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

[Madeline Roux]

Location: Mirial Capital, near the slums​

Objective: Aiding in the invasion of the Capital, nicely.​

Allies: [member="Lina Renning"] | The Silver Jedi Order​

Enemies: [member="Calina Ovmar"] | [member="Enyo Typhos"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"] | The Sith Empire​

Madeline had been surprised when Lina requested her help. The two had grown close ever since their first relief mission that had been sprung on them simply because they were both in the wrong place at the wrong time. It helped that they had the same Master.

The mission, at least on paper, was relatively simple. They were going to aid any and all who needed help - fighting being the last thing on their list unless it was truly necessary. Both girls didn’t have a strong love of fighting, nor were they that experienced with it.

Her heart was beating rapidly as they walked the slum’s of Mirial’s capital. Maddie had always been one to quickly be on high alert - especially in new places, and even more so when their lives were potentially in danger. So she was more than relieved when Lina mentioned poking around first, to really get a feel on the area - which would hopefully, calm both girl’s minds, if only a bit.

They stumbled across a lab, a relatively large building tucked away between others - only slightly out of place as it wasn’t as decrepit looking on the outside compared to it’s neighbors. Sparse vegetation sprouted up between cracks of duracrete, pavement outside of the building broken and jagged in places, making their walk up towards the large metal doors tricky. The front of the building curved into a high arch, shading the already bleary area - giving off an eerie feel.

Fingers danced over her pockets, reassuring she had everything she could possibly need on her before looking to Lina, eyes meeting hers as she spoke.

“Well… this looks promising.”

With that, they made their way towards the entrance. Metal screeching against metal as they opened. If anyone were inside, they certainly had just given their position away.

 

[Ignatius]

Location: En Route to Death Cult
Objective: Aid (3) Blind mice. And to not step on them.
Allies: Directly - [member="Tabigarashu Madara"], [member="Emile Kaiden"], [member="Cle-Var-Ri"], Communication - [member="Darth Saarai"],
Gear: Clothing, Twin Daggers,

At first I was simply walking to the destination. It wasn't that far from where I was at. However, the problem that I did have was who I was. Horns, scales, claws and teeth, and piercing everywhere. All tied up in a rather skimpy outfit that was not at all near military standards, or the robe-like, or Armored personage appearance. I had to take to the shadows. What got me, was the idea that I would be working with some other creature. Talk about strange creatures working for the Sith. First we had rodents, then we had giant lizards. Even I myself was kind of different. A hybrid of a Maleibus and the Witches. I was quite different from everyone else.

Oh well. To each their own.

After walking for a bit more, I could hear clawed footsteps coming closer. Instead of meeting them head-on, I smiled deceitfully as I used a masking ability. Weakminded individuals, or people who didn't have a clear grasp on breaking through mental barriers would see me as a woman crying over the dead body of her child. Rounding the corner came the lizard. I smiled even more brightly as I shuffled much like the mother would towards the creature. My voice not my own.

"Please help me! She's dying! Please help!"

The child was clearly dead in my imagination of it. Limbs removed and face half blown off. Blood all over the mothers clothes. Yet, she suddenly dropped the child and looked directly at the reptilian. Lashing out with her own fury. A zombie by any other name, and then poof. Turned into ash with me standing there just looking smug and chuckling. I was twirling one of my knives through my fingers as I turned past my "companion" and walked on.

"Awww don't be all mad. We need to go and get some mice out of a rat trap anyways. Maybe you can get some enjoyment from making members of a death cult meet their maker?"

Running my off hand through my hair, I flung it behind me instead of getting everywhere in front of me, and rubbing the ram-like horns on my head. Caressing them almost as though a mother did a child.

"You are this Clevar I was told about?"

 

[Jartris Entumaa]

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

"Sir, you may wish to know that the Asessi Building is on fire. I believe there was an impact of some sort." Ulduzi sounded unfazed and calm as ever. It was very difficult to shock the man.

"About time for that thing to go."

"Quite, Sir."

"Any survivors on the upper floors?"

"I... believe not, Sir. Oddly enough, I can see no-one."

That was certainly curious, but if anyone had been there, Ulduzi would presumably have been able to spot them in a window or on the roof. Perhaps a staircase was still intact, or someone else had taken care of the problem. It seemed defensible not to send the Limiting Factor away.

The street was empty and unilluminated except for one set of brightly lit windows on the ground floor of a building a small distance away. That was where Jartris directed his steps.

The windows were milky so that one couldn't see through them, but between them there was a door slightly below street level. There was a second door one meter into the hallway, forming a sort of airlock to keep out the cold, and indeed as Jartris opened the inner door, he was hit by a wave of warm air. With it came light and music - traditional music of Mirial with its airy sound of winds and xylophones, light and tranquil. The interior was decorated in a way that was, to Mirialan eyes, reminiscent of a monastery, though the furniture was such that it could never have been found in one. There was a bar and tables, on which there were sitting local men and women, the latter consistently young, physically attractive, and insufficiently clothed. Evidently, none of them had any idea of what was going on outside, as they did not seem alarmed at all.

Jartris chuckled. "Ladies and gentlemen", he raised his voice with theatrical slowness. "I regret to interrupt your recreation, or work, as the case may but, but I believe it to be my duty to bring it to your attention that there is a war going on here. I advise you to switch off the lights and be very... quiet." He ended with a bow like an actor would after the performance, and then stood in silence, not in the least disturbed by the astonished looks he was receiving. His piercing gaze wandered from one pair of eyes in the audience to the next, and slowly it dawned on them that he had not been joking; or rather that his was a joke of a particularly cruel kind which was very much based on a truth. Someone switched off the light and the music, but nobody found their speech. One young man made for the door after Jartris; the Sith slammed it in his face.

Back in the cold outside, Jartris found the night sky punctuated by colourful flashes of light from the dogfight that had erupted above the city. The Limiting Factor was just retracting its ramp after the last civilian had escaped from the roof of a burning building. Shields now online, the transport continued to hover in position.

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Location: The Capital City
Objective: Help liberate Mirial....and don't die
Allies: [member="Liuna Ondizi"]| [member="Eri'anya Forr"] | [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]| [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Roona Osmari"] | [member="Jake Daniels"] |
Enemies: The Sith Empire
Gear: {In Sig) Shield | {In Sig) Dagger | Lightsaber | A180 Blaster

A number of male Mirialan’s scuttled past Stephanie and her unit as a Ranger peeled off to take them back under cover to the Silver drop-zone outside the city. A sound caught her attention above and they all stopped to look up at the capital building looming off to the right. A comet of some sort trailed through the sky and impacted into the side of the building, spitting out chunks of debris and a billow of smoke and flame. The thud and explosion followed seconds later.

”What the hell was that?”

Stephanie’s Ranger stepped forward, listening to a piece of intel coming inside her helmet.

”An operative fighting the Sith either crashed or deliberately flew a pod into the top of the Sith held building.” The Ranger shook her head. Stephanie shook hers too. ”Twenty seconds !They - they say the soldier has unleashed a...”

A crash and loud scream echoed through the street they were stood in, and all the unit turned at once to the sound. Stephanie had her shield and blaster up, the Rangers knelt and crouched with their rifles.Three figures crashed through a wooden board - a Ranger and two decaying bodies that were crawling over the armour.

The Hapan looked on in horror, the Rangers training their weapons on what they could. The armour was smashed up and the skin was showing; the creatures were eating the Ranger alive and slashing, gutting and hacking at the poor soul. It was over in a second as his body crumpled down and the two soulless creatures turned on the unit.

”Fire!”

Stephanie shot first, her blaster little compensation for the high-powered rifles that struck the zombies - chunks of flesh and gore splattered this way and that, their bodies fighting forward to their next targets, but the bolts tore them apart in seconds. The Padawan held her shield up and walked forward, boot over boot, carefully and eyes on thee massacre.

”Stephanie, watch - ”

She had seen it seconds before the Rangers. The bloodied corpse of their fallen soldier had turned and lunged up to attack. But Stephanie was ready - she lunged forward, sheld out and slammed into the broken body of the zombified Ranger, slamming the soul back and into a crumbling wall, her strength sending out a mini shockwave as they connected.

The soldier snarled and spat dried blood as his face was already decaying, but his suffering was short. Stephanie’s blue lightsaber blade pierced the soldier’s helmet and head, her Force aura pushing outwards to calm the soul inside that was dead in seconds. She didn’t look at the kill, she just closed her eyes and pushed hard until there was no resistance. The body gurgled and slumped down.

The blue blade extinguished and the Padawan took a few steps back, dry blood dotted up her face.

”We have no time to waste - we get the people out of there before more of those...things arrive. Don’t hesitate to shoot first and put those poor souls out of their misery before they destroy us all.”

The Rangers stayed in their offensive positions as they stood to move.

”Go!”

Stephanie’s Ranger followed her, and she spoke into her com.

”Silver Ranger Unit 3 with Master Swail. An un-dead swarm is hitting the city. Get the Mirilan people out of here now! Get those heavy units in here asap to focus on locking down the capital building, secure any and all mass weapons and and take the Sith in as prisoners or take them out!”

At that second, the scared Padawan evolved into a brave, determined leader as she led her squad deeper through the city, the smoking capital building looming in the distance.

 

[Ellie Mors]

Heresy

Mirial

Allies: The Sith Empire
Enemies: The Silver Jedi Order, [member="Arisa Yune"], [member="Stephanie Swail"], [member="Europa Draav"], [member="Jake Daniels"], [member="Roona Osmari"], [member="Kiriko"], [member="Cathbodua"], [member=Sky'ito Yumi], [member="Lara Fairfax"], [member="Valkren Calderon"]
Objective: Kill Every Jedi
Location: Capital of Mirial
Equipment: Armor of Aneshe, Lightsaber

She had arrived on Mirial to act as [member="Darth Carnifex"]'s enforcer - to erase the rebel threat before it blossomed into an actual problem. As the Jedi made their arrival known to the Empire and the Mirialans in general, bombarding buildings that housed the Mirialans they undoubtedly were arriving to 'liberate' and mistaking communications towers with non-existent anti-air defenses, Ananta counted herself lucky that she had traveled alone so far into the city. It was better this way - better that she could let go of her self-imposed restraints without worrying that the sycophants that populated the Sith Empire would report their findings and spread rumors of the abilities of a woman that had purposely kept herself out of their scrutiny and far from public eye. Carnifex knew her to be something of a primal threat, she doubted he felt threatened personally - knowing full well that as long as her own intentions overlapped with his that she was no true threat to him or his empire - but there was not a single soul besides him that had witnessed her casual murder of Braith Achlys in his home on Bastion, nor her subsequent consuming of her body to piece her own back together.

No, there wasn't a Sith in the Empire aside from the Dark Lord himself that understood that she was far more dangerous and formidable than she'd let on, and, unfortunately for these Jedi, she was out of patience and cared little that they might fully realize the horrific mistake they had made by landing their ships so close to the ancient Sith lord.

Lightning arced from her fingertips, surging through a rebellious cur that had dared to step towards the street - the sheer power that coursed through the air, raw and dark in its presence, ripping a hole through the solid duracrete wall that the Mirialan had been hiding behind in preparation to attempt to assassinate her - and reduced the rebel to a smoldering corpse with a molten weapon soldered to their hands. It appeared the closer she grew to the Silver's drop point, the heavier the concentration of these rag-tag rebels were - and the more bodies that fell like trees in the wake of her storm. Not a single soul that walked the streets during this hour of curfew that was heavily enforced by the Empire for the protection of the civilians from the undead that made a habit of traversing the streets remained alive in the path she took towards the group of Jedi that had made their way into the city. She didn't know how many there were, and truly she didn't care - she would fight every single Jedi Master they had at their disposal if it was what was required of her - much in the same way she wouldn't hesitate to duel the Dark Lord and every one of his supporters simultaneously if they had made themselves her enemy.

She had no lack of confidence in her ability to survive, no doubt that her cunning and prowess with a lightsaber and mastery of the force would secure a victory that measured itself closer to total domination and absolute destruction than it did to a marginal victory and surrender.

A face that had remained expressionless before, a bland frame that surrounded the pitch-black eyes that signified unspeakable evil, now contorted to a twisted, rapturous, glee. She could smell it in the air - nay - she could taste it on her tongue, a tongue which snaked its way out to lick her thinly pressed lips and savor the fear and the anger and the hatred in the air. Despite the presence of so many Jedi in the city it was still a wretched hive of death - the undead meandering through its streets, now, as the Sith that had been keeping them in line were distracted by the Jedi that believed themselves saviors to a people that were never enslaved - and the dark side hung heavy like a thick, incorporeal, fog.

"Yes." She whispered, her lips parting to expose a row of white teeth that her tongue ran over continuously as her heartbeat continued to climb - climbing like the drumming in her ears.

Her lightsaber ignited, eyes catching sight of Jedi - and sensing the presence of a large number of hostile forces on either side of the street that she was walking down. 'Hear me, Jedi - I am not the Dark Lord of the Sith, but I am not nearly as merciful as he.' Came the hiss of her voice, words carried by telepathy to the minds of those who were capable of being touched by the force. 'If you hear my voice it is already over - I am upon you - and there is no escape. No Jedi Master can save you, no Empire can restrain my thirst - there will only be death, the death of every last one of your people.' She said through the augmentation of telepathy, the body of a soldier that had apparently thought they could take her by surprise ripped from his perch atop a building, pulled by a telekinetic grip that impaled him upon the brilliant red of her saber. 'No matter where you run, where you hide, or if you prepare to fight - I will find you, I will crush you.' Her voice said, becoming as distorted as the black heart that beat in her chest.

'I am Darth Ananta - eternal, unliving.'

"And I will kill you." The Sith Lord said, suddenly breaking into a run fueled by the force as she caught sight of a large, white, bear - the red saber in her hand illuminating the look of blatant, pure, ecstasy plastered on her face.

 

[Vereshin]

Location: Capital outskirts
Objective: Infiltrate the death cult
Allies: [member="Tabigarashu Madara"], [member="Darth Saarai"], [member="Darth Lykos"], [member="Naamah"], [member="Emile Kaiden"], [member="Cle-Var-Ri"]

Chatter traveled through alleyways and encircled the entrance of a small cafe, situated in the outer suburbs of the capital city. Sitting deeply on a blend of rooibos and almond, Vereshin gently moved the rising steam with his finger as the ethereal shapes followed the air. He huddled beneath his black trench coat and watched troops march by with a diverted gaze, listening with one ear to the tunes playing from inside of the cafe. A cigarette sat between his fingers next to the silver skull ring and a communicator stirred inside of his pocket.

During the short time Vereshin had spent within the ranks of the Primeval he grew familiar with their structure and beliefs. The worship of deities he denounced, pursuing his craft as an atheist and a sorcerer loyal to the Sith. He aided their efforts within the remainder of the death cult in effort to dissipate them from within, sitting on the rooibos in heightening anticipation while he awaited his fellow Sith. The effect of the infusion took a toll and he tapped his pointed toe in discomfort. A Mirialan waitress strode by his table and he slipped a credit chit into her apron.

"I advise you to find shelter, Madam, civilians are being evacuated as we speak." He splayed a hand ahead to stop her while speaking. A disconcerting gaze traveled towards him in return and Vereshin rose to his feet. The woman paused in dismay and seemed to breathe heavily, jolting at the sound of fire in the distance. As he walked by, the sorcerer placed a hand on her shoulder and looked passed her cheek. "Go home and do not leave until our rulers declare victory. Now if you don't mind, I'm dying for a piss." He released his touch from the shoulder of the waitress and strode away from the cafe, black coat billowing behind his steps before turning directly into an alleyway.

The remainder of his cigarette still in his fingers, Vereshin held the white cylinder in mouth and inhaled nonchalantly while he walked by soldiers. He slipped behind the cafe and stood over a running drain, tapping his foot while he paused to relieve himself without any semblance of concern for his surroundings. The feint lingering of jazz music continued in lively swing over the rising noise of fire and explosions. He put himself away and zipped up his trousers in time to catch the waning cry of an air raid siren before discarding the cigarette into the water. A block away from the cafe exploded in a small nova of debris and a screaming mother carrying her dead child wailed haplessly in the center of the road amidst the flames.

Vereshin turned around. He stood still and cocked his head in curiosity, no pang of emotion ran through him, only the rising incentive of inquisitive pursuit. Another only added to the jarring sight, a creature baring all the features of a raptor quickly approached the woman on the ground. The reptilian was a Sith, one the dark mage recognized as his contact. He moved discretely from behind the cafe and into the street and watched cautiously as the crying woman dissolved into the force and reformed to take the shape of a fierce Sith. The sorcerer placed a foot forward and continued his stride, approaching her directly and halting in the center of the road.

"And you would be Naamah, I take it." He spoke in a voice monotonous and eloquent, yet soft as air. "I am Vereshin, it is a pleasure." Extending a hand towards the horned sorceress, he offered a nod of acknowledgement towards Clevar. The arcane energy slowly faded on sanguine dust where the illusion of the zombie disappeared.

 

[Subject 37]

Capital City - Nuroo Skyscraper
Allies: SJO
Enemies: TSE, [member="Anora Demici"]

"Augh." His voice rang out within the pod, his head spun, his hand felt like it was shake violent. He frowned, feeling bile rise up in his throat. Another groan escaped him, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and steady himself. The HUD on his helmet flashed, the sensors on the outside of the pod having deadened upon impact.

His fingers tightened, then finally he opened his eyes.

The camera feeds that normally spun into the pod were empty, though through the small window Jorg could see that he was half buried underneath Duracrete and debris. He frowned for a moment, his hand unlacing from the small handle. He began to gently feel himself, ensuring that he was entirely whole before breathing a small sigh of relief. His eyes wandered around the pod for a moment, then slowly his fingers grasped the manual release handle.

He pulled it, and with a loud sweeping hiss the door latched open.

Jorg waited a moment, then pulled the safety straps from his chest and gave the door a heavy kick. Without much ceremony the door popped off it's hinges, flying for two or three feet before it tumbled into the ground. Jorg groaned again, but grabbed his rifle and tumbled out of the pod.

With a heavy thud the soldier landed on his feet, rifle raised as his eyes flashed over every surface within the room. He scowled when he saw nothing, though wherever he'd crashed had been completely torn apart by the impact. Rebar, desks, duracrete pieces, and even leaking pipes surrounded him. For a moment he surveyed the area, then turned to look behind the pod. He gasped slightly at what he saw, a massive opening torn into the side of a building.

He gaped, walking towards the edge and glancing down. "Feth."

Jorg was hundreds of floors above the ground, his lips tightened.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

MIRIAL
Exiting atmosphere.

Beep Beep Beep

[…]“And every outpost is live”

“Mirial is under attack. I do not have positive confirmation on who the attacker is, but given proximity and circumstance I can give an educated guess: Kol Huro is a feint. We are going to need support from the Armada. 3.R.P.S.” “Over and out.”

Darth Ophidia closed the com line and shifted back down into her seat for a minute, hands running through the familiar system controls.

“Ready to go dark. Engage cloaking in three.” Ophidia looked over her shoulder at Barlan who stared intensely at the scanners. Her presence reeked of anger, shock and disbelief, spawned from what she could read. “The capital is under attack. Several dropships have crashed into the city. The contagion has breached through. Imperial ships are engaging the fleet.” “Engaged.”

“Take us into orbit and focus auxiliary power on the scanners. Find out what we are facing.” The Rattataki rose up from her seat and brushed past the Mirialan. In the seat where she had been sitting, the Nagajj remained, looking over at Barlan with intelligent eyes.

Meanwhile, Darth Ophidia made her way out of the cockpit and into the rear of the ship where she kept her weapons. She traced her fingers over the cheek of the battleworn beskar helm on the rack. Her loose-fitted outer robes fell to the metal floor as the Pale Assassin went through the practiced ritual of donning her armour. Thanks to the practical design of each piece, made to be donned or doffed without assistance, it was not a particularly time-consuming ritual. Yet, it kept her occupied while they slipped out through the atmosphere and ran the scanners.

Barlan lifted her eyes from the screen and stared out at the distorted mass of vessels. While the scanners did not pick them up precisely, there was nothing really hiding them from an active visual check. A single train of thought kept running through her head:

‘Why?
The Jedi had not come to them after the Primeval sacrificed her people en masse to their wicked gods. She remembered the screams and the roaring flame.
The Jedi had not come to protect them when they held vigils against the death cults snatched their children in the night. She remembered the fear.
The Jedi had not come to fight the risen dead that tore through unprotected settlements with reckless hate. She remembered her little brother.
Why!?
The Jedi came to fight the Sith. That was all they cared about.’

Barlan’s lip thinned as her face turned in disgust. The way she saw it, the Sith were not perfect, but at least they were not hypocrites, and peace was the Jedi lie.

 

[Tabigarashu Madara]

Location: Mirial | The Capital
Objective: Discover what the Cult is up to this time.
Allies: TSE- [member="Naamah"] [member="Cle-Var-Ri"] [member="Vereshin"] inbound
Enemies: Cultists/Separatists, probably SJO

"JUMP!"

"But-"

​Hirou grabbed Tiba by the wrist and leapt off of the beam as the Skaal lunged at them. Tiba squeaked, then held on tight as Hirou hit one of the two buttons on the tube. A barb, half the length of their arm shot out, monofilament wire unspooling behind it. As they fell, Hirou holding onto the tube and the black Nezumi, it thunked into the next beam over. With a sudden change of direction when they reached the end of the wire, they swung in an arc above the heads of a half dozen irritated and bemused cultists while the Skraal scrambled to keep its own footing where it landed.

Following the trajectory of the arc, Hirou's eyes widened-

"Tiba, grab the nail!"

Beneath the beam and swinging up again, the black nezumi reached. Her paw scrabbled against it, almost catching hold and then she lost it again as they started to swing back again.

It was clear that by the time they completed the swing again, there wouldn't be enough momentum to offer the grip Tiba needed, so Hirou though fast.

"Climb," they instructed, and Tiba nodded, getting a good hold on the wire and scampering up it quickly. Keeping the tube tucked under one arm, Hirou followed.

They were almost there when the Skraal leapt again. This time it hit the beam they were climbing up toward, shaking the whole thing as it found purchase. Only half a meter below the length of the beam, Hirou looked up into its open mouth, teeth yellow and half rotted, breath fetid and coming in excited gasps.

"You are so small," came the now amused voice of the cultist from beneath them. "Your deaths will do almost nothing to strengthen us. But no matter. Tell your friends hello, when you see them again."

He started to turn away. As the Skraal leaned in to pluck them from the wire, Hirou reversed their grip on the tube and pressed the OTHER button.

It wouldn't have been enough to kill the Skraal. But with its mouth open the single blaster shot, barely enough to stun it normally, was plenty. Right into the roof of its mouth, the Skraal howled in pain and lost its footing. It flailed, falling and clutching at the nearest thing it could as it went over the edge-

The wire.

Tiba shrieked and the wire snapped. It hadn't been meant to hold the weight of something as big as a Skraal. In the whirling chaos of writhing rat monster, Hirou and Tiba caught each other's hands. Small and quick, they scurried up Gerg's fetid body, staying on top as it tumbled through the air.

The impact with the floor was great enough to throw them off, both Nezumi flying in opposite directions. But it had cushioned them enough to let them survive the fall uninjured.

The same couldn't be said for the Skraal.

 

[Liuna]

Location: Mirial – Capital City
Objective: Liberate Mirial
Allies: SJO - [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]
Opposition: TSE - [member="Jartris Entumaa"]

Now in the streets, the team of rebels walked with caution. Liuna caught the sign flashed by a fellow Mirialan, a member of the underground, no doubt. Though she did not know [member="Europa Draav"], she already felt a swell of camaraderie, and gave the woman a steady nod. The Mirialan Resistance members came out from their hiding spots to join with the RA and SJO forces, reports followed. For her own part, Liu listened to the information with a brow perked curiously. It seemed that there was an unexpected issue at the Capital Building that was throwing them for a loop. But truly, when did things ever go as planned?

Regardless of the ruckus there, the rebels had an objective at the Capital Building. This would not impact their mission. As the group began to move on, Liuna paused and grabbed for Kaiza’s sleeve.

“Look,” She said, nodding towards an alleyway to the side. “There’s a lot of smoke – fire.”

Her eyes flickered back to the group of rebels, and she felt the tug of conflict within. Stay with the team and get the job done or try to save civilians. Her brow furrowed. It was not an easy choice to make. Liuna watched them for just a moment longer, hoping that Blondie ([member="Lara Fairfax"]), and [member="Cardinam"] stayed safe – she did hope to see them again after this was all over. She glanced over at Kaiza.

“I’m going to check, might be people trapped there.” She swallowed hard, “I’ll catch up with the group later.”

Dashing off without a second glance, she did not expect the younger Mirialan to follow.

Liuna’s boots pounded along the ground, with a heavy blaster in hand, she remained cautious. Of course, she had heard the underground members mention that there were now undead here. When did this get this bad? The situation was worse than Liuna had been expecting, it seemed that the Sith had done little to prevent this… or did they care at all? There was a large amount of doubt held on that point. She could feel the cold night air in her lungs; she pulled in deep breaths as she ran.

As she neared the building that was in flames, the streets were dark, save for the flickering amber from the fire. Staring up at the top of the building, she could see a transport hovering above. Was she too late? Just as Liuna was about to go for the door of the building, she spotted a lone figure out on the street. There was nothing particularly unsettling about the shadowy form, but it was rather odd. After all, the sidewalks were empty.

“Are there still people inside?” She cupped a hand to her mouth and called out. “Do you know?”

 

[Vaylin]

Location: Mirial - Capitol Building
Objective: Oversee the Restoration Effort | Repel the Trespassers & Kill a Rancor
Allies: The Sith Empire - [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Lord Depravious"] | [member="Sal Zambrano"] | [member="Greta Kohler"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi & Allies - [member="RC 212"] | [member="Natassia Traxen"]
Equipment: [SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE]2x Sith Lightsabers | Armour | Oculus

Vaylin's efforts to displace RC from his mount proved to be ineffective. She had struck the man from behind, managing to knock him forwards but the combination of his armour and the fact he had pushed down into the stirrups, meant the Zabrak had effectively hit a brick wall.

One that was forced forwards, but was able to spring back and manage to use the momentum to knock her back. Vaylin just about managed to dodge RC's attack to her throat - a combination of her shifting backwards and well, gravity that sent her sliding down the back of the rancor.

She just about managed to grab ahold of a piece of armour, keeping her steady - at least as much as she could while holding onto a rancor that was thrashing about. But then it wasn't exactly the Zabrak's first rodeo, she knew how to maintain her balance.

With one hand free, Vaylin summoned one of her lightsabers to her hand, about to activate it when she saw RC reach for something on his belt. Almost immediately, the Zabrak clipped the hilt back to her belt and reached out with the Force. As the first of the Force Breaker grenades was thrown, she wrapped the Force around it, forming a bubble around just as it was beginning to exude smoke. She didn't hesitate in tossing it out of the building - through the wall that had fallen down. The second would have to be handled by one of the other Sith.

Although the process of that had forced Vaylin to slip in her balance, losing her grip on the rancor's back and falling to the floor. She managed to land in a roll, wincing as she felt her shoulder; the one she struck RC with, throb with dull pain.

Yeah, definitely regretting that now.

That was when she saw the newcomer, Natassia enter the scene from the broken down wall. Instinct and adrenaline coursed through the Zabrak as she saw the soldier throw a grenade into the room. She didn't know what it was exactly, but the fact it was being tossed into the center was never a good sign.

She threw her right arm forwards, sending a small blast of the Force towards the grenade and knocking it across to the other side of the room.

Then it went off.

Vaylin was caught in it, even as she curled down to avoid it. Vision blinded and hearing impaired with a high pitch ringing. As she tried to stand up, her legs wobbled; disorientated. But she knew the direction it had come from and Vaylin angled herself to face towards Natassia. She summoned the Force to her hands, and with an angry yell sent it hurtling like a wave towards the woman.

 

[Darth Bellum]

​

​

Location | Capital of Mirial
Objective | Repel invaders
Company | None currently

Allies | TSE and Allies
Enemies | SJO and Allies

---

---

---

Vexen would be out in the streets, following a few squads of TSE soldiers that were escorting civilians into shelters that would provide far better protection than their homes, his crimson lightsaber flashing with each swing as it cut down infectious zombies before it could reach his men or the civilians. There was more comm chatter about increasing hostilities arising as the enemy had landed additional troops within the city and reports of Jedi having arrived. It figures that the Silver Jedi Order who was the closest to the Sith Empire's territory would try to throw a punch at them. He expected as much, but he would have never anticipated that the Jedi would throw such an underhanded blow to a planet that had already seen much conflict and destruction. Had they not suffered enough only to be attacked once more while they were rebuilding?

Vexen's lightsaber swings upwards as a blaster bolt was fired from a nearby rooftop, the deflected shot being redirected into a zombie's face as its head snapped back at a sickening angle, dropping to its knees. A few soldiers immediately responded to the shot by lifting their blasters up and firing short controlled bursts at the assailant's position. The children clung to their parents, frightened at the scene of death unfolding, but were oddly comforted by the fact that a literal knight in shining armor was helping to protect them along with the good soldiers of the Sith Empire. Vexen would continue to raise his saber to cut down any charging zombies, not willing to allow a single one get through and risk infecting the entire group. All it took was one to bring the entire civilian herd in danger.

The armored Anzati would backstep as he covered the rear of the group, the increasing presence of zombies only growing as a few barricades keeping them out had fallen after the drop pods crashed into them. Vexen would stand his ground as his vocoded voice boomed, " Sergeant, get those people into the shelter and defend them with your lives. " Several soldiers in the rear with Vexen would be sweeping left and right, controlling their shots to ensure they would have enough ammo to defend once they arrived at the shelter. Another blasterbolt would come flying from the rooftops as it struck a soldier in the chest who would let out a grunt as he was flung backward with the force, landing on his back as his rifle skidded towards the group of civilians. The children would gasp as one of their protectors was killed, a Mirialin man stepping up as he took the dead soldier's gun to help with defending his family and others.

The comms of nearby soldiers would be abuzz with chatter that could be heard by the civilians. " The city is under attack by Jedi! I repeat the city is under attack by Jedi! Fall back and hold the lin- GAAAGH! " The children and adults both were in abject confusion. Were the Jedi not supposed to uphold peace? Were they not self-proclaimed protectors? Yet it was the Sith Empire who was doing everything in their power to protect the good people of Mirial, even if it cost them their lives. They had been the ones helping to rebuild and start anew. Yet the Jedi wanted to tear it down all in the name of what? Freedom? Prosperity? The people of Mirial were already given that by the Sith Empire, why would the Jedi wish to take that away? Vexen would turn his head as he spoke in a vocoded voice. The clearly heard radio transmission had served its purpose of getting the people to already view the Jedi in a negative light. " Switch those to private communications. Do not panic the people. " He would pause as he gave a horizontal slash to cut a zombie in two before resuming, " Do not worry citizens, we will do everything in our power to protect you. "

[ Message broadcast to any SJO forces in range of a holoprojector ]​

​

​

Vexen's ghostly blue holographic figure could be seen being projected on the large holoprojectors that typically displayed statues and news, a hand lifted to his chest as his lightsaber swung, the occasional zombie getting cut down appearing as his voice boomed and echoed throughout the streets, being broadcast live " Those of you who come to torment this planet; consider your actions and their consequences. Mirial burns because of your cold-hearted attack. Strike at them while they are rebuilding and trying to gain back their livelihood? I never would expect such treachery from Jedi. How many lives will be lost because you chose war over peace? What has become of your honor and dignity over the last few centuries? Mirial fights against you, they will resist you, and they will die fighting because of you. " The armored figure could be seen still engaged in combat as he paused before resuming, " The blood of hundreds is already on your hands because of your lust for wanton destruction. We will fight back with the fury and vengeance that is tenfold. Those of you who stay and fight in this futile invasion will be dealt with severely. Consider your attack and retreat if you have any sense of morality or honor in you. " The hologram would replay several more times to continue to hammer the message into the enemy as well as continue to enrage the people in the capital against their invaders. It would then resume playing the general state of emergency warning civilians to stay indoors and safe.

OOC

Spoiler

This post is mainly for anyone who wishes to roleplay second-guessing their actions and perhaps build a little development. Particularly if you are a Jedi that abides by the old peaceful ways or perhaps a Mirialin who sees this invasion as a homecoming.

 

[Lord Ghoul]

Location: The Capital City

A pillar of SMOKE and FLAME erupted in front of [member="Stephanie Swail"] and her squad. A figure stepped out from the midst of the inferno. Tall, with black horns curling back upon themselves. A Devaronian, his skin the pallor of ash and his eyes burning like two glowing ion drives. He wore Sith plate armor which gleamed obsidian in the light of the dissipating pillar of flame.

The air around him seemed to distort, like a mirage in the desert.

He wielded a Sith war axe in one hand and a wickedly edged Sith sword in the other. He pointed the blade's tip toward the approaching padawan and spoke in a rumbling voice, clearly enhanced by sorcery.

"Step further, Jedi, and you shall dance with I, Lord Diabolis Ghoul!"

 

[Maya Zhou]

Location: Mirial System
Objective: Protect the Transports (Engaging Interceptors)
Allies: SJO - [member="Cassius Droma"], [member="Arisa Yune"]
Opposition: TSE - [member="Alkor Centaris"]

Inside the cockpit of her X-Wing, Maya stared down at the controls. The memories of flight training were still quite fresh, and her hands worked almost automatically. She could hear the hum of her engine, and the occasional beeping of her astromech behind her. However, even her droid seemed skeptical.

“It’ll be fine.” She muttered to herself, watching as their squadron got the green light.

Lifting off, she navigated her way out of the hangar, following along behind her fellow rebel fighters.

“Transports are off--” Roger’s voice rang through her flight helmet, “Stay close.”

The group emerged from the carrier – all of them watching and listening for signs of the enemy. As the transports began to descend into Mirial’s airspace, they did not go unnoticed. Hostile Interceptors were now in pursuit, and moving to attack the transports – keeping some from going to ground. There were also occasional reports from Green Squadron; they were tasked with taking out air defenses.

“Get on ‘em, boys and girls!” Porkins called, “Draw those Interceptors away – clear a path for Green!”

Maya furrowed her brow. Closing in, she had one of the Interceptors locked on her targeting system. She squeezed the trigger, sending a round of laser cannon fire at the enemy ships. And then, she began to break off – hoping to draw the Interceptors away or come around for another pass.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Location: Mirial, Drop Zone Over Capital City
Objective: Get to the Landing Zone
Allies: SJO, RA [member="Cathbodua"]
Opposition: Sith [member="Darth Ananta"]

Was it the Sith ego that caused them to rely on tactics such as the Big Voice?

It was very ominous. Quite the dramatic entrance. Certainly there was a sense of foreboding, and a modicum of fear for the fact that the Beorni had the wherewithal enough to know that something wicked this way was coming... but it was not immediately clear to him just which way that was.

By the time he'd gotten his bearings -- no pun intended (well, maybe it was intended...) -- the death wail of one of the Antarian Rangers turned his attention to where a pale figure brandished a crimson lightsaber.

Oh, it was going to be one of those days, wasn't it? "How un-civilized..." the bear murmured, as he unshouldered the pack that he'd been carrying. The mobile power generator hit the ground with a thud.

"Get inside, quickly," the Beorni called to his team, as he took several steps toward the encroaching madness. The bear's left paw brushed against the lightsaber at his side. It was ironic, but the Jedi Artisan who made beautiful object d'art out of lightsaers for others cared not for them himself. If a guardian of peace needed to carry a weapon of war, then peace had never really been an option then had it?

He liked to believe that there were always alternatives to fighting. Though, staring down the approach of a woman who seemed giddy with murder... the bear was hard pressed to imagine what other option or alternative was available to him.

He did hope [member="Cathbodua"] was nearby. While the Beorni's master, [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] was a bit of a lightsaber nut and had dragged the bear through an insufferable number of velocities and swordplay practice, the fact remained that Kiriko was an artist... not a warrior.

Unclipping the lightsaber, the bear held it in his right paw. Though did not draw the blade yet. "Hello, Ananta. My name's Kiriko," the Beorni announced, raising his voice so the woman could hear from the distance. "If you're unliving, then I'm not sure there's much a healer could offer you..."

The medical journals were ripe with a plethora of adverse effects of prolonged exposure to the Dark Side. Dry skin came to mind for some reason.

"...perhaps some moisturizer? Facial cleanser?"

 

[Kenth Typho]

Location: Mirial
Allies: [member="Dante Sotari"] | Sith Empire
Enemies: Local Separatists.

A nod first.

The blade disappeared in a sheath on his belt, before hoisting up one of the bags around his shoulders. Already the discomfort was dying down again, the headache fading and his stomach settling in. "Fine." He checked his rifle as well and a moment later she asked again. He looked up, not much in the way of humor or amusement or even a smirk there now. "I am okay- get these migraines every once in a while, doc says it will go away eventually, once everything heals up properly."

But Dante hadn't asked for his life-story.

Probably just making sure that he was battle-ready and could have her back. "Solid, let's go." The bags they could use where taken with them, the others were discarded with the truck.

The less they carried the better it would be for the long run. They needed to move quickly - if the cultists had actually taken out the team at the installation they could theoretically take over the cannon. If that happened? They could wreck the Sith Armada in orbit without the fleet even knowing what was about to happen until it was too late.

The campaign against the Sith Worlds would be severely damaged... from there? It was disaster.

"What's the zoom on the rifle? Might be good to scout out from a distance first, before heading in."

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

Location: Mirial | Outside the Capitol Building
Objective: Assemble a defense force around the Capitol Building
Allies: The Sith Empire - [member="Kor Vexen"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Vitor Avendahl"] | [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Lark"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi Order - [member="Natassia Traxen"] | [member="RC 212"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"]

The screams of chaos and mayhem from the locals of Mirial were drowned out by Jorryn as her attention focused solely on getting to the Capitol Building to aid the Dark Council members that were located there, news of a rancor being let loose inside the structure had her mildly concerned though she had faith that the Lords of the Sith could dispatch it easily. Calming the locals down was some other person's job, one who cared about the positive image that the Sith Empire was trying to uphold. While Jorryn would not go against this image, she also refused to focus her attention on the defense of the common people instead of the vital individuals located in the Capitol Building.

Holograms of an armoured individual told her that someone was indeed taking the role of defender upon themselves. She gave the figure a passing glance, enough to realize that she didn't recognize who it was though nor did she know the voice. He managed to carry a sympathetic tone in his voice when trying to convey the urgency of the situation to the local Mirialans, it was admittedly impressive and a job that she herself could not carry out. Still she understood the importance of keeping the local populace on your side and ruining the reputation of their enemies, something the Silver Jedi were helping the Sith with during this invasion. She listened to few words as she made her way to the Capitol, but she could understand the general message and how well the Sith was taking control of the situation.

Passing the hologram his voice drowned out as she came upon the Capitol Building, the loud sounds of the struggle within being heard for a while away. Presumably it was these sounds that kept both the civilians and soldiers away from the building itself, fear preventing the inexperienced guards from setting up a proper defensive perimeter around the structure. The disorginization of local forces furthering her contempt of the planet and it's locals.

She took a breath of relief as she saw some of the veteran forces that had accompanied the Dark Council on their journey to Mirial reorganizing the distressed local militia into a makeshift perimeter around the building, using the few materials they brought with them to create some cover for themselves. Jorryn made her way to the rather large helmeted figure that was barking orders at the rest of the men gathered around him. "Right then, the majority of us will settle in here to keep the Jedi forces from surrounding the Lords and Ladies inside. I want the rest of you to go 'round and try to block the secondary entrances as best you can so we can limit this to one fr-." He let a dismissive hand signal finish the rest of the orders as he saw the Sith coming up to him, turning his attention to her as the soldiers began to disperse and carry out his orders.

"Greetings my lady," he said with a hurried salute. "Apologies for our disorginization, but we are starting to get the situation under control."

She gave the perimeter another look around and the soldiers he dismissed had made quick work of shaping it up, with some setting up more defenses and a few sealing off the secondary exits. She was admittedly impressed by the soldiers ability to take command of the situation. "I can see that Colonel, now if you would give me a quick summary of the situation at hand." All she had heard was something about a beast in the Capitol before reports began to rain in faster than she could keep up with, so it would be worth hearing what the soldier would have seen.

"Of course sir. It was just a regular day of common guard duty, we had hardly expected for the Silver Jedi to attack us. As the first drop pods began to crash into the city, we began to evacuate citizens to safer locations to get them out of harms way." His hands pointing to buildings that had sturdy structures and basement areas that would allow them to hide underground. "It wasn't long after that, a massive drop pod came crashing into the Capitol and some local soldiers running out of it informed me that a trooper riding a rancor had begun to attack many of the Sith Lords in there. I was about to lead a small group to assist th-."

"That won't be necessary." She passively spoke, cutting the soldier off. "The Lords of the Sith will handle this beast with ease, your duty is to prevent our enemies from surrounding them and making that task harder." Her words caught the soldier off guard, but he nodded in agreement. "You're right of course, sir. I shall continue to oversee the defense of the building then. I would be grateful for your assistance, my Lady."

Jorryn gave him a small sign of acknowledgement before he ran off to help oversee the soldiers beginning to construct more cover for the soldiers in front of the building. Jorryn swiftly made her way to the second balcony, to the extended position where leaders often made speeches to their citizens. She could see the soldiers and their makeshift barriers that they prayed would keep them safe, as others made their way into the surrounding buildings as a hope to ambush anyone marching through the streets. The citizens cowering behind rubble that had collapsed from massive structures, holding loved ones that had been hurt by the collateral damage. And onward towards the horizon where she could see the signs of battle beginning, where the sky began to part for all the invading ships.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Location: Mirial | The Capital.
Objective: Evacuate the Mirialan Council.
Allies: The Sith Empire & Mirial. - Right now, [member="Vitor Avendahl"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi.
Misguided Ones: Later perhaps, [member="Liuna Ondizi"].

The Mirialan Council was integral to their operations on Mirial.

Not just because they were sympathetic to their cause after the assistance and aid provided by the Sith Empire, but because they meant a stable Mirial and if there was one thing that the Empire could not abide by it was chaos in their territory. One by one the Mirial councilmen were ushered out into the secret tunnel revealed by Vitor's move, until only Novak remained.

"I should remain, my Lord." The older Mirialan said, stiffly, as he noticed the expecting glance the Thirriken send him. "These are my people being attacked and I should be here."

In the distance the roar of the Rancor shook the building, somewhere part of the structure collapsed as the integrity had been violated by the incursion of the drop pod.

"The Dark Lord will do what he can, Councilman, you would only stand in the way."

At first Novak froze, righting his back in a move of indignation, until he noticed all the wounded and the ruin of the capitol. It was a mess and there wasn't anything else to say about it. He deflated and finally nodded. "Very well. But the militia will be part of our defense, Lord Saarai. I will not accept any discussion on this part."

Another roar.

Lord Fa exchanged a glance with Vitor who was standing, impatiently, staring at them to get out of here.

"Very well, Councilman. The Mirialan militia and our troopers will fight together then."

That was enough for Novak... for now, anyway. He nodded again and then passed Vitor with two Inquisitors in tow. The Thirriken himself stepped up next to Vitor, ignoring the glance his former apprentice send him. "Sometimes we must make compromises, Avendahl. In this situation the compromise helps us in more than one way."

How would it look... when these separatists and silver jedi would be forced to face Mirialans defending their home?

Just as pleasant as them assaulting the capitol of the Mirialan government, killing civilians and the like, Tai assumed.

 

[RC 212]

Location: Ground, Near Capitol Builidng
Objective: Liberation
Allies: Silver Jedi Order [[member="Cassius Droma"]| [member="Liuna Ondizi"] | [member="Cardinam"] | [member="Kaiza Pawaro"] | [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] | [member="Stephanie Swail"] | @Valkren Calderon | [member="Lara Fairfax"]]

Enemies: The Sith Empire, [member="Lord Ghoul"]

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

Karren was monitoring multiple channels at once, switching at random between them as she stretched her abilities to the max. Cassius was being easy on the Sith, but she was not. She kept just off his wing, releasing Shadow bombs as she spotted Sith Regulars and guiding them into the valleys between the buildings below.

Detonations blossomed, sending bodies and smoke into the air. She firmed her jaw, ripping right to avoid a spatter of missile fire and then doubling back around the Capitol. She pressed her throttle full, riding a race track around the building to get a better look. There was indeed some kind of smoke down there, and giant battle she could feel emanating in the force.

The currents began to seep in to her soul now.

"Cassius, I'm putting down near the dropship. Cover me."​

She was hungry. The blood roared in her ears as she streaked down towards where Stephanie and the Rangers were making their way into the city. Zombies it looked like swarmed over the streets. The landing struts extended, setting down the black X-Wing. with a vengeance she kicked of her canopy and leapt from the fighter.

Her lightsaber ignited in midair as she flipped, a brilliant beam of emerald bursting forth. From inside her helmet they wouldn't hear her scream. Two zombie were cloven in two by a left right slash of her blade, as her boots met the ground and she found herself behind Stephanie and to her left.

Another charged from the side. She pivoted, using the momentum of the twirl to lop it's head off and then fling it into the skyline with a violent force push. Karren roared, standing to her full height now, blade low and to the left, calmly stepping up beside Steph, ready to help her press the rangers advantage.

Until a dark ripple washed over her and horned figure appeared.

"Sith," She spat.

One hand left the saber, hovering on her gun belt.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Blackblade Squadron​

Enemies: [member="Maya Zhou"], SJO

"Targets confirmed. Sensors aren't going to be too effective on the larger ships boys, so keep your eyes on the drop pods and dropships. Pick them off quickly, then-" Blackblade Leader cut his to-do list short when a Squadron of fighters emerged from the largest ship and initialized an attack pattern. "Strike that, we have enemy fighters engaged. Three, six, eight, you three continue to pick at those drop pods. Don't let anything through to the city. Two, four, five, seven, nine, breakaway pattern 533-A, let's give these Interlopers a good last dance."

"Roger," blasted across his comm nine times in perfect unison.

Three interceptors tore away from the group and ramped their engines, skimming through the sky at mind numbing speed toward the dropships. They opened fire with their main weaponry, not immensely powerful, but efficient for the task.

The six Interceptors that remained spiralled counter-clockwise, then blazed away from each other at opposed vectors. Their fighters pulled quarter turns, broke from the forward momentum, and assumed conditions of relative Independence from one another. A lone X-wing pulsed toward Blackblade Two, and a string of laser fire streaked dangerously close to his hull. "Stang," he cursed across comms. He dipped the nose of his fighter and sank further toward the planetary surface, waited several seconds, then banked hard left. "Let's see you keep up with that..."

Another sound took the pilot off guard as a shadow streaked over his cockpit. "I've got your six, Blackblade Two," came a gruff voice as the TIE Silencer shot toward the X-Wing of [member="Maya Zhou"] and Alkor unleashed a torrent of fire toward her cockpit, his ship poised to skim over her own, inverted.

"Fething Corellian," Blackblade Two muttered as he flipped off his comm and slammed a fist into the console.

"Blackblade Squadron, this is Alkor Centaris," he announced. "Flying with you boys today will be my pleasure."