Catalyst - The Imperial Civil War; Galactic Empire Dominion of AA-46

[Seto Du Couteau]

Location: En Route to Citadel
Actions: Removing and reestablishing Loyal Imperial rule on Kamino Surface

Isn't the rain lovely this time of year?

Seto felt the claps of thunder as his troop-transport ship shuddered, the pilot struggling to keep them flying through a very dense storm. Surprisingly the mood inside the transport remained calm, if anything Seto felt anger than anything else coming from the troops. Getting betrayed by your own kind stings I'm sure Seto mused, his arms resting across his chest as he silently focused. The ship shuddered once more and thunder heard eerily close by, the storm seemed to match the conflict up above its orbit. The Planet seems upset. . . .

Green lights flared up and the troops stood ready to jump and fight into what no doubt will be a challenge. Seto himself unclipped both of his lightsabers, his body placed in the front of the formation and with a single breath Seto waited. The doors opened wide and torrent of rain flooded into the ship with the help of strong wind, and Seto leaped forward blades ignited. A battle contenting their landing had started and Seto pushed forward, deflecting bolts with each step he took, the rain poured and Seto felt his hair collapse as he whirled forward. The Force accumulated and surrounded his palms and Seto ushered his strength forward into the enemy's rank. He launched a torrent of the Force that knocked several enemy stroomtroopers off of the platforms and launched others backwards. Now a path cleared for a moment as Seto leaped forward, taking the advantage as the rest of his own forces soon followed suit.

Seto launched his crimson saber forward, connecting into one before he called it back and Seto used his emerald blade to down another. His movements continued to move swiftly between the ranks of the enemy troops and with the final body dropping the platform now would allow more loyal Imperial forces to land and support the recapture of their Capital. "Begin clearing out the facilities and have our Engineers patch any security breaches, I don't want our forces cut off from one another," Seto ordered as he moved inside.

His sabers now handing off of his belt, his hands quickly mopped away his hair giving Seto a chance to muse on his next actions. His Comms Officer alerted him of the battle for the Citadel itself. The path set and clear, Seto ushered the rest of his Stormtrooper guard and they marched through the facilities. Seto needed to break straight through, the reinforcements would fill in the gaps behind him and allow Seto to focus on only the Citadel.

Seto slowly moved ahead, the doors slid open to reveal a much larger area and with several rain-covers blown off. His hair already weighed heavy with water and felt and looked like a mop but Seto continued to move forward, his emerald and crimson blades shone brightly as he encountered two other Inquisitors with their blades ignited. Their stance appeared rather aggressive and Seto soon knew the reason as to why they were here and not assisting the other loyalist forces.

"You guys need a map?" Seto called out, his smile grew slowly, "-It's okay I got lost on my trip to Kamino too!" Seto added before he snapped both his blades up into a defensive form.

The trio of inquisitors remained for a moment with their blades pressing on one another's before they all backed up. Seto moved slightly further back, his blades still in a defensive posture as he worked out his next attack. His own Stormtrooper guard now holding the rear and keeping off any traitors off of his back for the moment. Can't wait for them it seems Seto wearily thought as he deflected another attack. Simple strokes and the aggression appeared tamed from the traitorous Inquisitors but Seto twirled his blades and leaped forward for a more aggressive attack.

Seto's blades met the red sabers of his enemy with strike and he found himself pushing them back, the traitors kept taking steps back as Seto continued his attack. A fear rose out of the two, and Seto only drove himself forward, his focus on the Force called and yanked a light fixture. The light sailed across and crashed next to one of the Inquisitors and Seto's crimson blade broke through their defense and now a single cut down body laid between Seto and the other traitor Inquisitor.

The rain continued to pour on the combatants and Seto slowly eased himself calling out to his enemy, "Hey, I'm curious as to why you turned traitor," Seto asked.

"You wouldn't understand anything you Imperial Lapdog!" The Traitor responded.

"Humor me," Seto offered, "-I can just finish this fight now but I'm willing to listen to you," Seto explained, both his saber disengaged and Seto clipped them back onto his belt to show his intentions to the traitor.

The Traitor seemed confused and the death of his comrade clearly messed with his mind, "F-f-fine, our new Leader promised us a new future, a brighter one under his rule," The Traitor started, "-He showed us the light and the corruption that infested our Order-ah!" The Traitor never finished his sentence as his body flew off the edge and down into the waves below.

Seto's grim expression only relaxed as he slowly relaxed him and quickly reignited his sabers, he moved across the platform. He stopped briefly and turned his head to face the direction where he threw the Traitor, "Never said I how long I would listen for!" Seto called out, to mostly himself. The rest of his Stormtrooper guard soon formed up behind and the Citadel still their target.

"This is Inquisitor Du Couteau calling out to any Loyal Imperial forces, I'm in need of a situation briefing, I repeat any Loyal ground Forces still operating near the Citadel?" Seto asked, his comm device held in front of him. Let's see if anybody still loyal is out there

[member="Baron Morcus"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Lucan Sirrad"] | [member="Gromm Cardan"] | [member="Aram Kalast"] | [member="Labkahip Mordulla"]

 

[Keyan Mastigar]

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7TH IMPERIAL FLEET - GRAND ADMIRAL CARDAN​

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It was the perfect strategy, created and moulded in the mind of the now-grand admiral. Once the Invictus was to reveal itself after manoeuvring behind the revolutionary forces, the Home Fleet would close in from above and form a blockade, effectively trapping the enemy between their numerous capital ships and the shield gate protecting Kamino. This plan did rely on the loyalists retaining control of the space station, which had been one of the first locations for the attack to begin. Cardan stepped to the side and glanced towards the station in orbit, Commander Praxon off to the side, "Commander, I believe our army-counterparts could use some assistance in securing the objective." He proclaimed, clasping his hands behind his back, "Launch a trio of drop pods, dispersal pattern epsilon."

Mere seconds later did a small portion of the Invictus' ventral hull split, opening to reveal an attack hangar reminiscent of the Empire's recent siege battlecruisers. Cylindrical pods launched from their loading racks, weaving through the returning fire from the enemy fleet until they were clear of the star dreadnought, blasting towards their mark at high speeds. Squads of stormtroopers could be seen battling their former comrades on the exterior of the station, anchored to the hull with the magnetism generated from their armoured boots. A pair of unfortunate revolutionaries, on a whim, glanced up and could only manage a small shriek as they were crushed by the AT-RDP slamming into them and latching onto the exterior hull.

Hatches were opened and a platoon of Imperial Navy commandos flooded out of the pod, followed by a squadron of AT-STs. Around the station, the other two pods would land with similar results, turning the tide of the battle in favour of Cardan as the scout walkers annihilated the traitors. Cardan smirked from the bridge of his flagship when Praxon showed him the holographic footage. "Admiral, we're receiving a transmission from the nearby Existentiality over a secure frequency." The communications officer called from the crew pit. Gromm turned, listening for a moment, "Patch me through to him, mid-level encryption."

A hologram of the Imperial grand admiral would spring to life on [member="Lucan Sirrad"]'s bridge. "Captain, your positioning is favourable to my cause at the moment. Keep close to us and prevent the enemy's smaller vessels from manoeuvring between our defence grid." He commanded, a neutral expression on his features, "We will dispose of any destroyers that attempt to stop you." Cardan waited a few seconds for a response before disappearing, a small alarm sounding on his bridge a few seconds later.

He gawked at the display, preliminary scans revealing a corvette carrying the Grand Moff's biosignal attempting to run the blockade and thus far succeeding. 'No, no, it was the perfect strategy, why aren't they doing anything about it, surely it is transmitting as a traitor, WHY WEREN'T THEY ATTACKING?!?' Cardan felt a familiar itch on his wrist, prompting him to hitch his uniform cuff and relentlessly scratch it, ignoring the scars of his previous failures.

The Epicanthix pivoted, glaring at his bridge crew.

"STOP THAT SHIP!"

 

[Taa Nul]

Word eventually reached Morcus that Graf's captors were attempting to escape the field of battle with their valuable prize. The Lord Regent would not allow it. He would not allow his oldest friend to be taken as a bargaining chip. The Pellaeon's massive bulk began to turn slowly, setting it's course to match that of the escaping corvette before engaging it's pursuit. The large ship fired wildly at enemy vessels it passed, slowing down for nothing, it even smashed straight through several smaller enemy ships that'd gotten in it's path, cleaving through their hulls like a scythe cutting wheat.

Morcus glared at the small vessel in the distance. "Activate the tractor beam. They are NOT escaping under my watch.", he said commandingly. He would tolerate no failure. The vessel activated it's tractor beam, attempting to catch the escaping ship in it's grasp.

[member="Gromm Cardan"]
[member="Seto Du Couteau"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

​The 7th Fleet worked to mobilize with deadly intent. In the moments they breached the reaches of Hyperspace they descended upon their enemies. For Dominic and his Squadron their would be little combat to see. In fact they had already been given orders to fly fighter escort for the main fleet. They were under strict instruction not to get involved with the hell that was fighter combat. As enemy IFF transponders still read as friendly, a fighter would have to use their own judgement to eliminate their enemy. A dangerous game of flying blind,

​The moment they had deployed into the space surrounding the fleet, Dominic tapped into this comm channel, reaching out to his squadron.

​"Ok guys, let's keep it to the reg. All callsigns check in." He ordered, his ebony helmet distorting his voice. Glancing up to his fighter-display he could see the small TIE symbols flashing green as the fighter pilots commed in.

​"Phantom 1, standing by." Lucky called in, her feminine voice the easiest to recognize, even through the Imperial helmet she wore.

​"Phantom 2, standing by." Radar called out, his gruff tone masking a bit of worry he had about the current conflict.

​"Phantom 3, standing by." Sizer practically mumbled, his worry not hidden in the slightest as he gazed out at the fleet battle going on before him.

​"Phantom 3, keep your lungs up. All wings checked in, move into holding patterns around the main flagship." With that Dominic turned his attention to the battle at hand, hoping dearly it would end soon,

[member="Baron Morcus"][member="Gromm Cardan"][member="Seto Du Couteau"]

 

[Elijah Brockway]

Location: Kamino
Objective: Stop that ship, of course

"As you command," Lucan quickly replied, giving Cardan a salute, before the comm line cut off. He stepped back out onto the main part of the bridge, quickly visually ascertaining a target. This time it was a another frigate not entirely dissimilar to the Pilum-class he was on. It was a Tempus, that was trying to limp out of the battle. "All guns on that frigate," he commanded, highliting the Tempus on a tactical display. The turbolasers and ion cannons quickly trained on it, and in a few short volleys the enemy frigate was split in half. Not wasting time to admire the the results of his ship's weaponry, Lucan's eyes instantly trained on another target, a small corvette that was quickly breaking the line. Checking at his own console showed that it wasn't marked as a traitor vehicle, though, and that it was carrying the Grand Moff's biosignal.

Lucan's eyes narrowed, having heard Graf's takedown earlier, and the stormtroopers that spoke afterwards. If I fire on the Grand Moff's escape party, I'm bound back for the outer systems. If it's Tuspin running off with Graf, and I let it escape, then I'm bound for worse than the outer systems...

Lucan's moment of indecision didn't last long, however, as his comm officer shouted down at him. "Sir! Order from the Invictus! It says to stop this corvette - " the same one that Lucan had been considering was highlighted on the tactical display, ending his doubt. "It's carrying the Grand Moff!" Lucan ground his teeth in momentary annoyance before answering. I shouldn't have waited.

"Target it with the ion cannons only, and fire as soon as a targetting solution is obtained," he told his gunnery officer. The gimballed cannons moved to comply, but it seemed luck would not be on Lucan's side. "Sir, it's too quick; neither ion cannon has enough movement to target it." Lucan withheld a litany of curses that sprang to mind, as the tactical display showed the corvette managing to break away to point where it was now behind the Existentiality.

"Maneuvering thrusters at one hundred percent, main thruster at seventy-five," he growled to his pilot and chief engineering officer, the command being relayed back to those manning the engine instantly. "Drop the inertial compensators by fifteen percent. Give us a full roll-off-the-top with a thirty degree port turn, as soon as you have the corvette in sight level out the roll, increase the main thruster to maximum and and pursue." The pilot moved to comply, and with the inertial compensators dropping, Lucan could nearly feel his stomach flip as the ship made the Immelmann turn. The Existentiality rolled and levelled out, pursuing to engage the corvette before it could jump to hyperspace. Subconsciously Lucan noted the Grand Inquisitor's ship fall into view next to his own, training their tractor beam projectors on the corvette.

"Sir! Targetting solution obtained with the ion cannons!" Lucan didn't even consider before issuing the next command. "Fire!"

In response, he saw bright blue bursts of ionic energy streak out from his ship, the two tri-cannons sending one volley and then another after the fleeing corvette. As they rapidly approached the rear of the retreating ship, Lucan could only hope that it wasn't too late to stop it.

[member="Dominic Crowley"] [member="Baron Morcus"] [member="Gromm Cardan"] [member="Seto Du Couteau"]

 

[Cynthia Alucard]

"All Pixies return back to the hanger, we're done here," Cyn ordered, she pulled her TIE Interceptor into a direct path back to their new Star Destroyer home.

She could feel the uneasiness from her pilots but her wing was not at full strength and what's worse was the difficult comms situation. They could hide underneath all the chaos but that also allowed their enemies to do the same and the only sure fire way to tell the difference was if another TIE wasn't shooting at you. Cyn knew her old commander wouldn't have wasted the lives of his pilots for simple platitudes, and the major fighting slowly begun to turn into more Capital Ship fighting.

The journey back was filled with silence and only broke when Cyn ordered for docking permissions and soon her pilots docked safely and all emerged from their cockpits. Their back uniforms and helmets matched nicely against the black solar panels of their TIE's and Cyn approached the group with a nod. Her helmet now hanged loosely from one of her straps as she addressed her pilots.

"Get some rest and see to yourself that the Doc on the ship reports an all-clear with your physical state," Cyn ordered, they all nodded in return and some offered salutes before retreating back to their temporary bunks. Cyn for her part sighed once she turned around and relaxed herself as she walked towards the nearest Comm's room.

Even if she was now the de facto Wing Commander of the Pixies, it still required some official channels to accept her new and sudden promotion. Not that she was looking forward to it but her own Squadron needed replacements and worse of all the entire Flight Wing had been nearly decimated. The rebuilding of her Wing would require a lot of time and effort. Something that Cyn wasn't sure if she was capable of or not, and with the sudden order to return back to the hangers suddenly made her mind reel.

"One step at a time Cyn, we'll get through this just fine," Cyn muttered to her,"-Just one step at a time,"

 

[Keyan Mastigar]

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7TH IMPERIAL FLEET - GRAND ADMIRAL CARDAN​

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Cardan growled quietly to himself, staring at the holographic display of the battle as he sat himself down on the ship's command throne, actively ascertaining the situation at hand as it unfolded. A flutter of his fingers on the console embedded in the arm and the Invictus was rolling toward the Corvette as it weaved through the enemy formations to escape the battle. Allied ships were trying their best to capture the smaller vessel, the grand admiral smirking as both the frigate of his new acquaintance and the hulking frame of the Pellaeon began chasing after their prize.

The traitorous ships composed of elements from the 48th and 60th Fleets were intent on stopping them, manoeuvring to block their adversaries from interfering either on the whims of Tuspin or through the well-known ingenuity of Imperial naval officers. It was of no concern, Gromm knew full well that they hardly needed the entire battlegroup to go chasing after one ship, both of the flagships themselves already being overkill.

A small migraine manifested itself in Cardan's head as the engines of the Corvette flared, the ship itself vanishing from view when it jumped to lightspeed. "Power up the pursuit drive, have gunnery prepare for a mid-jump interception, initiate on my mark," Gromm commanded, causing the crew to tense up slightly as they realized the ramifications of this order. Praxon gave pause, gawking at his superior, "But sir...activating the hyperdrive along the target's last-known-trajectory would take us through the enemy fleet."

"Divert shield power to the fore section, low priority to port and starboard." Cardan gave, much to the anxiety of Commander Praxon. The tension continued to rise as they watched the hyperdrive power up on their display until finally, Grand Admiral Gromm Cardan uttered a single command:

"Execute."

The massive ion drives of the star dreadnought flared for a single second, to the absolute surprise of some and terror of others. The Imperial flagship lurched, its hyperdrive suddenly propelling it past the speed of light so that it could enter the realm of Hyperspace, but first, it had to pass through its only obstacle; The countless enemy star destroyers between it and the Corvette.

Time seemingly slowed until it became unbearable, the Invictus disappearing from its current position, streaks of white light tearing through the massive constructions of durasteel known as the Galactic Empire's primaire warship, sending debris flying in the direction that the super star destroyer left in. More than half of the enemy fleet had stood between Cardan and his prey, and now they were shredded in half, rendered useless.

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[Taa Nul]

The Pellaeon shuddered as the various bits of debris from the massacred enemy vessels in the aftermath of Grand Admiral Cardan's brutal hyperspace jump bounced off it's deflector shields. Allied and enemy fighters and corvettes were being torn apart by the large chunks of star destroyer now scattered about Kamino's orbit. Morcus glanced around at the chaos, a smile forming upon his face. "I have to give the Grand Admiral credit. He gets the Empire results."

Morcus turned from the front view port of the bridge, returning to sit on his command throne while his bridge crew continued carrying out their orders of holding the escaping corvette. He closed his eyes, entering his thoughts as he meditated on current events. This had been quite the taxing day, yet he knew it would be over this easily. Something gnawed at the back of his psyche. He sensed a presence, one both familiar and unfamiliar to him...

[member="Gromm Cardan"]
[member="Lucan Sirrad"]
[member="Cynthia Alucard"]
[member="Dominic Crowley"]

 

[Elijah Brockway]

Lucan growled wordlessly as he watched his ion blasts pound uselessly on the shields of the corvette. The Existentiality was pursuing, though by now its own shields were having to contend with the fire of the enemy fleet, moving into an intercept position for Lucan's ship, and those of the Baron and the Grand Admiral. "Shields double back," Lucan commanded. "And a 20% increase on the starboard side, we're getting hammered there harder than port. What's taking so long on that corvette?"

"Sir, they've poured all excess power into their rear shields," his weapons officer reported. "I don't think they even have any coverage on the front and sides. We can't break through." Lucan ground his teeth together in rage, struggling to keep his voice under control. "Keep hammering them," he grunted, glaring at the tactical display. Not far behind his ship were the two SSDs, though the smaller frigate was outstripping them much the same as the corvette was outrunning the frigate. "Direct our turbolaser fire on the corvette, rip its shields apart!"

"Sir! The corvette's hyperdrive is powering—"

Lucan cursed extremely loudly, cutting off the other officer, as the corvette's engines flared and it disappeared from view. In response, the rest of his bridge fell nearly perfectly silent. "I should've had us firing on it before Cardan's orders came through," he growled to himself, some of his officers making a very noticeable effort not to look at him. The beeping from his command console barely roused him out of his moment of self-loathing long enough to issue any further commands.

"I don't believe it. Cardan's a madman."

"Sir?"

"All shields, stern and ventral! Sensors, get a lock on the Invictus's bearings! Engines, warm up the hyperdrive!"

"Aye, sir!" "Aye!" "Aye-aye, captain!"

"Pilot, pull us up! Get us out of the way!"

His pilot pulled the ship up hard and to the right, the hull of the massive craft groaning under the strain. Nor was it a moment too soon, as Cardan's ship jumped behind them, shearing through the enemy fleet; the Existentiality's viewports darkened immediately, as the enemy ships were sheared apart by a plasma that was brighter than the system's star. Some of the plasma and other debris slammed against the underside shields of the frigate, drawing them low enough that they failed within seconds, leaving it open for more degree to slam against the hull, setting the entire ship shuddering.

"Sir, we have to get out of this mess! If we don't, the entire ship will be torn apa—"

"Hyperdrives are ready, sir, and we're locked on the Invictus's path!"

"Lightspeed! Now!"

The viewports darkened further as the expanse outside the ship lengthened and shifted, before everything turned into a near-featureless blue field and the viewports went opaque.

[member="Baron Morcus"]
[member="Gromm Cardan"]
[member="Cynthia Alucard"]
[member="Dominic Crowley"]
[member="Seto Du Couteau"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Dominic and his squad remained in the rear, maintaining fighter support as the Seventh Fleet worked to help clear the dissidents in the area. The next few moments were a hazed blur that the young fighter pilot would never understand.

"All fighter wings, clear the fleet, I repeat, clear the fleet!" A voice called over the Commandcomm. From within his TIE fighter he could hear a soft beeping that caused Dom to arch a brow. "Something is moving into Hyperspace? What is-" He turned to make visual contact with the ship that stood to his side. "Oh sh- Phantom, clear that destroyer!" Much like a swarm of wasps, the Phantom TIE fighters shot out in random directions, fleeing from the Destroyer that was preparing to flit into Hyperspace.

There was a loud clap as the Star Destroyer collided with the enemy fleet, effectively slicing it into an armada of pieces. Dominic, who had narrowly missed the destroyer, had been sent into a fit of coughs and labored breathing. He was more than sure he was going to die. After taking a few moments, Dominic glanced up to his display above his viewport, all members of his squadron still had green indicator lights, showing they had not been swept away by the destroyer. "I can't....I can't believe he did that...He turned the enemy fleet into the galaxy's largest paperweight collection in three seconds." Dom remarked, rubbing a hand over his head before patching into the Command frequency. It was not going to be a simple day.

[member="Lucan Sirrad"]
[member="Baron Morcus"]
[member="Gromm Cardan"]
[member="Cynthia Alucard"]

 

[Cynthia Alucard]

The bridge of the Star Destroyer was frantic as Cyn made her way closer, more and more ensigns scurried around her and what more it felt as this battle was turning into something uglier than ever. Her eyes darted from ensign calling out their instructions to another, while the Imperial Navy prioritized efficiency and discipline and instilled loyalty and fear this battle turned the nerves of many shot and fried. Cyn continued her way to meet with the Captain of the ship but stopped short in front of the large windows.

The streaks of blue and white shone brightly and a hush fell over all those in the bridge, it was difficult to even blink away from the sight and worse yet the seconds it took to refocus the realization of what had transpired slowly trickled in. Cyn remained memorized as the rest of those in the bridge shook themselves from their stupor and continued to perform their duty. There were constant glances at the sheer wreckage of the traitor Warlord's fleet.

There were more than the traitor's wreckage out there, several TIE pilots of both sides were contesting the space and Cyn simply remained still as the rest the bridge kept moving around her. More information were called out and the fact remained that a clear path was made through the fleet and more Imperial forces were being directed to further drive the wedge in the split between the fleet. No point in wasting the opportunity and no doubt the traitors suffered more so much of their own fleet now floating wrecks around them.

Cyn tried not to think of the numbers this battle was costing and what had already costed them, but she simply remained awestruck of the scene in front of her before her trance was broken by an Ensign tapping her shoulder. She nodded in thanks and with a quick salute she left the bridge, leaving the terrible sight in front of her for the moment. Her eyes closed shut but those images remained, she continued to walk back towards the hanger bay. She had no intentions of flying back out there with her mangled squad and decimated wing, only the orders of the Captain could get her back into the cockpit of her TIE Interceptor. This, this is all madness!

 

[Riamah]

The newest commander to the Imperial Navy was given her first orders. To follow behind the fleet and pick out any stragglers that were chasing them. Given a ship with a few squadrons, she did just as she was ordered.

Some of the people here was unsure of her abilities at the helm, but they would soon learn it was better to just follow her orders.

She was still in the mental process of acclimating herself to the now and the changes that had happened in the galaxy since she was put to sleep. This was her new home now though and she would have to adjust. There was no choice in the matter. So in what free time she had, Sulen had taken to learning about all that had transpired in the last 800 or so years.

Noticing a pattern with the rise and fall of governments and civilizations, she had the sneaky suspicion something was going to happen now. One thing she did know was war never changed and that is what this was. Civil war. Having picked the side she felt was right, the young commander stood on the bridge of her ship and watched for those stragglers.

Friendlies and enemies alike flew around and her squadrons would attempt to corner the ones hostile. War was what she was trained for and this is where she was at home. Cold and heartless, she watched as her team followed the orders given to her and what she had passed along. Tomorrow would never come for many of these people, there was even a chance it may not come to her.

 

[Keyan Mastigar]

UPRISING ON KAMINO​

Imperial Loyalists vs. Imperial Revolutionaries​

Revolutionary Pyrrhic Victory ​

7th Loyalist Fleet vs. 48th/60th Revolutionary Fleets​

Loyalist Strategic Victory​

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The Epicanthix stared into the azure tunnel of Hyperspace, the five-kilometre durasteel dagger being propelled through it at faster than the speed of light itself. The technician manning the scanning station leaned forward to get a closer look at the display, "Admiral, sir. Captain Sirrad's frigate has joined us in the jump." He reported, adjusted the front of his uniform, prompting Cardan's head to turn, a small smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth."Very good." He began, observing the display on his throne, "Position his ship into the pursuit field with our tractor beam. Let us bring him along for the chase."

Outside in Hyperspace, the Existentiality was drawn into the relativistic field generated by the hyperdrive of the star dreadnought, propelled even faster as Cardan ordered the interception of the corvette that escaped to begin. Soon enough, further upward in the tunnel, the small vessel could be seen getting closer to the duo of warships. The long-range megamasers and ion cannons of the dreadnought rotated forward, calculating their firing trajectories until their moment came. "Cardan to Gunnery. I want disabling shots only, whoever takes that ship out of hyperspace gets double pay." The grand admiral informed, pressing down on a button located on his armrest.

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The Invictus began to hover dangerously behind the corvette, several batteries beginning to fire wildly as the order to engage was given by their chief. The megamasers drilled through their shields, allowing the ion cannons to fry their weapons systems until finally, the ship began to vibrate. It was too late though, the corvette reverted to realspace near an armoured space station larger than the Imperial flagship. The Invictus throttled down near where their mark had left hyperspace, the station firing its turbolasers at the enemy ship until Cardan ordered them out of range and to engage the cloaking device.

Grand Admiral Cardan stared at the ironically named Cardan V-class space station, surrounded by a network of Golan III NovaGuns. It was ancient technology, obsolete by about eight centuries, but it was still enough to challenge and even destroy the pinnacle of the Imperial Starfleet. He activated the throne's comlink, preparing a transmission to the Invictus' more powerful cousin, the Pellaeon.

"This is Cardan, rally the fleet at my coordinates and prepare for a siege."​

 

[Riamah]

Listening to the various communication between the ships and the fleet, Sulen picked up on some nuances others might have missed. Anticipation filled her as the last of the stragglers near to her were almost wiped away. No surrender was offered and no mercy was given to these men and women that had become turncoats. They had picked the wrong side to belong to and the price they paid was death.

She walked the bridge with her hands clasped behind her back and watched those under her command. Her untested skills shone through today and the cold calm she projected flowed through her men and women.

"Prepair to jump and follow our fleet."

The order was given and ​their course was set. Letters might or might not reach the families of those lose today, but she lost any herself, she would have to curtosy to alert their relatives. Unless of course that wasn't done these days. Just one of the many things Sulen needed to be educated on.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

"Sir, we're being pulled into the Invictus's wake," one of Lucan's technicians warned. He nodded to them, waving off the warning. "Don't even try to fight it. We'd never succeed, and this'll be far more beneficial to us." With a shudder, the Existentiality found itself in the same swirling blue tunnel as the far larger ship, situated just up above it. Not far ahead, Lucan could see the corvette on his tactical display, and he stared greedily at the marker of it. His gunnery officer looked at him expectantly.

"Hold your fire. We're not made for this sort of fight, and the possibility that we damage the Invictus is too high. Save power and wait until we exit hyperspace." The gunnery officer nodded, returning to his own display; the corvette itself started shuddering under the hits it was taking from the Super Star Destroyer, before dropping out of hyperspace. Lucan's crew, anticipating the command, dropped out as well, a ways behind the corvette and SSD both. Not terribly far away, Lucan could see as the Invictus started taking a beating, and swallowed nervvously. "Cut our engines, and place all the weaponry into standby mode," he ordered, the ship barely being carried forward by what little momentum it had. Thankfully, as the Invictus went into its cloaked state, the limited stealth options that the reflec-coated frigate had available seemed to suffice to keep them from getting noticed—yet.

With his ship gently floating in space, Lucan walked forward, examining the space station through his viewport. Thankfully, military history had been one of his favourite subjects in the academy, so he recognized the Cardan-V space station relatively quickly—though he had to suppress a measure of surprise at the fact that the station still lived, after having been so long abandoned in empty space. Though it must obviously have seen some recent repairs and such, given how Tuspin was currently using it. "What I wouldn't give for missiles," he mused, drawing the attention of his bridge officers. He turned back to them, a strategy already starting to form in his mind.

"Tell our TIE Pilots to get in their craft and start warming them up," he commanded, returning back to his normal seat. "With any luck, the small things should be able to slip under the shields on the Golan IIIs, and from there they'll just need their proton torpedoes to take out the shield generators. After that, they can destroy the turbolasers with ease; they'll just have to be careful of the tractor beams." He observed the tactical map, the corvette, the space station, and the NovaGuns all having been marked by the Invictus.

"After we scramble the fighters, we'll take a position at the rear of Cardan's ship," he decided, marking an approximate position on the tacmap. "From there, our duty will be to protect it if any fighters scrambled from the station should manage to make it near; otherwise, I'll want all of our weapons focused on the Golan IIIs. Leave the big ships to contend with the space station for the time being. And in the event we see that corvette manage to repair its engines and try to leave again, we will pursue with all possible haste." He stroked his beard, before nodding to himself.

"All understood?" Under a chorus of 'ayes' and 'yes sirs' he leaned back and stared at the tacmap. The largest part of the battle might have been done, but they still needed to rescue the Grand Moff. Hopefully the traitor's pyrrhic victory would be an extremely short-lived one.

[member="Gromm Cardan"] [member="Sulen Dewan"] [member="Cynthia Alucard"] [member="Dominic Crowley"] [member="Baron Morcus"] [member="Seto Du Couteau"]

 

[Taa Nul]

The matter of the presence Morcus had felt would have to wait, he thought to himself, as Admiral Cardan's order's arrived. "Muster the fleet and prepare to jump to hyperspace so we might join Admiral Cardan's fleet with all due haste.", the Grand Inquisitor said urgently. The Pellaeon would wait at the edge of the system while the vast majority of the Grand Inquisitor's armada gathered to join them, a token force remaining behind to mop up any resistance alongside the planetary defence fleet. Soon enough, the armada began it's jump into hyperspace.

The fleet eventually arrived at sector AA-46 in full force, the massive bulk of the Pellaeon overshadowing Cardan's ship as it arrived just overhead, soon followed by the many dozens of Acclamators and Venators part of the Crimson Armada. Their fighter compliments of ARC-170s and V-Wings were swiftly deployed in full, engaging the TIE Fighters defending the enemy facility while the now combined task force awaited the command of Admiral Cardan and the Grand Inquisitor to advance.

[member="Lucan Sirrad"]
[member="Sulen Dewan"]
[member="Gromm Cardan"]
[member="Dominic Crowley"]
[member="Cynthia Alucard"]

 

[Drakar]

He could feel the deaths, every last one of them, as the Loyalist's starfighters collided with the defence grid of the space station, falling victim to the efficient anti-starfighter armament of the Golan NovaGun platforms. Despite the best efforts of the newly-appointed 'grand inquisitor' of Tuspin's Empire Reborn, a genuine feeling of sorrow slowly but surely dominated his mind. These deaths were pointless, and they were his fault, for he couldn't find the traitors fast enough before the civil war began.

He controlled his emotions for a moment, quietly consoling himself by assisting several of the 'enemy' starfighters with a light use of his battle meditation, permitting them to drop their payloads on the platform but not exactly where they wished, for he had a mission to do and a schedule to abide by. Drakar knew he could only use his abilities lightly, for his 'rival', Morcus, would sense him further and act sooner than expected. The inquisitor had already felt the older man probing around his presence in the Force, even from several parsecs away over Kamino, reportedly.

Drakar stood and left his quarters, striding his way to the hangar bay as he felt the mission-critical corvette touch down on the durasteel floor, its engines vibrating the metal until they were shut down. The Force highlighted the sleek vessel, allowing him to notice the critical damage on its aft section, no doubt a token from Cardan himself. He adjusted his gaze to the boarding ramping as it descended, several red-coloured stormtroopers escorting captured Loyalist stormtroopers and officers until finally, he felt the presence of one man as he weakly trudged down onto the deck, arms in the grasp of two troopers.

"Ah...Grand Moff Graf...a pleasure to be in the presence of such a great man." Drakar hissed, earning a chuckle or two from the surrounding stormtroopers. The old man didn't even acknowledge his remark, gazing off at the other prisoners of war. The grand inquisitor tutted, "Recalcitrant as always. No matter, I will personally make sure you are broken last, after you witness the same occur to every last one of those still loyal to you." He proclaimed, nodding in a mocking manner, "But first, we must deal with your fanatical hounds."

The man turned to leave, beginning to depart the hangar to make his way to the attack bay. He sensed Graf's eyebrow raise for a split second before conforming to his apathetic expression once more, signalling his acceptance of the silent event. Drakar had telepathically sent him a single phrase, one that quietly reassured the ageing dictator of his situation.

'Hail to the Emperor'

------------------------------

His cloak trailed behind him as he walked through the hallways of the space station, observing his surroundings and their inhabitants through the Force, making note of weaknesses and pertinent information. The grand inquisitor soon came upon the entrance to the attack hangar, where a duo of ace pilots stood chatting, quickly ceasing and standing at attention for the man.

"Several fighters have broken through the defensive line, come with me," Drakar commanded, marching into the hangar, soon followed by the aces. A solid minute later, a single TIE Advanced, trailed by two TIE Defenders, launched from one of the station's hangar bays. Drakar banked off to the right, pressing down on the firing controls to destroy a few of the antiquated fighters, it would seem that today was a battle of the ancients...

​

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

Location: Citadel Outskirts
Actions: Continue to break the Siege

The rain continued to fall and Seto began to feel rather put off by this whole humbug of events, he eyes tracked more blaster fire coming from the main capital buildings. The fight continued to rage on fiercely, and Seto remained close to his own guards now setting up a forward operational post. Communication and better logistics was important and for the moment he felt confident enough to know things would certainly turn for their favor. ​Not like I wouldn't put myself in a position favorable for myself he mused wearily, his arms resting across his chest as he walked beneath a makeshift cover.

Seto slightly envied his guards complete armor, granted the white armor wasn't anything to write home about but it certainly provided its wearer with enough protection from the elements. Like the rain and cold for example. A small shiver ran down his spine as he walked towards a small pile of communication devices, set up and already several officers began to organize more and more of the loyalist troops.

A bright light erupted from the skies, Seto peered upwards and sighed as the lighting continue to flare up during this whole confrontation. His eyes returned back to the information being delivered by his Comm Officers, everything appeared to grow steadily in the favor of them, a comforting thought for Seto. The wind continued to give him grief and for a split moment Seto felt the urge to go inside and simply let the others handle everything else for him.

"Sir, news from the fleet, it appears the majority of the traitor Tuspin's fleet has been either destroyed or badly damaged," One of the Comm Officers reported to Seto, "-Also we have made a break through in the Capital buildings, with limited to no support now offered to our enemies we have now push in and secured many of the buildings," The Comm Officer finished before quickly running back.

Seto arched an eyebrow and wondered what had happened up there that suddenly turned the favor almost instantly towards their favor, Perhaps an arrival of another fleet? Seto sighed and figured he could all the details once he returns back to his own ship. For the moment he figured he could continue to dry and warm up as the fighting seemed ever closer to ending. Almost there as one would say.

[member="Baron Morcus"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Lucan Sirrad"] | [member="Gromm Cardan"] | [member="Aram Kalast"] | [member="Labkahip Mordulla"] | [member="Sulen Dewan"] | [member="Dominic Crowley"]