Just Like Old Times [TU Dominion of Rodia]

[Darth Metus]

Location: SDS Eminance, Rodia Orbit
Objective: A - Quell the Rogues
Post Count: 1/20

Rodia.

Years ago, this particular world had been one of the three founders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Its people proudly served alongside the upstart nation, propelling its goals until calamity struck in the form of Akala. The rampage of the Celestial had brought chaos to the Galaxy. Overnight, countless souls were lost to the void, thereby crippling the nations they populated. The successor of the Confederacy, now known as the Techno Union, was one of the first to lick its wounds following the calamity.

And now, it returned to the world that had flown its banner for so long.

From the depths of hyperspace, a task force of Union vessels surged forth. Capital ships of varying sizes rallied behind a single, Grievous-class Star Destroyer that had been charged with spearheading the operation. As the vessels set about preparing their hangars for a journey to the surface, a briefing was announced across all channels. T'was none other than Dagora-Kel, the once-loathed, who had returned to propel the Techno Union's goals once more.

From aboard the SDS Eminance, one of the supporting vessels that also doubled as the Vanguard's mobile HQ, Dagora addressed his fellows.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time to get this party started." he began. "Before us lies Rodia, a world that has supported us for years now. Akala hit her hard, and now is the time to see her restored. Our sources in the SpyNet have given us the gritty details of what's been going on planetside since the 'rapture.'"

"Vong. Lots of them. A rogue cell has risen out of the local Colony and has been terrorizing their people and the native Rodians alike. We are under the impression that they will not stop until they have conquered the planet...or until we stop them. This objective is of the utmost importance: We must shut down this rogue cell once and for all. They are currently holed up in a bio-dome that they ran the Rodians out of. All troops and Vanguard personnel, be ready to dive into hell on this one."

There was a pause before he continued.

"Next on our plate is the political side of things. Akala's rampage essentially saw the whole of the planet's leadership disappear into the void. Proxies and assistants are doing the best they can to hold the planet together; but there's only so much they can do while the rogue Vong are terrorizing everything. To our representatives, do whatever is necessary to return peace to Rodia. And good luck, you're going to need it."

And now for the Obsidian Order. Of course he wouldn't leave them out. "Lastly, members of the Obsidian Order. Our secondary directive is to establish a finite presence on the planet in the form of a citadel. Take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the new resources available to you from this world."

With that said, the Dar'manda concluded the transmission and descended from the bridge to the Hangar. There was one helluva fight inbound...and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Objectives & Gameplan: Here

Spoiler

[member="Adela Verd"], [member="Ashogo-Kel"], @Canande-Kel, [member="Theia"], [member="Wes Redtree"], [member="Liona Mikael"], [member="Eris Malreaux"]

[member="Raziel"], [member="Marek Starchaser"], [member="Phade"], [member="Adekos"], @Errbody Else Mobile Posting Whoo

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Fury.

Being a one-trick pony, having a Master's focus on Force Drain and almost no other skills, had served her well. More, she'd come to terms with the advantages and disadvantages thereof. She'd found glory, however private, in attaining some control over the Force. Enough to blot out the shame and frustration of washing out of AgriCorps for being weak in the Force.

To burn herself out, then -- to let that Force Drain addiction get out of hand, and wipe out her sensitivity to the Force entirely -- that outcome was intolerable. Almost unbelievable. And yet it had happened.

Force-less, when she'd been a Master last week, Selka slashed down through the atmosphere in her Rassilon. She was bound for the bio-dome.

 

[Wes Redtree]

He didn't wait for long after the briefing before his boots were clanging up the boarding ramp of a drop ship. His expressionless face and cold pale eyes were typical for the man before an operation and his sniper rifle was held in its case like a musician carries his instrument. He was a musician in a way perhaps, and the song he played was war. He sat down in a small seat among the other members of the drop team and leaned his head against the bulkhead silently. He closed his eyes and calmly waited for the ship to take off and bring them to the surface below. Another day at the office was about to start.

 

[Jennifer Blanchard]

Objective D - Mapping planetary networks

Jenn had read the reports. She had watched out for the one formerly known as Verd who was involved in the Confederacy and was removed from power by the people who took over the Abrion Sector. And now the Techno Union was working alongside him once again. This was a confusing door, and unlike the Most Interesting Man in the World, she couldn’t slam the revolving door. Which meant she needed to adapt and overcome everything that was going crazy. She was now part of the Obsidian Order, funny how that worked, huh? A two-bit (even if really awesome) computer hacker known as ‘Gambit’ who spent most of her time slicing through bank records and trying to expose corporations for their atrocities was working for not one, but two of the largest conglomerates of companies in the galaxy.

It was a good day.

And right now, she was being sent out under the orders of Marek Starchaser to help with the Obsidian Order’s creation of resources on Rodia. Apparently there were some outdated Lambent farms and property reserved, or at least surveyed, for an Obsidian outpost on the world. What she was really doing? She was here to listen and learn about everything that was going on. See what had happened on Rodia, what companies could be useful and what needed to be burned to the ground, and built back up, started anew.

Still, she was in her Santhe Challenger, until she could get something else, because as much as she loved flying around in a Rassilon, she was on her way to the capital. Marek would probably join her, and that was all that mattered. Getting the business people out there, but she was here to map the computer systems of the world. Too bad Emerald was… where was she?

[member="Darell Irani"]
[member="Venussia Sasko"]
[member="Break"]
[member="Phade"]
[member="Asher Valentine"]
[member="Raziel"]
[member="Jacen Cavill"]
[member="Adekos"]
[member="Chaos Maxtor"]
[member="Ahra Martrey"]
[member="Seto Du Couteau"]
[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]
[member="Sasha Santhe"]
[member="Danger Arceneau"] (Or representative please don't hit me Illie)

 

[Caulder Dune]

Objective B: Kill and Make Up
Location: Iskaayuma (Rodia's Capital)
Posts: [01/20]

In order to ease tensions between the Yuuzhan-Vong residents of Rodia and the Rodian government, a meeting had been called in the Rodian capital. Adekos quite liked the Rodian capital. A beautiful city of chiseled marble stone and distinctive architecture. Even the industrial, highly urbanized areas maintained a nice and distinct style. Unfortunately, his work here today was to be much more grim than that. Adekos was called to mediate this meeting between the two parties, but had decided there was a better way to resolve things. His first move to secure peace between the Rodian people and the Yuuzhan-Vong of Rodia was to tell the Rodian Grand Protector, his cabinet, and all other important Rodian planetary officials to not attend this meeting. Adekos also told them to triple security at the event, as it was important to his plan to secure the peace.

That was why the meeting hall was currently filled with Yuuzhan-Vong leaders of every stripe and their bodyguards. Yet there were no Rodians.

They hissed to one another in their guttural, incomprehensible language. The Vong expressed their contempt for the Rodians, their inability to show up to the meeting in a timely manner. They were right, of course. Adekos was running a few minutes behind schedule. The doors to the meeting chamber eventually opened, only for a wide range of TA1 Battle Droids to enter. They were armed with a variety of weapons. Most were energy based and loaded with supercharged energy cells for extra punch. A few carried grenade launchers.

"Hello, Vong."

Extra-galactic rabble, in his eyes, turned to look at him. They were already disgusted that he had called them Vong, but that insult was about to be the least of their worries. It dawned on them what the droids were holding, no, now pointing at them.

"Goodbye, Vong."

The droids opened fire, and the bloodbath that ensued gave Adekos more pleasure than he was willing to admit.

 

[Corey's OOC]

Objective B

See? Tables turned. Marek was working once again with his former master, who… was now running another company. That was good to see. But what the Foreman of the Techno Union was doing was making sure that he could speak to the representatives of Rodia and re-establish the lanes of communication from the world of the ‘kind of creepy’ Rodians and the glory of the Techno Union. He was going down without Alana Flagg at his side, unless [member="Sasha Santhe"] answered his message and came to follow.

It wasn’t like he was dragging the woman he kind of crushed on through the war.

The Techno Union Foreman did make a message go out for any and all CEOs. While there was the war going on, wiping Vong Rebels out from the world, he wanted the best and brightest representatives of the Union helping him. That meant the likes of whoever Danger would send, [member="Gerion Ardik"], and [member="Darell Irani"]e. He’d invite Jacen, but he figured the latter would be the most useful in breaking Vong face.

Landing the Flow, the Santhe Challenger, on the planet’s surface, he was flanked by two of the three meter tall Hydra War Droids, mainly to add insult to injury of the Vong and let the Rodians know that the glory of capitalism was on the rise. With his Obsidian Armor, lacking the AI upload, he stepped into the city and hearing that [member="Adekos"] was on the move, allowed the Hydra Droids to go to town on a group of Vong, while he opened fire with his BlasTech Rifle.

The Techno Union was going to be Big Damn Heroes.

"Adekos, its Starchaser, whats your location?"

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Selka Ventus"]
(1/20)

Vuuzhan Vong. Moira Skaldi was not fond of these creatures. Mind you, not because of their penchant towards unpleasant things such as genocide and such. She could appreciate their ruthless brutality, but they were so...primitive, disordered and superstitious. Above all, they hated machines, which was a pity because otherwise one could have made use of their loathing for Force-users.


Needless to say the revelation that the Techno Union was planning to deal with Rodia's Vong Problem caused her a significant measure of satisfaction. Enough to jump in and provide aid to the corporate alliance. A bio-dome located upon the planet was confirmed as being the centre of Vong power, the headquarters of a rogue cell. A cell that needed to be extinguished. The Butcher of Contruum, officially of course a totally respectable businesswoman and droidmaker, happened to have experience in purging dissidents, malcontents and zealots.


And so it came to pass that a flotilla of Archangel dropships, escorted by droid fighters, broke through the atmosphere of Rodia and swept through the air, descending down towards the aforementioned dome like a horde of mechanical locusts with brutal intent. Aboard the dropships were battle droids and HRDs, kitted out with death dealers. Time for bloodshed. Missiles impacted and heavy laserfire, guided by the dispassionate precision of droids, slashed through the air towards Vong defences as enemy a-a opened fire.

 

[Djorn Bline]

Location: SDS Eminance
Objective: A
Post count: [1/20]

This was very, very awkward for the Clone to the in this particular scenario in the Galaxy. He had been in other cases that have been awkward for him, but not as much as this one he was experiencing right now. For several years he had fought for and carried the Confederacy flag to many systems and brought them into the Confederate fold. Life was not the best one like a millionaire or a politician, but it was adequate and made the best out of it. He enjoyed fighting a trait that the damn Kaminoans inserted into his genetic code just like the rest of his fellow brothers that were created for the Dreadguard project. There was nothing pure of his genetic coding unlike the famous clone, Boba Fett. Nor was there anything pure about him either.

But he took an avenue that caused him to defect and desert the Confederacy of Independent Systems. There was more in him than fight for a government that only benefited the bureaucrats and not himself. A slave he thought of himself just like the first clone army that fought for the Republic during the Clone Wars. No rights, no liberty, not even a simple paycheck. Only armor, weapons, training, food, and barracks were given to maintain their elite soldiers that conquered planets faster than average troopers. Knowing this he left with other defectors into the unknown with Bounty Hunters chasing them for their crimes and disloyalty. From hearing these news he told himself, repeatedly, he would never go back to this government and fight for its banner.

But this was a rather curious thing to see. At the bridge of the SDS Eminance all in Duraplast with armorweave bodyglove he was looking at the sphere of Rodia. The planet where the scientist responsible for the Dreadguard project retrieved the Vong to give the ability of being a complete void of the Force and once a territory of the now Techno Union, the successor of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Apparently, he and other Vanguard personnel were being paid by the Techno Union to bring back this world to the Techno Union. A doubtful thought was in his mind knowing he would be among soldiers of a government he disliked. This was going to be some day.

“You really think this is a good idea," he asked to [member="Dagora-Kel"] a phoenix of the late Isley Verd.

[member="Selka Ventus"] [member="Wes Redtree"] [member="Jennifer Blanchard"]

 

[EmKay]

DOMINION OF RODIA​

PERFORMING OBJECTIVE A​

DIRECTING OBJECTIVE C​

[1/20]​

​

LOCATION: GUNRAY-CLASS STAR DESTROYER Fallen Dawn​

____________________​

​

"What's the situation." came Asher's more-rhetoric question.

He merely wanted to hear it again. He was perfectly aware of the status of Rodia. It was disgusting. Extragalactic aliens who wanted to destroy everything that mattered in the Galaxy.

"Yuuzhan Vong invasion of Rodia following 'Rapture Event' left world in dire straits. Objectives are as shown on-screen for the Techno Union, and the Obsidian Order has a separate task, Archon." the reply came from the tech pits on either side of the ship's bridge.

"Which is?" he pressed.

"Reclaiming of a 'Lambent Crystal' field, and erection of a Citadel on this world."

"Excellent. Inform the Order if they have not been already. I will attend to the decimation of these creatures, but I imagine Network Zillo especially will be interested in these crystals." he replied.

"Yes, Archon." came the answer.

"Now prepare an escape pod."

"Sir?"

"You heard me."

[member="Adekos"] // [member="Charlotte"] // [member="Dagora-Kel"] // [member="Jemmila Kyrgen"] // [member="Jennifer Blanchard"] // [member="Marek Starchaser"] // [member="Molly Rieux"] // [member="Phade"] // [member="Seto Du Couteau"]​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Objective B: Kill and Make Up
Location: Iskaayuma (Rodia's Capital)
Posts: [02/20]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

Hisssss!

Swat.

Hisssssssss!

Swat.

Hisssssssssss!

Swat.

If there was one thing Adekos had underestimated in his engaging the Yuuzhan-Vong emissaries, it was the tenacity of their bodyguards. Or, more appropriately, the tenacity of the living serpentine weapons that they wielded. As if the fact that their weapons were organic, living creatures weren't enough, they just had to be snakes as well. And they also had to be lightsaber resistant, because goodness knows their invasion of the galaxy so many eons ago would not have been interesting if their ridiculous weapons weren't able to inexplicably resist any amount of blows from a lightsaber.

The curious fighting style of amphistaffs was enough to send the Umbaran into a backpedaling retreat in the face of one Yuuzhan-Vong bodyguard. Just in time, too. As the room descended into further chaos, Adekos' second wave entered the fray. This time more lethal- TA4 Ultra Battle Droids armed with force pikes. That was all well and good, but it didn't look like they were coming over to help poor Tyrin any time soon. The amphistaff coiled around the arm of its master, lashing again and again in an attempt to bite the Umbaran.

Adekos was many things, but he was at least halfway competent. He deflected the blasted amphistaff every time it lurched at him, but found he was unable to do much more than that. Normally this would have been good enough for him, but he was fast running out of space with which to backpedal. Soon enough he was out of the delegate room and steadily retreating down the halls of the Rodian capital building. That was when Starchaser happened to call him.

"The Rodian-"

Hissssss!

Swat.

"-Capital building." Adekos replied over the hum of his lightsaber, smacking away another ill-fated lunge.

"Do you-"


Hissssss!

Swat.

"-Need something?"

 

[Darth Rixas]

1/20

Ashogo stood to the left of [member="Dagora-Kel"], his eyes drifting to the viewport and to the emerald planet below. He'd read over the objectives prior to his brother's speech so the words were in the air but the Sith Knight hadn't grasped any of them. What he did hear however was the truth- the honesty of a warrior issuing points of interest that need to be touched. Inclining his head, he watched, rapt and silent like everyone else present. His head tilted once more, unblinking as his gaze drank in the members and allies of the Techno Union. The array of individuals bore wounds, some visible, others hidden, but the energy was unmoving. Battle drew most of the people here, but the rest had personal reasons private to their own minds.

The whisper of the force floated to the back of his mind, a warning of the danger they may face below. Precognition wasn't an often practiced art for Ashogo so he couldn't pierce the walls around the warnings to reveal what truly lay inside the murky macabre of the vision-less directions but such a thing was unnecessary. As far as the Dar'Manda was concerned this planet didn't pose any true threats, not enough for a ping. I want a donut. But Ashogo's dismissal didn't equal ignorance of danger. His guard wouldn't be any lower than it usually was. Then he moved, one foot after the other before he paused as he heard [member="Canade-Kel"] ask Dagora about the mission. He gave his relative a warm smile and nod, but remained inaudible. The Vong wouldn't abandon all hope once the Techno Union touched down but they'd do so once the dying started.

 

[Corey's OOC]

Objective: B
Location: Rodia’s Capital
Post: 3/20
Contacting: [member="Adekos"]

Marek was allowing his pair of three meter tall droids to do their work. The Foreman of the Techno Union’s helmet fell over his face, protecting his features from the really ugly weaponry of the Yuuzhan Vong. He had his BlasTech blaster rifle, and the Yrkaa pistol, the latter not so useful, but he also had his lightsaber. The droids were laying down fire and Marek moved in to knock the thud and razorbugs from the sky, he could do that. But the second that a Vong Warrior stepped closer? He boosted the Razorhawk system, going up three meters and back about two, taking an unaimed shot down at the Vong with the blaster rifle.

Spinnig his armor, he made sure to take down any threats he could reach. He was getting fairly decent with the control of this. Would need to pidate the suit with some more flaps and maybe another maneuvering jet or two. A few more shots, and a few head-shotted Vong.

He really should make the HypeDroid.

“Roger. On way. Calling in support.”

Which meant that one of the highest ranking Masters in Net Zillo was calling in for a squadron of droid bombers, precision strikes on Vong movement. Speaking off a quick order to the two Hydra Droids, he called in an Onith Class Transport full of TA-1s that would be wired into the Hydra networks. Droids fighting Yuuzhan Vong was almost magical.

 

[Jennifer Blanchard]

Objective: D – Mapping Planetary Networks
4/20

Jenn was feeling pretty fortunate. She was in the capital of Rodia and was avoiding most of the Vong. Staying low, staying quiet and not shooting things was one way to make sure that happened. Using the systems in her Santhe Challenger she was accessing the planetary HoloNet. She was somewhere between a Taozin and a Zillo Obsidian and was just more worried about doing her thing. Which meant hacking as the majority of enemies coming at her were going to be organic, and feth that. So, she was going to hide here, in protection and do what she could.

Mapping, and downloading where the systems of Rodia was and where Yuuzhan Vong areas were, she was going to help call in air strikes. And to send a lot of this to [member="Asher Valentine"]. She had a lead on where the Lambent fields were, and that the best location for an Obsidian Citadel was, which wasn’t far from the fields. But that meant clearing a lot of Vong from the area.

“Archon, its Gam--- Blanchard.” Could she use her HoloNet handle here? Maybe. “Looks like we’ve got some Vong nearby to where the Citadel should be going. You have anything planned for the bastards?” They freaked her out. Force dead AND anti-technology? Yeah.

 

[EmKay]

DOMINION OF RODIA​

PERFORMING OBJECTIVE A​

DIRECTING OBJECTIVE C​

[2/20]​

​

LOCATION: GUNRAY-CLASS STAR DESTROYER Fallen Dawn​

____________________​

​

Asher made his way to the armoury. He still hadn't had his custom suit made yet. He didn't feel it was the right time. So he strapped on the standard issue, a size smaller than last time. It was tight, almost uncomfortably so but it was better than having to adjust it continually. He pulled on his belt of lightsabres on over that and slung his durasteel sword over his back. He rolled his shoulders to settle the weight of everything he'd equipped and set off for the escape pods. He marched through the halls, heels clicking against durasteel. Crew moved out of his way, while his lightsabres clinked against his armour. Soon he made it to the escape pod bay.

"Is everything in order?" he asked the attendant.

"Yes... are you sure you want to... go in this...?" came the uneasy answer.

Valentine's mask showed no expression, but he simply climbed into the escape pod and hit the eject button. He was immediately launched out in a hiss of propulsion. Then he was dropping down to the world. Estimated time of arrival was thirty seconds. He nodded and used bumps of telekinetic energy to keep the pod on track. His target? That biodome. He tapped a few buttons and a holodisplay showed trajectory and approximate impact site. He adjusted the pod until it was in a structurally stable section of the dome. Didn't need to all collapsing. Then he sat back and let the last few seconds tick by. He'd need his rest for what he had planned.

Then his comm chimed. Blanchard. Relatively new, had a knack for slicing. Useful to Taozin, so she was nice to have.

“Looks like we’ve got some Vong nearby to where the Citadel should be going. You have anything planned for the bastards?”​

"I'm going to aid in securing the Bio-Dome, but I'm certain Bha'Lir has plans for the Vong near the Citadel site." he replied.

* * *​

Meanwhile...

The Obsidian Order had received the call. In space, several small personnel ships dropped out of hyperspace and broadcast the specialised code for the Force-wielding sect of the Techno Union. Some were there to assist in the effort to eliminate Yuuzhan Vong. Others were there to secure the crystal site, and yet more were there to learn, or to play radio dogs and signal the construction companies when it was time to erect the next of many Obsidian Citadels. One of many hives of the Force, as if in defiance of these hives of Vong impurity. Warriors of Network Bha'Lir were already lining up to hot drop out of their particular ships. Transmissions received upon arrival showed that the Vong were arrayed heavily where the Citadel was planned to be. That meant no landings, yet. They had to clean up the mess first.

[member="Adekos"] // [member="Charlotte"] // [member="Dagora-Kel"] // [member="Jemmila Kyrgen"] // [member="Jennifer Blanchard"] // [member="Marek Starchaser"] // [member="Molly Rieux"] // [member="Phade"] // [member="Seto Du Couteau"]​

 

[Darth Metus]

Location: SDS Eminance -> Bio-Dome
Objective: A
Post Count: 2/20

A Rebel never sees himself as thus. A Rebel does not gaze upon a mirror only to see a terrorist staring back. No, when a Rebel examines himself, he sees only a hero. That was the delusion characterizing the Yuuzhan Vong of the Bio-Dome. In their minds, they were not the divine contrast to order and peace. They were not destroyers nor anarchists. They were heroes who had finally seen the truth of the Old Ways. They were the champions that would conquer Rodia in the name of their gods. However, the Rogue Cell would soon find that this attempted conquest would not come easy. They would learn firsthand the might of the Techno Union and her allies.

Even now, the skies sang with arrivals. Starfighters poured down from above, hellbent on raining down capitalist fury upon the infidels. The first run was not expected, and explosions caught the Yuuzhan Vong off guard. Yet as they scrambled to defend, the first responders would get a glance at what Hell they had wrought. The Bio-Dome was once a settlement built for Rodians: designed for them to thrive in the midst of their harsh world. Yet now, the splendor of this dome had been contorted by biological monstrosities. What once was vibrant was now terrifying; what once was architecture was now Yorik.

In the seconds that followed the initial attack, the master behind all the grief reared his ugly head. A Shaper by the name Nâzdüg emerged from what could only be described as the heart of the Bio-Dome. A bellow tore from his lips, orders then hissed forth in his native tongue. By his command did numerous Yaret-Kor emplacements spring into action: firing deadly ordnance upon the enemies who dared assault their stronghold. In the meantime, the Shaper ordered his ground forces to disperse and to take cover amongst the numerous buildings; for huddling together would mean certain death in the face of a successful attack run. Next, he scrambled a single squadron of Txiin Starfighters to meet the threat in the air. Only time would tell if this tactic would have success. ([member="Selka Ventus"] | [member="Moira Skaldi"])

* * *​

As the Bes'uliik rose to its full height, the Dar'manda looked down to hear the inquiry of his brother. @Canande-Kel had made the ultimate display of support in recent history; for Dagora had approached him despite a troubled past. Years ago, under the name Isley, he had seen Canande born alongside ten thousand others. A legion, shaped by the very same Vong hands they now battled against, was created to propel the goals of the former Confederacy. However, differences in belief and straight up deceit had seen Canande and Dagora battle on opposing sides for too long.

The Vanguard became their common ground much later, and the two reconciled as brothers. Flesh and blood under the banner "House Kel." Now, Dagora looked down upon his sibling and offered a smile of confidence. The Confederacy, compliments of Salem Norongachi's treachery, had seen him burned quite immensely...yet Dagora clawed his way back to prominence. There was no doubt in his mind that this time, things would be different...yet he fully understood Canande's obvious doubts.

"I do believe this to be a good idea. Those who saw us burned have faded into obscurity, and should they return, I will kill them." he began, rather bluntly. "Yet now, I must ask you to focus brother. There are many below who must die by our hands. Follow me into Glory, Canande!"

With this said, the Dar'manda gave his brothers, Canande and [member="Ashogo-Kel"], a nod of confidence before spurning the War Droid forward. The cockpit was then slid into place, high-boost engines were primed, and Dagora left the building...erm...hangar. The void of space was upon him, and only seconds separated rider and beast from the surface of Rodia. As the descent occurred, the Dar'manda addressed both the Vanguard forces and those assaulting the Bio-Dome over the comm.

"All Vanguard forces, deploy and muster half-a-klick out from the target. We will advance from the front together. All forces currently engaging the enemy, I request air support to keep the Vong occupied until we land. Dagora out."

Now it was just a matter of getting to the surface in one piece. Breaking atmosphere was easy, dodging Yaret-Kor shells was the difficult part.

Spoiler

[member="Wes Redtree"], [member="Ashogo-Kel"], @Canande-Kel, [member="Adekos"], [member="Marek Starchaser"], [member="Raziel"], [member="Asher Valentine"], [member="Selka Ventus"], [member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Objective: B
Location: Providing Backup
Posts: [1/20]

Apparently recruits got a trial by fire in the Obsidian Order, because Charlotte (who still wasn't quite used to that name yet) hadn't been wearing the ring for more than a week before she was ordered to Rodia to "assist in a transfer of authority and influence." What she found out during the briefing was that the transfer was from [yuuzhan vong] control to Techno Union control. A quick holonet search told her all she could ever want to know about the Yuuzhan Vong: They were militarized, technophobic warriors with organic weapons and extremely thick armor.

She packed a Harbinger and called it a day.

For hours Charlotte had been waiting in the wings of the Rodian capital of Iskaayuma with a whole cadre of [ta4 ultra battle droids], outfitted for close combat. This had given her plenty of time to surf the holonet sources for Yuuzhan Vong tactics, scan the capital building's own network schematics to learn her way around, and to adjust to the idea of wearing and using Obsidian gear: lightsaber, armor, [bti-cr automatic blaster pistol], [bti-hpbr heavy blaster rifle]. The former was more like a backup weapon; the few holonet videos of Jedi practicing lightsaber forms made a point to suggest that no one could use one of those without training, and she had none to speak of.

When the call came to mobilize reinforcements, the young cyborg reacted immediately. With efficiency not out of place among the droids she was escorting, the lot of them moved through the capital with a programmed running march. Charlotte, of course, took her place at the head. Mechanical eyes, organic mind. Better to make decisions with.

Such as the decision to fire first and speak later. When she neared he conference room where the distress signal in question had been launched, Charlotte's synthetic vision scanned the situation to pinpoint and outline the hostile entity attacking someone with an Obsidian IFF. Orange outline on the baddie, blue outline on the friendly. She leveled her Harbinger and squeezed off a quick shot at the warrior's skull, the armor-piercing bolt screaming through the air with the same mechanical lack of mercy represented in the full squad of heavy battle droids behind her.

Speaking of which... "Move to engage," she stated simply. The droids would hear her without her having to raise her voice. "First priority is extermination. Secondary priority is protecting the cyborg." Organic speech was inefficient, but Charlotte needed her wet computer set to combat HUD right now. Multitasking when someone else's life was on the line wasn't something she was quite comfortable doing yet.
[member="Adekos"] [member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[EmKay]

PERFORMING OBJECTIVE A​

DIRECTING OBJECTIVE C​

[3/20]​

​

BIO-DOME ALPHA; AEROSPACE​

____________________​

​

The escape pod served well as a drop pod, especially when aided by the Force. Nudges of telekinetics forward and to the sides, adjusting trajectory ever-so-slightly as it bulleted from the heavens. An alarm sounded moments before the dome was breached. This woke Asher from a meditative state he'd put himself in for precious few seconds. Long enough to hone himself for the upcoming battle. He'd need it to battle the unnatural monsters. When the plummeting escape pod hit the Bio-Dome ceiling, several things happened at once. The transparent dome fractured and broke by sheer force from the escape pod. The pod itself was bent and breached, sounding several other alarms to sound. The hiss of the air within mixing with the air outside filled the ambient noises within the dome. Valentine's signature in the Force went from a source of power to a nexus of the natural flow, where it converged and flared like a sun. He took a deep breath, then prepared for his next step.

The pod was scrap. There was no way around that. However, he had plans for it still. He rode it through, even as a flame ignited off the small engines intended only to propel the pod away from its mother ship, down to the city below. The pod clipped a taller building, knocking debris unto the Vong below, then it flew into a spin. That spin allowed it to practically drill through another building before coming to a screeching halt near the edge of the city. The wreck smoked and flamed, and the occupying Yuuzhan Vong in the area gathered around, eager to end whatever survivors that may have existed within. Then the whole of the pod shifted, and the metals groaned and creaked. Rivets popped, flying out as fast as bullets. Most only left dings in the crab armour, others hit just the right mark to kill their unfortunate targets. Oddly enough to the warriors, the now insecure panels kept in place. Then snaps, hisses, and squeals from the pod were accompanied by the panels separating and the framework of the pod breaking apart and splaying out like a perversion of a Sarlacc, the metallic tentacle-like constructs snapping with irregular rhythm and creating odd curves and twists.

A glow emanated from between the cracks. Force Users in the area would hear echoed whispers seeming to seethe through the Force, leaking Asher's will into their thoughts like a passing notion. Uninvasive, but definitely there, and definitely carrying meaning and his perspective of these things as abhorrent beasts and nothing more.

"Yuuzhan Vong... you consider yourselves above the Force... but are you above kinetic energy and electricity? ...Are you above heat and fire?" his thoughts echoed, then his voice rang out from within the pod,

"Come, Vong, let us see how above you are, when you try to be above the Force of nature."

* * *​

​

Meanwhile, on board the Fallen Dawn...

​

"Prepare port-side turbolaser Aurek-Five." came the captain's call.

"Sir?"

"Our friends in the Order haven't arrived at the fields yet, ensign. A single blast from our cannon will... have minimal side-effect, and may take out a chunk of our enemies... if aimed correctly." the captain's eyes held on the gunnery chief.

She nodded and relayed the information to scanner and sensor crews, who then turned their attentions planet-side and took a life sign reading. From there the raw data went to a tactical crew who surveyed the status and flagged the greatest cluster of Yuuzhan Vong insurgents. That data went back to gunnery, who reviewed the data and proposed a course of action regarding power and number of shots. That data went to a supervisor who reviewed the importance of documentation, and finally circled to the captain. The whole process, with the processor speeds and electronic assistance provided to the Techno Union, took about five minutes. The captain reviewed the finalised proposal, found it satisfactory, and handed it back to the supervisor before folding his hands behind his back and calling out and order to the crew before him.

"Lock turbolaser Aurek-Five, cannons one and two, to coordinates Zesh-Besh Six-Six, and fire when ready."

The crew worked immediately, turbolaser battery Aurek-Five pivoted in its place, aligned itself to the specified coordinate, and spat out two massive laser bolts from its twin abysses. Almost too late. Down planet-side, the first-action crews from the shuttles of Network Bha'Lir were alerted to incoming orbital fire and swerved to avoid one bolt, then the other. The two red-hued lasers crashed into the earth below and burst into flame and energy as the main cluster of Yuuzhan Vong was annihilated in superheat and concussive force. Turbulence shook the shuttles, and in the wake of the fire and flame wrought by a simple one-two from the Star Destroyer above, the fearless members of Bha'Lir dropped out of their shuttles. The shuttles flew off, and the warriors were left facing aliens who were caught by surprise by starship weaponry. In lieu of lightsabres, the Order was issued melee weapons such as vibroswords and other such steel for those so inclined, and firearms equipped with armour-piercing rounds for others. The fray quickly broke out into full-on combat, and the Battle of the Lambent Fields had begun in earnest.

"Report." barked the captain of the Fallen Dawn.

"Crystals destroyed in approximately a ten-metre radius, collateral damage from fifteen to thirty metres total. I imagine Starchaser will be displeased, but it can be categorised under 'acceptable loss', considering the significant impact our actions had on Yuuzhan Vong numbers."

"Good."

[member="Adekos"] // [member="Charlotte"] // [member="Dagora-Kel"] // [member="Jemmila Kyrgen"] // [member="Marek Starchaser"] // [member="Phade"] // [member="Seto Du Couteau"]​

 

[Hira Mitsae]

Equator City​

Rodia​

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]​

~~~​

[1/20]​

There were those that took this mission as an opportunity to right wrongs, while others decided to finally work out some of those frustrations that had been bottled up for a very long time now. In the meanwhile Darell Irani decided to pick a different path and solution, he did not particularly care about the Yuuzhan Vong, he didn’t despise them, hate them or have any real strong feelings for their kind.

Instead he simply had knowledge and that knowledge told him that the Yuuzhan Vong were beings that held possibilities, most of which came down to their terraform projects. So whilst Starchaser, Adakos and the others were busy exterminating the Vong in the capital, Irani traveled to Equator City. The old capital of Rodia, there he would meet with an assembly of Master Shapers and Rodian Scientists to discuss the old values of capital, trade and commerce.

Perhaps in the end Saiba Group would be able to take advantage of the terraforming ways of the Yuuzhan Vong and perhaps Eridium Industrial would be able to sign a contract for the repair and reconstruction process of the planet itself.

Mostly that would come down to the caretaking of the infrastructure (yes, yes Starchaser. We are doing all we can.) and perhaps analyzing the shield technology which was used to house the cities of Rodia against the ecological threats.

‘Miss. Redeaux’ Irani addressed the HRD and his current companion for the job, who was sitting next to him in the transport. ‘How do you like your new job at Hegemonic Automaton? Is Gerion Ardik a pleasant boss to work under?’

Just passing time, while the transport made its way to their destination.

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

Location: Equator City, Rodia
Allies: [member="Darell Irani"]
[1/20]

Even though she now worked for Gerion Ardik, Morgan Redeaux felt some loyalty to Darell Irani as he had helped her previously with an important software upgrade, one that her employer was not even aware of. The specific upgrade wouldn't have been important to the Umbaran and probably denied to her if she had asked, but it was very important to Morgan. Mr. Irani had obliged her by both funding the repair - as she liked to think of it - and in moral support. And let's face it, not many beings would feel the need to give a droid moral support since droids weren't supposed to have morals to begin with. And he also helped her test the upgrade. Numerous times.

But Morgan was looking forward to this specific trip to accompany the Duke, because, despite being the Chief of Security for a multi-billion credit company who manufactured all models of exactly what she was, she was originally designed as a Class Three Protocol Droid. She would make an excellent translator due to her TranLang III communications module, cultural advisor and just all around handy companion to have. She doubted that Mr. Irani even knew what type of functions Morgan could perform beyond what he had helped install. And even still, she was pretty sure he was interested in functions of a different kind.

Morgan knew the basics of the Vong culture, including their abhorrence of technology, which made her apprehensive but like Mr. Irani, she didn't have an opinion on them either way. To Morgan, the Vong had much in common with battle or assassin droids - they appeared to be warriors programmed to kill, with very set paths in accordance with their castes. When they needed upgrades they used organics to do this. Many similarities but a very different makeup.

But in any case, Mr. Irani and Morgan agreed ahead of time that she was his human assistant and her mechanical status would not be revealed. She would be there to help advise the Duke and smooth over any tensions should any arise over these business negotiations. In the transport when Mr. Irani asked about her current position at Hegemonic Automaton, she replied, "I enjoy my new position at Hegemonic. Mr. Ardik is a fair employer and I feel secure in my role serving him." She would not mention her latest incident on a damaged freighter where Morgan locked herself in the refresher after the Umbaran berated her. She had too much loyalty to Mr. Ardik to reveal those types of things. Instead she turned on her truth scanner module and he would see her artificial retinas briefly flash a glowing blue and then go back to their normal bright green color. "What are your thoughts on Gerion Ardik?"

 

[EmKay]

PERFORMING OBJECTIVE A​

DIRECTING OBJECTIVE C​

[4/20]​

blzit​

BIO-DOME ALPHA​

____________________​

​

The Yuuzhan Vong gathered at the crash site growled, hissed, or made whatever various noises that an offended member of their species would make in response to the insult of merely calling them 'Vong'. The glow grew brighter within the pod, luring them nearer with the promise of killing off either a Force user or some great piece of technology. Unfortunately for them, as they crowded closer, the metals of the escape pod bent inward. This allowed the beams that shaped the pod to segment and break, then compact and form lances. Those lances directed their points outward, and the Vong who saw took cover. Those who didn't were privy to the sudden launching of the thick, compacted, high-velocity bars of durasteel. No matter how thick, or lightsabre-resistant, armour wouldn't stand such abuse. Especially not organic shell armour. Force resistance? So he couldn't grip them with his mind. So he couldn't sense them. So he couldn't try and play with their heads. They weren't immune to the laws of inertia, they weren't immune to having steel shoved through their chests and getting nailed to buildings behind them. The spikes quickly turned whatever colour their blood was, and at the epicentre of this event, the pod's colour dimmed down, then the pod exploded with a thunderous wave of electrified telekinetic energy that launched out like a disc. Honed and refined to an almost edge, that caught those that came out of cover around their middles and threw them into whatever happened to be behind them. Electricity sparked along metal surfaces and adhered to anything it would conduct along. Exposed flesh burnt. Snakes hissed in disdain. Anything flammable was so heated by the surge that it ignited and carried on. Windows shattered from the natural aftershocks of the variances in temperature and air pressure. Unstable structures cracked. The durasteel panels of the escape pod had also flown out, but they slowed, halted, and returned as though magnetically drawn back to their point of origin.

At that point stood Sigma. His sword in hand, reflecting the flames that had gathered at the ground around his feet from the crash and his actions. His gaze intent on the scene before him, eyes scanning for survivors who were unfortunate enough to survive his arrival. Those durasteel panels came to heel near him, overlapping around his back and shifting slightly in front, forming a shield... and a ready weapon. They were no Phrik orbs; he couldn't send them at bullet-speed at an enemy and pierce through their skulls with them, but he could bash some Vong and crack some shells.

Until he could locate the leader of this... group... that was enough.

-
Meanwhile, at the Lambent Fields...

They could sense the surge of power. It gave them the morale to keep fighting. The turbolaser fire damaged their prize, but it only inspired the wrath that the Obsidian Order was capable of. Swords rent through shell, clever use of the Force brought even the Vong to yield to its might and omnipresence. Indeed, while their Archon was capable of great things with the Force, they were capable of the same as a group. Moving as a single unit, the Bha'Lir Warriors were cutting a bloody swathe through the Yuuzhan Vong force that had occupied the crystal fields. Soon there would only be stragglers, and the less combative Network Zillo could move in and begin its tasks. Things were going smoothly. It was hard, it was brutal, but in the end the Order would prevail, and their presence on Rodia would be strong and unwavering.

[member="Adekos"] // [member="Charlotte"] // [member="Dagora-Kel"] // [member="Jemmila Kyrgen"] // [member="Marek Starchaser"] // [member="Phade"] // [member="Seto Du Couteau"]​