Bucketheads vs. Trash Pandas [Mandalorian Empire Invasion of Coalition-Controlled Utapau (Hex 53-N)]

[Janick Beauchamp]

Location: Utapau's atmosphere
Objective: Patrolling Utapau's skies Engage the bucketheads' air assets and fight her mental demons
Allies: ORC [member="Jax Rhane"] [member="Rayf Vigil"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] (directly)
Enemies: Mandalorians [member="Quoron Viszla"]

"Watch out for the big smoke clouds! The battlefield has now turned to IFR conditions; switch to targeting computers!" Janick advised [member="Jax Rhane"] over comms, knowing that Rayf was unable to help her.

"The enemy escort has been destroyed, but the enemy flagship is still alive and a threat to the city" Griet reported, while all surviving craft flew under the cover of the thick smoke cloud.

"Sensors also registered an explosion that took out the enemy flagship's sublight engines" Cranmore reported, after [member="Connory"] caused the enemy flagship's sublight engines to explode, forcing every craft nearby to fight under IFR conditions.

"Do we even have a ship that can tractor a ship that big? A ship on repulsorlift will have a much harder time escaping a tractor beam and the tug can clear it of the city, provided we first score the requisite..." Janick commented to her wingmen, while her mind took much longer to process battle information than she was used to. "FIREPOWER KILLS!" she screamed, letting go of all her anger, her accrued frustrations from losing control earlier in the fight and debiting the current mental liability accounts associated with those, while, of course, crediting the mental expense accounts involved in using Dun Moch.

"Alchemist Actual, as much as I would like to score firepower kills, we don't have enough firepower to completely kill the enemy flagship's firepower between our allies and ourselves! We'll have no capital-ship support, no reinforcements for a while" Blanket warned everyone else.

With the Rekr's escort crashing into the sand, dangerously close to the city, but not quite on it, the whole battlefield became one big cloud of smoke at that altitude, forcing all fighters involved to engage no-visibility protocols, friend or foe, Janick being already hooked on her targeting computer. Between all the comm chatter, she was still going to be flying past the enemy flagship's engines, or rather, what used to be the engines. But still, the enemy bombardment took out the remaining anti-aircraft defenses of the city, leaving only Rayf's group to deal with any airborne threats to the sinkhole proper. In fact, most of the remaining enemy trench guns kept firing at targets on the ground and in the sinkhole because Janick's squadron was now into the aft blind spot. Just that the brave but unfortunate crews of the final anti-aircraft emplacements did what they could, under the form of SAMs, quad-lasers, to fend off fighters and bes'uliiks until they went poof. Once the squadron was within a safe distance of the engines to perform an Immelmann loop, Janick pulled the yoke as hard as she could, while shaking on the yoke. Because of continuity of command, Griet could communicate the instructions for what came next to the rest of the squadron:

"Wololo, Cranmore, Blanket, cover us, everybody else, we're forming up with Jax and going in for the firepower kill! Go after the heavy hardpoints!" Griet instructed the rest of the squadron, feeling that Janick was emotionally impaired after screaming firepower kills before the looping.

"Roger, roger" Wololo acknowledged, while locking on an ion torpedo to an enemy fighter.

"Attack pattern beta!"

Ground-hogs usually considered IFR conditions as synonymous with low visibility, which would mean all nine pilots relied on their instruments while maneuvering around the enemy flagship. And then the fighters assigned to cover duty launched ion torpedoes, at one fighter in the blind-spot screen apiece, so that three enemy fighters would have the horrors of being locked on with an ion torpedo. Unfortunately that wasn't much; the enemy still had 2 1/2 squadrons to their one. Meanwhile, the remaining six fighters, grouped by pairs, dashed towards each of the heavy turbolaser hardpoints, with the result that each of the heavy turbolaser hardpoints were targeted by two ion torpedoes apiece, in hopes of frying the heavy turbolasers, if only temporarily; once the ion torpedoes were fired, Janick pushed her yoke as far to the left as was possible, making her craft entering an upward corkscrew, while instead turned a hard right. In fact, one pilot in each pair fanned out in one direction, while the other went the other way. And then, the nightmare happened: despite the relative sluggishness of the enemy fighters, sheer enemy numbers claimed Blanket and, later, Cranmore.

"I'm hit!" Blanket shouted moments before crashing.

"Can't hear you, there's too much interference!"

"I'm hit!" Cranmore shouted a few seconds later.

"Firepower kill, firepower kill, firepower kill..." Janick kept uttering, in a creepy voice that was much more reminiscent of a zombie than her actual voice, while visions of firepower kills she scored in an anti-ship role started flashing in her mind, with the accompanying hardpoint explosions.

"Why do you keep uttering the phrase firepower kill? Your craft hasn't run out of ordnance, did debris take out your guns?"

"FIREPOWER KILL!"

Blanket and Cranmore both crashed into the enemy flagship, with several ion torpedoes detonating upon these craft crashing into the topside superstructure, with as much force as was plausible to expect from the crash of a fighter flying at attack speed. There was no telling exactly how much damage the detonation of all those torpedoes would cause because the cloud of smoke was still thick enough to make damage assessment difficult at best. She also struggled to make out the explosions of those craft thanks to the cloud of smoke which, while thinning out somewhat, was still rather thick. Meanwhile, the witch would have flashbacks of firepower kills she scored on various engagements, such as Ancora, Bothawui and Dokkalfarsed. As those flashbacks of firepower kills, that is, of her destroying or disabling weapon hardpoints, flashed in her mind in rapid succession, the two words firepower kill kept buzzing in her mind... and she stopped corkscrewing around after a bit, while her hands still shook at the controls of the craft, causing the craft to behave erratically.

Spoiler: Fighters

7 Alakaha-class elite fighters

 

[Vilaz Munin]

Location: Dreadnought
Allies: Mandalorians
Enemies: ORC, Traitors
Objective: Crashing this plane ship

The two fought for a long time until the Rekali started fleeing from Vilaz. He thought Elijah as a coward, fleeing from his fate after the atrocities he had done. Similar to another man by the name of Mereel; however, his scanners picked up a yield of explosions that was on Connory's vessel and the crew on the bridge of the ship causing the Akaan to flee into the corridors of the ship with his rocket boots. The tractor beams of the Dreadnought would try to move the ship out of harm's way, but it was a futile attempt as the Orar blew up and damaged the sublight engines of the ship. The vessel was still functional, but for how long?

The shockwave of the explosion caused him to fall to the floor, alarms blurring out from every section of the ship.

"Status," he said to the bridge in a furious tone.

"The...sublight engines are critically damaged, sir. We can still operate in the atmosphere of the planet, but there's a high chance of not being able to go into space," a Mandalorian crewman answered, shaky in his tone for what had happened.

A problem this was, yes, but Vilaz had other plans. The Dreadnought was their only way of escaping Utapau from their raid, but now it had failed them...in that purpose. Now it had a new purpose.

"Commander, have everyone on this ship evacuate. Get them to grab a jetpack, repulsor, whatever method to get out. But do send a couple of squads to the reactors and place thermal detonators. We're crashing this ship on the city and I plan on burning as much as I can of these aruetiise. Do alert our vode and allies in the city, and hurry!"

Orders were given and were immediately being executed. A female announced to every warrior to evacuate the ship, while others went to the reactor of the Rekr and place reactors everywhere with all being linked to a detonator button. Comms were sent to the other Cuir Rekr, Sith, and other officers and allies that fought for the Mandalorian Empire to be aware of what was taking place. All power were diverted to the shields and the crew began maneuvering the behemoth in a pose to crash into Pau City.

There would be plenty of death and carnage all because of Vilaz's orders. Orders that he took pride in and wouldn't regret. He stopped having sympathy for those that didn't pledged themselves to his banner a long time ago.

The warlord found an air vent and opened its doors with him flying out of the Dreadnought and descending to Pau City.

 

[Shia Kryze]

Location: Crystal Caves - Main Mine
Objective: Crystal Caves
Crystal Cave Foes: [member="Kaia Starchaser"] [member="Joza Perl"]
Crystal Cave Allies: [member="Aryn Spar"] [member="Liset Vereen"] [member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Kervo Namadi"]
Engaging: No one.

Spoiler: Equipment

• DT-29 heavy plaster pistols x 2
• Nadir E-Series Sniper Rifle x 1
• Nadir E-Series Handcannon x 1
• Forcebreaker Grenades x 1
• Thermal Detonators x 1
• Cin'tracinya - the Silver Flame (Beskar'gam) x 1 (damaged)
• Nadir E-Series Armour Underlay x 1
• Stealth Field Generatorhttp://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Stealth_field_generator x 1[SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE]
• SG-1001 "Vishnu" Military Shield x 1

Spoiler: Accompanying Unit(s)

The Strix

The sensation was like suddenly feeling the dark clouds of a storm blot out the sun. Shia turned without noticing towards Pau City, a frown creasing her features.

No. The sensation was more like the first signs of a hurricane on the horizon, or the first tremor that announces and earthquake - a natural process, but one that should strike terror into the right thinking individual. Yet, to Shia, it was not terrifying - it was awful and it was dark. But it held no fear for her.

"Something is happening in Pau City."

She said quietly, turning to glance back at the Jedi for a moment. The sensation grew stronger, not yet formed, but growing larger by the second like the wings of an onrushing storm - or a Night Owl hunting it's prey. She'd had so little time since she returned from beyond the Warlock Gate to understand what it meant for her. She knew the deal she had made, she knew she was unlike Yasha, or Kaden - she had not given up what connected her to the Force. She had... accepted something greater, something inhuman, yet something that cared for humans even in that terrible place. Something that wanted to see the Living World. Surely the Jedi could feel what was about to happen? She was no Force User... was she?

The sensation was so overpowering now, while she was not terrified by the thought of the on-coming deaths, she was appalled at the thought of such loss. No. Not the loss. The wasted chances. The lives condemned to Chaos because they had been cut short early. Souls - good souls - merged with the Force to be reborn without ever a chance to live. Death was natural, not to be feared, but she could and would judge both slain and slayer alike. What she was about to say was treason, she didn't care. It was right, and that mattered most.

"Something terrible is about to happen in Pau City!" She said, voice louder and more empathic, as light and dark battled around her and the cries of the wounded mixed with the remaining sounds of battle from further near the entrance. "Warn your people, now!"

What is the difference between one life and a million? Nothing to the Mando'ade, people are not objects. All of them are both infinitely valuable, and ultimately disposable. But the manner in which that life might live or die... that matters a great deal. Not like this. And if Ra and his allies wanted something else... then they shouldn't have forced her through the Warlock Gate, should they? No one goes to the Netherworld and returns unchanged.

Her head snapped back to the oncoming storm. Now she was scared. For herself. The death was not terrifying, but the hurricane was more like the shockwave from an atomic blast and she had nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide.

[member="Orn Pharr"] | [member="Mishel Noren"] | [member="Ember Farseer"] | [member="Ijaat Mereel"]​

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[SIZE=10.5pt]UTAPAU AIRSPACE[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]S.S. Wretched Hive[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The Force flooded back into Jorus, and life with it. The grayout faded. Noomay crouched over him in the cargo bay; the Bereth-Aku medic's claws moved across his injuries, and the Force infused them in concert with bacta. The hatch closed, stopping the wind and closing off the sight of war-torn Pau City. Jorus caught a glimpse of a triangular shadow and falling debris. That could wait. His fingers dug into Noomay's shell.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"Mara?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"The boy rescued her." Noomay pressed synthflesh into Jorus' shoulder. "Hurt but stable. On her way to safe." The tortoise closed his eyes, and life rushed into Jorus - a unique skill, even among healers. Jorus had often wished he had the talent to donate his energy, or lift rocks, or trick minds, or leap tall buildings in a single bound, or any of the other Jedi skills. He didn't. What he had was gratitude.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"What's the..." Jorus gagged on his own tongue and coughed furiously. Noomay helped him sit back up against the bulkhead. "What's the situation?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"The dreadnought is hurt, engines smoking. The crystal caves held. The airwaves say we killed a Mando warlord or two. It looks like victory.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Dreadnought on repulsors only. Mandos losing. Where’s the-” He pressed his palm to his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get things straight. The Force had a direction for him, subtle but insistent, now that he was out of the ysalamir field. What that direction might be, he couldn’t say, but he couldn’t ignore it any more than he’d ignored Mara’s situation. “Help me up. Get me to a viewport facing the city.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Shenna’vala, his tiger-striped engineer, gave Noomay a hand; she was a good bit taller than the Bereth-Aku, and had a lot more muscle. Soon enough, Jorus was leaning on a grimy window. Noomay and Shenna held him up regardless.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The smoking dreadnought was maneuvering, fine-tuning its position in familiar ways. Tiny figures tumbled away, down into the sinkhole of Pau City. “Gorram you, Vilaz,” he ground out. “We were friends. All right. All right.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Not once in this whole affair had he called on the Force, and with Noomay’s strength flowing through him, he had a clear picture of what needed to happen. He dug deep, deeper than he ever had; it wasn’t often he stretched himself to the limits that the Duinuogwuin had taught him. But Mara was in that city, to say nothing of Utapau’s natives. That right there was the double key that had always informed his most serious moments of overdrive.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Direct and lethal threat to his family. And pointless spite. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]He’d run into that with Circe Savan and Moridin and a couple others, only a handful of times in the last two decades. Anger had been a factor, and he’d looked back on those times with guilt. But since then he’d spent seven years as Master of First Knowledge, he’d found balance in his life at home, made peace with himself, fixed as many mistakes as he could - he’d grown, though it sure didn’t feel that way most days. And though he couldn’t physically redirect that ship like [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] might have, couldn’t touch or feel the Force like any other Jedi, he could do exactly one relevant thing. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]It might kill him. But from the first day he’d held his little girl, he’d known he’d die for her.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Escape pod. Right now.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]It took three of them - Shenna, Noomay, and the old Krevaaki Dingo Darr - to get him to the pod. They shared a few words, impassioned, brief. Time didn’t allow for discussion. Darr cracked the guidance system and spliced in a manual control from a speeder; it would have to do. Shenna strapped him into a crash couch. Noomay mostly just glowered. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Ship’s yours, Dingo. Be good to her.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Hands shaking, Jorus keyed the pod’s release. Kickout charges thumped him back against the couch and tossed the little capsule out over Pau City. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Mara, if you can hear me, you’re everything to me, kid. You’re just everything.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Thrusters and repulsors drove him up through the falling bodies and the random debris, up toward the underside of the dreadnought. He closed his eyes and flew by instinct, the only pure thing he’d ever really known how to do. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Hyperspace tore open, a jagged blue rift, brighter than the sun, right through his eyelids. Impact slammed him against the straps-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]***[/SIZE]​

THE MANDALORIAN DREADNOUGHT​

AND ONE LITTLE ESCAPE POD​

VANISHED INTO HYPERSPACE​

THEY LEFT A CLEAR SKY IN THEIR WAKE ​

 

[Shia Kryze]

Location: Crystal Caves - Main Mine
Objective: Crystal Caves
Crystal Cave Foes: [member="Kaia Starchaser"] [member="Joza Perl"]
Crystal Cave Allies: [member="Aryn Spar"] [member="Liset Vereen"] [member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Kervo Namadi"]
Engaging: No one.

Spoiler: Equipment

• DT-29 heavy plaster pistols x 2
• Nadir E-Series Sniper Rifle x 1
• Nadir E-Series Handcannon x 1
• Forcebreaker Grenades x 1
• Thermal Detonators x 1
• Cin'tracinya - the Silver Flame (Beskar'gam) x 1 (damaged)
• Nadir E-Series Armour Underlay x 1
• Stealth Field Generatorhttp://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Stealth_field_generator x 1[SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE]
• SG-1001 "Vishnu" Military Shield x 1

Spoiler: Accompanying Unit(s)

The Strix

Then as soon as she'd spoken, nothing.

No. One thing. She thought, one tiny, tiny thing - she probably shouldn't be able to feel it, but in that sudden absence of noise the metaphorical sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

"You stupid, brave, noble frikker." She said to the air and to... whomever it had been. Then she sung, in a voice that anyone who knew her - or had seen her fight - would have been startled to know she possessed, crisp, high and clear. The aria of a funeral dirge.

"Motir ca'tra nau tracinya. Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. Cuun hett su*..."

Vengance for who? She didn't know anymore. Time would sort that out.

*Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame. Our vengeance burns brighter still. Burns brighter still...
(link)

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

Mykyr - Valyr

Gilamar didn't have the Force. Sometimes he felt like the Psychometry was trying to tell him something about whatever item he happened to be holding in his hands, but even that illuded the Kiffar Mandalorian Chief. But there was a sense that all sentients had, one that wasn't related to the Force, but tied to a specific, primordial instinct that made them feel something they didn't know they could feel when their creed were in danger.

It was one of these times that Gil was having as a Cycle Owl hooted outside of his cell. It cocked his head as that feeling inched its way from his tailbone up into his chest and he suddenly found himself thinking about a man he had met only a few times, but had been integral to saving his life. A name found its way onto his dry, cracked lips.

"Merrill?"

 

[Quoron Cadera]

Allies: Mandoloraian Empire
Enemies: Everyone else
Location: flying away
time: Directly after Vilaz orders the ship into the city
Objectives: Don't die
resources: one gunship

Once Vilaz ordered the ship into the city Quoron realized it was the time to go. "Lower the shield on the bridge and bring a gunship outside the bridge. EVERYONE STAND BACK!" With that he drew his sword, ignited his jet pack, and flew toward the porthole on the bridge shattering the glass. The gunship arrived at that moment opening its hatch and the Mandolorians began their escape. Once the gunship was filled Quoron barked to the pilot. "Take us into the city. The day is still young and there are still battles to be fought!" With that the gunship dove into Pau city and unloaded its weapons on everything it could target.

 

[Damian Starchaser]

[member="Preliat Mantis"]​

​

As the man stumbled face first into the cave wall Damian switched his grip on the umbrella wielding it by the tip and threatening with the crook. Taking a few deep breaths he considered for a moment the next move. That of course is when the Mandalorian came at him with a mighty kick designed to hit him in the chest. Normally Damian would have tried to grab the foot lifting it off the ground in order to stab at a joint with umbrella or lightsaber. It was still not a bad choice, however because he knew about the mechanical leg and was unsure about other capabilities or possible strength he decided to use the umbrella.

Damian side stepped into the blow attempting to avoid the majority of the kick while reaching out with the umbrella and trying to hook the head, neck, or joint along the shoulder of the man. With the crook grabbing for the man he pulled hard trying to use his own momentum against him to pull him and keep him off balanced as he was on one foot.

Still the blow partially connected as he moved forward trying to make the man end up behind him. There was pain, a large hurt as he moved around the blow and reignited his lightsaber prepared to dual wield lightsaber and umbrella.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

Location: Pau City Landing pads​

Objective: Yeah... that city may need some help​

Friend-a-mies: [member="Brennan Cabrol"] | [member="Ara Zambrano"]​

Allies: [member="Leo Vandermolen"] | [member="Raveem Va'ah"] | [member="Jackson Singh"] and [member="Tryp West"]​

Enemies: [member="Tal Vizsla"] | [member="Malika Mantis"] | [member="Yasha Mantis"]​

Music!​

​

"The sky will tell me... I'm not the only one
And the sky will tell me... I must believe the sun
I shut my eyes, to not go blind
Things I can't see, I see in my mind"​

Bryce did not need his eyes to see what was happening above him. He felt the evil intentions of the mando commander, one he knew from the liberation of demonsgate now with a heart harder than the beskar they so loved. He felt the truth return to a soul, how a father love of a child inspired him to action. He did not need to see the red life pod launch, the bright flash, it all played out in his mind like a day dream. Of a canvas of dead death a noble act Bryce knew any close to him in the underground would do gladly. As the ship blinked into hyperspace he let a single tear escape his eye in honor of one who had been like a father to him as well.

"Safe travels Jorus, may the sky be open with the blessings of the force."

As the words pass his lips he added that pain to all the rest he had been storing. Like lightening from a storm it would now be crackling invisibly around him. He was one with the force, and the force was filled with pain. Children weeping at the loss of parents, mothers and wives as their husbands and sons taken from them too soon. Using the force to broadcast his voice over the battle he called out to all that will listen as the group of a dozen or so roguish riders entered int town.

"You see a Mandalorian you kill them, they offer no quarter so none will be given!"

Bryce by nature as not a violent man, odd, excentric, crazy, yes but not violent. However as much good lies in a man the force demands that his ability for evil will be in equal measure. Today he "evil" would be on full display. As he rode in he took up his QQ-4RD-1K Thunderclap Electroray Carbine and began to rain electric pain on both war droid and mando alike. Still far from the first Bral he moved onto the city, taking down the rear guard of the city attackers, driving pad by pad to the middle levels.

 

[Mishel Kryze]

[member="Kaia Starchaser"] | [member="Joza Perl"] | [member="Shia Kryze"]​

Show me the light...

All any of the Jedi present would see, and feel once connected to Mishel; a lonely little girl no more than six or seven huddled in a corner. She wore ragged robes that she wore when she was placed in the bacta tank. The girl could be heard crying, sniffling. Her arms over her knees, she's scared and as the source of light grows stronger. A female Eldorai seems to approach, whether this was real or simply a machination of Mishel's one would be hard pressed to confess. The young girl with tear stained eyes looked up and saw them, those who without thought dove to help her protect the spark.

The girl looked behind her to reveal a small flame, a bright flame.

For within the storm, the storm of dark and light - was this little girl. A little girl who had been manipulated into believing that Sieger Ren was her father, but that was not the truth. The truth was beyond Seiger's comprehension, he knew that she was a forceborn. This much yes, was true, but Mishel had been more than just that. She had been Riona Kerrigan-Alcori, a girl who had been meant for so much more than just another tool of the First Order. A girl who was meant to run with the stars and play in the light. Yes, she bore the blood of Siobhan Kerrigan, yes she also bore the blood of Valessia Brentioch, but like any child - she was meant to carve out own path.

And as the darkness tried to smother the light...

"Are you help to me?" She asked, and her voice echoed in the dark and as she took a step forward she was afraid, "I scary of the dark."

The Eldorai woman knelt down to the girl, "it's quite alright, I'll be here to protect you. You are so brave my little angel, my sweet Riona." She gestured toward Ember, "go to him, he will help you."

The girl seemed more petrified than ever and yet the Eldorai woman with red hair stepped into the light and knelt down behind Riona. Riona looked over at her and put her small arms around the Eldorai. "When you believe, you will."

Riona canted her head a moment and looked at [member="Orn Pharr"], [member="Ijaat Mereel"] and [member="Ember Farseer"] and then returned her attention to the Eldorai woman and gave her a hug. Wordlessly, the young girl took a deep breath and ran, she ran as the Eldorai woman disappeared into the light and Riona turned into Mishel. Mishel lept across what seemed to be an endless rift in the darkness. Her feet landed, skidded to a halt against the sand as she felt something tell her to not look back. You must unlearn what you have learned. Train yourself to let go of everything you're afraid to lose.

She could see the three men just barely, but the more she ran the more she felt a thicket of fear emerge and grab her. She jerked herself free, cut her way through, tripped over the rocks of her doubt. Mishel had the choice now, she had the spark, she had light and it was up to her to decide just how brightly she was going to let this shine. What was she so afraid of? Repercussions from the Ren but as she continued to run, Mishel could see the light growing brighter and brighter and it was no longer this little flame that her child-self Riona had been protecting.

Mishel saw the flame up ahead and turned her body so she could jump across another rift. Her hand outstretched she caught the light with her hand and it burned. She let it burn, she let it consume her and in the process, she let go of her fear of repercussion, after all - Mishel had felt Seiger's might personally. She let go of her fear of rejection, Siobhan would never accept her this much she knew. She let go of her brothers and sisters in Ren, who had best hid their Sithly desires under the thinly veiled guise of their Father's will. And finally, Mishel let go of Riona.

Riona had been through enough and deserved the dignity of death and a peaceful rest.

The first Jedi she could see was that of Ijaat Mereel, a great warrior, but it is not the war that makes one great.

She took light from him and added it to her own, as she continued to run. Mishel stopped to gather her breath, and her strength only to find the walls of deceit closing in on her. She took the power, the light from Ijaat and used it to break out and found that her path continued on and so she kept running. Mishel ran and ran until she came upon Ember Farseer, and took his light just as well, to be a Jedi is to face the truth and choose.

A river of lies sweeps through, knocking her off of her feet. Mishel struggles within the water's grasp trying to break free of the current, her body panics as much as her mind tries to relax. The darkness is closing in again and she looks down at her hand and used the light taken from Ember to break through to the surface. The teenager gasped for air and works against the current, her body tires and before she has another thought she sees a branch, and it looks strong.

Mishel hatches an idea to let the current take her and to grab the branch.

When she does, she realizes that the branch is that of Orn Pharr. And she sees his light, it is a strong light and as she ambles up onto his shoulder she takes his light, when does, she's brought back to the reality of the Utapau Caves.

The teenager who had laid bloodied on the beam platform, down within the caves who had drawn from the three force users around her. Who had a tight grip on Ember's shirt gasped for breath again, as her other hand went to his shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt a merging of herself that whatever had gone on within the Force had been settled. Mishel knew not of Orn or Ijaat, nor could she recall them to mind or recognize their auras. Everything swarmed in her head and when she opened her eyes she only knew of and recognized Ember. "Ember?" Always two there must be, a master and an apprentice, so that the master may pass on what he has learned to the apprentice.

Completely unaware of the ongoings in the cave around her.

Gone was the sulphuric gaze, replaced now by the pure hazel-green orbs. As she only recalls the fight that had just taken place, "son of a bith," Mishel cursed as she held her side, "next time you see a mando charging at me, shoot me, might save me the blood." She looked down at her side and then looked at the other two there, and closed her eyes a hand moved from Ember as she put it over her eyes. The teenager seethed, "this is what I get for taking Auntie Jo's sweet rolls, isn't it."

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Malika seemed to sag slightly as [member="Tal Vizsla"] stepped between her and Davin, her head whipped round at the explosion fear gripping her heart. Silas was on that ship, so was Vilaz. She had not love for the latter, but he was her equal, one of the Cuir Rekr….and where was Yasha.

Again she tried to speak, pain rippled once more and she reached out to seize his shoulder as the roar of a bes’uliik came in close behind her. “Kat...lay...dr.” The word came out in a harsh broken rasp that buckled her with agony, but something seized her before she could hit the ground and she looked up hoping beyond hope that Tal would understand. Find her, protect her, get her out.

The bes’uliiks claw closed tightly about her waist.

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Tryp West]

Location: Pau City
Allies: [member="Jackson Singh"] [member="Bryce Bantam"] Trash Pandas
Enemies: Bucket Heads with no place here

Shielding her eyes with her hand, Tryp gazed up at the ship over the city. It was coming down, she realized. There was no way around it. Her chest tightened, lips thinning. There was no way to evacuate the people in the crash zone in time, but maybe if she could get her varactyl moving *fast* enough she could get there in time to pull a few people up-

Her hands curled on the reins, glancing back at Jack for a heartbeat.

And in that moment, everything changed.

There was a roaring in the wind, filling in the space that the ship had occupied a moment ago. Tryp wasn't a Force Sensitive, but she didn't need to be to feel the change in the wind, the change in the pressure of the air even as she turned back to look up. Smoke remained, for the briefest instant an outline before the high winds smeared it across the sky.

She didn't know who, or how, not really. If it had been one of the Mandalorians with regret in their hearts, or one of their own.

Their?

When had it become that, so easy?

She didn't know.

Tryp caught Bryce's instruction and her hand tightened on the reins. She understood, she did. But Tryp was not a killer. Sure, if that was the choice- kill or die- she would in a heartbeat. But if a person offered surrender, laid down their arms? Well.

She would kill today, there was no doubt of that, because there were people who would not.

But nothing the Marshall said would change the fact that Tryp would give quarter to the wounded, to those who laid down. The likelyhood of that was slim, she wasn't naive. But the words of any single person would never change that for Tryp.

That was an order she would never follow.

The Varactyls flowed into the city, their high pitched calls echoing oddly counterpointed with the sound of blaster fire. Tryp and Jack rode together for as long as they could, watching each other's backs, protecting each other. The tides eventually separated them, but he could feel that same thing from her when she had taken control of the ship as it went down.

This wasn't where she ended. It wasn't where they ended.

It was only the beginning.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Location: Utapau's atmosphere
Objective: Patrolling Utapau's skies Engage the bucketheads' air assets and fight her mental demons
Allies: ORC [member="Jax Rhane"] [member="Rayf Vigil"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] (directly)
Enemies: Mandalorians [member="Quoron Viszla"]
Theme: On to Victory (Starfleet Academy)

"Now that the enemy flagship has been drawn away, I'll take care of the lead gunship; all craft, dive into the sinkhole!"

"For what I know the enemy may as well be leading us into a trap!" Griet retorted, while being reminded that there was a terrain sensor on the craft for a reason.

"FIREPOWER KILL!" Janick screamed, as if firepower kill became a battle cry.

The city now stripped of any anti-aircraft defenses, the comfort the sudden retreat of the Rekr provided was limited at best; a cloud of smoke, perhaps a little less thick than it used to be, still hung over the sinkhole, and filtered down to the upper levels. Also, the surviving enemy craft were now diving inside the sinkhole, some of which were escorting gunships and the like. But Griet was right: Janick shouldn't rule out that the enemy may have taken advantage of the cloud cover to lead the rest of her squadron into a trap whereby they would collide with the sinkhole wall. Whatever we can do to the enemy, the enemy can do it to us, too. But this is different from Dagobah: whereas on Dagobah I was nose-diving in an attempt to bomb a SSD, here I'm nose-diving to kill off the enemy stragglers, she thought, while another vision of dive-bombing was flashing in her mind, prompting her to lock on to the target, using ordnance, and here she was no longer simply fighting off the stragglers: she feels the adrenaline rushing in her bloodstream, in very similar concentrations as was the case when the dive-bomb on the Pellaeon occurred, with the targets being the only difference in her mind. And thus she proceeds to perform essentially the same maneuver, except with an ion torpedo rather than a heavy bomb.

"This is Alchemist Actual. Now that the enemy flagship has been drawn away, we can come in to assist down in the sinkhole" she informed [member="Rayf Vigil"] and [member="Jax Rhane"] of her status.

"Plinko, Fox Three... ugh, I'm hit!" Plinko uttered on comms, and being shot down a few seconds after firing an ion torpedo at an enemy fighter.

As the seven craft dove into the sinkhole, in an attempt to support the GA fighter pilots holed down there, while remaining mindful of not colliding with any friendlies, Janick's wingmen fired ion torpedoes at rather short ranges, less than half a kilometer, at six different fighters; Janick bore down on the enemy gunship, which was firing at whatever ORC assets were at the edge of the city, firing at a sluggish target (at least relative to her) from the topside, and following through with firing a three-second burst of the guns at the gunship's neck section before pulling up and leveling off. Every second I spend in this cockpit is a second where I risk my life at every turn, may as well make it count! This sortie has been a nightmare, which can only be partially mitigated by whatever kills I managed to score, whatever I might achieve here, whatever my surviving wingmen may achieve here, whatever my fallen wingmen may have bought us, she thought, while her mind once again blacked out and her hand shook in the yoke. Consequently, she no longer looks as if she was simply leveling off; her hands' hold on the controls forced her to enter a very erratic flight path, very close to a three-dimensional random walk, as close to one as can be given that her collision avoidance system was still active and her turn radius.

Spoiler: Fighters

6 Alakaha-class elite fighters

 

[Quoron Cadera]

Allies: Mandolorian Empire
Enemies: not mandolorians
Objectives: Run away
Resources: Mandoloraian gunship
Location: On the planet running away

As Quoron saw the invasion taking a turn for the worse he did not want to risk the lives of the other Mandolorians. "Pilot. Pull us out of here we have lost too many good Mandolorians today for us to risk others." He lost many friends that day today to consider it a victory but he was proud of his combat and he thought his honor and the honor of those who fell would be guarded.

 

[Rayf Vigil]

Allies: Team Trash Panda - [member="Jax Rhane"] | [member="Janick Beauchamp"] | [member="Aryn Teth"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"]
Enemies: Team Buckethead - [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Gib"] (Kal Ordo) | [member="Quoron Viszla"]

​

Cockpit // T-110 'Dauntless' X-Wing

"Blue Leader!" so far Rayf had reunited with several of his lost flight, but he did not need to glance at the sensor ping to see what his Aqualish wingman was so excited about, "Look!"

"I see them," he answered coolly as he yanked his X-Wing into a half roll, avoiding a barrage of laser fire from the war droid on his tail. A few seconds later, once the bandit had been dispatched by the surviving Sprite-class with him, he switched the view on his virtual HUD to enhance the specified region of Utapauan skyline, "Comms are a mess, but looks like Rhane and the locals are going after that dreadnought!"

"Your orders, Lead?"

"There's still plenty of basilisks to slay," Vigil reasoned. Rogue Six and their allied Coalition flyers had done an excellent job of thinning out their ranks, but the sky was still filled with roving war droids, "Form into a screen. Its our turn to run interference."

They had only gotten a few kills under their belt, when something caught Rayf's eye. Passing through the city outskirts, his X-Wing's computer identified wreckage which seemed to line up with the Ordo-class frigate which had been their initial target. He had no way of knowing if it had been their attack run or another which had dealt the vessel its killing blow, but he spared a thought for its commander, who had at least had enough honor to try and bring the ship down somewhere less destructive, rather than aiming for some kind of population center in a kamikaze run.

A chorus of joyful whoops and hollers brought him back to himself, and Blue Leader caught only the tail end of an explosion that crippled the dreadnought's sublight engines. Cries of victory ended in strangled horror when the massive Mandalorian flagship set a collision course for the center of Pau City. On reflex, the Corellian had already kicked his X-Wing into maximum atmospheric thrust.

"On me!" normally not prone to emotional outburst no matter how tense the situation, Rayf practically shouted across Alliance battlecomms, "All fighters, make for that dreadnought!"

Horror crept up on him as full awareness of the dire circumstances slowly dawned on the pilot. He would not make it within weapon's range in time, and even if he did it would take a half dozen wings of combined firepower to breach a dreadnought's hull sufficiently to detonate its reactor core, a blast which would vaporize most of the city anyway. As it was, there was a good chance his fighter wouldn't survive the shockwaves of its impact, certainly not this close, so he was probably dead either way by now. He kept going.

And then it vanished.

A simple sequence of events, and yet it took a pilot born with lightning reflexes several full seconds to comprehend what he had just witnessed. He pulled up out of his hard burn just to be on the safe side. After confirming it wasn't a glitch in his visual HUD, Vigil's next suspicion was that the Mandalorians had somehow perfected some new kind of active camouflage. But then the time to impact came...and went, and Pau City was still there. Soon after, Basilisk riders across the sky began to turn away as one, as if they had received new orders.

"We did it..." he breathed, laughing softly to himself in amazement. He had been almost certain he was going to die here, "We did it!"

"What now?" another pilot's voice in his ear reminded him their job wasn't quite done.

"Time to clean up," Rayf replied, banking lazily over the upper tier of the city before changing course towards the retreating war droids, "Let's make sure these Mandos step lively. Try and get in contact with the local starfighter corps, see if we can locate hostile landing sites for some precision attack runs."

"Yes, sir!"

"Blue Leader to Rogue Six," switching over to an open channel, he attempted to reestablish contact with [member="Jax Rhane"] and the other half of his team now that the skies were a bit more clear and less filled with interference, "Jax, you read me kid? Status report. As soon as this air space is back under Coalition control, we gotta bug out. The Alliance border isn't far from here, there could be other attacks in the area."

 

[Yasha Cadera]

Location: Pau City Mid Levels
Allies: Mando’ade Team Beskad [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Malika Mantis"] | [member="Calina Ovmar"] | [member="Beskadala Ordo"] | [member="Koda Fett"] | [member="Quoron"] Vizsla | @Kal Ordo | [member="Tal Vizsla"] | [member="Shia Kryze"] | [member="Tal Vizsla"] | AALLL the MANDOS
Enemies: ORC [member="Dax Fyre"] | [member="Davin Skirata"]

The Path Home Wasted in Flame.​

Aryn was dead. A woman breathed on the other end, and in her ear, Yasha heard her Uncle [member="Silas Mantis"]’ voice filled with strain. They had the crystals, but needed a way out… Every commander came upon such moments in a battle.

Aryn Spar was the one who had the extraction plan. [member="Malika Mantis"] was the one who knew how to remove the troops from Pau City.. well… the path…

“[member="Shia Kryze"]. Our priority is the Kyber Crystal… and the safety of our people. You are in command of them, now. Fall back. Take the Crystals, and fall back.”

[member="Shia Kryze"]’s comm struck Yasha upside her buy’ce, nearly undoing the calm [member="Tal Vizsla"] poured in her slim body. The Rekr descended, [member="Jorus Merrill"] did… something…

“Fall back.” Yasha’s command flooded every Comm, every buy’ce and position of the Mandalorians.

“Fall back to the Bral!”​

She fired behind her, her Uncle’s pained voice straining across her mind and Yasha knew that victory was every commander’s dream, but the survival of her troops was more important still.

Victory at the cost of a legion’s corpses was no victory at all. ​

She helped pick up a wounded Mando’ade, slung him on her shoulder and thanked the gods that she was Epicanthix and had more muscle tone to carry him, until someone else came to relieve him from her shoulders.

“[member="Darth Carnifex"], fall back. Regroup in position Beta! Pull your people to the Bral!"

"Vizsla! Get the wounded to the Orars! Fill them with as many troops as you can and rendez-vous with [member="Kaden Mantis"] and the A’den, Shereshoy and Aay’han! Create a defensive position around the Brals! Make for the Upper Level! Use the bes’uliik and remaining fighters to entrench until evac! Heavy weapons up front!”

Yasha continued to fire and cover her troops’ retreat, taking a stray blaster bolt to her chestplate, which sent her reeling to the ground. She coughed and staggered under cover, hearing the chatter that [member="Preliat Mantis"] went rogue, odd… that he was overcome.

“Keck… why don’t I have a Dad who can keep it together!? Preliat for Mand’alor… riiiight. I thought we were done being crazy!!” Yasha yelled, as she lunged over a barricade of slag and punched out an ORC trooper, throwing him out of the barricade and taking cover behind it.

“Ramanar! [member="Preliat Mantis"], take your Crystals and fall back! We got what we came for, Daddy, now move! Snap out of it, Daddy I need you! Your troops need you! Aawwwww kark it…”

Ramanar was out of his mind. Warmaster was dead. Shukalar was nowhere to be found, and Akaan was… where?

Katlaydr was the only Cuir Rekr left.​

​

Once again alone in the breach. ​

She reached the Bral, where Mando’ade were shoving their wounded and as many supplies as they could on the two remaining cloaked stealth ships.

“No! Not the supplies, the people! … wait, is that a… no, take that and the people! That one and the people!! Go! Go! Go!” Yasha pointed at a particularly valuable crate, and shoved a Mando’ad with a bleeding shoulder wound into the Orar.

“Katlaydr! There’s room for you, come on!”

Yasha looked out at the maw of Pau City, at the Mando’ade waiting to go… and shook her head. “Go. GO!”

The co-pilot saluted and rushed back to the cockpit.

“Uncle Silas!" Yasha saw him, wounded and staggering, and ran.

“Cover her!” A Vizsla yelped, rushing to lay down defensive fire as Yasha dove for her Uncle and pulled him toward their defensive position.

“Lean on me, Uncle Silas… you look like you got your shebs beat by a rancor… Daddy’s lost it, Aryn’s dead and Auntie Malika’s missing… but hey! We got the crystals… Shia has the crystals… hold on, Uncle… I’m going to get you home. [member="Kaden Mantis"] and [member="Beskadala Ordo"] are coming… I held them in reserve and now they’re coming to get us. We just have to hold out… Kaine! Kaine!! Kaine, I need you!” Little Yasha Mantis…

… was going to save them all.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Crystal Caves
Allies: [member="Ijaat Mereel"]
Others: [member="Ember Farseer"] | [member="Mishel Noren"] | [member="Joza Perl"] | [member="Shia Kryze"]

Orn waited a moment when the Mandalorian began warning them. He knew, the Force had shown him a tale not of death and certain destruction but of Sacrifice. An instant later the Force delivered in the form of Jorus Merrill, who tore open Hyperspace to save Pau City. It was a gut wrenching feeling for the Neti, but in the final seconds he wished he could have lent his strength to the man, done something to aid him but there were others that needed him more, or so the Force had decided.

Mishel awoke after struggling through the deepest recesses of her mind. She was not pure, but she was not ruled by her corruption any longer. She would need help in the coming days and months, help from one she trusted. "Stay with her young one." He instructed the younger Jedi, moving to stand between the Mandalorians and the wounded miners and members of the coalition.

"You're way home is barred." His voice rumbled deeply, sorrow and a rigid sternness in his eyes. "I will not allow you and your kind to sacrifice the lives of these innocent or your own for these simple crystals. I present to you a choice: walk away with your lives back to Mandalore empty-handed or come with me of your own free will. I will show you what your lives mean to your leaders and together we will save each other form the Darkness." Hope rested deeply in his heart, hope that with help Ijaat and he could unbind the Mandalorians from such reckless hate, that together they could learn a path that did not require them to die young or throw away their only real gift so eagerly.

The Neti's staff still lay on the floor of the cave, his robes bound together by a simple bark colored belt and no lightsaber hung from his waist. The Neti was armed only with the Force as he made this announcement.

 

[Nok-Krah-Nin]

​​Location:​ Pau City Shopping District
​Allies​ [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]
Enemies(?):​ [member="Calina Ovmar"]

Nok was focused on Calina, and was expecting a direct response from her. So when rubble from the direction of the fight up the street came flying into him, the Tiss'shar was decidedly unprepared for the hit. Thankfully Cotan had lessened the amount of rubble that hit him, but a softball size chunk of duracrete still connected solidly with his head, causing Nok to drop to the ground with a pained screech. Blinking the stars from his vision and sending a silent prayer of thanks to the armorer who resized his helmet to properly fit him, Nok looked up into the sky in concern as a sizeable ​BOOM​ rang out. He noted with a frown that the Mandalorai cruiser that had been sitting overhead seemed to have lost most of its sublight drives. That frown became a look of horror mixed with a panicked hiss as the massive vessel pointed it nose a the city and began to dive.

​"Ermm, as much as I'd like to stay here and kick the snot outta the Sith, it might be a good time to ru-​FETHING HELL!!"

​A thunderous roar filled the sky as air rushed into the empty space created by the dreadnought suddenly jumping into hyperspace, leaving the Tiss'shar to gawk at the sky in amazement.

".....nevermind..."

 

[Nok-Krah-Nin]

​​Double Post, my apologies.

Please delete

 

[Shia Kryze]

Location: Crystal Caves - Main Mine
Objective: Crystal Caves
Crystal Cave Foes: [member="Kaia Starchaser"] [member="Joza Perl"]
Crystal Cave Allies: [member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Kervo Namadi"]
Engaging: No one.

Spoiler: Equipment

• DT-29 heavy plaster pistols x 2
• Nadir E-Series Sniper Rifle x 1
• Nadir E-Series Handcannon x 1
• Forcebreaker Grenades x 1
• Thermal Detonators x 1
• Cin'tracinya - the Silver Flame (Beskar'gam) x 1 (damaged)
• Nadir E-Series Armour Underlay x 1
• Stealth Field Generatorhttp://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Stealth_field_generator x 1[SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE]
• SG-1001 "Vishnu" Military Shield x 1

Spoiler: Accompanying Unit(s)

The Strix

Shia listened to the voice coming over her comm, then sighed and nodded to the air. One last try then, one last attempt to cross the insane cultural divide. Why did they value peace and possessions so much more than survival?

"Acknowledged Katlaydr'alor."

Shia said, reaching down like some sort of Mandalorian valkyrie to settle the buy'ce upon her head with a click. She turned towards the Jedi behind her, all of them, the former Ren included. But her gaze was on the Neti

"I have been instructed to retrieve the crystals and leave, it seems the day is... no ones. I do not wish any further bloodshed, my family are going to take the crystals and leave without any further conflict. They're not worth it."

As she spoke, she snapped the hunters hand sign for 'target the Jedi, all firepower' to the Strix watching through scopes. The unit obeyed without question, setting aside their treatment of the wounded.

"This is Kryze'alor to all Pau Mine alor, minimise conflict and pull your people out with any crystals obtained." Her words were audible to everyone over her external speakers. "I will leave, with the crystals, or everyone here will suffer further - you care about suffering, peace and healing - and there is some nobility in that, I admit. But I am Mando'ade. I care only about family, survival and honour. My family stand here with me, rifles aimed at you, survival compels me to take those crystals for a dying world, honour demands I obey Katlaydr'alor in as controlled and bloodless as fashion as possible, all these bind me as much as your Code does. They are not alien to one another - no - but you cannot show my leaders the value of life - mine or otherwise, for the actions of the Liberator and her fellows have given the Sith a hold over my people that cannot be easily undone. They have driven us as mad with grief and rage as your Jedi friend there." She nods to Mishel. "So if you do care - let me go and try to undo it, and I can only do that if I come back in glory, not as a prisoner exchange or empty handed."

She smiled, it was the smile of someone who'd literally seen hell - and now she was the focus of unfiltered attention, it was obvious that no matter what Shia might believe about her 'connection to the Force' she was bonded with some aspect of the Force as death - not ugly, not violent, not peaceful, not glorious - all of these things, death as transition, death as change, death as a neutral force in the universe. There is no death, after all, there is only the Force. She didn't want to continue the fight, but she would if she had to - even if she died in the process.

"That's my raise and my hand. Call."

[member="Orn Pharr"] | [member="Mishel Noren"] | @Ember Farseer | @Ijaat Mereel ​