Into Darkness (Firemane)

[Laira Darkhold]

Doctor Geva looked at the security holocamera, looking at the poor rutian blue Twi’lek dressed in a prison uniform curled up in a corner. She was still damp, but that could have been the room or her own sweat given the temperature the cell was being held at. “Yes, like I said, I don’t work in conditions like these for long. You would be doing me such a favor if you would get a nice comfortable place set up for me.” The falleen’s hand slipped across the officer’s face in a flirtatious manner. Of course Firemane had already given her permission to make some arrangements to conduct her interview.

The door opened and the falleen woman stepped inside the dim, dank cell. Instinctively the Twi’lek flinched, curling up into a tight ball in the corner, sobbing. “I don’t know anything else, I swear.”

Geva sat across the room, exuding comforting pheromones of calm and friendliness. Powerful as they could have been, Geva preferred only slight uses of her natural state. Otherwise it made people distrustful and wary, made them take precautions against her. “I’m so sorry dear, I had heard they had been rough with you. I’m not here to hurt you, promise. I just wanna talk is all.”

Airla looked up, big blue eyes peering from between her arms in the fetal position. “You aren’t?”

“No, my name is Doctor Geva. I’m a xenoanthropologist and I’m writing a book about the culture of the Dominion. I would appreciate it if you would allow me to interview you.” Geva crossed her legs, her skirt a little shorter and her shirt a little more unbuttoned than would normally be professional. “Is that alright?”

“I don’t know. If I refuse you’ll torture me, right?”

“No, I won’t. I don't support the mistreatment of prisoners, but I will be honest. I have no idea what Firemane will do with you once you no longer serve a purpose to them, but I do know that they would give you to me if I asked.” Geva’s tone was kind and warm, probably one of the reasons the Galactic Empire had been so accepting of her.

“And I would be your slave? My kind makes for popular slaves.”

The greenskinned doctor knew exactly what she was doing, playing on the woman’s fear and pain, but also making herself the only chance of hope for survival. Survival instincts drove a prisoner who had been broken by torture. Such a barbaric practice. If Firemane had been faster and asked her to help, she could have convinced the Jedi to help and her information wouldn’t be suspect. “They do, but I don’t do slaves. I’d keep you in my custody for a time, then release you. My friends in the Jedi Remnant would find a place for you if you wanted. But all that comes with a condition.”

“That I serve them?”

“Well, no. That you prove I can trust you. If you do that, I’ll take you with me for a while to complete my book, do all the boring interviews and questionnaires I need, and then, well. It’s a big galaxy.”

The Twi’lek regarded her with skepticism, watching the Falleen’s every muscle and every move. Geva was an excellent liar, but she didn’t need to right now. Airla didn’t want to stay with Firemane and she didn’t want to stay in this cell, she was just weighing her options. “Very well. I will answer your questions.”

“Oh no, honey. I don’t work in a place like this.” She stood and waved her hand. “Be very gentle with her please or I’ll have your manhood in jars on my desk.” Her voice remained soft and soothing as a quartet of soldiers entered the room to shackle Airla and escort her to a much more comfortable holding cell. Airla was very timid throughout the process, resisting them when they tried to pull her arms back behind her, screaming in fear when one of them accidentally touched her lekku. Geva stepped forward to comfort her, dumping her pheromones deeply and gently caressing the woman’s face. “Shhhhh, shhh dear. I would never let them hurt you.” Not because she cared about the twi’lek or was concerned for her well-being for truly selfless reasons, but because if they did it would invalidate her own promises to the woman and make it very unlikely she got what she wanted.

The four troopers escorted the Jedi, and the Ysalamiri, to a much more comfortable chamber complete with bed and two reclining sofa chairs. Once inside the guards released the woman and stepped out, leaving them alone again. “It will be lunch time soon, so I will have them bring us something to eat shortly. When you are ready we can begin.”

The twi’lek gingerly sat down in the chair across from Geva, looking for hidden doors or cameras or something to indicate it was some form of trap. After a moment she settled and began talking while Geva took notes, occasionally asking more direct questions about the Dominion as she did so.

~

Laira regarded the black skinned woman politely, noting her dark side presence quickly. She wasn’t unused to such things, afterall she had been raised alongside numerous Dark Side acolytes from her father’s clan. Not every Dark Jedi was one of evil and hatred, many followed a personal code and they could be honorable, even kind. What made them Dark Jedi was their reliance on emotion and their search for power, something even Laira was guilty of from time to time. Firemane hated Sith and was run pragmatically by Siobhan and Tegaea, both a little stiff and difficult to please but both also were benevolent in their actions and hardly cruel for sake of cruelty, so they wouldn’t employ a genocidal maniac just to have one. Still, Laira hid her mild unease.

“I… uh, I don’t think so?” Companion of the Offspring of the Destroyer could have been a redhead only Firemane military unit for all Laira knew. “I’m a close friend of Elpsis and I’m here with the Resistance. It sounds like we’ll be on the ground together.” She stood next to the drow as Colonel Varkathras entered and began her briefing, explaining each team’s duties as she went. She wasn’t exactly a duelist, if her fight against Jedi Keth had been anything to go by, leaving her wounded and disoriented after a short few seconds. She would have to lean heavily on Xalda and her squad of RESINT operators.

Most of the Death troopers and GAG officers had already changed out for plasma ignition, gas operated slugthrowers which would help them get around the electronic eating fungi, but wouldn’t do much against the Force stopping the bullets.

From the looks of it, the terrain and the intelligence on enemy forces, combined with the Republican Guard’s support, Firemane was going for a swift take over of the hill so they could begin moving artillery and heavy weaponry into hold out areas the bombardment hadn’t been able to get while the bulk of the Dominion’s army moved into the jungles.

Once everything was done, the colonel and other officers ushered the teams into the gunships. Laira took one last longing look at the fighters in the hangar, wishing she had her X-Wing back, wishing she knew where Probabat Shun had gone, wishing she had gone after Elpsis or better yet that her friend was safe, and wishing she didn’t have to go. But she did.

https://youtu.be/ec0XKhAHR5I​

~

“Don’t take it too personally. I’m not the trusting type. You'll have to give me a better reason to trust you later.” Kira said with a smirk, though she didn’t much mind the Sith. She worked with Death Troopers after all, but she was mostly troubled by Nyssa’s defense of the culture. If she knew the kind of Sith Kira had become used to, she might want to distance herself from the Fox News of Sith ideology.

Kira may not have been the trusting type, but she was however the terrorist type that had its uses. The Resistance enjoyed her unique take on the rules of engagement and how they didn’t necessarily exist. A familiar face appeared, one that also didn’t greet Nyssa, whose name was still a mystery to the revolutionary. “Hello Dorne. Always a pleasure.”

Kira remained quiet and steely for the briefing, simply listening to what her role would be and what the mission was. It was mostly just a rescue mission from the Jedi Cultists’ re-education camp, which was a nice term for brainwashing labor camp. Within a short time, the team was loaded up into a gunship and Kira sat near the door in her ghostsuit, helm on covering her face while she centered herself. At least this time she wouldn’t be running into any friends while busting up a labor camp. She was silently glad for the berserk canisters she brought.

Bloodcrazed prisoners were always a good distraction.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
@Tegaea Alocri

 

[Karrigan'Xalda]

[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tempest"]


For her part, Xalda sensed that the red-maned human was of the Light. Being a Xioquo and devoted follower of the Dark, she did not like the Light much. Light powers tended to burn her if she got close! However, the girl was apparently a friend of the Offspring, though it was likely she did not worship the Destroyer as she should.


"The one you call Elpsis is the Offspring," she declared, feeling pleased with herself. One day, when the Destroyer ascended, the Offspring would take her place and it would be Xalda's duty to serve her in any way the heiress desired. "And, yes, we shall. You have faced Yedi before? I have been told they are strong foes."


Fortunately, Colonel Varkathras initiated the briefing before this conversation could get any more awkward for Laira. Who knew, otherwise she might be asked if she had a moment of time for the Great Karishzar. Anyhow, Leonina outlined the plan and their respective roles in it. Xalda nodded respectfully. "Come on. To battle. May the power of the spirits be with us and make us triumph over our foes." Swiftly they made their way towards their heavily armoured gunships.

Given that they were members of the same strike team, Xalda and the Redhead Jedi Princess ended up on the same ship. The Xioquo slipped her helmet on and strapped herself in, looking a little nervous when the transport lifted off. As it pierced the atmosphere, she began to chant. "Bless us as we enter the light, Karishzar. May your will strengthen our minds and guide our hands. Let us, your humble daughters, honour you with victory. Oh great Karishzar, we beseech thee for victory."

"Darkhold, Karrigan," a rough, female voice with a slight Panathan accent interrupted. It belonged to Sergeant Saito, a tall, scarred woman with almond-shaped eyes and tanned skin. Despite the ostensibly low rank, her aura was that of a Master. Incidentally, Karrigan was just one letter removed from Kerrigan. This was not a coincidence.

"ROE have been suspensed. It's a free fire zone. Our focus is on taking out enemy Force-Users. Darkhold, you got the glowstick, so you will meet them close-up. But don't do anything dumb. Everyone tells tales about heroes, but the heroes are never alive to hear them, got it? My boys and I suppress their powers, focusing on the heavy hitters. Like wrapping a cold blanket over someone." It ought to work, unless they ran into an emo Vader wannabe who could somehow shrug off Master level Dampen Force with zero trouble.

"And our guns fire bullets they'll have trouble deflecting or hopping away from. Karrigan, you'll back up Darkhold. Strike from the shadows, use your earth mojo. And don't cut anyone's ears off till the fight's over. Sure no one will steal your kills." Just a little bit of morbid banter to 'lighten' the mood.

"As you wish."

xxx

Meanwhile, on another transport Sergeant Freya Solveig was getting ready, having just finished donning her suit of Ironside Power Armour. Terribly heavy and terribly resistant to most form of attack, it made her feel like a tank. In her eyes, it was appropriate. She was Kerrigan's muscle, a moniker reflected by her impressively muscled body.

And today it was her job to crush Jedi beneath her boots. Jedi, Sith, Light, Dark - it was all semantics to her. Almost to a man, Force-Users were just a bunch of overly mighty, pompous little chits who thought their fancy powers made them better. But take their powers away, and they turned into little crybabies. She had experience in breaking them. Both on the battlefield and outside of it. That was why the Boss-Lady entrusted her with missions like this.

Having completed her checkups, she slammed her gauntlet-covered fists together. That got everyone's attention. "Listen up, maggots. In a couple minutes we're gonna land and ruin these Jedi's day. We're gonna crush these frakkers. Boss-Lady's suspensed the ROE." Freya pointedly never referred to Siobhan as Lady Kerrigan or any sort of honorific. She was the boss or boss-lady, that was it.

"That means free-fire zone. Anyone who's not on our side, dies. Even if it's a frakking Youngling. Anyone of you maggots who doesn't take that shot is letting his buddies down. Now keep your wits up, watch your six, concentrate fire on any Jedi you run into. Watch for traps. Never turn your back on an enemy unless you know for sure they're dead. You got it?"

"Yes, Sarge!" the members of Reaper Squad cried out.

"Good," she grunted.

xxx

As the gunships descended from the sky, Fortress Purity stood tall in the distance. Protected by trenches, pits and mines along with artillery, the citadel was a formidable bastion, though it had been built to withstand massed charges of light infantry.

Crimson beams of turbolaser fire slashed downward from the sky as Firemane ships unleashed hell upon the fortress. In the face of intense flak fire, Firemane bombers were swooping down like birds of prey. The earth itself trembled, as if struck by earthquakes. It was a noise akin to thunder, except much louder. From their lofty vantage point up in the sky, the members of the assault force could witness the hurricane bombardment that was being rained down upon the defenders of Purity. In a single instant, countless lives were being snuffed out. However, in spite of the bombardment flak fire came the way of the transports.


The gunship Laira and company were on shuddered as it was struck, though its heavy armour provided solid protection. Already Firemane forces had landed, deploying infantry and self-propelled guns to increase the pressure on the fortress. However, then swarms of fighters launched from concealed hangars in the fortress and made a beeline towards the invading forces already on the ground or in the process of landing.


The fighters were hopelessly antique, the kind of craft Laira and her comrades had faced in the sky above Nexus City. However, many of them were not intended to make it back alive. Loaded to the brim with explosives, they threw themselves at the transports and vehicles with reckless abandon. Some were piloted by Force-Users. Using their preternatural precognition and reflexes, they sought to weave a path through enemy fire and get safely to their targets.


It was often said that a Jedi's life was sacrifice. These pilots, in their misguided attempt to protect their homeland from foreign invasion, were taking this mantra to its logical, extreme conclusion by turning themselves into living bombs. To them, no price was too high if it assured the safety of those they had sworn an oath to protect. Several of these fighters were shooting directly towards the transport Laira and friends were on.

xxx

Meanwhile, on the command deck, the Qadiri officer from earlier approached Tegaea. Her uniform was as immaculate as ever and not a hair was out of place. "Uh, ma'am," she cleared her throat. "Our Tephriki guest - Mara Technician - is requesting permission to help out, as she puts it. She claims that she is a trained comms technician and familiar with Dominion codes." The tone of voice the elf used conveyed a heavy dose of scepticism regarding the woman's skills and trustworthiness.

While the Qadiri relayed this information, Mara could be seen standing outside in the corridor. Naturally she was being guarded by a Firemane soldier. The young woman looked a bit anxious, rubbing her hands together, but resolved.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Laira Darkhold"] [member="Karrigan'Xalda"]

Behead/Battle: Leonina (CO), Laira, Xalda, Freya, Mezha, Leo/DTs, Silencers

Rescue: Tempest (CO), Kira, Nyssa, Natalie, Loyalty, Varkasa Jai Nansal

Tegaea had been assailed by so many other concerns that the clone technician had slipped from her mind. However, now her aide spoke to her she immediately had an idea.

“Bring her forward, I think she might be useful,” she said.
As the technician was brought forward, Tegaea smiled and tried to seem as kind and unthreatening as possible.
“Mara, I understand you know all about the Dominion codes and signals?” she asked.
“Yes, I was trained to understand and communicate all necessary transmissions.”
“Splendid. We cracked the Dominion codes very quickly. We now understand exactly what they are saying, but not necessarily what it means. There are coded references and allusions to some things which we do not understand. For instance, have you ever heard a phrase the ‘Hammers of Light’ before? Hmm, how about the ‘Radiant Cloak’?”
“I know those names. They were spoken about only rarely, and only with the highest clearance. The Hammers were referred as great weapons to smite all enemies, but I do not know where they were stored. There were 4 I believe.”
“The missiles,” Tegaea said with a nod. It confirmed a theory. “And the Cloak?”
Mara shook her head. “Only that it was a device built by orders of the Grandmaster and Battlemaster. I know nothing more.”
“That’s very helpful. Bahani, take her to the communications area and give her any coded transmissions to examine. We might get lucky and find out something useful.”
The girl would of course be guarded and her suggestions vetted, but they might be useful.

XXX

Meanwhile, Fortress Purity was being assailed by a storm of fire unparalleled in this world’s history. It would have seemed from the air that nothing could have lived through the storm of shot and shell, and yet counterfire still blasted out.

The Dominion guns had tried to fire back at first, but after they had been tracked and ruthlessly suppressed, they waited with their surviving pieces, concealing them as best they could for the inevitable assault. After all, one could pound and blast but infantry were still needed to take the bulwark from the enemy.

Next the gas and smoke and come down. The two were mixed so it was hard to tell them apart. Contact nerve toxins mixed with choke and tear gas to punish the defenders. Many died or suffered in torment, unable to escape from the bombardment.

Finally, from on high a single actinic lance of fire slammed down from the heavens, a bolt from the Scarlet Destiny’s Harbinger cannons which struck the centre of Fortress Purity with such force it created shockwaves and aftershocks. The blast extinguishing an entire company of defenders on impact.

The silence which followed was not true silence at all, as the guns continued to fire, but compared it was eerily quiet.

And then the attack began.

XXX

In the air, the situation was becoming complicated. How could one stop an enemy determined to die? Deterrence did not work, threat did not work, only killing them to the last had any hope of success.

And so the pilots died. Blasters, missiles, flak and beam cannons shot them down. It was a Jester shoot, but they kept coming. Transports were hit in flaming fireballs as the elite pilots flew to their death. Harder to shoot down, they hit their targets not with missiles, but with the detonations of their own attack craft.

And so too it was for Laira and her companion’s ship. This Jedi, a female Twi’lek, screamed her battlecry of ‘For the Dominion!’ as blaster bolts and flak tore away her wings and engines. It didn’t matter though as she was aiming straight at the transport, without a tremor of hesitation, awaiting only oneness with the Force as it drew closer….

XXX

Tempest was not listening to the chatter of the battle. She had her own job, and their stealthy transports were operating on radio silence.

She glanced across at Natalie. “This is your stop. Ping us when you’re set and we’ll go in. If all else fails blow the walls, that’ll be a good way to signal us. The Qadiri and Firemane will begin their offensives in ten minutes.”

Natalie would be dropping in stealthily, get in close and blow the walls under the cover of the north and south assaults. That’d let Tempest’s group strike unexpectedly from the west and penetrate the heart of the ‘Education Centre’.

Tempest consulted her chrono. The bombers would be arriving very, very soon….

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


"Confess."

She was in great pain, tired and hungry. Save for the gruel she had been given once shortly after arriving in the camp, she had not eaten since the start of her capture. She was running a fever. The addtional weights caused her limbs further pain. Try as she might, she could not get loose. The girl felt dizzy and nauseous.

"Confess," the guard repeated.

"We only want to make you better," the Inquisitor's calm, serene voice resonated inside her mind. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe giving in would stop the pain, if only for a moment.

The guard pulled the glass away. Carelessly, she let the water spill onto the ground, where it was far out of Elpsis' reach. Then she turned and walked away. "Wait," Elpsis called out in a weak, tired voice. "Wait." The guard either did not seem to hear or decided to ignore her.

"I confess."

"Say that again," the guard ordered her.

Shame filled her. "I confess. T-to conspiracy and sowing discord and..."

"Crimes against the peaceful people of the Dominion of Light."

"Y-yes."

"Say it."

"I c-confess to crimes against the peaceful people of the Dominon of Light."

"And you submit to the justice of the Holy Order of Jedi Knights."

"And I s-submit to the justice of the Holy Order of Jedi Knights."

"And renounce your Sith ways."

"And I r-renounce my...my..." at this she faltered. The words died on her tongue but would not leap from it. She was no Sith. She had never been a Sith."

"Finish it."

"My S-Sith ways."

Suddenly Inquisitor Lea had appeared next to the guard. Diona was at her side. "You see, Jedi Diona, the Light always wins out. Darkness rises, and Light to meet it. Take her down." Her eyes met Elpsis' vacant ones. "When you leave this place, it will be as a servant of the Light. You will be born again in our sacred covenant."

xxx


Meanwhile, the lot of the other prisoners had not been turned for the better by the sudden crackdown. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Their rations were reduced and they had to work longer hours and meet higher quotas in the mines.


A few were directly or indirectly spared this punitive treatment. Those who did not enjoy such luxuries took note. Surveillance was intensified and arbitrary cruelties on the part of the guards increased. However, even inside a concentration camp, the forces of order were not omnipotent. There are many misconceptions surrounding a totalitarian system. Most of these are perpetuated by Imperial apologists, the ignorant media or general ignomaruses. One is that totalitarianism is efficient. Another is that a totalitarian dictatorship is free of crime. Both assumptions are wholly absurd.


A dictatorship does not clean up the streets. It simply puts a gang of criminals in power, giving them unfettered authority. It does not make the trains run on time. Individuals are promoted not due to competence but political loyalty. Corruption is not eradicated, rather it flourishes. The camp was no exception to the rule.


And so some guards were persuaded to...look the other way. Bribes in form of cigarettes and other flavours, some carnal in nature, helped. A few prisoners had one moment where they were unobserved during their labours. They spoke in hushed whispers, mindful of being detected and sent to correction.


"How much does Mel know?"

"Only basic stuff."

"She'd never talk."

"Everyone talks sooner or later - and they just need to get into her head," the ringleader of the group said authoritatively. Her name was Phoebe and she was a Nautolan. "Time's short. Any word from outside?"

"Our contact knows little more than we do. There's fighting. And, well, it's just rumours..."

"Out with it," Phoebe ordered.

"Well, someone overheard the Inquisitor say that if enemy forces approach the camp will be...evacuated."

There was silence. Everyone knew what this meant. "We must accelerate our plan," the Nautolan decided. "And find the traitor." They had their ways of disposing of moles.

"What about the new girl?"

"Don't know her, can't trust her and they never take their eyes off her. But...that might be useful. They're all so focused on her."

"You lot. Stop slacking and get back to work," a guard bellowed. Their brief reprieve was over and they went back to work. They would not exchange a single word for the rest of their shift, yet plans were being hatched. All it would take was a spark to light the fire.

xxx

Fortress Purity.

Destruction rained down upon Fortress Purity. The Citadel was being assailed by a hellish storm. It was, one should note, by no means unparalleled in Tephrike's history. One need only look at the nuclear wasteland of Palmyra, Tephrike's former capital. However, it was certainly an impressive display of martial might.


Firemane unleashed its technological terrors in form of shot, gas, laser fire and shell. The Dominion resisted as staunchly as it could. Intense counterfire met the swarms of Firemane bombers. However, then their fire ceased. Not because the storm had swept them away, but because they were conserving their strength. After all, this battle would not be won through air power alone.


The soldiers of Viper Company could not see the firestorm, being far beneath the earth. However, they could certainly hear the thunderous noise it caused. The earth itself trembled, as if struck by quakes. The tunnels were very narrow. At some points the partisans had to crawl, adding to their claustophobia. However, they pushed on undaunted.


Throughout their advance they kept radio silence and communicated via hand signals. Visibility was terribly low. Luckily, they had a working relationship with the dark. Inevitably they came across enemy patrols. The intense bombardment had thrown the Dominion forces into disarray, but they were rallying, their morale bolstered by their Jedi Generals.


There was no way to sneak past the patrol. It was either dispose of it or fail. A quick hand signal communicated Mezha's intent to her comrades. When the leader of the patrol crossed what the Yuuzhan Vong had deemed no man's land, she sprang into action. Her movements were quick and precise, like those of a predator.


The leader of the patrol was a Padawan. Someone more idealistic - and gullible - would have seen an innocent young boy. A brainwashed victim who had been bred in a laboratory, fed a lifetime of lies and then given a sword. All of these assumptions would have been correct. Likewise, any person who acted on these beliefs would get impaled by the aforementioned Padawan.


Mezha chose herself. Her comrades followed suit. The blade Synthia held pulled back and then flew, soaring through the air for a fraction of a second before embedding herself in a clone trooper's pharynx. In the same moment as the soldier's life was being snuffed out, Mezha struck. Taking advantage of her Cloak of Nuun and the fact that she was a void in the Force, she appeared behind the Padawan.


Strong arms wrapped around the boy. A cloth kept him from crying out, whilst a a garotte made of monofilament wire was dropped around his neck and pulled taut. The Padawan struggled, trying to pull at one the coils, yet in doing so only succeeded in tightening the other. A silenced shot from Synthia's shatterpistol put the third guard down. He managed to get off a shot, but the bombardment masked the noise produced by it.


Mezha held on to the young Padawan, strangling until his struggles ceased and his body hung limp in her grasp. Then she finally let him drop to the ground. He was one of the Cursed. Diseased. A servant of the evil oppressors. He was also a child, like her little one. There was no time to feel anything. Quickly the partisans moved on.


Firemane's bombardment had left a lasting effect on the trenches. The blast waves had left deep craters filled with dead bodies, some of them charred beyond recognition. The stench of death was in the air. Mezha and her comrades took refuge in one of those craters.


Then the earth trembled when a single actinic lance of fire shot down from the heavens and impacted upon the centre of the citadel. Immediately the impact zone was wreathed in flame. The shockwaves and aftereffects were so powerful that even the partisans felt it. Some were frightened. Even Mezha could not shake off a momentary feeling of anxiety.


"That's the Jedi getting their just desserts," she said quietly, though audible enough for her comrades to hear. It was justice. She brought the concealed Villip close to her mouth. Due to the Oggzill attachment, the biot allowed communication with dead machinery. Furthermore, it could not be jammed. "Viper One in position. I have Dominion guns in my sights," she whispered, keeping her voice low.

xxx

Time flies. Or so it is said. At any rate, it did not seem to take long until the stealthy transport approached the camp, though it kept a reasonable distance. By the time she got the order, Natalie was ready.


Much like Kira she had foregone heavy firepower in favour of something more lightweight and mobile. Clad in a Ghostsuit, she wore an energy projected helmet. Combined with the Taozin amulet, it should keep her safe from detection while she made her approach.


"See you on the other side," she responded to Tempest, giving Kira a curt nod. She did not acknowledge the Sithling that had been brought along for some mind-boggling reason. The transport was still hovering a good deal above ground when she exited. As she dropped down from the sky, she activated her Whisper jetpack. Sound bafflers muffled the noise produced by the engines.


Landing on the ground, she made her approach, staying low. Far ahead of her lay the labour camp. Even from this distance, the sight was disturbingly familiar. Barbed wire fences that were no doubt electrified, watchtowers that held machine guns, patrols in form of mounted and dismounted soldiers who wore khaki fatigues or were clad in armour that resembled that of clone troopers of yore, though it was painted to match the terrain instead of being stark white.


Here and there, landspeeders or patrol cars rushed by, forcing her to take cover in bushes or behind rocks. Her breathing hitched when a speeder cut it close. Unexpectedly, the patrol vehicle came to a halt. Soldiers stepped out, each of them carrying a sub-machine gun or a slugthrower rifle of some sort. Fearing that she might have been detected, she crawled away and readied her gun. As she moved, her boot touched something soft. It did not feel like soil. She dared not inspect it.


However, as she raised her gun, she saw that the soldier heading towards her had not moved to grab ahold of his weapon. Rather he loosened his trousers so that he could relieve himself, urinating upon the bush while his comrades stood watch. She kept her hand on her weapon, trying to keep her breathing down, for the slightest noise could alert them.


It was then that she realised her boot had connected with human flesh. To be precise, a hand. Looking around, she realised that she was lying on top of corpses that had been dumped here and haphazardly covered with soil, dirt and sand. Bones and body parts were sticking out. Anger threatened to seize her like a vice. Yet she clamped down on the feeling, as self-control won out. Perhaps the most horrible thing was that such sights no longer surprised her. The killing fields were her home more than civilisation. Numbness had set in. It was what kept her alive.


Having concluded his business, the lead trooper adjusted his trousers and signalled his comrades. They spread out, continuing with their patrol. Once they were out of hearing range, Natalie let out the breath she had been holding. She made her way towards the wall in a crouch, giving the assault teams a ping with the Ghostwave communicator the Resistance had let her borrow. She could hear thunderous noise coming from a distance...


xxx

"Go full burn, Cataphracts!" Varkasa Jai Nansal shouted as she leapt from the transport. Rather than speak Basic, she used Zandiri, the language of her people. It was better than any code. One dozen power-armoured Qadiri soldiers followed in her wake. One squad was not large, but these were Cataphracts of the Ascending Phoenix, among the most powerful and heavily armoured soldiers at the disposal of House Kerrigan-Alcori. In short, perfect to create a ruckus.


"This place is crawling with infidels, so I want weapons primed and ready to fire the moment we drop on top of them. Prioritise weapons emplacements, vehicles and enemy clusters. Darius, fire your missiles in sync with mine." She was answered by a chorus of acknowledgement as the Cataphracts neared the base. The jetpacks mounted on their backs had enough power to lift them into the air despite the absurdly heavy weight of their armour and propel them at a considerable distance. Of course, the miniaturised engine had its drawbacks, ranging from short range to limited manoeuvrability as the Ironside Heavy Assault Armour was not terribly aerodynamic and did not mount much in the way of a manoeuvring system.


Either way, due to their blazing jetpacks the Cataphracts careened through the air, their engines thrumming and pumping. Beneath them lay trees and grass, but soon the foreboding camp came into view. Varkasa checked her shatterbolter as she cut over the grass, finding that the anti-armour railgun was fully charged and ready to fire. As they got closer to their destination, her HUD displayed an abudance of targets.


She picked out the highest priority she could find. Weapons emplacements, speeders with what seemed to be machine guns or grenade launchers mounted on them. The Qadiri grinned as the ground loomed before her, pumping all the energy she could into her booster. Dirt flew past beneath her. As the engines began to overheat, her suit whined.


"Cataphracts," she roared to make herself heard. "Cut engines in three...two...one...now." Shouts could be heard from below, as the Dominion militia beheld armoured giants dropping down from the sky. Their engines flared just enough to allow them to hit the ground in a controlled manner. Slugthrower fire peppered them, but even as they fell the Qadiri warriors opened fire.


"For Kashara! For Her Radiant Daughter!" she shouted. Then the inferno began. Due to their heavy use of power armour, the Cataphracts were among the few Firemane units that had been equipped with Firestorm multiple missile launchers. The concept of this weapon was simple: A launcher that could be mounted on the shoulders of a soldier wearing heavy armour and fire a salvoe of missiles, whilst leaving the user's hands free. All in all, the launcher had a capacity of twelve missiles, six for each shoulder. The Firestorm happened to utilise Deathstrike concussion missiles.


An advanced, complicated optics array interfaced with her helmet's HUD. As machine gun fire cut through the air towards her and slammed into her power armour, she and Darius activated their weapons. The launchers roared and missiles lanced out on a trail of flaming exhaust. The warheads slammed into the ranks of the enemy.


Weapons emplacements vanished in a plume of flame, smoke rose up into the sky and several Dominion militiamen nearby were blasted off their feet by the explosion. A speeder went up in flames. Clouds of smoke billowed up into the sky. Their attack was joined by the other Cataphracts firing their heavy bolters or mass driver. Explosive bolts and anti-armour railgun projectiles lanced out of their weapons. Due to propelling their projectiles at hypervelocity, the mass drivers' rounds reached their targets ere one could hear them cut through the air.


Varkasa added to the mayhem by bringing up her shatterboltgun. Hers was the rifle-held variant since her launcher occupied her shoulders. Dominion militia racing forward on a speeder bristling with weapons provided a tempting target. As she had already primed her weapon during their descent, there was little for her to do other than take aim and depress the trigger. A solid metal slug was propelled at incredible speed. It made contact with the fuel tank, causing the vehicle to go up in flames. By the time she felt the recoil, the militia had already been set alight.


Three seconds later, her railgun had recharged. Her HUD provided her with targeting vectors and firing lines. One need only follow the steam to trace a line between the railguns and heavy bolters of the Cataphracts and their targets. Yet despite the devastation, the Dominion did not yield. Rather it poured militia into the gate. Among the soldiers clad in fatigues or latter-day clone trooper armour, Varkasa could make out warriors wielding swords and wearing a mixture of robe and armour. Jedi, no doubt. Behind her helmet's faceplate, the Qadiri soldier grinned, for she had longed to fight them.


A metal slug from her shatterbolter, moving faster than sound, shot towards a Jedi. Too fast for him to put up a barrier, dodge or even see it coming, it left a large hole in his stomach. His blood leaked out onto the ground. Yet in his death throes, the Jedi did not yield. Rather he let the last of his strength flow towards his brothers and sisters in the Force, enabling them to erect a barrier. A dam of preternatural power that stemmed the worst of the flood the Cataphracts were unleashing. Now the Dominion soldiers attacked in earnest, lobbing in grenades and firing salvoes with heavy machine guns. Guided by the Force, grenades were hurled towards the Cataphracts. A powerful telekinetic blast, coordinated between the Jedi, slammed into Varkasa, hitting her like a speeder.


Loyalty's squad struck at the same time as the Cataphracts. However, proceeded in a less overt manner. Rather than Power Armour, they wore suits coated in Reflec, concealing them from most sensors and scanners. Thus they set up ambush positions at the other gate, using what cover nature provided them. They unloaded when what seemed like a convoy was being processed through the gate.


First bolters fired smoke grenades, and the Firemane soldiers unleashed gas. Both would be hard to tell apart. Nerve agents would cause defenders to die from suffocation due to lung muscle paralysis. Firemane would generally not use such weapons, but per Lady Kerrigan's direct order, the gloves were off. Feeling vengeful after the betrayal, Loyalty felt no pity for the Dominion minions. Several of the soldiers in her squad had been of the Firemane delegation, and thus were of a similiar disposition. Taking advantage of the confusion, the Firemane troopers sniped Dominion militia.


Yet the defenders soon rallied. Better trained soldiers clad in sealed armour engaged the Firemane squad, which was forced to fall back to defensive positions. Bolters, magnetic repeaters and a shattercannon roared, mowing down Dominion militia, yet they kept coming. Jedi were among them, steeling the morale of the defenders. Amidst all the deaths and explosions, Natalie approaching the wall and placing her charge went unnoticed.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Geva sat down her recording device, and looked over her notes. So far, Airla had been quite useful, but in order to make a comprehensive document it would take weeks of reviewing notes and interviewing the woman. Luckily she was in a position of power and influence within the Dominion, so she was able to provide an interest outlook on its social and political structure that the scrubs Firemane had also captured could not.

“I have a question for you personally if you wouldn’t mind sweetie.” Geva said warmly, looking up from her notes, “Why do you saw ‘we’ or ‘our’ when referring to the Dominion? Surely you know they won’t welcome you back with open arms?”

Airla glanced down, avoiding the gaze of the Falleen doctor. The blue skinned twi’lek had become very skittish since being interrogated by Firemane’s knuckle-breakers, and Geva was only just starting to establish a connection with her. “I, I do not know. It was my home, my life for so long. It is all I know.”

“I understand, I’m just wondering is all. Why do you feel such an attachment when they do not? They had the means to ransom you back, and chose not to.” Geva was careful in her questioning, trying to pry without being forceful or reference her interrogation. She was also avoiding ultimatums, they would make the girl feel like she was trapped with no good options.

“Service is the Jedi way. Martyrs are common among Jedi.” Airla said, obviously saddened by the remark. It was clear she didn’t want to be a martyr or a sacrifice for the greater good of her Dominion, or at least that she didn’t think they would appreciate it if she did.

“So you are a Jedi? Not was?” Geva raised an eyebrow as she asked the question, working on seeing if between her buttering Airla up and her pheromones if she could determine the Twi’lek’s intentions. "That's what you want to be when you leave here?"

Airla meanwhile buried her head back into her arms, tears dripping against her skin and soft, muffled sub escaping her throat. “No, maybe. I don’t know. I can’t go home, they would never forgive me for telling the outsiders about us.”

Geva took the opportunity to slither across the room and gingerly sit alongside the Twi’lek. Very carefully, she placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder, her fingers grazing her lekku. Airla instinctively jerked away from the touch, “Shh, it’s okay dear.” She touched the woman’s shoulder once more, this time much more careful to avoid touching the lekku. Airla noticed her touch, but stayed this time. “I will help you find a place, sweetie. You can trust me. We will figure out what you want to do.”

The Twi’lek paused a moment, fighting back a sob. Tears stained her blue skin as bright eyes looked at the Falleen with suspicion, as though trying to discover what game Geva was playing. Then, without warning she hugged the Falleen doctor tightly, “Thank you.” She whispered, clutching the fabric of Geva’s shirt tightly, as though if she let go she would be wrenched away.

~

Laira sat next to the dark-skinned Xioquo, thinking back on her encounter with Keth Hammer, the Jedi Knight she had fought defending her friends during their time stranded on the ground. The redhead’s memory of those moments were pristine, as though she had watched them rather than acted them out. Every movement, every word they had said. She kept thinking how he had offered them mercy, and instinctively they had all believed it to be a trick. Her thoughts dwelled on something Leo had told him, that it was her job to try and keep as many of her friends alive as a leader.

It was that she was trying to focus on. She knew now that there would be people in the Dominion, likely those she was going to fight who did not represent the evil government she knew it to be. But they were going to fight for it, unknowingly or not, and she had to stop them from harming her friends. Leo, Tor, Dar, Mac, the rest of the Squad, Xalda, Sergeant Saito, and the others were all counting on her to protect them. And she owed it to them to do so. Even as painful as it was thinking she might be killing innocent men, maybe that was just the price of being a soldier.

The gunship rattled under the fire from the ground, flak shuddering against the shields and armor of the vessel while the descended. Laira gripped the handhold white-knuckle tight. There was something about being a pilot who wasn’t the one flying that made her nervous, causing her to crack a slight smile as she tried to put herself at ease and stop worrying about everything she could control.

Explosions shuddered outside the hull as the suicide fighters detonated under fire from the gunships. Pressure built in the back of her head, a tell-tale warning from the Force of imminent danger she had grown accustomed to listening to. Lieutenant Stalgis, or at least that’s who she assumed was speaking since it was distorted by his helmet, called over the unit comlink, “Bail!”

Laira felt her comrades shifting, Stalgis springing the doors of the gunship open just as the others started hurdling themselves from the craft, out of both doors. Low Altitude drops were never fun, and always ugly but fighting through jungles and underbrush, the gunships didn’t have a clear landing zone near Fort Purity they could disembark from. Laira’s legs pushed herself from the craft, Xalda right in front of her as the first of the Dominion suicide fighters collided with it. Shrapnel and fiery erupted around the redhead as she fell, looking down at the troopers beneath her. They were falling into military precision, firing off grenades into the jungle they were cascading towards. Wreckage and debris began to catch up to the falling squad, Safe-Fall chutes activating as they passed the trees, falling in unison into the burning portion of the jungle the squad dove into. “Suppressing Fire.”

The call came yet again, and rifles snapped up, Laira drawing her own pistol, lightsaber deactivated and held in a reverse grip in her off hand. The troopers sprayed fire at anything they registered as remotely threatening, tearing through almost anything that looked out of place with heavy slugs and flame projectors until they were sure their immediate surroundings were pacified. “Laira, Xalda, take point. We’ll cover until we can link up with the others.” Cataphractii were already on the ground elsewhere unleashing hell on the Dominion Forces, sounds of weapons fire ringing in between the explosives from ordnance being launched or fired from the fortress.

~

Kira sat quietly, waiting for her transport to make landfall and the assault to begin. It was the quiet that made it the worst. Killing was one thing, waiting to do it was the difficult part, the anticipation building in her muscles and mind. Natalie was readying to blow the walls and then the team would move out, and until then, Kira was waiting.

She did one last play through in her mind of her plan. Smoke canisters filled with berserkhttp://starwarsrp.net/topic/88772-berserk/ were chambered in the microgrenade launcher, she had the bloodboiler needles loaded in her magazine. When the walls broke, she’d drop a full thirty canisters of smoke into the largest congregations of civilians and people without filtered masks.

Now the waiting.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Karrigan'Xalda]

[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


And so battle was joined. The gunship rattled under the intense anti-air fire from the ground, flak hammering the transport during its descent. Still unused to flight and feeling on edge, Xalda held on tightly. Then the suicide pilots struck turning themselves and their craft into living bombs in the process.


Once she was able to process things, Xalda would, strangely enough, feel respect for the Jedi. Whoever they were, they had believed in their cause so strongly that they had been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. For a false, misguided faith, no doubt, but still. To her, this was courage. However, for the time being, survival was on her mind.


Just before the impact the spirits screamed a warning inside her mind, for they looked out for the faithful. "Go!" she heard someone yell. Maybe it was Sergeant Saito. The shout was joined by one from a male voice. Quickly she hurled herself through the door as if the hounds of hell were on her heels. She had already been through a crash once and it had not been fun, especially since she had landed on a desert planet and their ship had almost been swallowed by sand.


Laira was right behind her as they impacted on the ground. A mere moment later, the fighter collided with the gunship, causing a brilliant explosion of fire and shrapnel. As she descended towards the jungle, she took ahold of the shotgun with its underslung grenade launcher. Depressing the trigger of the latter, she was greeted with the dull thoomp of her grenade launcher firing, joining that of the Resistance force and of the Firemane bolters.


She landed hard upon the ground, though the safe-chutes softened the fall somewhat. Without missing a beat, the soldiers sprayed the surrounding area with fire. Slugthrowers and Firemane bolters roared. Here and there, Saito and the Silencers drew upon their powers to freeze enemies that came in sight, allowing the troopers to spray them with high-calibre slug rounds. Reaching out into the Force, Xalda made the earth shake beneath the boots of supposed hostiles.


"Command...this is Stille. Airspace is filled with kamikaze. We went down at..." Saito realised that the communications device was not working. "Frak it," she cursed, as all she got was static. Ah, well, it was time to improvise. Like in any battle. "Let's get a move on. First order of business, link up with others, clear an LZ. Then we kill these frakkers," she declared. Strictly speaking she might not have authority to boss Laira's buddies around. However, what she said was common sense and they were professionals. Passing the dead, burnt Firemane soldier, a young fellow who had not been able to jump out in time, she retrieved his dog tags and some grenades.


Fires raged across the jungle. Detonations shook the ground. Undaunted the team advanced through the hellstorm. Clouds of smoke billowed up in the sky. Sounds of weapons fire and explosive ordinance got their attention. Further away, a crashed Firemane transport was being besieged by Dominion soldiers. Firemane Regulars and some Cataphracts were being swarmed by Dominion militia.


Weapons fire cut down many of the Chosen of Windu militia, but they charged nonetheless. When caught by fire from Firemane flamethrowers, several of the ignited Chosen simply hurled themselves at their attackers, reciting hymns. From behind cover, snipers, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns kept the Firemane soldiers pinned down. Jedi charged alongside the militia. They were smart enough to wear armour and proper helmets. As many of the Firemane soldiers used bolters or high-velocity slugthrowers, they could not really deflect incoming fire.


However, they could use their powers to summon Force barriers to absorb some of the enemy fire, shielding their soldiers. Anyone who was both sensitive in the Force and particularly adept at Sense powers would perceive that a meld linked the Jedi. Threads of power led to the rear. There, a Jedi meditated, spurring on her soldiers, filling them with righteous zeal and strength.


Having taken point, Xalda signalled the group to come to a halt. It was still quite dark, despite the flames, but her eyes were well adjusted to that. She could feel her bloodlust rising when she beheld the melee ahead of her. Taking cover, they took stock of the situation. Saito looked through macrobinoculars. "We move around these frakkers and hit them in the rear," she frowned slightly. She could perceive the threads of power. There was a focal point somewhere. "Jedi are shielding them - and someone is giving them a boost. They're the priority target. Next are the heavies and snipers. Resistance squad can deal with those. Separate the Forcies from from the mooks, suppress, kill." Their stealthy armour would help them avoid detection. Moreover, the Silencers were proficient in concealing their Force aura.


xxx

"Another transport has gone down. Airspace is too hot," the pilot called out.

He was met with a typical Freya death glare. "Stop being a frakking wuss and get us down," she growled.

"Take a look outside. If I don't pull away, we die."

"Fine, then we'll jump. Get us as close to the trenches as you can. Open the door," the Sergeant ordered. "Come on, you bitches. Do you wanna live forever?" Who could resist motivation like that?

Either way, the gunship's doors opened. While the gunship rattled under heavy fire from the ground, Reaper Squad took the plunge. Typical for her, Freya was the first one out, firing her armour's integrated auto-cannon as she descended. High-velocity pellets hammered Dominion positions.


By chance or design, she landed directly on top of a Dominion soldier, crushing the poor unfortunate fellow beneath the tremendous weight of her heavy power armour. As an enemy soldier who had been operating a machine gun turned to confront her, she simply rammed him.


Unexpectedly, a telekinetic blast slammed into her. Knocking the Sergeant off her feet, it blew her into the mud. Landing hard, she cursed. The auto-cannon was out of alignment. Chanting the Code, the Jedi channelled forking blasts of electricity through her Force imbued blade towards the Firemane soldier.


Freya gritted her teeth in pain as emerald lightning struck her, but rose. So intense was the blast that her HUD gave up the ghost. Unsealing it, she brought up a gauntlet-covered hand. As the Jedi came close, hurling more electricity, a paralysing ion beam leapt from her wrist. It caught the Jedi in the shoulder. That halted the storm. Then her shotgun vomitted shards energised with plasma. Each catridge contained a dozen shards. Too many to dodge at close range.


"Dodge this, queen," Freya grunted, finishing the Jedi off with a shot that blew her head off and splattered her brains. Around her the other members of Reaper Squad had landed, spraying heavy weapons fire wherever something even remotely hostile reared its head. Detonations shook the ground, explosions pounded her ears and fires raged. Already the Dominion soldiers were rallying to meet their intrusion. The stench of death, blood and sweat filled the air. She was right at home again. This was what she lived for. Ahead of her she could see enemy weapons emplacements. "Reaper Squad, with me!" Little did she know that they had landed quite close to the location of some Republican Guard guerillas.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Behead/Battle: Leonina (CO), Laira, Xalda, Freya, Mezha, Leo/DTs, Silencers



Rescue: Tempest (CO), Kira, Nyssa, Natalie, Loyalty, Varkasa Jai Nansal

Up in the air above the ‘Re-education Centre’, Tempest could see the opening stages of the battle. The bombers were coming in, and their missiles streaked in to knock out towers, open new breaches in the walls, and destroy enemy pockets.

A ping from Natalie; it was time. Waiting until the infiltrator was safely away and had pinged, she triggered the explosives. Detonations tore the western wall and wire to pieces, opening a smoking breach. Into that came Tempest, Kira, Nyssa and the Dahomian’s elite squad.

Though the west had been ignored until the explosion, the Dominion reacted quickly, dispatching units to defend. Worse, they had taken up positions along the barred windows of the second story of the permacrete complex. From there they had started to fire down into the advancing troops.

Tempest took the lead, summoning a cloud of mist to hide her troops. Meanwhile, their gunship started methodically raking that wall with minigun fire to riddle any defenders foolish enough to stand still.

Tempest was about to move in against the building personally when she felt a strong presence in the Force coming from nearby. Turning, she saw a Jedi in armour and robes watching her. This Jedi seemed strong enough to be considered a Master, and might well have been the commandant or garrison commander.

“Kira, get inside and deal with the defenders, secure the intel. Nyssa, go with her. Natalie, provide support where needed.” She didn’t know where the infiltrator was, but she knew she would receive the message.

Tempest had Jedi on her mind. Orange lightsabre flared to life.
“I am surprised you do not have red, Sith, is that not the colour of your kind?” the Jedi Master said contemptuously. He drew a fine double handed imbued blade.
“Colour coding is for fools, Jedi. Surrender or die.”
“I was about to demand the same from you.”
The two moved as one, lightning blasted from Tempest’s outstretched palm, to be met by a crackling shield of telekinetic energy. Crawling over this shield like snakes, the lightning was pushed back, and to Tempest’s surprised her adversary was advancing calmly towards her.
“Your dark power will not avail you, Sith,” he commented.
Tempest growled and pushed harder, mixing in telekinesis to her assault.
Rather than resist, the Jedi abruptly sidestepped so the blast of power tore a hole in the distant perimeter. However, he stuck out his blade into the lightning so it fairly crackled with energy as he leapt to the assault.
Lightsabre crackled against blade, but the Jedi was using the blade far too swiftly for it to be any normal blade. Normally a lightsabre user could rely on the swordsman being slower, but this was not the case here. Indeed, the Jedi seemed to be a blur of movement. Tempest was not grandmaster of duelling, but she was no slouch either, yet this Jedi was making a mockery of her, his blade easily parrying each and every strike and placing her on the backfoot.
Finally, something had to give. One of her parries was a little off target and his blade cut across her leg. She was wearing Beskar so the blade did not cut, but where it hit there was a concussive impact which knocked her leg from under her. Coming up to meet her armoured chin was the pommel of his sword, jerking her head back. A blast of the Force picked her up and hurled her into – and through – a wall to a maintenance shed.

Tempest fought her way up, eyes narrowed. She was getting mad, and this Jedi was going down….

XXX

Leonina watched as the battle continued. It would be a bitter, bloody fight. She saw the vision from the frontline; the Jedi fought to the last with suicidal courage. They were willing to take ten, twenty, fifty casualties for every enemy they killed.

The spores were a problem, except if one kept a sealed system or it was somehow shielded. Problematic, for sure.

“Ma’am, they have mortars in 14.07.”
“Concentrate fire on it. Direct artillery shells to saturate that area.”
Satellites and drones were proving to be the difference. Out of range of the enemy suicide fighters they could look down like gods on the enemy, see their secrets.
“Send in another section of…” she began.
Suddenly, one of the Thunderers about to carry out that order exploded! Leonina was knocked to the ground by the blast. As she got to her feet, wondering if new enemy batteries had unmasked, she saw shapes in the smoke and dust. Hostile shapes with satchel charges and machine guns.
Growling a very feral snarl she ignited her lightsabre. “They want a fight, let’s give them a fight! Order of Fire, on me, attack!”
She might be a Colonel, but she wasn’t afraid to get mixed up in a battle.

XXX

Far above, Tegaea was reviewing the information from below. Dominion comms traffic was aflutter with the news of the battle and those reinforcements close to Nexus City were clearly being hurried in. Or were they?
At first Tegaea figured they must have misinterpreted the orders. It seemed clear that the ‘Legions’ were being ordered to join the battle, especially the First Legion. Yet…it did not move.
Mara was clearly as confused as she by this. Something odd was happening.

However one ominous line was picked up and decrypted.

“The Radiant Cloak is prepared.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


And so she was taken down from the tree. Jedi Diona carried her shaking body. Her cuffs were removed from her bruised hands, but the collar remained on her neck. She was brought to a room. Rather than face another round of torture, she was given food and drink. To her surprise, it was actual food that was nourishing, rather than a bowl of gruel. When she had trouble holding the glass, a guard helped her.


She knew that their kindness was a lie. She suspected that the food was drugged and that consuming it would only render her more compliant. With each bite and each sip, she would lose more of herself and become trapped. They would sink their claws into her mind and entangle her in their web.


Her stomach growled. She was so hungry that it physically hurt. So she ate, nonetheless. Hunger made her desperate and gluttonous, so she ate without decorum. The guard wiped her mouth when she was done. Surprisingly, they did not rush her.


After she was done, she was brought to a sacred room. Unlike the chambers she had been in before, the circular room was bright, with sunlight focused down through reflective, colourful lenses. Water flowed through a shallow pool in the centre of the chamber and arcane runes lined the wall, written by long-dead masters. If Elpsis had been able to read any of them, one scripture in particular might have stuck out: "The blind shall see," it read.


Elpsis arrived, being greeted by Inquisitor Lea. She was compelled to bow. Her dirty prison uniform was removed. "Come with me, sister. It is time for you to reborn in the embrace of the Light," Lea said kindly, took her hand and led her into the pool. They sat there, wearing only their thoughts. Elpsis could feel the older woman pressing her will upon her. The awesome power of the Force was concentrated upon her. Around them, four mentalists of the Order had sat down around them. Each joined their mind with that of Lea, boosting her. The Inquisitor reached out with her hands and grasped Elpsis'. Swirls of energy surrounded their joined limbs, powered by the link between them.


Elpsis could not resist the meld. The collar and her own exhaustion would not allow it. Strengthened by the link, Lea was using the reserves of power that resided inside Elpsis to fuel herself. Elpsis' skin tingled and a sense of of serenity coursed through her. Deep down, she fought it, unable to miss the wrongness, but bit by bit she was being lulled in. She was held in place by invisible bonds, weighing as heavy upon her as chains of beskar.

"We are all born again in the Light. Our old self has flushed out."

"Does that mean you don't remember your old life?"

"Oh, no. I still remember Deborah...broadly. But it is like recalling scenes from an old movie. I am not her anymore. I pity her. It will only be a few weeks before I am released."

"I...understand."

"You can achieve this as well. Imagine the good you could do as a champion of the Light. The Dominion honours its most dedicated servants by preserving them through clones. You could be the template for a whole new line of Jedi protectors."


The words that had been exchanged between her and Helena flashed through her mind. She wanted to scream, but her tongue would not obey her. This was worse than physical torture. With each moment that passed, her mind was being rearranged. Diona stood at the far end. Her hands clenched and unclenched. She had to force herself to keep them away from her scabbard.


xxx

From their hiding spot, Mezha and her comrades had a good view of what was going on. First blood had been drawn. As was their norm, the Jedi fought with suicidal courage. If deprived of their Jedi guardians and the more experienced soldiers, some of the militias might break. But there were many that would hold. The youngest were always the most fanatical.


Then suddenly giants descended from the sky. Clad from head to toe in imposing armour that made them look like walking tanks. Flak and machine gun fire bombarded them but the giants pulled through nonetheless. One of them made short work of a Dominion soldiers in a foxhole, cursing in the coarsest language throughout.


Needless to say this got the Dominion troops' attention. Soon rocket-propelled grenades and weapons emplacements howled towards the intruders. Mezha had wanted to wait a bit more to get things set up, but they were being pushed into action now. "Do-ro'ik vong pratte!" she called to her comrades. The battle cry was their signal to spring into action. Acting as one, the partisans of Viper Company poured weapons fire and explosives into the Dominion emplacements. Some fired bullets from Verpine shatterguns or repeaters, others Vong projectile biots. Synthia's grenade launcher thoomped, causing a weapons emplacements to go up in smoke. Looking through the scope of Vera, her trusted Verpine sniper rifle, Mezha fired. Blood streamed out of the throat of a Dominion soldier who was about to fire a rocket towards the lead giant. Her rifle kicked, thudding against her shoulder, rounds slamming into armour and cutting through flesh.


Calmly, Mezha fired, catching a Jedi in the leg directing a mortar crew in the leg. She had a couple partisans firing at the wounded soldier, but kept them from finishing him off. As troopers tried to help their wounded comrade and drag him to cover, she gave the signal and Synthia fired a canister of nerve gas. A thick yellowish cloud escaped into the air, causing unprotected Dominion soldiers to choke. While most wore helmets or gas masks, the nerve gas could also be absorbed through the skin and common militia often did not get insulated armour.


Counterfire came their way and the Vipers took cover and shifted position, letting the Cloaks of Nuun encase them once more as they became one with the environment. By now the giants, who Mezha was reasonably certain were part of this Firemane group, were on the move, spraying Dominion soldiers with heavy slugs and flame projectors. Tongues of blazing fire leapt from the nozzles of their flame projectors, white-hot fury engulfing Dominion militia. Mezha thought she heard screaming, but over the roar of flames, she could not be sure.


"Cover their advance," Mezha called out, ducking when heavy slugs ripped through the air towards her and grenades were hurled through the air. The human she believed to be the leader of the giants had crossed the distance towards their hideout. In the heat of battle, one of the rebels almost shot at her.

"Flash!" she shouted.

Certain codes had been agreed upon prior to the battle. "Thunder," Mezha responded, lowering her rifle.

"Freya. You Guard?" the human growled.

"Yes. Mezha."

"We gotta take out their frakking artillery," the human grunted. "And there's a chit ton of fundies between 'em and us. Whaddaya got?"

"Cloaks of Nuun, garottes, nerve gas. And we're all Force Dead. You?"

She could not see the human's face due to the helmet concealing her features. But she was certain that she was grinning behind her faceplate. "Power armour. And some of the nastiest bitches in FM."

xxx


Abruptly, the camp erupted in violence. Bombers appeared in the sky above it, dropping their payload. Watchtowers, enemy pockets and a good chunk of the wall went up in smoke. Here and there fires broke out. There were shouts, there was gunfire and death. From both sides of the camp, the Firemane and Qadiri assault teams were advancing. The path into the camp was filled with debris and the dead. Corpses lay sprawled and twisted among the wrecks and ruins. Some bodies had been killed by shrapnel, others scorched by fire.


Nyssa charged into the fray. From above in the second storey of the main building, Dominion guards put the intruders under fire. Shots cut down the street past the Firemane team, forcing soldiers into a crouch. Drawing upon the Force Nyssa summoned a barrier to shield them. Heavy slugthrowe fire caused it to buckle under the pressure. Then a sonic grenade exploded after smashing against the shield. The detonation caused her ears to ring, momentarily costing the the Pureblood her hearing. A rib cried in protest. But the soldiers pushed onward.


Support came from above, as a gunship raked the wall with minigun fire. A Firemane soldier pitched an explode on impact grenade to her. Taking ahold of the deadly ball, she emerged. "Cover me." Sprinting, she activated the deadly ball and sent it flying through the window. There was a loud boom when it landed. She raised a hand and troopers emerged, using the momentary chaos to get close. Three jets of blazing, cleansing heat leapt out of their flame projectors, sweeping towards the building where the weapons fire had come from. The soldiers worked quickly and methodically, pouring fire through the windows.


However, before the Pureblood could take advantage of the situation, a Jedi appeared in her midst. Indeed she seemed to have emerged from thin air. If Nyssa's focus had not been purely on battle, she might have regarded this as odd. But blood lust reigned. The Jedi's aura was strong. She was a Twi'lek wearing robes and what looked like Jedi battle armour from the Clone Wars.


"Sith," she said in a tone that conveyed contempt, launching a slash towards Nyssa's head.

"The real deal," Nyssa spat, intercepting the stroke and pushing the woman's blade aside. She was about to counterattack but the Jedi threw her back with the power of her mind. She landed hard into the ground. The Jedi charged her, but as she was about to swing her blade, Nyssa snapped out with her leg and delivered a Force-powered kick towards her shin. Jumping to her feet, the Pureblood delivered a sweeping overhead cut with her Sith sword, but the Twi'lek rolled away. Sand and dust were thrown up into the air.


Their blades clashed anew. The Jedi blocked her strike, but the force of it put pressure on her. Parrying a chop, Nyssa pushed her opponent's blade away and sliced her across her belly, finding purchase upon a weak spot in her armour. The Jedi cried out in pain as the Devaronian blood poison took effect. Nyssa could feel the Jedi call upon the Force to hold it at bay. It gave her an opening she ruthlessly exploited.


Launching another cut towards the weakened Jedi, she removed her free hand from the hilt and grabbed the alien's lekku. Empowered by the Force and her fury, her grip was like a vice. The strength was too much and she lifted the Jedi off her feet and slammed her into some debris. The Jedi was dazed and so Nyssa lifted her once more, smashing her into the ground. Her blade came crashing down at tremendous speed.


And the Jedi's body disappeared. Completely. Even her robes and armour were gone. For just a moment, Nyssa looked perplexed, frowning. Then she was suddenly driven to her knees by unimaginable, horrible pain. Her limbs convulsed, as if she was experiencing a grand mal seizure. It was then, as she struggled to breathe and control her body's motions, that she realised she had been fighting an illusion all this time. The real Jedi was still alive. And inside her head.


xxx


Chaos raged. Bullets were flying, fires spread, there were shouts and cries of anguish. Natalie did her best to keep her head down, moving from cover to cover and relying on the capabilities of her Ghostsuit. She was no frontline fighter. Luckily there were plenty of corpses, broken speeders and debris lying around. Charging head-first into battle was not her thing. Terrorism, on the other hand, was. She had brought a microgrenade launcher and canisters of Fex-M3 nerve gas for a reason. Nerve gas was commonly considered a barbaric weapon. There were interstellar conventions that allowed it.


Said conventions did not stop Sith Lords from summoning Force Storms, Deadly Fields or rounding up innocent civilians and bringing them to death camps, where they were violated and turned into monstrosities. Natalie had long stopped being troubled by doing bad things to bad people.


Up ahead of her, there was fighting. Firemane soldiers were busy trying to clear out a building that had been partly set ablaze. She did not worry about them, since they all wore sealed armour. Dominion militia and prison guards were raining down slugthrower fire upon them. Here and there, prisoners were running for their lives. The walls were scorched by bullets and fire. Kira got a ping. That was all she would need. Then Natalie dropped her canister and a cloud of gas surged upward into the air. Guards would be among the victims - and prisoners. The mission came first.


She heard groan of pain close by. A young Dominion guard had been burnt by shrapnel and smashed by debris. He was covered in blood. His leg looked broken. Without a second thought, Natalie raised her gun and shot him. She squeezed the trigger until his groans were silenced and he stopped moving. All around her the fighting was intensifying and people were dying. She used the chance to try and slip into the main building.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Chaos. Someone had once told Laira that war was chaos incarnate, probably her father, and she was now realizing the truth of that. She had never been in a battle such as this, it was different from the fury of a dogfighting ball of twisted metal, missiles, and laser flares. But not so different she had become lost in it. Shrapnel and fire cascaded around the redhead’s body as she crouched low, looking for Xalda amidst the thunder of weapons and clamour of voices.

Her companions were set about their tasks, moving from cover to cover, ducking and sprinting quickly from their positions as they advanced through the jungles alongside the Silencers from firemane. Whereas the Silencers were equipped to deal with Force Users by countering their Force abilities and weaponry, the RESINT Squadron countered them with simple ingenuity. It was less effective, and they were clearly at a disadvantage by comparison, but they could hold their own.

Laira felt the presence of many Jedi among the Dominion. Or she should say, many Force Users as most of them had an aura that leaned on the darker side like Xalda or her father. Very few were beings of Light to her senses, but could that be just her own mind playing tricks on her? Could that be just her own killer instincts rationalizing her thoughts to drive her to more and more deaths at her hands? For now it mattered very little, her allies were here, fighting and dying at their hands. Her friends were counting on her to help protect them to see them through this battle and so she had to be strong. If not for herself, for them.

The group went quiet, staying low and circling the charging Dominion forces alongside Xalda and the Silencers lead by Sergeant Saito. Lieutenant Stalgis dropped to a crouch, signalling for his people to follow suit and pay attention to him so he could whisper his instructions. “Let the Silencers take on the Dom Jedi. Focus on taking out sharpshooters and heavy weapon teams with short bursts. Laira, cover us up close for now.” The troopers nodded and set about scoping out targets in a very target rich environment as Laira fell in near the Silencers as they advanced on the rear of the Jedi group.

The Silencers engaged quickly, rapidly suppressing the group of low-level Jedi to cut the links in the chain that held them melded together. While the one far away boosting them wasn’t able to be suppressed so readily, they could break the chain of the Force Meld and isolate the Dominion Jedi in small groups. Laira, however wasn’t trained in such methods, so she stuck to her speed, advancing on one of the suppressed padawans, an Arcona with just a few quick steps across a significant distance.

He was clearly inexperienced on the battlefield, probably having spent most of his life in Nexus City and only just arrived at the fortress. He’d probably never been in a real fight before. Laira rolled her lightsaber in her hand, snapping the silver blade ablaze to block his sloppy downward sweep. The bat-like aliens eyes glinted at the lightsaber, gleaming in envy. His aura was cruel, like the soldiers that had wanted to kill her simply to to find someone easier to take back with them, darkened by decades of indoctrination and carrying the practices of false teachings against the less fortunate. He raised his blade again, preparing to crash it against the slender woman’s guard in the hopes of overpowering her, either not noticing or not believing she would use the pistol in her off hand. Laira didn’t wait for him to go on the offensive, snapping off a pair of disruptor blasts aimed low for his legs. The first missed, impacting the ground and kicking up dust, but the second slammed into his thigh, taking the whole leg in a puff of vapor.

The arcona cried out, already flat-footed and now missing a limb and crashing towards the ground. Laira slashed him across the stomach, knocking the loosely held weapon from his hands. He cried again, clutching his wounds as if by holding them they would close and heal. He was miserably mistaken, fear coursing through him with every breath he took. And yet, Laira hesitated to finish him off, standing over him like a valkyrie unsure of whether to take him or not. “Move.” An armored glove pushed her out of the way, one of the Silencers blasting the Arcona with a scattergun blast to the chest. His aura faded, blood leaked from his mouth and his eyes turned glassy, staring into nothingness.

But he didn’t return to the Force like Keth had a few days ago, still Laira hadn’t wanted to be the one to finish him off.

She found her feet again, Leo crouching down beside her as they advanced behind the Silencers. “Hey,” his garbled voice registered in her ears. “Focus up. They’re the enemy, and they’ll kill you and all of us if you freeze.”

“Don’t freeze.” Laira repeated, gripping her lightsaber a little tighter.

“Don’t freeze.”

~

Kira followed silently, literally. Not even her feet made a noise as they touched the ground or her weapon as she chambered it. It had the down side that she couldn’t hear either, but for the initial phase of the attack, her stealth was more important than her awareness. Others could be more aware.

This part, the raiding part, the rescuing part of the mission was one she had done a dozen times or more. Only one VIP, everyone else was expendable. Well, expendable in the manner that they weren’t important enough to save. That probably stung, but it was impossible to save everyone and sometimes you had to make those kinds of choices in war. She’d done this next bit before too. She saw the gas rising upwards with the wind, and that was her cue to get started.

The best way to occupy prison guards, was to start a riot, and so Kira turned towards the largest congregation of prisoners, raised her weapon to lob grenades into them, and emptied her drum magazine in rapid succession. Gas sprayed from the thirty canisters as they landed in the encampment of prisoners, people coughing as they breathed in the painful substance. Within seconds people were hallucinating and suffering headaches, and in a few moments, the crowd would turn into a raging swarm of bloodthirsty maniacs.

Kira clicked off her No-Show. “Distraction activated.”

The guards were about to have their hands full with nerve gas on one end, and berserkhttp://starwarsrp.net/topic/88772-berserk/?hl=berserk on the other. She let the drum drop to the ground, replacing it with the much more useful fragmentation and stun combination in her active duty set.

She ran to keep up with the Forcers in the group, Tempest was engaged a Jedi and Kira was trying to keep up with Nyssa. Luckily she found the Sith, waving her weapon around at air. It wasn’t like Firemane to let crazy people join in, and Kira had fought Sith long enough to know something was wrong. Nyssa doubled over in pain, and rather to try to figure out which opponent nearby was doing it to her, Kira went with the next best plan and started shooting darts into everyone that wasn’t Firemane.

She snapped a needle into a guard’s chest, and then a second into his neck. He started screaming immediately and his friend made a fatal mistake by attempting to grab him. In two or three seconds the first guard was dead and the second was covered in burning acid, screaming as his friend turned into a puddle and his own flesh began melting away from his bones. A third ran through the puddle, not realizing the horrible mistake until his own foot peeled away from his ankle, only trying to crawl away from whatever it was killing them. Kira found another target, hitting him in the leg with one of the needles as she covered for Nyssa. She didn’t bother to watch, the screaming told her enough.

Time to teach these people what real fear is like.

~

The Jedi General in Fort Purity sat quietly, occasionally he would speak to his subordinates standing nearby, but for the most part the chamber was silent apart from his breathing. A handful of radios and other electronics sat outside the room for operators who muttered orders in cryptic coded dialect. A Knight walked into the room, his armor slightly charred from recent conflict. “General, they are overrunning the outer defenses.”

One of the attendant Jedi hissed at the new arrival. “He knows. General Kennobi see’s all that occurs at this fortress. Even now he directs us through the Light of the Force. You city Jedi may not be familiar with our ways on the frontier, but we never question the General.”

The General’s eyes opened slightly, “We have ensnared all we will today. Activate the Radiant Cloak.” With that he closed them once more, taking a deep breath.

The Knight looked around at the attendants who shuffled off to comply with the General’s orders, and then back to the ancient Jedi who sat upon the throne. “My apologies, General. I did not mean to question someone with your record of success.” Never defeated in many years of fighting the rebels and the Sith to the south, and yet the Knight felt uneasy about the Master’s unknown strategy.

The clouds above Fort Purity began to swirl, darkening even as they did so. Within minutes it was raining, sensors detecting electrical disturbances within the clouds as they condensed over the region.

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]
[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Karrigan'Xalda]

[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


The road to victory was covered in blood and bones. Battle looked neat and tidy from far away, but up close it was chaos. Noble ideals, plans and strategies quickly devolved into a naked, ruthless struggle for survival. Kill or be killed. Us or them. Xalda had long ago chosen herself. Born a slave, she had faced trial after trial. To force her to prove herself, her mistresses had thrown her into an arena, where she faced not just wild beasts, but also her comrades in misery. Her friends. Those who prevailed were regarded as strong. The vanquished, by contrast, were discarded as weak. Their former friends acted as their executioners.


She had chosen herself - and hated herself for it. Killing had become easier over time. She had pleased her mistress by spilling the blood of her enemies, but still been little more than a dog beneath her table. A pet that was sometimes fed scraps, but often abused and violated when her mistress was in the mood. She had learned to hide her tears, for weakness only brought further pain.


Until she had met Her. The Karishzar had forgiven her attempt on her life. Then she had cast down the false goddess and the 'wise mistresses' who had kept Xalda and the other slaves in bondage. The mighty and corrupt had been pulled from their decadent nests and given to the sun. In that moment, Xalda had realised that she would follow the Karishzar to the fiery pits of hell if she willed.


So the young Xioquo slew. The Silencers sprang into action with military precision, having obfuscated their Force auras until the last possible moment. Ripples could be felt through the Force as the special forces operatives set to work. On a metaphorical level, one could compare it to wrapping cold, wet blankets around the Jedi. The more high-level ones would require more force and effort to suppress. Indeed, they would probably be able to fight through it. But it severed the links in the chain that bound the Jedi, and exposed the more inexperienced ones. Suddenly they became prey. If the distance was small enough, the Silencers fired their Wrist Ion Beamers, adding paralysis to Force suppression.


Weapons fire emanated from the Firemane soldiers' guns. Seeing that their foes were under pressure from an unexpected quarter, the troopers who had been defending the downed transport took heart. But the Dominion soldiers fought. Even the Padawans, though deprived of their powers, did not run. They fought with blades, slugthrowes and halberds, making the Firemane soldiers pay in blood. A trooper close to Xalda fell, struck by a bullet that went through his helmet. Another was ripped apart by a grenade's explosion. Amidst the discharge of slugthrowers, the roar of bolters and the shouts, Xalda made her move. The Xioquo warrior was not trained in the esoteric powers the Silencers called upon, so she relied on her agility and stealth.


Concealed from the Force and clad in armour that baffled most sensors, she was a ghost. Retrieving a throwing knife from her utility belt, she held it in her dominant hand. Angling the weapon, she slightly bent her wrist towards her forearm. Raising the knife above her head, she swung it forward and released the weapon. It was sent soaring through the air towards one of the Jedi apprentices, a Twi'lek. She aimed for the young woman's wormtails.


The knife struck true, embedding itself. To ensure as much pain as possible and help take foes out of commission, its blade had been coated in Devaronian blood poison. The alien fell to the ground, ichor streaming out of her headtail. Swiftly Xalda had crossed the distance. Plunging the knife in deeper, she severed a lekku. Then she cut the woman's throat. The spirits whispered a warning. But there was much too much chaos, too much fighting around her for to heed it.


A Jedi bludgeoned the back of the Xioquo's head with the pommel of a halberd. Feeling as if her skull had been smashed the dazed elf fell. Her helmet had absorbed some of the impact but it could only do so much against concussive force. There was blood. Stepping forward, the Jedi slashed. Cartwheeling, Xalda evaded the savage blow. Drawing her Sith sword, she narrowly blocked a thrust her chest. This Jedi was more powerful than the overwhelmed Padawans. Perhaps the leader of the group, or one of them at any rate. The Jedi was quick on her feet and her blade had a greater reach than Xalda's, keeping the Xioquo at a distance.


Choosing caution over fury, Xalda stepped back, trading space for time. When the Xioquo was forced to block another stab, her weapon was almost torn from her hand by a hook of durasteel. The Xioquo grit her teeth, backing away. Quietly reciting an incantation, she called upon the power of the spirits. She poured this power into the earth beneath the Jedi's feet, causing it to tremble. The small quake blasted the Jedi away, yet as she countered by hitting the Xioquo from behind with a telekinetic ram. Both combatants were sent flying. Xalda skid across the muddy ground for a bit until her body came to a halt. Cursing in her native tongue, she arose, though her rib cried.


Time seemed to slow. The Jedi came forward once more, launching a chop towards her skull. Ducking, Xalda delivered a slash towards her leg. The Jedi stumbled and her grip on the halberd weakened. Stone skin had encased Xalda's off-hand and she slammed her fist into her enemy's stomach with enough force that even her armour could not blot out the impact.


Above them the clouds had darkened. Thunder roared, and rain poured down in droves. A piece of debris was loosened and sent flying towards the Xioquo. Alerted by her sensitive hearing, the Herald of the Destroyer leapt out of the way. This put her in the clear. But the Jedi channelled the Force through her weapon. A fierce, blazing light coalesced around it, soon evolving into a blast of light.


Xalda wore insulated armour, but this was different from conventional light. Her eyes, skin and her black soul burnt when she was struck by the blast. It felt like the day her mistress had left her to burn in the sun. She cried out in pain, as she felt her strength leaving her. She felt like she was burning up inside. Then the storm came to an abrupt halt. Light still emanated from the enchanted sword, but it was weak, producing only a faint glow that did her little harm.


Sergeant Saito had appeared at Xalda's side. The Xioquo could sense the intense concentration of the Panathan as she imposed her will upon the Jedi, suppressing her efforts. Powered by her fury, Xalda feinted a strike towards the Jedi's hands before going through her chest. The Jedi spat blood, and fell. With her last dying breath, she activated a grenade. The spirits were with Xalda, and the earth seized the Jedi, just a moment before detonation occured. A powerful explosion blew Saito and Xalda backward. Both were showered in shrapnel.


xxx


Freya had learned the lessons of survival early on. By the time she was a mere ten years old, she could shoot, memorise locations and follow order. Siobhan and Tegaea had recognised her talents and given her the chance to prove herself. She repaid them with absolutely loyalty. If she had wanted to, she could have gotten a promotion ages ago. Gotten herself some fancy rank bars and a shiny commission. It had been offered to her on several occasions, and she had turned it down every single time. Each time in coarser language. Eventually the bigwigs had gotten the message. This was where she belonged - out here in the field. The boss ladies gave her a goal, some general directives and then let her get it done. Artillery roared and thunder bellowed. It was an orchestra of madness and destruction. The aroma of death was heavy in the air.


So Reaper Squad and the Rebels moved forward. Freya did, all things considered, not really have strong feelings on Vong either way. Force-Users got cold feet when they were around and cried bloody murder, but then they belly-ached about anything that defied their delusional pretentions of omnipotence. If they turned out to be psychos that tried to hurt her, she'd put them down like anyone else who dared to. If not, she was cool with them.


They found common ground in killing. Prisoners were not taken. On the way through a trench that had been scorched by Firemane bombardment, they came across wounded Dominion soldiers. Several of them were buried under rubble or the corpses of those who had perished before. Pained groans could be heard. Some pleaded for help. Her shotgun barked. Then there were fewer pleas. Her wrist flamer set bodies alight. Further away, light Dominion artilery belched shells, bombarding Firemane landing spots and clusters of troops.


Her Power Armour was painted in mud, dirt, blood and gore. Various wounds marked her body, etched into her face. Smoke clogged the air, blood seeped into the mud and the wounded no longer cried, for they had been silenced forever. By fire and manoeuvre, Reaper Squad advanced. It was time to bring on the pain. Her underslung grenade launcher thoomped and a moment later a grenade arced over Dominion soldiers. A brilliant explosion of white-hot rain consumed them. White phosphorus was a beautiful weapon. The orchestra of slaughter drowned out the cries as the cloud devoured them.


Volleys of bullets came her way, hammering her armour. She grunted from the impact but moved forth. No point in trying to hide or run while wearing Power Armour. Reaper Squad would advance and fight. Support came from their Force Dead allies. Barely noticeable, they moved like spectres, concealed by their cloaks. Usually Freya took notice of them after one of their attacks hit home.


Here, a Dominion soldier got his throat cut by a razor bug that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, there precise shattergun fire cut down a machine gunner or gas and smoke engulfed enemy clusters. Up ahead Jedi were directing the Dominion artillery. The apparent leader of the rebels, that Vong woman, had given her one of the communicators they used. "Let's capture them. Keep 'em busy," the Vong woman spoke. Her name was Mezha something. Freya pinged in affirmative.


Missiles and autocannon fire sprayed Dominion positions. Up ahead, crewers manning the heavy guns and soldiers guarding them suddenly went down from Shattergun shots or razor thud biots. Others gasped for air when they were seized by powerful arms and garotted. Up close a vicious melee ensued. The Sergeant thrust her vibrobayonet through a soldier's neck. Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye, she squeezed the trigger. The faceplate of a Dominion soldier was smeared with blood when she nailed him. However, the second soldier kept on charging, though she continued firing. Though bleeding from being struck by a shard, the Wookiee Jedi, clad in Jedi battle armour, moved with near blinding speed, holding an enchanted sword. Then an invisible power seized her shotgun and crushed it like a toy.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Behead/Battle: Leonina (CO), Laira, Xalda, Freya, Mezha, Leo/DTs, Silencers


Rescue: Tempest (CO), Kira, Nyssa, Natalie, Loyalty, Varkasa Jai Nansal


A fist smashed aside a section of metal plating. Rising to her feet Tempest jumped down into the courtyard, her blade flying to her hand and igniting. This Jedi was tough, and perhaps Tempest had underestimated his strength, but she was now ready.

Lightning crackled over her as he unleashed a torrent of electrical discharge at the Jedi. He blocked it as expected, but the intent was not to overwhelm him, but to keep him still, to keep the initiative with Tempest.
The Dahomian charged into combat, this time switching to a more aggressive lightsabre form. The strength granted by her suit and the Force allowed her to drive back her opponent. However, she was not gaining a considerable advantage. Rather, he was retreating in good order, parrying and trading space for time. His parries were skilled but he was not riposting much.

Tempest realised that her opponent was waiting for her to tire him out, and that in the plane of pure physical contest she was at least his equal. Therefore she hit upon a bold, and somewhat crazy plan. She switched her blade to only her left hand and swung up at his right side. The Jedi parried and she locked their blades in place. With her other hand she grabbed him and blasted off into the air with her jetpack.
The Jedi was so surprised that for a couple of seconds he did not react. That was all she needed. When he did slash at her right arm, more out of reflex than anything else, she let go.
To his credit the Jedi did start to slow his descent, but he was falling quickly and still landed heavily. Before he could recover a blast of piercing lightning tore into his unprotected back. Screaming, unable to defend himself from the elemental energies, the Jedi spasmed until Tempest landed and administered a coup de grace into his neck.


This handled, Tempest waited no time in following up. Inside she found a horde of enraged prisoners tearing themselves and the guards apart. A quick detour onto the roof and she ran along it, dropping down onto the administration wing.
The battle between the Qadiri and Firemane attackers on one side and the Dominion defenders was still going on, but the invaders clearly had the edge.

Lightsabre in hand, Tempest cut through the roof and dropped down. She could sense a concentration of electrical energy below her and figured this was her target.

Inside the room two Dominion soldiers had been watching the door, and as they turned the lightsabre arced out and cut them down. Tempest turned to the last occupant, and froze.
“Mara?” She knew of their prisoner/guest which Elpsis had captured and befriended with Laira. Here was an exact replica, a clone even.
“Sith dog!” the technician snarled and drew a pistol.
Tempest was hit by the slug in the chest, but fortunately the Beskar held. A slash of the blade and the technician was staring at her stump. A gesture and a use of the Force and the girl was unconscious. A name tag on her uniform showed she was named Mina.
She looked around the room. It was indeed a computer and records room. Someone, presumably the clone, had started rigging the room with primitive ion or electrical charges, and the physical records with incendiaries. It was the work of twenty seconds to disable these charges and take a deep breath.

“Natalie, I need you up here to slice into these records. Second floor, admin tower, sending ping now. There’s a hole in the roof if you’d rather that. I’ll hold here until you arrive. Kira, Nyssa, follow my ping when you can, we have what we need here I think.”

There was a heavy impact on the door. Tempest readied her blade. “I’ve got company inbound. Will hold them off.”

XXX

Leonina Varkathras was a stern and extremely competent officer. She was demanding of subordinates but was quick to also distribute earned praise or rewards. However, she kept herself perpetually prepared for battle, and so now she could swing into action with no fear, for she was prepared.

Rallying a squad of troops and a handful of Order of Fire adepts to her, she counter-attacked the insurgent enemy. Their rapid firing sluggers had rate of fire on their side, it was true, and if enough bullets hit one was guaranteed to do some harm. Thus a well armoured soldier who took a full burst fell seriously wounded, bullets in the hip and shoulder.

Blade ignited, Leonina set about the enemy. However, their enemy did have one weapon which was a harder sell; satchel charges. Even the strongest Force user would struggle against the blast from one of those.

“Give me covering fire! Aim for the demolitionists!”
The good thing about the bolters was that when they hit one of their targets they’d set off the charges. Thus one of the Dominion troopers detonated as if an artillery shell had struck him when his charges blew, tearing apart his comrades.

“Elemental cover! Kaizal, burn them out. Quizal, create some cover, take a squad and flank them.”

The artillery was safe for now, and with other troops flanking around the demolitionists would hopefully soon be dealt with.

But then she looked at the sky. It wasn’t that dark before…indeed the weather had reported it’d be a clear day. Lightning cracked, thunder rolled, and it started to rain. Not a gentle sprinkle, but a downpour which would turn the churned earth to a thick, gloopy mud if it went on long enough.

“There goes the air support…” Leonina said with a growl. “All units, be aware there is some weather control suspected. Air support will be limited until it clear. Status report,” she said, hoping some of her troops would hear her.

XXX

In space Tegaea watched the weather from above. It was forming below her at a rate too perfect and quick to be natural.
“Captain, all scans to identify any source for this weather. Unusual towers or strange energy signatures. Go!”
She frowned. “Let’s see if our Jedi Master prisoner knows anything. Any unusual activity or references to this Cloak. We need to find out how to stop it. Contact Doctor Geva. See if she can help.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

In Elpsis' mind, the landscape had shifted. She was no longer in the sacred room deep inside the Dominion brainwashing labour camp. She found herself in a large greenhouse. Huge waterfalls, plants, pleasent smelling flowers and stone walkaways abounded. There was an aura of peace and serenity. She knew this place well.

It was the Room of a Thousand Fountains. She had come here many times back when had been a Padawan. But this was not the only thing that was different. She could once again see. Her eyes were open. She did not just hear the waterfall, she saw it.

"No, no, this is not real," she spoke. Even her voice sounded different. It was that of a child. Reaching out with her hands, she found that she was wearing brown Jedi robes. Her long red hair was bound in a Padawan's braid. "I'm not one of them. I never was."

"You were. You will be," another voice spoke. Spinning around, she found herself staring at her mirror image. Except this Elpsis was decades older. There was a kindly smile on serene face. She was dressed in white robes. "It's time for you to come home, Elpsis."

"This was never my home!" Elpsis yelled. Fire rippled from her hands, sweeping towards the woman. But the older Jedi Elpsis just stood there. The fire washed over her and she stood unburnt and unhurt.

"Step out of the darkness and joins us."

"We can be a family together." Suddenly there was another Elpsis in the room. She resembled the girl as a Youngling.

"We've always wanted one." The third apparition was about Elpsis' actual age.

"Being brainwashed into a drone? You call that family?!"

"There is so much hatred and pain inside you. You've tried so hard to impress someone who has scorned. Ever since the darkness drove you away from the Jedi, your life has been one of tribulations. It is time to let go..."

"Stay away from me. I warn you..." More apparitions were appearing.

"And let the Light into your heart."

Elpsis broke into a sprint, running as fat as she could. But wherever she ran, there were more apparitions. "Let us help you. There is no emotion..."

"There is calm," the apparitions spoke in unison. They had caught up with her. Elpsis took a step back, stumbled. She fell into the water. Immediately they were upon her. A myriad hands grabbed her. She struggled, hitting, kicking and biting them. It was all to no avail. Overpowering her, they pushed her deep into the water. Holding her down, they drowned her. Bright light shone down upon her, then everything went dark.


Diona's strong hands pressed against the empath's chest, compressing it. Inquisitor Lea was right above Elpsis. Her mouth was pressed against the empath's, giving her the breath of life. The energies of the Force flowed through her. Elpsis vomitted and coughed up some water. Her body was trembling and she was sweaty. Feeling disorientated and confused, she looked around. She found herself gazing at the aura of Inquisitor Lea. Diona stood behind her, holding her. The empath coughed up some more. Her Jedi robes were soaked. The cold water made her shiver. However, she was no longer inside the pool, but lying next to it.

"Awaken, sister. There, there. You are among friends." The Inquisitor's aura radiated kindness and benevolence. Her voice sounded gentle and melodic. There was something off about Diona's aura. Something Elpsis could not place.

"Among friends," Elpsis repeated. She spoke haltingly. Her skin was as white as a sheet. "I'm cold."

"Jedi Diona, get our sister towel and a fresh pair of robes," Lea ordered.

"I was swallowed by darkness, then there was a shining light. I heard a voice. It led me out." Distress was evident in Elpsis' tone.

"You have been tested by the Force, dear. I apologise for what you endured, but it was necessary to save you."

"From the darkness. I was...so foolish."

"It was not your fault. The Darkness is insidious. It is a quiet thing, to fall. Almost imperceptible. Firemane used you."

"Yes...I understand. I am...a Jedi now?"

"You have begun your first step. Now your training as a Jedi will begin. It is a great burden we put on your shoulders, but we need you, dear. Are you ready to do what is needed to defend the life and liberty of the innocent people of Tephrike against the Darkness? To stand against the tyranny of Firemane?"

"Yes...I am."

"Good. Elpsis was the name of a girl who was abandoned, abused and corrupted. It is not your name anymore. From now on, you shall be known as Roxane, a Warrior of the Light." Heavy footsteps could be heard coming from outside, as Diona returned. Lea gestured to a minion, who helped Elpsis get out of her wet clothes and dress herself.

"You see, Diona, the Light always wins out," Lea said quietly after leading the Jedi Guardian away. "The Grand Inquisitor will be pleased when he arrives," she added in a low voice to keep them from being overheard.

"The Grand Inquisitor is coming?"

"To pass judgement and prepare us for the struggle to come. You did say you yearned to take up arms against the Sith invaders, after all."


xxx

Nyssa was down on the ground. Her mind was like an open book to the concealed Jedi mentalist. Her body was her enemy's plaything. By all outward appearances, it looked like she was having a seizure. Her muscles spasmed, causing her face, neck and arm muscles to jerk rhythmically. When she tried to rise, she fell. Her vision had grown blurry and her head hurt. She tried to struggle, lashing out in anger, but she could not drive the Jedi out. There was radiating pain, tingling down her left arm and jaw and piercing pain through her back.


"I am Nyssa...Vykaris," she spoke haltingly. Her words sounded slurred. "D-Daughter of Alia by Samazya. I can trace my bloodline through the ages." It hurt to speak. Her voice was a mere rattle. "The blood of the first Kings of Korriban flows through my veins." A sharp pain shot through her chest. Her heart thumped inside her chest, beating rapidly at an alarming rate.


"And I will not be beaten by any Jedi." The Pureblood roared. Her anger found an outlet as she furiously blasted the invisible talons that had sunken themselves into her mind and the chains that had wrapped around it. On the physical level, her wroth produced an ominidirectional wave. She forced herself to stand. She greedily sucked in oxygen to fill her lungs with air. Her vision was hazy but she saw a Jedi before her. The blast seemed to have knocked the Twi'lek off her feet. She looked bruised and bloody. Nyssa's gauntleted hand gripped Aureole. The Sith sword crackled with power.


She held the blade ready to deliver the killing blow. Then she suddenly turned around and plunged it into the chest of an identical Twi'lek who had been about to strike her. The Twi'lek who had been standing in front of Nyssa dissipated into nothingness. By contrast, the one who had just been stabbed was impaled when the sword pierced her heart. The Force imbued blade the Jedi had been holding fell to the ground. Nyssa's sword was coated with the Jedi's blood when she withdrew it. For just a moment, the sight brought her back to the conquest of Dromund Kaas. She and her sisters had been united in thought and action then.


It was only a fleeting moment. Her wrist-worn communicator beeped. "Acknowledged," Nyssa responded tersely to the Dahomian's transmission. Quickly she took off towards the location Tempest had pinged them about. Around her, the slaughter continued.


xxx


There was chaos all aroud her. Prisoners, turned into rabid animals by the berserk gas, threw themselves at each other and the guards. Some prisoners were riddled with bullets or stabbed, yet continued attacking their prey with relentless aggression until they were finally put down. Natalie saw a prisoner jab a guard's eye out and bite him before he was put down by a bullet to the head, causing his brain matter and blood to splatter across the wall. Keeping her head down, she crouched from cover to cover while bullets ricochetted off walls. A younger Natalie would have felt guilt about what had been done to the prisoners. Her older, hardened self was just...numb. She had one person to save. Was her choice a selfish one? Most definitely. She also did not care. It was war; people died.


There was little chance getting past the melee, so she raised her hand towards the roof and activated her grappling gun. As she shot up, a rabid prisoner charged her. Grabbing ahold of her leg, he tried to pull himself up with her. She tried to shake him off, but his strength was beyond human. Indeed, he sank his teeth into her boot. Giving him a hard kick, she shot him. He fell and she surged upward. Crouching on the roof, she saw that Firemane and Qadiri troops were pushing through the Dominion lines.


Rapid slugthrowe fire peppered the roof and she quickly detached herself from the hook and bolted towards the hole Tempest had made. Dropping down through it, she found herself inside a room filled with computers and records. The Dahomian was standing guard at the door. Loud noise could be heard coming from outside. Presumably the Dominion minions were preparing breaching charges.


"Give me a moment. Take this," Natalie said simply, handing Tempest a microgrenade launcher. It was chambered with canisters of plank gas and nerve gas. That done, she quickly headed over to one of the computers. Plugging in a datapad, she began typing away.

xxx


The artillery crews died. First, a snap bug was tossed into their midst, producing a bright flash of light and a loud sonic boom. Some died when razor bugs were propelled through the air and scythed through their throats. Others were garotted. The remainder were gunned down. The Vipers moved quickly and methodically. Should any pleas of surrender be heard, they were not accepted.


Dominion soldiers who had fallen to the ground and seemed out of commission received an extra bullet to the head - it was better to be safe than sorry. Weapons fire and screams filled the air. Mezha let a strangled Dominion trooper drop to the floor, releasing him from the rope around his throat. Above her, clouds had gathered and it was pouring with rain. Lightning slashed from the sky and thunder roared. This was not natural.


But her attention was drawn to a different type of pandaemonium. Further away, that foul-mouthed human woman, Freya Solveig, was duelling a Wookiee Jedi. The human blasted him with a wave of scorching heat from her wrist-worn flamethrower. The Wookiee howled in pain, for though his enchanted armour was sturdy, it was not immune to fire and his race was very flammable. But rather than give way it seemed to spur him on. His greatsword struck the fuel tank of the flamer.


The weapon burst open. Both combatants were hit by a volley of fuel. Flames burst all over the place. Mezha could hear the human cry out in pain. Her Power Armour was probably very resistant to the elements, but she had been dosed in fuel at close quarters. Some of the heat would have seeped into her body glove. The Wookiee was badly burnt. Growling something in his alien language, he charged Freya, hammering her with strikes. The human drew her Phrik sword to meet his relentless assault. She wielded it well. But as their blades clashed, it became apparent to Mezha that even with her Power Armour, the human could not match the Wookiee in strength.


He intermixed his strikes with telekinetic blasts to throw her off-balance. Feinting a stabbing thrust towards her head, he changed geard mid-strike and swung down. Her parry was off target and his blade cut across her leg. His sword could not cut through, but the force of the blow knocked the leg from under her. There was bruising, maybe a cracked bone.


"Secure the guns. Put Dominion positions under fire," Mezha yelled to Synthia. The Twi'lek would know what to do. Without waiting for any word, she sprinted towards the melee that was unfolding before her eyes. Freya managed to block the Wookiee's follow-up strikes, though the effort almost broke her arm. Holding her Cylix bolt pistol in her off-hand, she squeezed the trigger.


Acting on reflex and instinct, the Wookiee carved through the round that was shooting towards him at close range. However, he howled in pain when he was showered in molten copper. His sword arm was badly burnt. In a frenzy, he beat her with the pommel of his sword and a bright flash of light emanated from his hand.


By now Mezha had reached him. amphistaff in hand, she struck him with the baton. The biot creature spat venom. The Wookiee cried out in anguish when it sunk its teeth into weak spots inside his leg, and its venomous poison seeped through. His roar was so loud it seemed to make the earth itself tremble for a moment. Staggering, he dropped to one knee, but then seemed to gain a second wind. The Vong frantically dodged as he hammered her with blows, trying to gain some distance from the enraged berserker.


The air grew heavy around her, making her feel as if she was being crushed. Taking advantage, he ripped the amphistaff from her hands. The creature coiled around his arm and sunk its teeth into a joint. The Wookiee screamed. His sword dropped out of his grasp. Grabbing the creature with both hands, he ripped it in half. Then he shook when Freya fired her shatterpistol at close range. Once, twice. Released from the abnormally strong air pressure, Mezha slashed his throat with her talons. In the same moment, one of Freya's bullets shattered his helmet, piercing his skull.


[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tempest"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Geva smirked, listening to the comlink in her ear while her hands casually stroked the Twi’lek Jedi’s back that was sitting beside her comfortably. The Jedi was calming to her touch and was starting to have positive reactions to physical interaction, which was a step in the right direction. She was forming a platonic relationship with Airla, based on a simple trust that Geva wasn’t going to allow her to come to harm and that she wasn’t asking for anything important. Unfortunately Firemane needed strategic information, and they needed it now. Likely they wouldn’t give the Falleen very long before turning to more barbaric methods that would destroy any trust Geva had managed to build so far.

“Hun, I’m sorry I have to ask you this, but my associates are engaged with something called the-”

“Radiant Cloak.” The Twi’lek finished her sentence. Already Geva could feel her skin tightening beneath her fingers, muscles constricting as though bracing for expected pain.

“Yes. They want to know about it.” Geva smiled, deciding to try honey rather than whip to the Twi’lek. “But I’m sure they would understand if a diplomat didn’t know anything about a weapon.” It was a simple out, something Geva could only try to offer. It sounded hollow in her own ears.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Skepticism and cynicism dripped from the blue-skinned alien’s voice as she shrunk away. Airla had to make a decision, whether to turn on her life-long friends and allies to save her own skin, or to see how long she could hold out once more. What did she have to hold out for anyway? The Dominion had already cast her aside, even her friends would probably not greet her with open arms anymore, even if she did manage to go home. She glanced over her shoulder at the green-skinned falleen. “Why should I help them? What do I care if the cat or the demon die beneath it?”

“You shouldn’t, I don’t.” Geva finished, nonchalantly withdrawing her hand in order to fetch a fingernail file and begin doctoring her already well manicured hand. “Personally I don’t mind how many of them come back in boxes. But I do have a few friends down there whoever knows about the device would be helping. They are from the same group I’m from, and I’m sure their Master would be grateful that they made it home because someone helped them.” She was more concerned with the Death Troopers, but she’d much prefer her pretty girly friend Laira survive as well. Carrot was always better than whip in Geva's experience.

Airla’s blue eyes squinted at the Falleen. “And you would be certain to be rewarded?” It was time for Airla to begin thinking and preparing for her future and not worry about the people left in her past.

“Well, maybe. I’m sure they’d be more amicable towards whoever provided the information. If you don’t know anything, perhaps I should ask the other prisoners?” Geva looked questioningly at the twi’lek, waiting for the trap to snap shut. Her prize for all this work would be a published paper and a cute little Jedi feeling indebted to her. Firemane might also appreciate her assistance with some nice fat grant money.

~

Kira slunk to the shadows, the screams from her last victims still resounding behind her. Stealth was important in a mission like this, but not in the conventional sense. Everyone already knew they were attacking the encampment, that much was clear. But the Dominion could at least be confused about their location in the camp and their goals. The screaming and roaring from the part of the camp she had unleashed Berserk into, an ample distraction for sure, hardly a humane one though.

Humanity and compassion had been largely purged from the young revolutionary after many years of fighting against people that had none. Curious how even the good people resembled the ones they fought after long enough, after enough loss and suffering.

She crawled through the shadows between buildings, snapping off a silenced dart into the prison guards as she encountered them, thankfully very few. Blood Boiler took three to five seconds to prove lethal even with a good shot, but it was such an effective fear and area denial weapon. Everytime she dropped one of the guards, anyone who carelessly trampled through the puddle left behind after the first’s blood turned to acid and dissolved the hapless fool, would be severely wounded.

She was trying to cover for Nyssa, keeping the guards from engaging the Sith while she dealt with the Force User in the area, something Kira couldn’t do. All she could do for now was crawl towards a vantage point and cover the Sith amazon while she tried to rally. For all the illusions, all it took was one guard with a shotgun getting through. She snapped off another needle, catching the guard in the thigh, instinctively he hand reached for the needle and his weapon sprayed rounds where he thought it had originated from, kicking up dirt all around Kira’s body. She simply backed around the corner, checking on her compatriot. The Jedi Illusionist was now dead, “Over Tempest.” She called to the command, checking the gps on her wrist as she started making her way towards where Tempest had pinged them.

The prisoners, both the enraged by Berserk and the ones who were just too scared to follow directions. Fear was the best thing to start a riot, it provoked even the timid into action where anger could not. It was a good distraction, even though the guards weren’t hesitating to use lethal force.

Kira stayed to the wall, lurking in the shadows as she approached Tempest’s location, peering around a corner. Three guards, all frightened, all too close to the door for her blood boiler. She snapped the magazine out and the needle in the chamber, careful to reload the cartridge and stash it away while she changed it out for the non-lethals.

~

Thunder rumbled in the roiling skies above them, the air charged with electricity. Chaos on the ground shuddered the earth beneath Laira’s feet. Gunfire hurled from both sides, Laira waiting back with her squad of Resistance Troopers. Though she hadn’t interacted with the GAG commandos as much as the Death Troopers, they fell into position without issue, fighting alongside their former foes with unexpected precision. They didn’t have the same kinship as the Imperials had between them, but there was obviously a mutual respect between the two groups.

They fell into a two forward-one back formation, each team moving slowly at a crouch through the underbrush. The fortress loomed over them like a mountain, just one more glade and thicket to clear through before they arrived at its ominous base. Laira found herself in the middle of the forward groups, glancing over her shoulder to see Stalgis with the rear one as they advanced. “Red, surge forward. We need to keep up with the others.” His voice echoed through the comms. He was right, if they fell behind not only would they not be in a position to help Xalda and Saito but they also ran the risk of getting cut off from the group, isolated and killed off.

“Alright, Leo, Mac. Let’s go.” She said, heaving herself off the ground, trying to shake the cobwebs out of her head. Earlier dealing with the arcona she had froze and it still resonated with her, but all she could see when he was down was someone that was helpless. She didn’t see an enemy anymore, and in her mind she knew it was dangerous to believe that. After that she had let Xalda and the Silencers move past her while Leo tried to get her moving again. They weren’t far behind, maybe thirty meters back, but that was far enough that the troopers were having to wait to pick their shots so as not to hit the Silencers engaging the Jedi in melee.

Laira noticed Xalda and Saito fighting side by side, dealing with the Jedi warriors and so she launched herself forward, crossing the gap between them with a few short bursts of speed that put her closing in with the melee. Her pistol snapped, taking a Dominion Militia man in the chest with a trio of quick bolts, saber buzzing as she engaged an Azumel padawan. His six eyes snapped towards her, probably the only reason he was able to react fast enough to block her initial strike. He tried to lash out with the butt of his halberd, snapping it forward for her to duck under, barely. She dropped to one knee under the butt of the weapon, slamming her fist into the dirt and mud, calling to the earth through the Force. At her beckoning, a spike ruptured from the surface of the earth rising to pierce the Padawan’s flesh as he backed away suddenly, trying to create distance between himself and the spike. His eyes flashed in all directions, noticing the spike behind him as Laira yanked her hand towards herself, the rock following her motion suddenly, impaling the Azumel through the torso from behind.

“Xalda,” She panted, the short rapid exertions of the Force taking a toll on her body. Short bursts and short rests between light fights. “We need to take out a machine gun nest in that thicket, then we can use this clearing as an Landing Zone.” A hot landing zone, but at least their gunships that managed to pierce the clouds above them wouldn’t have nowhere to go. The thicket had stuttering weapon’s fire erupting from it at varying points, but one had a steady stream lacing against the Firemane Forces with a handful of streams breaking forth from the camouflage. “We should do it, they have a Jedi with them.” At least one. The redhead glanced behind her, her squads moving up nearby, taking what shots were available to them.

Laira felt it, the encroaching snare as the rain began to drip against her skin sliding down her cheek and dampening her scarlet hair. The aura extended from the fortress and her senses tingled, she saw the image of a giant looming over the battlefield moving pieces like he was playing chess. It was starting.

~

“Their sensors will be blind from above, communication difficult with the Cloak enabled.” The attendant muttered under his breath, smiling as the Jedi Master began his battle meditation. So far he was still probing, getting a feel for the Firemane and Rebel forces that opposed him. “The demons would not dare strike us from their ships and their fighters will be blind until they drop beneath the clouds.”

Jedi Ganther was experienced enough of a warrior to know that the enemy on the ground would provide stiff resistance, and that they would move for the device as soon as they found it. It bought them time, and even if they were lucky and killed every last one of these there would be more to follow. But he also knew the goal was not to win, but to make victory too costly to the demons from the sky above. He just hoped this battle had better casualty reports than General Kennobi had a track record for. Victory was assured for this battle, but at what cost?

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Karrigan'Xalda]

The explosion from the suicidal Jedi's grenade was mostly contained due to her being swallowed by the earth. Nonetheless, the shockwave sent Sergeant Saito and Xalda flying. Xalda hit the ground hard. A shard of shrapnel stung. She spat blood. For a moment she was in a daze. Her sensitive ears were ringing. She heard shouts, then gun fire. A stream of stuttering weapons fire erupted from the thicket. Shapes were moving through the bushes. Saito pulled the Xioquo into cover behind a thick tree log. Weapons fire peppered the tree. A burst left her Magnetic Revolver as she tapped a Padawan and a grunt.

Laira had suddenly appeared in their midst. "Go for it. Silencers will be behind you," Saito grunted. "I'll see what I can salvage from this motley crew," she pointed towards the Firemane soldiers at the crashed transport.

"You are injured," the Xioquo remarked, seeing blood drip out of the Panathan's wounded arm.

"Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring. Get a move on," the Sergeant ordered her gruffly. "Order of Fire leads the way."

"All the way," with that Xalda turned her attention to Laira as they moved. "If I have some cover, I can make the earth swallow the nest." Xioquo were children of the soil and the cold. Elemental earth, water and ice abilities came natural to them.

Above them clouds had gathered, blotting out the light. Thunder rumbled in the roiling skies, and the air was charged with electricity. In the old days, the Xioquo had looked upon the sky with a mixture of awe and dread. Though she now lived in the realm of Azyr, such notions were hard to shake off. But she would brave these terrors and spill the blood of the Yedi infidels.


Meanwhile, Saito was finding her way back to the Firemane crew at the downed transport. Harsh weapons fire forced her to alternate between moving into a crouch or sprinting to avoid getting shot at. The Dominion's weapons might be primitive, but all it took was enough heavy slug rounds to hurt someone and unlike the enemy, Firemane did not have a huge number of bodies to throw around.

"Sergeant Saito. Silencers Who the frak is in charge here?" she demanded when she had reached Firemane's improvised defensive lines. Looking over the group, she found a mixed bunch of some veterans, such as Cataphracts, and plenty of green recruits.

"Uh, I am, Sergeant," a nervous sounding fellow clad in standard Duranium armour said. "Lieutenant Dagros. We got hit by one of those blasted kamikaze pilots. Captain's dead, so is the Sergeant. Communications with command are shot to hell..."

"You're alive. You can fight. Good. Lt, a word." Saito led him away behind the wreckage. "First ride with the Company, right?"

"I've been on combat operations before!" the young man insisted.

"Sure. Mowing down impotent Scutarii raiders or awing Qadiri with the size of our shattercannons." She could not see his expression due to his helmet, but his reaction in the Force told her alll.

"Are you questioning my competence?"

"You're afraid," she raised a hand to cut him off. "Everyone is. Fear tells you when to duck, and to stab the bastard on the other side twice as hard because otherwise he'll kill you. That's natural. But if it rules you it makes you freeze and get people killed. And you look about ready to piss yourself. So your boys need you to get ahold of yourself. Channel your loss into anger. Can you do that?"

For a moment he looked about ready to pull rank on her. "Yes, I can," he said more confidently. "I'll get my boys ready. Let's go kill these bastards. We clear this area out, we can use it as a staging ground for an attack."

"That's the spirit. Keep trying to reach command. Failing that, send a messenger. One of my Silencers will go with them." The freak weather patterns had formed to quickly to be natural. This meant that either the Dominion had a weather control machine or some very powerful elementalists at its disposal. She had not felt any disturbance in the Force, which made the latter less likely.


xxx

Freya's body ached. There was blood on her visor. Rained poured down upon her. The warrior woman got to her feet, locking eyes with the Vong woman. Like it or not, she would have been unable to win without her. This rankled the Sergeant.

"You fight well," the Vong woman said.

"Yeah. You're not bad either," Freya grunted. The alien better not get all sentimental. She was not in the mood for chick flick moments. "What the frak is that? More Force tricks?" she demanded, eyes turned to the sky. The change had been too quick for it to be natural.

"The Dominion has many special weapons in reserve. They must have grown desperate enough to use one. Your friends may have walked into a trap."

"We beat worse, and you'll never take the fortress without our help," Freya responded flatly. "You lot got more on the way or is it just you and yours?"

"Besides giving your leaders all the intel about where to strike?" The Vong's tone was almost challenging. This actually made Freya respect her more. She never liked wusses. "We're the vanguard. The Antillian Guard will be storming the trenches. I say we even the scales," she pointed towards the artillery guns. There the Vong's Twi'lek second in command was getting things up and running. The guns were being reloaded...and redirected. "You?"

The Vong woman got a curt nod and a sadistic grin. Reaper Squad and the Vipers took over the Dominion's old defensive lines. To make things more fun, they laid some Devastator land mines in certain areas. Soon the heavy guns were firing again - on Dominion positions. The guns roared like angry beasts freed to wreck havoc.


[member="Tempest"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]

 

[Tempest]

[member="Laira Darkhold"] [member="Karrigan'Xalda"]

Behead/Battle: Leonina (CO), Laira, Xalda, Freya, Mezha, Leo/DTs, Silencers

Rescue: Tempest (CO), Kira, Nyssa, Natalie, Loyalty, Varkasa Jai Nansal

The pounding on the door had ceased. It had been replaced first with light tapping, and then with a disconcerting silence.
It was going to be tricky. She would find it hard to defend this room given the tight confines and the fact she was protecting the delicate equipment behind her. Still, she was ready. Perhaps she shouldn’t have got here right away alone, but now she was she was not going to let the Dominion get their prize.
The Force screamed at Tempest and she called on the Force as she dived aside. The door exploded, the shrapnel and shockwave meeting her telekinesis and creating a powerful maelstrom near the door knocking her flat.
Scrambling upwards she waited for the hordes of attackers…but none came! Instead there were three enemies just outside the door, each with darts sticking in them. It was then she caught sight of Kira and gave her a salute.
“Natalie, how’s it looking? We’ve got some breathing room, but it might not be for long.” She reached for her commlink. “Varkasa, Loyalty, what is your status? We have secured the records room, if you have any reserves we could use them to hold this place. Get a gunship down here when practical…we’ve got some data to extract. Nyssa, what is your status?”

XXX

Blood and fire, that was what beset Purity. For Leonina, the satisfying screams as the outflanked infiltrators were purged filled her ears. Even through her armour she was getting soaked, and she hated that at the best of times. Now though, facing this menace was even worse.

And then there was their allies. The Republican Guard had committed many soldiers to the first wave, but progress was slow, and it was time to leapfrog and push the attack. However, their reluctance to move so far despite prodding over the comms had irritated Leonina before. Now it was angering her. Firemane troops were dying for this ‘alliance’ when their planetary allies were doing little to assist seemingly.

Therefore, Leonina headed with a small escort to the Republican Guard field headquarters. She could see them, to a being, stiffen and look at her suspiciously as she entered. Not so much at her, but especially at her lightsabre. The attache was there to smooth things over, but Leonina was in no mood to wait.

“General Aruunzeb, we request that you dispatch more forces to continue the offensive. The first and second positions have been taken, but to prevent enemy counterattacks and push forward to the final line we must have more troops committed.”
Aruunzeb, a Mon Calamari fulfilling a fine naming tradition, goggled at her. To be fair that was his species’ normal expression. “Colonel, our forces are not fully prepared, and moving forward until a thorough reconnaissance is unwise.”
Leonina contained a hiss with difficulty. It was still raining, really hard, and though the Republican Guard had many aquatic species, she could feel her fur curling and tangling.
“This is the opportunity, General. We must push the attack before they can recover.”
“That is your view, Colonel. Meanwhile, we are committing much of our strength to this effort with little investment on yours.”
Leonina almost let loose a roar, but calmed herself. However she leaned forward. Some of the Guard leaned back or reached for their weapons, fearing Force trickery.
"General Aruunzeb, your soldiers failed to capture this bastion before. They will continue to fail without our assistance. If you wish to capture this fortress you will send in all of your soldiers or this partnership is ended, and you will stare eternally at the spires of Nexus City but never reach them. Now, put in all of your men. It is now or never," Leonina insisted.
The General looked like he wanted to argue, but finally turned to his subordinates. Reluctantly some nodded.
“Very well, Colonel, we will deploy the Raddus and Antillian brigades first, with the Dodonna and Organa brigades to follow.”
“Thank you, General. I will be bringing in more hardware to support them.”
“All troops must hold the line until reinforcements arrive therefore. Colonel.”
“General.” Leonina prowled away, relieved but not happy until she saw them actually move.

XXX

High above, Tegaea was collecting the reports as they came in. Heavy fighting, casualties, but still progress.
She was getting antsy though. This was shaping up to be a major battle, and so she wanted to deploy her full strength. With this in mind she went in search of General Defiance, one of her leading ground officers. The Dahomian was studying the situation maps but came to attention when she entered.
“Ma’am.”
“General, the situation on the ground is developing, and we must develop with it. Bar some special units your Division is not engaged yet. Have you given thought for how we might utilise them?”
Fortunately the General clearly had, and so took a datapad from an aide. “Yes, ma’am. I have passed my suggestions to General Rikard, and I am sure she has considered them carefully.”
Tegaea took the datapad and examined them. “Of course. I will discuss matters with General Rikard directly. How quickly can your Division be ready to move?”
“We are on standby, ma’am, but I can put us on alert. We can be ready to move in an hour.”
“See that you are. I want all of your vehicles, artillery and other assets ready for an immediate landing. Carry on.”
As she left she studied the plan. It was bold, audacious even, but at this moment Tegaea was feeling the need for both.”

“Captain Vyron,” she contacted on her comm. “I believe the time has come. Start moving some of our ships into low orbit. We will create a cordon of fire and destruction around the fortress. Prevent reinforcements arriving by any means. Intensify bombing runs on the city and any suspected convoys. If this battle is intended to be a trap, let us make it so in reverse.”

XXX

Meanwhile, watching the battle from the distance was Battlemaster Mahtara. She knew well of the Radiant Cloak and could see it was being used. The explosions and sensations in the Force told her however that the battle was still in the balance.

Jedi Knight Kyrric came to kneel beside her, partly due to reverence, partly due to the Yodaling being…diminutive.
“Master, may the Force enlighten me, but I do not understand. We sit upon their flank, ready for the offensive. Why do we not purge these Sith dogs?”
“Calm yourself, Knight Kyrric. Emotion, overconfidence, these are traps we must avoid. Currently our position is such that we are more dangerous where we are than charging forward. They have dispatched more forces to guard against us than would be needed to hold us.” This was true…from a certain point of view. In reality she was waiting for another, rather better opportunity, keeping her armies in being and prepared. To travel or move in the open was suicide for the Cloak did not extend to her position.
“What of the task I assigned you?”
“I have discovered the enemy attacks one of our Re-Education Centres with great strength.”
“Interesting. Seeking their missing captive no doubt. She is not there, but perhaps…” She paused, hand upon her chin. “Dispatch a force, Jedi Kyrric, find any of the survivors, especially leaders and find from them where the offworlder hostage was taken.”
“Master?”
“See to it, Jedi Kyrric,” Mahtara said sternly. “The Grandmaster throws lives away and the Inquisition plays their games and theatrics, ignoring our one and possibly only chance to bargain with the invaders. Accomplish this for me, Kyrric, it is for the good of the Dominion….”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tempest"]

"Jedi Diona, take our new sister to her quarters," Inquisitor Lea ordered in that timelessly serene voice.

I'm going to kill you, Diona thought. Heresy! Thoughtcrime! She did not care. She had already fallen. I just need to decide how far I'm willing to go to get it done. But what she said was, "Yes, Inquisitor. Come on," she beckoned Elpsis to follow. Roxane, she mentally reminded herself.

"Yes, sister," the girl said eagerly. Demurely. Willingly. The gleam of defiance had vanished from her vacant eyes. All that Diona was left it was a drone whose head had been filled with lies. She hated it.

So they left the sacred room. The chamber of horrors and abominations where Jedi cleansed their charges of defiance. Where the uninitiated were lulled in with pleasant scents, bright sunlight, the gentle flow of the water and the wise words of long-dead Masters. It was all lies.

Diona had not undergone a sudden conversion. She believed that fighting the Vaderites and the Republican Guard was right. Both sides were wicked. But her side was not good either. Was there a good side? She did not know.

They moved at a quick pace. No cuffs restrained Elpsis, though the collar remained. But not once did the girl slow. Diona did not even perceive a hint of rebelliousness from her. This time they would not be returning to the dark, squalid cell with the rats and the chains.

Instead she led her to a more civilised dormitory. The room was Spartan with a desk, wooden chair, small cupboard and plain bed. But compared to Elpsis' previous lodgings, it was luxury incarnate. Naturally it was bugged and there was no way to communicate with the outside world. "This is yours."

Elpsis walked in slowly, taking in the room. She traced a hand across the desk before touching the bed sheets. "Thank you. This is very kind of you," she said softly. "I am sorry," she added after a moment.

"What?"

"For your loss. The deaths of your comrades are on me. I was...deceived by Firemane, but that's no excuse."

"They're one with the Force now," Diona said stiffly. "And you already apologised."

There was a flicker of something on Elpsis' face. "To curry favour with you and corrupt you," she insisted. "I was a tainted and stained woman, an instrument of darkness. I struck them down and revelled in it. But you saved my life. You saved me from myself."

"Yeah...I did," Diona needed to take a breath to steady herself.

"I am in your debt - and that of the entire Order. I will never stop repaying it."

"I'm so sorry, Aliura. I should not have betrayed you. But they threatened me, and the others in my pod. They promised me that you would be..."
"Not be harmed? But they have not harmed me, my friend? Everything is clear now. There is emotion, there is calm."

Diona could not take it anymore. "Come with me, Elpsis. There are some tasks for you."

"It's not Elpsis anymore. I'm Roxane. Elpsis is dead."

"Yeah, of course. You're a new woman now."

The girl followed her out into the garden of the camp. Outside it was hot and the air was humid. Elpsis was given a set of gardening tools and a rake, both of which she accepted without protest. Diona pointed all around the garden. "Begin here," the Jedi Knight said. "The garden must be weeded and raked. I shall oversee you." Elpsis - no, Roxane - knelt in the soft grass and put tool to soil. Obedience had been hammered into her. Despite the heat, she had obediently donned her thick Jedi robes. She slowly moved from one section to another, uprooting the weeds and patching the dirt. Diona knew that the collar hurt the girl, but she went about her task. Bags of weed and clipping gathered in a pile around her.

"That flower's dead. Remove it," Diona ordered, when she saw that for some reason Elpsis was stroking a flower that had passed its expiration date. However, the girl did not seem to be paying attention to her. Rather it lookd as if she was in a world of her own. "Elps...Roxane."

"It will bloom," Elpsis said gently. She winced as the collar flared up. Diona was about to grab her, then the flower once more, its colour turning back to a healthy red. Indeed, the plant seemed to grow before her eyes. "Life finds a way. It just needs a nudge sometimes." For just a moment, the Jedi saw something like a spark in the girl's milky-white eyes when she glanced at her.

"Yes, it does," Diona agreed quietly. Perhaps there was hope for both of them.

xxx

The mortars howled like hungry beasts that had been freed from their leashes and given license to inflict havoc. Mezha could not help the surge of satisfaction she felt when their shells rained down upon Dominion lines. The mighty Fortress Purity still loomed ahead of them. They had a long way to go and many enemies to slay. But this could be bit. Perhaps Synthia was right. Maybe this could really be a day of victory. What troubled her was that she had received little word from her people...


"Incoming!" Synthia, her Twi'lek friend, called out. Their assault had not gone unnoticed. Dominion lines had been thrown into momentary disarray upon being bombarded with their own artillery, but they had rallied. The Vipers were somewhat forewarned about advancing enemy infantry because, as Dominion soldiers closed in on their position, they ran straight into the monofilament wire traps.

"Retreat to fall back position," Mezha yelled to make herself heard over the cacophony of sound. Heavy guns thundered, aiming at their position. Fortunately, they had expected this. Moving quickly, the Vipers fell back.

Enemy artillery blew deep craters into their prior position. Harsh counterfire came their way as they pulled out. The Firemane soldiers - Freya and her armoured giants - likewise got a move on, using their jetpacks to compensate for their lack of agility. But Dominion infantry was on the way. These were regulars rather than common militia. Men and women who knew battle and were willing to lay down their lives for their Jedi lords.


Steady streams of machine gun fire lanced towards the retreating Vipers and Reapers. Mezha winced as a bullet grazed her. A Viper was less lucky and was ripped apart by a mortat shell. Mezha hit the dirt. She felt something hot and sharp pierce her. Sweat dripping down her face and back, she crawled as automatic slugthrower fire whizzed over her head. Her bruised hand retrieved a detonator from her belt and she pressed the button. Suddenly various explosives the team had placed detonated. Dominion troopers vanished inside a cloud of flame and shrapnel. Smoke billowed up into the air, accompanied by a rain of blood, body parts and metal.


But there were more enemies who came for them. A Reaper was riddled with machine gun fire that his armour, then he was blown up. Mezha had to restrain the urge to turn around and run forward to help her comrade when one of her men was brought down by shrapnel striking his leg. The soldier kept on firing his carbine at advancing enemies until several bullets to his torso silenced him forever.


Regrouping behind cover in the designated fall back position, the partisans and their offworld allies found no respite. They were out of immediate danger from bombardment, but Dominion infantry came at them. Heavy machine guns were being brought up to provide covering fire and grenade launchers vomitted explosives. Bringing up her rifle, Mezha depressed the trigger. She felt the recoil inside her back as the hypervelocity projectiles of her semiautomatic rifle hit home. Enemy after enemy was shot accurately by her sniping, though she and the other Vipers had to move from cover to cover any time enemy fire focused on them. Other Vipers used flechette launchers, spraying the battlefield with a hail of durasteel darts. The Reapers kept up a withering barrage of microgrenades and hypervelocity slugs.


Mezha could see the enemy bringing up heavy ordinance. Moreover, Dominion soldiers were trying to move around them. Machine gun fire rattled towards her general location, forcing her to quickly bring her head down. A smoke trail appeared in the air, growing larger. "Rocket!" Mezha yelled and dove aside just as the projectile slammed into the rocks she had sought cover behind. She crashed into the larger stone, her ears rang and her rib cried. Dust coated her and she shook her head. But she was alive. The soldier next to her had not been so lucky. His innards were splattered across her. "We gotta move," Synthia urged her, while reloading her grenade launcher, before peeking out to fire off a shell. "We could make a break for it," she added a bit more quietly.

It was true, Mezha realised. Their camo outfits gave them more of a chance. By contrast, the Firemane soldiers were walking tanks. They could slink away and leave them here. "No," she said more to herself than anyone else. "Firemane. Freya," she shouted to get the blonde woman's attention.

"We're pinned down and about to get flanked. You got jetpacks and your armour can take a beating. If you fly close enough, you can drop all our grenades on them. We pick off anyone one who shoots at you or runs. Then we pull out."

"You mean you run away and let us get killed, Vong," one of the Reapers grunted accusingly. Mezha could not miss the disdain in his tone.

"Viper doesn't cowardly run," she retorted. "Think of me what you want, but it's our best chance."

"Your best..."

"Shut up," Freya interjected with an angry grunt. Mezha had the impression that the woman was always angry, but in this situation she appreciated her bluntness. "If you turn tail, I'll tear your guts out and feed them to you. Get ready, team."

Mezha made a gesture and her comrades passed over various grenades to the Reapers. A look passed between her and Freya for confirmation. Then, Synthia and some other Vipers fired their microgrenade launchers. Rather than being loaded with high explosives, they had chambered smoke grenades. As a thick cloud settled upon the battlefield, the Reapers launched themselves into the air.


xxx

Nyssa did not reply right away. Tempest and Kira would hear gun shots and curses coming from further away. Then Nyssa emerged. There were corpses in the corridor behind her. Two had been frozen solid by freezing chemicals and then been shattered. A third had gotten his skull caved in. Blood dripped down from Nyssa's armour and Sith Sword. "Ready. We done here?"

"Working on it. There are gaps in the data. They were running a deletion programme," Natalie remarked. "Fortunately, it's as slow as their computers." As the ladies would no doubt see, the computer was indeed archaic. It was also absurdly huge. Indeed, it dominated most of the room. It was almost impossible to take a single step without tripping over a cable.

Gunfire could be heard coming from outside. Then bullets slammed against the window of the room they were on, Natalie ducked for cover, as the window was ripped apart and shards of glass flew through the air. Blood dripped from her shoulder, where a glass shard had cut her. A slug hit Nyssa in the stomach as she sought cover. Fortunately, the Phrik held, but lack of penetration did not prevent internal injuries or bleeding. The impact caused her to stagger. Anger surged through her and she willed a book shelf to be pushed towards the broken window, providing an improvised barrier. "Get a move on," she growled irritably.

More gunfire could be heard comig from outside, but this was directed at the shooters. It was joined by the thoomp of heavy boltguns firing. Tempest's commlink beeped. "Breaking through towards your location," that was Loyalty.

A transmission followed Varkasa followed shortly thereafter. "The adversary is scattering. Be advised, an enemy shuttle has lifted off." Indeed, the roar of engines could be heard in the far distance. Firemane and Qadiri soldiers were pouring in to secure the camp and finish off survivors.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“No, that won’t be necessary.” Airla said, easing back into a more comfortable position alongside the Falleen. Geva’s pheromones were certainly aiding in putting the Twi’lek at ease, and the coy alien’s demeanor managed almost as much.

“Oh, good. I hoped it would be you!” The Falleen said, continuing to file on her nails. “Tell me all you can about it.”

The Twi’lek settled down, “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to call your Jedi friends first.”

“What for dear?” Geva asked, raising and eyebrow and grinning.

“I want to leave this ship with them. If you can arrange that, I’ll tell you everything I know about the Radiant Cloak. I’ll even tell you about the General in charge of Fort Purity.” The Twi’lek’s tone was one of a beggar, praying for a stroke of luck to finally fall her way.

Geva was actually a bit disappointed the Twi’lek had decided to stay a Jedi. She had been hoping to corrupt the blue alien and share a bed with her until after her book was published, but best laid plans and all. “I’ll see what I can do, but I will have to leave to set it up. Are you okay with that?”

Airla bit her lip. “And no one else will enter? No one else will question me?”

“No, no one else will bother you until I get back. Just relax, the bed has silk sheets.” They were Geva’s sheets, they might as well be used. The Falleen stood with a smile and left the Twi’lek alone. A shame the bed didn’t seem like it would be getting much use tonight. The Falleen shrugged, and the four guards at the door made her wait to get out of the locked room and made a point of resealing and locking the quarters after they were done scanning her.

The Falleen made her way through the ship to the bridge, the bridge security making her stop outside and wait. “Yes, if you would just tell Commander Alcori I need to negotiate with her immediately, I’d be super grateful.” The Falleen batted her eyelashes at a tall Dahomian woman, even biting her lip slightly. The dahomian seemed alittle infatuated, then her friend shoved her slightly.

“Pheromones.” Her friend muttered under her breath, apparently aware of Geva’s species penchant for their use. Nevertheless the security officer nodded and went to fetch the Firemane herself.

~

The redhead looked at the wounded sergeant, wishing she could help her in some meaningful way or provide her any comfort, but there was little that could be done in the midst of battle. At least little that Laira could do, perhaps others would be of more use in that regard. She made a mental note, hoping the panathan would be alright and to check on her after the battle.

She turned her attention to the black-skinned xioquo, hunkering behind a small embankment. “I got an idea. I can do some earth stuff as well.” Primal earth shaping wasn’t beyond the redhead’s capabilities, even if stereotypically redheads used fire. “Dee Tee One, have your squads lay down some suppressing fire from over there, and there.” She waved her hands at two separate points of cover in the clearing. It was risky, but it would perhaps draw the fire from the machine gun nest to return at the suppressing RESINT Troopers. “Dar, give us some smoke all in the nest and get ready to advance.” The Death Trooper she addressed gave her a nod, his fireteam setting up to do as ordered.

“Alright, here is the plan. Dar hits em with smoke, Stalgis and Leo light em up with suppressing fire from either side, me and you rush em down the middle. When we get close, you and I do the thing.” She blushed, hoping that she managed to lay out a solid plan for such an attack. “Alright, let’s do it boys and girls.”

As instructed the three teams of RESINT troopers set about their tasks, providing heavy suppressing fire from the left and right while another dropped smoke grenades at the nest. “Go,” She called to the Xioquo, surging the Force through her legs as she leapt from cover and started crossing the distance. Machine gun fire laced from the nest while the redhead rushed forward. She planned to get as close as possible and then make a small wall for the Xioquo to take cover behind, however she didn’t get the chance.

The smoke grenades and the smoke that they emitted were flung outwards suddenly. Jedi, of course. She knew there had been one, but thought it would have taken them longer to manage. The redhead slid to a stop, digging her hand into the ground as she did and calling the earth to summon the earth as the machine gun fire laced towards the redhead out in the open. The earth rumbled and a stone wall erupted from the ground, tearing through the earth and dirt to create a wall about six feet tall and six feet wide. It wasn’t as close as she had hoped, but it would have to do.

Hopefully Xalda would do better than she had, “Come on hot-cakes! Its gotta be now or never!”

~

Kira tried to hold her breath, laying in a ditch next to the building Tempest, Nyssa, and Natalie were in. Two of the Dominion troopers she had shot with her paralysis darts were laying ontop of her, throats cut deftly with a plasma-filament blade. Their allies were moving, firing at the building. One of them was laying using the corpses of his brethren as cover, just above the revolutionary.

The young woman felt no fear of death, but of loneliness. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to hide beneath corpses to survive, this was not be the first time she worried if her allies were about to leave her, and it might not be the first time she faked being dead to survive. She held the imobolin capsule in her teeth, her own throat already burned slightly to mimick the injuries of the three men she’d slain. If necessary, the imobolin would make her feel dead, at least at a glance. With as many bodies that’d be laying around when the Dominion cleaned up they wouldn’t look twice at her, then four hours later she could crawl out and escape. Worst case scenario.

Right now though, she was more worried about getting out. Five troopers surrounded her and the window was now barricaded with a heavy bookshelf. She’d never make it, no way in.

The woman gritted her teeth, <Don’t you leave me Natalie. Don’t you fething leave me here even if I’m a fething corpse.> She thought, steeling herself to make an attempt at linking up with the others. It was only twenty meters.

She moved suddenly, activating the plasma-filament and jabbing it upwards into the trooper using her and the other bodies for cover, driving the blade deep into his neck. She surged, rolling with his body in her hands so that his back took the spray of bullets. She felt blood and metal against her stomach, possibly a round penetrated through him and into her. She snapped off a silenced round from her pistol taking one of the troopers in the chest.

Three rounds left.

A second trooper jabbed a bayonet deep into his compatriot’s corpse, jabbing the blade into her shoulder. She grunted, adjusting the imobolin capsule to rest under her tongue. She twisted her arm and fired a round into the troopers knee cap, blowing bone and tendons out of his leg with a .50 caliber round. He cried out, dropping to the ground in an instant, twisting the bayonet to carve through her shoulderblade, causing her to gasp in agony. Kira put the adjudicator under his chin and pulled the trigger again.

One round.

The other two soldiers weren’t as quick to act, but they were reacting to the body killing their friends now. One grabbed her ankles, hauling her from underneath the corpse she was using as a shield. She kicked trying to bring her pistol to level at him when the other grabbed her arm and mounted her. He drove his arm into her chest, sitting on her stomach to keep her from being able to suck in air as the wind was driven from her lungs. She tried to move her wounded arm, to kick the man holding her legs, but he had her good. Her wounded arm had no power to it, the punch she tried to throw bounced off the man with no effect, causing her to writhe in pain as the raw nerves ground against one another.

No time. She was barely able to grip anything, but she pulled the pin on one of his grenades, he didn’t notice. He was too busy choking her and holding her gun hand.

She tried to speak, but nothing would come out of her throat. The beeping from the grenade got faster, and suddenly both men noticed it. She flung her arm, tossing the pin away from them, the one ontop of her trying to scramble way to grab it, as he did he let go of her gun arm. Instinctively she moved it to his chest and fired, feeling him go limp atop her body. The other one tried to grab his friend, his head had lined up nicely with the pistol and the massive caliber round.

She dropped the pistol and fumbled underneath the man to get a hold of the rapidly beeping grenade, grabbing it and tossing it just far enough away that it detonated, spraying debris over her and the bodies of the two men.

Kira laid underneath them for a moment, gasping in air. “Don’t you fething leave me.”

[member="Tempest"]
[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Karrigan'Xalda]

Rain poured down upon them. Thunder roared and lightning blazed from the sky. Azyr, primordial embodiment of the sky, conspired to thwart their ambitions. This was a trial it had forced upon them. Xalda could not deny that she felt fear. Here she was, light years away from the caves of the Underealm that until not so long ago had been her home. Tlaxqui, capital of her people, was being abandoned. A case could be made that this was not her war. What did she care for a human girl she had never met?


But the girl's mother had set he free. She had cast down the tyrannous mistresses that had tormented her people. But she had not merely crucified the 'wise mistresses', she had offered those who had been oppressed tangible improvements in form of technology and education. And now that threats assailed Tygara, she was making good on her promise to lead the Xioquo to a new future. Xalda used darkness to call upon the power of the spirits. But it was dedication to her people - and the Karishzar - that drove her. The sky roared like a wrathful goddess, but the young Xioquo would defy the whims of Azyr.


Heavy suppression fire was unloaded upon the Dominion machine gun nest from left and right. Grenades were hurled through the air towards the enemy position. Hostile machine gun fire was not long in coming. It thundered towards them, loud enough that one might think it was competing with Azyr. Emerging from her hideout, Xalda bolted, calling on the spirits to quicken her pace and grant strength to her muscles. Her heartbeat quickened as she ran. More bullets came flying, tearing through the ground around her. The Resistance's soldiers smoke grenades came back flying towards their throwers. The work of the Jedi, no doubt.


Machine gun fire lanced towards them and she hit the dirt. The noise of battle abused her sensitive ears, despite the ear protection provided by her helmet. The improvised stone wall provided some shelter from the storm of bullets. Not as close as she would have liked, but it would have to do. Spirits, be with me. She touched the ground, feeling the soil beneath her fingertips as she poured her power into it.


She felt the earth shift - but not enough. A Dominion grenade launcher barked, causing her ears to ring. The stone wall held - but weakened. She crawled closer towards the wall, beseeching the spirits to heed her call. A bolt from the sky struck too close for comfort. The Xioquo perceived the ripples as the Jedi harnessed Azyr's terrors. She could shield herself - or act. She poured all the energy she could muster into the soil, slamming her hand into it. To a point where she could feel the earth beneath the hostile soldiers. One powerful bolt of lightning slashed from the sky towards the wall.


Close enough for a hole to be opened in it as rock exploded into countless shards. Close enough for the Xioquo to be hit. Shrapnel showered her and she shook from the shocking power of the lightning burst. It burnt. Her limbs felt numbed. What energy she could absorb was poured into her assault. The earth shifted as she tore a hole open beneath the machine gun nest. Like a gaping maw it opened up to swallow those who could not escape in time ere it closed again.


xxx


The plan was, in short, nuts. Freya had a way of making nutty plans work. A cloud of smoke had descended in the space between them and the enemy. Enemy forces were closing on them. The plan? Get close enough with jetpacks, rely on their power armour's ability to tank much of anything that was not heavy ordinance, drop a chit-ton of explosives on the Jedi lackeys. Force Dead rebels would snipe the bastards - and hopefully not just run away. Freya had left one of the Reapers behind. Mercy would help 'facilitate coordination' - and act if the rebels turned tail and tried to sneak away. The roar of engines could be heard as the jet packs mounted on the backs of their armour lifted the Reapers off their feet, propelling them into the air.


The engines were strong enough to give them something close to sustained flight and hurl them at a considerable distance. Their range was limited and they were not super aerodynamic because the Ironside armour was bloody big and heavy, but it helped. Smoke obfuscated their approach, but they could still be heard and the Dominion mooks would see shapes moving. Hence intense weapons fire came their way.


Freya tried to weave a path through the clumsily aimed hailstorm as she careened through the air, engines thrumming and pumping. As they got closer, she fired a burst with her portable shattercannon. Hypervelocity pellets thundered out of the auto-cannon at an absurd rate. The aim was not the best at the speed she was trying to fly, but it forced Dominion soldiers to keep their heads down, lest they be shredded. More heavy weapons fire came from her comrades.


"Drop," she gave the signal. Within a heartbeat, the Reapers had disgorged their packages. Heavy duty grenades were rained down on the enemy. All were set to explode on impact. A Jedi tried to hurl the explosive balls back with telekinesis, only to have the pressure cause them to blow up in his face. Grenades dropped on mortars caused a chain reaction, as nearby shells detonated. Soldiers vanished in a plume of smoke and fire. Bolters added to the mayhem, spitting out explosive microgrenades. Accurate weapons fire came from the rebel lines. Dominion soldiers who peeked out to fire at them or run from the hail of grenades were cut down.


"Pull out," Freya yelled, having received a ping from Mezha. More Dominion troops were moving into position. Furthermore, she could hear what sounded like the rumble of vehicles coming from the distance. It was getting too close for comfort. Her jetpack was also leaking fuel.


[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tempest"]

 

[Tempest]

[member="Laira Darkhold"] [member="Karrigan'Xalda"]

Behead/Battle: Leonina (CO), Laira, Xalda, Freya, Mezha, Leo/DTs, Silencers

Rescue: Tempest (CO), Kira, Nyssa, Natalie, Loyalty, Varkasa Jai Nansal

Victory. As Tempest flew back to the roof of the administration centre she could see that the enemy at last had met defeat. Some, a few, of the Dominion defenders were surrendering, mainly the functionaries and administration staff. The only soldiers or Jedi captured were those unable to resist, and even those sometimes tore at their bandages to commit suicide. The fanaticism was startling, even to Tempest who had seen a lot of war. Only the Bando Gora had been this…relentless in her experience.

“Good work, teams. Dispatch a probe to follow that shuttle. It might be going somewhere important, and we don’t want to impede or tip them off. Get a shuttle down here for us. We have some grade A intel which needs processing. Once you’ve finished securing the perimeter get the prisoners loaded onto a transport and get them interviewed.”

Reports from her command were coming in; moderate casualties. The Cataphracts were still standing strong in victory alongside the Dahomians.

She frowned. “Kira. Where is Kira?” she asked aloud. She’d seen evidence of the woman’s darts and had thought she was close…but now she was missing. “Kira, do you copy?” she asked via her commlink.

XXX

The Dominion was growing desperate. Fortress Purity held many of their best defences, troops and vehicles, but they were melting away like snow under a summer sun. However, they were not beaten yet, and over the ruined ground came monstrous engines of wars and some of the Dominion’s best assault troops. If they could retake both the defence lines lost in the battle so far it would bring the day closer to parity.

However, the Republican Guard were finally on the move as well. Wheeled vehicles better able to navigate poor terrain were supported by waves of infantry armed with sluggers, grenades and melee weapons. Would they arrive in time though?

XXX

As escort ships dropped into lower orbit many in the Dominion saw for the first time just how many enemy ships there were. Flak and artillery pieces opened fire on the ships, but such things were ineffective against deflector shields, and opened themselves to devastating fire.

Turbolasers were not especially accurate, but they had the advantage of power and essentially unlimited ammunition. And so the lances of fire rained down from on high, devastating Dominion columns hurrying to reinforce Purity. The spaces were too big to stop everything, but any tanks or large formations were targeted and destroyed or scattered. These scattered units were, in turn, easy prey for the sweeping forces of Firemane moving to close off the fortress. The trappers would become the trapped.

XXX

Tegaea had been watching progress when an aide approached. “Ma’am, Doctor Geva is here to see you for a…negotiation.”
Tegaea nodded and headed for a conference room. By the time she arrived she’d been filled in. She eyed the Falleen. She had taken…precautions…in the form of a protocol droid being present to record matters. She was not so proud or confident in herself that she could not be manipulated, but she could at least understand it.
“Doctor, my aide tells me you wish to negotiate something? Is this related to the Jedi you interviewed? Tell me what you wish to discuss.”

XXX

The fleeing Dominion shuttle headed away from the battle directly, but soon enough was heading back slightly, aiming for an area of hills with no visible occupants not far from Nexus city. Before the probe was sighted and destroyed it caught and transmitted vision of several very important persons, including those marked down as being part of the Inquisition….

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tempest"]

By the time her work was done, Roxane was covered in perspiration and dirt. The garden was pristinely weeded - grey and white gravel covered the landscape around flowering plants and shrubs. The dying flower she had restored to life stood tall and proud. Bags of weeds and clipping lay in a pile near the apprentice. The heady aroma of freshly cut grass filled the air. She felt a sense of satisfaction at her accomplishment. However, the moment of tranquility was short-lived.

She heard urgent footsteps as one of the guards approached. Immediately, she tensed. He was one of the men who had beaten her - and enjoyed it. She pushed this thought away. It was a treacherous one. The guards had beaten Elpsis because she had been bad. But Roxane was good and obedient. She was safe now.

The guard snapped to attention. If Roxane had not been blind, she would have noticed he was leering at her. "Master Jedi," he addressed Diona - her guardian, her protector. "Inquisitor Lea requests yours and the prisoner's, uh, Roxane's presence immediately."

"Already? She still has chores to attend to," Diona responded.

"Her orders were clear, Master Jedi."

"Very well. Come on, Roxane. Sweeping the chambers will have to wait."

"Yes, Master Jedi," Roxane replied submissively and arose. The guard's eyes followed her as she walked. She could not see them, but she could sense inappropriate urges. She stiffened, feeling uncomfortable. Then the guard was suddenly yanked around when Diona grabbed him by the shoulder.

"You remember the Seven Vices, don't you, Kleon Soldier?" Diona asked icily.

"Master Jedi, I..." The strength of her grip caused him to visibly wince.

"Lust is one of them."

"I was only..."

"I did not ask you to speak. If I hear another unbidden word, I will report you for Correction. Jedi Roxane is a member of our order now and you will treat her as such. She has been purified and is learning what it means to be a Jedi." Grabbing the back of his head, she yanked him towards her that so she was right in his face. "Take advantage of her, and you will be flogged for perversion. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Master Jedi." She let him go, applying enough force that he stumbled.

"Lead the way, Kleon Soldier."

The guard pulled himself up. Anger coursed through him, but he obeyed. Roxane's cheeks were scarlet with shame. "The fault lies with me, Master," she said quietly once the guard had moved away. "I should not have tempted him. I did not mean to..."

"You did nothing," Diona cut her off gruffly. "We simply have more weeds in the garden that need pulling out." Too many, she thought.

"I...thank you," Roxane looked uncertain what to say. The journey passed in silence. They were led to a room inside the main building. Inquisitor Lea and two guards were waiting. Roxane tensed when she saw that what appeared to be a prisoner had been strapped to a chair. The Dahomian woman was wearing dirty Firemane fatigues.

"Jedi Diona, Jedi Roxane, good," the Inquisitor said. "You have completed the first stage of our cleansing, Roxane. We are all very proud of you. It is time for you to prove your willingness to let go of your past self's Sith ways. As a sign of our trust, we shall remove the collar."

"You will let me see again?" Roxane exclaimed. Surprise and happiness was evident in her tone.

"You are one of us now, sister," Lea spoke kindly. She made a mental gesture and the collar clicked open. It hit the floor. Roxane's hand went to her sore throat. In an instant, the Force had come back to her. Its return was painful, but she welcomed the pain. It was only now that she perceived the prisoner. "Which is why the next step will be no obstacle for you," the Inquisitor continued, while a guard removed the prisoner's blindfold.

"Alcori...Elpsis...what have they done to you? Why are you...dressed like them?" the captive exclaimed, looking shocked.

"There is no Elpsis here, only Roxane, defender of the Light." The words left Roxane's lips as if on automatism. This was who she was. Who she needed to be.

"They've brainwashed you. Bastards. Elpsis, listen to me, your mother has people looking for you.."

"To reawaken the Sith in you and bring you back under their control," the Inquisitor interjected. She removed a pistol from a table and handed it to Roxane. "This Sith minion carried out terror bombings against Nexus City. Our holy temple was destroyed. Thousands of innocent Younglings - children! - perished."

"Firemane has retaliated because the Dominion attacked our negotiators and abducted you. They tried to kill you. Ms. Alcori, I'm on your side," the pilot urged.

Roxane took the gun. Her hands trembled slightly. Her eyes were vacant. "Elpsis..."

The crack of a gun shot was heard, then another and then the Firemane pilot was silenced forever. For a moment there was silence, until Lea broke it. "It is never easy...to recognise the evil that permeates those you considered to be friends. The Dark Side is deceptive. Therein lies its seductiveness. But you, sister, have embraced the path of Light."


xxx


Dark shapes swarmed across the gaps between burning corpses and broken metal. Rockets blew back and forth, detonating among the advancing Dominion troopers. Burnt corpses and the smell thereof flooded rebreathers. Slug rounds hissed through the air. Amidst the roar of battle, the chants of Dominion soldiers could be heard, led by robed Jedi confessors. Spurred on by the example of their idols, the troopers rushed through gunfire that would have given any sane man pause. Burning faith kept them chanting and charging and standing and firing until their lives had been extinguished for good.

It was war. It was hell. May the Gods be with them.

Reaper Squad had blown a dent into the enemy forces. Their mortars were gone. But the arrival of fresh reinforcements had caused them to rally. Synthia swept her grenade launcher towards the incoming enemy, even as a light tank exploded less than a dozen metres away. Shrapnel showered her and she ducked behind cover, relying on the ability of her Cloak of Nuun to let her blend in. As soon as the rain of debris stopped, she arose. A Dominion trooper charged her, firing from the hip. His face was twisted in euphoric fanaticism. Brass rained through the air, bullets bounced and shattered concrete. The Twi'lek trooper fired. Her grenade lanced straight into the trooper's chest. It left a trail of white smoke, knocking the charging man backward from the force of the impact. A mere heartbeat later, white phosphorus burst from the grenade, setting the man ablaze.

He howled in agony, twisting and thrashing. Synthia finished him off with a shot from her sidearm. More Dominion soldiers charged around the corpse of the broken vehicle. They ran over debris, firing rifles and tossing grenades. On the way, they yelled battle cries and fervent chants. Synthia spun towards a pair heading her way, and fired. Her launcher clicked empty. Dropping the weapon, she drew a blast bug from her chest.

Preparing the weapon, she flung the projectile biot towards the enemy. Then another. Boom. Boom. "Mezha, I'm low on ammo," she called out towards her superior and friend, who was accurately nailing Dominion soldiers with bullets from her Verpine sniper rifle. But there were more coming. Always more.

"Boss, I'm down to one mag," another Viper chimed in, this one a Nautolan.

"There's too many of them," another declared.

The Reapers had roared through the sky and reinforced their flank. A steady, but decreasing volume of heavy weapons fire rippled from their position. Dominion soldiers were coming - inexorably. Carried forward by numbers, cover, religious zealotry and raw hatred.

"If we run now, they break through our lines and all we've gained goes up in smoke," Mezha said in a steady voice. Blood was dripping down her face. She fired a shot, nailing a Dominion soldier in the neck. Dropping the empty gun, she flung a thud bug towards another enemy. "If the Yun'o call us today. So we bit. We die so that Tephrike might be free. Krel os'a hmi va ta!" A chant rose from the ranks of the Vipers as they broke into a war cry.

Then an entirely different form of noise came from the ranks of the Dominion waves. At first they only heard the mechanical monstrosity. Then they saw it with their own eyes. It was a grotesquesly, absurdly huge tank with enormous twin cannons that belched shell and death. Its weight was as tremendous as its speed was appalling. Rockets thundered towards it, but the tank did not even seem to notice them. A war cry was heard coming from the ranks of the charging Dominion soldiers.

"Colossus."

"Spread out, find cover," Mezha called out quickly - and more than a little afraid. The earth itself seemed to shake as the enormous tank fired its cannons. The Vipers dispersed, finding whatever hideout they could. Where the tank's shells struck, the earth was remade. Huge craters were blown into it. The noise was so loud that it almost drowned out any coherent thought.

Freya, Mezha and Synthia found themselves in the same foxhole. "What the frak is that?" Freya cursed angrily.

"A Dom super tank. First time it got deployed, it chewed through an entire tank platoon," Synthia said. Mezha's ears were still ringing from the explosion. "Nothing we had could even make a dent on its armour." The earth shook again. The rumbling was getting closer.

"It looks like it was made by someone who had a real tiny dick and needed to compensate," Freya grunted. She was helping herself to the gun and jetpack of a dead Firemane soldier. "Help me get this chit on. Let's kill the queen."

"Nothing we have..."

Freya cut her off. "This will pierce it. Can stop it at least. Or punch through the cockpit."

"You'd need a very good shot to kill them all," Mezha opined. "Kill the engines. I'll sneak up and throw an explosive down the hatch. Synthia, you have command. Keep going for as long as you can."

Her Twi'lek friend looked like she was about to protest, then nodded grimly. " Krel os'a hmi va ta!"

"Give us some cover," Mezha ordered, giving signals. Gunfire, projectile biots and rockets emanated from the lines of the Reapers and Vipers. The air was thick with smoke, blood and death. The Vong wrapped herself in a Cloak of Nuun. Blending in amongst her environment, she moved quickly, using debris and dead bodies as hiding spots. The earth shuddered as if struck by quakes as the tank traversed it.

Debris and wrecks of vehicles that stood in its path were simply crushed. They could not stop it - but slow it down. This was the chance the Vong used. She received a silent ping from Freya, telling her that the human was moving into position. She could see her using her jetpack to cross the distance, flying in short bursts even as weapons fire came her way.

The human landed hard upon the ground. Then Mezha heard a noise that was akin to thunder when a durasteel slug from the Reaper's shatterbolter hit the tank's engines at incredible speed with equally incredible power. In the moment of impact, the tank turned its guns towards the interloper. Heavy machine gun fire sprayed from its turrets, the cannon roared.

By the time this happened, Mezha had already made her approach. She moved too fast for the cloak to fully conceal her. Adrenaline pushed her forward. Rushing forward, she found herself facing the monstrosity. It was too large for her to jump on top of it, so she resorted to her grappling hook to propel herself upward. With bated breath, she brought all her limbs up onto the turret from the hull's deck before it rotated.

Positioning herself, she whispered a silent prayer as she removed a satchel charge and dropped it down the hatch. Gunfire came her way from inside the vehicle as she tried to get away. Pain shot through her when she dropped down, narrowly avoiding the turret swinging towards her. A soldier tried to throw her explosive package out, but it detonated in his hands. There was a brilliant explosion, and Mezha fell from the vehicle. Pain flared in her leg as she tried to rise, then a Dominion trooper slammed the butt of his rifle into her face.


xxx

The guns had mostly fallen silent. The camp was a graveyard. Some of the prisoners had survived. They were being herded by the Dahomian soldiers and the Cataphracts. Both had suffered losses and had wounded who needed care. But their casualties were acceptable. Only a few Dominion minions had been captured. Those tended to be bureaucrats, medical personnel and functionaries. In several cases, the prisoners attacked and beat them. Two were soon dangling from trees. The Firemane soldiers were not inclined to restrain them.

Some Dominion minions threw themselves at the feet of the soldiers, begging for protection. Captured soldiers and Jedi often tore at their bandages. One revealed a hidden knife, using it to slit his wrists. He was left to bleed out. Eventually the prisoners were led away, as a Ghoush transport descended from the sky. Columns of dust and smoke arose up into the sky as it touched down upon the ground.


Debris and two bodies covered Kira. There were roughly and somewhat hastily removed. "Kira can you hear me?" This was Natalie's voice. The words left her lips in a tone that bespoke of urgency as the Resistance terrorist was freed from her tomb. Suddenly the Captain was lifted up by two strong arms. They belonged to a Pureblood. "Come on, cutie. Up," Nyssa grunted. The stomach injury caused her to wince, but she held on to her with some help with Natalie.