The Outbreak

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"], [member="Laira Vereen"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="Shamira Karuto"], [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"], [member="Maiev"]


"Came out of nowhere...attack...mons...need backup..." Here and there, one could hear screams and sounds of gunfire. Then there was naught but static as the transmission went dead. The Firemane technician gave General Devotion what passed for an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We can't get it any clearer. The transmission originated from Serenade. We've been unable to reach the local garrison or the mayor's office," he explained to his superior.


The General frowned. She was a tall, middle aged Dahomian woman with dusky skin and short dark hair slightly touched by streaks of silver. Her green Firemane uniform bore the braid and epaulettes of a general officer. "No word from the fleet about intruders?" she asked her chief of staff, expression dour.

The officer cleared his throat before speaking up. "No, ma'am. Space was clear as far as they're concerned. Same with Sky Patrol. It may be pirates, but they would have appeared on our sensors, and the Sith are light years away. We've tried to contact Lady Kerrigan, but the storm makes it difficult to reach her."

"Then we'll have to act now. Mobilise the 17th Rifles and dispatch a flotilla towards the island. I don't want anything or anyone to get off it. What assets do we have on call for rapid response?"

Her aide checked some information on his datapad. "Major Tempest and the Lion's Pack. They're currently performing training exercises with a unit of Angelii and some Alderaanian Rangers. They can be on the island in twenty minutes," he paused before he continued. "With all respect, you know how, ahem, particular the Lady is about retaining supreme command. She does not like being kept in the dark."

That momentarily gave Devotion pause. "Noted, but time's of the essence. Instruct the Major to mobilise any assets she deems necessary, go to Serenade and report back on what the hell is going on. If there are any survivors, they must be evacuated. But she is not to engage superior forces without backup. Assign a squadron to provide air support. The elves might as well contribute since they have people over there." Like many Dahomians, her opinion of the Eldorai was not the best.

"Aye, ma'am. I'll pass it on."


A short span of time later, while surface ships moved into position, dropships took off from a landing pad in Firemane's base on the tropical world of Arkas, and approached the island through the night sky. Who knew what menaces they might have to face when they landed.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Laira Vereen"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="Shamira Karuto"], [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"], [member="Maiev"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Training, exercises, manoeuvres. These were all needed to keep a soldier honed for combat. It was that combat though which Tempest was waiting most for.

The situation was quite simple; the Firemane, Eldorai and Rangers were performing live fire exercises against droids. The droids had only stun blasts, and were only the rather useless battle droids of the Clone Wars. However, they did provide a reasonable enough opposition to bring these three very separate groups together.

It was as they were practicing a combat manoeuvre to take an enemy position that she received a holocall, priority 1.
“Take over, Captain!” she called, and headed into an area of clearer space.
“Tempest here,” she said.
“Major, General Devotion has urgent orders. The island of Serenade has gone dark, garbled reports of danger and attack, but no orbital or aerial profiles suggest invasion. You are to head there rapid, determine what’s going on and rescue any survivors. You may call in any assets you might need.”
“Understood. What about the Eldorai and Rangers?”
“We do not have time to reach their commanders. Persuade them to come if you can.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tempest checked her command holomap. “Including my troops, the Eldorai and the Rangers we have a good force for investigation but not a full battle. We will need support. I see the 122nd strike air squadron is based nearby. I want them to move to support us but wait for my orders before they open fire.”
“I will pass that on, we have two patrol ships moving in to approach from the seaward direction.”
“Copy. Tempest out.”

She didn’t waste time. She hit the master control to shut down the droids. “Alright, girls and boys, playtime is over, we’ve got new orders – settlement is under threat. Lock and load, I want you in the air in ten minutes. Get me Seraph Taldir and the Rangers leader on the comm.”

Soon transports were rising into the sky heading for Serenade. The bright moon Borsk stared down on them. Ahead all was silent. Serenade was ironically quiet, few lights and no hails.

 

[Nima Tann]

Nima was on her way to Arkas after getting a distress call. According to the information, the connection suddenly cut after gunshots and screams were heard, and then nothing was heard from the settlement, which was called Serenade ironically, afterwards. From the context of the last conversation, it seemed like it was a sudden attack, and could involve monsters. Reports showed that there were no intruders from space.

So, all they had for now was some information that contradicted each other.

She knew that [member="Tempest"] was training soldiers nearby the area, and she would be the first one to get there. She could use some help investigating, a thought passed her mind, so she activated her holocomm to send her a message.

"Tempest, I've heard about Serenade. I'm on my way there to investigate. Thought you could use a hand, so send me your coordinates and I'll see you there." And sent.

The rest of the journey passed by as she re-read the info a couple of times, trying to find some clue about the reason why, as she liked to at least have basic knowledge before jumping on a mission. However, no such luck today.

Sighing, she looked out from the window nearby, and a lifeless image of a settlement welcomed her. It looked like a ghost town, quiet, only illuminated by flickering lights and the reflection of the moon, which reminded her of a horror movie. As she was lost in thoughts, she was brought back to reality by the pilot's voice.

"Master Tann, a storm is approaching. We are not equipped to deal with the damage. I suggest we land as soon as possible."

So, not only that they didn't know what this was all about, and now a storm was approaching. The day was getting better and better. Rubbing her forehead, she responded.

"Hmm, that's troublesome. Find us a good spot to land, then."

[member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Shamira Karuto"] [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"] [member="Maiev"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

One thing about the Rangers was, they were not a front line fighting force like their constituents during this round of training exercises. Most of the Rangers were members of CorSec or Alderaanian Law Enforcement. A handful of Alderaanian Knights had been assigned to a rotation within the Ranger Corp, but only a few. Because most of them were experienced Law Enforcement and used primarily for that purpose, they simply had a very different mindset than the Firemane soldiers. One that might restrict them if they were needed to conduct military operations.

Only a few strings had to be pulled in order to ensure Laira Darkhold was one of the Rangers sent to the Firemane base, along with her partner. Darkhold had been wounded in the line of duty not long ago, resulting in the loss of her arm. While normally this would have resulted in several weeks off to receive a cybernetic replacement, recover from her injuries, and pass an exam to ensure she was still capable of performing her duties the young redhead was not only still actively serving the Corps, but also still without an arm. A curiosity for her golden armored partner.

Laira was sitting on a supply crate, looking over her weapon. Cleaning it had become a nightmare, her pitiful attempts to clean the heavy blaster pistol having been so pathetic Dimeria had simply done it for her the last several nights. The redhead wore a white shirt which appeared to lace from the bottom to her chest, the laces untied for the moment, her blue trousers a little tighter than regulations would have allowed. Knee high black boots that were a little more fashionable than standard issue covered her feet. One of the shirt's sleeves was folded up, covering the stump where her forearm had once been. Her belt had a simple set of tools, her holster for the Renegade she carried these days and a few clips of ammunition. She wore a shoulder harness which held her spear across her back along with a few other tools of the trade.

Dimeria approached her quickly, hustling across the small space. "Load up. Something's going on." The knight's voice was calm and collected. "Firemane is calling an audible. Deploying us to a near by island via air drop. Haven't heard whether its a spur of the moment drill or the real deal." Golden fingers grasped a pair of extra magazines, shoving them into their appropriate place.

"How's the new cape?" Laira asked, standing up with a broad smile.

"No where near as good as the last one. But, they did line this with armorweave." The knight patted her red velvety cape gingerly, the black spotted white fur that hung around her shoulders rustling in the breeze billowing across the training ground. "If you get this one killed I might shoot you."

"I will try not to endanger your glorious cape." Laira wasn't nearly as large, or as tall, or as beacon-like as her companion. Dimeria stood a head taller than her and wore her hair in a black top-knot ending in purple highlights, had purple eyes that changed color with her mood, wore glorious golden armor adorned with scarlet colored cloak and pteruges, and carried a massive bolter and atrisian sword. The other difference was Laira was Force Sensitive, and Dimeria was Force-Dead. "You think it will be the real thing again?"

Dimeria raised an eyebrow, "I don't know, haven't spent enough time talking with these Firemane chicas to get to know them. We should link up with the command group, figure out where they want us." The tall knight looked at Laira's stump of an arm, seeing the very obvious liability in a one armed girl in armored spanx running around, "You good for combat?"

"I'll be fine. I'm not as good as I once was, but I can make up for it in other ways." The princess shrugged her shoulders and laughed, "But whatever happens, don't let me take a bullet for those damn space elves. I'm not loosing another limb for them after the last one was such a raging-" She was cut off by Eldorai soldiers rushing past the pair of Rangers, choosing not to insult one of their nobles in front of them if she could help it.

With time beginning to run short, the two women boarded the shuttle. Professionalism had taken over for Dimeria, decades of training and preparation for battle, military procedure and proper protocol grilled into her very DNA. Laira, not so much. The whole trip, the redhead chewed bubble-gum the same color as her lipstick and blew bubbles with it. Combat had been drilled into her, not military protocol.

The shuttle landed in a space outside the little settlement for them to disembark, the town with only the occasional flickering light and no signs of movement. Her senses expanded, the seemingly ditsy ranger spread her awareness seeking any sensation of danger or hostility that she could in their area. "Maybe its Planet Day. You know, spend one day not using electronics to preserve the ecosystem." She quipped sarcastically, falling in line with Dimeria, hand resting comfortably on her weapon's handle.

[member="Tempest"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Nima Tann"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Laira Vereen"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="Tempest"], [member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Shamira Karuto"]


An Angelii's life was characterised by drill, duty and battle in service of the Star Queen of the Eldorai Matriarchy. They lived for Ashira's Viceroy, they died for her upon the field of battle, enforcing her will by slaying enemies both foreign and domestic. All too often, this meant being embroiled in the dynastic wars and Byzantine intrigues Eldorai nobles were so addicted to. After decades of service, from the blood-soaked wastelands of Gehenna to the dark, cavernous Underealm to the killing fields of lost Kaeshana, Kaida's faith had been eroded. She was stoic as the transport ship shot across the cerulean ocean, with the bright moon Borsk shining down upon them. Military professionalism, drill, precision, duty and in all likelihood pride compelled her to press on.


"Acknowledged," she said tersely and shut down the comm. Her voice was chilly and devoid of warmth. "Mobilise the Chosen. Serenade is under threat by an unknown force. Prepare for a combat drop. Firemane has requested support," she ordered Host Leader Celestine Kavora. The woman's rank was the Eldorai version of a Lieutenant.


"High Captain, with all due respect, why are we snapping to follow the orders of the humans like vassals? Surely this is a matter for them sort out. Furthermore, the Eldorai that are present are renegades," Karova challenged her. She was a dyed-in-the-wool Angelii. Someone who was a true believer in the Goddess Ashira and in the old ways. She would probably make Seraph soon enough, and probably go beyond that.


"We're going there because they're Eldorai and because I say so," Kaida retorted icily, in a tone cold enough to be reminiscient of a snowstorm on Hoth.


"They're Eldorai who chose to live outside of the Matriarchy and consort with aliens. Their protection is their own responsibility. And this mission has not been sanctioned by high command. It would be prudent to inform them of the situation."


Kaida considered breaking her nose. But she restrained herself. It was becoming more difficult to do that. "Host Leader, I don't give a damn about your opinion. Carry out your orders. Or I'll replace you with someone who will and cut your ears." Everything about her tone said she was serious. The Ice Lady never joked.


Within record time, the small unit of Angelii had been loaded into the transport ship and taken off. Kaida was stoic throughout the trip. Silently, she checked her weapons while the shuttle raced across the cerulean ocean, while the bright moon of Borsk shun upon them. Everything was quiet when they hovered above Serenade, save for the noise generated by the roar of engines and waves of water crashing against the sandy beach. Moreover, the town was dark, with only the occasional light flickering. Aside from that, the only illumination was provided by the glow of the moon.


"Move it, girls. Watch out for survivors," Kaida ordered as their transport swooped down from the heavens. She was clad in black armour that matched the darkness of the night and carried a boltgun. Her battle shield was slung over her shoulder. "Landing. Coming from the east. We should divide our troops and enter from different directions," she transmitted to Tempest. As usual, she was laconic. Technically, Kaida outranked Tempest, but they were in separate chains of command. Either way, the ice lady did not take orders. She'd consider sensible suggestions, but that was it.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[SIZE=12pt]The sounds of tens of blasters firing simultaneously on the horizon was usually music to Shamira’s senses. Today, however, it was nothing but a teasing sensation that called to her and the 3 Firemane troops beside her. Patrol duty was already dull and unexciting, but when she knew Tempest was getting to train and fight all day and she was stuck patrolling the outskirts for any dangers or deserters? Absolute torture.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]That was, of course, until the message came in, telling her and her group of patrollers to bust their butts back to the main camp. There was very little in the way of a reason why, but Shamira wasn’t one to doddle on orders. Especially when her mistress was the one to send the message, and not some lackey underneath her.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]It took mere moments to get back to the base camp, and when the Togruta arrived troops were already beginning to pile into shuttles, with a few having already closed their bays and started to take off. Looking around the basecamp, it seemed as though her Mistress was also gone already, or at least loaded onto one of the ships. Since she had sent the message, it was common sense to figure she was already headed that way, so Shamira quickly jogged onto one of the last shuttles, slipping inside before the door closed. The trooper that had been closing the door gave her a bit of nasty look as she slipped inside, only for her to shrug and find an open hand grip.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]The shuttle ride wasn’t long nor bumpy, as it was a pretty straight-line flight to her destination. From the murmurings of her shuttlemates, nobody knew any more than she did. It was surprising when no one seemed to know anything, Then again, everything would probably be explained once boots hit the ground. Or at Shamira hoped so.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Slipping the communicator off her belt, the young initate tried to raise her mistress on the comms, unsure if it would be able to get through. It was at least worth a shot so that her mistress knew she was right behind her, though. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]| [member="Tempest"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Laira Vereen"] | [member="Nima Tann"] |[/SIZE]​

 

[Maiev]

With her growing interaction amongst the Order of Fire, Maiev had become a fairly familiar sight on the worlds they had a presence on. Arkas was one such planet, and the Witch's intent here was to gather some of the native plan known as Najim. It had addictive properties and was generally used recreationally, but Maiev suspected she could discover other properties of it.

Her inner alchemist already had a number of potions and concoctions in mind, ones she wanted to mix it with. Her assumptions were it would provide an an increased duration for them although with the potential risk of them becoming addictive.

Either way, Maiev had spent the better part of a few hours examining and picking at field. It was located not too far away from the Firemane base, where Tempest was current training soldiers. Close enough, that the Witch was able to hear the volley of blaster fire each time the weapons were discharged.

It was considerably jarring for her, not really use to the noise against the usual peacefulness of a forest or jungle.

Then it stopped and for a moment Maiev just assumed it was a natural pause in the training. Until it didn't resume, and she looked towards the base.

<What is it?>

Something's not right...I can sense it.

She plucked a few more Najim leaves, closing up her satchel before she made a dash for the base. There she grabbed the attention of a soldier, one who filled her in on what was going on. The entire place was active, people moving back and forth with a number of them boarding various transports. Needless to say, Maiev made sure she was on one of them before they lifted off and headed towards Serenade.

Rarely a dull day with us, isn't there?

<Well, it would be boring otherwise.>

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Tempest"] | [member="Nima Tann"] | [member="Laira Vereen"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Shamira Karuto"] | [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]​

 

[Tempest]

[member="Laira Vereen"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="Shamira Karuto"], [member="Maiev"], [member="Kaida Taldir"]

As the shuttle settled down Tempest and her troops exited. A second transport with Shamira and Maiev aboard came in to land.

She acknowledged Kaida’s message. “Got it. I’ll come from west, you east. Meet in the middle. Keep in comms contact,” she said. Equally matter of fact.

Message from Nima, her favourite Jedi...likely because she was no longer a full on robe and order Jedi.
"Nima, good to hear from you. Sending positions now. Kaida is coming in from the east, I'm coming in from the west. I'll patch you through to her. Join whoever you can get closest to."

Looking down on Serenade she saw that approach from the west would not be an easy matter. There was a narrow causeway connecting the mainland to the island on this side. The sea surged and raged on both sides, and the road was a mere 5 metres wide.
“Sitting ducks,” she said aloud. “Shamira, come here a moment. I will go first, I want you and Maiev to follow with the troops. Anything happens to me, take cover and contact High Captain Taldir for her suggestions.”

She pulled up her comm. “Skyhawk One, move in towards the island, search for lifesigns,” she ordered one of the gunships.

An acknowledgement and it headed forward, skimming around the perimeter.

Cautiously Tempest’s troops edged forward until they were near the end of the causeway. No sounds or movement, yet an unease was growing.
A message from the gunship came through.

“Ma’am, I’m picking up life signs in the settlement, all concentrated in one building but there’s something-,” the pilot reported.
They were cut off as the anti-air defences, designed to protect the island, suddenly activated and fired point-blank into the gunship. It had not come from the one building with the life signs…but from the location where strange signals were appearing.
With a bright flash over the landscape and a crack, the gunship exploded, the pieces crashing into the water. Immediately a hail of blaster bolts flew at Tempest and her troops. She activated her lightsabre, but shapes started to become visible in the gloom.
Tempest swore. “Kaida, we’ve got life signs in one building on the north side, but something is manning the guns – they shot down one of my gunships! We have hostiles closing in, watch your front!”

 

[Delila Castillon]

Island of Serenade | The Beach


The redhead was laying on her stomach, bikini strap undone, partially snoozing in the warm sun. Delila had needed the vacation. Between working jobs for the Vagrant Fleet, head of security of the Alderaan Embassy back on Coruscant and investigating a potential death cult her patience and sleep were growing thin. Typically she wasn't a beach person - her ideal time off would be hiking and spending time out in nature. However, she was extremely lazy feeling. Laying half-naked on a beach and getting waited on was more her speed this time.


It didn't take long for her vacation to get interrupted. There was a bit of commotion, causing her to tie her bikini back up and look around. Personally she was hoping for some type of shark attack. It didn't seem to be the case. It was more...human based. Reports of savages killing tourists and other innocents along the strip of beach. As she gathered her things, she overheard reports of some vessel crashing. During the semi-chaos, it was difficult to tell if it was true or not. Misinformation was always popular during times of crisis.


Delila had made it back to her beachside hotel, idly watching people scramble. So far she hadn't seen much to be concerned. Elevator was taken back to her room. The redhead began to change, staring out massive wall of window that faced the ocean. Troops were inbound. Troops with a logo she would recognize anywhere. Firemane.


Last she heard Sio wasn't with the troops anymore. The old, bloated witch instead ruled with an iron fist from some far-flung mansion. To be honest Dells hadn't expected anything else from Kerrigan. Thankfully because the woman didn't want to leave her luxury surroundings there would be no chance of encounter.

 

[Nima Tann]

The shuttle landed to the beach underneath, she sighed as she got no message back from @Tempest. Whether from the bad weather conditions or something else that she didn't want to think about, she was here to investigate the city so waiting for a reply wasn't an option. Moving towards the exit, she felt the sand crunch under her feet. The weather was a bit cold, and with the approaching storm darkness reigned over the area. There was no one around, and the only voice she could hear was the waves hitting the shore. Not letting the creepiness of the situation overcome her, she moved forward, searching for anyone or anything that could provide an answer.

Eventually, she came across a place where sand ended and civilisation began. It was a fancy way of saying that she found a road. Illuminated poorly by the flickering lights and the reflection of the moon, from afar she could see the silhouette of the settlement. Silence was the recurring theme. Considering her options, following the road would be a problem and stealth wouldn't be an option if she faced an enemy, however, it also worked both ways, she would be aware if something approached her. In the end, she decided to follow the road, with the thought of perhaps she could find someone.

Passing the flickering lights one by one, she almost jumped when her holocomm beeped suddenly. Activating it, she saw the message from Tempest. It seemed that the signal was back.

"Kaida, huh." She talked to herself as she noticed she was closer to her than Tempest. The Seraph and her... didn't get on very well, but both knew their missions.

"Seraph Taldir, I'm nearby your location. Found a road nearby the beach and following it to the city. So far there's no one in sight." She contacted her, not knowing that she would get her message, and continued. A few minutes passed, and she suddenly felt a presence in the area. A weak one, but still. Searching around, she could see a silhouette of a person under one of the lights. A survivor? "I think I've found someone." She reported. Quickening her steps, she approached the light to see if her eyes weren't playing games with her. They weren't. What she saw was a young girl, sitting with her back against the lamp post. Her whole body was shaking, her eyes fully open, as if she was searching for something.

"Go away! Don't come closer! Don't come closer! You are not real!" She shouted frantically. She extended her hand, the other was holding her neck.

Just... what happened here?

"I will not hurt you. I am here to help you." Nima said, moving a step closer. "Are you hurt? What happened here?"

"I told her to stay away. I told her. I didn't want to do it. She whispers to me. She wants revenge. She's here for me." The wounded girl repeated and repeated her last sentence.

"Who's she? What does she say to you?" Nima asked, moving one more step towards her.

"My sister... She... She... She said she was hungry... She attacked me... Suddenly... I told her to stay away...She bit my neck... I told her... I killed her... She's here... She whispers."

"I can help you. I can make the whispers stop. Just let me look at your wound." She said with a calm and soothing tone.

"No... no... no... nononono.... She wants you to bleed. She wants you to die... She wants me to kill you... Stay away from me... Stay... away... She's here... urggh..." Taking strength from the post, she stood up and started to run away from her. Nima extended her hand to stop her, but suddenly was stopped by the sudden feeling of danger approaching. Suddenly, silhouettes appeared and a barrage of blaster bolts came after that, she immediately activated her lightsaber and deflected the shots directly coming towards her, trying to find cover.

"I'm under fire. I repeat, I'm under fire."

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Shamira Karuto"] [member="Maiev"] [member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"], [member="Shamira Karuto"], [member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Maiev"], [member="Laira Vereen"]


"Acknowledged," Kaida replied tersely, upon having received Tempest's message about the proposed division of labour. She liked the Dahomian well enough, but was a professional above everything else. Furthermore, she was laconic at the best of times.


The gunship swooped downward like a bird of prey, making its approach towards the sandy, deceptively peaceful beach. It was far too quiet as far as Kaida was concerned. The only noise was generated by the stormy weather. Powerful winds howled like wrathful deities and waves crashed against the beach. Here and there, one could hear the boom of thunder. There was a deep fog, limiting visiblity beyond what was illuminated by flashes of lightning.


"The weather is messing up our instruments. I'm picking up life signs, ma'am. But they're all clustered in..."


It was then that she began to receive garbled transmissions.


"Kaida...g...host..." The first came from Tempest.


"Seraph...r...bea...fi..." The second from Nima.


It was enough for Kaida to infer what must be going on. "Hostiles spotted. Lock and load, girls. Bring us down. Can you track Tann's location?" the pilot did not get the chance to respond because they suddenly came under heavy fire from below. The very flak cannons that had been designed to protect the island now unloaded upon them. Bright flashes of laser fire lanced towards them at an alarming rate.


"Damn it, hold on," the pilot yelled. Kaida tumbled and crashed into a wall when the Gunship engaged in evasive manoeuvres. For a moment she was out of it, having been thrown into a daze, but then she pulled herself together, gritting her teeth. All of a sudden, the island had become a hornet's nest.


The craft shuddered and rocked, trying to weave a path through the hail of flak fire. The dark sky was lit up when ruby beams of destruction sprouted from its cannons towards the presumed source of the enemy fire. "LZ is too hot, High Captain. We must get out of range. I can't land anywhere near here," the pilot urged her when the Gunship was peppered with enemy fire.


Host Leader Kavora looked like she was about to say something, but Kaida cut her off. She felt like arguing the point, but then thought better. She was here to get things done. "I can. Go high and give us covering fire. Angelii, activate jets. We shall generate a cloak."


"Alright, I can fire a few volleys, but unless those batteries are taken out, you're on your own." Without a further word, Kaida moved towards the exit. Her armour sealed up and she leapt out of the craft. In free fall, her armour's integrated jets activated. Heavy blaster fire greeted her as she shot through the air. Her Angelii battle sisters followed her. Going high, the Gunship fired a couple rockets. Feeling the energies of her battler sisters flow through her, she summoned her Sciia, wrapping the group in a cloak of obfuscation. Even with support, she would be unable to maintain the shroud for long, but it ought to help them make their entrance without being mowed down.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

During her time at firemane, Shamria had not had a lot of time to relax or take off from training. If she had, there was plenty of recommendations she had received for the island resort Serenade. And from their landing position overlooking the resort, the Togruta could very clearly tell why. The island was absolutely beautiful. Hopefully whatever was attacking this island could be driven off, and she could visit when it was a lot more…well, serene.
As soon as she was off the shuttle, she found her way quickly to her mistress. Pushing her way through troops and commanders overlooking the island, the grey Togruta found the dark-skinned mistress. There was little to no time to catch up or to be told what was going on it the city. She was given her orders, and Tempest headed out. Shamira certainly would’ve liked to know what was going on, but instead she was being left behind to lead the rest of the troops into the city.
It didn’t take long for her to find a couple of squads willing to follow her across the bridge. It was honestly kind of inspiring to see how many commanders immediately wanted to follow her into battle. Not that she was any sort of great commander, but the reverence from being an Order of Fire witch seemed to already proceed her.
With three squads of Firemane troops behind her, the Togruta began to lead them towards the bridge. Igniting her lightsaber, the yellow blade humming to life, they began to move across the ridiculously small bridge. Shamira kept taking small glances back, making sure the squads were making it over safely, and didn’t notice the island’s anti-air defenses were still active until she flinched from the explosion above her, signaling the gunship had been hit. Her eyes tore away from the back of the bridge to see the ship go screaming down into the ocean. Next thing she knew, all the frak was hitting the fan.
Lasers bit into the stone all around her, and with the minimum to no cover that the bridge provided the attackers, the screams and shouts practically started instantly. Presumably with Maiev’s attacking group behind her, and Tempest’s in front of her, Shamira’s group was stuck in the middle of the bridge with nowhere to go! Her group could neither go backwards or forwards, and were instead stuck being practically practice targets for whoever was firing at them from the island.
And then the universe decided to just pile it on more. Red flares shot up into the sky above the bridge, coating the stone structure in a clear, red, pulsating light that gave the attackers on the island clear shots on all Firemane troops. Shamira quickly switched to her second form, reversing her grip. The Togruta began to deflect as many bolts as she could, yelling over the sound of the bolts hitting stone. “My squads! Get as close to the sides of the bridge as you can! We have to get out of the middle!” Behind her, the squads began moving quickly towards the side of the bridge, using the meter high cut stone to use as some semblance of cover. Shamira knew it was practically useless to attempt to yell at Tempest or Maiev to make either of them move, so the best she could hope for was her mistress to either move forward, or the witch sorceress behind to move back to the mainland enough she could get the squads to retreat back across the bridge. If either of them didn’t move quick enough..well, the Padawan couldn’t deflect bolts forever.

​| [member="Maiev"] | [member="Tempest"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Nima Tann"] | [member="Delila Castillon"] | [member="Laira Vereen"] |​

 

[Maiev]

Once the shuttle had landed, Maiev followed Shamira and the troops that also hitched a ride. The place was indeed beautiful, and the witch could see why some would certainly want to make this a place to live - or to stay for an extended period of time.

It was peaceful, or well it still seemed like it. Although Maiev had a suspicion that wasn't going to last for much longer.

She followed the Togruta as she threaded through the crowd of soldiers, to finally reach the familiar presence that was Tempest. It seemed not much was being revealed on the current situation, or there just simply wasn't any information to give. Which in itself was trouble, as they were about to go into something blind - with only a vague idea of what to expect.

Tempest gave her orders, and Maiev nodded in acknowledgement. Watching as Tempest moved out, before the pair went about organizing their own groups.

While Shamira had it pretty easy to corral a couple of the squads, Maiev wasn't as lucky. It took some convincing for the two squads to finally follow her, they were skeptical given the witch was pretty much an unknown element. But revealing Tempest order for her to lead them forwards, was what managed to convince them.

They followed the Togruta as they pushed forwards to and across the bridge. Whatever was going down, was on the other end of it. They just needed to rea-

All of a sudden there was a resounding boom, ground shaking as the island's air defences opened fire on one of the Firemane ships. They were taken by surprise, and the vessel was hit and exploded in the air. And there was barely a moment of pause, as a second later the group on the bridge were immediately under fire.

Maiev brought her hands up, sickly green energy crackling around them. The soldiers behind her opened fire, focused on returning fire towards where their supposed enemy was. The witch used the energy to form small shields, blocking some of the bolts that were aimed specifically towards them. Shamira's orders managed to echo down across the bridge, and Maiev ushered her troops to do the same and get closer to the wall.

She didn't have a mind for military or large scale tactics, but even Maiev could see what was happening. They were being pinned down, and if they couldn't get off the bridge they were likely to get killed. Right now, they couldn't move forwards towards the island while Tempest was stopped, and if Shamira's troops remained in the middle...

"Move back! We need to move back towards the mainland, give Shamira and her group some room!"

[member="Tempest"] | [member="Nima Tann"] | [member="Laira Vereen"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Shamira Karuto"] | [member="Delila Castillon"]​

 

[Tempest]

[member="Laira Vereen"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="Shamira Karuto"], [member="Maiev"], [member="Kaida Taldir"], [member="Delila Castillon"]

Ambush!

Tempest was a fairly cynical sort and she had expected there to be trouble. Islands with populations didn’t suddenly go dark without good reason. Perhaps she had been a little impatient to move forward, but it had been understandable.

All the ifs and whys were forgotten now though as blaster bolts arced out. Her blade deflected them, but then the flares lit up the night sky. Whoever was in control of the town was well armed and tactical. Curious.

Her troops were in the open, the causeway had almost no cover. She did not know Maiev was withdrawing, but in the moment she wouldn’t have countermanded the order. Her forces were in danger, it was time to act.

Parrying blaster bolts she saw that the embankments either side of the causeway entrance was being used as cover by the shooters.
“Squad Alpha, form a beachhead facing south and east, use your grenades and flush them out! I’ll head north. Shamira, move your troops in after me. Maiev, follow up and reinforce.”

Her jets fired and took her into the air. Her plan was simple; make herself a target so that half of the enemy attacked her instead of her troops, and also to allow Shamira and Maiev to move up behind. She could not take on an army alone, but she could buy time. Besides, she’d only seen a half dozen gunners on this side.
As she arced into the air she cut her jets, dropped and unleashed a blast of lightning into the enemy, then her lightsabre fell upon them.

Fighting was continuing as her troops, despite some casualties, took the other side with grenade, blaster and blade.
Tempest was able to try and investigate who the attackers were, seeing if there was anything she could learn about their plans. She had found it odd that they had felt strange in the Force, shadowy almost.
When she turned over one of the shooters she took a step back. Their flesh was pale, their eyes milky, a livid wound on this one’s neck. They wore not armour but civilian clothes, this one a human.

A sense made her turn, and now emerging from the shadows were many civilians of all races. They looked at her with unseeing eyes as they began to move forward, arms reaching out.

“Zombies! Take cover! Open fire! Shamira, on me, get into defensive positions. Maiev, reinforce our positions.”

She frantically tried to get a message to Kaida through the storm. “Kaida, Nima, zombies. Look out!”

 

[Nima Tann]

No response from [member="Kaida Taldir"]. Nothing. Figures. What did she expect? The weather was affecting the communications and she probably didn't hear her anyway. She just had to deal with it herself.

Nima landed nearby one of the silhouettes, swinging her lightsaber and dealing the killing blow. How did they come this much closer without her noticing it, she wondered. She felt their presence only when they were close enough to attack her. It was as if their auras were too weak to notice... She put two and two together. First the wounded girl and how she acted, and now them. The girl said she was bitten by her sister, who said that she was hungry, and the voice inside her head wanted Nima "bleed" too. It could only be one thing, zombies. She heard a message from [member="Tempest"] afterwards, cutting from here and there but the last part could be heard clearly, proving her suspicions. As she landed, she immediately created a Force barrier in front of her to protect herself from the incoming blaster bolts and launched to the closest one.

Swing. Dodge. Run. Push. Evade. Swing. Breathe.

Nima swung her lightsaber once more, decapitating the zombie in front of her. She only had to push her way through the city and find the survivors, right? No. She suddenly was hit by the feeling of danger once again, and turned to its direction to see a zombie was running towards her. As it came closer, she recognised the clothes. The girl... There was no time to feel pity, or shock, as she launched herself to take a bite from Nima just like the voice told her. She faced a quick death by Nima's lightsaber, the only thing that Nima could do for her. As the corpse of the girl fell to the ground, Nima noticed that it wasn't just her that was behind her. Silhouettes appeared, closing in. Under the light, some looked... just gruesome. How? How did this happen?

Breathe in, breathe out. She prepared to defend herself.

A few of the zombies launched themselves towards Nima. The others stayed behind. With each step, each swing of a lightsaber, Nima was getting hopeless that she could even progress. She cut through some, more replaced the dead ones. And then the ones behind opened fire. It wasn't going good.

Deflect. Swing. Deflect. Swing.

Nima was getting tired.

"Seraph Taldir? Do you copy? I need reinforcements." She said, almost out of breath. Then proceeded to create a Force bubble around her. The zombies in range of her bubble were burned as they were pushed away from her, and the blaster bolts were deflected back. Hungry zombies clawed, punched, tried to get to her to no avail. She was secure for now, but didn't know how long she would keep it up.

[member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Shamira Karuto"] [member="Maiev"] [member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Nima Tann"], [member="Tempest"], [member="Maiev"], [member="Shamira Karuto"], [member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Laira Vereen"]


Taldir was in a foul mood. This was nothing new, though she was particularly grumpy at present. Fortunately, she would be able to find a violent outlet. Predictably, they had come under fire. After all, a town did not just go dark for innocent reasons. Those trying to call her would receive no response. Indeed, she'd switched her comm off and ordered her battle sisters to do the same. While the Force cloak shielded them from sight, loud noise such as that caused by ringing comms could still give them away. It was taxing to maintain the cloak, but she persevered, and hoped that there was no Force Master hidden amongst the hostiles.


Her jets took her through the air, towards an area from where she heard great commotion, for she could hear the sounds of battle, of a lightsabre carving through bodies. Her Angelii did not need micromanaging. They were experienced warriors, who'd spent decades fighting for an undeserving, rotten system in the name of their people. Laconic signals sufficed. The telepath of the group passed on her orders. And so Kaida dropped the cloak, allowing the group to be visible once more. Nima would probably perceive a prickling in the Force, assuming she could focus on her sense powers while flooded with a wave of undead monstrosities.


Then the Angelii dropped down from the sky like ravenous birds of prey. Landing on both sides, they tore through the attackers with bolt pistol, Sarix and grenades. Kaida's lightsabre glowed with a fierce yellow light as she deflected blaster bolts or scythed down attackers. Her phrik shield, based on an archaic design called a scutum, repelled attacks or bashed assailants with enough force to make some stumble. While Kaida cut down attackers with her blade, forking arcs of electricity shrieked from Kavora's fingertips, who used her elemental gift to cover her superior.


Ruby beams of blaster fire bombarded her and she deflected. Her attackers felt strange in the Force. Indeed, they did not even really register as life forms. Beasts clawed, grasped and stabbed at her, but she fought on. Pulling at the tangled web of power that was the Force, she conjured a strong wind that thrust a sharpshooter from a roof and propelled him to the ground, causing a crunching sound when he impacted.


"What manner of creatures are these?" one Angelii exclaimed. Civilians of many races, with dead, vacant eyes and deathly pale skin, emerged from the streets and marched towards them, seemingly coming from all sides. In the Force, they felt devoid of life, as if one were staring into a void. Some carried guns, others blades or improvised melee weapons.


Something clicked inside Kaida's mind. "Zombies," she said icily. "Aim for the head, legs or spinal column. Keep a spare bolt...for yourselves. If a battle sister is infected, kill her," she ordered in a tone chilly enough to match an icestorm on Hoth. It matched the cold fury she felt deep inside her. In the midst of all this, a garbled message from Tempest reached her. The hazardous weather conditions wreaked havoc with communications, which would make summoning reinforcements difficult. The winds were strong and lightning slashed from the sky. "Engaging. Gonna deal with AA this side. May need to bomb the town," she responded flatly, hoping the transmission would reach the Dahomian. Then she raised her voice so that her battle sisters could hear her, eyes upon the flood of undead.


"Assume phalanx. Two ranks. Tann, get in formation." Moving seemlessly, the Angelii formed up, as a barrage of bolts shot towards them. Those in the front ranks used their melee weapons, namely blades and pikes while being covered by imposing battle shields. Those behind them backed them up with precise fire from their guns, wrist flamers and elemental powers, such as blasts of lightning and of scorching flame. When those in the first got tired, both groups rotated, with the second line battle sisters taking their place. The switch was announced by Kaida using a whistle integrated into her helmet. Thus the zombies would always be opposed by fresh troops, while being subjected to ranged fire. The air was filled with the staccato of blaster and bolter fire, along with sporadic prayers to the Goddess, as the undead crashed against their defensive line, trying to overwhelm it like a flood would a dam.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

They were moving! Tempest’s group ahead of them were moving slowly out of the way and up the bridge. Shamira’s squads now had a free run to the mainland, and whatever was firing lasers down onto them with precision and swiftness. The togruta deflected a few more bolts out of the way before sprinting to the side of the bridge, the farthest up of her group, and pointed forward with her lightsaber in the galaxy wide symbol of move forward.

“Rancor, gold, owl squads!” She called, getting the attention of the huddled down soldiers on the bridge. “We must get off the bridge and return fire to the enemy! Take cover in the tree line and reinforce Tempests group!” The grey skinned alien stood from her crouched position, readying her blade, before dashing forward into the hellstorm of lasers being fired at them. “Charge!”


Shamira’s yellow blade danced in the air as her feet carried her forward into the fray, deflecting bolts away from the squads behind her. Once safely to the treeline, she could make out the form of her mistress, ahead of her group already in defense positions within the tree line. What she shouted didn’t exactly make sense to Shamira, something about zombies, but the Togruta just attributed it to not being able to hear much over the sounds of the explosions and lasers going off.


The togruta sought out and found one of the leaders of the squads, a grizzled old war veteran that seemed to have been through ten times as much as Shamira. “I’m moving up to help Tempest. Have the squads dig in defensive positions. And call in something heavy. Something that can at the very least give us cover as we have to move into the resort and town.” It took a moment, one Shamira took to be him trying to figure if he should follow the young forcer with little experience, but the squad leader nodded once, his grey beard following in his motions. “Yes ma’am. We’ll get it done.”

Shamira gave him a firm nod before dashing out of the treeline to the side of her mistress, going back to her second form. “I brought three squads up! We still don’t have any heavy artillery or long-range units though! I’ve got my men digging in, but we have to call in reinforcements if the entire island is like this!”

| [member="Tempest"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Nima Tann"] | [member="Maiev"] | [member="Delila Castillon"] | [member="Laira Vereen"] |​

 

[Nima Tann]

No response from Kaida... Clawing... Groaning... Neverending hunger... Decreasing chances of survival. Exhaustion.

The zombies, no matter what she did, kept coming. It was, however, not surprising, as Serenade was a popular choice for vacation. Once more, Nima was reminded how she hated being in crowded places. The zombies' hunger turned to rage, as their meal was right in front of them but they couldn't get to her. Coming from every direction, Nima didn't have the luxury to retreat and counter attack once she collected herself. The bubble kept them out for now, but with this kind of pressure, it wasn't going to last very long. Nima gritted her teeth.

Breathe in, breathe out...

She considered just making the bubble vanish and fight her way towards the city, but then decided it was a bad idea. Considering the count of zombies outside of the city, there would be a lot more inside. Even though she was a good duelist, it was a possibility that she would get overwhelmed and make a mistake. Nima closed her eyes, and focused on the bubble to keep its strength, trying not to hear the hungry groans of the zombies nearby. Then suddenly, she felt something. Presences, which were different from how the zombies felt. These ones were alive... Could it be, Nima thought.

She didn't have to wait for an answer, people in Angelii armor descended from the sky and landed around her bubble, and started unleashing firepower upon the zombies, illuminating the darkness with explosions and red beams. She noticed Kaida nearby, carving a path of zombies with her lightsaber. Even though she would appreciate it if Kaida decided to keep her informed about her arrival, Nima sighed in relief, now that the reinforcements arrived. Lesson for next time: Take some people with you if you are going to investigate the unknown. That's why she liked having at least basic information before a mission. Anyway, the zombies clawing through her bubble would suddenly be pushed away after she reflected the energy she collected for the bubble outside, activating her lightsaber, she jumped out of the bubble and joined the army for the cleansing.

She heard Kaida's words, even though it sounded harsh, her words were understandable. After all, there were no medbays that would treat the bitten, their shuttles were stuck here because of the storm, or if they went for more... extreme cures, they would die from bloodloss. That was the sad truth of a battlefield.

Decapitate. Cut. Evade. Deflect. Dodge. Jump.

Why did it feel like they weren't progressing? Deads were quickly replaced by two more, which made their job more difficult. Pushing through the road wasn't a good idea, she started to think.

Next time she heard Kaida's words, she ordered the soldiers to take formation, and... also her. "You have just arrived and already started ordering me around..." She thought and sighed, but it wasn't the time for arguments. Since she was tired from before, she stood in the background with the others and played a support rule, taking care of the ranged zombies that were unleashing a barrage of blaster bolts upon the Angelii, using telekinesis. The front lines would cut through the neverending horde of zombies, meanwhile the back would support them with blaster fire, then Kaida would use her whistle to switch their places so it would help the front lines to refresh. In front of them were filled with rotten corpses and a few of their own, slowly stacking up as the time went.

"Seraph Taldir. There are too many of them, and not enough of us. If we continue like this we'll be overwhelmed before reaching the city. We need air support to thin out the enemy lines." She shouted for her to hear.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Tempest"] [member="Shamira Karuto"] [member="Maiev"] [member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The Golden armored knight, adorned in scarlet vestments, had seen such creatures before. Her bolter began barking out almost immediately, taking the terrifying ghouls in the chest. Each round caused the creature's chest to violently detonate, pieces of bone and flesh spraying from each wound. While not each creature was slain, each of them were for the most part disabled, forced to crawl slowly towards the two women and their space elf compatriots.

Laira quickly jumped to higher ground, a tree branch overlooking the immediate area where she could pick her shots carefully. Each shot she took was precisely aimed for the skull of one of the unfortunate ghouls. The redhead reached for her communicator, intent to quickly spread word of possible dangers they could encounter. "Seraph, Major. Dimeria and I have encountered these things before. Be on the look out for mutated ghouls. Big ones with acidic bile and ones that can tear through ship bulkheads." It seems that whatever agent or disaster that caused the outbreak on the Queen of the Core had also been released on Serenade.

The Firemane forces were professionals, putting down suppressing fire into the ghouls they encountered. Dimeria fell back, keeping line with the troops fanning out in the tree line, "Watch the branches. Some of them can climb and use predatory tactics." The knight's mask concealed her face, modulating her voice into a monotone, semi-robotic garble. For now, the Knight of the Flame kept herself composed despite her history with these creatures. Laira's arm had been lost to a necrotic bite, and Dimeria had almost attempted death-by-zombie. Instead, she had been lucky enough to spend an evening alongside one of the Eldorai Duchesses as a nurse.

Hopefully these Eldorai wouldn't be quite so uptight as Karina had been. That had been a drain on Laira's patience and a difficult journey with very little appreciation for how hard Laira tried to make friends.

[member="Tempest"] [member="Shamira Karuto"] [member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Nima Tann"]

 

[Maiev]

As Maiev's troops moved back, pulling towards the direction they had come from again - it gave Shamira's the room they needed to defend themselves better against the onslaught currently hitting the bridge. With them all spreading out more, it became much harder for them to be targeted without the enemy having to spread their own firepower. This ambush had gotten the witch thinking, and believing that whoever was laying in wait on the island, had been expecting them.

Suddenly, the sound of a jetpack igniting roared out across the area. Maiev turned to look, seeing Tempest soaring up into the sky - making herself more of a target. And it had worked, alleviating the suppressive fire currently hitting Maiev's group. It allowed them to move the wounded back to safety, while the remainder made a push across the bridge.

They were like a train. As Tempest's moved in, Shamira's followed and in their wake Maiev's bolstered their defences.

Around the same time, Nima and Kaida dropped in a further ways in. Their sudden arrive did a good job in disrupting the enemy's focus, diverting it even further away from the advancing forces.

That was when Maiev felt it, a cold chill running down her spine and forcing her to pause.

<I can sense it too...>

Kalax's words echoed across the witch's mind, but she was too focused. Maiev could feel a tremor not through the Force, but from the spiritual plane. It was like countless voices crying out in pain, in agony of being chained to life even in death.

She had felt it before, mainly when dealing with folks dabbling in necromancy. Which meant...

Zombies!

Her forces moved in, reinforcing Tempest and Shamira's troops. As they did this, their attention shifted to the mass of civilians that were charging towards them.

"Always aim for the head, if you can't take out their legs!"

It would do them good, but zombies were typically used as cannon fodder, to push the enemy back and weaken them. Ultimately, it depended on just how many the enemy had at their disposal. Maiev was reminded of the information they had, of the entire city just going quiet.

To say the least, it didn't bode well for just how much was about to be thrown at them.

[member="Tempest"] | [member="Nima Tann"] | [member="Laira Vereen"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Shamira Karuto"] | [member="Delila Castillon"]​