Dominion Castlevania (OPA Dominion of Mustafar)

[Zak Amroth]

One does not simply walk into Fortress Vader. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Ren. There is evil there that does not sleep and the Darkside is ever watchful. Mustafar is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust, the very air is a poisonous fume. Despite this folly the Alliance has at last assembled a great host to scour the hellish world of evil taint. From their rebel camp within Corvax Fen OPA roughnecks prepare to launch a siege of the castle while elite strike teams of Jedi and Judges scout ahead to ensure that Kyrel Ren and other high ranking cultists do not escape.

But the ancient Sith Temple has its own designs. Thought destroyed the Mask of Lord Momin was recently unburied and the acolyte who discovered this grim relic unknowingly possessed by an ancient Sith Lord. Using the chaos of an impending siege to make his move Momin's spirit is manipulating the castle's darkside locus to reconstitute the netherworld rift below its foundations that Vader once destroyed. Momin must be stopped and his rift sealed if the Alliance is to ever save Mustafar from damnation.
​

// ACCESSING ALLIANCE UNDERVINE //
// UPLINK ESTABLISHED //
RETURN TO CASTLE VADER - [Surface Conquest] The Alliance is launching an all out assault on Fortress Vader the infamous Knights of Ren stronghold. Join the main siege as a rebel fighter or infiltrate the Fortress along with other trained Knights and commando units to hunt down any darkside VIPs.

THE MASK - [Artifact Hunt] Something has drawn you to the foreboding cave blow Fortress Vader's foundations whether that be a disturbance in the Force or the lure of priceless treasures you filthy tomb raider. Stop the possessed Ren acolyte from reopening a netherworld rift and filling the castle with hellspawn.

BYOO - Bring Your Own Objective!

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Starfighter: X-Wing.
Inventory: Lightsaber | Caedyn's Jedi Armor.
Companion: Chip.

Spoiler: Objective

RETURN TO CASTLE VADER - [Surface Conquest] The Alliance is launching an all out assault on Fortress Vader the infamous Knights of Ren stronghold. Join the main siege as a rebel fighter or infiltrate the Fortress along with other trained Knights and commando units to hunt down any darkside VIPs.

​

Mustafar was no joke, the molten world held significant history that concerned the Jedi greatly. The Labyrinth of the former Sith Lord of legend, Darth Vader was a fortress of darkness, presumably the host of many a horrific act the likes that Caedyn could only dread to imagine. The Dark Side of the Force was the strongest here that the young Jedi Knight had felt since the Sith Empire's invasion of his former homeworld of Commenor, where the Emperor himself had been present and the Empire's legions had laid waste to Chasin City. Mustafar was a dark reminder of those days, as well as a reminder to the rest of the Galaxy of the evil that the Sith were capable of, if left unchecked.

Though Caedyn had thus far been ambushed by agents of the First Order, he had never come across the Order of Ren; Alliance Command had issued the Strike Team fair warning however that one of their more formidable Master's of Ren, Kyrel Ren would possibly be present during the assault, leading in the Fortress' defense.

Just as the Imperials had struck out at Svivren and targeted the Jedi Enclave there, Caedyn couldn't help but find some sense of satisfaction in knowing that this would be a blow against the Forces of Darkness, a heavy action taken in order to deter further chaos and instability across the region. With the Castle of Vader overrun and their mission there today successful, it would be his hope that the Jedi home on Svivren would be further protected from any future invasions. First thing's first however, they needed to overcome the day.

"This is Caedyn Arenais, setting down near the outskirts of the location objective" Caedyn spoke through the mic of his headset, guiding the X-Wing Starfighter down upon the surface of Mustafar, keeping his Force Signature as subtle as he could manage, aware that the smallest mishap could give away his position to the expertly trained Knights of Ren that would be awaiting them; "Forwarding Coordinates now. Will Rendezvous with the rest of you shortly" he informed the rest of his unit, those that had volunteered to be part of the strike team.

Powering the Starfighter down, Caedyn unstrapped his harness and moved to open the canopy above him. The heat of the world's air rushed in and felt immediately warm to the skin, as though his cheeks might flush in mere minutes as he began to climb out of the X-Wing. "Chip, lock her down. We'll make the rest of the way on foot. Just don't go rolling off into any lava stream's, Dad would kill me if anything happened to you here". Closing the distance on foot seemed the wiser choice, in order to keep his arrival as quiet as possible until they were prepared to begin the operation against the Forces of evil.

 

[Zak Amroth]

"Forward...Coord.....now. Will Rendezv.....the rest of you...ortly"

"Say again?!" Zak coughed through the smoke and fumes, "Mayday! Mayday! Main engine failure! We're going in hard-"

Plummeting towards Mustafar's molten surface like a meteor was the ugliest looking starfighter Caedyn Arenais had ever seen. It went down only a few kilometers from his location. A few minutes later the Sheriff of Terminus screamed himself back into consciousness. He groaned in pain and began crawling out of the wreckage. When he caught sight of the approaching Jedi Knight Zak nervously yanked out his hand cannon and put an energy bolt into the ground at Caedyn's feet.

"Alright Ren! Not another step!"

He threw himself bodily over what was left of his ship's fuselage for cover and launched another warning shot into the sky for good measure.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Objective 1: Return to Castle Vader
Allies: OPA Caedyn Arenais Zak of Amroth
Enemies: Ren remnants

Once again, Janick feels appropriate to undertake a covert mission, this time around using the cover of a Ren that survived previous engagements against the OPA. However, this meant that she couldn't claim being a survivor of Hoth; Varonat may be more appropriate. Yet, it was from data obtained on Hoth that she gained a sufficient understanding of First Order systems to make this ploy work. Not only that, but also what weaknesses would Castle Vader's computer systems harbor that she could, on-premise, exploit. She also took the time to have a suit of heat-resistant Ren armor prior to embarking on this operation, ransomware ready to be injected into the Castle's computer infrastructure. By the time the decryption key takes effect, hopefully, the Castle would be under OPA control, because of the encryption algorithms in use: while it could be fast in encrypting the data so that it would be rendered unusable, decrypting it is not a straightforward operation. As she made her quiet approach so as to not compromise her portion of the operation...

"This is a restricted area; state the business of your visit"

"Open up! I'm one of the few Ren that survived the OPA assault on Varonat; the OPA is after me because I hold some knowledge they seek and Castle Vader is the closest safehouse that could ensure my safety!"

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Starfighter: X-Wing.
Inventory: Lightsaber | Caedyn's Jedi Armor.
Companion: Chip.
Interacting with: Zak of Amroth
Allies: Janick Beauchamp

Spoiler: Objective

RETURN TO CASTLE VADER - [Surface Conquest] The Alliance is launching an all out assault on Fortress Vader the infamous Knights of Ren stronghold. Join the main siege as a rebel fighter or infiltrate the Fortress along with other trained Knights and commando units to hunt down any darkside VIPs.

"Mayday! Mayday!
Main engine failure! We're going in hard-".
​

The call rang out over his comm-link settled against his hip, Caedyn's eyes lifting skyward to see the descending ship engulfed in flames and rocketing down towards the surface of Mustafar faster than what was considered to be a safe and controlled landing; the young Knight grimacing in the realization that this might well cost them the element of surprise over the Ren.

Ever still, there was a new life in danger and Caedyn had learned to roll with the punches. If this was to set the pace for the day, then there would be many more to come his way. "Chip, track that ship's trajectory" Caedyn instructed his friendly BB-Model Droid, picking up the pace to a jog across the rock-laden terrain. When the vessel hit the surface, Caedyn felt the rumble through the ground, picking up the pace to scramble up over the bank leading to the crash site.

"Alright Ren! Not another step!".
​

The survivor barked at him as the man could be seen crawling out of the wreckage and moving for cover, loosing a warning shot at the ground at his feet, before firing another couple of blasts in Caedyn's direction, the sudden and unexpected hostility causing Caedyn to let go of his concentration in keeping his force signature under wraps and instead diving into an evasive roll guided by his instincts in order to avoid getting shot by what he had presumed to be an ally.

Fingers trailing through the loose debris in order to slow himself, Caedyn looked back at the assailant and shouted desperately, "I'm a Jedi from Svivren!?! Cease fire, damn it!". His first impression was spot on, this mission really wasn't off to a great start!

 

[Qell Auraeli]

The Starjammer
Outer Mustafar system
B.Y.O.O.​

There was a muffled Thumpf! as the Starjammer reverted from hyperspace on the edge of the system.
The ancient girl’s stained and weathered deck plates predictably vocalizing their objections as the inertial dampeners kicked in a fraction of a nanosecond later than was ideal, causing an alarming reverb to shudder along the length and breadth of the vessel. Setting teeth on edge and drawing a string of curses from the bridge crew even as sluggishly began to spring back to life.

Too many runs with too few ports in between had started to take its toll on vessel and crew alike. A recent string of unexpected expenses pushing everyone to the edge. Necessitating them picking up quick credit jobs and more freelance work for the newly christened OPA. A case of new boss paying the same as the old boss, sadly.

"Ricker," Rathe called towards the Devaronian helmswoman, not even glancing up from the slowly developing readout as he spoke. Eyes peeled on the sea of electric blue dots that were slowly being filtered into red and green as IFF frequencies were sorted, cataloged and duly dismissed based on size. Nothing of interest for the 'jammer yet. Hopefully that would change once the ground forces started to put pressure on the cultists below. The more vessels they intercepted escaping the molten planet, the bigger the pot they'd walk away with. "Plot a course to bring us around Lefrani running hot. Stealth won't mean slag if the OPA start the party without us."

A fragmented mayday signal pinged from the planet as if on cue. Quietly muted and deleted by the on-board VI a second later. No money in playing the hero today.

"Alright, looks like they're shaking the trees. Let's go see what falls out."

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel had knew this day would come for a long time... He feared it, and prepared for such a time. The Crimson Hand the remnant born from the fall of the First Order had fortified the world. Especially the likes of Fortress Vader. Kyrel watched from the holoscreen, gritting his teeth under his black mask. The Dark Lord of Mustafar would have to make a stand to defend the world, all over the obsidian fortress. Crimson Red Stormtroopers had been frantically getting into position. Kyrel was thinking of hundreds of plans in his head... He had thought this for years, and knew what to do... If he would lose this world he would make sure to leave his mark, after erasing history of certain Alliance members such as Kimiko Taiyou traveling to his Fortress... With whom he would meet again. One of the Alazmec cultists emerged to Kyrel bowing his head. Speaking in his own dialect which Kyrel vaguely understood. "My lord... We have detected intruders outside the Fortress... Forces encroaching upon sacred ground... Your orders."

Kyrel had clenched his armored fists, as he felt several Force Signatures and more. He had only a second to think on his decisions. "Send out all of your men into Corvax Forest.... Slay them all, do not stop until everyone is destroyed... My Stormtroopers shall deal with the enemy gaining towards the grounds." The shadowy servant bowed his head. The Alazmec were esteemed followers of Lord Vader, and now they had served Kyrel as the new dark lord of Mustafar. They would either succeed or die trying just as their master had suspected. Kyrel had ordered all battalions of Crimson Troopers towards the outside of the black gates. With Kyrel deactivating the holding cells in the detention area, unleashing a corrupted and tortured Jedi, covered in dark armor. A disciple of Ren made to serve the Lord of Mustafar.... Half alive and half dead. He emerged from the dark depths to give the Jedi quite the greeting, approaching to meet the Stormtroopers approaching the front gate of the Fortress... Slowly the Obsidian gates began to open. With the armored man igniting a red blade to meet Janick Beauchamp The dark warrior spoke as the stormtroopers aimed their weapons at the unknown Intruder. "My Master bids thee welcome... To your death... None shall enter inside his Lord's castle or face death."

Meanwhile in the forests, the Cultists slowly emerged from the hidden passages of the Castle. Armored with lightsaber resistant Melee weapons. Blasters as well and while crude they would serve in slowing anyone down that would try the Castle. They slowly emerged from the thick iron tree's aiming their weapons at both Zak of Amroth and the likes of Caedyn Arenais The leader of the cultists emerging forth. Speaking in a twisted basic. As if the dark side's hold had affected him. "Greetings, My Master sends his regards but none can enter his domain without the price of blood. One chance to surrender and my master might show you mercy..."

Meanwhile Kyrel retreated to the heart of the Fortress... The Sith Cave. The place where the Fortress's energy in the Force could be magnified ten fold... Where he would conduct his endgame. Using his connection to the dark side to unleash his wrath on all his enemies... He stood in between three boulders inscribed with Sith writings, and outwards stretching to three black monoliths. Taking a breath. He slowly stretched his hands out. The Rocks began to glow a bright red as soon as he placed his hands on them. Lines of red extending to ignite the markings. At once Kyrel felt possessed by the dark side, and the shadow of Vader engulf him. Aligning the energies, on the outside lightning began to crackle from the skies. Touching the tuning forks that were the spires of the tower. Used to focus the power of the Force... The Ritual had begun.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

For a Jedi, Quill was unusually prone to hate. To the absolute core of his being, he hated long meetings, cramped crowds, and unexpected company.

He also hated skydiving with a repulsorpack, no matter how often he'd done it.

Fortress Vader was an unmissable target, a black spike at the edge of a lava fall. Troops and droids appeared as little specks in the surrounding volcanic landscape and the nearby fen. A hazy deflector shield protected the facility. As it rushed up at him, Quill felt much like the Black Bishop of obscure legend, caught between life and death, dwelling in frozen time, helpless.

Then Quill's field disruptor wrapped him an energy cocoon and he crashed through the facility shield in a cataclysmic heartbeat. The repulsorpack slowed him, softened his landing so he didn't shatter his legs, Force or no Force. His blue-white saber snapped to life. Keenly aware that the enemy had droids and troopers and cultists aplenty, he shrugged off the bulky repulsorpack and sprinted for the nearest door. Somewhere ahead and below, the Dark Side was gathering in a way that he wasn't looking forward to.

Kyrel Ren

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Why do I always miss it when we go to the nice places?" Cotan moaned to himself, trudging along the volcanic sands. He'd left his droid and ship behind a while ago, opting to make a more stealthy approach than usual. So far it was proving hot and uncomfortable. "I always miss the party worlds, the civilized places. I always show up in warzones or hellish landscapes. Just dreadful."

Hearing the loud whine of engines in atmosphere, he looked up, seeing a ship screaming down towards the ground. Definitely not a First Order or Ren-aligned ship; no, it was either some poor spacer who got caught up in a mess they shouldn't have been part of, or an OPA vessel. "Well, guess I'm not the only one having a bad day, am I?" he mused to himself. He tightened his sword belt, holding the hilt of his weapon while he ran so that it wouldn't jostle around quite so much.

He didn't have far to go before reaching the sight of the crash, noticing rather quickly that he wasn't the first one to make it there.

Far from it, in fact; two friendlies who apparently weren't quite friendly to each other, and a bunch of hostiles.

Just great.

He held up one hand, forming a barrier of protective energy around Caedyn Arenais and Zak of Amroth, cutting off the cultist's words as he did so. With the other, he drew his sword, the supernaturally-supercooled blade shimmering as the light around the group hit it. "I recommend you back away from these two," he suggested calmly, giving the leading cultist a smile and abandoning all pretense of stealth, either physically or in the Force. "I'm rather fond of them, and I don't like your talk of blood prices and the like nearly as much."

Kyrel Ren

 

[Ariel Yvarro]

Mustafar.​

​

It had been the follow-up to Kaeshana. Even now, Ariel did not enjoy the idea of being here. She had only arrived once in the past and that was to meet with Kyrel Ren . "Steady as she goes Lieutenant." She stood behind the pilot and navigator as the transport swept through the atmosphere. "Status on the White Wolves?" Ariel turned her attention to an army captain, Vir Aetos. ​

​

"Caceres and his men have touched down," Aetos reported.​

​

"Good." Ariel acknowledged.​

​

In the midst of Master Ren entertaining the new Alliance guests that have arrived on the world. First Order transports descended toward a particular section of the planet. TIE Fighters of the 181st escorted the transports, "Lieutenant Harish set us down beside Caceres' transport." Ariel instructed as she slipped a pair of black woolen gloves over her fingers. Aetos stood up to help her with her armor, lightweight yet durable, "thank you, Captain."​

​

"No problem, uh, ma'am," Aetos still wasn't sure how to refer to Ariel, it was evident that she ran the show. ​

​

Harish deployed the landing struts and set the transport beside Caceres's. A small plateau held the First Order's troops, as a circle of transports could be made out. Ariel Yvarro accompanied by Captain Aetos and his lieutenant approached Major Caceres. Salutes were exchanged, and Ariel inquired on the task. "Have we acquired the location of the ship?"​

​

"We have but the trek toward the Frontrunner is treacherous," Caceres began, "and with the Alliance, landing troops to face off against the Ren and his cultist we'll be pressed for time."​

​

She nodded slowly as he spoke and drew in a breath, "well we didn't come all this way to simply turn around in the face of adversity, Major." ​

​

"Indeed, and what a shame it would be to leave the Grand Moff's vessel in ruins here," Caceres agreed and surveyed the landscape and watched overhead for the Alliance. A few more transports from the First Order arrived, "Captain Aetos, would you mind it so terribly to set up a forward operations base?"​

​

"Not at all," Aetos answered without hesitation although the Major's tone was irritating, it was done in a way that one would talk to a servant. Aetos wanted to shove Caceres' smile through a set of Mustafar's finest lava pools. "It would be my pleasure."​

​

"Perfect," Caceres put a period at the end of his conversation with Aetos. "Ms. Yvarro, whenever you're ready."​

​

Yvarro gave Aetos a look of reassurance before she turned her attention fully toward Caceres. "I am, and if you don't mind I'd like Lieutenant Harish to accompany us."​

​

"No trouble at all, I hope the Lieutenant is good with a rifle."​

​

"The Lieutenant is quite well with a rifle," Harish replied in kind and looked Aetos who mouthed, 'good luck.' ​

​

Without another word, Major Caceres grabbed his helmet and secured it to his alabaster-colored plastoid armor. He instructed a platoon to stay with the Army to keep watch while he and another platoon left to aid Ms. Yvarro in the quest for the ruins of the F.I.V. Frontrunner that had gone down during the First Order's initial invasion of Mustafar around late 850 ABY, early 851 ABY. Yvarro and Harish were kept in the center of the formation of Stormtroopers as they departed FOB Amsel. ​

​

BYOO - 1​

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[Shira Varanin]

"Open up! I'm one of the few Ren that survived the OPA assault on Varonat; the OPA is after me because I hold some knowledge they seek and Castle Vader is the closest safehouse that could ensure my safety!"

Kyrel had ordered all battalions of Crimson Troopers towards the outside of the black gates. With Kyrel deactivating the holding cells in the detention area, unleashing a corrupted and tortured Jedi, covered in dark armor. A disciple of Ren made to serve the Lord of Mustafar.... Half alive and half dead. He emerged from the dark depths to give the Jedi quite the greeting, approaching to meet the Stormtroopers approaching the front gate of the Fortress... Slowly the Obsidian gates began to open. With the armored man igniting a red blade to meet Janick Beauchamp The dark warrior spoke as the stormtroopers aimed their weapons at the unknown Intruder. "My Master bids thee welcome... To your death... None shall enter inside his Lord's castle or face death."

Shira's stowaway node had kept her off lifeform scanners, but the naked eye worked just fine. As soon as she and a handful of similarly protected Cloud City Sentinels emerged from a crevice of volcanic rock, plenty of blasters pointed their way. Shira activated her blue-bladed lightstaff with a double snap-hiss. The scarred, plainclothes Jedi Knights with her did likewise with their own individualized sabers.

"We're, uh, Knights of Ren too."

The staff spun crazily as she closed the final gap and started tearing into the troopers between her and the red-saber fellow in armor. The other Jedi charged as well. The Sentinels hadn't meant to dive right in, but it didn't look like the defenders were falling for Janick's ruse in any significant way, so...

 

[Sinestra]

"Arise, arise, Riders of Kkkt!
vibroblades shall be broken, energy shields shall be depleted
a saber-day, a red day, ere the lava rises!
Ride now, ride now, ride! Ride for ruin and the galaxy's ending!
Death! Death! Death!
Forth Mustafarians!"

Trot turned to canter.
Canter turned to gallop.
And Jude Falkrowe led the charge of the Mustafarians against Castle Vader.


Kyrel Ren
Jessica Med-Beq Shira Varanin Cotan Sar'andor Zak of Amroth Caedyn Arenais Jend-Ro Quill Ariel Yvarro Qell Auraeli​

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Objective 1: Return to Vader Castle
Allies: Sinestra Shira Varanin Zak of Amroth Cotan Sar'andor Caedyn Arenais Qell Auraeli
Enemies: Kyrel Ren

That did not work at all. May as well tie up as many of the enemy forces as I can, so that Mustafarian rebels, supported by plainclothes Jedi, can engage! she thought, while drawing a black lightsaber on one hand, to defend herself against the stormtroopers that opened fire at her, while she was accumulating ambient hatred like a sponge. Some of it was internal to her, especially since the subfaction in control of the Castle appeared to distrust even Ren serving in other areas. The sheer amount of hatred flying near the obsidian gates of the castle would then be turned into bolts of hatred that fly towards them as radiant spheres of dark-sided energy were fired at them. And then detonated in bright explosions of green energy upon impact. At least she could feel that her involvement in this operation was not wasted, just not the role she originally envisioned.

 

[Dax Perl]

.

.

.

[ D A X...F Y R E ]

Objective 1: Something something Knights of Ren
Allies: Cotan Sar'andor | Zak of Amroth | Caedyn Arenais
Enemies: Kyrel Ren

............Something something, Mustafar. Blah blah blah, Knights of Ren. Yeah that about summarized the briefing that Dax had heard. Of course, the actual one had been much more detailed, but to be honest, he'd stopped caring. He wasn't the Grand Marshall anymore, hell, he wasn't even a Judge anymore. The only thing he needed to worry about now was getting home alive. Of course, landing on Mustafar and walking into a fortress full of people who'd tried to kill him, and he them, for the past however many years kinda put a giant monkey wrench in those plans. He could've said 'no' when the mass call for help went out, but nope, here he was, trudging through the ash covered Corvax Fen to what would probably be certain death. But then again, Death held little meaning anymore, and he had done this kind of stuff before...in fact, he had fond memories of crashing a First Order ball...maybe he'd met some of these Ren there? It'd be a shame to kill a drinking buddy...

"I recommend you back away from these two," came a muffled but familiar voice. Dax, hands in pockets and eyebrow raised started moving in the direction of the voice. And what do you know, it was Zak and Cotan and some other hooligan that Dax didn't recognize. And they'd gotten themselves into trouble. Again. What a surprise...

"I'm rather fond of them, and I don't like your talk of blood prices and the like nearly as much."

............A heavy boot firmly planted itself into Cotan's ass. "How is it that every time I see you two, you're always slackin' off?" Dax chastised the pair, knowing full well Cotan wouldn't recognize Dax or his Force signature...but with any luck he'd recognize the man's mannerisms and signature sabers.

............The Rogue drew his slugthrower and looked at the anti-lightsaber club wielding cultists with a curious, but unamused look. "You guys just gonna stand there, or are you gonna try and kill us?"

.

by Dax Fyre​

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Inventory: Lightsaber | Caedyn's Jedi Armor.
Companion: Chip.
Interacting with: Zak of Amroth | Cotan Sar'andor | Dax Perl
Opposition: Knights of Ren ( Kyrel Ren )

Spoiler: Objective

RETURN TO CASTLE VADER - [Surface Conquest] The Alliance is launching an all out assault on Fortress Vader the infamous Knights of Ren stronghold. Join the main siege as a rebel fighter or infiltrate the Fortress along with other trained Knights and commando units to hunt down any darkside VIPs.

​

The benefit of being a Jedi working under the Outer Planets Alliance was that there were no shortage of friends, all greatly diverse and most of them sharing in Caedyn's ambition to do right by the people of the Outer Rim, and by extension the greater Galaxy at large. Seeing Cotan Sar'andor show up brought a smile to his face, even in the presence of such opposition; soon followed by that of Dax Perl whom Caedyn wasn't nearly as familiar with, however equally appreciative to have the back up in the face of confrontation.

His greatest teacher, Asha Hex was also only six years older than Caedyn had been when he first joined the Je'daii long before his choosing the Jedi Path of today, and like a stern but kind older Sister figure in his life; In some way, this also gave him a perspective of Cotan through Asha's stories and musings of him, to be a sort of estranged older brother. Estranged, because the two really had not spent enough time in each others company that was worthy of their mutual connection.

"I'm starting to think my Master's got you watching my back, Cotan" Caedyn remarked as he drew his hilt from his belt, igniting it in preparation, assuming that the retaliatory force that had come out to meet them, held no intention of stepping down from a fight.

Glancing back over at Zak of Amroth, Caedyn gave the man something of a skeptical eye. "You convinced now?" he asked rhetorically, given that he was among the three currently having their lives threatened. His Dad had been right on that front, claiming that if you weren't being threatened then you probably weren't doing your job as a Jedi correctly.

 

[Ariel Yvarro]

Major Dantae Caceres's alabaster-colored armor was dinged to a soft eggshell color in a matter of minutes. The crevices and jagged features of the landscape proved difficult, coupled with the high heat and ash - made it even worse. Breathers turned on, and a rebreather was handed to Yvarro and Harish. Mustafar was not for the faint of heart and could easily kill a living being in seconds. One misstep would result in death, as they were led over a narrow bridge of rocks where a river of lava bubbled below. "Eyes forward," Harish in a calm manner mentioned as he kept Yvarro on the move. ​

​

Behind them were more of the dinged colored Stormtroopers, blasters clipped to their back. "We turn here," Caceres stated as he motioned to the right where the rocks sloped downward. ​

​

"The Frontrunner landed on its port side according to the reports, Major." Yvarro managed as she breathed in fresher air through the mask.​

​

"Indeed it did, we spotted parts of her hull but the heat of the planet overheated the reactors and melted most of it into the rocks themselves," the Major replied as sent his Lieutenants ahead and dropped back to speak with Yvarro personally. "Sun-Shin told me the Concordia would be in the system with other transports, is that so?"​

​

"Yes, we'll take whatever we can back to Dosuun."​

​

"Understood, but I warn you - there's likely not to be a lot left."​

​

Yvarro acknowledged Major Caceres with a nod. Even if there wasn't much left, she still wanted it - it was after all one of Natasi's main vessels and would still serve as a living piece of history. For Yvarro personally, it was something to remember her cousin by. ​

​

Back at the Forward Ops, Captain Aetos and his men kept watch. ​

​

The intent was to leave once pieces of the Frontrunner had been verified, a modified bomber with a magnetic hook was being worked on not too far from him. The worst part was keeping the temperatures at a level that could be worked with, and even this high up on the plateau they were racing against the clock. Volcanologists and other scientists kept their timetable updated, on occasion a look would be exchanged between their lead scientist Dr. Concetta Vear, and the Captain himself. ​

​

"We'll need to get these walls up if we're to last." She said whilst gesturing toward the palettes of heat resistant metallic walls. ​

​

Not that Aetos hadn't been attempting to figure out how to get it set up with the manpower they had. "How much time?"​

​

"If we get started now we should be alright." Dr. Vears countered.​

​

"Then let's do it," Aetos stepped forward and rounded the men and ordered the Commandos to stay on watch while they rushed toward the palettes. Scientists worked to both direct the men and set up the poles to hook the walls into. ​

​

BYOO - 2​

 

[Zak Amroth]

"What the hell?!"

Zak reacted on instinct to the protective barrier provided by Cotan Sar'andor , lashing out with his mind to collapse it from within in a colorful display of green sparks. He raised his blaster and shot the lead emissary of Kyrel Ren in the head. The other cultists closed in to attack and the Sheriff of Terminus kept firing, his energy blasts deflected by their melee weapons.

"Boring conversation anyway," he gritted his teeth.

The Judge kept firing in a genuinely dazzling display of guncraft. He kept each assailant just out of reach with his perfectly timed shots and somehow managed to dance out of the way every time one of his own rounds was sent hurtling back at him. One of the cultists closed to within melee range and lashed out. Zak shoved his weapon past the darkside fanatic's guard and pulled the trigger, boring a hole in his skull before the cut could follow through.

"Oh let me guess you wanted to talk them out of it?" the kiffar snorted at Caedyn Arenais and Dax Perl , "Somebody stab somebody!"

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

The fight with the cultists started faster than a Corellian barfight; and, twisted by the Dark Side though they were, it looked like it was going to end just as quickly. When the barrier he'd put in place around Zak and Caedyn was blasted apart, Cotan jumped into action, quickly dashing around with his blade. Compared to the cauterized wounds left by Zak's blaster or Caedyn's lightsaber, the force-imbued weapon Cotan was wielding sent sprays of blood through the air as he carved through the opposition, sending hands and forearms flying as he neatly disarmed the belligerent, wayward worshippers.

Then, a moment later, just as Zak finished speaking, the blade of Cotan's sword seemed to materialize right next to his cheek, just within the Sheriff's peripheral vision. "Ask, and you shall receive," Cotan replied, wrenching his weapon free of a cultist's neck with a quick flourish, ending the engagement juast as abruptly as it had begun. As the woman fell to the ground with a gurgling death rattle, he stepped forwards, putting a hand on Zak's shoulder.

"You need to watch your back, though; and remember to do something to stop your opponent's weapon other than just shooting them in the head. If that one cultist—" he kicked at the body of the fanatic that Zak had neatly executed moments before— "Had actually committed to his strike, you'd have a vibroblade buried in between your neck and collarbone." With a friendly pat that didn't match up with the small chastisement he'd just given, Cotan stepped away from Zak.

Only for his blade to whip up in the air again, moving with impossible speed until its point was hanging a fraction of an inch away from their mysterious fourth member's throat, a look of distrust on Cotan's face.

"So. Showing up out of nowhere, unannounced, ruining my big damn hero moment with a bad joke, and you assume that means I'm going to be willing to work with you?" he growled at the man, looking like he was moments away from lunging forwards to make another lifeless corpse on the volcanic soil. Until, after a moment, a small smirk started to twist the edges of his mouth upwards, and his blade lowered slightly.

"I still haven't even forgiven you for throwing me at Carnifex, you know!"

Dax Perl Caedyn Arenais Zak of Amroth

 

[Dax Perl]

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[ D A X...F Y R E ]

Objective 1: Teach the amateurs a lesson
Allies: Cotan Sar'andor | Zak of Amroth | Caedyn Arenais
Enemies: Kyrel Ren

............In typical OPA fashion things went haywire in an instant. Zak freaked out. Force barriers exploded. Blaster bolts started flying. "Somebody stab somebody!" shouted Zak. Cotan obliged. Dax sighed. Yeah, this seemed like a typical day with these two. On the bright side, cultists were dropping left and right and Zak burned holes into the group's assailants, and Cotan spilled blood in an absolutely spectacular fashion.

............Dax followed closely behind Cotan and his trail of severed limbs, taking next to no time at all to follow up the man's disarming strikes with his own deadly blows. Boom, a cultist gets drilled in the forehead by a slugthrower. Slash, another bears a searing gash down the front of his torso. The sound of eerie winds and another cultist drops to the ground, drained of life.

"Man, you're really making it easy on me. I ain't that old yet, ya know," Dax said, at least until he stopped dead short of spearing himself on the end of a sword.

"So. Showing up out of nowhere, unannounced, ruining my big damn hero moment with a bad joke, and you assume that means I'm going to be willing to work with you? I still haven't even forgiven you for throwing me at Carnifex, you know!"

............Dax's face broke into a wide grin, glad to see that the man still recognized him, even in this new body. The man chuckled, unable to contain himself, "What? I knew you'd be fine."

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by Dax Fyre​

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Inventory: Lightsaber | Caedyn's Jedi Armor.
Companion: Chip.
Interacting with: Zak of Amroth | Cotan Sar'andor | Dax Perl
Opposition: Knights of Ren ( Kyrel Ren )

Spoiler: Objective

RETURN TO CASTLE VADER - [Surface Conquest] The Alliance is launching an all out assault on Fortress Vader the infamous Knights of Ren stronghold. Join the main siege as a rebel fighter or infiltrate the Fortress along with other trained Knights and commando units to hunt down any darkside VIPs.

​

Caedyn blinked as the scene unfolded before him. Zak of Amroth's quick overreaction putting an end to the protective barrier around them and starting the fight himself, let loose a bolt that cut down the lead cultist with a single bolt to the head. The shot that rang out caused Caedyn to flinch, and soon watched as Cotan Sar'andor moved to follow up with a series of strikes with his Force Imbued Blade. The younger Jedi didn't even have to make a move, as the others took to the fight faster than those of the Cultists of Ren, which was frankly surprising to Caedyn. It also served as a reminder that there were many different Force User groups working for Alliance Command, the Judges were the largest example of today, whom weren't restrained by the same principles as those of the Jedi.

"Chip, intercept any outbound communications in the area. Try to give us some cover on that end" Caedyn asked his little BB-Model companion, Chip rolling about frantically around Caedyn's legs in response to the fight that had been ended so abruptly. Caedyn had to distract himself from the fallen husks now empty of the presence of life before the group, still not accustomed to being in the presence of death without remorse.

Dax Perl continued to speak after all was said and done, whilst Caedyn sort of just stood there in the moment, not really paying too much attention to what was being said. He was genuinely glad for the Allies present, they whom were more experienced than he, though he still needed to wrap his head around the losses of conflict and strife.

Chip soon gave a loud series of beeps and whistles, Caedyn's grasp of binary still a work in progress however from the gist of things, it sounded as though others had already reached and began to infiltrate the Fortress ahead of them. "We've got people hitting the Fortress now..." Caedyn announced to the group, finally with something useful to add to their discussion. He was the odd one out, both in age and familiarity among them all.