Base Delta Zero

Kainan Wolfe · Oct 19, 2019

Soundtrack: Killzone 3 OST - Jut a Moment Ago

Planet CCX-9133212VC12
Hutt Space

For several months after the Hand of Light coup on Nelvaan, the scattered remnants of Blackwatch, the Eternal Empire's dreaded secret service organization, have been getting confusing reports from the cities under Jedi occupation. Reports which mentioned black, unmarked speeders that would appear out of nowhere and abduct people off the street, black-clad mercenaries snatching them away, never to be seen again while the Jedi themselves simply looked on as if nothing had happened.

In the greater context of the goings-on of the Jedi occupation, these reports would have been attributed to the crime which had exploded on the planet and would have been ignored, if not for one crucial thing. The sheer number of them.

Based on the reports, it seemed as if thousands of people were simply disappearing every day, something that even the Hand of Light could not have failed to notice, which could only mean that the fact that the abductions occurred conveniently whenever the Jedi and their enforcers were absent from the streets, was no coincidence. It took Blackwatch, as bereft of resources as the organization currently was, a considerable amount of effort to confirm that the Hand of Light was, indeed, somehow involved.

After months of hard work, the efforts finally paid off, beginning to paint a clearer picture of what was going on. The occupation's special forces were quietly and covertly shipping people off-world, to a set of coordinates in Hutt space, a system where an arid, cold and uninhabited world lay. Hidden amongst the nameless planet's mountains, a base had been built into a cliffside, hidden underground except for a few landing pads concealed in a canyon.

With this information, the Emperor put together an operation with the goal of uncovering whatever secrets lay within the facility, free the captives within and put a permanent end to the abductions.

First, the ENS Doom Fist and its two escorts, the Mordekai-class cruisers ENS Rampage and ENS Adamant Faith along with their complements of starfighters would jump into the system and briefly engage the two orbital defense platforms in geostationary orbit above the base, falling back as soon as the base's complement of X-Wings deployed, drawing them away. Close by, the Fenris-class subspace cruiser U-404 would approach with its cloaking systems active and covertly deploy infiltration teams who would then hike a short distance to the base and once gaining access, they would release any prisoners they encountered, sabotage the base's anti-air and orbital defenses, then fall back to a nearby plateau for extraction.

As for the Jedi and their personnel within the base, the Emperor's orders were clear: total rendition. Once the strike teams and rescued prisoners were extracted, the Star Destroyer ENS Bloody Vengeance would jump into the system, quickly dispatch the now-inert orbital defense platforms and complete the final stage of the operation by carrying out an orbital bombardment of the Hand of Light facility below.

The preparations complete, the small flotilla set course for its target. With but an hour before the operation began, Tacitus, Eternal Emperor of his embittered people, addressed his troops, his words and image conveyed across the entirety of the Eternal Empire, from Nelvaan to its scattered fleets and agents all across known space via encrypted comms.

"My people," the Sith Lord spoke from the cramped hangar deck of the subspace cruiser, surrounded by ten of his Wolfguards and a squad of Ghost Troopers, his tone grave and solemn. "For many years, we have been a nation under siege. Shunned, oppressed, hunted down and killed by those who's sole purpose is to see us erased from this galaxy," he said, hand resting on the hilt of his longsword, which hung from the belt at his hip. "All the horrors, brutality and cruelty in this galaxy, have arrayed themselves against us. Sith, Jedi, Republic and Outer Rim, all have taken their turn to try and wipe us out, yet through it all, we stood strong and we endured together."

"In their vain arrogance, blinded by prejudice and hatred towards those who do not make their homes amongst soft, mild Summerworlds and who do not embrace their beliefs in indulgent, self-absorbed pursuits of individual satisfaction and gain, they have labeled us as inferior. They see us as lesser beings because they can afford the luxury of believing in the deception of peace, while we know only war. They see us as lesser beings, because they can afford to live their leisurly, hedonistic lives on their paradise worlds, while we know only struggle."

"They say peace and wasteful comfort make them superior and give them the right to preach their hypocritical ways down to us from their gilded dens of hedonistic depravity, while they look down upon us and see us as something less than them: animals, beasts, fit only for killing. But they will learn their mistake, my people, right before the end."

"I say, a pox on their delusions of peace and hedonistic, wasteful little lives. Struggle is the father of all things and true virtue lies in bloodshed! Blood alone moves the wheels of history and in blood comes the price they must pay! A tribute of blood we shall exact of those who stand against us and through bloodshed, we will show them the folly of their arrogance and teach them the truth that the children of Nelvaan know in their hearts. That our culture, the Nelvaanian nation, is the final stage in the evolution of all life."

"On this day, we stand united once more. On this day, those driven to destroy us, will hear our voice! On this day, we shall act as one! And we will be oppressed no more!"

"And with this first act of violence, begins the revolution of our time."

With those final words, the transmission ended. The cruisers emerged from hyperspace, tearing a bloody wound through space and opened fire on the unnamed planet's orbital defenses even as the subspace cruiser stealthily positioned itself for infiltration. And on the other side of the galaxy, on Nelvaan, the Eternal Army began to stir.

Taozi Fuyuan · Oct 21, 2019

Tags: [member="Darth Tacitus"]

When Taozi had received a offer of payment from the Eternal Empire, she was suspicious at first. She pulled her advisers into her office at the stronghold, and discussed with them on whether or not to see what the request was, and on if it would be wise to accept it. Eventually, they did read what the request was, and instantly accepted it once they saw the words "rescue civilians" in the request.

Now, Taozi and the best of the best members of Clan Tal stood with the Empire's soldiers, and listened as Tacitus gave his speech. The Mandalorians wore their beskar'gam, emblazoned with their clan symbol on it, with pride, even as they stood with those who formerly sought to destroy them on Taanab. They were burdened only with medical supplies, and only a few carried weapons. Buy'ce at their sides, the Tal members eyed their Alor for her reaction to the speech, before one stepped towards her, nervously.

"Alor, are you sure we can trust them? They were on Taanab... They were with the Confederacy... How do we know they won't stab us in the back?"

"We don't. However, they clearly know our strength is in rescue operations, or else they would not have hired us. There is a reason I only brought some of us here, just in case. Just as we are suspicious of them, I'm sure they have suspicions of us. Time will tell if we can trust the other or not, so for now we wait and follow orders. We are the best at what we do, and we will save every prisoner. No exceptions."

"Yes, Alor!" The 20 Tal Members spoke in unison and saluted their Alor, before putting on their helmets, and waited.

Kainan Wolfe · Oct 22, 2019

Attn: [member="Taozi Fuyuan"]

Planet CCX-9133212VC12
Hutt Space

If the Imperials had any objections to the presence of the Mandalorian mercenaries, they did not show any signs of it. Of course, they had their own issues related to Tanaab and how things were handled during that conflict, mostly having to do with what they considered to be a huge tactical blunder on the Confederate side. They would have just shelled that hospital and called it a day, any civilian casualties being considered 'acceptable collateral', especially given the numbers. However they did not have grudges against this particular clan, despite their previous clash. War was just that. Business as usual, as far as they were concerned. No better or worse than what they themselves had been on the receiving end of.

And at the end of the day, they had bigger business to take care of. Such as rescuing their people and grinding the Hand of Light into a gory pulp under their boots. Permanently, this time. As the soldiers made their final preparations and boarded their dropships, Tacitus approached the Mandalorian leader, perhaps sensing their unease. In truth, he wouldn't even need to draw upon the Force for that, he had a trained eye for picking up meaning from subtle changes in tone and posture. And he preferred not to use the Force when he didn't have to.

"I see you still have your doubts," he said to her in Basic. There was no sarcasm, or question in his tone, it was just a flat statement of fact. The battle-scarred and hardened Emperor regarded the young Mandalorian woman with keen and curious eyes, like one still trying to discern the nature of something that piqued his attention. "I'm not going to try to fill your head with fancy words about the morality of war, violence is what it is and the Empire does what it needs to, even when those actions are brutal in nature," the Sith Lord spoke, his business-like tone making it clear that he was not looking for excuses, or to garner sympathy for the way the Empire conducted itself.

"I just wanted you to know this. Do not let yourself be confused by the professed faith in peace and the lightside of the enemy we are going to be facing, today. The last time we encountered this Jedi sect, they inflicted genocide upon my people and would have no qualms of doing the same to yours if they suspected you of even the slightest deviation from their interpretation of their Jedi code," he said, some flicker of sadness flashing in his eyes.

"The people they dragged into that facility, are not soldiers or murderers. Just regular families, with regular lives and regular jobs until the Hand of Light coup threw everything on its head. Whatever our differences of opinion are, they do not deserve whatever fate these Jedi wretches have prepared for them."

Formorta · Oct 22, 2019

How did that saying go? Those words of wisdom passed down by a man of great intelligence and knowledge, ah yes, 'oh sh'it, here we go again'. Words that rang very true to what was happening right about now, even if Formorta didn't voice them, the pale sniper silent as always unless talked to directly.

After all Formorta wasn't here to ask question or wonder why [member="Darth Tacitus"] was once again going about trying to make another empire, she was a merc, she got paid and people point to a target. Also once more the Sith Lord went to lengths to one again fine an extremest Jedi sect to bring the hammer down on.

She had no complaints about such actions as long as the claims were true, though it felt like her employer was going out of his way to solely target this specific group, again. With a small shurg and sigh the multi armed women stood up from her seat, cradling the small arsenal of weapon in hand. Her skill and sneaking would be key in this mission and her past relations with the Eternal Empire meant she had a decent amount of pull with the troops. It would be strange working with multiple people again but a job was a job.

Walking some more the masked assassin approached from the side as Tacitus was conversing with some pink haired women, explaining their reasons for such a mission. Once again she didn't speak, just listening to their exchange of words while the space battle raged outside.

[member="Taozi Fuyuan"]

Taozi Fuyuan · Oct 23, 2019

Tags: [member="Darth Tacitus"] [member="Formorta"]

Taozi paused in her motion of putting her buy'ce on as Tacitus approached her, and quirked a brow upwards as he began to speak. Truthfully, the doctor did not expect him to approach her so directly like this. He spoke of war, as though Taozi were unaware of how little morals existed in it. Clearly, however, the Sith was not looking for sympathy from her, and Taozi lowered her buy'ce further as she listened. Her face soured at the mention of the "Jedi" they would be facing today.

"I may present myself as a doctor most of the time, but I am first and foremost a Mandalorian. War is something we do not shy from, much less war with filthy trash who masquerade as those aligned with the Light. I watched Taanab burn by the hand of the Confederacy. I was there as the Sith, our former allies, brought down wasps that melted flesh and metal alike. I have seen the horrors of war first hand.

And I can tell you this, war has no morals. Not here, nor anywhere else in the galaxy."

A sigh escaped her lips as she put on her buy'ce, giving a small nod of greeting to the woman who came up to stand near Tacitus.

"You hired me and mine to rescue your people, and we will do so, but do not expect us to be as ruthless in murdering false Jetii as you and yours."

Kainan Wolfe · Oct 24, 2019

Attn: [member="Taozi Fuyuan"] | [member="Formorta"]

Planet CCX-9133212VC12
Hutt Space

Even as he spoke to the Mandalorian, the Emperor noticed the mercenary's approach in the corner of his vision. An old contact of his, she always got the job done without complaint, took her pay and generally conducted herself as a professional. Tacitus respected people like that, professionals who took their jobs seriously and got things done in a timely and efficient fashion, he was glad to have the assassin along on this mission and would slip in a bonus on top of her usual fee. The Emperor was a man who rewarded good service.

For now, he remained silent as the Mandalorian leader spoke, waiting for her to finish before giving voice to his own thoughts. She spoke with passion and fury about the Hand of Light, making it clear to him that she still believed in the lies told about the Light. Many in the galaxy still did, those who had not been there, on Nibelungen, or on Winter, or on Nelvaan. Those which had, would tell a different story about the servants of the Light and the honeyed poison which they peddled. She mentioned broken alliances with a kind of bitterness which told him she still held on to false beliefs about what the galaxy was and how it worked. But, she was learning. She had witnessed war, caught a glimpse into the true nature of life and was becoming wiser to it.

He nodded. "I expect no more ruthlessness or cruelty from people, than what is necessary to finish the job. Contrary to what you might believe, we don't enjoy inflicting suffering on others. But we understand that sometimes, such things are necessary, that they are the price which must be paid so that many others may live. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made," he said, a hard, solemn look settling into his eyes. Everything he did, was for his people. His nation. Nothing for himself. He had dedicated his entire life to insuring their survival. He knew the meaning and value of sacrifice, better than most people who ever heard or spoke the word. The Ghost of Eshan, some called him. He had stood there, on that battlefield, amidst the blood and carnage under the shadow of a Star Destroyer's plummeting wreck. Most Sith and indeed, many Jedi, would have saved themselves that day, would have left their soldiers to die so that they may live another day. Tacitus didn't. He stepped forward and sacrificed himself without a moment of hesitation. But this was neither the time, or place to tell that tale. There was business to attend to.

He waved a hand signal to one of the attendants, who briskly stepped forward to carry out his lord's will. Speaking a few words in High Nelvaanian, he sent the attendant hurrying towards a pile of crates which were secured with straps to the floor, off in one of the corners of the hangar deck. Returning, the attendant held a scoped rifle in his hands, which the Emperor took. He held the rifle out to the mercenary, Formorta. "KC-M74S designated marksman rifle. Armor piercing, high velocity tungsten rounds, five shots in the magazine, manually-operated bolt action. Powerful, precise and lethal against Force wielders and regular enemies alike. I think you'll find it to your liking," he said.

"Now get to your places. We're going planetside in five," he spoke to the group.

The dropships slammed into the atmosphere, coming in bellies forward at a sharp angle of attack, crushing through the planet's shroud of breathable air like a sledgehammer, decelerating from orbital velocity to subsonic in under five minutes, leaving red streaks of flame across the sky and pushing the inertial dampeners to their limits. It was a difficult and dangerous maneuver, which most shuttle pilots across the galaxy would tremble at the prospect of. Most pilots weren't imperials, though, who trained for this kind of insertion every day of their careers and the Styx-class dropships were no mere shuttles.

Pushed almost to breaking point, the sturdy dropships shook and rattled horribly and even with the dampeners kicking in at their maximum output, their occupants could still feel an uncomfortable echo of the high-G maneuver, but they were through in mere moments, leveling out and adopting a low trajectory which put them under the cover of the mountain peaks as they navigated the treacherous valleys.

They came to a stop swiftly and efficiently, in perfect order, most hovering above the landing spot to keep a lookout for trouble as the rest landed in pairs and unloaded their troops, four at a time, with the empty ones rejoining the ships hovering above as others descended, in a conveyor-like fashion. Tacitus was first on the ground, as he always was, cat-like eyes surveying the horizon for potential foes. Two squads of Ultranauts fanned out, rapidly deploying a general purpose repeating blaster and a heavy machinegun to provide cover if necessary. Combat Engineers scanned the skies with their rocket launchers. With the landing zone secured, the small task force began assembling for the task of storming the Hand of Light base.

Kresslyn Cantor · Oct 25, 2019

Tags: [member="Darth Tacitus"] | [member="Taozi Fuyuan"] | [member="Formorta"]

Location: Planet CCX-9133212VC12

Dropship 2, breaking atmosphere/landing

Every fight like this had begun all the same. I don't like you, you don't like me. But these types of fights were all personal for Kresslyn. The ultimate burden that was the force lingered around him his entire life. He watched as the Jedi and their 'selflessness' took children and brought them to fight wars they never saw themselves fighting. He saw the results of the annihilation the Sith and their empires brought to planets as they traveled, enslaving entire species, experimenting on populations. This was personal. This was the one and only time that he would ever consider harnessing the force and using it as a tool. He would use the force to get rid of the force. They were all the same. The Eternal Empire, however, was different. He watched as the Sith Lord spoke, giving various people reasons for their purpose here. The Jedi had gone undisturbed long enough. Their time had come.

Without warning, the dropships sharply decreased their speed, causing Kresslyn to jerk to his side. The men and women around him all inspected their equipment one last time. He had brought nothing but a shield and scavenged, almost destroyed, saber pike that shines an undying bright white to display his true neutrality and view on the force as a tool, not an almighty power to be worshipped. As the ships continued to decrease their speed, he grabbed his shield in his right hand and held the saber pike in his left, gripping the center of it tightly, his thumb resting atop the ignition. Soon enough, the ships stopped, lowered themselves to a hovering position, and the hatches lifted up from their sides to give their occupants a view of the outside world that would certainly succumb to the Eternal Empire's offensive.

Just like the other dropships, two squads of Ultranauts accompanied by combat engineers exited, forming a defensive perimeter. Kresslyn exited in unison with them, holding his shield in front of him and scanning his area of the circular perimeter they had formed. This would be a good day. Truly a day of conducting strictly business, nothing else. Behind him, the rest of the combat engineers unloaded the necessary equipment. To his right, he spotted the field commander, [member="Darth Tacitus"] and his squad watching the surrounding area like hawks. Up above, the sky had been decorated with shattered orbital platforms and whatever other defenses had been put together. The surprise had definitely caught them off guard. They were out trained, out prepared, and out gunned. Nothing of theirs could compare. This would not be easy, but it wouldn't be much of a challenge.

Moments later, the dropships closed their hatches and departed. On the ground, all was silent besides the constant chatter of command units to their squad leader. The hum of the dropships quickly became distant as they retreated safely to the hangars of the assault ships that secured the atmosphere. And then it truly fell silent as all awaited orders from the field commander.

Formorta · Oct 25, 2019

A short small nod was all she gave to her employer as the two continued to converse. One of the good aspect of repeat business was the lack of working out pay and other details, he knew she knew what to do and how to do it, there wasn't any need for words. Hefting her rifle the pale assassin wandered over to the hanger, ready for the hard insertion that would be coming.

The drop was steep as usual, no much different from a drop bop, the G's being pulled by the pilot almost enough to be uncomfortable for the sniper if she hadn't gone through such landings many times before. As the doors opened she took to the roof of the ship, swinging up out of the door, eye's scanning for even the slightest movement as the rest of the ships made planet fall. So far so good, but the hand of light wasn't one for direct open conflict when they could avoid it, no doubt the streets would be lined with traps of every type.

There troops had more or less wandered willing into a spiders web... it was a good thing they had a spider on their side, one that was 10 times the hunter the defenders were. With the troops out and equipment set Formorta lowered her weapons, just a bit before hopping down from the elevated platform, walking over to the golden clad fighter. "I go ahead, scout out streets, tell if ambush await", her words coming off somewhere between a statement and order as her appearance would start to shimmer, slowly vanishing from the naked eye and most scanners. The world of stealth was her domain, in it she held all the power.

[member="Kresslyn Cantor"] [member="Darth Tacitus"] [member="Taozi Fuyuan"]

Ingrid L'lerim · Oct 26, 2019

Location: Planet: CCX-9133212VC12, hutt space
Equipment: Bio link
Tag(s): Open

Several months passed since the Hand of Light affair. Thence a lot thing has happened with Ingrid. Among other things, her trust and loyalty shakes in the CIS, especially when Scherezade’s left them, and they accuse the Eternal Empire in connection with the Kuat incident. Chaotic times, Ingrid had a lot of job everywhere, and she has little time left to her Force training with [member="Darth Tacitus"].

And these also peaked in that fact, she was informed late about this mission. She had to collect everything quickly and come to here. Ingrid hopes she not arrived too late. During the travel – she made on his own ship – Ingrid watched and read her master’s briefing, and the files, what she needed to know about the entire mission.

The journey this time it seemed damn slow for her. She tried to practice what she learned from [member="Darth Tacitus"]. Lightsaber fight moves, tried the telekinetic; moving small objects with her mind. The meditation was good and easy, she learned that when she was a little girl, to control her feelings and emotions. But her master’s tell, she needed to use her anger, hatred.

Easy to say to someone who learn all of her life to need to keep under control them. And thanks for her genetic anomaly she is really good in this. Maybe someone else do this easily, bur for Ingrid it was hard. When her journey comes to an end, she finished her practice and went the cockpit.

After the ship is stepped out of hyperspace at the coordinates, she opened channel via encrypted comm to [member="Darth Tacitus"]’s ship. When the transmission was up, she welcomes her emperor and master.

”Sorry for the late my lord, I came as soon as I could; I hope I was not arrived too late. I’m waiting your orders, where should I help our cause, our people?” she asked and then waiting for the answer and the orders.

Goonch Bagarius Yarrelli · Oct 27, 2019

The small flecks of gold in the ancient Selkath's brown eyes glittered. Today was the day. D-day. Time to take his flotilla back to combat. The vessels that made up the flotilla were small, but they were Commodore Goonch's pride and joy. They were his command, and that command was a command he believed in. He cast his eyes about the little white bridge of his command vessel, the Pistris, and then through the forward viewport where he could see the proud hulls of Lolligo, Testudo, and Anguilla.
"Captain Gran, are my vessels prepared for light-speed?" Goonch croaked to the Duros master and commander of Pistris.
"Aye, sir." The Captain tipped the big hat he and all the other officers under Goonch's command were required to wear.
"Prepare for jump, and open me a feed on all frequencies for all four vessels." The commodore looked to the radio operator. Receiving a que, he leaned into the microphone installed in the arm rest of his command chair. "The Eternal Empire expects every man will do his duty." He announced.
"Ready to jump, sir."
"Forth, then!"
The Selkath smiled as his brittle bones shifted under the force of sudden acceleration into another plane of space. The hyperdrive roared like a sea monster. The stars elongated and changed into a spiral of blue energy. The astonishing spectacle lasted only a few moments before giving way to reveal a planet and a fleet. The four corvettes had held perfect formation through the jump.
"Very good, command. Now, mister Harpin, do you maneuver us into 'angry parrot' above Doom Fist. Captain Gran, instruct Captains Yoll, Lubrick, and Key to maneuver their vessel's to the flagship's starboard side to be ready for immediate foray."
The Pistris broke away from her counterparts, sailing upward until she was positioned just to larboard of Doom Fist's bridge, perching herself like an angry parrot. The other three vessels moved into a single-file formation, Lolligo at their head, and drifted into holding position off the larger ships starboard rail.
"Commodore Goonch of Pistris, Lolligo, Testudo, and Anguilla reporting in. Proudly awaiting orders."

[member="Taozi Fuyuan"] [member="Darth Tacitus"] @Formorta @Kresslyn Cantor [member="Ingrid L'lerim"]

Rath Exigo · Oct 27, 2019

Attn: [member="Goonch Bagarius Yarrelli"]

Planet CCX-9133212VC12
Aboard the ENS Doom Fist

The sleek, grey hull of the Augrim-class Heavy Cruiser ENS Doom Fist flashed with multicolored light reflected by the exchange of turbolaser fire between the small flotilla and the Hand of Light defense platforms. The Doom Fist was a sturdy ship, heavily armed and armored, with powerful shields, a good ship, designed for this kind of slug fest with enemy forces, to go in, unleash withering fire upon the enemy and then fall back.

It and its escorts did their job. They jumped in, they opened fire, they drew away the X-Wings defending the base and they withdrew to a safe distance, feigning weakness, letting the enemy take small bites and get a taste for blood. Now that they fell back to the predetermined waypoint, they made a stand and sprung the trap. The massive ships began to turn, heavy flak batteries from the escort cruisers forcing their enemies to break formation and disperse. The escort cruisers launched their complement of fighters, two squadrons of I-3A Lance Fighters against double their number, but given much better odds by the flak fire coming from the Rampage and Adamant Faith, denying their enemies the ability to form up and overwhelm them.

And then the Selkath's ships arrived.

A response came quickly from the lead ship of the small flotilla, which, however, wasn't the Doom Fist. The flagship had yet to join the battle, in fact and was waiting for the right moment. "Commodore Goonch, this is Admiral Atemu of the 3rd Fleet. Have your Typhoon-class minelayers deploy a minefield between the battle and the orbital defense platforms," the holographic image of an elderly Anubian male dressed in an immaculate uniform which displayed all the trappings of his rank, instructed. It was a good strategy. Once the enemy X-Wings realized they had bitten off more than they could chew, they would attempt to fall back to protect the orbital platforms. And run right into the Commodore's minefield. "Keep the Sigma-class Heavy Assault Dropships in reserve, they will be needed for the evacuation, once the prisoners are rescued. I am also temporarily transferring a squadron of starfighters to your command. Standby for reinforcements."

It took a mere few seconds for the third squadron of I-3A Lance Fighters to make the short jump from the Star Destroyer's hiding spot at the edge of the system, to the orbit of the planet. Rather than engage in the battle, they fell into formation around the lead ship of the corvette group. "Commodore Goonch, this is Delta Squadron, awaiting your command," the squadron's commander reported.

Back aboard the Bloody Vengeance, the admiral prepared for the execution of the next stage of the plan. He snapped a few quick, precise orders and the Star Destroyer's hyperdrive began to spool up.

Kainan Wolfe · Oct 27, 2019

Attn: [member="Taozi Fuyuan"] | [member="Formorta"] | [member="Kresslyn Cantor"] | [member="Ingrid L'lerim"] | [member="Goonch Bagarius Yarrelli"]

Planet CCX-9133212VC12
Hutt Space

As the small, but intense battle raged in orbit, the forces on the ground waited their cue to assault the base. Time was of the essence and it was crucial that for the success of the mission that the strike teams synchronized with the ships above. Tacitus surveyed the assembled troops one last time. The mercenary, Formorta, had already gone on ahead to scout for potential ambushes and the Combat Engineers were performing one last inspection of the heavy weapons they had deployed. The Sith Lord waved over an officer and pointed at a rock. "I want two snipers up on that ridge, providing overwatch for our advance. Coordinate with the mercenary Formorta and assist her where necessary," he commanded.

He turned his attention to the Wardens, Kresslyn and his apprentice, Ingrid. "Cantor, I want you and Ingrid to each take a squad of Ultranauts and form up on the flanks. Ingrid, remember what I taught you. Anger, hatred, fear, the Force itself, to a Warden these are nothing more than tools to be used. Effective tools, so use them well and without hesitation. But do not let them take control of you," he said, intending for the other Initiate to hear these words. He had spent all the time he had available these past few months teaching the Baroness the basics, focusing mostly on Telekinesis, Darkshear and Force Lightning, some of his favorite and most powerful abilities. It had been hard for her to learn these things, as she had been taught to suppress them. "Purpose and discipline will be your anchor in the storm. Let your faith in the Empire guide your actions and strengthen your will and the Force will not be able to bend you to its insidious will, for willpower and duty are stronger."

The Emperor then addressed the Mandalorian, one last time before the battle would begin. "I want you to deploy half of your medics here and have them set up a temporary first aid station. We do not know what condition the prisoners are in and they may be in need of urgent care. You and the rest of your unit will accompany us inside. Stay sharp and keep your eyes peeled. These are Jedi we're dealing with, do not underestimate them."

As if on cue, another ship arrived in orbit of the planet, large enough to be seen from the ground even in broad daylight. The Star Destroyer ENS Bloody Vengeance, Rath Exigo's ship, had executed a tactical hyperspace jump from its position at the edge of the system, engaging the orbital defense platforms and deploying its last squadron of starfighters.

Rather than engage the enemies in orbit, the starfighters swiftly descended into the atmosphere. I4V Dive Bombers, designed to support ground troops during engagements, did exactly what their name suggested. They dived, leaving red streaks across the sky as they cut through the atmosphere, breaking formation and dispersing to engage the target. A horrible wailing sound echoed throughout the mountains as the imperial Close Air Support bombers engaged their Jericho Sirens.

Surprised, the base's anti-air defenses opened up, scattering sporadic, panicked laser bolts across the sky. The atmospheric maneuverability of the dive bombers, coupled with the defenders' surprise, gave them just the edge they needed. With the cruiser group retreating away, the Hand of Light troops were not expecting an aerial attack and now, they would pay for it.

Several of the turrets and anti-air emplacements guarding the base against attacks from above or below, exploded as the bombs dropped on them. The bombers made a second pass, strafing the walls, but when this time, one of them disappeared into a ball of flame as it was struck by a salvo of crimson bolts from one of the AA towers. Now that the initial shock of the attack had worn off, the bombers would not be able to approach the base again. The crews manning the anti-air towers were ready for them. It was time for the strike teams to do their part.

Tacitus stepped forward, drawing his sword, three crimson-bladed lightsabers detaching from his belt and floating up to form a circle around him, seemingly of their own free will. With the base defenders still reeling after the airstrike, the Emperor gave the order to commence the assault.

Taozi Fuyuan · Oct 28, 2019

Tags: [member="Darth Tacitus"] [member="Formorta"] [member="Kresslyn Cantor"] [member="Ingrid L'lerim"]

The Mandalorians listened as Tacitus spoke, quietly disagreeing behind their helmets. To the Tal Clan, sacrifices were never necessary. Taozi's face, however, remained neutral as she watched him hand a rifle to the mercenary woman. It was... strange, to her, to be able to see a man who was once an enemy become more... human. Less of a concept, she supposed. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she put on her buy'ce and followed orders. All Tal members entered a drop ship, and prepared for descent.

Clan Tal hurried off their drop ship, and those few with weapons held them at the ready as the others did one last equipment check. Taozi looked up as Tacitus addressed her, and nodded before turning to her clan to assign those who would stay behind.

"Zhang, I want you in charge of setting up. Feng and Huan, you two will guard the others, while you seven will stay behind to set up under Zhang's directions. The rest of you are with me, understood?"

"Yes, Alor! Oya!"

"Oya!"

With their assignments settled, the Mandalorians got to work, either setting up a small camp, or following the Empire's assault teams.

Ingrid L'lerim · Oct 30, 2019

Location: Planet: CCX-9133212VC12, hutt space
Equipment: Bio link
Tag(s): [member="Darth Tacitus"] | [member="Taozi Fuyuan"] | [member="Formorta"] | [member="Kresslyn Cantor"]

She not late anything, the attack just begins, so she could join to the others easily. She didn't have to wait too long to get the instructions from her emperor and master, [member="Darth Tacitus"]. Ground combat, good, her ship wasn’t good for space combat anyway. She needs to buy a simple fighter, X wing, or TIE bombard. X wing, they are faster and elegant.But the invasion was different.

”Roger that my lord! On my way to the planet surface! If I’m landing, I’ll send the coordinates to the Ultranauts” she replied.

She wanted to break the comm channel, when Darth Tacitus gives some advice to her. Before she answer to him, sighed. He tell her this many times. Her telekinetic progress went good, that was easier than what required emotions.

”I know my lord, but yet I trust better in my blasters or sniper rifle than the Force. If it possible, I want clear targets and simply kill them, not practicing on them with the Force. This mission is too important, rather than to try experiment with the Force my lord!” she replied.”And one more important thing my lord, I never hesitate!”

Her soubriquets were Icicle queen, or simply Ice queen, because she always seemed cold and control her emotions perfectly. She simply didn’t know how, and can’t afford to herself to be different. If she gives up herself, se can’t be an agent anymore. And no one helped her to find the golden middle ground, to be stay herself, and evolving with the Force. In this moment what she saw it was something for something.

She steered her ship to the atmosphere, and after that, where were the Eternal Empire’s army. Ingrid dropped her ship not far away from them, in a more sheltered place. She gathered her weapons, her armor, and after that she starts to move to join the others. Under this, she sent her coordinates to the Ultranauts’s commander, hopes they will find her, before she reached the frontline.

Ilsa Visel · Oct 31, 2019

Base Delta Zero

27th "Drachen" Ultranaught Regiment

Colonel Ilsa Visel

Colonel Ilsa Visel -
After delegating a landing zone for her Regiment, Ilsa had her Regiment of Ultranaughts set up a perimeter whist they waited for the order to begin their assault. She turned to her Lt. Colonels, "I want a perimeter surrounding this landing zone, I want the engineers to start entrenching a defensive line to fall back to and to entrench the vehicles and artillery. The 1st "Atherisch" Security Battalion will stay at the LZ and hold the perimeter, the 2nd "Himmlisch" Support Battalion will set up, ensuring we're dug in and have large scale medical aid should we need it, the 3rd "Rustung" will prepare to bombard them from a distance and the 4th and 5th infantry battalions will prepare their assault on the compound, copy?" "Yes, Ma'am", said the Lt. Colonels before going off to their battalions. Ilsa headed to the command tent to plan final preparations before the assault.

1st "Atherisch" Security Battalion -
The 1st spread themselves around the landing zone, patrolling the outside and inside of the perimeter and guarding the command centres and medical facilities.

2nd "Himmlisch" Support Battalion -
The 2nd's Combat Engineers had began work straight away and had already established a defensive trench in a U shape around the LZ along with built up defences should it be needed. The Field Medics had also rather quickly set up their facilities and are ready to take patients at a moments notice.

3rd "Rustung" Armoured Battalion -
The 3rd's artillery pieces and tanks had set up on a hill just beside the LZ and are ready to bombard the compound at a moments notice. Their position has been entrenched by the Combat Engineers of the 2nd.

4th "Sturm" & 5th "Gewehr" Infantry Battalions -
Both infantry battalions had prepared themselves to begin their assault and await the order to attacks. They're armed with a multitude of weapons and mortars and await the signal to begin their assault.

Goonch Bagarius Yarrelli · Nov 2, 2019

"Orders confirmed, Admiral, and may I say what lovely day it is for a good star-scrap?" Goonch responded to [member="Rath Exigo"]. "Deploying Pistris and Lolligo mine laying."
Pistris banked to the left, followed by Lolligo, leaving her defensive position above Doom Fist and drifting into a course skirting the edge of the orbital platforms' weapon range. The helmsmen of the two vessels had started the conservative route on their own volition. They didn't have faith in their vessels yet. It was a dangerous attitude. A crew should have complete, even reckless, faith in their vessel. The commodore knew there was only one way to learn such a valuable lesson. Also, teaching the lesson would yield a valuable tactical advantage.
"Harder larboard, minelayers. Engines all ahead full. We will drop our payload where the enemy fighters will expect to be safe."
"Commodore, sir, the guns!" Captain Yoll warned.
"Hence the speed, mister Yoll. We're designed for speed." He touched a button on the arm of his command chair to patch the new fighter squadron in. "Welcome to the family, Delta squadron. It is a pleasure to have you. Enter a holding pattern between Doom Fist and the minelayer course, if you please. Be ready for a hot engagement with retreating enemy fighters."

[member="Ilsa Visel"] [member="Ingrid L'lerim"] [member="Taozi Fuyuan"] [member="Darth Tacitus"] @Formorta @Kresslyn Cantor

Kresslyn Cantor · Nov 4, 2019

Tags: [member="Ingrid L'lerim"] | [member="Darth Tacitus"] |

Planet CCX-9133212VC12

Objective: Take left flank, regroup with [member="Formorta"]

Because of the constant factor of ships retreating through hyperspace or jumping into the battle from hyperspace, the battle for space superiority above raged on for what seemed like forever. After gazing at the ongoing conflict for a while, he Kresslyn got straight to work. As he assisted in establishing the FOB alongside medical facilities, he unloaded supplies and ensured the men around him, informally his squad, had everything they needed to complete the invasion. As he just set down a medical supply crate, a pale-skinned, slender woman approached him and spoke in what seemed to be some sort of fractured basic.

"I go ahead, scout out streets, tell if ambush await"

While the sentence was broken up into bits and pieces, the message that she was trying to convey was universal. Before she turned and headed towards the area she would establish a vantage point at, he nodded and added his own reply:

"Be safe. I'm sure you will have no problem with that, however."

As soon as he finished speaking, he joined the rest of the Ultranauts around him in facing the Field Commander, [member="Darth Tacitus"], and listened as he distributed orders to be relayed throughout the attack force. The plan was simple and somewhat simple battle strategies would be needed to carry out the objective the Eternal Empire wanted to pursue. If this assault were on the Black Sun's bounty board, it'd most likely be described as "A walk in the park" or possibly even "Taking candy from a baby" - both relatively simple tasks. Finally, the Eternal Emperor spoke.

"Cantor, I want you and Ingrid to each take a squad of Ultranauts and form up on the flanks. Ingrid, remember what I taught you. Anger, hatred, fear, the Force itself, to a Warden these are nothing more than tools to be used. Effective tools, so use them well and without hesitation. But do not let them take control of you," he said, almost immediately trusting Kresslyn with the command of his own squadron of Ultranauts. As he gave the order after mentioning his name, the surrounding Ultranauts looked to him, sized him up, and turned their heads back to the commander as he continued on "Purpose and discipline will be your anchor in the storm. Let your faith in the Empire guide your actions and strengthen your will and the Force will not be able to bend you to its insidious will, for willpower and duty are stronger."

Although he specifically called to his apprentice while speaking, he knew the latter half of the statement was directed towards him as well. As he closed his ordering statement, Kresslyn turned to the Ultranauts that would now fall under his command and speak to them, the first time he had done something of the sort before.

"You heard the man. We'll be taking the left flank. The assassin has already moved ahead to see if we'll be ambushed and establish a vantage point. I guess we will be able to tell if there was an ambush by the amount of corpses nearby, am I right or am I right? Get the proper equipment you need. I doubt we'll be having supplies dropped in and you might not be able to come back to the FOB once we've pushed in far enough if the enemy is bold enough to try and encircle us."

As he spoke, the Ultranauts surrounding him readied their blasters and chuckled as he jested with them about the skill of the assassin. She seemed a formidable ally herself, so it was good that he put some confidence into himself about her. After they all readied themselves and fell into formation, they split off and got the perfect combat spreading to ensure they weren't eliminated by one mine or explosive.

"We shall radio back when we have secured the left flank." he shouted over his shoulder to the Field Commander as he moved forward.

Rath Exigo · Nov 5, 2019

Attn: [member="Goonch Bagarius Yarrelli"]

Planet CCX-9133212VC12
Aboard the ENS Bloody Vengeance

The cold, dark vacuum of space twisted and churned, as if some cosmic beast of burden was pulling at the very fabric of reality. Like a canvas under a great weight, space ruptured, giving way for the mechanical behemoth that was the flagship of the small flotilla. The ENS Bloody Vengeance, an Adjudicator-class Star Destroyer, was one of the older ships in the Empire's formidable navy. It was also Rath Exigo's flagship and the Anubian put it to good use.

Almost immediately, its remaining squadron of strike craft, eight sleek I4V Dive Bombers, detached themselves from the hangar and executed a dive into the planet's atmosphere. They hit the enemy base below just as the battle was about to start.

Up above, the Bloody Vengeance angled itself and positioned its massive hull between the two main orbital defense platforms, with which it began exchanging fire immediately, also drawing most of their focus away from Goonch's corvettes. "A fine day, indeed, Commodore," Exigo replied.

"A pleasure to serve alongside you, Commodore," the Commander of Delta Squadron replied. Almost immediately, the sleek triangles altered course, darting for their assigned position and taking up formation for the ambush to come. The heavy cruiser and its escorts were still keeping the Jedi starfighters busy, but with the arrival of the Bloody Vengeance exposing the diversion for what it was, that wasn't going to last long. Indeed, the X-Wings broke away from the fight with the cruisers and turned around, trying to fall back to the orbital defense platforms and engage the unprotected Star Destroyer that was attacking them. Only, they were running straight into Goonch's ambush, and with the cruisers' two squadrons of lance fighters in tow.

When the first X-Wings slammed into the minefield, igniting the dark void with tiny pinpricks of light as they died, Delta Squadron pounced. They had been lying low, their starfighters powered down to make detection harder, but it took them mere seconds to breathe life back into their systems. As the X-Wings were trying to decelerate and maneuver around the minefield, Delta engaged them from the flank and the two other squadrons that were giving chase, caught up with them. The trap was sprung.

Kainan Wolfe · Nov 5, 2019

Attn: [member="Taozi Fuyuan"] | [member="Formorta"] | [member="Kresslyn Cantor"] | [member="Ingrid L'lerim"] | [member="Goonch Bagarius Yarrelli"]

Planet CCX-9133212VC12
Hutt Space

The Sith Lord listened to his apprentice's frustrations and complaints, but there was a lesson here that he knew she must learn. "You can not always rely on the same trick and set of abilities, as you will inevitably find yourself in situations where they wouldn't work. Blasters and sniper rifles are very good at what they do, but today we are facing Jedi. Against them, such weapons count for naught. You must use the Force against them, or they will use it against you," he explained.

Tacitus left his officers to carry out their assigned orders. The Eternal Empire was an efficient nation, its military disciplined and well-trained. The Imperials knew how to do their jobs and could be trusted to do it without requiring babysitting from their higher-ups. The arrival of the 27th Regiment also allowed the Imperials to establish artillery positions in case they found themselves needing heavy fire support, as well as initiate secondary assaults upon the facility from multiple angles, forcing the base defenders to spread their forces out.

The Emperor drew first blood, reaching out through the Force to lift a boulder out of its resting place amongst the cliffs and hurl it at the enemy battlements, where it crushed one enemy rifleman and forced a few others to dodge. The Hand of Light was about to be reminded of something that their predecessors had learned so many centuries ago. The Empire always strikes back.

From within the rear of the Imperial formation, missiles streaked forward across the sky, launched by the Combat Engineers. They impacted the facility's gate in quick succession, striking points that had been deemed to be the weakest and causing the supporting masonry of the heavy gates to crumble. Unable to hold the massive durasteel slabs, the gatehouse gave way, releasing the two metal plates, which then collapsed with a deafening clang. Now the battle could begin in earnest.

"Colonel Visel," Tacitus radioed. "I need an artillery strike on those defense towers on the left-most flank. You may then begin your assault," he ordered. "Cantor, I need suppressing fire against the hostiles who are trying to secure the gatehouse. Make them keep their heads down."

Despite the swiftness of the assault, it didn't take long for the enemy to return fire. Crossing the last stretch of open land, the assault force was facing the worst part of the operation. The Imperials were well-trained, disciplined, well-equipped soldiers, but even they were not invincible. It wasn't long before they started taking casualties, injured men shouting for medics as they fell, still firing at the walls.

Ilsa Visel · Nov 5, 2019

Base Delta Zero

27th "Drachen" Ultranaught Regiment

Colonel Ilsa Visel

Colonel Ilsa Visel
Orders had come in from the Emperor himself, they were to bombard the left-most gate with artillery, thankfully the 27th had been packing a significant amount of artillery, predominantly the Syfra-Pattern towed artillery system (x) which, due to the mountainous regions they're deployed in, it is difficult to mobilise mobile vehicles as the Syfra-Patterns are the easiest to move about and set up, next they would converge the infantry units to attack from different directions to split the enemy up as much as possible. As everything was in place and ready to move there was no time to lose, first they would rain artillery onto the left-most flank to open up the area of attack for the Emperor but also they would aim to remove large pockets of fixed defences with the artillery to allow the infantry room to push in

There was no time to waste in this assault, every second lost would be a detriment to the entire operation so speed was key, the order for the artillery to begin their assault was dispatched immediately and within a matter of seconds a huge barrage high explosive artillery shells flew over the camp and infantry, smashing into the defences of the compound, all fortified positions on the left flank of the base were obliterated and multiple large holes were blown into the walls. All of a sudden the shattering noise of the artillery had come to a halt and the time to assault had begun. Unfortunately due to the geographics of the operation it would've been impossible to move any armoured vehicles into the compound so the assault was done entirely on foot. There was no shadow of doubt that they would hole themselves up inside the main compound once the walls onwards had been cleared, that she would leave to the mercs and special forces and give backup as needed.

Ilsa opened a communications channel to her officers, "Begin", the only words needed for the assault to start. Due to the speciality of the operation and the lack of mounted availability, there were around 2550 infantry soldiers with logistical, engineering and artillery support available should it be required. With that the infantry began pouring in from multiple angles as to try and split the enemy up as much as possible yet mass casualties ensued, as with any battle...

Back at camp, Ilsa sat in the command tent preparing the next stages and the extraction of the entire regiment and the logistics of removing the artillery, FOB and casualties. She sat with her helmet off and a small glass of Corellian Whiskey on the table as she waited for the message to come through that the walls had been cleared...

TL;DR

Orders from the Emperor to destroy the left flank with artillery and move in with infantry. All fortified defences on the left of the base have been obliterated and multiple holes in the wall to allow infantry inside & infantry began their charge.

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