Casus Belli (Tygaran Alliance/Galactic Alliance vs First Order Rebellion of Kaeshana)

[H3xle]

Location: Citadel of Dawn
Allies: [member="Draco Vereen"]
Enemies: Engaging - [member="Ludolf Vaas"]

As the troops Taryc had come into this conflict with continued to battle near the communications tower outside of Santaissa, Taryc was pouring violet fire into [member="elpsis elaris"]'s wall of flames. The combined flames made a beautiful tapestry of roaring luminescence. For a brief moment, Taryc could do nothing but stare at it and feed it, a brief shiver running down her spine at the sheer beauty of it.

"Alright, that works for me. Cinder, Tempest, Nima. Do your best to do what you do. I know you all can handle yourselves." The mandalorian warrior drew his axe out from behind his back, gripping it tightly as he held onto it, his hands shaking as his muscles dealt with having been stressed and strained by the Force. "Booty, I need you to come with me. Every serpent has a head, me and you are gonna crush it." He pointed in the direction the prisoners had been released. "They were being held in that direction and who ever is in charge has to be there too. Normal psychopaths don't think about that kind of stuff." The Scarred, or whatever they would eventually be after getting cybernetic replacements, were just the latest as far as Draco was concerned. Having hailed from Eriadu, and having lost his parents to the First Order's bombing of the planet, their snide apology meant nothing. It meant nothing to the people that died there or the people who lost people there. It was time to start killing the people responsible instead of just carving through their minions. "Keep up, stay low, and don't worry about the chaff."

Taryc broke from her trance and brought her sword around in a slow arc. The violet flames petered out and then died as she stopped focusing on it and breathed deeply of the filtered air in her helmet.

"You got it, Draco." She said as she whipped her sword around in a faster arc, flipping the hilt around in her hand until the blade was pointing backwards. She tucked the beskar blade up against her beskar armor of her arm, and ran in a low crouch with Draco. Taryc was frankly astonished at the ability of the man before her, in a purely battlefield sense. The wall of fire Elpsis had put up couldn't have been an easy thing to maintain, as she'd seen Draco do his powerup touch on the pyromancer. Yet, here he was, rushing forward into the battle to personally fight one of the commanders. He'd brought her along, which might have been about fatigue, but also might have just been to teach her. With a mental shrug, she continued onwards as they hunted down the man that mutilated the prisoners.

As a former inquisitor of the Primeval, she'd done similar and worse to those she had gotten her hands on. She knew that her hands were not just soaked in blood, but indelibly dyed by it. Still, with all of the rethinking she'd been doing the past few years, and with all of the strides towards not being Senora Psychopath, she looked upon the mutilation with a mix of clinical calm, and righteous fury. Not for the first time, she wondered what had happened to cause such a significant shift in herself, to want to avenge these poor sods now, when she'd been guilty of worse before. Perhaps it was her unconscious way of atoning for her previous life of villainy.

All these thoughts, however, were superfluous as she and Draco continued to push through the charred corpses of storm troopers, then through more troopers themselves.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

FIV CONTEMPT
CIC
KAESHANA SYSTEM
OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE ENEMY FORCES
ALLIES: [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] | [member="Fiolette Yvarro"] | [member="Aran Piett"]
ENEMIES: [member="Cathul Thuku"] | [member="Kyrana Gould"] | [member="Vilin"] | [member="Alexandra Morrow"]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQA7RQEo-ss​

It had been a slugfest from the beginning. Groups of ships jumping in as soon as they became available, with little coordination or planning. Pincered between two enemy forces with little room to maneuver, he'd chosen to close and focus on one fleet rather than be split and divided in the face of a superior foe. It had gone rather predictably, with both fleets beat to shreds and each now trying to gain whatever advantage they could over the other. The Darr Itah's were possibly the most well-armed ship in the galaxy (excepting a few unique vessels) so while the Contempt retained something of an edge in firepower, the Excubitor was significantly more resilient. As things stood right now, they were looking at mutual destruction for basically the entire fleets on both sides. Hell of a way to fight a war.

Cyrus thought all this as he silently watched the battle progress. The Contempt and Predator were practically aglow, but giving as good as they got. It wouldn't last much longer, Sekerian's maneuvering had saved the flagship but meant even the legendarily durable Wyyrlok-class destroyer was losing integrity much faster than it could be repaired.

He raised his Chief of Staff on comms. The Kaleesh Admiral seemed rather relaxed, considering the circumstances, but Cyrus noted a tenseness to his posture that could only be nerves. It wasn't a mark against the man, most people took a ship coming apart around them much worse. It did mean he knew what was coming.

"I hope you weren't too attached to the Predator, Isano."

The kaleesh didn't answer, just gave a snide huff. "Do you plan to have me stay here all day?"

"Not at all. Execute a Faded Aegis. I expect a report in person in an hour."

Sekerian considered this for a few moments before he was able to deduce Cyrus' plan. Or most of it, at any rate. "I might be a bit late." He saluted and cut the channel.

Dramatics aside, it was no suicide mission. It was an attempt to put his opponent into a very difficult position, by offering her a choice. It also depended on the fleet of Commodore Rausgeber being able to maintain its pursuit, but as they had nearly close to standard range by now, that wasn't a huge concern.

"Execute to follow. All ships, return to formation, execute close withdrawal. Predator will act as the rearguard. Standby... Execute."

On the mark all the ships of the fleet that could maneuver closed up on the Contempt, making as tight a formation as was safe, and began to withdraw. Their main focus was on defense, but all continued firing as pulled back, with a colossal amount of shots directed at the Trimaran and most of the rest at the Excubitor. All except the Predator, which began to move forward at max acceleration, firing everything it had at the Trimaran. Then it twisted, as if executing a Marg Sabl, but instead of launching fighters a swarm of shuttles and escape pods launched from the rear, headed towards the Contempt and other First Order ships. At the same time it shifted all shields to the ventral sectors, making itself as large a target as possible and pumping as much energy into making itself a hard target. With no concerns about loss of life, the reactor, on an automated program, was set to keep charging energy and overload if necessary. After a few minutes it did just that, and the ship ripped apart from the inside as the barely contained star at its core released all its energy in a catastrophic explosion, and then just as quickly faded.

"Admiral Sekerian's shuttle cleared the Predator, we anticipate pick up in fifteen minutes."

Cyrus nodded, then considered his options. The tactical withdrawal meant to force his opponent to either pursue, and leave her formation vulnerable to an attack from the rear, which was happening even now, or turn to face the new threat, which gave Cyrus both the opportunity to escape without further damage, were he so inclined, or re-enter the battle following repairs.

But at the moment he doubted he had the forces left to do so. The Vanguard, barely functional as is, had weather a hail of fire and then made an emergency jump to hyperspace. Given their condition, the survival of the ship through transition was in serious doubt, but either way he was out one more Star Destroyer. The Scylla had likewise received a great deal of damage and while still active was on its last legs. That left him two moderately damaged Cruisers and two light Carriers for a proper screen, along with one frigate and now just two corvettes.

"Have all ships maintain range and keep formation for now. We'll see how the enemy responds."

Spoiler

1 x Darr Itah – (Contempt, heavy damage)
1 x Wyyrlok – (Predator, heavy damage)
0 x IDX – (Vanguard, heavy damage, emergency hyperjump) (Relentless Crippled)
1 x Executrix-class (Scylla, heavy damage)
1 x Victory-X (VD1 moderate damage, VD2 crippled and nonfunctional)
2 x Vindicator Carrier – (Carrier 1 and Carrier 2, light damage)
1 x Dagger Frigate – (FF1, 2, 4) (3 Crippled, 2 and 4 destroyed, 1 light damage)
1 x Stormcloud Assault Cruiser – (CG 1 destroyed, CG 2 with moderate damage)
2 x Corsair Gunships –(Raider, Bandit, Buccaneer, Brigand, Buc, Bandit destroyed, 2 with moderate damage)
1 x Charger Corvettes (Charge 1 and Charge 2)

33 Squadrons - LESS NOW
7 'Elite' Squadrons [x] [x]
16 Fighter Squadrons [x] [x]
10 Bomber Squadrons [x]

 

[Progflaw99]

In Atmos \ Kaeshana​

Status: Engaging GA Ground Forces ([member="Tarissa Cadalthor"] | [member="Aeda Shaytari"])​

In Vicinity: [member="Pierce Fortan III"] \ [member="Ishana Pavanos"]​

Surviving TIE/In Count: 7 (5 KIA)​

​

Having lost his tail, the infamous Double Ace [member="Kurt Meyer"], Nils pressed home his engines, driving them to maximum as he streaked towards the surface. Inputting a few commands on his data console, he brought up a real time display of the surface. He could see just how badly torn the surface of the world was, a few sensors pinging as the heaviest of radiation sites were identified. He'd want to be sure to avoid those. Bringing his fighter to bear towards the ruined city of Santaissa, he quickly determined a course of action. Comm reports were littered with losses on the ground, requesting air support and strafing runs - a sly grin creased his features as the TIE/In came ever lower. A nervous glance at his starfighter's readouts brought his plans to a screeching halt. *Fething hells*. His shields had taken a beating at the hands of the opposing pilot he'd engaged above the planet, and by the looks of it, his systems must have sustained some unperceived damage from the maser weapon systems mounted on The Coil. Keying up the mic on his comms, Nils broadcast first to the remainder of his squadron who'd followed him to the surface, and then towards the forces at the main encampment South of Santaissa.

:: Sheikh One to Sheikh Squadron, Got some strange readings here, gonna have to put her down in Santaissa. Stay on my six, we'll make a few strafing runs before we touch down. ::​

​

*Click*​

​

:: This is Captain Nils Brenner of the First Order, I'll be coming in with some damage. I'll need a few starfighter mechs to do a quick onceover and a resupply. Forces remaining in Santaissa, call in any priority targets and we'll hit them on our way in. ::​

​

Transitioning back to the task at hand, Nils gripped the controls tightly, bringing the fighters left into formation with him. Heading South from North of Santaissa, they lined up their trajectory towards the ruined city. As they began their approach, Nils' scanners, followed by his eyes tracked an APC as it bounced and rolled forward through the snow. He'd have a hard time missing it if he kept his current course. Bringing his TIE even lower to the ground, he could see now that it had stopped, the subtle beep now beginning to trill as a weapons lock was achieved.

The fighters on his wing lined up behind him as he observed the target - these must have been more Firemane forces or Galactic Alliance recon units. Depressing the button that would send a pair of the fighter's only concussion missiles streaking towards the APC's rear. Simultaneously squeezing the double triggers a deadly hail of laser cannon fire arced towards the APC as well. Nils briefly thanked the gods that he hadn't expended his missiles earlier. Cutting towards the target he didn't let up on the triggers until he was almost directly on top of the APC and the soldiers that had stepped out into the open, pulling up and shooting low over the ruined city. The 7 other starfighters on his wing did the same as they followed in behind Nils, unleashing their own weaponry upon the soldiers there before streaking overhead.

 

[Kuzo]

Kaeshana
​South of Santaissa- GA Transport
Allies: FO
​Enemies: Creators of the Force Storm
[member="Vexen"] [member="Micah Talith"]

She was starting to feel a little nauseated, which with a concussion was never a good thing. Or maybe it was the swaying of the transport as it started to make it's assent. Either way, it was taking a lot of concentration to not vomit all over her rescuers than she would have liked- so it took a moment to register that he was sort of asking her a question.

She blinked up at him, looking a little green around the edges.

"Um. Raj. Irajah. Doc is okay too. Yeah."

Normally, the banter would come just as easily to her. But things were feeling a little floaty and not in a good way.

 

[Nima Tann]

Location: Citadel of Dawn, Northwest
Allies: GA&TA people
Enemies: FO people

After the wall of fire was unleashed, the resistance in front of them died and their path towards the Citadel was open once more. Once their attack was over, Nima let go of the Force bubble and let out a relaxed sigh since it was difficult keeping the Force still, while the shield form slowly disappeared into thin air. [member="Draco Vereen"], along with [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"] , has advanced towards “the serpent’s head”, leaving the three to do what they did the best, getting rid of the rest of the opposition. However, it was then she felt a disturbance in the Force, a familiar aura, now slowly disappearing from the battlefield. She knew who it belonged to, which made it worse. Charlyra Araano, an acolyte of the Fire Order and a friend...

Yet, the battlefield didn’t let people to live their emotions that much, so she had to shake off those feelings and keep her concentration on battlefield. They still had a battle to win after all. Along with [member="Elpsis Elaris"] and [member="Tempest"], she continued her attack towards the remaining soldiers using TK. It was until she heard her voice once again, and saw her leaving the cover, and instictively followed her, taking a defensive stance. Around them, there was destruction, death, explosions... the sight, the gore of half bodies, a lot of blood and severed limbs, was almost too much to endure, however nobody said war was sunshine and rainbows and Nima accepted that fact a long time ago, so she kept moving. They approached to a young man who seemed to be an ally and Elpsis spared him some of her energy. They seemed to know each other to a degree.

She stood silent and sighed when Elpsis talked about Charlyra’s lightsaber, which he had with him, proving the feeling she had a while ago. They heard about what happened, and her fate. Also there was another lightsaber, which he said belonged to the man they were fighting. And from the lightsaber, one could feel the darkness growing as he wielded it. It was then Nima decided to join the conversation. She moved towards Elpsis and gently touched her shoulder. “Let’s make sure her death is not in vain.” Then turned to [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] “That... lightsaber you've got. I feel a lot of dark energy radiating from it. It is dangerous. Can carry it for you if you want, I have experience dealing with that stuff." Probably for the best. Nima knew how tempting the Dark Side was, and he seemed... well, he seemed a little off even by wielding it. Or it was her paranoia talking. Who knows.

 

[Progflaw99]

​

[member="Natasi Fortan"] | [member="Jaius Sovv"] | [member="Aermoira Cyone"] | [member="Anya Venari"]​

​

Awkwardly Nate had sat there like an idiot, dumbfounded and staring blankly at the sheet of paper the Grand Moff had handed him. Governor Barrett? He blinked several times, still trying to comprehend the fact that he'd just been given - in no uncertain terms, the position of Governor over Riflor. Rising to his feet and blankly walking over to the viewport, he gazed out at the darkness, punctuated by the millions of stars across the obsidian backdrop of space. So serene, silent, but most of all - cold. He felt numb, what months ago would have felt like a victory at the appointment of Governor was some how muted due to the circumstances at hand. Even now the cries of the dead echoed through the Force, or so he imagined. Running a bloodstained hand across the rough fabric of his borrowed uniform blouse, he ran his tongue along the inside of his teeth, the taste of iron still fresh. He'd scrubbed and scrubbed but he couldn't seem to wash them of the crimson stain. His mind wandered briefly, the words on the written page playing back in his mind, "...and commend him to the task of providing for the people of Riflor the safety, security, and opportunity that is the birthright of all First Order citizens." Safety. Safety was something that hadn't been afforded those citizens of Riflor who's bodies now filled a portion of the morgue upon the FIV Concordia. It hadn't been afforded those resident Eldorai on the planet's surface - previously ravaged and now boiling with the hatred and death of war. He couldn't remain still. While their original landing site had been bombarded with artillery and outright attacked, Nathaniel Barret could not stand idly by. He knew what needed to be done.

Turning quickly on his heel, he quietly nodded towards the Grand Moff as he made eye contact with her. They had shared a quiet moment away from the sounds of combat, the shuffling of equipment, the alarms and communications coming in detailing casualty lists and ships that had been reported as KIA. A moment where everything had been stripped away and what remained was two human beings, faced with the difficult reality of just that - being human. His booted feet carried him to the door, pausing just a moment to gather himself, and then he was back into the corridors. After several mis-turns and being told somewhat harshly that civilians didn't have access to something called the "Main Reactor" Nate found himself once more in the main lounge where the majority of his people had come after being shuttled from the surface. As he entered, he gave a brief nod to the scientists from the Advorian Institute of Engineering. Consisting of several of the native Advosec and a few Human advisers, the scientific delegation had originally been tasked with constructing living spaces for the natives of Kaeshana. Raising donations from the supportive population of New Advora, the then Commissioner Barrett had truly embodied the heart of the Riflorian people.

Taking a moment to breath and form his words, Nate stepped over to a small refrigeration module, grabbing a small bottle of water. What he was about to do, what he was about to ask these people to do would not be easy. They weren't war hardened soldiers, they weren't policemen or women - they were researchers, educators, engineers, civilians - and so was he, though he felt that wasn't entirely genuine, his experience during the Occupation of Dosuun had robbed him of complete innocence to the ways of war. Stepping into the common area once more, he caught the eye of one of their Advosec number, a man by the name of Targrun - a professor at the institute if memory served. He had been their defacto leader, one of the more experienced engineers.

"Targrun..." started the comm.. Governor of Riflor. "... Please gather the rest of the Advorian party - I have a few things I need to say."​

​

Gently unscrewing the cap of the bottle, Nate tilted his head back, the cold water temporarily washing the taste of blood and iron from his mouth. Motioning, bottle in hand, towards the supply of water, he spoke briefly as Targrun rose silently and padded off to gather the others.

"If any of you want to grab water, anything to nibble on, now is the time to do so."​

​

Resting his hand on the edge of a chair, he took the moments to look at the people already gathered, patiently awaiting for the remainder. They looked agitated, some unable to keep from moving whether it was a bouncing knee or a tapping hand. Others looked dazed almost, sitting back against the soft lounge furniture, eyes distant as they no doubt played back the events in their minds. Others still looked angry, almost visibly shaking with rage - and then Nate, the picture of calm. If it weren't for the white knuckled grip on the chair, he appeared by all accounts to be just as calm as a day on the beaches of New Advora. A short rustle of clothing and footsteps signaled the return of the Advose leader, Targrun, followed by nearly a dozen others. It seemed many of the party had been seeking solace in the solitude of their quarters, Nate didn't blame them. As they shuffled in, he cleared his throat, standing before them.

"My fellow Advorans. Words cannot express the feelings we all share today. You all know, I was right there with you all when it happened - when our friends were taken from us." He paused, a moment of recognition for those who had been swept up in the initial attack. "We set out to do a justice for the people of Kaeshana, those left on the ravaged surface. We came with supplies, equipment, and in good faith were prepared to help those less fortunate than ourselves.. We were repaid with blood." The anger began to creep into his voice once again, or was it determination? "How badly do we wish we could take revenge upon the soldiers firing their guns, the souls ordered to fire on civilian relief vessels - but I think we can do better." It was a rhetorical question, but a question nonetheless - one he could see resonated with more than one of their delegation.​

​

A quizzical look crossed the faces of those present just then, some still angry, others appearing about to burst into tears and yet his words held their attention. Uncomfortably, several of those present shifted, the crackling of thin plastic bottles as some took careful sips. Emotions were high, the complexity of their situation and the freshness of their horrors witnessed a lot to bear. Nate shifted his weight to his other foot, taking a moment to sip the water himself before continuing.

"We tried. We couldn't. We weren't allowed to." His eyes traced across those present. "We set out to help these people, provide them a hope of a new life, unhindered by the worry of where they would sleep at night, where they would get clean, irradiated water. As we know, Kaeshana is not a stranger to tough times. Are you willing to give up? Are you ready to throw in the towel? I for one, am not.".​

​

He stepped into full view now, his hands beckoning to those who listened. In his eyes burned a coal, not of anger, not of rage, but of determination. A single minded determination, set on completing what they came here to do. If they left now, deserting their cause and tucking tail to hide under the cover of the First Order's military might... what was the purpose? What did their friends die for? Their wives, their children? What was the purpose. His voice rose to a quiet shout as he continued, his words punctuated by gestures with his hands.

"I plan to return to the surface." He said, a hushed whisper or two audible from the small gathering. "I plan to continue what we started, to return to the surface and complete the mission we came here to complete. I understand this is very dangerous - and I want you to know that if you don't join me, I won't hold it against you, but let me explain why. If we leave now, if we give up, our friends - our loved ones, died for nothing. They all knew of the environmental risks when they signed up for this expedition, and it would be a dishonor to give up on something they felt so strongly about, something we feel so strongly about." He motioned towards the front of the room. "I leave in ten minutes, that should be enough to gather your things and make it to the port hangar bay. If you're with me - please meet me there."​

​

Without waiting, the newly named Governor of Riflor turned. He held his anxiety close, not wanting those who sat before him to see how afraid he was that no one would - how could he blame them? Several of the delegation had seen their friends literally blown to pieces in front of them as they disembarked their shuttles with supplies and equipment, others still carried bandages on various parts of their bodies from shrapnel, a result of the first rounds to hit. In but a moment his fears were washed away. A loud cough followed by a cacophony of footsteps and scraping feet signalling he wouldn't be alone. Looking back over his shoulder, he was overwhelmed. Every last one of them had stood, every last one of their number gathered was ready to try once more - unwilling to bow in the face of such tactics of fear. A genuine smile graced his features as he spoke one last time before turning to the corridor.

"I am proud to call you my brothers and sisters, now let's show the world who we are."​

​

​

 

[Zmej Ren]

Ruins of Santaissa
Allies: FO
Enemies: [member="Lynn Corerunner"]
Gear: Green bladed lightsaber, black armour, baton, gun


This encounter was proving tiresome, dragging out longer than she had planned or anticipated. Thoughts of squashing this Jedi and going for more Force sensitive victims swiftly sunk into the realm of dreams and unfulfilled wishes. Even without the intention to go after another pesky insect wrapped in brown robes, Zmej still needed to finish this particular encounter. Naturally, in her favour, though first shadows of doubt started to form in her mind – and those were chased away by the young disciple’s fiery passion. Blindly obedient to the Supreme Leader and completely devoted to the cause, Zmej burned for the First Order, no matter what her current state tried to claim. Wounded or not, the brutally trained Ren continued to draw the dark side’s energy, feeding her body as much as it desired to keep her function, for no other reason than ending the Jedi.

Kissing the Jedi’s thigh, Zmej’s stolen lightsaber hissed in satisfaction, allowed to taste the woman’s flesh and vaporize a nice scar into her body as a permanent reminder of this encounter. The scent of burned meat floated to the disciple’s nostrils, confirming her weapon’s hunger partially satiated. Like a startled animal, the Jedi swiftly jumped off, the Force carrying her to safety and out of Zmej’s reach. Lacking the ability to charge her relentlessly, Zmej chose to remain lying on the ground, in a fateful embrace of her dark side lover. Yellow suns continued to observe the opponent with unrivalled hatred, promising pain and suffering for the mind-controlling stunt she had unleashed.

Although given a fleeting moment to get up, no attempts at that have been made. Just like before, Zmej Ren continued to lie in Kaeshana’s ashes, eyes eventually shutting closed. Smooth, seemingly painless inhales and exhales gave the impression of a sleeping figure, but anyone willing to try the Ren's readiness would face the pointy end of her lightsaber. More energy was needed to finish this, thus wasting the opportunity to dive into the dark side’s healing waters of life and power. Turning the tides of this duel required both energy and tactic – even the strongest of opponents could be beaten and crippled through these means. One only needed to spot a chance and grasp it by the mane.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

OOC:

Spoiler

I know a lot of people have tagged me, I apologize for my brief absence. My posts are going to be short for a few days, an IRL injury makes it hard for me to sit at a computer desk for long periods of time. I'll try to get to each tag individually.

KA-200 recoiled as Eric Verdun ([member="Joza Perl"]) spat in his face, the saliva picking up sweat and caked dirt on the Stormtrooper's exposed face and pulilng it down into the socket of his eye. His one good eye, that is.

Using the back of his hand, KA-200 wiped the saliva away onto the white armor there, and watched as the boy, along with the others, were loaded into the transport. He had evidently touched a nerve in calling Verdun a child. But that was what he was. Sixteen years was hardly enough to be put into a position such as this - the start of a brutal war where entire civilizations were on the line. In a saner galaxy, this young man might have been off studying in some cozy alcove somewhere, or pursuing girls, rather than volunteering as a mercenary in what had now become a vicious, spiteful battle. He was eager to taste the fruits of adulthood, eager to throw his youth and innocence to the wayside. KA-200 would grant him what he wanted.

The transport lifted off and sailed high into the air. It wouldn't venture to go into the enemy lines; it would get close enough to drop off the scarred prisoners as instructed, and then from there, the blind men were on their own. Whether they made it safely back to friendly lines or not was not his concern, nor was it his care. He was only instructed by the Supreme Commander not to shoot them. Unfortunately for the prisoners and for Eric Verdun, KA-200 was far more creative than that.

The wind whipped through the cabin of the transport as the doorway slid open, revealing nothing but open air outside. KA-200 hung on to the tightropes on the side of the transport to balance himself, and then leaned down to grab the young Eric by the collar, and force him towards the edge.

"You're no child, you say?" KA-200 shouted above the din of repulsor engines and whipping wind. "Good then. If you're an adult, you can be treated as one. I feel better about this."

With a swift kick, KA-200's heel connected with Eric's back, and sent him tumbling out of the transport to fall several hundred feet before hitting the battlefield below.

 

[Cathul Thuku]

Location: Kaeshana Orbit
Allies: [member="Kyrana Gould"] [member="Vilin"] [member="Alexandra Morrow"]
Enemies: [member="Cyrus Tregessar"] [member="Aran Piett"] [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] [member="Fiolette Yvarro"]
Objective: Face the First Order onslaught
Music: FF2 boss music theme

ANS Excubitor
Admiral Cathul Thuku
Captain Tanith Helium, commanding

"Come on, [member="Zark"], if there is a master plan, he's not following it!"

"Weird: Lexie Morrow has had an opportunity to hit Carlyle's rear, but that's not happening, and Zark, too. There has never been a better time to do it than now"

"Sure, we destroyed two enemy destroyers, but we achieved very little here: only by destroying the Darr Itah can we make the enemy fear therapists! Beyond survivors of any crippled ships, of course"

To Cathul, because the enemy still believes that Therapy Command has a therapist as its commander, dealing a crippling blow to the enemy morale was the same as making the enemy fear therapists. Yet the only ones fearing therapists among the First Order right now is the poor crew of the Vanguard, which jumped to hyperspace in an emergency. Understandably, Carlyle Rausgeber pressed the attack on the Excubitor, but, since not everyone had clean firing lines, even against lame ducks such as the Excubitor, some of the enemy long-range fire ended up hitting other ships, such as the three carriers. Also, the ventral hangar onboard the Excubitor is inoperative and so are the missile launchers in its vicinity. Also, in the attack, some locations along the port were taking heavy fire. The casualties onboard the battlecruiser were well into the thousands and it became painfully obvious that there was a significant degradation of combat capability. By now the Excubitor is down about 25 missile launchers, with still two MIRV buses that can be fired in a single volley. And a few additional hardpoints. Meanwhile, the First Order has lost two destroyers, the Predator and the Vanguard, even though the Vanguard somehow diverted all its shield and weapon power to the emergency hyperdrive, forcing Cyrus to retreat. In their retreat, however, Cyrus concentrated nearly all of its remaining offensive power on the Trimaran. Because it was such a large target, and an equally lame duck compared to the enemy Darr Itah or their own Excubitor, it was easy to see that they ate way more than they could chew. After the enemy losing four Star Destroyers, now it was the Alliance's turn to be down one Star Destroyer: the Trimaran's prow blade is exploding, causing debris to fall down to the atmosphere.

"Missiles, main batteries, starboard trench batteries, fire at the enemy Darr Itah!"

"Port, aft trench batteries, fire on the enemy escorts!"

"Let Cyrus' stragglers go: only the Darr Itah is truly worth anything from them. All other capital ships, engage the enemy escorts on our port; Jacen, Ryan, concentrate your fire on Carlyle's Daggers, Cuvacia, Thebeon, target the nearest Vindicator carrier belonging to Carlyle"

"Requesting permission to load heavy proton bombs" the captain of the Voice of Lujo asked over comms.

"Because I don't expect the attack craft to last much longer, permission granted"

Also, the Hero of Coruscant turned to port, and faced Carlyle's fleet. Thus it fired its main battery on another Vindicator carrier under Carlyle's command, and the missiles were directed at the engines of one of the Empire-class frigates. With that said, about 1300 turbolasers' worth of fire were directed against the enemy Darr Itah, while ~550 turbolaser shots could be directed at Carlyle's frigates, mostly directed at the Daggers, while some of the Empires also were shot at. What the crews of the carriers called heavy proton bombs, were actually medium Deathballs, each taking up the space held by two proton rockets inside the D-Wings that survived to be able to reload their ordnance, and often considered to have the combined firepower of two proton rockets; outfitting heavy Deathballs would make the D-Wings one-hit wonders. Once the signal was given to launch the D-Wings...

"Split up the bombers into three groups, two squadrons of fighters assigned to each. Group 1, target the engines of the enemy Empire-class frigates, group 2, form up with [member="Roth Tillian"] and [member="Kurt Meyer"] behind the Liberator, Group 3, aim for the closest of CG-2 or VD-1"

"Roger that, Therapist Actual"

Even though Therapy Command was attacked on all sides, it wasn't beaten just yet. Despite the lower expectancy of survival, she still held some hope that either the Darr Itah will be eventually destroyed, the cruisers fall apart, or that she may otherwise kill more ships from the enemy than she first expected to do. Three groups of attack craft left the hornet's nest to engage the enemy capital ships, making a run to drop larger bombs than the previous proton rockets were, laden with larger explosive charges. Oh, of course, their targets weren't entirely undefended; however, several targets had only limited point-defense. So long as these groups of attack craft stayed clear of the Daggers or the Darr Itah, they were just fine and they could engage other attack craft in a limited fashion.

-----------------------------------------

Citadel of Dawn, northwestern trenches. For some obscure reason, the defenders of the Citadel didn't even try to molest the dropships carrying the relief force for the Alliance assault on the citadel. The Alliance expected that First Order fighters would engage four squadrons of dropships in atmosphere as ground reinforcements arrived near [member="Tempest"]'s position, perhaps a little behind. With a brigade's worth of troops, 1700 infantry, as well as five squadrons of tanks, reinforcements have arrived for the Alliance to press the assault on the citadel; while they had sufficient artillery to fire barrages at the First Order defenders of the facility, the troops that just landed behind the Alliance's lines would be seeing action soon enough. Even though Therapy Command was better known for medvac/casvac than for other support roles, it nevertheless provided what assistance it could. Although, of course, the morale of certain elite troops was a little shaky, nevertheless the battle raged on outside. While it is often tempting for elite combatants to forget that, more than the heroics of a few, wars are won with the sacrifices of the many, on the ground and in space.

"Push forward!" the commander of the landing force ordered his men, while advancing towards the GA positions to the citadel's northwest.

Therapy Command:

Spoiler

Capital ships:
ANS Excubitor (Procurator-X-class Grand Battlecruiser) heavy damage
ANS Hero of Coruscant (Mateus-class fleet carrier) heavy damage
ANS Trimaran (Trimaran-class Star Defender)
ANS Fury of Dulvoyinn (Incus-class escort carrier) moderate damage
ANS Voice of Lujo (Incus-class escort carrier) moderate damage
ANS Inysh (Dreadnought Mk3)
ANS Cuvacia (Dreadnought Mk3) moderate damage
ANS Thebeon (Dreadnought Mk3) moderate damage
ANS Dahrtag (Dreadnought Mk3)
ANS Jacen (Nebulon B7 frigate) moderate damage
ANS Ryan (Nebulon B7 frigate) moderate damage
ANS Siobhan (Nebulon B7 frigate)
ANS Astral (Nebulon B7 frigate)
ANS Columus (Nebulon B7 frigate)
ANS Bioavailability (Nebulon B7 frigate)

Attack craft:

180 T-70 X-Wings
51 D-Wings

Ground reinforcements (tagging [member="Tempest"]; also northwestern trench people may use the relief force as they see fit, such as [member="Nima Tann"]):

Spoiler

Infantry (1700 men total):
1500 GA marines, with 4 Korriban heavy machineguns per 100 men
150 grenadiers
50 snipers

Vehicles:
60 O1 Bhesj

 

[Lynn Nantaris]

Location: Ruins of Santaissa
Allies: Jedi and Friends
Enemies: [member="Zmej Ren"]
Post: 10

Lynn felt a new since of calm file her. Even in the sea of the Dark Side that she was in she felt calm, at home. It was beyond refreshing, but she assumed it was the light side aiding her. She wanted to save, not kill this girl and she knew she had no choice left, but like the Ren she needed time to prepare which Lynn was foolishly given that time.

She turned off her lightsaber and placed it into her lap as she knelt down in a meditative position and closed her eyes. She was still fully aware, but she needed to be filled with the light and her desire to save even this one dark side would fuel her. The longer she was given, the more she was blessed with the redeeming power that was the light side. She could feel her own wounds begin the process of healing, slow, but comforting. In one way or another, this fight was coming down to the light vs the Dark and the two were going to put the sides to the test.

 

[Zef Halo]

Jude remained silent and halted right in his tracks as he received the transmission from the 'old being' on the other side of the comlink. The troops slowly proceeded through the snowy ground, trying to find any sign of the assailant while the FOSB agent was on the line with him. The enemy had a point, he would continue with his hit and run tactics until there was not even one left of them standing. The blizzard and his stealth made the soldiers vulnerable. He only figured out that the rookie sent to gather the repeater was already eliminated.

Granted, Jude could simply halt the stormtroopers to remain in one position but he could not be too sure of the enemy's actual firepower and they simply became practice targets.

"Keep moving, I will catch along." He notified the sergeant while remaining on the same place. Jude then spoke over the comlink. "You can come out now, old being."


"See what you've got." Jude snarly added as he drew his charric pistol and focused on the battle that was to come.

[member="HK-36"] | [member="Torian Pierce"]​

(OOC: FITE ME BRUH)​

 

[HK-36]

Character: HK-36-1
Location: Ruins of Santaissa
Objective: Begin hunting FO officers and Force-Users, neutralize the rookie stormtrooper working on the repeater
Allies: All by himself, outside of his copy waiting in a stealth transport,
Enemies: [member="Jude Falkrowe"], and the Raven Squad, [member="Torian Pierce"] in the sky?
Equipment: Phrik Droid Body, Anti-Force Vong Biot Suit, 2x Electro-Cestus, Spear of Rae, Electro-Flail, HK's Training Lightsaber (Sliver of Light), 2x Magnetic Revolvers (Heavy), Magnetic Repeater (Heavy), Chameleon Cloak, Sigil of Hope, D.U.S.T., Anti-Force User Grenades, Grappling Hook (Pistol Format), Photoreceptor HypnoGaze attachment, jetpack, simple wrappings for camouflage and concealment.
Forces: The Knight Of The Eclipse (Dark Harvester Prize Stealth Transport) with a collection of shattergun-miniguns, bowcasters, and blast-staves on board


"You made the right choice. One of your stormtroopers is building snowmen near the ruined repeater, I placed an enchantment on him to keep him out of combat."

HK informed Jude so that he could collect the soldier and pull him out of there, the machine waited for the stormtroopers to pass by, he waited still to make sure they kept moving and did not turn around to set up an ambush, their heat signatures barely visible through the blizzard. Finally he would push himself to stand, deciding to settle on both the lightsaber and magnetic revolver, saber in his right hand and the revolver in the left.

"I have many names given to me by your kind, J."

Jude would hear through the commlink,

"Iron Knight, Lord Protector of the Protectorate, Exarch of the Pyre, First Baron of Abregado, the Breaker of Chains, Father of Droids,"

As the voice spoke to him Jude would be able to hear crunching of snow ahead of him as the droid dropped his sound dampeners, soon enough through the blizzard there would be a crimson glow of two eyes staring towards him, already took note of the pistol that seemed similar to old Charric models he encountered in Chiss space. His cloak dropped its stealth field and the black material would be visible against the snow rushing past them, stepping closer still his black form would be visible more clearly, the almost skeletal body was covered in some sort of black organic looking substance, if Jude had any knowledge of such things he would recognize it as a Vong biot, and should he try to reach out towards the droid with the Force, he would be unable to do so, the organic layer interfering with the Force itself. Although the organic layer covered him almost entirely, outside of the cloak and two heavy gauntlets on his hands, the glow of the red eyes would be visible from behind it, permeating the goopey membrane.

"I am Hunter Killer, series 36, unit 1."

The droid activated his lightsaber, the white blade erupting in its bright light, contrasted by his black cloak and the goop that covered him, otherwise it would be probably barely visible against the snow. As the blade extended out from the old, simple-looking hilt Jude would feel a strange aura of hope and serenity, calmness even as combat between them neared. It was the aura of the Light-Side, for even through his occasional somewhat-sinister demeanor the machine considered himself a servant of the Light, and his blade reflected that, the crystal within it was a Solari imbued with an ancient Light-sided presence to allow even a machine without presence in the Force to wield it.

"May the Force be with you, J."

HK saluted him and stepped into a modified Soresu stance, holding the blade diagonally across his own body, at his hip height, the other hand was held diagonally as well in other direction, holding that heavy variant of Magnetic Revolver.

If Jude worked with the Protectorate before or lived in the Core then he probably heard of the droid before in one of his names or the other, in fact if he grew up in the Core after the machine took control of Abregado system he may have watched cartoons of the droid and Kerrigan every Hyper-Saturday morning. Of course he could always have been one of those adults who just enjoyed watching cartoons and knew of them even if he was not the target demographic. That would be a weird fight then.

 

[BE-183]

Post: 14
Location: Citadel of dawn - Around the trenches / North approach
Objective: Try to keep a clean not-dying record / Harass invading forces
Status: Rifle gone, knife dropped; shoulder pad and chestplate cracked, cut hand / 6th platoon offscreen
Allies: First Order - [member="Samka Derith"]
Enemies: Galactic Alliance - [member=Dish] and [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Bee grabbed her pistol from where it fell, feeling pleased to be armed again. Relief was quickly drowned out by the dread pouring from an unaccountable agitation in her, heralding the arrival of a grave new problem. While the supersoldier was taking lightning like a champ and cruising to strike at Bee's Ren, this bloke sporting a yellow lightsaber was performing some supernatural intrusion from the sidelines. The bloody nerve...

Firing off a volley at the Jedi, she rolled aside for the inevitable deflection. She meant to break his focus and thus his hold on the Ren, even momentarily. It was a calculated risk, since the stormtrooper's armour could protect her from blaster fire. Naturally it went against her instincts to provoke the big bad Jedi without backup, but the situation called for courage over sense. Whatever came next, Samka had saved her arse, and she'd sure as hell return the favour.

 

[HK-36]

Character: Adventures of NPC Greycloak "Blade-Knight"
Location: The Citadel of Dawn
Objective: Finish capturing the Citadel, finish working on the Aspis Generator
Allies: [member="Jacen Voidstalker"], [member="Dish"],
Enemies: [member="BE-183"],

Inside the Citadel- 2 (20 troops) squads from the Iron Company, 10 troops per squad, organics and intelligent, emancipated Iron Legionnaire Droids alike, armored in the Protectorate Power Armor, and Electro-Cestus, armed with Magnetic Repeaters, mk2 and mk3 bolt guns, CBRW flamers, RC-2 magnetic miniguns, MD-1 mass drivers, depending on the role, and Magnetic Revolvers and Spears of Rae as side-arms, and carrying one Firemane Aspis shield generator
5 Iron Legionnaire Drones 10 (5 in the Citadel) armed with Abregado Blast-Staves
1 team with dismantled E-Web


As the forces sent by BE went on retreat to escape from the Citadel to reinforce their position outside of the fortress they would be allowed to do so unharrased by the enemy any further, Abregado troops quickly moving in behind them to secure the positions now undefended by Zero and his platoon. It would seem that with Zero's retreat so would fall the last of FO defenders within the Citadel, the rest of them going on retreat as well. Soon enough a transmission would be sent out to the allied forces in the area, [member="Elpsis Elaris"], [member="Draco Vereen"], [member="Tempest"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="Joza Perl"], [member="Trextan Voidstalker"], [member="Mao"], [member="Djacen Koyne"], [member="Elliot Locke"],

"The last of the FO defenders within the Citadel are retreating, we have captured the Citadel, I repeat, we have captured the Citadel! Secure the position and push the remaining FO off of the planet, they have nowhere left to run!"

Of course some of them already knew that as the Firemane teams sent by Elpsis were already setting up turrets and rotary shattergun positions on the Citadel battlements, securing their position to turn the fortress against the FO forces that still held some of the trenches around the stronghold. Still, the Abregado team continued to work on setting up the captured E-Web on the Citadel's walls to open fire against FO troops and a call has been sent out to summon specialized defensive reinforcements directly to the Citadel to bypass the siege lines FO were attempting to set up around the GA-held positions.


Meanwhile, another transmission has been sent out to the engineers working on the Aspis shield generator,

"Looks like Citadel is ours unless some lost FO company is hiding somewhere among its halls and corridors, what is your situation?"

The head engineer would be quick to respond,

"Sir, we are making good progress on getting the power generator up and running. We just need to replace some of the burnt capacitors and re-wire the crisped power cells and we should be good to go. Few more minutes and we'll have it online, sir!"

"That is what I like to hear, let us hope your work will continue undisturbed."

"Aye-aye, sir, thank you sir!"

And the engineer went back to work to continue with the repairs of the Citadel's power generator as the battle, for now, was pushed out from withing the Citadel and its focus centered around the trenches on its perimeter, especially the Northern and North-Eastern parts.

 

[Pharazon Draken]

[SIZE=11pt]Post #: 18[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Location: Southern Hemisphere Humanitarian Camp[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Objective: Medical Treatment, Humanitarian Relocation, Fortification[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Allies: First Order and Friends, Relevant: [member="Aermoira Cyone"] | [member="FN-888"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Enemies: Galactic Alliance and Friends, none directly involved.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Forces: 26 Stormtroopers (27 incl Pharazon). [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Equipment: Standard Stormtrooper Equipment.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Sergeant Cain offered a crisp salute to Lieutenant Lunor as he swiftly acknowledged his orders and adapted swiftly to the new command structure. Cain prided himself on his loyalty, self discipline, and respect for the chain of command, he would not fail his new Lieutenant. “It will be done ma’am” he said firmly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]After saluting, Cain made use of his helmet and vambrace computers to send the required data to Lieutenant Lunor so she could easily add his two squads into the communication and command net. After doing so he organised his troops and prepared to relay their orders and his own specific instructions for how he wanted them to be carried out. “Our orders are to evacuate the uninjured Eldorai children and their families if they are safe to be moved. They are being evacuated to the more established Fenrik base so as to free up more space in this camp and give them access to the better facilities” Cain said simply and firmly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“If some children or their families are unable to be moved they will be left here under the care of the medical staffers and humanitarian workers, there will be no hazardous evacuations am I understood” Cain said, louder and even more forceful, imitating Lieutenant Pharazon’s frequent forceful orders.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Finally, I want buckets off and a few white cloaks to make the rounds with us, these people have been through enough without us making their lives worse by frightening or intimidating them” Cain finished, concern and empathy for the refugees openly evident.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]As they began to search through the camp, the managed to get two medical staffers who were not busy with surgery to join each of the squads as they identified the children and their families able to be moved. As it turned out, there were not large numbers of unwounded children who were able to be moved, but there was enough that Cain did not want to leave any of them in this camp in its current state. The tents were shambolic, there was mud and blood coating near everything, there was little sanitation, the stench was horrific but Cain forced himself to keep his helmet off as they presented real faces to the refugees, not uniform skulls. The staffers helped bridge the divide in trust between the two sides as they had luckily found two that could speak the local language. The mothers were suspicious of being told they were being moved to another camp, but after having it explained they were at least willing to grudgingly go along with it. These particular Eldorai [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]after all[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] had been willing enough to come to this camp established by outsiders, so were likely a sample of the more pragmatic survivors. Some were more difficult, and the white cloaks spent quite some time convincing them this was not some kind of trap to get rid of them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Cain, for his part, tried to be a reassuring face for the children and their mothers and other family members, he distributed whatever supplies they could spare and some of those that they could probably not spare. He distributed water, food, blankets, anything he could do to support the staffer’s assertions that they were being moved to a much better facility. After Cain and his twenty men had been through the camp a few times, they were certain that they had found all the children and family members that could be safely moved, and they lead them towards Foxhound-Alpha’s vehicle [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]column[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“This is Cain” he began, replacing his helmet and speaking into the the new platoon com. “We have secured and assembled all the children that can be safely moved along with whatever carers they have if any.” Cain said, trying to stay as detached as he could.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“There are more children in the camp but they cannot be moved, some are injured, others are sick or too malnourished to move, I fear we would kill them if we tried to moved them” Cain said, concern seeping back into his tone no matter how much he tried.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“I would suggest that we allow one of the parents to travel with the children in the main vehicle, so as to assure the families that we mean them and the children no harm, otherwise we may have to restrain the adults which I do not believe would be advisable and would likely harm our credibility and ability to operate efficiently” Cain suggested professionally but concerned as finished his report.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Making a final check to see that all the children and their mothers and families were being safely and gently loaded into or onto the vehicles, Cain transferred responsibility for them over to the troopers commanding and operating the vehicles.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Orders now complete, civilians have been [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]transferred[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] to vehicle personnel, now moving to trench dig site”[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] Cain reported succinctly as he ordered his men to gather their entrenching tools and prepare for physical labour. Cain could only hope that they could improve the camp sufficiently so that those civilians who could not be moved could be cared for in the way they deserved. They entered the trench site, and began to dig, their armour would not be white until they left this planet they collectively determined, with even more filth now coating their armour as they dug.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Elsewhere, in a surgery tent[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Pharazon remained in surgery, as numerous white cloaks and military surgeons fought to keep him alive and to repair his shattered body. He would eventually need to be submerged in a bacta tank to fully heal his injuries and then be fitted with cybernetic or flash cloned fingers, but until then he was still fighting for survival. As several doctors had suspected he had extensive internal injuries and numerous broken or fractured bones and damaged veins and organs. The medic of 4th Platoon was assisting in the surgery given his own civilian profession as a surgeon. He would not let his commander die, not after everything he had given to get the platoon out of those ruins alive, not after he had shattered his body and given everything for each and everyone of them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The work of the surgeons continued, as did the flow of Pharazon’s blood onto the already [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]bloody[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] bare earth beneath them.[/SIZE]

 

[Maurice Dalton]

Location: Chalcedon City.

"Yeah you, you were the guy broadcasting on that open channel right, talking about that Galactic Alliance Fleet in orbit?"

"Whose asking?" Maurice was skeptical. In a place that he had never been to, clearly picked out for being an off-worlder almost immediately. Was this a trap? Had he fallen into an assassination attempt? And then he realized, how could he? He was a low-level political figure within the folds of the First Order. Moreso, the city that he administrated was hardly noteworthy, at least, in comparison to the likes of Avalonia and Prosperia, and the other notable planets in the First Order. New Vaiken was however, different in the way that it offered rehabilitation for the more... Unsavoury types of people.

Wait, Chalcedon.

"Let's just say..." The masked figure looked him up and down. "I don't appreciate my planet, even my people being oppressed like this."

Maurice was silent, his mind racing. Who was this guy? If what he claimed was true, he wasn't an assassin, and probably only meant a little harm.

I always wanted to say this.

"Take me, uh, to your leader, or whatever."

"You got it." A pause. "Get in." And then a door flew open and he was tugged into a speeder. Him. Maurice. A big guy, pulled in. Uh oh.

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

Allies: [member="Joza Perl"]
Enemies: [member="Asharad Graush"]

Having a Sith barrel into him didn't do Leo many favors. The guy had sent Leo flying after Joza's little force push and Leo's head cracked into the cold, hard cement of a nearby wall, knocking him out cold. He recovered quickly, mildly concussed, and as his vision cleared, the battle raged on between the formidable pair. Leo was in no state to fight hand-to-hand with a Sith, but he had one last shot. Activating his comms, he hoped that Joza had prepared herself for the battle and also brought a comm-unit as well.

"Joza, Joza!" He groaned, his vision blurred, "I don't know if you can hear this, but that Sith had Dax's sabre. I hope it's not too much to ask, but could you get it back for me?" He let out a low chuckle, kark it hurt. "Pretty please?" He added as an afterthought. There was not much left he could do but draw his Westar and wait for a clear shot.

 

[Aeda Shaytari]

Santaissa/Tarissa

Enemies: [member="Nils Brenner"]
Allies: [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Tarissa Cadalthor"] [member="Six-O"]
Commanding: Valora’s Chosen (In Yazgids) + Honour Guard of 10 Angelii of similar equipment and experience.

The dislike which Tarissa felt towards most of the galaxy, Aeda reserved for few people. It just so happened that Tarissa was on the list of people whom the Grand Seraph abandoned her usual stoicism to feel contempt for.
“Duchess Cadalthor. I shall do no such thing. Her duty is to protect and defend this city, as is yours, as is mine. Since the blizzard is all that is protecting us from…”
She stopped. The blizzard was raging, but her keen helmet’s sight picked up shapes through the swirling clouds….

“Enemy!” she called out in warning. “Sapphires, bolster the storm. Emeralds, mess with the ships. All units, spread out and take cover.”

The enemy TIEs would not be troubled by AA fire, as the Eldorai did not have any of that yet. However, they did have about 20 cryomancers. Even combined they could not match Kaida’s power…but they could come close, especially spread out as they were.
The winds howled, the icy winds blew and snow fell even thicker. The First Order TIEs would be heading into the mother of all blizzards.

Of course, ships of the galaxy were designed to resist high winds and cold, but the hit to visibility would be both significant and distracting. Coupled with the fact that less than 300 troopers were taking cover in the ruins of a city which had once held 20 million, the attack would be severely limited in effect.

That is not to say that it was completely ineffective. Several of the elite Angelii were hit either by explosives or by laser fire and went down, but most took cover in the snowy ruins and were ready to wait it out.

Those Eldorai skilled in terramancy meanwhile would try – likely with limited effect due to the range and speed of the TIEs – to use telekinesis and magnetism to damage or rip pieces off the ships.

Aeda herself took cover, giving no mind to Tarissa. She did not know how many casualties the arrogant noble had suffered, and at that moment was not terribly worried.
Instead, as the TIEs passed above she reached out with her Sciia – the Eldorai word for the Force – and summoned the storm into a whirlwind which she bent upon the First Order ships to try and bring them down or at least knock them so far off course they would be out of the battle for a while.

 

[Vaena Askari]

Location: Santaissa
Allies: [member="Aeda Shaytari"], [member="Six-O"]
Enemies: [member="Nils Brenner"]


Alas, there would be no more time for Tarissa to grandstand! Maybe Nils got lucky, maybe it was the will of the Great Goddess Ashira to teach the Duchess a lesson in humility or perhaps this writer just likes to blow stuff up.


Either way, despite the havoc caused by the massive blizzard, which had been summoned by the Kaida Taldir and the Angelii at the start of their advance and was still in play, the first concussion missile did in fact explode close enough to the APC to toss it around and smash it. Boom.


The Duchess was gripped by the shockwave and hurled around as she tried to seek cover. Luckily, she had called upon her Sciia, as the Eldorai called the Force, and wrapped it around her in a protective cocoon. This was what saved her life. It did not keep her from being in a good deal of pain and suffering broken ribs when she crashed into some debris. Ouch.


The aristo grimaced and coughed up some blood. However, she did not turn tail and flee. Tarissa was many unpleasant things, such as xenophobic, sexist and remarkably self-important, but she was no coward in the face of danger.


"Units, spread out. Ashira's Blade, take their infidel ships down!" she commanded. Her Eldorai soldiers, those close enough, moved in tandem with Aeda's warriors. The Force flowed through her as she drew upon her Sciia, as she harnessed the power of the storm that was raging above them.


All Eldorai Sciians possessed an affinity for elemental powers and she was no different. The powers she called upon were just as tempestuous as her moods. So she raised her hands to the heavens and joined her whirlwind with Aeda's, meant to not only deflect the volley of missiles but smash the First Order TIEs. Burning zeal and the power of the Force gave her strength. Her voice rose in a powerful, impassioned chant that matched the terrible storm she unleashed upon the attackers.


"Forward Ashiran Soldiers.
Forward, Ashiran soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the blade of Ashira
Going on before.
Ashira, the divine Mistress,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See her banners go!
Forward, Ashiran soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the blade of Ashira
Going on before.
At the sign of triumph
Illyria's host doth flee;
On, then, Ashiran soldiers,
On to victory.
Hell's foundations quiver
At the shout of praise;
Sisters, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise."


The Eldorai's Yazgid IFVs unleashed a torrent of fire with their rotary shattercannons. These weapons could be used for anti-air purposes, though they would lack accuracy, but they had a lot of firepower and a massive punch.


Elite Angelii joined their commanders, further strengthening the raging tempest, while others shielded their comrades. Among Aeda's warriors was Vaena Askari, Kaida's 2IC, and she rallied them, pouring power into the storm as she sung Ashiran hymns praising the Goddess.

 

[Tempest]

Location: Citadel of Dawn
An interlude

[member="Elpsis Elaris"] [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] [member="Nima Tann"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Charlyra Araano"]

The Citadel of Dawn was near secured. There were still many First Order troopers and machines fighting, but for the moment Tempest had taken pause.

She had felt something in the Force, a feeling of loss, that someone close to her had fallen. She knew at once who it was, even before the battered Jedi had emerged and proffered the girl’s shoto.

“Lyra…” she said softly.

And this was how it ended. It had begun on Tatooine seemingly a long time ago, and now the Acolyte’s story had ended here. She felt angry. Angry at herself mainly for not being there, angry at the First Order, and a little angry (however unfair) at Lyra herself. The girl had never fully learned prudence, and finally it had caught up with her.

The anger covered something else though. Regret, loss, disappointment for losing her apprentice before she could be knighted.

She took the lightsabre from Trextan. “This I will keep as a memento and memory of my apprentice. Thank you, Jedi. You have done be a great service today, and I will not forget it. Now, we have medics if you are wounded. Stay with us, and help if you wish.”

Her Beskar gauntlets gripped the lightsabre hard. The First Order would pay for this.

Nima's words brought her back to real life though. The other lightsabre the Jedi had...the Darkness was with it.
"I agree...it is a powerful artefact. I would strongly urge not keeping it. Nima and I can keep it safe if you'd like."