from their task!
Minutes later, the flaming wreck of the capital ship was steadily, and slowly lowered on top of the blown out train station.
"Fooo." Corvus heavily exhaled, and opened his eyes to see that not a single person died due to their intervention.
"Kickass! Master you're amazing!" Yon jumped up and down, then laughed his nerves away and climbed up the cybersuit to sit by his side like a monkey.
Jax similarly breathed out a cool breath, and began to meditate on the sensation he had just experienced. The blue eyed, white haired teen evidently had gained some insights, and wanted to grasp them whilst the iron was hot.
Corvus lightly chuckled, and ruffled Yon's hair. The precocious brat stuck out his tongue, and leaned into the head pat.
"So this is what Omega is capable of, huh? Alright, I'm convinced…she can learn under you." Hunter said, emerging from behind a fiery trashcan that he had been using as cover. "Speaking of which, you know how to land that thing, kid?" Hunter asked over the comms.
"Uhh." Omega's voice came back, carrying with it a great deal of uncertainty.
"Not so fast, Cap, we've got company." Echo clamped a hand on Hunter's shoulder, then pointed up into the air.
Bathed in moonlight, the squad of Mandalorians were slowly descending to the ground. Eventually they formed a semi-circle around the cybersuit. In response, Hunter and the Bad Batch formed up behind Corvus, their blasters were out, and ready at a moment's notice. Yon jumped down, saber ignited, and twirled the red coated green weapon with the intent to mirder. Jax slowly opened his eyes, and the typical winter-blue pupils had turned dark like the depths of an ocean.
"Let them say what needs to be said." Corvus waved his men off, as he sensed no immediate desire to kill from the Mandalorians. It seemed like they had the intent to speak. If anything, the man standing in the center of the formation was eager to try his luck.
'A duel then.' Corvus internally thought with a sigh. 'Well, it's better than facing all of them together I suppose. Although they don't have Tarkin, I am exhausted. Probably one or two of the Bad Batch would die, and maybe even one of the Padawans. The new gear they are sporting, and those two Basilisk Wardroids are no joke.'
"You have stood brave Revan. We true sons of Mandalore recognize your strength, yet are left unsatisfied. Duel me, Commander Vekk of Clan Keldau, and this matter ends here."
Corvus shrugged his shoulders, and hopped off the cybersuit. He was tired, but it wasn't something [Force Valor] couldn't cure.
Igniting his twin lightsabers, he beckoned for the man to make his move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ash drifted like snow across the scarred expanse of the Eriadu rail yards, carried on a sulfur-tainted wind that moaned through shattered train cars and twisted gantries. Fires crackled in the distance, and moonlight spilled upon the two combatants.
Corvus stood still in the desolate remains of the transport hub, his azure lightsabers hummed softly in the oppressive silence. His robes were scorched and torn, and fluttered with the gentle breeze. Around him, the Force flowed like a river beneath the surface, roiling with tension and calm in equal measure.
From above, the shriek of a jetpack sliced through the air.
Commander Vekk descended like a missile, landing hard atop a scorched cargo hauler. His beskar armor bore the etched symbol of the Mythosaur, Mandalore's most sacred beast. Scorch marks and blade gouges marred the surface of his gear, marking him as a veteran.
"Your contractor is dead, Vekk. Perhaps there is no need for a fight, I have enough credits to go around for you and your men." Corvus attempted one last move towards peace.
"Mandalorians do not retreat. We advance or we die." Vekk growled back.
"Then defend yourself." Corvus flourished his blades, then lunged forward.
With a burst of his jetpack, Vekk launched into the sky. The Mandalorian then arced downward, firing twin bursts from his vambrace-mounted flamethrowers. A wall of fire surged forward, and Corvus was going to explode the tubes like he had done before, but Vekk cut the flamer as soon as he started the spray.
Left in an awkward position, he could only dodge backward to distance himself from the heat. Ordinarily, he would consider tanking it with his [Energy Resistance] shield, yet the Force was warning him. Whatever fuel Vekk was using for that flamer, it was extra potent. His shield wouldn't last against such an intense fire!
As he skid backwards, he felt another premonition, that a scanner for a missile had locked onto him!
Seconds later, a micro-missile launched from Vekk's left gauntlet. Corvus redirected the missile so that it exploded at his feet, the resulting explosion flung durasteel chunks in all directions. The close impact had him skidding backwards, his boots grinded sparks off ferrocrete, illuminating his path.
Emerging from the smoke, Corvus lunged into the sky, his lightsabers spun in a downward arc. Vekk countered mid-flight with his jetpack, hovering to meet the Jedi. Surprisingly, this Mandalorian had a violet lightsaber in hand!
Corvus narrowed his eyes, wondering if the Mandalorian had received this as some relic, or if he had personally taken it for himself!
Fueled by a small amount of anger, Corvus did his best to overcome his opponent. Their weapons clashed in a crackling shockwave, azure met purple in a violent dance. For a non-Force attuned individual, Vekk was surprisingly fast. Yet their midair collision was brief, they exchanged a dozen blows.
Unfortunately for Corvus, although he got past Vekk's defense several times, the legendary toughness of beskar was no joke. Long burnt lines crisscrossed Vekk's chestplate, yet it did not phase the Mandalorian whatsoever.
As they fell, Vekk kneed Corvus in the side mid-hover, and he tumbled downward, landing on a ruined maglev track.
Vekk landed hard and advanced, switching to his shock gauntlets. With a snarl, he punched forward with one hand, and then ignited his lightsaber with his offhand, going for a surprise backward swipe after the follow through. Corvus barely dodged the electrified strike, and the insane voltage singed the edge of his robe. Yet he could only smirk at the attack, as his Cortosis-Weave robes were extremely resistant to attacks of that nature.
Confident in his safety, Corvus retaliated with a flurry of Form VII attacks. Each strike appeared wild and unpredictable, yet they were incredibly precise. A low slash nearly took off Vekk's leg, but the Mandalorian rolled, blocking it with his knee pad, and fired a wrist dart. It was so close, and fast, that Corvus couldn't dodge, even whilst he was Pause-buffering. Fortunately, he had [Force Barrier] going, which blocked all physical attacks (until burst).
The dart pierced the bubble that protected him, yet it was slowed down enough that Corvus could duck out of the way.
"Is this the honor of a Mandalorian? Petty tricks?" Corvus taunted as he advanced on Vekk, who had fallen to his backside.
"It's not a trick." Vekk countered. "It's diligence."
The Mandalorian hurled a plasma charge and reignited his flamethrower. Corvus somersaulted backward over the flaming wreck of a train car, landing in a crouch. He stretched out his hand, lifting the massive hulk of another train car with the Force and slammed it down toward Vekk. The plasma charge tore the car in two, obfuscating Corvus's vision.
Vekk rocketed upward at the last second, the debris cratered the area that he had occupied a second ago.
Above the battlefield, Vekk hovered again, raising a forearm. His HUD searched wildly for his target, yet he saw nothing.
He began to randomly fire a salvo of mini-rockets into the smoke-filled air.
From a state of invisibility, Corvus evaded all of the explosions that fell around him, and scaled up a nearby building. Jumping from the top, he dove down onto Vekk's back, and cut the jetpack off of him! Kicking the Mandalorian towards the ground, Corvus did another backflip, and landed gracefully after falling a few hundred feet.
As for Vekk, he used a wrist mounted grappling hook to slow his descent.
Before he could recover, Corvus was there, slamming into him with a two-handed strike. The azure sabers hissed as they clashed with the Mandalorian's beskar once more. Deep black marks repeatedly formed on the famed gear, an orange light started to heat up around Vekk's neck. Corvus was close to victory, and the Mandalorian knew it.
The two warriors became locked in a furious rhythm as the battle drew near to its close.
Vekk tried his blaster, grenades, missiles, everything in his arsenal, yet Corvus was always one step ahead of him. Thanks to Pause, and his premonitions in the Force, Corvus began to easily counter everything that Vekk tried to throw at him.
"You Jedi hide behind lofty ideals of peace." Vekk spat, breathing hard. "We live by the Resol'nare six tenets, every one of us is a blade, we are not compatible!"
Corvus's saber crackled dangerously as it scored another deep blow on Vekk's helmet. "And yet a blade need not be used solely for vicious murder. Its mere presence can act as a deterrent. Why act as the aggressor, when you could be the protector?" He countered.
Vekk surged forward with a roar, helmet steaming from the heat of repeated blows. "A Mandalorian does not ask for peace! He takes glory or death!"
Corvus didn't answer. He slipped into a pure expression of Form VII. Abandoning thought, he let willpower and purpose guide his hand. His strikes became overwhelming, fueled not by anger, but by dancing on the edge of the Darkside. He battered Vekk backward, slashing through a wrist gauntlet, severing several weapon systems, driving the Mandalorian toward the edge of a collapsed maglev track.
Vekk swung wildly. Corvus ducked in response, and violently ripped the violet lightsaber from his hands. With a flourish of his blades, he cleanly cut off Vekk's helmet, yet was so precise, he did not take his head. A final [Force Push] sent Vekk crashing into a ferrocrete wall, pinning him beneath a bent support beam.
Corvus raised his sabers in victory, his chest heaved with rapid breaths, and his arms were sore, yet a smile spread across his face.
Limping up to the damaged man, Corvus collected the beskar reinforced helmet into his inventory along the way.
Vekk lay still, blood ran down his forehead as he stared murder at Corvus. "Go on." He said through gritted teeth. "Strike me down."
Corvus stared down at him for a long moment, the twin sabers azure light illuminated his mask, and the shadow of the moon passed over him, leaving him in a dim state. Then, slowly, deliberately, he deactivated it.
Vekk's head lolled to the side in disappointment. "Mercy…is weakness."
"No." Corvus said in a serious tone. "Mercy is strength."
Silence fell once more.
Then, Vekk coughed out a blood flecked laugh. "No one's spared me before."
Revan offered a hand. "Then let this be the first."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: Read up to chapter 226 at: patreon.com/KarpQQ
I update there every monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday
Publicly on Fridays