Invasion Traitors Gate | NIO invasion of TSE held Vjun, Yavin and Vaal

[DECEASED Erskine Barran]

X
GALIDRAANI FREE-STATE
BLUE-HEART BRIGADE

Operation: CENTURION
VJUN, 865 ABY

Objective 1: PRIMO VICTORIA

Commonwealth Forces: Willan Tal Enedina Tal Tyrell Lockhart

Allies (NIO): Irveric Tavlar Silas Sunfyre
Hâwmâr Lurais Henry Lucan

Allies (NJO/GA/FO/SJC/): Viers Connory
Allies (RGO/OTHER): Augustus Tassar

Enemies (TSE/CIS): Darth Strosius Ingrid L'lerim Adrian L'lerim-Vandiir
Laertia Io Ulrich Cameron Crownwraithe

BARRAN'S LOADOUT
Primary: Custom Blaster-Pistol (Right-hip Holster - left-or-right hand draw)
Secondary: Basket-Hilted Vibrosword Claymore (Left-hip Sheathe - right hand wielding)
Last Ditch/Second-Blade: Fairbairn Vibroknife (Right-hip Sheathe - right-or-left hand wielding)
Pocket-Weapon: Berach's Brass Knuckles (Right-pocket - right-hand wielding)

Blue-Heart Brigade (Mechanized-Infantry)
203 Cataphract Tanks
29 AFVs
6 ACVs
1 Battalion of Riflemen
1 Company of Combat-Engineers
1 Company of Elite Combat-Medics

THE BATTLE FOR CASTLE BAST: PART 7 - SETTING UP A MEET- AHEM! A FIGHT!!!

Ready to fulfil the Carrack's request or not, Barran would give neither Munsten nor the Nuetralizer time to discuss matters further, ordering the Saga to stop beside them whether the debating enemies liked it or not. With every confidence in the guardsman's ability to get a read on the opposition's latest jumps in research-capabilities, Erskine knew it would take little more than a short conversation with Laertia's lower-rung Nuetralizers to know if there had been a genuinely-troubling jump in overall threat-levels or not, but time was against them in almost every opportunity they had to learn more about their biggest rivals on the field, and Munsten's interaction with the detainee would prove to be no exception to this fate-written rule. Though it gladdened Lord Erskine to see one of his guardsmen using his brain to peak-effectiveness, the futility of the interaction, as far as the Brigadier-General knew, was bound to have shown it's ugly face by then, even if the Carrack was likely to have been much too stubborn to accept that he saw it at the time.

'Oh, If only Gould an' O'Mara could see you now, eh? They'd either be proud or outright horrified, but either-or would make me laugh anyways.... Ah'll take it fae here, Munsten. You can get back in line, an' don't worry - Baird's on-board with what ye were trying ti achieve. Best hope you've got something good for us in your next debrief, elsewise that was a fething skive!'

Chuckling heartily in response, the young guardsman obeyed his orders without a single sign of protest in response, amiably replying,'*Leis an g'ceann seo ag cur imeall orainn, agus an g'ceapann tú gur sciorradh é fós?', with a casual tilt of the head towards the detainee. Both were silent until the Stormchaser nodded his equally casual response, to which both guffawed with wheezes at the glaring fact that Barran stopped fearing the Nuetralizers from the moment he beheaded one for the very first time. That fear would take a while for others to wash off, but thanks to the fact that all the officers were becoming duellists in their own right, Barran knew it wouldn't be long before that apprehension eventually wore off within the non-commissioned ranks also. Walking off after standing to attention and saluting, Munsten would shoulder his rifle again as he exclaimed,'See you on the other side o' the breach, Milord.', waving with his brief farewell as he went.

'Now as for you, I would have you record my message for whichever of the three witches is in attendance today- ah, good. Recording already! Hello, witch! Mz. Whichever-Witch-I'm-dealing-with-Today, I believe you & I need to have words, don't you? Do stay put, I'll leave my guards behind closeby.... Perhaps we can discuss your creations, the Amalgam and the fact two of you appear to love painting targets on your own backs. Speak soon, Mz. Whichever-Witch!'

** 'With this one putting us on edge, and you still think it a skive?'

THE BATTLE FOR CASTLE BAST: PART 8 - THE ARCHAISIAN MAVERICK

​

<"Brand to Cataphract One! I entrust you with all the hardest choices, but I urge that you keep the tanks moving as fast as they can go! Whatever they meet on the other side of that breach, I assure you Hell will have stacked them in abundance against us! Strike hard, mate. Strike with everything you are!'">

'Proost to AFV One! Copy that, and with conviction.... As far I'm concerned, from here on in your word is law.'

<"I appreciate that, Proost. Godspeed! AFV One out!">
I'll hold the storming end of the bargain, but nobody stated specifically how I was to make that happen.

Mulling over the calculations in his head, including taking the relatively-low supply of carbonite shells the brigade brought with them, Leftenant Proost would begin to ponder on whether the highly-powerful freezing agent could freeze acid or not, though the Archaisian quickly came to the conclusion that it wouldn't matter for the time his idea would take to complete. Every tank in sight would be well beyond the breach by the time the acid rain had cut through it completely, and even if the acid rain made the surface more slippery, it would only serve to increase the speeds at which the vehicles would careen into the enemies in the end. Having already crested the approach to the fortress, the last few hundred metres had an advantageous dip that would increase the speed of their run-up approach to both openings, giving rise to further calculations to facilitate the increase in momentum even further.

'All units, this is Proost! Load the Carbonite-Shells, now! Aim to the front of the breach, on the breach and beyond it! Stand by for fire-orders!'

<"Proost, if you're doing what I think you're doing - looks like God won't be the only one speeding you into the enemy ranks.... I only hope you know what you're doing, mate. AFV One out!">

Smirking as they shrugged off the concern, Cataphract One's crewmen would load their Carbonite ammunition and set a mark down the center of the tank's designated arc-of-fire, understanding exactly what they were letting themselves in for. All the heat and smoke was serving to evaporate the majority of the acid-raindrops to non-lethal proportions, all the approach to the breaches had been flattened, with further detonations on the MADINE beachhead heard all the way across the other side of the fortress; the conditions for assault were ripe with opportunity, the men were readied for chaos, and their time had come, the only thing left was for the Archaisian Leftenant to get the show on the road. Nodding to all his crewmen, Proost would give a fist-over-heart salute to all his crewmen, calmly inhaling as he readied himself to unleash some Hell of his own.

'All units, this is Proost! Fire on my mark! Weapons-free.... FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!!!'

The beloved cacophony of smoothbore fire lit up the ears of everyone there to see the barrage with their own eyes, and possibly the ears of many on the other side of the shelling onslaught to varying lesser degrees, with the exception of those left to fight who would find themselves on the receiving end. Remnant forces, tanks and other brands of armoured-vehicle, clinging on across and in front of the breaches, wiped out in the blink of an eye, blown aside as the ground beneath them iced up almost just as quickly. The approach, the gap of the breach itself, and all the smoke-obscured ground beyond would be fogged up even further by the carbonite shells as they threw every last reserve of the weaponized freezing-agent at their way in-and-beyond (what was moments away from becoming-) the entrance to Hell itself, but a new development on the horizon would occur, momentarily distracting the 2nd Brigade in mid-barrage.

'It would seem that God gifted our Chaplain more than just the faith itself.... The man would appear to be something of a prophet, sir!'

The green hues were vanishing, along with all the remaining acid droplets, drying everything the tanks hadn't touched as the tower ahead of them glowed with a fiery red aura; whatever was happening, it was clear to all bearing witness that the Sith were making another of their late power-plays, though none quite so much as the two Leftenants who'd be sending them all careening into whatever the Sith were summoning to throw at them. As the tower itself lit up with burning light, Blue-Heart Brigade simply resigned themselves to the fact the real challenge had begun, resuming their coverage of the ground beyond the breach as the infantry gulped behind them with a fear they'd never known before; monstrous roars would spill forth from beyond, louder than anything else in and around Castle Bast, but Proost reacted in a way that none around him expected. The man was chuckling, punching the plinth his top-down with all the joy of a boisterously ecstatic youngster, calming everyone around him as the deep, rolling screams of their largest obstacles echoed out across the broken Vjun landscape.

'Oh, we'll be cracking some big ol' shins today, lads. Just enjoy the show.... FIRST RANK - ADVAAAAANCE!!!!'

 

[The Monster]

Hunk of Metal

Objective 1 - Spearhead Veers

Tags - Irveric Tavlar , Silas Sunfyre , Hâwmâr Lurais , Henry Lucan , Viers Connory , Augustus Tassar , Darth Strosius , DECEASED Erskine Barran , Cameron Crownwraithe , Willan Tal , Shuklaar Kyrdol , Laertia Io , Arctus Silmar



As the portal opened, the nether itself would be presented to all who dared to watch. And as the Nocna Mora would storm out of the portal and reign hell onto the battlefield a smaller, less massive being would follow in its foot steps. The sound of metal grating against stone would be audible to any nearby. What would seem to be a dark haze to those unprotected would shroud a figure, carrying something massive. Whispers of the maddening variety of thousands of different voices, all speaking in incomprehensible tongues, all saying different things with tones ranging from anger, grief, terror, and pain. The armored hulk would stop as its larger herald stormed off to reap its own feast, the souls drawing it like a rancor to helpless game. It would sniff the air, looking over everything happening. And it would find its own prey, or rather, the largest concentration of prey. Armor would not save them, metal vehicles and puny weapons would not see them live. Glowing red eyes would look at this concentration of souls, of lives ready to be harvested to feed its own hunger and would cause the being to focus on them.

Killburndestroymurderpillagekillburndestroymurderpillagekillburndestroymurderpillagekillburndestroymurderpillagekillburndestroymurderpillagekillburndestroymurderpillage

KILL KILL KILL​

It would seem to gather itself, grabbing hold of the massive piece of strange metal with both hands, and with a heave of wailing metal would swing it. The mass of the metal would carry the beast forward, flying through the air as it propelled itself to its targets, to its prey. A black streak would be what most would see as it flew through the air, arcing in a ballistic trajectory as it had literally flung itself forward using the sword to generate the momentum. It would almost appear to those with radars and incoming artillery scanners as an errant round that would fall short, except the mass and velocity scanners would start glitching due to the nature of the material coating the sword and the monster. It seemed to be on a collision course with the front lines.

​

The massive explosion of pure kinetic energy as the being hit towards the front of the breach in between the two armies would be massive, throwing up clods of dirt, masonry, rock, and whatever else happened to be nearby as the area looked like it had been hit with a kinetic strike from orbit. Instead what would lay in wait inside the cloud of airborne debris, dust, and smoke would be seen as a pair of glowing red eyes would look out at the oncoming ranks of what it saw as food. The whispers now were intensified as the presence of so many living only amplified its hunger, its need to consume the lives of the living. It would reach all the way from the front lines of the Imperials to the Sith, feeling as though a sudden unnaturally cold front had just washed through the air, and a small buzzing could be heard by all who weren't properly shielded from the force. And for those sensitive to the Force, they could make out voices, screams, cries, yells of rage, and whimpering from the voices, and could feel the source as the being stepped out of the smog filled crater in view of all. It dragged its sword across the ground, scraping against the cracked and crumbling stone as it looked at those who'd seemed to almost willingly present itself. It would pause only for the briefest of seconds, before an eardrum rupturing force scream was shrieked as it started running at the Imperial lines. It saw food, a veritable buffet of souls to be harvested. And it didn't care what side they claimed to be, as all food tasted the same when devoured.

THE MONSTER HAD BEEN UNLEASHED​

 

[Izoshi]

S U R V I V O R
W I D O W M A K E R
VJUN | CASTLE BAST

Rapidly, her fingers flew across the panels she waged war against, stripping them off the devices and prepping them for discharge. Pressure rose, breaking beads across her hidden brow, though she did not waver in her focus. Djorn set to motion, taking the reins of the situation and doing his best to buy the time required for her to scheme. It was a matter of another minute that saw her sliding the trap EMPs across the quaking floor and discharging them against their foes, scrambling the first wave of droids set to slaughter them. The instant the manufactured enemies stuttered to a stop, she unleashed a strobing miasma of a counterattack, squeezing the trigger of her rifle and sucking down the pain of its punch into her shoulder. She grit her teeth beneath her visor and kept at it until the first wave had been broken to scrap.

The rage of the rancor was upon them swiftly, seeking blood, in tandem with a whole new wave of opponents descending upon them.
​

<"I'm in a tight spot, Widow. A little hurry wouldn't hurt.">​

It took about every shred of restraint she had not to shout a smarting, expletive-laced response back.

The tunnel shook harder with some distant explosion. Stones crumbled from the ceiling, clattering by her boots and bashing her armored frame. Red eyes widened and she glanced upward, hearing the rocky uprising crack.

"Forget the rancor, my plan is to get us out of here!" The chiss shouted towards Djorn as she slung her rifle and grabbed at him, dragging him away from the flank and forward with her, sprinting as fast as her body would allow her to while the planet buckled around them it seemed like. Much more lithe than her counterparts, she wove and dodged through the raining debris, sucking down the dust-filled air through the choking vents of her rebreather. Her grip on her partner lasted for only a few seconds, but it was more than enough to get him on the right track as well.

A shred of light glared from up ahead, the way out, and she rushed for it, ignoring the deep pain she felt spiking in her burning chest. Adrenaline carried her far, spiking her bloodstream with its potent sting, and she did not stop running until her momentum died and saw her sliding across the ground and into the castle itself. Luckily, it seemed the path had already been cleared. The operative tumbled across the floor, covered in a fresh layer of dust and grime, and coughing up a lung in the process. Her reflexes took over, righting her position and she managed back to her boots, taking up her weapon and leveling it at the path ahead all while she twisted her gaze, searching for the man who had just been with her.

<"If you're dead, I'm going to be livid."> She panted across their comlink, struggling to catch her breath.​

​

ALLIES | NIO | GA | Djorn Bline | Djonas Val | Amon Vizsla | Kolson Vrask | Joren Loft
HOSTILES | TSE | DarrVack (INDIRECT) | OPEN FOR ENGAGEMENT

​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Yavin IV
Allyson Locke
​

"It was not the original intent," she stated simply to Allyson's outburst, her expression neutral. For a supposed Jedi, and it was something she had noticed before with other New Jedi Order members, both now and in the past, was they were heavily reliant upon their connections with their friends. It was both a strength and a weakness, and they never quite realized it was never personal.

"Eldaah had orders to test an experimental specimen against the Jedi that were dispatched to Felucia, and it was the Alliance that dispatched the Treicolts there. I will be blunt, I expected once we knew which Jedi were on world, for Maynard to fight the creature and Loske to fight Eldaah, but they flipped their roles and somehow she was infected with the experiment's genetic material. It slowly began to mutate her cells, but until she decided to forcefully probe Eldaah's mind, we did not know she was infected."

She slowly began to pace in a circle around what was likely to be their battlefield.

"I activated the cells to full virulence then to Eldaah could escape, and in a way, it was better that way," she continued slowly. "HX7's cells would have continued to quietly mutate her until it reached full saturation and that could have happened at any moment in time, at random. I had Eldaah bring her to me on Upekzar so I could see what happened because... and I doubt you'll believe me, but this is the truth, I had no idea what had changed with Loske. HX7 was designed to constantly change and adapt, so much so even I could not predict what it might become without proper research."

She came to stop once she had done a full circle.

"I told Loske how she could take control of her change, even melded with her mind to show her how, but she decided instead to succumb and the symbiote took the leading role in their union. You can ask that of Loske herself. I wanted her to take control of it, I wanted her to show me that inner strength that every Jedi needs because, while I never set out to do so, it became an interesting way to put her through one of the Trials."

She didn't expect Allyson to understand why she wanted Loske to succeed, to show how strong of a Jedi she could be. Perhaps during the course of this confrontation, she just might make the girl aware of just how precarious the situation was.

"So, it was not personal... but I won't deny I took advantage of the situation for my own ends. Take that as you will."

 

[Laertia Io]

The Nuetralizer chuckled.

"Overconfidence." He said to the Officer. "It crept up on you at Generis. At Dantooine. At Ziost. You averted disaster at Serenno--barely. Oh, your boy Erskine's gonna have him some real fun against the worms...and look who it is! Speak of The Devil and he shall appear. Where's that Cladhan you like, Kiddo?" The Model 1 asked DECEASED Erskine Barran as he entered, dismissing the previous officer.

"Remember! Violence is never the answer!" The Model 1 called out to the officer who was leaving. "It's the question! And the answer is always yes."

"Now, for you..." The Model 1 said going right back to Erskine.

"We were just talking about you, you sexy beast! Say, did you know there were 007 attempts to kill you the last two weeks? If you didn't, that means Effigy was real thorough. We won't let anyone get between us. We want you all to ourselves. Selfish? You bet. Creepy? Holy chit yes. Endlessly entertaining? Always. Now what can this humble son of Darth Xiphos relay on your behalf, Dear Erskine?"

The sound of the Model 2's singing could be heard over the roar of blaster and artillery fire.

"I'D SACRIFICE ANYTHING, COME-WHAT-MIGHT, FOR THE SAKE OFFFFFF, HAVIN'-YOU-NEAAAAARRR. IN SPITE OF A WARRRRRNING VOICE, THAT-COMES-IN-THE-NIGHT, AND REPEATS, REEEEEEPEATS IN-MY-EAR: DON'T YOU KNOW, LITTLE FOOOOOOOOOOLLL, YOU NEVER CAN WIIIINNNN. USE YOUUUURRRR, MEN-TAL-ITY. WAKE-UP TOOOOOOOOO REEEEAL-ITY---"

The Nuetralizer listened as Erskine relayed the message, recording his voice.

"That's it? No cool threats? No request to pick up milk from the store? How about just a bottle of Cladhan, then?" The Model 1 joked after Erskine relayed the message. It stood up.

"Well, this has been fun and all,but if I'm gonna deliver the message, I gotta, y'know, deliver it." The Model 1 said walking away from Erskine.

"Oh and Lord Commander?" The Model 1 added, turning to him. "Your basic Bryn'adul has two hearts armored by bone plating, located here, and here." It said, pointing to two separate areas on its own body. "Use ground penetrating sensors. It'll give you lead time before the worms erupt to get at least some of your forces away from it when it does."

With that, the Nuetralizer exited the area.

Meanwhile...

"ARM YOURSELF, BECAUSE NO-ONE-HERE WILL SAAAAAAVVVE YOOOOUUU. THE ODDS WILL BETRAAAAAYYYY YOOOOUUU, AND I WILL REPLACE YOOOOUUU..." The Model 1's sang as they pressed the attack against the NIO forces in the tunnels, a few shooting at Djonas Val with a rapid burst of their weak Laser Cannons, as he got into the Castle, flanked by Witches trying to use Force Horror or curses to weaken him enough, The Skeletal Droids staying behind cover to make it difficult for him to retaliate, while the Witches began to cast Force Lightning in his direction, making sure to keep out of the Nuetralizers way of shooting at him.

The Instincts of Amon Vizsla would prove correct, because the Model 1's would fire on him as soon as they spotted him, the Witches casting spells that lowered the level of light in large portions of the tunnel network, trying to make it as difficult as possible for the enemy to Manuever, and no sooner had Izoshi made it to the Castle with Djorn Bline then Force Witches and Nuetralizers were immediately scrambled to intercept them at all costs.

Meanwhile...

Darth Xiphos, The Battalion, and Cameron Crownwraithe had made it in full retreat back to the Castle. Almost all of Barran's Forces were nearly through the breach to the Castle itself, hammering it's outer walls. The interior rumbled with impacts, The Model 2 units relentlessly sniping the armored units with their Anti-Tank rifles

Xiphos followed The Battalion to the deeper innards of the Castle, where the security system was, the screens showing large, deadly predators contained in pens. Oggdo Boggdo's, Nydak's, and especially Nexu's, all kept in pens just within the radius of the breach, their pens hidden somewhat underground and by magic. They would fully surround Barran's Forces once they were through the breach completely.

"Animal warfare..." Xiphos growled. "Yeah, that sounds like Urs---I mean, Amy--alright."

" Arctus Silmar has something special in mind. We will launch our attack concurrently with his..." The Battalion explained to both.

"My sons are getting hammered, the sooner he unleashes his trick the better." Xiphos said, right as the freed Nuetralizer came running up to her.

"Hey Mom! Ran into Erskine! He wants me to give you a message!"

The Nuetralizer immediately played it back to her in his voice, replicating it perfectly.

"Ah, so your mission to record his voice was a success." Xiphos said. "They weren't suspicious as to why you gave them so little fight?"

"Oh, they were plenty suspicious, but I mostly talked a bunch of bullchit to feth with them until he came to see me."

"So The Amalgam's psychological evaluation of him was correct. He likes one on ones with his enemies. Like someone playing with food before eating it." The Battalion surmised.

"Perhaps..." Xiphos surmised. Unlike the Amalgam, she didn't have nearly the patience for these sorts of games The Amalgam or even her own son's did. But she would play it today.

"Send word to Erskine's forces. Tell him I will meet him in the Castle Foyer. I will be alone. Cameron, I want you to stay with The Battalion for now and stick close to your brothers. We may be fighting the NIO in here soon if this doesn't work--"

"Lady Xiphos!" A catsuit clad Witch called out, pointing to a viewport. "Look!"

Xiphos shuddered, twisting the Light in her by Force to ward against the sudden wash of Dark Side that came to Vjun, through an unholy warp in space, out through which came a great, terrible burning beast that the 2nd Brigade immediately began to fire on, even as they got closer to the Exterior of the Castle Proper. The flesh of the Witches around them bubbled and rippled disgustingly, including that of The Battalion's, as they joyously metabolized the Dark Energy.

"You shouldn't fight it, Xiphos. It's wonderful once you embrace it." The Battalion teased a Xiphos that scowled under her visored helmet.

"No thanks." Xiphos said, feeling the wisp of lust that escaped The Battalion's rotting mind towards her and uncertain how to react. Much as she hated to admit, the Witch ticked most of her boxes. Likely what The Amalgam was counting on.

Xiphos turned to Cameron.

"I love you, Cameron. Stay strong. Kill many. Live well."

Xiphos then turned to the Battalion.

"Don't unleash the beasts until Erskine is in the Castle itself." She ordered before turning and heading to the Foyer to meet Barran.

Her face plate parted open, revealing her scarred, tombstone pale features that were quite beautiful nonetheless, her gray cyber eye with a glint of gold at the center, contrasted by her organic eye, it's whites mutated to a bronze color, the iris a Dark Green.

When Barran at last showed, Xiphos stood there, grim and pale.

"What do you want, Son of Galidraan? I'm not usually the sort to humor such requests." Xiphos said icily, voice lacking the feral contempt to be found in most Sith towards their enemies.

"I am uncertain what you expect to gain from this. You know my position, no doubt, and we are at cross purposes. The Bryn'adul must be fought now but the NIO and GA and SJO are content to let billions die on the rim, in complete denial of the problem just to have their revenge on The Sith. I have vowed to try and thwart you all at every turn until you choose to focus on The Bryn'adul. That's my stance."

 

[Pandora]

Pandora

As the time drew nearer, Pandora knew what would happen. and she hated it. Arctus Silmar was going put himself, her home, their home in unnecessary danger. They were above fighting directly. Above having to be on the front lines fighting people that were no better than ants to be crushed beneath their soles.

And yet, her Master had deemed this... insanity of his, necessary.

Sure, send the soldiers off to fight the battles, that was what they were for, weren't they? But why did her have to drag their home onto the front lines? There were better options, weren't there? There had to be! And yet, this is what her beloved Master had deemed necessary. For the first time Pandora's existence, she thought her Master a fool.

A fool that would put himself into such unnecessary danger, that needed to be protected when he did what only he felt he needed to do.

Then, the time for insanity came, and what was supposed to be a gentle embrace only gave rise to the Sithspawn's already existing anxiety. When all was said and done, Pandora knelt next her creator, worry painted across her face. Was he trying to kill himself?! Standing straight in time with her Master, hands and lashers poised to give her Master the support to stand if needed. She did not wince at the firm grip on her shoulder, but instead place her own hand over her Master's quietly.

Now was not the time for her to speak, in her mind. It was the time for a faithful servant to obey her Master, and voice her concerns to him later. She listened to her Master's speech in silence, yet her brows only knit tighter together in worry as he drew once more on the Dark. The blood that dripped like tears and spilled from the Shaper's mouth caused Pandora's heart to drop to the floor, and she squeezed his hand in worry.

She knew that if she were not made to be perfect her shoulder would likely, at the very least, be fractured, if not broken.

As her Master leaned on her, Pandora curled her lashers protectively around the both of them. She would let nothing pose a threat to him, in his weakened state. Her Master's mumbled words tore her in two. The task he had set her on would take her from his side, where she should be, but she had to obey. Nodding slightly in response, Pandora gently began to maneuver her Master to sit back in his throne if he let her. She shifted her claws to be shorter, and more rounded, to wipe away the tear-like trails of blood off of his cheeks as she spoke.

"Of course. Your will shall be done, Master. I'll be back as soon as I can... Just... No, never mind... I'm being foolish."

Uncurling her lashers, Pandora stepped away from the Shaper with a sigh and an unconvincing smile. Turning towards Vandra Zambrano who had been... Quite a mystery so far, as to why the woman was here, but now she could prove her worth. Walking briskly over to the other woman, Pandora's face held none of her usual playfulness. Getting possibly too close into Vandra's personal space, Pandora looked her over, before nodding in approval.

"You're coming with me."

The Sithspawn's tone would leave no room for protest, as she turned and began to walk out of the throne room, and gestured only once with her claws for Vandra to follow.

 

[Detritus Ren]

Objective: 2
Location: Bast Castle
Allies: NIO Izoshi Djorn Bline Djonas Val Kolson Vrask
Enemies: TSE DarrVack
Equipment: Crossguard Lightsaber, Imperial Knight Battle Armor


The towering figure of darkness’s voice boomed as he answered the young Kyrel. What the Sith offered to him, not one of his kind did, in fact battle was the only thing. From the skies of Bastion, to losing his leg on Dantooine. All that he knew from the Sith is war, and yet instead of attacking him, this one seemed to take interest in the Imperial Knight, his first duty and instinct was to strike the Sith down. To infiltrate deeper into the dark citadel and bring it down. He was honor bound to serve the New Imperial Order, they took him in despite his dark origins. Except here he was listening to the words of the Sith. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to stop this, and yet he did not.

The voice that came from this man? This being if you will, spoke his words sounded mechanical, almost alien in the way he spoke basic, yet his thoughts made his words more clear as they echoed in his mind. The young Kyrel kept his saber low when he should be raising it. What was wrong with him? Why was he here, and even doing this? This truly was a crossroads, depending on what would happen here there would be ramifications no matter what.

He did not speak, no longer pointing his blade at the Sith, he only began to listen. The very opposite of what he should be actually doing now. There was truth to his words, as if he saw past his armor and as if Jin was an open book. Everything about him, something that he didn’t even admit to himself. Jin knew he carried darkness, that he was heir to a dark legacy. The shadow of his father, of his reputation and sins passed to him. It had all caused him to hide it all over the years. Only in desperation has he touched the blood of his father flowing through his veins. Yet he lived in fear of it, of what he could become.

The towering figure had extended a hand out, something of which Jin knew that there would be no going back. If this man seemed to offer promises, what he offered was what Jin feared, feared of facing his mirror of what was inside him. What he ran from since he could remember. Time stopped, hesitation heavy on his mind. The decision unbearable to face, let alone make.

That single moment between the two, it seemed as if he stood still, not even able to speak as the words cut right through him. Then before he could react quickly, darkness surrounding the two, as if enveloped by the abyss, reacting as if startled for the moment, his blade rising in confusion, his face turning from left and right, before it seemed as if he was surrounded by glowing stars. Floating in space, and yet still standing on the floor.

The Sith still kept his hand extended offering to show the Imperial Knight a way. Giving a moment to ponder what he offered, after a couple of minutes, his saber deactivated in a sudden move. He found himself in what his insides were screaming that was crazy, his hand reached out to grasp the Sith’s own. “Show me.” Was all he said, and what would come next he did not know.

 

[Cameron Crownwraithe]

Location: Bast Castle - Vjun
Allies: TSE ( Darth Strosius ) │ EE │ CIS ( Laertia Io )
Enemies: NIO ( Irveric Tavlar Hâwmâr Lurais Willan Tal DECEASED Erskine Barran ) │ RGO (Augustus Tassar)

The coordinated bombardment from the Galidraani tanks cut down Legionnaires in droves, blowing through what was left of the Sith armored contingent much to the horror and demoralization of the men and women charged with defending Bast Castle. Even with her Speed, Cameron knew that there was only so much she could do to help, as even she had difficulty engaging the Cataphracts, their Impervium hulls demanding that much more effort to cut through. Nevertheless, the speedster managed to rip through one of the armored titans as it made its way through the breach, moving around the machine in a transonic dance as her lightsaber tore through its hull with an uncountable, nigh-imperceptible barrage of slashes, enough that Cameron was thoroughly exhausted by the time the tank was a smoking, charred mess of lightsaber strikes, albeit disabled.

And yet, it was only one tank out of hundreds.

The Legionnaires continued to fight valiantly, putting the Castle’s supply of anti-tank and heavy weaponry to use, and in the absence of that, resorting to thermal detonators and even small arms, in the most desperate of scenarios. There, Cameron saw another use for her Speed, especially in coming across gruesomely-wounded Legionnaires, with injuries that were beyond the ability of battlefield medics to fix. Injecting herself with another shot of the energy-restoring cocktail, Cameron made a couple runs to the Castle’s medcenter deeper inside the walls, taking two soldiers back to be rushed into surgery.

Unfortunately, they was only two Legionnaires out of thousands.

Cameron’s white bodysuit was splattered with blood as she came back to her mother’s side, moving deep within the innards of the Castle, taking in the various predators, beasts, and monsters locked inside the pens. Cameron initially frowned at the Battalion’s idea, wondering if the creatures could prove difficult to control, if not potentially causing friendly casualties. Nevertheless, her mother’s acceptance of the plan, even if seemingly reluctant, was enough to quell her fears for the time being.

Then, came the surge.

Having been born within and molded by the Dark Side, Cameron was no stranger to the sensation of its presence. She could feel her energy truly returning, her subconscious connection to the Force growing more potent of its own volition. Upon seeing the source from behind the viewport, the palace of the new Sith Emperor, Cameron could not help but to bathe in its energies, even where her mother showed indifference. The Sithspawn’s eyes glowed a bright, coruscating pink, fingers twitching with energy as the Witches around her fell into chants, their flesh shifting in an obscene display of the corrupting, yet thoroughly intoxicating nature of Bogan.

Beneath it all, Cameron could feel the fire of her emotions begin to rise, even as her mother left for the foyer to meet the Galidraani commander. It was unconscious and beyond her control, passions suddenly pushing towards the front of her mind, hate, anger, rage, and even love. She knew that her mother would not want her to interfere in her engagement with the Galidraani, but even now, Cameron began to feel that she was on the verge of losing control...

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-09 “Hayai” Energized Bodysuit
  • Left Gauntlet
    • Universal Gas Launcher
      • Pink Vapor
    • Vac Attack Mk-127 Disc Launcher
  • Right Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Energy Shield
    • Personal Energy Shield
  • Alchemical Talisman(s)
    • Spirit Anchor
  • Neon Overdrive Heels
  • Utility
    • Supernal Infusion
• Jasmine Lightsaber (2)
  • Pink Kyber Crystal
• Hekler'Kok SMG-01

 

[Kolson Vrask]

G R U N G E
TASK UNIT ALPHA | VANDAL SQUAD
FIRESTARTER
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
Storm Recon UCP | BKM-62x Battle Rifle | DSP-61x Hybrid Pistol | Savior Anti-Grav Shute | Grenades

BE SEEING YOU
VJUN '65​

It was all crescendoing on Vjun. The Sith were playing all the cards in their hand and meanwhile, Kolson, his team and the Knights in this task force were all being put through the gauntlet, put to the slaughter, made to die in the dark and cramped subterreanean tunnels of this castle.

No.

Not today. It tied a knot in his stomach how deep the threat of being overrun seemed to inflict down unto Vandal Squad, a foreboding fate, one of th worst. To end up overwhelmed by the enemy and killed or worse - captured. Not that their doctrine ever allowed the latter if they could manage it. But the series of horrid circumstances and realities that occur here, ignore it. All there was- focus the violent execution of their plan.

Grunge took up the charge, fastened it to his back via the straps as more and more Sith droids came funneling in to ensure a swift and certain annihilation of Vandal Squad and the Imperial Knights.

Good.

More to take down with them.

Every clanker that funneled its way into this corridor was another pulled from Madine or Veers. It was all worth it.

Djonas's telekinetic blast managed to clear the way forward, it was time to move.

<"Vandal! Cover our movement!"> He would go forward, side by side with Djonas. He had the bomb, the objective, the mission. Only him executing it mattered. There was immediate protest in the comms of his team, but he iterated again.

<"Nothing else matters! Val! We gotta plant this charge, now! We're losing time!"> Grunge iterated, lobbing another EMP grenade in the direction of the droids before ripping up his battle rifle to peer down the sights and take aim at one of the Annihilation droids, firing three pulses of the rifle down range in its vulnerable photoreceptor. He began his charge toward the entrance of the castle proper, eating a handful of blaster rounds in the process.

<"That charge better work, Grunge...chatter from the Beach-head isn't good...at all. They got something big out there. It's now or never, boss! We'll cover you, just lay the punishment!"> Argent, his weapons specialist team mate iterated to him through the comms. Grunge, pressing himself behind cover threw the heavy charge from over his shoulder began to input the arming sequence, entering the exact code that was required to begin the arming process.

<<"ERROR ; CORE DESTABILIZED " >> the bomb emitted in reply, he inputted the code again in a frantic press of the keys.

<<"ERROR ; CORE DESTABILIZED " >>

<"No...no no no, damnit!"> He inspected the charge more closely before eating another blaster bolt in his shoulder, the arming fuse had been shot through by one of the droids as soon as his other team mate was down. The bomb was...usable, but not in this state.

<"Val!"> He said in the direction of the Imperial Knight, maintaining his composure through the scorch marks embedded in his armor and underlayer.

<"We need your charge! Ours is smoked! I'll hold 'em here! Just-"> Another bolt slammed into his chest piece, causing him emit a groan of pain as he took the rifle into his hands again to deliver another burst in the direction of the enemy.

<"Now or never! GO!"> ​

ALLIES || NIO | GA | Djonas Val | Amon Vizsla | Djorn Bline | Joren Loft
ENEMIES || DarrVack | OPEN TO SMOKE

 

[Rika Hiro]

LADY_SILENCE_
COMPNOR
VJUN
Tags:// Darth Daiara

​

First came fear and then fury, fury in defiance of the HRDs words; the little acolyte seemed intent on struggling against the light of Imperialism like a bug caught in a jar. No matter how much Ms Pavanos fought and threw back the offers of mercy and salvation, they would keep coming for them all, like an unstoppable iron tide that no matter how many of them died, the Order would keep marching onwards to Dromound Kaas. Then came a brilliant flash of yellow that burned through the acidic air and moved cleanly through the Replicants arm, severing it to the elbow and exposing wire and singed metal that sparked and spat in the acid rain. However, the next blow was not as fast as the first, and the HRD dropped down out of its path, letting the burning hot saber swing aimlessly through the air and missing the replicants neck by mere seconds. However, the fire embraced her form and set Yubari alit like a human torch, peeling synthetic skin and melting hair off, revealing the metal skull beneath.


. . . . critical damage to all outside skin

. . . . Minor damage to the voice box

. . . . Field Model 234# advised to be rerouted to engineering depot

. . . . Back up systems rerouted

. . . . Engage target


The rain soon extinguished much of the flames that licked and burned the fake flesh, reducing Yubari to something akin to a vision out of a nightmare. The HRD pulled at the burnt ragged folds of fused clothing and skin, ripping it off and throw it aside as it arose from the fires reborn in its skeletal frame. Its real form beneath the synth skin and complex engineering was nothing more than a skeletal android, a literal wolf in sheep's clothing. Where neutral eyes once stood, now only cold mechanical red eyes that oozed hate remained in place. It took a mechanical step forward and increased the pace slowly but steadily toward the target; all pretence of humanity and reasoning burnt away in the embers of Aradia's flames and the constant acid rain of Vjun.


"Pathetic."

 

[Larro Paeb]

Objective: Take out some Sith
Gear: Lightsaber, Armor, Blaster Pistol, Jetpack
Tags: Adrian L'lerim-Vandiir

————————————
​

His teeth clenched tightly.

What if this man was telling the truth? It was a likely possibly, but the Knight didn’t want to risk anything. Many signs were going off to shoot the man, stun him at least, and let him go. But something deep down told him to help.

“If, in fact, you are telling the truth, then I will help you.”

Lowering his weapon downward, he powered down to the weapon and holstered it. Extending out his free hand, he went to help the man up off of the ground.

“There is a evacuation ship not far off, I can take you there. First though, I need to know your name.”

A small explosion nearby made him flinch. Looking towards its direction, he saw it was nothing more than a lose round. With no more sign of attacking, they began to walk. The Knight sure hoped his gut feeling was right.

 

[DarrVack]

​

Location: Surface, Castle Bast
Objective II: Defense of Castle Bast
Allies: TSE
Enemies: NIO

Spoiler: Equipment, Units and Ships

Equipment
2x Red Lightsaber
Battle Armour (Holding 75 Gallons of Dioxis)
Mindstone
EWR-52 'Purge' Flamethrower
12x Dioxis Grenades

Units
5x XF-72a
10x Sith-Imperial Probot
Akguza Guard
3x TG-11 Artillery Droid - Hellpyre

Ships
1 Squadron Ajunta-class StarFortress

Detritus Ren

The being inside the gigantium suit was now in constant movement, he slithered and wiggled inside the hulking tank masterfully bending the very laws of space around him. But more than anything he was focusing on the small life before him. This human child somehow tainted so deeply in the crimson hue of the dark side that it almost matched some of the castle itself.

And to his utmost pleasure the boy was able to accept this about himself. Possibly for the very first time and so clearly in conflict with what he had been taught but nevertheless true and raw and righteous.

The hissing of his silver saber went silent as Jin surrendered his fate to the force. The moment they made contact the Sith Overseer was able to give the half-human a catalyst for his untamed strength.

And so it flowed. A raging beast unchecked and unstoppable.

What union gives birth to such a creature?

A surge of power erupted within the bubble previously kept stable by the Ugorian. Sparks became jolts of red cracking lighting and shadows ushered in pitch-black darkness. They were soon entirely engulfed by it, inside the heart of a storm. A whirling thunder cloud. DarrVack trembled, the gooey mass inside his outstretched arm piece was boiling, and decaying as he mustered his hate and anger over defeat to hold the connection.

The boy himself would be under the mercy of entirely different influences as the release of so much emotion was sure to drive his mind and being to its limits. To be faced with that much might at your disposal, a dream of grandeur. Your most true form, one without doubt and regret driven only by the hunger for more. A taste of what can be confused with immortality. Jin had to understand what was possible, understanding a gift that would aid him in his struggle to hold onto what and who he loved.

It burst, with an almost instant pop the effects of the dark side vanished into thin air. Flashes of light from the conflict in the distance filled the hallway and the pondering droplets of the acid rain could be heard from outside. The Juggernaut's connection with the child had broken while his metal gauntlet was steaming and whistling.

His other clawed digits reached out and grabbed on, with the release of inner bearings the damaged left hand clunked onto the ground before them as more steam rose from within the suit. A thick red mass dripped onto it and out of the exposed hole in the suit's forearms.

A part of DarrVack had died for this act of sacrilege to the dark side.

“Led dis be de resuld of your firsd lesson”
“Let this be the result of your first lesson”

His huge horned helmet turned to the side nodding towards the damaged left appendage.

“We do nod gondrol de dargness, de dargness gondrols us”
“We do not control the darkness, the darkness controls us”

“In exgange for yourself, you are gifded wid insurmoundable bower”
“In exchange for yourself, you are gifted with insurmountable power”

Like by an underestimated wave the Sith Overseer was suddenly toppled. Shaken by the arrival of a spirit unlike anything the unicellular had ever known.

So rich in lightlessness the living muck needed to inhale deeply at the fear of suffocating by its grasp.

This Empire shall be reborn

Metamorphosis was a truth in life that few could cherish as much as a Sith could and this particular one was by nature not in form but in fury.

The Detergent Sith swelled inside his suit, saturated by this rallying of darkness.

An Emperor is born…

 

[Zaavik Perl]

VJUN | Ingrid L'lerim
​

"Who I am is not very important, but we have a common acquaintance who is worried about you and wants you safely. And well, this place and everything is just not safe."

Zaavik's transparency shimmered into total opaqueness. Still brandishing his saber, he gave the stranger the fish eye. The imploration reeked of deception. The phantasmal smell was nearly foul enough to be tangible, causing his nostrils to flare and lip to curl. "Don't give me that chit," he demanded, swinging his saber around in a sinistral grasp.

"Do I look stupid to you!?" he rebuked. An exasperated motion threw the hood from his head. Acidic droplets stung atop his scalp. By some luck, or more likely the grace of the Force, it didn't melt the hair from his head. The lithe, reddish face stared back, mired by a juvenile stubble around his jawline. "Do I!?" he demanded aloud over the roar of an acidic downpour.

"I know how you people are," he asserted. "So don't give me any of this common acquaintance crap. You think IVI has my best interest or safety in mind?" Zaavik was oblivious to how presumptuous he was for such an inquiry. He'd seen the listing she made with his own eyes, though. Why else would someone be looking for him? If they had even a hair of benevolent intentions they would have started looking months ago.

"What a load."

"So, I ask you to come with me, and please don’t want me to force you to leave this “acid ball”. I wouldn't be happy if my weapons were damaged because of you."

"Yeah?" Zaavik cocked a brow. "I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if you were down a few limbs, either." Feet slid into a stance against acidic grime beneath his feet. His hands, shoulders, and hips all assumed a combat-ready posture. "I'm not going anywhere with you or anyone. So, piss off, before I'm forced to make you understand."

 

[Djonas Val]

// FORSWORN ACTUAL // Knight of the Empire
// ALLIES | NIO // -- Kolson Vrask , Joren Loft , Amon Vizsla, Azula Ordo , Djorn Bline , Izoshi
// ENEMIES | TSE // -- DarrVack
Lightsaber | Tenebrae-Pattern | Pistol | Grenades

Each step they took in the bowels of Bast saw them harried by the Sith droids. And with each step, more and more were downed, the Knights - enhanced by the Force - were able to manipulate and immobilize some of the droids before they could dealt out damage, Djonas, on the other hand did his best to protect himself and the charge on his back.

Even throughout it all, it still rested there comfortably, replacing the usual jetpack mount. He had almost forgotten about it. The mission. Whose outcome was looking worse and worse with every step was nearing its end, he could sense it as he saw the Commando crouch down behind cover. An amalgamation between slain metallic husks and a collapsed pillar. Ample protection there was not, and he could feel it weigh on the minds of his Knights. They were slowing down, and only the persisting defiance that saw them this far is what motivated them to continue.

It was why they were chosen for the mission.

The flourish of his saber saw another bolt get batted away, but his attention was drawn elsewhere, a voice calling his name. Protocol, thrown out the window. By a COMPNOR Operative no less. Something is wrong. The stray thought exploded across his mind, and he twitched his wrist, plasmatic beam raising to catch a bolt - too low - and it struck him in the pauldron - again. This time the pain was more than a mild welt growing underneath his bodysuit and plates. But rather full on sizzling of flesh as it burned a hole into him.

<"Val!">
<"We need your charge! Ours is smoked! I'll hold 'em here! Just-">

But the pain fell away, and time felt like it slowed. His perception was higher, but his actions sluggish. He couldn't keep up with the bolts as they flew at him. Upper chest, knocking him off balance backwards, before another caught him in the opposing breast, knocking him further back, before his calves made contact with something solid, and sent him careening over it - the pillar, or some segmented part of it - strewn across the floor. He hit the ground. Hard. Unevenly as his back took the brunt of the impact, the case strapped to his back cushioning his fall... As much as a hard surface could.

<"Now or never! GO!"> ​

His eyes fluttered, blinking rapidly as he lurched to the side, wriggling himself out of the straps before he ripped it off and shoved his back against the wall. His vision was blurred with tears, frustration, anger, it didn't matter now. He wiped a gloved palm across his cheek. Vision cleared, he saw the dent in the top of the case, the metal bent and worn, melted in some places where he failed to catch a bolt. Slagged, was his initial thought. Moving to open it, at first it didn't give, but he wrenched upwards with the last of his strength to expose the insides of the case.

"It's done..." He said quietly.

Melted keys, a shattered display. His digits pressed the panel where he thought the letters belonged, hoping. Praying that it's input would be accepted. The screen flashed for a moment before sparks burst out from the melted hole in the corner of the screen.

He slumped back, looking over at Kolson Vrask as he shook his head. A single action to carry a thousand words. It was over. The mission was done, with no way of escape on account of his caving in the tunnel behind them.

Reaching down to the pouch by his thigh, all he felt was a searing pain flare up the side of him. Where his pouch had been was naught but singed leather straps, and armour fusing to his flesh. The more he looked at it and registered the pain, the faster things were becoming.

Laying his head back, his fists clenched and unclenched.

There was still one last thing he could do to make it right.

The many pathways through the buildings structure was a thing he had manipulated in the tunnels. It had been crude then. More brute force than true efficiency of skill. But they were in a rush, life or death, and all that. Val sighed. He knew it. He didn't have the strength to do it again. But he still saw the faults in the stone. The cracks where even a minuscule amount of manipulation could yield devastating results. And yet, he did not have it in him.

Raising his forearm up to his mouth, he depressed the display. Soft blue light emanated from the screen, his digits lazily trailing across the screen. "A... Admiral Ra-Ravenot," he coughed. The dust and smoke was getting to him. "This is Knight Val," foregoing protocol. It was easier to get the words out this way, "Requesting bombardment on my position." Looking up, his gaze tracked to a highly placed window. "Fire from the eastern side of the Castle. The structure is..." He casts a glance to Grunge. "Physically weak." Dropping his arm, he barely managed to get out "Val out."

Whether it was true or not, Djonas couldn't say. The lattice of metaphysical energy altered with every passing second. And even if it were to stay weakened, as it had been a moment ago, the chances of a strike from atmosphere striking perfectly was nigh impossible.

Strength of arms, experience, power, had gotten them this far. And in the end it meant nothing. The Castle Bast stood for centuries. They'd be lucky if they died instantly during the opening salvo of the bombardment... If the ships could get into place in time. It'd be better than being captured, he was sure.

 

[Vandra Zambrano]

Part of her that was that wild child that wanted to set even the stars ablaze just cause it amused her was screaming to join the fight, but thankfully time and age has given that voice less of a pull as she watched Arctus Silmar strain himself in what he was doing and Pandora the woman creature that seemed to have a cling to him was at the ready before he sent her on her way. At first she thought she was going to be standing here the whole time until the beast approached her, little to close for comfort but she didn't care she never really cared about this personal bubble people seem to cling too in most circles.

She simply said to come with her for whatever task she was sent out to do, She shrugged as she did just that, She had her blades at the ready incase combat was required on her part as she kept with the creature. There wasn't much else to do what with the battle now sprung ...upon coronation of all days too...have none the heart for Ceremony anymore? It didn't matter though...the enemies of the sith take any opportunity they can get no matter what events are on going.

 

[Darth Daiara]

VJUN STREETS| Rika Hiro​

It was a walking nightmare.

Her fire revealed the mechanical form beneath the assassin. Aradia was forced a step back. Then another.

And another.

Dread coiled through her and stuck to her throat. She tried to swallow but the lump went no where. She reached her hand out to the side and summoned a chunk of rubble through the air. Her fingers flexed, a grunt escaping her as she redirected it into the cybernetics side.

She continued to scramble back, her footing twisting and sliding on the debris behind her. Her strength always came in the distance she could keep. It was a buffer that protected her small size. In this moment, she knew that if that buffer failed, she was dead.

She reached out again, quicker this time as she groped at potted plant on a cart. It smashed across the skeletal structure of Asa's head.

"Pathetic."

Aradia sneered. “I'm not the one that got caught and turned into freakfest. Feck off." The force pulled at her core as she lifted a speeder into the air. Its size was laughable for masters on either side of the force, but she was teen with only a few spare years of training. She felt the exertion in her bones as she went to swing it into the android's form.

She ignored this all and sent herself flying forward. The dust cleared as the girl descended down on Asa. Her saber whistled into her hand and snapped to life just in time. A yellow arc cleaved to cut the android down the middle.

Spoiler: Chapter 1: Zaavik

SPACE, OVER VJUN | Darth Daiara​

Bright streaks condensed into singular points as the ship left the egress of hyperspace. Gray wedges against the void loomed in the distance, throwing red stripes of fire between one another. Zaavik took his hand from the hyperthrottle and quickly attended to several switches before grasping the co-pilot's yoke tightly. A chime sounded as atmospheric shields activated in preparation to enter the Vjun's stratosphere.

Turbulence shook the ship like a low-magnitude earthquake. A sigh of relief escaped the Zeltron's lips as the impression that they'd managed to slip past the naval theater above dawned. Their proximity exit from hyperspace appeared to pay off despite the risk. Until it didn't. The sound of interloping Ion Engines screaming clawed beneath the sounds of their own ship. A sudden jolt, crack, and rumble from within the ship killed snuffed out his relief in an instant.

"Chit!" Alarms began to cry out from the console in desperation. A holo diagram of the ship projected, sections of the aft near the drives all flashing red. The magnitude of turbulence had increased by a factor of ten. Zaavik threw on his pilot's headset and slowly fought the rumbling and came to an unbalanced stand within the cockpit.

<Keep us steady!> he shouted through the microphone, his voice vocoding directly into the next headset to be heard above the sounds of a collapsing ship. He staggered and wobbled against the unsteady ground, teetering with falling objects and sliding furniture. After a long stumble, he braced himself around the ladder to the dorsal quad laser turret and began to climb.

A sudden flash of heat was followed by a hard impact across his back. When his vision refocused, he was supine facing an inferno engulfing the upper part of the ladder. The headset crumbled and slid off as he raised his head slowly. He clasped one hand over the far side of his face, a burning sensation stinging at every nerve. An unurgent groan drowned beneath the alarms and rumbling as he slowly returned to his feet in a daze.

Snapping out of it, he readjusted his plan and started to claw through a disheveled interior toward the engine bay. A cryo-extinguisher that hd fallen off a wall bracing was promptly scooped up. He shot the carbon dioxide stream over every flame in his way until he made it to the drives. Tibanna was so thick on the air that he immediately wretched, coughing up a fit afterward.

Leaning on a wall, he turned his head up for a glance at what was left of their propulsion. This was it, wasn't it?

SPACE, OVER VJUN | Zaavik Perl

They were going down.​

She stared numbly at her screen as the propulsions went offline. She could watch their decent on the holograph-- the digital horizon rushed quickly towards then, while Imperial fighters closed in to finish the job. Didn't they see there was nothing Aradia could do?

The ship's alarms vibrated through her, demanding action. She wanted to claw at her ears and peel their shrill echoes out of her mind, but there wasn't enough time for that.

"Zaavik," she croaked, her thoughts snapping to the explosion that had rocked the ship. He wasn't back yet. Panic sent her tearing out of the seat, her hands digging into furniture as she propelled herself out of the cock pit.

Gravity fought against her. The forty five degree tilt at which the vessel fell tugged at her limbs and dragged her back. The ship was small but the distance between her and the engine room felt insurmountable at that moment.

She breathed the force into her limbs and willed strength into her steps. If fate didn't want her to reach him, it would have to try a lot harder than that.

Step by step... she pushed forward. Another explosion rocked the ship-- a hit from the enemy fighters-- but the hulls held firm.

A scream of exertion tore through her as she pulled herself over a wall. Trapped there by the degree of the ship's fall was Zaavik. She crumbled next to him and heaved for air. A small voice in the back of her mind chimed that their time was numbered.

Her head lulled to face him, gravity pressing her flat into the wall like a lime being juiced.

All the effort they had put into survival, and now... Did he see it? Did he understand?

Her chest squeezed with terror as she stared down their death.

She wasn't done living yet. ​

PLUMMETING TOWARD VJUN | Darth Daiara​

As the moments passed, every attempt he made to peel himself from the wall grew more and more difficult. Like moving through clay, Zaavik's hand came forward and clasped around a jutting section of pipe. His cold prosthetic sizzled against the heated durasteel, but his grip didn't falter. As his muscles strained, he seemed to lift in slow motion. Teeth grit together, he began to shout with exertion through them.

The ship was suddenly jostled again. The pipe came loose, and with it, Zaavik was pulled upward and slapped pinned against the wall again. The force of their descent kept him stuck like a fly in a glue trap. He writhed, struggled, shouted, cursed, fought battles with every muscle in his body just to peel away.

Calling upon the force, he reached again. The cockpit seemed an impossible distance away, but it was their singular hope. He gripped his hand into a corner wall, the crushgaunt tech on his prosthetic crumpling the panel beneath like paper. The makeshift handhold gave him the grip needed to pull upward. His body peeled off the back wall slowly until only his feet were flat upon it.

He tucked on arm over the now side-ways threshold into the room he'd been trapped in. Like hanging off a cliff, he dangled with his toes just inches above where he'd been pinned beside Aradia. Over his shoulder, he slowly turned against the forces on his body to look her way. As he reached down toward her in an attempt to help, his arm was whipped sharply downward. His shoulder popped almost loud enough to be heard above the blaring of death's descent.

Yet another jolt. Zaavik was ripped from his hold and sent back toward the wall. He tucked his chin, but it did little to stop his head from slamming back with whiplash after his back and shoulder. The arm he had offered became trapped beneath his torso, pain spiking from shoulder to finger. The second concussive daze in a matter of minutes took the fight out of him.

Once the stars had faded from his vision, he was surprised to discover they were still falling. His neck muscles strained as he looked to his side. An apologetic look was offered Aradia's way. As best he could manage with his face subject the same g-force as the rest of his body, at least. His free hand slithered down and over hers. Fingers fought through invisible clay to close around the much smaller extremity.

'Trusting the Force to keep you safe' always sounded like brainless rhetoric before. Now, though, it wasn't like he had any other options. He clenched his eyes shut as tight as possible and hoped.

CRASHING INTO VJUN | Zaavik Perl

They were going to die.​

He was an idiot for trying to resist it. They could barely defy the Imperials, what chance did they have against physics?

He tried to jump off the wall anyway. G-force brought him crashing back. Her teeth rattled as his shoulder cracked. He didn't have to scream for her to feel it echoing through the force. Chills speckled over her skin. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see yet another friend die.


Terror clawed at her chest like a wild animal. She couldn't move, the invisible force sat on her chest like a thousand speeder. Better gravity than an Imperial.



Fingers encircled her own. She jolted in shock and opened her eyes to find him staring back. The touch was electric, her skin tingling as she felt him brush across her mind. Clammy fingers gripped his back.

Hope blossomed through her, from his skin to hers. It chased away her fears with ease that surprised her. She felt everything he did, just like in the escape pod, when they had combined their energies and found the strength to...-

Her lips parted at the idea.

Dark coalesced with light, forging a shield around them.

And then impact tore them apart.​

That which does not kill us...
VJUN CRASHSITE | Darth Daiara ​

Facing a blood-black void with only a ringing in his ears, Zaavik assumed he was dead. It only occurred to him moments later when he questioned his ability to even be conscious, that he was, in fact, still breathing. As consciousness fully returned, so too did the pain in his everything. He still couldn't see anything. Wondering if he'd been blinded, he felt around to deduce that he was buried in wreckage. Miraculously, somehow alive and not pinned.

Maybe there was something to the rhetoric after all.

Green plasma sparked to life, the light of his saber illuminating the crevice he was buried beneath. An open palm pressed against the piece above him, testing the weight at every spot he could reach. Deciding on a point, he sunk the saber through and began to cut. A firm, sustained extension of his legs with feet flat on the panel eventually pried it free, opening the crevice up to the air outside.

The light sent pain into his eyes. It traveled back and transitioned into a throbbing in his skull. Getting to his feet was a monumental effort. His shoulder ached, the sensation clearly familiar as dislocation. He threw himself against an upright section of hull after lining up the lunge. Bones forced themselves into place with a pop, evoking loud curses and sounds of agony.

Staggered around in a daze, blood running down his face from the crown of his skull, he came to a realization. His heart skipped a beat, a sudden exhale coming with sudden desperation. "Oh chit," he muttered. Stumbling around through smoky haze and scattered flames he looked around frantically. "Aradia!?" he shouted over the crackling of infernos and distant sounds of war.

He reached out with the force, searching for any sign of life buried beneath steel and smoke.

VJUN CRASHSITE | Zaavik Perl
​

"Zaavik! Zaavik!"

Her shrill shriek tore up her throat. The ship's metal panels had come down on her. She couldn't see anything. All she could hear was her own panicked heartbeat, and her whimpers... she couldn't help the whimpers. She didn't like tight spaces. They reminded her of cargo holds at slaver's bay.

Her shoulder throbbed. She could feel the warm liquid ooze around a rod of metal embedded into her flesh. It was deep. She didn't look.

The very notion of being impaled again drove her into a frenzy. It was Kyber dark all over again, but she wasn't that same naive girl. She wasn't weak anymore. Lock down her quivering muscles and forced in a breath.

She held it, pushing through the terror... the desperation... the pain... until her desire to live overruled all else.

She released the breath. A telekinetic wave rippled out from around her, battering against the rubble that would burry her alive.

It wasn't enough.

VJUUN CRASHSITE | Darth Daiara​

A muffled voice rose from somewhere. It was hardly audible beneath conflagrating roars. So much so that Zaavik couldn't decipher where it had come from. His head darted around frantically, trying to replay the sound in his mind to trace its origin. No luck. He called out for her again, louder this time, hoping that he'd get an answer. Instead of words, a force signature replied, touching his mind as wreckage on his peripheral shifted.

His body pivoted with a snap and started forward in a short-lived sprint. Boots slid on dust and dirt, halting before a jagged mountain of durasteel, wire, and pipe. At this distance, despite the thunderous throbbing in his head and ringing in his ears that made feeling anything else monumental task, he could sense her.

Viridesence snapped to life. Deliberate cuts and strikes quelled sharp ends and metallic obstructions. Blood mixed with sweat and trickled down over his eyes, yet he continued despite the stinging. What was once a mountain was becoming a pile. Feet slipped beneath the mound loose metal and cut away material. Jagged edges cut at legs and feet, making the climb all that more difficult.

A deliberate shove brought a gust from the force to clear away the excess, just enough to see an arm exposed from beneath larger pieces of what must have been the ship's cockpit previously. Surging forward, he reached down and grabbed her wrist, fingers deliberately placed for a pulse. The feeling of the arm moving was an instant indicator well before he could even begin to notice a vital sign.

Relief made itself known with an exhale. He let go and peeked through the gap just after a quick glance around the makeshift structure of carnage. Even through the opening, the crevice was so dark he could hardly see more than the side of her face.

"You okay?" Probably the dumbest question he'd asked in years. Something in the back of his mind, paranoid, needed some affirmation that she was still alive. If her presence in the force and ability to move weren't enough of an indication. Stress and a concussion were making him far from completely rational. A voice, even hers, would be the most reassuring. Even if just to remind him that he wasn't dead himself.

VJUUN CRASHSITE | Zaavik Perl​

Light.

The heat of his saber seared away the liquid streaming down her face. She shied away, grimacing against the harsh contrast.

"Zaavik," she choked, her fingers reaching up for him. She wanted to lift herself out. Freedom felt so close, but the bar in her shoulder kept her trapped.

It was impossible not to think of Kyber Dark. She could feel Bastion's brick wall scraping her behind her.

She could feel the courtyard statue carve through her gut. Her mind played tricks on her. Phantom blood bubbled up her throat, the scars of her psyche not letting her forget.

This was not the time to lose her wits.

"My shoulder, I'm trapped," She groped at him, her grip like a vice as it found his sleeve. She was pale, her grip clammy. There was a wild edge to her eyes as she tried to claw herself out.

"Don't leave me like this. You can't leave me like this."

VJUN CRASHSITE | Darth Daiara​

Zaavik grimaced at her demeanor, almost frozen as she snatched his sleeve. "Hey, I'm not going to leave you there, get ahold of yourself!" he admonished urgently. The gravity of the predicament was starting to really settle in past the concussive daze behind his eyes. Releasing his grip, he dropped his saber toward the floor. The pressure switch sent the blade back into the hilt as it clattered to the ground. The freed extremity gently pried her fingers from his sleeve. "I'm gonna get you out, just hold tight."

Uncrouching, he took a step back and called his weapon back to his hand. There was still one large piece of hull wreckage to deal with. It could have been so easy as to cut it to pieces, but that risked cutting Aradia or dripping molten material into the crevice. Retracting his backward step, he came forward and braced his hands against the edge. A long shot, but he had to unpin her somehow.

Every muscle that could contribute began to strain. A sustained grunt reverberated behind clenched teeth as fruitless attempts to lift went on for over a minute. No amount of adjustments or repositioning made any more difference than a minuscule budge. Labored breathing only paused for frustrated cursing.

An idea struck him. Zaavik went into a searching frenzy, digging through scraps until he found a long, metallic bar. The joints in his prosthetic fingers whirred with strain as the knockoff crushgaunt tech crimped the end until it was as flat as they could manage. Metal clanged on metal as he struck into the crack between the pinning piece and an object beneath.

Ten pummels later, it was wedged forcefully between. Using the object as a fulcrum, he positioned his body above and forced his arms down. The weight of his torso added enough force to create a loud pop after a few seconds. The large sheet that had Arada pinned shifted out from between other structures and skid askew. One good shove sent it sliding down the pile and out of the way.

Finally.

He climbed the pile again, tripping at least three times on the way up. Kneeling over Aradia, he could finally behold the worst of it. A stray rod had impaled through her shoulder from underneath. "Ah chit," he lamented involuntarily. The green blade returned again. Slowly, carefully, he'd cut the spar as close to her as he could safely achieve.

"Okay, uh-" The utterance held in a prolonged note. He was grimacing again, mouth slack. "Look, there's no easy way around it; this is gonna suck." His body dropped down, scooping her up beneath the opposite shoulder and her ribs on the impaled side. Without warning, he lifted and ripped straight upward off the stake. Unfamiliar blood ran down his arm as he dragged her a few feet to the side and propped her against the sturdy remnants of the ship's landing gear.

He dropped, splaying onto the ground opposite her, head spinning. Allowing himself to wallow in agony momentarily as if he'd forgotten they were in the middle of a warzone.

The agony was nothing compared to the relief.

The open sky made her feel weightless. Without the walls holding her down she could float up

up​

​

up...​

​

​

and never be touched again.​

The panic slowly released the muscles around her chest, allowing her to heave the fresh air unhindered. Her thoughts flowed easier, her wits returning to her. They had survived. She groped at her shoulder and turned, straining to see Zaavik clearly for the first time.


"Are you ok?" She gritted. As the shock let up, the pain began to creep through her. There were methods for dealing with it. She employed them at once, but it did little to stop the blood flowing freely from her system.

The kolcta geltab. Bloody fingers scrambled for her pockets, trying to pull the life saving medicine out for both of them.

"Here," she rasped, handing him a blood stained packet. Better than bacta, Ashin Cardé Varanin 's words echoed through her, the woman's lessons still with her.

The medicine was more expensive than gold, but worth every credit. Its healing effects would make a substantial difference in no less than five minutes. She shoved her own pill into her mouth and tried to force her way to her feet.

The battle for them hadn't even started yet.

VJUN CRASHSITE | Darth Daiara​

Zaavik's chest rose and fell with labored breaths. Still supine, his eyes drifted toward Aradia as she addressed him. "I'll live," he dismissed with strained, breathy timbre. Everything ached. Cuts on limbs still burned, fractured ribs still brought agony. His head was foggy enough to make everything happening seem dreamlike.

He sat up, slowly returning to reality from dazed anguish. Seeing the hole in her shoulder, he began to blink as if he'd not realized the severity before. Taking the packet she'd offered with robotic movements, he hardly realized what he was accepting. "We gotta do something about that," he asserted. The pill packet rested in his open palm still. He stared down, realizing what it was.

"This stuff is good, but it's not a miracle." He threw off what was left of his now tattered jacket. A quick slice of a freed saber cut off a sleeve. What was left of it was discarded. The strike suit he'd taken with him after deserting on Ziost held up much better beneath it, but it was still in rough shape regardless.

The stray sleeve fluttered through the air toward her at a swing of his arm. "Bandage that up." The suggestion came in a tone that seemed at least twice removed from reality. He stood, swallowing the would-be almost-miracle pill while trying to stifle the spins in his whole body.

VJUN CRASHSITE | Zaavik Perl​

She grabbed the sleeve, catching one end in her teeth as she tried to get it around her shoulder. Her eyes followed him as she did so. He looked distant. Confused, but whole. She'd take it over dead any day, but it didn't make what they were up against any easier.

"Hey." She stepped into his field of view, her gaze alert and boiling with the pain she suppressed.

"Get your head in the game, we're here for the Imperials, remember?" The feckers had already gotten the better of them once. They couldn't let them get it again.

She shoved his sleeve into his chest and turned, giving access to the wound for help. She surveyed the scene as she did so, noticing the streets they had landed in for the first time. She had spent hours studying them on their way over. They were familiar.

"We're close."

Rain hit her eye. She flinched, a burning sensation ripping through her. Her head slowly tilted up.

"Feth. We need move." She jerked away from his work on her shoulder, the kolcta geltab pumping new found strength through her system. She didn't need to concentrate so hard on keeping her pain away. The edge was already starting to creep away.

See gripped at his arm, her gaze severe.

"Can you handle this one?"

It was almost as if she'd abandon the mission if he couldn't. Almost.

Shoving him in a crevice worked just as well.

*afk -> 5/24 for camping, sorry for the slight speedy posts on mah personal story Rika Hiro it's time bae, tagging you in. come at me

VJUN CRASHSITE | Darth Daiara Ingrid L'lerim​

Zaavik's eyes unglazed. Untranced from the acidic squall falling beyond the cover of shattered steel, he glanced down. A distinct thumping still nagged the back of his eyes. Expression shifted from daze to forced attention when meeting Aradia's accost.



"I'm here for everyone," he countered sharply. Goal alignment didn't translate into a perfect lack of contention. Out of the two of them, Zaavik had the broader contumacious horizons. He wasn't going to waste any energy hoping she'd come around to the same oppositional nonpartisan. His gaze lingered, planting a flag firmly atop his hill. If they weren't in such a dire strait, he would have counted on verbal backlash. Would have put a thousand credits on it, even.

Eyes snapped front, back to the drizzle, back to the task at hand. Arguments would have to be saved for later. It went without saying, although the urge to implore her regardless clawed at the tip of his tongue. He chomped it, squeezing the life out of it with one gentle clamp of restraint. No time for that.



Whites flashed openly with a grin. It smelled as self-satisfied as chit did of itself. "I've done more with worse," he assured, suddenly more full of himself than usual. It was the truth, but that did little to make him seem any less vain.

"I'll find you when my part is done. We'll worry about getting off this rock once everything's in place." He gingerly tugged his arm out of her grasp. Stepping from beneath overhanging wreckage, he rose a hand to manifest a small dome against the acidic fall. His shape flickered, fading from visibility after a pause. Rain shifted as his personal force-umbrella floated unconcealed. "Oh. Also-" His voice called out, seemingly disembodied from his unperceivable figure.

"Don't die."

The Rogue Shadow skulked away.

Ingrid L'lerim ok we fight now

Spoiler: Chapter 2: Asa

LADY_SILENCE_
COMPNOR
V J U N
Tags:// Darth Daiara

MUSIC

To remove a weed and prevent it from growing back and causing ruin to your garden. You must remove it root and stem every time to deny a new generation of undesirable invasive plants rising from the soil it inhabits. The same directive applied to the youth of the Sith Order who bore the title of acolyte wherever they were lightsaber trained or not, under the directive of the higher committee, the Sith order was to be exterminated from the highest echelons to the lowest roots and stems. Hundreds and well into the thousands of Sith knights, acolytes and even lords had perished in such a way. Promptly killed or disappeared when the rear units of the Imperial army came to did away with them, some preferring to dispose of them in a myriad of gruesome ways, and those deemed important were shuttled off into the supervision of COMPNOR. The HRD had seen off dozens of the Sith Order by its own hands; it did not discriminate, nor did it show such inane notions as mercy. All perished under the cold dead gaze of the ERIS HRDs sent to hunt them down.


The HRD wandered like a solitary ghost amidst the ruins, acid rain rolling down milk-white skin; if it hurt, it did not notice nor stop for shelter. It was here for something else, a red-headed acolyte who had escaped death many times and killed many servants of the Imperator. But not today, an order had been sent down to remove the problem or capture it in the field and send it back to the superiors. Whoever else present was expendable in the eyes of the directive and the HRDs superiors. Only the acolyte mattered. And Yubari would not leave without the acolyte, dead or alive it didn't matter. ​

VJUN CRASHSITE | Zaavik Perl | Rika Hiro​

She watched him walk away, a sense of disconnect filling the space that his absence had created.

She still didn't think separating was a good idea, but arguing with Zaavik when he had made up his mind was like yelling at rock. She focused her energy onto herself and looked around at the destroyed remains of her ship. They had been shot down with relentless precision; something about it felt wrong. Had the imperials known who they were?

It hardly mattered now.

She set off from the crash site, her skin burning with each drop of acid rain. Her ship was destroyed. She almost wished Kaalia would yell at over it, at least then she would know the woman still cared.

It was an inappropriate time to think of her former master, but it had become harder not to. Every time Zaavik mentioned home-- his training-- this stupid war-- she realized how much a part of her was missing. What was an acolyte without a master?

Fecked.



She walked unaccompanied through the streets. In the distance, the dome of an important capitol building shone. Acid rolled down its metal surface, the rain burning everything that stood in its path. She ignored the pain itching across her skin and jumped down from a building's ledge.

Something tickled the back of her mind.

She looked to the left, her eyes meeting with Rika Hiro as the two came face to face. Aradia tensed, her hand going to saber. She did not pull it, her wariness almost tactile as she summarized the woman. ...Citizen... or threat... ? She took a testing step forward.

The woman was in her way.

LADY_SILENCE_
COMPNOR
VJUN
Tags:// Darth Daiara

Mirroring the acolyte in kind, the Replicant stepped in front of the redhead and directly blocked her path. The HRD cold gaze locking with the other woman's, unflinching and dead in its intensity. Save for a standard-issue blaster pistol and a combat knife, the Atrisian Replicant had come loosely armed onto the planet. Minimalist in approach, yet optimal, no more, no less was needed to get the job done. Any more, and it was a liability to the mission and task at hand. Opting not to reach for either one of her weapons, the HRD took one step forward and stopped where she stood. The heavy patter of acid rain and the distant thrum of artillery fire the only sounds that occupied the air; otherwise it was deadly silent in this unremarkable street.



"Greetings."



A lone phrase broke the tense silence, delivered in the usual neutral robotic-like tone that Yubari spoke with when not on missions. A small sinister smile forming on her blank face as she took another small step forward, they were here for the acolyte and the Zeltron dissident that had caused the agency quite some curiosity on both their respective activities.




​

VJUN StREETS| Rika Hiro​

"Greetings."

The hair on Aradia's arms rose.

The woman stepped forward. She stepped back, warning bells ringing inside her. The sinister smile eroded Aradia's nerves. It was inhuman. She tried to gauge the situation but found she could sense nothing. The woman was either force dead, or...

Oh chit.

Aradia turned tail, her feet pounding the slick pavement before another step could be taken. She knew exactly what Rika Hiro was. It was not a fate she cared to tempt again. They were suppose to be myths. She had to get back, she had to out, she had to-- Zaavik. Her steps faltered, adrenaline tearing at her chest.

No. No.

'It's a trap!'

She stood frozen, concentrating on the singular, desperate warning. She was never strong with mental words, but her panic gave her all the strength she needed to trade her retreat for his. What precious head start she had was lost. She steeled herself, her saber snapping into her hands as she turned to face Rika Hiro head on.

Zaavik could pay her back by getting them out.

Preferably now.

LADY_SILENCE_
COMPNOR
VJUN
Tags:// Darth Daiara

​

"When you breathed your last amidst the fires of the academy you once called home, in that fleeting moment of pain, did you not foresee your pointless act cost the lives of your friends and classmates."

The glow of the girl's sabre painted Yubari in an ominous shade of blood crimson red; the HRDs slender pale hand moved to its security belt and unclipped its blaster pistol, dropping it to the rain-streaked pavement with a muted thud. It took a few more steps closer until it was almost in the Acolytes face, yet still maintained a gap. Distant enough to reason with the unreasonable girl, yet close enough to snap her neck and be done with the directive.


"Don't do what your other friends did; make it easy for yourself; come with us, we will make you whole again."


Yubari offered an encouraging grin, extending an arm out in invitation to the Sith acolyte, the other arm resting firmly on her hip just in reach of its combat knife. First, the HRD would take the girl away and show them the error of the Sith Order, the error of their ways. Then, they would be whole again and revealed the majesty and power of the Imperial dogma. Finally, she would come to learn that Yubari's kind were not demons, merely angels and messengers of the Imperator sent to correct mistakes and guide the lost and damned to the light of Imperialism. Cara Dornian had resisted, and had fought Yubari bitterly to the end, and for the Bakurans transgressions, she had been made to see the light and was left to bleed out in the great white fields of Helgard. Though she may have lived, Yubari would soon see to it that Ms Dornian would be appropriately seen to in time and replaced. The HRDs eyes flashed in a shade of mechanical red and grey, and she spoke out once more to the girl.

"You cannot hold back the tide with a broom forever, Ms Pavanos."

VJUN STREETS| Rika Hiro​

Her stomach dropped.

That name.

No one was suppose to know that name.

The people that it belonged to were to be protected. They had saved her. They were good people. She sacrificed so they didn't have to know the pain of losing each other.

But that secret was over.


When Asa said their name, Aradia saw red.

"Watch me," she spat, her yellow saber snapping quickly through the air. Asa's extended arm was in its way. Aradia didn't slow down long enough to see which part of the woman she dismantled, she just heard the the hefty sound of body parts hitting the ground and knew it wasn't enough.

She pivoted, aiming to take the head clean off the android.

That's what this thing was.

Metal.


And yet the smell of burning flesh still hit Aradia's nose. Her nerves rattled as the decapitation missed. It was pure willpower that kept her from up and running. She knew how this went. Kill it now, or be overpowered by its inhuman capabilities.

Momentum dug her saber into speeder turned on its side. Her stance was left momentarily broken. Her arms were tangled. She could feel the small window she had to shut down the HDR close with alarming speed.

She let out a scream and released a pillar of fire from the hand trapped under her sword arm. Desperation burned through her in tangible tingles.

Time was up.

LADY_SILENCE_
COMPNOR
VJUN
Tags:// Darth Daiara

​

First came fear and then fury, fury in defiance of the HRDs words; the little acolyte seemed intent on struggling against the light of Imperialism like a bug caught in a jar. No matter how much Ms Pavanos fought and threw back the offers of mercy and salvation, they would keep coming for them all, like an unstoppable iron tide that no matter how many of them died, the Order would keep marching onwards to Dromound Kaas. Then came a brilliant flash of yellow that burned through the acidic air and moved cleanly through the Replicants arm, severing it to the elbow and exposing wire and singed metal that sparked and spat in the acid rain. However, the next blow was not as fast as the first, and the HRD dropped down out of its path, letting the burning hot saber swing aimlessly through the air and missing the replicants neck by mere seconds. However, the fire embraced her form and set Yubari alit like a human torch, peeling synthetic skin and melting hair off, revealing the metal skull beneath.


. . . . critical damage to all outside skin

. . . . Minor damage to the voice box

. . . . Field Model 234# advised to be rerouted to engineering depot

. . . . Back up systems rerouted

. . . . Engage target


The rain soon extinguished much of the flames that licked and burned the fake flesh, reducing Yubari to something akin to a vision out of a nightmare. The HRD pulled at the burnt ragged folds of fused clothing and skin, ripping it off and throw it aside as it arose from the fires reborn in its skeletal frame. Its real form beneath the synth skin and complex engineering was nothing more than a skeletal android, a literal wolf in sheep's clothing. Where neutral eyes once stood, now only cold mechanical red eyes that oozed hate remained in place. It took a mechanical step forward and increased the pace slowly but steadily toward the target; all pretence of humanity and reasoning burnt away in the embers of Aradia's flames and the constant acid rain of Vjun.


"Pathetic."

 

[DECEASED Erskine Barran]

XI
GALIDRAANI FREE-STATE
BLUE-HEART BRIGADE

Operation: CENTURION
VJUN, 865 ABY

Objective 1: PRIMO VICTORIA

Commonwealth Forces: Willan Tal Enedina Tal Tyrell Lockhart

Allies (NIO): Irveric Tavlar Silas Sunfyre
Hâwmâr Lurais Henry Lucan

Allies (NJO/GA/FO/SJC/): Viers Connory
Allies (RGO/OTHER): Augustus Tassar

Enemies (TSE/CIS): Darth Strosius Ingrid L'lerim Adrian L'lerim-Vandiir
Laertia Io Ulrich Cameron Crownwraithe

BARRAN'S LOADOUT
Primary: Custom Blaster-Pistol (Right-hip Holster - left-or-right hand draw)
Secondary: Basket-Hilted Vibrosword Claymore (Left-hip Sheathe - right hand wielding)
Last Ditch/Second-Blade: Fairbairn Vibroknife (Right-hip Sheathe - right-or-left hand wielding)
Pocket-Weapon: Berach's Brass Knuckles (Right-pocket - right-hand wielding)

Blue-Heart Brigade (Mechanized-Infantry)
203 Cataphract Tanks
29 AFVs
6 ACVs
1 Battalion of Riflemen
1 Company of Combat-Engineers
1 Company of Elite Combat-Medics

THE BATTLE FOR CASTLE BAST: PART 9 - THE MEET- AHEM! THE FIGHT!!!

Should've known the,"Foyer", would've been every part as much the eyesore as the walls outside. Vile in every corner....​

'What do you want, Son of Galidraan? I'm not usually the sort to humor such requests.', a feminine voice rang out echoing from the other side, slowly walking her way out from the shadows as the scars of her past gradually drew into the peaking light. From the moment her intriguingly-colourful gaze met his, Erskine knew almost immediately who he was dealing with, and though his eyebrow was raised in surprise, there was no doubt an air of pleasance about it, though lined still with the murderous intent written clear in the slow dilating of the pupils in his eyes. Little did she know that darkness was descending all over, and not just the monsters of her own and her allies' bidding, but the spectral image of Erskine's son was silently goading him on, teasing him into drawing his blade as Darth Xiphos continued to approach, unaware of what seemed to be a Barran-made hallucination floating next to her cyber-eye periphery. Completely clueless to the darkening of the heart beneath the Woad's surface, Laertia could only guess at how much he wished her dead, but the guess itself would've been quite colourful indeed, yet the Lord-Commander had other reasons to be there.

'I am uncertain what you expect to gain from this. You know my position, no doubt, and we are at cross purposes. The Bryn'adul must be fought now but the NIO and GA and SJO are content to let billions die on the rim, in complete denial of the problem just to have their revenge on The Sith. I have vowed to try and thwart you all at every turn until you choose to focus on The Bryn'adul. That's my stance.'
No, Thomas. She doesn't know, why else would she bring offspring to war? She can't know!

Keep it together, old man! She'll set her,"Sons", on you with the click of a finger.... Intel, man! Intel!​

As her organic eye completed it's mutation, Erskine momentarily gazed into the cybernetic one as it's gold glow intrigued him further, but got back on track when he said,'Eeh, I'm far too homogenous to be a Blood-Galidraani. Tal would be the,"Son of Galidraan", of us two. Differing nobilities, dawl.... And I know you don't normally humour such requests, I've been trying to get your attention this entire time, have I not?', furrowing his brow in a more focused manner than before. Seeing a disapproving roll of the eyes, Barran chuckled, though it was a dry, rueful mirth to hear. Both opposing elements in the room knew exactly what that meant, and knew exactly what the end result was desired to be, yet neither knew that both sides of this army-on-army rivalry had been studying each other the entire time, yet both were going about their research in entirely differing ways. After the tense moment of silence between them, the Brigadier-General started shaking his head at the notion of the Bryn'adul being the real threat, but Barran, keeping his temper in check by what seemed like miraculous means, calmly addressed the matter by explaining his lack of concern as best as he could.

'Your Nuetralizer was giving me instructions on how they fight, but again, there are variables and other factors they do not consider. We don't wage war like you, as doing so would see us up chit creek without a paddle. All you & I have are the tools we're given, from birth, in training, and in the field - an' your lot just happen to possess different toolkits to ours. Yours is the assassin-chit, ours? Reads simply,"Brute Force!". Just imagine how hard it's going to be for the Bryn'adul when they face off against the 1st and 2nd D I V I S I O N S, dawl. I think then that the Bryn'adul would be the very least of your worries.'

This would only make sense to one who'd been taking shots at him since the early days of their tenure with the Free-State, only making sense to the singlemost dedicated anti-Imperial of the three, and with these facts kept close to mind for Erskine's closing part of his response, it could only make that kind of sense to Laertia in particular. Stepping closer, Erskine looked left to right for Nuetralizers, and in seeing none, he chortled dryly again, seeing that there was at least something of an adherent to old-time sentiments that he never once attributed to Laertia before. Expecting guards at every corner, the realization they were alone together definitely pleased the Stormchaser to a degree that he'd relent somewhat, thinking it better to hear Laertia's side of the deployed-offspring story instead; and whether Xiphos would bite or not was entirely down to how barbed his question was perceived to be, though Barran would be happy to work with whichever severity of response was thrown back his way.

'To begin with, I was starting to think her the Amalgam's, if you would believe it. But now I see the resemblance, fights like you too.... Don't worry, I have no designs on her; well, none outside the diplomatic ruleset we'll have to set out for her now. Because of you! So eager an' devoted, yet one read of my file would tell you that taking offspring to war is a disastrous concept - at best! After all, it wasn't your lot or mine who killed him; it was your so-called allies, on Ziost. An' we both lost a lot that day, didn't we? Except your sons weren't flesh-and-blood like mine was, like your daughter is! Won't be us lot who kill her, or your loyal Nuetralizers, it will happen on your watch! Transpiring as the heavens open with Sith-Imperial desperation again! JUST - LIKE - TODAY!!!!'

THE BATTLE FOR CASTLE BAST: PART 10 - THE ARCHAISIAN SLIP 'N' SLIDE

Monsters of all design were waiting beyond the breach, beasts of great size as much as great aggression, but little did they know that shunting was the order of the day, aided by the ground they struggled to gain solid footing-traction on; challenges aplenty were being presented to those on either side of the shell-widened gap, but that wasn't stopping anyone from playing their hand. The Nexu, Oggdo Bogdo, Nydaks and several other hideous creatures awaited, but the speed of the tanks on approach in every wave was sure to cause untold amount of damage to those who couldn't catch (or pounce on) their makeshift-dodgem prey. Whether the Monster of Vjun, or his denizens would take part in the carnage on the VEERS side, or that of the MADINE front, it was anyone's guess, as they appeared to be striking out uncontrollably on all sides. The first distant cacophony of crashes, screeches, smoothbore shots and roars of fury had echoed out across the the approach to the two breaches, giving loud credence to the efficacy of Proost's plan. For his first proper outing as a section-commander, the Archaisian was proving himself to be quite the asset to the Commonwealth forces on Vjun that day.

'SECOND RANK, THIRD RANK - ADVAAAAAAAAAANCE!!!!'

Allowing the tanks enough of a charging approach to careen across the ice at much quicker speed, Cataphract One had finally proven his worth as a budding tactician, putting young Proost in line to join the ranks of the Barran Clique if he survived the ordeal; Brand was all but exalted into the Woad's little entourage already, Proost however, would need to show his Archaisian mettle some more if he wanted to catch the trajectory of his friend and running-mate for promotion. For the time being however, the challenge in front of him was all that Cataphract One wanted to focus on, knowing that the real madness would be in his face soon enough. Staring across the approach to the breach on either side of the main gate, the Archaisian steeled his heart for the fight to come, readying himself to punch as far through to the other side as his tank (and the ice beneath the wet tracks) could take him.

'FOURTH RANK, FIFTH RANK, SIXTH RANK - ADVAAAAAAAAANCE!!!!'

 

[The Monster]

Hunk of Metal

Objective 1 - Spearhead Veers

Tags - Irveric Tavlar , Silas Sunfyre , Hâwmâr Lurais , Henry Lucan , Viers Connory , Augustus Tassar , Darth Strosius , DECEASED Erskine Barran , Cameron Crownwraithe , Willan Tal , Shuklaar Kyrdol , Laertia Io , Arctus Silmar

The monster would crash into the ranks of troopers ahead of the Sith's counterattack with a savagery and menace that was unrivaled. As it closed the gap with the first rank the true terror of what was approaching the forces would suddenly become apparent. The massive sword would grate, metal would wail almost as it was dragged on the ground behind the beast, before suddenly being lifted with a single arm. Men raised blasters at the thing, but it was fast, way too fast for something of that size. And the first six caught in front of the beast would be cut in two with blinding speed as the hunk of metal tore them in half at the waist. Blood would erupt, gore would fly everywhere as those who were sensitive to the force would be able to watch as the life force of those touched by the blade was literally sucked out of them. And the swing would be followed up by another, and another, each swing getting somehow faster as more fell to the blade. The whispers and buzzing would get louder to those unprotected from the force, the whorls of darkness would get stronger as the being literally fed on the lives it stole from around it. The beast would get more savage as it tore through more and more of the poor souls thrust towards it. It would snap its jaws over the head of a trooper that got too close. It would plant its sword through the torso of another, and literally punch a hole through another trooper's chest. Anything that got within a 40 meter radius of the monster, would die, and when there wasn't enough bodies to slake the beast's thirst it would go find more. What finally gave it pause was when a tank lined up its main cannon on the monster and fired.

The blast would knock the beast off of its feet and slam it into the ground meters away from where it had been hit. But to the gunner's probable horror, the being would almost immediately get up, grab another trooper dumb enough to charge it and literally suck the life from him with its armored hand. And it would eye the tank with a lethal gaze. With a roar of rage it would charge the hover tank while the gunner frantically tried to fire more weapons at it. Smaller blasters would simply ricochet off the thing's armor, while it charged forward with such speed that the larger weapons couldn't track. And at the last moment it would leap from the ground with the blade behind it mid flight, before swinging it forward to plunge through the armored vision port of the tank. Metal would screech as the inhumanly strong blow peeled through the armor like butter, and screaming inside could be heard as the beast simply yanked the blade out with a massive heave. With a roar it would then raise the blade and insert it through the top side turret in a plunging strike, killing the rest of the crew and disabling the vehicle permanently. As it leapt from the tank and started swinging once more to kill as many of the infantry surrounding the vehicle and looking for the next foe to try and oppose it. Anything that got close to it, would perish regardless of allegiance. And the NIO were only feeding it more lives to make it all the stronger. The monster relished in each life it took, each soul it stole and devoured, how its power grew every time it killed another. No tank could simply stop it, and any infantry that got close would find themselves either driven mad at this point, or cut to literal pieces as their very life force was sucked out to feed the monstrosity that had been unleashed. All the while, the only words repeating in the beasts mind would soon be audible to those around it telepathically as the blade devoured more souls and grew ever stronger.

KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL​

 

[Darth Ahriman]

Allies: Seela Leini , Darth Banshee & Alina Tremiru
Opposition: Legate | Loske Treicolt
Engaging: Maynard Treicolt (X-02 Saber-class X-Wing)
Starship: The Chimera (Modified S-161 "Stinger" XL)
Co-Pilot: Vee-Cee

​

"We are being engaged, Master" Vee-Cee declared over the annoying alarm ringing out from the droids station, Valen's non-sentient co-pilot deferring to the nearby terminal to evaluate their new pursuer whilst the Sith Acolyte remained at the helm and harshly threw the Chimera into a barrel roll, pulling back on the controls and veering off to the starboard in a bid to make it difficult for the attacker to gain a lock on them.

"Yeah, no kidding" Valen remarked in a mix of sarcasm and frustration, not sparing the droid his ire whilst having to keep his focus upon the craft and evading their new tail. Seela Leini 's Dancer Squadron had their hands full with the enemy fighters, while whoever sat at the helm of the X-Wing on their six seemed to be determined to take him out.

Volleys of blaster fire shot passed them first before the Chimera's sensors picked up on the incoming projectile, Valen's jaw tensing in response to Vee-Cee's on queue announcement. The Disruptor Torpedo would leave them dead in the air if it hit. "Eject Chaff Countermeasures, followed by another Ion Mine" the Acolyte ordered hastily, turning the Chimera over into another roll and this time being pushed back into his seat as he lurched the vessel up higher, his right hand driving the throttle forward and opening up on the thrusters seeking to put some distance between them and the torpedo.

"Activate the Capacitor Overcharger" Valen soon instructed, his eyes locked upon the terminal set upon the dash in front of him, "Get ready to set the Laser Canons on their engines, once we're clear of this lock, I'm going to bring us around at half speed and let them in closer. I want those thrusters shredded" Valen explained.

The Sith Acolyte was no military-trained pilot. Out there among the battle over Vjun, he was a voluntary position intent on helping their fleet in doing whatever damage they could in support of the war effort, yet every action was guided by instinct and the Force rather than military tactics, making him unpredictable and yet at the same time, not entirely advantageous when crossing fighter pilots of experience such as this one, from what he imagined at least.

 

[Viers Connory]

//: Objective //: Dragon Slayer //:
//: Target //: Ulrich //: Undead //:
//: Allies //: None //:

Born of Blood, Risen from Ash​

Viers was done talking; whatever he had said only made her cause more just. Despite him being part of the living, he was still reanimating those that have died. It frustrated the young woman hearing that he compared what he was doing to the shamans who spoke to the souls to ease them to the afterlife or ask for guidance. She wanted to scream, but her main concern was that the dragon was launching himself into the air. Viers held on tightly to the armor that the creature wore.

Her stomach churned as the momentum changed when he swung his tail forward. There wasn’t much time for her to deal with her nausea. Suddenly a weapon three times her size came into view. The weapon went wide as she let herself drop slightly to the lower part of his tail. The weapon was so close to sending her to the nether realm as a spirit. Holding on to another plate of armor, she swung with her free hand the quarterstaff to hit the base of his tail. The top of the quarterstaff glowed faintly with the power of Force Light.

After a couple of swings, the momentum of what Ulrich was moving at Viers couldn’t hold it in anymore. Opening her mouth, she tasted bile as she lost her lunch on the dragon’s armor and on whatever was beneath them on the ground.

Groaning, the small girl spat, trying to clear the vile taste from her throat, and continued to try and thwap the quarterstaff on the base of the dragon’s tail​