Eye For An Eye [Lords of the Fringe Invasion of Eriadu]

[Kable Detta]

ERIADU
DIRTSIDE
OMEGA BASE-Alley way

Kable let out a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding when he saw Briika.
He shook his head at her inquiry to the location of the field marshals. He had no clue where they were, and his last image of them had not been good.

He nodded his appreciation when she offered them a bacta-stim. His gloved hand lingered on hers a moment when he grabbed the stim. He quickly let go before it got awkward and injected himself with the stim. Relief started spreading over his body and some of the pain from his burns started to ease.

He looked to Ermac to see if the bacta had helped. They had to move on from this position and they needed to be mobile to do so.
@[member="Ermac Laith"] @[member="Briika Tor"]

 

[Dredge]

Location: generator 1
Objection: run

Gas, unbiased and honest gas washed over the Yuuzhan Vong and fringe troops. Choking and coughing the Vong did not wear helmets like the fringe troops did. They had breath masks and filters standard in their helmets. The fringe troops made it past the lines back to the control point to discover that the artillery beasts themselves had also been rendered temporarily disabled by the gas rounds the droid had shot at them. The small amount if fringe troops made it out alive and would be ready to mobilize in a hour after the short rest that they had. However the Yuuzhan Vong were not doing as well, bring Vong they did not react to the gas as well as humans did but it still caused them to hurt and become damaged. As the group of sixty Yuuzhan Vong warriors dredged through the billowing smoke of the grenades Vuuhan coughed and gagged watching his fellow brothers do the same. "KEEP PUSHING!" He screamed out to his men watching a good amount of them drop down and die or be killed by incoming blaster fire.

The platoon of sixty was soon cut down to thirty men by the onslaught of blasters and gas. But Vuuhan was strong, he lead his men out the other end of the smoke and into the fresh air. They were still well in the range of blaster fire when they left it and mortar rounds could effectively wipe them out if the droid chose to do so. " Fall back!" He shouted and screamed to what remained of his people.

@[member="HK-36"] @[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Governors Estate
Luckily for Nemene the force push that the Jedi sent towards her actually saved her from his own lightsaber, or at least allowed her to refocus her attention on his attack before it could reach him. As soon as the energy left her palm the force push struck her, sending her flying several meters in reverse back towards where the Queens of Rattatak had come from.

She landed with a soft thud, her lightsaber flicking up almost immediately as the force screamed at her to raise it.

Stark colors met and sparked as Nemene's lightsaber stopped Sarge's, with her still half on her knee's. She used his heavier momentum against him, and allowed the blade of his lightsaber to slice down towards her hilt, disengaging the two blades, then slidin her entire body to the side in a roll, coming up onto her feet and immediately turning on the other end of her saber-staff.

She sliced towards the Jedi's neck, hopefully severing his head in one easy motion.

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Governors Estate
@[member="Nemene Talith"]

And this was the exact reason that Sarge practiced what most would know as Soresu - he simply thought of it was 'trying not to die.' Aggressive action bred breaks in your guard, allowing things like your momentum to be used against you. But sometimes it was, good, because it forced your opponent to make a move.

Releasing his two handed grip on his saber as his blade slid along hers; that is, until she rolled away. He was about to swing his saber around on reflex before he spotted the other end of his blade. Raising his forearm so that the beskar there caught the blade mid-slice, he thrust his blade forward as quickly as he could to catch her in her torso before she could block it.

He merely hoped that the distraction of his armor stopping her saber was enough to get some damage in.

 

[Noah Corek]

DEFENDING THE SECOND GENERATOR
TEAMMATES: @Aeron Kreelan
ENEMIES: @[member="Break"] @[member="stardust"] @Alliera Verd @[member="Alen Na'Varro"] @[member="Hannibal Oryen"] @Lucianus Adair

Barely moments after the ODF Task Force arrived,the First Omega Pyre Battalion arrived,sometimes referred to as the "Big Red One" due to the distinctive insignia they wore upon they wore on their armor. With them was the newly formed Omega Pyre 7th Battalion,referred to as the "Lucky Seventh",they were mostly made up of Urban Recon Walker's,All Terrain Shock Enforcer's (AT-SE), Manticore Heavy Support Tanks and Typhoon-class Artillery. While the first battalion was supported by "Tauntaun" FAV's,Peregrine's,LAAC's and Inimica's. As soon as the battalions got into artillery range,Noah ordered a halt and raised his fist to get the Manticore's and Typhoon's crews attention. "Manticore's and Typhoon's,set up a base of fire,everyone else,hold posistions and wait for them to soften up."

 

[Captain Larraq]

High Orbit over Eriadu
Ally of @Gavin Ovmar, @[member="Jared Ovmar"],
Vs @Ayden Caterhttp://starwarsrp.net/user/156-ayden-cater/,



Rygel Larraq tapped the end of his cigarette into an ashtray resting on a control console. He leaned against the railing of the commander's station and absently took in the sights around him. The Kandosii-type Dreadnought was an ancient design that had seen little change over the past few thousand years... But she still managed to be impressive by modern standards. What she lacked in advanced weapon systems or linked fire control systems she made up for in a rugged design, reliability, and in very big missiles.

Larraq was taking deep drags on his cigarette while he admired the metalwork or the bridge itself when one of his officers announced that they were closing with the planet. Larraq took another drag of his cigarette as he turned his attention to the forward viewscreens. His cigarette was mostly gone by the time they made the transition.

From hyperpace, two formations of Mandalorian ships materialized over Eriadu. Each formation was led by a single Kandosii-type Dreadnought and escorted by a handful of Kyramund and Keldabe Battleships. Each formation had a handful of Nexus and Kad'ika Cruisers, as well as a pair of Azalus Flak Frigates. A handful of Nebula, Vai'vhey, and Jehavey'ir Corvettes skirted around the cruisers of each formation. Flanking each formation was a smaller formation comprised solely of Haran'uliik Light Frigates.

The silvery and gray of Eriadu filled most of the viewscreen, but no ships nor signs of combat could be seen in the skies above the planet. Larraq tapped out the last of his cigarette in the ashtray and pulled another from the pack in his breast pocket. <Whatever fighting's happening in this system, it isn't happening on this side of the planet.> Larraq thought to himself.

“Order both formation to ahead flank.” Larraq said to his officers as he focused his attention on the forward viewscreens. "I want both formations moving as fast as the Kandosii's can manage. Tuck in tight on the planet and plot a slingshot maneuver moving east. That will give us the most time to gain speed before approaching anything on a geosynchronous orbit." Larraq said as he pointed at east side of the planet with his unlit cigarette. Holding it to his lips, Larraq paused in his orders long enough to set fire to the tip of his addiction and exhale a cloud of smoke before continuing. "And someone get in contact with the Fringe forces in system. I want coordinates from them before we become visible on the far side."

Taking another breath tainted by the toxins in the cigarette, Larraq stared out the forward viewport at the planet below. No matter the odds stacked against him, he couldn't fail here. There was too much potential in the Galactic Fringe for Mandal Hypernautics not to expand its business into the territory. His ships had to perform well here.

Whatever happened... He had to win.

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Governor's Estate
Her eyes went bug wide as the end of her saber clashed with the armor and simply...stopped. She knew about lightsaber resistant materials, she knew about cortosis and beskar and all that fun stuff, but she had not been expecting a Jedi to wear it. As soon as the blade was stopped however the man was on the move with the rest of his body, tweaking it slightly and sending his lightsaber in a thrust towards her.

Her feet switched, sliding back on the ground and causing her body to shift ever so slightly. The lightsaber missed impaling her, though she was not fast enough to dodge it entirely.

Hot silver plasma splashed across the skin of her ribs and she let out a slight gasp as she felt the skin sizzle, melt, and then burn. Her eyes grew wider, though no pain touched her nerves. Before the man could do any more damage Nemene shifted further. This time her left foot sliding back and her off-hand moving forward with an open palm.

A simple force push left her hand, not as strong as the one he threw earlier but powerful enough to hopefully send the man stumbling.

As soon as the push was sent Nemene brought down her lightsaber in a slash, aiming towards a gap in his armor to hopefully wound him a little.
@[member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen sighed at her refusal, and lifted up his saber, letting one of the golden blades collide with her own. He could already see her lack of prowess and he almost felt sorry for how this might end for her. Using such simple maneuvers against a makashi user, was a terrible idea as @[member="Evelynn"] was about to find out. Moving his wrist with the block, Vulpesen allowed his blade to slide down that of his enemy's. "I urge you to reconsider." Placing his body within a foot of hers to restrict movement, his left hand quickly shot out over his descending arm to grab her wrist while his saber continued its course for her shoulder. If all wen't well, Evelynn would have good reason to be known as the Lady of the Left.

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Governors Estate
@[member="Nemene Talith"]

She moved just enough that the saber slid across the surface of her body, no doubt leaving charred skin in its wake - but he wasn't paying attention to his blade. That would, admittedly, defeat the purpose of a blade duel. He was concentrating on her. With his stance wide, the push slid him back a little but he brought his saber up into a guard immediately.

He was thankful for the reflexive move as she brought the saber down in a slash, parrying it with his own blade before swiftly moving it back to the guard to block what was undoubtedly going to be a strike from the other end of the saber staff.

 

[Carré Inirial]

ATTACKING THE SECOND GENERATOR
TEAMMATES: @[member="Alen Na'Varro"], @[member="Hannibal Oryen"], @[member="Lord Dissero"], @[member="Lucianus Adair"]
OTHER ALLIES: @[member="Break"] @[member="stardust"] @[member="Alliera Verd"]
ENEMIES: @[member="Noah Corek"] @[member="Aeron Kreelan"]

Deceptively delicate fists tightened as they kept a firm grip on her lightsaber hilts. It was enough to scent the death and destruction in the air, the metallic taste in her mouth sang through her veins and elicited an almost primal sound from the normally prim and proper woman. Silver eyes darkened to match the the roiling clouds overhead.

In spite of the rage beginning to lance through her veins in anticipation of a battle, Carré gently brushed her mind against Dissero's. An intimate gesture, that at once gave her assent to his request and assured him that she would not be far from his side. She did, however, step away to give him room to work, pausing only a brief moment to watch the lightning engulf him. It was a spectacular sight to behold and one she knew she'd never tire of.

But the ground rumbled and drew her attention to the approaching reinforcements, breaking through the smog and the gathering storm in a rather picturesque manner. Dark silver eyes narrowed and her grip tightened, blue-haloed black blades springing to life as she placed herself between the incoming forces and Dissero's lightning clad form.

Welcome to the fray, my friends. There is more than a generator to deal with, as I am certain you can now see. I, Knight Adair, am within the facility now, and would appreciate not being blown apart into many tiny morsels for being in the wrong place. Confer with Na'Varro, if you can.

A deft mental touch sent a response to Adair, knowing Dissero would hear her through the link they carried in situations such as these. //As you wish, Knight Adair...but do try join us quickly. There is armored entertainment prepared for our pleasure and I would hardly wish to keep it all to myself.// Carré's mind-voice was as lyrical as her spoken tone, only brimming with the nuances a Force adept could easily read. With the missive to Lucianus completed, she turned her attention to Alen, with a deferential mental touch. //Master Na'Varro...pardon my interruption. Please let us know when you are ready, and Dissero will let loose his storm. Might I be so bold as to suggest you join us for the approaching entertainment?//

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Governor's Estate
Sarge's powers of prediction and observation served him quite well, The other end of the saber-staff did indeed make an appearance in Nemene's next attack, though in a rather unexpected way. Instead of slashing or cutting towards Sarge's torso or throat Nemene instead went towards an area where she knew she would find a weakspot. Most armor's with plate had certain sections that could not be covered, Armpits, throat, inside of arms, and of course the back of the knee.

It was this last spot that Nemene went for.

The Saber-staff made a quick jerking motion, the top blade moving back towards her and then making a quick jerk to the left. The bottom blade meanwhile jerked forward past Sarge's leg only to be immediately pulled back in a quick and precise slice towards the mans leg.

 

[Vaas]

FRINGE CP MOVING TO ESTATE
Objective: Kill Jedi

This was a very unique opportunity one could say. For months the overlord had sent assassins and bounty hunters to kill the Jedi master known as Vulpesen, and now reports were coming in that he was here on this planet? The chance was too great to pass up, a Jedi master that could be killed and assimilated to tear down the republic. "Yes my lord." Standing in a dark room Vaas bowed before Dredge and walked out of the room quickly. His task was simple, to find the Jedi known as Vulpesen and remove him from this existence. He had all the tools to do so even, strapped by his sides were two light sabers he had taken from padawans on a distant planet. He had sabers and he could masque himself as almost any image that he wanted to.

Stepping out of the stealth ship he loaded into a speeder at the control point and began to drive towards the governors estate. "This is Vaas, moving to assist." Smiling he took the form of a young Jedi padawan known as Hasjo Hallu, the disguise was seamless and he would use it to get close to Vulpesen and kill him. He even had Hasjo's lightsaber. This would be perfect, unless the man had vongese he would be able to sneak right up on the man. As he drove faster to the estate he set a comm message to an open frequency. "Help has arrived!" Was all he said in the pitch perfect voice of the man. It would be a minute but he would arrive soon

Driving further and further in land the masqued Vong neared the estate, he would find the jedi and finally do what countless bounty hunters had failed. Coming into view of the estate he quickly parked his speeder to jump out and run up the steps. All he needed to do was find Vulpesen and end him. @[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Governors Estate
@[member="Nemene Talith"]

Sarge watched as the saber move, and when it jerked forward there was only one place it was going to go - into the back of his leg; the armored greaves and boots he wore left little doubt that she was aiming for a weak spot. With a little aid from the Force, he jumped upward and threw a knee forward, hoping to catch her in the face with a kneeguard even as her saber caught the heel of the one boot.

Hoping that his knee caught her in the face, he dropped and took a quick hop back, watchful for an opening or attack.

 

[Aran Finn]

ATTACKING THE SECOND GENERATOR
TEAMMATES: @[member="Carré Inirial"], @[member="Hannibal Oryen"] @[member="Lucianus Adair"] @[member="Lord Dissero"]
OTHER ALLIES: @Break @stardust @Alliera Verd
ENEMIES: @Noah Corek @Aeron Kreelan

@[member="Ayden Cater"]

//Master Na'Varro...pardon my interruption. Please let us know when you are ready, and Dissero will let loose his storm. Might I be so bold as to suggest you join us for the approaching entertainment?//

Alen frowned at this development. He was standing high above the ground, brown eyes glancing down at the second shield generator, a massive structure pulsing with energy. Eyes glanced up at the sky, noting storm clouds brewing on the horizon. This was trouble. A good kind of trouble, one that soothed his soul ... he knew that the end of his enemies approached. Without another wasted moment, Na'Varro picked up the thread of philotic energy between he and Inirial and sent a thought back, forceful by its very nature.

~ I'm currently on the building itself and I didn't plan on ending up fried to a crisp by the day's end. I have another solution. ~

Now he stretched out with the Force, searching for Dissero. He didn't take long to find the lightsider, the source of this ferocious storm. The man clearly had an extreme level of power ... it wasn't the same kind of power as the one Alen wielded. Na'Varro made use of internally focused powers; Dissero's Force Storm was an exceptional use of an externally focused power. Both were formidable in their own rights. The Dark Jedi Master connected with Dissero's mind now, letting a thought enter his mind through a channel opened by the Force itself.

~ Dissero, loose your storm on the little army of our enemies that seems so eager to join us. I will tear the generator apart myself ... and don't fry me, or we'll be having some words regarding "overkill" ~

Alen turned his attention back to the generator, summoning all of his power and he went within himself to find memories that kept his passion and anger flowing. Rage came to him quickly as his eyes seemed to take on a tinge of red, and as the Force smashed through him like a raging torrent he roared long and loud on the mental plane. Such a roar was impressive and rare to experience, and he knew the Forcers in the vicinity could hear it. This was Force power at the level of a Master, and he would make all of it work in his favour.

Stretching out, he took the weak points of the second generator's structural integrity into his Force Grip and began to tear the thing apart. True, he could have just pulled a plug, but Na'Varro was now one with the Dark Side. And it demanded destruction.

He would not deny it.

As the second generator was torn apart, the planetary shield began to flicker and die. Now the fleet had to do its part, or all of their effort would be for null.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

DEFENDING THE SECOND GENERATOR
TEAMMATES: @Noah Corek @Aeron Kreelan
ENEMIES: @Break @stardust @Alliera Verd @Alen Na'Varro, @Hannibal Oryen [SIZE=12.222222328186035px] @[/SIZE]Carré Inirial


@Ayden Cater


So, a storm was a brewing; sucked, but that was what it was. Winds picked up, making it difficult for the aircraft to control their trajectory, but it wasn't without a measure of success. The Illria drop ships managed to touch the ground and start deploying their troops, several Omega Defense Force ground forces rushing towards the generator to surround it, to include the HBD 300 Droid. The Mk I designs were armed with a simple laser cannon housed in each wrist, its only remarkable feature is that each droid has thrusters housed in the calves of each leg with a full jetpack on the back. This allows the unit to move unimpeded across terrain, which is what the first platoon did right at that instant, surge forward towards the generator to get inside.

Once there, or barring meeting opposition, the droids began to shoot at the hostiles, behind them the ODF forces armed with Mark II bolters that were now also shooting at the Force users, the same weapon Aeron held in her hands as she continued her barrage, as she did not wait to see if her earlier initial shot had hit the armored female, the spread of the Mark II left little choice on how to counter. No; the Icarii had a mission.

The MK II bolter was extremely effective against personal armor and even light vehicle armor --- much to the former Exarch Kerrigan's pleasure. Strong against Force users or shields, and the modularity allowed for modifications such as EMP, plasma, fragmentation.


It's flaws were that it was heavy, and ammunition was limited. But the few times one used it, with precise precision, meant that she could be able to blast at the one who was churning with power. @[member="Lord Dissero"].


45mm explosive bolts when blasting at his direction, armed at launch and any significant pressure on the warhead would cause it to detonate. With a two metre casualty zone and up to six metres can be injured by either shrapnel or the blast wave.


They could not save the generator, but they could very well detain the entirety of the opposition at fault for it's destruction. They damn well could sure try.

And with the Corellian mindset, it was on. The walkers, slowly, but surely, though the storm bore against them, began to surround the generator. Some were knocked over due to the strength, others pressed on.

The Peregrine had an easier time than the bulky Inimica, the anti infantry ship whizzing through to send a volley of fire at targets designated non ODF.

The storm would rage, would moan.

But the dedication of the ODF would not.

 

[Carré Inirial]

ATTACKING THE SECOND GENERATOR
TEAMMATES: @[member="Alen Na'Varro"], @Hannibal Oryen @Lucianus Adair @Lord Dissero
OTHER ALLIES: @Break @stardust @Alliera Verd
ENEMIES: @Noah Corek @Aeron Kreelan


The taste of Alen's rage tipped her own into activity, and at precisely the right moment. Standing as she was between Dissero and the oncoming Protectorate troops, it was she who the explosive bolts were hurtling towards. A snarl marred her features as a wall of telekinetic energy snapped out of her form in a rush of sickly blue energy that was almost a match for the color of her lightsabers.

Too close, Carré realized just a half second too late. The bolts exploded violently as the wall tore through them and continued on towards the woman that had fired and the troops alongside her. With any luck, it would have enough power to knock them back and take some of their weapons out of commission. She could not, however, afford to spend the power to ensure that it did. That would have been tactically unsound this early in the party.

She was within the shrapnel radius, she noted with a measure of distaste, as the rush of air she summoned to surround her could not prevent all of it from sinking into her relatively unprotected flesh. Silk and leather did not make effective armor, no matter how freely it allowed her to move. Dark silver eyes did not narrow, nor did she wince in pain. This was to be expected, in her estimation...welcomed, even, given the way Lady Silencia had trained her.

Instead, for every bit of heated metal that slid deep into her flesh, her smile grew heated and dark, the palm of her right hand pulsing with a sickly blue light. Pain was an aphrodisiac to a Sith, and a source of power. Carré's rage lashed out, snatching at the ankles of one of the troopers and lifting him into the air.

The wind shield spun faster around her as the blue tendrils of energy around the trooper's feet flung him to the side in a violent wrenching motion. Some would be slammed into, others merely sent stumbling back if they noticed in time.

 

[Laith Varad*]

Eriadu
Dirtside
Leaving the alleys
Mando Squad: @[member="Briika Tor"]@Kable Detta@Strider Garon@Ordo

​

..."There's plenty."...he'd have replied after Briika teased him about losing his weapon before he took it back..."Which is why I have more than one."...he chuckled briefly while leaning up against the wall of the alley. Now that he had his Blaster Rifle back he'd holster the Heavy Blaster Pistol again and inspect the former. Everything about the Blaster Rifle seemed to indicate that it was still operational which satisfied Laith; he didn't want to charge into battle with a weapon that was going to fail him but he seemed satisfied with how the Blaster Rifle would operate for him. Then came the Bacta Stim which Laith would have been appreciative of...

...indeed he would have felt the Bacta working soon after Briika had administered it and even though it wouldn't heal everything it certainly made walking easier and dulled the pain in his body from the fall and lightning that had arced across him. "We are fortunate to have you with us Briika Tor."...he'd have stated once the bacta had begun taking effect and looking towards Kable he'd have contemplated momentarily before remarking..."We can't stay here the fight is done. Ordo isn't here anymore and Strider..."...he paused and switched over to the cooms inside of his helm..."...Strider do you read me? Come in. We need to move out and regroup properly."...but there was no answer which caused Laith's attention to switch back to the present..."We can't reach Strider."...it was not an enviable position to be in for any of them considering that the Sith who'd attacked them could still be lingering on the rooftops. Looking between the two Mandalorians Laith would have stated..."We need out of these alley's. The battle isn't here anyways and I can only pick up limited information on the Protectorate comm channels."...he'd be heard taking a breath while his gaze lingered up towards the rooftops again..."The Generators are the most valuable targets as far as I can tell. We should reinforce one of them. Lets move; we can decide once we're out of here."...he wasn't trying to take the leadership role necessarily however if anyone had any better ideas now was the time to speak up...

...as he moved away from the wall Laith would lift his Blaster Rifle, the butt fit snug against his right shoulder and his left hand supported the barrel, before calling back..."Pyramid formation. I'll take point."...which meant he'd be the head of the pyramid while Kable and Briika maintained the base. With his Blaster Rifle trained ahead he would do sweeps of the alley way ahead, ensuring that it was clear, while the trio moved onwards...​

​

@[member="Spencer Jacobs"]@Mikhail Shorn​

 

[Briika Munin]

Eriadu
Dirtside
Leaving the alleys near Omega Base for one of the generators
Mando Squad: @Briika Tor@Kable Detta@Strider Garon@Ordo

Briika just nodded at Ermac regarding his comment about how they were fortunate for her being there, then she gave one last long look over to Kable before readjusting her medpac and taking up the right side of their pyramid formation with her "Kath Hound" at the ready as they moved out of the alleyway and onto their next objective.

 

[Antillie Jenika]

@[member="Arrbi Betna"]

The match speed indicator was a bit of a joy, and the Exalt had better legs than the brick. Catch up, settle in, match speed, fire. Textbook.

And nothing else around beat the beskar-plated fighter-bomber for target priority, not at this exact second anyway. Even if it did, she could spare a minute to take a potshot at that whatever-it-was. Four protons left, and four mag pulses, but she could afford to save those. Two Santhe/Sienar turbocharged laser cannons spat triple-strength blasts at the back end of the Bes'uliik, which was mostly beskar and engines; having seen the armor in action, she aimed for the engines. The ship had already demonstrated a heavy thing's proclivity for the ground, and Callsign Anthill over here was anxious to arrange a reunion.

 

[Ayden Cater]

On Board the Starfall
High Orbit over Eriadu
@[member="Jared Ovmar"] @[member="Captain Larraq"]
@Planet Folks

The space above Eriadu was a battleground in earnest. By now the charging attack group had been utterly broken while the Fringe fleet attempted to rally their forces. However, the Protectorate was giving them little time to regroup. Long-range turbolaser fire continued to to blast at the enemy formations while Myriad-class corvettes and Nebulon B7s made harassing attack runs on the enemy fleet. While the Fringe had a higher percentage of heavier capital ships, the Protectorate ships were far more maneuverable and they were taking advantage of that fact. Excubitor-class cruisers and Relentless-class assault frigates fired volleys of turbolaser fire and missiles before they retreated, not extending as far as the corvettes and frigates were before coming back around.

Briefly Ayden turned and looked at the hyperspace monitoring station and smiled. The unknown enemy fleet would be arriving in moments. But that wasn't why he was smiling. "Drop interdiction fields." Thirty seconds after the order was carried out and the massive frame of the Leviathan reverted back into realspace. It brought with it significant reinforcements from Sullust, flanked by several Alcori-class Star Defenders and Warden-class heavy cruisers. Already a number of Nonnah-class cruisers were opening fire with their assault concussion missiles. A moment later and a message came in from the Leviathan. Her captain looked at the Lord Protector and smiled. "I apologize for our lateness, Lord Protector. But it seems as though we arrived just in time to assist." Ayden grinned and nodded in agreement. "I also bring word that the Vandlehelm fleet is on its way."

When the planetary shield faltered, Ayden's eyes narrowed. They had brought down the planetary shield generators. Some commanders would panic, but he was not so simple to fly into a panic. "Order Task Force Alatar into the atmosphere. I want dropships landing troops throughout the capital city. Their starfighters are to secure the two generator zones. Bomb any would-be enemy base. I expect the Fringe will try to land more ground troops now. See to it that their road is paved in blood. Keep the Belsars over the capital city. Incus-class cruisers should operate on the edge of the city and the Telum-class frigates are free to move and engage at will. Reroute a number of Shield cruisers and have them move into low orbit. They may have taken out the planetary shield, but there are still civilians down there that we must protect. Resume interdiction and begin scrambling their sensors and com channels."

There was a flurry of movement as orders were relayed. A number of brilliant orange streaks would appear in the skies above Eriadu City as the task force moved into the atmosphere, along with their fighter wings. The shield had not just kept the Fringe from landing reinforcements. It had also kept the Protectorate from doing the same. Now, they had nothing to stop them. The sky above the city would be shadowed by the massive carriers holding position only a few hundred kilometers from the surface while the Incus-class cruisers and Telum-class frigates were free to plunge deeper into the atmosphere. Meanwhile dozens of M47 Illria-class dropships and CXR-75 heavy dropships were diving through the atmosphere to help reinforce weary lines. Any Fringe ships in the airspace above the city were about to get a very rude awakening.

As the ships were carrying out their orders, Ayden turned his attention to the approaching fleet. Now that they were in system, they could get a better look at them. They were not Confederate ships as he had feared, no. They were Mandalorian. This should have been cause for celebration, but Ayden's brow furrowed. Had they dropped out from a normal vector, he might have been glad to see them. But no ship coming down the Rimma Trade Route or Hydian Way would have exited on the far side of Eriadu like that. Even had he let himself foolishly believe that they were here as allies, their timing was all wrong. The Vandlehelm fleet was still hours away. The nearest Mandalorian space was almost a full day away, and they had been monitored approaching from CIS space. How then did a Mandalorian fleet know to come to Eriadu's defense, and did so from the backdoor? And why hadn't they heard from Mandalore then? Ayden did not have to think long on it before a simple answer came to him.

They weren't here to help save Eriadu.

They were here to help conquer it.

"Have the Leviathan and Sullust fleet take up a defensive position and intercept the Mandalorian fleet. As soon as the come over the horizon, I want all long-range cannons to open fire. Shield ships should move into position and be ready to activate on a moment's notice. After the Mandalorians fire, cease all fire and raise shields. When ready, drop the shields and open fire with everything you have." Ayden ordered then held a hand up to his head for a moment before marching off the bridge. The captain would have known why, given that the door Ayden stepped through only had one destination.

Fighting on two fronts would be difficult, nigh impossible, to coordinate verbally. The crew had to know instinctively what to do. And while the Starfall's crew were seasoned veterans, the majority of the fleet would not have the same level of confidence and experience. So Ayden knelt in the meditation chamber and reached out through the Force. He had done this before on a number of occasions and its difficulty had decreased with time. The chamber would magnify his efforts and help him spread his attention across the planet and the ships in orbit. From this room, Ayden would be able to effectively control the assembled Protectorate force and hopefully repel the invaders. And as the Starfall opened fire on the Dzu'ari, Ayden closed his eyes with a determined scowl.

'No... Not hopefully.'

'We must.'