Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Private History of "Angels" (Solo-thread, Liram's Ancestral history)

That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Attached is medical and personal documentation that have been declassified. Each entry is a recording of the military records of the Angellus bloodline. While the records date back over three thousand years to Admiral Loahs Angellus, these entries begin with two of the most influential and notorious officers in the family’s history. It is the hope that not only will those looking at these entries gain an understanding of the family and how each officer acts, but a better understanding of the officer currently serving.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
KAM ANGELLUS
Entry #3920674192816-a

"The 9th Fleet dropped out of hyperspace to a veritable hodgepodge of idiocy. The Admiral was angry as he had seen the Dominator and Eradicator having alternating geosynchronous orbits made sense; that was all though. The ship's commanders had orders to blockade the planet until the new government settled in and took effect. Sensors however picked up the skirmishes on the planet and the movements to quell opposition.

Admiral Angellus openly argued with Fleet Admiral Vatass about this ordeal, as he was ordered to bring in reinforcements that weren't necessary. The Admiral felt that if he was going to oversee this, he was going to take command. That meant he was going to oversee the operation on the ground too. This brought the respect of those in the fleet more than he could have imagined, especially with how angry he was with what he saw. The man didn't see things the way he was trained to, he held to the principles and beliefs of the Republic but stuck to his oath and committed to the actions of the Empire.

'Angel' as a few of us got to call him behind closed doors got to the ground and actually held several "town hall" meetings with the people. He promised them that this was to assist in the new government, nothing more and made reparations to the people. This was frowned upon heavily by Fleet Admiral Vatass who was rumored to be in trouble with the circle of twelve over this. They didn't like the idea of a "soft" Admiral who so easily gives up resources to "miscreants", and would publish this, but we all knew the truth. The man fought like a cornered Acklay but he also thought outside the box. The reparations were simply a way of completing his mission objectives without losing any troops, or any slaughter, after all, they were soldiers... not murderers.

The people were 'alright' with the situation, there was still the occupation but there was no more fighting, and while the Army was willing to fight, they saw Angel as someone who would go to bat for them. He didn't take a fight away, he kept them from a slaughter. The Gungans even came out of their ambush points and went home. The only issue came with the Commodore in command of the Eradicator; he ordered the combat insurrection which turned into a disaster. Kam did something with him, something that got him in trouble with his superiors... not like he cared... but completed his objectives and made everyone involved happy. He turned the Commodore over to the people for trial under their laws.

The new Queen saw the political advantage of not arguing this.

I have to say that I didn't like the idea of serving with an Admiral the same age as me, but this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

End Journal Entry -


The news that was actually printed in comparison read as...

"The Royal Naboo Security Force and Gungan Army attacked the Imperial garrison in the city. Meanwhile, Olin found Malorum, who revealed that he possessed a lightsaber, and engaged Olin in a duel. The duel was fought in the Theed main hangar and the roof of the palace.

Olin fought Malourm in a furious duel in the hangar. Olin force pushed Malorm away and raced to a big elevator that went to the top of the Palace, Malorum force dash into the elevator. Inside the two dueled until they reached the top of the palace. Civilians watched as the two made an epic light in front of the moon. Like on Mustafar when the Dark Lord and his former Master dueled, they became into a force lock. Both flew back, Olin was hanging from the roof as Malorum quickly got up and threatened to kill him if he didn't tell where the Jedi and the Princess were. Olin replied no, so Malorum swang his lightsaber very close to Olin's face. Olin then jumped up, ignited his lightsaber and shouted "NEVER" before he impaled him.

However, the Empire soon grew fed up with Naboo's rebelliousness. When the Dark Lord discovered the Queen was harboring fugitive Jedi, he led the 501st Legion in an attack"
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry #7320846519-v

The fleet dropped out of hyperspace in the middle of a warzone, a civil war was happening between the (name erased from Imperial Archives) a highly industrial society, very efficient and hardworking but unscrupulous, and the (name erased from Imperial Archives) a highly social race filled with wealth.

Two scout corvettes were immediately fired on by the (name erased from Imperial Archives), which angered Admiral Angellus; he ordered the attackers dispatched and towed back to their planet with a communications loop "do not do that again". It was simplistic but and assistance in a war they would lose.

This made the Admiral even angrier, he never liked being compared to "mercenaries" and not just because they were Navy, he made a point of hunting them. We sat in the middle of space between the two planets for days watching skirmish after the battle. The (name erased from
Imperial Archives) were being hammered repeatedly which naturally brought concern from the Admiral.

Kam made the point that if these attackers fought the way they did so viciously, even strafing wreckage for sport... what would stop them from,
leaving the Unknown Regions and attacking Imperial Space? He had to act. Of course, we were in support of this, but Fleet Admiral Vatass didn't like the idea when Angellus reported in, in fact, the Fleet Admiral contacted High Command who agreed that it was bad. It was "trivial"
was the exact words of one of the Grand Admirals whose name escapes me.

If it is clarified, he served with Jedi in the Clone Wars.

Kam ignored them and acted, a perimeter was set up and Storm
Commandos were sent out to gain intelligence. The problem is, the intelligence they brought back was over this fighter design he was given. He argued that he wasn't required to turn a gift order under Imperial rules as it was not a "spoil of war". That left the disobeying a direct order, yet his argument was simple. They were a danger to their system, what if they brought this to Imperial Territory.
Kam had a guardian angel that day as he was pardoned by the Emperor himself who had heard the news.

Odd... why would he do that?

End Journal Entry

UPDATE - We found out why Kam was pardoned. The (name erased from
Imperial Archives) were contracted by a Grand Moff to build that weapon.
The theory was to install the weapon on a space station. The people were,,, slated for slaughter afterward. We just did the work sooner than expected.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry #73208635427-v

The 9th fleet was tasked with hunting down the 11th fleet, a battlegroup made up of smaller attack ships, meant for speed and maneuverability and to swarm an opponent. At first many of the command-staff was convinced it was a training exercise but it wasn’t. We were tasked with bringing in a rogue group, or at least the leader; Admiral Thad Rammstein, Academy mate and best friend of Admiral Angellus. There was the normal mixture of emotions some believed that we would be traitors or scum for firing on our own; some believed that they were the traitors. The thing is, Kam set the tone for the fleet as a leader should.

He philosophically believed in agreed with issues that Rammstein had been saying for months; the problem is that the 11th fleet took an oath to serve the Imperial Navy. Angellus reminded us that the military cannot set policy and to do so would be worse than some people think that the Empire is. This was true and set the mood for the chase, after all they were friends. That was it, the 9th was going to bring in the command staff to face their charges but that would be it.

Then a representative of the Emperor… some of them called him “an Emperor’s Hand” showed up, tried to threaten, intimidate and push everyone around. This was hilarious as Angellus showed his knack for getting under people’s skin. He managed to stand up to the Inquisitor several times and quoted regulations that made him in the right each and every time. He also reminded the “Hand” that killing him during a mission in the middle of his own fleet would bring the Emperor himself into an investigation that the representative would not want. He was right, so right that the Force User, so used to killing others on a whim, sat back and watched for most of the mission. Some of us almost felt sorry for the Inquisitor…

… Almost

The chase began over Tanaab, Rammstein is infamous for using smugglers, or at least former ones as his scouts. The problem with this was, we used this as well so we knew what to look for. After an interrogation, it all made sense why we were tasked with bringing Rammstein in. He was using his ships to attack Imperial targets; Kam wouldn’t allow himself to believe it… Thatis known, was no traitor… not to this extent. However the proof was there, they attacked the medical station over Alderaan, and they attacked the troop transfer point, obliterating the station just outside the Carida system as well as Anaxes and Kessel. This was something that sent the Admiral into his office for several days for solitude; I managed to be allowed in at various times only to see him scouring over correspondences between the two.

He told me how none of it made sense, Thad was never one to shoot first, never. Yet there were the records of all of the attacks staring him in the face. However, there was something else to all of this, all of his safe havens, all of the places he wanted to visit without uniform. There was something to Thad’s movements…
The next couple of days were tense as we set up a trap for the 11th; information was leaked that Muunilist was to become the home of the Imperial Galactic Bank. This was to bring several transfer vessels to the planet carrying monetary standards. This did indeed bring the 11th, the problem is that it also brought the ships that Rammstein was chasing, a pirate organization is known only as “Black Omega” was coming to attack as well. They were a group almost identical in looks to the 11th, were there to steal the very same thing. The 11th even send vid documentation that it was these pirates who committed the atrocities that the fleet was being blamed for. Unfortunately, the news was only bittersweet as Rammstein contacted us claiming that he would fire on us if necessary. That was it then; the 11th was innocent of the crimes but were still willing to fight. Why? We didn’t have to wait long to find out.

The battle was costly for everyone, the 11th was decimated from 14 ships down to 3, the pirates were destroyed and all were in custody. Rammstein’s ship was terminal, as was he. In his last words, he wanted to talk to Kam, friend to friend. This was a wish that the Admiral would grant in secret. Rammstein told him that the pirates were Imperial controlled. They were one of the many that were meant as propaganda, paid well to destroy… and steal. This and more information was passed onto Angellus who was quickly learning that the Empire was not the Republic he signed up for. The question he often wondered was…
“Did Dad see this coming?”

His father left Sienar Fleet Systems for,, a new job at Incomm.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry #9185092561-s

In officer training, we’re taught that the easiest way to earn the respect of our troops is to be the type they can count on. The perfect officer was one who was firm but fair, one who could direct them from afar or share their danger; an officer that in the end, they knew that they were protected. No one was better at this than Kam Angellus, he chose not to fraternize with the troops or the line officers but knew their names. The officers also know that every decision he made was in, their best interests. This may not seem “Imperial” according to the stereotype, but it didn’t matter.

How do I know this? I would be alive today if it wasn’t for him.

We were assigned to travel to Dak(Mon Calamari) to quell any uprisings that could be a ruse to assist in the escape of a shipwright. Abkar or something like that, I never paid attention to the name, we were to take this Mon Calamari who was rumored to be a tactical genius into custody. Kam split the fleet as we were still dealing with a pirate organization.

I botched the operation terribly, the uprisings continued and the “Admiral” as he was called, escaped. I went to face the music to Angellus, he was mad about the situation but not at me, at Arkba, or whatever. We later found the tactician and brought him to Anaxes before I was recalled to Homeworld (Coruscant) to face Lord Vader himself for my incompetence. I knew that this was the end, but Kam escorted me to the Lord’s chamber. He took all of the blame, literally arguing his points with Vader who did not blame him for my actions.

I’ll never forget it; Kam said “I cannot be the leader to my fleet that I say that I am if I do not hold to my ideals. Admiral Brenton may have made fatal errors, but he was following my orders. If anyone is to face the consequences, it’s me.”

It’s funny, but you would think that the Dark Lord would do that “chokey” thing, which he did. However Kam didn’t flinch, he didn’t reach for his throat, he did nothing but stare at the behemoth… even when hanging in mid-air. Vader then dropped him and walked away, so did everyone else. I stood there dumbfounded as I looked at the Admiral. I asked him why he did this.

His answer was simple.

“Leaders aren’t born, they aren’t made, they just are.”
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry #9184382562-d

The problem with clones is even with the mental programming there is the chance that they will overcome it. Thus the case with the Commando Team Omega Squad; they were on the run for years after not completing an operation of hunting down three Jedi. The team had disappeared, not surprising because they were highly efficient at what they did. We were glad not to be assigned to finding them, it was an impossible task.

Until the day the Team Leader JT-412, going by the name “Azrael” contacted the Admiral. It was weird as his “team tech” literally had the team of slicers running around in circles trying to keep up with one person. Anyway, there was arguing, yelling, and so on. This went on for nearly an hour before Kam contacted me… the orders were simple…

“Alderaan… maximum possible speed”

We made the best possible speed; the rumors were rampant as to why we were going, there were no orders, no general quarters being sounded even. Not even Marshall Ivanova knew what was going on, I say her because while they kept it quiet, a few of us knew that the two were married. I even knew that she was with a child. The trip was awkward as we dropped out of hyperspace outside the system, Defense Fleet Alpha didn’t need us getting in their way. Kam then left his office and said very little. He only asked for the command staff, two squads of troopers, and a sniper team.

Naturally, I ordered a fighter escort to go with the shuttle we were taking. I had never experienced such a tense situation until I found out why we were there. Kam’s family had a compound there, they were often there for gatherings, and even Angelina had visited several times. Reaching over the horizon we saw the place, it was huge, very old world, very beautiful. Yet there was something odd about the land as we were setting down, Kam didn’t even wait for the loading ramp to go all the way down as he jumped off of it and headed into the house. Even Ivanova waited for him to come out, letting the man walk inside alone. There was a look in his eyes that this was personal. After about ten minutes we could all hear him yelling at someone, and I mean YELLING, even for him. When the homeless Rodian came running out trying to pull up his pants was our cue to enter.

The place was as beautiful inside as it was outside, yet for some reason, the stench of death filled the enormous home, it was almost overpowering as many of us covered our noses and mouths looking around for him. Kam was in the backroom, the family room. The only place that looked to be the reason for the smell, the glass windows shattered and bodies on the floor. The entire Angellus family lay there, the victims of an attack, the only thing clue was the family butler Kensington talking about “getting Maura to safety”… it turns out Maura was Kam’s infant sister. We never saw either of them again, but they weren’t important right now. As the troops formed a perimeter, Angelina didn’t bother hiding it, she tried to comfort her husband.

Kam? All he could do was stand there looking at all of the bodies, the look on his face, soulless and empty, that’s as frightening as his reputation. He just stood there quietly looking at everything, until he saw one of the chairs; it was the chair his mother was sitting in. Something about it caught his attention then he called the squad leader suddenly. The request was weird as he moved to the dining room, pulled a chair back into the family room, and asked that one of the snipers shoot the chair in a “standard pattern”. We all looked at each other quite oddly until the shots rang in. Four totals in a set pattern, which none of us really thought about until he walked over to his sister’s remains. Pointing at two on either shoulder, one in the chest and one in the head, he didn’t have to point to the chair for us all to figure out what had happened. An Imperial sniper team assassinated his entire family… well… save Angelina. Women, children, elderly it didn’t matter… they were all shot several times until dead. The place was a bloody mess as the weapons that were used were powerful enough to blow holes in the walls behind the bodies.

We all wondered who would do this, and who would not only order an Imperial team to do this so blatantly but know where and who they were dealing with. This was a mess, no play on words intended, a disgusting mess that made me see the truth about what was going on. I couldn't see myself doing anything but resigning my commission and being branded "soft". I could live with "soft" if it meant I could live with my principles.

It was then that Kam explained the conversation he had with Azrael; the clone told him about intelligence reports they came across. The circle of twelve were planning on nationalizing Incom corporation who is rumored to have come up with a revolutionary fighter design and Sauren, Kam’s father was one of the largest opponents of this so he left his position with Sienar flight systems(makers of the TIE fighter) to take a position with Incom. This was a problem as the elder Angellus helped take the company public. He was doing everything he could to keep Incom out of the Empire’s hands and this angered the circle of twelve.

Azrael went on to explain that there was more, there were secret installations that even Admirals didn't have access to the knowledge of. There was more than any of us could imagine and Kam was given the lot of it. He even knew about something that none of us could believe, a massive space station meant for "mining"... we knew the truth about that.

We all wondered how a clone could come up with this information until Fleet Admiral Vatass contacted Kam on his personal comm-link. Kam had orders to return to Coruscant to answer to charges of treason. I was ordered to take him into custody. It was a good thing that Vatass didn’t wait to personally witness any of this as I refused to do so. We all did.

Kam then told everyone that he was done with the Empire; if they would kill his family over business issues, what would they do to others? They were all about the whims of one man and not the good of everyone as he once claimed. No, he wasn’t going to stand back and watch this anymore, he was going to fight back. He knew a lot more about the operations of the Empire than he had let on and was going to show them just the size of the mistake they were making. He also told all of us there that we did not have to help him; we had careers to think about.

There he was, being the man he always was, he never asked any of us to do something he wouldn't do. He never asked any of us to do anything we COULDN'T do. He simply was honest, and forthcoming in his disclosure of information, and we all made our choices, all of the command staff.

I never thought I would believe that a pile of rank pips on the floor of a blood-splattered room would be a beautiful site to see. We then had to weed out who would follow us and who wouldn’t, all the while keeping this secret. We went with the guise that we were reassigning ships to another fleet, one over Dak. It's funny but we only had to reassign one ship. When we were ready, we made our way to the homeworld.

Yes, we were going back to Coruscant though… but on our terms… not theirs.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry #9884782398-g

This is going to be a rather short entry, but I want to make sure that all who read it understand our side of what happened on this day. The 9th Fleet dropped out of hyperspace just outside of the system and outside the sensors of “Home Fleet”. Several shuttles entered the system all meant to stay where they were. That’s when the fireworks started.

We contacted High Command and were put straight through to the Circle of Twelve; they argued that no one speaks with them directly normally however this was special. They “ordered” us to enter the atmosphere where we would be escorted to the Imperial Tower. The Admiral declined as did we all; I was then targeted as to why I didn’t take Kam into custody… I told them it was simple… I saw what they did to Kam’s family.

The Grand Admirals all save Makati and Syn genuinely looked on in astonishment even insult. Kam was unaffected; his quarrel was not with them but with the two who seemed to not be bothered. Then he showed his proof to the allegation he was about to make. Syn and Makati were behind the murder of his family; from their previous experience with his father when the elder Angellus was in the military to their oversight of fighter control, training and production. In short they made out well with this action.

Sure, they had their trump cards, the paper trail they set up for him to find as well as the Battalion Chief who was a part of his command staff. Kam actually thought that this was well played on their part, but he doubled back on the paper trail and brought up more issues, more proof that they were behind the action. The night Makati met Kam in his office and accepted Kam’s request to help look for his little sister Maura. The problem is that Kam never mentioned Maura, or asked for any help. Kam also pulled out his own trump card. The sniper team that committed the act was intercepted and taken into the custody of the 9th. They told the whole tale down to where the team was arrested and being sent to execution to keep the secret.

Then the moment we were all dreading came out, all of the information he brought forth, the information exonerating him, the information implicating the two Grand Admirals… everything was thrown by the wayside. The circle explained that the nationalization was going to continue as planned, and while this was an unfortunate incident, it would be passed over.

That was all we could stand.

Then the mention of the Battalion Chief, the spy had been busy locking down all of their systems. This was where Kam smiled, he knew that Major Tannon was a spy and leaked information that he wanted the Circle to know; all of it legitimate and now while the major was in contact, Kam’s team of slicer’s were hacking into the Grand Admiral’s systems. They were downloading files, codes, everything, and sending viruses to cover their tracks.

Home Fleet was ordered to track us, as well as the 73rd Battlegroup and the 19th. This was fun to see as we left the area, the sensor ghosts we left behind had all three groups thinking they found us.

Yet we were nowhere near any of them.

We knew that they would be after us with everything they could throw, but one thing Kam had to collect on was favors across the galaxy.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry #98985637328-u

The thing about Angellus that not everybody knows is that he can negotiate with the best of them. This is not always used, but it’s a weapon in his arsenal I’ve had the chance to see a few times. One of them was not long after we all left the Empire. The 9th was never a large fleet, but it was a strike force, a combination of speed and power that fit the way that we fought. This didn’t last long when we reached the planet Danuta.

None of us really knew why we reached the planet until Kam explained the situation, when the slicers downloaded the Grand Admiral’s databases they found several pieces of disturbing information. The first was an outpost on Dantooine that the Rebel Alliance was using. This little fledgling alliance stood no chance against the Empire but the planet was in danger of being razed. It took some convincing and giving up “The Revolution” and “the Venascus” as a sign of good faith but they left.

Then comes Danuta, this little outpost really isn’t all that tactically important, never was. There’s no real value from warfare, monetary, or resource perspective. This made the planet a perfect place to hide the full and detailed blueprints of a battle station that could destroy a planet, plans that were not well guarded because of the obscurity of the planet itself. The defense group consisted of two Victory Mk IIs and an Imperator. We outnumbered them 3 to 1 in the Imperator class and 2 to 1 in the Victory.

Dropping out of Hyperspace was ridiculous as they were so thrown for a loop at the action. Defensive protocols were set on both sides, but Kam was the one to drop them. We half expected them to either run or become emboldened and try to board us; they did neither. I’ll never forget the words Kam used to convince them not to react.

“This is Kam Angellus of the former Imperial 9th Fleet. Ask yourself one question, if we are not firing on you, why are we here? It’s simple… you're protecting a facility that holds the key to a future that you don’t want. We won’t fire on you if you leave, you don’t have to join us but you each know that this is not what the Senate, or the Republic once stood for. You don’t have to desert, you don’t have to join us, and you don’t have to leave the Empire. You don’t even have to take my word for it as I am authorizing the upload to each of you the details of what you are protecting. It’s your choice what you do.”

It took a few very tense minutes for us all to realize that the Admiral was the judge of character that he was. One of the Victory Class left the sector, but the other two offered to join us. You bet we took them on. Now you know why that smuggler turned Jedi stole those plans so easily. We left well before he showed up. One would think that it was a victory for us all, but Kam knew something none of us knew…

... there was a spy among us.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry - 10092837456298 - B

The thing that each entry has pointed out about Kam Angellus was his tactical abilities, but if you knew him or his wife Angelina, you knew the truth. His family was more important to him than anything, that’s why he bore so much the burden he had. He didn’t want his son, and any other children the two may have to grow up in the galaxy they were in. He was always busy, always working, always planning and thinking several steps ahead of everyone. He would literally spend the day planning their next moves and the night planning how he would stop them if he were assigned to take them down. So needless to say there was a lot on his mind, Angelina’s as well… she never let her pilots slip up or falter. They were always on high alert, flying patrols, drilling like crazy.

However, as far as their son was concerned, he was their priority. They always sat down to dinner as a family, Kam helped him with his education and Angelina took to teaching him his life skills, not to mention being a fantastic mother. This carried over into the way they overlooked everyone else, and how we all took care of each other. No matter how busy we were, no matter how bad things might get, Kam made sure to get us all to take breaks, take time out. He took his personal family money that wasn’t frozen by the Empire to arrange it so anyone in the fleet could either see their family or arrange them brought to safety if they wished.

That’s why it was so hard to see when they came to the realization that they couldn't keep Arestul with them and keep him safe at the same time. It was a decision that they came to after literally a month of arguing and crying… never thought I would see that man cry, somehow made me respect him more. I was in the launch bay of the Mandatore the day it happened. That Clone Commando Team that warned Kam of his family situation? They agreed to take Arestul with him, to watch over and teach him until Kam and Angelina could return. Somehow we all knew that this would be the last time we saw the poor boy. I had to walk away as I couldn't keep myself from breaking down at the sight of the poor kid whose world was crashing down around him. I went back to the bridge.

We all had a two-week furlough; the fleet was well hidden in wild space and Angelina had sold off a lot of the Tie fighters for shuttles and gunboats so there was transportation. Kam himself said if we didn’t return, he would understand. My family wanted nothing to do with me at the moment so I stayed. It was hard to see but the two of them were second-guessing their decision constantly. We had set course for the rendezvous point to pick him up over two dozen times over the next two months only to stop at the last moment. I guess I just never really thought about the depth of my decisions past present and future until that point and what they meant.

I miss my family.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Entry - 192736299367843 - x


Everyone knows about the Battle of Yavin and the effect that it had on the galaxy, from the lucky shot to the stance that it gave the Rebel Alliance. Not to mention the status of fighter and pilot. The story is well told, the space station that could destroy a planet, the destruction of Alderaan, the band of fighters that defended Yavin IV. It’s all the stuff of legend now. In fact, it’s something that is required reading in schools on some planets. The thing is, not the entire story is being told; what many in the Rebel Alliance didn’t know, or really even see was that there was an escort fleet for the station itself.

This mass of Imperial ships was designated with the responsibility of freezing ship traffic in the area while the station entered the system. Kam knew this, and he also knew that the Rebels were trying something, so he asked us all that we wanted to do. This was his idea but it affected us all, he also reminded us that the spy was aboard and would be reporting this to the Empire. It didn’t matter as the lot of us agreed wholeheartedly, we had to intervene.

One of the reasons why Kam LOVED having slicers on board was because they were capable of so many things, including controlling a capital ship remotely. The escort fleet… the 291st had an Interdictor class with them, the gravity wells were running at full power and pulled the Eradicator, a modified CR90 out of hyperspace. What they didn’t know was that Kam wanted them to do this; the ship was controlled remotely and was loaded with explosives. Those explosives were placed around the coolant system and blew the moment the ship was pulled out of hyperspace. I don’t need to tell you the effect that this had on the reactor as I actually almost felt bad for those on the Interdictor when the ship exploded right over the wells and the bridge.

That’s when Kam led half the fleet into the fray which some may wonder about but our ships outnumbered theirs. He knew the Fleet boss of this group and knew that Admiral Gano would not listen to him so the battle was on. The thing about Gano was that he loved to set traps, he was much like Angellus, but the thing is; Gano was reactive and not proactive. While he expected our ships to enter the battle, what he didn’t expect is the rest of them laying in wait until Kam called for them. Captain Fox Brenton was ready to push from behind.

The Mandatore was originally a command ship designed as a protector of Kuat, but most people didn’t know how tough and how modular she is. Even 40 years out of date she was holding her own against the newer Imperial vessels. Then the spy reared their ugly head and actually surprised the Admiral. The prototype for a new command ship appeared out of nowhere, this thing was larger than ten… maybe even twenty Imperators… larger than the Mandatore. It didn’t phase him though as he had an ace up his sleeve. An ace only Angelina and the pilots knew about as he finally launched the fighters from our own Imperators; he sold the TIEs and bought all Y-wings.

The battle was harsh until yet another fleet dropped out of hyperspace, more Imperial Reinforcements, but by this time the Death Star was destroyed, we did what we came to do so Kam called for the exit. However it was too late, the spy again reared its ugly head as I shot the shield controls with my blaster. Yes, I was the spy. I meant it when I said I could live with being considered “soft” if I had my principles, but the Empire was willing to give me an honorable discharge and immunity. I had to do what I had to do. The thing is, when Kam turned to me after continuing to order the retreat, he knew it was me… he KNEW. I could tell he did as there was literally nothing hidden on his face.

I didn’t want to but I raised the blaster to him, I wanted to leave as well, I begged him to back off and just let me take him into custody. I promised I would help him, Angelina and Arestul any way I could but he kept walking towards me. Kept talking about trust and morals, and ethics, he kept telling me I would have to shoot him, shoot him the way I shot my honor. I had to fire, I had to. Unfortunately, the power cell in my blaster was empty as Kam grabbed the weapon. He told me how every weapon I had was only capable of one-shot, he arranged it.

That’s when the intruder alarms started going off and he started ordering the evacuation of the bridge, he wasn’t leaving. He was still busy arguing with Brenton to get the ships to the rendezvous point now or none of them would be there. It wasn’t until he said something specific that made me, Brenton, and anyone listening realize how important what they did here exactly was. “What we do here will echo forever…”

I chose the argument to attempt my getaway; it didn’t last as I felt the sting of a bolt emanating from a Westar 34 in my back.

As I lay there on the ground Stormtroopers took me to transport, I was barely alive but I was alive. Only then did I wish I wasn’t. It was the transport of the Dark Lord himself. I was being tended to for a good twenty minutes before I saw what was happening. The alert was self-destruct, but it was silent. I was too weak to warn them, but I didn’t need to as literally, everyone alive was making their way and quickly to the launch bays. The Dark Lord was the last person on as the shuttle took off and we left the Mandatore. We were BARELY inside the blast radius as the ship burst into a shockwave which took out over half of the Imperial forces there. The prototype command ship was heavily damaged as well, but the massive size of the vessel assisted in her survival.

I returned to homeworld a hero. I was given the order of Palpatine and allowed to live out my life on any Imperial planet I wished. It’s my biggest regret.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
This log entry is to document the attack on Takodana with Commodore Elran Angellus defended the planet, badly outnumbered against the Sith Empire. As multiple warships dropped out of hyperspace, his small group of Hammerhead Corvettes would be destroyed in a manner of moments without some kind of plan. His plan was devastating in its simplicity. The asteroid belt was laced with seeker mines. This tactic was flawed in that it could easily be picked up by military-grade sensors, however, this tactic was flawed in the way Commodore Angellus wanted.

He also ordered loads of Baradium put into evacuation and transport ships, knowing full well that they would be targeted by Sith vessels. His plan was of misdirection and confusion, the mines were to distract the escape vessels, which were to distract the corvettes moving into an attack position which allowed them cover from the poles of the planet. This was defensive move was not one meant to destroy, but to drive off. It worked better than even the Commodore had hoped as the combined explosives either disabled or destroyed four of the five Sith battleships.

Those that survived were given the quarter that they were not allowed to give.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
In 3009BBY, Darth Varum, the Sith governor of the Outer Regions, was lured into an ambush by Arminius Angellus, a Republic officer of an auxiliary mechanized unit. Varum led three legions through the Amoburo Forest the planet Endor (not the Forest Moon) to suppress a local revolt, and when his 20,000 men were strung out along the line of march, Arminius struck with the full force of his warrior army. The Sith struggled on for days until the survivors made a last stand at Kalkor Hill, north of present-day Osnack. The Sith defeat wasn't just physical; it was also psychological. Ambushes demand patience and careful siting, with precise coordination of each strike arm. The Republic militia and Endor tribesmen, so often thought of as wild barbarians, succeeded because of their self-discipline in waiting for the right moment to spring their attack, but ultimately their strategy was an example of effective and channeled aggression.


The unexpected appearance of enemy troops on a flank or from behind can damage an army's morale, and if a force is encircled it can be deprived of supplies or attacked from any side. Ultimately, if completely cut off, it must cut its way out, surrender or fight to the death. Envelopment is the classic example of maneuver warfare and has produced some of the most decisive victories in history. The tactic was employed on Alderaan in Operation Rose Petal, during the Great Sith War. The Sith Army was chasing Republic Forces led by General Alaric Angellus, this was a ruse to draw the majority of them away from the Alderaan capital of Aldera.

Havoc Squad, was in an ambush position to cut off the leadership while the main forces would follow their last orders and hunt down Republic scum. The move was meant to keep the leadership out of the fight while the Republic and Alderaanian forces defended the planet and would initiate a surprise attack as they went through the Kyber Pass.

With the Sith pinned down and unable to maneuver, the Alderaan armed forces delivered a heavy artillery bombardment from 3,500 guns from either side of the city Aldera, then unleashed several armoured formations, including three tank corps. The combined mobility and speed with devastating firepower, driving deep behind Sith encampment lines to cut off and then drove off the entire Sith army in Alderaan. Darth Malgus was not pleased.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
It's often effective to pin an enemy into a position where firepower or maneuvring can destroy him, or where the enemy is so disrupted by off-balancing probes that he has little idea where the main attack will fall. The Sith Emperor ordered Darth Talanor to concentrate all Sith forces to break the Republic Fleet and thus pave the way for the invasion of the Core. But Rear Admiral Ritia Angellus proved adept at unnerving her adversary and off-balancing the Sith plans. At Corellia, Angellus broke with the traditions of fleet warfare and thrust two columns into the Sith line to bring about a general action where her fleet's superior coordination and firepower would win the day. The Sith, though much greater in overall numbers were pinned into place and then thrown into confusion by Angellus’ bold and courageous action, producing one of the Republic's most glittering victories of its time.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
To work, deception has to establish significant doubt in the minds of the enemy so that they alter their plans. During an Outer Regions conflict, the Republic Navy struggled to find a solution to pirate and privateer attacks in the Malagate expanse. Yet it was noticed early on that the pirates preferred to surface and use the less sophisticated main armament on the foredeck to attack their victims. Named after their homeport, Elzar Mann on Sullust, a number of 'Z-ships' were deployed - civilian vessels with concealed armaments. Withholds packed with durasteel and quadranium to enable them to continue even when torpedoed, they were deliberately sent into areas where pirates were known to be operating. As pirate ship would appear, side panels were dropped to clear the line of fire for concealed guns - a technique used by ZRS Baralong, which obliterated the stolen and badly damaged Star Destroyer after it surfaced to attack a merchantman off south-west Askaji.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
Battlefield victory can hinge on accurate, timely intelligence about the enemy, particularly regarding his intentions and his capabilities. In 27ABY, Republic naval intelligence learned through its successful code-breaking that a strong Galactic Imperial Remnant fleet had set out to attack a Trade League convoy. The nearby fleet commander, Admiral Arestul Angellus, concentrated his forces, and after aerial attacks, he disabled an Imperial cruiser. The Republic Navy's sensors assisted in locating the stricken Imperial vessel and its escorts. Angellus decided to bring to bear maximum firepower by approaching from a nebula, one notorious for playing havoc with sensors and targeting systems well after a ship’s exit. In the subsequent action, the Imperials, who possessed no comparable intelligence assets, lost two more heavy cruisers and two destroyers.
 
That light at the end of the tunnel leads to Hell
The Battle of Brentaal IV

The Battle of Brentaal IV, happening on 86 ABY was a combination of several events. The Republic Military had a training center that secretly held a division of Special Forces. Darth Telarius did not know the secret, but brought his legion of of followers to attack the installation and spread chaos across the planet. Preferring ground combat over naval might, his ships were more “transport” than “battleship.” This would prove to be problematice landing outside the Rand pass.

His staging area was large, and a contingent of four teams of Republic soldiers and two Commando teams threw caution to the wind, and, lead by Jedi Master Kayla Angellus, attacked the encampments. This was not a move that would prove ultimately successful and would not only cost the lives of the Republic soldiers, but Kayla herself. In turn though, almost a third of the encamped forces were killed in the process.

First day

On the fifth day after the Sith arrival at the Rand pass of Brentaal IV and the first day of the battle, Darth Telarius finally resolved to attack the Republic Installation. First, he ordered 1,000 energy-bow archers to shoot a barrage of arrows, but they were ineffective; they shot from at least 300 yards away, according to scholars and known documentation, yet the Republic shield generators held and deflected the arrows. After that, Telarius sent a force of 2,500 troops, led by several of his assassins to take the defenders prisoner and bring them before him. The Sith troops soon launched a frontal assault, in waves of around 1,000 men and women, on the Republic position, headed up by Jedi Master, and twin brother of Kayla, Kameron Angellus, assisted by the surviving Commando team, and the rest of the Special Forces contingent. The specialists fought in front of the Plerian wall, at the narrowest part of the Rand pass, which enabled them to use as few soldiers as possible. Details of the tactics are scant, but their “funnel” tactic forced the superior numbers of the Sith army to be rendered useless.


This probably describes the standard Republic phalanx, in which the men formed a wall of overlapping fields of fire and layered shots protruding out from the sides of the shields, which would have been highly effective as long as it spanned the width of the pass. The weaker shields, and shorter rifles and carbines of the Sith prevented them from effectively engaging the Republic.

History says that the units for each city were kept together; units were rotated in and out of the battle to prevent fatigue, which implies the Republic had more men than necessary to block the pass. Angellus and Republic Special Forces killed so many troops that Darth Telarius is said to have stood up three times from the seat from which he was watching the battle. According to Commander Talbot of the Republic cruiser “Shining Light”, the first wave was "cut to ribbons", with only two or three Special Forces killed in return.

According to scholars, Angellus, having taken the measure of the enemy, drew the best operators into a second assault the same day, Sith Acolytes, under the competitive tutelage of Darth Telarius assaulting the force. However, the Acolytes fared no better than the troops, and failed to make any headway against the Republic. Nidas apparently used a tactic of feigning retreat, and then turning and killing the enemy troops when they ran after them, a “false flag”.


Second day

On the second day, Darth Telarius again sent in the infantry to attack the pass, "supposing that their enemies, being so few, were now disabled by wounds and could no longer resist." However, the Sith had no more success on the second day than on the first. Telarius at last stopped the assault and withdrew to his camp, "totally perplexed, not to mention furious at the failures of those under him". Later that day, however, as the Sith Lord was pondering what to do next, he received a windfall; a Brentaal native by name of Deniside Anacindel informed him of the mountain path around Rand Pass and offered to guide the Sith army. Anacindel was motivated by the desire for a reward. For this act, the name Anacindel received a lasting stigma; it came to mean "scum" in the Brentaal lore and language and to symbolize the archetypal traitor in Brentaal culture.


History reports that Telarius sent his Apprentice Darth Hytheria that evening, with the men under her command, the Assassins, to encircle the Republic via the path. However, it is not known who those men and women were. The Assassins had been bloodied on the first day, so it is possible that Hytheria may have been given overall command of an enhanced force including what was left of the Assassins; according to history, Hytheria had a force of 2,500 for the mission. The path led from east of the Sith camp along the ridge of Mt. Mnadnock behind the cliffs that flanked the pass. It branched, with one path leading to Randia and the other down to the Phlanxian Gulf at Deklynius, the first town of Bryun.


Third day
At daybreak on the third day, the Brentaal guarding the path above Rand Pass became aware of the outflanking Sith column by the rustling of oak leaves. History says they jumped up and were greatly amazed. Hytheria was perhaps just as amazed to see them hastily arming themselves as they were to see him and his forces. She feared they were Special Forces but was informed by Anacindel that they were nothing more than local militia. The Brentaal retreated to a nearby hill to make their stand (assuming the Sith had come to attack them). However, not wishing to be delayed, the Assassins merely shot a volley of arrows at them, before bypassing them to continue with their encirclement of the main Republic Forces.


Learning from a runner that the Brentaal had not held the path, Kameron called a meet at dawn. Upon discovering that his army had been encircled, Kameron told his allies that they could leave if they wanted to. While many of the Brentaal took him up on his offer and fled, around two thousand soldiers stayed behind to fight and die. Knowing that the end was near, the Republic marched into the open field and met the Sith head-on. Many of the Republic contingents then either chose to withdraw (without orders) or were ordered to leave by Angellus. “The Devil Dogs” “The Yellowjackets”, “The Betio Bastards”, “Armageddon”, “Chaos Squad”, they all refused to leave and committed themselves to the fight. Also present were the 400 cadets and trainees and probably the security who had accompanied the Republic.

Many details of this part of the battle are sketchy, but it is believed that Angellus chose to form a rearguard so that the Brentaal militia and less experienced contingents could get away. If all the troops had retreated, the open ground beyond the pass would have allowed the Sith cavalry to run the Republic down. If they had all remained at the pass, they would have been encircled and would eventually have all been killed. By covering the retreat and continuing to block the pass, Angellus saved close to 3,000 men, who would be able to, and would indeed fight again.



At dawn, Telarius stalled even more, allowing his remaining assassins sufficient time to descend the mountain, and then began his advance. A Sith force of 7,000 men, comprising light infantry and cavalry, charged at the front of the Republic formation. The operators this time sallied forth from the wall to meet the enemy troops in the wider part of the pass, in an attempt to slaughter as many Sith as they could. They fought with rifles, until every powerpack was spent or weapon was destroyed, and then switched to vibroblades and wrist-blasters. In this struggle, two of Telarius' brothers fell: Darth Abercr and Darth OmbeNfitch. Kameron fought valiantly, but ultimately also died in the assault, shot down by over three dozen Sith archers.

Ultimately the surviving Republic Operators were able to save a large contingent of innocents that day, much to the fury of Telarius. This was so much so, that when his troops recovered Angellus’ body, the Sith Lord, in a rage, ordered that the body be decaptitated and his head put on a pike for all to see. A sign of “power”.

After the Sith departure, the Brentaal collected the dead and buried them on the hill. The Republic though were able to call in reinforcements, Angellus knew they could do this and bought them the time they needed to call and for the reinforcements to show. Show they did as no less than twenty Republic warships of all sizes soon dropped out of orbit and legion after legion of Republic Forces went to ground. The Sith forces were obliterated and Darth Telarius barely escaped with his life.

So almost immediately, contemporary military historians and scholars saw Brentaal IV as a critical moral and culture lesson. In universal terms, a small, free people had willingly outfought huge numbers of imperial subjects who advanced under the lash. More specifically, the Western idea that soldiers themselves decide where, how, and against whom they will fight was contrasted against the Eastern notion of despotism and monarchy—freedom proving the stronger idea as the more courageous fighting of the Jedi and Republic forces at Brentaal IV, and their later victories at Corellia and Commenor attested.


Militarily, although the battle was actually not decisive in the context of the Imperial invasion, Brentaal IV is of some significance on the basis of the first two days of fighting. The performance of the defenders is used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment, and good use of terrain as force multipliers.

What happened to Darth Telarius? He would learn twenty years later just how heavy a mistake he made, running into Admiral Owen Angellus and his battlegroup. The Republic officer tracked, followed and chased him throughout wildspace and the outer regions, coincidentally mapping a lot of uncharted galaxy.
 

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