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(I knew you'd do that [member="Jorus Merrill"] LMAO XD)
Post 13
Location: Thebeon Space
Objective: Reason
Shock overtook the Hutt. He'd been scammed, he knew it. Why did he leave his troops? This was doomed from the start, and now he'd been captured by a poser who threatened to disable their ship. Ranga knew what he had to do. He flipped on the comm again.
"Sorry Jorus, I'm afraid I can't let that happen. I'm not one to be a coward! How dare you do this! Acting like you're not part of this then all of a sudden you attack me! Who does that!?"
The Hutt flipped of the comm and used his personal comm to radio to his soldiers. A Rodian Sergeant named Zu'Qui answered.
"Sergeant, get the demolitions crew ready with the rockets. I've about to get a tail and I'm going to try and lead him to your rockets. Be ready."
The Rodian hastily answered, "Yes sir, right away sir!"
Ranga flipped the main comm on again.
"Jorus, if you want me, you're going to have to get me."
In an instant the Telgorn Dropship sped of towards Thebeon, now with a ships about to fire at him.
Listless ice blue eyes would quietly contemplate [member="Darth Lykos"] as he spoke his name, that much the Iridonian could gather from the rasp of his mental voice. Pale glacial eyes studied the man in his cordial greeting. If she were taken aback by the pleasantry she did not show it. Instead, that mental figure would quietly study the mirror that lay before her. Mindful of tiny nuances and tiny cues. The manner by which he sat in his seiza. The subtle rock of his eye of profound thoughts. The manner that he kept his gaze upon hers, unwavering but relaxed enough to blink. There was confidence there. Ambition. Intrigue. A piqued interest as much as a searching of that which lay around him.
It was not the name that gave A'dele more information about Xavka as much as in the manner that he relayed it. Hidden identiies. The emphasis that his clan nor his identity would be easily discovered due to the events of his past. Yet A'dele had no interest in this. A name was merely a label of the whole. While some may consider it their identity, she knew well that far more established that pillar of being beyond that.
A name held power yes -- but only in so far as one would allow it.
One's focus determines their reality.
The soft and quiet inflection of a feminine voice went drifting over towards [member="Darth Lykos"] with the seemingly calm serenity of a trickling brook. Some would consider the Iridonian female a bit of an oddity. Truth be told, she was the sort to keep to herself. Most rarely ever really thought of her as she was more apt to fade into the background like a wallflower. Ever seemingly in control of her emotions; a bastion of stoic serene strength. A woman of proverbs and orthodox Jedi teachings. One may even say a staunch traditionalist who held every word of the original Jedi Code like a mantra.
Sitting there with the ember-like sheen off the glow of her bubble of protection, it was easy to image her to be the perfect picture of Jedi teachings. Quiet. Reserved. Mindful of tongue and as calm as the surface of a pond upon a cold winter's night.
"Outrage is a fine thing coming from a merc who works for Sith, bub."
The Gypsymoth arced into a narrow turn and stuck to the Telgorn dropship's tail. The problem here, and it was a significant one, was that the ion cannons had a good long range -- and Captain Ranga had just situated himself against an increasingly civilian backdrop.
Meaning that every missed ion shot had a real chance of striking the city below.
With a grimace, he switched to the autoblasters, two triple-barreled autotargeting light weapons. Antipersonnel scale. No shield piercing capability, but strong enough to whittle down the dropship's defenses, and short-ranged enough to avoid endangering the city. The triple-blasters deployed from the freighter's belly and roared to life, spitting long streaks of small bolts at the dropship's tail.
(OOC: y u do dis? XD)
Post 14
Location: Thebeon Space
Objective: Escape and lead [member="Jorus Merrill"] down to the Demo crew
The Dropship started to rock as it absorbed the blaster fire. The second Weequay, the twin of Tuuka named Zafar, hastily slammed the button for the rockets and was blown back when they took off. These rockets were designed to deal damage, but mainly to distract the enemy to get away since this was only a dropship. Ranga maneuvered the ship around the gun fire and flipped on the comm.
"Mayday mayday, the is SCUBA Captain Ranga! We're taking heavy fire and steadily coming down towards the city. I advise you all to be ready for anything that might happed. Over."
The Telgorn dropship continued to speed off, but time would tell if the old timer could hold up.
As the blade came swooping towards Causstik Rahn's knee he dodged to the left. Still the blade knicked the cap and he could feel blood welling up in his armor. The leg felt stiff to move. Sprained probably. The Mandalorian had got lucky in striking at one of the few weak spots in the Trandoshans armor. It would not happen again. Causstik swung a left dagger covered fist at the man's face. He needed to finish this. The Mandalorian needed to die. Causstik was growing tired and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it. The force drain had taken a lot out of him...
Now was the time. kami watched as the units began to land .
" All units move out She ordered
" Target munitions and don't let those vehicles dismount." indicating the giant walking platform that was the shell.
"Shell target all Enemy ships. Coordinate with the Tal engage ant enemy craft. blow em out of the sky. "
with a smile she yelled
" All others ATTACK."
Capital City, Heading towards palace
Gear: 2x Standard Lightsabers, Sasori Medium Armor, AI Wrist Blaster, VT Needle Disruptor, Tactical Fighting Blade
Allies: [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"], [member=HK-36], [member="Elpsis Elaris"], [member="Spencer Varanin"], [member="Adele Adonai"], [member="Jacen Voidstalker"], [member="Gabriel Sionoma"], [member="Seras Rose"], [member="Kana Truden"]
Enemies: [member=Rapax], [member=Break], [member="Lord Ajihad"], [member="Darth Lykos"], [member="Seria Ventreme"], [member=Thraxis], [member="Desmond C'artyom"], Sith and their allies
Joza watched as the Zeltron man writhed against the Force Stun, arching a brow as he struggled against the catatonic state she’d tried to induce. Even though she wasn’t successful, resisting the paralytic ability seemed to have taken a toll on him if the amount of green blood he was coughing up served as an indication. Wait, green blood? The Zeltron woman allowed herself to gawk for a moment before pulling her senses back towards the chaotic battlefield and the beskar clad woman she’d helped up. “…Auntie who?” Coughing to try and cover her surprise, Joza could only look out towards where Thraxis was, disengaging herself from Elpsis to dance around scattered bolts fire by Sith forces. “Yes, that’s me. Jozie.” Outwardly she wasn’t particularly fond of being called that, but inside she was tickled that someone liked her enough to give her a cute nickname.
Given that the sniper who tried to target Joza had a damaged eye and was aiming at a mark in motion, the bolt sent her way did not strike the woman’s helmet as intended. Instead, it caught her in the left shoulder where her armor had cracked from the rough landing, sending her stumbling to the ground. Landing with an ungraceful thump, the armored Zeltron instinctively raised her right arm against her helmet to aid in shielding her from any more potential headshots. Still, she groaned in pain as a heavy ache spread throughout her arm and her shoulder began to swell. Something or another was broken or fractured, but it would be a waste of time to figure out what. The impact of falling had loosened the clot that formed in her nose, fresh blood seeping from one nostril down into her mouth. Displeased, she regrettably spat against the inside of her helmet before pushing herself up with her good arm. For a moment, she might have imagined that the blood oozing from her nose was green.
As she rose to a standing position with her knees slightly bent, Joza’s line of sight fell on the blue form of an unconscious Chiss on the ground a little ways away. The man appeared to be clutching a rifle, and Joza frowned. Given the scene before them, she couldn’t be sure if he was the one who’d shot her. Eyes drifting to the battered building above him, she wondered who’d taken him out.
Voidstalker’s order reached her ears and she grunted, reluctant to stay back. But she remained defensive, gathering the Force to her with every ragged breath. If their opponents did not stand down, then it stood reason that she would not either.
Distracted by the Telgorn dropship's dorsal turret, Jorus didn't see the rockets in time. They were, in any case, outside his line of sight. So when the autotargeting blasters stopped chewing away at the dropship's shields, he thought something had gone wrong in fire control.
Instead, the streams of fire were just pointing down, far out of his sightline, as the triple blasters acquired the rockets.
The warheads detonated half a second early. Flame and shrapnel rocked the freighter. Shields registered a serious hit, on the order of a thirty percent drop. The Telgorn was jinking and weaving now, to avoid his guns.
With a grimace, Jorus fired a Connor net launcher. Not the healthiest thing to drop on a city if he missed, but better than ion cannons. A huge electrified net lashed out, aiming to wrap around the dropship's shields and burn them out. Maybe even trap the ship itself.
A second barrage of rockets met the triple blasters' fire. Shields dropped to forty percent.
"I'm fine," the young Mandalorian said with a dismissive wave, using the other hand to help keep her balance as she started moving towards the door. "This happens... occasionally. I'm used to it. Besides, that wasn't a stim earlier. It was a painkiller. Peregin or something generically similar. Homestead doc prescribed it for that sort of stuff."
She paused a moment at one of the lockers, taking a second to open the door and reach inside. After a moment or two of fishing, she pulled out a small container labeled in Basic and Mando'a with her name along the side. Tucking the container into an available pocket, she pulled out another item, this time a small leather pouch which she hooked to her belt securely. Glancing up, she made a shooing motion with her free hand at the scavenger standing in the doorway.
"I need to grab a bottle of water from the cabin and to check and make sure no one's lit my commlink on fire," she said, speaking figuratively for the most part. Pausing for only a moment, she jabbed a finger into the man's chest. "And you still haven't said your name."
Bridge, Dreadnought-class Mark III Escort Cruiser ANS Ascendant High Orbit, Atrisia
"By the Force..." Commodore Pulsar whispered to himself.
The death throes of the extra-dimensional behemoth were as horrifying as they were beautiful. The combined might of task force's Sullust and Fondor, Aurora Industries, and the long range strikes from Commodore Vilin's siege batteries (guided by target painting from the Ascendant herself) had managed to drive the terror back to the very threshold of the event horizon from which it had been spawned. But it was the precision targeted baradium blasts from a daring last run by Rogue Squadron that had sealed the extradimensional creature's fate, its massive bulbous form shredding into pieces before receding entirely from eyesight. Had they truly killed the entity? It was impossible to know for sure, but what little Zark knew about such beings gave him a bad feeling that all their efforts on this day had only succeeded in granting the galaxy a temporary reprieve, cosmically speaking.
Still, the terror had not disappeared without a trace. At first the Commodore had thought his eyes playing tricks upon him, but wherever the rift sealed there was left only void. A tear in the very fabric of reality itself, the gaping wound in the Force hurt to even look at, but the Jedi Knight found that he could not rip his gaze away. All around him, time seemed to slow, until he could no longer even sense the comforting rhythm of his own breathing. The tear in space seemed to grow in front of his eyes until it filled the entire viewport, and to Zark's numb horror he could somehow perceive it moving closer, as if reaching out for them. His hands, which before had been gripping one of the railings on the command deck tight enough to dent the metal with his prosthetic, suddenly felt weak.
Then the entire orientation of the bridge shifted all at once and, hurled over the railing before he could even so much as react, Zark was falling through the viewport and into space. The distant, trapped remnants of his logical mind expected to feel the agony of asphyxiation, but to his numb surprise he felt nothing at all, except that horrible tendril of absolute nothingness that lashed out to consume him, and no sooner had it touched him than reality warped around him again, and he saw a series of images, although curiously he still experienced the cold sensation of falling endlessly through darkness. It began slowly at first, but the farther he fell the quicker the images flashed by.
First, a dark and terrible visage standing on the ashes of a world encompassing a shriveled crystal of light, whose jagged slivers glowed brightly enough to just barely peer the shadow of its outer form. All around him, storms raged and faceless warriors clashed.
The image faded, and was replaced by a raven haired young human who looked to be not much older than his former padawan. He was in the heart of the galaxy, navigating his way through the lower levels of the city of all cities in search of a great and terrible darkness. The darkness reached out to consume him, and as it struck that too faded.
On a barren, toxic world frozen to its core there stood an impossible tower. A black robed figure heaped twisted offerings upon a dark altar, offering terrible prayers to some unnatural and Unspoken force. The hood fell back, and the irises of the Givin's eyes were galaxies aflame.
Finally he saw himself, old and seated upon a crystalline throne. In his right hand was a golden spear, but in his left where there should have been a prosthesis, instead there was a shriveled claw above which there floated an orb of pure void.
Zark crashed into dark waters, and as he fought his way to the surface sputtering he found now that the oozing and viscous liquid was only ankle height. Before him stood a reflection of himself, but when that reflection began moving towards him of its own accord he realized that everything was same except the eyes. Where the reflection's human eyes should have been, there was only more void. Scrambling to his feet, the reflection stalked unnaturally towards him until they were face to face.
"When we have found all the mysteries, and lost all the meaning," the other Zark whispered in a voice that was his own and yet entirely unlike the way he spoke, "We will be alone, on an empty shore."
Then he cracked a hideous, too wide smile that contorted into an expression of uncontrolled rage as the saber at his side appeared in his hand and activated its crimson blade all at once before plunging into Zark's stomach. The pain was excruciating, and yet he knew he should be dead, but when the saber disengaged, instead of crumpling to the ground he found himself stumbling through one of the massive subterranean caverns of Sullust, civilization all around him ablaze. Hands holding the bubbling flesh of his stomach in agony, it was not long before he stumbled and fell. And then the other him was upon him, leaping ten meters through the air and plunging his saber downwards, filled with hate.
"Aeterno!" the reflection roared, and as the saber struck Zark shattered into pieces, and the devastated Sullustan landscape all around them fragmented.
His eyes opened.
"Commodore?! Commodore Pulsar!" the captain of the Ascendant was screaming in his face, panic on his features, "Are you alright?!"
"How long was I out?" Zark asked, blinking his eyes rapidly as he came back to the moment. The Jedi Knight was seated, propped up against one of the bridge's terminals, which suggested he must have collapsed, "And what did I miss?"
"Only thirty seconds or so, sir!" the captain informed him eagerly, the relief at his superior's just as sudden recovery evident in his face, "The destruction of the....anomaly seemed to cause some disarray in the unidentified flotilla, but as soon as we hailed them again they were moving off and jumped to hyperspace. Also, Commander Bashir commed from the Ashla. They've completed temporary repairs on their sublight and are moving to rendezvous."
"Oh, is that all?" he said mildly, so lost in worried thought over the confusion vision he had seemingly just received that the words lacked his usual dry edge, "Very well, get us as close to the planet as we can safely, and refocus all efforts on relief operations."
What the hell just happened, he barely had time to wonder to himself before deciding to figure it out when he wasn't overseeing a massive logistics operation in the middle of a combat zone. Glancing out the viewport, for a moment he thought he caught a glimpse of darkness in his eyes, before pressing requests for orders forced him to shrug it off as a trick of the glass against the black of space.
Ship Movement
TF Sullust finishes off Lotek'k along with rest of Alliance forces in area, then moves as close to Atrisia as it can to provide air support.
Indomitable-class sublight repairs complete, on rendezvous course with task force.
AEI Fleet jumps to hyperspace per request of [member="Cerita Sarova"]
Location: City of Shiso Allies: [member="Riimaurus"] [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"] [member="Ayden Cater"] [member="Jasper Varanin"] [member="Ajira Cardei"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] [member="Cathul Thuku"] [member="Arieth zh'Vranthi"] [member="Draco Vereen"] Enemies - The Sith
//encrypted message to Ambassador Arieth zh'Vranthi - I will look for them, thank you Faith Organa//
In happier times Faith would have laughed walking off down the gangplank of the ship, excitement would have rippled through her making her as giddy as any child coming to see their father. But this devastation would rob anyone of any joy. She had to remember the reason why she was here today, why she risked the anger of the one she loved, and her own life.
She adjusted the breather which for a time would filter the air. It seems as if everything is glowing but not with life with fire the long reach of the Ana's Volcano Monster had touched even Shiso. At least the city half stood it was not becoming the ruins that they had seen when they looked at Jar'Kai. They small group could see the gathering of the able in the streets.
"Faith, there's a command been issued that all civilians take up arms against the invaders." Captain Lindsey came closer, "that would mean us."
Faith turned slightly looking up, "I'm not invader, I'm half Atrisian. I'll reason with them." She turned back as they slowly walked, slowly avoided the charred remains of trees, bushes and the unlucky animals that got caught in the winds. Faith could hear children crying not far from where they stood. There were only a dozen or so walking towards them, ancient swords in their hands ready to follow the orders of their King.
Words were all she had to defend herself, all she ever had. What did she see? What did they want to hear?
"I bet your farmers, merchants, and craftsman not warriors." She could hear her own footsteps on the burnt floor crunching with each step. She didn't pause she had always been taught, don't pause.
"We are here to help."
"WE'VE SEEN YOUR HELP" The group nodded in agreement their faces covered in soot making every crease deeper showing their anger to be deeply rooted. Their lips twisted, as their eyes bore holes through her they were ready to end her where she stood.
"Do you now The House of Togashi Yokuni, it use to be.." Faith looked around remembering the day they had come to celebrate the ancestors. They rode in the pod, she gawked at the beauty of the city and the high walls of Hyogo, the guards well placed along the walls, there a flicker of a memory, "Down that road there, the high tower, you use to be able to see it from here."
"SO WHAT YOU KNOW SOME ATRISIAN HISTORY" They were advancing now starting to circle around them.
Faith smiled and stopped, "No its more than that, we are here to help we are bringing help for your injured, your sick, we can take you from here. I am honor bound by my House and the oaths made to be here."
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF HONOR, LOOK AT OUR HOMES, IS THAT HONORABLE?" They were now around them each time the Captain made a move Faith motioned him not to move.
"I know the enemy of my friend is my enemy. Anyone who comes to Atrisia and attacks your home, or orders to put your life in danger in the face of over whelming odds is not someone who looks after Atrisia, or for you. They are looking after themselves. WE are here" Faith motioned to everyone with here, "not to fight but to bring aide, water, food, I give you my word as a daughter of the House of Togashi I am not here to harm you."
The circle drew closer, a single man stepped closer, his face covered in the dark charcoal from the burning skies, the smile lines around his eyes and mouth added to his age. He had to be an elder of Shoshi. His breath smelled of tea, warm and comforting perhaps courage for day like today, "You are not his daughter." His words hurt her stabbing her like little pin pricks all over her heart, he was right in some ways she had not been a good daughter. But she WAS his daughter.
Faith smiled, "I am sister to Bella and Garith. I am his daughter. My father would not want you to waste your lives. I will take whatever punishment this King wishes to extend if he lives and keeps his hold on Atrisia. I will be your protector for disobeying his decree." She knew that they were all honor bound to follow the word of the King. He could take everything from them if he chose too, another reason why the civilians would fight until they couldn't.
"Will you take the punishment for the entire City of Shiso?" the man his voice curious, yet hard and demanding.
Captain Lindsey cleared his throat a warning. Ana took a step a reminder. Faith only heard the crying of a baby and though of her own at home safe and warm. "Yes."
"Why" he asked softly.
"Because it is the right thing to do." She put her hands together, and bowed her head slightly.
"This way" The group parted and led Faith and her team towards the City.
//encrypted - Draco - on the ground in Shiso - Faith //
Half a league half a league, Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns' he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!' Was there a man dismay'd ? Not tho' the soldier knew Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while All the world wonder'd: Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke; Cossack & Russian Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well Came thro' the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made! All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!
Ren stood there watching her son some would say he had the courage of a dozen men at age 14, others would call him mad she saw only her son. A child angry at the world and wishing to wrong a right. She felt that sudden rise of panic in her chest that any mother would feel looking at their child fearing for their life.
She could not lose her son. She was joined to him in mind in force, she shook her head briefly. Just as she was prepared to mount upon one of the creatures and ride beside him, share his fate whatever it was. To be robbed of both a husband and a son on the same day was the fate of women in the tales of war.
The jar'kai returned with the panel, Ren looked at it and then a thought, a very slim thought, "Adas" Ren walked up beside the guarlara taking a blade from one of the soldiers even as she chanted the spells that went with each of the runes, she slid the blade across her own hand and then smeared the blood from one rune to the next to the next until each had her blood. She then reached for Adas hand, his non saber hand, slit his hand smeared his blood mingled with hers across the runes...a blood bond..she hoped. then she placed the runes into the pockets of the saddle of Adas' mount.
"Just maybe..I can do something from here..." She stepped back, "DO NOT GET KILLED, Darth Erebos I hold you to your word you will drag him from field before allowing him to be taken prisoner or killed." She tried to smile knowing that Adas would probably be the death of them both.
Ren moved back she visualized the runes each in her mind, binding each one to her with her own blood. In turn she hoped that this would do something anything.
If she could use the death around them as the catalyst, if...she would need to have eyes on Adas for a long as she could...the runes were now blood stones
The blood of my blood I beseech there provide protection for my son. I will give whatever I must to protect my son from harm I invoke the power of the ancients to protect my son Protect he who bears the signs..
Ren reached for the force that she shared with Adas...repeating the spell hoping to invoke the runes and the alchemy that had been infused in them long ago on Korriban.
Location Palace Enemies - Anyone after Adas
Allies [member="Adas James Malgus"] [member="Darth Erebos"]
The constant barrage of turbolaser fire was enough to set the young Padawan on edge prior to landing, and the continued echoes of the tandem blasts towards their escorts served only to unsettle the girl further as they began their slow trek towards the rather large palace in the distance. Without any idea as to what awaited inside, or even just outside, Jamie took solace in the only two available comforts: Aela's guidance, and the soothing effect her lightsaber provided in her presence. The day was going to be long, that much was for certain, and what was to become of it was still entirely unknown. The most frustrating piece of the puzzle was that Jamie felt entirely unprepared for an encounter with a Sith, let alone a powerful Sith Lord. This could prove to be one of those times where she would have to remember the hard lesson she learned back on Bastion, and follow Aela's instructions to the letter, lest she really wind up dead this time.
"Right. I'm right behind you."
All throughout the distance, in just about every direction one could hear the sounds of blaster fire, incoherent shouting and screams, the heavy movements of various artillery and the smell of sulfur, smoke, and fire. Raining through the atmosphere above were pieces of starships as they fell towards the earth below, whilst overhead countless aircraft scuttled about, whether engaged in combat or surveillance was all but a mystery. "What happened here, do you think?" She asked quietly, as they walked at a steady, brisk pace towards what Jamie assumed to be the palace. As they descended it seemed to be the location of the most activity, and the most likely spot of contention on Atrisia.
Atrisia-Near the Palace
[member="Jamie Pyne"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
"The Sith." Aela said in a tone that could almost have been a joke, almost.
"I don't know why." She said quietly. "But it's...it's in the air. You can feel it."
The darkside of the force permeated everything here, it was like a sickness on the planet itself. She knew that Jamie likely felt it too, but whether or not the Padawan actually attributed it to the Darkside itself was yet to be seen. Jamie wasn't as experienced with the force as Aela was, at least not yet. A frown pulled at her lips, eyes wandering through the risen dust as she tried to find...well anything that would help them figure out where they were going. "Hold on."
She said quietly, pulling Jamie to a stop.
"Let's see if we can get anyone..." She pulled out a small comm-link and began to transmit. "This is Jedi Marshall Aela Talith, can anyone hear me?"
Converts from a twin set of hilts into a single double-blade saber-staff. Emerald Green Blade.
Basic Jedi Robes colored Green with armor mesh underneath.
Natural Reptilian scales
Objective: Provide aid to his Fellow Jedi on the ground.
Dar'rak stood there for a moment or two as his blade hummed at his side. While it would appear he was unguarded with his weapon pointed away and toward the ground, the truth was well hidden within his slightly twitching tail as the large reptile steadied his feet and shifted his balance with very slight movements of his tail. Something he suspected his opponent did not realize as he'd charged in. Dar'rak moved in time with his Opponent taking a step back and to his left as his powerful tail moved to replace him. The appendage swinging like a battering ram towards and intercept course with his opponent's weapon hoping to remove it from the equation quickly and swiftly while also knocking his opponent off balance. With a hiss and a roar Dar'rak recoiled his tail and moved in to his opponent's side. This time his tail would sweep low in hopes of tripping him.
Give me more to post on my friend. I want a battle not a sparing match. Come on I can take it.
Thraxis took a single step, fully anticipating to block the incoming ball of fire that had amassed, only to be stopped as his breath became weak, his head turning towards Elpsis as he saw the intricacy of the Force Choke applied. After a few seconds of clarifying to himself, he slowly returned one of the Cruciatus Blade's back inside its sheath. A hand raising to his throat as his fingers coiled around, just making sure it was what he thought.
With a rush he bent down, holding in his breath, though he really lacked the choice in the matter as he tried to hold onto a semblance of calm as he pulled out his next tool from his belt, Drawing out his Stun Net his hand held aloft as the light started to slowly dissipate from his eyes as his finger ran through the setting, putting it down to Human Stun. Then came the depression, the trigger pushing down as he let loose two Seperate Charged nets, his hand bouncing back and fourth in quick Succession, Joza was taken down by a mystery shot, and Elpsis still held her choke around his neck. He couldn't risk it, the two of them getting back up was worrying and with it only being him and Seria, he didn't know if he had it in him to what he would loosely refer to as a fight with the two of them.
As he released it he paused for a second, what would have been a sigh of relief only in turn being nothing more then a quick moan of pain as whatever air was in his mouth escaped, his head being left light-headed as slowly he posture slumped before falling to a knee, his heart pumping faster and faster as worry began to set in the longer her Chocking motion was held.
He had no intention of fighting anymore, he had gotten his first taste of a Master and it signaled nothing short of overwhelming. It only meant he had to become more sly with his fighting, it had become a clear indicator that Master's much prefer to fight with the force than a Saber.
The Lion's Maw touches down along the edges of Nuyen City's Shakatu District. Danger comes from crossing the bridge, recon spots another heavily armed opponent behind Firemane's main force. Halifax's Howlers hear of [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]'s call for a ceasefire, but the ceasefire fails to reach enemy ears. Major Lavali Sanjeet's orders are to maintain pressure toward the Palace...
Command Post Ardarvia Between Jar'Kai and Nuyen
"There's a bloody ceasefire!" Halifax shouts as he looks down the long range-viewfinder, "blasted Mandalorians!"
Major Sanjeet grabs the viewfinder from Halifax, "it's not our Mandalorian, radio it into [member="Draco Vereen"]. Ask him if he knows anything about the clan that's marching behind us." She refuses to fire upon friendly forces but it's quite clear that someone is more than willing to fire upon them as a shell just narrowly misses the vehicle station. "Get those units across the bridge and blow it!"
Halifax's second, Corporal Larielle gets on the horn trying to identify the clan markings relaying the information and until then. "We need to keep pressure on-" the corporal stops when she gets a signal from Lieutenant Tarriq, or rather from Sgt. Mattieu's. "Major!" She shouts, "they've got eyes on our girl."
"Finally some good news, inform Varactyl we're routing infantry and heavy support her way, she'll need to signal for dropships for an extrac-" Her voice went silent, muffled over the sound of artillery pounding into the Command Post. Lavali is able to take cover, but Larielle is gone, cursing her luck she crawls around toward what's left of the communication station ."Vinecat to Firemane, Vinecat to Firemane. I repeat we are taking fire from an unknown Mandalorian clan, I repeat we are taking fire from an unknown Mandalorian clan, permission to engage, requesting permission to engage."
The Serjeant looks over the bridge, "the last of the Manticores have landed, we just need to get them across the bridge, should've brought the shatters."
"Right about that," Major Sanjeet gets back on the horn, "send down the cannons, I repeat we're gonna need the rotary cannons. Vinecat to Firemane will provide you with rogue clan coordinates." Whistling of another shell, "Halifax! Where are we on our artillery?" Back on the horn with Firemane Paramiliary Command, "right- cannons, or an orbital strike."
"Artillery has the palace in sight," he says just as the section of Firemaw tanks move through the command post on their way to route toward the Palace, "sections two and three are coming across the bridge. Section one is ready to fire on your command."
Lavali watched as what remained of Halifax's Howlers dove into the corner store that was turned into a makeshift command post. "FIRE!"
The sound of a section of Thunderer SPGs expending their rounds shook the ground beneath them all. Shells whistled through the Atrisian air, those surrounding the Palace would see three shells heading for it. Sections two and three could be seen down the street rolling up toward the Command Post. The Manitcores were just on the edge of the bridge heading over from Nuyen City. The landing site was gone, the rogue Mandalorian clan's shells hit the pad destroying any chances of gaining reinforcements.
Symara Tarriq and Kerrigan's Flame encroach toward [member="HK-36"] and [member="Elpsis Elaris"]. The outskirts of Jar'Kai have become nothing more than an ash-ridden wasteland. Still, the density of ash and soot make it difficult even for the lone Firemane unit to make their way through...
Ruins of Jar'Kai City, Outskirts Contact with HK and Elpsis.
Crackled communications is what Symara mostly got out of HK. She only barely recalled the droid from Castameer, then again, she was solely focused on a particular redhead. "Air support?" She asked, "who do I look like? Rogue Squadron?" The former CorSec Officer was knelt down beside the ruined city wall, not realising that if she walked a few hundred meters further that she'd possibly make contact with her favourite redhead. She couldn't organise an airstrike, they didn't bring any. And any attempt to contact the ships in orbit were futile, the ash was making communication difficult. Technology she huffed, still sharpshooters weren't going to be too much of an issue, not for too much longer anyway.
Serjeant Matthieu's noticed another hollowed out building but this one had a low profile, perhaps a former market. Whatever it had been meant nothing to her now as she motioned for the unit crawl into this shelter. As they moved against the window's ledge she noticed something on the wall, a reflection? A light, she stopped to look down at her HUD. HK's figure on the map could be seen but the chitstorm that was Atrisia had done a little more than just irritate her. It'd gotten into the HUD itself. Not too terribly mind you, but enough had gotten through the cracks where the suit sealed up naturally. She noticed another reflection of light, it was moving. Symara knew just exactly what that was, and made the motion for the unit to stay down as she went prone, crawling toward a door opening, there it met with the streets.
Setting her gun out she adjusted the scope's sight as she zoomed up toward the window where she thought the reflection had come from. Her breathing was steady as she waited, waited for the sharpshooter to peak again. And when he did, all one could hear was the sound of her magnetically propelled slug being fired and then, the splatter of blood as the sharpshooter went down. Another glint of light, another sharpshooter? Soldier? Didn't matter they were running linear toward the sound of the first death. She waited to pull her trigger again, and once she did she just barely caught sight of a third sniper this one fired off a shot toward her. Symara rolled away, and began to fast crawl back toward her unit. "HK it's Tarriq, where are you? How many guns in the area? I've brought a flame unit, we can make sweeps. Tell me Elpsis is safe."
The rest of Lion's Maw has landed as is now making their way across the bridge from Nuyen to Jar'Kai. One section of Thunderer SPGs has begun to fire upon the Palace. [member="Kami Meran"] has begun to shell Command Post Ardarvia and the surrounding area. The Command Post has taken a few hits and has called for support from Firemane Paramilitary Command. Symara Tarriq and Kala Mattieu's along with the rest of Kerrigan's Flame are within range of Elpsis Elaris and HK-36 and their allies, as well as their enemies. Lieutenant Tarriq had begun to engage enemy sharpshooters. If a cease fire had been called - no one is heeding it, yet.
Plasma blaster ripped from his arm and knowing he was outnumbered and that his body would soon become a prison as his feet became magnetized Break chose the unthinkable using every bit of his strength Break forced his hypermatter core into overdrive and ripped it from his body a white hot heat could be felt from the core as he held it in his palm the gravity grenade in the other using the last of his power he launched the core and grenade at [member="HK-36"] the field having the ability to keep him from the ground and immobile while the core would decimate everything in 10 feet around it Break let out a small smile as the light faded from his eyes. A petty and futile effort from a desperate droid his body laid helplessly in the rubble as it shut down all systems. Breaks body shut down but his mind lived on beyond this system and he would awaken somewhere else very tired and in need of a drink.
Enemies: [member="Darth Mephirium"], [member="Veiere Arenais"], [member="Lord Ajihad"], [member="Spencer Varanin"], [member="Adele Adonai"], [member="Jacen Voidstalker"], [member="Bethany Kismet"], [member="Darth Lykos"], [member="HK-36"], [member="Alecandria"], [member="Asajj"], [member="Nick Sept"], [member="Gabriel Sionoma"], @Ralph Thule, [member="Elpsis Elaris"], [member="Adas James Malgus"], [member="Darth Malakai"], [member="Seria Ventreme"], [member="Darth Ferox"], [member=Dar'rak], [member="Serena Bouie"], [member="Darth Erebos"], [member="Draco Vereen"], [member="Tony Ro'samo"], [member="Joza Perl"], [member="Causstik Rahn"], [member="Judas Foster"], [member="Kana Truden"], [member="Thraxis"], [member="Lark"], [member="Seras Rose"], [member="Veino Garn"], [member="Akuma"], [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"], [member="Elliot Locke"], [member="Deacon"], [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"], [member="Jamie Pyne"], [member="Aela Talith"] Allies: [member="Mala Arar"] Neutral: [member="Soeht"], [member="Reverance"] Objective: Crush their spirits, Kill Graxin Rade Equipment: Sith Robes, Twin Sabers, The Dark Side of the Force
Even as the former voice of the Dark Lord drew on the cumulative rage, the fear, the death, and the despair from the battle on Jar'Kai, the ones who called themselves Sith still tried to create more of it. Certainly they could ascertain that someone, so close to their doorstep, was growing like a blot of ink on parchment - that their efforts were being met not by a firm resistance, but welcomed like water by a sponge? Or perhaps they were so desperate for success, so determined to place everything they knew and held dear on the line, that they presumed her merely one among hundreds in this war of attrition. The arrogance of their leadership was nearly as palpable as the dust that clouded the skies, after all, so to assume that their resignation to an honorable defeat was only natural - was it not? Here they were, playing the part of the ancient Sith lords in a time before the mapping of much of the known galaxy, from before the time that the Republic spread into the Stygian caldera, playing the part of an instinct species of a diminished order to stand against invaders not with cunning and power, but with desperation and arrogance.
But none of these worthless heretics were worthy of even the genocide of Korriban, of Thule, or Ziost. They were not Sith, not even a Sith-like cult - they were an order that sought to replace the Sith, as Graxin so heavily implied, in an even more radical and foolish way than the One Sith had. They had no Sith Lords among their ranks, only upstarts that claimed affiliation with a known power - a super power - to garner the attention of their betters. Had they hoped that the Sith had died on Coruscant, that they would not return for what was rightfully their's, had they thought so haughtily that they could repel even a single of their number without issue? All of these questions, questions which only served to antagonize the Sith Lord further, flooded her mind as her focus doubled - her mind blocking out the crass words of [member="Nick Sept"] and ignoring the ramblings of [member="Darth Mephirium"] as he approached her. A darkness that consumed the light - and the more benevolent side of the force - was already pooling beneath her as her furrowed brow pressed more tightly together when the fallen Jedi approached her. But, unlike the man who led - or helped to lead - a rebellion force against the Alliance, Silara was not someone with an attention span so small that only a single event would take the entirety of her focus. She could feel the fight between [member="Mala Arar"] and [member="Tony Ro'samo"] and the struggle that her apprentice faced to fight an enemy that had marginally more training than her - and she could feel the slight absence in the force within Tony as he tried to drain the essence from her apprentice, something she would not have permitted to continue if not for the unexpected appearance of [member="Soeht"].
Further away she felt the killing intent of [member="Lord Ajihad"] as he tried to assassinate [member="Spencer Varanin"], though she was physically too far to actually know what was actually occurring in that bout. And though Cyril was approaching her as the most direct threat, the master of the Graug was still not the target of the greatest amount of focus. [member="Adas James Malgus"] and his cohorts were supplying her with the greatest source of anger, of desperation. A child king that fought against a tide of Mandalorians, Alliance soldiers, and a swarm of droids with the dark side in one hand and the sword of a man that should never been permitted to leave the temple of Coruscant in the other. As small as he was, as weak as he was, the boy was the greatest threat in recent history to not only the Sith as an idea, but to their reputation of what they stood for. That boy, a sniveling brat that spoke with the spirit of a defeated and inferior Sith, commanded the actual Graug forces and their Legion Yun'do forces that joined them. To murder him meant to scatter the rest, just as much as defeating Cyril meant cutting away the last remaining source of baggage for her in this new life.
"I owe you that much."
Did this man actually think that she'd ever actually felt an iota of affection for him? Had her manipulations worked so well that he was actually in the belief that she had ever been any different than she was now? The only man that she'd ever genuinely felt a thing for thought she was dead, and here he was speaking as if he were the man that had given her a name that wasn't of her own design. This man acted so casually close to her, so familiar, that it just burned her up inside when he made his monologues of melancholy. Whatever he thought they were, whatever he thought they might have, had only existed as a lie to tempt him over from the Jedi Order in order to lessen their numbers - no more than that. And now, over a decade later, he was pining at her in such a manner that she almost wanted to purge her stomach of its contents through the jaws that were locked firmly in place.
But, of course, Vitium did not take the time to verbally respond to this pointless statement of misplaced remorse. Even now the darkness that churned within her, that was already steadily flowing from beneath her, screamed to be released - to be set loose upon the populace of Jar'Kai, to turn the tides of battle against everyone - crush the cooperation of the Jedi while simultaneously plunging the untrained Sith and their cohorts into chaos. Play the two sides against each other - a practice she'd played happily from the start - in order to weaken them both, and then strike out at the first the panic without hesitation or remorse. There was no doubt in her mind that the very release was what Cyril wanted to halt, to suppress her and keep her from putting his insolence in jeopardy and ensure the survival of a Jedi Order that he fought against in order to force them to unite against a perceived evil.
And, for the briefest of moments following his infuriating admission, time held still for the Sith Lord. It wasn't because she contemplated his words, and it wasn't because of some kind of self-doubt. No, it was the sudden release of the dark side that spiked her adrenaline that caused the world and everything in it, for perhaps half of a second, to lock up on her. Her eyes, still closed, began to slowly relax as her brow softened. Her shoulders tensed and her back hunched slightly forwards, fingers tightening their grip on the hilts of both sabers that she held - still unlit. And, then, as the moment of silence in her mind passed, the Sith Lord's eyes opened to expose the fiery glare that had been hidden beneath as everything suddenly began to happen at once.
The sky, indeed, hard darkened when she and her apprentice had approached, though not by the work of nature, and indeed [member="Adas James Malgus"] had described the sensation of an earthquake as his cavalry charged, but it was only the tremor of the planet as it begged the virus that stood upon it to be purged. And Vitium, with the fury of an ancient order at her back, was more than prepared to comply. A sharp inhale, the hot, dusty, air stinging at her nostrils as her red eyes rolled back and the ominous black fog curled around her. Then, at the exact moment that she exhaled, every ounce of that darkness that had been building up was released. Pent up aggression, rage, the torment that she'd fed off of, all were expunged as an incredibly fast-moving wave of dark side energy. A visible, raw, expression of the dark side, these cloud-like waves suffocated the light and drove panic and fear through hearts of Alliance and Dominion forces alike. The Graug, so vulnerable to the dark side of the force, were most certainly the beings she had in mind when she decided on the specific application of sith magic - a clear attempt to cut down the remaining defenses of this palace while also inflicting an equal measure of terror on the Jedi that fought in the streets.
"You pity me, don't you, Graxin?" Silara asked, her expression returning to its more neutral, though disdainful, look. "Poor Graxin Rade, falling for the illusion of a chance at redemption - just like so many before you, and so many to come." She added as she ignited both of her lightsabers, pointing them down towards the ground, away from her feet. "The pitiful one, Jedi, is you - a man who simply cannot come to grips with the reality that I was toying with you from the start, who cannot even begin to fathom that perhaps I was always this way."
"Perhaps you held some kind of affection, maybe something you'd call love, but you could never compete for my attention - you are as important to me as the rest of the filth that I will be slaughtering here today."
A twirl of the two sabers, a half-step forwards with her left foot slightly further ahead than her right, and the Sith Lord was prepared to engage the man in saber combat.
A hand adjusted the tightness of the uniform Firemane had its soldiers wear. He didn’t realize that this was the sort of work he was going to be getting into when he was transferred to the SIS. Undercover work, monitoring and the sorts. In the end he had his fun and met some interesting folk that were in the end allies. Lee kept his blaster rifle close as they marched with the Firemaw tank in the rear. The call for the cease fire echoed, but it seemed it wasn’t going to be something that they were going to follow. The man felt the pit of his stomach drop as they continued their march towards the palace.
“Artillery?” Knowing what that entailed and everything that would soon follow, Lee moved quickly wondering where the woman that made the call was or if there was a way to contact her. This wasn’t a good move in his mind and the unit wouldn’t distinguish who or what w as an ally and what was an enemy. Cursing under his breath he realized his efforts were going to be in vain. Heading towards the Firemaw, he decided to jump onto the backside and head towards the Palace. At least there he’d be able to rendezvous with other Alliance members and reach the pick up point that was designated for him.
Pulling out a small comm, he uploaded his coordinates. The signal was secure and he pulled a small knife from his boot and stabbed it through the comm. No traces. Dismantling the device and tossing what could be tossed, Lee could only wait. Underneath the armor he wore was his usual garb for the SIS, he would discard the armor upon finding the pick up point - till then he’d be another foot soldier for the Firemane group. Upon seeing the ash, he removed a breather from his pouch and placed it into his mouth. The air would be filtered and safe for him to breath for the time being. The foot soldier wouldn't be able to survive too long out in the open like this.
Drawing closer, Lee closed his eyes for just a moment. With his mental defenses from his Teras Kasi training, he attempted to block out the cries as the artillery rained upon the palace targets.
