Skirmish Cast a shadow over the horizon. (Mandalorian Protectors raid of Dromund Kaas and Ziost)

[Ordo]

Their ships cast themselves like violent comets through the infinite black. His fleet was old, freshly recovered from bases and holdouts of former Mandalorian space. He had prepared well for the days when His people would be diminished and need to rebuild. But this fleet was more than just ships for the good of His people. This fleet was significant. The matte black hulls had been to The Sith worlds before. They had once ruled space there. Sith citizens had once crewed them. A Sith had briefly but brutally sat in the command chair of the Keldabe-Class Battlecruiser as the dark lord of the one sith. The Mandalorian regretted many things He had done in those days, but He didn't regret the lesson. He learned that Sith understood only power. They would lie, even to themselves at times. They would tout ideals and twist meanings or intentions but in the end they were usually bags of meat filled with hypocrisy. It was one of the few things He had respected about Darth Carnifex . He would lie about many things, everything else perhaps but He would agree that power was the means and the end. The darkness they wielded would corrupt in exchange for power.

The massive raid fleet that was heading for Dromund Kaas was mirrored by another that would be dropping from hyperspace near Ziost. The two largest fleets the Mandalorian could muster without the full sanction of Mand'alor, Ijaat Mereel . But Ordo was old, and He had a very long memory. He had mustered a great deal.

Their mission, and it was a mission, was to draw out the Malsheem, or if the motive was seen through, to find a location, routes, codes, drive signatures, or even simply logistics data that could be used to find or weaken the massive Sith creation. He envied the ingenuity, if he was being honest, He would craft a machine of war to equal it and continue to crusade across the galaxy, but there were still rules in place. He had agreed to many things upon His return and He would hold to them...for now.

Dromund Kaas:

The fleet of Black warships dropped out of hyperspace just outside of the world's gravity well. Ordo had been here when they turned the world into a wasteland. He had been here again with His dearest friend Gilamar Skirata when they had cleaned the world's atmosphere and rebuilt it. In honor of that friend that He had slain in a war that should not have happened, He would not bombard the planet with asteroids from orbit.

He Commed His fleet captains as He walked along the street of Kaas City, Beskar boots and simple work clothes His only protection.

"Orbital Bombardment of government buildings, and starports in Kaas city on my mark." He subvocalized into an ear piece,

"Three..."

Workers laughed on their lunch break as a old grouchy coworker told bawdy jokes about a new guy.

"Two..."

People rushed to meetings afraid their boss would fire them for being late or just not early enough.

"One..."

A market clerk handed a bag of groceries over the counter with a smile at one of the regulars on their weekly visit. Ordo looked up toward the fleets glittering location in the Kaas Sky.

"Mark."

The long range turbo lasers of His fleet opened fire and the screams began.


[Ziost fleet captain is whomever decides to do it.]

OBJECTIVE 1: FIND INFORMATION THAT WILL LEAD TO ASSAULTING OR INFILTRATION OF THE MALSHEEM.

OBJECTIVE 2: RAID TEMPLES, BASES AND LABORATORIES FOR GOODIES.

OBJECTIVE 3: RECLAIM ANY BESKAR TO RETURN TO ITS PROPER PLACE.

OBJECTIVE 4: DO WHATEVER. IT'S JUST FOR FUN.

Sith admins:
Darth Empyrean
Darth Strosius
Darth Malum of House Marr

Mando Admins:
Drego Ruus
Mia Monroe
Arla Rodarch

 

[Laphisto]

OBJECTIVE 3: Reclaim beskar and return it to its proper place
1: land troops around the city and pull the local garrison forces
2: recover valuable Beskar for the Mandalorians
3: find your place within Clan Ordo

Laphisto had worked with the Mandalorian protectors since his scuffle with them on Ordo while trying to pay his respects to his dear friend. Granted, he bore the crest of Ordo, and as many times as Ris had told him that he WAS a part of clan Ordo, he never saw it that way. He wasn't a Mandalorian, not by blood but by honor, as Ris had told him many times. So why did he almost feel like he didn't belong, and yet he felt he deserved to belong all simultaneously.

It was confusing to have such conflicting emotions rummaging around within his head, so when he heard that a skirmish was bound to happen, Mephisto signed himself up, offering the services of his order to clan Ordo for this mission. And so when the Mandalorian fleet appeared over Dromund Kaas, Laphisto made damn well sure that his soldiers were there with them. The LAET/I MKII gunships roared through the sky, with laphisto sitting in one of them's troop spaces, his comlink open to his men. "We fight today to help the Mandalorians reclaim their sacred metal. Many of you are familiar with an alloy the order used to use that contained beskar. You know its texture, makeup, and strength. Remember, leave the civilians out of this. There is no honor in killing the unarmed, only killing when needed. we may be helping the Mandalorians in their mission, but keep the sacred oaths of the order close. "
as the gunships broke the atmosphere, the side doors slid open, allowing the two gunners to pull their LO-27R machine guns into position. As flack and other air defenses began to open up, the transports quickly landed on rooftops and streets. Anywhere they could unload their precious cargo, a few of the ships were shot down and crashed into the buildings below. As laphistos gunship touched down, he quickly rushed out, saber drawn and immediately beginning to deflect blaster bolts from nearby soldiers. The mission was a simple, dual-purpose tactic; both raid the bear vaults and provide a big enough distraction to pull enough of the planetary garrison away to allow the Mandalorians to do their job with little resistance.

Ordo

 

[Sting Ordo]

Laphisto Ordo

Keen to take part in the large scale pilferage, Sting had brought his trusted associates into his own part of the plan. While the rest of the criminals ran riot, his own group were going to take down an entire warehouse complex. There was a significant potential for combat, and they were the sort to be intrigued rather than put off by the concept.

All the parts of the plan came to fruition as Ordo's fleet began a massive bombardment of the surface, selectively targeting Sith facilities. The rain of turbolaser fire wrought havoc on the ground. That was the signal. As the streets filled with screams, flames, and disorder, Sting and his agents of chaos rode out in a pack, heading for the target buildings, cruising through the burning city. "Let's ride, boys." The thunder of their engines echoed even over the sounds of destruction.

The word of Ordo's great raid had spread, quietly, among the old boy network of Mandalorians and their associates. You couldn't assemble a raiding fleet in complete secrecy without a lot of prior preparation and security; and that wasn't the big Ordo's style at all. There was in the purpose of the DK raid a noble goal, but noble goals weren't really Sting's style. Stealing, now that he could get behind. The Sith had plenty of beskar, everyone knew how they'd ravaged Mandalore.

Extensive spying and scans of the Industrial sectors of New Kaas City highlighted the presence of significant stockpiles of beskar. That was enough evidence for the biker to get some of his more nefarious associates interested in visiting Sith space. Some of his own crew, and many more offworlders, including the broken skulls, and other swoop gangs, got involved in the scheme.

Formidable fighters mixed with your basic street thugs made up the crews going on the raiding expedition. They'd come in on civilian transports over the last week, which had disgorged members of several different groups onto the planet. Most brought their own rides with them, others came on foot. From somewhere far off, heard perhaps only in his own mind, Sting beheld the tolling of a great bell. The bell of doom was tolling for the Sith. And the riders were coming.

​

 

[SF-3335]

Location: Approaching Warehouse Complex, Industrial District, New Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Call Sign: Tempest Four
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Sting Ordo Laphisto Ordo

New Kaas City had suffered an infestation. With the sudden arrival of the Mandalorian fleet, gangs of Mandalorian swoop thugs had descended upon the industrial district, before making a beeline towards the warehouse complexes. In that regard, it was immediately clear what that they were after—beskar. The sacred metal of the Mandalorian clans. They sought it in much the same manner as a monkey-lizard craved shiny objects—a mindless, animal obsession which was pursued at the expense of all other considerations.

Accordingly, two platoons of Outriders had been deployed to curtail the infestation and to ensure that none of the bikers left the district with the beskar in tow.

With that objective in mind, SF-3335 rode her machine hard as she whipped through the narrow, hazardous streets of the industrial district. Smoke belching from various factories and industrial facilities clouded the air above to such an extent that only some of the light could penetrate through to the surface. Fortunately, the filters in her helmet shielded the strand-cast’s lungs from the thick industrial miasma that permeated the air. However, with the sudden swarms of swoop gangers that overrun in the district, SF-3335 knew that there were now far more immediate, lethal dangers than just the air.

With another sharp, banking turn, SF-3335 swerved the Rose Glint in behind a pair of Low-Rider swoops and immediately unleashed a barrage of explosive slugs into their riders’ backs. The staccato beats of her two machine guns were a brutal melody as the slugs detonated and ripped holes through biker leather and flesh, causing the swoops to careen out of control until they unceremoniously crashed into a nearby crane.

<<Splash two swoop bogeys.>> SF-3335 growled as she briefly glanced back at the wreckage in her wake. In doing so, she caught sight of a distinct symbol emblazoned on the fairing of one of the wrecked bikes—a skull lanced in twain by an axe.

Her eyes widened in surprise as the implications swiftly dawned on her. It was an emblem of the Broken Skulls. Mandalorian swoop gangs were not the only ones in the district.

Spoiler: Loadout

Craft: Rose Glint

• Status
  
  • Shields: 100%
  • Armor: 100%
  • Structure: 100%
• Systems
  
  • FAE/S-05 ECM Array: Inactive
  • FAE/S-02 Semi-Active Stealth System: Active
  • Ósýnilegt-class Personal Cloaking Device: Inactive
  • FAE/S-03 “Phase Masque” Distortion Matrix: Inactive
  • Heat Masker: Active
• Armament
  
  • Primary Weapon Hardpoint (2)
    
    • FAE/W-09 "Yammka" Medium Machine Gun
    • FAE/W-09 "Yammka" Medium Machine Gun
  • Secondary Weapon Hardpoint (2)
    
    • PLK "Fellwind" Multi-Mode Suppression Rifle
    • PLK "Fellwind" Multi-Mode Suppression Rifle
  • Universal Gas Projectile Launcher (2)
    
    • Pink Vapor Canister (10)
    • Nagnol Gas Canister (10)
• Pilot Equipment
  
  • FAE/A-03 Repulsor Craft Riding Suit
    
    • Utility
      
      • Neahtid Earpiece
    • Energy Shield
      
      • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • X8 “Gambit” Elite Disruptor Pistol

 

[Trayze Tesar]

OBJECTIVE 4: REPEL THE INVADERS

---

CURRENT MISSION - Fire in the Sky
Immediate Goals -
1: RTB for refuel and reassignment
1: Rebuff the Invaders!
1.1: Send for reinforcements!

BLUFOR - Darth Malum of House Marr || Darth Strosius || SF-3335

OPFOR - Ordo || Laphisto || Sting Ordo

CURRENT ORBAT:
(x3) Recusant-class Light Destroyers (Consuasor, Vizier, Taxman)
(x1) Munificent-class Frigate (Flagship, Conciliator)

TARGETING ACTION(S) - OPEN COMMS, WEAPONS FREE

---

Trayze Tesare knew the feeling in his gut, and he dreaded it: he was content. Between the reclamation of Yavin IV, where he did battle with the Sword and Shield fo the Jedi and the crushing of the Kathol Resistance as a co-commander, while the Kiffar flatly refused to be made a Darth on mere militaristic merit, he nevertheless graciously accepted the promotion from Captain Under Marque of a single vessel, to Fleet Captain Under Marque. This meant three shiny new Recusants to join the old Conciliator on the field of battle, and while a fourth would be the ideal candidate for a hard hitting section of ships - Trayze adhered to the old spaceman's superstition of "once she's named, she musn't be shamed" - the Conciliator, for better or worse, was Trayze's first ship larger than a freighter under his control and his (loaned) ownership. If he could help it, she would be his personal flagship 'til he went down with her, or had to abandon her with all hands.

Right now, she, along with Trayze's subordinate LT Tactical Droids had returned from another routine patrol, and the group was getting along as well as prideful droid-brained captains could. Sipping from his thermos, Trayze knew that calm preceded a storm, and he could feel it on the edge of the Force like an itch on his arm-hair. He didn't expect quite how much.

A Mandalorian fleet, laying laserfire onto New Kaas City, playing right into Kainate propaganda of the warrior people. The Kiffar didn't even allow himself a chance to spit out the lukewarm liquid in his mouth before he mingled it within his own bile. Barking at his droids to get into battle-stations, his G5 Astromech to "get Malzy or Strozy on the horn!" he would address whoever would be defending the Old Sith Capitol on a coordinated frequency.

"This is Fleet Captain Trayze Tesar of the SIBC Conciliator, to all Sith Friendlies, looks like we'll be your first responders for this evening." the Kiffar permitted himself a bit of dry humor as fire erupted around him. "Maintain this freeq - call signs check in."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Supreme Excellency, they've begun their assault."

The hemisphere of Dromund Kaas containing the continent-spanning megalopolis of New Kaas City was displayed holographically, with digital markers denoting where the enemy ships had entered terminus above the planet. Smaller markers denoted enemy troop movement and fighter craft, everything meticulously observed by the Sith's advanced planetary sensor array. By all contrast, the Sith response appeared to lethargic and uncoordinated; primarily comprised of local peacekeeping forces.

Bright molten eyes watched the assault unfold, the Mandalorian forces drawn in close to the taste of easy blood. Many living in New Kaas City would die, but such was the sacrifice required. The Sith had known about the encroaching fleets for as long as they had been detected by the perimeter sensor arrays, all hyperspace and realspace traffic meticulously monitored for any irregularities. But they'd kept the existence of such raiders secret from the people of Dromund Kaas and Ziost, even the leading figures of each world had not been appraised.

Meat to bait the beasts.

And now they were here, doing what Mandalorians did best; destroy. They had no taste for creation, the Dark Lord doubted their minds could comprehend such things. Even their efforts on Mandalore were paltry in comparison to what the Sith could conceive, the vision the Sith held. It was why they had to be eradicated, their existence was no longer tolerated in the galaxy that the Sith would build. Stubbornly, they refused to submit to their destiny.

Admirable, in a way, but futile.

"Active the stormseeds. Bring the anti-orbital cannons online."

At the edge of the Dromund system, large stations were towed into place. When they were activated, they generated a powerful hyperspace anomaly which would destroy any vessel attempting to pass through it. Communications were also severed by the storm, and for all intents and purposes -- the Dromund system appeared to completely vanish to the wider galaxy, sealed within a mighty storm. Only ships equipped with path engines tuned to a specific frequency could bypass the stormwall generated by the stormseeds.

Thus came the Malsheem, bypassing the stormwall without difficulty. From it's belly was disgorged a mighty fleet of dagger-shaped warships. Down on Dromund Kaas, canyon-wide shutter doors opened across the vast jungle. From them were raised great cannons, which pivoted and adjusting their barrels towards the Mandalorian fleet. When they fired, the entire jungle shook violently. Massive hypervelocity slugs, as large as corvettes, hurtling upwards into orbit.

The same was happening on Ziost as well.

Darth Carnifex watched the trap springing around the Mandalorians and smiled.

Ordo | Laphisto | Sting Ordo
SF-3335 | Trayze Tesar ​