[TSE vs The Dominion] Operation Dominion's Fall: TSE Invasion of Krayiss II Hex

[Darth Caecus]

[SIZE=11pt]Location: The Courthouse Clock, Templestone, Krayiss II[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=11pt]Objective: Observe[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=11pt]Allies: [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Sinya"] [member="Darth Carnifex"], The Saaraishash, TSE[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=11pt]Enemies Nearby: Cultists- (?)[member="Aela Talith"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Kainan Wolfe"] (?)[/SIZE]​

It was impossible to be unaware of Carnifex. Not merely in form but in reputation. His leadership of this fledgling empire was in truth a part of her hesitation to dive in beyond these fringes. She needed to see more of it, of what they were building- and Carnifex, outside of his home on Panatha, was not well known for building. She did not particularly disapprove of his methods. But she knew all too well that something could not grow on destruction alone. If this empire could balance the needs for creation and for death, then perhaps they stood a chance.

The air around the Clocktower had grown too full in the moment before the Sith vanished into the interior. The crashing of the ship, sending shuddering shock waves through their feet, the arrival of additional forces- there was no reason for this place to be a nexus of conflict. It held no obvious strategic importance. Without the chance discovery of the cultist's intentions, she and the Saaraishash wouldn't even be here. All it did was confirm to her that the Force was at work, drawing in energy to fuel whatever was happening in the heart of this building.

The prickle of the lightside came from without, and she brushed it aside. Beyond how they interfered, Caecus had no bone to pick with the Jedi. She'd had little enough interaction with them since her return to the galaxy.... and even the original that she had been templated off of held them no more particular ill will than she had held to anyone else. She could respect a good Jedi, in truth. Those who remembered balance.

The 'lightsiders' within the building however?

Those were not good Jedi.

Caesus led the way down the maintenance stairs. She was cloaked, tight and small within the Force, but the others with her.....

She paused, frowning beneath the mask on the landing.

The cloaked figure vanished into the stairwell below, reappearing two minutes later.

Six total. Three in a triangle around a fourth.

It was difficult to judge nuance through the mask and the way it distorted her voice into something else. Something low and buzzing and hard. And Tai Fa did not know what she was. Or why it might set teeth on edge for the sith beneath the mask. She had never explained, nor did she plan to.

But whatever they were doing, it tugged on the part of her that came from the original source. And that alarmed her more than she could say.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Location: Eroute to Mirial
Allies: [member="Cerbera"] [member="Leliana"] [member="Enyo Typhos"] (The Sith Empire & Friends)
Enemies: (The Dominion and those other guys)

The ashen skinned woman nodded her head as Leliana spoke, taking in each observation and weighing it against what she could observe herself. It complemented Cerbera’s observations aptly. Leliana was young and untrained, but she showed great analytical ability, and perhaps hinted at some sensory abilities Ophidia herself did not possess. She noted it down in her head as something she ought to investigate further.

“Well done.” She said in a tone that implied ‘adequate’.

Something illuminated on Ophidia’s HUD as she turned her head and carefully lifted a branch of the dry shrubberies, quivering against the vicious winter winds. It helped her trace were the outline of a body had once lain, however most of it was disturbed. How did they reset the scene every time?

“Look,”

Ophidia did not turn and look just yet as she was too busy retracing fractions of foot and hand prints. Perhaps the fire was still working on drowsing her mind, or perhaps the spirits distracted her more. Their constant, distant wailing had a strange draw on her attention, after all.

Then – Bruuuughhhhh’shhhh. The sand and stone shifted.

The sand she was looking at, and that which she stood on, shifted under her feet. Breaking out of her concentrated tracking, she was forced to jump, turn and quickly peddle backwards so not to fall into the gaping hole. She looked at the three others, straightening herself to conserve her pride while the dismembered, animated, adorable hand wandered off down the dark, bloodied steps.

“Very convenient. One would think they did this often.”

Ophidia looked at Enyo for a moment. There was something odd about the cyborg, as if she had just reached out past this universe and slapped someone in the face. The thought brought her a momentary headache, and the Rattataki left it behind. Instead, she peered over the edge and into the darkness.

[SIZE=11pt]Jump[/SIZE]​

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfmoyTL64R0[/media]

Location: The Courthouse Clock, Templestone / Krayiss II
Allies: The Dominion, [member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
Enemies: Sith Empire, [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Sinya"] | [member="Darth Sarcophago"]
Objective: Profit from the war
Equipment: Slug thrower rifle, blast-resistant vest
Troops: 10x Infantrymen

As Wolfe watched the two Jedi emerge, a wave of emotions washed over him, which in his younger days would might have threatened to overwhelm him. Disgust and hatred for what the two were and delight for the opportunity that they presented to him. But these were not his younger days and so, the man who was now Kainan Wolfe, let none of that show, doing his best to hide what he felt, wary that the Jedi might be able to sense it.

"We have a defensive perimeter, but it is only a temporary one and will not hold under a serious assault," he explained to the Jedi, making sure to keep a calm, steady, professional tone. "My men and I are only armed with light weapons and are not equipped to deal with any armored units or large infantry force and although we have slug throwers, we would likely be overwhelmed if attacked by one of the more powerful Sith. Now, is you are the only survivors, we need to move. The information I have is incomplete, but this isn't just a raiding party, it is a full-fledged invasion force and I suspect the attack on this planet is only the beginning-" he was about to say more when the looming shadow of the massive beast announced the terrifying presence of a high ranking Sith.

Wolfe recalled his soldiers back to his position with a quick hand gesture and they complied swiftly, with a discipline that was very reminiscent of the imperial Stormtroopers, who's training Wolfe had emulated with his troops. As the mercenaries gathered, Wolfe casually ran up a pile of rubble, hard eyes surveying the squad of troops below him and flickering to the two Jedi, projecting the type of casual authority that came with experience. Turning his eyes back to his troops, he spoke in a hard, clear voice. "Brave men and women of the Final Verdict's crew... Each and every single one of you who has been picked for membership into our organization, has demonstrated time and again that they hold the values of courage, honesty and unwavering loyalty... Each and every one of you has, time and again, risked their lives against insurmountable odds and emerged victorious! Today, I ask you that you risk your lives once more, so that we may save lives who's lights would otherwise be extinguished forever by those who seek to plunge the galaxy into ruin! I ask you this because I know we will prevail! Because we are not just a crew, we are the wolf pack! And when wolves hunt together, no beast, no matter how large, can stand against them! Are you with me?" he finished his speech and his troops answered with a cheer. "Come on, wolf pack, let's go kill some Sith!"

"All units, deploy to sniping positions immediately! Keep dispersed and keep the target in sight at all times, switch AP and aim for that beast's eyes and nostrils and change position immediately after you fire! Do not open fire until I give you the order to do so!" he ordered his troops and they rushed to comply, changing the magazines of their slug throwers with ones that held armor-piercing ammunition. Meanwhile, high above the blood-soaked battlefields of the planet and away from the massive Sith fleet which hung above them, the Final Verdict received a transmission. It was a recording which one of Wolfe's infantrymen had made discreetly, with a small holocam tucked into his sleeve. This, along with other such recordings, would serve a purpose later, not long after this invasion would end.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Location: Eol Sha
Objective: Cleanse the world
Allies: [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Tyrian"] [member="Krest"]
Enemies: [member="Adron Malvern"] [member="Anya Loma"] [member="Cairyn Midore"] [member="Ra'a'mah"]
Oddity: [member="Travis Caalgen"]

Equipment: Lightsaber Mask of Secrets Armor

Behind her mask, she grinned as she sensed the fireworm coming to the surface under her companion's control. Off in the distance, she could see the green glow of the Lord of Trials and his Disease mount descending towards the colony. Around them, the blue and purple flames continued to carve the arcane symbols of the spell she designed, completely at her command. The dark side coalesced into the runes, burning with a sinister light that bespoke of barely restrained power and malice.

Once the last symbol was carved, a hand shot out to grip the fireworm within the dark side, drawing it to float above their heads and more importantly at the central point of the circle she had carved into the rock at their feet. She drank in the creature's suffering, its primal fear, its anger at being drawn forth from its lava pool.

"Rizina ra ri midwan iw ri jin' tnirma. Rizina ra ri dujikra iw sis kûrja. Zami ri tzirjazona iw saud diâ tokiai, diâ titsû anim duroki wisa arsia anim," she started to chant, the power of the dark side rising from the runes and flowing into the creature above it. The fiery monster started to shriek and roar in extreme agony as the dark side flowed into it, its scales and skin cracking and blistering from the amount of energy being poured into it. It would serve as the vessel, its soon to come death the catalyst. Even now, beneath their feet, the world shuddered as though it knew darkness was stirring. Black lines flowed across the surface of the creature as its body was engorged with the power of the dark side, pulsing as the dark side energies she commanded to continue to flow into it strained at their containment.

"Rizina ra ri midwan iw ri jin' tnirma. Rizina ra ri dujikra iw sis kûrja. Zami ri tzirjazona iw saud diâ tokiai, diâ titsû anim duroki wisa arsia anim," she repeated, behind her mask, her eyes were blazing in a savage yellow glee.

 

[Leliana]

Location: Mirial
Allies: The Sith Empire & Friends - [member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Cerbera"] | [member="Enyo Typhos"]
Enemies: The Dominion
Equipment: Hidden Blade, Sith Assassin Armour, Lightsaber, Daggers.

Leliana's eyes remained on her master, no visible reaction to the praise the Rattataki gave her. There was a flicker of pride that bloomed within her being - but it was quickly brushed aside in favor of remaining focused. She did not allow herself to ever become too prideful, especially when it concerned her skill as an assassin. It was what her hobbies were for, to allow that emotion to be channeled elsewhere that wouldn't be a hindrance.

Something taught to her before she had ever met Ophidia, speaking through the familiar Nagajj.

An assassin with zero emotions was only useful as a tool for killing. But those that could maintain them; manipulate them, were capable of becoming much more.

"Not just a memorial,"

Leliana turned to Cerbera, as the woman assessed the statue further. The assassin watched with interest as she ran her hands across the stone in search of something. Leliana could see the woman's hands coasting along the smooth surface, probing at the dark side infused in it with her own.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise as Cerbera's hand suddenly fazed through what should've been solid stone. The clicking noise alerted Leliana, and she immediately fixed her footing as the ground nearby began to shift. Her eyes flickered over to Ophidia as she jumped to avoid falling into the newly revealed entrance. Though there was no real amusement in the assassin's expression, she was more curious about what lingered below.

She shivered slightly as the hand moved away, its finger brushed across her cheek. The absence was felt immediately, but the hand had left its mark on her. She could still feel the enchanting pull of the fire, but Leliana now had a foothold to resist it. Though the tormented souls that lingered in the wind remained a constant reminder, whispering in her ears. If anything, she now wanted to walk down the steps to get away from them.

"From the looks of things, their last catch wasn't that recent." Again she noted the lack of disturbance in the sand. More so because they never noticed that there was a hidden door buried beneath it when they arrived. A sign that it hadn't been used recently, or for all Leliana knew the ones responsible had enchanted the sand to cover it up each time. Today had already been eye opening when it came to the Force.

Leliana looked over at Enyo and gave her a small nod in agreement. It was convenient, maybe too much so.

"They've likely got other entrances and exits...makes me wonder how they know if they're caught someone. There was no look out sighted, unless they have more...different means to keeping an eye on this area."

Tempted as she was to begin the trek down, she waited for their friendly little hand to scout the place. Leliana felt a slight twitch in the back of her mind, feeling the scurring process the dismembered limb was making.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Location: The Courthouse Clock, Templestone, Krayiss II
Objective: Dash them against the stones
Allies: The Sith Empire - In proximity: [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Sinya"]
Enemies: The Dominion - In proximity: [member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kainan Wolfe"]
Equipment:

• The Tyrant's Shroud
• Sith Shuk'orok
• Sith Lightsabers
• The Scepter of Iniquity

The Dark Lord whipped the reins of his beast, commanding it to take to the skies once again. Tentatively Adramelech stalked towards the edge of the Clocktower, finding good purchase with its hind claws so that it may spread its wings and catch the wind beneath them to take flight, heaving its massive bulk into the air. The merely beating of the Dread Behemoth's wings caused glass windows to shudder and shake, the weakest of them shattering inward to pepper the room beyond with cutting shards. Carnifex steered the beast to circle above the Clocktower's square several times before having him land atop a set of buildings opposite the tower, the sheer weight of the creature causing the lesser stone to buckle and break as he found steady footing.

"Jedi!" The Dark Lord's voice boomed through the air, authoritative and grating, "You have come to the wrong planet, you will find no Light here."

He reached down and unbuckled the straps keeping his battlestaff in place on the saddle's side, and slid off from the beast's back to fall down to the ground below. The cobblestone cracked and buckled under his muscular weight as he landed, with each step he took disrupting the ancient stonework. The staff he held in his left hand pulsated with the Dark Side of the Force, exuding pure madness and hatred outwards in all directions. The radiating energy didn't discriminate, it didn't matter if those caught in its radius were Imperial or Dominion, Sith or Jedi, anyone susceptible to its maddening influence was driven to insanity and hateful depravity.

Except for the Dark Lord of course, his Epicanthix heritage prevented him from coming under its sway and allowed him to wield it with absolute impunity. He came to a stop a good several meters away from the crashed shuttle, his armor slick with blood and offal, and tilted his staff towards the Jedi in a wordless challenge.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Location: The Courthouse Clock, Templestone, Krayiss II
Allies: The Dominion | [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Kainan Wolfe"]
Enemies: The Sith Empire | [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] [member="Darth Carnifex"]
Objective: Survive

The hulking figure crossed the courtyard towards them. Shadows seemed to stretch out before him as if the light itself shirked its duties in his presence. He was alone for now, but Jacen doubted that would last. He made no move to drop down and meet the sith as he crossed the open space. Instead he carefully and methodically finished strapping on his armour.

“Time to be diplomatic then,” he muttered to Aela. His sonic carbine made a satisfying noise as it slid home into the holster in the small of his back. The nonchalant attitude he projected was not reflected inside his own mind. They needed a plan beyond fighting for a piece of architecture they didn't care for. In fact they needed layers of contingency.

But as the sith advanced and called out his challenge, something dark was reflected within his own mind. Insidious, dark tendrils encroached on his mental barriers, probing for cracks. Jacen's weakness had become his strength. Countless hours meditating with [member="Adele Adonai"] has taught him to build layer after layer of defence. He visualised them as glass, interlocking bricks stacked high. Jacen almost wished he had imagined them as an opaque barrier so that he didn't have a vision of the creature clawing its way in. If it could tug at his faculties despite the terentatek hide then it was a powerful spell or artefact at work.

Whilst he made no move to climb down from the hull of the ship and meet the challenge he drew himself up to his full height. Shoulders drawn back, head held high, his hand stayed inches from the hilt of his lightsaber. Jacen looked to Aela and gave her a curt nod. Despite the creeping fear that started to gnaw in his insides he managed to smile with the corner of his mouth turned away from the Dark Lord.

Marshal Voidstalker looked to the challenge and held his ground.

“And you are?” He called out.

 

[Aela Talith]

Location: The Courthouse Clock, Templestone, Krayiss II
Allies: The Dominion | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kainan Wolfe"]
Enemies: The Sith Empire | [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Sinya"]
Objective: Greet Guests

Aela's expression did not change as she turned, her eyes focusing on the hulk of a man that walked towards them. Briefly they flickered towards the beast that he had dismounted, an odd sort of twisted monstrosity that reminded Aela of a rancor in her way.

Fear did not fill her heart, the pulsing waves of darkness washing over her having little effect. Between her necklace, Sword, and the Angraal crystal in her lightsaber she was more than protected against influences of the dark. She had fought the Sith for almost her entire life, and their tricks were nothing new. Her bright orange eyes focused upon the man in armor, her lips thinning as she watched the staff slowly level towards them. The lightsaber in her hand flicked back for a second, twisting in her grip so the blade buzzed behind her.

She glanced at Jacen, a wear look. "Careful."

The word was a whisper, just loud enough for only Jacen to hear. She was more than aware they were surrounded now. The hulking man in front of them and what felt like a cluster of pinpricks at their back. The Jedi Master had no idea what Jacen was thinking, but she would give him the time to speak. The fingers of her left hand slowly curled into a fist however, the lightside of the force flooding into her as she readied herself.

A breath pulled into her lungs.

She made no move to strike, her posture growing defensive as she waited for their opponents to act. This was not a fight they could just charge into, they had to be careful, smart. It was the only way they'd come out of this alive. Aela knew the Dominion soldiers were slowly flocking around them, but she also knew the moment they made a move the Sith in front of them would sick his beast upon them. It would be folly to run now, not when they knew nothing of the situation around them.

Her gaze slowly drifted back to the hulk, her lips thin.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

LOCATION: Templestone but taking a detour to the Spaceport
OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance and reconnect with a friend
ENEMIES: [member="Connor Harrison"]
ALLIES: [member="Darren Torran"]
GEAR: Blade of the Satvas, Blaster (thanks, Darren), Lightsaber, Mandalorian Power Shield, Armorweave


As Setzi listened to Darren, she could feel the Darkside of the Force not just tugging her towards the battle, but threatening to drag her in, kicking and screaming even. She could see behind him through the window and watched a pair of zombies ambling by, one losing an arm in the process.

Hm, maybe not the best time to jump right into the fray.

The cafhouse shook from grenade blasts and the giant anvil-like feet of leviathans. The Sith would be bringing both man and beast to flatten most of Templestone, retaining the material assets which benefit them and rebuilding the rest.

When the Zabrak finished, Setzi placed the blaster into his palm and the two sprinted outside, the Jedi Knight following Darren to The Providence. “How many do you think we can fit on your ship?” She glanced behind her, noticing how ominous The Count’s Tower seemed, almost as though it pulsed with its own wicked energy. Again, she felt the specific pull of its aura, her blood rushing now to join in the carnage, to bathe in it even.

The spaceport was ahead and for some reason, it brought a specific memory to her mind - the very first time she’d met [member="Connor Harrison"]. She and Chastity had gone on a vacation to the Chroma Zed and the Jedi Master helped the sisters when their luggage had been stolen. He took Chastity on as an apprentice shortly after. And then a lover. And then, he lost her.

He lost her. Not you, Setzi.

With the back of her hair, she brushed an errant lock of hair from her eyes. Don’t lose it now. Not in front of Darren. Not when so much is at stake.

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB0q_gxtmOs[/media]

Location: The Courthouse Clock, Templestone / Krayiss II
Allies: The Dominion, [member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
Enemies: Sith Empire, [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Sinya"] | [member="Darth Sarcophago"]
Objective: Crush, Kill and Destroy
Equipment: Slug thrower rifle, blast-resistant vest
Troops: 10x Infantrymen

The Dark Side power of the Sith Lord's staff hit him like a wave, one that instantly took away Wolfe's control and brought him crashing to his knees. His vision clouded and blurred and in front of his eyes, he saw things from his past that he wanted buried forever. For a moment, he was back in the gladiator pits as a child, killing for his owner's amusement. Then he was being whipped for disobedience. Then he was back in the cage, with barely any room to stretch. He felt the panic rise like bile in his throat and he looked about for an exit from his perceived prison, his eyes mad and wild, like an animal's.

After the panic, came something else. A powerful, suffocating, all-consuming feeling which he was all too familiar with. He ransacked through his mind, trying to find the word for it and he suddenly remembered. Hate. The feeling was hate. And he fed on it.

The panic was now replaced with something else, something more violent. With it, came the desire for vengeance which shot through him like an electric shock and he felt a shudder course through him. His name was Kainan Wolfe. He remembered it now and a strange kind of clarity settled over him. He put one leg under him, then one arm and he pushed himself up, seemingly gaining strength with each inch that he managed to put between him and the floor. He put one foot in front of the other and suddenly, he was standing again. The hate had given him strength. The hate was radiating out from him, like an all-consuming torch. His eyes were cold as ice and dripping venomous hate and they locked on the Sith Lord's eyes, promising a million horrors and a million deaths.

A calm look settled on his face, oddly out of place and contrasting heavily with the hatred which was radiating out. Upon hearing the Sith Lord's words, he raised an eyebrow, in a mixture of disgust and surprise.

"It speaks," he said, his voice flat and cold and crackling like ice, with the subtlest hint of surprise, as if he had just noticed the presence of an annoying bug in his soup. Narrowing his eyes at the Sith, the smallest hint of a smile flashed across his face. It was a cruel, terrifying smile. "Kill it," he said, with terrible finality, as if he was a god passing judgment on an insect.

He was Kainan Wolfe. He would have vengeance.

In the nearby buildings, his snipers opened fire. Metal slugs flew at the Sith Lord's beast, aimed at its eyes and nostrils. Several flew at the Sith Lord himself. Wolfe raised his own slug thrower and opened fire at his adversary, instinct taking over and backing away as he shot again and again and again. As he gained distance from the Sith, he started to regain control, his old, carefully practiced mask settling on his face.

Of course, one of the snipers was recording. This one moment, although unplanned and unexpected, despite Wolfe's loss of control, would serve nicely. The ship waiting in the void above, stored the images for future use.

 

[Connor Harrison]

LOCATION: Templestone, Krayiss II
OBJECTIVE: Take the Obelisk of Ancients
ALLIES: [member="Grimoire"] | The Sith Empire | TBC
ENEMIES: [member="Setzi Lunelle"] | [member="Darren Torran"] | [member="Formorta"] | The Dominion | TBC
GEAR: Sasori Armour | Hidden Blade | Lightsaber

--

A blaster shot rang out as Connor rounded the corner.

Not a split second later he slid across the ground to the other side of the street he had come to. A trigger happy sniper in a seven-story building up above. Connor rested his head on the stone wall he was behind as he heard the battle in the city around him. Closing his eyes, he tried something he hadn't used before in a fight - an illusion.

Drawing the Force inside him, it made his skin crawl as he felt it almost emerge from his physical body; the illusion of Connor Harrison standing and walking out of cover. It was on the sniper that he was focusing, to pull the senses and manipulate the mind's eyes to see this figure who attracted a good two or three shots that went right through him.

That was enough. It was enough time for Connor to roll out behind the illusion of himself and push out with his right hand, palm up and fingers clawed, a fierce glare in his eyes. The ceiling joists imploded at once under an invisible force and spat out wood and rock as it collapsed in on itself, floor by floor falling apart and half collapsing to the ground below. The Sith didn't hang around - he ran side on through the streets as a dust cloud rolled across.

"Shadow Leader! To the centre - the Obelisk. They're....they're forming a perimeter."

The Shadow came through the com again.

”Rendezvous with the others and bring them with you. Converge and amass numbers, but strike fast and hard."

As he ran around another corner into a street, a number of citizens were crossing the street and running towards him. They were flung to the side and into the walls of the buildings with a wave of Connor's hand as he didn't lose a beat. Another corner, another small pocket of resistance, another street to cross.

It was then an engine seemed to roar to life in the close proximity and it sounded louder as he ran through a long marble archway, his footsteps echoing as he rose his com to bark an order.

”The Dominion are moving citizens off the planet. Take those ships down!"

The light was breaking through the other side of the arch as he emerged.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Location: The Courthouse Clock, Templestone, Krayiss II
Objective: Dash them against the stones
Allies: The Sith Empire - In proximity: [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Sinya"]
Enemies: The Dominion - In proximity: [member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kainan Wolfe"]
Equipment:

• The Tyrant's Shroud
• Sith Shuk'orok
• Sith Lightsabers
• The Scepter of Iniquity

There a momentary sigh of annoyance.

He raised his right hand up towards the Jedi Masters, his left resigned to gripping his staff, and power danced across his armored fingers. Yet it was not destruction he would rain down upon them as they might expect, but rather the air around him shimmered until the shape of a reflective sphere wreathed in translucent blue energy encompassed the Dark Lord's body and immediate surroundings. At that moment the barrage began, several dozen slugs zipping through the air from the rifles of the Dominion soldiers that had surrounded the Clocktower Square. With any other being they might have torn through him like paper, their kinetic projectiles strong enough to punch through most armor, but it was not any mortal armor that the Dark Lord surrounded himself with.

The Dark Side was his ally, and a powerful ally it was.

The slugs collided head-on with the bubble he had conjured in the moments before they opened fire, their metal shells impacting and then reflecting off or exploding outright against its surface. The Dark Lord focused solely on his defensive barrier, neither moving nor immediately counterattacking. His beast, however, was a much less patient creature. It roared mightily as several shots found their mark against its leathery hide, forcing it to take to the air to avoid concentrated fire. Yet it would not flee, anger now blossomed in the creature's mind and it would exact its toll on those who had crossed. It would circle high around the Clocktower, its eyes scanning blow for a target of opportunity.

Then it would descend and from its mouth would spill a thick concoction of bile and noxious fumes, bathing great strips of the courtyard's perimeter with each strafing run. The gas itself was corrosive, deadly to flesh and armor, and those caught in its path would suffer a horrific death. Those that did not risked being skewed by the beast's powerful talons, or torn to pieces by its gnashing jaws. Yet if they thought that the dragon that swooped and dove was their greatest threat, it would be a deadly mistake.

The Dark Lord reached out and caressed the inner surface of his bubble with the tips of his fingers, new power welling up within him to funnel destructive energies through the barrier in the form of crimson Sith lightning. The energies would mingle and then explode outward from the shield's surface, firing individual bolts of lightning out and towards the Dominion soldiers with frightening precision and speed. If caught by the blast their flesh would curdle and smolder and their bones calcifying beneath spasming muscle and sinew. The armor they wore would act as a secondary conduit for the lightning's deathly power, unless they had prepared for such power to be used against them and wore respective mitigating armor.

Yet none would come even close to the two Jedi Masters directly opposing the Dark Lord, they would remain wholly unscathed if they remained where they were for its duration. The Dark Lord couldn't be held accountable if they attempted to intervene, but he would not care either way. By the end of his grandiose display he would lower his shield, striding forward as his right hand fell to his lightsaber and brought its crimson blade to life with a menacing hiss of energy.

"I am the Dark Lord who will restore the Sith to glory. They call me Carnifex, and I will be your end."

 

[Adron Malvern]

{5}
Location: Eol Sha Mining Colony
Objective: Dancing with the devil, seeing an old friend?
Allies: [member="Anya Loma"] @Ra'a'mah
Enemies: [member="Travis Caalgen"] [member="Krest"]

There was an uneasy, yet vaguely familiar shift in the Force around Adron as he produced his commlink. He turned to Anya and Ra'a'mah for a moment, his eyes unable to meet theirs. In his heart the man knew what he was doing was for the best, yet there was still the sting of defeat and the shame of surrender. He exhaled before speaking into the device. "All Forces, this is your Archlord....Stand down. Ungarrison from the mining colony and surrender your weapons to the Imperial forces. We will be taken into their custody where you will receive fair treatment....do not oppose this." His words were met with an understanding silence over the comm channel.

He watched as the garrison was brought back to life, with the slow and steady trickle of Dominion soldiers. They were wary of a trap and even more wary of being taken Imperial prisoners, yet they obeyed their orders. A small formation of unarmed soldiers began to erect itself a few yards behind Adron and his own party. The man exhaled before turning back to the Director. "It is d-" His words were cut when the hot winds around them softly shifted, producing an unimaginable beast.

Yet it was not the beast that caused Adron's confusion, it was who rode atop it.

Yo.

Not the greeting he expected at this time, nor the man he expected to deliver such. Confusion contorted his face as he looked to the man he considered an ally.

"Krest?" He asked, curiously. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

 

[Anya Malvern]

5
Eol sha
Obj-simply quiet...observe

Anya watched him turn, she moved forward and hesitated before placing a hand on his shoulder and patted his back, inside she felt the shame of defeat but wasn't going to shown it and instead out that energy to comfort adron least best she could

She looked around watching the troops surrender weapons being handed over to the imps, she clwmvhed her fist them released it know that anger wasn't going to save anyone here...she bowed her head closing her eyes as she felt something...strong...wait...coukd that be someone she knew?

Her words echoed in her head as she watched the beast land, she gasped in surpirse as she shook a bit

krest...

She had met the man in her sith days, in fact she learned a little about lightning and about sith sword...

[member="Adron Malvern"]
[member="Krest"]
@ra'a'mah

 

[Cairyn Midore]

Location: Eol Shal Mining Faciltiy
Objective: Five more minutes
Allies: [member="Adron Malvern"], [member="Anya Loma"], [member=Ra'a'mah]
Enemies: [member="Krest"]

As nice as dozing was, he could only sleep for so long. Lounging among his beastly companion's fur, her heartbeat acted as a lullaby until the ruckus of the outside world grew too loud to ignore. Tossing and turning as the noises lulled him back to consciousness, the boy mumbled and grumbled something unintelligible, only fully waking up when his pet, growing tired of his inability to remain still, growled and promptly slipped out from under him. His head lightly colliding with the ground, Cairyn snapped up, head whirling about in search of the one who dared wake him before his senses got the best of him. Even then, he sat for several moments, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, fighting the temptation to go back to sleep's embrace. Griz paced around her tiny master, tail flicking from side to side out of restlessness, encouraging the Teevan to head back out in the world.

The facility was a bit different than when he had left it. The very feel of the place just seemed a bit more panicked, like a matter of life and death was upon them. It was weird, Cairyn wasn't normally a morning person, but surely he didn't strike that much fear into the people's hearts. No, it couldn't be his presence causing this tension. An absentminded hum filled the corridors as he made his way to a window, Griz following at his side, her talons scraping against the tile. When a window was found, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the scene. Shuttles flying too and fro, were they evacuating people? Geez, these people sure were weird. Nearly turning his back on the scene, he whirled back around as he caught a glance at the docking bay, more importantly the giant creature it housed. "Woah," the gasp of wonder was all Cairyn was capable of, staring a couple moments more before dashing back down the hall in the general direction that'd take him to the bay itself. He had to get a closer look of this creature.

 

[Riamah]

Location: Eol Sha Mining Facility
Allies: @Ardon Malvern [member="Anya Loma"]
Enemies: [member="Krest"] [member="Travis Caalgen"]
Objective:

Ra knew trying to fight the imperial was pointless and at the surrender words of Adron, she just sighed. There wasn't anything she would be able to do alone even if she wanted to. The troops behind them started filing out to be taken as prisoners. None of the imperials yet approached them other than Caalgen until they came to collect the Dominion troops that had gathered behind them.

As they did that, a dragon and Krest landed nearby them. Greeting them very informally and offering them tea, Ra just raised an eyebrow at him and turned her attention back to the imperial in front of them. At the moment, she had no worry that Krest would do anything.

However, she had psent enough time on Eol Sha to know something was amiss with the volcano behind them. The ground shuddered under their feet and she looked at all of them before speaking.

"I'd gladly have tea with you Krest, but not here. That," she pointed to the volcano behind them, "is about to erupt. We need to go."

Giving Caalgen her attention.

"Get us off this planet so you can hold whatever trial you feel is needed."

She would have added please, but didn't want to come across like she was begging.

 

[Miles Varden]

Location: Krayiss 2/Obelisk
Allies: [member="Formorta"] [member="Adron Malvern"]
Enemies: [member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Asharad Graush"]
Objective: Survive

Spoiler

Gear:
Lazy Eye
Ambassador
Knife
AXT5
Duster
Bandolier/Belt
The Butcher
x2 M42

Upon peering over the barrier he'd chosen as cover, Miles witnessed a terror flying towards his position. A hunk of molten slag flung by the Sith he'd been targeting. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he flung himself just out of reach of the impact of the molten metal. The concussion that erupt from the telekinetic detonation sent pain riddling throughout Miles' core. Blood dripped from his ears and mouth, pain radiated from every cell in his body.

Dragging himself to his feet, adrenaline plowing through his veins, forcing his aching body to move. The slighter Sith seemed to have targeted the lone warrior. He made an approach, Crimson blade heating a small line in the dirt, scorching the earth beneath its tip. Stowing his blaster and knife, Miles would have to face off with the only weapon he had that could go toe to toe with a lightsaber, the Butcher. A Phrik vibroaxe made by a former employer. Pulling the black weapon off his back, he readied himself for the first strike.

 

[Formorta]

Location: Krayiss II
Objective: Hold the Obelisk
Allies: [member="Miles Varden"]
Enemies: [member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Asharad Graush"]
Equipment

Spoiler

APAR
Operator Class armor, one of each wrist mounted weapons

The shot did not do what she intended, is seemed the Sith had used such a force to rip the molten barrier apart and send its shrapnel all over the place and towards her allies, perhaps a sorry would be in order. For the moment, she had her own problems to deal with. The Sith seemed to be splitting up with emo looking one making Formorta his next target.

Dropping down into a crouch she lined up another shoot on the approaching threat, but this time only using 4 arms, the other two were situated on her blaster pistols ready for a sneak attack once the time was ready. Taking another breath, she put the cross-hairs over Alkor's pelvis, quickly pulling the trigger, another loud thump coming from the oversized rifle, but that would not be all.

As quickly as she had sent the projectile towards the target Formorta presented her two blaster pistols and started firing at the head and legs of Alkor. Simultaneously the rifle was dropped and two Vibro blades were brandished, though they would not help against light-sabres, it was better than nothing, though she still had a lot of tricks up her sleeves.

 

[Ellie Mors]

Coming Undone

Location: Aboard the Hanging Star | Transitioning from Staging Area in the Chiloon Rift to space over Krayiss II with the main Sith fleet.
Allies: Sith Empire, [member=Adriago Duilius]
Enemies: The Dominion, [member="Arisa Yune"], [member=Sko'saht]
Objective: Lend Support to [member=Adriago Duilius]

"The status of the main fleet has been established, Lady Volkov." The man that had inwardly wanted to chastise the witch sitting above him said, his tone not at all hiding his obvious contempt for her. Perched haphazardly in her chair, Irina looked down with visible discontent that was intended to match his malcontent. One of her eyebrows, her left, arched precariously, as though she questioned, internally, whether or not to inflict punishment on the man before she spoke, and cleared her throat expectantly, signaling him to elaborate further. "We are departing the Chiloon Rift and should be entering hyperspace to rendezvous with the main force over Krayiss II soon thereafter, likely within the next hour - the majority of that will be departing from our staging point. We will be the sole battlecruiser joining with the incursion force that is led by Commodore Duilius, the rest of the fleet is already under his command and have already arrived at the rendezvous. Once we have arrived you will be given the task of debilitating the enemy forces through your.. " The man explained, with the roll of his eyes, and then gave pause as he tried to put words to his lips that would aptly describe what dark acts she would perform. "Abilities." He added with an icy finality, as though uttering the word undermined its worth.

Sitting in her seat, knowing her role from the moment she stepped onto the ship, Irina allowed herself a small smirk at his struggle to give her the instructions he was meant to without allowing himself to reward her with a compliment of any kind. She couldn't blame him, unwilling to flatter him with such flowery language, either. "And I suppose when we received this information, sir, we already began our departure?" She asked with half-lidded eyes, adjusting her posture so that her slight lean was no longer a slump in her seat. The wordless nod, likely as an attempt to insult her without saying a thing, told her that he had intentionally withheld this information until they'd already started their ascent to deep space. The Yagan could tell, of course, by simply peering out the large view-port that allowed the bridge to observe the frontal portion of the top of their ship, along with anything above the horizon line that their ship formed in the perspective that this view granted them, but still made a small note to complain about the dig after the fighting was done.

Speaking of fighting, figuratively of course, it was now of the utmost importance that Irina prepare herself, mentally, for the task she was about to carry out - to assault the minds and morale of those aboard the enemy ships that would be engaging the Sith fleet. She loathed to be used as a weapon, though she'd suspected that this would be one of the many uses that she was to serve [member="Darth Carnifex"] when she had formed their blood pact, but the alternative to assuring that the Dark Lord of the Sith wasn't slain in some tragic battle was a future far too bleak for a witch that had her mortal life bound to his - to dissent and allow him to potentially fall, however unlikely, would mean forfeiture of her life, and had she refused the request and he survived? She would have much preferred death to the torturous existence that she would have had to endured if such a scenario had occurred.

The Sith and the Jedi called their little tactical probing, assailing, and reinforcing of the minds and morale of their troops battle meditation, as it required the complete dedication of one's mind, body, and focus to channel the strength necessary to bolster their own troops or to assail the minds of the enemy in battle. She supposed, in a way, that the semantics of what she would be doing was going to be little different, as she intended to perform a similar act through a similar method. There was a calmness to the Jedi and the Sith that performed this act, a calculated focus on that which they wished to accomplish, and would either bolster their allies through the sharing of positive visions and feelings of confidence, superiority, and motivation or assault the psyche of their foes with the crushing sense of defeat, folly, and futility. The latter-most was that which she could relate to, but it was in the former that she diverged in practice.

Allowing herself to slip into the numbness of meditation, her eyes closing and her body slumping back against the back rest of the chair she sat in, which was at an incline as to prevent her from falling forwards, Irina did not allow a sense of calm to wash over her - nor did she channel the rage a Sith might, were they seeking to spread the motivational emotion through their troops to give them the blind anger that could fuel them to victory. It was the cold chill that crept through the upper layer of her skin that came first, the unnerving withdrawal of warmth that sucked the comfort away from her body - not unlike the initial, and sudden, widening of an ocean shore as the water pulled back at the behest of a coming tsunami. The prickling sensation that climbed up her spine, and the sudden quickening of her heart in response, gave rise to the anxious anticipation for her engagement with the Dominion fleet - a muscle subtly twitching above her right eye, the only visible disturbance on an otherwise tranquil face.

Irina was not to provide support by giving confidence to her allies, nor would she be directly influencing the foe with an one-dimensional sense of futility and an amateur's sense of fear. Perhaps there would be a certain fear sweeping over the enemy, but it would not be the mere art of unnerving - Irina was a master of this craft as much as an artist was a master of the brush, her participation would require a certain finesse, a touch of perfectionism, that could only be realized by one that honed their mind for this singular function in battle. There was, in a twisted sense of the word, a serenity in what she was beginning to feel as the veil on her sanity began to pull away. Was there a better way to reward her enemies with the horrors of her mind without experiencing them firsthand? A fluttering in her gut manifested, and she could feel the flow of blood in her veins like a trillion ants crawling within her to be drawn to the pounding organ in her chest and then out to each and every extremity on her body.

'Soon.' Came the reverberating murmur of her own voice like an echo at the back of her mind, a smug smile of ecstasy slowly spreading from the corners of her mouth. The building sensation of psychosis was to be her virus, and she the host - the moment they arrived in the air space over Krayiss II would be the moment that she would spread and infect that insanity like a plague to the unsuspecting minds of their enemy. It was so close, so deliciously close, that it was almost unbearable to the witch, who visibly tensed in her seat, eyes still shut tightly, in her impatient anticipation of letting all of that bottled up instability wash over the Dominion fleet like a pestilence.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Location: Descension Into Shadows.
Allies: ”[member="Darth Ophidia"]” ”[member=Leliana]” ”[member="Enyo Typhos"]” (The Sith Empire).
Enemies: (The Dominion).

Cerbera looked on with bemusement as the severed toe jumped alongside the hand into the shadows below.

"Seems like they are becoming friends already," The Sith Lord commented before nodding to Enyo as she followed suit, disappearing into the shadows after the two reanimated limbs. A minute or so passed without any sort of alarm. Not the skittering of fingernails across ancient duracrete and not the tip, tip, tip, of the little toe jumping one step after another, neither was it the almost mechanical hissing of servodrivers working integrated within Enyo's armor. She hummed to herself, before shrugging and stepping on through. The blood had dried, but as Cerbera stepped on the surface she realized there were layers to them.

Ancient blood mixed with recent additions, cracking under her steps and slippery, sticky in other places. "It seems these cultists have no concept of sanitation." Another comment was leveled towards her companions while her hand brushed the wall next to her.

Where her nails left the surface something clung to it.

Green, acidic, it sizzled against the duracrete before becoming completely inert. For the moment anyway, who knew what Cerbera had left there and what it would do (if it would do anything in the first place).

The stairs ended in a small corridor: smell of copper and rust hanging heavily in the air, the walls here had markings on them. Bloody prints pressed against dusty stones, carvings of weeping red eyes and hungry mouths devouring. Cerbera looked at them briefly, one finely manicured eyebrow raised up, before continuing into an antechamber of sorts shaped in a hexagon. It was somehow darker here, now that the light of the moon no longer reached.

Shadows clung deep in the room.

"Enyo darling?" Sing-song voice called out as a query, before the skittering of little steps brushed through the floor. The hiss of a shape jumping through the air, before a familiar shape rested on her shoulder once more.

"Aww, did you miss me? Where is your little friend?"