Public Artificial Solstice

[IRONCOM]

Artificial Solstice
Ord Radama, 902ABY
​

Ord Radama was never fully tamed, even in the golden years of Imperial rule. After the collapse of the New Imperial Order, a fragment of its strength endured here — a loyalist garrison that weathered two decades of attrition, sabotage, and silence. For years, they served as little more than borderwardens, occupying the urban sprawl of Radama Prime and the surrounding provinces with relative stability. But beneath that quiet presence, something deeper stirred.

Four years ago, the Empire-in-exile — or what remained of it — reinforced the world with a hidden project cloaked behind bureaucratic misdirection. A repurposed administrative complex became the cover for a highly classified weapons and energy research facility: Facility Theta-9, conducting experiments far beyond what was publicly sanctioned. Its presence remained a secret — until the locals uncovered the truth.

The moment the veil was lifted, rebellion spread like fire. Unified for the first time in generations, the insurgents swept through outlying districts, shattering Imperial control and cornering the garrison within the fortified research hub itself. For the past six months, parts of the 181st Stormtrooper Legion have fought a brutal siege, holding the crumbling perimeter as resources dwindle and enemies close in.

A Distress Signal Was Sent:

"To any Imperial forces within range: this is Colonel Vehros of the 181st Legion, currently entrenched at Radama Prime. Rebel forces have breached outer sectors and now press the inner cordon. Facility Theta-9 remains intact, but cannot hold indefinitely. We are outnumbered and cut off. This is not a request for evacuation — this is a demand for reinforcement. The facility must not fall into enemy hands. Project Solstice is at risk. Repeat: Solstice is at risk.

Glory to the Empire."

​

The message was never meant to reach beyond Imperial frequencies. But it did. Now, those loyal to the idea of the Empire — whatever form it may now take — face a choice: let the last stand of the 181st become a final grave, or turn the siege into a spark.

Imperial military commanders may see a strategic opportunity: to reassert control, to avenge a forgotten legion, or to reclaim a bastion world in a sector long written off. Scientists and intelligence agents know the name Solstice all too well — a project hidden in deep vaults beneath Radama Prime that cannot, under any circumstances, fall into the hands of radicals or rival factions.

Meanwhile, corporate or opportunistic actors may smell profit, prototype salvage, or political leverage in the chaos. And beyond the shadows, the rebels and their off-world sympathizers are preparing to crush the last Imperial stronghold and expose the sins buried beneath it to the entire galaxy.

Who will answer the call — and who will silence it forever?

OOC Thread: Here​

 

[Imperius Indomitus]

W A R M A S T E R
LORD INDOMITUS
Through war, we bring order.
Through strength, we bring unity.

The Iron March
Order. Discipline. Purpose.

IMPERIAL ARRIVAL​

Ord Radama | Orbit | Valor
Reinforcing the 181st

He had sent Colonel Vehros and the 182nd Regiment of the 181st Legion here and in the wake of the Imperial Downfalls, their station and duty had been forgotten, overlooked and with that, undermined. A mistake that was difficult to remedy, but there was still opportunity to save what was left of both Project Solstice as well as his Regiment. Together with the 181st Regiment he mounted the next available ship from their recent base of operations near New Alderaan and headed to Ord Radama.

Arriving in the system was already going beyond mere warnings. It was a mess. There was obviously no imperial presence anymore, but apparently the central authorities were also at odds with the rebels that have taken up arms against the Imperials, having been caught in the middle of mediation and judgement of the weapons program. There were no lanes or sensor buoys, no structure or guiding system in place. Immediately the alarms went off as the heavy cruiser exited hyperspace, even weapon lock alerts.

"Power to shields and weapons, bring us into orbit above the facility. Ready the gunships, prepare fighter screens." Imperius coldly said from his vantage point on the bridge. He stood in a broad stance, hands crossed on his back, the soulless eyes barely reflecting the light of the local star as he stared at the planet in front.

In the hangars crews got ready and powered up their engines, the scream of the characteristic twin-ion engines wailing through each of the hangars while the clanking of Stormtrooper armor and boots across the armored deck echoed forth as units entered the preparing gunships. This would be a hot landing and a difficult extraction.

 

[Dazzleskin]

The thing Dazzleskin loved most about the Human Galaxy, other than its flourishing diversity of intoxicating and stimulating beverages, was the drama. Humans had the most mutable hierarchies. Chaos blossomed everywhere. See here, for example. Nothing like this could have happened on Lwhekk.

So when his ovoid ship touched down near Radama Prime and he headed out with his enteched droid escort (all fuelled by the life energies of rivals, fairly taken, he had SOME scruples) he was mostly here to sightsee. To get a taste of the chaos.

He set up on a hill at the edge of town. The view before him was looking much like a siege...

 

[Onrai]

Ord Radama Orbit
Tags: Imperius Indomitus Dazzleskin

A single ship entered orbit of Ord Radama - it was the Ablution, the infamous and practically antique warship of Vanessa Vantai and the prime symbol of the Engima, the power bloc of former Dark Imperials she had managed to coalesce behind her. With relationships between Imperial factions having warmed and Imperial unity on the horizon, the governor of Ord Mantell had chosen explicitly to pursue whatever remnants she could yet acquire of the galactic power's former forces. It was a dance she was very familiar with, courtesy of having done the same in Sith-Imperial times.

The mighty beam weapons of the battleship turned their focus onto the world below. Targeting data fed into the archaic sensors sent beams of plasma shooting down from orbit onto the surface of the world. Insurgents were boiled alive, their bodies disintegrated by radiant streams of plasma that burned as bright as the star their world circled around. Fighters and bombers exited the ship's hangar along with shuttles and landing craft. A voice message was sent from the Ablution to all Imperials still using the preexisting Imperial comms frequencies.

"This is Vanessa Vantai on board the Ablution. I am taking operational control of this combat zone under Case Canopic. We are providing fire support from orbit and the first wave of fighters and bombers should reach you within minutes. I have Darktroopers waiting to get you a breakout from the facility. Have any prototypes and technical data ready for recovery the moment we arrive. WYSIWYG. Ablution out."

 

[Caliban Arkay]

Onrai Dazzleskin Imperius Indomitus

The Sixth Brother | Black Background V
Radama Prime, Ash Quarter Ruins
902 ABY

The wind on Radama Prime carried smoke, the acid taste of blood, and the ghost of war.

Caliban stood behind the fractured window of a gutted tenement tower, his armor casting no light, the sigil of the Empire, having recently replaced the crescent moon of his home, etched deep into the dust-caked plates on his chest. Beneath him, the city boiled. Protesters shouted, irrational, angry. Their voices cracked against the high spires of the fallen capital, echoing up to the stars that no longer cared.

His starfighter, old, but the best the Empire trusted him with for now, was hidden beneath a collapsed rail station several blocks away. It wouldn't matter if it was discovered. He hadn't come to escape. He'd come because of a single communication transmitted across ancient Imperial channels, a cry for help: The facility must not fall into enemy hands.

Facility Theta-9 was still holding. Barely. The last elements of the 181st Legion were entrenched behind crumbling walls and failing weapons. Outnumbered, surrounded, starved of aid, but not yet broken. It was the kind of death Caliban understood, order burning to keep chaos at bay just a moment longer.

He'd known men like Colonel Vehros before. The type who would die with the banner clenched in their teeth rather than let it fall. Caliban respected that. He hadn't served this Empire. His throne had crumbled under its own hubris ages ago. His emperor was a corpse lost beneath a shattered moon. But the duty remained. Stamped into the bone. Doctrine older than planets still turned beneath his skin.

He turned from the window. The streets below were still boiling. Somewhere out there, amid broken districts and screaming fire, the last loyalists were waiting for someone, anyone, to answer the call.

He would reach them, and when he did, Theta-9 would not fall.

 

[Dazzleskin]

The streets below were still boiling. Somewhere out there, amid broken districts and screaming fire, the last loyalists were waiting for someone, anyone, to answer the call.

He would reach them, and when he did, Theta-9 would not fall.

Dazzleskin's position came under attack by, frankly, whoever. Orbital splash damage of some kind tore at his emplacement shields and rocked his landed ship on the hilltop, and now all bets were off. He was fine other than some smoke rising from his scales, and the same went for his few Ssi-Ruuvi companions. He'd lost several droids but still had most of them. The main issue was power: his shield generator had just expended a significant portion of its reserves.

Fortunately, Ord Radama was replete with renewable resources.

A segment of Dazzleskin's droids moved into the crowded streets. Their engagement orders were as follows: anyone who shoots at you is fair game for mobile entechment. A low-efficiency procedure, to be sure, but a few dozen deaths should collect enough life energy to recharge the shield generator. Mobile entechment entailed a short-range shooting of impalers trailing coils of tough wire through the air, recollected almost as quickly as they launched. Shank, drink, retract.

 

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: ORD RADAMA
OBJECTIVE: Take it ALL
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Imperius Indomitus | Onrai | Caliban Arkay | Dazzleskin

It wasn't something happening often these days, that the Lord of Hunger would personally handle something which interested him. Unbenownst to his closest allies and certainly his enemies, he was dying, not like that was the strange part... but his body had truly passed the treshold now, corrupted and decaying faster than it had ever done so before under the onslaught of his inhuman connection to the force, the years, decades, centuries within the Nether began to reveal their backlash, his hunger, his ravenous instincts having pushed him to the brink. His physical form was powerful, strong, but not strong enough. With every soul, with every life he drained and stole from the Living Force, he'd need two more the next time he wished to retain his prime, his utmost power and potential.

A deep, wracking cough escaped his withered lips, a black liquid spraying like a fine mist into the air, before it too decayed into nothingness. If death would be coming for him, it would find itself facing a will that knew not the verb 'to bend'. With a wry smile, the decayed, shriveled and dried up vessel of the man who had once been capable of facing off against one of the mightiest Sith around, slowly and agonizingly shuffled to a lareg containment unit, his hands reaching towards the clasps at the side of the glasteel tube, sliding open the containment unit when his other hand pulled a large lever. Electricity surged, machines started to hum and drum, an energy like black and gold, white and bright, crimson and shadow started to flow into the containment unit, screams of pain and agonizing terror overflowed within the man's mind, yet within his own lips, the only movement was that of a faint smile, as his skin began to become tougher again, smoother, his hair regrowing and regaining its color, his eyes becoming more vibrant, more vivid.

"I am...not done yet," The electricity started to shudder, the energy flow stopped, as steam and smoke started to envelop the space, a pair of crimson and golden eyes peering into the ether from within the fog swallowing the room.

*****

Like a lumbering giant, the Gluttoneria appeared in Ord Radama's orbit, right above a ship those who ran the massive Dictator III class battlecruiser knew all to well, Onrai 's Ablution, used by her manifestation Vanessa Vantai. An obsolete vessel, cumbersome and crippled by its age, yet the Lord of Hunger, looking down upon the holographic image of the ship on the Gluttoneria's command bridge could only respect the strange entity's choice of transportation. While obsolete, the Ablution did hide quite a few goodies.
​

"This is Vanessa Vantai on board the Ablution. I am taking operational control of this combat zone under Case Canopic. We are providing fire support from orbit and the first wave of fighters and bombers should reach you within minutes. I have Darktroopers waiting to get you a breakout from the facility. Have any prototypes and technical data ready for recovery the moment we arrive. WYSIWYG. Ablution out."

The transmission was intercepted, the woman's voice bringing a smile to the monster's face, this was not a bad thought, if Vanessa... nay Onrai could bring a large amount of firepower to bear, he would not need to dispatch any of his droids for the same sake, no he could focus on something more important. Yet, still as he looked down upon the planet, the sensation of familiarity washed over him, forcing him to smile with a wide, devious grin, for was it not Imperius Indomitus whose presence he could feel within the force?

"How delightful...looks like we're working together again," Reaching with his hand towards one of the buttons on the controlpanel of the large holowall display, the Lord of Hunger attempted to set up a direct communication with his compatriot. "Do you require assistance, Imperius?"

 

[Imperius Indomitus]

W A R M A S T E R
LORD INDOMITUS
Through war, we bring order.
Through strength, we bring unity.

The Iron March
Order. Discipline. Purpose.

Caliban Arkay | The Lord of Hunger | Onrai | Dazzleskin

IMPERIAL ARRIVAL​

Ord Radama | Orbit | Valor
Reinforcing the 181st

He listened to the bold proclamation, then another comms message. Apparently Ord Radama has attracted more parties than he thought and so far they were rather neutral or in reinforcement of the Imperial or at least his cause. That was sufficient, though not an option to give command, any level of it, to a former Mawite. That judgement was out of question.

"Ablution, Gluttoneria, remain out of orbit and provide overwatch against potential enemy naval vessels, the Valor will go into low geo-synced orbit above the facility. Reinforce the ground at your discretion in coordination with the 181st. I will be making planetfall to reinforce and secure it. Make sure that the skies are clear and those rebels experience our air supremacy."

Imperius was heading to the hangar while giving his instructions. He knew that Credius would heed his tactical input, he was not sure about Onrai, but expected something in between her own and his approach. It was well within the margin of error considering the combined force they suddenly had at their disposal.

His massive frame moved into the crew bay of one of the HAAT/i that were parked in the hangar, his hand calmly extending to grab the above railing to hold fast. The other hand unclipped the heavy blaster from its thigh mag-lock, activated the energy cell and saw its status flickering on his helmet HUD before clipping it back. The other hand then moved to the top of his sheathed sword, his thumb gently pushing against the cross-guard to make sure it was not stuck. It never was, but there was never reason to not make sure.

The gunship lifted, together with a dozen others and descended through the clouds. It was almost peaceful . . . .

 

[Eugen Aker]

Location: Dark Side of Ord Radama's Moon Orbit
Objective: Reinforce Local Resistance Forces, Seize Imperial Project Data
Allies: Rebels and Friends
Opposition: Imperial Remnant and Allies ( IRONCOM )
Neutral (until you start shooting me): ( Caliban Arkay , The Lord of Hunger , Onrai , Dazzleskin )
Directly Engaging: Imperius Indomitus on the ground.

Above the far side of Radama's moon, a motley fleet had emerged. It was a mixture of refitted civilian vessels and old recommissioned warships donated by powers sympathetic to the Rebel cause, or scrounged from mothball fleets of wars past. It was a literal flying museum of fallen powers of the eastern quadrants. The small fleet of allied Rebels wasn't going to win any wars, but for this operation against embers of a dying empire, it would be enough.

At the core of the fleet was an old Concord battlecruiser, Seraphim Gale, from where Eugen had guided the Rebels through the turbulent space by instinctive navigation, deftly weaving the convoy through collapsing hyperlanes and sudden eddies of shearing gravity waves like a maestro directing and orchestra. These days, half the battle came simply from transit.

His silver eyes opened to the real world upon reversion, and he rose from his command chair to join his staff at the operations table.

"We were correct to revert under the cover of the moon. Several capital ships are already in orbit, and I expect there will be more to come." It was bad enough that the Rebels now had to break through established opposition in planetary orbit, what would be even worse is if they became sandwiched between multiple opposing fleets. "Deploy Empion mines along our previous ingress vectors, and B-mines in screening patterns around the fleet in lunar orbit. Direct an LSR to the near side more detailed ISR. Ready the decoys and prepare assault craft for reentry. Commodore Varric, you will assume command of the fleet while I lead the ground operation."

He saluted the officers and stepped away from the CIC for the turbolift to the hangar bays. Communication had yet to be established with the local rebel groups, but already he could hear their cries in the Force. Wounds continued to be torn into the metaphysical tapestry in real time as causalities mounted on each side from escalating violence.

Many more would come as he joined the fray. Such was the burden of command.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

The descent into Radama Prime was anything but smooth.

Flames still dotted the skyline — columns of smoke marking the fractured districts that had once been under firm Imperial control. Now, they were contested ground. Streets below buzzed with insurgent movements, scavenger transports, and occasional fire from hidden artillery emplacements. The world was bleeding out from its seams.

Above it all, Valery stood in the cockpit of her shuttle, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the horizon beyond the viewport. She wore her standard field gear: her Jedi jumpsuit and sabers clipped to either hip.

Behind her, seated but alert, was Padawan Mykel Dawson. Not her Padawan, but one she trusted. One she'd called for specifically when this signal came in.

"A distress call that wasn't supposed to leave the sector," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "And now it's echoing across the stars like a warning shot."

She turned slightly, glancing over her shoulder at the young man.

"You read the briefing," Valery said, her voice steady. "Facility Theta-9. Classified weapons research. Last stronghold of a loyalist Imperial garrison. Rebels on the verge of total victory. And something called Project Solstice no one wants to explain."

A beat passed.

"What do you think of it?"

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Onrai]

Ord Radama Orbit
Tags: Imperius Indomitus Dazzleskin The Lord of Hunger Caliban Arkay Eugen Aker Valery Noble Mykel Dawson

"Ablution, Gluttoneria, remain out of orbit and provide overwatch against potential enemy naval vessels, the Valor will go into low geo-synced orbit above the facility. Reinforce the ground at your discretion in coordination with the 181st. I will be making planetfall to reinforce and secure it. Make sure that the skies are clear and those rebels experience our air supremacy."

"Like hell you are." Vanessa said, muttering to herself and not over an open comm channel. The Ablution retained its position, having disgorged more than its fair share of supporting shuttles and transports to the surface. Obsolete Eightgun-class fighters pursued aggressive strafing runs on the ground below, while Coryphin-class bombers dumped effective rows of proton bombs on the enemy forces below. Already from orbit she sensed the stench of the Jedi that had sought to take advantage of the Empire's weakness - a weakness she intended to correct one way or another. The project in question would fall into the Enigma's hands, that she was certain of.

Sensors on board the Ablution detected the presence of an oddity - a Ssi-Ruuk vessel, unmistakable in form and figure. What the lizards were doing here, Onrai couldn't even begin to fathom, but they were not going to interfere. A beam of plasma arced through space from the barrel of one of the extremely powerful weapons on board the battleship, weapons that had tangled with countless different classes of warship over the years. As bombardment continued on the rebels' presence on the world's surface, Vanessa herself began to focus, to meditate on the monstrosities within the void of Otherspace. It was important to be able to summon such a response that could yet tangle with the Jedi who sought to interfere in her business.

And if she was correct, someone else had decided to make herself known on the planet below.

"Imperius, keep your ship out of near-planet orbit. My forces will ensure recovery of the prototypes and the remainder of the 181st. We have what appears to be a Jedi fleet on the way and the technical data needs to be secured. I'm about to do something particularly dangerous and you need to be ready to take advantage of it before the Jedi can recover from it and reinforce the rebels planetside." Vanessa said plainly to him over the comms. The Sunstar-Shadowstone yet again remained in her hand as she focused. Soon, the Jedi would have more to deal with than three worn-out Imperial warships.

 

[Dazzleskin]

Sensors on board the Ablution detected the presence of an oddity - a Ssi-Ruuk vessel, unmistakable in form and figure. What the lizards were doing here, Onrai couldn't even begin to fathom, but they were not going to interfere. A beam of plasma arced through space from the barrel of one of the extremely powerful weapons on board the battleship, weapons that had tangled with countless different classes of warship over the years.

Dazzleskin's subcutaneous comm implant, an important precaution in all kinds of contexts, lit up with alarm: his cruiser in orbit was coming under attack. At which point, in defiance of all honour and protocol, it turned to run. To leave him.

And exploded.

The superstitious old horror of potentially dying off a consecrated Homeworld reared up despite Dazzleskin's rich private life. He took stock of his shocked and milling subordinates and his force of no longer replenishable droids.

Everyone hustled back to the landing ship.

It had a hyperdrive, but a slow one with a short range compared to the vast goddamn Human Galaxy. He'd need to take a very close look at his maps.

 

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: ORD RADAMA
OBJECTIVE: Take it ALL
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Imperius Indomitus | Onrai | Caliban Arkay | Dazzleskin | Eugen Aker | Valery Noble

The orders came through from Imperius Indomitus ' end, while by all means any other person would be met with utter disdain and hostility for trying to order around Credius, the Lord of Hunger at the very least respected the Imperator, a rare thing indeed, but as such the Monster did do as he was asked. The Gluttoneria remained in orbit, acting as a silent shield to whatever Imperius was doing planetwise. Sure, it would not have been much of an issue to traverse to the surface as well, but for now there was no need, no doubt Imperius was well aware that the Lord of Hunger had not come to this place without expecting to gain something, and if he were to be barred from getting what he wanted directly, it was the Imperator's duty to see to it that Credius would not be dissatisfied after all.

With the arrival of a small fleet the monstrous being could not identify on sight, a secure connection was being set up with Onrai 's vessel; the Ablution, a cold voice drifting over the comms. "Lady Vantai... Do you have any specifications or information on this fleet the Gluttoneria's sensors are picking up?"

It was somewhat annoying not to know what to think of this fleet of ships, but with its main capital ship seemingly being well within the capacity and size of a battlecruiser, some caution was warranted. For now, the Gluttoneria would keep up its cloaking, though it would only be a matter of time before it would be spotted properly, as with its gravity wells slowly acting up, its gravitational presence was near impossible to ignore.

"Imperius...I will be dropping two Urban Cohorts to act on my behalf, make use of these troops at your leisure, but remember... do not try to screw me out of that which I want."​

 

[Imperius Indomitus]

W A R M A S T E R
LORD INDOMITUS
Through war, we bring order.
Through strength, we bring unity.

The Iron March
Order. Discipline. Purpose.

Caliban Arkay | The Lord of Hunger | Onrai | Dazzleskin | Eugen Aker | Valery Noble

IMPERIAL ARRIVAL​

Ord Radama | Facility Theta-9 | Descending
Reinforcing the 181st

Witch. Indiscriminate bombardment and now some sorcery no doubt. Imperius was so sick of these pretenders of order and imperial rule. Even with the abomination that was the so called Lord of Hunger he could find more common ground than with what was Onrai or Vanessa Vantai or whatever she called herself at the day. His response was short and he cut the connection to her directly afterwards.

"You have my instructions. If any of my men die from your barbarian interference, you will be answering for every one of them."

His formation was making planetfall, gunships and TIEs broke through the clouds as improvised anti-air fire starting to shoot upwards from the rebel positions. Small explosions rocked around the cabins which doors were still closed and around its wings, shaking the soldiers inside. Imperius was not believing in his death, not through a shotdown assault shuttle and not by some savage intervention of some strange creature above.

Credius contribution would be useful, his payment made in due time. He wanted a piece of Solstice and he would get it, a cheap payment for a mid term investment in a reliable partnership.

Rockets swooshed, the gunship buckled. Heavy blasters opened up and a whole cacophony of battlefield was suddenly filling the air as doors moved aside and opened view on the battlements on one side and a ruined city on the other. Eruptions and impacts from heavy ship weapons indicated the still ongoing bombardment. Red, green and blue bolts of blaster fire were being exchanged, explosions of artillery and grenades made the ground quake.

Imperius' Stormtroopers were disembarking under this heavy fire, only a limited amount had found space inside or on the facilities grounds and he himself would not be the one to leave the dangerous task to someone else. While others were reinforcing the walls and defences, the majority of the 181st that landed was outside and started rushing out of their gunships, guns blazing.

"For the Empire!" Was the only battlecry which was time for.