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Location: Ground, Near Capitol Builidng Objective: Liberation Allies:Silver Jedi Order | [member="Stephanie Swail"] |
Enemies: The Sith Empire, [member="Lord Ghoul"]
Karren stepped forwards, emerald blade still low and to the left with her hips squared off to the horned Sith. Stephanie said something about decency. She snarled, looking him up and down through narrow eyes. There was no decency to be had here. With one hand Karren removed her helmet, tossing it sideways into a ghoul, knocking it over with a crunch.
"Let me deal with him. You have a more important mission."
She drew her DL-44, fingers of her left hand loose around the grip, finger in the trigger.
"Bahahaha, you tremble like an autumn leaf before my presence, girl. Is the Jedi Order of this age so frail that they send untrained children to plead with me?"
Eyes like blue stars burned bright with madness and the art of the Bando Gora. The gaze turned, transfixing the second Jedi. Lips so red they looked almost black peeled away in a smile, teeth filed to points.
"Ahh, so you do not come alone. Then perhaps it will be a fair fight."
He whirled his sword with a flick of the wrist, and felt the approach of [member="Darth Odium"]. Good, gooood. Mayhap they might take them alive. Another bird for his collection.
Loosing a cry, Diabolis attacked, axe hissing venomously through the air as he brought it down toward Swail's shoulder.
Location: Village, some distance away from the capital Objective: Justice, also Sith Police™ Allies: Sith Empire Enemies: Jedi Order, technically
Earlier this day.
"How many?"
"Two, one acolyte. The scene suggests there were more, however."
A brow arched beneath his mask. "They took some away?"
"Yes, my lord."
His frame turned, head facing the scene of the crime. Corpse to corpse, side to side he examined the site. Two corpses lay opposite each other in a clearing within a field, between them ashes where a bonfire was once lit, surrounding them a circle of Sith Runes painted in animal's blood. He examined the circle more closely. Some of the runes were smudged slightly, six spots on the ground were covered in a thinner layer of dust than the surrounding areas. The officer was right, there were a few missing. Stepping closer he knelt down, resting one arm on his knee, reaching out with the other to touch the ground. He pressed his hand into the dusty ground for a moment, pushing against it with some force, then removed his hand again, wiping away the dust on his white robes. He took another look at the indentations, the smaller ones beside the larger resembling humanoid shapes.
"The bodies were dead before they were brought here?"
"Yes, my lord."
"They weren't removed by the murderers. They woke up."
"My lord?" The officer's head cocked to the side as his expression betrayed his confusion.
The Sith turned his head towards the man.
"The ones who remain here are the ones who didn't." He paused for a moment, observing the horizon. "Did the farmer say if he saw the smoke?"
"Yes, it was what tipped him off to the vandalism, he thought-" The officer was interrupted by the hand the Sith raised, a gesture to stop.
"They didn't get far, then. Search the surrounding area from the air, find me a group of six."
Shortly before the invasion of the Silver Jedi.
"The pilot spotted the group twelve kilometres north-west of the farm, my lord. They were dead, burnt to a crisp."
"Did the size of the corpses match the imprints we found?"
"Yes, my lord."
A grin formed below the Sith's mask.
"Tell me, would they have happened upon any areas inhabited by sentients on their path?"
"There is a village sixteen kilometres further." The grin widened.
Present time
The village was calm for the most part. Not a single soul to be found in the streets. The houses stood empty, too. It was as though everyone had just up and left, precisely what Atlas had anticipated. He could feel life in the village somewhere, but there were no visual indications of any sentients still here. He wasn't too late, then. There was still hope for these citizens of the Empire. He walked further along the narrow street, hoping it would lead to the village centre. It was likely the villagers had been assembled there by the ones he was seeking.
"Move your arses you worthless pieces of dung! Load onto the transport. It is an honour to serve and die for The Sith Empire."
The noises interrupted his thoughts, however. He ceased his movement, standing and listening. It was somewhere on his right, not too far. The voice was ever so slightly distorted, the man it belonged to was using technology to assist his volume. Whoever it was had a signature in the Force, it was tainted with the Dark Side. If his words weren't indication enough, that impression confirmed it. This was the man who Atlas sought. The one responsible for this mess, the missing civilians, the vicious murders, the unrest in the outskirts of Mirial's capital. The Mirial Shrike they called him. A name Atlas thought merely glorified the man unjustly. Nuisance was a more fitting title, though he supposed those not trained within the Dark Arts would have more fear of someone who is than Atlas did. In a sense, he couldn't blame their sensationalisation, yet they gave credit to a man breaking the laws of the Sith, someone only worthy of his executioner's attention. He changed his course, moving towards the voice's origin.
Something caught the Atlas' eye as he moved through the small alleys, above one of the rooftops, then between the small gap separating the two houses. Quite a bit of smoke, a few unknown ships, trails of smoke leading towards the surface. An attack on the capital? Curious. He paid it no mind, there were more immediate fish to catch. The Sith had his contact, they could call him when they needed his aid. The walk towards the man resumed, with another curious discovery. There was another, also tainted by the dark. Two of them, then. Master and apprentice most likely. A rogue duo, lovely. He rolled his eyes before he turned the corner, though the irritation he felt at such a stereotypical turn of events faded when he spotted a large group of civilians at the end of this alley, about sixty metres away from him. That's where the villagers went, and a dark figure with them. With a smirk he began to advance, his presence within the Force suppressed, a technique most useful on the hunt.
The figure turned his attention towards someone hidden beyond sight, he said something before brandishing his crimson blade, painting himself and the surrounding ground in a faint crimson. As Atlas approached he could hear the one who drew the Sith's attention, somewhat quietly at first, though as he got closer the voice grew more audible. A lot of Bravado coming from someone about to face a rogue Sith. Atlas respected that. Not many can stand up to a Sith, or would even dare to. He was curious to learn who this person was, but first, righteous justice.
His hand slipped to hisligthsabre, he was close enough to be in throwing distance now. The Sith was too distracted by the other's bravado to have noticed Atlas, distracted by a simple trick, what a fool. In a manner of two seconds, Atlas ceased suppressing his own signature within the Force, simultaneously igniting the broken crimson blade of his own, only to throw it towards the Sith, guiding and accelerating it with the aid of the Force. The blade hit centre mass, sticking out from the Sith's chest as realisation struck and he stared in disbelief towards the figure, only to turn his head towards Atlas and fall backwards. Both blades deactivated, though one abandoned its master, the other returned to its. Atlas had exited the alley at this point, standing still to attempt to savour the deed. Though there was little satisfaction, the man was defeated before even putting up a fight, a weakling unfit for the title of Sith, likely the reason he had abandoned them for his own goals. Pathetic.
His gaze turned towards the other figure.
"Traitors are unfit to live. I am his executioner, just will of the Empire, yet my errand has not yet concluded. There is another, you've felt him, no doubt. Join me as an instrument of justice, kind stranger." His voice was cold and filled with determination, his stance neutral and giving little indication of a willingness to fight.
LOCATION: Mirial -> Outside the Capitol Building OBJECTIVE: Honestly I don't even know anymore ALLIES: [member="Vaylin"] | The Sith Empire ENEMIES: [member="Natassia Traxen"] | The Silver Jedi Order
She blinked as she tried to see into the surrounding chaos. Her vision was karked - but they were in danger and Vaylin was in danger and there was a fething rancor in the building raising hell. This was a bad time to be useless. So instead she grasped for the Force to supply her vision where natural means were impaired, searching to assemble a shaky picture of the fray.
Not much better, but it would do until the spots in her vision let up.
"Vaylin-" she tried calling over the ringing in her ears and just caught a wave of don't worry about me. Conveniently, there was plenty else to worry about - like the rancor trying to bring down a chunk of the building. Feth.
Her grip on Natassia dropped as Aria staggered to her feet in time to switch off her lightsaber and force herself into a sprint, and - naturally - she followed Vaylin as the Zabrak shot like a bullet through the broken wall and from the buidling. Aria would have liked to say her fall was more controlled than her apprentice's. She would have had to lie.
The ground came towards her all at once as the Sith rolled into an unceremonious landing, but she could only afford a second of lying there breathing raggedly against the sensation of concrete as she marveled at how uncomfortable this was. With a sigh and a long list of muttered curses, Aria focused the pain into usefulness. And she got to her feet.
"Got to get some fun out of this chitstorm," Aria agreed, and with half a grin the Sith was off alongside the Zabrak.
LOCATION: Mirial Capital -> The Slums -> Sketchy lab OBJECTIVE: Invade Mirial. Nicely. ALLIES: [member="Madeline Roux"] | The Silver Jedi Order ENEMIES: [member="Taeli Raaf"] | [member="Calina Ovmar"] | [member="Enyo Typhos"] | The Sith Empire
Lina, of course, had no idea that while she and Madeline had been slinking through the city trying to quietly do their part, the rest of the Silver Jedi who'd arrived had made their presence known. She had no idea there were rancors running through Mirial, or that buildings were collapsing, or that any blood had been shed.
So when they reached the lab, she had no idea at all that those within the building would have already thought to send people to defend it.
Hope for the best, expect the worst.
She had been certain they'd run into trouble.
It came as something of a surprise, however, when trouble ran into them.
The voice that rang through the area calling for Jedi sent shock running through her system, a shot of surprise and pure fear that she was starting slowly to grow used to. Regardless, the Padawan had no intention to let up hiding before she had no choice. Her knack for staying beneath the radar was perhaps her only advantage when it came to confrontation.
Feth, feth. She hadn't wanted a confrontation. She hadn't expected a confrontation. This should've been painless.
"We need... to get inside now," she told her companion quietly, flinching as the entrance groaned open.
And at the tall helmeted figure waiting the moment they did.
She wanted to run, but she had a job to do. A job whose basis had been karked seven ways to hell, but a job all the same. Lina couldn't abandon ship before she knew there was no other choice. Oh, she wanted to. But Lina had prepared for this. They could make it out of this yet. And Jedi weren't supposed to be cowards.
So instead of running, Lina looked at Maddie then back to Enyo. There was a vibroblade at her hilt, but she wouldn't attack first. Maybe, just maybe, they could cling to the plan for a painless maneuver.
Oh, Lina. Lina, you fool.
Location: Enroute to Mirial, Illisurevimurasi Sector, Outer Rim Territories.
Objective: Complete the Trial of Skill. Claim the Sabre, or Skull, of a Jedi Knight.
Allies: The Knights of Ren, The Sith Empire.
Enemies: The Silver Jedi Order.
Though they had effectively cut a swathe through the territories held by the Silver Jedi, the First Order was not yet done with the Silver Jedi. Their message had been sent, and Ossus still burned - yet these upstarts had sought to defy the hand that destiny dealt, taking their first steps towards the path of damnation. They were wounded, bloodied, but unbowed. It was almost admirable to bear witness to their courage firsthand, to see them quickly lick their wounds and strike back. However, what made no sense was the fact they had gone after an Empire that was, up until this point, decidedly neutral in the conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Silver Jedi. Yes; there were elements of zealous Sith present upon the battlefields where the Empire and their distant cousins in the First Order valiantly fought but was it enough to justify an invasion of this scale against a wounded, but recovering world? I couldn’t fathom what had taken place behind the scenes to spark such a grand crusade against the supposed forces of darkness and tyranny.
In truth, whatever it was that started this madness mattered little in the end. Whoever emerged victorious in this conflict would alter the events that transpired this day to vilify their foes better, and exonerate their supposedly heroic deeds. Such was the way the Empire, before the four hundred years darkness, had done it - so too would those that followed in her nigh-forgotten footsteps forever after.
My mission to this misbegotten world of Mirial, which had once been on the outskirts of an Empire I once served in another life, was not to ensure the victory of our aligned comrades from across the galactic gulf. Instead, my task would doubtlessly aid them in their cause, as I was burdened with the mission of claiming the saber - if not life - of one of the Silver Jedi’s greatest warriors. Proof, that even though I was deprived of sight, I could still serve the Supreme Leader as one of his Elite Praetorians. Through the death of another, I would find my purpose in life restored. It mattered not who died by my blade this day, for it was a price I was willing to pay tenfold to ensure that my life held meaning once more. A fact which would play out over and over again throughout my years of service, paving my path to power in the bones and blood of the righteously slain.
I stood atop the cargo ramp of some nameless vessel, adorned in my ragged crimson armour, and ran my hands along the length of my armoured collar, toying with the clasps that held my cloak tight. When our ancestors had swaddled themselves in silks and cloth, such a trivial addition to one’s war-gear was nothing more than a liability in battle - easily caught and torn by a skilled foe. However, as the composition of the fabric had changed over the many centuries, some cloaks became less and less of a liability and more of a boon to their bearers. For me, this tattered cloak had seen conflicts - many alive this day would never believe. It has saved my skin more often than not, and I could never wade into the thick of whatever awaited me beyond these cold, metallic walls, without it.
“Lord,”The monotonous voice of the pilot, echoed throughout the chamber, drawing my eyes towards its point of origin. “We’re approaching Mirial now, prepare for reversion.”
Beneath the cloth that shrouded my face, and my sightless eyes, I felt my lips curl into a serpentine smile. Soon, I would fall upon the enemies of the Empire and earn my glory in the Supreme Leader’s name. Soon, the sabre that had long laid dormant would sing once more, bathing the ground beneath my boots in the blood of those that seek to deny me my future.
A debt of life was owed, and there was but one soul atop this world that would see the score settled. All that remained was surviving the reversion and subsequent transit to the surface of that war-torn world.
Under the shroud of stygium cloaking, the Phasma lingered in orbit of Mirial, advanced scanners running. The Pale Assassin removed the helm from its stand and placed it under her arm. The tsaisibola knew well what it meant when the mistress carried this scent: It meant it was time to feed. Excitedly, it curled around her right leg.
As the Rattataki stepped back into the cockpit, she saw the look on Barlan’s face. It took a mild effort for her to not smirk triumphantly. “Agent Barlan, report your findings.” The Mirialan halted for a moment. ‘Agent?’ That was a notch above her station, but she did not argue with the woman.
“Several large vessels are entering the system. They have not announced themselves, yet. Ships from our own Imperial Armada are intercepting them. Near orbit, a number of frigates have disgorged-“ “’Disgorged’?” She gave the Mirialan a look when quizzing her about the choice of vocabulary “Yes. -disgorged drop pods. Some of which have caused major damage to the capital. Imperial fighters are intercepting the landfall and combatting the frigates’ fighter escort. They have not used their capital weaponry against the invasion force.” “They don’t want frigates dropping on your city.”
Darth Ophidia took a moment to consider, eyes staring out of the viewport and into the endless depth of the void. Her hands clasped behind her back and the index finger of her left hand gently tapped the inside of her wrist in a pensive gesture.
“Creep up behind the frigates and get us on a level course with one. I will have myself dropped onto their hull and infiltrate.” She had a few ideas as to how, but the specifics were best left unsaid. “They may detect you as I leave. If that happens, blast them and pull away fast. Do not consider my safety. If you must, make the hyperspace jump to Telos.” “Darling, this is a protocol B.6 mission.” “Barlan, take the co-pilot chair. You have the guns; be patient and make it count.”
“For the Empire, for Mirial” For an end to the Jedi Order.
The Rattataki Sith Lord took a few steps back before turning, while the Mirialan practically jumped into the seat. The Nagajj hissed then scuttled out and over to its master.
The Phasma-Class Infiltrator glided towards the engaging Silver Jedi frigates under the cover of stygium cloaking and advanced stealth systems. Ophidia packed herself into an external EVA-suit. It was clunky, but it fit over her armour well enough. She then moved to the airlock and waited.
Location: Mirial Capital - The Slums. Objective: Do stuff with my buddy Calina. Also probably shoot Jedi. Allies: The Sith Empire - [member="Calina Ovmar"], [member="Taeli Raaf"] Enemies: The Silver Jedi - [member="Lina Renning"], [member="Madeline Roux"]. Open to being engaged by Jedi in general.
The door opened with a groan and the two Padawans faced the Force Terminatrix. Their mission was a noble, if possibly a bit misguided one. Behind her helmet's visor, Enyo's expression was impassive. Indeed, the two Jedi would probably feel little emotion rolling from her. She was more machine than woman.
Enyo did not hate Jedi. She was pretty indifferent to the eternal holy war that had been waged across the aeons between Jedi and Sith. She had not come to the Dark Side to settle some sort of ancient grudge or feud. Today was just business. They were targets - and possibly future test subjects for a certain scientist.
So she did not use the moment to lecture the two lightsiders about the supposed superiority of the Dark Side and how it would be in their best interests to forsake their cause and submit to the Dark Lord. Or about how the sudden intrusion of the Silver Jedi was derailing the Sith's attempt to resolve the zombie outbreak.
Instead, she made her move, moving with a speed that perhaps implied extensive cybernetics. One gauntlet-covered, mechanical hand made a gesture and she unleashed a strong Force Push upon one of the Jedi - the one who unbeknownst to Enyo was called Madeline. The intent was to hit her hard and slam her into the ground.
In a fluid motion, her lightsabre flew into her right hand and ignited with the trademark snap-hiss, producing a violet beam of energy. Crossing the distance with mechanical precision, the cyborg performed a precise slash towards Lina's left hip joint. Based on her preliminary analysis, the Jedi's armour was light. Furthermore, the joints were always weak spots for any suit. Ergo it was a sensible place to strike to disable her.
It’d been exactly two minutes since the offensive focused ‘life pod’ launched from one of the magnetic rail cannons mounted atop The Technicolour Beat. He knew, because the virtual counter told him exactly how long it’d been, down to the thousandths of a second. It was always the moments floating in space that seemed the slowest; the calmest. The coming before the storm, it would seem, was always the finest moments in battle.
The Slave was strapped in tight; surrounded by his custom set of armor and riddled with weaponry meant for extermination. Cybele had interrupted his game of Pazaak just as he was taking the lead, so there was some serious annoyance littering his already poor mood; unfortunately for the people he would meet. He couldn’t remember it at the moment, but apparently he was on the hunt for Jedi; but if he didn’t face a master of the craft, was this even going to be worth it?
Mirial’s atmosphere began to engulf the drop pod as it deftly dropped from hyperspace only a few kilometers from the ground; a precise calculation only the massively complex computer that was Cybele could produce in short time. Now, those on the ground would witness only a streak of light breach the sky; and then the city below in a matter of seconds.
He was finally here, fashionably late as always.
The drop pod’s lid broke free with blast charges, followed by his first steps on the planet’s main population center.
Location: Mirial System - Drop Ship Objective: Follow Lark Allies: SJO, RA, Opposition: Zambies
Person of interest: [member="Lark"]
Equipment (see signature)
Sukai removed the mark from her face as the man approached, the small child wriggling in his arms, the 'perhaps' coming from the Sith sending a shiver down his spin, over happy people always gave her the creeps. As said Sith approached she kept a careful eye on his weapons, again always expecting the worse out of most situations. "It is true, war muddles this up and things cannot always be accounted for, but tell me what do you see as a normal life, living under the rule of a totalitarian and tyrannical regime, his views swayed by propaganda and lies about the outside world, most likely being conscripted into the army and sent of some world to fight for your Empires gains.
"I remember Datooine, my home world before it was under Sith rule, that was normal, now it is a repressed planet, where those who do not agree with your government vanish from existence, and the younger generations and oblivious to the hundreds of war crimes committed by you". She pushed off the wall and wandered around the room, picking up a child's toy, covered in ash and blood, "As for how I would raise him, the same way my mother raised me, I would tell him everything that transpired today, I would not leave out any detail, I would tell him about galactic history, what both sides have done, what lead up to this and its outcome, I'd teach him to fight, provide for himself, and let him go on his way, deciding for himself what path to pick.
"... and do not talk to me about taint, just because your government see it fit to kill civilians and cause destruction while we try to refrain but undoubtedly do it does not make you any better, a murder who admits his own crimes is just a guilty, as for rule, the Jedi do not force our idea of freedom to those who do not want it, the Planet will be free to runs itself with help from us, perhaps we will let the Sith continue to help as well". A distance roar echoed through the city, from what beast it came from she did not know, but at the moment it was non of her problem.
"As for keeping the peace, proper Jedi do, most of those who face you today are not Jedi, they are greys, with their own code, and way of thinking, I myself am no Jedi nor a Grey, in reality I am more a Dark Jedi then anything, as that was how I was raised, but I traveled the galaxy, experiencing both sides. I myself was a Sith for a while, training under them learning their ways, but I left, because I could not bring myself to be part of the group that craves power and enjoys the pain of others".
She turned her head around to face the man "I can tell that you also enjoy bringing people pain to other, as I am the same if not careful, a side effect of certain experiences. As fro danger, your Empire has more to do with it then you realize, the Dominion had clam over this plaent, and would have been able to provide for the citizen, if the Sith had not constantly bash down its doors, instant on its destruction, can you justify that and the slaughter on Serrino and the other planets, and there are plenty of those on world who have suffered from Sith rule, why do you think there are reble, who want us here and are willing to help us fight the Sith off".
"You talk about us being tyrannical but fail to see your own tyrannical nature, your constant wars against those willing to talk peace and retaliate due to your war mongering, all those that do suffer under your rule and as a result to your attacks, I'm sure the CSA loves having their planets invaded by the Sith, even though the are neutral in this war. Her experience turned to that of a stern person, this Sith had a very skewed sense on what the Jedi did, though it may be true fro some, it was no were near that of the Sith,
"As for my sins, I have done horrible things, killed people to dead in horrific way, i do not lie, and unlike you do not try to justify my actions because I save a few people here and their, I strive to make up for my wrongs doings at every opportunity, which I why I joined the Jedi, I now follow the code of honor that my people hold dear". "The former Sukai would have killed you regardless of the baby in your hands but I will not, though I cannot just let you leave, after knowing my whereabouts" Reaching fro her belt she drew her fathers single bladed light-saber, its hilt fashioned as that of a Katana, but did not ignite it "Place the child down in a safe place, then meet me on the roof, we will have our bout there and decide in single combat a victor, no distractions, not tricks".
Location: Mirial – Capital City
Allies: [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]
Unknown: [member="Jartris Entumaa"], [member="Aurelius Morday"]
Liuna turned, slightly surprised to see the armor clad form of Kaiza now at her side. Narrowing her eyes, she could feel the heat of the blaze. Even in the dimly lit street, the black smoke was visible as it poured out of the building before them. Her mouth opened to protest as Kaiza began to dash forward towards the entrance, no doubt a flaming fury waited on the other side.
The hooded man spoke, informing them that the building was now empty. Liuna was wary, but this man did not seem hostile, not yet at least. As she began to form a response to his questions, her attention shifted.
The silhouette of another suddenly came rushing towards the group. Liuna nearly reached for her weapon, but her hand paused. As the figure became clear, she could see that it was a man, cradled in his arms was a small child. She watched as he dropped the child’s small form into Kaiza’s arms. Blinking, she watched as this newcomer seemed to summon a mist that extinguished the flames.
The air around them felt cooler now, touched briefly by the mysterious mist.
Pulling the jacket off her shoulders, she wrapped it around the young child. She gave the girl a small smile and a gentle pat on the head. The poor thing was frightened and shaking now. Looking back to the hooded man, she spoke up.
“My name is Liuna, this is Kaiza.” She gestured to her fellow Mirialan. “We are here to help,” She assured him, it wasn’t untrue. Moving towards the building, she gingerly set foot inside.
Location: Mirial's Capitol Building Objectives: Get the Hell out of Dodge Allies: [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | Sith Empire Enemies: SJO | [member="RC 212"] Equipment:Battle ArmourLightsaber
The battle seemed to have shifted again. Due to the destructive maniac attacks of the armoured soldier who had apparently been fighting on the side of the Silver Jedi, the structure integrity of the building was rumbling as more and more rubble dropped every few seconds. She didn’t need the HUD in her helmet to warn her to get the hell out, this was common sense to anyone with half a functional brain. Finishing up with a last couple of slashes to ensure that the downed Rancor stay down, Greta refocused on the task at hand. The Sith that had all gathered to fight inside the building were no longer all together.
Some had split off to deal with the second intruder while the rest were dealing with the madman and his Rancor. The soldier jet-packed out of harm’s way, apparently raging at something else this time. She didn’t know what the source of his newly acquired rage was until an open channel was opened to all who could listen in.
Greta finally had a name to place with the figure, and RC 212 is his name. As she continued to listen in, the ever looming threat of the building collapsing on them seemed to get only more urgent with every passing second. Heading straight for the first open window the Sith knight could find, she found herself clear of the terribly unsafe building. At least, she wouldn’t be in danger of being crushed by the falling building now. This RC 212 was ranting like a petulant child about how much effort he had put in for the Silver Jedi and now they had betrayed him.
It sounded very much like a sulking child who’d been rejected by his parents in a toy store. He then give the entire channel the Silver Jedi’s codes for their comms and away he went. Greta simply shrugged with a smirk, if he wanted to do their job for them, he could feel free to do so.
Location: Groundside, Suburbs
Objective: Liberate the Holy Land Miral, Secure Suburbs
Allies: SJO
Enemies: TSE | [member="Vitor Avendahl"] eventually
Gear: Lightsaber x2, Armor
They'd moved quickly. A single platoon followed the Jedi Master as they made their way into the suburbs, the locals parting like a sea as he brought his contingent through, all of them simply entering the closest building as quickly as they could.. Marek saw the looks in their eyes, not resentment, not hope, not despair, simply exhaustion. This karking planet had passed hands more times than any of them cared to talk about, and at this point it seemed as if they were almost used to it. Granted this time their were zombies, but he digressed.
A part of Marek wondered if anything could ever bring hope back to Miral after so much violence, perhaps so, perhaps not, there was no real way to know.
The hilt of his saber lay inactive in his hand as the platoon moved through the streets with weapons at the ready, each soldier with more than enough discipline to avoid getting trigger happy even in an area like this. Then they encountered the patrol.
It was a small group, maybe eight soldiers who'd been patrolling the area as the attack began. They weren't ready to take on a hardened special forces platoon, let alone a Jedi Master. The blade sprung to life in an instant, and in the blink of an eye he was on them. He always hated this part, they weren't Sith Warriors carrying out the will of the Dark Lord, they were simple soldiers doing as they thought was best for their homes, just like the men behind him, just like him.
Marek moved through the group like a hot knife through butter, a few slashes here, a stab or two there, and he finished the exchange as he cleaved the head of a Sith Trooper swift stroke. Then it was done, it was routine at this point, and he wasn't quite sure just how much that scared him. Regardless he deactivated the saber and waved the platoon onward, stepping over the corpses as he went.
Cassius was grateful for Red Squadron – it allowed them to speed past the starfighters that had been scrambled to intercept them. In a more traditional battle plan, the roles might have been reversed, with the A-wings covering for X-wings, or perhaps even a larger bomber that carried ordinance. For this mission, however, the priority was taking out any sort of electronic system that might cause them harm. And for that, the A-wings had the EWAR missiles and the speed.
Once they’d taken out the comms towers, Cassius decided to switch to their secondary objective – air support. He knew that Red Squadron were probably still engaging those TIEs, and he didn’t want to leave them hanging. As he ordered all the wings to turn back towards the landing site, Green Two, [member="Karren Trask"], informed him that she was landing to help out on the ground. This caught Cassius by surprise.
“Green Two, wait!” he called out, but she was already breaking formation. “Karren!” he tried, but he knew it would be of no use. He remembered how she was on the starliner, and on Beris. She was a determined woman, even then, and there was a steely fire in her eyes that told Cassius she wouldn’t be backing down from this. So, he had to let her go. Sighing, he looked back ahead.
To compound matters, it was at this time that the man who identified himself as RC-212 came over their comms, informing them all of his apparent defection and that he was transmitting comm frequencies over to the Sith. “This guy can’t be serious,” Green Six growled. “Switch to secondary encrypted comms,” Cassius immediately ordered, flipping a switch on his console. It was a frequency that was exclusive to this squadron. As their ships were built for recon and electronic warfare, they’d all practiced moving over to the more secure frequency.
This, combined with Karren breaking off, made Cassius grunt a little. At least they still had eleven A-wings.
Eleven highly advanced, blisteringly fast A-wings heading straight for the interceptors still buzzing around Red Squadron. “Alright guys and ladies, you know what to do,” Cassius said, already scanning the air for targets. “Go straight at them! Let’s give ‘em hell!”
The other pilots echoed back their support and excitement as they barreled towards the enemy fighters. The strategy was the same as always – use superior speed and maneuverability to get the upper hand. Of course, they were squaring off against other interceptors, but Cassius had confidence in their new, advanced A-wings, and more importantly, the pilots that flew them. He just hoped that they caught them by surprise.
Cassius picked his target – there was a TIE Silencer and Interceptor both going after a singular X-wing. That didn’t seem fair. Time to even the odds.
A deadly stream of red plasma burst forth from his laser cannons as Cassius sped towards the TIE Silencer, rolling out of the way as he made his pass. If anything, he hoped to take some heat off of the X-wing.
Location: Mirial System, Outer Edge Objective: Establish System Control Allies: Silver Jedi and Allies Enemies: [member="Adriago Duilius "], Sith Empire and Allies Equipment: In Signature
Command Deck // ANS Hereafter Outer Heliosphere // Mirial System Galactic Alliance Fifth Expeditionary Fleet
"Cresting the last gravity well now, Admiral," a call from the main sensor station rang out at last, "We should be able to penetrate the interference with our long range scans shortly."
Zark was hardly paying attention. The Jedi Knight did not need a sensor report to tell him something terribly wrong was happening in this system. A tempestuous concentration of darkness emanated off Mirial he could feel even out here. It was unlike anything the Vice Admiral had experienced since Atrisia, possibly even worse. There were Sith operating out here in force, that much was certain, and in greater numbers than he could have imagined. It pulsed out at him in his mind like a supermassive black star, tendrils of potentiality almost lashing out as if to sweep his task force off the face of the galaxy, as the Dark Lords of Atrisia had tried to do with rituals powered by their own life force.
"Sir, are you alright?" Commander Bashir asked, picking up almost immediately on the overwhelming physical effect the sensation had on him.
"There is a great evil here..." was all he could muster in reply, as he gazed out the viewport along along the vector towards Mirial.
"Admiral!" the same junior sensor officer cried, "Picking up...what would appear to be some form of large scale planetary assault, sir. Mirial appears to be under siege."
"Transponders?" Zark asked in mild exasperation, "I need something, anything to plot a course by."
"Unclear at this range," was the reply, "Its possible they are either being scrambled or simply unidentified."
"What if we-"
"Contact!" another junior officer interrupted his superior, "Fourteen count one four unidentified sublight profiles on our scopes bearing grid 1211!"
"Where the hell did they come from?" Commander Bashir demanded in alarm, "That's closing in on extreme weapons range."
"We're being scanned!" another voice called out.
"Well, scan them back," Zark replied in a patient tone, "Specifics, people, start giving them."
As more controlled minds took control of the situation and began relaying more relevant intelligence, the Vice Admiral ascertained that the enemy battlegroup must have jumped in as they were maneuvering around the system's final planetary body. The transponders were unknown, but the profile of several of the vessels matched those witnessed bearing House Zambrano markings in the past, a fact that unsettled the entire bridge to hear. Mostly frigate and corvette sized, the largest was no bigger than one of the Alliance's light destroyers. And yet they found themselves suddenly outnumbered.
"Commander of the Alliance fleet, I am Commodore Adriago Duilius, of the Sith Armada. Regarding your intrusion into Sith space, I am demanded to request your immediate surrender or you and your fleet shall be neutralized by Sith authorities."
The entire bridge was silent. At the first mention of the word 'Sith', eyes widened in alarm, and by the time the message had played each one in the room was looking towards their commanding officer to see how he would respond. Externally, his expression remained inscrutable, but inside him a quiet storm raged.
"Comms, prepare a response, open band," he said at last quietly, and when the signal was given began speaking again in a resolute voice, "Commodore Duilius, this is Vice Admiral Zark, Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet, Fifth Expeditionary. Allow me to respect the honor you have shown me with your ultimatum by issuing one in return. The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances does not acknowledge Sith authority in this system, nor will we tolerate continued raids issuing from the Stygian Caldera. The people of Mirial are now under Defense Force protection. We will not surrender, and we will not yield our position."
"If you continue to advance, your actions will be treated as hostile intent, and you will be fired upon," Zark signaled the comms station to sever the connection, "Jam all further communications coming from the enemy fleet. If they manage to summon reinforcements this could get ugly quick."
"We're not going to give them a chance to surrender?" Bashir asked quietly.
"Do you honestly think they'd accept?" he muttered back, and the Mon Calamari XO was forced to concede the point.
"They've deployed fighters!" the announcement drew both of them back to the matter at hand.
"Navigation, alter course to match their intercept," the Vice Admiral ordered, and as he gazed up at the holodisplay before them, the Jedi Knight's hands began to manipulate the controls with uncanny speed, "Deploy all wings."
As he plotted a refined vector, Commander Bashir hurried to relay his commands. Per his alterations to their projected formation, the Valor-class Carrier in the viewport directly ahead of them began to bank starboard as it prepared to cut its engines. Waiting for the more ponderous star carrier to trundle by, the ANS Mercy would take up position as the task force's new rearguard, allowing for the Hereafter a more unobstructed view of the now rapidly closing enemy. Soon, they would be within range of the Citadel's long range turbolasers.
Minor adjustments to the capital line made, Zark shifted his focus to the screen of Alliance starfighters now forming up just beyond the prows of the Scythe Heavy Cruisers at the task force's van. What his contingent may lack in heavy firepower, they made up for in fighter superiority. Dividing the homogeneous formation into four assault teams and two larger intercept teams, over two hundred pinpricks of light shifted position outside the viewport as the Vice Admiral's bridge crew relayed his commands. The two intercept wings maintained a formation ahead of each Scythe's prow, while the assault wings advanced on strike missions.
"On their present course, enemy fleet will soon be entering range of our long range batteries," Commander Bashir timed the statement to be accurate the moment he finished.
"The moment they are within range, open fire."
Task Force Hereafter - 5th Expeditionary "Into the unknown."
6540 meters
Vanguard
Name: ANS Crusader Class: Scythe-class Heavy Cruiser (1000m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: Average Defence: High Speed: Average Manoeuvre: Low
Hangar: 1 CF10 Crossfire Squadron, 1 D-Wing Squadron, 1 A-Wing Squadron.
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Name: ANS Gladiator Class: Scythe-class Heavy Cruiser (1000m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: Average Defence: High Speed: Average Manoeuvre: Low
Hangar: 1 CF10 Crossfire Squadron, 1 D-Wing Squadron, 1 A-Wing Squadron.
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Escort Aurek (Left Flank)
Name: ANS Absolution Class: Dreadnought-class Mark III Escort Cruiser (700m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: High Defence: Average Speed: Low Manoeuvre: Low
Hangar: Dropships.
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Name: ANS Sluissi Dream Class: Essex-class Starfighter Killer (120m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: Moderate Defence: Average Speed: Moderate Manoeuvre: Average
Hangar: -
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Escort Besh (Right Flank)
Name: ANS Ascendant Class: Dreadnought-class Mark III Escort Cruiser (700m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: High Defence: Average Speed: Low Manoeuvre: Low
Hangar: Dropships.
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Name: ANS Rivers of Arbra Class: Essex-class Starfighter Killer (120m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: Moderate Defence: Average Speed: Moderate Manoeuvre: Average
Hangar: -
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Control
Name: ANS Hereafter Class: Citadel-class Star Carrier (1800m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: High Defence: High Speed: Average Manoeuvre: Low
Hangar: 5 CF10 Crossfire Squadrons, 4 D-Wing Squadrons, 1 A-Wing Squadron.
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven. Firing long range turbolasers at SAV Kilrain
Logistics
Name: ANS Mercy Class: Valor-class Carrier (980m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: Very Low Defence: Average Speed: High Manoeuvre: Moderate
Hangar: 3 Sprite X-Wing Squadrons, 2 D-Wing Squadrons, 2 A-Wing Squadrons.
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Name: ANS Remember Eriadu Class: Essex-class Starfighter Killer (120m) Shield/Hull: 100/100
Armament: Moderate Defence: Average Speed: Moderate Manoeuvre: Average
Hangar: -
Actions: Intercept course with Patrol Task Group Seven.
Assault One
24x CF10 Crossfire Fighters
20x D-Wing Fast Bombers
Actions: Beginning attack run on Element Strike One.
Assault Two
24x CF10 Crossfire Fighters
20x D-Wing Fast Bombers
Actions: Beginning attack run on Element Strike Two.
Assault Three
24x CF10 Crossfire Fighters
20x D-Wing Fast Bombers
Actions: Beginning attack run on Element Command.
Assault Four
24x Sprite X-Wing Fighters
20x D-Wing Fast Bombers
Actions: Beginning attack run on Element Command.
Intercept One
42x A-Wing Interceptors
12x CF10 Crossfire Fighters
Actions: Defensive formation in front of port Scythe Heavy Cruiser.
Intercept Two
28x A-Wing Interceptors
12x Sprite X-Wing Fighters
Actions: Defensive formation if front of starboard Scythe Heavy Cruiser.
Summary of Actions
Task Force Hereafter alters course to match Patrol Task Group Seven's intercept.
Valor-class Carrier takes Citadel-class Star Carrier's position as rearguard, but otherwise battle line remains the same. Two Scythe heavy cruisers in front, Dreadnought assault cruisers on their outer flanks, with the Citadel now between the Scythes and the Valor. Each Dreadnought escorted by an Essex-class Starfighter Killer, with the third Essex remaining behind alongside the Valor.
Four starfighter attack wings advance to begin bombing runs on Element Strike One, Element Strike Two, and Element Command, while two intercept wings remain in defensive formation ahead of each Scythe.
Assuming no deviations from intercept course, Star Carrier opens fire on SAV Kilrain with 50 long range turbolaser cannons.
There was a dark glint in the cloaked Mirialan’s eyes Kaiza disliked. Even though the traditional tattoos of their culture marked him a venerable individual, his mannerism and utter calm in a situation like this seemed out of place, unnatural. Still, hearing her people’s language after years of using Basic worked like a balm on Kaiza’s nerves – achieving a serene enough state to let her sense another’s approach even before his voice reached her ears. Suddenly receiving a crying girl in her arms, Kaiza was too surprised to voice any protests. She pulled the child into a careful embrace, hoping to stop the steady flow of tears as her head turned to just in time to witness the newcomer extinguish the flames. Such applications were far beyond her own abilities, marking the man’s skills as exceptional.
With that came a startling realization. The impressive display of control over the Force had revealed its practitioner a Sith.
It was unusual to see one of those monsters to act this way to say the least – then again, Sith trickery knew no bounds. Even the tiniest display of good intent meant little more than a thoughtful calculation supposed to sway others to their side. After defending many worlds from the Sith empire’s allies and seeing how innocents had been the primary targets of Imps and Sith alike, Kaiza would not start doubting their evil ways now. If anything, the unusual demeanour rang an alarm in her skull, urging the woman to watch out. Rumours surrounding the Sith Empire did not help either – after all, suffering so many Sith empires in the recent past, the galaxy still remembered their crimes well enough.
Nevertheless, tears continued to roll down the kid’s cheeks, prompting Kaiza to focus her attention there.
“Don’t worry, little one. <Don’t worry.>” The Padawan hushed softly, fingers stroking the little girl’s hair as Liuna undid her jacket, draping it over the poor creature.
The child looked up, arms wrapping around the armoured Padawan’s neck, only to meet the cold, featureless plate of her helmet. With little hesitation, the Mirialan Jedi removed the protective visor. Doing so while holding the child required putting her lightsaber aside. Risky, but Kaiza did not have the heart to see the girl cry. Without the mask, she offered a warm smile, putting an end to cries and tears.
“<Every loss of life is regrettable.>” Kaiza gave a soft reply in her native tongue.
“<And while Jedi do everything to prevent it, some deaths are unavoidable. We never purposely target civilians though.>” The armoured Jedi explained calmly, emerald eyes darting to where she expected the hooded man’s face to be.
Location: The Capital City Objective: Help liberate Mirial....and don't die Allies: [member="Karren Trask"] | SJO in area Enemies: [member="Lord Ghoul"] | The Sith Empire Gear: {In Sig) Shield | {In Sig) Dagger | Lightsaber | A180 Blaster
The wave of a Force aura focused on the Light washed over her from behind, and Stephanie knew it was an ally, she didn’t know who or what, but felt their desire to do good. The demonic Sith before them snarled, hissed and span his weapon with taunts that didn’t faze Stephanie – she wasn’t a child; she wasn’t afraid. She embodied exactly what the Dark Side detested.
Hope.
Before she had chance to respond to the newcomer to the confrontation, Ghoul attacked with a heavy strike of the axe, kicking up a swirl of burning ember and smoke as he did. The axe seemed to whistle through the air as he stomped forward and brought it down on her.
Using the training she had been given, Stephanie swerved right to avoid the overhand swing in good time, and the axe cut past her and dug into the ground. The shield was raised, the blue blade pointed behind. Her dark eyes glared out and the hulking Lord.
”My mission is to free the people of Mirial and repel the Dark Side. While they are here, my mission is here,” she called over to her ally.
While the Sith was here, it bought more time for the Mirilan people and the Rangers to get away.
”And if you think I was sent to plea with you, Sith, you’re wrong. Your reign of darkness is coming to an end!”
All the while she watched and observed the Sith, conserving and preparing her energy for action. There was no need to rush headlong into a battle she would – possibly- lose.
The air before him rippled with concussive energy, waves of visible distortion washing over him right before impact.
His vision went white, and his ears rang with a deafening roar.
When his vision returned, there was only darkness. He couldn't move, something had pinned him to the ground. He reached out with his senses to find that he was buried beneath the rubble of the capitol building, the concussive blast had blown him backwards and made him vulnerable when the Rancor had taken out the building's support beams. Now he was pinned beneath several meter-long layers of permacrete and metal, a rod of rebar impaling his midsection right under his breastplate and above his pelvis. Rapidly coagulating blood oozed from his ghastly wound, the flesh pulsating as it attempted to heal itself but found the way blocked by the foreign intruder that skewered his body.
Carnifex's brow knit in concentration as he willed the Dark Side to come to his aid, the rubble vibrating as the Dark Lord's mouth split in a snarl of exertion. Through the power of the Force the debris was lifted off of his body by several inches, not enough for him to move in any meaningful way, but enough for him to retrieve his lightsaber and activate it remotely. The blood-red blade shone brightly in the darkness, spearing the blockage above him before spinning wildly to cut, carve, and eviscerate everything that was holding him down.
Then, with a roar of defiance, he erupted from the ruins of the capitol building. Bleeding, bruised, battered... but very much alive. He summoned his saber to his right hand and with one clean motion he sliced the end of the rebar spear that punctured his guts, and with the other he telekinetically yanked it out his back and tossed it aside. Already the wounds inflicted upon him were beginning to heal, flesh, bone, and organ knitting themselves back together far more quickly than what was considered natural.
But the Dark Lord had long since moved beyond what was natural.
The rider seemed to have made good on his escape, and it appeared that the battle was only intensifying elsewhere in the system. He checked his wrist comm, which fortunately had not suffered any debilitating damage during the scuffle. When the Empire rose from the Ascendancy he had enacted several failsafes to ensure his protection, and one of those was a secret communication channel that would send out a beacon to the Imperial Military's High Command letting them know that he required assistance.
They would soon come, and like a ferocious tide wash away the refuse that littered the Empire's shores.
As Maya brought her X-wing around for a second pass at the Interceptors that were pursuing the transports, her warning systems began to beep. There was a TIE Silencer tight on her tail. Well, things were about to get interesting.
“Got someone on my six,” She spoke into her comm, trying to remain calm.
Thinking as quickly as she could, she fired the blaster turret – directly behind her. However, she didn’t even have time to see if she hit her mark. The TIE had opened fire. Maya evaded what she could, but her shields took a hard hit.
“Karking Kark!” She spat, watching as the TIE disappeared.
It was then that she realized it was passing by overhead, very close. Too close.
“Feth.” her troubles weren’t over. "Oh, Feth." There was an interceptor heading straight at her, seemingly poised to play a dangerous game of chicken. Just as the ship fired, she rolled hard to her right, firing off a torpedo as she did so.
She doubted this would be enough to shake the Interceptor and the TIE.
“This is Red Leader,” The voice spoke into her ear, “You okay, Red four?”
“Fine, just fine.” Maya replied, clearly growing frustrated.
