Skirmish Into The Mouth Of The Leviathan [TSO x Mandalorian Protectors]

[Elise Ahana-Gwyneira]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Copad'kal, "Ambition", personal Mandalorian Kal.
	Tar'Nau, Bes'manda Beskad.
	The Royal Dragon, lightsaber.
	Kada'yr, Mandalorian Kal.
	Iviin'cer, beskar spear.
Pistols	DXN-57 Breachlight blaster pistol.
	BH Durin Charric Blaster Pistol.
	AP-25i 'SIMP' Particle Beam Blaster.
	Mandalorian Ripper Pistol MK.II.
Other
	Auriel Combined Energy Bow.
	Mother's Root seeds [In secured bottle stored in belt.]
	Ground Mother's Root toxin [In secured bottle stored in belt.]

Darth Carnifex Mia Monroe Ordo Darth Malum of House Marr

Cyan colored text indicates an illusion.

​

"Brave of you, kyr'ad'i'ka. But you should have fled with your pack mates. You'd have lived longer."

Whatever she threw at the Dark Lord, Elise's attacks did nothing. Elise's eyes widened beneath her buy'ce when a flickering spear narrowly missed her. She Sensed the Dark Side surging, and she could see more flickers surrounding the Dark Lord.

His attack was coming.

Elise's feet were light and agile. She darted away from where she Sensed the attacks, and saw faintly visible spears of darkness flying past her. She ramped up her speed using the Force, and weaved around. But they kept coming. A sense of hopelessness crossed her heart, but she could not let it consume her. She gritted her teeth, eyes gazing towards the statue throne. It was her only chance of cover. She ran towards it, only to felt a sharp pain glance her hip. Her H.U.D. flashed, telling her that her lower side , usually protected by beskar'gam, had been pierced by one of these Force Weapons.

Haar'chak!

The Dreamseer slid behind the throne, gasping for breath as she took cover. Her Biorestorative Underlay already pumped Bacta into her, starting to heal the physical damage. Elise's hand trembled as it gripped her pistol.

My attacks did nothing! I couldn't even scratch him! But he's already hit me! I can't beat him, can't I-

​

"Not that it would have mattered. Your dying race is on borrowed time."

Her fear turned into anger. She clasped her free hand against her arm and forced herself to stop shaking. Furious, she hissed, growling.

<"I'm not done yet.">

She shoved her pistol into its holster and pulled herself out from hiding, pulling Tar'Nae from its sheath with a loud shling.

<"I'll save them! I'll save*everyone!* From you!">

Elise charged for the monster, sword at the ready. The Bes'manda blade bayed for the Sith Lord's blood as Elise slashed at the Dark Side barrier, cutting through. Tar'Nau glowed with the absorbed energy, temperature rising. Roaring in righteous fury, Vizsla drew Copad'kal as she fired her vambrace's Paralyzing Dart at him. It disconnected as she stepped in closer. The Ajayid slid in, as close as she could, and started a duel weild flurry with her beskar blades. If her ranged weapons could do nothing, then she would have to risk it melee.

​

 

[Minerva Fhirdiad]

Objective 1: Thin the Horde​

Minerva watched as a Speeder, a massive beast that seemed to be designed more like a GADF tank than a speeder smashed through the air passing her, before diving down and using it's massive speed to splatter a couple Graug, before the metal man inside ejected out, pulling the shotgun off his back and firing off a impact grenade out of the underslung grenade launcher into a crowd of Graug, before landing on the corpse of one, and spinning around and firing a 6 pence of buckshot into it. To Drego, this was his art. The blood of the sith's men of war spilled because he was holding the line. A man of honor. a man of violence. A man of war.

Tag: Minerva Fhirdiad

Seeing the speeder Minerva then looked on as Diego made his entrance upon the battlefield. Despite the situation she couldn't help but smirk, liking Ruus' style. Quickly that admiration turned into determination. She made a hard left turn before pulling to the opposite side and diving in toward the Graug horde's left flank. Squeezing down the trigger on her flight controls, Minerva unleashed a furious torrent from her ship's front laser cannons.

The strafing run continued through killing and crippling scores of Graugs in a blazing line of explosions. But more Gruags followed and kept pushing onwards. Flying up Minerva turned the ship around for a pass. With a flip of a switch she alerted the ship's AI to take control of the top gun turret and it complied. In her second strafing run Minerva fired repeated bursts with the front canons while the AI fired the top gun. Combined was the firepower of four cannons raining death on many a Graug.

Manda'yaim
Sundari Battlefield

​

Friendlies : Daesyn Rodarch Vaux Gred Elise Ahana-Gwyneira Mia Monroe Ijaat Mereel Ordo Keratel Rekali Minerva Fhirdiad Drego Ruus
Enemies : Darth Carnifex Quintessa
Units : Penal Troops, Drop Troops, Moon Guard, Battle Droids

The battle was very intense, and within minutes of engaging, both Arch and Arla had been involved in hand-to-hand fights with the Graug. Some of them proved to be extremely tough, and many were armed with deadly weapons. Fighting bravely despite the horrifying odds stacked against them, the Penal Battalions fought bravely, overmatched by the foe. They were stiffened by the support fire from Drop Troopers and B-12 droids, but they took heavy casualties in the front line. Though capably armed, they were outmatched by the Graug physically, and it usually took several of them to take down one.

Precise shooting from the Drop Troopers and the deadly and swift blades of the Moonguard kept it from becoming a massacre. The reinforced square formation had held since the landing. When a Graug punched through the line, the second rank were ready. Small groups of elite warriors roamed behind the infantry lines, firing in support and dealing with individual threads, plugging gaps and stiffening resolve with their utter ruthlessness. They were efficient and disciplined, and they killed as easy as breathing. Despite all this, the tide showed no signs of abating.

Up in the air, the battle went on. Almost as soon as the fighters and dropships arrived on the scene, hundreds and hundreds of star fighters came swarming from the Sith devastation machine factory things. Arla didn't know the name, they were clearly very bad news. As with the ground battle, the friendlies were hopelessly outnumbered. Arla intended to leave that battle to Hades, she had enough on her plate with the surface conflict.

Cammy was being jumped by several groups of fighters, but friendly forces intervened with a series of slashing maneuvers to chase the enemy off her back. It was meant to be a gesture of solidarity from the NSLR fighters, but they were getting in Cammy's way. Vaar, hearing his partner's frustration in his mind, linked to her, commed his mother. "Mom, tell them to keep away from Cammy!"

On the surface, Arla put the pieces together in an instant. Vaar's voice. Cammy. He was up there! The good boy who always did as he was told and never took silly risks was flying in a battle! Multiple swears and curses on her lips, Arla cut to the chase. A tiny quiet voice exulted that she had called her Mom. She'd enjoy that later, when she remembered. In the middle of battle, everything, even that, got put to one side. "Understood. You and I are going to talk about this later." She said, by way of surrendering to the inevitable. She quickly flicked the comm link switch across to the command circuit.

"Nostril, instruct fighters to keep several klicks distance from Rodarch One." Cammy's friend or foe designation of Rodarch One had been a compliment from Arla to show the exuberant and sometimes bashful Mesen'lora that she was one of them for true and forever. "Arla, this is Command" Hades's voice. "Confirmed. We are monitoring your situation, hold onto your hats."

"Vaar, you are clear. Shoot straight." Speaking the words as she switched back to the family circuit cost Arla a gut wrench of fear for the boy's safety, but he was there, and she couldn't protect him forever. There were more unsafe places to be than with Cammy, after all. The two hundred meters of beskar, circuitry and angry space beast were as much a Mando'ad as the rest of them. She'd protect her own with her life too.

With the space around her quickly and safely clear of friendlies, who had plenty of other problems to deal with, Cammy was free to unleash her potential. She had her own style, too. Able to generate singularities with her own dovin basals, and with her precise control, she began to make speed runs. When she was burning at full speed, she would slingshot around one of her own temporary gravity wells, creating a huge pressure shockwave. Each time she did this, ten or twenty enemy fighters were shattered to death or knocked from the sky. Each also made an extremely satisfying booming sound which Arla and Arch could easily hear from the ground. The Mesen'lora was clearly showing off.

With comms beginning to pick up as more Mandalorians entered the battlefield, Arla was glad she'd put Hades in control of the operation. The ground battle was already getting more than she could easily manage on her own from her position, especially with her being in the thick of the combat. Several enemy starfighters smashed into the ground nearby, exploding into the Graug horde, and giving the reinforced square of Arla's forces a brief respite. With the friendly support forces about to enter the battle with their considerable fire power, she needed to get the word out to her friends to watch out. Hades' warning to hold onto their hats meant that a bombardment was imminent.

"Vaux, Ordo, anyone else on the ground, move on this position or be prepared to dodge fire support." She took the time to comm out a warning to friendly forces.

Arla and Arch's position was a double infantry square of troopers firing constantly into the horde around them, supported by light melee infantry and battle droids for crowd control and fire support. Arch and Arla commanded from the center, but still had to engage the odd Graug or several that managed to break through temporarily. Arch's axe ran with blood and had several new notches from Graug beskar. Arla's beskargam was coated in blood and ash and sand, all sticking together. Her visor was smeared, and she'd had to wipe it clear more than once. She was breathing heavily, and knew the older Archimedes had to be suffering even worse than her, not that he'd show it if he could help himself. They couldn't keep this frantic and intense pace up forever.

Above the battle, the flagship Defender and her four escorts, dispatched by Grand Admiral Hades, were moving down into a low orbital position for precise bombardment. Defender's weapons would still be fairly indiscriminate, being designed for space combat, but her escorts were different. Their weapons were anti starfighter in nature. When they came into range, the numbers of enemy craft would drop precipitously.

Elsewhere, unknown to Arch and Arla, the comm exchange had been overheard by another pair of ears. Her brother was in battle? Her parents too? She was not going to miss out! Turning easily in the swirling sands, Tuur brought her Trinitaur around on a new heading, and encouraged the beast to go fast...

As she made another pass Minerva noted Arla's formation being besieged by the raging Horde. The Mandalorian commando dive her gunship once more but this time further toward Arla's position. Then she fired down on more Graugs, flying in a circle around her allies' defense. Briefly it was a ring of laserfire before the horde pressed on as she and the ship’s AI kept shooting. Flying out of to the right side she at last noted from a screen made by the AI of an armored Mythosur raging against their enemies further south and its rider close by slaughtering foes with blade in hand.

"They’ll sing battle songs this day." Minerva said with widened eyes, being inspired. Shaking her head back to reality. She flew away to locate Drego again.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Lernaean Base, Ruins of Sundari
Allies: Darth Carnifex
Enemies: Ijaat Mereel Keratel Rekali Ordo Mia Monroe Arla Rodarch
​

Normally, the Lady of Secrets was not prone to assisting wanton destruction. There always needed to be a purpose to such aggression, an end goal that could justify it. Destruction for destruction's sake had always been a hallmark of her longest-term ally. It was not for any reason that he held the moniker of the Butcher King. Numerous worlds had felt his touch, as Mandalore once had when it had been ruled by the Sith Empire, despoiled in his quest for greater power and resources.

But when it came to Mandalorians... she would always make an exception after what one of their own had once done to her.

The rumors of a Mandalorian attempt to rebuild their world had caught the attention of the Sith. These Protectors had mostly concentrated their restoration efforts to the south, which had given the Sith time to prepare their answer to them. Kaine had begun to rally the dark horde of Graug he left on world while she had sent her agents back to her former base on the world... and reclaiming the corpse of one of her special projects. The biomass had been repurposed, regrown into a new cocoon at the center of the crater to regenerate it. This time, there were no city-sized mechs to challenge it as those had long been cast aside into dust and scrap. Around the cocoon were many smaller ones, each containing an offspring of the Emperor, but they were not the only ones on Mandalore now. She had ensured other eggs had been scattered through the caverns and mines of the northern hemisphere, a challenge for the infuriating warriors.

The horde had been unleashed, and its attack had been the signal to begin her awakening ritual. Sith magic would pulse, the dark side twisting and twining among the eggs and the central cocoon.

The smaller cocoons opened first, unleashing the Kasina Satwas into the wild. Beastmasters among her own followers and among the Kainite and Graug would direct them to accompany the horde out to sunder and rampage through the responding Mandalorians. Other cocoons would open, disgorging Drakes into the air to battle it out with any aerial forces... And from the center, a crack former in the shell and a many throated roar not heard in thirty years echoed from the crater. The Emperor of Serpents was rising.

 

[Mia Monroe]

Keldabe Command Centre
Engaging with: Iuuna Talon

It had been a long time since she'd seen Echani battle armour, the sight of it brought back memories of a lifetime ago, that made her breath catch in her throat. Galeth was dead and gone. This was not him. If that mental nudge wasn't enough the lightening that came her way was. Mia hands lifted to catch each bolt the energy dissipating up her arms.

The other mandalorians in the area began to shout out the alarm. [abbr="Search the city for others! I will deal with this one."]"Echoy oriya par ashi! Ni malyasa'yr koor ti ibic solus."[/abbr] She called out. They knew better than to interfere.

"You picked the wrong target, dar'jetti." she said coldly. "In honour of the echani my late husband was, I will give you one chance to walk away."

One chance.

 

[Iuuna Talon]

"If your husband were a true Echani, he would have either perished long before the assault inflicted upon my people by your kind, or he is deliberately and willfully ignorant of the crimes committed by your kind," she seethed, channeling her energy into the Force, cultivating it in her hands as fire and ice began to blossom. "Your kind razed my world, causing the deaths of untold thousands, if not millions. You scattered my people across this Chaos-forsaken Galaxy. So, do not preach to me about walking away."

"In the name of the Empress, the Matriarch of Clan Talon, I will not spare you or your kind," anger and rage clung to her words. There was a debt to be paid, and she intended to collect it. "For every drop of Echani blood spilled by Mandalorians, for every moment they were shown no mercy and given no quarter, I will exact tenfold retribution from you and every other Mandalorian in this Galaxy." It was as much a declaration as it was a statement. The words of her aunt, Srina Talon , swarmed throughout her mind as she drew on the very abilities she had first been taught. Ice formed in one hand, and fire in the other.

Both elements flew from her hands, a symphony of rage and vengeance, each determined to put Mia Monroe in her place.

 

[Fiolette Yvarro]

A long time ago, Fiolette loved Taeli more than life itself. A long time ago, they were to welcome a son into their home. That child was robbed from them, stolen away from his mothers. It was a crime that Fiolette could neither forgive nor forget. Even as she remained trapped in the realm of Chaos, working out how to escape. Attaching to the creatures, Fiolette gave her own touch, hellfire. A necrotic fire that could be emitted at the will of the woman she once loved, the mother of her four children. Through Taeli then perhaps a touch of justice could be mete out.

Taeli Raaf


/one and done\​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A few more spears struck the throne, but the onslaught effectively ceased after she disappeared from sight. The platform still continued to move forward in the air, crossing the equator as the rivers of Graug soldiers endlessly poured across the land. Among them were giant monstrosities, hulking beasts larger than rancors with siege weaponry strapped to their gargantuan hides. Winged beasts also soared through the air, ridden by Graug cavaliers who sped down upon enemy positions; leveling javelins and slugthrowers with remarkable precision.

Perhaps the most fearsome of the Graug hordes were the sorcerers, the serpent-men who had modified themselves through the art of Sith Magic. Black, leathery wings unfurled from their backs as they soared just above the foot-bound soldiers, casting insidious curses upon the enemies of the Graug. A foul pox spread as the Graug army marched, hastened by the mystical winds conjured by these airborne sorcerers.

But Carnifex and His Mandalorian adversary were far removed from all of that, riding high upon His floating palanquin. He watched the throne curiously, anticipating the reemergence of the Mandalorian. Reemerge she did, sporting a sword made of sharpened Beskar. It cut through His conjured shield, the energy bleeding out as it was cloven, and she came for Him with sword blades at once. With a twitch of the fingers, He knocked aside the fired paralyzing dart with a quick ad hoc shield hexagram.

He then stretched out His hand, and caught the first attack. He did not do so unshielded, His entire hand was wreathed in a more powerful, but localized, shield similar to that of the larger one conjured earlier. The power of Tutaminis absorbed the kinetic energy from the swing, further reinforcing the shield as the Mandalorian's weapon cut through it; cancelling the damage altogether. His other hand would come to block where needed, but primarily He stuck to one hand to deal with her onslaught.

"An infantile assertion. You cannot save anyone, let alone yourself, not while you wear that armor and style yourself Mandalorian. A dying race in a galaxy that no longer cares if they live or die. You can keep fighting, only to watch everything turn to ash. The honorable end would be to turn your blade upon yourself, so that you pass into the Force with some shred of dignity. Or, you can renounce your people, and preserve your life. The choice is yours, little girl."

Elise Ahana-Gwyneira ​

 

[Vaux Gred]

Ships: 1x Neebray-class Cargo Frigate carrier conversion, Talyc Squadron, 2x HB-1 Hssiss Heavy Bomber squadrons

The Gred Fleet pilots would soon enter the fray as Vaux's squadron opened s-foils and particle cannons would fire, pale yellow bolts detonating any time they made contact with an enemy fighter. Bomber crews attempted to break through the defenses, weaving and firing out with their turrets, though it wasn't long before one was hit hard.

"Frak frak frak! That was too close to the payload mags!"

"Hold her together Shaker. You know these long launchers give us some reach. Aim, dump, and get when you can." Vaux took a breath as she pulled her fighter around, keeping sight on the fighters. Dank Feric there were so many! The Mandalorian ace would cut her throttle, letting one of the fighters pass before the whine of her turbos engaging fill the sky. The pilot would then note the clearing sky, lookin at something insane.

"Is that a bioship? I can't believe they still exist at this point." That was about all the time she got to think on it before hearing Arla call in.

"Vaux, Ordo, anyone else on the ground, move on this position or be prepared to dodge fire support."

Vaux held tight to the control column, maneuvering to try and fire off a pair of torpedoes at a Despoiler before the bombers that could break through began unleashing fire from the almost cannon-like launchers.

"I hear you, vod. Will try to rain some nether down on their karking he...." It was then that weapon fire ripped into the number two engine of her TwinTail. This wasn't good. The drive sputtered as the fighter began to head down. Vaux took a steady breath. Even good pilots got shot down, and with so many fighters in the air it was bound to happen to some of the Talycs. "Scratch that. I'm coming to say hi." Vaux remarked with surprising confidence as she tried to line up for roughly where the signal came from. "Be ready to eject, VK." She called back to her droid before the fighter slammed the ground, and anything that happened to be in the fighter's way. When she was close enough, Vaux would hit the ejection system, being launched from the wrecked fighter with a small jump pack that wouldn't get her far. She then pulled out her Trayc'kal, taking pot shots before landing and quickly looking around for any other Mandalorians as VK landed next to her, whirring angrily.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It was the first time that he watched a world aptly be... despoiled, where he felt such... mixed feelings for.

That was not entirely true, he had always thought the wanton cruelty and destruction to be unnecessary, certainly, there was a benefit to cruelty, benefit to destruction, a show of force could end resistance before any fighting needed to take place before lives were unnecessarily lost, and the planet or whatever else was being conquered could be brought into the Sith Empire, relatively unscathed, with its full value and productivity relatively intact.

...And their hands having not been dirtied with unnecessary amounts of blood.

Yet, of course, that was ancillary.

Of course.

But this world was different.

It was not his world.

It was not a world he called home... at least not most of it.

Moridin- Mandalore, it was the home of perhaps the only other people the Sith hated more than the Jedi.

He should have been happy whether it was a Kainite attack, whether it was led by Kaine or not, he should have been happy, watching the homeland of the people he had been raised to despise, the people he had been taught were no better than animals, in fact, were animals, who had committed so many crimes against the Sith and galaxy alike.

He should have been happy, that they were to face their just desserts.

Yet he was so far away from that emotion, as his body swayed with the movement of the Despoiler which he stood, its great armoured hulk spilling forth its horrors, as it like the fat lout that it was, took in everything that it could. The Despoilers were the Kainites made manifest, great, old, lumbering hulks, powerful, and horrifying.

There was a certain dignity to the Empire of Empyrean.

That dignity did not extend to the remnant of Kaine's Empire.

They called the Mawites insane butchers.

Yet Kaine was ennobled the Butcher King for a reason.

He took what was a simple trade, into art.

If something so grotesque and cruel could be called an art.

That immortal tyrant likely would, and Moridin- Mandalore, was his canvas. A canvas he had already worked on once before, his position atop the Despoiler gave him great vantage of that. This world, that birthed the warriors that would forever change Galactic history, was dead, was ruined, and it was only the desperate attempts of the Protectors to revive it, that gave it any hope.

And an artist would always take issue with one that would attempt to change his work.

And so he had come, with Despoiler and Graug, to place firm his signature, so none would forget.

Yet it was not love for Moridin- Mandalore that stilled him, it was not appreciation for its history that bemoaned him, it was not hatred for Kaine that had made him betray this plan.

...They played their parts.

But most fundamental, most important, was the object of all man's desire, what billions of poets the galaxy over, over ages, past, present, and future, had labelled the downfall of man.

A woman.

One that if she had requested, he would have done absolutely anything for, no matter how heinous, no matter how cruel.

For all that mattered today, was not the downfall of Kaine, was not the defeat of his invasion, was not the completion of his betrayal.

But simply.

That Elise Ahana-Gwyneira would be safe.

And he knew that as the commlink beeped, that she would be.

"Malum, I've lost Elise. Where are you?"

He paused for a moment.

The urge to chuckle in disbelief was so tempting.

The urge to laugh in utter hysteria, even more so.

Instead, he was silent, as he felt the headache grow in his brain, as he felt the amulet around his neck begin to warm, as he felt the thud in his heart echo in his skull, as blood froze.

"What the fuck do you MEAN you lost ELISE?!"

Mia Monroe Ordo Darth Carnifex

 

[Mia Monroe]

The assault inflicted on Echani people? She'd been so focused on the sins committed against Mandalore, against her people, that she hadn't for one second thought about the sins they had committed in her absence. What had happened beyond Ra's rule? She was woefully ignorant, and that was about to cost her precious time.

Mis stepped into the elemental barrage, the fire coiling around her like serpent at her command, a force shield raising to keep the ice at bay. slowly, the ace began to build forcing her to extend the shield till she was cocooned with in it. It was at this moment that Malum responded.

"What the fuck do you MEAN you lost ELISE?!"

"I mean, that she did not return with her fething squad when the despoilers hit. Right now, I have a sith in my karking commander centre to deal with so just FIND HER."

Her anger pulsed and she expanded the force shield, the fire that Iuuna spewed at her became Mia's own weapon coiled about the ice and melting it as she stepped forward. "I spent forty years in the Blood Wastes of the Nether. I was not here for the destruction of your people, I was not here for the destruction of my people. We have each lost a great deal, daughter of Talon."

She reached for the beskad at her back, drawing the blade free. "So come, fight, so that I may know you. Not the Sith you have become."

Iuuna Talon Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Iuuna Talon]

Iuuna narrowed her gaze, then shifted her attention for a moment, inching closer and closer toward the Mandalorian. In her hand, she conjured a sharp spear crafted from ice, blossoming within her grasp. "How dreadful that the Nether seems unable to keep the likes of you within its grasp, but if you allow me, I'd happily reunite you with your husband." One spear, then two, and another, each one launched toward the Liberator herself. Simultaneously, an unnatural, eerie green light began to form in her other hand, and between the two women, cracks began to emerge. Black rifts shook the ground, and within the same unnatural, green glow, necrotic flames shot up. "Tell me, Mandalorian."

"What Chaos-forsaken sins might emerge from the Nether?" Iuuna's voice remained cool and calculating as she drew closer to her opponent. The wastes of Mandalore extended beyond the reaches of the city, yet even within, it seemed the city had begun to fade—a consequence of the rift that Iuuna had opened. Forty years in the Blood Wastes, she chuckled; Iuuna had spent a lifetime within the grips of the Nether, the Blood Wastes, and all the unholy might that such a realm could offer. It was no place to raise a child, and yet she had been damned to grow up in it. "You will know of me, and I of you. The blood spilled by your kind demands I look into your eyes as your very life flees from them."

Mia Monroe ​

 

[Shev Skirata]

BACK IN KELDABE

"You called me, Ner vod?" Shev said still holding a spanner from another round of repair and refuel runs from the front line of the swarm attack.

"Skirata, yes, we have a fav.."

"No." He cut in immediately.

"Your people need you, Shev." The older mandalorian replied.

"I know, that's why I'm fixing this osik and getting them back airborn." Shev replied.

"The needs have changed, ad'ike." The man said, rubbing his forehead with a grease stained hand. "We have a new issue. Giant multiheaded sith spawn are appearing."

"What?"

"In Sundari."

"Sundari is a myth."

"What?"

"Never heard of a Sundari." Shev said as he took a step backward toward the open hanger door.

"They're Mandalorians there right now."

"Are they though?" Shev said, ashe accidentally tried to holster his spanner and dropped it.

"Your Manda'lor needs you! He's there and we just got word from Keratel Rekali with confirmation from Sula Skirata, from your clan, that you've fought one of these before and won."

"Ker probably said that so you wouldn't send him and Sula probably wants me to record it or sample it or some osik." Shev replied almost giving in to the temptation to remove his helmet in public.

"We'll give you a ship and you can keep it after." The Mandalorian said, "We just need it distracted while the big guns get called in."

"...what kind of ship?"

"It's the best we have."

"Keep talking...."

"State of the art armor, shields." The man went on feeling the hook dig in, "Every ship builder looks at it when they judge a fighter."

"I'm liking this suddenly." Shev replied. "Well?! What is it?!"

"The Y-wing out back."

"It's like A THOUSAND YEARS OLD!"

"And still the best we have." The man looked anywhere but at Shev. "Everything else is out or in need of repairs."

"Kark it!" Shev yelled, "I want two ships if I even survive take off and a whole class of ships named after me if I die."

"You have my word on my honor." The old mando replied with relief.

A few minutes later.

The Old Y-wing shuddered as Shev had to reroute power again from another redundant system while he flew. Black smoke trailed from his left engine but it seemed it was just evaporating years of grease and coolant build up...he hoped. He drew within a few kilometers of the nearest massive death lizard and opened fire while projecting obnoxious music from the ships speakers.

Taeli Raaf

 

[Elise Ahana-Gwyneira]

Equipment
Armor	Beskar'gam.
Melee Weapons	Copad'kal, "Ambition", personal Mandalorian Kal.
	Tar'Nau, Bes'manda Beskad.
	The Royal Dragon, lightsaber.
	Kada'yr, Mandalorian Kal.
	Iviin'cer, beskar spear.
Pistols	DXN-57 Breachlight blaster pistol.
	BH Durin Charric Blaster Pistol.
	AP-25i 'SIMP' Particle Beam Blaster.
	Mandalorian Ripper Pistol MK.II.
Other
	Auriel Combined Energy Bow.
	Mother's Root seeds [In secured bottle stored in belt.]
	Ground Mother's Root toxin [In secured bottle stored in belt.]

Darth Carnifex Mia Monroe Ordo Darth Malum of House Marr

Cyan colored text indicates an illusion.

​

"An infantile assertion. You cannot save anyone, let alone yourself, not while you wear that armor and style yourself Mandalorian. A dying race in a galaxy that no longer cares if they live or die. You can keep fighting, only to watch everything turn to ash. The honorable end would be to turn your blade upon yourself, so that you pass into the Force with some shred of dignity. Or, you can renounce your people, and preserve your life. The choice is yours, little girl."

Elise's attacks were not blocked with a blade, or a lightsaber. While he used Force Shielding to block some attacks, feeding Tar'Nau's blade, most of the attacks were countered... merely by a singular hand. All of Elise's hard work, years of being a highly skilled prodigy, a lifetime of Mandalorian swordsmanship training... countered by the flick of a finger and the mocking defenses of one hand.

"Little girl."​

Elise gritted her teeth.

"You can keep fighting, only to watch everything turn to ash."​

She pulled her sword back, her anger flaring with the bes'manda blade as they lashed out against the Mandalorian Butcher together.

"Shut up!"

All the energy Tar'Nau had absorbed from Carnifex's shields was released. Baying for the blood of the Sith Lord who had ordered the genocide of its people, Tar'Nau emitted a blast of destructive Force energy, aimed towards Elise's enemy. The wind from the power attack shredded Elise's cape, causing it to fly into the wind and into the battlefield below. The Ajayid seethed, a rage unlike her boiling over the edge. Perhaps, beneath her buy'ce, her red eyes glowed amber instead. Elise put Copad'kal away and pulled some seeds from her utility belt, tossing them across the stadium. She extended her hand. Calling upon the Force, ordering the Force, she prepared one of the few offensive Force Abilities she knew.

"You cannot save anyone."​

"I will renounce nothing! Watch my home burn? As if! You've burnt too many homes to the ground long enough, butcher! It's about time someone finally stopped you!"

All those little seeds that had been scattered started to rapidly grow. From the ground silver Galek trees sprung up and grew in all directions. Large yellow leaves blossomed as the tree branches and roots twisted and coiled in any which direction, choking all that they could. The throne was throttled by some heavy roots, while the slave corpses were choked and crushed. The Dark Side was at work here. The Shaman extended her hand, aiming a rapid barrage of sharp, jagged branches towards the object of her hatred.

"Die already!"

 

[Sula Skirata]

Akaan growled beneath her as she coasted along with the rest of her bes'uliik squad. Sula was leaning out of her seat, peering down at Graug horde below. Sula felt nothing. There should have been something stirring in her, an emotion, rage perhaps? Despair? Fear? These were all rational reactions to seeing ones home decimated time and time again.

Sula felt nothing. She pondered breifly, if that was problematic. "SKIRATA, PAY ATTENTION." A blink and she sat upright in her seat as the looming heads of the Hydra appeared before them. Already attacking it, was a Y-wing trailing smoke. "Break formation! Take out these drakes. Sula?"

"Yes, alor'ad?"

"Find me a weakness on the hydra."

Sula nodded, the hordes beneath them forgotten. Akaan roared as she nudged him forward at high speed, catching up with the Y-wing she glanced at its pilot.

She shook her head oepning comms to her clan mate. "Did you know your left engine is smoking?" She asked, before peeling away. As the rest of her sqaud tackled the winged suthspawn, the Y-Wing began to pepper the hydra with attacks, Sula weaved between the many heads, sharp eyes analysing everything.

Shev Skirata Taeli Raaf

 

[Arla Rodarch]

Mandalore
Sundari Battlefield


Arla was fighting hard and had just killed yet another marauding beskar-clad Graug when she noticed the dead Graug coming back to life. She had expected some sort of Sith trickery, and now they were going to have to deal with freaking undead Graug. Arla was preparing to reorganize her battered and beleaguered force to meet the new threat, when she noticed the undead attacking their living counterparts. She'd have thanked Asaaj En Kelsani if she knew to. Somehow, strangely, the damnable things were on their side? She wasn't in a position to begrudge or even refuse the aid. The battle was not going well.

It was then that things got impossibly worse for the Mandalorians. From seemingly everywhere at once, great beasts of ground and air roared and attacked. They spat hot plasma, and they immediately turned the tide of what had been a grinding stalemate. Wherever they struck, men and women died. Arla felt bile in the back of her throat. They were finished. She'd kill most of her own people ordering a retreat, but they would all die for certain if they tried to hold and fight.

"Fall back to the south!" She ordered. The infantry formations were barely holding as it was, asking them to move was too much. The enemy took full advantage, and casualties began to mount at an alarming rate. There were no wounded, with those unable to protect themselves quickly swarmed by Graug and torn apart. Arla's penal troopers and drop troopers were beaten, and only the presence of the Echani Moonguard kept them from routing completely. Slowly, and painfully, being slashed and smashed as it moved, the formation slowly began to creep to the south, the nearest edge of the horde, and what passed for safety.

They would have to fight the whole way, still completely surrounded. With the attack of the huge hydra and dragon forms, they were outmatched, the air support having its own problems to deal with. Smoke trails shot upward from the center of the formation as troops deployed missile launchers, and even brought down one of the flying forms, which hit the ground at full speed and took out a line of rampaging Graug. There were no cheers. There were a lot more beasts, and a seeminly endless horde of Graug. And now the air forces were as outmatched as those on the ground. All the troops knew it. They were in trouble.

Above the conflagration, the fighters from Arla's force dueled with the enemy starfighters, and now the flying beasts which took an immediate toll on them. What had been contested airspace quickly began to belong to the enemy. This played right into the hands of the relief force now descending to the battlefield from space. One huge vessel, the Defender, and four escorts. While Defender lined itself up on the first of the massive World Devastators, the escorts arrayed themselves around her, and took aim at the plethora of enemy starfighter targets available. Even before the big ship could bring her prodigious weapons into play, the escorts began to spray fire in great clouds around them, and quickly began to cut down on the enemy fighter numbers.

Even over the din on the ground, the explosions and the weapons fire, the shouts and screams and roards, a deaf person might have heard Defender's primary weapons open up. Great flashes of light prequeled the detonations as the light from the blasts traveled even faster than the boom of the shots. Equally bright flashes and loud booms echoed out from the enemy World Devastator as the battleship's guns tore away at the craft. Grand Admiral Hades had clearly prioritized the giant factories. That was strategically sound, but it also meant, Arla knew, that she wouldn't be getting Defender's services for fire support just yet.

The confusion was at its greatest point, the chaos at its height. Vaux Gred landed nearby with her droid, and joined their fight, and it was then that it seemed the whole force went from the frying pan to the fire. One of the flying creatures made a deadly accurate run, taking down two full ranks of infantry in a plasma torching, even as three of the Hydra beasts charged into the gap.

The Echani Moonguard were more than outmatched as they desperately tried a countercharge. Screams of horror and outrage drew Arla's attention and to her chagrin, she saw that her best friend was in the grasp of one of the beasts. Aria Talen fought doggedly, even as she was crushed. She severed two of the beasts' marauding heads with her blades before a third chomped down on hers. A sick gout of blood shot up from her neck as she went limp. "NO!" Arla screamed, but made herself tear her eyes from the ghastly sight.

Arla had no time to grieve, for Arch leaned on her at that point, grunting in pain. She looked down to see his right leg red from hip to ankle from a shrapnel wound that had torn flesh from bone. "Medevac!" She called, hoping it wasn't already too late for all of them. Enraged at the loss of their Captain, the Moonguard threw themselves into the foe with reckless abandon, doing much damage, but taking horrifying casualties. What was left of the penal troops and drop troopers fought hard, knowing they were fighting for survival now.

All at once, the sand swirled, and a dropship roared down practically on their heads. Arch fought her at the ramp, trying to stay. Arla had no time to argue. She slugged him in the jaw, harder than she'd meant to truthfully, but enough to put him down and make him understand she'd be obeyed. It did the job, and the dropship took off Arch, his axe, and with the rest of the wounded survivors.

The formation was broken, now they were a ragged group of maybe fifty, surrounded by thousands and thousands of Graug, Hydra and blasted from the air constantly by dragon things. This battle was not going well, despite the arrival of the Defender and her escorts. Arla hoped that Clan Rodarch got here soon, or they would find no one left to greet them.

Friendlies : Daesyn Rodarch Vaux Gred Elise Ahana-Gwyneira Mia Monroe Ijaat Mereel Ordo Keratel Rekali Minerva Fhirdiad Drego Ruus Sula Skirata Shev Skirata
Enemies : Darth Carnifex Quintessa Taeli Raaf Iuuna Talon

 

[Valery Noble]

Mandalore

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Arla Rodarch Mia Monroe

It was time to honor her word.

With her eyes closed inside the cockpit of her X-wing, Valery broke through the clouds and allowed a beam of light to shine down upon the battlefield to mark her arrival. The nose of her fighter was pointed straight down, her hull was spinning and with a flick of a switch, she had turned off her targeting computer. The hefty arsenal of target-seeking cluster missiles were now commanded by her mind, and she could sense her targets with ease.

Down below, she had felt the distress growing, as the battle turned against the Mandalorians, but they were a strong people, and she knew they could hold out against the encroaching darkness. As a stark contrast against them, she felt the beasts of the Sith, and one-by-one, she picked out her targets among them.

Her thumb hovered over the firing switch, and hell was unleashed upon them.

Dozens of explosions lit up the sky, as a swarm of missiles lashed out to bring down the foul creatures. Valery's eyes opened in that instant, her X-wing's controls now switched to cannons, and volleys of heavy cannon fire began to carve lines through the ranks of Graug that surrounded the Mandalorians on the ground below. She made one pass, two passes, and finally created enough distance to drop a pair of Jedi Shadow bombs, guided by the Force, into the crowd of beasts.

On her own, she could not stop this army, but she could buy the people of Mandalore some extra time.

<This is Master Noble. I'll try to help carve a path out of there. More help is coming.>

 

[Ijaat Mereel]

Outfit: Bes'runi Armor | Warden Cloak | Dinu'ul | Signet Ring | Ring of Fire
Ship: Drop-pod - Firestorm Variant via Kyr'bes
Weapons: Naast'beskad | Dral'tomad | Keldabe Cannon | Shacklebolt Rifle | Pair of DE-10 | Bes'nynir
Tag: Arla Rodarch | Mia Monroe | Valery Noble | Darth Carnifex

It had killed him to take this long. But transport, and communication, were not this instantaneous thing some thought. He had been aboard the midst of repair Kyr'bes overseeing functionality tests when the attack hit. He had scrambled to coordinate what he could from the skies, calling in reinforcements and old debts, but now was the time to let his people see their leader. So he had grabbed a squad of Ori'ramikad, stout men and women bound to him by oath and Creed, and thrown open the armory of both his quarters and the ship itself, which had just been freshly equipped itself from old Mereel and Underground and the like caches and new contracts.

As the atmosphere rattled the drop pod, Ijaat stood gripping a handle about head high. Holo-vids showed this as the time for rallying speeches and inspirational quotes. Reality for the Mando'ade was for their Manda'lor to clip his helmet on with a sealing hiss of compressed air, and nod to the squad of eleven around him. They wouldn't be able to turn the tide themselves, but morale could be a mighty thing in War. And if Carnifex was around, as he felt, then his old enemy would know this for certain.

"Check your weapons. Fire free on landing. If it doesn't respond to Mando'a or wear beskar'gam, kill it. Anything not us is a target at this point. "

CRASH

The drop pod hit, doors blasting open as Hellstorm cannons sat to work mowing down the graug and other foot soldiers of the Sith in his immediate vicinity. Ijaat strode out, freeing the Bes'nynir hammer from it's strappings and swung upwards, cracking into the skull of a mistaken enemy that thought him easy targeting. Orbital insertion could be a disorienting thing, but Ijaat had dropped a hundred times or more in his career. The blow connected with the lower jaw of the enemy and sent it flying back and up into another, and Ijaat drew a DE-10 in his off hand, delivering two precise shots to the left eye of each opponent as they spun, clattered, and fell.

Over comms, on loudspeaker, and amplified by the Force, Ijaat raised his hammer and slammed it to the ground screaming one word in Mando'a as the runes on it grew with firey light. A ripple went out from the Manda'lor, an explosion of force and flame, scattering bodies, throwing enemies, and rippling a maelstorm of heat hotter than a forge with tongues of fire.

<<<OYA!!!>>>

Say what you will. But he knew how to clear a landing zone.

 

[Treoff Kellak]

Armor: Ordo's Field Marshal Armor, Suyurbao'r Energy Shield
Weapons: Keldabe Cannon (Right Shoulder Mount), Legion Combat Pistol (Right Holster), CRP-01 "Rim" Cartridge Revolver (Left Holster), Naast'beskad (Back)
Ijaat Mereel | Mia Monroe





The Mand'alor calls. Full Stop.​

"Don't stop, don't yield! All ships except the IPV Patrol Craft, we're landing on the surface on the front lines!" Treoff ordered over comms and to the men in front of him, he was in the hangar bay of the Marauder as everyone was scrambling to their shuttles. He continued, speaking into his new biomechanical hand that Sera Mina had made for him, using the comms system to speak to any Mandalorians that would listen as well, and then precisely, Mand'alor. “Mand'alor, Ni cuyir olar at cabuor Manda'yaim, bal aya'ya gar juha!” he shouted, the Marauder on a crash course, full speed, to the battlefield, skidding on the ground and taking what Graug it could. Treoff would pay for the damages later. The two IPV's would attempt to engage the World Despoilers, although they wouldn't do much but be a distraction. The other ships stayed nearby, launching escape pods or shuttles to send in reinforcements from StarGuard Dynamics, a mixed bag of Marines, Mercenaries, Security Personnel, and adequately trained soldiers. No more than a thousand total, as also most ships went to a skeleton crew, some crew deboarding to create Forward Operating Bases behind the front lines to support rearming and refreshing soldiers.

The VT-49 Decimator called Ghost would do what it did best, and begin harassing the World Despoilers using its speed and ruthless missile barrages. Once more, just a distraction, no hope to actually stop the gargantuan ships from their onslaught. As the Marauder crashed down, skidding across the ground and taking some Graug with it, Treoff ordered a charge, jumping out of the hangar bay. Having no jetpack, he fell several meters to the ground, a great quaking stomp in the middle of the Gruag horde. He wanted to create a distraction behind the frontlines, to ease the burdon of the forwward fighters for a moment, but his own support wouldn't be soon enough. He drew his Naast'beskad, firing off a round from his Keldabe cannon and blowing up a handful of the Graug. As they began to intercept him, he drew his Legion pistol, firing off a few rounds before having to engage in melee with the rest that clambered on him.

 

[Daesyn Rodarch]

Location: Mandalore Grasslands
Objective: Stop the tide
Tags: Quintessa Arla Rodarch Mia Monroe Ijaat Mereel @Cammy Vaux Gred Valery Noble
Gear: In bio

Daesyn could hear the screams in the force along side the messages coming from her vod on the front. What use was farmland if there was noone left living room be fed. "I'm sorry little Sith, this is greater than us." she rolled over backwards an returned to he immaterial form allowing her greater speed to her destination, passing over the battlefield strewn with corpses and soaked in blood. She felt the dark energies unleashed as someone crafted hordes of tainted souls into undeath it was an appalling use of lost souls but the battle looked tight. She was narrowly missed by a starfighter baring Galactic Alliance markings that rained down ordnance onto their foes.

As she approached her target she realised she was being pursued by a dragon entity that breathed plasma fire at her. Daesyn regained her solid form and engaged it in mid battle, her energy shield glowed white as plasma burned against it. The Manda'kyrja swung her hammer once, narrowly missing the beast before swinging again and catching it squarely in the jaw, crushing bone and sinew and causing plasma yo cascade to the ground below from the gaping whole in its face. It began to descend, no doubt looking foe easier prey, but the golden winged warrior dropped herself and brought her hammer down on back, smashing its spine and causing it fall limply from the sky.

That done, Daesyn turned her attention to her vod, a small cluster of rodarch were under a huge assault, she swept towards it and Arla Rodarch would clearly see her form in the sky. As flew low, micro missles detached from Daesyn's armour and left a lane of disproportionately large explosions in her wake. <<"Arla of you are down there, there is a rock formation to your south south east Two hundred metres that you can defend from. The Alor of House Mereel has landed nearby but I cannot see a link up route from here.">> she went low again and swept with her hammer, she was running out if munitions far too quickly, but at this height the volume of fire hitting her forcefield was causing multiple arcs of excess energy to slam into the graug and incinerate their numbers. She would have to be careful to manage her shield, but it gave her options.

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Lernaean Base //:
//: Taeli Raaf //:

Only a few had learned to understand The Lady of Secrets. She is an enigma to most and a monster to others. To Allyson, she was an ally and one of her greatest enemies. The two were two sides of the same coin, and the more Allyson learned about the Lady of Secrets, the more she began to believe that. Was Taeli Raaf a glimpse into Allyson's future, or was she just Allyson with different choices? It scared the Corellian; something deep within Allyson feared what was seen when looking at the Sith. Compiled with that fear, she wondered if Taeli knew of it and was using it to her advantage.

It didn't take long for the Corellian to find Taeli Raaf; it made sense for the woman to have her location hidden somewhere people wouldn't have looked. The base was heavily secured, but with the mask, she quickly passed through, evading any curious eyes. Maybe it was because the spy had been given the mask by their master or because she was expected. Trying to rack her brain to understand the infamous Lady of Secrets was pointless.

A door opened, and the tall Chiss figure entered. Reaching to her chin, Allyson slowly deactivated the persona and pulled the face from her own. The facade she held to cause animosity within the assembly faded, and a Corellian with a shit-eating grin appeared.

Upon her back was the bow she was gifted for Life Day, and its counterpart was now shoved into the small pack the woman wore on the small of her back. "I wanted to thank you personally for the gifts," Allyson started before the pause that allowed her to almost feel whatever was buried deep in compound breath. Her eyes scanned the room, trying to find the source while keeping her cool, and she continued to talk. "I was enjoying my retirement." She stepped forward, a hand reaching and pulling the weapon from her back. "You know retirement would suit you too, Taeli. I'm starting to think that with all the gifts, you're trying to tell me something."

Shadowlight raised, the nanite arrow crafted with kyberite began to glow faintly yellow, evidence of the force light the Corellian imbued. "If you wanted to ask me out, you could have just done so." Allyson wanted to release the arrow, take the Sith off guard, and end this tit-for-tat sooner rather than later. Yet something made her hesitate; it stopped her. Something deep within the Corellian's core wanted to know more; she had always wanted to know what made Taeli Raaf tick.

Or maybe it was because they were too similar to ignore…