Dominion DOMINION - The Prison Planet Rebellion - Diarchy Dominion of Harridan

[Voice of the Diarchy]

Welcome to Harridan.
A prison world turned pressure cooker. Once a dumping ground for the Empire's worst, now a boiling pot of criminal syndicates, corporate fiefdoms, and barely-governed urban chaos. The Diarchy has turned its gaze here not just to liberate the planet, but to seize it from the oligarchs who profit off its suffering and ensure they meet the might of Diarchy justice.

Located on the fringe of what once was Imperial space, Harridan was colonized by outlaws, rebels, and survivors. A world of wild hills, dim forests, shattered coastlines, and concrete jungle sprawls, held together by nothing but gunmetal and grit. Its capital, Spaceport City, is a crowded industrial maze, choked with traffic and corruption. Its streets are full, loud, armed.

And above it all? The Wardens' Council, a cabal of prison lords who rule with power inherited from the Empire, propped up by a brutal paramilitary security force and sprawling reeducation centers.

Until now.

The Diarchy has made contact with local resistance cells and tonight, the will of the people will be backed by Diarchy power.

Objective I: "Crack the Spine"
Infiltrate. Assassinate. Incite.

• Team One will strike the Militarized Command Spire in Spaceport City. Helped by local revolutionaries, they'll infiltrate the upper floors disguised as staff, contractors, or prisoners, and execute all four High Wardens who control Harridan's defense grid.
• Team Two will enter the sprawling megaprison Re-eductation Center One with the rebel forces. At its core lies the Warden's Administrative Council, twelve of the oldest, richest, and cruelest overseers in the system. They must be killed before they can assume wartime control.

Objective II: "Burn the Gates"
Full Assault. Urban Warfare. Sector Control.

Diarchy fleets will breach Harridan's skies. Deploy air and armor units to encircle prison districts, flatten key checkpoints, and suppress the remnants of the private security forces still loyal to the Wardens. Cut off their lines of communication. Isolate the prisons. Quarantine their options. And when the people rise up give them the opening they've been dying for.

Objective III: "Bring Your Own!"
War isn't the only weapon, choose your battlefield.

Not every victory is won with a blaster. The chaos of Harridan has opened cracks in its foundation and those with cunning, charisma, or vision can slip through just as easily as soldiers. Whether you wield a sword, a datapad, or a silver tongue, there's a place for you in the Diarchy's campaign.

Some ideas for those who want to join but not sure where - :

• Diplomatic Operatives: Meet with underground unions, alien factions, or smuggler guilds to secure their loyalty or neutrality. Cut deals. Offer promises. Make threats.
• Medical/Logistics Corps: Treat wounded civilians, maintain supply lines, and organize refugee efforts as revolution floods the streets.
• Slicers & Spies: Hack into Warden databases. Leak classified footage of abuses. Feed misinformation into the local security networks to cover allied movements.
• Propagandists: Stir up revolution through broadcasted messages, graffiti campaigns, or inciting flash mobs. Win hearts as well as territory.
• Smugglers & Black Marketeers: Run weapons, medicine, or food to revolution hotspots or sell chaos to the highest bidder under Diarchy flags.

 

[Tertius C. Nargath]

Objective: Corporate Take Over
OPEN

Tertius let out a sigh, sitting down at a long somewhat crooked looking table, in front of him sat a large number of men and women of a whole lot of layers of society, some wearing proper attire, others dressed in dregs and rags. What they all had in common though, was that they all combined formed the underbelly of Harridan. A whole bunch of tough roughnecks and laborers, unionists and crimebosses, extorters and opportunists, the whole lot of them a smear on the integrity of any nation, any planet, any government calling itself civilized.

Tapping with his hands on the table, the man turned his eyes towards the datapad laying next to him on the table, letting out a sigh as he looked at the numbers it was displaying. "It won't take long before the Diarchy's forces arrive... are you sure you want to squabble amongst yourself for the entire time I had given you to find a solution which could allow you all to cooperate peacefully?"

Tilting his head a bit, the Marquis of Valkan allowed his gaze to pass over each and every head at the table, each and every men, woman and inbetween which had something to do with the planets services, industries and criminal underground. Each of them was a resource, a pawn in a much bigger, corporate game. All of them were small and independant firms, businesses, legitimate and illegitimate, clean and criminal...all together around fourty of them, with easily eighty or so more standing up behind everyone who was seated at the table. Tertius cared little for these individuals, but the spaceport was something different, if he was on the losing end when it came to the political power Maldor Sancetti and Vyllia Sancetti used and abused to strengthen their corporate stakes within the Diarchy, the Chairman of the N&Z would simply show that the only way to truly expand power...was by having genuine power to begin with.

"Now...let us just start with the simple plan here... I will buy each and every business you have, each and every slab of ground, every shoddy flat, hut and hangar," Raising his hand to quiet down the rising murmurs, the Marquis gave a soft and gentle smile, nodding in response to the outcry that was no doubt about to come if he had not motioned those present to remain calm. "Call it a collective deal, a collective bargain. All your employees will become part of the N&Z, be they tradesmen, soldiers, guards or thieves, I will provide a job to all of them. There will be no inequality, you will all be given the best deal if you accept my offer and my offer alone."

Looking at his datapad again, tertius slowly shifted the tilt in which he had been holding his head towards the other side, tapping on the table with his fingers again, as he utilized his free hand to look at the datapad's messages again. "Tic toc, round and round go the hands of the clock. Should you not have reached a verdict by the time the Diarchy's armies reachy this place... your fate will be out of my control...and you will essentially be much, much cheaper for me to swoop in. So, take my offer... fourhundred-thousand credits per businesslocation, twenty-thousand per contract I have to take off of your hands, and a bonus of one-hundred thousand credits for each of you. "​

 

[Dalali Masslo]

Location: Command Spire, Spaceport City, Harridan
Objective: “Crack the Spine” - Eliminate the High Wardens
Outfit: Casual Civilian
Callsign: Rogue Comet
Tags: OPEN

Dalali grinned as she pushed the equipment cart through the command spire. Though she was relatively new at spy work she would definitely grade this place low in terms of security. Of course that might have just been the fact that the Network’s support staff was just really good at forging credentials. Dalali took a second look at her security badge and wondered if maybe it wasn’t even a forgery. It might have worked so well because it came from a true employee of the spire who joined the resistance.

Whatever the reason she was in and to this point unfettered. That would change as she reached the more sensitive areas of the spire, but she had her weapons and tech hidden in the cart for whenever that should happen. For now Dalali was content to creep along and appear to be just another cog in the machine doing its job to make things work.

”Rogue Comet to Spireincursion team. I am on the inside. If you provide entrance points I will make sure you are all clear,” Dalali announced over her unseen comm unit. ”My first stop will be the main terminal hub.”

She didn’t know if others had credentials like she had. It was quite possible one or more of the people she passed were actually resistance or Diarchy members. She couldn’t control that at the moment. That wasn’t her job. Dalali’s job was actually to eliminate the High Wardens. But along the way she could make things easier for them all. And perhaps she could find some valuable intel too.

Spoiler: “Loadout”

• NZ/DPR SW-01 Dual Purpose Revolver
• NZ/CPA-EXM
• LO-22S
• Slicing Spike

 

[Orin Pellian]

Location: Harridan | Resolute Cause
Tags: @Open
Objective Two | Post One

The scum of Harridan were not without their resources. In times past, the prison world had been supported by a flotilla of small transports, freighters and other void craft that ensured the largely barren world would be able to survive. Prisoners rarely made good farmers after all, but they certainly had an appetite. Hundreds of ships would have been required to make almost daily trips to ensure enough food, supplies and equipment were brought to the world to keep it sustained.

When the Wardens and their syndicates took power, many of those ships that had been on the planet were 'repatriated' for use by the scum and villainy that now had an entire planet to do with as they wished. Half the craft hadn't survived the month from official reports, but those that remained had been retooled and converted into a rough, though admittedly sufficient planetary defense fleet.

Such a disorganized mass, however, stood no chance against the might of the Diarchy.

At the edge of the planets gravitational hazard zone, three Rellik Class Star Destroyers dropped out of hyperspace. Dozens of small pirate vessels, attempting to form a rudimentary defense in preparation for the well broadcast and expected Diarchy invasion were blasted by volley's of ion cannon shots, losing power and, if they were lucky, drifting in the vacuum of space. The unlucky ones, too close to the planets atmosphere when they were struck, were pulled back towards the planet, erupting into flames as they reentered the atmosphere.

Standing on the bridge of the Resolute Cause, the designated flagship for this small task force, Orin Pellian did his best to hide a wince at the sight of the burning comets cutting across the planets sky.

"So much for a bloodless coup..." Orin said, folding his hands behind his back. It had been a hope that the sheer scale of the Diarchy arrival in the system might cow the criminals into compliance. It had been what Orin's father, Shan Pellian expected would happen when he dispatched Orin to Harridan. A small pang of regret ran through Orin's head knowing he had not lived up to his father's full expectations, but that was not a priority now. Turning his head, Orin nodded to the communications officer, and a general band broadcast was sent to Harridan and the surrounding space.

"This is flag officer Orin Pellian of the Diarchy Navy. By the will of the Diarch's and under order of Grand Admiral Pellian, this world is now a protectorate of the Diarchy. The people of Harridan are now allies of the Diarchy, and once a full transition is complete, will become fellow citizens of our nation. To those who oppress the people of Harridan you are given a single warning. Lay down your arms. Surrender yourselves to the representatives of the Diarchy already present on your world and you will be judged fairly. Should you resist, the might of the Diarchy will be brought against you, and by the will of the Diarch's, justice Will be done. You have one hour to make your decision."

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Error Code: WAHBAHFETT

 

[Voice of the Diarchy]

Warden Council Reply to Orin Pellian

"This is flag officer Orin Pellian of the Diarchy Navy... Should you resist, the might of the Diarchy will be brought against you, and by the will of the Diarch's, justice Will be done. You have one hour to make your decision.

The transmission echoed through the inner walls of the Spaceport City Command Spire. Around the oval table, the remaining High Wardens sat in silence. Some were old. Some were scarred. All were corrupt to their marrow. Behind them, the tall windows of the war room displayed the outer sectors of the city - watchtowers, holding blocks, and the distant haze of burning pirate ships still falling through the sky.

"Judge us?" Warden Ghorl barked a laugh so hard his gut shook beneath his armored vest. "Tell that little brat to crawl back to whatever backwater he came from." The council chamber of the Command Spire was thick with cigar smoke and arrogance. The wardens sat at a long table of black durasteel, scratched and scorched from years of political shouting over nail pricking and flavored smoke. The walls bore trophies confiscated banners, captured weapons, and surveillance photos of executed rebels. Screens lined one end of the room, cycling through city-wide surveillance and orbital scans.

"Three destroyers. That's it?" said Warden Vians, brushing soot from his epaulets. "We've faced worse from pirate uprisings."

"They'll posture for a week and beg for negotiation once we start gassing the outer districts," Warden Melsh grunted, pulling a glass of spiced liquor from a drawer. "Send a few heads in bags, they always talk softer."

A junior officer approached, datapad in hand, clearly unsettled.

"Sir… there's something inbound. Not from orbit—well, not exactly. It's uh"

Director Pelof, head of planetary defense, didn't look up. "A torpedo?"

"No, sir. A ship."

The room paused.

Pelof's brow creased. "A landing ship?"

"No, sir.."

They all turned to the screen.

Orin Pellian Dalali Masslo Tertius C. Nargath

 

[Diarch Rellik]

The The Vault slammed out of hyperspace like a black arrow loosed from the void. Thrusters and shields were at full power. It was not shooting, it was diving, directly to the planet below. As it descended down it cut across the thin upper clouds of Harridan's atmosphere with shields flaring, armor peeling off in molten streaks. It roared downward toward the heart of Spaceport City. Its descent wasn't landing. It was annihilation aimed directly at the Armory of the enemy. Several blocks away from the heart of the enemy.

When the Vault hit, the sky cracked. A detonation swallowed half the block. The main tower of the armory vanished in an instant, a plume of light and pressure erupting outward. Shockwaves toppled nearby structures. Fires erupted across the district. For a moment, all was flame and ruin.

Then the hangar doors opened. Pressure hissed, steam vented, at the lip of the vault's exposed frontal bay, Diarch Rellik emerged. His silhouette stood against a backdrop of flame and fractured steel. Cloak billowing. Golden eyes reflecting the destruction he had wrought. Around him, the 5th Fleet Marines stood in unison, black armor trimmed in imperial violet, weapons drawn.

The Diarch was not standing, he was riding. Ready for the battle his Adar Pyrrhax roared a bestial cry under his new helmet. Pyrrhax reared, then launched into the smoke-choked sky with a burst of force-enhanced strength. With a bellowing air in it sucked in and unleashed a torrent of powerful lightning down on the remainders of those below.

The marines launched out with similar furry. Two Trigonus Hart tanks. four N&Z AT-AW's and six M.I.S.S.M.E troop transports. The breach head had arrived with hell fire and fury. Laser cannons erupted. Smoke canisters went out and with the aid of Lilaste Order Infared tech the Marines were gunning down all under equipped foes. Maser Beam's ripped in long strands across enemy fortifications. Either blasting them apart like a small vehicle or freezing them. Two long range LEET were sent out and rocked the main military spire.

The Diarchy's justice had come.

Orin Pellian Dalali Masslo Tertius C. Nargath

 

[Saul Whesai]

Objective One: Team Two

It had been a long couple of weeks. Saul hadn't known what to expect when he had been "captured" and shipped to this dying world. The contract the Diarchy had given him to infiltrate this place was a tough ask. The Wardens put individuals and gangs against each other with their agents embedded in the prison population. It took a lot of patience and effort to win over enough trust to make this riot happen. If only the security system had been that hard to crack, the warden might have stood a chance.

The counting of ammo, shouts for medics, and the pang of homemade mortar rounds exploding out of their tubes rained around the Android as he tried to center himself. The Rebels' makeshift army was doing better than Saul could have hoped for, but he guessed he should have expected that. Put all the criminals, gangs, and believers into one force, and you've got some special. At least till the enemy tries to suppress it by shooting their flamer throwers all over the locals. The cry of "They're coming again!" rose out of the throats of the tired former prisoners, some dressed in stolen gear while others were still dressed in their prison jumpsuits, gripping whatever weapons they had on hand to stop the audible "Stomp... Stomp.. Stomp..." as the warden's guards marched forward and this time, Saul's little force might not be able to hold them back.

Locked in a makeshift shield wall, the guards advanced, trying to push the prisoners out of the prison yard and back inside the cellblock where they would be easier to contain. With the launch of tear gas canisters from behind the row of shields, the air around them was hard to see and even harder to breathe. The prisoners fought back with whatever they could find to defend themselves, throwing stones if they had nothing else available. There was also another sound, the whirring of a saw blade as Saul ran forward, jumping up with his powerful legs and swinging down with an improvised saw-axe combo on anyone below him, getting stuck into a fight that if he didn't win, he would at least die standing on his own two feet.

@Open

 

[Tertius C. Nargath]

Objective: Corporate Take Over
OPEN

The Union leaders, business owners, criminal elements contacted and invited in the large hall, all looked at the Chairman of the N&Z with somewhat confused looks when they heard about the offer he had brought to the table. While at first sight it didn't look like much, he was dealing with a whole heap of small outfits, not some large companies, but a whole bunch of small familial businesses. For people like this, getting anywhere near half a million credits was already more than they'd have earned over the course of their entire career.

The Union leaders didn't like the offer though, as it would effectively remove their power within society, but on the other hand, their power was in truth nothing more than a hollow shell. Even if they managed and maintained the health and wellbeing of thousands of laborers, they were dealing with hundreds of individual businesses, costing them more hours, more credits and more time than they'd ever be able to accredit.

"I notice some of you thinking this through...let me just increase the offer than," With a rather cruel smile, the Marquis of Valkan tapped on his datapad again just to calculate something, before revealing a holographic image coming from the datapad. "Sixhundred thousand credits for each businesslocation, an additional twenty-thousand credits per laborer in your employ, additionally another twenty-thousand for each of you. You'd earn at minimum sixhundred-twenty thousand credits with this offer, not bad if I say so myself, right?"

"What are you aiming for with this though?" One of the Union leaders pointed out this concern, since nothing on Tertius' plans had been revealed. "Why are you so adamant on getting our locations?"

"let's see... you all represent a combined acerage of four-thousand square kilometers of buildings, locations, sites, roads and so forth...you also all together represent around nineteen thousand laborers, security personel, accountants and management... if you all combine that into a single entity, what would you have?"

"You'd...have the largest single corporate entity on Harridan..." one of the Union leaders suddenly pointed out, having made the quick calculations in their head. "But would the Diarchy allow this if they take the place?"

"While I am aware of your concerns regarding the current state of affairs, I can assure you that this would not be denied by the Diarchy," Spreading out his arms, the marquis let out a soft chuckle. "Think about it, what do you think would have more effect? hundreds and thousands of small, insignificant shopowners and unionleaders screaming about conditions...or a big, unified front pointing out certain issues? You need to be united rather than just unionized...I need proper laborers and businessmen, so we are solving eachother's problems. You gain a louder voice, I gain an experienced workforce for a new company location...win win, no?"​

 

[Laphisto]

Laphistos' taloned hand clamped onto the overhead railing of the LAHT dropship, the metal cool beneath his grip. This was one of the newer models more than just a troop carrier, it was a weaponized delivery system. The original design specs claimed it could hold seventy-two soldiers, double the standard capacity of the older craft.

But laphistos had never liked that idea. Packing that many troops into a single ship was just inviting disaster; one lucky enemy strike, and an entire company would be reduced to ash. Instead, he had ordered a refit. Half the troop space had been sacrificed for a reinforced shield generator and room for two AT-ASMKII walkers. It was a trade-off he could live with. Fewer soldiers in one ship meant fewer bodies lost if things went wrong and with the walkers deployed alongside them, his infantry would never hit the ground without armored support.


With Orin Pellian 's fleet hammering the makeshift defensive line, Laphisto seized the opportunity to strike. One by one, sixteen LAHT gunships roared out of the hangar bays of the orbiting Star Destroyers, their engines flaring bright against the void. Alongside them, another sixteen LAET/C gunships deployed, each carrying a single AT-AE MKIII walker a moving wall of armored fury ready to descend on the battlefield.

As the formation hit atmo, the gunships shook and rattled from turbulence, the world below swelling larger in the viewport. Laphisto keyed his comms, his voice sharp but carrying that edge of rough humor his men needed before a drop.

"Listen up, boys. We're going in fast and dirty. Remember why we're here we're not here to burn the place down, we're here to pull these people out of the fire. You see hostiles, you drop 'em. You see unarmed, you stun 'em or you haul 'em in. No freelancing. The Red Lancers are already on the ground, securing their piece of the pie, but this planet's bigger than any one unit. We lock it down quick, we move on quick. And the sooner we're done, the sooner we all get to breathe again. So, saddle up. Keep it tight. And let's show the Diarchy why nobody drops hotter than we do."

The channel crackled with grim laughter and steady affirmations. Then the gunships knifed down through the clouds, the world below lit by tracer fire and the hungry growl of incoming war. Laphisto couldn't help but chuckle as the command channels filled with a chorus of "copy" and rough-edged "hoo-rah" replies. He gave Tarian's shoulder a firm tap with his fist, exchanging a wordless nod with his second-in-command. Then the gunship doors groaned open, and the world outside was nothing but smoke, fire, and incoming fire.

Without hesitation, Laphisto leapt out. His boots slammed against the ground, saber snapping to life with a sharp crack of energy. Blaster fire cut through the air, but he was already moving, deflecting bolts in tight, vicious arcs while debris rose at his command, hurled like artillery against turret emplacements. Behind him, his soldiers poured out in a wave of disciplined chaos. Then came the earth-shaking roar of the AT-AE Mk III walkers hitting the ground. Massive repulsor clamps disengaged, and the machines unfolded like armored predators, each one locking into firing stance.

"Walkers are online!" a voice barked over the comms.

A moment later, the first mass driver cannon thundered. The report wasn't just sound it was pressure, a shockwave that punched the air and rattled bones. High-velocity slugs tore across the plaza, smashing enemy barricades into splinters and silencing turrets with single, brutal shots. The ground trembled as the walkers advanced, their cannons spitting fire like the wrath of gods.

In their shadow, Laphisto pressed forward, cutting down fire as it came. But even in the middle of the storm, his gaze swept the battlefield, sharp and searching. for the the pureblood warrior Wrathian Kell who was to be joining him on this operation.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Objective: 3 Corporate Takeover
Allies: Tertius C. Nargath
Enemies:?

As a member of the Diarchy and the Lilaste Order, Iandre had several roles to fill. Most of the time, she managed just fine and was happy. This time, she was given a mission by Laphisto to keep an eye on a businessman. Why? Even she wasn't entirely sure, but she would follow the orders and give him a report on what she saw.

He already had a guard and protection, but she was just one more of them. Tertius might not know who she was, but he might have noticed her around on Bastion from time to time. Given that she was in a relationship with one of the Diarchs, she would be surprised if he wasn't at least a little familiar with her.

Her role was not to prevent anything from happening, but to observe and protect in case the negotiations became violent. It wasn't something she expected, but you never know. Listening to the proposition he gave, there might have been a threat in his words, and she noted this.

There was silence in the room for several moments before Tertius broke it again. A round of questions and answers was given, and the stakes were raised. Keeping her demeanor stoic, her face revealed nothing of her thoughts or feelings. All Iandre did was make mental notes, which she would then pass along to Laphisto when it was time to make her report.

 

[Wrathian Kell]

Laphisto

War. In some twisted version of fate and irony, Wrathian found himself on the front lines once more. He'd been struggling with a new concept for a while. Fate. And how the idea itself pertained to his, and others, free will. He'd followed the attack fleet in the Sith interceptor he'd come through the wormhole in. Then dove down after Laphisto 's large gunboat. As the prince fell through the atmosphere in his cockpit he examined the battlefield ahead. He saw their forces. No that wasn't quite accurate. He saw dead men, who's physical condition had not yet set in.

He pulled the nose of his ship up just shy of slamming into the crust of the planet, turning hard as the aft of his fighter whipped around. The dual laser gimbals provided him with a quick line of targets. His finger caressed the trigger, and reminded himself his actions were just. He was ridding the galaxy of an oppressive force. That was enough to drive the trigger down to it's base. The repeating lasers opened up with a torrent of fire. Cutting through all his targeting system deemed no longer fit for life.

After a quick volley, he landed. And like claiming a new planet he descended from the cockpit and stepped down onto the ground. He walked through the torrent of blaster fire. One hand behind his back, the other free to his side. It would come up every now and again to swat away any blaster rounds that dared stray too close. Like brushing aside insects with the force.

He looked towards their enemies recently devastated battlements. Inhaling deep, as he still deflected the odd laser that came his way. Then the Lilaste Order's troops surged past Wrathian. The torrent of stray fire became heavier, yet he still only deflected the odd round or two that attempted to commit an affront. He then saw Laphisto his saber ablaze like a beacon for Wrathian. Walking over to his new ally. "Ser Laphisto." He slapped another bolt out of the air as they proceeded closer to the line.

As they got closer his dominant hand came free, pulling one of his two sabers free and igniting it with a snap-hiss. He began properly deflecting blaster rounds now. "Perhaps we should find our way inside a structure, wipe out any of these dissenters that would cower behind the inhabitants they oppress?" It was just an idea, for the moment. One that was cut short by a man rushing Wrathian with a stun-baton. To which the pureblood merely stared.

Wrathian's would be assailant stopped in his tracks, eyes glossed, drool seeping from slacked lips, standing there almost lifeless as a flash of red came, removing head from shoulders. He'd looked into the force illusion of the pureblood, and his mind shattered. Perhaps a stroke or something more sinister. Wrathian seemed entirely unbothered, glaring back at Laphisto once more. "Cover... at the least.."

 

[Tertius C. Nargath]

Objective: Corporate Take Over
OPEN | Iandre Athlea

"We would need more than assurances," One of the crime bosses mused, a sentiment which seemed to quickly gain traction with the other crimebosses, unionleaders and business owners. "You give a good idea of what you want and what your goal is, but how are we protected from the Diarchy's laws and rules? How can we be certain that when we make this deal, you wouldn't just turn around and hand us over to the Diarchy?"

Tertius leaned back a bit after hearing these words, his eyes scanning the room, the people within it, each and every one of them, some affraid of what the future could hold, others keen to see where it was all going. Some were observant, like Iandre Athlea who seemed to be tasked moreso with observing the Marquis himself rather than the ones he was negotiating with. Others were more reactive and volatile in their demeanor, but none of them truly budged or altered the Chairman of the N&Z Umbrella corporation's desires, intentions or demeanor. To him, this was all just business... he had been losing some of his influence because of Maldor Sancetti and Vyllia Sancetti who combined their political status with their growing commercial presence, but if he'd lose influence on the basis of political power, he'd simply have to show these so-called chancellors that such sentiments were pointless in the eyes of the N&Z.

"You want more assurances...why though?" A chuckle escaped the Eriaduan noble's mouth, a smirk on his face which showed his thoughts on the matter quite clearly. "You would be protected by a company that has a reach far beyond the Diarchy. Even if my personal influence on the political aspect is waning, the N&Z's influence does not diminish. We already are one of the larger employers within the government. Joining up with me and the N&Z would give you more assurances than you'd get from pleading your case in the High Chancellory. You would become part of a company that could utilize your skills to the best of your abilities, maximize your profits and ensure a future not just to yourself, but your family and future generations."

"If the N&Z's influence is that great...why don't you just buy us out AFTER the Diarchy's run their course on this place?" The men and women murmured after one of them pointed this out. "Surely you could be able to just get away with a much lower cost and we'd be bound to you anyway."

"Because it would go against my principles and what I am trying to achieve," Letting out a sigh, Tertius stood up and leaned a bit forwards against the table. "This is a simple commercial transaction, where I am trying to find a good compromise between your former way of life and the security of the future. We all want the same: stability, safety and progress... The diarchy might be able to offer the two former, but the N&Z can certainly ensure the latter. My offer stands... I pledge to even extend it to those who have not managed to turn up to this meeting...Industrial sites, power plants, housing and recreation, financial services and a transport hub...all things the N&Z can easily create within the allocated areas... all you have to do to secure your financial stability is to accept the offer."​

 

[Laphisto]

lLaphisto spoke crisply over the comms, issuing orders as the AT-AS MKII walkers thundered across the scarred battlefield. Dust whipped around their armored legs, and laser fire traced erratic paths through the haze. He didn't need to look back to know Wrathian Kell was at his side the Sith'asi's presence rippled through the Force like a steady heartbeat.

When Wrathian requested cover, Laphisto allowed himself a brief, low chuckle. He lifted his hand and wove a silent command through the Force, yanking at the very crust of the world. With a grinding roar, a jagged wall of stone and earth shot up between them and the enemy lines, granting precious seconds of respite.

"I was thinking the same thing," he replied, voice calm but carrying over the rumble of stomps and blasts. He gestured toward the walkers at the far edge of the compound. "Our walker units have zeroed in on what you could generously call a 'corner' of this prison wall. They'll hammer it with heavy shells until the masonry fractures. Once the first stones crack, we'll push through the rubble maybe even drag down the rest by hand or with demolition charges. Then our men pour in, flush out any stragglers, and secure the wing."

As Laphisto spoke, he actively drew on both the Light and Dark sides of the Force. His aura coalesced into a twisting hurricane of ivory luminescence and inky shadow, each current wrapped around the other in a living knot of inner balance. Pebbles and grit at his feet stirred, lifting inches off the scorched earth before orbiting him in a silent dance. Pale arcs of lightning leapt between the airborne stones, drawn to the raw potency of his outward projection.

For a heartbeat, the display wavered. The swirling energies trembled, the lightning stuttering as though the true depth of his power lay just beneath the surface, deliberately held back. What any witness saw was only the bleeding edge of his strength a controlled fraction, masking the far greater force he concealed. Then, as quickly as it flickered, the storm steadied, and Laphisto's aura resumed its steady, deliberately measured glow.

After a few moments of tense silence, Laphisto's voice cut through the roar of distant blaster fire and the thunder of armored walkers. He glanced at Wrathian, breath visible in the dust-choked air, then spoke again with calm precision.

"We should be able to run through the inner wall," he said, voice steady and even. "We'll take out anyone in our path, then make a straight shot to the Warden's office. Just the two of us we can handle it easily."

There was no edge of command in his tone no demand, no clipped order. It was offered as a straightforward suggestion between two commanders under fire, a clear strategy shared among equals. Around them

 

[Wrathian Kell]

Tags: Laphisto

He knelt unceremoniously beside Laphisto. His head peeked around the uprooted earth. As the walkers were mentioned, Wrathian followed the sound of their thunderous tread. He found the armored units strutting through the battlefield, reducing heavy emplacements to rubble as they advanced on the wall. Wrathian looked once more upon Laphisto. Who was now summoning a new power.

It was strong, Laphisto seemed to pull from the energy around him in it's entirety. Wrathian was strong with the force yes, but rarely felt it was worth the effort to use physical feats of destruction. So he watched.

Wrathian then began to drink in the residual energy that was being let off. It was an ability of his, to absorb the traces left in the force. It steeled him, his own form of self-willed battle meditation. He inhaled deeply, nodded once, and let the tension coil in his muscles. Now finding his other saber in hand. He saw several targets behind emplacements on a few in a watch tower. He stood once more, and his usual stance slipped away. "I shall see you at the entrance then."

Then, as if transformed into something new, Wrathian surged into the battlefield. More serpent than man. First he jumped down into a trench. Sabers screaming as they slid like butter through the flesh and bone of the tyrants. Red lights emanating from the long line in the dirt. He vaulted from the trench, eyes locking onto the watchtower just as a sniper's round screamed toward him. One saber flicked as the bolt ricocheted harmlessly away.

Channeling the Force, Wrathian blurred forward again, cutting down any who seemed eager to join the Living Force. His sabers obliged the galaxy's unspoken request. The Sith-born slid to a halt at the bottom of the watchtower, bounded up onto the catwalk. The first man whipped his blaster rifle around, and Wrathians saber found the barrel. Dismantling the weapon in one smooth flourish, he then twisted through the motion. His other blade came through and bisected the man at his hip.

The second sniper panicked firing one, two, three rounds at the Sith Lord. Each bouncing away with ease. "Throw down your weapon. Cower here until we return. Your life may be sparred." Fear won out however. The man charged with a vibro-knife. Wrathian raised two fingers from his saber, and flicked them. The man's head shot to the side with a sharp crack. His body hit the ground, lifeless. Wrathian turned and stepped into the tower, eyes sweeping over the consoles. Turret control, gate systems, surveillance monitors. The Darth simply held one of his sabers out, dragging it across the controls, shorting out several of their functions. A few of the turbolasers fell limp without commands, several auxiliary gates groaned open alongside a few that the Diarchy had already demolished.

He exited the tower and found the opening Laphisto had carved. Stepping onto the railing, he dropped to ground level and walked calmly through the battlefield, stopping at the wall. Assuming Laphisto had arrived, Wrathian gestured to the opening. "Shall we show these souls freedom?" Then, he walked through.