#((we took out 2 enemy units which i say is a win... salutes unit 14 we were kinda crazy))

[cotharach]

The noises frighten her. They echo all throughout the Cathedral like some haunting dirge, the syncopated notes of falling rubble and screaming students. Flayn tries not to let it daunt her, especially when she knows she is in the company of those she can rely on. But futile attempts at bravery won't stop the tides of war. The saint, through her pain, looks desperately around them, wondering if there was some other way to go—but groups of enemies begin closing in around them and other students, the people that Maria had pointed to.

"I see them, but... we're surrounded…!" Flayn exclaims, feeling her heart begin to race once more, "Do we have no other choice than to fight our way out?"

She has never liked war, however, she knows simply healing is never enough. There must be blood, there must be carnage. In an environment that places such constraints on them, perhaps a life for a life is a fitting exchange. It is not just their survival that they fight for, too—she can spy a group of students with their backs against the wall, surrounded by foes. The saint looks down at her hands, at the creases that are lined crimson, and makes a somber choice. 

"Let us try fighting them off, that the other students may live. If by some chance, we are able to find an opening…"

By some chance, that the kind Goddess should grant them. Some chance that Flayn pours all thought and prayer into, hoping and wishing that the world should turn to her favor. Faith was always the power behind her spells—the fulfillment of these chances were the backbone of her belief. Would the Goddess reward her for her fervid devotion? Flayn wants to believe it so.

Unit 14 attacks Unit 3 with range! Unit 3 is defeated!

She sends her magic toward a group of shadowy figures, bidding them return to the darkness from whence they came. But there is no time for a celebration, not in times such as this. No sooner than when they had added some measure of level to the playing field do their enemies launch another attack on them. That very same deluge of arrows falls down on them, the cruel fox's claw crushing the thrush's throat. Before the arrowheads have even fully sunk into the ground, a great beast lumbers towards them, rearing back and readying a strike. Flayn feels that same pounding in her heart move to her head, to her stomach, to the tremors in her hands.

Unit 2 uses a Siege charge on Unit 14! Unit 14 loses -1HP Unit 1 attacks! [Unit 1 roll: 23, Unit 14 roll: 29].  Unit 1 loses -1.5HP Unit 14 loses -0.5HP UNIT 14 HAS BEEN DEFEATED

She aims towards them with another spell, desperately seeking that chance. Her attack is met with retaliation in the form of talons tearing through her chest. The pain is searing, bright and red, with all the evil gleam of rubies. Flayn falls to her knees, finding her vision fading away oh so quickly. She makes an attempt to twist her gaze, perhaps to look at the people she had been with one last time, but she falls into the Cathedral ground before she can bid any proper farewells.

"No! There… there are so many of them… Please… someone tell my brother…"

…Goodbye. Tell him goodbye.

@heavy-draw @renaisguy

the sky is falling

⚚ [ #TOAEpiphany2025 — The Fall of Garreg Mach ] ⚚

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 21

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

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Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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With their hands cuffed, Odd Eye could only blink towards the soggy ground as Tarot and Mina were sitting beside her, not saying a single word. “So, what do we do now?” Mina asked, trying to wrangle herself free. “How do we get out of here?”

The commander of the 666th Battalion turned towards Tarot with a stony expression on her face. “Can you shuffle the cards for us?”

Tarot turned to the other Mina, gesturing towards his utility belt. “Could you help me get my tarot cards? I don’t think I can reach them with those handcuffs around me.”

“Seriously?” the other Mina rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “You were given two hands and a brain. At least utilise it.”

“I’ll give you a reading if you take my tarot cards for me.”

“Yes, vod,” she gave a nod, as she looked left and right and reached for his pocket, slowly taking out the deck of cards with her hands. As she handed it to him, Tarot glanced at Odd Eye, smiling. “So, what questions do you have for me, Commander?”

“Will we get out of this situation?” Odd Eye asked the deck, hoping she would get a yes as an answer.

He shuffled the cards for her, provoking no form of attention from the battle droids. They may have gotten hold of their blaster, but they will never take away his treasured possession that his late general had gifted.

As he finished shuffling the cards, he pulled out the Temperance card from the deck, which made him frown. “Oh dear,” Tarot bared his teeth. “I’m afraid I have bad news for you.”

She breathed in frustration. “Seriously? We’re not getting out of here? Did you even shuffle the cards properly?”

“Of course I did, commander,” Tarot insisted. “I’ve been doing readings for the entire battalion for years and I have never been wrong in my entire career, ever.”

“Entire career, my ass. No one has ever paid you to do a reading for them.”

“Well, I’m planning to become a professional tarot reader once the war is over. Besides, I could earn a lot of money for predicting other people’s future, you know.”

“The only thing you’re always fixated on is your future,” Odd Eye raised her voice. “Right now, we’re being captured by the Imps and that’s the only thing running in your head right now? How do you become an ARC Trooper with that kind of attitude?”

“Okay guys, let’s not argue too much,” Erina stepped in between them, squeezing both their hands. “Right now, we’ll have to think of a way to get ourselves out of this sticky situation. Can we work on this together?”

Before Odd Eye and Tarot could answer their general, two battle droids approached them, pointing their weapons in front of their faces. “Silence, Republic dogs, or we’ll shoot.”

The former could only smirk as she glanced at them, before pouncing on one droid and disarmed it, shooting both the droids with agility. Erina was speechless as watched the commander freed herself, before the latter tossed a blaster towards her. “What are you waiting for? This is our chance to take them down. Come on.”

“You’re insane,” the general remarked, as she shifted her focus towards Raul, who was trembling to himself. Pulling the trigger, she shot her partner’s handcuffs, making him exclaim through his throat.

“Makers, Eri. You could have killed me.”

“Just be grateful that you can fight. Now don’t just stand there. Grab something and fight those Imperial scum, goddamit.”

“Yes, dear,” Raul saluted as he jumped on a droid and stomped its head, snatching a blaster from its hands. The Imperials opened fire towards the clones, but the latter fought back with their combined strength and their brains, taking them down like what they did in their training simulation.

Mina got back her twin pistols and took down the Super Battle Droids, before moving on with the B1 units. Nygma and Beetle, on the other hand, collected some explosives from the droid’s camp and tossed them towards an army, making the ground shatter.

Watching the battle, Faven’s legs were shaking as Hyewon unlocked her handcuffs with a safety pin, before doing the same for Boil and Faven. “We should join the party,” the purple-haired clone gestured. “Come on, guys.”

“When did you learn how to pick locks?” Boil asked her. “I don’t even know how to do that.”

“I learned it from an escaped artist. He failed to escape from prison, though.”

“How ironic,” Faven snorted, tossing their weapons towards them. “But we have a job to finish and we don’t have time to loiter around like.”

The two of them nodded and joined the battle, gunning down their enemies swiftly. The droid army had called for reinforcement at their camp, but Boil could not care, for he was determined to win this minor battle. He was humiliated for getting ambushed by the Empire, and now, he is getting his sweet revenge against them.

“Hey, you three,” Mina pointed her fingers at Faven, Boil, and Faven. “Don’t just stand there and shoot. I need you all to sabotage their tanks right now. We need to everything we can to cripple those scumbags. Got it?”

“Yes, general,” Hyewon acknowledged, looking at her siblings. “How the fuck are we going to do that? We won’t even last for two seconds.”

“It’s easy,” Faven picked up three bombs from the box they carried moments ago. “We run towards them, plant them on the bottom of the tank, and run for safety. Understood?”

“I won’t fail you, pal.”

“That’s the spirit,” Boil cheered them up, as they brave themselves through the crossfire, avoiding every blast as they could.

Hyewon shielded herself from the attacks with her arms while Faven blasted the droids while running in the dark, hoping she could knock on a tree and die instantly. Meanwhile, Boil kept on sprinting towards the first tank, without looking back.

“I won,” he laughed, much to Faven’s exasperation.

“Not everything is a game, you know. For all we know, someone could die right now.”

“I love this game,” Hyewon smiled underneath her helmet, as she threw a bomb on the second tank, before winking at the former. “You can do it, Fav.”

She could only roll her eyes as she was the last one to finish her task given by the commander. Ducking behind the tree for safety, Faven covered her ears as three of the tanks blew up, sweeping away most of the droid army.

“Take that, you motherfucking clankers,” Boil screamed in joy as Hyewon cheered in a high-pitched voice.

“That is one hell of an explosion,” she bellowed. “I’ve never had this much fun since I beat someone in a poker game.”

But they spoke too soon. As the trio helped each other up, they were surrounded with reinforcements from the Imperials, prompting them to raise their hands in the air.

“Looks like we spoke too soon,” Faven said, deadpanned, as they were led back to the 666th and the 197th Battalion, who were forced to surrender.

Odd Eye stretched her lips wide, realising that she had to lose to the droid army for the second time in one day. “I can’t believe your deck is accurate.”

“I’m sorry, commander,” Tarot apologised. “Sometimes, I can’t always control the answers shown on my cards.”

“Looks like the concentration camps seem fun,” Raul showed his optimism, making Erina roll her eyes.

“You have to work to death in a concentration camp till you die, Raul. It’s not a delightful spot for vacation.”

“We shared the same blanket and you still can’t tell the difference between my normal voice and my sarcastic voice?” the general gasped dramatically. “That’s just absurd.”

“Are you using my words against me?”

“Well, I mean, you said that to me first, so it’s only fair if I-“

“Quiet, you too,” the B1 commanded. “Or we’ll shoot.”

Mina sighed in defeat when she watched the droid commander taken down, prompting her to turn around. The remaining members of the  212th Attack Battalion and the Coruscant Guards had arrived, with General Obi-Wan Kenobi And Commander Thire leading.

“My apologies for being late,” Obi-Wan greeted, as his troops moved into an attack position. “We were held back by the enemies on the beachfront.”

“No worries, General Kenobi,” smiled Erina. “You made it just in time.”

“Alright soldiers, let’s finish this battle and call it a day,” the soft-spoken Jedi ordered.

“Right away, sir,” Cody bobbed his head as they fired at the droids, sparing no one.