Gos'Karza - Total War | TSE Invasion of TJE's Fush Bnigeai Hex

[Darth Carnifex]

“Destination imminent, achieving hyperspace terminus.”

The blackness of the void was cut by multiple starships all emerging from hyperspace at once, dozens upon dozens of angular wedge-shaped warships. Diagonal Marr-class Star Destroyers, wide and flat Kressh-class Star Destroyers, and even many of the newly manufactured Remulus-class Destroyers were among the flotilla that gathered. Among them were many other starships, cruisers and frigates that greatly outnumbered the larger destroyers by a wide margin.

Again, the bountiful Starfleet of the Sith Empire had been called forth from the dockyards of Yaga Minor and Mon Cala to slay the heretic.

The Emperor watched as his forces assembled, materializing one by one until the starlane was thickened with warships. “Maneuver the fleet into position and prepare to disgorge landing vessels, I want this over swiftly.”

So he demanded it, so it would be done. Strike-fighters and landing craft began to disembark from the myriad of warships that meandered through space, gradually converging on a single planet looming ahead of them; positioned just right against the native star that the atmosphere was shrouded in a blood-red optical illusion.

A fitting omen.

​

Prison Break
On Fush Bnigeai there exists a prison, filled with the Jen’ari Heretic’s top priority prisoners. All of those incarcerated would serve the Sith well if they were freed, so that shall be our primary objective.

Battle along the Starways
The Imperial Armada is unmatched, and so the veracity fact shall remain true. As our strike forces close in on the heretics of Fush Bnigeai, the hyperlanes and lesser-known sublight trails must be secured to facilitate the movement of the Legion. Destroy any and all opposition that arrays itself before us.

 

[Darth Banshee]

Darth Banshee had arrived in her personal carrier H.M.S. Carannia, she had few other ships with her mainy ten transport frigates. She was going in, with intention of wiping everything pieces of resistance out this miserable little planet, that hertics had taken over. Soon or later these people need to learn, that [member="Darth Carnifex"] was the supreme sith lord, and no one else. She was stood on her command deck, with her officers. Her ship was uncloaked, and she was waiting for word to descend on the planet. She would then begin her storming of the city, with an army form Serenno. The planet was growing in importance, and hopefully he star with it.

Her men where busy checking their weapons, officers where making sure they new their drop zones. This would be night not soon forgot, they can run but they can never ever hide from true sith empire. She stood silently, waiting for holo screen to come on, and say attack.

 

[Krayn]

He hadn’t been expecting Fush Bnigeai as his next destination, in fact until the words had slipped from the throat of the Halsoun Monk during his sacking of the Dagoyan Monastery on Bardotta the very existence of the place had been a secret to him. The reach of the Supreme Leader had never reached this far into the uncharted realms and even at his exile the young warrior had never had to travel so far away from the known space-lanes.

His ship, cut through the atmosphere as the battle-fleet of the Sith Empire continued to fall into the system. It could have been coincidence that the Emperor had ordered an attack on the very world he had been told to head to, but he had started to understand that with the force very few things were true coincidence, he was meant to be here now just as the Sith Empire were also meant to be here.

He ran his face through his hands, feeling the pull of tiredness against his eyes as they were passed by the black gloves that housed his aching fingers. The darkness was taking it’s toll on him, or so the Supreme Leader’s Ren would have said, its presence corrupting him harder then his body could take, yet he knew that it was a necessary path. His quest would probably consume his very soul but that was a price he had to pay.
He was destined to pay it, he just had to choose if it was by choice or by the force of another’s hand.

 

[Fiolette Fortan]

24 HOURS AGO​

​

Fiolette sat along the edge of the bed as the kaleidoscope of colors spilled into the room. Hunched over a tablet as she read over the newest data regarding the Heretics. An array of colors brought upon by the Elidibus's transit through hyperspace the Lord Admiral was deep in thought, her mind going through what seemed to be a million things per minute. Reading over the data brought her mind little ease, she scrolled through the information over and over again. A small touch to her thoughts from Taeli is it what broke her concentration, the Galidraani shifted to see her wife and let Taeli guide her hand. As Taeli's pregnancy advanced and her body adjusted to carrying their child there were moments like this. Moments where they waited to feel their child moving, "looks like someone's awake." Fiolette remarked with a smile, she leaned over and placed a kiss along her wife's lips.

Nerralyn. Fiolette let their daughter's name sit at the foremost of her thoughts. Nerralyn.

It warmed the coldest parts of the Galidraani's heart. "I love you, both of you." She added her voice bathed in familial love. Fiolette drew her hand away from Taeli's and away from the bump, where it was ever apparent that Taeli was with child. It had been something of a secret but harder to keep as time went on. Another touch to the Lord Admiral's thoughts brought her attention back to Taeli, something in her wife's eyes told her that whatever she had a mind to do at the moment - mattered not. All that mattered was them and that was all Fiolette needed...

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJWFiHcbHzg[/media]

PRESENT TIME

FUSH BNIGEAI
7TH FLEET - HIMS ELIDIBUS
COMMAND CENTER / FORWARD BRIDGE
w/ [member="Taeli Raaf"]

The moment the Elidibus dropped from hyperspace they were greeted by the site of the war fleet. Indeed the Sith Empire's Armada was bountiful and if the swelling numbers of the 7th Fleet proved anything it was that there was nothing that could stop them on this day. Various angular shaped vessels surrounded the sleek flagship of the fleet, "engage the heretics, and make sure our ships get to their landing zones." The Lord Admiral ordered, "engage any hostiles that approach - deploy the fighters, where's Pavanos?" Another series of orders as the redhead walked about the command center in her white uniform trimmed with gold. Sentongo rushed to give the orders while sending for the Elidibus's wing commander.

A haze of static broke through on the Lord Admiral's communications console. "Keep your britches on, we're deploying now."

"Oh good and here I thought I'd have to remind you of your duties, Commander."

"Keep that up and I'd have to bring my wife around."

"Your wife doesn't scare me nearly as much as mine."

"Fair point," Pavanos quipped over communications, "right Ghost-One out see you when this is over."

"May the Force be with you," the Lord Admiral responded as the communication line went silent. A small set of chuckles were heard from the bridge crew but it lasted no longer than a moment. "Bring us about Sentongo, keep our guns ready I want aim on the nearest target. Additionally, I'll leave it to your discretion to delegate targets and tasks to our task forces."

Sentongo nodded with acknowledgment as 7th Fleet // Battlegroup Elidibus prepared their guns and moved into position as the fighters emerged from the belly of their respective ships. Swarms scurred out among the stars rushing to meet with transport ships escorting them down to the planet's surface.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

Come nether and deep space, there was no running from the Sith Empire once the verdict was given.

Joycelyn Zambrano had been present, some would even say key, to the invasion of Csilla and the ousting of the Jen'ari from their previous stronghold. But while they had won the battle and routed their enemy, she was not satisfied; she would never be satisfied until victory was total. She had urged for war, trained, prepared, waited as patiently as a young and brash Colonel could muster herself to wait.

Now the day of the second reckoning had come.

Past her vision set on glory, she knew this was but one blow in succession of others; a volley to dismantle heretics and drive them out. She knew this would not be the last battle; yet the adrenaline that surged through her veins, and the whispers of the Force that nibbled so gently on her self-control, told her that any game of chance was worthy if it furthered her glory and the glory of the one and only true Sith Empire.

Donned in her black armour, Zaudraka at her side and polearm in her hand, two vornskrs slinking around her feet, she eagerly awaited the order.

Next to her stood two individuals: One was a red sith, her trusted lieutenant Yaitzun. The other was one of the Hyal'hask named Urul, decorated for his initiative on Csilla and given command of Joycelyn's personal squadron of Graug kin. The monstrous legion was less disciplined than the Imperial Legion, but they served admirably for the purpose of destruction and great slaughter. As they had served her father, so had she made them serve her. Not at her father's command, but by his likeness in her own ferocity.

A warlord of destruction - That was the hallmark of the first Darth Vornskr. As Darth Vornskr II, she spared no effort in forging a similar reputation.

"Colonel Zambrano, standing by."

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

Frankly, Allya was glad Jerek was not at her side for this one. No, she wasn't happy he wasn't there, but she couldn't think her Jedi would enjoy working with the Sith Empire. But there was something more to it, something deeper. Since she had met Jerek she had suppressed a lot of emotion, a lot of action, much of her entire history. She didn't regret these choices, his light was an amazing thing to bask in, and she was happy to be his shadow. But, she was a mother kriffing Sith Mandalorian. In every aspect of her culture, violence was idolized, not just normal. She had held herself back so much, but her blood boiled, it demanded to be released. When her companion Kahlil had invited her to join the Sith, she accepted. She had loyalty to the man, he was her friend, and unlike many Sith that meant something to her.

As she flew towards the planet in her Scimitar-2, she knew she would be fine. The stealth was activated, and even if there was a planetary shield generator, it wouldn't matter, as her ship was designed to go through them. Her cargo hold was full of Clanker droids, and she had her mission. She had a list of CIS prisoners that were being held by the Jen'ari. The daughter of the Vicelord would free them, and return them home. As she did so however, she would slaughter every military target in her path. She wouldn't neglect the morals Jerek had taught her, what seemed important to him. But she would get this damned fire out of her veins, and this damned false Empire would be it's target.

The girl's grin was wide, as she entered planetary orbit. Her heart raced, her eyes dilated, and her mouth dried up. Oh...this would be more fun than she had in awhile. As the stealthed ship approached the shields, she giggled like a mad woman. Some days, you just needed to let loose and enjoy yourself. Everyone needed to get pampered every so often.

 

[Darth Bellum]

K O R _ V E X E N

---

---

Liberate and recruit Jen'ari dissidents
Fush Bnigeai, Planetside

Vexen stood amidst the first to make planetfall once the order had been given to besiege the Jen'ari's territories once more. After the invasion of Csilla, something had roused Vexen deep within his core; a certain controlled rage and thirst for blood that he had not experienced in quite a while. Aside from his usual feeding frenzy filled episodes, this stood out as not an enemy he saw as his equal, but rather a pest that required complete and utter extermination. Vexen had put it upon himself to lead the charge against the Jen'ari who had foolishly laid claim to the name of Sith and declared themselves as the ones that stood above all others. What foolish banter coming from an overblown fool, with an arrogance that far exceeded any that Vexen had previously known. There was only one Sith in Vexen's eyes that stood above, worthy enough to claim the title of Dark Emperor.

With the order from [member="Darth Carnifex"], Vexen's invasion fleet had been the first to break from the flotilla gathering at Fush Bnigeai and make for the planet. Initial intel of the planet suggested a rather light enemy presence on an otherwise uninhabited world. A small enemy garrison and a prison were the only notable targets on the surface. The prison, however, was Vexen's target and his priority, a place housing the Jen'ari Empire's most dangerous criminals kept in a remote part of the Unknown Region. An enemy of the Jen'ari would be a valuable asset to the Sith Empire, and Vexen was sure that they all would leap at the chance to take vengeance against the so-called Reconstituted Sith Empire.

Rather than approach cautiously, Vexen came in full force. The local garrison and prison security would be no match for Vexen's Red Legion, an amalgamation of the elite veterans of the Legion, hand picked by himself. The enemy would not stand up to his army; a mere ember facing against his all-consuming inferno that destroyed all in its path. Vexen would land his forces to surround the prison and establish a perimeter. No one would be allowed to escape as walkers were moved into position, ready to blast any craft that attempted to flee whilst his armies would hold the line and prevent any reinforcements from arriving.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Fush Bnigeai
7th Fleet - Elidibus
Command Center
[member="Fiolette Raaf"]

It had been a long time since she had stood on the bridge of a starship as part of an invasion force, but as her precious cargo was far enough along that her bump was starting to show, she was refraining from ground deployments at Fio's request. She certainly wasn't helpless, but the unnecessary risk was something they both would rather avoid. Not that she expected they would see much action in this case. The heretics had been tracked to this desolate part of the galaxy, from several sources of intelligence. Taeli had... frowned when her shipments from Enigma Prime had informed her of Sith-style ships in the region. Unacceptable really.

From the command chair, Taeli had to stifle a yawn as the deployments began to the world below. Apparently, the heretics had established a prison on the world that held high-value prisoners and dissidents, and it was the will of the Emperor to liberate the prisoners, slaughter the garrison completely, and otherwise lay waste to any of their presence in the system.

"Not much out there," she mused, purple eyes scanning the displays. "You would think they would have some sort of defense fleet for such a supposed important prison."

Maybe they had such few ships they needed to pull everything back to protect whatever capital they had established now? She honestly didn't particularly care. They would all recant their heresy or die. The choice was rather simple and clear.

 

[Krayn]

His ship slowed as it came through the cold-pressed atmosphere of the planet. Passing through ice mists the reveal of the surface was nothing to write home about, just rock, snow and ice for as far as the eye could see. The only feature that was of any significance was a great black citadel, adorned with the loose red flags of the Jen’ari Empire. It’s great black walls imposing down on the snow that was sat around it.

This was the prison of the Jen’ari, a place where they held their most wanted and never released their cruel grasp of them. It would also be here that his search would continue, for inside the Jen’ari prison was a cell that contained apart of the past that he had long considered lost, a part of a greater puzzle that would hopefully aid him on his search.

As the ship landed he slumped back in his chair. The cold sweats had started again, the fever would be next. The fall of the First Order was to blame for the sickness and he wished to cut it from his body, to capably be able to grasp hold of his own destiny without the need for the presence of the other. He breathed heavily, taking his time to remove the clasps that held him in the seat and slowly rising to his feet. His black cloak was pulled around him in anticipation for the cold-based wind that was sure to flow easily around the prison and finally, over his face of illness and plague he made sure his helmet was lowered and locked into place. It gave him strength, the mask of a different identity. He straightened his back and pulled away from his sick-self.

The messenger had arrived, and no Jen’ari would stand in his way.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

​

The Sith Emperor's flagship, inexorable and implacable, barreled on through the empty vacuum of the void. Flashes of light along its prow and superstructure were the only indications that it was even responding to the enemy presence at all, thin pinpricks of green light soaring through the emptiness before blossoming into sunbursts of fire and wreckage as enemy ships fell under its fury. Ten engines, all spewing scarlet ion energy into the darkness, pushed the massive dreadnought closer towards the planet's orbit as the fighting continued to rage around it. As it neared the world, it began to cast a great dark shadow over the landscape that blanketed the Fush Bnigeai prison entirely, blotting out all light from the system's native star.

"We've achieved terminus over the prison, Supreme Excellency."

"Excellent, launch all gunships and storm the prison. Inform [member="Kor Vexen"] to begin the transfer."

"As you command."

From the massive six-hundred-meter long hangar bay on the Behemoth's underbelly emerged a steady stream of gunships and their requisite fighter escorts, streaking through the frigid sky to converge on the besieged prison below. Ventral cannons swiveled on targeting axes to open fire at any heretical ship that dared to venture too close to the Behemoth's hull, simultaneously striking the nearby mountain ranges with immense concussive blasts that sent minor quakes rushing up along the valley encircling the prison.

 

[Fiolette Fortan]

FUSH BNIGEAI
7TH FLEET - HIMS ELIDIBUS
COMMAND CENTER / FORWARD BRIDGE
w/ [member="Taeli Raaf"]

Fiolette looked between her console and the viewport. She watched in silence as the Elidibus hummed its way through the void, a small turn of her head allowed to her to see that Taeli had joined her on the bridge. As much as the Galidraani knew that her wife was more than capable of defending herself, the curve of Taeli's figure said all that needed to be said. Their daughter was the priority now, even as the Elidibus joined forces with the war fleet, showering the planet below in destruction. The Lord Admiral could hear Taeli's stifled yawn, with a pivot and turn Fiolette faced Taeli. Relaxing her shoulders, the redhead returned her beloved's amused expression with one of her own. "One would think."

A screech of static from the comms station pulled Fiolette's attention. Taeli wasn't the only Triumvir expecting, Ishana's wife was also expecting and that meant returning the Wing Commander back to her wife in one piece. "Clear it up." She ordered, "focus on the targets here and here - reload the guns."

"Ghost-One to base, on approach we've got eyes on our targets linking it up now."

She directed her attention to the monitor next to the station and focused. "Good, paint the targets and move on. Bombers will be en route, no stress marks today Commander."

"Copy that, Ghost-One out."

"Guns reloaded, Admiral."

Fiolette gave a nod, "fire."

She turned again to face her wife and while she was tempted to ask Taeli to step out of the chair, she knew there was no point in asking. "Crewman," she called out to the young man, no more than eighteen from the looks of it. "Head to the storage room and pull a pillow out for our Darth Arcanix, would you?"

The young man obeyed at once, heading off for the storage rom. "At the very least I can help make you a little more comfortable." Her words directed toward Taeli, as the smile she wore had yet to fade.

 

[Krayn]

The advantage of a single man assault was that it became incredibly easy to infiltrate the prison, especially when the sky had began to rain Imperial Sith forces. As the gunships, fighters and cruisers all began their assault the cloaked, masked and hooded figure made his move. The Force allowed him to scale a wall in several quick jumps, triggering a proximity alarm in a security office somewhere that was unheeded thanks to their attention being on the wave of Sith heading straight for them.

His lightsaber cut through the armour of a Jen’ari soldier, the rough cut crimson blade humming hungrily as it cleaved through the protective surface with ease, entering the vital organs of the man and burning him from the inside. Another came at him, a sparkling blue lightning caressing a baton he held in his hand, but the swing never landed. His attack although fast and true simply stopped, held by the will of the Messenger and his ability within the force. Again the red blade cut clean and the guards torso slid away from his legs.

Even the doors of the structure upon the walls were not safe, it opened easily after hard use of the force and a swing of his saber, vital wiring that aided the lockdown cleaved by the weapon allowing him access to the internal guts of the prison. There may have been thousands of cells but only one was needed. He just had to find it.

 

[Darth Bellum]

K O R _ V E X E N

---

---

Liberate and Recruit Jen'ari Dissidents
Fush Bnigeai, Planetside

Vexen would take the prison by storm once the order had been given from the Sith Emperor, [member="Darth Carnifex"], besieging any defensive towers with his artillery walkers to neutralize the only things that posed a threat to him and his army. Jen'ari Shadow Troopers would rush out to meet their enemy, but to little avail. They were no match for the Sith General as he cut them down relentlessly and without mercy. They could not hide from the hunger of his blade that devoured their very essence upon contact with his saber known as the Devourers Maw. With each soldier he slew, he became empowered, and so to grew his bloodlust as he cleaved the enemies of the one true Sith Empire in two; This was no battle...It was a slaughter. The once crimson blade of Vexen's lightsaber began to grow darker with each enemy slain, until it was black to its core. On the battlefield, it seemed to not only drain the essence of the dead and dying, but the enemy's morale and strength as they began to put less resistance against Vexen and his Red Legion.

By the time Vexen had reached the prison itself, the battlefield between it and his initial point of beginning was littered with the corpses of Jen'ari Shadow Troopers. Vexen's hand seem to twitch as his saber began to emit a low hum. His fingers tightened its grip around the weapon that shared a near symbiotic relationship with the Sith, the saber itself seeming to have become 'fidgety' and impatient at the lack of essence it was not taking in with the brief relapse in the slaughter. Vexen would switch his saber off as the hum faded and the dark aura that had been following Vexen like a storm vanished. He would set aside his lightsaber as he marched into the prison through a hole blasted in the wall, his troops following after him, quickly moving forward to secure the prison and neutralize whatever guards remained.

Vexen would walk through the halls of the prison as he made his way for the control room. Two Jen'ari Shadowtroopers who were under the impression that they could take the Sith Lord by surprise would appear at the end of the corridor, raising their blasters only to suddenly drop their weapons as they were lifted off the ground by their throats from an unseen hand. They would claw and struggle frantically to break free from the grasp, but to no avail. They were outmatched in every sense of the term, much like the Jen'ari were compared to the might of the Sith Empire. As Vexen passed the two Shadowtroopers his hand would curl into a fist as the distinct sound of snapping necks were heard and their bodies went limp, hanging in the air like grotesque scarecrows before they were finally released and sent to the ground where they fell in crumpled heaps.

The Sith General would arrive at the control center not too long after and was greeted by more guards and the staff of the prison. The Shadowtroopers would open fire on him, but their efforts, like everything else the Jen'ari had attempted were in vain. Their blaster bolts would simply be stopped as they approached Vexen, the SI-PES shield he had received as a gift many campaigns ago absorbing the plasma. He would approach one of the troopers as he reached an arm out and grabbed the man by his neck, lifting him off the ground. His forearm began to glow purple as it crackled with energy, the glow slowly extending towards his hand like the creep of death for the helpless trooper to watch. They struggled and kicked, watching their impending doom approach until finally, powerful electric currents coursed through their entire body. A shriek was heard as their body spasmed uncontrollably for a few brief seconds before their body went limp, faint trails of smoke radiating from their corpse as Vexen threw the body off to the side. The remaining guards looked at one another and then back at Vexen, unsure of what to do. What could they do? The sheer despair alone was enough to cause them to throw their weapons down in surrender hoping to be shown mercy. They would be granted the mercy they desired; though they would not die by Vexen's hand, they would be summarily executed along with every Jen'ari soldier by his troops. Vexen would approach the console as he activated the comms across the prison.

" Pirates, murderers, traitors to the Jen'ari Empire...You have been imprisoned by these so called Sith and left to rot on this planet for your crimes against them...But today I set you free. Your choices are many from here on out. Either you return to the lives you once lived, or...You can take vengeance upon those who have locked you away with the intent that you to never see the light of day again...To those, who wish to take arms against their former oppressors, I grant you the choice to join our ranks as elite soldiers. Join us, and we will make the Jen'ari pay in blood. For those who wish to free your friends and family from their tyrannical rule; Return to their space and cause dissent among their population, reign terror and cause chaos among them...Destroy them from within and raise your rebellion with our support. We will tear them down together. "

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

The floor quaked beneath her metal-shoed feet as the dropship launched from its source.

Joycelyn and her retinue of Graug stood ready within their vessel, a mission on hand. Whilst it was General Vexen's prerogative to free the general populace of the prison, Joycelyn fulfilled another mission. There were operatives of the Jen'ari on this planet, and information that could serve the one, true Sith Empire in their campaign against their pesky rival. One individual of note was Fush Bnigeai Prison's own chief warden. If captured and thoroughly interrogated, he would likely yield new, vulnerable targets for the continued war.

And for Joycelyn, it was worthwhile to be the one to suggest the strategies that information could unlock.

Therefore, she and her strike-team were set on capturing and safely extracting the chief warden before the Imperial Legion or the rioting prisoners got to him and dealt their own swift punishment. There was a chance the Legion would attempt a capture, but she knew as well as anyone that they would weigh the risk, and in combat, capture was often not an option.

Counting down the seconds from launch, Joycelyn and her retinue braced themselves for impact. The dropship jolted violently as it met resistance, bashing against glassteel and duracrete in the directive tower of Fush Bnigeai Prison. Debris scattered before the dropship's penetrating prow before it ground to a halt, and its vicious contents spewed forth to pursue their daring task.

 

[Krayn]

The hum of lightsabers flowed freely through the small corridor.

Sweat had padded the inside of his helmet as his aggressive advance upon the guards had been met not by men armed with blasters but one of the Jen’ari themselves. The heretic-Sith had all but forced the Ren to pause due to his own weapon being lit and ready to fight, and fight they already had. Behind each of them metal dripped from the walls, molten slag in various states of cooling from where energy blades had been swept through the metal structure or forced through them after rebounding off each other. The smell was one of burning and even through his helmet he could taste it on the air.

There had been no words exchanged between the two, only the crashing of blades. Yet where neither had managed to get the upper-hand on the other it would only be a matter of time until one saw an advantage to follow through on.

For the Ren that time came, one of his opponents attacks had been aimed low and deflected from the crimson blade of his own lightsaber. The Jen’ari staggered back several paces as the counter-swing came harder then he had expected, a chance that would cost him everything.

The Ren dove forward, pushing hard against his enemies blade forcing it wide and to his left, his hand, free of the two handed attack grip he had held for most of the fight came through the air and grasped hold of the Jen’ari’s neck like a vice. They struggled, hitting hard against the wall, then the other and finally the floor. Anger drove him forward, aggression flowing through his very muscles allowing them to tighten harder and stronger around the neck.

Life finally flowed out of the Jen’ari. Air ceasing to fill his lungs and the Ren was allowed to stand, shoulders heaving as his own body struggled for air in the aftermath of the fight. He coughed hard, the taint spreading deeper the more he allowed it to take hold of him. There would be no time to pause however, not yet.

Not when he was so close.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

Forward, forward.

The squad rushed through the storage-floor in which they had landed. Debris and small fires lay scattered about them as they quietly pushed their way toward the next level. A team of graug put down a small shield generator and a heavy gun to hold the site and make sure they could make an escape.

Joycelyn looked to Jaitzun as the her lieutenant looked at his datapad, then pointed out the exit. She rushed toward it and drew her anti-security blade. One quick slice and the door's encryption gave way, then opened up just enough, releasing a hiss. One of the graug pulled it all the way open and pushed through with guns pointing in front. Once cleared, the rest followed, and Joyce claimed point again.

It was terribly quiet, almost enough to make one worried what was above.

In the lower levels, the legion was still freeing prisoners. She knew they would come this way in time, but there was still time before the metaphorical volcano erupted. Stopping short of the next corner, Joycelyn let one of the graug go first. A blast rocked the staircase, forcing her to shield herself with her arms. The graug stepped back, holding its bleeding face as a hyal'hask inspected the blast section. The wounded graug whimpered in pain and held a meaty hand up against his face to stem the bleeding. Another graug forced his hand away and slapped on a bacta foam, then plastered on a textile, before pulling him to his feet.

Joycelyn and the hyal'hask listened intently. There was quiet, but a suspense in the air. Then, rapid footsteps retreating. Joycelyn threw herself around the corner and extended her hands. A burst of flame enveloped the stairs as the hyal'hask got into position. Screams flickered through the flame, and as Joyce let the fire retract, her loyal soldier released a few well-aimed shots to put the hostiles to rest.

Then the wounded graug thundered up, rage and adrenaline filling him. With a bash of his maul, he knocked the last few burning soldiers aside. The squad followed behind.