Operation: Empire Ascendant (TSA Dominion of the Muunilinst Hex)

[RC 212]

[member=Krest] l [member="Serenity Loveheart"] l [member=Satia] l @Bjorg The Traitor

Dantooine Jedi Temple
Post 2/ however many

Krest was in a way right, but she had other designs for the place. Inside a battle raged, and she could hear blasters whooshing and pinging off the stone. Dantooine had been a haven for her as a Jedi, her place of rebirth as well. Now it would be hers in darkness. Regardless of what the other Sith intended here, she was about to go against the grain.

She knew the layout and it's history better than any of them.

The Temple was hers....​

"Jedi?" Her eyebrow raised and he yellow eyes flashed with fire. There it was again a swirl in the force. She could feel them as if they were a small fish in space. They didn't belong and they were causing far too many problems for her compatriots. Both black armored arms crossed over he chest and she bowed her head.

Her eyes snapped shut, and he body levitated of the ground a few inches. Both legs then crossed and Darkness began to radiate from the Plague Mistress. The ground began to weep, weeds, grass and dirt wilting to a solid black. An energy matrix was being woven by her mind, directing each thread of pure malice as it spider webbed over the Temple.

A small hint of fear began to grow in the Jedi's mind.

She continued her attack, drawing from her most painful memories and feeding off the growing abject terror. It was like honey to a bear.

"Fear me. Fear the Darkness!"​

Lightning crackled around her radiating down into the dirt and striking the temple stones. The ritual would require sometime yet, but when it was completed the Temple would be wreathed in Fear and despair....

 

[Seris Caine]

Muunilinst, Muun Council Chambers

I'm inclined to agree. It's the only reason strong enough for their-

Before he could finish conveying his sentence, a blaster bolt lanced through the window and knocked the blaster right out of Mae's hand. Leos blinked at the remarkable precision that had been displayed. The high windows, mere slits in the wall, would not make for an easy shot. He blinked, and the first thing he did was wrap himself in an envelope of the Force meant to protect him from the dangers of blaster weaponry. Wouldn't do a whole lot against slugthrowers, but they were rarely used. Unless the person using them was aiming to hunt for Force practitioners. His eyes narrowed as he knew what this meant.

As his eyes turned to look at Mae, an explosion resounded through the chamber as the door they'd entered through exploded inwards. The other door, the one they'd previously sent the Muun guards through, exploded inwards as well. The varying shrapnel pegged him, and he held up his hands to protect his face before being blown backwards into a column. Between his fingers, he could see several Mandalorians pouring into the room. And behind them was one impressive looking woman dressed in Mandalorian armor, directing the others to attack. A sniper rifle rested in her hands, though it wasn't presently raised, as she felt she had the advantage through the others.

He landed with a grunt, saber popping into his hand and activating as he prepared to defend himself, and hoped that Mae and the Guard had fared better than he had, or this was going to be short lived.

[member="Maelasi Eramar"]
[member="Antherion"]

[Post 6/20]

 

[Lief]

[Post 6/20]
[Muunilinst]
[Council Chambers]
[ [member='Ignus'] ]

She did not have a chance to speak her concerns. In a heartbeat the blaster she had just lowered was knocked from her hand by a blaster bolt that narrowly missed her wrist. Then came the explosion.

Maelasi was thrown backward alongside the others, though the Vermilion Guard were on their feet again faster than she could comprehend, and a piece of shrapnel sliced her upper right arm. She sucked in a breath.

Her hand felt hot from the spread of heat which had been dispensed across her weapon, but she did not have the time to think about it. Instead she called her lightsaber into her hand and upon rising to her feet she ignited the curved red hilt with precision.

"You two, get the Councilmen out of here. They're of no use to us dead. Captain, with us."

With just three of the Vermilion Guard remaining by their side, weapons drawn and switched from stun, Maelasi focused her attention back to the obviously Mandalorian woman. At least, she was wearing beskargam. There was something about her though, something different to the others of her kind.

"Know her?" she asked of Leos who had found his feet and now wielded a lightsaber. She did not wait for a response, however, as others flocked in through the busted door. Captain Tarz shot down the first before he had even stepped over the debris, and as if on cue the remaining half of the Guard opened fire.

From the corner of her eye she saw signs of the Councilmen fleeing, alongside the blood red armour of her men. No doubt they would meet with issues of their own, but Maelasi would not have it said that they lifted so much as a finger to harm the Muun.

 

[Seris Caine]

Muunilinst, Muun Council Chambers

"No," he said, a bit shaky. His head felt light. "But I know her kind."

A blaster bolt whizzed past his head and another came right at him, but he activated his saber and deflected the bolt up into the air. He could feel blood running from the back of his head where it had hit the column, but he couldn't focus on it. There were too many Mandalorians. Their armor wasn't quite as tough as the armor the Guard wore, because the Guard wore armor that covered more of their body than standard Mandalorian armor did. But he could tell that the woman, at least, was wearing special armor. The glitter, faint as it was, upon her chest plate was enough to tell him as much. They'd found some like it among the dead on Bastion when they'd claimed it.

"Force Hunter's."

Mae would know what that meant, and he deflected another blast before grabbing a broken piece of the door and slamming it into one Mandalorian, knocking him aside and off the shot he'd had at Mae's back. He glanced towards where the others had gone and turned his gaze to her. She'd know what to do in this situation, but with his throbbing head, and their readiness for dealing with the Force in combat, his techniques for hiding them and fighting were nearly useless. Only close range would work, and that was far from his specialty. He had to rely on her in this situation. He literally had no choice but to merely defend himself.

More blaster fire erupted in the direction the Council had been moved to. He hoped the Guard could handle it. They needed those Muun alive after this. He deflected another shot, and another one, and realized the woman was lining up to fire, so dove out of the way just as a projectile slammed into the wall where he'd been standing. She wasn't even the sniper that had shot Mae's blaster.

[member="Maelasi Eramar"]
[member="Antherion"]

[Post 7/20]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

OPERATION: EMPIRE ASCENDANT​

In orbit above Mygeeto

"Your Excellency, we're picking up hyperspace readings in sector 12!"

The way the Ascendant was positioned prevented them from actually seeing the crafts picked up on the ship's sensors, but a holographic display showed their exact location, the positioning of their fleet, and the caliber of ships they had brought. By the looks of it they were older Mandalorian designs, their hulls marred by carbon scoring and a myriad of other pocks and wounds earned through triumphant combat. A preliminary scan revealed five Krell-class Cruisers arranged in a pentagonal pattern around a single Kandosii dreadnaught, but it was anyone's guess as to how many other warships could be lurking beyond the range of their scanners, hungry for opportunity.

But these were no mere pirates, the Warmaster recognized the symbol emblazoned upon the hull of each ship. It was the dreaded sigil of the Force Hunters, a rogue clan of Mandalorians who had dedicated their lives to eradicating any traces of the Force from the meager territory they held. They were a group that had once held unwavering sway over Bastion, but the Ascendancy has shown just how untenable their hold was and drove them into the wilds of both ground and space.

It was apparent that they hungered for vengeance, but he would deny them such satisfaction. They would only find death above Mygeeto.

"They're launching fighters!" Soon enough a swarm of Ra'gr filled the void between the two fleets, their nimble forms gracefully cutting through space like a mako through water. "Signal the Remorseless and Possessor, tell them to launch all fighters to intercept. Move the Ascendant, Imperius, and Totallex out of formation to engage, but keep the Xo'Xaans in formation around Mygeeto. We can't afford to completely break our hold."

All three Ascendant-classes lurched forward and began to pivot towards the offending sector, their large frames groaning in silence as they arrayed themselves for battle. Already the Warmaster could see the pinpricks of brilliant light as the fighters converged in the middle, streaks of green and red piercing the blackness followed shortly by the bloom of explosions as some shots found their mark. It would take some time for the warships to finally be in a position from which to open fire on each other.

Woe be to those who were caught in the crossfire.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Location: Jedi Temple on Dantooine
Objective: Clear out Jedi influence.
Allies: TSA [member="Satia"] , [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Bjorg The Traitor"] [member="Darth Raxis"] [member="Lark"] [member="Serenity Loveheart"]
Enemies: Any remaining Jedi/Tomb raiders.
Post: 4/20

Fear? The Zabrak turned his head to look to Raxis, a brow raised. So that was her strength? Very well, he would use it. From behind the droids and their master Serenity the cloaked man stepped forward, his red gaze moving from each of the remaining Jedi to the next. He stepped over the corpse of their leader, his gaze moving from one to the next. With their fear amplified by his fellow Sith they stepped back, tears welling in their eyes.

"You see it now, don't you?" Another step forward, this time his cloak began shifting in impossible ways to the eyes of those around him. A simple illusion, but all to make him seem less human, and more monster.

"The Jedi have lied to you. Have left you here to die." Another step forward, and another step back from them. One of them, seeming to be older than the others, let out a scream as he charged forward, trying to overcome his fear and fight to protect his allies. With a simple wave of his hand the Zabrak twisted his head around and he slumped to the ground, dead.

"You have the Force. Stop fighting. You don't have to die here, you can join us. Become Sith. Become strong." There was no where else for the remaining padawans to go, but instead of stopping in front of them he stepped past, his gaze falling to the younglings they had been guarding. "Use your hate. Use your fear. You have the potential to make powerful Lords one day."

Finally he stopped, crouching in front of the children. "Don't you want to be strong?"

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Post: 2 / 20
Location: Muunilist, High Port Space Center
Objective: Making Offers You Can't Refuse
Nearby: [member="Ignus"]

"Well, gentlemen, shall we get down to business, then?" At first, the Muunilist Banking Guild conference chambers' honored board members had been... hesitant, to wheel and deal with a stranger who washed up on their doorstep, they still winced at his glass-shard voice. A few whispers, a few veiled threats, and the right nudges of 'persuasion' necessary to have the guards blocking their charges from escaping? It got easier.

"If you want to extort us, you'll fail. Any agreements made under duress are not binding, and even if you kill us, they will be undone by our successors. Our hands are tied to help you."

The darkness smiled, regarding the chief banker with eyes radiant with malignance. He felt no courage in this one, only the chill of calculation. "I am forcing nothing on you. I am simply here to explain to you the new reality you will have to live with... and how best to move forwards. As you are soon to be a protectorate of the Sith Ascendancy — your government is being dealt with by my colleagues at the moment — it is for the best of both of us to have a banking guild that prospers and progresses."

"Your intent doesn't matter. Only the outcome... and as I said, our hands are tied." The bankyer stressed the final words again, and he detected the undercurrent of fear from her. More so, and not of him. Of him, of someone else, of the situation... like a fine wine, their terror was multi-layered, rich, and comprehensive. He savored it for a moment before weighing his reply.

"Your hands are tied regardless. Who would you rather have tying them?" He paused.

"We cannot..."

"Let me guess. You were hoping you wouldn't have to pick a side?"

Her silence spoke volumes. He paused. She was caught between two forces. Opposed forces, and powerful ones. This much was evident... and they needed to be convinced that the Ascendancy would be able to protect them from whatever other duress they were under. The boardroom was probably bugged... as might be any number of the bankers. He sensed around... no, nothing but fear from each of them. None of them were complicit, or willingly so.

So he was in it for the long haul in protecting this sorry lot until they felt secure. These profits better be worth it. Then, his senses rang out with a clear, simple warning: danger.

At that moment, the door broke down, and there was a flurry of motion. A hail of blaster bolts bore down on his location. Leaping upwards, cybernetic muscles crushing polished floorboards as he propelled himself to the ceiling, he moved like a shifting cloud of darkness, black robes billowing and flowing as though a thing alive. Antherion lingered near the ceiling, as though a feather might drift, and extended a hand forwards.

The pulse of consequent telekinetic energy extinguished the second hail of blaster bolts like candleflames for the most part, but several singed his robes, one tracing a thin, ash-black line across a bone-pallid cheek as his assault bowled over the armored figures.

Mandalorians. He hurled himself backwards, across to the floor again as the hail of fire resumed. The table moved of its own accord, the heavy hardwood splintering as it served as a barrier while he, for the half-second he had, collected himself. More were pouring in, more of the barbarianns armed with a pleasant variety of weapons.

He centered himself as he felt the table disintegrate under the pressure, preparing for the split moment to burst into action. He whispered a message in the Force.

Darth Ignus. Meet me when you've dealt with yours.​

 

[Lark]

Location: Jedi Temple
Objective: Clear out the Kinrath Hives
Allies: TSA
Enemies: Kinrath, Jedi
Post: 2/20

Lark nodded his head in a slight manner, and was not at all abject. He would have liked to fight the Jedi, he had never had the pleasure before, and to do so in their own temple would have been quite the experience. Exterminating the kinrath would be an compelling task, a mission worthy of an acolyte. Further missions would come when he proved his capability.

But he did not leave to contact [member="Bjorg The Traitor "]right away. As [member="Krest"] walked away, Lark knelt down besides the slain kinrath. Lark's memory was scholarly at worst, infallible at best. He remembered the descriptions of the kinrath in the book he read over a decade ago, word for word. Inside the kinrath lies a gland which discharges a scent specific to that species. If one possessed the gland, any surrounding kinrath would not perceive them as a threat. Lark delicately cut into the beast, and after a bit of digging, he found the gland, and contacted Bjorg, whose squad had reported heavy casualties after they were ambushed by the large arachnids. "Regroup if possible, I've been sent to assist you," Lark spoke calmly.

He ran towards where he thought the man was, and after a few winding corridors he found Bjorg. Lark could already hear the clicking and scuttling of the creatures, and he could smell the blood of fallen soldiers, and the odd scent of kinrath carcasses."We've been assigned to deal with the hive," Lark stated, recounting as much information as he could. "Crush the eggs, the beasts are dangerous as soon as they emerge. Get one of these glands if you can, they disguise our scent to match theirs. But if we get close enough our trick may be revealed, so be cautious nonetheless. The Queen leads the horde, it'll be vital to kill her."

Like a specter he drifted towards the sounds of slaughter, sword in hand, ready to exterminate the targets. He felt nothing at massacring people, why would he feel guilt over butchering overgrown insects?

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Jygat City, Mygeeto
​Entering the city...

​The Blackblade Guard was by far not an occupying force. A force consisting even of the tens of thousands as the legion and its various detachments did couldn't contain a city with the many millions that Jygat held. They were the very first wave of planetary occupation, the hammer to smash down the walls of resistance to crush the resolve of the enemy and pave the way for the military might of the Ascendancy. For this particular operation the Dark Lord had chosen to bring along an armored battlegroup strengthened by a reinforced battlegroup. It was an effective and well organized force to spearhead the breakdown of the cities defenses.

​Silence.

​An eerie silence swept over the legion as it moved towards the city only the sounds of vehicles, low flying Starfighters in the sky, and the occasional hushed whisper would be heard as one moved about the ranks of these legionnaires. These warriors were well trained, well conditioned, often considered inhuman. The only chatter spoken was absolutely necessary and entirely about the mission ahead. The entire force was connected through the various channels on the Blackblade's encrypted battlenet. The Highlord Osbasid directly managed the legion relaying his liege's orders while Darth Prazutis remained on an open line of communication with Darth Carnifex, keeping the Warmaster informed when necessary.

​The Dark Lord stood closer to the front of the force a small bubble surrounded by black armored legionnaires, the advanced armored units in sight, along with massive walkers carrying more troops into the city. For the moment he was alone within his bubble of elite Crownguard, the ever present shadow of the terentatek looming behind him its finely tuned predatorial senses on alert as they moved. The shadow was one of the Dark Lords most successful, painstaking projects to date. A pride of the beasts had been purchased from the reputable Blackthorne Beastiary, an incredibly amount of time spent studying the beasts, working with them, until finally methods of control were established by the Dark Lord. Today was the first time one of these beasts had been allowed out of its containment pens, and the very first time one had deployed alongside the Dark Lord into battle.

​A growl from the beast boomed forth a warning before a series of explosions echoed in the distance. Already Prazutis was tapped into the network reports flooding in from the advanced guard: Force Hunters. The rogue clan of Mandalorians with a drive to eradicate the presence of the force from their lands. The advanced guard had caught the attempted ambush of the hunters before they had hit the mines, and a brief, but violent conflict ensued between the powerful tanks and guerilla fighters, including several more along the length of the legion's forces. But where there was some there were more, this was only the beginning of their conflict.

​They would drag these traitors out of the holes they chose to hide in, and erase them from existence. Prazutis opened up his channel with [member="Darth Carnifex"] then "Kaine the Force Hunters are probing my legions strength, springing from their holes to bite away at our strength. If you can pull their tactical data from one of their ships on troop positions, we'll cut out the infection before phase three and planetary occupation begins."

 

[Lief]

[Post 7/20]
[Muunilinst]
[Council Chambers]
[ [member='Ignus'] ]

Shots were raining down on either side of the chambers, though thankfully all civilians had been removed without too much issue. She heard the confrontation from the other side of the door, where half the Vermilion Guard had taken the Councilmen, but she could trust them to know what to do... She had to.

Apparently Leos didn't know the woman, though he seemed to know of her. The very word of her kind made the girl shudder under her skin, but she did not let it show. She held her steadfast resolve, and held her free hand behind herself to call the blaster back. Two shots immediately fired from the weapon, aimed at the Force Hunter who deflected them effortlessly. Mae hadn't expected any less, but at least now the attention was on her and not Leos.

She felt a bolt skim past her face, narrowly avoiding her, and turned her sights toward the Mandalorian who had fired. Now crushed beneath a door. Mae's telekinetic aptitude would never reach the same heights as Leos, at least not any time soon, so she stuck to her weapons.

When another shot almost slammed into Leos she decided enough was enough.

Propelled by the Force, she leaped over the council seats in an effortless arc, similar to the way she had somersaulted away from Leos back on Nadir, and landed a few feet from the sparkly-armoured woman. She forsake the blaster, which stuck back to her belt, and brandished her lightsaber - feeling certain that the rest of the Guard could keep Leos from the Grunt's assaults.

She said nothing. She wasn't the kind of fool who yammered on in the middle of a fight and left openings for their opponent. Not Mae.

Raising her free hand in a subtle gesture, she sent a chair flying in the direction of the woman and followed through with a leap toward her while she was distracted, lightsaber blade angled down in an attempted attack. While the woman's defense would have to be lifted to deal with the incoming chair, Maelasi sought to use the distraction to her advantage... But she wasn't stupid.

This woman was trained to fight forcers. It would take a whole lot more than a simple chair to knock her off course. Maelasi knew that.

 

[Bjorg The Traitor]

Location: Dantooine, Jedi temple
Objectives: Don't die
Allies: TSA [member="Lark"] [member="Krest"]
Enemies: Bugs.

I heard over the comlink we was to have aid, but would that be too late? The fire fight began, as these creatures crawled in their legs towards us in a quick haste, their hate was unyielding, their blood lust never ending, just coming droves. They were big creatures, looking like their entire flesh was bone, horrible things. Yet the distance sound of light sabers clashing and blaster bolts being fired said that, not only were their invasive bugs, but jedi? What could they want in this ruin? Did they hear of our attack, did they want some thing? Well, what ever was going on, it wasn't a direct threat to us and nothing to be worried about. And so the fighting carried on, we retreated in the dark maze, we walked past eggs, large things, white as bone, from those eggs those bugs would often pounce, however with our bravery and newly found savagely, we beat them back, finally the bugs after loosing what might have been hundreds to us, finally retreated.

I heard the distant groans of agony from one of my men, suffering in his pain, we rushed over as fast as we could, it was not a nice sight, several punctures were made in his armour crippling blows to say the least. We had wounded and dying, their groans sounded like a choir, in one pain tune. We had not expected these casualties. I was not new to suffering and pain, but here it felt personal, like a dagger had been plunged into my heart, these were my comrades, brothers in arms, and now they either lay dead or dying. I ordered the renaming medics to treat to as many as they could, while I carried a one over my shoulder, but the crushing reality was we knew that not all could make it. Yet we must carry on, in spite of it all, we have orders to for fill. Mercy killings began, shots to the head, quick and painless, some begged, but most knew that there was no other way, yet, in spite of this, we know we had a mission. "I have wounded, I request a evac for them, sir." He spoke into the comlink.

 

[Seris Caine]

Muunilinst, Muun Council Tower

The one that had been smacked by the door was trying to get back up now. Leos couldn't let him do that, especially as he noticed Mae moving past him to engage the chief Force Hunter of the group. This situation was not what he'd been expecting when they'd come to get the Muun to join them. That said, he wasn't that surprised by the outcome given what all they'd done to these particular Mandalorians on Bastion. It made little difference to him in the end why they were there. The fact was, they were there and they needed to be dealt with. He loved Mae's initiative in the matter, but knowing little about her opponent, he didn't know if she could take her alone.

The one getting up lifted his blaster, but Leos sliced it in two before stabbing his blade through the mans exposed neck. Protection from the Force meant little when a lightsaber was being shoved through your windpipe. The effort caused him to stagger, but he pressed onward nonetheless. Thankfully, there were few of them left, but a blaster bolt slammed through the window, narrowly missing him, and reminding him about the sniper that was still outside.

The female Mandalorian was slammed by the chair, and knocked slightly aside, but she turned at the last second and unleashed a torrent of flame at the woman leaping at her. No, she was not going to go down that easy. Even as the flame jetted out of the wrist emitter, she dropped her sniper to reach for a flechette pistol on her waist. This fight was not going to be so easy, especially with her void stone dust covered armor.

Leos finally regained himself and turned to move down the hall towards Mae and the Mandalorian woman. The rest of the Guard could likely deal with the few remaining alive in the room, but there were still more that the ones escorting the Muun were fighting. And then he heard [member="Antherion"] call out to him and refer to him as Darth, which only served to agitate him. He didn't respond. He didn't have the time for it. While he couldn't directly affect the woman, he could affect her surroundings. Plenty of debris had been created by the explosions, so he lifted a bunch of it and started hurtling it at her, careful not to hit Mae, but trying to support her.

[member="Maelasi Eramar"]

[Post 8/20]

 

[Poe]

​Location: Dantooine (Farming Settlement)
Objective: Recruit Farmers Union
Allies: [member="Krest"] l [member="Serenity Loveheart"] l [member="Darth Raxis"] l [member="Bjorg The Traitor"]
​Enemies: Very Overly Cooked Meat
​Posts: 5.20



"The proposal is simplicity, really." ​The Famers Union was paramount to the Sith Ascendancy's cause. An army marched and fought based on the state of their stomachs. Hungry soldiers complained, whined, and usually began thinking of ways to desert their posts and the causes for which they attached themselves too. Citizens who found the haunting of famine and starvation creeping about thought of rebellions. Food was the most crucial moral booster for any army, while for the citizens it kept them more in line than hard liner-tactics. The Circle of Lords were aware of this. They could have simply took what they needed, but oppressive minds thought to much.

​"The equipment in which you use are in several states of decay, some not even working properly, or at all. Most of the parts you require for repairs are either to costly for simple farmers or beyond your reach to acquire. I will not attempt to lure you into believing I know about farming, but how long can you keep harvesting your crops in which you need to feed your communities with dysfunctional equipment?"

I gestured for one of the company commanders to join me by my side. ​"The proposal is this. The Sith Ascendancy will provide you with either new equipment or new parts free of charge and will continue to do so as long as we have an agreement, as well as small contingency of troops stationed in your settlements. The latter are not there to observe or hamper you, but there to protect our interests and the communities from raiders, pirates, and other miscreants. In exchange, you will donate thirty percent of your harvest to us."

​"Also, we will conduct tests on the younglings for those who may be attuned to the Force. For each youngling found to be connected to the Force, the families will allow us to take them to train them in exchange for fifty-thousand credits and six months free of donating their crops to the percentage agreed upon. You have forty-eight hours to discuss this amongst yourself and the community families. Let the families know we do not wish to steal their children away, but their agreement allows us to further protect the citizens of the Sith Ascendancy; and this shows us loyalty to the Sith."

 

[Lief]

[Post 8/20]
[Muunilinst]
[Council Chambers]
[ [member='Ignus'] ]

The chair was thrown aside, Maelasi's assault dodged, and as she span around to regain her footing flames arched through the air and toward her unprotected skin. Or so it seemed.

When they fiery heat licked at her, she drew upon the energy of the flames and absorbed it into herself. While her skin was toasty to say the least, no burns presented themselves, no blistered skin, and with a slight yell to help direct the flow she unleashed the bottled up energy in a sharp wave of darkness. It broke upon the Mandalorian, though she expected no less, but the others would not fare so well if she were to hazard a guess.

Distraction aside, the lifted her saber to deflect an oncoming bolt to her left before standing with a defensive guard. Watching. Waiting. Her senses prickled, and she felt sure that she was missing something... The room was almost void of enemies, the Vermilion Guard had done their job, but...

Maelasi recoiled.

"Where did she go?" she called out, not taking her eyes off the Mandalorian woman. "The sniper. Captain, locate the sniper."

How could she have been so stupid? In her haste to protect Leos, she had forgotten one crucial piece of this attack. Hopefully it would not cost them their lives.

 

[Zef Halo]

FARMING SETTLEMENT
DANTOOINE

Jaig's approach to the settlement was welcomed with numerous gazes upon his navy colored beskar'gam. The farmers did not know him personally but knew well the Vizsla compound a few clicks from here. The Mandalorians and the farmers had forged a mutual beneficial relationship that had sustained both parties in a long term.

Now the Sith were becoming an annoying variable.

He knew well the farmers, as much as they could protest, their resolve would be broken at the first show of force. That is why their relationship with the local Mandalorians were beneficial.

Mandalorians did not break at a show of force. Mandalorians did not break.

Jaig's calm and composed walk towards the settlement could be seen as very unnerving. The air with which he walked had an eerie feel to it.

"Thirty percent is too much." The Vizsla stated as his approach came to a halt a few feet before the gathered crowd. His voice through the annunciator still retained its deepness.

[member="Satia"]​

 

[Seris Caine]

Muunilinst, Muun Council Tower

The shrapnel he was pelting her with didn't seem to be doing much of anything. He probably shouldn't have been surprised considering the woman was largely wearing Beskar. Even the flames she shot at Mae that were turned back on her didn't serve to accomplish anything other than stopping the last few of her minions from being a threat any longer. At least the ones in the hall with them. She was quite the tough combatant. He knew that if he got close to her, he could end this swiftly, as her attention was largely focused on Mae, but he was still a few steps away. He moved closer, noting her drawing the weapon in her off hand, and stepped in with the intention of cutting her head off.

The Mandalorian had other plans. She was looking right at Mae as she brandished the weapon, but instead of firing it at her, she aimed it at Leos' exposed torso and pulled the trigger, sending an explosion of shrapnel into his abdomen, and stopping the blade from killing her in the process.

Immediately her jetpack kicked in and she blasted through the nearby window to disappear from sight, but not without leaving behind a little present in the form of a glop grenade, which promptly exploded, showering the area in sticky goop that would effectively hold them in place. The woman was a piece of work, and she probably could have killed them were it not for the Guard closing in. Against them her gadgets would mean little, and she'd already done a number on one of her targets, so she counted it a victory as she withdrew, believing that the Mirialan Sith would die as a result of the inflicted wounds.

Leos was caught in the goop, staring at his abdomen where shrapnel had blown through it. Thankfully he'd been wearing armorweave or he'd have a whole in him the side of a death star instead of just many wounds with bits of metal protruding from them. He stared at them, dazed at what he felt and saw. He'd never been wounded in such a fashion before. The pain was intoxicating, though largely in a bad way, and as his eyes lifted to Mae, they promptly rolled back into his head as he passed out.

[member="Maelasi Eramar"] | [member="Antherion"]

[Post 9/20]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Mygeeto was now hostage and its fate lay in the hands of not those blockading it, but in the hands of the InterGalactic Banking Clan's chairman on Muunilinst.

The chairman of IGBC no longer resided on Muunilinst, but on Dosuun. Though of course, none of Suravi's fine hooded friends within the Ascendancy would be aware of this as the Moff ran her shadowy financial empire under several aliases and through proxy. Under her guidance behind the scenes, the top echelons of the IGBC would spread across the galaxy to prevent such shakedowns like what was occurring now. It was still quite possible for the Sith to seize control of the local ruling Muun Banking Clan, but IGBC and its vast portfolios would be very much out of reach.

Still, IGBC held some significant holdings within the sector from previous leadership, and some of her associates weren't quite ready to let it all go up in flames. In their anxiety over the current crisis, she saw an opportunity. From a heavily modified Star Courier drifting through deep space, Suravi would convene with her executive board through remote conference over a private biocomm network, the heavily encrypted quantum communication system immune to eavesdropping.

On holo-call within her meditation sphere, each member of the board would be represented by large black monoliths organized in a circle, twelve in all including herself. While each of their true forms was hidden from view, the skinwalker had gone through the additional precautions of physically shifting forms for the meeting. Each monolith was inscribed with a glowing red idiom that identified each member by their code name: Rat, Ox, Tiger (Suravi), Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. A cute little nomenclature derived from an ancient cultural offshoot of Atrisians.

"Since the recent string of terrorist attacks on Mygeeto," she began, "I've accelerated our divestment in the Albarrio sector. The region has proven to be increasingly unstable beyond acceptable levels of operation, and as I had feared, the Sith are finally striking out from Bastion. For the time being, none of our assets are really at risk, aside from the properties of our remaining satellite facilities on Muunilinst. However, long term, I see the Ascendency becoming a threat to our plans."

"How so?" Horse asked. "Could we not work these Sith into our plans?"

"Not them. Among their ranks exist the architects of such disasters as Deneba, and Midvinter. In their irreverence, they are careless in how the commit their blood and treasure and have a destabilizing effect wherever they go. If allowed to reassert themselves in the inner regions, then I foresee at least a decade worth of setbacks to our sanitation operations. The whole sector is already heading for the doldrums just from their mere presence."

"You make a good point, Tiger, but then how should we proceed?" Monkey inquired.

"It's simple. From what I've gathered so far, the focal point their efforts seems to revolve around Mygeeto. They're using the ongoing incursion as a stick to sway the Muuns to their favor. If they fail at Mygeeto, then their whole plan unravels. I will deploy mercenaries to reinforce the Mandalorians who still oppose the Sith at Mygeeto, then work on the local Banking Clan to keep them from giving in."

"Actually," Pig interrupted, "There's been a development on Muunilinst. It appears negotiations have turned...aggressive."

"Just as I said, these Sith are not to be trusted. They seem keen on continuing to antagonize the local populace, so we will use that to our advantage. I will send strike teams to deal with the Sith envoy. As for Mygeeto, let's see if we can't use the opportunity to rehabilitate the image of the local government. Nothing unites the people like a good old fashioned Sith raid."

There was no vocal dissent to her plans, though every member was more or less under her sway. As long as their personal interests were kept safe, then she wouldn't hear much fussing from them.

"If there's no opposition to my operations, then I will begin immediately. The meeting is now adjourned."

One by one, the renderings of monoliths blink of out existence until Suravi was finally left on her own within the sphere, momentarily shrouded in perfect darkness until the holo display came alive again. A new round of calls, this time to her contacts through the Invisible Market. The fall of the likes of the One Sith, Republic, and now the United Clans had left whole armies worth of veterans out of job, all desperate for some line of work with their non-transferrable skills as killers. She had much work for them this day. Though for now, she would bide her time, and allow the Sith to root themselves within the sector and leave themselves vulnerable to retaliation. It was normally difficult striking out at the Sith, as they seemed to appear and disappear at will with seemingly inexhaustible resources. The best time to attack was when the Sith took interest in something and finally climbed out of their hidey holes (which currently appeared to be Bastion) to get it.

As the Jedi Marhsals of the Galactic Alliance faced their demise at the hands of the First Order, it was now time to deal with the other side of the coin and eliminate the last vestiges of the One Sith before they were allowed to get out of hand. Both the fanatical extremists of Sith and Jedi were a plague to the galaxy with their incessant holy wars, so she would finally provide the cure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8lQ0FgucYI​

((Forget Bastion, this is much more interesting as it involves my stuff. Let's have fun with this!))

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Ignus"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

[3/20]
Dantooine

Spoiler

In an effort to secure our agricultural stability, Dantooine will be taken by a small Sith/NFU strikeforce, with particular attention taken to the former Jedi Temple on the planet: this to be destroyed, the foundations levelled for a new Sith Temple to be constructed on the surface.

Objective: Subdue the Jedi
Allies: [member="Darth Abyss"], [member="Krest"], [member="Satia"], [member="Bjorg the Traitor], [member="Darth Raxis"], [member="LARK"]
Enemies: Resistance
Equipment:

Spoiler

5x B1 Battle Droids
Dreamcrusher 2.0
Dreamcatcher
Lightsaber

"You're all idiots. Idiots. All of you. Whenever you.. Just shoot them." But as Krest spoke, the 3 came to the realization that death was the worst fate that could be bestowed upon them. In a muffled tone, they began discussing what they would do next, they could feel the power coming off of the Sith Lord.

Meanwhile, Serenity stood up and began brushing the dirt off of her clothes. "Your sub-programs are being terminated" Igniting her lightsaber and cleaving the head off of two of the droids. Before they were destroyed, they just said "Roger roger." "Are all of you this sarcastic?" The remaining didn't respond to her. "This is such a mess. Get out of my sight and wait at the dropship. All of you are being upgraded whenever we get back, I've had enough of this redundant and useless model." Turning their backs and marching outside of the temple with simple obedience.

Finally, she turned around. "Regardless, wouldn't you agree you would rather join us than remain in this corrupt order, with the biggest hypocrites in the galaxy? Your superiors are clearly inadequately equipped, both mentally and physically, to protect even the weakest among you. Children. Why, if I had the authority, I could transform this planet into a metropolis with factories covering every inch of thi-.." Holding herself back, realizing this was more likely going to scare them than convert them.

"What about your families? We are not stupid, we are more than capable of reducing them to ash-.." She didn't know how to word this correctly without putting the fear of God into those infront of her; so she remained quiet and let the Lord do the talking.

"That lady's scary!" One of the children exclaimed, pointing a finger towards Serenity and beginning to edge his way closer to Krest. "Why.. I'm honoured." The others, seemed to be 2 in the shadows, were more reluctant to join and would require further persuading.

The 3 in front of her, one of whom seemed to be the elected leader, began to inquire further. "And what's in it for us?"

 

[Darth Ferus]

Location: Jedi Temple on Dantooine
Objective: Clear out Jedi influence.
Allies: TSA [member="Satia"] , [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Bjorg The Traitor"] [member="Darth Raxis"] [member="Lark"] [member="Serenity Loveheart"]
Enemies: Any remaining Jedi/Tomb raiders.
Post: 5/20

"Power. Strength. The ability to choose your own path. The Jedi demand you to sacrifice your life after stealing you as a child from your family. There is no choice, as the Jedi are all you've ever known, yes?" There were nods from the group. The Sith had pulled down his tattered hood, his blue eyes gazing from one to the next. He had a smile on his face, sweet and sincere, believable. "By becoming a Sith, by joining us, you can become what ever you want to become. The path is long and difficult, sometimes even more so than the Jedi, but at the end of the road freedom is yours for the taking. Freedom to take what ever you want. Freedom to enjoy what ever you want."

The leader's eyes almost seemed to sparkle at the idea. So young, so innocent. With another friendly smile he patted the kids head. "You all could make a fine Sith one day. But you are not yet. It will be difficult, harrowing, but it will make you strong and free. All you have to do is pledge yourself to the Sith."

 

[Natalie LaForte]

[4/20]
Dantooine

Spoiler

In an effort to secure our agricultural stability, Dantooine will be taken by a small Sith/NFU strikeforce, with particular attention taken to the former Jedi Temple on the planet: this to be destroyed, the foundations levelled for a new Sith Temple to be constructed on the surface.

Objective: Subdue the Jedi
Allies: [member="Darth Abyss"], [member="Krest"], [member="Satia"], [member="Bjorg the Traitor], [member="Darth Raxis"], [member="LARK"]
Enemies: Resistance
Equipment:

Spoiler

Dreamcrusher 2.0
Dreamcatcher
Lightsaber

The farthest person on the left, pleaded to the girl in the middle.

"You can't do this! Remember what the dark side brings, hate... fear..."

A lightsaber ignited behind him.

"You're being foolish if you trust this... this.. thing! We can take them on and prove our worth, sho-.."

"Shut up already and stop your whining" As the blade went straight through his chest, leaving a visible hole in his heart, the body slumping to the ground like a sack of bricks. To the far right of the girl, another boy struck out a horrified scream as Serenity extended her hand.

"Just take a nap, you'll calm down." His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body, not actually sleeping, but in stasis, as his mind was weak at this point. "Would your master have ever done that? Protected you? I think not. I'm protecting you from, an idiot" Pointing to the corpse on her left. "And a weakling who needs training." Pointing to the one on the right who was now paralyzed, stunned almost.

"So, what will it be..?"

Fearless, she looked down to her former friend, a lifeless body and then turning around, looking at Serenity with distasteful eyes. This was similar to her own path to darkness, being overwhelmed, being crushed, then brought back up as a better being.

She kneeled on her right knee.

"I pledge my allegiance to the Sith order." Inwards, she was facing an emotional battle with herself, struggling to understand what this really meant, the meaning of the decision she had just made, but it was one she had to make, lest should she wish to die, which was not on the agenda. For today at least.