Junction Uprising of Epoch | Second Great Hyperspace War | Junction of GA - Ianane III and BOTM - Thearterra

[Kralmus Orr]

Location: Odessa, Sirius Square
Tags: Auteme | Kirie | Titus of Epoch | Marlon Sularen

Spoiler: TL;DR

• Kralmus trails the rebels from above

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Kralmus watched as the rebel mob flowed into the square, their politician-Jedi at their head, and beheld his grim work. The young woman in the lead spun the whole thing well, he had to admit, doing her best to turn fear and uncertainty into righteous outrage. But that was her job as one of civilization's talking heads - to twist the emotions of the livestock and keep them doing what she wanted. She'd keep filling their heads with high and mighty principles right up until they ran smack dab into the Final Dawn firing lines, and then her loyal followers would become "brave martyrs to liberty" as they were mowed down. That played better on the holonet than "band of convenient meatshields".

The Mandalorian hadn't expected to break their resolve in any case, only to rattle them. The purpose of each hanging corpse was to remind each individual member of the mob that he or she had children and parents and lovers and friends, people who would mourn them if they suffered the Final Dawn's harsh justice... and people who could suffer it in turn if they, too, were found to be disloyal. So too were the bodies intended to remind them that, no matter what a righteous cause they believed they were fighting for, they weren't invulnerable. This wasn't a holovid in which they were the main characters. They could suffer and die, en masse, at random, for being out on these streets.

In any revolution, the gutters and graveyards would end up full of brave young people with high-minded ideals.

It was certainly irritating when the Jedi woman waved her hands about and untied the bodies, lowering them gently to the ground. It'd taken him a solid fifteen minutes to position them properly, and that had been impressively fast, but she'd undone it all in seconds. And they called the Brotherhood the destructive ones! Kralmus clucked, shaking his head; someone just had no appreciation for art. No matter; it all would've been cleaned up sooner or later anyway, and the slow descent of the corpses gave the mob time to get a good look at the ragged, brutal wounds through their throats. Let the citizens of Epoch consider that up close before they ran around fomenting insurrection.

The group of rebels didn't linger for long beneath the sneering statue. Kralmus's nasty little display might not have spooked the Jedi, but it certainly seemed to have unnerved her camera-woman, though she'd managed to capture the footage despite her disquiet. Good. Broadcast what the Maw could do to people who stood up to them. Let the galaxy see the brutality they could unleash. For every self-righteous hero that footage created, encouraging someone to join up with the GADF, another five Alliance citizens would cower in fear when they saw it, terrified by the clear price of resisting the barbarian hordes. Such wretches would make compliant slaves when their planets fell to the Maw.

Crouched on a nearby rooftop, Kralmus watched the progress of the group below as they left the square. He trailed them from above, shadowing their movements through the city, closing in on the palace. Thus far they'd faced little opposition except their own fears and doubts, which Auteme had been excellent at keeping in check. But soon they would run across the entrenched positions of Sularen's Final Dawn troops, and they would find that a wall of blaster bolts was a harder obstacle to overcome. Kralmus grinned at the thought. He couldn't face this whole mob alone, but soon he wouldn't be. Soon he could crash into their flank while the Final Dawn shot their front ranks.

Soon the killing would start, and that was when he would really start having fun.

 

[Auteme]

Kirie Titus of Epoch | Marlon Sularen Kralmus Orr Darth Kentarch ​

As the wide gunships flew into view, the crowd paused at the edge of the square. The citizens weren't especially well-armed -- not nearly enough to take on military-grade starships. Titus's soldiers stood a better chance. Yet, when the gunships stopped to hover, Auteme found herself stepping forward, separating herself from the rest.

A distant figure watched, then disappeared. She heard Kirie's warning and the call of the soldiers of the Final Dawn. She turned back to the Jedi. "Watch my back," she said.

She stamped her foot down. She thrust her arms out forward, and in an instant the threads responded. Ethereal strands sprouted from her hands, exploding outwards towards the large gunships, and began to intertwine rapidly. It was not as elegant as her other work, but she intended a show of power -- both for the Final Dawn, and the galaxy. She always found herself holding back; now, when she unleashed her strength, it was easy.

Vast, dull-white cocoons began to envelop the gunships. No harm would come to those inside, only a brief stasis; they could try to break out, but her strands were tough as durasteel, and healed like laminanium, allowing no reprieve.

 

[The Mongrel]

Location: Odessa, Epoch Engineering Corporation Facility
Tags: Westenra Mina | Aerarii Tithe | Seto du Couteau

Spoiler: TL;DR

• The Mongrel takes several hits in the melee
  • His sonic gun is destroyed, but he manages to fire one more time, point-blank
  • He moves to withdraw from the hangar
• The Razorghasts are forced to withdraw due to the gas
  • One Razorghast is destroyed, others are damaged
• The executive level's shield generator temporarily holds back the starship attack
  • This protects Tithe and Seto as well as Tu'teggacha
• Two squadrons of Divine Eagles approach to give the executive shuttle an escort

"Perhaps you are right," The Mongrel replied smoothly. "Perhaps the civilized people you fight for are total hypocrites, condemning those who shed innocent blood but refusing to actually hold them accountable, so long as it benefits them. Remind me, why are these two-faced politicians worth fighting for, exactly?" It was the devastating truth that the Brotherhood invasion had revealed; galactic powers that had long claimed the moral high ground would stoop to tolerating just about anything in order to save themselves.

All sentients were just animals, in the end.

The warlord did not dignify Lynda's words about souls with a response. She had admitted what he desired from her; that she was an artificial thing, a being without a spirit, someone who doubted paradise because it was impossible for her to reach it. The Scar Hounds believed even more than other tribes in the power of the machine, but only so far as it enhanced living beings; it could never replace them, for the spark of organic consciousness was the gift of the Avatars themselves, a blessing that the hands of mortals could only imitate.

The idea that he was doomed to stagnation, he who would pass on to the Galaxy To Come when he died at last, was laughable when it came from her. She spoke of being revived again and again, dying a thousand times and returning, as if it was something to be envied. Hardly. This galaxy was rotten to the core; spending eternity here would be no blessing, but the foulest possible curse. But how could she possibly understand? She had come to "life" at the hands of mortal makers. Without an immortal soul, she had no continuity.

And certainly no future beyond this wretched age.

So he focused on the battle, rather than making any attempt to explain truths beyond her comprehension. The Mongrel felt a jarring impact rush up his metallic arms as Lynda parried his strike, though he'd expected as much. The only thing that he'd ever seen come close to touching her was the sonic pistol, a weapon she now seemed determined to neutralize at any cost. She'd chosen a strange method of attack, though. She was dancing back and forth like a stimm addict on caffeine, "constantly moving" while trying to hit his shoulder gun.

It would have been hilarious if every strike hadn't had the potential to skewer his brain container. As it was, trying to dodge in all directions at once while also attacking was not the most effective way to launch a precision strike on a very small area of his body. Her swift blade landed shallow cuts across his metal body several times in the flurry of blows, leaving his shiny new surface scratched and pitted; one of the deeper ones even bled viscous black lubricant, some internal servo breached by the tip of her weapon. He couldn't withstand it long.

But if she destroyed that sonic gun, he was surely dead.

Leaning back to put his shoulder at an angle to her, fending her off as best he could with his dread blade, he retreated several steps before her fury. Both combatants' weapons moved too fast for the eyes of their ordinary troops to follow, little more than a blur in the hangar's stale, hot air, but hers was faster. The Mongrel had to escape this situation before she disassembled him... and he might finally have his chance. With a little internal chime, the sonic blaster recharged. He twisted toward her, into the onslaught, and fired off another shot.

"My gods shatter planets," he sneered. "What have yours done?"

It was a one-off, because as soon as he exposed his shoulder to Lynda's attack, her questing weapon shattered the sonic gun in a single blow. So much for that. But he had managed to fire one more time, and at this range it would be hard to miss. The Mongrel scrambled backward, trying to put some distance between them while she was - hopefully - stunned, and perhaps thrown back. With any luck, he'd bought enough time for the Taskmaster to make his escape with whatever could be salvaged from EEC. Now to make his own withdrawal, before he was overwhelmed.

The Razorghasts, though stained crimson with the blood of their foes, were also being forced back. The plank gas booby traps were an... odd choice for a force of Mandalorians, all of whom wore heavy metal armor that would be heavily damaged if they happened to be standing next to a comrade who fell. Perhaps they had carefully timed their moment to trigger it, allowing them to know when to evade... but they had made themselves a barrier through which they could not pursue their retreating foes without destroying their own equipment.

The Razorghasts retreated behind that cloud of gas, corrosion creeping over their armored hulls. One of them went down when its armor, compromised by the creeping vapor, was breached by a missile volley; in the fiery detonation, the warrior within earned the death in battle he had so craved. The other three scuttled backward with astounding speed, skittering over the hangar floor and out the doors; thanks to their flexible legs, they could easily make it through anywhere their "heads" could fit, and cargo doors easily fit the bill.

Up on the executive landing pad, a barrage raced toward the shuttle... and stopped in midair. Being a CEO secretly in thrall to the Maw was a dangerous position, and the executives had taken no chances. A shield generator covered the upper levels, protecting the executive offices and the landing pad from direct attack. It wouldn't hold up forever under heavy fire, of course, but it might buy enough time to make an escape. And help was on the way. Tu'teggacha had signaled the Final Dawn as soon as the attack on the building began.

Two squadrons of elite Divine Eagles were already en route.

It was a good thing about the building's shields, too, or Lynda would have murdered the Alliance Chancellor with her attack.

 

[Darth Kentarch]

OPERATION_DAGGER
Allies: Kralmus Orr | Marlon Sularen


The black-cloaked figure moved towards the crowd, Kentarch buried his presence completely, erasing his force signature completely. Then in a rare act, he pulled down his hood showing his rarely seen face. A Jedi could spot a cloaked man with a hood, one whose facial features were hidden, with little to no effort. Yet the Sith's natural look was nondescript, a long face, pale skin, large cheekbones, prominent brow, recessed forehead, and soft blue eyes. No Sith tattoos, no facial hair. no scars or marks and he was bald, shaven down to the scalp. Likewise, his buried presence made his dark side corruption vanish, with no grey skin and no sunken sulfur-hued eyes.

Casually he merged into the crowd. Trained as a master infiltrator, he knew not to make any sudden movements or 'darting' actions that would draw the eyes of those who could spot such an individual. Between Titus of Epoch , Auteme , and Kirie it would be impossible to predict which was his target. The Sith did not move in a straight line, instead, he flowed with the crowd, sometimes closing in and sometimes falling back. His gaze remained forward towards the final dawn gunships. There was nothing in his mannerisms that betrayed his who was intended target.

Hidden up the right sleeve of his cloak was the Sith's Ghostfire lightsaber. The perfect assassination weapon, near-invisible, yet its more useful trait was the fact it did not make a sound when ignited or used, a silent killer. As he closed on his target, the final dawn gunships were enveloped in a force status field, a clever solution in the mind of Kentarch. He needed to act now, and seeing the white-cocooned stasis fields he let the lightsaber slip into his right hand down his sleeve. Auteme presented too much of a threat the FInal Dawn's defense.

Which is why he stepped up... Behind Kirie , pointed the emitter of his lightsaber at her spinal cord in the center of her back, the hardest point to dodge from. The translucent blade of the lightsaber came to life, without making a sound, thrusting right into the spinal cord.

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Objective: Be unconscious
Location: The streets of Odessa
POV: Arlo Renard, a Chaldean Mystic
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Arlo’s wounds were not quite lethal, but loss of blood had taken its toll. The Mystic lay on the ground, unconscious, as Kahlil tried to staunch the flow welling up around the dagger protruding from his back.

Against all odds, a medical droid arrived on the scene, summoned by Kahlil’s comm. The hovering robot began administering combat aid to Arlo, injecting bacta, dressing his wounds, and giving him an emergency plasma transfusion. It had a lousy bedside manner, to say the least, but it was also an unfeeling, unjudging machine, focused wholly on the task it had been programmed for...

 

[Marlon Sularen]

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O P E R A T I O N_D A G G E R

FINAL DAWN
EPOCH , DEEP CORE

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Captain Blake watched as his entire Fighter Group got decimated by the Zaka's Stealth Wing and Tren Char's B-wings. His wingman who had taken the lead having had a perfect lock on Zaka got shot down before he could open fire leaving Blake outnumbered. As soon as Char eliminated the Third TIE Striker , Blake broke off his pursuit and headed straight for the Military Garrison , stunting all power to his Shields in order to withstand future attacks from his enemy "Grand Overseer , my entire Flight Group has been destroyed. A Group of B-Wings suddenly came out of nowhere and took out my remaining Wingman. I require reinforcements" Blake informed his superior. "Copy that Captain , sending reinforcements now" Sularen responded from the comms. Within seconds the rest of the Squadron (12 TIE Strikers) suddenly emerged from the Hangars of the Military as Zaka moved forth to attack Sularen's 3 Artillery Units , splitting into two separate groups one headed straight for Tren Char's B-Wing Group and the other heading after Zaka with Blake soon meeting up with the latter group to resume his pursuit of Zaka's StealthX.

Meanwhile in the Military Garrison HQ , Sularen had noticed that various GA Units had begun to converge on his Artillery Units. From his holomap the Grand Overseer spotted the Warhogs "Mr.Cuddles" arrive on top of the Building Facing his Artillery Units while Zaka's X-Wing and another GADF Gunship began to approach his Artillery Units position presumably for an attack. With so much forces converging on his Artillery it was imperative that the Grand Overseer ensured their protection at all costs as his Artillery were key to stalling the GADF for as long as possible until the retrieval of Key Collaborators and Assasination of the Royal Family could be completed. "The enemy has realized the importance of our Artillery and are now converging on them. This is where we hit them hard" Sularen said upon finishing his mental analysis of the situation. "Have a single Unit of our VH-550s focus all their firepower on that Tank , X-Wing and Gunship. We cannot allow them to get a clean shot at any of our VH-550s." The Grand Overseer ordered. He wasn't going to take any chances with the enemy and he was determined to stand his ground regardless of the many attempts the Alliance made to brew his lines.

Soon enough one Unit of VH-550s suddenly stopped bombarding the GADFs positions while the other two further intensified theirs , before the one Unit split into 3 Groups with the VH-550s of two of these groups immediately switching to their Anti-Air Configurations before opening fire on Zaka's Stealth-X and the Temptress while the remaining group of VH-550s that kept their Artillery Configurations started firing at the 8-Story Building in which Mr.Cuddles as on top off seeking to collapse the part of the roof in which Mr.Cuddles stood on top. From the Military Garrison HQ Sularen heard the thunderous roar of his VH-550s unleashing their missiles at the enemy and headed towards the windows to witness the carnage below. However as soon as he reached the large windows of the Garrison HQ , a huge explosion illuminated the sky above causing a huge shockwave that caused the windows to shatter and threw the Grand Overseer off his feet. While shaken by this shockwave , the Grand Overseer was still conscious and as Sularen stood back up he quickly headed towards the area in which the windows once stood to see what exactly had happened , his heart-beat increasing as the Grand Overseer began to think the worse had occurred , that his Artillery had been destroyed.

However upon looking down , Sularen saw his Artillery still intact still conducting their bombardment against the forces Sularen had ordered them to attack. One of the missiles fired by the VH-550s had destroyed Zaka's Shadow Bomb in mid-air saving the rest of the VH-550s and allowing them to continue hammering those foolish GADF Forces. Suddenly , Sularen’s Raptor Commandos burst into the room having heard the shockwave hit the Command Center, their guns drawn ready to fire on anyone whom they suspected of being enemies of the Final Dawn. “Grand Overseer , are you okay?” Sularen turned around and smiled. “At ease , Soldier. Everything is fine. It was nothing but a shockwave.” The Soldiers lowered their weapons. “Apologies Grand Overseer , we heard the explosion and-” Sularen then cut him off. “It’s no problem. You were simply doing your job. Alright everyone back to work. We have an evacuation to complete.” Soon enough the Raptors left the Room while the Officers returned to their post continuing monitoring the situation of the Battle while Sularen returned to the Live Holomap to continue overseeing the Final Dawn’s Operations.

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A Few Minutes Later , a Politorate Officer received a message from a Raptor Commando identifying himself as Four-Two Nine

"Command, this is Elite Raptor Four Two Nine, with Four Three Zero, we are incoming to Headquarters with Kallos and Apathi. Stand by the gates to be opened. Inform Grand Overseer Marlon Sularen we will be in soon."

“Copy that , Four-Two Nine” the Officer responded. “Please Stand-by” The Politorate Officer then stood up and headed towards the Grand Overseer. “Grand Overseer , we have received a message from one of the Raptor Commandos sent to accompany Agent Dalos Cameroon. We have confirmation that he has the Collaborators with them and that they are headed towards Garrison HQ from the South.” Sularen turned around to the officer and nodded. “Good , send a Convoy of VH-280s to retrieve them. I want those Collaborators safely retrieved. We can’t afford any more distractions.” He ordered. The Officer nodded and soon returned to respond to the Elite Raptors who had been put on hold. "Alright. Four Two Nine , Four Three Zero. We've sent a Convoy to pick you up. But first i'm going to need to know where you guys are so that the Convoy can safely retrieve you."

“In the meantime has Alexander Garrick showed up yet?” Sularen asked once more , somewhat anxious about the task Darth Solipsis had given to him. “N-No , sir. Our Raptors are still awaiting for him at the rendez-vous point.” Sularen was very furious at this point but kept and refrained from making an outburst. “I’ll deal with Garrick later. Send in the Raptors and send a Unit of Stormtroopers from our Southern Reserves to support them. I want them to storm the Epochian Palace , eliminate the Royal Family and evacuate our Collaborators within the Epochian Assembly. I just hope Bellock does his part and gives us enough time to carry out this operation.”

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Meanwhile at Sirus Square , Captain Beckwourth awaited the response of the ERM. He watched from the Cockpit as the Rebels now looked upon the Gunships in fear. Beckwourth smiled. With one single order he could vaporize these rebels , and it seemed that they now realized that they were in big trouble and that they would soon meet their ends here in the streets of Odessa. It was a shame that it had to end like this , these people could have been part of something greater than their World yet they selfishly and foolishly allowed themselves to succumb to Alliance Propaganda and the wretchedness of their Ideology and soon they would pay the price for their treachery.

Now that he had paralyzed his opponents in fear , the Captain prepared to give the order to open fire when something or more precisely someone suddenly caught his attention. It was a young female and Beckwourth immediately recognized her from previous briefings. She was Auteme , former Shield of the New Jedi Order and one of the Main Leaders of the ERM along Titus of Epoch and soon she would be dead at his hands , except that wouldn't be the case. Suddenly something emerged from the hands of Auteme which began exploding outwards towards the Gunships. The Soldiers immediately reacted to opening fire but to no effect , within seconds these strands that emerged from Auteme’s hands began to intertwine rapidly encasing the Three Gunships in massive cocoons and essentially trapping the Soldiers within. 120 Stormtroopers and 30 Elite Raptors in total , now trapped inside these supernatural cocoons , and they would have remained trapped had it not been for the arrival of General Tylo Bellock.

As the Gunships were being encased in massive cocoons , General Bellock’s Main Force arrived at the scene with Bellock’s Soldiers witnessing what the Jedi was doing to their brothers in arms. Normally such a display of power would compel others to flee but this was the 439th Legion and they did not abandon their brothers nor did they retreat like cowards unless ordered by Grand Overseer Sularen. These were Soldiers that had lost their Homeworld of Byss at the hands of a Corrupt and Illegitimate Regime , one in which had polluted the minds of these peasants with lies and false promises of freedom which would only generate chaos and destruction. To them the massacre that was to come was a twisted form of mercy , a means to spare them from the chaos and destruction that would come after the withdrawal of the Final Dawn from Epoch. Soon enough , the Stormtroopers of General Bellock drew their weapons aimed towards the Rebel Crowd and opened fire , unleashing their vengeful fury against those who defied the Final Dawn.

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Spoiler: TL;DR

• After the destruction of his Wingmen , Captain Blake breaks off his pursuit and heads back towards the Military Garrison to regroup with the rest of the Squadron of TIE Strikers (12 TIEs) which has been deployed to further engage Zaka and Tren Chaar 's Group of B-Wings
• Sularen notices the presence of "Mr.Cuddles" on the rooftop of the building facing his VH-550s Artillery Units as well as Zaka's SteathX and the Warhogs's Gunship headed towards his Artillery Positions and Orders one of his Artillery Units to open fire on these new hostiles.
  • 5 VH-550s Fire upon the Building in which Mr.Cuddles is on top of causing it's collapse.
  • 6 VH-550s Fire upon Zaka's StealthX with one Missile hitting the Shadow Bomb he dropped
  • 5 VH-550s Fire upon the Warhog's Gunship
• The Rest of the VH-550s further intensify their bombardment against GADF Positions.
• Sularen deploys the VH-140's held in reserve near the Military Garrison HQ and has them move forth to support the Artillery Batteries against Mr.Cuddles
• Sularen also sends a Convoy comprised of VH-280s to pick up the Elite Raptors and the Final Dawn Collaborators to bring them back to the Military Garrison HQ
• Sularen also sends a Second Force comprised of a small group of Elite Raptors and 2 Companies 439th Stormtroopers to storm the Epochian Palace to execute the Royal Family and Evacuate all Final Dawn Collaborators within the Epochian Assembly.
• General Bellock's Main Force arrives at the edge of Sirius Square briefly witnessing Auteme 's demonstration of power before opening fire on the ERM with the intent on dispersing them.

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Tags [BotM/FD] | Dalos Cameron | Kralmus Orr | Darth Kentarch
Tags [GA] | Auteme | Kirie | Tren Chaar | Zaka | Traden Avarice | Phaineve Halseigh | Titus of Epoch ​

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[Dagmar Kortu]

"Sniper check."

Dagmar cocked his charging handle of the Sniper Rifle that he built. It was a multi-purpose rifle that was light as a blaster pistol but had the lethality of a Anti-Material Sniper Rifle. Dagmar's Sniper Rifle can kill a target from about 3545 meters. The Sniper's defining feature though was its ability to administer bacta to Dagmar's allies. With a simple press of a button, Dagmar can switch to Bacta mode and shoot Bacta darts to anyone who needs him. It was a simple but effective tool to get a soldier the adrenaline they need to keep on fighting, as a medic Dagmar was trying to look for innovative ways to keep soldiers alive.

Checking out the scope, Dagmar zoomed in and out. The scope was capable of night vision and can zoom up to 15x, Dagmar remembered how many targets he taken out from afar and the best part was that the blaster was silent. With a satisfied smile, Dagmar inspected his Sniper one more time he was planning on getting this patented once he retires from the military. This kind of Sniper Rifle would prove invaluable for combat medics in the GADF. Of course his father would relish in the money and power he would rake in but for Dagmar, this was all about helping people.

Making sure his CR-2 SMG was holstered in his backside, Dagmar gathered the Bacta Disc small projectiles that Dagmar has created as well. They were small drones that can shield allies protecting them from small arms fire and showering them with bacta. They came in handy just in case Dagmar couldn't get an angle on his shots. These discs were lightweigh and can be thrown at a length of a small swoop racer circuit. Sighing, Dagmar waited for the strike to happen.

"Hey kid!" Dagmar said to Mela "Stick close to the squad and you'll be fine! Check your targets and watch the crossfire!"

He then stared at Traden Avarice his best friend. "Let's get this party started already," he said. "How do you want to do it? Your way which is kill everyone you see? Or the better more efficient of sneaking in and destroying the objective?"

A grin formed on his face. "In other words: My way." he laughed.

Phaineve Halseigh Gorthalon

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

SEIZE THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION
EPOCH ENGINEERING CORPORATION // EPOCH

Tu'teggacha | Seto du Couteau

While Seto was glad to not be dealing with the Brotherhood marauders, the Brotherhood corporate raiders were proving to be just as bloodthirsty and conniving. The barristers were learned in corporate law of the Alliance and were quick to counter the claims put forward by the Galactic Alliance Monetary Authority inspectors. A corporatist and their money were not quickly parted, but the Epoch Engineering counsel was proving more determined than the lawyers of GAMA usually dealt with.

The GAMA senior inspector explained, condescendingly, that as the lawyers were well aware, the Central Trade Tribunal had deemed that the authority of legislated regulators to conduct essential business of their core compliance responsibilities trumped to security provisions of the EWP Act. She produced a holo determination made by an official holding a position of (or equivalent to) Senior Undersecretary - the requisite delegation required to make such a ruling. The inspector drew the attention of the EEC lawyers to the statements of reason field, which cross-referenced the applicable schedules of the Trade Regulatory Enforcement Act, and in particular, the subordinate legislative powers created in the Right of Access to Fiduciary Records (Registered Deep Core Region Enterprises) Instrument.

Tithe watched on with growing impatience as the lawyers squabbled. An in-depth understanding of tax law had served him well throughout his career, but even he found this painful to watch. The clock was ticking on their hostile takeover.

An EEC lawyer approached Tithe and threatened him with holo footage of an assailant cutting their way - literally - through the ranks of EEC employees. “Ohhh…. Ohhh no, I don’t know anything about this,” he explained, likely the first completely trustful statement Tithe had made since waking up. He turned to Seto. “They’re not with you are they?” The Chancellor watched as the unidentified attacker carved their way through man and machine alike.

Tithe looked past the horde of lawyers to the sealed doors to the executive suite. Once inside, he and Seto could serve their documents to the chief executive and this would all be over. It was time for action. “Yes, droid, come here,” he declared, waving over a GAMA administration droid. “Now, can you establish a secure link to the Senate tabling office?” The droid confirmed that it could.

“Very good, very good. Transcript this: By Executive Order, the Chancellor of the Alliance empowers Galactic Alliance Monetary Authority inspectors with the power to detain on sight, and, ah, indefinitely, any residents of Epoch - as determined by their residential, employment or taxation status, yes - who are deemed to obstruct the lawful business of the Senate. Then add, your know, the usual accutramonts.” The droid produced a holo-slate which Tithe signed, then froze for a moment as it processed the request, before annoying that the directive had been registered with the Senate tabling office.

“Lock them up,” Tithe explained as he pushed through the group of shocked lawyers and headed toward the executive suite. Time to seize his prize.

 

[Derix Tirall]

P O W E R
HIGH REGENT OF THE FINAL DAWN
EXECUTIVE SUITE | EPOCH ENGINEERING CORPORATION | EPOCH

​

It was highway robbery. It was illegal, plain and simple. The lawyers of the Epoch Engineering Corporation had to push harder against the strong hand of governmental regulation. However, by the time Derix Tirall had been alerted of their doomed mission, it was far too late to course correct.

The hologram of the High Regent momentarily froze, before the automatic backups kicked in. What the hell were they doing with the power? His view of Epoch - artificial in nature - would have been beautiful, lest the rebellion had been crushed in it's infancy. Instead, the once illustrious skyline had been contaminated by war once again. A pity. Soon, the scorched earth policy would have to be implemented.

The MAW HOLY CRUSADE would not relent.

However, the High Regent's train of thought had been rudely interrupted by a proximity alert, a relatively new addition to the Executive Suite in light of recent events. With a nod, the High Regent's assistant, a former Epoch Board Member whose life had been spared by the grace of the Final Dawn (though not for long, it would seem) confirmed his fears. The Alliance Monetary Authority was coming.

"Well" the High Regent offered with a wry grin, "Welcome our guests. I suggest you surrender, your death wouldn't be honorable. Not here" Tirall had no fear. The Alliance could try all it wanted. They would never find him.

Aerarii Tithe | Tu'teggacha | Seto du Couteau ​

 

[Traden Avarice]

Location: East of Final Dawn Garrison
Traden "Titan" Averice: Operation Lead
War Hogs Primary Objective: Secure Final Dawn's military garrison
War Hogs Secondary Objective: Apprehend any Final Dawn Collaborators
War Hogs: Phaineve Halseigh Dagmar Kortu Gorthalon Mela
Friendly Tags: Zaka Tren Chaar
Enemy Tags: Marlon Sularen


"I like this spot... hidden... one might even suggest... safe..." Bob mused over the coms, Mr. Cuddles hiding on the rooftop that overlooked the enemy forces below on the streets.

Traden shook his head as he studied the massive Garrison complex, determining the best point of entry.

"...That is... until Traden deems it necessary to risk my life... again..."

"Ok, settle down Bob." Traden remarked softly. Dagmar Kortu his close friend and fellow War Hog commented on whether they should do thing his way or Traden's way… which apparently Traden's way is to engage in… bloody massacre? Traden raised his eye brows, giving Dag an inquisitive and rather bemused look,

"What do you think I am, a kriffin' Sith?!" He whispered forcefully with a slight chuckle. "Lets do things... Your way." Traden pointed to the roof of the garrison. "We will move to enter through the roof... make our way down into the halls... we will have much better odds making a stand in there then trying to engage out here..." He nodded his head towards the army still on the street. "My guess? They've got most of their forces on the street... Garrison is likely empty… for the most part."

He turned to the squad, "We need to get inside and find leverage... Enough leverage to force a cease-fire. We've got hundreds of rebels and Alliance forces advancing on the streets against the Final Dawn, and they are facing heavy opposition. We could save hundreds of lives today, if we do this right…” He raised his blaster, The Harbinger, up towards the ready. "... So let's do this right, Hogs!"

"Yayy.... great speeeech... soooo inspirationaaaal… “ Bob cheered sarcastically over the comms.

"Shut it, Bob." Traden snapped back bluntly.

Suddenly the batteries on the street closest to them stopped their barrage. Traden looked back out the window of the building, curious as to what was happening. He watched with a sinking feeling in his gut as they all turned and faced towards Mr. Cuddles position, as well as towards the Temptress which was now on approach.

“NO!” Traden exclaimed, "Bob, you've been made! Ladybird, you've got incoming!"


_______________


The building began to tremble violently as the missiles began to tear apart the floors below where Mr. Cuddles was with Bob screaming over the comms like a little girl. Mr. Cuddles activated his repusorlifts and pulled off the ground as the building began to crumble underneath him, leaving him hovering high above the ground, completely exposed.

Mr. Cuddles began to strafe sideways releasing a steady barrage of everything he had towards the VH-550’s, the rockets still flowing underneath him into what was left of the building, missing him completely for the moment.


_______________


Traden looked up towards Ladybird as the rockets began to reign towards the Temptress. He felt torn… unsure of how long she would survive against the onslaught. And yet he knew their best bet was to get inside and capture high-priority targets to force a ceasefire...

Finally, a solemn resolution filled his countenance as he made his possibly questionable, and likely deadly, decision…

No more members of his squad would die when he could do something about it.

He turned to Dagmar Kortu , “Looks like we’ll do things both ways, mate…” He said as he looked to the rest of the squad, his eyes narrow, his face stern.

“Get inside that garrison and capture the Final Dawn Collaborators! It’s all up to you now! GO!”


_______________



Glass shattered from a rather high level of the complex directly across the street from the building that the batteries were focused on as a lone force master leapt out into the sky, igniting his brilliant teal saber in one hand and raising The Harbinger out towards the batteries with the other. As he plummeted down towards the street, he pulled the trigger, releasing a steady and deadly stream of explosive particle beams that reigned down upon the armored vehicles, which would cause significant damage.

He landed hard on the ground next to the remaining batteries right as the powercell released its last blast, the master doing a front role in an attempt to reduce the impact to his body as he used the force to help slow the impact as well.

As he came up, he locked the blaster to his armor and, with both hands on his ignited saber, leapt straight for the closest functioning battery with the saber raised above his head, bringing it down with great force into the armor of the battery. He would continue in a rampage state, tearing through the batteries until they either stopped firing, or he became incapacitated, while occasionally reloading the Harbinger in order to release additional mayhem against the units.

He hoped that Dagmar Kortu and the rest of the squad would be able to find and capture the Final Dawn collaborators before him, Mr. Cuddles, and Ladybird were annihilated in the chaotic fray.

 

[Kirie]

Auteme | Titus of Epoch | Marlon Sularen | Darth Kentarch
​

Auteme’s display of power had Kirie enthralled. She had seen the woman’s abilities in action on Coruscant during the confrontation with Solipsis, but that had been controlled, limited to the confines of the Sith’s former office. This time, the threads of Force energy were raw and without much form, but they arced across the sky and grabbed several gunships at a time. I was amazing, a mastery of the Force far beyond anything Kirie could even dream of possessing herself.

With her eyes and her camera fixed on the scene in front of her, Kirie did not sense the assailant as they drifted through the crowd, nor did she notice the creeping sense of dread when the attacked stepped closer. Only a moment before the strike did she realise something was wrong, lowering the camera and cocking her head in confusion a moment later her stomach dropped and she twisted her body on instinct- too late to avoid the blade sinking into her back.

Kirie let out a cry of pain, twisting as the saber burned through her shirt in an instant before making contact with the ultrachrome surface beneath. The blade pressed deeper into her back, glancing off the armour before finding purchase in the melting metal. The saber broke through as Kirie lost her balance, carving out a runnel of flesh and severing muscle and sinew along her right side. Falling forward, Kirie leapt free of the strike, falling heavily to the hard pavement and rolling painfully. Hands reached down, as confused onlookers tried to help her, not understanding what had just happened. Kirie pushed them away, scrambling to her feet and fumbling with her belt.

She grabbed her saber, ripping the holster on her belt in her rush to retrieve it. Unlike the assassin’s saber, her blade ignited with a loud and wicked hum. Only then, standing ready, did the pain hit her, rolling in wave after agonising wave made bearable only by the adrenaline coursing through her. She winced and hissed through her teeth, clutching her saber in one hand, and her wounded back and side in the other.

“Sith!” cried Kirie in desperation, searching around for her attacker in the crowd. “Help!”

 

[Tren Chaar]

A I R _ S U P R E M A C Y

EPOCH AIRSPACE
B-WING HEAVY STARFIGHTER​

---

---

“Scratch one.”

Chaar’s proton torpedo flew true, erupting into a fiery explosion as it destroyed one of the TIE Strikers. Another kill silhouette to add to his cockpit. The remaining starfighter turned tail and fled without putting up a fight. He toyed with chasing it down for a moment but decided let them run with their tail between their legs. The Starlighter Command analyst who reviewed his gun-camera footage to confirm the kill would see that the enemy was a coward. While the kill would stand, Chaar wouldn’t in good faith be able to count it.

He pulled back on his joystick to gain altitude and link up with the rest of One Flight as Zaka peeled off to continue his bombing run. “Good hunting,” he added flatly as the StealthX disappeared back into the fray. The realisation that this was the first time he had helped someone outside his squadron was lost on the Umbaran, who had already turned his attention to his next strike mission.

The four B-wings dropped down into the streets of Odessa near the Skyramp. This close to the main Brotherhood garrison it was safe to assume that everyone on the street was a hostile. “Cleared hot,” Chaar announced as he switched his four blaster cannons to shutter fire. The streets below them were swarming thick with Final Dawn soldiers. By the time Chaar and his wingmates pulled up out of their attack run, the streets were littered with destroyed armoured vehicles and running red with blood.

Chaar’s sensors light up as the B-wings swung around a tower to line up for another attack run. The TIE Striker coward was back, this time with half a squadron backing them up.

Time to go hunting.

Galactic Alliance: Zaka | Phaineve Halseigh | Traden Avarice | Revenant Squadron
Brotherhood of the Maw: Marlon Sularen​

 

[Darth Kentarch]

O P E R A T I O N_D A G G E R
Marlon Sularen | Kralmus Orr | Titus of Epoch

There was a brief moment of surprise as the lightsaber did not skewer and kill the Jedi outright. Ultrachrome, The Sith Lord realized. However, as she twisted away the armor seemed to fail and his lightsaber got a piece of her right side. He could smell the burned flesh and muscle, and as she tumbled forward. Kentarch used this moment to shut down his lightsaber and melt back into the crowd. His force presence still buried, the Sith folded his hands and lightsaber hilt back into the sleeves of his cloak. The Jedi drew her lightsaber and shouted for help and let others know a Sith was in the crowd. The wound was not enough to incapacitate her, not yet at least, he waited a minute letting the Jedi adrenaline fade.

It was then that General Bellock arrived on seen. While another sneak attack would unlikely be successful, Bellock would provide yet another opportunity. Stormtroopers of the Final Dawn aimed their blaster rifles at the rebel crowd and fired. Bodies of civilians fell to the ground, everything was drowned out in the shouts, screams, and blaster fire. This provided another advantage to the Sith in the form of a dilemma. Did Kirie and Auteme hunt down the Sith, or did they go to the defense of the rebels? Kentarch had mixed in with the crowd, another panicked soul trapped in the line of fire in Sirius Square. Keeping an eye on Kirie was easy, she was brandishing a Lightsaber and easy to spot.

Zigzagging through the crowd he circled back around towards Kirie, after a few minutes the Sith was able to get back up behind her again. He hoped the blaster fire had drawn enough of her attention, so he could land another solid strike. His gaze shifted to her dominant arm, that armor she had on likely covered mostly the chest and back, but her arms and armpits could be more vulnerable. Kentarch surged forward quickly, his lightsaber again came to life without making a sound. He flicked the saber up at her right arm in a lifting strike, aiming straight for the triceps with enough blade to take the whole arm off.

 

[Phaineve Halseigh]

Eyes danced against a backdrop of blackness, metallic limbs free to move as they pleased within the comfort of vacuum. This was a voyage unlike any other for the War Hogs' reconnaissance drone; dropping from the depths of hyperspace and descending the atmosphere of a violently contested planet. But to say this was an impossible task, for one, insulted the Ferret's reputation. In spite of supposed impossibility, Eyes continued to cruise ever nearer to Epoch. Scanner mounts attached to the craft by articulating pylons drew in closer to the Ferret's body, and short bursts of RCS thrusters sent the drone into a graceful spin; coupled with the use of its pseudo-stealth suite, Brotherhood and Alliance vessels alike would register the Ferret as little more than an asteroid or piece of debris from afar. It appeared they did, for the moment. And in the rare instance a craft managed to get itself close enough to risk visual detection- well, the drone had its own methods of retaliation. Trailing loosely in the craft's wake, missiles from untraceable locations turned debris into shrapnel. Mawite fighters fortunate enough to survive quickly began to veer off in search of a phantom attacker. If Eyes had been more than a lifeless probe, it would have grinned at its deception.

As the Ferret felt its spaceframe begin to slice past hot air and through clouds, it sent one brief communication to its master-- notifying Phaineve that it's sensors were drawn, and eying the battle-torn surface below.

---

{Location: "Temptress" - Tsrotzhu-class Multipurpose Gunship - Cockpit}
{War Hogs Inbound}
{Objective: Chaos}
[EPOCH]

---

"Bob, you've been made! Ladybird, you've got incoming!"

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. BeepBeepBeepBeep-

FETH!

Explosive shockwaves rumbled through the hull of the Temptress as missiles from Marlon Sularen 's VH-550s shattered into shrapnel and flame around its shields. Phaineve quickly found herself thrown backward into the frame of her seat, nerves calling out in shocked agony. She came close to tumbling to the metallic plating bellow, and would have without the safety belts to tug her back to the controls.

Startled eyes scanned past the transparisteel viewports of the Temptress, and toward Zaka 's X-wing as it evaded more trailing warheads. Then, her sight locked on a plume of light, sailing from the underbelly of the X-wing and into the path of the Brotherhood artillery as if it were a proton torpedo. Drawing her own trajectory away from the impact, she let the Temptress's sensors track the projectiles path, till the moment a massive shockwave was registered punching through the air.

She hadn't the time to confirm if the shadow bomb had made contact with its target. Phaineve threw the gunship's yoke to port, pulling violently out of the path of a set of missiles that had broken through the Temptress's deactivation transmitters. One down... She watched one collapse to the ground once the countermeasures finally caught up with the warhead. KARK- The other had persisted with more boldness than could be repelled, diffusing the gunship's shields with a single impact and throwing the craft toward the ground below.

Before Phaineve's move to fire the Temptress's repulsors, her hands found the firing trigger at her side, and with a sustained squeeze sent 4 discord missiles rocketing toward the VH-550s' platform. And suddenly, back to plummeting she went. Phaineve nearly tore the yoke from the dashboard as she forced the gunship's nose upward.

---

War Hogs: Traden Avarice , Mela , Gorthalon , Dagmar Kortu
Marlon Sularen
Tren Chaar

 

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto Du Couteau, Senator of Empress Teta
Location: Epoch, EEC Executive Floor
Action: Organize and Assist with the Alliance Take over of the EEC
Weapons: REC-EVS/01 "Sohei" - Pattern Electro-Vibrosword
Attire

​

​

It was almost humorous, if it hadn’t been for the litany of technical errors and the cohort of EEC Lawyers attempting to hemorrhage the bleeding. It was a matter of stalling, hampering the the Monetary Authority for as long as possible and robbing them of the precious time needed to secure as many holdings of the EEC as possible. Even Seto's opinion that the Alliance would eventually take over the industry sectors of Epoch, a forgone conclusion if anything else; These mounting annoyances would eventually turn a spectacular victory into a mundane one. We need total victories to push forward a narrative of indomitable will and how a Corporatist Chancellor can weather the storm of zealots and madmen. ​

​

And speaking of madmen. ​

​

Seto looked at the holo-vid displaying security footage that displayed the brutality that was marked by the Maw but clearly was not. The Chancellor was genuinely surprised by the scene, and claimed to have nothing to do with appeared to be crazed brutes rampaging in the office floors below. The Chancellor then turned to Seto and asked if this group was connected to him in any way. The young Du Couteau heir offered the Chancellor with a deadpan expression, one not amused with the accusation. “No my Chancellor, they are not a part of my retinue. . . though I would hazard a guess that they are political dissidents at best and crazed rioters at worst.” Seto responded.​

​

With the Chancellor's decree to arrest any and all Epoch citizenry directly obstructing the lawful duties of Alliance Agents and the Senate, the second obstacle of the unrelenting EEC lawyers were utterly crushed. Seto noted how some appeared ready to bolt for the nearest turbolift, but with fresh memories of the marauding psychopaths in the lower levels they wagered they would receive better treatment in a Federal prison. I do pity the fools who dare elect themselves as obstacles for our Chancellor. ​

​

Seto though took a moment to consider his options since after all there was a war being waged outside. If he attempted to leave the building there might be a considerable chance he would face some disastrous circumstances. The situation was apparently unraveling and Seto opted to head out and towards the Epochian Palace proper to deal with whatever Government Assembly was left on the planet. And if there lacks an Assembly to discuss with, best to string together whatever I can find. ​

​

Quickly he turned around and headed towards the lift, as he pointed towards a few members of GAMA to assist him with a few other reports. Most importantly though, to make sure there was already a call for an Alliance strike force to help control the volatile situation in the lower levels of the building. We can’t have the Maw remove yet another Chancellor, twice in a single year would be ridiculous. With his final discussion with the last of the GAMA agents, Seto waved for the Slicer to get the Turbolift working.​

​

The Senator made his way to the landing pad, several AEG’s were awaiting him with a compliment of Alliance Troops and Senate Guards. Clearly the call for a stronger Alliance presence to protect the Chancellor had not been in vain. Seto waved down one of the Gunships and with a quick order to head towards the Palace, the Senator now was able to read the flood of reports of the current situation. After reading through several reports, many of them rather surprisingly in depth, Seto had wished he had stayed with the credit sucking lawyers. This planet is filled with revolutionaries and Brotherhood zealots. ​

​

|| Aerarii Tithe | Tu'teggacha | Westenra Mina | Derix Tirall ||

 

[Keiran Varn]

LOCATION: Epoch, On board the Tsrotzhu-class Multipurpose Gunship "Temptress" [Co-Pilot's Seat]
OBJECTIVE: ANOTHER HAPPY LANDING
WEAPON: Single-bladed Amethyst Lightsaber
EQUIPMENT: Dooku Pattern Jedi Armour
WAR HOGS: Traden Avarice Phaineve Halseigh Dagmar Kortu Gorthalon

​

Inside the Temptress, Ladybird and Keiran fought their own tenuous battle simultaneously with the one that raged on outside them. The rattle of the ship shook his bones as he managed to catch a glimpse of the fiery train of a missile shoot past them. Too much movement. Collecting thoughts seemed impossible as his brain shook. His hands werre white as he clapsed the arm rests tightly to absorb some of the palpitations of the gunship.

Eyes darting wildly across the viewport at the scene unfolding before him, pernicious centripetal force pinned him to his chair. Keiran's stomach lurched as he began to regret the drink he'd taken just before the mission. He struggled to turn his head to his lefthand side where Ladybird, the pilot sat, seemingly just as concerned as he was.

Captain Halseigh, a Corellian by birth and nature had been with the Hogs, even before he'd been assigned to their maverick leader, Master Avarice. The Jedi imagined that it was a testament to Phaneive's skill that they hadn't been blown up, considering the onslaught it was miracle they were still in the cockpit.

If not for his seatbelt, he might've went straight through the transparisteel as a blinding wave of tremors pushed violently through the ship. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. To take control of his breathing was a uphill battle as he let the chaos melt into him. A deep breath in and a long sigh out, he closed his eyes as the dissonance around him became slowly muted, quietened, muffled as if he was listening to loud music from another room. Still bouncing in his seat, the rhythms felt much more natural, much more manageable.

Reopening his eyes, the battle came into focus, vicious marauders of varying shapes and sizes, fought tooth and nail with Alliance forces, X-Wings pursued hotly by enemy ships dotted around the school of dogged fighters, each almost indistinguishable from the other as they weaved and juked about the surface, close enough to perceive clearly from ground-level.

"B-b-brace, p-p-pull u-u-up hard!" He almost screamed, the motion distorting his voice as he was pushed far into the worn seat as Ladybird grabbed the yoke to try and avoid their demises.

 

[Mylo Thorne]

​

OVER ODESSA, EPOCH AIRSPACE
MISSON: PROTECT THE B-WINGS OF ONE FLIGHT
REVENANT ELEVEN
EQUIPMENT: REC-A101 A-WING INTERCEPTOR
TAGS: Tren Chaar Zaka Marlon Sularen

​

Hordes of troops filled the streets, a sea of enemies which moved as a wave would, undeterred, even as the B-Wings laid waste to their positions, the Humbariner starfighter pilot was almost impressed. Mylo hit the right pedal sharply, accompanying it with a throttle up as the A-Wing lurched foward, then down into a dive. Out of the glasteel viewports, he could just about make out One Flight of Revenant Squadron, the long angular profile and cross-like shape was unmistakable as his sensors began to start. Bringing up a model of the situation on his holographic interface, it showed the arrow shape of black TIE Strikers headed straight for the B-Wings.



Swiping on the interface, he fed the data to the rest of Three Flight on the secure squadron channel Tac Two, and it wasn't long till orders came in. The ruins of what might've been a great city still attempted to assert their power, despite the once powerful spires now reduced to rubble by the horrors of war. He lightly touched the stick to the right, angling out of the way of a still intact tower which stood for miles as the remnant of this perhaps once prospoerous city. Up ahead, the Strikers swooped in, hopefully the B-Wings had seen them, if not, they still hard time for at least a warning. The rookie pilot opened up a channel on Tac Two once more.



"Eleven to leader six marks, strikes, headed straight toward you, we'll keep em off your tails. Eleven out."



He let out a long laboured sigh, steeling himself for the action to come. By now the strikers had perceived the A-Wings, likely through their sensors, and that meant that they had lost the element of surprise. No matter. They still had the upper hand, coming from a relatively unpredictable attack vector, it had given them some time, and left the Strikers with not much to scram. "Bring up targeting on the main interface, El-Five," he addressed the state of the art integrated droid brain which responded swiftly with the gunsights of his targeting system.



A straggler came up into his sights as he switched to quick-lock missile launch and shunted 20 percent more power to his forward shields, chasing down the Strikers and shooting past the B-Wings to keep the strikes in his firing arc and his mark locked.. He drifted off slightly to catch the wing of the fighter in his targeting which flashed to indicate a lock and he responded in turn, instinctively pressing down on the trigger to let off the warhead which streaked out of the A-Wing to go and find its target.



Throttling up to 80 percent, the A-Wing kept on the dogged chase to draw the Strikers away.

 

[Zaka]

BLACKFANG - THE (NEW) JEDI vol. II
Issue #1 - Epochist Rebellion
TAGS - Marlon Sularen
Tren Chaar Traden Avarice Phaineve Halseigh Dagmar Kortu

Spoiler: tl;dr

• Zaka reacts to his shadow bomb being destroyed mid-air.
• Comms and thanks Tren Chaar for the help.
• Breaches Final Dawn Garrison Hangar and tears it up.

LB warbled and Zaka's brows dropped down in determination.

"Whole squadron this time?" The extra firepower must've been on account of the Revenant Wing that had picked apart the TIEs that had been on his tail just a bit ago. Before he could think on it further, he caught sight of them splitting off into two groups, one group after him, the other on the B-Wings. Zaka dove down, just underneath the wall of fire that ripped through the space he had just been occupying.

Dive bombing, the Shadow Bomb that had been loaded earlier was released.

From below, the artillery pieces found new targets. Namely him.

But automated tracking wasn't enough. Not for a StealthX. Equipped with sensor negating equipment, the Imperials' defenses put their own pilots in greater danger than him.

There was an explosion in the wake of his Shadow Bomb dropping. Before he could ask the result of the strike LB trilled worriedly.

"What do you mean - Shot out the sky?"

Some nonsense about being lucky the blast radius caught two of the sloppier Strike pilots.

Hope Revenant doesn't need me.

Reaching to the comms device, he flicked it on as the StealthX veered to the side, taking a wide berth before it was once again heading in the direction of the artillery battery he'd failed to destroy. "Revenant Lead - Blackfang," he relayed, breaking that sacred rule. "Moving to take out Final Dawn leadership. Thanks for the help."

The StealthX shook moments later, shields finally stripped as the next Shadow Bomb was loaded into the rack.

He veered to the right, baiting fire in that direction as a feint, as he closed in on the Imperial Garrison. Snap-rolling back to the left, the Shadow Bomb was released, propelled - faster than his X-Wing - ahead of the StealthX and and flew into a closed, reinforced blast door of the Imperial hangar. He closed his eyes, reaching deep into the depths of the Force and let its currents wash over his abrasive surface. He trusted in it, even if he denied acting out its will like some pawn.

The blast door didn't survive the blast, rending metal, and blowing inwards. Overwhelming chemical heat exploded outwards, and through the breach he made, the StealthX raced into, speed abruptly cut down as a levied digit dropped mercilessly on a trigger stud. From the tips of every prong of the S-foils, hissing laser fire ripped out, tearing through organic and vehicle alike within the Final Dawn hangar. A quick flip of a switch activated the repulsors, ensuring he didn't slam into the ground.

The StealthX, as if spawned from the depths of Chaos with its hellish features after passing through the fiery threshold was a wielded machine of death. Chemical burns marked the vessel, wreathing it in flames as Zaka blew holes into already destroyed wreckage to avoid striking them as he turned the hangar to a vision of the Nether.

 

[Auteme]

Kirie Titus of Epoch | Kralmus Orr Darth Kentarch Marlon Sularen ​

As the cocoons finished forming, she felt the danger approaching rapidly. Down the street from the rebels emerged the Final Dawn's forces, and- behind, a cry from Kirie. The soldiers of the Final Dawn prepared to fire, but Auteme didn't leave them the opportunity. The gunships, now cut off from the world in their prison of the Force, began to fall towards the ground. She didn't have the strength to keep them up. Instead, she pulled on the threads, guiding their fall into the road -- a makeshift barrier to buy time. The exteriors of the cocoons were as durable as their interiors, and the initial volley of shots were absorbed or turned away.

It would hinder their progress when they decided to move, but they needed to take care of the Sith first.

By the time she'd turned around, Kirie's assailant had disappeared into the crowd once more. His presence had all but vanished. Kirie was wounded -- a cut on the back. Deep, but not fatal. It was seared shut as well. Auteme began to walk forward, moving to heal Kirie, but stopped herself. The assassin had moved back into the crowd. That level of concealment meant they must be skilled, and Auteme was of little use in close combat. She didn't have any armor to protect her, either.

"Hang in there, Kirie," she said, forcing down her instinct to run over and help.

Where was the Sith? She searched the crowd. It seems they'd struck and withdrew quickly enough that people didn't notice, which was enormously lucky for them, but still understandable given the situation. They obviously didn't have an ordinary lightsaber, either, given she only heard Kirie's ignite.

No, the Sith wouldn't attack again for at least a moment. They were being cautious. Auteme had time, but she stayed where she was. Again she began to weave. From her hands sprang threads that bound together rapidly to encase the closest rebels in a translucent armor. It was rudimentary, hardly as elegant as some of the things she'd done before, yet functional. Much like her other constructs it was light and flexible, yet durable enough to withstand a blaster bolt -- and of course, could quickly re-form in case of damage.

"Titus," she said, "we should divert our course to avoid the Final Dawn -- the palace is our objective, and my weaving isn't enough to bring us victory."

But then, in the crowd -- she found them. The ignition of the Sith's saber may have made no sound, nor did the blade give that distinct hum or emit a bright light, but kyber was unmistakable.

Her hand thrust out, and strands exploded out. One, the largest, went straight for the Sith's center, but four more swung around, intent to envelop them from each side. The strands themselves were effectively harmless, but even a touch might be enough to end the engagement. Like spider's silk they'd stick to the Sith's form, marking them for what they were. If that were to happen, she could expand the threads easily -- perhaps another cocoon to add to the pile.

 

[Westenra Mina]

"Your Gods shattered nothing..." Lynda sneered at the The Mongrel , hearing the power up chime of his blaster, and dodging the bolt with an elegant backflip away, though this forced her to break off her attack allowing him to scramble. She gave chase

"My Gods don't need to shatter planets, though they can and have. They only need to shatter you..." she snarled at him.

It said it in her eyes, and every micro expression, transitioning into a feral snarl as she gave chase: he wouldn't die if she found a way to take him alive.

No. He would suffer beyond what words could express. The Mongrel was wrong if he thought there were few ways left to bring him pain.

The fact he was essentially a brain would just make it easier to inflict agony. Digitized. Incremental. Electrodes wired to his brain to send the proper signals. Burning. Freezing. Being stabbed. Having a throat sliced. They would inflict it, almost all of it, until they found the one that broke him and made him renounce the three Avatars. Systematic, Scientific Torture...then Lynda would see how much he believed in his gods.

"I thought you liked war!" she shouted as she pursued him. "What's the matter? Scared the Avatars would consider it cheating if you let yourself die? That's it, isn't it? YOUR CYBORG ASS IS MINE!"

A series of heavy shotgun blasts from a wounded Final Dawn Trooper who had regained conciousness knocked her backwards, and she let out an inhuman, feral snarl of frustration as her left arm (The one holding the sword) was blasted off completely and she was thrown back further from an escaping Mongrel. She zeroed on the shooter, and dodged the next blast after grabbing her fallen arm, still clutching the sword in a death grip, as she spun and flipped towards him, dodging his next shotgun blasts and beheading him with her detached, sword holding arm and then pried the sword from it's hands, sheathing it, then reattached it before her body could outright regrow it on its own.

Unfortunately this had given the Mongrel significant time to escape. She immediately began sprinting, following the trail of lubricant...

Meanwhile...

The Divine Eagles had arrived at the scene to find the two ships Lynda had left in the air depositing more troops from repulsor belt heights to deal with the fleeing Razorghasts, and land on the roof while they themselves were shooting at them...

The Eagles however, were in for a surprise...

Vera Mina in her piloting configuration had come swooping in with six other pilots from House Li-Ves. All were piloting all black versions of the RZ-2 A Wing without insignia.

They immediately opened fire as the eagles did, swooping in to harass them from all angles...