Dominion The Last in Line | Reclamation of Dantooine | NIO

[Detritus Ren]

Location: Dantooine, Jedi Enclave Ruins
Objective: 3
Nearby: Okkeus Dainlei Hans Rennagen Rurik Fel

The dark clad and mask covered being had watched those that had entered. No doubt those stronger than he would make out a familiar dark presence. Perhaps some would see it similar to what his Father was. Jin so far had watched surrounded by a few Graug here and there. Those with a dark aura was able to wander freely within the decaying ruin outside of being provoked of course. The now corrupted Jin had used a Magick spell by his Sith Alchemical gauntlets, rendering himself to move and appear as shadow. Given the chance to move freely to scout out who had arrived and who he would pass his ultimate test to become Sith.

Those that had entered within were beings he knew once. Okkeus was an Imperial Knight for a time, before he found his calling as a wayward Jedi. Hans while by all means was a nobleman who Jin knew better as having fought side by side on both the skies of Bastion, and here on Dantooine. Following Jin loosing his left leg and awakening the darkness within him. The two never quite recovered as Jin became more distant, tortured by the voices and visions in his head of something far sinister than the Sith rising in the Unknown. Nevertheless was the closest thing that Jin had to a friend, and by some extent a Brother. Then there was the man in the Iron Mask known as Rurik Fel. The best of the Knights, and had bestowed Jin the rank of Knight. When watching him, it had seemed Rurik was uneasy, and had acted as if he felt a ghost. Jin wondered if for the briefest moments despite the spell that was casted was Rurik sensing Jin.

Three Knights to choose from, and the young Kyrel felt hesitation as he stood. 'Three Knights to choose, only one needed to complete the ultimate sacrifice.... Kill the nobleman.' The voice spoke in his head, as if a lullaby that had seemed familiar something he had known before, but hid out of fear of what it was. Jin shook his head. "N-No No... Anyone but him..." He spoke as if trying to fight back against the voice. The voice only spoke louder. "You must sacrifice to become Sith! You must unlock potential! The closest to you will make you reborn.' The voice once again explained to the tortured Knight. Jin had succumbed much to the darkness that had infected him following Vjun, even the new helmet that showed his corruption, had also been a way to fight back against the dark piece of his soul from taking over entirely. As if he had been obsessed or made a deal with the devil and this was the price.

Like his father, his blood was strong, and through that he was powerful. Perhaps enough to take on Rurik and kill him, or to kill Hans, and to take his saber. He gritted his teeth, gripping his helmet in frustration. Before it had all ended, and after a moment of thinking had started to move towards the direction of his friend. Perhaps making the strike unseen and painless would be what little comfort he could offer to Hans before completing his test, and unlocking the potential shown to him on Vjun. The shadow had moved swiftly, before appearing right behind Hans, hiding his signature, as well as being clouded by his spell. It wasn't until his blade activated in an instant that he was noticed. With one quick and powerful strike, the still silver blade of the Knight attempted to strike his brother in the back, thus revealing the disturbance to those nearby.

 

[Aveline Greye]

MOFF
GALIDRAANI FREE-STATE
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
Willan Tal | Enedina Tal | DECEASED Erskine Barran

"I hope i haven't missed the meeting,"

"I'm inclined to say you haven't, despite your recent knack for insubordination and lack of punctuality, take a seat, all of you,"

Aveline paid no heed to the family talk. She was well aware of how fathers could be towards their daughters and she was very good at keeping her nose out of it when it happened to others. There were simply some things in Galidraani society that were, and in the interest of picking your battles Aveline always chose not to speak up about it outside of private interactions with her own father.

"As i'm sure you're all aware, our recent measures against the crumbling Sith forces has bore immense fruit, both sources from internally and ISB reports suggest that the Siths failed offensives have largely left the door to Galidraan all but open, all that remains is the final dash to home and the consolidation of a post war Galidraan, which I and many others in this movement wish to see firmly implemented."

"Here here." She said softly. Everyone at the table could hear her, no need to be overly boisterous. The feeling expressed in her voice was evident.

She looked up from the pad and nodded. It would be good to see home again, to see the estate she'd grown up in near the highlands. She was sure it would be in shambles, a third cousin was the only Greye who had not left when the Imperials split from the Sith. Jophebus Greye was not known to be shrewd, quite the contrary. Though she looked forward to set foot on Greye lands once more, she knew that it would come with a great deal of work on top of her duties to the Lord Protector.

In her mind, Aveline was tallying the forces she could marshal for the push to home. She had staff to deal with the minutiae, but a good leader kept their nose in the logistics train to make sure all was going right. Ord Radama was one of the nearest points that NIO territory got to Galidraan currently, which was part of the reason she had fought so hard to take control of the system. Concord Dawn was the other closest, and she didn't want to get bogged down in a fight with Mandalorians over ancestral territory. Not when she was using her position to leverage aid for their own push for ancestral lands.

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Objective 3
Cleanse The Temple
Tags: Hans Rennagen | Detritus Ren | Rurik Fel

————————————
​

Having Hans ready to fight alongside him was nice, refreshing feeling.

It had been so long since the two had fought alongside one another. He couldn’t even remember when their blades clashed against the Sith while they battled. Though he was no longer fighting for the Imperials, he still considered Hans his brother.

“Yes, rid this place of any Sith will be a victory for everyone. It saddens and disgusts me to even see a place like this broken down this much.”

The two continued walking, soon accompanied by Master Fel. Last time he saw the powerful man, he was getting knighted alongside Hans and Jin. Come to think of it, he hasn’t seen Jin since then as well. Most of his ties had been broken off.

Eerie silence around them was suddenly broken by the familiar activation noise of a lightsaber. Turning towards his side, he expected to see one of the other knights turning on their weapons. What he was greeted with was something entirely different.

“Hans, look out!”

Wildly, he swung his own blue blade back towards the silver one that appeared from the shadows. Unsure, if the two blades would even hit each other, he hoped that the Imperial Knight would activate his blade soon and combat the unknown attacker.

 

[Hans Rennagen]

THE RETURN
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
IMPERIAL KNIGHTS
Detritus Ren Okkeus Dainlei Rurik Fel

In only a short moment he heard Okkeus yell, and then the Jedi's blade was between Hans and another silver saber. He reflexively leapt back against the wall in order to view the whole situation.

He clutched his lightsaber, but found himself unable to retaliate. There in the place of his attacker... a ghost from the past. The Dark Side was thick here, but this was not the first time it had preyed on his memories... his fears. But this somehow felt different. The Dark Side of the Force was perverse and deceptive. It crept upon the minds of its victims slowly, not with such force.

But it couldn't really be Jin. Why here, why now?, he thought. No, he refused to believe. Ignorance was bliss, and after witnessing so much in this war, he needed respite. That figure standing on the edge of the shadows could not be his friend, his comrade. He'd heard the stories of Sithspawn who took the form of those close to a man in order to kill him. The thought sickened him. If he was faced with one of those it was his sworn duty to destroy it.

"The Dark Side is playing tricks on us," Hans readied his blade and his stance for combat, "Show us your true form creature, or so help me I will make you!" he demanded to the figure.

Hans stepped forth, ready to strike at any moment, or to aid Okkeus if he were not to strike true against their mysterious foe.

 

[DECEASED Erskine Barran]

BRIGADIER-GENERAL
GALIDRAANI FREE-STATE
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER

Free-State Commanders in Attendance: Willan Tal Enedina Tal Aveline Greye

'As i'm sure you're all aware, our recent measures against the crumbling Sith forces has bore immense fruit, both sources from internally and ISB reports suggest that the Siths failed offensives have largely left the door to Galidraan all but open, all that remains is the final dash to home and the consolidation of a post war Galidraan, which I and many others in this movement wish to see firmly implemented.'

Like the hand of a god had rested on his shoulder, pulling all his doubts and dismay with it as the divine hand drifted off, all of the harsh realities Lord Erskine had conditioned into himself evaporated like water in the desert, something Barran knew his heart and soul were not prepared for. Trying his utmost to keep his emotions in check, the Stormchaser would raise his glass when Aveline responded with a hearty, though polite,'Here here.', drinking to the glory of home with no more worries of distant possibilities, nor of potential snags in the Lord-Protector's plan along the way. The path home was open, truly open to them for the first time, and the immense weight lifted from everyone's shoulders could be seen plainly by all in attendance, a moment of true wonder that would set the tone for their journey's last stretch.

Standing up, then walking over to the view to gaze out to Dantooine's planetary curvature below with his back to the others, the Stormchaser remained silent as the others silently revelled in the joy of Lord Willan's life-changing update on the homefront situation, with the old Woad drinking away to himself in peace until he felt the eyes of the others almost burning into the back of his skull. As he turned around, the Brigadier-General's eyes were slightly dewy, but Erskine's voice remained firm when he finally vocalised his thoughts on the matter, straightening his posture and finishing the contents of the glass he was holding before pacing towards the table again. Looking back to the others, Barran smirked a little as he weighed his words with consideration, as the Blue-Hearts' Lord-Commander was still controlling the flood of emotions that were threatening to spill forth, though doing very well despite the emotional tightness in his throat.

'Long have I conditioned my heart and soul into believing home was nought but a dream for the fanciful. But here I stand, having heard the Lord-Protector's words with my very own ears, aging though mine are. It all feels quite surreal to me, but maybe it's just the warfighting talking here; this kind of work can chip pieces of you away as time drags on, but I no longer feel the sort of dread that accompanies such diminishment of the self.... Is this - joy I'm feeling right now? An' has it ever felt this intense for me before? I honestly don't know, but it matters not, it's obvious we've all been needing this news for a while now.'

​

 

[Rurik Fel]

M A N _ O F _ I R O N
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
TASK ETERNAL
LORD EXECUTOR
KNIGHTS OF THE EMPIRE
Iron Skin | Lightsaber
Hans Rennagen | Detritus Ren | Okkeus Dainlei ​

​

Seperate from the other two by only a few yards, the piercing disturbance managed to sear Rurik's mind only at the immediate instant of Jin's saber igniting with its pulsing crackle. His metal gaze snapped back in the direction of the three, his eyes widening at the ambush. No.

No no no. Rurik- for the first time since donning the iron skin let his distress bleed through the metal exterior. Jin Kyrel- crestfallen. The boy had endeared himself to him a long awhile ago. That determination, that unbreakable resolve shown in spade over the course of several campaigns displayed nothing but boundless potential in Kyrel's favor. And now- here he was, succumb to the seduction of the Dark Side, the Sith. He walked the same path as his father, a bloodied, broken and tragic path.

"No..." He'd failed. He'd let one of his own, one of the knights he'd raised in his guidance and vision fall to darkness. In spite of his coldness, his frigid exterior- he could not release that failure to hopelessness. He had to reclaim him.

He slowly strode his way toward the now Sith, his migraine white blade in his cybernetic hand with its idle crackle. He willed his organic hand up, honing in on the dark figure before sending a pulse through the force in the hopes of pushing him away or sending him into the ground. But with the dark infleunce- he feared that he might very well over power it.

"Stand down, Sith!" Rurik yelled out, offering a very rare respite, a chance at mercy. The other two knights might never recall a time which he'd done similar. Kyrel- if this was him, deserved it. If it wasn't- they needed answers.

 

[Fiolette Fortan]

D A N T O O I N E​

B Y O O​

Fiolette could feel the intensity behind Kassandra's words, slowly the redhead moved to stand beside the Lordess. She watched as the pyre was assembled, stood in solidarity with the embodiment of beauty herself. She promised vengeance, she promised retribution to those who had caused such destruction. The fall of the Sith Empire had been long coming and as the empire fell, and as its children fell along with it the Sith would be scattered. Each one cultivating their own power base, each one competing to see who could once more gather the strength to lead a nation. ​

​

The Galidraani's hand was once again threaded with the Dantooians, as they watched the fire engulf the kindling. "Let the hunt begin," she said softly in a tone befitting even some of the finest of Galidraani huntsmen. A smile curled on her lips, but it was one of devilish satisfaction. "Leave none alive, hunt them to their very last breath, remove their families from the annals of history, without remorse and with severe prejudice." ​

​

If there was a planet that would be in need of healing it was Dantooine, and Fiolette had no doubt that the New Imperial Order would see to it. Fiolette's eyes watched the fire as it consumed every bit of kindling it was fed, as the upright waves of orange and red, flashes of yellow hues lapping at the fuel with greed. The redhead's mind wondered about the future, the goal of the NIO had been achieved, more or less. Would they head South? Would they instead focus on developing a now fragile Galactic North? So many questions but Fiolette supposed that time would tell how the NIO answered those questions and more.​

​

​

Kassandra Distorith ​

​

 

[FN-999]

​

OBJECTIVE: I
LOCATION: Dantooine, Tokare Garrison exterior
UNIT: 454th Regiment of the 908th Legion
EQUIPMENT: In Signature + SBR-60x
ALLIES ON OBJECTIVE: IO-21 | Open to interaction

"21st Combat Automata reporting for combat operations. Current strength 51 units. Standing by."

An unexpected group of reinforcements had arrived.
​

"Major, do you have the specs on these droids?" asked FN-999 to one of his subordinates as he looked over the new arrivals displayed on the holoprojector.

"They're Sentinel Mark VI droids." replied the major. "Fourth-degree, equipped with handheld deflector shields capable of resisting most small-arms fire. They have good autonomy and should fight as well as any of our troopers with the same equipment."

"Thank you." concluded the lieutenant legion commander.

FN-999 took a moment to think. He had fought both with and against combat droids in service of nearly every notable power in the galaxy, and knew well their most basic qualities. However, it had very rarely occurred that the lieutenant legion commander had led droids of any notable quantity, excluding the maintenance droids that proved surprisingly critical to ensure that the entire 454th was properly fed and supplied. Combat droids were an entirely different story.

Still, FN-999 knew the basics.

The Sentinel droids appeared to have the figure of a moderately muscular humanoid, meaning that they would not be mere pushovers. Combined with their shields, they would likely be highly effective shock troops for the upcoming operation. Suddenly, he had an idea. FN-999 walked over to his large regimental radio and began to relay his orders.

[459th Regiment, this is LLC Nines. Here is our next course of action. Companies 1-4, launch a feint assault on the northern walls. The key is to make it convincing enough to draw the attention of the defenders north, but just cautious enough to minimize casualties. I will personally spearhead this front at the head of the 21st Combat Automata, which shall form a key portion of our vanguard. Ensure that they are equipped with rifles so that they may continue to effectively fight if their shields are knocked out. In the meantime, Company 5 shall infiltrate the sewers to the southeast and infiltrate the fortress, disabling its shields. Afterwards, we are to initiate an all-out assault. Until then, all other companies are to remain in place and ensure that no resupply or escape effort succeeds.]

At the conclusion of his order, FN-999 pulled out his own rifle from his sturdy waist belt and rushed forwards to meet up with his standard-bearer.

 

[Detritus Ren]

Location: Dantooine, Jedi Enclave
Objective: 3
Nearby: Hans Rennagen Rurik Fel Okkeus Dainlei

The corrupted Jin was only seconds away from striking Hans down, for the briefest moment he was grateful of giving his friend a quick death. That it would have all been over, save for when the Jedi Okkeus had blocked his incoming strike. His shadowy form made whole, but his face hidden with a black veil that had hidden his face. Locked with the Jedi’s blue blade he scowled, just so close until a Jedi intervened. This had infuriated him beyond belief. The infection pulsing from the increased anger.

Landing on his feet, the dark figure watched as Hans snapped into action. Feeling that he knew who the figure was, and yet somehow could not confront Jin as if knowing the truth. If it had all become too hard to bear. Now with his own blade ignited and before Jin could fully reveal himself, or even engage aggressively against the two, an unexpected surprise emerged in the form of Rurik Fel.

The man walked into the room, not ran but walked in a way that spoke the might of the Iron Master in volumes. Sending some wave of force that threatened to knock Jin to the very floor. The dark infection within, combined with such anger only made him feel as if steps, balance was difficult for that moment before he could bring himself together. Gritting his teeth as he faced down his foes. Rurik called him Sith to which Jin finally spoke, the voice familiar if not a little synthesized from the helmet, but a clear core accent like his father came with his words. “Sith? No, I think not. Not yet.”

He lowered his saber, the black veil of his mask dissipating to show a glass like view of the face within the helmet. Showing his identity, but his face a pale white as if he was near death. The dark side fully taken hold from being infected by a piece of the Sith. “However, such things are not impossible. If you expect me to come quietly Master Fel you will be sorely disappointed.” He said his icy gaze focused on the man in the iron mask.

His eyes shifted next to his old friend. “As for you my friend. I see you remember me eh? To see what I have become before you.“ He paused his eyes shifting in a deadly look towards Okkeus before continuing. “If the Jedi had not stopped the blow, I could have spared you such truth, and granted a quick and painless death.” He finished, his blade slowly rising if any moment he would attack, but remained cautious in a three against one encounter.

 

[Volgin Alto]

M A U L E R
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
VIOLENCE OF ACTION
FN-999 | IO-21 | Xeykard

Time to burn. The Sith whelps were now fully on the run. Mauler was all but ashamed he couldn't have been present in those great moments of triumph, damned to bandit fighting operations on insurgent heavy worlds and sectors. He'd gained a fearsome reputation, fighting in the Repulika Mantellska Garda in the seperatist government's movements to purge the Keshiri Empire in-exile's influence on the world.

To put it short- he got his title from being an effective asset, so much so that his dossier eventually ran across the New Imperial Armed Forces and he was transferred to the Army in order to spearhead smaller units on similar operations.

With the Third Imperial Civil War entering its concluding phase, he was put unto the front to serve as head of one of the many 'clean up crews'.

Alongside a unit of Stormtroopers, he was infiltrating the sewers of Krokare, though his lumbering pace enhanced with the metallic thuds of his power armor did little to conceal his approach in the siphoned tunnels.

In his first battle against the Sith- he wanted blood. He waned a Sith scalp all his own, to slay one in single combat, with his own hands would be ecstasy.

And he would get his wish.

<"Keep moving. The Legion Commander wants this fort- we'll give it to him...but more than anything, I'm scalping the first Sith I see. I'm not letting any of those filth leave this place."> He remarked, in his heavy Mantellian accent with its low, gravelly tone.

He'd heard that the Sith acolyte Xeykard may very well be roaming this place and assisting in its evacuation- the very same to challenge the Lord Executor in the subterranean of Ravelin. Oh how the Sith loved their tunnels.

If he could find him, he'd kill him.

He ripped the metal grated door from its fastenings in order to advance his team forward, soon he'd be in the garrison proper.

 

[Cromwell]

A V E N G E R
IMPERIAL SPECTRE
INVESTIGATE DANTOOINE ANOMALIES
Chelenne Akaris | Raijan Sol

"I waited for you, you know, hoping I could ride with you! But you never showed up, tsk tsk. What's a girl to do?"

As she finally allowed his bike to catch up to hers, he'd give her the silent glare that she would already have gotten used to witnessing. Varian was, at this point, growing accustomed to the fact that he would never find anyone as pleasantly infuriating as Nighthawk. It was not as much the lithe and alluring pink form draped in black leather and thin fishents that got under his skin - in both a good and bad way - as much as it was her personality. There was no real logic to be found, just a spark in his first glance. Basked in the darkness of both his armor and his job, the spectre sought the company of shadows, fearful of what an attachment might bring.

They were barely off their bikes when Nighthawk took the lead on the investigation, studying both the tracks left behind and the surrounding area. For once he agreed with her on something - the place was terrible; an eerie, ominous feeling hummed at the back of his head and his force detector scans further intensified the sensation. The aura of the dark side permeated the air. Unlike the anomaly of the invisible wall, things here were far clearer - death and ruin embraced the ruins. Whatever thing had stirred to life, tripping alarms for the presence of Sith, it still remained to be seen. Whether it would confirm their suspicion of it being hostile was also another mystery to unravel.

He traced her words with his eyes, examining what she described and confirming their validity. Had she always had a keen eye for detail or was he rubbing off on her? The latter assumption drew an unseen smirk on his lips.

"Well, you know what they say Avenger," her hand found her hip, flashlight still rolled into her fist, "age before beauty."

"Always thought it was ladies first." he muttered, then remarked with a wry smirk, "then again to be a lady you'd need some class."

Whatever her response, Varian moved to take point and follow the tracks activating the integrated torch on his oculi to light the way forward. Assuming the different routes their target might've taken considering the blueprints of the ruins his echolocation scans provided, only one remained possible and Avenger led the way around to intercept the intruder. Through barely standing footbridges, ledges and stairs they found themselves back on the surface level but at a different exit point. He pulled open the large, skewed door before them and his helmet's bright flashlight illuminated a staircase upon which a barefooted man was climbing.

Varian's ion paddle beamer materialized in his hand level with the interloper, finger on the trigger; if Nighthawk moved to engage, he would put his free hand in her way. Questions first.

"Who are you?" he asked demanding, his coarse voice like stones grinding against each other.

 

[IO-21]

Objective 1
Tags: FN-999 | Volgin Alto | Xeykard
Forces: 21st Combat Automata [50/50]

---

IO-21 stood stalk still as the orders were given and the plan revealed. IO-21 put the Holocommunicator into a small holster on his left hip then took a step forward then another step. With the second foot fall the other Sentinels began to take unified steps. The sound of durasteel on earth thudded and rattled as the droids made their way for armament refitting.

With all of the units and IO-21 newly equipped with the KXR SFR-58 blasters the droid leader waited for FN-999 to regroup with them. They were near the front now and a stray blaster bolt collided with the remnants of a tree trunk blasted apart by some form of explosive from earlier in the conflict. Without using the Holocommunicator, IO-21, reported to FN-999 "Armaments exchanged. Awaiting your arrival Commander." meanwhile the Sentinel droids remained in their formation though their heads swiveled and surveyed with small twitches. Information gathering was a consistent part of their programming to learn and adapt.

Depsite IO-21's advanced programming even he was unaware of the highly trained striketeam (Volgin Alto ) making their way to a covert objective just below his feet.

 

[Raijan Sol]

BYOO
Varian Dyre, Chelenne Akaris

The overall silence of the ruins made it easy to pick up on foreign sounds. Those that disrupted the peace of the quiet creatures that scurried in the dark to avoid the humanoid figures that stalked the halls. He heard the steps of one, no, two people approaching before they got to him. Enough time to climb up the rest of the way to the staircase before he had spotted the red glow emanating from down the hall.

There was a short deliberation, the quiet mutterings he had heard were gone, and the element of surprise he was sure gone with it.

But now that he was certain he was being tailed, Raijan stopped at the top of the staircase just as the light shone on him. He didn't turn around to face the masculine figure the voice sprouted from. With little more than a glance over his shoulder and a slight twist of his upper body to conceal the movements of his right hand, he saw past the powerful light - to the layers of colours beneath, and when he saw the familiar form of the paddle beamer, his placid features transformed into disgust.

"Scaleback slave," he uttered with contempt. Raijan's right hand clenched summoning the overwhelming pressure of the Force to compress and reduce the ion paddle beamer to scrap metal in his hand. In the likely confusion, he continued down the corridor where the blood spattered along the wall.

Coming around the corner, there was an abrupt shift in the texture of the ground below his feet. With a quick glance, he saw that he was stepping on an arm, severed from the elbow. Unperturbed, he looked up to see a figure - even taller than him - standing before a holographic display. The image was clearly corrupted, blinking in and out of existence. And with those short glimpses of it existing, it yet remained distorted, the world it showcased, unfamiliar to his eyes.

But it made no difference, he knew. Cold eyes settled on the source of the crimson glow, an active lightsaber pointing right at him.

 

[Hans Rennagen]

THE RETURN
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
IMPERIAL KNIGHTS
Detritus Ren Okkeus Dainlei Rurik Fel

Some truths had to be faced. All three of the men were facing one that seemed too much to bear. Hans hadn't wanted to believe.

"What have you... become?" he asked his once friend, both exasperated and exhausted, barely being able to wrap his head around the situation. It was no secret the Dark Side had flirted with Jin in the past. Here in this very same place had the darkness kept his dire wounds from killing him, but Jin's resolve and devotion to the Empire had never wavered. Hans wanted to understand, to know what had befallen the other knight. He wanted there to be a way back for Jin.

Hans never knew what Master Fel was thinking or feeling beneath his iron skin, but he knew the Executor was not a man of mercy when it came to the Sith. Jin was crestfallen, and it stood that crestfallen knights were to be killed. If Rurik chose to strike Jin down, Hans would have to follow.

Even in the twilight of the Sith, they were still trying to drag the Imperial Knights down with them. There was no happy ending, no peace. He wondered if perhaps their enemies had been right about one thing...

 

[Chelenne Akaris]

O R I G A M I
IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU
N I G H T H A W K
// INVESTIGATE \\
Varian Dyre Raijan Sol

"Always thought it was ladies first." he muttered, then remarked with a wry smirk, "then again to be a lady you'd need some class."

His jab was enough to make her giggle, and she slid into the temple after him, content to be the shadow tucked safely behind his much larger frame- using him as a shield. "Mm, it's almost as if I'm self-aware." Rolling her weight off the balls of her feet, she crossed one leg in front of the other, moving forward at a slight angle to keep herself positioned to watch their flank more easily as they progressed onward, deeper, and deeper, and then suddenly arrived at another climbing staircase.

The dark energy lurking in this place was enough to make her shiver faintly, raising goosebumps across her skin, though before she could warn the Spectre, metal crushed and their person of interest was on the move. Like a cat, the zeltron sprung over the Spectre, rushing up the stairs two-at-a-time, chasing the man down. In her strides, she drew the stun-blaster from its concealment on her belt and turned the safety off, gripping it with the decision already made to fire as soon as she saw the man again. The coppery scent of blood in the air made her stomach clench and her lips curl, flooding her veins with the dread of realization. Whatever was going on here was worse than what she had uncovered previously on the planet.

She cut the corner short, pinning herself before the edge, and leaned to peek.

The crimson glow of the distant blade reflected in her widening gaze, as did the shimmering hologram.

A snap decision was made and she thrust herself out from her cover, firing two rounds towards the silhouette clutching the lightsaber; the first a high faint to draw the blade up in counter, and the second much lower, centralized for the figure's stomach.​

 

[Izoshi]

A R E Y O U R E A D Y ?
W I D O W M A K E R
Djorn Bline

​

In she went, cast into the illusory fray once more. Her job here was more complex than the other operatives', given that her specialization with data and communications systems was the only real reason for her temporary assignment to this task force. The screams of panic from the denizens of the building were short-lived, extinguished by the silenced 'pat! pat!' of fire, followed by the heavy thuds of bodies striking the floor. She pulled the trigger with a woman in her sights, cutting her down without hesitation, and delved deeper into the chaos churning within the building as the others went to work, briskly jogging to the terminal positioned on the opposite wall. A heel dragged the chair out of the way and she plugged in her connector, jacking the computer into the datapad embedded in her gauntlet.

Rapid taps and swipes breached the basic key locking other users out of the lock screen and she pulled the keyboard to easier grasp, accessing the files on the terminal. She was here to plant false data, covering their inexcusable actions, should an investigation by ISB or the call for one by the New Imperial citizens was raised. The chiss would testify that weeks ago she had found and traced an IP back to this location, one taken from an anti-Imperial propaganda website buried deep in the DarkNet. It had been simple enough to spoof the IP address when she had launched the website, tying it to innocent people miles upon miles away from her home office, and giving COMPNOR all the justification and reason it needed to act.

Even if it was all bullshit.

With the transfer of the files and cache complete, Izoshi disconnected her tools and rose, erasing the log of her access from the terminal with the press of a button. <"Done, on to the next.">​

 

[Djorn Bline]

V E N O M _ S N A K E
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
DANTOOINE

He was shameless for his plots, for his schemes; he was a criminal and worse than that. Completely numb to the murder of innocents that were mixed with the Sith loyalists. Hell, if it were up to him, he'd raze this entire city and leave it as a ghost town until it was again occupied by refugees that flocked from the dangers of the Bryn'adul or the Maw. Fighting ghosts and phantoms, every battle twisting him into something of horror. What was inside him was worse than how he appeared on the outside.

How much war can change a man.

Nothing but fear and death, a scene of massacre as the death squad of Imperials killed whatever was in their sights. No witnesses at all. As for covering their tracks his Chiss agent made sure to upload data, created by COMPNOR to point suspicions of dissidence within the people they murdered.

Everything they needed to create a plausible story.

<"Done, on to the next.">

<"Good.">

<"Everyone terminated?">

<"We found some children within the building, what should we do?">

<"Incapacitate them, they'll be of great use to us.">

<"Let's move on, make sure to get transports ready to take the kids.">

Izoshi​

 

[Xeykard]

Volgin Alto FN-999 IO-21
​

As aware he might claim to be, the realization of the strength fading around him still crept upon Xeykard. The New Imperials had the place surrounded. Impatient as he was, Xeykard had headed to the garrison's ramparts in search of a fight, but the slow burn and careful probing of the Imperials would give him neither rest nor satisfaction. Instead he had time, the sort of time that could cool anger and clear the mind.

The starmap before him showed the sectors close to Dantooine, the few holdouts left in the region. The closest one they could escape to, the one he remembered clearest -- Generis. The time they had been spared was enough to prepare his ship and as many soldiers it could carry for the next battle.

But even then, all they could do was trap a few Imperials, rout a fleet or two. It was a losing battle now. Where had the Empire gone, where had the Sith gone?

Where was he going?

"Sir, they're beginning to push."

"They're too smart to send a full company, even now. Leave a skeleton crew to stall their advance, begin boarding and prepare for lift-off-"

Something in the air changed. A slight tug, a rancid stench. Xeykard sniffed. For a moment he felt the other side of the dynamic -- he felt hunted, trapped, backed into a corner. They closed in, from every side, even-

"Below," he muttered. "Major, send a squad down to the sewers to meet me."

Once more he turned to the exit, before breaking into a run. Even in retreat there could be anger, rage, hate; enough to satisfy, enough to free from the helplessness being forced upon him.

In no time at all he crashed down into the sewers. From him came an enraged roar -- a challenge, a strength not present in the retreating forces above ground.

 

[Cromwell]

A V E N G E R
IMPERIAL SPECTRE
INVESTIGATE DANTOOINE ANOMALIES
Chelenne Akaris | Raijan Sol

The interloper's reluctance to answer scrapped Varian's ion paddle beamer to nothing more than a twisted heap of metal in his gloved hands. The off-hand remark indicated a surprising knowledge of the Ssi-ruuvi which intrigued Avenger; if the man wasn't dead by the end of this encounter, Varian would be first to interrogate him.

"Questions later, I guess." he muttered hoarsely as Nighthawk darted past him after the mysterious Force-wielding intruder. She'd be giving him an earful of gloating over this later, that he was certain of.

Firing a grappling hook in the shadows above, the spectre swung from the top of the massive staircase down to the darkness at the bottom aiming to quicker catch up with both the ISB agent and the ragged man. He landed with a splash in a puddle of blood, a dark scowl forming on his face at the repugnant sight. Recent, he thought, then jolted after the sound of running feet, switching off the flashlight of his helmet and instead relying on the multi-spectrum night vision. Darkness, he had found, was a useful ally.

Meanwhile, the encounter with the Sith threatened to leave both Raijan and Chelenne little more than another pair of sacrificial banthas for the pyre..

"..to cleanse in fire the Empire of you, treacherous curs." the cloaked Darth Machus hissed, his blade inches away from the former First Imperial Colonel. He could picture it clearly in his debased head - the melted flesh of these so-called New Imperials coating the spires of Sith Citadel on Dromund Kaas for all to see and for all to know that the Sith...were Eternal.

And he would be the one to proclaim it from his rightful throne as the Dark Lord of the Sith.

The crimson blade swung for the jagged man's head, only for it to retract in self-defence at the sudden bolts fired his way; the first was swept away by saber, but the next found purchase. A pathetic yelp escaped his cracked lips and the dark side lashed out in rage. Channeling instinctively what he had learned once as a shaper of Kro Var, Machus unleashed a streaming blast of fire from his hands. Moments later, Avenger materialized in the ritual chamber from the shadows above with a drop kick that connected only briefly before the Sith vanished from plain sight and Varian landed with a stagger.

Frantically, the dark armored spectre scanned the area for any trace of the maniac. He caught a trace of him a little too late. Machus flashed in a blur of speed from the darkness poised to strike Raijan from the side, the thrust of the crimson saber at the ribs would've been quicker had the effects of the stun bolt worn off.

Once a subpar shaper, now an exemplary master of the blade.

 

[FN-999]

​

OBJECTIVE: I
LOCATION: Dantooine, Tokare Garrison exterior
UNIT: 454th Regiment of the 908th Legion
EQUIPMENT: In Signature + SBR-60x
ALLIES ON OBJECTIVE: IO-21 | Volgin Alto | Open to interaction
ENGAGING: TSE units, Xeykard

Rifle in hand, FN-999 completed his march to the front of the formation.
​

To his immediate right, a young sergeant in full armor held a flagpole five meters tall, a gray New Imperial banner attached to its side. Together, the pair represented the symbolic core of the 454th. Behind him, hundreds of veteran stormtroopers readied themselves for combat, final inspections of equipment concluding. In front of the troopers, the robot company stood at the ready, their new rifles equipped along with their crucial shields.

Seeing no immediate threat, FN-999 lowered his rifle and unsheathed his formidable sword instead. With a thump of the unelectrified blade on the gravel below, the nearby companies hushed up.

Then, their commander spoke.

"Here in front of us are the last Sith on Dantooine. In the name of their desperately flailing empire, they have executed dozens of our comrades, committing unspeakable atrocities. To fulfill our duty as defenders of the peace, we must not stop until the Sith agents have been beaten to the man, cut off from any hope of escape or reinforcement."

"Without further to do... Pax Imperii!"

"PAX IMPERII!!!"

​

With the characteristic cry of the 454th ringing out throughout its ranks, FN-999 pointed his blade towards the north wall of the Sith garrison, four stormtrooper companies rallying forwards closely behind the shielded combat droids.

​

​