Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Fire with Fire (Enigma/Horde)

He could never forget Bothawui, every time he closed his eyes he saw the twisted faces of those infected by the virus the Vong had unleashed on its inhabitants. The arcing of his blade as it cut them in two, the sounds of the extermination as he and his Knights had moved methodically through the ruined city and wiped clean those souls who could never be brought back. It had to be done, that was the only thing that saved him from madness, they couldn't be saved. Despite what they thought of him after Druckenwell, he did not sacrifice the very people he aimed to protect without serious justification. What they had done on Bothawui, was a slaughter of innocents because there was no other way.

Salem Norongachi remembered the invasion of the Vong, he remembered their ships pouring into the Galaxy and laying waste to world after world in their fanatical cleansing of trillions of lives. The efforts of the Galactic Empire and the New Republic to save what worlds they could, to drive the invaders back. He'd fought on Rodia, he'd lead his men against the merciless advance and in that time he'd learned hate. He had never hated a singular set of beings before, sure he thought less or more of others, but never felt complete and utter contempt for a species. He hated the Yuuzhan Vong, he wanted them wiped from the Galaxy like the plague they were. Then there was Bothawui.

There was only one course of action available to him.

The armada was arrayed, the soldiers, the legions of droids, the Knights, were all ready to go. Giant Lucrehulk Command carriers were flanked with Gunray Star Destroyers, Poggle Class Escort Carriers moved around them, their holds fit to bursting with starfighters and bombers. San-Hill Class Destroyers were with them and Sovereign Class Heavy Cruisers. Elsewhere, on other worlds on the edge of their space closest to that of the Horde other fleets so very similar were gathering. Nine fleets, nine fleets larger or just as large as that which defended Druckenwell, for nine targets.

"All ships," He said into the encrypted military channel. "Prepare to jump to hyperspace. To all fleets, give em hell." The Gunray Class Star Destroyer Trial by Fire formed up with its fleet, each performing final checks and prep before almost as one they fired into hyperspace.

[member="Enigma"]
 
And what did they find? Not much. Only a couple of Ranator-class Star Destroyers, several squadrons of Shimmra-class Coralskippers, and some cruiser analogs. They didn't even go to red alert. A response would soon be heard by the command ship of the CIS fleet. "This is... Circe Savan. I'm the only one left of the Horde's leadership. Everyone else has either gone somewhere else, or shirked their duties. I would like to speak personally with whoever is in charge and discuss the peaceful amalgamation of what's left of the Horde with the Confederacy."

[member="Salem Norongachi"]
 
"Peace," The very word turned to ash in his mouth as the transmission came through. "You want peace. You want a peaceful amalgamation." He stood from the command chair on the bridge of the Trail by Fire. The fleet had already assumed attack formation, hundreds of fighters were pouring out of his vessels like a plague sent to feast upon what little remained of the Horde's fleet. "Circe Savan," His teeth bore themselves in anger as the flashing memory of a warped child, no older then eight, appeared in his mind before he had killed her. "There will be no peace. There will be surrender, there will be justice or there will be annihilation..." To demonstrate his point, he turned to his fire-control officer. "Target the nearest enemy ship, I wan't it in flames."

A Ranator-Class was the unlucky ship in question and in seconds turbolaser and ion fire, missiles and bombers converged upon it. What enemy fighters did try to stop the flow of death were lost in the swarming wave of fighter craft that moved to intercept.

"Choose or I will burn every world, atomize every city. The only peace you will find is in death or in chains." The anger wouldn't abate, he could feel it crashing against what little remained of his self control. Even as the Rantar's shields flared under his assault, even as logic told told him that not all had taken part in the massacre on Bothawui, he couldn't stop it. He couldn't stop the corrosive crimson from saturating his mind and his reasoning.

[member="Enigma"]
 
"Cease firing on us, and maybe surrender will be a more palatable option..." She sighed. "I can help you. I know what happened recently. I know that Incom Corporation has stopped producing ships for the CIS. Ships I very well know you're using right now. You no longer can get parts or anything for them, a significant detriment to your combat capabilities. I also know that you're currently in a tense situation with the Omega Protectorate, and a good portion of manufacturing at Druckenwell was reduced to scrap. I run a company. Maybe you've heard of it - Subach-Innes. We once made you ships and whatnot before Genesis Rostu exiled me and Isley Verd led a task force to reduce all my facilities to rubble."

"So here's what I'm thinking. If you don't reduce the Horde to ashes, all its factories will be put to use as part of my company to help you fill in the gap Incom and Druckenwell have left you. You'll have more people, more technology, exclusive use of Vong-based technology, and some of the most technologically advanced starships in the galaxy as a part of your military might. You know what it can do - and the one responsible for leading and perpetrating the Bothawui assault has long since gone. Dredge, so far as I know, is dead."

She paused, considering whether or not to pull out any other cards. "I also have friends in the New Order, also crumbling, who happen to have some bioweapon samples the CIS should get their hands on as well. In return for the safety of my citizens, of course - I'm tired of the pointless conflicts and unnecessary loss of life." As if to exemplify what she said, the Ranator currently being attacked finally exploded. Several hundred million credits down the drain.

[member="Salem Norongachi"]
 
Hands balled into fists so tight that nails drew blood from his palms, bones under so much strain that they feared to split skin and fracture. She was attempting to buy him off, she was attempting to dangle the golden carrot before him and hope that he'd try to catch it. Circe Savan did not know Salem Norongachi, if she did her words would have been "We surrender, utterly and unequivocally."

They said that he was a practical man, he thought as much as well, but in another Galaxy not so dissimilar to this one they had called him mad, they had labelled him villain and murderer. They said he was a monster, a dark thing that felt nothing but hate and malice. He'd spent a whole life time wearing those names, knowing in his heart of hearts that it was all for something bigger, something grander than what they could imagine or conceive.

Today, no today he had no comforting thoughts to justify his actions. This was personal, this was blood for blood, where the metal meets the meat. It was cruel and it was bloody but before this day was ended, one way or another, he'd exterminate the Horde or force them to bend the knee just as they had on Bothawui.

"Coward..." He seethed. "There will be no deal. This is not a negotiation. How many people inhabit this cesspit? How many of them will you watch die before you and yours accept the fate that has come for you? And let me be very clear because I'm holding on just barely to any form of rational thought; If the next words you say are not a complete surrender of the Horde, its military, its technology, its worlds and the full disclosure to pursue and punish those involved in the atrocity of Bothawui? There will be no more talk, Circe Savan."

[member="Enigma"]
 
[member="Salem Norongachi"]

"I would hardly consider myself a coward if I desired to end the loss of life. But as our government is hardly in a shape to fight, very well. I surrender control of the CIS, its military forces, its planets, and its members to you, and as well intend to fully prosecute the perpetrator or perpetrators of the Bothawui attack. Subach-Innes facilities in Horde space will transfer their contracts with the Horde to you, making the CIS the receptacle of all newly-produced Subach military vehicles and whatnot." She sighed. "Now stand down so we can start the amalgamation and more people - not Vong, by the way - don't have to die."
 
"Sir, our other fleets are reporting similar acts of surrender. They have been met with no hostilities." A com's officer spoke but Norongachi had trouble hearing him over the rush of blood, the ever growing monster that threatened to rip him apart from within. Somewhere in the back of his mind, in a place that had not been scorched by rage and the need for retribution a voice said that he had won, he had what he wanted. Next to the riotous roar of his anger the voice was but a whisper on the wind.

"All craft, move to engage remaining forces. Wipe them out, then bring us into orbit of Echidna. She dares..." His voice had a tinge to it, a cold venous tone that caused the bridge crew to feel something...dark...begin to stir in their guts. "Open fire!"

"Belay that order!" Admiral Taket had been silent through all this, he was slight of build with dark brown hair slashed with grey around his temples. Steely grey eyes looked out at the meager forces, all but ready to throw down arms and submit to their demands. "You have won, Lord Commander." He said, his tone level and calm. He could see, just as he'd saw countless times in the Galaxy gone to hells, when a commander was on the edge and not thinking beyond his own personal feelings. "Its over, accept their surrender, we can go h-" The next breath would not come to him, it were as if a collar of metal had latched onto his throat. He looked to Norongachi, to the twin emerald suns that burned with a darkness he never thought possible in another human being, his body began to rise from the floor under that stare, that stare that wanted nothing but death to reign.

"L-lord Command-" The words came out barely above a whisper, a strained choke as his eyes began to roll back into his head and then the vice around his throat was gone.

"Connect me to Savan..." He said to his coms officer, his breathing quick and hurried as he sought to get a grip upon himself and banish the looks of fear, of disgust, that the bridge crew were giving him. "We accept your surrender."

[member="Enigma"]
 
"Very well." The Ranators maneuvered to leave the system, travelling to CIS space in order to have their crews repatriated and the vessels merged into the naval structure of the CIS. "I'll prepare a dossier of the combined military equipment you have soon." Popping her neck, she sighed. "Thank you for listening to reason. I'm glad the loss of life stopped here. While we wait for the arrival of your governmental officials in order to more permanently bring the Horde into the CIS, investigation of the Bothawui incident will begin."

[member="Salem Norongachi"]
 
Reason, he thought as the line was cut, how close he'd came. His eyes fell upon the Admiral, professional and reserved as he tried to collect himself after the telekinetic assault. "Whats your name?" He spoke, extending a hand toward him. The man looked up but whatever he felt or thought was hidden behind a perflectly blank mask. He took Norongachi's hand and got to his feet.

"Rand Taket, Lord Commander." His voice was still horse and Salem imagined it was painful to speak.

"You saved a lot of lives today, Rand Taket." He cast his eyes downward as their gaze met, shame perhaps, and then made toward the exit from the bridge.

"I had family in the capital..." Norongachi's feet stopped moving and he turned.

"What did you say?" He couldn't believe he'd heard correctly.

"My wife and my two sons, they were in the capital when the Vong attacked." The mans previous mask crumbled and Norongachi saw the very same raw emotion that writhed and battled for dominance within himself, reflected back. "They..." He faltered, drawing himself up straight. "They never left that place, until you and your men put them to rest."

"Then..." The question was obvious, why did he stop him, why wasn't he manning the guns himself and raining death and ruin down upon Echidna.

"Killing all those...people...won't bring them back. It won't change a damn thing and it won't stop me seeing their faces every night when I close my eyes." Taket replied. "Don't trade one act of mercy for one of genocide, Lord Commander. If you do, we won't have anyone left to protect." There were no words Norongachi could offer to that and so he simply nodded. Drained and deflated he retired to his quarters and began making the necessary calls to Bothawui about what had transpired that day.

The ships that arrived in CIS space would have their crews quickly removed, their innards inspected, each man and woman questioned and interrogated, the logs of the fleet and of the Horde military would be carefully scrutinized for inconsistencies within their stories. Rand Taket was right, it didn't change a thing.
 

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