The spider looking biped on the ceiling said...

when admiral <name of human CIS admiral> left for the backup bridge he ordered me to stay behind to negotiate the terms of your surrender. Choose your response carefully, beyond your own fate the contintued survival of what's left of the clone squad that attempted to assult engineering depends on it.

Deception vs Mireska (highest in group) : 4eP+2eB+2eC+1eD 4 successes

Mireska was momentarily in doubt from the harch officer's words, but then the logic of the situation re-asserted itself. Surrender is not an option here and now. This CIS officer is very convincing, but if the Engineering assault team didn't make it, then the Bridge assault team is the last chance to break the blockade, save Organa, bring the relief supplies, and free Christophsis. In other words, the bridge assault is our last ditch, desperate plan, and surrendering right now would bring down the whole Republic operation in the Christophsis arena of conflict. ... Which means that I'm about to do something that I really don't want to do. Master Che - and Yoda! - will not be pleased at all if they hear of this. If I survive, I'll be spending weeks on my knees, meditating on my transgression ...

She gathered her mental focus. It was difficult, as if the Force knew what she intended and disapproved. She sent her invisible and normally beneficient tendrils of Force into the body grasping her, finding the harch's equivalent of heart, lungs, brain, and the circulatory and nervous systems. Even though her stomach was churning, she reached out and twisted .

The harch gave a brief twitch, then suddenly began convulse and choke. Blood (or is it ichor, she wondered idly) began to run from his orifices. So much life energy! Refreshing! No longer capable of holding her, he dropped her from the ceiling. A second later he fell down on top of her. Hmm, was that a cracked rib?

The sharp pain in her side brought Mireska back to clarity, despite the invisible dark tendrils still reaching towards the harch. No, no, no! Must get to safety!

She scrabbled away from the unconscious (I hope he's dead! No, I don't!) harch and - exhibiting an disturbingly spider-like motion - crawled under a chair.

As the Harch fell from the ceiling, Condor whistler and the rest of Balyeg had their weapons back up in an instant, all closing on the foe with their weapons trained. As they reached him, they continued aiming at him as Mireska crawled away, waiting a few seconds before Titan lightly kicked the Harch in what looked like might be the rib area.

When no response came, Condor went back into order mode, ready to deal with the mission at hand. “ O-3, Boomstick, relieve him of any weapons. Titan, he wakes up, give him a smack in the face with your shield. Bullseye, find something to tie him up with Sixer, have a look at the General. ”

He turned back to the console and began working, quickly confirming that what the Harch had claimed was at least partially true. He couldn’t do anything from here. Unless. . . .

“ Elsee? Can you give us back control on the bridge? ” The droid peeked around from where the clone troopers were guarding the door, then gave a series of whirs before starting up on the main console on the bridge.

Meanwhile, Sixer has knelt down beside Mireska, looking at her with a tilted head. “ General. Do you require medical assistance? ”

Checking the monitors the young Devaronian quickly establishes the state of the ship and they have the comm. "We have the most effective weapon available," she says out loud, mainly to herself as if forming a plan. "This ship still has escape pods if we can get all out crew to one in time we can crash this into the CIS base and do some real damage." She turns to her comrades and saw Mireska on the floor. She didn't immediately rush over. She was a Jedi and should be tough enough to come round on her own in time.

It took a minute or two before Sixer got a reply.

Mireska coughed nervously and immediately winced. "'pologies. Need collect 'self after ... that." She gasped reedily. "Be out, umm, shortly."

Sixer peered at her dubiously. Is that a bone visible in her side? "Really, sir, if you ---"

"'sist." Mireska closed her eyes a moment, her brow furrowed. A few seconds later her wounds disappeared. She took a careful breath, and the lines of strain in her face eased. "Ah, that's better."

She looked up at Sixer with a slightly embarassed smile. "If you have a moment, then yes, I would appreciate a little help. I seem to have wedged myself in here rather tightly."

He grinned and offered her a hand.

She blinked a moment before taking it. Yes, that's two arms and two legs. Not eight. Force help me, I'll be really angry at myself if I end up with arachnophobia from this on top of everything else. Healers are supposed to be better than that. She grimaced. I should have been better than that.

With Sixer's help she managed to crawl out from beneath the chair and console and then stand up. She deliberately did not look at the unconscious harch, but instead straightened her tunics.

"Right, then. What's the situation?" she asked the group at large.

Binary called out from just outside the bridge doorway. "Good to hear that you're back on your feet again, sir. No hostile movement out here."

Condor chimed in after Binary, giving Sixer a nod.

“ Ker’see has suggested crashing the ship into the CIS base, and I’m inclined to agree with the General, ” Condor replies to Mireska’s query.

” If we can get control of the ship back, we can seal the windows with the blast doors, and divert all power to forward shielding. That should provide enough protection that I can crash the ship into the CIS ground base. Don’t know if the pods are the best idea though Generals. If I’m not able to provide you cover from the bridge, those clanker fighters would tear the pods to pieces.”

"Then by all means let's try that. But first, any word from Captain Wraith?"

" Nothing. Comms are being jammed, or otherwise can't get through. The Harch did say his unit's fate depended on our response. If the ship's admiral had eyes on the bridge, they may not have made it. . " Condor replied solemnly. Of course if they were still fighting for their lives, crashing the ship might give them the distraction they needed to escape or otherwise survive on their end. Elsee chimed in with a series of chirps and whirs, and Condor nodded to the droid. " Sir. We have controls back. Permission to crash the ship into the CIS base on Christophsis? "

Mireska pointedly strapped herself into a seat, while ordering her short squad of CTs to do the same.

"Crash at will, Lieutenant. Just make it count," she replied to Condor.

The bridge assault team had taken the main bridge of the Invincible . While their control over the CIS flagship was not complete, it was enough to move the mighty vessel in an unexpected direction - down towards the planet Christophsis. With Elsee plugged in to the bridge systems and running the necessary counter-electronic warfare to prevent the secondary bridge and any other CIS source from re-taking control, Lieutanant Condor carried out his orders smoothly - and with a certain amount of glee.

Ker'see strapped herself into the observer's seat beside Mireska. After securing their unconscious prisoner, Balyeg squad and Mireska's clone troopers likewise strapped themselves in at the bridge consoles. Of the four CTs, Binary looked the most interested in the technical challenges of crashing a capital starship without killing oneself.

Condor directed the ship towards the CIS base on Christophsis at a speed guaranteed to cause the worst possible of damage to whatever the ship landed on. Klaxons and automatic alerts began to sound but were swiftly shut down on the bridge itself. When the ship hit atmosphere at a speed far beyond its standard operationg specs, it began to shake and groan around them in protest and the engineering read-outs went crazy, reporting elevating hull temperatures, system stress, and other errors.

The Invincible came screaming out of the sky towards the base, ignoring the desperate communications directed at it. Its carefully calculated route ensured that the starship scraped its glowing belly on as many base buildings as possible before slowing down enough to settle decisively on the remains of the operational headquarters. Those base buildings which had escaped being crushed were instead peppered with deadly debris and engulfed in flames.

The destruction of the CIS base was complete, and the Invincible was mess of twisted metal, the bridge tr team survived the crash most unscathed, they later found commander wraith badly injured and unconscious within the wreckage. He was medivaced off world.

By the time that Mireska left the GAR encampment's medical staff meeting she'd finally come to a decision.

What happened on the bridge ... I can't allow myself to do that again. I need to be better than that. And that will require some extra work, not to mention some expert help. Who to ask, who to ask ... my own squad's normal duties have rolled them up into the regular GAR movements for now, at least until we get a special assignment - not to mention that all those labyrinthine GAR rules might have something against it. But Condor's duties might allow him to squeeze in a daily hour for the next week ...

She pulled out her text-based comlink interface and sent the message.

Lieutenant Condor: do you have the time and inclination to give me some remedial unarmed combat training, possibly along the lines of an hour a day in the GAR gym over the next week? If not, would you please recommend to me another instructor? Thank you, Mireska T.

With the Invincible destroyed, the separatists blockade was soon broken and the CIS retreated. The republic forces established a garrison on the surface. With his mercy mission complete Senator Organo returned to to Coruscant.

It had been relatively uneventful for several days when Ker'see and Mireska's communicators buzzed and then crackled. The clone at the other end of the comm said, Generals Tanohdi and See, there's a shuttle inbound, apparently General Yoda has requested that you meet it when it arrives.

Ker'see and Mireska met the shuttle as requested, Condor and his men were there with their gear packed to ship out, a cloned descended from the shuttle and handed a holorecoder to Mireska, your orders generals. A blue hologram of Yoda projected up from the device as seven clones and a young mirilan padawan descended down the ramp.

@P-47 Thunderbolt @RuusMarev

Greetings, Mireska and Ker'see. Sad times are these. Master Sei Vanta on Akiva has died. But survived did Santa's padawan, Jorin Cass. Look after Jorin you will until his trials. Vanta's Varactal Squad, led by Lieutenant Camouflage, assigned to you has been. Also, Lieutenant Condor with you will remain for now.

The hologram dissolved, leaving the jedi and clones to introduce themselves.

@Bellona @MrTInce @ShockHelix

Ker'see audibly sighs as she gazes upon the padawan before her. I never wanted one of these...

She turns to her comrade and slowly growing friend, Mireska. " I think this one is for you..."

The ARC trooper salutes, "Generals. ARC-65 reporting. But, uh... the boys just call me Camouflage."

The other clones stand to attention, holding their carbines across their chests, but the clone with a stylized snake coiled around his torso and helmet nudges Jorin forwards.

"At ease, gentlemen and Padawan, and welcome to Christophsis," Mireska said with a welcoming smile, and added a traditional Mirialan greeting to Jorin. She then said in Mirialan, ["I grieve for your loss."]

Mireska raised an eyebrow at the holo recording. "Who should take responsibility for Padawan Cass really depends upon his strengths, Ker'see. Unless he's interested in learning a lot about healing, I'd venture that his skills match yours better than mine." She looked up at Jorin with another smile. "What do you say, young Jorin?"

@RuusMarev :

Jorin bows to the two Jedi, Greatings Masters, I am Jorin Cass. I'm grateful for any lessons you have for me. he said a bit sheepishly. I'm also very grateful to have Lieutenant Camouflage remain assigned to me... we've been through alot together.

"I understand. Indeed, we've come to prize the clone soldiers of the GAR very highly. I, for one, am pleased that Condor and his men will remain with us. Balyeg squad and the regular troopers were very efficient at keeping the battledroids off our backs when we hijacked the Invincible ." Mireska nodded at Condor and his men.

"I appreciate, Mireska, that I am the more physical Jedi of the two of us I wonder if the Jedi need more healers than Snipers going forward..."

Jorin looked back and forth between the two Jedi, noting what armor he could see and thought about Master Sei Vanta and how a little bit of armor might have saved her life. He nudged Camouflage, I think acquiring some protection for myself would be a smart idea... he said.

He turn his attention back to the two Jedi, Masters, while my skills may not be comparable with yours, I would be grateful for anything you can teach me about leadership.. So I may serve my troops as well as they do for us.

The ARC nudges him back, "Ya think? I've been after you to get a body-bucket for a while now."

"While it might not be what you're looking for, I can recommend armour inserts," Mireska tapped her Healer's uniform and it sounded a bit louder than one would have expected, "and a portable plasma shield." She gestured with the odd-looking vambrace on her left forearm.

"Of course," she continued, "That alone won't save you from the vacuum of space and other problems. How well-versed are you in the lore of crafting?" She looked closely at Jorin.

Other than my lightsaber, I haven't had much practice.. But I have put in a request to the archives about advanced techniques so I can improve my lightsaber.. Is there additional information I should request?

"Hmmm. There are certain tips and tricks that various lineages of teaching masters pass on to their students. If you're skilled enough, you should be able to construct something useful." Mireska paused. "Maybe we could discuss it over evening tea after dinner, once you've had a chance to familiarise yourself with the garrison grounds, etc."

Jorin bowed politely, Thank you Master Mireska, I'll look forward to it. he bowed to Ker'see, then looked up to Camoflauge, I probably should have you both teach me marksmanship, in case the need arise.