Lea Halalela | TSE Dominion of Maridun

[Darth Prazutis]

Battle raged.

It became painfully obvious to anyone watching that the event quickly went from a battle to a slaughter. That natives might've set the pace, the circumstances but it was the Shadow Hand, the Saziliebm that controlled everything else. The enemy had every conceivable advantage in the eyes of a battlefield tactician: terrain knowledge, biological ability, strength, size, numbers. In any other situation it would've been suicide to participate in such a match. But his brothers in arms, his legionnaires were far from anything this galaxy has ever seen. They were from a world that waged a higher form of war that only a true maenan could understand. Maena is a cruel world, one that is bizarre and strange, ruthless and brutal, but it is theirs. Even so many centuries removed from his home Braxus missed it, he missed the searing heat of its powerful sun kissing his skin, the burning sands under his feet concealing shards of the worlds long history. Even the agony he missed, the sheer pain of trauma, loss, far beyond the physical it went. But above all he missed the joy of being there.

After his family cast him out Maena was the first place that truly felt like home, he had so many experiences with people who very much changed his life. There was freedom in the worlds madness, a liberty of being around those who were so completely genuine. It was always said by locals that "You are who you were always meant to be on Maena, so long as you are strong enough to make it so." As the enemies forces buckled and broke beneath the blood covered demons that descended upon them, he found his mind clouded with images and distant memories of a long and storied past, of the people there that helped make Braxus Zambrano, that turned him from a rage infused hound into the Lord of Lies today.

In a flash of his greatsword a hulking brute collapsed into nine different pieces with a sickening thud, a pile of meat sprawled through a field of disturbing carnage. The display of blood was so great it stained the green grasses a deep red. Even those who tried to run were swiftly taken down and destroyed, none would survive the slaughter.

They were already dead.

[member="Ahani Zambrano"]

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

"I say we go west! That is where the track is headed, that is where we will find them."

Joycelyn looked west as the first guide proposed. There was nothing but rolling hills in sight, and the track wound far into the horizon.

"Well I say we go east! That is where we will find the nearest watering hole. The tracks could be a day old!"

East there was supposed to be a watering hole, but they had already looked there before.

Pinching her brow, the Princess closed her eyes and let out a deep exhale. The Force washed over her as she removed her focus from her immediate surroundings and let the surroundings in. There were so many living things around them, crawling in the dirt or scampering off just in the distance. She followed one, then the next, and the next. Her right hand brushed the air as though fingering her way through a catalogue.

Yes, the herd was gone, many miles away.

The watering hole was not deserted, but it would be by the time they got there.

There was fear in the air, lingering like a faint smell. Something had scared the beasts away from this zone.

Something far- No, close? No, that was far, but there was something watching.

She turned quickly, not even opening her eyes as she lifted the gun.

Pop-pop-pop She fired in quick succession.

 

[Argir Granic]

Smoke billowed out from the ruined structure as Cibesh Anjiliac was escorted away from the conflagration and into an Imperial transport, the Hutt casting one last venomous glare towards Agent Granic before the hatch slid closed and the shuttle began to take off. With the Hutt and his cronies neutralized, Granic was allowed to roam the perimeter of the ruined structure as Legionnaires from the Imperial Legion arrived and set up duracrete barricades to ward away any curious locals. Many looked on with some measure of awe, though whether that was directed at the blaze or the towering soldiers was uncertain. Some were expressionless, the fire reflected in their dull eyes.

But there were those who bore the grimace of anger, a sharp intake of breath and the tightening of muscles as he passed them by. Some words were muttered under their breath, too low for the Karkarodon to hear even if understood their language in the first place. He made note of these individuals, committing their faces to memory even as his armor's recording equipment took scans of their biometrics for documentation. Eventually these onlookers would become citizens of the Sith Empire, laden with all the benefits that are entailed.

Some would not appreciate what a glory that had been bestowed upon them. Those were the ones he preemptively watched out for, those who had the potential of becoming future dissidents he'd have to put down. Once the day was done another team would be dispatched to those he indicated as hazardous, whisked away in the dead of night to one of the Reeducation Camps to become diligent and productive servants of the Empire. He'd never seen one of these Camps up close, but he knew better than to start asking questions to his peers or superiors. Nothing good came of those kinds of inquiries, nothing good at all.

By the time he'd made his fourth circuit around the structure, the blaze had subsided to a churning smolder as embers defiantly continued to burn even as the structure around it was no more. "We're done here," Granic said, approaching his comrades, "Contact command and relay to them of our mission's completion."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

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Had it not been for the Force guiding her hand and granting her insight, Avacyn was sure her battle would long over. It was like the Sith were given little room to breathe and as time went by that took its toll. Fatigue began to set in, making the Triumvir conserve and ration her strength. There still was a second day of combat ahead of them once the night made way for the break of day, but even that was still some time away. A change of strategy was going to be beneficial and with that change in perspective on this battle came a new approach.

Until now, Avacyn had been more than willing to be the one seeking the confrontation. The way she scoured the battlefield in search of enemy forces to engage had not resulted in a thinning of numbers in a way that swung the tide in favor of the Sith. And so, it was no longer about quickly overpowering them, but endurance. The amanin had shown a level of prowess in battle that had surprised Avacyn and that meant it would now be about holding the position they had managed to take. From seeking the battle to letting it come to them. The Sith were prepared for them now.

With unlit lightsaber in hand, Avacyn sat in the long grass in meditation, waiting. Her senses were cast outwards and she was ready to react to any approaching presence the moment she became aware of it. She would be found eventually and that was the intention.

[member="Sith Muse"]

 

[Amaya Cardei]

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Blackened skies greeted by the outlying villages with beautiful fires, but for the tall blades of grass between them - across the vast savannah laid tired Sith and the ever vigilant yet fatigued Amanin. They knew the outcome of the battle, and so the drums continued as the story of the Imperial who held out against them so long ago continued through chant and song. He had persevered and endured, so too would these Siths and their Imperials endure to know how precious this land was to their people. These would-be colonizers needed to know what was at stake here. It was not just another planet, this was their home, their culture and while many had feared the hand of the Sith. The time would soon come for them to acknowledge the inevitable.

Their home would be under Sith rule, but it did not have to be as a subject. No, it could be with more authority and to that end - to that end is what Maridun, the Amanin had opened to gain. So as their tired arms rested briefly, the song and chants of their lorekeepers began to reverberate throughout the blades of grass. Endurance. They could endure what was to come and as the stars hung in the sky shining down upon them. Sleep was far and few between, as they continued to clash with the Sith-Imperials. Spears against staffs, the sounds of blasters puching through the air landing their shots on ground or body.

Soon the night would wane and the sun began to peak out over the horizon. Bringing with it a brush stroke of colors, orange, pink and violet each one struck across the darkness beating it back as the light now claimed the sky. Lorekeepers and their drums were perhaps the loudest now, joined by native horns that sounded across the battlefield. This would be the last day of battle, the last day of Maridun's independence and so the Amanin would prove to the Sith that they were more than worthy of their own autonomy. With a deafening roar the Amanin came to life as one and charged into the Sith-Imperial lines.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

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The slightest rustle of grass that sounded just slightly out of place caught Avacyn's attention and the Force was called upon to find its source. A pair of presences that seemed aware of her, though likely not expecting the same to be true vice versa. Outwardly, the woman seemed oblivious to the two amanin's careful approach, but prepared she most definitely was. With the veil of night starting to wear thin though still covering the battlefield it was her sight through the Force with which she followed her enemies, patiently waiting for the right moment to make her own move.

They prepared to pounce when they came close enough to do so and as Avacyn saw this she made sure to get the jump on them instead. A strong gust of wind caught them off-guard and caused them to stagger backwards for a moment. This combined with their shared confusion towards the wind's origin gave Avacyn the time she needed to leap to her feet and towards them. In mid-air her lightsaber sprung to life and with a flourish slashed through the arm of one of the amanin, leaving only half of it attached while the other dropped into the grass. A second lightning-fast strike was aimed at the neck this time, severing head from body.

The second would-be ambusher, who now quickly moved towards Avacyn from her left, would not allow himself to be taken down as easily and jabbed the tip of his spear towards the Sith's ribs. Avacyn answered with a strike from her saber to the staff, altering its angle to miss her instead. She then dashed past it and towards the now-defenseless amani. He was younger and less experienced than some of the others she had faced during the day, she could tell, and his inexperience would be his end. A jab of her saber plunged it into his chest, and when she let the blade retract into the hilt, his body fell to the floor.

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As day broke and fatigue began to weigh even heavier on the Sith forces, it was the battlecry of the amanin that reminded them all that the battle was far from over. Despite all that, the Sith stood vigilant to hold the line as the amanin charged towards them. At the frontline, the triumvir herself stood.

The battle would end in victory. She would accept no less.

[member="Sith Muse"]

 

[Amaya Cardei]

Blood washed through the savannah, staining its earth and it was through this that the Lorekeeper rose to the forefront of his people. The crowd had gathered around him while the drums and chants waned. It had been a well fought two days of battle, and the Amanin fought with the same prowess as they had so many cycles ago. The Lorekeeper's staff met with the dirt, three times to signal the cessation of the battle. The story of the Imperial who so bravely persevered had ended, the Triumvir of Strength had proven that she could endure this test. While he wished to test her further, he knew that now was not the time for such things. The Sith Empire had been gracious enough to entertain the population with this ritual, as deadly as it was.

"Triumvir of Strength, over the last two days you and your Sith-Imperials have fought our people. You have endured all that we could do, you have proven your Empire worthy of our lands." The Lorekeeper then bowed with respect and the Amanin followed, bowing toward the Sith-Imperials with respect. The Amanin withdrew from the savannah's battlefield slowly making their way toward their villages. Along the way, they collected their brethren and aided the wounded of their opposition in a show of good faith.

While the Lorekeeper looked out toward the savannah. The sun washed over their villages and slowly the funeral pyres began to burn. Smoke rose to greet the heavens above, and far above the lands high in orbit laid the Sith-Imperial Armada where the word of Maridun's fate had been shared.

And so it was recorded, that the Triumvir of Strength had honored the Amanin's traditions proving the Empire's worth in the process. Maridun was now another star among the vast sea of the void that belonged to the Sith.