#youth peace leadership

[neutralityday]

"If War Is A Choice, Peace Can Be Too" - Side Event on Young Leaders' Contribution to Peace and Security.

A Side Event on Young Leaders' Contribution to Peace and Security organized by Rondine with the Permanent Missions of Italy, Costa Rica and Monaco to the United Nations with the support of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

In the fifth iteration of the series, Rondine and its student community reaffirm their commitment to a world free of armed conflict and violent extremism through peace education, workshop trainings on youth leadership for peace, and by promoting the values outlined through the "Leaders for Peace" global campaign in line with the United Nations' Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and UNSC Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security.

The campaign is a call to action for all UN Members to invest more in education for peace, to structurally integrate the teaching of Human Rights in national education systems, and to devote a symbolic amount from their budgets to scholarships for outstanding young leaders of peace.

Since 2018, Rondine and the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations have been jointly promoting an annual follow-up event at the United Nations Headquarters, where Rondine students discuss international developments in the fields of peace, human rights and transformative peace education together with diplomats, policymakers, and experts from all over the world. Through these events, youth participants highlight recommendations on identifying warning signs, focusing on how to defuse new and re-emerging tensions, and how to support youth peace leadership in an increasingly fragile post-pandemic world.

"If War Is A Choice, Peace Can Be Too" - concept note

#Peace and Security #Side Event #Young leaders #United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) #peace education #war #diplomats #policymakers #youth peace leadership #UNSC resolution 2250 #youth peace and security #side-events

[themilfking]

wait I know why we hate AIPAC but what did ADL do? I thought the anti defamation League was good

The ADL is an Israeli/Zionist advocacy group at its core. It's main priority as an organization is to protect Israel and its mission for a Jewish Ethno-State. This is especially true under Johnathan Greenblatt's leadership who has said "antizionism is antisemitism" It's easy to think that the "Anti Defamation League" has no underlying agenda given its history as a "civil rights organization" but it has constantly used that as a screen for extremely right wing positions on Israel. Some of their greatest hits include: Equating Students for Justice in Palestine, JVP, and CAIR to "white supremacists" simply because they strongly oppose an ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. A leaked ADL memo revealing how ADL plans to "soften" the news to Americans that Israel plans to annex the West Bank. (Source). In this leak Greenblatt recognizes that the annexation is a violation of basic human rights. To me this is a clear indication that they are less concerned with civil rights and more concerned with shaping the public image of Israel, especially in the US. Really urge you all to read this leak! Supported South African Apartheid (surprise surprise) and participated in propaganda against Nelson Mandela and the ANC. They even employed a spy named Roy Bullock to infiltrate the anti-apartheid campaign in the US. They later settled a law suit for this. (Source) That's not even close to the only time they've utilized spies. THIS recent leak of Greenblatt talks about ADL having spies in Jewish Voice for Peace and other organizations. It also talks about how they are having a hard time with the global youth no longer buying into their propaganda. Another source you should give your full attention to. PLEASE listen to that whole thing. It's truly terrifying. You're gonna hear them talk a lot about why Tiktok is a danger to their mission.

HERE is an article about how the ADL has a long history of smearing black activists, working with Police/ICE, and its attempts to demonize the BDS movement. I could go on and on about how terrible and deceitful the ADL is. The sources above are a good start to understanding why we shouldn't trust the ADL but please look into all the other things they've done like working with the FBI to spy on Arab Americans, infiltrating student organizations they find to be a threat to "Israel's image", surveillance, the people who fund/donate to them etc.

The best way to fight orgs like this is to share/spread this info as much as you can. It's clearly working because they're losing global support especially with the youth.

#fuck israel #fuck the adl #scum #free palestine #adl

[whatisonthemoon]

Youth Committee for Peace with Freeedom

Conservative pundit Bret Stephen's father Charles Stephens organized over 100 Moonies in the 70s, including Gary Jarmin, Dan Fefferman, Edwin Ang, etc., under the organization "Youth Committee for Peace with Freedom". They lobbied and protested on behalf of continuing the Vietnam War. 

It's been said that the Unification Church benefited from the Vietnam War due to Tongil Heavy Industries' production of weapons used to fight the Vietcong.

#gary jarmin #dan fefferman #edwin ang #conservative #politics #bret stephens #charles stephens #moonies #vietnam war #unification church in usa #american church #unification church in the united states #Youth Committee for Peace with Freeedom #FLF #freedom leadership foundation #tongil heavy industries #weapons #anti-communism

[facelesswoman666]

The Beast Blade - Feyd Rautha x Fem! Reader

Hello lovelies, I am back and i have brought to you the product of my many nights spent reading Feyd Rautha smut. I thought i would have a go at it myself. This is part one of a 4 part series. So please enjoy xoxo

Synopsis - There are enemies in every territory. At the request of the emperor, the House Harkonnen and Atreides have been asked to discuss the conditions of a peace treaty, that could subside years of futile conflict. Poised at the centre of this conflict are the young heirs of each house. Na-Baron Rautha and the young Duke Paul Atreides. Under the machinations of their guardians, they must navigate their own claims to leadership and the claims of their newfound allies. Although Rautha is developing a taste for the young Duke’s sister, and he will stop at nothing to claim what he covets. Regardless of the outcome of his desires.

18+ MINORS DNI. Sexual contact warnings

This part is short, sorry xo

Part 1 - A dove and a dog

He was Harkonnen, the perversities of his nature knew no human bounds and yet his composure was impeccable. The lone blade, they called him, hushed in opulent halls and whispered around feasting tables too grand for proper representation. Better translated to ‘Beast Blade’ in the native tongue. His character was primal, unfiltered, raw, and those who were favoured enough to appear in his presence frequently, knew of his interests.

A select few suffered them recurrently.

Na-Baron Feyd Rautha was a petulant man. Yet desirable in the traditions of the House Harkonnen. His body an expanse of heavily built muscle tissue and sheer skin, with a hue of spectre white. The rotated assortment of precious things that followed, nipping at his heels and fawning over his body were ever lingering in his presence. Although not today.

Feyd found himself, today, in an unfamiliar setting, an uncomfortable one at that. Traipsing soft footed around the halls of the Arrakeen castle, now under the jurisdiction of House Atreides. Thieving bastards he thought, and imagined his blade studying the soft pale skin of the eldest atreides child. Weak as a crib bound babe was Paul. His rumination’s shifted to the youngest atreides daughter, a girl of 18 and whether it would be pleasant to ruin her in the short time he would spend here.

The ruining of the princess was far from possibility, considering the minute truth that was she despised his bloodline, along with him. The complexities of this sand wrought cavernous abode was not lost on him, seeing as his former years as a youth had been spent causing deviltry about these halls. His hand slid over the walls; it reminded him of the past.

A servant girl began to cross his path, hurriedly skipping on tapping feet to an unknown destination. It was decided.

The Na-Baron expressed his internal sentiments ‘A dove has entered the dog’s pit’ Her chin rotated in his direction and she replied ‘And does the dove not have wings?’ Her overt defiance to a superior amused him ‘The dove has wings and the dog has teeth’ He gave in to her rebuttal. Her smile stretched small against her pretty face ‘The dove is slight’ Feyd studied the girl with intense curiosity.

‘Dogs eat birds’ The words dripped from his poison lips; he did not indulge in their recreation of the folk tale. His boredom grew within him.

She stepped closer, bringing forth the beauty of a youthful face into a light which did not shadow the most adored features. What a strange specimen, he noted, allowing her momentary pauses from his scrutiny. His eyed lowered to the tunic she wore, draped lazily over her skin and the perfect tits that hung on her chest underneath it. She noticed Rautha’s eyes darting from peak to peak across her chest. His tongue subsequently sliding over his bottom lip. He spoke ‘Do all caladan women have such perky tits? Or is it primarily you?’ Rautha smirked

The girl was not accustomed to such a word and she imagined it held its own brutality for this man. Her mother had always referred to them as breasts. The Na-Baron suppressed the urge to reach out, to skim them with his fingers. The pretty little servants on his home-world would have welcomed his hands to their chest but little did he care for those white mounds of flesh. These things were delicate, flush from exertion and begging to be touched. She, taken aback by his statement, breathed a gasp and stumbled back a pace. Was he truly so bold?

The girl stood in puzzlement of the living statue positioned before her. Slithers of yellow light filtering through the windows, washing over him as though a wave of ocean cascading. It illuminated his form for brief bursts of remark “I asked you a question” he repeated simply “And by what means do you expect me to provide an answer” She clipped her tone, speaking candidly. Feyd stilled himself, the initial spouts of rage fighting their way to heat the skin of his arms. He presented his smile, blackened teeth, gums writhing over them like tar and pressed her further “Are all caladan women blessed with perky tits? Or and i repeat, is it primarily you?”

She would not play pawn in this righteous amusement of power and lust. Her mouth kept in a hard line, to the Na-Baron’s annoyance. He reached his fingers to her in an untamed prediction of violence. The thumb and forefinger of this looming figure came to rest on her neck, pressuring the area. His other hand grasping the flesh of her ass in it claws, he craned his neck, and stretched downwards to whisper against the shell of her ear ‘I will take these tits in my mouth until they ache with pleasure and the distortions of lust cloud your feeble mind. There is no one you can run to that will affirm this ever happened. Do you understand?”

The girl nodded slowly, heaving breaths racking her lungs. Hips bucking in a childish display of discomposure, into where his pelvic bone struck against hers.

Duncan idaho rounded the corner, spotting the pair immediately and his eyed betrayed cause for concern. She sensed his presence to her side although Feyd Rautha did not conclude his oppression of her even under the eyes of the Duke Leto’s most trusted adviser. “My lady” The firm query of Idaho concealed layers only known to the girl and her family. Feyd released her at the realisation of the name Idaho gave to her. Lady, he pondered, interesting. The Na-Baron watched keenly as the little creature before him wandered off, tailed by Idaho.

The Na-Baron revelled in the accusing glance Duncan speared him with upon departure.

#dune fanfiction #feyd rautha #feyd rautha x reader #feyd smut #feyd x you #feyd imagine #feyd fanfiction #dune smut

[sayhoneysiren]

what typa beauty u possess

I. II. III.

book a personal reading here

welcome sirens! this reading is for entertainment pursposes only based on the downloads i receive. do not attack me if the message doesn’t resonate. keep in mind this is a collective reading, not a individual one. with that being said, enjoy!

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xx HoneySiren xx 🍒

I. phoenix. zebra. air element- communication. neptune.💚

eccentric, otherworldly and exotic beauty. your stand out feature are your doe eyes and lengthy lashes. your eyes seem to light up when you’re communicating or talking about the things you are most passionate about. you carry a youthful face/aura and could trick people unknowingly about your age and experience (people think you’re younger than you truly are). you enjoy experimenting with your appearance. many people from you past are stunned by your glo up. you’re almost unrecognizable to the people from your past.

you also look very beautiful when sleeping or in deep meditation (sleeping beauty). you could be an air, fire, water rising sign. some of you love butterflies or have a wing tattoo. your beauty attracts new friends to you easily and kids adore you as well.

II. sun- spirit. chiron-healing. earthworm. dragonfly🌸

natural beauty. your features are small, pretty and petite. small features thats unique, like a mole or dimple. your face and gaze just look peaceful and innocent. your vibe is very mature though and in a touch luxurious. you couod be very gracful and flexible in the way you move or dance. your creative side stands out to most. your ability to be a excellent listener and communicator makes you beautiful as well. although you are a giver you also are self contained and independent. you may be a responsible older sibling or parent. your ability to teach others through your actions and leadership makes others drawn to your charm. you are definitely someone people strive to be like.

III. fire- desire. sixth house. crocidile. beaver. cobra.💀

deadly beauty. you have a gaze that is intimidating as hell. striking eyes but a gentle soul though. (could wear contacts or glasses). when you smile it lights up you face more. your sexuality is heightened and you are confident in you body and beauty. you just seem like you know yourself well and always stay true to your style. your fashion may be a darker colors. also many people desire you. there is a certain way you do your routine or makeup and you share your routine with no one. you’re selective and choosy about what you do, say and share about yourself. (could be vegan). you’re giving witchy vibes. some people can hide their intensity but you cannot. if you we’re born during the witch trails, you’d be the one burned on the stake, because you simply cannot hide your intensity.

#sayhoneysiren #tarot #astrology #tarot readings #daily tarot #rihanna #pick a card #pick a pile #witch #witchcraft #witchblr #tarot reading #reading #divination #beauty #personal reading #patreon

[3rdeyeblaque]

On August 30th we venerate Young King Brother Fred Hampton on his 75th birthday 🎉

Deputy Chairman Fred Hampton was the one of THE greatest orators, leaders, and visionaries to join the Black Panther Party Of Self-Defense 🖤✊🏾

Fred Hampton was born & raised in the Chicago suburbs of Illinois. Civil liberties, rights, and laws were always of great interest to him. After graduating high school, he enrolled in a pre-law program at Triton Junior College in River Grove, Illinois. He joined his local NAACP branch to get involved in the civil rights movement. He rose to the position of Youth Council President for his strong leadership and organization skills. In this position, Brother Hampton mobilized a racially diverse group of 500 young men/women who successfully lobbied city officials to create better academic services and recreational facilities for Black American youth.

In 1968, he joined the Black Panther Party of Self-Defense, headquartered in Oakland, CA. Shortly thereafter, he was selected to head the Chicago Chapter. Here, he created strong personal and political ties with his mentor & chaplain, Father George Clements at the [then] Holy Angels Catholic Church; which served as a safe haven for the Panthers targeted for police surveillance or harassment.

Brother Hampton accomplished a great many things as a young, prolific leader of the BPP Chicago Chapter. He successfully negotiated a gang truce on live television.One of his greatest successes was an unprecedentedly integrated approach to sociopolitical unity; he formed a “Rainbow Coalition”, which included: the Students for a Democratic Society, the Blackstone Rangers, a street gang and the National Young Lords, a local Puerto Rican organization. He was the first leading Panther to achieve this. This alliance is what truly struck the cord of fear in the Chicago P.D. & the FBI. In an effort to neutralize the Chicago Chapter of the BPP, the Black Panthers were placed under heavy surveillance & were subjected to several harassment campaigns.

By 1969, several Black Panthers and Chicago cops either suffered injury or were killed in shootouts across the city, which resulted in the arrest of over 100 members. On Dec 4th of that same year, under the FBI's initiative, the County PD & Chicago PD conducted heinous, unlawful, and unnecessary raid on the Black Panther Party's HQ in the early morning hours while Brother Hampton, leader Mark Clark, and other Panthers slept. They fired over 100 rounds into the apartment without warning. Twelve officers executed Brother Hampton as he slept, drugged by a sedative slipped into his drink by "Panther"/FBI informant O'Neal. Naturally, in Jan 1970, the County Coroner's office ruled the Black Panther leaders' deaths as "justifiable homicide".

Over 5,000 souls attended Brother Hampton’s funeral. Many civil rights activates eulogized him, including his good friend and mentor Father George, who also held a Requem Mass for him at his church.

After many years of coverups, internal investigations, lawsuits, raids, and conspiracies confirmed, the FBI, County PD, & Chicago PD finally admitted to the wrongful deaths of Brother Hampton and Mark Clark. In 1990, and again in 2004, the Chicago City Council passed resolutions commemorating December 4th as Fred Hampton Day. Today, Brother Hampton rests at the Bethel Cemetery in Haynesville, LA where his parents are from - which continues to endure violent desecration from White Supremacist vigilantes/supporters.

" You can kill a revolutionary but you can never kill the revolution. People have to be armed to have power" - Young King Fred Hampton

We pour libations & give him💐 today as we celebrate him for his love of our people, his relentless dedication to the BPP cause, and his young yet wise spirit that lives on. May be the find restful peace in spirit that he was/is denied in the physical.

Offering suggestions: flower offerings at his grave, libations of water, prayers and frankincense toward his elevation

‼️Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.‼️

#hoodoo #hoodoos #atr #atrs #the hoodoo calendar #the black panthers #Fred hampton #Chicago #black panther party #BPP #ancestor elevation #ancestor veneration

[astro-rainbow777]

⋆₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

☾✩₊⋆and their spiritual meanings⁺⋆✩☽

Colour is, by dictionary definition, the frequency of light of which an object reflects. Although, To many spiritualist, we are all beings of light, which is why color brings great significance into our lives. It is possible that your favorite colour can say something about you, what you need in life, the type of people or environments you are naturally drawn to. Colour can represent many things in life, so today I will primarily be focusing on the personality, emotions, and spiritual messages each colour represents.

Thank you!!! I hope you enjoy <3

🥀Red🍷

✫ Red is primal color, in most cultures it represents life

✫ Red may symbolize strength, passion, love, anger, danger or power

✫ Red is associated with the Root Chakra (Representing safety, security, and stability)

✫ In Tarot, red is symbolic for power, authority, boldness, confidence, passion, leadership and strength

✫ When practicing your craft you can use a red candle to connect to your body, grounding, aligning yourself with your purpose, drawing in passion, self love and acceptance

✫ Red crystals can be used for motivation, inner strength, passion, drive, tenacity, and romance.

🍁Orange💥

✫ Orange is a sacred, communal and warm colour in many different cultures

✫ Orange is symbolic for optimism, joy, vitality, community, balance, energy, and enthusiasm

✫ Orange is associated with the Sacral Chakra (Represents creativity, sexuality, and intimacy)

✫ In Tarot, orange represents will power, courage, vitality and jealousy

✫ When practice your craft you can use an orange candle to attract friendships, respect, embrace sexuality, enhance creativity and connect to your inner child

✫ Orange crystals can help with your confidence, courage, vitality, embracing joy and playfulness, creative endeavors, or inner child healing.

🐤Yellow⭐️

✫ Yellow represents happiness (duh), life, communication and success in many different cultures

✫ Yellow is symbolic for hope, spontaneity, curiosity, focus, cheer, intellect and hazards

✫ Yellow is associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra (Represents self worth, will power, & responsibility)

✫ In Tarot yellow is symbolic for wisdom, confidence, hardship, hope, and timidty

✫ When practicing your craft you can use a yellow candle to manifest self confidence, obtaining will power, belief in self, courage, focus, intelligence, and knowledge

✫ You can use yellow crystals to help you be alert, have energy, balance, focus, confidence, self consciousness, optimism, warmth, and clarity

🎍Green🍀

✫In many cultures green represents harmony, rehabilitation, growth, change and abundance

✫ Green is symbolic for health, life, nature, envy, luck, money, renewal, freedom and tranquility

✫ Green is associated with the Heart Chakra (Representing love, self love and relationships)

✫ In Tarot, green represents youth, sentimentality, nature, adventure, growth, and health

✫ When practicing your craft you can use a green candle to connect to Earth, the seasons, open your heart, draw in abundance, attract luck, blessings,and good health

✫ Use green crystals to invoke spiritual transformation, attract lucky opportunities, align with prosperity, fertility, independence, and freedom

🌀Blue🌧️

✫ Blue represents calmness, spirituality, authority and peace, globally

✫ Blue is symbolic for emotions, serenity, peace, calm, trust, relaxation, sadness, grief, and fatigue

✫ Blue is associated with the Throat Chakra (Represents communication, speach, expression)

✫ In Tarot, blue represents emotions, imagination, sensitivity, memories, sentimentality and expansiveness

✫ When practicing your craft you can use a blue candle to bring clarity, reveal the truth, help with honesty, inner peace and calm, emotional peace, fulfillment and awareness

✫ Blue crystals can help you have more confidence in your voice, communication skills, bring clarity, connect to your emotions, patience, or attract peace and calm

☂️Violet🔮

(I'm using violet as purple)

✫Violet/purple reprsents royalty, spirituality, art, mystery, magic, luxury and wealth around the world

✫ Violet is symbolic for imagination, wealth, uniqueness, creativity, spirituality, intuition, mysticism, and arrogance

✫ Violet is Associated with the Third Eye Chakra (Represents intuition, sense of purpose and direction)

✫ In Tarot, violet means high ideals, communion, spirituality, devotion and peace

✫ When practicing your craft you can use violet candles to manifest inspiration, deepen intuition or psychic abilities, enhance connection to the universe or higher power

✫ Violet crystals can be used for dream work, astral projection, meditation, divination practices (Tarot, divinative astrology, etc), and creative inspiration.

🌸Pink🎀

✫ Around the world pink represents kindness, love, innocence, playful and beauty

✫ Pink represents compassion, innocence, sympathy, comforts, passivity, affection, and delicacy

✫ Pink is associated with the Crown Chakra (Represents connection to the divine, spiritual knowledge, and self realization)

✫ In Tarot, pink can be indicative of sensitivity, sorrow, friendship, forgiveness, and unconditional love

✫ When practicing your craft you can use pink candles to attract divine, unconditional love, beauty, kindness, forgiveness, gratitude, and connection to the collective

✫ You can use pink crystals to tap into your sensitivity, compassion, unconditional love, practice kindness, care, sympathy, trust, and faith

Fin

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate connecting with everyone on here and everyone who takes the time to read my work :)

Sending light and love,

Kya

#spirituality #witchcraft #crystals #candle magic #color psychology #spiritual colours #colour meanings #red #orange #yellow #green #blue #violet #pink #rainbow #chakra meanings

[evilminji]

Idea since you keep tagging me with DP X Naruto

Danny decides to summon a teacher to help him learn how to fight. He gets either Hiruzen (3rd Hokage) or Jiriya (Sanin), or somebody else if they tickler your fancy

Oh Jiriya would fuckin DIE die. Like... it's a toss up, who kills him first? Maddie or Sam.

Hiruzen though? Now THAT is interesting? Cause he's a complicated dude. Complicit in atrocities yet? You can argue that he very much was a product of his environment, shaped by decades of loss and trauma. Danzo was, regrettably, CORRECT in saying? He was weak.

He could not COMMIT.

A wishy-washy scholar that became a military leader instead, his heart wished to teach, to grow and be kind... but that was not the position he HELD. He could not gather the strength to be decisive. To inspire loyalty.

He was strong. He lived long.

But in the end?

He was a PROFESSOR.

And Konoha did not need teaching. It needed Leadership. Charisma and unification. Hope. A clear and decisive void of Danzos. It needed a shallow grave out back for traitors and certain sorts of trouble makers, and peace upon it's streets.

So in a way? It DOES make sense? That he would not rest. COULD NOT rest. Not after what he knew he had done. How he had failed his Mentor's final task of him. He tried. He would like to say he did his best.

But he knows he did not.

He does not feel he DESERVES the Pure Lands. Does not feel he has EARNED his right to rest. Or... perhaps, if he is honest, he will admit he is afraid.

That they will forgive him. That they will not.

That his sins will be waiting there, for answers he knows his answers aren't good enough for.

There is... relief. In the strangeness. The incomprehensible bizarre. Green skies and floating islands. Metal people and great bear like healers in frozen lands. Sparring with the warriors under the Great Commander Pandora. Comparing tips and tricks. (Though his lack of extra arms will likely limit the usefulness of a few of those.)

Only? To then be called upon to teach again?

As though his LAST official set of students didn't end... poorly. The young man doesn't even HAVE Chakra. No one here does. In fact, HE doesn't either. Which rather renders moot most of his studies. Still... the boy's form IS terrible...

It's like watching a inuzuka pup fight. Not a child, mind you. One of the untrained puppies. The children bite. So there's at least that. He won't have to hammer in "you don't know where that's been" to an obstinate youth.

.......he wonders if the lad has forgotten he can create ice.

Ah. *watchs Danny get thrown throw a building* It appears he has.

@babbling-babull @hdgnj @hypewinter @the-witchhunter @nerdpoe @lolottes

#dpxnaruto #hiruzen sarutobi #naruto

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Remember and fight: Memorial demonstration in Berlin for Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg

Palestine solidarity as a trigger for police attacks that left numerous people injured.

By Nick Brauns, junge Welt

“Viva Palestine” could be heard from afar from the kilometer-long demonstration that marched under red flags to the Socialist Cemetery: Israel's war against Gaza was the dominant theme at the traditional memorial demonstration for Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, the co-founders of the Communist Party of Germany who were murdered by right-wing Freikorps soldiers 105 years ago, on Sunday in Berlin.

Solidarity with Palestine was also the trigger for brutal police attacks that left numerous people injured. First, a speaker from a block of mostly Palestinian demonstrators was arrested -- the reason for this was the banned slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," a police spokesman told jW. After the arrest, blocks of the front part of the demonstration turned around and the police were briefly pushed away.

The frightening results of the subsequent use of batons and pepper spray by the helmeted state power: A 65-year-old man, run over by the police, lay unconscious on the ground and bleeding from his mouth and nose. According to demonstration paramedics, 15 other demonstrators also had to be treated in hospital with injuries, some of them serious, such as broken bones. The police, however, spoke of attacks on officers during the demonstration, with 21 police officers injured.

"I'm glad that the other demonstrators immediately showed their solidarity with us. This is where our strength lies,” a Palestinian activist named Walid told jW.

According to the police, among the 16 demonstrators arrested are several musicians from Turkey's Grup Yorum, who are currently on a hunger strike for comrades imprisoned in the Federal Republic of Germany.

According to the organizers, more than 10,000 people took part in the demonstration. In addition to blocks from DKP and SDAJ, MLPD, Trotskyist groups and socialist parties from Turkey and Kurdistan, but also left-wing trade unionists and neighborhood initiatives, what was noticeable was the strong participation of mostly young supporters of Marxist-Leninist organizations, dressed in black and in orderly formations among a sea of ​​red flags. “Road free for the red youth,” “Youth, future, socialism” and “With Rosa and Karl against war and capital” were heard from these blocks.

With the banner "Defend Revolutionary History! Attack German warmongers!” and images of Luxemburg, Liebknecht and Lenin, who died 100 years ago, the “Perspective Communism” movement made it clear that commemoration is not a nostalgic end in itself. This is also how Sevda Karaca, a member of the Labor Party (EMEP) in the Turkish parliament, sees it. “Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht are revered worldwide as champions of socialism,” Karaca told this newspaper at the Socialist Cemetery. "In times when fascist ideas are increasing worldwide, it is particularly important that we reflect on the roots of our resistance."

Even before the demonstration arrived, thousands of people, including the leadership of the Die Linke party, had taken part in a "silent commemoration." The murdered labor leaders were honored at their graves with red carnations and wreaths.

Solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom, the call for peace and the need for socialism also played a central role at the 29th International Rosa Luxemburg Conference. The conference organized by this newspaper took place on Saturday in the Berlin Tempodrom with a new record attendance of 3,700 visitors.

Translation by Melinda Butterfield

https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/466755.ll-demo-erinnern-und-k%C3%A4mpfen.html

[astrojulia]

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4th house through the signs

ARIES:You're someone who values their independence and enjoys taking initiative in your life. Your home is a hub of activity for your family, and you probably love playing games that require skill and bravery. While disagreements among younger family members may be common, you're often the one who coordinates family activities and assigns tasks as needed. Just be careful not to become too controlling or domineering in your household! In your childhood, you may have felt stifled or embarrassed by a particular authority figure in your household, especially your father. You might have also had a few accidents or mishaps around your home, so it's always good to take precautions to ensure everyone's safety. Even though you lead a busy and active life, it's important to stay mindful of taking care of yourself, too. You have a lot of energy and stamina to manage your family and household responsibilities, and you're likely to take on a leadership role in family matters. However, it's important to also be open to compromise and listening to your family's needs and desires. As you get older, you might even start to feel more youthful, active, and playful! Occasionally, you may find yourself in disagreements with your family or household members, but it's important to remember to keep an open mind and be respectful of their opinions. Perhaps you were encouraged by a strong and determined mother to pursue your dreams, and this has given you a bold and outspoken personality. If you're interested in pursuing a career in the military, navy, or air force, you might find that your combat instinct and desire for adventure are a perfect fit for those fields. Maybe you'll even find that a family member shares some of your life experiences or personality traits!

TAURUS:You are a wonderful and nurturing member of your family who cherishes family traditions and the comforts of home. Your warm and inviting personality makes you a beloved and reliable family member. You take pride in creating a cozy and comfortable environment that reflects your earthy and sensual nature, which your loved ones truly appreciate. Music plays a special role in your family life, and you love to share your passion for it with your family members. Your childhood memories are filled with love and joy, and you strive to create the same atmosphere for your own family. A peaceful and harmonious home is of utmost importance to you, and you enjoy expressing your creativity through home decor. You value the safety and security of your family and prefer to live in a spacious environment where you can connect with nature. As you grow older, you appreciate tranquility and relaxation even more. Your natural intuition for financial and real estate matters is a valuable asset to your family, and you have a keen interest in accumulating wealth and valuable possessions for your loved ones. It's possible that this trait has been passed down through generations of your family who were involved in banking, local markets, or political movements. You're proud to continue this legacy and provide for your family in the best way possible.

GEMINI:You have a sense of adventure and a desire to explore new places, which means you're not overly attached to your current home and are open to the idea of moving somewhere better suited to your needs. While you enjoy being around people, you also appreciate your alone time and may not feel the need to establish long-term relationships or a strong foundation in one particular place. As you get older, you may find that your ideas and thoughts become clearer, and you feel a greater urge to share them with others through writing or other forms of communication. Your natural talents for writing or public speaking may have been inherited from a family member, and you may physically resemble them in some way. You enjoy discussing ideas with your family and staying connected through technology, but you also have a love for exploring new places and experiences. While forming deep connections with family may be a challenge for you, your sharp mind and intellectual pursuits will keep you active and engaged throughout your life. You have a thirst for knowledge and mental stimulation, and you may find yourself drawn to hobbies or professions that allow you to communicate your ideas with others. Whether you're traveling to new destinations or pursuing your intellectual interests, you're always eager to learn and grow.

CANCER:Family is everything to you! You've always felt a strong connection to your loved ones and cherish your family traditions. Your childhood home was your safe haven, and you continue to seek out that sense of security and comfort in your life. You value introspection and taking the time to connect with your feelings and needs, as well as those of others. You have a sensitive side that you don't always show to the world, but you let it shine through in the caring and nurturing way you treat your loved ones. However, it's important to you that others understand and respect your emotional journey. Any insensitivity, even if unintended, can cause you to retreat even further into yourself. You're sensitive and vulnerable, and people have always felt the need to protect you. But that doesn't mean you're not capable of taking care of others too! You have a sentimental side when it comes to your family and home life, and you take your responsibilities seriously. You might even take on a leadership role in caring for your parents, which is a testament to your loving nature. Your maternal instincts may come into play, and you might find yourself drawn to activities that involve caring for children, whether it's working with kids' charities, enjoying children's entertainment, or even becoming a full-time parent. Ownership is important to you, but not in a materialistic way. You value the things that bring you and your loved ones joy and comfort, and you protect those things with all your heart.

LEO:Your home and family are very important to you, and you take great pride in them. You love creating a warm and welcoming environment for your loved ones and enjoy hosting fun and extravagant parties. Owning your own land would give you a great sense of satisfaction and increase your self-confidence. You may have inherited your love for children and leadership skills from a family member who was a teacher or mentor, and you take great pleasure in being the decision maker in your family. At home, you feel comfortable and able to express your true self. It's your own private sanctuary where you can be yourself without any judgment. However, when you feel undervalued or ignored, it can be a bit challenging for you, and you may become demanding or self-absorbed. You have a unique and engaging personality that draws people to you, and you love entertaining others. You have a strong sense of who you are and are a natural leader. You have an excellent ability to form deep connections with people who treat you like family. You value being a positive influence in others' lives and enjoy empowering and supporting your loved ones. Being in touch with your roots and heritage is important to you, and you cherish your family connections.

VIRGO:Keeping things clean and organized is important to you, both in your home and family life. You take pride in maintaining a sense of order and structure, which can sometimes make you seem demanding to others. However, you have a big heart and enjoy helping others, especially those closest to you. You are a reliable and dependable person, and you often take on the role of assistant to those around you. While this can sometimes be overwhelming, you find joy in being able to support and assist others in their growth and development. However, it's important to remember that it's okay to set boundaries and prioritize your own needs as well. Your attention to detail and work ethic serve you well in both your personal and professional life. You have a strong analytical mind and enjoy engaging in stimulating debates and discussions. You have a variety of interests, including research, medicine, chemistry, and food and hygiene sectors. While you can be particular about things and have a tendency towards perfectionism, it's important to remember to take a step back and not get too caught up in the details. You have a lot of potential and with age, you'll become more grounded and confident in your abilities. Your family has a strong connection to health and wellness, which has influenced your interest in work ethic and dedication to personal growth. You may have family members who have worked in medical, fitness, or athletic fields, or who have dealt with health concerns themselves. Regardless of the specifics, your family values hard work and perseverance, and this has likely influenced your own values and beliefs.

LIBRA:You're all about that peaceful and harmonious family life, and you appreciate having a beautifully designed home. You have a natural talent for being the mediator within your family. When it comes to recharging and reflecting, you find solace in genuine connections with others. You're not one to retreat to your safe space alone; you feel more secure when you're with someone else. That's why your home needs to be a place where you can foster meaningful relationships. Your self-image is closely tied to your family dynamics, so living alone or with unpleasant and selfish individuals can be super uncomfortable and stressful. You crave a peaceful and loving environment to truly feel at ease. As a child, you always played the role of the peacemaker who wanted everyone to get along and love each other. Your family members rely on you to maintain that sense of peace and collaboration. You bring this loving and adaptable self to the people who become your family. Being well-liked and likable is a crucial part of your personal foundation. When you tap into these charming social skills, you remember who you are and where you come from. Your earliest years at home were filled with happiness, comfort, and loving care. You have a deep need for roots and a desire to own your home and possessions outright because they contribute to your emotional well-being. On the outside, you may appear calm and quiet, but inside, you often experience restlessness and indecisiveness until you find your grounding in life. Your home is the center of your universe, and you strive to make it an inviting space filled with lovely individuals. You've inherited a family narrative that revolves around love and conflict. This could mean that a notable marriage or partnership of an ancestor or close relative had a significant impact on your family's dynamics.

SCORPIO:When it comes to family and home, you've got some strong opinions. It's like there's a secret code surrounding certain family matters, and you keep them locked away and highly private. You have a deep loyalty and protective instinct towards your family members. If it's important, you don't waste any time defending them. In return, you expect the same level of respect and loyalty from your family. A parent of the opposite sex had a big influence on you while growing up. In your ideal home, you seek a sense of grandeur, majesty, and personal space. Even if you weren't born into it, there's a good chance you'll live a life of luxury later on. Power and money, sex and money, and even death and money are recurring themes within your family. Perhaps your ancestors had some fascinating stories to tell. It's often the story of a couple who worked together in business and ended up mixing their sex lives with their money affairs. There's usually one relative who encapsulates this theme more than anyone else in your life. It's possible that you inherited certain physical traits from a direct ancestor who carried the Scorpio family gene. Your personal drive for sex and money, power and money, and the theme of death and money (like inherited property) continue the family traits. You have intense emotions when it comes to your family and home. Your childhood might have been filled with strong emotions within your household. As a result, as an adult, you tend to be secretive about your own life and home.Sometimes, your little sanctuary can feel quite intense, but that's exactly what you enjoy about it. You find comfort in an atmosphere that is passionate and transformative, even if it means some discomfort. Your self-image is passionate and perceptive, and you desire deep personal connections with the people you live with. Behind closed doors, you're able to delve into powerful emotions and genuine sexuality. Lukewarm or superficial experiences no longer satisfy you.

SAGITTARIUS:You have a strong urge to take control and guide your family's affairs. The 4th house of your horoscope is influenced by Jupiter, the planet of optimism and expansion. This planetary energy often correlates with a desire for a comfortable and prosperous home environment. You feel a deep sense of responsibility towards your family and hold the family unit in high regard within society. From an early age, you have a strong moral compass, and as you grow older, both materially and spiritually, you are likely to become wealthier. Travel, both physical and mental, is a recurring theme inherited from your family. You have a lifelong thirst for knowledge and continuously seek to expand your understanding through books, classes, courses, and workshops. Depending on your birth circumstances, you may find yourself exploring your family tree, engaging in global academia, or even trading international commodities while learning a second language. In your own life, you will carry this astrological DNA by connecting with people worldwide online, exchanging ideas, and embarking on bold adventures. You might even find yourself leaving your home country. You enjoy discussing your life philosophies with your family and may have traveled extensively with them during your childhood. Your home tends to be spacious, and you value the freedom to explore and be adventurous whenever you return. Your private life is characterized by keeping your options open and embracing the possibilities that lie ahead. Returning to your secure haven allows you to contemplate all the potential adventures awaiting you. Thus, you don't always feel the need to stay put when you're at home, and you have a natural ability to adapt wherever you go. Your self-image has a touch of the gypsy spirit, and you feel uncomfortable when tied down or confined to one place.

CAPRICORN:So, family means a lot to you. You're a reliable and down-to-earth member of your clan. As a kid, you might have felt a bit suffocated by your family's expectations, but now as an adult, you've become the go-to person for everyone. Going home can be a bit of a mixed bag because, well, it means more work for you. But you feel most comfortable in a private, well-organized, and sturdy environment. It's like your safe haven. In your personal life, you've got to put in some hard work. And behind closed doors, that can sometimes lead to major challenges and burdens. It's not always easy to keep a positive self-image, and you might feel agitated, anxious, or even down. But guess what? You find solace at home, being a strong and dependable leader. When you trust in your own reliability and perseverance, you'll have the sense of security you need. You never really had a chance to be a carefree child because you were always expected to be the mature one, the one in charge. You're the glue that holds your family together, and while it can be exhausting, you put in a lot of effort and attention into that role. So, when you treat someone like family, you want to be their rock. You've built a solid foundation of perseverance and self-discipline. And when someone needs you, you're always there for them, especially when things go wrong. Responsibility is a big thing in your home life. Security is a top priority for you. You're probably quite particular about how your home is run, wanting everything to be well-organized and precisely arranged. You've got a practical, no-nonsense approach to your home. You're a strict disciplinarian with a strong sense of ethics and traditional values. You're also actively involved in your community and never shy away from taking on responsibilities.

AQUARIUS:When it comes to domestic matters, you've got an insatiable craving for freedom. You're too mighty to be confined solely to family and home affairs. But here's the deal: this placement can bring about some internal conflicts. You'll probably find yourself changing addresses frequently, and the thought of having to move again makes you cringe. Your surroundings are anything but ordinary—they're unique and extraordinary. You've got a bunch of wild and innovative ideas and you want to incorporate the latest technological advancements into your daily life. You were born into a family where one member had quite the reputation for their involvement in the community. They could have been part of an orchestra, a football team, a political party, or a charitable organization. This influential family member might have belonged to multiple groups, societies, or organizations and really made their mark. And since one of your parents carries that astrological "gene" in their horoscope, you've inherited some of that family resemblance and might even be a new generation of it. Perhaps you've got a humanitarian-minded family member who values being part of the larger human "family" more than your own bloodline. That person valued friendship over familial ties. And guess what? You've got some astrological DNA in one or more groups in your own life. Your family life is far from calm and predictable—it's filled with hustle and bustle, and chaos can be a regular occurrence. There might have been disruptions during your childhood that added to the unpredictable nature of your home life. Finding your safe haven is like embarking on a wild and chaotic adventure.

PISCES:You've got this idealized vision of your family. It's like you don't see them for who they truly are. Maybe during your childhood, one of your parents was absent, sick, or struggling with addiction. But as an adult, you tend to remember only the good times. It's like you're trying to recreate a picture-perfect family life. You find solace in a safe and imaginative haven, and you need plenty of alone time to reflect and contemplate. Going back home is a special experience for you. But when you're not being a hermit, you're actually a super sensitive and forgiving person in your personal relationships. Just remember not to lose yourself in other people's stuff. What bothers or upsets them might easily bother or upset you too. You've always played a chameleon-like role in your family, adapting to whoever and whatever is needed. Because you're so open-minded, your family has projected a lot onto you, sometimes unfairly. They see you in many ways, but they don't really know you as well as they think. Your emotional connection to your home is incredibly strong. You deeply care about your family and are willing to go to great lengths for them. Privacy and tranquility at home are crucial for you. You value the sanctuary of your home and use it as a retreat. You're concerned about your home and the environment in general. You long for the perfect conditions in your surroundings. You're searching for a place to call home, where you can escape from the everyday stresses of life. There might have been a mysterious and elusive family member who had a significant influence on you. They could be someone from your family's history, someone hard to get to know. It's possible they had ties to the navy, were a sailor, or simply loved surfing or fishing. Their enigmatic nature added to their aloofness.

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#astrojulia #astrology #witchblr #all about astrology #astroblr #astro community #witch community #aries 4th house #4th house #taurus 4th house #gemini 4th house #cancer 4th house #leo 4th house #virgo 4th house #libra 4th house #scorpio 4th house #sagittarius 4th house #capricorn 4th house #aquarius 4th house #pisces 4th house

[dittomander]

What are your thoughts on Isabel becoming Royal Inventor? I know inventing is Isabel’s hobby, but when somebody is titled as “Royal” then that implies that they work for the Royal family. But Isabel is not only part of the royal family, but she is heir presumptive. If Elena dies or abdicates without children, then the throne will pass to Isabel. Isabel’s arc was about learning to become a ruler like Elena. So why make her Royal Inventor, if she could potentially become ruler of Avalor one day?

Narratively speaking, I think it actually makes perfect sense. For starters, while there are certainly themes of leadership in some of Isabel's episodes, I'd argue that her arc is less about becoming a "ruler like Elena" and more about her becoming a leader unlike Elena.

(True to form, long-winded essay below the cut.)

Isabel starts the show as a clingy little kid - from her perspective, she just lost her parents, and she doesn't understand that her sister's new responsibilities mean that she can't spend as much time with her as she used to. A lot of her episodes involve her learning to act independently of Elena. She must develop and defend her own identity, even as she reckons with the limitations of her age.

She goes to school for the first time in "Crystal in the Rough" and struggles to make friends her own age, so she smothers her own identity and tries to just fit in instead. She has to learn to be herself and rely on her own strengths - her skills with math, science, and invention. This episode also gives Isabel her own friend group, independent from Elena and the other amigos. Later, in "Science Unfair", she has to learn to rely on those friends for help. Her sister gives her some advice, but ultimately, she and her new friends finish their project themselves.

Later still in "Class Act", Isabel has to learn to recover from her own mistakes and work with even more people outside of her family, to the point where she's able to teach Elena a lesson about working with difficult personalities in "Norberg Peace Prize". By "Shooting Stars", she's totally confident in her role as a scientist and her ability to give directions related to that role. And in Isa's final focus episode, "Heart of the Jaguar", Elena is literally taken from her, and she must learn to stand up for herself and solve her problems entirely alone.

But even as she learns to become a more independent and confident leader in her own right, she has to deal with the fact that she is still fundamentally Different from her sister. At first, this is largely framed as a function of her age. In "Blockheads" and "Three Jaquins and Princess", she is ignored and doubted because of her youth, though it's her knowledge and ingenuity that solve the problems of the day.

Still, she tries to be one of the "big kids", and in "Sister of Invention", she makes her plea again to be treated as an adult and seen as part of the team. She's ultimately allowed to join the amigos, but it's not because they see her as being like them. In fact, they explicitly say that Isabel can't do what they do... but that they can't do what she does, either. She's allowed to work with them because of her inventions and mathematical skills - that is, because of her differences.

(Arguably, "Science Unfair" has a similar conclusion. Isabel is invited to go to college - that is, invited to join a group of adults - specifically because of her skills with science. Beyond just being her hobby, those skills are at the core of her identity, and they are what tie her to being recognized as a grown-up.)

The point is hammered in further in "Team Isa", where Cristina outright tells her that "you're not Elena and you never will be." Isabel was trying to be a "leader like Elena" and failed, only succeeding when she utilized her and her friends' own unique skills instead of trying to just be like her sister. Isabel and Elena have distinct skill sets, and episodes like "A Gecko's Tale" and "The Family Treasure" emphasize this. Their differing skills allow them to complement each other and give them opportunities to learn, but throughout the show, it's made clear that they are not each other and cannot fully fill each other's roles.

Because again, it's not just that Isa can't do exactly what Elena does. It's also that Elena can't do what Isa does. She tries to handle invention plans in "Sugar Rush", but it only adds to her anxieties, and at the end of the episode, she hands the responsibility off to Isabel, the expert. Elena has to learn to delegate what she can't handle herself.

That's what the Royal Inventor title means. It's respect for Isabel's unique skills. It's an acknowledgement that she's a part of the team. And it's not an act of subordination, but rather a delegation of authority.

So the narrative comes together there. Isabel has gone from a clingy little kid that would hide her interests to fit in to a confident young lady that knows where her skills lie and can be trusted with the responsibility to use them for the kingdom's benefit.

The promotion scene at the end of "Coronation Day" exists primarily for these narrative reasons rather than for making perfect logical sense in-universe. It's meant to showcase how the character arcs have developed - most of them fall apart if you put them under the slightest bit of realistic scrutiny - but if we do want to look at them through that logical, in-universe lens, then frankly, Isabel's promotion probably makes the most sense.

There is a precedent of members of the royal family still working for the royal family. Esteban was chancellor for most of the show and both he and the abuelos were on the Grand Council. None of those three may have had a claim to the throne like Isabel could, but even her claim is pretty meaningless at this point in the timeline.

The only reason Elena had any governing authority as Crown Princess was because there was Literally No Other Ruler at the time. Current heir or not, Isabel won't actually be expected to lead the kingdom unless something happens to Elena, and if Elena ever has kids, then Isa's practically off the roster entirely. So... what's a princess to do in the meantime? Being named Royal Inventor gives her a degree of authority within Elena's court that she may never have otherwise and gives her something to do for the kingdom other than wait around until Elena dies. It's even a job that's in her wheelhouse.

Besides, if Elena does die or abdicate, it's not like being Royal Inventor now somehow cancels out Isa's ability to rule later. Presumably, she'd just ditch the title when she took the throne.

#elena of avalor #eoa #isabel castillo flores #eoa analysis #ditto answers #thank you for your patience with these asks #i'm gonna start working through them this week

[otomes-world]

If twst had a fantasy setting…

Heartslabyul is definitely a mini-village or town with Riddle in full power. He is assisted by Trey, his the right hand, and Cater, who is responsible for surveillance (tracking). He got his position in a fair fight. With his leadership, peace and order came to the lands that once represented chaos. Although the newly arrived residents like Ace and Deuce will not agree with this. Their village is too distinguished by respect for the rules, unlike others.

For example, Savanaclaw. A city, or better to say a pride, in which the strongest rule over the weak. The fate of a simple traveler who wandered into the territory of Leona is unenviable. One who inadvertently ends up here, can only regret. It's stupid to celebrate a victory if you're not torn apart by monsters. They must have retreated in fear of Ruggie or Jack. Whom to meet for greater luck is up to you.

However, why would anyone willingly go to the Wild Lands? Why.. if you can walk along the shores of lake Octavinelle crystal clear blue water. This is how the reservoir appears. However, traveler, you have nothing to be afraid of exactly as long as you do not decide to enter the water. As soon as this is done, the previously calm lake will begin to change its appearance, like a sleeping predator. The water will darken, and long shadows will rise from the bottom, dragging you down. There is no information about those that never surfaced again.

Brr…that's exactly why you kept running your finger across the map. Not far from the lake lies a cruel desert that has ruined many lives. To overcome it - that's real luck. But if the heat and the scorching sun do not kill you, then one careless step towards the lake, which appears like an oasis, will be a fatal mistake. Although if you would go, the faithful servant of Al-Asim family, which proudly positioned among the sands of Scarabia, will slit your throat.

You took a deep breath and tried not to lose hope. There was a place somewhere where you could find shelter, right? So your gaze was attracted by a dense forest, in the middle of which, like a pillar of light, a castle towered, more like a fortress. Pomefiore is known for their cold attitude towards outsiders, especially those who do not meet the expectations of their head. Vil, like a peacock, rightfully took the throne and for several years has been maintaining the image of beauty. To see him with at least one eye is the dream of careless onlookers, because before you could stand near the King, you need to go through his hunter. Even if by some miracle you manage to avoid meeting the Rook, hunger and thirst will do their job. One bite of the scarlet apple offered by the cutest youth and you will be a dead.

On one side of the castle is a cave. No matter how deep you go in the hope of seeing something, the blue lights will take you further and further. At one point, you will realize that you can no longer find a way to the surface. It`s okay, your eyes will quickly get used to the darkness, and you will see the hidden beauty of the dungeon. Perhaps Idia, head of the Underworld Ignihyde, will persuade you to stay forever.

If by some miracle you manage to make your way up to the light, then do not rush to relax. It is possible that around you will find dense thickets of Diasomnia thorns. One touch on them is enough to break through the skin and make it bleed. Be careful, because there are guards of His Highness roaming nearby, who will indiscriminately cut off your head. However, you are fate`s favorite one, and instead of them you saw green fireflies. Malleus, the crown prince of these lands, unexpectedly finds your company pleasant. The road was exhausting, why not relax in his castle? You have nowhere else to go anyway.

#fantasy au #twisted wonderland #twst #twst oneshot #twisted wonderland x reader #yandere twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #yandere heartslabyul #yandere octavinelle #yandere savannaclaw #yandere pomefiore #yandere scarabia #yandere diasomnia #yandere ignihyde #rook hunt #vil schoenheit #riddle rosehearts #ace trapolla #trey clover #cater diamond #deuce spade #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi #jack howl #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floid leech #jamil viper #x reader #malleus draconia

[fallenclan]

seeing as though hailcrash is starting to get older, i've scrapped together a list of contenders for deputy for when/if she retires. i tried to pick younger cats, as many of the cats i'd probably want for deputy are getting quite old </3

daisypetal: her charismatic personality would allow her to be knowledgable about interpersonal dynamics within the clan. she's a cat who i'd place as "in the loop," being both the mate of a medicine cat and being a charming individual. she would know how to inspire a clan and would be good at supporting maplestar when he begins to doubt himself.

beefreckle OR hawkwish: i'm grouping these two together because they both have the "righteous" trait. beefreckle is honestly just sort of a Guy™ but this actually works in his favor. he could be developed into any sort of personality. i also just like righteous cats. they tend to create drama with their strong definitions of right and wrong.

rowanleaf: doesn't exactly strike me as the type to want a leadership position, but i think it'd be cool to have one of moxieoak's kids as a deputy or leader. same goes for willowsplash.

sleepycloud: a diligent and kind-hearted warrior. his cautious nature would make it so that he isn't going to jump to any conclusions right away. he wants to hear all sides of things, hence the "good mediator" trait as well. he would be a well-liked deputy, but i'm not sure whether he has the "tactical" mindset needed for planning patrols.

yewberry: he has some deep-seated insecurites, however after becoming mates with brambletuft and becoming a father, i believe he feels a lot more confident in himself. him being ambitious is interesting to me. i feel like yewberry thinks he has a lot to "prove." he thinks his reputation has been tainted by otterslip, and he wants to be better than his father. i believe yewberry would want to be deputy, but whether he would make a good deputy is still in question.

poppyfeather: a very laid back and chill lady. she has the same charisma that would benefit daisypetal but poppyfeather is also an eloquent speaker. she knows what to say to get cats to listen, and she has the clan's best interests at heart. i just think she's a cool gal.

yellowjay: she has a lot of confidence and energy. on top of being bold, i imagine that she's actually quite clever. in a time of war especially, yellowjay isn't going to hesitate. hesitation can cost lives... but so can rashness. she's adventurous which makes me think she's open to new ideas. yellowjay wouldn't feel strongly about tradition like a more righteous or strict cat might. she looks to the future, not the past.

fernslug: adding her because a lot of people seem to like the idea of a fernstar. i'm not against this at all! however i personally don't think she would want to be deputy or leader. she's just a silly who likes slugs. politics and taking care of an entire clan seems a bit much for her (reasonably).

moosefall: he's kind but perhaps a little too forgiving, in my mind. he seems like someone who is extremely caring/loving but is also easily influenced (he isn't a pushover by any means, but i think he's someone who deeply values the input of his loved ones, even if that input isn't always the best for him or the clan). i think maplestar would see a lot of his younger self in moosefall, too.

antbite: his strictness would help in a time of war, although his youth works against him. similarly to yellowjay, i think antbite would have a very strategic mindset, but even moreso than her. he would be a brilliant deputy in a time of war, but in a time of peace? who knows. i like the idea of him becoming deputy at such a young age and excelling as deputy, but as soon as the war with shallowclan ends he's sort of left in the water, where he isn't sure what to do. i think once he's older, he would be a good deputy during both peace and war, but at his current age maybe not. lots of potential with this one....

mossfrog: she's young, yes, but also very clever. she sees things that others often miss. i feel like she's the type to be a prodigy in all things, but this also leads to her crushing sense of loneliness. she finds it hard to relate to other cats most of the time. she would be an excellent leader/deputy but find herself lacking when it comes ot interpersonal relationships among the clan. she's definitely at risk of "gifted kid burnout." mossfrog is probably one of my favorite contenders on this list!

cats i'd add if not for their age: evie, bluefern, blizzardfang, crowflame, applebranch, wormshade, flyspots, pinefrost

i'm curious to know what you and others think. maybe at some point there could be a poll (could be cats on this list or any you think are fitting) over who should be deputy at some point?

-🐉 (ended up not being busy like i thought i would be! yay! which means more rambling about fictional cats and my Thoughts about them... i'm sorry for the long ask but i can't promise i won't send more long asks in the future)

ooo, i LOVE how well thought out this is,, excellent notes on all of the cats overall, and i have some additions!

daisypetal - not someone i had considered previously, but certainly would be a good choice! i feel like she's a good mix of logical, social, and silly. they're 77 moons currently, so maybe a Little on the older side, but depending on who the leader was at the time, still an excellent choice

beefreckle or hawkwish - both good choices!! i really like the idea of beefreckle especially--i think hawkwish would be a fun choice, but she had the nervous trait for most of her life before becoming righteous, vs beefreckle who had the wise trait. i think they'd both do pretty well, though (and now im imagining beefreckle getting a life from spiderclaw AUGH)

rowanleaf - BIG agree on your stance, i don't think she'd necessarily want to be in a position of power but i do think it would be cool to have a moxieoak descendant as leader/deputy. i wouldn't necessarily say shameless would be the best trait for that, but it is funny to imagine lmao. plus my girl needs to do more interesting things, i've only drawn her like 4 times wtf

sleepycloud - also a really good choice!! he has the Good Mediator trait so i feel like he's good with the social aspect of things, and he's very kind. like you said, though, i'm not sure if he has the "tactical" mindset per se

yewberry - i LOVE yewberry and i'd love to see him as leader/deputy,,, he'd be a good choice too i think. i also love the idea of him feeling like he has a lot to prove, especially since Otterslip.

poppyfeather - until recently, i absolutely would have agreed with your statement, but she appears to no longer be such a laid-back kitty. recently she aquired the vengeful trait, which came out of Nowhere to me, though tbf i think that would make for some very interesting stuff, story-wise

yellowjay - definitely leans on the impulsive side, but i agree with you saying that isn't always a bad thing. she would for sure be an interesting choice, though idk how responsible she is--she always struck me as the type to goof off a lot, which is good for lightning the mood on a patrol, but maybe not as much for deputy. i'll take her into consideration though, bc i do love her and i'd love if she took a more active part in the story

fernslug - you're actually so correct saying she wouldn't really want to be deputy/leader. i think she's pretty content just being a warrior and helping out her clan that way, maybe even taking on the role of a mediator when she's older. i do love her very dearly, and until recently i was nudging her towards that position, but reasonably i think she wouldn't care much for that, and would only do it if she was specifically asked to

moosefall - him as deputy is such a cute idea tbh. i agree with everything you said in his little section--he's a very kind-hearted cat and perhaps very easily influenced. i think he'd do well as leader as long as the deputy was a little more cold/strict, and do well as deputy as long as the leader was a little more cold/strict. its about balance

antbite - interesting choice! i always saw him as a little more rough around the edges, certainly ambitious enough to want the position but maybe a little too harsh to do well in it. lots of potential, i agree. but like with moosefall, he'd probably do okay with a softer deputy/leader by his side

mossfrog - ok. i know shes young but im a little obsessed with this idea now. i've always loved her and the idea of tiny, un-intimidating little moss being the leader of this massive clan is. adorable. maybe next litter of kits we have, she'll get an apprentice? looking at her with my autistic eyes

IN SHORT. your ideas are delightful and have given me much to think about. i'll probably narrow it to my top three some time before hailcrash retires/dies/is promoted to leader, and run a poll to get everyone else's input too

#NEVER apologize for long asks i love them sm #had so much fun with this #fallenasks #dragon anon

[orionsgirdle]

read some (what I consider to be) bad takes about the laudna/imogen conversation and now I have to get into it.

here's the thing: laudna has on several occasions shown a callous disregard for the life and well-being of people she's not close to. does that disregard stem from the lack of value she places on her own life? yeah maybe probably. what's the big deal about death? she's died before and it was fine. everyone she knew from her youth is dead. it happens. she's never expressed the need to save people or to be good. it's a moral ambiguity that she shares with imogen and fearne. i think (setting aside the merchandizing potential of three witches) imogen, laudna, and fearne are connected by the shared knowledge that this is who they are. they care about protecting their own...and that's it.

it's so fundamentally different from how ashton and orym view the world and their place in it. ashton, having experienced death and abandonment, is invested in making sure that no one else has to feel that kind of pain. they will ignore their own physical pain and carry laudna's dead body on their back from city to city because she will not be left behind like he was. orym grew up in zephrah under keyleth's leadership so of course he cares about being a force for good in the world. i could go on about these two because there's so much good shit here, but i guess in a simplistic way on an alignment chart ashton and orym would fall on the good side of the spectrum while imogen, laudna and fearne are more chaotic (i'm leaving chetney out of this cuz i just can't get a solid beat on him).

all of this to say that when laudna says her and imogen's relationship "transcends words", and she'll support her no matter what, i don't see that as just a desperate bid to hold onto to someone because you are afraid of being alone. she understands the impulse to make a pact with less than savory individuals if it means safety or a chance to have a peaceful life. did one of these crazy cultists murder her? yeah, but she's voluntarily made a pact with her own murderer before.

for laudna, who had her agency taken away so violently, the ability to choose your life's path is sacred. it's the best she can come up with in the pro column for keeping the gods around. that they give mortals the ability to choose when they could so easily exert more control. so of course she will give imogen the chance to choose her own path, even if it means the rest of the world will burn.

and finally, that conversation was not just about do we think this cult has a point? they all know they're going on a suicide mission, with less than half a hope of succeeding. with the plan to drop a skyship (the only substantial thing they own) on the malleus key and hope that that works. when imogen asks, "we want this, right?" she's asking whether they are prepared to die to save the gods. and my girl imogen is problematic as fuck but i get the urge to run away and hide from her problems with her best-friend-life-partner-wife.

#imogen laudna and fearne are my blorbos #and i support their rights #but i mostly support their wrongs #critical role #cr3 #cr spoilers #imodna

[swtorpadawan]

Invincible

Author’s Notes: The following story takes place on Yavin during the Shadow of Revan storyline in my Halcyon Legacy. CW for violence, original character deaths, and brief blood and gore. Also – this is a rather long one, folks. My apologies.

“Dammit! We’re being driven back.”

Theron Shan’s face glowered in consternation as icons representing various Yavin Coalition military units shifted across the holo-map, many of them retreating while a few flickered out entirely.

The Revanite counterattack against the Coalition forces here on Yavin IV had come suddenly, besieging Republic and Imperial troops alike across a wide front. Within minutes, many of their forward positions were isolated if not overwhelmed, while the remaining defensive hardpoints were pinned down, unable to support other troops when they needed it the most. All coordination and communication between the reluctant allies had seemingly gone out the window in the wake of the assault, and the cybernetic communications relay in his ear was being bombarded with requests – pleas, really – for reinforcements, for support, for orders, for any help whatsoever.

Standing around the makeshift conference table at Coalition headquarters, the other members of the ah-hoc ‘leadership council’ – Lana Beniko, Satele Shan and Darth Marr – were likewise intently reviewing holo-transmissions and reports as they came in. Beniko’s expression was one of focused and controlled anger. That was the kind of personal discipline that made her such an effective Sith. Satele (Theron was trying very hard not to think of her as his mother at this moment) watched over the proceedings with a frown of contemplation. Until she saw the necessity to interject herself, she would keep her peace. Marr… well, Theron obviously couldn’t see the expression of the Dark Councilor’s face behind his metal mask, but Marr radiated intensity under normal circumstances. Right at this moment, with all their plans at risk and the campaign itself in doubt, the closest thing the Sith Empire had to an actual leader was positively seething.

None of them had bothered to respond to Theron’s dire assessment of the situation.

The unprecedented Yavin Coalition composed of the Imperial troops commanded by Marr and the Galactic Republic forces led by Satele had successfully invaded the moon known as Yavin IV and – up until just a few minutes ago – had appeared to be on the verge of victory, pushing the remnants of the Order of Revan back until they were almost at the base of the ancient, pyramid-like temples for which Yavin was infamous. Some of the forward Republic recon troops had even reported they’d been facing greater resistance from the indigenous Massassi warriors than they had from the Revanites.

Now the Coalition forces had been caught overextended, with the Revanites driving a wedge between the Republic and Imperial forces. It seemed almost everyone was calling for reinforcements, air support, resupply, orders… the command headquarters couldn’t cope with it all.

“Isolate the problem.” Satele Shan’s voice was carefully measured as she broke her silence. She may have just as well been presenting a logic problem to a group of Jedi younglings in a classroom back on Tython for all the alarm she demonstrated. “Revan is attempting to distract and overwhelm us. Otherwise, his attack would have been much more precise. If we can look past his maneuverings and identify his true strategy, we’ll be able to understand his intentions.”

As if on mental reflex, Theron realized that she was right. He recalled Master Zho teaching him that same technique so long ago in his childhood, and he strongly suspected that Zho had been the one to demonstrate the same stratagem to Satele once upon a time in the Grand Master’s own youth. (Though he had a very hard time imagining Satele ever being a youngling.) Coalition command had been thrown off its game. Junior officers of both factions were scrambling around the conference table with the communications aides urgently relaying messages and reports. Just outside field commanders were yelling for their troops to form up and prepare for deployment as soon as the orders came down. The sound of artillery fire could be heard in the distance…

These factors were all just distractions.  

Theron had always preferred being a field agent over being an analyst. Indeed, he’d been more than a little rankled when Marcus Trant, the Director of the Republic’s Strategic Information Service, had temporarily placed him on desk duty as a punishment for one of his “unsanctioned operations”. (Alright, it had been several “unsanctioned operations”.) But that inclination didn’t make him any less effective at analyzing tactical information. Utilizing his cybernetic implants, he crunched the numbers, trying to make sense out of all the chaos. Finding his center. His sense of calm…

Time seemed to slow down for Theron. As he looked down at the map, he didn’t see soldiers fighting and dying or the Coalition at risk of collapsing. Instead, he saw a clearer picture start to take shape.

After a moment of contemplation, it became obvious to Theron that the Revanites’ numbers were not as impressive as the ferocity of their attack would seem to suggest. Nor was their counter-offensive as broad as it had initially seemed on the map. Yes, the Coalition flanks were being pressured, but only half-heartedly, as if to discourage reinforcement or encirclement of the main thrusts by the Order. The allies still enjoyed a significant overall advantage in force strength by better than a two-to-one margin; maybe even more. But that advantage had been neutralized by the Revanites’ rapid advancement…

“There.” The crisp, Imperial voice interrupted his thought process.

Much to Theron’s chagrin, Lana Beniko, the former chief aide to the Minister of Military Offense of the Sith Empire (and his erstwhile partner for the last few months in exposing the Revanite conspiracy), had found the solution first.

Beniko re-oriented the holo-map, zeroing in on one particularly deep thrust into the Coalition lines. The display flickered as live holo-streaming of the scene quickly followed the three-dimensional image, projected above the map.                      

“This is the tip of their spear.” She explained, as they watched the small group of Revanites effortlessly tear through a platoon of Republic soldiers. The assailants appeared to be cyborgs… led by a single armored Sith Lord. “Their vanguard. It’s the lynchpin to their attack. Their momentum is keeping us hamstrung.”  

Theron immediately recognized the design of the cyborgs from their mission to Rakata Prime months earlier. Infinite Elites. Revanite volunteers surgically enhanced with Rakatan technology in a process developed by Gorima – a sick, twisted Selkath scientist who’d been operating a secret laboratory on Manaan, the same creep who had briefly tormented their ally, Jakarro, the Wookie smuggler. These cyborgs were incredibly powerful, with their advanced, regenerative capabilities allowing them to shrug off most attacks. Revan had intended to build an entire army of the Infinites, using them as his shock troops. They’d proven to be so dangerous that Theron had even wanted Jedi Master Corellan Halcyon, their ally against the conspirators, to terminate the Infinites they’d found on Rakata in their stasis pods out of hand. (Corellan had refused. Typical Jedi nobility. With hindsight, Theron shouldn’t have been surprised.) Regardless, he’d been relieved when their efforts on Manaan and Rakata had resulted in the destruction of the completed Infinite prototypes, as well as the technology required to create more of them.

Apparently, that sense of relief had been premature.

There may have only been a squad of them, but these Infinites were nevertheless hammering through their formations like a juggernaut, the thin end of the Revanite wedge driving into the Coalition lines.  

“Revan must have gotten them off Rakata before we moved in on them.” Theron heard the frustration in his own voice even as he silently called in an air strike via his implant. “He planned this. Keeping them in reserve until now.”

Seconds later, the quartet around the table watched as a squadron of Republic dive-bombers unleashed their payloads upon the advancing squad of Revanites. As the holoprojection flickered to adjust to the smoke and fire, Theron witnessed a Jedi and a Sith leading Coalition commandos into the area. The intelligence agent briefly allowed himself to hope that this strike had finished off the Infinites and would blunt Revan’s entire counter-offensive.

That hope quickly evaporated as he saw the massive Sith Lord who had been leading the Infinites rise to his feet, activating his twin crimson lightsabers. Theron had not initially identified this foe beneath his strange, ornate armor, but now, on closer inspection, he realized that he recognized this mighty Sith Pureblood.

Indeed, nearly everyone in the entire galaxy should have recognized him by now.

“Kael.” Marr hissed behind his mask, the Dark Councilor’s voice was dripping with venom and contempt.

Lord Kael Nosrol Krannus was a towering Pureblooded Sith Warrior of great renown. Over the course of his relatively brief but infamous career, he had led countless operations against the Republic, from crushing the War Trust on Taris to freeing the Dread Masters on Belsavis. Dozens of Jedi and thousands of Republic soldiers and civilians had fallen beneath his blades, including wiping out at least one Strategic Information Service team at a safehouse on Nar Shaddaa. According to the intelligence reports Theron had read, he was wanted for a long series of war crimes and had gained a reputation for brutality even by the standards of the Sith. But it had been on Corellia where his ruthless butchery against his enemies had earned him a new epithet: The Emperor’s Wrath. He had become Vitiate’s chosen, hand-picked to eliminate the Emperor’s enemies both in the Republic and within the Empire. Although the Sith Lord had never formally been named a Darth, anyone would have been foolish to think him any less deadly for that lack of title. Indeed, he had already crushed several of the most powerful Darths in the Empire for apparent disloyalty to the throne, even slaying his old master, Darth Baras. He’d thus cemented his claim as the Emperor’s Wrath before going on to lead Imperial troops on Ilum and beyond.

There had been no reported sightings of Krannus in almost a year, not since he had supposedly broken with the Dark Council and the entire Imperial hierarchy. Locating him had been a priority of the SIS for some time.

Right at this moment, Theron sorely wished that the Emperor’s Wrath had remained missing.

He watched as the Sith Lord stormed through the Coalition commandoes, ignoring multiple blaster shots to his body mere moments after shrugging off the aerial bombardment.

The Coalition Jedi and Sith attempted to divide Krannus’ attention, attacking him from opposite flanks; the Twi’lek Jedi on his right with his lightsaber and the human Sith Lord on his left with Force lightning. For a moment, Theron thought they might have succeeded when the Jedi’s blade caught Lord Kael’s armor squarely on the shoulder while just missing his helmet – a blow that should have all but severed his arm – while the Sith’s lightning blasted at his armored torso.

Impossibly, the massive Pureblood shrugged off these lethal assaults and then, in a single move displaying more agility than should have been possible for a man of his size, simultaneously impaled both of his opponents, one lightsaber sinking into the chest of each.

Just like that, the effort to stop Lord Kael and the Infinites had been snuffed out, the few the surviving commandoes quickly overwhelmed by the Infinites.    

Theron grimaced. Not even Mandalorian beskar should have protected the Sith Lord so completely from the kind of punishment Krannus had taken, and he wasn’t even slowed down.

As a stunned silence settled around the table, Theron remembered that the Coalition had already definitively ruled out any orbital strikes from the fleets above. The main temple held by the Revanites was protected by a force field for one thing, and for another they’d decided that the risk of friendly fire falling on their own forces was too great. (Though Marr, of course, hadn’t been thrilled with that decision, given the stakes in play.) That danger was even greater now with the Infinites driving so far into the Coalition lines. There was nothing else he could think of in the Coalition’s arsenal that could have stopped Krannus.            

“Please magnify on his armor.” The firm, unexpected voice cut through the silence.

It was only then, as he looked up at the speaker, that Theron realized there was a fifth individual watching the display above the holo-table. Jedi Master Corellan Halcyon looked like he had just fought through Hell itself while simultaneously looking resolute enough to invade it for a second time at a moment’s notice. The Jedi’s robes were singed at the edges and his armor was lightly scorched though undamaged. His expression, normally healthy and open, was darker and grimmer than Theron had ever seen before with bags under his eyes and a pallid complexion.

He doesn’t look good. Theron thought to himself. But one could not have told that from his posture or from the clarity of his voice.

This was the champion who had taken down the Emperor’s Voice on Dromund Kaas. Who had spear-headed the raid on Korriban and then mere hours later had liberated the Jedi Temple on Tython. The one person who Theron and Lana had trusted when they’d gone on the run after they’d been framed for killing Darth Arkous and Colonel Rian Darok on Rakata Prime. On Rishi, he’d defeated Nova Blade pirates, Mandalorian bounty hunters and Revanite conspirators in quick succession without seeming to break a sweat, inflicting more damage in a few days than Lana and Theron might have managed in months.

Since the joint task force had arrived on Yavin three days ago, Halcyon had been even more impressive. His reputation alone demanded respect from friend and foe alike. Every time a trouble spot emerged, every time it appeared bad feelings over decades of war might drive a wedge between the reluctant allies, Corellan had personally intervened, acting decisively yet amicably, putting out fires before the leadership council even knew about them and showing a mutual respect that puzzled the Sith, impressed the Imperials and inspired the Jedi and Republic troops to put their differences with their allies aside and behave themselves. If the Hero of Tython – who’d probably fought and killed more Imperials in combat – Sith and otherwise – in his relatively young life than anyone else still breathing (aside, perhaps, from Satele Shan herself) had made no objection to fighting alongside the Empire, hardly anyone else could either, given the circumstances. He hadn’t started this campaign with a reputation as a diplomat, but he definitely seemed to be building one for himself, albeit unintentionally.

His entire demeanor seemed to have changed since coming to Yavin. At first, Theron wanted to think it was just the proximity of so many Sith. Then he wondered if it might have been that their target was Revan, a figure who was almost mythical in the tales of both the Jedi and the Sith. Heck, Corellan, like Theron, had probably grown-up hearing bedtime stories about the legendary fallen Jedi.

But now, Theron was starting to fear that it was the presence of the Sith Emperor here on Yavin. The same tyrant who’d captured Corellan and his crew at his Fortress years before, imprisoning them for months. The same cancer who was, if reports were to be believed, responsible for much of the suffering the galaxy had experienced dating back to the Mandalorian Wars.  

The same enemy who Corellan – and the entire Republic – had hoped had been permanently destroy during the attack on Dromund Kaas.

All this has to have taken its toll. The SIS agent privately suspected. It was rumored that Halcyon hadn’t been sleeping; simply meditating for an hour or two at a time before pressing on with whatever needed to be done. He’d rotated his crewmembers regularly to keep them fresh, then had headed off on another mission. Each time, he’d check in with the temporary command center at the base camp, reporting on details he had observed that might have been missed through the various chains of command.

He also hadn’t shied away from putting his own crew at risk when necessary. Yesterday, he’d designated his loyal astromech droid, Teeseven, to oversee the advance sensor array they’d set up, thus keeping the Coalition’s monitoring system impartial. Later he’d ordered Sergeant Rusk to take temporary command of a company of Republic troops who had lost their commanding officer during the fighting. The veteran Chagrian soldier had quickly whipped that demoralized unit into shape, and even now they were successfully holding one of the critical defensive positions along the Coalition’s lines despite the Revanite assault. And just minutes ago as the attacks had begun, Corellan had assigned his squad medic, Doctor Archiban Kimble – or ‘Doc’ to anyone who asked – to treat wounded Imperial soldiers who’d been cut-off from their recovery camps. The Imperial officer on site had sworn an oath that no harm would come to Doc, and that he would be returned safely to the Jedi Master afterward.      

Satele and Marr had provided the leadership and legitimacy. Theron and Lana had delivered the expertise and intelligence on the Revanites and how they operated. But it had been Halcyon, with the aid of his crew, who had brought a sense of unity to the Coalition.

Theron had worked with Corellan Halcyon off and on for more than two years now, ever since enlisting the Jedi Master in a couple of off-the-book operations to deal with problems the SIS would have preferred to remain under wraps rather than address through “official” channels. He was a bona fide hero. A paragon, even. The best Jedi warrior of his generation. A champion of the Republic and the protector of the free galaxy. Honestly, he was exactly what most Jedi younglings grew up wanting to be. The guy the Republic military put on their recruitment posters.

Since they’d arrived on Yavin, Theron had learned that beneath that surface, Corellan Halcyon also possessed a keen tactical mind. One that understood full well the strategies employed by Sith and Jedi, Empire and Republic.

By now, Halcyon had become extremely effective at combating the Revanites, regardless of which faction they’d previously worked for. Their enemies might all claim to serve Revan, but it had been proven on Rishi and now again on Yavin that they weren’t all ‘one big, happy family’. The Order of Revan desperately needed symbols to rally around; specifically, they needed the symbol of Revan himself.

That was the kind of unifying symbol that Halcyon was providing to the Coalition.

And it was now apparent to Theron that the Jedi Master was proving surprisingly adept at approaching people undetected. Even where it concerned dealing with allies.

Even when dealing with Force users as potent as Darth Marr and Satele Shan.

Theron usually prided himself on maintaining a good sabacc face. After all, he was an SIS agent. That sort  of went with the territory. But he had no doubt he looked startled right at this moment. Lana had also blinked in surprise at the unexpected arrival. Marr’s face was concealed by his mask, but even his head tilted up in surprise as Corellan’s voice cut through the room.

Only Satele seemed nonplussed at the Jedi Master’s sudden appearance, simply accepting it in stride. If the Grand Master was concerned with Corellan’s behavior or physical appearance of late, she had clearly decided not to reveal that in front of the Sith. She nodded in Theron’s direction, who was only now reminded that he was the one at the terminal controls.

The Republic operative swallowed, increasing the magnification on Krannus’ armor as requested. Some of the resolution was a bit hazy – that often happened when transmissions were broadcasting during a battle with portable surveillance equipment – but the distinct pattern across Krannus’ body eventually became clear. The bulbous pieces looked strange to Theron, who was familiar with a great many body armors commonly used throughout the galaxy by soldiers, mercenaries and Force-users.

“I don’t recognize that design.” He admitted.

“Nor do I.” Lana admitted, who looked over towards Marr and Satele, questioningly.

The Jedi Grand Master was once again in silent contemplation, as if the answer to the problem was hiding right in front of her but would only reveal itself in time.  

Officially, Darth Marr was the head of the Sith Empire’s Sphere of Military Strategy and was the second-longest tenured active member of the Dark Council. Unofficially, Marr was effectively running the Empire at this point, having bent the Council to his will. Analysts in the SIS had been taking bets on how long it would be before Marr formally declared himself the new Emperor.

Theron hadn’t taken that action on the bet. Marr knew what had happened to Darth Malgus on Ilum when he’d tried to claim Vitiate’s throne and establish a “New Empire”. Even when it came to Vitiate himself, who’d ruled the Empire for more than a millennium, the facade of invincibility that once came with that position had been shattered. As an institution, the Sith Empire only operated properly when everyone was too frightened of the Emperor to challenge him, or to risk compromising his goals with the internal squabbles. The title of Emperor must have looked much less attractive considering the present political climate, where any Sith who claimed supremacy risked being pulled down and destroyed by his fellows.

Theron suspected that Marr was playing a much different game.

Regardless, he also had to assume that Marr had more practical knowledge than just about anyone else living concerning the multitude of exotic weaponry of the Sith. And he was being silent.

That silence worried Theron intensely. With all the other surprises the Revanites had thrown at them over the last few months, the last thing they needed was mysterious Sith armor that seemingly made one of the most dangerous Sith Lords living invincible.

As he tried to analyze the armor for weaknesses, he could only consider it an effort in futility.

“Honestly, it doesn’t look like armor at all. It looks more like… shells.” He added, grasping for any observations.

With Krannus leading them, the Infinites couldn’t be stopped. With the Infinites leading the Revanite assault and driving a wedge into the Coalition lines, their entire offensive couldn’t be stopped.

Invincible, indeed.

“Orbalisks.” Corellan’s calm, matter-of-fact voice cut through the silence once again.

Theron turned to look over at him again. The Jedi Master was looking down at the projection in what he could only describe as ‘intense detachment’ as the magnification moved out again. In the projection, Lord Kael had Force-leapt onto an attacking Imperial Walker, knocking the towering machine over before eviscerating its driver with his lightsabers for good measure.

Theron was realizing no one else had responded to Corellan yet. He had no idea what an ‘orbalisk’ even was and no one else seemed to be stepping up either. In the absence of any elaboration, Lana took the lead this time, her brow furrowed intently as she addressed the Jedi champion.

“Do you know how we can stop him?”

Corellan Halcyon turned away from the display and towards Lana. The two of them had – along with Theron – developed a surprisingly strong working relationship these last few months. They had made a good team, regardless of their personal, political and ideological differences. (And Lana allowing the Revanites to abduct and torture Theron. That had been a bump in the road.) This question undercut a reversal of roles; usually, it was Corellan relying on Lana and Theron for information, direction or analysis.

But here in this instance on Yavin, the people standing around the table were relying on the young Jedi Master for his knowledgeable insight.

“We can’t.” Corellan answered firmly, gently stressing the first word. “But I will need some help.”

That wasn’t lost on Theron. The Hero of Tython clearly had something specific in mind. Something he intended to personally put into motion.

Corellan had followed Lana and Theron’s lead on Manaan, Rakata and Rishi, and he had likewise acknowledged the authority of Satele and Marr as leaders of the leadership council assembled here on Yavin.

But now, he was calling his own play.

We’ve underestimated him. Theron considered. All of us.

The Hero of Tython raised his arm to chest level, tapping the communicator on his wrist.

“Kira. We’re up. Maneuverer Alderaan-Delta-Three.” He paused, checking his chrono and apparently doing some quick calculations in his head. “Eleven minutes.”

“On it.” a familiar, feminine voice answered. Corellan closed the channel just as quickly.      

Since they’d started working together, Theron had long come to understand that Corellan usually only operated with one of his companions by his side at any given time. He had always assumed there was some method behind his choice; a specific companion for a specific kind of mission. That would make good strategic sense, though the particulars in Corellan’s thought process usually escaped him.

Theron had met Kira Carsen several times. First on that Corellian rescue job almost two years ago, then more recently at Carrick Station before the assault on Korriban. He liked her. Frankly, she was probably the most outgoing Jedi he’d ever met and she was genuinely funny. (Granted, her jokes directed at Theron about being ‘Satele’s kid’ had grated on him, but he could deal with that.) Her combat record was proof that she was fantastic with a lightsaber, too. He’d been rather surprised that he hadn’t seen her working beside Corellan lately. He knew that she’d been by his side earlier on Rishi but when Corellan had first arrived at the safehouse Theron shared with Lana and Jakarro, Rusk had been accompanying him. Later, he’d seen Teeseven and Doc at his side as well. He’d found it curious at the time, idly wondering if the two Jedi were ‘on the outs’ somehow.

Whatever Corellan had in mind – whatever ‘Maneuverer Alderaan-Delta-Three’ even meant – he’d clearly decided he needed Kira with him to execute his plan.

The Jedi turned towards Theron and Lana.

“Set a timer.” He requested. “I need every bomber we can get in the air to hit Kael and the Infinites in exactly ten minutes in successive waves. Then pull them off after 30 seconds.”  

Theron set the timer on reflex, then checked the data. The Infinites had advanced well past the range of the remaining Revanite anti-air flak cannons. At the speed they were moving at now, it would be a tricky target; even fighter-bombers usually weren’t designed to hit a target as small as a single squad. But he could predict their movement speed and relay those coordinates to the pilots.

“We can do that.” Theron offered. “But you just saw that it won’t keep them down for long.”

Corellan looked down at the SIS agent intently. For a second, Theron thought he might have seen a hint of a grim smile on the Jedi’s lips.  

“I don’t need it to keep them down for long.”

Without another word, he turned and headed towards the exit.

“I’m ending this battle.” He spoke as he walked away from the table intently, never breaking stride or even looking back over his shoulder. “Now.”  

Theron blinked as the Jedi Master departed, then turned back and looked at the others.

Lana seemed uncertain. Satele looked concerned but continued to keep her silence. Marr… Marr just continued to watch the passageway where Corellan had exited, as if trying to decide something. Theron now realized that Corellan hadn’t even asked Satele or Marr – the Coalition’s nominal leaders – for approval of his plan.

Without anyone needing to say anything, Theron relayed the orders.

 Kira Carsen was more than ready to go when she’d gotten the call.

Three days of barely seeing any action back on the ship while a massive battle waged around her had admittedly left her antsy.

Corellan would have known that, and she knew he wouldn’t have held her back this long without a good reason.

She’d also barely seen him since they’d arrived on Yavin. He would have known how that would make her feel, too. She knew he wouldn’t do that to her if it could have been helped.

(It also didn’t help that they could both feel the Emperor’s presence here on Yavin. Deep down, she’d always known he hadn’t been completely destroyed on Dromund Kaas. But feeling him this close still put her on edge.)

These were their lives: They meant everything to each other, but the needs of the rest of the galaxy would always come first.

Kira knew that. She understood it. She even accepted it.

That didn’t mean she had to like it.  

Still, she’d been monitoring the situation carefully. Kira had been in enough battles to know that this one was rapidly approaching its climax: the fight between the Revanites and the Coalition would be decided over the next few minutes.  

And in this crucial moment, Corellan Halcyon, the vaunted Hero of Tython, had called her. She’d never admit it to anyone, but that meant something.

(It meant everything.)

Kira didn’t know if she’d ever be a Jedi Master. That goal had once been a driving ambition for her; something to solidify her sense of acceptance within the Order. To give herself that reinforced sense of belonging that she’d been seeking for most of her life. Maybe she’d even have been able to stir things up with some much-needed policy reforms. But the last few years – spent with Corellan and their crew – had eventually led her to reconsider her career goals.

She was happy with who she was. And with where she was in her life.

For example, Kira couldn’t imagine there were many Jedi Knights who could outfight her in a one-on-one lightsaber duel at this point. After all, Kira had been the one who’d struck the killing blow against Darth Nox on Tython, one of the most feared Sith in the galaxy and a particularly infamous member of the Dark Council.

But Corellan was the most driven lightsaber duelist she’d ever met. He was up before dawn most mornings (long before Kira usually rose), sparring with Scourge for an hour before even showering and sitting down for breakfast. Then, if they didn’t have a mission that day to keep him occupied, he’d spar with Kira in the early evening, working them both almost to exhaustion.

He was dedicated.

(And if Kira had ever felt overshadowed by her partner, he’d more than made it up to her during their nights alone together. Lightsaber training wasn’t the only thing he was dedicated to.)

And he did his homework, too. There probably wasn’t a holocron or text on lightsaber combat in the Jedi Archives that he hadn’t borrowed for review at least once.

But as valuable as those had been, they couldn’t begin to compete with the knowledge provided by the individual who lived in their cargo bay.

For someone like Corellan Halcyon, training with someone like Scourge was more valuable than a dozen holocrons. The former Emperor’s Wrath had spent three hundred years hunting and slaying the Emperor’s enemies, effectively becoming a ‘boogey-man’ within the Sith Empire. Kira thought it was ironic that most of those ‘enemies’ had been Scourge’s fellow Sith. (After all, up until these last few years, the Emperor had had little to fear from the Jedi, himself.) He’d taught Corellan dozens of techniques that would aid him in facing and defeating his enemies.

In the years since Dromund Kaas, Corellan’s reputation among the Sith and Imperials had only reached new heights. Even most Mandalorians refused to accept contracts on him anymore; not since his meeting with Xadya on Makeb.  

Kira hadn’t listened to every lesson Scourge had taught Corellan about ancient Sith weapons and rituals, but she’d gotten the gist of what orbalisks were. (And frankly, the things sounded incredibly disgusting to her. As neat a trick as it sounded, invincibility would not be worth having those nasty bugs all over her body and digging into her skin.) According to Scourge, Vitiate had destroyed all known records of the blasted creatures decades ago. Not because he feared they could make a rival Sith powerful enough to face him; Kira’s ‘father’ was apparently far above such physical concerns. No, it was more to discourage any ‘fools with delusions of grandeur’ who managed to master the Dxunian creatures from even attempting such an act.

And Corellan being Corellan, he’d put in more than a little thought into how to counter an enemy employing the parasites should the need ever arise.

Kira supposed she owed the ‘Big Tomato’ a ‘Thank you’ for that kind of help.

The culture of their ship facilitated this kind of thinking. Hundreds of hours of training amongst their crew had led to the creation of dozens of combination maneuvers for various contingencies. Alderaan-Delta-Three was one such combination. With Scourge’s assistance; Kira and Corellan had trained for it in parts, but they’d never actually had the chance to use the whole thing in a real fight.

To Kira, that uncertainty made this job even more exciting.

Also, she’d get to bring her speeder-bike. Things were always more fun when they involved speeder-bikes, in Kira’s opinion. It would be a pity to lose this one; she’d spent months customizing it just the way she liked. Force, it was even purple.

But if this worked, then it would be worth it.

Both for the thrill of the thing, and to win this battle.

The sooner they got off this rock, the sooner she and Corellan could get some alone time together.

 Theron knew that lightsaber enthusiasts and gamblers alike had been debating for years who would win in direct confrontation between the Hero of Tython and the reigning Emperor’s Wrath, and for good reason. The two champions of their respective factions were contemporaries: Corellan Halcyon and Kael Nosrol Krannus were near enough the same age with vaguely similar ‘career tracks’. Both were practitioners of Jar’khai, wielding a single-bladed lightsaber in each hand at once to devastating effect. Both had incredible combat records and a plethora of accomplishments, any one of which would have granted any warrior legendary status in the wider galaxy. Both had seen action at many of the same flashpoints that had defined the current conflict for the last few years.

Taris. Balmorra. Belsavis. However many others.

Frankly, it was a wonder that the two adversaries, these titans of the age, hadn’t met in battle before now.

Between the two of them, four consecutive Sith Lords at the head of the Empire’s Sphere of Military Offense - Vengean, Baras, Arho and most recently Arkous – had met their ends; the first two by Krannus and the latter two at the blades of Halcyon.

(Theron had heard that the entire ministry had recently been placed under Marr’s “temporary” stewardship, since Arkous’ death on Rakata Prime. If Theron had been Marr, who’d spent decades as the head of the Empire’s Sphere of Military Defense, he wouldn’t have been in a hurry to formally claim that position any more than he apparently wanted to claim the title of Emperor.)  

Nor was that the end of the parallels of their journeys. Corellan had reportedly slain Lord Kael’s brother on Belsavis. The Imperial Executor – a fanatically-loyal servant of the Sith Emperor’s will – had attempted to destroy the prison world to further Vitiate’s plans for a ritual that could have destroyed the galaxy.

(Just thinking about that report had boggled Theron’s mind. He was, after all, just a spy. Situations like this still felt like they were way above his pay grade.)

From what Theron had heard, Kael had been – if anything – even more loyal to the Emperor than his brother had been.

But now, seemingly in a complete reversal, the surviving Krannus had taken up with the Order of Revan. Conspirators who fanatically opposed the Emperor’s return to the point where most had turned their backs on everything they’d ever known, to ally with a fallen Jedi who’d gone missing for centuries.

What could have prompted such an astronomical shift in allegiance for the Sith Lord?

And now, after all of that, he was finally facing Corellan Halcyon.

Theron had it on excellent authority that Nar Shaddaa bookmakers had a massive betting pool of several million credits going of what would happen when the two finally met, with odds swinging back and forth between one or the other.

The intelligence operative couldn’t deny that as the fighters began their bombardment of Krannus and his Infinites and the seconds ticked down to whatever Corellan was planning, he felt a surge of adrenaline within him despite the circumstances. As he looked around the table above the holo-map, he could feel that the others were intrigued as well.

There.  

Within seconds of the barrage beginning, an icon representing a speeder bike appeared, tearing across the map, skillfully dodging stray blaster fire along the battlefield. The Coalition had been employing a handful of the machines, mostly for transporting portable equipment and relaying messages and orders that couldn’t be safely transmitted. This, however… this wasn’t one of those efficient, practical, military vehicles. Based on the specs of the data-stream, Theron recognized this one as an Aratech Coral speeder, a high-end civilian bike designed for style and mobility as well as speed.

As the holoprojection focused on the speeder, Theron noted the two figures were mounted in the pilot’s seat, a smaller figure – with short red hair, he noted – driving the vehicle while their companion, larger, wearing Jedi robes and armor, had their arms wrapped around the driver’s waist.

Just before the bike crashed into the Infinites, the two Jedi leapt off.  

The resulting explosion made the holo-display flicker as it knocked Krannus and his squad down yet again. Everything within ten meters of the point of impact was suddenly immersed in flames, the wild grass on the ground briefly catching fire before just as quickly burning out. Theron only now realized the speeder must have been rigged with incendiary explosives. As Corellan and Kira landed unscathed, their lightsabers lashed out at their fallen enemies.

Theron was starting to understand the broad details of their tactical plan. The Infinites were normally all but indestructible; but as Corellan had proven on Manaan, exposing them to extreme flames could briefly leave them vulnerable to direct attacks.

Including attacks made with lightsabers.

As Kira continued to finish off the stunned Infinites, Corellan turned his attention to Lord Kael, who suddenly found himself alone and isolated. The Pureblooded Sith had risen to his feet and now plainly recognized his opponent.

The Jedi Sentinel squared off against the Sith Marauder, with the fate of Yavin, the Order of Revan, and perhaps the whole galaxy on the line.

The Hero of Tython versus the Emperor’s Wrath.

As their blades met, Theron was tempted to ask for popcorn.

 Kira’s lightsaber impaled the last Infinite before it could rise, finally snuffing the last of them out for good.

For a fraction of a second, she wondered who this person had been before their transformation. Did they have a life? Did they have a family? Did they fall for some bill of goods the Order of Revan had sold them to get them to volunteer for this insane procedure?

Would they regret that their lives had come to this?

She was reminded of Agent Galen, who’d worked with Kira and Corellan on Coruscant and later again on Nar Shaddaa during the Desolator Crisis. The SIS agent had been abducted by Lord Sadic, and then horrifically transformed against his will into an Imperial-aligned Power Guard cyborg. Thanks to the Jedi duo, the Republic operative had broken free of the Sith’s control and had found peace with his lot. Kira heard months later that Galen had eventually met his end while serving on an SIS mission, but he did so on his own terms, doing something that mattered to him.

Kira took some comfort from that memory as she steeled herself and turned to join the main event.

The duel before her was incredible.

Kael Nosrol Krannus was using Form VII to deliver ferocious blows from both his sabers without restraint. The powerful Sith Lord was considered by many to be the master of using Juyo with twin lightsabers. Corellan was, for his part, seamlessly alternating between stances: employing Form Three – Soresu – to deflect Krannus’ attacks before switching to the powerful strikes of Form Five – Shien – to press him back; precision and grace one moment, decisive strength in the next.

The Jedi’s approach was slowly starting to frustrate Lord Kael, who – to no one’s surprise – was responding with overwhelming rage. His only rival for the title of ‘mightiest warrior in the galaxy’ had finally engaged him in battle and that challenger had already taken the early advantage by eliminating his supporters. Even as she approached, the Sith roared, battering the Jedi’s defense with powerful blows.

Kira scowled. Even this varp-head was ignoring her.

His mistake. she vowed to herself.

Kira Force-leapt at Krannus, her green double-bladed saber flashing high above the battlefield.

“Eat lightsaber, jerk!” she called out.

Corellan timed it perfectly. As a startled Lord Kael raised his crossed sabers above his head to meet Kira’s attack, the Jedi Master’s own blue lightsabers found an opening, slicing low at the Sith Lord’s ankle.  

Had it not been for the orbalisks, the blow would have cleanly severed Krannus’ foot, and that would have been the end of it.

Instead, the attack (mostly) glanced off the impenetrable armor. Wounded or not, the impact had definitely further enraged the massive Sith Pureblood however, pushing him even further over the edge.

“Shavit!” Krannus screamed in pain, his blades recklessly slashing at Corellan again even as the Jedi effortlessly jumped backwards, a graceful toreador fighting a mighty bull.  

Kira and Corellan hadn’t had time to discuss this part of the plan, but through their Force-bond, she knew they didn’t need to. She felt what he was doing. Kael’s orbalisk armor may have protected his body and even fueled his rage, but even with the Force, his physical and mental stamina had limits. Especially if he were wasting energy with his frustration.

This wasn’t the ‘end game’, of course. That would come later. But Corellan was a savant at lightsaber combat. Where most skilled duelists could, at the most, think a few moves ahead against an opponent of equal skill, it felt to Kira that Corellan could see a dozen moves ahead, even against a Sith as dangerous as the Emperor’s Wrath.

Krannus had the advantage of strength and resiliency. With his orbalisks, he could shrug off nearly any attack.

But as his frustration grew, it would also turn into anger and rage. Those emotions would power a Sith, but it would also lead them to make mistakes. The longer this fight lasted, the more Lord Kael fell back on his instincts. And those instincts had been honed long before he had donned the orbalisk armor. Those instincts were plainly built on the premise of ‘The best defense is a good offense’. (After all, if your enemy was dead, they couldn’t attack you, could they?) Within minutes he was again fighting like someone who was supremely confident in his capability to overwhelm his opponent with his powerful attacks to the point of arrogance, not like someone who rationally knew he couldn’t be wounded and had adjusted his tactics accordingly.

Corellan Halcyon and Kael Nosrol Krannus were equals in nearly every way. But here, their differences shined through for all to see.

Lord Kael had the benefit of his impregnable armor.

Corellan had the benefit of having a plan.

And of having Kira.

 As the duel in the center of the battlefield raged on, so too did the greater battle of Yavin.

Theron knew that there was a perception amongst the general populace of the galaxy that the great clashes between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire were ultimately decided by lightsaber duels between Jedi and Sith.

Historically, Theron knew, that was rarely the case. While there were always exceptions, most major battles were instead decided by planning, logistics and – in Theron’s experience, what with being an SIS agent – superior intelligence.

He was starting to realize that – despite the Hero of Tython’s reputation as being exactly that, a Hero – Corellan Halcyon understood the same thing. Young though he was, at some point during his adventures, Corellan had learned to appreciate the difference between tactical planning and strategic planning:

Good tactics could win you a fight.

Good strategies could win you a war.  

Because regardless of whether he and Kira could beat Krannus, in eliminating the Infinites and halting Lord Kael’s advance, he had already stopped the Revanites’ momentum cold. Their offensive had stalled.

The Coalition lines, buckling mere minutes earlier, were now consolidating and holding firm. Formations had regrouped, communications re-established. The pressure on the flanks faded as the Revanites struggled to hold their gains against superior numbers. The ‘wedge’ into the Coalition lines was now under pressure. Now, it was the Order of Revan troops that were looking overextended.

In that moment, Theron Shan finally began to understand why Halcyon had been so successful throughout his career. Yes, he was brave, skilled and powerful, but now he understood that this was what the Jedi Master had actually done on all those other worlds in his travels.

He didn’t do other people’s jobs for them. Instead, he took on the central problem those people were facing – the one obstacle that was causing the crisis and preventing the people there from doing their jobs – and that freed everyone else up to refocus on what mattered.

He helped people to help themselves. That not only earned him peoples’ gratitude, it also minimized any potential resentment people might have for being ‘rescued’.  

And that’s what he was doing right now for the Coalition commanders.

Even if Corellan and Kira did fail to put down the ‘invincible’ Sith Lord, they had already defeated him. The Revanites were starting to be pushed back by Republic and Imperial forces all along the front. Looking down at a secondary display, Theron noted the icon representing the troops under Sergeant Rusk’s command. They had routed a group of the Order of Revan’s attack droids they’d been fighting and the Chagrian was even now driving his soldiers forward.  

The tide had been turned.

Win or lose the battle, Corellan Halcyon had already won the war.

 How long had they been fighting? Minutes? Hours? It could have been a day for all Kira knew. But the Force was surging within her, firing up her endorphins. She hadn’t felt this powerful since she’d purged Vitiate from her mind back on the Desolator above Tython years before.

Right now, with the adrenaline pumping in her veins, she felt like she could keep fighting like this forever.

And with Corellan at her side, she never questioned what the outcome of this fight would be.

It wasn’t courage, really. It wasn’t even faith, though Force knew she believed in Corellan Halcyon more than she believed in almost anything.

No. This was the confidence of certainty.

In the four years since Kira’s Knighting, Corellan had never taken on a new Padawan, despite numerous offers from the Jedi Council to do so. Nor had Kira accepted any assignments that would have allowed her to begin formally training a Padawan of her own; something she’d always intended to do herself.

Their physical relationship aside, this fight highlighted the reason why. They simply could not do the things they did with anyone else. Certainly not with a padawan.

They frankly would’ve gotten anyone else killed.

At some point, perhaps inevitably, Krannus had shifted his tactics, refocusing his attacks on taking down Kira while simultaneously attempting to hold off Corellan. No doubt he had decided that once he’d dealt with her, he could have turned his full attention on the Jedi Master in a one-on-one engagement with improved odds. Theoretically, it was a sound strategy, eliminating your weaker opponent so you could then focus on the main target. Kira and their crew often used similar tactics against particularly powerful enemies and their followers, allowing Corellan to isolate and defeat the primary threat.

But Lord Kael employing this plan in turn against this particular duo ignored three critical factors:

First, while she couldn’t match Corellan in sheer power or ability, Kira Carsen was still one of the most skilled duelists of her generation of Jedi. One who’d spent a childhood training to be a Sith on Korriban and who’d endured an adolescence just surviving the dangers of Nar Shaddaa and who’d spent nearly every day for the past four years training against the very best the Jedi Order had to offer. As far as she was concerned, she was no one’s “weaker target”.

Second, countless Sith – and far more Imperials – had already attempted this exact same tactic against the pair of Jedi. Thus far, it hadn’t worked out for any of them. Their ‘switches’ – where Corellan and Kira would suddenly change positions during a maneuver – had been the undoing of some of the deadliest Sith in the galaxy, most notably with Kira’s lightsaber spelling the end of Darth Angral on the Desolator and – much more recently – delivering the death blow to Darth Nox during the Empire’s assault on the Temple of Tython.

Third, the bond between Corellan and herself now far surpassed anything she imagined any two Sith – with their inherent distrust of each other – or any two Jedi – with their dogmatic dismissal of attachments – could ever experience. Kira and Corellan fought as one.

This Sith Lord didn’t have a chance.

As his frustration continued to build, Lord Kael let out another roar of rage.

“Schutta!” he cursed, calling upon the dark side as a massive radial Force blast knocked Kira and Corellan back.

Had she been on her own, Kira might – might – have been intimidated by the sheer power behind the blast. Krannus was proving to be even more powerful than Zu’fanda Pampya had been on Tython. More powerful than Darth Malgus had been at Ilum. Perhaps – in sheer power – he was second among the Sith only to Vitiate himself.

But fighting beside Corellan, with his innate combat senses and reassuring presence, she saw the blast it for what it was: a desperation move.

As she regained her balance, Kira found herself smirking in spite of the situation. The attack had been against both Jedi, but the expletive – with its feminine connotation – had unquestionably been directed against her. She’d gotten to him.

So when Lord Kael reached out his fingers and she felt the pressure of a Force choke squeezing her neck, Kira didn’t panic. Her own defensive barrier, having briefly flickered by the Force blast, reasserted itself, resisting the strength of the Sith’s attack. He was still restricting her breathing, but he couldn’t apply enough pressure to strangle her or to snap her neck. With time, perhaps, he could have rendered her unconscious.

But time was something Lord Kael Nosrol Krannus had just run out of.

Corellan Halcyon had risen to his feet.

As Kira glared into the Sith’s golden eyes, she could tell the moment they both sensed what was about to happen. Engaged this closely to Kael, she could feel him start to panic as he desperately used the Force to hurl her towards the oncoming Corellan, clinging to the hope that it would buy him a few more seconds to regroup.

And Kira… Kira simply placed herself in the hands of the Force. And in the hands of Corellan. Instinctively, she turned her body sideways in mid-air, watching in awe as a cerulean blue lightsaber passed above her by mere inches while sensing an identical blade passing below.

It took her mind a second to comprehend what had happened; as Kira’s body had been thrown towards him, Corellan had unleased both of his weapons in a twin-saber throw towards Krannus, one directed above her, the other beneath, no more than a meter apart.

It was an insane move.

Had Kira not turned her body at the precise instant she had, she’d have been sliced apart.

Before she could process that, however, she felt Corellan’s hand catching hers. Rather than pulling her into his arms, she instead felt his own body turning in place. Kira’s feet never touched the ground as her deep blue eyes caught his icy pale blues for a fraction of a second.

That fraction of a second was all Kira needed to understand exactly what Corellan was doing.

Had they been anyone else – any other two Jedi in the galaxy – this entire maneuver would have been insane. They’d have both been killed.

But they weren’t anyone else.

They were Kira Carsen and the Hero of Tython.

They were young. They were in love.

But above all else, they were heroes.

And today, with the eyes of the galaxy upon them, they would prove that claim beyond any doubt.

Spinning in place, Corellan effortlessly redirected Kira’s momentum, releasing her hand and hurling her back towards Krannus.

The Sith Lord had barely fended off the attack of Corellan’s sabers. Turning to see the Jedi Knight hurtling towards him through the air, her green, fluorescent double-bladed lightsaber ignited, even his Force-enhanced reflexes weren’t fast enough to block her attack.

In that instant, as the Emperor’s Wrath looked up at her in shock, Kira felt like a living weapon.

More, she felt like she was his weapon.

It was nothing like what she’d felt like when she been under the Emperor’s control. Back then, she’d felt like she was losing her own sense of identity. Like she was less than a slave.

Here, through her bond with her partner, she felt free.

Because someone like Kael Nosrol Krannus, who’d spent most of his life devotedly serving the worst tyrant the galaxy had ever seen in pursuit of his own personal power, would never understand that to someone like Kira Carsen, moments like this weren’t just worth dying for.

Moments like this were what she lived for.

Kira’s blow caught the inside of Lord Kael’s helmet as he screamed out in pain, dropping one of his lightsabers as he reached his hand up to grasp at the wound. She landed on the other side, turning to see that Corellan had regained his own lightsabers and was now standing alongside her.

Whatever Krannus’ helmet was made of must have been tough; he wouldn’t have survived this long if it wasn’t. But it didn’t protect his entire face.

As his blood spilled across the ground, Kira realized that she’d put out his right eye.

There had been a multitude parallels between Kael Nosrol Krannus and Corellan Halcyon over the years. But how they faced change and adversity were quite different.

Kael had once placed his total faith in Vitiate, the Sith Emperor, the being of ultimate power who had ruled the Empire for more than a millennium convinced that service to that monster was the truest path to power.

When he’d seen that faith shattered, he had thrown himself into the service of Revan, losing all sense of himself in his pursuit of revenge.

Corellan had once placed his total faith in the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic.

When he’d seen things that had challenged that faith, from the Jedi Order’s dogmatic apathy on Voss to the Republic prison on Belsavis to Chancellor Saresh’s “military reforms”, he’d learned from it. He’d grown up. Matured. Evolved. He’d accepted that he could look past the shortcomings of others and find the strength within himself to do the right thing. That our beliefs could evolve without sacrificing the principals that defined us.

Corellan had accepted that he could change without abandoning the things that made him Corellan.

Their choices had now led these two icons of their respective, warring factions to this point here on Yavin at this exact moment.

With his remaining good eye, Lord Kael now glared at Corellan with a burning hatred.

“They call you the Jedi assassin.” He spat blood on the ground between them.

Kira felt a flash of anger at the Sith’s verbal snipe. She wanted to shout back at him that Corellan was the blasted Hero of Tython, and that he had saved the whole blasted galaxy, and that Kael could take his insults and go kriff himself.

Instead, she felt nothing but a cool acceptance from Corellan, who maintained a defensive stance with his lightsabers drawn.

“I would imagine they do.” He acknowledged, a placid expression on his face. “I’ve killed many people in my time, Lord Kael. Sith. Imperials. Criminals. Even a few rogue Jedi here and back on Rakata who joined you in Revan’s service.”

Corellan exhaled.

“I admit, at one point, even I was afraid I was turning into something I wouldn’t recognize.”

Krannus stood stunned, breathing heavily, a trickle of blood trailing down his red cheek from his ruined eye socket. Lightsabers usually cauterized the wounds they caused; this was something else. His body wasn’t responding normally. And whatever response he’d expected from his barb at the Jedi, it hadn’t been a confession.

“But just recently, I met with… with an old friend.” Corellan continued.

Kira knew instinctively that he was speaking of their encounter with the Force-ghost of Orgus Din, his old master, on Rishi. Corellan may have called almost everyone he’d ever met a ‘friend’, but she knew the few who actually got to him.

After all, she knew his story.

She knew everything about him, inside and out.

“That friend helped remind me of who I am and why I do what I do.” The Hero of Tython continued. “That I do have a future, if I can just let go of my fear that it will never come.”

He smiled wistfully.

“The strangest thing happens when we let go of our fears, Lord Kael. We become… well, I believe we become more of ourselves.”

To Kira, that very sentiment said so much about Corellan. Some cynical thinkers – and maybe even Kira herself – would claim that people were defined by their fears. How much suffering had been caused by people fearing their fellow sentient beings? Or for a lack of resources? Or a hundred other fears that seemed to drive everyone’s motivation? Even Kira’s own story had only really begun when she’d fled Korriban in fear of what the Emperor was doing to her.

Right or wrong, Corellan was exactly the kind of person who would think that people could only become the best versions of themselves when they let go of their fears.    

That was one of the things she loved about him.

And he wasn’t finished.

“But that begs the question… with all the sacrifices you’ve made from just by donning that armor, what is it that you’re afraid of?”

Krannus’ good eye blinked once, and Kira found herself smirking as he snarled in anger at the barb. As Corellan raised his lightsabers, Kael’s hand lashed out with a massive blast of Force lightning towards the two Jedi…

 All along the front, the Coalition forces were emerging from their defensive positions, starting to advance. Slowly at first; the Revanites were fanatics and they made their enemies fight for every step. But the loss of their momentum and the carefully coordinated counterattacks ordered by Satele and Marr were having the desired effect: The allies were once again starting to gain ground.

In a few minutes, if Krannus were even still alive, he’d be encircled.

So when Lord Kael’s blast of Force lightning struck Corellan’s crossed sabers, Theron decided that this had to be the end.

As lightning met lightsabers, the seconds started to pass. Roaring again in frustration, Krannus’ added his left hand to the attack, discarding his lightsabers entirely as the holoprojection flickered at the sheer power being unleashed from both hands.

Any second now, Corellan would break the circuit. He would turn the lightning aside and take the fight back to the Sith, even if he couldn’t directly penetrate the armor. Or, perhaps, he’d have Kira lead off with a series of distracting blows, then move in himself for the kill.  

Once that happened, the leadership would order an all-out attack. The Revanites were already starting to buckle. Once Krannus was off the board, everything else would – Force-willing – fall into place.

He watched intently. Any second now…

Theron finally blinked, as the seconds kept ticking by and electrical charge against the sabers continued to build. Only now did he notice the awkward silence around the table.

“Uhm.”

 Kira remembered, some years ago, Corellan discovering that he had no real aptitude for the Tutaminis Force technique beyond the rudimentary level. This was not particularly remarkable; only a small percentage of Jedi – among them Grand Master Satele – were skilled enough in the art of energy absorption to harness the truly impressive effects, like absorbing Force lightning or deflecting a lightsaber blow with their bare hand.

(Kira had heard a rumor once back on Tython that some Jedi and Sith could even use the Force to freeze a discharged blaster bolt in mid-air for several minutes by using only their minds before releasing it with full effect on a target. She’d always assumed that story to have been a crock: no one could ever identify a single individual who’d performed the trick. If Kira herself had seen it, she wasn’t sure that even she would have believed it.)

Still, it was a bit of a surprise that Corellan hadn’t managed to at least become adequately skilled at it. Aside from his old friend Ulannium, he was probably familiar with more Force combat techniques than any other Jedi of their generation.

But learning this one particular feat had always alluded him.

Still, hours upon hours of training with Scourge and Kira were sure to pay dividends eventually. The grumpy old tomato had probably seen more combat between Force-users than anyone else living, aside from maybe the Emperor himself.

But when Corellan had discovered the capability of doing something even Scourge had never seen or heard of before, even the Sith Lord had been impressed. And on that fateful day more than a year ago when the three of them had attempted this move together in a secluded valley on Alderaan, the effects had been, well… shocking.

Despite nearly being electrocuted during the exercise, Scourge hadn’t even been mad. In fact, he was as close to pleased as Kira had ever seen him. Heck, the grumpy old tomato had almost smiled.

The very rage that was powering Kael’s lightning attack was also going to be his downfall. Even with that pool of anger to draw on, sustaining this continuous torrent of lightning would be physically and mentally exhausting. Further, it would blind him to the fact that the charge building against Corellan’s lightsabers was actually growing brighter.

Lightning was supposed to dissipate against lightsabers; Tutaminis or no, it wasn’t supposed to build up.

Through Kira’s Force bond with Corellan, she could feel the moment coming. The Hero of Tython was focusing all his attention on the power building within his crossed sabers. In a sense, it felt like a test of wills between the Jedi and the Sith.

Engaged as he was, there was no possible way that Corellan could redirect that power himself with any kind of precision.

Of course, if Corellan were properly attuned through a Force-bond to someone skillful enough… well.

When the instant arrived, Corellan didn’t need to say anything. He didn’t even need to project anything towards her.

Kira simply knew.

She thrust out her green lightsaber blade, crossing it with Corellan’s weapons at a precise angle that should have been impossible to calculate.

The resulting blast of Force power erupted from the built-up charge, and it launched itself towards Krannus, faster than any of them could process.

The Sith Lord screamed in pain, blasted by electricity of his own making.

It was part of what Scourge had taught them about orbalisks: They were vulnerable to concentrated electricity. They could resist an attacking Sith’s Force lightning adequately enough… but they could not resist the wielder’s own power.

Kira watched as Kael continued to scream, the orbalisks literally burning off his body as the Sith Lord struggled to break free, to no avail.

As the final surge struck him with all the power of a thunderbolt, the Emperor’s Wrath was knocked off his feet for the third and final time this day.

The lightning finally dissipated.

The Sith Lord lay there on the ground motionless.

It sounded to Kira as if nearly the entire battlefield had suddenly gone quiet. She could hear blaster fire somewhere in the distance, but it felt like the planet itself was holding its breath for whatever happened next.

Corellan lowered his lightsabers, deactivating them as he exhaled in exhaustion, barely able to stand.

And yet, the victorious Jedi Master was still standing.

Krannus wasn’t.

Tired though she was from her adrenaline high wearing off, Kira reached out to Corellan through the Force, offering him a gentle caress. His eyes closed for a moment in acceptance and soon, his breathing started to return to normal. She could feel him becoming rejuvenated and felt more than a little satisfaction that she could have this sort of impact on him without even touching him.

He didn’t even look back towards her. But then, he didn’t need to. She could feel his upswelling of appreciation and gratitude as if he had squeezed her hand.

Corellan finally stepped towards the fallen Kael Nosrol Krannus. Kira, acting on reflex, followed at his side, looking down at the beaten Sith.

The smell of cooked flesh was revolting as it reached her nostrils, and she could barely contain the nausea she felt. As they looked down at their fallen foe, Kira could almost imperceptibly observe the Sith’s chest rising and falling; his breaths were ragged and broken.

Krannus was dying. And he clearly knew it.

With his one good eye, the Emperor’s Wrath glared up at the Hero of Tython.

“Finish them, Jedi.” He snarled weakly. “Finish those who have deceived us.”

Kira understood immediately whom he meant, even as Corellan stood in place in stoic silence.

The Emperor.

And Revan.

The galaxy itself had been engulfed over an insane feud that dated back three centuries.

It had to end.

A final sigh escaped Kael’s lips as his head fell back, yellow eyes still open, looking skyward.

The Emperor’s Wrath was gone.

 Back at Coalition headquarters, Theron had been standing by to give the order the moment Lord Kael fell. Before Krannus had even taken his last breath, the Republic agent had already toggled the open channel on his communicator.

“All Coalition forces – this is command.” He announced. “The Revanites are broken. General attack. Again, all troops, general attack. It’s time to finish this.”

Theron fell back in his field chair as the icons started to advance in earnest across the holo-map. If there had been any fight left in the Order, any faith in their leader’s mad plans, it had been spent the moment Krannus had fallen: They were running.

No more strategic planning would be needed. Not for commanding the troops, anyway.

“Whew.” Theron exhaled in relief. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that trick before.”

He beamed, looking up at the others.

All three pairs of Force-sensitive eyes around the table were still locked silently on the projection of Halcyon, Carsen and the body of Krannus.

Lana’s mouth had fallen open in shock for a long moment before she’d quickly composed herself, swallowing before letting out a breath. Satele’s eyes were clearly focused on the projection of Corellan, as if silently scrutinizing him for something only she could see. If she’d appeared concerned for her order’s young champion before, she was definitely rattled, now. Theron had long reasoned that part of the famed ‘Jedi mystique’ involved keeping one’s mouth shut when you didn’t actually have anything to say. Grand master Satele Shan certainly personified that approach. Meanwhile, hidden behind his mask, Marr’s throat made a sound that Theron couldn’t even begin to describe, nor did he think any human mouth should have been able to make.  

Once again, it was Satele who seemed to regain her senses first.

“Deploy the medical teams to recover our wounded.” She ordered, reasserting herself, the very picture of decisive calm. “Alert the fleet in orbit to be on guard for fleeing transport ships. We cannot allow Revan or any of his followers to escape us again.”

Theron, blinking surprise at the reactions of the others, nodded in assent and relayed the instructions.

As the battle of Yavin came to an end, the SIS agent reflected on what he’d seen this day. Lana was certainly highly intelligent and knowledgeable concerning the Force, but it was their mutual superiors who’d captured his attention.

Satele and Marr were two of the most active and accomplished leaders of Jedi and Sith in history. They’d seen countless battles over the decades, fighting endless enemies. Between the two of them, they’d probably opened Force-knew how many holocrons or other ancient texts to expand their respective knowledge of the Force.

Neither of them had even recognized the orbalisk armor that Krannus had been wearing. And certainly neither of them had seen anything like the feat that Corellan Halcyon, at just twenty-seven years of age, had just performed with his former padawan.

Reflecting on that, Theron finally turned his attention back to the live feed of the duel that had just ended.

Halcyon and Carsen had turned their backs to the fallen Sith Lord and were now walking back in the direction of the Coalition lines even as their troops advanced the other way. Their part in the wider campaign was done.

As she followed a step behind and to the right of Corellan, he saw Kira turn and glance over at him, an expression in her eyes that he couldn’t quite interpret through the projection.

Theron was usually a loner by choice. It suited his personality. But just for a moment, he truly envied Corellan Halcyon for having a partner like Kira Carsen.

 Minutes later, now standing just outside of Coalition headquarters, Kira stood across from Corellan.

Right this moment, she wanted so badly to grab him and kiss him. She would have shoved him back against the nearest tree and…

But it wasn’t the place or the time. Even in this moment of relative privacy, there were too many Republic and Imperial officers close by. Anyone could have been watching them.

Meanwhile, Satele, Theron and the Sith were waiting for him.

Revan was still out there, preparing to do Force-knows what. Regardless of whether or not it was really him behind the mask, he needed to be dealt with.

And beyond Revan was the Emperor.

As always, there was never enough time for them. And until they gave it up, there never would be.

Still, in this moment, Corellan had let the mask drop for a bit. The cold front he’d put up for the Sith. For Marr, Beniko and even Krannus. The ‘Hero’ personae he’d put up for Satele, Theron and the Republic. She alone could see the vulnerable man beneath the invincible hero.  

That was enough for her. For now.

The development of Corellan’s “mask” meant she owed Scourge another ‘thank you’. As much as she loved Corellan, she’d been worried the Sith would exploit his blasted heroic nature for their own ends. So along the way, he’d learned to present the face of someone else for when he needed it; someone who could consistently throw his enemies off based on their expectations of what a Jedi even was. Between his Force camouflage and the public demeanor, they didn’t see him.

Kira had heard that Darth Marr claimed that the mask he wore was his face.

Right now, it felt like Corellan’s face was a mask.

On the flip side, he’d probably worried both of the Shans with how he’d been acting the last couple of days in front of the Sith and the Imperials. That would need addressing at some point, Kira knew.

But here, alone with her for this moment, he could allow himself to be vulnerable with her. More than that, he could be himself.

That moment couldn’t last, of course.

“You’ll tell him that its time?” he finally asked her.

I love you. Was what Kira heard.

“Yeah.” she nodded in agreement. “I’ll send ‘Big Red’ in.”

I love you, too. Kira had answered.

Without another word, she turned and left, feeling his gaze following behind her before he, too, took his leave.

 “How did he do that?” Darth Marr nearly growled beneath his mask.

The Coalition forces had turned the victory over the Revanites into a route. But no one could have discerned that based on Marr’s mood in their headquarters.

“How did he even know about orbalisks? They haven’t been seen in the Empire in centuries! I barely recall even reading about them from some forbidden text in my youth!”

“My lord, please.” Lana beseeched her new boss. She’d had the presence of mind to dismiss the support staff so they wouldn’t be around to witness any ‘potentially difficult’ discussions. “I can begin making discreet inquiries once this current situation is concluded.”

Theron didn’t have any explanation that could have placated Marr and decided to himself that a snarky remark would be ill-timed right now. So he and Satele were quietly continuing to coordinate the mop-up effort while Lana attempted to defuse the situation with the frustrated Dark Councilor.

Marr paused, turning to glare down at the younger Sith.

“Talented as you are, Beniko, I doubt even your guile could determine how a young Jedi learned of long-forgotten Sith techniques.” Marr’s voice had leveled, but he couldn’t quite keep the slight hiss from his tone as he addressed his subordinate. Indeed, it was so intimidating, he probably hadn’t even tried. Regardless of how he felt about her right now, Theron didn’t envy Lana having Marr’s attention in the slightest.

Fortunately, they were interrupted before things escalated any further.

“’There is no ignorance, there is knowledge’, Lord Marr.” Halcyon’s voice echoed in the clearing as he approached the table, as he quoted the opening line of the Jedi Code, the same doctrine that Sith Lords so famously rejected with contempt. Clearly, the Jedi Master had overheard the conversation.

Theron found himself surprised that Corellan didn’t sound remotely smug; just coy. Aside from his singed robes, there was little sign he’d just fought the battle of his life. Indeed, if anything, he looked reenergized.  

“You’ve returned.” Satele noted assessing him with a conciliatory nod. “Well done, Master Corellan.”

If she was still concerned with Corellan’s state, and Theron had to believe that she was, she was keeping it well-hidden in her voice behind a shield of formal compassion. Her veneer of calm was as unflappable as always.

Corellan turned to the famed leader of his order and bowed, crossing his arm across his chest in the Jedi salute.

“Master Satele.” He returned the formal greeting, bowing his head. “Thank you for approving the bombardment.” Corellan paused. “I regret there wasn’t time for me to sufficiently explain the plan earlier.”

Theron bit his lip, remembering their previous conversation.

“So we gathered.” The Grand Master assented. Their exchange was entirely civil, but Theron noted that it had not been entirely warm.

“Yes, let me second those congratulations, Master Jedi.” Lana stepped towards Corellan, giving him a surprisingly genuine smile. “It was a remarkable victory.”

She paused as if about to speak further, looking past Corellan towards the entrance.

“Will we be meeting your talented companion?”

Corellan returned her expression. Somehow, though, the smile he gave her didn’t quite reach his tired eyes.

“I’m afraid not, Lana.” He answered. “Knight Carsen was needed elsewhere. But thank you.”

Again, civil words. But delivered more formally than Theron would have expected from a man who was usually so open.

Corellan paused and looked around at the faces around the table.

“What’s our status?”

Theron, undistracted from the drama with Marr, had been ready for that line of inquiry.

“All units report success.” The SIS agent reported. “The weapon has been shut down and all the Revanites have been neutralized.”

He let that sink in, knowing what was coming next.

“Only one more left to deal with.”

Theron didn’t have to announce who that was. Lord Kael Nosrol Krannus had been all but invincible, but in the end, he’d just been a follower. There was no doubt in his mind that Revan had been the one who’d donned Krannus in the orbalisk armor in the first place. They’d be foolish to think their quarry didn’t have more surprises in store for his enemies, even with his army thoroughly beaten.

“Iven told us where Revan might go.” Satele reasoned. “The Emperor’s final sanctuary.”

A moment of silence fell across the table. Defeating the Order of Revan had been one thing. Defeating Revan himself – and possibly the Emperor, as well – was something else altogether.

Marr regarded Halcyon with what Theron could only assume was an appraising look beneath his metal mask. It felt like the Sith Lord was finally regarding the young Jedi Master with new eyes.

“You must realize, Master Halcyon, that if you embraced the dark side of the Force yourself, then no one in the galaxy would be able to stand in your way. Not even Revan.”

His voice felt like a viper slithering up Theron’s arm as he dangled the other, temptingly.

“You would be invincible.”

Satele’s eyes narrowed at the suggestion that her order’s champion could be corrupted in such a manner and even Lana looked downwards and shifted her feet uncomfortably. Theron found himself torn between the practical advantages of a dark-sided Corellan Halcyon and the fear he felt in contemplating the Jedi as a Sith Lord.

But Corellan Halcyon himself merely turned and regarded the towering Dark Councilor in turn. Marr stood at least five inches taller than the Jedi, but they might as well have been at eye level for all that mattered. The thinnest of smiles came to the Jedi’s lips.

“But then who would you find to stop me, Lord Marr?” he asked. “When I became too powerful to be contained and ruled your Empire for my own benefit?”

Theron watched as Marr’s powerful shoulders clenched at the barb. The reminder of what Vitiate, a veritable demigod ruling the Sith Empire for thirteen hundred years, had done was still fresh in everyone’s mind.

Before Marr could respond, the intelligence agent decided to change the subject.

“We could call in help.” Theron offered, eager to break the tension. “Havoc Squad could be here within a day. And Barsen’thor Kaarz reached out to ask if we needed his assistance, as well.”

He considered their other options, glancing towards Lana.

“We could even call in Xadya, the reigning Champion of the Great Hunt, if the Empire wanted to contract some Mandalorian help.”

There was a quiet pause around the table, then Corellan shook his head.

“Not enough time. Whatever Revan is planning with the Emperor, we don’t have a moment to waste.”

Theron just nodded in agreement. He was unsurprised when again no one attempted to contradict Corellan’s assessment of the situation. Glancing sideways at Satele, he could see the reluctant approval in her eyes as well. Her concerns for the young Jedi Master could wait.

“We’ve got speeders prepped.” he promised, turning back to Corellan. “Jakarro is insisting on joining us as well. You won’t be facing him alone.”

Corellan just nodded back to Theron gratefully.

“Then let’s finish this.”

Without another word, he turned and headed back towards the exit, his ruined robes flowing behind him like a hero from some holovid drama.

Theron watched him silently as the others began their preparations.

He wondered if Marr had been wrong in his estimation.

Corellan Halcyon was, by all outward appearances, already invincible.

 Deep within the Temple of Sacrifice, a man behind a metal mask scowled as he witnessed his final roll of the dice come up short.

He’d known that Kael had been a blunt instrument given the state of mind the Sith Lord had been in, all but useless the moment a more refined response was called for. Nevertheless, had played the hand the Force had dealt him.

Now his followers were routed or fleeing. Even his personal guards, the Infinites, had been lost in that last assault.

The Order of Revan was finished.

That was unfortunate, but the cult had served its purpose getting him to this point. He was strong enough to complete his great work on his own no matter what these interlopers threw at him.

They might have been powerful. They might even believe that they were invincible.

But he was Revan.

 TO BE CONTINUED

 Author’s Notes: Full disclosure, a small chunk of the dialogue late in this story is pulled directly from the Shadow of Revan expansion, just before you go to face Revan near the end.

I’ve had this story in my Work-In-Progress writing journal for many years. At one point, I started to actually write a draft of it, then set it aside when the scope of the work started to become clear. It’s by far the longest thing I’ve written. That was two years ago. The final product involved going through many, many drafts, and has been a burden for these last three months.

It was the hardest writing project I’ve ever finished since I started writing fanfiction.

I remember one day thinking to myself ‘The Jedi Knight crew spends all this time together. What do they wind up talking about? What are their common interests?’ So I decided they talk a lot about combat. Rusk is a tactical specialist. Kira is an adrenaline junkie. Scourge is basically an ancient ninja. Doc is a field medic. Teeseven loves lightsabers. Corellan is Corellan. I imagined the group spent a lot of time designing maneuvers the way coaches draw up plays in American football and basketball. For the record, I do remember that when I fleshed out this idea, I had Skillet’s “Invincible” playing in the background. This piece was also partially inspired by the action scenes in the classic Deceived and The Return trailers.

This piece was originally planned as a chapter in a five-part series, with each piece featuring a point-of-view alternating between one of the Jedi Knight companions and one of the prominent NPCs involved in the S.O.R. story. (Lana and Teeseven would have been “paired” together, for example, like Theron and Kira were here.) That project wasn’t coming along, so this story is now a two-parter in that duology, with this chapter being the first. I’m fascinated by the idea of a story being told from the points of view of different characters who have different perspectives on the same scene based on their own understanding and preconceived notions. I touch on that concept for this chapter and I’m thinking I intend to make it even more pronounced in the next.

Writing action scenes is … still challenging for me. But I’m working on it.

We never see them in the actual SWTOR game story, but I head-canon that orbalisks are not commonly used in the “modern” Sith Empire, with even the knowledge of their existence a secret suppressed by the Emperor. By the time of the Shadow of Revan expansion, even knowledgeable Sith like Marr have barely heard of them. (Obviously, certain select individuals – such as a three-hundred year-old Sith Lord – are obviously more familiar.) I was tickled by the head-canon that Marr kept forbidden Sith texts under his pillow as a child. I know that many of you are not fans of Drew Karpyshyn, but I enjoyed his Darth Bane Trilogy. Those of you who have also read it will no doubt be familiar with some of my inspirations for this chapter. I wanted to introduce a special element into this fight and giving orbalisks to Lord Kael seemed to make sense to me.

Speaking of which, Kael Nosrol Krannus is one of my oldest OCs, dating back to when he was simply known as “Nosrol”. (Which sounded too much like one of the orcs from Warcraft for my tastes.) The literal intent of the character was to take (almost) every single dark-side choice available in the Sith Warrior Class and Imperial stories since I so often play light side. Simply put, he’s my token ‘edge-lord’, as terrible a trope as that is. But he was also a hardline Vitiate fanatic, and as such he fit the role here: when you shatter a fanatic’s faith in something, they don’t usually become a better-rounded person with a fresh perspective. They just find something else to be fanatical about. That development is about as interesting as the character gets. Other quick notes on Kael: First, ‘Lord Kael and the Infinites’ sounds like a good name for an 80’s death-metal band. (No, that wasn’t intentional.) Second, the game-play rule that Sith Warriors can’t make Force lightning is dumb. Third, his line of dialogue at the end is a reference to the Obi-Wan / Maul scene from Star Wars: Rebels, one of my favorite moments from that series.

Fun fact, the first reference to Theron in the actual game story comes from Kira Carsen herself, during a post-class story letter. I head-canon that Kira, in contrast to the discreet Corellan, frequently teases Theron about Satele being his mother. (She eventually quits teasing him after she joins the Eternal Alliance, but that comes much later.) Aside from his encounter with Orgus, Corellan didn’t team with Kira for much of the Forged Alliances / Shadow of Revan storyline, primarily because he was concerned about Lana or Satele or possibly even Revan himself putting two and two together concerning their relationship. Obviously, that weighs on my favorite one true pairing. Other notes on Kira: First, @taraum is the reason I have Kira calling Scourge ‘the Big Tomato’ and so on. Years later, I continue to be inspired by her work. Second, I’ve head-cannoned for a while that Kira loves the color purple and would change her lightsaber color to it if it didn’t make the other Jedi look at her suspiciously. (Lookup the story “Apex” on ff.net for my inspiration on that.) Third, SWTOR gameplay is weird. Regardless of the settings, companions often wind up acting like tanks in the fights, drawing the attention of mobs. So I have certainly seen enemies trying to gang up on Kira while I’m playing as Corellan, and they usually pay the price. Fourth, Kira’s Tutaminis rumor was a light dig at the opening scene from The Force Awakens with Kylo Ren. All jokes aside, it wasn’t a terrible film, but I can only look back on it now as a waste of potential knowing what was to come.

Theron’s obliviousness to Kira’s relationship with Corellan is just good, clean fun for me.

Unintentionally, I feel I’ve laid the groundwork for the Eternal Alliance storyline and the choices Lana, Theron and other characters wind up making concerning Corellan Halcyon as the future Outlander and Alliance Commander. On its surface, there aren’t a terrible number of reasons why Lana Beniko would ‘draft’ an Outlander like Corellan, who is probably a bit too idealistic for her tastes. The Corellan she sees here has a ruthless streak in addition to being an inspiring figure. That is the version of Corellan she wants to lead the revolt against Zakuul. (This naturally leads to some misunderstandings later on after she frees him. “Lana Beniko disapproves” indeed!)

I’ve alluded before that in my Legacy, Corellan and his crew met with Theron well before the events in the Forged Alliances story on a couple of “unofficial” missions. That story is even deeper in my WIP folder than this one was and probably will not see the light of day.

The Twi’lek Jedi and human Sith Lord who died fighting Kael are named Pol’fenn and Fen Huang. They are obviously minor supporting players here, but they are featured original characters in my Barith Legacy, where (obviously) they don’t meet their end fighting my favorite evil edge-lord. I might write about that “alternate timeline” legacy some other time.

My characterization of Satele Shan feels very passive in this story and that may draw some deserved criticism. I intend to address that in the next chapter.

I don’t know if any of you caught it, but there was an homage to the classic Dark Phoenix Saga story from the X-Men comics. It was just a bit of narrative text that always stuck with me, and it fit Kira and Corellan.

Stay tuned for “Part Two” of this story, titled Allies and coming… someday. I probably need a break from this series for awhile, but I’ll get to it. Kira won’t really be there, but Scourge and Satele definitely will be.

Thank you, and may the Force be with you.

-          SWTORpadawan

Tagging interested parties: @a-master-procrastinator @abbee-normal @abysskeeper @actualanxiousswampwitch @ainyan @amons-hat-enthusiast @ancha-meadow @anchanted-one @atlanta--airport @beaut-ful-d-saster @blueburds-but-swtor @cassthechaoticmercenary @certified-anakinfucker @chaosandwonder @chokit-pyrus @cinlat @commander-krios @connoissuer-of-fine-vines @cryo-lily @darthsinister66 @depizan @dynlegacy @eorzeashan @freedim @girlstandstill @gmkelz11​ @grandninjamasterren @inventedbyawriter @itstheelvenjedi @jayofolympus @jbnonsensework @justadreaminghufflepuff @karanan @kemendin @kgoblin @khrushchevs-corn-farm @lemonlinelights @lonewolfel @magicallulu7 @boggedfrog @misthios00 @mysterious-cuchulainn-x @nostalgiaaftersimming @rangerslayer-97 @oolathurman @pentacass @princessthriller @rogue-kenobi @sealeneee @shabre-legacy @shadowysthings @shynmighty @space-unicorn-dot @starknstarwars @sullustangin @taina-eny @taraum @the-jedi-knight-enjoyer @the-raven-of-highever @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @tishinada @velvetsunset @vexa-legacy @vihola​ @wackyart @what-we-fight-for @wilvarin-chan

#swtor fanfiction #swtor #swtorpadawan writes #invincible #my writing #writeblr #long post #oc: corellan halcyon #oc: kael nosrol krannus #kira carsen #theron shan #revan #darth marr #lana beniko #satele shan #shadow of revan #order of revan #yavin iv #yavin #yavin 4 #the halcyon legacy #forged alliances #oc: pol'fenn #oc: fen huang #massassi #yavin coalition #orbalisks #tutaminis #fideltin rusk #sergeant rusk

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Matt Shuham at HuffPost:

The national group representing college Democrats released a statement Tuesday standing with pro-Palestinian campus protesters and criticizing President Joe Biden for his “bear hug” of what the group called “the genocidal acts of the far-right radical extremist Israeli government.”

The statement, released by the College Democrats of America, illustrated a break with the Democratic Party — of which it is an official arm. It was approved by an 8-2 vote of the group’s executive board, which is made up of national leadership that has been elected by representatives of campus and state college Democrats chapters across the country. “Since the beginning of this conflict, College Democrats and students from every walk of life have had the moral clarity to see this war for what it is: destructive, genocidal, and unjust,” the CDA statement read. It commended the “bravery” of students facing arrest and disciplinary action for their protests, and condemned college administrators for those responses. Across the country, student protesters have called for an Israeli cease-fire in Gaza, and institutional transparency and divestment with regard to investments in Israeli firms, or those linked to American military aid to Israel.

The statement also called for the “release of all hostages” and condemned the rise in domestic antisemitism and Islamophobia in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent invasion and air barrage of Gaza, saying Jewish and Muslim students had no control over the conflict. Still, it said, “it should be abundantly clear that calling for the freedom of Palestinians is not Antisemetic [sic], and neither is opposing the genocidal acts of the far-right radical extremist Israeli government.” The statement’s harshest criticism was directed at the president and his reelection campaign. The White House, according to the CDA, has pursued a “cold shoulder strategy for its own base and all Americans who want to see an end to this war.” “Each day that Democrats fail to stand united for a permanent ceasefire, two-state solution, and recognition of a Palestinian state, more and more youth find themselves disillusioned with the party,” the statement read. It earned praise from progressives across the country including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and the former Ohio state legislator and prominent Bernie Sanders supporter Nina Turner.

[...] The national College Democrats group began working on the statement after Columbia University’s president, Minouche Shafik, called in police to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus two weeks ago; overnight Tuesday, Shafik called in police again, this time to clear a building where protesters had set up camp after Shafik began suspending students for their protest. Both instances resulted in several dozen arrests. Pyarali cited other campus protests as inspiration as well, including at Indiana University, where police snipers were stationed above protesters. “It’s insane, it’s not a war zone, it’s a college campus,” he said.

The statement doesn’t necessarily represent the thousands of Democratic college students whose campus chapters fall under the larger College Democrats umbrella. Rather, the only binding vote on its release was held by the CDA executive board. Two members of that body opposed it. One of them, Joshua Martin, the former student body president at the University of Houston, commented on social media: “The only way to bring peace is to destroy Hamas, who through years of terror have subjugated Palestinians to decades of violence.” Allyson Bell, a Meredith College graduate student and chair of the College Democrats Jewish Caucus — and who collaborated with Pyarali in a December call for cease-fire — told HuffPost in an email that earlier statements focused on condemning instances of campus antisemitism had been “voted down by the executive board and replaced with what was released.” She called the final statement “one sided.”

The College Democrats of America's response to the nationwide protests against Israel's genocide campaign on Gaza that criticized President Joe Biden for being too close to Israel Apartheid State government is spot-on.

#College Democrats of America #Joe Biden #Democratic Party #Israel/Palestine Conflict #Israel/Hamas War #Gaza Genocide #2024 Presidential Election #2024 Elections #Israel/Hamas War Protests