[Rebellion] Have Fun Storming the Castle! | AoC's Rebellion of ORC's Zonju V

[William the Bloody]

Location: the Palace
Objective: earn his pay, side job
Allies: AoC: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]
Enemies: ORC: engagingish [member="Zak Amroth"] [ [member="Cotan Sar'andor"], [member="Jared Starchaser"], [member="KLR-13"], [member="Frielle Kinniak"] ]
Kit: profile page

The rifle rested across his forearm, the butt braced haphazardly against his hip as the other arm wrapped around the young woman. Blood dripped from her lips, potentially from a piece of debris hitting her face, possibly she bit her tongue off as the only sounds escaping her pursed lips were a pained whimpering. The blanket of dust slowly settled to reveal a man emerging from it, a pistol aimed at his torso without wavering. The no nonsense expression on the sheriff's face didn't leave much doubt to the seriousness of the situation.

Even though the other man held his weapon aimed at William's chest, the barrel of the rifle pointed at the lower half of the Judge's body. For a moment William froze, as the character he was playing would most likely be reacting. His finger rested on the trigger, just a caress away from firing. He shifted the rifle away from the other man and tossed it forward between the two, watching it slide the distance between them.

More presences were nearing their location speeding up the slow dance the two men were involved in, despite the other man not even knowing it was a dance. But the song was beginning to wind down and there were new partners threatening to attempt to step in. The young woman was now stumbling and William tried to stabilize her as he responded to the question that was more of an interrogation.

“Why is everyone trying to kill us? Of course we are good people! We just came to the palace to try to sway the King to lower taxes, then the next think I know there are agents here and soldiers are coming into the palace then the ship crashed and you are pointing a gun at my face! You are the bad guy! We didn't do anything wrong! Why are you trying to kill us?”

Tears erupted and he began to sob at the insanity of the situation. Why did the powerful always use their strength on the weaker, to crush the equally as strong, to undermine the more powerful? Oh yes, because to have power, to be strong, was the only thing that truly mattered in this galaxy. The woman stumbled and William stepped behind her to steady the lady, not his arms clearly catching her from falling. The holster at his hip rotated freely of its own accord and the pistol barked twice in such a quick rate of fire the sound echoed as one. The rounds in the magazine was staggered, every odd number a High Kinetic Armor Piercing Round and every off the flechette round. The armor piercing round flew unerringly toward the new power cell in the rifle near the sheriff's feet while the flechette round exploded into smaller tracking cylinders flying toward the other man before releasing their rapidly moving flechettes.

A quick shove of the woman toward Zak would hopefully keep William safe from the hopeful explosion of the rifle while giving him the freedom to clear the holster, the pistol aiming for the young woman and sheriff.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

Location: Verdict
Allies: [member="Zyra Crowe"] ORC.
Enemies: [member="Hanna"], [member="Madalena Antares"],@Wonderworker. Engaging: Madalena.
Gear: Armour, Lightsabre and Glacier Blade (sig!), Shield, Wrist Weapon, Sidearm, Sonic Weapon.

Emitting a horrible cold, the Glacier Blade swept towards the Sith Lady's hand, intent of depriving her of it and perhaps giving her a very icy feeling. However, in the nick of time, Kaida's adversary ignited her sabre-staff and met the attack. What was particularly surprising was that a flame erupted from the Sith's weapon. Kaida was more than familiar with flaming or otherwise enchanted blades, but she had not yet encountered a lightsabre with that feature. She did not think the Sith had conjured the flame herself, as she had not sensed her using a power, which meant it had to be something inherent to the blade.

In the brief moment of contact, part of the flame leapt over to her sword. Power coursed through the Glacier Blade as it absorbed the blazing heat, dissipating it. A different approach was required, Kaida reasoned. Sabre-staffs had some advantages, but also limitation. She was a woman of the classics. She decided to alter her approach. In a fluid motion, she pulled her sword back to a more off-set position down by her side. Ready to strike, but not directly engaged. Simultaneously, the Shadow Knight lunged the bottom edge of her Phrik shield down at the shin, ankle and top of the boot of the Sith Lady's right leg.

The heavy shield was good at stomping things. And the energies of her Sciia, or what humans would call the Force, flowed through her arm, empowering the strength and speed of her attack. However, while Kaida executed her attack, the Sith struck. In a blur, her adversary had manoeuvred herself into a position to thrust the tip of her sabre-staff's other end towards Kaida's torso. The Eldorai did not change gears or abort her attack. To reposition would mean to accept failure, and so she let the Sith carry out her strike in order to execute her own.

Covered by Phrik armour, Kaida's torso was well-protected. The lightsabre's tip ever so briefly kissed her armour, scorching it slightly but causing no lasting damage. However, by chance or design, as the sabre-staff's end bounced off, it made ever so briefly contact with a gap in the solid protection of her armour, located in her lower torso. Kaida grit her teeth as she felt a stab of pain. The graze left a searing burn and there was a waft of cooked flesh. But the Eldorai stood her ground, drawing in the heat. Pain was just weakness leaving the body.

 

[Rexus Wenck]

Allies: Outer Rim Scum | Dergan Twigg [x]
Rexus' Gear: DARKSABRE Armour [x] | Blackwing Electro Sword [x] | Lightsabre | G-12A Blaster [x] | G6E Pistol [x] | 6x Thermal Detonators
Twiggs Gear: DARKSABRE Armour | Blacwing Electro Sword | DH-52 Maser [x] | Thermal Detonators x12 | G6E Blaster
Location: Zoronhead Spaceport


Fear filled the mans bulging eyes as he hung off the ground. Rexus' grip around his throat tightened around the portly bureaucrat. "So that's that then..." The Death Trooper coolly glowered, "You and your little squadron here," he dipped his head in the direction of the customs and security officials who surrounded them. Rifles primed and pointed at the veritable giants who they encircled. "Want to survive," The Death Trooper continued to glower. "You are going to do leave here, and not come back until the dust settles." The official's face turned pale, and Rexus loosened his grip. Wasn't the first time he'd done this. In fact, this was the part he basked in the most. "We have ourselves an understanding?" The Trooper smirked beneath the facade of the armour.

The officials head bobbed up and down. "We--have---an---agreement...." The shorter man strained. Rexus relinquished his grip, letting the security officer drop to the ground with a dull thud. The security personnel seemed to be shocked by the action. Their superior clasped at his throat, panting and knelt before the Death Trooper. "Squad...." He grunted, voice hoarse and wounded, "Disperse." There was a murmur amongst the troopers. Some still held their rifles close. Others followed the directive, and in a panic fled.

"You 'eard the man!" Twigg roared, revving up his maser cannon. The machine screamed to life with a horrific clattering of gears and the whirring of components. That was enough for the others' nerve to break. Weapons dropped, clattering on the ground, and the commands of 'Retreat' echoed throughout the terminal complex. Rexus smirked, and with his boot, knocked the fragile bureaucrat over onto his back before pressing forward. "Juss like the old times, right guv?" Twigg cackled. A grin spread across Rexus features, as he activated the scanner within his armour.

"Just like old times." A bemused Rexus retorted, gazing into the distance. Until something caught his interest. Fast moving, and approaching down the main avenue toward the Spaceport Terminal. "We have incoming." The Death Trooper snarled, just like old times.

 

[Hanna]

Hanna
Post 4
Location: Boarding The Verdict
Equipment: Hanna’s Phase I Haywire Armor, F-11E Blaster Rifle, Phase I Sword of Eve, 2 CryoBan Grenades, 1 V-6 Haywire Grenade, Vibro-Dagger
Allies: [member="Madalena Antares"] AoC
Enemies: [member="Zyra Crowe"] [member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Zak Amroth"]

The electromagnetic pulse grenade went off only two meters in front of the armored marine, detonating prematurely by less than a tenth of a second due to the impact of the plasmatic discharge from the scattergun’s spray. A subsequent electromagnetic pulse was immediately unleashed by the blast, followed by a pair of violent shockwaves.

In the wake of the explosion, Hanna seized the initiative.

After taking her F-11E blaster rifle from the magnetic strip on her thigh, Hanna took aim at the marine’s ([member="Zyra Crowe"]) center mass and fired a single shot before rapidly reacquiring her sight picture and firing a second one which was aimed at the same location. Both of the energized bolts were fired in the span of less than half-second and their designated target was roughly twenty meters from the Qilin’s position behind the barricade. In spite of the chaos transpiring around her, Hanna was able to execute the controlled pair in an agile manner. However, she only narrowly managed to place herself back behind the bulkhead just a moment before incoming fire from an unidentified source assailed her position.

 

[Zyra Crowe]

​

://LOCATION: Maintenance Hangar 1, The Verdict
://OBJECTIVE: Anti-Boarding Action
://ALLIES: [member="kaida taldir"] | ORC
://ENEMIES: [member="Madalena Antares"] | [member="hanna"] | [member="wonderworker"] | Agents of Chaos

There is a thin line that a soldier walks between aggression and discipline, when in battle. Her old boot camp instructors called it the knife's edge. You needed enough aggression to push past the inborn instinct to not hurt another sentient creature, push past any thoughts of compassion for the enemy, and push past any issues you have outside of the present situation. You needed to have even more discipline to not let the aggression push you too far, to taking too many risks, or to jumping the gun.

Zyra's HUD had flickered when the electro-magnetic pulse had gone off, and had likely been saved by not letting the cooked grenades get any closer. How she had gotten that shot off before she even knew the grenades were there, she didn't know. That was a concern outside of the present situation, however, so she pushed past it. The Agrinium coated armor absorbed enough of the electromagnetic radiation to save her internal systems, though that was something else she'd only really be aware of in an after action review, and not in the midst of combat.

The horned woman slipped out from behind her cover, the final shot from Zyra's scattergun apparently going wide of the mark again. The part of herself that made such notes, made a note to practice more. A soldier of her caliber couldn't afford to miss with every single shot from a scattergun in the heat of combat. It was the kind of thing that got people dead.

As a First Order weapon was brought to bear, Zyra sprang into motion. She shoulder rolled away, but still earned a grazing shot across the back of her right arm from the first bolt. It threw off the angle of her shoulder roll and caused her to lose her pistol, but saved her from the surprisingly quick aim of the second shot despite the significant recoil of the rifle.

Zyra gained her feet as the horned woman attempted to get back into cover, and the soldier followed. She flowed into the space the horned woman had just left with the grace and speed attainable through countless hours of armored unarmed combat training. She closed to melee distance in less than a blink, one hand moving to knock the rifle aside, while the other snaked forward in a knife hand thrust, aimed at the horned womans throat. The knife hand was followed quickly by Zyra drawing her knee up to try to break any ribs she could connect with in the womans body.

Her intention was to draw this combat to a close so she could reclaim her blaster and continue to aid in repelling the other boarders.

 

[Wonderworker]

The Verdict
Allies: AoC
Enemies: ORC ([member="Jend-Ro Quill"] )

Humility was something often in short supply throughout the galaxy. The ability to perceive oneself as merely another cog in a larger machine, capable both of great and poor things, and not only one or the other was a luxury when pride was such a commodity. On each side of the Force spectrum, there were those who considered themselves to be talented beyond their peers, incapable of fault, the key to winning any conflict, or to resolving any disagreement. They haughtily gave pronouncements of what they considered correct, and announced their exploits to any who would listen.

The three short words that the Master spoke before he identified himself were enough to speak volumes to the Wonderworker about the man's moral character. That he considered himself unimportant, but not so helplessly minor that he thought he played no role whatsoever. He did not seem to be like those wrought with distraught who make themselves useless for fear of upsetting the status quo, but neither did he take on the role of 'hero' or 'villain', the primary character of a galactic drama that had stretched on for millennia. While he had earlier mentioned his ability as a Jedi Master, he did not now even bring those talents to attention, merely stating that he was a hermit.

There was seemingly some understandable confusion on the part of Master Quill as he came to terms with the offer that the miracle-maker had made. For his part, the masked man nodded when the nature of what he intended was questioned. "Yes, that's right," he said, eyes affixed to the offending wound. Whether it was a noble or barbaric procedure, the Wonderworker didn't know, and perhaps it was both at once. All he knew for certain was that, "It is real. It is my gift, to take and to give."

"I am unable to completely remove wounds like some... my miracles simply do not allow it, but I can take the afflictions of one person onto myself, and give what I suffer to another." He gently tapped the rat cage at his side with the hilt of the lightsaber, indicating the 'another' he intended to use his ability on after he had finished transferring the initial burn. "I do need skin contact and a moment of time for it, but... if all of these troopers-" He glanced at the empty corridor around them for emphasis, "-would allow it, then I'd be happy to repay you for your mercy with my own."

 

[Hanna]

Hanna
Post 5
Location/Objective: Boarding The Verdict
Equipment: Hanna’s Phase I Haywire Armor, F-11E Blaster Rifle, Phase I Sword of Eve, 2 CryoBan Grenades, 1 V-6 Haywire Grenade, Vibro-Dagger
Allies: [member="Madalena Antares"] AoC
Enemies: [member="Zyra Crowe"] [member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Zak Amroth"]

A brief lapse in the ear-piercing barrage of incoming hostile fire allowed Hanna a fleeting moment of relative silence. It was then that her pointed ears picked up the thunderous sound of heavy boots rapidly approaching her position. While she was unsure as to whether or not it was the armored marine she had fired at only moments before, Hanna realized that the momentum of the engagement was still not in her favor. The ORC marines had proved to be far more dangerous and cunning than the brutish Grysk that she had fought on Morcanth, in spite of their markedly less imposing stature. Nevertheless, Hanna quickly decided that it would be unwise for her attempt to directly counter their charge. While her ingrained affinity for violence had once driven her to be extremely aggressive in battle, experience had taught her to be more creative and unpredictable, while still remaining on the offensive.

Although the brief moment of relative silence was interrupted by a barrage of blaster fire, Hanna managed to focus her hearing on the swiftly approaching footsteps. She immediately directed her right wrist upwards and shot her grappling spike launcher into the ceiling behind the bulkhead. Then, after the spike embedded itself in the metal, while keeping her small form concealed behind the bulkhead, she quickly ascended until her feet were planted on the ceiling, allowing the FrictionGrip soles of her boots to support her weight in conjunction with the grappling spike. As she positioned her body in an upside down crouch, Hanna acquired her sight picture and waited.

Moments later, the armored marine ([member="Zyra Crowe"]) became visible when she moved into the space Hanna had occupied only seconds before. As soon as she saw her, Hanna fired two shots from her rifle which were aimed to strike the armored marine’s head in the execution of a quick controlled pair. Since the diminutive Qilin was positioned on the ceiling roughly seven meters directly above and less than ten degrees to the right of the marine, Hanna was able to re-acquire her target, compensate for recoil, and fire her second shot slightly faster than she had before.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

The Verdict
[member="Wonderworker"]

There were so many gradations of right and wrong here that Quill went with the simplest: allowing a darksider a chance to help an enemy. Quill slid up the burnt sleeve of his burlap robe and closed the distance between them. He was conscious that the young man could do him significant damage at close range, via the lightsaber or his unique gifts. Quill opted to trust the Force for advance notice worth a second or two. He also opted to trust the young man in the mask.

He focused on the Living Force with an eye to dynamic, in-the-moment awareness. That state of mind and power ought to give him the best sense of danger, if it came, but another benefit presented itself.

Awareness of the boy's technique as it unfolded. Because a quick and easy way to take someone else's injuries on yourself, in whole or in part, could save many, many lives.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Location: Main city route
Wearing: Armor
Wielding: WindWhisper | Phase I Sword of Eve
Enemies: ORC | [member="Rexus Wenck"] | + Open
Allies: AoC | + Open

Zonju.

Alwine pursed her lips as she marched through the capital's streets, flanked by a small number of Agents infantry behind her. They'd been sent to guard her. She'd been sent… Well, she hadn't been. She had chosen to come here of her own volition, even though she'd known in advance that there was nothing for her to find here.

Zonju was a backwater planet, one that by its appearances, had been forgotten at large. There was not much for her to appreciate about the levels of criminal activity or the sand that seemed to be abundant everywhere. Alwine was a Lupine and a child of crisp and cold weather. This heat was not part of her, nor did she feel overly comfortable in it.

It had been her understanding that once upon a time the Coalition had intervened here, and then had left the planet alone. So far, that made them no different to the young woman's eyes than others such as the Confederacy or the Sith. And then the rumors had arrived about them wanting to replace the king because the current one was hard to handle. For half a breath, Alwine had raged. This, all on its own, made them even worse. Them leaving the planet be, she could appreciate. She could understand. This? She could not.

Yet what was there that she could do, how would she be able of contributing to this battle? Alwine had signed away from being a leading combatant; that life held no more interest to her anymore, not when she truly comprehended how big the galaxy was and how many opportunities it held within it. As the Head of Speakers within the Agents, she'd found herself having… Less opportunity to do things. It appeared that at least for now, the new organization she had joined preferred the language of weapons rather than tongue of languages.

Taking a turn with the squad flanking her, Alwine was not arching on the main avenue. Some buildings had been destroyed. Some people had gone wham happy with grenades. Those things were usual for battle scene. The only thing she could not quite understand was, why there was a battle in the streets to begin with.

Brown eyes looked ahead of her, unknowingly walking towards the direction of @Rxus Wenck. Something was noisy, though she did not recognize the sound. "Head Speaker, we should evacuate from this area," said the Agent to her left. Alwine looked ahead again, eyes squinting. "I have been in tougher situations in the past," she said, her entire 5 feet appearing calm and composed. She would not retreat without good reason.

 

[Wonderworker]

The Verdict
Allies: AoC
Enemies: ORC ([member="Jend-Ro Quill"] )

Another smile crept across the darksider's features as his attempts at persuasion met with success. As the distance between the two steadily closed to allow him to touch the elder, the Wonderworker became acutely aware of the weight of the lightsaber in his grasp. Had he been anyone else, putting so much faith in one's enemy would have been an altogether foolish move, but the masked man carried no weapons of his own, and he had no intention to use what had been given him. To take one's mercy and charity and utilize it in a malicious way would have been an unforgivable perversion. To provide some further semblance of trust between the two, he promptly placed his left-hand; he had used his oft-hand earlier to pick up the tool, behind his back, the emitter pointing outward away from him.

With careful movement, he manipulated the cloth over the wound further aside, planting his fingers against the forearm of the Master. He was careful not to touch the burn itself, but instead chose to settle roughly an inch on any side of it, circling it wholly. Like the Jedi, he too gave himself over to the Force, allowing the invisible impetus to guide his senses, to allow him to perceive where there was nothing visible. Flesh which connected with flesh knitted together on a deep level, binding and combining until it was as if though the points of contact had melted into one another. To an observer, the change would have been imperceptible, but the Wonderworker didn't doubt that the connection would be felt by Quill.

And then, once meat had reduced from the state of being persons, and became simple constructions of muscle, fat, nervous systems, and bones, the miracle-maker set about his divine work. Focusing intently on the burn wound he had seen earlier, he began to remove the afflicted pieces, allowing them to traverse through the point of contact, afflicted tissues which had been scorched into disrepair were unbound from their previous owner, and bound to a new one. In their stead came a fitting chunk from the masked man's own forearm, having been unbound from himself and sent through the connections to take the place of the absentee meat. It was not an expeditious process, nor was it something easily seen from outside the bond. At best, an outsider might have seen the burn begin to fade away, slowly replaced with healthy skin while a similar spot on the Wonderworker's own arm began to dissipate into the burn.

Moments passed, the pain gradually growing in severity, causing the miracle-maker to grit his teeth in the process. He had been raised to fulfill this purpose, to take and to give, to suffer in the name of others, and to inflict what suffering was necessary when it became too great to bear. His technique did not falter, even when the burn had entirely etched itself into his arm, though a gasping breath did escape from him when the connection was finally broken, and the fingers were removed from their points of contact. "It is..." he cleared his throat, the pain evident in his inflection, "...completed."

Where the burn had existed, it would now be replaced with fresh skin and muscle, and where this had existed upon the Wonderworker's own forearm, there would be the sear of a lightsaber and the stinging smell of charred meat.

 

[The Maverick]

Objective: Defeat the other people who exist in reality
Enemies: [member="Cathul Thuku"] | [member="Frielle Kinniak"]
Allies: I don't know a this point

Fleet

Spoiler

All ships used with permission

Royal Destroyer: Pushing forward
(Capital ship) 95/100; Targeting: ANS Himmler; Squadrons: Deployed, Enroute to the Himmler (132) Railgun ammo: 9

Celeste Disabler Cruiserushing forward on own

Cristy: 75/95; Targeting: ANS Unenforceable Contract; Squadrons: Deployed enroute to Denigrator; Railgun ammo: 9
Vidrio: 75/95; Targeting: ANS Lothal; Squadrons: Deployed enroute to Denigrator; Railgun ammo: 9
Hanyak: 90/100; Targeting: Lothal; Squadrons: Deployed moving along enemy fleet; Railgun ammo: 9
Kaksonjae: 95/100; Targeting: Contract; Squadrons: Deployed moving along enemy fleet bombing; Railgun ammo: 9

The "Venturous" Class Cruiser: Moving behind the ships

Batu: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Enroute to Himmler
Blade: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Enroute to Himmler
Tina: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Enroute to Denigrator
Uppers: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Enroute to Denigrator
Tina: 20/80; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: N/A (Prowlers): Attempting to Ram Himmler
Uppers: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: N/A (Prowlers)

Tantrum Class Frigate: All are in defensive positions around the Royal as it pushes forward

Tweak: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed, escorting Celeste
Quartz: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Escorting Celeste
Shards: 75/95; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Escorting Celeste
Laice: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Escorting Celeste
Hiropon: 100/100; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Escorting Main group
Crystal: 75/95; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Escorting Main group
Ventana: 75/95; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Escorting Main group
Yaba: 75/95; Targeting: N/A; Squadrons: Deployed Escorting Main group

Squadrons: (these numbers will change with attacks)
8 Squadrons of Seraph Starfighter (96) [Tantrums]
24 Squadrons of ONI Class "Prowler" (360) [Venturous]
12 Squadrons of Project GHOST (144) [Celestes]
11 Squadrons of Project GHOST (132) [Royal]

Explosions were around them as Maverick stood there watching. A slight shake to his ship meant that they were hit, but it seemed everything was holding fine. One of the Venturous hit a mine and burst into flame, its shields plummeting and hull battered. The ship was moved into ramming speed charging at the Lothal at max speed. The pods jettisoned from it as it pushed towards it. Pointing his finger more Railguns went to full charge and fired.

The Celestes were hit but the bombing run seemed to not be significant enough to cause major damage, they would hold. The ships near the planet were a minor inconvenience, as he moved his fleet out of their range upward. The Ghosts preforming more bombing runs on them, continually protected by Prowlers, the Prowlers split off attempting to cut off the bombers as they returned.

Action Report:
Moved ships out of range of orbit defenses
Attempt to cut off the bombers returning to main ship
Put Venturous at high speeds towards Lothal
Fire another barrage of Railgun (same targets)

Fleet still advances but higher now.

Note I used RNG to do damage at https://www.wizards.com/d20modern/d20mdice/dice.htm

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Location: The City
Weapons - only a blaster
Objective - help where can
Allies - ORC
Enemies - the other guys AOC

Time - what is time? Indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occurs in an irreversible succession. Rekha was counting it off in her head minutes and seconds as they passed by. She stared over to Lila who sat with the same silly grin she had when she decided to play this supposed trump card on Rekha.

Rekha could have sat there and waited for the paint to peel from the very walls but the kaladian had this insatiable curiousity eating at her insides when Lila held back her information.

"I"ll withhold your allowance for 2 weeks, and lock you out of the communications, and any other social media like Starbooks, MySpace, and whats that other one you like so much.....Tweaker, tweeker..." Rekha inhaled sharply and let it out thinking she might have played her only trump card.

"Two weeks, that means I won't be able to go to the Coruscant Sky Mall, or hang with my friends...OH OH...it means I'd have to borrow credits ...." Lila frowned, "you wouldn't" she whispered.

Rekha leaned forward then rested her chin into her cupped hands slowly resting her elbows on the table, "I would." She smiled.

Lila's shoulders dropped down, "Rumors of fighting in the city for control and a ship in this quadrant." Lila shook her head, "I should get extra allowance."

Rekha perked up, "Fighting in the city..well let's go back to the dock I'll get my gear and I'll go find out if this is true, and you will stay in the ship and keep monitoring communications. And yes extra if you do a good job"

She sat up, "ok"

The two women slid out of the seats and walked outside, speeding up to a slow jog to get to the Midnight Star. If there was fighting Rekha wanted in, problem was now if they ran into the fighting before Rekha got her gear.

 

[Zyra Crowe]

​

://LOCATION: Maintenance Hangar 1, The Verdict
://OBJECTIVE: Anti-Boarding Action
://ALLIES: [member="kaida taldir"] | ORC
://ENEMIES: [member="Madalena Antares"] | [member="hanna"] | [member="wonderworker"] | Agents of Chaos

Zyra got to melee range and found her opponent presently ascending a grapple line to the ceiling seven meters above their heads. As Zyra paused for less than a heartbeat, Hanna ascended out of melee range, foiling her desire to end the fight quickly.

Judging by the damage the rifle had done to her armor on a glancing shot, she couldn't let the horned woman have free reign to shoot into the fight below. Her mind raced through her weapons, her pistol was some distance behind her, and her maser scattergun was empty. That left her rifle.

"Contact high, engaging. Need cover." She spoke into her mic to her squad, which converged around her in a loose, widely dispersed formation to keep her covered while she engaged the ascending woman. As she spoke, she pulled her rifle from the attachment space on her back and pulled it into her shoulder aimed up at the ascending woman. She led the ascent, following the grapple line up as the horned woman continued to be pulled up it's length.




Her HUD showed her that she was in marksman mode, and then began to caress her trigger as only a professional or a lover knew how to do. She sent bolt after bolts at the line above where Hanna was ascending. Either she could hit the line and cause it to weaken and/or break, or hit Hanna as she ascended to position.

If Hanna were to get to the ceiling, Zyra would continue to fire at the woman, the line of her rifle aiming at the line her own rifle takes on her. She falls into a combat trance, letting go of everything else around her except for her rifle and her enemy. When Hanna is settled on the ceiling, assuming she makes it that far, Zyra would begin to take steps to foul the aim of the heavy rifle the horned woman is using, continuing to fire while moving sideways, back, and forward randomly.

 

[Cathul Thuku]

Objective: Fleeting
Location: Zonju V
Allies: ORC [member="Frielle Kinniak"]
Enemies: AoC [member="The Maverick"]

"An enemy ship is ramming right for us!" the sensor technician announced, with a voice of panic.

"We can't take this forever!" the captain of the Unenforceable Contract shouted, as its shields were on the verge of failure.

"Most of their big guns are axis-mounted. There's only one thing left that makes sense for us to do, however risky it is: microjump, on the double!"

As the enemy fleet made its approach, it was angled at a higher angle than before, yet, they focused their attacks only on the largest ships for whatever reason. Explosions rocked ships that were hit, but the smaller ships were spared. Plus the Tina was on a collision course for the Himmler. This meant time was short, very short, for her to microjump. Nevertheless, she was made to feel that it would take a while for the enemy to reposition, and the debris from all over the battlefield, both from friendlies and from hostiles, were still being attracted by the interdictors' gravity fields to the enemy cruisers. Once the microjump would be underway, however, there wouldn't be gravity pulling the debris, only inertia, for a few seconds, given the time required to deactivate and then reactivate the interdictor fields. For a split-second, all ships would see the blue streaks of hyperspace, only to find themselves both aft and underneath the enemy fleet, but still within about half to two-thirds of standard turbolaser range, thanks to the microjump being somewhat imprecise, as was the case in the Ison Corridor. Thus the enemy fighters that attempted to cut off the previous bombing run didn't have long to attempt attacking the bombers before they ended up somewhere completely different. And, in the nick of time, the microjump was made so that the Tina would very narrowly miss hitting the Himmler and end up adrift.

"Pull the Tina towards the Royal Destroyer!" Cathul ordered to the Lothal's captain. "Re-establish interdiction; bomber squadrons, target the nearest ships! Fighter squadrons, protect the bombers! All other units, repeat!"

"Roger, roger"

Now that the enemy fighter screen was drawn away for a short while, and that they were on the other side compared to their old position, it freed up the fighter-based cluster missiles for attacks on ships such as the Tantrums and the Venturous, which were the priority targets for the time being. Also, the heavy long-range tractor beam mounted on the Lothal started its attempt at pulling the Tina back onto the Royal Destroyer, given the slow traverse rate of other batteries, it would take a while for the targeting solutions to be established, and, as such, cluster missiles would be fired first. Of course, the interdictors would be ready and placed on the same ships as before the microjump, the Celestes, before Therapy Command's own big guns would be ready to fire. Of course, if the attempt at pulling the Tina onto the Royal Destroyer failed, there always was the use of energy torpedoes: at that range, they could still pack quite a punch. But once the weapons were finally trained back at the enemy, after the slow traverse was accounted for, the fleet opened fire in earnest once again. Yet, there was one more strategic consideration in this engagement: the King.

"Open a channel to the Garza!"

"Channel open"

"What matters here is that the King is captured and brought to justice, or otherwise does not escape: bogging down the enemy is our priority right now! Speaking of the King, where is his craft?"

Spoiler: Fleet (8043m)

Capital ships:

ANS Himmler (Trimaran-II-class missile destroyer) | Shields: 30% | Hull: 90% | Firing at: Tantrums
ANS Denigrator (Scythe-III-class missile cruiser) | Shields: 30% | Hull: 95% | Firing at: Kaksonjae
ANS Unenforceable Contract (Munificent-X-class heavy cruiser) | Shields: 10% | Hull: 80% | Firing at: Hanyak
ANS Lothal (Lothal-II-class artillery carrier) | Shields: 15% | Hull: 80% | Firing at: Vidrio
ANS Skor (Skor-II-class monitor frigate) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Cristy
ANS Polis Massa (Skor-II-class monitor frigate) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Vidrio
ANS Positive KITA (Skor-II-class monitor frigate) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Hanyak
ANS Negative KITA (Skor-II-class monitor frigate) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Kaksonjae
ANS Job Engorgement (Skor-II-class monitor frigate) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Cristy
Jubilant Debauchery (Krayiss-II-class escort frigate) | Shields: 90% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Ventana, fighters
Synallagmatic Contract (Krayiss-II-class escort frigate) | Shields: 95% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Yaba, fighters
Sleep Country (Krayiss-II-class escort frigate) | Shields: 90% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Shards, fighters
Jabiim Train (Krayiss-II-class escort frigate) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Crystal, fighters
Evil Rabbit (Krayiss-II-class escort frigate) | Shields: 90% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Shards, fighters
Cinquedea (Jambiya-class pocket carrier) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: fighters
Kris (Jambiya-class pocket carrier) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: fighters
Kard (Jambiya-class pocket carrier) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: fighters
Khukuri (Jambiya-class pocket carrier) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: fighters
ANS Mustafar (Mustafar-II-class heavy corvette) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Ventana, fighters
ANS Operating Lease (Mustafar-II-class heavy corvette) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: Yaba, fighters
S-1 (Spirit-class picket corvette) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: fighters
S-2 (Spirit-class picket corvette) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: fighters
S-3 (Spirit-class picket corvette) | Shields: 100% | Hull: 100% | Firing at: fighters

Attack craft:

310 Chiloon-IV fighters (regular configuration; half are outfitted with cluster missiles and the other half are outfitted with heavy proton bombs)
160 Tsubame torpedo bombers

Spoiler: Summary of actions

• Microjumped behind the enemy fleet, ended up below its plane as well
• Attempted to tractor the Tina onto the Royal Destroyer
• Fired cluster missiles at the Venturous-class ships, fighters, and escorts
• Kept attacking the same ships as in the last volley
• Activated interdictors centered on the Celestes
• Had a bombing run on the Venturous and the escorts
• Had torpedo bombers launch an energy torpedo attack on the Tina

 

[Zak Amroth]

Objective: Doing His Best
Location: Castle Crash Site
Allies: ORC, [member="Cotan Sar'andor"], [member="Jared Starchaser"], [member="KLR-13"], [member="Frielle Kinniak"], [member="Lucius Varad"]
Enemies: AoC, [member="William the Bloody"] (engaging-ish), [member="Scherezade deWinter"], [member="Renn Garrick"]
That One Guy: [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

​

This was confusing.

Zak scratched his temple with the side of his gun, still trying to sort out who the actual terrorists were when William made his move. An unusual flash of instinct penetrated his drunken stupor and he fired a grappling spike from his belt launcher at almost the same moment the master of disguise dropped his facade. Before he really knew what was happening the Sheriff found himself sailing through the air and scooping the damsel into his arms an instant before the power core's explosion would have enveloped them both.

He even managed to launch a wild kick at his assailant while he swung by.

"Don't worry, madame. You've just been saved by the Sheriff of Termin-" she coughed blood into his face. For the first time Zak noticed her ruined back where homing fletchette rounds had found their mark, "Gross!"

The kiffar yelped and dropped her already lifeless body. It hit the floor with a sickening thud. He reached the zenith of his swing only to realize there was nothing he could kick off of a half second before he was yanked back towards the center of the room. Momentum began to carry him back and forth. He struggled to get a bead on William which threw off his trajectory and made his path erratic.

Already half blinded by bloody vomit, Zak started firing wildly hoping to get a lucky shot in. Concentrated Force blasts every bit as deadly as a high power las bolt sputtered from his imbued hand cannon in the other man's very general direction.

 

[Frielle Kinniak]

In System, Zonju V
ANV Elin Garza
BYOO: Belafonte's Line
Allies: [member="Zak Amroth"], [member="Cathul Thuku"], [member="Lucius Varad"], [member="Rexus Wenck"], @Rehka Kaarde, [member="Jared Starchaser"], [member="Braelyn Zale"], [member="Maokai Bantam"], [member="Jair Ordo"], [member="Cotan Sar'andor"], [member="KLR-13"]
Enemies: [member="The Maverick"] (Not in Range, yet), [member="William the Bloody"], [member="Alwine Lechner"], [member="Scherezade deWinter"]
The Dude: [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

---

---

---

---

By now the strike team dispatched by the base had arrived, and quietly without notice slipped past the commotion of the battle. None of them had ever thought they would have to deal with this, but here they were - the city was being put on lockdown. Checkpoints were being established and the army had begun to roll out all the while militiamen would usher citizens away from the fighting. The people who had arrived here were indeed terrorists, extremists who believed themselves the heroes of this story. When in fact all they had caused was a wave of devastation and destruction. Why? The men of the strike team could only wonder, neither of them recognized the so-called king, at least they don't recall voting for one and whoever made the decision to implement the king certainly had not realized what Zonju V was.

So into the land, these terrorists had marched, and now it was time to drive them off their soil. Oh, mother Zonju your sons and daughters would protect you, and as the castle was infiltrated they made their way closer and closer toward the sheriff's location. The sound of an old air raid siren went off throughout the city, no doubt now the beacons would be lit. Whatever these terrorists hoped to accomplish it was the duty of the military to ensure it wasn't. Into the motherland, these men and women had marched and out of the motherland they would be turned. In the path of their infiltration route, the Sheriff dangled and it was his random commotion that caught their eye and the fact that he did not pick up on comms. Luck and skill they managed to get him down in one fell swoop and alerted him to their presence.

Meanwhile high above the battle that now unfolded, Task Force Atoko held their line as Alliance intelligence was now gaining on the origins of the group. What was known was that the terrorists were not in any First Order remnant territories, at least so far but a sweep of the ship signatures would continue. The ANV Elin Garza now simply waited as the enemy fleet advanced just now working their way into the Garza's range. "Hold fire, but be ready, let them get a little closer," Docara ordered, and Kinniak nodded in acknowledgment.

Task Force Atoko, 2,240m
----------------------
ANV Elin Garza, Garza-class Cruiser
ANV Hera Syndulla, Syndulla-class Frigate
ANV Antoc Merrick, Syndulla-class Frigate
ANV Evaan Verlaine, Verlaine-class Corvette
ANV Shara Bey, Verlaine-class Corvette
ANV Jessika Pava, Verlaine-class Corvette
ANV Karé Kun, Verlaine-class Corvette

After Action Report:
--------------------
Task Force Atoko readies weapons, aim toward the enemy fleet.
CJMB Clarke-Porras places city on alert, air raid sirens allow citizens to head toward their safehouses and bunkers. Joint Military forces move out to secure the city perimeter and place the city on lockdown. Strike team infiltrates the castle, aids the Sheriff and informs him of the high alert and orders from the military base.
Alliance intelligence continues to gather information on terrorist cells. Intelligence is currently sweeping through agents and assets within the Unknown Regions to find a place of origin for the group.

 

[Madalena Antares]

Location: Boarding The Verdict
Wearing: Armor
Wielding: Meymad
Allies: AoC | [member="Hanna"], [member="Wonderworker"] | + Open
Enemies: ORC | [member="Zyra Crowe"], interacting directly with [member="Kaida Taldir"]"] | + Open

She had not battled in such close quarters in so long… The last time Madalena could remember doing it was before she had been given her current body, the body of one of the four hundred embryos that were meant to be her parents' children but never became them when the infighting within the family swallowed most of them up for centuries. In her sister's body, she had been a berserker, a Warrior, and few could withstand her face to face when it came to executing strength and force.

In her new body, her body, things were different. The song that had vibrated through her when she fought in her sister's body no longer existed. Her blood no longer sang in combat, that sweet tune whose rhythm or lyrics she could never replicate out loud because they did not exist in any way that could be understood with the regular senses. She had let go of the physical fights almost entirely, giving into the arts of Sorcery instead, where she had found a new home, a new place for her bloodlust and her abilities.

And as such, while she grinned at the success of hitting her opponent in the chest with her saberstaff, she had less than a breath before the pain in her leg was registered. The woman had hit her with the shield, and though Madalena's armor had most likely kept the shield from managing to amputate her leg or cause such severe the damage, the pain existed in stronger volumes than she would have otherwise liked. Stranger still was the fact that the adrenaline of the battle had not kept the feeling of it away until a much later time.

Time was running short.

Madalena freed her right hand, her saberstaff now held firmly in the left, her fingers moving around quickly as she formed a sphere of Sutta Chwituskak. It was a small one, sadly not strong enough to melt one's face, for she needed two hands and more time to create one of those, but her little sphere could do a lot of damage regardless. Aiming it for her opponent's head, Madalena released one after the after in short order before taking a step back.

Her mistake was taking a step back with the hurting leg. She had misjudged the damage, and her leg folded beneath her, sending the large woman falling to the floor, and leaving her open to an incoming attack for the window of time she would need to roll away into safety.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: Throne room
Wearing: Armor | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | Sofitor
Wielding: 7 Nozhi Blades | 2 Czerka knives | 1 Nastirci Combat Knives | Clarion | Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke (lightsabers) | Combat Gauntlets | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader K-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets
Allies: AoC | [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"] [member="William the Bloody"] [member="Renn Garrick"] | + Open
Enemies: ORC | [member="Cotan Sar'andor"] [member="KLR-13"] | + Open

Avoiding bloodshed. Scherezade looked at the man and mirrored his shrug. Part of her wished she was elsewhere; being on babysitting duty wasn’t exactly her idea of fun when there were streets and ships to fill with blood that would've been more fun to shed.

"You were trying, as an alien power, to influence the way this planet is governed," she corrected his statement of trying to get the King to loosen on his people. Phrasing it correctly mattered. There were many ways to influence planets like that. Doing it by conquest or by force were far from the only ways. How many planets had been taken over with actions that in other light could only been seen as the kindest of ones possible? How many planets had accepted help and in return signed their ruling powers away in one form or another? "Always easier to let the kid take over," she shrugged again, "His kids aren't much to write home about but they're more pliable. Would more easily eat right out of yourhands."

Casually, Scherezade began to throw her knife. Not at [member="Cotan Sar'andor"] – just into the air, and grab it again. No need to use the Force. She was a great knife thrower, and the short blades were her strongest suit in melee. But then again, she had terrified people more than once on the field of battle.

"I'd love to get off this sandy planet," she admitted with a grin, "But unless you guys are willing to leave, that's not going to work. We're here to protect this planet from outside influences when it comes to ruling it. If one of his kids wanted to slit his throat? Their own damn problem. You wanna try convincing the kid to do that? Now it's our problem. See the issue?"

Tossing the knife a final time before letting it slide back into its place, strapped to her thigh, Scherezade casually walked to the snack cart and grabbed a few cheese cubes. If the visitor wasn't going to eat them, she sure as heck would.

"That is how we free people,", Scherezade explained, "We don't liberate them just to add them to our space or territory. We give them true freedom, and have already done so with several kingdoms and territories in the Unknown Regions. This is pretty much our first stint here in the Outer Rim. Sort of neat. What's your name, by the way? I'm Scherezade. You buttholes once tried to arrest me for a crime your detectives knew I didn't do."

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

​

Location: Zonju V, Zoronhed, King Barthemos's throne room
Objective: Definitely negotiations
Friends: [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"], sorta
Enemies: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]
Equipment: (2) lightsabers, (1) K-22 Bryar pistol, (1) DE-10 blaster pistol (links in bio)

"Cotan Sar'andor," he curtly replied when she asked for his name. To say that he wasn't at least mildly bothered by the woman's alien mindset would be a blatant lie. Much like how he was often fairly bothered dealing with tyrants worse than Barthemos had been turning into. "So, you'd rather he continue to mistreat his people, until the point that a revolution happens and the planet gets rocked by a war?" he asked, somewhat sarcastically. "Also, for what it's worth, his kids are pretty stubborn. They'd be less likely to just do what they're told than you think."

A few cookies jumped off the snack cart as Scherezade was grabbing her cheese cubes, zipping through the air into Cotan's waiting hand. "Really, though, you're not freeing people. Certainly not in this case, if you know what all Barthemos himself had been doing to the people he's supposed to lead." One cookie disappeared almost instantly.

After a swallow of water, he started talking again: "In fact, I'd argue that by stepping in like this, you're doing just as much, as an alien power, to influence how a planet governs itself. In this case, you're showing a petty tyrant that there's somebody willing to step in and protect him when he starts mistreating civilians, and curtailing their freedoms." He gestured at the puddle of blood in the center of the room, the remnants of whoever the woman had decided to murder. "I imagine you've probably given him some ideas of what to do that he didn't have himself. Meanwhile, we were here to try and enact a peaceful solution between Barthemos and his people, so that we could promptly leave again and let this place get back to taking care of itself like normal. Sounds like you'd do well to learn how little governing power the ORC actually has."

That wasn't really negotiating, of course. That was just Cotan being annoyed with the overall situation. The last cookies also promptly disappeared, although Cotan's beard was surprisingly devoid of crumbs. He must have eaten all of them in a single bite.

"So, it looks like we're at an impasse. You refuse to leave until you've influenced things to your liking, and we refuse to leave until we've influenced them to our liking." Judging by the sense he'd been getting off of Scherezade the entire time, he doubted that she actually did care about the people. Probably some sort of hyper-social-darwinist like most vaguely-Dark-Sided people were, who would actually enjoy the prospect of watching the planet get embroiled in some sort of revolutionary civil war; no wonder she'd focus on the whole 'you're stepping in and interfering with the government' aspect over everything else.

"What will it be, then? I can arrest you for murder, if you'd like. This time you actually have committed the crime!"

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: Throne room
Wearing: Armor | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | Sofitor
Wielding: 7 Nozhi Blades | 2 Czerka knives | 1 Nastirci Combat Knives | Clarion | Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke (lightsabers) | Combat Gauntlets | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader K-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets
Allies: AoC | [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"] [member="William the Bloody"] [member="Renn Garrick"]"] | + Open
Enemies: ORC | [member="Cotan Sar'andor"] [member="KLR-13"] | + Open

Cotan Sar'andor, Scherezade marked the name into memory. She was usually damned good about remembering names, even the name of the butthole that had attempted to arrest her during that first time she was in Coalition space, drunk out of her mind, waiting for death to come to her.

"You speak of war as if it's necessarily a bad thing," she shrugged between munching on some cubes. There were many speeches she could give about how great wars could be, not just for those who enjoyed the blood and loss of lives, but for technological advancements. There was a reason that planets that didn't know too many wars tended to lean on the primitive side of both society and technology.

"But you got it all wrong," she continued, "I'm not trying to free his people from him. I'm trying to free this planet from you. It's really not that complex or hard to understand."

But oh, she knew exactly how the ORC governed. After all, she'd experienced it on her very own flesh. One of their prominent detectives, [member="Dax Fyre"], had shown her. It all came down to, they were, in essence, no different from the Sith Empire or the Confederacy. The only thing that was different between the three, and some others, was their PR department.

At the mention or her committing murder though, her facial expression changed. Where a moment ago had been a carefree young woman, now was the hungry expression of the predator that she was, ready for the hunt, ecstatic for the kill.

"I've committed no crime save to keep the King of Zonju safe. There is no crime in that. But if you go insist on going down that path…" she purred her warning to him, leaving the words hanging in the air. This would not be like other times. Other times, she'd been constantly held back, held in check, shackled by the laws and demands of those above her. This time, she was free. There would be no holding back.

The glow of her green eyes sharpened ever so slightly. She had fourteen blades on her, four firearms, and the Force. With or without that latter, she was more than just deadly.

The choice lay entirely in Cotan's hands.