Dominion Iron Sunset - Dominion of Borosk [DIA]

[Iandre Athlea]

Objective 1
Enemies: Insurgents
Allies: Diarch Reign Diarch Rellik Laphisto

There were words of comfort in the saying You should never judge a book by its cover if that cover were the outward feelings of the Dark coming from the Diarch. Iandre had not judged him entirely by that and would give him a chance: he and his brother.

As the man spoke, she turned her head slightly to look at Laphisto and returned her masked gaze to Reign. She could see how a person might pledge themselves to this cause and follow this man. What he said was the truth, and she would continue to learn from Laphisto for as long as he allowed it.

He spoke kindly, and that surprised her the most. The Jedi's mistakes were clearer to her now, and the stalking cat had partially been tamed.

"Thank you."

The vocator could only transmit the words and not the tone. If it were possible, then it would have held a question and not something fully confident. As they each turned their attention away from her, she regained some of her composure, only to mostly lose it again when the other Diarch landed with a thud on the dirt in front of them.

Lifting a hand to cover her visor for a moment, she muttered more to herself about there now being two of them. For the moment, she didn't have to deal with him; her master suggested that the insurgents gain their focus.

 

[Roxxann Tane]

Objective: II Grand Designs
Location: Rural Jaemus
Outfit: Simple Gray Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Medpac
Tags: Antipater | Maldor Mecetti

Roxxann smiled as the High Chancellor approached. He was very difficult to read, an oddity for Roxxann's abilities. He seemed a bit guarded, Teckla had suspected Maldor had his own talents in the Force, but had never found concrete proof. The younger Tane wondered if this guarded response was due to her family reputation or was a mechanism to keep Maldor's secrets.

"I am glad that you are not troubled by the presence of a Tane. My family has a knack for taking over things," she responded with a warm smile, allowing herself to remain open in the Force. She hoped that would put Maldor further at ease, if he could indeed feel it.

"Teckla is off there and here. Looking for meaning and a firm direction. She had served the Empire. Now she looks to bring order to the whole of the galaxy. Not by closing it in her iron grasp, but as a guiding hand," that was a very gentle political way of stating Teckla's intentions. But that was Roxxann's role.

"That is what brings me here. Well, not entirely true. I was injured during the Farce at Bastion. The Diarchs took good care of me and I asked to remain here to help in whatever way I can," it was much easier to speak of her own motivations than her cousin's. They both wanted peace. And Roxxann agreed that a good deal of the galactic population would need to be led to said peace. Roxxann hoped to use more words than swords and guns.

"Hopefully this place can become tranquil home for such a peace. Though I have heard our host and his herd have a bit of an edge to them."

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

Objective: II Grand Designs
Location: Rural Jaemus
Roxxann Tane

____________________________________________________​

"Well," Maldor said, smiling at her statement, "the Tanes and I have never been after the same things. And I'm sure that you don't crave anything that I possess."

Or you'd better not, he thought to himself.

Was she making pleasant quips? Announcing her intentions? Gauging his sensitivity and intentions?

She was of Empire. Nothing she did should be assumed to be two-dimensional.

"A guiding hand is the methodology of the Diarchs," Maldor said with a nod, "so we should not find ourselves at cross-purposes."

When she mentioned the incident at Bastion, Maldor's face grew stern, [color"I regret what happened on Bastion. Doubly so that I could not prevent my vessel from being usurped by a madwoman. I ordered that ship scuttled immediately upon discovering it was no longer under my control. I only wish I'd done it sooner."

She went on, and he nodded, "The Diarchs have been very accommodating of former Imperials. I suspect they are glad of the opportunity to use the experience and training in their own administration. The Diarchy does not lack for power... but politics and logistics are still being filled out. Talented individuals remain in great demand here."

Then Maldor smirked as she mentioned their edgy host, "Whatever the mood of the locals, I daresay we've both seen worse."

 

[Merion Oreno]

SWITCHING FROM OBJECTIVE 4 TO OBJECTIVE 2


The point of being a navigator for the Chancellorate of Commerce was the ability to get to the right place to make the right friends. Merion reflected on this sourly.

He and self-styled Moff Meldo Sathot, Ithorian herdship boss and friendly contractor, huddled in a bunker. Sathot had run through his favorite anecdotes-under-stress twice already.

Outside, freeholder Diarchy citizens and their earth mover vehicles strongly contested the Ithorians' land reclamation work.

Merion had tried negotiating and failed. He'd tried mediating and failed. He'd tried conjuring the ghost of his parents' marriage counselor and failed. Now, alone in the bunker with Sathot, he tried fixing his helmet comms and succeeded with joy. He was on encrypted Diarchy channels.

"This is Oreno with the Chancellorate of Commerce. I and Moff Sathot are in a bunker at these coordinates. The freeholders outside need talking down and a more interesting deal than I can give them. Watch out for bulldozers. The bulldozers are too big to watch out for you."

Maldor Mecetti Roxxann Tane

 

[Antipater]

Session 03 - Tertius Nagrath

Jaemus had not been a relevant shipbuilder for a few decades now, but it was touching that Tertius felt the need to apologize for that little slice of historical misery. It nearly distracted from how perplexing his true request was. Antipater had not expected anyone would come for his pool of laborers, of all things.

"The Directory's citizens benefit from a level of workplace regulation that is rarely replicated elsewhere in the galaxy," Antipater's speech was halting and artificial - every word stamped out as if coming down an assembly line, "Are you prepared to ensure the terms of their employment reflect the standards we have enacted here on Jaemus?"

A nation's people were its most treasured resource. Far be it for even a moff to part with them easily and without oversight.

-----​

Session 07 - Pawky

Pawky made a compelling case to be selected over Jawas. Unfortunately, he was not in competition with Jawas. What a pity.

The squib's manner of speech did not signify an especially keen intellect. Even for one of his species, he seemed rather… Juvenile. But the appointment was already made, and this appendage of Antipater hardly had anything better to do than listen.

Eventually, the droid-Moff replied. "If the shipyards experience structural failures, how do you imagine it would reflect on the Directory if it became known that we had them constructed out of scavenged materials?"

The matter of the Jaemus Shipyards was as much a question of national pride as industrial sufficiency. Reassembling their vaunted shipyards from the material offcuts of others did not project an image of strength.

Tertius C. Nargath | Pawky​

 

[Pawky]

Session 07 - Pawky

__________________________________

​

"Yours 'Ifs' and 'Whens' gotta go live somewhere else, Frien'."

Pawky's face became more serious as the integrity of Squib manufacture was challenged.

"Squib-built is top-built, aren't be no structure-fail in it! And if'n Salvage is a dirty word in your space, we's gotta fix for that, too. You calls it 'Green' constructions from 'Renewable' materials, and you get an ecology prize alongside the shipyards besides!"

He held up a finger of his right paw.

"And-and-and- we's guarantee it! You keep some Squibs onsite and we be fixing any defects for freebies. SMC feels super safe makin' that promise 'cause there aren't being any defects. Squb-make is solid-make, frien'. Be it a make or a remake."

He nodded a definitive nod- perhaps to himself- satisfied he'd countered all objections.


Antipater

 

[Diarch Reign]

Objective I
​

Location: Jaemus
Tags: Laphisto Iandre Athlea Diarch Rellik

---

At the thud of his brother's landing Reign had to bite back real laughter. This was a battlefield, and of course, here was his brother to break his concentration.

"Graceful as always little brother"

Was all he would say before his comm buzzed to life, coinciding with Laphisto's comment on turning their attention to the battle at hand.
It was Varlo..

"Advanced squad states the largest force is along the northernmost ridge. However, comms blackout will be initiated in 45 minutes, it should take them some time to figure it out. Giving us the opportune time to strike. We await your command."

As he took the information in, Reign began to relay it to Laphisto.

"Largest concentration to the Northernmost ridgeline. The advance recon group of the first cohort will take out the southernmost and will have comms cut in roughly 45 minutes. Plenty of time to organize a strike. I'll be moving with the Myrmidons to take the midpoint. Laphisto, I'll leave the glory to you if you want to take out the northern ridge."

 

[Tertius C. Nargath]

LOCATION: Jaemus, Diadochron
OBJECTIVE: Gimme dem assets
TAG: Antipater | Pawky

"The Directory's citizens benefit from a level of workplace regulation that is rarely replicated elsewhere in the galaxy," Antipater's speech was halting and artificial - every word stamped out as if coming down an assembly line, "Are you prepared to ensure the terms of their employment reflect the standards we have enacted here on Jaemus?"

A slight smile started to form on the Marquis' face, his thin lips gently curving upwards at their corners. his left hand slowly rose upwards, as he stretched out three fingers. Breathing in deeply, the Eriaduan noble puffed up his chest a bit to add some luster to the words he'd be uttering, allowing himself to look that little bit grander and bigger in order to emphasize the weight of his words.

"Stability begets productivity," Tertius' voice was clear, strong and without any hidden tone. He did not deny Antipater 's words and in fact seemed to reinforce what the droid had exclaimed with just those three words. Stability was the basis for Jaemus' resurgence and exactly that stability through the workforce's experience and desire for work and proper conditions was what the Chairman of the N&Z was banking on, for if he could alleviate the pressure on Jaemus' shipyards in terms of their ever growing workforce, financially and operationally it would make sense for Jaemus to add new employees, replenishing their workforce and thus enlarging the pool for the N&Z as well, while the N&Z could utilize the Jaemus Shipyards as a sort of training facility for talented laborers and as a strong platform and subcontractor. "Their standards should and will be upheld, if the workforce is content and allowed to work in conditions they themselves deem as adequate, in return it will positively influence their productivity and thus improve the overall potential profits and image of the company they are employed at."

Lowering one of his fingers, the Marquis continued with his second point. "However, the workforce would only be one point. The N&Z will offer the shipyards of Jaemus valuable contracts to act either as a halfproduction or full production facility for our products in order to maintain experience among existing laborers, but also to make sure new laborers can be hired and employed within your facilities, thus maintaining the economic growth potential of Jaemus as a whole."

Wagging his remaining finger (his index finger), the Chairman of the N&Z showed a rather bright smile. "Lastly...we want you, Antipater. You have managed to show brilliance in both economic, political and diplomatic sense that is rare among any of the galaxy's inhabitants. I personally don't give a damn whether you are a droid, a human or anything else. You are Antipater, and you are a talented potential asset as well. Become a Director to the N&Z... and expand the future of the company and Jaemus alongside us."

 

[Diarch Rellik]

What a beautiful sky

The thought faded as he saw a hand come into his view. Easily determined to be Laphisto by the nature of it. His distinct armor and material were always a pleasure to see. Reaching out and accepting the aid he rose to his feet. Looking his friend in the eyes with a smile and nod as they came together as brothers.

The leader of the Lilaste gave his order and Rellik was ready to aid. "I brought no troops this day. On your orders I am ready."

At first he noticed his brothers elite force. He was taking in Diarch Reigns Myrmidons as they passed. Greeting those he knew by name and patting those who he did not on the shoulders as they passed - thanking them for their effort.

Looking back towards Laphisto he noticed someone new. She was awfully close to the man despite Rellik never seeing her in battle before. Casually, arms clasped behind his back he walked up to Iandre Athlea with a smile, he introduced himself. He did not have the dark aura his brother did. Although you could feel pain and anger within him he seemed more akin to a Jedi Consular than a vicious warrior. Within the force Rellik seemed calm. Outside his appearance seemed fatherly or sweet.

In his mind he knew - all who took to battle were adults and made their own decisions. Yet, with the death of his friend Varis Oakertain on his heels he could not help but worry for this new younger warrior. - Alas, she had Laphisto to look after her so all would be okay.

With a bow he spoke.

"I am Diarch Rellik, A pleasure to meet you."

Iandre Athlea Laphisto Diarch Reign Ryu Jung Darth Nathrax - OOC: In case you guys want to join as the fighting starts

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto gave a small nod toward Diarch Reign , bringing a closed fist to his chest and offering a slight bow in return. "Understood," he said simply, before turning his head to Captain Varn. "Alright, get your men situated and ready to move. Looks like the Diarchs beat us to the scouting phaselet's not let them beat us to the fight." Clicking open his vambrace interface, Laphisto pulled up a full combat readout. Rows of names, designations, vitals, armor integrity, and shield output pulsed across the screen. The data gave him a live pulse on the field. He studied the feed in silence for a few seconds, watching each marker hold steady before nodding to himself with a low, satisfied rumble.

With one fluid motion, he disengaged the magnetic lock on his shoulder and pulled down the LO-18D rifle, letting its weight settle into his grip. His claws curled around the receiver with practiced ease. "Alright, men. Let's move." He turned briefly toward Diarch Rellik , giving a small nod of respect. Then his eyes found Iandre Athlea , standing steady nearby."iandre your with me." He pivoted toward Varn again, issuing commands with quick, practiced clarity. "Varn, take Greyfang, Embersnout, and Cindersteps. You're flanking left cut wide and pressure their outer lines. Keep them distracted."

Then back to Rellik, voice steady but firm. "Rellik, I'm placing you with Coalbite, Iron Howl, and the Flare Runners. Push on the right flank tight and fast. You'll have more cover on that side. Take it and drive them in toward the center." Finally, his gaze swept over the rest of the assembled troops. "The rest of you on me. We're spearheading the assault through the center. Hit hard. Break through. Give the cultists no time to regroup."

They moved through the dense underbrush, boots crunching softly over frostbitten ground. The trees here had grown thick and tall, remnants of an old-growth forest now littered with the bones of imperial infrastructure. Metal crates rusted beneath moss, and half-buried armor plating jutted from the ground like forgotten tombstones.

Ahead, the treeline began to thin. The dense forest gave way to a shallow slope leading up to the first of the cultist strongpoints. Bits of half-collapsed duracrete jutted from the hillside like broken teeth remnants of a long-abandoned Imperial supply station now hastily reinforced with scrap metal and sandbags. Just past that, movement. Shadows shifting behind cover.

A faint chirp came through Laphisto's comm. Scouts had eyes on three thermal signatures, just beyond the ridge. He raised his left hand, signaling a halt with a clenched fist. The front line dropped into cover in unison, rifles rising in trained, silent precision. The world held its breath. Then a single plasma bolt cracked through the air.

One of the cultists fired too early, spooked by movement. The bolt hissed past Laphisto's shoulder and slammed into a tree, blowing out a chunk of bark in a flash of heat. More followed tight volleys of red energy bolts lit the treeline as blaster fire stitched across the slope. "Contact front!" Laphisto barked, dropping to a knee.

His LO-18D snapped to his shoulder and fired three sharp bursts, each round cracking through the air with the heavy punch of 30-06 slugs. The first round punched into a barricade, the second tore into sheet metal, and the third found its mark with a wet thud and a sharp cry from behind cover. The rest of the line answered immediately. The woods erupted with gunfire muzzle flashes lighting the fog, the deep percussion of slugthrowers roaring through the valley. Rounds tore through foliage and fragmented duracrete, slamming into the cultist defenses with brutal force.

Slugs shredded wooden beams, kicked up dirt, and hammered into the enemy position. Return fire from the cultists was sporadic but still dangerous, bolts of red plasma streaking past the Order's soldiers and slamming into trees, rocks, and armor. One cultist took a slug square in the chest, his body snapping backward before crumpling behind a rusted bulkhead. Another fell as a burst tore through the barricade he had crouched behind.

"Push forward! Controlled bursts keep your spacing!" Laphisto called out, shifting into a crouched sprint toward a half-buried outcrop of broken crates. He ducked low behind it just as another bolt seared past his head, the air hissing hot against his cheek. Slamming his shoulder into cover, he tapped his comm. "Varn, press the left. Rellik tight formation, push the right, curve them inward!" His voice was steady, cutting clean through the fire. "Center team with me advance and suppress. Controlled bursts only."

He leaned out, sighted low, and fired another three-round burst. The rounds slammed into the barricade, forcing the cultists deeper into cover and disrupting their line of fire.The air was thick with smoke and recoil. And through the trees, the echoes of slug fire rang out like war drums in the mist.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Objective 1
EnemiesL Insurgents
Allies: Diarch Reign Diarch Rellik Laphisto

Pushing aside her qualms about working with people associated with the Dark Side, Iandre was getting back into familiar territory. She had been on a few missions with the clones, and she put herself back in those old days. Instead of clones, though, she was with other warriors and knew they weren't going to try and shoot her in the back. After meeting the first Diarch, she didn't think he would do that either. Her opinion of Dark Side followers was changing even if she didn't fully accept them...yet.

Turning her attention to Reign, she listened to his message and waited for her orders from Laphisto. It was the same Diarch Rellik who did not exude the Dark like his brother. Yet, Iandre had the feeling that could change with the flip of a switch. Having now met both of them, she was still quite happy being the apprentice to Laphisto.

Wondering if she should take her helmet off, she decided not to do that so close to where the battle would happen. Nodding her head as he introduced himself, she said she would try to set aside some time in the future to talk to him, maybe after they completed the mission.

If they were to read her, they would find she was now filled with steel resolve and that she was confident. However, she wasn't cocky or overconfident. Taking up a position a step and a half behind her Master, she kept her standard-issue blaster. Even if she had grown up Jedi, she had been training with the Lilaste Order and received her own blaster.

Her Force Barrier never wavered as they progressed through the brush. Following Laphisto's motion, she was down in a crouch, and her blaster was aimed at where the shot had come from. What had been a quiet and peaceful morning was now thundering with exchanges of shots. At his orders of controlled bursts, Iandre only fired when she knew they wouldn't miss.

She might not have made any kills, but she helped destroy several barricades and more than a few stockpiles of ammunition or supplies. There was no doubt she had killed, but she didn't try to keep count. Moving as a well-oiled machine, she stayed with her Master, followed his orders, and moved in a synchronicity that had been missing from her life.

 

[Antipater]

Session 03 - Tertius Nagrath

"Their standards should and will be upheld, if the workforce is content and allowed to work in conditions they themselves deem as adequate, in return it will positively influence their productivity and thus improve the overall potential profits and image of the company they are employed at."

"Perhaps you misunderstand," Antipater rather flatly replied. "It is not a question of what they deem adequate, but what my administration deems acceptable."

The opinions of the general populace were irrelevant, as the general populace knew so very little about what truly constituted their best interests. Members of a workforce - especially manual laborers - would sell themselves into slavery when under the right duress or with deceptive inticements. It was something many for-profit institutions counted on.

And what sort of government allowed its constituents to serve as chattel to intergalactic corporate powers? A doomed one.

"Any private employment offered to the citizens of Jaemus is contingent on the ratification of a contract with our planetary labor unions. At my direction, they will seek terms which replicate their rights and benefits as they already receive from our state-controlled enterprises."

It was the duty of the state to shield its citizens from exploitative arrangements, after all. And as previously mentioned, the laborers themselves could not be trusted to look after their own interests.

The droid continued, "I am afraid my status as head-of-government precludes me from accepting a position with an offworld corporation. This would be perceived as a conflict of interest. If you require my expertise, Tertius, you only need to ask."

Dispensing expertise was one of Antipater's favorite pastimes, irrespective of whether anyone listened.

-----​

Session 07 - Pawky

His photoreceptor's followed Pawky's paw as he gestured. In those graspers would prospectively lie the fate of Jaemus. And what sort of graspers were they? Grubby. Imprecise. They rooted through the trash heaps of the galaxy, polishing whatever refuse they clawed out before hawking it to the needy and the desperate and the cheap.

If something went wrong on these shipyards, if people were maimed or injured or poisoned, it would not be "Bamblam" and his squibs pressed for answers. It would be him. Restated assurances and instructions to obfuscate did nothing to assure the moff. It may have rather made things worse.

The doors behind Pawky opened with a soft hiss.

"Thank you for your time."

The droid returned his attention to the console screen in front of him.

Tertius C. Nargath | Pawky​

 

[Tertius C. Nargath]

LOCATION: Jaemus, Diadochron
OBJECTIVE: Gimme dem assets
TAG: Antipater | Pawky

"Perhaps you misunderstand," Antipater rather flatly replied. "It is not a question of what they deem adequate, but what my administration deems acceptable."

For a moment, a faint smile crept upon the Marquis' face, he wasn't all that disappointed to hear these words, in fact, they seemed to affirm what he had thought. Jaemus' workforce and labor pool had been heavy regulated as to ensure a status quo which would prefer stability and continuance over happiness and fullfilment. He couldn't exactly deny the words Antipater uttered, as the truth behind them could not be ignored.

"I may perhaps limit their access, making them focus on their task at hand and alongside the Labor Unions we could see this as a way to avoid giving them any ideas of unbridled freedom," It wasn't slavery, it was a choice. Tertius knew that the focus put on stability came at the cost of personal liberties, but he could understand it. The workers were still paid, fed and clothed according to their abilities and the effort they put into the stability of the system that protected them. "To safeguard the stability of Jaemus, I am inclined to follow your outline on this matter. However, to improve the manufacturing capacity and output of the industrial complexes, I as Chairman of the N&Z would like to still add Jaemus' considerable industrial apparatus to my company's patrimonium in a semi-autonomous capacity. That way as a planetary representative, you still have a strong voice and a veto in regards to our operations on your planet, as well as access to our resources should you need them. In return, I myself would be honored to rely on your logic and your expert opinion on matters pertaining to workforce regulations and oversight."

Sure, in truth, this meant that he'd still have Antipater in his hands, but the offer still respected the droid's earlier motion, by finding a way in which corporate mingling would not entirely stand in the way of the droid's duties as a leader.

 

[Diarch Rellik]

The weight of command suited Laphisto well. There was no hesitation in his voice, no falter in his tone. It grounded Rellik, if only slightly. He turned his head to the right flank. Trees like spires, shadows like smoke. A narrow path with natural cover, twisting root systems, and broken visibility. Perfect for his style.

"Understood," he said calmly

He gave a nod to Laphisto and his new apprentice each. Acknowledging them both with respect. It was gratitude. Silent, but not unseen. With that final showing he tapped his spear gently against his head and turned to pursue his purpose. He was to act quickly and he believed it was for that reason Laphisto charged him with the Flare Runners.

The trees parted as Rellik led his team deeper into the right flank. The Flare Runners fanned out in a staggered pattern, moving quick and low, while Coalbite and Iron Howl stuck close. Already, Rellik could hear the symphony of war beginning to swell from the center lines: the pounding footfalls of the Myrmidons, the thunderous rhythm of Lilaste Order formations. The enemy had little time to react to the quiet shadows slithering in from their right.

His eyes scanned the faces of those now under his brief command - "Stay close. We will not stop. Not until we've funneled them to the blade's point." voice was low but sharp, cutting through the tension

One by one, Rellik and his team ghosted through supply lines and relay points, striking with surgical precision. An Imperial medic turned too fast toward a noise, only to find Rellik inches away. A swift hold, a twist of his neck. Dead. No blood. Only a slight grunt of pity for the death itself from the Diarch.

A trio of Imperial heavy gunners held a bunker dug into the tree line; a position meant to cut across both flanks. They were entrenched and well-fed, each armored and alert, firing suppressive bursts toward Laphisto's flank. The perfect pressure point.

Rellik crouched low, the glow of his spear dimmed as he signaled for hold.

"Iron Howl," he said. "You draw their fire."

The warrior grinned and let loose a howl that lived up to his name. Blaster fire answered.

Moving quickly during the assault Rellik unleashed his spear first. Crashing directly through the chest of one of the imperials. Unleashing his saber and deflecting several bolts, he was already upon the other members of the crew. Swiftly he dispatched the remainder and the right flank of the forest laid silent.

He looked past the outpost and trees, toward the distant smoke rising from the heart of the Imperial compound. Something stirred in the Force. It called to him unlike anything else before. It was pain.

"Iron Howl," he called. "You have command now. Continue the flank and link with Laphisto's line."

The warrior looked at him, surprised. "And you?"

Rellik's voice dropped to a whisper. "There's something inside the fortress I must see to."

Iron Howl's expression hardened, but he said nothing. A nod of understanding passed between them.

Rellik turned, his cloak fluttering behind him, and he broke from the line

Tags: Laphisto Iandre Athlea Diarch Reign

 

[Antipater]

Session 03 - Tertius Nagrath

Antipater suspected Tertius and the N&Z did not fully appreciate what they were getting themselves into in putting the Directory's citizens to work. He doubted they would regret it. Large, intergalactic firms were much better suited to carrying the cost. They might not even notice.

"However, to improve the manufacturing capacity and output of the industrial complexes, I as Chairman of the N&Z would like to still add Jaemus' considerable industrial apparatus to my company's patrimonium in a semi-autonomous capacity."

The Imperial ideology was fundamentally one of control. Giving over the whole of their heavy industry to anyone in a "semi-autonomous capacity" was tantamount to ceding control. It was unacceptable. Granted, that had already transpired when Moff Antipater bent his mechanical knee to the Diarchy. The difference was that he had not had a choice in the matter. Now, he presently did.

"The industrial zones near Thylakos and Hyele are in the process of being restored," Antipater replied. "I am prepared to offer favorable terms to the N&Z in leasing and usage of these zones once they are brought back online."

Two large cities in the north-east and north-west quadrants, respectively. Recent additions to the Directory, as most of the planet was. It was more than likely N&Z would remain the uncontested private force in those zones for quite some time, given the Directory's normal standoffish relationship with corporate forces.

He continued, "We will explore expanding this privilege to other commercial zones after further observation of your conduct. I trust there will be no problems, yet I am obligated to verify. You understand."

Tertius C. Nargath​

 

[Diarch Reign]

​

Tags: Laphisto Diarch Rellik Iandre Athlea

---

As Laphisto began issuing orders to his men, Reign took off with Val and the rest of the First Cohort. They were on their way to the center of the ridge. While Whisper, Wraith, and Scour had now silenced the southernmost ridge, the comms blackout would not last forever, and the Diarch did not want to waste his tactical advantage.

Without Reign saying a word, Varlo began barking orders into his comms

"Advance squad, Report! Where are on route to mid point, we expect overwatch"

The response that came back was like a whisper barely spoken in your ear

"En Route"

That finished, they moved, Shieldline, Breaker, and Grave rejoining the unit after having fortified and healed the 404th.
As they moved through the mountain range, they caught the glint of black phrik armor on the ridge above them, showing the advance squad had found them.

As the makeshift bunkers of the cultists came into view, Reign motioned a stop, using macrobinoculars to survey the area.

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto ducked behind the tree, rifle barking a final three-round burst before dropping to his side. The sharp crack of his rounds still echoed through the canopy as he shifted stance, breath flaring in his throat. Dirt sprayed around him as enemy blaster fire stitched the treeline, scorching bark and kicking up debris. Snarling low, he thrust a hand to the earth, summoning the Force like a wave rolling under the soil.

The ground trembled. It started as a soft quake then grew violent. With a groan and a grinding shriek, slabs of fractured stone heaved skyward, tearing through moss and root. Earth split and buckled in jagged lines ahead, forming uneven slabs of cover just high enough to shield a crouched soldier. Chunks of stone twisted into barricades between trees, forming a crude, moving wall.

"Iandre!" he called over the rising din, his voice sharp and cutting through the chaos. "Help me raise more! The Force flows through every grain of sand, every crack in the stone reach for it. Shape it!" Another barricade slammed up beside the first, drawn from deeper soil, anchoring a new line in their slow crawl forward.

Behind him, Lilaste soldiers surged up from their positions, rifles raised, boots squelching in churned mud. They moved from cover to cover like a tide, leapfrogging past the freshly raised stone. The bark of slugthrowers filled the jungle deep, thunderous percussion that shook the canopy above, masking the high-pitched hiss of return blaster fire.

Laphisto pushed forward through the smoke and underbrush, ducking low as rounds cracked overhead. He reached the first of the freshly risen stone barricades and slammed into it shoulder-first, the solid mass of rock shuddering slightly from his weight. Dust shook loose from the top as another volley of blaster fire screamed past. He dropped to a knee, breath steady, rifle held close as he popped the spent magazine free with a practiced snap. The empty casing clattered to the ground beside his boot. "Maenira mag!" he barked over the gunfire, holding out one hand without looking.

A fresh mag slapped into his palm a second later, clean and cold. He rammed it home, racked the slide with a sharp chack, and swung out from behind the barrier to move up. The moment he broke cover, a blaster bolt caught him square in the chest. His shields flared bright green, flickering like fire across the plating as the energy dispersed with a high-pitched whine. The heat licked across his armor but didn't breach.

He snarled, low and tight, feet hammering the ground as he drove forward toward the next barricade. "Push the line! Keep the cover rolling forward!" he ordered, voice firm in the comms. His body moved without thought over the barricade, into the next line of fire, rifle barking in three-round bursts. Every foot of ground was carved in gunfire and stone. Just the way it needed to be.


Iandre Athlea Diarch Reign Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Shortly after Rellik infiltrates alone

Rellik moved through the corridors like a wraith, golden blade extinguished, each step deliberate. He was deep now beneath the facility's skin. His cloak whispered across the cold durasteel floor as he passed row after row of holding cells, following a presence that tugged at the Force like a splinter in his chest.

These were not cells. Not truly.

They were testing rooms. Broken chambers. Cages for experiments.

He broke into a sprint, the feeling in the force stirring him forward. Stealth abandoned. Reasoning gone. The feeling no, the cry was too loud now to ignore. It screamed for help, clawed for it. And Rellik ran harder.

Closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. Closer.

The Force constricted around his ribs like a vice. It stopped him dead.

Cell 19-B.

No light inside. Just a narrow observation slit barely wide enough for a hand. He approached slowly, uncertain what he would find.

After a moment of working the lock, the electronics hissed and the door retracted into the wall with a groan.

Inside at the far wall sat a child. Knees drawn to chest. Small.

A Mikkian boy. Early teens, maybe. Skin pale violet beneath layers of grime. He was hunched, bruised, blood dried beneath his nose and along one eye. One of his tendrils twitched weakly.

Finally, he looked up and spoke first.

"You look sad," the boy murmured. "Are you okay?"

Rellik's hand clasped over his own mouth, sudden and involuntary. His eyes burned swollen with the threat of tears but none fell.

The boy tested on, tortured, left in darkness had reached out through the Force and, despite his suffering, the first thing he asked… was if Rellik was alright.

The boy blinked, winced again.

"You feel loud," he whispered. "Not bad. Just... a lot."

Guilt surged in the Diarch. The child was strong in the Force - empathic, perhaps deeply so. He had been reaching out blindly for help, and Rellik had heard him. But now... now Rellik's pain was bleeding back into the boy. He was a burden.

He steadied himself.

"Do you have a name?" he asked.

The boy shook his head. "Not one I remember. For as long as I can tell… they've only called me Subject Nineteen."

Something dark stirred in Rellik's chest. But he buried it. Now was not the time for rage.

"Well," he said quietly, more grounded now.

He drew a breath, and with one fluid motion, his cloak swept from his shoulders. Gently almost reverently wrapping itself around the boy.

"You're coming with me," he said. "We're leaving this place. We'll burn it down, and when we do... you'll be free to name yourself anything you want."

Even as he spoke, Rellik reached into the Force, not as a weapon, but as a balm. He wove calm over the boy through Battle Meditation, layered with the influence of Qâzoi Kyantuska, anchoring him in safety while tempering his own grief.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Objective 1
Enemies: Insurgents
Allies: Diarch Reign Diarch Rellik Laphisto

Watching as Diarch Rellik nodded at Laphisto and her, she returned it and kept her thoughts to herself. His role in this battle wasn't hers, and she understood this. When he turned and left, she closed her eyes a moment and attempted to provide them all with Valor. It would help them in the fights to come.

Each group and company moved separately but as one with the same purpose and goal. Dashing behind a different tree, Iandre turned to look at her master as he issued his orders to her. At her level of training, it might be difficult for her to accomplish what he wanted. She would do her best, though, and that was what mattered.

Their Valor connection helped. It provided her with heightened senses, and as he instructed her to reach out and shape the earth, she did. Her barricades weren't as nice as his, but the solid lumps were large enough to shelter them and the troops.

Her armor was dirty, grungy, but she was comfortable in it.