Public A Message in Flames-LOTS

[Darth Acharon]

The freighter entered orbit of Alderaan slowly, even at that moment in contact with the naval authority in the region. Alderaan was a peaceful world by nature, those descendants of Alderaan preferring words over violence, but given the state of the galaxy, and the current war footing the Galactic Alliance was on, changes had to be made.

They were not expecting the freighters cargo pods, lining almost every inch of the vessels superstructure, to suddenly explode outwards. From each cargo pod, dozens of missiles were flung into the void of space, flying in every direction. Stations were targeted, combat patrol ships were crippled, and even other civilian ships were outright destroyed in the attack. The Alderaan security force, those ships that were either able to defend themselves or were outside the missiles immediate effective range were able to destroy the freighter moments later, but the damage had been done.

Into the scattered and wounded defenses appeared a fleet of warships, led at the front by three heavily armed Star Destroyers. The Alderaan defense forces, still reeling from the sudden missile attack, were struck full on by the unleashed storm of weapons fire from the new fleet, and a hole was torn in the worlds defenses. While the smaller vessels in the fleet broke formation and began to pursue and engage other enemy vessels and cut the world off from the rest of the system, the Star Destroyers moved forward. The three vessels entered orbit of Alderaan, dispering and traveling to come into position above three separate cities, including the capital of Aldera.

Only then did the people of Alderaan receive a message. Across every communication system, on every screen, the image of Darth Acharon appeared. He said nothing for several seconds, simply allowing his image to be seen by all those across the world below, before finally speaking, his voice distorted by his helmets voice unit.

"People of Alderaan, I...am Darth Acharon. Long has your world stood as a beacon of hope for this galaxy. A world that embodies the will of freedom, personal determination, and a drive for self improvement that few worlds in this galaxy can match. The galaxy has tried to strike you down again and again, and yet here you stand today, stronger than ever before."

Acharon paused, turning his head to the side slightly. His black robe shifted with the small movement, and for the briefest of moments the silver of his saberstaff could be seen. "Today, it will not be the galaxy that strikes you down. Today, the arrogance and pride of Alderaan shall be put to the flames. Not because you have done anything wrong. Not because some higher power has determined that your time has come. This day, your world shall burn because I will it!"

Turning, Acharon slowly brought his right hand up in the image, the black gloved hand closing slowly into a fist. "The Lords of the Sith have come for you. You may hide in your homes, you can run to the ends of the world to try and escape us, but know that today, you are doomed. Today, I, Darth Acharon, a proud member of the Lords of the Sith, sentence you all...to oblivion."

The image would cut out then, leaving a world hanging on the last few words of the Sith, across the world, the three Star Destroyers would finally complete their preparations. As one, they opened fire on the cities below, targeting the capital city of Aldera and two others and beginning a relentless bombardment, even as wave after wave of starfighters, bomber, and troop transport began to flow out, and head towards the surface of the world below.

And while the people of Alderaan looked to the skies in fear of the wrath of Darth Acharon, they were blinded to the Lords of the Sith and other allied forces of darkness already among them...

Objective One
Desolation
The city of Aldera stands as a beacon of prosperity and innovation for those individuals in the galaxy who value freedom and peace. The Lords of the Sith shall seek to end the legacy of this city once and for all in the fires of war, can you hold the line against their onslaught?

Objective Two
Price of the Crown
The royal family of Alderaan, descendants of the legendary House Organa, think themselves safe in their palace. The Lords of the Sith shall seek to bring these royals into their custody, so that the paragons of hope and freedom can be broken by the cruelties of the Sith. Can you get the royal family out in time?

Allyson Locke The Amalgam Aaran Tafo Darth Empyrean Lunafreya Solidor Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri Iroh Gedari Faith Organa Dresta
Open to anyone else who may want to get involved.
​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

OLD IMPERIAL CITADEL , BYSS
A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE INCURSION ON XA FEL

The Lord-Imperator of Byss , Marlon Sularen sat in his office contemplating about the recent events that had occured on Xa Fel. He was at risk of getting removed from power by the Alliance and was potentially now at odds with Chancellor Adhira Chandra. Sularen knew it would only be a matter of time before the Alliance came crashing down on Byss to confront him and his Militarization of the Beshqek System was not yet fully complete as Sularen needed just a bit more time to properly Fortify Byss.

However surprisingly this delay would not come in the form of False-Flag or Covert Operations from the Shadow Triumvirate as Sularen had planned but instead from a series of strikes from Sith Organizations in the Core Worlds. First on Natanus with Carnifex and his group known as the Eclipse and now on Alderaan with a certain Darth Acheron and the Lords of the Sith , an organization Acheron was part of and one that Sularen had never heard before.

Sularen had received news of the LOTS Assault on Alderaan as soon as it started receiving a message from his most-trusted subordinate Rackham who had learned of the Assault through his Politorate Agents stationed on Alderaan who were present on the world since a terrorist attack on the planet that had intrigued the Politorate a while back. The recent attacks launched by the Sith intrigued Sularen especially given at how they could potentially create the distraction Sularen needed to further Militarize Byss and solidify his Grip on the Xa Fel Shipyards.

However while these Attacks by the Sith were advantageous to Sularen's Plans , the Sith themselves were still Sularen's Enemies with the Sith Lords of the Eternal Empire and Sith Empire having partaken in the Assault on Byss , Sularen's Throne World. While Sularen did not trust the Alliance most particularly it's strongest supporters such as Alderaan , he was highly opposed to the Sith and Force-Sensitives in General and saw them as a threat that needed to be extinguished. Thus he decided that it would be best to intervene on Alderaan and fend off the LOTS Assault and help the Alderaanians despite the ideological differences between Byss and Alderaan.

Plus , if Sularen could help the Alliance fend of a Sith Assault it could potentially improve his standing within the Alliance and bring him more support in the Senate especially when it came to acting independently in the name of thwarting potential threats to the Alliance. So Sularen quickly left the Old Imperial Citadel and took his Personal Shuttle immediately headed towards Beshqek System Command , the Planetary Defense Fleet in charge of protecting Byss from external Forces first introduced during the Invasion of Byss as Wraith Squadron.

Soon Sularen's Shuttle landed within the Relentless , a Relentless-Class Battlecarrier and Sularen soon assumed command of the Vessel. After heading to the hidden world of Relus via a micro-jump and picking up 2 Harrsk-Class Battlecarriers , Sularen made preparations to aid the people of Alderaan for the sake of his throne on Byss and soon enough , Sularen's Small Fleet of 3 Battlecarriers were on they way to Alderaan ready to intercept the LOTS Task Force and bring them to their knees.

With this action , Sularen hoped to improve his standing within the Alliance as a staunch opponent of the Sith and their allies and support the fact that while the Attack on the Xa Fel Shipyards was illegal , it was done with the primary intention of removing the potential influence of a Corporation affiliated with the Allies of the Sith Empire and portray himself as a staunch Supporter of the Alliance War-Effort against the Sith and their allies and not as a hostile force lurking within the Alliance. If this effort was successful then Sularen could retain and proceed with his secret agenda as planned without intervention from the Alliance. Time would tell whether this gamble would be a success or failure , whether Sularen's Plans would continue or not , whether Sularen would make his successful resurgence or fade away in the darkness once more...

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

Objective Two: Price of the Crown
Tags: Faith Organa , open

Kuxirra sprinted towards the palace with her parents and looked at the guards pleadingly. "Knight Zenda Tano-Bonteri. The Royal family is in grave danger. I, along with my husband, Knight Leehak, and our daughter, Padawan Kuxirra, have been tasked with bringing them to safety." Zenda, Kuxirra's mother, said. After a moment of hesitation, Leehak spoke up.
"Please. Time is of the essence."
The doors were opened, and the three rushed in. "Your Majesties," Kuxirra began, bowing. "It's not safe here. We need to go."

 

[Aaran Tafo]

Objective: Price of the Crown. Defend the Royal Family and Palace from invaders.
Opponents: Open, just @me bruh.

It was times like this, Aaran really wished he still carried his holorecorder around with him. Because with a speech like that. He really wished he recorded it. It would certainly be something amusing to throw in the face of any Sith who liked to posture and prowl around like they had any form of moral superiority over him because his ideals clashed with their own. Because seriously. An attack like this, in the heart of the Galactic Alliance. A target that had little strategic importance. Mostly civillian. And they were explictly here to murder heads of state.

He was again amazed by the incredible mental gymnastics some Sith took when they tried to justify their actions. It was always refreshing to meet the occasional one that did not bother doing so.

But it was no matter. He'd find the speech on the Holonet. All those things ended up there at some point. He'd have to get a recording and just stow it away later. Bring it with him the next time he thought he was going to enounter Sith. If only for the amusement of throwing their words back at them. Shaking his head, he stared at the now fleeing crowds, somewhat annoyed that his guided tour of some of the more public parts of the palace were interrupted by the invasion.

But still, the fleeing crowds and overwhelmed guards attempting to corral the visitors to the nearby shelters gave the Wanderer ample opportunity to slip away. Breahing deep and allowing his presence to be muted. Eyes passing over him, their minds being tricked that Aaran was simply part of the background and not to be worried about. The Force masking him so that he could slip deeper into the palace.

If one thing was certain. They were probably going to at least make a token attack on the Royal Family. Even if this was all a distraction to some bigger game. The Knight Errant would stil do what he could to ensure that House Organa remained safe this day.

 

[Iroh Gedari]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Jedi Robes.
Objective: Desolation, Defend the City.
Opponents: None Yet

No rest for the weary it seemed...

...but such was the life of a Jedi.

Iroh moved against the flood of panicked people with his hood raised up over his head to conceal his face. He moved with a sense of reserved urgency, driven by a desire to avoid calling attention to himself as he moved to where he felt a large presence of enemies. Did he have the ability to hold off this invasion on his own? No, but perhaps he could stem the tide. Whether or not the defense forces had managed to get off a distress signal to the rest of the Galactic Alliance, he figured he could buy the civilian populations enough time to take shelter and give the planetary defenders an opportunity to rally and push back the tide.

As he cleared the last edges of the crowd Iroh dropped his efforts at Force concealment, allowing any Force user in the area to sense his presence. Any Jedi who felt it might have comfort that they were not alone. Any Sith who sensed him might be drawn to him and away from butchering civilians or harassing the city's defenders.

His saber remained clipped onto his belt as he began to pick up his pace, moving faster towards where he sensed the closest gathering of enemies. As turbolaser blasts exploded around him, and starcraft zoomed through the sky he emptied his mind of everything but the present situation, coming to a stop as he saw the advancing line of infantry, then took a deep breath and exhaled.

“There is no emotion, there is peace.”

His gloved right hand reached across his torso to the lightsaber hilt clipped to his belt, the shockwave of a nearby turbolaser blast sending a strong wind across the street and flapping the tails of his cloak as he brought his hand holding the saber hilt to his side.

“There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.”

Iroh stepped forward, breaking into a run as he charged towards the enemy infantry. There was a brief moment's hesitation on their part before they collected themselves and began to fire in his direction.

“There is no passion, there is serenity.”

Using Force speed, Iroh rapidly closed the distance between him and the troopers, his blue blade springing to life and deflecting blaster bolts away from him.

“There is no chaos, there is harmony.”

With a sudden leap Iroh arced up in the air over the heads of the troopers in front, then came downward towards the middle of the formation. As his feet touched the ground a huge blast of telekinetic Force energy flew out from his body, sending enemy soldiers flying in all directions.

“There is no death, there is the Force.”

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Objective One
Kidnapping Royalty...

The air in the transport was cold, a byproduct of keeping their thermal signatures as low as possible during their atmospheric reentry. Maliphant's exhale fogged the air in front of him, forcing him to reconsider exactly what he was doing, and why he was here. Qual'al-Selim had said it was the Worm Emperor's will that he collect a public sacrifice - something to prove the futility of the Light's encroachment on the Dark, to reassert their fears after the Zambrano's failure to maintain it. To give a symbol of hope to the fires of reality - what a brooding endeavor, he said to no one in particular.

"Drop off in thirty seconds.", the pilot offered over their encrypted comlinks. Maliphant sighed as Praetorians lined up behind him - all facing the door that opened with a despressurizing hiss. Creeping in, the Sun was blinding for the briefest of moments before the city's picture-esque horizon came in to view only to be quickly dismantled by a sudden turbolaser shot, bathing everyone in a wash of heat.

The others wouldn't feel it, dressed in their shock drop armor - leaving only Maliphant in his red and black robes to experience the sensation. His gaze flicked down beneath them as the ship came in low and fast, trailing just meters over fanciful buildings and beautiful terraces; a hint at the wealth of the neighborhood surrounding the palace - likely done on purpose to stop the royals from having an eyesore near their deck.

"Now!", the pilot announced, and Maliphant dropped.

Using the force to correct himself, Maliphant felt the wind whip past his ears nearly deafening him - and his trajectory leading directly to the open center garden of the plaza. Inside was his targets, and the Praetorians would know what to do once they landed - provide him cover as he dealt with the likes of the Force Sensitives within. His fall slowed before he hit - the Force compensating for the impact he had, tossing clumps and dirt and small stone decorative bricks aside with ease only to be soon followed with the secondary and tertiary explosions of his personal guard falling behind him.

"Find the Organas and anyone of import.", Maliphant said without glancing away, his energy focused on a single area of the Palace that there seemed more Force energy than anywhere else. Those within would feel it as well, the painful fog of a Dark Sider of immense presence in the Force - as though he were encouraging them to run.

Faith Organa │ Allyson Locke │ Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri │ Aaran Tafo

 

[Bast'rom'arosti]

Aboard the Hapan Rose || Current Station: Weapons Officer
...

"Captain Dystra, all systems are green. The Rose is ready to fire everything." A crisp report. "Standing by for your orders."

The uniformed woman merely offered a brief glance as acknowledgement. Her glassy eyes drifted across Troma's weapons section as if they were but an unfilled checkbox on a list. No nod of affirmation or anything - strange behavior from the otherwise stalwart and dutiful officer. Be that as it may, the Chiss turned his attention to more important things: his crew. The trio of Imperial crewman that filled the three bridge seats before him tapped away meticulously at their gunnery consoles. Targeting vectors, firing algorithms, and a wide range of distance-tracking calculations flooded their monitors after a few moments.

"Tro-, er, Lieutenant, why aren't we firing yet?" Senior Crewman Kesyk's voice piped up, "We're green status. Ready to drop liquid fire on Alderaan."

The other two men that flanked Kesyk shifted nervously in their seats, glancing furtively at the man. He was asking the question nobody wanted to utter.

Troma shrugged to himself. "That's a very good question, Kesyk. What would you do if you were in my position? Darth Acharon has already issued fleet-wide orders to begin the orbital bombardment yet Captain Dystra has yet to greenlight us." His gleaming, scarlet gaze bore into the back of the man's head. "Don't answer that question, Senior Crewman. Kesyk, you have command of the weapons section for now. Stand fast and carry out your duties."

"A-Aye, sir."

Troma reached upwards to slide a finger through the tight collar pressing against his neck, stepping up from the gunnery pit to observe the rest of the bridge. Studious officers prowled through their sections like lions, correcting errors by way of vicious finger pointing and whisper-shouting corrective orders at the unaware. Battle stations and high alert was not a time to be slacking off; a memo that Captain Dystra had apparently failed to receive.

Lieutenant Troma finally found Dystra. Standing at the very fore of the command bridge, the tight-lipped woman peered out of the wide viewport as the rest of the Sith fleet began to disengorge swarms of assault craft, TIE fighters, and a plethora of other assault landers. Crimson streaks hailed their arrival as the armada opened up all of their batteries upon the vulnerable, beautifully innocent world of Alderaan.

The Chiss officer was behind her in just a matter of seconds; booted footsteps quieted intentionally. "Captain, is there a reason the Rose has yet to fire?"

Dystra didn't answer right away, standing fast and letting her gaze roll over the world below. She stared longingly. "Alderaan is my homeworld," she finally replied, voice absent of all emotion, "Every single person that I know and love is down there. My daugh-"

"Captain!" Troma barked, silencing her lamentation. "We have orders!"

The dark-skinned woman turned sharply to face him as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her lips curled in disgust, appraising the alien sharply standing at attention before her. "Return to your station, Lieutenant. We will not be firing our batteries. Relay to Lord Acharon that we've experienced a major mechanical accident and will not be able to engage in orbital bombardment."

Troma dropped his eyes and considered the floor, as if that grey durasteel held the response he was looking for. "No. You are unfit for command, Captain. Please discharge your orders as they have been given, or you will be tried and executed for treason." His voice was louder now, loud enough to carry out across the rest of the bridge. A few stray glances darted in their direction yet not a single one dared to linger for more than a second.

"I can't and I won't," Captain Dystra smiled sadly, tears forming. "I might as well be dead too. They're all gone. My baby..."

Troma remained impassive, stoically stone-faced as the once stalwart woman began to sob uncontrollably. Her body heaved with disastrous motion, trembling as tears fell upon the command chevrons that emblazoned her uniform. The weight of command was heavy.

"I'm sorry, Captain," the Chiss quietly offered in apology. The blaster pistol was already in his hand, aimed right at her guilt-wracked features.

Then he squeezed the trigger.

 

[Njal The Black]

Alderaan - 864ABY
The First Salvo
Objective One

The ship shuddered as a turbolaser bolt landed dangerously close. Njal swore loudly in the cabin as some of the Nihil forced themselves to sit as turbulence stole their balance - but Njal stood strong. He had to, it was his duty as the Nihil Tempest they looked up to. Standing like a bear draped in black furs undlayed with duraplast beat to the nether and back, Njal offered everyone in that room a rotten smile.

"You boys ready for some riches?", he said with a devilish expression.

"Heard Alderaan was one of the richest planets around. Can't wait to see if its true.", the drugged out pirate offered.

Sat around him were Merridius Black his once partner in crime, Arlis Cerran the succulent dish, Xun of Throne and his iconic arm, and the massive figure that seemed to tilt the transport itself as it moved Grundark . Njal glanced between them, surprisingly satisfied for once that the crew that rolled besides him wasn't half bad - though if he were to bet any money on someone dying today, he would put it on Gunfist.

Actually, not a bad idea.

"Anyone taking bets on who dies? I got 300 on Gunfist. 5 to 1.", he shot out quickly before another could take his bet.

 

[Faith Organa]

OBJECTIVE 2: Price of the Crown
Tags: Darth Empyrean | Allyson Locke | Aaran Tafo |

The sirens were blaring as the atmosphere filled with missiles. Faith walked to the balcony and looked up for all their efforts to defend Alderaan it never seemed to stop anyone from attacking. Once more Alderaan was to suffer, once more the people would need resilience and determination. Then the voice filled the airwaves the sound vibrating through the very walls of the palace, Darth Acharon his voice filled with the arrogance that they had become accustomed to after 3 or was it 4 attacks by the Sith. Whichever number it was too many.

Behind her they were gathering waiting, or itching to speak Faith wanted to say it first, "Order out the ground troops, evacuate the people from New Aldera, stay out of the trains, get them out of New Crevasse too send everyone to Sanctuary City. Send word to Duke Kyle DeVoe and the other members of the High Council."

She turned, "Is Commander Andien Gale back on Alderaan?" There were matters that the Commander could handle much better than those currently surrounding her. But she knew the Commander to be off world.

She listened as she listened she could hear running in the halls outside her door. Emotions swept over Faith moments of fear, moments of laughter, and then small bouts of exasperation. The moment she heard it was the Sith come once again Faith couldn't help but wonder if there was not something magnetic about the air that drew them to Alderaan.

"Lieutenant Wade" She turned to the second in charge of the Royal Guard, "Please go and see that Ma'ree and my mother are taken to Aldera. Orders are you stay there until you are told to come back. Don't let my mother bully you."

"Yes Mam." He seemed to want to say something else a brief moment they each held the gaze of the other, "It will be fine Lieutenant yes I'm staying." There were millions of reasons to stay the people. They were all afraid now and she couldn't think of any place else to be but here. "Lieutenant please have Captain Nels join me here." The Captain of the Royal Guard. Who would rouse the Knights of Alderaan today, Theo was also off world. Faith tried to keep any hint of panic from her face.

There was frantic running and yelling in the main hall Faith moved passed everyone had the Sith come already. There she could see Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri "I'm here." She smiled more from habit than anything else.

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

"Is everyone here?" Kuxirra asked Faith Organa . "We need to go as soon as possible."
"Kuxirra, I know how you feel, but we can't save everyone." Zenda said, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"But Mom―"
"No buts. We need to leave. Now." Leehak said sternly.

 

[Leea Pandac]

Objective One
Defend the Civilians

This was not how I planned to spend the weekend... But duty calls and I will always answer. The young Mirialan slinked through the back alleys and dark passages away from the main streets. Bruised from nearly being trampled by the crazed mobs of civilians fleeing from battle, Leea fought pain in her legs as she continued towards the fighting. I will take part. I will fight for them. Easier thought than done. No weapons, no armor. It's blasted Ool all over again. Except this time, I'm the insurgent needing crushing. The thought was disconcerting and Leea tried to push it from her mind.

The ground rumbled and her eyes flicked upwards instinctively as she watched another laser blast lance through the cityscape. She could just barely make out a distant skyscraper crumble under the onslaught and even from here, the sound was deafening. Great clouds of dust and debris rushed through the streets. Leea turned, No way I'm surv- She had not taken a step before she was engulfed by the rushing air.

Thrown to the ground by the blast, the soldier blinked and soon recognized her mistake. Her eyes stung from the grit and she quickly found herself blind. Scrabbling over the unforgiving road, feeling for anything she could prop herself up, Leea felt like little more than an insect worming its way through the mud. It felt like an eternity had passed and she surrendered hope of getting to her feet. Rather than continue flailing around, Leea began to wipe at her eyes, futily trying to clear them enough to see. Exhausted, Leea cried out in frustration, only to recieve a lung full of dirt. Wheezing, Pandac desparately tried to suck in air as she lowered herself closer to the ground, until she lay prone with the faintest breath. Is this it? Not how I wanted to go...

Who says this has to be the end? Her mind began to run its own conversation, thoughts popping into her head without her intervention.

As if she could somehow converse with herself, she replied, Fine, I'll humor you: I'm grounded without air or life. I'm as good as dead. Without ever firing a shot.

The voice continued in response, But there is no reason to end now. I can survive. Just trust.

Surprised and quite annoyed at the hopefulness in her own thoughts she snapped back, Trust what? Talohn's not here. Mandos? Nowhere to be seen. Army support? Hah, that doesn't exist on Alderaan.

What did your teacher say? Trust in the...

Force. Leea felt her breathing calm and she stopped trying to open her eyes. Pushing past the pain, she pushed into a sitting position, wobbling horribly as she tried to find physical balance.

The Force, focus on it. Her training kicked in and she pushed the thoughts of war out of her mind. If only for a moment, Leea forgot where she was and was wholly subsumed by the serene Force, seemingly undisturbed by the destruction and death about her. It was but a second, a mere blink of the eye, but it was enough for her to regain her center.

Still blind, she shuffled on her hands and knees through the alleys. Leea started to hear, but all around here there was only the sounds of battle and the screams of the dying.

Njal The Black Iroh Gedari

 

[Grundark]

With a low grumbling trumpet Gundark felt the ship around him shake as his battle rage simmer just under the skin. He could almost smell the blood in the air now, oh the violence how it made him feel alive. The riches were all well and good, but they'd be gone as soon as he had them they always had been. Women, wine and toys, well until the credits were gone. It wasn't what he really cared about anyway, it was the challenge. That moment when death was but a breath away and life was truly worth living. The only thing that could make it better was the roar of the crowd.

His skin felt like it was tingling as he pulled the battle lust in around him like a welling spring of firewater from his great belly it seeped. "Odds on dying? To reach such glory against such a soft place is beneath the sight of all dark gods. To die here is to die forever."

Raising up an enormous hammer he patted it against his meaty hand. As he glanced over his herd, even if it only was for the moment. "Let us break this soft world instead so that something worth fighting may rise instead. Then we can speak of glory and death."

Njal The Black Xun of Throne Merridius Black Arlis Cerran

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

O B J E C T I V E | Price of the Crown.
L O C A T I O N | Ten Meters From Darth Empyrean
T A G S | Faith Organa │ Allyson Locke
Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri │ Aaran Tafo
T H E M E | Here.
V O I C E | Here.
G E A R | Lightsaber
Armor │ Ring​

At first, Lunafreya was certain they were insane. At least crazier than the Empire had ever been, but when she heard their plan, much like the futuristic steps towards their future, the elzeri almost couldn’t stop herself from deviously laughing. She was cruel, she liked that about her, for the galaxy was cruel, and humans were harsh, the only morality in a cruel galaxy was being just as ruthless as she could ever hope to be. In her arrogance, she took upon herself the most important task to impress the Worm Emperor, for she wanted power and influence so that she could rise among the stars as a shadow, swallowing planet after planet to utter domination on worshipping her as a living goddess. Getting inside the planet wasn’t the worst task she could ever hope on doing, for a planet’s defenses were either focused on their keeping their space lanes safe, or was to secure their planetary atmospheric line intact, for that much Lunafreya brought two of her Ungoliant’s, for the ability to cloak herself in absolute invisibility reminded her of a sentence her father had once told her, many years ago; ‘If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk behind them and stab them in the heart.’, drunk with the idea of fortune, the elzeri coveted the thought of becoming the knife that was to be swiftly struck on someone’s ribs. For this was the price to pay when you wanted to stroll on the road for glory.

A silent prayer was offered to the Astrals, an old habit difficult for her to shake off her body. Even as the sticky sensation of her armor sliding through her lean form took hold of her mind, the burning pain going through her flesh felt as pure as bliss, almost making her shiver. Almost.
“The hour draws near.”, her lips muttered to none but herself in the morbid silence of her chambers, divest of the presence of other living beings. None but Gentiana and her Nithral were called to enjoy the solitude of her company, for she despised all human life in this galaxy and shared great distaste for having to share the air that filled her lungs with lesser beings. To have another human fleeting existence calling themselves as nobles, was such offense that could not expect to find any pardon inside of her to offer them as even in an act of mercy, for death to all human life was the only mercy her dark heart knew how to give, those boisterous, feeble, decayed human beings.

The steps of her armor were muffled as she walked the hallways of her ship. None could hear her moving, but they saw the horrible reflection of her armor and avoided her eyes, most of her servants knew not to look her in the eyes if they didn’t want to risk losing them. At the hangar, all of the servants brought up with her were already there, waiting for her command for the mayhem to start anew. At space, the ships would keep them in check, distracted of their main goal, as carnage would be brought up to the city, with butchery taking over their streets and blood running as a crimson river as their palaces burned. As she took her place in front of those chosen to enact her will, Lunafreya chose a mannered tone to keep her speech in check, but even then, the voice was bathed with the foul stench of dark magic.
“Let this day forever be enfolded in your memories. It is time for them to awake the ones who sent us screaming into oblivion, and who now lie sleeping. Let's drag them out of bed by the hair, and remind them of what we are! We will remind them of what it feels like to live in fear. We will remind them of the sound our feet make against their throats. We will remind them that there are more things between Heaven and Hell than are dreamt of in their philosophy.”, just before her eyes, the hangar’s doors were being open, the cloaking device surrounding the ship was being turned off, and as she walked towards its edge and jumped, Lunafreya howled to the skies, offering a fierce promise. “We shall burn this world to ashes!”

The first one to toss herself, Lunafreya opened both her arms and allowed the organic armor to do its thing, the sole reason for its existence. A living being, directed with the purpose of serving its mistress as she used its cloak, now harsh as a dragon’s wings to fly over the skies towards their ‘patio’, not one bit far from Maliphant’s little party. Behind her their fell from heavens, storming the ground as demons sent from the depths of the Unlight wielding unholy vengeance. Igniting the blades on each of her hands, Lunafreya took a deep breath, allowing the pure air of Alderaan to fill her nostrils with lustful intents, at her side they were present, her loyal Daughters safely landed behind her. Followed by each of her most trusted beasts, Diabolico, Elgar, Palescales, Zozoped, and Morticon, with some of them drooling in enthusiastic bloodlust, as their claws rubbed the handles of their weaponry. A cunning twist took shape on her lean pink-ish lips as she grinned, relishing herself on the words prophecized for her so many years ago by the Immemorium: Destiny is all.

 

[Aaran Tafo]

Objective: Price of the Crown. Defend the Royal Family and Palace from invaders.
Opponents: Lunafreya Solidor letsa go.

Just once, Aaran would love it if he was in a situation where the overwhelming strength was on his side. Could he not get one time when he could have heavy hittens like Wyatt Morga and Coren Starchaser on his side to lay some smack down on his opponents? Apparently not, such was his life. Constantly finding himself in situations where he was both outnumbered and outmatched.

Thankfully, the human brain is excellent at normalising anything that it encounters. So while before such a situation would be terrifying for him. Now he was just so jaded to these things that he was hardly phased by it. Instead just looking at things from a more logical standpoint. This was Alderaan. One of the more high profile worlds in the Galactic Alliance. An attack like this would hardly go unnoticed. The Alliance was probably already mustering their ships while the local Planetary Defense Force were scrambling to respond to the attack. It was still a fairly well-defnded world. And during wartime, attacks like this were expected and contingencies were in place.

He did not have to beat them. Simply hold the line. And that was more than doable. Even with the rather sizeable gap in power.

Taking a breath to steady his nerves. He stepped out onto the balcony. His presence in clear view to both Lunafreya Solidor and Darth Empyrean both. His presene in the Force a shining beaon in an attempt to grab their attention. "Scuse me. Sir? Madam?" He called out, seemingly without fear as he felt several blasters turn in his direction, as to the non-Force Sensitives present. the young man simply appeared from thin air in the balcony above them. Dropping any concealment he was maintaining and allowing their minds to actually register he was present.

"If you're here to see the the Queen. She's currently doing an inspection of the prisons." He called out, his tone one of faux-politeness. One finger going to his chin. "So their schedule is a bit full at the moment." He commented, before his eyes lit up. Hand coming to the side of his face as he stage-whispered down to the assembled Sith and their minions. His voice still somehow clearly heard despite the distance. "Oh! but if you want. You guys can all come with me. I'll put you in a cell and you can wait there to surprise her. It'll be hilarious. Promise."

 

[Andien Gale]

Aboard The Ascension - Orbital Station
Alderaan System
Objective: Price of the Crown

Andien Gale was indeed home. After months aboard the Zephyr, she had been placed on administrative leave as the Admiralty debated about her court date for her actions at N'Zoth. Her record and status as an Alderaanian noble afforded her the benefit of simply being confined to her home system. It should have been a luxurious break from war.

She was out riding horses with her cousins in Organa-Solo Park when the station rocked. The artificial sun flickered for a moment sending the horses into a frenzy. Her cousin was thrown from her horse screaming. Her com beeped and when she pulled it from her jacket she was greeted by the red emergency light. She bit out a curse.

​

The situation was grim. Another new fleet of Sith warships had dropped out of hyperspace after what seemed like a terrible freak accident involving a freighter. The Alderaanian Defense Force was fighting as best they could, but up against a fleet of battlecruisers their vessels were lacking. The only reason they hadn't completely been wiped out was because of the Ascension's defenses and the local GA Fighter garrison. She had been granted access to the Ascension's command center and was aiding in the coordination. She was looking for any information on the ground situation. She'd already called for GA support but there was no telling how long it would take for them to get here.

"Control, patch me to House Organa." The delay was long but eventually they were linked.

"Lady Faith Organa , this is Commander Andien Gale of House Gale. Is the royal family safe?"

 

[Duke Kyle DeVoe]

It weren't as if they hadn't expected it to happen again. Their history with the sith seemed to be nothing short of a redux...

"Bombardment field optimization standing at 98.7% across the Northern hemisphere dropping to 74% below our projected envelope my Duke." the tactical engineer reported.

Duke Kyle DeVoe were amid another pointless sith attack on their sovereignty.
How wasteful of the empire's resources to attack a system with little resources, but only on the basis of some rhetorical sith principal that it stood for a beacon of light, he had once said. And here again most of Alderaan were going through the same drill that had been repeated so often, that it had become second nature to them.
The sith had become nothing more than a class 4 to 5 hurricane, if one were to compare to the level of devastation. But what were repeatedly destroyed by these vagabond siths?... silica...rock...steel? Their razing of their forests, the disruption of rivers and resulting floods, landslides...the darkening of skies from smoke and dust....what were they really totalling as a whole to this world?
They were after all just land, structures and forests.
Alderaan had been terra formed. The planet which had been for the most part barren, had been turned inside out like that of a field, plowed over on to itself and coaxed to sprout forests, grade land and then build structures...homes, palaces, and cities.

So what were the sith really doing to the planet itself? Very little in comparison to what Alderaani had done with it. Alderaan's history had been embraced as a beacon of resurrection.
So the sith were razing their land again.
And when these sith were done plowing, the Alderaani would once again plant and rebuild.
This had made their spirit strong as a whole. Stronger than any other nation or empire, for they were like the Phenix...they would always resurrect. Alderaani spirit could never be broken. Not by empires, nor by sith.

What mattered were lives, not cities. Cities were easily rebuilt. In many ways rebuilding stemmed growth, their economy and strengthened their resiliency. These were the Duke's thoughts. Then again, Duke Kyle DeVoe, an Alderaani by bloodline were more than just a mere aristocrat.

"Have all outposts maintain present pulse modulation of batteries, and relay to the interceptors that they remain at ready command" He instructed. He were not going to launch a counter attack. Not just yet, no. It were what he knew the sith expected. He were not going to open up the skies for more rain...not till most of the population were safe from fall out...sith strafe fire and bombings.
Alderaan were under protocol...at least most of Alderaan under his jurisdiction. number one priority at the present time were to get the majority of the population in safe havens. Those whom were in remote isolated districts would be tended to by reservists...one among them, his daughter Marina DeVoe .

Faith Organa

 

[Dresta]

Spoiler: Equipment + Ships

+ Bowcaster

• Lava Crystal Lightsaber
• 3 Khan Class Star Destroyers
• 1 Kanasaza-class Heavy Cruiser
• 6 Kitsana-class Boarding Corvettes
• 20 Multipurpose Gunships
• 12 Assault Gunships
• 12 Nox Class Raider Corvettes

This invasion of Alderaan. Targeting it for the civilian populace. How did this contribute to the Sith war effort? Dresta had disagreed with the Darth Acharon’s decision to attack Alderaan, though not openly. This would not benefit them when they came to conquer the world. The Alderaanians would only despise them for butchering their people, harming their economy, and taking away the happiness they had found within what they thought was the protective presence of the Galactic Alliance. However, Lord Dresta hoped to distinguish herself, and had yet to actually speak out against any of her fellow Sith. She had not calculated the best way to get what she wanted just yet. Besides, she hoped that a good performance of her naval command would see a reward for herself. She wanted one of these Khan-class destroyers, or all of them. She was imagining all three of them surviving. They could be added to her fleet. And so far, there were no enemy ships to compete with her.

Dresta looked to the command console to her right, the wookiee leaning that direction as she noticed that one of the ships, the Rose, had not taken to achieving their firing orders yet even as her vessels opened fire. The 3 Khan-class star destroyers joined the Kanasaza-class heavy cruiser as well as various gunships and corvettes in targeting the civilian and military population below. There was even a ground attack squadron tasked with targeting military operations. A pair of starfighters had broken off to attack a Jedi on the ground. The lead took aim, while the other remained as back up, and opened fire with its laser cannons.

Twenty multipurpose attack gunships would strafe military posts and attack reinforcement convoys looking to enter the city, as well as ships looking to exit it. The information from the ground battle would be sent to a control room onboard the Imnothep, the ship that Dresta had chosen as her command vessel.

”Open communications to the Rose.” She said.

”Yes, my Lord.” A communications officer on the bridge said.

”This is the Imnothep.” She spoke in Shryiook, but the console would translate it to Galactic Basic.

”Why has your vessel not opened fire yet?” She asked.

When the Byss ships entered the battlefield, she would look up as vessels exited hyperspace, feeling their crew nearby, and a crewmember informed the rest of the bridge shortly asking for orders. Dresta furrowed her brows. She reached out with the Force. These were not friendly. The massive enemy ship leading them With her fighter squadrons deployed, boarding corvettes available - but not readied - Nox-class raider corvettes paired with the Khan-class vessels as anti-starfighter ships, one at the rear of every vessel within the formation, one in the middle of the formation, and one on the space-facing sides of the ships outside of the formation for a total of 7 Nox-class raider corvettes at the ready while others were in the atmosphere and 7 assault gunships on the space-faring sides of the ships outside the formation, Dresta felt ready.

She ordered for the 7 assault gunships to enter within their firing range of the enemy vessel. Once they were, two of them would open fire with their oversized powerful hypervelocity cannons. The powerful cannons would be free of ammunition soon, and the assault gunships would have to retreat. She ordered for the 3 star destroyers and their escort to rise while the Ilum - her Kanasaza-class heavy cruiser - to stay back to bombard the world.

Once her long-range weapons her within range of the enemy ships, she would open fire. She would stay outside of the range of traditional weapons, allowing her star destroyers to engage with their 5 (each) Covenant hypervelocity cannons and heavy Hellbore class energy torpedoes.

Dresta, though, was uncertain of the approach of the Rose. She looked to her command console for information. Was it lagging behind?

”Send a communique Darth Acharon. An enemy flotilla has arrived. Two star destroyers, one… much larger vessel. We are moving to intercept.”

@Marlan Sularen Bast'rom'arosti

 

[Darth Acharon]

The Desolation of Alderaan was progressing exactly as Acharon had calculated. "Desolation...is that a good word for this action, Commander?" The question was directed to an Ailaran military officer standing across the holotable from the Sith warrior. The man looked up briefly from the constantly shifting simulated projection of the warzone. The man let a small smile cross his face, shrugging past the question before focusing his mind back on the battle. Grunting, Acharon shook his head and leaned back away from the holotable.

"I think Desolation is a good word." His internal debate on the proper name for a uncalled for and unwarranted assault on a civilian world aside, Acharon did think things were going according to his pre-engagement calculations. The pirates that made up a large portion of the naval detachment had been annoyed when they encountered stronger resistance than originally planned. The pirates, for the most part, had been expecting this to be a quick in and out job. In between killing a few of them for annoying him, Acharon had tried to explain that Alderaan would not be a lightly defended world. The Galactic Alliance, for which Alderaan was part of, were currently at war with the Sith Empire. Any nation on a war footing would not merely leave any world fully undefended. Especially one that had a long history with his kind.

But while the pirates grumbled, the Empire of Ailaran forces did their duty. Acharon had brought twenty thousand soldiers from his personal Empire, each one well drilled and ready to do what they must. While the pirates found the defenses of Alderaan a nuisance, the Ailarans found it a refreshing challenge. Acharon turned his head away from the table as one of those very troopers entered the command tent, saluting his Emperor briefly before delivering his report. "Majesty, the Star Destroyers are leaving."

The command tent became noticeably after the troopers were were registered, and all eyes turned to Acharon as he stood there. His entire body was covered, from the helmet and cloth covering his head to the long black combat robes he wore over his armor, but all present could tell the Sith was fuming in rage. In a flash of movement, Acharon shot his hand upwards and flung it to the side, sending the command tent they were in flying away. Above Aldera, the Star Destroyer Acharon had brought was beginning to leave its position, angling up towards the void of space above.

"Who gave them orders to..." The words died in Acharon's mouth as he felt the sudden arrival of presence he had felt once before. His gloved hands slowly clenched into fists as he stared at the retreating form of the Star Destroyer. Beside him, the holotable let out a strangled cry of screeching metal as it suddenly caved in on itself, sending a wave of sparks out and showering the officers around the table who jumped backwards from their Emperor's sudden display of emotion. "Dresta..."

Glancing back at the officers, Acharon barked out a single order to them which sent them rushing down the small hill he had originally put his command post on. Whatever the flea covered Wookie Sith thought she was accomplishing here today by stealing his ships and crippling his combat capabilities, he did not know. The audacity of her actions, to simply arrive, and without even checking with the leader of this operation, take his fleet... He would deal with Dresta another day, but for now, he had to complete the task he was originally given.

Opening a direct link to one of the Ailaran Field Officers currently in the city, Acharon began issuing new orders. "Begin surrounding the residential district and eradicate anyone who gets in the way. Ensure that you capture one thousand children and get them away from the fighting with them. The Worm Emperor has need of them. I do not care what happens to the rest." He cut the line then, not waiting for his officers reply before he began to walk towards the city. One of the earlier reports had told Acharon of the presence of a Jedi somewhere in the city. He was not sure he could beat the man, but Acharon needed to let off some steam.

He would find the Jedi Iroh Gedari and challenge him.

Andien Gale Aaran Tafo Leea Pandac Dresta Duke Kyle DeVoe

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"Did you feel it?" Marina asked with a big hearty smile.
Ami, one of the 64 school children she airlifted from Cloverfield Meadow grammar school had been apprehensive about leaving her school and boarding on a strange ship with a strange woman. She had never met Marina and no amount of convincing from her teacher Miss Hailey had persuaded Ami in getting on board. But boarding she had to do and with little wasted time. She had cried for her mother. A mom whom could not at the time get to her school as she were whisked off by other reservists like marina in an effort to evacuate and shelter all non-essential personnel to safe havens.

But Marina had a way with children. Well, it weren't really a way, as her persona and friendliness outright emanated naturally. As the other children boarded, along with the teacher and aid, marina offered Ami her hand and welcomed her to check out her nifty ship. It was called the Mariner IV, she explained to the little girl. All her classmates and teacher along with Miss Leila (the teacher's aid) were boarding. And they were going on a special trip. Even Marina's droid RU-TK1213 came down the ramp beeping and chirping, twirling his dome and flashing it's lights like a Simon light game. It made Ami laugh and eased her anxiety and fear.
"Come... I'll show you how fast it can fly..." Marina said.
No, it were no boast. The young DeVoe, the duke's daughter was a natural... one of the best pilots that anyone had no idea of. One who would meet marina would come to believe she were a ditz...a typical happy-go-lucky blonde. But in so many ways, that's what made many underestimate her abilities and resolve.

"...and you'll even be able to feel the moment we go beyond supersonic.." She weren't kidding as even through the lower atmosphere the Mariner Iv could be pushed past mach-10. Although under normal peace time, she were forbidden to do such ludicrous flights due to the damaging sonic booms at low altitude.
But hey, these were no peaceful times and going ultra sonic over sith troops did a good job at shaking and rattling them up... unexpectedly. Hell, at those speeds, Marina had taken out swarms of sith wasps, blasting them apart as she hit past them at over Mach-10. But that is another story...

As it may, Ami did board the Mariner IV holding fast Marina's hand.
And the little girl, along with the two full class of children and staff that Marina evacuated (other reservists evacuated more classes) did go and feel when the Mariner IV tore through the atmosphere, past sith fighter and other interceptors, disappearing from sight within one of Alderaan's mountain pass. in short, no time had been lost as Ami and Marina were the last to bard and last to disembark ...safely under one of the many undisclosed granite stone mountain havens.

Marina remained kneeled before Ami, as her classmates filed out.
"See... I said it were going to be a quick trip. Now I must go, Ami. You remain here with your friends and teachers. I must go and bring more children to safe havens." She said, as it were now time for her to fetch more evacuees...namely and prioritizing school children first.

Ami nodded, understanding that this woman with blond hair was a good person. She then asked what her name was.
"Marina... Marina DeVoe. I'll be seeing you again, Ami. You don't have to be afraid no more."

 

[Bast'rom'arosti]

Aboard the Hapan Rose || Current Station: Weapons Officer Commanding Officer

Darth Acharon | Dresta | Marlon Sularen

...

The blaster bolt rang true and stuck home in that instant. The smell of ion residue made Troma scrunch his nose in disgust, and the heat-smoke listing from the barrel made him squint when peering down at Captain Dystra's motionless form. The command bridge was utterly silent. Not a single breath was exhaled in the seconds following - until a shuffle of boots drew his attention away from the once noble Imperial officer. A squad of Imperial Navy commandos were approaching with rifles raised and ready, all of their barrels trained upon Lieutenant Troma. The Chiss officer regarded them with a scarlet glare before promptly dropping the murder weapon.

He shouted as he raised his hands, "Attention on the deck! Your former commanding officer, Captain Anina Dystra, has been summarily executed after refusing to carry out lawful orders given by Darth Acharon and, in extension, the Emperor himself. I have three dozen witnesses that both heard and observed my delivery of the Emperor's justice."

Troma stood at the fore of the command bridge, slowly lowering his hands until they came to lightly clasp behind his back; a perfect parade rest. Not a single sound had been made so far - he still heard his declaration echo. Gunnery deck officers stared at him with mouths agape, signals intelligence crewmen balked with wide eyes, and he assumed even the helmeted commandos were struck with apprehension.

He was in the right.

"Have your squad lower their weapons, Corporal." He ordered, and they did so. "Your commanding officer is dead. Your executive officer is on leave on Serenno. Your intel and security officer is currently planetside acting as a liaison for close air strikes. As weapons officer, the reins of command fall within my grasp. Is there anyone here that would see me thrown into the brig? Is there anyone else that craves the weight of command?"

He paused. Let that sink in.

Even as the battle raged on just outside of those glasteel viewports. TIE fighters squealed through the upper atmosphere as they directed their attention towards the emerging GADF fleet. The Hapan Rose had still yet to even fire a single shot since they'd dropped from hyperspace. While their assault forces had certainly departed to land on Alderaan, there was little else the fleet could do to support Darth Acharon and his troops. If they lose space superiority, those boots on the ground were as good as dead.

"I thought not," Troma shifted his weight evenly, "Carry out these orders in quick succession. Helmsman, rotate the Rose until our superstructure is facing the incoming GADF fleet. Divert all aft shield power to weapons. Once rotated, I want every orbital cannon firing on Lord Acharon's targets with extreme prejudice. Hold position and ready yourselves for battle. Execute!"

...

The bridge was now a flurry of motion and barked orders as the Hapan Rose's crew desperately tried to hasten the speed of orders being executed. Despite being quite a few minutes late to the jump, Troma imagined the additional orbital cannon support would be a boon to the boys on the ground. Better late than never.

"Sir!" A voice called out above the din of hurried officers, "Incoming transmission from the Imnothep! Orders?"

"Ignore it. Tell them it was jammed."

The ensign gave him a worried look until Troma's gaze hardened. "Aye, sir." He had more important business to tend to.

Lieutenant Troma turned to face the Navy Commandos that had remained on the bridge, no doubt wary of repeat display of open treason or mutiny. The faceless, stalwart troopers sidled over once the Chiss officer beckoned for them to do so. He needed to move a body.