Sea of Sulfur [TSE Dominion of Lola Sayu Hex]

[Eye of Solomon]

Objective 2

Saskia practically lept into a combat stance at the sudden intrusion of the dark voice in her ear, her hands ready to judo chop a thousand's thousand thugs into nothing but bloody paste. However, her face grew mighty red when she realized that it wasn't some enemy whispering sweet nothings into her ear, but the voice of the Shadow Hand across their shared comms. She had almost forgotten that he was shadowing their progress to the Citadel.

Borja and Maahir looked at her like she'd gone totally insane, with the latter sniggering under his breath at his companion's embarrassment. Saskia brought both of her arms back down to her side, her eyes burning with indignation at the Zygerrian.

Luckily, Borja was quick to reply; "It is as you say, milord. We shall strive to be more mindful of our environment."

Up ahead was the Citadel's east entrance, guarded by a group of four Black Flame thugs armed with repeater rifles; obviously looted from the Citadel's armory. They looked tough, and Saskia wasn't sure her early trick of luring the guards in the promise of sex was going to go over well this time around. Maahir seemed to pick up on her thoughts, "Would it be better if I went out there and offered myself up?" All that got him was an elbow to the ribs and a rather crude expletive sworn through clenched teeth.

A three-pronged maneuver was formulated and accepted between the trio, with Saskia heading up the center, Maahir the right flank, and Borja on the left flank. They activated their lightsabers and moved into position, the guards immediately opening fire on the trio as they came into view; forcing all three to go on the defensive by hastily blocking the laser fire they could, and dodging what they couldn't. Maahir got close enough to use his electro-whip to ensnare the legs of one of the thug guards, yanking him down to the ground before retracting the whip and dragging him well within striking range of his blade. Borja redirected a hail of blasterfire back at its source, riddling the thug's torso into a tattered mess of gore while Saskia finished another with a well-timed throw of her lightsaber pike.

The weapon struck one of the last remaining guards like a spear, lifting him off the ground and impaling him against the Citadel's door. The last guard attempted to avenge his comrade's death, but he was quickly taken down by both Borja and Maahir as they moved in from either side.

And like that, the east entrance was secured... for the moment.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]​

 

[Dante Sotari]

Objective 1: Discuss Terms with the Rippers
Allies: [member="Scipio Alta"] [member="Morgan Vance"]
???: [member="Roslyn Thorn"]

Dante was in combat armor, helmet over her head, face hidden. Her and a dozen others, nameless, faceless. Scipio was the face man here today. Morgan? Johnny on the spot, connected to the Sith Lord Darth Ophidia, running a counter op on the other side of the installation.

And Dan?

Dan was the one watching and ready to react if the chit hit the fan.

The other two had different things taking up their attention. It was a good split up, no one left having to pay attention to the whole picture and then missing parts of it. All three connected by their subvocal comms and ear pieces.

Roth of the pointed teeth and predatory gaze let them in. He was accompanied by a pale eyed, pale skinned woman. Oh, Roth was the leader alright, but that woman? She was dangerous. Dante simply didn't know to whom yet.

She signaled and two legionnaires stayed outside, the rest entering. The door closed with the sort of final, heavy thud that she imagined would have been a particular sort of hell for the men and women incarcerated here. Again, she signaled, and the next two peeled off, setting up location at the lift. She wanted six with them at the end, the extra six had been for just this- securing a route in case they needed to fight their way out. It would be a blood bath- not for them- but Dante was taking no chances. There was that one, crystalline moment where her entire life had shifted, and the idea of leaving anyone without someone watching their backs made her itch. Any time she was in charge of an op, that detail would never be over looked.

Fortunately, she didn't have to leave another pair, letting the main group keep more than she had budgeted for. The lift opened up into what had probably once been a cafeteria. Two would stay at the lift doors, yes, but they were well within sight of the main group as they moved into the middle of the room. It was a bad position for them. Good if they had people up in the shadowy catwalks, and they'd be fools not to. Even if they didn't have much in the way of weapons, she couldn't assume they hadn't taken some from the original guards. The location was well chosen- for the Rippers.

The verbal jabs of criminals didn't mean much to the Sith Imperial Legion. It was like having your feelings hurt by a whining child.

"We're enough to get you off this rock," came Dante's voice, distorted by the helmet but some of the dry humor bled through nonetheless.

It was a clear reminder of who, in truth, had the power here. The Empire did not have to treat with them. They could have ignored Lola Sayu altogether. Or taken care of the problem with a targeted orbital strike. For now, however, the Empire wanted something.

But it didn't need it.

 

[Eldaah Aderyn]

Objective 2

Allies: [member="Darth Prazutis"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Eye of Solomon"] [member="Alexandria Zambrano"]

Leaving the odd assortment of beings to their task, she decided to go about hers. The Black Flames, as she had been observing, were ruthless and uncontrollable. Oh some individuals might submit to Sith rule, or agree to be shipped off to the space of their enemies, but Eldaah had observed that these beings were better off being thrown into the molten sulfur outside. That was actually one idea she had had for one of the assassinations as she knew one of the Black Flames leaders had taken an old prison official's office that overlooked the lake that surrounded the prison.

But, he was a bit far away so far. Her first actual target would be a human male that, before joining the Black Flames, was rumored to have been a member of the Guavian Death Gang. Second heart augmentation that was essentially a stim reservoir. An interesting challenge, but he would be no match for the power of the dark side.

 

[TB-705]

"And go where?"

Umber fur rippled and from the shadows prowled a leonine Sith, with eyes the pallor of Tatooine's twin suns and their depths just as scorching in intensity.

His scarred muzzle and braided mane might be a familiar sight to some, but he came here at no one's behest but his own.

"A gilded cage is still a cage. Why trade one master for another?" rumbled Thengil Ri'shajirr in a voice like distant thunder, his eyes intent upon [member="Roslyn Thorn"].

Slipping through the Legion's ranks to reach this meeting had been a challenge, but few things in life worth doing were easy. Even if the leaders of the Rippers were not swayed, some among them might yet be convinced by his words to join the crew of the Scourge.

[member="Dante"] Solari | [member="Scipio Alta"] | [member="Morgan Vance"]

 

[Roslyn Thorn]

Objective 1: Meet with the Sithies
Location: The Citadel | The Ripper's Base

If one were to describe the atmosphere as tense, they'd be grossly understating it. With the arrival of the Sith Empire's envoys, every Ripper present was on high alert, especially with the additional support they had brought along. Although that wasn't too surprising, in fact Roslyn would've questioned it more if they hadn't brought any backup.

They would've looked either confident, or foolish.

Unlike the Black Flames, this small group were all unknowns to the Rippers, an unpredictable element that essentially held the keys to their freedom. And already, one of their 'esteemed' leaders was potentially agitating them.

Roslyn had to bite her tongue to not say anything in response to Inara's comment.

Of course, the first words she speaks goes towards annoying the only people who can get us off this rock...

The Sith Empire was there only viable option, who else would even think of negotiating with a group of prisoners. Most would just bombard the Citadel and wipe their presence from the galaxy. But the Sith already made it apparent they had some vested interest - so why not add more to their numbers?

"Enough, Inara." Roth's voice rumbled out across the atrium, breaking the silence that had followed after Dante's statement. It was clear the man wasn't as blind as Inara, nor as arrogant as Warsk to not realize the situation they were in. "They are 'ere to negotiate-" He was cut off by the arrival of another unknown element.

Sotari hadn't been wrong in thinking that the Rippers had armed themselves. As the moment Thengil made his presence known, the sound of several weapons being primed echoed throughout the large area. Every single one of them aimed at the Cathar Sith.

"Who the chit are you?!"

"[What is this! Are the Empire trying to trick us?!]"

"Enough!" He spared a glance towards Roslyn, whose focus had snapped to Thengil as soon as he was visible. She gave him a slight but sharp nod of the head. Newcomer is force sensitive.

Roth stared at the Cathar for a few moments, eyes narrowed before they shifted away and turned to the trio.

"'e one of your's?"

Something told Roslyn that she already knew the answer.

[member="Dante Sotari"] | [member="Morgan Vance"] | [member="Scipio Alta"] | [member="Thengil Ri'Shajirr"]​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

OBJECTIVE: 4A
Target: Thym Tevilk
Distant allies: [member="Esther Nova"] [member="Kaalia Pavanos"] [member="Orion Darkstar"]

"t'chaaaak!"

A sound- No, a voice.

Darth Ophidia leaned up against the wall, hands resting close to her waist. She knew her sabres would only be worth so much here. At the worst she would have to fight opponents armed head to toe in power-gland protected armour. At best, they would be fierce warriors unaffected by direct manipulation of the Force, armed with crude but deadly weaponry from the former guardians of this place.

The cloak of shadows kept her hidden even to force-dead eyes as it did not affect them directly, but the light around her, bending it to serve her will. She waited for the figure to move past her, a Yuuzhan Vong, unarmoured. In his hands he clutched a pike-like weapon, not an amphistaff, she could tell. They would have had to improvise their weapons.

When the watch passed her, she slipped up behind him.

Quickly, her left hand lashed out in a whip-like movement. The long, slender body of the tsaisibola uncoiled from her arm and wrapped itself against the watch's neck like a whip. Ophidia pulled taught to choke the watchman out of words as she pulled a second weapon from her thigh: A short, slender blade, wrought in dark alchemy. As she pulled taut, it came in a fierce thrust, striking the vong in the spine. She twisted the blade and felt the body go slack, and used the tsaisi and her knife to ease it down to the floor before retracting her weapons.

There would be more of them, and better armed.

Pushing the corpse to the side, she slipped the dagger into her sleeve and let the tsaisibola curl back around her arm before proceeding under the cloak of shadows. The hallway stretched on and on, twisting, turning, every corner she peeked around before turning entirely. One could never be too careful here.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Dante Sotari"] | [member="Roslyn Thorn"] | [member="Scipio Alta"] | [member="Thengil Ri'Shajirr"]

His first assumption had pegged Thengil as one of the Rippers.

Maybe one of the leading voices that was less than interested in joining up with the Empire. There would always be sentients like that - they were dealing with criminals who who had been living on the wrong side of the law for years after all. No, it wouldn't have surprised him, but according to Thorn... that wasn't the case? Vance looked on over to Thengil, his helmet HUD lighting up the alien's features.

Amber eyes.

Sith, then?

"No, I assumed he was with you." Morgan finally retorted, before looking back over to Roth. "The Empire is willing to give amnesty for all past crimes. Steady pay, the opportunity to work for something meaningful."

That solicited both ugly chuckles, jeering, but also thoughtful noises around.

"The life you have been living put you here, the Empire is giving you a way out. You work, you earn money, you don't risk being thrown into jail again."

 

[Dante Sotari]

Objective 1: Discuss Terms with the Rippers
Allies: [member="Scipio Alta"] [member="Morgan Vance"]
???: [member="Roslyn Thorn"]
Double ???: [member="Thengil Ri'Shajirr"]


Where had the cat even come from?

They'd entered with a dozen armored Legionnaires, Morgan and Scipio. He hadn't even been on the ship coming in. Unless he'd used the Force to- did it even work like that? Despite working for the Sith, Dante honestly paid very little attention to what their full capacities were. It rarely affect her or her work.

Whelp. Bump this chit up the ladder later. This was above her pay grade.

"Alternatively, if that doesn't sound appealing, we'll pay your way to somewhere else," she added. "With a little nest egg to get you started. If fine, upstanding citizen doesn't suit you, well, we'd just rather you found your heart's desire somewhere else. Somewhere coreward. Might even offer an additional bonus if you're heading toward Alliance or Silver Jedi space."

It was a sweet deal. A chance to start with a clean slate in the Empire, or a tidy sum to set down roots for new crime literally anywhere else. They didn't care what they did after that, so long as it wasn't messing with their own citizens. Sell spice, launder money, join a pirate gang, whatever. It was a win-win situation all around.

 

[Eye of Solomon]

Objective 2

"Did I ever tell you two this place sucks?"

Now that the East entrance had been secured, the trio was left to their own devices as the platform outside was occupied by a small strikeforce of Legionnaires. So far their assignment had been one of unmitigated boredom, the thrill of their early kills having already worn away as they were then told to hold position and wait for reinforcements. Despite their own inward assurances that they could take down the Black Flame on their lonesome, they had been informed that the Citadel was a place where one didn't rush in without sufficient backup.

Even if it was to take down some thugs.

So now they were milling about the entrance, Saskia sitting on a nearby crate with her long legs swinging to and fro while Maahir fiddled with something on a datapad and Borja sat solemnly, ever the stoic. Like always, Maahir was the only one to respond. "Pretty sure I said it first." Saskia blew a raspberry at the Zygerrian in obvious disrespect, but the older Sith was too engrossed in whatever was being displayed on his pad to pay her insult any attention.

 

[Zef Halo]

Obj. 1
[member="Dante Sotari"] | [member="Morgan Vance"] | [member="Roslyn Thorn"] | [member="Thengil Ri'Shajirr"]

The lieutenant shifted his eyes from one face to another from the gooks' leadership. An ice, ice lady, a toothless behemoth who could barely speak and...huh? A large cat walking on two legs and talking. His eyes blinked, hell, even his mustache blinked. Someone overdosed him on stimpacks?

What was going on?

Instinctively, his hand went to pinch his forearm but before it could do so, Scipio's mind froze.

Show no weakness, no doubt. At least that's what they'd told him, the higher ups, about this mission.

The soldier's hand went back to its standard position.

"I'd take the offer if I was you. I ain't a man who's dum' 'nuff to push them Imperial buttons. You don't know what button's gonna be the button for them orbital strikes."

"And them 'bital strikes. They be damn nasty, I tell ya that."

 

[Onrai]

Objective 3

"Now how best can we use the sulfur to our advantage?" Vanessa was already thinking of several options for the contents of this wretched world. Basic drugs could be produced using sulfur. Magnesium salts required sulfur as well - the perfect substance to relax a tired body in the bath. It could serve as a pesticide for crops - and as a core component of fertilizer too. The lower levels would probably be best for growing plants - moisture vaporators would be installed at the top decks, shielded of course to protect against the heat and elements. There would be a water tank for each building, ensuring that they would have plenty of drinkable water in the event of an emergency.

Vanessa coughed a bit as the base began to further come together. "I haven't had this much dust on me since I got put in the Mandalorian oven."

 

[TB-705]

Objective 1

His ears flicked attentively at the clicking of raised and cocked weapons. His form shimmered indistinctly for a moment. No doubt just a trick of the artificial light. A chuffing noise rose from the Cathar, like the throaty throttling of an engine.

Laughter.

Black lips curled upward, but not enough to bare teeth.


[member="Dante Sotari"] | [member="Morgan Vance"] | [member="Scipio Alta"] | [member="Roslyn Thorn"]

 

[Eldaah Aderyn]

Objective 2

Allies: [member="Eye of Solomon"] [member="Darth Prazutis"] [member="Connor Harrison"]

The icon on her mask HUD that indicated the connection to her precious droids flashed up. Blinking, it brought up a live image of her first target, reclining in an office. Two other humans were with him, badly outfitted in the former guards' equipment with a hastily painted black tongue of flame on the chest. The target had a pistol out and was shooting various images of the rival gang on a dart board, laughing as each one left a smoking hole in the wall behind it. Every time he successfully shot one, he would throw some sort of fruit into his mouth.

The image zoomed to get her a better image of the pistol. Disruptors, Merr-Sonn build... lovely. Range... roughly eight meters, power cell capacity... ten shots per. His guards were cradling Blas-Tech rifles, modified... stun settings overloaded to be burn settings. That had to be the work of her second target. Hmm how best to deal with the enemy. Two hallways away... she had a live image... she just had to wait. She didn't even need to go in with her lightsaber to kill him. Idiot.

The next time her little friend showed him shooting a face, and the target threw the fruit into his mouth, she focused with the power of the dark side on the fruit. Holding it in place in his throat... and he started to choke. His stim reservoir kicked in, overcompensating for the man's slow death. His guards rushed to help him, trying to dislodge what was caught in his throat. Unfortunately for them... they could not contend with the power of the dark side. A few seconds later, the target's face turning red then blue, he slumped against his desk.

One down, two to go.

 

[Tabigarashu Madara]

Objective 3-ish

The Nezumi wasn't sure how they felt about Lola Sayu.

It was dark. It stank. Like whooooooo boy rotten eggs. And the Nezumi knew a thing or two about rotten eggs!

The very small creature trotted around the rising construction of the new base, mostly unnoticed and unremarked upon. Which was fine and honestly normal. Being thirteen centimeters tall, once didn't expect much by way of attention. Besides, it was a boon most of the time, as far as most Nezumi (and Hirou especially) were concerned. Easy to hide, easier to sneak. Small beings needed less, could get by on less. And they were far more graceful and acrobatic than the Too-Bigs anyway.

Hirou was here as an agent of the Saaraishash- but then, that was always why Hirou was anywhere within the Empire. They took their job very seriously! It was a great honor and a great responsibility! Especially after [member="Darth Saarai"] had named them an honorary Sith Knight, Hirou had taken the responsibility with the gravity it deserved. Despite being unable to use the Force, to be granted such an honor?

It was the greatest gift Hirou had ever been given. Tai Fai had already had the Nezumi's loyalty.

But for that act, he had gained Hirou's love.

So when asked, Hirou had not hesitated to come, to see, and to report. There wasn't much to report on, in truth, but that was alright. Well, mostly. Hirou's nose winkled and their ears drooped.

It smelled really bad here.

They wondered if that ought to go in the report or if Tai Fa already knew.

 

[Drew Benneck]

Objective: 3-4
Nearby Allies: [member="Tabigarashu Madara"] [member="Vanessa Vantai"]
Post #1

It was the stench that woke Brigadier General Drew Benneck from his short nap. It interrupted a near breakthrough in the workshop of his youth. Simple were those years he spent in the garages of the AFA, before his Father died and forced him into the political game. Old men asking the ultimate price of others for the cause, but Drew refused to be known as one of them. Nobody considered General Mech young anymore though and his superiors frequently reminded Drew of that. He was expected to run this op from the comfort of The Iron Gates, safely tucked away in his frozen fortress, while his men did the dirty work. Negotiations or not, Black Flame or Ripper, these were still criminals and this was still a prison.

General Mech had been assigned to restore the prison to its original order once this little recruitment fair had concluded. Having sent his fair share of its former inmates, Drew had a personal stake in the matter. For now the Iron Legion would reinforce the upcoming outpost and prepare for the final assault.

The first of the shuttles carrying the Iron Legion landed and Drew stepped out with his Guard of hand picked soldiers. Among those was his close friend Captain Charlie, who immediately bagan to bark orders at the security officials that greeted them. "Where is the perimeter line? Why haven't the defense turrets been set up yet? Do you know that there are depraved criminals who would gut you for a chance at one of these transports." The obviously new Officer was stunned speechless by the Captain's verbal onslaught. Drew let the Officer appreciate his subordinate's enthusiasm for saftey for a moment before he took over the situation.

"Start Security Override Procedures Captain, then direct the arriving Legion to the staging area. I want the boys ready to take the prison the moment the orders are given." Drew said to Captain Charlie, partly to give his eager companion something to do and partly to spare the young Officer further abuse. As his men dispersed to carryout their orders Drew turned his attention back to the Security Officer.

"I am Brigadier General Drew Benneck. The Iron Legion will be taking over Security Operations until the completion of this outpost. Please lead me to the director of this installation."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

OBJECTIVE: 4A
Target: Thym Tevilk
Distant allies: [member="Esther Nova"] [member="Kaalia Pavanos"] [member="Orion Darkstar"]

Curling, twisting, winding like a serpent through hallways blocked off, zig-zag barricades lined with barbs and decorated with decomposing bits of humanoids. She could tell, if this was manned, it would have been a maze to be reckoned with. Above, she noticed vents, lidless, with scribbles near the side. A force assaulting this way would face an opponent that held, then withdrew from cover to cover. It would seem like a bloody victory until the barricades behind them were manned as well. One did not need many, just some, just enough.

The Empire would have blasted their way through it in the end, but how many would they have lost had they sent the legion? Fifty? A hundred? Too many for a filthy prison. Too many indeed. And this was but one hallway, to one chieftain. Not that lives mattered much in her eyes, but resources did. Their training, their equipment, and most importantly their loyalty was costly.

It was ironic really, by the dispatching of one, they spared the many.

She turned her head around a corner and saw a pair of Yuuzhan Vong standing guard on either side of a heavy, metal door. The door was marked with red paint, a sign she had seen in the briefing. She was in the right place, and those two boys needed to go. If only she could use the Force to influence them. Sticking to the shadows, the Pale Assassin snuck her way forward, knowing she was in line of sight. It was her skill in the cloak of shadows and her smoothness of step that would keep her safe in this instance.

She got almost all the way to them, and she could see the weapons in their hands: Former guard weapons, modified to look and feel more like the quintessential Yuuzhan Vong weapons, but they wore no armour. Vonduun was clearly impossible to come by in this place.

She was close enough, to smell them now, her hands went to the sabres at her hips. And then, she lunged in a flash forward, sabres drawn. Her form becoming a visible blur of black suddenly lit up by two pillars of scarlet as her sabres ignited. Both guards gripped their weapons and shifted their weight forward, but it was too late. Her lightsabres severed the heads from their shoulders in a single fell swoop.

They collapsed on the ground as she stepped quickly to the side, close to the wall, once more shrouded un her cloak of shadows. It was taxing, but worth it.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Drew Benneck"]

​Objective 3

The officer would lead him to Vanessa, who was for the first time actually grateful to see someone else here who wasn't a worker. The outpost was near sixty percent completion already and it had been a mere matter of hours. "Ah... General Benneck. Vanessa Vantai, Sith Lord. A pleasure to finally have someone who isn't a worker or a droid here." She looked around the spartan interior of the station, thinking over the circumstances that had led her here. Was it really worth all this, a planet that literally smelled of nothing but rotten eggs, to get a contract with the Sith Empire?

That was still questionable.

 

[Drew Benneck]

Post #2
Location: Outpost at Point Tarron

The Officer provided more detail towards the construction of the outpost while leading the General to the Sith Lord. "The containers that serve as the exterior were prefabricated so the environmental controls were already in place. It has sped up construction by forty-three percent. We are expecting to be fully operational before the first standard cycle ends." Drew could tell the Officer was much more confident describing their progress without a screaming soldier in his face. He also noted the pride held by the young man in this difficult task. Soon Drew came to meet the well respected Sith Lord [member="Vanessa Vantai"].

"-A pleasure to finally have someone who isn't a worker or a droid here"

A small smirk escaped General Mech at the Sith Lord's candor.

"I can agree that some subordinates can be a bit over enthusiastic about their duties-" Drew shot a glance of subtle intimidation at the Security Officer "-but dedication is a trait never undervalued. The outstanding reputation of the Defiance Consolidated Multipurpose Manufacturing Company is not ill fed I see. The Empire thanks you for your services and exceptional products. We are here to ensure your saftey and continued prosperity. Is there a place we may speak privately?"

 

[Onrai]

Objective 3

“I suppose the upper deck is finished.” She answered. “Best to head up there, I suppose, and have a discussion.” With that, she motioned to a set of stairs that led up several decks to the upper deck - and began to walk up them. “I’m not going to lie, General. There is an intensely minimal amount of information I know about you. How long have you been serving the Empire?”

Always a good starting question.

[member="Drew Benneck"]

 

[Drew Benneck]

Post #3

A finite amount of suspicion crept up the General's spine. Was the Sith Lord prodding his loyalty or just genuinely intrested in his history? Drew decided his best response would be the truth, there was nothing to question if there was nothing to hide.

"It's true, not so long ago I served another Empire entirely, and before that I was just a young idealistic mechanic. I was only indoctrinated to the role as a commander because well, there was no one else. In spite of my rather forced Military career, I have devoted myself to it. More for the brave souls I train, to give every sentient being under my command the best chance of surviving the hardships that will inevitably be asked of them. While I will always retain my roots in the memory of the Iron Empire, my loyalties lie with the well being of my men. The Sith Empire gave them home and hearth in a time of desperate need. I repay that deed with the skills I have painfully refined over my many years."

Drew Benneck took a deep breath after revealing his somewhat faith-shaking past. He studied his surroundings as [member="Vanessa Vantai"] contemplated his tale. The upper deck held a communications desk and the proper equipment to coordinate both the immediate assault of the prison as well as the more lengthy process of re-establishing it's standard operations.