Last time: Viran and Cien were locked in an intense lightsaber duel.

Now: Kyr continues to hold the line as Sasha does the impossible.

Chapter 6- The Portal

Tac rotated the dual heavy laser cannons on the dorsal side of the Shadow Runner and tracked the incoming TIE Bombers. They were screaming down the ravine, the flight of four split into two elements. He fired precisely, and the lead element was taken down. The following flight of two veered off, trying to avoid the explosion as they kept on course to try to take out the target that was decimating their troops. Two missiles rippled off at them, following them quickly down the canyon and hitting them in the back with thunderous twin explosions. Tac thought it was superbly beautiful.

Off of Kyr's right side the two TIE/sa Bombers absorbed the missile hits and turned into blossoms of flame, the body of the craft spinning and skipping down the rocks faces, and one of the bent solar panels just barely flew over Kyr's head, banging against the rock face before tumbling down the ravine. He had ducked to avoid the shrapnel, and then popped back up into place, emptying the magazine of his Verp at a squad that was pushing up a bit too much. He took out the three in the lead, the projectiles ripping through their armor and sending them flying back with the impact. Their squad mates continued pressing forward, evidently quite tired of being picked off. Down below on the river bed more troopers were moving up stream, but Kyr ignored them, there wasn't any good passage back there to get up, and Storm Troopers couldn't climb for osik.

"My men are being cut to ribbons down there, I've already lost nearly a full company of troops!" Colonel Kaifsen seethed.

"What could possibly be down there?" The Captain asked, more puzzled than concerned. If there was an inquisitor that meant a Jedi fugitive, but they usually didn't have access to fire support.

"My men are estimating a squad sized force supported by battery fire." The Colonel reported in frustration, his men were down there dying.

"Send another flight of bombers in." The Captain ordered flight control.

"I wish to accompany the next wave of troops down so I can see the battlefield for myself."

The Captain mulled it over while a few more men died before deciding. "Approved, Colonel."

"Yes sir." Kaifsen saluted and left to head to the hangar deck where he had more troopers forming up for the assault.

"Tac, six rounds airburst relay send!" Kyr shouted over the din of the battle. The troopers were advancing up the trail and sending a storm of blasters bolts to his position. He might get overrun if he couldn't get their advance under control. After a few seconds the explosions showered the troopers in deadly shrapnel, halting their advance, they were close enough he could hear their screams.

Overhead another flight of four bombers was dropping in, this time with an escort of TIE/ln fighters. Kyr spotted the blaster bolts from the Shadow Runner picking off the bombers, but the fighters quickly interposed themselves and prepared for a run at the YT-2300 while the two remaining bombers stayed on course for Kyr. He swung his verpine up and aimed as carefully as he could at the cockpit, firing three rounds off. The lead bomber suddenly veered off course, his shot hit true as it spiraled down into the ravine and crashed into the rock face. The final surviving bomber kept in, and as Kyr brought his verpine in, almost was close enough to see the pilot through the transparisteel view port, he heard the sound of a proton bomb dropping, just as a a missile slammed into the side of the bomber and sent it reeling off.

The proton bomb hammered into the rock overhang above him, the explosion sending a shower of dirty and heavy debris down on Kyr's position. He tucked his head under his arms and pushed himself against the rock face while the main body of the overhang slipped down the side of the ravine below him.

"Tac, you still there?" Kyr cried. After an infinitely long second he got an excited whistle back, he was very angry at the TIEs but quite satisfied with the explosions. "I'm moving back to CP Forn." He moved to grab his verpine and realized it had been crushed under the rocks, only it's buttstock was exposed. "Osik!" He swore, slinging the DLT down off his shoulder and checking the charge. Those damn rifles were expensive. He pulled an HE grenade off his rig and set it to proximity, then tossed it behind him as he ran for the next checkpoint.

Viran was pretty sure he had pissed Cien off when she tossed away her saber and started attacking him with her strongest weapon, the force. Before, she only used it every couple of openings Viran gave her. Now, she was using it as her main offensive. Sasha worked with Viran very briefly on how to fight against a Force user who is using said ability as their weapon of choice. So Viran was more ready for Cien's attack then before.

Dodge rolling away from another push of the force, Viran rolled to his feet. He turned to slash at Cien, but with every slash, Cien stopped the blade with the Force and then would send it back toward him. With the next slash he brought down on her, he tricked her with it. As she would stop it once again to force it away, Viran used his free hand and used the Force at her. He had grown stronger in his physical Force abilities. So the push had some strength behind it as Cien wasn't ready for it. The push caused her to fly back into the cavern wall behind her. Viran then moved forward with caution as he leveled his saber at her.

Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Bringing his free hand to his throat, Viran glanced down to see Cien pulling herself to her feet as she raised her hand, holding him in a Force choke. She cackled like a mad woman as she straightened up to face him.

"I admit. You have learned a lot in these past months," Cien said. "But I will still win."

With a flick of her wrist, she sent Viran back into the cavern wall behind him with the force. Viran smacked into it with a gasp as his breath returned, but also at his already broken ribs screaming at him. Hunched over, Viran glanced up at Cien as she moved over to him. Summoning her saber to her hand, she reactivated the blade and raised it over her head, ready to bring it down upon him.

But she stopped. Viran sensed it too. They both slowly looked over to where Sasha stood.

Only another second. Come on. Then as if someone turned on a switch, Sasha felt the Force shift as she felt herself begin to fold the space around her. She still kept her focus as she now thought about the world Oppie described. As she imagined it in her mind, and imagined Op in her mind, Sasha gritted her teeth as she started to peel the fold open. As she opened her eyes to see what she had done, she could see it. The void. The space Oppie had been stuck. The world between worlds.

Somehow she found her voice as she unleashed a loud call.

"Oppie!"

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