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Varas could feel the hate radiating from her father, Vader’s lightsaber a palpable malevolent presence in the hangar as though a third Ren was among them instilling both of them with the fury they fed upon for their attacks.
Her own blade used to belong to Kyrel, and it also whispered to her from time to time, showing her images of her father in prior battles - victories and even defeat playing like a holomovie in her head. As her father left to assumedly take control of the vessel, Varas felt that annoying tug of self-pity in her gut. She was being left behind. But there was no time to dwell upon these lonely and nagging indulgences.
Only one word spoke from the blade now. Annihilate.
But one thing became painfully clear in the next thirty seconds. The Disciple had trained with opponents either her size or larger. She had very little practice fighting a creature so short. That coupled with her nascent Force skills left her vulnerable.
The Bolter slammed into her, knocking her out of the hangar and towards Kyrel who stalked the outer corridor like a panther circling its prey. The Command Ship was in full emergency mode and frantic alarms blared above them, the sound of harried boot steps signaling reinforcements were on the way. Using the Force to stop herself from knocking into her Master, she skidded to a stop just behind him and managed to roll from her back to her hands and knees. Pain throbbed in her head and spine, but Varas pulled herself upright, sitting now on her knees and sealed off the corridor from the hangar with a Force Barrier. It would not last long, but would give them enough time to put some distance between the dwarf and any soldiers coming from the direction of the hangar.
The blow had thrown her helmet off, and the lone braid which hung down one shoulder was eroding into a tangled cascade of dark curls. She held a slender gloved hand up towards her father, hoping he could pull her to her feet and asked, “How does that saying go? There’s always a bigger fish?”
It was like a physical blow, the sheer dark power of the force rolling off the man who stepped through the turbolift doors seemed to wash over the bridge. Sitting as she was, eyes closed, lost in the force Asaraa could feel the effect he was having on the crew through his simple presence. The fear, the panic that started to claw at the edges of their consciousness, his presence wasn't a ripple like the Jedi she'd felt earlier. It was more akin to the onset of winter, the onset of the ice changing the patterns, the very structure of the area around it.
The Padawan's blue eyes flicked open as she stared across the bridge at him, her gaze travelling across the empty space between them. She could feel the sliver of fear slipping down her back as her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she felt the slick stain of the darkside was over her. She could see the troops arrayed around the door start shifting, bringing their guns up to bear on the man as he stepped through the door. The young woman quickly raised one red-skinned hand, sopping their motion as she shook her head. "No...we don't wanna start a bloodbath in the middle of the bridge. I'll handle him, secure the turbolift, don't let anyone else past unless the Admiral authorises them."
She could still feel the comforting presence of her teachers, of Yuroic, Jairdain and Cathul arrayed behind her as she unfolded her legs, her actions careful and slow as she pushed herself to her feet. The Padawan could feel the cool metal of her unlit lightsaber in her hand as she sized up the man across the way from her, hearing his words as she let a small smile tug up the corner of her lips. "Well, I'm sorry I'm not much of a welcoming committee but the rest of the Order is out there," one hand gestured to the large screen showing the battlefield, "moping up, the rest of your fleet."
Location: The 'Excubitor'. Primary Objective(s): Assassinate Admiral [member="Cathul Thuku"] Allies: The First Order | [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Emilia Ravel"] | [member="Xenro"] | [member="Khonsu Amon"] Enemies: [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] | The Galactic Alliance
A Togruta. Connor gave a very small smile, one that tugged his lip. The Padawan looked like his old Master, Sochi Ru, before she had fallen. This Jedi was a mould ready to be broken and rebuilt, her defiant voice trying to issue both command and certainty over the situation she was now faced with.
He looked through the doors as they opened and the Jedi walked out, soldiers on the bridge and a fully operational hub just yards from him. Behind her, through the viewports and the displays, the battle raged on in the stars.
"That doesn’t concern me," he said cooly. "That’s not my fleet. That’s the First Order’s fleet. Lesson number one; learn not to care about those who do not matter to you. It’s a weakness that will hold you back."
He took two steps forward; slow and heavy.
"Don’t be afraid. I feel your fear. I’m not here for you. The Silver Jedi have done to you what they do to all their strongest potential warriors – throw them into the fire to fight their battles. Where is your Master? Where is your guide? They should be here, but they’re not. They don’t care about you. The Order doesn’t care."
Connor looked past her and tipped his chin up.
"This ship is on borrowed time. I suggest you make your choice if you want die with it or be part of something worthwhile, away from the Jedi and their lies."
Location: 'The 'Excubitor.' -> Ventral Hangar Bay -> Central Access Corridor. Primary Objective(s): Board the "Excubitor" and Assassinate Admiral Cathul Thuku. Secondary Objective(s): Capture Alliance Personnel, Sabotage the Procurator X - Designate; "Excubitor." Allies: The First Order, The Golden Company Enemies: The Galactic Alliance Equipment: See Signature + [SIZE=12pt] G-11F Blaster Rifle[/SIZE]. Currently Engaging: [member="Eralam"]
Emilia raised an eyebrow at the droid's statements. It was toying with her, attempting to raise her ire. It worked for a moment, her body stiffening and her hand clenching ever so imperceptibly tighter on the grip of her rifle. The feeling passed a moment later like a breeze, her regimented control of her temper quickly stifling any desires to lash out, to attack, to respond in any way that wasn't carefully thought out or planned. Heat of the moment actions always lead to mistakes, it was a lesson she'd learned at the end of a blaster rifle, and one she wasn't keen on learning a second time around.
She addressed the droid, clearing her throat. "I thought droids were supposed to be logical," she said coolly. "Yet, you know from the sound of my voice the rough direction I am standing. We are standing in a section of hangar that runs two directions, knowing that I am standing on this side, and that I am trying to get around you, the only logical explanation is that I too, am trying to get to your so-called 'explodey end.'" She paused, sucking in a deep breath. "You're not fooling me with the head thing either, I could tell by the way you blocked my blaster that you know roughly where I am, even now.
The way the droid -or whatever it was- had talked, and the way it had absorbed blaster bolts of pure tibanna gas, Emilia felt pretty safe in assuming that this droid merely regarded her as a minor annoyance, no threat to him whatsoever. Perhaps he was right, Emilia wasn't equipped to fight Force users, not on her own, not with this arsenal. So why not strike her down?
Emilia stepped out, exposing her helmet and her left shoulder and arm to the pair of automatons ahead. With a sigh and a slight shake of her head, she disengaged her cloak. "Shoot, droid, what is your message? If I were a Stormtrooper I'd be contractually obligated to continue our fight to the death, but we here at the Bureau are open to a little diplomacy when the mood suits us."
Hex L-49 // Space // ANS Red Veil Faction: The First Order // Enemies: The Galactic Alliance In Vicinity: [member="Therran Graush"], [member="The Major"], [member="Raph Thule"], [member="Lily Kuhn"]
No one would ever think to ask how the Supreme Commander felt in regards to the Empress of Teta.
He was a man who showed no emotion. More than that, he was a Sith Lord, whose only likely emotion to be projected was rage. That was who he had become in the First Order. Subordinates didn't actively seek to undermine their leader, for he ran a tight ship based on efficiency. His own 'agents' were sprinkled all throughout the rankings, and those who had reservations about their Minister of Defense would typically find themselves dead.
On the battlefield of course, for he would likely find himself turned upon should he executed these officers at random. No, he let the battlefield decide, the mysteries of war, the randomization of 'friendly fire,' deal with his enemies.
All of this however, was not a part that he shared with his former lover. Where once he existed to slaughter and butcher his enemies, to rejoice whilst covered in their blood as he was now, merely being in her presence took away that aspect of his being.
He was a man of action.
He wouldn't explain himself unless pressed.
She walked away from him, and he let her.
Suppose they didn't really understand each other at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90UjN98yzxc
Graush's lightsabre and hydrastaff yet found another body, the last one, and the man was bisected, six ingress points penetrating his armoured body. The five of the hydrastaff penetrating his flank all along his hip and thigh, and then the lightsabre that held him in place, the plasma beam already searing and melting his organs, the rest gradually superheating with the joined presence of the crimson blade.
The man dropped at the same time the superhuman soldier fired his sonic carbine at A'sharad.
His lightsabre hand swung upwards, but it missed the sonic bolt. A miscalculation perhaps.
But then his own cybernetic arm extended, ionized bolt fluttering between him and Therran towards the hostile, while his own lightsaber lurched from his hand, the ancient technique of saberthrowing not a mystery to the Sith Lord as the sonic bolt moulded around the magnetic field of the lightsabre and continued on its way to the Supreme Commander.
... Inconvenient.
His extended arm remained so, and then it 'caught' the sonic bolt.
In reality, the bolt continued through the palm and up until his elbow where the cybernetic appendage ended, and broke it to pieces, the energy shield for a helmet that the Sith Lord bore hiding his confused features, though it undoubtedly rolled off of him in waves to his force sensitive companions, an unfamiliar emotion as he was once again missing a limb.
Pieces warped and broken stood at his feet and when he looked up to where the shot came from, he saw the Empress of Teta in between them, shouting nonsensical sounds at him.
She is undermining... Me?
Behind him should've been the spook, flying the ship, though all she had to do was plot a course, he expected her to be watching.
His cousin undoubtedly was surprised to find the Head of his House, on unsure ground. The same way that A'sharad had found his own father before he took it. But unlike Acarus, A'sharad's nerves steeled, harder than ever, and the foggy nature of the concealing energy shield was not enough to hide the crimson orbs that were his eyes, an ominious sight to be sure, for the rest of his facial expression weren't shown.
"No."
When his left hand rose, the hydrastaff had since coiled around his hand, the five heads creating an almost bobbing circle of motion around his extended hand, as if a protection glove. Lily as it were however, wasn't the obstacle she thought herself to be. Some part of him attempted to force a hesitation to stop from harming her, but it was nowhere near enough to stop the malevolent Sith Lord before them.
Not since she turned away from him.
But his hand dropped all the same as the energy shield around his face dissipated and A'sharad's face was revealed.
Hard of purpose.
He would have what he came for today.
And then his hand rose again, thrown forwards, the coiled hydrastaff extended towards Lily, before passing her and aimed to assault the last living soldier behind her. If the man was unconscious, the hydrastaff would feast upon him. If he was still alive, he would find himself in a difficult place. Meanwhile, while it was launched, the force coalesced and settled into Lady Kuhn's muscles, the force stasis seizing her, locking all of her motor motions.
"Contact [member="Robogeber"] and [member="Cyrus Tregessar"]." He said, the fiery gaze never leaving Lily's own emeralds, he said, "Tell them... The Supreme Commander found a new vessel."
The soft and silky voice whispered across his mind, a moment of connection between two Masters, the voice carrying a hint of exasperation and amusement, despite the reprimand within. Ara almost admired his tenacity, even in the face of such overwhelming odds, dozens of blasters trained on the man and his companion merely awaiting a signal. Familiarity washed over her as their minds brushed against each other, memories of another time, another place rising unbidden.
Fire burned against a backdrop of shimmering liquid, a dancing silhouette superimposed over the armoured figure before her, a whisper from the past calling out as her mind pulled away.
: Ara Ren, Who are you? What do you want? :
I want you to submit.
Lips curled up in the hint of a smile, fingers flexing once, a minute movement as the pressure increased against his shoulders, the force of her power coming to bear on the Judge with no leniency. Balance, he had once sought to teach her. Love. Kindness. Mercy. Emotions that found no purchase in her mind or her heart, as she had walked away from the Outer Rim and its ragtag conglomeration of Outlaws and those who sought to create a civilization from such tumultuous variety of personalities. A fool’s errand, to attempt to bring order and prosperity to those utterly opposed to such notions, the lawless Outer Rim flooded with those who’s chains were of their own making.
Life, and ability, offered in exchange for a tenuous peace between her people and his, a line drawn across the battlefield and sanctified in her blood. Amity now broken by either willful negligence or stubborn pride on the behest of one with misguided intentions.
Crimson fire shattered the armistice as her left hand rose and fell in rapid succession, the silent order acted on without hesitation. The screams of twisted metal crashing to the floor echoed through the hangar as the barrage found their targets, a host of repair droids now little more than slags of molten steel and charred electronics. Ivory armor flashed as one squad of Stormtroopers, followed by a second, peeled off from the melee, the crackle and static of relayed orders filling her ears as they moved to board the defunct corvette, covered by the fire of their brothers-in-arms.
:: Detain all personnel within. Kill any who resist. ::
A command transmitted through their private encryption systems and echoed by the robotic tone of her vocalizer, the fate of the men and women aboard his ship made clear to the man still standing before her. The time for talk was over, a chance for submission given and refuted, bloodlust rose to the surface, thrumming through her veins as power surged. An invisible wall of Force cast out from the Ren, barreling towards the two figures before her, her own opening volley to the battle now begun.
Location: Excubitor
Allies: Those who appreciate a good cup of tea
Enemies: Those who prefer soft drinks
Interacting with: [member="Emilia Ravel"]
"You very well could have been trying to sneak up behind me," Eralam pointed out. "I only know where you first appeared, not where you came from or how you got there. Zounds, woman, you could have come from the ceiling for I know. Never assume someone else has access to the same context you do."
Before Eralam could get into full on lecture mode, Pearl coughed loudly. It was an odd sound, coming from a droid. Sounded a bit like the engine brake on a large diesel truck.
"Oh, er, right. Um, are you familiar with a woman who calls herself [member="The Major"], by chance? Tall, skinny, loves a good musket? At any rate, if you see her, please tell her that Eralam has, quite by accident, acquired a tea set and has learned how to properly use it. If she would like to stop by sometime for a cuppa, it would be nice to have the chance to use the thing as something other than a decoration. She mocked me mercilessly for serving sweet iced tea the last time, you see. It's a common drink out here in the boonies, but explaining that didn't help."
The Shard paused for a moment. His immobile face couldn't frown, but his body language could certainly suggest it.
"I suppose it would be rude not to invite you as well, now that I think of it, so you're more than welcome to come along."
The shrill sound of the alarms brought it all back into clarity: the Engineering Section had been breached by the Mandalorians, and their takeover of the Executioner would proceed rapidly from there. Once in control of the vessel, they could simply vent atmosphere into space, deactivate the life support, plant some explosives on the power generator and cut all power. Undoubtedly the Engineering crew had worked to lock down their consoles to try and keep their attackers from gaining access to any critical systems, but they hardly needed access to the software to cause critical damage. A well-placed explosive would be sufficient to cripple the ship while they fought to implement redundancies elsewhere.
The black-armoured troopers of Omega Four-Five-Nine spread out as soon as the turbolift doors hissed open, depositing them on the observation deck that stood above Engineering, allowing them access to the section without being blind-sided. @Caehl Ren took the lead, his armoured figure striding forward, lightsaber blazing openly in his hand, a bar of energetic crimson moving somewhat in advance of him, ready to intercept anything that might come his way. Confident, full of anger, ready to unleash it all upon those who have dared to set foot aboard this ship with offensive intent. At any other time, Elensa might have found it amusing to watch someone just on the edge of losing control, but now...it was exactly what was needed.
The metal stairways that flanked the observation deck on either side were quickly descended, and the scenes of battle became apparent. Smoke whispered up from the deck, spiralling lazily upwards with the scent of burned flesh and scorched plasteel, the acrid ozone of blaster fire rampant within the air. Bodies were sprawled upon the metal plating, limbs twisted awry, contorted in a fashion which suggested that the owner hadn't landed naturally, but had simply fallen where they stood, their movement forced only by the kinetic impact that had stolen away their lives.
Red flares of light persisted, pushing inward to the Engineering section from beyond it - a hole cut unceremoniously into the wall, perhaps with a lightsaber or cutting torch, the durasteel slab having pushed inwards to allow volleys of fire admission to the room. Men and women had fallen already: troopers in gleaming white armour, punctuated by black holes that had punched through the armour into the flesh beneath. Engineers in their fabric uniforms, sprawled on the floor with red-orange heat still apparent around the edges of the wounds that had killed them. Elensa scowled at that: these people had come to serve, and had been slaughtered for their allegiance. We shall simply have to see that their lives are not truly wasted.
Omega Four-Five Nine were returning fire now: though Elensa could not see the Mandalorians that were responsible for those dead on the deck, it was clear enough that the fight was still on-going, red bursts coming from the direction of the engine core, as well as from beyond the cut-out entrance that had been used as the Mando's point-of-entry into the Section. Now we have a proper fight to enjoy, she thought, activating the saber portion of her lightsaber pike, sweeping the black weapon in front of her one-handed, ready to strike at any that came to do battle. She reflected several blasters bolts that were targeting the black-armoured troopers of Four-Five-Nine, but no Mandalorians had yet emerged to engage directly. Better to shoot us, and sort out the corpses later, I see. Two could play at that game.
Bringing her pike into position to protect herself if another shot should range her way, the young woman gathered the cold energies that raged around them, drawn forth by the desperation, the anger, the understanding that a heartbeat might be all that stood between life and death: such powerful emotions. They drew the darkness like a fresh carcass might draw Rock-Vultures. And this was all hers to play with, her music to dance to, the tune hers to play as she wished. And we need something suitably full of sorrow.
Her ungloved right hand pressed forward, slender fingers splayed slightly, pointing towards the opening through which the Mandalorians were firing through. Energy ran through her, drawn in through silent command, pouring into her like water into an empty jug, creating a pressure that simply needed to burst forth. Her own anger poured forth in response, a cold, cruel rage that took those energies and transformed them into a simple destructive manifestation. Brilliant blue-white energy coalesced around her fingertips and surged forward through the gap, racing along that avenue of fire, a sharp burst of electricity that was both intense and intended to be devastating. You see? You are not the only one that fight at a distance, she thought. Best come forward and prove yourselves warriors, or suffer ignoble death, like these poor souls. Either outcome would suit her just fine.
They had arrived. It had taken them longer than Sieger had anticipated, perhaps in part due to their caution, unless they'd made a stop along the way. It didn't matter now. He could feel their presence just beyond the blast doors of the bridge, it was a contrast to his own suffocating presence in the Force. And so it would begin. With a motion of his hand the doors snapped open as Aryn Teth stepped forward onto the pristine deck of the bridge, his companion not far behind. His back to the pair as they entered, Sieger spoke, hands crossed in front of his body as he gazed out of the viewscreen into space.
"Weclome aboard Jedi... I apolgize for the state of disarray."
With a slow flourish, Sieger extended his arms in an open gesture from the front of the bridge.
"Come on in, stay a while."
As the last word rolled off the Supreme Leader's tongue the blast doors sealed behind the Jedi, a metallic *Thunk* acting as an audible confirmation that the failsafe had engaged. Those doors wouldn't open except under the most extreme of duress. Sieger wore robes but the subtle shift of bulk beneath them hinted at something more protective. Even so, Sieger's nonchalant demeanor seemed out of place. Here he stood, facing down two master Jedi but by all appearances he might as well have been on a ferry ride down the river that flowed through New Heliopolis. Confidence. Arrogance. Bait. Who was to say until the opening moves had been made?
Just as Natasi Fortan and Jaius Sovv played a game of chess aboard the FIV Concordia, Sieger Ren played one in his own mind - one with deadly consequences. A war, a battle, a duel, each was more like chess than one might have expected. As much a game of strength and skill as it was of words. A quiet mental nudge was then dispensed towards the other Ren aboard the bridge, guiding the disciple towards the left around the command trench as Sieger himself took two steps forward, ending up at the apex of the two. It was only polite to let one's guests make the first move.
Secondary Bridge
Reports were coming in to the secondary bridge much faster now, clearer that the FIV Executioner had pulled off the main battle line. The proton beam that had violated the ship's starboard hangar was once again preparing to fire, alarms sounding as the surge in power was detected. Thankfully this time they were not the target. In a moment, a shaft of malevolent green energy streaked across the field of battle. Gasps went up as the beam found its target. Triaxis. It was a brilliant move, hiding just beyond the Itsukusk until it was once again ready to fire, but this time it had other forces to contend with. The active and passive jamming being targeted towards the Alliance line was immense, amplified by the relays in the system.
FIS Triaxis was stationary. Yes. The GAS Incandescent Truth was stationary. Yes. With little movement on both ends, it was hard to miss - and miss they did not. As the beam contacted the hull of the station, a shout went up across the bridge of the Executioner.
"Priority target. GAS Incandescent Truth. Destroy. That. Proton Beam."
His voice rippling with anger, Commander Lupus slammed his fist down on the console before him as he struggled to keep his cool. They had brought the Executioner around, but now they were behind the battle line, they would have to move back up into position to engage. With luck, the other vessels of the fleet would be able to get shots off before it hid itself again. The commander could only watch as the beam shredded through the armor plating, venting what looked to be a large pocket of oxygen out into the void. With a few key inputs, he brought up the diagram. Passive jamming systems were still functioning, but the armory and active jamming systems were offline - it wouldn't survive much more. They could lose one, maybe two of the stations and still fill the gaps with relays and Interdictor craft but any more than that...
Firm resolve gripped the Commander in that moment, every ounce of strength absorbed from the Sith Meditation Sphere aboard the Concordia manifesting itself in his following commands as he brought the bloodied FIV Executioner back towards the battle line. The battle wasn't lost yet, and if they could hold out just a little longer. They needed to stick together and maintain the blockade.
"Tell the Concordia to form up on my starboard. We'll do this together. "
Hangar, Ventral
In the ventral hangar, things had escalated quickly. The first pod had been breached by the Praetorian, his crimson armor flashing against the light of his red saber. Plunging once, twice, three times into the first pod as he rapidly dispatched those inside. The second and third pod however no longer remained silent. With a gentle hiss of decompression and a loud clank as the hatches opened, the occupants vaulted forward out into the hangar. Climbing down from the first escape pod, the Praetorian grinned beneath the polished mask, eyes twinkling in amusement as the would be escapees noticed their predicament.
Sieger may have been a novice in the art of troop combat or boarding operations, but that's precisely why he had officers and soldiers under his command. It was solely their job to carry out those tasks to perfection. No one was ever completely flawless, but it was easy to tell as the escapees would soon notice - there was nowhere for them to go. Fully surrounding the pad where the escape pods had been deposited within the hangar was a full line of stormtroopers, armed to the teeth. As the Alliance officers would begin to realize their folly, they would be given one final chance to surrender - should they elect the way of pain... they would be cut down. The Praetorian's voice rose, distorted by the vocabulator in the mask.
"Surrender now, or be slaughtered."
Engineering Section, Security Hub
Some might argue faith could move mountains, and while that sounds nice and elicits a fuzzy warm feeling within one's bosom, it rarely changed the reality of the tangible world. The panel wasn't designed to keep people out, and though the Mandalorian was able to quickly yank the wiring free of the plastic cable guides, accessing the security systems was more complicated than merely wiring in to a conduit. Data, power, communications, all ran through similar conduits but separate. Accessing the security systems from inside a maintenance console however wasn't within the realm of possibility - isolated data paths prevented such ease of access to sensitive sub-systems.
From within the section's security office, a grim sneer flickered across the officer's features as he watched the situation unfold. It appeared they had underestimated the sheer force the enemy wielded.
"Relay more troopers towards Engineering, now!"
Another alarm in another part of the ship sounded, a quick reaction force jumping to life. Their boots thundered down the polished corridors of the First Order vessel, blasters at the ready as they were fed important data via their HUD. Linked with the ship's systems, they could even see the situation unfolding in the Engineering department. It looked like a mess. A mess that needed cleaning up. Even as the contingent of the response force settled into a jog down one of the wider corridors a foreboding presence accosted them from the side, three distinctly clad figures boldly stepping forward as they made their way towards Engineering. It took little more than a gesture of the hand for the troopers to respond, the silent command one they instinctually understood and executed. They fell in line behind the trio. Omega Four-Five-Nine. They had been dispatched by the one known as Xiomar Ren, temporary command of the three granted by Caehl Ren.
Their presence was nothing to be balked at, these three loyal servants had a wide range of skills, none of them shallow. As history tells it, there were four horsemen of the apocalypse - the trio of Ren gave the foursome a run for their money. Or they would. They carried their standard loadouts, the troopers behind them however were unique in that respect. Rather than assault grenades meant to cause destruction and wound, they carried a handful of non-lethal alternatives for use in tight corridors and in spaces that contained sensitive equipment - you couldn't expect to be playing hot potato with a thermal detonator and not have your own vessel damaged. No, the response team carried with them a distribution of both glop grenades and cryobans. Not only would it allow them to keep themselves from destroying their own equipment, but under normal circumstances the intruding or offending party could be captured and stored in the ship's brig. Unhindered due to the elevated security clearance granted to the Omega, they closed the distance fast, following down corridors that the boarders had taken to get to Engineering.
Broken bodies and scorched bulkheads proved to them they were on the right path. Soon they would come up behind the enemy and from there swift retribution would be dealt. Even so, the battle raged on within the Engineering section, the enemy now attempting to overload the reactor.
A reactor is a reactor, is a reactor. But while all reactors had similar functions, and input, an output, and even relatively similar construction, the enemy had overlooked one thing. These reactors weren't set up to be run from a maintenance console. All control had been routed to the secondary bridge with the implementation of Omicron. Oh sure, there were plenty of ways to redirect control to engineering in the event of a loss of both the primary and secondary bridge, but even those required command input at the bridge before taking effect. Either that, or an excessively skilled engineering officer who knew the system in and out - even then, it wouldn't be from a maintenance console.
It was then that the enemy escalated the engagement once more. Explosives.
The clatter was barely heard amidst the fire of blaster weapons and sizzling electronics but to the trained ear of a soldier it was as clear as day.
"Grenades!"
It was fortunate then that the enemy hadn't utilized placed explosives, or even sticky explosives. With a shudder the deck of the ship tilted, the tossed grenades rolling along the floor into various nooks and crannies, beneath control consoles, some even managing to slip beneath the bodies of the fallen. It was a severe maneuver for a ship of its size, but by the fates it had saved several of the troopers now fighting for their lives. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast of the remaining grenades were thrown, several consoles near evaporated and sparking electronics tearing free from the bulkhead under the sheer weight of the explosions.
The targeted reactor ran rough for a moment, the high pitched whine of over taxed relays sounding in the space as alarms and violent gouts of steam and coolant began to fill the engineering space. The damage had been done, albeit likely less effective than the boarders had hoped. Even now damage control and security teams began to close the net around the unwelcome guests, corridors being sealed by the crew on the Secondary Bridge behind the rapidly advancing trio of Ren. If the boarders thought they had an escape route, they'd find themselves a nasty surprise.
FIV Executioner 600/2904 Shields 24000/2904 Hull
Attacking: ANS Itsukusk with long range turbolaser batteries and ion batteries. Preparing to launch additional torpedoes. (@Zark) | TIE Raptors engaging Buzz Droids along the hull of the FIV Executioner with highly accurate Ion Cannon Fire ([member="Cathul Thuku"])
Actions:
3 Squadrons of TIE Raptors, Targeting buzz droids along FIV Executioner's hull with ion weaponry.
Damage Control Teams Patching Starboard Hull, Responding to Large Explosion in Port Hangar.
Additional Damage Control Teams Armed with Ion Carbines assessing and repairing Dorsal Bow Surface. Eliminating any Buzz Droids managing to breach.
Security Detachment rerouted and distributed in a net pattern encircling the Engineering Section.
Providing Covering Fire for Sixth Fleet Corvettes and Frigates ([member="Dako Asturo"] & @Robogeber)
Ventral Hangar Sealed by Quadranium Coated Blast Doors. Escape Pod occupants being eliminated aboard the Executioner for lack of response to commands.
Praetorian Guard offering last change to surrender to Escape Pod Occupants attempting to escape ([member="Rick Kaloo"])
Port Hangar On Lockdown. Starboard Hangar on Lockdown.
Ventral Corridors placed on lockdown. Engineering Lockdown.
Omega Four-Five-Nine advancing on Engineering along Mandalorian path of ingress. Assaulting Boarders from rear. Locked down corridors as they passed through.
Grenade detonation in Engineering creates superficial and subsystem damage. Reactors remain in tact.
Remote Detonation of Magazines Largely Ineffective.
Movement: Level. On Vertical Plane with Triaxis. Returning to Battle Line with Concordia off her starboard bow.
Notes:
Keeper-class Platform Triaxis
Focusing Targeting Disruption Systems on Therapy Command Weapons Systems and Deployed Tracking Weapons (Torpedoes) by Directional Array
Active Targeting Disruption Disable due to significant damage via Proton Beam ([member="Aryn Teth"])
Continued Target Painting Arrays and Began Transmitting Real Time Tactical Airspace Data to the First Order Fleet (Locking Targets for easy vessel acquisition) - Primary Focus: GAS Incandescent Truth
Hyperdrive System, Armory, and Active Jamming (Weapons and Targeting) Offline. Interdiction remains in place.
Hex L-49 // Ops Team Harpy // SJAS-AAL/FO-03 Tactical Troop Transport
Faction: First Order // Target: ANS Itsukusk // Status: Open Her Up. In Vicinity: [member="Rolf Amsel"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] Enemies: [member="Zark"] | [member="Ghorumgash Khazund-Veranum"]
From without there was silence, the Stormtroopers moving into position around the gunning position, those who had them withdrew their cutting tools, blasters with a singular purpose; to cut into the heart of the ship. Yet it was the within that he could hear, the heart beats of those inside currently glued to their screens, picking their targets and pressing their buttons. Each was unaware that their breaths would soon be numbered, it was entertaining to say the least.
The beams ignited and sparks flew. His own blade, crimson where the others shone blue began to slice across the metal plating taking time and effort to melt away at what it could. The effects were instant, the heart beats rose, the shouting from inside had began yet he knew that only he would hear it. In a matter of minutes the crimson amber of burnt metal lined the ships hull and it took only one pull with the force, one little flick of his hand to send a portion of it flying off with force into the empty void of space. The insides followed. Each of the first order watched as Alliance gunner and technical crew were sucked out of their comforts, thrown into the cold embrace of space and left to die, their guns falling silent.
The troopers poured in, breaching the ship and taking their positions within the strangely peaceful surrounds. The Ren however, he paused, his attention pulled back once more to the presence of his master. Something was happening, something that was not anticipated and unplanned. He shook his head, regaining focus and entered the hole along with the company. Headphones still attached to their monitors floated like balloons in still air. A helmet here, a data pad there. The First Order would ignore it all as the blast door that sealed them in was cut from the hinge pulling out yet again more air, more pieces of Alliance presence. Blaster bolts would follow the currently surprised and defenceless ship crew as the Order moved quickly down the hall towards the next gun emplacement, knowing that their surprise would be limited and over quickly should they delay further advantage.
Looking back, Rick realized that one of the escape pods was already penetrated and its crew killed. A soldier in bright red armor jumped down from the pod with a similarly red weapon in hand and approached the survivors menacingly, ordering them to surrender. Stormtroopers marched forward, aiming their blasters at them. There would be no running, but Rick promised to himself not to give in.
"Well then, we surrender. It's certainly better than getting pummeled on multiple sides." Rick yelled. "But if you want to extract any information from me, I'll kill myself first."
Understanding their fates, none of the other escapees put up a fight, and they all submitted to the Order. Promptly, they were put in handcuffs and their blasters taken away. The stormtroopers gathered on all sides of them, and then began marching, holding on to Rick and the other survivors by the arms.
Rick briefly wondered whether the troopers were aware of the significance of the battle other than the fact that it was occurring, but then dismissed it, as he had been told that First Order troopers were brainwashed and removed of emotion. What was left behind underneath the white armor was a husk of a human, bred to kill without mercy or remorse. As for the clone stormtroopers, bred to kill became literal.
At least, Rick hoped, that he wouldn't be killed by a trooper, but an officer with enough mental independence to consider how he'd die.
The whipcrack of explosives and their brutal concussions rattled Shia's armour as she drove her beskad into the gut of a storm trooper, her off-hand blaster spitting death into the back of a technican brave enough to return fire against the attackers. A warriors death.
The sound of gunfire from behind her announced that the security forces were closing the net on the boarders. A cold smile crossed her face as she looked through the haze of steam, smoke, volatiles and whatever unpleasant gasses the damaged reactor was venting.
"Grenades ineffective. Go for detonite charges. We'll provide cover." She snapped out over the Mando'ade comm network as the reactor's unstable hum came to a peak and then stablized. A tortured scream of metal and a glance behind her showed that one of the overhead catwalks had 'failed'. Chit. A force user. Well, at least it wasn't Sieger himself.
Her hud announced a tiny flicker of movement in her peripheral vision, high above on one of the second floor catwalks. Red robes. A Preatorian? Her smile became feral. Now that was a challenge.
Breaking formation she triggered her jetpack and leapt the moderate distance to the catwalk upon which [member="Whisperer"] stood, landing with catlike grace belying the weight of her armour. Steam, smoke and worse swirled around the space between the elite red-robed guard and the red and silver armoured Mandalorian as they sized each other up across the short distance. A Thyrsian style, interesting. Maybe even a former Sun Guard?
Shia gave her opponent one simple nod, then triggered her emergency thrusters and dashed across the small space in the blink of an eye, vambrace beskad and kal extended in a reckless rush into close combat with her opponent, feinting high with the heavy beskad blade to draw the parry from the electo-glaive. Then pressing inside it's reach with momentum and going corps-a-corps with the Preatorian, allowing Shia to stab up and into her opponent with the shorter kal, driving the blade up with all her power-assisted force.
It took everything the girl had to stop herself from stepping backwards, retreating before the man’s almost inexorable advance. Each step seemed to echo around the room, the soft almost sibilant sound as he came on, bringing that pulse of the darkside like the rising tide that threatened to wash over her, to overwhelm her.
A shiver slipped down the girl’s body, a moment of weakness before she stiffened her resolve, forcing her body still as she raised her head to catch his gaze and shook her head. “So you don’t care for them at all? Aren’t they supposed to be your allies, your friends? And you wonder why people call it the dark side, why you have to force people to obey you against their wills. If you don’t care about the people who protect you…then one day they’re going to throw you away and sacrifice you too.”
The Padawan broke his gaze, glancing in the direction of his eyes as she bit down on her lip, her teeth sinking into the soft flesh of her lip. “I’m here because the Silver Jedi trust me to stop people like you, they’re just in there, but I’m not going to need them.” It wasn’t the truth, she could feel the power pulsing off the man. If he wanted to he could storm right past her, she knew it and he knew it but…she’d never admit that, not out loud. “The Jedi care a lot more than the first order, that first order you were so willing to throw away right now. At least if I’m in trouble they’ll come for me. I have friends out there, risking their lives to step in your way, to stop you from doing this, how can I do any less?”
Objective: Hold captive Alliance pilot, force surrender of Mandalorian Allies: [member="Chubs"] [member="Aurora"] Directly Engaging: [member="Decker Willo"] [member="Dorn Skirata"]
The Chiss officer switched off her wrist comm, and Captain’s Sloane’s frantic voice was cut to silence. Since the Minotaur had been breached, yet the Alliance pilot could not be located, the Assimilator was in full emergency mode. So the one Ren on board had finally been called to the fray.
However, Morro’s thoughts were firmly upon her escape plan and she jolted when the door swung open, wincing and bracing herself for a blaster bolt to the chest. But then she remembered! The woman had been placed on the Minotaur for a situation exactly like the one she found herself in. Her frown turned to a smirk as she realized the pilot had not only tossed the blaster aside but was now sitting down, likely needing medical attention.
“Good work, girl,” said Morro. “Keep that saber trained on him.”
Despite her fading nausea, the Chiss picked up the blaster and pointed it at the Alliance pilot. “If you have a wound that will be treated. But not before we interrogate you. Now move it.” She turned her wrist comm back on and said, “Captain Sloane I’m returning to the bridge with a prisoner. Please make sure we are met with a pair of stun cuffs.”
In the meantime, Captain Sloane has his own problems. First of all, Morro had defied Admiral Rausgeber’s orders to fire upon the Istukusk. He needed to quickly decide if long range fire should be diverted to attack the Alliance Command Ship. Luckily, the attack group that had been sent after the Mandlorian TU5Ks was on its way back to the Minotaur after the enemy disengaged. There was no reason to push them back or follow them. Not when Allied Command was so vulnerable.
“Continue to press forward and have the Assault and the Gladiator target The Itsukusk. Do not stop until every flanking ship is destroyed.”
A freckled Junior Ensign ran up to Sloane, and with a deferential nod he said, “Sir, we have a complication. There’s a ship of some sort on the outside of the Minotaur. Two turrets have been taken out and it’s headed towards the bridge.”
“Close the blast doors!”
As soon as the thick doors slammed shut, sealing off the bridge from its viewport, the entire crew could hear a thundering sound which caused unsteady gaits and even a fall or two before the ship ceased its shuddering.
Unaware it was a war droid that had done the damage, Sloan commanded: “I want all TIEs pulled from the Mandators and redeployed to Minotaur defense to intercept that ship. But have them hold their fire. I have an idea.”
While it would take awhile for the full forty-eight TIE fighters to reach the War Droid’s position, four from the front line were relatively close. They screamed in but hovered near Dorn Skirata, not one of them firing, their transparisteel viewports like dark, omnipotent eyes looming over the Mandalorian.
Captain Sloane used an open frequency that hopefully the Mandalorian could hear: “We have one of your Alliance pilots on board. If you try to fire upon those TIE escorts, he will be killed. If you do not surrender, he will be killed. If you move - even an inch - he will die. Do you understand me?”
The TIEs silently floated, flanking the War Droid and rider, while Captain Sloane waited, palms sweating, for either a verbal response or any reaction that would signal the fighters to barrage their prey with laser cannons.
Or execute the pilot.
It was his choice.
Summary of Actions and Fleet
FIV Assault and FIV Gladiator firing long-range at The Itsukusk, their TIEs diverted to defend the Minotaur
FIV Minotaur holding position, TIEs firing upon Intercept Group One
4 TIE Fighters firing laser cannons at the War Droid
Rest of attack group returning
Detailed attacks below
Ship Name: FIV Minotaur
Ship Class: Assimilator-Class Interdictor Star Destroyer
Shield/Hull: 850/1200
Armament: Average
Defense: High
Speed: Moderate
Hangar: 2 Squadrons of TIE Interceptors (10 Interceptors left)
Actions: All TIE Interceptors diverted to Intercept Group One
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...ictor-destroyer
http://starwarsrp.ne...in-interceptor/
Ship Name: FIV Assault
Ship Class: MANDATOR-X Artillery Dreadnaught
Shield/Hull: 1000/1000
Armament: High
Defense: Moderate
Speed: Low
Hangar: 2 Squadrons of TIE Fighters (12 each)
Actions: Firing long-range at The Itsukusk. All TIEs diverted to defend the Minotaur
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...ry-dreadnaught/
http://starwarsrp.ne...-tiefo-fighter/
Ship Name: FIV Gladiator
hip Class: MANDATOR-X Artillery Dreadnaught
Shield/Hull: 1000/1000
Armament: High
Defense: Moderate
Speed: Low
Hangar: 2 squadrons of TIE Fighters (12 each)
Actions: Firing long-range at The Itsukusk. All TIEs diverted to defend the Minotaur
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...ry-dreadnaught/
http://starwarsrp.ne...-tiefo-fighter/
Ship Name: FIV Phalanx
Ship Class: 849A 'Valor' Class, Medium Frigate
Shield/Hull: 190/350
Armament: Moderate
Defence: Average
Speed: Average
Maneuver: Average
Hangar: 2x Squadrons of TIE Raptors (8 each)
Special: Mine layers
Actions: Advancing and firing upon Attack Group Cresh
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...a-valor-class/
http://starwarsrp.ne...911-tie-raptor/
Ship Name: FIV Cyclone
Ship Class: 849A 'Valor' Class, Medium Frigate
Shield/Hull: 110/350
Armament: Moderate
Defence: Average
Speed: Average
Maneuver: Average
Hangar: 2x Squadrons of TIE Raptors (8 each)
Special: Mine layers
Actions: Advancing and firing upon Intercept Group Two
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...a-valor-class/
http://starwarsrp.ne...911-tie-raptor/
Ship Name: FIV Goliath
Ship Class: 849A 'Valor' Class, Medium Frigate
Shield/Hull: 0/230
Armament: Moderate
Defence: Average
Speed: Average
Maneuver: Average
Hangar: 2x Squadrons of TIE Raptors (8 each)
Special: Mine layers
Actions: Advancing and firing upon Intercept Group One
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...a-valor-class/
Ship Name: FIV Avalanche
Ship Class: 849A 'Valor' Class, Medium Frigate
Shield/Hull: 0/125
Armament: Moderate
Defence: Average
Speed: Average
Maneuver: Average
Hangar: 2x Squadrons of TIE Raptors (8 each)
Special: Mine layers
Actions: Attacking ANS Rebel Yell
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...a-valor-class/
Ship Name: FIV Javelin
Ship Class: 849A 'Valor' Class, Medium Frigate
Shield/Hull: 0/80
Armament: Moderate
Defence: Average
Speed: Average
Maneuver: Average
Hangar: Destroyed by the ANS Lothcat
Special: Mine layer capability destroyed by the ANS Lothcat
Actions: Firing upon the ANS Rebel Yell
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...a-valor-class/
Ship Name: FIV Genesis
Ship Class: Fortan II Corvette
Shield/Hull: 0/75
Armament: High
Defence: Average
Speed: Moderate
Manoeuvre: Average
Special: Decoy Probes
Actions: Advancing and firing upon Intercept Group One
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...heavy-corvette/
Ship Name: FIV Infamy
Ship Class: Fortan II Corvette
Shield/Hull: 0/180
Armament: High
Defence: Average
Speed: Moderate
Manoeuvre: Average
Special: Decoy Probes
Actions: Advancing and firing Intercept Group Two
URL: http://starwarsrp.ne...heavy-corvette/
Ship Name: FIV Barbarian
Ship Class: Mukhtiar-Anti Starfighter Corvette
Shield/Hull: 110/171
Armament: Low
Defence: Average
Speed: Moderate
Manoeuvre: Moderate
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Nomad
Ship Class: Mukhtiar-Anti Starfighter Corvette
Shield/Hull: 160/171
Armament: Low
Defence: Average
Speed: Moderate
Manoeuvre: Moderate
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Storm,
Ship Class: Mukhtiar-Anti Starfighter Corvette
Shield/Hull: 100/171
Armament: Low
Defence: Average
Speed: Moderate
Manoeuvre: Moderate
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Blasphemy
Ship Class: Mukhtiar-Anti Starfighter Corvette
Shield/Hull: 130/171
Armament: Low
Defence: Average
Speed: Moderate Manoeuvre: Moderate
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Revelation
Ship Class: Mukhtiar-Anti Starfighter Corvette
Shield/Hull: 120/171
Armament: Low
Defence: Average
Speed: Moderate
Manoeuvre: Moderate
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Delusion
Ship Class: Boneshatter Assault Frigate
Shield/Hull: 300/380
Armament: Very High
Defence: High
Speed: Very High
Manoeuvre: Very High
Hanger: 4 TIE Fighters (loss of 4)
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Thunderbolt
Ship Class: Boneshatter Assault Frigate
Shield/Hull: 320/380
Armament: Very High
Defence: High
Speed: Very High
Manoeuvre: Very High
Hanger: 6 TIE Fighters (loss of 2)
Actions: Advancing and firing upon the ANS Axiom TIEs deployed and firing on same target
Ship Name: FIV Dishonor
Ship Class: Boneshatter Assault Frigate
Shield/Hull: 0/260
Armament: Very High
Defence: High
Speed: Very High
Manoeuvre: Very High
Hanger: 4 TIE Fighters (loss of 4)
Actions: Advancing and firing upon the ANS Rebel Yell, TIEs deployed and firing on same target
Ship Name: FIV Sceptre
Ship Class: Charger-class Escort Corvette
Shield/Hull: 120/160
Armament: Medium
Defence: Low
Speed: Low
Manoeuvre: Low
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Rift
Ship Class: Charger-class Escort Corvette
Shield/Hull: 80/160
Armament: Medium
Defence: Low
Speed: Low
Manoeuvre: Low
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Seeker
Ship Class: Charger-class Escort Corvette
Shield/Hull: 100/160
Armament: Medium
Defence: Low Speed: Low Manoeuvre: Low
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Scimitar
Ship Class: Charger-class Escort Corvette
Shield/Hull: 100/160
Armament: Medium
Defence: Low
Speed: Low
Manoeuvre: Low
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Assault
Ship Class: Charger-class Escort Corvette
Shield/Hull: 80/160
Armament: Medium
Defence: Low
Speed: Low
Manoeuvre: Low
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Ship Name: FIV Fracture
Ship Class: Charger-class Escort Corvette
Shield/Hull: 160/160
Armament: Medium
Defence: Low
Speed: Low Manoeuvre: Low
Hanger: N/A
Actions: Returning to area of Minotaur
Faction: First Order \\ Enemy: Galactic Alliance | [member="Aryn Teth"] \\ Status: Firing at Incandescent Truth
In Vicinity: [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Jaius Sovv"]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ym0qucwpmI
Natasi Fortan was a competitive person. It was, perhaps, a byproduct of her class. The Galidraani aristocracy were a sporting people, and though they tended to be jovial in their words, and settle genially in drawing rooms and libraries for cocktails after, when the game was on they certainly played whatever they played -- croquet, tennis, polo, horse-racing, what have you -- to win. There was no exception here. Natasi wasn't going to go easy on the old Sullustan, but it was out of respect for the man himself as much as a desire to win. She was careful -- one might say almost too conservative -- in her game. She built a trap within a trap within a trap, and when it sprung, it was with all the considered, disciplined brutality Natasi could bring to bear. Her onslaught captured piece after piece, pawn after pawn, methodically clearing the board and working to isolate the white king.
The conversation turned to Coruscant. In some sense it was inevitable; every government that had a hope of playing a major role in galactic politics had, at one point or another, considered what adding Coruscant to their number would do. The ancient galactic capital, whoever held it had a patina of legitimacy. "I'm so sorry," Natasi responded, and she meant it. She had been profoundly aware of the human cost of war for as long as she could remember, but it had been refined when her brother Mathes had been killed. If the understanding was a diamond, it had been cut by her brother's death and polished to a high sheen with the birth of her son. The thought of losing him was a wrench to the Grand Moff; she couldn't imagine receiving the notice from the Ministry of Defense that he was dead.
Abruptly, Natasi pushed away from the table, turned towards the window. "It seems you and I have been enemies longer than either of us knew," Natasi said, her voice suddenly thick with emotion as she gazed out the viewport. It offered her no comfort; in the distance, dots of fire erupted, flamed out in the vacuum of space, signifying the death of some unfortunate or another. Natasi's or Jaius' -- she couldn't tell from here. They were someone's sons and daughters, someone's brothers and sisters. Natasi drained the last of her cocktail and strolled to the bar, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
As she mixed another drink, and the Concordia moved to position itself on the Executioner's starboard side, she explained: "I was with the One Sith until just after Coruscant. My brother died in the battle. It was only after that I came to realize that -- there had to be something better out there. A government of principle that would shed blood only when necessary, not the petty whims of the Sith Lords." This last phrase was rather spit out, like it tasted bad in her mouth. "Then I found the Supreme Leader. He saw something in me -- and I, in him -- and we built a beautiful, peaceful, stable, successful empire. Until Kaeshana," she observed, pouring a little more tonic into her G&T. "After that, perhaps -- maybe we've become addicted to it. War, victory, conquest. It's been good for my people. They take pride -- not just in their Empire and their leadership, but in themselves and each other and their communities. It's -- it's difficult to explain."
A shudder went through the deckplates, a steady thrumming as the weapons batteries opened fire, targeting the Incandescent Truth with all batteries.
Natasi returned to the chess table with two fresh cocktails. "Out of curiosity," she asked quietly as she resumed her seat and crossed her legs, looking calm and collected despite the ship being in combat. "How much do you trust your intelligence service? They seemed to pick the Executioner as a target quite quickly -- do you suppose they know you're here?" She leaned forward and studied the board. "Do you suppose if they had the chance to destroy the Concordia that your presence would make a difference? Check," she added, her voice a note of quiet triumph as she launched her endgame.
"I can close the shutters," Natasi offered, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder again at the battle sprawling beyond. "I would rather -- see," Natasi muttered. "Know. But if you'd rather not -- ?"
Whisperer's ears are startled by the roar of a jetpack which progressively becomes greater in volume and the armored Praetorian pivots sharply with both hands on Glaive each foot well-planted at shoulder width and bringing the plasma filament forward to face this new foe; A Mandalorian Warrior stands before her Blueish spheres barred from view of this new quarry by the near featureless scarlet coloured faceplate of Whisperer's helmet which in of itself is a more intimidating visage than a simple face. Here she faces the foe shrouded in a thin haze of smoke from their jetpacks' exhaust, Whisperer exchanges the Woman's nod with her own brief respectful tilt to the right with head protected by the brilliant crested ruby colored helmet. As the Mandalorian woman darts forward Whisperer senses the woman's intent to strike with both blades.'Clever'Whisperer thought as she uses both hands to bring the long double-bladed glaive forward and she takes a single precisely measured step back; giving a slight amount of ground while keeping guard up. The Mandalorians assault is reckless and something the silent Praetorian might have executed herself from a position of overconfidence had the initiative not been seized.
Whisperer pivots using the length of glaive to advantage parrying the heavier blade but using the other end of shaft beneath right hand to slam at Mandalorian's forearm or wrist that clasps at a notably shorter weapon using the superior position of balance to pivot the both of them with a preternatural speed and would see this engagement over before it begins in earnest should the well practiced and sweeping manuever be successful. Whisperer will position their enemy's back to face the railing with weapons locked she pushes off of heels to break their enemies balance before going to display a surprise; the thrust of left-gauntlet forth with extended fingers sending a gush of unseen energy to push their heavily armoured foe over the railing back towards the floor plummetting down. Whisperer inwardly acknowledged the jetpack while attempting to re-direct their foe and send them over, even if successful they would be back if determined though it might give the Praetorian the opportunity needed to leap down amongst the Mandalorian forces and deliver a whirlwind of sweeping strikes with her Plasma Glaive.
I've got a dream when the darkness is over
We'll be lying in the rays of the sun
But it's only a dream and tonight is for real
You'll never know what it means
But you'll know how it feels
It's gonna be over before you know it's begun
“Ara…” Bryce let softly slip from his lips as the two masters met within the force.
The mind was unmistakable, she was there, hidden behind a mask and some other powers she had acquired since she had left the outback. Memories like a soft dream spread through his mind as the level of his failure set in. The pull of the Ren is strong, that created of the dark can be saved, but she had chosen another path. So be it…
There is a truth few understand, even those who hold the rank of master fail to grasp. Within all there is balance. No matter how much good surrounds a being, so too lies the power to enact evil. He would no longer be able to meet her in soft ways. The understand he had sought to foster in her now lay on the ground like the wasted tears of the loved ones who’s sons and daughters were about to fall by his hand. Bryce lived in the impossible, dancing upon the edge of the blade. It was here he found truth, here he learned the meaning of pain. Here he shared that truth with others. It was here he defied fate and thrived.
-=:: Zero... Alpha protocol ::=-
As the storm troopers came Bryce still emphatically linked to his vessel gave the order he hoped to avoid, the one he programmed into his ship, what was to began the end. As the thought left his mind, Zero received it and obeyed. The capitol sized ion cannons on Zero were the first to come to life. Targeting the main power conduaites with their limited traverse the “zip lash” of their bolts flew through the still building air and found their mark. Consoles blew from the massive power spike, blast door triggered by jolt slammed down and fused in place cutting off the hanger from the rest of the ship. As the weapons continued to fire electricity ran through the deck burning those unarmored crew caught in the crossfire and frying the gear of those protected from such attacks.
As the sparks filled the space from the overloads Zero retracted her main cargo ramp and activated her heavy plasma cannons. As they fired burning liquid light filled the air and struck at the fighters, shuttles, transports before turning most importantly the lines of troopers that had stood back to cover their charging comrades. Those caught in the line of fire would join their brothers on in the halls of heroes kept by the First Order as they along with the metal beneath their feet turned to slag in the blink of an eye. Bryce knew where were the lucky ones. No pain would find them as being vaporized was an instant and total end.
Bryce in this moment felt Ara’s attack, having to channel as she did would be a tell the master would feel instinctively. In this moment he had many choices, many options but he instead did nothing to stop it. It was his plan all along to be the target, had in fact offered up himself as sacrifice to buy those he loved a little more time. As the wave of the force hit Bryce was thrown back hard into his ship hitting with a sickening thud. Ribs buckled under the impact and the wind was knocked out of him but he looked up and smiled at those who continued to charge a line of blood dripping from the side of his month.
Those that moved on his ship where now undoubtedly closer but Bryce had a surprise for them. Right before the impact of Ara’s attach Bryce has left Ia few Grav Grenade magnetized to the floor he had been hiding in his coat. Armed to go off moments after he was thrown back the troopers that crossed over them the would be pulled to the ground and have a difficult time moving or raising their weapons for several seconds.
As the grenades activated Bryce used the distraction to summoned his strength and rise to his feet. As he did he pulled the Thunderclap from his back and began to shower those pinned with it. Strands to electricity leapt from its’ muzzle like force lightning to incapacitate the troopers and fry the gear they wore.
“REN! Will not end like you think, call them off and let us leave. This is your last chance as it is only your arrogance that brings them death! ” Bryce knew his words would fall on def ears, but at least his conscious would be clean enough given what he knew the First Order did to its' prisoners...
Chaos filled the air as they swarmed through the breach, Silas' MF-44 thumping softly against the strength of his prosthetic and blowing through the armor of any trooper to get in his way. He fired and fired until the weapon went dry, then reload at a furious pace, taking cover behind a console as several blaster bolts plinked off his beskar'gam harmlessly. But in the chaos of the battle, electricity surged forth, dark energy fueled by the twisted force that had plagued his people for eons. The one that orphaned his son, widowed his brother, and broke his family.
Dar'jetti
Seething hatred filled Silas to the brim, the forcers were all the same, Jedi, Sith, or whatever the other groups were, all were ignorant children playing with something they could never understand and wreaking death in their wake. Too cowardly to carry out their atrocities without their twisted magic. When the second the barrage of lightning ceased, Silas moved, darting from his cover, he quickly brought the shotgun to bear. For a moment, he regretted not having a Ysalamir on his back, if only to watch as the woman realized her powers were gone, but alas he hadn't. So now they did this the fun way.
Silas squeezed the trigger, the shotgun roaring like the Mythosaurs of old as it fired off at Elensa. The saber pike was fine for deflecting blaster bolts, but the 8 gauge shot was a different story. It would be impossible to block it all, and to try and halt the projectiles with her abilities would require concentration. Concentration which would make the chances of his next shot finding purchase that much easier.
He pumped the weapon, ejecting the smoking husk of the shell and fired again at the woman, steadily advancing towards the woman as he pumped the shotgun yet again. If she wanted to fight up close, the Mantis would be more than happy to oblige her, he was practically itching to toss aside the firearm, and fight the way he knew best.
The Force quivered like the shaking knees of a novice jittering but a step away from complete and utter chaos. She liked this. Doublespeak styled mantras encapsulated the foremost thoughts of this Ren’s mind: peace in the midst of war, rapturous completion while torn into a thousand wants. Racosidae was briefly annoyed by the chirping comlink -for it snapped her out of focusing on this enticing smorgasbord of soul energy siphoning along her palms. Delicious as it was, the stalwart voice that was Zodan had purpose.
Suddenly bootclad footfalls rapped the floor leading to the hooded Ren’s perch in front of the hyperdrive engines. A flustered officer in a pristine uniform rushed up and dared to disturb her silence with his gabbering, confusing nonsense.
“Lady Ren! Lady Ren! The enemy is launching a cyberwarfare attack on the station; access is locked out in certain areas! Our troops cannot stop them, and they push deeper and deeper to this central point. Please, my Lady. H-h-help us! We cannot hold them off.”
A painful silence dominated the room as the nigh shrieking echoes of the report died down. The doors leading into this massive room checked a time or two after that, and now the Ren could sense a number of officers all standing like frightened children. Perhaps some were. Perfect. An opportunity to cement their fear and feed.
The Ren in a shabby looking blue cloak snapped the fingers of her right hand, and a scream cleaved the quiet as the reporting officer was toss into the air as though a rope was cast and wrapped about his ankles. Incidentally, he froze in place, upside down and dangling, just before his body touched the brilliant cascade of hyperblue energy between the engine and reactor. His peaked cap was not so fortunate, and it was disintegrated as it flew into the beam. Sweat poured from down his neck and temples. Oh, did he now reek -reek of weakness.
“. . . What is your function?”Asked the Ren, languishingly standing to.
“Ma’am! I’m a Security Bureau attaché! C-c--cyberwarfare. T-t-that’s how I knew we were under systemic attack. I was locked out of my terminal as the enemy was downloading plans.”
“. . . You mean to say. . . that in your one function -your one role, you are completely useless?”
Another pause. This one thick with anticipation. Some of the other officers watching began to wince and look away.
Contemptuous human. Worthless fleshbag.
The Ren released the sickly looking officer, letting him bounce his head on the deck as she walked to his side, engaging a vibrant purple lightsaber with the telltale snap-hiss. With the rage of a rancor, the lithe Ren began to wail on the various engines inside the reactor room, slicing up vital components and pulverizing back up generators in brilliant sparks of azure malice. Computers aboard the station began to fail in multiple sectors -it wouldn’t take a hacker savant to realize what was happening: the station itself was being sabotaged. A screeching flurry of whirling slashes reduced the backup engines to a scrap heap glowing in tones of orange and red.
And then it happened. The energy to the engine and hyperdrive motivator died down, and the Hyperdrive system failed. Backup lights across the station powered up and cast everything in freakish, red emergency lighting. Elsewhere, the interdiction field projectors continued to pump their nefarious cone of inhibition, though no doubt reduced to the operating time of a little over a day. The station was now doomed for movement -a sitting duck in the cesspool of a battle. They were stuck -as sure as dead if anything decided to fire upon them in concentrated style.
It made her smirk just a little.
She sent a terse message to Zodan :: Indeed. The hyperspace motivator was somehow disabled. ::
“You are now trapped . . .” Said the Ren, addressing the officers still trembling in the wake of her destruction. “. . .rats stranded on a doomed voyage. What will you all do now? Escape is cut off. Hope? Extinguished. Will you languish now and die meek? Go. Run.” If she was capable of laughter, she would pepper that in now for effect. Instead what remained of a command structure in this room prepared for a final stand with what little they could put together. In some cases they would use the ruined pieces from their engine to help erect defensive cover points.
There was, as expected, never enough time. In the midst of preparations for a final stand the room was intruded upon.
Jerit Kolomor said:
"You know, you can stop all of this and surrender? If you choose otherwise, my friend and I will have no choice but to kill you and I do not want to do that!" The boy yelled towards the witch. he made sure she could hear him.
Whatever First Order main line troopers or officers -of which were few in number- immediately surrendered to when they spotted the assault team. Weapons and blasters hit the deck while hands went up. Perhaps it was the will of the Force, or maybe they assumed that all hope of retreat was now cut off. Perhaps they were secretly hoping these invaders would spare their lives and kill the Ren. She opened a comlink so that any other friendlies still operating on the station would hear the next exchange.
It was all a moot point now.
She stood and turned to face the interloper -features and expression hidden in shadow thanks to her hood.
"Be taken prisoner or die. And they call us the warmongers." A haughty scoff was delivered.
"Go on then. Cut me limb from limb." Her posture seemed to hunch over, but it was impossible to tell exactly what her body was doing under the cloak. However, the Force swelled up to a boiling point -hot, boisterous, and spitting venom.
Location: Space Operations Center, Union-class Assault/Colony CarrierOcean Tide, docked at Station Hapspir Objective: Board Station Hapspir and suppress its defending forces: Reenact the Battle of Mylae ? Allies: Galactic Alliance & friends: [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Mirax Eygan"] | [member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Alyson Halle"] | [member="Zanza Hijikata"] Enemies: [member="Cyrus Tregessar"] | First Order
Gir's hands tightened around the holo-projector's railing as he stared at the flickering specks of light that made up the mosaic of the battlefield. He became conscious of a drop of sweat rolling down his sleeve and through a crevice made by his knurled fingers, before realizing that his whole body was already shedding a thin layer of perspiration. He wiped his hand across his face, recalling the countless times he had felt flush at the peak of a battle. This one was rise up to become one of the most stressful that Gir had experienced, a testament to the skills of the unknown commander who opposed him. Gir would have to find out who that was, if he had a chance. I'll probably have to fish out some thousands of credits to some info-broker for it too...He shook the thought away as he attempted to predict his opponent's next response, yet whoever commanded the Ravager and its assigned forces seemed to delight in confounding him, with the grand battlecruiser's weapons seemingly lashing out a disparate quarters, including a vicious barrage that knocked out the whole port shielding of the Roldophe, leaving the tip of its bow a glowing, red molten ball of twisted metal and ceramic. Amid such a distracting light show, Gir didn't notice the appearance of the individually diminutive transport craft as they launched from the massive warship. While the Ravager's bulk cloaked the transports from the Tide's view, the angle left them open to view from the sole remaining Sowa Drone from its perch atop of the battlefield. His display began to light up with dozens of new contacts as the drone added them to his tactical feed. Gir quietly swore as he suddenly realized their appearance as they began to swarm past the battlecruiser's hull.
"A counter boarding party," guessed Hopkins, watching their daredevil charge, "to reinforce the station's security complement?"
"Probably."
Gir frantically inputted commands that would release the interceptors from their posts around the station to try and beat off the wave of enemy transports. The First Order craft quickly jetted through a gauntlet of fire from his screening cruisers and frigates, but both warship classes didn't have large amounts of point defense fire to begin with, though the Protectors were rapidly to change that by throwing up thick walls of light turbolaser fire into the latter half of the oncoming transports. He noticed that they did not seem to be combat craft, and combined with their relatively large size, he wondered just how long they would survive on the battlefield. Several of the First Order craft triggered and destroyed some of the mines deployed around the carrier. Gir frowned as he watched a light quad turbolaser begin to chew through a transport's hull, even as its comrades continued forward around it. He wondered how many would be dead before they reached their destination. He's sending them on a one-way trip. Conquer or die. Gir found that an unsettling thought. Sacrifices had to sometimes be made for the greater good. Yet he always dreaded sending men to their deaths. He watched their final approach, with the few still functioning point defenses on the Tide trying to ineffectually beat back the wave of ships. But the craft did not jet towards the station like Hopkins anticipated, but instead swooped in on the ragged hull of the Tide. Its once thick and gleaming hull was littered with dozens of holes and slagged equipment that was little more than debris fit for the scrap heap. Some maintenance droids still scampered about its hull, trying to restore the ship's systems if only but for a moment. But the droids weren't much if any defense against the swarm of First Order boarders, and there were plenty of breaches for First Order troopers to exploit. It was only a small comfort to him that the enemy wouldn't be able to quickly amass large number of troops at any single hole. Gir rapidly punched in commands, diverting the Protector-class Frigates from their positions with the heavy cruisers to move in towards the Tide's dorsal hull to sweep off any transports that lingered long on its hull: a small target wouldn't be hard to hit if it was stationary. As the first of the First Order transports began to make their drops, the Whirlwind Interceptors and a smaller number of Typhoons came around from the station to savagely rip into the escorting fighters and transports as they unloaded their payloads. The frigates began to close in and cover the battered carrier's topside hull, almost like remoras to a spotted Anselmi whale shark.
He knew that the whole enemy boarding party wouldn't likely have been able to have made it to the Tide, and even they did, it seem likely that they would outnumber the assault carrier's vast host of troops even without the carrier's crew. Yet he couldn't ignore their presence. Only a few of them unchecked could lead to disastrous results. I'm being forced to split my forces...but we can still make this work. Gir flicked a switch on his headset.
"Panib, change of plans. Accelerate the station boarding timetable and divert our reserve droid forces topside."
"And the marines?"
"We're splitting them too. Two Line Regiments, the 1st and 4th, will be staying behind to defend the ship. The rest need to get their boots moving onto the station..."
A thought occurred to him
"Our frigates will begin dispatching their own troops into our breaches shortly as well."
If Gir could have his forces attack them from the front and rear, he guessed that they wouldn't be able to mount an effective attack if they had to worry about being shot in the back. He rapidly punched in commands to dictate the same orders to frigates as they neared the carrier's hull.
"Understood."
Gir began to calmly type in commands to the vessel's security systems. While far from impregnable, the Tide had noticeably been designed to resistance boarding operations. After all, if they had access to the enemy ship when the carrier docked to it, the enemy ship had reciprocal access onto the Tide. The Tide's native mantraps, automated lasers, and force-fields began to activate throughout the ship. Such features alone could only prolong the Tide's capture without her troops, but they were already mobilizing. The First Order troops would first encounter L1 Marinus droids working on damage control in the same vented compartments that gave the First Order troopers access to the carrier. More Marinus droids initially being held in reserve for their work in the station were already being dispatched from their secondary stations within the carrier or deep from within the ship's barracks via turbolifts. A variety of castoff CIS droids captured from Selvius II were being mobilized alongside them, to include everything from almost worthless B1 battle droids to actually formidable Droidekas. Behind thousands of these droids, Directorate marines were already setting up fortified positions at the carrier's chokepoints in conjunction with the vessel's automated defenses. He turned his attention back to the battle itself, trusting that Colonel Sherton would be able to effectively run the ship's internal defenses.
The Drakken-class Artillery Cruisers and his light corvettes continued to run from their opponents, with the corvettes occasionally banking to deliver some ordinance towards their pursuers before fleeing again. It appeared that the enemy had diverted a large portion of its starfighters away from chasing his artillery cruisers. It was understandable redeployment, given that between the two ships, they had maybe two flights of surviving interceptors. Yet he wouldn't be able to determine the effects of that movement until he knew where they were heading.
Onboard Hapshir Station, the initial demolition platoons had proceeded forward relatively unopposed at the start of their operations, much to Gir's surprise. The L1 Marinus weren't deterred by venting the atmosphere, and plodded forward, using their turadium armor and ray shielding to shrug off some of the smalls fire they encountered, even as the Droideka IIs rolled in to secure captured sections or lay down withering fire to try and eat away at the barricades, acting more as overpowered turrets rather than conventional infantry. But the Directorate's overwhelming numbers rapidly became bogged down by the natural constraint of the number of passages, especially by those barricaded by the enemy forces. Hundreds of Directorate marines trickled in behind the droid vanguard, and began to use their standard issue proton charges and timed mines to breach not through doors or barricades, but through ceilings, walls, and decks. Marinus droids moved quickly to exploit these gaps, rapidly spreading through these new breaches in attempt to seize or contest them before the defenders realized the new avenues of approach. Under the direction of the marines, those Marinus droids armed with the handheld Ranger Plasma Projectors or gauntlet mounted Plasma Disruptors to similarly create new passageways within the station. Doubtlessly, this unconventional approach would lead to some dead ends, but if the gap couldn't be exploited for progress, whatever of functional value was found there would be destroyed through a mixture of direct weapon's fire or the judicial use of explosives and wrist rockets. To aid in this wanton destruction, the Tide began to launch a small of number of Revirement missiles at the station, which would release dozens of saboteur droids to crawl over and begin to disable the ship's external subsystems. Deep within the bowels of the Tide, Panib's men finished rigging up a repulsorlift cart of proton shells taken from the vessel's Trident-class Autocannons and began to transport it towards the assault tubes. Even as he people prepared Hapshir Station for its destruction, Gir began to study what they had discovered of the station so far, attempting to figure out the key elements they had found so far that were responsible for the interdictor effect of the station.
Impromptu Battle Group Ocean Tide
Union-class Assault/Colony CarrierOcean Tide Shield / Hull:105/970 Hangar: 6 Cyclone Squadrons, 4 Typhoon Squadrons, guarding Hapshir Station Actions: Boarding Hapshir Station; firing on Ravager; sublight engines stopped: Aegis Anticoncussion Field activated. Mobilizing roughly half of its complement of fight off defenders: internal automated boarding defenses activated. Firing Revirement missiles at Hapshir station
Tercel-class Heavy CruiserBlack Sword Shield / Hull:810/880 Hangar: None Actions: Overlapped shields, attacking Ravager, placed between the Ocean Tide and Ravager Tercel-class Heavy CruiserWhite Mantle Shield / Hull:870/890 Hangar: None Actions: Overlapped shields, attacking Ravager, placed between the Ocean Tide and Ravager Tercel-class Heavy CruiserGreen Lance Shield / Hull:790/815 Hangar: None Actions: Overlapped shields, attacking Ravager, placed between the Ocean Tide and Ravager
Directorate / Law Enforcement Task Force Liberté-class Light Corvette Red One Shield / Hull:40/50 Hangar: None Actions: Run and gun with pursuers Liberté-class Light Corvette Red Two Shield / Hull:45/45 Hangar: None Actions: Run and gun with pursuers Liberté-class Light Corvette Red Three Shield / Hull:50/50 Hangar: None Actions: Run and gun with pursuers
-One Sowa inbound towards Keeper-class relay
-Screening heavy cruisers and frigates fire on passing transports
-First Order transports and fighters encounter previously laid mines
-Interceptors rushed to intercept First Order transports
-Half of the Tide's battle droids and Directorate marines (~15,000) mobilized to defend the warship along with its automated defense systems as detailed in post
-Protector Frigates move to attack and clear transports from the Tide, screen Tide, and begin to release spacebound Marinus droids and Directorate marines to counterattack First Order boarders from behind through the same boarding breaches used by the FO to board.
-Tide's boarding group accelerates their attack, with L1 Marinus droids and Droideka IIs being joined by thousands of Directorate marines
-Hapshir boarding party begins to make new unconventional breaches into Hapshir Station's decks, ceilings, and walls as described in order to try and bypass organized defenses, seize more area, and destroy any equipment that seems to be needed for the station to function as described in post
-Tide launches Revirement missiles at Hapshir station, hoping to land droids to sabotage the station's external systems
-Drakken cruisers continue retreat
-Light corvettes "run and gun" with pursuers
-Tide's marines prepare proton demolitions from the ship's autocannons and begin transport towards Hapshir Station
