Bashing Royalty[TRE Hex Invasion of Serenno]

[Samka Derith]

Location: The Crestfallen, Serenno - Blackgate Manor
Objective: Support the landing
Allies: [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Darth Prazutis"] | [member="Vilaz Munin"] - The Resurgent Empire
Enemies: The Dominion & Allies

To the unknowing onlooker, it may have seemed as though the young Ren was in a pre-battle ritual. She knelt on the shuttle floor, eyes closed and hands on her knees. Every so often there'd be a twitch or a whisper from the girl's mouth. She was in a state of limited Battle Meditation, enough to subtly guide their shuttle and its escorts down to the surface of Serenno. She'd trained for years but even now was still no expert with the technique, nor did she have the aid of a meditation sphere to empower her. But it did give the pilots, already well trained and naturally gifted, a further boost to their morale and reaction time. It was enough to see them through the gate and evade significant enemy action.

A crooked smile broke onto Samka's face as they hit the atmosphere. The orders given was one of unrestrained brutality, a part of her found the idea of such reckless slaughter distasteful, it ran contrary to many of the values she was conditioned into and yet the whispers in her head, the ones emboldened by the Dark Side, relished it.

Securing the Sith helmet to her face so the girl's involvement would be unrecognised, Samka stood by the shuttle's doors, Lightsaber in hand. "I'll clear a path," she said nonchalantly. "I'm just a faceless minion so it stands to reason I take the first assault to protect our much more important passengers." As the shuttle hissed to engage landing, Sam didn't wait for the doors to fully open. The moment there was a gap large enough for her petite form, the Ren pounced through it, twirling through the air and igniting her Lightsaber, ready to cut down the enemy in her dance of death.

 

[NightSister]

S E R E N N O
[member="Aver Brand"] | @Maleagant
Enter Sandman

Aria eyed Maleagant with irked hesitance, but switched the saber off with a shrug a moment before the other Sith started conjuring smoke. She blinked in surprise, but made no comment until the bulkhead became two halves of metal and parted. (Needless to say, she'd not expected that).

"Huh." Faintly impressed, she followed past the newly made entrance into the mess hall, surveying the room keenly. "Neat."

The sound of footsteps and Aver's drawl told her without turning around that the merc had caught up to them, but she turned around all the same when a squad followed in. Appraising amber gaze darted from head to head as she waited for her cue, and she quickly rushed outside the hall to take cover when Violent Aver Brand ordered the gates blown up.

BOOM

She moved back through to mess hall as soon as she felt she'd given the explosion ample time to settle. Smoke still hung in the air and it made her cough more than she cared for - Aver, she decided at some point in those few moments, was really onto something with that helmet - but she moved through the smoke regardless, squinted eyes fixed on the door.

It occurred to her halfway across the room the necessity for explosives; more specifically the fact that she had none. At this stage she turned her attention to the nearest soldier (it seemed a fair guess that Aver had outfitted her troops with the right explosives) and quickly asked to borrow a few. Aria couldn't claim to have any sort of expertise when it came to blowing things up - she tended to fight on a much smaller scale, it was always more her style - but it took little enough time to procure the right equipment and by the time she was at the shield she had what she needed.

"Alright then," she said, words directed at Aver although her focus was on the explosives she was fixing to the generator, "How many of these should we need?"

She was guessing quite a few.
What fun.

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Location - Inbound to Ord Radama surface
Objective - Engage RE ground parties
Allies - SJO and Dominion, [member="Marl"] | [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] | [member="Velus"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Darren Torran"]
Opposition - TRE & Allies, [member="Vrak Nashar"]

Something about the way Colonel Calderon spoke made Valae stand up just a bit straighter. The Jedi healer listened, and followed along as best she could. However, some of the abbreviations sailed right on by. But she nodded and swallowed hard, considering the options that Valkren had presented.

“I’ll go on with your squad then,” She answered, “Lila and Vash will advance with the rear parties, I think.”

Her hand swept towards the door, to indicate the two healers that were waiting just outside. Valae offered a weak smile, but she greatly appreciated the Colonel’s concern for her safety. Though she said nothing as he turned to leave, she had every confidence in him and his men. And for her own part, she would do her best to watch their backs. As they exited the room, Valae was joined by Lila and Vash, and she gave them the details of their deployment.

The healers had but a swift moment to gather their things, and then joined the Rangers in the hangar. For the most part, the three healers looked the part – clad in robes, not armor. However, today they would each have a heavy blaster on their hips to keep their sabers company. Each had a medical backpack and spare medpacs ready to go. Today, Valae had been sure to equip their group with simple light-shields as an extra form of defense. And of course, they had the force.

Valae entered the Colonel’s dropship, while Vash and Lila continued down the line to enter theirs.

She had a seat and buckled in, and tried her best to steel her nerves. A few moments of quiet meditation could do wonders, but it was difficult to find that calm place. Her chestnut eyes lingered on each armored soldier in her company – she wanted to do her best to bring them back safe and sound. Valae felt her stomach leap as the dropship made its decent towards the planet of Ord Radama. It wouldn't be long now...

 

[Sko'saht]

Location: SSV Ungul, Kushibah far orbit
Objective: Engage Sith flagship's escort, task fighters to immediate redeployment to Serenno
Allies: Dominion and friends Arisa Yune Darci Hopps
Enemies: RE and friends Vrak Nashar, Yidhra

The Verpine turned his attention back to the starfighters that were being launched as the guns thundered out rounds at the Star Destroyer escort. The combination of distance, yslmari on the bridge, and mostly relying off of sensor readings made the Sith illusion highly ineffective. "Order our fighters and bombers to make a jump to the Serenno system. They are to immediately strike the escorts prioritising any anti-fighter vessels. Tag the B-wings as high priority for the Fencer's, I do not want a single stray blast from an enemy fighter to impact them.

The nearly four hundred Fencer fighter droids began spreading out into groups of twenty each. They'd screen the main attack force, intercept missiles, and strike out at enemy small craft. The Cyclone bombers would be packing a standard proton torpedo armament and with twelve assigned per squadron they packed quite the punch in a tough package. The B-wings meanwhile would hang back until the anti-fighter escort was taken care of and then begin striking enemy capital ships with proton bombs. While these required deployment at point blank range the high yield, decently fast speed, and capabilities for strafing the target after deploying their munitions meant that the B-wings were arguably one of the most dangerous assets in this entire multisystem engagement.

Fleet:
1x Lucerhulk-X-class supercarrier
16x Fencer squadrons (384)
4x B-wings (48) Armed with Proton bombs

6x Munificent-X-class heavy cruiser
2 squadrons each
12x Cyclone-class bomber (144) Armed with Proton torpedoes

4x Damorian Light Cruiser

 

[Aver Brand]

Location: Serenno
Objective: Break Expensive Things
Allies: [member="Caid Centurion"] | [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] | [member="Myn Eris"]
Broski: [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Maleagant"]
Enemies: Njet
Equipment: In bio | Force Disperser makes her look like a NFU


“No kill like overkill,” came the sage advice as she affixed the last of the remotely-triggered explosives. The generator was a massive, chugging beast – only thing more power-hungry than a planetary shield was a newly anointed Sith.

“You guys done?” she spoke into her comms, already jogging back outside.
:: Yeah, place is gonna light up like a tree on Life day. ::
“That’s what I like to hear. Aight, get your asses into gear, we’re moving out.”

Switching to general TRE comms, Aver vaulted onto her speeder, revving up the engine for a quick getaway.

“Who’s ground command on Serenno?” she asked, keeping an eye on the exit as she reloaded her expended clips.
:: A moment— Lord Veritas, it seems. Wh— ::
“Patch me through.”
:: Ma’am, you only appear as a clearance lev— ::
“And you want a fethin’ designation, don’tcha. Fine.” Aver paused to floor the gas and roar away with the rest of the squad. Maleagant was holding onto his ladyfriend as the brunette speed off – seems like one of her guys got downed inside.

:: Ma’am? ::
“Yeah, yeah. Tell him he’s got a ‘Merc with a frakload of explosives and nothing to do’ on the line.”

A glance towards the corner of her HUD, a nod to self – “Call receiver, code 42.”

The ground shook, licks of heat grasping at their backs even from several clicks away. Explosions reverberated off the towering skyscrapers of Carannia in the distance, a peal to dwarf any thunder.

:: What… was that? :: the comms officer sounded an uncertain blend of distressed and excited.
“That was the planetary shield generator, kid. Relay that upstairs, would ya?”

And so he did. Many miles above the smoke-trails of the swoop gang, a giddy comms officer flicked the red switch that read ‘ALL CHANNELS’ in big bold letters. His yellow eyes glowed a little as he wet his lips, cleared his throat, and straightened his uniform.

[member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Vraukt"] | [member="Charlyra Araano"] | [member="Thengil Ri'Shajirr"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Arisa Yune"] | [member="Lucien Galtier"] | [member="Alleria Fett"]​

​

:: Attention, Resurgent fleet! The planetary shield is down! I repeat, the planetary shield is down!::​

 

[Riamah]

Ra remained unmoved when The Matador blocked and deflected her blaster shots away from himself. She had to give him credit though in his quick thinking. Thinking on her own and how her blaster did have a stun setting, before he could reach her, she set that and prepared herself for her next move. A normal blaster shot would easily be deflected, but a stun was different and would effect things in a whole other fashion. One couldn't just deflect a stun shot as it was more of a signal type shot and would travel through the armor.

Flowing with the Force, she used it to enhance her own movements and timed her action. At just the right moment, Ra jumped onto the head of his axe as she swung it at her and used it like a springboard, launching herself up and over his head. Taking careful aim with her blaster set on stun, she fired it at the top of his exposed head. His personal momentum should carry him past the location they met and Ra would come down on the ground in almost the same spot as she took off. With both of them using the Force to enhance themselves, the quick first skirmish it would appear to look like a blurring of movements to a non force user.

Not allowing a moment to pass, Ra turned and faced her opponent and looked at him whether he was twitching on the ground from her stun shot or still in motion away from her due to his momentum.

Not a word was spoken between the two combatants yet and Ra waited to see what would happen next.

[member="The Matador"]

 

[Darren Torran]

Location: Inbound to Ord Radama surface.
Objective: Engage TRE ground parties.
Allies: SJO and Dominion
Enemies: TRE and Allies

Darren was still stuck between the foul-faced ghouls that he had boarded with.

It was extremely uncomfortable on board Darren's dropship, quite frankly he was glad for the silence to be interrupted by Colonel Valkren's message. “This is Colonel Valkren Calderon speaking, we are bound for touchdown on Ord Radama’s surface any moment now. I wanted to take the moment to inform you all that I will not lead from the rear like any other officer, hiding in his watch tower while good men go to combat with bad men. We are the sword of the Silver Jedi, we bring peace where there is chaos! But today, only will we do that through the crucible of combat! Your team leaders will direct you as needed..The mission plan has been sent. Good luck everyone..Let’s kick some ass.” Darren cheered as the communication ended, partially just to fit in, and looked out of the doors to see Ord Radama's surface. He was suddenly overcome with nervousness. It made no sense, he was never nervous, he knew he could handle this... Something was different... Something was wrong. This didn't feel like an ordinary mission, he felt as if his life was actually in danger.

What is going on? What is wrong with me?

Something had been different as of late, he had been questioning everything he had done, everything he was yet to do, it was weird to say the least. He had never dwelled upon the past before today, why was he doing it now? Of all of the times it could've happened, it happened now. Alas, he had to push on. He had a job to do, after all, that's what he was getting payed for. He straightened the many straps he now had attached to him, sighing as he watched the regiment land.

The Zabrak was the first to leave his dropship, he couldn't wait to get out and get his feet on the ground once again. It was here he awaited his orders.

[member="Vrak Nashar"] [member="Adron Malvern"] [member="Marl"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"] [member="Jakkor Kess"] [member="Sko'saht"] [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] [member="Valkren Calderon"][member="Vraukt"][member="Rakosh Saqai"] [member="Rakosh Saqai"][member="Tanomas Graf"][member="Yidhra"] [member="Velus"] [member="Darren Torran"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

​

Serenno
Carannia

They had been off to an awkward start. The laughter roaring at him from the passenger seat did little to make him feel good about his decision to bring his dear apprentice. Yet it had made shooting the following jolt of pain through her all the easier. A Lord's wounded pride at the hands of a mere apprentice had a way of fuelling the Dark Side nicely. As they took off the laughter faded in its entirety, however, it had little to do with his intimidating figure, and more to do with an increasing fear of death by speeder accident.

They would be fiiiiine. It was a good thing he was Force sensitive, if not his reaction speed might not have been enough. Turns out this he had pressed on through a lane of opposing traffic. What was he supposed to do? There were no floating signs. Bloody insensitive drivers. A humble number of near-collisions and paint scraped off by the side of a skyscraper, they landed at the Dooku estate.

"Huh." Pyrrhus remark, as he stood out of the vehicle and noticed a full branch of a tree somehow attached to the lower body of the speeder. Before moving onwards he reached within his cloak to pull out a private and encrypted commlink, one which would take him straight to a certain [member="Caid Centurion"]. "Arriving at Point Mynock. Proceeding as planned. Out" the message was short and simple, but the code would be familiar. Pyrrhus and his one-person entourage had reached the Dooku estate. If everyone did their jobs right there would be no need for needless slaughter, and many a tax credit could be had.

The estate of House Dooku lay on a cliff face, at a distance away from Serenno's capital. It was likely they had property within there as well, but here was where the power of the family lay. It was a rich match of beauty and defences that reflected on the family's wealth. However their standing had taken a drop on Serenno as of late. And precisely that would be one of their main talking points.

The Togruta gestured for his travel companion to follow before he started on the long, paved walkway that led to the keep, flanked on either side by three ornamental gardens. There was security, both living and droids, though it seemed the Dookus had a preference for subtlety as they could not be obviously spotted. No doubt their arrival had been noted, and no doubt had it been the Count's desire they would have been fired upon.

But Darth Pyrrhus and the good count were not exactly strangers.

It was under his blessing and sponsorship that the merchant lord Tanek Santii, known to 'dabble' in the slave trade, had found himself with access to such fine quarters in the capital of Serenno, with full discretion promised. His true nature had always been something guessed and assumed at, but never openly discussed. He wondered how much the count would know of his association with the Resurgent Empire. Not enough to shoot on sigh, at least, which was a relief. It was not unlikely if Dooku did know, there would be great fury would be lingering within him. Yet Pyrrhus was of a mind to use that fury and see it redirected. They did not have to be enemies. And it was clear the Togruta came to talk and not fight, as he stepped beyond the giant obelisks on both sides of the main entrance and willingly into the lion's den

| [member="Myn Eris"] | [member="Caid Centurion"] | [member="Aver Brand"] | [member="Aria Vale"]​

| [member="Count Marlow Venjuta"] |​

 

[Judas of Vahl]

S E R E N N O - Shield Gate
[member="Alkor Centaris"]

The Betrayer missed - just as he figured it would.

Force-enhanced motions aided his opponents guile and agility more so than he originally assumed. However, such infantile practices in combat were no match to raw power and sheer anger that fueled every fiber in his being. Judas saw the silver-white lightsaber flash at the lower portion of his peripheral vision and ignored it completely.

The moment his blade narrowly missed the invader by a mere fraction of an inch, he let loose with the untapped powers deep within the greatsword. It was a rather explosive reaction, unfurling with lightning streaks in each and every direction. He was sure they'd snap into his opponent, and he reveled in the thought of electrocuting the life out of him.

But the lightning worked its way into him as well. Judas was nigh invulnerable to the destructive powers of the Betrayer - and it tended to keep to its namesake in circumstances like this. The jolts of lightning coursed through his hands and arms, then in his legs, momentarily paralyzing all movement just as the silver blade made contact with him.

His legs did not bend or break but the man did fall. Hard.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Shield Gate​

[member="Judas Foster"]

Alkor was rewarded with an unexpected outbreak of agony as his opponent coaxed the burst of electricity outward. It was erratic, it was hot, and it singed flesh and hissed as it arced into the blade of his lightsaber and across his Crushgaunt.

The deadened nerves came to life as synapses responded to impulse, and pain lanced up into his shoulder for the first time since he'd lost sensation. His teeth gnashed reflexively, and as the man barreled over and hit the floor, Alkor wavered and turned- a half turn, stunted by the tremors that wracked his body- and fixed the man with a sidelong glare.

There was hate in that expression that dwarfed reckless sentiment. Where this adversary thrived on rage and fought in a constant state of malice, the wick within Alkor burned slow. Once it caught, however, it was an inferno.

Blue tendrils leapt across his body as he defied the otherworldly energies. The darkness was his tool, and pain the fuel he used to power it. Alkor's breath steamed from his lips, made unnaturally hot by the unexpected attack.

All around them, reds and oranges peeled out of walls and machinery. Shards of metal torn away from the innards of the station flew narrowly past, and ash peppered the Jen'jidai as the fruits of the Mandalorians' labor became visible.

His breaths came heavy as he snorted.

More often, enemies had a fascination with heavy armor. True swordplay and skill drowned beneath a need for deception and cunning. He hated that.

He hated the opponents who drove him to it.

"Disgusting," he snarled. His eyes burned a reddish color as the energies coursed through him and the pain magnified as the Force burned away his weakness. He cracked his neck and tightened his grip on the lightsaber.

"Is this what passes for strength now?" he asked.

[member="Alleria Fett"] would take control of the ship soon, and they would break for the surface.

And he'd leave this man to die.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

Location: Ord Radam, Southern Hemisphere
Objective: Secure The Devestator
Allies: [member="Rakosh Saqai"]
Enemies: [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

They were getting close.

Vrak could sense it, the power slowly revolving within the core of the vessel. Yet as they continued forth it also became more and more difficult. The hallways became more overgrown and flooded, certain paths were destroyed, an entire sections were submerged. The Sith Lord frowned slightly as they had to turn rapidly down a roving hallway, finding their path blocked more than once. Yet with every step the power grew, and Vrak could sense whatever Malgus had left behind.

"Here." He said as they reached a blast door.

The durasteel was etched with an odd intricacy of markings, deep carvings that settled into the metal. For a few moments The Pureblood stared at them, attempting to recognize some sort of language or notion within them. He frowned when he came up with nothing.

"Help me." He motioned towards Rakosh, drawing the Saber-staff from his hip and igniting one half of it. "The Reactor is beyond here."

Without another word Vrak plunged the blade into the door.

It would take a few minutes even with the two of them cutting, but that was time they had. The Dominion of course had landed their trips, but the area around The Devestator was made up of swamps and marsh-lands, terrain that was near enough impossible to fight in for vehicles and difficult for infantry. The Resurgent Legion met the Dominion troops not head on, but instead like guerillas. They fought within the marshes, taking high grounds and hiding within the land itself. They did not try to fight, instead they hid and struck.

Their attacks meant to slow, not necessarily defeat. The bombing runs that were conducted struck the few speeders the Resurgent Empire had brought, but the infantry simply melted away into the swamps, using the land as cover for their fight.

Meanwhile in Orbit The Tyrant crept towards the enemy fleet, round after round striking it. The fighter that flew towards the ships hangar met its unfortunate end at the hands of The Tyrants fighter screen, the protective squadrons swarming around the Flagship to stop such assaults just as they had been ordered. Yet the vessel slowly flared with life, it's shields reducing and it's bridge tower now aflame, though command deck buried deep within the ship still functioning. It's engines burned bright, weapons still pouring out at the enemies fleet.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

The Matador was surprised by his opponents unconventional tactic, her small frame leaped upward from the blunt thick blade of his weapon upward into the air, the Matador responded using his own momentum to carry him through the air and into a crouching position facing his falling opponent. A zap of blue energy exasperated on the ground, blue cylinders of energy unlike any type of firing method he had known of in the past. It had no effect on the earth it came in contact with, reminding him of sonic weaponry. Likely, a type of weapon with the intention to stun its opponent.

His opponent fell to the ground, and with that momentary focus shifted to adjusting to his new found position to recalculate her strategy, the Matador thrust out his free hand; sending out a powerful wave of focused telekinetic energy that shredded the earth between the two.

The Matador hoped that should her concentration falter momentarily, the telekinetic blast would knock her back momentarily. Given pause, the Matador took to his feet once more, raising his weapon and holding it defensively, turning to face another undead; throwing his elbow backward stylishly into its face, crushing inward as his body fell backward into the forest earth beneath them.

"Evade ner jurkade an gar guuror hut'uun!"

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

Objective: Help The Dominion
Allies: SSJ & Dominion
[3]

"I guess we are deploying huh." a soldier stated. Velus was ready. One thing that bothered him however was the Sith that he might deal with. The aspiring soldier had a connection to the dark-side that he could feel; nevertheless, he still didn't know why. Was it because he was a descendant of a Sith? Or perhaps it was just what people called a natural calling. This weer all questions he had in his mind, questions he hoped that one day, he could answer.

Velus was armed with two lightsabers, each with a phrik casing; dual-phase function, and they were water resistant. He, just like the Colonel, also had KG 2 Grendel 10mm Assault Ripper.. He had also decided to bring in weapons from a company that was contracted with the SSJ, featuring a weapon system that could easily be modified, and dragon breath slugs, among other peices of ammo. Velus also had the Sasori Guard Armor to protect him.

"Let's do this." he said, as he got on the dropship. He could see various other assets being deployed.

The battle had begun.

[member="Marl"] /[member="Valae Kitra"] /[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Riamah]

Ra saw The Matador's hand come out and knew an attack was coming through the Force. She prepared for the onslaught and resisted the blast sent her way, however the dirt and debris it tore up on its path spattered her and some got into her eyes. Making a quick mental note to acquire a mask of some sort when this was done to prevent this from happening again.

Firing off a few stun blasts off in his direction, Ra attempted to blink the dirt out of her eyes before he was done dispatching another of the undead Kushiban that came after him. As the poor rabbit looking creature died a second time, her vision cleared and Ra heard some words spoken by the man. Giving him an odd look before breaking her silence.

"Did you just call me an evasive hutt?"

Facing off against each other again, the tide of the battle moved away and almost left them alone. They both stood defensively as if waiting for one or the other to attack. Her short left saber, showed going up her arm and her blaster aimed at him set to stun.

[member="The Matador"]

 

[Asher]

The master stepped out of his transport and Myn would proceed to close the door behind him, taking care to follow a few paces behind him with her head hanging in reverence of her lord. This was part of what her father had taught her, forced her to practice for when she would become part of the Dark Lord’s personal guard force. Of course, said future never came and the Dark Lord was murdered by the others lords, but he was still adamant that there would come a time in the girl’s life when proper respect had to be shown to those that were above her rank. While she might not have shown such respect at all times, she still held the people above her in special regard nonetheless.

Pyrrhus, albeit most likely unaware, had received far more respect than Myn would let on at times. Had she truly not respected him she would have given him the same treatment that she had shown the Baron who had tried to lecture her on things she already knew. No, this togruta was someone who could control fear in those around him. It was someone who could control the fear that she kept within herself in order to bring it out when she needed it. He was the one she had held out for all these years, and it was now the person that she indirectly latched onto as he helped her delve deeper into a world greater than herself.

That said…

She wasn’t going to let Pyrrhus know that. Not anytime soon.

Her eyes lifted ever so briefly to look at the estate before them. They blinked for a second as her mouth parted with a small gasp.

“I should get me a Dooku…” She whispered under her breath before bowing her head behind her master again.

“Our contact was one Maas Dooku.” Myn spoke to her master. “Holds a grudge against certain other elements within the families that rule Serenno, though my dossiers didn’t mention which or who. I suspect they sent it to you rather than me.”

“An offer of… Pest control… Should be enough to persuade them, really.”

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"] // [member="Caid Centurion"] // [member="Aver Brand"] // [member="Aria Vale"]​

[member="Count Marlow Venjuta"]​

 

[Caid Centurion]

Location: Serenno, Borgin Estate
Objective: Manipulate
Allies: [member="Aver Brand"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Maleagant"] | [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] | [member="Myn Eris"]
Enemies: TBD

The encrypted communications link that was, at present, fed directly into the flight deck's IVCS crackled to life. "Command to all units, be advised planetary defenses have been disabled."

Caid's eyes never departed the sensor feeds on the display just outside of his knee. However, it was his personal tactical frequency that sparked to life in the next instant which drew his attention. For now, that line was ported to the communications gear integrated into his command chair. The volume was up loud enough for his flight crew to hear over the quiet hum of electronics on the flight deck, but it was of little immediate concern.

"Nightstalker, Command."

The Nightstalker was still running covert, so he avoided transmissions at all possible. He had informed Drakash's people not to expect him to actually respond to most external communications during the early stages of the operation for this precise purpose.

The radio operator on the other end was either eventually informed of this...or didn't want to be the reason information was not properly disseminated. Surely people had been...removed...for less. "There is a request to provide direct support from an external agency on the ground."

Now Caid's bright eyes lazily rolled with his budding irritation. It was not the request that bothered him...but the implication that it had not been acquiesced. To his flight crew, he made a simple statement, glancing at the tactical display. "Captain. Once I have disembarked, depart to a forward observation point on secondary objective.

"As you command, Mi'lord."

Reaching a hand into his pocket, Caid withdrew the earpiece communicator also coupled to his tactical frequency. No sooner had he placed it into his ear than he heard another transmission.

"Arriving at Point Mynock. Proceeding as planned. Out."

Caid inhaled steadily as he watched their distance to the objective taper steadily towards the Borgin Estate. "Captain, you have the vessel." The Sith Lord was out of his seat and down the corridor so quickly that he scarcely heard the Captain's response. In less than fifteen seconds he was in the cargo hold and cycled the side hatch open. It remained so for perhaps half a second before his cloaked form tumbled the short distance towards the ground. Flipping end over end, the Sith Lord righted himself and abruptly slowed his descent just in time to keep him from killing himself.

Landing on bent knees to help absorb the shock of impact, Caid allowed a strong push of force energy to erupt from his body to aid the effort. The stone patio at the rear of the estate cracked and fractured slightly with the arrival of the Sith Lord. Standing to his full height, silver-green eyes scanned his surroundings, noting the gradual reaction of startled guards. In the interim, he gave a quick reply to the rest of his allies over the tactical frequency. "Arrival at Objective Bravo."

A superheated blaster bolt flew by the Sith Lord's face. Having sensed the attack, Caid leaned his head back slightly before turning to face the approaching guards. Raising his left hand, he arrested their motion. With his right hand, Caid motioned for them to be quiet...as if they had a choice. "Command, Veritas. Give my frequency to the individual requesting information if they're vetted." He would leave it up to the communications operator to ensure the person on the other line was at least legitimate.

To the guards - Caid gave instructions directly into their mind. Inform your Lord I have information regarding the perpetrator of his father's assassination. The Sith Lord released the two men moments later.

 

[Yidhra]

Location: Aboard the Udraitor, above Kushibah
Objective: Do what Sith do best
Allies: [member="Antherion"] | [member="Neesa"] | [member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Mythos"] | [member="Warok the Defiler"] | TRE
Enemies: [member="Darth Abyss"] | [member="Rogal Aegrus"] | [member="Darci Hopps"] | [member="Sko'saht"]


Yidhra sagged forward, eyes wide, heart-in-throat. Her body shook with exertion, ears filled with the noise of blood-thunder. The Nairidira had taken its toll on the sorceress – raising her shuddering hands, the Sith saw they were a sallow shade of bone-white.

The harsh skeletal lines of the Udraitor peeled out of the satin black of space – scars drawn into its pitch canvas by Pureblood claws. The shadow of the Star Destroyer fell across the Command ship as the Astral Knight began to pass overhead. If only there were sound in the void, so that all their foes might hear the gravel-scraping laughter of Lord Âhchdzian Âsara Gurrhat, and feel their veins run cold.

“All weapons fire!” the Admiral roared, knuckles clenched white around the railing of the bridge. This is it.

Cannons all along the length of the Udraitor would spew their ire at the exposed belly of the Dominion’s Astral Knight. Relentless like a hound who’s caught a whiff of blood, they would be merciless in their barrage, unyielding in their goal to cut the Star Destroyer in two with sheer firepower and determination.

The Pureblood at the heart of the ship licked her chapped lips, cursed, and listened to her stuttered echo.

“F–f–f–feth,” the hall mocked back as she slid from the obsidian sphere. Her leg nearly gave out, that damned, treacherous limb. Burning amber eyes settled on the pallor of the sacrificial Knight. Every last drop of blood, the artifact had gorged upon in its endless hunger, draining the man dry like only a desert could.

With some effort, she ambled over to the stock-still frame of a Zûtadasi, leaning on the wall beside it.

“Drzad. Wiyitowis?”
“Tika ri Kiriri Dzuont'waj anas aras Ari Arainai diâ Zion Varesti itin drarmio dinora sû ri kûtuaras, Kiyij Zion.”
“Muri. Diâ ri tsosûtojona?”
“Âtimiwsi ri, ah… I’uk Ramohtukirtsirsa jis, Kiyij Zion. Ri Arsatkûrsa.”
She let out a tired chuckle at that and rubbed the gem in her forehead. Everything ached.
“Titsû ra tsosûtukwi ri ansia zim. Asarayoksh awitsû ri ratsortos jis. Datar… Kakorokayoksh nu sû Ari Nashar. Ra tutiwinoksh âtitukwi nu sûa.”
“Dukwtasadnu, Kiyij Zion.” *

The sorceress returned to the middle of the meditation chamber, tentatively kneeling before the Nairidira. Her eyes fell closed of their own accord as she subsumed herself in the Force permeating the ship. Slowly she reached for the familiar presence of [member="Vrak Nashar"], cobbling together a message with her sluggish mind. With half the system jamming their communications, it was the only way to relay the gravity of their predicament. The Dark side, as Lord Gurrhat had so aptly put, cannot be jammed.

Even as Yidhra conserved her energy, Lord Arainai and Lady Varesti spared no expense. Their life dripped, scorching, upon the white fur of their captives. The hapless kushiban were now nearly all ready for the ritual, arranged to form the High Sith hieroglyphics of the incantation.

The hill was alive.

Its slopes swarmed with Massassi, with Kissai, all chanting along with the two Purebloods leading the ceremony. Every word shimmered in the air, heavy and thick as no syllables should be. Bright green grass wilted underfoot, the taint of the Dark side spreading steadily downslope and unto the rolling plains surrounding them. The ozone stink of electricity hung above their natural altar like a raincloud – lightning just waiting to strike.

Only a few glyphs more, and their preparations would usher forth the great tempest lingering over the dark horizon.

Spoiler: [COLOR=#ff0000

*[/COLOR]]

Spoiler: [COLOR=#ff0000

“Drzad. Situation?”
“The Massassi Commander reports Lord Arainai and Lady Varesti are very nearly done with the ritual, My Lady.”
“Good. And the intruder?”
“The, ah… Ewok Necromancer intercepted him, My Lady. The Defiler.”
“Don’t let the height deceive you. The warlock will tear him apart. Now… I shall commune with Lord Nashar. I am not to be disturbed.”
“Of course, My Lady.”

 

[Aver Brand]

Location: Serenno
Objective: Break Expensive People
Allies: [member="Caid Centurion"] | [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] | [member="Myn Eris"]
Broski: [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Maleagant"]
Enemies: [member="Count Marlow Venjuta"] | [member="Formorta"] | Dominion in Carannia
Equipment: In bio | Force Disperser makes her look like a NFU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A​

Past the outback, past the sprawling villas of merchant lords, past the pool-riddled suburbia – the swoop gang roared down the empty streets, upsetting a grand total of three cats and a dog.

It was a ghost town.

The populace had fled inside, barricading the doors and the windows, hiding into cellars, bunkers, anything. Made sense – only the Yuuzhan Vong had the Sith beat in the ‘violent invader’ category. Good thing, then, that this particular party was led by a mild-tempered and pragmatic Hand of the Dark Lord (retired).

Besides, she was busy discussing the parameters of her next task. Though she always determined her payment upfront – rather than the poor sods who were paid by effect – Aver wasn’t the sort who skated by on minimum effort. Lazy didn’t get you to the top of the food chain, and it certainly couldn’t keep you there.

“Alright,” she spoke into her comm, “infiltrate a meeting, replace a dude, kill a few others while yelling vaguely patriotic shet. Sounds like a plan.”

She waited a beat to receive the target coordinates, then plotted her new route. “Mm. Nice part of town. We’re about five minutes out.” With that, Aver terminated the connection with Veritas, and hailed her team instead.

“Boys – new job. We’re crashing a party, low-key. No full on carnage, just… put the fear of Malvern into them a bit. Sourface. Ladyfriend.” She shrugged, turning a hard left down a narrow alley. “You two can come too, if you want.”

 

[Fedrig]

Fedrig watched as his cannon just twisted into useless junk. He snorted very annoyed. THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE CANNON YOU KARKING POODOOHEAD! He shouted as he removed the unused ammo and stored it for another day and chucked the useless heap of metal junk away. Looking around, he was now reduced to his small blaster rifle, pistol and numerous grenades that he kept stored on him. Pulling the pistol out for now and holding a thermal detonator in his spare hand, he looked over to the magical looking on called Enzo.

I'll throw these into the mix and you find a way to fight his lightsaber cause I ain't got poodoo to combat that weapon. Fedrig grunted as he chucked the clocked grenade, which exploded on landing a few feet away from the Sith. He then grabbed another one and chucked it again timing it so it would land not long after impact, his aim getting closer to the Sith with every throw.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Fedrig shouted as he chucked another grenade. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! With another break he threw his final one. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! And you can guess the rest! Fedrig shouted as he fired his pistol several times at the Sith Lord with the accuracy of a tipsy marksman.

[member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Enzo Carpathia"]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTmimW2Iw20

 

[Darth Abyss]

Location: The Kishibah System, On Board of the Udraitor
Objective: Madness
Allies: [member="Rogal Aegrus"] [member="Sko'saht"] [member="Darci Hopps"]
Enemies: [member="Yidhra"] [member="Warok the Defiler"]

Abyss heard the ewok approach from behind, but mere words were not enough to break his focus. While he could feel the power inside the little insect that had emerged from one of the many rooms on board of the ship he had entered, he considered him a problem he could deal with later. Only moments after the words of the little creature had been spoken a single, red blast of lightning was released from his right at the inside hull of the Udraitor, a channeled and focused version of the power so many sith called upon. If it would be enough to allow his crew to finally enter into the ship was something he would find out once they made their way from the fading illusion to the real enemy vessel.

Without wasting any longer on opening a path for his Ghostmakers he turned to the ewok, while the cursed book gently danced down and attached itself to husk belt again. Slowly he lowered his hands, walking towards the warlock with ghostly steps that left no sound at all. He had already heard about him, about the ewok blessed in the arcane arts. The creature might stood on the side of his enemies, but that didn't meant that they had to be. Abyss was more than a master of shadows and magic, he was a lord that had risen through lies and deception. Like an ice cold wind the disembodied noise of his voice echoed through the corridor, a sound that reached right at the edges of the veil between live and death.

"They would listen if you knew how to ask."

It was ironic. He was more spirit then man, and he was speaking to the ewok in this moment, what didn't really a testament to his perception for things waiting in the great, endless beyond. From the inside of his robe the empty husk reached for a small clay pipe, shaped akin to the head of a dragon. The Korriban Incense began to burn by itself once the pipe was lifted to the mechanical jaw of the eldrtch being, the sharp teeth opening to reveal the tainted emptiness behind them to lock the small artifact between them. Both the smell and the smoke were vibrant with arcane energy, and only moments after the thin black dust emerged from both his mouth and the empty holes inside of his mask.

"Take a drag. Allow the smoke to lead you into the beyond."

The husk reached for the pipe, offering it to the far smaller creature. At no point during this encounter he allowed his guard to be down, his left constantly ready to draw one of the many weapons hidden on his metal body.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Once the illusion faded from space, shattered by the ship that had just broken through it, the Ghostmakers began their descend down to the real enemy. The Eldritch had already informed them that sensor readings were off, so they avoided getting to close to the illusion to start with. With their weapons ready the cybernetic elite of the Prophet awaited the opening that would allow them to breach the ship's hull and spread their acidic gift with those inside.

At the same time the Pitfall droids awoke from their slumber. Their single eye jumped to live, and without a second of hesitation they began to move through the emptiness of space. They had their target, the Udraitor, and they didn't needed a second command to open fire. The 30 small droids raised their arms, unleashing a swarm of miniature proton torpedoes scattered over the ship, fired by the small launcher build insider their limps.