BLACKOUT (Galactic Alliance Invasion of the One Sith held Coruscant.)

[Ugohr Poof]

Coruscant - Financial district
Inside the confines of a Zamboni minesweeping main battle tank with two lightsabers
Music: Pokémon Stadium 2 Gym Leader Castle Champion Theme
Allies:

Spoiler

PC: [member="Lisette Kuhn"]
NPC: Army of Malastare (minus 1st infantry company): 466/675, 1st and 7th Legion: 10,652/12,000

Enemies:

Spoiler

PC: [member="Abyss"] [member="Clovis Torcularis"]
NPC: Unknown (but rumored to be in the thousands)

When Ugohr ordered a bombardment on the buildings' facades, he didn't intend to kill the Sith Lords in the buildings outright, only the men stationed in wait in the upper levels waiting. To him the objective was to draw out the Sith Lords. Minefield or no minefield, now there is rubble everywhere, blocking the street, mostly under the form of durasteel, furniture and transparisteel shards. As he feels the two Sith Lords' signatures in the Force fading, Ugohr had to think of another path to take for the tank squadron, now that they punched enough holes in the buildings in their forward arcs to make the lowermost ten levels look like Emmenthal cheese. After all, when two laser cannon shots impact a transparisteel window close one another, the impact on the main structure is felt as well. And the blast caused by bombarding the outer walls on the bottommost ten levels caused shards, furniture to be sent flying all over the place. But concealing one's signature in the Force works less and less well the more a Jedi approached a concealed source. To Ugohr, to sense one's signature fade gradually is an indication both Sith Lords were alive; a quick death would cause the Force-signature to disappear altogether equally fast.

"Few men could survive a fall of seeks or sevin levels without usin da Force: wesa have caused da Sith Lords to go to peripheral streets alongside da survivors. Wesa no blast da wall of rubble"

"We must give chase to the Sith Lords in the peripheral streets: even Sith Lords would find it too dangerous to defend a minefield by placing troops directly on it, even if the mines were buried under meters of durasteel rubble" the Jawa XO of the Rings of the Lord told Ugohr

"First Legion, Sevinth Legion, disen General Poof, a wall of rubble issa blocken da main boulevard"

"How could their engineers form a wall of rubble without exposing themselves to the minefield they themselves laid?" the communications officer of the First Legion asked Ugohr.

"Da profile of da wall of rubble issa berry irregular: seems to be highest close to the sidewalks and taper off in da center. Wesa have bombed enemy positions on da upper levels in da main boulevard"

He changes channels to address the tank squadron, with the hunt for Sith Lords forcing them to consider fanning out in smaller avenues, even after the Army of Malastare lost about one-third of its men in the early stages of the battle, despite losing just one flail. The enemy has clearly considered infantry to be a greater threat than what they considered to be combat engineering; enemy intelligence just assumed that minesweeping vehicles were unarmed or thay they were to capture them. They may have failed to clear the minefield beyond the first city block, about a half-kilometer worth of streets, accomplishing only roughly one-twentieth of the mission Alliance High Command had the Army of Malastare do: clearing the mines between the outer limits of the Financial District and the Senate building so that the 1st and 7th Legions can make their junction with the 5th Legion, led by General [member="Aela Talith"].

"On the one hand, general, that wall of rubble is preventing us from clearing the minefield. On the other hand, we will make our junction with the 5th Legion much faster"

"Nardil, take yoursa group to da north, mesa take mesa group to da south"

"Roger that, General"

They found that the peripheral avenue is blocked in both directions by enemy tanks, which makes their hunt for Sith Lords that much more complicated. But, unlike the Zamboni they are fighting in, these tanks were tracked. They could render one immobile by destroying the treads; however, the retraction process of rotating flails caused the enemy to target the flails themselves, hoping to cripple their mount vehicles by aiming at their exposed front while the flails retract. But their first salvo only managed to destroy the flails. By now the Rings of the Lord are unable to clear mines any longer... making them like an ordinary tank unit and the Alliance is, functionally, without minesweepers. Ugohr had to make the enemy pay for the destruction of their rotating flails, while, at the same time, Ugohr sensed that a mobile artillery platform much larger than a tank is coming their way.

"Aim for da joint between da turret and da hull, preferrably a side location if possible; otherwise aim for da treads. Anti-tank units, grenadiers, position yoursa-selves in da street corners!"

[member="Abyss"] [member="Clovis Torcularis"] [member="Lisette Kuhn"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Location: Aboard a shuttle flying towards Westport
Objective: Elimination
Allies: [member="Blazing Eye"] | [member="Gortugg"]
Enemies: [member="Gir Quee"] | [member="Astarii Saren"] | [member="Sal Katarn"]

Calls surged throughout the planet as war erupted between the Galactic Alliance which claimed they were saviors, and the One Sith garrisons acting as defenders. There were the frightened calls of civilians that alerted various services to the presence of firefights, and the calls of military personnel as they plotted their assaults and tactical escapades. The sheer amount of data that flooded the airwaves of the world was incalculable to the point of ridiculousness, requiring an advanced computer even to measure. Sifting through every piece of information was nearly impossible, but analysts did their best as they calculated better ways to combat enemy forces, or to rescue wounded civilians caught in the crossfire. One particular message amidst the sea of knowledge caught the eye of one particular Sith.

Abelain read expeditiously through the information, picking up on key details as rapidly as his eyes would allow. It seemed that a spaceport known as Westport was under assault by Alliance forces, and there was a high probability that it would be overrun. The landing zone would simply allow for further desolation of the nearby infrastructure, and military activity in the area would spike as Alliance forces sent reinforcements to their newly captured port. They could not allow the area to fall into enemy hands so easily, and it seemed unlikely that the message would be useful to the many garrisons already engaged in harsh urban combat with their vile opponents. The Arue'tii spun upon his heel, flicking a red cape around his figure as he faced one of his most trusted soldiers; Lt. Stall. "Load what remains of the Paladin's Hammer into the shuttles. We are going to reinforce a local spaceport."

The Paladin's Hammer was the colloquial name given to the remnant of supersoldiers under Abelain's command. They were mostly independent of requiring management, and were capable of simply being pointed at a target. Most of them had lost much of their respect for the organization of the One Sith after their comrades were forcibly murdered during their creation, but they had stayed on with their work, and now served their commander with remarkable efficiency. In total, they numbered around three-hundred souls, but only one-hundred would be accompanying the Arue'tii to Westport; the others were scattered upon Coruscant into squads, dealing with intruders as they pleased.

The Arue'tii glanced at the nearest shuttle, boarding it as it prepared to launch.
Why was it that the 'saviors' always scorched the land into cinders?

Spoiler: P.S

I know I mentioned tagging you, Gortugg. Feel free to hop into a shuttle if you'd like! I haven't spoken to you yet, Blazing Eye, but I figured that since you're basically Abelain's guardian angel, you might want in.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

NPC Fluff: Seven Guardians Armed with Vibrostaffs and blasters.
Immediate Allies: [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Ryan Korr"]
Immediate Enemy: [member="Darth Erebos"]
Song: Get this party started

The expression remained unchanged from the stoic calm exuded. The only adjustment was the twist of displeased irritation that twitched on her pouted lips. These Sith with their magic, a tale as old of time that would not wear away anytime soon. The got it flaunt it nature was strong with them. A single brow arched indignantly.

Her Warriors were captivated by the spectacle, their vibrostaffs clutched in thick, strong hands as they stood for impact. Charred Kiffar were not on their queen’s agenda today.

Battle worn blades remained attached in a cross to her lower back, while the manifestation of the darkside grew its mighty wings across the sky’s overarching scape. Hauntingly white irises had been exposed to her fair share of flamed beasts, be it with the Witches or her own nightmares. This façade’s fear-inspiring purpose held little merit to the Force’s mistress.

The chemicals that composed her bubbled excitedly, the breath of power imbuing her muscles as she turned to face the Darth who had hailed her attention so quickly. She shouldn’t be surprised. Nor should the presence that she was tied so closely to -- she felt his briefness of desire, the faintest of the eternal balancing act. A small smile perched on her mouth line and she reinforced this with a gentle wave of reassurance through their connection. Marcello and her would always have this decision to make; selfishness very rarely succeeded self-inflicted duty though.

“Stand back,” she coaxed her assemble of companions. “Do what you can to support the Jedi and Alliance here. Secure as much of the area as possible. When it comes to tricks like this, go for the source.”

The gave a grunt of comprehension and fanned away, only one remaining with the Jedi as a sworn protector to the Sheyf. As they stepped backward, their blasters levelled and followed Kiskla’s command - firing concentrated beams of proton plasma toward [member="Darth Erebos"]. Meanwhile, her sun kissed complexion glowed faintly, painting her with a similar pearlescent shimmer as her eyes, and she took a step forward; letting the swell of power grow within her. Give the Sith some time to fret while she gathered.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss had used his time of meditation concealed by rubble, durasteel and other remains of the skyscraper he jumped out to not only cloud his own presence in the force, but also to search for the Jedi that was leading the enemy forces. The tought that the Jedi still believed that this was a battle that could be won by tanks and infantry, by tactics and military intelligence slighty amused the young acolyte. It was the same mistakes the jedi, and even some of the sith, made in the wars of old times because they could not understand that the real battle, back in ancient times and today aswell, would always be the conflict between the light and the dark side of the force.

The opposing army had fought brave and the Jedi leading them had shown remarkable tactical skill. Nothing of it would matter in the end. Should the soldiers of the Alliance reach the core of coruscant, they would meet heavy resistance. It would end in a long and bloody battle but in the over time they would slowly be slaughtered by an enemy that not only did hold the better postions but also, as the ones that controlled the planet, could way easier call for reinforcements. Also Abyss would not allow the Jedi to command his forces for much longer, his death would lead the army of malastare into its inevitable downfall. The hooded figure slowly rises from the ground, as he had placed the last few pieces of his new plan together. He was already injured by the fall, and even in his best condition it was unllikely that he could achieve victory by overpowering the enemy. Like the great Sith of old days he would triumph over them with deception, by relying on his mind instead of his lightsaber.

The concealment of his force presence should allow him to get close to the Jedi while only revealing a glimpse of distant danger to him. His ability to bend the light around him to render himself almost invisible would allow him to walk trough the enemy troops like shadow unseen by most. The force cloak around him would stop no one from noticing him, but all they would see would be a slight shift in the way the light shines trough the air. His passion burning like a flame devouring all the anger and hate for the Jedi, the light and especially for the Jedi that prevented his original plan from working, as the sith, now not more than a transparent spectre, walks trough the streets of coruscant, unseen by both his man and the enemy forces. Nothing more than a shadow he crosses the blockade of tanks the one sith forces established and walks straight into the army of Malastare.

He knew that one sith forces were on their way to stop them from advancing further, a distraction he was more than willing to use for his advantage. The focus of the jedi would be divided between keeping his soldiers alive and his tanks functional or locating and hunting him. If he would decided to leave his troops to battle the sith forces on their own they would lose, forcing the jedi to fall back with his troops or remain behind enemy lines a postion he would not survive for long. If he would decided to keep commanding his troops, he would have the chance to hit him while he was distracted, giving him the upper hand in combat.

[member="Ugohr Poof"] [member="Clovis Torcularis"] [member="Lisette Kuhn"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Aela Talith"] [member="Kahne Porte"] @Uhgor Poof

Location: Military District
Objective: Establish forward LZ

"Master Jedi, Sarn't Keld pleased to meet you!" He roared, as the battle raged around them. He locked his brown eyes with the Jedi and extended his hand before he was interrupted by a stray shot that whizzed over his shoulder. The side of his face still smouldered and the flesh was mangled and badly burned.

He looked fierce.

"We managed to land most of our company here but we're pinned down. I'm establishing this spot as our forwards LZ. I've had our heavy weapons units begin levelling any cover out to a thousand meters to deny the enemy and give us a level tactical playing field."

"Sarn't got command on the line!"

"Excuse me one moment."

Keld turned, keeping his low crouch and nodded towards the RTO.

"What do we have?"

"Nothing specific. General Talith has the 5th legion or the 7th legion up ahead at the Senate district. General Poof is trapped in with a minefield between himself and us. Fleetcom has one more company of troopers that haven't been pushed out yet."

"Send them down, we'll mark the LZ with a laser satellite beacon!"

From the barricades they were holding. Buildings were still coming down as waves of Plex rockets impacted their sides, wrenching metal and melting beams. There was another crash nearby as a skyscraper sloughed off it's skin directly into the street. Smoke and dust ripped up and out along with torrents of razor sharp molten shards.

"Down!" Keld roared, grabbing the nearest trooper and pushing him face down into the deck. Shrapnel ripped across his back, impaling him from the sky. They were small and missed the organs, but they hurt.

"Status?"

"All squads holding, dust cloud incoming!"

"Sustain fire, switch to thermal vision!"

"Aye Sarn't!"

"Master Jedi, we need to push forwards and help General Talith secure the Senate district. That's the main hub of communications besides here. If I wanted to land reinforcements, I'd take that section so we can push to any part of the city directly from her center! I'll leave our sister company here to keep the territory we've gained."

 

[Adder]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Senate District[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Republica 500 - Senate District[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px][member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Kyber Salurra"] | [member="Soeht"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Despite the cacophony of screams and blaster fire, one voice rang clear through the chaos. Aela.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Adder and her two sprinting companions didn’t have to be told twice. They made it through the main entrance just after the first bulk of the 5th, thus avoiding the salvos of sniper fire that the frontliners received to the face. The screams increased tenfold.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Everything around her was red, like a later sunset is red. Halos of flame, showers of sparks from blaster bolts raining down from the upper stories.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Breathless, Adder slammed her back against a nearby column. Halen and Toileen found refuge close by, taking cover behind some ornamental furniture. The fire seemed to cease momentarily, and the cop chanced a peek around the fullered edge.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The stairs leading higher were now cluttered with the scorched bodies of soldiers. No, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]worse[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]. Lower, some were still alive, crawling away from the towering figure of a Sith at the top.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]All color drained from her face, and the woman pulled back quickly as can be. Her heart, pumping rage through her veins just seconds before, had now sunk to the pit of her stomach. A small whimper tried to escape, but she screwed her eyes shut and transformed it into a curse by sheer force of will.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Chite[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Toileen agreed with a grim expression, her cheer gone. “Leave the Sith to Marshall Talith. We don’t stand a chance,” she said, echoing all of their thoughts. It pained her to leave Aela to deal with the trio of monsters, but she’d be of no use to her dead. At best, Adder would simply present a distraction, and the Jedi could scarce afford one.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Yeah. Let’s go.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]They dashed further to the left, deeper into the corridors of the ground floor. Other squads followed, while others had already gone ahead. Here, in closer confines, the danger of snipers was minimal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Stop!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Halen’s yell pinned them dead in their tracks, and Adder swallowed thickly as her eyes zeroed in on the reason. A small blinking device had been planted onto the floor just around the bend, and had she taken a step further… [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]No. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]Don’t even think about it[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Can you disable it?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Yeah, just hold on a few. And keep an eye out, it could be an ambush.”[/SIZE]

 

[Yula Perl]

Coruscant
Allies: [member="Alesia Rivas"]
Enemies: Potentially the News Drone of Death™
Objective: Wreck poodoo

“We’ll see about that.” Lukas’ response came out as a grunt while straightening up. Spying [member="Aneya Maev"]’s auto drone above head, he arched a brow but flexed his legs, ready to run if necessary. “Do you think that thing’s friendly?” He couldn’t tell from here if it was a piece of One Sith machinery or what. All he knew is that if it started shooting, he was going to run.

“True. We don’t want the One Sith to send someone after us so soon.” Shielding his eyes with one hand, Lukas surveyed the empty streets. The battle had only just begun, and what worried him most were the civilian casualties. Being a new recruit, he hadn’t really formed a bond with anyone in the Galactic Alliance yet, so he couldn’t say he was worried about any particular Jedi, but they knew what they were getting into. As much of a hardass as he was, the Apprentice disliked seeing innocent people hurt. He could probably do more good within the city than out on the battlefield.

“Good.” He gave another grunt of acknowledgement. Too many people smoked nowadays, didn’t they know that there were healthier ways to burn off anxiety than at the end of a ciagarra?

At the mention of taking out the speakers, Lukas gave a nod and then a raised brow. “You have what coming out of your ears? You should really see a doctor about that. Not me though, because that’s disgusting and I’m not an otolaryngologist.” Turning his attention towards their next task, the dark haired man squinted into the distance. “I’m not sure about blowing them up, unless you have some controlled explosives because I don’t. I do have some very sharp instruments with me though. They’d probably be able to cut through the casing and wires. Not the explosion you’re looking for, but it would attract less attention.”

 

[Laguz Vald]

Valley of the Lords
Delta Area: [member="Kiskla Grayson"] | [member="Darth Erebos"] | [member="Lassiter"] | [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Ryan Korr"] | [member="Julius Sedaire"] | [member="Jori Varad"]


No echoes of this future for [member="Sera Inkari"], though. As much as she could lend in terms of advantage when it came to the powerful signatures of the Jedi Masters, Laguz Vald would remain a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. What had started as a freak accident many years ago now served xem well in all walks of life. With a life like xir, there were plenty of walks where being Force Dead came in handy, but xir main profession certainly reaped the biggest benefits.

Undetectable sniper? Kark yes.

By then, said sniper had already picked out a cosy little spot just off the edge of the Valley. The built-in rangefinder doodad put the five-decimal estimate at about 250 m of distance, which was near-on perfect for xir purposes.

Xir purposes being assassination, of course. And after that, the collection of a very nice bounty.

The very thought was enough to put a brilliant smile on xir inside face. The outside face was long gone, adapted to the texture and color of the window xe was using to set up. If xe were the voyeuristic type, Laguz might’ve just kicked back and watched the show below unfold, that’s how good xir view was.

Unfortunately for the Sith Lord – and for the Jedi there to arrest him – the mercenary had far more selfish plans.

With Tessie fully assembled once more, the shifter molded xemself into position, limb by amorphous limb. The space mages below were welcome to play the special effects game all they wanted, but xe had a beskar bullet ready that would put one hell of a damper on their fun.

Soon™.

Xe popped a D-grade and waited for the seconds to stretch into minutes.

 

[Alesia Rivas]

CORUSCANT
The Middle Levels
w/ [member="Lukas Krieger"]
no enemies yet

---

"Who knows?" Alesia said as she looked at where the man was looking. "Could be ours, could be the Sith's." She didn't really know what the Alliance had and what they didn't have. But nor did she know anything about the One Sith's equipment, so she couldn't really tell. "Guess we just have to ignore them or somethin'. Probably should keep our faces covered."

"Y'know, if we lose, they may want to track us down for treachery."

She looked at the speakers again. These were the things which made her ears bleed, but what really irked her was the fact that all the banners and billboards and screens all around the streets shined with colours of red and showed people the deaths the Galactic Alliance supposedly caused on the planet.

But the girl knew they wouldn't kill civilians. They would only destroy the One Sith, not the innocent people.

"What? No! It's just a phrase, ye silly doctor," Alesia laughed after hearing the man's comment about her ears. She couldn't tell whether he was joking or being serious, but it was hilarious nonetheless. She loved that. Her own speech echoed her inheritance, rich with a lower imperial accent and some hints of Porchello speech.

She then looked at the speakers again. Gosh, she really seemed to love looking at them. At least then she didn't have to look at any of the screens. They were just horrible.

"Sound like a plan to meh," the girl agreed to the man's plan. She didn't really have any explosives with her and her lack of talent at the Force gave her no ability to blow up thing at her will. But if Lukas had some sharp stuff with him and was able to cut through this stuff, it was already really great. And like the man had said, an explosion would attract too many people and cause some problems.

"You gonna cut the wires and I cover you?" she suggested. "I'm really good at that stuff. Better than at hanging on posts, tryin' to cut speakers out of power."

 

[Aver Brand]

Cream and the Crop Casino → Coruscant Underworld
0530 hours
[member="Loray Tares"] | [member="Lucien Shorn"]

Sometimes, she could almost spot the flicker of his old, sane self through the madness. The moments were few and far in between, but she relished them dearly. Back when he didn’t flinch when being called Gabriel. Back when he’d sooner peel apart a Mandalorian orange than a Mandalorian’s organs. Back when he could string lucid, sharp sentences like these together like nobody’s business.

A spike of giddy excitement from Loray interrupted her bittersweet recollection, and Aver refocused on the kid in front of them. He looked young. Too young to be involved with spying, bribery, and planetary invasions. And still he was older than she’d been when she’d first killed a man.

“Do disseminate our picture to your troops groundside. We’d hate to take a life in self-defense.” And it wasn’t even a lie. Not entirely, anyway.

The assignment rolled across her HUD overlay. She read it twice, memorized it, and shredded the message.

“Kid— find a different job to scratch your itch. Become a gambler, or, I don’t know, a stuntman or something.”

Her one good deed of the decade done, Aver walked out of the casino and into the welcome embrace of her lifetime companion.

War.

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha3LZPgfLEg[/youtube]​

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Soaking up the death of killing my troops brought me back into reality, that and a stern talking to from the commander of the ground forces. In his heated speech, he was hesitant to send me boys to command, which I could understand, but in the end, this was our capital planet and he sent me to a north point to gather some troops that ranged in the number of twenty. For me, twenty soldiers was alot to maintain, I had no real experience in leading troops into battle, but as the battle raged on I would learn on the fly. Calling my blades back to my hand, and apologizing to them, I moved toward my associate [member="Abyss"] in triple time, hoping that I arrived in time.

As I led my boys of defense toward the main body of fighting, a tall building buckled and fell over, forcing me to change my course which would take longer for me to reach my partner. "Commander, one of my troops said pointing to my left, "That is a very strategic spot if we can reach it." I turned to see where he was pointing, and nodded. Abyss and his troops should be somewhere in that vicinity, and trying to use the Force bond he and I created I sent a message to him from one twisted mind to another.

"Enroute!" I was unclear if he received the message, but with the Dark Side energy I was radiating I hoped he knew it was me. Friendly fire was a problem, especially after the communications had been cut, or maybe it was due to my faulty comlink. With so many of the enemy falling from the skies likes falling angels, the concept of "shoot first, ask questions later" was a strong possibility that I risked facing.

The moment I drew close enough to the falling building to taste the duracrete blooming in the surrounding area, a torrent of blaster fire erupted from a nearby building, one shot drawing so close that I brought my robe to the position of protecting me, wrapping it around my exposed being, and being knocked back gently from it repealing the lucky shot. "Snipers," I yelled in the direction of my men, sending them scurrying to cover. Now Sith Lords, and even some high ranking Knights, could jump from behind cover and order a charge into the fray. I was neither so I did the only thing I felt that would bestow courage into my troops, I jumped out of my cover, igniting both of my blades and relying on the Force to heighten my reflexes enough to bat away the blaster shots.

"Find Abyss and protect him, I screamed at them with a droid like, or mechanical, voice. "I'll hold their attention until they piss me off enough to kill the lot of them!"

When the last of the boys was free from happy-trigger snipers, I swatted the last shot away and followed them toward the security of finding Abyss.


Allies: [member="Abyss"]

Enemies: [member="Lisette Kuhn"] [member="Ugohr Poof"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] [member="Meeristali Peradun"] [member="Gabriel Sionoma"]

"Thank you Mara, really," Jacen said between breaths in a heartfelt manner. It was hard to keep his calm now. The nexus was too close. If he was fresh, or didn't have so much at stake, he could have closed his eyes and centred himself again. He had grown in the Force, just a minute of meditation could reinvigorate him and bring a renewed focus. But not here, not now. He guessed it was the old way, the soldiers way. Grim determination and adrenaline.

Just a hint of a smile found his face. "And apologies for Stali again. Can't take him anywhere. Honestly, just be glad he didn't start sniffing you.

"Good hunting," he added to the felecatian. The hailfire droid came to hover beside him, dropping his bags unceremoniously.

"Your things." This thing had been too long without a wipe.

"Think you can still act the scout Dave?"

"My designation is..." The droid paused, just the slightest bob in its hover. "Yes," it replied sharply. "Soldier's work. For once. I haven't gone rusty training Alliance pups. Which way?"

Now that was the question. Jacen looked to Gabe, then back to Dave. One sloe breath. Trust the Force. "That way," Jacen said, knowing it to be true.

He unzipped the bag, revealing bright red scales. Hardly circumspect, but then he wasn't planning on stealth for much longer. Shame he couldn't pack a rifle really, just a pistol, carbine and saber. Useful little mule, he thought to himself. Couldn't bring himself to say it, not after Dave rushed off to be a soldier again with such enthusiasm.

 

[Taa Nul]

Location: Black Pyramid Ruins

The scouting force sent to whittle down Elaine Thul's forces reported in the extent of the threat the Count and his garrison force would be facing, sending back detailed reports of their troop composition, armored support and the amount of artillery they had. The EMP shells fired towards the ruins by the enemy artillery continued to bounce off the shield generator with no avail. If the enemy wanted to attack, it would have to be man to man and tank to tank at close range. It would likely end up turning into a bloody battle quickly, something the Count was counting on. He'd more than prepared for such eventualities, his infantry, armoured columns and automated defences forming a complete perimeter around the entirety of the ruins, with reserves sitting in the centre to reinforce weaknesses in the line should they arise. And if all else failed, well......his back-up plan was already in place.

The Count now sat quietly upon his chair upon a ruined balcony overlooking his defenses, sipping a cup of tea as he gazed out at the battle engulfing the city outside his FOB's protective shield. One of his officers stepped forth, delivering a report to Morcus. ''My lord, as you predicted, our enemy marches upon our position in great numbers. It will be a slaughter for them.'', the officer said confidently. The Count looked up at him before speaking. ''Do not grow too overconfident, Commander. While we possess an advantage, it is foolish to think we are invincible. IF the tide starts turning, we will enact our ''ace in the hole'' immediately.'', he said, glaring at the man. The Commanded nodded. ''Of course, my lord....'', he said, before turning around and heading off to ready the men. The Count then returned to his drink, gazing out at the burning skyscrapers on the horizon.

[member="Elaine Thul"]

 

[Alexandra Porte]

Location: Still in the fight above Coruscant
Allies: GA/Rogue Squadron
Enemies: OS/TBD

https://youtu.be/I_izvAbhExY​

​

Double One boosted power to her forward shields, then pulled a snap-roll that stood the X-wing on its port S-foil. That narrowed her profile and allowed the first volley of laser fire from the on coming Darts to pass on either side of herself. At the last second Russo selected a proton torpedo and let if fly at point blank range. Even though it never got a solid target lock, it nailed the lead Interceptor dead on and tore it apart.

Alleycat nudged the stick and shot through the center of the fiery explosion. Clear on the other side she lost the Interceptor's wingman, but a more immediate problem captured her attention.

"Red Ten, break to port, now!"

The other X-wing juked left, but the Dart ridding its exhaust stayed with them.

"Break harder, Ten. Climb!"

"No can do, Rogue Eleven… Lateral stabilizer gone," came the harried response of the other pilot.

"Weave, Ten."

The young pilot started his snubfighter in a corkscrew maneuver and the Interceptor's first shots went wide of their mark. Then, the aft end of the ship came back around and the Dart's fire ripped up through the engines. Fire blossomed on the right side of the ship, shredding the strike foils. A second later the whole fighter shook and its skin splint from the inside out. Ardent flames burst free, converting the X-wing into a miniature sun, then the roiling ball of gas collapsed into its own black hole as did Alex's stomach.

Frak, frak, frak!

Bloodlessly Russo vaped Red Ten's killer. Part of her wanted to cheer at having exacted revenge for them, but Alex overrode those emotions. She could no more allow herself the luxuriate in the death of an One Sith pilot than she could afford to mourn her comrade. There would be a time for that later… if there is a later.

The Taanabian's brandy brown gaze flickered to the holopic on the flight console for ever a second, then with an even more resolute determination to live continued on with the task at hand.

[member="Loske Matson"] [member="Jareb Kaine"] [member="Aedan Lochlan"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Sylvia Nuru"] [member="Ecarht Arak"] & Co.

 

[Aela Talith]

Senate District
Senate Building - Atrium
[member="Adder"] | [member="Kyber Salurra"] | [member="Soeht"]

"Kyber." She told the soldier quietly, moving in front of her men in a guarded stance. "Get to Adder, loop around and secure the building."

That was the best order she could give in that moment, ignoring the Sith's question as the men of the 5th Legion slowly stepped back behind her, seeking the protection of their Jedi Marshall. Aela had known that there would be some resistance at the Senate Building, she'd expected it, but in truth she hadn't expected to see a Sith Lord here. Though the Senate building was strategically located within the Senate District, it wasn't really all that important tactically. There were no power generators here, no shields, no weapons to take control of.

The building was simply that, a building, but a very large building. Large enough to be a Forward Operating base for the Galactic Alliance on Coruscant, a place that would allow them to quickly reinforce troops and disperse supplies. That was why Aela was here, but she wasn't about to tell the Sith that.

Stepping forward the young Marshall held her head high, eyes meeting the mask of the Sith Lord that stood before her. "Surrender!"

She shouted towards the man.

"Put down your weapons, come peacefully and you will not be harmed." Briefly her glance flicked towards the two acolytes. Neither of them looked all that well trained, they took no stance offensive or defensive but instead hunched forward like rabid dogs waiting for their masters command. She was sure that they would fall quickly, though whether the Sith would strike while his hounds attacked was a question she could not yet answer. Behind her the 5th were shaping themselves into a defensive crescent, dragging their injured comrades back behind columns.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

[SIZE=9pt]Location: Temple of the Sith.
Objective: Defend.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Allies:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"], [member="Tes Dralyn"] .[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Enemies: [member="Ryan Korr"] , [member="Marcello Matteo"][/SIZE][SIZE=9pt].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Gear:

Spoiler

[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Armour[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt].[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Rudis[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt].[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Tsaisibola[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] & [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Nagajj[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]2x curved hilt lightsabres.
Standard issue vibrodagger.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]

[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Silent like the shadow of a whisper. It was not only a mastery of darkness that kept her hidden. She knew techniques to shrink one’s presence in the Force, reducing the radiance to the size of a mere molecule; lost in the chaotic scenery. She could erase herself from the minds of those who perceived her, reducing the cold touch of her presence to the mere memory of a dream. This was her forte, her niche. While other Lords of the Sith mastered flashing displays of power, she had gone on a quest to make her touch as difficult to perceive as possible. The shroud was to her no mere passing fancy or tool of utility, but a school of the Force; It was an art.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Now, she followed a thread like a predator on a trail. She did not need to probe ahead. Her instincts already told her to follow this line. Tremors traversed the surface on which she walked, telling tales of the battle and the ruin beyond the breached walls of the Temple of the Sith. There would be fire, there would be death. In the end, one order would remain to clutch the Pearl of the Core.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]If the One Sith fell on this fateful night, then they would rise again with a terrible vengeance. Harder, better, stronger than ever. If the Jedi were repelled, then they would be back and in greater numbers and new resolve. The battle was endless and eternal. It was the truth of the universe: Peace is a lie.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] As the thread was coming to an end, she stopped. Her right hand went to the hilt of her Rudis, gloved fingers clenching around the hilt. Her left hand went to one of the two curved lightsabres, removing it from its position and concealing along the contour of her palm and wrist.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Words echoed between the walls as they were bathed in blue light. A challenge. Unlike many of her ilk, Darth Ophidia fully accepted her mortality. Death was a close companion, a guide, an inevitability she practically worshipped. She sought no eternal life except as a cause of carefully chosen events. Someday, she would be pulled into the depths of chaos too. But before then, she would send enough souls to the Nether to keep her company. Yet, she did not step out, not yet. The brazen attack was not her path. The shrouded dagger was. So instead, she lingered, watching, waiting for the opportune moment. The Rudis loosened in its scabbard, a few centimetres of red-scribed blade becoming visible behind her as she slowly drew the short blade.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The face of the challenger, the long-hilted, blue lightsabre. This was a paragon of the Galactic Alliance. Darth Ophidia had read a report from the battle of Dulvoyinn about one who had faced off against her senior, Darth Vornskr. Could it be the same? Her instincts told her yes.[/SIZE]

There is only passion.

No, there would be no surrender on this day.

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Enemies: [member="Ecarht Arak"]
Allies: [member="Alexandra Russo"] | [member="Jareb Kaine"]
Objective: Survive this torpedo!
Song: https://open.spotify.com/track/1OIYK9Ya6EgwJ4fMngrPcK

The Ace next to her, amidst the throng of other spiralling star fighters, took her hit; absorbing the damage from Loske’s preliminary warning. She’d just been showing the Axe-wing that she was in charge here. That flipped pretty quickly with the slipperiness of the skies, and the race-track style of who was in front and back that she and the Imp were trading back and forth.

Her comm was active with concern, Sixteen bellowed in her eardrums and she grit her teeth with such intensity she could feel the muscles in her gums flex. Her HUD flashed red warnings, blaring excited messages of being on lock. Frank echoed a similar message, intensifying the reality of Loske’s situation. Her grip on the yoke tightened while the red on her screen seemed to intensify. “I know, I know, I know! Believe me, my scope is hotter than Tattooine. Frank, get me some more shields back there!”

Thankfully, an X-wing was known for agility, and Loske was known for her trickery exploiting the natural aesthetics of her ship. Her flight pattern changed from straight and smooth shooting to rocking from wing to wing, her cannon meeting the blaster coming at her while the Sith’s lasers skittered around the butt of her T-70, the erratic streaks of red highlighting her like a christmas light while it was mostly deflected. Frank was a good little companion, but her shields were still pretty damaged and reporting deficiencies at 15% and declining further. Those were some powerful plasma blasts!


Sheeeiiiishhh, then that bugger whipped out the projectiles. “Son of a murglak!” They were now, quite literally, playing with the big guns. This was a move she’d pulled on Belsavis, but in a head on state. She’d felt sick afterwords, instead of the triumphant victor she should have been as an Ace.

Torpedoes weren’t just something her shields could cushion the blow on, this was not something the little alliance pilot could passively skirt away from - she’d have to do some thinking on this and fast. Time was not an afforded luxury. Her fault for underestimating the weapons system of the Sith’s fighter. It was still beneath and under her, the nose right at her underbelly.


“Speed up. Afterburner active.” Loske commanded, reducing the amount of power that was feeding to her shields and reassigning it to her ion engines. There was a rumble in the fighter’s belly before swelling in the thrusters, a white hot flame blowing from the engines and thrusting her forward with extreme acceleration. That would give her some more time while her locked on little friend pursued her. This wasn’t the only self preservation move from the young pilot though..no sirree.



“Cut left thrusters! Swing wide!” She gave a hard tilt to the right, her shoulder slamming against the top of her seat and webbing tightening against her torso at the immediacy of the shift. Her body was vibrating while her shuttle rotated extremely quickly, cutting through the lack of atmosphere like knife through butter and swinging a wide 180. The speed had been overdone, and the metal on her wings protested by the thin layer ripping off the top of her ‘X’ somewhere. The nose whipped around, the pointer of her vessel now facing the oncoming torpedo, and her eyes wide. Fear quivered her fingers, and Frank was hollering in the background. She didn’t have the time to keep running, and the immediate Imp distractions were too far away.


“Get a mutual lock on that torpedo.” The box on her screen bounced around the edge, trying to locate the incoming weapon…meanwhile Loske fretted it would be too small and she’d be smoked in … [Pending lock]…[Finding target] [Preparing]…[Lock achieved]…[Deploy?].

Her thumb hit that red button on the top of her yoke without any distance to spare as it belched from its cubby and toward the incoming missile that had been meant for her.


The impact was glorious. A brilliant burst of red, yellow and orange as the explosives collided into their deathly bubble. The spread reached out toward the nose of Loske’s fighter, staining it with a charr as she re-engaged her repulsors to back away and pull to the left to catch her breath while her opponent checked its own damage.


She released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, her chest sinking and her shoulders falling into a slouch. "Holy chit."


How many shots did that thing have? What was she dealing with here anyway? She’d never contended a ship like this before.


“Get me some readings on how many of those babies this hot shot’s got, Frank. Need to know how much fire to draw now we know how sithhead wants to play.”

 

[Julius Sedaire]

VALLEY OF THE DARK LORDS

ALLIES: [member="Lilin Imperieuse"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] | [member="Kira Vaal"] | [member="Gabriel Sionoma"] | [member="Alen Na'Varro"] | [member="Meeristali Peradun"] | [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Ryan Korr"] | [member="Kiskla Grayson"]

ENEMIES: [member="Darth Erebos"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Tes Dralyn"] | [member="Sera Inkari"] | [member="Jake Daniels"] | @Lassiter | [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]


Stopping next to Mara, Julius didn't say much, or really react until most of the others were gone. Just stayed there, checking his sidearm and magazine, examining his lightsaber, various armor and more. He eventually grabbed the small wasp like probe droid from his armor, and sent it buzzing out, the minuscule thing keeping a very tight and limited range, scoping out the immediate area around his position. Luckily, even if someone did sight it and shoot it down, it only would take a few seconds to capture immediate feed of the layout and topography and any obvious enemy signatures in various spectrums or what have you. And it wouldn't be really traceable back to him in any way he was worried about. Not before he could respond to the threat neutralizing the thing anyhow.

Finally, he spoke up, quiet and muffled from his armor, but with a hint of admonishment.

"You are not a hero out of myth, Mara... You are far from helpless, but also far from limitless. I'll be sticking to you... Your knowledge is a tad bit more useful than I care to risk. You can argue with the phrik tunnel or me... Who knows what the tunnel might give into you for..."

Turning to 'Stali, he grinned and offered the warrior a forearm clasp as he emerged, smiling broadly. But in his aura was a tinge of concern for the man he had come up the ranks with.

"Brother, I'll be staying to Mara... Feel free to go out and mingle or hang around with us... Time for concealment is well past I believe. If you go out, be careful... If my bony butt has to drag your flab back from the brink, I'll be quite upset. There might even be tears, honest. Real ones too..."

 

[Soeht]

THE SENATE BUILDING ASSAULT
[member="Aela Talith"], [member="Adder"], [member="Kyber Salurra"], [member="Courts Stisee"]​

The dark side of the Force permeated the air of the Atrium - Soeht being the source of it all. It began to twist the thoughts of those within the Senate Building.

“Ţh́is͏ bui͜ldi̴n͠g i̵s ̕wo͜r̢th͜l͢e͟ss҉,” claimed Soeht after [member="Aela Talith"] demanded his surrender.

With a gesture of his hand, one of the acolytes charged toward Aela without any care for caution. Some external force drove the acolyte’s body - the apprentice’s will being suppressed. The apprentice attempted a mediocre lightsaber slash toward Aela’s abdomen. Yet as the acolyte drew near, a disproportionate sense of danger could have been sensed through the Force.

Elsewhere, the blinking device [member="Adder"] found would prove to be just a small part of a massive plot by the Sith.

 

[Aela Talith]

Senate District
Senate Building - Atrium
[member="Adder"] | [member="Kyber Salurra"] | [member="Soeht"]

"Then there is no need to fight." Aela said simply. "Surrender."

Behind her the 5th Legion moved into position, raising their Needle Disruptors and aiming them towards the Sith Lord. They did not yet fire, but instead waited for a signal from her. The Jedi Marshall for her own credit simply stood still, watching an observing the Sith Lord. Her eyes followed the man, then the gesture of his hand. The Acolyte moved forward in an instant, bounding like a rabid dog. Her lips thinned.

She didn't move towards the boy, nor did she move to block him. Instead her fingers sprawled from the Lightsaber in her right hand, her arm reaching out and simply swiping forward as the Acolyte stood halfway between herself and Sohet. There would be a sudden jarring press, and the boy would feel the force latch around him and then a powerful lurch as Aela simply threw him to the side. The Acolyte flew through the air, falling well clear of Aela and the 5th.