The Limits of Glory (OP Dominion of Eriadu)

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea's look was grim. "If he hasn't done himself in I want him dead. I don't want him in the dock," she stated to Siobhan. The legality of this takeover was...questionable...and she didn't want this man getting the opportunity to spout his beliefs.

The palace was heavily defended by the last of Tarkin's diehards. From the windows and galleries they opened a heavy fire. In reply the Protectorate brought up walkers and tanks, fired bolts and combined to smash the ancient structure to rubble. Over the ruins of the building the Protectorate troops charged, and a vicious fight ensued.

Tegaea watched them, heard the reports as they fought their way to the roof and towards the cellars. Tarkin's crimes would be avenged...at the cost of many lives.

 

[Avicus DuSang]

The dropships landed, his troops deployed. They had their orders. The Sith Master's men were supposed to appear bigger and badder then what they were.

That was the purpose of distraction tactics, to deceive.

Walking down the center of the street, Avicus spotted his first victims. A group of soldiers hunkered in a blockade, fear radiating off of them. Sparking up a white lava blade, black tendrils of the force.

Soldiers began screaming in agony as intense pressure slowly caved in their skulls. The remaining soldiers threw down their guns and surrendered. Putting a cigarette in his mouth, he lit it with his lightsaber and sighed.

Pressing his ear comm piece, he radioed @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]. "Exarch Alcori, the enemy is putting up little to no resistance before surrendering. Do your orders remain?" His men gathered up the enemy's weapons that had been thrown away by the cowards.

Did he miss out on all of the fun?

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

A Jedi would probably have protested at Alcori's order. Pointed out how no one deserved execution, especially not without trial, how the political argument could not override the immorality of the act. Even when the man was a tyrant.

However, Siobhan simply nodded grimly. She hated politics, but she understood. More to the point, far as she was concerned a bolt to the head was justice for his crimes.

Then there was the lie about the Bando Gora.

"I'll pass on the order."

The fight to take the palace was brutal. Tarkin's fanatics fought to the last, but even their blind faith could not stop the inevitable when walkers started blasting the building to rubble and a barrage of bolters thinned their ranks. It wa at the cost of many lives that the ruins were finally stormed. A small group of soldiers charged up the roof, hoisting the banner of the Protectorate, the rest stormed down into the bunker, blowing up the door with an explosive charge.


Deep inside the bunker Tarkin contemplated how far he had sunken. One last time he raised his head to stare at the portrait of Wilhuff Tarkin, but the ancient one was as silent as ever. The mood in the bunker was one of somber resignation. The sounds of battle could clearly be heard as he sat there, holding a pistol in his shaking hands.

"All is lost, hopelessly lost," he muttered melancholically, looking at the pistol then at the great ancestor. Should he end his life before the Omega dogs got to him or hope that they might put him on trial, giving him the chance to expose them.

"These dogs have no honour, if they don't shoot me, they'll keep me chained like an animal." Not a way for a scion of House Tarkin to go out.

In the same moment as he went through his musings, Omega troopers came storming through the bunker. The last fanatics resisted and were cut down, but a number of soldiers raised their hands. Yezhov had already taken poison...

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

From within the bunker there suddenly sounded a blaster shot.

Omega troops burst into the furthest room and there found the last of the Tarkins dead on the floor, his head shattered by the blaster bolt.

The war was over, and new people would come to control Eriadu, people who would understand the 'new realities' of the galaxy. And of course one of these realities would be a friendly attitude towards the protectorate....

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

The leader of the assault squad commed Siobhan about the despot's death. "He shot himself. We have the body. Good riddance. Guess that simplifies things," she said softly to Tegaea.

She surveyed the devastation in the great plaza. The Banner of the Protectorate had been hoist on the rooftop of the palace. Posters of Tarkin were being torn down. She sighed when she beheld two of the dead bodies lying in front of the palace entrance. One was just a lad, a boy who belonged in school, he had tried to blow himself and Omega troops up with a frag grenade ere a bolt had hit his face, another an old man in a tattered uniform whose legs had been burnt through.

She turned to Tegs and patted her on the shoulder. "I'll get back the troops and get stuff organised. Get the wounded patched up and a list of casualties." In the distance a great fire was rising, the mob was putting the Ministry of Security to the torch. "And some patrols on the streets to keep looting under control."

 

[Thadd Zarr]

Thadd double backed around the drop ships, his escort shuttle swooping above the tree tops. "This is Zarr to @[member="Avicus DuSang"] . I'll make sure your decent area is clear."

The shuttle's tactical display picked up a few enemy IFF codes but they were moving in chaotic patterns. The display showed several hundred red dots scattering in different directions in and away from the landing site just outside the main city. It seemed like they lost any sort of military direction and they were spread too thin to make a concerted resistance against their attacking force.

Thadd saw a large ground vehicle apear on his scopes to his right and targeted an enemy tank that was pulling up the drop location. The targetting HUD turned red and he fired a set of advanced plasma missiles. Direct hit. The tank exploded into a red fireball. The escort shuttle flew through the rising fire and turned hard to the left. About 100 meters from that position a platoon of heavy weapon troops seemed to be setting up a mobile missile turret. Thadd tapped another control spraying that area with heavy blaster fire from his shuttle. The platoon and their equipment were incinerated.

A few air ships and small fighters seemed to be scrambling to the dropships, perhaps to make a last ditch effort at an attack. Thadd quickly targets the four ships. They weren't even paying attention to his shuttle, just trying to get to the dropships, in a suicidal run to wound their enemy. Thadd opened fire on the first two forward ships. His laster blasts caught the two, the one exploded in a birlliant yellow blast, the other appeared to have been damaged and fall to a death plummet to the ground. Thaadd tapped his automatic rear turrent to target the last two ships and began pumping blaster fire into their flight area. The heavy blaster turrent in the rear of his shuttle clipped the other two light gunships and sent them falling from the sky burning on their decent to death below.

Thadd clicked his COM channel on again, "All clear. Let me know if you need any support from up here. But honestly it looks like things are... over.."

Thadd circled back and flew his shuttle towards the city, trying to avoid getting spotted by any enemy ship large enough to do real damage.
Fires sprang up all over the city. Explosions still rocked different districts and neighborhoods in all corners of the city. He could see civilians and military below running in random directions, some headed towards the palace, others heading to key buildings in the city. It was pure chaos. Thadd's mind wondered back. "Is this how so many planets looked after hostile takeovers? How many times have planets seen this same scene of chaos in this galaxies long bloody history."

As Thadd's shuttle came closer to the Palace to find a landing area he stopped for a long moment and gazed over the tops of the buildings. He saw transports rising into the horizon, perhaps loyal citizens and dignitaries trying to flee the last squeeze of the Omega Protectorate.

The shuttle thudded to the ground. The rear turret still activated for security purposes. Thadd walked out with his riffle in a readied position tucked on his shoulder.

Thadd tapped his wrist unit - " @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"] , this is Thadd Zarr. I'm directly outside the Palace. Let me know if you need my or my shuttles services....."

 

[Qae Shena]

"Salvo fire on the next cruiser!"

The batteries of the Invicta opened up, joined by those of its defensive shield. Emerald blasts cascaded from the seemingly infinite batteries of the giant battleship and literally broke the spine of the next Eriadi cruiser. A chain of glorious detonations removed the next vessel from the battle line and left the defenders with less than a handful of vessels.

Her comm line was buzzing with reports from the ground. Allaina had no doubt that the local commander was receiving the same news she was: the Tarkins were done. Instead of turning around and killing all these people, she could strike a better blow. There wa sno point wasting the lives of any more innocent crewmen when they could be the bigger people.

"This is Admiral Mare aboard the Invicta to the commander of the Eriadu fleet," she said, opening a comm channel. "I'm sure you've received the same report from your intels that I have."

The large man on the other end, serious as a boulder, pepper hair cut to perfect military regulation and with a rather impressive jawline, nodded. "This is Captain Blythe of the Victorious. I have, Admiral."

"I'm going to make a simple proposition to you, Captain - surrender. I have no want to take the lives of your crewmen when a despotic tyrant put you up to fighting us off. Stay alive. Protect your homeworld. This battle could drag out, yes, but we'd waste lives on both sides. I'm asking you now to consider a simple surrender on little more than your word as an officer. It's a big ask, but I'm sure you'd rather work with Omega and your new planetary leadership than sacrifice yourself for a pointless pursuit."

The man considered. "And what terms do you offer?"

"Both sides stand down pending your unconditional surrender. You're down to three ships, none of which possess the combined firepower to defeat my flotilla. We've won the ground battle, but I'm offering you an immediate cessation of hostilities up here to spare your people."

There was a long, pregnant pause. Captain Blythe had to consider. Was there any way he could beat the steel behemoth that was such a plague on his people? The Tarkins, dead. His fleet, upon the precipice of destruction. The only consideration left was the survival of his men and that was a big ask. To surrender to the invaders... well.

"I accept your terms. My fleet will stand down immediately."

"Very good, Captain. As will I. My apologies for the lives of your mean. War is not a very personal business."

"Agreed, Admiral."

The line cut, leaving Admiral Mare with her thoughts. They did not stay long. "Admiral Mare to Exarch Alcori and Colonel Kerrigan," she said, sombreness filling her tone. "The locals have just surrendered. We control Eriadu."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan Kerrigan was still down in the city at the improvised Omega command centre when she received Allaina's message. The space forces had given up, Eriadu was now well and truly theirs. Tarkin's corpse had been dragged out of the ruins of his palace. Maybe they would throw it into the furnaces like he had done with their ambassador or just toss it into an unmarked grave. Either way die-hards would not get a place to worship the tyrant.

"Acknowledged, Admiral. Good work. Mission accomplished," she said, though she sounded more tired than triumphant, with a note of somberness. The Eriaduan 'Grand National Assembly' had been turned into a field hospital for their wounded. She passed a few soldiers lying out in field beds, doctors tending to them. Omega fatalities were far lighter than those the Eriaduans had suffered, but nonetheless they had lost people, the battle had been gruelling. Night had fallen upon the planet, but the sky was lit up by small fires that had sprung up across the city.

Just a few moments ago Omega troopers had been deployed to deal with looters taking advantage of the situation. Siobhan was well aware that to restore order would require a firm hand, not that dissimilar from the forces they opposed, but sucked it up. "We have to meet up for drinks when we're done here."