Private Eye of the Storm

[Cyprian Ichar]

Somewhere in Wild Space,

Only the strongest ship sensors could penetrate the maelstrom of ionic storms over Isonov, and even then only then just barely. The fuzzy story they told was that the Unionists being crushed by the Emberline who manned weaponized terraformers, literally frying all opposition. Without reinforcements, yet another world would be lost to the fanatics. However, with the so-called "Storm Walls" in place, few ships in the meager Unionist fleet could survive reentry through the ion fields, and the few that could, would immediately be chewed up by carefully placed anti-orbital guns and missile emplacements dotting the planet.

Assisting the Unionists on other fronts, the Balarac had come to the system with a possible solution. Local Unionist and allied mercenary commanders hosted the Lord Commander and his warriors aboard their flagship, desperate for something to work.

"I've heard it be suggested that the fleet be refit to survive the storms and AA, but that process could take weeks, and we don't have that kind of time. The last transmission we were able to receive from ground forces indicate that they've been beaten back to maybe a handful of population, and they sounded like they were on their last legs then."

That was over a week ago.

"We need to target one of the terraforming stations with a single detachment of our best remaining fighters, shut it down, and then create a gap in the storm walls for more orbital forces to break through. We'll take a single frigate down with reinforced armor and ionic shielding, but before we break atmo we'll have the whole fleet bombard a section of the cloud layers with staggered releases of proton warheads. The shock waves should create a momentary gap just big enough to slip through without killing shields and falling victim to their air defense grid before we reach the station."

Cyprian paused for a moment, looking around to gauge reaction. His expression was imperceptible under his helm, which he had yet to remove before any Unionist, but the Force Sensitive could feel everyone in the room. His plan was daring, to say the least, but all were captive.

"You know what my men can do. Once we get on the ground, it'll be over for whoever is manning the station. There's only one thing I need from you."

"One good pilot ballsy enough to take us down."

Kain Aldore Penny Rasalas

 

[Penny Rasalas]

The relentless winds reminded Penny of the harsh plains of her home planet. In that sense, she should be well adapted to the artificial storm they'd been warring in for weeks, but the problem was it had been...weeks.

She was tired, more mentally than physically. Now that they had struck down the bulk of the Unionists, they could relax a little as they continued guarding the terraforming station. It wasn't over yet. Not officially. But they all knew who the victor was...

When it began, she was driven a little by the challenge, but mostly by the knowledge that at the end of her employment--should she survive--she was promised an upgrade to her own rickety ship's defense system, along with credits. Both were sorely needed.

Emberline failed to mention just how long this was going to take. They had described the Unionists as feeble pests they would exterminate without much effort, but now Penny was getting annoyed. Part of the reason being the more days she spent here, the more she began to think about what she was doing, and she didn't like the results.

The fighting was less intense now. The skirmishes less frequent, and easier to finish. There was more time to look around, to observe, to let the moral creature in her peak from its forced hibernation and make judgments. But she couldn't afford to do that. She was here to get what she needed to move on and continue her quest. She was no one's judge or jury, not on this planet.

She just needed to keep telling herself that...

The grey clouds rolled chaotically overhead as she stood on one of the long bridges crossing the steep, rocky moat to the defensive trenches beyond. Behind her, a single tower reached high into the sky. The needle orchestrating the destructive forces above.

"Is it chow time, yet? I'm starving." An accented voice asked outside of her field of vision. Penny felt her loyal companion approaching long before the metallic clicks of her prosthetic legs were heard. It was a wonder they were as quiet as they were, considering what they could do. Zosma stood with her jump suit rolled down, and hands on her hips as she stared through the swirling black curls that whipped around her face.

"Yeah...maybe it should be. There's a lull." Penny murmured with little enthusiasm. Fingertips tapping the handle of her light saber. Slung over her back and jutting above her head was the barrel of an Imperial-made sniper rifle she had been using more frequently, now that the fighting was less chaotic...but it was beginning to lose its appeal. Pulling the trigger didn't feel as good anymore.

Cyprian Ichar Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

Kain looked down at the planet his thoughts racing as he continued past the viewport, he had done some risky stuff but never before decided to willingly fly into what could be certain death. He knew the situation on the ground, given any more time the Unionists wouldn't have a very high chance of survival and he couldn't just sit by and watch.

He once again looked over the plans shaking his head in disbelief as he thought to himself "Diving into a sector dominated by anti-air, all while chasing down proton bombs so the storm doesn't destroy the ship. It's crazy and whoever thought of it is crazier" But at the same time, he thought it was inspiring, it might be just as genius as it is crazy.

Kain approached the Pelta-Class as he looked over the docket he had the bare minimum turbo lasers and deflector shields, it wasn't enough, but with the hull capabilities of a blockade runner, the AA shouldn't be an issue. "You can make it" he mumbled under his breath, then Kain looked around as he adjusted his jacket to hide his weapons pulling his flight suit straps tighter, it made him feel secure, more confidant in what he was about to do.

Preparing his gear on his body and pushing his loose hair out of the way, going over the plan In his head making different odd faces to each plan he could foresee potentially failing, he would have to fly dangerous. Kain turns to his side noticing a band of people looking towards him, Balarac. he hadn't heard of them before but if the Unionist commander vouched then he knew they were good. Kain stood up on a crate relaxing his shoulder as he cleared his throat.

"I think I should tell you all how I'm going to perform this" he looked around the group of strangers soon to be the people he could possibly die next to, wondering which one was Cyprian Ichar the man with the plan "This will be a three-part decent, I'm not going to lie to any of you, I've never tried anything this risky before and if the ion clouds and AA don't kill us there's a small chance the maneuver might if anything goes wrong, but you'll be happy to know you're in good hands, I swear on my life I'll put you down in one piece"

He finished his speech dropping down from the crate looking over at a Unionist flight member he approached

"Excuse me but would you let one Cyprian Ichar of Balarac know I'll be headed to the bridge to make preparations for decent" Kain once again looked back at the Frigate and instead of gazing in disbelief he nodded "we can make it"

Cyprian Ichar Penny Rasalas

 

[Cyprian Ichar]

He didn't have to wait long, as a pilot volunteered soon volunteered themselves. He grinned under his mask as he made his way to the bridge, eager to make the attempt. The Balarac would never lie and say he didn't find some entertainment out the business of warmaking.

It's all he had ever known.

Inside the bridge, he zeroed in on a tall grizzled blonde. Like him, the other man resonated strongly in the Force. He had a feeling that if anyone was the pilot, it was this one. Sure enough, a Lieutenant turned away from the ops table to direct Cyprian to the blonde.

"So you'll be directing our grand chariot to the surface," he jested, offering a gloved hand to shake. "I will be honored to serve with you this day. Live or die."

Cyprian very much liked to live, but if he had to go out, at least it would be on his terms.

"My air cavalry units are being loaded as we speak - we'll be ready to deploy within the hour. What do you need of me?"

((Kain, feel free to respond next. We'll go back and forth until we actually make the descent and then bring Penny back in.))

Kain Aldore Penny Rasalas

 

[Kain Aldore]

Kain turned watching the armored man walk onto the bridge clearly caring stature with him, and Kain instantly knew who It was, Cyprian Ichar. Until then he had cleared himself of doubt, he was force sensitive. However that moment of weariness was fleeting once Cyprian held his hand out, Kain smiled convinced this man meant no harm.

"The honor is mine and hopefully we share victory while in the land of the breathing Cyprian. Kain Aldore"

Kain took his hand in a firm shake before directing him towards a console, fiddling with a sensor, and looking over measurements.

"well I have a plan but it's risky, especially on a ship this size." looking at a weight to drag ratio measurement on the sensor, Kain shrugged ever so slightly followed with a nervous nod "The only thing I really need is any loose, heavy cargo that can be moved quickly to be transported aft of the vessel inorder to compensate for an air break"

Kain knew exactly what he had to do to avoid the AA his only concern was if he failed they'd end up in a metal pancake on the surface of the planet.

"also someone capable of adjusting the deflector shield direction mid maneuver would help a great deal."

Cyprian Ichar Penny Rasalas

 

[Cyprian Ichar]

"Ah, that's the plan!" he exclaimed, returning the shake.

There was a nervous air about the pilot, but that was to be expected. Not only was his own life at stake, but hundreds of others in the battalion. On his end, though, Cyprian was cool as a cucumber.

"We're just in luck - fighter tanks with density projectors make for excellent counterweights. I'll see to it that additional cargo is loaded to your specifications." He looked over to the Lieutenant hovering by them. "I trust the Union will provide the flight crew that our mercenary friend requires?"

"Ahh...yes Lord Commander."

The Lieutenant's words dribbled out reluctantly. Cyprian understood such hesitation. Their Unionist allies would rather see that their auxiliaries and mercenaries take all the risk in such a dangerous operation, but the Balarac leader would ensure that the regular army remained...invested in any endeavor.

"Good man. Please see to it that *Captain Aldore is supplied the manpower he needs to keep us all in one piece."

He turned his attention back to Kain, eyes crinkling behind his helm.

"Now...ready when you are."

*Cyprian calls him Captain as in a Ship Captain

((Feel free to do a small time skip to the flight.))

Kain Aldore Penny Rasalas

 

[Kain Aldore]

Captain... that was new, and he liked it. Kain sat on the bridge in the flight seat, flight prep was done and they were on their way. the Pelta rattled ever so slightly as the docking port released from the flagship, his hands gripped the controls, a few nervous breaths left him before total serenity hit him, there was no going back and he was getting excited.

"Private I'll count you down in stages. were currently in Stage 1 deflectors full bow-front. Stage two will be deflectors full Ventral. then if we're not pasted to the floor stage three will be full aft deflector as the AA emplacements should be behind us at that point in time. and stage four will be back to full coverage as we land and wait for the ground assault to work their magic, at that point the entire crew of this bridge should be on the turbo laser targeting to keep any unforeseen elements at bay from both us and the assault force, that may or may not include ground armor, fighter ships, or even other in atmo frigates."

The Unionist quickly nodded his head "Yes Captain" as he prepared for the following outcome of events, Kain began creeping the ship forward, angling it towards the entry zone as he began his final cheks weight management and power capacity checked out. He flipped a few notches adding slight acceleration and they were off to see either victory or death, Kain gripped the throttle with firm resolve, angling the bow turbo lasers forward in case the need arises.

"Alright Ichar" Kain looked back "tell your men to strap in, I'm ready to see this done live or die"

The planet ahead it's grey clouds already visible to the naked eye, Kain still not sure what will happen with the stuff out of his control, but he was ready to meet the wills if It was his time, he played the flight out in his head with a steady mind and body noted the green light from Ichar. The blockade runner speed up moving faster than many of the troops would've liked, barreling towards the planet as the warheads launched, the Pelta-class not far behind a gauge on a HUD was decreasing rapidly, the distance from the surface was closing fast
Kain bit down as the warheads disappeared into the clouds, and the Pelta class sinking in right after.

(penny if you want back in feel free.)

Cyprian Ichar Penny Rasalas

 

[Penny Rasalas]

Her fingers fell from the lightsaber hooked to her belt as she turned toward the station. All was quiet, so it only made sense to eat and rest while they had the chance. The gusts of wind lashed down the open bridge, drowning much of the ambient sound around them, though it was nothing compared to the turbulence above.

They strolled past a small group of soldiers in drab coats, cloth wrapping their mouth and nose and their collars popped up to help protect against the wind. One of them nodded at Penny as if he recognized her, and piped off excitedly. Making some remark about the rifle on her back. A bark of laughter cut through the wind, some quip about when she'd let them test it out, but Penny wasn't paying much attention. She nodded back with a crooked smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Zosma matched her pace, lamenting over the tasteless food they had to choose from, but Penny wasn't paying attention to her, either.

She stopped. The itching in the back of her mind rising to a sense of anticipation. Zosma drifted ahead, hands gesturing in the lively way they tended to do when she was passionate or ranting over something. Penny's eyes lifted to the sky. The steady drone of rushing wind faded away, along with the chatter. She saw the senseless swirling canopy that acted as a defensive (oppressive) shield, but she wasn't focused on the clouds. She reached beyond...and she waited.

She didn't know what it was, but she knew it was coming.

"--even know what a spice is, right? Hey.... Penny?" Zosma looked back, and the sky itself opened up like the mouth of a dragon. Blinding white and orange bloomed above them, replacing the grey with more light than many of them had seen in weeks. Light more intense than the star this pock-marked planet orbited. It was silent at first, and then a bone-rattling boom shook the land like a sharp earthquake.

The soldiers on the bridge flinched and stumbled, and a couple dropped to hug the stone surface on reflex. Zosma ducked and shouted startled curses in her native language. The men and women huddled in the trenches rippling around he station gaped up in confusion and horror. Penny shifted slightly, feet spreading into a wider stance and knees bending. Her harassed hair calmed around her face, as if the wind bowed around her.

She waited, tearing her gaze only when the ship emerged from the pocket of brief stillness the proton bombs granted as it descended. Then she sprinted down the bridge to the station with Zosma, heading for cover and readying her rifle until the enemy forces revealed themselves. If they landed far enough, she would pick them off easily, but everything could change at a moment's notice.

Cyprian Ichar Kain Aldore

 

[Cyprian Ichar]

Cyprian made himself comfy in his chosen vehicle while the rest of the battalion did much the same. Being air cavalry, most were coming down on rocket pack or something flight capable. The Balarac wasn't landing to play trench warfare with the Emberline.

He sat and waited, there was little else to do. Everything was in the Captain's hands now.

For the first time, just about to head off for the operation, he felt a twinge of anxiety. He could die before he even hit the ground, shredded to his base atoms by violent plasma shears. He wasn't afraid of what came after death, but the idea of dying before he cemented his legacy.

To be forgotten was true death.

Kain Aldore Penny Rasalas

 

[Kain Aldore]

The clouds parted and through the bridge, viewport noting but the ground ahead rapidly approaching and the blasts of AA fire bouncing off the front of the ship, deflectors holding strong. Kain pulled pack on the throttle as the engine died to a lul the ship entered a free for the planets surface, he then began gently pulled back on the controls as the ship started to till aft, the added weight of the tanks bringing it down faster

"Private Stage two"

The ship was now level with the planet the AA blasts like embers raising from the bottom of the viewport and nothing but the orange and gray hued sky was visible. Kain was focused entirely on the altimeter and the number was dropping faster than the naked eye could see, he was mumbling to himself. They were going too fast, titling the ship back slightly off level elevation by only a couple of degrees he gave the thrusters juice feeling a planet on their shoulders even with the inertial dampeners on.

Still, too fast, the ship felt like it was going to pull into a tailspin. Kain reach over and with one last trick he hit a switch on the console the Pelta- class' signature wings extended out as the ship lost speed fast the AA fire fast-moving out of their field of view as he yelled back in haste towards the private behind him

"Stage three, do it now"

Kain re-adjusted his hold on the throttle, the shields repositioned after a few seconds of violent shaking he rammed the throttle forwards gripping the control stick with both hands, as the sky in the viewport sank upwards he could see the ground and with it their DZ dead ahead from there a few hundred yards to the door of the facility.

the ship dropped its speed swinging around to idle mid-air the starboard side facing the facility as within seconds they touched down waiting for the doors to hell to open

Cyprian Ichar Penny Rasalas

 

[Penny Rasalas]

Their grand and intimidating entrance waned as a few thousand troops collectively watched the descent of a relatively small ship. Penny glanced curiously to the sky now and then, waiting for more to follow, but none did.

One, single, ship.

The confusion and panic subsided after a moment. Some even squinting, trying to see what they might have overlooked, but nothing was overlooked. Either that ship had a nasty surprise lurking within, or the captain was astoundingly ballsy...and suicidal. Peppered throughout the station, snorts of bewildered laughter filled the void.

Then, ground came to life with its own light. A volley of plasma and missiles fired at the ship before its inhabitants could even show their faces. Both from within trenches and other hiding places on the ground, and from the facility itself. As it neared its landing, hovertanks with deflector shields glided briskly through the ground obstacles to get into better positions, and prepared to fire.

From her newfound perch, Penny inspected the ship through the scope of her rife. She wasn't at the angle she would like to be, but the main deck of the station was position at a higher elevation than the ground, which did give some advantage. The barrel hovered over a stone barricade as she knelt behind it. If anyone was crazy enough to exit that ship, and managed not to get instantly split in half with a plasma bolt, she would see to them.

((Now would be a good time to mention my understanding of machinery is pretty lacking, so bear with any silly errors I make. ^^))

Cyprian Ichar Kain Aldore

 

[Cyprian Ichar]

On his HUD, the altimeter ticked down...enough time had passed to know they had survived the storm.

So the good Captain wasn't just talk. Now Cyprian was going to half to follow up with his end the promise to take this blasted terraforming station. Up and down the hangar there was a collective relaxing of posteriors.

"Good show, Captain," Cyprian congratulated over internal comms. "I expect we're above to receive a warm welcome from the station forces, so we'll go out to meet them. Please release the bay doors when open and I'll deploy the bombers to eliminate the AA."

Packed into the frigate with the rest of the battalion was a quartet of heavy bombers, packed with enough ordinance to glass the entire complex flat several times over. If it wasn't for the fact that these stations actively maintained the atmosphere of the planet, then he would have done so from the beginning. Instead, the next best thing was leveling everything leading right up to the station proper.

As for Cyprian, he was going to make good use of one of those tanks they had loaded as counterweights. It would be a shame to just dump it into the mud. He lowered the hatch, the interior pitch black for a few moments until the monitors and digital controls came alive.

All systems read green. Good for him, bad for anyone who happened to be on the opposite side of his main gun.

Kain Aldore Penny Rasalas

 

[Kain Aldore]

Kain took a breath as the landing gear engaged, he opened the bay doors on the port side facing away from the structure watching the bombers deploy heading to with the AA, which fixed a big issue.

"private, but forget resetting shielding for full coverage, angle them full power starboard and prepare the turbo lasers for interception" Kain hit a switch radioing back to Cyprian "I tried to get us in the best position possible, we currently landed sitting around one hundred ninety-two meters from the front door and there are a lot of hostiles on scans, we'll do what we can with the two turbo lasers, give 'em hell"

the ship sat idle for only a few moments whatever small arms fire that was coming for it was bouncing straight off the deflectors, for the troops inside awaiting fate, a twenty-meter drop till they were on the ground. However there is an issue on the bridge, alarms going off and system consoles were failing, the mauver had put too much pressure on the ship's internals, The massive engines had melted, hyperdrives were failing and the auxiliary wings were destroyed during the air brake. that ship wasn't leaving the planet any time soon.

"Shit, Private power down all engines before the hyperdrive goes, or were going to be a small crater in the surface of this rock"

Kain looked out the giant right side viewport towards the massive amount of troops awaiting Cyprian's forces "Karabast" He pulled the com off his hip radioing the entirety of the crew this one last time "we have currently landed and facing the structure there are trenches less than a hundred fifty meters from where we sit, Good luck to you all." then putting his hand on a button and with no hesitation. "doors open in three... two... one" the metal under his finger gave way, as the bay doors to the ship dropped open revealing the troops inside and allowing them to begin the assault.

Cyprian Ichar Penny Rasalas

 

[Penny Rasalas]

The bombers deployed on the far side of the frigate, darting out like four silver arrows released simultaneously from a bow. As they shot up into the sky, Penny lifted her spying eyes from the rifle's scope, and watched them go. They were targeting their anti-air stations. The smaller anti-air units on the ground fired after them, but they moved too quickly for a hit.

The barrage of plasma and missile-fire coming from the trenches and terraforming station slowed in anticipation for whatever was hiding in that ship to reveal itself. Beating against their shield was pointless. But they did not sit idle. Ground support continued to merge into the best positions for an assault on whatever they would face. Mines littered unseen between their forces, known only by the craters detonated ones had left behind, and the smattering remnants of baked gore around them.

From the outside, Penny was a silent statue, moving only her eyes as she observe the suspicious scene below. She was unusually calm. Maybe an effect of weeks of near-constant warfare. She had grown a bit numb to it, if she were being honest, but this was different. Something wasn't right here. Whoever orchestrated this attack was without question daring....possibly reckless. Or...incredibly calculated, with a quality arsenal that was misrepresented by the appearance of a lone ship.

"What the hell are they doing? They're going to get blown to shit! Unless they have an army of beskar-plated droids in there, they're not even going to reach the trenches." She heard Zosma exclaim behind her, but didn't respond.

She could feel it whispering through the Force -- things would change for them all, after this day. For better or worse, she didn't know...but she did know she was ready for a change.

Returning to her scope, she waited patiently for the first sign of movement from the ship. Unless someone rolled out in their own armored tank, she would mercifully claim them before a mine could.

Cyprian Ichar Kain Aldore

 

[Cyprian Ichar]

Undoubtedly, most of the enemy was focused on the heavy bombers now zipping overhead, lighting a wreath of proton fire around the complex, disintegrating man and machine into a primordial molten stew. Against that smoldering backdrop it was easy to miss the next pair of machines that dropped out of the bay. Grinning like a mad man (maybe he really was), Cyprian dived with his tank, with a second in tow in full autonomous mode. He was alone - if his suicidal actions cost a life, it would only be his own.

The Lord Commander took the idea of leading from the front to the extreme.

As he fell with the tanks, they each popped over several gas canisters, all aimed at the enemy emplacements below. Soon, the enemy would only have to contend with falling bombs, but also a thick green miasma that would cloud their vision and sensors to the incoming attackers.

It was at that time the enemy seemed to take notice before they were swallowed up by the Nagnol. Some attempted to fire upon him in vain, but his approach angle was too steep for most of their big guns to track, and the small arms fire just bounced off the hardened laminate hull. All the while, he used the tanks' repulsors to adjust their angles to shift into a glide before landing. Over the outer ring of emplacements being currently bombarded. Right smack dab at the center of the bridge connecting to the terraforming station proper.

Emberline troops fled from their machine gun nests as they correctly deduced that Cyprian planned to land right on their heads. And so he did, the tanks engulfed in a blaze of fire as ammunition and explosives flattened by repulsor waves detonated. The flames lingered around the tanks, giving them a hellish visage as they opened fire with their auto-rippers. Anything that wasn't also a tank was likely to get shredded by the streams of energy coated metal bolts being spit out at hypersonic velocities. In fact, these rapid fire guns were made to take out tanks, so everything else was just child's play.

By now, the frigate had landed, more or less in one piece. Cyprian would have preferred that it could have remained airborne for additional fire support, but Captain Aldore had already performed far beyond expectations. If Kain had been a regular Union soldier, he would be showered with medals if he made it off-world. Though as a mercenary, he could expect a nice fat bonus.

Between credits and accolades, there was no contest.

"Surround the Emberline," he ordered the battalion. "Pick them off as they attempt to escape the blast zones. First company, on my position. We're taking the station."

Like a swarm of angry hornets, the Balarac departed the ship on rocket packs, quickly encircling the beleaguered enemy. While in flight, they battered surviving Emberline trying to flee molten craters of the blast zones with Mortar Guns and Threshers. If they weren't blown to bits by the hail of micro-grenades, then they had the pleasure of being torn apart by mutated flying spiders with razor like tendrils. Pure nightmare fuel.

"Captain," Cyprian continued as he gored the center of an armored carrier with his main gun. "Top show so far, but I'd recommend you and the ship crew withdraw from the frigate. No doubt they'll have fighters or airspeeders scrambled shortly for you as the biggest target in the open."

The danger of the storms was indiscriminate and made the Emberline think twice before deploying their own airpower and have fried in the air when there was no opposition to bother with, but with the imminent thread of a (surprise!) enemy breach, such concerns were tossed out the window.

"Why don't you join me on the bridge, you can hitch a ride with one of my men."

Penny Rasalas Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

Grabbing his com "yeah...that sounds like a good idea" Karin realized Cyprian was probably right, this ship wouldn't be able to take fighter or bomber run if they had gotten the smarts to hit it. the shields now failing and the ship essentially dead on the ground, at least till he could gut a few parts, it was his best option. Kain unzipped his jacket and yelled to the men on the bridge

"Get outta here, find cover outside there's nothing more any of you can do"

Kain got on the turbo lift taking it down to the ground floor. He walked past troops running to the bay doors, pulling his blaster from the holster, and boarding one of the tanks. He was no slouch when it came to ground combat but he would prefer to be closer, much closer as the tank rolled out with him on the inside ready to hop vehicles at any minute or even bail if something drastic happened. Kain was never against making war, sure if he could avoid it he would definitely try, but under these circumstances how could he sit by and think a diplomatic solution was possible. he had heard of the situation two weeks back from a Unionist passing through his parts shop on Corellia. so he volunteered to help, for the right price.

The sound of blasters ringing off the hull, jetpacks overhead, and yelling somewhere in the distance, he didn't hate it, in fact, he doesn't even mind, but still, Kain preferred the gentle hum of an engine bay or the feel of a control stick in his hand. He looked at the view screen radioing to Cyprian "We're coming up behind you, how is it looking up there any new?"

He didn't want to take command of the tank, not necessarily knowing how to even use one, he was feeling useless now they were on the ground. Then Kain saw the entrance to the facility, the smoke would clear that's where he could do some good, but they still weren't close enough, a few more feet and he could make a run for the door. he pointed out a few strays running away from the trenches for the gunner to hit. It seemed asking Cyrpian to bring the tanks wasn't even a minor inconvenience.

Cyprian Ichar Penny Rasalas

 

[Penny Rasalas]

And just like that, the true battle began with a rain of hellfire and terrors fit for an overactive fever dream. The sky erupted in flashes of light as more proton bombs battered their defenses, the air around them bloomed in thick green gas that cloaked the horrors unfolding within, and rendered many of them nearly useless. The ground burst with more explosives, and shrieks of pain and anger crested above the shockwaves as soldiers everywhere either burned alive, writhed in a bloody mess with severed limbs, or flailed amongst a swarm of...some kind of creature Penny had never seen before. The sight was genuinely disturbing, even after all the things she had seen...

After weeks of mowing down Unionists, and finally catching a glimpse of the end in sight, everything was undone. Fate itself twisted by some unknown master tactician. Penny was slow to react, first watching the brilliant orchestration of death and destruction play out before her. Partly in awe, but also because she quickly understood the nearly perfect assault they were executing left little room for them to squander an advantage. It was brilliant. Her only regret was that she was on the losing side...especially since she harbored no emotional attachment to Emberline or its men.

She began to laugh. A low, hysterical laugh that sounded a bit crazed. The heavy rifle she had been toying with for some time now clattered to the ground as she discarded it as though it were trash. It was now about as useless as the airspeeders that deployed in desperation, only to become engulfed in Nagnol. They either crashed, adding to the fire and shrapnel and taking down their own men, or were grounded and abandoned.

Zosma spouted in open panic, shouting in her native tongue. She had been in battles before, but nothing of this caliber. The girl was no warrior. Whatever she said, Penny's response did nothing to reassure her.

"You hide..." She looked back to her friend, "And if I don't see you again, it's been an honor. You're a great friend, Zosma. Thank you for everything." Penny smiled, calm and genuine, but the lookin her eye didn't match the calm of her voice.

The mechanic and tinkerer of gadgets shrieked in disbelief and protest, but Penny was gone. Hopping over the barricade and sprinting down the bridge. She was dead. She was certain of it. Something would catch her, it was only a matter of time. Her only hope was that it wasn't a volley of whatever those insect-looking things were spewing out of those guns. Her only goal now was to make a game of it. Spitefully fight to the end, and go out with a bang. There was nothing else.

As she moved, her presence dimmed. Cloaked by the Force, but not in such a way that made her invisible. That was a talent beyond her capability. It merely made her easy to overlook, especially with the speed in which she moved. Less likely to be picked out of the crowd, but certainly not impossible. Her lightsaber was gripped in her hand as she ran, but it wasn't on yet.

Overhead, a man darted through the air on a jetpack, and she slowed. A hand reach out, and her focus on everything but him vanished. As he lifted his Thresher, aiming for some unknown soldier below, his body jerked violently several meters backwards, and he smashed into another airborne trooper with enough force that their colliding jetpacks combusted in mid air. She picked up speed again, running past one of their fallen, flaming bodies, and silencing their screams with the upward swipe of the pale golden blade of her lightsaber.

Ahead, she could see a tank approaching. The first one that had descended from the frigate. No doubt it was intent on targeting the station itself. Penny escaped the exposing bridge, and disappeared within the chaos itself. Fire, chunks of flesh and smoldering debris drifted in and out of view as the Nagnol misted through. She crouched within the earthen barrier of a small crater, eyes narrowing in thought.

The sound of the jetpack almost went unnoticed, but she looked up just in time to see the trooper discover her as well, and he lifted the sinister looking gun in her direction. Penny's palm shot out with a Force push as the same time he fired. The live ammo that would have disintegrated her alive flooded back, the spider-looking creatures covering him instead as he soared back through the air with them.

She turned back to the oncoming tank, and focused. Taking slow, deep breaths as she dared drown out the rest of her surroundings as much as possible, and infiltrated the very structure of the machine with the Force. Mapping it in her mind, in essence. A flicker of recognition distracted her as she felt the driver inside. Someone who was also Force sensitive (Cyprian), but she didn't linger on his presence. When she was ready, she unleashed. Using the Force to invade the tank and quite literally shatter it from the inside through its own weakest points (Shatterpoint). It wasn't a violent explosion, per say. The vehicle itself simply burst with its own shockwave, and ceased to function.

No one taught her the ability. It was something that came natural to her, and she had carefully refined over the years. The only problem was that she was incapable of dividing her attention in the process, which put her at risk. This time, made her overlook one of the many insidious creatures that now scurried about, until a sharp pain bloomed into her back. It was like being attacked by acid-coated blades, and Penny screamed in rage. A twirl of gold light reduced the thing to gooey ash as she spun the saber behind her, carelessly clipping some of her hair with it.

((Oh god it's so long, I'm sorry O_O))

Cyprian Ichar Kain Aldore

 

[Cyprian Ichar]

Everything was coming together. Despite the numerical superiority of the Emberline and the inherent advantages they enjoyed as defenders, they were being bested by a much more mobile enemy that could fight in 3D, backed up by heavy bombers flushing them out of all those well dug encampments. However, time was of the essence - it was critical to capture or disable the station for the remaining drop troops to land, as even the Balarac wouldn't survive reinforcements and their only escape vehicle was currently out of commission.

So each man under his command fought like a demon, acutely aware that there was not a sliver of a possibility of retreat.

In a way, they always had been, mutants twisted by their old Master as slave soldiers to annihilate his enemies.

Kain reached back to him on comms, apparently joining the party in his own tanks. He liked this man more and more.

"From the datalink being shared with the bombers overhead, it looks like their organization has almost gone to hell. You should be able to punch right through their lines and bus it to the bridge. First company is already enroute and will begin scaling the central complex. Third company will cover you from the rear as you advance, though they won't follow. Good luck and see you soon."

As he blasted apart an APC at the far end of the bridge with his main gun, he felt another presence, very much like Kain, strong in the Force, but full of malice.

Malice for him.

He swiveled his main camera to zero in on this enemy Force Sensitive before they got close. However, through the green clouds, he was only able to witness a vague womanly silhouette, wielding a blade of pure golden luminescence.

A lightsaber.

That was the last sight he saw before the monitors sparked and cracked, going completely black. The whole carriage began to screech as if it was being ripped apart. Cyprian didn't understand exactly what was happening to the tank, but did understand that A) The enemy Forcer as the culprit, and B) It was time to vacate the tank if he didn't want to be gored by warping plates.

Such a shame, it had been a nice tank, too.

He popped open the tank, and scrambled over the hood and took to the air on his rocketpack before the vehicle met its final demise. Thankfully, the vehicle was fitted with cryocells and fire suppression systems, so it wasn't going to overload like in one of those action holovids the children adored. It would just die quietly on the pockmarked bridge.

The second tank running autonomously was still very much alive, though, and he seized direct command with his helmet, redirecting all available firepower precisely where he sensed the Force Sensitive to be before he dropped in on what was left. In a matter of seconds, the area was saturated with dozens of auto ripper rounds, a high explosive shell from the main cannon, a few grenades from the antipersonnel turret, and even an energy blast from the bunker busting heavy particle cannon.

All this together was sure to vaporize anything in the immediate vicinity of impact, but he trusted the enemy Forcer to be much too nimble to be taken down by something so pedestrian. The salvo was meant to serve as a flashy distraction so that Cyprian can get in close and finish them personally. The last thing he needed was one of these saber jockeys nipping at the metaphorical heels undoing the progress of his operation.

He was properly armed for the task as well, unlocking his mace from its magno clasps. As Soleil activated, it blazed red like a dying star on the verge of death.

What came at the death of a star?

A supernova.

Kain Aldore Penny Rasalas

 

[Kain Aldore]

Kain tapped his driver on the shoulder "punch through then let me out and cover me oh try not to tear me to shred's while you're at it"

The tank rumbled through the hail of terror that was coming towards him when he caught a glimpse on the monitor, a lightsaber in all its glory, it wasn't cyprian he could tell clear as day, no... this was opposition he was feeling and fear, but not for themselves but for others, no, not even other's just another, He could tell she had training, but in the end, she was no Jedi and lucky he could tell she wasn't Sith either Kain saw Cyprian bailout, he understood, he was going to oppose the other force wielder, and it was up to him in order to stop the supercell generator.

The Tank busted through the ramparts at the end of the bridge as he walked briskly from the side of the vehicle, the first man to notice him raised his blaster, Kain looked over and without a reason to hide it in a field of dead men, gripped the troop's blaster with the force and with weight rammed it into the trooper's own head.

After walking past a few others dodging their blaster bolts and hitting them with his own and throwing others up in the air for the jet troops to hit he was there at the door, Kain looked down picking up a dead guard's code cylinder and jamming it in the console, he was no longer worried about Cyprian, he had his own job to do. the door opened to a massive facility inside guards and technicians scrambling around. Kain proceeded to the main console an Emberline troop only had the chance to look at him before he was forcefully slamming and pinning him into the wall Kain walking up to him

"How do I turn it off"

The guard was probably pissing his pants but Kain required urgency he aimed his blaster at the man's chest

The guard responded in a panicked voice "We worked too hard to have this be undone by the lik.."

The guard tore across the room slamming into the other wall of the facility before going limp on the floor, Kain had simply thrown him to the side and began looking around for a failsafe or any other operation he could do before he resorted to any drastic measure. His fingers gliding over the keys "I never understood what was so hard about installing an on/off button." Blaster fire began in his direction, he picked up his own taking a few shots back and began to run the scenario over in his head

"We're in dire need of reinforcements, cyprian is engaged with another and I have to shut the facility down by. myself with maybe the help of some troops if they make it in here" He was stuck with a decision. look for the failsafe or tear the place down, it would be easy, he could simply put a few blaster rounds into the console and see what happens, but that could make the storm worse. Kain looked around at the struts in the building, he could compromise the support of the structure and let it crumble. but that might take too long, his alternative was to find an engineer.

Kain looked back towards where the blaster fire was coming before looking at the console and seeing a massive section cut out for a failsafe cylinder, of course, it was that easy, Kain grabbed a large desk throwing it towards the incoming blaster fire, he could see a woman with curly raven black hair yelling at him in a foreign language, she seemed pissed as the table crashed in front of her blocking her path.

Kain reached out and pulled his arm back as he ripped the failsafe panel off the console and went to work rewiring it to respond by a button next to him "Cyprian I almost have it offline it's going to take me a minute at most and then we have back up" Kain preyed his ally was still in the fight, because if not, whoever was wielding that lightsaber would probably come for him, and he was a little ocupied.

(I forgot to send it after I was done, big brain :|)

Cyprian Ichar Penny Rasalas

 

[Sadira Valen]

((Sorry friends, I posted on the wrong character))