Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
The ambient temperature in the room dropped as the Heathen Priestess entered. Were it to get any colder, people who be able to see their breath and the windows would be frosted. As it is, there's a winter chill in the air.
Mar'Sika makes her way towards Darth Solipsis. She bows deeply to him, then turns and regards the chamber. Looking on those who are here. Those who have agreed to assist them in destroying Csilla.
Personally, she was excited by the prospect of destroying an entire planet. As the Lady of Death, she knew the sheer amount of souls to be released was magnificent. She would not shed a tear for any of them. Nor would she shed a tear for any dead Marauder, or even Warlord. They were all expendable when it came to fulfilling goals.
Turning back to Darth Solipsis, she shuffled to his side, and stood. Stoic and unmoving.
Tegan’s fingers on her right gloved hand moved quickly in somatic magical gestures a force stasis shell formed around her body. It would not stop the telekinetic net from restricting her movements, but it would protect her if one chose to turn it into a crushing force. So as the net wrapped it’s way around her and her stasis shield Tegan closed her eyes behind her mask. Tegan smirked slightly as the clever Syd called out that there was a bomb in the child.
Underneath Tegan’s feet the water began to freeze and extend outward the temperature in the hanger began to drop drastically. As this began Syd pulled her crossbow and shot at the two scarred men killing them. Another shot was fired at Tegans throat but just stuck in the stasis field in the air mere centimeters from Tegan’s throat. Ice began to form around the stasis shield from the water landing on it, the water in the room was all starting to solidify into ice as the temperature in the room drop to negative five degrees Celsius and was continuing to drop.
The cybernetic implant in the two scarred men’s brain came to life and they stood up in a knew zombified state as the Mindcrown connect to there implants. The two men grabbed their crude swords and on the mental commands of Tegan they charged Both Starlin Rand
and Syd Celsius
. The ice began to grow all over the hanger as various blast doors began to close on emergency signals thinking the hull had breached.
The water would soon begin to freeze the joints on any armor or power armor unless one kept moving as the temp was already dropping faster and faster in a matter of seconds it had hit negative twenty-five degrees Celsius. Tegan could theoretically have it keep dropping to meet the temperature outside the station. Ice formed all around the telekinetic net and stasis field Tegan was in creating an ice cocoon around her. The bolt only centimeters from Tegans thrtoat was now covered in ice.
The scarred man going for Starlin brought his heavy crude two Handed sword up and came swing straight down for the man’s skull. The one that charged Syd came across with it’s heavy crude two handed sword at her mid-section hoping to slice her in half. The swords were nothing special they could maybe block a couple blows from a saber before they would be easily destroyed. The Scarred men also wore no armor but in there now zombified state they would hardly care if they lost a limb and keeping going until they couldn’t move.
Battle screamed around her like a sweet chorus of violence, men and vermin fought of their lives with ferocity: hopelessly they would stand valiant against the tide of the Dark's servants, they would let their walls of hubris stand tall and proud, thinking they could do anything else but delay the inevitably of their own demise. It was a comedy in its own right, and it would amuse the monster until the universe grew cold and the Dark heralded in the end of all things.
An earthquake rumbled as her enraged droids began their advance, massive feet leaving cracks through the earth with each mighty step they took. Droids intended to service massive blocks within the many ecumonopolis across the Galaxy: each EVS stood 200 meter high, towering over the battlefield like looming buildings in their own right. And as the defenders began to unload against the horde, it became a much more impressive feat to actually miss the Dark Mistress's droids than hit them. Artillery pounded into their armored shell, flames dancing across the metal as globules of melted metals fell to the ground below, turning the snow around each droplet to steam. But they advanced, with a speed uncommon in such a machine. They hungered. Their commands burned into their head like a torture.
Dozens of massive Red Photoreceptors locked their eyes on the fortifications of the defenders, and the droids seemed to push on at even greater pace. Uncaring of what laid in front of their massive feat, Lirka had decided to push forward before the rabble: or try the best as she could. Her fineries billowing in the wind as her great "mount" thundered threw the fire and snow. Fire tracing behind the Dark's Champion, she showed it no mind: the backdrop of flame a new bit of drama to the Sephi's showmanship. Blaster bolts fire at her by the defenders flew past her, some thudding against the dark metal with a vague hiss and thud. Serving to ignite the flames of the monster's passion even greater. For her voice echoed across the horizon, a dark sermon of a true zealot.
"Suffer not the weak! Suffer not the foolish who dare stand against us! Advance to the slaughter, rejoice in our kindred! For today we stand as holy Brothers and Sisters under the watch of our gracious Dark Patriarch! Cast aside your restraint, cast aside your fear! To die in this most holy of wars is a fate befitting that of Gods! Destroy, my Kin, destroy them without pity or mercy!"
She rambled onward, a distorted chatter over the wind. Her feet finally letting go of their mag-locked grip to the machine, the monster running forward across its massive "war"-droids body, Rushing across it like black flash, her speed unnatural and unexpected. Before leaping off it's head to get herself closer to the front of the trench work, the thunderclap footsteps of her machines not far behind. The thunderous charge getting closer and closer to finally meeting the defenders.
But Lirka dashed forward ahead of them, always the first to the fray, showing no semblance of self preservation she bellowed her challenge to whatever defender would listen:
"Face me, Vermin! Show your worth before the Dark!"
And Like a blur she continued, charging forward with bloodlust surging in every step.
Csaplar, Csilla
In Orbit, Aboard The Mercy
864ABY
"Do not underestimate the Chiss.", the Worm warned, watching the planet through the transparisteel.
"Their destruction will make them refugees - away from the Maw, but without a centralized power they will be a broken people. The Force will be unable to turn their fleets on the Sith; and while they will emigrate to the New Imperial Order - without their fleets, they are little more than a drain on their war machine."
"Yet - perhaps you are right. Many of us are excited to witness the event, but it is done by technology not by will of power. It is, however, a pillar to raise Solipsis into galactic history - and draws the eye of the Eternal in his efforts."
Starlin heard Syd shouting at him to use Force Light even as he witnessed her killing the two men. They rose up again, their corpses reanimated by the Sith woman’s power, and attacked.
The Padawan tried to reach into himself for that inner light, but he knew something was wrong. His ability to use the Light was tied to goodness, happiness, optimism, his sense of humor.
What was funny about a bomb being sewn up inside the body of a child?
Light did emanate from his body, but it coughed and sputtered like an old neon sign. One of the men lunged at his head with a crude two-handed blade, utterly nonplussed by the haphazard attempt at Force Light. Starlin, both his sabers out of commission, quickly dodged the blow. From between the knuckles of his prosthetic hand three phrik blades emerged, which he plunged into the zombie’s back. When he yanked them out, blood leaked from the puncture wounds, but it hardly slowed the undead man down.
Starlin’s next move was to disarm the zombie—literally. His phrik blades sliced into the man’s wrist, leaving jagged bone, torn muscle and sinew in their wake. Blood trickled from the severed stump rather than spurting, the pumping of the heart having stopped. The zombie, no longer able to properly wield the sword, dragged it wildly through the air, slashing unpredictably. Starlin tried to dodge, lost his footing on the slippery floor, realized he wasn’t going to make it in time, and chose to fall on his ass rather than get hit, sliding across the floor with the momentum of the fall. The crappy sword came crashing down into the ice where he had stood, cracking it upon impact.
“Feth!” Starlin swore. He lashed out at the zombie, blasting him back with telekinesis. More ice coating the floor and walls around them began to crack, crashing to the floor like pieces of shattered glass. The one-handed, bleeding zombie still got back up and struggled toward him, slipping and sliding like a character in a cartoon.
Well, at least Starlin saw the humor in his situation now. “What the feth are you doing?” he asked mockingly, watching the zombie stumble around. “You’re never going to make it to the ice skating tournament with such bad form.”
The temperature was plunging rapidly. He decided to chance using his lightsaber again. A blue blade erupted from the hilt, melting any ice it came in contact with. Starlin threw the weapon. It spun like a boomerang toward the zombie, evicting his head from his shoulders. The decapitated corpse collapsed.
Catching his saber on the rebound, Starlin turned toward Tegan, who had encased herself in ice. He tore off his helmet, wincing at the biting cold. “If I were you... I would’ve already scampered off... to the Gnome Mobile by now!” he hissed between chattering teeth. Warmth spread through his throat and smoke billowed from his nostrils before he opened his mouth and breathed fire upon the cocoon of ice, determined to melt it.
Location: Csilla, low Orbit/ Surface
Objectives: Save as many Lives as possible.
Allies: GA/CIS/Defenders
Tag: Albrecht F. HerlockTeica Giraan
"Noga, this is Pride of Anaxes. We can take one last group on board. We will send you the coordinates of a dockyard in the Carlac system. The owner is a friend of mine, he will take care of the refugees. You did much for the defense of the Chiss and the safety of the civilians. Captain Herlock over." The words came in, as korum began flying back down. He made sure that his droid saved the location. They'd head there after they were done. Loading the rest of the civilians on to the Anaxes didn't take too long, and once he'd taken off he sent a message stating only "So long, and stay safe Captain."
But Korum wasn't done yet. His ship was empty, and the battlefields were littered with the dying and wounded. But, even ignoring all of that, It had been to long since he was in a proper fight. And, a part of him had missed it.
Korum began diving up toward the Alliance fleet looking for any escape pods to the ship he'd seen destroyed. Even though he was far enough behind the alliance lines and quite a small target, he kept his eyes on the Star dreadnaught that had shot at the Anaxes, as he flew. He made sure to keep near the wreck of Resolution to avoid most the shrapnel from the two destroyers, only coming out from behind it to scan the pods for life and bring whoever was left aboard. The first two he found were mostly dead with only a few knocked unconscious, badly wounded, but stable.
The third however, was almost full and almost all were seriously Injured. Korum gave them a heads up to make sure he was expected, saying "This is the Noga. We're here to help." over the comms. As the hatch opened he caught a whiff of burnt flesh, saw the fine uniforms stained in blood.
Location: On board of the Pride of Anaxes, atmosphere of Csilla Objective 4: Evacuate the refugees | Recover allied sunk ships' crews and provide atmospheric support to the ground forces Allies: CIS, Eternal Empire, First Order, Galactic Aliiance:Jedi Order, New Imperial Order, Chiss Ascendency and Independents. Ennemies: Brotherhood of the Maw, Kainate, Sith Eternal, Warlords of the Sith and Independents. Post theme: Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 Yamato's crash warp (1st part) | Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 Yamato descends (2nd part) Tag:Gallius Orcana
| Teica Giraan
| Constantine Oliva
| Korum Krov Legend:Comm out, comm in, crew, ship's intercom
The Noga was transferring the last group of refugees. After that, the Pride of Anaxes would jump to the Carlac system and disembark them to return to the battlefield. Then, someone spoke on the ship's intercom:
"Bridge, from Security crew, all the refugees are on board, the Nogais leaving. You can close the hatch."
"Security crew, this the bridge. Make sure the refugees are well-treated and that they don't go to forbidden places. We will soon put them to safety."
"Roger."
"Navigation Officer, are the jump's preparations done ?"
"Preparations are done. We can leave the atmosphere."
"Alright! Pride of Anaxes, take off!"
"Take off!"
The ship was now leaving the atmosphere and the raging battle in Csilla's orbit. They jumped into hyperspace, flying toward Carlac and the Dalness' shipyard. After a few hours in hyperspace, they returned to real space. They were in Carlac's orbit and approaching the shipyard.
"Unidentified ship, this is shipyard control. Decline your identity and state your intentions."
"Shipyard control, this is Captain Albrecht Herlock, commanding the escort frigate Pride of Anaxes, identification number X101. We request the permission to dock in order to disembark war refugees. All arrangements were made with Dalness' CEO."
"Pride of Anaxes, you're clear for docking. We'll take care of the refugees. Shipyard control, out."
The ship docked and started disembarking the refugees she took in. After an hour, the ship was cleared for take off and jumped into hyperspace.
"We're approaching Csilla sir"
"Roger".
The Pride of Anaxes jumped out in the lower orbit of Csilla. The battle was still raging both on the planet and in the space.
"Comms Officer open a link towards Commodore Orcana's flagship and Commodore Oliva's flagship."
"Aye Sir. Link open."
"Commodore Orcana, Commodore Oliva, this Captain Herlock speaking. The refugees are safe. Our intentions now are to retrieve the escape pods of Captain Giraan's Resolution, provide medical support to her and her crew and support allied ground forces from the atmoshere.Pride of Anaxes, out."
INCOMING - HELL FROZEN OVER New Imperial Order, 26th Infantry Division, Private Jabez Melidoru, age 26
Mission Objective: Reinforce the defenses of Csilla
Current Location: 10 clicks from the LZ
Tags: Lirka KaFN-999UX-0626The MongrelHimm'vaun'merekAlais Kaun
"Private, are you asleep?"
....
....
....
"Private, wake up."
....
.... "Private! Wake the hell up!"
Jabez snapped awake, his eyes quickly adjusting to his surroundings, at first blinded by the harsh red lights of the dropship, seats lining the walls of it's interior. Their occupants were his comrades, some without their helmets, joking amongst themselves, others wore their helmets, but their mixture of fear and determination could be felt despite the masks that covered their faces. The side door was ajar, and another dropship flew in formation beside the 26th's own, heading towards the same goal. The reinforcement of Csilla. The cold lingered in the air of the cockpit, still compared to the rushing winds that hammered at the dropship's metal exterior. The loud sounds of the roaring engines were just quiet enough for Jabez to pick up on a particular sound, one that filled him with dread. The sound of a radio. "This is Mynock Seven, I'm picking up something on radar here, but I can't tell what it is." Jabez quickly stiffened up, drawn from his slow stupor of fear by the realization of his current situation. It demanded his full attention, and he would give it. He turned towards the gruff face of his commanding officer, standing at the front of the row of men, a few feet away from the cockpit.
"Alright people, listen up!" The booming voice of his commanding officer drowned out all other sounds of conversation within the confines of the ship, all heads snapping to attention. "We have an extremely hostile situation, and I need all of you to..."
The sergeant continued to speak, but Jabez's attention was drawn to something else. A large hunk of metal flew quickly past the dropship door. And then another. And another. Jabez's eyes widened in rapt terror as he realized what they were. Ships of the Brotherhood of the Maw. Before he had a chance to act, another large, scrappy hunk of metal descended from seemingly on high, flying directly towards the other dropship. It made contact. The ship seemed to slice through the other, breaking the millitary vessel in two, a large rush of fire and debris accompined by a deafening shockwave sounding out across the tundra. "Holy shit! Mynock Seven down! Mynock Seven down!" Came a terrified voice through the radio. Jabez's own dropship shook, sparking tendrils of electricity joining in the crescendo of destruction, small balls of fire and gas erupting throughout the ship as it spun quickly in a large circle, the snowy surface growing closer and closer. The sergeant fell out of the open side door as another large explosion rocked the ship, propelling him to his certain death. Jabez quickly reached for his helmet that lay on his lap, practically slamming it onto his head and sealing the locks around it. Jabez closed his eyes as the spinning of the ship slowed, and a large crash followed. Darkness once again encompassed his vision.
Jabez opened his eyes again, his vision blurry even with the enhancements provided by the helmet. He could make out the remains of the dropship, smoldering. They were in a courtyard of some sort, a Chiss military camp perhaps? He could gleam several of his dead comrades, and he could see a medic rushing over to him before his vision left him once more.
Jabez's eyes opened once again, he was being carried. His vision was clear this time, and he could see his squad rushing to cover, opening fire on enemies he did not see, blaster shots pinging into the wall behind them, leaving scorch marks in their wake. Jabez's vision went away, again.
Jabez's vision returned, and he could see his squad firing out from behind a wall, and the medic tending to his wounds. He pointed to a building in the distance, and one of Jabez's squad mates turned to the medic and nodded. Jabez blacked out again.
"LETS GO!"
Jabez's vision cleared, and he saw the once distant building now growing closer, as his squad mates opened fire on what he presumed to be advancing Brotherhood troops. The medic carrying him slowed, while his comrades continued to scramble towards the building.
Suddenly, there was a loud roar that eminated from the sky. The sound of two TIE Bombers. They flew over the large Chiss construction, and dropped their payloads. A massive explosion followed, knocking back the medic and his patient, Jabez falling to the ground. Whoever coordinated bomb targets, was clearly not doing their job. The sounds of blaster fire and distant artillery were now replaced by dull ringing as Jabez fruitlessly covered his ears. Jabez looked to the now ruins of the building, a large fire quickly spreading within it. One of his squad-mates staggered away from the building, engulfed in flames, dropping to the ground in a fruitless attempt to quell the inferno. Jabez's vision left him once again.
"An enemy squadron is on interception course, m'lord. Two cruisers, one dreadnought."
Sar Calgar clanked with his fingers on the railing. His abysmal eyes focusing on the zoom of the three warships. He flicked his tongue.
"I want the Alpha, Gamma and Delta Hosts starting to land. Beta will split up to counter boarding. Defensive formation, protocol galleon on wings."
Calgar's voice echoed across the bridge, his strength was carried by every tone, his confidence clear and focused.
The ships begun to assemble, the reworked Harrowers moved to form a loose line, five in front, one behind and lower to the orbit. Calgar himself was on the Conqueror's Chariot on the far right, prepared to steam roll the flank and pierce the heart. In the multiple hangars the small crafts begun to assemble and prepare to launch, to screen against fighters and bombers.
Meanwhile three Tech-War-Hosts were descending to the surface, roughly 30.000 warriors from the Tech clans of Vandemar, supported by their holy engines of war, an entire division of heavy weapon platforms. Their targeted area was a mountain region with a city beneath. While Calgars personal retinue would move in to retrieve the goal, the Vandemarians would prevent locals and allies of preventing this from happening.
Miranda, the Plus Prototype ripped through the battlefield, the nanite sheath that gave her a human appearance retracted in her arm to allow her to fire her arm's Miniaturized Stouker Rifle, the concussion blasts tearing apart everything in front of her. As she fought her way across the trench lines to The Mongrel
taking special care to engage The Maw Knyghts that dared stand against her.
One, towering over ordinary men, rushed to engage her with a red Light club, and her Lightsaber activated, she met his savage attacks blow for blow, though even her high quality servos began to feel the strain of repeatedly powerful attacks. She deflected an attack only to be struck with a powerful blow that knocked some of her Nanite sheath away, and sent her tumbling back.
Miranda rose, the sheath that made up her face partly knocked away, revealing the obsidian Phrik Matrix Skeleton underneath.
It took a few seconds as the Knyght charged, roaring, switching out weapon system programs.
The Nanite sheath that made up her chest pealed open, revealing the sonic Disruptor embedded in her chassis, firing.
The bolts hit his armor, rapidly eating through it in a few shots, and causing him to stagger and scream as his flesh started to break down.
She mercilessly kept firing at him, the sheath on her shoulder flowing away to reveal the shoulder mounted micro-rocket launcher.
She fired, but he caught it with Force Stasis, and flung it back at Miranda.
The blast flung the Android backward, blasting a good portion of its sheath off. Its databases were scrambled for a few seconds as it rebooted, just intime to be force gripped by the Knyght, this time much more successfully on the arm no longer covered by the Nanite sheath that had been disguising it. He laughed, flinging it around, and this time it began to experience real damage as it was impacted into frozen ground. It knew it had maybe seconds before he would try to tear her limb or her head off, so during another arc of being flung, it targeted him in mid air with the cryo laser, the heavy freezing damage causing him to snarl and drop her. Miranda wasted no time, sprinting towards him and tackling him, firing its mounted pulse wave rifle right into the wound on his chest, shredding into his vital organs, including the back ups before firing right into his face plate with the Stouker and blowing his head off.
She had no time to rest however, being immediately fired on by power armored bands of warriors, sustaining damage to her exposed chassis, she picked up the dead Knyght's body, using its remaining heavy armor for cover while the nanites still on her body began to effect repairs some dropping off her in gobs to break down the fallen warrior's Lightclub, carrying its raw materials back to her as she held the corpse up as a shield, while the other gobs of nanites that had survived the explosion began to rejoin her as well, having themselves broken down the raw material of fallen warriors also, it all began to flow back onto the Android, restoring her human, black catsuit clad appearance, sealing up the damage and focusing on reparing her damaged eye.
She tossed the body, charging foward as her restored sheath began to tank the blasters and slugs directed at her, creating sparks over her body as she fired her Pulse-Wave rifle, tearing open a savages scavenged powered assault suit, firing her Stouker at the same time, and more precisely aiming at the heads of charging Knights, shearing their heads clean off from the impact of the concussion blast, retrieving her fallen Lightsaber and tearing out the battery of one of the Knyght's armor, her nanites flowing over, scanning and rapidly breaking it down. Her entire sheath rippled, having processed the design...
She had learned much of this army of berzerkers since crashing here to battle them. They didn't care how many they lost as long as Csilla died. They had immense resources and ironically, a fanatical vision that belied their brutish nature, like Mother's hated Bryn'adul. They used whatever they got their hands on. The concept of Mortality was a fresh thing to Miranda, as this was her first actual battle. Also, she had been activated only 007 days prior.
Rapid calculations allowed her to chart a path of destruction as she began deflecting bolts back at their source, shooting rockets out of the sky with her Stouker Rifle, sparks flying off as her nanite sheath tanked armor piercing rounds, only denting a little before rapidly resetting as she advanced, the Force Pushes of Knyghts only causing faint ripples on the surface of her Nanite covered frame as she rapidly tore apart their offense, having learned from her previous encounters, dodging, ducking, and flipping over them to land and clutch onto them, stabbing them through the face plate.
Miranda happened to be close to Lirka Ka
and her murderous droids at last. She was in awe of how tall they were when her enhanced audio sensors heard Lirka issue her challenge.
A daughter of The Black Knight couldn't resist the challenge. Miranda advanced towards her, taking aim at the bloodthirsty Monster's head and firing...
(PVP challenge issued to Lirka!)
Meanwhile...
One of the scavenged Two legged walkers advanced, opening fire on the defenders of Csilla.
There was a thud on the roof. One of the brutes in control pulled out a disruptor and opened the hatch, firing only to have the tip of a Viridian blade exit out his throat splitting his head open as he slumped back into the cabin.
Maple Harte dropped down and shot the co-pilot in the head, pulling his body out of the seat.
"I call shotgun..." Maple remarked grimly. Skip. Her stomach had been made of pregnant tapeworms for the last thirty years since aboyt thirty seconds ago. Skip. Back to reality. A reality.
Maple got behind the controls, manipulating them with telekinesis as she began firing the side weapons in devastating accurate burst, savagely blasting apart Knyghts who tried to grip the vessel after a few well placed shots, as well as launching the powerful concussive bombs as she advanced. Skip. Chocolate Muffins! Skip.
The two legged walkers began targeting her, but the favorite Student of Ursula Sandraven was at the controls, and wielded those laser cannons like an unholy combination of John Wick and Deadshot, expertly blasting apart their joints, Maple's aim incredibly precise as she downed the two leggers immediately in her area, shooting up more of the Branch Lurkers charging at her with the Knyghts. She expended the last of its bombs and missiles, shredding them en masse, before two Knyghts managed to successfully leap aboard, plunging their blades into the cockpit. Maple yelled as one of them grazed her arm, the materials of her suit barely resisting a glancing blow as she forced the walker to tumble, one landing on top one of the Behemoths as the other got clear, Maple scrambling out of the hatch, only to be caught in a massive Force crush attempt by the one who had gotten clear, the other, massive Knyght still struggling to get the wreck off him.
Maple screamed, felt her bones starting to compress. Her own command of Telekinesis as well as her Knowledge of Force Crush, allowing her to break free of the crush attempt, though she was still in immense pain. She wasn't a super soldier like Laertia. Wasn't some high powered Force Spawn like Syd.
She was just a very ill woman that didn't want to die.
She forced herself back into a state of calm as he charged, whispering a spell, holding her hand out.
Bright purple constructs of fiery arrows launched out of her hand. It was one of the earliest spells she had learned when coming out of retirement. The Spell of Arrows.
He managed to block quite a few, nearly all by telekinetically spinning his Lightclub in front of him, but two of the magic bolts found their mark, piercing into his brain.
Maple wheeled around and shot the other with a Dashade Blaster repeatedly.
She scrambled over to one of the dead Warband Leaders, looking for something intact she could use...
Semi to full auto Long Blaster with an electronic scope
Maple began opening fire with it as she advanced on hoardes of warriors now shooting at her, lifting debris with her mind and hurling it violently at high speed, even as her frighteningly accurate shots pierced heads and armored joints, ducking behind a shot down starfighter to fire from cover even as she was fired at from multiple directions, barely evading bolts that would have hit her in the chest.
She snapped from cover and fired, taking a head off with each shot, grimacing as one of their Bio enhanced Knyghts charged.
She set it to full auto but fired it in precise bursts, letting the Force guide her as her bolts pierced his guard, one bolt hitting his handle and disabling it, but his armore allowed him to power through the heavy shots she fired...until her Dashade Blasters were pulled out with her mind, firing in unison at his face along with her long blaster, destroying his head.
"Raggghhh!" A crazed warrior yelled at her, charging. "Cut off one head, TWO MORE SHALL TAKE ITS PLA--"
Maple shredded his skull off his body with sustained fire.
"Lets go find two more..." she growled, stalking the battlefield as she continued her blaster rampage...
Sometime had passed even at this distance Khaos could here the battle raging to the west of her even at this distance. Not only could she hear the distant sounds she could feel with he force the death and destruction. She turned back to the lead EV Droid and spoke out to him once more yelling out through the wind. “Where are we at now?” She looked to her watch they still had several hour but would be cutting it close.
“We are at six hundred meters.” The droid replied back to her that meant they only had four hundred more meters to go until they hit their target. Khaos nodded and turned towards her ship it was time to go get in the mining rig. She opened her comm to the ship remote triggering it’s engines. The ship lifted off and began to slowly towards the hole that was being dug into the ice sheet.
As it got closer the cargo bay began to up as it landed right next to the hole being dug in it. The ship blocked some of the harsh wind as Khaos walked up the cargo ramp to the exo Skelton mining rig. The droids kept digging as she started prepping it for her to get into.
Syd cursed. They didn't have time to mess around with Tegan Starfall
. The damned laser was charging.
She felt a chill approach, flesh shuddering even worse. The water turning to ice as the air dropped. Rather than let her suit's limited cryo Resistance be overcome, which would have completely disabled her suit, she forced herself to focus, generating a fiery red aura of flames around her as one of Tegan's Zombies came at her with a large sword. She evaded it, the very heat from her red flames in such close proximity causing her attacker to burning and catching fire. She casually dodged his blows, though he succeeded in nicking her slightly in the shoulder, drawing bright, glowing green blood.
Her saber reactivated as she back flipped over him, slicing him in half.
While Starlin did her proud by using the flames of his inner zeal to try and burn Tegan, Syd began to concentrate better, her ancient and terrible mind finally focusing enough to hold back Tegan's temperature control attempts (though by Syd's standards, Tegan was exceptional in talent...The ancient Force Spawn had to put serious effort into keeping the temperature at a moderate level, which led to no need to generate terrible flames, allowing her to approach the boy.
She didn't have the tools to remove it...but the bomb ran on energy.
And if there was anything at all Syd could work with, it was energy...
Syd focused her Tutaminis abilities, holding her hand over and above the child's body. They had planted it just how Darth Phyre would have.
The energy from the bomb flowed out of the boy without hurting him, its power sources and explosive potential drained completely as that energy gathered into a ball of soft light in her hand. Roiling energy. She didn't absorb it.
Instead, she redirected it, hurling it at Tegan while Starlin Rand
breathed the flames on her.
Then, Syd pressed her temperature control abilities, trying to just flat out increase the immediate air temperature around Tegan to burning levels, regardless if she managed to evade the energy ball or not. She would drive this one back or kill her for her insolence alone, but Syd's disgust with this fiend was at an all time high...
She had no clue what was going on. All she knew was that she needed to get off-world.
Now.
Sylvia was no hero. While she certainly wasn't above lending a hand when the opportunity arose, war was a different story entirely. The moment that something appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun, all Nether broke loose. On her way out of the city she had seen forces of countless nations make landfall, and all she could think of was her ship. She thanked her lucky stars she had decided to land in a spaceport away from the city; it meant she still had a way out.
On the speeder she had rented when she landed two days ago, Sylvia raced through the snowy hills. Her magenta locks freely waved along with the wind as she looked behind her, the battle behind her still very much visible. The landscape before her looked more quiet, but the spacer remained acutely aware of exactly where both her blaster and lightsaber hung at her hips. The latter's crystal had been replaced not even a week earlier, swapping out the chill-inducing red crystal for a blue one she managed to find at a shady marketplace.
Her original job here was no longer on her mind. All she cared about now was getting out of here safely, if that was even still possible. The intensified nightmares she'd experienced ever since landing on Csilla had also been relegated to the back of her mind, making way for her survival instinct. She'd have time to find the reason for it all once her life wasn't at risk any longer. What did keep bothering Sylvia, however, was the haunting feeling she'd been experiencing. It even seemed to be getting worse, somehow, even though it wasn't this sudden conflict that had broken out. This feeling was too familiar for it to be that. She had felt it before. It reminded her of the most painful moments in her life.
Push it away, Sylvia.
Another hill came into sight on her left. Following the nav system, she took a hard turn towards it. Twenty minutes to her destination. That had to be doable.
There was a moment, even amid the desperate chaos of command, that felt almost still. It was a moment of awe, a moment to appreciate the scale of what was happening. The enemy was truly assembling now, fleet after fleet, a gathering of forces greater than Tu'teggacha could ever have imagined. Multiple governments whose territories collectively spanned half the charted galaxy had sent their first fleets, the tips of their spears - and all of those spearpoints were now aimed to strike at Mercy. The gathering was actually even greater than the Taskmaster could possibly know; no fewer than four Heads of State were present in-person to oversee the battle.
If all went well, every major power would be put on notice that the Age of Annihilation had begun, and no one was safe.
For that to happen, however, they had to hold... and the odds of that were looking increasingly long with each vast fleet that jumped into the Csilla system. The Brotherhood had wandered beyond charted space for centuries, gathering strength as its forgotten religion drew in converts at the galaxy's very edge, and their strength had been bolstered by secret installations in the Deep Core and allies from the galaxy's eastern reaches. But even with all that, even with the pirates and looters and everything they'd built over Osseriton, they were hopelessly outnumbered by this gathering of half a dozen major militaries. A conventional victory was utterly impossible.
That meant they would do what they always did: be clever, be ruthless, and grab for every scrap of advantage to stay in the fight. Tu'teggacha couldn't yet determine what impact the last trapped Crucifix I had on the Jedi Praxeum, if any, but he had far greater concerns now. The huge First Order fleet, and the arrival of the Alliance Chancellor's colossal dreadnought, meant that he could take no more risks. He would have to corral his glory-seeking fanatics and keep them on the defensive, for if they bled away their strength even a little at this point, they would not have enough to hold back the enemy even briefly. The defensive screen had to hold against the capital ships.
But they needed more than that now. They needed a dark miracle... and perhaps one could be provided.
"Open a channel to the Mercy," Tu'teggacha commanded, drumming his knobby fingers against his command chair as he waited. He could hear the general broadcasts of the enemy fleets to each other, stirring promises to work together and heroically defend Chiss space. These slaves to the old order would do anything to protect their ossified governments and the oligarchs who dominated them. He watched as Albrecht F. Herlock
's Pride of Anaxes withdrew, ferrying refugees away from the battle, and as Korum Krov
's Noga moved to pick up the Resolution's escape pods. Such were the small interludes of war, the individual acts of salvation.
The channel opened, and Tu'teggacha scurried out of his command throne to bow low before the image of Darth Solipsis
. "My Lord," he said, urgency in his voice, "our defenses hold so far, but the enemy continues to multiply. In an all-out assault, we will not be able to prevent them from targeting the Mercy." He paused, considering the magnitude of what he was about to ask. But there was no other option. "We must fire the weapon. A single-reactor ignition, targeting elements of one of the enemy fleets. If we do not use fear of the battle station to hold them back a little longer, we will never have the chance to bring Csilla's final dawn."
He could only hope that the Dark Voice would grant his request... and that it was not a tactical blunder. It would mean that the full-power shot the Mercy was charging would be somewhat delayed, but that was far better than having the station ripped apart by enemy fleets before it could fire at all. The rest of the fleet maintained their defensive screen. As soon as any ship moved within range of the spherical cordon around the Mercy, every Maw vessel within reach of it concentrated fire upon the intruder, determined to bring it down before it could fire on the battle station. Tu'teggacha coordinated this response, and did his utmost to keep the zealots from pursuing fleeing foes.
Glancing over at the tactical readout, Tu'teggacha considered once more the presence of the Chancellor's personal dreadnought. His facial tendrils wriggled as he thought through possibilities. Perhaps there was another delaying tactic they could use. After all, these sentimental enemies of theirs did not dare to lose their figureheads. The only question was how to achieve the dark design taking shape in his mind...
The holographic blue image of the Ebruchi Taskmaster echoed static and fizzled, his voice filled with urgency as his tendrils moved about as he bowed low. He was not wrong, they were outnumbered by half of the galaxy it seemed, all fighting tooth and nail to defend Csilla. A wicked smile grew along his face, it spread from ear to ear in a vile grin of sadistic amusement.
It was as he intended them to be. Csilla was a catalyst, it’s people no more of value to him than the frozen rock they called home. It was a message and even more so..
..it was a trap.
“Their pitiful resistance will be their undoing. As long as our fortitude remains firm we shall prevail, this has all proceeded as we have designed from the beginning dear child of the Maw. Proceed to cover Admiral Aldo Garrick
and his forces as they move to intercept the Alliance Command Ship.”
His hooded form leaned over as he pressed down onto the control module with a rigor mortis claw, a decrepit hand belonging to a withering vessel of dark power. “@Subject 54 Havoc charge a single reactor burst and make aim for the enemy fleet. You may fire when ready.”
Fiery eyes cast back to the simmering image of Tu'teggacha
, “They have unwittingly come to their doom, Csilla along with their friends.. will burn.”
Electricity snapped and sparked in the air as the cultists finished their work, the machinery retracting into the floor and walls as they scurried away and out of the chamber. The two Crownguard that had accompanied their Lord moved to stand just outside the chamber's threshold, their staves crossed in an X over the passage to dissuade anyone from entering. The door shut, and Carnifex was left on his own in almost absolute darkness.
Yet even though his sight was clouded by shadow, he could still see every inch of his surroundings. He walked slowly, reverently, towards the center of the chamber. He extended his right hand, then his left, and intoned the ancient spirits of all Dark Lords who had come before him.
The air between his hands grew heavy with crackling power, discharges of chaotic energy emanating from a center point of mass that grew and grew until something began to appear through the maddening whirlwind. From the void of the Dark Side emerged a great and terrible sword, its blade emblazoned with sadistic runes that pulsated with hate and hunger. Carnifex gripped the blade by its hilt, feeling the power flow through his arms and into his heart as the two ostensibly became one.
With weapon gripped tightly, Carnifex plunged the blade down into the slot which had been carved into the floor by his cultists. The blade sunk down to the hilt, the connection sending a shockwave of power radiating out across the entire star system as the runes in the chamber burned bright red in reaction. Lightning sparked in the air above Carnifex as he fell to his knees, hands still gripping the weapon, his mouth moving constantly in silent incantation as the Dark Side grew ever stronger across Csilla and beyond.
Like radio waves, the power emanating from Carnifex's ritual was picked up by the obelisks down on the planet's surface. The runes on their surface likewise shined bright red as the air around the obelisks grew heavy with power, the snow and ice melting away as intense heat radiated out from the stone structures. The cultists that monitored each obelisk fell to their knees in subjugation, pressing their heads to the ground as they screamed rather than whispered prayers and exaltations in the name of their Eternal Lord.
All would feel the power rushing out from the insidious space station and know, without a shadow of a doubt...
That the Black Iron Tyrant sanctioned the death of an entire world, its people, and its culture.
All to feed the hungering darkness and his own elusive ambitions.
As the Maw Irregular Fleet joined the Defensive Screen infront of the Mercy , Overseer Pryce could only watch as wave after wave of Enemy Fleets emerged from Hyperspace in the defense of Csilla. There was the First Order and their First Fleet , the New Imperial Order and Azure Hammer Command , and the Galactic Alliance with Smaller Task Forces such as Constantine Oliva's Corvette Line and Teica Giraan's Frigate and recently Chancellor Chandra onboard Alliance One and it's Escort Fleet. The Brotherhood of the Maw was outnumbered even with it's Sith Allies.
There was a reason for why Sularen had decided to say behind in the Core , a Battle at such a magnitude could expose his ties to the Brotherhood of the Maw , and already Sularen had to face enemies from outside and inside his organization such as the Strategic Intelligence Agency and Heath Valhoun and his Elysium Empire. This was going to be a tougher battle to win , Pryce thought. Major Powers such as the Galactic Alliance , First Order , New Imperial Order and the Eternal Empire had sent their own forces to defend the world dwarfing anything the Brotherhood of the Maw had at it's disposal. The only way they could fend off the enemy fleet was by utilizing the Mercy Superweapon against their Fleet similarly to how the Galactic Empire used the Death Star at Endor.
But even with the Mercy , the Enemy could still charge the Defensive Screen to avoid any further attacks from the Mercy and already outnumbered such a charge could break the lines of the BotM's Fleet. "Deploy all fighters" The High Overseer ordered. "Establish a defensive Fighter Screen and have all Ships hold their current position and only open fire when in range of the enemy fleet. Remember our job is to delay the Advance of all Hostile Naval Forces until the Mercy can open fire on Csilla." And thus the Maw Irregular Fleet positioned itself deploying it's entire Starfighter Compliment comprised of TIE/ENs , Nssis-Class Clawcraft acquired from Bilbringi and TIE Clutches which began to engage any hostile forces that drew near the Defensive Perimeter of the Mawite Fleet defending the Mercy Superweapon. The Battle had just begun and it was far from over...
Slowly, the convoy began to disappear from scanners as the refugee ships entered hyperspace, There were still several, of course, and they would all need to return. There were still millions of civilians on the planet’s surface, crowding evacuation centers. Many others, too rural to find their way to a spaceport in time, were trapped in their homes. And still, the hordes continued their assault on the planet, while the battle raged above.
“Sir! The Resolution’s been destroyed!”
“What?”
Commander Giraan had proven herself a capable commander before. Had she managed to evacuate?
“Yessir, caught by a ram. It appears all the escape pods were launched. She knocked out a Crucifix before being attacked by two more.”
Somewhat good news.
“I want half the line to follow Hawk in to pick up survivors. Spread out the Resolution’s survivors, so we won’t strain our escape pods.”
“Transmitting your orders, sir.”
The Line stirred to life, with fifteen ships moving forward and away from the dwindling train of refugees. Two Avalons, a Nagata, and twelve Warrior-IIs, including Hawk. As we traveled, the battle escalated further. A group of ships appeared on sensors, supporting the Brotherhood. I recognized them. The fleet we’d encountered in the Naamadii Corridor. But they were far off. It was doubtful I’d come to blows with that particular group of ships now.
“Sir, a large fleet has just dropped out of hyperspace! They’ve got a dreadnought!”
“Who’s side are they on?” My reply was fast. Another dreadnought could be a major threat.
“It appears they’re First Order ships...They’re engaging the Brotherhood!”
A sigh of relief escaped my lips. More reinforcements. Maybe...Maybe Csilla would be saved, and the brotherhood wiped out here. It was clear this was a massive investment for them, with hundreds of ships and their mighty superweapon. Had they really emptied their territory for this offensive? Could the threat be ended, if the allied armada overwhelmed the Brotherhood fleet and tore the Superweapon apart?
“Transmission from one Captain Herlock, New Imperial Order.’
"Commodore Orcana, Commodore Oliva, this Captain Herlock speaking. The refugees are safe. Our intentions now are to retrieve the escape pods of Captain Giraan's Resolution, provide medical support to her and her crew and support allied ground forces from the atmoshere.Pride of Anaxes, out."
“Pride of Anaxes, this is Hawk. I have several ships almost there now.”
The fast vessels didn’t take long to reach the small cloud of escape pods. Hawk docked with one, unaware that the Resolution’s former captain herself was aboard. On the bridge, I kept a very close eye on the scanners. If I saw anything that even looked like an enemy ship approaching the rest of the Line, I’d order the ships picking up survivors back to the refugee convoy. The battle was going well...almost too well.
My eye caught view of the massive space station at the Center of the Brotherhood formation. I’d seen a similar vessel in illustrations and holograms, in the classroom. But the Death Stars had been destroyed more than eight hundred years ago. This was here, now. Dread overtook me, though I refused to show it to my men.
I looked down at my right hand. I’d fallen into the habit of digging my nails into my palm to focus. The pain was a distraction from emotions that could impact my performance as a commander, though I knew it wasn’t a good habit by any means. I forced my hand to unclench, seeing the deep red marks in my hand. Small white lines marked the few times I’d actually drawn blood. I focused on the situation at hand again.
“Send the superior officer of the survivors we just picked up to the bridge. Get anyone who needs it medical help.”
Holding off the horde took a while but thankfully a great deal of the heavy blaster turrets along the trench were still functional. And with the help of one of her fire-teams, being equipped with jump-packs, they were able to re-ascend one of the walls of the pass and take up an elevated flanking position to weed out the horde and keep an eye on it's greater number. It also helped that the horde had largely lost interest in the direction they were fighting in, since their prize was now gone. Eventually the horde moved on, more interested in other targets presumably, leaving the pass and Liza's team altogether. There were a few minor injuries and their armor looked a bit more scuffed than it had before but for the most part Mercy squad was still functional. The problem was supplies.
Fighting so many had reduced a bit of their ammunition reserves. Liza decided that before pursuing any other objectives they would need to resupply first. It was unfortunate but they needed to resort to looting some for their fallen comrades. Unfortunately, even the reserves of the dead were largely depleted, part of why the position was overrun in the first place. Only a few power and gas packs that were compatible with their weapons could be recovered. It would have to do.
"Mercy-actual, this is Command, please respond," A voice called to them over their comlinks while they rested and attempted to gather supplies.
"Yes Command, we read you." Liza responded.
"Mercy-actual, a nearby bunker housing a ground-to-space laser battery has been taken by the enemy. It is of vital importance that the bunker is either re-taken or destroyed before the enemy can use it against us."
"Acknowledged. We'll move on it ASAP. We are low on supplies, however."
"We'll attempt to get you a supply drop soon Mercy. In the mean time, we're uploaded intelligence on the bunker to you. Command out."
Liza turned to her men, and relayed the news and the new objective. There was some reservations about taking such a position, being so well defended.
"Ma'am, forgive me for speaking out, but I don't know if we're equipped to take such a well defensible position on our own." Said one of the more green members of the squad. It was a valid point, although not one he should have said outloud.
"I realize this is not an easy task. It may be better to let Command just send a ship to bomb the facility altogether. However, this is not a normal battle. We're not here to fight over just any ball of dirt as I'm sure you all know. This is our home. Where our species was born and continues to thrive from. And further than that, this is no normal conquest. The enemy has no intention of keeping this world so that we can hope to retake it some day. They intend to destroy it; completely. I'm sure you all know of Alderaan, and other planets devastated by the predecessors of our enemy."
"But we are not victims. We are not homeless refugees or helpless bystanders. We are warriors of the Chiss! And Commandos of the Ascendency! We are the best, so that we can face the worst our enemy has to offer! So that our fellow brothers and sisters, our parents, wives and husbands, our children, don't have to live as galactic refuge. Survivors of a tragedy. We will not be the next tragedy of this galaxy!"
"However, I understand that the task I am asking of you is not an easy one. There are others who need our help and face less opposition. So that is why I will only ask for volunteers on this one." She stepped up and over the trench. "If you do not, remain here. I will call for another unit to pick you up."
While the speech could use some work, it had done what was necessary. Most of her squad joined her climbing over the trench to join her. All except one. The dissident voice that had brought up their original concerns. "I'm sorry Lieutenant, but I think we can do better without sacrificing our lives for a bunker." She nodded in return.
"Ma'am." Vald asked, pulling her aside, so as not to speak in front of the others. "Are you sure about this? We need everyone we can get. Yurrak is one of our technical experts." He questioned.
"You saw the intel. I can't do this unless everyone is on board with it." He nodded hesitantly and then returned to his team. They carried on without their comrade.
They floated about for a few more minutes, submerged fully in the agony left from the Resolution's destruction. Something caught her eye. Teica peered out a viewport, holding her right knee in the safety of her hand. Someone had come for them. One freighter, and a few Warrior IIs.
Her pod docked with the Warrior II, while a few of the others were distributed between the freighter and the others. Echoing through the escape pod's plating was the sound of an airlock depressurizing, and hatches twisting open. Medical teams rushed in, bringing out the most critically injured crewmen, while the others hobbled up to make the assist.
Teica stood up. By now, the bleeding in her leg had subsided, leaving only torn muscles and shattered tissue to worry about. She limped through, the last to leave.
"X.O, get an inventory of everyone we have left. Anyone with medical training should be sent to sick-bay to assist in operations," The commander put a hand on her first officer's shoulder.
"Yes ma'am." He set off, but turned fully about, "You need medical attention, comma-"
"What I need..is to meet with this ship's captain."
"Yes...ma'am.."
Sure enough, that was what one of the Hawk's junior officers would confirm with her. She was brought up through the ship, a bloodied white tourniquet decorating the right leg of her uniform. The bridge came into frame, along with the man she recognized as Commodore Constantine Olivia. Yet again, the Brotherhood had struck them both.
"Commander Teica Giraan reporting for duty, Sir." Her hand came to a salute, her feet struggling to maintain a sturdy base, "I apologize for making such an order, but I want the highest ranking Resolution crewmember on each ship informed that they are to take charge of the others, and follow each captain's orders without incident. And thank each captain on my behalf."
The commander brought her hands to join behind her, and looked on to the commodore.
Darth Solipsis
