Log:Resistance: Battle of a Thousand Generations Pt II

Resistance: Battle of a Thousand Generations Pt II

OOC Date: February 1, 2020
Location: Exegol
Participants: Resistance: Poe Dameron, Lando Calrissian, Elrych Cometburn; Allied Fleet: Sylin, Zorii Bliss, Bizz Bliptettjupp, Aliraet, Vena, David Ironside, Zhu Yan, Xan, Netep Muri, Jax Greystorm, Ayeeou Wanaii, Narsai Ordo, Siha Archer, and Col Rennagen; First Order: Evie Leven

All is lost.

The Resistance's fleet of plucky warfighters, after so many years of strike and fade engagements, skirmishes, and any other form of asymmetric warfare they can think of, have finally pitched in an all-or-nothing, winner take all slugfest over the Sith Eternal's fleet of Xyston-class Star Destroyers that line the sky in their hundreds on hundreds, each one carrying the power to destroy a planet.

And they have lost.

All through the sky, TIEs swarm, angry hornets that overwhelm the Resistance's finest one by one by one as they chase each other in mad spirals around the fleet of destroyers that are even now preparing to spread themselves all over the galaxy and usher in a new era of darkness.

From every corner of the universe, they come, answering the call of the galaxy's last, brightest hope for peace and freedom. From every walk of life, they come, and the blanket of their mass arrival is like to outnumber the stars. From every planet and species and language, they come.

On the bridge of the Resurgent-class Steadfast, Allegiant General Pryde stares out at their numbers, and utters in shock, "Where did they get all these fighter crafts? They have no navy."

"It's not a navy, sir," one of the bridge officers replies. "It's just... people."

"Scramble all available fighters, arm those Xystons, I want them operational, NOW!"

The fight is just beginning.

Poe Dameron is seated in the cockpit of the T-85 X-Wing, Black Leader shouldering the weight of what feels like a crushing and overwhelming defeat at the hands of the Final Order. Poe's voice comes over the Alliance comm channel after having witnessed the death of his best friend and long time comrade, Captain Snap Wexley. <<"There's just too many of them.">>

<<There's more of us!>> comms General Calrissian back to the down and out pilot.

Leading the pack of ramshackle civilian ships is the plucky YT-1300 that's led more charges than it was ever designed to. It's maneuvers down and to the side as Lando begins to laugh, realizing just how lucky this little group of rebels has been. Here, at their last stand; they've mustered support from what seems like half of the Galaxy. And they're going to win this war.

Pushing the throttle forward, Lando kicks the old bird into gear, a smile on his face as the tides begin to turn.

Sylin slams himself into the co-pilot's seat of the Blissful, snapping switches as he plots a course to help the pilot navigate. Taking the gunning controls, he aims the proton torpedoes at a tie fighter. Images flash in his eyes as laser bolts fly over the shields of the ship, and he mutters, "This is for you, Mom, Dad, whatever the hell it's worth."

Amidst the cluster of arriving freighters, frigates, errupts a contengency of ships associated with the mostly defunct Spice Runners. At the head of the small group is a lone Y-Wing courier armed for rancor and loaded to the bring with armaments in reparation for a planet destroyed. <"Everyone fly tight, Sylin you're on rockets... Bizz, get that rear gun up, it's a target rich environment."> A breath from her black shielded mask, speaking under her voice, "For Kijimi."

Bizz Bliptettjupp, monk of the Guardians of the Whills, has been pressed into service on the Y-Wing courier Blissful Flyer with Zorii Bliss at the helm. The monk is manning the topside dual laser turret and wearing an old flight helm and his simple holy robes. A set of lacquered uneti-wood prayer beads are wrapped around his right hand, while the stubby fingers are wrapped around the turret's firing controls. When he moves they clack and clatter together. "I take refuge in the Temple, I take refuge in the Mantras, I take refuge in the FORCE," he mutters to himself.

Accelerating with the incoming attack wave is a decidedly Imperial craft..though the recently painted electric blue and red stripes across it mark it as different than the Sith craft in opposition. The Heartbreaker rumble as it accelerates, its captain sitting in the pilot's chair as she takes in what's waiting for them. A rough human voice comes over the intercom. "HOLY KRIFF, why the KRIFFING hells are we here?!?"

"Stow it Jaxx." Aliraet snaps back. "You just worry about keeping fighters off our back. Faena, Fayre, we'll follow the other bombers in, we're not hear to dogfight. WE're hear to slip the knife in when the Sithspit out there aren't looking our way."

The slightly weedy human in the co-pilot's seat adjusts his shimmering glasses. "...right. Looking for weak spots...shields double forward for closing..."

Elrych Cometburn is in his T85, maneuvering through a mass of TIEs. The Jedi takes a moment to breath and focus, calling the force to him. His R2 unit eggsy breaks the silence. "What?" He asks... <<"General look at your scopes!">> Taking a pop from his pocket he pulls of the wrapper and sticks it in his mouth, twirling it around. "Alright... lets do this." Hands grip tight on his levers and he pushes them forward rocketing the fighter forwards.

One of the ships dropping out of hyperspace among the many civilian ships is an older Imperial Strike-class cruiser, helmed by one Adhar Gann of the Array Consortium. But enough about that guy, as soon as the Serious Business' systems start back up in real space, a single T-85 X-Wing launches. <<Bravado 1 away.>> comes the designation of its pilot, David Ironside, with a string of confirming beeps and whistles from the R2 unit slotted into the socket behind the cockpit.

The usual bravado that gave the X-Wing its name is.. quickly evaporated when the scores of Star Destroyers come into view. <<Business, are you seeing what I'm seeing, because what I'm seeing isn't good. At all. TIEs everywhere, nothing like what I've ever seen. Engaging now.>> he reports, one hand busily finding a wider channel of communication while the other is navigating the fighter towards the danger zone.

As one of the higher-ranking members of the First Order's Starfighter Corps, with what's honestly been about the result of a flea assaulting a wolf being the Resistance's efforts to fight the Order, Evie's been taking a command role aboard one of the Star Destroyers. Relaying orders to her pilots and trying to develop a swarm of Mini-Evies out there to finally put the Resistance to rest once and for all. The other side had good pilots. She knew that. She knew some of them personally. However, she had faith in her pilots. Trained through her own blood, sweat and tears. They could handle this, she was sure of it.

Then the new orders came in. All available fighters. /All/ available fighters. The smiles that have been missing from her lips for weeks return for one more appearance. It was time for her to act.

"Affirmative, Squadron Leader Leven en route to hangar!" she calls out over the comms, turning and scooping up her helmet as she does so. It's time to fly. It's time to live. But first things come first, and she has to get to her ship.

Xan reaches down to touch where she normally keeps her rancor claw dagger, thumbing the fabric in its absence. Shadow has been told to make himself secure, wherever that is, but he's here somewhere. She glances to Zorii at her side and looks out at all the ships. The view is sobering. "So we have lot of ships on our side I no can see right?"

"Yellow Squadron, go!"

The thundering of NPC E-Wings firing out of the hangar deafened Zhu Yan, Captain of the Baleen-class bulk freighter BWC-HF-001, from the bridge of the Space Whale itself. Yes, he had brought the entire motherfracking Emperor-punching Shadowport with him, he had gathered together some poor unforgettable NPCs conveniently wearing red to fill in the gaps that he'd normally completely ignore, and he stood with his arms folded on the bridge, staring out the viewport. See, Yan could have taken a fighter. And he still had that option! The T-70 Heartbreak 1 was still sitting in the hangar bay. But unfortunately Yan was suffering from a head injury and he'd been told by his doctor no super strenuous activity because of a prior leg injury. Ignoring that had resulted in the head injury.

Where was the Space Whale? It was at the back of the pack. Being big, slow, unarmoured, its main defense was the sheer number of other things to shoot, and how many of said guns were between the Space Whale and Imperial (Final Order, Yan) combat forces. Yellow Squadron from Drik had decided to join the show too, thanks to Yan's buddy Sajin, and they served mainly as the picket force. BUT STILL WHY WAS IT HERE?

"General Calrissian, repair bays are on station. People alive equal people shooting, so don't let anyone go off on some damn stupid /moral issue/," oh he hated that phrase, "crusades." Oh so that's why the Space Whale was here. The Baleen freighter was the medic. Great.

Space: Pending which theory of creation one subscribes to, it's where all things were born. For some, it is also where they die and return to the cosmic void of nothing...and everything.

Netep is clinging fast to the thread of hope that she (or any of the bodies riding along) don't fall into this latter category - at least, not today. Or tonight. Or tomorrow. Honestly, she's zero experience of warfare from which to draw a realistic timeframe as to how long this fight's going to last. All she knows is that the last ultimatum broadcasted across all frequencies didn't sit well in her gut and she'll be damned if she's going to go quietly into submission under any authoritarian thumb.

Netep's natural habitat is far from the messy chaos of war, but she's joined the herd of independent entities to RISE UP and defend their threatened futures of going where they please and doing what they please, with whom they please. Her hair's been groomed free of its assorted beads and junk, curls somehow crammed inside the confines of helmet, and all OF said junk is tucked neatly into a pouch 'round neck like a proper little osma.

When this free-spirited nomad abruptly exits hypertransit into the blanket of real space and time to bear witness to an unfathomable fleet of doom engaged in battle, there is really only one word that best sums up her feelings on today's life choice: "Crink."

A wayward Phantom jumps into the system with the rest of the fleet, the Revenant. Exine starts freaking out as he starts to make heads and tails of all the sensor reading. Jax takes a deep breath, "I know buddy, You got to trust the force. See if you can find anybody you know and lets link up." Jax says as he inhales and takes a deep breath letting the force flow through him, <This is Jax Greystorm, in the Revenant. Somebody point me in the right direction.>

"This is crazy. This is mynock-crap crazy." Ayeeou Wanaii says to Muri from the seat next to hers in the cockpit as she sees the enormity of what's about to happen here. She has absolutely no good business being involved in this, but here she is. There's a shake of her head, the Nautolan's large eyes going even huge...er, then she says "Well, it's worth doing, anyway. There are far worse ways to go." She's got medical all ready, even if she's not personally ready for this.

As the Supernova drops out of hyperspace, Col Rennagen turns in the pilot seat to look out of the view screen. They take a deep breath, tugging at the scarf about their neck and tightening their grip on the controls. It was a lot bigger than they were expecting - bigger than any sort of firefight they'd ever seen, really.

But they came here with purpose, and that purpose isn't diminished. The throttle is pushed forward, the sleek ship dips and joins the rest of the massive armada in preparing for the great assault.

A year ago, before the battle of Starkiller Base, Russ Ordo had offered a hand to the Resistance and been turned away for fear of what the Mandalorians had been and coulmonths later, a promise had been made on the battlefield when members of the Resistance had stood beside her to defend a refuge on Mandalore; if you call on us, we will come. Well, today they'd called!

The Thunderheart emerges amidst the fleet, cannons primed and missiles loaded as Narsai sits at the controls of her pride and joy. Behind her helmet, her eyes are wide for a moment and she exhales a breath to focus. Things were going to get crazy...but she'd heard the transmission from the Emperor like the rest of the galaxy, and what kind of Mandalorian wouldn't relish the chance to deal a blow to the Empire that burned her home anyway.

<Narsai Ordo, Thunderheart! Call 'em out and we'll hit 'em.>

The Allied Fleet is a truly impressive compilation of the galaxy's greatest hits, along with just about every lesser ship that's ever been made as well. Small cap ships, bigger ones, fighters on fighters on fighters, impossible to count on scanners, lead by Lando and the Falcon, along with who knows how many other heroes both old and new.

<<"Black Leader, this is Rogue Leader, standing by,">> a voice comes over the comms from one of the Falcon's gunners, with a grin so big it can be heard in his voice. <<"Let's save the day and bring this fight home.">>

Quick on the heels of the fleet's arrival, the Order's TIE fighters roil up away from the beleagured Resistance craft and head towards the allies, hundreds of TIE/sf and TIE/fo top-end fighters manned by the best pilots the Order has at its disposal.

At Elrych's call, Poe looks out from his canopy to see the massive fleet just as General Calrissian's voice crackled over the comms. <<"They did it! They're here!">>

When Rogue Leader's voice came next, Poe's heart could have burst. Wedge Antilles wasn't dead?! <<"Copy that.. ALL CALL SIGNS, ALL SHIPS:">>

<<"This is Commander Poe Dameron. Begin to fan out! Attack the destroyers, my droid Artoo will transmit their weak spots! We've GOT TO TAKE OUT AS MANY OF THESE THINGS as we can! FIGHTERS.. ALL FIGHTERS, CLEAR the way for our LARGER SHIPS!">>

Black Leader is engaged in a brief fight, the T-85's cannons streaking red with a glorious miss as the TIE/sf glides by.

<<"Red Squad, Blue Squad, Green, Hawk, Black.. ALL SQUADRONS.. ON ME!">> Poe turns the craft about and increases the speed, the X-Wing's engines glowing BRIGHT RED! "Shields to the front, buddy. We're going back in!!" Poe informs Artoo!

Sylin glances over to Zorii Bliss in the pilot's seat at his side. Nodding to her, he slides the release for the proton bombs. His sight comes across a TIE/fo and he shares a look with Zorii Bliss and Xan in turn. Grabbing the controls, he dips under a different fighter and across the bow of a freighter. He grabs the firing lever and slams it forward, throwing a bomb toward the TIE/fo's shields. Turning around, he hands the controls back to Zorii and yells to slam the throttle forward. Looking behind him through the viewport, he wonders if that TIE will be the last thing he sees.

The Blissful Flyer is faster than a Y-Wing has any rights to and leaps into the fray without any hesitation beneath Zorii Bliss' guiding hand. Lurching like a wild animal down with twin engines flaring a birght and angry red, the bomber twists out of a dive into the chem-trail of the buzzing TIE fighter, squeezing the linked fire controls on the twin lasers cannons fixed to the arrow head nose.

The fighter dives forward to post up the rear cannons for Bizz to line up a follow up shot and sweeps back around with a twist of the stick to level out for Sylin to lock on missiles. <"Xan, you're on relay with Badu if we get hit.."> The alien chitters in the comms from the small engine compartment, but she ignores it... or just doesn't understand it. The art of presenting targets for two other people manning the various weapons on this fighter requires a lot more concentration than she's got patience to deal with argumentative droid programmers.

Bizz Bliptettjupp is manning the turret on the Blissful Flyer, Zorii's courier-class Y-Wing. He turns the Taim & Bak KX4 dorsal laser turret about-face as Zorii Bliss's target pops up on the scopes, but the monk hasn't fired a blaster turret in years and his movements are awkward. A flurry of shots miss the TIE/sf fighter. "By the Force!"

<<You got it, old buddy!>> Lando says, taking a moment to laugh in his own bombastic way afterward. With the Falcon's engines chugging away, the overly-nimble freighter whips itself around the hair ball with an uncharacteristic grace, it's turrets barking to life.

Heavy bolts fly wide of their intended TIE Fighter target, but they're old men shaking the cobwebs off, so cut 'em some slack, alright?

The co-pilot on the Heartbreaker looks over as a screen starts displaying the information on the destroyers. "Huh, who knew you shoot the big thing hanging under the ship that looks like a mating organ." The female Zeltron gunner sends a pair of concussion missiles spiralling forward that narrowly miss. "Wait, so we have to shoot it in the d-"

"BELAY the jokes and KILL THEM! Pedrul, target wherever we're supposed to shoot on those big kriffin' Sithspit destroyers!" Aliraet snaps, a blaze of laser fire from the ship's twin quads cutting across one of the opposing TIEs, as a blue bolt and a stream of red bolts from its blaster cannons skip past, trying to follow the nimble craft throught he cloud of oncoming ties. Aliraet pulls at the control yoke, the armored pirate transport starting to break towards the nearest star destroyer, manuvering to get underneath for a clear shot.

Elrych Cometburn angles in on a fresh wave of TIE/sfs pucking one as he pulls back on the atick to come level behind it. He has a lot of energy in him right now with the force and... was that wedge antillies over the comms? As soon as his rectical goes green he squeezes the trigger and scarlet death shoota from his t85 slamming into the TIEs shields.

Pushing the throttle forward, David's X-Wing rushes ahead of the civilian fleet. As he focuses on flying, the astromech takes over the task of getting on local comms with the others. Before long, David is looped in, as the droid chirps happily about his accomplishment. "Really, those old frequencies?" David asks. "I suppose it makes sense with a fleet this size, though." he muses, finally zeroing in on a Special Forces TIE. As the targeting computer locks it in, the pilot squeezes the trigger to unleash a volley of fire on the red and black TIE, dropping the fighter's shields in spectacular fashion and causing a small fire to form a trail of smoke behind the agile craft.

With a deep breath to fill her lungs with oxygen, Evie launches her TIE into the black, sailing through the void with the kind of grace that she's known for and sets her apart from many of her First Order -- now Final Order -- cohorts. She performs aerial acrobatics, rolling and looping as she sorts through her targets. Really only giving her targetting computer brief glances with her attention elsewhere. Tonight, she's flying by feel. She believes in the Force. She's seen the Force in action. She has no connection to it, has never felt it. But she's going to pretend that it guides her tonight.

<<"Squadron Leader Leven to all TIEs, fly smart out there. Each of you matter and are worth more alive than as martyrs. Pick your shots, but not at the cost of your lives. This is our battle to win, and I want everyone at the party. Those ships out there... those weren't meant for war.">> There's something on the girl's mind as she flies, evident in her voice as she speaks to her people.

"C'mon, Evie, you've got two families to attend to. Don't let either one down tonight. You have to make sure your enemies know you can carry out your promises." she tells herself, eyes continually checking out her radar. "Seven, six..."

Evie flies erratically. She's known for it. Today, she's only taking her shots when they open up to her, and maybe it /is/ the Force, because the first one that falls in her sights is none other than Lord Ren's favorite starship, the Millenium Falcon. She fires her cannons, but doesn't stick around to watch the blasts hit. Instead, back to dancing through the void she goes. Clearly, she's /not/ said Ren, because despite the hit, the Falcon doesn't remain her prey.

Xan keeps her eyes on the screens in front of her. These aren't the types of surveillance equipment she's used to working with, for sure. She's supposed to sitrep right? Right, "Oh-Z. Ships everywhere," she offers like a fount of helpfulness. "Big ships and little ships," she adds, because detail is important! As the ship lurches back and forth from Sylin's piloting, Xan says, "What kriff? You on death stick or something?" She shuts up quick when Zorii's speaker filtered voice chimes in. "Okay," comes her simple, oddly intoned reply. "No get hit okay?" Shadow, her Seeker droid, can be heard whirring a little in one of the back seats in the cockpit behind them.

"Fighters! Strike craft!" was the start of Yan's broadcast to the assembled strike squadrons. "Don't try to fight when you take some damage. Repair bays on the Space Whale," he means this big ol' lumbering Baleen, "are up and running. Retreat for a break if you need it." Alright. That was done, and here Yan stood, his face bruised and his head battered and his leg braced up and he could do nothing. He fought off the temptation to hobble down to his fighter and go get himself killed. Augh what a pain! He sat down in the Captain's chair and started talking to Redshirt #1 at the helm. "Keep us moving with the main fleet. Their guns are our cover." Tapping a button on the intercom, he spoke again. "Repair crews, I hope you have your bits and pieces ready because we're going to get crippled fighters coming through here any minute now."

"You've really farkled this one, eh, stoopa?" The muttered commentary directed toward none other than Netep's own ghostly reflection staring wide-eyed back at her from the viewport. "Better I'd jumped us into a herd of purrgil, but..." She fumbles with a flask from its holster on her suit and swallows a quick sip before sealing up that helmet and activating the ship's interior com system. "Here goes." Raucous music starts playing throughout every deck, blaring a heavy beat accompanied by nasally instruments, frenzied percussion. "P2 - you keep aft and maintain those drives and I'll keep this end alive. Lok, you're my floater, so I don't care where you /think/ you're going to get comfortable." A wicked little grin forms on the youngest Muri sibling's face, knowing her eldest brother has been conned into this barvy opportunity so if she's gonna go out with a bang, she'll have an escort to the Judges of the Dead.

Muri adjusts speed and course, arcing the Hermi up to passively drift through the materializing craft of strange brothers in arms, gravitating strategically toward the back of the pack rather than race for the center of that hellfire. Yet. The exterior comms come alive and she greets the masses. <<This is Cap'n Muri, transmitting from FRT Doaba Hermi. Here to serve as your friendly retriever. Free of charge! If your bird's shot from the sky, or you've got to bail, I'll aim to scoop ya. Preferably in one piece, but I got two hands.>> It's a bad time for jokes, but her face seems permanently frozen in a grin of FEAR and can't be helped. <<Hail me, freq J-77-2-B>> a look fires left over shoulder to the Nautolan inhabiting her copilot's chair and one thumb goes up. <<Guld domina, my friends.>>

The Doaba Hermi then nimbly banks right to join a small herd of non-fighter craft on approach of the thick of it. Cautiously...no shots fired, not super eager to leave the gargantuan bulk of the space whale so far in her wake. "Look sharp...adjusting shields 70 to nose, 30 to tail." Cause you've always gotta watch your tail. And the Hermi has a big one.

There's just chatter and no chance to coordinate a response or response to Jax. "Let's get to work Exine. Fine me a target." The little droid beeps and books at Jax, "Yeah just like the old days, we're on an adventure. Alright I see it. " The Corellian hits the rudder and waits for the cross hair to turn gold and he pulls back on the trigger firing four energy lances that a ship this size has no business firing. Then as Jax has the shot and then at the last moment he jukes just a bit too much as his target jives and the clean miss.

Ayeeou looks a great deal like someone who has never been in any sort of fight in space. And, who's never flown with Muri before. For the moment, since there's nothing for her to do yet because she's never used a turret and friendly fire is a thing, she stares, kind of frozen in her seat, rethinking her life choices and praying as the pilot blasts her music to fly crazy by.

The Supernova dips into the fray, the pilot's eyes fixated on the roaring TIE fighters through the reflective visor of their mask. The flying was the easy part - the shooting and flying? That was something they needed to work on. But now seemed like as good a time as any to get that practice in, right? A million-million vicious fighters looking to turn you into so much glowy dust in the upper atmosphere? That's learning by doing, fella!

As the chaos of battle ensues, Col turns their head to try and get a lock on one of the enemy fighters. There's one! The TIE/FO falls into their crosshairs, though as they pull back on the trigger the weapons shots go wide. The Supernova wheels around in an effort to remain on the same starfighters tail, not giving up that easy. A gloved fist reaches out to belt the console, the eighteenth replay of 'Jabba Flow' shutting off with the futuristic, digital equivalent of a record scratch. Focus is needed.

"Come back here, you ... "

Into the fray goes the Thunderhear, cannons firing heavily as she chases after the tie that crosses her path, cannons fire, but there are so many many more out there.

As more and more of the free civilian ships continue to warp into the system to join the Allied Fleet, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that the First Order are the ones who are outnumbered and likely to be on the ropes. On the bridge of the *Steadfast*, Pryde watches with growing unease. "How long until we can evacuate the Sith fleet?"

"Sir, they're just not ready. It will take time to fully integrate their systems to the tower."

"HOW LONG."

"...A while longer, sir, we're doing everything we can. Our pilots are the best in the fleet, they can hold them off."

The TIE fighters are doing everything they can to do just that. The initial onslaught against the allies really are the finest the Order has to offer, hand-picked by Pryde for this mission and the truest believers in the cause that ever lived. Their piloting skills are sharply honed from thousands of hours in simulations and flight missions, and it shows as they hammer away at the allies, but the numbers against them are overwhelming, and here and there a few already hurtle into balls of flame.

The larger ships among both fleets begin to move into attack positions, their longer planes shifting into favorable alignments for their opening volleys.

Sylin targets a TIE/fo, palms sweaty on the trigger. His eyes glance back and forth, his fingers dancing around switches and dials while his other hand pulls the release and then slams across the firing lever.

"Uh oh," Lando says as the ship shakes under the incoming barrage. He loosens his collar a little bit and chuckles nervously as he settles in to his seat, looking over at Chewbacca.

"What?"

Pulling the Falcon out of further harm's way, Lando perches behind another TIE and lines up a shot. <<Let 'em have it, Wedge!>> he says, firing away with the slaved ventral turret along with his old Corellian friend's dorsal one.

The Blissful is trying to slug it out with much nimbler fighters, but the ol'girl has some punch in her step.. Just not as much jive. Zorii feels the hit rattle in the sticks and rutter pedals and fights the inertia shift when the shields eat up the laser cannons. "Babu, can you get on that... Xan, go give him a hand." Distractedly without glancing back, she's busy keeping them out ahead of that fighter. Weaving the bomber into a series of quick tumbles to present Bizz with a target, <"Bizz, get that buzzard off our back..">

There's enough targets she doesn't actually need to fight the one that's fighting her.. Lining up the crosshairs with a glance down at the consoles mostly for confirmation flash from the lock on targetting system on a stuttering TIE. Her hand closes around the firing stick and lets loose a barrage of link fire, that blows the fighter out into twisting panels through which the Blissful Flyer errupts on the otherside headed towards the Destroyers. "Get those bombs ready." One of those things blew up her Planet. Time to slap their hand.

Bizz Bliptettjupp uses the foot pedals to bring that Taim & Bak KX4 dorsal laser turret about-face as TIE/sf 1 falls into place behind Zorii's Y-Wing. "Just a little..." He fires, BLAM BLAM BLAM, and connects with the TIE's shielding. "I got him! The FORCE is with me!" he says. The prayer beads wrapped around his hand clatter as the Y-Wing is jostled.

There are some stragglers, or someone brought their Y-Wing to the party super late! Vena was flying Nightfalls Herald and her trusty Reekcat is seated on the headrest on the pilots chair. The Chiss is extremely calm going into this, but she does take the time to look at the new Star Destroyers. <<Sorry we're late to the party.>> the former Imperial officer states.

The Heartbreaker spins, laser cannon fire from one of the TIEs streaking past the craft as it suddenly jukes upwards, aimed at the underside of the nearest Xyston, a blaze of laser fire and missiles streaking out to smash into the massive ship's axial weapon, as the turrets swing around to harry the TIE on it, snapping off blue and red shots alternately to deny the TIE/fo an easy shot. "That's it, keep hitting it!" the co-pilot says excitedly. "It's tied into the reactor, if we can just punch through, it'll go up like a Naboo fireworks factory!

Aliraet bares her teeth, holding the ship on course as she tries to dodge as best she can, bobbing and weaving to avoid return fire as she continues hammering the massive weapon. "Working on it!"

David flies his fighter through the absolute mess of combat ships, dodging laser fire that's not specifically aimed at him between larger ships. A few blasts rock his craft, and the pilot in his seat, but the shields hold, according to the displays. "Close one, Ones." David mutters, yanking the stick to the side, still targeting the TIE from earlier as the gunner turns his swivel turret on the X-Wing to get it off their tail. Dodging left and right, David has trouble getting a decent shot, sending deep red bolts into space instead of into the TIE.

"Three, two..." As she flies, and she waits, she takes her shots. What on KUAT is up with that YT-3000?! Has its pilot gone insane!? It moves in front of her again, and she listlessly pulls the trigger. It's a miss. She doesn't care. The Empress of the Void isn't out for blood tonight, though, and her target changes with the moment rather than seizing upon a single foe to wound and destroy. Her shots even go wildly wide at times, because blue eyes that have grown cold aren't locked upon her prey, but her control panels. Watching as the men and women she cares about join the fray. Counting. Waiting until the very last one has entered combat. At least until /she's/ sure, even if her mind and instruments are deceitful at the moment

Then the woman speaks. Voice clear, resolute. There's no joy in Evie's voice today as she broadcasts a message from her little TIE. To whom? To everyone who will listen. All frequencies she can. Friend, foe, and everyone in between. << "Attention all First Order ships," >> she begins, << "This is Squadron Leader Evennia Leven in Ziro One. I represent the Vanguard of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. We stand as his sword and shield, the front line in the march against his enemies." >> She pauses, here, to take a breath and let her identification sink in.

<< "This... this 'Final Order' is neither my father's Empire and should be ashamed to come from my First Order. It's a pathetic man's attempt to steal what Lord Ren helped us build. Vanguard, you have new orders from your superior officer. The /true/ final order, which came directly from Lord Ren himself. Disengage now, and leave this foolish old man's battle. Leave, live, and find a reason to keep doing so. For Kylo." >> Pause. << "No, do it for me, and for yourselves." >>

<< "Ektor Apollyon. David Ironside, Poe Dameron," >> She uses the names of the Resistance members /she/ knows, even if her information is a bit outdated. << "I call upon you and your allies. Allow my people to leave this battle that is no longer theirs. Should you deny my request and fire upon those who attempt to depart... and this goes for you, too, 'General' Pryde?" >> Her voice hardens here, voice darkened by the memory of friend after friend lost to war. << "I will hunt you. I will find you, and I will kill you and everyone who's ever thought kindly of you. I've already shown you my skill, and restraint tonight. Don't make me be the bad girl... and good luck. Echo out." >>

With that warning issued, Evie switches off her targetting computer, and gets to work punching coordinates into her navigation computer. For the first time in her life, sitting in that familiar cockpit, her fingers are shaking. A new tomorrow lies ahead.

Netep Muri says, "AW FA--"

The Ghtroc 720 shudders under a fairly direct blow after Muri's attempt flip the Hermi up and around to shield her front end suffers consequences...in the back end.

<WHAT SORT OF DRUYZA DRUK MOVES YOU PULLIN UP THERE> Lok Muri demands to know over the cockpit intercom's speaker. Wherever he is, presently. Probably arm's reach from Netep's best bottle of brandy in the galley.

<SHUT IT> Netep growls with the vehemence of sisterly love. A rude gesture aimed at said intercom over shoulder invites him to partake in additional activity. Pointlessly, since he isn't there to see. But it makes her feel better.

"Sorry, hang on to something," she advises the petrified Yee beside her and leans waaaaay to the left to tug and tap at the ship's complaining alert system. <<P2, tell me where she hurts, Lok - fix it.>> The computer suggests the aft shield generator's under a little stress, but it's always nice to confirm. Meanwhile, her other hand is still steering and so the Hermi adopts a zig-zag-barrel roll pattern of flight before its pilot quits mucking around and jerks it in a furious round-about to point its business end after the TIE that's buzzed her shields. Is it one belonging to FO??? Is it a 'SITH'?? Muri doesn't know the damn difference. "Kriffer," she grumps and lets loose a single volley.

Miraculously, it doesn't hit one their own, and despite MISSING her target, the avoidance of friendly fire prompts a prematurely relieved peal of laughter and slapping of nav console by Netep. Immediately followed by a hushed clearing of throat and silent stroke to the fleshy, carnivorous plant nestled around its bracket-mounted home there. "Sorry, Ormond." An uber gentle stroke of gloved finger pets one of the oral lobes."

The Revanant was simply not there when TIE/SF 07 returned fire. The force was Jax's ally and Kadi had designed a beautiful fighter. Jax had ached up and around in a tight loop his cross hairs lighting up as he targets top of the ball cockpit. His fingers goes to pull the trigger as he freezes just for a moment as a pair of old T-65 X-wings painted up in Phoenix Squadron colors go chasing a pair of TIE/FO through Jax's filed of fire.

Jax's com fills with an familiar voice, <Fancy flying, Kid. Don't do anything too stupid. Remember fire discipline!.> The other X-wings voice adding, <<Damn it Crash, not the time to teach your kid to fly. Man can these things handle. Lot better than that old cruiser we were on. And it's too bad Jericho missed this.Ye-Haw!>

Jax shakes his head, <Dad? Uncle Kenthandus?> Exine blares at him and Jax's back in the fight pulling the trigger but the tie fighter was gone.

And then, it happens. The Hermi takes its first fire, and Ayeeou's hands squeeze into tight fists as she lets out a squeak. It's a really undignified sound that's followed by a weak "Maybe I should try one of those turrets... How hard can it be, right?" Uh huh. Famous last words. She doesn't exactly rush out of her chair to try it, though. She really is just as likely to hit an ally, after all. Instead, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I need something else to do until we have patients. I'm a doctor, not a gunner."

Then, though, there's that message from the First Order leader, and Yee's eyebrow ridge goes way up. It at least gives her something else to focus on for the moment. "Huh." Really, what else is there to say. Maybe they *will* live...

As Col maneuvers the Supernova to try and get a bead on the TIE before them, the vessel presents a fine target to one of the fighter's wingmates. As the lock-on alarms blare through the cockpit, Col jerks the yoke wildly to one side but the enemy fighter compensates for it and sends a hail of laser fire raking across the dorsal hull of the ship. The shields flicker, and the system display shows them almost halfway gone.

"Blast it! Come on," Col chides the ship, eyes narrowing behind the helmet's visor, "You're not getting rid of me that easy!"

Their eyes narrow behind the mask, the controls are grasped and a brief barrage of fire is let loose. When the enemy TIE is hit, Col cannot help but pump a fist into the air and go to high-five the co-pilot seat only to find it empty.

"Oh. Right. I'm a thief."

With the inpact on her shields, Narsai gives a little snarl and twists the controls, chasing down her tie and blasting away at the mark.

Then there's that call on the coms, the request from the Vanguard as she sweeps through the wreckage and she exhales a breath. Perhaps she was able to appreciate the desire not to fight a fight you didn't believe in. Her vision shifts, drawing on the Star Destroyers and pushing the thrusters to max.

<Thunderheart, I'm headed for those turrets!>

The unexpected speech that begins to pour onto the comm channels from one of the First Order's own sends a shockwave through the fleet of dastardly villains. "SHUT THAT TRANSMISSION DOWN," General Pryde thunders at his hapless aide, fuming out at the scene of the battle as it rages on. "Ren is a traitor and a lunatic, a crazed fool. He would have destroyed this empire before it could even exit the travail of birth!" Quick steps lead him to a control panel and he depresses a button, speaking into the microphone with a clear, authoritative voice. <"All ships, this is Allegiant General Pryde. We are a new Empire that will rise from the ashes of all that came before and we will not tolerate the whims of a mewling child or his so-called 'Vanguard.' Shoot that ship out of the sky, and keep the rebels off of our fleet.">

He turns back to the rest of the bridge. "No matter, the fleet will be ready to launch shortly and all of this," a dismissive, derisive wave at the battle and the Allies, "will have been for naught."

Or will it?

A few TIEs turn their attention toward Evie's TIE, drawing her into their sights, but around the vast span of the conflict, the ferocious onslaught seems somehow shifted, and shots go wide of their targets, and here and there a few even quietly set headings away from the fighting.

Sylin's hands are white-knuckled on the gunner controls. Beads of sweat dribble down his face as he listens to the First Order woman over the comms. He looks at the sensors to where her ship must be, and just then it flies straight by the Blissful's viewport, right in Sylin's targeting range. His hand shakes of the firing lever, his eyes evident of inner turmoil. I have to do this. For my parents, for everybody the First Order has hurt, he thinks. And yet, how would hurting right back at them help at all? Teeth chattering, he thinks back to his parents. He didn't even know them, yet he still would protect them, kill for them fiercely. His head shakes, and he releases the controls, sitting back in his seat. "No. I won't do it. I don't care if I'm ejected off this ship, I WILL NOT DO IT." Another comm from General Pryde blasts over, and Sylin grits his teeth targeting one of the TIEs attacking Evie's ship. One of the cannons hit, slamming into the fighters shields.

"Hold on to something, folks," Lando says, whipping the Falcon into a tight spiral as he attempts to slip beneath the line of star destroyers. "Concentrate everything we got on those cannons!" he orders, pushing down the firing hubs and once again letting loose a tandem attack, but this time aimed toward the underbelly of one of the planet killers that the others have been plucking away at.

<<Welcome to the fight, Vena'nratha!>> he comms back, just glad to be here.

"They're leaving..." Zorii says as she hears the crackle of comms traffic coming from First Order designated ship, Echo to Resistance fighters.. "The First Order is leaving!" She's not an excitable woman, but there's no denying that this drastically changes the topography of the battle decidedly in the Resistance/Civilians favor. "Babu, get how's it going with those shields?" There's no reply, just battering tools as the tiny creature, who does more work with droids than fighters, smacks at couplings as if that's going to do a kriffing thing.

"Bah du, ka kaat tuh, bah, BABU!" She shouts back over her shoulder, whipping the Blissful into a barrel roll by pushing the L1 bumber. "I'm going to skim the shields.. Get us in nice and tight and drop the payload of bombs we bought on Nar Shaddaa." Letting the crew know just how dangerous, and likely stupid, this situation actually is.

Whatever Babu does the lights on the Blissful Flyers board lights up like a Life Day tree and leaps forward on power reserves drawn presumably out of nowhere. The Y-Wing dips in low across the surface of the destroyer, weaving expertly through the defense weapons cannon fire, and launches off a torpedo ahead of her.. busting a nice big hole in the side of the hull into which she drops a payload of bombs from the underside of the agile, modified, bomber.

The bombs hit a reactor core and ignite a chain reaction explosion across the surface of the massive ship. Warping durasteel plating beneath a massive series of explosions dotting aft and fore from the connection point of her bombs!

When the last explosion hits, a bright ball of ignited oxygen errupts in a halo of fire and debrie through which the Blissful Errupts with a twisting roll and a oh ring of dust carrying after the forward momentum.

"Babu! I don't know what you di-"

The Tiny creature pops up beside her from under the console, "HEY HEY!!!" Waving his hands in the air with a hydrospanner amost as big as him dangling from a tiny little paw. "Okay, simmer down..." Laughter on her voice, <<"Poe Dameron, this is Zorii Bliss on the Blissful Flyer. Tell me where you need me.">> Pause, <<"For Kijimi.">>

Bizz Bliptettjupp give a little WOOT-WOOT as the planet-killing laser on the Star Destroyer erupts in flame. "The FORCE is with us. They will never blow up another world again!" The turret's sensors and visual range are obscured as they fly through the cannon's explosive eruption, but thankfully the shields hold. Bizz fires his Taim & Bak KX4 dorsal laser turret at a pursuing fighter and jolts her shields in warning. "For Kijimi!"

As the Blissful shoots forwards and lobs its missiles and bombs into the massive axial cannon, there's a reddish explosion before the gun starts coming apart, the explosions feeding up into the reactor as the Star Destroyer starts to drop out of line, beginning a slow tumble towards the ground below. The Heartbreaker jerks, having to bob and weave between pieces of hull plating as explosions send debris raining down over the planet below, the next spray of laser fire tracking along the next Xyston in line, but spending itself against its forward deck plating before Aliraet can bring the ship around, the concussion missiles slamming harmlessly into the prow as well.

On the other hand, the TIE/fo dogging the Blissful comes apart under the combined fire from the Heartbreaker's turrets, shattering as pieces go spinning away. "Good kill! Hang on, we're going on to the next!" The gunners shout back. "Aye captain!" Pedrul mmphs. "Nice of them to line up for us like this...hold on, working in the targeting vector.."

David raises an eyebrow at the incoming message. It threatens to snap right off his face when he's mentioned -by name-, grinning slightly at the fact that First Order intel is apparently a year behind. <<This is David Ironside.>> he replies. <<You get out of here, Evie, I'll just have to take you down in the simulators sometime.>> With that, he refocuses on the TIE that's eluded him this whole time, letting off a shot that actually separates the underslung turret from the fighter's body. Now not being shot at anymore, David lines the X-Wing up dead center, sending blasts from the wingtips into the TIE's engines, shredding through the cockpit and sending the wings flying.

Zhu Yan's words don't fall on deaf ears. << "Roger that, coming in for a landing." >> is the response from Evie to the offer of refuge from the fight. While she'd normally have confidence on being able to fly through anything the Void threw at her, her fingers weren't the only things shaking, her confidence was up there too. Besides that, any of her peers who /did/ listen to her... well. Evie was the best. They might not be able to survive that particular journey, and she'd have a /lot/ of lives to take as a result. It just seems like the best idea of the bunch.

"You aren't gonna be able to show your face on Kuat for a while, Eves." she tells herself, voice solemn below the helmet as a lazy spin of the ship makes a former friend's fire fail to find her. "...but you're giving a chance to the lives that Kylo left behind." With that, she manuvers her ship to dock, removes her blaster from its holster and leaves it inside the cockpit.

These aren't her enemies. Not anymore.

Xan blinks at Sylin's actions and leaps out of her seat (well it's cramped in there) and the tiny Echani jumps out of her seat, mumbling expletives as she heads toward the rear of the ship. "I help Babu," Xan relays to Zorii. Let's be honest, she's mostly playing Spot the Spanner with Babu for a minute and it would have gone better if she knew what one was. Understandably, Babu saddles her with a 'critical', but time-sucking activity that even a lothcat could do while he...magics. How Xan can understand his language is anyone's guess. Maybe she just thinks she can. Either way, she's intensely focused.

Zhu Yan was already hiking-hobbling his way towards the crew deck and resultant turbolift to welcome new guests. He was half-way there before he stopped and addressed his bridge crew. "Taking on these refugees is gonna get us shot at."

Judging from the vacant and fed-up stares he was getting from the redshirts, they'd figured that out already.

"So I'm gonna go make them feel at home, you guys start working on cracking their systems. I dunno about you but I want to murder someone. Let's get some EWAR going." With that said, he resumed his march. Now, Yan wasn't a bad slicer. He was no Tylin Creel, but he could do a few things, at least. Like spoof a comm signal. But that was for later. The turbolift hissed open and revealed the BWC-HF-001's hangar. It was big. Really big. So big it needed a poet to describe its sheer scope. The bay was usually full of all sorts of ne'er-do-well vessels. But, aside from a lone X-Wing and a very cranky astromech, it was empty of them. Instead repair bays were set up and other redshirts Yan had picked up at the nearest planet and promised a fortune were checking and rechecking tools and gear and ready for fighter maintenance.

There was more than enough space to accomodate a full squadron of TIEs and still have room to repair fighters as they arrived.

Making sure the TIEs had landed safe, Yan grunted with approval then started the painful walk back to his post.

"Listen to em all..." Netep says of the increased transmissions flung about, keeping an ear perked for any SOS cries for emergency help. The Hermi swoops and twirls nimbly under her hand, dodging another hit while simultaneously missing one fired in turn. Alas. Meanwhile, her little repair crew is having some bit of luck in the tail end. Hermi's shields are slowly improving...

Locked in a dog fight with Tie/SF 07 the pair can't seem to hit each other. Well Jax is swooping in and out of the clustered space fight and proving impossible to hit. Tie/SF 07, well Jax can't hit the broad side of the Shadowport so he's doing the tie fighters job for him. Though as Jax swoops below the belly of a Hammerhead corvette and targets Tie/sf 07 the Tie doing a corkscrew dodging the attack. "Sithspit. Alright Exine, I thought it was just cause I'm rusty but this guy is good. We may be in trouble." The astromech lets out a sound akin to loosing a game show.

Because terror can usually only be in control so long, Ayeeou is slowly accepting that she's here and just has to deal with it. She watches the fight mostly silently, and help Netep monitor for any of their allied ships disabled, with crews in need of rescue. She still cringes often, whether because they are being targeted or because Netep is a madwoman at the controls, but the wild panicking seems to have abated for now. Sure, they could still die at any moment, but the abrupt turning of a whole bunch of the bad guys really does a thing for morale. Another boost to morale? Damage to the big ships. That destroyer going down causes her to smile with a least a little relief. "Alright, I'm going to check on the medbay, in case some things shifted. Let me know if we're about to have guests." She packed things down pretty well, but they did get a pretty good whack.

The Supernova jukes and weaves as it continues to go after the enemy TIE, though something in Col tells them that the TIE on their tail may have missed even if they had the ship parked. There is a glance out the side of the cockpit as the blaster fire hisses past, and Col once more returns their focus to the TIE/FO ahead of them.

The shots seem on target, but the TIE manages to barrel roll off to the side and let the shots fly wide. Another grunt of frustration from the young pilot, already feeling in over their head here.

"I'm gonna bring this thing back with just a scratched paint job to show for it. If I bring it back at all."

Screaming its way through the hail of TIEs, some leaving and plenty still fighting, Narsai's Thunderheart streaks towards the Stardestroyer. Hands white-knuckling her controls, the Mandalorian sweeps in and fires off one of the missiles toward the planet-killer cannon.

While the battle rages on in the air, on the ground, a desperate assault is being lead across the surface of the RSD *Steadfast*, and there are no more triumphant rants from General Pryde forthcoming on transmissions. Likely, the good General has his hands full with other concerns, as a small charge of the light brigade is playing out across the Destroyer's roof.

The TIEs doggedly maintain their fight with the Allied Fleet, trying desperately to keep them away from the Xystons, but even so a few of the Allies have already slipped the net and wreaked catastrophic damage on one of the planet-killers, causing the Destroyer to explode in a chain reaction that ripped up through the bowels of the ship.

<"Those big guns are their weakness, they must have too much power stored up inside them!"> an ARC-170 pilot yells into her comms, dodging the fire from a TIE on her tail.

Sylin grabs the gunner controls for the laser cannons, firing at the Xyston as the Blissful swerves around it. His fur is hardened with sweat, and his claws are extended to grip the controls.

Zorii has the Xyston's numbers now.

Running the Y-Wing along the surface with the rockets lancing out from the underside of the bomber as she weaves a tight path in dangerous and inhospitable close quarters with whatever serves as point defense for the cannon armed Destroyers. <"Good shooting, keep it up!"> Leaving behind angry red fires along the hull of a ship that cannot bring it's shields up /and/ charge those weapons at the same time.

Babu is chittering at Xan, waving emphatically at her from a crawl space. Pointing with his hydrospanner at tools he wants, "BADU NEED KEEET!" He did one thing right and now he's talking in all caps. "There's not going to be any negociating with him now..." Zorii says under her breath.

Vena sees that Evie has landed and theres a shift of focus from protecting to trying to press the canon so thats one big target. She has to veer off from her shot as a TIE goes zipping by. "Kriff!"

Bizz Bliptettjupp turns his Taim & Bak KX4 dorsal laser turret around to assist Zorii Bliss's strafing run on the axial cannon. Laser blasts pop off as he attempts to penetrate its significant armor. "I am one with the FORCE," he mutters to himself, praying as he shoots.

As the Heartbreaker accelerates towards its next target, its luck finally runs out, one of the TIE/sfs banking left sharply to follow as green laser bolts go streaking past, a pair slamming into the shields and sending a shudder through the Sentinel. "Kriff it! Jaxx, Faena, get that fighter off us! Fayre, keep up the fire on that big gun!" Aliraet barks, banking the ship sharply to reorient and make it a bit harder to be hit hopefully before lining up where her sensor operator marks the weak points on the gun.

And again, missiles and laser fire barrage the huge cannon, smashing into its side as they continue drillign into the damaged armor plating over it along with the fire from the other ships, as the turrets traverse to spit laser and ion fire at the pursuing TIE/sf.

David makes for a small escort force, flying on his own to guide Evie's squadron to the Space Whale after having wrecked his earlier nemesis. He's joined by a trio of N-1 Naboo starfighters on the way, and hailed over comms. <<Heard your name earlier, Ironside.>> a voice comes from Bravo Leader's starfighter. <<Let us take care of this, we're used to escort duty, right?>> the man adds with a hint of wry amusement. David chuckles. <<Glad to see you're still around, Katha.>> he replies. <<What's it been, a year or two? Go right ahead, old friend.>> he accepts the offer and breaks off, giving Bravo Squadron a quick salute. <<See you back home when this is over.>>

When David's alone again, he corkscrews around laser fire coming from behind, slamming the fighter's air brakes suddenly to throw the TIE off its course, before he releases a volley of laser fire at the TIE, without a target lock. The result is a single hit that bounces off the shields, but David is once again in pursuit.

"That bad word?" Xan's head cocks to the side, still bracing against Zorii's fluid flying. "Why you so angry?!" she shouts as if this would bring light to why Babu would need some kind of..well, it's not fit to say. "Look. I flatter, but now no time for that!"

<How much do you love me?> Lok queries in a guarded tone over com to the petite master and commander of the not so petite Doaba Hermi.

<Not enough, if you break my baby> Netep cautions back, swiveling her chair to shoot a fearful glance to the illuminated stats display. There's no change for the worse, but there's also no reply from her brother. Swell.

No time to dwell on what damage may be occuring from within, because there's more grievous damage pelting her way from outside. <SORRY!> Muri shouts in advance to Yee and other bodies aboard who are no longer strapped into visible stations. The reason for her apology: evasive maneuvers require a violent lurch. An abrupt pivot on the port, fore thruster that displays just how agile this awkward, testudine-looking craft can be in the right hands...or the wrong ones. Perspective pending.

For Muri, the avoidance of sith fire is cause for private celebration. For her brother, a private problem. "GAHK" the swaggering Socorran in his most colorful, dashing, Ibhann'I attire takes a tumble as he exits the engineering compartment and gets 'caught' by a safety rail, in an unsafe place. His brigand's grin is gone, and only sputtering mewls are issued into his comlink. Yee might have her first patient. If Muri were aware, she'd pity Yee the most, but she's not. She's too busy navigating the chaos. With chaos. And total misses at that canon.

Exine beeps and wobbles at Jax, "Not a bad idea. Let's change up the game. If he can't hit me and I can't hit him. He's winning and we're not here to destroy Ties." With that Jax hits the rudder petal of the Revanant and does a tight barrel roll and goes zipping up and along between two Corvettes and on a pursuit angle as he sees an number of the ships targeting the Xyston. < Exine, Let me know if our old buddy gets a lock on us.> Jax would know as soon as the droid did but it didn't hurt to have two sets of eyes out. "Yeah we got to get home safe for Sesti and nephew." As Jax open fire on the large gun of the Xyston. The heavy cannons shots hitting perfectly.

Jax's attack finishing the work of the others as a fire ball ignites along the tip of the Star Destroyer's planet killer gun and starts to rip into along the weapon and up into the main body of the Capital ship. The shriek of metal and rending in two carries along in the atmosphere before the Sith ship dissolves into a fireball falling back to the surface of the planet below. The crew never getting a chance to escape.

Jax somber for a moment as the lifeforms on the Star Destroyer are gone. Then the Revanant pulls up to make sure it doesn't get caught in the fireball.

Col hauls on the steering yoke, though their reactions are seconds too late and the TIE once more strafes the hull of the Supernova with fire. The whole ship shudders, the shields flicker, and the console display warns that the shields are approaching 'dangerously low' territory.

"Dangerous!?" Col shouts at the impassive, glowing display, "That's very subjective of you! You're a starship, you don't get to say what's dangerous and what's not."

Once more they take another shot at the TIE who's tail they doggedly stick to, firing another burst of fire only to have the enemy fighter duck out of the way. A pause, and then Col rests a hand gently on the top of the console.

"I didn't mean to yell at you, baby ... I'm just mad at these damn Sith ... "

Maybe moving around the ship while Netep is flying wildly wasn't Ayeeou's best decision, but she did want to check on medical. It takes some doing, but she gets over there and hangs on as she ensures it's all still intact and where she left it. That isn't the sort of surprise she'd need, when trying to see to any injured in the aftermath of all this. See? Thinking positive thoughts. There will be an aftermath to see to.

And then there's that sudden lurch, and the Nautolan doctor with various oofs and eeks smacks into a wall, bounces off another, and lands unceremoniously on her ass. She's usually pretty polite, but a few choice words slip from her lips as she grabs a nearby ladder and clings to it with all she's got. "That sucked..." she grumbles conversationally to herself.

The Xystons, for all their theoretical might so starkly demonstrated over Kijimi, are vulnerable here in the atmosphere of Exegol, unable to activate their shields, almost entirely uncrewed, and now with a glaring weakness discovered in the very thing that makes them so powerful and threatening. The tide is turning, slowly but surely, as the Allies begin to knock out the Destroyers one by one. <"Don't stop! Every destroyer down is another planet saved!">

The Force users feel it first, the change in the air, a distant sense that something has come together somehow, clicking together like the opposite ends of a magnet. Shortly after, there's a sensation from the Citadel below that feels wholly dark and malignant, and it grows rapidly in size and power. For a brief interval afterward, the fight continues on as normal, but then all at once, a spear of lightning splits the sky as a pillar of blue-white energy stabs up into the clouds, streaking out into all directions and smashing into the thousands of ships in the air.

Sparks fly as sizzling rivulets of electricity streak across control consoles, and every last ship, slowly at first, but gaining momentum rapidly, begins to fall towards the dark planet below. Even stragglers are not outside of the storm's influence, as it persists and grows, reaching out with electric fingers to entangle all in its grip.

"We're doing it!" Lando calls over to Chewbacca who snorts in return. But the tides turn against them just as quickly as they turned in their favor. Power surges through the old bird, lights flicker, and readouts pop and fizz against the onslaught of the dark side of the Force.

"I'm /trying/ Chewie! Control surfaces are all locked out!" Lando calls back to his co-pilot as he struggles with the yoke, the freighter wobbling harshly as it begins to dive toward the stormy planet.

Dead stick.

Zorii glances down at her consoles then out at space as everything on her board is fried and she's left tumbling listlessly in a slow twisting tumble through the vacuum of space... Behind the black shield of her mask, her eyes go wide a moment, reality of the situation sticking into her like a knife... thousands of people, stuck out here.. "Everyone hold onto something..." She warns, they were awful close to the destroyers when that storm hit them and going awful fast.

A force in motion stays in motion.

Bizz Bliptettjupp does feel something. Something moves darkly in the Force. Then ZZZZZZZZT. He releases the firing studs of his turret on the Blissful Flyer and tries to get into the access panel for the power conduits, but there's too much electricity shooting every which way. "We are losing altitude! The FORCE will guide us!" Maybe the Y-Wing can glide.

"What in the holy seven bloody hells." Asked within the confines of a Broadstar-600 ultra-Light Freighter, Siha Archer one of those stragglers who was zooming in, having just broken through the atmosphere before her ship is enveloped by white-blue streaks of pure energy which ripples through the protective shell of her ship. Her co-pilots, a black koriena and a green and reddish brown akk dog, whine as the interior of the ship turns black, all systems powering down with a woeful churn of electricity as it cycles off, "Get in the box, boys - go." Said gruffly as the Mandalorian tries to access the control of the ship, nothing responding.

"This is not going to be good-" Said as she unbuckles and jumps out of her seat to go to a wall panel to try and engage the emergency power, but everything is out. Not even a spark to lick her fingertips, just the dead quiet of a ship that might have seen its last moments. The dogs disappear into the cargo confines of the ship, "No, no, no, no ---" Slapping the panel shut she'll quickly jump back into the pilots seat to buckle in, lips licked beneath her helmet as she scans the skies, "BOYS YOU BETTER BE IN YOUR BOX - We're going down!"

Gliding is also in Siha's mind as she grabs the steering thing with her hands, back pressing hard into the seat cushioning her, grey eyes scanning as she prays to every female deity she can think of, "Goddesses, let one of them shoot me down, I am not going out like this ?" Helpless and trapped in a beautiful metal can.

Nightfall's Herald goes dark and Vena's red gaze almost glows within her Y-Wing. The lightning catches her off guard and her eyes travel to where its coming from, "Palpatine." she scowls. "Hopefully they'll kill that old bastard before we're all fried." she mutters. Then shes trying to get her Droid to respond for repairs...but its not happening.

Aliraet lets out a yell of pain as lightning runs over the flight controls, shocking her as she jerks back then tries to grab hold again as the Heartbreaker's engines just...die. "The frell?!? Pedrul!' The weedy man slaps at the controls. "I...I don't know, it's some sort of storm, it's...we've lost shield, we've lost /everything/!" There's a yell from FAyre, the Zeltron gunner as the ship heels over, nosing towards the ground as it starts to fall out of the air. "Kriff kriff kriff...R3, do something!!" The battered astromech sparks a bit itself as it responds with a blat over the intercom, trying to get its interface plugged back in without getting shocked back in engineering to try and restore the ship's function...only to be electrocuted, letting out a droid shriek as it practically explodes as one of the blasts tears through it, several minor explosions following in the engine room.

When David's cockpit goes dark, the first thing the pilot does is check on his screaming droid. It's dark. "All on my own.." David mutters, strapping a life support mask to his face, in the off chance life support didn't get fried as well. Flipping switches and mashing buttons frantically, David's fighter is essentially in freefall, pulled out of max velocity to barrel ahead and downwards. His eyes cast out into the lightning storm, he watches as the other ships, of all sizes, are all in similar peril, while the First/Final Order ships just seem.. fine. David shakes his head. "Not like this.." he whispers.

Xan can feel when stick goes dead and she perks up over the back of the last chair. "What?" Her chest heaves once at the sight beyond the canopy. That's when she starts to 'get it' and her hand darts out to grab hold of..wait...her fingers slip along sleek surfaces and then her other hand shoots out instinctively to grab out to the side opposite, taking hold of a bar. Gritting her teeth, she tries to fill the cramped space with her body to give her leverage, and starts to slowly maneuver herself. If she succeeds, she'll maybe get into the chair.

Zhu Yan turned his head to look out the yawing hangar maw and could only say "Oh crap," before it hit.

Pain. His left arm did not have the benefit of being flesh and blood and when power surged through it, it spasmed and bent in ways that no normal arm could or would. His right leg, knee and thigh full of cybernetics underneath bruised skin, collapsed underneath him as Yan plummeted to the ground. Nevermind the effect it was having on the rest of him! The Heartbreak 1, not to be confused with the Heartbreaker that Aliraet flew, was shut down. Reddie the Astromech coughed and swore and then shut up completely.

The wave passed, the shields kicked back in, and some clever chap in the bridge (you aren't all redshirts!) had closed the BWC-HF-001's cavernous bay doors. Physics, thy name is Faraday. "We need to get this ship back up and running!" he cried out, legging it as fast as he could towards the engineering bay. It was a long run and he was still limping. "Repair guys give me a hand!"

he creeping feeling of the Darkside starts to spread through Jax and he shivers though not through his actions. "I got a bad feeling about this, Exine." He says as he dodges a pair of laser canons from Tie/SF 07. The droid beeps, "No from the surface." Then for everything goes bright as fingers of light hit him and for the briefest of moments Exine lets out a cry of droid pain and nothing. The lights of the Revanant go dark and nothing. Just the sound of the Revant dead in the sky in an arc forward and towards the ground. The misfiring of Jax's cybernetic leg. He's ignoring that. Jax trying to angle his fighter towards something so that he hopefully doesn't die. His other hand trying to restart the ship. He mumbles, "The Force is my ally and it is with me."

Netep emits a scream when the GIANT fireball erupts from and then encompasses that canon - and almost her. <MAG BOOTS! MAG BOOTS EVERYONE MAG--> The Hermi is pushed to its limits, climbing up, up, up the height of the subsequently erupting cap ship in attempts to escape the heat, then banks sharply away from the entire mess. Straight into another one. Lesser of two evils here, as one of two canon blasts pounds into Hermi's shields, almost up Muri's nose.

Her suit's going to need a cleaning, when this is through.

58 percent! That's still half full, in Muri's opinion, unfortunately, her beeline for the fringes of this mess is rudely interrupted by a freak lightning storm. There's no time (or ability) to contemplate as Muri's knocked back in her chair by the furious POPS and SIZZLES arcing across her entire control board. All throughout the freighter, the lights go dark, systems power down. Dim, emergency lighting kicks on as the backup tries to kick into gear and Muri - now out of the cockpit running for the upper deck of her reactor core - is struggling to avert an early death. Freefall, everyone. How far are we above the surface of the planet? How long will it take? Time to do maths. "Guys!" she calls through her suit. "Report!"

The elderly P2 droid is not in good condition, nor is her J9. And Lok...well, he's going to be a grim discovery.

Ayeeou isn't in the cockpit to see exactly what's going on out there, but that cannon hit didn't feel healthy for them at all. Fortunately she's still clinging to the ladder for dear life, so she doesn't go sprawling again. On the plus side, it means that she is nowhere near anything electronic when the lightning hits them all. She certainly feels it and shudders unpleasantly, that electricity going through everything, but it could have been worse. Until it occurs to her that everything is out. Then, she starts to panic again and scrambles up and towards the cockpit, very unevenly given how they are moving and, of course, because it's entirely dark. "What happened??" she calls ahead, in the hopes someone can hear her. On the plus side, she finally remembered the mag locks on her boots?

"I thought we'd discussed this," Col chides the Supernova through clenched teeth as the shields drop again and the red light blinks a little more furiously, "/I/ say when we're in danger, okay?"

But before they can react, that strange sense of malignancy spills forth from the planet below and into the upper atmosphere. The lightning catches the Supernova and immediately the lights go out, and Col spins in the chair to try and get an idea of what is happening. Nothing. Stillness and darkness.

"Hey, now, don't be like that," Col calls soothingly, reaching under the console and trying to work with the wiring there. Desperately trying to bring back the power. There's no response, but they continues to tug on the mechanisms there.

The Dark Citadel far below has been wrecked by an structural collapse. It's main central tower has begun to crumble around it's skeletal insides.

As the lightning pours out from within the peak of that broken central spire, the winds whip about the planet and with them the Force flows powerfully around it. Light and Dark, sweeping and waving through the misty gray clouds that envelop the ancient temple.

The fleet-damaging lightning continues to radiate into the bleak skies of Exegol, through the strong gravitational anomalies and out into the darkness of space around the once well hidden world where a massive battle is culminating in the fate of the galaxy's future!

An eerie, and morbidly beautiful, display of disabled ships begin to fall from the sky from the wrath of the lightning tower. An absolution can be felt through the Force, an outburst of great darkness...

Followed by a spark of light.

"Be with me..." A soft voice speaks amongst the madness. Its whispered through the essence of the Force. Living. Unifying. All aspects of the energy that binds the galaxy together are reached by the soft, calm, but very desperate plea. "Be with me..."

Followed by a lingering silence. The galaxy, at its core, quiets.

"These are your final steps..."

The response to the plea is whispered on the winds of the Force, and soon followed by more joining voices that all come together with words of wisdom, encouragement, guidance and a sense of calming peace. To bolster, to build, to counter and to bring Rise.

To counter the dark.

"Restore the Balance, as I once did..."

From inside the dark citadel, the lightning storm comes to an end. But what follows is a growing storm within the broken tower. A building of intense power, an indication of an impending detonation that hints a deadly release!

Flashes of lightning tendrils lick around the edges of the entire citadel, swirling down around toward the base of the structure lost and hidden beneath the veil of wildly flowing cloud cover.

And then the energy DETONATES!

Pieces of the building go spiraling out in all directions! A wave of Force energy sweeps across the globe of Exegol and in its wake... the spire... the Dark Citadel, are left in ruins!

As the detonation of energy's shockwave spreads out through the atmosphere, the beleaguered Allied Fleet's ship systems come back online one by one. The rocky, inhospitable surface of the planet racing up towards them suddenly veers away as the ships both great and small regain control and pull back on the throttle in a panicked, desperate maneuver to avoid crashing into the rocks below.

<"Amadla ubuile keppa izilagu aziko!"> Nien Nunb yells into the comms on the Tantive IV as the corvette rockets up back into the air. Power is back but shields are not, for anyone who speaks Sullustan!

Almost at the same time, another explosion rocks the battle as one of the massive orbital defense guns on the surface of the *Steadfast* takes aim and destroys the transmitter controlling the Xyston-class destroyers, and now /they/ lose control, the massive planet-killing guns all slouching in their mounts, a slow wave starting in the rear of the formation as many begin to fall from the sky entirely. <"We got one chance at this!"> a heroic voice declares. <"Let's take 'em down for good!">

"We're back!" Lando shouts, nearly shaking in his chair. "Ha /ha/! We're back!" he repeats, as the Falcon finishes it's reset and levels out.

The freighter, brought back from the precipice of defeat, tears into the sky, Lando and Wedge's guns tearing into the belly of another Star Destroyer.

The slow turning freefall in space would have Zorii feeling nauseous, maybe it was the realization they were just sitting out there waiting fro a TIE fighter to hit us... Then the board lights back up with a whining from the engines.

Her red hand gloses around the control yolk, pushing forward in the same instance as she throttles the Flyer into an end over and rockets back in the direction of the massive destroy, <<"Don't know what that was, but we're making a run on the ships...">> Glancing back and over her shoulder, "Everyone okay back there?"

Babu chitters and bangs his hand on the power line.. claiming responsibility for the repair.. of all the ships, not just his own.

Bizz Bliptettjupp gives a celebratory hoot as his Y-Wing stops dropping like a stone. "The FORCE has saved us!" He puts his hands back on the firing studs of that Taim & Bak KX4 dorsal laser turret fires wildly at the axial cannon of the star destroyer. KABOOOM.

"WOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE sweet holy HELLS!" Siha screams in what could be construed as joy out from within the confines of her helmet as her ship cycles back to life, systems coming back on line and the woman snapping fingers to bring things fully online as she continues going down, down, down. The whistles as it continues crashing down towards the ground at a faster and faster speed before - CH-KACHU - Her ship rocks heavily, things in her cargo bay which are not tied down shuttling back as the ship kicks to life before they fall forwards as she zips back into the skies, crashing into the ship walls, "HAHAHA. I'll come get you out after boys!" Called back over her shoulder, adrenaline rushing as she zips back up, bringing her weapons systems back online, listening to the comms before they're flicked on.

<< Sy'dartha copies, going after one of the guns. >> Her head cants to the left as armored shoulder lifts to meet her sweeping cheek, sweat still beading to brow, since, well, she's armored and helmeted, the gesture doing nothing.

"Okay guys - let's try to do some damage." Swinging the ship around she'll focus, reading the output on her console as she lines up to shoot as she flies by, the turrets online first, her missile weapon still warming up. Chht-chhht-chht-chht, << Sy'dartha firm on a hit, need someone to follow up to take it down, I'm coming around for another run. >> Said to the masses of ships around her, head craning back to watch where she's going to avoid flying into any others, woman sniffing lightly, her nose runny. Focus, focus.

When the Herald comes back online the Chiss gives a feral smile and then shoves the throttle forward. <<Lets finish this!>> Vena states as shr focuses fire on the next canon. Aiding in the destruction.

Elrych, having been dogfighting his way keeping any stray TIE's off the Space Whale in the way back had rushed back to the front lines of the Fighter Screen when the evil presence shot forward as well as the lightning. He angles in on a TIE that's chasing down a newly recovered Y-Wing, <<"You alright, Yellow Four?">> Asks the Jedi. There is an affirmatie responce when a Wyvern and E-Wing with Drikish marking come by to form up with the Wishbone, each marked with Yellow trim and hull painted a gunmetal camo. Looking down, the evil disipated, and the Jedi was relieved but he was worried because the dark citidel exploded. "Rey..." Eggsy let out a wimper.

Aliraet looks out the forward cockpit, as more and more of the ground below starts to fill it, the ship trailing smoke from one of its engines as it falls. She pulls at the yoke, growling. "Kriff no, I'm not gonna go out like THIS!" The ground keeps rushing closer as one of the TIEs banks, starting to line up a kill shot on the Sentinel's cockpit...

And then suddenly the engines sputter to life, the transport accelerating as the shots go wide as it claws for altitude, as Aliraet woops. "ALL GUNS ON THAT CANNON! TAKE IT DOWN!" A storm of laser fire, ion blasts, and a pair of missiles streak out to smash into the underside of the nearby planetkiller, catching it clean straight down the barrel as it blows apart, secondary explosions climbing into the ship itself as the massive Star Destroyer starts to come apart as it falls.

David is just making peace with the inglorious death he's about to face. The ground comes closer and closer and David just closes his eyes. There's nothing he can do now but accept his fate. But a few seconds into this zen-like state of being, David is shocked into action by a screaming astromech droid behind him, instinctively pulling the stick towards himself and pushing the throttle forward. "We did it!" he exclaims to his droid. "..She did it!" he adds, quietly. That storm came from down below, there's for sure Jedi stuff going on down there. <<All guns on those cannons, they're unshielded and unstable!>> he comms, just in case it hadn't been done before he regained power. Putting his money where his mouth is, as he approaches a Destroyer he unloads into it with all he has, as if to compensate for the amount of time he spent powerless.

Xan falls on the chair square in her gut with an, "Oof...........yeah," slightly strained response. That's going to leave a bruise. "I okay," she says with a little bit more support behind it. "We go! Kriff them up!" Then she turns and shouts back at Bizz, "WHO IS FORCE?! YOU DEAD GIRLFRIEND?" Shadow tries to hover and then falls to the floor, his sensors disoriented but recovering. Xan leans tenderly to scoop him up. "Okay now we go!" /Then/ she straps in.

Some of your problems are your fault. It's not worth the trouble. These and many more prophetic Fizzpop fortunes come to mind as Muri fumbles with tools, fingers still twitching from the SURGE that knocked her off her feet to begin with. The access panel swings freely on its hinges and slams into the ring bulkhead again...and again...and again. All around, emergency klaxons remain silent, the only light source - her taclight. System failure. System failure. Sparks spit meanly from the contents she'd been trying to repair, but it's clear that there's more damage than she can mend by herself.

"I really hate that machine," she whispers once lungs decide they possess the power to refill her panicked airway, then turns to see Yee come up the ladder. "I don't know. I don't--" And then, just as sudden as it'd vanished, emergency power kicks on. Followed shortly by the sounds of salvation as Hermi's main drives wake up. Big eyed and stupefied, Muri ditches the entire tool kit. Spanners and cutters and splitters go bounce-sliding around the floor in her wake as she scurries through the hatch and back into her pilot's chair. No time for buckling in, she's racing to stabilize the ship. Just in time to pull up and see/hear Sy'dartha go streaking across the airspace ahead of her.

<<Damage, eh??>> A spark of Netep's mischief and delight at seeing a friend transmits through the sound of her voice. <<"I think I c-->> er. Can't. She can't.

The darkness begins to seep into Jax as he and the Revenant fall from the sky. He reaches out with the force trying to find a solution and in the darkness from below he feels a point of light. He reaches for it as he feels it growing. He joins in whispering, "Rey. It's Rey." Then there are the voices. The few he knew from their holocron's lessons from his time at the academy, other he just knew, and some he had no clue but it was the jedi of old. His experiences with the cosmic force were few. He seemed to live in the now and dealt with the living force. Then a voice spoke to him, he had not heard her in a long time, not since he'd started down this path on Iridonia. He heard the voice of Jerna Aderanne, "This is not your stand at the well, Jax. Live serve the light." Then he reaches out with the Force adding his strength with the jedi of old to Rey. "Rey, We've came to far and done too much to let the Darkness win. I don't care what you call me or what I call myself. Today, I'm a jedi, and I'm standing with you."

The Cathedral was falling but so was Jax and then he wasn't the Revenant systems sprung alive as Jax pulled back on the the throttle and the flight yoke. The nose of the fighter pulling up as the powerful engines roar him back into the atmosphere. His cannon firing at one of the Sith Destroyer 's gun, striking true but not enough. Though the Galaxy was here fighting somebody would finish the work. "Exine, We're alive." There's a moment of no replay, "Exine?"Then a weak Beep, "Whew there you are buddy, I think Rey saved us." The droid beeps, "Yeah, I know you like her crazy hairdos."

Life is absolutely terrifying for those long moments, but then, things start to come back on and Ayeeou lets go a breath she had not realized she was holding. She's still terrified, but maybe a little less so. Now that she can see, because even low-light vision requires *some*, she looks over the cockpit to make sure Netep has things in hand. More or less. Her goal, of course, is to get her ass strapped back into her seat before the next lurch. "How're we doing?" she asks Netep, more than a little tongue in cheek. "Isn't this fun?" There will be some might heavy drinking later.

"We're back!" Col announces proudly as the lights come on, shouting to nobody in particular since they're the only one who happens to be aboard the Supernova. Maybe Zee would have come and helped? Col didn't ask. They didn't want to risk her saying no or trying to stop her. This fight was too important. Maybe they didn't quite understand why, but it just felt that way. Something vital that Col /had/ to do.

So, giving up on their hated enemy of the TIE/FO fighter, Col turns the Supernova in the direction of one of the immense Star Destroyers. The vessel dips, out of control in the air, and the immense cannon on the underside becomes visible. The young Mandalorian tilts their head forward, eyes fixed on the planet-killer weapon affixed to the Star Destroyer's hull.

"Come on, come on ... "

The weapons fire, the cannons lance through the air and strike the cannon affixed to the underside of the Destroyer. The chain reaction immediately sets in, explosions originating in the cannon's core and wracking the entire vessel as they work their way to the reactor. When the vessel explodes in a ball of superheated gas and shrapnel, Col brings the Supernova around to dodge the oncoming debris. The look on their face is one of disbelief, and it's probably good the helmet they wear is covering it. Glancing back of their shoulder, they wonder aloud:

"Does that count as one, or ... ?"

Explosions spring up all over as one by one by one the Xyston's cannons are targeted, assaulted, and destroyed, the chain reactions causing a staggered stream of fire to spread from the weapons up into the cores of the ships and blowing the center out of the destroyers' wedge-shaped hulls. The comms are alive with whoops and yells of impending victory as the shower of fallen world-ending ships continues.

On the *Steadfast,* there's another BOOM as the same cannon as before turns on the bridge of the RSD and opens fire, obliterating the command center and Allegiant General Pryde along with it. As the destroyer begins to list to one side, the Falcon swings in where a few of the freedom fighters are huddled, one waving a blue lightsaber in the air to beckon them in like a runway stick. As the freighter launches off, the crippled destroyer founders down towards Exegol's surface like so many of the rest, crashing into the Devastator as it goes, dragging the Dreadnaught down and avenging Merl Cobben in the process.

The battle is effectively finished. All around, Xystons go up in smoke one by one, and the First Order's protecting might is broken. TIEs scatter to the four winds, one of them a rogue prototype Silencer harboring a particularly dark heart that will fester in the wounds of the galaxy in the days to come. A handful of Xystons, no doubt manned by radical fanatics, manage to activate independent controls and streak off into hyperspace.

From the rubble of the citadel below, a lone T-65B X-Wing soars upward to join all the others as the last of the planet-killers collapses into a piece of junk on the rocky planet, the new Sith Empire perishing before it could be properly born.

An elated but steady voice comes over the comms. <"Anyone who came to help us, come back with us to Ajan Kloss. We got some cleaning up to do, and the generals are gonna want to bend your ear over how you might be able to help."> A beat. <"You know. Given that you're heroes now too. May the Force be with us all!">