Rebellion in Flames; Imperial Dominion of the Bothawui Hex

[Imperial Storyteller]

XXV

The Force could just not handle the Empire achieving victory that day; so it threw obstacle after obstacle after obstacle at the descendants of Palpatine. A rebel-controlled star defender, equipped with a HIMS, leaped out of hyperspace and began to fire at the amassed Imperial fleet. It was a shock for the commanders and their respective crewmen, as nobody ever credited the Rebellion with having anything larger than a regular cruiser.

Fire diverted away from the small fleet that had earlier attempted to escape, towards this new, much more powerful enemy. The shields of the Immobilizer cruiser began to fall from combined enemy fire, something needed to take this thing out quickly before more Imperial lives were lost to the traitors.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

{15}
Location: Bothawui
Objective: Destroy the Rebel Scum
Fighter: Bloody Mary

The Rebel Starfighter were no where near as skilled as the ones planetside. They were sloppy and held loose formations, the perfect formation for a TIE predator to slip into and dismantle. Dominic and Lucky tailed a single fighter, the two of them side by side taking loose shots at the X-wing.

"You're not escaping us." He said, watching as the X-wing drifted closer and closer to his central targeting unit. Finally the ship had achieved a lock-on and Dominic opened his laser's to a full spree. The laser blasts tore through the fighter's wing, sending it into a spiral as Lucky advanced, her own lasers ripping through the rest of the ship. An explosion erupted from the remains of the X-wing, Dominic and Lucky both flying through it as they searched for their next target.

As if given a gift another lone X-Wing tried to separate from the fray of the mass dogfight, leaving it open to Dominic and his wingman. "L.T. on your left!" Lucky called, to inform him of the fighter.

"I see him!" He said, immediately he jerked on his control stick, bringing him in fast behind the fighter. With a smile on his face he opened his lasers up once again, taking a few shots at the X-wing's hull.

 

[Imperial Storyteller]

XXVI

The captains of the Imperial Star Destroyers were forced to watch as the Rebel star defender absolutely annihilated the Immobilizer cruiser, shredding through the shields and proceeding to vaporize the hull and whatever was under it. The crew of the ship were granted a quick death when the hypermatter reactor was pierced by turbolaser fire and caused the ship to violently explode in a colorful but deadly inferno, leaving the small Imperial fleet without interdiction, but this would serve to be a great advantage as they would soon find out...

"Interdictor is gone, ma'am, what are your orders?"

"Call up the TIE Bombers, have th-"

"Ma'am! We're detecting something massive coming out of hyperspace!" A technician squeeled from his station, making heads turn in the direction of the outburst. The captain of the destroyer looked out through the viewports of the bridge, resigning herself to see what in the hell the Rebels, or worse, had cooked up this time.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

{16}
Location: Bothawui
Objective: Destroy the Rebel Scum
Fighter: Bloody Mary


The sound of an explosion swept over the area, causing Dominic to avert his attention to the nearby battle. "Holy hell..." He muttered, watching as the Immobilizer cruiser was now but a memory in the space in had just occupied.

Dominic shook his head, returning his attention to the ship in front of him. He yelled, angrily at the starfighter. "You stupid karkers!" He said, rolling his finger over the button for his lasers. The X-wing pilot had seemed even more distracted then Dominic, his hesitation being the window the Lieutenant needed to blast him to pieces. His laser fire carressed the man's hull before ripping through the starfighter, forcing it to separate into two pieces before the main part exploded violently.

How many people have to die before they get it? They won't win. He mused, turning his comm device back to his private channel with his wingman. "Lucky, how you doing?" He asked.

"Good boss, just let you handle that one on your own, looks like the X-wings are at half-strength." She said, rejoining Dominic's ship.

[member="Imperial Storyteller"]

 

[Imperial Storyteller]

​

​

XXVII

It had appeared so suddenly out of hyperspace.

The gargantuan dagger-shaped starship had stabbed straight through the Rebel star defender when the larger ship had finally arrived, causing the two shards to erupt in flame almost immediately afterwards. The shields of this ship, this super star destroyer, did not even flinch both when they had impacted on the ship and when it had exploded right in front of them.

The rest of the enemy fleet was decimated as thousands of turbolasers fired upon the helpless vessels, destroying them like a knife through paper. Resistence, Rebellion, the Empire would burn these ideas away; The stormtrooper, the TIE Fighter, and the star destroyer were all tools to be used to crush those who dared to oppose the Imperial government.

And now, after months of waiting, the Galactic Empire had a new tool, larger than anything they had ever built before.

The Admonitor-class Star Dreadnought.

The INV Pellaeon.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

{17}
Location: Bothawui
Objective: Destroy the Rebel Scum
Fighter: Bloody Mary


Whatever was left of the Rebel Fleet was no more once The INV Pallaeon entered the system. The few surviving X-wing ships that managed to survive the initial destruction the Imperial Star Fighter Corp brought on were destroyed once they realized the firepower that had breached the system. Some became irrational and reckless in movement, allowing an easy death. Others shut down the systems to their X-wings, believing surrender to still be a viable option. They too were wiped away from the face of the galaxy.

Dominic took a look over the ship that stood so grand in the silence of space. It truly was an astonishing sight to see. The man would be lying if he said he had not considered it, leaving the star fighter corp to pursue the route of a Naval officer, one day commanding a ship such as that. A smile came to his face as the thought entered his mind once again.

"Boss, you want to marry it or get back to the ship?" Lucky chimed in, a chuckle coming from her as she spoke.

"Come on Wraith, let's get to our ship and get out of here." He said, directing his squadron to one of the nearby Star Destroyers.

 

[Imperial Storyteller]

XXVIII

With the Rebellion all but crushed; the Imperial Star Destroyers would escort the newly-arrived super star destroyer towards Bothawui. The Emperor had sent the recently-completed starship to the system in hopes that when the populace saw it, they would either cease all hostilities against the Imperial military out of fear or be impressed with this display of power and willingly join the ever expanding galactic power.

In the hangar of one of the star destroyers, name the Avenger as Phantom Flight would soon find out. A black-uniformed officer walked along the catwalks of the TIE Launch Bay while the fighters were loaded back into their racks to be refueled and rearmed. He would approach [member="Dominic Crowley"], the leader of said flight.

"Lieutenant Crowley." The man began, stepping into the red light of the bay. When the pilot recognized the man, they would realize:

They were being addressed by Grand Moff Tanomas Graf.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

{18}
Location: Bothawui
Objective: Destroy the Rebel Scum
Fighter: Bloody Mary

​

Dominic's squad loaded into the bay of the Imperial Destroyer, immediately setting their Fighter's to be serviced. The Lieutenant began powering his systems down ad he awaited the tether to be placed on his ship.

After a loud click could be heard he exhaled, pulling his helmet off of his face. Sweat poured down the side of his neck as fresh air filled his lungs. "Another day, another credit." He said stretching his arms before seeing to the rest of his ship's systems. The man unloaded his fighter, watching as his teammates did the same. Both Lucky and Radar joined the man at his side, Radar clasping a hand on his shoulder while Lucky clapped his hand with hers in a rather loud high-five.

"Good job boss, what did you get, three this time?" She said, trying to get her sweat-filled hair in order.

"Four, Lucky, don't tarnish my re-" Dominic tossed his words to the side as an unfamiar voice called out to him. He turned to see the Grand Moff of the Empire addressing him, which caused his heart to skip a beat. "Flight, attention!" He called out, snapping his heels together. He raised his arm in a salute, the rest of his team locking up as soon as they saw the Grand Moff. "Grand Moff on deck!"

[member="Imperial Storyteller"]

 

[Tanomas Graf]

XXIX

Graf's face twisted into a kind smile, "At-Ease, Pilots." He chuckled, hoping to put them at rest after his sudden arrival.

"I have been watching your flight's progress for most of the battle, and I must say I am impressed with the way your subordinates handle themselves, all with the fresh guidance of their leader." Tanomas complimented, raising his hand to reveal four bronze medals clutched in his fist.

"By the authority of His Majesty, Emperor Kardal. I, Grand Moff Graf, hereby bestow upon the pilots of Phantom Flight; the Distinguished Flight Medal for exceptional conduct in a single space engagement."

At this, the old man would pin a medal to the chest of [member="Dominic Crowley"], before moving around and doing the same to the other three pilots.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

{19}
Location: Bothawui
Objective: Meet Grand Moff Graf
Fighter: Bloody Mary


Dominic and the rest of his squad stood with their hands clasped firmly behind their backs when given the command to stand at-ease. It was not small thing to meet Tanomas Graff, and they knew better then to abuse such a chance. Dominic, whom had dreams of becoming a Moff himself one day, found the prospect of being given an award by the Grand Moff an amazing honor. It was surely an honor the man was not expecting. As the Grand Moff pinned the medal to his chest he did offer a slight smile, a touch of pride flowing through him as he glanced down at the medal. "Thank you, sir." He said

Lucky and Radar mirrored his thanks after they too had been pinned. "Thank you sir." They both said in response to their earned medals.

Dominic couldn't help but glance down a his award once again before nodding at the Grand Moff. "All we do is in service to the Empire, sir." He said, finding the words to be fitting for the moment.

[member="Tanomas Graf"]

 

[NT-6922]

"Hold on, what do you think you're do-"
Before Natassia could even finish her sentence, the Inquisitor went directly into the fight. Her jaw dropping at the sight of the other woman selflessly deflecting the incoming fire and taking the Bothans' attention, she soon regained her composure and jumped over the barricade. Sprinting forward as the rebels focused on the tiring force user, she dropped to her knee and slid down for a few seconds, before rising her shotgun, activating her outer vox. "That one's for Sierra One", she said coldly as she squeezed the triggers and fired a dozen shells without stopping, the unrelenting force of her weapon throwing back the enemies it didn't outright destroy. The rest of her squad soon brought fire support, discharging both blaster and ballistic fire, forcing the surviving Bothans to retreat further down the hallway.

"Sierra Four, torch'em!"
With a nod, the man to her right advanced further and raised his weapon. Moments later, flames started roaring as he held down the trigger of his flamethrower, the soldier cold and efficient as the screams of the rebels unfortunate enough to be caught in the fire were heard, but soon died down before the intensity of the promethium. He kept firing for a few more seconds for good measure, before finally lowering his weapon and releasing the trigger, watching at his handiwork; charred corpses and badly burnt walls and floor.
For a moment, Natassia's hand went to her sidearm, breathing heavily, trying to keep her composure. Sierra-Four was unstable; a pyromaniac and a convict, she had saved him from execution in exchange for a life in the Empire. And, while she had learned to trust the man, she was still anxious every time he used his flamethrower.
But her fears were unfounded, as he turned toward the Lieutenant and raised a thumb. "All clear."
Sighing in relief, she turned toward Alema, nodding gravely. "Good call back there", she said as she watched Sierra Three inject Sierra One with what the grunts called the Ultrastims; able to make a soldier ignore wounds for some time, making him available to fight on longer until proper medical attention. "I think you might have tipped the balance. Good work."
And with that, she turned to the other troopers, as she changed the huge ammo box of her shotgun with incendiary rounds.
"Squad, listen up! They obviously know we're here already. Forget radio silence and night vision; activate flashlights and stay patched in with the fleet. Any intel they got, I want us to get it in real time."
Not even bothering to wait for their acknowledgement, she activated the flashlight on her helmet, putting the intensity to adapative; should they face the rebels again, it would automatically become suddenly brighter, blinding them long enough for them to prevail.

Back in formation, they kept advancing in the hallway, before Sierra-Five suddenly stopped and raised his fist.
"Ma'am, things are getting agitated in Orbit. I think some big ranks are there."
Nodding to her squadmate, she frowned as they reached a damaged door. Sierra-Five, to her command, advanced toward it and scanned through it with his advanced helmet programs, before turning toward the squad leader. "They're here", he said with a grave nod.
Gripping her shotgun tightly, she turned toward the Inquisitor. "Ready?"

 

[Tanomas Graf]

[30]

The old man's smile never faltered; this was the next generation of Imperials and he, the Father of the Empire, was thus far proud of them, all of them. "All any of us ever do is in service to the Empire. In service to preserving order a chaotic galaxy." He replied, acknowledging the Lieutenant with a nod.

Down below on the planet of Bothawui, fires that had once ravaged the cities were being put out by the Imperial Army and Starfighter Corps. Civilians were being ushered into field camps to be treated for wounds and re-situated in their homes, for once finally glad that the day-long battle had concluded. At the capitol of Bothawui, the last rebel was slaughtered.

"We begin wars to prevent them. It's contradictory but it's necessary."

An entire squadron of star destroyers approached the capitol building that stood as a shining beacon of rebellion, moreso than the remaining Rebel headquarters. The TIE Fighters launched first, beginning to approach the large contruct at blazing speeds, the turbolaser turrets on each star destroyer turning to train themselves on the defenseless building.

"After all, Lieutenant;"

The fighters fired first, beginning their first strafing run of the building, their green lasers impacting against the structure, either erupting on the surface or piercing through the material. Then came the TIE Bombers, lobbing deadly proton bombs wherever they could, and finally, after the airstrike, begun the bombardment. The Star Destroyers opened fire with all turbolasers, bolts the size of fighters soaring at their target and absolutely obliterating it both physically and from memory.

"There will only be peace when the Empire rules the galaxy once more."​

​

​

 

[Enara]

[SIZE=9pt]{3}[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=9pt]Location: Bothawui[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=9pt]Objective: Rebel HQ on Bothawui[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=9pt]Allies: Imperials, [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]NT-6922[/SIZE]​

Alema didn’t have the time to wait, once she was stilled she had launched herself immediately into the open, igniting her saber and doing her best to avoid getting shot. Presumably to death. She was relieved when 6922 leapt from cover and pushed the advantage provided by the rebels’ distraction. It was none too soon, though she had only been out in the open for a few seconds, she was already tiring. Other Force users were able to deflect all day practically without effort, she was not so accomplished. She was impressed by the sheer ferocity the woman was able to deliver with every shell she fired down the corridor. The rebels realized their mistake too late- the ones not already dead from the slugs of 6922 or the blasters from other troopers were thrown back and forced to retreat, “thanks for the relief,” Alema huffed, deactivating her saber and returning it to her hip in a fluid motion and placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath. 6922, however, seemingly characteristically, was focused on the task at hand and called forth another trooper to set the whole hallway alight. She flinched as the rebels caught in the flames screamed, as the scent of burning flesh met her nostrils. It was terrible. “One must wonder, if they knew their fate, would they have lived any differently?” Her voice was soft and barely audible over the death cries of the poor souls unlucky enough to have encountered the inferno.

“Thanks,” she said when the Lieutenant turned back to compliment her, “though it was you and your squad who did the real heavy lifting. I’m just glad I was there to contribute.” It was true, she was very much aware that she wasn’t a ‘Sierra’ but she did like to think that their common bond in the Empire made up for that fact. They were all Imperials, even if they could not all be Sierras. She took a moment to inquire into the condition of Sierra One, amazed at how he well he seemed to be handling the pain with only a small injection. “Thanks for the warning Sierra One,” she said as she offered him a hand up, “that warning was the only thing that kept us from walking right into an ambush. They’re gonna wish they had downed you while they had the chance, let’s go give ‘em hell.”

Alema listened as intently to 6922’s orders as did the troopers in her squad. She wasn’t an arrogant fool, the Lieutenant had far more experience in these conditions than she did- not only that, she was the officer in command. The radio silence comment didn’t mean much to her, but turning on flashlights sure did, no sooner had the troopers’ lights turned on then her own azure blade hummed back to life, casting enough light that they troopers could have seen each other just fine- though it didn’t extend far enough down the hallway to make their own lights any less useful. She took a moment to try to steady the butterflies in her stomach- close quarters always made her nervous, but it was nothing she wasn’t willing to overcome in service of her Empire. “And if you’ve got the time,” she said quietly as they moved down the corridors, “rely any exciting intel to me also,” she requested with good humor, though keeping her voice quiet as to not give away their position- not that they were being incredibly stealthy, “I forgot my helmet at home.”

They continued moving until stumbling upon a damaged door, it seemed that they had encountered more holdouts. She reached out with the Force and could feel the rebels, trembling and afraid. They knew it was only a matter of time. And yet she sensed another feeling on the other side of the door- resolve. It seemed that they were willing to die in this fight. Her lips turned down and her brow furrowed for a moment as she realized that they wouldn’t accept surrender even if it was offered to them. They had to know they had lost, even now Imperial Star Destroyers patrolled the skies, even now- she could imagine- troopers offering safety and medical care to that mother she had been forced to turn away at the barricade. The Empire was doing good. Bringing order. And instead of surrendering and receiving mercy, they would fight to the death for a losing cause. Their only ambitions left being to take as many Imperial lives as they could before their own flames were extinguished. Rebel scum.

“They’re determined,” she said quietly, realizing only afterward that they probably were already aware of that fact. She turned to the Lieutenant and considered her question, “let’s end this.” She approached the door and impaled it around the edge with her saber, pressing her body into the hilt as she pushed the blade through. The rebels on the other side were no doubt startled at the sudden advent of the signature weapon of the Jedi, slowly cutting her way into their sanctuary. She finished slicing and turned to the rest of the squad and nodded, one hand held her saber and with the other she pushed the door in with the Force. Almost immediately blaster fire came ringing from the corner and so she sent the severed door hurling in that direction, crushing the rebels who had been foolish enough to open the attack. Her eyes scanned the room as she moved her blade rapidly, blast bolts were deflected, ballistics were evaporated, she found another small group of rebels firing at her from behind overturned desks and leapt, nearly grazing the ceiling as she twirled towards them, landing behind them and beginning to slash. “For the Empire!”

 

[NT-6922]

Natassia shook her head at Alema's words, turning over the body of a dying rebel with her foot. From an outside perspective, the man would of seemed dead; but the advanced scans of her helmet allowed her to see that he was still alive. "I don't think so", she said as she shook her head, and fired her shotgun point-blank, finishing off the last rebel. "I can respect defiance against overwhelming odds; however, I do not respect such a behavior against a benevolent organisation."
Still, she was moved by the words of the Inquisitor; sometimes, in war, people forgot that they fought against people, too. It was easy to demonize the enemy, to paint it as the greatest of evils; but Natassia knew better. This path only led to hatred, and blind hatred caused the death of innocent civilians. Something neither she or the Empire stood for. "You sell yourself short", she told Alema after a moment of silence, her tone warming up slighty. "You have potential. I lament your lack of armor, but you clearly show skill." Taking point once more, Sierra One placed two fingers onto his helmet as he passed before the inquisitor, the stormtrooper sign language for a smile.

---------------------------------


When Alema set out to cut down the door, Natassia turned to the rest of her squad, beaming with pride as they all prepared to rush in. She knew some of them had doubts -after all, they weren't machines-, but they did not show it. And for that, she was proud. Knowing they might ride to their death, she enunciated her usual mantra, whom made her legendary in the days of the old Galactic Empire, and made her an odd figure in this new version of it.

"On the blood of our kin, on the blood of our foes, we swore to uphold the Empire!"

The rest of the squad answered as one, their voices unified in the codified mantra.

Even to our dying breath!

"Those who would break this oath are traitors, worthy of neither pity nor mercy - even now, they put the lives of innocent people on the line to spread their lies!"

We shall grind them into dust!

"And continue our march to glorious salvation!"

She barely had time to finish, as the inquisitor force-pushed the door opened, and charged inside, deflecting the projectiles. Following behind her, Sierra Squad let out their characteristic call sign - full of pride and honor. Their helmets emitted the loud screech of a long-extinct bird, native to Natassia's homeworld; one who preyed upon the strongest of foes, and upon whom the entire ecosystem of the planet was based. They were the same, in a way; brutal and zealous, but before all, protectors of the Empire.
Sierra One was firing his heavy machine gun at the rebels, supporting the inquisitor to whom he owed his life by suppressing the rebels targeting her; meanwhile, Natassia rushed those who had holed up in the center of the room, well protected compared to the other so-called barricades.

Each meter brought her closer and closer... until a flaring pain filled her through the torso, and she fall to the side. Pierced by an anti-armor round, she saw blood - her blood - seeping through the hole in her armor. Sierra Two started to take her by the arm and drag her away, firing his sidearm at the rebels; although this attempt was noble, all he received for his bravery was a round straight to the helmet, and the Zabrak fell backward, motionless. Struggling to rise to her knees, she had trouble focusing; all around her, death reigned. Sierra Four was firing his flamethrower without stopping at the barricade she had attempt to take, before a bullet pierced his promethium tanks. Thinking he was about to die, she winced and prepared for the blast... only for her eyes to widen as he burst out in laughter, detaching the tank and throwing it at the barricade. Discarding his now-useless weapon as the fuel tank exploded, he turned toward the Lieutenant and helped her to her feet, groaning as he did so.
"I got you, ma'am!"

With that, he took her sub machine gun and turned back toward the Inquisitor, nodding to himself. "I'll keep the inquisitor covered!"
Thankful for the rescue, she turned around, seeing Sierra Three fighting in melee against a Bothan, throwing kicks and punches, the two of them trying to reach for their weapons between two clashes, only for the other to kick the weapon away or stop them from even seizing it. Taking her shotgun from the floor, she charge the two of them, putting her barrel under the Rebel's chest and firing with a cry of anger, seeing the traitor's insides splatter against the wall. As she turned around to see if any enemy still lived, she saw one of the rebels carrying a briefcase and hurrying off from the way they came...
Wounded, she knew her aim would not be steady enough; and so she summoned her last bit of adrenaline and wield, tackling the fleeing enemy, the two of them falling to the ground. Thinking it was all over, as fighting inside the control room had stopped - only to be replaced with an oppressive silence, she saw the man beneath her groaning as he unpinned a grenade.

"Son of a -" before she could even finish her sentence, her world became nothing else than a white flash. When she opened her eyes once more, everything was... still. Sierra One was breathing heavily, but still alive - kneeling over Sierra Two, taking his helmet off. Sierra Four was busy putting a round in the forehead of the (very few) survivors, Sierra Three was checking on the Inquisitor, Sierra Six was planting explosives, and Sierra Five was looming over her, before crouching down and calling out to Sierra Three, speaking words she was having trouble understanding.
"I don't feel so good", she finally managed to say through gritted teeth. She felt numb - so very numb. She felt like closing her eyes and taking a nap.
Of course, that wasn't an option. Sierra Three hurried over to her, getting to work - and she could see by Sierra Six's radioing that it was bad. Only as she was injected with an enormous amount of painkillers did she realize what the problem was.

Her right arm wasn't there anymore. Almost all the way up to her shoulder, nothing was left. And she felt strangely calm about this. Was this how one faced death?
She was still questioning herself over this, when the rest of her squad grabbed her and started going back the way they came. She fell unconscious to the sight of her father coming home in his trooper armor years ago, covered in sand, but safe and for the most part sound. Passing a hand into her hair as she ran from her bedroom to the living room.

 

[Enara]

[SIZE=11pt]{4}[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Location: Bothawui[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Objective: Rebel HQ on Bothawui[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Allies: Imperials, [member="NT-6922"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]As Alema cut, she listened to the mantra spoken in unison by the troopers and smiled at their bond. They were united in their goals, their passions, and their allegiance. It was refreshing. She would need tot ask the Lieutenant where she had learned the little saying, she had never heard it before. She slowed the pace of her cutting to allow for them to finish, not wanting to interrupt their ritual with blaster fire. If they could clear out this room, they would break the backs of the Rebels here and finally this system would know peace again. After so much chaos. That was what motivated all of them to keep up the fight, even while celebrations were already taking place on the surface- they were deep down below to ensure that those celebrations could be as lasting as they were meaningful.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“For the Empire,” she shouted as she moved forward and threw the door into the room, crushing a group of Rebels before moving rapidly to dispatch some others. Her lekku twitched at the screech being projected from the troopers helmets, which combined with their flashlights exploding with bright intensity, served to completely disorient the Rebels, giving the Imperials the early advantage even in spite of the Rebels’ entrenched position. She was unsure what animal it was that bellowed as the soldiers made their way into the room, but it seemed to be an audible manifestation of the spirit of these men and women who, though she had only recently met them, and even though she was unsure what they looked like underneath those helmets, or even what their names were, she had grown to respect immensely for their devotion and sense of self-sacrifice. It was men and women with blasters, not Force users with sabers, that kept the Imperial cause of peace and order advancing it seemed. And she was proud to be with them. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The rebels before her screamed with terror as her saber cut down and through their friends before her, they were being hit from both sides- those further away, just out of Alema’s reach, would find themselves under heavy fire by Sierra One, fire that they did not have the chance to return or suppress as they were pushed constantly back by the blue blade she wielded. With the first brood of vipers dispatched she jumped and launched herself, saber first, in a blurry blue twirl towards another group, this one too cowardly to even stand up and shoot, they were crouched behind counsels and control panels, trying to avoid the fire fight that raged just a meter into the open. Her saber twirled with a well regarded hum as she brandished it towards the crouched rebels- “tell your companions to surrender and there need be no more death he-“ before she could finish her offer she felt a sudden sting of pain and an immense tingling sensation travel down her arm, beginning in her shoulder and radiating out. She looked down and realized that one of the women to her side had decided to interrupt her offer with a blaster bolt. Unfortunately for her, she had only grazed the Twi’lek. She had, however, made a very poor case for permitting surrender. Alema jerked her head to the right and the blaster was torn from the woman’s hands, her saber came down with startling speed- the woman should have shot her in the dominant hand or at least at center mass, but seemed to terrified to even accomplish that. The horrific expressions she made was still on her face when the blue blade pierced her chest. Alema removed the blade and cut down the other rebels there, sparks flying as an occasionally misplaced swing would hit the control panel and disable it with a loud bang and the hiss of electricity. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She searched the room, looking for her next target, it seemed that 6922 was leading the charge against the central holdouts- she turned her attention to the perimeter to ensure the Lieutenant wouldn’t be shot in the back s she advanced, only to have a sudden sense of foreboding overwhelm her senses. Her eyes snapped back to the Lieutenant and she shouted “Get…” the shot rang out and the woman’s chest immediately seemed to explode in blood as her white armor gave way to the round and she crumbled to the ground. “Sierra Two,” she screamed desperately, “get back,” she demanded hoping he could hear her over the fray, but, admirably, he was too enraptured by saving his squad leader to focus on anything else. Another round went through his helmet and he fell over, almost certainly dead. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Another round only narrowly missed Four and punctured his tank, her eyes narrowed in brief confusion as threw the entire tank at the enemy, realization dawned as they attempted to scramble away from it, only to find themselves trapped by an invisible Force barrier she projected- the flames rose up nightly when the tank detonated, trapped by the Force to form an inferno as brilliant as it was lethal. Still, it was little consultation, she surveyed the dead and felt her heart accelerating. This was all so unnecessary. They had already won. They could have surrendered. They should have surrendered, couldn’t they see the rebellion was doomed? Anger welled up in her heart- now two more were dead, two people presumably with families and friends. And for what? So these scum could cling to their misguided ideals for a few seconds longer. She wouldn’t let this continue, these rebels and their deadly idealism, this ended now. Sierra Four would find that the Inquisitor did not require cover, in fact, he would have difficulty finding her at all. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Her senses were heightened, her reflexes quickened, feed by the Force which was fed by her fury. The Twilek moved so quickly that it was as if she had activated a stealth belt, practically vanishing from sight, only the luminous blue of her saber moving in a blur indicated her position. She moved with dizzying speed about the room, like an apparition she appeared suddenly directly in front of rebels and shoved her blade into them, vanishing before they even had time to scream before re-materializing and inflicting an identical fate on her next target. Some attempted to flee but were cut down just as easily, and with every kill she became faster, blitzing about the room in no discernible pattern she struck, screams coming from dying rebels on all sides. She couldn’t even feel the blaster wound, she didn’t hear the screams, in fact, she heard nothing other than the rapid thudding of her heart and the pulse of blood that shot through her veins, with each beat her blood became hotter and hotter, to the point that she thought it was going to boil through her skin. She impaled two men with a single lunge and cut through their ribs to free her blade, turning around to scan the room she saw two more rebels fleeing- one of them trying to smuggle a briefcase with them. Her eyes narrowed- that must have been what had inspired them to resist so fiercely. She did’t know what was contained in that case, but she wanted it furiously. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Cowards,” she spat at them as she vanished from her position, sprinting with the aid of the Force towards them she moved like a demon or a nightmare, preparing to cut them down. However, before even she could reach them the Lieutenant came seemingly out of nowhere and tackled them. The Force seemed to scream in her mind, another threat. In a flash, she saw with her mind’s eye an explosion consume the two men, the Lieutenant, and the briefcase. “Hit the deck,” she screamed as she attempted to stop herself, only to be carried by the force of momentum forward. She dropped her saber and used her right hand to throw the briefcase across the room, it hit Sierra Four hard enough to push him backwards away from the imminent explosion as she herself continued to fall almost directly into it. She threw up a barrier with the Force, attempting to shield herself and the Lieutenant from the blast as the grenade detonated, ripping the two men apart. The fire and force was on display for a moment before them in a blinding white light as it impacted the shield she had projected before them. “I can’t hold-“ the Force failed her against the relentless power of the blast, destroying the Lieutenant’s arm and throwing the Twi’lek back across the room, she slammed into a control panel and caused it to spark as she tumbled over it, her head connecting to the ground with force as her vision went black. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Inquisitor?” The words stirred her back to life and she opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times. Her head screamed as she stood up, she was forced to place her right hand on the wall to steady herself. It seemed her entire left arm- from the wound in her shoulder down, had become numb save for the rhythmic throbbing. Her clothes were singed from the blast and there was a large pool of blood where she had hit her head. Sighing she tore off a large strip of her clothes, leaving her midriff completely exposed and wrapped the fabric around her head to stop the bleeding. She snooker her head and declined the painkillers Sierra Three offered her, they made her connection to the Force tenuous. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Maybe I’ll invest in a nice shines white pair of armor in the future,” she said quietly, her natural good humor returning to her before being clouded by her memories, “the Lieutenant, is she…” the trooper pointed to the woman lying on the ground, it seemed she was injured but alive. She sighed with relief and thanked the man. The hilt of her blade came flying back to her from the middle of the room and landing in her belt. The briefcase came to her also, over the protest of her head which hurt a little more each time she focused enough to use the Force. It was like having a slave collar on again, able to act by knowing there was a price to doing so. She grabbed the briefcase that had been the source of so much trouble and saw that the troopers were almost ready move out, they had already secured the Lieutenant. “Take this please,” she said to the Sierra Three, she produced her saber with her one free hand and ignited it. “Come on, let’s take a more direct route,” she advised, leading the troopers forward as they carried their unconscious Lieutenant forward. They moved directly back to the entry point, where they encountered twisting corridors or locked doors she cut through them, saving them a few precious minutes as they made their way to medical care. She used the Force to lift the Lieutenant out of the whole they had made to enter the subterranean lair, and waited until the last troopers had escaped at which point she leapt out herself. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]There was a medical evacuation already waiting on them, one of them squad mates must have called it in, when they got to the surface. In the distance she could see the larger than life Imperial Star Destroyers hovering a few kilometers off the ground over the ruined remains of the city. She figured that was probably their destination, the closest sickbay likely being in one of those floating fortresses which ominously lingered to stomp out any remaining rebellious thoughts. As she and the squad boarded the medical transport and took off quickly towards the Star Destroyer she looked out the windows, millions of souls were added to the Empire this day. “This wouldn’t be possible with out each of you,” she said of the victory, “Sierra squad may be the bravest, or stupidest, men and women in the galaxy. It was an honor to serve with you. If it’s alright with everyone, I’d like to wait until the Lieutenant wakes up- oh, right, and someone figure out what’s in that blasted brief case that caused all this grief!”[/SIZE]​