In A World Where the Kings Are Employers (First Order Dominion of Thakwaa Hex)

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: AT-AT barge, over Thakwaa
Allies: First Order
Enemies: N/A
Post: 11/20

"Forward Command, this is Sable 12. We have returned with the damotite and the hookahs. It would be advised to commence distribution of damotite and the hookahs to the locals ASAP"

"Why?"

"We have previously found that inhaled liquid damotite would be a drug for Thakwaash, although its full extent would not be known for a while"

"Sable 12, damotite is an unproven drug: the scans show that there are sixty containers of liquid damotite: who placed the order?"

"Take it up with the commanding officer of the Dementor: he's the one who placed the order. All I did was to deliver it"

"You're in big trouble, Sable 12, if the damotite proves ineffective on Thakwaash. Nevertheless, Sable 12, you're cleared to land"

"Roger, Forward Command"

The stormtroopers sighed a breath of relief when they landed on Thakwaa's forward base. They were tired of doing shopping: the security detail assigned to Dunames' supply ship was made up of line infantry, much like Frank Mallidan was. They weren't assigned to Logistical Command, where the professional shoppers of the First Order military were assigned. With the quick-dry duracrete landing pad now ready to accommodate one AT-AT barge capable of carrying two AT-ATs at any one time, Dunames initiates the landing sequence with little opposition because most of the enemy fighters are stlll in orbit fighting off the First Order's fighter screens. Upon landing, Dunames opens the cargo bay hatch, with sixty containers of damotite inside it, and two hundred hookahs hastily packaged together, with the same stormtroopers unloading the hookahs.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

12/20
[member="Ashmedai"]

The Moff frowned thoughtfully at the unofficial envoy's remarks and nodded in agreement. "An orderly transition of power is essential in maintaining a society worth living in," she answered. That was where the Sith were problematic, in Natasi's view. Their transitions of power were hardly ever orderly, and were often not so much bogged down by confusion and disorder as violent and blood-soaked.

When the conversation came back around to a relationship between the First Order and the Sith Triumvirate, Natasi offered a closed-mouth smile. "Outside of the Supreme Leader, the Supreme Commander, and General Vaas -- " she resisted the urge to glance towards her ship and the command table, but barely. " -- I have no real need to consult with the commissioners and governors. Their input is appreciated but not necessary, but as it turns out there is a strong sense of brotherhood among our people for the Sith Triumvirate. You are, in the words of -- oh, I forget who -- the kind of Sith we can do business with."

Natasi offered a pleasant smile. "The Supreme Leader would have ultimate sign-off authority, of course, but I see no objections."

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Post 8/20
[member="Natasi Fortan"]

Cameron managed to stifle a brief laugh concerning transitions of power. "Yes. Essential but not exactly the most professionally executed action among the vast array of governments littering this galaxy." That was, most certainly, not merely a stereotypical crutch of the Sith. Though, he had to admit the Sith tended to fail in rather fantastic fashion. As Cameron had long ago learned, the Sith were much more effective when they supported a more...robust establishment. In the end of the day, the Sith were an ideal, a way of life...similar to a religious group. Religious organizations did not tend to stand on their own for very long as evidenced by the Moross Crusade, and it was arguably one of the more capable.

Baby steps, Cameron. Baby steps. Acquisitions were best left...for a much later conversation.

Smiling thinly at Natasi, the Sith nodded his understanding of her concluding comments. "Excellent. Likewise, I see no reason why there should be a large objective among the new leadership of the Triumvirate when it is instated. There are...no more than four rather clear candidates, and they are of a like mind when it comes to developing a continuing relationship with the First Order." Pausing for a moment, Cameron posed another point. "In order to facilitate said communications, I do believe we would wish to appoint an Ambassador of sorts and establish a small embassy at a location of your choosing. You would be invited to do the same, however..." The Sith Lord raised a hand slightly. "Understand Ruusan is indeed still in the process of being revitalized in the wake of the Sanctum's savagery. Certainly does not offer comparable comforts to Dosuun."

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Post 13/20
[member="Ashmedai"]

Natasi inclined her head and frowned gravely. "Of course. The capital is nearing completion, and we have several empty buildings in the diplomatic district, with plenty of office space to serve as an embassy. I would be pleased to show you or the envoy of your choosing if you'd care for it. And I'll lead a delegation to establish an embassy on Ruusan, when it's convenient."

When he brought up the subject of Ruusan's current status, Natasi shifted in her seat and took a drink from her until-now untouched refreshment. "At the risk of... overstepping the mark, so to speak," she said with a hesitant smirk. "If the First Order can offer anything in the way of assistance -- materials, credits, surplus grain and produce, even the expertise of our architects or engineers -- as a gesture of good will, we would be pleased to assist." She didn't know if what he was describing was really as bad as to benefit from these offers, but from what she understood of the Sanctum's attack, it very well might be.

"I wouldn't like to imply that your government would be in need of any assistance, but I should like the First Order to be a friend, and a good friend helps when it can."

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Post 9/20
[member="Natasi Fortan"]

Cameron offered a faint nod to Natasi. "Your generosity is noted, Natasi. I think at this juncture we have things well enough in hand. We've made arrangements to relocate the vast majority of the civilian population aboard one of our troop carriers retrofitted to keep them...slightly more comfortable than living underground." The suggestion had been made to resettle the affected families elsewhere, but that proved to be a very cost ineffective option when the numbers were evaluated. However, those wishing to make a permanent change to another world were certainly being granted leave to do so.

"Coupled with an arrangement we made with the Eve Foundation, it is our sincere hope that we can place the bulk of efforts into restoring the military infrastructure in that vital system while contracted third parties assist with the development of Ruusan's two major cities." The Sith Lord paused for a moment as he considered something. "That is merely the bare-bones efforts in place right now to make Ruusan reasonably habitable. My intent, however, is to continue expanding."

A thought occurred to Cameron in that moment, and he casually moved towards extending the invitation. "We expect to have the official burial ceremony for the late Triumvirs in the coming week. It will be held in the area of the old Valley of the Jedi on Ruusan. The new leadership will be named at that time - I invite you and any other members of the First Order's High Command to attend; to see what the Sanctum wrought upon us in an unprovoked attack and to speak with those that will guide the Triumvirate into the future." While Cameron was not explicitly aware of Natasi's connection to one of the late Triumvirs, he knew the woman would undoubtedly be interested from a standpoint of solidarity at the very least.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Objective: Establish Forward Command Base
Allies: [member="Amin Garith"]
Posts: 4/20 (ayy lmao)

As the shuttle cleared the landing zone, only the tall, black-clad figure of General Vaas remained, his long trenchcoat billowing in the wind kicked up by the shuttle's departure. Vaas ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back down after it had been tousled by the torrent of wind from the shuttle's engines, and approached the Stormtroopers. The Forward Command Base was already well on the way to being established, with the engineers busy working on fortifications off to Vaas' right. When he caught sight of Amin Garith, however, he knew that the action planetside had been far hotter than he had imagined. Garith's body armor was smeared with blood.

General Vaas approached him quickly and pulled him aside to walk with him as he surveyed the burgeoning fortifications. The General's mind seemed to be focused on computing several things at once. "Status report, immediately," He said to Garith as he continued walking. His troops had clearly seen a good deal of action down here, which flew in direct contradiction to the reconnaissance reports he had received about there being no life forms near the landing zone. This was troubling.

If there was one thing General Vaas couldn't stand, it was when his ducks weren't all in a row.

"Give me casualty reports. And what intel have we got on the enemy?" He continued as he walked.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: AT-AT barge, on Thakwaa
Allies: First Order (including [member="Ludolf Vaas"] and [member="Amin Garith"])
Enemies: N/A
Post: 12/20

"General Vaas, this is Sable 12. It would appear that the enemy can be intoxicated with damotite using inhalation devices; this is the cargo the commanding officer of the Dementor told me to fetch from Lanteeb: the damotite and the inhalation devices. As for the inhalators, they call it a hookah and it can be used with a variety of inhaled drugs"

"But how are we to distribute the stuff?" Sable 2 retorted.

"That way we can reduce the enemy casualties and, once we capture a few living specimens, we can experiment further on the effects. Preliminary data indicates that, while under the effect of damotite, it can force a Thakwaash to freeze a personality for the duration, or otherwise calm them down for said duration. It is currently unknown how long the effects of damotite last and how addictive it is on that species, but it's the only lead I have as far as controlling them is concerned"

"There has to be another way than just distributing hookahs filled with damotite" Sable 3 commented.

"How about we load flamethrowers with refined damotite instead?"

Flamethrowers needed a source of fuel: if you changed 12 liters of conflagrine-14 for 12 liters of liquid damotite, would it ensure that enemies trapped in an area target would be intoxicated with damotite the same way a bomb did? Weaponizing damotite was an avenue worth exploring but Dunames is mostly one for the airborne delivery, using either a carpet of Tearstunner bombs or a firefighting ship much like those used on Coruscant when the Invisible Hand crash-landed in The Works centuries ago. But flamethrowers burn through fuel very quickly and may carry the risk of overdose. Dunames, unfortunately, was not a flamethrower soldier... the rest of the damotite poisoning operation was to be carried out by other elements. But poisoning a water supply would probably cause other kinds of problems, even though she would see for herself whether damotite can be useful in intoxicating Thakwaash with oral consumption.

 

[Sentiri]

Location: Approach vector to Thakwaa aboard a small, nondescript freighter
Objective: Scavenger hunt for samples
Allies: [member="Hyori Tal"], The First Order
Enemies: Elementary school students also participating in scavenger hunts, poison ivy
Post: 01/20

Stars thinned from lines to dots as the small freighter dropped from hyperspace. The ship wasn't much to look at. There was hardly enough moving space for two people, let alone living space. The cargo space had just enough room but the ceilings and corridors must have been designed for a smaller species. A cramped cockpit was made only slightly more comfortable by retrofitted seats. Though that retrofit only meant a bigger chair than the original model. The cushioning felt more akin to rock than feather.

Sentiri's aggravation was obvious from her furrowed brow. The muscles of her face had been tensed since sitting in the copilot's seat before the jump from the Sump system, where the uncomfortable freighter was purchased. Named Adventure, Sentiri could only assume the previous owner was either incredibly sarcastic and shared in Sentiri's frustration with the vessel or was so incredibly naïve in his first purchase of a ship that they had mothballed it a week after exchanging credits for the contraption.

None of these details really mattered. Sentiri and her partner for the mission had limited funds to purchase a ship for the mission that would get them to Thakwaa discretely, be relatively hidden while planetside, and get them to the rendezvous at the designated command point or the fallback point aboard the flagship for the expedition. The best way to hide a ship? Buy the ugliest one possible. Who would ever want to break into a tin can that was just about to fall apart and lacked any sort of comfort? Adventure was the perfect vessel.

And Sentiri hated the iron bucket. The lack of comfort was something she could generally ignore. She sat on durasteel floors all the time and her apartment was so stuffed with monitors and servers that there was only one pathway through everything to get to the necessities. But at least in her apartment, everything was familiar and she was alone.

The Chiss woman set in the coordinates to the nightside of Thakwaa, a spot far from the engagement front where a new ship entering orbit would be more likely ignored. The fleet of the First Order had come from a different staging point and was far enough away that vessels, even the biggest, couldn't be made out. Adventure's sensors were only good enough to get the slightest glimpses to confirm that they were, in fact, there.

No matter, she thought to herself. Let's just get this done.

 

[Darth Veles]

[5/20]​

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

Their opinion of the One Sith did not seem to differ that much – indeed, Veles found it almost odd to meet a Dark Jedi with strong distaste for the organisation. It matched his own almost to the letter. He even discovered himself agreeing with the woman on the Jedi part. There were times he would have helped the Republic and its Jedi warriors in their fight against the One Sith, ignoring the consequences of betraying his former associates and delivering their secrets to the enemy on the silver platter. Those were different times, different groups though. Different people. Without Raaf keeping the Jedi together and Lasedri rallying the whole Republic to fight the invader, Veles no longer felt obligated to help either side of the conflict. If those who remained tore each other apart in their race to dominate the galaxy, all the better for him and the plans stored in his large head.

Without any dramatic show of surprise to the sudden reveal that this woman was quite different than the one he had fought, the amphibious man shrugged. Truth to be told, his heart rarely held any grudges when it came to those he had met in battle. Although getting defeated by a Dark Jedi had brought him much shame, something he would never forget, it had also allowed him to meet the former Prime Minister of the Galactic Republic in person, turning his defeat into much bigger victory than the one that would have been achieved by slaying the Dark Jedi.

“Yes,” he responded with a nod, thoughtful fires dancing in his eyes as the pieces of information assembled together, “She is a particularly charming woman.”

No trace of poison or hatred could be detected in his voice, but to get the point across, the walking cane standing still up until now lightly tapped against his leg.

“And also a living proof the Jedi do not particularly care about battling the Dark Side as they claim. Heh. Hypocrites.”

A short, polite chuckle found its way past his lips, yet the serious glare burning in his amber orbs revealed he felt more strongly about the subject than he bothered to admit.

“Anyway, lady Typhos,” he offered a magnanimous gesture with his webbed hand, “You have work to do and I’d hate to delay you any further. Though I’d request your permission to accompany you on your task… at least until we encounter one of the Knights of Ren.”

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Location: Aboard the Adventure (!)
Objective: Obtain DNA samples
Allies: [member="Sentiri"], The First Order
Enemies: The natives
Post: 5/20

Hyori Tal sat silently in the pilot’s seat, her face mostly void of expression, but lingering somewhere just above boredom. The voyage from Sump had been full of charged silence, and the occasional passive aggressive exchange between the two women. It seemed that the agents were engaged in a slight tug-of-war for control, as both of them had a penchant for working alone. Their ship was subpar, it lacked just about everything, and there were absolutely no redeeming qualities to speak of – save perhaps for the fact that it did not tie them directly to the First Order. But it would get the two agents from Point A to Point B, it just took a lot longer than they would have liked.

Her dark eyes shifted to the side, it was easy to see Sentiri’s growing agitation, it was written on her face. Despite the fact that she was not comfortable, Hyori would not allow any breaks in her composure. Instead, she turned her attention back to her datapad, once more reading over the information they had about the native species. The Thakwaash had a distinctly equine appearance, were rumored to be very large, and possessed strength beyond anything she had faced before. It was only slightly worrisome, but she wondered how well Sentiri handled herself during combat, should it come down to that. Her first impression of the Chiss agent was that she appeared to be more of a bookworm, but if her training had taught her anything, it was that looks were often deceiving.

Agent Tal had also read about the unique minds of the Thakwaash. The concept of having several different ‘minds’ to switch between did hold a certain appeal – one mind for the assassin, one for the slicer, one for each and every role. But she also knew that these creatures were very unpredictable, and that is where their strange ability lost its appeal. In a line of work that was never predictable, Hyori liked to be the steady constant that she could always depend upon.

Now their unassuming craft was moving down towards the planet, where they would set down far from the location of the forward base – assuming that the Adventure did not break apart upon entry.

“Ready?” Hyori broke the silence, her tone even and calm.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

(5)
[member="Darth Veles"]


Whereas Veles was completely calm whilst talking about the Dark Jedi he'd fought on Contruum, despite the wounds she'd inflicted upon him, Enyo was the opposite. Archangel had taught her to loathe Siobhan, which obviously served the ulterior motive of making the woman more susceptible to their manipulations. Of course, one day she see through the fog of lies the death machines had created around her. Well, actually that was the plan...but this writer shall not spoil too much!


"I'm going to kill her one day," she said flatly. There was a fire in her eyes when she uttered these words. Of course, at this point in time such a scenario was very utopian. "Jedi are hypocrites, yes. They hide behind a code of purple poetry and let others do their dirty work so that they can delude themselves about wearing a halo."


However, as strongly as she felt on the subject, there was business to attend to. For just a brief moment, she looked at Vess, before her eyes turned from the Metal Princess back to the amphibian. "I can tell you're an experienced Master, so your assistance would be appreciated. Your ability to move and strike undetected would be useful," she said formally. The droid force began moving into position. Far in the distance lay the Thakwaash settlement.


"The Wasps have mapped the settlement and identified enemy defences and strong points. They are unaware of our presence. We stand ready to proceed as planned. Suggest bombardment to weaken them," Vess interjected gently.


The mechanical wasps had done their job well and soon our Archangels were receiving audio and visual imagery of the settlement. A number of basic turrets had been identified, along with the locations of guards. The Thakwaa were not blind to the First Order's arrival, but Archangel had not been detected yet. "The aliens are super strong, so we'll hit them with an air strike and drop knockout gas. Then we'll send in a swarm of Wasps to sedate targets. The battle droids will move in and eliminate anyone who's still walking and resists." It was unlikely that Enyo had come up with this entirely on her own. In all likelihood she'd received some advice, but then she was still young.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: Over Thakwaa
Allies: First Order (including [member="Ludolf Vaas"] and [member="Amin Garith"])
Enemies: N/A
Post: 13/20

"Sable 12, this is Sable Leader. We have new instructions for you. Go to the coordinates I'm transmitting to your R9 unit, which will patch them through your unit's targeting computer prior to takeoff. Drop the two heavy Tearstunners full of liquid damotite, it has only a dispersal charge otherwise. No Bothan stun spores or anything like that"

"Sable Leader, these coordinates will lead me to drop bombs into a lake; what objective am I to achieve in doing so?"

"After we checked against the manifest of bombs, we have found that the bombs you previously dropped contained Bothan stun spores and tear gas as well. We have no way of knowing for sure whether the Bothan stun spores or the damotite are responsible for the intoxication effects you reported but our medical information indicates that tear gas cannot intoxicate Thakwaash to the point of addiction"

"We have to drop another bombing run with the same composition in the bomb but in a Thakwaash settlement rather than into its water supply"

"I'll have another set of bombs prepared to this end"

"Roger, Sable Leader"

Dunames prepared the pre-launch sequence of the TIE Reaver prototype, while, in the background, two heavy Tearstunners were filled with approximately 530 kg of liquid damotite each. As she enters the cockpit, her R9 unit is asked to vacate and to return to the compound still under construction, where it is to keep tabs on the maintenance of the other fighters and bombers assigned to the expedition. That is, after R9 finishes the pre-flight checks of the TIE Reaver even though it is not designed to have a R9 unit onboard. And, of course, patching the actual coordinates through. But with all that said and done, Dunames opened the cockpit door and enters through the cockpit with the assistance of a collapsible ladder. Now that the bomb doors are closed, too, she makes herself comfortable... well, as comfortable as possible in a bomber's cockpit.

 

[Davin Jusik]

Allies: Ludolf, [member="Dunames Lopez"]

Post 5/20
Objective Alpha
Location: Field


Amin didn't salute [member="Ludolf Vaas"] as the General approached him, the salutation being something any sane combat leader knew to forgo when still in a situation where bolts might be exchanged. "No casualties on our end. Estimated sixty enemy dead."

The Lieutenant kept up with his superior's surprisingly brisk pace as they moved along the line. It gave him a bit of pride in the Order, as morale and enthusiasm tended to move down the chain from top to bottom.

"Looks like they came out of the treeline there." Amin gestured toward the forest bordering the field. "After they saw the drop ship. "They're disorganized and have obsolete tech, mostly slugs and old blasters. We're ready to move at your command sir."

He spoke in a level neutral tone, carefully enunciating as he did.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Post 14/20
[member="Ashmedai"]

The Moff folded her hands over her knee and nodded thoughtfully. "Understood. Consider the offer open should you find there is something we can lend a hand with, then," she said. He obviously knew where to reach her. The First Order was willing to take in refugees as required, but it seemed that the Triumvirate had things well in hand for the time being.

When the discussion turned to the burial arrangements for the Triumvirs, Natasi looked thoughtfully at [member="Ashmedai"] for a moment, her dark eyes inscrutable. Her last exchange with the Triumvir that she had known was not a fond memory. In fact, she still felt a tacky, cold feeling when thinking about that conversation with [member="Darth Adekos"]. It was a shame that things had ended that way, but it had been his choice rather than hers, so that was something no longer worth crying over. Not that that would stop Natasi.

"Of course. I will attend to pay my respects, and will extend your invitation to my colleagues in High Command. And, of course, it would be our privilege to meet the newest leadership of the Triumvirate -- to put names to faces, at the very least." She smiled a somber smile. "You are quite gracious to think of us in a difficult time like this."

 

[Sentiri]

Location: A grassy plain in the middle of nowhere at night... but not the setting of a horror flick.
Objectives: Collecting samples to use on the populace... but not the premise to a disease outbreak flick.
Allies: [member="Hyori Tal"]? Also stretching... but not part of a workout montage.
Enemies: Useless data... ... ... I got nothin
Post: 02/20

"Quite," Sentiri responded. The single word was encrusted with icicles while her eyes never left the console just beneath her fingertips.

The Chiss woman was not often one to lose her cool. No members of the Chiss species were known for displaying emotion. But Sentiri knew then her emotions were betraying her; she could feel the muscles on her face becoming sore, a feeling with which she was unfamiliar. She wondered if spending so much time around humans was effecting her negatively. Having been exiled by her people there was no real way to test that theory. Though Sentiri was also well aware that placing herself in uncomfortable circumstances easily aided in her frustration.

All of these thoughts are irrelevant, she told herself.

The Intelligence Agent had an objective, and none of the stray thoughts floating through her cortex were assisting her progress. The operative forced the muscles in her face to relax. The suggestion through her brain carried to her nerves was made easier by the ship's soft landing on the surface of Thakwaa. Sensors made note that, while there were lifeforms in the vicinity, none were large enough to be members of the native "intelligent" populace designated as Thakwaash.

As soon as the freighter powered down and went silent, Sentiri stood-stooped from the copilot's seat and made her way to where she had stashed her equipment. While not a biological expert, she had done her research concerning the right equipment to use before debarking. She was also briefed on the different types of enzymes and protein sequences that would be beneficial to an anesthetic. The woman threw a light pack over her shoulder that contained scanning equipment, hermetically sealing containers, different gradations of cutting equipment and a datapad. Her belt was adorned with a larger vibroblade and a blaster pistol.

Sentiri stepped down the ramp and stretched her arms, legs and back, all just a little sore from the posture she had needed aboard the ship. Her all black fatigues faded into the twilight of the night surrounding her, but her eyes shone brightly like burning flames.

"Let's go."

 

[Darth Veles]

[6/20]​

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

A brief washed passed over the leading HRD upon her delivery of their status as Veles admired the speed and efficiency of these technological wonders. It was a shame he had missed the brief opportunity of bringing the Black Rose to its knees, though having the organisation and several leading members go bankrupt thanks to his ‘little’ investment had brought Veles at least a little bit of the satisfaction he had been denied by never going through with his coup. If nothing else, this field test promised to be a spectacle to behold, unfeeling calculating machines armed with pinnacles of technology against schizophrenic natives of immense physical strength. One look at the idyllic scenery soon to be battlefield, giving it a thorough and seemingly absent-minded look, Darth Veles cybernetic eye spied on the defences, quickly analysing the situation. The next moment the Mon Cal’s bulbous eyes swivelled over to the moving HRDs, counting Enyo’s strike force before shifting back towards the Dark Jedi in charge as she explained the strategy in detail.

“Cut off their escape routes,” the Sith assassin proposed, webbed claw pointing towards the settlement, specifically its two entryways guarded by a few poor-equipped militias and hastily positioned turrets, “There and there. As unpredictable as the Thakwaash are, there is little doubt they will attempt to get away from the gas once it hits their positions. There’ll be panic – they are not a disciplined fighting force. Not the majority of their personalities, anyway. I suggest positioning your technological marvels near the entrances into the settlement. As the natives flood out, your forces subdue them in whatever manner you desire.”

Veles turns his large domed head towards the HRD offering her – its? – input, lust for information almost visible in his burning glare.

“Any chances of remotely hacking those turrets and jamming all transmissions leaving the settlement? Once they are left with no defences immune to the gas and no possible reinforcements, the settlement falls under our control. The few fighters and civilians who find shelter indoors will be surrounded and severely outnumbered. Hopefully enough to see reason in surrendering to us.”

After the Sith presents his opinion, he turns on his heel, once more observing the impending skirmish. No fear or doubt could be felt from the squads of droids making their way towards the targeted settlement. He would not be satisfied with mere victory – given the Force was in their control, the technological advantage combined with solid strategy painted a mental image of flawless execution and decisive success. Veles' form did not radiate even the slightest trace of doubt or hesitation, he did not even consider the possibility of losing. As a refreshing gust of wind raced over the grassy plains, singing when founds its way through the forests and finally arriving to the small group preparing to attack, playing with the Sith Lord's heavy cloak, the Mon Cal closed his eyes and smiled, basking in the inevitable.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

(6)
[member="Darth Veles"]


Enyo considered these options after the amphibian Sith Lord had relayed his thoughts. It was true that she lacked experience, but on the flip side she had the sense to realise this and accept advice. Ironically, this was a lesson her mirror had taken a very long time to learn. But then their upbringing had been vastly different. Contrary to what certain holovids might tell you, few battles were won by a single 'hero'.


"I agree with the Sith Lord," Vess spoke in her timelessly calm and patient voice. She was using a slightly more human tone. Of course, Enyo knew what she was, but acting more 'human' set the clone at ease. "We have HRD units with hacking capabilities and the Ballistarius can be equipped with an ion cannon. An ion salvoe will short out their turrets and unprotected comm equipment in the target area. This will make the air strike easier and help throw them into disarray."


Enyo did not hesitate and gave a nod. "Do that. Send word to the crews to deploy the guns. Link them to the wasps so that they have targeting data. Block the entryways to the settlement," Thus the word was given and the small droid force deployed. The HRDs and conventional battle droids moved into position so that they could block the two entryways, but took care to stay outside the range of the artillery so that they did not get hit by their own barrage.


A few troops were left behind to cover the guns. The droid force was numerically inferior to the natives, which was why a frontal assault would have been a bad idea. However, they had advanced technology on their side, especially area of effect weapons such as bolters, flamers and sonic rifles. Moreover, the aliens would be burdened by the need to protect their noncombatants. Even creatures whose minds integrated divergent personalities and thus multiple skill sets were not immune to fear, dread or surprise.


Finally, the first stage of the assault could begin. Specialised HRD units had been assigned to try and tap into enemy communications and muck with them. This was the initial stage. Far from the frontline, a small crew of artillery guns had received up-to-date targeting information from the tiny mechanical wasps. By now the wasps had been withdrawn to prevent them being affected by the bombardment. A few had not reported in, which indicated that they might have been damaged or destroyed by the aliens. However, this did not matter anymore.


The Ballistarius was a smaller and more mobile variant of the ancient SPHAT. The order to fire was given, and there was a bright, almost blinding flash when blue beams of ion energy exited the guns and shot through the air. Laser turrets suddenly gave up the ghost when ion fire rained down upon them from the sky. In a sense, this was a way for Archangel to test its products in a live fire situation.


Enyo watched the spectacle through macrobinoculars from afar, seeing the Thakwaash scramble to defend their settlement. Then droid gunships roared through the sky towards the small town. Here and there, the defenders fired upon them, for whilst many of their turrets had been shorted out, they still had mobile AA weapons. A gunship was struck by a missile fired from a shoulder-mounted launcher and experienced severe turbulences, but then shells of knockout gas descended down from the sky upon the town.

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Location: The wilds of Thakwaa
Objective: Obtain DNA samples
Allies: [member="Sentiri"], The First Order
Enemies: The natives
Post: 6/20

Agent Tal’s question was met with an equally brief and icy response. She gave a slight nod, but did not turn to further acknowledge her companion. It was better this way. There were fewer words to get in the way of their objective. She understood that there were some that had a need to fill silence with useless small talk to cover their social anxiety, boredom, or some such thing – she hated interacting with people like that. There were times when Hyori’s lack of social graces made her seem more like a droid, for there were still aspects of human nature that remained a mystery.

Hyori’s lithe frame stood and moved to a small locker where her personal affects had been neatly stowed away. The agent liked to travel light, carrying only the essentials on her person. But tonight was an exception, for the possibility of engaging with the Thakwaash deemed a few additions appropriate. Along with the two heavy blasters on her belt, there was also a tranquilizer gun; its charges had been filled based on the average weight of the native species. Next, there was a standard blaster pistol that she attached to the small of her back, and then came a blaster rifle – a weapon that she disliked carrying due to its size. But she would not take her chances tonight; the strength of the enemies called for more firepower. The last items to find their way to her belt were a couple spare power packs, rations and a small med kit. There was a slight sense of relief when she saw that the Chiss agent did have some weapons of her own, along with the supplies needed to complete their mission.

She had dressed in all black, with a slim body suit with a pair of cargo pants worn over the top, and a long overcoat to cover her ensemble as a whole. With her black boots covered with thin stockings of shadow silk, her footsteps barely registered against the ground. Hyori’s meticulously styled bob was met by a light breeze and it attempted to pull dark strands out of place, much to her annoyance. She pulled a pair of slick gloves over her slender fingers, her hands then reached down towards her belt, conducting a last check of her supplies. Sharp eyes were set towards the horizon, where there was a stand of trees, and beyond that there were life signs. However, as their previous scan had concluded, none of which appeared to be Thakwaash. But she was sure that they would find them at some point during their nighttime wandering.

Hyori finally turned towards Sentiri as she spoke, and she offered only a nod. She began to walk towards the trees, her boots light upon the ground, and the hem of her long coat drifting along the grassy plains.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: Over Thakwaa
Allies: First Order (including [member="Ludolf Vaas"] and [member="Amin Garith"])
Enemies: Thakwaash
Post: 14/20

While approaching the water supply of a Thakwaash town, Dunames' TIE Reaver received a few hits from light slugthrower autocannons used by Thakwaash resistance. These were rather primitive 37-mm autocannon chainguns, which could not penetrate the shields of the TIE Reaver, much to the chagrin of their operators. But because of it, Dunames was forced to strafe in an attempt to take out anti-aircraft guns while refraining to drop the bombs in her bomb bay. While closing in at a very low altitude, she realizes that the heavier Thakwaash artillery comprised 88-mm dual-purpose cannons, capable of dealng serious damage to AT-STs or AT-FAs (both are built on the same chassis, even though they are primarily anti-infantry vehicles) or even destroying their knee joints altogether. To this end, she nose-dives and fires at each gun she could find before approaching the bombing target.

"Sable Leader, we have discovered an enemy anti-aircraft battery en route to the designated target area"

"Anti-aircraft cannons? How many guns?"

"I'd say about 20 guns, some on the surface, some can be used as anti-tank, too. They appear to be comprised of primitive autocannons built on slugthrower technology"

"Don't drop bombs just yet: once you're done, climb out of range of the enemy guns"

"Roger, Sable Leader"

Even with two one-ton bombs in the bomb bay she could still outrun the enemy anti-aircraft defenses (and also anti-tank); the 88-mm dual-purpose cannons are definitely more useful for hunting down AT-STs than TIE Reavers or TIE fighters. But once she is out of range of the flak guns, she is dropping the big bombs into the lake, and then soars while knowing that flak guns have sno-cones of effectiveness: the higher the altitude, the less energy a flak projectile is going to have. Drag is reducing every flak projectile's energy as it rises in altitude; the opening of the sno-cone depends on the depression. But good bomber pilots usually were good strafers, and Dunames was still rather unproven on that aspect of starfighter combat. Nevertheless the payload appears to have spread all over the lake, now a little yellowish.

 

[Darth Veles]

[7/20]​

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

Thunderous barks of several cannons ripped through the tranquil masquerade of peace, murdering the last remains of pretence. And then… eerie, short-lived silence. Veles’ glassy orbs watched the sky get cut through by the artillery fire as if colourful lightsabers sliced through its azure canvas. All shots, so bright they reflected in the Sith Lord’s eyes, unmistakably and inevitably headed to their final destination. With nothing to stop them, the impact hit the settlement just as expected. It was then that the first screams and yells could be faintly heard, carried over the plains by wind. What followed were shots, small explosions here and there, smoke, first deaths resonated through the Force.

Like a muffled orchestra of sounds and sensations suddenly playing over the battlefield, the skirmish starts slow and picks up pace, only to slow down again and rhythmically continue, escalating. The gunships added a nice touch to it – and Veles found immense, orgasmic pleasure in watching the wonderful droids work together in perfect unison, coordinated as single entity performing a surgically precise strike. The Thakwaash defenders did not share his joy; lying around in fashion similar to undesired toys, their motionless forms created a curious carpet for the attackers to walk over into the area the Thakwaash had tried to defend. More shots can be heard, coming from beyond the sturdy walls, but the organic spectators can only speculate about the battle happening inside.

Blinking and taking a deep breath, smelling the faint trace of smoke, the Sith Lord turns to Vess. His admiration towards the deadly machine and her – its? – comrades cannot be helped. The absence of the usual weaknesses of flesh are nowhere to be found, leaving nothing but perfection. Cold, calculating, efficient.

“What’s the situation inside?” he asks, swiftly turning his attention back to the main performance happening on stage.