Dominion An Uncivil War: First Order Dominion of Keskin

[Dyrn Grav]

KESKIN JUNGLE
AMBUSH POSITIONS​

When the lead scout mentioned the ambush and began to prepare a tripwire, Dyrn knew better than to stand nearby. He moved as quickly as his injuries would allow, his face a grimace under the helmet, his limp worsening. But for now it would be fine, he would make do, because to do anything else would be to place them all in even more danger. The other personnel were quick to maintain speed, too, as the First Order group followed Madine and allowed the scouts to do what they did best.

Dyrn reached the ambush position further ahead, and immediately stopped next to Lady Fortan, his bulk beside hers as he crouched side-by-side. The tree would protect her front, his armored body would protect her side, and they would get through the fight alive. Present of the bright color of his personal gear, the Guardsman took that moment to dredge up some mud and began to smear it across the stark white; it wasn't perfect, but it dulled his appearance somewhat, as he picked up his blaster again and waited for what was to come.

<"Not long now, ma'am,"> Dyrn said in a low voice, as his helmet turned to glance at Natasi. <"Just like we trained... center mass. Aim big, miss small.">

Then, with a shift of his injured leg, Dyrn settled in and listened for the--

* KA-THOOM! *

--the tripwire was sprung, and the Guard Captain watched as the sudden attack sent the group that stalked the First Order personnel into a panic. They began scattering and running, before cries and shouts filled the air. And if the scouts began to lead them toward the ambush, the Guard Captain waited until he saw the familiar soldiers, and then when the enemy came into view, he stepped out of cover from the tree on his good leg and began to fire with his blaster.

<"There they are, open fire!">

Red blaster bolts filled the space between the trees and dense undergrowth, as Dyrn lined up shots and pulled his trigger. The blaster pistol was accurate to a few dozen or so meters, but the jungle made that range difficult to sight and send; still, he would continue firing, blazing away, as he stayed close enough to the Supreme Leader to cover her form with his own, should they come under fire themselves...

Natasi Fortan | Gunnar Madine | Caio | B’rukh clan Obvupam​

 

[Caio]

In Caio's experience it was always a lot of nerves and waiting right before the heart splitting terror and loud noises.

Keskin was no exception. Three weeks of patrolling with maybe four incidents before this. All a few moments of shoot and scoot. It was nice to be able to spring the surprise on the other side for once.

KA-BOOM.

The plasma mine immolated the lead figure while sending two more running aflame. Caio fired into the brush, trusting to instinct as half seen figures flickered left and right in the gloom, trying to move around the blaster bolts. He whooped despite himself, forgetting discipline, this was what it was all about.

"I got two of the feckers man!" he shouted across to Somhairle. The Coilltean was flashing a wolfish smile as he reloaded his rifle, "I got one!". The sudden burst of return fire reminded them that it wasn't all fun and games when the other side were armed. "Time to move I guess"

He checked his weapon before running back, Somhairle in front of him. He clattered Kanner on the side of the arm "Last man!" before the other started firing into the undergrowth. Wild blaster fire followed as their attackers tried to track them by sound.

The others were putting down a fierce base of fire but it was time to hot tail it back a little further, let them think they'd ran, then hammer them again. Oldest trick in the book but those were the ones that worked best. "Let's go, let's go!"

Dyrn Grav Natasi Fortan Gunnar Madine @brukh clan Obvupam

 

[Resurgent Regiment]

Maderna swore as his tac slate blinked out. The Keskin Liberation Front had never been one to splash out on technology. Funds was one issue, actual technical competence was another. They'd brought in offworld techs before but the clash between indigenous and offworlder was always one going to result in blood if they weren't reined in enough.

He could have done with some of them now. The import APC was second rate back on Crayven but cutting edge when compared to the kit the Loyalists were using. Bastards. Hardliners who'd stayed loyal to the First Order for the lonely years the planet had finally shook off the yoke. They'd only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure would come crashing down.

And then the First Order had returned. Which meant Maderna's 4th Liberation Brigade were now fighting professional soldiers and not just the conscripts and household guards of the Loyalist government. What should have been a simple push forward to open the way to the capital had turned into a meatgrinder. The computers were estimating fifty percent losses and the fight wasn't even over yet.

He ordered the gunner to track a section that was moving back. Retreating in order which was commendable but retreating was not. "Forward!" he screamed into the loudspeakers and the APC's heavy blaster fired over their heads in encouragement. Maderna was about to say something else when the gunner in the turret made a sound like a scalded cat.

He looked up to see the gunner's body slumped and sunlight streaming in through the open hatch. He had time to see a white helmet and a small cylinder being dropped inside before the hatch clanged shut.

 

[Aithche Wierz]

Aithche wouldn't have called herself a hero.

Her service record jibed with that in part. There'd been several actions in her past that had been sufficient to have her commended by superiors and received awards for gallantry or wounds suffered in the line of duty. She'd given up dreams of medal hunting after her first time in action and truth be told, she found it distasteful.

But she knew the point of it. People needed something to look up to, loftier ideals, no matter how tawdry or stupid they might sound in the light of day. Watching someone else risk life and limb might be stupidity if they didn't walk away from it but worse things had been labelled heroism. She'd drawn from her pool of luck before but never too deep. You always had to pay the piper at the end of day.

"Bollocks anyways" she muttered before crawling out of her spider hole. Her mouth was dry and she could taste metal. "Six to all FOA receiving". She didn't need to worry about the stormtroopers, they were doing what they were trained to do and having a merry old time butchering the rebels. "Sections to provide fire support" she pinged the relevant units on her tacslate "Alternates to push forward. We're taking the fight to them ladies and gentlemen. Can't let the Stormtrooper Corps win this one".

She slid the rifle out in front of her and risked a peek over the dirt mound. Not for the first time, she wished she'd taken that job in the civil service.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi watched intently, trying to make out the shape of the activities in the dense jungle, but it wasn't until the plasma mine went off with a flash of brilliant green that she understood what had happened. The sounds of movement and gunfire drew closer. "They're coming," she whispered to herself, lodging herself into a supportive position against the tree trunk. It stood to reason that Caio and his men would lure the creatures pursuing them into what she thought military types would call a killbox.

She only hoped that between herself, Gunnar Madine, Dyrn Grav and the diplomats who had armed themselves with what blasters were available from the crash site could make the grisly term live up to its name.

On some unseen signal or impulse, one of the diplomats opened fire, and the others joined in. Natasi, too, carefully lined up her shot -- much improved thanks to lessons with Captain Grav -- and began firing, repetedly striking the creatures that were giving chase.

When the fire died down, the smoking corpses of the creatures lay toppled in whatever grim poses into which they had fallen. Natasi surveyed the area, her gaze scrutinizing the carnage before she left cover, carefully clambering over the trees towards the others. "An excellent plan," she told Caio with genuine admiration in her voice. "I think we're clear to proceed to the rendezvous point."

@B'ruhk clan Obvupam​

 

[Calran Bard]

Things were going well, relatively speaking. The push from the combined forces of the Stormtroopers and Shocktroopers looked to be enough to finally make the rebel group reassess the choice of assaulting the position being held. The APCs were hit with thunderous explosives, from projectiles to handheld detonators, and it effectively crippled the rebel's armored offensive as one after the other lost functionality in a plume of fire and smoke. It wasn't a nice business, it was war, but the First Order were significantly more skilled and equipped to wage it over the group of resistant locals - those who didn't care about the impact of their decisions on others, and sought only to promote their own agenda.

"Keep it up, push forward and move the line back," Bard called as he stepped through the mud and grass, his armored boots sinking with each movement. "Maintain the right flank, reinforce our troopers on the rebel's retreating angle - Charlie group, scramble to assist Beta, go, go!"

As a unified front, the 105th pushed forward. Step by muddy step. They moved like an undeterred object, trained to be some of the best standard legion Stormtroopers the First Order had to offer, and maintained combat advancement position through sheer discipline and determination. The rebels fired back as they began to succumb to the overwhelming forces against them, and their actions became more panicked and reactive; that meant an increased risk, as the smaller insurgent sentients began to take bigger risks.

Bard saw several of his men fall, as a hastily thrown explosive impacted along the line. He cursed, lined up his blaster rifle and shot the alien responsible, before he continued to pull the trigger along the advancement line. The 9th were doing their part, impressive in result for their size, and the friendlies that had been pinned at the location were starting to emerge also, as the tide of the battle shifted visibly.

"Watch for the detonators," Bard called, as he pointed to the rebels as they began to fall back, leaving the smoking husks of the APCs they once had for protection - and morale, it seemed. "Begin to circle on the left advance, let's swing around and put the advancement line front on to encourage the retreat!"

Confirmations sounded, and the 105th began to do just that. The squads of Stormtroopers moved and fell in with the defending force that had been pinned, before creating a new line and continuing to push the rebels back - it was hard, slow, and people were lost to blaster fire. But thankfully, the rebels were the ones taking the significantly heavier losses, and the battle was a forlorn conclusion; everyone involved knew what had happened, what was happening, and the momentum and effectiveness of either side shifted to reflect that.

The First Order poured more into the effort; the rebels continued to crumble and disperse...

"Excellent work," Bard said into his helmet comm, his face a grim smile despite the circumstances. "Let's finish clearing the area. The rebels are done."

Zsuzsa | Rolf Amsel | Aithche Wierz | Vakim Duval​

 

[Zsuzsa]

Theta One's fireteam moved up the far right flank trying to use Keskin's jungle cover to their advantage to get closer to that offending E-Web harassing the 105th's advance... Though, being in white armor kinda amongst the green foliage defeated the purpose.

If only the First Order Stormtroopers had chameleon armor that changed to the environment they were in. Now that would be a worthy upgrade. Zsuzsa still preferred the CEMC gear overall, but it was what it was. You do the best with what you have. It had been her choice anyway to change allegiances after the Ssi-ruuk campaign working alongside the Imperials. She wasn't complaining, just saying in her mindful thought.

<"Incoming... Get down, get down!"> the Lieutenant shouted to her men over their unit's comms as a missile was launched from the E-Web nest up ahead. The missile overshot their position so probably wasn't aimed exactly at them or maybe the rebels were that poorly trained. That was hopefully an upside, but also meant they were dealing with a "Swarm Turret" instead of just a heavy repeating blaster cannon.

Grabbing her "quadnocs" from the unity belt slung about her waist, the Chiss surveyed the nest better. There wasn't just one, but two set up. After getting the lay, she made a plan of attack and communicated it to the rest of the fire team.

On the count of three, the stormtroopers moved with precision and executed a textbook takedown of both E-web missile launchers simultaneously. Only one of the Thetas got dinged, but it was just a flesh wound. He'd survive and have a nice war story to toy with the ladies.

<"Zsuzsa to Bard... Dual E-Web threats eliminated on your right flank. Will proceed to clear further in. See you on the other side.">

Calran Bard | Rolf Amsel | Aithche Wierz | Vakim Duval​