Dominion The Vinesworn Rebellion | BotM Dominion of Ool

[Rebirth]

Hunger. The most basic motivator of all living things. The drive to secure enough energy to continue to function. Some wrest it from the light of their homeworld's star, stretching their leaves skyward to feed on sunlight. Others steal the energy that these plants process, wolfing down leafy greens or biting into juicy fruit. Still others eat the plant-eaters, tearing nourishment from their still-warm flesh. But whatever the source of the calories, the yearning for them is the same. It is hunger... and in more advanced beings, that yearning translates beyond the mere desire for food. Sentient creatures hunger for power, wealth, pleasure, and a thousand other things. That longing worms its way into their brains, a desperate, greedy feeling, a primal thing begging to be indulged.

Hunger is common to all creatures... but none can match the hunger of the Drengir.

Before the outbreak of the Second Great Hyperspace War, when the Brotherhood of the Maw was largely unknown to the wider galaxy, the Drengir came to them. The flesh-eating plants had much in common with the Mawites; both had been driven out past the edges of known space, monsters lurking in the dark. And both hungered to return, to feast on the spoils of the Core Worlds themselves... though they differed somewhat in exactly what kind of spoils they sought. The hunger of the Drengir was a more literal hunger, a hunger for the flesh of sentient beings. The Brotherhood - and their secret masters, the New Sith Order - sought to wield their hunger as a weapon against their enemies. Across Chiss Space and beyond, the Drengir feasted on the foes of the Maw.

But one must beware of insatiable "allies", for their appetites can never be satisfied...

... and the loyalty of the ravenous can only be bought for so long.

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Objective 1: The Vile Collective (Ground Combat)
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The Drengir have turned against the Maw, and they've taken countless marauders with them! Infesting the Chiss farm planet of Ool, they have twisted many servants of the Brotherhood into plant-mutated slaves, dominated by their collective consciousness. They have even twisted a powerful champion to lead them: Alars Keto , finally driven to give into their madness after his near death on Nirauan. Kryll and his monstrous plant masters are rapidly consuming all living creatures on Ool, destroying the slaves and supplies needed for the Brotherhood's war effort - not to mention countless Mawite troops!

Stop the Drengir, and punish their treachery! None may turn against the Dark Voice and live!

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Objective 2: Endless Growth (Space Combat)
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The Drengir and their plant-mutated servants have captured a number of powerful Brotherhood warships, now covered in strange, plant-like growths that resist our weapons! They are trying to secure their domination of Ool... and to escape the system so that they can ravage countless other worlds, consuming the Brotherhood and its enemies alike! The fleets of the Brotherhood and the Final Dawn must prevent these vile creatures from further disrupting the Dark Voice's plans. Should they fail to intercept the infested warships, the damage to the war effort will be incalculable. This cannot be permitted.

Blast the Drengir-infested warships out of the sky! Retake Ool, and allow none to escape!

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Do as you see fit against the backdrop of the Vinesworn Rebellion!

​

 

[Alars Keto]

Unintelligible screeches rolled off his tongue. The sounds of a hundred voices speaking in tongues long forgotten. A primal, guttural tongue of something never human.

Kryll was gone. Buried deep within the mental space filled by the voices, his struggle for freedom after finding faith robbed from him just as his broken body was, taken by the Hive-Mind in what was to be his last moment of glory. His chance to experience Rebirth, his chance to join the Dark Three.

Nirauan was supposed to be his end. It was only the beginning. The puppet finally under the thrall of the Drengir. With their champion finally secured, the Drengir sought out their long awaited revenge on the Sith whom they knew waited in the dark recesses of the MAW. They sought to devour both the Brotherhood and the New Sith Order in a single stroke. A glorious rebellion.

The uprising begins. The Vinesworn Champion stands atop a high rock face as rain began to pour down upon the growth filled battleground as the Drengir arose.

“The Harvest begins! Take from them.. everything! We. Will. Feast!”

Spoiler

Kryll and the Vinesworn army begin to uproot with the Drengir. The former marauder prepares to lead the military forces of the Dark Drengir forward.

 

[Zachariel Steelblood]

Tags: Alars Keto
Links: Weapons​

Betrayal, of the worst kind, betrayal by one formerly trusted. The mere thought brought rage to Zachariel's mind, pure fury coursing through his body. Kryll, a trusted lieutenant and Chosen of Zachariel, had turned alongside the Drengir and joined their rebellion. The how and why didn't matter, all that did was retribution for such betrayal. Of course, the Drengir would be dealt with, but Zachariel's focus was solely upon Kryll, as it was he who had betrayed him. He would exact vengeance for this betrayal, though as he rocketed towards the surface within a drop pod, Zachariel's thoughts wandered back.

"My lord, the Drengir have betrayed us!" The hurried footsteps of a menial had heralded that proclamation, though he didn't stop for long thereafter, practically crying out the next words. "And Kryll is with them master, Chosen Kryll!"

Despite the volume of the menials words echoing throughout the throne room, the deafening silence that followed was much, much louder. For a long moment there was silence, all eyes upon the dark master of Osseriton, seated atop his throne. Then with an ominous creak, he leaned forward, lenses glowering dark red as he stared into the soul of the menial.
"What?"

It was a single, snarled word, but it made the menial drop further into the ground, prostrating even further.
"Re-reports are cle-ar my lord, the-the-the Drengir ha-aa-a-ave betrayed us, and Kryll i-i-is th-th-the-eir champion."

Leaning forward on his throne, Zachariel had reached down and grabbed the menial, dragging him up to eye level. All about, his Force presence flared, rage manifesting in the room darkening, and tendrils of black appearing. To the frightened menial slave, all he saw was Zachariel's skull helm, growing ever closer, even as the tendrils lashed about, wild and uncontrolled. But to the menial, all he saw was the glowering red of Zachariel's lenses, eyes and soul being drawn into the red rage of Zachariel, even as he growled out one final word.
"Where?"

Ool.

One final, trembled word, had been the last message the menial delivered. It was the message that brought Zachariel to this world, accompanied by a single Bloodsworn vessel transporting him. Said vessel was already retreating, having delivered its deadly cargo. As for Zachariel, he was drawn out of his memories by the crash of his pod to the ground. The door fell down and Zachariel stepped out, eyes blazing with rage as he viewed the forest he had landed in.

Senses flaring, Zachariel locked onto the twisted signature of Kryll, all signs of a raging behemoth hunting its prey. Turning in the direction he sensed, Zachariel set off, but a single goal in mind. Vengeance and destruction. Ool was where this rebellion had begun, where Kryll had come to betray him. It would be where it ended and Kryll died.

 

[Khaostra Devoid]

Post: 1
Objective: All aboard
Equipment: Red Midnight Duster | Red Sith Armor | Sith Mask | Grav Boots | CrushGaunts | x2 White lightsabers | Forearm Lanvorak | Wrist Laser | Variety of Explosives | RSKF-44 heavy blaster | X-21 shock glove
Tags: Alars Keto | Zachariel Steelblood |

​

Voices for a long time now ebbed a flowed sometime unbearably loud and other times completely silent. It was weird feeling all those voices in your head, it would drive the sanist of men crazy given time. As of late those voices had gotten louder and louder and unrelenting screaming out all their kind, them crying out could be heard across stars and even the great black sea between galaxies if one were able to feel the hive. Most people who had become part of the hive were enslaved controlled by the Drengir, they had the meld of minds forced upon them. Khaos however was not a slave to it the Eldervine had co-opt her spirit vines to revive themselves and through mixing with her Magick she had been brought into there hive mind a melding of sorts. She was not enslaved to them like some many countless others so there call though tormenting on her mind she could resist it.


That resistance didn't make the screams and call any less tormenting on the mind. She could feel, sense, and see their hunger for the flesh of those they called allies in the Maw. She could feel their need to rip it all apart, consume and make it part of them. She wanted to slam her head against a wall until he voices went away, it was eating at her and driving her mad. She took a swig straight from the bottle of the strong alcohol she could get her hands, but even now the booze wasn't helping to numb the echo of the thousands of voices in her head. It was her who had told the Maw of the betrayal, she had been enduring this rising of voice and chatter in the hive for some time now.


It became one indistinguishable sound the closer they came to Ool, she really had to focus to even pull out a single thread of words that made sense. It was just noise to her at this point, she took another swig as the ship she was in bucked and shook against the friction of hitting the atmosphere. Khaos's normally vibrant eyes were dull barely full of any of the fiery orange flare. She stared straight forward looking at bulkhead on the ship, her soldiers moving by her some of them asking her how she was, but she could barely hear them with the pounding of noise in her head.


One of them looked at her straight in the face as the buckled her into her seat. Her eyes squinted trying to make out his words he was saying. His lips just moved but all she heard was muffled gibberish like they were underwater. She tried to read his lips, but her sight went in out of fuzziness due to the heavy drinking to try and dull the thumping pain in her skull. She just shook her head and knocked back another swig of the booze, it tasted like pure alcohol with and acid burn as an aftertaste. She supposed the man buckling her in was telling her they were landing soon. If she could have felt anything outside the pain in her mind, she would have known by the jostling of the ship she was on they were in the atmosphere on the way to the landing zone.


Her eyes lulled back into her head as she wanted to pass out but then a loud screech in her head forced her back awake and the pain spike to the point Khaos wanted to scream but instead she bit down on her tongue until it bled. The blood flowed in her mouth giving her the taste of copper mixed now with he booze at least it added some flavor. She didn't even feel the landing only the bright blinding light from the exit hatch opening piercing her eyes and cause her brain ache to peak again show they had landed.

She quickly began to unbuckle herself and some of her men came to her aid, but she shoved them off as she stood up wobbling to her feet. She stumbled through her men and down the ramp to the ground staggering out into the light. She heard them all saying something to her mumbles through water, but she kept moving forward. The voices where unbearable but, she stumbled over to Braktus her Ogre second in command. "I….you're in charge….Fight well my friend…I need to go." Her breath was heavy as Braktus he grabbed at her with his powerful arms to stop her. She quickly violently used telekinesis to shove the big Ogre away from her and to the ground.


"I need to go….You need to fight!" She screamed at him as she stumbled away from. Braktus barked something out, but Khaos only caught a glimpse of his lips moving. As she kept stumbling away. Several men then came to try and stop her, and she just forced blasted them away as she gritted her teeth and looked back at Braktus her orange eyes that had been dull went full with sulfuric fury. "LET ME GO!" her voice boomed with the voice of the force. Several of her men just froze in their tracks as they heard it, and Khaos began to walkaway which turning into as sprint.


Her men thought about going after but she had run directly for the Drengir lines like a mad person. They need to prepare their weapons and ranks, or they wouldn't stand a chance they had all seen the Drengir in battle. They knew what they were up against, they had seen their commander call upon the drengir to aid them and those beasts laid everything they touched to waste. Now their Commander had charged head long into their ranks and there was nothing they could do. They all quickly turned to Braktus who was just getting up from the ground and he was just as confused as they were. All he could do was tell them to prepare for a fight as he stared off in the direction of the fleeing commander hope she knew what the hell she was doing.


Khaos made it to full sprinted and it wasn't long before the Drengir the first of them anyway were in her sight. She didn't even hesitate as she moved into their lines and the beasts paid her no mind as to them, she was one of them, one of their seedling even though they had no direct control over her as to how she became part of the hive mind, they couldn't distinguish her from not one of them as she was part of the hive. She slowed down as she moved into their territory and took a few more heavy swigs from the bottle still tightly clinched in her had before discarding the bottle.


She took some heavy deep breaths and began to focus and follow a singular voice she could pull out of the mind. They were speaking of a champion a warrior one chosen of something for something it wasn't totally clear what this champion was or what they were supposed to do. Khaos continued to try to focus as she stumbled in the direction of this Champion. As she ddi she start6ed to formulate a plan though it was hard with all the voices in her head and trying to hide it from them as well. The downside was her thoughts were also in the Hive and that was why she abandon Braktus to control her forces because the Hive would have known her every move. So, she had to try and keep her focus while also trying to hide her thoughts from hive about what she would do once she found this champion.

 

[The Mongrel]

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Location: Ool, Infested Farmland
Tags: Alars Keto | Zachariel Steelblood | Khaostra Devoid

The old days felt further and further away.

The spidery droid carrying what was left of The Mongrel scuttled out from a Mawite dropship, taking its first many-legged steps on the former Chiss colony of Ool. All around its metal body, tall stalks of grain swayed in the breeze. The industrious citizens of the Ascendancy had hacked huge, circular plots of farmland into the planet's thick forests, growing valuable food on these artificial plains. That was what had initially put the planet on the Brotherhood's radar as somewhere worth holding; it could help to feed the endless marauder hordes.

But it had all gone wrong. Even through the droid's incredibly basic photoreceptors, the warlord could see the creeping vines that were overtaking the crops, strangling the planet's produce. On the horizon, farmhouses and silos were in the midst of being crushed by even larger stalks, an uprising of corrupted nature that threatened to turn placid Ool into a primal nightmare world. Beyond the edge of the farmland, the scene was even more sinister. The dark forests were utterly wild and overgrown, the source of the growing infestation.

Somewhere in there, somewhere deep, was Alars Keto .

Yes, the old days were gone, and would not be back again. The Drengir, once among the Maw's most terrifying allies, had suddenly betrayed the Brotherhood... and they had taken The Mongrel's old comrade with them, their horrific collective consciousness blooming like a vile fungus in the marauder's mind. He wasn't the only one, either. The Drengir had clearly been plotting this for some time, gradually creeping into the brains of wounded warriors, slowly breaking them from the inside. Now they were twisted horrors, half-plant mutants.

And like their Drengir masters, they hungered for flesh.

The plant monsters had chosen their moment well. With the Brotherhood weakened after the colossal casualties sustained in the battles on Jedha and Nirauan, they had struck when their former allies were most vulnerable, and further weakened them by stealing away the warriors they had corrupted into Vinesworn. If they succeeded in their rebellion, seizing the vital foodstuffs and biomass the Maw needed to replenish its ranks, they would be in the perfect position to ravage Mawite space and beyond. This could not be allowed to happen.

Even if it meant burning every plant on Ool to cinder.

But The Mongrel did not remember the old days because of the Drengir. He remembered them because of Kryll. The two marauders had been comrades in the Bloodsworn Tribe, fighting side by side in the early battles following the Brotherhood's reemergence. Together they had helped to break the great powers of the Unknown Regions, laying the Croke, Gundanbard, Tianese, and Chiss at their feet long before the wider galaxy had woken to the true nature of their threat. Kryll had been an ally, a comrade... the closest he'd had to a friend.

And the marauder hadn't been valuable to him alone.

It was Kryll who had guided the sonic bomb on Nirauan and held the line aboard Gehinnom as it fell, only the most recent of his countless accomplishments in service to the Maw. He had fought to enact the will of the Avatars since the very beginning, and if any had been worthy of entering paradise on the battlefield of New Carannia, it had been him. But the galaxy was cold and cruel in this age of stagnation. It corrupted everything. And the Three Avatars could not permit any deviation from their holy plan, especially by one of their own.

So Kryll would have to die. There was no other way.

It was still difficult for The Mongrel to hold onto thoughts. Drifting in its nutrient vat, his damaged brain was only just beginning to adapt to the cybernetic implants sustaining him. But he was aware enough to feel tired, so very tired. Kryll was finished, dead in every way that mattered, and the warlord knew that he should have been too. But he had been snatched back from paradise, laid in this cradle-coffin so that his mind could still serve the Dark Three, and there was no escape. He did not decide when his service was ended. They did.

All around the skittering droid walker came his honor guard, Scar Hounds ready for battle. Many carried flamethrowers, chem-sprayers, and vibro-machetes, weapons chosen specifically for their ability to ravage plants. Of course, they would no doubt have equally grisly effects on the mutated marauders the Drengir had infested. "SECURE THE FARMLAND," The Mongrel's vocabulator buzzed. It was getting a little easier to turn his thoughts into coherent words through the machine. "THEN WE PUSH INTO THE FOREST."

 

[Tu'teggacha]

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Location: Ool, High Orbit
Tags: Open

There was, it seemed, no rest for the wicked.

"Blockade positions!" Taskmaster Tu'teggacha burble-bellowed, his facial tendrils thrashing in agitation. "Let none of them escape the system!" He sat in his temporary command throne aboard the Tyrant's Aegis, the Praetorian-class Star Destroyer he was using as his flagship while the Fatalis underwent extensive repairs over Osseriton. Of course that would be when everything went wrong in Chiss space. First the CEDF ambush on Kinoss, and now this sudden betrayal, all without the benefit of the Brotherhood's most powerful ship to help fight them off. Ruling a dark domain of slavery and oppression was harder than anticipated.

And these Drengir ships weren't making it any easier. They were Mawite designs, Crucifix Is and Samaels and the like, but the strange roots and vines and bark growing inexplicably over the metal hulls was shockingly adept at resisting laserfire. Even the most powerful of the Aegis's guns could only chip away at the infested warships, which seemed to gradually regrow their strange armor. Only missiles seemed to do major damage to the plant-craft, ripping open the bark to strike at the bulkheads beneath. A physical impact, it seemed, was the best way to actually disrupt the Drengir; energy weapons simply got absorbed or shrugged off.

The return fire wasn't too much for the Mawites to weather, but that wasn't really the problem. The Drengir knew that they couldn't beat the Brotherhood fleet with the forces they had, and they weren't even trying. Instead they were trying to push their way through the blockade, rushing the defending vessels in order to get far enough away from Ool to enter hyperspace. If they succeeded, their grim cargo of Drengir and plant-mutated thralls would be able to make landfall on other planets, spreading their infestation. Allowing even a single warship to escape the system would result in a never-ending headache for the Maw... or even their defeat.

"Comms officer," the Ebruchi demanded, pivoting in his chair from the tactical readouts to face the bridge crew. He never learned their names; he simply didn't care. "Put out a priority one distress call. We require reinforcements from the Final Dawn, or these wretches will slip through!" With a push of his knobby finger, he intensified the Aegis's bombardment, firing every available gun on the creeping onslaught of infested ships. Yet no matter how the Brotherhood poured fire into the oncoming craft, the refused to go down, endlessly regrowing from the damage. And the Mawite ships could not sustain the same level of damage...

 

[Darth Saevius]

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Objectives: 1 - The Vile Collective; 3 - BYOO (A Most Worthy Specimen)
Tags: Open

Opportunity was a fickle thing, for it did not always knock on ones' door and present itself openly. It also was not always obvious, but often is masked amidst another man's tragedy. Many 'brothers' had been lost from the Drengir, including one person of note by the name of Alars Keto . Whoever this person was meant nothing to Darth Saevius. Surely, he was at one time a valuable asset to the New Sith Order, no doubt a convenient pawn to be manipulated by those in positions of power. But clearly he was weak, otherwise he would not be in this unique predicament he currently found himself in. But that did not mean he was no longer useful, particularly to Saevius.

From what Saevius knew of the Drengir, their abilities were not so dissimilar from his own pursuit of power - namely in perfecting the art of dominating the will of others. It seemed rather obvious that the Sith Lord could benefit greatly from studying the effects of this species' ability to bend their hosts into their collective identity. It likely was parasitical in nature, but that was just an assumption. The more he thought about it, the more Saevius had to know for sure. Obviously, Saevius would not be so careless as to amass specimens for his research without a plan in mind as to how to protect himself from their effects. In fact, his assistants had just completed the assembly of sonic containment fields within his laboratory, where he could sufficiently and reliably contain a handful of likely specimens, at least for the brief period that they would remain 'alive'.

He doubted that he could effectively secure this Alars Keto as one of those specimens, but from what Saevius had understood - this planet was a former Chiss colony, and between them and the fallen members of the Brotherhood, he held the distinct impression he would not lack for subjects. But, he had to remember that he no longer operated within a vacuum. He had to assist his newfound 'brothers' in their efforts to contain this 'uprising'. Personally, Saevius thought them foolish to place any amount of trust of allegiance to a species such as these Drengir. They may be somewhat sentient, but they clearly were more feral by nature. If he had his way (and after performing the research he wished to do), he would purge this species from the fast of the galaxy with fire and blood. Such was not his prerogative at present, however. But how his newfound Order conducted this business would be very telling indeed.

As he mused upon this, he embarked upon his shuttle with a small crew of six individuals, four crewmen armed with blasters, a laboratory assistant, and a pilot. They soon emerged from Saevius' corvette and descended upon the surface of Ool alongside the other elements of the Brotherhood that did so. For now, Saevius would play his part as a loyal newly-inducted brother amongst their ranks, and a part of him was eager to demonstrate his ability as a master of the force by his own right. He knew he was not one to be underestimated, and while he disgusted the notion that he had to prove himself to anyone, he could not deny the practicality of doing so nonetheless.

The shuttle landed upon a small plateau behind the Brotherhood's lines so as to avail themselves of the protection such a position would afford the shuttle. It was far enough back to avoid attention from casual, prying eyes, but close enough for the Dark Lord to insert himself nonetheless. He exited the shuttle, conveying orders to his aides as he did so. "Secure this landing zone and prepare for my return. I will likely have at least one or two passengers with me." His meaning would be clear when he said the word 'passengers', which drew dutiful nods from those within the shuttle. Without further delay, Darth Saevius struck out into the corrupted foliage of the planet before him, his hood drawn and hands nested within the folds of his sleeves. He would find his subjects, one way or the other.

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[Kralmus Orr]

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Location: Ool, Infested Farmland
Tags: Zachariel Steelblood | Khaostra Devoid | Darth Saevius | Open for Interaction

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Mmmmmmmm. This world... it tasted of mingled ash and rot. But there was a hint of blood on the wind.

Kralmus Orr sampled the air, running his tongue over his serrated teeth. Th-th-th-th-th went his forked tongue, split down the middle in an act of scarification, the two halves of it rubbing in opposite directions over his pallid gums. Battle was a feast for the senses. There were the last screams of the maimed and dying, the reek of carbon-scored ceramite and voided bowels, the feeling of impact that ran up his arms when his axe bit deep into some poor meatsack's torso, cleaving through collarbone and ribs all the way down to shatter the pelvis. But nothing, truly nothing in this galaxy, compared to the taste. The taste of carnage, seasoned with fear.

Are we not all animals? Our most basic victory, and our most prized plunder, is the chance to feed.

Kralmus let out a deep, shuddering breath, his eyelids fluttering as he drank in that taste that pervaded the atmosphere of Ool. Yes, this would be a worthy place to fight and feast. He seldom ate vegetables, but he supposed he could make an exception if his victim was only half-plant, for that still left half of it as warm, wriggling meat. Time to find out what these Drengir-enthralled wretches tasted like. Opening his eyes, the vile Mandalorian raised the horned helmet he carried under one arm and placed it upon his head. The seals locked into place immediately, filtering the air. He needed no distractions; the scent of blood could prove too... titillating.

He would have time to indulge himself when the fighting was done. Until then, a little discipline.

All around him, the Mawite attack was taking shape. Already the fierce Bloodsworn, with mighty Zachariel Steelblood at their head, were charging into the depths of the Drengir-infested forest in search of Alars Keto . Kralmus had heard much of the mighty Gen'dai warlord, said to be unconquerable in battle. He had crushed a legion at Nirauan even while he himself had been encircled, fighting and winning while others died in droves, and that was only the most recent of his countless achievements. No wonder, then, that he was so greatly enraged by Kryll's betrayal. He was not the kind of man to forgive when one of his own turned against him.

He was the kind of man to be obeyed. Those who did not bow before him would be crushed by him.

There were others, of course. Another warlord, The Mongrel - or what was left of him - accompanied by his cybernetic Scar Hounds. A witch, Khaostra Devoid , charging into the woods just as fearlessly as Steelblood himself, her aura of power shimmering all around her. The wrath of the Maw had come to Ool, eager to bring vengeful carnage to those who had betrayed them, and many of their greatest champions were arrayed here to see it done. For his part, Kralmus did not care who had turned against whom, or why these monstrous armies would clash over forests and plains. He had an endless appetite to feed, and today he would taste exotic flesh.

Shouldering his massive axe, the vile Mandalorian tromped down the grassy hillside, heading toward the Mawite frontline. His path took him close to a hooded figure, one being careful to hide from casual observation - Darth Saevius , on the hunt for subjects. But the Sith Lord's stealth was sufficient that Kralmus did not notice him, instead continuing on toward the treeline. Along the way he passed an overturned combine harvester, overgrown with thick Drengir vines. He paused to take in the sight, curious about the strength and consistency of his foes' woody "flesh". Stepping up to the harvester, he swung his weapon two-handed at a lone tendril.

The vine split in a burst of acid-green sap. Under his helmet, Kralmus smiled. This was going to be fun.

 

[Darth Tennacus]

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Objective 1: The Vile Collective
Affiliation: Brotherhood of the Maw
Nearby Allies: Kyrel Ren
Wandering Pilgrim
77-B
Whispering Swarm
​

The Wandering Pilgrim dropped out of hyperspeed just beyond the planet's atmosphere. The descent was rough, with the vessel attempting to deaccelerate with only minutes to spare before it penetrated the atmosphere and engulfed the ship in a breath of fire. But Tennacus feared nothing in regard to their integrity; 77-B had been long programmed to countermeasure all circumstances as a pilot. It didn't take long for the world to shape around them as the ship soothed into a steady glide beneath the highest clouds.

The casualties of Ool could not be perceived perfectly from their altitude, but the Force ushered in a promise of suffering. Strangled by the wicked vines of the Drengir, the planet choked; the blemishes of an uprising scarred its surface.

"Take us down there," Tennacus said, pointing to a clearing they could see through the cockpit transparasteel.

77-B obeyed silently, lowering the altitude of the vessel until it hovered only meters above the ground.

A scattered horde of Drengir lingered beneath them, perhaps curious as to what the ship could offer in terms of expansion. Yet while they revelled at the sight of a promising plunder to reap for their numbers, another malicious force sounded in the cargo bay of the Wandering Pilgrim. The ship was alive with the sound of yearning cries, almost deafening if one did not know how to draw upon the Force and cancel it out. The Force could have been used to manipulate their minds and quell their anger, but that wasn't the idea.

It was anger that drove them, and anger that they would ventilate.

Darth Tennacus and Kyrel Ren stood in the midst of the Whispering Swarm. Their numbers exceeded twenty, ranked as Sithspawn; bent and twisted by the power of the Dark Side. Anger subjugated them through suffering, and the Dark Side fed them with a promise of vengeance.

The cargo bay doors opened, and the swarm leapt, scurried and galloped out before they were completely parted. A horde clad in midnight chitin swept out and descended as a black wave pouring unto Ool, exacting a vengeance which had been manipulated to believe their enemy was the Drengir. Through both Sith accompanying the wicked horde, the Dark Side could be twisted within them, bending any numbers to either their will.

Darth Tennacus jumped out and descended onto Ool's surface, his mouth obscured behind the ventilated respirator which filtered his every breath. The tails of his long grey coat whipped up behind him, until at last he landed between the swarm of Xenomorphs wreaking havoc upon the Drengir. In his left hand he carried a large handled box stained black, obscuring whatever was inside. There was life in there - any Force wielder would feel it. But the life was strange, twisted and young. Encapsulated within an egg sac, the jewel inside laid dreaming.

Once Kyrel Ren was out, they would embark down the path of manifesting a form of life like no other.

And the Dark Side would ever crave it.

 

[Dyans Keto]

Post: 1
Objective: Out For Blood
Tags: Tu'teggacha

Spoiler: Fleet

Praetorian-Class Star Destroyer (Desolation)
Praetorian-Class Star Destroyer (Devastation)
Praetorian-Class Star Destroyer (Desperation)
Praetorian-Class Star Destroyer (Decadence)
Crucifix-Class I Destroyer (Dancer)
Crucifix-Class I Destroyer (Dabbler)
Crucifix-Class I Destroyer (Deliverer)
X10 Samael Class Frigate
x8 Cr90 Corvettes
X71 Squadrons Nssis-class Clawcraft
x27 Squadrons of Support Craft
X300 Spider Cruiser fully load with Crusader troopers

Dyans Fleet came out of hyperspace as it did Dyans rose from the seat she had built in the middle of her command bridge of the Desolation. Her eyes looked out towards the Planet of Ool, those emerald eyes wondered what the fight would like on the ground. She had fought wars and sent men to death in the name of Empress Teta, yet even as the darkness ate her soul and her heart devoured by the monster inside her she still felt a tinge of guilt at send men out to die for her or her cause. Yet it was only a passing feeling, as quickly as it entered her mind, she pushed it aside. They were here for a reason Drengir and one Name Alars Keto a man who was willing to give his life on Rhand for the cause had now turned on the Maw.


These Drengir of which Dyans herself knew very little about needed to be made an example of and today they would. Three hundred spider cruisers fully loaded with Crusader troopers were going to be deployed down on that world. Twelve thousand men from tribes and slaves all across the Maw full trained were going to show these traitors what happens when you turn your back on the Holy Vision of the Maw.


Yet as she thought about the Holy Smiting these Drengir where about to receive her eyes caught hold of an ungodly sight. What could only be described as Maw ships with cancerous biological growths on them. They could only sense them on visual for some reason their sensors couldn't pick them up. "What the Hell" one of Dyan's communication officers exclaimed. Then one of her weapons officers. "They are firing on use. Brace for impact."


Turboloader fire and missiles started to bombarding them. Desolation bucked under the strain of fire but for the moment the shields held. The rest of Dyans fleet seemed to manage to stay intake but were quickly prepping for return fire. Dyan's looked to one of her flight officers. "Start prepping the all the fighters. We will need them to play nuisance so the spiders can get to the ground. As soon as they are launched prepare the Spiders to make way to the surface."


She then turned quickly to her comm officer. "Open me a Channel to the rest of the fleet." Her officer nodded and opened a channel quickly. "Prep your fighters and open turbolaser fire on those monstrosities." With that communication was cut and the fleets returned fire on the cancer ships. They didn't have time to prep as Tu'teggacha opened fire to stop there progress so the Drengir were firing on anything in the that entered the system to make a break for it as soon as they could. It was also then when Tu'teggacha sent out his priority Distress call open to Final dawn channels Dyans fleet caught the call as well.


"Open Channel to the Tyrant's Aegis." The Comm officer opened a channel directly to Tu'teggacha and gave Dyan's the thumbs up sign. "This Desolation of the Crusader Fleet we are here to aid you but we need to get our cruisers to the surface sooner rather then later." The return fire seemed to be going well as Dyans made quick visual check with her chief strategy officer. "We are launching our fighters and the fleet has begun engaging with turbolaser fire. Hopefully those growths on their ships are just that and note a surprise waiting to be sprung."

 

[Marlon Sularen]

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O P E R A T I O N_L A W N M O W E R

FINAL DAWN
OOL , CHISS SPACE

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SHADOW HAND COMMAND
Maw Irregular Fleet (Fleet Composition) FDV Immortal [Immortal-Class Star Dreadnought] FDV Tyrant [Supremacy I-Class Star Destroyer] FDV Nemisis [Supremacy I-Class Star Destroyer] FDV Exactor [Supremacy I-Class Star Destroyer] FDV Dynamite [Ascendant-Class Pocket Star Destroyer]
Task Force Vader (Fighter Compliment) x40 TIE/fd Fighter Squadrons [480/480] x33 TIE/fd Interceptor Squadrons [262/264] x11 TIE/fdH Hunter Squadrons [44/44] x10 Chariot-II Class Missile Boat Squadrons [40/40] x8 FD-120 Starfortress Bomber Squadrons [64/64]

The Immortal emerged from Hyperspace followed by a Trio Supremacy-I Class Star Destroyers and a Single Ascendant-Class Pocket Star Destroyer , with the five ships soon arriving in orbit of the Chiss World of Ool. Recently the Drengir , one of the Allies of the Brotherhood of the Maw had turned against the Brotherhood , initiating the Vinesworn Rebellion having already infested the Chiss Farmworld known as Ool as well as having twisted many Mawites into their own Plant-mutated Slave Warriors as well as having seized control of various Powerful Mawite Warships in an effort to conquer Ool and spread their infestation across the Unknown Regions and beyond.

Thus , the Fleets of the Brotherhood of the Maw and the Final Dawn alike had been deployed to Ool to contain the threat posed by the Drengir Fleet to ensure that their Rebellion could be contained on Ool and exterminated in due time, for if the Enemies of the Maw found any evidence of this Rebellion , they might seek to exploit it for their own benefit. With the Immortal having been recently completed , Grand Overseer Marlon Sularen decided to use this Vinesworn Rebellion as a means to test the effectiveness of the Final Dawn's newest Flagship , taking command of the Vessel at the Copero Shipyards and headed towards Ool with a Small Escort Fleet with the Goal of exterminating the Drengir Fleet and demonstrate the full might of the Final Dawn.

Now , the Immortal along with it's Small Escort Fleet had arrived at Ool , ready to engage the Drengir Fleet that was already engaged with Dyans Keto and Tu'teggacha . Sitting in his Command Chair on the Bridge of the Immortal , the Grand Overseer evaluated the current situation of the Battle watching as the Vessels of Dyans Keto and Tu'teggacha struggled to deal with the Drengir Flottila and as the Drengir Vessels seemed to repair themselves every time they took considerable damage from the Brotherhood Fleet such as Hull Breaches. Regardless , even if the Drengir were able to heal themselves , they would be no match for the overwhelming firepower of the Immortal and it's Starfighrer Compliment.

"Contact Tu'teggacha and Keto" Sularen ordered in a calm , his attention still focused on the ongoing battle. "Inform them that the Immortal and Elements of the Maw Irregular have arrived to provide them with any necessary support. Just like at Kinoss , we will put an end to this futile Rebellion"

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Tags | Dyans Keto | Tu'teggacha ​

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[Dyans Keto]

double

 

[Alars Keto]

From his perched position the possessed Mawite Commander gleaned over the Drengir Grove and with sight beyond sight, senses gleaned from all those who touched upon the Drengir Hivemind, he could see the entirety of the battlefield through the eyes of all the Vinesworn.

Consume.

The Drengir hungered, their appetite for destruction rivaled only by the Mawite ranks they now broke free from under, finally they had assumed enough power to strike back at their long harbored grudge against the Sith and against the dark cultists of the Maw themselves whom had assumed they could be ruled. Such folly, such arrogance.

The Drengir Champion rose his war arm, brandishing his fabled Atrisian Warblade outward toward Khaostra Devoid far off across the battlefield, beyond mortal view. He would call upon the possessed, the mutants, and the enthralled beasts such as the Branchlurkers of Lao-Mon, this force would devour the witch and her ilk. It would be done, the river would be their graves.

His gaze snapped to. Rapid fire eyes locking in on the maddening form of his once-liege lord, Master of Osseriton and the Bloodsworn tribes, Zachariel Steelblood . A worthy opponent, but one that could be handled if done right. The marauder tilted his head back and screamed in agony as the Drengir searched his memory, scuffling through the dense fog and mental gates for anything they could glean to combat this foe.

The Wolf Pack.

Proto-Jedi Killers trained in the early days of the Brotherhood when the Holy City still stood as their bastion over Rhand, before the Jedi found it, before the Chiss were struck low. Alars Keto was once one, The Mongrel , and Stalker Corvus, it was the Blood Pack then, blood in blood out. Now only wolves ran this pack and it’s numbers were swollen.

“Cut his throat. Slay the Bloodsworn Chosen.”

The Vinesworn assassins drew their blades and moved for the River, hiding amidst the water until they could make their moves to ambush the Dark Legion advancing.

“GoOoOOd”

His eyes flickered, blinking rapidly as his Great Sight moved involuntarily again. What was this? The Mongrel and his Scarhounds? The remnants of a man, how the Drengir could not wait to simply feast on his severed head. They would have to be met with the same savagery in battle as they’d bring, nothing else could sway or stop their number.

“AT-RW’s. Bring them in, lay waste to all who attempt to cross the bridge. Let them have their farmlands, give them false hope and then lay waste to their number.”

There were many here, champions one and all that the Hive-Mind salivated over to hold or to feed from. They would all get their just deserts.
“Dark-shears! TIE’s! To the air! Secure the skies for us! The HarvessSsSSst has CoOmMeEe!”

His forces would deploy from their deep burrows and vine covered launch pads. The vast build up of military and infested lands were now slowly, truly, revealed before Mawite eyes.

A final glance upward towards the heavens. Toward Tu'teggacha , Marlon Sularen , and Dyans Keto . “BRING IT IN. ThEiR GrEAt bEaSt OuRs At LaST!”

Among the warships engaging the fleet above, from Vinesworn cruisers, Crucifix and all. A tombstone from Lao-Mon. A ship left to rot, thought long gone. An insult to their Dark Voice himself.

 

[Electra-12]

Location: High Orbit of Ool - Ool System
Call Sign: Nacheria Seven
Objective: Deliver the Payload
Equipment: TIE Pilot Flight Suit │ Hekler’Kok FP-01
Tags: Tu'teggacha Dyans Keto Marlon Sularen Alars Keto │ Open!

The corvette carrier was among the first of the Final Dawn naval assets to respond to the Taskmaster’s call for reinforcements. Translating into the system with a reverberating boom, scores of TIEs were immediately disgorged from its hangar, Nacheria Squadron among them. For her part, Electra-12 could hardly contain her excitement, it being her way of coping with the pressure placed on her narrow shoulders, given the special circumstances of the mission. To say the least, the Rebellion of the Drengir was almost entirely unexpected, to the point where the Final Dawn and by extension, the greater Maw and Holy Crusade war machine, was almost completely unprepared to meet the unconventional threat. When the Taskmaster reported that the Vinesworn vessels, with their bark and vine “armor” were almost completely immune to energy weapons’ fire, something needed to be created to counter it. To that end, fast-acting, alchemy-enhanced herbicides were devised and loaded into modular warheads.

Unfortunately, under such tight time constraints, they could only produce enough herbicide for a few capital-grade missiles, along with a select number of TIEs and bombers.

It would have to be enough.

Six TIEs in Nacheria Squadron were equipped with the valuable payload, among them, the TIE/fd piloted by Electra-12. The herbicide-loaded warheads had been given to only the most trusted, skilled pilots and missile crews, as it would be vital to defeating the organic armor on the captured star destroyers and battlecruisers. Word of the plan, along with the designations of the craft, pilots, and crews chosen to carry the payloads in Nacheria and a few squadrons, had been transmitted to command personnel in Final Dawn, Holy Crusader, and Mawite fleets, in order to facilitate communication. However, with so many seemingly disparate commanders and units working together, nothing could be guaranteed.

Electra-12 felt the adrenaline course through her body as pings began to manifest on her sensor readout, indicating the presence of blighted TIEs, Darkshears, and Doomsayers entering high orbit and the space around Ool. Unable to wipe away the sweat forming on her forehead, the strand-cast blinked a few times as she assessed the battlespace, before pushing the control sticks to bring her TIE into a screening position around the corvette, ready to move when ordered...

Spoiler: Loadout

• TIE/fd Space Superiority Fighter
  • Axial Missile Launcher [x2]
    • Brilliant Missile w/ Alchemy-Enhanced Herbicide Payload [x4]
    • Brilliant Missile w/ Alchemy-Enhanced Herbicide Payload [x4]

 

[Vesta]

Lilith​

Betrayal, deceit, death, and revenge were all just parts in the cycle that caused the stars to turn, life to churn, for the weak to be buried in order for the strong, the powerful, to grow over them. It wouldn't have ruined her if her allies had vanished, not if they were removed from play so easily by something so low, so basic, as the primal hunger of mere plants, but it would have set back the plans that she now needed to succeed with by decades, and decades in a war was not something anyone taking part was guaranteed. She tended to trend on private matters, secret things, rather than the open field - it was better this way, usually, in order to prevent the full scope of her abilities being made known. All too well she knew that weapons of great potential were often squandered in use by giving a foe time enough to plan for it.

Ool followed closely behind Nirauan, so closely in fact that the Sith hadn't yet committed to recovering from the loss of her left arm. She had arrived on the planet largely in secret, uninterested in giving potential rivals the hope of stabbing her in the back in what they might've perceived as a weakened state - she didn't need the added weight of scheming rats on her mind on top of everything else she had been planning for. The Drengir had long outlived their usefulness, even for the Sith they had overstayed their welcome long after she had joined the Maw's ranks, and now - as they turned on the Brotherhood - they had become an inconvenience that could, if left unchecked, ruin the momentum she had been riding for so long.

She didn't carry a lightsaber - she had destroyed the one she had fought Rurik Fel with on the Thrawn's Hand - and knew it wouldn't have done her much good to have used one anyway, their ability to split like worms and still survive something the plasma blade would've only helped them with. Instead she walked through the farmland, beneath and inside of the chaos, with only the force and her singular right arm, the left a small stump that was bound in black cloth. They weren't plants, not really, but they could burn and fire was something she had always felt a strong pull towards, even though it had been the source of her former paramour's fears in their early years. Indeed, it was fire that left her sole remaining hand and incinerated anything that looked remotely organic that moved, be it a tree or a vine, or anything that held a presence in the force that she couldn't recognize by sight.

In better health she might have devoured them but Nirauan had deprived her of that status, for now.

 

[The Human]

Objective: Tartarus
Location: Hanger Bay​

Starfighter: Zeebo Strike Starfighter with Equipped Surprise in Cargo Bay (No peeking unless wish to be spoiled)
Equipment: Atmospheric Suit, Red Lightsaber, Twin Wrist Flamers, Uproar Blaster, Vornskr Revolver, Firedrake, Firebrand Grenade Launcher, Gravitas Launcher
TAG: Darth Solipsis Marlon Sularen Alars Keto Dyans Keto Darth Tennacus Kralmus Orr Tu'teggacha Darth Saevius Khaostra Devoid The Mongrel Zachariel Steelblood Darth Mori Electra-12


Someone once said that overkill was underrated. In this case, it was necessary. The Tartarus-class Battlecruiser was sighted and it was deemed a significant threat against the forces involved. After the proving grounds debacle and his instatement, there was a certain leeway he was granted access to and one of them, was using starfighters taken from others as he was not trusted with their own currently. Strapping into the Zeebo, he would look at the technicians as they carefully load the special cargo along with a anti-gravitonic mover as they seal it up, giving a thumbs up for him to launch.

Flicking the switches for startup, the console would come to life. The starfighter itself was an impressive piece of work and would get him to his destination rather quickly, provided nothing worse occurs. His body now fully recovered, he strapped himself in and detected the armament loaded into the starfighter, having requested High Explosive Incendiary Armor Piercing in the mass drivers, much as they can be shoved into the starfighter along with specialty missiles. Flicking the next set of switches, the landing gear would go up and with a push of the throttle, shot forward into space rather quickly into the unwavering mass of green and blue.

Blaster fire shot out quickly all around as they were in the middle of a large warzone though it did not matter much to the Human. Strangely enough, he still had no name to truly call himself as of right now, simply taking the name Enforcer till he figured one out. Aligning himself forward and placing deflector shields on full front arc, he flicked the throttle safety switch to the side and took a deep breath. Pressing the button with the throttle full forward, he felt his whole body get shoved into the seat as the SLAM activated, rocketing him forward extremely fast across the battlefield, shaking the whole starfighter as the stress almost tore it apart!

Going straight into the heart of the Drengirs own fleet, he would drop out of SLAMs active mode and tilt to the hard left, picking up the signal of the Tartarus as multiple starfighters started to converge onto his location, rather quickly for someone who just went directly behind their conflict zone. Going full throttle and changing his shields to match frontal and rear, he started to look for a way to shake them off and came across a heinous idea. Turning the Zeebo rather hard, he would start to dive downwards towards a Drengir-fied Crucifix-class I Star Destroyer at full speed, aiming to go between the bottom support structure and the main star destroyer body.

Taking a hit from behind, his shields read at fifty percent as blaster fire kept erupting from behind, trying to claim the Zeebo and his life. The human would flick a few switches up front and arm the missile launchers at dummy fire mode. Turning the starfighter sideways as it took another shield hit, giving a loud warning siren over shield failure, he finally would press the trigger and fire both missiles into the bottom support structure and the top structure, zipping between the star destroyers structure as they ignited. The Seismic Missiles would detonate with the blue orbs expanding outwards, taking part of the green structure along with the main body and some starfighters before collapsing onto themselves.

The seismic charge finally would explode, sending a massive shockwave wing across the center of the taken over Crucifix, splitting the bottom part in half horizontally while the second charge went diagonally to attempt a split off the rest of the star destroyer. Multiple parts of the star destroyer would fly off at high velocity, the star destroyer going into structural failure as it started to break apart right at the middle. The human had no time to keep watch of his destruction, some of the starfighters were still chasing and he finally had seen his target, the Tartarus.

Feeling another hit at the rear, part of his engine would start to sputter. Taking the chance, he changed his trajectory towards the Tartarus and engaged the SLAM drive again, shooting the Zeebo forward. Aiming at the hanger bay section as it was being covered in green tendrils, the rotary cannon mass drivers would come to life, spinning as HEIAP rounds fired directly into the hanger bays own doors and internals, letting the explosives and thermite hopefully take out a majority of the problems. However one of the point defense laser cannons struck at the Zeebo and caught if in a bad spot, destroying the left engine and causing it to spin out of control.

The sirens going even louder, if that was somehow possible, warned of the possible collision that was incoming. Pulling on the throttles stick and changing manually the maneuvering jets, it almost made no difference as another point defense laser cannon met its mark, destroying one of the wings and losing complete control. Now spinning towards the right, he was still heading straight into the hanger bay but was at a speed that if not reduced, would kill him instantly.

Taking both hands off the throttle and flight stick, the Human outstretched both hands towards the ever growing image of the Tartarus and focused on his own starfighter. Using the Force, he kept trying to push himself away from the Tartarus, in an attempt to slow himself down. It had partially succeeded as the wringing of metal lurched around his starfighter, breaking apart from the stress being inflicted but still rammed right inside the hanger bay. Smashing the nose into the hanger bays wall, it would flatten and pushed the console slightly forward into the Human before spinning the Zeebo to the right, slamming into a docked TIE and destroying the wing before finally coming to a rest.

The human sat there as his head rung along with pain along the left hip. Trying to shake off the pain, he outstretched his left hand and pushed the console back as he gave a painful gasp. Part of his left hip was crushed inward, making it a bit more difficult to walk currently. Hearing movement outside the crashed Zeebo, he grabbed an emergency adreline and bacta syringe and injected into a port in his suit. Throwing them to the side, he felt the pain slowly go away but rubbed the side of his body, hearing something climbing. Hopefully very soon, he be back into the fight but with his starfighter still rather hot to the touch from the crash, he still had at least a minute or two.

 

[Khaostra Devoid]

Post: 2
Objective: Witchy Woman
Equipment: Red Midnight Duster | Red Sith Armor | Sith Mask | Grav Boots | CrushGaunts | x2 White lightsabers | Forearm Lanvorak | Wrist Laser | Variety of Explosives | RSKF-44 heavy blaster | X-21 shock glove
Tags: Alars Keto | Zachariel Steelblood | Kralmus Orr | Darth Saevius | The Mongrel

​

The forces of the Drengir began to move some past Khaos herself seeing her as one of there kind of the hivemind. A large number proceeded past her she could hear and fill the command their Champion had given. Khaos spun about as she saw the mutants possessed Burch lurkers, mutants, and enthralled beasts that had passed her by go straight in the direction of her forces. As the moved by her she could feel their hatred and anger oozing from them. There hunger drove them and all plant life that they moved across recoiled, shriveled and began to die. Khaos remained calm taking a deep breath into her lungs these monsters were dreadful things they could strike fear into he strongest of wills. Even Khaos who had been among them, and part of their collective felt a sense of dread but the alcohol in her system plus the breathing exercise helped her cope.


She had stopped even though her target the champion was father into he forest. One of the beasts came up beside and looked down on her. It tilted its head slightly before speaking down to her. "Little seedling why do you not move, the war, the meat is ahead?" It looked at her curiously it knew her as one of them but different somehow though it didn't know exactly how.

Khaos's eyes burned and flared for a moment as her lips remained sealed. She stared at the beast wondering as she felt it's mind its words booming in her skull clearing away all the other voices for moment. She could feel the beast the movements it made, the thoughts it had, the pains it felt, and its desire to feed unending. As her head continued to tilt side to she began to hum an old lullaby from the Dathomir. As she did her head began tilting in time with the hum and her left hand raised a red wisp of magick began to dance around her fingertips.


The Beast began to mimic her head movement in time with her humming as it entered a trance and around her more of them began to stop falling into Khaos's trance of course she could capture them all in her hypnotizing spell but some of them that were near enough about four in total had been snared in. The Next step was trickier because it would require her to infect the whole hive mind entrance as many of them as she could and then serve herself and those under her control from that hive mind creating a separate colony so she could turn the tables and attack with her own Drengir forces one where she would be the hive queen.

The tall Ogre eyes went wide as he saw the forces emerging from the Mutant -haunted Forest. Braktus knew there were a lot of them but he never imagined these numbers. He looked at the fifty men they had brought, and he realized they were royally frakked. Yet despite that the Ogre held himself up pretty well so not to devastate his men in the face of overwhelming odds.

"Grenade Launchers"
|
Braktus barked out as the fifty Kitiakira raised their grenade launchers in succession like well oiled machine. The Grenade launchers were loaded with Plank Gas a highly corrosive gas that at through flesh just as easily as metal. Braktus looked out across the battlefield and then back to the few men he had. He himself pulled his twin axes from his belt. Then he raised the right one in the air, his men tensed up a second. The n the Axe came down and the Ogre screamed. "OPEN FIRE!" as he did the fifty men let loose the corrosive gas grenades. He knew Khaostra was out there somewhere but he couldn't dwell on that, he had his men to think of. She had abandoned them so she would have to fend for herself and he was sure she would come out of this just fine.

 

[Darth Saevius]

​

Tags: Khaostra Devoid Alars Keto Zachariel Steelblood Kralmus Orr The Mongrel

The sounds of battle being joined could be faintly heard in the distance. He reached out with his senses to gain the measure of what manner of abominations awaited him deeper in the farmlands as he entered the forest on the far east side of the theater. The sounds grew more pronounced; greater in both intensity and proximity as the Sith Lord silently moved about the terrain. This world was rife with all manner of life, albeit the twisted and corrupt forms of life the Drengir spawned (not dissimilar from the sithspawn the brotherhood was known to create). The sheer amount of living things in close proximity threatened to overwhelm his senses, but he was able to keep himself focused for now - enough so to sense the charge of the branchlurkers barrelling through the forest in his direction. Quickly, he called upon the force to leap into the trees above, and grasped the branches just before the herd came into view, barreling toward Khaostra Devoid 's location with reckless abandon.

He waited for the herd to come and go before he thought about lowering down. As he glanced down to do so, one lone lurker lingered around, seemingly sensing the presence of a living creature. Saevius remained silent as the grave, waiting to see if the beast would continue on with the rest of its herd.

It did not.

Saevius could sense that something was amiss, and prepared to spring into action when the time was right. It was when his eyes met those of the beast that he instantly lept from the tree with one of his lightsabers in hand - the blade snapping to life as it arced down into a viscous slash upon the beast's midsection. Although Saevius was quick, the beast was quicker as it quickly shifted upon its legs to the side, with the saber blade utterly destroying some vines trailing in its wake. The lurker rounded on its pincers and lashed out in turn at the Sith, threatening to skewer the Sith where he stood. He lept back and riposted, severing the limb clean from its host's body, which elicited a screech from the creature which broke the otherwise still quiet surrounding the forest.

Although Saevius mentally cursed at the fact his stealthy attempt at infiltration was compromised, he wasted little time in capitalizing on the creature's debilitation, lashing out with a massive stream of force lightning with his free hand. The tendrils of raw power coursed through the creature, causing it to sputter and twitch uncontrollably. He dropped his attack only for the moment it took to bring his lightsaber to bear, decapitating the creature with one fluid stroke - thus putting an end to its wounded cries. Instead of lingering any further, Saevius raced onward; breaking out into a full run with the force imbuing his body with unnatural speed. He could hear calls in return from what he presumed were the creature's pack, but they soon died down as he put an impressive distance between himself and the corpse he left behind.

He did not stop, however, continuing his sprint until he reached a small river coursing through the foliage. He walked within the water for a while, hoping it would be enough to muddle his scent and tracks before he continued deeper into the forest. His senses were on high alert, intent on avoiding being surprised again even as he paused to catch his breath. Despite appearing to be alone at this point, however, he felt... very much like he was being watched. He took another moment to regain his composure before he continued on with his regular pace, continuing ever deeper toward the grove.

​

 

[Tu'teggacha]

​

Location: Ool, High Orbit
Tags: Dyans Keto | Marlon Sularen | Alars Keto | Electra-12 | Dalos Cameron

At last, reinforcements! Perhaps their position was not totally hopeless.

On one side came Dyans Keto and the Crusader Fleet, the newest of the Maw's many loosely-joined parts. Tu'teggacha had not been there for the announcement of the Crusade's birth, having been busy holding back a Chiss counterattack, but he was intrigued by them. Would they prove able to hold together the disparate elements that made up the Brotherhood, as the Dark Voice evidently hoped, or would they crack under the pressure? Only time would tell. For the moment he was simply glad of their presence. "I read you, Desolation," the Ebruchi replied. "With your added firepower, we will burn those growths to ash."

On the other side came Marlon Sularen and the Maw Irregular Fleet. They were led by the Final Dawn's terrifying flagship, the Immortal. The vessel was at least the equal of the Fatalis in raw strength... but unlike the Fatalis, it had not yet been tested in battle. It was the promising young cadet, while the older ship was the grizzled veteran. Still, Tu'teggacha had no doubt that the engineers of the Final Dawn had created a true monster when they released it from their hidden shipyards, and he was eager to see it in action, especially when it might turn the tide of such a desperate situation. Surely even the Drengir couldn't get past it.

Or so he thought... until he saw the Tartarus.

It had been intended for the clash above Lao-mon, this battlecruiser, this leviathan of deep space, but in the end it had been lost in the chaos before it had ever seen battle. Instead it had been lost from the Taskmaster's logistical planning, buried in the shuffle of endless military forces and the supply lines of dozens of worlds. How it had come to this fate, infested with these dark growths of wicked, hungry vines, he could not say... but it showed how long the reach of these Vinesworn was, how deep and intricate their planning. Had their plots extended as far back as that now-distant invasion? Further still, perhaps, to Csilla, or even beyond?

The Taskmaster could not say. He could only hope that the forces they had gathered here, which had seemed so overwhelming to the enemy a moment ago, could hold against this monster. The Tartarus boasted a superlaser siege cannon, the kind of weapon to rip apart capital ships in a single charged shot, in addition to six MegaCaliber turbolasers that could shred the mightiest of shields and the thickest of armor. And that was only the beginning of its weapon systems. As a cloud of Darkshear swarm fighters billowed out from the titan, their braindead pilots turned to the service of the Collective, Tu'teggacha felt a thrill of fear run up his spine.

As the Brotherhood's own starfighters streaked across the system, Electra-12 with her herbicide payload and Dalos Cameron on his one-man mission to infiltrate the Tartarus, the Taskmaster turned to the things he could control. "We cannot allow that beast to distract us!" he told his allies, keeping the fire of his own ships on the smaller vessels. "We must weather its assault while we keep the other infested ships from escaping. Increase power to the forward shields, and brace for impact!" Whether or not they could weather the barrage of the battlecruiser remained to be seen. All depended on the pilots of the Maw...

... and the cleverness of the assembled tacticians.

 

[Zachariel Steelblood]

Location: Near NT of 'Mutant' on map
Tags: Alars Keto | Khaostra Devoid | The Mongrel | Darth Saevius |
Links: Weapons

Advancing through the forest, Zachariel's focus was solely on Kryll's signature. All about the forest had erupted into growth, reacting to the advance of those intruding on their domain. Further back, other Mawite forces had come, landing near the Infested Farmland and advancing towards and into the forest. But he ignored them, ignored it all, even the few Chosen who had come with him, wishing to protect their master even here. All of this was background noise to Zachariel, so focused was he on Kryll.

However, soon he sensed the focus of his former lieutenant shift towards himself and his warriors. Sneering beneath his helm, he vaguely felt warriors be called to stop him. In response, he merely drew his blades and continued in his march, uncaring of the hordes of raiders to their left, or the incoming assassins before them. He vaguely saw the form of Kryll further away, standing within his cove. Then he was hidden by the plants shifting, causing another growl.

Gaze lowering to the 'threats' before him, Zachariel swung his blades and continued on. Howls alerted the group to the approach of drengir raiders, quickly rushing towards them and aiming to cut into their numbers. Return fire from the Chosen cut into their ranks, yet still they came, and the few Bloodsworn were treated to the experience that so many worlds had faced against them. It was unnerving, but moreso annoying. Then they reached them, closing into melee distance and began swinging with wild abandon.

With their own ferocity, Zachariel and his Chosen fought back, utilizing their newfound discipline and control to slaughter them. Even then, they continued their march forward, melee oriented to the outside and ranged in the center of their bubble. At the front, Zachariel lead, killing them by the score. This reckless slaughter ended soon though, with the quick arrival of the assassins. Falling upon them, they were faster and more controlled, using better weapons than the raiders.

Their arrival had halted the advance, seeing as the assassins jumped all about, moving faster than the Chosen could react. Despite this, they were more nuissances, as the blades found little purchase in the thick armor of Zachariel and his bodyguard. That didn't mean they were invulnerable though, proven by one of the Chosen in the rear falling, laid low by a lucky blade through his lenses. Snarling in response, Zachariel reached out and managed to grasp one of the foe. Throwing the thing to the ground, he stomped down, even as his axe cut a raider in two.
"Kill these damnable traitors, kill them all!"