Dominion Creeds And Empires // Dominion Of Krieg Hex [ NIO ]

[Zaine Balfur]

Z a i n e _ B a l f u r

| Objective | Rock Raiders​

| Location | Aeten II​

​

Balfur gave his rifle a quick once over, ensuring that everything was in order as he shifted in his armor. It was a bit stiff compared to his old one, but he was transferred to the Imperial Force Corps as Auxilia from the former Nightseer detachment Ravager Batallion. Consolidation of resources and what units remained was the path going forward, and his experience and skills were best suited to his new unit. Whatever the case, he was ready for it, so long as no uppity suit or overinflated ego was telling him how to fight a battle or do his job right.​

​

The APC had finally arrived at their destination, the APC opening up as he stepped out into the hot, and hostile land of Aeten II, his rifle raised as his fireteam disembarked and cleared the immediate area. They had their orders, so anything that walked on more than two legs was more or less considered hostile. He gestured and barked orders to those under him to take up position as Zovesa ordered kill zones to be established to catch the bugs as they were exiting their nest, his orders punctuated by the sound of his rifle firing as a hole was blasted into a stray bug.​

​

He'd take up a position for himself as he knelt down, reaching over to his backpack as he grabbed a few attachments, quickly modifying his ICWS into a sniper before using a window to rest the barrel of his sniper to stabilize his aim as he began to pick off bugs methodically, supporting the grunt stormtroopers that had already been carving a bloody swathe through the swarms.​

​

It didn't take long for a complication to come up, as was usually expected during every op. The bellowing roar of something exiting the caves was indication enough that their job was about to become much more difficult. He'd shift his aim as he took aim at the cave entrance, his head cocking to look away from the scope as he saw the size of the Darkghast coming out before muttering under his breath, " Oh, you've got to be kriffing kidding me... " He'd quickly stare down his scope as he adjusted his aim, shifting up as he was tracking the beast's eyes. Most things that big had thick and tough hides, but there was always a soft spot that could be exploited. He just had to make sure the thing held still long enough for him to take out its eyes.​

Imperial Warlord Zovesa / Lyra 'Sybila' Voikryt / Asmus Omaand / Darth Assimilus / Hadrian Javik / Jackson Vernault / Belisarius / Cyr Vaust / Wraith

 

[Kardev Byrric]

D A R K S T A R _ S Q U A D R O N

| Objective | Rock Raiders​

| Location | Skies of Aeten II​

​

Flyboys were always late to the party. Or at least that's what Kardev liked to assume. Fashionably late - always showing up at the right time when the ground-pounding, mud-munching mooks needed their aid. Today would prove to be no better an example for their lateness in the future. It was a milk run this time: killing bugs from the sky without a smidgen of resistance from them. It wasn't like they had air defense batteries or flak cannons. Or did they?​

​

"Keep it tight, Darkstar," his gruff voice came, "Lets not make ourselves look like fools out here. Just bugs. No rebels or sith in sight."​

​

A chorus of replies came. Rogers, copies, or the default mic toggle to affirm. ​

​

Another mic toggle. "Sir, we gonna be expecting any resistance? Y'know, like some bug ADA?"​

​

"Lieutenant Condarr, please tell your wingman to shut up." Major Byrric dryly responded.​

​

"Shut up, Morba." Another voice came, quite amused. ​

​

The silence of the void collapsed upon them then. Aeten II was as close to Mustafar as it could've been. Lava, rocks, and sparse life that struggled and suffered to survive. However, these bug things were hardly struggling to make their presence known. As the twelve TIE fighters dropped to descend into the world's atmosphere, a high priority TACAIR request chimed through. High prio requests went to all squadron and flight commanders, saving him valuable seconds in explaining orders or their next plan of action. ​

​

Stalker-2, an air liaison team, was requesting an immediate, heavy ordnance airstrike. A danger close one.​

​

"Stalker-2, this is Darkstar-1 Actual, standing by for nine line, over."​

​

The mic chirped and from it came a clear, concise voice, "Darkstar-1, this is Stalker-2, nine line follows:​

IP Hammer​

Heading: 225 Magnetic​

Distance: 7 Nautical Miles​

Target Elevation: 215 MSL​

Large beast, rancor-appearance near bug nest.​

Grid: 257788​

Marked with laser.​

Friendlies south, 40 meters. Danger close.​

Egress north-west.​

End nine line, over."​

​

Darkstar Squadron screeched through the burning skies of Aeten II, sending their twin ion engines into overdrive to make the play. They followed their standard operating procedures perfectly. A single flight of two TIE fighters broke off the from the main formation: Major Byrric and Lieutenant Jandi, whilst the rest of the squadron scrambled into their flights to deal with other bug formations.​

​

Byrric yanked his control yolk downwards, sending his TIE into a steep dive. Jandi followed closely, matching his speed and maintaining their two-man formation crisply. The pair rocketed downwards, flying towards that map grid with all of the engine speed they could possibly muster. The laser designation marker chimed on their HUDs - and the visual supported the nine line. A massive beast that rivaled the size of Bull Rancors on Felucia.​

​

"Laser armed, call contact. Over." Stalker-2 came.​

​

"Contact, Darkstar-1 inbound."​

​

"Roger, solid copy, continue." Sweat beaded down his forehead. The proton torpedoes were already armed.​

​

"Wings level."​

​

A pause. "Cleared hot."​

​

A single button press was all it took to comply. With that button press came a pair of proton torpedoes expunged from the TIE fighter's ordnance rack.​

​

"Maverick away, maverick away." Major Byrric replied as coolly as he could.​

​

His wingman was only a second behind him. "Dash-2, wings level." ​

​

"Roger, dash-2 cleared hot." Stalker-2 confirmed.​

​

"Dash-2, maverick away."​

​

With four missiles fired, hopefully the job would be done. Major Byrric and Lieutenant Jandi had no idea if they even hit the damn thing. Their fighters propelled them quickly, egressing north-west as instructed.​

​

"Standing by for damage assessment," Major Byrric inquired as the pair of fighters slowly began to circle back.​

​

Imperial Warlord Zovesa | Lyra 'Sybila' Voikryt | Asmus Omaand | Darth Assimilus | Hadrian Javik | Jackson Vernault | Belisarius | Cyr Vaust | Wraith ​

 

[Apollo Kurze]

THE SENTINEL'S MESS HALL #05, IN ORBIT OF KRIEG
OBJECTIVE III - SHOOTIN' THE SHIT
ROYAL SQUADRON, FLIGHT ONE
D A N G E R Z O N E
-​

Cassian didn't have much to contribute to the overall mission down on the surface of Krieg. Him and his squadron were stuck with the most important mission of them all; shootin' the shavit whilst the lucky ones got the opportunity to blast some bugs down on Krieg's surface. Truth be told, Cassian wouldn't have minded if his squadron were given the honors of supporting the ground elements down there on that arid, smelly world. Filled to the brim with bulbous beetles and Mando's, he figured that one way or another it would come out to a good time for him. Yet it clearly didn't play out that way, as could be seen by the appearance of Cassian and the members of his flight entering the Mess hall to get some chow.

Walking with eachother in unison, the self-proclaimed badasses of Royal Squadron's first flight carved themselves a proud path towards the line of food and drinks being prepared by the Service droids behind the counters. Loud laughs were shared between the group as they bantered on about random subjects to pass the time, unintentionally drawing the ire of more than their fair share of peers from across the room. By the time Flight One had made it to their usual seating area, the table at the center of the room, the revelry going on between the officers had been brought to a slow halt with the sudden realization that their seats were currently occupied.

"Oh-- god dammit." Cassian interjected before his fellow squadmates -- Sirius, Jester, and Duke -- had the opportunity to speak up. Food trays were slammed down onto the table to spite the cadre of stormtrooper officers who had the gall to not only take their seats, but clearly have done it on purpose going off the smug looks shared upon their faces. "You bucket-head bastards better have a damn good reason for this slight." Jester cut in, stepping forwards just as the stormtroopers raised up in unison to meet their equals in the Starfighter corps. "Neither this table nor this mess hall has your names written on it, so I suggest you back. off.." The stormtrooper shot back, a meaty index finger jabbing Jester right in the meaty bit of his chest.

Jester moved to amp the situation even further, only being brought to a halt as Sirius held an arm out and brought Jester a couple of feet away from the man's zone. "Yeah, that's right, you pilots ain't even worth the hassle." The trooper continued on, only to be greeted by the sight of Cassian stepping between him and his own squadmates.

"That might just be your biggest mistake there, chief." Cassian laughed, his hind-foot casually shifting back. "Cause if there's one thing I hate more than a date who doesn't know when the fun's over, it's an nerf herder in a plastic suit who runs their mouth a wee bit too much, pal." He finished with a smirk as he'd used the moment to shift into a pretty decent stance without the man having picked up on it. Right when he finished speaking, the fireworks began to go off.

​

He decked the officer with enough force that the man hit the table behind him, and the aces of the Royal Squadron joined in to team up on the stormtrooper's buddies before they could gang up on Cassian for knocking their friend's head with a clean hook. Officers and Enlisted of both the Starfighter and Stormtrooper corps respectively erupted into violence across the hall after that. Cassian squared up against the same officer he'd clocked once the man caught his senses, and the fight continued.

 

[Volgin Alto]

// OBJECTIVE // Rock Raiders
// FOCUS //
Darth Assimilus | Asmus Omaand | Zaine Balfur | Lyra 'Sybila' Voikryt | Imperial Warlord Zovesa | Belisarius | Wraith

---

---

---

< "Easy there bugeye." > Javik replied in groaning banter before set down unto a crouching position, shouldering his concussion rifle before he aimed down the sights, the 'Acumen' HUD lit up in sync with the 'Electric Eye' sights mounted to the weapon before he squeeze the trigger tightly, his armor absorbing a bulk of the recoil as he fired the high intensity concussive round down range toward one of the beetles, cracking the shell of the bug before it exploded into a cloud of insectoid gore.

At the sight of the insect behemoth cutting a swathe through about half a section of stormtroopers, Hadrian's eyes widened under the lit up HUD of his Storm helmet before he cracked off another concussive round that burst into the cave floor.

< "Shit!-" > Javik let out, raising his left hand to fold his fingers toward him to command the troopers inside the mouth of the cave out.

< "Belay that last command." > Javik said over the squad wide comms before he patched through to his superior in Gladius Company.

< "Gladius Actual -- this is Buckethead, copy." > He patched through making way behind a jutting rock before he leveled his concussion rifle atop of it aimed toward the mouth of the cave.

< "Need HEAT on these bugs, gonna try our best to bait them out of the cave, over." > He patched through before he eyed down the sights of the CF6 once more to slam another concussive found into the haunch of a bug only for it to explode in death once more.

< "That's seven by the way." > He remarked to Wraith.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

KRIEG, PLANETSIDE
OBJECTIVE I - GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS
SHADOWING Irveric Tavlar
CLOTHING
LET GO
-​

The pressure within the room eased up once the Grand Vizier pressed on with the business at hand. The tension was brought to a standstill once the diplomacy efforts were laid bare for the Mandalorians to hear, and Lucien returned to the temperate state which he'd entered with in the first place-- Aside from the feeling of consumption which stemmed from the Sovereign's Hand. With a focus upon mental fortitude the feeling was mostly brought to a halt, and Lucien was able to focus his attention upon the words of the Grand Vizier in full. He approached their angle from a more pragmatic stance; it was one which Lucien could support, aside from his internal reservations about the Order's affiliation with the 'Apostates' of the Empire. He agreed in any case as to their use as a means to an end against the overall Sith Empire.

The war-machine of the Empire was an imposing foe to the blooming state that was their own. Every Sith which chose to rise against their masters who sat upon the throne of Bastion was another Sith who they would potentially not have to focus their efforts on slaying-- yet. That last bit he urged himself to not forget. While he didn't discriminate against an individual for their personal beliefs, as a general rule of thumb he didn't put his trust into the principles held by those with any sort of devotion to the extreme spectrums of the galaxy's various force cults. He was certain that much like the Order's stance on their movement, the Sith of the Qotsisajakaar were not so blind to the situation that they weren't posturing themselves with their own ambivalence towards the rise of the New Imperial Order. Pragmatism was key to their shared investment into each others relationship, was the outcome of his assessment.

A short amount of time was then spent ensuring that the previous damage done by the Chiss admiral was smoothed over before the meeting was delved into with earnest. It was surprising that the Admiral's reprimands were so far mild, but he figured the man wasn't executed on the spot since no lasting damage was done. The Grand Vizier continued on with discussing the Imperial Order's foreign policy, ensuring the Mandalorians that they were truly a different breed from the Sith-Imperials who dominated their homeworld with an iron fist. The atrocities committed upon their people would always be a point of contention, considering the origins of the men and women who now orbited over the planet of Krieg.

Assurances would be necessary to distinguish them from the Sith, he thought, and that much was offered upon offering the Sons of Mandalore the right to reverse the Sith's damage, assuming they worked with them, that is. A policy of laissez-faire was what he took being offered out of the Grand Vizier's attempt to meet the Mandalorians in the middle. Just from the short period that he'd been on the world, Luc had seen just how tough it must've been for the natives to have carved out a stable life on the planet. A return to their homeworld would be a step-up for the Mandalorian colonists of Krieg, even without the offer of influence being thrown on the table. Altogether it was a good deal, assuming they took the bait that was being offered up, and at least he knew they possessed some code of principles, unlike the Order of Sith he wished would remain kept at a comfortable distance.

Spoiler

Vaulkhar Tyrell Paxxus Tarrik Kestis Ravraa Vyshraal

 

[Apollo Kurze]

THE SENTINEL'S MESS HALL #05, IN ORBIT OF KRIEG
OBJECTIVE III - THROWIN' DOWN IN THE MESS HALL
ROYAL SQUADRON, FLIGHT ONE
D A N G E R Z O N E
-​

Cassian stepped back as a fist flew towards his face, a quick sidestep to the right causing the stormtrooper's fist to slide right past his chin and giving him the opening he needed to strike back. He reached out to the man's uniform and grasped it with his left, scrunching it up near the color and striking out with his right. A solid jab connected with the stormtrooper's nose, the force behind the punch recoiling the man's head on impact with the fist. A second jab followed immediately after his head jerked back forwards, and Cassian ducked low to avoid another punch that was meant to knock him back. "Too slow, try again shit-for-brains!" Cassian called out, lunging forwards with both arms out and wrapping around the man's frame in one fluidly-timed tackle. He crashed into the stormtrooper's abdomen with full force, throwing his weight forwards as both him and his target were sent flying into the table behind them amidst the chaos of the mess hall brawl.

​

The collision with the table broke the two apart, and each man rolled off each other to regather their bearings and get back to the fight at hand. A second trooper caught the near-victorious Cassian off-guard, sliding him across the jaw with a side punch while his focus was trained on his initial opponent. Cassian hop-stepped back, wiping a trickle of blood from his cheek before raising his fists up into a proper guard. It was now two-on-one, but a pilot of Royal Squadron never backed down from a good and proper fight. The original officer charged him, lunging in low in an attempt to tackle him down to the ground. Cassian pressed his weight downwards, forcing the man to drag him across the floor as Cassian slammed his elbows multiple times into his back. The second trooper followed up to get the pilot down to the ground, only to be stopped by Jester flying across another table and colliding with the man before he reached his squadmate.

With the fight back to an even one-on-one, Cassian threw a knee into the stormtrooper's nose, an audible crack following the release of his body giving him the queue that he'd landed a solid hit to the nose, and made way for another opening. Cassian threw a second hook with his right, crashing his fist across his jaw and stunning him just long enough to finish the man off. Reaching for a food tray sitting on the table, he grabbed the durasteel tray with a solid two-handed grip and lunged into a downward sweep that impacted with his legs, caving him down to his knees in an instant. A final swipe across the face knocked the man out, and Cassian spat on the floor near his unconscious body with a smirk gleaming on his face.

Cassian turned around after his victory over the leader of their initial group of enemies, the smirk widening upon seeing the members of his flight giving the rest of the troopers in the vicinity the beating of a lifetime. He joined in with Jester, Sirius and Duke, slamming the now-dented food tray upon their remaining foes until it was no longer feasible as an improvised weapon. It had bent into a "L" by the time he tossed it to the side, and Cassian led Royal Squadron back into the overall battle against the dozens of troopers remaining with his bare and bloodied fists. The stormtroopers had won the last brawl thanks to more than their handful of cheap shots, but this time the Starfighter corps were giving them the beating that the bucketheads deserved.

Spoiler

Vaulkhar Tyrell Paxxus Tarrik Kestis Ravraa Vyshraal Irveric Tavlar Kardev Byrric Lyra 'Sybila' Voikryt

 

[Lyra 'Sybila' Voikryt]

Objective II : Rock Raiders
Locations : Aeten II, Mining Spire
Tags : Imperial Warlord Zovesa Asmus Omaand Zaine Balfur Darth Assimilus Belisarius Wraith Hadrian Javik @ Who ever else is on the ground hunt!

---

The ship shook as they drew closer to the hot zone,and many of the troopers swayed as they hit another round of turbulence, shifting carefully in their stance and gripping their rifles tightly. A tense mechanical noise thrummed in the background. Lyra watched them from the corner of her eye as she unslung her own weapon, the new Charric cradled close. It was just the pilots chattering over logistics through the channel.

The ‘Acumen Hud’ installed in each trooper’s helm lit up and she noticed the microscopic change amongst the men, the tension that came just before a drop as they drew closure. Focusing upon the incoming reports, the intelligence blared violently across her visor screen courtesy of the forward teams and demolitions. Lyra’s eyes followed the neon crimson lines. It reminded her of the minefield encounters, Lyra exhaled slowly, she’d take Folende again over extermination as the screen seemed to bleed with the markers. Glancing over to Appw’rii, Lyra raised a grey fist gently knocking on the side of her own helm; calling for a plan.

“Can’t get too close to them, and my concern is a group getting cut off,” Lyra muttered, chewing upon her lower lip as images of the mining spire flickered across the hud.

“There’s some cover but..the things could just easily swarm all over us too,” the Captain responded and Lyra tilted her helmet at the input.

“It’s going to be ugly, but we have to trust the Marshal to hit hard and the Troopers on explosives. You haunt right with a team, I'll haunt left, three and two heavies for each team front and back, everyone’s been outfitted appropriately otherwise but will need to work together,” Lyra summarized, shifting her weight between her feet. “Get the heavies assigned, we'll march up together then take our respective sides on the road in. Hell-If it gets bad, we can call for the MAAGs for a distraction.”

“Right on it..but if they get too close, it’ll be Tammar all over again and this time it’s a skeleton crew..”

Maybe she should have brought more men, the heaviest squad the Genesis rocked that had joined them only bolstered them by another nine additional men to the platoon. The Marshal’s relay interrupting thoughts and the thrusters changed pace, a beat on positive she might even say.

“Descending now ma’am, the Force Corp’s boots are already on the ground. Stand by..” one the Pilots chimed up.

By the skin of their teeth, maybe the majority of them would make it out..

Death was an experience that had a disgusting residue that took longer to wash away and Lyra inhaled her eyes shut briefly as she steeled herself within the force. Tapping a finger across the interface panel on her forearm turning to face the riflemen, orders attached to the second ship’s two squads waiting to drop.

“Keep to the route, stay with your spotters and keep up behind the force corps. Count. Your. Shots. We keep the flank secure, any gap that arises, we push and fill.” Lyra addressed, the ramp lights flashed brightly on the wall above her. An ugly hiss sounded as the ramp dropped unleashing them into the waste. They were hit by the heavy tang from the chemical storm, the smell permeated through filters leaving for a nauseating smell. “Double time boys, got appearances to keep up!”

Appw’rii had wheeled off toward the second MAAG as the other rifle squads were hitting the sand. The two lines of troopers following behind herself knit close and kept up on her heels as they set a careful pace after the Marshal’s contingent, passing the Force Corp’s base camp and transport as the followed them in. What was in the ground was clearly considered worth the hustle, but they were walking into a brutal massacre. Moving up the street of barracks, the troopers traded quiet comments catching glimpses of the decayed and dead. With the almost urban setting it was easy to imagine how the streets may have once been alive, now an eerie feeling left in the absence.

“The big guns are here ma’am, where do you want us?” One trooper reported as the group rolled up at the back of their lines.

“Three up front, and I want you two to watch the rear,” Lyra directed, putting the heavy repeater on the front as the rest of fanned out in a loos line, creeping after the Force Corp. The riflemen keen as they waded through the storm. The HUD picking out the forms of the collective nearby ally forces reading them off, scattering them on the ‘Acumen’ in a dynamic map.

When the tremor hit, Lyra’s head swiveled checking on the secondary squads from across the road. There was a general confusion, and she didn’t even know what had caused it. Were they starting on the nests already? They slowed less they took the Marshal’s soldiers, keeping a respective distance. Lyra waved her hand down, signalling to the rangers to halt. Planting a knee in the sand as the sulfur washed over them. The troopers hefted up their weapons, training their sights put on edge. They waited a beat before the radar began echoing warnings. When the dots on the screen began scattering out, Lyra shot back to her feet throwing her back up to the wall of the nearest barracks.

“Hole up boys!” Lyra shouted, the hunt was on and her team sprung to work.

“Taking cover now!” Appw’rii’s voice crackled over the comm line, her voice faint present from across the road; the captain dispersed with the secondary fire team. Scattering they holed up a set of three buildings, crawling and breaking into the old facilities. Inside she caught the elbow of the Verpine packer and she set him on the main window. Orders were on her tongue but interrupted by the swath of bolts cutting through the street, following by example the troopers didn’t need anything more to invite themselves into the fire fight. For the briefest second she expected a trickle down but then the beatles descended in a tidal wave.

“If you don’t like getting caught by a detonator, don’t let ‘em get too close!”

Standing behind the Verpine gunner, she laid down cover fire as they chipped away at what ever dared pass by. The bugs..there was no cutting them down in swaths. The trooper next to her tossing out a thermal, the flames licking up in the rain sending the giant demons scattering. The natural armor the pests wore was a tedious task. Crack one and you had to clean it up. Moving on muscle memory as counted off the shots silently. As the initial waves of bolts hailed, the insects began to combust upon themselves. Their unnatural howling and screeches ended as rendered flesh soaring over the avenue. For every one dropped another inched closure to the walls of the barracks and the rangers dug in as the horde funneled down to their reach. Though at the center, some pushed on past down the road and bolts flew to cut them off less they spilled out of range and their control.

The troopers did not dare move from their points, a terrible feeling washing over her as the recoil of the rifle rolled against her shoulder. Changing direction when a trooper called out for reload, fighting to keep up with the gaps in their own lines. They could catch glimpses in the chaos, the Knights descending, the foundation shaking from the battle. Minutes ticking on as they dropped empty power cells on and she could feel the ebb and pull of the force. Stepping back to drop and reload, the HUD was a mess, half the screen presented red and she was forced to switch it to dark.

The last image reading something massive... Moving to the rusted blast door, Lyra wretched and pulled at it until she could skimp by. Leaning out and taking stock, it was hard to see over the waves of insects and past the downpour. Firing off the rifle, she dropped it to the three burst. Catching the long limbs of the passing mega insects, legging them cruelly. It sent one toppling triggering another gorey combustion and she flinched back chitin bounced off the walls, but they kept passing..were they fleeing? Craning her head, there was radio chatter and a sudden intense static, catching a scathing herd ram in to the barrack buildings adjacent to them, Team Two's position becoming overrun; jerking forward before she considered the risk.

"Focus fire around team two's position, get the bugs off them!"

The familiar noise screams over the skies as air support passed over as the heavy gunners adjusted their stock, not seconds after their payload sending quakes beneath their boot. The explosion and fires caught through the passes of the volcanic squall. The Colonel never associated an airstrike with a good and she leveled her rifle burning another round of ammunition.

“Marshal do you read? What’s at the top of the avenue?” Lyra tried to relay.

 

[Belisarius]

​

Recon Camp,
Gladius Company

Spoiler: TASK FORCE "EXTERMINATOR"

• Aeten II Knights Taskforce (KTF), Imperial Force Corps​
• 1RB Genesis Ranging Company, 12th Armored Assault Army
• Gladius Company, 51st Airborne Legion​
• Darkstar Squadron, Imperial Starfighters Corps​

Stormtroopers of Gladius Company carrying missile launchers lined up upon the edge of the ridge chaotically. Sgt. Vukic howled orders whipping a semblance of discipline and form into the troopers. The Captain recalled the events of their escape from Mandalore upon the start of the insurgency and truly believed it had been a miracle this rag tag band of ex-paramilitary loons had made it out of the fratricide on the Mandalorian planet alive.

A chill ran down his spine, bit at his bones and cut his breath short when he caught sight of two TIE fighters breaking formation and lunging into a decisive trajectory towards the hulking beast at the cavern's entry.

"Lieutenant, what the hell are Darkstar doing?" he asked through gritted teeth. Belisarius knew the answer but Lt. Agrippa confirmed it nonetheless. "Who the hell called an airstrike mission on the damn 'zilla?! OUR men down there are in the middle of the SLAUGHTER!" the lieutenant, truly, had never seen the Captain so infuriated before. "CALL IT OFF, DAMN IT! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" he roared taking the attention of all his troopers nearby.

"Ye-yes, sir!" time was running short. Someone else other than the lieutenant called him but Belisarius could not hear him; he was too busy following the TIE fighters through his electrobinoculars as if only his power of will would drop them down from the skies. Sadly, for those not blessed by the Force, this was not how it worked.

"S-sir, the comms-the comms- we aren't reaching them."

"WHAT?!" Belisarius growled, abruptly spinning around to face the lieutenant. Whether that broke the power of his will or not, a loud, venomous hiss slit the air and the captain knew what it was before he spun back at the TIE fighters. Proton torpedoes. He knew the sound so well, he could probably tell their make and origin purely from that little information. "REACH THE TROOPERS, TELL 'EM TO BRACE!", but even Belisarius knew it was as futile as it was trying to bring down the TIE fighters by simply glaring at them hard enough.

There was nothing dramatic about the explosion from this distance. Only a muffled thud and the breeze of the sound wave, followed by the sight of a cloud of dust where the beast was. Silence reigned over the recon camp of Gladius Company as the men gathered to watch the result of the bombardment. No one dared say a word, no one dared to breath.

"Gladius Actual -- this is Buckethead, copy." a voice from the comm station, despite the static, made everyone slowly turn their helmeted faces at its direction. "Need HEAT on these bugs, gonna try our best to bait them out of the cave, over."

All eyes fell on the Captain. He simply stood there blinking, unable to process what had happened. Much like the rest. Call it composure through experience, but he was the first to react. "Agrippa, are you DEAF?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" he wasn't sure what he was yes-ing to but he knew exactly what he had to do.

"Buckethead, this is Gladius One. Copy loud and clear! Keep your buckets down."

Sgt. Vukic followed the unsaid order and barked at the soldiers to form the line. A few other troopers came from behind and set caches next to the firing team full of missiles. They had the vantage point, they had the gear. They only had to paint the tangos and pull the triggers. They did.

A rain fire of missiles popped out of the launchers, hissed and took to flight upwards before screaming downwards at the painted insectoid targets.

Regards,
Death From Above


Imperial Warlord Zovesa Asmus Omaand Zaine Balfur Darth Assimilus Lyra 'Sybila' Voikryt Wraith Hadrian Javik Kardev Byrric @AMIMISSINGSOMEONE?

 

[Jackson Vernault]

Location | Aeten II
Objective | Rock Raiders
Focus | Imperial Warlord Zovesa | Lyra 'Sybila' Voikryt | Darth Assimilus | Asmus Omaand | Zaine Balfur | Hadrian Javik | Belisarius

The company commanders led their men down into the dark cavern. "Where the kriff are the other units? Are we at the wrong tunnel?" One of the captains came running out of the tunnel, "SIR! We're getting reports of the other units being attacked by some creature. They say it's huge!" Jackson paled, "We have to go NOW! Tell the men to get back on the APCS we're heading to the others. We have heavy weapons right?" The captain nodded and ran off, "Everyone back in the vehicles! DOUBLE TIME! Commanders count your men! We don't want to leave anyone behind! Alpha Company grab the launchers!" Jackson waited outside impatiently, hands on his waist. Every minute they stayed here was a solder lost to the creatures. At that time, the ground shook, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" TIES flew over head. "Sir their running bombing raids close to our infantry units." Jack was astonished what pie brained fool would do such a thing. "LETS GO EVERYONE IN WE"RE MOVING OUT!" Once the last man was in, the ramps closed and the APCS roared to life. The convoy proceeded to head toward the other units.

"Sir, Alpha company is equipped and ready." Jackson shook his head, "There's probably no point. If i'm correct, those TIES dropped proton missles. Whatever creature was out there is probably blown to bits." As the convoy neared its destination, Jackson could see men dropped on the ground. "This is gonna be one hell of a report. I almost feel bad for the person that's gonna write it."

 

[Tyrell Paxxus]

Objective I - Guns of the Patriots
Tags: Vaulkhar | Lucien Dooku | Careena Fett | Tarrik Kestis | Whoever else.
Speaking to: Kestus Bralor

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"Indeed," Tyrell replied gravely. He straightened his posture to meet the Mandalorian at eye-level when he stood. His cane lifted up off the ground as he discarded his reliance on it, facing the pain to display himself as an equal. "The Sith have given us no choice. Their oppressive regime that favors those with the ability to adhere to their mystic and archaic ways is entirely unsustainable. We're outnumbered and outgunned, but there are more people like us than there are Sith, and more and more Imperials are beginning to understand that every day. Our numbers grow slowly as more people begin to reject the status-quo and resist the Eye of Solomon." Tyrell took one un-aided step forward, holding his cane horizontally and away from the ground. He gave to exterior tell of the pain that shot up and down every nerve from his heel to his hip.

"The odds are very much stacked against us, but no change can be made without great adversity. The more allies we gain, the more favorable our odds become. Even if we are to fail, we die knowing we made a statement that will reverberate through the galaxy and plant the seeds of further insurrection. Our ideas will not die with us. We must show the galaxy that the Sith are not invincible, and show the Sith that will not continue to live in fear and bend our knees to them." Another step forward brought the Grand Vizier within arms reach of the Mandalorian.

"Together the Sons of Mandalore and the New Order can make a stand. The New Order is made up of a portion of some of the finest military minds that the Empire had ever seen, as well as many other extraordinary individuals of various and significant merit. With your help, with the inclusion of the Sons of Mandalore into our effort, I have great confidence that we will not fail outright. It will only take one small victory to send a wave of doubt and insurrection across the Sith Empire." The Grand Vizier place his cane-holding-hand behind his back and offered the other one to Kestus Bralor.

"Your aid will facilitate the liberation of Mandalore and the saving of your culture. The glory of Mandalore's salvation will belong to you, as it would not be achievable without your help. I realize these negotiations were short, but you appear to have made up your mind. I only continue to prattle to reassure you of our intentions and circumstances." His hand remained extended to Kestus. "Do we have an agreement?"

 

[IMPCOM]

​

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// Kestus Bralor // Sons Of Mandalore Reaching out to take the Vizier's hand the Shipmaster offered a single nod. < "We have our agreement, the Sons of Mandalore will join up with this 'New Order' so long as our enclave here is retained and our homeland returned to us once we liberate it from the yolk of Sith Empire." > Bralor offered with a nod of his helmeted gaze.

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The negotiations were indeed short but concluded nonetheless. In the shadow of the coming war, friends were few and far between despite the target painted over their enemies, the New Imperial Order was an immediately abrasive entity to conduct business with. Yet now they'd brokered an alliance with the Sons of Mandalore, kin in their struggle against a greater enemy even if they differed in their identity and methods. As a former Sith Emperor had stated in confidence to the Sovereign,

"Mandalorians are intolerable subjects, but steadfast allies."

- Darth Adekos

The New Imperial Order would soon see how true that would prove with warriors such as Careena Fett and Harath Eldar brought into the fold.

While the dialogue of the Sovereign Imperator and Grand Vizier Tyrell Paxxus led the day, observers in the shadow such as the First Brother Tarrik Kestis , the aspiring Marlon Sularen , the Prince Of Serenno Lucien Dooku and even the Stormtrooper Ravraa Vyshraal would have important lessons imparted unto them even in such a short encounter that could see them leading future assignments on behalf of the New Order.

The guns of the patriots have been loaded and the march to war continued.

 

[Remus Kelbor]

Objective III - Other Means
Intelligence Operation "Soaring Banner"
Krieg, Outer Rim Territories

Remus motioned and a pair of Novatrooper kicked down a door. Five were stacked to the right of the door, another four were stacked to the left side of the door and the sole Stormtrooper Sergeant was bringing his heavily armored boot to kick down the door. It was clear that this area had not been economically successful and it made it a great hiding area for those with mixed loyalties. Those mixed loyalties could be those who had publicly denounced the New Imperial Order and vowed to take it down, those who had promised loyalties to other galactic governments or simply had been discovered to be actively plotting against the New Imperial Order. The scene in which Remus was watching was unfolding across Krieg and major cities across the planet. There would be no sedition amongst the New Imperial Order's citizens. Remus entered into the hovel in which the traitor was hiding but not before the Novatroopers rushed into the room, a flash nade deployed and secured the hovel for him. As Remus entered the group of four were brought to their knees and arms placed behind their head.

"Jaa Tillaeon, human, Corellia. Lad Hamne, human, Coruscant. Nacond Tammei, Rodian, Rodia. and last but not least Sham'fortaa, Twi'lek...wherever you can be found." Remus read from a dataslate prepared by members of the Investigations branch of the ISB and some assistance from Imperial Intelligence. "Gentlemen, you've all been very vocal about the New Imperial Order and its designs for the galaxy." Remus crouched down in front of them, the LAACDoc handed to him as he crouched down by two ISB agents standing behind him. He peered around the room and nodded. "Nice little outfit you've got here. I imagine this is a "safe house" of sorts. Not very safe is it?" Remus winked at the Twi'lek who starred down at the floor while the others watched in a mixture of horror and amazement. "We have nothing to say to you Imperial!" The Twi'lek's harsh accent interrupted the on-going sound of boots marching outside, the electronic sound of Stormtrooper exterior comm devices barking orders and searching houses and businesses.

"You all have conspired against this nascent Empire and I simply cannot stand for that." Remus' prelimary intelligence investigation had discovered that these men had contacts with other galactic governments ones that particularly less friendly to the New Imperial Order and that they had planned to conduct terrorist-like operations against the New Imperial Order should it come close to their planet. "I cannot say that you would been successful but I can certainly say that you won't be nor will your compatriots be so in the future." Remus knew there was more, there always was more. While the New Imperial Order had taken steps to ensure it didn't decay and rot like the Old Empire, it was inevitable that someone would get the idea that they could do it better than the New Imperial Order; that they could do it better than the reigning Sovereign. While the NIO had been built on the idea that the man could be replaced, it was the idea and philosophy that needed to be protect.

"Sergeant." Remus stood and handed the LAACDoc to the two uniformed ISB officer standing behind him. In accordance with a directive issued by him from the Office of the Director of the Imperial Security Bureau all ISB agents, officers when deployed were to equip themselves as soldiers. ISB "Officers" or "Agents" whatever they wanted to be called, most of them were former military security and the large bulk that had become the senior cadre in the ISB belonged to Remus' 23rd Imperial Army. As Remus handed the LAACDoc to the officers, the sound of blaster bolts and the hiss of rapidly expended energy filled the room. One. Two. Three. duds hit the floor, the fourth was the human from Corellia, Jaa Tillaeon. Remus turned back to him and grinned. "A Twi'lek leading this sort of operation? Please." Remus nodded at the troopers behind him, they placed a bag over his head and grabbed him underneath the arms, his arms were bound with energy restraints. The two ISB officers who now stood behind Remus marched out with the suspect.

Remus departed the hovel and as he exited, several dozen more persons of interest had likewise been escorted in rows of prisoners. A communications officer approached him. "Director Kelbor, we've made contact with Kavar Lok. He notified us that he would indeed contact the Sons of Mandalore in due time." The communications officer stood at attention and handed him a datapad containing transcripts of the conversation as well as the current location, according to what tracking the ISB and IIA had at the time, and other notable information. "Thank you." Remus now stood with Sergeant Marr and his private squad of Novatroopers flanking him in all directions; each of them scanning for threats to Remus. "What now Director?" The electronic voice rang out from the helmet of the Novatrooper Sergeant behind him. "Notify the IIA Survey teams. Deploy them. Continue to sweep with the ISB and make sure that we get everyone on that list." Remus peered down the street, while the Novatroopers made up the bulk of the units conducting the operation, he saw the white duraplast armor of regular Stormtroopers in the mix.

"We also have to secure that damn engineer."

 

[Thaelius]

The movement of the Mandolorian was exactly as predicated. Thaelius wasn't exactly afraid of death, no instead he was afraid of dying before doing something he was told to do since he was young. "No. Don't kill me. I have something to say. Yes, I know I was blunt and reckless but I didn't do it out of retrospect. You see, I know very little of my hertige. For years, my mother and my father lied to Mr about what truly was my home. My Chiss attributes killed the majority of my paternal famioiy and all In have left is Mandolore. I am...alone." He spoke to the Alor of Clan Fett in perfect Mando'a. He had practiced over the years and he had to admit to himself he sounded like a fool.

"I wouldn't blame you if you killed me. Even though the Sovereign Imperator is...inexperienced to say the least, Hus heart is in the right place. Please forgive me, Imperator. Grand Vizier I don't do this out of spite. Colleagues, your anti-alien sentiment does not faze me. Please understand that what I do, I do for the greater good of not myself, not the Imperator and most certainly not to warlords, I do what I can to help inspire unity under the Imperial Banned. Regardless of what many can and will say, I am not a fool. I am not reckless. Everything I do isn't second-guessed by my subordinates. Nevernin my life have I face, have I faced failure" he turned directly at Marlon Sularen . Before the man could reply he rose his hand.

"I understand what concerns some of you may have but this is our only hope, our only chance at reclaiming what we lost. I forsake my Chiss Genetics for I am, and shall always be a Son of Mandolore even if you won't accept me." At that point he issued a command for his soilders to enter the conclave. The leader of the group took off her helmet and the face of the Alor of Clan Ordo was reavled.

"Alor Fett, a pleasure" the older Mandolorian spoke softly. Thaelius's sister reminded him so much of the mother he lost. His sister was full Mandolorian and by definition a relative of Alor Fett. She confirmed her identity in Mando'a and then turned to take her place at the Imperator's side. He just hope her gesture wouldn't kill him