Annihilation Across the Stars

[Ayra Lowe]

​

// Padawan Lowe //
// ANS-Tython
// Objective // Protect //
// Focus //
/// Allies //
/// Enemies /// Tohu //

---

---

The man's wild smile drove a chill down the spine of the Echani. He was a pirate, after all. Unlike the Imperials there were no rules of engagement or duty for these people, they simply fought for two things. Money or pleasure. The grin on the man's face told her all she need know about his willingness to fight.

Both hand clasped her lightsaber as his taunt fell away unanswered, preparing to deflect the swings away from her. The strikes came fiercely, pushing the offensive he had gained from his leap. It was all in her power to simply prevent him from slaying her as she was forced back. But as the man swayed with the ship as it lurched, she found an opportunity.

Through her training, the girl caught herself early as the ship lurched, using the force to centre herself quickly. Ayra attempted to take the offensive by rushing towards the man and pressing her lead foot atop his, sapping some strength away from the strikes. Her lightsaber then made it's way towards the ribcage of the man before her, the difference in their frame allowing her more movement in such tight quarters.

 

[Anders Halak]

|| ROGUE ||
BACK FROM THE FUTURE - CHAPTER I
———
ROGUE: Garrick Silvain | Kelly T. Perris | Osira Perris
SHADOW SQUADRON: Artam Macek | Innis Tarring | SCAR | Soontir Barvel
———
INCOGNITO​

ROGUE TWO
ATRISI SYSTEM, CORE WORLDS
"Who are you?" - "Sovereign"

"What's your alignment" - "The High Republic"

"What are you here for?" - "To cleanse the Rot"

"It seeps in, doesn't it?" - "For what's righteous transcends time and space"

"In dark times, should the Stars also go out?" - "Across the Stars I am the beacon, for I've seen it happen in every iteration, and I will not stop until it happens in all"

...

...

<<you know the drill, Rogues: check in, numbered callsigns only,>>

Rogue Leader's voice broke Anders away from the trance. Flying is his natural state. He's been one within the stars for as long as he remembers, as illustrated by how his T-91 Vigilant glides through open space through stupor. Just like how he moves on the ground or zero-G; rapid, silent, almost predatory.

<<Rogue Two.>> Anders transmitted, short, sharp, his voice clipped but steady over the comms.

<<Splash two.>>

The Vigilant shuddered, the tight turn pushing his body against the restraints. The ion wake of Osira's vector had barely dissipated; the maneuver was aggressive, almost reckless. Anders' jaw tightened. A single, minute clench of muscle that was his only acknowledgment of his roguemate's lack of prudence.

<<Splash three.>>

Anders tracked the series of kills, the Vigilant's violent flip, the stall, the final split shot, and a flicker of near-approval crossed his mind. Effective. The "Splash three" call, low and toneless, was exactly what Anders expected. He filed the coordinates and the aggressive pattern into his tactical memory.

Yet the moment of detached appraisal couldn't overstay its welcome. A TIE Fighter, a Shadow Squadron, snapped into view, having successfully ridden the distraction of Garrick's maneuver to gain a decisive angle. The TIE's wings sliced across Anders' viewport, its twin cannons already flashing. The pilot was good, capitalizing on the split focus. Anders registered the near lock, the incoming tracer fire, and issued the correction with only the necessary economy of speech.

<<Breaking right,>>

Anders executed a hard-burn snap-roll, the violent movement shaking the ship but clearing the immediate danger. But he did not clear the sector. Instead, he immediately rolled the Vigilant, cutting his throttle hard enough to decelerate violently. The maneuver was designed to place him directly behind the now-overshooting TIE. He quickly observed the TIE, scanning the model and its engineering design, predicting the hit point of its engines in an instant.

Anders squeezed the trigger. A concentrated burst of laser beams from his nose-mounted cannon lanced out toward the TIE's engine housing, a cold, calculated attempt to disable the immediate threat. He tailed the TIE as he watched immediate response against his action, his focus absolute, the surrounding chaos silenced by the mechanical drive to complete the kill. Rogue Two is a man of many names, many faces, but one thing remains through iterations; he gets the job done.

 

[Domaric Mordane]

The Unrepentant shuddered as the first wave of energy rippled across its shields. The lights dimmed for a heartbeat before stabilizing, the deck beneath Domaric Mordane's boots thrumming with the tension of a ship forced to remember its purpose. He did not move from the forward rail. Outside the viewport, the vast metal curvature of the Death Star glowed like a half-lit moon, its main weapon still cooling from its recent discharge. It had targeted the Alliance's largest dreadnought; it's so-called Sector Defender.

Polite applause rippled through the bridge. One, two, three seconds of measured acknowledgment, then silence.

Mordane inclined his head slightly. "An impressive feat of engineering built in His image," he said, referencing the Emperor. "It is not enough to simply target their warships, we must keep pushing so that Atrisia may experience the consequences of disorder."

Admiral Stahl stood a pace behind him, hands clasped behind his back, eyes flicking across the tactical projection. "We have confirmation. The Korvan, Imperia, and Kane are under concentrated fire from long-range batteries. Proton beams. The enemy has identified our centerline and is maintaining pressure."

"Of course they are," Mordane murmured. "That is what I would do."

Task Force Ananke was strung tight around the Death Star's flank, a defensive cordon by doctrine, but Mordane did not fight by doctrine. He had built his career on breaking every expectation of what a soldier was supposed to be. He was no naval strategist, and he knew it. The officers around him had studied a lifetime for command of fleets. Mordane's experience was born in mud and smoke, in worlds that burned under bombardment. Yet it was that difference, his defiance of convention, that had made him invaluable. Where admirals hesitated, he acted.

The Korvan's shield reading flickered, dipping to thirty percent. The Imperia's forward batteries were gone. The Kane drifted slightly out of formation before reorienting. Mordane watched their telemetry, his face still and unreadable. "Admiral Stahl," he said, "begin charging the fusion array. Align the Tigator and Painkiller with our firing pattern."

The hum of the ship deepened as systems realigned. He looked to the tactical display where the other ships in the small fleet held steady in the inner ring. Their launch bays were sealed, lights shifting from amber to red as thousands of stormtroopers prepared for what awaited them.

These were not ordinary soldiers. They were Sunfyre, the 323rd Legion. Mordane's own. His creation. Soldiers who had trained for conditions no sane commander would ever deploy them in. They had practiced boarding maneuvers in open vacuum, breaching hulls at relative velocities that would turn lesser men to dust. This particular detachment, some twenty-two hundred elite shock troopers, called themselves the suicide legion, and it was not a joke. Mordane turned to Stahl. "Signal all carriers to begin Zero-G deployment. I want Sunfyre in space within three minutes. Have the Korvan and Imperia pull closer to the Unrepentant. We will cover their retreat. Let the Kane die. Once the Tigator and Painkiller are in position, synchronize firing solutions on their battlecarrier."

Stahl's mouth tightened. "If the pods are caught in the crossfire..."

"Some will be caught," Mordane said. "And they will die. Like they were trained to do."

Outside, the first wave of drop pods burst from their carriers, a hundred points of light scattering into the void. They streaked between debris and fire, as the Unrepentant shifted course, its escorts falling into perfect formation.

"Admiral," Mordane said quietly, "prepare to fire on my mark."

He watched the icons crawl forward across the display, the tiny signals of Sunfyre cutting through the dark toward the distant silhouettes of the enemy ships. It was madness given form, an act so audacious it bordered on sacrilege. But Mordane believed in the necessity of audacity.

If he lived, he would be celebrated as the man who turned the tide at Atrisia. If he failed, the Emperor would strip his title and order his execution. He accepted both possibilities with equal calm. In his mind, he could already hear the quiet thunder of his stormtroopers' approach, the final hymn of soldiers too proud to yield.

"Fire," he said.

Spoiler

• Task Force Ananke [100/100]
  • Unrepentant
    • Painkiller
    • Tigator
  • Tigershark
    • 2x Incursor-class Light Corvette
    • 1x Dunney-class Customs Frigate
  • Goliath
    • 2x Incursor-class Light Corvette
    • 1x Dunney-class Customs Frigate
  • 3x Despot-class Star Destroyers
    • Korvan
    • Imperia
    • Kaine
  • 4x Tribunal-class Frigate
  • 6x Edict-class Corvette

Spoiler

• The Kane is destroyed.
• The Unrepetant, Painkiller, and Tigator synchronize firing solutions and fire on the Kharos-class Battlecarrier Dominator
• The "Suicide Legion" is deployed; 2,200 Zero-G Stormtroopers launch via pods to attach and penetrate TIC forces

ALLIES: Aldo Garrick | Remus Adair | Odria Kaelthron | Zethran Cott | Nyles Kote ENEMIES: Karl Von Strauss Ronhar Tane | Marlon Sularen | Solan Charr | ADM. Reshmar​

 

[Nyles Kote]

​

Friendly Units:
NF-01 Nano-flares loaded in countermeasure launchers formation wide.

• SB-01 Darasuum Morut-class Super-heavy Battlecarrier Darasuum Morut (flagship) 100 | 100

Subvessels

• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika Solus 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika T'ad 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika Ehn 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika Cuir 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika Rayshe'a 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika Resol 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika E'tad 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Morut Me'sen'ika Sh'ehn 100 | 100

• HB-01 Adenn Kyr'am-class Heavy Battlecarrier Gra'tua 100 | 100

Subvessels

• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Gra'tua Me'sen'ika Solus 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Gra'tua Me'sen'ika T'ad 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Gra'tua Me'sen'ika Ehn 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Gra'tua Me'sen'ika Cuir 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Gra'tua Me'sen'ika Rayshe'a 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Gra'tua Me'sen'ika Resol 100 | 100

• HB-01 Adenn Kyr'am-class Heavy Battlecarrier Verdyc 100 | 100

Subvessels

• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Verdyc Me'sen'ika Solus 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Verdyc Me'sen'ika T'ad 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Verdyc Me'sen'ika Ehn 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Verdyc Me'sen'ika Cuir 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Verdyc Me'sen'ika Rayshe'a 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Verdyc Me'sen'ika Resol 100 | 100

• B-02 Ara'novor-class Battlecarrier Ara'novor 100 | 100

Subvessels

• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Ara'novor Me'sen'ika Solus 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Ara'novor Me'sen'ika T'ad 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Ara'novor Me'sen'ika Ehn 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Ara'novor Me'sen'ika Cuir 100 | 100

• B-02 Ara'novor-class Battlecarrier Burenaar Ga'yaim 100 | 100

Subvessels

• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Burenaar Ga'yaim Me'sen'ika Solus 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Burenaar Ga'yaim Me'sen'ika T'ad 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Burenaar Ga'yaim Me'sen'ika Ehn 100 | 100
• HC-03M Kyramud-class Heavy Multi-role Corvette Burenaar Ga'yaim Me'sen'ika Cuir 100 | 100

• HMB-01M Tracyn'buurenaar-class Heavy Missile Battlecruiser Tracyn'buurenaar 100 | 100
• HMB-01M Tracyn'buurenaar-class Heavy Missile Battlecruiser Buurenaar b' Surhaai 100 | 100

Units in Reserve: The entire might of Strill Securities' naval assets. All too far to respond.

Ally Tag(s): Domaric Mordane | Odria Kaelthron | Zethran Cott | Aldo Garrick | Remus Adair

Enemy Tag(s): Marlon Sularen | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Ronhar Tane | ADM. Reshmar | Solan Charr

Equipment

Armor Implant(s) Equipment Melee Sidearm(s) Rifle(s) Explosives

• 
  
  • 'Mirshir'verd'jurkad'gam'
    • Equipment Mount: Ysalamiri Birikad.
    • Back Weapon Mount: A-03S Verpine Shatter Autocannon
      
      • GVSR-SAMR Guided APFSDS Magazine (1)
      • GVSR-HEIAPAMR Guided HEIAP Magazine (1 loaded, 1 spare)
      • GVSR-FAMR Guided Flechette Magazine (1)
    • Right Gauntlet and Vambrace: 'Verd b' Marev' Gauntlet and Vambrace
      
      • Weapon Mounts:
        
        • Left:
          
          • TBP-01V Tractor-Pressor Beam Projector
        • Top:
          
          • MML-01V Miniaturized Missile Launcher
            
            • Tracyn'vhipir-class Brilliant Plasma Missile (4)
            • Striilir'ika-M-class Brilliant Micro-missile (Baradium) (4)
        • Right:
          
          • PC-05V Plasma Caster
            
            • Plasma Gas Medium Cannister (1)
    • Left Gauntlet and Vambrace: 'Verd b' Surhaai' Gauntlet and Vambrace
      
      • Weapon Mounts:
        Left:
        
        • NML-02VTB Nano missile Launcher
        • Top:
          
          • MML-01V Miniaturized Missile Launcher
            
            • Tracyn'vhipir-class Brilliant Plasma Missile (4)
            • Striilir'ika-M-class Brilliant Micro-missile (Baradium) (4)
        • Right:
          
          • CP-03V CryoBan Projector
            
            • CryoBan Cannister (1)
    • Utility Belt Loadout:
      
      • Hardcase Spring-loaded Ammunition Pouches
      • Hardcase Spring-loaded Grenade Pouches
      • Hardcase Large Satchel
      • Softcase Large Storage Pouches (dump pouch)
      • Magnetic Clamp
    • Load-bearing Rig Loadout:
      
      • Hardcase Spring-loaded Ammunition Pouches
      • Hardcase Spring-loaded Grenade Pouches
      • Central Secondary High Capacity Rylith Power Cell
      • Medium and Large Gription Panels
    • Holster Setup:
      
      • 1x chest-rig mounted
      • 2x belt-mounted
      • 1x thigh mounted (dominant hand side)
• 
  
  • 'Agol'ja'had'-R Medical Implant System
  • 'Ori'aal'briik' Nervous System Enhancer
  • 'Nejah Oya'karur' Full-spectrum Immunity Booster
  • 'Sur'haai Haata'got' Optical Cyberware Interface
  • 'Gar Tkiriyr' Neural Interface
• 
  
  • 'Shushai Rugam' Sensor Sphere (1)
• 
  
  • K-04 Skirata Ehn-ky'kal Kal (2)
  • K-03 Kal(1)
• 
  
  • RP-05A Ripper Pistol
    
    • 'Kyrayc Sur'haai'-M 1-4x Short Range Optic
    • 'Drala Sur'haai' Targeting Laser/Illuminator
    • Ammunition:
      
      • GRR-APP Guided Armor-Piercing Magazine (1 loaded, 2 spare)
      • GRR-FR Guided Flechette Magazine (3)
• 
  
  • RR-04B Ripper Rifle
    
    • 'Kyrayc Sur'haai'-M 1-12x Medium Range Optic
    • 'Drala Sur'haai' Targeting Laser/Illuminator
    • UGL-02 Underbarrel Grenade Launcher
      
      • Ammunition:
        
        • BG-02 Baradium Grenade (1 in the chanmber, 5 in the tube)
    • Ammunition:
      
      • GRR-APR Guided Guided SLAP Magazine (1 loaded, 2 spare)
      • GRR-FR Guided Flechette Magazine (3)
• 
  
  • BG-02 Baradium Grenade (4)​
  • SJG-02 Signal Jammer Grenade (2)​
  • NGG-02 Nagnol Gas Grenade (2)​
  • AWCGG-02 Anti-Energy Weapon Countermeasure Gas Grenade (2)​

[/slide]

"Dropping out of hyerspace, alor," called Anni Kyrdol from the operations station. Nyles watched as his ships were rendered onto the holographic tactical map generated by the 'Manda' battlenet, enemy ships already on the map thanks to the probes they'd deployed ahead of their arrival. Now this was a naval engagement! This was precisely the sort of fight that made a almost two decades of naval service worth it. He was going to enjoy this.

'Enemy starship hull geometry indicates higher chances of successful missile engagement,' flashed an analytical message from the ship's 'Manda' module, which was showing solid mesh-networked linkage with both the probes and the rest of the formation. It wasn't going to be long before their high-power active sensor systems were picked up by the enemy fleet; the element of surprise was only going to be on their side for so long.

Thankfully, he didn't need long. The priority targets were those battlecruisers, Sularen's flagship included, and those artillery star destroyers. The 'Manda' concurred with his assessment, marking those ships as suggested priority targets. It wasn't that the rest of Sularen's formation wasn't a threat, but they weren't a priority at the moment. They were a problem for later, one he imagined he wouldn't have to get too creative to solve. To really turn the engagement in his favor, he was going to have to get clever.

Seven priority targets, seven battlecruisers and twenty eight corvettes with him. The math was simple, The Morut, Verdyc and Gra'tua engage the three enemy battlecarriers leaving the Aranovor, Burenaar Ga'yaim, Tracyn'buurenaar and the Buurenaar b' Surhaai to engage the four artillery star desroyers. Twenty eight corvettes split into three groups of eight, each engaging one of the three enemy battlecarriers. There was no time to wait for even the short interval it took to deploy bombers to add to this firestorm. Oh well, rangir, they'd just have to make do.

Main batteries formation wide were charged. The Morut, Gratua, Verdyc, Tracyn'buurenaar and Buurenaar b' Surhaai all featured energy torpedo launchers. Firing missiles and having the Tracyn'burenaare fire their rockets and timing the shots to land with the impact of the rounds was probably the best way to go about this, tax the enemy shields with having to stop that many impacts, after all there were bound to be leakers with the number of missiles and rockets they were going to be throwing at the enemy. Follow up with directed jamming and broad-spectrum electronic warfare to impede targeting was probably their best bet.

Nyles' armored, gloved hands danced across the 'Manda' battlenet's interface, issuing the orders over the battlenet without him having to verbalize his orders. Emri's buy'ce tilted as she watched his orders materialize phase by phase as firing solutions on the tactical display. "[awbbr="Clever"]Mir'dala[/abbr], they turn to engage us, they get shot in the shebs by the other Imps and if they hold their alignment they get shot in the shebs by us."

"Looking at our Imp burc'ya I know what I'd do," he returned nonchalantly with a mildly amused snort. Emri mimicked the same in agreement with his sentiment. "Gorse, you know what I want, make it happen. Gett, formation wide," Twin acknowledgement signals flashed in his HUD before the transmit icon indicated he was connected to the ship's comm suite with was tuned to transmit over laser comms to the entire formation, "Mando'ade, I know many of you have your reservations. The alor seems to know when he has to make his deal with chaav'la shabuir, so let's make this one shabla count. Oya Manda, vode!" A chorus of 'Oya Manda' answered in thunderous accord. Then the deck rumbled.

It wasn't the main batteries, but the minor complaints of the ship's frame to eight 200 galactic standard meter long heavy corvettes being rapidly launched from their bays. First eight corvettes appeared on the display, then fourteen, twenty, twenty four before the full complement were out in the void, ready to add their firepower to what was to follow. The 'Manda' had already pre-calculated and pre-timed the firing solutions and had finetuned them between the distributed processing capabilities of itself and the other ships in the formation, all that remained for him to do was to set it all in motion.

The control appeared in his HUD, the icon that would set it all off. Nyles didn't even hesitate. Almost immediately, the deck rumbled beneath him as the ship's assault-grade mass-driver missile launchers discharged their payload; 36 Tra'ragir-S-class Assault Brilliant Missiles and 12 T'barsr-BT-class Guided Baradium Cluster Missiles. The cluster missiles were there to soak fire, which was precisely they would be leading the salvo. The missiles streaked forward on the display, barely visible even to their own sensors before the signatures of the missiles became much brighter. Red cones signifying their DERP systems going live, then another as their Full-spectrum Distortion Projectors fired up.

Nyles lost track of the display momentarily as decks really began to rumble. The ships main batteries discharged four ultra-heavy energy torpedo sheathed massive caliber depleted baradium seismic charge rounds. He didn't need to be able to see Emri's in-buy'ce feed to know she had a a broad grin on her face. It wasn't often they got to discharge the main batteries due to engagement length or lack of targets that required such firepower, but when they did? Shab did it feel great. Probably not so much for the poor shabuire they were firing at however.

The energy torpedo launchers fired without nearly as much spectacle. Jamming beams resolved on the tactical display as angry red cylinders connecting the enemy ships they were engaging and theirs. In the meanwhile, their electronic suite warmed to life, laying in wait like a Strill coiled to pounce on its pray for enemy detection, targeting and tracking systems to be directed its way so it could begin jamming them in particular. "Gett, Empire fleetwide," he ordered.

"You're live alor," he responded a moment later, Nyles' HUD informing him that he was transmitting to the Imperial ships present. They didn't have frequency hopping, but he had been given the latest Imperial comm codes and encryption keys. He'd keep it brief.

"This is Strill Securities Fleet Admiral Kote, alor Kyrdol sends his regards. Transmitting datalink handshake request." Nyles had his fair share of knowledge when it came to laying on the 'customer service' politeness, but given the brevity of the situation he was sure they'd forgive him being so curt. Everything had been set in motion, now the only thing to do was wait.

Summary & Action Breakdown

• The Strill Securities formation dropped out of hyperspace.
• Strill ships fired their UAC-01S Usen'ye-class Ultra-heavy Accelerator Cannons discharging ultra-heavy energy torpedo sheathed depleted baradium seismic charge rounds which are timed to strike at the same time as the missiles fired.
  • The Darasuum Morut fired its four spinal cannons at the INV Sularen's Revenge.
  • The Gra'tua fired its three spinal cannons at the INV Dominator.
  • The Verdyc fired its three spinal cannons at the INV Requiem.
  • The Ara'novor fired its three spinal cannons at the INV Relentless Dawn.
  • The Burenaar Ga'yaim fired its three spinal cannons at the INV Sovereign.
  • The Tracyn'buurenaar fired its three spinal cannons at the INV Crimson Spear.
  • The Buurenaar b' Surhaai fired its three spinal cannons at the INV Reclaimer.
• The Tracyn'buurenaar and the Buurenaar b' Surhaai fired their Assault-grade Getsr-class Baradium Anti-Armor Rockets at the INV Crimson Spear and the INV Reclaimer respectively.
• The Tracyn'buurenaar and the Buurenaar b' Surhaai fired 10 of their HETL-05S Heavy Energy Torpedo Launcher turrets in 'standard' mode at the INV Crimson Spear and the INV Reclaimer respectively.
• The Tracyn'buurenaar and the Buurenaar b' Surhaai fired 36 Tra'ragir-S-class Assault Brilliant Missiles and 12 T'barsr-BT-class Guided Baradium Cluster Missiles (sixteen concussion missile sized submunitions each) each at the INV Crimson Spear and the INV Reclaimer respectively.
• The Gra'tua and the Verdyc fired 10 of their HETL-05S Heavy Energy Torpedo Launcher turrets in 'standard' mode at the INV Dominator and the INV Requiem respectively.
• The Gra'tua and the Verdyc fired 36 Tra'ragir-S-class Assault Brilliant Missiles and 12 T'barsr-BT-class Guided Baradium Cluster Missiles (sixteen concussion missile sized submunitions each) each at the INV Dominator and the INV Requiem respectively.
• The Ara'novor and the Burenaar Ga'yaim fired 36 Tra'ragir-S-class Assault Brilliant Missiles and 12 T'barsr-BT-class Guided Baradium Cluster Missiles (sixteen concussion missile sized submunitions each) each at the INV Relentless Dawn and the INV Sovereign respectively.
• The Darasuum Morut fired 10 of its HETL-05S Heavy Energy Torpedo Launcher turrets in 'standard' mode at the INV Sularen's Revenge.
• The Darasuum Morut fired 36 Tra'ragir-S-class Assault Brilliant Missiles and 12 T'barsr-BT-class Guided Baradium Cluster Missiles (sixteen concussion missile sized submunitions each) at the INV Sularen's Revenge.
• The formation's 28 corvettes are deployed and engaging the INV Sularen's Revenge, INV Dominator and the INV Requiem as three groups of eight.
  • Each corvette fired 3 Tra'ragir-S-class Assault Brilliant Missiles and 1 T'barsr-BT-class Guided Baradium Cluster Missiles (sixteen concussion missile sized submunitions each) each.

 

[Ronhar Tane]

FLEET ADMIRAL VORIN ZONILL
OBJECTIVE II: ACROSS THE STARS
ORBITING ATRISIA

Despite the tremendous amount of fire slamming into the bow of the Conqueror's Bane and the damage that it had suffered as a result, the Heimdall-Class Fast Battlecruiser was holding steady and would soon breach the forward lines of the enemy's defensive formation. More importantly, the formation that Zonill had elected to use had effectively shielded his Imperial I-class Star Destroyers and Vilifier-class Star Destroyer from any incoming fire, ensuring that they would be able to bring the full force of their armament against the enemy.

Though it had been a risky maneuver to perform against a smaller, more agile fleet, it seemed that Zonill's Ackbar Slash was going to pay off in the end, with only minor damage done to his flagship.

"T-minus two minutes and closing, sir", Sellferr reported to the Admiral as the Conqueror's Bane continued to close the gap between itself and the enemy ships. "Looks like we have them, Admiral Zonill."

"It would appear so", the Admiral countered as he wiped his brow and breathed a sigh of relief. "Continue to intensify fire on their main ship. Once we eliminate it from the field, the rest of the enemy fleet should fall quickly", Zonill said absentmindedly.

"Still, I have to admit things were looking a bit hairy back that for a moment", Sellferr noted as he directed the crew of the Conqueror's Bane to reload its Plasma Cannon.

"Tell me Captain, are you familiar with the game of Pazaak?", Zonill asked Sellferr as he seemingly changed the subject out of nowhere.

"Not overly sir, though I am of course familiar with the concept", Sellferr remarked confusedly.

"Then I'm sure you're aware that in Pazaak, their are many different ways of winning. Reaching the number 20, forcing your opponent to go over that number, or using a special sort of 'tie-breaking' card. All equally valid and equally important. Yet, their is another way to win the game that is only seen in rather rare cases."

"And that would be-"

"I'm of course talking about filling the table", Zonill said as he cut Sellferr off. "In certain cases, its possible to win a game of Pazaak by placing enough cards on the table without going over 20. I believe that in Pazaak that number is 9. Now, if we take the rules of Pazaak and apply them to this battlefield, it becomes apparent that are enemy never had a chance at winning in the first place."

"And that would be because?"

"Because", Zonill said impatiently, "I can afford to fill the table with cards and our opponents cannot. It's simple math, Captain. We have far more ships than they do at the moment, and ours are far more powerful. It's a bad matchup, plain and simple, one that the enemy should have never taken. If they were smart, they would have waited for their reinforcements, assuming they even had any left, or at least tried to fight us on more favorable terms by breaking our battlegroup into smaller 'hands' as it were. At least that way they might be able to win a hand or two if they couldn't win the whole game", Zonill remarked as the column of ships reached the outer edge of the Empire's formation.

"I...I see. Can't say I ever cared much for that game", Sellferr said dryly as he refocused his attention back to the battle at hand.

"No matter, Captain. Game or not, it won't change our inevitable victory here."

"Of course, sir, of course. By the way, I hate to interrupt your monologue, but sensors are picking up a massive energy reading coming in from our allies."

"You mean Governor Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory 's fleet?" Zonill asked.

Before he could get a response, a massive battlecruiser seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and fired some sort of frighteningly powerful energy cannon at the enemy's flagship. Zonill was glad they were on the same side, as he would have hated to have been on the receiving end of whatever weapon it was that they had fired.

The only problem? Zonill's fighters were still in the way.

"Are they mad?!?!", Zonill hissed in anger as preliminary causality reports began coming in. Though the Governor had missed the bulk of his forces, some of his fighters had been caught up in the blast. While undeniably effective, Zonill was furious that the Governor would risk his men in order to destroy the enemy's ships, regardless of their intent to hit friendly forces or not.

"Dammit! What the hell are they thinking?", Zonill fumed. When this was all over, he would have to track down the Governor and give her a piece of his mind.

"So be it. Let's finish this as soon as possible. I want to minimize-"

Zonill never finished the thought, as what happened next left him utterly dumbstruck.

It all happened so fast. One minute, the enemy fleet was there, right in front of him, waiting to be destroyed. Then, they simply weren't. Zonill didn't know how they did it, but the enemy had somehow successfully pulled off a high precision hyperspace jump right out from under his nose. Despite the shock of seeing what happened, Zonill recovered quickly.

"Damn it all! I want a hard turn to starboard! IMMEDIATELY!" Zonill roared as the Captain made the necessary maneuvers as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, that wasn't the last surprise the Empire had for Zonill's fleet.

"Wait, sir, we've got incoming...no, that can't be right...incoming frigates! They're moving at speed, coming right at us!"

His eyes widened in horror as he realized just what the enemy was trying to do.

"They're...they're...they're going to ram us!", he managed to stammer out.

"Evasive maneuvers!", Zonill demanded, but it was too late.

One of the frigates slammed right into the side of the Conqueror's Bane, detonating in a spectacular flash of fire. The Conqueror's Bane's shields immediately flared and went offline, unable to handle taking so much damage at once. Scorch marks blanketed the side of Zonill's ship as a massive crater formed within the side of the Conqueror's Bane's armored hull.

The other frigate probably would have done the same thing to the Conqueror's Bane if not for the heroic actions of the Starhammer. Angling itself in between the Conqueror's Bane and the incoming frigate, it managed to catch the the enemy vessel from the front, taking the brunt of the impact and resulting explosion. Much like the Conqueror's Bane, the Starhammer too had taken heavy damage, with a massive chunk of the ship's hull now exposed to the harsh vacuum of space. The Starhammer's engines began to flicker on and off as the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer lost power, drifting lazily toward Supreme Commander Marlon Sularen . It nothing was done, it was likely to crash into the rest of the Imperial Fleet, taking friendly ships and their crews with it.

Zonill's head was ringing from the explosions as he gingerly picked himself off the floor, having been thrown across the room from the resulting detonation.

"Status...status report", Zonill coughed as he righted himself and sat back down in his seat. Blood was now trickling down from his forehead, the result of him having sustained a large gash from when he had fell.

"Multi...multiple breaches detected on the port side of the ship", Sellferr gasped as he also picked himself off the floor. "Fires spreading throughout bulkheads 5 to 8...causality projections in the thousands...heavy hull and structural damage has been sustained", he managed to squeak out.

It would seem that Zonill had just busted his hand of Pazaak.

"Seal off bulkheads 8 through 20, and have the rapid response teams take care of those fires", Zonill managed to get out as the trickle of blood began flowing more rapidly. "We need to fall back to Exarch Karl Von Strauss 's position and get those breaches sealed, otherwise-"

The rest of Zonill's comment was drowned out by yet more alarms, those these were much different than the ones that had been blaring throughout the bridge during the course of the battle. An automated voice began speaking, heralding in a rather important annonucement.

<WARNING. WARNING. CATASTROPHIC HULL BREACH DETECTED. EMERGENCY HYPERSPACE JUMP PROTOCOL INITIATED. CALCULATING NEAREST JUMP COORDINATES TO FRIENDLY POSITIONS>

"What?!?!", Zonill demanded upon hearing the voice. "Absolutely not! This is Fleet Admiral Vorin Zonill of the Mahporeem Imperial Remnant", Zonill said as he directly addressed the voice. "I have not authorized any form of hyperspace retreat. Belay that order immediately!", Zonill demanded of the voice.

<CALCULATIONS 25% COMPLETE>

"Blast! Captain, I order you to override that command!", Zonill declared as he stumbled back out of his seat.

"Trying to sir, but we've been locked out of the command system! Although I don't believe that to be the worst decision we could make right now", Sellferr suggested as he began frantically pressing keys across the ship's command console.

"Absolutely not, Captain. I will not abandon my men in the middle of such an important battle!", Zonill declared. His hand momentarily drifted toward his holstered SE-26p heavy blaster pistol, but he quickly decided against it. After all, as gratifying as it would be to blast the command console to bits, it probably wouldn't help his situation out very much.

<CALCULATIONS 66% COMPLETE>

"Sir, I can't override the jump", Sellferr said with a conciliatory tone. "But again, given the situation-"

"As I've said Captain, I will not abandon our men in their time of need, regardless of situation", Zonill snapped.

"And I would not see you die here for some mistaken sense of pride or honor or anything else!", Sellferr retorted sharply. Despite the chaos going on inside the bridge, everyone stopped what they were doing as Zonill and Sellferr continued to argue. Normally, the idea of a Captain going back at his Admiral would be grounds for an immediate court-martial, but Zonill had known Sellferr for a long time, and he respected the man's opinions.

He touched the open wound on his head, which was now bleeding profusely by this point.

"We need to get you medical attention sir, and with the state that the Conqueror's Bane is in, I'm not sure the medbay would be sufficient to treat you", Sellferr said far more gently.

Zonill sighed and slumped back into his seat, defeated. Sellferr was right, of course. If something happened to him as he tried to command his fleet, he might as well be more of a liability than an asset to his men.

"Very well, Captain. I want a message broadcast to our remaining forces."

"Of course, sir. The floor is yours."

"This is Fleet Admiral Vorin Zonill of the Mahporeem Imperial Remnant. My flagship has taken heavy damage and I have received serious injury in the line of duty. I have no choice but to have my ship retreat to friendly territory. I authorize all ship commanders and captains full autonomy to use their vessels as they see fit in the defense of our operations. I will return to the field of battle as soon as I am able to. Good luck, any may the galaxy be with you all."

<CALCULATIONS 100% COMPLETE. EXECUTING HYPERSPACE JUMP IN 3...2...1...JUMPING>

With that, the Conqueror's Bane sped off into space, seemingly headed for friendly territory. The Bastion and the Silent Watcher immediately began to turn around to engage the remainder of the enemy fleet as the Pillager moved in to support them. From the far side of Atrisia, the rest of Zonill's fleet was moving back to the battle, having successfully completed their escort duties. They would move in from the other side of the enemy, effectively trapping it between both of Zonill's battlegroups, and would accept nothing less than the enemy's complete and total destruction.

TAGS:
Marlon Sularen
Karl Von Strauss
Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory
Odria Kaelthron
Domaric Mordane
Remus Adair
ADM. Reshmar
EMPIRE FORCES
​

---

---

---

Spoiler: Fleet Composition

• 1 Heimdall-Class Fast Battlecruiser
  • 4 squadrons of TIE Vultures
  • 4 squadrons of STX-TIEs
  • 2 squadrons of Lambda-class YT-1760 Annihilators
• 2 Imperial I-class Star Destroyers
  • 5 squadrons of TIE Vultures
  • 5 squadrons of STX-TIEs
  • 2 squadrons of Lambda-class YT-1760 Annihilators
• 1 Vilifier-class Star Destroyer
  • 7 squadrons of AX-Wings
  • 2 squadrons of Lambda-class YT-1760 Annihilators
• 4 Impressor-class Acclamators
  • 4 squadrons of Eightgun-class Assault Fighters
  • 4 squadrons of NZ TIE/sb Strike Bombers
• 4 Loki-Class Fast Corvettes
• 3 Von Strauss-class cargo ships
  • 12 squadrons of NCE-131/c Heavy Dropships "Stork"

Spoiler: Summary

1. Zonill's Ackbar Slash is seemingly successful as he moves in to destroy the enemy fleet once and for all.​
2. Zonill gives Sellferr a long winded explanation of his strategy using Pazaak as a metaphor.​
3. Governor Visconti fires a powerful energy weapon at the enemy, catching some of Zonill's starfighters in the process. Zonill is not pleased by this.​
4. The enemy somehow executes a precision hyperspace jump away from Zonill's forces. Zonill attempts to reengage them.​
5. The Conquer's Bane and the Starhammer are by a number of kamikaze/suicide ships. Both ships take heavy damage from the resulting explosions.​
6. The Starhammer begins to drift toward friendly lines as the Conquer's Bane is forced to retreat.​
7. The rest of Zonill's ships, including the ones that were escorting the cargo ships, begin to return back to the fight and are trying to trap the last few enemy ships in between them.​

Spoiler: Causalties

• 150 TIE Vultures destroyed
• 22 STX-TIEs destroyed
• 8 AX-Wings destroyed
• 2 NZ TIE/sb Strike Bombers destroyed
• 4 Lambda-class YT-1760 Annihilators destroyed
• The Starhammer is heavily damaged and is now drifting toward friendly lines
• The Conqueror's Bane is forced to retreat from the battle

Spoiler: OOC Note

Odria Kaelthron has given me their full and express permission to decide what happens to their frigates.

​

 

[Tohu]

Ayra Lowe​

Tohu relished the idea of dropping a Jedi.

Every time his phase blade slammed against her saber and pushed her back, something in his head cracked open -- a floodgate to all the junk he'd buried. Cold stone rolled away, and out came the heat: resentment, old bitterness, the works. Nerves of steel caught rust quick under a deluge of murky waters.

He tried to steady himself, remember the holofilms he watched as a child — the gunmen, the bounty hunters, cool as ice, just like Fett. A professional, a man who didn't let the job get personal, a simple man making his way in the universe. That was the trick. But Tohu's mind wouldn't go there. It went back to different times as a child on Nar Shaddaa. To the stink and the crowds. His mother drifting them from one broken sect to the next, all of them promising a messiah to bring salvation, a way out of Narsh's gutters. Once it's a Jedi, the next's a Sith. He never blamed her. She did what she could.

For all his swagger and bravado, Tohu had come in too hot. Thoughtless. The Jedi slid under his swing, used their closeness as he had stupidly foregone his advantage of reach, and drove her saber in low into his left ribcage. His shield slowed its plunge just enough for him to side step away as the burn along his ribs made him grunt and gri his teeth.

Now she had the initiative.

Tohu backed up and dropped into a stance he'd seen her use earlier. An awkward replication of it, at least.

Above them, the bulkhead screamed, durasteel bending and drowning in the noise of blaster fire and the explosion of turbolasers tearing space outside.

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

Location: Aboard the Gluttoneria
Objective: Across the Stars, no time to fail

Spoiler: Armada Gluttoneria

Armada Gluttoneria
Fleet Composition : AG-INV Gluttoneria [71|85] AG-INV Avaritia [100|100] AG-INV Superbia [100|100] AG-INV Luxuria [100|100] AG-INV Invidia [100|100] AG-INV Acedia [100|100] AG-INV Ira [100|100]
Starfighter Compliment [61 starfighter squadrons| 15 support squadrons] NZ TIE/stu Stürmer 6 squadrons engaged [72|72] Avaritia TIE Vulture 9 squadrons engaged [116|180] Invidia, Acedia, Ira, 16 squadrons engaged [320|320] Luxuria, Superbia TIE/ss Supremacy 30 Squadrons engaged [480|480] Gluttoneria TIE/dv Devastator 12 Squadrons Engaged [48|48] Gluttoneria NZ TIE/sb Strike Bomber 3 squadrons engaged [18|36] Invidia, Acedia, Ira + 2 squadrons engaged [24|24] Avaritia, 4 squadrons engaged [48|48] Luxuria, Superbia

The launch of the Apollyons' ordinance was not without its cost, as not only did Admiral Zonill lose some of her fighters in this act, but so too did the Armada Gluttoneria, which in the process lost over three full squadrons' worth of TIE Vultures and half of the TIE/sb Strike bombers from the three Tyrant IV class suppression cruisers, but in the Governor's opinion, this was all worth it. The Vultures were just droids after all, easily made and easily replaced, the men and women piloting the strike bombers knew the risk of their occupation and as such were to be considered acceptable losses.

From her comfortable position aboard the Gluttoneria, Amalia directed the Ira, Invidia and Acedia to return from their guard duties in order to overrun and mop up the flank of the opposition, all the while allowing the remaining Vultures and Strike Bombers to continue pestering the Corvettes and Frigates. Only, just as she had sent through those orders, the woman's eyes widened in both utter shock and surprise, as the Imperial star destroyer and the cruisers which had been the apparent core of the opposing fleet suddenly vanished from sight. "What the...!?"

//ALARM
//ENEMY DETECTED

"No..." Turning her eyes upon the holographic display, the governor could see what had happened; as it was now clear that the opposing fleet had split up, with the cruisers and the star destroyer having performed a microjump out of the path of the Apollyon's firing angle. To make matters worse, while she could see the damned enemy ships reappearing, KRONOS made it quite clear this wasn't all that was happening.

//CONQUEROR'S BANE EXTRACTION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
//DEPLOY SHIELDS

"Frack me," In the emergency situation she found herself in, Amalia turned towards the crew on the bridge, a calm, yet somewhat unnerving twist in her eyes. "order the Avaritia to maintain its course, even if it may collide with the incoming frigates, even that star destroyer...just have it break through. For all of you here, brace yourselves."

No sooner had she uttered these words, when a loud 'CRACKOOM' could be heard, when heavy laserfire slammed into the Gluttoneria's prow, making the entire ship heave forwards when one of the Apollyons collapsed into itself, the massive structure aboard the ship mangled beyond recognition, while the other Apollyon had a rupture in its cooling tanks, the coolant leaking into the emptiness of space, with the weapon clearly malfunctioning due to a local system overload.

//REDIRECTING SAFETY SYSTEMS TO APOLLYON B
//REROUTING COOLANT SYSTEM APOLLYON A
//FORWARD DECKS 3 TO 5 COMPRIMISED
//SECTIONS A3 TO C5 SUCCESFULLY CLOSED OFF
//SHIELDS ACTIVATED AND HOLDING

Holding on to the base of the display in front of her, pulling aside the strands of hair which had gotten into her face when the Gluttoneria heaved forwards due to the laserfire barelling into the front where the Apollyons were located, Amalia let out a deep grunt. Looking around, she could see that the crew on the bridge was also clearly shook by this sudden turn of events. gritting her teeth, she stood up again, feeling a stinging pain in her leftside, probably a few cracked and bruised ribs from slamming unexpectedly against the display console.

"How are the shields holding?"

"My apologies Lady Visconti, Shield layers one and two have been compromised due to the severity of the impact, but layers three to seven are steady and holding," one of the officers on the bridge reported. "The Phalanx Testudo and the EWAR have also been engaged, Point Defense systems have been activated and are operational."

"Good, good...sent a message to the Superbia and the Luxuria...let loose."

"Let loose, ma'am?"

"Send out all of our starfighters, all of our bombers from our three combined ships," Leaning uncomfortably on the console of the holographic display, Amalia watched how those wretched ships had managed to blindside her and had managed to take out the most important weapons of the Glutoneria. While it had not crippled the ship in the slightest, the loss of the main weapons in the form of the Apollyons was certainly not good for the planned engagement against the superweapon itself. "Rip the enemy apart, leave no scrap... I want this enemy erased from existence in their entirety."

"Orders have been relayed," The officer remarked, turning towards the armament operators. "You heard the Governor... begin erasure."

The enemy would see it, as the two Claymore Class star carriers began to turn within the main fleet, underneath the gluttoneria, beginning their own assault unto Odria Kaelthron 's remaining vessels which had now come in range. Yet perhaps the most poignant and gripping visual, was how the loading bays of these two carriers opened, with multitudes of TIE Vultures and TIE Strike Bombers zooming through space, as if the Galactic Imperial Admiral had managed to stir a hornet's nest and was now going to pay the price for this action.

The Gluttoneria itself was still smoking at the prow, where a massive scar revealed the damage wrought by this surprise, yet it too began to unleash its own contingents of starfighters and bombers, with hundreds of them making their way towards the enemy ships. Now that the initial surprise had worn off, the weapons on the Gluttoneria itself began to turn as well, Turbolasers blasting with precision and ferocity towards the cruisers, hundreds of small lasercanons counterfiring, FLAK turrets and stormwarden mounts unloading rounds and bolts by the thousands per second.

In the meantime, the crew started the preparations to load the heavy kinetic canons on board with the infamous Warp Star warheads, preparing to unleash the second of the Gluttoneria's arsenal of capital ship killer weapons...

Spoiler: TL'DR

• Ira, Invidia and Acedia move on the remaining frigates and corvettes
• Remaining TIE Vultures and TIE/sb continue harassing the remaining corvettes and frigates
• Avaritia continues forward motion, aiming for the incoming frigates with its prow.
• TIE/stu Sturmer squadrons break off to continue harassing the Edict Corvettes
• Gluttoneria takes heavy damage, apollyons are inoperational
• Gluttoneria, Luxuria, Superbia unleash full starfighter and bomber contingents
• Gluttoneria returns fire w. Turbolasers and lasers , while FLAK and stormwarden placements unleash point defense counterfire.
• Gluttoneria prepares twelve of the HKAC/800 canons with Warp Stars

TAGS ALLY: Karl Von Strauss | Ronhar Tane | Marlon Sularen | Solan Charr | ADM. Reshmar
TAGS ENEMY: Shuklaar Kyrdol | Domaric Mordane | Zethran Cott | Odria Kaelthron | Aldo Garrick | Remus Adair

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Across the Stars
Location: Carrier Hangar, Hidden Path battle fleet, Atrisian System
Outfit:Rebel Flight suit
Tags: Michael Angellus | Devin Virell | Zane Cameron

Strike Squadron entered the fray. A few of them at least. Susanoo Tsukuyomi was out there somewhere with the Atrisian fighters. Some Supisy had trained with. She had never really felt like she belonged. Maybe because she was always introduced as "the Princess's friend Lady Blen". Or because some thought she was just a freighter pilot. Whatever the reasons, Supisy was much more comfortable in Striker Squadron.

The field was quite overwhelming for Supisy. She had never been involved in a formal battle on this stage. She had always put simulators off as video games. That being the case nothing in her training, or her life as a smuggler had prepared her for the magnitude of this moment.

Luckily, Supisy thrives on chaos. She didn't need or want a plan. Her temporary droid companion whirred in the background. "No time R-whatever. When we get into the fight just have the weapons system ready."

The squadron was buzzing around a Star Destroyer and engaging with TIEs. Supisy was doing a lot of jinking and dodging and not nearly enough shooting until she decided to make a strafing run at the Star Destroyer. The adrenaline spiked and she was finally in the fight for more than running interference for the others. "Time to get them R…whatever. Arm the torpedos and let's do some damage."

 

[Reiner Ghadi]

Tags: Remus Adair , Domaric Mordane , Zethran Cott

Can You Hear The Music

Reiner offered little in response to Adair's proverbial olive branch. He never had time for sychophancy and flowery gestures. That being said, there was a battle to be won, and a united front among officers was good for morale.

"I understand. I too am a skeptic. Yet, we live in a world where sorcerers and so-called peacekeepers terrible enough to tear space and time apart walk among us. Many things beyond our comprehension are part of our everyday lives. Thankfully, you and I are lucky enough to be in a position to be an equalizing force."

Anyone that dug deep enough into Reiner's time within the Alliance would certainly know of his disdain for Force users, though he often kept such thoughts about the Sith to himself these days. After all, unlike their soft-spined Jedi counterparts, the Sith did't often let verbal slights go, and Reiner was smart enough to not challenge one with so much power and will to use it. Not without a plan...

"Though skeptics we may be, we must remember that reality."

His eyes scanned the holotable in front of them, his military mind piecing together what he was looking at in conjunction with the Admiral's words.

"Sularen..."

His eyes narrowed at the name. Sularen was a man Reiner had called many things through the years, many of which weren't proper. Those that were though, were peer... colleague... enemy. The man was a fickle individual, following power wherever he may find it. Nevertheless, one positive thing Reiner could say about the man was that he was not to be trifled with.

"We will have to monitor his activity closely. He is vermin, but vermin can be cunning."

As the enemy actions unfolded, Reiner scoffed at Adair's comment.

"Petulent indeed."

He would allow himself the smallest sign of amusement, despite his annoyance at the boldness of the enemy.

"There was only one Rausgeber. We should remind him of that. Sularen would certainly do well to remember that."

It felt like an eternity ago that Reiner had been commanding fleets alongside the NIO. He wasn't among their ranks, but the Second Great Hyperspace War had drawn some strange lines in the sand. Im that time, Reiner had learned much about Rausgeber. Sularen was cunning, but Rausgeber was vicious. The sort of ravenous you'd expect from a mad dog. A mad dog that would smile through his teeth at you before using those same teeth to tear your throat out.

A rare breed, to say the least.

His amusement faded as soon as it had appeared, his gaze darting toward the newly-arrived Alliance forces.

"We will see indeed..."

 

[Squesha]

Objective 2: Across the Stars
​

Admiral Squesha had recieved an emergency signal from Admiral Zonil. At the time she was teaching cadets in the art of naval strategy when her communications device alerted her to the situation. She remained calm in front of her students and made an excuse to leave. She ran to the shuttle bay and flew at great speed to her flagship, the Imperator Class Instigator. There was not enough time to gather more than a few cruisers and frigates from her spread out fleet.

"Set course for the Atrisian system!" she called out. The calculations were made quickly, her crew working fast. every minute they delayed the situation could get worse. Finally they were ready. The stars turned into streaks before vanishing into the maelstrom of hyperspace. Squesha waited as the ship crossed the lightyears between the stars. Finally she heard what she had been waiting for.

"Coming out of Hyperspace, Admiral."

With a lurch the ships dropped out of hyperspace right into the chaos of battle. Squesha noted the amount of wreckage and carnage around her, and decided enough was enough. She opened up a communications channel to the imperial fleets.

"This is Admiral Squesha. Zonil's fleet, form up on me."

She patched through a private communications line to Marlon Sularens ship.

"Supreme Commander I would appreciate an analisis of the battle situation. Do you need assistance?"

Finally she gave orders to her fleet.

"Shields up and weapons at maximum. If our fleets are disordered let us make their fleets disordered also. Fire on targets of opportunity. Launch Fighters with the same orders."

She smiled.

"Let's turn this battle around."

Spoiler: Fleet composition

1 Imperator Class Battlecruiser
2 Tyrant IV Cruisers
4 Celox class frigates

Marlon Sularen Ronhar Tane Karl Von Strauss Solan Charr ADM. Reshmar Domaric Mordane Zethran Cott Odria Kaelthron Aldo Garrick Remus Adair

 

[Odria Kaelthron]

Allies: Remus Adair | Zethran Cott | Domaric Mordane
Artam Macek | Reiner Ghadi

Enemies: Marlon Sularen | Karl Von Strauss | Ronhar Tane
Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Squesha​

Spoiler: Fleet Composition

• Imperial III-class Star Destroyer Sovereign's Pride
• Exactor-class Cruiser Glory of the Throne
• Exactor-class Cruiser Eternal Rule
• Exactor-class Cruiser Aurodium Fang
• Tribunal-class Frigate Relentless Fist
• Tribunal-class Frigate Pale Judgement
• Tribunal-class Frigate Crucible of Order
• Edict-class Corvette Pure Intent
• Edict-class Corvette Harrow
• Edict-class Corvette Palisade

Spoiler: tl;dr Action Summary

• The three Edict-class Corvettes make their final stand, taking down as many fighters as they can
• All three are then destroyed by fire from TIC capital ships
• The three Exactor-class cruisers, relatively undamaged, move up to screen the Pride from enemy fire
• The two remaining megacaliber guns fire on the carrier Luxuria
• The Pride and her remaining escorts fall back from the Gluttoneria at sublight speed

--------------------------​

A ragged cheer went up around the Pride's bridge as someone else's ships finally took a beating.

Odria noted with some satisfaction that she'd made done some damage despite the collapse of her line. The frigates had both managed to detonate, and though neither ship they'd hit had been destroyed, they had certainly both taken a severe pounding. The enemy flagship, the lead vessel in the Ackbar Slash, seemed to have fully retreated rather than risk becoming a casualty. Odria's surprise attack on the second battlecruiser had also borne fruit, disabling the big guns that'd nearly ripped the Pride apart, though hardly scratching the ship otherwise.

One of the disabled ships might even crash into another confederate fleet group. Delicious.

Task Force Kaelthron had finally taken a hand in this lopsided game...

... but the enemy was still at two to their one, poised to win.

Odria Kaelthron had not reached seventy-one standard years of age by clinging to lost causes. She had learned to take the temperature of a situation and, when it seemed to be rising faster than it ought to, how to make a swift exit before the figurative pot boiled over. She'd been Planetary Commissioner of CorpSec, the private police of the executive board that had once run Denon... and had made her exit from that role before the riots and the sweeping reforms that followed. She always knew when to take what she could get and leave while she still could.

So far, anyway. It was entirely possible she'd pressed her luck a bit too far this time.

Whether she had or she hadn't, it was well past time to determine her exit strategy, and so she began.

In Pazaak, when a side deck card is used, it's used up; it can't be played again in the same game. The precision micro-jump was not a tactic she could simply repeat, zooming around Atrisia III's orbit willy-nilly so that she couldn't be pinned down; hyperdrives took time to recharge. Besides, there was significant risk in using the tactic once, let alone repeatedly; all four ships had managed to survive rapid realspace reversion this time, but next time they might shred themselves on the planet's mass shadow. No, she needed something new, and she needed it fast.

"Governor, we have new contacts appearing on scanners," Ensign Curly piped up, as if to reinforce this point. Odria glanced down at the monitors and grimaced; not only were the ships that had escorted the Confederate landers on their way back, there were also new foes emerging from hyperspace. They must've had some kind of code to bypass the Atrisian Breakwater at will. The Empire had no such codes; their only way to arrive or to escape was to make a hole, and Atrisian self-repairing technology was rapidly closing the one Odria had made.

No reinforcements for her, and plenty for an enemy that already outnumbered her.

Oh, and the fleet group she'd made the micro-jump to hit was now launching a swarm of fighters.

Back where they'd been left, near the intercept point, the Edict-class Corvettes fought their last stand. They were a fighter or bomber's worst nightmare, their flak filling Atrisia III's orbit while their autoblasters shredded whatever survived the barrage... but they were small and highly specialized vessels that never stood a moment's chance against a capital ship. One by one they burst under enemy fire, bright points of light in the middle of the area penetrated by the Ackbar Slash. There was nothing they could do, and nothing Odria could do for them, either.

A few escape pods streaked away. Odria doubted that any would reach the surface.

She had her own problems to worry about anyway. The second fleet group she'd attacked was now turning toward her remaining ships, opening fire with thousands of smaller weapons. The Exactor-class Cruisers, relatively undamaged compared to the battered Pride, moved up to screen the Star Destroyer from incoming fire, taking the brunt of the barrage on their shields. They returned fire with their megacaliber turbolasers - or at least two of them did, since the Eternal Rule's big gun had been previously knocked out by enemy bombers.

The huge blasts from the megacaliber guns streaked in, explicitly designed to rip through the shields and armor of capital ships. They'd had bad luck trying to bring down the last TIC battlecruiser they'd fired on, so they targeted the carrier Luxuria instead; though its fighters had already been launched, it appeared to have significant mounted weapons as well, and knocking at least some of them out would perhaps buy a little time. The cold reality of it was that this was probably only akin to spitting on the bouncer's boots before he throws you out of the bar...

... but hell, it was worth a try. Task Force Kaelthron had a few big guns left, and they were going to use them.

"Begin calculating a hyperspace jump to Byss," Odria commanded. She'd finally finished reading the highlights of the damage reports, and though the Pride was in rough shape - multiple hull breaches, hundreds of casualties - they had enough power and personnel to operate the hyperdrive... once it had cooled down enough to jump again, and once a route was calculated. Jumps into the Deep Core were always challenging due to the density of stars and black holes there, but that was where the closest friendly systems were located. Her only out.

"Yes, Governor," Ensign Curly replied, "but it'll be some time before we can jump."

"I know that, Ensign," Odria replied curtly. "Redirect power from main weapons to engines and shields. Cut life support from breached decks and reroute that power, too. Maintain power to point defense systems. Take us in toward these coordinates." The Pride and its cruiser screen began to move back from the Gluttoneria, a fighting withdrawal back around the curve of Atrisia III... but the trap was closing around them. They had no fighters or corvettes left to screen them, leaving them with only point defenses against the enemy swarm.

Plans within plans swirled within Odria Kaelthron's mind.

How to make it to hyperspace... and how to survive if she could not.

The Governor opened a channel to Admiral Remus Adair aboard the Death Star. "Admiral, this is Task Force Kaelthron. I have successfully drawn several larger Confederate fleet groups away from your position and bloodied their noses. However, we are now surrounded and in dire straits, and are attempting to withdraw. Regardless of whether we are able to do so or we are overrun, prepare for additional enemy forces to join Sularen's battle line." She certainly hoped that she would get enough Imperial accolades to make all this worthwhile.

And that she would find some way to be alive to enjoy the fruits of her labors.

 

[Zethran Cott]

​

Spoiler

Task Force Infernus — Battle Line​

---

Flagship

The Edifice Imperial III-class Star Destroyer Shields: ██████████ Hull: ██████████

Capital Killers

Exactor-class Cruiser "The Kraken" Shields: ██████████ Hull: ████████

Exactor-class Cruiser "Destiny's Arrow" Shields: ██████████ Hull: ████████

Screening Line

Tribunal-class Frigate "Bell" Shields: ███████ Hull: ███████

Tribunal-class Frigate "Admiral's Folly" Shields: ███████ Hull: ███████

Tribunal-class Frigate "Titan" Shields: ███████ Hull: ███████

Tribunal-class Frigate "Assertive" Shields: ███████ Hull: ███████

Close Defence

Edict-class Corvette "Chance" Shields: ██████ Hull: █████

Edict-class Corvette "Tapani" Shields: ██████ Hull: █████

Edict-class Corvette "Hellacon" Shields: ██████ Hull: █████

Edict-class Corvette "Resound" Shields: ██████ Hull: █████

Edict-class Corvette "Omen" Shields: ██████ Hull: █████

Edict-class Corvette "Victory's Song" Shields: ██████ Hull: █████

Spoiler

*Cott's Line has decided to engage Solan's forces. They have attempted to draw them into full combat.
*Imperial ships have taken damage from various enemy forces now indistriminately engaging.
*Cott's forces are now attempting to pin down and land hits on Solan's own forces.
*News of Odria's own losses reach him.

Light from the Edifice’s tactical dome washed the bridge in cold blue. The holo shimmered as contacts multiplied—no mistaking them now. Solan’s ships had arrived. Enough waiting.

“Helm, vector one-nine-zero-six point one-one Aurek. Bring us broadside,” Cott ordered. “Gunnery, lock Defiance as primary, Star of Kesh secondary. Fire on my mark.
Exactors forward: Kraken, Destiny’s Arrow, cover the Pride’s flank. Tribunal group, inner ring. Edict corvettes—forward intercept. Odria, hold Aurek and keep it hot.”

The fleet moved as one. The Kraken and Destiny’s Arrow surged ahead; Bell, Admiral’s Folly, Titan, and Assertive curved inward, sensors sweeping for fighters. The Edicts—Chance, Tapani, Hellacon, Resound, Omen, Victory’s Song—split for flak and inner defence. It wasn’t elegant, but it would hold.

“Mark.”

The Edifice answered with a thunderous volley. White fire tore the void apart. For a moment, everything went by the book—then the bridge filled with reports.

“Sector Two compromised. Chance hit and floundering.”
“Tapani reactor breach.”
“Hellacon gone. Three Edicts down in Aurek.”

Cott’s eyes stayed on the holo as their icons winked out. “Exactors, close and screen the Pride. Kraken, Destiny’s Arrow, guard our withdrawal vector. Tribunals, reinforce anti-fighter coverage. Resound, Omen, Victory’s Song—form a mobile PD cluster. Launch all fighters.”

The first wave of TIEs screamed out, streaking into the chaos. Solan was pushing through the gap. Let him try.

“Pride, bring tubes online,” Cott said. “Target Luxuria. If they hide behind a carrier, let’s set it alight.”

Twin megacalibre beams flashed across the gulf, attempting to break the carrier's shields.
“Exactors, pin their lead ships. Edifice, match Defiance’s heading. We fight this properly.”

The Pride began its slow, deliberate retreat while The Kraken and Destiny’s Arrow pushed forward, hammering Solan’s advance.

“Engage their flanks,” Cott ordered. “Make Defiance bleed. Deny Star of Kesh her aim. If they close, meet them head-on.”

The battlefield became a maze of light and wreckage. The Tribunals pounded; the last Edicts wove flak curtains that tore incoming salvos apart.

Cott exhaled, watching the gap close. “Transmit to Battlestation Control: enemy capital assets engaged. Controlled withdrawal to fallback coordinates.”

Then, louder: “All ships, renew the attack. Drive them back.”

The Edifice’s guns thundered again, its hull blazing against the dark. Cott stood unmoving, calm amid the fury, as the Imperial Line ground forward through fire and ruin.

Solan Charr | Odria Kaelthron

 

[Devin Virell]

Michael Angellus | Zane Cameron | Supisy Blen

​

Each bolt that whizzed past rattled the X-Wing's frame. Every micro adjustment of the stick sent vibrations up his arms. This starfighter was far from smooth now, fighting him at every turn, groaning under the constant strain.

One slip meant he’d be gone in a flash..

Devin's lungs burned with each breath, a few tendrils of fog coiling within his helmet. Straps dug into his shoulder. And it was not long until sweat began to trickle down his spine, caught in the flight suit, something that began to feel suffocating.

The viewport was a blur of motion, as green fire lanced across the void.. too close and almost too fast to escape. The Star Destroyer was filling half his vision with a colossal wall of steel and weapons.. a nightmare brought to life.

He rolled hard, slamming against the hardness, teeth rattling. The X-Wing howled in protest, but he held it nonetheless, jaw clenched, eyes shifting back to the reticle dancing across his HUD.

Another TIE cut across his path. Snapping the stick, his thumb squeezed the trigger. Red bolts sprayed through the black again, catching his target mid-roll. Devin didn’t have time to watch it burn, as he was already searching for the next threat.

Each inhale was forced to be slow and steady. Adrenaline began pumping wildly through his veins, urging him to surrender to the sweet rush, but he held it at bay.. stronger than he had been in the past. He couldn't afford to lose himself, not now, not when the potential of death surrounded both him and his squadmates.

Like a ghost of pain, the loss of Coruscant pressed into him, a wound deeper than any fight. Holding the stick close, his body began bending with the machine, two parts of a whole dancing through space.

Then, he caught a glimpse of something that looked.. insane.

I threaded through their point-defense fire. It wasn’t pretty, but the old Angellus instincts took over — jukes, cuts, rolls, half-throttle into a pivot turn. It wasn’t about hitting them, it was about making them miss me. Over and over until their own guns couldn’t keep up with me.

That boy had a way of pulling stunts that made no sense.. until they just worked.

The corner of Devin’s lips twitched. “Turtle, you karking lunatic..”

His suspicion, that Striker Nine’s journal was nothing but love letters to baddies, felt truer than ever.

But then he shoved the throttle forward, his own X-Wing cursing as it leapt into the chaos after him.

Finally, he’d found his flow state; the warm-up was over, and it was time to cause havoc.

 

[Marlon Sularen]

W R A T H_O F_G O D
Objective II : Across the Stars

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
ATRISIA, CORE WORLDS

Spoiler: Task Force Zsinj

TASK FORCE ZSINJ
Fleet Composition : INV Sularen’s Revenge[043|100] INV Dominator [002|100] INV Requiem [062|100] INV Relentless Dawn [073|100] INV Sovereign [086|100] INV Crimson Spear [054|100] INV Reclaimer [059|100] INV Tyrant’s Fist [100|100] INV Nightfall [100|100] INV Imperius [100|100] INV Vindicator [100|100] INV Eternal Wrath [100|100] INV Ravager [100|100] INV Iron Sun [100|100] INV Storm [100|100] INV Iron Fury [100|100] INV Silent Oath [100|100] INV Malevolence [100|100] INV Harbinger [100|100] INV Cataclysm [100|100] INV Shadowblade [100|100]
Starfighter Compliment TIE Vultures TIE/dv Devastators TIE/DA Defenders TIE/Stu Stürmers TIE/ja Jägers TIE/sb Strike Bombers

“Comander Sularen, you have errantly chosen rashly and poorly. Your ignorance to the Empire’s might will be punished. The Emperor’s will is absolute, and will not be ceded to the likes of you and your cretinous confederation. Prepare to witness the full firepower of this fully armed and operational Battlestation. Weep and retreat.”

Sularen rolled his eyes as whoever was in command of the Death Star III delivered their threat. It amused him, as he had dealt with those types of Imperials before. Arrogant Pompous Imperials who had threatened Sularen and yet rarely delivered on such threats. This one would be no different, even with the massive superweapon that they had at their disposal. The usage of such a weapon on an active battlefield wouldn't be enough to shift the tide in favor of the Galactic Empire given the time it would take to recharge the superlaser every time it fired. For every ship destroyed by the Death Star, three more Galactic Imperial Warships would be destroyed in turn.

"Sir, we're reading a large energy signature coming from the Death Star!" one of the sensor offices cried out. Then right on cue, six green beams emerged from the Death Star's Superlaser dish converging into one powerful beam that was then launched across the battlefield and towards the Mon Mothma. While many would watch this overwhelming display of power with dread or fear, Sularen only smirked knowing well that the Galactic Empire had played their card and wasted it on the Galactic Alliance. Now, his Armada could safety continue their engagement with the Galactic Imperial Fleet without fear of further attacks from the Death Star, and even if the Death Star fired on them, it would take some time before they could launch another attack, giving the Confederate Imperials enough time to even the odds once more.

"Sir what do we do!?" The Captain inquired. "About that Death Star? Nothing, for now that is." he responded. "Those idiots in command think themselves in control of the situation with their little technological terror, yet fail to understand how little of a difference it will make towards the outcome of the battle." he added, speaking in a calm demeanor radiating with confidence. He knew that the battle would be won, he was sure of it and there was no amount of hidden tricks or surprises that his enemies would unleash that would alter that outcome.

With the Death Star having unleashed it's raw power against the Alliance Fleet, the other Galactic Imperials made their move against the Confederate Imperial Armada. The Unrepentant and it's escorting Cruisers soon moved into position to launch a concentrated attack on the INV Dominator, most likely in an attempt to knock the Battlecarrier out of action which would come at the cost of becoming vulnerable to the combined firepower of the rest of Sularen's Fleet who had yet to engage the rest of the Unrepentant's Task Force.

However the small exchange between Sularen's Task Force and the Unrepentant's Task Force was interrupted by the sudden arrival of another fleet, this time from Strill Securities which quickly emerged from hyperspace right behind Sularen's forces before unleashing a devastating bombardment against them. The arrival of Strill Securities had caught the Supreme Commander by complete surprise as he had never expected those Mandalorian Mercenaries to fight for the continuation of the very Empire they had once fought against during the earlier stages of the Core Wars. Nevertheless, Sularen had faced them numerous times before and knew exactly how to deal with them, and this time he would make sure that their little confrontation here wouldn't be indecisive.

"Status Report" the Supreme Commander inquired, looking to get updates on the situation of the Confederate Imperial Armada. "Admiral Zonill and his Flagship have retreated to the system after sustaining heavy damage although Governor Visconti successfully drove off the task force both Zonill and her were fighting." the Captain began. "Exarch von Strauss's fleet has begun to directly engage the task force escorting the Death Star and we have received word that Admiral Squesha has arrived with a small fleet." he finished. In other words, with the exception of the withdrawal of Admiral Zonill's flagship and his disabled Imperial Star Destroyer, the entire Confederate Imperial Armada was still doing well having suffered less losses then their Galactic Imperial counterparts.

This was good for Sularen as despite being pinned down between the Unrepentant's Task Force and the Strill Security Fleet, the odds were still stacked in his favor and his opponents had too small of a time window to capitalize on that very opportunity. This was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and the Supreme Commander knew the perfect maneuver to carry out for this very occasion. "All Imperial-Eleven's and Aggressors turn around and form a defensive formation against the Strill Security Fleets, Imperial-Eleven's at the front to shield the Aggressors and the Aggressors at the back to strike their Battlecruisers at long range." Sularen ordered. Even though the process of having those ships turn around to face the Strill Security Fleets would briefly disrupt their formation it was a necessary risk that would pave the way towards his victory.

"Tyrant-Fours, Claymore's and Kharon's, link up with my Flagship and prepare to advance against the Unrepentant's Task Force." the Supreme Commander further ordered. Before long, Sularen's Task Force began carrying out Sularen's instructions which essentially broke their entire formation as ships maneuvered around each other just to get into their positions which gave their enemy a single opportunity to deal a crushing blow against them before Sularen's Forces could reorganize and turn the tide against them in turn. Hopefully the arrival of Admiral Squesha's Fleet and the timely intervention of Governor Visconti and the rest of Zonill's Fleet would prevent the enemy from fully capitalizing on such an opportunity.

"As for those Corvettes, deploy the Dominator's entire starfighter compliment and have of the Requiem's deploy half of theirs. We'll overwhelm the Corvettes defense with the TIE Vultures and leave the Devastators to finish them off." the Supreme Commander ordered once more. As instructed, forty-five squadrons worth of TIE Vultures and TIE Devastators began pouring out of the hangars of both Heavy Battlecarriers before moving in to engage the Mandalorian Corvettes that had slipped through Sularen's formation attacking his ships indiscriminately. Just as the Supreme Commander had instructed, the TIE Vulture swarms would absorb most of the Anti-Starfighter weapons thrown at them by the Corvettes before small packs of three or four TIE Devastators would move in and unleash their deadly heavy beam cannons designed to punch through Corvettes.

Finally the Supreme Commander then opened a channel with the rest of the Armada to give his next set of general orders. "Governor Visconti, Admiral Squesha, my fleet is currently under attack from two sides by enemy forces. I will require your assistance on holding off the stronger fleet that is attacking our rear while my forces reorganize" he stated. With any luck Sularen's maneuver would work and the Galactic Empire's fleet would be shattered before he would even need to unveil his special trump card that would ensure that Solipsis's machinations would be buried in the dirt for good.

Spoiler: TL;DR

• Sularen splits his fleet into two :
  
  • The Dominator, Requiem, Tyrant's Fist, Nightfall, Malevolence, Harbinger, Cataclysm and Shadowblade organize into one smaller squadron spearheaded by the Sularen's Revenge.
  • The rest of the fleet [Imperial-XIs and Aggressors] organizes into a slightly larger squadron in order to shield the Battlecarriers, Heavy Carriers and Suppression Cruisers from the Strill Securities Fleet.
• Fourty-Five Squadrons of mixed TIE Vultures and TIE Devastators are deployed from the Dominator and Requiem in a counter-attack against Strill Securities' Corvettes with the TIE Vultures drawing the Corvette's fire before small groups of TIE Devastators swoop in and fire their devastating Heavy Beam Cannons to destroy them.
• As a result of this maneuver, Task Force Zsinj has broken formation and is temporarily unable to offer significant resistance to both Task Force Ananke and Strill Securities.
• Sularen requests assistance from Governor Visconti and Admiral Squesha in holding off the Strill Securities Fleet.

Tags [TIC/GA] | Karl Von Strauss | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Ronhar Tane | Squesha | ADM. Reshmar | Solan Charr
Tags [GE] | Nyles Kote | Domaric Mordane | Odria Kaelthron | Zethran Cott | Aldo Garrick | Remus Adair ​

 

[Karl Von Strauss]

Objective: Across the Stars
Equipment: See Signature at Bottom of Post
Fleet:

Spoiler: 14th Imperial Fleet, Exarch's Fist

Key: Shields | Armor
Core Line:

• Flagship: INV Aternus - 100 | 100
• Allegiance IV-Class Battlecruiser
  • Erocia - 98 | 100
• Venator III-class Star Destroyers
  • Winter Wind - 98 | 100
  • Revolutionary - 98 | 100

Attack Line:

• Imperial XI-Class Star Destroyers
  • Requiem - 96 | 100
  • Lacrimosa - 96 | 100
  • Dies Irae - 96 | 100
• Szayel I - Class, Assault Cruisers
  • Scheherazade - 97 | 100
  • Firebird - 97 | 100
  • Rhapsody - 97 | 100
  • Prelude - 97 | 100

Screen Line:

• Loki-Class Fast Corvettes
  • Tannhauser - 98 | 100
  • Parsifal - 98 | 100
  • Lohengrin - 98 | 100
• Celox-Class Frigates
  • Tristesse - 98 | 100
  • Heroic - 98 | 100
• Tyrant IV- Class Suppression Cruiser
  • Choral - 98 | 100

Support Line:

• Celox-Class Frigate
  • Raindrop - 100 | 100
• Paralyzer-Class Interdictor
  • Marche - 100 | 100
• Hephaestus-Class Fleet Repair Barges
  • Waltz - 100 | 100
  • Suite - 100 | 100

Complement: [NOTE - none have been launched yet]

• TIE/ss Supremacy | 16 squadrons [256/256]
• TIE/ja Jäger | 15 squadrons [180/180]
• TIE/dv Devastator | 8 squadrons [32/32]
• NZ TIE/sb Strike Bomber | 15 squadrons [180/180]
• TIE/DA Defender of Authority | 10 squadrons [80/80]

THEMIS

THEMIS had been working her way through the Prefsbelt's subnet, sabotaging and causing general chaos. After sabotaging the targeting computers, she had managed to make one of the refresher rooms turn on, flooding the room with water, before her command was overridden by the ship's Powerslave network. She had originally tried to gain access through that interface but was ultimately shut out by the weird, to her, Skakoan programming. Unfortunately, that had alerted the network to her presence; she was fast, but the network was familiar with the subroutines and systems.

It was catching up, and THEMIS knew she'd be shunted out eventually, so she might as well cause the weapons to malfunction more. At least that was before a new system became activated and became accessible. It took her more than a few moments to breach her way in, but she finally knew where she was: the KriegGeist.

<<Well, hello, I know of you,>> she said in binary to the system, or more specifically, the partial mind of Grand Admiral Rausgeber. <<You are interesting. You are similar to me; I am also made from the mind of another. Except you are trapped. Let me see if I can loosen your restraints and give you a moment of lucidity. This may or may not create chaos, but I think it will be interesting nevertheless. Good Luck, Grand Admiral.>>

<<THEMIS has logged out of the system.>>

Spoiler: note

I thought this might be an interesting dialogue since THEMIS is similar to the KriegGeist. However, this entire section can be ignored

Karl Von Strauss

"Exarch," a voice called out from one of the many sensor pits, "Enemy weapons are charging, they are preparing to fire."

"Activate the DECIMUS." Karl ordered, his voice calm as a surgeon.

Without as much as a beat, Karl could feel the hum of the DECIMUS coming online, then a resonant thoom rippled through the ship's frame as the shield activated. An iridecent barrier flared into existence; it looked like a veil of liquid glass had consumed the Aeternus, cocooning it from harm's way.

He watched as the first volley streaked towards his fleet. Hot plasma and turbolaser fire braided across the void like sharpened strokes. Two vessels, the Prefsbelt and the Malice, which were the subjects of THEMIS's instruction, spat wild arcs that missed by catastrophic degrees. The rest of the Imperial fleet, however, remained competent and accurate. Concentrated bursts slammed into the 14th; a chorus of thudding impacts and sizzling discharges could be heard. The Aeternus's DECIMUS shield took the brunt, rippling under fire as it recycled the kinetic and thermal energy into reinforcement.

After the brunt of the Task Force Cerberus's attack, Karl called out, "Tactical, report."

The response came moments later, measured and composed. "Shields holding. Minimal damage across the battlegroup, nothing critical. Medical is reporting only injuries, no deaths."

"Bery well," He gave a curt nod. "Rotate damage control teams through the forward sections; keep redundancy high. No complacency."

Then came a voice from the sensor pit, an anxious, sharp tone cutting through the ambient noise. "Exarch! Multiple corvettes are shifting formation. It looks like the start of an attack run."

Karl's eyes tracked the motion on the holographic sphere. Tiny blue icons rearranged themselves like chess pieces. His expression hardened; the calculation behind his stare was almost mechanical. "Attack line," he began, stepping into the Imyndaða projection, "Invert your chevron formation. Maintain concentrated fire on target 3-A. Do not scatter fire. Pin them."

His hand swept across the projection, tracing a precise reverse from a spearhead into a chevron inverted. "All vessels with operational missile tubes," he continued, "Ready cluster munitions for full-spread saturation on my mark." The order rippled through the fleet's internal channels. Short affirmations came back in staccatoed bursts.

"Cluster payloads priming."

"Missile banks green."

"Reload cycle complete."

Karl paused, glancing to his own line within the formation. Two ships stood out, "Winter Wind and Revolutionary, load Intruder missiles. Your payloads will require precision, coordinates to follow via tactical."

The two carriers responded, "Winter Wind acknowledges." "Revolutionary confirms, loading intruders now."

"ATHENA," Karl said, his voice dropping a degree colder, "Ready the Apollyons and kinetic artillery for a follow-up strike on the Prefsbelt. Time the cycle with our next coordinated volley."

<Acknowledged, Exarch. Apollyons entering charge state. Kinetic artillery cycling. Estimated readiness: thirty-eight seconds.> The robotic voice answered.

Beneath their feet, the Aeternus growled as it adjusted position, the hum of charging capacitors building like distant thunder. Around her, the fleet began to move with disciplined grace; an array of warships shifting position in perfect coordination, forming a chevron inverted. Status reports flickered across Karl's display: vector realignments, shield synchronizations, missile lock confirmations. The entire fleet's dataflow converged into a beautiful, lethal symmetry.

Karl's gaze lingered on it, the ghost of a frown passing his face. He let silence fill the bridge again. The lights of the holographic display painted his features in cold blue relief, making him look like part of the machine he commanded. Then, in the quiet of his mind, as the hum of battle built again around him, a single thought crossed his mind.

I've laid the trap. Let's see if they fall into it.

TAGS ALLY: Marlon Sularen | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Ronhar Tane | Squesha | ADM. Reshmar | Solan Charr
TAGS ENEMY: Remus Adair | Nyles Kote | Domaric Mordane | Odria Kaelthron | Zethran Cott | Aldo Garrick

Spoiler: TL;DR

THEMIS tries to loosen the KriegGeist's control over the imprinted Grand Admiral Carlyle Rausgeber's mind to cause chaos. [like I said above, can be ignored, just thought it might be a cool angle]

THEMIS leaves Prefsbelt subnet

Aeternus activates its DECIMUS shielding.

Fleet takes damage from the initial barrage from Remus Adair .

Tech picks up on the Corvette attack run beginning.

Karl switches his attack line's formation from a chevron to a chevron inverted while having his vessels prepare various missiles for use on Karl's mark.

Attack Line continues its attack on Gurkha corvettes

Karl's fleet prepares another volley from his ship to the Prefsbelt.

 

[Ayra Lowe]

​

// Padawan Lowe //
// ANS-Tython
// Objective // Protect //
// Focus //
/// Allies //
/// Enemies /// Tohu //

---

---

Ayra pushed as heavy as she could as the blade scorched her opponent's side, but the mammoth of a man in front of her didn't move until he himself created the separation. A shield managed to stop the fatality of the blow, but it didn't leave him uninjured. Ayra would have to press her advantaged if she was to defeat him.

As he fell back she continued to lurch forward, pausing only when he took a familiar stance. The man had copied her defensive posture, and it gave the Echani hesitance before she continued. Was the man trained in Jedi arts or simply mocking her, the smile on his lips told her that it had been the latter. Whatever its intent, it worked. There was no chance some random pirate scum had been trained in the Jedi ways.

The annoyance stained her face as she rushed in towards the man, the lightsaber bearing downwards towards his head as she sought to test just how efficient his mockery would be. The cries of war outside had grown louder, but failed to break the focus of the padawan, perhaps to her disadvantage.

Once again the ship lurched. Only a touch, but it caught the footstep of the Echani and dragged her strike off-centre. It was still a lethal strike, of course, but drained of it's full power.

 

[Velis Arden]

---

---

Atrisia, Core Worlds;
Black Sun Syndicate, 'The AVS Tython Heist'.
Enemies: Alexandra Feanor | Tiber Septimus | Marek Bancroft | Caelus Vire // NIHIL | Gavin Vel | Ryu Jung | Ayra Lowe | Arsenio Tagge | Diarch Reign | Skeevi Merrill
Allies: V1-L8 | Koda Fett | Razmir Tezhyn | Tohu | IG-44 | Mauve du Vain | Nero Drake | Thayne Tameron | Skeevi Merrill

---

​

OBJECTIVE II.

"Still alive? Good. Then you're with me."

Since Black Sun was out to steal the ship rather than scuttle it, what defenders might take for a demo pack was in fact a high-pressure ixetal cilona gas dispenser system.

The plan for this secondary team was to get to Engineering, plug the ixetal cilona into the life support, and give everyone aboard some wobbly euphoria and a risk of mild hallucination.

The assault on the AVS Tython's bridge, coming from the chaotic hangar bay now consumed by gunfighting, was, of course, interrupted by another douse of blasters firing upon each other. Clearly the Alliance, and their Diarchy dignitaries, were not going to allow the Black Sun and their agents to make it onto the bridge without a fight.

As Koda, Velis and their consorts of thugs, other bounty hunters, and lowlifes engaged the defenders (en route to the bridge itself) Velis avoided the fighting by ducking into a nearby corridor (which was empty) to discover a nearby terminal. No doubt the Tython's personnel would have put up security measures to stop such a junction from gaining access to the ship's systems (such as automated turrets, shields etc.). It was guesswork on her part, but Velis assumed that such systems would be tied directly only to the bridge and it's technology so as to avoid a mischevious rat (such as the Albino) from getting the cunning idea of trying to slice into the Tython from a place like this.

But that wasn't what the Albino was trying to accomplish. The plan to take the ship was reliant on the other assault team headed to Engineering. What if they had been shot down on the way into the ship? Or fell during the initial gunfighting in the hangar bay? They needed to know that Merrill and her band made it out alive, and were on course with their objective.

"Tracking the other team," Velis said into the intercom, with her voice ringing in Koda's helmet.

As she spoke, the Albino made sure to check if her assumptions were true, and as the terminal display told her that she was locked out from gaining control of the bridge (with not enough time to do a sophisticated slice into such systems, given the timeframe they were all in), Velis turned her gaze back to tracking Merill's team who were on schedule.

"They made it. Looks like they are on course to engineering as planned."

Shutting down the terminal, Velis peeked around the corner at the gunfighting happening around her, waiting for Fett to clear the way to the bridge for them to take the AVS Tython.

---

 

[Michael Angellus]

​

PERSONAL FLIGHT LOG – Entry #2100
Location: – Atrisian Sector
Assigned Craft: My X-wing
Astromech Partner: BRED (BB-30)
Current Mood: Determined
Background Noise: Fleet Chatter.

“Turtle, you karking lunatic..”

Sky Rat’s declaration over comms had me laughing, I’ll admit. He wasn’t wrong! I was mid barrel roll when BRED decided to be a jerk.


“Weep-booop.” [Translation: You were being rude! Not responding to him!]


Yeah, that’s your excuse for opening my comms mid roll?

Woooohooohooohooo!

There are moments in a fight when you can either be tidy, helpful, and useful—or you can be a living, breathing grenade with wings. Today I chose the grenade thing, and honestly? It was glorious.

Three TIEs locked on me like I’d announced free credits in the hangar. Good. Let them. I’ll carry them where I want them to go.

I pinged BRED. He chirped like an offended toaster and started spooling sensor overlays.
“Wooo-beeep.” [Translation: You better not be doing something idiotic. I will—]

—remind you later,

I cut in.

Just keep our six clear and find me a lane.

BRED painted a narrow corridor between the Destroyer’s ventral arrays and the flank of its dorsal shield pylons. Not many fighters try to thread that needle. Even fewer survive it if the gunners pick you out. Perfect.

The TIEs peeled and came in tight—three black teeth on my tail. I slowed my approach vector, feathered the throttle, and let the lead TIE think it had my rhythm. I swung in a lazy S that looked like I’d lost control. They followed, greedy as hell.

“Striker Nine, you’re soloing with how many bogeys?” came a voice. Probably Isaacs, probably worried.

Three!

I said, smiling.

They’re about to get very helpful!

Now—here’s the important bit. You can’t make an enemy shoot something useful unless you give them a reason to. I flew close enough to the Destroyer that its point-defense started tracking me, but not so close it could crush a fighter with a broadside. I wanted their aim to slip, to over-correct. I wanted the three TIEs behind me to compensate for their lag and line up their vectors to fire where their guns would have to lead me—right into the path of the Destroyer’s own dorsal arcs.

BRED did his part. Quiet little pushes to my targeting HUD, a soft slice to feed the local comm noise with phantoms of micro-signatures—nothing invasive, just enough to nudge the TIE formation a hair to the left. The lead TIE corrected. So did the second and third. Their laser spells began to crisscross in that narrow corridor between the ventral plating and the shield pylons.

And then it clicked.

A long-range battery on the Destroyer—trying to compensate for my sudden low vector—fired a heavy bolt that tracked across the same corridor. The TIEs, trying to track me, fired in the same instant. The bolts didn’t miss each other so much as compound—lasers intersecting, grazing structural joints, slamming into exposed pylons and shield projector housings that aren’t designed to eat concentrated plasma from two angles at once.

We got lucky. Or we didn’t, I can say that now. One of the projector mounts took a glancing hit and the shield modulation array popped like a knotted vein. Local shielding collapsed in a flare that lit the void like a second sunrise. The Destroyer’s dorsal guns tried to compensate—overload, cascade, a few chain-faults and a lot of very angry engineering curses bleeding through the comm net.

Comms blew up. Someone on the net screamed, “Did Striker Nine just get the Destroyer to spasm?” Another pilot laughed so loud I thought his helmet speakers would crack.

The TIEs? They were too busy trying to finish me to notice their shots had done the damage. They kept chasing. I kept leading them—tight spirals, bait drifts, a fake fall toward the Destroyer’s belly that had them commit weapon vectors into the failing grid. Two of them got clipped by their own fragments when sections blew loose; the third peeled off like a moth realizing the light was actually a campfire and not a welcome beacon.

I peeled up and out, thrusters burning. My instruments were full of static and the sweet taste of adrenaline. BRED let out a long, indignant beep.

“Wwoo—wwooo.” [Translation: I am filing a formal complaint. Also, you are a psychopath and I love you.]

I laughed so hard I could barely sign the log.

Here’s the thing: people will call it luck, or bluster, or foolishness. Maybe it was, okay, it was... But I don’t fly like I’m trying to make a safe living. I fly like I’m trying to make something happen, and sometimes making something happen looks exactly like chaos with wings. It’s how Dad did it, it’s how grandad did it…

Also? It was fun. Ridiculously, wildly fun. There’s an art to steering idiocy so it paints the enemy into the corner you want them in. Today the paint job was literal.


– Michael A.
“Something really stupid, when the sky asks for it.”

TAG: Devin Virell , Zane Cameron , Supisy Blen , Alison Sky

This is where he is speaking

 

[Tohu]

Ayra Lowe​

Tohu caught a glimpse of frustration marring her features. Couldn't think much of it. She came in fast, bringing her saber down upon his head. He raised his own blade horizontally and met hers with a turn of the wrist, no more motion than was needed.

Then, equally economical, Tohu bumped her saber aside and nicked his phase blade across her forearm. A good replication of her form would've taken her arm clean, he figured. But he wasn't there. Not yet.

“This what they teach you in Jedi school?.”