Faction Caldera Crisis: The Beast of Shukut[TBF +]

[Aloy Vizsla]

---

Stealing Imperial ships was something of a specialty for The Black Fleet, but they had never attempted anything on this scale before, for within the Mandalore Sector there were a great many shipyards built among the thirty moons of Shukut, A number of which remained active even after The Sith Empire crumbled around them.

This one in particular belong to an Imperial warlord who maintained control even despite the arrival of New Imperial Order separatists. They too had crumbled to ruin around him, yet he remained. The Pride of this remnant fleet was an Prototype Star Destroyer which Aloy had nicknamed "The Beast of Shukut" inspired by the best of Sith and Mandalorian design. Though it had only ever been fielded against New Imperial Order patrols and Mandalorian pirates, it had earned it's reputation as a "Capital killer", such that even the aggressive Black Fleet, infamous among even it's own ranks for taking on foes of far greater strength than it's own, had been avoiding direct confrontation with the Beast of Shukut for years.

Yet, now it was their target.

But not to slay like some beast from a fairy tale. In wake of the Caldera Crisis, The Black Fleet had allied with Jedi of the Galactic Alliance for the first time since it's inception during the Akaan'werda - The Shadow Crusade. An undead horde of Sith making the likes of which had never been before were barreling down on Mandalore and a thousand worlds beyond from the Hydian way hyperspace lanes, and the Mandalorians planned to stop it at Concord Dawn. But to do this, they needed more ships. They needed greater ships. They needed the Beast of Shukut.

The plan was thus:
​

1. Using an advanced stealth ship, Enter the shipyard undetected.​
2. Using precision boarding pods, take the bridge before they could react.​
3. Call reinforcements to clear a path.​
4. Seal the bridge to prevent imperial crew from interfering.​
5. Steal the controls and sail away to make the jump to a safe location.​
6. Allow The Black Fleet reinforcements to board the lower levels and slaughter the remaining crew.​

It was as gutsy as it was Mandalorian. A standard Black Fleet Operation.

---

Aloy Vizsla stood in the hangar bay of The Recluse, the modified Raider-II-class Corvette turned Stealth Ship that her family had stolen from Apollyon The Betrayer years ago. It arrived in system just outside sensor range, immediately cloaking to become invisible both to the naked eye and any starship sensors of imperial military grade.

Before her stood 100 Black Hand Marines, many of which had abandoned their typical station to a skeleton crew of droids who would command the ship, allowing they and Aloy to focus all efforts on hijacking the enemy vessel. Among them were figures who Aloy had spent a lifetime serving beside or commanding in war after war, such as the relentless Tan'yill Vizsla , the loving wife who had become her sole reason to live and the violent death of Dar'manda and Imperial in numbers uncounted, Leenic Ellsil , Captain of the mighty "Golden Dragon" who had only recently returned from grand works away from the frontline bearing great news, which sadly must wait until after the operation as requested by the ever focused Daimyo,

And one other.

Valery Noble , the famed "Sword of The Jedi" who Aloy had recently met with on Mandalore to plan the war against the undead horde, and pledged her support in a brief alliance against the great and terrible threat.

With this crew, she was confident as ever that The Beast of Shukut would finally be taken from Imperial hands. When Klaxon sounded to inform them that they were in range for Boarding Pods, the warriors of The Black Hand marched to their pods wordlessly, having repeated these motions time and time again in the void that had become their home for many months and even years. Aloy was among them, at her wife's side as she had been since this all began.

::All teams confirm ready for launch:: The Rallymaster announced over the fleet's secure communications, a lone red-clad figure amongst the sea of dark blue Nite Owls and Black Hands.

::Begin!:: Aloy replied in kind.

​

​

 

[Leenic Ellsil]

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: SECURE IMPERIAL WARSHIP "THE BEAST OF SHUKUT"
SHIPS IN AO: THE RECLUSE
SHIPS IN NEARBY SYSTEMS: THE GOLDEN DRAGON
2X DUINUOGWUIN-CLASS GUIDED-MISSILE CRUISERS
LOADOUT: ST-W48 BLASTER CARBINE
KYR'AM'S GAAN
KRAYT DRAGON LIGHTSABER



Leenic shifted his weight slightly as he stood by, the sea of Black Hand marines filling up the staging area on the Recluse giving him an odd sense of progression for the once small Mandalorian group he had helped start. The sheer amount of men and women who had willingly signed on to both crew their fleet and field their army was impressive and something the seasoned bounty hunter would have never imagined happening within his lifetime, much less his career.

As the Mandalorians moved towards their pods, Leenic joined a small squad of marines in their pod, strapping himself into the seat closest to the door knowing full well his beskar could block more incoming fire than the mandalorian steel most of them wore. Once settled, he heard the rallymaster call out the all ready, Leenic tensed himself for the drop pod launch, glancing at the mandalorian next to him. The kid looked young and although he was stoic even for a normal solider, Leenic saw the tell tale twitchiness of a rookie underneath the facade.

"You'll be fine, kid." He said simply, patting the rookie's shoulder a few times before turning his attention back to the exit door, waiting tensely for the drop pod to launch. "I think we're slated to launch last, so you shouldnt even have to worry about getting shot from the get go."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aloy Vizsla Leenic Ellsil Tan'yill Vizsla

"Please allow me to provide cover from the front," Valery told the others, as they began moving for the boarding pods. Sure, Mandalorian armor could take a lot of hits, but the momentum of incoming blaster bolts and their impact could still bruise or throw off their aim. With a Jedi's lightsaber at the front, deflecting incoming fire, they could shift their focus to suppressing and engaging enemies.

There would be no stopping them.

"Otherwise, I'll follow your lead," she told Aloy Vizsla . Even as a leader herself, Valery had no trouble listening to other people's orders when it made sense. For the people around her now, Aloy was the better leader, and this mission would benefit from having someone able to make calls for all of them.

Valery would go wherever she liked, though not blindly.

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Tan'yill stood where she considered herself to belong, thinking that it had gone too long since the last time she stood there, by her wife Aloy Vizsla 's side. The two women, the two Mandalorian warriors had fought a hell of a battle together, but also one battle each on their own since tragic events had started to shake their family. It had seemed like faith or whatever it was had tried to shatter it, beginning with the capture of Aloy, and continuing with the very near loss of their daughter Tae'l Vizsla and then the sudden disappearance of the same. Life had put the two under immense pressure and tested them in every possible way. And they where about to pass the hardest of them all. At least, it felt like it when Leenic Ellsil had been sent to pick up a lead on Tae'l's whereabouts. Their patience and tireless struggles and denies to give up had paid off, even though Aloy had more or less came to accept that their daughter was dead.

Fully armored, helmet under her arm, Tan'yill glanced in silence upon the woman she so many times had trusted with her life. This time would certainly not be an exception, but it had been hard for Tan'yill to accept and follow Aloy's wish to carry out this mission before focusing on what needed to be done to find Tae'l. Tan'yill, being the more emotional of the two around the matter, had soon backed down and thought about the countless of times she had trusted Aloy before. Aloy had never given her a reason not to. Still, she couldn't wait til she hopefully would hold her daughter in her arms again.

The 100 Black Hand Marines before them were impressive to look at, maybe not the most elite of units, but the simple realisation that so many men and women had joined them under the flag of The Black Hand. What was even more impressive, rather astonishing even, was that Aloy freely had managed to form an alliance with the New Jedi Order and had got one of their masters, Valery Noble , along for the ride.

 

[Aloy Vizsla]

"Make way for the Jedi" Aloy would nod to Valery, appreciative that she was both vocal in her preferences but had no intention of intruding on her command, unlike certain figures in her past.

She gripped a nearby handlebar in her cybernetic grasp just before a jolt signaled their pod being hurled through space.

Each boarding team went quiet as they entered the vacuum, mentally preparing in an anxious, intense silence that overtook both the interior and the net. It ended after what felt to some like minutes, but in reality lasted mere seconds, heralded by the loud ✱thump✱ of duraplast and durasteel being smashed together, and the whine of plasma cutters outside. The sound prompted marines in each pod to raise their blasters, blades and combat shields.

A loud clang would denote the circular chunk of interior wall being cut open and falling to the floor inside the star destroyer, followed immediately by the pod doors opening with a hydraulic hiss that was almost immediately drowned out by blaster fire from both sides. In typical Black Fleet fashion however, more fire erupted from inside the pods than outside, as the enemy officers upon the bridge had little time to prepare themselves. Save for the command squad's pod of course, as they had moved for Valery to take point.

Like her squad, Aloy waited until there was room to leave the pod before engaging, forcing the nearest stormtrooper into a melee that resulted in her Kinetite Hammer shattering plastoid that showered the bridge floor, never mind the man's face.


On the opposite end of the bridge, one of the officers was putting out an emergency call to the shipyard about Mandalorian infiltrators, and the emergency alarm began sounding across the entire star destroyer.

Valery Noble Tan'yill Vizsla Leenic Ellsil

 

[Leenic Ellsil]

As soon as the pod buried itself into the ship's hull Leenic was on his feet with his blaster gripped tightly in his left hand, staring hard at the automatic doors as the inner hull was cut through and the sounds of blaster fire rang out from the other pods already opened into the space. Glancing back over his shoulder Leenic saw the rest of the group still scrambling for their equipment as the ready light came on and cast a dull, red glow through the pod's interior.

"Ready up!" Leenic shouted, the black hand marines quickly falling in and doing rapid equipment checks before the light suddenly flashed green. "GO GO GO!"

A second later the door popped open, with a stray blaster bolt cutting through a mandalorian's neck and dropping him dead on the spot. The rest of the pod immediately returned fire, Leenic diving out of the gap and landing behind a nearby control panel for cover. "GET OUT OF THE DAMN POD!" He screamed, waving for the tense soldiers to get clear. Most listened, quickly moving from the relative safety of the pod and into the main compartment. A few, however, stayed pinned by fear in spite of Leenic's best efforts.

Turning his attention back to the fight, Leenic popped his head up and fired off a few shots, striking a storm trooper and two officers before a bolt bounced off his helmet and knocked him down onto the floor. Groaning a bit in pain, he quickly picked himself up off the ground only to see a thermal detonator fly clear over his head.

And then straight into his pod.

"GRENADE! GET CL-" He started to scream, only to watch the small bomb explode in a fiery blast, taking the few mandalorians still inside and the exterior half of the pod with it. This posed a brand new problem for both the bridge team and the boarding party, as the difference of pressure between the compartment and the vacuum of space immediately caused enough suction to yank everyone off their feet.

"SOMEBODY CLOSE THAT DAMN DOOR!" Leenic shouted through his comms, using his right arm's grappling hook to secure himself as several mandalorians, officers, and stormtroopers were thrown violently out into space. "WE CANT TAKE THIS BRIDGE IF WE ALL SUFFOCATE!"

Aloy Vizsla Tan'yill Vizsla Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aloy Vizsla Leenic Ellsil Tan'yill Vizsla

Valery had spent much of the journey towards their target with her eyes closed and her focus drawn into her own mind. Her senses had extended far beyond the interior of their boarding ship, hoping to carefully pick out threats at the bridge. So, as soon as their boarding vessel connected, Valery's eyes snapped open and she knew what to do.

The exterior wall was cut down and as soon as the way into the bridge opened up, Valery extended a hand forward. A wave of enemy blaster fire came for them, but each bolt struck an invisible barrier of Force energy, rather than the Mandalorians rushing into their ship behind.

Valery was quick to join them as well, her two lightsabers drawn and her violet blades cutting away incoming fire with impressive precision. For now, she had her focus on defending her allies, rather than rushing single enemies and leaving the Mandalorians exposed behind her.

She was confident that taking the bridge would not take very long.

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Spoiler

Tan'yill entered the same pod as her beloved wife Aloy Vizsla , and took position on the opposite side of the door that in a short moment would be the enterance to battle. The launch rocked the pod slightly, as its thrusters hurled them towards the Star Destroyer Aloy had nicknamed The Beast of Shukut. It made the twi'lek mandalorian focus inwards, all while glancing over at the woman who's side she had gave her oath to never leave. She did all of this for the Aliit, for the clan, and it very much included Tae'l Vizsla even if their daughter wasn't among them right now. Aloy might have given up the hopes of her being alive, but Tan'yill had consistently refused to let such terrible thoughts enter her mind.

As the pod, with a muffled thump made contact with the hull of the Star Destroyer, Tan'yill curled and pressed herself up against the wall and cross-drawed the E-851 Dueling Particle Pistols, once gifted to her by Aloy. Blaster fire were already erupting in the hallways, and it urged Tan'yill to be the first out of the pod to assist the Black Hand Marines. One more time into the fray. One more time, and certainly not the last, force willing.

Like her squad, Aloy waited until there was room to leave the pod before engaging, forcing the nearest stormtrooper into a melee that resulted in her Kinetite Hammer shattering plastoid that showered the bridge floor, never mind the man's face.

Tan'yill veered to the right to keep the back of her wife safe, and fired multiple bolts down the hallway, skillfully aimed for the weak points in the white plastoid armor, before she took cover behind a datapanel. She threw a glance backwards just in time to see Aloy being up close and personal with some stormtroopers. Ouch, that got to hurt! she thought, before focusing down the corridor again. The alarm caused a red flashing light to light up the bridge, and more stormtroopers were approaching to retake the bridge.

The exterior wall was cut down and as soon as the way into the bridge opened up, Valery extended a hand forward. A wave of enemy blaster fire came for them, but each bolt struck an invisible barrier of Force energy, rather than the Mandalorians rushing into their ship behind.

Being accompanied by a Jedi had its advantages, Tan'yill would admit, as she very much noticed the blaster fire heading their way simply hit the invisible wall of Force Valery Noble had created, protecting them from further loss. Although, not even Jedi tricks could protect them from what was about to happen next.

"GRENADE! GET CL-" He started to scream, only to watch the small bomb explode in a fiery blast, taking the few mandalorians still inside and the exterior half of the pod with it. This posed a brand new problem for both the bridge team and the boarding party, as the difference of pressure between the compartment and the vacuum of space immediately caused enough suction to yank everyone off their feet.

"SOMEBODY CLOSE THAT DAMN DOOR!" Leenic shouted through his comms, using his right arm's grappling hook to secure himself as several mandalorians, officers, and stormtroopers were thrown violently out into space. "WE CANT TAKE THIS BRIDGE IF WE ALL SUFFOCATE!"

The sudden impact of the grenade and the violent suction that followed caught Tan'yill off guard and unable to activate her magno-grip boots in time. For a moment, she were flying through the corridor towards the gap in the hull caused by the grenade, until she could activate the whipcord launcher, shoot and attach herself to a railing strong enough to keep her from being sucked out of the ship and in the cold vacuum of space.

As urged on by Leenic Ellsil , Tan'yill quickly scanned for the doors control panel, activated the rocket propulsion system in her boots and released the whipcord only to make it attach to a point closer to the panel. Then she let out some more cord and let the suction guide her closer to the hole leading to the remains of the exploded pod. Once close enough, ducking for bits and pieces not secured or tucked away on the bridge, she slammed the panel which shut the door and immediately made them fall to the floor as the suction ceased.

 

[Aloy Vizsla]

A quick glance over the shoulder showed that Tan'yill Vizsla was roughly where Aloy had suspect, ever faithfully watching her back as the pair covered every angle, as they had many times before. When a shot missed it's mark, Aloy was there to intercept with her shield, When a new foe reared their ugly head from a place unseen, Tan'yill was there to gun him down in a dance that could only ever be performed with a partner.

Perhaps they had disagreements from time to time, but at the end of each day they were still a harmony of spirit and violence to be reckoned with.

When the vacuum of space made sudden moves to claim them, Aloy's jets had kicked in via mental link, giving her just enough fight against the pull to magnetically attach to the floor. Her first instinct beyond this point was to throw out her own whipcord, wrapping around her wife's waist in an effort to give the Twi'lek a shot at securing herself, which Tan'yill took just as quickly.

"Blue?!" She called over the net, and dared not release the chord until she her partner's safety was confirmed.

Thankfully, Tan'yill was quick to secure the pod doors, securing their oxygen even if the back end of the pod was now gone. A brief survey of the bridge revealed that the enemy had all been spaced, along with half a Black Hand squadron or more. Still, Tan'yill had secured them before even greater damage could be done.

"Right then," Aloy took a deep breath as her emergency oxygen supply deactivated, same as the marines had been issued.

"Everyone whose still alive, sound off and take a terminal, we launch in 3. Once we're fully operational, the rest of you take point on that door. Let's move!"

She squeezed Tan'yill's shoulder and made for the entrance, welding it shut with her plasma-caster to delay enemy reinforcements before taking position at the head of the bridge, where she could already see enemy vessels deploying personnel shuttles and fighter escorts inbound.

"Leenic, it's time! Call the fleet, and Wren, check him for wounds before either of you take up a weapon"

"Jedi," She turned to address Valery Noble "Your skills would be a great aid to the defense. Yours too, Tan'yill"
In actuality she had no doubt that Tan'yill would obliterate anyone who tried to interfere with the operation even if her marines didn't, but with such a close call mere moments ago, having such a protective soul by her wife's side would be of comfort.

Leenic Ellsil Valery Noble Tan'yill Vizsla

 

[Leenic Ellsil]

Leenic clenched his jaw tightly as the vacuum threatened to pull him out, reaching out to try and grip a nearby marine as he flew by.

"Gotcha kid!" He yelled, holding tight to the man's vambrace as he watched Tan'yill Vizsla fly past and shut the doors, dropping him and the marine onto the floor roughly. Taking a few seconds to catch his breath, since his largely outdated armor lacked any form of oxygen or environmental seal, Leenic pulled himself to his feet and calmly put a shot through the back of a disoriented stoormtrooper's head. "I'm up, squad took a big hit though. Looks like everyone in the pod died instantly, with somewhere in the realm of four others getting shot out into the vacuum before that door got closed."

Then, upon the order from Aloy Vizsla , Leenic moved towards the communication console on the bridge. "Understood, I'm on the comm." He said, punching a few of the keys before picking up the communication relay. "Dragon, this is Leenic Ellsil, you are authorized to enter the AO and begin assault on the Imperial Fleet. Say again: Dragon, this is Leenic Ellsil, you are now authorized to enter the AO and begin the assault on the Imperial fleet."

"Enter the AO and begin assault on the Imperial fleet, Dragon, Aye." Replied the Dragon's acting CO, the former Lieutenant who Leenic had promoted to Commander after his recent performance. "Dragon will be in engagement range in about 2 minutes, hang tight and move towards the rendezvous point."

"Roger, we're Oscar Mike."

Once he had finished the conversation, Leenic turned towards Alloy and gave her a thumbs up. "Dragon is inbound, ma'am, ETA is two minutes and he advised us to start moving towards the rendezvous while they get into position. Should give them an easier time picking us out from the enemy contacts." Leenic said, brushing off the mandalorian offering him medical assistance and simply injecting a bacta stim into his neck. "I'm on the helm."

Then he hopped over the terminal, taking a seat at the navigation station before rapidly charting a course towards the selected point. "Ill start spooling up the hyperdrives while we move, just give the order and I'll set engines to flank speed."

Aloy Vizsla Tan'yill Vizsla Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aloy Vizsla Leenic Ellsil Tan'yill Vizsla

Despite her greatest efforts, Valery couldn't protect all of them. She knew this going into the battle, and the Mandalorians knew it as well. But having chaos unfold so early into the fight was still unsettling. The sudden vacuum was a threat to all of them, and if she had been with people who didn't have every inch of their bodies covered in fancy technology or jetpacks, more lives would have been lost.

The Mandalorians were largely fine, and with a lightsaber stabbed down into the metal floor, Valery gave herself an anchor to keep herself from flying out into space as well.

With some clever thinking, Tan'yill Vizsla managed to return atmosphere to the room with closing blast doors. Valery gasped for air immediately and withdrew her weapon, only to look around and see the destruction it had caused. The vacuum of space had sucked out anything and everybody it could.

"I'm on it," Valery told Aloy before she moved up to join Tan'yill. With the two of them on defense, these Imperials weren't going to stand a chance fighting them off the ship.

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

If Tan'yill had been slightly out of focus on their way towards the mighty Star Destroyer, she certainly wasn't any longer, as sudden chaos had erupted all around them - Imperials and mandalorians, and jedi alike - when the explosion caused a fair lot of them to be sucked out into the void of space. They would have time to mourn and honor their fallen vode - their comrades - later.

Blue had kept and eye on Red ever since they entered the gray and minimalistic corridors of their intended prize, The Beast of Shukut. She wouldn't allow anyone or anything to rob her of yet another family member. Hearing Red calling out at her, only confirmed what she already knew; that Aloy had done the same for her. Facts that put whatever few occasional disagreements they might have completely aside.

"Leenic, it's time! Call the fleet, and Wren, check him for wounds before either of you take up a weapon"

"Jedi," She turned to address Valery Noble "Your skills would be a great aid to the defense. Yours too, Tan'yill"

Tan'yill nodded firmly at her wife and commander, and did the same to Valery Noble , only more like a gentle bow towards the Jedi. It came instinctively, maybe as a symbol of general respect towards her order, but more of gratitude towards the aid the lady lended House Vizsla in this mission. She were ever grateful towards those who did lend their Aliit a hand when they needed it the most, people like Iris Arani and Katyusha Jarko .

''A pleasure having you aboard, Jedi. That trick you pulled back there...'' she spoke out to Valery, while checking the twin blasters behind a beam close to the by Aloy wielded shut blast door. ''... pretty neat, I'll give you that!''

''Hey, darling!? Any calculations on how long that weld will hold?'' she called over to Aloy who were now getting the Star Destroyer underway, along with Leenic Ellsil tending to the comms.

Aloy Vizsla ​

 

[Aloy Vizsla]

"That's what I like to hear!" Aloy called out to Leenic Ellsil and Valery Noble .

All around them, Mandalorian warriors were taking up terminals, charging up shields, powering thrusters and wrestling away control of whatever systems remained. Unfortunately for them however, the weapons systems on this ship were not automated from the bridge like most of the black fleet's weaponry. As they had to be manned individually, the hijackers could do nothing to stop the ship from firing on allies.

"Admiral, we have no weapons control"

"Reroute their power to shields and thrusters. If we can't disable them, we'll weaken the potency"

She continued to watch the imperials outside, making note of boarding shuttles disappearing into the hanger bays below, likely members of this ship's own stormtrooper compliment who were previously enjoying shore leave. Assuming that these were mere stormtroopers, they'd make short work of them. It was only the number difference that concerned Aloy now.

One of the arriving shuttles flew past the bridge itself, ion engines knocking the floating bodies outside into view. Some were storm troopers but one Mandalorian in particular went floating past the view port. Aloy said nothing, her time fighting Apollyon The Betrayer and subsequent captivity having taught her that sacrifices must be made to achieve victory- of which she had made many recently- but there was always that ghost of her younger self that made it difficult.

She punched the wall next to her before turning away, leaving a small dent in the shape of a cybernetic fist.

''Hey, darling!? Any calculations on how long that weld will hold?''

"Hm?" Aloy walked past the bridgehead to give the doors a quick glance at Tan'yill Vizsla 's request, noting that the doors looked like standard durasteel akin to other imperial vessels.

"They'll come with plasma cutters. should give us a few minutes"

Already there men banging on the door from the other side and muffled shouting. A look at the bridge monitors showed camera feeds that had detected a few naval officers and storm troopers arriving by elevator, with at least a squadron forming up on the next floor down.

Luckily the HSI alarm sounded, signaling the arrival of Leenic's flagship and escorts from his and Aloy's combined fleet, soon coming into view far off the Beast of Shukut's bow. What followed was a grand lightshow of green turbolaser fire and the fiery glow of incoming missiles from numerous Black Fleet missile cruisers that flew overhead, tearing into the shipyard and enemy vessels alike.

The battle had officially begun.

 

[Leenic Ellsil]

Leenic shifted in his seat as he pushed several buttons on the helm console, bringing up the thruster control before setting them to flank speed, steeling himself as the hull groaned from the sudden change in velocity. The sight of hostile dropships buzzing around the ship like mosquitos made him nervous and he quickly ushered over another mandalorian to take the helm so he could resume comms.

"Dragon, this is Leenic, talk to me Commander whats your ETA?" He said, his voice slightly panicked as he prayed to whatever higher power there was that the dragon wouldnt be long.

"ETA is under a minute now, sir." Came the voice of the Commander, causing Leenic to relax significantly. "The Dragon is bringing her guns to bear on the enemy fleet and our cruiser escort is currently marking targets for missile strikes."

"Glad to hear it, commander, you are authorized to fire when ready."

Leenic then climbed back up into the main bridge, watching the first salvo of missiles and laser cannon fire streak through the dark space. A few missiles were fooled by countermeasures and several laser bolts missed their mark, but more than a handful of Imperial ships had been on the receiving end of the firepower Leenic's small flotilla could output. Already Imperial comms were lighting up with maydays and abandon ship alerts as ships were ripped apart by the missiles and guns, and with no real way to fight back without getting closer, it was starting to look like a very one sided beatdown.

"Aloy, we will be at the jump point shortly." Leenic said, smiling under his helmet. "Hate to count our chickens before they hatch, but I think we're gonna walk outta here mostly unscathed."

Aloy Vizsla Tan'yill Vizsla Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Aloy Vizsla Leenic Ellsil Tan'yill Vizsla

"I have plenty more fun tricks," Valery said with a grin, and as soon as Imperials started working on opening up the blast doors leading into the bridge, Valery knew she had a chance to show one. As defender, it was her job to buy some extra time, so without any hesitation, she stepped forward and tapped into the Force. The former Jedi Shadow broke her bonds to the physical world, and phased right through the blast doors.

The Mandalorians would only be able to imagine the look on their enemy's faces, but Valery saw the shock for herself.

A pair of stormtroopers were working on cutting open the door, but with a flick of her hand, Valery sent them flying up into the ceiling. That same hand clenched into a fist and the Force responded, as it crushed their cutting tools. With her other hand, she twirled her lightsaber in front of her to deflect several incoming bolts.

But as her free hand returned once more, the red bolts of plasma froze in mid-air.

Another flick of her hand followed, and the swarm of frozen bolts were directed back down the hallway. Sparks ignited as they impacted the floor, ceiling and walls, but many of those lethal projectiles struck the attackers as well.

<More incoming,> Valery reported, before she stepped back through the doors and let out a sigh. "Another wave is coming. I hope that buys us some time because these will likely break through." She couldn't stand there in the open on her own forever, after all.

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

"Hm?" Aloy walked past the bridgehead to give the doors a quick glance at Tan'yill Vizsla 's request, noting that the doors looked like standard durasteel akin to other imperial vessels.

"They'll come with plasma cutters. should give us a few minutes"

Tan glanced towards her wife, giving them a rather plain statement that the blast door was merely a distraction for the countless of dropships with Imperial troops trying to retake control of the Star Destroyer. It would only give the group of starship thieves some time, but luckily they had a plan.

''Stars, I love you...'' Tan sighed deeply, yearning after that enchanting, jaded but tenacious mandalorian who she would - if you asked believers like Valery Noble - enter the Netherworld with someday. It would not be this day, though! They had far too many things to do and things to finish, before Tan would allow them to say good bye to this galaxy.

"I have plenty more fun tricks," Valery said with a grin, and as soon as Imperials started working on opening up the blast doors leading into the bridge, Valery knew she had a chance to show one. As defender, it was her job to buy some extra time, so without any hesitation, she stepped forward and tapped into the Force. The former Jedi Shadow broke her bonds to the physical world, and phased right through the blast doors.

More fancy tricks was certainly to be expected from this Jedi, but it must have been the first time for most of the mandalorians - including Tan'yill - to see a human being walk through solid objects, as they all became rather silent and exchanged glances of surprise.

''Are we really needed here, hun?!'' she called back at Aloy, more like a jest, holding her arms out with the twin blasters at the ready in each hand. The sound of enemy blasters firing could be heard through the blast door, and Tan'yill and many others felt an urge to follow Valery, but unfortunately for her it would mean that they needed to unlock and open the little protection that they had. Tan guessed that the Jedi wouldn't have phased through the door and into enemy hands if she weren't absolutely sure of what she were doing.

<More incoming,> Valery reported, before she stepped back through the doors and let out a sigh. "Another wave is coming. I hope that buys us some time because these will likely break through." She couldn't stand there in the open on her own forever, after all.

Once Valery re-emerged through the door, they all again readied themselves for an eventual break-through by the Imperials. Even if Valery destroyed their tools, there would probably be more stored somewhere on this massive ship.

''That was not nice of you, going to have fun on your own...'' Tan commented, smirking behind the black t-visor.

Aloy Vizsla , Leenic Ellsil​

 

[Aloy Vizsla]

''Stars, I love you...''

Aloy squeezed her wife's shoulder and pressed her armored forehead to her's.

"I can't imagine a galaxy without you, or your love"

It would be one of the few times in recent history that her voice seemed to shake, even if just a little. So much had happened and they had lost so many people, but still they had eachother. While it was true that She fought because she hated the empire, it was also true that she fought because she loved her family. Or what was left of it. Tan'yill was often on the frontlines with her, teaching that despite the claims that a man with nothing to lose was dangerous, a woman fighting for her loved ones was a force of nature.

That is what elevated her from a mere bounty hunter to who she was now.

"Aloy, we will be at the jump point shortly." Leenic said, smiling under his helmet. "Hate to count our chickens before they hatch, but I think we're gonna walk outta here mostly unscathed."

Only when Leenic called out did she part from the Keldabe kiss, turning her head to acknowledge the good news.

"Very good, make sure your boys don't stay longer than they have to once we jump" She let go of Tan'yill Vizsla to find cover nearby, knowing that even if the ship went unscathed, the close quarters fighting to follow could not be left up to chance. She wanted to keep Tan'yill in sight now that she was no longer needed on the bridge, considering what happened the last time she let family out of her sight.

Then, like some kind of Ghost from a spacer's tale, Valery Noble phased through the welded door as if it were a mere hologram. There were sounds of fighting on the other side, if only briefly, before the Jedi's return.

"Another wave is coming. I hope that buys us some time because these will likely break through."

"The hell?" Aloy muttered, tilting her head like a confused hound. Admittedly, she was more used to fighting Sith Troopers than actual Sith, and her interaction with the Jedi was a recent occurrence, even Leenic Ellsil 's use of the force had thus far been limited, so her exposure to the sorcerous powers was minimal at best. She had heard stories of course, but even in the most fantastical or villainous fairy tale, nothing could have prepared her for this. In truth it made her a little more glad that their people were repairing relationships once ruined by the Enclave. She didn't fear fighting nor death herself, but the average warrior, even among Mandalorians would be ill prepared for this. And since the purge, she wondered if there were more Jedi than Mandalorians.

But today, they only had one on their side, and a lot of imperials once again stacking up in the hallway outside. If one were to check the camera feed however, they would see that they were more cautious than the last group. Some were dragging away the dead, most however kept their blasters trained on the doorway, moving from cover to cover, one flinching at the sudden sound made by sparks from a damaged light fixture.

But one of these troopers was calm as can be. He stood further in the back, marked as the rabble's commander by an orange pauldron, and a veteran by the dull cream and brown wear on his once pristine white armor.

He beckoned something from around the corner, and his third source of confidence was revealed:

One by one, Several Dark Troopers of Third-generation design would round the corner, a few carrying lightsaber resistant Electrostaffs, while the others carried heavy blaster rifles. They proceeded down the hall in formation, passing the smaller stormtroopers as they approached the door. The two in front began punching the blast doors, leaving deep dents that made the doors bulge on other side for all to see. The may not have plasma cutters, but they would be through any minute regardless.

"Leenic? I need someone on the cameras to tell me what the hell is going on"