OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Give Kaida a unit to command since her old one is no longer under her command due to IC events.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Elite shock infantry.
Permission: Can use Firemane stuff because I own the company. Permission for Laira Darkhold's ArmaTech subs here. Permission for the Aliit'Ordo Litnr here.
Links: Angelii, Eldorai, Qadiri, Vashyada, Xioquo, Valora's Chosen, To Hell and Back, Twin Exiles, Archangel Research and Design, Kaeshana, Firemane Industries, Battle of Kaeshana, The Shadows Coil, It's time for Firemane to end.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Exemplars.
Affiliation: Kaida Taldir, Naesala Faethyra, Shadow Knights (lore submission), Yseult Faerin, Daymana Thael, Court of the Shadows, Court of the Four Elements, Caerith Tyari, Eldorai, Shadow Knights, Vanguard of Duty.
Classification: Force warriors, infantry.
Description:
"Soldiers, you have not come here to live. You have come here to die. In the time it takes us to die on the battlefield, we will become an example to the soldiers who will take our place." Kaida Taldir greeting new recruits. She is truly a motivational speaker.
The Exemplars are a unit of Force-Sensitive soldiers in the service of the Shadow Knights. They are based on the Angelii, the Force Using corps of the Eldorai Matriarchy. This is no surprise since Kaida Taldir, the commanding officer of the Exemplars, used to be an Angelii. The same applies to many of the Exemplars' Eldorai members. Others have served in the Sciiac Reserve Battalions. The Exemplars operate within the framework of the Caerith Tyari, the Shadow Angelii corps. This means they ultimately answer to Daymana Thael, the commander of the Tyari. Like all Force-Users, they are regulated by the Court of Four Elements.
However, the Exemplars differ from the Angelii in a few significant ways. Their duty is to the people and the constitution, not a monarch. This is in accordance with the renegades' principles. While the Shadow Knight Archon has extensive powers, she is the elected head of state of an oligarchic republic, not a theocratic monarch. The Shadow Knights promote the concept of the citizen-soldier. In the society they envisage, the rights of a full citizen, to vote and hold public office must be earned through military service. This obviously makes service in an elite unit a good way of winning public support.
Different oaths are not the only thing that separated the Exemplars from a traditional Angelii unit. They have taken the hitherto unthinkable step of allowing men to join their ranks. It should be noted that this was contrary to Kaida's wishes. While the ice lady is pragmatic and radical in many ways, she is unusually conservative in others. In her opinion, men are undisciplined and overemotional. Integrated units would undermine unit cohesion and promote divisiveness. Thus she demanded that units be gender segregated, but integrated at command levels. However, her concerns were brushed aside by her boss Daymana Thael because they do not have the numbers and most men do not have the training to form an independent unit.
The Masculine Anti-Defamation League called this a victory in the battle for gender equality in the military. When a representative of the League showed up at the barracks to give a speech, Kaida is said to have threatened to beat him with a cane unless he left. The threat may be apocryphal, but it's certain that he left with haste. Men are still outnumbered by women and the Exemplars have no male members in leadership positions. Integration has caused some issues though.
Kaida's present adjutant is a male Xioquo called Iae'Vraz. Their relationship was quite poor at first. She eventually came to appreciate him after she realised he was actually useful. His predecessor was a female Eldorai who was just as sexist as Kaida. But she was sloppy and committed the unforgivable sin of not writing out her boss' orders clearly. Kaida's new assistant is a lot more reliable. One might note that, even by Eldorai standards, Xioquo society is extremely misandrist.
The Exemplars have made a contribution to 'uniting the Asurans' by opening their ranks to members of the Eldorai subraces, the Qadiri, Xioquo and Vashyada. This is in keeping with Kaida's own beliefs. Back in the Angelii she trained Qadiri and Xioquo Sepoys and came to the belief that they should be given a chance to serve on equal terms. This was also motivated by her belief that this would help the Eldorai's 'cousins' overcome their 'backwardness'. The unit even has a few non-commissioned officers and junior officers promoted from the ranks of the 'cousins'. Qadiri or Xioquo are a good deal easier to attract because their fighting style meshed more with that of the Eldorai, whereas the Vashyada are unused to a regimented style of fighting and prefer more irregular methods.
Ironically, in a weird way Kaida appreciates the Vashyada the most. They might the least advanced, but this is through no fault of their own and they are the least pretentious. They also lack most of the cultural deadweights that hold the other elf races back and have a strong sense of community. The mingling of the races has produced some problems, not the least due to past history of animosity. Thus Kaida has reintroduced some punishments that the Angelii abolished. However, while she is very stern, she is also fair and judges non-Eldorai and Eldorai Exemplars on the same terms, promoting on merit.
The Exemplars do not have Political Commissars because this is one of the institutions in the Eldorai royal army that Kaida despises the most. While some Commissars were inspirational figures who showed genuine bravery and faced the same risks as the soldiers, many were meddlesome political appointees who often abused their authority. They also tend to be clerics in the Angelii corps, and Kaida happens to be an atheist. Nonetheless, training still includes political indoctrination courses.
These seek to foster a spirit of pan-Asuran nationalism. Unity stands for the creation of a pan-Asuran nation. No matter their differences in traditions, colour or creed, all Asurans shared the same blood. After being divided for millennia, they must band together to survive in a hostile Galaxy and create a new civilisation based on merit, unity, liberty, discipline and justice. One might note that liberty does not refer to liberal democracy, but rather freedom from foreign dominance, colonialism, enslavement or monarchist oppression. It also means freedom of speech and consciousness.
Eldorai republicanism still have a strict hierarchy. How many of its principles are fulfilled in practice is obviously another question. Despite their lofty ideals, racism, factional and ideological strife remain issues in the Shadow Knight movement. Kaida, whose fixation on discipline was only matched by her disdain for politicians and intrigue, has done her utmost to keep the unit free of factional strife. Regardless of their race or gender, all Exemplars undergo gruelling physical training and mental conditioning to shape them into soldiers. This includes training to use their powers in battle. This means elemental abilities primarily, as they are the most common Eldorai Force skills.
A traditional Angelii unit would try to have the different elements combined either together or in complimenting groups where possible. For instance, all pyromancers would be in one group, perhaps complimented by the cryomancers. However, Kaida does not have the numbers to do the same, so they are integrated altogether. This streamlining has its drawbacks, but also promotes teamwork. After their service is complete, an elf can elect to continue or return to normal life. Those who resign remain eligible to emergency call-up though and undergo regular training to keep their skills sharp.
A brutal selection process weeds out those deemed unsuitable to wear the uniform. The training programme really tries to push them. Eldorai are more agile and dexterous than humans, but have a lower pain threshold and a faster metabolism. Thus recruits are expected to go without food carrying heavy weights and then have to fight against droids. Said droids are equipped with force pikes and stun blasters with the pain settings amped up, homing in on another Eldorai weakness.
Use of sonic weapons is also popular. The unit is open to the Eldorai's Tygaran cousins, so the training programme is also designed to push them hard. Xioquo are exposed to the sun and bright lights, Qadiri to the cold. Live fire exercises, intense survival courses and simulated, very realistic interrogations are also part of the programme. The latter is supposed to prepare soldiers in case they are captured and subjected to torture by a real enemy. Of course, interrogators are not allowed to do anything that would permanently ruin a good soldier, but aside from that they are supposed to bring recruits to their breaking point.
In contrast to the Angelii, Exemplar training places a greater emphasis on zero-G movement and combat, boarding and counterboarding operations. This is not mere vanity, though. Rather it is a necessity because the Shadow Knights were a spacefaring people, focused on protecting a rag-tag, nomadic fleet. The Exemplars' zeal, elan and training made them good shock troops. As with the Angelii, the concepts of teamwork, unity and comradeship are of vital importance to the Exemplars. By contrast, lone wolf actions are frowned upon. Their primary melee weapons, the new Sarix and Sarzmigar, are more advanced variants of traditional Eldorai weapons. By now these have become standard for Eldorai elite troops.
Kaida's student Telara Maedis is one of the younger members of the unit. The tomboyish Eldorai girl was born to low class parents and had to earn coin as a servant girl to a Cadalthor noblelady. Her mistress was pompous and cruel. Left behind on Kaeshana, the girl was forced to grow up fast, learn how to fight and protect herself. She is a tough cookiee, but is cynical beyond her years and lacks formal schooling. Though she does her best to hide it, she is rather traumatised by what she endured on the streets and in the wastes of Kaeshana. She feels strong resentment towards those born to a life of privilege.
Telara's experiences have hardened her. She still has a very strong sense of right and wrong which she takes very personally. But, that does not mean she will do wrong to pay wrong: she definitely will. She still has a good heart buried beneath the ice and snark, but has a very violent streak in her personality. In combat she relies more on finesse and subterfuge than brute strength, not the least due to her small size.
Her relationship with Kaida is not free of tension. Kaida alternatives between finding her annoying and appreciating her skill and street smarts. Her demeanour clashes with Telara's distrust of formal hierarchies. However, while Kaida is not loveable, she is honest with Telara and is teaching her essential skills to survive. Her small size and knack for stealth means that Telara often acts as a scout. Kaids is, in her own way, protective of her, though she adamantly denies this.
A Xioquo officer called Zairj'Vakas serves as second-in-command of the Exemplars. She used to be a slave-soldier and was stationed in the arctic wastes of Tygara, where the Xioquo fought Qadiri tribes while the sorceresses tried to unearth ancient mysteries. Tired of serving uncaring mistresses in the bitter-cold winter, she and her comrades toppled the mages, while maintaining the ruse of being subservient. But they were forced to ally with their Qadiri foes to survive these harsh times. Unwilling to take orders from Firemane after it overthrew the ancien régime, she has hooked up with the Shadows. She is more personable and fiery than her commander.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Equipment:
Armour:
Melee Weapons:
Rifles:
- MkI Bolter
- Stouker Concussion Rifle
- BH-21 Particle Beam Rifle
- Magnetic Repeater
- ARC-9965 Blaster Rifle
- MGL-1. Usually mounted on another rifle as an under barrel weapon.
- ACS-204 Vulcan Blaster Rifle
- ACS-202 Vanquisher Light Repeating Blaster
- Verpine Shatter Rifle
- Reaper Plasma Shotgun
- A280 CFE
- Renegade Heavy Blaster Pistol
- Hard Sound Gun
- Verpine Shattergun
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Magnetic Revolver
- MSD-32
- Sonic Disruptor
- Lance Missile Launcher: Requires two-man crew; a gunner and a spotter/ammunition carrier.
- Model 201 Mortar System
- ACS-201 Executioner Slugthrower
- Pulse Cannon
- APE Boltgun Ammunition
- Access to armoured spacesuits for Zero-G operations.
- When boarding a ship, station or facing a ground installation: Sapper Charges, 53-R High Yield Thermite Explosive. Plasma Disruptors.
- Grenades, Sonic Imploders, Thermal Imploders.
- Whisper Jetpack
- Verpine Prototype Shield
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-208 Wrist Charric
- ZX Miniature Flame Projector
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster.
- ACS-207 Cryoban Gun.
- LAAT.
- Access to a few Iron Ghoush, Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles, and Bladesinger Combat Speeders
Where possible Exemplars with complementing skill sets are grouped together. One dangerous combination would be to pair an aeromancer and a cryomancer or a terramancer and a pyromancer. The Exemplars are capable of using the Force for physical augmentation to buff themselves and control their pain. Their telekinetic skills enable them to summon barriers to shield themselves against attacks. Their medics have some skill in Force healing, enabling them to use their powers to treat injuries. The Exemplars are characterised by high morale, discipline under fire and zeal.
In direct combat the Exemplars operate on the basis of a buddy system. Generally two Exemplars with complementing but divergent skill sets are paired together. Like the traditional Angelii, the Exemplars can form a shield wall to protect themselves in open areas that lack adequate cover. However, their formation is more flexible in pitched melee combat. When the first line finds itself exhausted by melee combat, it gives way to fresh soldiers from the second, who, passing through it gradually, press forward one by one, or in single file, and work their way into the fight in the same way. Meanwhile the tired soldiers of the original first line, when sufficiently rested, reform and re-enter the fight or use ranged techniques in support. They can also assume a square formation. Overall combat pragmatism and ambushes are emphasised over fighting nobly on the battlefield. When faced with heavy infantry fire, they will form a phalanx, whereby the shield-bearers provide cover for those equipped with ranged weapons.
However, they have only a few heavy weapons at their disposal and lack armoured fighting vehicles. They have access to speeders and a few APCs, but while these increase their mobility and give them extra firepower, they cannot stand up to tanks. This may put them at a disadvantage when confronted by heavy armour or heavy fortifications, despite their preternatural powers. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment, such as artillery and air strikes. They have a few portable missile launchers and can use elemental skills, such as manipulating the wind, to counter attacking aircraft to an extent, but this is quite variable.
The unit is also fairly small, which limits how many of the warriors can appear on the battlefield at any given time. Thus enemy forces that are unable to match them on a one-on-one basis could overwhelm them through sheer force of numbers as attrition sets in. Battle shields can provide protection in a pitched fight, but a shield wall is also rather slow-moving, vulnerable to flanking attacks and bombardment. It also cannot stop turbolasers, missiles and so on. They may be able to strike hard and establish a bridgehead in enemy territory, but would require support to hold it and exploit this gain, especially over a prolonged period.
While the Exemplars train extensively in the use of conventional weapons and tactics, losing the Force means being deprived of their biggest asset. Thus they can be at a disadvantage if forced to engage enemies who utilise ysalamiri or devices that negate the Force. The Exemplars have access to a number of Bladesingers, though not enough to give every soldier a ride. They are used for recon, patrols and fire support. They are fast, stealthy and good infantry shredders, but lightly armoured and weak against heavy armour such as tanks.
Strengths:
- Elite Force soldiers. The Exemplars are composed of Force-sensitive elves, who specialise in elemental powers, but have also been trained to fight as a military unit of shock infantry.
- Their training emphasies discipline, teamwork and precision. In battle they operate on the basis of a buddy system. Lone wolf actions are looked upon poorly. Skilled in boarding actions and rapid strikes. Bladesinger speeders are fast, agile, excel at recon and are ideal against infantry and light vehicles.
- While they train extensively while exposed to ysalamiri, losing the Force means losing their greatest advantage. This puts them at a disadvantage against enemies who use ysalamiri or Voidstone tech.
- They have few heavy weapons and lack heavy combat vehicles, bombers or similar. Artillery support is limited to portable mortars. Thus suffer against heavy armoured vehicles and heavy fortifications. It also has implications in protracted combat. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment. Portable missile launchers and elemental air abilities can help against bombers, fighters etc. but this is variable. Bladesingers are lightly armoured, suffer in direct confrontations with tanks and are weak against starfighters.
For more than three decades, Kaida served the Eldorai Matriarchy as an Angelii. The Angelii are a curious mix of Holy Order, Imperial Knight and Priestess. Formed many centuries before during the early days of the Eldorai Matriarchy as a bodyguard for the Star Queen, the Angelii have retained a vital place in Eldorai society to this day. The Queen who formed the Angelii is unknown, but it was definitely in place by Esterlea II (r. 1878-1714BBY) as she was sent off to them by her mother. Historical consensus places the creation in the hands of the very first Star Queen Tassaria I, who needed shocktroops to unite the Eldorai and defeat the Kar’zun.
Over time the Angelii moved from the informal retainers of the Star Queen to be the bodyguards, pre-eminent shock troops and prestige posting for all Eldorai. At times, especially during the Time of Troubles, their power became almost too strong when they crowned and dethroned Queens. The later dynasties until the present saw this and broke the power of the Angelii, distributing them in small groups so they could not use their combined strength to plot again. The Angelii are entirely Force users, or as the Eldorai call them, Sciians.
Sciia is also the Eldorai word for soul. To the Eldorai, it is the inner flame a select few can tap into, not an omnipresent energy field. All Eldorai who exhibit Force sensitivity are taken for standardised training so they can control their abilities and/or be allocated to jobs which suit them. The best, the ones with the most powerful of abilities and the strongest, are sent to the Angelii. The catch is that all Angelii are female, another concession to the somewhat backward gender policies of the Eldorai.
Kaida rose to become the commander of the prestigious Valora's Chosen Great Company. This unit had earned itself a place in the Angelii annals with a heroic last stand against the Kar'zun centuries ago during the Battle of Thermiscyra. The laconic frost elf reached the rank of High Captain, which is the Eldorai equivalent of Colonel. She fought Bando Gora Reavers, Xioquo witches, Sith Lords and Ren. However, over time she became disillusioned with the Matriarchy. Though personally supportive of Queen Tirathana VII, she came to view it as corrupt, backward and dependent on foreign support.
Against these highly negative images, she idealised the front community, the solidarity of the soldiers in the trenches, leadership resting on deeds rather than status and the blind obedience that this demanded. It is probably a good thing that Kaida is not in a position of political leadership and lacks the ambition for it. A regime run by her would be most unpleasant. So she recanted her vows and defected to the Shadow Knights. These were a group of Eldorai renegades who had been originally formed to protect the Forsaken of Kaeshana, but now strove to build a new future for the Eldorai unbound by the three pillars of crown, nobility and temple.
Inevitably Kaida gravitated towards a military role. For you can take the ice lady out of the Angelii, but not the Angelii out of the ice lady. Eventually she was given permission to form a new unit, after proving herself to the Shadows on many missions. It was not an easy road, for the Shadows lacked the resources of the Matriarchy. A lot of their stuff had to be acquired through raids. They were also more than a little fractured, being an ideologically diverse coalition of rebels. However, some of Kaida's battle sisters had decided to join their former commander. Though lacking in charisma, Kaida had won the rank and file's respect with her bravery and competence. Many of the younger recruits were Forsaken, as the Eldorai who had been left behind on Kaeshana during the Great Exodus called themselves.
The new unit was called the Exemplars. This probably says quite a bit about Kaida's ambition, for she intends the unit to become an example to the free Eldorai forces. Whether this lofty goal will be achieved is another question. She's certainly doing her best to try and make them a model in discipline, for she happens to be a strong supporter of regular, intense drills and corporal punishment. Like the Angelii they are elite shock infantry. However, they swear an oath on the Shadow Knight constitution, not to the Queen and the Goddess. They also allowed males and the Eldorai's Tygaran 'cousins' to join.
Gender integration caused some issues though. When allegations of abuse came to light, Kaida was forced to investigate. While an unrepentant misandrist, she is extremely lawful neutral and obsessed with discipline. So rather than being given a slap on the wrist, a group of female soldiers accused of abusing their 'battle brothers' were punished harshly. Kaida was extremely irritated when the press caught wind of the incident. One wonders what irritated her more: the articles that approved of her conduct or those that did not.
The Exemplars soon acquired a reputation for ruthlessness, especially against enemies they considered particularly inimical to the Free Eldorai. Kaida felt intense animus against imperialists, slavers, traitorous Eldorai and monarchists. Slavers who were taken captive rather than being killed on sight tended to be tortured and/or vented into space. This did not cause issues among Eldorai per se, as taking a hardline stance on what they considered to be 'law and order' was one of their hats, but outsiders might take the opposite view and see such an approach as cruel. Ever since their foundation, the Exemplars had been active protecting free Eldorai against external threats, such as pirates and ferocious Kraal war bands. They had also gone on raids to acquire materiels, ships or tech the Shadow Knights require.
Closer to home, the Exemplars played a leading role in the suppression of the so-called Conspiracy of Equals. This was a failed coup led by Cecade Mallon, who sought to overthrow the Shadow Knight council and replace it with an egalitarian and socialist republic. When the radicals tried to take control over the nomad fleet and bring about the 'Second Revolution'. the Exemplars were deployed as the tip of the spear to eliminate them. They proved their mettle during an intense boarding operation to reclaim a warship that had fallen in the grasp of mutineers and keep them from annihilating so-called 'class enemies'. Mallon was captured and executed. Her body was vented into the cold void of space after the sentence had been carried out.
To raise funds, the Shadow Knights became a paramilitary migrant fleet for hire. Thus a small detachment of the Exemplars and a group of Force Dead Mandalorian mercenaries were hired by Talrus Casteer, of Vanmere Biotech Industries and Galtech Engineering to retrieve samples from a research facility on Byss. It was supposed to be a milk run, but it soon transpired that the facility had been overrun by a swarm of bugs controlled by a hive mind. Talrus was pulled into the depths of the facility by vines.
Since he still had to pay them, the Exemplars and Mandalorians pressed on. They found themselves facing hordes of vicious bugs and had to fight for their life. It did not help that a great storm outside prevented them from communicating with their ship. Tactical ingenuity, teamwork and the force multiplier provided by their elemental abilities helped them survive the onslaught. In the end they were able to fight their way out and escape.
The Exemplars were among the Shadow Knight forces dispatched to Kaeshana to investigate rumours that the planet had been moved through the Nether. As the Shadow Warriors discovered, these rumours were true. The planet was free from foreign control, but even more devastated. Nothing of the old grandeur and hubris of the old Eldorai Matriachy was left on the inhospitable tomb world. Instead it was a blasted hellscape with a portal to the Netherworld. Led by Kaida, they encountered bizarre Force phenomena on the tainted, haunted world and helped the last few survivors of the cataclysm escape. Then they quickly left the death world. The Eldorai among them had to abandon any notion of reclaiming their home. Instead they had to find and build a new one.
When the Eldorai exodites were targeted by Archangel, the Exemplars were deployed in defence of their people. Archangel needed more processing materiel for its droid armies and considered the Eldorai to be adequate prey. Forced into a corner by an overwhelming Archangel strike, the Shadow Knights were compelled to align with Enyo Typhos, herself a former Archangel experiment, and her cabal. It was an alliance of convenience on both sides.
When the allied forces launched a desperate attack on Archangel's base to stop the machine cult from completing its secret weapon, the Exemplars clashed Archangel battle droids and Shards, while warships duked it out in space. Daymana herself led her warriors into the fight, employing her skill as a fire and earth elemental mage. The battle was a bloody one and the Shadows suffered significant casualties, but Archangel's leadership was toppled. The elves were able to free several of their captured kin and steal some of Archangel's technology. Enyo Typhos took control of the machine cult, abandoning its genocidal schemes.
The Exemplars were once again called upon to serve the motherland when the Shadow Knight Council voted to go to war against Firemane. The megacorp had revealed itself to be the tyrannical, corrupt and racist corpo-state that the Exodites had always believed it to be, and was ruthlessly exploiting Tygara and its people in the name of profit. Many Tygarans had been lured into de facto indentured servitude, and had found themselves collared by debt. Many had been displaced by Firemane industrial projects and mining operations, and lost their livelihoods. Opposition to the company and its native collaborators was brutally crushed. The Shadow Knights lacked the military might to to land on Tygara and liberate their sisters and brothers, who were being cruelly exploited by the imperialists and corpos. But they could declare open season on any stellar outposts, military and commercial vessels connected to the megacorp and its business partners, and so they did.
The first strike was carried out by a mixture of Shadow Angelii and regular forces, commanded by the High Seraph Daymana Thael herself. The Exemplars formed the tip of the spear, led by their commander Seraph Kaida Taldir. Their target were the Ascension Fire Shipyard, a Firemane shipyard located in deep space that manufactured starfighters and corvettes as well as some frigates. It would allow them to procure ships, hurt Firemane manufacturing and divert the enemy's attention from a raid on a Firemane detention facility on an asteroid, where many Asurans had been imprisoned without trial for 'terrorism' and 'sedition'. However, while most of the security force aboard the shipyard was composed of reservists, they were well-equipped and could quickly rally reinforcements. Thus, speed and subterfuge were of the essence.
As such the Shadow Knights conceived an audacious plan. The 'Ardent Duty', Kaida's stealth frigate used a hyperrorute charted by Exodite Qadiri astrogators to enter the system, moving into position under the shipyard. The cloaking device was double-blind, but the vessel used a limited sensor on the end of the spar to have some visibility. This was coordinated by an integrated spirit gem unit. The frigate got into position and waited. While the Exemplars and their marine comrades awaited the order to board, a Firemane freighter sought clearance to land at the shipyard. In truth, the crew had been killed and the vessel was under the control of a shielded spirit gem unit. Once the freighter received clearance, a large-scale internal ion blast wreaked havoc in the hangar, as well as damaging sensors, and communications.
Meanwhile, a Clawdite infiltrator called Naamah Aesham who had assumed the identity of a senior Firemane officer sprung into action, using the chaos on the bridge to kill several crew members and sabotage the Enlightenment communication device. The 'Ardent Duty' launched starfighters, and used its boarding tubes to dock at the station after using anti-shield weapons and nullburst projectors make a door and ensure a safe landing. The first wave of the assault was led by Kaida in person. Her force was codenamed the Smiting Hammer Assault Group. Meanwhile, the Assailing Spear Assault Group, commanded by Zairj'Vakas, would use boarding shuttles to land at the hangar area, secure the spirit gem unit and pave the way for a general assault. A third team, called the Vengeful Blade Assault Group, led by Lavina Taldir and mostly composed of marines, would penetrate the shipyard via a boarding tube and link up with Kaida's force for the assault on the bridge.
The Smiting Hammer Assault Group took advantage of the chaos to cut an entrance right beneath the station. Nullburst projectors unleashed by the 'Ardent Duty's guns had knocked many Firemane guards and crew members in this section unconscious. Swiftly, the Shadow Knights killed them before they could come to, sound an alert or escape. Orders had been given not to take prisoners. As the Smiting Hammer Assault Group moved down the narrow corridors, they soon encountered determined Firemane resistance.
Armed with blaster weapons and bolters, Firemane marines engaged the intruders. In the face of the relentless salvoes, the Shadow Knight soldiers assumed a Testudo like formation called the Dragon Scale Wall. Shieldbearers advanced forward while troops fired from behind the shields and their flanks. There were casualties, but once they had closed the distance the Shadow Knights could take advantage of their melee training and the fact that there were Force-wieldes in their ranks.
Most regular soldiers in an army did not train much in melee combat. It was, after all, mostly archaic, unless one happened to be a Force-User. With the Asurans it was different. Shields, whether deprived of their power field or not, were great for bashing foes and knocking them off balance. Sarixi and Sarzmigars could hew down soldiers in armour, and the ranged fighters still carried blades, daggers or bayonets of their own. And the Shadow Knights were furious. They had left to rot on a doomed, dying planet by the humans or been cast into the void after their homeworld had fallen under the sway of human capitalists and their native collaborators, who had chained many of their people with a collar of debt.
However, battle took its toll, and the depleted Hammer assault force was flanked by Firemane reinforcements. However, Vengeful Blade came to the aid of the outnumbered Shadow Knights. Caught between two Shadow Knight assault forces, the Firemane reinforcements were slaughtered. By now Zairj'Vakas' assault force had landed in the hangar, but was pinned down and taking heavy fire. Making the decision to divide her forces, Kaida instructed the Vengeful Blade assault force to go on a spacewalk and hit the Firemane troops in the rear. In the meantime, the Smiting Hammer assault team continued its march towards the bridge, where the Firemane commandant was coordinating the counterstrike.
The 'Ardent Duty' was a powerful ship and more than able to punch above its weight, but its cloaking device was not perfect or able to remain active indefinitely. The Firemane warships pursued and cornered it, inflicting losses on the Shadow Knight attack squadrons and damaging the frigate. However, the 'Ardent Duty' drew them into a trap. Suddenly the Shadow Knight flotilla, led by a heavy cruiser under the personal command of High Seraph Thael, exited hyperspace, and appeared behind the Firemane warships.
Smiting Hammer used a drone to cut an opening into the heavy blast door, and detonated a concussion bomb to knock many of the marines guarding the bridge unconscious. A firefight ensued when the Shadow Knights stormed the bridge. The commandant ran to a computer to delete the vital databanks, but was stopped and killed by the Clawdite shifter, who had by now assumed the shape of an ordinary marine. Fortunately, she was able to identify herself before a trigger-happy Eldorai could shoot her.
The surviving Firemane marines and crew members surrendered, but unfortunately for them, their attackers were not taking prisoners. With one exception, the prisoners were massacred. One soldier, a Twi'lek marine with the rank of corporal, was blinded by Kaida and then shoved into an escape pod to 'deliver a message' after a Shadow Knight healer had given him emergency medical attention to make sure he did not bleed out. The callous act shocked many of the soldiers...though there were also those who considered it justified after the many abuses Firemane had inflicted upon their people. By now the High Seraph had landed and the hangar had been taken.
The Shadow Knights proceeded to strip the shipyard of anything of value, and secure as many ships as they could. The Exemplars used the chance to loot and help themselves to Firemane weapons and ammunition. When a large Firemane fleet arrived and deployed an interdiction field, the Shadow Knight warships bombarded the shipyard, targeting the reactor. This set off a chain reaction that destroyed the shipyard, and unleashed enough debris into space to negate the interdiction field. The Shadow Knight task force jumped to hyperspace, though it took several days of evasion and false trails until they had arrived home safely. It is only the first of many battles the Exemplars and their sisters and brothers in arms will have to fight against the Firemane corpo-state.
Last edited:
