Ventessel
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Posts posted by Ventessel
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Ok lets just get off this now, this isn't the thread for all of this. Lets get back to the battle at hand.
Eh, who really cares? This wasn't much of a fight to begin with, basically it's a straight up lightsaber brawl until someone kills someone else. Agile offense against a flexible defense. Fairly dull stuff, I'm sure Aurbere will call it when he gets around to it.
Oops, I meant 'one of'. Nonetheless you make a good point, however only that there were many great duelists in that period, and that Ti was one of them. The fact that Ti was on the Council and Unduli was not, well, it only reinforces the point. She is a formidable Jedi.And I find that the comics etc. have increased Vader's abilities beyond their initial scope. He is powerful, but they all seem to ignore the fact that his mobility was severely hampered and his Force ability diminished. Leading to a lot of frustrating contradictions and opinions verging on fanboism.
Well, Ti was one of the rotating members, I believe. That doesn't strictly speak to her being more powerful than Unduli hands down. Membership wasn't appointed based on strength but rather to keep the council's membership somewhat fresh and level headed. Unduli could easily have been appointed in the next round of rotating memberships.
But about Vader, it is true that many writers and artists have gone completely overboard, turning him into a God Mode Sue. His dueling technique certainly improved after his injuries because he had to learn caution and precision since a mistake would cost him his life (much like post-Orbalisk Bane). But his force powers were diminished and without his agility he lost a considerable amount of his options in combat.
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Don't look at me Beni, Marcelo brought it all up. But enough about this now, am leaving the thread don't reply.
Stand and fight, coward!
Not that it matters, what Wolf doesn't seem to see if that the game and the book are portraying events in the same way. Vader's complete and utter defeat at the hands of Marek, and that Marek surpassed Vader in all respects.This debate was useful in one respect, I found a statement comparing Vader and Shaak Ti as the greatest duelists of their age - cited from TFU novel itself.
How perfectly dreadful. Apparently everyone and their sister is now the "greatest duelist of their age". I thought Mace and Yoda were the greatest of their age, with Anakin and Obi-Wan a step behind. Or perhaps, in context the quote means, "After Vader and the 501st killed every other duelist, Shaak Ti was the greatest duelist of her age, by virtue of also being one of the only duelists of her age."
But yes about the Vader vs. Marek fight. It was obviously a painful smack down for Vader, no matter what way you cut it. Vader was tough and a very skilled fighter, but he was really starting to get past his prime at that point and Marek was young, powerful, and extremely proficient. George Lucas has repeatedly said that Obi-Wan and Darth Vader were significantly weakened by the time of the films and that the duel in ANH was "a cripple fighting an old man".
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That would be making the assumption that Unduli is more powerful, or as powerful as, Marek. Which I do not accept as the case. It would seem from her fight with Ventress that her defences were far less difficult to penetrate than Marek's. Nor is there any evidence that Ti is not patient or methodical, and able to flow easily between Ataru and Makashi. She only resorted to a desperate attack (which wasn't that desperate) as a very last resort. Before that she was graceful and fluid. If Ti will be forced to make desperate attacks in this battle, then she's lost before its even begun. She simply wasn't strong enough to defeat Marek.
And again, why would Ti tire and Unduli not? Ti can easily switch to Makashi which focuses on economy of movement and is one of the least tiring of the forms, and whose to say, given the not so impenetrable nature of Unduli's defense, that Ti could not break through with a burst of Ataru. Your making the assumption that the fight will drag on, and considering her brief duel with Ventress (which ended in her sound defeat) and Ti's power and regard as one the greatest duelists of her age, and her ability to unleash powerful Force based attacks, I don't think it will.
Also note that Unduli was not blinded, one of her eyes was damaged and she quickly recovered.
I think you're drawing a conclusion based on the fact that Shaak Ti lost to Marek and Unduli lost to Ventress. That's kind of irrational, since Ventress was able to drive Unduli back but not kill or wound her, while Marek slaughtered Shaak Ti.
Such comparisons are both irrelevant tough to assess accurately, so it's best to leave them alone. The fact is, both Shaak Ti and Unduli are regarded as skilled and masterful duelists, but Unduli has the edge in defensiveness due to her evasion and flexibility, while Shaak Ti relies far more heavily on acrobatics for both defense and offense.
So it stands to reason that Shaak Ti's fighting style will tire her out more rapidly, while Unduli's defensive edge will allow her to hold out long enough for Shaak Ti to start getting sloppy. I think they're close enough in Force Power that neither will be able to gain a decisive edge over the other in any sort of a hurry.
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From TFU unleashed novel, the Vader being disinterested part was the 2nd not the 1st. Also while yes Vader was gripped, that wasn't the end of the fight he could have gotten out of it, he was raising his arms. Impaling Vader? Please...Vader has survived impalments with a saber before. The generator was what ended the fight.
But yes Marek won, so lets just move on already with the fight going on now.
Good lord, you cling to the novelizations like a drowning man! They are merely supplements to the games and movies they accompany, no more. The novelizations can provide some insight into the thoughts of characters or actions which occurred off screen, but they do not supercede what is clearly portrayed in the visual media.
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It's interesting that you're slowly compiling these overview threads, but it does concern me that some "Force Powers" which were introduced as individual gimmicks for a certain character or group of Force Sensitives may slowly end up applied across the whole spectrum of Force Users.
As you said, pyrokinesis is pretty rare, and not really a stock power. Just like Force Walking is almost a unique ability for the Kalligs, there are certain abilities which are tied more to particular characters than Force Sensitives in general.
One thing which has annoyed me tremendously was the Battle Meditation splurge. Initially, Bastila Shan was a really valuable character to the Republic because of her ability to use Battle Meditation. She turned the tide of entire engagements simply through the Force. Since then, more and more people have remarkably developed Battle Meditation, and numerous characters were ret-conned into having it. At this point, it's pretty much par for the course that a powerful commander or Sith Lord must have Battle Meditation.
Originally, it wasn't a "learned skill" but rather an innate power which could only be refined, not taught. I feel that pyrokinesis is similar in this respect.
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Keep your grubby mitts of Star Wars EA!
Interestingly, I just read an article over on Gamasutra that had an interview with one of BioWare's founders who recently retired.
He said that EA had been wonderful to work with on SWTOR and Mass Effect, and that they gave the game dev's unilateral creative freedom and didn't get in their way at all. Basically, they financed the game and trusted BioWare to produce a good, profitable product.
So if EA ended up buying the license to produce Battlefront 3, that means we would actually see a Battlefront 3 instead of these lame half-promises that LucasArts kept offering. I'm glad Disney made the decision to put the nail in LucasArts' coffin, they were pretty irritating and hadn't gotten their act together to make a good game in years.
Disney will not throw away the potential of Battlefront 3. The material exists and only needs to be refined and streamlined. We may not see the game for several years, but I imagine that just as Episode 3 was tied in with Battlefront 2, so may Episode 7 or 8 be. Things will be pretty frantic while getting Episode 7 together, but sometime between that and the release of Episode 8 I would expect to see a deal closed with a studio to develop Battlefront 3.
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This is perfectly hilarious. I'm trying to read through it all, but the daily episodic structure is quite well done. This would make a great web series or something of that nature.
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That's a good point, however, I'm just getting started. You'll just have to see how the plan unravels.
That is the difficulty in writing elaborate plots. I don't know if it's like this for you, but I'm constantly fighting the temptation to just set the galaxy ablaze right away and start the mayhem.
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"…Shaak Ti's the most cunning Jedi I've met. She's even taught me a few tricks." ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi
I highly doubt Ti is going to resort to recklessness and desperation, if Ataru isn't working she'll adapt. Lets remember that Shaak Ti is skilled in several lightsaber forms, including Makashi - the form Ventress used to defeat Unduli - it would seem that a Makashi offensive its not entirely negated by Unduli's 'incredible defense'. Neither does it seem that incredible as Ventress broke through those defenses
.Then we have to consider that Ti can break through those defenses with powerful Force based attacks. One things for sure, Ti won't keep up a constant Ataru offensive if its not working. She'll also smart enough to know that Ataru is best used in short bursts and in compliment with another form, like Makashi.
Why would you doubt that Shaak Ti would get desperate? When she couldn't overwhelm Marek through Ataru and Makashi assaults, she resorted the suicidal tactics that allowed him to kill her. Marek was a patient, methodical fighter who flowed easily between using Shien and Soresu for defense and Juyo for attack.
Unduli is a tenacious fighter, who managed to fight Ventress to a draw despite being blinded. That duel went back and forth, leading me to believe that Unduli will rise to the occasion and match Shaak Ti strike for strike. Remember, Unduli is no slouch at saber combat, and is highly regarded by her fellow Jedi. If the fight drags on, Shaak Ti will begin to tire and start getting sloppy. Unduli's superb flexibility and Soresu will be more than enough to counter Shaak Ti's offense long enough to frustrate Shaak Ti.
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Chapter Fourteen
Kael had been released from the Sol Eternal when they landed on Coruscant. He found a cantina in the lower levels of the Senate district that was fairly inexpensive without being seedy. Taking a seat in a sheltered corner, Kael ordered fresh klor’slug soup and took out his holocommunicator.
He set the device on the table next to his soup and put in a call to Chorba. There was no answer the first time he tried, so Kael finished his meal and ordered a drink before trying again.
This time he was answered by a young female Twi’lek, “Hello, Kael. Chorba is in a meeting with some clients at the moment, can I pass along a message?”
“Yes, tell that lousy slimeball that I just visited his factory and the whole situation is out of control. I got shot down and now I’m on Coruscant. If he doesn’t call me in an hour, I’m coming straight to Nal Hutta and smashing his palace to pieces.”
The Twi’lek looked blankly at him for a moment before saying nervously, “Yes, Kael. I’ll tell him to contact you as soon as he can.”
“Good. That’s what I like to hear.”
…
Some time later the holocommunicator began to blink with an incoming message. Kael pressed down a small key and Chorba appeared a few inches above the table, a translucent blue image.
“Kael, what seems to be the trouble?”
“You could start by warning me that I’m flying into a warzone next time, Chorba!”
“Oh? A warzone?”
Kael looks exasperated, “Yes! There was an Alliance military team with two Jedi down on the planet. They were trying to storm the factory until some ships appeared in system and they fled… taking me with them after they shot me down.”
“Were you a prisoner?”
“In a manner of speaking. I convinced them I was simply a lost traveler who ran afoul of the turbolaser batteries, they may or may not have believed me, but they let me go once we reached Coruscant.”
Chorba considers this for a long moment, picking up a small squirming creature from a bowl and chewing thoughtfully.
“They didn’t access the factory itself?”
“No, but they know where it is. I’m sure they’ll be back with more troops.”
“That won’t be a problem. This opportunity can work to our advantage… could you arrange to follow those two Jedi? They are incredibly gullible when it comes to assisting desperate travelers.”
“You mean offer to work with them?”
“Do whatever it takes, Kael. In return, I have arranged to hire a team of Duros engineers who should be far more useful than those construction droids. I think you will find their work very pleasing.”
“They’ve already been hired?”
“Yes. They should arrive on Nar Shaddaa in a matter of days.”
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”
…
Elohirnok searched the Crix Madine compound for Colonel Raven, but after several hours of fruitless labor eventually learned that Colonel Raven had returned to the Advent Dawn, the mobile command center for intelligence.
Returning to the Sol Eternal, Elohirnok found Kael waiting on the landing pad. He was standing nonchalantly against the ship’s loading ramp.
Elohirnok approached cautiously, saying, “I thought you were taking a ship for Nar Shaddaa.”
“I was, but there seems to be a little bit of a crisis going on. I couldn’t find a single civilian transport that would head that way at any reasonable cost.”
“I’m very sorry. This will pass, it’s just a temporary thing.”
Kael straightens up and steps towards Elohirnok, “I have to get back to Nar Shaddaa, there’s a settlement depending on my help.”
Elohirnok considers him carefully, “What is it you do again?”
“I coordinate charitable contributions to the reconstruction effort, and help out with organizational tasks. I sort of make everything work behind the scenes for my settlement.”
“Interesting. Are you back because you’d like us to take you to Nar Shaddaa?”
Kael laughs, “Essentially, yes.”
“That’s a bit out of our way, but perhaps you could find a transport from Denon?”
“I’d appreciate anything, really. I just can’t afford to be trapped here any longer, things are fragile enough for my colony.”
“Very well, we did shoot you down in the first place. Wait in the crew lounge and I’ll see what can be done.”
Kael walks up the boarding ramp as an airspeeder lands behind Elohirnok. Haytham and Thrash climb out of the vehicle, followed by a clean cut gentleman with weathered features. Elohirnok immediately recognizes him as Wedge Antilles and snaps to attention.
“General, good afternoon.”
Wedge waves him down, “I’m afraid I’m actually more of a fugitive at this point, Lieutenant. Your
Jedi friend here tells me your ship can get me off world.”
“Oh, fantastic. Now we’re an interplanetary courier service.”
Haytham walks up, “What do you mean?”
Elohirnok shakes his head, “Never mind. Why is General Antilles a fugitive?”
Thrash says, “We killed a whole bunch of GAG troopers who tried to arrest him. Probably going to bite us in the *ss later.”
Elohirnok groans, “I’ll say. What were you thinking?”
“Hey, they were under orders not to take the general alive. Blame Jacen Solo and his goons.”
Elohirnok looks at Wedge, “Sir, why were they trying to arrest you?”
“I think they were just cleaning house. Anyone who could potentially have conflicted loyalties is being removed or detained by the GAG. Master Solo is quite thorough, and Admiral Niathal is exercising tight control over the military.”
“And what do you plan to do now, sir?”
Wedge shrugs slightly, “I don’t like it, but ironically Corellia seems to be the only place that will take me in now. I can at least shelter there until cooler heads prevail in the Alliance.”
Elohirnok resigns himself to the situation, “Very well, sir. If you don’t mind a rough landing I can launch an escape pod from mid orbit, and send you down with a comlink and enough supplies to get you to a city.”
“I’ve certainly had closer scrapes than that, Lieutenant. Thank you.”
“I would say it was no problem, but I have a feeling it will be…”
…
Jacen Solo walked into lobby outside the office of the Chief of State, Cal Omas. It was a well decorated office, but not ostentatious. The wall murals were classic images, conveying a sense of grandeur and power. Jacen admired them as he waited.
A pair of senators walked out of Cal Omas’ office, looking pleased with themselves. Jacen stood, greeting them. A secretary appeared at the door and waved Jacen in, “Colonel Solo? Please come in.”
Jacen enters the interior office, where Cal Omas is seated at his desk. He looks up from a datapad, “Good afternoon, Master Solo. You said you needed to meet with me?”
“Yes, sir. Can I trust that our conversation here will be private?”
“Of course.”
Jacen stands in front of Cal Omas’ desk, his expression severe, “There is mounting evidence that the Corellians not only have been gathering allies underneath our very noses, but that sympathy for their cause runs deep in our own government.”
Omas nods, “Yes, this has been mentioned in several reports. Your own regiment, those Guards, have uncovered numerous cells even here on Coruscant.”
“That leads me directly to what I wanted to speak with you about, sir. As the depth of this movement grows and Fondor and Commenor are almost certainly going to declare for Corellia, since the presence of the Fourth Fleet has done nothing to deter their reckless disregard for the Alliance’s laws, the Guards have proved instrumental in reigning in rebellion.”
Smiling, Omas replies, “Yes, indeed. It’s quite remarkable what you and Admiral Niathal have been able to accomplish with that small unit.”
“Actually, sir, I’d like for it to be less of a ‘small unit’ and part of broader effort to reduce corruption and prevent insurrections from getting out of hand. With enough men, I could expand my efforts from simply hunting terrorists to actively pursuing the subversives who are trying to undermine the Alliance from within.”
“What do you mean, Master Solo?”
“The reconstruction programs, the bone that Corellia has chosen to pick with us, are good in principle, but very flawed in their execution. After ten years, there is still very little to show for the project. I believe that this isn’t due to the hopelessness of the situation. Active sabotage is the culprit. I want to root out and uncover the corrupt officials who have been undermining the program, and either deliberately or accidentally lending credence to Corellia’s objections.”
“That is a bold objective, how would you go about accomplishing that?”
Jacen smiles, “I think you’ll like what I have in mind, sir. I want to start with a two sided maneuver. Nar Shaddaa is an important trade hub, but criminal elements have been securing their hold on the planet and our outpost there is little more than a landing pad. With enough troops to provide security and ensure the proper use of reconstruction funds, we could turn the world into a model for the rest of the program. I don’t think I need to mention how much that would boost your popularity, sir. Especially in the Outer Rim.”
“I wouldn’t mind that at all, anything to help secure the Alliance. But what would the cost be?” Cal Omas inquired carefully.
Jacen elaborates, “I’ve had some very talented people look over the numbers and accounts, and I believe that the extra costs could easily be covered if we recovered funds which were skimmed by dishonest officials. Down the road, the increased trade revenues from tariffs would more than outweigh the costs of maintaining our presence in the sector. As it is, smugglers already move most of the trade into the Outer Rim through that sector, but they pay off the Hutts and Exchange instead of the Alliance.”
Cal is smiling now, “This has the sound of a very ambitious project, and given your track record, Master Solo, I’m inclined to support you. But first, what is the other part of your plan? You mentioned a two sided maneuver.”
“Ah, yes. Part of what makes this operation possible is a close cooperation with Intelligence. There should be legislation coming before the Senate which significantly increases the powers and legal authority of the Galactic Alliance Guard, and ties us closely to Alliance Intelligence. Your support for that legislation would make projects like the restoration of Nar Shaddaa possible.”
Cal makes a few notes on his datapad, “I will keep that in mind. Please keep up your efforts, Master Solo.”
Cal stands and shakes Jacen’s hand, who leaves the Chief of State’s office feeling confident. He finds his way out of the Senate building and meets Ben Skywalker near an airspeeder waiting on a small landing pad. Ben opens the door to the airspeeder as Jacen approaches, and they climb in.
Jacen takes out a small datapad and browses through several files before addressing Ben, “Is Seba Sebatyne still following you?”
Ben conceals his surprise and tries to answer evenly, “I don’t think so. I’ve only spoken to her once since returning to Coruscant.”
“Apparently she’s been making some effort to keep tabs on you. One of our men discovered her planting listening devices on your personal comlink earlier today.”
Ben is shocked, “What? Why would she be spying on me?”
Jacen glances at him, his face implying doubt, “I’m sure you can work that out, Ben. When was the last time you met with your father?”
“A few weeks ago, I’ve been so busy with everything we’ve been doing…”
“Well there’s your answer. It’s obvious that he doesn’t trust you, perhaps you should talk to him today. Confront him about Seba, but keep it civil. I’m sure he’s just concerned for you.”
“I can take care of myself! He needs to stop treating me like a child, I’m a Jedi Knight and a lieutenant in the Guard.” Ben seethes.
Jacen finishes with his datapad and puts it away.
“You’ve proven yourself extremely capable in that regard, Ben. There’s a situation developing on Corellia which I would like you to help resolve. Colonel Raven has requested more Jedi Knights to help with his operations. Go to the GAG hangar at Crix Madine and get a small transport to take you and a company of Guards to meet up with the Advent Dawn. Raven will transmit you the coordinates when you’re ready.”
Ben nods and says proudly, “Of course. I’ll head there right away.”
“No need to rush off immediately. The troopers won’t be ready for a short while, if you wanted to take care of any personal business here on Coruscant first.”
Ben pauses and thinks for a moment, “I suppose I could let my dad know I was leaving, he should appreciate what I’m doing.”
…
Elohirnok sat in the cockpit of the Sol Eternal, browsing through personnel files and reports, looking for information on Kael. The man was unmentioned in any reports he could find, which he supposed was a good thing. No criminal record to speak of, although it seemed as though there weren’t quite enough mentions of Kael in any records.
Perhaps it was just paranoia working its way into him, since many records had been lost in the chaos of the war, but Elohirnok felt that there was something about Kael he needed to figure out. He left a request with the research division of Intelligence for more information about his passenger.
His personal comlink began to beep frantically and he answered it swiftly.
“Lieutenant Halal here.”
“Lieutenant, this is Colonel Raven. Is your ship prepared to go?”
“It can be. What’s the situation?”
“Get to Corellia immediately, we’re scrambling all ready teams.”
“Yes, sir.”
Colonel Raven ended the call. Elohirnok stood up and walked briskly back through the ship, gathering the crew and telling them to prepare for takeoff. He found the Jedi and alerted them, along with Thrash.
He finds Wedge Antilles talking with Kael in the crew lounge and pokes his head in.
“Conveniently, we’re headed to Corellia. Kael, if you would prefer to stay on Coruscant and try your luck with a transport…”
“Corellia? Hmm. I would rather get off Coruscant for certain, I wouldn’t mind a small detour.”
“Well, that’s your prerogative. I can’t guarantee you’ll survive, things are a little exciting over there right now.”
“I’m sure it’s no more dangerous than being shot down by turbolasers.”
“Valid point. Just stay out of the way and keep your head down.”
…
En route to Corellia, the Sol Eternal streaked through the chaotic maelstrom of hyperspace. Her engines thrummed, echoing through the cold durasteel passages of the ship. Lachance walked silently along one passage, making his way into the crew quarters.
Wedge Antilles was seated there, reminiscing with Elohirnok about their days as X-Wing pilots. Kael watched, wry amusement evidence on his face as he listened to them describe maneuvers that he was fairly certain ought to make the laws of physics sit down and cry.
Lachance leaned against the bulkhead beside the door, surveying the room. His eyes landed on Kael, and he concentrated on his face. There was a vague familiarity to it, and Lachance wondered if he had met a close relative of Kael’s in the past. He had an exceptional memory for faces, but there were some times in his life which he had only a foggy recollection of. Perhaps Raven would know more.
In the cargo hold, Thrash and Haytham sparred with thin plasteel rods. Haytham walked Thrash through the footwork for the basic lightsaber form, known as Shii-Cho. It formed the groundwork for more elaborate movements, and Thrash was already familiar with many of the principles.
They stepped quickly back and forth, their strikes fluid. Haytham would probe Thrash’s defenses, testing his reactions as he advanced, then switch to the defensive when he had pushed Thrash to one side of the cargo hold. Thrash would attack, striking low and high, flowing from one attack to the next. Haytham made minimal movements, parrying each strike with the smallest adjustment of his blade, causing the strikes to slide past him or fall short.
“Faster, Specialist Ordo! Sense my blade just as you would the ball bearings. Let the Force guide your attacks and you will move faster than thinking.”
Thrash concentrates and his attacks become more relaxed, natural. He twists his arms and brings his practice saber humming through the air, each strike ringing in the cargo hold. Rebounding from each strike, he changes the angle and forces Haytham to move more with each attack. Rather than be pushed back, Haytham moves out to the sides, leading Thrash around in circles.
Thrash keeps up his assault, breaking a sweat as he rains down blows against Haytham’s defenses. Haytham stays calm, his footwork quick and sure as he neatly steps back and around Thrash’s attacks, parrying when necessary. As Thrash begins to slow down, his arms throbbing, Haytham darts around one of his strikes and places the tip of his training saber against Thrash’s neck.
Panting, Thrash huffs, “Damn.”
“Never attack needlessly. This was good practice, but remember that in a real duel you can easily wear yourself out. Always keep an eye on your opponent to see if he’s trying to lure you into a trap, or wearing you down. Take a break for now, we’ll resume practice with the Force later.”
“Alright. Let me find something to eat…”
Thrash tosses his training saber aside and staggers out of the cargo hold, breathing heavily and favoring his injured leg.
…
Kuat was one of the largest shipyards in the galaxy. The home of Sienar Fleet Systems, the Kuat Drive Yards were responsible for producing the lion’s share of the Old Republic Navy, and later the Imperial Star Destroyers feared throughout the galaxy.
Now, they produced warships for the Galactic Alliance. Since the introduction of the Victory-class Star Destroyer, most capital ships in the galaxy favored a wedge design that balanced firepower with fighter capacity. Turbolaser batteries were arranged along the edges of the warship, with dorsal hangar bays allowing multiple levels to deploy fighters at once.
The planet of Kuat itself was orbited by a massive artificial ring structure composed of thousands of small stations and platforms, linked together to form the orbital shipyards. Dozens of warships were docked there, in various stages of construction, repair, and retrofitting.
Several Nebula-class Star Destroyers, the newest Alliance capital ship, were under construction. Alongside the numerous warships being built were civilian freighters, transports, and exploration vessels. The shipyards were a beehive of activity, automated construction vehicles moving between structures to carry materials to the crews who filled the superstructures of the half completed vessels. Massive repulsor cranes positioned large sections of hull for assembly, and here and there ships would light up as various systems were tested and installed.
For thousands of years, shipyards had been a major target during any galactic conflict, and over time Kuat had evolved elaborate defenses. Heavy turbolaser batteries were incorporated into many of the shipyard platforms, and smaller point defense batteries were scattered along the ring to deter fighters and missiles.
Heavy ion cannons on the planet’s surface could disable capital ships with single round, although their range was limited to near orbit. Fighter garrisons were maintained on the planet numbering in the hundreds of squadrons. A small system defense fleet remained nearby at all times, comprised of a half dozen warships and a single capital ship.
When the Alliance First Fleet arrived in-system, it was unexpected, but not a serious cause for alarm. They broadcast all the correct identification signals and the defense fleet did not even raise their shields or sound an alert once the First Fleet was identified.
Admiral Bwua’tu notified the system fleet’s commander that the First Fleet’s fighter squadrons were carrying out a training exercise, and requested permission to use portions of the shipyard to carry out maneuvers. The fleet commander cleared the request with the shipyard authorities and in a short while the First Fleet launched all of her fighter squadrons.
The First Fleet was exceptionally well armed, and her fighter squadrons were all recently upgraded. The fleet carrier Ralroost alone held more fighter squadrons than many fleets in earlier eras. One hundred and thirty-four fighter squadrons were assigned to the First Fleet, and as they streamed out of the hangar bays of their carriers, they formed a complex dance that seemed more elegant than any ballet Bwua’tu had ever seen.
He watched from the bridge of the bridge of his Mon Calamari-built Star Defender, the Viscount. The fighter squadrons formed up and fanned out across space, breaking into cones and wings to fly towards their individual targets. They knew where the control centers for the defenses were, where Kuat’s fighter squadrons were based, and where every blind spot in the defense networks were located. Not that it mattered, since the guns remained silent as his fighters swarmed over the drive yards, thinking this to be a training exercise.
The workers on the platforms and structures of the ships in the drive yards stopped to marvel at the passing formations, and watch the graceful dance that ensued as the fighters darted past the platforms and began their attack runs.
Bombers swooped low to pass through the planetary shields and target the hangers that held Kuat’s fighters. Interceptors made strafing runs against the turret control centers. The orbital ring around Kuat came alive with the flashing streaks of laser fire and bright puffs of explosions. The surface of Kuat blinked white and yellow where the bombs fell.
When the defenders realized the ambush, it was almost too late to even resist. The fighters were too many, and too close to properly defend against. Most of the defense squadrons never made it out of their hangars, and the turbolasers and defense turrets on the orbital stations were able to inflict only light casualties before being disabled.
The system defense fleet raced towards the planet, but Bwua’tu had been busy calculating a micro-jump while the fighters approached the planet. His navigators announced that they were prepared, and he gave the order.
The First Fleet blinked out of space, only to reappear a heartbeat later ahead of the system defense fleet. The First Fleet came out of hyperspace with no shields, but they had diverted full power to their turbolaser batteries. The system fleet was immediately caught in a crippling crossfire from the heavy gun batteries on the Viscount and her supporting capital ships.
The shields on the system ships flared, struggling to deflect the immense volume of fire. Green and red lasers ripped into them as their shields failed, and the thick plating of their hulls appeared to melt before the volleys that sank into them. The system ships buckled and burst into flames, fuel and atmospheres igniting and blasting their frames apart.
In a matter of seconds, the First Fleet’s weapons went silent. The remains of the system fleet drifted apart, thrown aside by the force of their explosions. Chunks of metal and random fragments of their engines and hulls floated away, still glowing from the heat of the turbolasers.
…
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I don't really have the time to read through all the arguments that have been put forward, but judging from the first and last pages, I'll just weigh in.
Shaak Ti is an aggressive and talented duelist, but Unduli has demonstrated an ability to fight through and endure pain and disability. Shaak Ti was worn down by Galen Marek, and ended up attacking him suicidally. She has also demonstrated a distinct tendency towards a lone wolf mentality, and doesn't appear to know how to back down.
Unduli is a methodical, practical fighter. Her flexibility and Soresu give her an incredible defense, and she is certainly powerful enough in the Force to contend with Shaak Ti. Her impressive defense would lead Shaak Ti to quickly wear herself out with her fancy acrobatics, and drive Shaak Ti to increasingly reckless and desperate attacks, much as during her duel with Marek.
I would have to say that unless Shaak Ti gets lucky and manages an early victory (unlikely given Unduli's concentration on defensive forms) then she will be worn out and killed when she makes desperate attacks.
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I didn't want it to be expected. I didn't want to build up to it, because it is something that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. To The Master, the people don't matter. They are tools for his ascension. If his speech didn't stir the masses, then he doesn't care.
What truly matters, is what he does during the war. That's what is being focused on.
Hmmm. There's a certain level of foreshadowing that makes revelations about a certain character's plans satisfying, but on the other hand if something doesn't matter to the viewpoint character (the Master, in this case) then you're left sort of detached from the plot. Since the focus was on the speech, it seems like it should matter. Otherwise, wouldn't the focus be on the parts of his plan that the Master cares about?
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Well I guess it's a good thing that that's only the beginning. The stoy has a long way to go. This part of the plan is just to make his replacement of the Alliance a bit easier.
Though, I'm pretty sure future actions will make that more difficult.
It's more that the story hasn't really focused on any setup for a mass uprising, so it's a jarring transition to swallow as a reader. There's been a lot of ducking around in the shadows without any clear outcomes aside from capturing the prism and using it as a battering ram.
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Huh. I was kind of expecting a little more of an evil plan than the old "Communications Override Request" for the people to rise up against their government...
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Apologies for the hiatus, my old cat (21) got ill over Easter and I had to have her put down, which left me feeling rather squished for a while
This is a very interesting idea, and actually has the potential to dovetail quite neatly with another thing I'm semi-working on *develops outline further* Thank you
Sorry to hear about the cat, I've got a rather old cat back home who's starting to slow down herself.
Glad you could incorporate the idea, I frequently have more ideas than will reasonably fit into my own work, so I might as well throw them out there and see what sticks for another writer.
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This is just depressing. First Han Solo loses, then the ICON OF STAR WARS ITSELF, Darth Vader, is defeated by a bit-character like Yoda. (I will find the people who voted for him, and "convince" them of the error of their ways.)
I'm going to have to find that clip of Yoda getting smacked around by Sidious to make myself feel better about the universe and humanity, otherwise I might need to punt a puppy...
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I stole it from some disney show my kids watch. I was sitting here playing swtor with them watching tv in the living room and I had to make them rewind it. I laughed so hard. Gravity Falls is the name of the show.
Heh, nice. I wouldn't have expected something like that off the Disney channel, although they do have a long tradition of inserting subtle jokes and asides to keep the adults entertained while the kids are watching.
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Exactly how was Plagueis mental skills more powerful than those of Vitiate who had the mental capacity to dominate dozens of Sith and Jedi alike and retain his sanity?
I like Plagueis but really...Vitiate would tear him down at range and assuming Plagueis gets close enough to use his lightsabers and assuming Vitiate isn't as proficient as Plagueis in saber combat...Vitiate is still going to be able to move away while constantly barraging Plagueis with smaller attacks...all in all even if Plagueis lands a mortal blow on Vitiate it won't kill him...not to mention the fact that if Plagueis lets down his guard for even a fraction of a second its over for him. In order to keep his pace in saber combat his mental guard WILL falter...Darth Bane was one of the most powerful martial fighters among the ranks of the Sith and even he lacked the capacity to press his opponent martially while keeping his mind completely shielded. * Which led to his defeat at the hands of Darth Zannah.*
I would also like to point out that Darth Bane was almost without a doubt stronger than Plagueis in the ways of saber combat...and Darth Vitiate is without a single doubt stronger than Darth Zannah in the ways of the Force....yet Zannah beat Bane.
Vitiate wins this...Plagueis just doesn't bring anything to the table that counters Vitiates sheer power.
Yeah, this is pretty much the situation we're looking at here. It's silly to think that Plagueis will be able to just power through Vitiate's attacks and ignore his mental domination and eventually emerge victorious.
Mainly, the things out forward for plageus to be honest....Many arguments were put forward for how plageus could kill vitiate, and they weren't ever really proved wrong, but not many arguments were put forward for how vitiate could win....
Alright, that is just a simplistic thing to say. The only argument for Plagueis was "He'll stab Vitiate with his lightsaber, because he's really fast and might not die from lightning!"
The arguments for Vitiate were:
He's flattened numerous force users with his lightning and dominated the minds of thousands of powerful Force users who are at least the equal of Plagueis. His lightsaber skills are adequate for short term defense at the very least, and his mastery of the dark side is almost unfathomable after centuries of study.
Really, I'm kind of annoyed at Beni for talking up Plagueis so much. He's not that impressive or accomplished. Most of the information on his combat abilities comes from a single confrontation with non force using assassins that he barely lived through anyways. His one credited kill in a duel is the partially trained apprentice of Tenebrous, "Darth" Venamis.
The basis for this outcome seems to be that lightsaber mastery overwhelms all else, which is just silly. Power and knowledge over the Force will crush an inferior Force User nine times out of ten, just ask Yoda or Sidious.
The mere possibility that Plagueis could survive Vitiate's attacks seems to have outweighed numerous advantages, the least of which is PRECOGNITION. That's a pretty essential component of lightsaber combat, which can only partially be compensated for with extreme speed.
Add to this the supposition that Plagueis can withstand Vitiate's incredibly powerful telekinetic attacks and lightning barrages without any room to evade, and that his respirator will also hold up during the "lengthy" fight, and it appears that the entire argument for Plagueis' victory revolves around Beni making a very big deal out of Plagueis' performance against Non Force Users. Very disappointing outcome, even though I hate both of these characters, and can understand the desire to downplay a clearly overpowered character like Vitiate.... there's still the fact that he's tremendously overpowered!
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When the Jedi Council reconvene on dantooine.
Zez Kai Ell said it for me when I was replaying it the other day out of nostalgia
First time he's said it too..... Or the first time I noticed.
But really, that's not uniting the Jedi, destroying hundreds of them in order to turn them to the darkside isn't uniting the order, it's decimating it.
The Jedi were kind of a side thing. Revan's main focus was capturing the galactic infrastructure intact to prepare the Republic for war with the Sith Empire.
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NO I killed the emperor unless you can show me proof otherwise that bastard is six feet under. Mind control me will he. Showed his ***.
Totally unrelated, but I love your signature. It had me laughing for quite a while.
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Exactly, Plagueis has high proficiency with telepathy and Vitiate is too busy getting knocked down to sustain an effective mental attack.
Vitiate could certainly resist a Force blast from Plagueis, and return equally powerful blasts in kind.
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Im calling it right here.
Go back to general discussions dude. This sub-forum is almost troll free. For the love of god lets keep it that way.
Someone a few posts up said the same thing first, you didn't flip out on them. It's a legitimate grievance (heh heh). They really made Gen. Grievous into an incompetence schmuck in the show (both versions).
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As long as I'm breathing, the Republic is not winning anything.
Your dedication is admirable, but the game's writers seem to think otherwise.
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Just a note Ventressel, you can't say he went to fight the emperor when he had regained his memories, he only regained them 3 years after he started.
And it's hard to decide his motives...
It's said many times that he left key systems alive to stop the emperor, and that he let Mandalore the preserver keep the clans alive because they would be in the way of the emperors invasion....
But he didn't try to unite the Jedi in the Jedi civil war. He destroyed Telos (despite what is said in Kotor about malak ordering it) He destroyed Telos as a sign to the Jedi there is no retreat from this war, as the Jedi always planned to retreat to Telos if Dantooine was attacked...
Either way its hard to tell....
Obsidian and Bioware seemed to have quite different takes on revan though, I lean towards obsidian of course, but until we have some hard canon, it's all based off people's opinions,...
Adds to revans mystique I think, and I'd be happy if it stayed this way
Actually adds some depth to him >.>
He was uniting the Jedi. He had whole programs in place to capture and turn the Jedi, that's Atton's backstory.
And where is it said that the Jedi would retreat to Telos from Dantooine? Dantooine was always a secondary training center to Coruscant.
The BattleZone! Round 1 Match 04: Shaak Ti vs. Luminara Unduli
in STAR WARS Discussion
Posted
Shaak Ti should have points taken off for being so darn irritating in TFU.
But then again, Luminara Unduli should loose points for dressing like a goofball.