What's New
Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Approved NPC Righteous Fists

Status
Not open for further replies.
Major Faction

Elpsis Kerrigan

Igni Irae
Elpsis Kerrigan
Character Bio
RC_copy.jpg

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Dominion.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Clone commandos for the Dominion of Light.
Permission: Blanket permission for anything made by Val here. Can use Firemane stuff because I own the company.
Links: Republican Guard, Disciples of the Vader, Into Darkness, After Darkness, Red Coral City, Tephrike, Nexus City, Vortanstad.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: The Righteous Fists of the Valiant Legions of Light. Or simply the Righteous Fists for short, since the Dominion has a tendency to use overly long names.
Affiliation: Dominion of Light, Battlemaster Mahtara, Tephrike, Ecclesia of the Followers of the Divine Ashla in Her Beatific Form as Mistress of Hope and His Glorious Form as Master of Victory, The Guiding Strictures of Ashla and Mace Windu to Lead to Correct Thought and Belief, Windian Jedi Order, Grand Army of Light.
Classification: Infantry. Commandos.
Description: Righteous Fists of the Radiant Light is the flowery, somewhat long-winded name of clone commandos that are part of the Dominion's Grand Army of Light. The commandos are divided into units capable of independent as well as coordinated action. They see themselves as following in the footsteps of the infamous Clone Commandos of the Grand Army of the Republic. Like them, they are elite soldiers bred for warfare and serve Jedi Generals. However, the Dominion of Light is a totalitarian Jedi theocracy. Tephrike's long isolation and distortion of records has led to some rather interesting views on history. For instance, the clone troopers are educated to believe that Jango Fett used to be a dreaded Mandalorian Crusader.

However, the great Jedi Master Mace Windu was able to convince Jango to give up their barbaric ways. Having seen the Light under the Jedi Battlemaster's tutelage, he agreed to become the genetic donor for an army of soldiers and peacekeepers that would protect civilisation against the coming Darkness. The heroic clone troopers fought many battles alongside their Jedi Generals. Unfortunately, they were betrayed by the Dark Lords and their stormtroopers. However, now they have been reborn. The entire population of the Dominio has been raised to believe in the true faith of Light, and so it shall never fall. Darkness has risen, and Light to meet it. That is the party line, at least.

The Righteous Fists are essentially genetically engineered janissaries. Their training and conditioning is supposed to give them peak physicality. They are crack soldiers noted for their skill, zeal and bravery in combat. However, due to their special status, they are given more individuality and greater critical thinking skills than the average clone soldier. They also receive better equipment and resources. The Dominion has a command economy and gives preferential treatment to its best servitors. This is something the Righteous Fists benefit from.

They support the Dominion's war effort as an elite group within the Grand Army. To this end, they carry out special operations. They are heavily involved in counter-insurgency campaigns and commando operations against the Republican Guard and the Disciples of the Vader, both avowed enemies of the Dominion of Light. It is a war to the knife in which no side is willing to compromise. For the Dominion, it is a war between Light and Dark, Good and Evil.

The Righteous Fists are indoctrinated into the principles of the Light Side, as the Dominion sees them. They are taught to revere the Light and regard the Dominion as a beacon of righteousness in a Galaxy that has been consumed by Darkness. All those who defy the Dominion have been corrupted by the Dark Side and must be smote. This is an act of compassion because it prevents them from further tainting their twisted souls. It is no surprise that they can display great ruthlessness in combat. Tephrike's civil war is a dirty war to the knife. The Righteous Fists can operate alongside or under the command of Jedi, but often carry out their assignments independently.

Like their more common brethren, they are grown in cloning facilities. The process is supervised by the Ministry of Health, which is run by the Healers of the Windian Jedi Order. A moderate mixture of growth acceleration techniques is used in order to rapidly grow the clones to when they are fit to serve. They are provided with language, skills, and basic training elements through flash memory training. The growth process is slower than with mass produced clone troopers to reduce the risk of instability. They are slightly modified to reduce empathy and exposed during flash training to psychotherapy to reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder after deployment, though this also makes them colder. They are put through an intense training programme to turn them into capable soldiers.

In contrast to the original Clone Commandos - or the entire Grand Army of the Republic, for that matter - the Righteous Fists do not utilise a single genetic template. Many of them are clones of Kozon Bok, a grizzled Zabrak veteran who mentored a young Jedi Knight Mahtara. He is used as a genetic donor as a way to honour him...and to preserve his skills. However, the Dominion has a habit of using the top one percent of their existing clone army for the genetic code. This is supposed to reduce the risk of genetic degradation. Flash memories may be crafted from numerous soldiers who have distinguished themselves in the corps, meaning that clones are not straight copies of the original templates. This is only the case for elite troops like the Righteous Fists though. On average clone troopers still have shorter life spans than is typical for members of their species.

The Dominion calls this the Blessed Lineage Project and considers it a great honour to be cloned. The Jedi do not quite understand or acknowledge that just because someone has the same DNA as a famous soldier does not mean they will be one, too. Surgical enhancements performed upon the clone commandos leave them with strength, stamina, and reflexes superior to non-augmented, baseline members of their species. They also gain some increased resilience and resistance to disease and infections. Moreover, their augmentations grant them greater than average sight and hearing. They can see further in the dark and pick up on noises that others might miss. This does not make them invincible supersoldiers or grant them supernatural capabilities, but can give them an edge in combat. The enhancement process is painful and not without risks. Some recruits die, are crippled or suffer from health problems. The Dominion judges this to be a necessary evil.

In terms of species makeup, the Righteous Fists tend to be humans, near-humans or members of humanoid alien species such as Twi'leks, Mirialans, Togruta and Zabraks. But there are only a few Mon Calamari, Nautolans, Gungans or Quarren. This is because many members of these species have sided with the Republican Guard. However, the Dominion rejects the humanocentric and human supremacist beliefs of the Vaderites. Zabraks are quite common, which is no surprise since Kozon was one. The Righteous Fists were originally created by Mahtara, Battlemaster of the Jedi, and are still very loyal to her. Kozon was Mahtara's mentor. He taught her how to think tactically and strategically.

The Righteous Fists answer to Eeth Soldier, a clone officer and advisor to Mahtara. He is, in fact, a clone of the long-dead Kozon Bok. Eeth rose through the ranks of the First Legion, a unit exclusively composed of Kozon clones, and was hand-picked by her for the commandos. A natural and practical leader in the clone army, he is loyal to his boss. His keen ability to strategise, combined with his steady nerves and fierce combat style in the heat of battle, have earned him the respect of his fellow clones.

His knowledge and skill on the battlefield have earned him the rank of Clone Marshal Commander, the highest rank a clone can achieve in the Grand Army of Light. Eeth served as a field commander during the Netherworld Event, rallying fragmented clone units and helping repulse the Republican Guard's offensive. When the Grandmaster ordered the First Legion to march to Fortress Purity to defeat the combined forces of Firemane and the Guard, he chose loyalty to Mahtara over his oath to the Grandmaster. Later he helped his mentor take control and clamp down on those who opposed the regime change.

Another key member is a female Twi'lek sniper code named 'Bident' (a two prong pitchfork). Her actual name is Tavasa Soldier. A clone who was promoted for her efforts to join the commandos after a legendary duel with a Republican Guard sniper. She is a real story, and overshadowed by the myth of the sniper duel atop the skyscraper in Vortanstad. Her story was less appealing because in the end she tricked her opponent into a bad position and had them blown up with an AT missile.

Moreover there is a human clone codenamed 'Righteous'. Alexei Soldier. A clone of a normal commando strain, but due to a slight error with how the cloning went he actually ended up stronger, tougher and more agile than his 'brothers'. This means he is a very capable assault specialist. He took out a Sith apprentice, getting the kill shot.

COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium.
Unit Availability: Rare
Unit Experience: Elite.
Equipment: The arsenal of the Righteous Fists is a mixture of high-powered slugthrowers and energy weapons. Tephrike has been isolated for several centuries, and so the planet has regressed. Moreover, blaster weapons are harder to maintain in the jungle for an extended period. The Dominion's troops also make use of pulse wave blasters, ranged weapons that can be seen as the predecessors of modern blasters. Recently, Archangel has begun to equip the Dominion's forces with blasters in return for organics to process and ores. The Righteous Fists wear armour based on that worn by the clone commandos of yore. This is a list of what's available in general rather than something every soldier would carry into battle.
Armour:
Melee Weapons:
Rifles:
Sidearms:
Support:
Attached Weapons:
Misc:
Droids:
Combat Function: The Righteous have duties comparable to those of the Republic Clone Commandos. Their missions include infiltration, covert operations, assassination of high-value targets, ambushes and rapid strikes. On the battlefield they can utilise infiltration tactics, bypassing enemy strong points to seize positions in the rear area. They can also be utilised to establish bridgeheads in enemy-controlled territory. They are trained in demolitions, marksmanship, irregular warfare, unarmed combat and sabotage.

The Dominion makes heavy use of them in counterinsurgency operations, such as against Republican Guard partisans. In contrast to regular Dominion troops, the commandos place less emphasis on raw kinetic firepower and more on precision, stealth and surprise. This allows them to meet the rebels on their own terrain. They have also seen use against the Disciples of the Vader and are often deployed to support rebel forces in the Sith cult's territory and carry out special operations.

The Righteous Fists are crack fighters, but forego support forces such as heavy combat vehicles. As such they will require support in a larger engagements. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment in form of air or artillery strikes. Their surgical enhancements augment their physical capabilities and seses. However, the clones are not Force-Sensitive and thus lack supernatural powers. Thus they must rely on skill, ingenuity and firepower when dealing with space mages. They are very experienced in fighting Force-Users though.

The gear they use tends to be older than what is typical for galactic standard because Tephrike has been isolated from the rest of the Galaxy for several centuries. Its isolation has come to an end, but it is still all but unknown. By the standards of Tephrike, the Righteous Fists are well-equipped, but many of their weapons are a bit primitive, such as slugthrowers and pulse wave blasters. This is partly due to a more primitive manufacturing basis, but also because blasters are more difficult to maintain in the jungle than slugthrowers.

Similar to Haruun Kal, the jungles of Tephrike are home to some nasty fungi with an appetite for metal. Thus weapons and electronics are often rubbed down with portaak amber to prevent the fungi from degrading them. A deal with Archangel has enabled the Dominion to acquire more modern weapons for its elite troops, as well as droids that fulfil support roles. Arc casters are utilised to counter the Vonduun crab armour of some Republican Guard Vong elite troops and the cybernetics favoured by many Vaderites. Lightbows, the traditional weapons of the Guardians of the Whills, also see use.
Force Abilities (Force User Units Only): N/A.

Strengths:
  • Crack commandos and elite soldiers.
  • Surgical enhancements performed upon the clone commandos leave them with strength, stamina, senses, and reflexes superior to non-augmented, baseline members of their species with their stature and athleticism. They also gain some increased resilience and resistance to disease and infections.
Weaknesses:
  • Operate in small units. Lack support forces such as heavy vehicles and artillery.
  • Their enhancements grant them some advantages. However, using them for extended periods, places a great deal of pressure on their bodies which will cause injury to him, such as pulling tendons or ligaments, or straining joints to the point of damaging them. Their augmentations grant them greater than average sight and hearing. But they also make them more susceptible to disorientation caused by loud noises or bright flashing lights.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION

When the Gulag Virus ravaged the Galaxy, Tephrike descended into chaos. Isolated from the rest of the Galaxy, the planet regressed technologically and socially. When the virus reached the planet, millions perished. The death toll was further increased by infighting between rival factions. Tephrike's fragile, multispecies democracy unravelled. A coalition government proved unable to restore order, contain the plague or provide shelter, food and protection to millions of displaced fleeing the fighting.

The Jedi were called upon to assume a protective stance. After government soldiers shot protesters who had come to parliament to deliver a petition, the Jedi decided that it was their duty to intervene and take control. The radical Duros Jedi Master Zaras Dant was the ringleader of the coup. With the support of renegade elements in the army, they took control of the capital Palmyra, arrested Tephrike's prime minister and disbanded parliament. However, they soon faced opposition from rebel forces, such as the Alliance of Democratic Forces. What was supposed to be a provisional emergency junta turned into a dictatorship without end. Racial tensions between Tephrike's people triggered pogroms and the Jedi came under fire when they tried to put an end to the violence.

Faced with enemies on all sides, the Jedi had to militarise. But relying on Jedi shock troops was not enough, even after imposing conscription on all Force-Sensitives. Like in the days of yore, the Jedi became Lords and Generals. Zaras was an authoritarian ruler, but troubled by her own actions and did not see herself as a religious leader. However, in the hour of victory she was assassinated by traitors.

Tyian Kree, a Devaronian Jedi Master, emerged as the new Jedi Lord. A charismatic, fierce woman, she shared Zaras' belief that it was the Jedi's duty to take control. However, she took things a step further. Zaras had been a reluctant ruler and ruled as a largely secular military dictator. By contrast, Tyian was a theocrat. She had also unknowingly fallen to the Dark Side. Obsessed with the idea that the Plague had been a Sith conspiracy and that agents of darkness lurked everywhere, she saw the uprisings sparking across the planet as confirmation.

To give the Dominion an army it could count on, she ordered the creation of a clone army. This was supposed to be a provisional measure, but it soon became a permanent fixture. Some Jedi balked at the idea, for they remembered Order 66. Others considered it unethical, as they saw the clones as slaves and believed breeding soldiers to serve without question violated the Jedi Code. But the Jedi Lord got her way. The first clones were mass produced and suffered from medical and psychological issues. Clone madness was a real danger. It did not help that they used repurposed medical facilities that had originally been used by corporations for animals. Moreover, many of the Jedi lacked command experience or tactical finesse. The first battles produced casualty rates comparable to Geonosis.

One of the Jedi Commanders who realised that a path other than zealotry and attrition was needed was Jedi Mahtara. She was a Yodaling who had been born before the collapse. As the old guard died off, she would end up being the only Jedi who remembered how things used to be. Deep down, she realised that the Dominion was betraying the Jedi Code, but she came to consider it a necessary evil. Mahtara was mentored by a grizzled Zabrak soldier called Kozon Bok, who taught her to think beyond death charging with a squad of soldiers.

He educated her about tactics, logistics and other essential concepts of warfare. With his help, Mahtara set up a specialised force of clone troopers. Rather than representing the 'best and brightest', the recruits were drawn from the ranks of the 'refuse'. These included clone troopers who had been rejected for genetic impairments, but also clones who had displayed too much individuality or committed crimes. Mahtara was not one to let good resources go to waste. She needed soldiers who had the capacity to think for themselves, not simple-minded drones. Moreover, the fact that she gave them a second chance ensured their loyalty to her.

Kozon drilled them and the Yodaling used her connections to ensure that those with medical issues received treatment. The constant strife whittled down their numbers, but also forged an effective fighting force. They received surgical enhancements to enhance their physical capabilities. They were trained as a force of commandos that could face the insurgents on their own terms instead of being collared by bureaucracy and weighed down by a long supply train. They saw action against the ADF and what would later become the Republican Guard. The commandos led incursions into enemy territory, hunting down partisans and spearheading search and destroy missions. Their methods placed a greater emphasis on precision and surprise rather than mere kinetic firepower. Mahtara also rejected the wasteful human wave assaults that had become the hallmarks of many of her peers.

After the commandos achieved an important victory by hunting down and capturing a rebel commander responsible for a series of devastating terrorist attacks, she dubbed them the Righteous Fists. The flowery name was an ironic one, for their methods were anything but noble. It was a brutal war and Jedi such as Mahtara soon abandoned many of their principles in the name of expediency. Gas, napalm and land mines were used to flush out rebels. The commandos were soon drawn into the Dominion's war against the Disciples of the Vader, a fanatical Sith cult. As was the case with many Sith groups over the course of history, its founder was a traitorous Jedi. His name was Cade Seward. Fever dreams he had experienced after succumbing to disease had convinced him that he was the chosen of Vader. Thus it was his destiny to eclipse the Light, bring about the Long Night and usher in the second coming of the Dark Lord.

At first, the Dominion did not take the oathbreaker seriously as a threat. They regarded him as a mere bandit. But it soon turned out that the newly christened Darth Menace was a genuine danger to the Dominion. Supporters of the Dominion were massacred en masse to be raised as zombies or turned into Sithspawn abominations. He also did not shy away from using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. The Dominion was driven to radicalise even further. All aspects of life were subordinated to a total war policy. The Righteous Fists were one of the units deployed to fight the Sith. Their tactics became increasingly brutal. One of their operations was blowing up a dam to hit Sith forces with a flood. The ensuing collateral damage was deemed acceptable. They also hunted down traitorous Jedi.

Jedi General Mahtara, the future Battlemaster of the Dominion, was one of the Jedi commanders who faced Menace in the field at the ruins of Palmyra. She received her promotion to Master in the field after holding off a Sith attack. However, the battle was going ill. Both the Dominion and the Sith troops fought fiercely. Humanitarian conventions had been abandoned in the favour of what was considered efficient. City districts were shelled with artillery. Tactical ballistic missiles, IEDs, white phosphorus and gas were utilised.

The Righteous Fists saw action in this fight. At first they carried out surgical strikes, targeting Sith warriors and officers through sniping, laying of land mines and so on. Their snipers became feared among Sith troops and the Vaderites devoted plenty of energy to wiping them out. However, they were increasingly drawn into a more conventional infantry role. A unit of the Righteous Fists heroically held off a Sith attack on a factory. They held the location against overwhelming odds before being reinforced. Dominion troops were forced to fall back after the Sith performed a dark ritual to create a huge Deadly Field and later raised countless dead as zombies. This forced the commandos to face their fallen comrades, who had been twisted into undead monstrosities. They began to burn their dead. Defectors claimed that Menace had gone mad and was using blood sacrifices to power a ritual that would create a tear in reality, allowing him to open a gateway to the depths of Chaos.

The fighting was still ongoing when Jedi General Mahtara made the desperate decision to drop a Force nuke on the city. Not all Dominion forces could be withdrawn in time before the bomb was dropped. The results were apocalyptic, for Palmyry was turned into a wasteland. The staggering death toll and huge Force explosion created a dark side nexus, tainting the city. Deeply troubled by her actions, Mahtara resigned from command and put down her blade. The Sith had been defeated, but at a tremendous cost. Kozon had been one of the casualties of the battle. He was honoured by his comrades.

The Dominion was seemingly secure against external threats. However, it did not settle down. The Righteous Fists had suffered heavy losses, but were rebuilt. They were now directed to counterinsurgency operations against rebellious Sith and Republican Guard forces as well as warlords. Mahtara retained ties to the unit. As time went by and the Dominion became more and more radical, she tried to insulate it from the detrimental influence political developments were having on the Grand Army of Light. The Dominion was supposed to be an utopia of the Light where no one would go hungry or want for anything and the trains ran on time. Yet it turned out to be anything but.

When the Cultural Revolution of the Blue Guards and the Mad Grandmaster Tsal Te Mong sent the Dominion spiralling into chaos, Mahtara was forced to end her retirement. She and her followers had been targeted by the fanatics. Seeing the Dominion tear itself apart, its external enemies regained lost ground. A cabal of Jedi Masters and Generals staged a coup to end the Cultural Revolution. The Righteous Fists and the First Legion helped Mahtara secure the capital Nexus City and arrest the Grandmaster. Thus begun the long era of puppet Grandmasters. The Dominion was stabilised internally, but its descent into totalitarianism continued. The Righteous Fists participated in special operations against Mon Calamari settlements that had refused to submit to the Dominion and were believed to be terrorist nests. Their operations were successful, but helped drive the aquatic aliens into the arms of the rebels.

However, the Dominion remained the dominant force on the planet. Then came the Netherworld Event. Like virtually every world in the Galaxy, Tephrike was affected by Akala's insanity. Given the natives predisposition towards apocalyptic beliefs and zealotry, it obviously led to bloodshed. The Dominion believed the disappearances were a Dark Side conspiracy. Both the Jedi and the Sith were gravely weakened by the Force being thrown out of balance, as it became risky to draw upon its power. The Republican Guard used its chance to mount a grand offensive against the Dominion. The Vaderites joined the attack after going through a civil war that saw the 'Light Sith' ascend to power. This threw the Dominion into a state of crisis. It had to mobilise for total war, while still dealing with internal unrest.

However, the Dominion had some key advantages over its enemies. It had a lot more territory and greater reserves of manpower. The Republican Guard's strengths lay in irregular warfare, not in conventional combat, while the Sith were hampered by ideological conflicts between the new leadership and the old guard. Mahtara made the decision to trade space for time. She also initiated scorched earth warfare. The Righteous Fists were part of this campaign. Acting in cooperation with Mahtara's protege Kyrric, they demolished factories and unleashed herbicides. Civilians from endangered settlements were forced to vacate their homes so that they could not be put to use by the enemy. These tactics caused misery for the population, but exacerbated the supply issues of the enemy.

The Righteous Fists scored a major victory over the Sith forces in a battle fought at the Skyspine of Harmonious Confluence. There they positioned themselves to ambush the forces of Darth Malice, an infamous Sith Lord who had cut a bloody swathe through Dominion territory. The Jedi Master Batele, the scion of a major 'bloodline' of clones, insisted on engaging the Sith head-on in pitched combat. The commandos expected this...and even factored it in to lure the enemy into a bad position. Somehow the order that they should charge as well got lost. When Darth Malice led columns of Sithspawn, soldiers and Sith warriors in a march through the mountains, the Jedi and her soldiers ambushed them. Then they proceeded to jump from the ridge down into the fray of battle, where they engaged an onslaught from the Sith and their troops. Batele insisted on a death charge to engage Malice in one-on-one combat.

Fortunately for her, the Sith Lord obliged. While the Sith and Jedi warriors battled each other and many grunts perished, the clone commandos hung back. They picked off targets of opportunity with precision rifles. Batele and a clone commander were able to best Malice, but the battle had turned in favour of the Sith. However, their advance lured them into the commandos' trap. The Righteous Fists used explosives to bring down a rock slide on them. Then they unloaded with weapons fire, eliminating the surviving Sith troops. The battle was a serious reverse. However, it was overshadowed by the battle of Battle of Laszika Swamp. There a crack force of 12 thousand Dominion troops, commanded by Jedi, was led into an ambush and slaughtered by the Republican Guard, though the rebels suffered heavy losses.

Mahtara's influence protected her servitors from Jedi leaders who considered their methods to be dishonourable. Elements of the Righteous Fists cooperated with a Loyalty Assurance Detachment and Inquisitors to blow up a major dam, triggering a massive flood that covered and devastated thousands of square kilometres of farmland. Indeed, it shifted the course of the Green River by hundreds of kilometres to the south. The local population was purposefully kept in the dark about the plan to avoid alerting the rebels. It was summer time, so the Green River was at its highest. The intent had been to block the advance of Vaderite troops, who were led by a schismatic cult of 'Light Sith'. The Vaderites' advance was slowed, but the calamity inundated entire villages and displaced countless villagers, turning them into refugees. The environmental effects were disastrous. Neighbouring rivers overflowed and the Green River did not resume its normal course for years.

The enemy forces were caught off-guard and suffered casualties. Most of the dead were innocent civilians. However, the Dominion considered it a success because many of the flooded towns and transport lines had already been seized by the rebels, and loyalist troops were able to regroup. The Vaderites executed Ashlanite clerics and Dominion supporters in retaliation. The strategic value of the flood was later questioned by a commission, but its report was suppressed. However, the flood did have unexpected repercussions. Most of the casualties had been civilians, but a number of prominent Light Sith leaders had drowned. Ironically in some cases because they had tried to protect people. This helped conservative reactionaries take control once more, which had the effect of further brutalising the conflict.

The Righteous Fists participated in the defence of Fortress Purity, a major defensive installation on the way to Nexus City. There they faced the Republican Guard. Again and again the rebels launched assaults on the fortress. Faced with heavy defences, they tried to dig under it. The commandos responded in kind. Working with militia and Jedi, they faced the rebels in intense close quarter fighting in the tunnels. Prisoners were not taken by either side. Ample use was made of the bayonet, gas and flamethrowers. The commandos suffered heavy losses, but were able to repulse the enemy. The battle of Fortress Purity was a rout for the Republican Guard, forcing them to withdraw in the face of a ruthless Dominion counterattack. The commandos who perished in the battle were declared martyrs of the Dominion. In the months to come, the corps carried out operations to root out stay-behind cells of the Guard.

Then the Dominion's whole world view was put into question when Firemane ships appeared in orbit. For centuries the Tephriki had been convinced that they were the only ones who had survived the apocalypse. The Council was divided between those who favoured diplomatic negotiations and those who saw the outsiders as abominations who needed to be fought. Mahtara belonged to the first camp. However, the Grand Inquisitor conspired against her. A Firemane delegation was attacked by extremists. A Firemane operative, Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori, was captured in the melee. The result was war. At first Firemane conducted bombardments, then it entered an alliance of convenience with the Republican Guard and deployed ground troops. A bloody battle was fought at Fortress Purity, which eventually fell to the invaders.

The Righteous Fists' association with Mahtara backfired on them. Some units went underground, others were surrounded by loyalist forces. The Grandmaster, who was convinced that he was fighting the final war between Light and Dark, had several of their officers executed and sent the commandos to the frontlines. There they were thrown against Firemane forces. The commandos tried to do their best with the resources they had. They led a determined counterattack against enemy forces. However, Firemane's firepower was far superior to that of the Dominion. They could not face a technologically superior foe in open combat, only in irregular warfare. The commandos inflicted significant losses on the enemy, but suffered high casualties once Firemane was able to unleash its full firepower.

When ordered to perform a last death charge, many of the commandos vanished. Several of Mahtara's allies had been eliminated by the Guard. But the Battlemaster had managed to evade assassination. After going underground, she rallied her allies. Remaining commando units heeded her call. After word of Purity's fall reached the Akk's Lair, the Grandmaster was assassinated by the Council. His death was blamed on the outsiders and the 'treasonous' Inquistion. Antonius had been conveniently slain by Elpsis after she managed to overcome her brainwashing.

Thereafter, the plotters seized control of the capital. Mahtara entered Nexus City with the First Legion and the Righteous Fists. The supporters of the Grandmaster were purged or forced into hiding. The commandos participated in the assault on the Ministry of Harmony, the headquarters of the Inquisition. The secret police resisted the assault but was eventually driven into a bunker after being shelled. Finally the clone troopers gassed them. A new government was imposed on the Dominion, with Mahtara as de facto military dictator.

In the months that followed, the Righteous Fists acted as a 'fireman' of sort. The Dominion was in disarray after the debacle at Fortress Purity. The new government needed time to consolidate its pressure. While most Jedi Lords and governors remained true to the flag, some did not. One of them was Jedi Jarix, the Jedi Lord in command at the City of Harmonious Industry, a major industrial centre on Tephrike. He had been a friend of General Kennobi, who had led the defence of Purity and committed suicide when was all was lost.

Jarix correctly suspected that Mahtara had withheld reinforcements for Purity. He also did not believe the official story that the Grandmaster had been killed in a Firemane air strike. So he denounced the new government as illegitimate. Martial law was declared and the city was sealed off. Jarix also tried to reach out to other regional bosses to form a loyalist bloc. However, the Guard, emboldened by its victory, was advancing. Purity had cost them a lot and Firemane was pulling out, but the rebels wanted to press their advantage.

Republican Guard troops assaulted the city. Frogmen mined waterways and commandos of partisans infiltrated the Dominion lines, while agitators stirred up unrest. The assault had been preceded by a deception operation to fool the defenders about the thrust of the Guard's operation. Morale had suffered considerably, so some Dominion troops defected or deserted. But others resisted. Moreover, the Dominion's new government was quicker to respond than anticipated, mounting a tremendous effort to get loyalist troops to the city. Caught in a cauldron, Jarix faced mutiny.

Knowing what fate awaited him, he tried to defect to the Rebels. All of a sudden, he had been opposed to the Dominion all along. It did not go well for him. The Republican Guard took his staff into custody and paraded Jarix' story as a sign of corruption and infighting in the Dominion. Then they put him away under protection 'for his own safety' against retribution. He was later found dead, 'murdered by a Jedi assassin'. The Guard put the intelligence he had shared with them to good use, conducting surgical strikes with Yuuzhan Vong commandos and elite partisan units such as Viper Company.

The fighting was fierce. The Dominion threw all the troops it could spare into battle. Even criminals, deserters and political prisoners were released from concentration camps and put into penal battalions. If they served bravely, they would be freed. If not, they would die. The Righteous Fists were among the first troops to be dispatched to the frontlines. With a speed that surprised the Rebels, the Clone Commandos were dropped into Harmonious. They could not drive the Guard out of the city, but they could delay it and buy time for reinforcements. Moreover, their arrival steeled the morale of the defenders. They also had the task of eliminating Dominion officials and officers whose loyalty was in question. commandos conducted surgical strikes, sabotaging critical factories and manufacturing plants to make sure the Republican Guard could not use them.

This included leaving behind gifts in form of booby traps. They also made use of poison gas. City blocks became war zone, leading to intense house-to-house fighting. Civilians were conscripted by either side to support the war effort. Summary justice became the order of the day. Finally, all-out fighting died down as the battle became a stalemate. The two zones were separated by a river that flowed through the city when the Republican Guard blew up the bridge. Some clone commandos remained on the other side, utilising asymmetrical warfare tactics that mirrored those of the Guard in order to make its rule as difficult as possible.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Top Bottom