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Icarus had barely taken a step off the ramp of his ship when he found himself with a face full of blaster as the guardians of the cave opening rushed over to intercept him. He raised his hands higher and called, "I come in peace," over the din of the men shouting orders at him. He was shoved unceremoniously against the hull of his ship -- still warm from re-entry -- and frisked. The blaster he kept strapped to his thigh was pulled away over his strong protestation. "Hey! Easy!" he muttered, his words deformed by the manner in which his face was pressed to the hull of the ship. He could only imagine how badly they were mussing his attractive dark brown locks.
"If you check my inside jacket pocket," he said, trying to look over his shoulder at the guard whose palm was pressing his head to the metal, "You'll find my identification card. I'm Icarus Volcata of the Mara-Perlemian Trade Council Armed Forces. I'm on a mercy mission -- I've got rations, medical supplies, and defense equipment in my ship. The code is one one three eight. Let go," he finally said, wriggling free of the man's grasp before hisskull cracked under the pressure.
"I'm here to help," he said, keeping his left arm raised while his right hand pulled his ID from his pocket. Which one of these people are in charge? he wondered, dark eyes casting around for a moment. His eyes alit upon a slim brunette entering from another part of the cave, clearly entering with purpose. As she approached, Icarus wordlessly held out his identification, hoping against all hope that [member="Kira Vaal"] didn't take it and toss it aside, and then glanced to the side at the guards holding their blasters on him.
"Ship's not going to unload itself, you know," he quipped irritably.
Ava "Goldilocks" Cartwright had been brought in as a last minute replacement pilot for the lost soul who previously held the callsign Black Eight. The golden blonde hence the nickname given her while with the Ralltiiri Underground had barely enough time to don a rebel orange flight suit and get out onto the flight deck before Black Squadron launched - destination Anzat to aid the Silver Jedi against the Sith Empire.
Coming out of hyperspace in orbit over the Mid Rim planet, Black Leader, Captain [member="Kira Jax"], issued the squadron their initial mission parameters. Ava gave a double click, then waited for Two Flight Leader to chime in with further instructions for their foursome.
"Second flight, prepare to lock S-foils in attack position," promoted to lieutenant due to his extensive combat experience, he wasn't used to doing so much talking on mission or at all really, "Follow my lead, and stay with your wingman."
[ Copy that, Five. ] Goldie keyed back over the flight's frequency to [member="Arix Askrima"]'s order; her snubfighgter's S-foils expanding into the scissor cross formation that the iconic X-wing was named for as she maneuvered to her wingman position on Black Seven's tail.
It made her more nervous than normal not have at least introduced herself to [member="Dalo Darmal"] more than a nod before their departure. Ava had no idea who this pilot was or what his story curtailed or more so how he flew. The best wing pairs spent hours flying together either in sims or real time. She hoped that a chance would be given to them to do just that... Force willing, neither would bite the big one here today. Though, that was the life of a starfighter pilot with the odds stacked against them even if they were good.
[ Seven. Eight... Got your back. No worries. ] the flight officer communicated over their wing pair, ship to ship channel.
Sensors were negative for enemy fighters up top, but seems they were needed ground side to give cover to the allied forces. Again, Eight just double clicked Black Leader, then stood her X-wing up on its starboard stabilizer and dove with the rest of the squadron including [member="Chaff"] and [member="Callum Rioux"] to the surface below.
Marl had been in the hangar making sure that the transports were primed and ready for an aerial assault. The hangar was busy with pilots and soldiers rushing to get to their designated spots, even the troop transport technicians seemed to be in more of a hurry than usual. Marl, with a datapad in his hand, worked on making sure that everything was perfect. As he checked off the last transport’s life support systems everything was ready for the assault on Anzat. If he had missed anything there was a good chance that this operation was going to be a success. He walked quickly while double checking his work on the hangar, a good soldier always works towards perfection in any situation. After checking in with each squad leader that the men were ready at a moments notice, he went over to Valkren and his squad.
“Good day, sir.” Marl said throwing up a salute. “The men are ready and the transports are at a hundred percent.” Marl said proudly. “Watch your six down there.”
The Ablution was the backbone of the fleet it led. Its evident presence in space tore through the stars like a wrecking ball of destruction. It always had. Even in the older years of its abuse. Still, she remained. She was a Pluton-Class Battleship created in the days of the Sith-Mandalorian war. It rarely saw use until the current Sith Empire deemed it so. The ship refused to be a distant memory and it proved its usefulness many times over. The spacious oval that encompassed the bridge of the ship surrounded the crew members on board. The key influence stood at its center demanding her crew to adjust the pitch and yaw of her lovely lady, Ablution.
It turned out that [member="Vanessa Vantai"] was a strategic soul. Her orders were ushered in unison as everything unfolded. The vicious cycle that was space warfare expunged any hope for a good day over the battle of Anzat. Among the bridge with her was a towering figure. The bulky frame of his came from adjustments before the ship maneuvered into the perfect spot over the planet of Anzat. The equipment he wore was for safety measures in case the Rad Troopers had an accident or worse dealt with boarders. It was a state of the art Agrinium Rad-Exoskeleton that swallowed the mysterious sith's midsection. Although it was hidden from the naked eye, Orion clearly was conscious of the contraption on him. He knew resistance would show, the question was when.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, an unknown fleet warped into their frame of space. The silent glide that tore through space as the opposition approached made Orion smile. The chrome mask that always hid his expressions in battle continued to do just that. He was a menacing figure if nothing else and while the exoskeleton was uncomfortable he felt great. His eyes scrambled back and forth from crew member to crew member. They all in one synchronized way, kept everyone alive, for now. Vanessa Vantai dealt with the newcomers quickly, adjusting the weapons and contacting the fleet under her command like a chess master.
Orion's eyes narrowed, the force shaking his mind with a disturbing annoyance. It was clear that other force sensitives were among the ships that recently appeared. Orion snapped into action as he touched the screen behind him while standing. He watched closely as the screen shifted to the newcomers, few ships outside of his view. They had blind spots, for such a big ship there was a lot to protect besides those in it. To remain functional, Ablution needed to be serviced with repairs and constantly checked on. It was running in peek performance over the course of its journey, allowing the enemy to get the best of it would be a disaster. He tapped lightly on the screen, it zoomed in as a small pod stretched off the screen.
Minutes went by and the rattle that echoed into the back end of the ship sounded like a cannon. Orion looked back at the screen after he shifted some coordinates over to the other crew members. His emerald jewels for eyes widened in shock. He went to turn and inform the rest, but a blaring alarm rang through the Pluton-class Battleship. The alarm drowned out his voice. He looked to Vanessa, like a stone he waited for the motion. a light wave gave him the go ahead. He tapped on the screen one last time and inspected the damage. The aft section of the ship had been compromised. The damage was critical. Worse, signs of lifeforms were present inside.
Orion slammed his palm onto the keys below before swiping the screen away. He pointed at a young female across from him and ordered it.
"Send the Rad Troops to the lower level of the ship! We've got company."
Orion quickly exited the bridge and made his way to the center of the ship. The bright red sirens continued to flash throughout the winding corridors. Nothing about this was good. He meandered around a bending corner and found the ramp to a lower level. He stopped before descending, a tiny screen blinking at him on the wall. The tiny scrolling letters spelled out 'WARNING' as a camera stilled on a Droch Pod.
The invaders were already on board. Unlucky for them, the Ablution would never fall in their hands. Orion would make sure of it, whether they bled or not.
Garland Kramer awoke suddenly from his post in the fabricated garrison base aboard the Ablution. He had been hired by [member="Vanessa Vantai"] to keep her enormous ship safe during its voyage. He was mostly there as a precaution, but as the alarms rang out and the warning lights flashed, it was apparent that she had made the right decision. On screen displays showed that the aft section of the ship had been hit and he sensed a small squadron of invaders had already boarded. They would be there shortly and he needed to prepare for the upcoming battle.
Garland was known as a renowned Beast-lord among the sith ranks, and he took great pride in his work. His ability to control many a beast was a sight to behold. The smallest of critters to the mightiest of behemoths fell to his will. His force powers were that of incredible force, while his age and mechanical limbs made him a weak melee combatant. He could hear others approaching from the front of the ship, no doubt other individuals that were there to help defend the warship in peril. He focused and cleared his mind. The sound of the sirens drifted away as he projected his power to the large crate next to him.
The crate shook with immense force, a roar exploded from within. One of his prize tames was ready to fight by his side, the enemy wouldn't know what hit them. He readied his lightsaber and waited for the enemy to make their way to him. A smile crossed his face, after all, the game was about to begin.
The stars were mesmerizing to look at from the starship's window. When asked to help with "a little job," Jayce never imagined that the view could be so breathtaking. He had traveled the galaxy, ever since he was eighteen years old, but the stars, they always surprised him. Gleaming like diamonds in the night. It was a peaceful thought to have before the battle would erupt, thrown into the jaws of chaos once more. The words twisted in his head, over and over again. "Just a little job." [member="Orion Darkstar"] had recruited the young Grey Jedi to help protect a ship. For what, he wondered. It could be simple, go from point A to point B, done. [member="Vanessa Vantai"] is regarded as an amazing captain, a truly brilliant strategist, at least, from what Orion has told him. To Jayce, she was another Sith Lord, which could mean trouble.
He was in his private quarters, the last moments of peace ticking by. Before joining the crew and the RAD Troopers, he was told that he would need to wear something extra. An Agrinium Rad-Exoskeleton, which was located down on the lower levels. Catching a glimpse of it earlier, Jayce knew right away, this thing was going to slow him down. The bulky shoulders, the mechanical workings of the legs, it just looked awful. Still, it beat dying to radiation. His knee bumped into the bed, the tiny sleeping area gave little to the imagination. It was sleep and fighting to the people of this ship, that was the purpose of this room, rest and nothing more. Feeling a bit cramped, the young man found himself in need of a walk. Propping his oil-colored boot onto the bed, he strung them up nice and tight, spit on the toecap and rubbed it in, repeating the process on the other side.
Leaving his quarters, he noticed some unrest among members of the crew. Something had spooked them, which meant it was going to get worse. While descending the steps of the mighty battle cruiser, Jayce felt a disturbance in the force. This was not looking good.
Reaching the cargo hold, the Grey Jedi saw the exoskeleton. The big hulking mess was just asking to be destroyed, just sitting out in the open. Strapping himself in, he felt a tightness around his throat, something that usually happened when he was nervous. While he clicked in the belts, he heard laughter. His head darted from side to side, looking for the culprit. The young man's mind had been playing tricks on him again. Something he believed to be over. Suited up, the mighty battle ship shook. The exo almost fell to the ground, but Jayce composed himself, setting one of the thick metal boots right in front, another in back. Alarms going off, it was time to protect and serve.
The exoskeleton was a bit stiff at first, but slowly became easier to manipulate to his will. The first step was complete, now, it was time to find Orion.
The roar of the X-Wings above forced Stephanie to turn and look up the skies, and she couldn’t help smile softly at the sight of ordinary men and woman and species from across the galaxy doing their bit. The Silver Jedi really were just a small cog in the machine of good – the Light brought them together, and together is where they would stay.
Wisps of her brown fringe hung over her brow, the new short hair she sported a radical difference to her previous long locks. The experience at Malachor V had more than changed her. Shaking her head, she looked back to the ground level and called up [member="Elijah King"] on her com.
”On the ground ready to move forward and tie up with any Rangers we find.”
She ran forward and crouched behind a drop-ship.
”I think I see the markings of one [member="Valkren Calderon"] and his unit ship coming in, which is good. I’ll try to help them forward.”
Letting go of the relay switch, she pocketed the com, wincing as her skin stretched on her abdomen and hurting the marks under her robes. Stephanie rested her brow on the cold metal of the hull she was behind and heard them again over the battle in the distance. The thunder; the howling; the screams.
She sagged a little against the hull and kept her eyes shut tight and fought the nightmare as best she could.
Kilrys plunged his vibrosword into the gut of a soldier, watching the man squeal in pain brought a smile to Kilrys lips. Spinning around he slashed at another's throat. War brought him focus, it was something his hunger didn't try and overwhelm him during it. Peace was found when he was killing others, but it also meant he could find an enemy to hone his skills with. However, these soldiers weren't skilled enough to handle someone with Anzat speed and training, they fell to easily to his blade. It made the killing boring in a small way, not enough to make him stop though.
A Jedi. A Jedi was the real enemy he wanted to fight. Someone with real training. Someone who could cope with his predatory abilities. An opponent worth bragging about defeating. Using the Force, he blasted a soldier at point blank range, firing them at another two soldiers behind them. His keen eyes caught the sight of a crouching Jedi, the robes gave away their identity. He smirked as he moved through the battle with elegance towards his new opponent.
"Ah, proof that the Jedi are truly cowards. You hide while others die on this world. Weakness that you have infected my people with." Kilrys snarled darkly, his proboscises flickered angrily.
Laira was not expecting the vessel to be so, well old. Instant disgust plastered her face as she exited the Droch-class boarding ship with the other four members of their team, Shamira and Julius doing whatever while her and Elpsis would focus on wanton destruction and damaging the vessel as a distraction for anything the other two wanted to do. Taking control was hardly the plan for the team. Such a vessel would require way more people than four.
She flicked on her field disruptor and began looking for a target. Something on the wall said 'Danger' so she sprayed the panel down with the ionized wave from the Thunderclap carbine she carried. If the Sith Engineers bothered to put a warning label on something, that thing was worth destroying in one way or another. With the Thunderclap, a handful EMP grenades, and four lightsabers between them the four could cause a lot of damage to a ship with just physical weapons. Nothing to say of the Force. Perhaps that is why Command asked for every team member to be from the Remnant.
"Its not just you, hun. This thing is..." She trailed off, noting the faded paint, old trim, and otherwise worn look. "This thing has to be older than both of us combined. This does not count as a date. I'm not having my name attached to 'a date on this old shipwreck'." The redhead turning her nose up at the ship's interior decorator. For shame!
"Come on, Elpsis. Let's go find a maintenance tunnel to drop a couple of EMP grenades down. Maybe we can play with an auxiliary reactor or something." As she skipped down the hallway she randomly sprayed the ceiling with her Thunderclap, its ionized wave acting much like a flame thrower of ion energy and directed emp pulse, killing the lights above them. RAD Troopers and some others were on their way to keep them from taking over the ship, so it was about the time for the two, possibly sociopathic, redheads to stealth up and start tearing up the vessel little by little.
"Hey, it was your idea to have a date on a Space Hulk, babe. You better make it up to me," Elpsis said with exaggerated mock disgust. Even the empath could tell that the ship was old...and she was blind. She could smell the paint though. Also it just occured to this one that all of Elpsis' and Laira's dates involved violence in some way.
Admittedly it had been accidental on Manaan, since they had not asked the giant sea monster to show up and eat beachgoers. Also Elpsis counted that fun episode where she and Taryc tried to drown Ren with lava on Mustafar as a date. For someone who was ostensibly lightsided and a generally nice person to be around, Elpsis was quite violent. Maybe they needed a normal date, where they did normal teenage girl things...
Eh, whatever. They had a job to do: Blow up stuff and make witty quips. "Anyway, let's get going," she said in affirmative when Laira suggested going for a maintenance tunnel and mucking up a reactor. While Laira put out the lights and sprayed anything that looked somewhat important with her Thunderclap, Elpsis focused on other things. Drawing upon her Force Sight, she identified power conduits and the like. Her pyromancy flared to life and she flooded them with blazing heat, melting them almost instantaneously. Lights that Laira might have missed went out, too. After all, she used the Force to see, so the the lack of illumination did not bother her anyway.
Stephanie heard a voice, and knew without looking it was one obscured in a distorted aura of hate, loathing and the corruption of the Dark Side. Another Sith.
His words took a moment to settle in; the rawest form of words she could hear right now about being infection, cowardice, weakness. That is how they saw those who were simply none of those things, because THEY are the infected ones. THEY are the cowards. THEY are weak. And how best to deny the failings of the Sith? Push them onto those who stand taller.
But right now Stephanie didn’t care for any of that. This was another Sith goading her, and they had picked the wrong time to goad her indeed.
Stephanie looked out from her cowl and turned to the Sith, slowly standing and shaking the brown robe away. There, her old Hapan cream tunic could be seen and also the state it was in. Stained black and brown from ash and dirt. A large dry crimson blood stain on her abdomen, a tear in the fabric revealed a large gauze across her flesh.
The look in her eyes was defiant. The short hair made her look somehow unpredictable and rebellious compared to what she used to look like before. Fingers gripped the hilt and ignited the blue blade which she span around and around in her right arm like a windmill slowly.
”You think we are cowards? I’ll show you a coward!”
Then Stephanie she cried out as the momentum increased with the blade, and she ran forward for an all out attack on the Sith before her.
Ablution trembled, lights flickered for a moment and Calina stepped back from her post as red warning lights flashed throughout. She glanced up at them and then at the technician working next to her with a questioning look. “Intruders.” he answered.
“Where?”
“Lower decks, aft section.”
Calina nodded, set down the datapad, removed her headset and rose, heading for the door. “Where are you going?” the technician called “These reports will take hours.”
“The reports will be useless if they and this sip are destroyed by intruders.”
“What makes you think they’ve come to destroy the Ablution?”
Calina didn’t grace him with an answer, sweeping from the room and heading for the nearest turbolift. It was precisely what she would have done if the tables were turned and she was boarding a vessel. While she’d quietly enjoyed listening to inbound reports from Anzat’s surface and the failings of the Empire, self preservation took priority.
The turbolift shuddered to a halt, but the doors did not open. The Emperor's apprentice frowned, reaching out in the force to push the door open. The corridor ahead of her was dark, sparks erupted from trashed lighting and melted wires. A trail of wanton destruction. Pointless, inefficient and a waste of resources. She stepped out, reaching out with the force to locate the intruders. Lightsaber slid, unlit, into her hand and her steps were light as she followed the trail.
Kilrys watched as the woman stood and launched herself into their attack. Already being wounded and in pain, Kilrys smirked, this being was suffering and he could use her pain to his advantage. Having feasted on soup not long ago, his reflexes were faster than the average being, his mind sharper and this allowed him to dodge the strikes she attempted with inhuman speed. Although several times the lightsaber came closer than he would have liked.
"You attack but not in anger, you are holding it back. Making yourself weak by bottling your emotions. The pain you feel, the anger, use it. Let it sharpen your attacks. Release what you feel inside you. I have survived more than two centuries than you, do you think I did not learn how to fight?" Kilrys taunted as he stepped around, his feet sure footed in their movements. "My people are skilled in combat, we learn from when we can walk how to fight and kill. You need to strike with more than what you have so far to worry me girl."
Kilrys then launched forward, his vibrosword a blur of motion as he moved it around, slashing at her head. Distracting her with his sword in one hand, he sent a clenched fist into her abdomen's wound. Assured if it would land he would have a definite upperhand.
As he walked behind the other two, he watched them work and nodded contently. The landing was a bit rough, but he would survive. Dusting off his fatigues, he checked the old military style great-coat was unharmed, and then pulled out his lightsaber, igniting the silver-green blade with a sibilant hiss. And, promptly after that he began dancing and whirling almost, seeming to attack the corridors they traversed. Julius got a sign that mentioned something about a hyperdrive control systems panel some way down and split off from the group with a merry hum, still slicing coolant hoses, support struts, guard rails, scomp uplinks and access terminals and anything that looked vaguely important or useful for the battlecruiser. In the end, it wouldn't cripple the vessel, but whatever the Sith might have tried to repair down here was rapidly seeing an uptick in manpower and time thanks to him and his antics.
A smile that was almost grim spread across his face as he advanced towards his goal. You destroy the uplink console between the ship and the hyperdrive, and well the bridge couldn't tell it to engage anymore. Destroy enough of the access terminals and you'd have to be right at the console. And, chuckling as he lobbed a few blaster dispersing grenades down random angles, that wouldn't be wise if he were waiting there and had rigged the entire console with explosives and EMPs and other nasties. Really, it would be almost like walking into a trap, and that is how resistances worked. Overpower a superior enemy with cunning, tricks, and tenacity. And, well, that was something that he was pretty exceptionally good at. And had been his whole life.
"Oh come now all you lasses and ladies, oh come now all ye proud dock women, your prince has come home to roost..." he sang as he destroyed, the old corellian sea shanty springing to mind. Onlookers might even seeing him skipping about on occasion, clearly enjoying the mission.
"Reckless pride, fueled by self-righteousness." A male voice, monotonous and demonic, traveled from Leira's mouth. In the depths of hyperspace, Vereshin removed his pen from the final equation to rise from his seat. Frustration boiled into his chest as the machine of Leira closed over his presence and fought against him. With his hands placed on his desk, he pulled himself out of his chair and began to pace, abandoning the mathematics to focus on pure force. The Jedi Knight tested his patience and brought him out into the fray. Vereshin dominated Leira completely and delivered his voice into her words.
"This child belongs to me, Jedi. Your light cannot save her." The voice called to Ronin and violet energy emanated from Leira's body, encircling her shape and surrounding her with Vereshin's essence. Unbridled darkness took the place of her conflict and pushed the boundaries of her mind to farthest depths of the void. "There is no conflict." He stated resoundingly in response to Ronin, the soft voice dripping in malice. "But in you... I sense a darkness waiting to be harnessed." Vereshin poured his essence into the words and spoke long into Ronin's gaze. "Surrender, Jedi, or this little girl will suffer greatly." On the final note, Vereshin would cause Leira's body to heat and her wrists to contort and bend.
The Sith sorcerer delivered images of indescribable horror into Ronin's mind, delivering into his thoughts the same fear he subjected to Leira. Excruciating static coursed through his ears at a high pitched frequency over a grainy slideshow portraying visions of abhorrent carnage and pain. "Watching you believe you had a chance has amused me. Now give in and allow the darkness to take hold." The voice projected amidst the psychological vision, which came to an abrupt end with the final word.
Then it came ...the mysterious dark puppet master behind the veil which thought he'd no less expected. Had somehow thru whatever means trigger in him an unexpected response. Of slight sliver of hate and unknown sense of dread as the male voice. Monotonous and seem harmless as it was carried with it a seem dark undercurrent of malevolent demonic undertone. One which for the life of him he had not know yet seem struck a raw nerve or cord in him that for a moment.
"This child belongs to me, Jedi. Your light cannot save her."
He falters and seems to be taken back just enough that the resonating wave of darkness that slowly began reaching out.As he began to try mouth a reply. In the effects that this was not true....that she was not his to own and that he could save her much as he was able to do so for himself.
"There is no conflict."
Feign tentacles quivered to brush slowly but intently at his very thought and a protective shell that he tried hard to keep around him. Learn from rigorous hard training with the healer who thought he had or could not make himself admit it. Had for a time till now been a sort part mask he hid his true self from the others. One who saves a few including that of his former Master for whose guidance and had his unfaltering fealty to till death still rang true.
"But in you... I sense a darkness waiting to be harnessed."
That it somehow put such a strain on him to even think about at that point in time that. It somehow let itself slip and had seem not been lost to the darkness that held the one he was facing. One whose voice seems to slowly shift to a softer and oh so tempting tone that in his state could have sworn it sounded so much like that of his former Master. Driving his mind to rebel and rage at the very thought as conflict shifted from the physical battlefield to that of something far worse. One which he seemingly was ill prepared to fight and lead to him drop to one knee as he barely held on. Which seem not been lost to the SIth as he began moving in with such ferocity that he could all but not seem to be able to speak.
"Surrender, Jedi or this little girl will suffer greatly."
ANd in his mind, only able utter out a menacing growl as thought lingers in his mind of the things. Imagine or not of the vile and utter depraved images of her contorting and writhing form. As with every cries, a whimper of pain and tears shed only compound to enrage him more so than anything else. Till such time barely hold back the beast that lay within....the shell or shadow of the man for time being he became. And with it, the dark yet shadowy form of the Master as his mind fell back to those dark times. Where in the SIth with his own dark sorcery began delivered images of indescribable horror into his mind, thru the slight break his attack had cause seem to deliver into his thoughts the same mirror fear he subjected to her (Leira). As excruciating static coursed through his ears accompanied by high pitched frequency over a grainy slideshow portraying visions of abhorrent carnage and pain. That it drew him into such a frenzied state he really was at a loss for a moment as to where or who he was. As with a sliver of a smile at the broken shadow of himself. That his dark heart fuel nurtured, borne of and created in him by the past. Came to the surface cause him to launch forward and before he knew it come to wrap his hand around her neck. Choke the evil his mind and eye foresaw as the voice came mock as it did ring true in his ears.
"Watching you believe you had a chance has amused me. Now give in and allow the darkness to take hold."
And as the last vestiges of the voice dissipated into amidst the psychological vision. That no sooner had it came so to an abrupt end with the final word. Dissipate like Myst or rainfall from passing storm that as he opens his eyes that the horror of what he'd done. Come to haunt him in the confused state that he was in.....that he had back off from her. Breathing heavily that his lung ached with each breath...
The Padawan could hear the buzzing in her ears, her comm crackling to life as she felt as much as heard the Silver Jedi forces making ground fall, the sound of familiar voices bringing a smile to her face. “This is Asaraa, we’re in quadrant I-43 and we’ve engaged the enemy now.” She felt the flow of the battle change, the young Echani she’d already fought with stepping up next to her as the troopers around her seemed to flow away. She favoured the blonde with a quick smile and a nod of her head, as she stepped away from the troops around her as her hand clutched at her waist, pulling the silver cylinder away from her belt as she turned her gaze on the Sith Lord ranting at them.
“Umm, excuse me but…who are you?” A curious playful smile played across her lips as she thumbed on her lightsaber, the silver blade thrumming to life as she turned to present him her profile. “Oh wait wait are you…nah sorry I had you mixed up with someone else.” The silver blade flashed out, echoing the Makashi salute as she slowly started pacing around him, allowing the Sith Lord to form the centre of a circle formed by herself and Kat. “I’ll try very hard not to disappoint milord…so I’d appreciate it if you’re return the favour.”
The Sith pushed Kat back, her body flipped into a somersault and land firmly onto ground. She looked up and shrugged off the odd sensation of being throw about. Hearing Asaraa's comments cause Kat to let out a strong laugh. While it was dangerous to annoyed the Sith, Kat couldn't help herself, Asaraa certainly had a sense of humour that matched her own. Walking back into the fight, Kat stroked her white hair.
"I mean seriously, you look pretty well trained for combat and I have spent my entire life learning combat. I'm a karking Echani and this guy thinks he can walk over us?" Kat tutted loudly as she twirled her force pike into position. "Bet it's because we're women that he thinks he's better than us. This is a two on one fight, think the odds are pretty even here."
Kat waited for Asaraa to make the first move, following her made sense as the Jedi was in charge. She also wasn't going to rush into the fight, if she watched the Sith fight she could get to know him better and exploit his weaknesses. Of course this wasn't a certainty.
"Some odd sensor noise from one of their star destroyers," noted Hopkins, staring at the readout on the Traya, "...and they're firing on several of the world's communications satellites."
Gir considered the chain of events curiously. Why would they use a sensor jammer in conjunction with attacking the satellites? Is there some threat out there that we don't know about? He tapped several commands into his own console, but found nothing unusual, at least not yet. Gir turned an eye towards the holo-graphic avatar of Aurek.
"Looks like your attempts were a little clumsy."
The avatar shrugged, "Script kiddies tend to be, and I'm trying to appear as one for a psychological cover. They don't really know much more than the basics and how to use an automated tool kit. But we have the other satellites, which should be sufficient for your purposes. Besides, we now have holo-footage of them destroying civilian infrastructure. I'm sure some spin doctor can make use of that."
Gir nodded. The communications satellites, either military or civilian, weren't primary assets for their intents and purposes. While it was always handy to be able to eavesdrop on communication's lines, Gir was most interested in visual feed. To that end, taking over the world's geostationary weather satellites would be more useful. While the sensors on each one were far from exceptional, by being located all across the planet's upper atmosphere, he would be able to comprehensive coverage across the world to see and record things such as large-scale damage, chaos, and/or unusual events. More likely than not, he realized that he would have to reposition some of the Sowa Drones to provide more precise and in depth sensor feed or to replace any satellites that they might lose. But I should let Aurek and Colonel Tels take care of that...Tels should be launching the droids soon...
Gir turned his attention to the Sith warships currently present and picked out a colossal-looking warship that seemed more visually inspired by some ancient Tetan designs to his eyes. He eyed its transponder. The Endeavor. He typically didn't care much for the names of those past Sith warships he had encountered, yet he rather liked that name. He highlighted the vessel on the tactical screen. Gir briefly wondered if it had belonged to someone else before some enterprising Sith Lord took it over. He rapidly typed some orders in, highlighting the Endeavor as his task force's primary target. It seemed an odd thing to do, particularly given that they weren't in conventional weapon's range yet. The world and its curvature blocked most of their ability to attack the Sith armada, yet he could also use it to his advantage. A second order activated the Oracle-class Communication Suite's jamming mode on the Soresu and Stellar Vortex, causing a directed field of low-level communication's noise that likely wouldn't be capable of actually jamming any communication's transmissions, but could temporarily disguise incoming and outgoing transmissions to and from his fleet. A third order passed that saw the Erebus Jamming Arrays on the Soresu begin to project false sensor data towards the sith fleet. It seemed unlikely that this electronic warfare would incapacitate the Sith fleet, but it would temporary disguise the upcoming weapon launches.
Several minutes passed as gunners changed their weapon's ammunition loadouts, launch mechanisms, and began their calculations before the first ships began to fire. The massive Angon-class Hypervelocity cannons on his battle carrier, the station, and the trio of artillery cruisers began to fire sabot encapsulated ion torpedoes. The shells were fired at just the right trajectory and velocity to use the world's gravity well to slingshot into the vicinity of the Sith armada before the torpedoes would begin to maneuver and jet towards the Endeavor. In a much similar manner, the Rhongomyniad-class Mass Driver Cannons found on most of his ships were launching saboted-shells containing starfighter-grade concussion missiles towards the Sith fleet. Unlike the hypervelocity cannon's larger warheads, the small concussion missiles were programmed to attack the nearest enemy small craft that they could find. Gir doubted that these attacks by themselves would much damage: the physical spread of the shells would be wide, nor would their timing likely be precise enough to overwhelm enemy point defenses by sheer numbers. In reality, he knew the saboted warheads wouldn't likely cause much damage, but they were important for altering the flow of the battle by keeping the enemy fleet occupied, and also to act as cover for his task force's primary attack on the Endeavor.
Launched from the Soresu, the Stellar Vortex, and all of light corvettes, Firelance-class Torpedoes took advantage of the world's gravity well to slingshot around orbit, coast, and then finally jet towards the Endeavor's engine block in attempt to disable the warship's drive systems through their plasma jets. Typically such an attack would be easily noticed at range, but Gir was counting on the strategic use of his sensor and communication's jamming, along with the extensive use of inertia and passive guidance technologies to escape initial detection, even as the ion torpedoes and concussion missiles would hopefully keep the Endeavor's screening fighters and point defenses initially occupied until they realized the true attack.
Even as the Silver-Directorate task force started their assault on the sith fleet, the troops housed within the warship prepared for battle. Thousands of Directorate marines and Silver troopers, and countless more battle droids, began to shuffle onto their dropships onboard the Stellar Vortex. Even as this army prepared to invade Anzat, two dozen Intruz-class Stealth Dropships off of the Soresu and Judge began to enter the atmosphere before almost immediately scattering to surreptitiously land their mechanical passengers at various locations across Anzat.
Summary of Actions
-Aurek begins gathering information from several weather satellites taken over; used in conjunction with Sowas to gather information and monitor ground conflict
-Started broadcasting low-grade communications and sensor noise to conceal weapons launches
-Gravity slingshotting saboted Ion Torpedoes at the Endeavor and starfighter-grade concussion missiles at starfighter as detailed in post. (attack primarily designed to occupy and distract Sith forces from Firelance-class Torpedo attack
-Attacking Endeavor's drive systems with dozens of Firelance-class Torpedos fired from general purpose warhead launchers
-Army onboard Stellar Vortex prepares to land
-Two dozen Intruz Stealth Dropships based off of the Judge and Soresu enter the atmosphere and disperse to surreptitiously land a motley group of espionage droids to monitor the ground conflict and scout out potential landing zones from a distance.
