Dominion Beneath the Surface | Imperial Dominion of the Zeta-09 Hex

[FN-999]

THE ZETA-09 SYSTEM has long sat on the galactic periphery. Possessing only two undeveloped planets, ZETA-09 and ISSTOL, for millennia little attention was given to the area. That changed in the 860s ABY, when the SITH EMPIRE expanded deep into the Outer Rim. In the Zeta-09 system, Sith surveyors discovered an ABANDONED CYBERNETICS FACILITY from the Galactic Empire of centuries past, as well as huge deposits of COAXIUM hidden deep below Isstol's jungles. A larger force soon moved in, occupying the system until the Sith state collapsed.

With the infant NEW IMPERIAL ORDER focusing many of its early campaigns into the galactic south, the Zeta-09 system was once more neglected. That all changed following the successful suppression of the CHISS REBELLION. With many IMPERIAL ARMY and NAVY units now freed up, the decision was made to scout out the Zeta-09 system for renewed exploitation. Two survey teams were sent, one to each planet in the system.

The Zeta-09 survey team soon rediscovered the old Imperial cybernetics site and found a new wing of the underwater facility, untouched by the Sith exploration team before them. While the team was able to detect a cache of research material and abandoned datapads, they were pursued by hostile cyborgs before being able to salvage its yet untouched treasures.

While leaving Zeta-09, the survey team found a base seemingly kept secret from any Imperial records on a large asteroid in the planet's orbit. This base has been confirmed to be the site of a clandestine network of Chiss privateers who have recently launched vengeful raids into the northern line of Imperial outposts.

At the same time, the Isstol survey team found the old Sith coaxium strip mines and assessed that they could be made operational again with only minor repairs. However, the mines were overgrown and occupied by settlements of the NATIVE ISSTOLANS, who were immediately attacked the survey team. After narrowly escaping the planet, the survey teams linked up and departed the system, reporting their findings to BASTION.

Now, the EMPIRE returns in force…​

Objective I: Scum and Villainy​

To finish off this hub of scum and villainy once and for all, an Imperial Fleet has been deployed to destroy the Zeta-09 base and the ships based there. This mission has been timed with reports from Imperial intelligence assets in the system indicating that all the entire privateering fleet is converging at the base for resupplying; thus affording the Imperial fleet an opportunity to wipe them out in a single blow. Based on reports from the survivors of previous raids, the Chiss privateering fleet is estimated to consist largely of commandeered Imperial corvettes and frigates, with the flagship being an Inceptus-class cruiser. While inferior in firepower to the Imperial fleet sent to destroy them, the raiders are experienced veterans from the Chiss Rebellion and should be treated as a serious threat.

Objective II: Digging up the Mines​

Isstol is a heavily forested planet whose surface is almost entirely obscured by dense jungle foliage. A detachment of the Imperial Army has been sent to subjugate Isstol, clearing the mines of native outposts. The native Isstollans are assumed to be hostile on sight, and are to be fired upon indiscriminately. However, total extermination of the native population is not necessary as long as they can be driven from the coaxium mines.

Objective III: Beneath the Ice​

Far beneath the icy surface of Zeta-09 lies an underwater facility the size of a Star Destroyer, used by the Empire of centuries past in an attempt to create the ultimate cyborg warrior. Some of its creations still roam the unflooded areas of the facility, their cyber-brains warped by centuries of malnutrition. Imperial special forces will have to navigate rusty, unreliably lit steel hallways and partially flooded rooms to reach their destination; a valuable cache of biotech datapads stored in a secure vault near the middle of the facility's third floor. The resident cyborgs are unresponsive to diplomacy and assumed to be aggressive, meaning that special forces units must either evade or eliminate the residents of the facility.

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

Sword | Mantle

"THE AURAMITE KING: THE FOUNDING"
"PART II: EXTERMINATOR"



ABOARD THE OMNIS ARCANUM
ZETA ZERO NINE SYSTEM
TAGS: OPEN

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Invictus Antagonistes, Outer Space
One Year Ago . . .

From a balcony the golden titan observed the vast landscape below. One looking from afar of even just passing by could mistake him for being a statue carved from auromidium itself. His face was as unmoved as the rest of his figure as he stood there, from outside, impossible to determine what he was thinking. But on the inside, he was excited.

Aurelian observed the final stages of the first batch of clones of Project: Genesis in their alteration and bio-engineering tanks towards his left, below roofs of transparisteel and frames of alusteel. Vast rows of the spaarti cloning cylinders were stored and maintained by his bio-engineers and their droids. So far they reported the loss of one in a hundred, but that was before the process reached its final stage where the outer modifications were applied.

Gazing towards the far left, the Imperator observed the last construction phase for the teaching and training centers, ready to physically teach the clones in combat, tactics and sharpen their muscle memory to the information they already hold, now needing to implement it. Accomplished warriors of his Rim Guard, Stormtrooper Corps and the Agema were ready to teach the new troops and forge them into the new lance of the Empire, the thrusting spear.

Omnis Arcanum, Zeta Zero Nine Orbit
Today

The Bucephelus-class had left hyperspace a few minutes earlier and was now preparing to send down its troops and take the former imperial research facility from gone-mad cyborg experiments. Aurelian saw this as an opportunity to secure a proper tech facility for the Empire under his supervision, aiming to elevate himself to the position of lead in imperial research with his soon to be revealed Genesis project.

This facility could support the project with additional resources or maybe even insight into their flaws and failures or successes. But first they had to secure it and Aurelian would go descend himself, accompanied by his Agema and a company of his Legionaries. A rather small commitment, but this was not an open field battle and this small amount would be absolutely sufficient to deal with whatever would be there. Furthermore the Empire came as well and it send special forces and commandos to deal with the cyborg-monstrosities which were lurking in the dark larboratories.

Gathered in the hangar, the troops were just entering the three Stormeagles as they prepared to launch. Another company was ready and in reserve, but he doubted they would be needed, it was just a matter of care to make sure that backup was available.
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[Colton Renfro ST-4509]

Objective II: Digging up the Mines


As the shuttle touched down on the landing pad Saergent Renfro make his off clad in his Storm Recon Armor Mk. II after receiving a brief from Captain Markus which include his zone of the mines to clear he set a platoon of army troops to that location. it was 3 k jungle march to get to the location Sargent Renfro found a suitable perch to make a hide and set up with his IL-25X Sniper Rifle once he set he called over the coms the lieutenant leading the troops <Crosshair to Hammer actual.> <this is hammer actual send traffic Crosshair> <Inpostion over watch established happy hunting.> <hammer actual copy.> and with the troop set up in a standard diamond formation and began a grid pattern patrol of the area with Colton watching through his KXM-OS-01A 'Electric Eye' Weapon Optics System he deployed his ASE-X | | Imperial Monitor Probe Droid to both cover his six and act as a spotter as he linked the droid's scanners to his helmet's HUD and waited patiently looking for the natives to stick their heads up so he put a smoking hole in them, while he equally skilled with blaster sniper riffle he preferred slug throwers but the CSR-50i Slugthrower Sniper Rifle he wanted wasn't delivered before he shipped out for this operation.
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[Vishak Theritus]

BENEATH THE ICE

OBJECTIVE THREE - BENEATH THE ICE
LOCATION - Zeta-09, Underwater Facility
TAGS - TBD

As the shuttle dipped down lower and lower, continuing it's rapid, measured descent towards their entry point, Vishak could not help his wandering gaze. Washing absently over the Death Troopers accompanying him, struggling to linger on their visors longer than a few seconds; his lack of attention was not born out of fear or unease, but rather, mild disinterest. Each and every trooper could have been a droid, and the agent would never have known the difference... hell, they barely seemed alive half the time, let alone humanoid.

Not that he was complaining, of course- the Death Troopers were the nearest COMPNOR had to a perfect soldier. Unwavering in their conviction, unfaltering in the execution of their duties, and, most importantly, they were efficient. Of course, there were improvements to be made... but that was the nature of perfection, wasn't it? An unachievable standard to motivate the strong-willed, quick-witted and ambitious individuals like him towards advancement.

This mission was just what he needed for such an advancement. Of course, the datapads were important, and were his official objective... but COMPNOR just wouldn't be COMPNOR if it didn't have an ulterior motive, would it?

No, Special Agent Vishak Theritus had not brought requisitioned such a force of Death Troopers to secure datapads. The Empire had the Stormtrooper Corps and however many Special Operations Units to throw at the cyborgs for a hoard of datapads; what Vishak sought was... far less physical. His prize was intellect, he needed a practical understanding of how the Death Troopers operated, in a real, unpredictable scenario. Moreover, any data he could glean from cyborg specimens was a hefty bonus on his proverbial cheque.

The opportunities were, quite truly, limitless.

As the shuttle touched down by the entry point, the ISB Agent could be caught with just a hint of a smirk on his face, though it was shortlived. Checking the ammo in his pistol before tucking it back into it's holster. "Deathtroopers, on me." he announced, already stepping down the still-hissing ramp as he took his helmet from under his arm and slipped it over his head.

Setting a hasty pace, you could have blinked and you'd have missed the agent for how swiftly he had made his way into the decrepit, centuries-old Imperial tunnel -their entry point- as if it was the most ordinary thing; that wasn't even mentioning how well his uniform blended with the dark metal and dim lighting of the passage.
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[Corlys Skirata]

Objective: III - Beneath the Ice
Location: Zeta-09 - Underwater Facility
Tags: DT-1159 | Vishak Theritus | Aurelian Sigismund

DT-1111

The Imperial shuttle rocked upon entry into Zeta-09 - a long ignored world in the back door of Imperial space, and one that would soon find itself into the Imperial fold. At least, that appeared to be the plan of DT-1111’s patron - Grand Moff Ignacious Korvan himself. Corlys was not privy to Lord Korvan’s designs, but knew enough that the Grand Moff would not involve his personal death troopers had this operation not been of particular interest to himself in some form or fashion. Plus, the mission details provided to the Commander upon briefing had indicated the involvement of a senior Imperial official in Aurelian Sigismund , who would be deploying elements of his own personal Vandamaran regiments to secure the planet.

That was beyond the Commander’s purview however. For now, he was assigned as an ‘escort’ to a certain ISB agent - Vishak Theritus . To the agent, Corlys and his 5 accompanying troopers were just another high level detail assigned on a sensitive operation in concert with the ISB. What Agent Vishak wouldn’t know however, is the unit that was going to be assigned, was swapped privately and rather suddenly, for the Death Mask. A perceptive eye might well notice the slight differences in the armor between Special Task Force 110 and the other Death Trooper units, but only upon very close and educated observation. The one identifying mark that could never be mistaken however was the embarrassed black skull on the right pauldron of each trooper.

It wasn’t as though this swap was to the detriment of the ISB agent. Whether he was aware of exactly who Corlys and his men were, was irrelevant - if anything, his survival would be almost assured. Of course, that was notwithstanding whatever awaited them in the depths of the frozen seas. They sat in silence within the cabin of their submersible vessel being ferried underneath an Imperial shuttle, up until the mounting arms released and dropped the craft into a gap in the ice. The vessel rocked again until its own engines took over, and the craft descended into the depths below...

As their journey reached its final stretch, Corlys’ voice would bleed over the internal team comm channel: <“External radio silence upon entry unless necessary to break. You all should be aware of our mission parameters. Remember the primary objective - asset protection secondary to the retrieval of cybernetic material for return to nest. Copy?”>

A collection of affirmations would echo back to the Commander as the submersible shuttle breached through the ‘hangar’ of the base. Its hover jets took over, allowing for the craft to descend and land softly upon the hangar deck.

"Deathtroopers, on me."

Wordlessly, the Death Mask advanced with rifles in hand. Corlys’ visor scanned the surrounding hangar. For a station that had remained derelict for centuries, it was more or less what one might expect. The hangar was dark, with a series of lights flashing “on” upon the Imperial vessel’s entry into the hangar bay. Somehow, the station still had emergency power - something that surprised Corlys with his basic-level understanding of capital grade engineering.

After the team’s entry into the station, a... calm settled amongst them. It was quiet... too quiet.

 

[Katja Javik]

THE EMPIRE
IMPERIAL SPECIAL FORCES
Proximity Tags: Aurelian Sigismund | Vishak Theritus | Corlys Skirata ​

"I saw they were getting ready to send Death Troopers down here." One of the men idly commented as the group traversed the dark, empty hallway. "We're not cannon fodder again, are we?" Another asked.

"Again? Where have they been sending you?" Katja asked in return.

"Listen, I've seen my fair share of suicide missions." He replied. "Can't have been very good at them, then." The quieter commander of the group chimed in, prompting a rare chuckle from the others. "Shut up." He replied in similar jest.

"It's not our fault if your commander thinks you're expendable." Katja continued to tease her comrade who only dug himself further into a hole. "I almost could have been a Death Trooper, actually." He informed the group, only to be met by mixed reactions, including stifled laughter.

"What?" She questioned behind an amused smile.

"No, you couldn't."

"Yeah, right."

"I was top of my class. I just didn't meet all of the other requirements." He replied. Death Troopers had much more stringent criteria so it wasn't unbelievable but there was certainly more to it than was being said. Looking at him ahead of her, it was clear he was the tallest of the group but it wasn't quite the towering presence of a Death Trooper. "Those wouldn't be the height requirements, would they?" She asked. A hesitant response gave her the answer. "Well..."

"You got rejected because you were too short?" By now, several of the group were laughing. "I like to think it was because of my charismatic personality." He replied. "If it helps you sleep at night."

They were interrupted as the dropship shuddered upon impact with the ground. The atmosphere between the Troopers was tense despite the casual conversation they upheld. It wouldn't take much observation to see an inkling of nerves. After all, they knew help was not at hand should the situation turn sour. They would only have each other, and whatever other Imperials scattered throughout the facility they might find, to rely on.

Silence fell over the group as they stepped out onto the hangar floor. Their weapons drawn and ready. "Let's get this over with." Their commander announced, leading their proposed route into the heart of the station which waned under the weight of water against its neglected walls.

 

[Angelus Hafey]

Angel Arms Business

Tags: Katja Javik Corlys Skirata Vishak Theritus Aurelian Sigismund

Equipment: Angelus Hafey Hat
Weapons: DL-67, DLT-11, Pocket Scattergun, Breaching Foam
Droid Backup: 2x N5-1 Exterminator Droids


There has always been perks for being a droid. The loud CLUNK of a body dropping nearby would echo in the facility with a smaller TINK noise of a power cell dropping to the ground. Angelus had the DL-67 out as he placed a new power cell in, looking forward as he spun the cylinder for...well, programming reasons. One of the nearby droids, a hold over from Haon Hafeys days, an N5-1 Exterminator Droid, pointed down towards a cyborgs head with the ringing of a sonic weapon echoing in the hallway as it was killed.

"Move Forward."

It was a simple command but it was telling, the duo of droids moved forward as they walked in unison deeper into the facility. How they entered was more or less something ingenious, droids did not have to worry as horribly of pressure if built right and the art of breathing oxygen. With their own bodies virtually undetectable from life sign signatures, they were merely blips on a sonar map at the worst case. Having entered through a destroyed hallway section, they had been making progress...slow but progress. Two rooms and two hallways have signs of bodies laying on the ground, freshly killed. Some with blaster wounds, some with signs of pressed trauma on sections of the bodies.

The Human Replica Droid known as Angelus had a goal quite different in mind than his unsuspecting additions to the station known as the Empire. The fourth floor had some unique...technology he would like to adapt. Long had he been quiet but he believed to be on a verge of a breakthrough...a breakthrough that only existed in this facility. A smile creeped onto his own face, thinking about how the weapon may soon be finalized. Such a treacherous trek, he only hoped...

No one would drop in uninvited.

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

Sword | Mantle

"THE AURAMITE KING: THE FOUNDING"
"PART II: EXTERMINATOR"



ABOARD THE OMNIS ARCANUM
ZETA ZERO NINE SYSTEM
TAGS: Vishak Theritus , Corlys Skirata , Katja Javik , Angelus Hafey

Entering Atmosphere, Zeta Zero Nine
Today

The three assault gunships flew in close formation, just a bit more than a hundred warriors on board of all of them, all but one seated in the passenger compartments. The weapons were live and the deflectors up as the ships dropped into the atmosphere at high speed, the heat shields glowing from the high entry speed. It was not a hot battlefield, but everything which was not reported secured and defended - was a warzone and therefore the measures were the same. Speed and boldness, shock and awe as the Vandemarians made their way to the ground.

The one individual not seated was the commander, Aurelian Sigismund, he watched from behind the seats of the the leading birds pilots and stood as if he was on solid, stable soil, not moving or staggering through the extreme fall. There was no chatter in the intercoms and the Imperator was quite satisfied with that. The Legionaries got notion of something going on and he does not need distracted soldiers on a mission. Their time would come.

Through his HUD he could see the ETA and the presence of other imperial units. They send Deathtroopers along with an ISB agent. Good. Stormtroopers are the backbone of the Empire´s warmachine, but these enemies would tear into them like a wolf among sheep. They were the absolute elite the realm had to offer and they were, by any standards, impressive. Cold and professional. It would be interesting to see them fight these failed, crazed experiments in close quarters.

"Auror-1-actual for imperial task force. Coordinate approach and maintain communications. QRF is ready to deploy. Good hunt and glory to the Empire."

Opposite to the imperial submersibles, the Stormeagles had been modified to make the dive and would hit water in a titanic splash of steam and water then make their way to the facility, using custom attached mining lasers to melt through ice and attach to the outer hull of the station at designated entry points, found through scans of the battleship above. Though only two of the vessels would clasp themselves to the outer hull, the other, carrying half of the Vandemarians fighting force, entered the hangar right next to the imperials. The other two, including the one with the High Imperator, would melt their way through the outer hull and enter the station from two different points.

In the hangar the fifty Legionaries would spread out into their squads of ten and prepare to enter the deep of the station, feeling the same sensation as the imperials - it was dead quiet.

Further up the other company experienced a similar impression, except they were ankle deep in old, green water.

At a lower end, nearly opposite of the hangar, Aurelian jumped down with a serious crack as the rusty floor barely held his size and weight, his lancer ready, the HUD directly analyzing the interior. The roster showed no activity and due to the pressure and size, he could only see the other units as vague pings on his compass.

"Forward." Two of his fingers showed into the dark corridor, down here much fewer lights were actually working and all was in the grim shadows of a single yellow emergency light every fifteen or so meters. The handful of golden warriors followed him, their unique staff weapons ready as they covered his every dead spot.
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[Vishak Theritus]

BENEATH THE ICE

OBJECTIVE THREE - BENEATH THE ICE
LOCATION - Zeta-09, Underwater Facility
TAGS - Corlys Skirata // Aurelian Sigismund

"Sigma-Actual to Auror-One-Actual, we copy your last. We'll watch our crossfire. Glory to the Empire." Vishak responded, thumb lifting off the transmit button on his commlink.

As his service-issued boots stepped off the ramp of the submersible vessel and onto the cold metal of the ancient base, thudding rather prominently... well, he just couldn't shake a feeling about the troops that advanced with him. It wasn't that they were obviously different or out of place, besides some less-than-uniform insignia on their pauldrons. Though it was far from uncommon for units of all sizes to have their own standards and armour designs -something he could both despise and admire- he had been, up until now, under the impression that the Death Troopers were beyond such personification.

Moreover, they were efficient. Beyond the Death Trooper standard that he'd seen in training; not that he was complaining, whatever was at play... heh, he'd make it work out for him someway, somehow. He always did.

Pausing just a foot or two back from where the outliers stopped, he himself scanned the open hangar- though more out of mere curiosity than tactical necessity. As the lights haltingly flickered on, he was struck by the... dystopian eeriness that seemed to form in the air. Though the dimness of the lights, in conjunction with their more auxiliary positioning, suggested they were a product of some back-up generator, the Agent couldn't shake the absurdity of it; hundreds of years after the base was abandoned, hundreds of years fighting freezing temperatures, flooding, crushing pressure... and it still had emergency power? It didn't make sense.

"Have they been...? They must've..." the Agent muttered absently, to nobody in particular. The 'they', of course, referred to the cyborg denizens of the abandoned facility, and just what 'they' had done was repair the facility... to the best of their ability, they were imperfect and far from engineers, after all.

Whatever calm had settled over them was swiftly broken; a loud cacophony of metallic creaking, screeching and whirring filled the silent hangar as an array of sentry turrets slowly sprung to life. With a slow beep, they picked their targets and opened fire- red bolts flashing out of the darkness, wildly and unpredictably.

Where was Agent Vishak when this happened, you asked? Sprinting towards cover which, on later inspection, would prove to be abandoned storage crates. Still, nobody could call him a coward; as soon as he was behind cover, he'd drawn his blaster pistol and was returning fire on one of the sentry turrets.
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[DT-1159]

Objective: III - Beneath the Ice
Equipment: Armor | Rifle | Sidearm | Melee Weapon | Bio
Location: Zeta-09, Underwater Facility
Tags: Vishak Theritus , Corlys Skirata , Katja Javik

As per usual, there were few words shared between the comrades-in-arms on the way to the trip. There was rarely banter between them, unlike what he occasionally overheard passing the barracks to other groups. The Death Mask troopers, in those rare, incredibly few moments he was not on duty, occasionally wondered what it would be like for that. Even in his academy days (which for some odd reason, he could scarcely recall), he did not really know of ‘camaraderie.’ The only version he knew of was working together to complete a task, entirely different from what was likely, supposed to be ‘camaraderie.’

Still, once more he was thrust into the next mission. A discrete transfer unknown to all but the most trusted, his Patron had deemed the materials important. The briefing was…something. That was different than usual, 59 must admit. Was it a sense of unease? Pride? Or, something else? He didn’t know. He couldn’t. As the shuttle rocked upon its descent and the doors opened, he and the squadron he was with streamed out of the shuttle.

The assignment would’ve been simple, if it were not for the complications they were likely to encounter along the way. This being, failed experiments. Cyborgs. He couldn’t quite put his finger on… why that seemed to stir something within him. Perhaps the answer would reveal itself in time; for his assignment subsumed the thought process as orders were given. He listened along as the Commander of this assignment was reaffirming their parameters. The cybernetic material came first.

<“Copy.”> He said, unanimously with the rest of his squadron within the internal commlink. Weapon raised as steps left off of the transport, steps would lead themselves to establish a perimeter. Attentive to his area. He felt uneasy; more so than he was conditioned to be. The Trooper advanced with his ‘VIP,’ not far behind the commander once everything was set and ready to go.

As that quiet settled, he could feel the hair on the back of his neck raise. Perhaps it was a gut feeling, or merely paranoia; but the answer to that was soon made clear as there was a slow whirr…

Eyes behind the visor widen, <“Down!”> He called, as he similarly had to dart into refuge behind the debris of the facility - a shot from the rifle briefly held in his off hand struck true on one of the turrets as he made his brief retreat, detonating in a violent manner. Despite this place supposedly not having been around, it seemed someone had been maintaining the security. Didn’t think that made that odd gut feeling much better. With a huff, he adjusted, red blaster bolts whizzing past his small zone, impacting with loud cracks against the debris. Too close for comfort; pinned down for the moment, yet waiting for opportunity.

 

[Angelus Hafey]

Angel Arms Business

Tags: Katja Javik Corlys Skirata Vishak Theritus Aurelian Sigismund

Equipment: Angelus Hafey Hat
Weapons: DL-67, DLT-11, Pocket Scattergun, Breaching Foam
Droid Backup: 2x N5-1 Exterminator Droids

Another body dropped as the sparking of electricity from a nearby sentry fell from the ceiling. They were on the floor now, they were fast approaching their objective now. Going towards a nearby set of durasteel doors, Angelus would break open the breaching foam and spray it onto the doorframe. Awaiting it to rust away, he would pace for several seconds as he could possibly consider the emotion...excitement to finally go into his droid body. At long last...the mysteries of the galaxy, a true weapon supply...the rust would clatter as the two bodyguards pushed it over as it fell with a solid, thunderous thud.

Inside the large room was three large cylinders, they were spaced ten feet apart but their size was of ten meters in diameter. Walking towards one of them, Angelus stared at the strange vortex in the middle of each one of these, his eyes studying the phenomena that was before him. Slowly, his mouth would open as he approached a nearby data terminal, breaking into it as the two droids stood guard.

"At long...long last. The galaxies secrets...the Empires secrets, will soon by mine."

A loud CLICK would echo in the room as part of the facility fluttered with its power source as one of the cylinders vortex began to cease. The energy inside it would start to uncompress, swirling inward till it collected into the center as a small, metal like disc. The disc was a mere foot in diameter and four inches thick, with a grayish sheen to it. Going towards the chamber, he would slowly open it as the radiation filled the room rather quickly as soft red glow filled the room. It was a lethal dose but to them, it was nothing. Holding the disc up as the stations power shuddered a few times in an effort to balance with one of its power sources gone, the Human Replica Droid spoke to himself.

"At long last...the power of the sun...a reactor that never runs out....the literal equation to zero point energy....in the palm of my hand. The galaxy can praise to never have their cities go dark...the galaxy can fear it for the destruction it can rain upon them. The galaxy...will know true...limitless...power."

The droid held it close to him, almost in awe until he started to realize he was still deep under the ocean. Slowly stringing the disc onto his leather holster to not lose it, he would start moving as they sought for the nearest exist. They would march once again through the debris they had caused...not knowing just a floor or two above them, hell was starting from another group.

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

Sword | Mantle

"THE AURAMITE KING: THE FOUNDING"
"PART II: EXTERMINATOR"



SEARCHING THE IMPERIAL RESEARCH FACILITY #3
ZETA ZERO NINE SYSTEM
TAGS: Vishak Theritus , Corlys Skirata , Katja Javik , Angelus Hafey

Lowest Level, Underwater Facility, Zeta Zero Nine
Today

Aurelian advanced steadily, but carefully, less due care or worry for his life because of being detected, but because the station seemed to be two jumps away from breaking apart. Water dropped from rusty leaking pipes close to his head, light pulsated slowly like the breath of a dying man and it was cold, cold enough that the air blowing through his vizor formed small clouds.

His Lancer always pointed into the direction of where he was looking, ready to shoot while his scanners and sensors run to evaluate what was ahead. The reports were clear and the expectation of resistance was as well, but so far it was silent on all entry points. So far. A light on the edge of his HUD started to come up which signaled that other armors registered fire and combat readiness - one of his groups was under fire. With barely a blink nor full focus, he analysed the incoming data in a hundredth of a second and briefly saw how his Legionaries were up against some automated system. Nothing important.

The High Imperator focused back on the task at hand. Every step send a dangerous screech into the framework, highlighting the fact that he and his men were not the best suited for this tight station, but it mattered not. It was not their specialisation like the Death Troopers which made the Vandemarian Legionaries effective. It was pure and utter resilience and defiance of odds.

Aurelian and his group approached a crossing, four directions to go. One was definitely flooded behind the next bulkhead, a small stream of water was leaking at the sides. The next was leading to a stairwell upwards and the other was ominously dark, not even lighted by the pulsating emergency lights.

"Raetius. Corax, clear this level. The others with me." Two of the Agema would head down the dark corridor, their spears ready and aimed while the steadily made their away from the group. Aurelian started to head forward and reached the bottom of the staircase. It looked not very promising, but it had to hold.

When setting one of the mighty sabatons on the first step, a tremendous screeching and clanking was heard, sending shivers into the whole facility. Quickly looking up, both visually and into his augmented noospheric feed, Aurelian awaited the readouts of the ships while making the next step. And the next.

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Hangar, Underwater Facility, Zeta Zero Nine
Today

The heavily armored figures of the Legionaries imitated the slowness of the turrets, but their pace was dictated by calmness and steadiness, rather than mechanical age. The Shield Cadres quickly made use of their shields and returned fire in a cacophony of blaster eruptions, violet bolts flying with deadly precision towards the turrets ripping off parts of metal with satisfying small explosions.

The Cadres moved in perfect synchronisation, trying to shield and provide mobile cover for the less armored imperials while they approached and fired upon each of the turrets with terrifying defiance of the sentries firepower. But the extremely heavy armor and their shields seemed to take the brunt of the beating without actually suffering major damage.

In the mid of the fighting, the same shiver an shrieking reached the hangar. The entire facility was shaking.

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[Corlys Skirata]

Objective: III - Beneath the Ice
Location: Zeta-09 - Underwater Facility
Tags: DT-1159 | Vishak Theritus | Aurelian Sigismund

DT-1111

As the Death Trooper team began taking stock of the hangar deck, another transport would breach through the atmospheric barrier of the station and come to a landing near their location. Several troopers bearing the insignia of the Vandamaran Legions would emerge from the craft while the ISB attache’ to the Death Trooper squad muttered to himself.

"Have they been...? They must've..."

Corlys mentally sighed at the agent, but said nothing. It was quite obvious to the Commander how this station was kept functional for this long, and while he could understand a sense of mild intrigue and respect... at the end of the day, it was what it was. There was little use in marveling over the situation when they had more important things to do.

“We need to move.” He stated flatly, brokering little suggestion or discussion in the remark. But before anyone really had time to make a move, the heavily filtered voice of one of the other troopers called out amongst them:

<“Down!”>

Instinct and well honed reflexes took over as Corlys all-but dove behind cover in the form of a pallet of supply crates housing long unused tools and components. Blaster fire began to whizz over his head, yet even still orders began surging from his external speaker for all to hear - clearly secrecy was out the window now.

“Serpent, Wrex; advance to the right in a flanking maneuver against the automated defenses. Brune, shift left. The rest of us will cover.” He had to hope that the targeting systems of these turrets was old and worn from lack of use, otherwise he doubted whatever covering fire he and his men could lay down would cause the mechanized emplacements to ‘duck’ behind cover.

The Commander hefted his KXG Stopilka disruptor rifle and leveled it against the crate as he opened fire. The pale blue ionic disruptor rounds seared through the air as they impacted into one of the turrets - causing the circuitry to fry and for a localized explosion to cause debris to scatter.

It wasn’t long after that in which the Vandamaran troopers rushed forth - shielding the Death Trooper’s position from the bulk of the blaster bolts peppering their position. Corlys didn’t need to hope that his unit had moved out, and would in turn capitalize upon the maneuver.

 

[Castian Vero]

​

Objective: Track down a new team member
Tags: Vilu Kopma

This was a new team.

Aleph Unit. Yeah, they didn't even get the benefit of an unique name. Just a letter from the alphabet. This told Master Sergeant just how much confidence Command had in their continued survival. This was fair. His meteoric rise had stalled out and then crashed into the nearest crater, then his squad had suffered catastrophic losses on Ilum on top of that.

It was a wonder they hadn't assigned him desk duty for the nearest future.

But clearly someone still believed in his tracking ability.

<< Affirmative, Corporal. Once I track down Kopma we will circle around and link up with the whole unit. In the meantime keep up with the mission. If something comes up, well. I will do what I can to haul ass, but don't count on it. >>

The rest of the unit had split up an hour ago. About the time once they realized Vilu Kopma had gone missing. This was a complication they couldn't afford. None of them really knew each other. They had gone through maybe two weeks of bootcamp to get acquainted and then were immediately shipped off to their first mission.

What a crap shoot.

Hopefully Vilu was still alive, because already losing one of their own on the first mission in the first hour?

That was bad ju-ju.

 

[Angelus Hafey]

Angel Arms Business

Tags: Katja Javik Corlys Skirata Vishak Theritus Aurelian Sigismund

Equipment: Angelus Hafey Hat
Weapons: DL-67, DLT-11, Pocket Scattergun, Breaching Foam
Droid Backup: 2x N5-1 Exterminator Droids

The facility started to shake from the fighting from above, they were now back near the exit. A set of blast doors that cycled water in and out in pressurized chambers. Once the blast doors opened, they would walk through and wait for it to cycle through once more. The loud beeping would announce as the chamber hisses as they became much heavier. Water filled the compartments as their silhouettes became murky and almost unrecognizable, only their eyes glowed in the water.

As the other side opened up, the facility shook even more as they began to slowly walk out. Each step made an imprint on the ocean floor with Angelus turning to look at the facility in curiosity. What could possibly be damaging the facility after them? A shower of lights above them showed a possible firefight that had started to erupt. Angelus stood there in somewhat of a curiosity, wondering about who or what kind of people decided to come on this particular day.

One of the N5-1 Droids would lift up the Disruptor Cannon, aiming it directly towards where the lights were coming from above. Before it could automate the order completely, Angelus touched the weapon and pushed it to the side. They did not need the unwanted attention...if they wanted to fight the worst of them, let them...it be enough time for their getaway. To anyone that was looking outside that could see them, it would be a unique sight of an underwater cowboy and two droids flanking him. Making a motion with his head, the started to walk forward as they began to move back towards the starship.

 

[Davin Votan]

Objective II: Digging up the Mines
Post 1


501st Legion
1st SEU (Stormtrooper Expeditionary Unit)
Ground Combat Element
Infantry
SOC Attatchment- STCMD GYSGT Votan, SSGT Toye, SGT Kirb, CRP Carr, LCpl Harris, LCpl Jones


A huge green orb lay before Votan as he eyed Istolla from the ICSD Hangar viewport, SE-61x resting across his hands. Behind him his squad moved about their various duties, loading equipment and making last minute checks with the Warrior 2 Gunships flight crew. This was Davin's first posting with the 501st and he wanted to make sure he wouldn't have any surprises when they inevitablely took fire. Most of the other men had a more chaviler attitude about the whole operation. Mistaking their technological advantage for a guarantee of a return home. Votan had made sure that none of his tiny, six man StormCommando fireteam shared any such delusions, though the Stormtrooper Platoon they were attached to certainly did. Their Captain had been vocally expressing it throughout the evening before, filling his men with false bravado, dulling some of the younger ones' edge. The Gunnery Sergeant had remained largely silent. He'd watched men in full armor be killed by rocks, shivs, improvised weapons of all varieties.

Davin had only sighed and reminded his fireteam that neither training or armor guaranteed a thing. He'd gotten in the habit of tapping one of his robotic limbs anytime one of his boys said anything or held an attitude that could lead to a similar cirumstance. They called him "Old Man" though most of them were close to his age or past. Lines and scars aged him a decade at least. Most were amazed when he told them that,chronologically at least, he was still near the begining of his life.

The rest of the Storm Commando Platoon he'd only just gotten assigned to were scattered about other infantry platoons. They were to collect any intelligence they could and provide support to the infantry.

And show then up. Well command hadn't said that part, but it was implied. Being the objective was considered soft SOC saw this as an opportunity to advertise to Fleet Troopers and maybe pick a few potential recruits from the pack, instead of their usual quick assaults or sneaky squirrel tactics.

An officer's voice blared over the intercom in the hangar and Davin and his ilk approached their gunship in a practiced manner. They along with a handful of Troopers boarded and strapped in as the Pilot and crew ran final checks and prepared to lift. The normal range of fear and anticipation ran through the minds of all the men present, filling the air with a particular energy. Davin barely seemed to notice.

"That's because there's something wrong with you Gunny." Toye quipped through the squad's comms, seeming to read his Squad Leader's body language through the armor and across the gunship aisle. Votan nodded back and a few of the squad cracked a smile. That was the extent of the banter, they were lifting off, time to focus. The rest of the Troopers continued to feel their heartrate climb as the ICSD's artificial gravity gave way to the cold embrace of vacuum. A buzz and audible kick echoed as the engines engaged and sent them towards their destinations at breakneck speed. Most of these Stormtroopers were new, many of them hadn't been in a drop before. The Captain's boasting was replaced with uncertainty. The bumping went on.

Atmosphere broke and the gunship kicked it's thrusters back as they flew through the wet, jungle air.

The interior of the gunship flooded with a green light and continued to slow. And slow. And slow.

The outside lasers began opening up about the same time as the ramp dropped and their harnesses released. Arrows and spears filled the air surrounding the Stromtroopers as they exited their landing craft. Davin and the rest responded as they should, laying down overhelming fire on the surrounding area and picking targets where they could. A symphony of SE-61s fired burst after burst as the rest of the Stromtrooper platoon succesfully landed. Green exploded into red and into a litany of other colors as the jungle was laid bare before them. The arrows and spears stopped and the fire died. The group collectively moved towards the source of the contact, a previously hidden entrance.

 

[Davin Votan]

Objective II
Post II
Tags: Anyone at Objective
II

A thick haze of ozone, tree debris, smoke, and a faint smell of iron wafted across the entriety of the staged Platoon. The gunships had delivered their cargo and dusted off to retrieve another. Mud sprayed as the thrusters ignited and tilted skyward. Davin was happy with the performance of both his fellows and the Infantry, if such a word could be ascribed to the grim faced Mantellian. Fireteams were bounding outward to secure a perimeter around both the Landing Zone and the bunker like entrance to the labyrinth of mining tunnels that lay beneath. Their spacing was fine and they were watching their sectors. They also moved through the guts of an undetermined amount of natives hidden throughout the folliage. Troopers checked the corpses as they moved, not wanting to leave any surprises behind them. An occasional blaster bolt echoed across the newly formed clearing as the breach team and StormCommandos advanced. The structure itself wasn't terribly sophisticated, but caked with enough primitive concrete and earth to make it tough. Score marks covered the outside thatch surface from the engagement but hadn't penetrated beyond the earthworks.

Davin and his five comrades stacked themselves against the outside of the still bolted door in high ready. LCpl Harris placed a small shaped charge onto the locking mechanism. It would cone inward as it detonated, peppering the interior with white hot shrapnel and copper. Cpl Carr leveled his boom stick with the door and Davin prepped a frag in the small slit above the door. Thermal could fry the wall and his buddies, the Gunny had learned to love fragmentation grenades in the terse urban combat that had defined his adoloscence. One.
Two.
Frag out.

Inhuman screaming commenced as soon as the frag went off, prompting Harris to hit his own charge, which prompted Carr to kick in the door proper. The frag had done it's job, throwing two contacts against the wall, killing one. The other had began the screaming. One had taken what seemed to be the full cone of the charge, resulting in an a image that probably could've been sold as a painting. The fourth and final alien had the worst of it, meeting Carr's scattergun in a deeply personal way.

The group moved with practiced fluidity, securing each corner of the room and unceremoniusly putting down the survivor with a bolt to the dome. A few of the troopers looked on as the team prepared to do the same to another door, this one leading down and presumably into the mines proper. Some were taken aback at the calculated, unexcited manner with which the StormCommandos plyed their trade. For many of them this was, definitively, the most exciting day in their entire lives. No factory work or crime ridden mega city could ever compare, but the Commandos moved as if they were a skilled mechanic changing a power coupling. With a practiced ease.

The StormCommandos moved to the side after they prepped the second door, allowing the Stomtrooper Breach team to take his team's place. Their pointman flexed his hands on his blaster as the cone spat in. He knew what his spot meant. Probably took a breath. Prayed. He moved in firing as his squad followed up. God or the Universe had shown mercy on him and his family. The second took a large spear through the slit for his right eye on his helmet, becoming the day's first casualty and KIA.

Never be the first into a tunnel if you can help it. He wasn't about to have to send Carr's wife a holomessage if he could avoid it.

 

[Vilu Kopma]

THE EMPIRE | ALEPH UNIT | ZETA
ATTN: Castian Vero

​

Nobody had said how mesmerizing Zeta's indigenous would be. Vilu hadn't even been aware of how far she'd gone from the mines, or where she was now for that matter, but she knew she was staring. And it didn't even feel rude.

It felt wrong, sure, she was supposed to be shooting, but it didn't feel rude.

She'd seen one, on the perimeter of the mines, and advanced to take them down. Anything that happened after that...was unclear. And she felt really groggy.

And it felt less rude because the feather-eared native was staring too. Now that her helmet was swivelling around as she tried to take in her surroundings.

"Yeah, yeah buddy. I'm awake now." She snarled and made a motion to reach for her blaster. She was horrified when she discovered that she could not move freely. The only thing that made the situation a little better, was the familiar feeling of her blaster's metal against her fingertips. It felt precariously perched, and when she started to become more aware, she realized why. The tightness in her chest, and around her limbs, and the pressure of her armour pushing through the weave and into her, was because a tree?? was wrapped around her??

The mission directive had said the natives were hostile, but the information on their shamanism and Force-connection had been a little limited.

Nothing like learning on the go.

Worming in the clutches of the branches that were unnaturally coiled around her arms and torso, keeping them clenched tightly together, she tried to lean as far away, away, away, from the curious fingers that scratched at her helmet's chin. This birdlike man face thing seemed very curious, and was really disrespecting her personal space.

It was fine. Him being closer made him easier to shoot. Even though the grasp on her blaster was tenuous, it was angled enough to — well, she wasn't really sure how it was angled.

So she pulled the trigger to find out.

The Isstolan had lifted her helmet just high enough to see her grin. And then...a light he'd never seen before. From the perch of the branch she was tangled up in, the beautifully jewel-toned shaman tumbled to the ground below. A hole smoking through the feathered side of his face.

​

 

[Davin Votan]

Objective II
Post III
Tags: Anyone inside the Mines

Troopers filled the gap created by the now defunct door, moving in file through the narrow passageway. Keeping clear lanes of fire in this sort of environment was always a nightmare, not enough space, not enough light, too many corners. The Stormtroopers split off into sections as they moved, faning out from the initial entrance. The StormCommandos paused. Davin and his squad filled in behind.

"Contact." Followed by a chorus of blaster fire echoed from the east section of tunnels. Silence. "Clear."

West was signalling all clear. North hadn't called in but was still green. Davin and his fireteam went North. He blinked his right and in quick succession filtered to the appropriate com channel. Looked like The Captain had decided he wanted to lead from the front.

"Sir." He keyed directly to the Captain. Silence. Davin motioned for team to prepare for something they all despised, a force user. Their HUDs showed a large open room before them. Davin took point with his SE-61x and watched the oddly reflected light shiff as it filtered through his helmet's Nightvision in a brilliant array of colors. In front of him, in the large room, a spectre of light made it's way among the Stormtrooper squad that had made it there first. Davin felt every muscle in his arms and hands strain to shift the heavy repeater towards the object. The more he tried, the heavier his thoughts became. The light offered him warmth, a warmth he hadn't felt since he'd last held his daughter. All he had to do was stop. Stop fighting.

No. No. Creature.

Rage poured through Davin as he opened up on the being of light, sending it exploding into a thousand colors as it flung itself about the comatose troopers. He felt tears streaming down his face as he checked on his squad. Carr was fine, confused but fine. Toyye was curled up in the floor. Staring into void and grabbing at his clothing. The other three were startled but fine. The hostages fell to ground. A few went red.

"Need immediate CASEVAC for one KIA and eight unresponsive." He keyed to the line linking him with the Gunship crew.

"Kill anything moving. Don't play with these things, you'll die bad." Davin keyed to the platoon.

 

[Castian Vero]

Vilu Kopma

His commandants had always been shocked at his proficiency with finding people, places and phenomenon. They had suspected him of using the Force from the very beginning. None of the tests they run came back positive. There were reasons for that, but they were hardly relevant in the grand scheme of things.

The most important part was that the Imperial Knights were none the wiser and that was how Vero liked it.

He wanted to help his nation, but Vero also liked not being a brainwashed Forcer maniac. So his talent was kept under wraps and he only used it sparingly in life-threatening situations.

Like a fellow soldier being lost behind enemy lines.

It was this little hint of talent that slowly drew him closer and closer to the location at hand. A sudden blaster shot send him through his knees, crouching and looking around for obvious point of exit. Nothing came from it. Then something alarmed him and the Sergeant looked up. It was... something quickly falling down.

A body, what the kriff??

He quickly stepped up and raised his hands, to catch it, before it crushed into the ground. Logic was sound there (when panicking), nobody would survive a drop like that. But a Force-cushioned catch would-

"Oh, sweet Tevlar, you are deader than dead." Into the face with a blaster bolt hole. Then Vero realized he recognized the dimensions. That was an Imperial-standard, wasn't it? "That you, Kopma? You alive after all?" Up into the air. They were so new that they hadn't even been assigned specific callsigns yet.

Otherwise Vero would have used them right now.

Then the stormtrooper unceremoniously dropped the corpse next to him.