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Allies: First Order
Enemies: Silver Jedi Order | [member="Veiere Arenais"]
Like a nimble mosquito avoiding the errant swats of its prey, Zodan cut through the incoming barrage of laser and projectile fire. Ducking and weaving around further asteroid fragments. Small contacts were noted across his display as the small pebbles were vaporized upon contact with his shields but by and large he avoided the larger chunks. It took exceptional skill, the near silence only minutes before replaced by a very active battlefield. Even so, like a fly drawn to the light the Knight of Ren was drawn deeper towards the enemy lines. Frantically his eyes tracked from target to target, laser blasts erupting from his ship's cannons as he tried to get a fix on the presence he felt. He was drawing close. By all appearances the enemy was still hoping to keep the strike fleet at range, hesitant to commit their fighters. An evil grin spread across Zodan's features as he pushed his fighter faster still. *Cowards. Too worried about taking losses to seize the moment.*
It was in that moment a glint of light amidst the fray of lasers caught his eye. *You!* Immediately he knew, the pilot of that vessel was somehow tied to the light wreathed figure of his dreams - his nightmares. An overwhelming aggression gripped his very being, anger rising to the surface. All other objectives seemed to pale in comparison to the overwhelming drive with which he now pushed forward. In the blink of an eye he saw the fighter craft shoot past. Violently he pulled back on the controls, arms shaking with the effort as he forced his fighter into a rapid 180. If he'd escaped notice, he might just have a clear shot - if he could catch up. If not, the battle was begun.
Pushing his vessel to its limits the Rogue-class Starfighter screeched after the enemy vessel. *An X-wing. Interesting.* It appeared to be an older model, not nearly as sleek as the ones seen in recent conflicts with the Galactic Alliance. As he focused his attention on the vessel, it was almost as if he could hear a whisper, a silent distraction causing him to almost lose focus enough to collide with a giant rock fragment, a half roll at the last second the only thing sparing the Ren. A quiet chirp from the fighter's targeting computer indicated it had begun to run the ship through the inboard targeting computer. Devoid of missiles the Rogue-class depended heavily on it's two Fire-Linked Laser Cannons. The targeting computer, while not designed to develop a missile lock did however provide tactical information to the pilot that would allow him to keep the weapons on target.
Another tone sounded as Zodan brought his weapons to bear, targeting reticle square at the center of the four glowing embers that were the enemy's engines. With an audible chuckle, he grinned as his fingers squeezed upon the triggers sending a hail of laser cannon fire towards the fighter and its unknown occupant.
Location: Kulthis Objective: Propagandize the Stenax Allies: [member="The Major"] [member="Darth Saarai"] | The First Order | The Stenax Operation’s Commanding Officer: [member="Samka Derith"] Enemies: Order of the Silver Jedi
At the request to dim the lights, Xrakkis sneered at the good doctor, an almost imperceptible lift of his beastly lips, but enough to cause Agent Klev to adjust his demeanor, adding in more clear deference to the group of imposing aliens.
“Thank you, kind beings. The visuals are extremely important. More so than the science even.”
He knew that he was a non-proven entity in the Bureau, and that it was likely there were those who saw him as a liability. Perhaps he was, he mused, catching a glimpse his trembling hand and stopping its shaking with the other. But he did feel confident in this approach.
While the Stenax were incredibly tall, vaguely demonic in appearance and highly violent, he had woven a story of conquer and reward that he thought no one in the room, not even himself, could resist. And the beginning would start with the end. Why waste anyone’s time, especially Agent Klev’s if he was going to be run through with a pointy spear when this was all said and done?
Unexpectedly one of Xrakkis’s henchmen sniffed Ezra’s briefcase.“What kind of hide is that made from?” he asked in a growling baritone. With a chemically enhanced, blistering white smile, Agent Klev smiled and said: “Ssi-Ruuk. Dyed black of course.” He clicked a button on a small, disc-shaped remote control.
A holo-image of a male Stenax and a female S’kytri sprang to life in the middle of the room. After a few seconds the images merged into an entirely new species, blending all of their common features.
“Striking, powerful, colorful, clever and majestic. This creature is called the Sten-kytri and is the product of continued interbreeding between your race and the genetically similar S’kytri. In fact if I wanted to veer away from the realm of science, I would say that both your species were fated by gods or the Force to become one in the future. The First Order is only here to help accelerate that future.”
He paused and took a sip of stimcaf from a gleaming, silver thermos. A planet now rotated where the holo of the Sten-kytri had been.
“Skye itself is a resource-rich world covered in mountains. The S’kytri themselves are peaceful, primitive and somewhat careful as they’ve been exploited before.”
And continue to be exploited, he thought with an amused quirk of his lips. Placing his hands in his suit pocket and rocking on his heels Ezra peered around at the Stenax who did appear, in his mind at least, somewhat captivated by the proposal so far.
Asteroids, shield gates, space vessels, counter-measures and defensive manoeuvres; a complete mess no sane being could comprehend reigned over the space battle. Worst of all, there was nothing for those who silently clustered in transports to do about it. Survival depended on whoever piloted their ship; experience and skill meant plenty, yet even the greatest of pilots often fell victim to coincidence. Many would never make it to the planetary shields; turned into fireworks and becoming irrelevant specks of space dust. Like so many others, Zmej’s transport also struggled to stay alive and make it close enough to the shields. Even though fighters did their work and protected the troops seated within the biggest target, they could not keep this dance up forever. And so they joined another sizable group headed for the shields, letting ships up front take fire. Nobody dared to speak in these long minutes that felt like eternity. The entire vessel shook violently when fighters right next burst into flames and death’s skeletal hand almost claimed another clump of lives.
Then came the shield and shield disruptors that activated in unison, creating an opening for several transports to slip past the blue barrier. Instant relief – the swarm continued towards the planet many have visited some time ago during another operation. In hindsight, attacking the same world twice in a row only led to heightened defences and several nasty surprises. On the bright side, Zmej looked forward to a high number of Jedi to butcher. How many of them wore proper armour? Smiling to herself, she lovingly patted the nasty toxin grenades on her belt and turned to address the stormtroopers one last time. Everyone stood up from their seats, blasters loaded and ready, prepared to burst out and storm the nearest surroundings like angry bees.
“Remember. No prisoners, no mercy. We’re here to drown the Jedi in their own blood, make a statement – nobody can oppose the First Order and Sieger Ren’s will. If the Jedi want to rebuild Ossus after we are done, they’ll have to use the bones of their fallen.” The Supreme Leader's Hand smirked beneath the helmet, feasting on both anxiety and fear that ran rampant among the men. Only the strongest of them would earn their right to survive - a healthy thing for the nation, contributing greatly to the First Order's soundness and success. Only through blood and strength could mankind earn its living space, a just position in the galaxy.
“Don’t disappoint me.”
No conquest – pure and simple destruction was their mission. As the green planet neared, about to become their victim, Zmej released a relaxed sigh, knowing her lust for battle and fighting had to wait no longer.
Mežsrožu stood beside the Sons of Seiger dressed in her own slate armor with the emblem of her father's empire emboldened on her gauntlets. Quietly she took in a breath and questioned not her father's orders to accompany these stormtroopers. Instead, she praised Seiger's wisdom and recalled Skor so vividly. She recalled her plea, her plea for them to work together to defeat a monstrosity brought to the planet by Alliance forces, Jedi even she suspected but could do little to discern the attacker above the creature. Her mind then went to Bespin and the death of Ara Ren as she knew her. Jedi. The Jedi that roamed today were not the ones that Grandmaster Kismet had so desperately try to teach the young woman, no - the ones who roamed today were no better than the Sith.
In fact, they were worse.
They paraded around as the light, proclaiming goodness. Such hypocrisy, no, today they will die. For far too long they had been left to fester in the galaxy they were a plague, a disease meant to be cured. And by her father's holy light they would perish, and as she stood there apart from the camaraderie of soldiers who wielded weapons deadlier than her own blade. The young woman knew her mission on this day, kill them all. Kill, burn, and destroy anything that would stand in her way and above all - ensure that these Stormtroopers are able to do their good work.
The brunette turned her attention just one degree to the side so that her faceless helmet could watch the armored men in their ghastly pale plastoid. With their smiles permanently affixed to their helmets. In the moment she looked at the trooper, concentrated her gaze on him the mandibles on her helmet moved. Mežsrožu moved them again and turned her attention back, face forward as she awaited the orders to move and when it came she found herself in the middle of throaty howls all eager to shed blood in her father's name. The obsidian-clad woman said nothing and only turned to face her exit. The hilt of her lightsaber glinted within the emergency lighting that now flashed throughout the atmospheric lander.
A second message came through from the pilot, and within the moment she heard the menacing sound of the Sons of Seiger. Death awaited any who dared to tangle with them, and as the chainswords growled with anticipation she made no hesitation in brandishing her own weapon. A bright orange hue that hummed with hunger as the glow danced off the alabaster armor of the men around her. She stood her ground and braced herself for the inevitable as the lander came face to face with anti-air and a number of barrages from the station. Mežsrožu only wished that her father could be here to see this, to watch as she slain in his name and for the first time perhaps she was coming to understand the madness that had been the early days of sister [member="Zmej Ren"]. A sickening smile of violence and murder grabbed onto her, for now, she realized that Mežsrožu would do what Mishel could not, she would delight in the bloodshed, in the battle to come.
Moments before the breach she could hear the boom within the trooper's voice.
And so she added.
"Kill them all in his name and by Seiger's grace you shall live forever in glory!"
Location: Entering Orbit of Ossus. Objective: Land on the Planet Below. Allies: @The Forsworn Legion, [member="Theo Katarn"], [member="Rolf Amsel"] Enemies: [member="Setzi Lunelle"],
From the cockpit back down to the passenger compartment, the Sith Lord knew not what was occurring outside the troop transport, yet, he didn't concern himself with it. Its events were not his to know, nor were they his to navigate. If they were to die, whether on the face of an asteroid that was knocked off course, a fragment of space rock, splattering against the planetary shield, or being unfortunate enough to be targeted and struck, the Sith Lord knew it would be quick and there'd be almost nothing for him to do but stop it.
A poor end to the line of Graush.
Organic and cybernetic hands flexed all the same.
At around the time that the eight kilometre asteroid was assaulted and focused by the Silver Defense Forces weapons, durasteel rods, equipped with ion engines raced through the space around and through the exploded rock, numbering in the hundreds as they headed for the shield. [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] would likely find herself hard pressed to actually defend against so many while also firing, redirecting, or whatever it was they were doing to defend their holdings.
Regardless, the Forsworn Legion's troop transports were following on the tail of these DOKAWs that threatened to punch a violent hole through the shield gate. Almost as if they weren't there anyway, a voice saying 'Arm disruptors' came across the intercom, and unknown to the Sith Lord was that they were finally passing through the shield at breakneck speeds. Escorted by both fighters and other transports, the lead shuttle, Graush's was more or less unhindered as it descended towards the Jedi's military base. Of course, there would be defenses, and so they sought to land behind a mountain top of some kind, overlooking the mountain pass that would bring them to Aegis Base.
Following them through, there were undoubtedly some DOKAWs that got through the irregularities that was the eight kilometre asteroid erupting upon the shields of the planet as it was destroyed, or shot to pieces...
As Theo was diving around the shield gate, a quick glance to his rear revealed asteroids hurtling towards him. He pulled up and out of the way to try and avoid any collision with the rocks, the anti-collision detector going off as he came close past one.
"Snuggle up on a shuttle. Once we pass the gate, it's zone five to an objective."
The three wingmen chose a shuttle to escort, making their way through the shield gate with other craft. As soon as they passed through, enemy fighters came into view.
"Silvers on the dot. Spread out."
Theo kept his head on a swivel, making some more distance between him and the other ships. They had passed the shield gate, but the real battle was just about to begin.
Allies:The Silver Jedi Order | [member="Romi Jade"]
Opposition:The First Order | [member="Zodan Osyk-Drul"] | [member="Torian Pierce"]
The Force cried out to him, sudden alarm awakening his senses and throwing him into instinctive action while his mind sought to keep up; the Force coursed throughout him within the small craft; the psychic energies of it's former owner unbeknownst to Veiere amplifying his connection to the flow of life and natural discourse around him. Purging one half of the Repulsorlift thrusters of all their force, her pushed them into overdrive in order to lift the port side and throw the X-Wing into a barrel roll, turning the nose of the fighter around to sweep right and loop down out of his enemies line of fire.
"Son'uva bit-" His words were cut off by the shrill chirp, the Astromech's dialog coming across the terminal and briefly distracting his concentration as he read the announcement of combat in some slight disbelief, "Yes I'm aware we're being shot at, unlock S-Foils!" he snapped as he sought to level out the vessels momentum, the nose lifting while he used the transparency of the canopy's roof to search for his assailant. The droid followed instructions to the letter, a slight rumble and shift out of Veiere's peripherals noting the wings of the starfighter splitting in half and extending to form the symbol that justified the crafts name; her offensive systems lighting up on the central console, weapons charging and soon flickering green to signal their ready for use.
Startling his gaze back to the front of his craft in the trajectory they were headed, the sudden presence of floating debris surging passed them saw his grip around the controls of the fighter to tighten so much that the whites of his knuckles showed, the fighter having flown directly into the line of the asteroid field, explosions of red and green erupting around them, sparking against the great drifting rock and the larger vessels for whom were using them for shelter. "Blast it all this is not where I want to be!" he declared, growling at himself as his frustration over piloting was getting the better of him. "Cap, try to contact [member="Romi Jade"], I need clearance down into Oss-!" his words were caught in his throat as he had to suddenly pull back on the thrusters, one of the great asteroids rising from below and forcing Veiere to turn the fighter again to narrowly avoid colliding directly into it, "Damn it all just get us an opening!".
[member="Zodan Osyk-Drul"] was still somewhere behind him, the feeling of a pursuit had not left the edge of Veiere's mind, his conscience keeping him on edge ever still. There was a sense of foreboding about this pilot, strong within the Force and enveloped within the Dark-side of the force. What's more was that the intent, the demeanor around the enemy crafts movements, the feelings of hatred were so strong that Veiere couldn't shake a personal stake in the conflict. It all felt larger than the two of them, in the midst of a battle-zone were theirs were vessels smaller and far less significant than the great capital warships present, their confrontation felt almost preordained.
Turning the X-Wing down towards the planet of Ossus, Veiere sought to use the asteroid field as his cover, weaving in and out of the great drifting debris, vessels on all sides of them zipping back and fourth, fighters and fire being barraged across the strewn armada of iron and steel, all the while the pair of them struggling to reach the shield gate. Veiere seeking salvation and reunion with solid ground, his foe seeking to claim his head.
Taking the time think back on the memories revealed to her by Krest. How her life had been lies and fabrications given to her by the Jedi. What was truth and what was lies anymore? The former Jedi had confided in a friend that she was confused, she didn't know what to think or feel anymore. One thing she did know was she didn't like this darkness that was within her.
Twice now she encountered her love. Both times they talked and he called her to return, that what Krest and the Sith did were wrong. Her own loyalty to her code stood firm. One of neither the Jedi or the Sith. Right now she was more dark than light, but Jairdain knew something was wrong. She didn't know what it was though, her mind thoughts and emotions all in turmoil and confusion. Focusing on the task at hand though, she would do her best to accomplish the mission the three of them had on Ossus.
At the entrance of Varas though, Jairdain turned her focus outward again. The simple question spoken caught her attention. She felt no hostility from Varas, she wondered who the question meant, but did not speak on it. It wasn't any of her business. The sound of the other woman getting dressed came to Jairdain, but she couldn't see what gear or weapons she was putting on. All the items Jairdain needed she already had and didn't need to borrow or take anything from the First Order. Only the transportation to Ossus.
Having been with the Jedi, she had an idea on the lay out of where they were headed. A plan was formed by them and now they needed to execute it. Word arrived for lift off and Jairdain prepared herself for the journey ahead.
Kyrel carefully maneuvered thier way through the asteroid field. However, he had to enter battle and deftly piloted the craft and shot down as many fighters as he could. The turbulance was bad, but since Jairdain couldn't see, it did not make her feel ill. She wondered if Varas would feel the same.
As they traveled, Jairdain turned inwardly again. This to make sure she had herself hidden through Art of the Small and Quey'tek Meditation that she had learned from Lykos. Once they were through the barrier and into the atmosphere of Ossus, she would use Force Cloak and Stealth to further hide her presense. Nobody would she was there except the two people she was with.
Her preperations done, she turned her attention to Kyrel and his word that they were landed and safe to disembark from the shuttle.
Location: Ossus
Objective: Repel a shower of rogue asteroids and open fire at the First Order
Allies: SJO [member="Alexandra Feanor"] [member="Elijah King"] [member="Audren Sykes"]
Enemies: First Order [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] [member="Morro"] [member="Achim Veers"] [member="Gerhard Maxim"]
Music: For Liberty (Shadow Dragon)
[Orbit]
"General Med-Beq," he addressed her over a heavily encrypted channel. "I'm coming to your side with Roosevelt and Jefferson group to help shoot down the larger asteroids. The shields and gates should be able to tank the smaller rocks. We'll be in position well before they become an issue."
With the largest two asteroids being blasted to bits, by the joint efforts of [member="Alexandra Feanor"] and [member="Elijah King"], a potential planet-wide extinction would be averted as these asteroids were ground into hundreds, possibly thousands, of smaller pieces that would buffet the ships that they touch, imperial or Jedi, and also the shield gates. While coordination was impossible due to the speed of reaction required, in the end, Jessica was grateful for their presence. Speaking of which, shield gates #2 and #3 absorbed the brunt of the damage, and even having holes of various sizes in their hulls even though they were still functional. And the shields around those particular gates were drained as a result of the asteroid fragments hitting. Presumably some of the enemy transports would also get hit by asteroid fragments, as well as by the fighter screens in flight. Do the enemy have anything other than asteroid flinging?Are the First Order's aims to capture the planet or to destroy it? she thought, while the sensors onboard the Immobilizer 419 and the shield gate detected that the asteroids being hurled at her by [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] were within standard turbolaser range. It was a curious tactical choice, to be sure, because the asteroids wouldn't actually be destroyed, only cut down to size: yet, when it comes to asteroid threats, a bunch of smaller asteroids was safer to deal with than one big asteroid. Most of the asteroids headed towards the fleet were small enough to be of limited threat if/once they penetrate the shields, with about a dozen that are corvette-sized. And a hundred that were between 25-50 meters, with the smaller asteroids either bouncing off the shields (at an energy cost on the shield's part) or burning up upon atmospheric entry. They saved the planet, yes, but at what cost?
"Asteroids incoming! Also, an enemy fleet detected beyond the asteroid field" the sensor technician screamed.
"The enemy expects us to choose between protecting the population of Ossus and engaging their ships in orbit, Jess"
"But given the amount of firepower, the question then becomes: what to fire at the asteroids and what to fire back at the enemy? No need to choose"
"What do you mean, no need to choose? You'd still have to choose what to fire at the asteroids and what to fire at the enemy fleet!" the chief security officer countered.
"We're taking hull damage in the centrisphere!" the chief engineer reported in before sending out its damage control teams.
"Alakaha wing, fire seismic charges!"
"Frigates, Okamis, fire at the remaining asteroid remnants towed by corvettes! All units, fire what turbolasers you can at short range!"
Because the Alakahas were the fighters fast enough to outrun the seismic charges, they were sent to fire their payload of seismic charges at the largest asteroids, including but not limited to, the corvette-sized asteroids, which were swiftly broken down to dozens of pieces each, and thus suffered the same fates as the 1km and 8 km asteroids. The positron cannons mounted on the Okamis, alongside any explosive rounds on frigate-mounted HVCs should be able to tear down any remnant from the asteroids being blown to bits, down to a "safe" size anyhow. Naturally, the targeting solutions prioritized the largest of the gang, and the rest of the frigates firing at the enemy corvettes that just entered standard turbolaser range. Even then some asteroids were still hitting the Heavenshield as well as other ships in the fleet, mostly the size of a sofa and below, but some fighter-sized asteroids still managed to punch some holes in the ships' unsuspecting hulls, tearing down some of the point-defense emplacements. And then the Heavenshield's rapid-fire batteries also fired at the FIV Gypsy, which was at point-blank range from the supercarrier, and other enemy ships nearby. Those rocks that didn't hit ships, instead hit the planetary shields, taking a toll on them prior to falling down towards the planet, and the residents of Ossus would then realize in horror that a meteor shower was inbound, even though not many asteroids would actually hit the surface. Those that do, however, would leave some craters in what countryside there was. Meanwhile, the picture of the enemy fleet became that much clearer, even as hundreds, maybe even thousands of turbolasers were fired at [member="Morro"]'s units, not to mention the bombers engaging the corvettes to the tune of 20 assault concussion missiles being fired at each of them:
"The enemy fleets are outside standard turbolaser range but within long-range turbolaser range" the sensor technician reported in.
"All carriers, fire at the Vigilant from long range! All other units, concentrate long-range fire on the Menace! No missiles"
"Roger, roger" the chief gunnery officer acknowledged.
With that order given, there would be a heavy volley of long-range fire, comprising 32 super-heavy long-range turbolasers, 2 super-heavy long-range ion cannons, seventy 88mm HVC rounds, and, of course, fifteen 380mm APHE HVC rounds, all of which are fired by fanatical Xi Charrian gunners, for whom leading the target was a necessary step in their holy war. being directed at the enemy interdictor, with other enemy cruisers being capable of being taken out with well-placed assault concussion missiles or other fighter-based ordnance. The enemy flagship would have even more weapons fired at it: six 420mm APHE HVC rounds, twelve of its 380mm siblings, 240 of its 88mm cousins, sixteen super-heavy long-range ion cannons, and over nine hundred turbolasers' worth of long-range turbolasers. A combination that ought to put the enemy flagship in sheer trouble, and potentially even destroy a heavy cruiser outright, provided it hits in its entirety, which was far from a given at this stage of the battle. Hopefully the First Order would decide that the time for direct confrontation has arrived.
[Shield gate #1]
What [member="Torian Pierce"] and the other First Order forces assigned to the task of capturing the gate would be finding, upon boarding the shield gate, is a horde of angry Xi Charrians for whom First Order or Galactic Empire made no difference: to their eyes, they were Imperials, and thus opened fire using a combination of 10mm slugthrower rippers, alternating machinegun fire in 3-second bursts, to the tune of three .50 cals per second per weapon, both under electromagnetic plasma and slug forms, so the enemy forces would come under fire virtually everywhere they could attempt to be boarding the shield gate from. With renewed determination, the insectoid soldiers kept up the pressure on the intruders in a rolling suppressive fire of slugs and plasma, alongside flanking infantry units seeking to open fire using rapid-fire slugs (these rippers had two-round bursts), which would then force the enemy to fire even faster to attempt gaining fire superiority. It would be a truly horrifying signt to see those insectoids fight with such furor in their holy war, out for blood, out to kill as many stormtroopers for their desire of revenge as they could while they lived.
"<Stand fast! Charros IV shall be avenged!>" the insectoid officer shouted, in an attempt to rouse its troops, with a ysalamir on its back.
[Surface]
Amid the confusion created by the destruction of the massive 8 km asteroid that could have pulverized all life on Ossus, were it not for the swift orbital intervention, were a few hundred DOKAWs, whose lack of accuracy made them unsuitable against targets smaller than medium-sized cities. Said DOKAWs were able to traverse the surface only through the use of built-in field disruptors; even then they were still subject to SAM fire once said SAMs were in range. Also, the anti-aircraft systems around Knossa, headed from the SSV Luxanna, stationed above the capital, and most importantly around Aegis Base, also having its very own SSV Lumen, began opening fire on what DOKAWs were able to be fired at, in hopes of intercepting as many of the projectiles as was possible, knowing that each projectile that could be shot down, would result in a few lives saved. A hail of missiles, energy torpedoes rose up in defiance of enemy fire, being fast moving but vulnerable to missile fire due to the durasteel rods' inability to perform evasive maneuvers. Also, because the shields around both Knossa and Aegis Base were still up, what hits were scored by the First Order, carrying on their additional attempt to cause atrocities, only caused material damage outside the coverage of the shield generators. But those DOKAWs who did hit the shield generators, only managed to drain the shields without penetrating them. Who knew how would the people in and around Aegis Base react, really... would they have a sudden adrenaline rush? Would they be frightened? Would they feel powerless? Either way, the First Order atrocities are all too real by now.
Fired at the rogue asteroids using seismic charges
Fired at the asteroid remnants and at Morro's corvettes using both capital ship weapons and fighters
Fired at Carlyle's ships from long range
The security inside shield gates starts engaging the First Order boarding parties
A momentary sense of calm flooded Valae as Thurion’s voice reached her mind. She shifted a grateful glance his way, as well as a small smile. He was more than her master, through the years he had become much like a father to Valae, and she hoped to make him proud. Valae nodded to Stephanie Swail as she moved off to complete a sweep of the temple, and she ignored the pang of anxiety that hit her. She knew that Steph was capable, but the urge to protect her was quite strong. For a moment, she watched as her padawan made her way, and then she turned back to the group around her.
No doubt, there were already eyes upon her. They were waiting for direction.
Valae brought a fist her to mouth as she cleared her throat. She supposed that it would be a good idea to have some Jedi support in Knossa, one of the largest cities on Ossus. It didn’t take much to imagine the panic happening there as people rushed to find shelter in preparation for possible asteroid impact. But then, there was a strange feeling that made Valae’s brow crease. There was static over her comm that quickly was replaced by voices. Her gaze shifted quickly as Stephanie came running back, her warning confirmed by the information coming in.
Her stomach twisted, and Valae felt a rush of panic. Already feeling out of breath, she knew that she had to do something. But there was doubt clouding her mind. It was certain that her friends and colleagues would find themselves in danger now – she could not protect them all. Would she give the right orders… would she fail in her duty as Grandmaster? Take it one task at a time, she reminded herself sternly. Drawing in a sharp breath, she began to center herself, and finally spoke.
“We- we need to protect the shield gate.” She swallowed hard, and her eyes fell upon Master DragonsFlame. “With me, please.” And then to Jessica Med-Beq, she responded, "We're on our way to the gate now."
And as she started to run towards the hangar, she activated her comm and sent out a distress signal that would be received across Silver space.
“This is Valae Kitra of the Silver Jedi Order – Ossus is under attack.”
As news poured in and he saw the panic on the interim Grandmaster's face, Josh would turn and look her dead in the eyes. The look he gave her said it all. She had to remain calm. If she could not remain calm in the face of all of this, then the rest of the Jedi would not be calm either. She was the example, she was the banner. She was the figurehead. She needed to set the example and lead by example. With that, he would nod his head when she would order for him to follow behind her. Josh's expression had changed in that instant. The reassuring, the fluff, the pleasantries...
It was all over.
The Sith, oh sorry, excuse him, the "Ren", were coming. He could sense several presences heading for the planet, and he took a deep breath to calm himself as he would follow behind the interim Grandmaster, motioning for his group of Padawans to follow behind him. The games were over, the time to fight had come.
Her boots pounded against the ground, carrying her on an urgent path towards the hangar. However, once her group arrived, they were met by another flurry of comm chatter. It seemed that their Navy was doing their best to battle the most pressing issue at the moment, the asteroids that were headed for their gate. And while an impressive effort was put forth, there were areas of Ossus that would still suffer. Valae felt the knot in her stomach tightening.
“Grandmaster – civilian settlements outside of Aegis and Knossa are reporting damage and casualties.”
A hand rose to her mouth, this wasn’t what she wanted to hear. And with all of the asteroid activity above them, a trip to the shield gate would be out of the question.
Their defenses would soon be breached.
Her wide eyes darted. Valae caught the look that Master DragonsFlame threw her way. She attempted to steel her nerves. In this new station as Grandmaster, she needed to step up. The Silver Jedi Order needed a leader, and while she had never dreamed it would be her – she would have to rise to the occasion. Then, the reports confirmed the worst…
Enemy forces were already passing through the gate.
“No, it can’t be…” She stammered, and took a moment to collect her many thoughts.
Valae knew that Lieutenant Torran would be directing the Rangers, Aegis was in good hands. They had a strong Jedi presence here tonight; they would do their duty. Though she was not a strong fighter on her own, that did not mean she would not do her part to defend Ossus. She looked to the group around her, her gaze steady and solemn. She dug deep to find courage, and she spoke with a strength that had been absent before.
“They are bringing the battle to us, be prepared.” She drew in a breath, “May the Force be with us all.”
Location: Ossus
Objective: Destroy
Enemies: The Jetii
Allies: Dar'Jetii, The First Order
Gear: First Post, Standard Loadout
He was descending. Falling. He'd been here before. He was falling to orbit. Descending from heaven to hell. When he was a child, he looked to the skies, wondering what the rest of the galaxy was doing. He looked to it with wonder, with amazement, hope. As a young man, he looked to it for answers. He looked to the stars as opportunity. As a way to escape. Now, he looked to the stars with fear. Fear of what he would have to do. Fear that what he had done would come back. He knew the men he was about to kill probably had the same thoughts. In a galaxy where traveling the stars was the norm- he couldn't imagine he was unique in those thoughts. The landing vehicle made it past the shield gate's asteroid barrage, but not without damage.
The vehicle was losing air pressure. He switched to his armor's internal oxygen supply for the rest of the descent.
Then, the vehicle began to rapidly pivot. The loss of air pressure sent it downward. The metal began to peel. Stormtroopers were sucked out into low orbit. No parachutes. No re-entry packs. Nothing. They were dead. And so was he if he remained inside. Bolts streaked across as the Silver Jedi responded to their attack. The world exploded around him. Preliat was pinned against the wall, and he could barely move to the rapidly-expanding hole in his vehicle.
He exited the vehicle as soon as a bolt hit it. The concussion sent him tumbling in mid air. He couldn't activate his jetpack here. He had to stabilize himself. Had to stop spinning. He spread his arms and legs out, and pushed his chest out, and controlled his descent. He tucked his arms against his sides, and shot towards the ground. Alone.
Location: Belderone, Belderone System Objective: Counter Propaganda, Foil Terrorism Allies: Silver Jedi Order Opposition: First Order ([member="Samka Derith"], [member="The Major"], [member="Emilia Ravel"], [member="Darth Saarai"], [member="Ezra Klev"])
Belderone Broadcasting Company
"Refugee Crisis in the Outer Rim. Vicious military campaigns by the Galactic Empire and the Sith Empire have left millions dead and billions more displaced. Belderone has become one of many systems to host the ever rising tide of refugees trying to escape war in the Outer Rim."
The screen transitioned from image of the human male anchor behind a round table to various combat footage, screaming soldiers in desperate firefights against literal monsters, burning settlements, bloodied survivors mourning over dead relatives or just staring blankly at the camera shell-shocked.
Another transition brought the anchor back on screen, then panned out to show his guest, a stern looking woman with shocking blue eyes, dressed sharply in a high collared black dress.
"With us today is Princess Rozalyne Kurganova, Deputy Director of the Silver Service Corps, a humanitarian and science focused organization sponsored by the Silver Jedi Order. The SSC has been one of several NGOs helping in refugee resettlement efforts on Belderone and Kulthis. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today."
"No, the pleasure is all mine," Rozalyne said with a nod. "Firstly, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the people of the Belderone system for opening your doors. We couldn't carry out our mission without your help."
"Several critics oppose refugees coming here, especially after the recent terrorist attacks on refugee camps on Bimmisaari. They claim association with the Jedi invites violence by the Sith and the Galactic Empire."
Rozalyne let out a huff of mild irritation and shook her head. "That is simply preposterous. Let's not buy into the excuses by terrorists used to justify their barbarism. When the Sith conquered Bastion, Muunilist, and all the other adjacent systems, there was zero Jedi presence there. Just the Mandalorians they decided to exterminate as part of a quadrant spanning genocidal campaign. One of many in their long and gruesome history. Not too long ago, the Sith launched an attack against the CSA, the model of a neutral non-interventionalist state that welcomes all within their borders as equal and seeks nothing but peaceful relations with its neighbors. There isn't a more tolerant group of Sentients in the galaxy, yet the Commenori are attacked just like everyone else."
"A personal event that led me to work with the Jedi was a bioterrorism incident on Lialic. At the time, I had been there leading a trade mission representing a small collective of former Republic Core worlds. The Sith apparently didn't like one of their old holdings from the One Sith days shifting alignments, so the people of Lialic received a mutant infestation for their troubles. If not for the valiant efforts of the GADF and the Naboo at containment, then the whole planet could have been lost to the epidemic."
"Eventually, these critics are going to come around to the same realization I did that the Jedi aren't the problem here. The problems with the Sith and their proxies won't go away by capitulation. We must stand against the senseless chaos for the sake of the galactic community."
The anchor was about ready to ask a follow-up question, but he looked away and placed his hand over his earpiece as he received an update from his producers.
"I'm sorry, but we interrupt this broadcast with breaking news. Shots fired at the Kulthis Intergalactic Spaceport. At least one civilian guard reported down, the identity of the assailants is currently unknown. We'll keep you updated as the situation develops."
The screen was still panned out on Rozalyne, and the all viewers could see her expression turn frosty, ice blue eyes looking like they could pierce Beskar. That was the last image seen of her before the screen transitioned again to focus on coverage of Kulthis.
The first blow was at Ossus, a large scale attack designed to draw attention to itself and with the goal to burn and pillage a planet of significant political and spiritual importance to the Jedi. It wouldn't have been proper to call it a feint, the tactical objectives were fully intended to be realized, and a loss would have a significant impact on further goals, but it had never been the main thrust of the operation, merely the obvious one.
Four ships entered at the edge of the Belderone system in relative silence. Far from the inhabited worlds of Belderone and Kulthis, their cronau radiation dissipating harmlessly, they edged in closer on baffle drives, never seeking to approach too close. There they lurked for several hours, deploying long-range sensor webs, giving a rough view of both the ships in-system and all traffic moving in hyperspace in the near area. Triangulation and data-sharing made that picture go from rough to clear, and given that the Shadow-class Reconaissance Corvette had been specifically designed for hyperspace monitoring, it wasn't long before an image could be patched together of both the Parlemian Trade Route and its smaller cross branch, for almost a sector across.
That was phase one.
The fleet reverted into realspace in a scattered formation. To an outside observer it might have seemed haphazard, with various small groupings of ships with no clear organization or schemata, a far cry from the usual rigid lines and disciplined posturing typical of the First Order. But this was not a standard battlefleet, and it was not on a standard mission.
On the cue of a single word, 'execute,' the even loose formations broke apart, the ships darting off towards whatever objective they had been assigned. Mostly frigates and corvettes, each group clustered around a larger vessel, a Sondheimer-class Interdictor. Four such squadrons moved out, each clearly on a vector to intercept one of the reversion points for the two hyperspace lanes that intersected in-system.
A second group of ships split up as well, this consisting almost entirely of the now common 849A Class Frigate. These split into two groups, each headed along the edge of the system, away from the main force of ships.
This left only a handful of cruisers and escorts, the former being the largest ships present, stayed close together. Among them was the flagship of the force, the Star Destroyer 'Contempt' personal flagship of Grand Admiral Cyrus Tregessar.
The mission was simple, at least on paper. Utilizing Belderone's position as a crossing point for two major hyperspace lanes, disrupt all incoming and outbound traffic, and sever the connection of the coreward limb of Silver Jedi territory from its capitol. No government that claimed to control any amount of space did so without ensuring freedom of travel and dominance of the space lines of communication.
The First Order was here to dispute that claim.
The comms traffic in-system surged as the First Order ships were spotted and their existence relayed across the hundreds of civilian vessels. Confusion, fear, and surprise were the dominant reactions, clearly the news of the fighting at Ossus had yet to reach here. Cyrus himself wasn't technically certain it had even started, just that the timeline he was following indicated it should have.
It damn well better have, he had written the timeline, after all.
For a sector capital Belderone seemed to have a minimal fleet presence. Recalled in anticipation of the Ossus attack, perhaps? Or maybe they were simply confident in their defenses, with the capital world boasting at least four large defensive space platforms. The few picket ships and perhaps a dozen escort and patrol vessels were reacting in their own way, most headed towards the planet and the protective envelop offered by said platforms.
A reasonable reaction, had Cyrus' intention been to siege the planet.
By now the spooks had mapped most of the common frequencies used for civilian merchant traffic and fed them into the various hyperwave transceivers onboard the Contempt. With a little power juggling (the Star Destroyer would have weak shields and almost no weapons power during the boardcast) it was possible to take control of all them, briefly, and transmit a message that would be heard across the system.
"This is Grand Admiral Tregessar of the First Order, all vessels are ordered to heave to and prepare to receive boarders. Compliance shall be treated with respect and dignity. Resist, and you will be destroyed. Run, and you will be hunted down. Flee, and you will be found. There will be no negotiation. Tregessar, out."
If civilian comms traffic had been high before, now it peaked to astronomical. Predictably, a significant number of vessels turned towards the edge of the system and began to accelerate. Others turned towards the planet, seeking to find refuge with the Silver Jedi military. Only a small number appeared to following instructions, and even then most of those ships appeared to be idling, rather than actually shutting down their engines.
The rest would learn soon enough.
Flag Squadron
1 x Modified Dark Blade-class Star Destroyer, FIV Contempt
Following the first shot in the spaceport, things began to escalate rapidly. The response from the local police and border guard had been swift, impressively so. Perhaps the threat of Kulthis' defence forces had been underestimated. It was no matter, though, the advantage of surprise, coupled with the FOSB's training and technology would win the day. Emilia was confident in that fact.
Almost as soon as the FOSB's agents had left the ship and moved to cover, the first wave of spaceport security arrived. Emilia pelted down the ramp, rolling behind an empty cargo crate beside the ship. She reached up to the side of her helmet, flicking a switch to activate the batteries and enable her HUD. One by one, the vitals of each of her team members flashed in front of her, then arranged themselves as white dots at the edge of her vision. A moment later, with a soft hiss, then a click, her commlink was established.
Emilia crouched behind the crates, doing her best to speak smoothly and clearly amid the storm of blaster fire that had opened up between the spaceport's security forces, and the FO operatives. "Alright team, we'll be splitting up now. Supervisory Agent Reaves will take the first group, and move half of the explosives out of the spaceport using the staff entrance, I will take the other group and secure the control tower, before detonating the Lady Luck. Both groups will rendezvous in an our at our specified location. Everyone got it?" Murmurs of affirmation came and the firefight with the security forces continued for a few minutes, ending only with a well placed thermal detonator killing the remaining border guards.
The agents understood the need to hurry, as more of Kulthis' forces would be on their way quickly. The operatives sprang into action, Agent Reaves' group unloaded the half the crates of detonite onto a trolley, and began to move it slowly to the staff entrance, located at the rear of the landing bay. At the same time, Emilia and her group of 5 agents, moved towards Bay 3's main entrance, heading for the control tower, in the spaceport's central hub
Location: Aegis Base; Jedi Temple, Ossus Objective: Defend against dark forces Allies:[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] | [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] | [member="Dusaro Dresari"] | [member="Douglas Starwind"] | [member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Darren Torran"] | [member="Setzi Lunelle"] | SJO and allies Enemies: [member="Mishel Zanteres"] | The First Order and allies
Stephanie stood in an apprehensive stance, legs apart, arms by her side, fists clenched, body swaying ever so gently from side to side, head up and looking to the flashes in the upper atmosphere.
Around her, sounds and sights seemed to blur in and out of focus. Klaxons, bursts of starship engines, shouts and tannoys relaying orders and commands. None of it went in except the voice of Valae, a comfort through the Force preparing her for battle.
First Order ships had been sighted cutting through the fleet, and they were heading to Aegis. They had come to finish the job – to cut the head from the wounded snake. But snakes bit back, and the Silver Jedi would not give up without a fight. The partially ruined temple was vulnerable, but it still represented what the Jedi and the Force stood for. Letting the forces of darkness march all over it would be devastating.
She walked forward, holding her ground and not looking away from the skies, feeling the fear of those around her and pulling their aura’s together from the natural Force around them.
"There is always hope. There is always hope," she whispered to herself.
There would be a confrontation. There would be casualties of war, and there would be devastating losses the Order would feel after the battle had subsided, but now was not the time to focus on a future not yet written.
Her fists clenched a little tighter, the steel-eyed Padawan looking for the drop-ships that would be bringing the cold, heartless Stormtroopers to the surface and rogue fighters coming to soften them up.
Allies: [member="Morro"] | [member="Achim Veers"] | [member="Gerhard Maxim"] Enemies: [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] | [member="Elijah King"] | [member="Alexandra Feanor"] Objective: Watch the Silver Jedi execute a plan you didn't know existed. Location: Ossus, Asteroid Field.
Carlyle watched with some puzzlement as the Silver Jedi Defence Fleet shambled into action. The destruction of his asteroid left a mixture of surprise and bitterness. He was not sure what this meant for him. However, to his sadistic pleasure, the desperate strategy employed by Feanor and King had succeeded. The desperate offensive had managed to stop an abating the attack on the shield gate. But what they had not realised, was they had in turn done was in fact sabotage Med-Beq's fleet. As the large, so called "Planet-Killer" asteroid hurtled towards the shield gate, the interception by the seismic charge and hypervelocity bombardment made it change direction. The dense nature of the asteroid saw it survive most of the damage caused by King's blind firing, thanks to the dense nature of its make up. However, it now had two things. A small trail of debris, which followed behind it, and new ,fresh momentum which now took a hold of it.
The placement of the detonation of the charge, saw the asteroid severed, with roughly one and a half kilometres hurtling now towards Feranor's fleet, and the shield gate. While this went on, the remainder, a massive six and a half kilometre long chunk, changed momentum. The blast from the seismic charge gave it new life, as it hurtled towards the Silver Jedi general's fleet. Not all the Xi Charran marines or gunners in the Galaxy, fuelled by a visceral religious jihad could stop this. The massive asteroid was headed to ruin Med-Beq's fleet in a hurry.
Now, Rausgeber practically had her pinned. Something he enjoyed. The Silver Jedi commander had made the same mistakes as the Galactic Alliance in the Anoat, having rushed into combat, and not thought of spacing or awareness. Rausgeber's fleet, and the asteroid field now directly faced her, and it was time to ramp up the pressure. "Order the Vigilant to continue pumping the debris." Carlyle sternly barked, "If need be, I want the whole field relocated to this fleet's position."
The Vigilant's gravity wells continued to pulse methodically, pushing more and more debris to Med-Beq's line. It was a beautiful show of tactical supremacy. While the threat of larger asteroids had largely been abated, their mass had not changed. While these masses of rock, and mineral had been destroyed, they hadn't been annihilated. Their mass was merely displaced. And although a twelve meter long asteroid would do more damage than one small fragment the size of a child's shoe, it would be millions, and million's of these dense childrens shoes which would crush the Silver Jedi.
The smaller, even microscopic rocks now slammed into the Silver Jedi ships. Should the asteroids perform their duties well enough, well, the Silver Jedi would find their equipment more than uncooperative. Viewports would be cracked, possibly even shattered. The tracking mounts of turbolasers, point defence weaponry and the cumbersome hypervelocity weapons, jammed, and unable to track their targets, let alone fire. And that would neglect to talk about the damage to hulls and the debris which would choke fighter craft and render them inoperable.
Carlyle smirked, as he watched the scenes of chaos. The hypervelocity weaponry used by the Jedi had failed them, the hypervelocity rounds targeted towards the Vigilant largely failed in their objective. The gravity pulse, ricocheting the bombardment from Jessica Med-Beq, ironically enough, to Shield Gate's #2 and #3. The missiles suffered a similar fate, being pushed away, or returned to their sender. The Menace, realising it was caught in the cross hairs, targeted the ships firing upon it with their long rage turbolasers, which were not affected fortunately enough by the thick mist of debris which now choked Med-Beq's vessels.
Carlyle, sensing an opportunity, looked to his tactical display, he then began to command orders. It was time the First Order took the fight to the enemy. "Bombardment line, and Wraith picket line," He began in a cold, commanding tone, "Manoeuvre yourselves to counter the Hapes vessels if they try to attack." He barked, "Target the mid section, and suppress them as much as possible." He then gazed at the telemetry which informed him of King's arrival into the system. Rausgeber frowned, as he realised that he was missing the big event, he peaked his head up, long enough to see the massive asteroid bearing down on Med-Beq's vessels. This was too good not to watch.
[tr][th]Ship Name: [/th][th]Ship Type:[/th][th]Shield Integrity:[/th][th]Hull Integrity:[/th][th]Firing At:[/th][/tr][tr][td]FIV Menace (Flagship)[/td][td]Vanquisher-class Star Destroyer[/td][td]95%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]SSV Heavenshield[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Nemesis[/td][td]Inflictor-iss Class Heavy Cruiser[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Courage[/td][td]Inflictor-ii Class Heavy Cruiser[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Domination[/td][td]Inflictor-ii Class Heavy Cruiser[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Vigilant[/td][td]Sondheimer-Class Interdictor Cruiser[/td][td]87%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Mustafar's Glory[/td][td]Marauder-Class Missile Cruiser[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Argonaut[/td][td]Stormcloud-ii Class Assault Cruiser[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Crusader[/td][td]Stormcloud-ii Class Assault Cruiser[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Cavalier[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Righteous Fury[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Aggressor[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Liberator[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Kaeshana's Legacy[/td][td]Charger-Class Escort Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Bombardier[/td][td]Locust-Class Torpedo Frigate[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Resolute[/td][td]Locust-Class Torpedo Frigate[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Offender[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Torrent[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Inflicton[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Avenger[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Pickett Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Pursuit[/td][td]Bolt-ii Class Picket Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Spectre [/td][td]Raider-IV Class Scout Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Ghost[/td][td]Raider-IV Class Scout Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr][tr][td]FIV Phantom[/td][td]Raider-IV Class Scout Corvette[/td][td]100%[/td][td]100%[/td][td]Noone[/td][/tr]
As the disturbance and sounds of blaster fire reverberated through the spaceport Nemesis grinned coldly. Feeding the hysteria to nigh uncontrollable heights of irrational emotion he stoked the fevered inhabitants as the unmistakable noise of warfare filled the terminals and hub. Focusing on the Force he continued to pull it in, to redistribute the Darkside aura into the others feeding the darkness within every being.
But it just wasn't quite enough.
Then his ears picked up the sound from the Holo projectors as the volume was amplified across the port. The news anchor breaking in with a hot story about the unknown assailants upon the Kulthis Spaceport and the casualties already incurred. The swell of chaos welled within those he was already manipulating as the news confirmed they were, indeed, amidst a tragedy that would possibly end in many more casualties.
"Perfect."
The news blaring across all forms of media was the tipping point that he needed. As the madness of deep seated fears that had been carefully nourished and magnified boiled over into chaos and mayhem Nemesis leaves back in his chair shipping the wine with a cold smile revealing perfect, white teeth.
Stenax turned on foreigners. Over peregrine parents assaulted nearby strangers. Guards fired into the crowd in fear forgetting to flip their weapons to stun. Fists flew, screams echoed, blood splattered. And the interior of the port turned into a killing ground as the fear reached new heights which promotes violence in the face of helplessness.
Slowly he rose finishing the last of the wine before plucking the cloth napkin from his lap and gently dabbing his lips. Dropping the cloth unceremoniously to the table top he took his cane and walked from the storefront, deftly dodging his head to avoid a small child that was thrown through the glass window which caused a shower of glass and even more screams of outrage, pain, and fear.
Moving swiftly, yet still leisurely, through the hub Nemesis moved toward the location of the control tower. The sounds of war merging quite nicely with the mob that had turned into a crazed army of killers giving in to their base instincts. Near the entrance into the control tower the hall he was walking down had five soldiers wearing light armor and fielding assault rifles. An officer stepped forward with a command, "Turn back sir."
Raising his hands Nemesis limped forward several more strides, hidden eyes watching through the polarized lenses as the rifles tracked not him but the specter of violence unfolding behind him and down the hall. Mere meters away he affected a frightened tone as he turned good body sideways and pointed down the corridor.
"It's madness down there! Help us please!"
He modulated his voice to waver with a fearful inflection. As the words exited his mouth an explosion rocked the terminal and the guards turned all their attention down the hall. With the attention effectively turned from the gentleman in the three piece suit and using a cane he went into motion.
Using the Force to fill his body, strengthen his muscles, and speed his actions he leapt forward, right knee rising to meet the officer's nose, shoving cartilage into the man's brain. Pivoting in the air he snatched the assault rifle and sprayed the two guards on the left side of the hall. As he landed he dropped the rifle and spun, throwing his cane like a lawn dart through the throat of the fourth guard.
As the fifth, and final guard, began to train his weapon onto Nemesis, the Sith used the force to launch a mental attack utilizing the rampant fear within the guard to overcome his mental barriers and freeze the guard. Working his way in Nemesis molded the guard's will to his own, ensnaring and enslaving the man's mind to his own purpose.
Striding over he collected his came from the grisly wound if the fallen guard. Pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket of his suit he efficiently cleaned the soiled cane as the guard stood as a sentry, his will enslaved to the Sith.
Theme
Outer Rim \\ Auril Sector \\ Ossus Atmospheric Assault Lander \\ En Route to Ossus Surface
Allies: First Order | [member="Asharad Graush"] | [member="Torian Pierce"]
Enemies: Silver Jedi Order | [member="Darren Torran"] | [member="Stephanie Swail"]
[member="Alexandra Feanor"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]
Enemy fire buffeted the small shuttle, the tumultuous journey towards the planet sending adrenaline rushing through the Colonel's system. It was always the transport that scared him the most, at the mercy of the pilots, of the enemy as they awaited their fate trapped within a box of durasteel. Ironically, combat was little different - many a time had the Colonel seen things happen on the battlefield that eclipsed rational explanation, and not just the Force. He hated to admit it, but even though he'd been on hundred of drops just like this one, he couldn't help imagining the shuttle bursting into a ball of molten metal and flame en route to their objective.
:: Brace For Impact. I say again, brace for impact. ::
Rolf was impressed at the pilot's ability to keep a calm and level voice despite the onslaught of both natural and man made danger. They always did seem to have the coolest heads, from the sounds of it they'd gotten a veteran pilot who seemed about as worried about the blaster fire and asteroids as a person might be worried about a blizzard in the mid of summer. It was reassuring, so much so that a few of the troopers laughed into the comm. These were the soldiers of the First Order, the elite Stormtrooper Corps. A piece of rock or angry burst of laser fire wouldn't stop them, it couldn't for they carried onward in the name of Sieger.
Once more Rolf felt his stomach rise as they took an even more aggressive angle towards the surface. He gripped the internal webbing of the transport tightly, bracing himself for impact though what it sounded like is they were about to head through the shields. Flashes of light burst as hunks of rock and debris crashed against the planetary shield, some of it vaporized, other bits bouncing off. Further still he could see that several other units had begun entry through small openings. From the looks of it they hadn't lasted long, managing to prevent the largest chunks from entering though the tactical display showed several openings forming ahead of their current positon - the DOKAWS had begun doing their work, deployed by some of the larger capital vessels of the strike fleet. As the shuttle slipped through, Rolf felt a violent shake, armor once more rattling against the troopers to his left and right.
It was a difference as stark as night to day as they passed through the shield. Immediately the tracing fire that had sent vibrations through the hull as they struck the shield ceased. *Almost like sliding on glass.* he thought to himself. Soon enough they would be descending close enough to be picking up fire from the ground - until then he would enjoy the momentary respite.
Blinking furiously, the Mirialan's raven-haired head gazed up, towards the sun, skies, clouds. A terrible battle was being fought somewhere up there. She felt it.
“By the Force!” Kaiza exclaimed, losing her composure and the terrible sensation of chaos weighed on her shoulders – reminding her of war, how it actually felt to participate in one, to sense it through the Force. It tortured the young pacifist more than anything else, shattering the Jedi's calm core into thousands of pieces.
The terrible feeling twisting her gut was back, stronger than before. Breathless, the Mirialan leaned against the transport ship she had originally intended to board. Although her emerald eyes failed to oversee the space battle raging above, death has always created ripples in the Force, tearing holes in its delicate fabric. Although inexperienced, the Padawan knew exactly what this empty void meant; she had felt it for the first time on Charros IV. And Kessel – and now. No matter how hard she tried, escaping the horrors of war was starting to become mere wishful thinking, a naïve dream.
Inhaling deeply calmed her heart rate a bit, though there was nothing to be done about the adrenaline pumped through her veins. About to experience battle again, the pacifist pushed back tears that desired to roll down her tattooed cheeks. With heavy heart, she let her weapon hand push aside the heavy cloak covering her utility belt. On it, Kaiza’s lightsaber patiently waited like a serene warrior, sleeping until provoked. Its crystal radiated a particularly soothing aura whenever the Mirialan’s palm stroked the hilt – and even this small amount of reassurance worked wonders.
Gone was the fear and hesitation previously present in her vibrant green eyes, now replaced by cold determination, acceptance of things to come. Fearing fate did not differ from fearing death; being afraid of inevitability meant living in fear. Nobody needed that, nobody wanted to see a worried Jedi. The least she could do was inspire courage and bravery. Decisively seizing her lightsaber, Kaiza coolly unclipped her tool of defence.
“I am ready.” She spoke, but it really wasn’t her voice – strength and maturity alike resonated through each word.
“Masters. It will be an honour to fight by your side.”
No longer that farmgirl from Mirial with a bit of Jedi training here and there, the Padawan shed her fear and despair and embraced hope.
