When the Skye Falls [First Order Dominion of Skye]

[Darth Metus]

He didn't take the bait.

Despite the furious assault of blows Josiah unleashed, his mind remained focused. Each strike had a purpose and were far from being sheer, unrestrained fury. While fueled by the Ren's own aggression, they were guided by the Exile's own experience. And that was why Josiah was surprised when the feint wasn't dove upon viciously. An intentional opening, revealing his dominant arm for a strike. Most duelists would have capitalized and been punished for it, yet the Ren immediately disengaged.

Not as if he wanted to for tactical reasons, but more...as if something were tugging on his leash. And in the wake of this disconnect of their sabers came words: utterances with truth throughout. His opponent had once been a Jedi supposedly...and frankly, Josiah didn't doubt the validity of that claim. So here he was, facing down a former Jedi who was perfectly fine with championing a new cause.

But what was this cause? Who were these people hellbent on burning down what Ashin had built up?

"You seem pretty confident about that." he said, addressing the Ren's claim that he would serve this so-called true purpose.

And then the hiss of Sieger filled their minds, allowing both to bear witness to his words.

"But have you not already championed our cause? Look, even now you carry the saber of an Imperial Knight. Even now, the seeds of truth are within you."

"Just who the Hell are you?" Josiah growled, raising his saber as if expecting an assault.

"Simply a man who sees the Galaxy for what it is. A broken, twisted mass of corruption lacking any semblance of Order. All need stability; this world needs stability, and I have the means to provide it. Join me. Join us."

"Another Remnant?"

"Hardly. We are the First Order, the true heirs to the Empire of Old."

"And the Butchers of Eriadu, apparently."

There was a chuckle.

"Are there any bloodless wars?"

Josiah parted his lips to speak, yet a TIE Fighter broke the silence overhead. The shrill sound of its passing drew his attention momentarily, bringing his gaze to the heavens. Star Destroyers cast mighty shadows upon the earth, and their swarms flew forth like demons. Against one man, Josiah stood a chance. Against a cadre of men, Josiah stood a chance. But this...this was beyond his power to stop.

His lightsaber whined. The blade extinguished.

"I...This world was protected by the Fringe Confederation once. It was a nation build by someone I look up to. Immensely. I came here to defend what she had built, but I see now that there is no chance of my success." he paused, drawing a breath. "I have one condition. One. Spare the Innocent and you will have my saber."

The ball was in their court now.

[member="Belis Ren"]

[7/20]

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Objective C
Allies: [member="Cali"] [member="MK-1488"] [member="Rhun Trask"] [member="Colrenth Renfrew"]
Posts: 7/20

As the stormtroopers did their grisly business, the crowds began to panic. The city militia and stormtroopers kept them in bay, with a line of riot-gear equipped militia forces pushing forward to keep the surging crowd away from the front, where the dissidents were being offered the chance to repent. Natasi leaned over the balcony and called into the microphone: "Silence! Those of you who have not raised arms against the First Order have nothing to fear. I will have order here!"

As Natasi's voice echoed off the buildings surrounding the square, an eerie silence fell over the crowd, punctuated only by the occasional muffled blast of one of the stormtroopers' rifles. Natasi straightened and clasped her hands behind her back again. "The city militia and the stormtroopers will process the quarantine. The population of the city will be removed to the countryside -- temporarily -- so that a full security sweep of the city can be conducted. You will be returned to your homes upon the conclusion of the quarantine. I can assure you that your property and belongings will be unmolested -- looters and other dissidents will be shot on sight."

The Governor paused and inclined her head. "Cooperate with the First Order, and your cooperation will be returned in peace and prosperity. But throw in your lot with the foolish ideologues in the Resistance and I can promise you that the response will be as swift as it is merciless. The choice is yours, citizens. Choose wisely." Natasi turned and entered the office again, followed by he troopers and the city militia commander. She keyed her communicator. "Captain, process the population. Logistics should have built temporary camps for the citizen population outside the city." The camps would begin the re-education process, and carefully-developed propaganda would reinforce it once the citizens returned home.

Natasi turned to [member="Cali"]. "Now," she said primly, lofting her eyebrows and smiling pleasantly. "Who are you and what can I do for you?"

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Objective: D (secure Resistance communication site)
Allies: -
Post: 3/20

It hadn't been a good fifteen seconds after the dropship touched down that Razelle's HUD was pinging IFF casualties around her. Only a dozen men brought in and two were down before a full minute of fire had passed. Setting down in the center of the courtyard might have been the only logical, place, but it was nothing resembling optimal. They were being hit from multiple sides, and had almost no cover available to them. Raz had stayed by the ship for protection while she bullseyed the sharpshooter in one of the towers, but now she had to move with the rest of the group. They needed to get in there.

At least one of the Stormtroopers was a demolitions specialist. Good. CG-2118 could have easily passed certification, had she the time, but at the moment having a real specialist was more important than having someone who could do it if no one else could. At the very least, it gave the short little stormie a few more seconds to strike a secure firing stance from a crouched position and neutralize an incoming threat. There was a small squad of enemies mobilizing into something resembling an effective fighting force in a tent in the courtyard...which was quite delayed when hey met a hail of blaster fire that left two of their men on the ground and the rest diving for cover.

There was a loud blast behind Raz, filtered through her helmet's audio scrubbers. The door was breached. "Move in!" Came the call from behind her, and Razelle waited two seconds to stand and turn for the door. A lucky green bolt screamed past her shoulder, singing her armor, but she felt little more than an uncomfortable warmth. Inside it was safer, but also much closer-quarters. Of the nine soldiers left alive, two carried high explosives, and one had a scattergun. The Ubi officer brought up the head of the group, just behind the vanguard. Honestly, it should have been Razelle in the front - she was a qualified assault specialist even in this army's records - but she had stayed back to cover the team's entrance.

There was blasterfire up ahead, and on reflex, CG-2118 turned around to level her rifle at the demolished front door. Sure enough, the Resistance troops they hadn't killed in the front yard were following. She flicked her rifle to full auto and sprayed a good forty rounds out from the inside, suppressing anyone smart enough not to jump in front of the bath of red plasma death and tagging two idiots who weren't.

"Clear!" from up ahead.

Razelle and the other Stormtrooper who had set up suppressive positions inside the entry corridor stood and backed towards the main lobby, shutting and locking the door behind them. Nine white hats, an intelligence officer, and...two agents? Well then. They'd already managed that part of the mission. "Next objective, sir?" The question came crackling from her helmet comm. Keep the team moving if it feels like momentum is stalling.

"Groups of three," piped up one of the agents. Almost two meters tall, almond skin, favored her left side. She had what looked to be a fresh blaster scar on her cheek. Someone's cover had been compromised before the attack even began. "Three is agile, we'll be able to hit all corners of the station at once. Converge on the main communication room from multiple angles." She was probably referring to explosives, unless this base was designed by an idiot and had two entrances to the most vital area.

"Out of the question," came the response from the Ubi officer. He was reloading his pistol, which meant it was probably an automatic. No other way he could have blown through a full power pack in three minutes of live fire. "We need a slicer on each team. Security isn't going to just let us through, and we're low on explosives."

"We're low on time. We need to spread fast, or they're going to converge on us and this whole operation will be a bust," came a response from one of his other agents. Tall, dark man. Shaved head, tattoo on his right shoulder. Ex-con. At least Ubi was open-minded about its employment practices. "We need four groups."

They were talking to each other, rather than to the white hats. At this rate they'd spend more time discussing than they would acting, and they'd all be dead. Razelle cleared her throat. "CG-2118, sir. I can slice locks and low-end computers, if you can get me a kit."

 

[Krayn]

Post: 6
[member="Josiah Denko"]

The voice of the Supreme Leader was something dark, foreign yet utterly fatherly in the way it spoke. Most found themselves completely captivated by his words, caught within the voice like a stunned beast before bright lights. Yet for the Ren it was something else all together. Belis was used to the touch of the Supreme Leader against his mind, so utterly open to the influence of the man behind the veil that he had so easily dropped his duties of the Republic for him.

Now he has listened. You will bring him to me.

“As you wish.” Belis said, clouds of mists streaming from his mouth as he did through the chill mountain air. “The council shall live.” His saber was returned to his belt and his posture dropped back from his aggressive stance that had dominated the scene so far.

Eyes took in the warrior before him, questions filling his mind but remaining unsaid as he took laboured breaths to keep his body from fully succumbing to the pain of the gash on his leg. “This world was indeed protected once.” Belis turned and pressed several buttons on his belt comm-link. “They however are no longer capable of the worlds safety. The First Order will take up this mantle, they will treat the people fairly and bring about a new era of peace and order. We, the Knights of Ren shall be that which delivers upon that promise.” He looked up to the skies where the view had been filled with the lowering fleet of the First Order. “You shall see, he will show you. He has shown us all.”
A shuttle began to lower through the clouds towards them. Belis took the opportunity to replace the helmet onto his head and embraced the hissing of gears as it enclosed around his head.

 

[Cali]

Objective: C
Allies:[member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="MK-1488"] [member="Rhun Trask"] [member="Colrenth Renfrew"]
2/20

The noble woman who just finished addressing the crowd came back in, she looked confident and resolved to do what she had to do. She then got out her communicator, and gave orders to military officers. She was unsure what the orders where, and to be honest she was unconcerned. She then looked at her directly and asked, "Now," she said primly, lofting her eyebrows and smiling pleasantly. "Who are you and what can I do for you?" She quickly responded, as you don't keep people like her waiting for answer. ​"I am Agent Rayden, I have been sent to deliver a report to Agent Renfrew." She glanced at him, but he was busy reading the report. "Then to await further orders." She did wonder if she was going to get to interrogate someone today, or was it going to boring day. Something told her he will be busy over the next few days ether way, and that was the way she liked it. She did not like asking the questions, just inflicting the pain.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Objective: C
Tags: [member="Cali"] [member="Natasi Fortan"]
Post: 10/20

When the doors across the room opened, Natasi Fortan would find a familiar face within their frame. As the figure approached he was clearly recognizable as Ludolf Vaas, though his appearance had altered somewhat after he had donned the black uniform of First Order High Command. Little had been seen of Vaas after the First Order's ousting from Eriadu at the hands of the Republic, but the former Agent and now General had apparently been waiting for just such a time to resurface. And he had not been idle.

Across the room were two other Agents. He had heard reports of the female Agent, Cali, and the work that she had been doing planetside. She was quite the trigger-happy one, and would need tempering to be altered into a truly effective weapon for the First Order. Perhaps Ludolf would see to it personally. Until then, there were more pressing matters at hand, namely the subjugation of Skye and its people.

"Not an altogether terrible day, is it?" Ludolf crossed the room and surveyed the streets below, where the dissenters had been roundly contained by a mass of Stormtroopers, and in the far distance, smoke billowed from the battle being won. Meanwhile, he flashed his old accomplice Natasi a small smile over his shoulder.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Objective: C (Sort of)
Allies: The Resistance First Order [member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Colrenth Renfrew"] [member="Cali"] [member="Ludolf Vaas"]
Posts: 8/20 (7 from Natasi Fortan)

Imogen Fortan was waved past security after flashing her badge. As the principal private secretary to her cousin Natasi Fortan, she was afforded the same security clearance in order to accompany her employer. She carried Natasi's attache case, as she was wont to do, and nodded a greeting at the stormtrooper security guards, and took to the stairs. Imogen glanced at her watch and chewed the inside of her cheek anxiously. Although the bomb in the case was not literally ticking, Imogen was very conscious of the fact that it was counting down to imminent explosion.

She pushed the door to the office open and nodded her greeting at the others. "Governor," she murmured. "Will you be working from this office, or from the command ship?"

 

[Krayn]

Objective C:
Posts: Rhun(2), Belis(6), Aram(5) =13/20
Allies:[member="Ludolf Vaas"] @Cali [member="Natasi Fortan"]
Sneaky Enemies?:[member="Imogen Fortan"]

“Carry on.”
Identification, Identification and oh wait more identification.
Sure it was interesting enough being a stromtrooper and for Fifteen guarding doors was the best part of any day but seriously with a war to be won on the outside this wholee door business was getting tedious.

“Hey remember that time you said that doors were like family?” The altered voice of RN-1599 or Nines as he was known to the unit came from the stormtrooper next to him. Fifteen tried not to laugh as he remembered back to the smart arse comment he had made in one of their attitude tests.

“The question asked how I felt about guarding them, I gave an honest answer.” He smiled beneath the helmet, happy that the two of them were the only ones privy to the conversation. The General having already passed through the door in question as well as the other girl. “If I treat them like family no one will ever break through the door.”

“Captain Lerose looked like he was ready to kill you.” Nines shifted slightly relaxing his blaster arm.

“Well I did three weeks in solitary for it.” Fifteen remarked. “Still i’d rather solitary than this damn duty. Seriously when we jumped off that dropship I was ready to shoot some Resistance scum. Nothing interesting ever happens on guard duty.”

Nines agreed, both of them unknowing how wrong they were…

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Objective: D (secure Resistance communication site)
Allies: -
Post: 4/20

IFF tags were the only things keeping CG-2118's tiny fireteam company as they, like the rest of the squad-plus-Ubi group, diffused into the building. They had three stories to cover, and now Razelle was carrying expensive slicing gear and also the expectations of a few Intel agents. Granted, it wouldn't be terribly difficult for her to slice outpost-level security, especially not when she had backup that was explicitly tasked to keep her alive while she did her thing, but it was still more responsibility than she was expected to take as a private. If she didn't watch what she was doing, she might attract attention...which could be a good or very bad thing.

Four teams of three, just as they'd planned. The officer had decided to take the highest objective first, and according to his stormies' IFF tags, they were nearing the third floor through a staircase. Somehow they hadn't faced much incoming fire...unlike the other three teams, who had to contend with a slower ascent and physically lower objectives. CG-2118's team was going for the ground floor power supply. If she could get in there and get a few minutes to herself, she could temporarily cut power to every system and prevent deletion of important information, calls for help, and tactical comms. This was all pretty simple stuff if you knew how to work a fuse box, and Raz was likely the only (surviving) Stormtrooper in the building who was cleared in basic mechanics.

And basic slicing. And basic demolitions. And sharpshooting. And infiltration. She'd grown a bit used to being overqualified for her job.

The resistance on the way was particularly tough for the blonde clone's team. They'd head the telltale burning sound of the torch cutting through the main lobby's door for quite some time, and being the easiest team to reach meant that they were the ones who caught most of the aggro. Fortunately, the power station wasn't terribly difficult to access, and had no guards of its own. Unfortunately, it had two doors, and the other two troopers with her would have a damn interesting time of holding off the Resistance response team on their own. Razelle got out the tools she'd been given, took up a position behind a power converter for some mild form of cover, and got to work. The faster she could get this done, the better off they'd all be.

Comms first. "Cherek in position. Starting local communications splice." With a quick but rather loud scraping sound, she pried the casing off of the local comms fusebox, then flicked out her security blades and got to work dissecting and rewiring the delicate electronics therein. There was some white noise in her own commlink, of course, and likely everyone else's, too. When it cleared up, she almost twitched when she heard the telltale yowl of blaster fire as one of the other agents spoke.

"Cresh encountering resistance," came the fuzzy little response, and CG-2118 saw one of the IFF tags wink out of existence, replaced with the symbol for "casualty."

The interference from enemy comms ended abruptly as Razelle pulled one final wire, which meant that the lot of them were in the dark. That would make them easier to deal with. Twelve Order troops could handle two dozen deaf Resistance fighters...or at least, that's what she hoped. There was blaster fire from behind her, and Raz kept an eye on her HUD to monitor the status of her guards while she resumed work. Next, security cameras. Two dozen deaf enemies was good, two dozen blind and deaf enemies was better.

 

[Butch Mahan]

Objective: A
Location: Imperial Drop Point
Post: 1/20

Drax shuffled off the cramped imperial transport as fast as he could. He had just been processed out of training, and was assigned to the Hellfire Legion, more specifically, the 11th Incinerator Squad. He was to report to Major [member="Sibar Laval"], somewhere in the highlands of Skye. Drax opened his commlink, "This is trooper FN-0318, Major Laval, I am here to replenish your squad, please send coordinates." Once the coordinates were sent, Drax would hitch a ride on one of the speeder transports to the Resistance base. But first, he had to check the fuel gages on his flamethrower, if anything had the wrong pressure and qauntity, it would not end up well for Drax.

 

[Sibar Laval]

[member="Drax Shean"]

Objective A
Location: Resistance Base
Post: 4/20

Sibar froze for a moment when he heard that voice. He wasn't expecting any recruits. In fact he rarely got them any more, next to none. Sibar laughed for a moment and responded "This is Major Laval. FN-0318 I will have my men send coordinates right away." Sibar shut of the commlink and turned to one of his incinerators "RILL! I need you to send our coordinates to FN-0318. It seems we have a new recruit." The incinerator named Rill was kicking one of the charred bodies. When he heard his name he turned to the Major and nodded.

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Objective: D
Allies: -
Post: 5/20

"Covering fire from that doorway! You, breach that corridor!"

"Nade out!"

"Locking down automated defenses. Thirty seconds."

Her allied comms were aflutter with activity, thankfully only from the group leaders. There was blasterfire coming from behind her, but CG-2118 didn't even flinch. Focus on your job. Let the others focus on theirs. Her little splicing tools found a quick and surgical home inside a green-orange wire cluster, prying it free just long enough to make sure it wasn't a central power line. Nope. If it was wired with comms, then, it was probably the cameras. Snip. Blind and deaf. Perfect. "Cameras should be down now. Confirm?" She needed to get to computers, now.

"Confirmed," came the response from the Ubi officer. "Do not lock down computers yet. Automated defenses and locks are still live."

There was a scream not from a blaster around one corner. IFF tag on her right flashed casualty. With a sigh, Razelle reached back for her rifle. "Clear from here. How many more from your end?" She moved into position over the wounded body of one of the Stormtroopers assigned to defend her, bracing the butt of her weapon firmly against a plastoid-armored pauldron.

"Three," came the response as he fired a long stream through the door on his right. "Cover me while I find better cover."

Unhesitating, Raz dropped her head down below the terminal she was using as cover and leveled her rifle down the right-side door. "Piping directly behind you. Move." And move he did. CG-2118 squeezed off a single pinpoint shot the moment she saw the a Resistance rifleman poke his head out to try to take a cheap shot. One smoking hole, right through the helmet. "Two on the right."

Fire from the left door. It collided harmlessly with the durasteel her companion was hiding behind now, but that meant they no longer had the privilege of focusing on attacks from one side. Razelle poked her helmet up long enough to get a good count-

*zzat!*

Damn! Damn damn damn! She took cover again. "Four left!" Reaching behind her utility belt, she pulled her thermal det, set it for three seconds, triggered it, and tossed overhand into the left room. "Nade out! There was a massive blast moments later, and the thermal shielding on her armor was singed. She took the moment's respite to sit up into a proper crouch, level her rifle over the terminal in front of her, and prepare to fry the hell out of any survivors.

Hopefully the other teams were doing better.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Objective C
Allies: [member="Cali"] [member="Ludolf Vaas"] [member="Rhun Trask"] [member="Colrenth Renfrew"] [member="Imogen Fortan"]
Posts 9/20

"This building," Natasi answered her cousin. "But not this office. It's a little... kitschy." She glanced at Imogen, and thought for a moment she was rolling her eyes. That was Natasi's gig! But more pressing concerns held Natasi's attention. "There's a conference room through there," she pointed at a door to the right, facing the desk from the front door. Imogen nodded and hefted the attache case, taking it into the conference room. "Do hurry," [member="Imogen Fortan"] said, forcing a smile. "There are some priority documents for your signature."

"Thank you, Imogent," Natasi said before she turned back to Ludolf Vaas and Cali -- Agent Rayden. "I'm glad you and Agent Renfrew are here, Agent Rayden. We'll need intelligence's support at the quarantine camps. Anyone in a position of power and influence in Skye's government or society will need to be reconditioned. I believe the Ubiqtorate is equipped to achieve this, yes?" Natasi worked her fingers into her gloves again.

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Objective: D
Allies: -
Post: 6/20

"Reloading!"

Biding time was difficult when under fire, but that was explicitly what CG-2118 had to do at the moment. Fortunately, the thermal detonator had bought her some time to recover, and the quick potshot on the staggering enemy who'd survived without debilitating burns left her side of the room safe. She wheeled her shoulders over to check out the right room, squeezing off a long burst of suppressive fire. "Reload!" At the very least, she could help him hold his own for a few more sec-

"Cut the computers now!" Damn. Damn damn damn damn! Razelle squeeze off a couple of shots down-range, looking to her friend for cover. He nodded once and started pouring blaster fire down the right forcing their enemies to take cover. This gave Raz enough time to stand and hoof it back to the back to find the mainframe power access and wrench the cover off with her bare, adrenaline-fueled hands. The plate clattered to the ground, and the clone set her rifle on the ground to flick out her security tools to start-

There was a scream behind her. IFF tagged casualty. Damn! Razelle quickly scanned through the wires and their sources, ripped at a wire going up into the ceiling, and turned just in time to see two Resistance fighters making their way into the room. They made sure to shoot both of the men who had valiantly protected Raz while she got the job done before moving in, to ensure she wouldn't be getting any backup. With a deep breath, Raz rolled to cover on her left, grabbing her rifle as she did.

Two soldiers in the front, three in the back. Closest had physical bulk. CQC inadvisable. Second was Rodian, large eyes, vulnerable to blinding. Two in the back appeared human, one twi'lek. Head-tails are sensitive. Do everything Pru wouldn't want you to do. She exhaled and brought her rifle around to empty fifteen rounds on auto into the big guy's torso. He fell down in a smoking heap as the other four closed in on her. Effective range is...wait.

Raz aimed up and shot out the lights, closing her eyes as she did so. The resulting darkness filled with blinding sparks gave her just enough cover to drop her rifle, pull out her knife, and body-check the closest revolutionary. As the two of them toppled to the ground, she nailed her knife into his throat, then rolled off, plastoid armor clattering against the floor before she bolted towards the Rodian. Two fingers spread slightly, poked right into his eyes. He'd likely never see again, but the knife hooked around his throat immediately thereafter made sure he wouldn't suffer for it. So far, so g-

There was a crack on the back of her helmet, sending her stumbling forward and into the fusebox she'd just eviscerated. The plastoid melted into a fused shell to prevent burning injury, but since her helmet was now stuck against a wall, she was without head protection. Raz stood back up, took cover beside one generator, and held her knife close to her arm. Two more left, no gun, they're armed. Alone. Also her commlink was in that helmet.

Damn.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Objective: C
Tags: [member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Rhun Trask"] [member="Cali"]
Posts: 11/20

Ludolf turned as Governor Fortan addressed the two Agents in the room. As a former Agent himself with an extensive dossier with both the old Sith Empire and the One Sith before making his way here, Ludolf took great personal interest in the work of the Agents of the First Order, though his face did not betray it. He remained stone-faced and emotionless, though he would analyze their responses in his mind to determine their effectiveness as Agents, just as he had been taught to do during the old regime.

As for Natasi's cousin Imogen, she was quite the surprise here today on Skye. He did not expect to see much of her at all, least of all during the middle of a military invasion of a foreign planet. Yet it seemed that the other Fortan had business of her own to attend to, which apparently consisted of acting as Natasi's servant. A quick analysis of Imogen's facial expressions was enough for Ludolf to determine that she was at least unhappy about the situation, or unsettled by her surroundings. Ludolf lifted a curious brow as he watched the two sisters, meanwhile placing himself behind one of the high-backed chairs that bordered the room's massive table.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Objective C
[member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Ludolf Vaas"] [member="Cali"] [member="Rhun Trask"]
Post 10/20

Imogen blinked at Natasi's instructions. Had her cousin gone round the bend? They were apparently already in the conference room. "Did you mean in there?" Imogen asked, pointing to the door back to the office, her pulse beginning to race. She glanced at the clock behind the chair at the head of the table. Time was running out while they dithered about where to put the case.

"Ah. Of course, yes. Just leave that on the desk in the office, in the room next door, and see if you can scare us up something to drink. Tea, coffee, you know," Natasi said pleasantly. "It's going to be a long night. As we process the civilians, the dissidents our men capture will be brought here to be made an example of. Fear will keep the citizens of Skye in line."

Imogen nodded and turned back into the office, then set the attache case on the desk, then turned and left the office. Instead of looking for the building's kitchen, she instead slipped unseen from the building. As the speeder sped away from the building, aided by its official First Order livery, Imogen looked in the rearview mirror. Three... two... one...

The lack of a fireball was disappointing to Imogen, but the chunks of ancient masonry followed by flames told her that the bomb was not, in fact, a dud.

 

[Malok]

"Copy that."

The voice of the Clone seethed forth from his helm: the growing frustration becoming evident in his tone. First an edict to not take the bloody civilians down...and then disruptors? Oh, and the fething armor had started to pinch when Maverick moved. Pinched a rather tender area, if you catch the drift. No matter. The "hunters" would act as a means of working out this aggravation. The Clone moved, flanking his sibling, before turning his view to above. There were voices alright, and bodies to go with them.

Three taps. Three thuds. Their heads were clear from fire.

[member="TK-0743 Kage"]

[8/20]

 

[Darth Metus]

It was almost poetic.

The saber that was clutched within the Exile's hand was one of many. Identical in every way to a pleathora of others. It was the iconic saber wielded by members of the Imperial Knights since well before the Gulag Plague. Now, while it had been modified to project a beam of blue plasma, the symbolism was all the same. This saber represented a sect of men and women dedicated to bringing order to a Galaxy that desperately needed it. The Knights were fair. At times, they were just. At others, they were ruthless.

Josiah had stood amongst them...and irony would have it that he would now stand alongside a new sect. They, too, were Knights. They, too, stood for Order. For the sake of the innocent, the Exile would join their ranks...and frankly, he hoped two things. One, that they would be true to their word. And two, that maybe...just maybe...they could make an actual difference.

Above, a shuttle began to descend. The battle was over, the recruitment was complete. Before long it settled down before the two men and opened up so that they might board. As the Ren was replacing his helmet, Josiah went ahead and stepped aboard first. He was greeted by the sight of a stormtrooper pilot who rendered a salute of sorts via the rear mirror. Clearly that was meant for the Ren, as the Exile had only just been convinced to join! After settling down, he drew a breath and listened.

Basic messages uttered forth from the comm. Confirmation of progress. Casualty counts. These were expected with any military operation. What wasn't expected was when a pronounced screech erupted over the channel, followed by silence.

"What the?" began the pilot.

Then came the screams.

"The Magisterial Building has been destroyed! I repeat, the Magisterial Building has been destroyed!"

And suddenly the comm was alive. Apparently there were some high profile members of the First Order at ground zero. Josiah cast a glance to the Ren before addressing the pilot.

"Meeting the Supreme Leader is going to have to wait a little while longer. Take us to the Magisterial Building, maybe we can help."

[member="Belis Ren"], [member="Natasi Fortan"]

[9/10]

 

[Malok]

The petrified forms of the Hunters had not even been on the ground for a minute before the comm screamed. It was a deafening screech, one that caused Maverick to since before the helm's systems kicked in. They tamed the noise and cleared up the transmission, thereby allowing the Clone to fight on. Strike three. Headache. These hunters were getting more than stun weapons now. With heat rising in his core, the kind of heat that inspired men to cave in their bedroom doors, Maverick rushed forward. There was a hunger poking his head up from cover...but he wasn't good at firing under pressure.

Bzat! Crunch!

The disruptor bolt whizzed harmlessly by the Clone as he closed the gap...and a rather nasty punch sent a tooth flying. It clinked off of Maverick's helm...a rather satisfying clink...before he raised his weapon to stun another.

"Any clue what the kark that was about?"

[member="TK-0743 Kage"]

[10/20]

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Objective: C
Tags: [member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Cali"] [member="Rhun Trask"]
Posts: 12/20

The battle was already over: the last thing Ludolf expected was for the battle to come to him. There wasn't the time to register any thought or emotion as the blast propelled him backward and down to the ground, his vision instantly cut short by a cloud of smoke and ashy debris, the chair he had been standing in front of coming down on top of him not a second later. A large piece of the wall from the office adjacent to the conference room flew towards his head, only missing its target by instead hitting against the metal chair in front of his face. Grimacing and squeezing his eyes shut, Ludolf would only later reflect that the aptly placed chair had in fact saved his life.

Then came the surge of heat that immediately followed the explosion, causing a strange warmth to come over Ludolf's body, almost comforting. It was after this feeling, and with his ears still ringing loudly to the exclusion of all other sound in the room, did Ludolf realize that he was still alive. He took a breath to affirm this fact, and immediately pushed the chair off of him, and felt his body. His black uniform was marred with dust and debris, but when his hands came up, no blood came with them, and there was no pain. He had survived... something.

Ludolf stood to one knee, his head slowly rising above the table of the conference room, which had been turned on its side. His first thought was that the building had been hit with a missile of some sort. But no, he realized, that couldn't be right. He had experienced grenade explosions as well as being shelled in his life, and yet this explosion was different. It was far too contained. As Ludolf peered forward, he saw that the office adjacent to the conference room was a smoldering wreck. An improvised explosive device of some kind?

Immediately he began to wonder if he was the only survivor. Bringing himself to his feet, Ludolf exhaled a cough, and squinted as he tried to peer through the smoke of the blast towards the office.

In a raspy voice, he called out. "Natasi?"