Dominion Beneath the Surface | Imperial Dominion of the Zeta-09 Hex

[Vishak Theritus]

BENEATH THE ICE

OBJECTIVE THREE - BENEATH THE ICE
LOCATION - Zeta-09, Underwater Facility
TAGS - Corlys Skirata // DT-1159 // Aurelian Sigismund

As the Agent pressed his back firmly into the cold, half-rusted durasteel crate he'd taken cover behind, the deathtroopers were already beginning their counter-offensive; their commander calling out orders openly. Vishak reserved no doubt for the fact that he was expected to stay right behind cover, unfired pistol clenched in his hand. It was, after all, the smart thing to do. It was the officer thing to do. Even though he was not operational command, wasn't essential to the mission, he was still somehow important enough to be sent on the mission and endanger his life in a million ways- just not in a blasterfight.

Damn the expectations. Damn the cowards with commissions. He was from Bastion, it didn't matter if it was a few outdated sentries or a whole damn cyborg army, he'd fight it... and win.

One of the deathtroopers, who'd taken cover beside him, was thrown back almost as soon as he peeked over the cover, smoke rising from his scorched faceplate. Lunging forward, the Agent wrenched the blaster from the trooper's hands before springing back against cover. He slid his pistol back into it's holster as he slammed a fresh magazine into the carbine and charged it, promptly peeking over the cover and squeezing the trigger. The first rounds he fired didn't strike true, but they drew the attention away from one of the more... unique deathtroopers who was flanking the emplacements.

The two sentries that focused on him moved gratingly, some combination of rust and disrepair making them turn like ratchets. Their slow speed allowed Vishak to get his eye in behind the sights of the carbine, his next burst melting straight through the aged metal of the turret and into it's circuitry; sparks flew from it's chassis as it stalled, clicking back and forth before going limp. The second turret's bolts flew past his head, just barely grazing the top of his helmet and marking it, before Vishak shifted the barrel and fired off a few rounds; all went straight through the casing, causing a much more noticeable implosion.

As the Vandamaran troops pushed forward, the Agent ducked back behind cover, slinging the carbine over his shoulders as he grabbed the felled trooper, dragging him further behind cover. A quick inspection of the scorched helmet revealed it was still mostly intact, and the trooper merely incapacitated. <I've got a downed trooper here, needs evac to the shuttle when the blasterfire dies down.> the Agent called over the comms, thumb easing off his communicator as it clicked; he heard his own message play back through the trooper's helmet, like an echo.

How quaint.
​

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[Davin Votan]

Objective II
Post IIII

Davin and the functional members of his squad gathered themselves. The three who hadn't seen the alien moved the fastest, securing the room and wounded, all in various states of mental anguish. The walls seemed to vibrate slightly and Davin found himself reigning in his still buzzing brain as the Trooper platoon's XO reorganized the other squads of grunts toward the more centralised location, eyeballing a dark passage that went sharply vertical. Everything still had that strange depth to it, something night vision tech never seemed to have gotten rid of. Over the years of war, Davin had seen many things that some would call impossible. Incredible and terrifying acts of man and God. The alien magic still toyed with his brain, projecting memories in his vision as they prepared to move again. He could taste Wolport concrete again as he tumbled through the air, carrying pieces of Petrovic with him, though he remained in the present moment. It but an incredible pressure on his mind as he struggled to maintain his sense of self and perform accordingly. But he did. As he always had. With the wounded back above ground they got back to work.

An uneasiness crept forward in his mind as some of the Troopers began to descend into the dark, covered best they could by their fellows. They were the experiments. Davin didn't envy the XO, but he seemed to be handling the situation well. His bearing was maintained and given that the Emperor wanted the mine intact, there wasn't much to do besides take it. Davin tapped the man twice on the shoulder as he made his way to the dark, a way of showing approval. Approaching the pit helped the effects of the intrusion into his mind. Adrenaline flooded his system as the sound of blaster bolts echoed back towards them. The remaining StormCommandos flew down the ladder and pivoted towards the blasterfire. The Troopers filing down had set up a firing position on a very large, overturned cart that the enemy had used to somewhat block the advance. In their flight they hadn't considered the tactical potential of the obstacle, and they seemed surprised at the night vision, giving the Troopers a much needed edge against the shamanistic enemy they faced.

 

[Vilu Kopma]

THE EMPIRE | ALEPH UNIT | ZETA
ATTN: Castian Vero

​

One problem solved. Her immediate attacker? Captor? Had not been relegated from an is to a was.

The second problem was still tightly wrapped around her though. Some sort of tomfoolery with The Force, she suspected. The way the plants surged cleanly around her was by design — and when she squirmed for freedom, the plating on her armour groaned and threatened to puncture through the underweave.

She gasped.

"That you, Kopma? You alive after all?

At least she knew that voice — and it wasn't a bunch of incomprehensible noises that the birdcreature had used to communicate. Of what she remembered.

"Uhhhhh," her voice dragged through the air, and didn't have the rasp of her modulator to it. She nodded firmly, and her helmet slid back down properly from when the indigenous had interfered with it.

"Yeeaah, alive and might need a hand.." The entire sentence and ask for help sounded like a struggle. From grunting and sheer embarrassment of the predicament.

 

[DT-1159]

Objective: III - Beneath the Ice
Equipment: Armor | Rifle | Sidearm | Melee Weapon | Bio
Location: Zeta-09, Underwater Facility
Tags: Vishak Theritus , Corlys Skirata , Katja Javik, Aurelian Sigismund

He was given orders from his point of cover. Wrex, himself. Right, he was Serpent. That was his callsign. He had almost forgotten. How do you forget your own callsign? Perhaps it was the number he was so used to being referred to as, in his own mind. ‘Serpent’ was rarely used to refer to himself, only ‘DT-1159.’ Regardless, after that split-second of processing had passed, he would exhale with a heft of his rifle, a shift of his person. Like a runner getting ready to run a marathon.

He had a job to do to ensure success. As with any other assignment, no matter how small, he would give it his all.

A small explosion happened, and he used that as the starting signal. He rushed from cover, raising his rifle as one of the turrets closer to the side of the hall swiveled to open fire. He beat it to it by a fraction of a second, the trigger letting destructive particle bolts fly and impacting against its side just as it loosed a volley. It sent the volley wayward, inaccurate enough to let him weave through the spare shot or two. Wrex followed shortly behind, the pair skirting to the side in the ambitious flanking maneuver.

The defenses of the place reacted to it, more swiveling to try to stave off the invaders that encroached from all sides - like a pack of hyenas bearing down on all sides - only to be beset by none other than Vishak Theritus ‘s fire and the supporting Vademarian Troops. Well-placed shots, cutting down the turrets in a rapid cacophony of explosive blaster fire and flying debris.

Before long, the hall would be rid of hostile elements - if only for a few brief moments before they advanced. 59 - 'Serpent' - and Wrex lay near the far end of the corridor, having picked off whatever remained of the defenses in this sect. <”Keep eyes on the walls and ceilings,”> He adjusted his grip and stature, the helmet turning to the doorway of the next room.

<”I presume that was just the preliminary defenses. The worst is yet to come.”>

 

[Laine Gowrie]

Commander Laine Gowrie​

Spoiler: Fleet Roster

1 x Valiant Class Star Destroyer - NIV Parmellian Warden

1 x Veers Class Star Galleon - NIV Contemptus

2 x Dragoon Class Escort Frigates - NIV Vigilance, NIV Lord Fallson[/i]

3 x Gurkha Class corvettes - Agrippa, Hawk, Golden Spear

Location: Zeta-09
Objective: Defeat pirate fleet
Tag: open

Zeta-09, the latest world to be granted the right to call itself Imperial, still held the delusion that it was stronger apart from the Empire, this delusion only helped by the pirate fleet that presumed itself protector of the world. Well, today that would change.

Commander Gowrie entered the bridge of the NIV Parmellion Warden just as the light star destroyer and its accompanying fleet broke from hyperspace. She had been performing crew discipline duties as first officer, a very minor issue that had gotten u fortunately out of hand. But now they were about to enter battle and she was required here. As she walked in, she looked at the visual display of the two fleets. And then at her Captain.

"Thoughts, Commander Gowrie?" the Captain posed to her as he played with his chin.

"Contemptus has already activated her gravity wells, so the enemy will know that they are interdicted, they know what they are doing so that will be their primary target if they hope to survive this engagement." she paused and thought, picturing the movements if the different ships in three dimensions, the enemy flagship was a carrier, limited in anti-capital firepower, but likely carrying numerous bombers. "I suggest screening Contemptus with out corvettes, expect overwhelming bomber strikes. Move the Warden and Vigilance up to aggressively engage the enemy flagship at close range, and hold Fallson as a reserve option."

The Captain pondered it for a moment then spoke again "That works, see it done, but have the Vigilance and Fallson swap roles, the Admiral would like to see how the new crew on the 'Fall' perform in a close engagement." He paused and then turned slightly towards his first officer raising an eyebrow. "Brig?" he enquired, she just nodded in reply "Shame" he sighed before returning to his duties.

Laine turned to the pilot officers in the trench and spoke louder "You heard the captain, lets go, bring us into broadside range of that pirate cruiser and start putting holes in it in the name of the Emperor." As the crew went about their duties, she stood by her Captain. From their vantage point in the bridge she could watch as the closest escort frigate shut down its engines in order to drop back into its reserve position. Several squadrons if TIE fighters were also forming up nearby in the dorsal vector of their cruiser. The flare of the heavy turbolasers along the dorsal ridge in front of them signalled the beginning of the battle.
​

 

[Davin Votan]

Objective II
Post 5

The combined fire from the gathered Stormtroopers and Commandos created a thick layer of ozone. It floated upward from their barrels as they advanced. The aliens magic seemed to work better when they weren't being shot at. Davin could feel something trying to weakly twist his mind, but adrenaline and training was more than enough to overpower the feeling.

They pushed through, chipping away at the enemy that kept retreating further and further into the claustrophobic mines. The tunnel branched out further. Stuff of nightmares for those pushing forward. Blood covered their armor as they split and aggresively pushed, not giving their foes much of a chance to utilize their force abilities.

The tunnels erupted with light as a more powerful shaman gave a last ditch effort to stop the advance, knocking down a few troopers before being cut down. Davin's eyes spun with the same vertigo as before. He cursed and locked his jaw, continuing forward with the rest. The entire few minutes had been a blur and with the mine secure the Troopers took a moment to gather themselves. It was a feeling not too far from being incredibly sick. Davin took off his helmet and vomited into the dark before wiping the sweat pooling on his forehead.

 

[Castian Vero]

Vilu Kopma

"That's what I am here for." Vero responded in a clipped and professional tone. Yes, he wasn't much older than two decades and spare, but after all these years... it was easy to ignore the desire to quip. To make light and joke or to tease. Teasing was for off-time, not when your compatriot was two shots away from being murdered by a freak native bird-man.

"Careful for your head, I am coming in."

If it wasn't entirely clear what he meant by that it would become apparent soon enough.

A thump and then a thud as something embedded itself above her head. Then a whirring sound before the silhouette of a stormtrooper rose up by the way of a zip-line.

Until they were about eye-height.

"How is it hanging, soldier?" Okay, so maybe Vero wasn't entirely 'grizzled forty something veteran' after all. It was lucky that Kopma couldn't see the grin behind his visor or hear it from the modulated tone. "Hold onto me, I will start cutting the vines away, so you don't drop head-first into the jungle fauna below."

Unlike the bird-man Kopma didn't have wings after all.

"This report won't look good for the squad. So we should get our stories straight and make sure it shines, yeah?"

Surprise surprise.

A Master Sergeant who wasn't all by the books at least.

 

[Laine Gowrie]

Commander Laine Gowrie​

Spoiler: Fleet Roster

1 x Valiant Class Star Destroyer - NIV Parmellian Warden

1 x Veers Class Star Galleon - NIV Contemptus

2 x Dragoon Class Escort Frigates - NIV Vigilance, NIV Lord Fallson[/i]

3 x Gurkha Class corvettes - Agrippa, Hawk, Golden Spear

Location: Zeta-09
Objective: Defeat pirate fleet
Tag: open

As the Parmellian Warden approached the enemy flagship and engaged in a withering broadside barrage, everything was going as expected, nearly everything, something was up. The enemy carrier had not launched anything beyond a small combat space patrol, the pirates were known to used bombers but where were they. "Ops, please give me a long range scan, I want to know if their attack craft are out there."

"Negative Captain, all scans show empty space"

Laine mused to herself and as she looked at the holographic battle layout. "Any thoughts?" Her Captain asked her.

"I'm not sure, I have a feeling about this they aren't just going to let us roll up and wipe them out, they have to have a plan... maybe...Captain, I recommend moving the Contemptus into a line astern formation beteen the corvettes."

The Captain had no reason to reject his first officer's suggestion so made the order. Laine's hunch was only just too late though, as no sooner had the three ships begun to move formation, but the enemy bomber wings appeared, using the Contemptus' own gravity projectors to stage a void ambush. Two dozen bombers and half as many fighters appeared in the rear arc of the star galleon and immediately went on the attack, launching waves of anti-shipping ordnance into the vulnerable rear quarters of the larger ship. They would only have a few moments to utilise their element of suprise before the two corvettes were able to react and engage them, but it was enough. The shields of the star galleon crackled and began to fail, allowing munitions straight into her engines. Laine winced, at the violence of it all, expecting at any moment to see Contemptus break in half, but luckily, though sheer brute resilience the ship held together.

The pirates moved into a desperate battle against the corvettes and the limited point defence of the damaged galleon, they would take heavy losses but their ordnance would make the fight costly for the Imperials.

"Captain, the gravity well is fluctuating, failure of interdiction is imminent." came a voice from the ops lieutenant.

The Captain began barking response orders and Laine went to the gunnery station, the Warden was faster than the enemy vessel, so if they could move into its rear arc, they could damage the enemy engines and make loss of interdiction a mute point, but they had to be quick. They were only lucky that the Imperial fleet still held the overwhelming firepower advantage.
​

 

[Vilu Kopma]

She couldn't very well have done anything about her head if Castian Vero 's hook impaled it. Vilu couldn't move with the branches compressing against her so tightly, so she just grunted at his joviality. Her hands were freed first so she could actually hold on, and do more than just barely grip her blaster. When she was confident she wasn't going to drop to her death, like her assailant, she stole a downward glance. Quite the drop.

When the branches were finally cut off, it felt like getting home after a long day and getting into pjamas. The looseness was welcome, and the plates that had been dented by the plant surge refit themselves over her weave. That was maybe going to be the toughest thing to explain in the report, if he was thinking about doctoring it up enough to not condemn their newly formed team.

"You got it, sarge." Beneath the T-visor, she was flush with embarrassment.

That was the best thing about being a helmet-head. The design of their armour only had one expression — intimidating. Anything happening underneath was totally invisible.

"Basic story is, pursued a hostile on the perimeter of the mines. Wish I knew more about what happened between then and now, but I can pin the blackout on Forcey chit."

She paused.

"You're a hero in this report ain'tcha. Just don't write it like a damsel situation. I was on top of it until the shaman-y Force karkery started."

 

[Castian Vero]

Vilu Kopma

A snort.

"I have been a hero plenty of times, nah." Perhaps surprising the Corporal with it. Even in the Stormtrooper Corps gloryhounds and ladder-climbers were a dime in a dozen. Everyone wanted to be the next Tavlar or Belisarius. Bloody few wanted to just do their job, do it well, and then go home at the end of the day.

"We walked into an ambush facilitated by the natives' ability with the Force. Hidden from our sensors and sights." That would work fine. Even all these years later nobody knew exactly the extent of abilities the Force could allow for.

Sometimes Vero suspected that was on purpose.

Otherwise the Imperial Knights would be at a disadvantage too.

"You saved my ass, threw yourself between myself and them, caught one in the head and several more in the chest." That would explain both the damage to her armor as well as her lack of knowledge during her black-out. "Congratulations, Corporal, there might be a medal for you at the end of this miserable mission."

Back on the ground the sergeant looked around and sighed, before tapping his commlink.

"I will request an evac, I haven't heard an explosive run in a while, I think the others might have smoked out the rest of them while we were here."

 

[Vilu Kopma]

If ..... had a sound, it would have been whatever lapsed from the mouth-open expression Vilu was wearing behind the T-visor.

"Huh." She snorted, finally coming to her senses from the....camaraderie the master sergeant so cavalierly evidenced. It was unthinking, how ready Castian Vero was to reframe the clusterkark of the day.

"Helluva storyteller, you are Master Sarge. If I need a speech at the medal ceremony, I know who I'm asking for."

She would have asked why, but didn't for three reasons.

1. Never look a gift fathier in the mouth.
2. His story was better than the truth, and what if he changed his mind?
3. If his team's report looked good, he looked good inevitably. It wasn't entirely selfless.

She didn't thank him for one reason: Pride.

For good measure, she activated her heads-up display behind her visor. It flickered a bit before connecting. Lines skittered about, looking a little more static than before, but she could still get readings if they were isolated, and general North-South indicators. Where were they? How far from the mines had she been dragged?

No heat signatures registered. She felt some of the tension wound between her shoulders slide away.

Belatedly, the hud sparked. Heat against her eyes.

She scoffed, loudly, and popped the lock on her helmet off to pull it from her face. Forest air rushed to her cheeks and nose, and she wiped her forehead. In her hands, the helmet sparked a bit more, flaring brightly then fizzing out against the forehead and cheek padding.

"Sonofa.." she muttered, and grunted her displeasure.

"And good riddance to 'em." Vilu muttered, keeping an eye on the eyeline of her helmet. It seemed to settle. But she was wary of putting it on again. "Freaky shamanish voodoo.

Do you know if they sent any of the Knights out to hunt 'em down too? Since these were forcers?"