The Siege of Iego

[Sven Talith]

Sven stood on board the bridge of his Imperius class Star Destroyer looking calmly over a holo-display of what appeared to be a star system. One world in particular seemed to be highlighted, its blue haze was of a lighter tune and its image seemed to be far more detailed than that of the other worlds. Sven seemed to stare at it intently, as if trying to guess what would happen. Images of Ships could be seen on the edge of the map and the higlighted planet. The holo-display was a map of the star system Iego.

The Young Moff stared at it intently, as If he was plotting and planning his next move. Of course he already had a plan, though he hadn't yet shared it. He was waiting for his companions to report in, allowing the fleet to gather before the Iego nebula. Sven needed everyone to be at full strength, and even more so he needed them to follow his plan to the letter.

Iego would be an extremely difficult to conquer. The world was entrapped in a Nebula, making communications and sight rather difficult, along with this Iego was home to a rather...odd species. The Diathim were strange creatures. They were capable of flight in space with no ship, though they had developed them anyway. This was their home, and it was a defensible home. Sven sought to conquer it without too much damage, something that would be impossible if things didn't go right.

The Diathim would attack them almost instantly once they entered the Nebula, they would throw ships, assault troops, and anything else they could at them. It would be difficult, and the fighting would turn rather nasty. Sven expected the angels to get up close and dirty, he foresaw them trying to board his ships.

It was ironic really, Diathim were considered the most beautiful species in the entire galaxy, and Sven was here to slaughter them. The thought made him frown, but he quickly worked through the unpleasantness. He needed to do this for the Empire, he needed to take the next step.

“Uhl. Link me into the fleet.” Sven told his captain who responded almost immediately. Within seconds a holo-display of Sven would appear on every ship in the fleet, including those belonging to other Moffs and Admirals. “Captains, Admirals, Moffs. This is Moff Talith speaking.”

The young Moff stopped speaking for a few seconds allowing the Imperials that weren't paying attention to stop what they were doing and look at the holo-display. “This will be the largest fleet action ever undertaken by the Imperial Navy. Five full fleets have been given to me by the grace of the Empress. Let me make this clear to all of you. Those who are here answer to me. It does not matter if you are an Admiral, a Moff, a Grand Admiral or the Empress', if you are present within this system you will follow my plans, and my commands.”

Sven spoke sternly, he made it very clear that he was in charge here. There would be no split in his forces, there would be no subtle rebellion like there was on Gravlex Med. They would all follow the plan, or they would suffer for it.

“If we work together Iego will be ours in a matter of hours. The Planet, its thousand moons and the system itself will fall to us. The Empress and I are putting our trust in you, don't let us down.” The young Moff stopped again, and then gave a signal to Uhl. The Nautolan would send a data package to every ship in the fleet, the data package would of course be the plan for taking the system. Each ship had a specific task, and each one needed to be carried out.

The Plan when it came down to it was actually rather simple. The Imperial Fleets would enter the Iego Nebula all at once, each of the five fleets heading into a different entry point as mapped out by Imperial scouts. These fleets would then approach Iego simultaneously using certain ships as “Shield” ships. These “shields” were being crewed by skeleton crews, with the regular ensigns and fleet officers taken off and replaced with massive amounts of stormtroopers. These Spearhead Shields would be targeted by the Diathim for boarding, and when the angels got on board the angels would find themselves in for a heavy fight.

As the Shield ships were fighting the rest of the fleets would move on, each of the 5 fleets also had specific “sword” ships. Those sword ships would then engage the Iego Fleet, trading shots and outmaneuvering the Diathim ships. The last piece of the puzzle were the “nets” These ships would swing around the Diathim fleets and head towards Iego itself. The Net's would then blockade Iego and its thousand moons, blocking any reinforcements the planet and satellites could offer.

It was an intricate plan, and of course it would all fall apart once the engagement began. Sven had back ups in place however, and things would go well...hopefully. The Dreadlord's son spoke again as soon as the data-package was sent and the officers of his fleets had time to go over it. “Any questions?”

 

[Korran Halcyon]

Fighting Diathim was certainly an interesting proposition. They could live in space if they so chose, so it would be intriguing to see how they would board the Empire's ships. It would also be interesting to see how those who decided to live on the planet after crashing there would react. They would likely rise up as well. In what who knew. The facet of the entire plan that intrigued him the most was what would happen once on the planet and they were forced to encounter the Maelibus. It'd be even more interesting they somehow found a way to board the Imperial vessels.

Really, the battle entirely was a curiosity to Uhl Yaghdra. The captain was not entirely sure how they had managed to peg down the location of the Nebula and planet within it. After all, last Yaghdra knew of the famed planet of Iego and its thousand moons was that it was hidden and unknown. Yet, here they were and he was ready to deal with the attack. He had no questions. From his briefs everything seemed reasonable, but he looked forward to those trying to dance around the plan and seek their own glory. Sven would not have much of it, so Uhl certainly looked forward to it.

 

[Radon Mont]

An intriguing proposition stood before him. As Overseer of the Expansion, he had an important role in this coming investment in the Iego system. Once they Diathim were conquered, it would be integral that they be integrated into the Empire swiftly and smoothly. In his mind he thought about ways that he could make this go wrong, little ways that he could integrate his own interests into the system of Iego. He knew how he was going to do it. All the same, he was going to make sure that the system came into the Empire swiftly and succinctly. First, though, they had to defeat these space angels in battle. What they needed to do was get him access to one of their leaders. If they could do that, he could end the fight relatively quickly.

"I expect to be given full access to what I need once their combat forces are defeated, Moff Talith. You might be in charge of this battle, but I'm in charge of integration," he said from where he stood a little ways behind the man. Radon was a Prince of a world that despised all outside races. That being the case, he cared next to nothing about these winged humanoids, the Diathem. But they could serve a valuable purpose for his future plans. What he really despised was having to listen to this Moff giving him directions and telling him what to do. Human and near-human species disgusted him. The only one he could put up with, really, were the Zabrak's, and that was because his young wife was one.

Stepping to the side, he walked closer to the viewport so that he could see out to their forces. Vast and numerous. It seemed like a large amount of overkill to him, but that wasn't his call. Turning his attention towards the nebula, he stared at it, wondering if the Diathim were already preparing their forces to meet their attackers. He surmised that they were. Now it was time to get this thing done, and the sooner the better. He turned back to look at Sven for a moment and then walked around back to where he'd been standing before. He would have limited involvement in this engagement, unless the Diathim tried to board their ship. At that point, he might make a move.

 

[Eldoc Quasat]

Eldoc waited, he was upon the one of the various shield ships.. and he couldn't wait to engage the enemy. His 600 year old imperial Knight armor and his 600 year old saber, nicely repaired and set to full use again. He smirked, ready to fight again, to prove his worth. He wanted to begin the dance of death, to put his body on the line, to embrace pain onece again.

 

[Yuri Caedus]

Yuri stood on the command bridge of one of the many ships that littered the fleet whilst he looked upon the flag ship from the bridge he pondered to himself. "Something of a feat I would say if we can undertake this and actually come out ahead.." A smirk crawled across his face before he turned around and began to pace on the deck of the ship that he stood upon. "One that the heros would forever go down in history in, something that would be told for generations to come, should we seize this opportunity." He continued to ponder to himself, the look of malice gave obvious hints as to what his thoughts were about; however, no one could one hundred percent predict what the outcome of the battle was, or if Yuri had something up his sleeve that they did not know about. The two blades that he carried with him lay upon his back in their rightful place, their sheathes. His furs and light armor that he wore every-where even on the smouldering sands of Korriban rest upon his body in a very tight fashion whilst he took a gaze upon the rest of the fleet in partial admiration and partial pride.

The Empress had assembled a fine fleet for the conquering of the world, even if it was a bit overkill one can never be too cautious, over kill is much better than the inverse. Yuri taking matters into his own hands for a moment turned to the captain of the current ship that he was aboard and spoke lowly to him. "Turn long range scanners on, see what the Diathim are doing and report to me on their movements. Should we be able to predict what they're doing or see what they're doing we can put a swift end to this battle and go down in history as gods, do you understand?" The captain merely nodded down to him and then went on about his new assigned duties whilst continuing his previous ones at the same time..

Yuri had to give it to the Empress, she sure had an elite fleet, even for the size of it. These soldiers not only took what they did very seriously but attempted to do it to the highest of standards no matter what it was they endeavored to do. Whilst the captain began to power up the long range scanners to begin scanning the planet among several other things Yuri stood gazing into the distance his furs around his neck nestled along his skin whilst his stern cold glare looked upon not a possible conquering, but a prize.

 

[Cerusia Shamalain]

Aboard the Decaying Corruption - Sven, Uhl

Footsteps and the low hiss of mechanical doors were all that announced the arrival of the Dread Lady Sable to the bridge. She swept in soundlessly, the hem of her blastweave robes trailing across the metal floors and seeming to leave wisps of dark shadow in her wake like molted feathers. Though she made no effort to interact with the crew, her very presence seemed to repulse them - the feeling of dread emanating from her being likely having something to do with this. She came to stand amidst control panels, yellow eyes curving from one to the next, moving forward through the bridge until they came to settle on the back of the man in charge of it all: Moff Talith.

She was not here today to fly a ship or command a crew, nor was she here as a diplomat or an Imperial Agent. Sable was here at the behest of Sven, but only for so long that the allure of battle did not pull her away. Eventually she would meet these Space Angels he spoke of and her own curiosities would be sated.

They appear differently to everyone, he'd said to her, the very form of your own perceived beauty.

What was beauty to her? An intangible concept she'd had difficulty grasping, much like humor or love. The latter she was slowly coming to terms with and learning about, but she couldn't ever recall being posed with beauty or having any reason to define it. This solution was altogether too easy, she thought, but the idea of discovering beauty and then destroying it was somehow strangely enticing.

 

[Sven Talith]

Sven didn't notice Sable arriving on the bridge, he was far too focused on his work. Several of the Captains had sent back question to him and one by one he answered them, explaining the plan and the reasoning behind his ideas. Eventually one by one each and every one of them fell into line, and then there was only the strange alien who demanded he would be handed the system directly after it was conquered. The Dreadlord's son looked at the man on the holo display, and then gave him a nod. He was here to take the System for the Empire, what was done after wards was none of his concern.

Iego was far out of sector twelve, and thus it would never be under his control...sad as that may be. The Young Moff looked at the alien and then spoke. “The Empress will hand over Iego to whom she see's fit.”

Sven simply said before turning away from the Alien and back towards the rest of his crew. He gave a simple wave of his hand to give the command to move in. The Entire fleet began to split up, each of the five fleets moved into the nebula at separate points. In minutes the Imperial fleet would engage the Diathim. Something seemed to shift and change as the fleets entered the Nebula.

Just as the fleets began to move Sven noticed Sable on his bridge. The young Moff immediately lit up at the sight of her, she was here to supply morale support more than anything else. He turned off the holo-projector and walked over to her. Here on his bridge there was no need for privacy, every man and woman on this bridge loved Sven, to them he was their one and only leader. “Ah my darling, youre just in time to see the beginning.”

Just as he spoke the Decaying Corruption drifted into the Iego Nebula, where soon they would be met by the raging fire of the angels.

 

[Radon Mont]

"My job exists regardless of who she hands the planet over to, Moff Talith. It is my position within this Empire to ensure that planets seamlessly join us," he said as he looked over at the man. Humans were all alike. They saw him, scoffed, and talked down at him. Radon had the express trust of the Empress to do his job. In fact, he'd been essentially commanded to do it. She'd come to him for this reason before she'd even sought to overthrow Emperor Moridin. That said, he was not about to sit by and just let this... human slug tell him what he was and wasn't going to do. Yes, the man was in charge of the battle, but Radon wasn't there for the battle at all. If he had to fight, so be it, but he didn't care about that.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he stood and looked out the viewport in front of him. He wouldn't say another word on the matter. If the man decided to challenge him, Radon would deal with him at a later date. This was not the time or the place. He was not taking command of this situation, he had merely pointed out that he had a job to do after the battle was said and done.

 

[Darren Onyx]

Onyx was aboard a cruiser listening to the message. He was intrigued at the Moff. Stern. Loyal. He knew he would be a great ally. He smiled and silently waited for orders.

 

[Matreya]

Zaiden stood silently behind his master, hand carressing the hilt of his Shadow Dagger beneath his cloak on his hip. He was getting more and more on edge. Space scared him, even if he wasn't willing to acknowledge it to himself. Casting his eyes out of the giant ship, he stared out at the never ending vastness.

The idea of nothing being beneath his feet, despite the ship, unnerved him to no end. He stayed away from space travel, as well as any naval travel. Lack of a solid base made him feel like an animal in a hover van (XD).

Bringing his eyes back inside, he sighed. The sooner the mission was started, the sooner they could get back to land. Pulling his Shadow Dagger out, he began cleaning his nails with the sharp tip.

 

[Cerusia Shamalain]

Green eyes following the Moff as he made his way over to her, Sable tipped her head with piqued interest. The commencement of this Darkside Dominion was but moments away and she offered the man a waning smile. Her eyes skirted past him to the bridge viewport, watching as the clouds of the nebulae gave way upon the hull of the massive ship. The looming mystery beyond drew her in.

Sable reached to grasp Sven by the arm and gave it a firm squeeze, "Of course I am," she offered, "this is the best place for it - or so I'm told." Her eyes glinted faintly with a depraved eagerness for what was to come. The blackened fingers of her right hand twitched before pulling into a fist where transparent sparks of energy flickered and flitted across her knuckles. The woman forced a leveling sigh before following Sven to the forward landing of the bridge where he would give the final word.

 

[Sven Talith]

Sven guided Sable over to the view port, he didn't worry about being judged here. Most of his crew was well aware of his relationship with Sable and most of them did not care at all. Sable and himself were practically married and a Moff bringing his wife along on an engagement wasn't too strange, especially when said Wife was herself perhaps one of the more powerful combatants within the engagement. He waved to Uhl as his own Ship passed through the clouds of the Nebula. Almost immediately a bright stunning light crossed the bridge, but the ship made it through.

“Magnificent.” Sven whispered to himself more than anything else as his fleet passed into the Nebula. He knew that elsewhere the other four fleets would be passing into the Nebula as well. As the cosmic dust floated past the ships and the five fleets moved into the Nebula they were almost immediately met with a hail of fire and missiles.

The Diathim had prepared themselves, at least for one fleet. Sven's ships were almost immediately hit, his shield ships taking the brunt of the attack. He frowned slightly as the Decaying Corruption took long range fire. With the enhanced read-outs his command-ship brought him he could see that the forward ships were already being boarded, the angels were crafty and they were quick.

“Concentrate fire on their capital ships. Tell all Starfighters and bombers to maneuver into the enemy fleet, let our shield ships take care of the boarding parties.” Sven talked in a calm but quick manner, once battle occurred everything fell apart and he had to be quick with orders. Some of the Diathim would be making it through to his capital ship, everyone had to be ready, all five fleets had to be ready. “Prepare every one for combat, they will be coming.”

Sven shifted his feet, and then looked to Sable next to him. This would apparently be a treat for her, getting to kill the most Beautiful things in the galaxy. The Grand Moff looked back towards the Diathim fleet, far off in the distance he could see another of the Imperial task forces moving into the Nebula, this battle would go quickly.

 

[Matreya]

With a slight smile, Zaiden stretchrd. Getting slightly anxious. He was beginning to love battle. it had taken him very little to do so. But he was not crazy enough yet to go into battle alone against more then 2 men.

Wiping some dust off of his armor, Zaiden murmured demonicly through his face plate, "We need to get on one of those ships already. If we take one over, we can use its weapons against the others Master @[member="Eldoc Quasat"]."

 

[Skorn Draclau]

@[member="Sven Talith"] @[member="Sable"]

It was a battle worthy of being recorded in the Sith archives. The Iego system wrenched out from children's storytales and hurled into the reality of war. Who could have thought one day the Sith would make war even on the Angels. The fabled spacefaring Angels of Iego, the Diathem were a dangerous creature indeed. All reports on the matter seemed to suggest they used some form of mind altering telepathy to lure in the unwary. Creating an insatiable longing in whoever glimpsed their form.

No wonder they were reported as the most beautiful creatures of the Universe. Today they would find out if there was more to the myth of Angels or if they were simply more meat for the grinder. Skorn Draclau was aboard the flagship. Standing silently in one of the corners on the bridge. He heard the Moff in charge as he elaborated the plan of assault. It was a stable plan. Well thought out with minimal risk. An able plan. Hopefully able enough. The SIth Knight was here along with others from the Empire, who followed where the Empress willed. However unlike the two Moffs, this Knight spoke naught. Only observed, as stars gave way to battle.

The Diathim appeared as flickering lights moving too fast for the eye to follow. While there ships groaned as they struck into the lead crafts of the fleet. Missiles of death. The angels were ramming their ships straight into the Sith fleet. After all they could survive in open space. The SIth could not.

 

[Cerusia Shamalain]

Sable gazed with dark, widening eyes as the flurry of lights and volley of missile explosions filled the space before them. Mottled with the backdrop of effervescent nebulae, it was certainly a sight to behold. She stared in wonder, following the movements of the ships and the glimmer of the Diathem as they soared past. To @[member="Skorn Draclau"] they appeared as bright, white flashes of light. Sable saw shadows - she narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to the viewpane, but they moved too fast to discern anything more. Her lips drew thin much like her patience.

Feeling eyes upon her, Sable tore her gaze from the scene and passed it quietly back over her shoulder towards the side of the bridge where a cloaked man with brilliant white hair stood apart from the others. His face being unfamiliar did not bother her in the least - this realm was not her own and aside from only a few, she knew no one here. However the darkness that came with him was a strong one and he looked to be a man of age to have seen and done many things. She stared with quiet inquisitiveness before looking away from him too and back to Sven by her side.

"What do you see?" she asked on a hushed tone, green eyes shifting back to the battle.

 

[Sven Talith]

Sven watched the angels descend upon his fleet with ardent swiftness. He watched bright white lights pass him by on the bridge as they zoomed passed where he stood. The Shield ships before him began to be invaded, thousands of Diathim setting upon their hull and cutting into the ship. The young Moff just watched it, staring intently and learning from everything the strange creatures did.

This was an interesting battle, and soon it would become a lot closer than they had expected. The Diathim weren't just targeting the shield ships, they were spreading themselves thin and heading towards the ships in the back as well. This meant that they would have less of a fighting number on board each vessel, but it also meant that the Sith fleet would drop into somewhat of a confusion. When Sable spoke to him in a whispered in a hushed tune the Moff seemed to snap out of his daze for a second.

His mind had to decode her words, he had been so focused on observing the fight that he couldn't tell what she meant at first. He guessed she was referring to the appearance of the Angels, they were supposedly suited to each person that saw them. He looked down at her, and then slowly wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her close to him.

“I don't think the legends were true.” Sven said it with a smirk while looking into her eyes, it was pretty clear that he was giving her a thinly veiled complement. In truth however when Sven peered at the Diathim that zoomed past his ship he did not see a person or a being...to him he saw an ideal, strange as that sounded. The young Moff did not mention this however, and decided to instead focus on that battle.

At that exact moment the ship's lights seemed to flash a deep red, an alarm blared through the bridge and down the halls. Sven looked back towards space and unwrapped himself from Sable. The Diathim had boarded the ship, and now the real fight would begin.

 

[Piraiba]

@[member="Sable"] @[member="Sven Talith"]

As Sven answered Sable though, the blast doors to the bridge opened to admit another of their party. A ten foot tall Togorian of dark fur with black stripes. The creature strode into the command center and gazed at Sven and Sable for a second before placing a clawed hand to his heart to solute them. He commonly referred to them as 'little brother' and 'little sister', and had become somewhat protective of them after they were all ripped from their realm and thrown into this one. In a way he shared a kinship with them that went beyond the empire they chose to reside within.

Only this time Piraiba did not speak. His feline lips were compressed slightly, which was one of the signs of his anxiety as he strode to the view port that everyone else had moved to and from. There the muscles in his arms and hands seemed tense as he gripped at the bottom frame. Of course Moff Talith and the Dread Lady had been with the Togorian long enough to know that he was always like this on ship. On the ground the feline looked death in the face with a smile, but in space he was likely to have his hair frizzed up and jump at the slightest provocation.

"We will touch the ground soon, yes?"

The towering togorian had muscles like durasteel plating that held up a armor vest heavy enough to pin a man to the ground. A blaster sniper rifle, two blaster carbines, four grenades, two lightsabers, and a large combat knife clung to the said vest. Built like a tank with a personal armory, Piraiba could grab the nearest crewman from his station and rip the man clean in half. Yet right now he was liable to have a panic attack if the ship shuddered to much from the battle.

"What has Piraiba done to deserve this."

The last was meant to be inaudible as the cat was whispering to himself. Of course with his deep bass filled voice a whisper tended to be a clearly voiced statement.

Then the alarm went off. With ears pinned back to his head, Piraiba glanced back suddenly at the twirling light on the ceiling.

"Is the ship being destroyed?!"

 

[Skorn Draclau]

@[member="Sable"] @[member="Piraiba"] @[member="Sven Talith"]


"Ready yourself for the hunt big fella."

Skorn passed by the Togorian. He seemed to move as if he was gliding. He was clearly not, but somehow it appeared that way. He moved near one of the bridge entrances and stood ready. He turned towards the Moff and his woman.

"You know the stories also spoke of Demons...along with Angels."

A loud crash interrupted him, a powerful thrust at the blast doors. So powerful that the doors bent with the force. But they did not break. However at the next instant the bridge was in absolute darkness, save for the emergency systems with backups. A few lit up screens was all the light available. Of course the backup power would kick in any moment now. But these few crucial seconds of darkness...

A sudden chittering sound echoed down the air vents. It almost sounded like laughter.

 

[Cerusia Shamalain]

Eyes following the clitter-clatter and sounds along the hull, Sable lofted a brow at the sudden disturbance upon the bridge. The Dread Lady pulled from Sven's side, her black hand reaching up to the hilt of her Truesword almost immediately as she moved to Piraiba's side. The woman reached out to the Togorian, absently pressing her free hand at his side, "Not yet..." she murmured before withdrawing and looking to Skorn.

All eyes within the bridge seemed to round on that door the moment the commotion sounded. Sable's own drifted from the white-haired Sith to those buldging blast doors, her grip tightening on the hilt of her weapon. She was intimately familiar with Demons - no fear accompanied those words of his but a move from inaction did. With a glance up at Piraiba she motioned to the air vents situated high up in the ceiling. With Skorn at the entrance she would need to ensure the bridge wouldn't become flooded through these ulterior passages.

"Piraiba," she hissed, her head snapping towards a second air vent to her left where the chirping of their enemy sounded, "lift me up to a vent..."

 

[Piraiba]

@[member="Skorn Draclau"] @[member="Sable"]

Piraiba flashed Skorn a toothy smile though it did little to hide his worried anticipation. The hunt ... life was a constant hunt, and the Togorian met each day ready for the potential kill or his own potential death. Then the impact against the bridge blast doors brought the feline out of his thoughts. Darkness enshrouded them as the lights went out, but suddenly Piraiba was at peace. The ship might explode leaving him a cold inevitable death in space, but there was something on the other side of that door that he could face in the here and now.

Then again, was it the supposed Maelibi that the other Sith referred to with his comment about demons? Sable's request to be lifted to the vent made the cat abandon his thoughts again as he looked up to the vent in question. There were no protests or concerns emitted from his lips. Piraiba looked upon Sable as a fellow warrior, and certainly he respected her prowess.

"Fight well little sister, Piraiba will not fit in there to follow."

A nod was the only warning she had before his large clawed hands gripped at her sides and hoisted her weight up without hesitation. He waited long enough for Sable to open the vent and pull her weight through before he looked back at Skorn with another tooth exposed grin. The Togorian's eyes shined ominously as the light of a nearby console illuminated off of his eye's reflective lenses. Even in the darkness he could see everything.

"The Demons? I don't believe any of the stories give them the wings to get here. We face our imaginations ... a worthy opponent."

Two gray/silver lightsaber blades then suddenly hissed to life. The beast's blades were refocused to be longer to accommodate his irregular height, but the creature spun one of them around once with all the grace that a much smaller Sith would have summoned.