Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Lightning as she watched the tides of battle lashed out in its own manner. The gun she held tight in her hands firing into the enemy to provide suppression. They was advancing this line but Teresa had some faith in the Sith Lord to know what needs to be done. It was then a small tremor at first rumbled below her feet and it grew building its momentum, it was as if a hutt's stomach rumbled when in need of more food and prepared to devour. It caused Teresa to fall to one knee and her wings moving about to maintain balance. As the order came from Ardana Vorco
's mouth her head nodded. "I'm on it M'lady."
A burst of energy rushed through her legs forcing her to jump high and into a glide down to where bolts traded bolts amongst the line, even Teresa was a primary target. Yet the ground quacking made aiming hard. This time as she landed it was not graceful in fact she came in at a slide only a wing wrapped around stopping dirt and stone from tearing at exposed skin. The woman took no other thought than get up, she had an order to complete. "MOVE BACKWARDS!" She shouted from the top of her lungs. Yet no person even took notice. Feeding from the dark emotions that was in front Teresa planted her feet firm as she gripped at the force trying to bend it to her whims. It was always a forever battle when she tried to complete feats others could snap a finger at. Bit by bit and quickly an ice wall rose in front of the Sith troopers causing the shooting to stop from their side. "I SAID MOVE BACKWARDS UNDER THE ORDERS OF SITH LORD XANESH!" She screamed out at the soldiers.
As they began to move Teresa stopped the soldier with the com equipment. "Make sure the rest of the line is informed!" She did not look at him as the little sith spoke. Either way he let them know as she remained at the front. She created small spikes of ice from the ground the height of humans as she watched the wall bold by bold melt away. As she sat down on the ground that rumbled and now was splitting behind. The woman focused on the image of the generic armor of the people in retreat was wearing. spike by spike the images in her mind reflected on them and she could finally stand again lifting the weapons of the fallen troops at the barricade here.
As the wall fell the enemy would still see the troops before them unknown to them of the illusion. With the weapons looking like the was in the hands of the illusion simply held in place by divits in the ice she would shape the ice to press onto the triggers as she made her own escape back. It was one thing telling people to move back but doing so meant a distraction or losses. Placing one more grenade into the launcher that she scavenged earlier she would aim at the enemy then made her jump and glide.
Sparing another dubious glance at the stairs leading back down into the depths, he was pleased by his companion's agreement, though her repeatedly self-sacrificing attitude was catching him a bit... off-guard. Such a thing was hardly common, amongst the ranks of the Sith.
"Understood, I'll have my creatures return to the bowels and make their way to the roof, just in case there are hostiles present."
Busy as he was telepathically ordering his minions around, he was nonetheless acutely aware of the battle going on in the nearby corridor - he hardly had reason to doubt Ingrid's martial prowess, however, and so he stayed put until her call...
... emerging in his original form, for she had only left Sith-Imperials alive; very thoughtful of her.
"Belay that order, soldier." Eying the man in charge coldly as he was about to protest, his expression turned more satisfied as another suddenly saluted him. "Your Dark Excellency... Dark Councilor, err, sir. With all due respect, is she not, you know, the enemy?"
"If, theoretically speaking, we had infiltrators within enemy ranks, would you be authorised to know about them? No? Good man."
Patting the soldier on his armoured shoulder while ignoring the rest, Adrian calmly strolled towards the exit even as he reached out to Ingrid through their link. "With Prazutis otherwise occupied, I dare say there's no one left on-site against which I cannot pull rank. Neat, huh?"
Location // HMIS "Thrawn" //
Objective // Be the Genuis I Claim to Be //
Focus // Marlon Sularen
//
"Sir...minor damage to enemy secondary flagship shields. Major damage to hull. Should we spring the trap?" The cold and sinister glare of the captain was beginning to settle itself. Whatever empathy she did have was gone, replaced by the anger of losing so many good men and women, fueld by her devotion to the Empire. "Yes, signal our reinforcements. Tell Captain Kandahar to prime his autocannons, and obliterate thier fleet"
The enemy fleet continued to pound on the shields of the small task force, which had completed it's turn and was now facing it's oppressors. However, in a brilliant flash of light, a battlecruiser and two destroyer escorts exited hyperspace diretly on top of them.
"Fire at will" The Captain at this point had opened a direct line to the Captain of the Autarch Class Siege Battlecruiser Glorious Victory. The Lord Captain unsheathed her command saber and swong it foward and as she did, the twin Orbital Autocannons of the Victory, aimed at the Predator.
"Interdictors, deactivate Gravity Well Projectors. All ships prepare for Micro-Jump. Full power to structal intergty. Execute once acompished" Thaelius recognizied his trap wasn't as well orchestrated as he wanted, however the element of suprise was still his. The Thrwn was one of te first to re-enter realspace, diredctly over the secondary battlecruiser, unleashing all 1,500 of it's Kyber Enhanced Turbolasers.
The other three Marr II Class Star Destoyers fired thier concentrated turbolaser cannons at a singke target at a time, unleashing percived hell.
The Autarch and two Marr II Class Ships have entered the battle
The Incapacitors have deactivated thier gravity wells
The Vengence and the orginal fleet have micro-jumped directly on top of Marlon's fleet
The Autarch has fired both of it's Autocannons at the Predator
The Vengence has unleashed 1,500 Kyber-Enhanced Turbolasers and 700 Ion Cannons on the Secondary Flagship
The Marr II's are utilizng thier Heavy Concentrated Turbolaser's in group attacks, targeting a singke carrier at a time
All other shops are awaiting futher orders
Everything went much better here than in Wayland, Ingrid just sent feelings back to Adrian after the Sith Lord's words. that she agrees and she has no objection to Adrian's decision. Here it was easier to take care to her lover. It was only natural for her to give her life for a more influential person than her. Her family, bloodline, clan have been soldiers for centuries, she didn’t even have to bring this up because it was already in her blood. She was even lucky that she wasn’t really a Sith, but a Knight Warden of the Shroud.
But she also knew from here when she would lose control, if her own life would be more important than her superiors, her people, her family, or this man, then she would become like the Sith. After that she went out into the hallway and finished with the rebels. Then she was forced to tell Adrian to come out, if the man had decided not to do what Ingrid asked from him she would have ended up with these Sith Imperial soldiers as well. This plus four people didn’t really matter anymore after the first six.
But Adrian came out, now in his own form. Fortunately, Ingrid wore standard armor and not unique, so anyone could have been under the armor, no one could say that she was the Emperor's Hand of the Emperor of the Eternal Empire. When the danger passed that the soldiers would shoot her, she took her vibroblades from the dead man's back and shook the blood off him. Ingrid then hurriedly caught up with Adrian and walked past the Sith Lord to take the lead.
As she did so, she reached out to the Force again and "activated" the Force ability again. She disappeared again from the eyes of the soldiers, who took note in a surprised voice. Adrian, of course, could still see her, then she received Adrian's message. At first she answered only with emotions, she sent soft laughter and satisfaction back to her lover. Only then did she continue to respond telepathically.
”Yes it is! It comes great in a situation like this. We are in a similar situation, here I am only accountable to the Emperor, everyone else has to obey my orders” she replied cheerfully.
Meanwhile she went out on the other exit, which fortunately did not collapse. Silence greeted them everywhere, there were a few more floors up before they could reach the ground floor, there were no soldiers or rebels on the stairs. It was all like silence before the storm and Ingrid also had a bad feeling about it. Before she opened the door that led to the ground floor and the surface she sent another message to the Sith Lord.
”I would actually be happier if I didn’t have to go to the surface” she “said”.
Ingrid opened the door where she immediately saw the starfighter, not to mention the rebels just descending from the tower, there were at least two dozen of them. She immediately closed the door before they could be noticed.
”Two dozen rebels, they now reach the surface from above. It would be time to assign soldiers there handsome, as long as they attack the enemy, we can avoid the area and reach your shuttle.” she recommended this.
Location:Landing Zone, PL-40112-CE-021105 Objective: Repel enemies from potential LZ Gear: In Bio Allies: TSE & Allies, open Enemies:EE & Allies, open
Only a short time had passed but every moment spent idle was a moment lost. Legionnaires worked their magic in the arts of "persuasion" over the captured grunt, and while the force's hand offered hastier results, Venari had other plans. Tapped Eternal comms had painted the canvas well enough. Venari would be the monkey wrench thrown into their ploy.
In the distance, the many great powers in the force tango'd and kicked up a hurricane of swirling ethereal might in their wake. Steel was the will the Sith Lord erected, opting to leave such battles behind him as he beamed toward the clearing ahead the anti-air positions, the rallying point for the Eternals along the front - and perfect place to lay their forward operations base. With each step he took the planet caved below the suffocating power of the force but it wasn't his own this time. From behind his helmet amber eyes stripped away the world around him and gazed through the force. Ahead the clearing, two beings of Sith make stood turning the powers of nature on the traitorous Eternals. Legionnaires fell back as the storm overheard grew enraged and wildly cast furious bolts of power through the jungle canopy. The earth roiled below his feet. If one was already rendering the enemy's advance moot, his goals would lie elsewhere.
Enhanced carried the Sith Lord further into the jungle where the joint EE / NIO presence pulled away from the clearing. Rats, fearful of the greatest of predators and scurrying for dear life. Crossing a lone outcrop of stone, eight Eternals fell away from the storm and shaking earth. A rogue bolt saw three of their band fall in charred gear, their souls returned to the force and their bodies buried by falling stone.
Venari's weapons took to the air once more and soared ahead. The lead of the five survivors met two plasmatic blades, one at his knees and another relieving him his head. A third saber caught another soldier scaling the rock formation and bisected him vertically. Guts and humanoid sinew plopped onto their allies. Fear gripped the survivors as their frightful cries echoed through the rank heavy air.
"Disciplined? Is this what you fools consider disciplined?" He shouted as they scurried away. From his free hands another bogan tendril sprung to life and latched onto the closest of the survivors. "Your empire touts themselves as the stronger and more disciplined, but all I see is failure. You reek of fear, of weakness!" The soldier crumbled, his life forced feeding the Venari's void. The two survivors made to the top of the outcrop and let loose a wild flurry of fire. The sway of the same hand saw the two pulled off the stony tower and fall to the ground below.
Lighting tore burst around the small gathering. Soil and earth snapped into small fissures, which coursed around Venari's approach. With another wave of the hand he lifted the broken bodies of the two troopers. Then, commanding their minds he assured communications were open among their retreating allies. "Perhaps your ilk lingered too long within the safe embrace of the galaxy's fringe, so far from true war. In the foolhardy of your false Emperor it appears the Eternal have grown too comfortable using Sith might in battle, so much so that your lot has become atrophied to it, emaciated. How predictable of you scavengers to await the apex's perceived waning might to make your move, but grievous was your error. If only there was any wisdom behind your "Darth" Tacticus. He would've known we only grow stronger in such times of conflict, and perhaps you would have been spared."
Guttural screams gave way to the duo's death throes as Venari feast upon his prey. In the distance, enemies continued to route, whether it was in full retreat or to rally, the Sith Lord would soon find out.
As Marlon Sularen's Fleet pounded Ordo's Fleet the New Imperial Commodore smirked , he was so certain that victory was his and that the Forces of Thaelius Ordo would be defeated and he was right for some time. Wraith Squadron was pounding Thaelius Ordo's Fleet and it was only a matter of time before the Fleet's integrity was gone. However just as Wraith Squadron was preparing to make the final decisive killing blow to Thaelius Ordo's Fleet something unexpected happened. Out of nowhere , 3 Vessels , 1 Battlecruiser and 2 Star Destroyers jumped out of hyperspace directly over Sularen's Fleet , surprising the Commodore who did not expect such an attack.
Within seconds it was Wraith Squadron's turn to face pounding from the enemy fleet. Soon enough the Enemy Flagship opened fire on the Bellidux-Class Battlecruiser taking down what was left of it's shields and dealing heavy damage to it's hulls bringing the ship dangerously close to destruction. In addition , the Shields of the Predator and the Phaetra and Endurance Carriers were taking damage to their shields in which wouldn't be able to survived more attacks from the enemy.
With his Fleet outmatched and caught off guard , Marlon Sularen realized he had one choice , he had to fall back. The Bellidux was one of the key components of his Private Armada and Marlon had plans to utilize the vessel for the New Imperial Order's arrival on Ord Mantell to deal with some Pro-Zweihander Union scum. As such Marlon felt that it was necessary to pull back his forces to avoid total annihilation and then circle around to continue the fight.
"All Vessels Fall Back and regroup and have all Fighters establish a defensive screen to cover our withdrawal" Marlon ordered. He could not afford losing any ships today and needed to make sure that everything went well for his Fleet. Soon enough his Fleet began turning around with his ships slowly withdrawing from the current battle trying to avoid attacks from Thaelius Ordo's Fleet.
Soon his Fleet would be out of range and Marlon would order Wraith Squadron to turn around and face Thaelius Ordo's Fleet but maintain their positions. It was in his new positioning that he would make his stand. As the Shields of the vessel of his Fleet recharged , Marlon Sularen waited for the enemy fleet to follow him and attack ready for Round 2. This was where the Real Battle would soon begin as Marlon would give Thaelius Ordo a fight he would never forget.
Wraith Squadron takes considerable damage as they are ambushed by Ordo's Rienforcements
Wraith Squadron falls back and begins to regroup a few thousand meters away from Thaelius Ordo's Fleet
A Defensive Fighter Screen is established to protect the vessels of Wraith Squadron
Shields are recharging and will be back up at half strength soon enough
Location: Mirador tower, Sith-Imperial Observation Post Objective: II - Discuss business and defend against the rebels Kit:Skystas Rieve iv Tave Daboti Dvasi | Sith-Imperial Military Uniform Allies:AMCO
| Orion Darkstar
| Kascalion Giedfield
| Lark
| TSE Enemies: EE - seeking opponents Post: VII
Tithe’s Chiss guests - Malicar
and Karisa
- said their farewells and departed the mirador tower. Aerarii monitored their swift departure with his battlenet comlink, and upon hearing that they had made it safely, he too left the half-destroyed tower. There was no sign of the rebels as he made his way back down into the main complex.
The bureaucrat headed toward his shuttle. His business on PL-04112-CE-021105 was now complete - his contract with Interstellar Shipping would secure the much-needed supplies for the people of Sector Group II despite the New Imperial Order cutting the Braxant Run. It was time for him to get to safety. “Prepare my shuttle,” he ordered into the comlink to his pilot as he swiftly moved through the observation post. He wanted to be ready to lift off as soon as possible.
The Moff strode into the docking bay which held his Tau-class shuttle. The heavy docking bay door in the ceiling, which had so far protected the shuttle from damage by the invaders, began to open.
Then the unexpected happened.
With a sigh, he ordered the docking bay doors to reseal. “Close them up.” The ground crew exchanged confused looks, unsure why the launch order was being countermanded. Tithe himself did not know the answer.
This war was not his to win, but if PL-40112-CE-021105 fell, Bastion was wide open. The stability of the Sith-Empire - they very profitable stability - would be under grave threat. Tithe was no an ideologue or a fanatic and was not ashamed to admit that his service to the Emperor was driven in large by credits rather than beliefs. But the losses of Mygeeto and Scipio had damaged his standing within the Empire. He needed to do something, anything, to win back favour.
Cursing, the bureaucrat made his way into the observation. With Darth Prazutis
out in the field, the command centre was unoccupied. The operations staff rendered him the appropriate formalities in between their efforts to defend the base.
Tithe surveyed the battlefield. Grand Moff Aut-X was savaging the landing Eternal Empire forces with his droid army while Onrai
directed air assets against the enemy forces under the command of Dash Typho
. Lord Kascalion Giedfield
was routing New Imperial Forces led by Rurik Fel
and Kyrel Ren
. Apprentice Orion Darkstar
had been engaged in fierce combat with PPlaceholder 0128
, though the two now appeared to be conversing.
Tithe studied the battle, looking for his opportunity to strike.
The two thousand strong tide of B2 Super Battle Droids continued it's advanced towards the enemy, their thick armor soaking up stray blaster bolts while they continued ruthlessly cutting down any Eternal Imperial or Rebel troops that stood before them. Aut-X lowered the shield bubble protecting his defoliator now that the enemy artillery had been dealt with by his Hyena-class bombers.
Retargetting the gun, yet another defoliator round was fired at the largest concentration of enemy troops, soaring above the battlefield in an arc before impacting with deadly effect, an explosion of flame and death rippling out violently, while leaving the advancing droids totally undamaged. The Defoliator was truly a marvellous weapon in that regard.
Aut-X turned to his OOM-series underling once again. "Inform high command that I have driven back the attack on the Observation Post. Another glorious victory for the Sith Empire is all but assured. Have three thousand B1 units push forward to assist the B2s, and wipe out what remains of the Eternal Imperial attack force. Leave NO survivors.", he said confidently. "By your command, sir!", his command droid chirped out eagerly, ensuring the Grand Moff's orders were carried out swiftly. Three thousand B1s departed the defensive line to assist in the mop up operation, the rest that remained filling in the gaps.
Location: Mirador tower, Sith-Imperial Observation Post Objective: II - Discuss business and support the rebels Fashion: Suit and Scarf - Krongbing Interstellar Fashions Allies:Karisa
, EE, and TSE Allies - sorta... Enemies: TSE, Eclipse Rebels, and EE - kinda... Post: VI
There was a palpable release of tension once Vidalu Na'an
and her team slipped over the edge along with Aerarii Tithe
taking his security retinue down the turbolift. The newly minted Baroness of Verkuyl, graceful as usual, said her farewell to Aerarii and then turned back to Malicar.
Looking over at Karisa, he observed she was taking this whole situation better than he would have anticipated. Indeed she was getting “in the spirit” of the situation and took a long pull straight from the bottle of the rare vintage, toasted, and passed it over.
I think I am rubbing off on her…help us all.
Mock toasting her in the air with a wry grin, "Bottoms up..."
Malicar turned up the bottle and savored the taste of the one of a kind wine. Taking his attention from the wine was the roaring sublight engines of the T-shaped Shadow Hammer. The modified light freighter swung around, barely able to maneuver in the confined space and come abreast to the walkway surrounding the observation post. It was so tight, the pilot slammed into the side, causing a bit of cosmetic damage to the observation post. The Chiss rolled his eyes in annoyance, but did not spend another moment dwelling on it—they had to get of this system and that was all that mattered.
Coming closer, the loading ramp lowered, close enough for a small leap from the two Chiss to land on the ramp. Malicar took a few steps and leaped over, stumbling a step and then turning with an outreached hand to Karisa. The deft Sabosen noble made the jump, taking Malicar’s hand as she landed. Both the Chiss jogged into the cargo bay and Malicar hit the activation button on the hull that triggered the cargo ramp to begin closing. Seeing that both he and Karisa were near hand holds, he commanded through his chronometer, “Get us out of here…”
The pilot responded by slowly rising out the observation post and accelerating low over the walls. Karisa and Malicar quickly made their way through the corridor of the Shadow Hammer. As they reached the cockpit, he said wryly, “You have done enough damage—we will take it from here. Get on the main turret…just in case.”
The pilot sheepishly unstrapped from the pilot’s chair and made his way back to the top turret. Malicar and Karisa quickly strapped in, marking the beginning of their escape out of the system…
Location: Observation Post, Floral Research Hub Aurek, integrated into exterior walls. Objective: Stay out of danger as the goons repel the "cultist"rebel Eternal Imperial incursion. Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck & G1 OmniLink | Shield Talisman & Shadow's Folly | SIB-14 | Stealth Field Generator Appearance: Wearing a white lab coat over a black turtleneck and trousers; rancor-leather boots. Ground Forces: 47/47 Karza'Arana Warriors (Reserve) | 4/4 Karza'Arana Darksworn (Honour Guard) Detached Complement: 3/3 Karza'Arana Warriors engaging Vidalu Na'an & nearby rebels; 150/150 Warriors repositioning to outer walls. Writing With: Ingrid L'lerim
| Vidalu Na'an
---
It seemed Ingrid's gut feeling had been on-point - hardly unusual, for a Force User. Had the Sith Lord been aware of the understanding of sorts between Moff Aerarii Tithe
and the rebels, he might have attempted the diplomatic solution... but alas, such was not the case.
"A distraction, then. Give me a few minutes."
As soon as the words left his... well, his head, he started reaching out for the Sithspawn patiently waiting in neatly ordered rows in the depths beneath the central complex. Patient, that is, until he informed them the time for bloodshed was nigh, at which point only a stern warning kept them from rushing forth en masse to bring death to his enemies; fanaticism was all well and good, but he was partial to the measured approach.
As such, it was not two hundred ferocious Sithspawn that emerged from the bowels of the complex, but a "mere" three, albeit three wielding axes that burned as hot as a lightsaber and armour only slightly less resilient than that of a main battle tank, the rest relocating in preparation to sally forth against the Eternal Imperials, not knowing that Grand Moff Aut-X had already seemingly repelled their offensive.
"There we go, that should terminate the threat... and if not, I doubt they will notice little us scurrying up to the roof."
Even he spoke, the rebels would likely spot the trio of massive figures rushing towards them mere moments after emerging... only to split into a three-pronged assault, the inclusion of repulsors in their metallic wings affording them surprising mobility.
”They're just coming down for now, we have plenty of minutes” she replied.
Perhaps they could have reached the right point invisibly and used the invisibility technology, but they could not know if there was a Force User with the enemy or not. So Ingrid preferred not to risk anyone noticing Adrian. In the current situation, it would have taken too long to get into a fight. She had no doubt that they would probably have won against the rebels, but who knows when they will be finished the fight against them.
Whether the people of the Eternal Empire will come here by then, or whether the rebels will receive reinforcements, not to mention the earthquake. There were too many question marks to set up a normal plan. Even so, the woman has already calculated several possibilities in her head so far. For each option, time was the most delicate point and simply was not enough.
If she had known Adrian's exact abilities, she could have calculated better, but they had only learned what the other was capable of, and kept surprising the other with each of their actions. Now Ingrid wished that Adrian had been like Tubrok - no, she didn't mean his fighting skills - but that after a few days they were as if they had known each other for a thousand years. They knew almost everything about each other even without Force, no words were needed to understand each other perfectly.
Adrian was similar, but not nearly so, perhaps precisely because of the Force and the fact that the man was a Sith, and Ingrid knew what the Sith were like. As she watched the noises outside, thoughts spun in her head. She shuddered for a moment when she heard Adrian's message in her head, to which she nodded.
”Activate the stealth field generator. As soon as we hear the noise of the fight from outside, we go. We walk along the shady parts, next to the wall, in a part where there is a lot of cover. So they don't notice you, try to follow me, although I won’t take you to terrain that might be a problem for you.” she promised this to Adrian.
The last two blockade runners just got through the atmosphere of the planet. It took them little time to fly over to the outer posts on the ground to drop off the two dozen Ultranauts the Imperials were paying Broka's organization for. It was a hell-hole of a war zone. The runners occasionally got hit by stray fire, but flew in a manner that prevented artillery from hitting them. As soon as they reached the drop-off zones for these two shipments, the soldiers on board leaped off, and the ships launched back to the atmosphere. All five got into formation in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, and when the captain on the Chelandion gave the order, the ships launched back into space They met up with the Chelandion, and Broka gave the order from his holo-projection on the Chelandion's bridge, "Captain, it appears all our ships are back here. My fleet for the hyperspace jump. The Imperials will pay me after this is over as the job is done. Take the ships home now."
The captain received the order and said, "Well men, you all heard Lord Broka. Make ready to jump to hyperspace, and launch back home as soon as possible."
Within a matter of minutes, the ships were ready to launch into hyperspace. However, a field preventing quick escape from the system was stopping them. This oversight frustrated Broka, who wanted his ships to get back to Hutt Space as soon as possible before the Sith get wise on their actions. It appears his ships need to take a little while longer to get back home, as they fly out of the system without light-speed. At least they were out of range from the majority of the Sith's weaponry, and the large, devastating weapons that could hit them were most likely to be used on the Imperial fleet, and not this small group of ships now leaving the system.
The child did what she asked, although Xanesh believed it would have been easier to use the radio. Considering that the roar of the sky was quite loud. But she also had her own affair to pursue, the storm continued to rage, which was optimal in the present situation. She continued to focus on changing the environment, she also had a plan for what he wanted to accomplish. Cut a good long and wide rift between the outpost and the landing zone. This would make it even more difficult for the units to get to their destination.
During concentration she made a movement with her hands as if to tear something apart. The earth began to growl and tremble even louder the edges of the fissure cracked even further. And at the same time they began to distance themselves more and more. Some even tried to jump over it, but the other half also moved away, the ultranauts plunged into the deep. Those who had more sense began to back away, back in the direction of the storm.
She wanted to protect the outpost at all costs, even because of the ancient finds and the ruins. She trusted… hoped that the building was massive enough not to collapse from what she was doing. Meanwhile she also felt the struggle of the Shadow Hand and the dictator behind her, though the two men were hundreds of meters away from her. It wasn’t hard because there weren’t that many powerful Force users here in this place.
Another movement, another earthquake and another fission, the rift continued to widen in ever-increasing areas. The earthquake remained throughout the area and became stronger, what Xanesh did probably also awakened the forces of nature. Thus, in addition to the artificial earthquakes, natural earthquakes also affected the area, extending far beyond the battlefield and the outpost.
The outpost’s buildings were already quite moving, no longer just the interior objects, but the buildings themselves too. And the rift between the landing zone and the outpost opened at least three to four meters wide and reached at least a hundred meters wide in both directions. Although only the common part was still wide enough, elsewhere it was much narrower…
TL;DR:
- Force storm still “alive”, lightnings zigzag everywhere.
- due to the Alter Environment. an earthquakes are stronger
- the fissure has gotten big enough already
- at the outpost, the buildings themselves are shaking and swaying
Location: Mirador tower - conference room, Sith-Imperial Observation Post Aboard the Shadow HammerIFF showing neutral and/or all sides? Objective: II - Diplomacy, nice company, good wine... well it was good while it lasted. Fleeing to orbit from the Observation Post as the business of the day has concluded with Moff Aerarii Tithe Outfit: Noble robes, Hairstyle Gear: Flex-Armorweave fabric in clothing, concealed Charric Hold-out blaster, hidden short-bladed dagger, 1 hair chopstick with a poison tip, pocket rebreather Allies: EE - Tiberius Bayne
, EE Allies - Broka the Hutt
, Marlon Sularen In the company of Malicar Enemies: TSE, TSE Allies, Eclipse Rebels - Dash Typho In the company of TBD (open) Post: 6
The Baroness grimaced as Malicar's personal ship grazed the side of Mirador Tower as the pilot of the unique-shaped light freighter swung the tail section around in the tight space within the confines of the Observation Post. She knew for a fact the shipping tycoon was not happy about that, but it was seemingly only superficial damage that could be fixed easily yet costly most likely.
"A kiss for luck... " Karisa yelled out spontaneously over the noise of the powerful engines of the Shadow Hammer as the space vessel hovered with the boarding ramp lowered for them in mid-air, then she leaned in quickly and placed her warm lips upon the charismatic Chiss' blue-hued cheek just before he made the leap across. She bit her lip as he stumped before getting himself stable again after landing. Did the impromptu peck do that or the increasing winds from the ever-approaching storm battering the tower and pushing the ship around?
That former thought amused the Chiss diplomat, but the urgency of the situation and something impacting the tower in a firey blast elsewhere pushed the wistful musing away and made her concentrate on what she needed to do...
Karisa's crimson eyes locked with Malicar's as he gave her a reassuring nod and extended his hand out encouraging her to take that leap of faith. She steeled herself, took a couple of steps back, then strode forward in a run on her long legs to build up enough momentum to carry her across the gap between building and ship as it was ever-widening, and of course, the Sabosen's knight in shining armor was there to make sure she didn't get hurt or fall to her death. Malicar was always dependable in that regard.
In the process of doing so though, the baroness' elaborate hairstyle atop her dark head became loose and the hair chopstick with the poison tip that was stuck into the side of the bun fell out... Hopefully, or maybe hopefully so depending on one's POV, it didn't impale someone unexpectantly on the ground below as it tumbled downward because they would immediately feel the neurotoxin's effects as it was activated - Oopsie?!
There was no time to think rather the two Chiss just acted and scurried up the durasteel ramp into the safety of the modified light freighter's cargo hold so that the pilot could get them out of there as they were basically sitting ducks just hovering there.
Straight up the interior corridor from the cargo hold to the cockpit, they went. The poor pilot who was just doing his best given the circumstances got waved off with a huff from Malicar as soon as the ship had cleared the immediate proximity of the Observation Post and started its arduous climb up through the storm ridden electrically-charged atmosphere and flak. Karisa slipped down into the also vacated co-pilot's chair, attaching her crash webbing and donning a headset like it was her place. This was not her first rodeo assisting with the controls of the Hammer though it had been a while, well since they called things off between them or did they... From the looks of what was ahead of the escaping Chiss to get to an exit vector, it would definitely take the both of them and a little luck befriending allies on both sides to 'Get out of Dodge' as humans say.
"Now it gets... dicey."
Karisa glanced to the side to look at Malicar, who was sitting across in the pilot chair with a 'ya think?!' expression on her fine Chiss features as the ship was getting buffetted about in the atmospheric storm with lightning strikes everywhere not to mention avoiding the AA fire and other flying objects.
"Seriously... You wouldn't want me to be bored, would you? It's not your style I have come to know and love,"she winked with an ever soft chortle, then turned her attention to analyzing the sensor readouts as they were heading into the space battle commensing in orbit.
"We somehow have to get out of the gravity well imposed if we are going to make our jump otherwise it won't matter which transponder the Hammer flies or how fast she is... "
Location: Command centre, Sith-Imperial Observation Post Objective: II - Discuss business and defend against the rebels Kit:Skystas Rieve iv Tave Daboti Dvasi | Sith-Imperial Military Uniform | SI-HB-2 Power Mace w/ AvXRD Melee Weapon Assist Allies:Grand Moff Aut-X | AMCO
| TSE Enemies:RReyn Australis
| EE Post: VIII
Tithe studied the battlefield holo as he would a stock prospectus, looking for opportunities overlooked by others while avoiding risky opportunities which did not carry a corresponding reward. He skipped over engagements and duels between highly skilled individuals - he could contribute little to these battles beyond getting in the way. Starfighters zipped past overhead, but he was could hardly land a shuttle without a droid pilot, let alone dogfight. No, he needed something more his style.
There.
He zoomed in on a rebel attired in cumbersome armour. He was flying into battle against a Force user attired in the armour of the Imperial Force Corps. The rebel - the markings on his armour suggested he was a Mandalorian - was charging blindly into battle, blind to all but his enemy.
Tithe could work with this. He'd stood up to the heavily armoured Gat Tambor
deep in the vaults of Mygeeto and lived to tell the tale.
But was it worth the risk?
While the Sith Empire was said to be built on merit, in reality it was built on glory and bloodshed. Every ounce of self-preservation called for him to remain in the safety of the command centre and wait for the battle out. No risk, but also no reward.
However, claiming an enemy scalp would win his praise in the eyes of the Sith overlords, who he suspected now doubted his abilities following the fall of Mygeeto. A high-risk play, but the reward - if earned - would be worth it, assuming he lived long enough to collect.
The outpost shook, the result of a Force storm conjured by Ardana Vorco
. The violent earthquake sealed the deal - shows of power such as Xanesh’s would be celebrated, much more than the actions of a Moff cowering within the safety of the outpost.
Aerarii had no amassed his wealth and gained his current post without taking risks. They usually involved other peoples money and lives, rather than his own, but sometimes the market dictated the trades that could occur. With a groan, he departed the command room, stopping only at his quarters to grab his trusted SI-HB-2 Power Mace affixed with an AvXRD Melee Weapon Assist, courtesy of Avernus
. He also grabbed his gammaplast half-helmets and chestplate before heading toward the main gate.
The Sith commanders were clever. They sought to corner the Wrath's Arbiter, to get it to expend its weapons and coerce it into a vulnerable position. The Vong ships fired their rockspitters just as the Autarch-class battlecruiser, the Sith Saber, positioned itself under the Imperial dreadnought so as to fire its orbital autocannons, weapons of vast, destructive power that could level entire cities in just a handful of shots.
At the same time, a second Sith fleet jumped into the system, executing an imitation of the same coordinated salvo that the First Fleet Section had used but moments earlier, a maneuver which the Imperials dubbed a capital phalanx. It was a devastating one and together with the Vong vessels and the Sith Saber, it should have closed a deadly pincer around the Imperial dreadnought and its escorts. Should have.
But the Sith had one weakness, a deadly weakness which the Imperial Grand Admiral had sought to exploit to his advantage, to decisive effect: Hubris. Overconfidence in their own forces and in the invincibility of the Sith wrath and relentlessness. Earlier, the Eternal Emperor had stoked their wrath with his words, taunted them, fueled their fury into an all-consuming fire. Then, the Grand Admiral presented the Sith with a fat, juicy target for them to vent their rage on: the Wrath's Arbiter, mighty flagship of the Eternal Navy. What the Sith hadn't realized was that the dreadnought was never the hammer of the assault. It was but bait, the anvil which would trap the Sith fleet as the hammer was dropped on them.
And in the chaotic conflagration of the ongoing battle, the Sith had also forgotten about the cloaked Fenris cruiser, lying in wait nearby. As if on cue, the Fenris cruiser lit up its sophisticated electronic warfare systems, seeking to block the Sith ships' communications and flood their targeting systems with garbage data. As did the Wrath's Arbiter itself, for the massive dreadnought was also equipped with electronic warfare technology. The Vong ships would be immune to this jamming, but the rest of the Sith ships...
Of the Sith Saber's autocannon shots, only one hit the Arbiter, penetrating its shields and slamming into the dreadnought's lower decks, diminished as it was by the dreadnought's ailing shields. Its armor suffered, but held, the massive dreadnought's design preventing catastrophic damage from tearing through the ship. Although the lower decks had suffered considerable damage, the ship remained in fighting shape. A second shot slammed into the Typhoon-class minelayer, which was deploying its payload, vaporizing the small vessel. Subsequent shots missed the dreadnought entirely and the massive flagship began to roll on its axis, to present fresh plates of heavy Quadanium armor to the enemy vessel.
The rockspitter projectiles also pierced through the shields, two of them bouncing off the heavy, sloped armor of the massive warship, while several others succeeded at finding their target and inflicting damage onto the dreadnought's powerful proton beam cannon. One of the massive capacitor banks was rendered inoperable, while another shot managed to hit electrical systems which caused a power surge in one of the cannon's reactors. The ship responded immediately, automated systems kicking in and ejecting the now-unstable core, which was seized upon by the tractor beams of the Valiant II-class Star Destroyer and catapulted safely away from the fleet, where it detonated with the brilliance of a small star, powerful enough to maybe blind the sensors of the ships in the area for a scant few microseconds. The remaining satellite shield projector positioned itself behind the dreadnought, the automated platform sacrificed to prevent additional damage to the flagship as the Sith salvo impacted the fleet.
The coordinated salvo from the second Sith fleet took its toll, inflicting damage upon the Valiant II and overwhelming one of the Augrim-class heavy cruisers, which careened out of control, multiple explosions tearing through its hull as critical systems overloaded and failed, until it fell silent, a burning, lifeless wreck tumbling towards the planet. Explosions flared across the entire fleet as the Sith salvo impacted, causing multiple hull breaches and inflicting damage to shields and systems all across the Imperial formation. Many of the shots missed wildly, however, the distance between the fleets, coupled with the electronic jamming proving a very effective defense which prevented the salvo from inflicting as much damage as it could have.
But the Sith had played their hand. Their hubris had led them to focus on the Grand Admiral's dreadnought and ignore everything else. They had ignored the cloaked Fenris cruiser and allowed Broka the Hutt
to land his ships uncontested. They failed to take notice of the 1st Fleet Section's other, smaller ships. Their biggest mistake had been not realizing that the dreadnought had only ever been the bait.
It was time for the Grand Admiral to spring his trap. "Have the interdictor activate its gravity wells," Bayne commanded, still as calm and collected as always, despite the destruction around him. Discipline was the defining trait of the Eternal Empire's military and its officers were expected to remain emotionless, disciplined and methodical even amidst the most destructive flames of battle. It kept the crews focused on the task at hand and even with the full wrath of the Sith raining down upon them, the Imperials maintained the iron discipline they were known and feared for. "Order our ships to execute the next phase of the plan."
With the electronic warfare systems aboard the dreadnought and the cloaked cruiser attacking Sith comms and flooding their sensors with garbage, the Imperial fleet unleashed its own withering barrage of disruptor, turbolaser and rail driver fire at both Sith fleets. At the same time, the starfighters finally pounced, half of them along with all of the bombers descending upon the Vong vessels, maintaining their distance so that they remained just outside the range of the dovin basals while employing maneuvers and tactics that had proven effective against the Vong in the past, staggering their shots and attempting to overwhelm their ships through sheer volume of fire, the RX-4 torpedo bombers launching salvo after salvo at the enemy vessels.
The other half of the starfighters remained close, amongst the First Fleet Section to defend against the Sith's own fighters, assisted by the Ardan II frigates and the Mordekai-class cruiser, as well as the anti-air weapons aboard the dreadnought and the other ships. Meanwhile, amidst the Imperial fleet, two ships turned, using their remarkable maneuverability to position themselves. Spearhead-class artillery cruisers, deceptively simple and unassuming ships that held so much deadly potential when utilized correctly.
They were essentially just a cluster of engines and a few crew facilities. They held nothing in the way of turbolasers, hangars or anti-air defenses, being utterly vulnerable to enemy starfighters or direct engagements. That was because, attached to the engine cluster of each Spearhead-class cruiser, was a single, massive gun. A single hypervelocity gun of apocalyptic proportions, hundreds of meters long. Each time that gun fired, it destroyed itself, requiring the ship to retire to a drydock for replacement, eating through its titanic rails. It was a one-shot wonder. One which launched a colossal metallic projectile at relativistic velocities usually measured at around three percent of the speed of light.
Each Spearhead-class cruiser was a devastating weapon with the power to depopulate a small continent or a large island with a single shot. The Grand Admiral had brought two. And both of them turned to bear down on the Sith Saber. Power, vast amounts of power stored in its capacitor banks, surged through circuitry, bringing titanic accelerator rails to life. The colossal cannons roared to life, firing their massive slugs at the Autarch-class cruiser at the nearly point-blank range that separated them from the fleet commanded by Ellie Mors
.
The Imperials were just getting started. From aboard the Valiant II-class Star Destroyer, a salvo of proton torpedoes launched towards Taeli Raaf
's fleet. They were joined by Phalanx cruise missiles and Thanatos heavy torpedoes from the dreadnought. More Phalanx missiles launched from the Adjudicator II-class Star Destroyer and the two Retribution-class heavy missile corvettes, streaking across the void towards their targets.
And the troubles of the Sith were far from over. "Open a channel to Taozi Fuyuan
and Fieldmarshall Wulf Orlock
. Miss Fuyuan, you may begin moving in to assist with the injured," the Grand Admiral ordered. "Fieldmarshall, this is Grand Admiral Bayne. You may fire when ready."
EDIT: Forgot to signal Taozi Fuyuan
EDIT 2: Made some changes per the request of Ellie Mors
Curtis ran back towards where he'd last seen Lori in a frantic attempt to find her. He could care less if he was in the line of fire, all that was driving him was his duty to her. He clung to his saberstaff tightly, prepared to ignite it at a moments notice.
And then he heard the most reassuring voice in the galaxy over his comlink. Lori was alive, injured but alive. Quickly Curtis raised the comlink to his mouth, his breath heavy.
"Lori! Thank the stars. I'm coming for you, just hold on" He replied, continuing to head towards her last know location. She had to be nearby. He wasn't sure how long she'd been injured for, so time was still against him.
Spotting one of Lori's men, he knew he was near. Heading towards him, he saw her, collapsed on the ground. In the distance, a Mandalorian charged like a Reek, while another man attempted to flee the scene. Holding in his anger, he turned his attention to his fallen lover.
"Lori..." He said softly, before looking up at the surrounding rebels, "We're getting her back to the ship, until she's safe, you follow my orders. You two, take point, the rest of you will form a defensive circle around myself and Loreena" Before anyone could speak, he tapped his comlink again. "Arla, it's Curtis. Lori's been injured, I need you to prep the ship for our return". With a grunt, Curtis picked Lori up in his arms.
As the Sith fleet preoccupied itself with Grand Admiral Bayne's ships and so conveniently ignoring the Black Suns corvettes commanded by Broka the Hutt
, the Imperial forces had gradually been building up their strength, offloading more troops and heavy equipment at the landing zone. The first wave had been tasked with establishing a beachhead and now, the Black Suns ships offloaded the heavy artillery upon which the Eternal Army had relied upon so heavily, time and time again, to great effect.
The siege line was growing, expanding as the 16th Armored Division dug in and erected their prefab forts, engineers digging up lines of trenches and creating earthwork walls to defend them. At the heart of the assault force now stood the 101st Regiment's 1st Battalion, personally commanded by none other than Fieldmarshall Wulf Orlock. Through much of the galaxy, his name wasn't yet known, but in the Unknown Regions he had earned the monicker of 'Butcher of Bakura', after the swift and utterly brutal way in which he put down a series of riots occurring when the Empire annexed the planet. His tanks had driven straight into the masses of protesters, crushing them under their treads without mercy or hesitation. He would apply the same ruthlessness here.
The Sith had thought the Imperial forces routed and broken. Their bombers had wiped out some of the artillery batteries deployed early on during the battle and the Imperial transports had taken a continuous beating as they descended, being subjected to anti-air fire and supernatural attacks through the Force, but such was always the case in war. With the arrival of the Hutt transports and the gradual expansion of the fortifications, air defenses were now in place to challenge any encroaching aircraft which might brazenly attempt to bomb the Empire's positions. Their own air support was now in place as well.
So far, the Sith had been very confident in their victory, seeing the Imperial forces routed from the no man's land between the observation post and the landing zone. But a frontal assault upon the observation post had never been the Imperials' tactic. The forces the Sith had encountered near their base, had been stragglers, survivors from dropships which had been shot down. No, the Imperial tactic had always been an artillery barrage.
And so, the 1st Battalion's guns thundered to life. Smaller mortars opened up on the Battle Droids, who's advance was also met by salvos of machinegun and repeating blaster fire from the forward trenches. Anti-tank guns fired into clusters of droids while the mortars rained down EMP charges. The heavier howitzers unleashed their firepower upon the shield, raining down high explosive shells and thermobarics to keep the enemy suppressed.
The Imperials had also brought another weapon, an extremely sophisticated droid of their own. Worm-like and covered in mechanical appendages, the tunnel drilling machine wasted no time in burrowing underground, beginning to dig its way towards the Sith observation post, tunneling down into the earth, deeper and deeper, a column of tanks and infantry mustering to march down in its wake. The observation post would be assaulted, eventually. But not from the direction the Sith seemed to expect.
And then, the signal came from the fleet above. The signal to spring the trap they've been preparing for so long.
All wars were complicated dances of deception and distraction. With the Sith fleet focusing its attention on the Eternal Navy's ships in orbit, the Black Suns corvettes had been offloading the Imperials' secret weapon. Fifty Hydra-pattern Surface-To-Orbit missile launchers positioned themselves at the landing zone. Each of them was armed with two launch tubes, capable of deploying Phalanx cruise missiles that could also be launched from the ground at targets orbiting above. Normally, such weapons were reserved for defensive purposes, but the Imperial commanders, who had a knack for unconventional tactics, saw no reason why they couldn't serve an offensive role as well.
So that was exactly how the Imperials used them. Fifty cruise missiles streaked up from the ground, climbing rapidly on plumes of smoke and fire. A first salvo of fifty missiles aimed at the fleet commanded by Taeli Raaf
, while more missiles converged onto the dreaded Sith Lady's ships from the Eternal fleet in orbit. It took a long time to prepare, a lot of sacrifices to bait the Sith into finally bringing in their reinforcements. But finally, the Imperial forces had sprung their trap.
As the Fieldmarshall watched the missiles streak upwards through the visor of his helmet, he smiled. The Empire would make the Sith pay a heavy price for their arrogance.
The Shadow Hammer’s powerful sublight drives roared, shooting the modified light freighter skyward. The G-force pressed Karisa and Malicar back into their seats. The shipping mogul was relieved more than ever that Karisa decided to join him. Not only was she pleasant company in all ways, she knew the Shadow Hammer better than anyone except him. As such, he knew he would need her skills as a co-pilot. Based on sensor readings, it was a mess in orbit. If he had the time and opportunity, he would have guided the Shadow Hammer across to the other side of the planet, but fighter activity was too heavy in the atmosphere, seeking targets of opportunity. Malicar actually thought their chances were better in the chaos of the space battle above…
Malicar was unusually quiet, but Karisa knew that was because the Chiss was entirely focused on what he was doing, piloting the Hammer and plotting their course out of the craziness. In addition, he didn’t want to disturb Karisa either—she was tracking targets, tracking the targets who were on to them, managing shield allocation, searching for potential astrogation “windows”, etc. Fiery flames bathed the viewscreen with fire and the freighter shook as it pierced the protective atmosphere.
Looking over, Malicar smirked, “Now the ‘fun’ begins…”
When the fire and rumbling abated, the black of space sprinkled with stars was lost to the chaos of durasteel, laser bolts, and fiery explosions. The Hammer barrel-rolled out of the way and lurched towards the nearest star destroyer.
Completely focused on the task at hand, he relayed, “55% shields to starboard”.
Karisa was competent, so he trusted her implicitly. At this point, the Chiss didn’t even know if the star destroyer was Eternal Empire or Sith—frankly, he didn’t care. He wanted to avoid the dogfighting out in the space between the capital ships, so just picked a flank that was not taking direct fire. Skimming along the side of the ship, the Shadow Hammer darted along. It bucked from time to time as a stray laser bolt would slam into the shields of the light freighter, but concentrated fire was the real threat.
For the moment, it did seem that the IFF signal was being communicated properly to both the Sith Empire forces (courtesy of Aerarii Tithe
) and the Eternal Empire (courtesy of Kainan Wolfe
). But sometimes when starfighter pilots see a ship that might be “easy picking”, the temptation was there to pursue. Malicar had a few surprises in store for those “opportunists”, but he didn’t want to put it to the test…
As the little sith glided she'd watch as the ground below her ripped apart, the winds dipping into the crevice and shooting out caused imbalance. She felt her body sway side to side for a moment as she dipped lower and lower till finally passing the ever growing tear. Coming closer to Xanesh, Teresa held out a hand forming a smooth icy surface almost like a ramp allowing her to slide onto it and down onto the ground. Sweat ran down her back and covered her brow. The girl was now at the point of exhaustion. In such a short time she had used up more energy than ever before. As she reached the end of the ice and onto the dirt she would come to an abrupt stop near the Sith lord. "I... hate... battlefields." She said taking a deep breath between each word and into a pant. With just a moment to catch her breath the woman pushed herself up and took a look at the growing hole.
She then looked to the Sith lord still holding her own. The passion in her eyes to keep this place defended was apparent and it was good she had something to fight for other than survival. Not as much could be said for Teresa she cared little for people and things, she simply existed with northing to fight for than to stay alive. Yet she desires to live, to live a life that had value, something she did not have nor was worth at this moment. Her breath became more steady as she forced her breathing to slow become controlled again. Her feet planted firm as she gripped at the force once more drawing in and bending the force to her demands. Thick Ice began to form in front of both Teresa and Xanesh. As the wall grew in height and thickness Teresa felt the last of her energy sap. "If I pass out... because of this, I damn hope you'll not leave me with the corpses. Yellow button on my left wrist call's for my fighter shuttle, It will land where I am. The blue one makes it return to ship!" She spoke out loud looking over to the Sith. Instinct was telling Teresa to trust her gut about this person for now. It had yet to fail her thus far.
The formation of the ice slowed down till finally it stopped. Teresa dropped down to one knee as a rush of dizziness filled her head. The tremors only aided to make things worse as the world began to spin. Each moment it got worse as circles and squiggly lines danced in her sight, till finally darkness. Her body slumped forwards from over exertion oblivious to the ground shaking, the scream of battle and rage in the sky. One thing she knew was that she was weak and it was that reason that had brought her to this world today.
Tldr;
Defensive Ice wall created in front of Teresa and Darth Xanesh 4m x 3m x 6m (HxWxL)
Ardana Vorco
