Invasion Great Balls of Fire | Agents of Chaos invasion of CIS-held Rodia and Talay

[Shalita Verd]

LOCATION: Iskaayuma, Rodia
WEARING: Red Wolf Armour | Jacket | Taozin Amulet
EQUIPMENT: Obsidian Lightsaber | Hidden Wrist Blade | Generic Throwing Knives
ALLIES: Shamira Karuto | Vytal Noctura | Effie | Alluria Ivalice | Viana Morreth | Julra Repraj | Solana Arasne | @CIS and Friends
ENEMIES: The Agents of Chaos

Even though her icy blue eyes were fixated upon the growing abyss at their feet, she still heard the rocks clatter against the concrete slabs as they shook with the effort of maintaining their original form. The assassin also heard the bones that clattered within their tomes and the headstones that threatened to topple over. Yet through all of this she witnessed the additional components being added to the spell. Falyood tree fibers of which Shamira had said that it was to add armour to the bodies. She could only gather that they were raising the dead and not the transparent spirits that had been brought forth on Ryloth. Armor indeed for the dead, although they could only take a beating for so long; for although their non-existent hearts were already dead within their chest cavities, they still could only take so much. They could only take so many bullets and slicing.

It was as if Shamira was adding to a witch’s brew and in a way, they were. A brew that consisted of an abyss, fibers and a chant.

”Rise, people of Rodia. Rise, people of Rodia.” Shalita chanted herself with words spoken softly. Even she herself could feel the magicks that brewed within the cemetery, magicks to draw forth a power that could shake even the most strong willed of soldiers, for a witch never revealed their plans till the very end. They didn’t sit there and talk about what grievous harm had been done to them, instead they struck back with the added value of shock and fear. In a way it was captivating to Shalita and the very essence of the magick that she felt vibrating within the abyss, made her hungry to know more about the very path that she had begun to travel down. A path that she traveled with hesitancy, for it involved placing trust within the bodies that she would work with. However, at the same time it was a path that she hungered to know more of. To excel in.

With the words that Vytal spoke, the assassin moved slightly forwards to watch the undead climb their way up the steep sides as if there was little to no effort involved. She felt the magick that had imbued and woven the Falyood tree fibers into the skeletal figures that were driven not just by the magick that had seeped into them, but by the spirits of Rodia. Shalita crouched by the lip of the abyss to watch in awe as the skeletons doubled in number and then tripled until the steep walls were covered in an army climbing up to get out of the abyss. The power was simply riveting and slowly the woman rose and took a few steps back, only to look to Vytal to witness the wordless nod. A slow smirk curved her own lips then as she herself returned the nod with one of her own. It seemed like the two thrived on wordless communication and instead relied upon the body language of each other.

We have our army… Shalita intoned to herself, more in reflection of the Nightmother’s words as the skeletons of Rodia pulled themselves up out of the tunnel created by the very magick that had given the bones life. Indeed, the amount of bones pouring out of the abyss now, was definitely more of a numbers game; regardless of the fact that they were not like the living whose beating hearts could help their owner's to regenerate at different paces. Whether the living hearts were normal or supernatural, was only relevant to the different pace at which one could heal. Their army, however was made up of numbers to pad the fact that they didn't have that healing factor. So their overwhelming numbers, could easily swarm and exhaust their enemy into submission. To make them turn tail and run.

Her booted footsteps turned to follow Vytal, but her right hand rose to pull her lightsaber free from the belt around her waist. The weapon sprung to life in her gloved hand, emitting a purple glow as they began to make their way towards the factory district. That was when the lights went out and plunged their army into complete darkness.
.

 

[Nerium]

Location: Iskaayuma
Wearing: Armor (dyed several colors)
Wielding: Generic Lightsaber | Pouch of Buttons and Fabric Flowers | Generic breathing mask
Allies: Agents of Chaos + Allies | Madalena Antares | Eldoc Quasat | Zaldros Sabolte | Gabriel Volturi | +Other
Enemies: Confederacy +Their allies | Ishmael Verd | Théodoro | Shuklaar Kyrdol | Draconis Sederius Wolf | Luna Terrik | + Other

It was all so l o u d .

Not to say that Nerium wasn't used to loud, at least in some regard. No, one could argue that Nerium herself was a loud individual. But there were also different types of loud. The excitement over seeing a friend after some time, or finding a new toy. The sort of loud that didn't make an actual sound but there was no other way to describe the sensation. And then there was this loud, the all-encompassing. The loud that came with being pulled into a protective bubble, having allies shouting about all so close nearby, on top of the general ruckus of combat and debris.

Her fingers twitched, undecided as to whether or not they'd reach for the lightsaber at her side or to cover her ears, if only to offer a chance at clarity before the world dipped back out of wack. And in that moment, Nerium felt something that'd otherwise been relatively unknown to her, at least on the outside. Insanity, or whatever other word they put to it certainly had it's perks, all perceived drawbacks aside. And among them, a fearlessness that often proved a bane just as much as it was a boon. But in that moment, that brief instances in which overstimulation took its hold, the usual shallow pit of 'that might not have been the best course of action' was a plummet down a sheer cliff.

But a moment later that feeling had passed and what followed could turn a harmless stream of discord into a brutal ocean of frenzy. An ocean that would seek to sweep others into its madness as well. Such a display was infectious in nature, and one only haphazardly targetted towards strictly enemies (it was so hard to keep track these days). And after that initial outburst, a slight return to reason (if you could even call it that) bore forth a disturbing truth by way of the creatures clinging to the commandos' backs.

A quick wrench of the wrists ripped both ground and nearby structures from their resting places in a taxing effort of providing more cover than the bubble of protection offered. "Us or them, someone needs to go," she half shouted, half hissed in Madalena Antares direction, both physical or mental.

 

[Bella]

Objective/Location: Seek and Destroy - Talay System
Fighter: Phase I “Ballerina” Star Interceptor - Aurora Seven
Onboard Equipment: Phase IX Anti-G Suit | X-8 Night Sniper
Allies: AoC ( Willam Forlon Salem Norongachi Dimitri Lindzinsky)
Enemies: CIS ( Kiff Brayde John Locke )

“Shift into attack formations!” The voice of Aurora One called out over comms. “Prepare to screen their fighters and stay close to your wingman!” Bella quickly shifted into action, maneuvering her interceptor into formation around the picket corvette so as to screen it from the imminent advance of the hostile fighters. Knowing that Salem had not yet directly engaged Confederate small craft in a head-on dogfight, she had made sure beforehand to make him aware of their tactics and technology, including the ordnance jamming systems which made missile lock-ons difficult to execute and the sensor scrambling devices. Fortunately, the Ballerina was largely resistant to sensor jamming, and was also capable of feeding data from its sensors to other fighters through a cooperative engagement network. There was also the picket corvette, which was already serving to afford her a more expansive view of the battlespace.

It was a wonder that they had still managed to win the battle over Ryloth while lacking that degree of battlespace awareness.

As for Salem, his response to her previous questions dissipated in the frenzy of activity that naturally came about in the moments before the beginning of a turbolaser lightshow. The perpetually drunk pilot would notice a change in the perpetual pulses of the Force. His compatriot was much calmer now, locked in a zone of deep focus that even the most charismatic pilot would struggle to break. For better or worse, Bella rarely spoke over comms during battles, a habit that her previous squadron leader, Dani, had made note of in more than a few reports. It was very likely that Salem had noticed that in the midst of his alcohol-driven sleuthing through her records. By the same token, it was equally likely that the bar owner had forgotten what he had read in her records the moment he emerged from another liquor-induced stupor with the characteristic pounding headache of a hangover.

In the moments that followed after Bella shifted her Ballerina into the screen formation, she activated her shields and allocated power to combat systems. While the missiles would likely fail to establish a lock-on, she could still use them to bait a target into a predictable maneuver which would allow her to acquire a quick firing solution. It wasn’t ideal, since it was always best to end a fight quickly in a calculated ambush through a single missile hit from long range. Fortunately, the Ballerina was built for high-intensity turning battles, and Bella liked to think that she was, as well.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Location: In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Lupine's not doing any sleeping tonight
Wearing: Armor | Lupine Blood Stone | Gills of Destiny | Generic Breathing Mask
Wielding: WindWhisper | Vita Stones | GBG-7416 | Phase Candles | Panna Cake Batter |
Allies: Agents of Chaos | Rashae + Open
Enemies: CIS | Sabine Delacroix Amelia von Sorenn Daegon Corvinus Muad Dib | +Open

It had been so long since Alwine was last in such a beautiful jungle setting. The Scintilla offered its fair share of growth and greenery, but it was all so new. A jungle that had actually stood there for countless of millenia? That was a whole different thing, and the wolf inside of her yearned to be freed just so she could run along happily until she found prey for food. Instead, she just continued to get her hands on the tree barks as the groups continued to run. Trees weren't quite sentient, did not quite communicate the way what the galaxy referred to as "people" did, but they were far from being dumb vegetation that could do nothing. Entire ecosystems relied on them, and their responses, when nature was threatened. When people came with machines in the goal of war or construction, the local habitation could rarely respond fast enough, and thus died.

But Rodia was full of jungles that hadn't died, of trees that had been standing since a very early point in its history. Roots dug heavily into the hard earth, entwined with the other roots of so many in the past and present. One day, she hoped, she would be able to actually develop a key to full and proper understanding. Until then, she merely took what the trees sent her through the Force. There were no actual words, only feelings, only tugging. They might not have known about the specifics of the war on the planet, could probably not care any less about who the Confederacy or who the Agents of Chaos were, but Alwine let the trees into her very heart. She had not come here to destroy them, she had come to help the locals and was now running for her life, along with the others. So far it had been morale and inertia that had kept her going, but she knew that fear would soon enough strike the hearts of those that did not yet feel it. The Confederacy was content to destroy medical and humanitarian aid fleets, and not for the first time. Not even those who wanted to help would be welcome unless they succumbed and bent the knee, keeping their heads down like good little slaves.

And the jungle saw her.

Alwine nodded, and turned to the rest of the company. "Take a breath," she instructed them. There weren't too many of them left to begin with. Rashae, medical aid personnel, the God Killers… There were no droids, which made her plan easier, but the God Killers… They were force dead. What she had in mind would not work on them.

"God killers," she said with a smile to the small squad, "I have a way to get us out of here. But that way will not carry you. What I need you to do is continue to run to that direction," she pointed, "and do not stop until you see certain… Creatures, that in some ways, are like you. Then, you will be able to fight together." There were nods. For better or worse, Alwine was considered a leader even outside of the Speaker circles, which gave her some ground. Thankfully though, no one tried to argue with her, even though she had not yet given her entire plan out. "Go!" she instructed them, and then turned to the rest.

Alwine sensed forward with the Force, noting who on the team was Force Sensitive… And who was not. Within seconds, she split them into groups of four people each. Some groups had only one Force Sensitive, others had more than one. But the important thing is that each Force Sensitive was now holding a phase candle.

"Candle holders, to the beginning or end of your group. The others with them, hold hands. I will light these candles, and then we will all take five steps. Together. We will end up roughly 2.5 clicks away from here by the time those three steps are done. I have enough to carry us back later, if needed."

Alwine smiled. She knew they would not sense what was up ahead, for what was up ahead could not be sensed through the Force.But that did not mean dead to the ecosystem, did not mean that movements, vibrations, did not happen, and did not mean that they did not feed.

With a wave of her hand, all the candles lit up.

One, two, three - they were there. Steps four and five were to ensure that no one ended inside a tree by accident. But there had been no need to worry - they had ended up in a clearing now. Alwine did not know if the jungle knew, but she thanked it through the Force nonetheless.

And the ground rumbled.

It was not Confederate forces (yet). It was not Agents of Chaos (yet). It was the sound of hundreds of Vagh Rodiek, realizing someone had come into their territory.

Alwine wasted no time. Immediately her hands went to the grounds, finding the roots of the trees, of the vegetation, of everything. Sweat poured down the sides of her face and down her back as she shoved everything she had into the command - protect us.

At first it seemed nothing happened. And then the trees began to twist and move, growing higher, wider, and their tops coming down. The clearing changed now, no longer a clearing, but a messy tiny dome of entwined branches, barks, and roots. They could all feel the Vagh Rodiek as they ran on top of it, causing earth and insects to drop down on their group.

Her heart was beating madly. If she had done what she had wanted to do, it would be a handful of minutes at most before the Vagh Rodiek met the God Less, and together they would form some kind of fighting force to slow or halt the Confederate forces. If her calculations, cold as they might have been, were right, she'd just bought them time from the squads and groups. It didn't say anything about individuals though.

"It appears we will not be doing much medical work today," she said quietly, taking a seat and leaning against a tree trunk. Her body was doing so much better thanks to Rashae , but she still needed a moment to catch her breath. And - her hands went to her pocket and she pulled a small protein bar out of it. It was crumbly after all they'd done, but she would take the nutrition into her anyway.

"Even if they completely halt those who are coming for us now," Alwine resumed, "They will not stop. They will simply send more numbers, until they have evidence of our deaths. Or until this planet is liberated from the Confederate Empire. We must have faith that those in the city and in space will do just that - but for us, we must consider abandoning our purpose here. We can help absolutely no one if we are dead."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: Industrial part of the Iskaayuma
Wearing: Armatura | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | The Sofitor
Wielding: 7 Nozhi Blades | 1 Whimsy Knife | 1 Whimsy Witch Knife | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives | Clarion | Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke | Combat Gauntlets | Tessen | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader KD-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets | The Parasite | Generic Breathing Mask
Allies: Agents of Chaos + Allies | Larentia + Open
Enemies: Confederacy | BX-72967-RAZOR Gerwald Lechner Redd +Their allies

Yup. Larentia was doing that thing that all Lupines did when they came across new Lupines for the first time in a forever. Scherezade wanted to scream Larentia, no, Larentia, stahp! But it wouldn't be enough there.

Gerwald was trying to bait her into action, talking about this or other bullchit about letting her get away in the past when it was he that had repeatedly pushed her away. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was telling all sorts of stories that had little to nothing to do with what actually happened just so he wouldn't have to deal with himself being such a douche. That was fine by her, but she wasn't about to waste time on it.

Looking at Redd as she showed her fur and filled out body off, the Sithling smiled again. Under different circumstances, she would've happily invited the lupine to a steakhouse after this was done. But, as she could easily see from her responses once Dib was mentioned, today was not going to be that day.

And then all the lights went down.

Scherezade burst into laughter. They thought the Agents of Chaos were somehow scared of the dark? Well yeah, okay, Scherezade was, but Scherezade wasn't the rest of the Agents. For some reason people insisted on naming her one of their leaders, when she wasn't one at all. She was a Free Agent, and the only thing she asked was to be pointed in the direction of people, groups, and organizations that could use a good stabbing. She was damn good at what she did.

"Give me a sound and give me the night, let us see it all tonight," the words came quickly out of Scherezade. She, Larentia , and the five other combatants with them would all hear a soft ding in their heads, like a soft chime. And then, those who had not yet ignited their night vision gear, would realize that they didn't need to. Once, Scherezade had sworn off learning any and all new Witch spells, sticking only to the ones she had learned while she was an active Mandragora. But things had changed recently. She was back to creating spells.

The arena formed around them… Well. Was she supposed to comment on that? Debris and dust - it was easy to punch through. But that was hardly what she was going to do.

Grinning, she moved one hand towards the far end of the arena, the furthest point from Gerwald Lechner and Redd . With the snap of her fingers, a patch five meters long and a meter and a half deep worth of road crumbled, leading to the outside, though she moved their remains in a banana-arch over herself and Larentia, sending it crashing towards where the two other Lupines were standing.

"Felicitations about finally making an effort to show up for wars!" Scherezade yelled, and then grabbed Larentia by the shoulder.

They should really, really, not have tried to turn the city dark on them. The combination of that and the hellfire raining down on the city had given Scherezade plenty of pockets that she could easily use - pockets of shadow.

Scherezade almost pounced Larentia and mumbled a quick "don't breathe!" as she pushed the two of them into the nearest shadow, the five other agents using the road she opened to run away.

A moment later, the two half stepped half jumped out of a shadow on top of the nearest building - it was only two stories high above ground, so it wasn't a huge distance at all.

Forget him for now, she spoke to Larentia through the Force, knowing well enough how sensitive Lupine ears were, but not sure if the distance was far enough for some verbal privacy, If we are caught - we will die. There will be no reasoning, there will be no negotiations. I know he's a Lupine and your kind is rare and all of that but I promise, the two of them will not be the last Lupines you come across. For now, we have to survive this. Fear not this night. You will not go astray. Though Shadows fall still the stars find their way.

Letting her go, Scherezade dared to peek over the edge of the roof while beginning to check their immediate surroundings through the Force to see if anything non-Force dead was there.

 

[Larentia]

Objective: Denying her Accusors; Finishing off a Reunion
Location: Industrial part of the Iskaayuma, on a rooftop.
Allies: Agents of Chaos
Enemies: Confederacy of Independent Systems
Armor: Phase I Haywire Armor
Equipment: Phase I Sword of Eve, Whimsy Knife, Light-Shield Bracelet, Taozin Amulet, Generic breathing mask
Tags: (AoC) Scherezade deWinter + Open
(CIS) Gerwald Lechner Redd

The wolf watched, observed. Gerwald Lechner didn't even know her name, she had heard... yet she seemed to know his and presumed a title... ahh, he was not Lord just yet. The red wolf beside him appeared to be laughing at the assumed title. Clearly not. "I know quite a bit of you, Gerwald Lechner," perhaps more than he himself would ever know if her mission here was truly successful. Perhaps someday, he would face her, years from now, and laugh at the realization and perhaps they would have a drink together when all this was a thing of the past - when the wolves returned to their true glory. Perhaps. Larentia didn't know. As of now, she had seen her own death; it would not be today, it would be at the hands of a different wolf. If she was successful, she would have survived, she would have grown older than she had been. In the future, Larentia had days to live, days to the final battle. Here, she had survived several years beyond her own age. Perhaps the curse had already been broken, or perhaps it had only been delayed.​

He maneuvered the rocks, her fingers itched for her weapon. The warrior obligated to draw the weapon, but a general waited for her enemy to draw it first. He hadn't, he simply chose to play with tools in front of him. Perhaps he desired a duel within the Force, Larentia considered as she observed, hearing the accusation that had followed. She was on Olanet. Her head lifted slightly, tilted. "I was." Her answer was simple, plain. Her purpose was political there, the fighting that ensued was not of her volition, nor that of her allies. There was, however, little to no point in explaining any of this to him, not as long as he served the Confederacy so Larentia had not bothered. Derek Dib's betrayal had been personal to her, more so even Muad Dib's behavior. A disgraced Shaman of an old religion, a traitor of his spirit. Doashim did not forget, his child did not either. Larentia had been his embodiment since the day she had been born; and she would not forget in his name what had been done that day. Not even the demon condoned the massacre done to H.O.P.E.​

His weapon drew finally, sprung to life. He kept on talking; a threat issued. Cuffs or death. He was wrong though, Larentia would not die today, not here. Her death had been foretold. The debris sprung to life though, spreading around. Larentia observed. The wolf at his side was growling, the sound was distinctive but the wolf paid little heed to her, focusing on the future Lord of his dwelling. He was growing from the young man of Stewjon, the man of stories she had been told. He was never the villain in the early stories, there had been love in the story. Yet, some things were never meant to be, never meant to overcome. Perhaps it had been the true curse of theirs, Larentia had considered the many times she recalled those stories later... "To be blind to the truths is unbecoming of a wolf, Gerwald Lechner." She only replied to calmness in her voice from many years of training.​

In the next moment, darkness befell them. She could still feel those around her, the Lupines even stronger than the Bloodhound at her side. She heard the chanting distinctively though. Words unfamiliar but the brewing of magic beneath them was undeniable. Scherezade had been trained in the same arts, by the same woman. Both of their training had been similar, the width of magic was endless, as long as the caster kept an open mind and enough inner strength to achieve it. Strength, power, will. Boost to my sister, strength to the magic, I submit, Larentia chanted different words, lending her own strength to the witch besides her, a prayer rather than a spell, it would help her channel her own connection to the Force to ensure Scherezade success. ​

Scherezade deWinter grabbed her shoulder the next moment, then heard a very distinctive command; causing her to inhale a deep breath before she would hold it, feeling her body move into the shadow before they would exit the arena then leap high beyond the arena formed. Up in the heights, on the rooftop, Larentia heard Scherezade speak to her. Forget him for now, she suggested inside her head. The Bloodhound considered that because he was Lupine and because their species were rare that she had hesitated. My world is full of my people. I will not die today, my death has been foretold, long after this day and far from this world. She might as well be the first person to ever hear the truth about Larentia. Not even Katrine had been privy to the vision but the reasons were vast for this. No one should ever know too much about their destiny, the spirits had advised her so long ago. Larentia agreed to this, promised she would not tell them. Her promise was true, yet Scherezade had been told an inkling of the truth now.​

From there, she strained through the darkness to watch the other girl's movements, facing forward. Larentia remained quiet in the darkness, waiting; letting her Force Sense be her eyes at the moment.​

​

 

[Aiofe A'Dess]

Talay, Ground​

Location: Talay, underneath the station
Wearing: Phase I Haywire Armor with beskar plates around the left side of the ribcage (plates are under the armor) |The helmet of the Phase I clone trooper armor, colored black | The Gills of Destiny (already activated, but more in case of need)
Wielding: Phase I Sword of Eve | Phase Candles | Phase II "Dissonance" Particle Beam Rifle | Whimsy Knife | Comm equipment
NPCs: 20 Agents of Chaos Wild Hunters, half FU, half NFU.
Allies: Agents of Chaos + Friends | Open!
Enemies: Confederacy + Friends | Athena Ares Stone Damsy Callat Tien Ulinesque Ciri Jade +Open!

Aiofe did not want to be here at all. The former Confederate Knight Obsidian, current Agents of Chaos Wild Hunter, had wanted to stay away as far from Confederate space as possible, to let those who were good at fighting do their job while she took care of logistics back at home. But they needed more people. After the horrible event of HOPE, all hands were busy. The sphere's hull had been fixed, the life systems working again, but there was still so much to do. Countless bodies were still floating in space, and some of them had the time to float further enough so that finding them was a challenge. She had wanted to be part of the search teams, she had wanted to be part of the groups who logged without enough sleep and going through too many chemical nights to try to identify them.

But Aiofe had some combat experience, and available people with combat experience were needed there. She had been promised. The signal that they had caught during their infiltration had initially been ignored, but at the last second before the early troops were sent out, orders from above had changed. Aiofe was reassigned from Rodia to Talay, alongside twenty others. Their mission was to find the source of it.

Thankfully, the terrain was of the sort that was kind to people like Aiofe. She knew her way around caves, and the area around the base was full of them. They had spent the last day investigating them, mapping them out, until at last-

"We found it!" Aoife announced with excitement.

Four of their group stepped forward, carrying heavy machinery with them. What they had found in this cave, was something small, yet huge - a door. It was clear that it had not been opened in centuries, perhaps even longer. And it was better than what Aiofe had hoped to find, which was an exterior wall of sorts. Still, it would take them some time to drill through, and there was no silent way to do it.

"Hunters, stand on guard," she said as she picked up her own sword, uttering a silent prayer to the gods of Firrerre that she would not have to use it.

If any edits are needed please let me know​

 

[Sasmay Cull]

WIELDING: 4 Whimsy Knives, 1 Nastirci Combat Knife, 2 HG-88 ‘Big Iron’ Hand Cannons -(One has Glitter Bullets) 5/6 Verpine accessory shot ion tag round, 1 R12 LMG, (6) of Chaos Gas grenades, (6) of Elemental Grenades, Pouch of Vita Stones, A couple candles in separate pouches
WEARING: Phase II Haywire Armor with no helmet on top of UL-13 Corporis Skin Suit with helmet
LOCATION: Iskaayuma, Learning something about ourself
ALLIES: Agents of Chaos, Strike Team Bluebell
TAGS: Domino Luna Terrik Shuklaar Kyrdol

Sasmay watched woman take off ahead of her, stopping as she began to hear a strange buzzing sound. She turned her head away from the pinging map in her helmet, radar alerting her to the war machine over head as the aural sensors picked up something else. It was nothing compared to the sound of the gunship over head as her vision changed to infrared and looked back to the gunship, aiming the handcannon at it before sending the accessory ion tag round toward it, though away from the woman( Domino ) somehow clinging to it. Her advanced targeting system inside the helmet helped her with her aim, at least on the first shot.

The door on the side had not opened yet, but a dreadful sinking feeling rolled in her gut as the recoil kicked and made her strain. Which was nothing compared to the sense of dread that washed over her even stronger than before as the nano second ticked by and the feeling became all consuming. Her eyes went up after the split second of pushing the barrel down enough to see over, spying the weapon that began to emerge in the door as the sense of dread kicked something down deep within her.

Self preservation was a strange motivator.

The untapped and untrained force user strained at the sudden tension she felt throughout her whole body, the friction grip on her boots almost failing to do it's job as the armored woman suddenly rocketed forward at inhuman speed. She would shot across the street and into the next alley as the explosive went off down the way. The world was a blur of strange colors, helmet still in infrared as she attempted to shoot the gap while in the grips of force speed.

 

[Nimue]

L O C A T I O N | Rodia - Iskaayuma - Field Hospital
O B J E C T I V E | Earth
E Q U I P M E N T | Armour - Rings [x] [x] [x]
A L L I E S | Prennis Keeoli - Aurelion Nova - Jason Farkas - The Confederacy & Friends
E N E M I E S | The Agents of Chaos​

War. Both a necessary and pointless passtime of the painfully mortal realm. Little did they realise the things that were at large in the galaxy, little did they know of the dangers they had yet to face. They wasted their short lives with guns, bullets, bombs, needless and senseless death that served no purpose to themselves or anyone else.

Pitiful.

The stance she clung to begged the question of why. Why was she on Rodia, in the middle of a war that was not hers to fight? There were only a few answers the High Priestess of the Silmä could give in response, and one of them had found itself in a very sticky situation indeed. She had known from the minute he stepped onto the planet where he was, and what he saw, and how he felt. Whether or not he had purposefully neglected to tell her of his plans or whether he was simply forgetful was another matter entirely, but he was here. In the middle of it all.

A call of courtesy had been given to Nightmother Vytal Noctura , to alert her of Nimue’s intentions to descend on Rodia. Ordinarily favouring mystery, Nimue could imagine that in this particular situation, it wasn’t the best approach. The others who were involved in this petty squabble would likely be too invested to realise, but the Nightmother would recognize the stir in the spirit world when Nimue arrived. “Vytal, my dear.” She spoke not aloud, but through their mutual bond with the force. “I’m afraid one of my assets found its way into the middle of your scuffle. In one of your hospitals, no less.”

She paused briefly to send across an amused titter. “I find myself forced to attend. Should you need my services to rid yourself of this infection, you know where to find me.”

Having arrived at the borders of Rodian space, close enough to enact her spell but far enough away not to anger any Agent ships in the territory, Nimue rose from her seat at the helm of her ship. The spell was one she had used only recently, during her trip to Dantooine. Ironically where she had found the lost asset that now ran free in the center of a warzone. Nimue closed her eyes for a brief moment, and sighed. Time from then until now had passed by in a blurr, and the white witch couldn’t exactly say she was pleased about any of it. Not only was she bonded irreversibly to one who did not know her ways, she now found herself honour bound to protect and defend him when he found himself in trouble. It was just her luck.

After glancing down briefly to check the armour she hadn’t used in over two centuries, Nimue finally decided it was time. Raising both arms with a dramatic flourish, though there was nobody there to see, the high priestess was shrouded in a smoke so dark in shade it was almost as though she had been swallowed by a black hole. Travelling through a portal was never a pleasant experience, it often felt as though your spirit and the large majority of your internal organs were left behind for a good while after emerging on the other side. The only thing that still made it worthwhile for Nimue was the fact that it was the most effective way of travel, at least in her eyes. Ships were such a bore.

When she stepped through the portal Nimue was greeted with the threshold of a theater turned hospital, its doors partially open to the chaos that surrounded it.

Nimue tensed. The smell of fresh blood was so… potent. Controlling the hunger was a lifelong task, even with all her years there were situations where Nim found it difficult. She couldn’t even begin to comprehend why Aurelion had chosen to put himself in this situation. A brief shake of her snow white locks shook the gnawing sensation from her mind and instead cast her gaze over the hospital. The first thing she noticed was the darkness. Darkness littered with flickers of bright yellow and orange light. Faulty electrics. Nimue frowned. Hardly a constructive atmosphere for a hospital. Begrudgingly, and only because she herself needed the light to see, Nimue flicked a hand. The fingers on the end of it performed an elegant dance that brought every bulb in the place flickering into existence. One by one by one. Until the entire place was once again illuminated in a dim white glow.

Sharp, painted black talons drummed softly against the door. The hollow wooden sound carried for as loud and as long as Nimue commanded it too, and that was only long enough to catch the attention of her bond. Unfortunately, the dauntless marines that had been on their way out heard it first, and came to a dead stop, staring blankly at Nimue. “Well?” She posed the question as though they should have already known the answer. The so called marines turned to look at each other, then back at the High Priestess. She rolled her eyes. “I’m not keeping this up for my own leisure, gentlemen. The backup generator would still be highly appreciated.” She shooed them off with the tips of her fingers, as easily as shooing children outside to play. Then her attention turned to her bond.

“Aurelion.” Her tone was cold and clear, she didn’t even address any of the nurses or doctors running frantically across the hospital floor. With the inability to simply stride over the threshold and into the hospital without whoever it was who was running the show’s permission, Nimue was stuck waiting in the doorway. It made her very irritable. “What in the Oracles name are you doing here?”​

 

[Salem Norongachi]

Objective/Location: Seek and Destroy - Hangar Bay of Justice, Talay System
Fighter: Phase I “Ballerina” Star Interceptor - Aurora Eight
Onboard Equipment: Phase I "Anchor" Heavy Power Armor , Lightsaber.
Allies: AoC ( Willam Forlon Bella Jai'galaar Gred Dimitri Lindzinsky )
Enemies: CIS ( Kiff Brayde John Locke )

“You’re broadcasting like a neon sign,” Sal retorted, adjusting his grip on the control stick. “I’d have to be blind as well as deaf not to notice.” his feelings mirrored her own if he were honest, the waiting for the lasers to fly was almost as bad as being neck deep in the kark. He remembered the feeling from the last invasion; being helpless at the edge of a system while people died on the ground and the brass refused to order the attack.

“I hear that,” was his only comment then the order came and any thoughts of small talk went out the window. He brought his interceptor into formation with Bella and glanced at the sensor readout on his control panel. They were well and truly in it now. The CIS wasn’t pulling punches this time and a familar cold wave washed over him as his mind honed itself to a razors edge. It had been a hell of a long time since he’d danced through a battlefield trying not to die, while behemoths of metal and death tore strips out of each other.

“What the frak am I doing here?” he thought and just as quickly pushed it aside; it didn’t matter what the answer was, he was here now and there wasn’t any changing that. He brought his offensive and defensive systems online and made sure power distribution was even across the board, missiles he’d learned from the Togruta were nearly useless against the enemy birds but it was always nice to have the option and if it came down to it he’d dumbfire the bloody things.

"Are you sure you still have the chops for that?" Came an insidious voice from the back of his mind. It was a fair question. Inactivity might have slowed his reactions, years of unrelenting abuse on his body may have dulled his edge making a breakneck evasion a second slower and sealing his fate.

“Guess we’ll find out…” he muttered to himself.

 

[Gabriel Volturi]

Location: Iskaayuma, Rodia; Road leading to the CDC Command Post
Post: 2
Equipment: Wide brim Fringer Hat and duster, Lightsaber, Thermal Detonators (2)
Tags: Typhan Berrezz | Shuklaar Kyrdol | Kyyrk | Rann Thress

Gabriel let himself become lost in the movement as it began to reach its crescendo. So many of the younger generations had lost an appreciation of the finer arts of the past. One could learn a lot from the art a culture produced. There were legends from the distant past of a military commander who could even build whole campaigns around the knowledge he gleamed from art. Gabriel was nothing like that. Though he gained an understanding of the culture, his appreciation was in the creativity, and not their psychology. Minutes had passed since the message had been delivered and still no response. The slowness wasn't much of a surprise to him. The Confederates are nothing but conniving. Though he demanded for an audience for the leadership of the command center he had no doubt some low grade squad was being sent to deal with him. Bloodshed could have ended with the guards if they had simply come out to speak with him. But now more would be had.

As if on queue several lifeforms entered into his force awareness. Not paying them any mind Gabriel continued on as he was before. Letting the music entrance him. They felt determined to end him. It would have been amusing if not for fact he would probably have to kill them. He really hated that. These deaths would serve no purpose other then to royally piss him off and drain some of his reserves. Neither of which helped in conducting the business he came for. As he felt them prepare to pounce like a tiger hunting its prey Gabriel himself prepared. Reaching out through the primal parts of the force that connected himself to the very earth he stood on. He heard the reports from their blasters just has the roadway began to churn behind him. The stone road buckled and swelled creating a barrier that blocked the wave of fire coming at him. After a few seconds of it remaining stationary Gabriel waved a hand and sent the stone barrier surging up the street at the assailants. Tons of stone crashed into the barricades forcing anyone in the area to dive for cover.

Gathering the force under himself Gabriel leap into the area and landed on the shattered mound, staring down at the five that had tried to shoot him in the back. Levitating a few pieces of the road, the chunks liquefied in the air before surging forward at the men. The liquid rock encased legs and in a few cases arms that happened to be in contact with the ground, becoming solid on impact and trapping the body part to the ground. Waging a finger and giving a sarcastic tsk tsk tsk, Gabriel admired his handy work. "None of you look like you could lead sheep let alone a hit squad. So let me guess your commander is still somewhere out there. OH COME OUT COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE. DON'T BE LIKE YOU 'SUPERIORS' HIDING WHILE LESSER MEN DIE IN YOUR STEAD."

Dark eyes scanned the streets looking for this squad leader when a new sound drew his attention over head. Looking up he saw a large fighter closing in. The bulk of it just seemed to be to much for fighting inside of a dome and had Mandalorian writing all over its design. "Bozhe moi." Was all he got out as the bomber began to open fire. From the cockpit all the pilot could see is the cloud of fire as the HE rounds impacted all around the area. When finally the dust had settled Gabriel could be seen still standing. He strained as he held nearly two dozen of the rounds suspended in the air. "If you can't wait your turn then to time out you go." The rounds flew backwards with as much force as they were fired, impacting the bomber in explosive hits. It was enough to send the fighter into a spin. Whether he'd actually damaged the thing or just sent it into a spin from the force was yet to be seen.

With all quiet again save for the music Gabriel waited to get a reply from the leader of the squad only to find himself genuinely surprised when the Lord Commander himself stepped from the shadows. He knew this man wasn't the squad leader he'd called out, but it was what he'd come for. Though one he couldn't exactly condemn. When the fighting had broken out on Siskeen the Lord Commander had already left, and nothing seemed to have lead back to Kyyrk concerning the Scintilla incident. Bowing slightly to the other man, "Believe it or not I am glad. I may be what some call a monster, but I am not a monster. I acted on Siskeen defensively, upholding my honor in protecting my charges unlike a certain leader on your side. When I parley I stick to what is right and only use violence when things become broken."

Gabriel looked thoughtfully into the sky. Wondering if or when the bomber would return. He wondered if whoever ordered the attack would dare try it again with their Lord Commander on the street. I would be an inconvience if so, but one that would be celebrated if it resulted in Voph's death. In the end though such a death served no purpose other then to send the rest into a frenzy. He would probably be blamed for it too. "I have no doubt some of your people are already on roof tops with me in their sights. So let us make this quick. For all the charges brought upon AoC we have never actively targeted civilian populations with the goal of killing them. The same cannot be said about a faction in your own government. The entire galaxy has already seen when one man associated with the viceroy of Siskeen did. Targeted the civilian population of the Scintilla, including refugees from your own worlds. The station held no military purpose, only serving as a meeting place for the AoC. Those responsible for the death of millions must be punished. We would like to convict them ourselves, but as a middle ground I have been allowed to give your people a chance to try them for their war crimes. And before you try to throw Ryloth in my face we have held the position that what those rebel twi'leks did was not in keeping with AoC policy. Anyone involved with that is viewed as war criminals, and deserves whatever punishment either you or the AoC can give them."

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Location: Rodia - Near the Factory
Tagging: Caedyn Arenais | Malerina Ka
Gear:

Spoiler

• Keravnos
• Fate's Dance
• Svalinn
• Nephil and Seraph
• 2 x Ianua Daggers
• Angel's Dance
• Claimoh Solais

Caedyn’s voice crackling over the comms was a lifeline to the exhausted Jedi, a rock she could cling to as she staggered down the street. He was coming, he’d be here in a minute or two and that was all that mattered The Jedi knew she shouldn’t really be here, that she shouldn’t put herself out onto the battlefield when she was mere minutes from collapsing, borne along through sheer willpower and the energy she’d been siphoning from the force. It had kept her moving as the last of the refugees had been shipped away. It had been necessary, so many little problems that needed someone to look into them, to help sort them out. There just hadn’t been time to stop, to rest to sleep. Then this, they’d known it was coming but…she couldn’t just let the rest of the Confederacy move on, fight on without her.

One gloved hand pressed against the wall, weary eyes glancing down as she raised her commlink to her lips.

“Just some droids, but they know to expect you, you should be ok…I’m headed towards the factory where everyone else is…I’ll meet you there.”

She hated that her voice sounded so drained, speech was so broken, that she sounded so weak but all she wanted to do was sleep. To close her eyes and drift off for a few minutes, but she knew those minutes could turn into hours. Could turn into days the way she was feeling right now, and she couldn’t afford that. Not with enemies on the world, with the terrorists who had shown their faces again. There weren’t any civilians left for them to hurt, to slaughter but that didn’t mean they could be left to run wild. The ghosts that haunted her wouldn’t let her. Not until the Agents had been stopped. Not until they could be prevented from ever bringing their unique brand of hubris and death to any other worlds. The CIS would stop them here…she’d stop them.

She was just so tired.

Anyone watching from the outside would think that she was drunk, the way she stumbled down the street, leaning against a wall, a railing, anything she could find for support. The hasty evacuation had left the streets littered with detritus, the signs of a populations escape with their nearest and dearest. She could the story of lives scattered around her. A photo filled with smiling faces, a wedding dress...an urn. These were the possessions no-one had wanted to leave behind that they’d ended up trading for their lives. She could only imagine, somewhere, on a planet not to far away a middle-aged wife sobbed over the wedding dress she’d hoped to pass down to her daughter. A husband flexed his hands missing the urn that carried his wife. They were little things, little things with so much value. Across the planet countless stories lay waiting to be told, countess families had lost something precious.

The Confederacy had failed them.

In their haste to save lives they’d forced people to choose, they’d saved the population, but at what cost? A life without these memories was life worth living?

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”

The words fell from her lips into the quiet street as the Jedi stumbled forward, tormented by ghosts unseen. Ghosts that would never leave her to rest. She only had to close her eyes to see it, that ocean of souls calling to her. She’d almost sunk into it, buried beneath grief and guilt.

She wished she had an ocean to sink into now, a way to hide from the guilt and the failure.

But there were only silent streets and the truth. They’d shattered a world to protect them, may Ashla forgive their souls.

The almost silent streets. The sound of blasterfire the street over brought her head up, footsteps taking her round the corner in time to see the elf sprawled on the floor.

“See now, there really are better ways to do blaster practice that don’t involve falling over. Don’t they teach you anything about proper weapons use?”

Sass, sass was safe. That was a mask they couldn't look behind, that would hide her grief and exhaustion....get here fast Cae

 

[Rann Thress]

A S S A U L T​

LOCATION: On Rodia, Outskirts of City
OBJECTIVE: Assault AoC Positions on Rodia
WEAPONS: Lightsaber / Robotic Right Arm
ARMOR: Apprentice Armor
TAGS: Voph l Sergei "Jack" Jachovich l Valeria Sempronia l Felurian Malvern l Eenia Vahn l Isalor Grathan
ENEMIES: Gabriel Volturi Agents of Chaos and their Allies, Open

Rann watched as the man below, Gabriel Volturi, dispatched the group of five who had come to end him. He blinked, astonished, and leaned forward a little to observe the soldiers. They were apparently Confederate troops.
“Huh” came again from his lips. “Well I guess we lost five more troops. Huh. Okay.” Then a bomber came over and Rann covered his head, flinching in case the bomber lived up to its name and leveled the building Rann happened to be on top of. The quick exchange between the bomber and Gabriel lasted only a couple seconds, and the bomber was gone. If it had returned, that’d be bad for everyone in the area, not just Gabriel. Rann shrugged and turned his attention back towards Gabriel. Lord Kyyrk made his appearance, beginning to talk to Gabriel. Their exchange was, thus far, cordial. Rann couldn’t help but be impressed.

For all things that they were, both men were very proper, gentleman-like. It seemed like this argument had a purpose more so then idle conversation for Gabriel. For Voph, Rann was aware of the purpose. Distract Gabriel so Rann and the others could kill him. But for Gabriel, he seemed to be seeking something specific. It seemed, to Rann, Gabriel was spouting rhetoric in an attempt to persuade Voph of….something. Rann was unsure. The one thing Rann was sure of, however, was the one thing he had suspected.

"I have no doubt some of your people are already on rooftops with me in their sights. So let us make this quick."

He knew Rann was there. Rann scoffed, a smile on his face. When this came to blows, which it would, it was only a matter of time, it was going to be one hell of a battle.

It was the confidence, Rann had decided. Gabriel’s confidence was what made him such an appealing enemy. He believed in his own capabilities so much, that he had planned for someone like Voph, maybe even Lord Metus, to show up. Whether or not this was a foolhardy gambit remained to be seen. But regardless, Rann had to admire the confidence. If nothing else, the Agents of Chaos believed in what they were doing. It seemed a bit of a misnomer.

Suddenly, Rann's thoughts were no longer on the impending fight. His mind had begun to wonder, desperately seeking to fill the void left by the boredom of waiting for the order to strike.

Chaos, Rann thought, By its definition is the lack of order. Disorder, and confusion. Right? This seemed very orderly. I’d think, were I an ‘Agent of Chaos’ I’d be doing some chaotic stuff all the time. Like killing my superior. That’s pretty chaotic. Right? I dunno. They need to work on their marketing and branding. Workshop it a little bit.

While he waited for the signal to attack Gabriel, Rann leaned forward and put his elbows up on the low wall of the roof.

“I mean. So Chaos, right? Okay that’s great and all. But they’re against all Empires right? Like… the goal isn’t to spread chaos. It’s to remove big governments. If we only controlled one planet they wouldn’t have a problem with us, right? Okay. So. There we are.” he put his hands out straight on the wall on their sides, “One planet. The whole galaxy no government has more than one planet. That’s not chaos.” he waved his hands slowly, not raising them higher than his chest.
“That’s like… the most orderly thing they could want to do. Because now we’re in this position, right? Where we all only have one planet right? Okay cool. So we can’t invade other planets because then, by definition, we’re an empire. Right? So no planets can invade other planets. Ever. Or they break the Agents rule. Okay. So. No war. Ever. That’s not chaotic. That’s pretty Orderly. They need a new name. I’ll have to ask Gabriel if they’re looking for a marketing guy. I’ll come up with something.”

Rann placed his arms down on the wall and laid his chin on them, watching the discussion and waiting for his moment to strike. As he waited, he continued pondering the nature of the Agents of Chaos and their name.

“Forces of Small Government.”

“Order of Chaos. That’d be funny.” he snickered.

“Destroyers of Big Government. I dunno. Maybe Agents of Chaos is the way to go. There's brand recognition there.”

He sighed. Every second a battle was waged inside his mind, debating whether or not to just launch himself at Gabriel and fight him one on one. The cooler head kept prevailing, but it wouldn’t be long before rage and bloodlust overwhelmed logic and strategy. Rann couldn’t keep thinking out loud forever. Every passing second he was losing bits of his mind.

He was ready to fight.

​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

S P I R I T S . A N D . G O D S . P R O T E C T . U S

Equipment: The Blood of Dathomir Armor | Nightmother's Ward | Water of Life Potions |
Raxus Relief Gas | Rings X X X X | Circlet | Jam Buster
Stored: Seed, Conduit of Souls, Nesmite Tree Seed Pods, Cryo Grenades,
Grapple, Rope, Survival Gear, Knives
Commanding: Army of Skeletons with Falyood Tree Enhancement

Location: Iskaayuma, Rodia
Allied: Confederacy of Independent Systems
Hostile: Agents of Chaos
​

Assets? Vytal's spiritual gaze shifted toward the source of the voice projected within. Please tell me the child is not on Rodia, the Nightmother replied at last to Nimue . Why such a man was drawn to the vampiric High Priestess the Witch could not say. When had he become an asset, however? It flustered the pale woman to no end... which was ironic considering Nightsisters traditionally wanted nothing to do with men. At this rate the two Covens or Orders would be split between Nimue having all the men, and Vytal having all the women. While on one hand this proposition was not without its benefits, the Solanacea were about knowledge and expanding their horizons -- and men had a different way of looking at things.​

​

No matter, she resolved herself. Now was not the time, and given their close bond the two could continue to share knowledge readily. Though this was likely a matter the two pale women would need to resolve at some point in the not too distant future.​

​

We will be drawing near not long from now. You should prepare the hospital for what is to come, and tell them... to keep the dead out of the street if they wish them to remain asleep. Those risen from the pit were just the beginning. So long as the hospital did not adverse those they lost, Vytal would likely not call upon their services.​

​

Then came the response of War Marshal Luna Terrik. While not commanding the Dauntless in this engagement, it was still the same woman that had been in charge of the attack on Shadow's Point. The same woman that had reached out on Ryloth to ask for the help of the Mandragra (now Solanaceae) Witches despite that history. And the same woman whom Vytal should, perhaps, reach out to at some point to simply talk. That seemed to be a great failing of many -- in or outside of the Confederacy. No one was talking any more. Indeed, Vytal hadn't spoken with the Dauntless commander outside of a battlefield since the incident. On the other hand, she'd also been preoccupied preventing an uprising of Witches against the Confederacy such was the ire that resulted. But 'I was busy' was an excuse one could only lean on for so long, and it seemed it had become too much of a crutch of late.​

​

"Four," the Nightmother replied without hesitation to Luna Terrik . Without looking behind her, she added, "And enough to blot out the sun. Tell your men not to fear the reapers, for today they are here for the Agents of Chaos."​

​

There was naught a smile on her black lips as she marched through the forlorn dome devoid of its inhabitants. Empty of the sound of children playing in the street, or the cries of bakers. Only the clack of bone upon the plating of the dome's street echoed from every direction and down every street they passed.​

​

She would cover the stretch between ends of the dome, cross to the battlefield of the Living, all of her own accord. Such demand had she placed upon the Dead, and to such degree did they narrowly suffer the Realm of the Living, that to do otherwise would undo the great work the Witches had wrought here today. They needed guidance to locate those that would go no further. This was where the Confederacy had chosen to make its stand against the terrorists -- against the Agents of Chaos. Now was the time bereft of the innocents of this world. Casualties would be minimal compared to waiting for another opportunity to rid the galaxy of their ilk.​

​

Then as though in response to the Nightmother's resolution a Great Darkness fell over the land... as the city's power grid was destructive brought down through technology based explosives. It was the reality of the situation. Not everything was caused by ghosts.​

​

A sharp snap of Vytal's fingers, the pool of energy in her eyes blazed an emerald fire in the pitch black of the city. At the same time a green flame grew within the hollow sockets of the walking dead, and a faint luminescent fog began to surface from the ground as they went just enough to provide a dark silhouette to any still relying on the visual spectrum for sight.​

​

"Ladies," the Nightmother addressed those Living in her company, "take my hand if you need to see." She would offer them a blessing to enhance their sight with the loss of lighting within the dome.​

​

They would reach the rear guard of the enemy soon, and gods willing push them into the Confederacy's front lines. Some would even be directed out to either side to spread out in their approach; to flank their foe and draw the net about them. The dead may not carry blasters, nor pepper the land with grenades, but they would terrorize and wash over the enemy to distract, claw, bite, and drive them further into those that did hold blasters and would rain down ordinance.​

​

Tag: Shalita Verd | Shamira Karuto | Solana Arasne | Luna Terrik | Nimue | Haastal Haran ++ Kyyrk | Daegon Corvinus | Gerwald Lechner | Redd | The Monster | Draconis Sederius Wolf | Safira Varad | Caedyn Arenais | Asaraa Vaashe | Rann Thress | Muad Dib | Scherezade deWinter | Madalena Antares | Larentia | Daiya | Nighthaunter | Malerina Ka | Domino | Nerium | Sasmay Cull | Gabriel Volturi​

Template By: Darth Metus (Guy)​

 

[Valeria de la Vallée]

Location: The Hope
Equipment: Frozen Heart, Voph's Apprentice Armor Mk1
CIS: Kyyrk | Millu Lee | Eenia Vahn | Rann Thress | Isalor Grathan | Felurian Malvern
AOC: Gabriel Volturi

Valeria stood awaiting orders to advance into the Dome, she looked around and saw some of the people she'd seen on the ship and saw the boarding pods and people trudging through the swampy terrain in order to form up to advance. Very soon she received the orders as Voph requested them to form up and advance, apparently an Agent wanted to meet with a Confederate High Command member. Valeria thought it was a joke however it was clear this could also be a good chance to ambush a terrorist leader. After all, there's nothing they'd be able to say to ever have the Confederacy forgive the massacre of innocents, they deserved to be neutralized with extreme prejudice.

Valeria advanced into the dome with the rest of the members of Voph’s team. As she walked into the dome she looked around at the abandoned buildings judging the terrain, looking for enemies and judging the ideal positions however shortly after they entered the inside of the dome went dark, Valeria thought this must be the work of the CDF to allow a tactical advantage. Thankfully Voph’s armor had a sensor array in the ocular mounts allowing Valeria to navigate and, if it became necessary, to fight in the darkness without needing to use the force to see. As the meeting point became close Valeria moved to Voph’s right and got into position on the second story, near a window, of one of the closest possible abandoned buildings. She waited, like a predator for their prey in the dark.

Soon the AOC Agent and Voph met, the agent wearing what appeared to be a duster and wide brim hat, looking more like a bounty hunter than any sort of commander or leader in Valeria’s view. This agent soon began speaking to Voph and Valeria was just close enough to be able to catch a few words now and then. She did however make out enough to figure out that he was spouting some nonsense about being innocent and the Confederacy being the villain, it incensed her that this individual would proceed to make such false claims but she tempered her rage and waited for her chance to go for the head.

 

[Tiria Reinhart]

Location: Weapons Factory District, Iskaayuma, Rodia
Callsign: Alpha Actual
Squad: Alpha Quad, 10 Dauntless Commandos
Equipment: Project Xiphos Armor | Modular Tri-Blaster | Micro Light Shield | Bayonet | Cryo Grenades | Fragmentation Grenades | Thermal Detonators | Comlink | Raxus Relief

Allied Command: Confederacy of Independent Systems
Hostile Command: Agents of Chaos

The Colonel stopped and signaled those with her to do the same as her helmet tilted back. Tiria's eyes narrowed behind her visor as the eyes of the two parties met despite the solid matter between them.

Damn.

"Four aft, hit the street. Three right, three left. Follow ground level. Don't waste your time shooting unless I tell you, to return fire, or if they make themselves a karking target begging to be shot. Go," Taiia snapped, breaking radio silence at last. "The rest of you on me. Double time." So much for stalking their prey and getting them to surrender quietly -- less chance of friendly casualties that way. Better for everyone. Except the terrorists.

The remaining three Commandos followed Tiria up the stairwell without bothering to take it easy on the stairs any longer. Noise wasn't their primary concern. Losing the enemy was.

As the Agents fled, the Dauntless burst out onto the rooftop. They fanned out to secure their position while Tiria's visor quickly found their marks. Three of them. One of them a Wookiee. Just what every soldier needed in their life, a tangle with a Wookiee. Good thing the towering figure hadn't been lying in wait.

Tiria gave the signal for the Commandos to follow as she took a running start for the jump across the gap, just as the Agents had. She didn't wait for one to help another clench their landing either. Coordinating with those following street side would help keep them on target, though any strange bends or obstacles of the city would be their problem to deal with. At that moment, Tiria had a pursuit to run down and she trusted Alpha Squads training.

She lifted her Tri-Blaster, however, and took a shot at the backs of those being chased. It would be nice if they dropped dead from that, but she wasn't expecting life to be so easy.

"Command, Alpha Actual, target in sight on the rooftops," she reported in to Haastal Haran before giving the responsibility of coordinates off to one of her sergeants. Kark, she could use a hovervehicle right about now. Maybe a gunship.

And that's when the lights went out throughout the dome.

Tag: Luna Terrik | Haastal Haran | Jasmille Kavos | Typhan Berrezz | Safira Varad | Subject 73 Red | Daiya | Nighthaunter

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Location: Iskaayuma, Rodia
Allied Command: Confederacy of Independent Systems
Enemy Command: Agents of Chaos

Equipment: Jackal Sniper Rifle | TDW L-7 Pistol | Cyberwarfare Defense Platform | Jam Buster Comlink | Thermal Detonators | Smoke Canisters
In Control of: NulCom Mini-Satellites

Disappointment? Only at how slow a bullet traveled over long distance even at speeds far faster than a solid object had any business moving. Before the droid had relocated herself, she'd seen the impact to the target's sniper rifle and the rooftop. She could stay and attempt to snipe, but as it seemed apparent, she was too far away to ensure the bullet would hit even with her precise calculations. Organics were inherently unpredictable given sufficient reaction time.

After Nyx had descended a distance, and the railgun secured against her back, she quickly rechecked the next set of calculations and simulations performed en route. If she breathed, she would have taken a refreshing inhale with a relaxing exhale. As Nyx did not, however, she simply bolted toward the window at the other end of the short hallway.

Arms crossed to protect her cranial unit and optical sensors, the heavy, metal chassis plowed through a decorative support beam and shot out into the open air still several stories off the ground. There was the expected bang, clang, and snap of rooftop material from such a heavy weight unexpectly landing from such a height, but Nyx had tucked herself into a ball and bounced along the first rooftop to distribute the energy of the blow. Nothing was more of a waste of time than sinking two or three stories into the building when you didn't intend to.

As she curled, Nyx took a single bounce before she sailed over the distance to the next building and continued her progress on foot. There were some scrapes and paint muss, but nothing that couldn't be buffed out after battle. Before the day was done she expected a bit more scoring on her chassis as well.

Her hand grasped the Pistol at her side and drew it in a single motion as the droid swept over the rooftops toward the area where Nighthaunter had been sighted. Best be prepared to take the first shot she could once she closed the distance. The rifle would only slow down her pursuit when it came to narrower spaces or things sticking out of roofs while she soared through the air and came out on the other side. Pistols were easier to manage under the circumstances. Unless the enemy stopped for a breath and Nyx found them in her sights -- then she'd happily pull the rifle back out for a more intimate arrangement of percussive instrumentation.

Nyx noted when the lights went out, but otherwise didn't alter her forward momentum or course in the slightest. When she got closer, perhaps then she would care about stealth. For now, she only needed to close the distance.

Tag: Luna Terrik | Haastal Haran | Daiya | Nighthaunter

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Location: Iskaayuma, Rodia
Objective: Defend Rodia, Preserve CiS Space
Inventory: Knight-Errant Armor | Lightsaber
Allies: Asaraa Vaashe
Opposition: Malerina Ka

"Hey! Hey Confederate bootlickers! It's me, awful mean thing!
Come fight me!"
​

The enhanced optics suite built into his Helm picked up on the declaration and call from some short distance away, yet there remained buildings and City infrastructure standing between him and his point of rendezvous with Asaraa Vaashe on the other side. 'Chit, please don't be where I think that came from...' the Jedi Knight thought to himself as he slowed in pace to prepare for a Force amplified jump, launching himself up against the wall of a storefront building, taking a single step against the wall itself to further drive his momentum to the roof and hoisting himself up onto the cobbled surface, eyes searching for the quickest path to Asaraa from the point of vantage.

"Asa, I'm hearing a possible hostile nearby your location, I'm still a click out from you" Caedyn spoke into the audio receivers within his Helm, the transmission being relayed back to her in what he hoped would give her an advantage and warning. Unfortunately, against his lacking awareness, she was already handling the affair. Picking up the pace again, Caedyn took to the rooftops to make for faster transitioning across the district. Where his physical prowess fell short, his jump servo's and strength augmenting body suit within the armor itself made up for the rest.

It would not be long before he reached the pair, making the final jump from the rooftop nearby to steady his descent via the jets in his boots and land heavily, forcing his hands to drop and brace himself against the ground floor, a huff of his breath being taken from him before seeking to recover and stand to his feet again some small distance from Asaraa and her droids.

"I've really got to hand it to Tricks of the Trade...-This suit is something else" he remarked, a funny way of announcing his arrival.

 

[Daiya]

Location: Weapons Factory District, Iskaayuma, Rodia
Goal: RUN!
Equipment: Phase I Powderpunk Armor, Phase I Powderpunk Facemask, Raven Knife, 434 Blaster Pistol, Dissuader KD-30 (Loaded with Glitter Bullets), Deactivator Hold-Out Blaster, JH-70 Glitter Grenades, Vita Stones, View Masker, Interference Box, Holojournal
Allies Nearby: Nighthaunter , Tawrrowaldr, Agents of Chaos
Enemies Nearby: Tiria Reinhart , CIS

[Post Soundtrack: Far Away by Breaking Bad ft. Scooter Ward]​

No sooner than the sniper figure tried to answer her question, than the roof blew apart behind his feet. Fragments of the building blew toward her, forcing the girl to duck. She let out a terrified shriek, throwing up her arms to protect the vital parts of her body. Yet her worth merited fortune's favor today, the largest pieces avoided Daiya. She was showered with a spray of dust instead, and felt the cool touch of canistered air blow on her cheeks as the facemask automatically switched to its air supply.

Daiya breathed in swells of air, only enough to steady herself. Hands on her knees, she heard the rushed cry from their newest sniper friend, urging haste. Large paws appeared, grasping her arms and pulling her upright. She nodded to Tawrro, looking up at him as the silent message passed between them. She was ready and willing to follow his lead. When it came to combat, she was always willing.

They ran the length of the rooftop. With the edge fast approaching, she noticed that the sniper showed no signs of stopping. He only turned to ask if they could follow, but then leapt on ahead, unwilling to wait for an answer. Then it was just the girl and her Wookiee. She could hear the hard marching sounds of boots climbing stairs behind them, their footfalls timed in sync with the thumping of her heart.

Daiya looked at Tawrro, her heart calming as his face came into view. She inhaled once, then put out her hand. He grasped her arm, his mighty fist closing easily around her arm above the elbow. Braced against him, the girl jumped as he hefted, landing on his broad back. Her other hand grabbed the sash across his shoulder, clinging tightly as Tawrro made the jump, easily clearing the distance between the buildings.

The sniper was ahead of them already, but he still had more questions. Daiya climbed down from Tawrro's back, frowning at the question as she, too, began to run across the rooftop, "We don't work for the Agents. They're just friends here. We came for a contract, to blow up a weapons factory. I hear they turn really pretty colors when they go boom."

She grinned, but under the mask it was surely lost on their newfound friend.

That didn't seem to stop Tawrro from sounding behind her. "Be serious? Okay, well seriously, there's a weapons factory that's a competitor of someone and they want it gone. Or something like that. I don't know why, I just know that if we blow it up, we get paid. We're from Darkwire, and if you haven't heard of us it's 'cause we like it that way."

Saying all of that at a run was breathtaking, drawing strength from her limbs. Her lungs strained to keep up, even as Tawrro ran effortlessly in long strides beside her. Jealousy spurred her forward, taking a spontaneous burst of speed on just as a shot rang out behind her.

Hair whipped across her face as Daiya glanced back, spying the soldiers staring from the roof they had just left behind. She tossed the blonde mane aside as she drew her slugthrower, but a hand on her shoulder guided her out of sight behind the building's protruding roof access level. She whined in a low groan, but stuffed the gun back in its holster anyway. The girl really wanted to see more of the glitter bullets' effects, they were so fun to watch explode!

Daiya was spared the true pain of remorse, however, as the dome's lights all shut off.

Staying close to Tawrro, she reached for him, feeling reassured as her hands met his hairy bulk. The HUD of her facemask adjusted, showing the world in night vision, no worse for the wear than it had been a second ago. Another second later, and Daiya was clinging again to Tawrro as the world shook momentarily, rocked by the impact of several large explosions.

"Was that us or them?" she asked, but the girl was quieted by a low growl from Tawrro. She nodded, listening to him go on for a second. Tawrro was right, they were sitting ducks on the rooftops. They had to get off the roofs and out of sight. "I saw some hatch covers in the middle of the alleys."

Daiya nearly blanched at her own suggestion, even as Tawrro nodded sagely. His agreement meant only one thing.

Sewers.

Her nose wrinkled, she hated sewers.

There was no turning back now, though. With an army circling, and stars-knows-what blowing up all over the domed city, anywhere out in the open sounded like an especially bad place to be. Even in the pitch-darkness of a city with no lights on after midnight.

"I guess it's that or play with the purple people meanies," Daiya said to their sniper companion. "Coming?"

This time, it was their turn not to wait for an answer. Daiya watched Tawrro take a leap off the side down toward the alley, while she drew more cautiously toward the edge. As she leaned over the side of the building overlooking the alley, the girl's suit seemed to be reading her mind. The overlay imposed on her eye pointed out numerous places that she could jump down to without getting hurt.

It made getting down a simple, if nerve-wracking, process.

Daiya didn't breathe easy once she was on the ground, either, watching helplessly as Tawrro wrested control of a hatch cover. She was no stranger to tight spaces, but the narrow ladder leading down into the murky depths felt very tight to her. Like being onboard a starship, the sewers promised no place to go if she couldn't stand them.

Not that she could easily stand the battlefield now, either, but below hardly felt like the lesser of two evils now that she was staring it in the face.

She swallowed. Hard.

Then the girl set her jaw and started her climb down into the deep.

 

[Madalena Antares]

Location: Iskaayuma
Wearing: Armor (tinted deep red)
Wielding: Meymad | Elemental Grenades | Glitter Grenades | Generic breathing mask
Allies: Agents of Chaos + Allies | Nerium Eldoc Quasat Zaldros Sabolte Gabriel Volturi + Open
Enemies: Confederacy +Their allies | Ishmael Verd Théodoro Shuklaar Kyrdol Draconis Sederius Wolf Luna Terrik

"Us or them, someone needs to go,"

Yup. Madalena definitely couldn't argue with that logic. The problem was, that the numbers just kept incoming. If a moment ago it was a little bit of relatively light shooting, now it was a hailstorm of things barraging down on them. Her shield could only do so much - she had a dozen seconds at most before it would give out due to depletion, and if it gave out that way, she would be rendered useless. That could not happen.

Madalena's life thus, in this dimension, had been a short one - just under two years, first inside of her sister's body, and then later in one of her own. But from day one, she had always worked hard, sometimes beating impossible odds, to bring as many of her people back home in one piece with her. Even among the Confederacy, back when she was among the leaders of the Knights Obsidian, she had held one of the lowest death counts in her squads. It was part of what made her so effective in her position.

And while she knew you could not bring 100% of your people back with you at any time, to let any of the time in this stupidity, was not something she was willing to accept. The Confederacy brought gigantic numbers with them to this fight - she didn't know exactly how many, but it was clear that they were expecting to stomp the less than twenty Agents that were in the city through them. The tought alone was enough to bring a smile to the Sithling's face. They were scared.

The problem was that being scared wasn't something either side could claim a monopoly to - the Confederacy's actions showed fear, but it wasn't something that the Agents could get cocky over, especially since numbers like that were in many circumstances enough to flatten a group of people. They were also enough to flatten their entire city, but apparently destroying a capital city just for a handful of people you didn't understand was cool in their books.

Two seconds had passed. Time was ticking - too damn fast. And that Thyssian was still rushing at her. Lowering the shield would mean exposing her team to the fire that was trying to kill them all. If he smashed into them, the same thing would happen. There were no good choices.

Cursing, Madalena ignited the shield of her armor and released the bubble. Directly behind her, there was a wee bit more time, but if anyone had gotten further away, they would have to momentarily take care of themselves.

With her free hand she tossed an Elemental Grenade towards the Mandalorians with the yslamiri cages. If they came too close, she would be inside their bubble, but yslamiri that depended on nutrition packs like that were easily damaged, and thus, easily killed. The setting on that grenade was fire. Her aim was true towards a near part of their company, one that would manage to grab those closest to them within its radius of damage unless they moved away on time.

She began to move - and suddenly they were all inside darkness.

The invisible tendrils across Madalena's skin rose again, as though something had drawn their attention. Every sensation in her body yearned for her to give into them, to do as they wanted to. And she knew what they wantd.

Madalena's hands began to open, opening small gate-rift after gate-rift - rips within the fabric of Force between them and the Mandalorians. Rips within the fabric of the Force above Madalena's group, and behind them. Visually, it looked as though the group was surrounded by small entrances that could lead someone who jumped into them… Into the Netherworld? She wasn't certain; controlling what was on the other end was still beyond her. And while the holes were too small for actual people to fit through (though Rodians were small enough), it meant that whatever dimension was on the other side - it was taking in the bullets, missiles, bombs, and anything else that was sent towards their way.

The invisible tendrils purred against her body. Sharp shots of pain let her know that she had been hit by some of the fire, but so far her armor held true.

"This is not a fight we can win in this way," she shouted over the sound of fire that was still very audible to them. Théodoro was nearly upon her, and Madalena braced herself, moving from the pointy end of his pike, but absorbing the smash, the impact moving her back almost a foot - and almost into the rifts.

"They're not stopping!" she shouted at him, "We need to move! Your victory will be meaningless if you die this day by Confederate fires that they are shooting from a distance like a bunch of cowards!"

Madalena's right hand flicked, and the entrance to the manhole that was next to them, still within the protection of the rifts, moved aside. They were going to move into the sewers, where they could level the playing field just a little bit more.

"Everybody in!" she ordered. One of the rifts between them and the building behind them vanished, leaving an opening in their protection. FRAK! She didn't know how long she had for the others. There was no time to linger in the area. "NOW!"

Action Summary

• At the beginning of the post, the yslamiri bubble hadn't reached the group yet.
• Madalena releases the bubble, throws a fire elemental grenade at the mandalorians, rips into the fabric of the Force and opens portals to other dimension/s. These portals are too small for people to go through, but the pew pew's sent their way are taking it all in.
• Madalena and Theodoro smash into each other, remain inside the protection of the gates.
• Madalena opens the covering to the manhole with the Force and yells at everyone to get in there while her portals begin to dissolve.
• In the transition from bubble to shield to gates, Madalena's body was hit a few times, but her armor is still holding.
• Made no ref to the darkness affecting us because there's more than enough firing around us around us for vision.

HMU if edits are needed.