Bespin Brawl | [CIC/FO Remnants]

[Tanomas Graf]

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"The First Order has fallen, whatever sovereignty they held over the Unknown Regions is now no more."​

Alarms would sound in abandoned border interdictor stations, a force superiority piercing deep into former First Order territories via the Corellian Trade Spine. Five minutes would pass until their signals were detected entering the Ison Corridor, their jump trajectory taking them to one system: Bespin. Ships would soon exit out of hyperspace just outside the gravity well of Bespin, a moderately-sized armada of corvettes, escort cruisers, and heavy cruisers crowned by three Venator-class star destroyers. Not wasting any time, a small portion of the heavy cruisers split off from the main group, trailed closely behind by their own escorts.

"It is my duty as Supreme Commander of the Military to announce an operation to retrieve civilians that have requested asylum in the Imperial Federation."​

The remainder of the fleet would slowly but surely approach the planet of Bespin, entering low orbit and eventually the thermosphere. The massive doors slid open on the three star destroyers, revealing the expanse of hangars within, starfighters and transports immediately beginning to funnel out of the strip. They dove into the copper atmosphere of Bespin, troves of TIE fighters screaming after them to protect the transports from any threats.

"We will not stand by as loyal Imperials, survivors of the Great Galactic War, are abandoned by the government they pledged their lives to."​

They saw their target in the distance: Cloud City. The massive platform was a tibanna mining colony housing millions of people within, an excellent opportunity for the force to carry out their primary objective...as well as the secondary. Under the guise of extracting Imperial citizens from the city, the military was supposed to 'relieve' it of its massive tibanna supply, as well as enter the database in search of something that belonged to them. A heinous statement was given to only the commanders by High Chancellor Graf himself:

"Once you get into the intelligence hub, remember - no witnesses."​

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Aboard the FIV Aggressor, above Mustafar
First Order Remnant: The Crimson Hand
Allies: [member="Aisha Ren"], [member="FN-999"], [member="Ashara Evanaris"], [member="Demitry Draskovits"], FO Remnants
Enemies: [member="Tanomas Graf"], CIC

"Ren I've found something." Admiral Cain addressed Kyrel with the news aboard the Aggressor, she had only found out an hour ago from reports in the Ison Corridor that a fleet of Imperial Warships had begun to siege Bespin. The Master of Ren approached to see the redheaded woman stand next to operation officers managing their consoles to what it looked to be a map, showing a sudden spike in activity, being the group of Imperials showing in red triangles, assaulting the hologram form of Bespin. Kyrel remained pensive for the moment, watching the monitor he finally said aloud. "So you finally come out of hiding at last." He said as if experiencing a moment of triumph. He knew who and what was attacking... It was none other than Tanomas Graf. Kyrel has witnessed his defection and slew a line of traitors that failed to take part in his remnant, perhaps the Ren felt he still had a mission to complete.

The Admiral remained silent for a moment, before finally asking what Kyrel was even talking about. "What exactly is it that is attacking Ren?" Kyrel momentarily diverted his pensive gaze from the monitor into the Admiral's answering her as if pleased. "These Imperials Admiral... Belong none other than Tanomas Graf himself... He seeks to take advantage of the turmoil we are in." the words that Cain was thinking was how it would all come down next, perhaps even Kyrel was thinking it too but she had to be sure of what would happen. "So what is our next move?" Kyrel spoke with a ruthless determination as if he could not allow those that have escaped Sieger's justice do so again. "While we are but few, yes, but the 6th battlegroup could be useful Admiral Kern perhaps?" While the Crimson Hand was still in just it's infancy they knew that it was risky to aid in another territory when they needed to protect their own. Yet they couldn't simply do nothing if traitors were going to attack. Cain slightly shook her head in protest. "I am aware Ren, and he is one of those left by Grand Admiral Rausgeber to guard the Forge. While the FIV Valient would no doubt help... We need to defend Mustafar in case the enemies out there find us!"

While Cain had proved to show her view on things when going against the views of the Ren. She still however made a fair point. Grand Admiral Rausgeber had installed the Battlegroup for the purpose of protecting Mustafar, and the Devastator dreadnaught would prove useless if destroyed in a useless battle. Kyrel gave a momentary sigh before speaking once more. "What do you suggest we do Admiral." Cain gave a slight smirk knowing she finally was the voice of reason. "I suggest that we take the Three Resurgent IIIs that we got and that is all, no less than II Vanquisher destroyers, and one vanguard. We must leave rest with Admiral Kern, we have to spare as few as we can and make the most of what we got." She said sternly, she knew the situation they were in, they were stuck alone cut off from the rest of the First Imperials, and while sharing the same vision as Kyrel she would not endanger more than she had to, and they both knew that.

Kyrel gave a nod, "Then assemble the ships and prepare the jump to hyperspace, the sooner we arrive the better. I will summon the others for briefing. By his hand." Cain nodded before retreating to the bridge, The Aggressor, Basilisk, and Defender would be the heavy hitters of the fleet. the vanquishers would support them and the Vanguard would provide Fighter support. Kyrel made his way over to the meeting room of the destroyer, he had sent a communication twenty minutes before he arrived, as he watched Aggressor slowly depart the orbit of Mustafar, turning back to see a First Order insignia with a red fist in between the broken thorns. It symbolized their strength, their power of will. To not let their ideals die and that they themselves had to adapt, to be a different First Imperial. One that would be strong again through survival of the fittest through the very essence of the dark side. for that is what the new First imperials would be strengthened through survival, strength through conflict. For that is what Kyrel envisioned.

He waited, even sending his own message through the Force, as what fleet did gather together jumped through hyperspace. They had to move quickly for this opportunity would be only the first.

 

[Tobias Wrynn]

Nondescript Civilian vessel, approaching Cloud City, Bespin
Loadout: Mark IX Katarn Armor, Recon Configuration "Cambiador" Blaster Rifle ×3 Smoke Grenades
Allies: CIC

The operation was clean, from a certain point of view. [member="Tanomas Graf"] delivered a passionate speech about Imperial citizens and asylum, and the Stormtrooper Corps prepared for action. In particular, the small contingent of specialists that Wrynn was assigned to had procured a civilian vessel and gone through all the tedium of approaching Cloud City through First Imperial Protocols. Though their power was waning and in flux, they were resourceful and stringent to the bitter end.

Wrynn noted sourly that Bespin was largely a civilian population, so any act of aggression within Cloud City brought with it a certain danger. Their orders were clear, however. No witnesses. This one is coming from up high, so don't kark it up.

The shuttle doors staggered open for what seemed like a lifetime as the security personnel moved forward to begin their inspection. Wrynn and one other Stormtrooper tossed two silver orbs that rolled along the landing pad and began pumping billows of dark gray into the air. "What the-"

The signal to move in was given, and Wrynn cycled his HUD to infrared. With all the precision he could muster, he raised the blaster rifle and pulled at the trigger twice. Two clean shots. Two confirmed kills. "Slicer, get to the security terminal and get those cameras offline. Hurry!"

Wrynn moved out toward the nearest of the bodies, a middle-aged man by the look of him. "Dispose of it quickly, Specialist," the XO grunted. Wrynn dragged the still warm corpse toward the edge of the platform, still obscured by smoke, and let it drop over like a sack of bricks. He didn't bother watching it fall.

"We're first in," the officer told him, "you know what that means."

"More headache for us. Let's work quickly, before they get too much time to react." Wrynn was already on top of clearing the other body, and the others were on the move.

 

[Samka Derith]

POV of Liedol Botagg​

Emergency Baron Administrator of Cloud City​

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The First Order's official withdrawal was swift and unexpected. The defeats inflicted at the core of their empire must have been harsher than the scattered information which fell into the hands of the Cloud City bureaucrats had expected. The newly independent Bespin faced immediate challenges on all fronts.

- The notable First Order naval presence had not all returned to the remnant. The majority of the crew had been recruited from local men and women who were reluctant to abandon their home. The firepower was welcome but logistics of supplying that force was proving very difficult. A lot of hungry crews manned those ships.

- Supplying the stations themselves was tough. The sudden cut of supply lines with other First Order worlds led to shortages across the board. Rationing stockpiles had gone a long way but Bespin was not a self sufficient world. Things would have to change fast.

- The political situation was complicated. Cloud City had a long history of dominance by various commerce groups. During the First Order's reign, the Baron Administrator was instead appointed by the regional Moff and it served as a true Imperial posting with the commerce guilds taking a back seat to the all powerful Imperial state. In the aftermath the Tibanna gas companies had declared the next Baron Administrator to be Higa Leps. The mostly Imperial minded Governing powers rejected this and appointed a woman of their own. The fighting only lasted a few days but by the end the choice of both the Imperial and commerce factions were dead.

This was where Botagg had entered the scene as the leader of a coalition Government between both factions. The appointment was unexpected but so was everything about the last few weeks. A fine but odd fellow who had served as the assistant Imperial representative to the mining guilds. Hushed whispers spread throughout Cloud City that Botagg was a puppet of larger forces. His appointment was too left of the field otherwise. But since his appointment was only a temporary measure, the majority of citizens no matter their where their sympathies laid, kept those voices hushed. No point in protesting until there was something to protest...

---

"This is bad! This is really bad!" Botagg frantically paced in the emergency meeting room. As pristine as anything else in Cloud City's higher class floors, the luxury didn't reflect the unease in the room. "Do we even know what they want?"

"There's been no word from the incoming fleet," Botagg's assortment of advisers looked nervous although perhaps not as nervous as Botagg himself.

The Baron Administrator nodded to himself, looking between the floor and ceiling in turn. "Oh jeez constant, constant war, what is wrong with this galaxy anyway?"

"The remaining First Order forces shall defend Cloud City, Baron Administrator." The holographic image of a curt elder First Order naval officer said.

"The Bespin Wing Guard is prepared to fight as well. The ships are departing as we speak." Botagg's Captain of the guard added.

"Good, good. That's good. That's really good." Botagg continued to nod. Then abruptly stopped and ran his hand through his short hair. "Also not good, war already? I'm not a warlord! What is this?! Look I'm sweating through this uniform already!"

Despite gesturing to his armpits, Botagg's council mostly avoided looking.

"Administrator, we need-"

"This wasn't cheap," Botagg muttered.

"Administra-"

"Had to pay for it out of my own pocket too. I'll have to do it again."

"Baron Administrator!" The captain raised his voice, finally recapturing Botagg's attention. "We need orders or your consent to react as we see fit!"

"Right, yeah, that!" Botagg pointed at his captain and nodded. "You got it. I trust you, you're my number one guy, honest." Hopefully he'd remember the Captain's name soon. "Send out an alert. We'll take whatever mercs and Bounty Hunters nearby that we can find. Lock down everything valuable and, er, get me their leader on the comms."

There was a passing look of unease among the council.

"Yep. Liedol Botagg is gonna negotiate," The Baron Administrator nodded with a mixture of fear and determination on his face.

Allies: [member="Kyrel Ren"]​

Enemies: [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Tobias Wrynn"]​

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

​Objective: Steal the Tibanna Supply
​Hostiles: [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Tobias Wrynn"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] | [member="Samka Derith"] |
​Location: Apex Overlook

​A bronze military vessel clung to the edges of the planet's atmosphere, halted in the clouds. When the Bryn'adûl had heard of the disruption within the First Order's naval forces, their raids immediately begun on the edge of First Order territory - pillaging and raiding military caches for days before hearing news of the movement of the CIC fleet moving to Bespin.

​It was unlike the Bryn'adûl to bring their ships this close to neighbouring fleets, however this required a certain level of intimacy. The Hel Shards would be deployed, however to avoid being shot down, proximity was required.

​The Chieftain was aware of the Core Imperial Confederacy, and it's leaders. Tathra had no doubt the Core Imperials were here for the exact same reason as the Bryn'adûl. The tibanna supply stored on Bespin was luxurious and plentiful and no doubt would be useful for a newly blossoming Confederacy attempting to cement itself.

​The bronze vessel lowered, slowly diving down toward the city capital. Tathra left his seat amongst his troops, walking into the cockpit as the pilot directed the ship on a forward approach to the capital of Cloud City.

​"[Draelvasier]: Land on the Apex Overlook. High up, its a tourist resort. Likely abandoned during the recent infighting."

​​The ship glided silently through the orange mist of Bespin. As the Bryn'adûl war vessel drew closer to Bespin; four escort crafts appeared on their radar, flying along side the bronze ship as it made its way toward Cloud City. A light buzz from the communications console drawing the attention of the co-pilot. "[Draelvasier]: Chieftain, they are transmitting to us."

​Tathra leaned inward, causing the co-pilot to instinctively recoil and sink into his seat; the massive brute hung over the communications console, activating the coms channel.

​"This is Cloud City flight control, please state your business."

​Tathra stirred, taking a moment to adjust, purposefully setting his mind to speak the ugly tongue of the humans. Tathra turned to the pilot, titian eyes falling upon his smaller Sraelvun form with a restrained distaste. ​"[Draelvasier]: Destroy three of the escort craft." ​​Tathra calmly demanded, his form shifting focus from his underling to the two craft visible on the edge of the viewing screen. Two of the craft were immediately destroyed, the remaining two pulled back - opening fire on the military vessel, the vessel turned on its stomach, absorbing the green bolts along the length of its hull as another escort craft was destroyed as the remaining craft began to retreat.

​"[Basic]: The Bryn'adûl are here." ​Tathra responded, and that was all the introduction that was necessary. ​​"[Draelvasier]: Increase our speed, no reason in being cautious now- ​Tathra left the bridge, heading downward toward the drop-bay. ​-Prepare for combat, Bryn'adûl. And fear not pain nor death!"

​Forces:
​x2 Obalisc
x4 Syphon
​x8 Striker Squads
​x2 Quilxyn
x1 Shaman

 

[Dominic Craig]

BESPIN, CLOUD CITY
Industrial Catacombs, FOSB Black Site [REDACTED]

Dominic Craig chewed his cigar has he listened to the demands. The field officer and FOSB special agent spat at the console, as he listened to the offer of treason, and glowered. This would not stand. What also could not stand were the vessels, popping into the vicinity of the system. Even from the isolated position of the industrial black site, the FOSB saw all. The eyes, and ears of the people were locked unto the interlopers, as well as the remaining populace. And Special Agent Craig had all the reason to sneer at this, offer of sorts. It betrayed the integral loyalty of the citizen-overseer social contract. A basic notion, that was to be defended, unto death. And as such, Dominic now turned to the young agent, operating the comms interceptor, taking a drag. "I want all our guys up there," He demanded, "All of 'em, getting rid of anyone who dares try to accept this, offer." He contemptuously drawled.

The corporal, uneasy, starred at his superior. He was but a cadet. Field promoted during the brief Ssi-Ruuk incursions throughout the system. The whole FOSB infrastructure had suffered great set backs with these attacks, and young rookies like him were having to work double shifts, the kid here? Was on his thirty sixth hour. "Sir, with all due respect," The young agent began, "Surely, we can talk abo-" The click of Dominic's pistol hammer, and the barrel in his face changed his tune. Licking his dry lips, and running a hand through his hair, the corporal turned back to his console, "Of course sir." The corporal began, voice terse, changing consoles, and sliding over on his seat, nestling in at a comms station. He keyed in the channel, and entered the passphrase. Midnight Moon. "Signal sent sir, units should be-"

A shot passed through the back of the soldiers head, and left him slumped permanently over the screen. Weakness was not to be tolerated. Not now. Not ever. Shooting the console, Dominic cleaved a wrist mounted comms unit, he activated it, and tuned it in to the one signal that mattered. Not civil defence. Not the naval command channel. Werewolf Radio. "Patriots, our time has come," The FOSB man glowered, "Our cause demands we rise up, and crush those who defy the legacy of our order." He paused, "Take what you can, purge what you must, and exterminate the weak who try to flee their fate." Craig drawled, "Rise up, and let none stand in your way!"

 

[Sick Cycle Carousel]

Ashara felt the distaste of treachery on her lips, She hated disloyalty; she expected unwavering loyalty from every apprentice she had trained. Although it had left a stain of conflict within herself, who can name one sith who had pledged complete fealty to their leader. Plaugus was murdered by his own apprentice to further his own power. To be a Sith was to be treacherous in nature, it was the way of the Sith Ashara was no different she had murdered without hesitation to further her power. Now she could take her passion, and use it against there foe.


Studying the map intitividy, remembering each location of these red triangles, she did not pretend to know the individuals, down deep inside she knew. Ashara at the end of day did not truly care if they were treacherous or not, it only gave her reason to kill them to further herself. She was just like any other Sith, to pretend otherwise would be hypocritical of her own self. She wanted to be right in the middle of it.
[member="Dominic Craig"][member="Tathra Khaeus"][member="Samka Derith"][member="Tobias Wrynn"][member="Kyrel Ren"][member="Tanomas Graf"]

 

[Valessia Brentioch]

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Call it a favor. Call it compensation.

Call it; Just where in the galaxy had Valessia been keeping these ships? Ryoone, Lotho Minor and a few other places where no one would think to look for old antiquated, outdated First Order ships that were supposed to be scrapped. It helped when the company responsible for scrapping them were contracted out to the Core, and well. Business is business and with the fall of the First Order, money had to come from somewhere. A surprise to the CIC certainly when another moderately sized fleet dropped from hyperspace. Valessia tucked her little grin away, "well, well, well High Chancellor, isn't it? It's been quite a while... Tanomas Graf." His name escaped her lips as she looked around at the crew that was gathered. Men and women from Brentaal IV mostly, a few defectors who took this opportunity to show that they were worth the CIC's time. Bespin held something more than just Tibanna gas, it held information and anyone worth their salt would go for the true gold in the galaxy.

Others? Others were content to settle for the bronze that was so easily attainable, and honestly. It's as if they couldn't or rather wouldn't bother to look for other sources of Tibanna, and instead were making up for their extraordinarily overcompensated equipment. The sensor readings told her all that she needed to know but thought nothing more on their arrival, and instead made contact with [member="Tanomas Graf"]. A ping from the designated Raiders of Ryoone would come across the Imperial's communication logs soon enough. She had arrived with a handful of the old Stormcloud-class Assault Cruisers, a Sondheimer and several of the older Empires, Daggers, Fortans and of course Bolts. Inflictors arrived with the older medical ships to help bring the loyal Imperials out of harm's way.

Aboard her dreadnought Valessia turned to the officer. "I'll be back, you're in charge until then."

"Get the Phantom ready, we're heading up ahead of our contact [member="Tobias Wrynn"]."

 

[Demitry Draskovits]

Demitry paced up and down within a private room on his ship, he was flying by himself but ensuring to stay close to the ship, which Kyrel Ren was on. It'd be one of the first times he saw true combat of this scale, and he was growing nervous. He wasn't apposed to killing or fighting, he just knew that he was likely to be targeted due to his young age and, presumable, lack of ability. He removed both lightsabers from his belt, twirling them for a moment before tapping the com on his wrist to talk directly to [member="Kyrel Ren"] "Fill me on what we are doing fully, please. I'd like to prepare myself." He continued to pace around, trying to calm his nerves, or anger himself to a point where he was sure he'd be able to tap deep into the dark side, further than he normally would when calm.

As his ship dropped out of lightspeed, he wandered into the main chamber, waiting for further instructions.

 

[Demitry Draskovits]

double post

 

[FN-999]

CLOUD CITY - BESPIN​

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ALLIES: FO ([member="Aisha Ren"] | [member="Demitry Draskovits"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] | etc.)
ENEMIES: CIC (Engaging [member="Tobias Wrynn"])

An alarm wailed inside of FN-999's head.​

​

Rumor was that an unidentified fleet had entered the system, and was closing in on Bespin. The few First Order officers that remained on Cloud City confirmed FN-999's suspicions, and his squad was rapidly deployed to form garrisons and restore order. Throughout the city, tension built up, as the unseen enemy grew ever closer. There was no way to tell if they had already infiltrated the city. FN-999 shivered at the thought, knowing that properly performed sabotage could wipe out Cloud City once and for all.

The squad jogged through the city outskirts, not bothering to continue their formal marching. Such luxuries as flaunting military power had cost the First Order, and FN-999 would ensure they were never repeated. The troopers stood out in the city, their suits completely covering them, hiding any personality. FN-999's suit in particular was heavily dented and was a mix of colors that obscured the base white. He still had yet to obtain a new suit after surviving Dosunn.

Suddenly, he noticed a cloud of smoke emerging from a perfectly intact open-roofed hangar. FN-999 subconsciously came to a halt, and the troopers with him also began to see the smoke. After watching for multiple seconds, FN-999 saw that the smoke did not subside. He instantly recognized it as fire, or perhaps a smoke grenade. Only those two powers could create such a signature. And they both came with a side of anarchy. FN-999 broke into a sprint towards the hangar, drawing his blaster and preparing for an unpleasant surprise. Perhaps the defective Imperials had finally arrived.

Just as FN-999 and his squad arrived at the hangar entrance, multiple men ran out. A glint of metal in the hands of one of the men confirmed FN-999's suspicions - they were the cause of the problem. Normally, FN-999 would offer a surrender-or-die deal. But a deep anger and desire for revenge flowed through him. So he skipped the surrender part, and went right to the die.

"Open fire."

 

[Mellifluous Magenta]

ST-00/0666, “Beast”
Post 1
Equipment: Mk. IX Katarn-Class Battle Armor w/ JT-12 Jetpack, Liquid Cable Launcher, VB-113 “Tidefall” Class Vibroblade, BR-212 “Jackal” ACR w/ 4x Combat Scope, DC-17 Hand Blaster, 2 Class A Thermal Detonators, 2 Sonic Concussion Grenades
Location: Cloud City, Bespin - Hangar Bay
Allies: [member="Tobias Wrynn"]
Enemies: [member="FN-999"] [member="Tathra Khaeus"] [member="Kyrel Ren"] [member="Dominic Craig"] [member="Ashara Evanaris"] [member="Demitry Draskovits"]

Beast rushed to the aid of her squad leader in disposing of the other corpse, slowly dragging the heavy body along the surface of the platform before sliding it over the edge and letting it descend into the tibanna mists. The short-statured stormtrooper quickly brought her rifle back out once again, and proceeded to take a patrol position around the computer terminal as the squad’s slicer worked on taking down the security cameras.

Her sensors pinged five seconds later.

“Hostile contact incoming!” Beast yelled out in an ear-piercing screech over her squad comms, as she dove into cover behind a thickly built tool storage rack and cycled her HUD to infrared. As she leaned out of cover, Beast immediately sighted a squad of First Imperial stormtroopers with blasters raised as they advanced towards the entrance to the hangar. Many of them were wearing heavily damaged sets of armor, but that was no reason for her to doubt their lethality. It was common knowledge that the FO-02 armor had a more robust sensor suite than that of the Katarn-class. Accordingly, it was extremely likely that her squad’s position had shown up on their sensors far before she had detected them with her own.

Beast leaned back into cover and pulled the pin on one of her thermal detonators. With the blast radius set to the maximum of twenty meters, she tossed it out of cover with an underhand throw, towards where she anticipated the hostile stormtroopers would be based on the information presented by her sensors. Then, with her rifle sighted and pressed to as close to her cheek as possible, she leaned out of cover and acquired her target while only exposing her head and upper shoulders to the enemy in the process. Having intentionally thrown the thermal detonator at a high arc to make it difficult to detect and easy to shoot, Beast set her sights on the anticipated arc of the grenade. With expert timing and anticipation, the short-statured stormtrooper aligned her shot so that it would strike the grenade at the closest possible point to the squad of First Imperial stormtroopers without striking the ground. After less than a half-second of waiting, Beast squeezed the trigger and her rifle discharged a deadly trio of maser bolts at her thermal detonator just as it was falling back towards the ground.

Although two of her shots missed the detonator completely, her last one connected with the grenade for a direct hit. The detonator erupted in a massive explosion as soon as Beast’s maser bolt impacted with it, causing a surge of energy to travel through the hangar as the fire alarms set off and the alarms blared throughout the structure...

 

[Tobias Wrynn]

It was all reflex.

From the smokeys popping to the moment they were engaged, Wrynn moved through every motion as if he had practiced them thousands of times. They had drills for Infil and Exfil that ranged in difficulty from light to heavy opposition, and all of them were extremely stringent in how they were to be followed.

Not one of them, by the way, involved blasting a Thermal detenator at the apex of its thrown arc. When the female Stormtrooper, referred to by her peers as "Beast" decided to do just that, he muttered a string of unsanctioned curses within his helmet, careful to turn his back to the blast as he covered her with his torso.

"Get down!" Tobias called out as the massive fireball scorched its way through the room. He aimed to send himself- with her- behind cover, in hopes of preventing catastrophic damage to either of them. If the others were quick enough to react, Wrynn hadn't seen it.

There was no time to chastise the girl now. Certainly, it would be an effective means of inhibiting and/or weakening their enemies, but that meant nothing if they were dead, too. He rose as the heat seemed to abate, offering his hand to [member="ST-00/0666"] . "We're a team," he told her, not overly stern, "we need to work together, or we're not getting out of this alive."

Whether or not their team was compromised, the two of them were alive, and the mission was far from over. He got confirmation that the cameras were sliced, but they were separated from the other Specialists by fire, smoke, and whatever was left of the enemy.

[member="FN-999"]

 

[Aisha Surt]

Aboard the FIV Aggressor, in orbit (Mustafar)
First Order Remnant: The Crimson Hand
Allies: FO Remnants
Enemies: TBD
some hours earlier, MUSTAFAR
Aisha's attention lay on nothing in particular. She hadn't seemed to be able to string together any coherent thought for a few days now, since the fall of Dosuun. She grieved, grieved for her Order but also for the life she had left behind.

It was time to move on. But now was neither time nor place for such musings.

The thoughts fleeted by within a moment as she clouded her mind once more. Ren would do her duty, and as per she would execute it with precision and loyalty. Loyalty. Aisha's thoughts still lingered on the noun, eyes narrowing involuntarily as the Ren relayed the recent events over and over like an outdated record. So much for loyalty.

"M'lady, your transport is ready for transit to the Anoat System." came a cold voice, to which Aisha nodded a nicety. Without a moment's hesitation, the Knight of Ren marched out of the bridge with cold intent and headed towards her shuttle. Bespin, with its endless quantity of the valuable tibanna gas was too precious a commodity to be left for storm-troopers to protect - the whole operation there had been a big fat target ever since Dosuun fell and Aisha would be damned to an eternity in the clutches of the Netherworld of the Force should she abandon post now.

Cloud City
Bespin
First Order Remnant: The Crimson Hand
Allies: FO Remnants, [member="FN-999"]
Enemies: CIC, [member="Tobias Wrynn"],@ST-00/0666
BESPIN
It would appear that Aisha was wise in her transfer to Bespin, for no more than a few hours after she first landed in Cloud City had a foreign force erupted into existence above the gas giant. She watched as their warships lowered themselves through the atmosphere, facing little to no opposition. Without a moment's hesitation, the Ren had joined a storm-trooper squad heading to form a garrison.

Smoke began to fill the room just as Aisha reached the rear of the squadron, and the Force instantly told her to get down. She complied, allowing her limbs to carry her to (relative) safety as the Ren crouched behind a large, heavy crate. The blast ripped through the air, singing the strands of her hair as it ripped her hood from her face. With haste, she re-applied it and, still concealed behind the smoke screen reached out with the Dark Side.

She could see them all. She could hear their thoughts and taste the bitter pang of fear coming from them. Aisha extended her hands, contorting her fingers in a sort of close rendition of a choke and the air shifted, the Force tightening around two of the enemies' windpipes, their bodies slumping in moments. The troopers would lie dead as if they had been smote, their bodies a grim reminder of the power of the Force to the two soldiers engaged in an enthralling conversation.

"Teamwork only goes so far." she whispered, though this whisper reverberated down the area maliciously, the very edges of her voice lined with some horrid poison. Pity. I should know, my friends. she thought to herself, before scanning the clearing room for any surviving allies and a response from the CIC troopers.

A crimson blade burst into life from behind the veil, twisting into a Makashi salute to all that would appreciate it, before adjusting her stance to a more typical Soresu stance in preparation for retribution.

 

[FN-999]

CLOUD CITY - BESPIN​

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ALLIES: FO ([member="Aisha Ren"] | [member="Demitry Draskovits"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] | etc.)
ENEMIES: CIC (Engaging [member="ST-00/0666"] and [member="Tobias Wrynn"])

"Incoming grenade!"​

​

FN-999 called out the grenade right before a bullet flew through it, causing a large explosion. Six of FN-999's sixteen men were dead in an instant, hit by the full force of the powerful grenade. But the other troopers quickly righted themselves and began taking cover behind boxes and walls while returning fire. The troopers still seemed to outnumber the traitorous forces, and were likely equal or superior in quality. Suddenly, a freindly Ren sprinted into the scene, rapidly killing two enemies with the Force.

"Thanks!" called FN-999 quickly before returning his attention to the battle.

There were now ten troopers left, plus the addition of the Ren. The troopers were unevenly spaced, firing through whatever cover they could find. The enemy count was unknown, but proven to be smaller than FN-999's squad, and also hiding under cover. With the arrival of the Ren, the offense could rapidly be turned against the enemy.

"Five and two! Charge under cover!" commanded FN-999.

The loosely coded quote was a command unique to FN-999's squad. When it was uttered, the squad would split into two groups of whoever remained and was closest to each other, with any odd numbers designated to the left group. FN-999 joined the sixth group, as they gathered behind a large crate. Looking out from behind the box for a fraction of a second, he quickly memorized the area beyond the box. Then, he gestured for one of his troopers to throw a spare smoke grenade he had held onto, directly over the box. A second after it landed on the ground in the edge of the skirmish, it let out a large cloud of fog, obscuring the battlefield. FN-999 rapidly adjusted his visor to a thermal sight, and encouraged his troopers to do the same.

Then, the troopers charged. The larger group, lead by FN-999, rapidly moved from box to box, wall to wall, closing the distance between them and the enemy. To provide cover fire while conserving ammo, one trooper at a time fired three shots, transitioning in a preset order every time the troopers changed position. The smaller group followed their lead to the right, pinning the enemies to the middle of the hangars. FN-999 drew his riot baton, which had been repaired just hours ago. Upon activation, it hummed with electricity, ready to be lethally used.

FN-999 saw his chance as he rounded a corner and found an enemy trooper a meter to the left of him, crouching. The trooper, startled, turned to fire. But FN-999's riot baton was swift and brutal, a powerful uppercut striking down on the traitor and sending volts of electricity through his body. Rapidly drawing his baton again, FN-999 continued to hunt.

 

[Mellifluous Magenta]

ST-00/0666, “Beast”
Post 2
Equipment: Mk. IX Katarn-Class Battle Armor w/ JT-12 Jetpack, Liquid Cable Launcher, VB-113 “Tidefall” Class Vibroblade, BR-212 “Jackal” ACR w/ 4x Combat Scope, DC-17 Hand Blaster, 1 Class A Thermal Detonator, 2 Sonic Concussion Grenades
Location: Cloud City, Bespin - Hangar Bay
Allies: [member="Tobias Wrynn"]
Enemies: [member="FN-999"] [member="Tathra Khaeus"] [member="Kyrel Ren"] [member="Dominic Craig"] [member="Ashara Evanaris"] [member="Demitry Draskovits"] [member="Aisha Ren"]

“Yes sir, but...what’s the plan?” Beast asked as she briefly leaned out of cover, aimed her rifle at the upper chest of a stormtrooper running from one boxy piece of cover to another, and fired three shots in rapid succession. As she dropped back into cover, she quickly noticed the enemy spreading out and maneuvering with significantly more aggression on her sensors. Two of her squadmates biometric monitors suddenly flatlined before her eyes, faster than she could realize that they were in danger. Another smoke grenade went off, however, her HUD had already been cycled to infrared. Regardless, the enemy was quickly closing the distance between themselves and the CIC forces. If they managed to do that, it would make their numerical advantage far more pronounced than it already was. Beast’s grenade had taken out a significant number of them, but the force of First Imperial stormtroopers was well-trained and determined. They would not be easily stopped.

The distinctive sound of a lightsaber’s ignition reached her ears over the discordant din of blaster discharges and fire alarms. It was a sound that she recognized from her flash-imprinted memory sequences, which had trained her to recognize the signs of a Jedi on the battlefield, along with methods to combat them. She recalled her two squadmates who seemed to have died instantly, along with the sense that the air had tightened around her.

This was no Jedi.

 

[Tobias Wrynn]

Cloud City, Bespin
Hangar Bay
Loadout: Katarn Mark IX armor, Recon Configuration "Cambiador" Blaster Rifle ×2 smoke grenades
Allies: [member="ST-00/0666"]
Enemies: [member="FN-999"], [member="Aisha Ren"]

That was the million credit question, wasn't it? Wrynn remained crouched behind cover as the smaller woman glanced out and fired several shots into the thick of the enemy line. Due to the limited visibility caused by multiple smoke grenades choking the area, even with their aim assistance, there were no guarantees about striking true. That was why he ran the algorithms now, attempting to maximize their chances of survival.

Truthfully, he had known they would be low. Priority was given to the main contingent, who would extract the harvested Tibanna and safely spirit it away, back to the Core. They were a convenient distraction, but still just a distraction.

In order to survive, they needed to get to the extraction point. In order to do that, they needed to get through the First Imperials that had flooded the room, and now-

Snap-hiss!

He could not see the blade, but he knew the sound. Horror stories from former colleagues and ranking officers about the destructive power of a Force Adept with a lightsaber flooded his mind, and his adrenaline spiked. They needed action, not an elaborate plan. He couldn't rely on protocol to save his lone squad mate.

Glyphs in his HUD warned him of proximity breaches, and he could hear the footfalls of the enemy as they encroached on their position. No amount of shots could carve the necessary swath to equalize numbers. Instead...

He glanced at the discheveled, empty canisters they were hidden behind and leaned into the nearest to test the weight of it. It gave slightly, but he could feel the heft of it would require to fully move. "I have an idea," he spoke discreetly across the close ranged comm. "You lift that one," he indicated the empty canister next to the one in front of him, "and we charge the door, then keep moving." Wrynn shouldered his rifle and reached down to grip the canister at the base.

The head games that the strange entity employed were dulled by the terror Wrynn felt and his survival instincts. He heard it as white-noise, scratching in his ears like static. With a grunt of exertion, he called out- "now!"

Surging forward, the canister shivered from his weight. His feet slipped for the first few steps, then built traction. He shouldered it, crouched low as he charged. With a decent amount of coverage, he plowed forward and made straight for the door. "Make for the rendezvous point!"

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Objective: Steal the Tibanna Supply
​Hostiles: [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Tobias Wrynn"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] | [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="ST-00/0666"] | [member="Aisha Ren"] |
​Location: Apex Overlook

​As Tathra made his descent to the drop-bay, the turbulence throttled the drop-pods within their hexagonal holding slots. The metal sang, every bolt and clamp that held the vessel together strained as the rapid winds collided with the descending vessel. Tathra's massive form absorbed the waves of kinetic energy assaulting him, easily shrugging off the attacks.

The Chieftain clambered into his pod, eyes falling on the holographic screen ahead - a variety of heated segments that highlight the recon sensors appraisal of the terrain.

​​"[Drael]: Deploy one of the Quilxyn here. Obalisc, defensive positions on either side of this plateau. Shaman Seitiur, remain upon the Overlook with two of the Squads." ​

The Bryn'adûl battlenet had informed the Chieftain of an elevator - sitting a top two adjacent spiral staircases that lead to a small platform. As the Hel Shards jettisoned from their capsules, the remaining forces fell inline with Tathra's Shard, following as the rest diverted to the open courtyard of the Overlook to defend a potential LZ.

When the Shards landed, Tathra's dual doorway cracked open as the Chieftain launched from his pod - his strengthened form allowing his jumps to carry him metres in seconds. Landing but inches away from the elevator doorway, the Chieftain placed his hand over the control panel, using the suit's inner living components to drain the data from the system - opening up a detailed schematic of Cloud City.

​"[Drael]: Bryn'adûl! The Administrators Palace! From there we'll be able to override the master lock on the Tibanna Fuel carriers."

​​The elevator doors pulled back, revealing a small circular elevator. Too small for him.

​"[Drael]: Use the elevator to head down to the Palace, I will find alternative means." The forces that had followed their Chieftain would use the elevator, a singular squad at a time headed by a Syphon.

Tathra headed toward the edge of the Overlook platform, heavy footfalls carrying him to the very edge of the curvature that stretched beyond the railings of the courtyard. Titian eyes fell downward, his stomach churning upon itself as no ground could be found. The unfeeling metal beneath his feet held no warmth, no life. Simply a machination, a catalyst for the greed of men with no wealth beyond what came with words and documents.

He would tear this construction from the sky if he ever returned to this planet, for now retrieving the tibanna was his only concern. Tathra used the Quilxyn mutant with his suit to repurpose the energy of his organic shields, forming the energy into a hard-light platform twenty metres below him.

Their thoughts surged through his mind, the Symbiote Crell allowing him to commune and dominate the Quilxyn as it was compelled by his greater will. The platform began like a growth, a ionic red steam cast from its edges. The Chieftain leapt downward, landing on the platform with a single hand steadying himself, the platform lowered slowly - the elevator adjacent to him moving several times faster.

​Forces:
​x2 Obalisc
x4 Syphon [x4 with Tathra]
​x8 Striker Squads [6x with Tathra]
​x2 Quilxyn [1x with Tathra]
x1 Shaman

 

[FN-999]

CLOUD CITY - BESPIN​

​

ALLIES: FO ([member="Aisha Ren"] | [member="Demitry Draskovits"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] | etc.)
ENEMIES: CIC (Engaging [member="ST-00/0666"] and [member="Tobias Wrynn"])

"Sir, the enemy's falling back under cover!"​

One of FN-999's troopers called out to him from two meters away, regrouping along with him. There had been moderate casualties in both sides, but the troopers still outnumbered their enemy, and were likely qualitatively superior. Their retreat showed their weakness, and presented a great offensive opportunity.

"Keep pushing forward. Climb over the smaller boxes and run around the larger one, pick off any stragglers. They're probably down to their last three or four men."

The troopers continued their aggressive advance, closing in on the cornered enemy. Three troopers ran ahead, and began firing on two enemies who were attempting to exit the facility, pushing canisters as cover. The others began slowly picking off the enemy, continuing to maintain minimal casualties aside from the initial enemy grenade. FN-999, still wielding his ignited baton, ran forward before leaping onto the side of a box, his hands catching the top as his feet searched for leverage. With an extra kick, FN-999 stood on top of the box, temporarily having the dual blessing and curse of high ground. Seeing an insurgent recovering behind another box he now stood above, FN-999 fired a shot before jumping down, landing securely between a small box and the large one he had just scaled.

He continued forwards, finding a row of moderately sized boxes in front of him. He rapidly ducked down beneath them, before creeping over to the left in a flanking move. As he came to the other side of the box, he drew his baton, finding an armed [member="ST-00/0666"] on the other side.

​

 

[Mellifluous Magenta]

ST-00/0666, “Beast”
Post 3
Equipment: Mk. IX Katarn-Class Battle Armor w/ JT-12 Jetpack, VB-113 “Tidefall” Class Vibroblade, BR-212 “Jackal” ACR w/ 4x Combat Scope, DC-17 Hand Blaster, 1 Class A Thermal Detonator, 2 Sonic Concussion Grenades
Location:Cloud City, Bespin - Hangar Bay
Allies: [member="Tobias Wrynn"]
Enemies: [member="FN-999"] [member="Tathra Khaeus"] [member="Kyrel Ren"] [member="Dominic Craig"] [member="Ashara Evanaris"] [member="Demitry Draskovits"] [member="Aisha Ren"]

It was then that Beast hesitated.

Her instincts were genetically engineered to encourage the development of valor, bloodlust, and a borderline suicidal willingness to stand in the face of death without seeking to retreat. In short, the idea of retreating, even when faced with a Sith Lady and a veritable horde of First Imperial stormtroopers clad in cutting edge armor seemed treasonous to Beast, in spite of the undoubtedly sound reasoning behind it. She wondered if her squadmates felt the same way, and if so, whether or not they would follow Tobias’s order to make for the exit, especially when there still remained five unarmored Imperial specialists who needed to be protected.

Unfortunately, Beast’s hesitation cost her valuable time. By the time she came back to her senses, Tobias had moved closer to the exit and further away from his quickly dwindling stormtrooper squad. She had decided to not follow his order, but she was utterly desperate and knew that she needed to do something quickly in order to obstruct between the nigh-inexorable advance of the First Imperial stormtrooper squad.

Amidst a hailstorm of blaster fire, Beast leaned out of cover and sighted her rifle. She quickly saw that one of the stormtroopers had taken position on top of a box ([member="FN-999"]), and was moving to leap down from it. Sensing an opportunity to exploit, Beast immediately took aim at the position in the air where she anticipated the soldier would be by taking into account the speed of her maser bolts and her prediction of the soldier’s downward arc as he dropped back to the ground. With her bolts timed to impact their target’s chest and torso as he was still in the air, Beast fired a rapid succession of three shots with a single squeeze of the trigger. In the span of less than a second, Beast had acquired her target, aligned her shot, and fired her rife. Since there was roughly fifteen meters of distance separating Beast from the jumping stormtrooper, the bolts would take very little time to travel through the air on their path towards the female soldier's intended target...