Public ASSAULT ON TRADE-CENTER 13

[LinusFunkUncle]

RAGMAR, OUTER RIM. NIGHTFALL
RAGMAR IS IN PERIL. A SITH FLEET LOOMS OVER THE DESERT PLANET, CASTING A BLACK SHADOW. PRECIOUS TIME IS DWINDLING, AND ANOTHER CONQUERING OF A STAR SYSTEM SEEMS IMMINENT BY THE HANDS OF DARK FORCES. BATTLE RAGES ON IN SPACE AND ON THE SURFACE, AS TROOPS MAKE THEIR WAY TOWARDS THE RAGMAR TRADE CENTER IN THE HEART OF RAGMAR CITY. THE MERCENARY BRIUM TALLISTOR AND HIS 8UK-3T DROID HAVE BARRICADED THEMSELVES INSIDE, DEFENDING THE LAST REPUBLIC POST ON THE PLANET. AGAINST AN INSURMOUNTABLE FORCE, THEY HOLD ON DESPERATELY UNTIL ALLIES ARRIVE...​

Brium tinkered with the light of his failing holo-emitter, hoping the damp end of his cigarra would catch. The brief blue flicker clashed against the red emergency lights in the command room of the somber trade center. An evacuation siren wailed softly in the distance.

"In the last war, we installed these computers to read atmospheric traffic and alert of any bombing runs to evacuate. Gods, I'd rather take a bombing run than a Sith armada..." The Bothan trade center commander fidgeted with his uniform, waiting for Brium to say something.

"Bucket." Brium's droid perked up from the corner of the room. "Yes, sir?" It chirped, walking over to his master.

"Give us a hand, would you?" He used his scarred, bushy eyebrows to gesture to the cigarra hanging out of his mouth. Without another word, 8UK-3T activated its flamethrower extension, and fired towards the target. Brium sputtered, batting away embers and singed hairs. "Bucket! Use the 'light a stogie' setting. I installed it in your program files myself, for Whisp sake."

"I am aware of the program, sir. But your removal of my behavioral matrix allows me to dictate whether or not I will choose to activate it."

"So you enjoy burning my face, got it." Brium grumbled.

"It would be partially untrue to say it is not entertaining, sir."

"And you wonder why I don't use your programs." Brium bickered, seemingly unfazed by the present danger of the situation to the trade center commander.

"Aren't you worried about-I-I don't know, the bloodthirsty assassins that are about to kill us?" The commander pleaded, interrupting the two. Brium and 8UK-3T simultaneously turned and shot each other a look.

"Look, buddy, you make a nice enough salary to hire guns. If you don't like my plan, don't spend all the credits on an ex-Mando and his droid. Get a nice turret." Brium yawned, rubbing the spot where his thigh met his cybernetic leg enhancement.

"You said you were the best in the galaxy!" The Bothan soldier exclaimed. "And we hardly had enough time to hire the adequate response force with Sith knocking on our door. I-I have a family! I need to get out of here. We should have gotten a Jedi..."

"Always need a Jedi to bail you out?" Brium retorted, checking his ammunition. "Keep your pants on. Get your captain and crew, all remaining employees with weapons knowledge. Anybody knows a thing or two about detonators, even better. I'm not counting on it." Yeah, best in the galaxy that isn't currently offworld, maybe. Brium wondered why he always had to be the closest one to bad jobs. If it wasn't for losing that last pazaak match in the nearby cantina, Brium would have had the credits to refuel his vessel and leave Ragmar, long before this terrible gig fell into his lap.

"I-I am the last remaining employee. As district commander, it's my responsibility to send a distress beacon and safeguard the sensitive information stored here until Republic forces arrive. If the enemy military gained access to this center, then the capital would be lost! The last of us are fighting on the streets. Besides the security droids, it's just me..."

"Oh, brother." Brium sighed. "What's your name?"

"Dax. M-my name is Dax." The district commander replied.

"Okay, Dax. 8UK-3T already accessed the security consoles, all four entry points have been sealed up and the terminals destroyed. We set up mines in each corridor, and did the same with the roof access. Hopefully, that should take care of ground forces and slow down any Force sensitives for a while. Once the mines go off, the droid security team reads the blast vibrations and engages their defenses. Between their minor shields and stun blasters, I don't imagine they'll last very long against superior firepower." Brium finished his cigarra, discarding it to the floor and stamping it out. "But those timed charges are gonna keep them busy until we run dry. This is a night raid, so I'm guessing there'll be stealth units. Bucket's connected to the TC cameras, so he should be able to alert us if he detects a stealth field generator on the feed."

"They shimmer on camera." 8UK-3T said matter-of-factly.

"But, then what?" Dax asked, the edge of terror in his voice on the verge of breaking.

"Then, my furry friend," Brium explained. "My reinforcements should arrive. These guys, they love to wait until the last moment to show up. But man, they're good for a fight."

"Got it, so against an entire army of dark lords, we've got...a shield generator, some mines, some security droids, a couple more randoms on the way, and a few blasters." Dax snapped, clearly in the middle of the 'anger' stage of grief.

"Don't go forgetting the star of the show, now." Brium smiled, flashing missing teeth and scar tissue.

"Right, and an overconfident merc. You know, if this is supposed to make me feel better, it's not working." Dax said.

"Comfort is the least of our worries, right now. The goal is to stay alive for the next hour and a half until the Republic arrives. No one's getting through these doors." Brium cocked his blaster rifle. "The good and bad news is, this command room is in the center of this facility. Good, since we can keep cover fire on any ground troops coming in through the entry points. Bad, since it's curtains for us if we get surrounded. Worst case scenario, we can hold them back and seal the doors. But, hey, maybe we can stop another planet falling to the Sith before our fiery demise." 8UK-3T flashed a thumbs-up.

"Wait!" Dax spoke up. "There's a service tunnel underneath this room to the power generator facility across the district. I've got the maintenance codes to unlock it."

"Oh! Well, never mind, then." Brium pulled a small metal container-like device out of his pack, priming it on the ground.

"Then we'll give them a nice firework show, and ride off into the sunset when it's all said and done. Provided we aren't murdered first, you might even get yourself a medal for this act of service. We finished?"

Dax stared at him blankly. "Were you satisfied with just perishing at the end of this? How could you not have an escape plan?"

"Allow me, sir. I think I can answer this one." 8UK-3T interjected, raising a robotic hand. Brium shrugged.

"To quote our fearless leader, 'Where we go, the Force follows! We are the masters of adventure! Danger is our middle name! 8UK-3T is the greatest!' " 8UK-3T recited proudly, waving his hand in wonder like an explorer recounting a great expedition.

"You might be embellishing on that last one, Bucket."

"We're doomed." Dax said.

Brium checked the clock. He had a few more tricks up his sleeve before the night was through. Brium didn't believe in praying, but every ounce of his being was counting on help arriving. This was the first matter in ages that Brium had a stake in, even privately. He was tired of working for the highest bidder, and ignoring ethics. A bounty hunter with a moral compass doesn't get the big paycheck, but Brium was beginning to learn there were more important things in the galaxy than credits. Putting a target on his own back was something he was getting used to, so he accepted any consequences of going after Sith. If he could survive tonight to face the repercussions, that would be a welcome gift. He steadied himself, repeating his inner mantra like he routinely did before battle. Inaudibly, he spoke the oath again.

"Die with honor. Live again." He heard the distant rumblings grow closer. The time was approaching.

 

[Grendel Krayt]

Grendel had just woken withe mother of all hangovers, taking off his helmet for a moment to rub the gunk from his eyes he looked around at the holding cell he currently resided. Must have been one hell of a night because Grendel didn't remember any of it, putting his helmet back on he noticed that there was no one in the area no signs of life at all. Actually getting up the massive Mandalorian walked up the the cell bars and casually ripped them out of their holdings. Walking around for a little bit Grendel found the evidence room unlocked and with all of his gear inside, after picking up his gear Grendel checked the comms to see if anyone was even around.

"Hello is anyone out there this fine day" Grendel said while broadcasting on all open channels

 

[Brium Talistor]

"Sir, I'm getting readings of a bio-sentient in the brig. They just retrieved their gear from the holding station. Shall I detonate the nearby mines?" 8UK-3T chirped. Brium made a quizzical face.

"Why does a trade center have a brig? And a holding station?" He asked incredulously.

"You would be surprised at the amount of citizens we are forced to detain here in this facility. Yesterday, a big mercenary came in to purchase new transponder tags for his ship. His request was declined and his ship impounded because of outstanding charges and a repossession form, so he began attacking employees! He was so intoxicated, we had to hold him overnight to sleep it off! Wait...that may be him." Dax said.

Brium rubbed his chin. "Hold off on the mines, Bucket."

"Hello, is anyone out there this fine day?" A grumbling low voice grunted from the comm feed.

"Take the northeast corridor to the command center." Brium replied. "On the way, you'll pass the nutrient station. Grab some drinks if you can, it'll help you shoot straight with that hangover, soldier." Brium turned to 8UK-3T.

"Why don't you let us know about some guy running around before he escapes the brig, next time?" Brium muttered. Although wary of the hulking beast's cognitive capabilities, a warrior-brother from Mandalore was always welcome.

 

[Grendel Krayt]

"Take the northeast corridor to the command center." Brium replied. "On the way, you'll pass the nutrient station. Grab some drinks if you can, it'll help you shoot straight with that hangover, soldier." Brium turned to 8UK-3T.

Happy knowing he had a goal now Grendel took the northeast corridor but not before passing the nutrient station and drinking his fill, now with a much clear head Grendel decided it may be best to take an armful of the stuff.

"So do you mind telling me where everyone is" rumbled Grendel into the comms "The names Grendel by the way". Walking at a sedate pace to the command center Grendel began to see thing where not what they seemed for a start their looked to be far to many mines all over the place for a busy trade center. Having finally reached the command center after several minutes of walking Grendel knocked on the door assuming it to be locked.

 

[Vokkug]

Ragmar system
In orbit of Ragmar V
​

It had been more than 800 years since the Battle of Yavin. The galaxy was different now, but still very much the same.

Standing at the front of the command bridge of his flagship in a generic manner, staring out of the transparisteel viewport, Vokugg was not surprised that the Republic remnants still had outposts in the Outer Rim.

The Republic, much like the Sith and Jedi, had had various incarnations over the years in this constantly warring galaxy. It was only in 835 ABY, after a 400 year period of darkness due to the Gulag Plague, that the galaxy had recovered to return to it's current state.

According to what Vokugg knew, there was no active Sith Empire in this part of space, and Ragmar wasn't occupied by any major military forces either. The old Sith starfighters from the previous Empire weren't anything special to today's standards, but they had managed to escort a few dropships safely into the city.

A lot of those armored troops had unfortunately stumbled into the mine traps that awaited them. A number of those soldiers that pledged loyalty to Vokugg were little more than uniformed thugs picked along the way, his ex-Sith military personnel working hard to discipline them into servitude.

The Sith Knight wasn't at the head of this supposed Sith armada that had gathered, but he wanted to be the one to claim the victory.

Brium Talistor Grendel Krayt

 

[Brium Talistor]

"Open the doors, Bucket." He whipped around the corner, aiming his rifle down the hallway to provide cover for the giant stranger as the heavy blast door ground open. Once inside, 8UK-3T promptly sealed the only entrance inside the command center once more. He looked up at the towering merc, grinning and reaching out to lock hands in the traditional Mandalorian battleborn greeting. "You're a big'un, aintcha? You look like you can handle a Gatling Gun." Brium reached down, groaning with effort to pick up the massive minigun. "Got 400 energy rounds already primed. Another 400 in the pack there."

"Sir, the north entrance has been breached." The command center shook from the mines exploding in the sector, the lights briefly flickering out and switching to generator power. "Most of the first wave was taken out, but there are 17 hostiles left set to breach in three minutes."

"I'm Brium." He introduced himself to Grendel. "I've got three energy shields. What do you say we move down that hallway, and you mow 'em down while I keep your armor up? Once that last energy shield dies, we need to cave in that entrance with thermal detonators and get back here before we're overwhelmed. You ready on three?" Brium positioned himself back at the door, looking to 8UK-3T for the signal.

"Three!" They raced down the hall together, guns blazing.

 

[Grendel Krayt]

Grendel grinned like a kid on life day he lifted the massive mini-gun with ease and while he was a terrible shot with any gun you really didn't need to be with a min-gun. Racing down the hallways with Grendel out in front unleashing a storm of rounds into the Sith scum, unfortunately roughly only half the rounds hit home running out of ammo fairly quickly. Throwing the mini-gun at a Sith trooper and driving them to the ground with the weight and drawing both of his vibro-axes with glee for this was what Grendel was best at.

Charging with a bellowing roar Grendel began slamming into the Sith troopers and axes swinging with deadly efficiency anyone not caught by the axes where trampled to death beneath his massive bulk or throw against walls.

 

[Vokkug]

Reports from the groundside commanding officers told of a successful breach, the Sith troops now encountering resistance within the trade center of Ragmar City.

This pleased Vokugg, as he continued to stare at the planet through the transparisteel, his view now tainted by the enemy ships that were coming into range. Sith and Republic starfighters both of old makes, began their deadly dance in the void of space, doing their best to upstage the enemy.

Though Ragmar was not backed by any galaxy-spanning factions, the Republic remnants were not to be underestimated. In the streets of the city, the fighting continued, one of the two walkers that Vokugg had deployed erupting in a burst of flame and metal debris.

The remaining AT-OT was pulled back to the trade center's entrance, fortifying the defenses of the few Sith troops that had stayed behind while the others breached.

Reports continued to filter in through the comm officer's console. Apparently the resistance encountered was heavy, indeed. The hooded Quarren slowly turned from the viewport, and made a dramatically silent exit from the bridge.

 

[Brium Talistor]

Brium yelled as he charged, his own battle cry matched by Grendel's. As they ran down the hall, Brium slapped pack after pack on the towering alien's back to keep the energy field up as they took an incredible amount of fire. Grendel slammed the massive minigun into a Sith soldier, crushing his metal armor. The soldier let out a muffled scream as he was pinned down, and Grendel bellowed as he switched to his axes. Brium couldn't help but to laugh, relieved that his new companion was on his side. As the herd thinned out, Brium switched to his cortosis Vibroblade and followed. Using his cybernetic leg and Force-guided nimbleness, he ran up the side of the facility wall over Grendel's massive frame blocking the hallway. Leaping off the side, he briefly throttled his jetpack to powerslide underneath the charging soldiers, cutting their legs out from under them. They reached the north entrance, and Brium hastily ducked behind some cover as blaster fire flew past the two. He put a thermal detonator on the ground, rolling it over to Grendel on his opposite side.

"Toss it right at the ceiling above the door! I've got an idea."

He waited for Grendel to prime and throw the detonator, switching to his blaster. As it sailed through the air, Brium cocked his weapon. He slowed his breathing down, closing his eyes. The universe almost seemed to completely freeze. Energy particles laid in the air, suspended in time. Brium knew that it wasn't really happening, that it was his Battle Focus generating an opportunity for him. The perfect shot. He opened his eyes, raising his blaster to track the thermal detonator. It was just about to begin its trajectory arc downwards. He aimed, and fired.

He shot the thermal detonator mid-air, and a massive explosion immediately followed. Brium was thrown backwards from the sheer wave of heat, the north entrance caving in with a section of the second floor facility. Bricks and dust piled down, barricading the door and engulfing the hallway in smoky darkness.

Brium coughed, turning on his holo-emitter.

"Grendel! You alive?"

 

[Brium Talistor]

(Let me know if you guys want me to start an OOC thread for us. Sorry about the late reply. I'm also on discord as spookylenny)

 

[Vokkug]

With the explosive detonated upon the northern entrance of the trade center, the Sith armored troopers began to take cover, the lightly armored walker that had arrived also moving away to avoid any unnecessary damage.

Barricaded by rubble and debris, the northern entrance was now inaccessible and therefore useless. It would take too long to clear a path with the available firepower, and so relocating to another entrance was the route taken by the ground officers.

Though all of the attacking Sith forces were not completely unified, they were coordinated. Watching for mine traps was one of the top priorities now, even as blaster bolts of different hues sailed back and forth in the streets. The remaining AT-OT went with them, the walker's twin blaster cannon coupled with the soldier's support slowly but surely breaking through the Republic defenses.

In space, Vokugg returned to the command bridge. He was met briefly with confused glances, many of the crew having assumed the Sith to have departed to the hangar. In actuality, he had needed to moisturize his face after standing in front of the viewports for so long. They must never know.

The Quarren's frigate was strategically placed just outside of the space battle over Ragmar, his Sith starfighters still engaged in the separated dogfight. The other Sith vessels that had arrived were unknown to him, but they all were single-minded in their desire to destroy the remnants of the Republic.

More reports arrived, and more decisions were to be made.

"Prepare my shuttle."

 

[Grendel Krayt]

"Grendel! You alive?"

Emerging from the smoke like a titan rising from some primordial sea, with maybe only a few scratches on both himself and his armour the only real damage being that his vibro axes where destroyed by the blast. Looking annoyed Grendel threw them to one side and took the hammer from his back.

"Yes, I'm alive" Grendel rumbled "Where is the enemy now I'm itching for a fight"

 

[Brium Talistor]

"All around us." Brium said shakily, patting debris off his armor. "Come on, we need to get back to the command room."

As they made their way back down the hallway, Brium looked up at the CCTV feed, making a gesture to 8UK-3T to open the doors. The doors did not move.

"What's the password, Sir?"

Brium made an obscene gesture to the camera. The doors slowly began to screech open. Once inside, he opened his ammunition pack and searched through it.

"How much longer do you expect we can hold on?" Dax asked.

"Well, if you're so worried, why don't you pick up a rifle instead of playing tea-time with Bucket while we catch strays-" Brium cried out in pain, holding his head. He saw a flash of images, and briefly could look through someone else's eyes. He could feel his boots on the ground of the bridge, staring out at the surface of Ragmar. Brium felt an incredible surge of power, and of vindictiveness. He slowly reached up to feel his own face, and felt dry, unmoisturized facial tentacles. He fell to the floor, and was seemingly back in the command center, 8UK-3T and Dax huddled around.

"Argh! Squid bits!" He yelled, desperately prodding his own face. He looked at his hands, now quite mammalish, and sighed in relief.

"I feel..." Brium began.

"A disturbance?" 8UK-3T provided excitedly.

"Something like that. Bucket, transfer models and boot up the Freedon Nadd. I need eyes in the sky and less Sith swarming around." Brium knew that things just got complicated.

"Yes, a dogfight! On it." 8UK-3T's light fixtures in his eyeports shut off, and his model in the command center turned stiff and lifeless as he uploaded to the Freedon Nadd's flight computers. The ship ignited, slowly rising from the hidden tarp over a building roof nearby. Immediately, 8UK-3T began taking blaster fire. He maneuvered the aerodynamic vessel into a spin, forcing the nose upwards as the ship shot into orbit. Attack cruisers followed, attempting to lock on. Once out of the atmosphere, 8UK-3T killed the accelerator and slammed down on the controls, twisting the ship around. Once turned, 8UK-3T hit the accelerators to keep the Freedon's momentum in reverse while firing the ion cannons down towards the pursuing Sith fighter cruisers.

 

[Vokkug]

A squadron of Sith starfighters that circled Ragmar city broke their formation, surprised yet excited by the sudden revealing of the Freedon Nadd. It was a bigger target than the Zerek Zeniths, flown by the pilots of Ragmar's Republic Remnant.

Unfortunately, the larger ship's quick take off from it's concealed position gave it a head start. Try as they might, the sharp, angular Sith fighters were having trouble locking on. The bright green volleys from their laser cannons either went wide, or simply glanced off the Freedon Nadd's shields. They needed to get closer, ion engines roaring in acceleration.

In the void of space, most ships had a great advantage of maneuverability when compared to those operating in an atmosphere. The Freedon Nadd had beat the Sith starfighters to it. Blue blasts of energy flowed through the lead pursuers, some of the starfighters shorting out to drift away, while others exploded outright. The rest pulled out of their attack runs, aiming to pass by the Nadd and rejoin the greater space battle above.

Various Dauntless-class frigates had formed a defense line in orbit, having met the attacking Sith vessels upon their arrival. Though the Harrower-class cruisers were few in number here, and essentially skeleton crewed, the Thanaton corvettes that supported them were relentless in their screening of the Republic starfighters and bombers that made their attempts.

While this chaos ensued, a lone shuttle also made it's way through Ragmar's atmosphere. It touched down in front of the trade center, in the clearing that had been somewhat fortified in front of the northern entrance.

In one of the tall roofed main halls of the trade center, the Sith attack group pushed on. They lost numbers, but with the walker on their side, things had gone smoothly until now. The hallways towards the command center were too small to allow access to the vehicle, meaning some stayed behind with it, while others soldiered on towards the objective on foot.

 

[Grendel Krayt]

Grendel and Birum had become separated in the chaos of battle he didn't know where his new friend had gone but if the man was indeed a Mandalorian Grendel would most likely see him again. However their was the enemy to kill right now, charging into the Sith troopers killing all he struck and sending their broken bodies flying. Grendel eventually found himself staring down the enemy walker most people would flee in fear before such a fearsome machine but not Grendel.

With a mighty roar Grendel charged the Walker only taking glancing blows from the laser cannon, upon reaching the Walker Grendel swung with all his might at the leg of the Walker with a Kaboom Grendel's hammer unleashed it's deadly payload the Walker's leg shattered in two causing the mighty war machine to fall sideways. Crashing into the ground the cockpit rocked slightly before Grendel's hammer came down once more and destroying both cockpit and its crew.

 

[Brium Talistor]

RAGMAR SPACE

8UK-3T knew deep down, as much as Brium bragged, that he was the true ace pilot of the two. Next to 8UK-3T's central processing unit, Brium's flimsy brain was as capable as a bag of vibrohammers when it came to decision-making. 8UK-3T chortled at his own joke. Turning the vessel towards the spectacular space-battle as he thinned out the pack, 8UK-3T targeted the last few trailing Sith Starfighters breaking away from attack formation to join the defense line. The orange-and-white ship took heavy fire once close enough for the Sith armada to get an opening. 8UK-3T quickly deployed flares and maneuvered, but not before his shields took considerable damage from the Dauntless-class frigates. 8UK-3T knew another hit would kill the shields. He primed the scoutship port on the Freedon Nadd to ignite in case of an emergency detachment for repairs. His radar tracked the small shuttle landing on Ragmar as he began his somewhat-futile bombing run, a Republic starfighter 'watching his 6' as the humans like to say.

RAGMAR, GROUND ZERO

"A small Gravus-class Imperial shuttle just touched down in front of the northern entrance, sir. A few meters from where Grendel Krayt just destroyed the AT-OT." 8UK-3T crackled on the comms. Brium's eyes widened in fear, and he threw a rifle to Dax, who nearly dropped it. Brium ran to the heavy doors, slinging the weapons pack over his shoulder and reloading his blaster rifle.

"Blow the rest of the entrances one minute from now, Bucket! And open the doors. Seal 'em after I leave." He knew his robot companion was capable of watching the CCTV, piloting in space, and helping out with security simultaneously. He knew deep down that without Bucket, he wouldn't be nearly as successful. He looked to Dax.

"Stay hidden unless you hear our voices. They start trying to get in, use that." He pointed to the rifle. "If we're dead, run. Get out of here through the tunnel." Brium ran through the doors, leaving the terrified Bothan as the doors slammed shut. The explosions rocked the corridors as the whole infrastructure threatened to collapse. Brium almost fell, grabbing onto a wall for support. The backup generator lights finally gave up, bathing the hallways in darkness. He unsheathed his vibroblade, carrying it with his right hand and his blaster in his left. He crept past rubble burying submerged pieces of soldiers, until he was a few clicks from the northeast corridor and ready to spring an ambush on the last four amateur ground troops.

"This planet's a piece of scum. I don't know why we're even bothering. We're gonna die here if we don't kill this traitor." One Sith said shakily.

"You stop that talk before I report you. We'll get this trash." The ground force captain growled.

"Probably a Jedi, too." The inferior muttered.

Brium flicked on his holo-emitter, and slid it across the floor. The four startled soldiers whipped around, as the hall was bathed in a cool blue, faintly illuminating Brium's twisted grin.

"Gentleman." He smirked, popping the switch of the Sonic Detonator in his hand. "Catch." He threw it to the rookie, who dropped his rifle to catch the grenade. Brium ducked down the hall as the white, ringing pop stunned the group. They shouted incoherently, their night-vision setting on the goggles inside their helmets blinding them.

Brium used the butt of his rifle to quickly dispatch the stunned idiots and pushed on. Facing the rocks to the other side, he dug out a small hole, seeing Grendel still miraculously alive and locked in battle. He sprayed fire blindly as he ran to Grendel, sliding behind cover.

 

[Vokkug]

8UK-3T would receive a transmission aboard the Freedon Nadd, on a secure communications channel. It was from the lead Dauntless-class frigate, apologizing for the crossfire and gladly accepting whatever aid the pilot could offer. The Republic crewed frigates were doing their best to hold the defense line in orbit above the city, but it was strenuous.

At this point, it was difficult to tell which side would emerge victorious.

The ground side forces of the Sith had managed to make their way into the trade center, but what they truly sought was within it's command center. The Republic remnants didn't have any intention of surrendering, and the Sith didn't care, continuing to throw their quantity despite the lackluster quality.

Vokugg would provide that quality. These scum had managed to fell the common rabble, but he was Sith. Venturing through the corridors, the Quarren stepped into the main hall of the trade center, taking in the dimly lit sight. With the power out, the now flaming wreckage of the AT-OT cast an orange glow about the immediate area. Despite being crushed so easily by the volatile weapons, no munitions or fuel had caused an explosion yet.

That was about to change. Still somewhat unnoticed so far, Vokugg reached out with the Force, his vile emotions calling forth the dark side to empower his telekinetic grip. The fire and smoke that had only just begun was beginning to grow almost unnaturally now.

If it were to explode, it would likely take out the Sith soldiers nearby as well, but the Quarren had no qualms about that.

 

[Brium Talistor]

Brium fumbled around in his pockets and produced a snapped cigarra. "I lost that damn holo-emitter. Got a light?" He asked Grendel. The main hall suddenly glowed with a brilliant orange as the flames from the AT-OT raised, the height reaching a supernatural peak as they engulfed the walls from the floors to the ceiling. Brium's crooked cigarra dropped out of his gaping mouth. He felt a dark, twisting presence that stabbed at his mind like a predator trying to break into a coop full of prey. Brium could barely open his eyes from the pain of the Sith warrior's mind. Brium knew he was near, but had no idea why he was so susceptible. Brium desperately tried to sense the physical location of the Sith as the Forcefire raged on in the trade center. He knew the AT-OT could explode any minute. He slowed his breathing down despite the chaos of the fiery battlefield.

There! Brium opened his eyes, locating the hooded figure in the main hall, across the sea of Sith soldiers and security droids locked in battle.

"Grendel! Cover me!" He leapt over the barrier he was hiding behind, making a beeline to the man responsible for the carnage. He unsheathed his Cortosis vibroblade, charging the Dark Jedi to at least stall his Dark Force attack, and swung wildly.

 

[Vokkug]

The roaring flames began to calm, the Quarren's arm lowering quickly as he watched the man charging towards him. The damage had already been done to the wreckage, it was only a matter of time.

Sith troopers near it began to fall back, finding cover behind pillars, benches and hand railings on their side of the trade center floor. For the moment they were disengaged, their blasters still raised, their focus however mostly on the duel about to commence.

Grasping the dark metallic cylinder on his black utility belt, Vokugg pulled. The audible snap of a forming magnetic field was followed by a hiss, as the red plasma blades ignited into the air.

He was going to enjoy this. Holding the double-bladed lightsaber raised diagonally with two hands, the Sith Knight took a single step forward as the human came into range. The Quarren wasn't sure if his blade was lightsaber resistant, making sure to angle his own in such a manner that would slice through the metal weapon, and continue on through his neck.

It was not to be, however, a shower of sparks erupting as the two clashed. Standing his ground, Vokugg held the saber-lock, his hooded squid-like face leaning closer to the bright red glow.

"The Republic is beaten, as it has been for years. Even the Galactic Alliance abandons you."

 

[Samatogamer]

pls let me inmrk