Jedi Insurgency 108

Of course before he set off for Naboo to ruin Palpatine’s day, Corvus still had some things to wrap up on Eriadu. 

Most importantly, he wanted to help with some of the clean up efforts, and be seen doing good. All too often the Jedi would put out a fire or win a battle, then disappear back to the Temple, or the next battlefield. Afterwards, some officer or politician would claim all the credit for that Jedi's hard work! 

Other than that, one of THE biggest key pieces to winning this war that Corvus needed to accomplish, was to win the hearts & minds of the people. It may sound goofy, but the USA post WW2 transformed most of Europe, Japan (and a few other countries) into peace loving allies. That kind of team up was rare-almost unheard of-in a world where before that, most victors demanded the defeated enemy become vassal states, or had them completely eradicated.

By helping clear some rubble, and interacting with average, everyday people, Corvus hopes to show that whilst he was extraordinary, he was also willing to get his hands dirty. Maybe it might come off as phony, but at the end of the day, the rescue efforts he would be conducting, and reconstruction were real. It was kind of like a lot of people's opinions on pharmaceutical companies. Yeah, most of them were involved in some shady shit, charged stupid amounts of money for their medicine, and had bad reputations. But at the end of the day, medicine works. Most diabetics wouldn't say no to insulin if it was that or losing a foot, and most normal people would be all too happy to have a space wizard lift some rubble off a walkway. 

Which is precisely what Corvus was doing. 

A day had passed since the end of the siege, and he was strolling down the broken streets of Eriadu City, a camera crew was capturing his every move. Working alongside him were the members of the Starcrusher Corp, and many volunteers from the Eriaduan army. 

Clearing aside rubble with the Force, or cutting apart larger slabs with his lightsaber, Corvus would then lift it up to a waiting nearby LAAT, and place it in the cargo hold. Those transport ships would then ferry the material out of town, and drop it into a dump. There were also some larger transports-both civilian & military-that had involved themselves, greatly helping his mission. 

Following along with him for this cleanup operation were Yon, Jax, Obi-Wan, Falon, Omega, Triss, and Caleb Dume. 

The children were having fun playing around and competing with one another, making Corvus smile. 

“Bet you can't pull this one!” Yon crowed at Caleb, and began to tug on a massive slab of concrete. 

The grey square teetered on the edge of a building, and started to slide down. 

“Honestly.” Obi-Wan tutted, then added his own metaphysical weight to the slab, and helped balance it into a transport's hold. 

“Come on Caleb!” Omega bumped the sullen boy in the ribs, and stuck her tongue out at Yon. The sunny blonde girl gripped Caleb's hand, and working together, they gently eased a broken hover car into a waiting tractor beam. 

“Omega, it's too much.” Caleb tiredly complained, but the ball of energy seemed to ignore him, and dragged him along for another move. 

Falon, being in his late 20's, was much more reserved. However, the scene of the kids playing brought a small smile to his face, and he secretly added his ‘weight’ to Omega's tomfoolery, making sure she didn't bite off more than she could chew. 

“I made this for you.” Triss held out a beaded wristband to Jax, and said in a soft monotone that wouldn't be so far fetched from a depressed teenage girl. 

Each bead was ice-blue colored glass. They had come from the brave Lieutenant who had sacrificed his life to buy time against the T-1000's that had ambushed Jax. 

The beaded wristband gave off a small aura of defiance, and the white haired teen girl seemed to look at Jax's cold, eyes closed, handsome face with some expectations. 

“Thanks.” Jax replied, never once opening his eyes as he accepted the wristband. 

Triss seemed to wilt, and flicked up her dark cloak's hood, hiding her face. 

“This will come in handy.” Jax added a second later as he placed the beaded band on his wrist. 

The teen girl didn't remove her hood, but her steps became more confident afterwards. She remained in Jax's shadow, and watched on as the aura of majesty around him rumbled in the Force. Rocks and debris seemed to bend to his will, yet it wasn't because he used the Darkside or ‘ordered’ them to move. 

Witnessing Jax's evolution, Corvus marveled at his rapid growth. Seeing the rubble move aside with so little effort, was similar to how when a man saw a prime Mike Tyson walking towards him in a narrow alleyway, he would move! 

Inspired by his student's insight, Corvus had tried applying the concept of ‘invisibility’ to his other Force powers. It was difficult to explain, and extremely esoteric, especially since he was a novice at it, but he felt like he was beginning to understand some basics. 

For example, during this current operation, he was spamming [Force Push/Pull] an obscene amount of times. This ability was the most basic power that a Force Adept could come into contact with. It was neither Light or Dark, and in a way, was the perfect ‘balance’ ability. Sort of yin & yang in a way. 

As someone who sought to reach a ‘balance’ in the Force, at least on a personal level, it was the perfect power to test this new concept out on. To cut matters short, he had been modifying [Push/Pull] with ‘invisibility.’ 

Now to the naked eye, [Push/Pull] couldn't be seen. However. They could be sensed, predicted, and countered by a Force Adept. Corvus, meanwhile, whilst invisible was almost undetectable to other Force Adepts, and had verified this during his many stealth missions. 

This meant that there was potential to one day use invisible [Force Lightning] or any other ability! 

And so, since he was in a position where he could grind [Push/Pull] almost indefinitely, he had followed in his student's footsteps, and was trying to harness this aura to the best of his ability. 

This hours long training wasn't spectacular, and was almost impossible to control. However, he realized that by using a lower rank of [Push] for example [Force Push I]-as opposed to IV-he could actually accomplish it! 

How could he tell? Well, Obi-Wan's sudden head turn, and furious beard scratching were all the confirmation he needed! After enough practice, it would only be a matter of time before Corvus could unleash an invisible, Master level [Force Lightning]. The dream would be to do that with [Force Suppression] or [Slow]. If he could hit either of those two on a more powerful foe from stealth, their demise was sure to swiftly follow! 

Rubbing his hands together like a supervillain, Corvus glanced at Jax like he was some prized, golden egg laying goose. Three months ago now, he had told the white haired teen that there was no ‘one’ path when studying the Force. That he was but one lantern bearer during his journey. Who would have ever imagined that the student would light his own lantern, and shed some knowledge on the path of wisdom? 

Of course, this would be a long road of constant training and refinement, yet it was one Corvus was eager to pursue. Exploring the mysteries of the Force was one of the things that he was most interested in. While he was slightly infatuated with Tann & Keira, it would be a lie to say that the ‘science of magic’ didn't hold its sway over him. He was, after all, a nerd at heart. Hot women may be his kryptonite, but the Force was forever. 

Lost in his musings, Corvus was surprised when Yon of all people became slightly frantic out of nowhere. The short, black haired teen's nose was twitching like mad, and he was taking in deep breaths. 

A patrol of Starcrusher Corp clones were rounding a corner at that moment, they were a batch armed with badly scuffed tritanium armor, and based on the damage of their suits, they had seen the gnarliest of combat. 

Without wasting words, Yon ran at them at Knight (low) level speeds. His lightsaber flickered to life a second later, its green blade was tinted with a red edge. 

Corvus had a few seconds to pull his seemingly insane student back, and very seriously,  yet reluctantly decided to do so. A hint of madness, and some darkness spread from Yon's psyche, and he couldn't allow this fragile mental state to fracture further. 

‘Trust me.’ Yon desperately pulsed through the bond. 

Corvus sucked in a breath, and closed his eyes as he internally struggled, only to ultimately gently exhale, and watch his student's actions with a critical eye. 

Of course, only two people at the scene had a psychic connection with the short teen, and their reactions varied. 

Triss clutched the hem of Jax's robe. Omega tried to run forward and stop him, only to be held back by Caleb. Falon muttered that he was reminded of his Master. Jax's eyes cracked open a peak. And Obi-Wan…

Obi-Wan had ignited his lightsaber! 

All these things happened in but a few seconds, and to Corvus, who had sensed it all, grimly interposed himself in between the ‘Negotiator.’ 

“The darkness in him is irrefutable. Step aside.” Obi-Wan said in a firm tone. 

Corvus silently stood his ground. 

“...I am not without compassion. Let us take him on together, and see what can be done.” Obi-Wan then spoke quietly. 

Seeing that he wouldn't budge, Obi-Wan sighed. 

Just as the bearded Jedi Master was about to move past him, Corvus stepped into Obi-Wan’s guard, and was an inch away from being vaporized by his blazing blue lightsaber. 

“You held rage in your heart when you defeated Maul. Yet you did not fall. My student is made of sterner stuff.” Corvus said with confidence. 

Obi-Wan stared him down, his blue eyes bore into the slits of his mask, and his signature within the Force flared as he searched for something. Yet Corvus was like the water that flowed between the rocks, swift and impermeable. Seen, yet seen through. 

“It is rude to probe into the secrets of others.” Corvus leaned forward and said in a low tone. 

Jax, standing nearby, had unknowingly moved to stand behind Corvus. His lightsabers hissed as they were released. 

Falon had lost his exasperated expression, and stared between the two camps in astonishment. Omega was wide eyed, and Caleb was anxious. Triss, meanwhile, had reluctantly followed in Jax's footsteps, her lightsaber shook in her hand, yet she pressed the button, and a yellow beam burst onto the scene. 

Obi-Wan seemed to struggle with something internally, and tilted his head with a distracted look on his face. It was as if he were listening to a conversation through a set of headphones, and the real life events taking place didn’t hold his attention. After a moment, his thumb seemed to reluctantly lower towards a switch. Just as he was going to deactivate the murderous, super heated bar of plasma, he made his move. 

Sensing danger, Corvus didn't move from his spot, as he was too close to the lightsaber, and any random movement could result in death. 

Striking outward, Obi-Wan deflected a series of concentrated blasterfire that had come from the men of the Starcrusher Corp! The air whooshed, and the tension disappeared as it was replaced by the dying screams of clones, and the foul tang of burnt flesh. 

Corvus then ignited his twin lightsabers, and moved to cover Obi-Wan’s back. Slashing at two seemingly random spots, he cut through a ‘ripple’ in the air. Those ripples revealed themselves as previously invisible Clone Assassins, they had been wearing stealth generators!...that meant the ‘Starcrusher Corp’ men were likely a black ops unit that were trying to kill all the Jedi!!! 

Eyes going wide as he realized this was an ambush, Corvus cast his suite of buffs on himself, and [Energy Resistance] on the group. It was just in time too, as the crack of a sniper shot struck Omega, forcing her to the ground. 

Twirling his blades, Corvus was preparing himself to scale the building that housed the sniper, when a partially mechanized, winged bugman came flying in. The distinctive whine of a Geonosian sonic blaster perked his ears, and a soundwave crushed the sniper into a bloody mess. The flying Geonosian then took out several more snipers, and other hidden forces. 

A moment later, an insane Rahm Kota came tearing through the sky on a speeder bike moving at impossible speeds. Churning up dust every where it went, the speeder overclocked its front turret, and mowed down a dozen tritanium wearing clones. 

Crashing the bike into a well defended position, Kota smoothly jumped off of it, pressed a button that detonated it-killing 12 troopers in the process-and landed, igniting his lightsaber all in one motion. 

The shockwave of the explosion ruffled Kota's robes, and the mechanical-cyborg style-bugman flew down to his side. 

“Mnnnchuck, late again, Jedi.” Poggle the Lesser's familiar raspy voice sounded out. 

“Bah, just you wait and see Your Majesty.” Kota taunted back, and ran to join Yon in closing with the enemy. 

“Haha. I still outnumber you. I am now at 362.” Poggle replied in a cold tone. 

“Blasted bug.” Kota grumbled. 

From a distance further back, Obi-Wan and Corvus had paused in their steps, as it seemed that their allied reinforcements had matters well in hand. 

“Are they, are they bantering with one another? Impossible.” Falon muttered to himself in shock. The blonde Jedi shook his messy blonde hair, and nearly fell onto his ass at the surprise. 

Corvus shared a look with Obi-Wan. Unknowingly, their friendship had grown slightly closer after witnessing the madness of a slightly racist Jedi General hate-bonding with a possibly genocidal bug…and it was all caught on camera. 

The Force truly worked in mysterious ways.