It's Raining Raiders [TSE Dominion of Irn Hex]

[Xavier Vi'dreya]

Objective: 1, Sorta
Location: Asteroids

He descended on them like an angry shriek-hawk, the one rising to meet him and the other slinking back. A coward among Mandalorians? How funny. The cultist's beskad struck low, aiming to run him clean through as he bolted forward, a smart move, though ultimately futile as he twisted the spear to knock the blade of course. Xavier acted quickly as he closed the gap, an armored knee shot upwards, catching the zealot in their abdomen, knocking the wind out of them with force-enhanced strength before knocking them to the ground with a telkinetic blast.

They were weak, foolish and arrogant, so confident in their barbaric wa-then the grenade exploded, and force-breaker gas filled the young hybrid's lungs. For a second he looked up to the second Mandalorian, who was undoubtedly sneering at Xavier from behind her visor. He'd been stupid. The grounded Mandalorian kicked outward, Xavier's legs being swept up in the ferocious kick, his head slamming against the ground.

The force could not warn him of danger now, he would have to go on instinct. The half-Umbaran rolled to the side instantly, just as slugthrower rounds tore into the plating he'd been on moments ago. Scrambling to his knees the acolyte looked up to see the beskad wielding warrior coming down on him, blade on course to skewer him through the skull.

Vi'dreya acted quickly, rising up and spinning around the brutish hunter and instantly readying his arm, then loosing his spear. It flew straight into the stomach of the female cultist as she tried to bring the slugthrower to bear. Instead of firing she clutched at the weapon as blood began to spill from the puncture where his spear was now embedded in her. The warrior collapsed and Xavier felt a wave of satisfaction roll over him.

That is until the deafening cry of rage erupted behind him and he felt his body hurled against a bulkhead like a rag-doll, followed by the unmistakable feeling of a blade plunging into his abdomen.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Objective C - Negotiate with the clans, watch the girl.

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

These tribesmen certainly were being rather... smug with themselves. Not that they were wrong, but it was still rather irritating to hear. The Irnish clearly felt safe in the knowledge that the Force Hunters in the nearby asteroids could protect them from reprisal, and had rebuffed a diplomatic outreach from the Sith. These... barbarians need not know they were the Sith's second choice in ally, but they were more in keeping with their temperament. On the trip here, she had been reading on the history of this planet. Very fascinating stuff... for a backwater world anyways. These men, and their clans, would be craving revenge after their last defeat.

Still, it was clear this High Chief Mogroll and his fellow lesser chieftains were getting under the young Zambrano's skin. Time to steer the conversation to something more constructive. Haggling over what resources they wanted, and what they got, was better than veiled barbs. If that kept going... well she had a feeling new high chiefs would be needed.

"Perhaps you could enlighten us on what your tribes need to take control of the planet?" she said, voice modulated as she broke her silence. "If the history of your planet is true, the Irnish defeated you by bringing in offworld mercenaries yes?"

 

[Dante Sotari]

Objective B- Docking with the old Imperial Station
Allies: [member="Morgan Vance"]

She was not in love with that idea, truth be told. But it made sense given the circumstances. Whatever issues the two of them had, the one thing she never doubted was that they'd watch each other's backs. She knew why she did it (well, sort of, but that was another issue), and while his motivations baffled her, she didn't distrust the results.

After only a moment's pause, he got a single nod.

"Do it. Davis and R'thu are lightest on their feet. They'll know the rest of us are coming a mile away anyway, so you may as well take those two."

After a bit of shuffling, Ran got the ship schematics with both routes laid out uploaded to everyone's HUD. Dante lead the larger group out- six legionaries and the two acolytes. She didn't say anything else to Morgan before the two teams split. That would have been silly. Be careful? They were soldiers walking into an unknown potentially hostile situation. It just would have been stupid.

Ran got the ship's surveillance on the route the trio were headed to play on a loop, while not touching the feeds from the route the rest of them were taking. Morgan, Davis, R'thu would be their ace in the hole if things were hotter than they were anticipating.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

C - Establish Dominance

The eyes turned sharply towards Taeli, most of them having forgotten she was there. The two youngest exchanged a look, Shon Zur threw a sideways glance at Mogroll, knowing that the black haired High Chieftain was the one with the numbers. Mogroll crossed his arms tighter, then let them unfurl and rest on the edge of the table between them.

"Our three tribes combined command a sizeable enough legion, but we require weapons to arm them." "Yes, the Irnians defeated our ancestors by hiring mercenaries from the outside. The Mercenaries outmanoeuvred and outgunned their forces." "Now, they have the Dabida Yalilyr in their pocket."

Rhall of the Falling Sun tribe piped up following Mogroll's words.

"And artillery." "Without artillery the fight will cost too many lives. We need to preserve our troops in order to hold the planet." He was quickly followed by Jarakk: "But once Irn is taken and held, the Magisters of the Meadows fill fall in line. They rely almost entirely on Irn for support."

Joycelyn leaned back, taking in the suggestions, the thoughts. If they were to take the city, they would need air-support if they wanted to take the city. Artillery was well and good, but conquering the skies was paramount to holding a spaceport. Even so, a thought did occur to her.

"The Magisters, that is Irn's food supply is it not?" "And you say it's poorly defended?"

A moment of silence spread over the chieftains, considering the implicit proposition of attacking and raiding the farming stock of their own planet. It would not be popular, and it had an element of risk, but it also had the possibility of drawing the Irnese army out from their defence or locking them down inside the city.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Aria Black]

Objective: C

​

Backwater... that was a good word for this planet, even for someone like Aria. It had not taken her much effort to get on the planet, nor was it hard to figure out why she was here. A few of the tribes on the planet had been trying to get the TSE's attention, clearly they had succeeded, though the fact that she had been called mean someone was gonna die. She sat on the outskirts one of the tribes that had... well not embraced the TSE. She had been watching the patrols and guards for over a hour now, remembering everything she could from whom limps, what hand people favor, even minuet details most people miss. For her even the smallest thing can give her a edge, so far she had found about three paths that she could use to get in if they stayed with normal routes.​

Her comlink beeped, most likely her employer... or a proxy anyways, she figured some sith lord was unlikely to was time with talking with a small time assassin. Standing up, Aria stretched a bit to work the stiffness out, she hit the connect button on the little device strapped to her forearm and the ear-bead sprung to life. "Go..." Aria's voices was almost a whisper but the mic she wore was directly around her throat.​

[member="Lily Kirsche Kuhn"]

 

[Kenth Typho]

Objective B- Docking with the old Imperial Station
Allies: [member="Dante Sotari"]

~Careful, Dan, leave some for t'rest of us.~ Morgan murmured over their private line. The former concern, but weakened by the latter to give her a way out without putting her on the spot.

Learned a long time ago that Sotari was absolutely crap at being vulnerable.

This, then, made his point while giving her an opportunity to be Dante about it. He watched them go before refocusing his attention on Davis and R'thu- one was a Mirial, the other an Imperial from 'Kaas... strangely enough the Mirial was called Davis. What the story was behind R'thu Morgan struggled to know. With a gesture they moved out, taking the longer route, while he switched to a secondary channel. It would be best to keep the chatter to a minimum, so the could focus on the job.

~See that?~

Davis murmured as they passed another corridor.

One of the terminals had been taken apart. Morgan blinked and it activated his cybernetics again, seemed to be a security junction... that didn't bode well. ~Watch your step, Rook, whoever is here, they had access to the security junction.~

It could mean nothing.

...or they might have sliced together access to the internal defenses, if they had enough time.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Tense silence reigned supreme as the holographic projectors tracked the progress of the Imperial Hunting Party through the asteroids, moving ever closer and closer into the trap laid by the Hunters. Hoc silently chortled as the irony of the situation finally dawned on him, the Hunters momentarily becoming the hunted.

These Imperials were arrogant, so sure in their cause that they could not see the error of their ways even as they ran blindly into his trap.

But then again, what did that make him?

The monitor relayed a series of proximity alerts and warnings, the hunting party had at last bridged the gap and entered the killing field. Now it was time to spring the trap. Hoc looked towards the primary communications officer, and with but a single nod he gave the order.

Seven asteroids surrounded a barren emptiness near the center of the field, four of which had been hollowed out months ago to serve as fighter hangars and fuel depots. In accordance with Hoc's orders they had powered down and gone silent in preparation for the Imperial's arrival, but now that the signal had been given they suddenly burst into activity. Hangar doors fashioned from Mandalorian Steel retreated back to reveal rows upon rows of hidden Beskad heavy fighters. Engines roared as the first line of Beskads emerged from hiding, their elongated fuselage swinging down as the fighters moved into attack position.

The battle had begun.

​

​

[member="Darth Prazutis"]​

 

[Kyrinov]

Objective B: Docking with the old Imperial Station
Location: Station Above Irn
Allies: [member="Morgan Vance"] | [member="Dante Sotari"]
Post: 1

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Tevro was one of the two Acolytes to accompanying the lieutenants and their squadron of twelve. The "message" that he was to leave the looming Academy on Bastion, abandon it for a time, a time which was unspecified, and join Imperial Lieutenants Dante and Morgan to recover a seemingly abandoned Imperial Station over Irn. Upon hearing the news from an Overseer who barged into the barracks without any prior warning or plan that Tevro could have assumed or known of otherwise, he scoffed. Nothing else was heard from or seen on the face of the teenage Acolyte. Why they needed him was uncertain, or rather unknown, to the Zabrak. He stood, taking only a second to gather himself and his surroundings, though he knew the barrack and the layout of the Academy as he knew his own name. Tevro gathered what few possessions he kept with him, clasping the purple lightsaber to the magnetic hook attached on the right hip of his leather pants, the vibrosaber carried by all Acolytes strapped to his back by another similar hook, and the hooded cloak which he wore around nearly all of his "peers" and other Sith. He left the Academy immediately, without word or his missing presence being accounted for, striding towards the shuttle which would carry him off of this world and into the vacuum orbit of Irn. Donning the black hooded cloak that obscured most of his features, which he kept either on him as a garment or simply with him at all times, he boarded the shuttle and sat down in the seat closest to the cockpit.

The shuttle ride was uneventful, to put it frankly. It held no excitement for Tevro, no sense of anxiety or inhibition, no fantasies of glory and honor, nothing to distract his mind as he waited to arrive in the Station. For him, this was another rightful gain for the Empire and the Order, something that needed to be done to secure its overall vision and goals. A task he'd been designated to attend to and complete properly, one he would gladly carry out with those who called upon his aid. In the hours of sitting in the seating area, Tevro listened to datapads on the culture of the Irnish people. What he discovered after many logs was that, in keeping with their... primitive way of life, their advancements and, more importantly, their military power were those of a meager size, built by men and women who simply volunteered to defend and protect their homeworld with only a sense of overwhelming pride and nationalism, if one could call it that. It interested the Acolyte to learn of other cultures and views, different perspectives by which he could view and weigh the measure of his options and actions. But, his mission was not with the native or immigrated people of Irn, however it was one that would certainly effect them directly over time.

Tevro's shuttle docked in the station a few minutes behind the Lieutenants and their troopers and operatives. He stepped out, walking the paces to close the distance between the group of Imperials and the other waiting Acolyte. In the seconds it took him to come to stand in front of Lieutenant Morgan, he assessed the space of the hangar he was in, listening carefully to the echos which filled the room as his boots clicked in a tattle tale sign of movement. He knew where the exits and corridors were, where the ships were located in proximity to said exits and corridors, and what lay behind the doors which led down the corridors or into various rooms within the station itself. The other thing he noted was the air quality and thinness. It was too thin, though luckily, they were generous enough to think of him in his short absence from the group to grab an extra rebreather. He then followed silently behind as they took their assessments of determining if the scavengers were still aboard the abandoned station, carrying the rebreather in a belt loop on his pants.

"Power's going to the system in one area? The feed is live but there's..... I dunno I guess it's a sock or somethin' over the camera. Which is silly, cause I can see the fabric weave, it's no different than announcing they're there."

"Just keeps us from seeing how many and with what. That the only anomaly? Right, get us a route to that area. Move out in three people!"
It seemed, from the brief report given, that it was plausible that they were still here. The teams that were assigned put him with Lieutenant Morgan and the other Acolyte with Lieutenant Dante. The layout of the 'teams' made sense, more being sent to Morgan's aid than with Dante as it was more likely that they may be ambushed or caught in some unseen trap or another. He nodded at the assignment and took a position beside Lieutenant Morgan, the lieutenant's stance was one of concern and it held the slightest of tension though he appeared calm in facial expression. The operatives and troops which would accompany the two of them seemed especially nervous and skittish, as if they were unsure of what they would do if any number of situations or complications should arise at a moment's notice. Finally, the silent Acolyte spoke up, nodding his head in greeting to Morgan then to the troops.

"Hello, Lieutenant. I am Acolyte Tevro. It seems that we will be working together for the foreseeable future, I suppose it's only natural that we, at least, become acquainted with each other. That way, we may work more cohesively during the time we are together for this mission."

The introduction was brief and an unusually warm welcome for Tevro to give to anyone. But, his thoughts regarding the possibilities of the mission were cut off by Morgan turning to lead the team down a longer, more curved route to their destination. As he ran, he could hear the echos of footsteps of nine others, not including Morgan. Their breathing patterns told him that they were becoming more and more anxious with each thud of footfall that fell on the metal floors and bounced off of the durasteel walls of the facility. Tevro also noted the torn terminal that they passed by, taking a mental note to remember it for future reference, should he need to recall it. The path was narrow and, so far, had only been disrupted by the occasional room or long, branching corridor. A path which was filled with obstacles, most likely.

They would need to remain alert and aware of their surroundings and of their comrades.

 

[Decimus]

Objective A: Scouring the Asteroid Field
Post: 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T87psTIktTk&feature=youtu.be​

As a new member of the Sith Empire, General Aut-X had been swiftly building up his forces to support it's territorial expansion. The Irn system would be, at long last, the unveiling of his new military might. Today would be the day that Aut-X unveiled his new weapon, courtesy of the Emperor himself and the Empire's exceptional corp of Engineers. A sizeable war fleet of Trench Command vessels swiftly arrived at the edge of the asteroid field, a multitude of Confederate designs now in service to the Sith. The flagship of this massive task force would arrive shortly afterwards, towering over the rest of the fleet. The newly constructed Vanquisher-class Heavy Battlecruiser, a recreation of the Subjugator-class, one of the most infamous Separatist weapons. At long last, Malevolence lived once more.

Upon the command bridge of the Malevolence, Aut-X gazed out at the asteroid field before him through the front viewport. "Bring the Malevolence about ninety degrees, and tell the fleet to deploy all squadrons to assist Darth Prazutis and his forces.", the droid said commandingly. Sure enough, the massive Vanquisher-class turned about, it's port side now facing the asteroid field, it and the rest of his fleet unleashing their many fighter squadrons into battle, their automated nature allowing them to easily calculate their path through the asteroids with little error, before they began to engage the enemy Mandalorian fighter squadrons and the asteroids they sought to hide in.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]
[member="Dabida Yalilyr"]

 

[House Zambrano]

Hammer of Bastion, Bridge...
Lord Admiral Thaddeus Krell

​Patience once again won the day.

​"Sir scanners are picking up an activation. Enemy fighters emerging from the center of the field!"

The communications officer shouted from within the crew pits. If it were any other officer they might've been pacing rapidly, impatient at the inactivity as they were forced to watch the battle unfold. But there were a hundred different things he could do to win the day even from out here. "What other ships have sent aide get me a list."

​"A pair of Leviathan-Class under Vice Admiral [member="Zahori Denko"] has unleashed a full swarm of their droid fighters into the swarm. General [member="Aut-X"] has arrived and deployed his droid Starfighters into the belt on the other side."

Droids. There were pros and cons to using droids like everything else and he understood that. They weren't a substitute for an organic pilot in the cockpit though, they were restricted to their parameters and the combat doctrines uploaded into their memory cores. If you pushed a droid to the edges of that doctrine and went outside the box, they could be beaten. In this case they were an expendable blessing that the commander of the [member="Dabida Yalilyr"] might not have anticipated. Two great swarms crashing down on the trap they sprung on the first wave of Sith Squadrons under the Shadow Hand.

"Send the next wave into the field and keep the rest in reserve for now. Inform squadron commanders to come up right behind the droids, let them take the brunt of the attack first. Sensors boost power and divert energy from all nonessential systems to our sensor systems. Now that those hidden bases have powered up scan them all. A command center would draw more power for the systems it would require to run. Lets find it and send the location to Lord Prazutis." ​Krell ordered. There was a round of confirmations through the bridge as they now moved to the task set before them.

The guns of his task force were an ever present threat to the enemy that dared to expose themselves. There would be no running.

3

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Asteroid Belt, Irn...
​In the Wraith

​Chaos.

​The words of the Shadow Hand proved to be wise ones as the hangar doors of several asteroids swung open and a force of heavy fighters of the [member="Dabida Yalilyr"] came down on them. The Imperials were ready to react with casualties not nearly as high as they might've been had they been caught unprepared. Battle began as his pilots slammed against the mandalorian insurrectionists. Those unfortunate enough to go after Death Squadron found themselves victims the moment they tried to lock on. As Sith pilots they were faster, with faster reflexes, as four heavy fighters dropped in behind them a pair of Sith fighters dropped their engines losing power to the point of shutting down causing the fighters to drop while another pair split off in either direction to encircle around.

As soon as the first two passed the engines blazed and guns fired, sending them crashing down into orange plumes of fire and debris. The last two were swiftly gunned down by the fast reacting pilots. The Shadow Hand unleashed his fury swiftly targeting and destroying fighters that so much as passed through their trajectory.

"Your Excellency. We've located the enemy's command center sending it's coordinates to you now." ​The Admirals voice chimed over his comlink, followed by a red ping that designated his target. All of Death Squadron knew what was going to happen. The executive officer would take control of the squadron and join the fight after he docked with the asteroid base to kill the enemy and their leader. "Confirmed on my way now." The Sith Lord said, peeling away from the fight and heading right towards the designated asteroid and its hangar.

The doors remained wide open during the fight and allowed him easy access to fly right inside. A swift pop of the doors and he jumped right out lightsaber in hand. The first man he saw in the hangar he reached out with the force and lifted him clear into the air, he closed his fist bringing down a massive wave of telekinetic energy crushing the man into a pulpy mass of gore.

3

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Objective C - Negotiate with the clans, watch the girl.

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

Now there was an idea, she thought. Attack the farmers, deprive the city folk of food, and they would have to come out into the open to fight you or starve. The only issue with such a tactic would be it would engender ill will towards the tribes the Sith were supporting. She could already foresee a future of farmer revolts, unrest sweeping across the planet. That would tie down far more Sith forces than the Emperor would likely want to spare for this backwater.

"If the farmers are poorly defended, there is an avenue there," she said quietly. "Weapons and artillery won't be an issue, as the Lady Zambrano can attest to."

It would be older equipment of course, as why would the Sith give these savages their most advanced technology?

"I do not believe you need to raid the farmers," she continued, still speaking softly behind her mask. "But the shipments to the Irnish... those would be quite vulnerable and would bring about the same effect... but in a better way. The Irnish would be forced to dispatch small units of their forces, they wouldn't march out the whole army. You can then ambush them at your leisure."

Surreptitiously checking her chrono, she figured that the Sith forces in orbit would be engaging the Force Hunters by now. That would weaken the Irnish position if they couldn't count on the extremists to help them.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Objective B: Into the Breach
Allies: [member="Morgan Vance"] [member="Tevro"]

~Don't worry, I'm sure there'll be some left. Not much. Maybe.~

The station was quiet beyond the whirrs and shudders that came with such places. Space stations were not Dante's favorite places- she had never spent enough time on them to grow casually accustomed to all of the bumps and shivers, the groans of durasteel shifting ever so slightly in response to the gravity of the planet below. She didn't like the recycled quality of the air, the way that everything was enclosed, or the fact that every sound echoed, especially in largely empty ones like this.

Give her a rooftop and open air and she could take on the galaxy.

Twists and turns in metal coffin corridors?

Not her favorite.

In a way the lack of response was worse than if someone had jumped out at them directly and started shouting 'ooga booga beskar' at them. It meant that everyone was just waiting. Infinitely worse than action in a moment.

~Copy~ Came her reply to Morgan's intel, but otherwise the two teams didn't fill the air with chatter.

It just meant that when Dante's team rounded the corner before the rendezvous point, no one was really surprised.

A half dozen beskar clad individuals were waiting for them- but Dante's team were already weapons up. Honestly, the fact that it didn't dissolve into a fire fight immediately was only because of one individual. The one in the middle with his hand up in a fist.....

And a fething ysalamiri on a frame on his back.

Beneath her helmet, Dante rolled her eyes.

"We knew you were coming, Sith," came the hissing voice, and Dante realized that he was addressing the *acolyte*. Over the internal comms, Morgan would hear a sharp snort.

"We prepared, and you will die. You are helpless in this corridor. Weak and empty of the skill or spirit necessary to-"

Oh boy, this was going to turn into a monologue wasn't it?

"Uh. Excuse me. Not Sith."

The mandalorian looked over at shorter form of Dante in surprise. Even in her legionnaire armor, Dante did not cut a particularly imposing figure. He probably also wasn't used to being interrupted.

"What?"

Beneath her helmet, Dante smiled.

Her HUD showed that Morgan and his team were just on the other side. Get them thirty seconds more and they'd be in position to take these folks down without a significant risk.

"I mean. You're right. He is."

"I don't-"

"But that fancy slug on your back isn't gonna do much. He's just an acolyte anyway. No offense."

From behind her came a befuddled, "None taken."

"I guess you didn't get the memo. But the Empire doesn't rely on just the Force. Sure it's great for some stuff, but-"

"Force users are an abomination!"

"Yeah I caught that. Eh, some of 'em are. Some aren't so bad. But you see hatred makes ya miss stuff. "

The mandalorian laughed.

"Such as? Our odds are nearly even and there are no aruetii fighters in the galaxy that can compare to the Mando'a!"

"Man why ya gotta bring race into it? Such a weird obsession. 'Not mando' worse than mando, come on that's a cop out and you know it. Such a useless stereotype, ya know?"

"I-"

Over the internal comms, as soon as the HUD confirmed they were in position, Dante subvocalized to Morgan.

~This is a boring conversation, care ta help a gal out?~

He could hear the smirk on her face.

 

[Kenth Typho]

Objective B- Docking with the old Imperial Station
Allies: [member="Dante Sotari"] | [member="Tevro"]

Anyone else might have reacted with confusion at the odd way Tevro expressed himself.

Stoic, calm, there didn't seem to be any sort of inflection in his voice. As if the tides of life washed over him and held no purchase whatsoever. In a way it should have been off-putting to at least some degree. But this wasn't anyone else, it was Morgan, and he angled his head just so to get Tevro in line of his visor as they walked. "Calm and at ease, Acolyte, I like that." Mor murmured, while letting his attention slip back to the corridor and the road ahead.

"Keep a steady head like that, steady hand, we will be more than fine." The Lieutenant continued as they walked into the next room. This is where Morgan raised his fist in the air to signify all of them should stop.

Fingers gestured as he switched channels in his sub-dermal voice communicator.

His voice would appear in all their heads just as Dante started talking. ~Davis, got them on your scanners?~ ~Yessir, all their life signs, syncing them up to all our helmets now~

Morgan nodded and then waited.

This was the waiting game, the play before Dan's words would send it spiraling one way or another. Luckily none of them needed to wait for too long. ~This is a boring conversation, care ta help a gal out?~ Morgan could practically hear her smirk and it made him smile behind his visor too. ~Yes ma'am. Three, two, one~ His fingers settling firm around his carbine.

Then.

~Break~

Universal sign of- feth them up.

From the other side Morgan's team opened fire wide and took those Manbronolorians by surprise.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

C - Establish Dominance
[member="Taeli Raaf"]

She nodded as the ideas came on the table. It was true, they ought not to inspire too much ire from the farming community. If anything, they should inspire loyalty in them. Another idea brewed in her brain, but it was something slightly more long term.

"Play it right and you may even come off as their protectors."

She caught Taeli glacing at her chrono in the side of her eye, but did not check her own. Still, it reminded her that there was more than one play in motion, more than one front to this conflict, but in the end there would be one victor.

"But that will take months." Mogroll interjected, his eyes narrowing. "And we will still need arms to protect ourselves against the Irnish forces."

"Empires are forged by perseverance, not just battle. You must rule, not just conquer." "And we will supply you with weapons when the strategy is to our satisfaction."

The high chieftain leaned back, Shon Zur threw him a side-eyed glance and half-cocked smile. There were thoughts running through their heads. Even though Joycelyn was barred from mentalism she could tell their minds were working by the looks in their eyes. Some looked pleased, two did not, but they also did not seem to have any words to object with at the moment.

Joycelyn turned her head to look at Taeli, then turned her eyes down to the table.

"If this is satisfactory to you, then we should form the final agreement."

The various chiefs gave their consent in an amalgamation of nods and utterances. A holographic version of a treaty was displayed on the table where both parties could read it. She let her eyes scan through. It had bits to still fill in, details to run over, but at least the negotiations were going somewhere.

 

[Kyrinov]

Objective B: Docking with the old Imperial Station
Location: Station Above Irn
Allies: Morgan Vancehttp://starwarsrp.net/user/7845-morgan-vance/ | Dante Sotarihttp://starwarsrp.net/user/15348-dante-sotari/
Post: 2
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He nodded, almost sagely, at Lieutenant Morgan's comment on his expression of himself. He saw no reason to be alarmed in the situation, while they all expected resistance to some degree, it seemed unlikely that he would have to personally become engaged in combat. Tervo followed closely with the troops, bringing up the rear of their group. His stride was long and easy, long enough to keep up and easy enough to allow him to conserve energy should he need to react immediately to a disturbance in the metallic environment that surrounded them. In this part of station, the air was hardly noticeable. The Acolyte could only feel the lightest pressure of what could be considered a breeze against his face as he walked. It didn't phase him however. His breathing remained the same, a simple pattern of two seconds of inhaling and two seconds of exhaling. Once they rounded a corner and he took in a few slower breaths, he could hear Lieutenant Dante's voice through Morgan's helmet only moments after they halted to a complete stop, the toe of his boot clicking softly against the metal floors being the last sound which echoed through the corridor. The sound he heard was nothing more than a whisper through the helmet material, but the call to action was clear enough.

~This is a boring conversation, care ta help a gal out?~

The seconds passed as hours, minutes seemed like days, dragging along as the soldiers began to prep and steady their weapons to Morgan's countdown. Tevro shifted his weight to his left side almost immediately after hearing Dante's voice, stepping forward two strides forwards to fill the gap between the soldiers on either side of the Lieutenant. He heard Morgan's countdown as if he wore a helmet which was perched on his shoulders. Morgan's voice was loud enough, clear, focused on the small task at hand.

Three...
The various array of firearms of the troops and sidearms of the operatives came into the hands of its respective user. First, as if a wave rippled over them, Morgan's carbine settled into position with knife-like precision, angled towards the figure in the middle of the group of Mandalorians, the shorter one with a ysalamiri attached to his back as if it were a manifestation of an invincible shield. Ysalamiri, the creatures from Myrkr that could repel the Force from a single person within the bubble. Lucky for Tevro. If he did get involved, he wouldn't need to use what little Force ability he'd picked up. Following Morgan's suite, the ripple effect occurred automatically, the troopers raised their weapons to clear out the three on the right side of the assumed leader of the Mandalorian dispatch. The operatives flicked their pistols up to eliminate the two on the left flank. Tevro's left hand flew to the saber attached to his right hip, poised to flip up in a basic Juyo ready position at a small jerk of his wrist.
He also sensed a growing anticipation within all the soldiers, even in Morgan for all of his focus. It built inside each one of them, slowly at first, beginning with the smallest flicks of gloved fingers against the sides and triggers of the weapons in their hands. The growth was steady and controlled. Controlled by years of practice in these sort of self-created choke point situations. Weights shifted collectively as guns stabilized.

Two...
Guns primed on their targets, fingers settling into place and hands grasping the weapon as a means of refocusing aim as well as stilling pent up nerves and frantic minds. Eyes of all shades darted beneath helmets which conveyed no emotion to enemy or ally alike. Tevro's hand grasped the saber hidden beneath his cloak with a firm hand, silently unclasping it from the magnetic cage which held it fast. His eyes blinked and opened wide, as if to mock allowing more light into his unseeing eyes. He opened himself as he had upon his arrival, his senses sharpening to a point. Everything became crystal clear. Those around them appeared to be outlined white shadows as did Dante's team on the other side of the hall. The Mandalorians appearing in a grey and red tint, outlined by a thin black line. Breathing relaxed little by little, tension built even more, clawing slowly at even the most experienced among them. But, here, it wouldn't have time to drive the shooters into a mindless panic that would have consumed less experienced members with doubt and unbridled fear.

One...
There was nothing left to do but shoot and rid the galaxy of these dar'manda. One more fraction of a moment and triggers were halfway down, the slightest of movement on the shooter's part was liable to set off a discharge from the weapon and give away their currently hidden position around the corner. Tevro remained stalk still, ready to draw and ignite his saber if need be. All they needed was to hear the word from Morgan and it would be over before the fight began properly. One breath exhaled, two...three...four....five...six short, fixed breaths.

~Break~
The world around them that had frozen in perfect silence and held in place by stagnation erupted to synchronized yet chaotic movement. Morgan turned the corner, followed immediately by the first and second pairs of troopers. Alternating blaster shots rang throughout the facility as they whistled by and hit their intended victim, slicing through armor, flesh, muscle, tissue, and bone and killing without a second thought. Before he had time to process the deaths of his vod, the central Mandalorian froze in place, alone in the silence of the aftermath of it all.

Tevro shook his head briefly, his hand still held at the ready, his features hidden beneath the cloak and hidden deeper still by the dim lighting of the hallway. His lips twisted into a smirk. In less than an instant, the Mandalorian's entire plan was stolen away and shattered on the durasteel platform by a simple squeeze and he still stood here like a disappointed and frightened child. Tevro sighed in impatience, red eyes staring straight in the direction of the figure which paraded as a Mandalorian in the middle of their teams.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The battle was fierce.

Smoldering corpses of Imperial and Mandalorian fighters drifted among the debris of the asteroid belt, serving to further impede movement as the casualties continued to mount. The Mandalorian's initial advantage had waned now that the Imperials had regrouped, and with the sudden appearance of droid starfighters there had been presented a need to change tactics.

Hoc did not like to admit it, but the Imperials had them outplayed. It was time to retreat.

They could live today to fight tomorrow, there was no dishonor in that.

"Load the provisions and ammunition onto the transports, leave everything else behind. We'll make way to Harok. Let these surhr-pe'nr choke on the ash of their victory." As it stood, the Hunters had a fleet of five Oya'karir Kandosii-class Destroyers and a myriad of smaller warships and transports. While a formidable force, it could do nothing against an enemy that had already located their position. If they tried to push the attack out of the asteroid field, they'd be torn to ribbons by the Imperial fleet.

"Ner Vod! We're detecting a lone starfighter breaching our perimeter defenses, its landing inside the hangar bay!" That was impossible, no lone ship could survive such a gauntlet. It had to be a mistake! But there it was, staring him in the eye.

Sith.

"Seal all corridors to the hangar bay, and vent that Darjetii back into space!"

Even as that order was being carried out, another proximity alert rang out across the command center. The full scope of a second enemy fleet on the opposing side of the asteroid belt became fully known to the Hunters, especially its massive warship.

"And begin evacuation, we don't have enough time to waste!"

[member="Darth Prazutis"] | [member="Aut-X"]​

 

[Decimus]

Objective A: Scouring the Asteroid Field
Post: 2

"Sir! It appears the enemy are preparing to evacuate their fleet from the asteroid field.", one of the B1 Battle Droids manning the bridge chirped out. Aut-X remained silent briefly, before a mechanical laughter escaped his vocabulator. "Excellent. The time has come to test our new weapon. Adjust our angle so we might fire the Ion Cannon at their ships.", the General said confidently. The Malevolence began to alter it's current angle, so it's main weapon was focused on the clustered Kandosii-class Destroyers.

An alert was sent to all nearby Sith vessels, warning them to get out of the line of fire. His fighter and bomber squadrons were swiftly pulled back from the Asteroid Field, before the plasma rotors of Malevolence's ion cannons began to charge. "The moment is here. You may fire when ready, OM-5.", Aut-X said, a hint of utter pride in his voice. The Ion Cannon began it's final initialisation sequence, soon firing a massive ion pulse towards the unaware and completely unprepared Mandalorian flotilla. This massive pulse was quickly followed up by sustained fire from Malevolence's turbolasers. "Now, FIRE ALL GUNS!"

[member="Dabida Yalilyr"]
[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Glass against her red lips, the sweet scent of wine, a smile and courtly laugh.

The Queen of Shadows put a light hand on the knuckles of General Pryd of Irnish high command. Or course, he had never told her that, but she had her ways of knowing. Though, if one who knew her spotted them, they would not have believed for a second it was Darth Ophidia they saw. Through her Nyashnitwa she had applied a second skin, dark, vibrant, with locks of red hair cascading her back. Her yellow eyes looked more like melting honey than burning coals, and her presence felt nothing like the polar chill of her true nature.

No, this was a game of deception - The Black Widow Gambit.

When she touched the general's hand, she slipped a thought into his mind, an emotion, a stream of dopamine releasing into his system. She drugged him from inside to be comfortable, to let his guard down. Why, she poisoned him with love.

"My dear, there is something I would like to show you."

His eyebrows arced up, and she dressed her lips in mischief before feinting innocence, her eyes turned down, then set back in his as she smiled

"A place." "Ugh, it is silly. Forget it."

She said, stringing him along, playing his curiosity like a harp.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Objective C - Negotiate with the clans, watch the girl.

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

With the negotiations back on track, and actually progressing forward, she fell back into silent observation. She was noting which of the chieftains, even now, were still hesitant or resistant. Mogroll would need to be watched, and two of the other chieftains were being quiet. If she so chose, she could peer into their minds and scoop out whatever their secret thoughts were... but she didn't. No, her role was simply to help the young Zambrano keep the negotiations moving in a positive direction for the Sith Empire.

It was her show after all, she was merely the adviser in this case and...

Settling back into her chair, she was glad her mask hid the scowl on her face. These truly were uncomfortable chairs. Did these barbarians not know that keeping foreign dignitaries comfortable was important and showed manners?