Annihilation Head of the Snake: BotM Annihilation of Csilla

[Khaostra Devoid]

Post: 1
Objective: Do Bad Well in this Frozen hell
Equipment: Red Midnight Duster | Red Sith Armor | Sith Mask | Grav Boots | CrushGaunts | x2 White lightsabers | Forearm Lanvorak | Wrist Laser | Variety of Explosives | RSKF-44 heavy blaster | X-21 shock glove (Stored in her coat pocket) | ion Shovel | Mining Laser
Auxiliary Equpment: X8 EV-series supervisor droid (EV-4D9 load out) | Mining Rig Exo Skeleton (on Ship) | Hot Mess (Ship)
Allies: BotM | Csilla go Boom fan Club
Enemies: The Defenders
Tags: Halketh

---

The wind blew hard on the open tundra just outside the city of capitol city of Csaplar. Her red long coat blew in the wind, but the cold didn’t seem to bother, in fact Csilla was one of her favorite vacationing spots because of the weather. To bad it wasn’t going to exist much longer, which also meant she had to work fast. What she was after was deep below the Ice, but she had brought a lot of tools and if all else failed she could use resort to heavy explosives.


“How Much further?” She yelled through the wind to one of EV-series droids. “The Ice sheet is about a kilometer thick to the entry point, and we have breached two hundred meters so far.” Khaos looked back at her ship where the explosives were and the Mining Rig Exoskeleton. Then she looked to the west where the trenches were about thirty kilometers away. The Battle shouldn’t drift this direction, but war was never that easy to predict. Khaos sighed to herself, why the hell had her mother pulled her into this, for that matter why did she still come calling when ever her mother asked. Some days she wished she could be more like her older sister Cord Starfall and say screw you to her crazy mother.


“Well go as fast as you can, I want to extract what we came for and get the hell out.” Khaos did not want to be here when that weapon the Maw brought with them was fired. Though it was just like her mother again to put her in harms way. Then again what else could a child of a Pirate and Psychotic Witch expect, it’s not like she grew up in some loving home.


Her sights turned back in the direction of the battlefield not that she could see anything from this distance, but she could feel it. The Tensions and anxiety were thick in the air and drifted on the waves of the force in the air. There was also fear all over, any force user in hundred light years could probably feel it. No matter how the day ended this place would have lasting scars.

 

[Albrecht F. Herlock]

Location: Escort frigate Pride of Anaxes, low orbit of Csilla
Objective 4: Annihilate the ennemy fleet and provide atmospheric support to the defenders ground forces | Evacuate the refugees
Allies: CIS, Eternal Empire, First Order, Galactic Aliiance:Jedi Order, New Imperial Order, Chiss Ascendency and Independents.
Ennemies: Brotherhood of the Maw, Kainate, Sith Eternal, Warlords of the Sith and Independents.
Post theme: Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 opening
Tag: Korum Krov


The Pride of Anaxes was firing with all her guns, targeting the ennemy fleet and eventually, ennemy ground forces' positions. Suddenly the Comms Officer looked at Herlock.

"We're receiving a communication on an old frequency!"

"Put it through;"

"Aye sir !"

"This is the Noga. We've got a full ship of evacuees. We're requesting a location to dock."

"Noga, this is escort frigate Pride of Anaxes, identification number X101. You have the permission to board my ship to transfer the refugees. As soon as they are all on board, I'll take them to a safe system. Pride of Anaxes over."

"Navigation Officer, turn the ship to port, 90 degrees. Tactical Officer, I want all guns facing to starboard side. We will protect the Noga while she transfers the refugees. I want the medical crew and the security and the logistics departments to be ready to welcome them. Our new priority is the safety of the civilians!"

"Aye Sir!"

 

[Tu'teggacha]

​

Location: High Orbit over Csilla
Commanding: Fatalis-class Star Dreadnought
Allies: Aldo Garrick , Talon Kyber, CETCOM , Derix Tirall
Foes: Teica Giraan , Albrecht F. Herlock , Constantine Oliva

The holding pattern continued. Around the Mercy superweapon, the dark bulk of the Brotherhood fleet held firm, inviolate before the attacking fleets. So far it had been a relatively small mustering against them, a bare handful of enemy commanders; it seemed that the bulk of those resisting the will of the Maw were doing so on the ground, fighting for every meter of Csilla's surface. It would be ironic indeed if all their efforts came to naught as that very surface crumbled beneath them, annihilated by the power of Mercy. So long as the fleet held strong, that was precisely the fate that awaited them. No doubt Brotherhood troops would also die... but they would die fulfilled.

Well, Tu'teggacha mentally amended, the defense fleet was almost inviolate. A number of small transports and starfighters had managed to slip through their orbital barricade, racing for the hangar bays of the superweapon. No doubt those aboard fancied themselves heroes, believing that they could sabotage the weapon in time to save the Chiss homeworld. The Taskmaster found the idea laughable. He was unconcerned precisely because he knew what awaited these would-be saviors in the halls of Mercy: gods and monsters, steeped in the almighty power of the Dark Side. The infiltrators would fail... and get front row seats to Csilla's end.

Then there was the matter of the diamond-boron missiles, launched by a ship identified as Teica Giraan 's ANV Resolution. The missiles represented a problem; they were specially reinforced to prove difficult to shoot down, and caused a substantial 50-meter explosion. They were mostly starfighter-killers, and probably would not cause much of a dent in the armor of the titanic Mercy, but the Taskmaster was unwilling to take that chance. Several Crucifix I - class vessels moved forward to intercept the missiles, their more powerful guns shooting several of them down. The rest could not be so easily stopped... so the ships attempted a different tactic.

The Crucifix I - class was heavily armored at the front, a component designed to allow them to ram enemy ships. In this case, one of them rammed several missiles instead. Despite the heavy plating, each successive diamond-boron missile took its toll. By the end of the interception, they had obliterated the ship's front and vaporized the bridge. Bodies streamed out into space, drifting in odd patterns through the void, as the Holy Massacre broke apart under Giraan's missile ship's bombardment. The wrath of the Maw was swift. Two surviving Crucifix I destroyers closed in on the Resolution, one opening up on it with its turbolasers while the other accelerated to ramming speed.

Just beyond the range of the defense fleet, a lone ship - identified by transponder codes as Albrecht F. Herlock 's Pride of Anaxes - had taken up a low orbit over one of the battlefields below, bombarding Brotherhood positions on the surface. It was an inconvenience, certainly, and Tu'teggacha pondered moving his ships out of position to swat that particular sand fly. But he dared not risk the weapon's defensive screen merely to preserve the lives of a few marauders... or even a few thousand. Besides, Admiral Aldo Garrick was conducting an orbital bombardment of his own, targeting the enemy positions opposite Herlock's targets. That balanced things.

Admiral Garrick was also dispatching fighters to hunt down the refugee transports streaming away from Csilla, fighters that would no doubt come up against Constantine Oliva 's defending corvette line. In truth, the Taskmaster was utterly unconcerned about the possibility of Chiss escaping their homeworld's death. They would spread the fearsome story of what the Brotherhood had done here, sowing terror wherever they landed. That would only make it easier for the Maw to swallow all of Chiss space in the wake of this decapitating strike. It was likely that millions, even billions, would flee these sectors, seeking refuge among the Core Worlds.

They might even find it there... for a time. Before the Maw came knocking again.

Still, hunting down those attempting to escape was something of a matter of principle. It would make the stories told by the survivors all the more fearsome, and it would keep the attention of the enemy focused on the Maw's monstrous actions... and not the imminent firing of its superweapon. Anything that drew attention away from the Mercy was a blessing in the Taskmaster's eyes.

On the Maw fleet's flank stood the dread pirate host of Talon Kyber, better known as "Black Kyber". "Signal acknowledged, Acheron," Tu'teggacha replied. "We will hold our defensive perimeter. You are free to engage the enemy as you see fit." The corsair armada would surely wreak havoc among the Alliance and NIO lines, their savage weapons designed to fight back against such lawmen. Meanwhile, comscan indicated that the CETCOM 's Maw Irregular Fleet was soon to arrive. It might just be the reinforcements they needed to trap the enemy between Csilla and the Brotherhood, then sweep them from the system.

Derix Tirall mounted an orbital bombardment of his own, fire from his faith. Tu'teggacha smiled internally, his facial tendrils wriggling in grotesque patterns as he admired the destruction. Tirall was a strange one, but he certainly had his uses. The Taskmaster did not know exactly why the High Regent had joined their cause, but he was certainly glad to see the Greater Imperial Remnant's firepower added to that of the Brotherhood.

An alert popped up on the screens of the Fatalis, which had been still up until then. Apparently Albrecht F. Herlock 's Pride of Anaxes had moved within long range of the Brotherhood fleet, and even opened fire on it in addition to their orbital bombardment. Though the Pride was now withdrawing to protect the stream of refugees, it had made an error. The longest-range weapons on the escort frigate, which was a mere 333 meters long, could not possibly match the range of the colossal Fatalis. If the Pride could shoot at the Brotherhood, then the Brotherhood could easily shoot back. Tu'teggacha would give the vessel a parting gift as it withdrew.

The massive MegaCaliber Six turbolaser cannons of the Fatalis warmed up, then opened fire, their colossal energy beams shooting out towards the Alliance and NIO fleets... and one beam streaked straight at the Pride of Anaxes, hoping to catch it before it moved fully out of range.

 

[Maple Harte]

Wearing: Environmental Bastion Armor

Armed with: Survivor's Staff

DC-17m (Anti-Armor, and Sniper Attachments)

Dashade Sonic Pistol (2)

Thermal Detonator (007)

Equipment: Neural Band

Baragwin Stealth Unit

Grappling Cable

With: Laertia Io (Laertia's equipment: Chitin of Lysandra, Crime Hunter's Pistol (Charric Configuration), Constant Gardener, Vorpal Saber, Kob Sonic Blaster, M-45 Repeating Ion Blaster)

Syd Celsius (Syd's Equipment: 90 Suit, Wind and Fire Wheels, Shooting Star)

Plus Prototype (M-45 Repeating Ion Blaster, Lightsaber)

Nuetralizer Prototype (M-45 Repeating Ion Blaster, Lightsaber)

Nuetralizer Model 1 (Starfighter Contingent of 14) (TIE Silencers)

Serpents of Ashla (007 War Knights, 007 Stealth Knights)

Objective: ALL (Maple and Miranda Objective 1, Laertia,, Serpents, Hadrian and Syd Objective 3, Nuetralizer Starfighters Objective 2)

Maple's vehicle: TIE Avenger

Laertia and Syd's: The Shadow Bride

007 hours earlier...

"HYPOCRITES!" Darth Xiphos shouted in pure frustration, overturning a table aboard her Gozanti Cruiser, The Absolution of Loste. Maple and Xiphos were doing final battle preparations and checks.

Maple, her silvery environmental armor, guaranteed to protect from even the worst temperature extremes, only sighed and waited for Xiphos to get it out of her system.

"They can all unite to defend one planet, just one from a Super-Weapon, yet they can't be bothered to all unite against The Bryn'adul, who don't even need a Super-Weapon! Selfish fething bastards!"

Maple quietly agreed with the assessment. Laertia had been accused of Cognitive Dissonance, but she had a point about the blatant hypocrisy on display by all the defenders of Csilla. Two governments, certainly hostile otherwise, were setting aside their differences in a way they never would have to fight The Bryn'adul. All because the Super-Weapon meant a more immediate threat than all their petty grudges.

The exact same argument they had rejected where the Bryn'adul were concerned.

Xiphos had been sorely tempted to leave them to their devices, but as much as she couldn't stomach their Cognitive Dissonance, she could stomach the Destruction of Csilla even less. She was going there to save Csilla, regardless of how she felt.

Xiphos's stance betrayed the psychological exhaustion of months of non-stop fighting. But her will to fight remained unbroken. Maple didn't know what to say to her about Sarka. No one did.

Xiphos calmed herself after a few moments. Maple spun her cane, having grown used to these outbursts. Better she vent than keep it all bottled inside. Plus, it amused her, her own insanity allowing her to make note of the Thor reference IC.

"You clear on the plan?"

"I fight on the surface, you get aboard the station and feth it up however you can with your Squeeze." Maple replied.

"Fight like a Demon, Uri. Because that's what it'll take to save Csilla from these jackals." Xiphos told her old friend, who she regretted shunning in the old days more and more.

"I always do..." Maple assured her.

"I'm sending an Insurance Policy with you..."

In walked a curvy, bronze skinned woman in a shiny black catsuit. Maple knew instantly she wasn't human. She was too difficult to sense. The precise, too precise, walk also gave it away.

"Hi!" The Lethal Assassin Droid said in a bubbly manner, smiling. "Its gonna so fun working with you!"

Maple raised an eyebrow under the formfitting envirohelm that had come with her armor

"A bit...cheerful..." Maple noted. "Got a name?"

"Miranda!" Miranda the horribly lethal Prototype answered.

Miranda was soin followed in by a Golden Nuetralizer. The one with the scary James Spader voice named Hadrian. He was not as openly murderous as his lesser brethren, but the Bloodlust was there all the same, just Low-Key. Disturbingly Low-Key.

"Mother, preparations are ready." Hadrian said. "We're all ready to go. Many an act of ripping and tearing is about to commence."

"Do you think Csilla can be saved?" Maple asked Laertia.

"I don't know..." Xiphos said. "But I know I must try..."

Her failures at Sarka still crushed her. She was more determined than ever to stop them, but these new frustrations with the Maw Brotherhood vexed her greatly. Even Laertia would be hard pressed to take the war to such a powerful enemy while battling the Bryn'adul.

Maple suspected the reason she had been asked to come here was because Laertia knew the real battle was aboard the Space Station with the Murder Laser enroute to the Chiss Homeworld...but someone still had to help below.

For all Maple's schizophrenia did to ruin her life, she was still someone even Laertia was wary of fighting. Natural...they had both been trained by the same horrible person.

They were almost like two defective but still working pieces that function best when in conjunction.

Maple for her part, thought it a more honorable task than what Laertia committed herself too in past efforts. She felt a great surge of pity for Io. She never thought Io capable of commiting to a cause like this. Or doing the things she had done. But Maple was no longer a simple Bounty Hunter either.

Maple didn't know what she was anymore...

"Get ready. Get Psyched." Darth Xiphos told her.

Maple nodded and they both headed out of her quarters. Xiphos wore black armor with a red armorweave cape. She had never seen it before.

Where had Laertia gotten such arcane equipment from?

Maple chose not to dwell. All of Csilla was threatened.

She tensed as she felt the presence of Syd Celsius.

The Witch was a terrible, ancient presence in The Force. Maple couldn't figure out why she had chosen someone so like The Amalgam. Or rather, maybe Maple didn't want to figure it out.

Gods Laertia was completely fethed up in the head.

Maple could sympathize. So was she...

Maple said nothing as Syd walked up to them on the way to the hangar. Not until the Flame haired Sorceress spoke first.

"Laertia, are you sure I shouldn't go to the surface?" Syd asked.

"Maple and my Daughter have that covered." Xiphos assured her. "Maple in particular is very good at what she does."

"So you're Maple, huh?" Syd remarked.

"Yeah." Maple replied back quietly.

"Laertia has told me great things. I hope she wasn't exaggerating."

"She wasn't." Maple replied. Skip. Syd was secretly a squirrel. Skip. Back to reality.

Syd raised an eyebrow before leading the way to the docking area...



Present:



It was to be a cold day in hell indeed.

Maple's fighter, a hold over from her days as a Flight Enthusiast. It had been kept in one of a dozen hangars equipped with a Stasis field that Maple saved for rainy days like this. The Advanced, even today, was one of the best starfighters in the Galaxy. Even modern fighters had to respect it, for it had been that well engineered.

Maple flew escort for the deadly mini warship Laertia used, viciously obliterating all who attempted to impede The Bride's way to the massive space station. Maple felt terror at the thought she would be fighting on the planet it was trying to destroy, but suppressed it. She had to function. She had to try and save Csilla, harrass the enemy however possible on the surface. They had entered through CIS battle lines, fourteen of Laertia's skeletal children hard at work behind them, flying TIE Silencers that had been colored dark metallic purple with bright green viewports. Disturbing signs of their individual nature was present, Pazaak Cards held by a grinning, muscular Jester figure were painted on the side. Jester Squadron, they called themselves.

"This is Flight Leader Jack..." Jack The Nuetralizer called out through comms, his chassis customized the same colors of his starfighter. "Beginning attack run on Mercy Station. We shall rip and tear until it is done!"

"Go, my son..." Xiphos called back. "May the Force be with us..."

Maple and the Strange new droid Laertia had built broke off from their group, fighting and shooting their way to the planet against hoardes of Starfighters, inhabited by pilots who often had more tech and weapons than sense. Maple, trained by a Master Fighter Pilot (On of The Amalgam's many, many strengths.) Danced circles around even the more experienced ones among them. The Plus Prototype, Miranda, flew a Silencer like her brothers, rapidly picking up on the basics of Maple's flying technique.

"I understand why my brothers like this so much!" Miranda remarked, blowing away a number of fighters as they flew through the Atmosphere.

Csilla had been hellishly defiled by these savages, but Maple had nothing but contempt for savages. She flew close to the trench lines being defended by FN-999 and opened fire on the savage hoardes below, taking careful aim at the Branch-Lurkers sent by The Mongrel , blasting some of them apart as they ripped into the defenders. Maple deftly evaded with the grace of a bird the deadly fire of the scrap hulled Four Legged Walkers, emptying a missile right into its head, and blasting it apart.

Miranda, however, was still new to piloting, and got clipped by the fire of one of the Four Leggers. She made a crash landing slightly ahead of the trenches.

Savage Maw soldiers began to close in on it. The cockpit view port exploded outward from a Concussion rifle shot mounted to an arm, hitting and killing a few nearby as The Plus Prototype strode out, the Laminanium Nanite Sheath that gave her a beautiful, feminie physique and appeal rippling, turning silver for a second as she was pelted with energy fire, only to return it with her own heavy repeater on the savages as she maintained a walking fire, gunning down the deadly warbands that swarmed her, tracer rounds zipping around her. One screaming Maw warrior, fired a machine gun with armor piercing rounds at her and it barely nicked her as she unloaded in his direction, firing in short bursts to avoid overheating the normally vehicle mounted weapon and viciously tore into their ranks until she was out of ammo.

Out came the Lightsaber, a black blade with a green aura erupting from the simple, silvery hilt.

The Plus Prototype began to draw Aggro on itself as it charged into the fray, viciously hacking into the Maw Savages, allowing the machine gun nests of the defenders more time to coordinate a effective counter to the many hoardes. She used brute mechanical strength to force aside the savage axe and sword strikes by disorganized fighters, driven by bloodlust. One of the Maw Sith attempted to crush her with the Force only to find she was nearly impossible to properly grip, and only succeeded in getting himself beheaded after she powered through his crush attempt, the Ysalamiri parts grafted into her granting her an immense resistance to his type of assault.

Miranda was definitely one of Laertia's creations...

Maple herself got shot down due to the intense Anti-Space-Craft Fire and was forced to make a far more graceful crash landing, that heavily stunned her and tore off one of the bent solar arrays.

Maple was stirred awake by the heavy the thuds of the four legged walker approaching, the whine of its leg machinery signaling desth.

Maple frantically struggled to free herself, cutting loose the safety harness, and forcing the hatch open with telekinesis as it loomed ever closer. Skip. Her stomach was made entirely of tapeworms for the last thirty thousand years. Skip. Back to reality. Back to not getting crushed.

Maple tried to get her rifle, but the crash had caused it to be stuck under the seat, and she was forced to leave it behind, exiting the cockpit just in time as the massive leg of one of the salvaged walker's legs came down. She barely got clear of it being crushed and exploding.

Great. Just. Fething. Great.

Maple grimaced, took out her grapple cable and fired it up at its belly, which zipped her upward at high speed, one end of her viridian Lightsaber activating as she got close to the belly hull.

Shoddy salvage. Competant enough to get the job done. But still shoddy.

Maple, being jostled around in mid-air, cut into the hull with her blade, unsteadily took three detonators, activating all three at once, and shoving them into the hole she made and cutting herself loose, running as fast as she could.

Massive detonations rang out from within and the four legged walker tumbled forward, its shoddily repaired structure causing the head to snap off and explode. (You have failed me for the last time: 007-thousand XP)

Maple activated her Baragwin Stealth unit. It would provide four minutes of camouflage, but need 007 minutes to recharge once the battery was exhausted. She began sneaking towards the two legged walkers...

Meanwhile...

The Shadow Bride violently made its way past defenders of the station, its pilot executing a prompt landing on the hangar they picked.

Syd tensed, feeling Starlin Rand near. She had promised to be here, for him, even with all her doubts after Sarka.

Laertia however, had no doubts.

"Ready to party, Son?" Xiphos asked the Golden Nuetralizer, arming the same M-45 type weapon he was.

"Damn right." Hadrian replied. "I don't always Boogie like my brothers. But when I do...I Boogie."

The Hatch Opened and Laertia teleported out and behind quickly swarming attackers, she and her Son Hadrian mowing down Maw Station soldiers sworn to uphold the pointless, petty destruction of Csilla, through attacking them fro two seperate angles as he came off the Hatch himself, his repeater attached to a belt mounted powersource, firing his shoulder mounted micro grenade launcher and blasting a few Sith apart. Syd phased through the hull of the Shadow Bride, hurling deadly red fireballs at multiple Dark Sith, catching them ablaze and burning through their flesh in a matter of seconds before drawing her own orange blades and began ripping through Sith to catch up with Starlin. She got shocked looks from other Jedi, some disgusted but they had no time to arrest or detain her. Not with the Mercy over Csilla. Xiphos let her go ahead, knowing how much Starlin was like a son to her. She turned to Hadrian after they had mowed down station reinforcements.

"Son? Let us fight our way to the innards of this place. We shall wreck it however we can. None shall defy us."

"You got it, Mom." Hadrian replied.

Xiphos nodded and signalled the Elite Band of Light Sith she and Themis had trained to exit the ship. The War Knights, tough warriors wearing Sith Stalker like armor and armed with Double Bladed Lightsabers, having mutated themselves unnaturally with the Light for enhanced Strength and Stamina, would help defend the hangar from reinforcements. The Stealth Knights, Green Robed warriors with Light mutated bronze and green eyes, were to stealthily make their way as deep inro the power systems section as they could, hiding their bodies physically with stealth generators and their spirits with the Force while Xiphos and Hadrian butchered station defenders and kept as much heat as they could off those attempting to reach the throne room.

Xiphos and her golden, Skeletal Son started to venture deeper into the station on an alternate route from Syd and Starlin, already starting to encounter the warbands of Zachariel Steelblood , who surged on them both, shroeking with Dark Power and bloodthirst in black and red halls...

Xiphos and Hadrian let their M-45's burn through every ounce of ammo for them as the surging warbands got closer, making sure to aim for the heads. Finally, as they got too close to properly aim, both dropped now empty repeaters, going for their Lightsabers.

Hadrian was as brutal as his mother was, viciously dueling and disarming two at once, grabbing the throat of one shrieking warband member covered in powered armor and violently ripping his head off. His incinerator rifle in his shoulder came into play, spitting out incendiary orange bolts that caught individual warriors ablaze as Xiphos drew her old stand by, The Constant Gardener, throwing herself at deadly warriors, with all the lethal swiftness her armor provided. Xiphos chuckled at these Warbands as she ripped through them, her blade ripping through three as she traded sword strikes with them, disarming themby batting their weapon out of their hands with her extreme strength and then swiftly splitting their heads in half, grabbing a feral, hate filled warrior who had tried to run her through from behind, and violently using him like a living club with one of his legs as a handle, and bashing aside his friends with his body until it was a bruised, dead load she finally smashed apart by using him to demolish the skull of one of their veterans, who had been about to fire on her with a Stouker Concussion Rifle.

Hadrian and Xiphos began to fight as one, his heavy weapon systems carefully selecting which targets to eviscerate. He expended the last of his micro grenades, knowing where they wanted to go was deeper into the facility. He was starting to learn how to more efficiently rip a head and spine out by watching Xiphos. Hadrian was proud such a merciless warrior had made him as they killed together, filling the passageways with gore...

Meanwhile...

"Starlin!" Syd called out as she finally managed to catch up to him, after gutting or burning her way through two more Sith that had been trying to sneak up on him and whoever had come with him.

"You didn't think I would let you face the jerks at the throne room alone, did you?" She asked somewhat jokingly in spite of the high stakes situation. "And you're wearing the armor!"

Syd couldn't help but beam at this, even as she impaled a Sith Assassin through the face that had tried to sneak up on her from behind.

"Let's go bring some balance to these Nerfherders..." she grinned...

DECEASED Erskine Barran

Tegan Starfall

Darth Solipsis

Aerarii Tithe

Maestus

Tu'teggacha

 

[Ryv]

"You ready, Ryv?" Jedi Master Naero asked from somewhere behind the Sword of the Jedi.

"Probably," Ryv said. "I don't imagine anyone can be ready for something like this. I mean, a superweapon capable of destroying planets? That's the kinda crap you expect to see from a holo-flick, not actually floating above a planet home to some of the baddest women in the galaxy."

"Ryv..." the zabrak sighed. "Why are you like this?"

The Jedi Knight chuckled and turned on his heel. "Crackin' jokes is a coping mechanism, man. Gimme a break."

"Yes, well, I don't imagine a joke like that will go over well given the circumstances surrounding it. You know, it doesn't matter. Master Varobalder's latest report indicates we'll be arriving shortly. The fighters are prepared and ready to engage the opposing fleet. We've also prepared numerous dropships to ferry refugees from the planet aboard the station in case..."

He didn't have to say it. Both of them knew what he was thinking. These were the highest the stakes had been in a very long time. This wasn't the usual planetary invasion or space station skirmish they were talking about. The Mercy was capable of wiping out an entire planet in a single strike. It would end the lives of billions and destroy something that could never truly be replaced. With history all its own, each planet was unique. The chiss called Csilla home. They had known hardship and struggled just as so many others had, but at least they had somewhere to call home. Somewhere safe to return to.

The Maw threatened to take that away from them. They couldn't be allowed to make that threat a reality.

"It won't come to that," Ryv eventually declared. "It can't come to that. We've got so many folks fighting together to stop them. We just have to make it aboard the station and destroy it. That's it. That's our focus, Naero. Nothing else."

"You're right," Naero nodded his horned head. "It is times like this I am reminded of your father. He had the same aura about him. Level-headed and fearless, even in the face of what others would call impossible," he strode forward to place a hand atop the kiffar's shoulder. "Vyrin would be proud of you, Ryv."

Ryv released a deep breath and looked up at the master. "I'm not fearless, Naero. I'm scared to death about what might happen. It just doesn't matter. We gotta do what we gotta do, so I've gotta overcome that fear and be the Jedi everyone in the Order needs me to be," he turned on his heel and moved towards the exit. "Keep an eye on everything. If things look bad, take who you can and split."

"Understood," Naero dipped his head and watched the young Jedi depart with a somber smile.

​

Prosperity emerged from hyperspace shortly after the Pride of Anaxes shifted to escort a group of refugees. Those aboard the massive Jedi Praxeum were given a front-row viewing of the Fatalis' attack on the smaller ship. Hundreds scrambled throughout the massive temple-ship to engage the enemy properly. Jedi Aces launched from the hangar to join the engagement. Some hung back to act as escorts for slower-moving dropships designated to ferry civilian evacuees off-world in the case of the unthinkable.

Jedi Master Naero's voice echoed over the intercom.

"We have engaged the enemy, I repeat, we have engaged the enemy. Do not falter in the face of this foe. Our sole objective is the destruction of the superweapon at all costs. Stand strong, New Jedi Order, and we will persevere."

A collective pause took hold of the praxeum. Many knew this would be the last they see of one another, but there wasn't time for goodbyes. This was it. This was the enemy of all life. Mad Sith and crazed cultists devoted to the destruction of so many lives could not be tolerated. This was an enemy that could not be reasoned with or explained. Just like the Bryn'adul, they would have to be destroyed outright.

"May the force be with you," the master concluded after the long pause, and just like that, those aboard the Prosperity exploded into motion.

Ryv climbed into his starfighter and closed the cockpit. BD-8 took its primary position on the Jedi's lap and chirped happily up at the Jedi Knight.

"Happy to see me, little dude?" Ryv patted the droid's head as the starfighter began to rise. "Got a pretty big job ahead of us. Think we can handle it?" the droid looked out beyond their collective space and considered Ryv's question for a moment. Eventually, the droid nodded and beeped twice. "Yeah, I think so too. We got the numbers advantage, and I'm pretty sure the Maw and their Sith cronies are outgunned. Chances are, this'll be a cakewalk. We just gotta keep our heads on straight and do the damn thing."

Part of him still believed otherwise. His bravado was a defense from the creeping doubt he could feel in so many others. All the what-ifs did no one any good. He knew that better than most. This was the moment the New Jedi Order would rely on him most. He could not falter. Not now. Not with so much on the line.

"Alright, this is Ryv checkin' in. Who's joining me on a tour of the superweapon?"

Dagon Kaze | Yula Perl | Aaran Tafo | Darth Solipsis | Auteme ​

 

[Jayda Vanator]

Location: On board the Superweapon.
Objective: Battle those who Oppose The Brotherhood of the Maw's will.
Tags: Anyone who is in her path (On the Superweapon as is a Defender).

Jayda had been walking around the many corridors for a while, keeping an ear out for her commlink as her steps still clanged heavily against the ground. One of her hands beneath the cloak touched one of her claimed lightsabers every few seconds, itching to be used. She had killed so many Jedi she was surprised that none tried to claim revenge or even tried to stop her slaughter of their numbers. "Cowards," Jayda thought as she walked slowly through the metallic halls. The black cloak and hood covered her tall form, obscuring her whole shape and personal devices from sight. The only visible feature of her body, was her face, its mask on tight with the amber glow of her eyes scanning every inch of the path before her.

Immediately, her commlink blew up. Some reports of activity in the hangers and even one about a airlock being breached. Jayda was almost stunned by the ferocity that their foes had when boarding their glorious weapon. She was almost shaking in anticipation as she thought of where to go. Instead of choosing one particular path, she chose a direction out of random that lead to the mass amounts of invading force and began to quick march herself to that direction.

With a raised wrist, she activated her commlink. "All defensive troops, keep on the look out and engage detection units. If any pass you, I'll slaughter you next!" Jayda's robotic voice commanded through to all basic forces in the section she was within. She knew someone must have spotted something, but she wanted to conduct her own mission. Her eyes flashed as she took a lift to one of the invaded floors and began her long, yet joyful, HUNT.

 

[Teica Giraan]

[Location: Csilla's Orbit - ANV Resolution(Iblis-class Missile Frigate) - Internalized C.I.C]
[Commander Giraan Reporting for Duty]
[Direct Relevance - Tu'teggacha ]
[Prelude to War in Background]
​

The diamond boron missiles flew in perfectly coordinated formation, charging deep into enemy lines. This would be their downfall.

Now in front of the ordnances were three--no, four Crucifix star destroyers. The sensors grew muddled every second. Like slicing through butter, the heavy turbolasers and laser cannons cut across and shattered the missiles within seconds. But, enough were unaffected by the incoming rounds. Enough were able to-

Every last one of them went off as shrapnel spat out from broken hull plating. But it wasn't Mercy, that had taken the impact. On the other side of the battlefield, a Crucifix class had rammed the barrage. Explosions rang out across the massive bulwark of a bow. Cracks began to open up in the thick armor, cracks that had shown a bright yellow for a matter of seconds, before the display ceased; and the Crucifix fell apart. But they continued. Two of the remaining Crucifixs, seemingly not phased by the display that even stunned her, charged forward and brought all guns to bear.

"One Crucifix, locking all turbolasers. The other...the other," The scanner chief darted his eyes back and forth between the viewscreen and his console. "They're setting a collision course!"

"Evasive maneuvers! Concussion missile swarm, target both engine blocks! Get damage control teams ready!" Pain shot out into Teica's leg as the commander rushed to brace herself against the command chair.

If that Crucifix caught up to the Resolution, she had no chance of holding, no chance to simply close the bulkheads and pray for whoever rested in the line of impact. The engines fired up once more, this time at full amplitude. Missiles shot out from turreted launchers and ordnance tubes alike in a desperate attempt to disable the enemy engines and eliminate pursuit.

Her heart raced to match the Resolution's pace, her hands struggled to sustain the constant shaking as turbolaser blasts dispersed about the missile frigate's shields. But she persisted. But, her ship persisted, for just long enough.

The Resolution threw itself to port, missing the ramming by a matter of thirty meters. But then, a new problem arose. They were at point blank range, and she was only built for long-range combat.

"Get everyone to escape pods, now!" Teica struggled with every word.

The final helm programs were inputted, and the race begun. Conduits shattered all over the corridors, feet raced, and the message "All hands, Abandon Ship." Hatches were thrown open as officers and enlisted personnel alike dove into the escape pods. They jumped in just in time. They fired up the launch systems just in time.

The pods shot out, while the carnage continued outside. The Resolution turned fast about and brought itself to eclipse fire to the escape pods and their precious contents, as the droid brains had dictated. Shields shattered, turbolasers cut through the hull, and the chain reactions began. Across the decks and hallways of the dying Resolution, missile bays set off, taking out their neighbors in brutal explosions that tore hull plating with them.

The Resolution fell, but not before it fired off its final missile barrage. Meanwhile, Teica watched from the fading safety of the crowded metal capsule, as yet again, one of her ships shattered before her eyes.

Now the Crucifixs were deep in Alliance lines. Now they too would face the wrath of turbolaser fire.

That didn't dull any of the pain.

 

[Gren Blidh]

On board the PK-1 "Mercy"
Weapons: Sd-77 sonic pistol - DE-50 heavy blaster pistol - 4x EMP grenade - 4x thermal detonator - personal energy shield - armorweave trenchcoat - Talisman of Transformation

​

The cold reflection of Csilla from the superweapon's command viewport echoed a woeful cry in the black void of space. The former smuggler and student of Maestus stood amidst the dark congregation, poised as they were to extinguish a billion lives in one day. Gren reached into his coat pocket and brushed his fingers against the handle of his blaster pistol, waiting to feel any emotion that could be construed as remorse. None came.

It's nothing to me.

Rather, his attention was transfixed upon the superlaser; it was already charging like a looming nightmare, threatening to exterminate an entire species. But that was all secondary; the marvel for Gren was in the technology itself. The mere fact that a hodgepodge of raiders had willed such a monolithic beast into existence was impressive enough; if the weapon actually worked, there were limitless possibilities.

Already Gren could reach out with the Force and feel the tendrils of violence ensnaring the surface of Csilla, he could smell and taste the fear, anguish, sadness and bloodlust that now pulsated out into the wider galaxy from this small planet. All of these things boiled together into one dark concoction that ripped at the very fabric of the galaxy and the Force itself: Chaos.

When the forces of Chaos are allowed their rightful hold, there is no fate. For him, or for anyone else trapped in this wretched spawning pool known as the Galaxy.

No doubt his superior, Darth Solipsis , and the others, had sensed the growing presence of the Light, descending upon their location, perhaps even on board already.

"They are here."

​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

Alars Keto​

It was always the waiting that was the worst part. Every minute that ticked by in Hyperspace was agony. A more detached individual would find great humour in the irony of the impatience of a man who was currently breaking physics to travel faster than light. But Aaran was far from a jovial mood. He knew something like this was coming over the horizon. Some distant atrocity that he would bear witness to. He was just expecting it to come at the hands of the Sith. Or perhaps the Bryn'adul.

Not some band of pirates and slavers who managed to become such a threat in a matter of months. The power to destroy a planet outright. It was a horrific thing to imagine. But not only that, but the destruction of an entire world would also ripple outward far further than the physical damage and the loss of life. It would harken the Galaxy back to darker age when the threat of such destruction existed. The Death Star, the Vong. Even the Netherworld Crisis that broke Correllia.

As he paced back and forth in the hanger. He barely paid attention to Naero's announcement. His resolve was not wavering, he knew what he had to do. He had faith in the abilities of his comrades to persevere. What worried him instead was what this attack meant for the Galaxy. The existence of this weapon in the hands of a group as disorganised and ramshackle as the Brotherhood of the Maw heralded the potential of a higher form of war.

Csilla was a proud planet. The Chiss a strong people with a storied history. If they failed here. What would this mean for the greater Galactic Alliance? What world would be next? Coruscant? Tython? Would Mandalore finally be put out of its misery? It was not a question he wanted to be answered. And provided he found his resolve here and now. Provided his fellow Jedi did not give up. It was hopefully one that never would be answered.

Ryv would hear it. A faint tapping on the glass of his cockpit. The Warden of Peace staring back at the Sword of the Jedi. The former's blind gaze hidden by a pair of wraparound sunglasses. There were no robes today. No formality. The simple leather jacket that was iconic of the New Jedi Order covered his shoulders. "Mind if I get a lift?" He asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the starfighter's storage compartment. "Probably best I don’t fly." While his reflexes were still fine. Fighting on the ground was rather different from a dogfight. As good as his ability to perceive his surroundings through the Force were, he did not want to risk losing his bearings in the vastness of space.

He did not wait for confirmation. Simply crawling over the ship and nestling himself into the trunk. Ensuring that he was properly sealed inside. Manoeuvring himself into a comfortable position. He raised his own commlink to his mouth, opening the channel.

"Knight Tafo. Ready and waiting." He called out.

"Watch each other's backs. We'll get through this together."


Dagon Kaze Yula Perl Auteme @NJO Bois

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex had begun to walk away while the words of Solipsis rang out behind him. He didn't need to hear them, he already knew what was being spoken. The two Crownguard at his back turned and walked away with him, his ever-present silent shadow. Not that he truly required their services, he was more than capable of defending himself, but it projected an aura of power and prestige to be constantly flanked by trusted servants; servants who would take their own life if you gave the order without hesitation.​

​

To the side of the observation deck was a chamber set aside just for his use, one that had been modified to his exact standards. The room was geometrically shaped like an octagon, thirty meters wide at the middle and more than a hundred meters tall towards the vaulted ceiling. The floor and walls were decorated with distinct Sith runic symbols, all arranged in very specific patterns expanding out from the very center of the room and running up the walls to terminate at the middle of the ceiling. ​

​

Inside the room were several servants, hooded and clothed in black garments. They were busy tinkering with various technological gadgets built into the floor around the center of the chamber, wires and other cables sparkling with energy as they were worked with. They fell to the floor with their foreheads pressed against it as Carnifex entered, their desire to subjugate themselves before their living God overriding whatever duties they had been entrusted with. ​

​

Carnifex bid them return to their work, standing silently as the servants went back to their jobs and continued to work with the machinery. The framework of the mighty space station echoed with the thunderous roar of the space battle beyond, turbolasers belching volleys of laser bolts that pierce the black vacuum and either struck home with fierce explosions or fizzled in the depths of the void. Carnifex heeded none of it, even as his own ships moved to protect the station and spent their lives wantonly to do so.​

​

His own work on the station was mirrored by contingents of dark-robed fanatics down on Csilla's surface, frost coating their black cloaks as they worked in below zero. There they erected towering obelisks lined with the same runic language that adorned the chamber in the station above. They muttered blasphemous prayers to the Dark Side and their eternal lord, working without pause to enact his will on this planet just as they would in the stars above.​

​

When the time came, Carnifex would reap his deadly bounty of Living Force.​

​

All that was required was patience.​

​

Darth Solipsis ​

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

ALLIES: Chiss and allies
ENEMIES: BOTM and allies
ENGAGING: Zachariel Steelblood
GEAR:

Spoiler

Lightsaber
Force Imbued Sith Blade
Force Imbued Cortosis-weave Sith Armour

THE OUTSIDER​

The turmoil in the Galaxy never seemed to end.

True peace kept eluding him. The rift between between him and Eenia Vahn had barely been repaired and the peaceful life on Naboo almost back to normal when he was deployed once more to help bring peace to the Galaxy.

How ironic that war must be waged to achieve that peace.

And oh, how all this turmoil played with his mind. His descent into madness would be a swift one at this rate.

Dimitri's own given directive, even though it was simple, would be no easy feat. Today would be a day for the Dragon. His war weariness was left behind with Eenia Vahn . There was no guilt or sorrow or anger at his departure this time. This time, it was Darth Hydrus that left Voltura Estate to go to battle, not the benevolent gentleman he usually is.

For the first time in a long time, Darth Anguis ceased the taunting in his head.

He stood tall in the boarding craft as it weaved its way towards the planet killer. It was impressive how the most unlikely of allies stood together in this bid to protect a planet not belonging to any big empire. They have received reports of some of it, but nothing on this scale. Chaos reigned in orbit as laser cannon fire lit up the backdrop of space like fireworks on Life Day. It felt surreal that he would fight alongside those he had fought against in the past.

The dropship took its chance to slip behind a damaged enemy craft as it entered one of the bays, hovering just long enough for the Obsidian Lord to launch himself into the hangar as well.

One would think that launching yourself through the front door would warrant a great welcoming, yet the hangar was conspicuously ill manned. As Dimitri touched down, he moved. His red blade ignited and he moved with inhuman speed through the bay before anyone realised what had happened. Those that moved into his way, were felled without knowing how. He would reach his goal by any means he could. He would gladly cut down those that wanted to destroy the home of a species. He had seen it happen before centuries back. Not again.

Today was not a day to fail.

Today, carnage would be fought with carnage.

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

Tag(s): Grond the Builder

---

Commander of The Phalanx | Former Exarch of Zakuul | High Imperator of the Rim-Guard

Location: Allied Fleet, Rearguard, moving to far side of Csilla
Forces: The Phalanx, two Munificent-class cruisers, ten Rim-Guard Cadres, Horizon Protocol forces​

---

​

The Phalanx and two of ist Munificent escorts were behind the allied lines, not even located near the other Eternal Empire forces, just overwatching from behind. The ancient ship was on full alert but there was no indicator of it, no noise was on the bridge, the officers working silently in their pits.

The Rim-Guard officers were standing in a loose group on the main platform, equally silent and observing the ongoing conflict. They did not yet have seen such a conflict. They were well trained and conditioned though, having fought in war before and after their inauguration.
Among them was Ecthelion Aiglos, founder and leader of this new order. He was one of them, even though there was no doubt about his authority. Only one of the officers was closer to Aiglos, his shieldbearer and Lord Executor of the Rim-Guard.

The holo-projection was flickering with updates as signals disappeared, new appeared and ever new information was added by the Occulus officers a deck lower. They did not need their helmets to access all features of the HUD, hence why no officer appeared with a datapad to report a slight anomaly.

„Engines to 60%, course 9,8. Deflectors and weapons active. Engage in an interception course.“
The voice of the captain was echoing through the come as the three ships started to move. They had spotted a small portion of the enemy’s fleet going to the opposite side of Csilla.

„Ready your cadres for boarding and an assault landing. Set the Horizon Protocol on countdown.“
Aiglos voice was heard shortly after, his eyes on the familiar shapes of six Harrowers.

 

[Korum Krov]

Location: Csilla, low Orbit
Objectives: Save as many Lives as possible.
Allies: GA/CIS/Defenders
Tag Albrecht F. Herlock​

"Noga, this is escort frigate Pride of Anaxes, identification number X101. You have the permission to board my ship to transfer the refugees. As soon as they are all on board, I'll take them to a safe system. Pride of Anaxes over." Came over The ship's speakers.

Korum spun his ship accidentally knocking some of the smaller children onto the metal floor, along with his astromech. he picked up the comms replying Anaxes We'll be docking shortly. There are still civilians on the planet. We'd like to continue running them to you, if you can hold out. while heading his ship towards the hangar bay. A wave of short relief washed over him knowing that the children would be safe. Once the Noga had landed he began herding the kids off his ship as fast as he could, making certain that none of the 200 or so were left inside.

Entering back into his cockpit Korum took off not waiting for The Anaxes' response. Either they'd be there when he came back, or he'd need to find another ship to set his passengers on. The Noga was about to enter the atmosphere when a Frigate sent shockwaves as it blew up off in the distance. He thought about trying to save any escape pods that had survived for a second but, stopped himself. There were people on the planet that were waiting for him. So, he refocused himself as he flew down through the clouds, back towards the city.

 

[Starlin Rand]

Objective: Duel of the Fates
Location: Boarding the superweapon
Gear: Armor | Lightsaber | Shoto
Tags: Syd Celsius | Tegan Starfall (soon to be engaging)

Starlin’s hidden smile widened into a grin as he heard Syd’s voice. Now that she was here, the joy he felt was pushed almost into euphoria. His master’s presence had that effect on him, giving him absolute confidence, as if he could take on every empire by himself.

“I love it!” he exclaimed. “It’s like I’m invincible! Not even Carnifex could hurt me!”

Granted, the Exoskeleton had more weaknesses than his phrik-reinforced Fenelar armor, but it also had the benefit of enchantments. Syd’s sorcery permeated the suit, protecting him from the Dark Side among other things.

His blades whirled, cutting down anyone who dared raise a hand against him or his comrades and deflecting red bursts of blaster fire. As Starlin turned a corner, he was hit by a gush of flame. The flamethrower-wielding soldier before him looked on in shock as the Padawan barreled towards him through the flames, utterly unharmed, to knock the weapon out of his hands and punch his lights out.

Behind the soldier was a woman, unusually short in stature but armored and armed to the teeth. She was accompanied by two men who were much taller than her, along with a repulsor slab carrying a Chiss child. Starlin’s eyes narrowed at the scene. He didn’t know what they were doing with the kid, but it was pretty obvious it wasn’t good.

Before he could do anything, one of the Jedi who had accompanied him rushed the woman. She snapped her fingers… and the Jedi’s neck.

That did it for him. Starlin mentally pinged Syd, drawing her attention to the two men leaving with the Chiss child, then he leaped at the Sith woman, slashing down at her with both his lightsaber and his shoto.

“Hey, hobbit lady!” he called, eyes alight with mischief. “I’m curious—do you shave all that hair off your feet, or just let it grow out?”

 

[Dagon Kaze]

NEW JEDI ORDER | GALACTIC ALLIANCE | CSILLA
Yula Perl | Ryv | Aaran Tafo | @NJO
ew TK-818

The war with the Sith had changed them all. They had stepped into shoes too big to fill. They had boldly tried to fill in a void in which no one of them had come back the same. They - the young, the new. Dagon still remembered how vivid, unscathed the embroidered emblem of the New Jedi looked on his leather jacket; now - almost torn, sewed back in again, patched, washed out. He could've sworn there was a faint stretch of blood over it.

Yet, it wasn't the blood that saddened him as much as it was to see the faces of his friends he had followed when the Sword had dared to do. The carefree attitude that once reflected across Ryv's smirk, now buried beneath a rough and cynical facade of duty; not too different from Maynard. Auteme's vigor to seek balance was sapped, her equilibrium - disrupted. Aaran's clear sight and clear mind - tainted by concern even he had a hard time hiding. And the list went on and on. Dagon, too, wasn't spared his fair share of tribulations and change. Every morning before the mirror he could see that innocent blue glimmer in his eyes was gone. They had all gone to change, save even, the galaxy but none could save themselves.

And here they were - scarred, but unyielding. Zealous.

Once more into the fray, once more for the galaxy.

The Brotherhood of the Maw - a cult which Dagon had faced a couple of times now - had come to Csilla with a world killer. Mercy, that's how they had called it according to Auteme and Ryv's precognitive visions. A sick name befitting the sick nature of the Brotherhood. Twice, the padawan had ventured into their so-called Holy City - Gehinnom - and twice he had magically escaped. An enemy both Aaran and him had warned the New Jedi and the Alliance of, but even they hadn't expected the Maw to get their hands on a weapon capable of planetary destruction.

Upon the Shield and Sword's visions, the New Jedi had quickly rallied to thwart the Maw's terror before it could be unleashed. In that pursuit, Dagon had found himself calling upon the...help of one he barely knew. Yula Perl. Yes, of that same blood which had taken the life of his father. A secret he would take to the grave so as not to suffer the consequences of his brother. Dagon could not bear another failure. No more blood on his hands delivered by Aeric's wrath.

Yula, as he had come to expect from the brief encounter with her, did not take his request seriously at first. One life debt's not enough, she had said. Is this a second date, she had joked. Somehow he had finally managed to convince her; maybe she was just curious, still thinking it was a prank. Until the cold harshness of reality was presented to her.

Even the light's aura encapsulating the Prosperity could not protect them fully from the horror Mercy emanated in waves. Much like Gehinnom where the anguish of a thousand slaves and captives drove through the very fabric of his soul like a rusted dagger.

"Alright, this is Ryv checkin' in. Who's joining me on a tour of the superweapon?"

"Knight Tafo. Ready and waiting. Watch each other's backs. We'll get through this together."​

Ryv and Aaran's voices cracked through the headset's static, bringing Dagon back to the present.

<"Just make it a short one, don't wanna miss the grav-ball game tonight."> he replied with a smirk, but even he could hear the concerned undertones in his voice. The padawan adjusted his harness as the engine of the two-seated starfighter flared to life, then to Yula, "You sure you can fly this thing?"

 

[TK-818]

The Knights of Ren marched together through the dark halls of ‘Mercy’, their single command given was set forth by their master to defend the superweapon at all costs. They followed the lead of the newcomer to their group, Bendak Crail , a Knight of Ren from the old order, a survivor of Mustafar.

Sinh was no follower, his non-paternal brotherhood with Inferious had been test through the fires of conquest and ashes of dead men, Crail had not earned such respect as to lead him. No not yet, nor ever if he could help it. He followed only Kyrel Ren and no other, regardless whether he was viewed favorably as his master’s new pet or not.

The Knight of Ren would not alleviate from his Master’s command, despite his protests and followed alongside the others, that is until he felt something. A familiar tremor in the Force, a light gnawing at the Shadow. His visored gaze shifted in the direction of the ‘feeling’, his eyes narrowing behind his onyx mask as he sensed the approach of the Jedi.

“Him.”

His vocabulator echoed out, the rarely used voice of the Knight of Ren hissed out as he clenched his fists. The one from the bridge, the one from the desert. He’d make sure this would be the last time they crossed paths. Shifting his gaze back to the Knights as they continued their march, Sinh made way eagerly for the hangar. He made way for the Knights’ Vornskr-class Rapid Deployment Stealth Transport.

He’d end this before it had a chance to begin.

As he stormed the halls, his hand rose up and over to his back, lifting the Atrisian cap from it’s hanging position to his crown over his helmet. Two marauders stood at the doorway to the hangar where the Knights’ vessel awaited, his hand motioned in gesture to both of them with silent authority. The blackened hull of durasteel reflected the red hue of the hangar lighting with haunting visage, within moments the vessel would scream to life and rise out into the void.

At the helm of the silent beast, Sinh began his hunt

Dagon Kaze
Yula Perl​

 

[Albrecht F. Herlock]

Location: Escort frigate Pride of Anaxes, low orbit of Csilla
Objective 4: Annihilate the ennemy fleet and provide atmospheric support to the defenders ground forces | Evacuate the refugees
Allies: CIS, Eternal Empire, First Order, Galactic Aliiance:Jedi Order, New Imperial Order, Chiss Ascendency and Independents.
Ennemies: Brotherhood of the Maw, Kainate, Sith Eternal, Warlords of the Sith and Independents.
Post theme: Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199
Tag: Korum Krov


"Energy beam incoming. It will hit us in a few seconds. And the Noga is docking and transferring his passengers." announced the Ops Officer

"Increase the ship's speed by 5 space knots! Shields status ?"

"Shields are up Sir!"

The ennergy beam fired by the ennemy Fatalis-class ship hit the Pride of Anaxes' shield dropping them to critical rates.

"The shields took heavy damage on starboard. They are almost down!"

"Make them operationnal again."

"Incoming transmission Sir!"

"Anaxes we'll be docking shortly. There are still civilians on the planet. We'd like to continue running them to you, if you can hold out."

"Noga, this is Pride of Anaxes. We'll wait for them until my ship is full. We will descend into the atmosphere in order to transfer them safely."

Once Herlock's ship took the refugees on board (mostly children) the Noga took off to the planet, while the Pride was descending into atmosphere in order to get out of the range of the Maw's fleet and transfer the refugees safely. Her guns became silent, but still ready to fire if needed.

 

[Kanto]

CSAPLAR, CSILLA
EXPANSIONARY DEFENSE FORCE HEADQUARTERS
COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER (CIC) AUREK

Why Csilla?

The question echoed through the mind of Irizi'ro'kanto. For millennia, the Chiss held dominion over this portion of the Unknown Regions, so much so that it had widely become known as Chiss Space. Their history was an enigma, but largely one that was uninvolved of the rabble of galactic affairs. As the ground above his head shook intermittently, he wondered how such a union of deplorables came to target the homeworld of the Chiss Ascendancy. There was but one answer: the Chiss Ascendancy stood as a monument to everything they could hope to achieve. Yet it was the shadow of that monument that these forces were allowed to foment. It would appear that the galaxy at large had underestimated its capabilities. It would do no such thing going forward.

As the Brotherhood of the Maw mobilized the bulk of its hordes against Csilla, a great many nations of the galaxy came to the defense of Csilla. The Galactic Alliance as a bulwark of freedom was expected, and even the First Order given the rising prominence of Chiss within its ranks. The greater surprised lied with the Confederacy, who had once decimated the Chiss population on Csilla, the Eternal Empire, and even the New Imperial Order, who waged a campaign upon the Ascendancy's galactic eastern front deployed with great force to ensure the continued longevity of the Chiss homeworld.

And now, Irizi'ro'kanto stood together in a room with those who would seek to subjugate Chiss space in the name of the Iron Sun. He would have much rather been out there, teaching these degenerates what it meant to so brazenly challenge the Chiss. The gravity of the situation combined with the overwhelming sense of duty Chiss had to their own people demanded he act today not as one of the brave men of the Expansionary Defense Force, but as an agent of House Irizi, one of the principal ruling houses of the Ascendancy.

The CIC had two holoprojector tables in it, flashing various theatres of battle unfolding on the Csilla's surface and in its orbit. Kanto's red eyes glimmered with reflections of the holograms, flustered he was unable to join the other Ruling Families' leadership in the House Palance situation room. Instead, duty compelled him to be here, in a CIC of the CEDF headquarters where the Ascendancy felt comfortable enough to permit foreigner access. Despite the pre-combat anxiety, Kanto was feeling confident in their ability to repel the Maw. Given the combined might of more than half the galaxy's major powers joined with that of the Chiss Ascendancy, it seemed foolish to even entertain the thought that they could lose. Irizi'ro'kanto was determined to not make that mistake as others have. The brazen attack was one thing, but the uncertainty that the presence of the apparent superweapon gave even more room for pause.

"Their tactics resemble those of the Vagaari.", he said, turning from the naval holodisplay to check for any developments in the ground theatre. "I trust they won't be a problem for your troops?" He already knew the answer. They certainly had no qualm with the unprovoked forcible annexation of Chiss Space, he wanted to add. The New Imperial Order had one of, if not the strongest military in the galaxy; he would not jeopardize the safety of his people by producing such words. Instead, he would bury his own feelings on the matter, allowing Chiss pragmatism to reign - just as they would on this day as the unlikely alliance would drive this fanatical ilk from their home.

Enlil | Julius Haskler ​

 

[Kaleleon]

LOCATION: Csilla Ground
OBJECTIVE: Hold the Line
ALLIES: Open?
ENEMIES: The Mongrel


There was no doubt that this would be a very challenging encounter. Facing Brynadul, or Sith was a matter of fighting Monstrous body, or Monstrous Heart. However, the dug in trench warfare was something that I had not quite been prepared for. This matter was something new to me. Having done full assaults against fortifications, or even running in an open field, expecting death was something I had done before, but not in this magnitude. A No-man's land that spread across the distance. Held by the firepower of the defenses that would hold against the might of the Maw. Bolts of energy flew back and forth. Either missing entirely, or hitting a mark that surely was just to put damage down range.

A couple times I came close to being hit by a stray bolt, or if someone was aiming for me, then they missed only because of my training and awareness. Which was becoming limited the longer I stayed hunkered down against the nearly oppressive fire from both sides. For the time, I had helped others. Using Force Shields to defend someone as they recovered a body, or saw they were about to be hit and kept them alive. As much as I would love to just protect everyone here, its impossible. Masses of men and women fighting, would require me to draw a power I didn't have. If even the smallest break in my strength, then every shield would have gone down. Instead, I preserved myself. Waiting for a charge.

It was typical to have one. Hoping that the mass of bodies would be too much for weaponry.

This charge, it formed suddenly. Only told by the sudden uproar of sound that could be heard well over the distance. I knew that it was time. Soldiers from both sides started to stand and rise to face one another. While there were many on both sides who still stayed back. Aiming to use as many heavy weapons as they could to fire upon them. Cutting them down from the distance. The Snow turning colors with blood and viscera that was left in its wake. Many were covered in it by allies being hit. Standing myself, upon a rising that allowed me to stick just enough of my head over the barrier.

Watching as troops were cut down, but continued onward in their yelling and progress. I tried my best to help with the force. Throwing out my hand to the sky. Catching artillery before it slammed down and throw it forward back at the oncoming Maw of the beast. Even using a barrier once or twice to defend someone from a hail of fire that allowed them to fall and prevent themselves from getting shot at again.

The only way to end this, was to face the leader of this army, this military might. Maybe, just maybe I could find them, and take out the head of the snake. Preventing this offensive. Reaching to my Com, I called out for any recon teams that might be able to give me an idea on where there might be head officials.

"Any location on Brass?"
"Unsure. Multiple locations but unsure what rank they may be of."
"Give me all of them."
"Sir."
"Please, just do what I asked."
"Yes."

In a moment, the information was sent to me. A couple fortifications that seemed to have a larger gathering of forces that centralized around one. With multiple different kinds of troops. Likely where leaders may be. I needed to cross the distance fast. In a form that would be much better than just a speeder. I smiled brightly.

"Release Her!"

I didn't even hear if the soldier responded as what I did hear, was the roar of a creature that I knew and loved. She was my companion, my good girl. Her roar echoed loudly even over the artillery and heavy weapons. As if the very call itself pierced through the air for the pure enjoyment of having some time to "Play" with "Friends." She was ready.

Narma. Was ready.

It took little time for Narma to reach my position in the trenches. Taking time, but with some haste, to check that the saddle, and reins where on her correctly. Making sure it was all good. It was little to mount up on top of her back, and pull down the very standard helmet that would prevent my face from getting blasted by the winds and the cold while riding up upon her. Taking a good hold of the reins, It was just a simple set of words to send her off like a bolt from a blaster.

"Let's go Play!"

It was her cue to go off. The chance to play with other soldiers, was just our word for work. She knew what was going to be going on. Crossing the distance though, was going to be a different matter. As soon as we made it into open air, I directed Narma into the direction I wanted. Giving her more words that would tell her that I wanted get there with no distractions.

"Strike!"

A small growl came from her. Confirming what I wanted. As she bolted towards the first of multiple possible leader locations. In that time, I threw my hand out. Letting the open palm cast before her, a shield. One that flowed and ebbed like water. A blue haze blocked projectiles aimed at her. With her size, stature and being a beast, there were many cast her way. It was my job, to protect her, and made sure she got there with nothing more than a scratch.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Csaplar, Csilla
Estate of the Great House Arosti
864ABY

Maliphant nodded his head to the bowing Chiss house servant, his robes trailing behind him as he entered the central estate of the Arosti House. Pillar's showed its decadence, but the beauty of its walls and architecture were betrayed by the growing mass of servants and workers moving valuables from walls and alcoves to shipping containers and loading platforms hauled away by the nearest cargo droid. Repulsorlifts and footsteps crowded the ambience, and the distant whirring of alarms felt muddled even under that.

Around them was members of the Maliphant's personal legion - augmented by the the PRAETORIAN program developed by Jaeger Solutions, and supporting them was various highly trained Frumentarii agents assuming command of the loading operations. Some were arguing with others about what would stay, what could be loaded, and what could be sent down the emergency escape tunnel to the awaiting cargo ships. Others were checking off passenger lists, members of the Arosti family of varying skill levels being marked for refugee status on the mysterious planet of Kyros - the soon to be refuge of a large portion of the Chiss species.

The Sith Lord hummed slightly as his hands fell behind his back - one gripping the other's fist, his gaze dancing across the various activity as he considered the future of the effort. Long had the Chiss Family been his eyes and ears inside Csilla politics, but with the arrival of the Maw they had called in a favor - to be removed from the planet, saved from the far more valuable asset of the Maw; a force Maliphant had been supplying with arms and funding for some time, to draw the attention of the New Imperial Order and Galactic Alliance from the rising threat of the Sith Eternal.

It seemed his efforts had gone far above and beyond what he had expected, but now was not the time to consider the future of his machinations; but the hear and now of what they were facing. With the public arrival of the Frumentarii and Maliphant's Legion; the Arosti had been ousted as a traitor to the larger Chiss Ascendancy - and no doubt had been marked as a high profile target for some of the defending forces. Whether the Maw succeded in their efforts to destroy the planet or not, it would not matter.

The position of the Arosti was compromised, and now there was nothing left to save here. With his agents behind Chiss politics compromised, and the hopeful status of them being allies or enemies to the New Imperial Order out of the question, they would serve better as an asset to Maliphant on Kyros now.

"Lord Maliphant.", the head of the family interjected into Maliphant's train of thought. His crimson eyes monitored Maliphant's face as he smiled.

"A pleasure. It seems the loading procedures are going well - and we should be ready to leave soon. I wish to thank you once more for the efforts, you are serving paramount to the survival of our house - and possibly the greatest source of power the Chiss have if Csilla is destroyed by these malcontents.", the man said in disgust - his Sy Bisti taking a downward inflection as he frowned.

"Think nothing of it, Lord Arosti.", Maliphant replied in fluent Sy Bisti.

"You've been integral to my success on Csilla, it is only customary I do what I can to save your people. I only wish I could do more.", he lied.

Bast'rom'arosti │ Ragnar the Blooded