Private In The House Of Assimilation

[Irveric Tavlar]

[ Thematic ]
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It was difficult to discern if the pit of dread enveloping Tavlar's senses was but a growing sickness or a true existential pity put unto himself. His first correspondence with Darth Bellum , the Supreme Commander of all the Sith Imperial Armed Forces. A deeply peculiar feeling to Irveric. Those pristine rank bars, four red over four blue pressed unto his Officer's uniform meant supreme authority to all the men under him and respectable peer-ship to his equals and direct commanders he knew well that they mean't nothing to Vexen. The maestro of the orchestra that was the Sith-Imperial war machine, a grand military force which operated at a near incalculable Galactic scale. Whether or not it matched or succeed the Sith dynasties of old or even the Galactic Empire was an argument for another day. On this day, it ruled supreme.

However, colder stretches of peace-time meant nerves were calcified and less veteran stock prepared for the overwhelming shock and awe that was the warfare the powers of the galaxy conducted. Ever surgical in its long tempered engineering of powerful instruments of death, dealing destruction at a nigh atomically efficient scale. Aboard the Bajulator Class Star-Destroyer, The Epitaph, and distributed across seven other identical vessels, Tavlar's battlegroup 'Enigma' assembled, its vast arrays of armored fighting vehicles, transports, assault guns and artillery prepped for rapid deployment at its invasion point on Kintan whilst the supporting detachments of infantry, though now garbed in their off-duty fatigues would be blended cleanly with the environment via their characteristic 'rain-drop' pattern of camouflage draped cleanly over their Legionary armor once they'd hit planetside.

Though by no means a gargantuan force on the scale of the Sith Empire, Tavlar's army had a distinct identity for itself. However, outside of policing backwater planets or eliminating fledgling terrorist, rebel and separatist cells, Tavlar and his host had yet to see large scale warfare of which they were about to bare witness to at Kintan.

"Major General Tavlar...The Lord General's fleet has emerged from hyperspace." The Epitaph's captain sounded off to his superior officer, his voice nearly trembling as he spoke.

Offering a curt nod, Tavlar began his way down into the hangar bay where the Lord General's shuttle was due to arrive and await Tavlar's correspondence. It would be foolish appraisal to say he wasn't intimidated or nervous to be finally meeting his overarching superior but now was not the time to show fear or reluctance. Though not the incomprehensibly powerful Sith Lord Kor Vexen might find to expect from his military's upper rankings, Tavlar's record was one of a competent officer and battle commander. With base context, it was believable enough to see his ascension to Major General.

Stood at full attention Tavlar awaited the Lord General's arrival, his arms behind him, tucked into the small of his back stood at attention as two veteran NCO's donned in his Legion's panoply of war with several companies worth of Legionaries divided into sections of fifty, each accompanied by a platoon-commander officer clutching the military colors of the Sith Empire.

 

[Darth Bellum]

K O R _ V E X E N

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Gehenna Fleet would be making its way through hyperspace, en route to a rendezvous with another friendly fleet of the Sith Empire after their operation on Anzat. Aboard the massive Apollyon Class Star Dreadnaught that dwarfed all the other ships in the fleet stood the Pyramid of Military Command that held authority over all branches of the Sith Empire's military, Kor Vexen. The Sith General stood aboard the bridge with the Vice Admiral that commanded Gehenna at his side as a female captain approached him, his secretary of sorts as she interrupted the silence. " Sir, the fleet will be arriving at the rendezvous point shortly. " Vexen who had his arms crossed over his chest would stare into the infinite void that was hyperspace as he spoke, " Remind me who will be there when we arrive... " The Captain would slightly bow her head as she looked down at her holopad before speaking, reading off a list of credentials, " Major General Iveric Tavlar...Recently promoted to his position and regarded highly according to records... " Vexen would wave a dismissive hand to cut the female Captain off as he spoke, " Regards and recommendations are of no consequence to me Captain Saryn...Only their worth and value is determined on the field. I have little faith and tolerance for officers that have yet to prove themselves to me... " The Captain would bow her head as she spoke, " Of course sir... " The ship's atmosphere would shift slightly as the fleet exited hyperspace, the grand invasion fleet arriving before battlegroup 'Enigma' as Vexen turned to leave the bridge and board a shuttle.​

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With the invasion of Kintan being planned and the day of reckoning approaching, it was prudent to discuss battleplans for the incoming slaughter that would ensue between the forces of light and dark. The Silver Jedi, whom have long had a history of clashing with the Sith Empire would find themselves once more facing a titan of the galaxy. The best they could possibly hope for was simply survival at this point after the numerous losing battles they have fought against the Sith, and the invasion of Kintan would simply be another addition to a long list of failed defenses. Vexen would board his shuttle, accompanied by a small detachment of troops from Ravager Batallion, Vexen's personal elite unit that he commanded with singular authority. ​

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The transport would be accompanied by a small fighter escort as they disembarked to Tavlar's flagship, soon arriving in its hangar as the shuttle touched down. Hydraulics would hiss as the ramp lowered and touched the floor, steam venting as the titanic figure of Kor Vexen stepped down, followed by a small squad of well-armed Dragoons who easily stood a foot above most infantry present. The air seemed to grow colder simply from the Sith's presence as most outside of Vexen's direct command often felt uneasy in his presence, even among the Sith he was an individual that made many uncomfortable.​

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Vexen's heavy metallic footsteps would move at a methodical space as his long strides soon brought him before Tavlar, the Sith General towering a full two and a half feet above the man as his expressionless gaze fell upon the Major General, an uncomfortably long silence following before Vexen spoke and addressed the man, " Irveric Tavlar I presume...? " The Anzat had purposefully addressed the man without his rank, his own unspoken way of saying he did not acknowledge their position within the military until they had proven themselves worthy of it. It was also a test of their arrogance if they either requested or demanded they be addressed by their rank, a test that if they failed would result in a humbling from the Sith. The invasion of the Nikto homeworld would be a good start to proving his worth to Vexen. Needless to say, their meeting would be under the intense scrutiny of the Sith as a means of gauging whether he would be a reliable or worthless piece in the grand battle.​

Irveric Tavlar ​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

As soon as the hydraulics from the shuttle hissed and the steam released harshly from the shuttle, the crew cabin of the shuttle swiftly equalizing its pressure to that of the Star Destroyer as they boarded. The dragoons making their entry alone drew an arched brow from Tavlar. The Red Legion and thus Ravager Battalion was a unit which held a great deal of fanfare surrounding its widely told exploits and lore within the armed forces.

Seemingly compartmentalized to be under the exclusive control of the Supreme Commander the reputation proceeded itself, even from several dozen feet away the otherwise biologically and mechanically untouched Sith Legionaries among Tavlar's field army. Compromised almost entirely of Human or Near-Human stock appeared like malformed genetic trogladytes in the shadow of Darth Bellum and his escort. Regardless, if the field reports were anything to be judged by, the unit was one which had performed dutifully under Tavlar's command, even if the mainly "bandit-fighting" counter-insurgent operations they'd conducted couldn't lay a scratch on the greater resume of the Lord General's exploits. Where Tavlar operated in thousands of men, Vexen mobilized systems and armies.

When the Lord General approached Tavlar seemingly remained resolute, remaining at attention with his arms crossed behind his back, only lowering them to his sides once he was addressed. The Lord General's seeming ignorance of his rank didn't brush over Tavlar's head but didn't seem to cause any visible effect because, all in all, it had no effect at all. Irveric's ego was calcified far before his Major General rank bars were sewn to his Officer's uniform. Thus, he didn't seem to care at all. His interactions with Sith were few and far between but he was left with enough context to read the room of them. They were near unanimously fixated on power and thus sought to impose it as eagerly as they sought it.

"Yes, my Lord. " Was all Tavlar said, whatever else might come out of his mouth would be redundant. Upon closer inspection the Major General was a full-bred Human man, still in his prime though certainly no stranger to the gauntlet of conflict with a smattering of faint lacerations across his face embedded amongst several laser and gunnery burns that marred the otherwise pale skin. With a stoic, Imperial Officer's gaze he certainly mirrored the SIAF profile.

 

[Darth Bellum]

K O R _ V E X E N

Vexen would dismissively wave his hand as Tavlar addressed him as lord. In truth, Vexen did not care for the titles and teachings of the Sith. The only similarities he shared was his lust for knowledge and power as well as usage of the Force; The Empire simply provided him a means of achieving what he desired, while the Force and his own skills gave him the means to do so on his own. Hence why he did not go by his Darth name " Dispense with the formalities. You will refer to me as you would any superior officer, sir will suffice, though my colleagues in the Sith may not be so lenient or tolerant. " Vexen would lower his hand back to his side as he shifted his gaze to the troops present, seeming to inspect them before returning his gaze back to Tavlar.​

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" As you should be aware, we will be conducting an assault on Kintan, a system of strategic importance to us... As such, I expect your troops to be able to fulfill their role in the coming battle. Possession of Kintan will provide us a staging ground and supply route to strike further into the Silver Jedi's territory and ultimately carve a path to striking their wretched headquarters on Kashyyk. "​

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Vexen would pause as he gave Tavlar a moment to process the importance of the upcoming invasion as he then proceeded to speak, " The Silver Jedi have a history of endangering the lives of civilians caught in the crossfire whenever we clash. While holding civilians hostage as a means of protection will usually not yield expected results, having hostages killed by the Silver Jedi will only further show the Galaxy how pathetic their resolve to protect the innocent are. " He paused as he raised a hand up, his palm facing the ceiling as a holographic recording began to play of a battle on Umbara; an event that Vexen was involved in orchestrating that ultimately resulted in the fall of the Mandalorians. The recording would show a Verpine Commander ordering his troops to shoot through civilians to get the enemy. " They enjoy use of commando units and infiltration, as well as large scale bombing and explosive ordinance usage so remain vigilant for anything. While they are rats in our presence, even a rat will bite back when cornered and can be...Creative if not crude in their methods. "​

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Vexen would offer another lengthy pause before he spoke once more, " Make no mistake, victory on Kintan will also serve as a reminder of how weak the Jedi are in the face of our superior might and the rest of the Galaxy at large. It will instill fear in our enemies and any who harbor any notions of ever rising to fight us. As such I have high expectations for your performance; prove that you are worthy of your position and place within our military. Do not disappoint me. With all that being said, if you have questions - speak. "​

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Irveric Tavlar ​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

Being in the position he was, Irveric was all but content to let Kor Vexen speak. The use of 'Lord' to him might've been a miscue on his part, but surely an excusable one, being 'Lord' and 'Lady' were the expected title for Sith of his station. Regardless, the gesture was a reassuring one though it did little to offset the aura of cold discomfort which emitted about him.

The troopers Vexen cared to inspect carried themselves with largely the same silhouette as other Sith-Imperial Legionaries pressed to serve under other commanders. Though Tavlar's troops donned a kit with several modifications. Their MK-III Legionary combat armor each draped with the 'Enigma' pattern camouflage, then currently adjusted to fit the sterile climate of the star-destroyer by adopting a dark-grey, urban hue. Among many of the ranks, about three to each squad, 'Grenadiers' were equipped with concussion rifles each of them fitted with a chest-rig over their breastplates to accommodate more magazines for the weapon.

Further supplementing the standard riflemen, a man in each section carried a rocket launcher and another a heavy-duty blaster, ammunition for each fitted to chest-rigs or rucks with the standard riflemen carrying ammunition for the other-specialized troops as well, though this game a less than uniform appearance, the purpose was evident enough. It gave each section more staying potential be it defensively or offensively without being supplied further, distributing additional burden of special and heavy weapon ammo amongst the rest of the squad to keep its fire power at optimal capacity should any one of them fall.

From these glances alone it was simple enough to discern the suited role of Tavlar's army and thus his doctrine. Further equipped with the context that his suited curriculum during his attendance at the Imperial Academy was specialized to the Imperial Assault Armor Division it puts it into full vision.

As soon as Vexen had concluded inspecting Tavlar's troops to his desire the Major General offered a hand out to lead them from the hangar-bay though continued slowly, listening intently as the Lord General continued to speak. The holo-vid was a chilling sight, though Tavlar displayed nothing but cold stoicness the, audible order driving a spike of frigid chillness down his spine as he listened on.

Tavlar was a commander who displayed at least an bare respect for any who sough the arena of battle. Carrying a degree of honorable conduct in how he instructed his army though, his patience wore thin at the cowardice and more disgusting, the hypocrisy. The Jedi were supposed honorable warrior-monks, ever plagued with humility and self-righteous devotion to their creed. It made the grievous sight all the more despicable to witness.

Once he was given permission to speak, Tavlar nodded once before speaking up. "The gravity of this encounter is palpable, Sir...though I may speak redundancies I inform you my Army follows the primary doctrine of the Armored Assault Division. Engaging at a long distance with superior firepower, though I take preference in...distributing the 'threats' widely among my detachments. I find larger squadrons and more frequent of mid-sized vehicles far more threatening than that of only a token few super-heavy walkers. If it is so the doctrine of the Jedi to use large scale bombardment and smaller scale assault and commando groups this doctrine may prove advantageous if we're able to at the very least contest air and orbital fronts. Bombers pick at super-heavy vehicles easily and the bigger the fighting vehicle the more structural weak points it has for commando teams to exploit. Thus, though of course I will suite whichever purpose you deem appropriate for me, I think it is certainly viable that I continue this approach as a means to compliment the other tendrils of the invasion. Though regardless my only inquiry is that of...what my role shall be in the coming invasion and how I might best serve to accomplish our objective." Tavlar states, speaking with an ever present Imperial stoicness to his words. Though perhaps in a colored contrast to Vexen's Sith peers, Tavlar speaks in a pragmatic approach, though clearly maintaining a doctrine his record shows an ability to adapt and is seemingly open-eared to whatever the Lord General may suggest.

Darth Bellum

 

[Darth Bellum]

K O R _ V E X E N

The armored Anzati would begin to move as Tavlar gestured and led the way out of the hangar, seeming content with how things were in the hangar among the Legionnaires. The Imperial Legion as a whole was one of the most feared armies in the Galaxy, and for good reason. The Sith Empire did well to raise the best fighting force it could muster across the vast amount of territories it held, and were held to an extremely high standard. Nothing short of perfection would suffice, and any notion of mercy or empathy was drilled out of their troops. On the battlefield, there was only thing that stood above all else; victory for the Empire.​

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Vexen's gaze would remain forward as Tavlar spoke, going over in detail the role that the troops under his command played as well as other small comments. Vexen's hand would clench into a fist as he terminated the holographic projection and let his arm return to his side as he continued to walk, his armored footsteps echoing as his cloak dragged behind him. The Silver Jedi had proven themselves time and time again during their clashes that they were anything but 'the good guys'; The purging of civilians on Mirial as a foolish Jedi had laid waste to the atmosphere and incinerated the capital with Wall of Light, or targeting a Star Destroyer positioned over the capital knowing full well the damage it would inflict when the destroyed ship came crashing down. There was no end to the atrocities that the Silver Jedi had committed in a feeble attempt to stall the Sith's advances. ​

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As Tavlar finished his thoughts, Vexen would simply respond in a cold and curt answer, " Noted. " Vexen would continue on to wherever Tavlar was guiding him as he spoke, " The Silver Jedi have a tendency to be caught off guard by our attacks. They respond...well enough, but our invasion fleet will have enough aerial support to claim air superiority. It would not surprise me though if they sent out any of their aerial assets on a suicidal attack run in an attempt to stall our advances. Ensure that you have shield generators to protect your positions... " Vexen would pause in his speech as he glanced over his shoulder to look down at Tavlar, " I will be providing a reconnaissance detachment from my own personal unit to provide you coordinates for attack." Vexen of course referred to the Ravager Batallion, a subdivision of his own Red Legion, more specifically the reconnaissance division that was comprised of his Nightseers. ​

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He would then continue on, giving the Major General a brief idea of what their end result would be, " We will seize New Kalandra and its population and herd them into a single concentrated area... You will be responsible for wiping them out as a means of delivering a message. I trust that you have no quarrels or objections to this... " Of course, wiping out the civilian population was not without its purpose. As Vexen had mentioned before, Kintan would pose as a strategic location for future assaults into Silver Jedi territory. By purging the civilian population of the capital, it would obliterate any notion of any potential rebellion and disruption down the line once Kintan had been turned into a proper staging ground.​

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Irveric Tavlar ​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

The Major General continued to listen intently, a brow raised to the Lord General's words. The mere concept of an aerial suicide attack was a greatly concerning one. As fortified as his positions could be for the siege, it all could come crumbling down around him with a well placed crash and bombing run from a particularly fanatical pilot. Regardless, there was a contrast of nature between the two military men. One was a full fledged sith adherent with an eye for greater purpose and a fierce message to his military actions. Where as Tavlar was raised among the lower-middle class of a ship-crafting backwater world and spoke far more of doctrine and strategy. His aim in any engagement was to kill the enemy, accomplish the objective.

It was when Vexen informed Tavlar that he would be the one giving the fire order to slay the civilian population that a frigid chill coursed down his spine. He should've known this be expected of him. "No, sir...though if I may...undoubtedly their defenses should be the primary objectives of my batteries. And thought I'll not follow the objective as you set it, something to consider might very well be the strategic use of the Nikto. Though as a people they are deeply unfortunate to lay your eyes upon they are a hardy lot and if we're advancing toward the core we'll need labor in droves to construct our instruments of war and if we're able to establish manufacturing here, all the better. Regardless, I will do what must be done to achieve our victory, sir." Tavlar states in confidence, shifting his gaze to match his superior's. All but a gesture that he was forthright in his words with not a tinge of fear in his eyes.

Darth Bellum

 

[Darth Bellum]

K O R _ V E X E N

Vexen would listen to Tavlar's suggestion though once he began to speak, it was clear that he had disregarded the suggestion of his subordinate. In the past, Vexen had been disappointed with the results of tasks he had entrusted to others, predating far before his ascension within the ranks of the Sith. " You will be targeting their defenses and positions to keep them on the defensive while our troops storm the city. Force the Silver Jedi to herd their civilians into shelter. The order to strike their civilian targets will however overrule any other objective you may be pursuing once it is given. " ​

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Vexen paused as the Major General began to speak about making use of the Nikto once the battle was won, " Be that as it may, an example needs to be made and the occupants of their capital where the Silver Jedi will focus their efforts the most on will be the perfect target. Those who stand against our Empire will be crushed under our iron fist. Once the capital falls, what hope will any other cities of Kintan have should they raise arms against us without the support of the Silver Jedi? New Kalandra is their theoretical bastion of hope. Without it, they will be broken and more compliant. "​

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The Anzati General would pause as he turned to fully face Tavlar, his arms behind his back as his silent gaze fell upon the Major General.​

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Irveric Tavlar ​