Invasion [SJO vs TSE] Operation Silversaber: Silver Jedi Invasion of the Mirial Hex

[Darth Empyrean]

Mirial, stalking his prey.

[member="Dusaro Dresari"]

Step by step, breath by breath, The Slave watched and waited as the padawan moved through the metropolis with some unknown goal in mind. It wasn’t just that he didn’t know what this Jedi was after, but he simply didn’t care. Why should he? Did man ever care what the ant sought, or just assume it was something mundane? No doubt the Jedi he stalked sought something simple like ‘balance’ or ‘protection’; this lie or that, something to hold him back from any true potential he might have.

Still, with casual hop and jump, The Slave moved from rooftop to rooftop in quiet anticipation. He doubted the Padawan’s skill, though he tended to doubt everyone's. In truth, who wondered now beneath him wasn’t much in regards of who he had faced before; but Dark Jedi Masters to Sith Lords, even two at a time at one point. Perhaps it was odd considering their relatively similar age and experience, but there was something about The Slave that kept him ahead of the game; something this padawan would soon find out.

Turning his neck to force out a crack, he unslung the sniper he carried and set it down. He wouldn’t need it if he intended to enjoy himself. Unsheathing Ishtar, the first sign of his approach came in the mournful cries of a foreign and unnatural song. Each note was long, carefully crafted, and showed a mere glimpse into the wielder’s psyche; in this case a turmoil of passion, pleasure, and unadulterated cruelty. In turn, the song came quick and tempting, a disturbing wind instrument made from an invisible blade carried on the breeze.

Then, the second sign of his approach. Letting the necklace he wore fall from its grace, he let his aura wash over the area in a wave. Unlike the usual Jedi or Sith one might sense, where their presence was kept close to themselves, The Slave’s moved unnatural; blanketing the area in a turbulent essence the likes of which were exceptionally rare, even among those who reached their pinnacle. It’d be nigh impossible to tell specifically where he came from, as in the greatest sense it was a smokescreen of metaphysical proportions. There was no seeing him within it.

Yet, all these prior signs meant nothing when met with the final sign of his approach. Where The Slave took action, he intended to kill the padawan in a moment’s notice, offering nothing more than the kill. If he couldn’t survive, then there was no need for a prolonged conflict; and so his blade came quick and deadly, a single strike backed with the force of his entire body. Horizontal pressure of the blade came aimed directly at Dusaro’s waist, a strike so balanced and heavy that the full block of a Soresu practitioner would still be pushed back by it; and if not the block then the body would fall in two. The weight of the sword multiplied by the strike’s own force would make sure of it.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Scans of the opponent's systems indicated a lull in power as Alkor completed his climb, and he punched the throttle forward. "Sneaky bastard," he sneered as the A-Wing lulled, it's engines stalled. Fire raced past Alkor as the Silencer gunned ahead and it's quarry slowly dipped in the opposite direction.

As he prepared for the split Second turn that would bring him to bear on the pilot's newly exposed flank, a proximity alert warned him of newly unleashed ordinance. Without the proper equipment to discern it's nature, Alkor was unwilling to take any chances with the missile. He continued on his forward, upward trending path and cut right, hard.

It was far less pretty a maneuver than most of what he had shown previously, but the Jen'jidai never expected what amounted to a suicide shot from this pilot. He growled in frustration as he tilted the controls at an angle and attempted to recenter on target.

The missile rotated as it chased him, and dipped to follow his heat signature. With the chill of high atmosphere, there were few options for confusing the targeting systems. Alkor had to fly completely on instinct.

He saw the A-Wing straight ahead, coming around to meet him face to face.

Alkor smiled darkly.

"I think this belongs to you," he murmured as he gunned it directly at the Interceptor, not breaking away even as his shields screamed at him under penetrative fire from the Kuati ship.

That is until the split second before collision became inevitable, and the afterburners from their engines became indiscernible to the EWAR.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Jartris Entumaa]

Location: Mirial - Capital
Allies: TSE
Opposition: SJO | [member="Liuna Ondizi"] | [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]

Jartris registered, with a furrowing of his brows, the shift in Kaiza's body language even before her words announced her intentions. The phrase are you kidding me might have been employed by someone beholden to a less erudite vernacular than his to give expression to roughly the same emotion that he was currently experiencing. He didn't quite know whether to be amused or annoyed. The young Jedi's passion might have been worthy of a future Sith if only it had been less blind.

"<Are you out of your mind, young lady? You would cut down an unarmed man for no other reason than that he owns but a flat and a ship, rather than a planet and a fleet with which to save this whole civilisation?>" He spread out his arms and looked at her with an incredulity that, if it was not real, he was doing a pretty good job of feigning. "<And I fail to see quite how exactly any of this is relevant to the fact that the Jedi are here in violation of a whole of three conventions of interplanetary law and bringing with them a whole lot of trouble. Now are you going to cause another civilian casualty, and quite intentionally and deliberately if I may point it out, or are you going to actually help somebody?>"

He turned to Liuna. "<Perhaps you will be able to talk some sense into her? It appears that us who are not Jedi are more keenly aware of the costs of violence. Presumably because we pay most of them.>"

 

[Marek S'hadar]

Location: Groundside, Suburbs
Objective: Kill Sacrens Fight the Sith
Allies: SJO
Enemies: TSE | [member="Vitor Avendahl"]
Gear: Lightsaber x2, Armor

Marek didn't have much time to react, leaping away from the falling balcony and any other accompanying rubble in a force-fueled dash.

Right to it then.

As the Sith rushed forwards Marek was able to get a good idea of the man's strength, a Sith Lord no doubt. The way darkness practically radiated off of the man's presence was as dead a giveaway as it had always been. Also the fact he brought down a balcony on the Jedi first rather than charging in like a bloodthirsty idiot like Marek would've long ago indicated that the man knew what he was doing. Perhaps Marek's next move would surprise Vitor, perhaps it wouldn't, there was only one way to find out.

Turning on his heel towards the Sith he shot towards his foe. As the blade of the darksider came raining down on Marek, the Jedi met him head first. Sky blue met crismon as S'hadar met Avendahl blow for blow, their blades crisscrossing over and over as the Jedi bladesman put up his defense. Even with his years and years of experience he still lacked one thing in the fight that Vitor had secured the instant he brought down the balcony; awareness. The exchange had been going for mere seconds but unlike his opponent who'd had a full idea of what to do, Marek had still been trying to regain focus when he'd charged back at his foe.

The crimson blade cascaded over his midsection, grinding along the magnus metal before nicking the undersuit as it left the armor, leaving a small cut. It wasn't much yet, but it hurt all the same. Retaliation came instantly, the Jedi Master unleashed a storm of strikes at his opponent in a flurry of blue, aiming for the man's arms near the shoulders for most of the attacks.

 

[Vereshin]

Location: The Capital
Objective: Find a mouse in a f-cking war zone
Allies: [member="Tabigarashu Madara"], [member="Darth Saarai"]

(exactly what is playing in this scene)​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KywA5ikRnOQ​

The presence of such a tiny being was immensely difficult detect among the throng of Light and Dark battling it out through the streets. Vereshin sprinted to a street corner and gripped the sides of her hair in rapid confusion, desperately trying to spot the tiny mouse somewhere in the center of conflict. The task seemed impossible and the sorcerer combed the presences for the smallest one. He planted his back against the wall before [member="Karren Trask"] and [member="Lord Ghoul"] exchanged philosophical blows and a raised a hand towards the woman, preferring her presence over that of the monstrous Sith.

"Excuse me madam, have you seen a talking mouse?" They looked at him once and Vereshin realized the question was fruitless, despite how polite he was! "Okay then nevermind!" As the fight raged on, he gazed downward carefully to check on Tiba, she poked her head out of his pocket and seemed to be quite comfortable. Suddenly, a slug surged forward and smash into the stone above Vereshin's head. "Ah f-ckmothery!" He darted to the side as the rubble subsided and ran away with haste to the other side of the street and down the next block.

A crazed alchemist wearing a gas mask ran past Vereshin and Tiba carrying a severely burnt woman to safety. "Goddamn it Morday", he only thought to himself as he raised his eyebrows, deciding to follow the path where the morally confused Sith had ran from. Aurelius travelled from a shortcut leading to the capital building and he decided to try his luck. Inexplicable dance music roared to a Ziosti melody, which Vereshin assumed Aurelius started on purpose to annoy everybody in the doomed city. He followed the tune to a burnt out brothel where [member="Jartris Entumaa"] prepared to fight [member="Kaiza Pawaro"] and [member="Liuna Ondizi"] and stopped dead in his tracks as the tiny tickling of little claws made their way up his back. Mice were f-cking resourceful.

The Sith Knight started giggling involuntary before the group of natives, silently coursing through expletives as Tiba ran up beneath his coat and over his shirt. He jolted and squirmed by the wall across from the street where the Mirilian trio bickered over ideological differences and the Jedi approach the violence. The tickling of Tiba's feet grew so intense that Vereshin began to ramble his own philosophical musings at a rapid and incoherent pace, to distract himself from the mouse in his clothes. He gripped the bricks with his fingers and finally, Tiba emerged from his collar and climbed on to his hair to sit directly upon his head.

"Codes and traditional values are meaningless because we are all pointless vessels of energy who contribute nothing to existence and are all going to f-cking die. For that reason we must disregard morality and live life as we please. Do not allow an outdated philosophy to hinder your happiness!" Vereshin blurted out as he froze, his tone heightened and shrill as he skipped over syllables and muddled words, making his speech indiscernible to the group on the other side of the street. The little black mouse sat perched on his head throughout the entire spiel. His eyes darted from one side of the street to the next. He gripped Tiba gently and placed her back into his pocket again.

"You stay there so you don't get squashed!" He spoke to the mouse directly in front of Kaiza, Jartris and Liuna, who would not suspect him Sith by any chance due to his civilian attire, and lack of any lightsaber. After one glance, Vereshin ran away without a word. He could have sworn he saw a tail disappear behind the next street corner, though it may well have belonged to a common rat. The sorcerer ran for his life with the roof of the capital building in the distance. Before him, [member="Marek S'hadar"] fought [member="Vitor Avendahl"] and Vereshin gasped, slinking by and beginning to raise his hands in a passive gesture should the Jedi see him. He slipped away towards the barricade where had last seen the glimpse of a mouse.

 

[Tabigarashu Madara]

Location: Mirial, Capital City
Mission: Get this information to the birb! Survive the chaos in the city!

Back into the city. Hirou thought they had seen the figure of [member="Vitor Avendahl"] slip between the shadows of the buildings. That was a face they knew, attached to [member="Darth Saarai"]. After the loss of their comm, perhaps he could point the Nezumi agent toward the bird.

Huh. What was he so intent on- OH MY!

He threw. A balcony. It wasn't at Hirou, but the Nezumi was beneath the path of the throw and immediately started scampering to and fro, dodging rubble as it came raining down from the sky. Small and easy to miss, Hirou took a side alley to the north just as the two force users ([member="Marek S'hadar"]) came together with a clash of cerulean and crimson.

Sometimes, Hirou considered as they ran, they were a little jealous of the Force Users and the utterly amazing feats they could accomplish. Sometimes, however, it was also better to be as far away from them as possible. Especially when they were hurling balconies through the air like Hirou might throw a raisin.

Things quieted slightly around them for a bit. This part of the city seemed to hold a small lull in the fighting. Down one road, the Nezumi spotted a group of zombies shambling away, toward the outskirts, and nodded with satisfaction. They still didn't know what had happened there, but whatever it was, it was good.

Pulling up short right before coming around a corner, Hirou pushed up on their hind legs, nose and whiskers quivering slightly for a moment. A hop and a jump and they bounded up atop a bit of rubble to get a better view and then-

"LORD FA!"

Dropping to all fours, Hirou dashed out rushing headlong toward the main barricade. A small blur of white and tan against the grey of the duracrete as they raced toward him.

 

[Darth Caecus]

Meanwhile on Kol Huro.....​

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Stories from Kol Huro​

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​He didn't get a response to his last comment. And while [member="Luca Thorne"] was fairly used to the fact that Kith usually only spoke when she had something to say, this seemed like a good place for a response- the type of place she would say something. But there was nothing but silence.

When he turned around he'd realize she wasn't standing idle. There was no shock or consternation. Not even annoyance. Kith was, instead, busy. The satchel she'd deposited upon their arrival, carrying what few things she had expected to need had been spilled out onto the crate. Cards had fluttered in all directions but it looked like she didn't care. She rifled through the items, slimming down, selecting, discarding, not paying him a single bit of attention. It was strange because she was usually calm, methodical- just the act of dumping the contents was out of character, let alone the swift, sometimes bordering on clumsy in the need for immediate action ways she was moving. This was not the carefully considerate, the conservative in the use of energy Kith Verloren he was familiar with.

Her face was set, mouth in a hard line as she considered a pair of long knives for a moment and started buckling them to her hips.

"Get to Mirial," she said absently. "They'll need people with your skills there. I don't expect you'll make it in time, but if the Jedi win the day, all the more reason for you to be there. Find Darth Saarai- he's a peacock, literally, you can't miss him. Tell him you are one of Caecus's. He'll know what needs to be done."

It was clear from the tone that not only did she had no intention of going to Mirial, but that she had something specific in mind instead.

Make them bleed.

It was a direct order to Caecus. To Kith. Whether he had meant it that way or not was irrelevant. He had not ordered her to Mirial. To his side. It wasn't a matter of loyalty.

It was a matter of necessity.

Imprinted in her mind was the base programing that required she follow a direct order from more powerful Sith. How that was determined in her subconscious she didn't know. But it was there, and there was no disobeying once those words were spoken.

Kith wasn't going to Mirial.

No. Now she had other business to attend.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Location: Mirial | The Capital.
Objective: Clean up this mess.
Allies: The Sith Empire & Mirial. - [member="Tabigarashu Madara"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi. - [member="Roona Osmari"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"]

Once Lord Fa stepped out of the barricade he noticed several troopers and Mirialans huddled together next to the comms. His own comms buzzed and he got distracted.

Soon it became clear that two of his agents were lost.

Tiba and... Hirou? The latter Nezumi had not been part of the... once again his attention got pulled away, this time back to the huddled troopers and militia.

"The Dark Lord!" One of them said to the others, clasping shoulders. "He did a ritual, that caused the undead to retreat!" Most of them were happy, laughing and shaking hands. As if there wasn't a larger war being fought here, but he allowed it. Right now this place was secured and right now they could recharge for a few minutes, remember what they were fighting for. In the meantime Tai would figure out what exactly had happened to Hirou and then-

"If this was so easy, why didn't the Sith do it from the very beginning?" It got silent as the lone voice was singled out, another Mirialan. Scarred face, claws racked across his left eye and leaving it blind. But the right one was very much alive and the light burning inside spoke tales. He was large, muscular, strong in all the physical ways.

True born soldier.

Maybe one of the Dominion troopers who had signed up for the Mirialan militia from the beginning. The green-skinned man was staring right at the peacock, "Why, Lord Saarai, did our people suffer while we were one ritual away from salvation."

The Thirriken did not seem disturbed, even when some of his friends tried to pull the Mirialan back.

"Easy?" The Sith Lord whispered, head tilted to the side as he approached. "Easy."

Tai nodded then. "The Dark Lord just sacrificed twelve of his most faithful allies, friends, family, they gave their lives for this ritual. For your safety." The ticking of sharp talons brushed against duracrete as the Thirriken finally stood before the Mirialan. The Sith had to look up, yes, but for some reason it seemed as if the soldier was the small one.

"Why not from the beginning? Because we did not want to sacrifice lives that weren't necessary. The curfew was working, the barricades held, the quarantine was in place. We were slowly turning the tide without having to kill anyone." Expression turned cold and angry. "If you wish to lay blame, lay it on the Jedi- they came here, uninvited, unasked for, to liberate, but all that they brought in their wake is destruction and death."

"You are angry? Good, because-"

"LORD FA!"

Tai blinked and reared his head, the chastised Mirialan gone from his mind. It was as if a sudden weight had lifted itself from his wingspan. It had nothing to do with love... or affection, definitely not. The Thirriken had accepted responsibility, when he made the Nezumi clan his allies and associates.

"Hirou... I had reports you were lost." The relief was most definitely not palpable.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Location: Mirial, Northern Reaches.
Allies: [member="Morgan Vance"], TSE
Enemies: The Silver Jedi apparently

"No, but as soon as we realized you should have said something. It compromises the mission, our safety, if we don't tell each other when something comes up that might keep us from working at 100%. I know you're used to being a lone wolf-dog-whatever, but part of watching each other's backs is knowing when something compromises us and trusting the other one with that information."

Her tone was oddly heavy, heated but not angry. This mattered in an oddly personal way to Dante, that much was obvious.

Of course, that was interrupted by the news that the planet was being attacked by-

"The Silver Jedi? Are you karking serious?"

A serious as a hemophiliac in a vibroblade factory apparently.

"Well chit. Okay."

Heading across the room, Dante shook her head. She wiped her hands off on her pants, trying not to think about it as she refocused on the controls.

"Gimme a second to check the calibration..... seriously? Jedi? How the hell do you go from Jedi to 'allied with death cultists who make creepy meat machines'? Who *does* that? Ugh. Whatever. Okay, we've got fleets in system, but we can get their deets fed through here aaaaaand boom."

The screen lit up, Sith Imperial Armada ships highlighted in blue based on their transponder signals, unknowns flagged orange.

She tapped a couple of times, excluding all ships with civilian transponder codes. Sure, there was a chance those were enemy ships, but she wouldn't risk it. It would be hazardous enough up there without firing into an area that had civilian ships if she could avoid it.

"Alright, powering up- gods I wish we had some headphones cause it's gonna get lou-"

Whatever else she was going to say was drown out by the hum of the orbital cannon. She flinched, even knowing it was coming when the roaring boom shook the facility- ground support was now operational, and the facility would be taking pot shots at the enemy ships just above the atmosphere of Mirial.

"The shield around this place should hold if they decide to make a straffing run or two," she muttered, more to herself than Morgan as the sound eased. "But we're vulnerable every time it fires. We need to get to the lower control room while the gun cools down for the next shot."

 

[Arage Bao]

Meanwhile on Kol Huro.....​

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Tales of Kol Huro​

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It went often like this between the two of them.

At some point Luca realized what was happening with Kith- she was mimicking Caecus. Maybe it was to gather favor, to not rock the boat, maybe it was because of loyalty, Thorne didn't know, but her mannerisms reminded him a lot of their employer. It was... strange, but it was an eccentricity that Luca could accept for a simple reason: Kith was competent as feth and didn't let it kark up their missions. So, what she wanted to do in her private time?

Wasn't his business.

If she had a costume tailor-fit to be similar to Caecus' in her room? That was most definitely not his business, though at this point Luca wouldn't be surprised about that.

He was about to pipe up again, but her voice cut through it and interrupted his train of thought. Luca blinked, eyebrow raised, before snorting to himself (and her). "Last time I checked I got paid by Caecus, Kith." He pointed out lightly, while shifting his weight to lean against the wall while watching her pack.

"He ain't giving me the command to go to Mirial, so I will just tag along with you." Head tilted. "Doubt our employer wants you getting yourself killed in your rush to do... whatever."

"Just don't get in my way."

Brows tilted higher.

"Just try to keep up with me this time, love." Then he went to go packing for himself. This was going to get... interesting, to say the least.

[member="Darth Caecus"]​

 

[Kenth Typho]

Location: Mirial
Allies: [member="Dante Sotari"] | Sith Empire
Enemies: The Silver Jedi

Morgan tabled the discussion for... later.

He wasn't even sure why he didn't immediately tipped her off about it. She was right, it was the obvious thing to do here and Vance had avoided doing just that. Instead allowing them both to slide into the enemy's camp while letting her fly blind. It had been instinctual, just a bad feeling and a mute voice whispering at the back of his head.

Don't tell her, she doesn't need to know.

...and Morgan simply hadn't. It worried him, but not enough to not be able to snap out of it for now. "Not a clue, but the Jedi have always had funny ideas about their moral high ground."

Not every one of them, no, but a large portion thought that the 'Jedi' stamp somehow allowed them to act with impunity. They were the good guys, right? So, whatever they did had to be the right decision! Because they were the Jedi and they were good! Fething choffers, it was a scary thought that they would one day wipe out all their enemies and become the supreme force of power in the Galaxy.

That would be the day.

"Right- this facility's gotta have some internal defenses- turret emplacements, shielding, if they try to come at us from the ground we will be ready."

They were only two, but that wasn't always a bad thing.

"Look at it from the bright side," Morgan said to her as they passed the... icky machine again and settled into the elevator, once it arrived for them- "At least we don't have to do all the climbing again."

The elevator beeped as they arrived at the lower control rooms. The systems were bleeping, lights winking in and out, waiting for input from them in one way or another. Besides, considering they were only two and the enemy would presumably be legion? "Don't really matter if we are outnumbered, just means we can shoot wherever and hit our target."

A smile.

"Easy as pie."

 

[Maya Zhou]

Allies: [member="Cassius Droma"]
Opposition: [member="Alkor Centaris"]

Maya’s savior had come in the form of a swift A-wing – its pilot obviously skilled. The young woman blew out a mighty sigh. With the immediate pressure off her shoulders, she attempted to regain focus. The breathing room helped immensely. Taking the fight back to the enemy interceptors, she swooped in with the rest of Red Squadron. The last of the transports seemed to be going to ground, but not without trouble. The hostile fighters seemed to be utterly determined and quite relentless in their attack. Joining her fellow X-wings, the four descended to rain hell down on the enemy ships.

Even Maya had a hit or two, but enemy shields seemed to be holding.

“This is Red leader, come ‘round again!” As the group pulled back up and away, they navigated through the storm of laser fire. But not all of them would make it out.

“I’m hit!” Came the voice of Red two’s pilot.

Maya narrowed her eyes, trying to keep focus. She tried to block out the fact that Red two was now spiraling down towards Mirial below. And soon, it would be gone. Perhaps there was still hope for the craft’s pilot though, a crash didn’t automatically mean the end – but she shuddered to think.
The rest of Red Squadron remained locked with the enemy interceptors, along with the fighters of Green Squadron. Together, the two were sure to make some progress. As for Maya, she still had a score to settle. She turned to her scanners, locating the TIE Silencer and the A-wing – the two still engaged in quite the dogfight, it seemed. It was time to settle the score, and time to try to relieve her comrade.

Maya knew that she was likely not much of a match for the TIE, but even if she could prove to be a mild annoyance… Well, that would be good enough for her. At the moment, the Silencer seemed to be flying at the A-wing head on. Living life on the edge. Coming in behind the TIE Silencer, Maya would fire off a round from her laser cannon.

Spoiler

Sorry for the delay!

 

[Darth Ophidia]

MIRIAL – Pantera Class Stealth Frigate.
Sneaking in through the trash chute.

Darth Ophidia hoisted herself up on the ledge and breathed a sigh of relief as she looked up into the steep slope ahead. Filth traced every corner and ran in a steady stream off the ledge, dripping into the wastebasket beneath. With a deft motion, Ophidia slipped her sabre back inside the sealed pocket of her EVA suit and started her climb.

Squeezing her way inside, the slender Sith Lord spread her limbs wide and used the magnetic soles of her EVA suit to climb higher and higher through the tunnel of filth. She had to stop twice and squeeze herself against the one side as something came flushing down past her. She made a point out of not thinking of what it could be.

‘I hope you’re still there when I reach the top.’ She thought to herself

She kicked filth off her leg and resumed her climb. The tunnel constricted slowly around her, but she slipped into a side passage. One that was far less filthy and easier to climb.

At last, she reached the grate at the top. Closing her eyes, she used the Force to see: A skill she baked into the backdrop of the Force. Seeing through the Force sight, as she learned it from a Miraluka back in the days of the One Sith, allowed her to see past the physical constraints of her surroundings. Ophidia could see a square room with several stalls and a number of sanitation stations. There was one person inside, but she was closer to the door. It was difficult measuring the bodily proportions of the person when she could mostly just see their aura in the Force, but they appeared human.

The assassin slipped her fingers through the grate and braced herself. This would all have to happen quickly and quietly. Crack. The vent broke loose as she tumbled into the room. The officer turned and directed their hand down to the blaster at their hip, fingers curled around the grip. Rushing across the room, Ophidia seized their pistol-hand with her own right, while the left made a straight punch into their throat.

“Shhh.”

She could see now: It was a low-ranking officer, female, approximately same height as Ophidia. So the Force wills it.

The Rattataki quickly seized the woman by the throat and pressed her against the wall. With the Force to aid her strength, the officer had little she could do. She kicked and tried to scream, but between the crushed larynx and lack of air now draining her energy, it came to little avail.

 

[Darth Bellum]

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Location | Captial of Mirial
Objective | Push back against the SJO
Company | TSE Soldiers and Mirialin Militiamen

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Vexen's lightsaber would shift at an angle as they connected with slugs fired from the SJO forces, vaporizing them near instantaneously as he grunted. A few slugs would slip past his saber as they impacted and shattered against his Phrik armor, the force of the kinetic energy pushing his shoulders back before he was able to regain his composure. The fortified position he was defending was holding well, but each wound received was costing them manpower and effectiveness. It would only be a matter of time before they've depleted their resources entirely and would be forced to pull back. No. They must hold the line to prevent other areas from being flanked and overwhelmed. There was something odd and disturbing as the armored Sith knight walked forward slowly, his vocoded voice booming out in song. " The enemy ahead of me...If this is to be the end of me, at least I have my men with me...Weapon in hand, at my command, and the Force with me... "

It was an unsettling sight to say the least, particularly for the SJO forces to see the armored Sith moving forward and singing a war chant to draw their fire away from the soldiers defending the fortified line. Much time had passed since he had last contacted the Captain he was charged with commanding. He would raise one hand up as his holo-communicator flared to life in his palm, a fully armored Captain inside of a transport, as he offered a salute with his free hand. Vexen would speak in a harsh and grating tone as he continued his best to draw fire and hold his position. " Captain Varkos. Where are your men? I ordered you to mobilize the nearest base closest to the capital over half an hour ago! Did I not say I would have your head should you fail? " The Captain would offer a deep bow as he spoke, " Sir apologies for the delay. We have mustered as many men, supplies, and vehicles as we could muster. Seven MAAC/IV has been dispatched and a squadron of Fury-Class have been scrambled to escort them. ETA thr- GAAAAAAAH "

The captain's holographic figure in his palm seemed to shoot out of the scene, being pushed away by an explosion as the transmission abruptly cut off. Vexen would turn his head to the horizon as a few black dots were moving in a scattered formation. Several of them erupted into balls of flame as the charred husks of walkers and smaller figures could be seen falling out of the sky as a squadron of enemy starfighters had came in from above and did a hit and run. The squadron of Fury class starfighters would break off to engage the enemy squadron in a dogfight as the remaining transports which amounted to just under half a dozen had broken through city borders, scattering as they broke off to deploy their cargo and passengers at several other locations across the city to reinforce those who required it the most.

The roar of the MAAC/IV's engines could be heard approaching Vexen's position as it was ready to make a quick drop. A rocket being aimed at Vexen from an elevated position by an SJO soldier would have its aim shifted instead as it was passing between the tall structures. A screech could be heard as a rocket was let loose, the exhaust trailing behind the warhead as it impacted one of the engines of the transport. Several engines would burst into flames from the proximity of the blast as it began to trail smoke on its approach. It was coming in too fast and too low. The nose of the shuttle would hit the ground as it began to carve into and rupture the streets, skidding through concrete as sparks flew. The shuttle's speed and size was enough for it to railroad its way through the fortified position if it wasn't stopped.

The Sith Knight would switch off his saber as he raised both his arms up, pulling them back before roughly thrusting them forward, sending out a wave with the Force towards the barreling transport. The initial wave had struck the front of the transport, crumpling up the nose, slowing it down significantly, but not enough to stop it from colliding with the fortified position. Vexen would pull one foot back as he dug his heels into the street, sending out another wave forward, this time with the intent of slowing it down to a complete halt. The transport continued to barrel towards him, threatening to run him over, slowing down bit by bit; the closer it came, the more strain could be seen being forced on the Sith as his armored boots cracked and shattered the pavement as he was being forced back bit by bit. It was closing in fast but had slowed down enough for Vexen to cock one of his hands back and direct the Force at an angle to twist the downed shuttle to a nearly perpendicular angle, the larger area sliding along the streets slowing it down till it was a few meters out from him. Vexen's arms would lower as he dropped to a knee, clearly exhausted by the effort.

The rear of the transport would open up as the thundering stomps could be heard. From the rear would emerge an AT-A/RW, its body shifting towards the great fissure from where the shuttle had been skidding as it moved forward. It was swiftly followed by another as they moved into position to provide cover as a great number of soldiers were disembarking, most of them being carried out after having sustained injuries from the crash. Amongst them would be a soldier that quickly spotted the Sith Knight and ran over to assist him in standing up. Vexen would grunt as his powered suit of armor helped in assisting him to stand, soon standing upright as he stared down at the soldier. The soldier would offer a salute before raising a hand up to salute, speaking in a stuttery tone, " L-Lieut-tenant S-Saryn s-s-ir... " It was clear that this Lieutenant was female and perhaps shaken from surviving what could have been a lethal crash.

Vexen would let out a raspy growl as he spoke, " Where is the Captain, Lieutenant...The reinforcements I ordered arrived later than I had demanded... " The Lieutenant's head would shrink into her shoulders as a blast was heard. Another rocket had been fired that shot out one of the two walkers' legs, causing it to collapse and explode. The remaining walker would turn its body as the four cheek mounted blaster cannons turned to the building where the exhaust was leading from and proceeded to light it up. Soldiers were carrying wounded and supplies back to the fortified line. Once the Lieutenant had regained their composure she would look up at the Sith Knight before speaking, " C-Captain Varkos was shot down b-before we were able to enter the city l-limits my L-L-Lord... " Vexen would raise his hand back before backhanding the Lieutenant roughly across the cheek, careful to exercise his force so that he did not break the Lieutenant's neck from the blow before speaking, " Pull yourself together Lieutenant. You are to take his place in commanding these soldiers. We have enough problems without your shaken and stuttering mess of a speech impediment lowering the morale. " The Lieutenant would stagger as they raised a hand to their cheek before standing up straight, speaking in a more composed tone, " Y-Yes sir. I will do my best! " " It is in your best interest to do well Lieutenant. Your life depends on it. "

The arrival of reinforcements had already provided a boost to the morale of those Vexen had been holding the area with, additional men and supplies being just what they needed. The wounded were dragged to safety to be treated as the one remaining walker would stomp its way back to use the crashed transport as cover to protect its legs, Vexen would pull back himself as he was recuperating his own strength. Flames were ablaze around them, casting an eerie glow on his armor as he stood atop a pile of rubble, raising his palm up as he listened to the frequencies of other friendly forces before he himself sent a broadcast to any Sith forces in the city, " This is Kor Vexen of the Sith Empire. Additional reinforcements have broken through the city limits and made landfall within the city. If you require support or additional troops, contact the nearest commanding officer at one of the designated landing points. Do with them as you will. We will make full use of what has been able to make it through to the capital and push the enemy back! " His fingers would clench into a fist as he terminated his own transmission, turning to the Lieutenant who stood next to him, " You will be my second, Lieutenant. Get the wounded treated and pulled back to a secondary defensive position and have the supplies distributed. Once we have had everything sorted, we will take those who are uninjured and push the enemy back. Are my orders clear Lieutenant? " "Crystal, my Lord. It will be done. " The Lieutenant's attitude seemed to have changed drastically as they regained a professional air of authority and began directing orders.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Location: Mirial City Slums
Objective: make the paddys squirm
Allies: [member="Taeli Raaf"]
Enemies: [member="Lina Renning"] [member="Madeline Roux"]

Calina smiled at the cyborgs response to the padawan’s stammered question. That was one way to put it, the second one seemed to follow willingly, both had slightly dazed expressions, frowning slightly she peered past them out to where the Lady Arcanix stood and clarity came to her. Inclining her head to the masked woman, Calina closed the lab door and locked it.

On the far wall, the undead were screaming and writhing against their restraints desperate to get at the two Jedi. Calina shared neither Enyo’s desire for battle nor Arcanix’s desire to play with people’s brains. Her only goal here was to find a cure for the zombies. She said nothing to either of the Jedi, passing by the cages where other subjects were watching with silent terror in their eyes, flicking between the Jedi, the undead and their captor. One dared to approach the bars, a whispered plea issuing from his cracked lips.

“Help us.”

Calina ignored him. “This facility, my facility, is dedicated to the research and development of a cure for the undead virus here. A project you and your people have made significantly more difficult with your rowdy entrance.” Her comm-link screamed, static bursts, gunshots and the distinct noise of the undead. Saba’s voice cracked. “We’re overrun.”

Calina reached over and flicked it off, her expression unreadable.

“You need to correct this mistake of yours. How do you intend to do that?”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Objective: Hit things
Allies: TSE. Stoicism.
Enemies: SJO, [member="Yuroic Xeraic"].
Gear: Simulacrum Body + armour (in sig), bolter, sonic blaster, Forcebreakers, 2x glowsticks.


Yuroic was both right and wrong. His opponent was not of the living. At least not in the usual sense. She did not feel pain, tire, eat, drink or sleep. But she was not wholly a machine. Rather she was stuck in limbo between both worlds. She was a mad scientist's wet dream, the fruit of genocidal fantasies of insane droids.


Drawing upon his rage, the Jedi unleashed a potent Force Push towards her. It was soon followed by a melee strike as he launched himself at her, his short lightsabre slashing at her throat with lethal intent.


Enyo was caught somewhat off-guard by his fury. The cyborg was pushed back and knocked down when the telekinetic blast slammed into her with thunderous impact. The ground shook upon her fall. For an ordinary human, this might have been a disabling collision. Or one that cracked a rib or two. She was swiftly on her feet again, but then he had crossed the distance and his lightsabre swept towards her throat.


As his piercing blade surged towards her throat, she twisted her neck slightly to evade. Briefly, his lightsabre cut across her neck. Smoke rolled off it, as the burning plasma kissed her throat and burnt the metal of her armour. But the layers of phrik beneath her faux skin kept her from being beheaded. She felt a measure of respect for the Jedi's determination.


The cyborg was not idle, but shifted her stance towards offence and acted. In this moment, Yuroic would realise that, contrary to his earlier assumption, his opponent was able to use the Force. Until now, she had refrained from drawing upon it, excluding the brief mechu-deru scan of his armour right at the start of the duel.


All warfare is based on deception.


Pulling at the tangled web of power that was the Force, she drew upon her telekinesis to unleash a powerful, invisible blast of telekinetic energy towards his legs, which had already been injured when she fired at him with her bolter at the start of the fight.


Rather than an area-of-effect telekinetic wave it was a focused slam. Having used the Force so little in battle, she was rested, and so the assault should have enough power in it to break bones on impact. It ought to prevent him from escaping her subsequent attack.


Swiftly, she followed up with a lightsabre strike. Her strength and speed were augmented further by the Force energies that flowed through her body. Held in a one-handed iron grip, her violet blade slashed at his wrist joint, aiming to slice through his remaining hand and cut it off, which if successful would disarm him both literally and figuratively.

 

[Lark]

Location: Mirial
Allies: TSE
Enemies: SJO, [member="Sky'ito Yumi"]
Objective: Fight the Jedi

"Perhaps my views of the Jedi are as skewed as your view is of the Sith," Lark admitted. "I've never attempted to shroud that which the Sith have done, because I too believe that in times such as this sometimes the only way to achieve results is through warfare. I believed prior to this meeting that the Jedi had more peaceful ways of solving their problems, but I can see that I was wrong about that." He turned to the Jedi with a kind smile. "Regardless, we can sit here lamenting hypocrisies at one another like a bunch of bickering twins endlessly. I can see that you're ready to get down to business, I apologize for taking up so much of your time. Thank you for this conversation, it was quite informative."

He turned and dashed back to the medical center, keeping an eye out for any rogue beasts or Jedi, although his path back was as clear as it was when he first found his way to the dilapidated house. The makeshift medical center was still there, and while it appeared as though it hadn't been attacked the injuries continued to pile up. Bloody sheets covered the bodies of the dead, laid out in rows a ways away from where others were being treated. He handed the baby to the nearest unoccupied doctor, he was glad to be rid of the thing. It was a different kind of weight than he was used to carrying. "Sir," the doctor said, her exhausted voice was barely audible. "More just keep coming. I don't know how much longer we can keep going."

"You might be receiving aid soon," he said, remembering the Jedi's words. "Keep an eye out for a Jedi medical team, they might be sending some form of relief."

"But sir, the Jedi are the ones who did this."

"Yes, but their supplies are as good as ours. It's as if a mobster shoots you down in an alley, but before running away he tosses down a few bandages at your side. He's already done the damage, but you accept the bandages anyways." He turned and ran back to where the Jedi awaited, the trip much shorter now that he wasn't holding a tiny lump of drooling life. He was still a tad exhausted from guiding the elevator down the skyscraper, but he was confident he was strong enough to put up a fight. He normally relied on his mind more than his body, anyhow.

He returned to the designated arena, the Jedi was waiting for him in what Lark guessed was a meditative position. Everyone has their own method of readying themselves for a fight, he thought. Normally, he'd throw his dagger before his opponent even had a chance to react, ideally ending the fight before it even began. But for some reason he wanted to approach this fight differently. He needed to test himself. Slowly, Lark unsheathed his Sith sword, enchanted with the same properties as a lightsaber and the color of ice. His dagger, similarly enchanted, remained sheathed for now. "Ready when you are," Lark announced earnestly.

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

Location: Mirial Suburbs
Objective: Securing Suburbs
Allies: SJ, [member="Arisa Yune"] [member="Kal Visna"] (Has a squad of Five SJ Regulars, One Medic, one Scout and one Sniper.
Enemies: Sith [member="The Slave"]

Dusaro was still enroute to the front where the biological threat was the heaviest when he received a call from the Kusanagi task group. "Handyman this is Kusanagi, calling about your requested support. There are two Gnat Runner squadrons inbound to the zone where the biological threats were reported along with one squad of YVH-2 Droids." "Roger that Kusanagi, connect them with the local Ranger CO Adam Drast, until i arrive he will be in charge of the front. Is there anything else to report?" "Nothing yet, that is all we have for yo... Scratch that, we are getting weird readings from our visuals, please stand by." Stand by for what? Something was happening that was for sure, but he did not have the foggiest what it was. Then he felt something strange in the force. He couldn't place it, but there was -something- happening that he could tell. Dusaro raised his hand up in a closed fist and then pulled it down, himself and his squad going down into what cover they could find.

"Ground Group Handy Man, we have a change in the situation, extreme one at that. The biological threats are pulling out of the city. We are not sure why." That made Dusaro tilt his head, cocking a brow in confusion for a moment. They were pulling back... Why? He didn't know, but that didn't matter. No better chance to eliminate them and seal off the breach. "Have the reinforcements continue with their last orders to persue and seal off the breach if possible. This is something force related and i am not going to risk leaving them alone and let it come back to bite us, or the people here in the rear later." "Copy that, they are maintaining current heading and course of action. We will keep you up to date on any changes, Kusanagi out." Dusaro nodded to himself, starting to motion for his group to move on. Then he heard something.

A sound, like a wind based musical instrument sounding out through the streets. But it was no normal song, he could feel that from the first note. The cruel, tempting melody was a wonderful if utterly disturbing piece, making Dusaro's men shift uncomfortably at its sudden appearance. Murmuring quietly into his comms he quickly spoke. "All of you group up in pairs, cover each others backs and keep those heads on a swivel." They quickly reacted to his words, forming up into pairs and making a semi circle, with Dusaro at the middle of it. In his right hand a light golden lightsaber sprang to life while he kept his left hand empty and near his left side.

Then moments later, the next sensation came. That of a surrounding, even overwhelming darkness. But it was a even darkness with no way to tell where it's center was, like the eye of the storm. But Dusaro now knew for sure that he faced a Sith. That alone was enough. In a fashion that was normal for Firrerreo, his lips drew back into a snarl and his stance adjusted just slightly, his eyes glaring at the air in front of him. But Dusaro was not focused on what he could see, or even sense. He did not think himself so capable with the force to be able to feel his attacker through this. Dusaro knew better. No, he focused on his hearing, those natural senses that other Jedi tended to lack in training, but he had been honing as a child. That was what saved him from being bisected by The Slave's blade.

The sound of a blade cutting through the air. Dusaro had not heard a foot fall and it was even possible his opponent had not even touched the ground yet. He did not retreat from the attack, his instincts from years of having been a Mercenary told him retreat would be death. Raising his lightsaber into the incoming blow, he attacked back, utilizing what he had learned and trained in Djem-So to receive the heavy blow and start deflecting it. The physical weight and momentum would have overwhelmed him completely if he had retreated from the attack. Dusaro would not have had the positioning to withstand it for even a moment if he had. But Dusaro could not have anticipated the extreme momentum the blade carried thanks to its weight. By using a surprising amount of physical strength he stopped the blade from finding it's mark completly as he charged at his attacker who was only just now coming into his vision, going in for a nasty elbow check aimed in the general direction of his attackers face.

Or at least that had been his plan, until the blade bit through his flak vest and cut into his waist by about half an inch. Suddenly scenes started to instantaneously play across his vision. It was as though everything suddenly became hyper detailed, his mind latching onto every single detail. Color's started popping out and things shifted, toying with his vision and mind as everything started to swim and so did his physical senses as a whole. While Dusaro was still going for the elbow blow to knock his opponent off balance and give himself time to react it was now far less accurate and follow up even if he hit was more of a crap shot. Dusaro would have to rely entirely on his instincts it seemed to get him through this scrap.

(OOC NOTE, Arisa went ahead and gave me the all clear to deploy the light tanks/droids Dusaro had requested due to IRL circumstances that have kept her busy.)

Spoiler: Equipment

3 Flash Bang, 3 Smoke, 3 Thermal Dets, 4 2 Pound Explosive blocks

Pair of Shatterguns, Lightsaber, Blaster Carbine

Jet Pack, Light combat Armor, Thermal Imaging Visor

Spoiler: Troopers

SJ/Regulars(196)

Ranger Scouts(19)

Ranger Snipers(15)

Ranger Combat Medics(39)

Silver Jedi Heavy Weapons Infantry(25)

Mirilan Rebels [Armed with 10MM autorippers] (200)(Edited as per request)

Mirilan Rebels [Armed with a variety of low grade blaster weapons] (300)

Gnat Runners (12)(6 per squadron)

YVH-2 Droids (14)

794 Total Troops

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Location: Mirial, Garrison.
Objective: Eliminate TSE troopers and secure Garrison.
Allies: Silver Jedi Order, [member="Roona Osmari"]
Enemies: The Sith Empire, [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Tabigarashu Madara"]

The colonel shifted his position, leaning out of his cover to let another three round burst loose to keep the enemy at bay. After falling back behind his cover, the young officer realized that they had to keep moving. He'd need to keep each team in his unit active if they weren't to get pinned down by enemy fire.

Checking his rifle once more, he'd raise his voice into his communicator, using his heads-up-display to find the location of his select teams.

"First team! We're moving up, I move first! Provide cover for each other and keep bounding for cover. Second team, I want the specialists to keep those Z-6's moving!"

After receiving their orders and confirming them, first team prepared to move. Lowder and Harris moved close to Valk, nodding that they were ready.

"Moving!" Valkren yelled as he pushed himself out of cover, watching as a crimson bolt traveled across his field of view. He stayed low as he ran out, moving as quickly as his legs could take him in his cautious posture and heavy armor.

"Covering!" Harris yelled as the group popped out, taking down several TSE troopers in the attempt to cover their commanding officer.

Valkren slipped into the open frame of a broken doorway, another bolt splitting shards of metal off of the cover just as his back slammed against the cover. "Lowder! You're up next! Move!"

As Valkren yelled this, he moved to one knee and began to let slugs loose again, his weapons' rounds finding most of their marks due to his HUD and shooting skill alone. The team continued this method of covering and moving.. Keeping in mind their training of moving under fire. 'I'm up..He sees me..I'm down,' had been a set method of moving during a firefight for the longest time.

As his team moved and his own ammunition in his current magazine ran low, the young ranger retreated back into cover once more to exchange the spent mag for a brand new one. "Sergeant Osmari, report? You both still alive up there?!"

 

[Cassius Droma]

Location: Mirial Airspace
Objective: Liberation
Allies: Silver Jedi Order [[member="Maya Zhou"]]
Enemies: The Sith Empire [[member="Alkor Centaris"]]

As Cassius was coming up for his run, he saw on his readout that the Silencer had managed to turn around and was already heading straight for him. The maneuverability on this TIE Silencer had to be insane. He made a mental note to try and read whatever intelligence reports he could find in order to figure out any weaknesses later.

Then again, there was also the pilot’s skill level to consider. It had to be higher than your average interceptor pilot, that was for sure. Cassius would have taken this guy out three moves ago, if not sooner.

The two interceptors screamed at each other, Cassius firing as many shots as he could down range. As the two got closer, he noticed something on his radar. If it wasn’t for the sensors starting to beep at him, he would have missed it, since he was so focused on the ship in front of him. There was a red triangle behind the radar blip for the TIE Silencer, and Cassius realized it was the EWAR missile he’d fired earlier – it was still tracking the TIE. That was why he hadn’t seen the cloud yet.

To somewhat complicate yet improve matters, an X-wing came up behind the Silencer and began firing. He liked to think that it was the member of Red Squadron that he had helped earlier, coming back to return the favor. It was appreciated. Since they weren’t in a completely straight line in relation to each other, he was safe from her laser cannon fire.

Regardless, they still the problem of the incoming EWAR missile that he had fired. Flicking his comm to a general Silver channel, he said quickly, “Pull up, X-wing!” unsure of the pilot’s call sign. At her current trajectory, she was bound to hit the cloud. Then again, so was he, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

He dipped at the last second under the TIE Silencer, and the missile detonated, a large cloud forming in over their area in milliseconds. Cassius slammed his throttle as fast as it would go, and he went through the cloud. For the briefest of moments, everything in the cockpit went dark, and there was an eerie silence. As soon as it started, though, it ended, and the cockpit lit up again as everything came up systems green, other than the damage to the shields he’d taken earlier.

Getting his bearings, he locked back onto the TIE Silencer with his sensors and came around for another pass. He looked to the X-wing that was now helping him. Maybe they could help turn the tide. Either way, he liked having the help.