The Behemoth II held its aggressive position in orbit above Myrkr, leveraging its considerable firepower to harass the defending fleet formations which listed near it. As the battle wore on, more and more ships jumped in-system to reinforce the gains made by the Sith-Imperial Armada. The totality of the ships jumping in to reinforce the Emperor's flagship were all pulled from the dreadnought's personal battlegroup, Black Iron, and was manned by the most suicidally zealous officers and crewmen that one could find in the Sith Empire.
So as the defense fleet's guns began to train on the large dreadnought, those small destroyers and cruisers had no qualms when the order came down to maneuver their ship between the oncoming fire and the dreadnought. Shields were flipped on to maximum power on the side where they would effectively tank the Mandalorian volleys, with some of the smaller ships being destroyed as a consequence of their suicidal actions. Even manned starfighters had been directed to terminate themselves to soak up portions of the barrage, and the pilots had done so willingly.
Then the defensive screen parted, and the full firepower of the Sith dreadnought was set loose upon the offending Mandalorian vessels.
Meanwhile, down on Myrkr.
The landing and advancing Blackblade forces were put under considerable strain by the spirited defense perpetrated by the Mandalorians of Myrkr, each inch of landing having been bought at a high price. Artillery bombardments churning up the advancing columns and forcing the Blackblades to disperse into smaller units to avoid being caught in a clump as the shells fell down on their heads. Their advanced training ensured that they did not crack under the strain, and their extensive bio-cybernetic enhancements made them more resilient to the sheer scale of ordnance being launched in their direction by several multitudes. Sith fighters shrieked above their heads, dogfighting with enemy starfighters or breaking off to strafe enemy artillery positions and the trenches dug around the shield perimeter.
Occasionally, a Sith fighter would be mortally wounded in a dogfight. Rather than allow themselves an ignominious end, the pilots would endeavor to purposefully steer their vessels into the enemy formations. This style of suicide was prevalent in the forces accompanying the Emperor, each soldier and pilot more than eager to surrender their lives at their Emperor's behest.
Armored units also accompanied the Blackblade infantry formations, typically of the many repulsorlift varieties employed by the Sith Empire but also of the treaded kind. Walkers were more than prevalent, often serving as the chief mechanism for escorting infantry units into battle and the heavily contested forest glades. The Sith were numerous as well, lending their considerable power in the Dark Side of the Force to tipping the scales of individual engagements in the Empire's favor, though just as many were cut down as those who succeeded against the Mandalorian menace.
And none were as powerful in the Dark Side as the Sith Emperor.
He walked slowly, his gait purposeful and without trepidation even as his faithful died in droves around him. Artillery shells which had been lobed in his direction suddenly found themselves detonating before they reached their target, or knocked so violently off course that they slammed into friendly formations nearby. Enemy starfighters that lined up to strafe his position found themselves bursting in spectacular explosions, their internal mechanisms seized by an invisible hand and torn out from the starfighter's chassis with combustive results. Enemy soldiers that arrayed themselves as obstacles in his path found their own grisly ends, their bodies swung about in the air like some grisly ragdoll, their limbs twisted and ripped, their armor crushed with themselves inside. Tanks suffered a similar fate.
The Sith Emperor did not ignite his lightsaber once, he didn't even raise his hands to perform his monstrous wonders. He merely stared ahead and walked, like an unstoppable force of nature.
Kyra Perl
Lark
Nida Perl
