Dominion Closing Pantora's Box (OPA Dominion of Pantora)

[Cathul Thuku]

Objective: Fully Operational
Location: Orto Plutonia's orbit
Allies: OPA Atlas Drake
Enemies: Children of the New Order

"Pirates to starboard! They seem to match known First Order signatures" the sensor technician reported.

"Battle stations!"

With the band of pirates sighting the convoy, the alert was given, and all units began configuring their targeting solutions so that they could engage the enemy whenever ready. Also, with the ex-FO pirates using picket corvettes and artillery frigates, as well as torpedo frigates, it was obvious what should be done here: have the capital ships fire at the picket corvettes while fighters swoop in and unleash cluster missiles at the artillery and torpedo frigates, in that order, especially since the artillery frigates opened fire first and were glass cannons. The cruiser's shields still held, but it was then that the volleys were fired back: cluster missiles were fired at the mass of enemy ships, and, while not all munitions hit their targets, enough of these did hit to kill an artillery frigate and damage the hulls of other frigates. Also, picket corvettes took heavy damage and incurred several firepower kills, and maybe even causing catastrophic reactor failures after the firepower kill. Yet, no torpedo launcher was hit severely enough to cause cook-off of the ammunition: better luck next time as to causing that sort of firepower kill onto the pirates.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Dances with Snow Wookiees
Eldin Daine Braelyn Zale

"That's the right way to look at it," said Quill, adjusting his parka for a little less warmth. Nice day, at least compared to Mount Ison. "Assuming they want the help. I'm Jend-Ro. Quill," he added for clarity. "Just call me Quill. Are you in charge, ma'am?"

He took the woman for a military type and the gunslinger for a gunslinger. Whether they could touch the Force was their business, but based on how OPA command thought this mission should proceed, at least one would have abilities.

 

[Eldin Daine]

Dancin' With The Snow Wookiees
Tag: Braelyn Zale | Jend-Ro Quill
Location: Snow Plains


"Ain't no Judge Ma'am, just here to help as best I can", any further conversation interrupted by the arrival of another ship. It was better they had more numbers, even if only one more. The day was already drawing long and they would have to be getting on with sooner rather than later. As the man approached, looked like a hermit but Eldin knew better than to judge by the look of a guy, and that tingling up the back of his neck told of a deal of strength within the older man.

"Eldin's me name", not much else to give for himself apart from that. The hermit made sense, intell is one thing but what was the info on the ground? "I guess we will find out quick if they don't want us about", he agreed, the tip of his hat nodded once.

"If they do", his head swayed, "Well best we get both sides of the story". But the lady was in charge, the decision was ultimately hers, he was just here for the ride. "But first we gotta get through them traps. Also don't wanna be stomping all over sacred ground either". Talz are tribal, a warrior race and most likely will have customs to suit.

 

[Colton Renth]

Objective: Fully Operational
Location: Orto Plutonia's orbit
Allies: OPA Atlas Drake ,
Cathul Thuku
Enemies: Children of the New Order
==============================================================================

The Shadow Hawk a heavily modified YF-1300F light freighter suddenly dropped out of hyperspace right in the middle of a fight the clam and gritty voice of the Ship captain came over the alliance Comms as he some daring and impressive maneuvers firing on a damaged artillery frigate, his dorsal and ventral AG-2G quad laser cannons blazing "It seems y'all started the party with me." He said as he executed barrel roll followed by ens invert looped before firing a ST2 concussion missile at the now unshielded bridge of the artillery frigate moments latter a brilliant blue and green explosion erupted from bridge followed and large blue and expansion and the frigate exploded and broke in half. "yehaww, that ladies and gents is how its done, now shall we finish the dance?" he said over the comms and pulled off a near-miss dive under a large piece debris from another destroyed ship and came within centimeters of clipping not the debris but an enemy fighter on other side.

 

[Jerec Asyr]

APOCALYPSE NOW

These particular raiders had touched down in a half-trashed, poorly-modded Gallofree Transports Tannhauser-class freighter. Jerec found himself struck dumb and unsure whether this was good luck or terrible.

Not all that long ago, Gallofree had fired him. Not long before that, he'd been one of the shipwrights working on upcoming possible iterations of this exact ship. He knew the Tannhauser like the back of his genitalia. And he could already hear the old bosses he'd barely escaped.

It was a good ship in its way. Nothing special, but, you know, free.

"And no sun can hold us and keep us for long," he found himself singing under his breath, "for infinity's ours and infinity's free. And no star can hold her and no world's her own, for Finity's End is she." The old spacer shanty warmed him as he poked around the raider ship, blaster in hand. Everyone aboard was no longer aboard. He hotwired a door, put down a basic security droid, and input the manufacturer's backdoor password.

Just like that, he had a ship.

 

[Shira Varanin]

APOCALYPSE NOW - CAPITAL CITY

Shira Varanin stood from checking a small body's pulse. She scanned the wrecked street, the dead Pantoran Guard, the equally dead cultists - but there'd be more of the latter, and Pantora would eventually run out of its Guard. Long and vicious battles had seen to that. And while Shira tried to empathize with more than just the dead child at her feet, she knew very little about this planet except who she was here to, realistically, kill.

"The Children of the..."

Shira trailed off, unsure why she was sounding the words out and equally unsure about the rest of the name. They were Sith worshippers, they were objectively terrorists, the Empire probably had their backs, so ultimately the name didn't matter much. But still, the incompleteness of the moment stuck with her like a bone sliver between her teeth. Children of the Sun? Children of the Dark Lord? Something like that. White sheets over their heads, jagged vibroblades in hand, a taste for chemical weapons. Quintessential scum by any name.

She loped off through the streets, lightstaff in hand, one blue blade lit. Fanatics had a special resonance in the Force, she'd found. They were everywhere if you knew where to look.

 

[Mishel Kryze]

"The distractions have done their job." FN-3149 retorted he gave a look over his shoulder, "Ren."​

​

Mežsrožu scoffed as she was interrupted by FN-3149. If he wasn't such a good shot, she'd have burned his organs within his body. Good help was so hard to find these days. "Good." Her voice was short, "set us down on Pantora away from the fighting, it seems the Alliance is testing out a new shield." The information would be most useful for the First Order, the Sith? She did not care for their petty fights with the Alliance, the Coalition whatever name they seemed to call themselves these days. They were the same fools who doomed themselves on Coruscant, and the same ones the First Imperials slaughtered over Mustafar and beyond. ​

​

"FN-3156 ready the aerials."​

​

Drones would be readied aboard the small craft equipped with disruptor emitters, getting to Pantora was one thing - getting off would be another. Then again, Mežsrožu suspected there would be shuttles plenty to commandeer and return home with. Home, Varunda IX for the moment it was where she first started to study crystals in the first place. At least, for now, it would do, until Kyrel Ren had readied Virgilla VII for the Ren once more. "On approach vector two-five-nine, we'll be landing shortly." The small craft piloted through Pantora's atmosphere, "once we set down we'll scuttle the shuttle." They could scarcely afford to let new First Imperial technology fall into Alliance hands. ​

​

"Hail Seiger." She whispered. ​

​

"Hail Sieger, Hail Sieger, Remember the Fallen!" Her elite squadron of troopers shouted, and all Mežsrožu could do was smile. ​

​

---

​

BYOO/Fully Operational​

Post 1​

 

[Braelyn Zale]

With the pair she had now, well, it was a start. She knew that it was still going to be slow going. She didn’t really know what to respond to the Jedi Master with, were they under her charge? She was, she supposed, the ranking member of the OPA on this little quest. “I suppose that is me today.” The Pamarthean laughed. “If you’re ready, I’ve got a bearing for us to keep. It should get us to the Talz’s outer defenses soon.

“Lets get moving.” She said as she unloaded three speeders from her ship. This was no place to walk. Maybe Master Quill could walk, but she wasn’t going to freeze herself to death for the Talz. They were important, but so were her trigger fingers.

As the three bikes were lowered down she stepped up to her preferred one and kicked the repulsorlifts on. She nodded to the other two for the pair and when they got aboard, she was already to start moving. She knew where the first checkpoint was. It was located before the first team had disappeared.

Jend-Ro Quill Eldin Daine

 

[Cathul Thuku]

Objective 1: Fully Operational
Location: Pantora's orbit
Allies: OPA Atlas Drake Colton Renth
Enemies: Children of the New Order

"Repeat!" Cathul ordered, moments before the pirate artillery frigate met its end.

With the artillery frigate destroyed, after a concussion missile hit its weapons array, it was time for a second volley. And some torpedo frigates were ripe for the taking now that some picket corvettes were destroyed also. Shields down for some, so those with exposed missile magazines or launchers were prioritized. Because then the impact of the second volley would be optimal and debris from one would cause damage to the other pirate ships in vicinity. And, after one torpedo frigate was destroyed, debris hit several surviving enemy ships, so that the enemy would soon get in its last legs. The convoy, meanwhile, was going to be getting closer to the shield gate's location in Pantora's orbit.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Dances with Snow Wookiees
Braelyn Zale Eldin Daine

Quill checked over the speeder bike carefully. In a place this cold, you needed to know you could trust your gear. Everything seemed well maintained, so he was mostly just familiarizing himself with controls, features, and quirks.

He was doing so when a new feeling carried through the Force, soft as a whisper. Learning to recognize that kind of inspiration, separate it from the noise of his own thoughts and instincts, was the work of a lifetime and he still wasn't that great at it. This time he recognized the subtle feeling for what it was and paid attention.

He took down his hood, regardless of the biting wind, and squinted into the snow. "We don't need to bother," he said. "This is their world. They're here."

Huge, white-furred beings came out of effectively nowhere brandishing spears. Quill raised empty hands and called on the Force for two distinct techniques: making his voice carry through the wind, and making his intent clear to understand if their Basic was shaky.

"We come in peace."

 

[Eldin Daine]

Dancin' With The Snow Wookiees
Tag: Braelyn Zale | Jend-Ro Quill
Location: Snow Plains

Frankly, Eldin was pleased to hear they would be moving out, anything to keep the blood pumping to keep him warm. Although his arctic blazer was enough to keep him from freezing to death, cold still seeped through to the bone. Three speeder bikes slide down the ramp of the young lady's ship, that was more like it, a mode of transport to cut across the snow plains and not disturb grounds to greatly. He had to grin at the girl, she had her head screwed on good. Eldin was about to do the same, go and check out his choice of bike, and throw a leg over it to get started. But the old man put an end to that.

Before they knew it, they were surrounded by white beings entirely coated in fur, impressive they were. And completely adapted to their environment. Eldin had only heard of the warrior race, never seen one until now, and he had to admit if things got 'complicated', they would be a handful. In fact, the three of them standing before the Talz, would be no match for them regardless of their weapons, some would call primitive. Only the ignorant would underestimate the danger of such weapons when compared to modern tech but in the right hands, they will kill ya just as quick as a blaster bolt.

As they approached them with caution, Eldin's eyes looked to them all. By the way they stood and fanned out there was no discernible sign of which one of them was the leader. Smart. Except for one small thing, a trinket around the neck of one of them the other's did not possess. That Talz stood back from them, only one line back but that was enough to tell Eldin that Talz was in charge. As Jend-Ro moved only a pace, if that, enough to sign an approach. His voice seemed to boom out of nowhere, covering the ground between them. For the moment the two groups were in a stand off, Eldin moved slowly and deliberately to the side of Jend-Ro and kept a pace back from him and in a defensive position if things went south. It would not be much of a defensive line but it was all they had.

His long range rifle was not much good to him in this distance, so he raised his arms in a submissive form, took his rifle off his shoulders and stepped one pace passed Jend-Ro. Eldin sharply speared the barrel of the rifle into the snow, indicating 'weapons down'. Hoping that would help communication between the two groups. Once he had done that, he stepped back to where he was, his hand on his hip just under his jacket, so close to the butt of his blaster.

 

[Braelyn Zale]

She looked over as Quill had started speaking. Being already in the seat of her speeder, the pilot was about to start her ride before the Force tingled and she turned. Quill obviously found out what it meant first. But when he did say no one needed to bother, the Pamarthean reached for her hand cannon, a bit slower than she wished, but when she heard the next statement of coming in peace, she put her gun back in the holster.

The Judge was now more cautious but only because well, she knew that the Jedi Master would probably be ready for anything that happened. Still, she looked to Eldin and hopped off her speeder. Stepping closer to Eldin and Quill.

“We’re with the Outer Planets Alliance. We’ve been sent to help!”

She really wished she had some sort of manual for dealing with natives, or people who weren't going to either get shot at or argue. Maybe they'd be able to speak somehow?

Jend-Ro Quill Eldin Daine

 

[Atlas Drake]

FULLY OPERATIONAL

"Status report!"

A crimson glow bathed the shield gate facility's command center. Klaxons droned loudly as if the sight of turbolaser fire outside their main viewport wasn't sign enough of an emergency. Secondary systems were still coming online which meant Captain Drake did not have the luxury of turbolifts and his breathing was only just returning to normal.

Admiral Cathul Thuku had engaged a fleet of predominantly First Order design. Thuku suspected pirates but he wasn't so sure. Darth Carnifex was known to use local Imperial remnants as proxies. He was forced to concur with Thuku however on their questionable tactics. A force this small couldn't hope to pose a serious threat, it certainly had the crude thinking of pirates written all over it.

Unless there was an ulterior motive. The thought struck him moments before reports began streaming in which confirmed his premonition. He reacted exactly as Mishel Kryze expected him to, because she knew he had no other choice. Any organized reaction to the Imperial landing parties from the OPA in orbit was lost to shifting priorities.

"All hands this is the captain," he announced to the station on an open channel, "Prepare to repel boarders."

Atlas drew his coilgun and signaled the power armored Kathol Marine posted on watch.

"Nothing is more important than this station. Nothing. Do you understand?"

The marine nodded grimly. No one man's life was worth the entire world below. Not even a superior officer.

 

[Zak Amroth]

APOCALYPSE NOW

"You just back the hell off lady."

Zak aimed his force cannon at Shira Varanin. His hand was trembling but at this range even wounded he knew he could make the shot. Sheriffs always made the shot. He didn't much like the look of that blue blade in her hand but if she pushed him the kiffar would take his chances. Not as if he was ever going to make it off this miserable rock alive anyway.

"Whatever the kriff it is you're selling," he grimaced in pain, "I ain't buying."

One hand on the trigger. One hand on the hole in his gut. Keep pressure on the wound. Keep this fanatic pinned down.

Somehow he'd managed to crawl into a bombed out ruin of a hab block. Somehow one of the Emperor's agents had tracked him here. After all, who else could she be? He was very famous. Had to be at the top of the Emperor's kill list by now.

 

[Shira Varanin]

BOMBED HAB BLOCK
CAPITAL CITY - APOCALYPSE NOW
Zak of Amroth

The gun looked worth taking seriously. The man, less so.

"Not even some hot fresh gently used medpacks? Patch yourself up and go feth yourself, karkwit." She held up a medpack, unsealed it to show that it was, in fact, a medpack and not concealing a grenade, resealed it, and tossed it toward the injured karkwit in question.

"And do it quickly. This place has the structural integrity of your shebs after a trip to Zeltros."

The hab block had taken the brunt of at least three explosions: a CNO suicide bomb (pre-evac), an OPA irregular IED (post-evac), and a secondary detonation somewhere in the utilities. If she hadn't sensed pain in the Force, she'd never have come in here.

 

[Zak Amroth]

APOCALYPSE NOW

Zak crawled over to the medpack before fixing Shira Varanin with another cautious stare. He had not lowered his gun.

"How do I know you didn't poison them?" he glanced down at the suspicious bacta canisters. Zambrano must think he was a fool.

There was only one way to be sure.

"Toss me something personal," the sheriff demanded, "You think I won't put one in your back? Do it."

He hesitated.

"I'll give it right back."

 

[Shira Varanin]

Zak of Amroth

BOMBED HAB BLOCK
APOCALYPSE NOW

"Fair karking point," she said flatly. "But if I knew you would suspect that one and ask for mine, I would have poisoned my own medpack too." She pulled a bacta ampoule from a belt pouch and held it up. "Plus you don't know it's actually bacta, do you, you paranoid kriffing schutta. Turns out you can make any blue fluid smell like bacta with the right additives. This could be industrial waste you're about to inject into your veins."

She tossed him the bacta, doing her best to ignore that mean-looking gun. Or look like she was ignoring it, anyway. If he pulled that trigger...

"Still probably better than dying here. My brief's to preserve life, but I'm not seeing much life going on." She tapped her temple, indicating his brain. "Your call."

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Dances with Snow Wookiees
Eldin Daine Braelyn Zale

The Talz got the message, clear enough. One of them with an amulet of sorts lurched forward and threw down a spear.

A big, white-furred hand pointed at Quill and Zale. <You two can hear the Force,> the Talz elder buzzed in a heavily accented Huttese, the galaxy's most common trade language short of Basic and one that many species found easier to speak. <You will understand.>

An urgent vision crashed into their minds: the white-masked Children of the New Order burying a large and rune-carved object in a glacier some distance away. Talz hunters falling prey to oppressive anger, spurring unrest among the far-flung Talz communities. Warriors trying to reach and destroy the object, but failing against its power. Elders reaching it in the power of their wisdom, but failing to destroy it.

<You may not succeed, Jedi, but if you will try, we thank you.>

 

[Zak Amroth]

"No dank ferrik I meant like a memento-"

Zak caught the canister and his eyes rolled back into his skull. He smelled a mixture of antiseptic and engine grease common to starship medbays. He heard whispers of a tainted bloodline. He saw a starbird sigil etched into some kind of bulkhead. It was over in a matter of seconds for Shira Varanin. For him it felt like much longer.

"Good enough apparently," he plunged the injector into his stomach and let out a sigh of relief.

He was hardly healed. A las wound to the gut would require reconstructive surgery, the kind he couldn't afford, but that was a later kind of problem. For now that sweet sweet bacta was fusing tendon and knitting flesh. It was enough to keep him going for a little while. Enough to get him back on his feet.

"Sorry about that captain," Zak lowered his weapon finally, "Last guy I took at his word shot me. Can you believe it? Sheriff of Terminus and everything."

 

[Shira Varanin]

Zak of Amroth

Belatedly, she realized he'd meant the Kiffar psychometric ability - a way to verify that she was who she said. Irrelevant now, of course.

"Can't imagine someone wanting to gutshoot you," she said with absolutely no intonation. "Are you good to move? There's an OPA ship coming through to drop a Partisan team just south of here, due in fifteen. We'll have to hustle to make that window and get you on the boat."

Said hustle, at least for her, would correspond inversely to his ability to get going. Because at this point it looked like she might have to carry the stanger on her back, and wasn't that going to be a joy.

"Also, give me back my medpack."